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Kuntres Eitz Hachayim: What’s in it?
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Chof Cheshvan 5781 The 160th Birthday of the Rebbe Rashab נ״ע THE REBBE GAVE IT OUT. BUT WHAT’S IN IT? 30 years ago the Lubavitcher Rebbe זי״ע distributed on Chof Cheshvan 5751 (Nov. 8, 1990) to men, women and children the קונטרס עץ החיים of the Rebbe Rashab. 🎙 Presented by: Rabbi Shais Taub 👀 Watch or replay the live stream: SoulWords.org/LIVE Brought to you by: BeisRabeinu.com לזכות ברוך שלום דובער בן מרים בלומא שיחיו לרפואה שלימה וקרובה
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Transcript
Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
drinking tea. Okay. Anyways, welcome to
everybody.
Um, it's a big day. Today is
or today was the Shabas was
and 30 years ago to the day the Reb uh
distributed the countress
of the Reb.
the uh Rabbi Ashab's birthday is uh
today
and uh in in honor of that occasion
in Tinunf
which has a connection to this year by
the way we should just we should just
mention the connection between Toshin
Alf and Tshin Alf course the Reb spoke
that year tinf and tavis
about the Roshavis for that year, the
Floyen that we will uh the year that we
will will be shown wonders.
And the Reb connected that to the idea
of Pereno, which is pay olive, which is
the inversion of a meaning the opposite
of anger when Hashem will reverse all of
the negativity and turn it into all
revealed positivity. And uh so therefore
based on that
uh what the Reb said hey
many are seeing a connection to pay
ic
did connect the idea of
to the idea of payenu
which has the same meaning wonders at
any rate so it was in tenon
on
distributed this.
So in honor of that,
we're reliving it. And not just we're
reliving it, but uh we're uh actually
delving into the countress the way the
Reba wanted. The Reb said the Shabas
after the uh the distribution the
distribution of the the countress was on
Thursday night was a Thursday and then
Shabas was
so on Shabas that which was Shabas
the spoke about how we have distributed
this and obviously it goes without
saying it is superfluous to say that the
distribution of the countress was not
just as momento or a keepsake although
obviously those who received an actual
contras from the Reb's holy hand that is
something that people treasure uh has no
it has no uh price tag on it. It's
something that is priceless
but uh the Reb said it's not just a
momento
it's meant to to learn. We're supposed
to open it up and learn it. So um those
who are holding on to it for for their
children for a yusha
uh the best uh
the best gift you can give your children
is a is a well-used countress. So I
invite everybody if you have such a
countress um use it. This is this is the
way that it was meant to be used. It's
not something you you know leave lying
around. Obviously, it's kept very very
carefully, but once in a while on a on a
day like this on
to to actually do what the Reb wanted us
to do with the countress, it's it's a
good time to bring it out and um
to remember that it's not just 30 years
ago that the Reb
gave us
this gift, but the Reb is giving us this
gift now. right now if if we if we
choose to see it that way.
Okay. So, um
let's talk a little bit about the book
itself,
the content, the the background, the
history.
The rebab
released four contra and often these
contra are spoken about in connection
with one another almost like a genre
within the rebab's writings
and uh
those four
contrail
and contraates
Uh in fact inimab
explicitly mentions the countress
and directs the reader to go look again
in that countress and uh relearn some of
the parts there that direct people how
to how to properly davin.
Kuntas by the way means a a pamphlet or
a booklet. It's not a full book. It's
not as thick as a book. It's a it's a
pamphlet or a booklet.
contraim however um is specifically
connected
to uh
theastas of Tim.
One of the great accomplishments of the
rebab historically speaking was that he
started a yeshiva named
and
was meant to direct the bahim the uh the
students of this yeshiva
and to to tell them what the yeshiva was
all about. And we'll talk a little bit
about
uh the history, the background.
The yeshivaim
was actually officially founded during
the shabas of the fed that uh that was
on the 16th of alph
that would have been uh 1897
and in fact the yeshiva did not even
have a name for the first year, a little
bit more than the first year. It wasn't
until a year and about uh a month later,
more than a month later, a year like
about a year and a month uh
of uh Tes,
which would have been 1898, the last few
months of 1898, not yet 1899. So
said that the name of the yeshiva is
one of the the uh phrases that we say in
the uh in the
so the rabbi announced that the yeshiv
is called and that the students who
learn there are called
means a uh
a whole or integrated person. Um,
integrated is a good word. It mean it
means to have integrity in the true
sense of um, not being fragmented.
It's not like you have different values
than you have behaviors and you have
different feelings than you have
thought. So everything is
aligned in alignment. I'll just mention
a story very briefly. uh medas was once
fabi in in uh inabad
and uh was it was late shabas afternoon
there was a bakar who had been uh
dabbing ding at length and was joining
the fabangan later shabas day and he was
like
sort of looming around looking and and
finally looked the he says
what are you looking for and he didn't
want to say
you know like you're walking around like
what are you looking for? So he said he
said
means you know has to be from from a
solem means a two full loaves but say it
fast especially with the Ashkanazic
pronunciation.
So uh he says
[Laughter]
student is looking for schlamos
means perfection. You're looking to to
be a muslim. You're looking to perfect
yourself. No we don't look for
perfection. We look for timos integrity
wholeness to be an integrated being that
everything is in alignment. Okay. Maybe
you call it sincerity. That's another
way you could call it. But uh
means a real person or another way to
put it is a pimi. You know always
stresses the need to be a pimi. It means
uh integrated sincere for real. At any
rate, so that that was the name of the
yeshiva that the the gaveim
and uh contraim
was first printed in
of
so we're actually talking about if the
yeshiva was founded officially in Zion.
So we're talking about how many years is
that? 7 years.
That's 7 years after the uh the yeshiva
was founded.
And in fact
in the countress which we'll learn some
of it inside in in a little bit uh bezos
hashem
the rebab actually explicitly addresses
the fact that the reason the countress
was written
was because a change had occurred in the
yeshiva
that I guess just in seven years uh what
happened is a lot of Baham started
coming to Tim because it earned a
reputation as a really good place to
learn.
You know it was a very tumultuous time.
You're talking about Russia at right
before the turn of the century and there
were winds of change modernization
and people who were not labaturkin
says success is a terrible thing is that
the quote Benjiman will will text me and
tell me if I'm getting the quote right
so my friend Misha Bashkin says success
is a terrible thing.
Anyone who finds who can text me and
tell me where Misha Bashkin said that
will win uh
free copy of uh the Ammy letters 52.
Anyways, success is a terrible thing.
What happened? A lot of people started
coming to Tim who were not really
on board with the purpose of the
yeshiva's founding. They just they came
there because it it was a good good
yeshiva was a good place to learn. They
didn't understand is different. It was
founded for a very specific purpose with
a specific goal and that everyone there
was supposed to be on board with that
goal and and and coming they didn't they
they didn't even understand what the
yeshiva was there for what what made it
special and different and why are you
learning here as opposed to another
yeshiva.
So in order to clarify sort of like to
realign the yeshiva with its mission
statement or to realign the the bum of
the yeshiva with the mission statement
and to remind them hey this is why we
exist. This is what we're all about
seven years after the founding of the
yeshiva that put out this to say this is
what we are. This is what makes us
different. This is why we're here.
Now it's interesting
that
the Reb put out the countress or
wrote and and published
seven years after the founding of Tim to
address this issue that we just
described.
The Fredbe reprinted
in tinv in 1946.
So you know that the fa came to America
in tough
tasin in the spring of of 1940
and um the last 10 years of the fedab's
life in this world were spent here in
America in New York in 770
and uh
if the change from Russia to Poland was
a massive cultural shift which it was
and and that and that's a subject for a
whole other time how the rebba the fba
was was successful in transporting
which was you know Russian he
transported it into into Poland in invad
and how he um
basically uh took took a whole new
culture of boys who were not from the
original, you know, Kabad stock and he
uh he taught them not just the you know
the the the official you know Sephogim
uh
but the the you know the
the stories the heroes the lore and that
by the way one of the main uh purposes
if not the main purpose of the
publication Hatim
which was during that the the Polish
years of Tim. It was for that purpose.
Like all those great stories about like
our heroes like Rashbat and how he came
to and
that was for indoctrinating to use maybe
too harsh of a word but acculturating
these Polish boys so that they could uh
you know have the the the full advantage
of uh what what Timim really originally
was back in uh back in Russia. Okay. But
what That's not the point here. As I was
saying, if it was a big deal to
transplant
from Russia to Poland, well, how much
more so to transplantim
from Europe to America?
And yet took American boys and um was
very proud of his American boys and how
they became real to Mimi. But that
wasn't you know without a lot of work
and without a lot of guidance. The fir
was very very on top of the development
of these bahim. So it wasn't just all
the activities the fikbas started in
America which we know about you know the
organizations of of measus and machnis
and kohos which were flourishing of
course after the rebba arrived in 1941
the the rebba was was in many ways very
quietly uh a lot of the's activities
were done
uh let's say as much as we know about
what the was doing doing during that
tufa
much more is not known
um as far as Deb's contribution to the
growth of Labavich in America
but as much as the Fidic was doing with
with you know let's call it outreach and
with American jewelry at large there was
a great focus on specifically American
jewelry within the walls of the yeshiva
with the the tim themselves.
So it was sort of like history repeating
itself the same way that the the came to
a point where he said listen we need a
refresher course you know we got to we
got to have a reminder what is all about
why we're here and what what makes us
special so the did the same thing and
six years after coming to America the
FBA republished
uh and in fact the the the the version
that the Rebba gave out in Taliv
is exactly the same as the version that
the put out in uh in Tinv in 1946 in the
beginning
of the count
if you have it you can
you can look here
um there's a there's a letter
there's a letter from the fir
here on this side of the page there's a
letter you see it's on letter head
writes a letter
uh regarding
the the publication of the countress and
uh in this letter the the says the you
know the the slogan which is by now is
is famous we all know it uh America's
nishand
that there are those who say that uh
whatever could be expected in the in the
alim that was one thing but now we're in
America we have to manage our
expectations it's not the same anymore
so basically the fab is saying no
America's not basically say I mean
right right here the fab says there are
people who say America is and I'm saying
America's nishand and uh part of That
statement is the printing of this
contress to to remind us that the same
ideals that the fidic's father that
founded the yeshiva with back in Russia
those same ideals are still in full
force
still in full force.
Now after that after that letter
there's a mo which is actually another
letter of the fidic but not a letter he
wrote at the time of the publication was
actually an older letter that uh that
the fidba had written uh before
and uh it's reprinted here it's actually
a letter from tesadic
base
from uh 19
[Music]
and in this letter why is it included as
part of if it was written you know in
1932 what's what's the connection to
ketim
So in that letter
the writes about a problem
and and you have to assume I mean the
reason that this letter is is printed as
for
is saying that this problem is sort of
the
the problem that countress is addressing
or reprinting the countress is
addressing this problem. What's the
problem?
Fred GB writes in this letter that once
upon a time
it was very clear who was who. It's an
interesting thing because I think it it
it may not be so politically correct. It
may rub us the wrong way, but I'm going
to tell you what it says here. um
vic uses the term um histavos.
I don't know how you want to translate
and it doesn't mean histavos like
midhistavos in a where you know
equinimity where you you know have
so certain stoicism you know that you
don't react you're not a spoil from
things no here the uses in the in the
social context what does it mean for
society to haveos it means um
I mean maybe you translate as equality
Um,
but basically it's homogyny. Everyone's
the same. I think homogyny would
probably be the better uh translation.
Everyone's the same. And why is that a
problem?
Because once upon a time the
the people who were immersed in they
knew they were different. Not better. It
doesn't necessarily mean better. Okay,
that is you know and I'm not just saying
that to be politically correct but
different and what was the difference
is they understood and and and and the
bal appreciated this the working man
appreciated
that the
one who was immersed in especially a bak
in yeshiva whose entire life is they
understood who's the mashia and who's
the mabo
It was understood that somebody who was
learning was a mashia period and he was
not malo from anyone
and the fed decries this is back in in
the 30s he decries the fact that now you
don't see that anymore.
It's interesting. I mean
one of the things that Ebba said uh we
mentioned that Reba spoke in
Paris the Shabas after the the giving
out of the countress. The Reb said that
everything that that was in the
countress was in full force. So it still
applies today. It's still relevant
today. So this isn't a history lesson.
Clearly it's not meant to be a history
lesson. So the fact that the was saying
seven years after the the founding of
the yeshiva, we've got a problem guys.
Our success has led to, you know,
certain issues. We got to get back to
mission. We got to get back on on on our
uh original charter. Okay? And the fact
that the fidba was saying in 1946,
look, America's nishand and we have to
make sure that it shouldn't be. Um and
and and and to reprint this letter and
say, you know what the big problem today
is? is that the people who are supposed
to be mashim are not mashim.
I think we have to realize that those
are not history lessons. That those are
as relevant as they were then at the
time of writing. They're they are
equally as relevant now right now. And
if we can take the moment to do a little
uh sadic you know let let's think about
this idea of how much are we metab from
velt
you know
it's enough that velt puts pressure
that from velt you see all of this noise
and this static trying to pull our
attention
but that even within the Jewish world
that that should have become something
normalized.
In other words,
the people
who are pure should be the influencers.
Those are the ones who should be setting
the tone. And the ones who are
unfortunately influenced by Velt, okay,
fine. No one no one's condemning them
for that. But they should understand
that their role within the community is
to be mabble from those who are immersed
all the time in to
but instead what do we have
not only do we have the pressure of
being mabo from the world around us but
even in our own community there's the
pressure that
yes themselves
are looking at other from look now
they're looking at their own neighbors
and family members and thinking that
maybe they have to be more like them and
I understand we have our excuse nowadays
we say it's all you know it's an order
that we should be able to say when we go
when we go on and the people will
understand what we're talking about we
have to be up on politics so we can make
the right political references for our I
understand how we're you know how we're
you know we're mat the whole thing but
Uh,
somebody's commenting here. Very gray
lines. Who exactly is pure today? Okay.
So, you know what? Great. Let's all try
to be more pure.
It's not that's not that's that's not
lo. You're not that to bring that out
doesn't give us a ka to say, oh, and
since we're all tainted, let's, you
know, forget about it. Okay. So, then so
then we can all strengthen oursel. It's
like the guy the Rebba told him to put
fillin on people. The guy says, "EBA, I
don't always put on fillin. I'm going to
put fillin on with them. They're going
to ask me, do you put on fillain?" The
said, "Okay, so you could also put on
filling."
Okay. So those who are supposed to be
pure, be pure and be an influencer.
Don't be influenced.
And the Fedic is decrying this
condition, reprinting it in 1946 here in
America, but a letter back from from
1932 and and saying that there has to be
very clear delineations of who we're
makabo from and that the people who
represent Yeshiva, who represent
learning, who represent to they should
set the tone. It's enough that the world
around us, you know, has is is
distracting us, but at least in our own
culture, the the should set the tone.
Okay.
Anyways, so that's a little bit of uh
background.
Now
let's uh
let's come up uh closer to the present
day.
Actually, you know, maybe I will mention
one more thing about the uh the letter
from Tish Sadic base.
One of the things the the fab says there
is that um
therefore if somebody reflects on this
you know the current situation
um
he's going to realize
how important
uh is actually the says that somebody
should go and they should learn
and if they'll learn it and take it
personally, take it to heart, they will
actually feel pained. I'm sorry, that's
that's the language uses. They will feel
pained. How could they have spent all of
these years without proper
understanding? without the proper
understanding that can only be brought
through a proper understanding of
and that when you learnis it transforms
all of to make it a sim
and elixir of life and that it leads to
the fulfillment of mitzvah
uh and and with with
the person will be moved to beim to set
up times for the learning of of and he
will he'll do and Hashem will have
mercy.
So the bottom line from the from the mo
the letter which is the the preface is
that you'll learn
and you'll say how could I have misspent
all the years where I didn't learn or I
didn't learn properly and therefore what
do I want to do about it? I'm gonna be
set up times. It's very important to
have a time. Time can mean a couple
different things. It can mean an amount
of time every day. It could also mean an
actual time on the clock. Okay? Speak to
your mashia. But to be to set up times
for learning of
and uh and that that itself is is his
cha and hashem will have mercy on him.
So if anything emerges from our study of
the already already sort of told us that
from this from this lim whatever you
want to call it
you want to know
if we all come out of this and we set up
you know we make a or we we join a class
or maybe even online especially in these
co times but whatever it is to to make
aus for learning sudis. That should be
the the take-home from uh from what
we're doing here. Okay. So, I want to
catch us up a little bit closer to the
to the present day as I was saying to
Tin
Alf.
So as we mentioned it was uh Thursday in
uh 1991 Toshalif actually it was still
uh 1990
uh and the Reb gave out the countress
and then on Shabas
which was
the Reb explained it how is connected to
which is connected. So then the Reb
spoke at the end of the
Reb spoke at length about
um
one moment here. Yeah. Okay.
So uh one of the things that Eba said
was
that uh the purpose of the contress
was
to remind people of what is the purpose
of the yeshiva
and the reba is mit there meaning in the
footnote out to proclaim base and gimml
of the which will learn inside in in a
moment.
Reb also mentions
how
the purpose of the yeshiva and this is
connected very much to what we were
saying before from the m about being
influencers. I know the word influencer
has a social media connotation but maybe
they got it from us. Everything all emis
is from Tyra right. So to be bal hashbah
to be movers and shakers to be
influencers. Um that the purpose of
the yeshiva
was to produce students to be laoya
candles for illumination. And as the Reb
explains in another place, there could
be a N that's just a N. It's just a
candle, but it's not functioning to give
light
means candles that are actually
functioning. So it's not enough to just
be a candle. You got to actually
function as a candle.
You have actually have to do what a
candle is supposed to do, which is to
spread light. And spreading light means
to to be to be an influence. And the
Reba then interesting
says maybe this is the maybe this is
what the is saying
at the beginning of the it's interesting
the beginning of the contress if you
want to open up now to the first chapter
where at the beginning it says uh
says the title.
This is the pamphlet called
it is maluk
compiled and based upon said based upon
the words of the previous
um and it was
it was given to the students ofim
intal
in
1894.
So at the beginning
the first words there
are
and the goes on
and explains
other things other than this idea
of you know the
in fact very quickly goes into a
discussion of havos. about how the world
is created. Is the world created through
which is Malus or is it from uh
from Hashem's desire which is obviously
much higher which is really kasser or is
it is it implemented through there's a
whole discussion about and surah and how
how
creation is brought about and then it
gets into a discussion of of the purpose
of creation But the rabbi mentioned in
the of of
that perhaps the iss
that at the very beginning
of
at the very beginning of the countress
that the reason that the reb starts with
that pic and with those words is because
the whole purpose of
was the idea of
says
candle that the purpose of the yeshiva
is to produce students who are
candles to illuminate and and and I
think it's interesting that you know
everybody in the world today knows about
kabad and what do they know about kabad
they know about the outreach
They know about the global presence
houses in every country, right? That's
what everybody knows.
And perhaps what they don't realize or
I'm quite sure that most people do not
realize
is that
what they know of Kabad is actually not
Kabad, but it is the result of Kabad.
is a school of thought. It is aidis that
goes back to the
chiefly elucidated in the
called as well as in all of the of
and when you follow those teachings the
result is
that you live your life to serve the
Jewish community and hence kabad houses
in every country. But that's not kabad.
That is the that is the manifestation.
That's what comes of kabad. So I think
just like it's important to understand
that the whole the whole worldview of
kabad is behind the activism that
everyone knows about. I think it's
worthwhile to reflect on the fact that
this worldview
uh has its origin even before the Reb.
The Reb perfected it. The Reb took it to
a whole new level, but the ideas were
already there. And so when the rebashab
was was producing students which he
wanted to be la candles to illuminate
what did that mean? That meant that the
whole objective of the yeshiva and we're
talking about you know 1890s we're
talking about long before uh we're
talking about long before uh the
revolution even. So we're not even
talking about the communist era which
obviously there's a rich and also very
painful history of of kabad activism in
Russia during the Soviet era but we're
talking even before then
uh when the the chief threat was
modernization enlightenment
and and the rebab had his mind on
students who were influencers.
So that was that was the design from the
very beginning. So I'm just saying that
this the kabad as we know you know the
the people who who go out and turn over
a whole city you know the the rebloim
that has its you can trace that back
sort of to a a a a
an earlier iteration of that in the
original as founded by the
the idea of a yeshiva that produces
students who are called nus candles to
illuminate and to the extent where the
reb says that the first words of the
kfas here which is you know about the
purpose of the yeshiva
so the the the rabbis says that in the
very first line it's hinting to already
that idea you know with that with that
word with that word n
Okay, now I'm going to go to the end.
How you like that? Start from the
beginning. We'll go to the end and then
that everyone could say
what do we do tonight? We learn
from the beginning to the end. Not going
to say what you did in between, but
let's let's let's go to the end. Okay.
And then I want to go back and we'll
learn a couple of chapters uh word for
word.
But let le let's go to the end
at the there there are 32 chapters
of uh
so if you go to the end of chapter 32.
It's not the end of the count and not
the end of the booklet because there are
there are appendices.
There are actually three appendices.
There is a um
the first the first appendix
is from Vital from the Talmet of the AR
very interesting uh piece there. It is
uh the hakdoma of
vital to shahak dod
to shahakis. Um and over there very
interesting
Vital who is the the Talmid Muhok and
the scribe of the Arizal basically says
that the main problem today is
selfishness and not selfishness that
draws people away from mitzvah but
selfishness within mitzvah and that the
point of yideskite is not you it's not
for you it's for Hashem and he speaks
about being selfless in the service of
Hashem so it's interesting Interesting
that this um I mean that's
interesting. The writings of not the
writings of the writings of but it's
interesting this is included as as an
appendix here because it's it's the same
idea. The idea again is it's not for
you. What do you think this is yeshiva
so you can come and you can become a
Muslim
right from the story I told you at the
beginning but you think you're here to
perfect yourself
you're here to give back to the world
you're here for
you're here for a greater purpose a
purpose greater than yourself
so interesting that the uh
that one of the appendices here. The
first one is from uh the Ariza or from
uh K Vital who's writing the teachings
of the Ariza. Then and then there are
two more appendices. There's uh and
they're both letters of the Reb
which uh the will reference
in one of the texts that we're going to
read. At any rate, I just want to show
you the end, the very end,
which uh is page 60.
See here, page 60. It's uh
very end.
So, uh,
the rabb says
the end of chapter 32.
Yeah.
Yeah, actually this is
Yeah. Okay.
After this is actually 33. Sorry. Yeah.
This is chapter 33. It's the end of
chapter 33.
After all of the things that we've
discussed in the foregoing 32 chapters,
this is chapter 33.
I request, I beseech you.
Place your heart upon these statements
from this. Meaning, pay attention. Apply
apply these words to your heart
and the words shall be upon your heart
at all times.
It is very difficult for me
to tell these things and to go over them
and tell them again. Apparently there
was a need for the to continue repeating
these ideas.
So the says I put it here in writing. I
cannot continue to repeat it all the
time.
Now with the this the publication of
this these words shall be before you at
all times and you won't forget it
anymore
and it shall be the length of your days.
It should be your life and the length of
your days
and it will indeed bring you to eternal
life.
Now here after the beseeches us it's a
very you know personal
speaking to us the readers making a
personal request I mean who can read
such lines and not be moved that the
holy author himself is is making a
request of us and uh you know lest you
say you know uh well that shab wasn't
writing to me
by the way I just I want to tell you
something before I continue here. It's
just a personal story and I don't know
how much people will relate to it or not
but one time I was doing something
terrible for me terrible shameful. Uh I
told the story before and people were
saying what's shameful about it and I
told them if you don't understand what's
shameful about it then congratulations.
I needed to say avo I was rushing off
somewhere to speak and it was paras and
so I grabbed the tim off the right you
understand that's not how this photo
meant to be used oh you need a good vort
right that's what it's for so I grab it
and I'm like oh let me look for a good v
and they they you know they they say
that a bal dash can never really become
because anytime he hears something that
could move him he says oh got to
remember that that's a good v right
including this v itself. So I I took the
off the shelf and I'm looking for a good
v, you know, something good to say,
something
and I open it up and the Reb says
that the reader of the letter, this is
what told Pinas when Pinas said, "Isn't
it the we got to, you know, do something
about this uh this guy?" So the uh so
Misha says to him, "Yeah, well whoever
read the letter should carry it out,
right?" Yeah, good point. Now you do it
anyway. So the Reb says there, what does
it mean
that the reader of the letter, he
becomes the one who is uh responsible to
carry it out. So the says that any one
who reads
a letter or a or a mimer
of the whatever it may be. There's no
such thing as just reading it casually.
If you read anything that the wrote and
now you're reading it
once you're the reader once you're the
once you're the once you're reading it
automatically tag your it even if you
weren't looking for that responsibility
now you become the one charged with
carrying out whatever it says in the
letter and it hit me like a ton of
bricks like oh my goodness I'm like
pilfering the find and the is saying
right here there's no such thing there's
no such thing as just casually reading
and taking it and repeating it and
saying it as a vote. If you read a word
from the you are being charged
personally with the responsibility to
carry it out. So I'm saying how much
more so that
is speaking is writing and speaking to
us and saying I'm asking you to do
something here. Please remember what I
wrote here. Reread it because I cannot
continue to repeat this over and over
again. And if you will take this
seriously and put it upon your heart,
then it will lengthen your life and your
days and bring you into eternal life.
Okay, which is a pretty good promise.
Okay,
is giving us a field and as you're going
to see, I don't want to give it away,
but this is a contract
that signed a contract with us. Okay,
but don't let don't let me give it away.
Right, and we get to that in a minute.
So then the continues. Okay. See, see
we're here.
I lift up my hands to Hashem in prayer
and supplication. Okay. Now
may it be Hashem's will.
Aiden, may it be Hashem's will that the
light of the true that was revealed to
us through the
let it be absorbed in you. Let it be
absorbed.
Take it in.
You know about the who wondered he said
he saw a horse tied up outside and it
was standing underneath the drops coming
from the from the downspout and he said
I don't understand saw drips of water
made a hole in a stone and a horse is
much softer than a stone. Why doesn't it
why doesn't the water put a hole in the
horse? And then he looked closer and he
realized because the horse every time
the drip falls on him, he shuckles. He
shakes.
He realized
it only penetrates if you don't shake it
off.
So the says that the words of the holy
should be absorbed in us.
the
and that it should shine then in our
hearts. It should illuminate our souls
and bring happiness to the heart of that
means Hashem. Hashem is called again
connected to the idea of from the from
this is to make Hashem happy. You know
it's about Hashem's happiness.
Don't don't ask what for you. What can
you do for
the sh
called
which um a lot of this is based on this
idea doing divine service not because of
the reward that it brings us not even
the spiritual reward but for
that it causes la that it causes hemog.
So when allow the words of the to
penetrate us, this will bring joy to the
toe
and it will bring good fruit to our toil
and to your toil. uh which is the toil
of
what does that mean? It is a toil that
is above the sun.
This is from the zire. The melik says
that there's nothing new under the and
then the zah says what does it mean
there's nothing new under the sun under
the sun mundane stuff there's nothing
new right so you're going to say oh I
never tasted that cake before let me get
that cake let me see and then you taste
it you're like it's pretty much like
every right nothing new under the sun
but um above the sun meaning spiritual
stuff there's new there's new stuff all
the time so some a new frontier in
understanding ing and in learning is is
fresh and new. So uh
when he when says there's no toiling for
because you know there's nothing new
under the sun. Ah but if you toil in
says then then you can achieve new
things. um
to a join to unify the sun and the moon
that's this the masculine and the
feminine or or Zo and Mus
meaning that's the effect that when
we'll internalize these teachings and we
learn
as we are directed so we create these
unifications we bring healing to the
world hastess you know we're we're doing
something for for for the for the
macrocosm not just for ourselves which
is the whole theme here again
being being there for the world.
These are the words
of your true friend
who truly loves you
who wants your life. who wants you to
live.
And then you see the rebab does
something
which is unusual
that he does not do at the end of the
other
he signs his holy name
shame dub
and I'm pronouncing it that way
specifically as I will explain not be
but one name dub
Sham Dub his name.
So what is the significance
that signed a contract
that this request and this promise and
this
not if it weren't enough that a rebba is
speaking directly to us.
He signs his name, his holy name at the
end.
So you could take this to the bank than
any check from any gir that you could
ever collect.
Is this contress right here signed
by by the reb?
Now
let's talk a little bit more. Not just
the fact that he signs his name but what
is his name?
So I spoke about this at the uh as
mentioned the
what's significance of the name
the significance of the name the two
names one name is a lashen kadesh name
shale
and then dub which is a
of which is lashen kadesh and be which
is giddish which is not a holy language.
It's a Jews use it but it's not it's not
the holy language.
So what is the idea? The idea is shal
the whole was given for the purpose of
shale wholeness completeness
call it integrity
in the universe
that that should be drawn down
to the bear
what's a bear so the go tells us that
that a bear is msurbasa
he's draped with flesh
He's got like hanging like he's abundant
abundantly fleshy.
He's got lots of lots of fat. So he
represents real gashmas, the real
material.
So the schol shouldn't just be in theory
shouldn't just be abstract in the
spiritual sense but the shaim
should be drawn down
to physicality to the material. By the
way, speaking of materiality,
people can give to themech
charity.comy.
Okay? charity.com. Charity with a D
slashy.
And you will be giving to the
continuation of the yeshiva that the Reb
started. And uh that's how you draw down
the spiritual into the physical. At
least that's that's that's one one
really good way. So uh we're encouraging
everyone again uh to contribute to the
own charity.comuly.
And uh
for those who are
we have charity.comulyfootagers.
That's a little inside baseball.
As long as we're mentioning footages, we
should mention baseno.com.
This uh program tonight is a program of
baso.com
where uh it's not for me to say what
basana.com is, but let's just say that
um it's like its name. It is it's the
Nebus. So go go go virtually and uh
visit the Reb's house beso.com.
Um
so shalom means peace and the sham is
not just abstract but it's drawn down
into the bear which is fleshy which is
material and it's not just which is it's
be which is uh a secular language even
though Jews use it but it's you know
it's not holy language right and it's
not just be like do and be two separate
names but
It's the holy fused to the mundane. So
what happens is that the the the the the
spirituality of schol is being totally
brought down and penetrates the the uh
the mundane the physical. Okay, which is
the whole idea here of not allowing
these things in theory but making it
very very very very very practical in
our day-to-day lives. Okay. Um
let's look
at
a couple of chapters. Let's see if we
can do that. Let's see if we can manage
to do that. Um I mentioned earlier that
in the of
the Reb is Mitsai to chapters 22 and 23
of the
of the countress.
So let's do that. Let's go to 22 to 22.
All right. So we've learned from
beginning to end. We learned from the
word n which is uh
to the signature the holy shalom
and so now you could tell everyone you
learn from beginning to end. All right
but now so that we actually learn some
of the insides let's go to just chapters
2 and 23. We'll try to learn those with
hashem's help. Um now uh a lot of states
is very cababalistic. It's a there are a
lot of section from zy and from kisal
and they're they're very challenging.
There are some sections that are very
challenging. I'm going to read to you
though two chapters which are not so
challenging to understand intellectually
but they're very challenging to
implement because they're really
speaking to us in a very demanding way.
Uh but this is where the rebab is really
speaking very directly in front of the
countress. Okay. So, we're going to ask
you to turn to uh page 50.
You can see this here. Okay. We're gonna
turn to page 50
and we're going to uh chapter 22.
Okay. All good. All right.
Okay.
It is now incumbent upon me
to let you know
the purpose for the establishment of our
association.
We have this auda. We have this
association. Doesn't call it the
yeshiva. He means the yeshiva. But it's
not just the yeshiva. It's a movement.
This whole movement. What was the
purpose we established this for? In case
you don't know, this happens to every
successful organization that at after a
while, you know, people don't know why
it started in the first place. So, we're
we're here to realign ourselves with our
mission statement.
And I'm just thinking, you know, out
loud, but it was applicable when the
Reba put it out in the 1890s, and it was
when the Reb distributed it in the
1990s. and it's for sure applicable now
in 2020.
Um,
we need to reign ourselves with the
statement. You know,
I mentioned before people, what do
people know of Kabad? They think of it
as this outreach organization. They
don't understand it's it's aid. They
don't understand it's a worldview. It
under it's a way of understanding
reality.
And uh I'm afraid to say that maybe in
our own circles we need a little
reminder as well. You know if the Rebab
felt that they themselves needed a
reminder. Okay. So far be it from us to
think that we don't need a reminder as
well. We need to get back to basics. We
need to get back to basics. Why? What is
this movement about that we're a part
of? Okay.
It can't just be a culture. It can't
just be borcelenos and smeov. There has
to be more than that.
So what is
what is the purpose for the
establishment of our association?
You should know
that the establishment of our
association
isn't only to strengthen learning. It's
not to exclude that. Obviously, it's
very important that are learning and not
just they're learning as the is going to
say explicitly. Of course, that's
important, but it can't be the only
purpose.
In other words,
The purpose of our association being
founded was not to grow and to magnify
the the revealed to it's a very nice
thing. It's an even even it's even
essential but you could find that
elsewhere. That's not why we started our
movement
but rather
this is the this is the goal for our
association
that those are learning of course
they're learning that means they're
learning and they're learning
They shouldn't just be learners who are
smart.
They should be Jews who are God-fearing
and whole in their in and whole with
Hashem and and in Torah.
So, this isn't just about a a college
for for Talmudic study. This isn't
studying
Judaism as a subject. This is about
creating people.
The goal is to create a a certain type
of a student
and the way to create that says is
through learning sidus. The students
have to learn and when they learn then
they will become the kind of student
that we created the yeshiva the yeshiva
in order to create.
We've already clearly explicitly
explained this elsewhere. He says,
and if you look in the asterisk,
it says that's actually the
base. That's the second append.
So I mentioned to you that the first is
from Val and then there are two more.
There's a and they're both from the reb.
So here the mentions the letter that
starts
that's the uh
the second appendix in in the kris.
Okay, we've already spoken about this
clearly.
Get a sack of
the reason that brought us to to start
the yeshiva. We saw that the tra was
wearing sackcloth. That's it's a lotion
from the san the mourning. The t was
grieving. Why that? Because people were
learning but they were learning.
They were learning for their own
purposes for their own ulterior motive.
Many of the young people who were
learning didn't have any
and and they and their were sunken into
a place of death. May the merciful
protect us.
It wasn't bad enough that they were
involved in this evil of learning for
their own purposes, but they compounded
the evil.
They became teachers.
They became the the leaders.
And they left many bodies in their wake.
May the merciful protect us
from them.
May the merciful protect us from them.
People interested in for the wrong
reasons that that's bad enough.
By the way, as a of it's very difficult
to speak these words. The Reb didn't
speak this way, but
I'm reading straight from and I'm I'm
going to I'm not going to change what he
says.
It was it wasn't bad enough that they
were learning to for the long for the
wrong reasons,
but they became the leaders and they
left many bodies in their wake. By the
way, that language, that very, you know,
vivid and frightening language is
actually from the Rambam.
Um,
in in Mishna,
the Rambam speaks about people who are
not for who are not ready to be teachers
and they teach anyway or they give
judgments. They give rabbitical
judgments and he says they leave corpses
in their wake.
So, it's a serious thing. It's a serious
thing when somebody teaches Tada not for
the sake of getting closer to Hashem
that it's it's it's not enough that
they're doing damage to themselves, but
when they get that way and they become
leaders,
they're causing damage. It's causing
real damage. And again, if the Reb felt
that that his own needed a refresher
course, I think it would be uh arrogant
of us to think that we don't also need a
refresher course and to think that these
things don't apply today. They do apply
today. And it's not to cast blame on
anyone. We just have to be aware that
when we are not aligned with the mission
statement, we're not just hurting
ourselves, we'd be hurting others. God
forbid. God forbid. But let's get
positive. Let's say through this
learning we will realign with our
mission statement and how much healing
can come about.
Okay, let's let's continue here.
For this purpose we we were we were
roused to create this association.
[Music]
Wow.
That we got together, we made this
association
for what purpose?
So we would have brim who occupy
themselves in Tyra
to protect from the harmful forces and
to endeavor to the fullest extent
possible to implant within them with
Hashem's help an inner feeling for the
awe of God and the love of him that they
should know what they're studying.
What are they learning by the way? What
are they learning? So even that the
tells us explicitly in the parenthesis
you're learning
blessed wisdom. It's not just a subject.
It's not just calculus.
It's Hashem's blessed wisdom which
Hashem was kind enough to be
his infinite wisdom and put it in a form
where our finite finite minds could
interface with it.
So we wanted students who who appreciate
what it is that you're learning
infinity.
And again, we have to make a saddic.
Do our understand they're learning that
they're learning the wisdom of God. Do
they have a feeling or the the called it
a herish panimi? You know what a
heresim? Ages pimi means something that
nobody else told you to feel.
A herish panimi means how you really
feel. Tell us how you really feel. that
when they're learning,
not just it's more important when
they're learning miglet that they feel
when they learn a black
is
do they have that feeling that was the
purpose for the
and not only they should know why what
they're learning they should know why
why are we learning
you ever hear bakamas why this I don't
own a donkey why am I learning this
and so then you know what's the answer?
Well, it applies to cars too, right?
You're learning.
Why should I care about that? Well,
there's the real problem. So, we got to
stop for a second. We got to put the
goat aside and we have to explain to a
15-year-old why it is such an amazing
wonderful thing that his finite mind is
able to grasp the infinite through the
page of this gum.
They but they they have to know why we
learn not just what you're learning
but why we learn it. What a beautiful
relationship that is an impossible
relationship really except that the
makes it possible.
Consequently, the says then they will
live. They will live in their learning.
They will have a in their learning or
perhaps it even means their learning
will give them life.
that our children will leave the day
and will walk out of yeshiva shining and
full of vitality,
feeling invigorated.
And again, we have to ask ourselves to
what extent is that happening. And if
it's not, we don't have to complain and
we don't have to be afraid. Have to do
what it says in this book and it'll
happen because the Reb signed his holy
name to this contract. Let's continue.
Guys,
the path that brings us that should
learn and understand what he's learning
and why he's learning it is learning
That's why we set it up that every
individual should study
every day for an appropriate amount of
time.
Even though we study nigla for more time
of the day and that's the way it ought
to be.
You don't have to learn this all day. I
know it's funny my friends they think
that we learn
they think that in we learn all day.
They were shocked. You learn? I said,
"Yeah, most of the day we learn gam, but
you're learning the
the the he's going to talk about the
proportion, how much
versus how much nigla, but the amount
that you're spending on the has an
effect on that the niglas learn
differently.
It's all dead if this is a more about a
balabos than a bak and yeshiva, but it's
you can definitely compare the two." The
balabos calls up the to him, I have five
minutes a day I'm going to learn, but I
I I have to pick. Should I learn or
should I learn?
So the tells him uh you should learn
because if you learn five minutes,
you'll come to realize you have more
than five minutes a day to learn. Okay?
that when you learn sidis that will
bring you to limit or if you're
already learning it'll bring
proper study of
was told there's interference it might
be from this okay
hopefully It's better now.
All right, let's continue here.
We we we're on top of them. We supervise
them. They should learn a lot of ge. You
know what gus is?
Goris
mean which is the you know pre-minent
commentary on
Tesus is the commentary on the
commentary or this the super commentary.
So we make sure that they learn
like it's explained later you know what
that means.
Nevertheless,
but even though quantitatively they
learn much more nigl but the foundation
the main thing the ekar and the of
everything is uh isidism
that they should know hashem
not just know about hashem they should
know hashem
like it's explained at length uh already
that when they will have knowledge of
Hashem obviously that will bring them to
the proper love and awe of Hashem.
So the uh the amount that we came up
with is that every individual in the
yeshiva should learn no less than four
hours a day of of four hours a day.
Four hours a day is about a third of the
total hours of learning.
Of the
I heard this from my father from the
on a weekday you should learn 2/3
oneird. So in the case of the would be 4
hours of
the purpose of our association.
What is the purpose of our association
is to learn with a sincere feeling of
love and awe of God.
And how do you attain that? The way to
that is
through learning.
We we the time that that is required for
everyone to learn
and on a weekday the proportion is
2/3.
Okay, we're going to do okay. I know
this uh broadcast was set to go for 90
minutes till 10:30. So we uh if you have
to run home to a babysitter, they'll
have to leave at 10:30. Okay. But uh
we're going to continue and we'll just
do one more chapter here.
Uh we'll do chapter. Okay. The he with
me at the bottom of page 50. We're going
to do chapter 23. Yeah. Good.
Okay.
the original, our first class, the ones
when we started the yeshiva
yodu esatus,
they they knew the purpose why we
created this association.
So it's
it it didn't even need to be stated why
we were doing what we're doing because
the original they all knew. Now we're
talking about what how many years we
said six years, seven years, right? So
the the kras came out seven years after
they started to okay seven years and the
world was much slower back then. I mean
today with technology and innovations
things go very rapidly and back then
things changed much more slowly but in
seven years
can you imagine that they had in and I
mean they had the there had the there
and you had there didn't really
understand the the point again and I
want to say this again
it would be arrogant of us to think that
we don't have the same problem and it's
it's not an insurmountable
Hence the kuntas the kunf is here this
to fix the issue for us or
to show us how to fix the issue. So
if they had this problem in labav with
the and the standing there and and they
had people who lost
touch with the mission. So obviously
it's possible for that but I don't think
that you know it's it's
there's nothing depressing about saying
that we need to recalibrate from time to
time and and and and the Reb gave out
this contress in 1990 and we're
relearning it 30 years later in 2020 and
let's take it to heart and let's
recalibrate. Okay, we don't have to it's
not it's not a doomsday proclamation.
We're just saying we need to
recalibrate.
They were in the yeshiva who didn't know
why they were there. They didn't
understand what it was about. Okay,
guys, we have to realign what's
it all about. Okay, not a not a terrible
thing to ask once in a while.
All right,
so the original they all knew why we
were here.
Um,
they actually they chose it. They chose
this like they knew what was special
about us and that's what they chose. So
that's interesting.
No, they were all laborers by choice.
They chose this way of life. They they
knew what we stood for and that's
hunted.
You see, when something becomes a
culture rather than a an ideology,
it's always there's always a danger of
just sort of they're part of it because
there, you know, you go with the social
flow and so this is what we do and this
is where we go and this is, you know,
the life the path of and set out for me
is this is this is what we do.
And from time to time we have to say no
this is not just because this is what
everyone else is doing. There's a
purpose behind this a very deep purpose.
You see somebody commented
um they put a smile because they were
joking not really meaning it but they
were saying that I was mhadesh my own
vort. So, I don't remember what vort I
was mad, but I'll tell you a vort that I
was mhadish, meaning I made up and it's
worth exactly what you paid for, which
is nothing. Okay? But I'll just tell you
a vort that I made up
and and feel free to use it. And you
don't even have to say it in my name
because I made it up. So, I'd rather you
not say it in my name.
Although, I say on closed WhatsApp
groups, I'd rather you not forward this
and everybody does. So, let's see how
well that works. There are three sadras
in that have in the name of the sad.
Um,
and
are in order in that order uh
three levels of of of
the of why
and they go
from the highest level of to the lowest
and you could tell what kind of it is by
who who are the in each of these.
So now who's the who are the the
so who whom
says the first of is he goes because
he's bottle in g to the complete
surrender he's going because he's
connected to the to the
next one
who whom
H the people what's that level that's
the people the people are going you look
at mates and you say what what am I
supposed to do become a lawyer I'll be
af that's what we do that's our culture
right so it's sort of like societal uh
you know it's peer pressure in a good
way in a good way you know but he's
doing because you know that's it you
know that's uh that's what we do so
obviously it's not as high as the first
level which is you're going because of a
of a sense of a commitment in
relationship with the but the second one
is I'm doing because you know I'm a this
is my culture this is what we do you
know
then the third one the lowest level is
anos that means to be a person for
yourself that he realized that the could
end up being a decent career path for
him you know maybe it could work out
well for me make myself an ish
so uh that's the lowest level. But the
question is, if you're a level three,
can you become a level two? And if
you're a level two, can you become a
level one? And even if you're a level
three, can you be level one eventually?
And the answer is obviously, of course.
And it doesn't matter what your kavana
was when you went out. It matters what
your kavana is right now. So you ask
yourself,
what am I here for? Who sent me? Why am
I in the why does the schlikus exist?
And maybe your answer right now is
a schlak level or a bishak level. But
you can wait to have aishlak level and
do it as a malik. Do it because
the the the highest level reason. Okay.
Anyways, point is that even in the
there were who didn't get it. Didn't get
it. Okay. So he wrote the and he gave it
out.
So the original they understood what we
were all about and they chose this. They
chose this
and they willingly
accept it upon themselves to learn
at the times that we just explained or
for the amount of time that we just
explained.
And they learned well
and thank God
they did very well. They were very
successful in their learning of meaning
that did what it was supposed to do. It
gave them gave them
made them the kindle that this is
supposed to make you
the even now. Even now the says take a
look
still like this.
Thank God they're still doing the
appropriate thing. They're they're
living according to the kavana the real
kavana. Okay. However,
this really this is
this is for us. This is our day.
There are a lot of guys for some reason
they lost the plot.
The real purpose
is is concealed from them. They don't
get it.
The main reason is new guys. It's always
the you know that
right new guys came
they didn't know anything about learning
they weren't against
they just they didn't know about it they
didn't know any better it was out of
ignorance
they were only coming to for the nigla
because they heard it was a good yeshiva
is a good yeshiva
I don't know if that's we can translate
that exactly to 2020 you know they
showed up for the nigla but just
translate it whatever I'm I'm not going
to spell everything out for you 2020
they showed up for the fill in the blank
okay and now the eb is saying well
that's nice we're we're glad you showed
up we're not telling you to leave but we
would like you to know what you really
showed up to
we would like you to know why we created
this
association.
We want you to know why we have this
group here now that you showed up.
These new guys brought a new spirit, a
foreign spirit into the into the
main thing was niggling.
They saw it as a you know a side dish.
Okay. And again plug it in 20. They
thought that such and such is the main
thing and they they knew about
this. They just they thought it was a
side thing.
So that's how they conducted themselves.
the you know the main thing for them was
the
but you know just you know to prefunctil
just to to discharge a duty.
And so it is consequently understood
they and their and their learning is
totally not
uh according to what it ought to be.
It's not even fitting for who they are.
And that's something themselves short.
It's not just they're not in keeping
with what we want from them.
They're not living up to what they could
be doing.
That's why we're letting you know this
time.
That's not what we meant.
We did not create this so you could come
and learn Nigla.
That's not what we created it for.
Again, touch this up however you need to
for 2020. And you're looking around,
you're saying, "Guys, we're we're happy
you're here, but the reason you think
you're here, the thing that you think
you came to for, that's not the purpose
that we created it for."
Not at all.
But rather
the purpose of our establishing this
association
was to learn
that is the main point of our lives.
And through learning you're going to
come to life also in your learning.
Then your learning is going to be
acceptable before he is the giver of the
don't forget the has
like we said before
here's the the and we'll just finish up
here
are people who are uh wrong about the
purpose of
therefore a very simple
response
let them know what's so difficult about
that there are people who are under a
mistaken idea of what kabad is about
okay so let's let them know
okay and especially you know in so in
ini
the waso
to be a leader a giver selfless Jew
in it's the same idea just the rabb took
it even you know even farther. So it's
about, you know,
that that's how in that's how we put it
is bring Msiah, right? So we're here to
bring Msiah. So a lot of people think
they look around. They came to Kabad for
that. I don't know, for whatever it is,
okay? I'm not I'm not going to spell it
out for you. But we have to just remind
them very nicely, guys, there's a reason
this group was started, and we're happy
to have you. We want to tell you here
and we want you to be in line with with
the charter with the mission statement.
By the way, the Reb gave a mission
statement. The first official of
the set a mission statement. You can go
look it up. The said what we're here
for.
Okay. But the bottom line is that we're
going to bring Msiah Msiah. We
the goal is nothing less than the utopia
that our ancestors waited for and the
ones who are going to do it is us nobody
else.
Okay. So there's so much that we can
apply from this to ourselves. I just
want to say one more thing.
One more thing
in the of of
so the Reb said that the countress was
distributed to Anoshim Noshim
men women received the countress
and that the ideas in the contress are
applicable even to little children.
I have a dear friend Shimmy Winebomb
from Hashem and one of the things that
he and I started doing together in
partnership is every Sunday night we
have a
the base commanders
because he believes as I believe that
without the is like you're missing the
plot. has to be about ideas. The Rebba's
ideas and the Reb went to the trouble of
framing the deepest ideas in in language
for children. The Reb spoke. Did you
ever hear of the leader of world jewelry
speaking regularly groups of children?
The Reb took time
and he and spoke to children and we have
these the
we can learn them. We must learn them.
Okay. So this is not just for grown-ups.
This is even for children. So the Reb
said the
handing out of the
it's like a very high level right is
like you know very sophisticated level.
So the the Reb said no it's actually for
uh men, women and children and we can
see that it's applicable to even small
children from
the himself because remember after all
the was handed out on which is the
birthday of the
and there's a story about the
on his birthday
often falls in paraso
He came home from and he was either four
or five years old. According to the
story, he had to have been four or five
because the story has speaking to the
his and his was nostalic after he was uh
five after the was five. So he could
only have been five or or four of the
oldest. So the came home from and he was
crying and said why are you crying? He
says, "I'm crying because we learn in
that va
that Hashem revealed himself to why am I
crying? Because if Hashem can reveal
himself to why does Hashem not reveal
himself to me?"
So the Reb said that that is not just a
story about the look at
and that we should say oh that was so
holy that he cried as a child to see.
No, no, no. You have to understand that
and a story about a is a story about us.
And if the was crying because he wanted
to see hem even as a small child that
means that every child has the ability
to cry and we confuse them with raffle
tickets. Now I'm giving you my own
interpretation. Okay? I'm not a I'm just
telling you. And we confuse them with
raffle tickets and with bribery. And
obviously you make a shab. There's a
difference between a sudas mitzvah and
bribery. You celebrate. You do a mitzvah
and you celebrate of course and you
celebrate and you bring it even down to
the gash like
that. You bring it down to materiality.
Of course you celebrate with some but
what we do is we turn the intrinsic
motivation of wanting to serve Hashem as
I want you. Or like the from
is talking about serving hem for his own
sake or like
who talks about let's say that you serve
hashem for hashem not for us
even children are tuned into the
intrinsic reward the organic reward not
a superficial reward but the actual
the pleasure that Hashem has in our
doing mitzvah.
And therefore said the rabb that the
contents of this are applicable even to
little children.
Okay, we have our work cut out for us.
So each one of us who is a parent or an
educator can now think about this. We
spoke about many of the ideas that are
contained therein and we can think about
how to translate this to the that we are
giving our children and our students.
Most importantly
starts with ourselves. We have to think
about the that we are giving ourselves.
It is 2020. Um it is time to reflect. We
showed up. Where did we show up? What
what's it all about? Why are we doing
this? and realigning ourselves to our
mission statement. The Reb gave us and
is giving us in the present tense, the
Reb is giving us the tools to get back
on task with the mission. The Reb told
us with no uncertain terms, our mission
is to bring Msiah. Let's not get
confused. Let's not get confused with
anything else. We're here for one job.
We have one job to bring the here and we
have the tools. The Reb is giving us the
tools.
Blessings to you, to me, to all of us.
Let's get the job done. Thank you. Oh,
we want to mention before we leave. I'm
sorry. I just have to do
a couple orders of business.
We have to mention
that the event tonight
is uh for
sorry where's the name
I want to say the name so we can all
shalom
like we mentioned before Benma
Rafua
and Uh
yeah, I see some questions were sent in
in connection with this. I'm going to
invite everybody that we can do a poll.
Um I want to thank uh baserbeno.com
for uh organizing this event and maybe
we'll have a followup. We'll have a part
two. Okay. Anything else? I want to ask
my producer here. We need anything else?
Can we sign off?
Okay, we're going to sign off. Thank you
to one and all.
[Music]