Rabbi Tzvi Seidman speaking at Mishmar Parshas Vayeishev Getting Ready for Chanukah

It's been another week that's passed. I'm sure with a lot of hashem we'll try to discuss a couple of topics tonight. Obviously there's the impending Y of Kaneka which we'll get to a little later but first let's get something on the par and then we'll try to leave some time as Hashem for for say that says I created but I created the antidote for that and that's the and through a person could to overcome the generally you understand this this is a thing that has some effect on our in that it gives us an extra boost in an extra kayak to overcome the but once in a while the Torah actually gives us direct instructions as to how to overcome the so it's not it's not just like a school that you learn Tyra and that's going to help you power through rather the Torah gives you directions you know the mishar says that if a person thinks that he's going to find a different way through life without Tyra, it's foolish. He describes the following. Some of us may have experienced the corn maze. You want to go to a corn maze, right? So they grow the corn really high and then they cut a maze through it and you have to try to find your way through the maze. And apparently in the times of the mus 400 years ago, they actually had these already. He says that the serum, the ministers used to have this for for entertainment and all that. And it says, "Imagine that you're going through that maze and there's a fellow there that tells you turn right, turn left." Nah, you don't know what you're talking about. And you go your own way. The way you think, you know, I have this feeling, my sense of direction tells you to make a left. And he tells, I'm telling you, go to the right. Now, you might be wrong. You might be right. He may be right. But if he's someone that has done it before numerous times, and certainly if he's the one that designed the maze, he probably knows a little bit better, >> right? Yeah. But we're talking about someone that's actually looking out for your good and trying to help you get through. Right? So if the says, "I created the Torah as the antidote." Say, "No, I I I've got a different way. I know a better way. I'm just going to try to get around and overcome." It's not going to work. It's foolish to try to find an alternate route. So again, but that's the general idea that tora helps us get through all the challenges of life. But sometimes and specifically in paras I happened to I think the last time I spoke it was paras where they say we were talking about different fighting because all the saints you know the of the but there's a little bit of a different theme over here in where we have the the epitome of right this is the the standard that the gar uses to describe an say was bigger or was it as big asphar right and let's analyze a little bit how does get through this nis so we know the facts leading up to this to the temptation of pifar we know that is a teenager sold by his own family taken down to a foreign country an immoral country and he's put into this impossible situation but how does he get out of it so we know the madrasha brings it they sust Shalav he saw his father's image in the he saw his father's image and all that let's just see his argument so to speak with the wife of what does he say to her so she's constantly badgering him and and and bugging him day after day and the says uh let's just find this paraglat she spoke to daily and explained that every day she would come with new ideas and new ways to try to to you know to entice him and all that sha listen to her and then the the pik tells us what did he say to her it's actually the previous test says his his refusal came with an explanation he said two things he started off and he said there's nobody greater in my master's house than me I am given control of the entire household he held nothing back for merely you. The only difference between me and the master of the house is that you're his wife and not mine. How can I do such a terrible thing? This seems to be purely, >> right? He he trusted me and I'm going to go and stab him in the back like this. I I can't do this. And then he adds two words. If I did this, I'd be sitting against God. So is that one thing or is it two things? Most understand these are two separate titas, two separate, you know, routes that he's taking to tell her, you know, you can't do this to me. Number one, interpersonally, it's a horrible thing to do. This man trusted me with everything, handed over the keys to his vault and everything else in his house to me cuz he's trusting me and I'm gonna go behind his back and take his wife. Obviously, I can't do that. It's just it's just wrong. It's betrayal to the highest degree. And second of all, Hashem doesn't allow it. Even in those days the Gomorrah says that that even they were already commanded to keep the laws of some laws of morality and this was this was out of bounds since the careful to stay away and this was this was this was just wrong. So so he's saying this is a sin against God and therefore I can't do it. But has a very interesting um I don't want to call it a spin on this, not a spin on Tyra, but an interesting perspective on these two these two arguments that he was presenting to her. He says as follows. He says she obviously knows that it's wrong. She knows this is a sin. Nevertheless, she's pushing for it. So what are you accomplishing by saying? And he says the following and I think it's very powerful and it can help us understand that we're supposed to get through certain struggles and if everyone struggles with niness because otherwise you wouldn't be here. That's our mission here right he says as follows. He says the first half of the p say the first 80% of the pok is really just a setup for the two words of he says you well understand that when someone entrusts you with everything that he has and with everything that's precious with his wealth and his you know and all the decision-m of his household he's entrusting to somebody you understand it would be wrong to go ahead and betray that trust by backstabbing him like that by taking his his wife You understand that? Guess what? The same thing is if I sin against Hashem, I am doing the exact same thing. Why? Because the entrusted me with an is what is an is. It's interesting to say that the entrusted me with an because that's not actually how it works. Actually, I am an Hashem put that into for a limited amount of time. That was there since Bri asylum. It's going to continue to exist after a person is nifter and for a short amount of time there's this gof that encloses it but right now we're talking from the gof body physical perspective right that's the conversation that he's having with and he says hashem entrusted me with this which there is nothing more precious than that is it's like hashem gave me a piece of himself said here take care of this for 70 80 90 years just guard it there's nothing greater that someone could be entrusted with. How am I going to go now and turn around and betray that trust? So now you understand why I can't sin against Hashem. The beginning of the Pik is merely saying is the setup just like when one human trusts another obviously there's some you know there's expected loyalty which you can't betray. So when Hashem entrusts me with his how can I go and turn around and do something so immoral? >> So with that thought it's really it could be the same thing, >> right? It's one Tina. He says it's not two separate arguments. It's one argument. He doesn't start over. He sets up the two arguments and it says at the end he says, you know, maybe it's actually one argument, right? And there's a fascinating thing. The med says there's a there's a which we all know. We're going to say it every day of it says, >> right? So the the the Yam saw and ran off. And the Medish asks, "What did the Yam see?" Maro, >> what did the Yam see? Come on. >> It's a medish. >> So the bones of and the medish, the question of the medish and the answer are very difficult to understand because read a little bit further and tell them there and it says why did you run off? The puzz has the question and the gives a different answer. The Pik says it's all the master the one who created the world because of the god of so what's the question of the and what is the answer that it's all the bones of how does that play out if the pik asks the question and the gives a different answer and the answer really is that that the contained in themselves the the the we saw we saw meaning the can tell him asks why did you run it didn't say what did you see said why did you run and the pic answers because I saw the god of yak that's what the yam answers back I saw hem who's the god of yak the medus is not asking why did he run the medus is asking what did it see meaning where did it see the god Where was that presented? It was presented in the in the bones of the med is just asking where did the now if we analyze what the answers into the master because the god of it's almost a mirror image of this p the said he says I have a problem I have an a master that entrusted me it' be a sin against God. So what did the see it? So there's a master that's entrusting and it's so the God of the two elements that Ysef is highlighting here. There's a master that's entrusting me and he is the god. The same two lashes are used when the Pik is answering. You know what I saw? I saw there's a master. When there's a master that's entrusting me, I can't betray. And who is that? Kayak. So we this is hinted the intel is already hinting that it's bones that are showing us that Hashem's presence is here. There's alo and therefore the ran away. The medish makes a number of connections here. spirit says he escaped. The same lion is used there by um the speaks that out. It's only two places in the Torah that he uses that that was by yonas he ran out and we say you run same lion. So it's clear that the two are you know collaborate very well theim here and the the um theukim over there. That's as far as the parish. I'd like to segue a little bit to Kaneka. Not necessarily a direct connection, although there are a lot of connections between yanek. >> What was that? We spoke about halo, right? That's a good connection. Also, y and kanek have a lot to do with each other. If I'm not mistaken, someone can do check it afterwards. I want to say that yikas is the same gamatrio. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> So, the is the count. >> Yeah. The is the counteracting of the immorality that the Greeks wanted to bring into the world. The fights that again we'll check that if that works. We can check that afterwards. I'm not going to do the math now. So, uh, spell it however it fits with the gamatria, please. Right. Okay. Well, let's go into Kaneka for a little bit. And we're all we're all excited about it. We're all preparing. I was going and buying oil and wicks and whatever. Or you want the ready made the gel candles, whatever it is that you have. But we're all we're all preparing to do to to do the mitzvah is Kaneka. Now, there a couple of questions glaring questions about Kaneka. Some of these I don't remember which ones I heard from Nissan capital. Um I'm using some things that I heard in the share from him about uh 22 years ago. You know certain ones I repeat I don't remember which parts come from him and which ones um which ones don't. So I just don't want to misquote. So if something I say incorrectly that's not from him. If it fits it's from him. Okay. So he asked as follows. You know there are many mitzvah that a person could do in a basic way and then you can do it in a higher level. You could always do things better. You can build a suka. You can make a beautiful suka. You can have dal medium. You can have beautiful dal. We can write a satyra. You can have a beautiful satara. And there's a den in the tra. It says vanu to try to do mitzvah in the best way possible. Why is it that specifically by I don't know of anybody that gets away with the bare minimum is one per household and that's it. Right now, you'll see in other religions sometimes they'll just have one candle burning in each window this time of year. >> It probably comes from there. I don't know where they got it from, but you will not see in a Jewish home on the eth night of Kaneka one. Maybe that's what it is. [laughter] >> So, uh I I don't think you'll pass a from home and you'll see on the eighth night of Kaneka just one lamp one in the window or even on the second night you'll always see two. Right now is the basic one N per household. Mahadrin you want to take it up one notch one N per person in the household which means that there are three people living in the home three the first night three the second night the same amount every single night. Mahadran Mahadran which is like going above and beyond is that we keep going up one the first night two the second night three the third Ashkanaz do every person in the family doing one up every night and in the middle of the sard is one person the head of the household lights but again going one more every night and everyone that we know does mahadra minad question is why is it that in this mitzvah specifically we're we're like the the standard is to go above and beyond why is that that's one question we'll put it aside died for a moment. Let's get to another question. There were two primary Nissan which took place by Kaneka the eight nights at the the the lamp that burned for eight eight days even though there was only enough oil in the mana for one for one night and it went until the eighth night. That's famous. And what's equally as famous is there was an actual war that went on. It was raad mat. It was a massive Greek army and the small group of Jewish soldiers chased them out took re re repossessed the basikt fixed it up and you know had kanuka again and that that nest is also very very you know it's highlighted in alan and all that why is it that the nest of the na is the one that we have a mitzvah to commemorate the nest of the war is something which we know about we talk about it but there isn't an actual mitzvah to commemorate that we don't have like a reenactment of the war or something or some other thing to commemorate that. The only desk that we commemorate is the nas. Not just that, we commemorate it in a public way. There's pursuing the dinners that has to be at the window or at the door or in a place that others are going to see it in order that that it should it should publicize this nest. Why is that the mitzvah that's highlighted the the nest that's highlighted more? So, if you had to choose one of these two n that should happen if just imagine from Hashem says, you know, I have two options for you. Either you win the war and live happily ever after. You get back to B mikdash for another 200 years or so to or you lose the war. You don't have a B mikdash but you find a jug of oil and that burns for eight days, right? [laughter] Nobody would have taken the jug of oil one, right? We want to win the war. This is what's important. We want to have the B mikdash back. Go back and do why is it that we're making such an emphasis of highlighting and publicizing the nest of the oil. Second question, we'll add a third question. This one I don't think came from Arabi, but I heard it from someone else. Um there's al maybe not so well known that a person forgot Alan is a person forgot and finished or finished benching it does not go back it's different than it's different than different it's different than that person finished benching without it just moves on it's not it's not essential to the benching however if a person remembered after he finished that whether or benching or in inast he finished the BA so he can't go back and say now so what does he do so at the end of before and the same would be at the end of benching before you can add it in there what you say is as follows interesting you say and then you continue and then you just pick You finish that and you continue benching to the end or continue just let's just translate compassion do miracles for us the same that he did to our forefathers. This is a very very unique type of because we know there's there's a rule. We don't ask for in standard we don't say that in standard is just a thank you. >> We thank it's part of or it's it's part of it's thankful for the you've done for us but we're not requesting and here suddenly saying Hashem could you make for us like you did back then and the question is why the rule is we don't ask for we ask for things to take place in a natural way. There shouldn't be Torus, but we're not we're not looking for Nissan. Maybe if someone is really in a difficult predicament and the only way out is an S. So maybe you can ask for an S. But here we're not talking about a specific predicament. Say Hashem, please just give us N like you once did. What's the on that? So let's go back to the first two questions for a moment again. Question number one, why are we all doing Mahad Mina Mahad doing like above and beyond? Number two, why are we highlighting the specifically the nest of the n? Why are we publicizing that more than the rest of the and number three why is it that on occasion we ask for Niss like the nest of Kaneka? And I think the answer that can answer all of this um is best presented with a mshel given by again going back to for a second time tonight says you know sometimes you can have two women taking care of two little children famous mash may have quoted it here before um and I would tell you that you don't know these people you see a woman taking care of a little baby another one taking care of a little baby and I tell you you know one of those is the mother of the child that she's caring for the other one is a nurse that's hired to take care of the child and it's your job to figure out which one is which. I say they're both bathing the child still didn't get it. Both giving a bottle to the child, dressing the child, putting the child to sleep, you still didn't get it. And then at the last moment, you got it. Cuz as they're walking out of the room, one of them bent down and kissed the child on the forehead. And the other one just walked out of the room. So, ah, there it is. Now, is that kiss needed? Is the child going to know that he got that kiss? Probably not. Maybe in a subconscious level, you have to speak to a psychologist to know if people know what they did. you know, when he was 6 months old, if he knew that he got a kiss on the forehead, if it made a difference, maybe maybe there's some way of feeling affection, I don't know. But certainly not in the conscious world. And is it feeding him? Is he going to be less hungry? No. Is he going to sleep better? No. Is he going to be warmer? No. But that shows that everything that happened up until that point was out of love. Not because it's it's a it's that woman's job, but rather because she actually cares for this child that's important. on the other hand the you know the other one was hired to do it and therefore she did her job which is great didn't do anything wrong but that's all that was expected to be done now if we would have only gotten the nest of the so that means wants the continuation of >> wants exactly wants us to be able to continue to serve so Hashem made us win the war and that would have taken care of the need for the world to continue in the B mikdash had etc. the nest of the oil. If that didn't happen, guess what? None of us ever would have known about it. If they came and they had to wait eight more days before they let Monero so maybe in the history books it would have said there was this war and it was a miraculous war and the Yidden won and the Kashman won was amazing and then they you know they rebuilt the B mikdash and yeah side note and yet they didn't light the Mona right away. They had to wait 8 days till the oil came from the sh usher and brought it back and that's how long it would take for them to get the new harvest of oil. Amazing. great it would have been just you know it wouldn't have been no worthy even and here says no no no I didn't just help you win the war because I need this to continue I need to have the base of mdash etc I helped you win the war because I love you and the way I'm going to show that to you is I'm going to do something that you don't really need you don't need it but it's going to show you that I care for you so what did Hashem dom said I'm going to make another nest in there I'm going to give you the nest of the pan you're going to get that oil it's going to burn for eight days you're going to be just just blown away by that. So that's the nest that Hashem did going above and beyond more than what was necessary. So by that mitzvah we're going to say you did above and beyond. We're going to create you know there's another aspect to this in other mitzvah let's say in the mitzvah of safety is write a nice safety. What's a nice safe? So actually clean parchment clear writing but aren't defined. This is okay. This is mahadin. This is mahadra minute. There are rules of what's nicer here. There are rules. It's part of the mitzvah was set into the nature of the mitzvah that it's given in a way. You can do the beer basics, but you're not going to. You're going to show you want to do better. Not just better. Better than better. You're going to keep taking it up a notch. Why? Because you're going to turn back to the and say you did better than you needed to, so to speak. for me I'm going to do better than I need to for you. And that's what we're showing. That's why we show off this mitzvah with pursuing say look loves me. Right? You got a bumper sticker says Hashem loves me. You don't need that. You can have a manur by your window and you're making that announcement. You're [snorts] making that announcement to the world. Hashem loves me. You can have the bumper sticker too. But this is a mitzvah. This is the way the mitzvah says Hashem loves me. Now let's get to the last part. We're asking we're asking for now the a person doesn't ask let's say a person needs a basic need that everyone everyone needs a person needs says make a nest to give me make a million dollars just drop down from it we don't ask for that what is your need there your need there is the pnosa and you want it to come about through a nest no you don't ask for that but if the purpose of the nest is the nest itself I don't need the result of the nest Hashem, I just want you to show me how much you love me. So then you can ask for the nest. The nest is not a means to an end. The nest is the goal. Make for us nome like you made them, which means just show us your love. I'm not looking to get a result out of that. I'm not looking to get a benefit out of that. Not the result of the nest. I just want the nest itself. And therefore, we take the liberty to ask for an S. Not just any nest. We want that type of nest. the nest not that I need not to fill one of my needs rather the nest that's going to send me that message that you're looking after me you love me you want me you want my avoid etc >> you wake up every morning >> you wake up every morning but again but dear I'm not I'm not arguing with that at all of course but say wants me to be able to go out and do a to do the service of I want a nest that's extra credit 100% 100% 100% I want that jumps off the page one that jumps off the page like the nest of the nearest and says says I'm not just giving you what you need I'm giving you more than that that you can d him for >> why don't we ask for the >> so I was assuming someone's going to ask that that's that's a good question why don't we always do that right so there's of now of you can't make >> so where fits in in you're not allowed to make a bash there so we can't but when it happens to come out in a place that's at the end of or at the are all bashes, right? And the kit is all bashes. So there you're allowed to ask about kasha. So when is situated in a place that you have the ability to ask about kasha, we turn it into bakasha. >> All right. So [snorts] there we are. They're uh thank you for that. I forgot that point. >> The first question with the war we answer with was was the second one. >> No, the first one was why do we all do mad and mahad? >> Oh, okay. My >> then why why do we commemorate the ner? And then why do we take the liberty to ask for a nest specifically here? So we should have and and we should be Rotia style.