Remembering Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZT"L | CHAZAQ

Good evening and welcome to this very special yard site event remembering of our Victor Miller such a great God all Rabbi who influenced tens of thousands of people not only in his lifetime but of course so many years later after after his his betira we his influence his farm his sheer are being inspired inspiring thousands of people around around the world and that's what we're here some some remarks of course from some some students some some some rabbis who were who were who were close to the rabbis a personal story some some reflections that we can and and lessons that we can take to our lives of course we're going to hear from from Mosha Mayor Weiss and Dova Wasser and by Gladstone Rabbi Wollhandler and by Brog and by Markowitz. These are very very powerful speakers and of course we know that Rabbi Wollhandler and Rabbi Markowitz are part of Torah sub Victor which is a tremendous revolution of spreading Rabbi Victor Miller's messages every single week thousands of people get get the the Torah sub Victor booklets and pamphlets in in in cities everywhere and of course everyone should go on Torah sub Victor's website and and of course when you get share we have to keep on sharing the messages of Rabbi Miller to continue his tremendous legacy and of course we thank our friend Michael Farrah for who was instrumental behind the scenes of this event was a dear friend of Khazak and and Torah sub Victor and and Khazak shows we thank Michael Farrah and of course everyone should share the link out torahanytime.com/khazaklive so you your friends everyone can get inspired by this very special program torahanytime.com/khazaklive is our now is our great great honor to start tonight's program. What a great school city is that throughout the entire world on virtually every continent we are all united gathered together throughout the world on the yard side of high Gavra Rabba the 25th yard side of Marana Rabba Victor Miller Zechor Tzadik Kodesh Livracha. To think about the greatness of Rab Miller the impact that he had on this world and continues to have most of a highlight more and more with each passing year his trushas his words his farin the articles they continue to go out each and every week throughout the entire world every day is something that is amazing the haspa the influence the greatness of Rab Miller is felt each and every day. It is fascinating that we learn that the passing of a tzadik is even more difficult than the Beit Hamikdash than the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash. The Chasam Sofer says why? Churban Beit Hamikdash the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash was catastrophic. What about the greatness of the passing the impact that it makes the passing of an Adam Gadol? He answers the following that the aveilus over the Beit Hamikdash is an aveilus but it's yeshana. It is something that is old. It is something that we have to date ourselves back in time. However by the tzadik every single year it's an aveilus chadasha it's a new aveilus it's a new morning. When we want to know who do we ask the shaila to? He's not here anymore. When we want an eitza he's not here anymore. When we want a das Torah on which way should we go to the right to the left to the center the great tzadik isn't here anymore so the aveilus is renewed each and every single day. I want to tell you that the greatness of Rab Miller was that everybody felt as he was their rebbe their father their guide their mentor the one that you could tell all of your most hidden thoughts to the one that would always have the answer would always have the eitza but yet as much as everybody was very close to him everybody felt a certain eima v'yirah in awe of fear of the godliness of the greatness of Rab Miller. When I was a bochur yeshiva I used to check shatnez. People would come to me every so often and I would be able to make a few pennies checking shatnez. One time Marana Rabba Victor Miller in his flat push came with his coat to check for shatnez. He left the coat a shliach brought it to me. I want you to know when I put the coat in my hands I began to shake. I thought to myself this is the beged of an Adam Gadol. How am I supposed to check it? I'm afraid I'm afraid to look I'm afraid what will happen if the cut is a little bit bigger than I need to make. It took me a long time to check that coat because even the beged of such an Adam Gadol made me shake. We understand that Rab Miller gave to us all the teachings of Slabodka was able to give to the younger generation the derech Yisrael Saba the way that our fathers and grandfathers and great grandfathers and great grandmothers lived and he gave us over the derech. He was able to impress upon us in a special way that nobody else was able to do. He addressed the needs of the time. He never stopped no matter what was the issue no matter how controversial it was Rabbi Victor Miller would always address it head on. We would always leave the sheer whether it was leil Shabbos or Thursday night or Shabbos or even during the day we would always leave that sheer so moved. We would be influenced we would walk away clarifying das Torah in our own minds especially at a time when there were a lot of contradictions there were a lot of things that were happening in society a lot of ideologies that were foreign to Torah that needed a clear presentation of where does a Torah Yid stand. I'll never forget Rabbi Victor one time clarified something in a sheer and one of the people that were in the sheer came over to him at the end and said Rabbi I think what you're doing is brainwashing. Rab Miller looked at him and says yes sometimes our brains do need a bit of washing. That is really what Rab Miller did for us. He was able to clarify the Torah's ideology what the Torah what Hashem expected from each and every one of us. Many times when I would sit together with my chaveirim in the sheer we would look at each other we would laugh sometimes we were startled sometimes it happened to be that we would learn something completely new maybe different from what others were saying. Rab Miller took the time to make sure that everybody was clear and when he used to give a Gemara sheer on Shabbos morning and you would sit in the sheer older men younger men boys bochurim didn't matter who it was Rab Miller would ask you to repeat the sheer at various times during the sheer repeat the first few lines of the Gemara. Anybody could be called on anybody could volunteer and Rab Miller would listen as a very very special rebbe to each of us and when we needed to have a little help he would help us along. When it needed correcting he would correct it. One time there was a rosh kollel that came from Manchester from England. He came to me and he asked for help. He wanted to know about a certain bochur that had left the yeshiva. How does he keep him close to Yiddishkeit? I told him why don't we go to Rabba Victor Miller? Rabba Victor Miller's only a block away. I'll try to get an appointment that I can take you there. The rosh kollel was so thank you. He was very very thankful. He came to Rab Miller and he told Rab Miller that he feels like Rab Miller's his rebbe because he had listened at that time I think to a thousand sheer of Miller. Rab Miller laughed and said I'm not your rebbe I'm your chavruta. And then began to explain exactly how to handle the bochur which was a completely different way than this menahel this rosh kollel was going to handle him. He was the one that was able to discern and to understand exactly how to get the right approach to each individual. I'll never forget I was asked to meet with an anti-Semite, somebody who was very big politically, and they asked me to be part of the delegation to go to meet him. Certainly, I was not going to go without asking the asked title. As a young man, I went to Rev Miller. Rev Miller listen, and I told him about the meeting. He looked up at me through his glasses and he said, "Do you have to go?" I said, "No, Rebbe. I don't." That was the end of the conversation. Once I knew what Rev Miller's feelings were, he didn't have to tell me, "Don't go, it's forbidden." He didn't say one word about it. All he said was, "Do you have to go?" Many times, people would come to Rev Miller and they would ask for a das Torah. And he was able to answer them, each person on their own level. The navi Eliyahu navi said, "Va'anino sarti navi levad Hashem, I was the only navi that was left to Hashem. I was the only one." But the Kotzker Rebbe asked the question, "What do you mean that he was the only one? Ovadia hid over a hundred nevi'im. So, how could it be he was the only one?" The Kotzker Rebbe said, "Because Eliyahu navi, he knew the language, he knew the lingo, he knew how to get the point across, he knew how to deliver the dvar Hashem over to each and every person. That was Moreinu Rav Rabbi Avigdor Miller. Zecher tzaddik kadosh livracha. He knew how to give the dvar Hashem over to each and every person in this world. And that is the reason why I think his words are now more heard than ever. Even people that years ago used to say, "Rev Miller, isn't a little bit extreme?" "Rev [clears throat] Miller, isn't that a radical position?" Now they're running. Now they want to know, "What did he have to say about this issue?" or about that issue. What was his das Torah? Why is there such a thirst? Because he was the navi. He was the one that was able to deliver the dvar Hashem to you and to me and to our generation. May his neshama have an aliyah in shamayim. May he be a meilitz yosher for each and every one of us, for all of Klal Yisrael. And may we soon have Mashiach Tzidkeinu and techiyas hameisim when we will see the great Rebbe once again. The chazzak asked me to say a a few milui de haspada for the very great Rev Avigdor Miller ben Yisrael HaKohen. Zecher tzaddik livracha zechuso yagein aleinu. It is indeed a privilege because every word that we say about this great man is a lesson for the ages. Just like Esther said, "Kasvuni ledoros." Write me for all generations. She knew that the lessons of the megillah were for all generations. So too, Rev Miller's words, his actions, his teachings, are for all ages. We see the proliferation of his works, pamphlets in almost every shul, books with Q&A's, Hebrew and English books of his philosophy. When I think of Rev Miller, I think of the pasuk Mishlei HaMelech Sof davar hakol nishma. Es HaElokim yera ve'es mitzvotav yishmor ki zeh kol ha'adam. At the end, when everything is tabulated, and all the different possibilities of life are examined, fear God and keep His mitzvot, for that is the whole man. And the Gemara tells us, "Kol ha'olam lo nivra ela bishvil zeh." The whole world was created for such a man. This pasuk describes Rev Miller perfectly. Es HaElokim yera. As he would say, "Yera is from the root of rei. See God. See God in everything that you do. And keep His mitzvot." That's who he was. He taught us first and foremost that our job in this life is to be aware of Hashem. As the pasuk says, Moshe Rabbeinu told us, "Mah Hashem Elokecha sho'el me'imach ki im leyira." What does He ask from you but that you should see Him? And he taught us how to see Hashem from a seed. Take a dead brittle seed, put it in the ground. It's not like a battery whether you put it in one way or another way, the plant comes up, the roots go down. From one seed, this one little lifeless seed comes a tree with fruits with thousands of seeds for many, many, many years. It's it's stupendous. Wherever you go, you see "Mah rabu ma'asecha Hashem, kulam bechochma asisa." Wherever you see, you see that everything is invested with wisdom. He used to challenge us when you were in school and they taught you "Nature did this, nature did that." He said, "Either nature is accident or nature is Hashem." So, they don't want to acknowledge God, so they created a a word nature, but that's Hashem. And the plan and purpose cries out to Hashem. The the the intricacies of the human eye, the complexity of the equilibrium in the inner ear, the the incredible incredible brilliance of every creature being prepared for what they need in order to survive in the place that they were in, even matching the skin color matching the fauna around them for camouflage. I mean, Rev Miller challenged us. See Hashem wherever you look. He was the ultimate yirei shamayim. "Hein yiras Hashem hi chochma, reishis chochma yiras Hashem." Rev Miller taught us by example. To hear him speak about tzaddikim, to hear him say about Rev Moshe Feinstein, "I love that man." How he ran away from any type of uh divisiveness. He was asked a question about the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Rev Schach. He said, "The Lubavitcher Rebbe was a great man and had great followers, and Rev Schach was a great man and had great followers, and if you hear anything, you should stay away from it." He taught us that the Ribbono shel Olam loves shalom. Oh, did he teach us. He said, "You don't have to be a great philosopher to know that the other religions are not true." In his sefer Awake My Glory, he has a chapter parallels where he said, "You don't have to study uh Catholicism and Christianity to know what it is. All you have to look at the blood libel." He said, "There are churches still now studded across the European continent like uh a big church named after St. Bartholomew. St. Bartholomew was allegedly a child killed killed by the Jews, and they still go to that church. They still have midnight masses. Big church that holds a thousand people. Another church, St. Theodorus. You think about what they did in the name of the cross by the Crusaders. They raped and pillaged and killed. He said, "All you have to see is those things and you know that the whole thing is false." And and and he said, "The same thing is true with the other religions." Oh, how he taught us that we should prepare for the next world. He was always talking that he was getting ready for the final beginner. At the end of his life, he was reviewing a section, a difficult section of Ketzos, that he would tell over to Hashem when Hashem would give him a fire here in the next world. By him, the next world was such a reality. His diligence, his use of every moment. You know, that in in Yiddishkeit, we cherish our moments. We cherish our minutes. Right? Even by his own children's weddings, he would leave early and he would tell them, "I have guests." And they would say, "Well Well, Tati, everybody that's important is here." He says, "No, I got to go. Abaye and Rava are waiting for me. Rebbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish are waiting for me. Ravina and Rav Ashi are waiting for me." He would He would teach us that we should do everything meaningfully. That's what he wanted from us. He didn't want us just have cholent and chicken soup on Shabbos. He wanted us to eat to celebrate that the world wasn't always here. It didn't come about from a Big Bang. It didn't evolve over millions of years. Hashem made it in six days and rested on the seventh day. And that's what we celebrate Shabbos. He said, "Shabbos is one of the greatest of the eidus of the testimonials." He said, "Eidus is the same letters as deios because eidus gives us knowledge." So, he would say, "Use the knowledge. Use the yarmulke, yirei malkah, to realize that there's a king that on top of you that you are afraid of and that you fear. Utilize the tzitzis. Put the fillin and bind your heart and your mind to Hashem." He would He would tell us and how he would tell us to not waste our davening. He would tell us that you want to make your davening worthwhile. Before every davening, think about something to say thank you in modeh ani since the last davening. He said, "It doesn't have to be a big thing. You found a quarter for the meter? You found a parking spot in Borough Park? It could be a big thing. In the morning when you say modeh ani, you could say you had a very pleasant night with your spouse. There were no fighting. Not many people can say that. Had a pleasant night? Say modeh ani. Everything's working in your body? Say modeh ani. And how he would teach us to pray in anticipation. He would say that the friends of Iyov asked him when they had trouble when he had trouble, "Haya rosh u'shua choshech lo vatzar?" Did you arrange your prayers before you had trouble? So, he would tell us, "Although nobody thinks to do this, but pray lo oilam yispor lo adam shelo yachla. Pray not to get sick." He says, "Karov Hashem l'chol karov l'chol asher yikra'uhu v'emes. Hashem is close to those that call in truth, not in need. Of course, if you're in need, you could call. Hashem listens. But the best thing is to pray before you need. Please, Hashem, help me not get sick. Please, Hashem, help me not be depressed. Please, Hashem, help my mind and the mind of my loved ones always work." Personally, I have so much gratitude to Rav Miller who opened my eyes to learning to living my life thinking about Hashem. Like he said, it says, "Es Hashem Elokecha tira." Whenever you are uh faced with a decision and you say, "Would Hashem want me to do this or not?" You're fulfilling the mitzvas asei of "Es Hashem Elokecha tira." May he go from sha'ar to sha'ar in Gan Eden. May he be a meilitz yosher for the entire world that he benefited. And may we see soon the techiyas hameisim and the beas Hamikdash tzedek bimheira v'yameinu. There's a question that I get asked fairly often, and that question is, "What's the chiddush of Rav Miller?" And the answer to that question is, his chiddush was that there was no chiddushin. There was no He didn't try to be creative and say something different every time. His chiddush was no chiddushin. Somebody once asked him, "What made you Rav Miller?" And he said, "Since I left Slabodka, I haven't missed a day of Chovos Halevavos. I haven't missed a day of Chovos Halevavos. The same thing every single day." So, he told Rav Miller said that somebody once wrote him a letter. Somebody in Toronto wrote him a letter. He said, "Rav Miller, I listened to 100 of your tapes, and I have your shnit." And shnit means your style. "I got the style. I understand you. You approach this a certain way. You approach a pasuk a certain way. You approach a ma'amar Chazal. I know the topics that you discuss. This is what you cover. I have it. I got your style." So, Rav Miller said, "He's right. You listened to 100 tapes, you have the style. But what you're missing is, it's true that I am very repetitive and I talk about the same things every time. But every time, this it goes a little bit deeper. That's what this person is missing. It's true, he has the style already. But every time, it goes a little bit deeper." And I think that 90% of people watching now also have the style. If you're into Rav Miller a little bit, you read the Torah Civic every week, you got it. You got the style. The difference is that Rav Miller didn't get it. He didn't get the style. He kept taking it, and he kept working on it, and he kept doing it over and over again. He had a brilliant mind. It's You could hear in in the way he speaks. And um in Torah, he gave shiurim in Kollel Torah Kollel. He knew the Sefer Chovos Halevavos perek. Chovos Halevavos was difficult sefer. He could have wrote brilliant chiddushin in Halacha. He could have wrote svarim. But l'maiseh, every single day, Chovos Halevavos. And you listen to the tapes. That's all he did. Chovos Halevavos, Mesillas Yesharim, Sha'arei Teshuvah Rabbenu Yonah, the Rambam, over and over and over again. That was his life. Rav Miller told a story that in Slabodka, he once heard two talmidim. And one talmid said to the other, "That the mussar of this yeshiva, this was this the mussar style of Slabodka, it's coming [snorts] out of my ears already." Cuz he heard it over and over again. He's there for many years, and this is all he's hearing. So, the other talmid said to him, "If it's coming out of your ears, it means that it never went into your ears. If it goes into your ears, it would stay in your brain. If it's coming out of the other ear, it never went in." So, that's what Rav Miller did. It went in, and it stuck there. He didn't get the style. He got the style, and he utilized it. He employed it. He kept He took the style, and he made the style work for him. And that's why today, now the yahrtzeit is here, and everybody wants to take on a kabbalah l'iluy nishmas Rav Miller, Rav Avigdor ben Yisrael HaKohen. And he said, "What What's the kabbalah going to be?" So, we all know that Rav Miller said, "When you walk in the street, think about yetzias Mitzrayim. Picture it happening. Think about them. Think about Sefiras HaOmer." But do we do it? Maybe that should be the kabbalah for once. Don't just think about Don't just know about it. Do it. He said, "To walk in the street and say, 'I'm an eved Hashem. Hashem, I'm your servant. I'm your servant.'" You know that Rav Miller said you should do it. But are you ready to do it? And that's what we have to think about now. If we want to connect with the legacy of Rav Miller, the legacy was not to say over a chiddush, but to actually practice something that's not a chiddush. To learn the mussar and to internalize the mussar and to practice it and to live with it. And like the Gemara says, "Mah hu b'chayei nofzerah b'chayei." When a tzaddik uh influences the next generation and he causes them to practice his deeds, it means that his deeds are still alive. The tzaddik is still alive as long as we continue um practicing his teachings. And uh it's beautiful to see after 25 years that his legacy is still alive, and there's so many tens of thousands of Yidden all over the world who were inspired to change the way they lived their life based on the way he changed the way he lived his life, not just his teachings, the way he lived. And may Hashem we should be zocheh to emulate him and to come close to Hashem. Chaf Zayin Nissan, the yahrtzeit of HaGaon HaTzaddik HaRav Avigdor HaKohen Miller, zechuso tzaddik livracha. One of the great gifts HaKadosh Baruch Hu gave me is that when I came back from learning in Eretz Yisrael and I came back to America, HaKadosh Baruch Hu stirred me to try to find someone to connect with uh gadol that I could learn from and grow from outside of the regular Yeshiva program. And the idea that somehow came to my mind is I need to go to Ocean Parkway near the Mir Yeshiva and listen and learn from Rav Avigdor Miller ZT"L. It was not close to my house. It was about a 45-minute walk from Avenue N 31st to Ocean Parkway near the Mir and for about 3 years uh the last 3 years of Rav Miller's life I had this zechus to go on most Shabbosim to uh walk many times with my father, Zev Wolfson, and sometimes with my brother, and we would go to Rav Miller before Mincha to hear his Ein Yaakov shiur, to eat Shalosh Seudos with him, and to hear his Gemara shiur, then to daven Maariv together and hear Rav Miller make Havdalah. Also heard many, many of his uh recorded shiurim, and the influence of Rav Miller continues to reverberate in my soul until this very day. And when I mentioned that this is something that we have to thank Hakadosh Baruch Hu for, this was a lesson that Rav Miller taught. In Tehillim, in the perek Ledavid Beshanoso es ta'amo lifnei Avimelech vayegareshuhu vayelach, avarecha es Hashem bechol eis. And Rav Miller explained as follows. This is talking about when David Hamelech was captured by Avimelech, and David Hamelech didn't know how's he going to get out of the palace. He's in the clutches of Avimelech Melech Plishtim. So, David Hamelech feigned insanity. David Hamelech says, "I have a great idea. I'm going to behave as if I'm crazy, and Avimelech is going to say, 'Uh what? I have no need for him.'" That's what David did. Ledavid Beshanoso es ta'amo, he changed his sanity. He acted insane. Lifnei Avimelech vayegareshuhu, Avimelech chased him out. Vayelach, and David left. How often when we have a great idea, we say, "Thank you, Hashem, that the idea was successful, but it was my idea. It was my insight. It was my brilliant chap." No, David Hamelech did not fool himself. David Hamelech did not convince himself that he's to credit for the idea. Ledavid Beshanoso es ta'amo, when David Hamelech came up with this ingenious plan, what did he say? "Avarecha es Hashem bechol eis." I will bless Hashem always. I will even bless him for the good idea in the first place. So, it's appropriate for me to say, "Thank you, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, that Hashem gave me the hisa'arus. Hashem stirred me. Hashem gave me the idea to try to connect with Harav Avigdor Miller ZT"L. >> [snorts] >> I even have a notebook of his teachings that particularly resonated with me, and in the back I recorded questions that I personally asked Rav Miller during the course of those 3 years. I want to focus on a few of the great contributions of Rav Miller. Again, it's only bigeda katzehu sera vechulai lo sera, it's only a small semblance of what appears to us as the greatness of Harav Miller ZT"L. Rav Miller emphasized the importance of not wasting one's mind and the importance of utilizing one's thoughts at all opportunities for Avodas Hashem. Here's one very interesting example. Rav Miller quoted the Gemara in Yoma ayin alef, as halech lifnei Hashem be'artzei hachaim, "I will walk before Hashem in the land of the living." Amar Rav Yehuda, "Zeh makom shvakim." That David Hamelech davened to Hashem, "If only once again I can merit to walk in the marketplace." Why did David want to walk in the marketplace? Did he need to go shopping? Did he need to buy different goods? Says Rav Miller, "No, the marketplace provided a unique opportunity of Avodas Hashem." When you look at a bakery, you should think only Hashem could make the grain that the bread comes from. One should think, "Hashem is hamotzi lechem min ha'aretz." Hashem is borei minei mezanos. When you see a fruit stand, you should think, "Look at all the vivid colors that Hashem painted these delicious items." Hashem is trying to attract our attention, cuz Hashem wants us to be happy. Hashem wants our happiness. We're going to come back to that idea. When one passes a clothing store, one should think, "Where does the wool come from?" The wool comes from a sheep. Sheep? It's a miraculous machine. Imagine if you could take grass. Imagine if you had a lawnmower. It takes in the grass and it spits out wool. You'd become a billionaire. Well, that's what a sheep is. It eats grass and it produces wool. So, to Rav Miller, the the marketplace, the shvakim, was artzei hachaim. It was a beis hamedrash. >> [snorts] >> Rav Miller emphasized the importance of being happy in this world. He taught, "Why does it say in Bereishis perek alef pasuk lamed alef, 'Vayar Elokim es kol asher asa vihinei tov me'od.'" Why does the Torah record that Hashem commented that the world is very good? Says Rav Miller, "The Torah wants us to emulate Hashem, that just like Hashem said the world is good, we should say the world is good. Stop complaining." Rav Miller taught from the Rambam in the Moreh Nevuchim that almost everything in this world is very, very good. Even someone who suffered >> [snorts] >> most of his life, he was happy and successful, and even during the suffering, most of the things were very good. And if the Torah records that Hashem said, "Everything is very good." Kol asher asa vihinei tov me'od, the Torah wants us to emulate the ways of Hashem. We too should comment, "It's very, very good." Rav Miller explained the very difficult episode in Parshas Beha'aloscha, that when Klal Yisrael complained about the manna, it was einayim ke'ein habedolach, it was crystal, it was white. There was no color, and the Jewish people were tortured by that. Vaya'anchu vayarevu, they said, "God, you afflicted us. You starved us." And Moshe Rabbeinu said the harshest thing he ever said to the Ribbono Shel Olam. He said, "Lama hare'osa avdecha? Why did you do so bad to me? Lama lo matzasi chein be'einecha? Ve'im kacha at oisali, hargeini na harog." "If this is what you're going to do, kill me now." Why did Moshe have such a strong reaction? Says Rav Miller, "Moshe was emulating Hashem. Hashem's primary goal for us is that we should be happy. Like Mesillas Yesharim says, "Ha'adam lo nivra ela lehisaneig." Man was only created to enjoy. The prime joy is in the afterlife. Lehisaneig al Hashem, but in Slabodka they put a comma after the word lehisaneig to indicate "Ha'adam lo nivra ela lehisaneig." Hashem created us for happiness. If Klal Yisrael was in a state of unhappiness, to Moshe Rabbeinu this was the greatest desire possible. So, Hashem says to Moshe, "Esfa li shiv'im ish miziknei Yisrael." Gather for me 70 men. So, Rav Miller asked, "If the Jewish people are unhappy, how are 70 rabbis going to remedy the situation?" Moshe had a question. "Me'ayin uli basar la'asos lechol ha'am hazeh?" Where is he going to get the food from? Rav Miller taught that the 70 zekeinim were going to teach the Bnei Yisrael how to recognize how fortunate they were in every detail in life. that for the ordinary mind, it's not easy to learn how to be happy. One has to be trained to be happy. The ordinary mind naturally will be in a state of dissatisfaction. You need a great mind to impart happiness. The Chovos Halvavos says it is the job of the chachamim to teach people how to be happy. If Hakadosh Baruchu has appointed in our great history a chacham who excelled in the role that the Chovos Halvavos describes that it's the job of a Torah sage to teach man how to be happy that shluchei d'Rachmana was certainly Harav Avigdor HaKohen Miller, zichron tzaddik l'vracha. He taught the Jewish people how to be happy. He taught us how to enjoy a cup of water how to get pleasure from a cup of water. He taught us how to enjoy breathing air. How to walk down the street and appreciate how to breathe. He taught how to appreciate sunlight. That when the sun shines on your skin, you should think it's producing vitamin D and it's killing bacteria on your skin and to sing toivei me'orei hashabbos Elokeinu. >> [snorts] >> Rav Miller taught how to enjoy the wind how to appreciate the buttons on your shirt, how to appreciate the stitching on the button holes, how to appreciate a hat clothing Baruch atah Hashem malbish arumim. Rav Miller was the quintessential Torah sage of whom the Chovos Halvavos describes that it's their function to teach the Jewish people how to be happy. And with all of Rav Miller's excellence in the realm of machshava, mussar, and Chovos Halvavos who was mishtabeach to Talmud Bavli greater than Rav Miller I remember at the levaya of Rav Miller and I was zocheh to be there on that Sunday morning on Ocean Parkway. I was zocheh to cry at the levaya of Rav Miller and I am sure that whatever bechiya I was zocheh to was one of the most elevating moments in my life. Rav Miller said that when he was younger, he chazered, he reviewed Chulin 40 times. Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen said at his levaya he learned Shas 60 to 70 times. In his final day in the hospital, he reviewed Bechoros for an hour and a half baal peh. On his walks, he had 40 different siddurim. He wrote a sefer at 91 and a half years old. Avarcha es Hashem b'chol eis. We have to always bless Hashem. And one of the great gifts Hakadosh Baruchu gave me personally and gave our generation and gave Klal Yisrael was the zchus to see and to talk to and to learn from Harav Avigdor HaKohen Miller. Z'chusoi yagein aleinu v'al Klal Yisrael. share with you a story and I had a zchus to be in the hospital the night before the rabbi passed away. We had the rotation, so I was the He passed away Friday, so I was there Wednesday night. And um there was [clears throat] nothing to do just in case he needed something, so he had to be available. So around 3:00 in the morning I hear some rustling, shuffling. So I I see that my Rav Miller was going to the bathroom. Got out of bed and he's going to the bathroom. And he comes back I don't know about you, but I know if you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you come back, make asher yatzar, and you go back to sleep. So he was sitting up in his bed and he made asher yatzar. Then he starts to talk. I am talking to I said, "What a a battlan What a battlan like me? Battlan means that someone who is a not not a not a person who can do much. That's an English it's an expression. A battlan is someone who has two left hands, you call him a battlan. So what a battlan like me? How did I do such good shidduchim for my daughters? That's what he said. A good shidduch for my daughters. I'm thinking to myself good shidduch for your daughters? This is 40 years ago, this is not from today. You're talking about a story from 40 years ago. And he's a very he's thanking Hakadosh Baruchu now the night before he's passing away. What's on his mind? It's on his mind is how can I thank Hashem for the kindness that Hashem did for me that he gave me such wonderful marriages for my daughters. That's what he said. Rav Miller I I I have a recollection that a person has I'm not sure if it was a question, but I remember hearing from Rav Miller the following idea. How does a person know if he's getting anywhere in life? That's a good question. We try to advance. So how do we know if we're getting anywhere? So he the expe- the the what I what I remember was that if a person lo aleinu, heaven forbid, a person comes down with bad news. Somebody gets, let's say, a diagnosis of sort of sorts. So he can't sleep. His world is shattered. He gets a diagnosis, he lost his job. And he has expenses. He gets a diagnosis that his wife is leaving him. Or his So whatever it might be. His child is not well. Or you think the worst thing. His life is upside down. He can't sleep at night. But when a person can't sleep at night because he's bothered by the question mah ashiv la Hashem kol tagmulohi alai. How can I repay Hashem for all the good he did for me? And that question is keeping him up at night. Ooh, now you know you're getting someplace. Dovid Hamelech had that problem. Dovid Hamelech said, mah ashiv la Hashem? How can I repay Hashem for all the good he's doing for me? Today we don't ask this question. Because what's the first question a person asks when bad news hits? First question he asks is, "Why me? I'm such a good man. Why am I getting this?" But if chas v'shalom bad news comes, he doesn't ask this question. But if good news comes what's the last question anybody asks? "Why me?" That's the last question. "Who else if not me?" But Dovid Hamelech had this problem. Mah ashiv la Hashem? How can I thank Hashem for all the good he's doing for me? And that's how Rav Miller lived his life. He lived his life always thanking Hashem, always thanking Hashem for all the good Hashem was doing for him. And what is Hashem not doing for us? That's he lived in his My grandmother once told my grandfather, Rebbetzin Miller told Rav Miller, "You're always talking to Hashem." Cuz he was always thanking Hashem. He sat down to eat thanking Hashem for eating. Everything everything he says. In fact, in his tzava'ah, he left his tzava'ah. In his tzava'ah he wrote as follows. He said, Hakadosh Baruchu b'rov chasdo Hakadosh Baruchu with tremendous kindness beirach oisi bakol mamash. Hashem blessed me with literally everything. Ilu kasavti sefer gadol had I written a [clears throat] tremendous book lo yacholti ligmor sippur shvachav. I would It would be impossible to end relating the praises of Hashem shechanan oisi kol orech yom yomai v'chayei. What Hashem graced me all the days of my life. Y'hi shem Hashem m'vorach. The name of Hashem should be blessed. Me'atah from now v'ad olam and forever. Al alfei alafim on the thousands upon thousands of chasdei Hashem of kindnesses imadi that he did with me. So now this is what This was Rav Miller's idea, his focus of life, always thanking Hashem for everything that Hashem did for him. And then in his tzava'ah, he left as follows. He left v'atem and you people who are reading this tzava'ah teilchu b'derech zu you should also go. You should go in this way. Which way? B'hakaros chasdav imachem of recognizing the the chesed his chesed that Hashem is doing with you. V'chasdav b'rov chasdav imadi. And also thank Hashem not only for the chesed that Hashem is doing for me individually, but we should thank Hashem for the chesed that Hashem did with our grandfather Rav Miller. So that's the life. This is what his Savoy left. And he did it. The table of orders not sham coming. You should increase to thank Hashem always. Tommy means always. And the Tommy to you to he always Hashem and always the praise of Hashem should be should go over here him. It caught very frequently in your mouth. I'll have sold of him already. On the Hashem that Hashem did with me. The gamma show is in more him and also what he's doing with you. So now you know how Rabbi Miller lived his life. This is a lesson. This was his Savoy that he left for his family. And he expressed it all the time. He was always thanking Hashem. He lived with Hashem. That's why he never had a bad day. Because it was always a gift from Hashem. I remember that. I'm thanking God as well. One of the things that you'll hear many times from people. People People have One of the benefits that Hashem gave mankind is to get married. A spouse. A spouse is a gift from Hashem. It's a code It's a Pesach Tikvah. It's our gate of hope. Why is that? How would the world just from a a way of perfecting ourselves? How in the world is would we take Is there anybody that could give us musar that we would accept it willingly or maybe even unwillingly and not firing them if our if our employee told us off, you think we'd keep them as a hired employee? Most probably not. But our spouse is there 24/7 to give us strict put us on the straight narrow path. And he's always thanking God as well for the gift of having a spouse. People think a spouse is that No, a spouse is a gift from Hashem. And he was always thanking God as well for him. For his wife. In fact, when he was at the end of his time, he did an operation a year before it two years a year I mean two years before he passed away on a valve valve job. He needed a valve job. And he didn't want to do it. He said he didn't need it. But the reason why he did it was because his wife wanted him to do it. He was ready to do it as a kindness of life. The fact that his wife did what what his wife did for him. So this is the lessons that we One of the lessons that that Rabbi Miller imparted is constantly to be aware of what Hashem is doing for us. If you're not constantly aware of what Hashem is doing for us, guess what? You're going to have nothing to think about. If you have a cup If you have a cup and you have a hole in the bottom of the cup, you think your cup is ever going to run over? Definitely not cuz there's a hole on the bottom. And that's what we're saying in in in Ashrei. We're saying Zacher rav tuvcha. The remembrance of your multiple kindnesses. Yabbi'u. Zacher rav tuvcha yabbi'u. Yabbi'u means they'll flow over. Also means they'll talk about it. If it's happen to flow over because there's no hole on the bottom. Cuz you're always adding more chesed and more chesed and remembering all the chesed that Hashem did for us. Even the fact that we have an organization like Hatzalah who's spreading good messages. So thank Hashem for such a wonderful gift. You have many many venues today of spreading the word of Hashem. All of these things we have to be thankful for. In fact, if you focus on English mon history, when you make brochos, everything is thanking Hashem for something. Atah chonein l'adam da'as. You're thanking Hashem for your that you're not in worldly things all the time. Refa'einu Hashem v'neirafe. You're thanking Hashem that you're healthy. Healthy. You know, I'm not sick. You know, he heals us Hashem. No, Hashem didn't heal us. You know how many germs are out here all the time Hashem is protecting us? And that's our job. This is the message. If there's one message that Rabbi Miller lived by, it was this message of always being aware of the chesed that Hashem is doing for him. And always not just aware of it, thanking him verbally for it. Always talking to Hashem, repeating the kindnesses that Hashem did for us. It's It's a good idea. It's a good idea that you should keep a notebook and you should write in if you can most things that Hashem did for us. They don't have to be earth-shattering. The fact that you woke up in the morning, you're saying modeh ani, you're getting out of bed with excitement. You could get out of bed. You feel you're working. Mobility. You can see. You have clothing to wear. And every one of those brochos is something to focus on. Another gift of what Hashem is doing for us. And not only for us, including that is what he's doing for our spouse, our children, or anybody that's dependent on us or we're dependent on them. If chas v'shalom something happened to one of our close relatives, what would our life be? It would be terrible. We'd have Suddenly it would change. So we have so much to think about all the time. And and the more person's focused on giving thanks to God as well for what he did for us, then he'll be a very happy person. He'll never have a sad day in his life. The most important thing is it's We have You're going to People hear and read a lot of things from Rabbi Miller. The difference what his success was is that it wasn't just hearing it and saying, "Well, that's nice." But he implemented. Implemented. So if there's one thing we could take away from this, it's not it would be to start a program of thanking God as well. And if we're doing that, guess what? Let's do it some more. Cuz there's no there's no shortage of what we should think about. Keep a cookie jar in your house and every night if you're married, you and your wife should put in a piece of paper with a gift that Hashem gave you that day. And you'll see you'll be one within a short period of time, you'll be you'll amass so many gifts that Hashem did for you. And you'll be very happy. That's the key. Key to success is always think about the good that Hashem is doing for you. Cuz Hashem is our father and that's what bitachon is all about. Whatever good that you have is only from Hashem. It's nothing because you're so smart or so bright. It's not because your parents. It's all God as well. Hashem is instilling all these things in people to do for us. Our customers, our employees, our employers, all God as well. And keep remembering that. And Hashem wants to do good for us. And everything Hashem is good. And our job is to talk to him. If you talk to him like you talk to your father. Say, "Dad, Papa, Abba." Like you say, "I need help. I got to pay my mortgage today. I'm a little short. Maybe you can give me a Can you give me a gift?" Same thing as you talk to God as well. He's for real. And that's what is Hashem. Rabbi Miller lived with Hashem. What does that mean lived with Hashem? Hashem was real to him. And if it's real to you, then your life will be different. That's how the automatically you'll have bitachon. Everybody's running for bitachon. I'll tell you a little anecdote that the Yeshiva publishes Rabbi Miller's Yeshiva database. So so he published uh the forum of the Or Avigdor series on Chovos Halevavos on the Siddur Sheshon. And when the program started many years ago, so it was a question what safer we should put out first. So I was thinking it was my idea to publish a a it's a safer on Shaar Bitachon. Cuz everybody says have issues and they're they're struggling and they're reaching out for bitachon. So there's another fellow, his name was Reb Shiya Graeber alav hashalom. He worked with us in Yeshiva, very fine man. And he pushed and he said, "No, we have to start from the beginning. We have to start from Shaar Habechina." Why? Because Chovos Halevavos is built like a ladder. And you got to climb the ladder first with Shaar Habechina. Why is that? Because if a person goes to Shaar Bitachon without Shaar Habechina, then he's he has his ladder up against the wrong tree cuz he doesn't realize all what Hashem is doing for us. All the good that Hashem can do for us and what he is constantly doing for us. Only after you see what Hashem does for us, then you can come to real bitachon. So as someone once asked Rabbi Miller, "What did you do to become Rabbi Miller?" And he said that since I went to Slabodka Yeshiva, a day hasn't passed that he hasn't learned Chovos Halevavos. So this is a message parting message we should take upon ourselves. Also plug ourselves into the to the Chovos Halevavos program and steig [clears throat] and steig and thanks to God as well gaining a great awareness of Hashem and that'll bring us to tremendous happiness in everything we do. 23 years ago when the rub the day that the rub was nifter was the worst day in my life I would think. I found that after davening Friday morning in shul, uh my wife called me and told me and I I did keriah there in the back of the shul. >> [snorts] >> And uh why do I say it was the worst day? I I lost my rebbe. And from then, little by little his influence waned. There were no more shiurim to go to from the rub. No more Friday afternoon Erev Shabbos walks that I would take with him. >> [snorts] >> And uh even though I had the tapes to listen to, but little by little not having him around his influence on myself and my family waned. About 7 years ago I was transcribing for myself. I was writing out one of the his Pesach shuir before Yom Tov. I used to do that every Yom Tov. I would transcribe a few lectures on paper. That way I could use them I could read them on Yom Tov. And I noticed that in one lecture one Pesach shuir he was he had clarified an important point that I that he had touched on many years before many years before in a different lecture that I had written out. And I began to think about organizing it to try to have some of the shuirim from the early years combined with the later shuirim and try to put things together in a in a orderly fashion that should make it more easy more easy for me to use on Yom Tov. And after I did that I began to think that why should I keep it for myself? All the work I'm putting in I would sit there with a pen and listen to the tape and write it out word for word. Why shouldn't I share it with others? The the Rav's Torah had such a deep influence on my life and my family's life the life of my children too. And why should why shouldn't I share it? And from there Torah So Vigder grew. Torah So Vigder was born on that day and since then it's been it's been growing. >> [sighs] >> The fact is that Rav Miller today still lives on because of Torah So Vigder. And that has nothing to do with me in particular. It has to do with the Klal Yisrael coming together on a whole and bring him back to life. Because my papers that I worked and I always had I kept for myself and I used them every Yom Tov and every Shabbos and I would review them. But then Klal Yisrael came together and joined in in wanting to spread the Rav's Torah. To spread it in an authentic way the way he said it even though sometimes it might grate people's nerves. Everybody has different nerves and people's nerves are grated in different ways. But at the end of the day it's a Torah it's a Torah that touches everyone. Uh people who are new to Yiddishkeit and people who are been involved with serving Hashem for 80 years they they appreciate it the same way. They read it and they enjoy it and they gain from it. And Rav Miller lives today not because of Torah So Vigder as an organization but because people like you who are willing to participate in helping Klal Yisrael live successfully. From the beginning it was a collaborative effort. I myself only did the only did the organizing and the editing and the rearranging listening to different tapes and trying to put them together trying to organize it on the parsha trying to make it short enough that people can read it over Shabbos and gain from it to organize in a way that it's entertaining and enjoyable for all ages. But as the truth is that was only the first step of the work. It's only because many people got involved in wanting to help spread the Torah to other people that's how Torah So Vigder became a successful organization and maybe maybe one of the biggest Torah So Vigder organizations in in the world. Now it's hard for an individual who's reading a 24-page kuntres on Shabbos just a little pamphlet in the on Shabbos in the shul in the home it's hard for a person to understand how costly it is to distri to print and distribute almost 100,000 booklets every week. Not in one area to distribute it to a 10 to more than 10 countries and to hundreds of communities every single week is a very very costly endeavor. And it's only because of you that we're able to do it. And therefore I'm asking you this is your chance to help participate in keeping Rav Miller alive. People always talk about achdus about the Am Yisrael being one unit but this is really your chance to bring that idea to life. Your contribution means that you're sending life-changing Torah to Jews in Australia and in Eretz Yisrael and across America and in Mexico and in Berlin and in London to little to towns all over that I I never heard of before. And I'm asking you to take part. I'm trying to do what I can. I spend many hours organizing and writing cutting and pasting. But that doesn't mean anything for Klal Yisrael without you. And therefore on the Rav's yahrtzeit I'm asking you to open your heart open your wallet your pocketbook or whatever it is and help us keep Rav Miller alive. >> everyone for joining us on tonight's very special program. Of course we thank the numerous rabbis and students who inspired us tonight. And of course it's very important that we take the lessons that of course we heard these powerful remarks tonight but of course we should take the lessons share it on your on your share on your Shabbos table spread spread the light the messages that that that Rav Miller inspired us all all with. I heard one teaching of Rav Miller he said that there's a famous question that a person asked um it you have a you have a glass of water and it's filled up halfway. Is it is it is it so you say is it half is is the person looking at it is it half empty or half full? And Rav Miller said the the the cup is completely full half with water and half with air. We have to take that's just one lesson. We have to take the messages of of these close students of of Rav Miller. Rav Miller of course was such a one of the one of the greatest rabbis of our generation and we have to continue his legacy by by by spreading his teaching spreading his wisdom um and that will of course be a great great merit for all of us and we should only hear of only good things. Amen. Thank you everyone.