Challenging an ANTI-RELIGIOUS politician | Letters #4 and #5 of 30 Letters in 30 Days

all right AF purum it is uh the first uh Milla reading or the night of the first Milla reading I just came back from SCH and from Milla barem but as busy as tonight is we will not interrupt our 30 letters in 30 days the only thing that interrupts our 30 letters in 30 days is chabas and what we do because of that is we do a double letter on Thursday night so we have a letter for tonight and for tomorrow night we're going to learn both now um so a f and porm to all of you and you know yesterday I busted out the kabad pushka app in the middle of the sheer because the Reb had mentioned the importance of coupling our learning with acts of Saka so we are learning the the Reb's letters to prepare for YN and to give theba a gift of Torah study but also we want to uh do to also in the Merit of the's upcoming birthday so I'm going to do a little more tadaka this time I'll remember to unsilence my phone okay I'm using little kabad push Gap I'm going to do a little dollar here not gonna not a big spender I'm not going to do it like $10 there's a $10 button but I'm going to do a one $1 button here and we just added a dollar you know what it's poor we'll do another and then this cool trick I wonder if the sound gets different depending on how full it is my pushka is at $9 and it has a $36 capacity I guess we'll find out okay anyways um oh so yeah uh in a safer why why am I doing this because today is uh porm now maton actually for the Hala is tomorrow but it's always a good time to give TOA and maybe people are listening to this on replay and it's already tomorrow day of porm okay so that was fun let's jump into our letter for tonight I made a br earlier just before we started rolling it's Gatorade I'm breaking my fast refreshing okay tonight's two letters actually go together they're to the same person and they are part of one long story I will begin Brooklyn okay who is DAV David Shalom David was a great who was he lived inar kabad he was involved all of his life in and spreading the Wellsprings ofis in French and he was originally from France from Paris specifically and actually the story of how he became from is actually somewhat of a miracle story of the Reb um he was a hidden child during the war and uh after the war he and I think he had a brother who was also in hiding uh they were hidden by non-jews and after the war they were able to return to their family and he said actually they were so irreligious that religiously there wasn't really much of a difference between being in hiding with non-jews and being home with his family unfortunately but he did have a grandmother who was a little bit more traditional or sensitive to tradition and here's where the story actually happens um his grandmother basically is the one who got him started with bar mitzvah lessons at the Rashi which was in the which was in the neighborhood and that's where he started to get involved in yides kite and slowly became not just fully Torah observant but he became a laich and eventually he moved to Isel he lived in kabad he was one of the early residents of kar kabad um years later when he was already married he was living in he was an adult he was sitting I think he was sitting at a faan and one of the older Russian was talking it was uh I think it was RAB svich and he was talking about how yes when he came out of Russia he was in Paris for a Time many many kabad when they came out of Russia after the war were in Paris for a short time it was like a transitional place for a lot of people and he said uh in 1947 when theba came back to Europe a lot of people don't know about this uh the rebba and the rabbitson lived in Paris but then after they came to America uh the rebba went back to Paris to arrange his mother rabit Khan's uh immigration to America so the deba actually lived in Paris for a short time for a few months in 1947 this is after the war and there were many lababa there who were from Russia and they were temporarily in Paris anyways the while he was in Paris made a made a like a strong statement that sidm need to walk in the streets and be visibly Jewish and he impressed this upon certain sidm one of whom was rabis svich and uh so he said he and I think another were walking down the street in Paris one day doing basically what the rash as the rebu was known in those days uh had told them to do which is just walk the streets being visibly Jewish and they did so and uh an old woman woman opened up a window on the fifth floor of an apartment building and started shouting to them you you're Jews like she recognized them you're you're you're religious I have a grandson who needs Bar Mitzvah lessons and so it was they arranged that uh little young doid should have his BM Mitzvah lessons so he realized only years later as an adult wow his whole sadist the whole story I guess you could call it the whole mcgilla in honor of porm really started because of something that the deba had made a point to say and to empower others to do okay so let's continue here after a long Interruption I received your letter from okay I'm GNA give a little bit of timing here you see the Reb's letter here to RB David is in kliv rav's letter to theb was in's letter is describing events that took place in Tish as as the Reb is about to say right here and I'm GNA fill in a little bit more in a second what happened during Tish Rim that's Rim the uh bullet points it was pleasant for me to read the bullet points however during the past okay I'm gonna fill in the blanks here um in was like a big event not just for but like the idea of having h on I mean in there's one day it's not a second day of so them have a thing that on the second day which would be they have so it's sort of like um I don't know call an attraction people come from outside of the car people who are not even laich and it's a it's an attraction it also was sort of a I don't want to say this in a crass way but I think it's pretty accurate and someone can correct me if I'm not saying it respectfully enough but I think it was sort of a photo op for politicians um to the extent where even politicians who were not necessarily so religious at all and in fact this story itself indicates that that is the case they would make an appearance at the hak at uh at inar kabad there was a particular politician an extremely secular more than secular anti-religious not just not religious but anti-religious vocally vehemently anti-religious as were many of that ilk at that time uh named uh well he's referred to the letters letters here as as as Mr Zur or Mr Zion he's called Mr Zion Mar Zion just the initial but it's zerob I think David Zer and he was basically him and benan and Ben those three you could say were like sort of a uh they were colleagues very comparable in their sort of uh staunchly secular identity and uh so yeah that that's the background Mar Zion Mr Mr Zion Mr zerob came to the H cus and it so happened that he was married to a lobam who was distant relatives with doid Lam and they ended up striking up a conversation I think they danced even and they sort of made a connection okay so rdav is writing to the RAB a month after some CA right because the letter that says that the's letter was so it's a month after after Tish and abd's reporting to the Reb that he encountered Zer this very anti-religious uh left-wing politician and now the Deb is writing back about sort of what might be the way to proceed with that okay now you met Mr Z and you know that he has an immense influence he was a big speaker he was very passionate he had a big uh he was an influencer to use uh the language of today so anytime you meet him you have to use that as an opportunity for hisus to arouse him spiritually to arouse him um which is funny because like like this guy was so anti-religious you would think if I can just get in and get out without ruffling any feathers Dao right but here the Reb is actually pushing that no um this should try to because Mr zerob bovel has such a strong influence in his circles he's a respected person it's really important to work on him to become more uh open to you now very interesting I mean I think a fascinating Insight that EBA says here since this guy's negative influence is mostly because of habituation because he became accustomed to it not because he thought about it now and came to a conclusion maybe he thought about it once upon a time when he was younger but now it's more just habit meaning the abbit I don't know I'm just personally for me in today's day of Twitter X or whatever you call it and all the garbage that's out there and just the poisonous rhetoric and it can become very intimidated like wow you know even Jews say such terrible things and the de is saying you know what a lot of people say terrible things and they have a platform and they have an a whole identity of of saying these things and they don't even deeply believe it it's not out of any deep conviction at this point it just again to use the language 20 2025 and maybe this is Crash maybe I'm wrong but we might say in 2025 he's just a grifter he's a grifter he doesn't really believe it so theb says Mr zabble is saying like awful things against yish kite but he doesn't really mean it he's just used to doing that's his that's his that's what he's over that's my thing that's my that's my routine okay so therefore if you keep on trying to get to him without let up wow regarding the terrible damage and the destruction that he's causing I'm just gon to stop I'm going to read into this I may be Taking Liberties but it's basically you're saying to a guy listen you don't even deeply passionately feel this way anymore you're doing it because it's your stick but stop a second think about every time you open your mouth people are taking you seriously and you're causing destruction you should be using your talents you're a talented guy you should be using your talents to increase goodness in the world and and not just in the world in general although also the world in general meaning for the non-jewish world but all but specifically for the Jewish world you should be doing good things for the whole world and for the Jews so if you keep doing that then in the end it will have an effect the words will have their effect the truth will win in the end even if it takes time okay so let's let's very very powerful I think okay I'm sorry about the in the PDF a lot of them are wrong so if there's any resistance in this area you got to understand it really comes down to the what it says in the beginning of which is the first because it's the basis for all other because if you can't do this you won't be able to keep anything else is do not be ashamed before the mockers the scoffers okay in other words this is a tough thing to tell a guy who's respected and has a reputation but basically saying to him listen you you you can come out and totally reverse your position and yeah you're going to get harassed yeah you get flamed I'll use the language of 2025 maybe I'm not even 2025 maybe this is 2022 okay you're going to get flamed on Twitter all right yeah no so moving harash now it's understood the the commotion that will erupt in his circles if he'll think seriously about his approach comes to an opposite [Music] conclusion I think is the way you say it's a expression from the gar it's without embellishment it's it's actually the G uh how do you praise the bride so without embellishment without adornment meaning as it is like just you say it as it is I like him he says it as it is all right um so yeah the Reb is making I think an observation that Mr zaval is sort of known as being like an independent thinker like he's supposedly supposed to like be strong minded and not be swayed by popular opinion so if he can use that temperament in negativity meaning to be like sort of like a renegade so how much more so which if the midus is that way theida is abundantly more he should use that uh independent thinking to come out and say something that his friends are all going to be really upset about and okay let the chips fall where they may he should come out say listen guys everything I told you so far I was mistaken I was wrong [Music] and you know how much more so when it talks when you're talking about negative things a person shouldn't just rely that they're always right how much more so when you're trying to change your position to something good don't rely that you're always right in other words it's okay to change your position God willing you will also not be ashamed you're going to speak to him about everything we spoke about and you're going to speak to him truthfully and of course you'll speak sincerely from the heart we're already we're already guaranteed that words from the heart will enter the heart now it's understood if you want to mention to him um in your conversation with him that we have spoken Al according to what I just wrote to you go ahead in other words sometimes it's better to mention the sometimes you feel like it's better not to um if you think it'll help at all getting the job done that's what I'll call you know the bottom line okay all right and then you have permission also to add for sure when you're speaking to Mr zov you'll say to him you know I'm sure you've had doubts about your position even though you're like at the leadership of this movement I'm sure you've questioned it and that you silence your doubts as soon as they pop up in your brain you push them away is the nature of people people are afraid to re-evaluate their path in life it takes a lot of Courage but da because he has such influence if he will fix himself that that act that he'll do in fixing himself will be Amplified because he's an influential person and that change that he undertakes will then be expressed in at least many of the people that he influences so it's certain because what's at stake here that any change he makes for the better will be Amplified by all the people who influences that you can't really hesitate you got to go for this it's very important okay uh okay like this the teaching of our sages a person who injures himself you're not allowed to do it sh in the Heavenly Court one is accountable but you can't be punished for it be the other them in the in the human Court you can't be punished for hurting yourself so even though if you hurt yourself you're technically you know off the hook but if you're hurting others right so this not just about about you you're an influential person Mr now if you need an if you need a sign when you're going to him to impress him that he should take you seriously a where he should criticize he should examine his own he should critique his own ideology if you need a sign ice and a myus that calls it that he should take you seriously in this suggestion of critiquing his a supposedly staunchly held ideology y here's what you'll tell him if you need a sign if he should listen to you it should be for you the dream that he just had before speaking to you what's that what's that that deba says to doid lasselom that when you meet with Mr Z and you tell him look we all know that you haven't really thought about this ideology deeply in a long time you're doing this because it's your stick and and and you've had doubts and you've silenced the doubts but maybe it's time because at least for the the effect that you have on so many other people who listen to you maybe you should re-examine your beliefs and if and if and the rebba says if you want to tell him it's coming from me you can tell him it's coming from me and once you're on a roll and you're telling it's coming from me mean coming from the rebba and you want to say to him listen and you want to know if you should take me seriously okay um yeah think about the dream you just had I don't know what dream he just had what's weirder to me is that theb is saying the dream he just had close to the time we spoke not the dream he already had now maybe I'm reading too much into it but as as you as is going to become clear as we read on to this to the next letter they didn't meet for several more months so is theok a dream that Zur had or is he talking about a dream that the debba will I mean theb is not saying okay I'm reading too much into it theb is not saying he's gonna make the dream theb is not saying he's going to communicate to him in a dream that's all me just adding okay I'm I don't want to add anything here the Deb is just saying when you meet with him which I know for a fact because it's public record that he didn't meet with him until 3 months later tell him if you need an IUS it's the dream that you just had whatever that is okay um the rest of the letter is about other things it's about his apartment which is very very important and we know from learning that de's letters how much that deba gave serious thought and time and care to people's personal matters like where they live and things like that but I'm going to jump ahead I usually don't skip any part of any letter but I'm going to skip ahead to letter two if you're looking in the PDF um it's on page four out of five I'm gonna have a little more Gatorade second letter an answer to your letter and the enclosed note okay this letter you see is from meets Z in Tish he writes to the in the Reb responds in K the meeting happens in ad meaning we have a gap here of Tavis and schat okay um and the Deb's letter was the beginning of KV so we have almost the whole kiss we have the whole Tavis the whole schat um it was a few months abav Lam was afraid he was nervous the actually anticipated he might be nervous he says you also have to follow the the uh advice of the sh or the Mandate of the sh not to be embarrassed of the scoffers he was nervous he was like how is this guy going to take it he's such you have but you have to understand understand I wish that they had Twitter in in the 50s and you could pull up you know zto bu's Twitter account and see him bashing bashing religion right so that imagine this you're supposed to go follow up on what because you danced with the guy s at a at a political photo op because his wife is your third cousin or whatever it was and now you're G to call the guy and show up and be like by the way I know you don't really mean all the stuff that you're always saying yeah reexamine it change your ways admit you were wrong oh and if you don't believe me uh think about the dream you just had so he was totally he pushed it off he pushed it off he push it off okay eventually he gathers the the the Moxie and he I believe he called made a phone call to uh zero bille and he's like I would like to follow up with you and to his surprise zob Buble was like absolutely come to meet me meet me in my office in Tel Aviv and let's talk like he was very enthusiastic about having a meeting so uh they come to the meeting or they they meet together and so RAB Lama was so nervous he says I couldn't even form the words I just read the letter interestingly Mr zoval stood the whole time like Aid that's the way it struck me you know when they read the's letter at AA and they say everyone please rise okay so he stood listening to the letter word word for word afterwards he asked Lam to give him the letter now he didn't want to give him the original he says I'll make a copy but making copies wasn't just run to the copy store making copies was a whole big uh ordeal back then especially in ero so it was more like yeah you know it'll take a while and I'll get back to you and that's what this letter is basically yes we had the meeting here's how he took it he asked me on the spot for a copy of the letter I haven't given him a copy of the letter yet that's basically whatam writes okay so the writes back yeah I read I read that I was very happy to read I share sa sa sa sa I'm not going to call that a little dig but it's like it took three months that ultimately uh that you were you were able to fulfill my request for Z and to convey a message to Mr Z the words and it was especially good you did not get into any debate or back and forth such important advice I think for all of us that in today's world of heated extremist rhetoric don't debate I was just talking to a guy yesterday who was saying me and my friends were not particularly religious after October 7th we had a wakeup call as far as our Jewish identity and we're getting sick and tired of the Jewish people who are not on the same page with us we can't deal with them anymore and I said I Ann first of all it's great that you and your friends are having this wakeup call as far as your Jewish identity secondly the fact that you're getting sick and tired dealing with the Jews who have not had that wake Awakening let me just advise how to avoid that burnout I said have you been trying to debate with them and convince them he said yeah that's all we do I said that's why you're getting burnt out just give them chicken soup the secret is just I I said just show them love oh and offer them Mitzvah obviously you know offering them Mitzvah putting on fil and uh learning TOA but don't get into debates it's it's not productive okay so you I'm glad that you didn't debate with him k that was not my intent for sure don't in the future get involved in any debates you've and I have done Reb had something that he needed to get done whatever it is how a gets a I don't know what it had to do with the dream I don't know but the had to do and he's thanking the thank you you did your part I did my part we've done what we needed to do okay you don't have to send the note I'm not sure what note that is a love okay now regarding whether you should send him the copy of my letter cuz remember Mr Z bubble asked for the letter so whether or not you should follow and he never never gave him the letter so whether or not you should follow up with him give him the letter it doesn't have to come from you if Mr z Mr Z meets you or or writes to you specifically request aop of the letter then give it to him until don't do anything just leave it Al leave it alone I hope that your daughter's Health has gotten better and even more I also expect uh look forward to good news in that area as well um that's the end of the letter and uh yeah just incredible oh so what happened in the end so Lam says you know I never really spoke to Mr zob bble after that the whole thing about the letter we kind of he never he never followed up with it that never told me don't push the inion uh he says listen I don't know what happened to him but I can tell you this he passed away nine years later and this guy who was such a staunch anti-religious voice had from children and grandchildren which was not the case before this letter so apparently whatever the deba wanted to accomplish was accomplished okay uh this is a special time powerful time for the masle of B and uh we should spread good positive messages even even to people who were afraid are not ready to to listen it's okay and if you need an for me to say but you can tell them that you learned a letter from the reab and uh the letter encouraged you to reach out to people with love and to offer them a connection to yish kite without any debates without any rhetoric okay FR p