Shovavim Lecture Series 2026 at Scheiner's - Rabbi Daniel Coren Hakdama to Shovavim

It's the past few years whenever we would begin this shar I would usually share the question that I ask when I teach so if there any that you that took took classes by me they should know the answer like this but um I was thinking tonight might take a different different path we'll see see where it takes us but everything really starts with this question what's fascinating meeting is that I on Shabas I shared a an interesting fact of history. I didn't know this but I researched a little bit about this really it it completely very much fascinates me. There was a major debate in the beginning of the 1900s I think it was 1911 in Vienna between two famous Jewish psychologists. One of them was Sigman Freud and the other one was Alfred Adler. While that's happening, there was another upcoming star perhaps another Jewish guy. It's fascinating that everything in psychology the famous psychologist was another psychologist. His name was Victor Franco and he was uh the author of um men's uh what's his book? A man's search for meaning, right? But he was younger. But he was already comparing the he was already he was already writing letters and not like that but he was ready he was already writing back and forth with with with Freud arguing and presenting his theory. What's so interesting is that what was the major discussion and argument that took place is what makes a person tick and and I think on a deeper level if you would analyze really the question is what is the reason for man's creation? Why were we created? This question is such a a crucial question and it's something that's um I just recently saw someone else actually years at least as goes back more than 10 years already a decade back when I was busy doing Kiru and what's called K training I don't think you even knew that uh this Gil go but I used to go to most the most the best experience was when I went to the places in Miy that's I was in in Satmer were in in the in in in the in like in homes and there would be groups of Kasha ladies that would put the group somehow I would come out and the husbands were like who is this where am I and what would I discuss what question this question what is the purpose of creation why were we created what's our purpose in this world so the reason why I say this is that sigman Freud Freud basically claimed that the what makes a person tick is this search for pleasure, seeking pleasure. If you think about it and you analyze, it's true. It's very easy to to notice every decision making that you that a person, a human being makes, is this going to give me pleasure or not? We don't even think about this. It's many times subconscious. Should I get up? Should I not get up? It all depends. If it's going to end up giving me pleasure, then great. So to him, it was posit that that's what makes a person tick. Alfred Adler held the note. It was man's quest for power, control, power. That's why even psychologists say that kids, especially when it comes to all these different game boys, the reason why they they run to it is because there's a certain schlita. There's a certain power to it. Okay? If it's true or not true, it's not so much not so important. And then Victor Franco said, "What are you talking about? Man's real search and reason for doing anything is meaning. Is it going to if there's meaning in what I'm doing then it's worth living. What's fascinating is is that he actually not just wrote this, he surv he he survived through this cuz he ended up being in the Holocaust for 4 years. And what kept him quote unquote alive is this concept of finding meaning even in the in the greatest darkness. So I I love saying this in my own is that if I was there I would have said you're right, you're right and you're right. I'm sure no one said this but one of the most important classes that I I learned many years ago from and I've given it over and it's something so I was saying the should do it that it's it's about a it could be a fivehour class. It could also be a fiveminute class. It's called the five levels of pleasure. But in the five levels of pleasure or these three pleasures meaning if I want to make if I'm deciding if I should do something [clears throat] so it's I'm deciding if it's going to give me pleasure or not. It's true and part of pleasure is power. Power is also a pleasure. And there's a positive. There's what's called in there brilliance used to call it there's what's called real real pleasure and healthy pleasure and then there's counterfeit pleasure and every single level of pleasure actually has a counterfeit pleasure to it so power is also creativity it's the of of creation it's a to create something every human being bon creates his own world says you learn you're creating a world we'll see by the way that everything I'm saying hopefully somehow we'll see is all about shim. This is the academ for shim and that that's why I was thinking about this. It's it's it's a my a new presentation and we never discussed Victor Franco and we never discussed 1911 debates happened to be that I heard this from but then I researched it a little bit more and it because the topic is so fascinating to me this question. So when I was giving used I used to give sh this I used to ask thousands of people probably thousands of religious people I'm talking to people any any person I was used to hike up khaki mountain I used to have a kabusa that once a week we went to khakiat and and and do a shabas in the reservoir so if I should really announce that but you know that was a gishmak we ran up and mish the whole time we were learning I I told him I wish I recorded those conversations when going up the Khaki mountain. Anyway, [clears throat] I have to remind him how how beautiful it was. This is when I I had a little bit more time. So, when I get up to the mountain, I still remember we met other and I think it was a Jewish and a non-Jewish guy. And I would always say, "Do you know I'm curious, do you know the purpose of why you were created?" And I remember there's certain reactions that stay with me. One of them was like, "Rabbi, that is such an important question. >> [laughter] >> I remember I said it so sincerely. I'm like, you're right. Do you have an answer? He says, no, no, this is such an important question. It's too complicated. [laughter] But what's so sad is that if a person doesn't have clarity of what the purpose of creation is, so the famous second line to this is if you don't know what you're living for, then you haven't begun to live. A person does know what his quest, what his goal, what he's really seeking, what he really wants to seek. Because according to you could be it could be falsely seeking something that's not real. But if a person doesn't know what he really wants and what he's supposed to want and what he's supposed to get has ever even start getting there. So that's why it's a tragedy that there are thousands of people that are walking around that would not be able to answer this question. I don't want to embarrass anyone here. But if you didn't hear the shar then it's not so easy to to to give the right answer. You're mama bakucky. I'm not showing you not in the in the video but but the answer is really in and it's in and it's um it's such a crucial point but what's the is so so smart that this is the one thing he'll take away the clarity of why we were created. So the answer is like the says the is the reason why we created like Freud said because of pleasure but not the pleasure that he was thinking about the pleasure is the ultimate pleasure that we were created for and why we're in this world is in order to reach that place of and everyone has experienced it I would say sparks of it some experience a lot more than the sparks there are different ways whether it's a dening where a person and it comes we'll see it comes from the of the of oneself like the says in a few places of said I'm standing right I'm standing between you right but really the is is ourselves is the biggest block between us and Hashem. So during these six weeks that's why this I think is so much about what these six weeks about and there's many angles to reach this uh this goal and I want to think like someone already said before it doesn't apply to me anymore or whether it's already beyond the time of or the or or because a person married but the truth is it's it's so wrong this class applies applies to everyone men. A lady actually WhatsApp me is this class also for women. I said I'm going to record it for you. So I have to thank her that I I specifically so I'm going to record it. But really it's for everyone because the beginning of this class is the if it's not clear to us why we're here then not only is a person not going to reach that goal because he doesn't even know to search for that goal and to reach but it's even more than that. Then everything doesn't make sense. So for example the sham in his first very very powerful and he asks many many questions. I actually decide I'm going to do videos, my morning videos is going to center over the of the of the topics, the fundamentals of of the of the because really it addresses all the par of that we're now going into which is we're going down to we're going down to so to understand if so we could you know you could l it the way we always l item and like said you could learn kamish the way you learned it when you were three and five and 10 and 20 and 30 and 40 but if a person stops and says one second I really want to understand for the next few weeks galus ms and the whole concept of golas and you start thinking about it and listen and if you don't have clarity why are we going through all this it should be a tremendous contradiction and a person should reach a place a place of despair so the answer first of all as the develops with a few questions. The the obvious question is that and not just but the four g already predicted. So starting all the way in the time of creation. So that's already a hint to the four gal and then later on by which was really where there's even a more where the tells you should know you should surely know. So the niv shalom tells us and I'm I'm being masa a little bit is that these four gullis had to occur. What's fascinating is that he actually quotes to see like I said this would take a a long hour much more than that to really go through all the different points but just this point just to get a little bit of a a flavor he quotes the cousin of mag. So the cousin of mid is commenting on the and he basically quotes one of the interesting inn the discusses why is it what's the background what causes earthquakes it's already hinted I would say more than hinted it's quite explicit that when right before mashia comes which hopefully could be today there's different things that are happening in the world but The gula could happen like this fine. It could be purish in Iran. We could uh we could see the Yeshua in a second. It's it's up to us. But and it would be so because is definitely a big part of that last stage. But in themselves, you look at it discusses earthquakes. So earthquakes is always a sign for me that uh is trying to send messages. We're ready. We're ready. Let's get get the to the final stage. But the um so the says remembers his children that they're in pain. Two tears sheds into the yama to the great sea. And those that have followed the videos, we always anytime I'm traveling, this is one of my favorite subjects. What is the yamag? Is it the Atlantic? Is it is it the Mediterranean? Is it a it's a safak? It's really not. Now, this just this g alone seems to be a because the gra says that this is what causes earthquakes. So the obvious question is so earthquakes after the migdash we can understand is crying about the pain that this is the question that he's asking and it's a it's a basic question. It seems to be that there was already predictions about being in a situation of darkness and situations of gullus of exile of destruction of pain. Holocaust, everything seems to have already been predicted. And this is what the cousin says. Says the following says except the truth from whoever said it in the beginning of creation. So everything that's going to happen. Not only that, he says the following. He put down a calendar. He had the smartphone on the calendar already. Each day was pencled out was marked exactly what's going to happen. Can you imagine lose? They call in Hebrew lose. The lose was written out. This is it says in the so it's to Mashiach. So the whole the movie has been already planned out has been been filmed that everything all the all the different actors sounds like a pelle. So what exactly is left for us? He says for which basically means a wheel within a wheel. It's a movie within a movie. What does that mean? He says like this. When we do something positive, we change the calendar. That means that the normal natural calendar [snorts] incorporates holocaust, exile, darkness. That's the normal calendar. The not normal calendar is makes miracles. If he didn't eat, it would have changed destiny and history. every time we have a choice we could change the calendar. So what there's a few in in what we just said but the that I want to bring out and really for these weeks of is the that in or that that normal like we said the normal calendar of history is filled with darkness is filled with exile and the reason for that is I can't say it's posit but that's the reality the reality is that in order to come out with tremendous light. The more darkness there is, the more potential darkness, the more potential light. And he says it so beautifully later on. He says the following. It gave me a new shot in understanding says so there's many to to almost excuse how is that possible why that was from from birth and never never went off right but the so the answer I think is very posit According to this, he says the speaking about who went down to 70 holy souls, right? Each enumerated and they came out came out and they were sunk into the 49 levels of of defilement. What did the do the says exile darkness is always there in order to facilitate purification to be able to to bring us to a much higher place and he says it's not even from sins and that means so he says this one You hear the that means the reason why allowed us to go down to 49 to the 49th level is because if we didn't if we didn't go to the 49th level so on the parallel that means on the positive we wouldn't have been able to go to the 49th level of kadusha. So the deeper we're a we to fall to the limit because 50 we wouldn't have been able to come out that's the reality that that would have existed but because is preparing that light of the 49th level of kadusha we have to be we had to be fall into the 49th level of tuma and that's how you have to look at all the exile and that's how a person has to look at every single darkness on a collective level and also on a private level he gives an example Paul said the following. A guy's walking in the street. It's very much applicable. Now, it's raining or it's snow and you're you're not wearing boots and snow gets into your into your shoe and it's not so he says [snorts] Right? We've actually done gil. There's different forms of what it means to roll in the snow. Most people are not rolling in the snow anymore as a kapal. But a person wet his foot. He had a little bit of snow or rain got into his shoe and he decides I'm going to be that it should be like so says it's considered like it just was rolling in the snow. Can you imagine just the thought process? But if a guy is not thinking anything but he's just annoyed that his feet are wet is nothing is not a small thing either but you hear the opportunity the opportunity right now is through his that a person could actually have the where you see is that darkness difficulties challenges cloudy going into four galas are all there as the tunnel the facilitator to be able to reach levels that were not shy without going through this darkness. Hence, it's pretty much easy to understand also the concept of a person can't go say I would love to be a Mishna says that's what the Mishna says so he's not it's not going to work out but a person has to know that this is how the the process when a person falls and and it's not just falling the gullus and the darkness that we're going right now in in the six weeks of shim is also such an incredible source of light and that's why I I very much look at these weeks it sometimes a person could say wow these are such quote unquote dark weeks people busy fasting goul like I just said but really it's such an incredible opportunity for growth it's such an incredible opportunity for kadusha so really I was going to start that's why I said not not even get close to it these classes are classes on they're classes on kadusha In this week's P right in the beginning tells us that there are three that are they push off the push away from the world. One of them is a a striking statement that it's greater tuma someone has relations with than the tuma of a mace. Now I'm learning with my laser. We're learning to already quite a few times today. We made a seal just on that way. We know is the highest level of tum is not the highest level of tuma. It's far from the highest level of tum. So what's sounds like a plea the reason why I thought this first of all obviously the usually is it's parallels it's in the also but really it's not so much always about the act it's a it's the result it's the effect there are certain aas that create an effect a negative effect a negative energy I deal with when couples ask me about childish It's so much more than just the act itself. It's so much more than it's the concept. It's what it creates. And I'm talking about on the negative side, but I'm talking even more so on the positive side. I always say hakus, those that have heard these classes, hakus is not about the decrees the rabbis made to make the couple's life miserable. That's many times how it's presented. You can't do this, you can't do this, you can't do this because the rabbit didn't want you to be, I don't know, to have to be upset. The opposite. These are the things that you're allowed to do and you should be doing when it's this. Why? Because it brings people so close. It's so powerful. A touch is so powerful. It's not it's not very far. It's an amazing especially in this generation in as much as there's so much tumor. That's what right told this told the vital you can't imagine a small act of yours it's so much higher than the than the based on on the tum that exists and this is 400 500 years ago in fast so you can imagine what what we're dealing with right now so when a person decides one little small things I'm going to be more careful with my mouth I'm going to say things with a little bit more thinking I'm going to try to make sure that my mouth is a little bit holier. I'm going to be careful in what I'm going to eat. I'm going to be careful in what I'm thinking. I'm going to be careful for one second not to look in in in what I don't need really need to look. You can't imagine what it's doing. It's shaking worlds and it's all tapping into this kadesh to you. So these are the six weeks and the bra that I'm giving giving a bra to all of us that we should be to tap into that of kadusha to be in that to appreciate what a gift that we were given. What an opportunity we're given and especially that we're this last generation that the sadikim all are all all agreeing on. We're this last stage. So this last stage of bringing finally that that that the stage of Msiah which is suddenly going to be the ultimate kadusha. Why? Because kadusha basically is going to be the awareness and then it's going to spread to the rest of the world. And that's why every time it's not it's not even mikah at all that if a Jew does something even quote unquote we could call it small and someone in the world non-Jews see it it has such an impression because that's really this last stage and especially during these weeks everyone for joining us to see the