Chai Elul - Historical overview, Difference between Besht & Alter Rebbe - Rabbi Chaim Dalfin

really till 1943 kayell was uh an enigma I mean no one even knew to celebrate it in any way shape or form it's like I just came for shul no one in shu you know with know that what what is or today's I didn't sense any and I didn't I didn't bring it up it was whatever whatever reason I'm just saying that that until the kabad itself didn't make an issue of till 1943 and I'll go a step further that even then it was still small change compared to the rebber celebrating it and making a fabbran almost every year in okay it it became known in 1943 but how big was kabat in America in in Kay in 770 small very small because people didn't arrive yet the the Russian started to arrive in the 1950s so that's when it became more popular it became more no okay okay so that's just historically just a little background to the actual the day and what but what's the message of the Okay. Well, there's a famous talk of the Reb and the concept is uh like this that the Reb says that his father said brings another time he said brings of so there's a talk there's a about the difference of the two I I don't want to go you know do talk about that cuz you learn that on your own if if you're interested. But what I do want to talk a little bit about is the the the the the what did the BMP bring to I mean he's the founder but what did he bring? What was his style and what was the style of the Balatana? So the Reb once explained this as well and he said it in very very uh brief words with explanation but the words were very important right on and he said that BMP taught that one can one can or one should serve and the taught how you could do And this is the difference between the avoid of faith and the avoid of intellect. The avoid of amuna is the foundation. You believe belief and and by the way when we say belief it's not a foolish and childish belief you know I believe I believe. Alias is a very deep avoid. It's it's it's a it's a penetration of faith that permeates every aspect of your being including your intellect. Why do why should I engage an intellectual understanding of a God of Hashem? Because I believe in God and because my Hashem, you understand? So in chapter 33 in Tanya says there regarding he's talking about sim various matters of sim and he and he and he says there's an additional way and he calls it and he gives a logical explanation to the to the simka that he's talking about over there. But if you look into the language of the beginning of that chapter 33 in Tanya, he he he he uses the word amuna and the question that's always asked is which is it faith or intellect and the answer is is saying that the intellect itself has to be predicated on faith on faith and and and if the intellect itself is not predicated on faith then the intellect isn't a god godly intellect. Then it's a a man-made self-indulgent intellect. A person has a tya has an indulgence for food or for other things. And here he has an indulgence for intellectual things. Very nice. But that's not that's not God. That's not holy. It's not. It's se intellect. We we know over the centuries how people have taken seahel and used and come to conclusions that are contrary to faith or just yesterday's I'm just think you know this the world's talking about the killing of this this guy Kirk right right some some person intellectually decided that it's worthwhile to kill this man and he kills him with one bullet shot right so he came to a conclusion I don't We don't know who this is yet, but he came to a conclusion in his warped mind that this man deserves death. The man, he didn't know the man. The man never touched him, never bothered him, had no right. So now, what do we see? If is not predicated on a a faith and a ma in God Almighty that murder and killing is wrong. And why is it wrong? Not because my mommy told me so or my rabbi or my professor but because Hashem says in the holy and it's also one of the seven universal laws right that is why it's forbidden so in other words the the reason I don't murder is because of faith not because of sik and this is a very important point especially for western thinkers it's completely contrary way 180 degrees different than the way western thinking is. You know, everything's predicated on on on rationale on reasoning. Tighter thinking is just the opposite. Not not only different. We're learning the mime about different and opposite. It's just the opposite. That if your thinking is based on intellect, you're not in sync with tyra. You're in sync with yourself. And many times it's it it you know it it it helps you. And then there are times like like this example I gave and and others where and the reb quoted you know the Germans the best the cleanest the most orderly nation and everything and here they you know they they they justified murdered right in their in their warp minds but they they they they saw it as an intellectual thing. we're helping society getting rid of of of of a cancer. So that's why in chapter 33 he says you're talking about you never must always forget that it's it's it's it's it has to be predicated in amuna on faith. So faith in from the kabad ethos is a very different faith than than than the am that we say or what's do you believe you believe in yourself no believing yourself is not im so the when we say that the b and this is all based on that said based on on the he taught us that the the way I throughidis not kabala no kabala has its way to get to god butidis that he introduced is a faith oriented so practically yi what did that mean that meant you're aid You have a reba, you have a bar mitzvah, you have a basitzvah, you have a wedding, you have a, god forbid, an illness, whatever, or you want to, you know, you want to share good news, you go into your Reb, you say, I need this rabbi, I want to notify you this and the Reb gives you a bra and a zel comes along the balat and says That is a beginning. That's a beginning and a very important beginning to have a reba to have a connection to have a sadikim. But it's not the end all. The end all is to bring the into your life from where you're coming from. That's a very different type of ab. That's not just someone who gives you an at you go to him once or twice a year gives you an you give him a few dollars and and you come to a y you know that's an ambber there is a reb that's not only amuna but it's also with what does that mean it doesn't mean as we discussed once I'm gonna have a dialogue with the rebba I'm going to tell him how I feel he's gonna tell me how you feel and I'm going to now analyze him no that's not what we mean we mean that you need to find in your own life is about one thing in a sense unity and when you say unity when you say unity that means here I see Velvville is driving his car we can see he has his belt on right unity means that somehow his car what he's driving now is is is united with well what does that mean? I'm just driving to work. I'm driving to the store. No, no. If in that drive there isn't a a a sense and and and and you haven't worked out and the the how this drive is part of God's unity, then you and God are two separate elements and and and you're not connected. You see and and this is true in every aspect. So whatever we do in our career, whatever we do with our family, the nud that sees inidus is can I say that's how can I find in what I'm doing? That's the barometer. It's the only barometer. Not does it feel good? Does it smell good? doesn't make me you know um people happy those are all nicities but it's all small change that's not a sometimes mean withholding and saying no in other words cannot be quantified by it has to feel good absolutely not sometimes you have to make yourself feel uncomfortable for and sometimes people are going to scold you even your own family, even your own spouse. I always repeat what Rabbi Salvich said. There are things I can't share with my own family, my spouse, my kids, only with my students. When I when I when I was researching, you know, my book, uh, I I found that as a fantastic concept to think about. It's your own wife. It's your own son. It's your own daughter. It's your own grandkids. You can't share it with them. No, there's certain things that they're too close. You need the distance. As it says, it's coming up to you know what says a king must have a nation. Says is comes from the word um fading coals. A coal right? If you poke it, the fire the spark comes out. Right? So says a king won't won't be reigned as a king unless there are he has subjects that on one hand are distant from from him like a coal and on the other hand there's a fire there. But a but >> amber >> amber amber. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. But but but um a mel cannot be a melanim that's why in the what do we say and it's good that we're talking about this because it's right we're and we say we're and each has a virtue but has a certain relationship right a child a son but then there's certain aspects where bunim is not in you need aim servants when you're too close you won't be a servant you know too much about the person etc etc you need to be an efort right so so why do so what are we saying that's exactly what seeks to do it's to discover in the fading coal the fire through a hashem through aus and sometimes and sometimes it's it's not it's not done only in what we would call the positive sometime it's I'm not going to say negative but it's done with withholding in fact teaches us that ankus depth there's Right. There's width length and then there's depth. Ome depth is is more present in than in how is that? >> Because if you're able to control yourself means discipline, control that means it touches you deeper, right? give benevolent it doesn't touch you as as deep. It doesn't it's it's easier for you um etc. We all know to be disciplined is the hardest thing. what we call you know to get up and be at minion every day at 7 7:30 or 8 whatever minion and be exactly on time and before so that when minion starts at oras whatever you're there it's more much more difficult than coming in and nice and loud and and bil you know that's all a nice nice things and important things but who gets who who is really the Hashem, the one that keeps the time. I I think I told you once there was in California today when he was a student in Montreal and the yeshiva someone looked at the Mashki's um book where he took attendance you know when you have to come on time and he had a check by his name every morning that he came in time for which starts at 7:30 in the morning and they then he took a look at Barim who were much better heads who know so much and you know much they didn't have that check. Right. So, which one which one is more glorious? Is it the is it the the musk the the you know the big or the one who has the ability to to control his himself in the sense of coming on time. That's a much harder avoid. So when you talk about ankos depth and it's that way by the way with ankus and as well ankos in the mind in order to reach intellectual depth you have to really be disciplined to stay focused and not be scattered up here and and and that's a that's a it's a it's it's it's a it's work. It's really a lot of work. Because the mind tends to float and to and to drift because part of the mind is the excitement, right? So if you talk about the excitement, you get bored, right? Stay focused on one thing for for a while. It's a very difficult thing to do. We're always I'm telling intellectually we're jumping around something new, right? Aus depth comes from what's called from the word like me not with the >> concentrate. >> Yeah, exactly. the concentration of the of thought of your mind that's all an element of that's that's why it's very much about this and truth be said that's why a lot of people past and present they don't have the patience for this it it you know I'm not you There is the kabad of putting on fill in someone and help you know everyone here knows and that's that's the best thing right but we're talking about now in ethos in philosophy what did the alterb today is what does the alterba bring he brings to to to us a this quality of intellectual connection with God permeated by faith in the way that I explained and this is an alo and this is not going to change. I don't care. I don't care if most of Kabad is not into this. You know, you might say, well, who in Kabad is doing this today? Well, first of all, there are some serious yes is yeshivas in which there's significant amount of students that are engaged in this. But even even if not, okay, so that's a shortcoming of the time where we're living in a time. What's everything fastpac, right? Everything's plastic, credit cards. Okay. Isra said he's going he's he's coming to with a few guys to your to the within your wedding right you just he give you a credit card you worry later about how you're going to pay it and life goes on everything is you know it used to not be this way you know and the you should know our ebba he was so I just heard a story with someone who came to him and and and the wedding. Yeah, there was a wedding uh in in France and the Reb said they were New Yorkers. The Reb said like why spend the money, you know, why spend the money? Oh, he he know he said that he was taking along friends of the he was paying for them. He was well off. He was paying for them so that they can bring sim to the because the is marrying a girl from Paris or France whatever and and and doesn't know anybody you know be himself the says I I hear but say right I think it's Kazal that has mercy on Jewish money why you wasting money bringing these friends to France. So he was a quick witted guy. So he answered the Reb with a smile, I am a Ley, not a Yro, but the Reb was even sharper than him. So the Reb said back to him, I heard this from the sister of the Soir firstand story. I was on a a flight back in Florida the last week and and she was sitting nearby and she told me the story. So the the Reb said back to him, okay, with a smile. In other words, you got me that that was a good retort. You're a Ley, not a Israel, but it would be worth a good idea if you gave the equivalent of all the expenses of the wedding to Saddaka. And she told me that her father did that. He paid he gave saddaka the worth of the of the wedding and I think of what it cost and to bring the boy the the bakarim right. So I'm saying that I'm sharing the story because the the the Reb wasn't of those to just spend money. You know, he he was, you know, some will say he was frugal. He wasn't frugal. He he he took the very literally. He took it very mamish. He was he was he spoke do you know that in the 1980s he spoke about siblings not going to their the siblings wedding I mean he he took a very very uh radical kind of approach and the simple reason we don't have you don't have money you know like you know but be that as it may the world has shifted and the credit cards are the new the new fact that we're new already, right? Okay. But we have to know that although the world shifted this way and everything's fastpac, there is an ethos to each group and to to toidis. Otherwise becomes watered down. Otherwise, it's notidis it's just a social group. A nice social group. Okay. And and it's listen that's important too. It really is. If you're part of a good healthy group, a good healthy country club that's also important whether you do the right things. But so that's if anything I want to conclude with this is the message of is to be more focused on the teachings of the BMP and the we'll stop now Mr. Shem and uh we'll we'll continue. Yes. Yes. Yeah, I I I think I mean it's very interesting because I never thought of it that way, you know, until we learned this now, but right should live by the Torah, right? >> Yeah. >> It doesn't say doesn't say convention specifically to live the Torah, right? You're supposed to live it. So that that's living is not just an intellectual thing. intellectually. I could stand in front of a book all day. It's great. But it's not living. Living means I'm I'm walking. I'm going. I'm I'm doing. I'm doing. You know what I'm saying? Like it's it's very interesting that what what you said today because I just tied that in. >> Okay. Good. Very good. But remember the living has to be a living that you could point to and to that is real living. Otherwise, it's not real living. It's it's imaginable revening. It's wann to be living. Okay, I have another sh to go to. Have a great yam. Good chabas. See everyone on Monday. >> Chabas. We'll continue Monday. M zoo. Byebye.