Thought for Parshas Vayikra, Beis Nissan It's the Thought that Counts, Rabbi Yaakov Winner - 5786

Hello, how are you? I hope everyone is I hope everyone is healthy, strong and happy physically and spiritually. Today is today the fifth and we're going to speak about him later and As soon as we come to the month of Nissan, we're thinking about the Reb's birthday which is in a week from Sunday. So these are all things on our minds right now. First we'll start with Mashia should come now. Next we're going to say a from Hashem next Sunday. Not this Sunday. Next Sunday we start capital that's the new capital and capital. So one of the it says over there is Hashem should be benevolent to the benevolent and to those who are upright in their hearts. So the subject we're going to talk about is this connected to the par. You could say be good to the ones who are good. And what does it really mean to be good? Good doesn't only mean on the outside that you do the right thing, but the ones that are upright in the hearts. Like when we speak about and we have that twice where it says to enjoying to do a favor another not only doing the favor but doing it with a smile doing with in the way they convey your pleasure in doing it etc. So in this week's para we're going to focus three places that give us the same message. I like to look always for the messages and connect it also to obviously today is B the of the so first let me talk about the subject in general and then we'll get into the details and show you three places where in this week's par we get that message in general has two general streams we spoke about this many times there's many different ways that talk about it. It's an endless discussion. But let's just talk about it a certain way which is there's two ways how a person can change. There's the outside inside approach and the inside outside approach. Outside inside approach is what it says of a person is drawn after his actions. If you have a certain routine, a certain structure habits. So from the outside from your from your actions you can also change your it can have an effect on your nature like it says says by doing something enough times it can become your nature. So that shows how the outside has an impact on the inside. Then there's another approach from the inside to the outside. You have to work on your mind. You have to work on your perspective. You have to work on your outlook. If you change the way you look at things, so then obviously you'll change your actions. But sometimes it starts with the mind. You have to look at things differently. You have to have a different perspective and then everything changes. Like we call this the concept of reframing. So that will be the inside outside approach. First you got to work on your attitude, your approach and then your actions will change. So this is a subject. The truth is in all honesty I myself I I I've never seen a mime or or or someone write some some paper some article that shows how these two things work perfectly together but I would just say in a simple words since you could say that the story of Judaism is totality so if we're talking about a person and his relationship with Hashem true intimacy means that it have to be from every single which way from every single angle and from every single side totality. So as we spoke about this in different different times there's the idea of subservience transcendence let's say where you go out of yourself completely but then there's also inner character transformation where it's not that you're losing yourself but you actually have a makeover. So now is not the time to get into we spoke many many times about this in the past couple of years but let's speak about if we're talking about different avoid so let's say let's talk about mitzvah for example yeah we have a mitzvah usually we say that you don't have to have the mitzvah but the clothes this is a question when you're doing a mitzvah and you make the hashem commanded us So in most cases without the it's enough because you had the idea that you're now fulfilling Hashem's command. What is the definition of the word mitzvah commandment? So if you have that which a general intention that covers all the mitzvah you are mitzvah. But then there's sometimes as an exception where we say that the particular purpose of this mitzvah is important. Where do we see that? For example, inus it says when it says that we command us the sukus it says key. So it gives a reason. So according to many commentators since the says so you should know about it that means it has to be in your consciousness when you're sitting in a what the mitzvah of suk is about another mitzah interestingly that it says the reason is by by by by gan it says the story what happened yaku fought with the angel of asov and he was hit and then it says for therefore for all time we don't eat because of what happened I'm just bring out a point that usually we don't focus on the protest but now say for we start with sacrifices and over here too is a question when it comes to kabon is the kabon important less important or more important than other mitzvah so in a certain sense we're going to bring out that by carbon in a way The kavan is more important because by carbon the whole idea of the carbon is really not the physical acts that we're doing. Bringing a cow, putting it on the altar, going through all these rituals, spraying blood. What's going on over here? What's the whole idea of a carbon? And before we get to that, what I'm going to say now, we're going to focus on three things in the para. The first thing is the second, but what I'm going to say primarily is from page 12 and 13. The Reb first of all asks autkash is a very general question and the whole subject matter and that is in the beginning of the par where it says a man who will bring a sacrifice and Rashi says of it and Rashi says when he will bring which means it's not not an obligation key if that means he's deciding And Rashi says over here the is talking about voluntary offerings and the mixed what do you mean usually would say what do you mean and secondly this itself is a major question why would the terrorist start with voluntary sacrifices you think first you talk about obligations Imagine a person wants to live in a country and there's laws. What are the taxes? That's what you got to know. These are your obligations. Then comes volunte. You want to do more than what's compulsory. No problem. Any situation that you're joining, there's rules and regulations. You want to go to a school, you want to go take a course, you want to go to yeshiva, whatever you're doing, getting a job, in every endeavor in life, we start with the rules. These are the obligations. So if we're talking now about a whole so much he's talking about all different laws. So you think first we talk about what's the obligations not the voluntary. So it's a very general question. So the Reb in the Zion first he gives a technical answer that since the Jews were so permeated with a feeling of love to Hashem. So the Tyra wants to address what they could do immediately. No conditions apply no circumstances apply not if he didn't have not of this none of that. What could a person do any time he could bring a voluntary sacrifice? So therefore the Torah starts with that. But then the Reb says another vertical. You know why the Tyra starts with voluntary sacrifices? Because that's reflective of the whole concept, the whole definition, the whole meaning, the whole purpose of sacrifices is more manifest and obvious by voluntary sacrifices. Why? Because if it's an obligation, it could be that you don't really want to do it. You're doing only action, but your heart's not involved. Who enjoys paying taxes? I have to, I have to. So, if it's a sacrifice that you have to, one could argue it's because you don't want to start with Hashem. So, therefore, you're paying the sacrifice. But a voluntary sacrifice and since sacrifices is all about the person's totality, you are going through a very intense emotional experience by a sacrifice. a heart involvement as the Reb quotes from the Ramban who brings that when you bring a carbon the person that brings a carbon has to think that the truth is every time I bring a sacrifice I'm humbling myself because I could be thinking to myself that this is something that I should be going through I'm saying let's say by by in other words that is being out that the point is not to act that the animal is being offered up as a sacrifice. But it's something that you have to think and have in mind. And the same thing we'll see by another but the Reb brings it over here. So I'm going to mention it now. The famous said whether someone brings a giant a more expensive sacrifice or one that's of lesser value. In other words, the main point is the emotional involvement. And by the way going back to I said before theidis brings out the awesomeness of both streams because on the one hand many many stories with was asked what's the accomplishment why did come along and he quoted the ver that it says in the different things it says that the is like two wings without the love and fear the mitzvah are like a body without a soul. So this injected the soul it injected the soul into so here the whole concept of that by more than other mitzvah it's very important to focus on the spiritual dimension the soul matter don't think that it's just about dropping a couple of coins in the charity box so to speak and that everything is forgiven The whole idea is that you it's with a full heart and with a whole heart with the right intention. And therefore the the whole safer starts off with voluntary sacrifices because by a voluntary sacrifice you know that you're all in. You're all in with your heart and soul because you decided to do it. And some commentators bring out that that's how Rashi learns it out. So the word mikm when is it really coming from you? when it's not because of a commandment but because it's coming totally from your heart alone your contribution and this answers what does it mean the whole subject matter the whole concept of through sorry We have a whole definition of the what's the whole concept of kabonus primarily that the intention is there the kavana is there the inner experience emotional experience that you're going through is also involved and where do we see this also the next message is everyone knows this where it speaks about the meal offering which is A poor man's sacrifice. As everyone knows this is and the says when a soul would bring a meal offering to Hashem and says when a soul will bring soul was not used with reference to any voluntary offerings except for the meal offering and what's the reason Who would bring the meal offering? On a poor person, a rich person would bring an axe, something much more expensive, 10 times more expensive, 20 times more expensive. Says, although the poor man's offering is modest, I consider his behalf as if he offered his soul. So first of all, two lessons straight away is the idea that everybody has an opportunity. It's an equal opportunity path. If somebody wants to come close to Hashem, don't think you have to be rich. And it means in every level, whatever rich means, you could be a poor man. And there's some there's a way for you also get close through sacrifices. The second shot in the in in the that we can take straight away is those know chapter 15 of the which is idea that for the poor person guess what his 15 cents or $5 took more out of himself of his kishkis than it was a greater sacrifice he had to put his soul into it. He was giving away his soul, his bread and butter. For the poor man, the $5 was more expensive than the rich man's $500. Like the alter explains in chapter 15 that for some person certain things come easy. So it's no big deal. It's called a is if he's not serving Hashem. But for the person who comes harder, it's much more precious. It's much more valuable. He's called an elikim. And the measure whether someone's an is not in the size of his toys. It's not in the size of the it's all measured in the intention. It's all measured in the effort. It's all measured in the thought. How much you actually sacrificing? How much actually giving of yourself? That's the second lesson. The Rebik adds another verse. This is page 15. And the Reb over there adds another vert which is very important as explains the whole message of means when a person wants to get close to Hashem. So the idea of sacrifices teaches us a path of how we connect to Hashem. And what the Reb explains is the poor man sacrifice makes that he's more humble also. That's the meaning. The rich man say, "Hey, look at me. I gave God a Cadillac. I gave him a Rolls-Royce. I gave him a prize bull. Whatever the story is, but the poor man, he just brought a bit of flower. So he thinks to himself, this a meager, meager, this is my meager contribution. So therefore, he doesn't have ego. He doesn't say I am the president of the whole congregation. I am Mr. Important. Look at my contribution and my name is on the wall. Guess what? That's in a way the greatest impediment because your ego gets in the way of your connection to Hashem. So I'm going to read to you what the Reb says. The words of it are unbelievable. He doesn't bring a big fat ax. No dollars. the poorest of poor sacrifices. So here stressed more how he gave himself. He gave his very soul. He doesn't even feel the idea. Look at me. I made such a great contribution. I don't know what this is beautiful that says this expression used to make fun of these he looks at himself I'm a very important dignified member of the community not only I brought a sacrifice it was top level I brought the biggest swing I bought the most expensive swing I was on this tish and somebody bought an SIG. It was so big it had to fit only in a shoe box. And I'm not exaggerating. And he came to show the next day and the was in a shoe box. This Jew is a very good Jew and it's taken. But what the Reb is saying over here that in such a case you have to be careful that it shouldn't shouldn't feed your ego. But a person who costed him, it was a sacrifice for him to buy an ess that's a tenth of that size. But for him it was more expensive relatively speaking percentage-wise. So it's a greater accomplishment. He comes to sh he doesn't have such a big essay and therefore it adds to his humility the fact that he brought that he has only such a small. So here we see again the point we measure it purely based on what's going on in the heart. And last but not least, some more aspects of this idea of the totality of the person is the mitzvah that we have where the says in capital, you shall salt your every meal offering with salt. You may not discontinue the salt of Hashem's covenant from upon your meal offering. On all your offerings shall you offer salt. I'm not going to get into what the first means of it. You'll look it up yourself. So if you learn this and explains that the idea of salt, I'm going to say it very quickly because we're running out of time. Number one, salt takes out the blood. That means part of getting close to the is you should try to take out your your lust, your excitement about petty trivialities. Don't care so much about the material. Relax, relax, settle down. It's only gashm. That's number one. That's salting the meat. We take out the blood. Another thing about salt there's a pan which says salt enhances the taste of every single food. That means it takes the food the flavor of that food itself. But when you add salt wonders and wonders, miracles and miracles the taste of that food comes becomes better. It's a taste enhancer. So it's a sume. We get rid of the bad blood. It also brings out the flavor of this thing itself better. And last not least, salt is a preservative. That means if we're making a sacrifice to Hashem, a contribution, it shouldn't be that I'm a Shabas Jew or I'm a Jew, etc. But my Judaism is constant. It's solid. It's not wishy-washy. It's not external. It's not superficial. Salt as a preservative means lasting power. It's real. It's coming from your it's coming from the inside etc. So what do we see from all these things today is Biss is the and there's a lot to talk about the but and if you talk about all for me the represents the one who made the west point the one who made what all the today are made of. He set up the educational system. He wrote to the to create generations of soldiers, Navy Seals, Marines who are going to go out into the world and transform the world and make the world a better place. And he wanted every single one of these graduates to be outstanding. And when you think of the there's only one thing that COMES TO MIND STRIVING FOR excellence in spirituality and go for the top you could do it. And when you think about the years of in the village of Labavich and how the was saying the deepest of the deepest of the deepest discourses to who to boys 18, 19, 20 and this became the generation that grew up that the freed with them withtood the horrors of Stalin and kept Judaism alive and it continues today throughout all the shivas and the concept So to finish off with the story of the and you'll see this idea again and again of top top level spirituality is also the way that brought up his child his only son. One of the stories the says is that what happened once one of Pesim the was 9 years old and there was a whole sed of pes getting up very very early in the morning and going to the mikvah and then they'd get up and very early and they put on their shabas clothes y clothes and they started making baking mits mata and then they would work getting prepared doing the other preparations for pes one of the preparations was to remove the seals of the wine bottles see there anyways so the was dressed in his new yont outfit with brand new boots and he was very busy with the wine unsealing the the corks and this and that and he was doing it in the rebra's study the rebashab's And he writes, "I was very careful. I was very careful not to make my clothes dirty and primarily I shouldn't um destroy the shine of my brand new boots." Anyways, the walked into the room and he recognized my thoughts and he told me writes an analogy of a nobleman, a baron, a dukeim. He has a meal prepared with all sorts of delicacies for people, but he doesn't want he likes he has dogs that he likes also very much. So what does he do? He throws the under the table and under the table he has his dogs. Who's chewing the bones? The leftover the bones of the brisket or the steak or whatever. imagine that the nobleman is going to get off his chair and from the table and he's going to go under the table to start chewing bones. That's what the told that's it at 9 years old understood the message that his father was reprimanding him that he cares too much about the boots and his new clothes at 9 years old and what clothes for and the said this had such an impact as it was to cook in our big and was embarrassed and ashamed to look at my new clothes. In other words, to think about it, to care about it. This is so there's four or five places where the writes in his talks this is. Now, what does it mean when you write? That means this encapsulates the whole concept of education. Every time the says it, you have to think deeply about what the message of the story is. In this case, I believe the message there's a couple of messages. Number one, the message of the is you're better than that. You're the you're royalty. You're you're the nobleman. You're the duke. You're the baron. What are you going after? The bare bones. That's for the dogs. Who cares about the boots? Who cares about the clothes? Y is coming. P is coming. There's bigger, more important things to worry about. And being careful in the of the P is more important than your whole pants and your whole shoes. But the message is because you are better. You're the nobleman. You're the royalty. So I take that message from this story of which means not by talking down to the person, not by being negative, but by lifting up the person. You're better than that. And also to think that at 9 years old, he's getting the message what's important in life, what's not important in life about priorities. But this story brings out exactly the idea of the Shab. He's looking at his nine-year-old son and he's already conveying him the message about life that you should have your priorities in order. What's important is important and always spirituality. So we take from all this my friends is coming each and every single one of us has to make resolutions a birthday present and the resolutions should be in the direction of having the right priorities and our involvement in spiritual matters and go for the more richly rewarding emotional experience. So that our serving Hashem shouldn't be dry, shouldn't be lame, shouldn't be dead, but it should be full of spirit, full of life, full of fire and allin. As we saw three times in the param, by the way, the word can mean the totality. It's got to come from you. Your insides have to be involved. Your kishka should be involved in serving the your totality should be involved. And we see the word from nephesh when you really give of yourself then Hashem sees it and recognizes it that you're giving of yourself even if it's a five dollar but you put your whole spirit into it because for you that's the best you can do that's what counts and finally the message of the salt all the lessons we spoke about salt that if we make the right preparations will do his part. And so let us just say all those need help in any area of their life. posting from my home, your man in Melbourne.