Thought for the Week Parshas Ki Sisa P' Parah Preparation is Paramount, Rabbi Yaakov Winner - 5786

How are you? I hope everyone is I hope everyone is healthy and strong physically and spiritually today and it's and we're going to start with as usual come out. We're gonna say a prayer next. This is aim which we're going to speak about that's on this and that is this is pay may I be wholehearted with your statutes so that I be not shamed. So the literal meaning is I should be wholehearted. When you're doing the right thing, you should be all in. Not a bit, but wholehearted totally into it. There's going to be a med that quotes this p in pared of in the in which gives us the mitzvah of we'll soon speak about in a second. But first, let's make a general comment about today's sh this week's pariso. The Reb says something phenomenal phenomenal in the Reb says something he says nowhere else that in this week's para we see the totality of the even though we say turn it over and turn it over because all is contained in it. Even though that's referring to anywhere in Torah or in general all of Torah, keep on studying Torah because that's it. Everything is contained in the whatever you have to know for life, all knowledges, everything is contained in Tyra. But the Reb says that the truth is of the meaning of means that since every single particle so to speak of Torah is Hashem himself, ultimate infinity. So therefore, since in a tiny bit of Torah is the totality of Torah, but nevertheless, in this week's par, we see more in a revealed way of anywhere else in the Torah. Wow. That the Reb should give such a categorization on this week's par is absolutely astonishing. Amazing. But the Reb explains because in this week's par we have the whole gamut of Jewish history of Judaism. The story of Judaism and he says this is olive bimmel. See there. And what's olive bimmel? Olive represents revelation. That means everything starts first you know with a bang in a good way. Then comes b represents descent and fall. And then comes gimmel which represents gula and redemption elevation chuva and we come to the higher level than we were to start with. Okay. So, and he shows how that is in this week's para where we have we the Hashem gives us the it's in this week's para where he gives us the first and then we have theel then we get to the second etc see the over there what I want to talk about today is this idea that yiddisheskite and especially in the light of shows us in every single situation the redemptive angle, the positive, and how even with something seeming, let's say, small, there's no such thing as something small if we're talking about the positive, but every single thing could bring you to the greatest heights because that's your really true essence. So let's start off first with straight away in the beginning of this week right after it says the mitzvah of it speaks about the commandment to make the yes what was the k I think you pronounce in English the labor that was a wash basin with which the coim would wash their hands before they began their aid so if you look on the serno over here which obviously there's a obvious question if We had already in par the way we discussed about the and the and the we spoke about all the furnishings the utensils of what the Mishkan was and then in paras we spoke about we spoke about the personnel the garments of the the ones who served why over here it seems like it's mish made as an exception something which comes like as an afterthought separate from everything else after everything it speaks about this cure. So now there's two ways to look at it. It's separate because it's the lowest or guess what we look at it the way this it's separate and in a certain sense it's the greatest. So first I'll read to you what the sophono says over here on the you should make this wash basin this labor this utensil was not mentioned before in or even when it spoke about with the which really speaking there it doesn't mention that they had to wash their hands before they began This vessel, this utensil was not mentioned when he mentioned the other, the other furnishings that have to be made to make the Mishkan, what belonged in the Mishkan and the Mikdash because this did not generate divinity. This didn't bring down when a person washed their hands. It wasn't an that drew down the divine presence of of all those other mentions utensils and were things that whereby among through them we brought down the did with any of those utensils. He drew down the but over here. This was merely a preparation for the to do their work. So in other words, when we learn the you look at it and you would say that this is lower than the others because it's a means to an end. It's only a preparation. We look into what just we said yesterday. It says as follows. Said in the in the contributions to the Mishkon there was gold, silver and copper. But but the only items that shown the brilliance were the woman's copper mirrors clear. And though the basin and its stand are listed last among the holy vessels as the sophon brings out as we saw that it wasn't mentioned in it only comes in but he says they were used before all the services in the sanctuary for the beginning is rooted in in the end. Whenever we bring out these words for the beginning is rooted in the end as it's explained in Kabala it usually brings out like like for example if we say when we get to the end that arose in the mind first so here we're saying the fact that the comes at the end in a sense is because it's the most important it's separate from all the others to bring out how it's distinguished, it's different, it's special. And why? And that constitutes a specialty that you cannot do any of the other avoidas that come afterwards without first washing your hands. And over here we come to an irony in general this concept. Sometimes we say if something's a preparation for something else, the thing which comes afterwards is greater. And sometimes we say the thing which comes before is part of the preparation in a way is just as important maybe even more important. Where do we see it? So let's first come to another question which usually start with all of our this week's paras. What's the connection between paras and pasheso? We could say one connection is this idea of the kener. What's the kener? The kina is about washing. Washing is usually connected to come to a higher level of holiness. You could divide it into two levels. One is to take away the dirt, clean the laundry, and the other is as a preparation to the next level. And the truth is it's technically two steps, but it could be seen as coming together. And that the second level is only positive like turning away from evil and doing good. So and it's not a contradiction. Now how do we see the connection to pass? Is it getting back to the P that I mentioned before about the I said now listen to the med before I say the med there's a question why we have the order of the four weeks we have we have par and par we read from the beginning of this week's para parad the para of about we're going to read in about today and then comes and so now it's not a sh to explain the order of all the four paras just the last two why don't we read paras before par and me that says that first we have to have the purity of the Jewish nation and then we can get is connected to which is connected to I don't want to get into there's a big question over about the dates we'll leave that for another sh but this is the simple in the first we have we have to become purified because only if you're to could you partake in the pes so first we have pious the the the water the the the formula of the the made us pure to be able to eat from the carbon pes which comes next. Now guess what? So now let me ask you a question. Which is greater? the concept of us getting purified as a preparation so that we should be able to eat the carbon pes and maybe the carbon pes is higher or is the paradum higher because we can't eat the carbon pesa without the paradum without becoming first pure and there's a medish that says quite clearly explicitly this question and says that the pora duma is greater this is the medish I'm reading to you. He brings down in your statutes. So you could say is a minimum of two. And this is what the med says that it goes on. Why does it go on both of those two? They're similar. the and there's a verse that says and there's another says we don't know which one's greater than the two by both it says the same so The med then says if you want to know which one's greater this is comparable to two noble women similar noble women that are walking together and they look the same who is greater and the medish answers The one who's accompanied to her home and the other one follows behind her. And that's what he says of the med concludes even though it says but both the is greater. the one if you want to eat you need. So in other words the P follows the therefore the paradum is greater. It's like the carbon pes is accompanying the purum. So therefore the paradum is the greater one. So this is something which you could be debatable about it. Let's say the one that comes second is greater because maybe that's the whole purpose or the other way around the one that you need in order to come to that is greater because that means that thing that comes later needs the first thing to come before. So in any case I can't give a definitive answer. All I could say is over here we see the importance. Let's go back to the we have to stress the importance of preparation. Even though the medish over there says clearly that the dum is greater than the and he says it clearly and according to this the explanation is also to show on the idea of because the represents a person who became impure and then he became pure. I'm not going to go elaborate in all the discourses about that. So one idea behind it is that the idea of that void of sorry the idea of that void of the repentant who first was unclean and then becomes clean is greater than that of which is more the concept of okay but for today's talk what I want to bring out is this paradox the irony of how in Judaism everything is of primary importance in Yiddish kite everything is of supreme supreme important there's nothing small a preparation to something is also ESSENTIAL NOT ONLY THAT IT COULD BE considered even greater as we see the way there's on the one hand the way theo explains what the k is that it's of less stature and therefore it's separated from all the others because it doesn't bring down the itself or as the brings up the opposite way it's an essential thing that must be used as an introduction to every aid. So in a certain sense it's like even more important than any no could be done without first the and as himself says the highest highest levels is connected to the thing which is mentioned last in the which is so this is the lesson whether this way or that way it brings out the importance of preparation. of making and you know what I don't know if I'm going to speak about anything else because there's a couple of stories you know what I'll still speak about one more point the first I'll say the stories connected to this there's one another which is of 18th of Thomas I want to bring out the point of this about the importance of preparation you know in English there's a couple of famous sayings prepare your work. Prepare your work. I forgot who it goes already. I forgot that one. Okay. Those that fail to prepare. It's another saying. I forgot there's two sayings. Oh yeah, I forgot it again. Plan your work. Work your plan. That's one of them. Those that fail to prepare fail something. So in other words there's a famous expression everything which is precious needs a preparation just like we have right away we say 30 days before the we have to start learning right now we're holding 30 days before pes we start learning of and this is very important in contrast to today's generation it's all about instant gratification they start learning they start getting a bit spiritual. It's not working for me. I don't see it happening. I don't feel it. I'm not there yet. Of course not. You think it happens automatically. Some things take months. Something takes hours. Something takes years. So there's of the 18th of that says that there was a and it says that three years he prepared himself to go into and then he remained seven years in bringing to take that private audience and instruction and guidance that he got from and to internalize it and to apply it. It took him seven years to successfully internalize integrate and apply what the alterba told him that so we're talking about three years he prepared himself just to go into the alterb and then seven years to work on it. So that's 10 years the story of one. And there's another story in in of the page 85 speaks about and it says over there that before he went to Alba he prepared for two years but then on the way that he was traveling to Alb he came to a town called Kazan and he met aid called Kazaner and he told told him something that he heard from that said the following in the beginning when his path said the following on a where it says says that those that were contestants to become the queen by they they they soaked themselves Six months in the oil of m and six months in in aromic spices. So in it means this told Isaac that once said that what does it mean six months and six months that six months the person spent in these he had six months contemplating how a person comes to a seriousness a sense of dissatisfaction in a good way demanding for yourself more to accomplish more. And then six months and six months you were meditating about the beauty, the the the gishmak, the enjoyment like like we have beautiful aroma. But these 12 months, six months meditating on demanding more from yourself in the sense of dissatisfaction and six months of learning to appreciate truly the joy and the pleasure of spirituality. That's all a preparation to go into. after this he waited another whole year. So similar to what it says about Misha Isaac also prepared himself for three years and this is the idea that the preparation itself three years preparation to go into a private audience which who knows how long that lasted 10 minutes 15 minutes I'm not I don't know but the point is there were three years in preparation that those 15 minutes or 20 minutes or a half hour whatever it is should have its full impact. So see the importance of preparation and that's the concept of the K in this week's par. The other thing I wanted to talk about but it's already late so maybe I'll just mention it in the page of page 179b says a which is so wild that with the where it says that the gave the first it says After Hashem learned with 40 days, then he gave him the tablets the knows what's going on on the by the Eden. That means that at the very same time that he gave the to give to the yidden was a time when the yiden that had already committed the the wife has committed adultery the greatest sense of betrayal they served an idol and at that very time Hashem still gives to give to the that's what it says in And the Reb takes from this an unbelievable ism that it doesn't make a difference whatever person we're dealing with. We have to take the the lesson that it doesn't make a difference where a person's holding. He could be in the bottom of the swamp seemingly. He could be stuck in the lowest level of mud and dirt and cement and quicksand. You name it. Nevertheless, we should never hold ourselves back from being something of mitz and on the contrary that thing which you'll give him now who knows what accomplished even though Misha had to take those itself and smash it that's another whole discussion but still whatever was accomplished that had to be accomplished through the first they still remain we still have the sh the way they remained in the but here comes a phenomenal lesson this concept of of the redemptive angle and I want to bring out a point that doesn't bring out over there in the but but in a way this point of is the most phenomenal lesson that at the very very lowest point you could imagine at the very lowest point you can imagine at the worst point you could say at the worst moment of Jewish history after the did El which was done on the 39th day which was in the mountain Hashem still gives mo. Wow. So even when you're in the lowest of the low my friend whatever you are I'm talking to myself a day which you fell you had a downfall whatever it is at that very moment Hashem is still giving us ammunition and he's giving us weapons and he's giving us the power to be able to rise no matter what. So this is another lesson we take from pariso and as the rebba says in the in the in the in the that's why the whole par is called even the par which talks about the very worst moments but really really we're only going one way and what is that way higher and higher and higher. Sometimes it seems like there's a bump in the road. Sometimes it seems like we're taking a detour, but truthfully it's all it's all going higher and higher. So that we're going through now very very very special times concerning Iran and there's miracles that are wow wow wow and our prayer is that it should be more and more miracles and we should come from that each and every single one of us will make one small move one small for you guys do much more than small but I'm talking to myself each one of us will take one small for Hashem and the will make a giant leap for the whole that from we come to posting from my home you're a man in Melbourne.