Tomer Devorah with Rabbi Avigdor Miller's Commentary 10 Chapter 4 Lish'erit Nahalato For the Rem

Shalom. On this fast day, the best thing you can do is work on your character to make sure that by the end of the fast, you are a better person than you started. And that is important because we know that the the reason why Jewish people were exiled and why Beta Mikdash was destroyed is specifically because we didn't treat each other with proper love and respect. And our sages say that the way we will receive the shalim and beta mikdash and mashiach and gulah is when we learn how to love each other. Um and uh learning Tom Devora is the best way to fulfill it because we will apply the character traits of Hashem to ourselves and we will love the fellow Jew just like Hashem loves every Jew. So we're continuing in the mid called for the remnants of his estate. Therefore our sages of blessed memory said regarding one who is among the first 10 who come to the minan in a synagogue. Even though a 100 people will come subsequently, he receives a reward equal to the reward of all those who come later. That means that a person who is among the first 10, one of those first 10 will receive a reward of everyone who comes later. Why? Because these first 10 men actually created the minan. They actually uh brought the down. And when it says that even though a 100 people will come afterwards, he will receive a reward equal to the reward of all those who come later. It actually means 100. He will receive reward of 100 people. What does that mean? Because the 10 people who came first are included in each other. So the minion of 10 Jews actually has 100 permutations has 100 uh people. Why? because I am myself but I am also part of me is in uh person number A and person B and person C and so on for all 10 people there is a part of me there that means there are 10 of me and person A part of him is in person B C D and in me and that means there there are 10 person A's 10 person B's and so the Since we all come together for one goal, we are actually 100 people. We brought together 100 variations because the 10 people who came first are included in each other. [clears throat] Each one has part of others character, part of his soul. So the original minion are 10 * 10 which is 100. Each one has something of the 100 qualities in him. He has something of each person's characteristics. Therefore even if 100 comes subsequently he has a reward for 100. So we to the 10 people that came first for the minan brought together 100 various qualities of character and that's what broughtina together that's what brought divine presence and um it will take 100 people after that to achieve the same each one of the 10 has in himself something of the others. Therefore, if 10 people come, he has a share of all the 10 people. This is true for each one. So together they have 100 qualities. But the author is saying further that all 100 qualities are actually found in each person. We are learning this superficially. There are questions and answers that have to be explained here. We will soon see this is not limited to 100 qualities. A person has more than that. Which means potentially if I have 100 qualities and I work on them and I perfect them and another Jew has another 100 qualities and we bring them together and there are 10 like that. That means You multiply 100 times 100. That's 10,000 different variations and 10,000 different ways we serve Hashem. For the same reason, every Israel, every Jew is responsible for every other Jew because each one genuinely has a share of the other person. Therefore, if there are 600,000 adult males or among the Jewish people, you have 600,000 characteristics in each person. And if one Jew sins, it's not only him. It's reflected on all the characteristics that others have that resemble his. He ruins his own character and it also reflects on that characteristic which is within others. That's how important it is to view yourself not as a small part an insignificant part but rather in me I have a connection to every other Jew. And that means if I make a mistake, one not 100, 600,000 Jewish souls are going to suffer. On the other hand, if I overcome my character and I make a good deed, I do a mitzvah, I send charges of energy to 600,000 people. 600,000 people can benefit from me [clears throat] and on the other hand 600,000 people can be damaged by my mistakes. And we have to evaluate each action keeping in mind that 600,000 people actually depend on me and might suffer due to my desire for some entertainment or pleasure. God forbid. Um, >> now let's continue. If one of them sins, he ruins his own character and it also reflects on all other Jews. The author is not explaining how exactly it works. He's just telling us that since each individual has a portion in all the others when a person who has a specific trait sins, everyone who also has that trait is thereby partially spoiled. It comes out that because of that person his friend because of that portion his friend is responsible for him. That means I am responsible for every Jew because a part of me is in every Jew and I'm responsible for myself but I also have to help every other Jew because they have part of me and if they are failing that means part of me is failing. If they are suffering that means part of me is suffering because this characteristic was ruined by this man's misdeed. Everyone else who has that characteristic is responsible for him. Why that is hasn't been explained yet. If this is the case, they are relatives. They are connected and therefore all am Israel the entire Jewish nation is like one person. Now Rab Miller explains the verse inbar in the book of numbers says Moshe speaks to God and says one man has sinned. Will you become angry at the whole community? It appears to be a declaration that Hashem would not do so. Moshe is questioning God. Hashem, for sure, you wouldn't do that. You know who sinned. You would punish only that person and the innocent would be spared. But this was not a mere rhetorical question. It's a fact of Hashem's conduct. Again, one man has sinned and you will become angry at the whole community. Since all the Jewish people are part of the same soul, they're all one individual. Therefore, when part of the body is sick, the virus, the disease spreads to all other cells of the body. We find this in the case of Aan. In the book of Yoshua, it says that when they tried to conquer the city of I, they failed and they searched. What is the reason that we failed? And they found that there was one man, his name was Akan who sinned and other people didn't even know about it. But still everyone was to blame. As it says, Israel has sinned and they have transgressed my covenant and they have even taken the forbidden goods. Hashem is blaming the entire Jewish nation. And he says they sinned. They transgressed. They took forbidden goods. But only one person did it. But everyone else is to blame. Even though they didn't know, if they saw and they remained quiet and they didn't rebuke him, we understand why it's their fault. But they didn't even know. He stole secretly. We might think that this was just a severity in Hashem's rebuke. Hashem is saying, "I'm so upset." and he's exaggerating like a person would. A few people did trouble and the teacher comes in and says, "What kind of class is this? This is the worst class." Even though there were only three boys that did trouble. But Hashem is not like that. Hashem knows exactly who did trouble. Why blame everyone else? The tor is explaining that there was a reason for it. Everyone else became spoiled by that one man's deeds. Our sages further say that if not that there was a weakness in other people, Ahan would not do it. That means that if we see one Jew doing something terrible, it's not that he is a terrible person, everyone else is good. No, it means that he was influenced by the entire nation. The entire nation became weakened in the performance of that specific mitzvah. And this person absorbed all their weaknesses. It became concentrated in him and he did it. It could be that his portion in every Jew became spoiled. But every Jew is responsible for his portion. That means those Jews did not work on their entirety, on their wholesomeness and they allowed part of their character to become weak. So one Jew doing a terrible act is a reflection that all the Jewish people have a certain weakness inside of them and therefore he will be punished the most severely but all the Jewish people are also to blame because it's their lack of total commitment is what caused him to do this terrible act. Uh, Rabbi Cordova continues, "Therefore, it's proper that everyone should desire the happiness, the success, and the virtue of his fellow Jew. When I pray, I should not only pray for myself and my family. I should pray for all the Jewish people. I should pray for their parnasa. I should pray pray pray for their health. I should pray for their peace of mind. I should pray that they should have inspiration to serve and recognize God. Therefore, it is proper that everyone should desire the success of his fellow Jew. You should desire to see your fellow Jew successful, perfect, and righteous. and his eye should look favorably on his fellow man and their well-being and happiness because it is part of me. His fellow man's honor should be just as precious to him as his own honor. It should bother me when my friend is embarrassed just like it would bother me if I would be embarrassed because indeed his honor is my honor. And for this reason we are commanded love your fellow man like yourself because he is yourself. We normally think that when the Torah says, "Love your fellow man like yourself," it means similar to you, something like yourself. But not exactly. Try. But the author is learning that like yourself means because he is you. He is your brother and therefore you have to love his honor like your own. Of course, that's easier said than done. However, the author is insisting that this is the pathway Hashem wants. It's something that we should not just learn about, not just talk about, we should actually spend time and put into practice. Can I love my fellow like myself? And if not, it's clear to me it's because I don't view him like myself. I don't view him as my brother and I should practice, I should imagine, I should develop feelings towards every Jew. He should desire his fellow man's perfection, his righteousness. He shouldn't say anything at all to his detriment. And he should want and he should not want anything detrimental to be true about him. If we hear lashon har about a fellow Jew, it should hurt us and we should say I wish it's not true. I wish that person never said it and I I I wish that it should be all made up. It should all be a lie. I don't want to believe it. Not only won't you say anything against your fellow Jew yourself, you wouldn't even want to believe that anything is wrong with him. We're not talking about a case when a person is a known sinner. But in general, you should try not to suspect your fellow Jew at all. Just as Hashem doesn't want us to be deteriorated or distressed because he loves us, he wants us to be perfect and happy because God is our relative. So too, a Jew should also not desire his fellow man's shame or distress or ruin. And even if he did something wrong, we don't want to hear about it. It hurts us. If someone comes to us and says, "I want to tell you what your son did today. We hope that this whole thing is made up, false. We wish this person should disappear. We don't want to hear anything bad about our children." So too, God doesn't want to hear anything bad about the Jewish people. Some people are happy when they hear that someone else is degra degraded or found guilty or faulty. It makes them feel bad be better. Why? Because unfortunately we don't recognize our own greatness, our own value. And therefore we think my value is only in comparison with other people and therefore the worse they are the better I am. But that is completely false. That is a wrong attitude. My greatness does not depend on other people's failure. I am great despite their greatness. I am great because I have a divine soul and I am infinite and therefore whether another person succeeds or fails doesn't change me. I am still great and perfect. If they fail doesn't make me better. If they succeed doesn't make me worse. You should always desire to hear good news about your fellow man's success in spiritual matters and in physical matters. Everyone is always interested in hearing bad news. Who died? Who goes to prison? God forbid. You should be very sorry to hear that news. You should want to hear good news. And when benefits acrew to your fellow man, you should try to be happy. Sometimes it's difficult. When we see someone suffering, it's easier to find mercy in yourself and feel bad for them because it doesn't endanger us. As we explained just now, it actually makes us feel good. And therefore, out of greatness of our character, we find within ourselves some mercy to have pity on him. But if someone is successful, someone is famous, someone did something great, it's very difficult to find within ourselves happiness to be happy for them and with them. Why? Because it endangers our security. If they are are successful, then what about me? Why am I not as successful and as they are? And how will people look at me? Now there is a greater standard and now I look worse. You should want to hear good news. And when benefits come to your fellow man, you should try to be happy for them and with them. And he should be sad if he hears that someone did something wrong. We shouldn't be happy because we are not going to look better in front of God's eyes just because people around us are sinning. The opposite, God is going to blame us. Why didn't I pray for them? Why didn't I teach them? Try to help them. A person should feel sad if he hears that someone did something wrong as if he himself experienced such a distress. This is not how people naturally think. It requires training. But the author is telling us that we are capable of it. [snorts] Therefore, if we try a little, there is no question that One who comes to purify himself receives help from heaven. Every little bit that we succeed in seeing good in people, feeling happiness for people, feeling bad when people are suffering or sinning. Every little bit is worthwhile to Hashem. Every tiny step forward, any bit of improvement is precious to Hashem. Hashem, may we be able to feel the pain of the Jewish nation, pain of every individual. May we feel the happiness of the Jewish nation. And may we feel the happiness of every individual Jew. May we pray for every Jew. May we bless every Jew. And uh then we will witness the redemption. We will witness the rebuilding of Yushalim and beta mikdash. We will witness coming of the divine presence in our midst. Thank you for listening. Have an easy fast and a great day.