CHAZAQ's Torah Talks #131 Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein - Shabbat: A Day to Create Yourself

you could just feel the stirring of am Isel and the sense of of strength that we draw from Toran and what that means says God gives strength to his people strength is tor that's that's also I I'm drawn and resonate with your name of the organization kazak because it reminds us that the source of our strength is Torah itself [Music] and welcome to Torah talks kazak's Tuesday night program with special guests we have with us all the way from South Africa the chief Rabbi Rabbi Warren Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein barab welcome how are you yeah thank God it's it's so wonderful to be with you and with your listeners thank you so much for the honor thank you Rabbi for joining us it means so much and we know how busy the rabbi is and you made the time to join us it means so much and we're going to be talking about Shabbat a date to create yourself which is the title of the rabbi's newest SE newest book and before we get to the topic with the rabbi can give us just a little bit of background about yourself and the great work you're involved um okay thank you it's it's it's wonderful and i' I've heard about the incredible work that kazak does um you know both with in in the public schooling system and uh as as well as reaching out and spreading Torah so it's it's really an honor to be with you and I'm a great admirer of your work so um look I I'll reg you know just you know in in in brief um I've served as um as Chief Rabbi of South Africa um actually began in on 1 of January 2005 so it's been you know almost 20 years um serving the South African Jewish Community as its um as its Chief Rabbi and um my uh you know know the through that work I've been involved in many many different aspects of the community both uh political engagements you know with with government and and religious leaders from other Faith uh communities uh but also you know a big element of it has been engaged directly with the Jewish Community you know to strengthen Torah and Mitzvah um of course in particular you know strengthening chabas is where the shabas project was born in South Africa um you know and and that was born in 2013 in South Africa you know with a vision initially just to be in South Africa you know for the whole Community to keep one Shabbat together and you know from there it's spread all over the world um because of this tremendous um you know thirst for for Shabbat and I think you know what what what what's weighing heavily on me now as we speak of course is the situation in Israel and our brothers and sisters and everything the the the tremendous fight for survival and you know for the for U you know for the safety of am Israel the Jewish people and the Jewish State and you know pay tribute of course to the to the brave soldiers and to their families for everything that they're doing what I've been so amazed at and humbled by and inspired by uh when when when thinking about what's happened in Israel over these last two months since since that terrible terrible day of on you know sheris shabas of um you know of October 7 the the there's been the resilience and the heroism of the people um you know to under the most under the most grueling of circumstances horrifying situation um you know filled with with fear and trepidation that's required so much bravery but in in all of that has been a tremendous spiritual stirring that I've felt over these two months both in Israel and um and throughout the world you know it's amazing you know and I think it's it's you see who who's like your People Israel that in in this time of of tremendous Challenge and crisis where where do we turn you know we we we we turn back to you know to to Hashem and and to his Torah and to our to who we are and um and and that has resonated so deeply because it's not just our brothers and sisters in in Israel that that are facing this crisis of course as Jewish communities throughout the the diaspora we've all facing it all all in different ways and um and and an important part of it is the one hand is the physical response which is critically you know that the IDF needs to be as strong as it can and and we salute them for everything that they're doing uh Jewish communities around the world need to secure themselves protect against uh um anti-Semitism terrorism and all all of these things and to you know engage with the politicians it's it's it's a it's it's an area you know that I've been raising concern about in South Africa actually the population in South Africa the South African people um are have a tremendous culture of acceptance of Jews we have amongst barash thank God the lowest rates of anti-Semitism in the world um but the South African government has been incredibly hostile to Israel and um and and and therefore you know I say guilty of anti-Semitism because you cannot separate between the two but they don't they don't reflect the people I'm just sharing all of these thoughts because in these times of turbulence um of course hearts and and minds and souls are are are focused around ER Isel and Med Isel at this at this time but but also um you know the the the spiritual stirring and I think what I've seen over the last two months has been a tremendous spiritual stirring you've seen these remarkable videos everyone has seen them beautiful you know of of PE you know solders wearing sit and um people you know the the the kindness that has been outpouring um you know from every part of of Israel and right across the diaspora has just been remarkable the the the charity the generosity the the everything has been remarkable and a major part of the spiritual stirring has been around Shabbat um you know so so actually with this year's Shabbat project in Israel um we I didn't think anything could happen because I mean who's got the head space the Mind space the you know there's so many of the volunteers that I spoke to the Shabbat project is driven by volunteers you know 99% of everything that happens is the volunteer army that that is in more than you know 1500 cities and and 100 countries around the world so there is this tremendous volunteer army but I thought in a sense that you know in Israel no one's because a lot of the volunteers I spoke to in Israel talking to to women whose husbands and Sons are in the Army um you know whole towns and Villages where where there no men every you know men are all on the battlefield there is you know this tremendous sense of fear and trepidation so much emotional energy of course focused on on this on this on this incredible battle and this fight for survival and yet and yet came from our Volunteers in Israel no we still want a Shabbat uh project in Israel in Israel they call it Shabbat alamit the global Shabbat and they said no we we want our Shabbat alamit and and and they did it and they did it in in bomb shelters and it was just a story of you know children in ashalon who came out of their bomb shelters for the first time in almost a month as it was then you know for for a and you know and you know to to participate so you could just feel the stirring of and and the sense of of strength that we draw from from Toran and what that means like the says God gives strength strength to his people strength is Torah that's that's also why I I'm drawn and resonate with your name of the organization kak because it it reminds us that the source of our strength is Torah itself 100% RAB gief Rabbi Goldstein very very inspiring and uh I I must tell you that the Shabbat project we've been involved for many many years the great kalab right before the Shabbat project we've had many many events and Shabbat we all know if all of the am of the Jewish people keep two Shabbat fully we'll have the G so that's why the Shabbat project is so important that's why I'm so excited about the rabbi's newest book Shabbat a day to create yourself Rabbi Golding could you maybe tell us how the new book came about how how long was it in the works was is that just came out out of nowhere is it in direct correlation to the Shabbat project the book that I wrote about Shabbat Shabbat day to create yourself really emerged from the Shabbat project in in in in a way that that I you know didn't really intend to to set up a Shabbat project for the whole world you know it started in South Africa but the there is such a deep and natural connection between Shabbat and the Jewish people that um the idea could not be contained within the borders of South Africa so it it it naturally spread uh like like our sages refer and I refer to it in the book is that Shabbat is the bat Zug it is the soulmate of the Jewish people it is is who we are there's a deep spiritual emotional connection between us and Shabbat and um so that that that that I I watched and felt that driving force of Shabbat and the connection with the Jewish people and saw Shabbat light up the homes and lives of Jews in former Soviet Union you know right across the United States in Latin America in France right across Israel and Israel uh you know before the war when when when in the years before the war when there was been so much tension between the different parts of society between um you know so-called religious and so-called secular and I don't even like the reason I say socalled is because I don't want to I feel that Jews we should never Define ourselves as or you know it it is a Jew is a Jew and and we need to Define we're all the children of Hashem and we all have a calling to be to be part you know to to to be part of his world and and and this is what he wants for us but I saw how Shabbat even in Israel could you know bring people together and not drive people apart and watching Shabbat unfold in different parts of the globe and this incredible connection I started to realize that there is something so powerful about it um and which is a strange thing to say as a rabbi and as a chief Rabbi because I learned I learned I learned H kabas and I knew the the laws of Shabbat and I'd read many things of course about it but I started to realize there's a depth to shabas that that I myself had not fully appreciated so the the project number of years ago inspired me to go and and learn and read whatever I could get my hands on um so you'll see at the back of the book um there more than 200im 200 of sources midashim the the earlier sages the later sages right across the generation scholarship from you know across three 3,300 years of of of of Jewish scholar ship starting of course with Hashem giving us the Torah Mount and and the oral law and everything that that part of it and I I just spent years learning about shabas from every commentator and Sage that I could get my hands on I devoted myself to to learning whatever I could getting my hands on any book that I could and any of the writings of our great sages from the last from these thousands of years to delve into what is Tris like I know what you can and can't do on chabas but but what is it what is the spirit what is the soul what is the the ideas of chabas and from all of these years of of of learning emerged the book and and and the way that that I looked at it was was to to came from the approach I based the book on the approach of the ramban one of our great sages as you know and many of your listeners will know RAB mosha bman who um you know had was so vast in every facet of of course of Torah knowledge but also understanding of the world and his interaction with society and he crafted a unique approach to to the concept of the of The Commandments which he on the Mitzvah which he which he based on the midash that says that that God gives us the Mitzvah not because he needs us to obey him but because we need it we he gives us the mitzvah for for us for our good for our benefit and and and then the question is how do the Mitzvah change you how how does going through this experience and then the question that I delved into in the book is a person who who lives with Shabbat every week what does what sort of person emerges from that and and and and really what Shabbat then becomes is God's gift to us because as we know it's the only Mitzvah in the talmud which is called a gift and God says I have this precious gift in my treasure house and it name is Shabbat and and and he says to mhe go and tell the people and he WR go and tell the people and so the gift of Shabbat is the gift that God gives us to to make ourselves the best person we can possibly be make our families the best our families can be our our communities our society our way of life life our our being our happiness and so divided the book into the different areas of how we how we are transformed that's why the title is Shabbat a day to create yourself so and how do you create yourself you create yourself through character what what are the mid dos the character traits that Shabbat nurtures within us to to bring out into the kind of person we are then we had a section on perspectives what how does a Jew you know who's connected to shabbat what does the world look like what what are the perspectives you see when you look at it Through The Eyes of Shabbat and then what you know Shabbat as a formula for happiness um and what does it teach us about how to attain happiness and then finally the the relationship between Shabbat and the Jewish people as a nation not just us as individuals or families but what does it mean for us as a nation which we are discovering in these you know tumultous times what does that mean for us as a nation and so um the the book is divided in into those sections um you know this is the the cover I just wanted to show uh those your listeners and your viewers as Shabbat day to create yourself and you'll see the word yourself is is cut in half with with the subtitle cutting into it building character shaping perspectives and finding happiness through Shabbat the reason why it's cut in half is because it is reflecting the fact that that you the creation of who you are is a work in progress we we never finish our life is to create who we are and and we do that through Shabbat and through the Torah that God gives us and and and we build ourselves we create ourselves and and that's the you know that was sort of the journey that led that led to the book beautiful amazing very very inspiring and uh this is the source of blessings and uh so many people that like we know that started keeping Shabbat and they say like we know it's like the next world it's like so good it's so amazing and we encourage everyone our entire audience at kazak Tor talks to get a copy of the rabbi's book I the rabbi's office sent it to us and we're so grateful to to you and to them uh you get a copy on Amazon and all judica stores uh in in the world I guess it's being distributed by feldheim and uh I learned Rabbi that you have some sort of U learning program that goes to together with this book if the rabie could touch upon that for a moment yeah so so this book I mean it's a book to read that you can read at home but you'll also see the way it's WR I've written it is that the sources are in are in the footnotes at the end of each chapter they the end notes of each chapter um so so a person who's completely uninitiated as your first time into Torah learning you'll you'll encounter the text easy to read without the names of all of the complicated sources for for a person who's got more who's got Torah background you'll find um there's more than 200 spim in the bibliography the the end notes on each chapter have the goras the midashim the everything there there's an there's an entire Journey that's there and and I think you know what we've learned is the best way to engage with it is actually um not just to read it but to learn it and so so kind of the the offer so firstly all the proceeds that come from the sales at Amazon or it you know should be at your local judica bookstores you know across the United States and North America um the the all of those proceeds go back to the Shabbat project you know it's it's it's not it's not for for for me personally and and and the um the you know I kind of learned that as well you know the woman who designed the cover I'll just show you it's a very interesting cover her name is Shon Kev um she she lives in Israel and um she she uh is somebody that other people may describe as as as kilon but I'll tell you you something I learned something amazing from her and that's why I don't like labels you know to label a Jew who we to label a Jew um by these labels of Kon when when she designed she she's an incredible designer she designed this cover um to make it you'll notice that the Rashi font on the word Shabbat and and and the the minimalistic style which makes it look both ancient in terms of the Rashi and M um I said to her the brief to her was you know if if Shabbat met um you know was was presented by by Apple and Steve Jobs what would it look like um this is of course a gift from Hashem so we want to preserve the ancient magnificent Divine gift of what Shabbat is but in a contemporary way she designed this cover um and she and then she but she wouldn't take one cent for the design she said how can she take money for Shabbat Shabbat is you know is so much more holy than that and she designed the cover four times because the book's been translated into Hebrew Spanish and French um and and so it's available aable in in all of the languages it's available also as an ebook on on Amazon but what I wanted to say and an audio book in the English but what I wanted to say with regards to these learning groups and to make this offer here on your program and that is um we we have hundreds of learning groups set up around the book across North America um literally hundreds with thousands of copies more than you know 10,000 copies of the book already in circulation and the the the offer that um I'm making and I I do so you know with the support of some amazing partners and donors who who feel so strongly that this um you know that the learning about shabat should should go as far and wide as possible is that anybody who wants to set up a a learning group with the book and you want to get together with a few friends to learn on a regular basis your commitment is we'll send you gift copies of the book to to get you um to get your learning group started it just needs to be where where there's a sense of understanding that that that that the the donors who got involved here wanted to go to people who who really want to learn it and you know are going to be involved in that learning group and and we'll see it through um but you know you you know you can my suggestion is your listeners should be in contact directly with you rabis that's okay and then we'll we'll we'll we'll set it up with you and anyone out there who wants to start a learning group it could even be a like you know one-on-one learning together with a friend or it could be two or three it could be a family you could decide as a family you want to learn the book every um Friday night shabbat at the Shabbat table together as a family a beautiful thing in in South Africa that has started mothers and daughters learning a chapter of the book after hadat neot so that they bring in Shabbat light the candles and then you know before Sunset and and then straight after the candle lighting sit together for 5 minutes now the book is is although it's based on more than 200 S it's it's very easy to read there there 45 chapters each chapter is two or three pages it it it takes around five minutes or less to read a chapter of the book I know that because I did the audio recording myself for the audio book and and I was quite surprised to see how quickly it takes to read the books to read the chapter aloud so it's it's perfect you know if you wanted to take it on as each week at the Shabbat table or over Shabbat to learn the book it'll take you 10 minutes to 15 minutes to read it and then have a bit of a discussion around it and and whoever does you know we can also send some supplementary material to help you on your journey I would love to personally to to stay in touch with you um look you know I'm staying in touch with with learning groups and RAB I'd love to work with you on that and kazak on that you know because as we were saying if if you know the Journey of Shabbat starts about learning about it and uh and and it's a call to to everybody those those in your listeners who already keeping Shabbat firstly you know I learned an amazing amount from from researching and writing the book so I hope that you'll have a lot to learn from it as well and and I would say then as well to to everybody set up find a learning group could be at work found an interesting thing in South Africa um you know people um know some people who at the their workplace they've set up a lunchtime learning group around the book particularly on a on a Friday afternoon AR shabus for 15 20 minutes before going home uh you know 2 3:00 in the afternoon get together a few people 15 minutes chapters done and discussed and they go home with with uh with shabas inspiration with that so there's so many different ways to access it and you know I would love to partner with with you Rabbi and with your listeners on this this sounds so exciting and and and kazak is always ready willing and able to do more for CLA for the community uh so make sure to reach out to us at info.org info chq.org regarding setting up a learning program and complimentary books we have many communities and all over the place so let's get people to step up to the plate and make a revolution like we said if everybody keeps to shabbat see the rabbi Goldstein it is such a pleasure to have you on the program we have a Minag custom on tour talks a final message for our broad audience okay um thank you so much it's it's been a delight and a joy to uh to be with you and um know I think my final message would be this in in these um historic times that we're living through with tremendous tremendous pain um tremendous inspiration at the same time tremendous fear uh and and concern and anxiety about the future but also a a tremendous spiritual stirring which is happening in am Israel uh let's let us all I think go forward together with with two things in in our response to these times the one is Unity which we are seeing in the most magnificent way across the Jewish world and we have to hold on to that Unity even please God you know when when when the crisis is over let's remember these feelings of love and connection and um and and and of course let I I think a a a very important Way Forward is that um is through Shabbat because let's let's not forget this the the the terrible barbaric terrorists attacked on a Shabbat they came that was not a coincidence they attacked on Sim they because this war is not a war about borders and politics it is a a war about values and identity and who we are they're attacking us because we are am Israel not because they want the Border in this place or in that place is because they they seek the destruction of am Israel and it is a spiritual war as well in other words it's physical a fight for physical survival but it is also about values and spiritual in who we are and our connection to Hashem and why we are here and what our role is as am Israel and if there if if there is one part of who we are which holds together all aspects of of of yish of Y of Tor of of Jewish identity it is shabas Shabbat um which is theid neish the soulmate of the Jewish people as the midash says God says you know that the Shabbat came to to God and said I don't have a partner I'm alone in the world and hash said Isel will be your partner and for us Shabbat has always been there at the the worst of times and at the best of times and and in these tough times Shabbat is there for us and holding our hand and giving us comfort and strength and and so let us be the let this now be the time for kuk in Shabbat and and that means you know um for those who who already are are keeping every aspect of it you know learn the H Shabbat make sure to be doing it in the best way possible learn about the ideas of Shabbat to understand that Shabbat is not just things that we do it is who we become that's the whole reason I wrote the book it's it's to to say who who are we as a Jew if we keep Shabbat a sh Shabbat is not just about the external keeping of the that's very important but it is about who we become from it and and and I would say to every Jew in the world doesn't matter at what level you are at the moment begin a journey of growth more Shabbat every week in different ways learn about it bring it into your family bring it around your table because as you said Rabbi the Shabbat has within it the of redemption and it has within it the that that incredible Merit so these two things one person with one heart together with Shabbat our bat Zug our our Eternal partner our soulmate our spiritual connection uh part of who we are we go together with and Shabbat then as Isel we will grow stronger and stronger and uh we we will be able to shine the light that our father in Heaven has has given us to do and and together in that Merit may we see the amen wow Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein all the way from South Africa what what inspiration Shabbat a day to create yourself once again the rabbi's newest book everyone is encouraged to get a copy on Amazon or local Juda stores distributed by feldheim and again the amazing opportunity the rabbi gave to all of us to do a learning with the book with a partner with a Kut with the with the group whoever it may be you'll be able to get a complimentary copy of the book thanks to some donors we encourage them to email us at info.org info at chq.org to see how you could take advantage of this opportunity I want to thank the RAB once again we want to thank all our listeners we want to encourage everyone Shabbat full force for this amazing Torah talk we just had to family friends and neighbors we want to thank our friends at Daily giving a dollar day really goes a very far away we want to thank our friends at toring time and all the other podcast players that have this kazak tor talks and all the members of kazak thank you very much and to the rabbi really appreciate your words of wisdom and thank you and to you too kak [Music] Kakak