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Bringing the Joy of Sukkot into Our Everyday Lives - R' Benzion Klatzko speaking for CHAZAQ!
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Transcript
Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
[Music]
good evening everyone
and I wish you all a good acquittal a
beautiful Hashanah robber and I want to
jump right into a very very difficult
and complicated subject the subject is
called Circus Circus is very tough I was
speaking at a college this past week at
Rutgers and I was speaking to second
level students that means students that
have been involved in Jewish life for a
little while and I asked them how many
of them had heard of Sukkot and in an
entire room maybe two did and then I
asked them does anyone know what Sukkot
is all about and none of them did and I
explained to them it's not surprising
you don't because Sukkot or circus
doesn't follow the pattern of the
regular Jewish holiday the other typical
American families heard about and the
typical holiday there's a hero there's a
villain and then we eat afterwards
special food to commemorate that the
hero beat the villain right just go
through that pattern you'll see it
really stands up Hanukkah you got your
hero right the Maccabean you this you
the Maccabee you have your villain
Antiochus and what do you eat latkes
maybe with a sour cream maybe with
applesauce but you evolve because that's
the banner pacer you got your hero
Moshe you got your villain Paro and what
do you eat matzo poor him you got your
hero
Mordecai Nestor you got your villain in
a home
as far as well what do you eat
hamantaschen so anything that follows
that pattern it's a very Hollywood kind
of a pattern and ends in good distinct
food we know about but in circus there's
no hero there's no villain and there's
no special food so why should they have
heard of circus you think about that
it's really interesting so the truth is
it is not just the typical American
student that it hasn't heard about
circus the reality is that even we who
have gone perhaps to Jewish schools
Hebrew schools yeshiva zs-- even
seminaries it's a little bit confusing
it's a little bit confusing why seven
days
what happened in seven days right in a
good question what happens on these we
know on Pesach seven days is how long it
took them to get from its Ryan to the
answer and the last day yams herbs but
what happened in seven days that in
seven days long it's not a obvious
question the whole circus is very
confusing so what I want to do today is
I want to demystify circus and maybe in
the process make it interesting enough
that from this circus and on suckers
will have a totally different meaning
for you okay that's my goal it's a big
goal I don't have that long to speak so
let's see if we can accomplish that goal
and what I want to do is I want to I
want to tell you a story that happened
to me era of Yom Kippur this year so
this story is all of two weeks old a
little bit less Arab Yom Kippur I'm
driving home sue them out of seconds
have to go gonna go to the mikveh go get
ready to slug parties with my kids and
I'm driving and I have to deliver
something so instead of driving in my
usual car our family has a 15 passenger
van thank god I've got 11 kids
Liyana or grandkids as well so you need
lots of lots of room but it's very
helpful to schlep cargo and I brought my
daughter with me and we went to schlep
this cargo and as we are driving back up
Saddle River Road really near my house
there red and blue lights flash I see
them in the back and I pull over over
Yom Kippur think pulled over if that's
not a sign what is I get pulled over and
the police said do you know what you're
doing I said no I know it wasn't
speeding I don't speed I used to speed
then I had kids and I'm I feel like I'm
living for a lot of people I'm very
careful he said you know you did earlier
back there was a person crossing the
crosswalk and where there's a person
crossing the crosswalk
you have to stop which I did but you
can't continue until the other person is
actually on the other side on the other
side walk it's not good enough that they
should pass you that you can go they
have to be on the sidewalk and if not
it's a major ticket okay I didn't learn
that it maybe I should've learned that
and in my driving school look he said
license registration so I tell him right
away I said by the way I'm a chaplain
I'm a chaplain actually I not that I
usually have with me but I actually am a
chaplain police chaplain there we go I
just have it on me I usually don't carry
with me I I'm a chaplain thesis okay
where's your ID I said it's in my other
car so you know what other car I said I
never drive this car to my wife's van he
says well without ID you're just a guy
license registration
I said I'm telling you I'm a chaplain
now if you're a chaplain I'm not
spreading this but you're a chaplain
they very often will let something go
especially if was an innocent about
driving a hundred 120 miles an hour they
let it go I'm a chaplain but he said you
don't have your your ID so I said one
second I'm really near my house Mike my
son has my car let me just quote he
could bring it'll be here in two minutes
so the police says you have
two minutes so I call him I call him he
doesn't answer I call him again I call
him ten times their police loses
patience with me and he goes back to his
car now in my mind I'm thinking you know
I'm actually a chaplain at large it's
called the New York State chaplain it's
not even officially a police chaplain
although they recognize it but I would
not even be in their records it's a New
York State thing it's not a police thing
so he said who do you who do you answer
to and the answer is I don't really you
know I took the course and whatever the
guys name was three years ago I just
renew it every year so he's you don't
have your right you don't know who you
answer to wait here so I'm waiting and
I'm thinking I'm toast
you know I'm gonna i'm through who knows
what the tickets gonna be so while I'm
there I'm waiting and you know they pull
the police they make you wait for a long
time to get you all nervous so while I'm
waiting I said let me do a mitzvah
there was a girl she wanted to go to
Eretz Israel you know it was like a
little bit of a little bit of an ASIC to
get her there so I have a few extra
minutes while waiting for the police I
get on the phone to try to help her out
he gets back comes back I roll down the
window
he adds on my license and says ok you
are a chaplain I said I have like it's
not in your records you are a chaplain
and you're lucky that you are a chaplain
because you don't have your ID and
you're supposed to carry your ID it's
not supposed to be in your car it's
always supposed to be on your person and
even more than that I could have written
you up for four tickets for tickets that
means I could have almost lost my
license over that four tickets
endangering the welfare like he could
have and he said we're really cracking
down in New Jersey I was right before
New York at the border we're really
cracking down but you're a chaplain next
time Avedon you and drive away and I
turned to my daughter I said I don't
know how that happened like he could not
be in his records it's just it's a
different department and I didn't even
have it on me and he whatever it was
that evening I was in shul and I was
leading the minion
and I told them I told the Kela listen
to me we come in fact that I cottage bar
when we say God I've done a lot wrong in
God's as I know you have as soon as I
know but I turn to a sham and I say yeah
but you know who I am you know I am I'm
among the B'nai I'm from your cookin
Yaakov
I am a chaplain I got it from you I can
Yaakov I got pedigree I got you girls
and I Shem says where's your ID you
don't look like a from you duckin Yaakov
you're sensing you're feeling it sucka
you don't look like you don't what's the
part where's your ID and I say I know I
don't look like it but I am trust me I
am and I cut ash bar who comes back to
us and says taka you are abhinaya from
yet stuck in Yaakov and I will be
Michael you you know why because I love
you but you should be aware it's not one
ticket it's many tickets there are many
things that you did wrong this year that
you're not even aware of that I'm going
to forgive but be aware next time have
your ID on you next time look like the
Avram Bonet Avram your skull can Yaakov
here is the idea it's a profound idea
it's a simple idea and after you hear it
you're gonna wonder how you ever missed
it this is circus if I cottage bar who
sang my dear dear claw Israel you have a
long winter ahead of you and you can get
a little depressed you don't average the
shot Ana yom kippur coming up you've got
months and months with no major holiday
you got a panic in between which is not
an official jankis nothing until paisa
and you may think that we're gonna grow
distant in the cold winter you may think
I've done bad things you may think I
need Mahela says I shall listen to me
mine kinder luck I
of you and I will not let you get
depressed I will not let you get down on
yourself I will not let you knock
yourself around and say I'm so bad and I
shams not really Michael me and I've got
so far to go and nothing's changed
you're wrong
you've got ID on you you're the Bonet of
Romney it's cocking that was so when you
mess up remember that I love you I want
to tell you that every yontiff is a
fillip station explain to what I mean
when you are young tough when you have a
holiday the message of the holiday is
supposed to then carry on until the next
holiday so the first holiday that we
have is pass on the message of Pesach is
freedom so here we are it's spring we do
we understand that correspond to us not
to frolic at the beach not to go wild
but I Shem freed us why to be above them
Tasha to serve our Shem it pays like his
freedom that's the lesson
so the Phillip is Pesach and then after
you filled up the gas tank then you've
got that feeling of freedom and that's
supposed to carry on until service and
service
what do you fill up with what do you
fill up with unto us you fill up with an
Torah mat and Torah you fill up on the
appreciation that I shall give either
you have a long summer coming up you
have a big summer vacation coming up
fill up on Torah what do we fill up on
circus with what gets put in the gas
tank anyone what gets put in the bad gas
tank the answer is
simcha you're filling up on simcha for
the rest of the winter
you've got a long winter ahead of you
you have to fill up with joy so that
that joy will last
throughout the winter where does that
joy come from
the Rambam says the joy of a Shem is
synonymous with our shams love when you
know that a sham loves you you get
filled up with joy and that's the
feeling we're supposed to get come this
circus the feeling that a sham loves me
even though maybe it wasn't my best rosh
hashanah it wasn't my best yom kippur
let me explain this a little bit deeper
it's gonna get sort of sort of deep but
I think we can handle it even though it
is close to midnight why do we have
seven days of circus I asked that
question before so that our Rizal says
the seven days of circus are connected
there's seven clouds that Ananya covered
they were
Ananya covered there were clouds that
surrounded the Jewish people and the
seven clouds are remembered through the
seven acts of love through the seven
days of circus now I have a question for
you if you're surrounded how many clouds
does it take to surround him count one
to the right one to the left right six
one to the front one to the back one to
the top onto the bottom why did there
have to be seven clouds where's the
seventh cloud where is that seventh
cloud the answers it's in you Hashem
surrounds you on top on bottom on the
sides but the main part the main cloud
is within you as a person are Shem is
saying I love you this is why we have
seven who season what other season there
were season are seven days seven of our
ancestors our grandparents that we say
our our our ID so when we welcome my
from who gets to welcome the president
somebody who's close to the president
walked was the president
when we welcome of Romney its cocoon
Yaakov what are we saying I promise I
was eight ofcourse we're gonna welcome
him of course we're gonna welcome you
duck of course we're gonna welcome
Yaakov there are grandparents what are
we doing we're flashing our ID Tasha and
we're saying we're welcoming through
season because they are our grandkids
and therefore even when we mess up you
still love us that's the message of
circus so you've got seven clouds that
surround you that either love and the
seventh one is in you you have the seven
who season and then you yourself
you yourself are able to invite them as
your Zetas you take the love and you you
shake it
seven six sides and who's the one who
shakes it you you're the seventh one
you're number seven six sides and you
being number seven it is you telling
gosh em Hashem I know you love me even
though I may not have had the best young
in the room that's the message of circus
and in case we forget it
the seventh day which is coming up or
the eighth day which is right after so
this is called Schmitt near Terrace and
we have so many actors because it's
called kasha li pre dascomb we say it's
hard for me to leave you
it's almost like the grandparents where
the grandchildren are about to leave the
grandparents say please stay a little
bit longer I'll put out some good food
I'll make it good stay a little bit
longer there's no special simcha there's
no special anything that we do except
love Hashem and dance the message
through the winter so what let's recap
and then we'll go a little bit a little
bit further with this we have suckers
how cutters borrow who says I love you
and I prove to you that I love you by
putting you in a Sukkah we'll speak
about that in a moment I proved you I
love you about putting you in a Sukkah
and therefore I'm gonna ask you to
remember that I love you and then
through
out the winter when you feel down
remember that my love will will hold you
not just till the next Rosh Hashanah the
next time Kippur but my love is able to
forgive you even when you haven't
forgiven yourself so it's a very
interesting thing we say at the end of
my roof right at the end of Yom Kippur
we'd have an irregular mire of and we've
seen that my wrist lock Lana Lana Levine
aqui con who forgive us because we've
done now there now this is right after
Yom Kippur now think about this we just
went through an entire Yom Kippur we
just screamed hi Charla Kim we blew the
Schieffer and then with Avenue I was a
Cylon who why what does a sham have to
forgive us
didn't he forgive us already so al it
back we'll give you the answer that you
know what I shan't ask the forgiving for
because you're thinking about food
that's a licorice answer it's a little
bit harsh you know why because we're
hungry thing hungry is that's that's
what happens when you don't eat for a
day in an evening so I heard a beautiful
beautiful part it's a little more classy
this so so beautiful do you know why we
have to say SLOC la new in she wanna
astray mode say Yom Kippur you know we
need forgiveness for whereas gosh I'm to
forgive us that we don't believe that he
really forgave us that we don't really
believe that Yom Kippur worked that we
still think there's no way in the world
Hashem could forgive me Hashem knows
what I've done I'm not exotic I didn't
cry tears this Yom Kippur I'm still
gonna speak loshon hora I'm still gonna
dabble without qivana I'm gonna do these
things it's awful but it's a reality and
I shall knows it and therefore he
probably didn't forgive me slaw no kata
no are we such a ballet guys ax are we
so Hardy to think that a sham can't
forgive us that's why we say slack Ilana
so in order to understand this on a
deeper level let me explain to you how
love works
there's an old
so old it was the story in the press in
India I don't know if the story is true
it's a weird story circles like this
there was a guy who was dating a girl
and they were dating each other and it
looked like it was gonna go somewhere
and one day we're near the end of the
date and they already had strong
feelings for each other and then the
girl says you know what pull over to the
side of the road so he pulls over to the
side of the road and he says what is it
he says you know I know it looks like it
was about to happen and we even said we
loved each other we said we loved each
other how we really felt that we meant
it but I feel like I'm not feeling it
like I'm not feeling it anymore so I
think I think I have to end it and the
guy with a tear in his eye there's not
much Jewish Jewish story the guy with a
tear in his eye he she's breaking up
with him he takes out of his pocket a
little note and a hands into her answer
that note and right after he answered
that note there was a drunk driver
coming from the opposite direction as
the drunk driver swerved control and
sideswiped the car and smashes right
into him and kills him on the spot she
miraculously does not die she's injured
not that badly it's a very sad funeral
and after the funeral when she's trying
to compose herself she reaches into her
pocket she sees this note that he
answered right after she broke up with
him she opens up the note and in it was
one line that he had written and the
line said I would die without your love
now the stories from the India press in
India for a dramatic story now your love
I would die that was it
but that's not the way I Shem works
Hashem does not work that when we feel
oh no there's no love
comes the car and you you're finished
hashem is actually quite the opposite
and Hashem works with us exactly the way
mature love works let me explain - how
much sir love works when we love
somebody well we want to be in a
relationship with them but we want to
choose somebody to marry us
so there are three steps these are the
three steps of love step number one is
called respect you can't love somebody
you don't respect right it's one of the
reasons that within the Orthodox
community you don't have little
teenagers young teenagers dating you
know why because I always skip that step
they skip the respect step and you can't
skip respect you have to know what it is
about them the fact that they're cute or
handsome or pretty is not enough who are
they what do they stand for respect it's
huge uh-huh it's big respect if Albert
Einstein's wife says I don't know maths
math science - I don't know but I love
his hair is that is that good enough of
course not you're married Albert
Einstein you have to know right you have
to respect that that when you love
somebody you respect well if you want to
love somebody have to respect them what
do they stand for
are they atomic akhom - they are good
and me those two they do have Sodom
what have they accomplished respect step
number two step number two is actually
the step of love what's love love is
simple loving love is a complicated word
in in romance in songs but love is
actually a very simple concept what's
the concept of love love as me saying I
am ready to take the leap I have seen
enough to know that I want to invest in
you we invest in our children we love
our children this is a Jewish definition
of love investing there more you invest
the more you love that's I have up from
the word love so the second step is
actually love what's the third
the third step is trust now that I love
you don't you break my trust now that I
love you don't you betray me
now you would think that trust comes
before love but it doesn't the camp you
have to leave first and then once you
leap you hope the person's gonna is key
not going to betray you
right that's trust three steps to all of
respecting love and trust
Hashem used those three steps when it
came to engaging the Jewish people
Hashem loves us and our Shem says I want
to be in a mature relationship with you
so step number one was respect Hashem
says you have to respect me say you know
what I'm gonna do I'm gonna show you
what there is to respect I'm gonna show
you I rule over the sky I rule over the
ground I rule over the water you know
I'm gonna do it
dumb spa day yeah keenum are of death
right all the MCUs except for the last
one all the first nine marcus three
which were by land three words were by
the water three which were by air were
there just so that we should understand
that our rules over everything and we're
now we can respect touch them we respect
the ocean your cash to my parts you rule
over everything so step number one of
the relationship is respect first nine
Marcus step number two what was step
number two that's the love that's the
getting down on one knee and saying will
you marry me that's the proposal that's
the love I choose you you choose me when
did that happen
that was my cusp Icarus Marcus picaros
was a totally different Makkah than the
first nine completely different the
first nine were just about respect
the last Makkah was the choosing that's
the choosing so who chose who well first
we chose Hashem so what do we have to do
we have to
take every other of a deserter
especially the sheep which was Valvo
desire of the Egyptians and throw them
out
no I choose nobody but you wash em and
what does that Shem say back then I
choose you
right you I choose I will be pasta have
been but a B'nai Israel you I will kill
your Belarus I will kill you all not you
I choose you I do not
it was the maka of the choosing Marcus
buckaroos is the proposal it's
incredible
there's a lot more to be said about this
I don't have the time but it's once you
understand this you'll know why every
single house had to have at least one
person dead among the Egyptians even if
there was no bahar you ever wondered
about that even if there wasn't let's
say the bahar had died says the magic
the next one who was alive had to die
what about if you weren't even Egyptian
what about if you were Syrian and you
were in an Egyptian prison but you
happen to be a before you also had to
die why so that nobody you shouldn't
mistake the fact that I did not choose
you no I did not choose you I did not
choose a Syrian and I did not choose the
Egyptian I chose you because I love you
you're my console you're not my
clientele so that was the love the love
was Marcus buyers what are we left with
my friends this is this is what it's all
about the trust the trust in the
relationship now before we get to trust
I want to show you where we where we say
this in diving over and over because
these three steps are repeated over and
over and Avenue
let's take mire of davin tonight my
earth the first bracha is a shepherd
farro my revolve him the Cosmopolis Arab
you created the Sun and the moon and you
created the stars in the heavens
whoa respect it's a big galaxy that's a
big University created so the first
bracha
is respect what's the next brocco of us
all our basis well I'm after
then comes love so the first we have
assalam you loved us so we respond with
Shama they laughter Sasha Malacca
you love me I love you and then what's
the next book right after Sh'ma then
we're not calls those trust right
chakras Jaros your to all of our
conscious respect our varaha love Shema
day after the odd savannah con then
we'll give us again trust even in Shmona
Ezra you see the pattern of respect love
and trust
let's look at it okay legato like G bar
Vanara that is respect you're big you're
great Lamantia moe
in order to bring Lamantia moe bhava to
bring to love and after LOD what comes
phenomena tilapias makes him trust that
same three now we as Jews got the first
two we understood our shaman needs to be
respected we understood that we're
choosing a Shem my moccasin he's
choosing us but trust oh my goodness my
goodness gracious were still here 3000
years later we still struggle with trust
how do we know that we struggle with
trust well right when the B'nai Israel
left mitzrayim what did i sham say the
very beginning beshallach
though a knock him Ellen Kim that hurts
pushed him I'm not going to take them to
the through the police tomb because you
know what they're gonna say I want to go
back kill my pen he knocked him out
they're gonna go back they don't trust
me when's the first time we began to
trust the very first trust ever there
was a young sauce you know why because
we had no choice we were gonna die right
here you're gonna die by drowning here
you're gonna die by sword so for the
first time ever it says by Aminu bash em
overemotional that's the first time for
ya mean Abacha sessions decay we're
gonna work on this trust thing and then
came a 40-year saga of the third part of
the relationship we tried to trust I
shall said listen to me don't go out on
Chavez there'll be no Munn trust believe
me there's gonna be money every day
trust believe me it's this all is
wonderful you don't need to send him
spies trust believe me my surname is
gonna come down because of trust we
could not 10 times we've seen couple of
shots
how shall we test that I shouldn't ten
times again and again and again and
again I don't trust you I don't trust
you
so what is Circus Circus is us trying to
finish the relationship it's trying to
complete it with trust so what do we do
so the first thing is we leave our
houses and we go underneath escucho with
a ceiling that's flimsy and we're
underneath basically the heavens so what
is that trust
Hashem says you don't need your cover
with the cows you don't need your
permanent house trust me they're gonna
be in a flimsy cerca and that's okay I
remember there was Mun because part of
Circus is remembering the mana bear and
Miriam it was all part of the NACE right
one came from mice you won't get from
Miriam won't get from iron trust me and
then you know what you're gonna do
you're gonna trust me by taking your
love an asteroid and it in fashion
mascara chemin era sham is truly
everywhere up up right that's how you
just know you know how to shake it you
sing the naked Hashem you're everywhere
and you know why we can trust the Shem
like we trust a sham we've done so many
bad things we don't deserve Neeson we
don't deserve hats Locker we don't
deserve a good we don't deserve
partners we don't deserve says I sham
you know why you could trust me because
I love you that mock us pakoras
that you celebrated that you chose me
and I
chose you I never forgot that so start
trusting me trust me because you have ID
trust me because you're a chaplain trust
me because you're the B'nai I've run me
a trucking Yaakov trust me so now we're
getting a little bit deeper into what
circus is all about and here's how the
what the equation looks like Hashem says
you just finished Rosh Hashanah Yom
Kippur you're going to a long dark
winter you're not sure how our
relationship is you're not sure if I'm
gonna watch you but you know what the
problem is the problem is that you're
not sure that's why you should say slack
on who you should be sure you should
trust me that I'm not gonna abandon you
that I'm not gonna have a car sideswipe
you the moment you say I'm not
interested anymore
trust me in this long and dark winter
because no matter what you do you're
still my Kindle and that's the equation
of service yes there are clouds all
around but the main cloud is you you are
the neshamah 'la you are the soul and
you can trust me because I will never
abandon you even if you mess up
throughout this Russia China by me
throughout this winter that's coming up
dance the message
the only time we fail is when we don't
trust that our Shem loves us and when we
don't trust that a Shem forgives us when
we mess up you know when we're occupied
doing interesting things we don't get
down on ourselves we only get down on
ourselves when we think when we think
when we start beating ourselves up and
we think so it's not the reality it's
our own minds doing it to ourselves we
just think Hashem couldn't possibly
forgive me
if a Shem is big enough to forgive claw
you saw Eagles of Hashem is big enough
to forgive you and our sham wants to
forgive you
Hashem is the Tata in heaven Hashem is a
father and a sham is a lover and a sham
as a king and all of these relationships
mean that Hashem doesn't give up on us
and if I Shem patches us once in a while
it's the biggest proof that he didn't
give up on us so stop giving up on
yourselves stop thinking that this
rushes on Yom Kippur didn't work
tonight is Hashanah Rama the last chance
but what does that mean the last chance
so according to what we're saying now
you know it's the last chance for it's
the last chance to realize that a sham
really does love you enough to forgive
you it's the last chance for you to say
I Shem I trust you that you forgive me
and I'm not going to beat myself up and
I'm not going to allow oxforts and huge
two to lead me down the dark path
because that's all it wants to do all
year's wants to do is make you not cling
- um because you convinced yourself that
a sham doesn't love you anymore
Hashem it does not give up on anyone you
know there's a song actually comes to
the words of Rahman beautiful beautiful
words you all know the words kala alum
Kula gadgets are mode for it girl Olaf
Akkad claw and the words mean the world
is a narrow bridge and the main thing is
don't be afraid so most people when they
hear these words or a maximun the way
they explain it is the world is an air
or bridge but don't be afraid you'll be
able to cross the bridge don't be afraid
snare oh but don't worry but I always
looked at a little bit differently and
maybe there's M as to what I'm saying
the world is a narrow bridge and it's so
narrow sometimes it's so narrow you're
gonna fall off the bridge
yeah actually gonna fall off and even
when you fall off don't be afraid even
when you fall off even when you think
that you're finished the bridge was to a
narrow Hashem I couldn't do it I know I
made that bridge it's so narrow but
guess what I can catch you also who says
the only way to catch houses all the way
to get to the other side is through the
bridge I could take you in the palm of
my hand and gently put you on the other
side the Brule is a narrow bridge you're
gonna fall sometimes you're gonna fall
off the bridge vicar the most important
thing in the relationship as Lola fasted
call don't have any fear even when
you've fallen even if you fall during
this winter even if the commitments that
you made on Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur
don't seem to be matching your actions
Lola farted call don't be scared
Hashem still loves you Hashem believes
in you because you've got ID you got the
idea of of Rami it's Yaakov
finished with the story there was a taxi
driver and the taxi driver was the end
of his shift it's a very very late night
call and he was feeling a little bit
Restless he really wanted to get home
and he stops at his final destination
person had called and he he's there
outside and the persons not coming and
he's gonna honk honk you know or he's
just gonna drive away sometimes
taxis they wait a little bit then they
drive away but for whatever reason the
taxi driver decided he'll go ill knock
it's the last one he gets out of his
taxi knocks on the door knocks again now
there's no answer he's about to walk
away when he hears a faint voice from
inside of the house so he waits and then
he hears a shuffling and then the door
slowly opens up and there's a very very
old lady standing at the door she's in
her 90s and as the door opens he sees
her house it's a very nice shell of a
house but there's nothing there there's
no knickknacks there's no furniture
there's a few boxes with picture frames
and old black-and-white pictures and
little glass jars few boxes like that
but the house is pretty much empty and
this old lady she's got a suitcase and
he says she says she says to the taxi
driver excuse me dear would you help me
with the suitcase and he says of course
seeing a lady so frail of course so he
takes the he takes the suitcase puts it
in and then he comes back and he helps
his lady and the door closes and she
walks very very slowly towards the taxi
and she comes in and she says here's the
address that I have to go to would it be
okay if you could go to downtown route
he said downtown it's much you know it's
longer I could take the highway instead
of going here why would you want to go
downtown so the lady said well you see
I'm actually on my way to our hospice to
an old-age home I'm leaving now this is
my suitcase I've lived where I've lived
for over 60 years and you're driving me
to the place where I probably will about
the last days
my life and I want before I arrive at
the hospice to go through downtown one
more time just to remember and the taxi
driver was very touched so touched was
he that he turned off the meter and he
took her downtown through the longer
route and as he's taking her she says oh
this is the hole that my husband and I
got married in 70 years ago oh and
that's where we had our first they
that's that's where I had my first job
here's where we had our anniversary and
he's taking her this very circuit this
route because she kept saying if we go
down that road oh that's where I went to
school as a child
Wow I remember that this is where this
is where my children surprise us with
the birthday party my husband and I he
passed away 20 years ago but this is
where our children took us out that
restaurant over there and I remember
this and I I remember them
she's so animated and he's very
patiently taking her this long to our
taxi ride and finally she says okay we
can go and they drive to the hospice and
he helps her in and there are people
there who clearly were waiting for her
and they take her suitcase and she turns
to this taxi driver and she says you
know you're very kind
you really you really were a highlight
you were like a highlight of my life you
allowed me to see my life in a nutshell
like a film I really am grateful thank
you so much and she walked in the
hospice and the taxi driver watched as
the door to her life closed behind her
and he gets back in the car and the Sun
is beginning to rise
and instead of driving right home he
drives slowly and he drives around a
little bit and he thinks to himself you
know I'm so glad I didn't get upset I'm
so glad I didn't honk I'm so glad I
didn't drive away she could have gotten
an angry taxi driver who didn't
understand that she's an old lady and I
feel like what I did today was among the
most special things that I've ever done
there are many things that are going to
happen to us after hoshanah Rabbah after
shmuly at Sarah's and some costará and
we go to our lives and the world gets
cold and there are many stops and many
mistakes and many victories and I
courage bark who wants us to understand
that he will love us with the bed and
with the good with our faults and with
our virtues and the there's nothing that
gets Hashem more depressed caviar ho
then when we get down on ourselves
surely at the IH may Hashem to mikesh
it's forbidden to be me is so whenever
the time comes and we feel like life is
getting us a little bit down pull out
your ID remember that you're children of
our drum music on Yaakov sorry riff
Garagiola Maya
Govan and iron and Yosef and Misha
I'm sorry schneier and Shmuel Hanavi and
Yehuda's and devorah and all that sadek
him and calm him and wonderful people
who came before us and we pull ourselves
back up they say Irish bar aku I believe
in myself because I believe in you and I
sham says ah that's the third step we
have the respect we have love and now we
have trust
have a wonderful biscuit Iver and a good
cos air thank you very much
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]