Amsterdam Yarchei Kallah 5784 - The Fundamental Ideal of Chesed

this Torah class is brought to you by Torah anytime.com M the ra of the RAB the assistant Rabbi our esteemed guest RAB GL ra goker and of course my good friends z a everybody else thank you again for coming we so grateful for everybody for joining us um tonight's topic is be going a little bit reflecting indeed on what's what has been going on in the S but much more what we should take away from there and that is that we shoot what what has happened and what's also happening for us over here as a source of inspiration and the title of this this evening is uh to build a community with and um our two main speakers there will both um reflect on this on this topic from different uh angle in between we going to learn here to an incredible story from our good friends aan de um I don't want to make it too late like last night but so I think please rein welcome okay good evening everyone you know I'm very surprised that here in Europe on uh exmas on N there's so much learning usually not there's not always learning on N actually by many rebas on N instead of learning they say traditional jokes you know that instead of learning they like to say traditional jokes so I would like to share with you a few of the mraa jokes that the Reb say on before we begin we'll start with as they say you know the Minh is that when the nuns graduate their process so they would gather and they actually have a they have aana you know who they marry they marry the yel that's that's that's the that's what happens and they all gather there and it's a big Sim and at the there's a y sitting there and he's eating Herring and he's eating K and he's really getting involved in the kides and everyone is looking at him well what are you doing here what are you doing here to me I'm here actually a RV of mine uh a RV told me that when he was a little kid you know in uh in America in the department stores you know in this during this season so they would have excuse the EXC they would bring in a guy with a long with a white beard with with the red kapata right they would bring in Santa right and the and the and the kids would line up and he would give them whatever wish whatever toy they wanted so here he's a young kid and he knows he's Jewish and he doesn't believe in this but all the little kids are getting presents they're getting presents getting so his mother went off to buy something so he snuck online he's waiting online he also wants to get something from zi from the Santa so it's his turn and and uh Santa says to this young boy who would later become a RV he says what would you like for katm he says I'm Jewish I don't believe in it he goes you think I'm a guy and uh he gives the boy all kinds of gifts like a whole bag of gifts and the go are looking wh why did this guy why did this kid get so many gifts so his mother said I can't believe it you went you went to Santa how could you do that he so what do you mean he's a yid he's a yid okay we didn't come tonight to hear jokes because it's already m n even though in America it's right now it's n and I'm American but I think we could be make we could already start uh learning we're here tonight to speak about the says that young boys came into the B and they said a that a like this had not been said even in the times of yua you know what they said Alim Al Al learn Tyra what were these boys saying these boys were teaching a fundamental lesson that even though there's 613 mitzvah but some mitz are more important than others that in Judaism there are there's what we call the me and potatoes of Judaism there are Mitzvah that are more important than other Mitzvah do you know what the two most important Mitzvah in the T are number one Al learn number twoim to it goes so far that the gar says inviting guest is greater than coming early to the sh to let's try to understand that how could inviting guests to our table to our home how could bringing in how could that be greater than AB is the Paragon of ab is the of I am sure that abah ainu excelled in all types of and there are many forms of you havea helping a Young Bride get married you have B visiting the sick you have leas you have lending money you have escorting the dead you have burying the dead certainly AB ainu excelled in all aspects of but did you ever take notice that there's one form of that the Torah describes and breaks down in very very great detail which aspect of ab's does the describe in the greatest detail why is that why of all forms of does the Tor tell us a narrative about why doesn't the Torah say you know there was a a sick person his name was plainy and he was in the hospital and abam ainu came he ran five miles in the heat to visit this person and he washed the floor and he got him medicine and he got him a doctor no we don't have any stories about AB we don't have any accounts thatu met a Young Bride who maybe was an orphan and she had no way to go to the so the T says Abu raised money to marry her off why does the T speaks specifically about and even more over why would the Torah describe to people who don't need a home who don't need food who have no needs at all why describe in an instance where the people are not needy wouldn't it be more logical for ab ainu or for the T to describe a case of people who were actually homeless actually had nothing to eat actually were starving why utilize as the Paragon of a situation where the people didn't need they were Angels they were not lacking in anything and here in lies the key to understanding the principle behind if you ask most people why do we do why do we lend money to people who need it why do we invite guests why do we visit the sick we would say because they need my service they're lacking they don't have money they don't have a home they don't have food and I'm trying to help them or I feel bad for them I'm sympathetic to their need I have empathy to the cause all of these are very good reasons but they don't cut to the root of the matter these are not the true reasons for so let's examine what is the purpose purpose of why do we do and to understand this we really have to come to the most fundamental question that we could really ever ask in our short stay here in this world and that is let's ask why did Hashem create the world Why did the Creator create this amazing world what does he get out of it what does Hashem have out of this world and we are taught created the world in order to do for us what is the that created the world to do the greatest is created this world for us to enjoy the great happiness of the afterlife to be m to the to cling to the reality of the Creator so the simple question is okay great Hashem created us for the greatest joy imaginable that is to Delight in the Splendor of the so then just put us there just put us in the world to come and we will bask in the Splendor of the forever and the Zar K tells us there's just one problem with that the zarak says that had Hashem put us straight in we would not enjoy the happiness of the world to come we would be ashamed we would be embarrassed it's called sua it's called embarrassed bread people don't enjoy when they're given something for free people like to feel that they earn they deserve the gifts that they're given so put us here in this world so that we could do mitv we could learn Tyra we could must Z and earn the great happiness of but the main principle of creation is God created the world for happiness and it's a very delightful world it's a joyous world it's a world of Happiness look Hashem could have created us where three times a day we take out a bottle of pills we take a gray pill in this gray pill it could have contained all the protein carbohydrates minerals and vitamins you needed and we'll swallow the pill three times a day but hashm didn't do that Hashem gave us endless flavors endless tastes endless types of food crunchy sweet sour tart foods that are colorful millions of shades of food millions of types of drinks all kinds of Pleasures God created this world for happiness for whose happiness who needed it it the answer is nobody needed it because there was nobody who existed so it's not that Hashem created the world for these starving hungry wanting ravenous people who had nothing without Hashem Hashem wanted to bestow kindness so deeply and so fundamentally that created us in order to do not the opposite Hashem doesn't do because we needed he didn't have to create us Hashem just has like the writes it is the very definition of the good one of to want to bestow kindness so Hashem actually created a world just in order to be able to give us joy and happiness and therefore one of the most fundamental dimensions of existing as a Jew in this world is to emulate the ways of Hashem and that is we don't help people in is because they need it even though they do and we should because of that but that's not really why we do it and we don't give money to the poor because they're needy or because it helps them or because it makes us feel good these are all secondary reasons of doing Kad what's the primary reason we doad it's an opportunity to emulate the Creator you know it's very interesting that we can never really fully emulate Hashem think about it Hashem created a world and he created Mankind in order to bestow kindness on them but we can't really do that can we we can't really create people and then shower them with kindness but it actually struck me you know if you look in the words ofal we don't find that many times in the gar or in the mid that a person could do to be to Merit to have children you know there are many out there but not that many actually found in the pages of Shas or in medish that if you do this mitz you will be you will Merit to have children there's one particular mitzvah that the med says that we could identify both in the and in the that the Merit of this mitv brings the great blessing of children and that is and we find two instances of that one instance we find by Abu says where abrau feeds the guests and what do they respond they say thank you very much s will have a child and we find in the that in the Merit of the is is hosting El says okay you're going to have a child next year do you think it's a coincidence that in the Merit of the mitvah Abu and the Isis were to have children the answer is no it's not a coincidence nothing is coincidental there's a very specific reason why the Mitzvah of is the number one to be to have children let's understand do you know why the T gives as a paragon of an instance where Abu is to people who don't need it it's to drive home the message that we don't do because people need it we're doing to emulate and actually in a certain sense if you think about the scenario abrahamu feeding these arim is in a way the most perfect reflection of the of because Abraham ainu is sitting at the entrance of his tent did you ever wonder Rashi says it was a very hot day there were no guests outside and abrah was M he was distressed that there was nobody who he could help great there's nobody who needs it there's no one who's hungry there's nobody who's homeless there's nobody who's needy what is abu's problem imagine someone do they have hatah here in Amsterdam I mean you shouldn't need it but imagine you know in America imagine you have a guy he's waiting on the corner I wish somebody would be hit by a car so I could help them me think about what AB Ain is doing he's waiting at the entrance of his tent hoping he could do to someone nobody needs his nobody's homeless and nobody's hungry and nobody's needy so what is he distressed about Abu didn't do because the people needed it didn't do because there were people who were homeless said was in the most idilic fashion that he wanted to emulate the creator of the world who created people in order to do to them so you know what did for Abraham Hashem said you want to emulate me this will be the most perfect emulation of me in the history of the world right now there's nobody who exists for you to doad I will now create Three Angels to come down from the heavens and because you he wanteded to emulate me so perfectly who I create a world and a universe in order to do I will now create who don't need anything so that you could emulate me in the perfect sense and then Hashem says you know what we're going to do even better you're going to create people to bring to this world in order to do who is that who did Abraham ainu create and bring to this world because he wanted to emulate hasem the Mets teaches us in the Merit of the of Abraham he was to create someone like the creator of the world bring them down to the world in order to DOA to them that is the secret why in the Merit of he was to have a child comes aades and the kades says there are many forms of in this world there many many forms there's visiting the sick there's lending money there's marrying off an orphan there's so many different types of I know they have all kinds of G I mean it's unbelievable the variety of G they lend out pillows for a bris if you need a I don't know it's uh spoke last night about the creativity of various but says of all the Myriad of types of there are in the world do you know which type of most perfectly emulates it's because whose home is this world it's the house of Hashem and Hashem says he opens up the door for us with a big smile and he says come into my home and he gives us room and board and food and clothing and guess what he's such a good host that he disappears and we forget about him the best type of host is the host that makes you think it's actually your home the best type of host moves out he gives you the keys he gave gives us the deed here it is the says this is my world I'm the balabas and I make you think you're the balabis that's how comfortable we are in this world we don't even remember he's in charge that's the level of does for us in this world therefore says of all the various forms of that the greatest bad in history did the type of which is explicated and given the most detail about is because the best the most perfect way to emulate is we spoke this morning that the greatest form of is not bringing in a stranger from the from the street you know what the greatest emulation of Hashem the greatest emulation of hasem is bringing your children into your house when you take your little baby home from the hospital and you bring them into your home that's the greatest if you have the right kavana if you have the right intention if you have the right thought because they get so comfortable they even keep their shoes on and they get the carpet all muddy they think it's their house and they open up the fridge whenever they want and they take out the milk and they don't put it back and then they eat dinner and they don't clean up after themselves and they sleep in your bed and they don't make it afterwards and you let it slide and you know what you say to yourself This is what an opportunity it is to emulate the creator of the universe who yeah he gives us food do we always thank him properly he gives us a bed do we always thank him properly but Hashem says make believe it's your home you know make yourself at home make yourself comfortable here and of course it's our responsibility always to thank Hashem and always to acknowledge and always to recognize but the reality is we fall very short but the least we could do is sort of stop and think for a moment that everything we do and of course to the community is is wonderful and is the backbone of the community and perhaps we'll hear more about that but when we break it down to the most fundamental level just the fact that we go to work every day and when a Jew goes to work we think I am going to work to take care of children who are needy whether those CH those children might be your children and I'm I'm going to work to take care of my wife of a woman who might need help that might be your wife or I'm going to I'm taking care of my home for a man who would be on the street without me and might be your husband also that is the fundamental cavana that a person should think in the very simple things that we do every day in caring for our children in caring for our spouse and caring for our parents we think we are emulating the creator of the universe who brings us in to his great home and he does it with a smile and he doesn't expect too much from us just a little thank you before and after and in the Merit of Hashem blesses us especially in the Merit of it is a great sigul and it is a great blessing for the great zus of bringing children into this world actually the Alor of slatka has an amazing Insight if you were to ask well what was Abraham A's greatest that he ever did you know if we could identify what was the greatest act of that Abu ever did you know that the med says the greatest act that AB ever did was when he buried Sarah and the Alor of asked when he buried Sarah what's he supposed to do with her it's his wife he's going to leave her on the side of the road was that a that AB Vu buried his wife and this is considered the M says the greatest act of that ever did and the author of sabatka writes you bet it's the greatest act of that I ever did because if the purpose of is going above and beyond then it doesn't look that glamorous but if the purpose ofed is emulating Hashem then it's very hard to emulate Hashem when we do because when we help somebody they very often feel a sense of Shame they feel a sense of busha they feel that you're we're giving to them and uh they're not that comfortable to receive but when you DOA to your own family you do to your wife you DOA to your husband when you do to children they're not embarrassed they're not ashamed actually they feel entitled to it they're expecting it says the alar of slka the greatest form of is the you do in your home to your wife to your husband to your children if a person goes to work every day and they think I am going to work to support my family who they're dependent on me and boy will they accept the that I do for them and boy will they never thank me for it that is the highest form of you know there's a that family comes first when it comes to so if I were to ask you what's the rationale behind that what's the reason for that why does one's family come first so it's say well it's because I'm most responsible to my own family now Alor of sabka says it's incorrect it's not that I'm most responsible to my own family it's that my obligation of is governed by I need to emulate Hashem and hashem's is in a way in a fashion where the recipient expects it and doesn't feel any sense of Shame and that's most accomplished when I do to my own family that's the reason why family comes first not because they're more dependent on you not because you're more responsible to them but because it's a it's a manner in which a person could accomplish the main objective of and therefore says of all the acts that Abu ever did in his life the Torah chooses to to to describe in the greatest detail those instances that most resemble the of number one one cuz that's what we are in this world we're guests and God is the host and he gives us everything and he doesn't even stick around for a thank you that's our responsibility and that's our striving in this world to emulate the and the other instance that Tara describes is Abu burying Sarah an instance where it was expected there is a feeling of entitlement because again this is another instance that we could emulate in this world says the maral of Prague a person is coming to sh why are they going to sh they're going to SCH to pray they're going to stand in front of Hashem they're going to try to connect with and recognize him to the greatest extent possible says Mar but then you have a guest in your house a guest came to your house what should I do should I run to or should I receive my guest says think about what happened was in middle of conversation with says to him how are you and God say God I'll be right back stay right there I'll be right with you and aru the GS turned his back on he put his back to hasem and he turned to greet a fa the face of another person do you know why says Mar because thinking it was another human being created in the image of Hashem it is a higher form of divine service to bring someone into your home and emulate Hashem than to talk to him big deal you're talking to God that's just conversation let's get to real emulation emulating Hashem is greater than talking to him therefore the writes you're on your way to sh and your third cousin arrives Uninvited all the way from America he's come to visit you in Amsterdam and you didn't ask him to come if you would have known you'd have asked him not to come and he arrives early in your house and and you could either arrive in SCH or you could greet him properly if there's no one home to greet this person properly or if it's not if it's beneath his dignity to give it over to someone else it is more important it is more valuable it is a greater Act of divine service to bring in the guest into your home even than to come to sh to stand before Hashem in prayer this is the backbone this is the fundamental principle of one of the great Mitzvah in the T of the Mitzvah of Al Alim what an incredible opportunity we had these couple of days to be able to be ourselves in these two aspects of the two great pillars Olive Bays we had so many beautiful SHO and tonight we've come together to this great it's been a real pleasure to meet this wonderful it was a pleasure to hear goker again I had this to to uh speak in Rab goar's Yesa in um London and uh let me just end by thanking cats who put in tremendous tremendous m nees in putting together this wonderful program Rabbi cats called me quite a while ago and uh to move all the parts together to make this come to reality is really Testament to Rabbi Kat's love for your community love uh for advancing the cause of toyra and Yos in this community so I thank Rabbi Catz for giving me this wonderful opportunity and we're the entire Kila and Rabbi cats with continued thank you so much for hosting me thank [Applause] you you've just experienced another Torah class brought to you by Torah anytime.com