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Ep. 32: How To Be A 'Successful' Chossid with Rabbi Aron Kamman
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In this episode, Rabbi Aron Kamman, a Mashpia at Yeshivas Lubavitch Toronto Zal, reflects on his early years in the presence of the Rebbe. He shares practical chinuch guidance, along with insights into the mindset and attitudes necessary for living a life of Chassidus - emphasizing that each person must actively seek their own authentic path in living as a Chossid.
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Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
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I'm Yasi Cayman. Welcome to among
an ongoing fabin about life as our
vibrant connection with the rebba an
inspired living shaped by the way he
teaches us each and every day
my dear brother how are you
good how are you
>> okay thank you very much for being here
all the way from Toronto
and I think we should begin uh
with the
uh you always have something to share
and something on your mind. So maybe
we'll we'll we'll start with that. How
how does that sound?
>> Sure. That's the
uh but maybe one step one step before it
says
then
so
>> okay like a real rabbi.
I was just thinking to myself, you know,
the whole idea over here of coming
together
is more like a
did I kind of get it right?
>> I would say so for sure. It's a
different format and different style,
but uh it might it might even have some
mileas over traditional faban which I
don't know if we have to discuss now.
Maybe we can discuss later,
>> right? But the recording and the
pictures and the cameras and the
microphones, the formalities of it is a
little bit interesting. So it reminded
me there was a story circulating
when they made the first recording of
and they hired aid that was a
professional notab
and he practiced with them and he rented
a studio in Manhattan and he's mire the
first recording that you know he had his
time that they were supposed to start
the recording they're paying you know
every hour in this fancy studio in
Manhattan he doesn't see his finally
like mame at the last minute he's
watching out the window he sees huge
group of coming with women with with
their I guess with their wives. He
couldn't understand where they're going,
where they're coming and they all of a
sudden they all pile into the studio and
much more than the people. He had like I
think 16 people that were supposed to
sing and they start unpacking cake and
mashka
like what's going on over here? So, uh
they said what do you mean making a
faban? She says now here like why? He
says, "What do you mean? You think we're
just singers coming like microphone and
sing?" This is we're coming here to
spread this. So we have to,
you know, we have to get in the mode.
And sure enough, they started. He said,
"When is it? How long is this?" He says,
"As soon as it finishes, then it's
over." They tell him. So they start. And
then after they
then they went and it wasn't in a
microphone. It was with
so um somehow we have to rise above you
know all the recordings I see you have
you know your astronaut things on there
I got a little bit of a smaller thing to
make it I don't know virtually or
work you know over over the internet
they might you know sometimes crash into
each other
I think what you said is good
so that will be let's talk a
But there will be a little bit of maybe
even more than than just a mistake. So
just a short v and you know obviously
it's in everyone's mind terrible the
tragedy that took place in Sydney
including that were killed. So just a
short thought. This was not long after
obviously a big for
and this was obviously coming up
throughout the
I think it was
still to give a tote. So there wasn't
any official
on the
that we bench at the end of the
we know that we say
amen but we say amen after each refrain
we say
we say amen again asked a question on if
you're saying amen each time of these
three phrases so why only at the end
does it say amen explained
when you say
you don't need encouragement to say you
hear that wow for sure everyone
will scream when you hear what does
means
that it was that it was there was
something negative but we're saying will
give us when you hear that
so easily we need to push and to
encourage
We have to say to that too. Why? We're
anticipating we're anticipating a year.
We hope for we don't hope for anything
negative. But yet we need to be pushed
and we have to say amen to that too
because we know that even when there is
something negative
is the one that's sending us
a we say to that because even when that
situation does arise we have the
guarantee of the will beh at the end.
That's the vers. Okay. So,
>> regarding this situation and regarding
the gulus at large
>> for sure.
>> Um, okay. So, I think another way that
we can uh discuss is that I know that
you know we're brothers but there's a
age gap. You know,
I'm not sure if it's only the oldest
brother. you're not the oldest but uh or
it's any older brothers you know maybe
someone can send me a
if it's included all older brothers or
not but definitely um there's a lot that
you know a big part due due to our age
gap things that I heard from you and
learned from you over the years
and uh one of the things is that we're
born in the same family but a very
different times I was born before
Gimotamos but I grew up pretty much
afterwards wards
and uh while you were not an older baka,
you're youngish,
but definitely you had a different
experience growing up with the
um you know,
and maybe uh you can share some uh some
some of that with me.
>> Okay, that's the plan. Uh, I I do want
to say that I look a little bit older
than I am because they gave me a little
bit more white. A lot of times people do
think I'm the oldest because my beard is
a little bit longer than all my brothers
put together. You see the end? Okay. So,
uh, but I do have some memories, but I
want to backtrack if I may one step
behind because our collective memories
are to our father. Like you mentioned,
we're brothers. It's true. I remember
when you were born. You were born uh
shortly before my bar mitzvah. Hey,
right. I got it right. And I was
mitzvah.
>> So,
>> and I think when I think um did you go
to dollars right before your bar
mitzvah? Do you remember?
>> I I did. Now I don't remember if it was
mish. It wasn't the day of my bitzvah.
It was on a Sunday if I remember
correctly. You know, you could check the
calendar. So I don't think I went that
day. We were living in my then and you
know the till the day of the mitzvah
maybe if I would have been a bigger they
would have went that day but I think I
went the week before if I remember
correctly.
>> So what so what day is that? What's the
math math? I'll leave for somebody else.
No, because No, I I could be it's that I
have to check the video, but I think
it's during that dollars
that um Tati told the Reb that my wife
just had a baby boy regarding me. I
think it's probably that Sunday. I have
to look the video to see if you were
there. I can imagine you were there. And
and the Reb said, "This is for your
wife." Another said, "Good news."
Yeah, that was
>> No, it's it's probably in connection
with although you had also so whatever.
Okay, go ahead. I'm not sure if that was
the same time. The next day after my bar
mitzvah, I was ali
on Monday
and uh obviously that was a big part of
my baritzvah. But again backtracking
since we share fathers so we could share
this too really our beginnings and our
connection to the begins with our father
parents
>> and and your mother also right?
>> Father too for sure. So I was always
interested to know how did that story
come about and how did the how did our
father get connected to the yiddish. So
I remember a few times hearing that he
said that his brother Uncle Shmo called
him up.
They were in different places and he
said called him by his first name. He
said what you've been looking for you've
been looking for all along. It's in your
back pocket. You're looking for you're
looking for the purpose in life. You're
looking for deeper meaning. And
unfortunately he didn't think to turn to
Yiddish because he thought spirituality
and is elsewhere. And he told no no what
you're looking for is in your back
pocket. So now I wanted to backtrack the
story a little bit more. How did uncle
come to the So I asked him and he said,
"Oh, our cousin Ley Garbos invited him.
How did he
>> last night by the way?"
>> Okay.
So he said he was in he was I forget
where he was and Ley calls him up and he
says he says, "Why don't you come to New
York for the weekend?" Okay, that sounds
interesting. He didn't tell what he was
coming for. Come to New York for the
weekend. He thought, you know, to party,
you know, whatever it is. And he comes
to Crown Heights. What does he know the
difference? you know, Manhattan,
Brooklyn, same you know which place
which stop on the train to get off and
he comes and Ley was then I think in
learning inhib so kind of quiet they had
a shabas he's like where's the party say
oh the party's tomorrow
the party was the
and he comes to the he never saw such a
thing in his life hidden and you know
and he saw the emised from their faces
shining he saw the And it was a fabangan
and people were helpful to guest and he
gave him a place and he was able to sit.
He didn't understand a word obviously
not yiddish notes
but I forget if he told me this was
during the or after the he push burst
out of tears. Push was crying just
unstopping tears
and lady asked him like did you somebody
say something to you? did you get
impacted by something by like he didn't
he didn't think anything really
registered
he said no I didn't understand a word I
didn't understand anything okay so so
what's going on he says I saw a human
being for the first time in my life
that's how he described by
anyway so to that he invited to come he
said this is what you've been looking
for now by the oh one step back I was
trying to trace it back to the source so
now I want to know okay so how did Levy
Barbos and
>> Mhm.
>> So if I remember correctly, I'm saying
things from what I heard conversations.
>> Yeah. By the way, uh Ley Garbos might
have to come on and correct us, but
yeah, go ahead.
>> Okay. Okay. I might be I might be mixing
it up a little bit, but if I understand
correctly, he was reading Yiddish
literature and he was very enamored by
the
he wanted to see the and it was in the
books, not not live. So he heard that in
New York it's been recreated. So he
wants to find the he wants to be in
theat. So he comes to the lower east
side and he's smoozing with guys and he
goes into and there's aid notabid you
know with the and he says he wants to
come to the so this guy looks at him
what am I going to do with this guy so
he says you know what do you do when
such a person comes to you he suddenly
>> no I have to correct you because this
note
>> wasn't it was yeah he walked into label
basiski's store
>> no no I'm getting there
>> oh okay sorry
>> I'm before that
>> okay
>> how how did he get the label
store. This other didn't know what to do
with his that doesn't look like he has
any ink and he wants to discover.
So he sent him to label mistritzki store
and when he went to label mistritzky
store he sent him to labav and the
labavich sent him a fish shabis and I
don't know all the details after that
but that's how he got exposed to so here
you have three people listen to for a
moment you have three people that are
looking they're searching one is looking
for theat which was his way of looking
for the another person is looking for
humanity uncle you know didn't have the
easiest life you know he maybe saw a lot
of behemoths on two feet and now He sees
humanity. He sees Anushia. He sees men.
He sees realness. Tat, you know, Tati is
looking for touching the infinite,
grabbing aliens somehow. And they're all
searching for the emis in their way. And
that's what led them to the deba.
So what I think when I think about these
ideas is that you know we as born labes
have to also begin that search and not
just begin it because we're already in
middle of it but continue the search and
that's going to make our
much more realm that much more real
that we're searching and we're looking
to get closer to the and we're achieving
that through our connection the as
taught by the and the
now you asked me to get to my personal
memories. Okay, I'll share that a little
bit. I don't have any major stories to
tell. Like I said, I was young
and over the years obviously to many
opportunities to be with the rabbining
with the rabbins.
I still remember as a young child week
where we actually had these little
things that we had in our ear that you
know 770 was always on the top of
technology. We went we'd go to the ky
and uh pay I think a deposit and get
this little transistor thing that uh we
would uh Tati would usually listen to
the translation. If if I was getting an
extra special gift, I would get my own
tut listen a little bit. Definitely
there and being present
and obviously every moment is tire the
I always had an interesting thing maybe
was a little childish.
I wanted everybody to give me attention
never happened
at least at that point. But I felt like
in a way a certain certain
of the like I I didn't feel like I was
just able to approach the like even when
I wanted to I was never comfortable
speaking to the like going by when they
was giving out dollars for I think the
one time that I did say something was
that dollars that I was mentioning
before my but I had to mention other
times I didn't feel com I felt in front
of the I was like totally like lost.
And I think I managed to say something.
I don't think it was that coherent. And
the gave me an extra dollar. I think
they said or some additional
I still remember after that dollar is
trying to reconstruct because even after
I said something and the responded I
couldn't really I was confused as to
what the actually said and I was trying
to figure it out and you know put on the
dollar. I think you know that said this
by this dollar and that by the next
dollar and I was trying to keep track
which dollar was the first and the
second but I always had that that like
that the should give me a certain
personal yas
interestingly enough I remember Tati
once told me he said that you know after
he hears all these stories coming out of
people's interactions with they put a
lot of times on video my story my
encounter like why did I listen to all
the instructions of my
to just come into and not say anything
and just put my title. I should have
told the Reb who I am, what's going on,
what,
you know, a similar idea but you know
obviously in more in an adult way
and if you can say like you mentioned
before Gimas after Gim was and you
mentioned that you were you know too
young to process it. I was also too
young to process it and I don't know if
people that were older than me also were
necessarily old enough years are not
just measured by the password to process
and to appreciate and I could say for
myself and it's very applicable today to
everyone that's possibly listening and
taking something from this that my
personal relationship I feel took off
after in multiple ways.
Number one, I do feel that I did get a
says famously that when you have a
question, something which you want to
ask and of you can ask the question,
bring it to
I have a number of stories when things
were really really important to me
certain major junctures in my life that
I got very direct
each time slightly in a different method
how how I you know maybe it's a little
bit how I felt that that was there but
definitely from the point of view you
know for sure he's connected but even
from my point of view I I I sensed it
and I felt it you know and I don't from
going to in that direction but
definitely something which I could say
measurably I could feel a
practice in major decisions of my life
uh but I think the most important point
is
something that that goes deeper than
the connection to the that defines who I
am or how I would like to be and how I'm
molding myself based on the
that's something which only comes like I
mentioned before when you're searching
and you're looking you're trying to get
closer to the
T is showing you that and when you're in
the
it's not a sug for his it is his way
connecting this is the way the is
becoming part of your life. This is the
way the is molding your viewpoint,
molding your decisions in life, molding
how you understand everything in life,
how you understand, how you how you have
in of your children of your in your own
personal day-to-day decisions. And that
I could say that in some way or another
could say that he is changed and molded
and shaped out by the being my
each detail of my life. That's that's
the real personal discuss. Now even the
the the direct idea of more personal
attention it's interesting just to point
out in my years that I do remember it
wasn't the user of the wasn't even the
ls it was the late mess interesting that
the did
start doing more often personal
encounters with
and lengthy discussions but
dollars form
all those opportunities of a personal
moment they call it my moment with the
rabbit It's a real thing and you know
that's something which I hold tight till
today even the pictures that are you
know making it permanent.
It seems that possibly this is
the was almost like looking for ways to
create that personal connection in years
that there was somewhat of a distance
and a a natural feeling of being more of
a meal and and and certain
year was giving opportunities to connect
and the truth is all the years by the
way there was a middle of I do remember
this too by between the
would turn and nod his head and say to
individual with
direct eye contact connection. I
remember the first time that I was
processing what was happening. There was
I think an old deb staff member that
helped me get a particular place and
there and I was to them. I'm like how
how am I going to know if the is looking
at me? There's so many people here. Said
don't worry the deb's was looking at
you. He's only looking at you. And
whenever looked at me, everyone around
me, not just myself, everyone around me
turned to me. They're like they they
felt how the Reb like kind of you know
zeroed in on me. Interestingly also
after I don't know how many people paid
attention to this I don't know if it was
as bot but the reb also made a point of
scanning the crowd you could also see
this yeah the balcony you could see this
also on videos many times the rebba
would lean forward because basically
then everyone was facing m to see the
rebba and if you were too close to the
rebba you were basically out of the
reb's line of vision you had to be a
little bit further towards misra because
the balcony's higher up and if you're
down you're just seeing the wood of the
balcony So you had to like push back to
be able to see the and those people
could like just barely see the but the
wasn't really seeing them the would I
don't know if it was every time or it
definitely happened quite often the
would lean forward to scan even those
that were not in the big crowd to catch
a personal a personal glimpse of them
but again that's
and I feel the most important
I I cherish and I I thank the for every
moment that I was big. But honestly, the
biggest that I feel I could have and
that can have is making himself into the
is the deepest personal connection. I'm
not just saying this because that's the
MS. I'm saying this because for myself
personally, this is my MS too and I
think it's something that everyone can
tap into. Mhm.
Um I remember hearing a recording
of I heard this many years ago but I
heard a recording of um
later years
I don't know or something like that and
he's if I recall correctly what he says
is why is the rabbi giving out dollars
says the wants
wants to wants to know the know the
crowd
That's so that's you know that was his
that was his um
you know his insight or whatever his his
his perspective of of what what similar
to what you're saying. So um
yeah um
so you're saying that there's an advant
that for you personally at least when
you were there and being in the
atmosphere there's also a matter of
years you know if you're younger and
older but but um there's a certain
that you have and and and learn to
appreciate Afa afterwards. That's what
you're saying.
Okay. So, I guess that's a ha for
everyone especially today when we don't
have even an option to to to decide how
we have to make a connection. But uh
it's interesting to hear from someone
that uh you know that had sort of uh
both both perspectives to a limited
extent.
Okay. I I and I do remember hearing from
you over the years different things a
little bit about the atmosphere. you
know, you talked after I think you
described to me once the uh the running
to 770 whenever whenever the beepers
went off and things like that. So that's
definitely something that I
heard from uh you know around the Shabas
table from from from you and from from
other brothers. So um
that definitely I mean that you can't
you can't uh that you had that you had
that but obviously that there's um
wasn't it like a certain point that you
like realize that you have to acquire
is like like did it happen or it's like
over the years that's something that
developed
>> the point at one particular moment like
in a more childish way around my bar
mitzvah
I started like many and have this you
know kite phase around the which is a
beautiful thing
>> called the mitzvah fever. Yeah, I
definitely had that and because I was
around the rebba then I have to say from
a practical point of view those moments
that I had with theb are probably due to
that because that strengthened my
connection we were living in my then
don't forget and I have most of the even
though we were not living in khistan
because I was keeping in loop and I was
still involved and I was making sure I
was actually learning at Marstown then
they had a little
there but I was keeping in touch and
making sure that I you know I would go
into granite and then I don't remember
how I would get back and then stay
overnight you know I don't think parents
do this with kids anymore just let them
you know take a ride a different place
but uh because of my of that connection
at that time that definitely helped me
capture those moments but the idea of of
really looking for the MS and looking
for my connection to the looking for
being who I'm meant to be and being
which is really what
was I can't really put a date on that. I
think that's something which as I grew
older and I that became more of who I
was what I was looking to be I started
realizing that is is the address like
the pro says it's going to go to because
he's going to give you that those tools
to be able to connect.
Okay.
Um,
so let me ask you like this.
You're uh you're Mashia in the in the
yeshiva in Toronto and in the zo.
>> So you are you are
although
very often means children
means you know
ch children.
So zakim are a little bit uh in between.
They're not yet fully developed. So
they're still children in that sense. On
the other hand, they have certain
certain elements of them that are more
adult-like. They're older, 17, 18.
Um
so I don't know if we're the addressing
bakim right now, maybe we're addressing
Bakim, maybe we're addressing the
parents of the Bakim. What would you say
are some important
either advice or or or or priorities or
things that are important or uh for that
age group whether it's to the Bakam
themselves or to the parents that are
the that have Bakim that age or have
younger children that will be that age.
>> A very good question. I just want to add
one more group to the audience. You
mentioned the parents and the the
and the are also obviously part of the
audience and we're all partners and the
and everyone himself is
and that's the best way to be others. So
anything of automatically everyone is in
the audience. There's no one that could
say he's out of it. Whether somebody
doesn't have children any of is
applicable to every person starting with
himself and the way he's mash others. Uh
I would say there's a number of
important points I would I could share
with you. I'll start with the one which
a little bit technical and then maybe
we'll if you we could clarify that and
then we'll get to the second point a
little bit later.
First point is something which I think
is crucial. I wouldn't really address
the themselves. This is more addressed
to the and the parents like you
mentioned
the first year of and
you could see a lot of them they have
they have in them and they're ready to
go to the next level.
There are bim that sometimes will come
at later stage inhib where they're
already done eight years of elementary
and three years misa
and sometimes the pushet are lacking
important basic skills of learning that
everything that they've been learning
and everything that they're meant to be
doing now is built on and when a bak
doesn't have that it's very very hard to
build it at that age and especially
because you need to have the bak to buy
into
You can't push on the to start
memorizing titan and breaking down and
practicing
with you. Although there are exceptions
that I've I've set that up for some
there are I don't know the numbers. I
didn't make a statistic over here. I'll
leave that to the others but there's
enough that it's something that should
be pointed out. One of the integral
components of being aid are theim and
whether it's
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>> Every stage of
has a certain accomplishment that you're
doing right then of davening of learning
of but also has let's call it a skill
building element which is needed to be
taken to the next year and build on that
and that builds on the next stage.
and they have systems that generally
work. But let's face it, the reality is
that from basically
onward,
the Muhammad is talking to a group,
the younger younger ages, kindergarten,
pre is more one-on-one.
I don't know if every is like this, but
as far as I know, by and large, once you
get to Alf, it's a Mhammed learning with
a group.
Now there are systems in place to build
those skills. They're not just learning
a here and a there and a Mishna there.
They're they're building their skills in
and
but not every child will end up getting
the skill that he needed at that stage.
And here's where the parents uh step in.
You know, I'm not going to go into the
whole great debate about homework about
whether it's beneficial or it's needed
or whatever it is. There are there are l
and I have an opinion on it but that's
not for right now. I'm not going to go
into that. But one thing I know for sure
if a child is not perfected
in the skill that they need to achieve
at that part of the year or that kuf of
the year that year as a whole and
they're going to the next level without
that skill you push is setting them up
for failure. The mamdom need to be
honest with the parents. Don't just you
know smooth things over and say
everything is good and only focus on the
of course when you speak that parent you
want to emphasize the mila first and
talk about the the qualities of their
child and this is not it's not
necessarily anything the child did maybe
it's harder for him maybe he needs a
little bit of a different system
zero in on that particular skill that
that child needs show the parents what
needs to be done if the parent will sit
the father will sit with his son for 20
minutes every day and dedicate himself
to building that skill there will be
paid
and he'll make sure that his son is
ready for the next stage.
He talks about the whole of the he uses
ashel of a father teaching that child
doesn't use a m of a malam teaching to
the child a father's teaching a child
and furthermore says the love of the
child that the father has and the desire
that the child that the father has that
the child should be in is learning
that's what makes the learning succeed.
So therefore when a father is sitting
with his son not just to be that he
learned with his which is maybe the
homework idea but more that the child
the father is taking this into his which
they were not fully successful in
departing to and I'm going to work with
my son and make sure that he gets this
and I have that for him to succeed that
will help him be successful. If a parent
says he can't, I think that's usually
not 100% true. But if he'll convince
himself, okay, so hire a tutor. But we
need to have some what they call brutal
honesty. And if the Muhammad is not
being forthcoming about this, then the
parents have to investigate and ask the
Muhammad the what then sure most cases
will be fine. But you need to make sure
that I'm not talking about leaving
children back or anything like that. I'm
talking about imparting the message that
your child will not succeed if he
doesn't have this under his belt.
Whether it's
Could I could I say the MS if I may? If
you have a 17-year-old Bak that
struggles reading from a reading
with
what about he's he's he has to read that
without he doesn't just have to read it.
He has to translate it. He has to
understand the flow of ideas. He needs a
certain level of mastery of
the way the operates. These are things
that are skills that do generally get
picked up through the system that's in
place but not always and it needs to be
checked and monitored and you should
know the of your son because a child
that has the learning skills a has the
learning skills chances are he'll be
learning. If he's not successful at it
and he's frustrated then it's too hard
for him. He just gives up. If he has the
skills, he'll be learning. And if he's
learning, then he has the in. And then
he doesn't have the
So this is a simple almost technical but
crucial message that I think is
important that parents and and should
pay. You know, I'm not saying no one's
paying attention to this, but I think
more attention has to be paid to this to
ensure that the outcome is.
So you're saying that
and instead of showing up to PTA and
your Rabbi smiling and saying your son's
doing great once I gave him a punishment
but otherwise he's good and everyone
goes home and then they say that is
beautifully at the table and then you
know that you've done your job. It's
it's incumbent on the parents to ask
that question every year or every six
months or whatever. Is he up to the
level that you expect from your Talmid
at this stage? And if yes, can he do
something about it? if not what can I do
about it whether it's by myself or a
tutor whatever it is but u just being
cognizant and on top of that that and it
makes a lot of sense what you're saying
at the end of the day when you come to
yes is yeshiva and uh with all the other
attractions the social aspect you know
there's letters from the writes that is
not only about learning it's also about
the the atmosphere which is which is
true but at the end of the day what what
are you doing in you're sitting and
learning all day and how do you expect
someone to do that If they can't learn
and if they can't learn and they can't
be successful yeshiva then they're bored
and then how do you expect them to
you're a lot and mentioned that it's a
lot easier for someone to not follow the
path in in in general if he's just not
being succeed if he's not succeeding
year after year in yeshiva because he
just can't. So uh
it's actually very important
um and it's also important that the
fluency in uh ines is uh probably the
most important skill to have periods and
that's basically because even if if you
lacking the information
from the learning but if you have the
ability to acquire it on your own then
you know half the problem is taken care
If you don't even have that ability,
you're very very limited. Okay. So
that's uh that's like a very important.
Um you there's another point you wanted
to mention, right?
So this no this wasn't liked but this is
more of a
>> technical
>> technical you know skill learning skills
issue and I I definitely feel that like
you said it's totally other I'm also
telling it I heard from me when I was in
Ky he said that he he does do a little
bit with the statistics and you know as
a consultant he said that more most of
the time a that's successful at learning
and that is not the struggles in in
terms of and going to to places we
should be. Obviously, there are
exceptions, but a lot of times it's I'm
not here. Let me find that I could be
let me find the guys to hang out with
that are going to make me feel I feel
like I'm accomplishing because I'm not
successful in in the in the so this is
crucial not just for learning but fork
too like you mentioned and also I wanted
to make another uh point to what you
said the idea of connecting to the
parents is also crucial. I didn't I
wasn't thinking about that but now that
you mentioned it not just to find out
this information but to preempt it and
to always keep a connection you
shouldn't just wait for there to be a
problem always pick up the phone and
have a chat with the Mhammed just to
touch base and then this is this is
crucial it's another reminder like I
said the malam is there with a big class
and he needs he needs encouragement and
reminders to zero in on the details and
the individuality of your child and the
best way of doing that is maintaining a
a a good line of communication with with
the malam
with
obviously when they're getting older
it's a little bit different but the idea
is still there also in its own way.
Yeah. The other point that I wanted to
mention is more of a little bit of a
more of a little bit goes a little bit
deeper.
There's a which I would call like a
landmark in defining what means in our
generation. This is
and theb talks there about three
ingredients that are needed
and I'll try to break it down more or
less the way the Reb explains it and
then show how this could be applied in a
practical level.
Number one,
a Yid has to have a basic recognition
of his ultimate value as a Yid. He's
connected to the ibush because of his
mus. And that connection to the ibush is
the deepest most important part of his
life. He cannot imagine life without
that in his mind in his heart. He should
feel me not with my connection to the I
have nothing. I don't have a life. I
don't have a life.
I'm a nobody. This is who I am. That's
an
it's more like a liab type of
connection. Aid has to feel a
connection. I'm Jewish at heart, but in
a good way. I feel that connection to
the and that's deep part of who I am.
That's
number one
number two is activating that in
day-to-day life. If that's true is true
because it's true that my connection to
the is so deeply part of who I am, let
me actualize that in my life. Let me
follow the instructions init which
practically means follow the
in what it says in day-to-day life init
that's stage number two stage number
three is really getting the mind and the
heart of the child of the talmet filling
his mind with what I said before until
now was more like an identity
very deep sense of identity who you are
doesn't necessarily mean you learned
much about it doesn't necessarily mean
you feel much about it it's deeper than
processing ideas. But when you're
getting to that third stage, here's when
you have to fill your mind with your
will be completely immersed in that's
going to affect your whole of your
and that's going to make the whole
entire you be through and through
penetrated with a connection to the so
again stage number one is the basic rec
recognition that my identity is that I
am a yid before I even expressed it
expressing it
acting as a number three. My mind and my
heart are filled with ideas of yiddish
and that defines who I am and how I
think and how I breathe and how I and
and how I and how I live my life in
every sense of the word. So Debba points
out like this. This is the this is the
this is kind of stating the facts. But
here's the way breaks it down I think is
very very powerful and the way puts it
into today's day and age says like this
the first two ingredients were a done
deal the
the yeshiv did not have to put an
emphasis on that obviously it comes up
but that's not what they were there for.
The family did it, the home did it, the
gas did it because Aid was being raised
in an environment that was so real to
him that he couldn't think otherwise.
And obviously the is always there. We're
not going to go into that right now. But
by osmosis, he got that. Where did the
come in the number three? Now that you
know you're aid, now that you're living
like aid, let me fill up your mind and
heart with
and let me get this going through every
every fiber of your being.
That was the way it was am today that
this is not this is not what's
happening. We have to face the music and
realize that
has the responsibility to build the
child and to build the
I'm pretty sure it's the but from head
to toe every part of him has to be
developed under your care. You have to
inculcate on him the basic recognition
of him being a kite and the fact that
life is not life without it. You have to
teach him
and of course the third thing filling
his mind up with
that's the the general whatever says
over there. Now the mentions also that
even within
person that's let's say like myself
who's
or say someone at any stage that's a
little bit more advanced could say to
himself look you've been taking taking
this idea and accepting this idea that
step number one and step number two have
to be done by by the but by me that was
done in kindergarten that was done prea
that was done now I'm teaching him
now I'm teaching
I'm teaching him
of
I have to build them up from scratch
says no one is freed from this
you have to take the full to work on all
of these three areas now maybe it's true
there's more emphasis at this age for
certain ideas but everyone has to be
realizing that this is part of what he
has to impart
what I would say
what I would say a simple not so simple
But a practical way how this has to be
implemented is that whenever we're
learning, whenever we're interacting
with, it could never just be that I'm
teaching you a piece of information.
However,
that piece of information is and however
it is, there has to be that
of
my of my coming through and not just
that I'm saying a class and I'm saying
information. Every one of us is a may
and in the way that we act in the way
that we talk in the way that we convey
even deep information there has to come
across at the end this I'll give you an
example of how the did this with
the way I'm framing it at least the
tells over it's he wrote it up in a
letter
but it's he's copying from his from when
it actually happened says we were not
stopped of if I remember correctly was
and he says we had a then with his
father to learn together
sometimes by night sometimes he'd wake
up early and learn with
then the sed was they were learning
of the
my of the of the my
children
of
and they learned it I think it was a
Monday the date I remember the date
maybe even
at the next day the said okay that
tomorrow's learning session we're also
going to do
but the one before was the night I
remember and that was a Tuesday I think
it was
they were learning a
in
I think it was
one of the sons of with
it was itself and can learn obviously
he's everyone that learns knows and he
was like what we would call saying a
very deep to him he gives even the
structure he would give me before we
started learning inside and we learned
it inside with deep and with deep
and they were learning for two hours
straight. I think it was like from 4:30
to 6:30 if I remember correctly learning
this in
it was says I had a I was enjoying it
deeply
that were flying in that room were were
very deep
and it was obviously nick on my face and
I sensed that my father also had that
that bishmak
but at a certain point the stopped
and he turned to
I think writes that he felt it was a
reaction to his you know to his face of
the enjoyment of the and he said look
said the pill this is a famous but the
of saying a little bit differently not
so well known the pill used to say that
why am I so
that I should be able to be taking
properly
so
by me being careful and being in every
mitzvah I'm not threatening my my purity
my in any way and therefore I'm going to
be a to understand is better famous by
the way
and I say
this is not so famous and I say that the
whole purpose
my deep understanding of is
that I should have an
in a pimistic
in a real way in an eternal way. That's
why I'm learning. So if it's just about
the and it's just about the and and I
got it and I and I'm amazed by it.
That's not the
how is this going to bring me to and
that recognition
is what keeps on the right track. And if
he knows that that's the most important
thing in his life, he's going to make
sure that he sees it through. And
there's a very interesting story that
follows which from the context seems to
be an of how when a person is engually
he would go to the mikvah later and when
he would go he would go with his mash
and the caretaker of the mikvah would be
notified before when he was
This was a mikvah that that
would use in the morning.
>> This is
>> invik.
>> Oh, so I'm not sure because it says in
the in this letter that they went to the
mikvah somewhere else. So I don't know
if there were two apartments or this was
before he built the mikvah. I don't know
that I'll leave for to determine but he
went to the mikvah and he said I'm not
taking anyone. I'm just going with you.
and he they come to the courtyard. So
it's clear that it was in a different
building. They ring the bell and the sha
comes and he opens up for them and he
asks to speak to the yid that was the
caretaker of the mikvah. The caretaker
says, "I didn't expect you now. I didn't
know you were going to come now." He
says, "Yeah, that's why I came now. I
want to come unexpected." Says, "One
second just give me a few minutes
because I want to straighten things up
in the mikvah." Says, "No, no, no. I
want to see the mikvah as it is now.
That's why he came. He goes into the
mikvah and the entry the first room
where you come into the mikvah had a
smell. You know, it didn't smell good.
You know, we know what mikvah could
smell like. It didn't smell good in the
mikvah itself. I'm sorry. In the room
where they would smelled, there was like
also like things broken on the floor. It
was a mess.
The room was the mikvah. He says the
water was clean. Interestingly enough,
even in this dirty Mika, the water was
clean, but over the water was flying
bugs and things or in the water, it
didn't look that good basically.
And continues a quite sharp mus, if you
want to call it, to this caretaker of
the mikvah. You know the you have that
yes, women used to be and they didn't
care about what kind of mikah they went
into. But today if there's going to be
someone that's not going to go to the
mikvah because of this
etc that come out of this and the
opposite the you have maintaining a
beautiful mikvah and that people are
going to want to use it to never be
turned off from the fromb as a result of
your actions. Could you imagine how how
much that has an impact?
>> The rabbis says the story by the way
>> and the ending right then I don't I
don't think withd so the point is that
here here's a message how in the moment
of the biggest how you could turn it and
show how all of this is all about
making more connected fulfilling the how
it is and doing it the way it should be.
Now that is not something which is only
relevant. It could be relevant to
anything. You know the the there's a
where he says that Muhammad that teaches
what does he teach? He teaches olive
base
phonetics. He's teaching sounds you know
are not just in every language of
sounds. We have different names for it
different shapes for it. But he's
teaching teaching sounds. He's teaching
he's teaching letters.
A real Muhammad
has a deep appreciation to the
valuable to him. Not only is it valuable
to him in him the Brenton
that teaches Brenton
B. What does that mean? That's not about
teaching information. To teach
information you need to be a good
teacher and hold the class and make sure
they memorize it. No, this is not what
we're talking about over here at two.
But we're talking about
and not only in him but when he teaches
to the al is it's a burning flaming alf
when he teaches the
that's a different it's a different base
he says the same thing when he teaches
if in the
that's going to be part of you don't
have to say anything he sees it
I'll just take a random example
something which comes up every Monday
and Thursday every Shabbas
it's part of maybe it's not part of the
curriculum but it happens every Shabbas
when the father in
we have a big sign
we know it's
yeah you could tell them you could even
demand from and maybe even you know tell
them off yeah you you could you could
you could teach the technical that would
be the just with the second point yeah
teach them what to do with The first
point recognizing that they're
recognizing that connection to the could
come through when you're teaching them
not to speak their why because what's
you know is the whole
rich description of
would move from their place they
wouldn't stand where they were they
would walk over to looking at the didn't
do this it's interesting the only person
I saw in our generation doing this is a
from Toronto. All used to do this
until he got very old and he wasn't able
to move around that much. But I didn't
realize why he was doing this until I
came across.
He would walk over to the would turn.
Yeah. You wanted to say something.
>> I was about to say what you're saying.
>> The Reb would turn and would turn a
towards make that movement towards
Kadesh. when they would take out the
they would look and we know whenever was
gazing at the was going towards the
bimma was a very intense gaze I remember
hearing I forget from which he was being
tied's gaze following when she would
walk home and he said if you want to get
a glimpse of that gaze which was a
mixture of deep aa but deep
certain like awe of his mother look at
how the looks at that's something which
is on video something that people later
also after were able to relate to that
look of and on the they would also point
out sometimes to children looking at him
look at the so the whole this is
something something's happening here
once said I think I saw this in mid if
you remember correctly that told he said
that when you're reading
you know what's happening that very same
that
the very first time said that
that's being right now in
okay so if you sense that if you if
you're aware of this and you get into
that mode what is I don't have to tell
you not to talk during what do you mean
this is like say if you're talking
during it's like coming into that palace
and trying to push the king out of the
palace what are you here for he says
it's like an odd upon him he says these
words
I remember exactly. It's like an upon
him trying to be the you had this coming
to me and and here the is and you're
you're rejecting him. So I'm not saying
this to try to you know you know make
this didn't come on anybody. trying to
say if you could give over to that this
is what it means this that you have to
keep but but it means your connection to
the it's an opportunity it's a taking
place when he would said that it says in
the he was tears were coming down from
his eyes
okay I'm not saying that everyone is
going to reach that level but recognize
that is not just a chore that you have
to do it's not just this thing oh I got
to do this you know and if you want to
be mahad to before you make Shabb's day
and whatever it is. No, this is the way
you're you're you're preparing yourself
to access that. You're saying these
words, you're saying it a second time.
You're saying the tag and you're
bringing it into yourself. This is this
is a way and the same thing applies to
any
there's a way to convey it that it comes
across that it's led that it's real that
this is part of my connection to the
part of my I want to make a suggestion.
This is true for for parents from if you
want to have a tool to be able to have
that for yourself. Like I mentioned,
a beautiful tool that's underused is the
and the letters of the there's so much
in there. By the way, most of what I
told you about the tear of is from
so much of the tear of what it's how
it's really meant to be the way they
were the the of of every of a real
that's in the pages of the years by the
way that start by quoting a
with a certain round number of years
prior to the and the first were all
revolving on that.
>> Yeah. The could sometimes take a and
dissect the in that uses. Yeah, I have a
little bit of a dream. I'm not doing it
and it's not trademarked, but if you're
doing it, let me know because like this
I don't have to do it. Take all the
writings of the
and to set them up did it a little bit
but like she didn't have that much then
take it and to set it up in what is we
know what a faban is. I guarantee you if
you're going to learn the of what is
you're going to go to the next
differently. If you're going to read the
of about the story when you put on the
was watching from behind the door and
saw the way that kissed his film you're
going to take your film pick them up
differently tomorrow. If
you say but even if you're not even if
that's not yet written to go through of
that gives you
I mentioned before that all successful
people I believe in their are born out
of looking for searching for the
are are a beautiful tool to be a search
to be
That's just a practical suggestion. I
was speaking to recently
who has interesting perspective. He he's
learned he he didn't
go to
and I was speaking to him recently. So
there was a recently there was about
right. So he was telling me his
perspective. It's like it's very
interesting that I I'm noticing is all
about
then there's a whole another facet that
I'm seeing inad or that I see or I know
inad is this
and like the the
way it is an expression of it he was
saying is very much when you have to say
the whole I mean this is a big and
usually I was relegated to to or you
know classically
and theb
you know famously the said that comes
one of the questions is going to be um
how many did you bring to make 30 so um
it's like an interesting this gu was
telling me a perspective that's one of
the elements that's demanded of
everybody you could you could be the
biggest mascul yet it's demanded of you
to have a certain
And uh Erin skited Timos in uh in a
hashem you know and rabbit told um there
was this guy um
he wrote nine and a half mystics Herbert
Winer he was he was a rabbi and I think
reformed rabbi and then later he became
aided there's a video about dollars
telling telling I think the telling him
to to let people know about it that he
became aid so he has this book nine and
a half my miss he's hanging around 770
in the yuds
He asked theb
um
I'm saying this is the right. So he he
asked theba I noticed that with your
bakim
they have a certain like a problem that
he's having. It's a certain naivity to
them
and like what's what's that about? I
mean, you know, so the said it's not a
it's the he uses and he quotes the
I don't know how to translate that
exactly. They don't have a um split.
They're not split. They have a timos. to
have a certain ganskite and a certain
um yes I remember was once someone fab
when I was a young bak saying when
you're out
and close your eyes I'm like oh really
that's a value you know like like
okay so there's a certain uh take it
seriously taking it seriously
>> you mentioned to him I think it's a very
perfect example because you could you
could just We're just doing the hard
work of saying
but printed
at the back of
>> you look
that's exact that's by the way the reb
doing my my idea
form was not your idea basically.
>> Yeah. Yeah. I'm joking. I'm joking. that
would put the if you read those stories
and you read those of you you'll come to
a different I remember I was in a show
once here in Toronto I live I'm here
broadcasting from Toronto I was in a
notab show and there was because
as well and there's aid you know somehow
he's browsing through the the stories in
the back of like it like
he pettite
of of what was going on over there. He
was push from it. He wasn't nobody
nobody was telling him anything. He was
seeing it himself. That's a perfect
example where you could take a mid tom
from being a chore and being something
on a piece of paper that you have to you
know you know get a get a quot and you
know do a get tickets on your on your
hem whatever it may be which is also
good things encouraged you know this
idea of competition but as
>> for sure for sure I don't know about I'm
saying
but the idea of uh was mainly focusing
on mitzvah
that's another rant for a different
to Hashem was meant to be a global thing
for allen together not just for okay
again it's a different discussion but
the the idea of of of as a as a child
gets older what is the power of what
does it really mean and I'm not saying
you have to have all of the but even if
you just have that appreciation of
that's in the
guarantee you're walking
in a in a different
>> okay I remember some anecdote when I was
a kid I used to go through it but it's I
didn't understand so there's the one
story in Yiddish that I understood you
know with the
says I'm only
I live to get another another
>> yeah I was like
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One more one more thing I wanted to add
about this idea of
as
to convey not just the facts and the
information but the ledite and the
emiskite of how you live it as
they're watching us you know we're doing
that's the fact whether it's a mhammed
with a mashparent
>> yeah apparent
I I remember once there was a sim here
in Toronto
relative of Mishb that was taking place
in the and it took place right after
this before
and the suda was happening then and the
were going on to ding because it was I
ded before that day I ded with a 6:30
minion 6:45 I came to
and like this I was able to participate
in the so after the
Oh, bagels and locks, whatever they
serve over there. I washed. It's between
and
behind me also washed. So, somebody told
him, "I don't understand. You're uh
you're washing now like you're eating."
He says, "What do you mean just washed?"
So, people are watching us. You have to
be careful. You know, that's another
topic. But when when a when a child when
a Talmud sees how seriously and how real
your yiddish is that has the deepest
impact when I was um at the gathering
for
I remember what year this was this took
place in
the hall and one of the speakers was a
kit
who was a Talmud of his and back in
Russia and he said, "I'll tell you how
he taught us."
He didn't teach us just because he said
that the didn't have money and he came
that day. You could see that he was push
hungry. I think it's he said he was
saying he was in like trembling from
hunger. Pel bad for him as a child. He
gave him a portion or whatever he had
that he was eating or
and I don't think a Mhammed would
typically say yes to that, but he did
because he was so hungry. He didn't
touch it. He took it and he put it
aside. After they finished, they didn't
have running water in those days in the
buildings. Water they had apparently
food. They didn't. He went out and he
went to wash
because it was aka.
So he said that taught me that that's
how I learned
there's different how much you have to
be on. I'm not going to go into that
right now of of how to be
that he didn't eat it when he was
starving until he was able to leave and
go and wash and then come back and then
eat it.
Once a here in Toronto
from Cleveland was visiting. He has his
children here and there was a big it was
the Shabas together with the so they
were serving different foods. I forget
what it was. I think it was.
So they had the fish course was first
obviously and uh there was also salad
and everyone's eating the fish and the
salad and the herring whatever it may be
and the right all of a sudden someone
comes from the kitchen and says the the
salad is a chicken salad
the taste like I guess it looked like
maybe it was like hearts of palm or
something and it's really little pieces
of chicken so what happened that means
everyone's eating chicken salad with the
fish so you know they started taking
away from the I was watching then at the
moment. As soon as he heard that
instinctively, he gathered everything
from his mouth. I could see him doing
that. He gathered it. He he took
something on a napkin. He spit it out
and he immediately took something in his
mouth and he washed his rinsed his mouth
out. Most other people just swallowed
what was in their mouth
and
you know they moved it off. But that was
the,
you know, you see that it's real. You
see that it's something that's it means
something to me. It's not just on the
book. This is how I live my life. This
this this is this is what makes me
excited. This is what makes me even
Yeah. even even anxious because this is
real to me.
That's something which we can impart
constantly to our children in the way we
conduct ourselves in the kite that we
face mitzvah and mitzvah and the and the
and the we give it something which is
conveyed constantly in ways that are
more powerful than words.
Okay. So um
hopefully we can achieve it in ourselves
and give that over to our
um let me ask you a question back to the
learning part.
So besides we spoke about the tools to
know how to learn
but there certain some there's a certain
motivation needed there's also
some there's different people have
different personalities.
What if you have a bach that he's wired
I mean today we have fancy names for it
add ADHD whatever it is but let's say
you know at the end of the day there's
personalities some people their
personality
gives them a hard time sitting with a
open safer
so
that needs an extra motivation you know
because it doesn't come so naturally
so what is is a way to cultivate in our
talid and in ourselves
um you know a healthy motivation for for
for learning.
That's a very good question and it
doesn't only apply to the or the child
that has difficulty learning because as
we know the is something which is
which means it's a constant challenge
even for somebody that has learning and
has talent and has learning and has
those skills and I'm going to say
something which I think applies to
everybody and uh I think it's a little
bit all inclusive.
One general point is never
try to whittle away and deflate a
motivation. Any motivation that's going
to get you to learn has value even if
it's not my invention.
So yeah, if someone is learning because
it says in you have to learn and he's
going to have that level of just to put
on fill in. He's just going to look at
see what it says in if it says I have to
learn fine. if I'm a businessman and I
had to go work and and even if he's not
on that level that he's going to do it
in every detail but he knows this is
what I have to do is also a good thing
that's that's a that's a that's not a
that's a but then there's if a person is
learning because of peer pressure
because of social pressure
if a person is learning because he'll
feel like you know he's he's not going
to be considered to be if he's not
you know he's of a loser that's also
good if a person thinks of
mentioned by the way in right whether
it's whether it's whether it's from
whether it's a stipend whether it's a
recognition all these things should not
be deflated
because don't forget we are human beings
and we have the in us too so when our
kids is not in the right mode we could
use those motivations and every
motivation is therefore useful
never to be discarded. Of course, we
have to build and go deeper and go
higher,
but not at the not not not to not to
negate any motivation. Any motivation
that brings you to do something good,
keep it keep it exercised. It's going to
come to good use. It's a tool in your
toolbox.
But a little bit more and I have to be a
little bit true to my title that you
mentioned before as a learn, but I'm
going to say a little bit of my sign.
you know, it's based on what we we're
all familiar with, which I think is a
little bit more of a motivation that
could
to be more engaged and be more
committed, be more dedicated to
I mentioned before those three
ingredients that mentioned regarding and
I want to fall back on that a little
bit. If I recognize in a real deep way
that my mus is my being
and this is what I'm looking for. I'm
looking to amplify that mus of who I
truly am. I'm going to look for ways to
make that happen. So for example, let's
say he was by himself a little bit more.
It's negate him what wants him to do.
This is a thing for him. If I know that
I have to fulfill what it says in
I cannot physically be
if I'm ignoring it that I'm not in my
life if this is not not important to me
yes then I might not know but if I know
this is who I am I know this is how I
would like to live I know this is what I
want to be and I want to fill myself up
with this fully that's my so now my I'm
committed to fulfilling the rest of the
I want to be I'm not talking about any
if I want to be a then
I will the
automatically
become knowledgeable. I don't mean
automatically. I don't mean
automatically that it's just going to
pop into your head because you'll feel
one second. I don't know a lot of
information that I need to know. I need
to know this. I have to know it. If you
have to know something because that's
nah to your success in life. I need to
know it. There's no way that I could
succeed without knowing this
information. I might have to learn. I
may have I might have to learn other
from other I will then have questions
too. I will have find things that might
be not clearly I have that answers my
questions. I'll spend time figuring this
out. just by being a wanting to live a
life with of the um guiding me will so
to speak force me to become quite
knowledgeable in
like so for example sometimes
occasionally I go upstairs for breakfast
in yeshiva one of the things they serve
are cornflakes okay I'm not I'm not
saying this as a you know ask your local
orthodox rabbi for further guidance but
over the years right now they have
they're stable with one particular brand
but over the years there was different
companies that they were buying the
cornflakes
And depending on how the cornflakes are
made, it could be either a hadama or a
shahak. If basically they crush the the
actual corn into a flake. So it's still
basically a whole piece of corn. It's
hadama. If they grind it a flour and
then produce a paste out of it and then
shape out um like out of a dough, they
shape out these corn flakes. It's shako.
This is according to my understanding,
according to what I looked into at the
time. And the companies were actually it
was different companies were coming into
the yeshiva. So now if I turn to and I
say okay what is the the cornflakes and
he's in the middle of eating the
cornflakes and he's thinking I said what
did you make on it? Oh I washed. Okay
but the other next to you didn't wash.
So if you're keeping you have to know
what did I make on that? I need to look
I need to like learn say the and I need
to find a little bit about food
production. I will not become a grace
but every therefore that
truth himself will become eligible.
So by extension
if it's not just about knowing what to
do it's about knowing who I am and who
to be
that carries over to limit in general.
Let me tell you an example.
You have an individual that lived
through the holocaust as a child.
The parents
this happened by the way I'm saying it
but this happened to more than one
person unfortunately parents died were
killed by the Nazis.
They gave up the child to an orphanage
to a monastery to a goa family to a
nanny. They were raised
they don't have any memory of their
parents. They might have been babies
when they were given over. They survived
the war. and the par the nanny or the
the orphanage was kind enough to provide
them real information about who their
parents are and that they're Jewish and
now they're living a life that they're
trying to live as a as a human being.
We know him unfortunately. But this is
different. The this Yasim never met his
father. Not only did he not meet his
father, he doesn't have any clue of who
his father is. Even today,
unfortunately, in the story with Sydney,
you have a baby that lost a father. But
I want to tell you that that child will
know their father quite well from
friends, family, videos, recordings,
stories. Of course, you know, obviously
I'm not know this is this is a serious
issue, but they're going to have a
certain feeling of who their father was,
a certain feeling of identity of how
they come into the family and how their
their continuation is because they have
knowledge of that. But imagine this
child that doesn't have any family,
doesn't have any friends of his parents,
is basically a totally separate person
from where he came from. You could
imagine the feeling of loss and the
feeling of like I nobody
and he meets somebody that he discovers
was one of his father's close friends
and this friend starts describing his
father. You can imagine how the child
will feel.
I was uh somebody passed through
Toronto. I'm not going to mention names
and uh I mentioned him his father passed
away when he was a young child and I
told him something from his father how
his father would dab him. I I I I I
repeated
the way his father the tune that his
father would sing I he was mesmerized.
He was pur listening to me like like he
was in
and this is somebody that not from the
Holocaust that didn't doesn't know
anything about his father. So but this
person who didn't meet his father
doesn't know who his father is now meets
a friend of his father and the friend is
describing who your father was all of a
sudden he he discovers my father was was
an intelligent person a deep person this
is he starts appreciating details
this guy brings him the biggest surprise
of his life he brings him a little case
and he says this is from your father
when the war broke out your father put
together family possessions, different
things and he put them in this and he
buried it in the backyard of his house.
He showed me where it is and he says,
"If I survive, dig it out and if you
meet anyone from my family, give it to
them. This is yours." And he opens the
and he sees his father's work, his
father picture of his father. He never
saw a picture of his father. Never saw
his father before. picture of his
father, the the thoughts of his father,
the of the of the all of a sudden he has
a context. He's coming from somewhere.
He's going somewhere going through
taking days to read everything through.
All of a sudden, he comes to a pamphlet
and the pamphlet says to my
with your with his name on it.
He's reading a journal that his father
wrote for him. And his father writes to
him how all of this of the family and
all of the of the father how this is
going to you into the next generation.
He talks him about his that he has maybe
when he was a little baby recognizing
even the potential maybe he was aes you
know you could embellish the story if
you want it's not a real story anyway
but this is the and he's giving him
guidance in his life what he can do how
he can live his life and the son who's
now reading this let's say he's 30 years
old he says wow this guy really
understood me this is what I went
through and now this son will never let
go of that notebook he's not going to
have to be told that this is something
you have to learn and you have to live
by. This is what he wants to be. This is
what he was looking for his life. This
is what he was missing.
The
is exposing to you the deepest secrets,
deepest about who you are, what life is
all about, what you could accomplish,
where you're coming from, where you're
going, what you can accomplish here in
the world. When you know that that's
what is and you value yourself not you
value who you are who you're meant to be
you have an and you value your
connection to the you have that
to get more connected to that and you
have that with your name on it
it's to you it's
you have your portion it's not just
is telling you
everything is molding the way I think
it's molding the way I It's showing me
directional life. It's showing me
everything. It's showing me how to live,
how to breathe, how to think, how to
view, how to view everything. So when
you have that approach, again, a child
maybe is not at that level. And maybe
this child of the Holocaust survivor
also was not on that level to appreciate
when he was seven years old. But as
you're getting older and you're the age
that you're maturing, think to yourself,
what do you want in life?
Let let the ems resonate that you're
this is who you are. This is what you
want to be. This is what you want to be
successful at doing at living more
correctly. The is that the gave to you
to know what life what your life is all
about. When you have that, let's call it
that again that to connect and you
realize that the is your recipe then
you're going to have a motivation to
learn.
Now I'm not saying you're going to use
every minute. I'm not saying you're not
going to bottle a little bit. You're not
going to be somebody why am I doing
this?
I want to illustrate a little bit
further and carry it a little bit closer
to my
I mentioned before is clearly showing me
how to live that the yum from the
holocaust had the most important thing I
think that he would cherish is this
gives me a purpose and a guidance in
life he might appreciate deep of his
father and the nuances and the words
that he chose to use it's amazing but
the most important thing I think that he
will value is how it shows him how to
live and how to be and who he is
that
I'm not devaluing and
but there's a certain beauty about
appreciating because it shows me how to
live and it's not only this is the
mistake
>> says
>> oh exactly but this is the mistake
there's a I'm not challenging any start
including that I work in other I'm just
saying this as a I'm laying out the
facts and you know you could do whatever
you want with
There is a
that have set up
there's a first of all
when he talks about the limit is
mentioned numerous times when you have
the clear of how the wants you to act in
this world even if it doesn't happen
fine but the clarity and the vision of
how life have to run according to so of
he says
of learning
and that is framed around
>> isn't there also from the
similar thing right
>> similar there are levels there we'll get
that in a second the talks about
learning the properly
talks about learning the learning which
are the that take out the temp from the
with the
he talks about then going to B I'm sorry
then going to the come upon the that
corresponds to the you're learning
learning it with the B which which is
over the including the
learning it which is embodying the
and then if you have that which will
include
that's the limit that he describes this
is giving clarity on as it dictates
how it gives him his guidance in life.
talks also about the the main emphasis
is on learning
learning not just the facts but
understanding the behind them which
comes from the
basic he also calls it keeps on calling
it doesn't call it like we call it the
let's get the clear let's get the clear
let's get the clear in the gim
there are deeper levels of learning that
he says people that are more advanced
but the basic framework work of learning
that spells it out. There's also clarity
of what the gimmar is saying at the end
and how it's embodied
doesn't stress the words
but you see from as well from from that
learned
he does kind of
discuss similar
in
he describes his moving through
different note and he describes when he
came to labavage he said we learned
he said we didn't spend time in that
we're trying to understand ideas that
were not get to be we were trying to get
a clarity
goes to the same process that I
mentioned before of going through
going through the
and going through and how it's expressed
in if it's applicable or if not
this idea of limit
It's not just understanding of and I'm
not taking that away of the is so deep
that no matter how many and how many
we're going to understand there's even
more and there's even deeper but you
have to give a tal the feeling that
there's a direction you have to give the
feeling that this is not just about deep
information it's about guidance in life
>> but it's not it's not really done in no
>> I think it should be done I think it
should be done more I think it this path
path which should be accessible. I know
there are others that are talking about
it in public forums.
>> By the way, I remember a very a
childhood memory. It was a big snowstorm
when I was in sixth grade. Not the 1996
one, the next one. Like a historic
snowstorm in New York and barely anyone
showed up to yeshiva. But since I grew
up, you know, across the street from
Ala, I was forced to go nak. I remember
what my teacher did with the 10, it was
Rabbi Adelman was the teacher. What he
did, he showed us the sixth graders how
to do this. He taught up
and he went to
and then he all the way down to I
remember I remember then being blown
away like oh this is possible you can
this is the process of of I just
remember I don't remember that so much
in uh in in Zalda but I remember that
from sixth grade that one day
>> it's printed in the back of the
you know till and the one of the prince
of one of the they had on the bottom
because it encapsulates everything. Oh,
he says learn go to the go to the go all
the way down. This is a type of limood
which number one is more because not
everyone is trying to
but it also is a directed lim which is
showing
showing how
it's not just because it's because it's
for you and showing you how you have to
run how the world has to run how
everything is meant to be following the
why do you need to learn why can't it be
like that the writes in they just
And then
>> it's a good question and addresses that
because you need to have the are part of
your appreciation of the if you just
have the dry itself. Yes, you know the
facts which goes through the back and
forth and the gives you the behind that.
But when you have those connected to it
makes it more focused, more directed and
shows you more how this is all for me to
appreciate. If I read that I told you in
that mshel of the father that he gave to
his child if it would only be dos and
don'ts
I don't know how long it would last. I
think it would be harder for the child
to appreciate. But if he had a context
and he had a and he appreciated where
this is all going and what's behind all
of this I think the dos and the don'ts
will come will come easier and we'll
come with with more with that's the
purpose of
>> and when you go to
this is for sure the if you're going to
limit and you're not looking for
you're not looking to connect to the
yeah you could learn it and it's
interesting things and it's gishmak
there's a lot that that writes in
deals with a challenge that people have
that they're learning and it doesn't
really have a deep effect on them. It's
not really to them. It doesn't change
them. And he says one of the reasons is
I'll tell you why is because when you're
learning and you just feelus is
interesting and it's like and it's nice
that has nothing to do with me. That's
not about changing me. But if you learn
remember correctly that's still that's
going to be a different
I want to draw you back to the
we started recently
the new
some people focus on the
is huge but most people focus on the
versus and how this is going to solve
all the problems and make it accessible.
I'm talking about before that
the way the is in that letter written as
a letter
listen to these words
he's encouraging learning
he talks about famously it's Indian
the first few days but with the
doesn't call it with
that's the way he titled it
means was saying I'm talking to people
mention I'm talking to people that are
they're looking for the
searching for the and you're listening
to me and I'm going to provide you with
answers to what you're looking for if
you're looking for the has a lot to tell
you not if because is addressing
everyone we're all looking for the but
we have to remember
You can't just consider this as a book
as a theologian. Now I was sitting next
to somebody on the plane. So we struck
up a conversation. So they asked me,
"What do you do?" I told him, "I teach
Jewish theology."
That's how I phrased it. But it's not
just Jewish theology theology.
Maybe if I said the right word, I don't
know, somebody will correct me. This is
not what it is. It's understanding how I
could connect to. It's the book that my
father gave me to show me how I could
access him. If I learn if I learn in
that way that I'm
looking for the it's a it's a different
thing.
>> I was once speaking to someone from
Williamsburg and he told me that this in
Williamsburg that that happens
he had something to do with it is part
of it. So I asked him are you are you in
the shoot? He's like he says no.
So I'm like what you you I asked him you
found already like what do you mean not?
Like everyone's a
we sometimes think that aish is like a
weakness you know like
it doesn't have to be that you become
flowery and you become you know
it's very simple. I I realize who I am
and I realize what I'm meant to be and I
want to get there. Like I mentioned
before the story of our father and our
uncle and our cousin, they were looking
for things. They were looking for he was
looking for the he was looking for
mention humanity in his life. He was
looking for you have to be looking for
something. You have to beh but you're
not searching on the street. You know
see people and they don't know where to
go and they don't have the we have the
book in our hands. We have the we have
the in our hands and if we're makish
then we'll be able to access it and
we'll be able to appreciate it. So of
course you have to be makish. And by the
way, the rings true and the
brings
and
so if you're looking and you're looking
the truth is accessible and you'll find
the truth. So someone that's t looking I
believe will get to the
and you see I think you see
come to come to come to
everything everything else is empty.
This is this is the real stuff. That's
the deepest most real motivation for for
me to learn, for you to learn, for
anyone to learn. This is my
this is my guide book for life.
You know, it needs a little bit of
I met once
lives in my family's connected from the
years that we were in the summer in Muny
and then when we lived in my so we
having a conversation and he says, "You
know what? your father has such from his
children probably referring to you right
no he sees the family
that that each one
has a others he says I'll tell you why
is because your father started with
say what do you mean this is a story
apparently that that that a father told
him at one point that when he first came
to the crown heights he was looking for
the abush where do you
you know, looking for
so he was directed to
and
he wanted to go to the top, you know,
who's who's going to tell me the so they
directed him to the dean. The dean was a
bisel Jacobson and I think he's I think
he went to his house if I remember
correctly and he knocked on his door and
he saw you know also he never saw you
know was
he was about also and he was blown away
thought it was like a malik and he
thought he's the guy
but he didn't know the words but
and he starts asking him questions and
he's trying you know conversing in his
English and Jacobson has also English
yiddish whatever it was so he tells him
you want to learn I don't know the words
he used but he said you want to learn
come back to me in a suit he wasn't
dressed you know like a he says and you
know some people could have said oh this
guy is you know getting concerned about
how I look and how I'm dressed he said
your father had the toel
so there's a certain element of in the
beginning but that's there's no question
about it and it's not always going to be
that it's myish and that's what I'm
looking for and I'm not necessarily I'm
a vakage like you said and if I am a
vakish I don't know where I'm looking I
don't know where I'm looking For there
is a certain but at the end to keep it
going and to make it a lifetime thing
and a permanent thing of part of you.
You need to access that of who you are.
This is the deepest part of who you are.
This is the real you. This is what I
want to be. This is what how I will live
my life. Not just but my
from head to toe. I want to be embraced
with the and the only way to to to to
change your mindset and to take and
allow your mindset to be molded by the
is that your is in your brain and you're
processing it and you're understanding
it
and you're directing your life
accordingly.
This is really what it means
doesn't just mean that all of a sudden
we want something magical to happen.
Look at the mashia. Why does want
mashiach and said if we're saying that
we want because he's saying that we want
then that doesn't work
because I want to shine in me and to
shine in the whole world. That's why I'm
sending and that's why I'm encouraging
you to say this is my life. This is what
I'm here for. So now if I don't have
Msiah, I still didn't crack the code. I
still didn't get it. I still don't have
it.
This is everything.
You can't be a you can't one mashia and
not be a makashem. That's impossible.
You could say the word mashia 100 times
a day. But if you're not a makishm and
you're not doing things in your life to
find then then it's it's a it's a word
>> and wanting and wanting to spread that
to the world.
>> Yeah.
>> How about isus is that you're passionate
about gilus.
There's also another component that I'm
thinking of a certain like
that's kind of related to what you're
saying but if especially not this is not
specifically for probably not you're in
the world
in the world generally and I mean in the
world it means that you know if you're
running a life and you're married and
you have children there's always
challenges and if you're looking to
live through those challenges and live
from those challenges in in in the way
that and the set it up. You're not going
to be able to access it unless you're a
person that's tuned in and plugged into
the limit on a regular basis. You're not
in the right zone. You're not in the
right place. So that's just another it's
maybe it's even but it's the same I mean
that's not it's but if you want if you
want to be a Y
how do you access it
you know there's so many distractions
today but uh you have to prioritize it
limit that whatever limit and it's it's
also so easy today because doesn't have
to be only when you are uh sitting and
learning in the but it could be all the
time you know car driving could
listening to positive things and being
involved in
in you know so that's uh
that's hopefully one of the points of
this podcast that uh when you're not
listening to or
you can also have inspiration around the
it's about
someone once said what's
either I'm learning I'm not learning if
I'm talking about learning it's
>> right exactly listen is part of the for
this reason
>> used to tell that he once when he was
like I would say the equivalent like age
based on how he was describing himself
and there was a I don't remember I know
what his name was his name mind and he
had a time that he would finish his
learning exactly when their say the
would finish and one day he finishes and
there's a time left. They thought like
you know he miscalculated today. So he
finished then he says today because it's
whatever the
came into the room and the young wasn't
like a long
but the beginning of was
I think it's that also says if I'm not
mistaken but this is the how he said it
that
the two things
that's what is taking out the mace
the connection to the imbuing that and
internalizing that
even the time when it was uh set up set
up officially for learning
>> right
>> okay how we believe it's going to bring
learning
>> okay so hopefully
there's going to be says and what's a
qual qualification of a
but also
qualification of what is. So hopefully
this discussion will
be for us will be in our and for the the
shim as well that will benefit from it
for this. I want just add one more thing
based on what I mentioned before that
when you're looking for more of a
pimistic motivation it shouldn't be at
the expense of other motivations. Look,
somebody that's listening to this might
say, "Look, I'm not at that point. I'm
such a hashm like you're describing." I
don't I would I would say not to believe
yourself that quickly, but there has to
be a cultivation of the basic things.
One thing I don't think I mentioned
before, which is more short term in your
learning in your learning
too. That's also I what I'm saying is
all the is about by the way.
>> Yeah, for sure. For sure. So all these
things I anything I said was not meant
to be meat from from even reward systems
or whatever it may be that's going to
motivate a person to learn it was just a
little bit more somewhat more cook and I
think something which is going to make
your learning a lifelong commitment and
something that belongs to you rather
than something he's doing because of the
setting they happen to be in at the
moment which is what sometimes think
we're learning because they want us to
learn and because there's a no no we're
facilitating you to be for yourself
that's the attitude Okay, none of is
holding there, but you want to you want
to be able to get there. If you're not
going to be work on getting there, it's
you're not you're going to be a little
bit frustrated. This is this is really a
>> Yeah. And you see it, you know, you see
um adults that might have gone through a
phase that they're not appreciating
learning, but then they mature a little
bit and they wake up and they realize,
wait, I need have and I need if they
could take this seriously. So, yeah, the
yeshiva is supposed to cultivate that.
So you have it automatically or you know
how you have the tools but uh anyone
with a
realizes the value of this and uh the
importance of it.
I just want to mention one more thing uh
I talked about before our parents
journey. So uh the the first the before
the
which you printed I think uh the lion
that said in your where it was from
>> for for our sisters we I printed it.
Yeah
>> you got the transcription there. One of
the things said
transcribe the word for word.
One of the things said there is to
spread yiddishes kite in a warm and
generous way. I want to give you
I mean our parents
are continuing to do that and I think
doing that
I think much more than they were doing
it whenever first told them those words.
So you see the words of the being
fulfilled in them is going to the next
generation. So you could she's
continuing to spread
and
in this warm and generous way and
generous means we're giving it to a lot
of people. We're not just keeping this
conversation for ourselves but sharing
with everyone whatever someone can take
out of it and then it's was a worthwhile
endeavor if that's what happens.
>> Okay. Have a lot of and that's
>> okay.
Okay.
And thank you very much and you should
in all of this.
>> Amen. Amen.