Titzaveh: For Whom the Bell Tolls

Dear friends, welcome to this week's virtual Russia. This week we have the incredible parasit and the para continues along the dramatic journey of the Mishkan. This week with a specific focus on the big ton of the khanic vestments worn during temple service and the Torah chapter 28 ladal 34 l discusses an interesting detail regarding the clothing of the kenotto. The Torah says on the m which essentially is like the external tunic of the on the bottom on the hem there were a series of bells literally bells some of them were embroidered bells and then there were some actual bells and the Torah says has to wear this tunic with the bells when he's serving in the mikd say so so that is heard when he comes into the mishkun when he leaves the mishkun below and he will not die of of course pretty severe the Torah telling us in general if a coin does any of the without the requisite clothing that's a significant infraction but also has to make sure that he has the bells this right his m this tunic with the bells on the hem and the obvious sh was with the bells why it was that necessary for the clothing of the give many different explanations but the Ramb says something very beautiful says as the Torah says the point of bells is so to speak to announce Aaron's arrival and departure into the Mishkan. Why do you have to do that? Because it's as if is asking permission of to enter into the to enter into the holy to enter into the everyone knows that with a human king if you want to come see the king you can't just roll in. You can't just walk in. You need an appointment, right? You need someone to escort you in again very right when even once Morai alerts her to the plight of the Jewish people is very reticent to go in. Why? Because she haven't been summoned to the king all of these days and everyone knows if you go into the king uninvited you run the risk of off with your head. So therefore the Ramban says something amazing. The Raman says that the Mishkan is the palace of the Shalom. And just like in the palace of a human king you can't go in unannounced. You can't just roll in but rather again your arrival must be announced must be heralded. So too, when the coin goes into the Mishkan, it's palace. You can't just walk in. You have to announce your arrival. How does the coin announce his arrival? The bells, the sound of the bells announces his arrival in the kodesh in the holy in the Mishkan. And this is out of difference and respect to the you're entering into God's palace. Announce your arrival. But there's a simple yet fundamental sh question that one could ask which is remember on the holiest day of the year the holiest man in cloud is enters in to the holiest place the holy of holies one man once a year one place holy of holies and it's the only time of year that the kangodal has the license to enter into the holy of holies yet interestingly enough what does the kangtle wear when he enters into the holy of holies into the kod shakadashim a plain white linen tunic, a plain white linen clothing, no bells. Now, it's intriguing, right? Because if the point of the bells is to announce the pony is to announce the arrival of the coin into the palace of then if the coin god has to wear that day in and day out, I would have thought of all the more so that he has to wear it on when he's entering into the holy of holies. Yet, as we know the is he doesn't. So, why not? Why no bells on when you're entering in not just into the Mishk or into the mikdash but into the holiest part. Again, if there's one day that should require the bells when you're going into the holy of holies, which is literally like the chamber of the says something incredibly beautiful and he says the following. He says in general in general one's one's one service of God is done quietly. Now this means a number of different things on a on a simple example right is you're supposed to daven out loud because ding out loud helps to engender concentration. Yet the says you can't d so loud that you that you disturb someone else. Ding out loud but still it's it's got to be in moderation. When we perform mitzvah, we do so with a sense of humility, a sense of modesty. I don't have to ring my own bell. I toot my own horn. I I don't have to go ahead and make noise. But but in general, service is done is done. Not not with a lot of fanfare, not with a lot of noise, but quiet, modest, nuanced. So says there's an exception to this. He however when a person does cha when a person under goes the cathartic change of repentance person becomes about cha person tries to become better tries to fix the things that are broken so that that process makes a lot of noise that process creates a rash creates a ruckus creates a cathartic cacophony says he says ultimately again What's chv is a person running away from that which is evil. Running away again from impurity. That act of running away from the things that are not good for me. That act of running towards the things that are good for me. That act that of fixing the things that are broken that creates a cosmic noise. That creates a rash that could be heard everywhere. Not a noise that is heard by the ear. Not right. Not a noise that ultimately again could be discerned by the by the physical senses but a noise that is heard throughout the world throughout the cosmos the universe and the celestial fear se and the goes on he says you know if somebody's running away from danger someone's running away from fire someone's in a life-threatening situation they're running for their life generally a person doesn't do that quietly they're yelling they're screaming this is such an incredible idea batanya says that normally when you serve. The idea is to do it quiet low, not with a lot of noise, not with a lot of fanfare. But when a person summons up the courage to become a bouva, a person summons up the courage to affect comprehensive cathartic change. A person summons up the strength to run from the things that are holding me back, to run towards the things that could help me self-actualize. A person finds the courage to fix that which is broken. That act of chuva creates noise. It creates cosmic noise. Because when the universe sees a person engaging in the self- evvaluative process of chuva, when the cosmos sees a person who is willing to swim against the tide to become the best version of themselves, it sends the entire universe into an uproar, a beautiful holy uproar. Chuva creates a rash creates noise and perhaps that's the why the coingle doesn't have to wear the bells on yum kipper because remember again the coingle on yum kipper is the paradigmatic baluva what is he doing he's doing chuva the coin is doing chuva by the way not only is he doing chuva for himself but he's the agent he's the emissary for the chuva of cl the coingle is engaging in his own process of chuva and is the representative for the national title wave of comprehensive cathartic change of chuva. The kangod walks in. He doesn't need the bells to make noise. Why? Because he himself is creating a greatest amount of cosmic cacophony. He himself through his process of chuva is creating so much noise. The bells are needed throughout the year to announce his arrival. But on Yoko Kipper, he doesn't need bells because his actions, he's running away from the things that are holding him back and is running to the things that could help himself actualize create the most soulsplitting noise that the universe could ever see. I think the Balatanya is teaching us not only an insight into the big day kahuna why the coin needs the bells during the year but doesn't need the bells on yum kiper. He becomes the very bells of noise of yam chuva creates the noise. But I think the bay is teaching us a profound life lesson that sometimes the greatest thing we can do in life is change. Change is the hardest thing. But change is also the most overwhelming profound thing. When we identify the things that are holding us back and we find the courage to run away from them. When we identify the goals, the dreams, the aspirations that we need to run to and we start that journey, it creates a cosmic uproar because the nature of everything physical, the nature of everything material is to remain at rest. That's the way matter works. And when a human being, when a yid, when a Jew chooses to shake off like that innate state of rest and chooses to do something different, the universe sees that. The universe is in awe. The celestial sphere is engulfed by this incredible rash, by this noise. Look at what this person is doing. Swimming against the stream, going against his or her nature, trying to become something better. The entire universe is in a beautiful sweet melodic cacophony of upheaval and change. You know dear friends this is not just an insight by the big day but in a couple of days we're going to celebrate the of Purim. And how did Purim happen? How did of course PM happened? Because always pulls the strings from behind the curtain whether we could see him or not. He's always there orchestrating choreographing everything. But if you think about it, the miracle of PM happened because Esther decided to change herself. In the beginning of the story, she could be described as a meek maiden. And then she transforms herself into a powerful heroine lioness. The meek maiden into heroine lioness. How did that happen? Who did that? Esther did it. Esther did it. It's true. Morai goatated her a little bit. Morai tried to encourage her a little bit. But at the end of the day, she decided Esther made a conscious decision. There's the person I am and then there's the person I could become. And only I could activate that change. Only I could activate that switch. And she did. And because she did, we had the miraculous salvation of Purim. Because she did, you and I are here today. Because she did, the plan of national annihilation by Hammon was foiled and undermined. Because she did, right, she produced a son who helped to rebuild the second base amikdash. That's the power of change. Change creates a cosmic cacophony that permeates every sector of this world and the celestial sphere. The power of change is that allows us to become the people we need to become. It could change the course of our personal destiny and national destiny. The cow had to wear the bells throughout the year to announce his arrival. But on the day of change, he didn't need bells to make noise. His very persona sent shock waves of noise everywhere and anywhere. Gives us the great gift of change. We just have to be courageous enough to use it. All of us have things that we know we do great and we do beautifully and we also have things that we know need to change and maybe they've needed to change for a very long time. I would say this is the season for change but it's always the season for change. We're going to celebrate a yam because one woman, one woman had the courage to change. She changed herself. She changed our people. She changed our destiny. If we could reach down within ourselves and find the kak to change. You don't have to change everything, but maybe just change something. Maybe find the kak to fix one thing that's broken, to run away from one thing that's holding me back or to run a little faster towards the things that I need for my own self-actualization. If we could tap into that power of change, then we too can create that cosmic cacophony. We too can create that rash. Then we can become the very bells of the hem of the kohhanic vestment. Changing ourselves, changing our people, and changing our world. Wishing everyone a good night of Shabas and a beautiful Shabas kesh.