Thought for the Week Shemini Last Days Pesach Stay Focused, Rabbi Yaakov Winner - 5786

How are you? I hope everyone is gesund. I hope everyone is healthy, strong, and happy physically and spiritually. Today is the day after Pesach. Isru Chag means it's bound up with the holiday. The day right after the Yom Tov is called Isru Chag. So, that means that that's the theme of the day. We're still living with Pesach. And we have to discuss that. What does that mean? It's also Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Shmini. So, we have to talk about what's the lesson from Parshas Shmini Shmini and how it's connected to the holiday of Pesach. But first, as usual, we'll give tzedakah. Good day to all. Tzedakah should bring us a geulah. Mashiach should come now. Now, we'll say a prayer, which is going to be related to the theme of what we're going to talk about today. And this we say every day at the end of Shemoneh Esrei, Yhi ratzon milfanecha Hashem Elokeinu v'Elokei avoseinu bimheira v'yameinu. V'seicheilkeinu, v'seidor asseichu. So, we pray to Hashem, may it be your will, Hashem, that the Beis Hamikdash is speedily rebuilt in our days, and grant us our portion in your Torah. So, let's start first of all with the thought that in the Rebbe's Haggadah, at the end of the Haggadah, the Rebbe composed a Haggadah with commentaries, and he finishes his Haggadah by saying these words. The Rebbe, Rabbeinu HaZaken, the Alter Rebbe, hot nit arayngeshtelt in seder noch der Haggadah di verter "Chasal Seder Pesach." The Alter Rebbe did not insert, did not put the words "Khasal Seder Pesach", which means we finished the Seder of Pesach. Valbachabad ends the Pesach. Because by Chabad, Pesach does not end. He extends constantly. The holiday of Pesach extends throughout the whole year. So, in a certain sense, the Seder never ends. B'emes, and now he brings a The Rebbe brings down a an interpretation, the connection, the meaning from the previous Rebbe, the previous Rebbe. B'emes, truthfully, how Kol Hamoya demay B'chol Yom. A reflection of every single holiday illuminates and shines every single day. Now, Chag HaPesach benemshich shestandig. But, Pesach extends constantly. We have to know exactly what this means, but I find this statement astonishing because he says "B'Chabad ends shestandig." He says "B'Chabad Pesach does not end." So, it seems to imply that you need the Chabad Chassidus to really internalize and to really make it one with you, to to to live with it properly, to digest it, to that it should resonate, you have to learn Chassidus. It gives you a greater consciousness, a greater awareness, a greater appreciation, a greater perception of what Pesach is, and then you can live with it all year long. But, if not, then it's just like in one ear and out the other ear. You didn't really experience it properly internally, so then it can't be continuing all year long. That's one point. The other point is he's saying clearly that even though we take something from every holiday for the whole year. For example, it's well known the famous terror of the of the Bal Shem Tov of the Magillah of Esther LeYotzei. The literal meaning means whoever reads the Megillah of Esther on Purim in the wrong order does not fulfill the obligation of listening to the Megillah because the whole understanding of the miracle of Purim is when you see the chronological order, the sequence, that every single detail and the many details follows one after the other precisely in this spot and then you begin to appreciate how all these different so-called coincidences all happened exactly at this time and that makes you appreciate the miracle. So, the Bal Shem Tov said the pshat Kol HaKodesh Megillah MeFuah, whoever learns the story of Megillah of Esther as something that happened a long, long time ago but it doesn't take the lesson for today, which means you're meant to take the lesson all the time. So, he LeYotzei, he didn't fulfill his obligation of what it really means to celebrate Purim. So, what we're saying is that even though we say about other holidays that we live with it all year long, but by Pesach, the takeaway is actually not really a takeaway cuz it never ends. Every single day there is the Chag HaPesach. That's what the Alter Rebbe said. And obviously what this what this tells us is that the central theme of Yetziat Mitzrayim is more existential to the very identity and to the core of Judaism that the idea of Judaism and a Jew is one synonymous with Yetziat Mitzrayim and Chag HaPesach. And that's why we say "Mantiski Yetziat Mitzrayim Kol Yemei Chayecha." Every single day there's an obligation to remember Yetziat Mitzrayim and we mention it by krishmah etc etc etc. So in other words What does that mean for us in a practical relevant manner? That means that whatever we celebrated the past eight days is something that we have to carry with us throughout the rest of the entire year and What does that mean? What's the takeaway? So We'll soon discuss it how there is a certain paradox concerning Pesach. But first let's go straight to the parsha and we're going to talk about something which is also relevant very much to our times. Today we speak about distractions, the age of distractions and being present focus etc. I'm going to see something very very interesting. In general I believe and I don't want to elaborate now because I think I spoke about it once before but I'm going to mention it again because we just had a three-day Yom Tov which is called two days Yom Tov and then Shabbos for example where we are off our devices. And when you speak to somebody from the secular world and you tell them that we have people real life people in the year 2026 that have devices and emails and smartphones and computers and it's not even ya la la das. It doesn't even enter their mind to be thinking about I wonder what's on my computer today. I wonder what's in my email. I wonder what's in my device. How do we get this power? What gave us this power? When did it start? So one answer is amazingly amazingly so from Shabbos. When did Shabbos happen? And from here we see the amazing thing of hit them with a full of market the Aibershta from the beginning of existence preempted the internet by making that there's a seventh day of rest. Which means even before Martin Tyler there's one thing that the Aibershta chose the Jewish nation to give us a terror which is in the year 2000 whatever which is 3300 something years ago. But then there's something in 5787 86 years ago that the Aibershta created the world in six days and on the seventh day rested and therefore we keep Shabbos today. So that means that he inserted from the beginning of creation that this is like the cycle of existence that we have six days where involved with work and then we have a seventh day which is a day of just rest, serenity, tranquility, and which really means elevation, transcendence, etc. And the ability to not be a slave to your environment and to whatever's of this world, etc. etc. So that's one thing. But in this week's parsha we see another thing. Which the point is if a person follows the Jewish religion, if he follows the Torah which is a guide for life, then he has this training cuz he knows these are the do's and these are the don'ts. Guess what one of the don'ts alive midair ice of biblical origin is in this week's parsha the possuk says and we Pesach oil moyed and parsha Shmini capitol you'd possuk Zion it says and we Pesach oil moyed tatesu pentamusel that a cohen who's in the middle of a serving of the service is not allowed to leave the oil moyed. Which means if he's in the middle of doing a service one of the things that was was what he was doing in the base of Migdash, he was not allowed to interrupt it. There's many different parts to a service, let's say for a coin. There's something called Kabbalah when he receives the blood of the sacrifice, Halacha when he carries the blood from the sacrifice to the altar, and then Zrika when he pours the blood on the altar. So, the point is that he's not allowed to interrupt his avodah. Now, what's the point? What's the what's the what's the idea behind this? And over here, the Chimmel, as usual, the Chimmel is a given a course. The safer of Chimmel writes the following, and I'm going to read you inside what he says. Mishnah She'ah Mitzvah, which means like the root. What's the idea over here? The central idea. Ha'yosoy d'bonu lonu ba'agdolos ha'bayis v'avoydis anashim. This mitzvah is meant to impress upon us the the the the profundity, the awesomeness of the base of Migdash and the avodah. And v'al kein and therefore ro'uy al k'ponim sh'ro'uy lo taysu l'aniach avoydah ikara b'shum daber b'olam. You can't interrupt and stop, drop the avodah, the service of towards Hashem, for anything else. Ki b'emes im y'niachuha if you will stop it, interrupt it, zilzul ba, it'll be like a shame and an embarrassment to Hashem. V'yomanim ba'atzmom sh'yiyeh b'olam daber gadol me'avodas Hashem. In other words, you're demonstrating that there could be something which is more important than this service that you're doing right now for Hashem. Ach achshav t'yei nitrachis afilu p'shara b'shum shom daber shom daber acher. It became interrupted, pushed away for something else, whatever it is. And the Al Kena and therefore Zora Zemi said, and therefore they were warned for this concerning the idea of of Misa. Now, it's amazing. Everyone knows it's a very very famous Alte Rebbe in the Igros Hakodesh Siman Chof Daled, where he speaks about not talking in the middle of davening. And I think I'm going to make an assumption that that the wording of the Alte Rebbe over here in Igros Hakodesh Chof Daled is so similar to what the Chinuch wrote about this love and even more so, the Alte Rebbe twice writes in this Igros Hakodesh concerning talking in the middle of davening, Mischaiev Benafshei. It's like it's like he's he calls something which touches his very life itself in a negative way. Now, that's pretty harsh. And I'm thinking the reason why the Alte Rebbe put it like that because it's connected to this love de'oraisa. But let me tell you show you what the Alte Rebbe writes over here and you'll see how close it is to this idea because it's the same exact point. The Alte Rebbe says that what's the idea of davening? The idea of a davening is an opportunity to become impint- intimate with Hashem. That you can have dialogue. You can have discourse. You can have conversation. When you're davening, there's an open door to the king himself. IN A PRIVATE AUDIENCE. AND when in the middle of davening you talk to someone else, or you look at your smartphone, that means that something else is more important than the KING WHO'S STANDING RIGHT THERE AND TELLS YOU TO TALK TO ME. Imagine the king himself is standing right there and says, "Talk to me." And what are you doing? Something else. Even if it's temporarily and even if it's just an interruption. That's the point. YOU CANNOT STOP IT. Whatever that habit is, as the Alter Rebbe says, the idea of davening is the beginning of davening till the last covenant. We're going to read some of the lotion because it's so amazing. Because any second during davening you're doing something else in shul, the house of Hashem, it's as if you're demonstrating that something more important. And it's also a bizarre thing for the king and Alter Rebbe speaks of that lotion. And he says over here that for example, regularly you have a king who's concealed in his innermost chambers with many guards at the door. I'm going to read the English. So that many people wait for days and years hoping to behold his might and glory. Now when he wishes to be seen by all and proclaims throughout his kingdom that his subjects should assemble and stand before him, so that he can show them his majestic glory and the exalted splendor of his greatness, whoever will stand before him and not care to see him busy himself at that time with his own needs, what kind of fool is he? And he's acting like an animal. And then he says, >> Moreover, it is a dishonor to the king when he demonstrates before him that to have pleasure and delight from gaining gazing upon his glory and beauty is of no more esteem in his eyes than busy himself with his own needs. And he says It'll be a good advice to learn that again it's great as Kabbalah. It will inspire you. In any case, we see that such a similarity between this love the risa how a coin is not allowed to interrupt his serving. Because as the king writes, it's a shame for the king to dishonor and the same exact way and style and analogy that I'll tell you that he uses concerning practically speaking what this means today is when you show and the king is giving an opportunity to greet him to speak to him face-to-face one-on-one and you do something else even temporarily. So then it's a it's a misnomer. I think there's a rabbi once said that I read somewhere where he said a line God is of no importance unless he is of supreme importance. So that's exactly the point of here. So the truth is this this this mitzvah is the idea that the king is there so it's an embarrassment to the king number one. But there's another idea about that which you could connect it to a concept which I don't want to elaborate, but just to mention it cuz it's very close to Kabbalah siddhis. So that is a chosid is a pnimiy. The word pnimiy in Kabbalah literature has many meanings. One of them is a hostage of the enemy. He's an inward directed person and the Rebbe Rashab added when he said a hostage of the enemy a darkened void is in constant. Wherever he is, he's there in totality. Which in modern English we say being present. So that also applies to whatever you're doing this way there. So then do this properly. Nothing else exists. This is where you're at. Regardless of the the main the particular idea behind this myth so which is that the king is standing over here. In general the idea of training that you don't get distracted. If you're a enemy a darkened void means he's been in constant. And that's even when we're talking about in contrast to different things of holiness cuz the original famous story of when the Rebbe Rashab the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe said this was there was a farbrengen. And the real rich like the real richness of the farbrengen usually in other words like for example what gets recorded for generations for posterity is the Torah. So we have a farbrengen the Rebbe is talking. He says city discourses whatever he says stories Torah. So there was one farbrengen with the Rebbe Rashab was saying city discourses. My modern and we call them my mother divine the king of heaven the word of God. You can't get anything which is greater than that. So the Rebbe Rashab has a moment and then came the golem. They sing songs between Torah. And the Rebbe Rashab sensed that the sing the songs quickly cuz they want to get the songs over with so they should be able to hear more Torah. So the Rebbe Rashab said, even the songs is not a means to an end. Oh, let's go quickly by the song, so we should hear more Torah, but the song itself is part of the service itself. So, it's the same idea. And that's what he says, "I p'nimi, now we're singing the songs, we're singing them totally we become immersed. We're completely immersed. There's nothing else. Right now, there's the song. Then we'll have Torah after the song, but while we're singing, don't be looking at the clock and think, "Let's make this quick, cuz soon we'll get to the next Torah." So, the Rebbe the Rebbe Rashab was talking about the one thing, which is saying Torah, the other thing is singing Chassidic melodies, which is also serving Hashem. But, the Rebbe Rashab's message was, when we're saying Torah, we're saying Torah, and when we're singing a niggun, we're singing a niggun. Get involved totally in the niggun. Not as a means to an end. Anyways, so that's another lesson, which is connected. Like, anyways. Now, I want to connect it to back to Pesach. And I want to talk about non-interrupting, but not non-interrupting where when you when you're doing one thing, stick to that thing, but then sometimes we have to remember never to lose sight of the prize. So, there's another amazing thing in the Chabad custom the Rebbe brings down in the about the Haggadah, that we don't when we have the Seder, we don't stop by the Dayeinu. You know, we have the Dayeinu, if they would have shown us done this, or they would have shown us done that, and we say ilu etzianu nos lanu es haTorah, Dayeinu. So, we say Dayeinu, and there's a many Dayeinus over there, and we don't stop. And that's the custom. So, you think to yourself, "Okay. Okay, it's a custom. But, what's the idea of the custom? Why is it a custom? What lesson do we take from the custom? So, the Rebbe in a certain sicha brings out uh an unbelievable vort. And that is that the last dayenu was that they wish to build us the Beis Hamikdash that we came to Eretz Yisrael and we built the Beis Hamikdash. So, the Rebbe brings out the reason why we don't stop in middle of dayenus cuz we have to remember what the tachlis is. That's the ultimate. In other words, this is a paradox. On the one end, each step of the dayenus is more like a leizu af so. Not only did they wish they did this, but that would have been suffice. See, when the first dayenu, we're saying, "Dayenu. How many ways do I have to thank you? Number one, they did this. And that itself warrants, "Thank you, Hashem." But, then we say, "But, wait. Not only that, even more." So, if we look at it that way, that each one really we should focus on and think about, "Wow, wow, wow." that Hashem did this for us. One of them is that he took us through when he when he made splitting of the sea and we went through the dry when it turned into dry instead of wet. It was completely dry. It wasn't like muddy. And that also we have to thank Hashem. Whatever the meaning of it is. But, the point is each and every one is a step. A step of appreciation. So, let's think about it. On the one end, so this is a paradox I don't want to bring out. But, on the other end we say, "No. OUR CUSTOM IS NOT TO STOP. WE SHOULD have to come to Binyan Beis Hamikdash." So, the Rebbe explains cuz the vort is we tuck after member what the tuckless is. So the truth is this connected to another concept. You know, sometimes we say it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. There's truth to that, my friends. And you could say that concerning what I said before that sometimes the word preeminent if right now we're here, so it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Every step of the journey has immense profundity, depth, and wealth. But on the other hand we say it is about the destination. Don't lose sight of what it's all about. And this is the reason that ever says why we don't stop and interrupt the middle of the day ain't knows because ultimately it's about being a base Hamikdash. We have to remember what it's all about. You could do this thing and it's good, you could do that thing and it's all the good. In the language of citizens I would say it's not about the it's about I want you alone. I want you alone. And this is the main lesson we have to take for and the rest of the year. One practical lesson. The Rebbe and the scale of time talks about what's the difference between the young man of Pesach and every other young thief. So he speaks about the idea that we don't make a young man on Pesach. And after Pesach even though we make a young man every other day of young thief. By by by by by the scale of time the two days of the scale of time Russian sauna. And the Rebbe goes into a whole thing up in the England and all that. But then he brings a story that it's a story that happened twice. once when the Rebbe Maharash's children were discussing the last days of Pesach and what's the holiday of the Pesach? That happened in the Tzemach Tzedek's time, the third Lubavitcher Rebbe's Rebbe with his grandchildren. And then later in 19 in 1906 Yeah, that happened in 1906. Sorry, no, no, no. And then later in 1906 the the the the Friediker Rebbe's children, two daughters the Rebbetzin, which I believe this is the only place in Chabad literature where it mentions the Rebbetzin, our Rebbetzin had a discussion with her sister Chana about the last days of Pesach, if it's like every other Yom Tov. And Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka said, "It's not." And what's the proof that it's different? Cuz we don't make a Shehechiyanu. So the Rebbe learns from that over here that it's connected with the story that happened in the Tzemach Tzedek's times. At that time you'll have to see the whole story in Sefer Hasichos of the Friediker Rebbe, taf shin, page 71-72. When the Tzemach Tzedek originally when he heard his his grandchildren discussing the last of Pesach last days of Pesach, the Tzemach Tzedek had said that the first days of Pesach is Moshe Rabbeinu's holiday. And we celebrate the going out of Egypt. The second days of Pesach is Mashiach's holiday. It's connected with the Haftarah of Acharei Mot-Kedoshim. As we know, we also have the Mashiach's Seudah on Acharei Mot-Kedoshim. And he said that the second days of Pesach is Mashiach's holiday. That's what the Tzemach Tzedek said. In 1906 when the similar discussion happened with the Rebbe Rashab's grandchildren, Chaya Mushka said that we don't make a Shehecheyanu. And the Rebbe Rashab, who is the who is the grandmother of Chaya Mushka, had remembered what his grandfather told him that the last days of Pesach is different than the first days because it's the holiday of Mashiach. And here the Rebbe makes the connection that this point that we don't make a Shehecheyanu on the last days of Pesach is also connected to the idea that it's Mashiach's Yom Tov, meaning and I'll read you what the Rebbe writes in Likutei Sichos Chelek Lamed Zayin, efshar levarech Shehecheyanu al hagulah asida. We can't make a Shehecheyanu on the coming redemption. Ki birchas Shehecheyanu hi rak al simchas levav midavar sheyeish bo b'poel u'mezuman. You have to be actually experiencing it to make the bracha of Shehecheyanu. You're living that reality. But right now, Mashiach is not the reality, the Geulah Me'at Sheleimah. V'dayin anu lifnei Geulah Asida. At present, we're still before the Geulah Me'at Sheleimah. And and and the fact that we don't make Shehecheyanu and how that this is what makes this holiday different, the last days of Pesach, that itself arouses in us the yearning and the pining that since today is Mashiach's day, and this is the holiday that's celebrating the coming of Mashiach, so we're waiting TO MAKE THIS SHEHECHEYANU. AND THE FACT THAT WE'RE NOT MAKING THE Shehecheyanu is because Mashiach's not here yet. And this is the idea, the isur chag, the lesson that we have to take. What's the lesson? The lesson is life in today's generation in general compared to any other time of Jewish history is pretty good. I know there's a war going on. There's been test terrible terrible things I shouldn't be laughing. They should help. But compared to other times of the Holocaust of Stalin Spanish Inquisition Crusades, you name it. Today it's much much better but I can't stand. On every single level, the physical level, the physical world is better. In health areas They made the world right now much better than it was in previous generations. We feed after this. We have more issues than ever before. So everything is better. But at the same time we can't lose sight of the prize. The world wants that even today in the time of we should remember that this is not it. It's not the ultimate. WE STILL HAVE GOALS. We're not really really ultimately have come to the climax of fulfillment of what it's really all about. Everything and everything call you make was to come to the ultimate connecting to we should be able to see in a revealed way and be able to fulfill all the etc. etc. And this is the issue hug. And this is what comes right after the days of my name. That we have this paradox which really this paradox is in the music. Which is talked about very much. The says you may say I am with I am a voice. So on the one hand we say that it's going to be like it's in time. As it was in we see wonders. So we're looking at time and we're saying wow it was amazing. But guess what? It's going it is more to come. But, see, this is what to emphasize is "K'may tzei's k'may atzmus ha'Shem and then the floys that what's going to come is going to make whatever that was done whatever happened by yetzias Mitzrayim like peanuts, like nothing. It's going to be in the floys even compared to what it was by yetzias Mitzrayim." And this is the paradox also like the Mantis K'shem Tzei's K'may Atzmus ha'Shem Koli Mechiyecho Maskilisi Es Mitzrayim Lo Avi, which means this idea on the one hand we have to always look at yetzias Mitzrayim and say this is the beginning, this is where it all started, this is where Jew has transcendency, he's a different sort of being, higher than the world. As I said many times the story that went to Russia, one of the main activists he told me a line which I'll never forget, I loved it so much. He said, "You know what the Russian authorities hate about me? I have the look of a free man, a ben Avrohom Yitzchok u'Yaakov." So, that's what it means to be a Jew. We bow before no one. We understand that the rules of existence don't apply to the Jewish nation. K'shiano is a K'nifni K'nifreitz, etc. etc. etc. What does it all mean to be Jewish? All starts with yetzias Mitzrayim primarily. But, at the same time, and this is the paradox, we're sitting by the seder we celebrate yetzias Mitzrayim, but at the same time, we have to be fully imbued and saturated with the idea that we're waiting for the ultimate. That redemption that was in yetzias Mitzrayim was very essential, very important, and we never really fully graduate from that, but at the same time, we haven't seen it in its full full ultimate glory. And when does that happen? And when is really the fulfillment of the season coming away? When Messiah comes. And this is what it means that we carry with us from Pesach for the rest of the year the spirit of Messiah to always remember the reality, the perceived reality is really all fake news. And everything great that's happening in every year should have called to celebrate and live and be good. Everyone should be healthy to no end. Everyone should have financial security to no end. And everyone should have Nachas to no end. BUT STILL CRY out Ad Mosai. We're still crying out, "We want Messiah now." And we get that spirit from Pesach. And this is now the central theme which we learned from Shmini also the idea that the main thing is Hashem. Nothing else is as important. The same thing from the story that you can't interrupt cuz the king is standing in front of you. And we saw the idea of not interrupting by the day news. It's a different sort of not interrupting, but the main thing is the focus is that Hashem is the most important thing, spirituality, and being connected to Hashem in a deeper or intimate way. Posting from my home. There is Hashem is butter. Your man in Melbourne.