Haazinu-Yom Kippur - Portals Into Heaven

You're listening to the weekly partial podcast with Ari Goldwag recorded with Hashem's never ending assistance in 5787 2026. This is the first partial podcast of the new year and I hope you had a nice rasha shall merit to be written in the book of life sealed in the book of life and it's the song that we learned about two weeks ago when we spoke about there's a song which is a testimony it's the bris the covenant and between the Jewish people and Hashem. And when we look at the sukim, some of the sukim are difficult to understand. It's beautiful pros poetry needs explanation. Um, in looking around for an explanation and for something clear that we could understand it with, I I I found the rabbin who gives us a summation of the idea of [snorts] what's going on in in the in the song. And I'd like to read it to you. And I'd also like to share with you a thought from Shiva from about Rashashana and related to Yum Kipper and really give us something to think about to hone in on the depth of what Yum Kipper is about, what Rashashan is about, Chuva are about. We're in the middle of the 10 days of repentance. What what are we looking for? What are we after? So the says like this you should know that the general principle of this part of is that Moshe was showing the Jewish people he was telling them about the past and how things un unravel and roll out into the future. It's called everything that's going to happen in the future. He starts with creation and he ends off with the days of Mashiach with the days of the Messiah. This is what the Pik says towards the beginning of the para. Remember days of Y. Remember the olden times when Hashem The exalted one, the most high one when he gave an inheritance to nations that there was a process through which Hashem distinguished between different nations, created the concept of the 70 nations, gave them each their own separate languages. Israel. But what does the next say? That Hashem chose from all the nations, specifically the people of Israel as his special nation. Ask says the portion of Hashem is his nation. Right? Hashem brought us into a location where there was no hope of survival. Right? We we for 40 years after the exodus from Egypt when Hashem chose us as his nation, gave us the Tyra. So we wandered in that wilderness and it was impossible to live there if not for the fact that Hashem gave us some incredible miracles. Hashem surrounded us. Hashem built us up, [snorts] protected us like the apple of his eye. That's the 10th Pik in the in the song. But the song goes through the process. Talks about redemption and it talks about the mistakes that makes and how we end up distant from Hashem. How we end up in gullis in exile. Hashem did all these kindnesses for us. But nevertheless, we forgot about Hashem. We angered Hashem. Right? That's the danger of course that we always have whenever we succeed. If somehow we manage to decimate our enemies, the Iranians or the etc. We forget, we lose sight of the fact that it's the excuse me, it's the spiritual help that Hashem gave us. who gave birth to you which is Hashem who fashioned us right it's called which was a rock but it also means a fashioner someone who creates us so we've weakened him right when we don't have the whole reason we're in this world is to to bring Hashem's name out in the world that's why we're here so when we don't acknowledge that it's Hashem who's done this for us so we weaken Hashem as it were So instead we give credit to strangers to strange gods to our own the work of our hands. We believe that we are the amazing uh brilliant uh creators of the iron dome. We forget that it was the raman of Hashem that gave it to us. So we anger Hashem with our with our abominations which means we deny that Hashem did good for us. We act like strangers with Hashem despite all the good and despite the fact that we have some serenity. We have some quiet [clears throat] like it says inv which is a reference to when we're doing the right thing but we get fattened up things things look good we feel okay we're very uh we become complacent and then we kick we rebel against Hashem Instead of serving Hashem, we turn to our idols. And that idol today can look like money, look like a job. It can look like that which can fool us into thinking that it's not coming from Hashem. Is what it said earlier in chapter 29:2, right? We served gods that we didn't know. meaning we served foreign gods, not Hashem. Right? It's interesting the language of that you didn't know where knowing in the Tyra means to know something intimately means to know something um to know something experientially. Our experience if we look at it with our heart shows us that it's Hashem who's taking care of us. Hashem doing it for us. But in our minds, in our egos, so we mistake You can make a mistake and think that it's that idol. It's the idol of gold and silver. Why? The Torah is telling us that what's the result of this kind of um lack of recognition, lack of lack of realizing that it's Hashem who's done everything for us. The result is that we go into gullus. We come under the dominion of our enemies. Those who we depended on, they turn on us and then we become subservient to them. Why does Hashem not destroy us completely like we find he does elsewhere with other people, the generation of the flood? Why doesn't Hashem get rid of us completely? If we would look at things from a purely judgmental standpoint, we deserve to be destroyed. It was on us because of our enemies that they shouldn't think that that it's their power. It's their victory that's getting stronger. forces of evil can't believe can't can't be in a state where they believe that they're winning says in lest those who oppress you be strangers which means we don't we don't want the nations of the world either to be strange to be distant from God Interestingly when we do wrong when does wrong so one one member of our enemies can chase after a thousand of us which is not a natural thing right so they don't have the intellectual capacity or the spiritual capacity to look at that and say oh why why is that happening how is that one one Nazi soldier can round up thousands of Jews Right. And two of them can cause 10,000 to run from the people of Israel. Like the says that the only reason that could be is that Hashem sold us out so to speak that Hashem took away from us or he took away the protective shield from us because we disconnected from him. heaven forbid gives us over into the hands of the nations of the world because we let go of the Tyra, right? Which really is the most fearful of [sighs] of what's going on in Israel as far as the uh the benyra being being uh put in jail etc. If if the country doesn't respect those who study Torah, doesn't respect and appreciate the incredible spiritual value and importance, why is there any success? If there is success, it's not because of their strength, right? Why does the IDF succeed? It's because of the spiritual power of the Tyra that's being learned and the support for that Tyra that's taken away. That's a scary thing, right? So, but the nations of the world and I would add the Arav that controls the country of Israel at this time. So, they don't recognize that the reason that things happen is because of a lack of connection to Tyra. However, you should know. Don't give up hope. Hashem will there is justice in the end and those who oppress the Jewish people and I would add the oppress there will be a a reckoning a day of reckoning for them will bring about judgment pay them for what they did that's what it means in the says Hashem says says vengeance is mine and I pay I pay is going to to take that which is due him. He's going to bring about a judgment on those who oppressed Israel. That's above says will judge his nation will remember for the character trait of his compassion. Interesting. So at the point where you start to see that there's a destruction a a judgment upon the nations of the world let's say look at the what happened in World War II at the end of the war with the destruction of Nazi Germany and terrible terrible millions and millions besides for obviously Israel's incredible loss of six and a quarter million Jews but the tens of millions of of Russian soldiers died German soldiers what was that other than Hashem taking out his wrath. But what happens at that point? What happens at that point when judgment or justice is served let's say is that is no longer beholden at the same way at the same level to the nations of the world. What ensues after World War II is a great renaissance of Yiddishkite of Vinetyra that never was there never was in history the level of learning that's going on right now in Israel and throughout the world. So until now right it refers to us it refers to us here as the servants of Hashem we are his nation because before this justice comes about so we are servants to the nations but now things turn around says see now that I I am he until this point it was the words of Moses was speaking and here it switches to God speaking in the first person and he personally promises guarantees there's going to be a future redemption he swears about this makes an oathm says I raise my hand to the heavens if I'm going to change if I'm going to do anything different but bring out my sword. Right? [snorts] We know classically there's a concept of which as says the first two of them was World War I and two. The third one we're in the middle of. But Hashem promises that that's how things switch. That's how we get into a world where Kal is back to itself to our spiritual nature to proclaiming the oneness of Hashem to our service of Hashem in the Tyra and we are the leaders of the world spiritually maybe technologically. So Bakai says that it's written in past tense but it means future and it's saying that Hashem is going to bring out like a flash his sword. What does it say at the end? So all of the nations will sing songs about Israel. All of the nations will praise us. They'll recognize that Clal Israel had the core truths all along and they'll want to learn from us about our faith after they see the vengeance that is brought out upon their enemies enemies. The says also in that Hashem through his nation will atone for the land which means to say that Hashem will atone for the land itself and those who dwell in the land will dwell in the holy land of Israel there's going to be a kapara. So the bottom line of it is that we see over here I think I think that what the Makai is bringing out is that there's a process here of redemption, loss of connection, loss of relationship with Hashem being sent out into exile ultimately suffering in that exile and the nations of the world ultimately being brought to judgment and the final redemption occurring out of the out of the difficult circumstances of the resolution of the exile which is what we've seen over the last h 100red years what we're seeing right now that's going on so that's this this whole process and I think it's so important like we're reading this during chuva and if we could sum up and talk about what is the essence of what is it's all about as we read all about msiach during during rash and [snorts] it's all about mashia because we got to know where we're headed. We got to know that we're in the middle of a process and where we are in the process. It's about being making our king. Now I want to turn for a moment to something that talks about and share it with you and he talks about the something very interesting that has to do with the tequer the blowing of the shaer. We do it in we do it before we say we do it right uh right before that we blow the shifer 30 sounds and we do it when the repeats then we do it after the completion during kadesh so there's multiple different ways and times that we do it and the garra says that this is to confuse the satan which of course is very difficult to understand as a spiritual being get confused. What does that mean? Furthermore, what you get foo, it gets fooled every year. Same same trick. He gets fooled by the same trick every year. [sighs and gasps] It's very it's a little bit difficult to understand, but I'm going to share with you a thought. It's based on what Rasha says, but it's also uh some of my own idea. And you know we think of the shifer maybe if we think about it [sighs] we think of the shifer as as a reminder of something that happened right we mentioned in shifers that there was a hari it was blown at hari mount sai right we mention that it was very strong talk about the mashia for god these going to redeem us going to hear that shifer that sound of the chauffever blast. It's it's it's almost like okay this what is this shepher that we're listening to it's maybe a reminder of it but I would like to posit that it's not just a reminder but it's actually a transporter beam or a uh window or a um a wormhole into a spiritual location. We talked about this in years past, but it's so important to under understand this and repeat this. And of course, we've already blown the shaer, so we're after the fact. But I think that yum kipper itself is a similar type of portal. That's the word I'm looking for, a portal. The shifer, it says, transports up our prayers. We are coronating Hashem, our king. We're saying that he remembers all the good things that we've done. And then the sha transports the gummor says in rash brings that prayer in front of hashem's holy throne which means to say that when you hear the shy you are transported it's a transporter takes you from one place to another you know think about it in terms of music you hear a song that you recognize you know very well you were in a certain place when you heard that song a lot of times originally so when you hear that song now you're suddenly transported back to that time. There's a certain CD that I was listening to when [snorts] we were traveling up north 10, 15 years ago with my family. And whenever I hear that, it brings me back to that trip. When you hear the shifer, it it it doesn't just remind you of something. It you're there again. We're at Hari. The the heavens are open again. We're at Messiah. Right? these points that the Raenobai spoke about the moment of gul of redemption and then [snorts] that whole we've gone through and we are going through this this uh whole process of being sent away because of forgetting Hashem and then coming back into relationship with Hashem, right? But the the the shyer trans us transports us back to the beginning and the end where we are right now. The Satan the Satan when he hears the shifer the garra says that he's confused because he thinks oh no Msiah has arrived and he's not going to have any more power anymore. Right? Because Mashiach comes the ished. It's destroyed. The evil inclination the human being becomes like a malik like an angel. We no longer have that negative impulse within ourselves to do wrong. That's what it's going to be like when Msiah comes. And that's what it was like at our by the way. But what happens in the interim, what happens here and now? We're in this world and we have the struggles of life, the struggles with ourselves. But the chauffeur is a portal to that time. It's not just he thinks that oh my gosh Mashiach has arrived and therefore I'm I've lost my power. No, we are actually standing when we hear the shy we are standing in Msiah's time and our yahara is quieted with that sound of the shifer. That's what the shifer is. It transports us. It's a portal. And not just that, but yum kipper. The day itself of yum kipper is a transport is a portal says that the satan has satan is gamatria the satan in Hebrew is gamatria 364 because there's one day that he has no power and that is the day of yum kipper. Yum kipper is a portal to the day when the is gone. the way it's going to be when Msiah comes and chuba are these are is the bridge. It's like the kalamo between rashashana where we where we enter that space with with the shifer and yum kiper where just the day itself gets us there. It's the holy of holies. We're inside of the holy of holies. When you're in the holy of holies, you're in the presence of hashem. You're you're in the throne room of God. There's no there's no choices there. There's no more yates there. There's no more desire to do wrong. That's what if we if we wake up to the day, right? The awaken from your slumber. If we if we pay attention to what the day is about, that's what it has the potential to be. A portal. There's a lot of portals. There's a lot of And we can have these portals. Of course, these are more intense openings, the chauffeur kipper. But what do we say in the we say what is the judgment about? The judgment is is about where we've been separated from God. We're in exile. We've made other masters for ourselves. the nations of the world, the culture of the world, their ideals of it's my power, the money, the money is what I rely on instead of hashem, these things. When Iva means I'm I'm returning to what I know to be true in my heart of hearts and that's the eraser of the of the prayer is I know it's not me. I know it. I'm dependent on on Hashem. Stucka charity means the money's not mine. Hashem here, I'm going to do with my money the way you wish for me to do with my money. But there are other portals. Shabas is a portal. It's that quiet. It's that moment of focus where I can focus on my relationship with Hashem. Is a portal. Doing a kindness for somebody else. Getting out of myself, getting out of myara, gratitude, feeling a sense of thankfulness. I I don't deserve this. Wow, there's so many blessings in my life. It's not miali. Calmness. Being in a space of calm. doing things doing things that get me out of a place of duality that get me out of a sense of separateness from Hashem and from other people all of these things are portals and I'm kipper I'm supposed to be part of part of a greater whole part of a congregation and I become bundled to the congregation I become nullified when I'm part of that group and laughter and joy reading from a from a page I wrote today. These portals, these are the portals, laughter and joy. And it says, "When Msiah comes, when Messiah arrives, our mouths will be filled with laughter." And the laughter is that this whole process which seems so negative, the exile which seemed like a destruction of Claol seemed like we're done, we're finished. We became servants of our enemies. We became servants of the idol worshippers. But all of that was so that we would end up in a back in in Hashem's lap, back in Hashem's arms. Right. Wow. What joy. We're going to our tongues will be filled with glad song. Such incredible joy. Such laughter. the contrast and the funniness that all the darkness was really just light. It was really light. And that's something that we're gonna see in the end. And we get to look we get to look today during Mishu especially. We get to look at and return to that's what chuva means. returning returning to the truth returning to the essence of reality that we're not really separate that we are really one that the is a mirage evil inclination the desire to do wrong doesn't have any real existence all of the evil will just dissipate like smoke so I want to bless you and I ask you to bless me should help us that we should take the opportunity of this amazing time between Rashana and Kipper. Hashem should help us that we should utilize it. We should recognize should find those portals. Let's get us back into the space of connectedness to Hashem, to God, to all those around us. So it should help us see that really that that evil inclination is just a puff of smoke. Thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful shabus and a wonderful yum kipper. This podcast was made possible through the gracious donations [music] of listeners like you. For more podcasts like this, please visit www.rigoldwag.com [music] or search on iTunes Arig Goldwag.