A Father Never Stops Searching for His Child | The Three Weeks - Rabbi Ori Strum

We currently [music] find ourselves in midst of the three weeks. The bane hamsarum which is Hebrew for between the narrow [music] straits. Mitsarim is like mitz Egypt represents borders, constriction, parameters. And it's [music] a period of 3 weeks which is exactly 504 hours [music] because if you do 21 days times 24 hours per day, you get to 504 which I want to get to that number. put it on the back [music] burner on a low simmer you know maybe on a two actually put it on a two in the back so it doesn't burn so it's a period of 3 weeks a time period [music] what started on the 17th of tamuz when the Jewish people committed the grave sin of the eel haz the golden calf and it culminating on the nth of when the [music] basikash was ultimately destroyed the nth of represents the day when the moragland the 10 spies [music] came back to the Jewish people with their evil report and the Jewish people lost faith and they lost hope and they cried a cry [music] for you know in the liturgy in the morning prayer [music] services that we recite one of the things we mention is that [music] along with the the breaking of the luos which were shattered on the 17th of time was the beginning of the three weeks something else [music] happened but The carbon hat the daily offering which was a carbon [music] that was brought in the morning and at night representing a constant connection with Hashem. It was a carbon [music] that was brought before all carbonos. It was a carbon that was brought at the end. It represented and all-encompassed day of [music] serving Hashem and Bid on the first day of the three weeks that special [music] carbon the carbon hatid was bal was nullified. It came to a full stop. But [music] there's a message of the carbon t which is actually discussed the tid is discussed in none other than paras. And the Torah [music] makes an association a connection between the carba and the daily offering [music] and the Torah tells us in chapter 28 verse 6. [music] Right? It's the continual elevation offering, the daily offering that was done at Mount Si [music] for a satisfying aroma. And there's a law that every single day, [music] even on chamis, on y, right, during the Sabbath and the holidays, there's all there's special carbon, special offerings that were brought, but always preceding that was the carbon t the daily offering. [music] And the carbon tid the Torah describes it asyah. There's a connection between the carbonid [music] and arena. What's the connection? So there's a RV, the RV of Mitra. The RV of Mitra was Rav Ravm David Unar. And he lived from 1886 [music] to 1945. And he was the Ravdin in a town called Nitra. [music] an amazing genius, an amazing ish, a man of kindness, an amazing person who was most who dedicated his life for yidden, for [music] Tory and mitz and to teach Torah. And he has a safer called and in that safer [music] he says an idea. You know, when we do things a lot consistently, often it can be done [music] with wrote, it can be done with lack of feelings, right? when we do whatever it is that we're doing, you bought a new car, right? He doesn't [music] say this, but let's say you bought a new car and you're so excited and it's a fresh car, but the moment you drive it off the lot, [music] guess what? It becomes a used car. It becomes a little bit old. And every single day, you start to appreciate it a [music] little bit less. And it's the same thing in our service of God, right? The more times we do something, often it can create feelings of road. [music] And our job is to introduce feelings back into it. Not just to do the motions, but to do [music] it with emotions. Right? One of the reasons, one of the reasons destruction came [music] was because of a lack of feeling, right? From the fact [music] that we didn't serve God with joy. We were just going through the motions without [music] the emotions. The carbon tit is a a prime example the of [music] a something that can become wrote because it was every single day. But says the Tyra explained by Revar, there's a connection between the daily offering [music] and hari thei represents. It represents newness. [music] There was an offering that was brought right before when we were by Hari. Right before Montre there was that offering that was brought and [music] that that offering was done with great islavos which means a fire with [music] great energy with great passion because it was something new and if you think about just more generally hari there was colossum [music] there was lightning and thunder was an experience that was completely new and the Torah makes an association between the carbon and [music] arseni to teach us a lesson that when you are serving Hashem it needs to be done like our scenery needs to be done [music] with freshness, with newness, not just going through the motions, but going through it with emotions. Not just going through it, but growing through it. [music] And when we learn to do that, then our experience will take on a heightened level of meaning and importance [music and clears throat] and profoundity. But where do we find that? Right? We're in this period of darkness. [music] We're in this period of the three weeks. We're in this period, right? We're in a world where which pushes at us agendas [music] and so much misinformation and so much shakare false. [music] And so what are we to do? Where are we to find that light? Where are we to find [music] that that daily offering of of closeness? It's gone. What are we to do? I want to share with you a secret. The actual [music] physical carbon t the daily offering. It's true. It may be but we might not be doing it. [music] We're not doing it right now. We don't have a B mikdash. We're not offering. But there is something inside of us that [music] is Torah tells us there's a fire, a constant fire [music] that's burning on the temple. And the commentaries explain that it's not [music] just a constant fire that's burning on the temple, but inside and every single [music] Jew. Each and every one of us has an ish something burning. A fire, a soul [music] that's on fire. The soul of man hashemish. The soul of man is likened to a flame. A [music] flame doesn't stop radiating light. It might be covered. It might be concealed. It might have things [music] on top of it, but inside there's a light. And that light illuminates. [music] That light reflects. That light burns. And that light moves [music] constantly jumping as a flame does. And our job is to connect to [music] that inner part of us cuz it exists. There's a story with Rabi [music] Salanter, a great great sadic. And he was walking late at night and it was very very dark. He was with a bunch of his students and [music] they saw a little light coming from a little little home and he was [music] so curious. It's so late at night. Why is somebody up? And they go knock on the door and it it was a shoe maker and [music] they asked the shoemaker, "What are you doing? How are you able to be still working [music] at such a late hour in the night?" And the shoemaker said something incredible. >> [music] >> He said, "As long as there's a light that's on, as long as the fire is lit, I could still prepare the shoes." [music] And Rav Solan took this as a message for himself and as a message to teach his students and as a message [music] for all of us. And that was this. And I'm going to tell you in Hebrew, as long as the fire is do, as long as the fire is lit, it's still possible [music] to continue to fix whether it's shoes, whether it's yourself. And guess what? There's a secret to [music] this story because the is the soul of a man that the soul of a man [music] is something that is aid. It's constant. It doesn't go out. Cole's mana ner do as long as [music] the nare is lit. And guess what? The nare is always lit. Just sometimes it's concealed. [music] Sometimes it's covered up. And our job during this time period of the 3 [music] weeks is to try to uncover that a little bit more to try to see that that spark exists [music] and to try to fan that flame. And when we do so, [music] it's going to impact our lives tremendously. You know, it's just fascinating to point out that the month of Av is called that. It's called the month of Av. We [music] recite kinas. If you rearrange the letters of kinas, right, it spells tino, a child. It's a month of connection, a month where a a son, [music] a child searches for a father and the father searches for a child, they would give up everything for each other. So as much [music] as it's a time period where darkness happened, it's a time period of finding that inner [music] light, that light of connection, that light of our soul, that light where there's a and ben, the father and son, where there's that connection. And we're trying to find that through this period. [music] Yes, it's bam and sarum. It's a it's constricted, but on some level, it's it's like a tunnel. It's trying to keep us in line, [music] in focus. We're we're supposed to focus. There's a father here. We're the son. He's our father. He wants us whether we've s sinned or done the right thing. Hashem calls us children. It's an [music] amazing. It's an amazing inspiration, a boost of strength for us. The Basian tells us that he was a holy, holy rabbi. The Basian tells us that what is an aorius a heretic? A heretic is someone who believes that God doesn't dwell within him [music] after he sins. That's a heretic because Hashem is a father. He's an A and we are a Ben and he loves us no matter what. And it's time for us to start fanning that flame [music] that exists that is tit that is constant. We have to fan that flame and realize that that flame exists. There is [music] a period of time that we're in called the 3 weeks and it consists of [music] 504 hours. 21 * 24 21 days time [music] 24 hours is 504. The numerical value, the gumatria of 504, it's darash. The Hebrew word darash means to search. Not only that, [music] but the very middle, the kati toraos, the half, the center part of the Torah [music] in words, if you count all the words before, all the words after the central part is a versi [music] and those words are dash dash. That word darash is the central point. That's the central place of the Torah dash [music] to be a seeker, right? A father never stops searching for his son. And a son never stops searching for his father. And that's [music] what we can do during this period of the three weeks is to connect to that light that exists deep [music] inside. I was just recently driving by a street. It was called lamplighter court. And I don't know, maybe there was 15 homes or something on that street. It was one street. Every single one of us is a lamp lighter. But not just for a single [music] street. It's for a universe. We all have that ability to connect. We have a a divine spark within us. And we're meant to fan [music] that. And through this time period of the 3 weeks, let's focus on the a and on the Ben, on the father, on the son. [music] No matter what we've done, no matter what we've been through, we have a connection. Let's fan that connection and make it bigger and greater and make this world brighter and brighter.