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Heat. Heat.
[Music]
Shalom everybody. Welcome back to the
midash. Welcome home to Torah. A warm
welcome home to Torah. And we use the
clea car. Actually, we're using another
safer by the clea car. the same author.
It's called Gibborim. It's new to us.
It's obviously close to 500 years old,
but it's new to us. And it's basically
based on midrash. He's taking the
midrash and explaining fundamentals in
Judaism.
And that is going to be the um the
outline for our discussion is this
week's para in the burim. We're in Pares
Akev. Just for those who are interested
in receiving the English source sheets
down below, there are uh there's a link
in the description box if you want to
sign up for our
hello. If you want to sign up for our
English source sheets, then send me an
email. Um also there are previous
recordings in the link below as well,
which I do encourage you to hear the
other Shirim. So as I mentioned we're
always dealing with fundamentals
and uh the first thing in our parha
chapter 7 verse12 is and it will be
because according to kabad.org or the
kabad website they're translating the
word av because and it's true it means
that even when God chose Abraham it's
because you followed my Torah that I
chose you the word av is used but it
also means and there's multi-dimensional
uh meanings really to every word and in
this case it also means reward now the
reward by the way is what we find and
this is going to be the main lesson for
tonight is what we find at the end. So
the word akev is the end of the body.
It's to heal
and the reward will be at the end. Av.
Um now so we're going to translate it
either as reward or because of but the
clear actually discusses this in in um
in a different place. If you look at the
last verse of the previous portion,
it says, "You shall observe the
commandment and the decrees and the
ordinance that I command you today to
perform them in Hebrew."
That God wants us to take seriously
theim just like the and the just like
theim. Well, let's put it like this. The
mishbatim we generally take seriously or
more seriously because they make sense.
on the other hand we may take lightly
because they're not based on logic. Um,
basically the miss if we were lost on an
island, not lost on an island, you know,
Gilligans Island, we were lost and we
were on an island and we would say,
"What kind of rules are we going to
set?" Most people would come up with the
same mishbatim, you know, stop at a stop
sign, don't run a red light, right?
Don't steal, don't murder, right? We
take them seriously because they make
sense. But the hookim on the other hand
are a little bit of a religious of
nature and don't necessar they're not
grounded in reason and people take them
lightly. That's what Rashi says right
away. What does it mean by avail
source number one? If you heed the minor
commandments now what's minor? So minor
could mean if I say to you light mitzvah
you may say okay look at the punishment.
Mitzvah are violation of a mitzvah. If
it's a big punishment, so that's a
strict one. That's a heavy one. And if
it's a light punishment, I might think
that's a light mitzvah. There's
different ways. It could be the effort
or the money that you put into it. Maybe
that's a light mitzvah and or a heavy
mitzvah, right? If I put in no effort or
no money, what's the big deal? It must
be a light mitzvah. So, there's
different ways, but one of the ways is
to look at it as if it makes sense. And
even King David says, "I'm not worried
about the big mitzvah. I'm worried about
the small ones because I would take them
lightly." Even King David admitted, I
mean, this is human nature. He's the the
paradigm example of man, right? King
David. And he would consider to be
afraid of taking advantage of these
light mitzvah, of treading on them with
his heel. Okay. With that in mind,
we will Oh, I did I mentioned so in that
verse 11, so he's basically saying
two things. One is when you do theim,
you should do them with the passion and
fervor of the mishbatim, but the mishim,
even though they make sense, you still
have to do them because God commanded.
In other words, it's a symbiotic
relationship between the two. Do the
mishbatim like theim and do the hookim
like the mishbatim. Now if you look at
our verse it's almost word for word
except the word hookim is missing the
very fact the word hookim is missing but
it's replaced with the word av and then
you feel you you can feel the verse
telling you that if you listen to the
hookim there's great reward there's
great reward waiting for you right um
that hashem is going to guard for you
the bris the covenant and the and the
kindness that he swore to your
forefathers
okay We're going to talk about the
reward that comes at the end. So the
word Avs also is referring to the heal.
The heal is called I mean it's referred
to as the end of the body. So this is
the reward that will come at the end of
time. The end of time meaning after 120
years. So let's look at the clear card
itself. He brings down a medish.
That's the verse we just read. Uh
chapter 7:12. And it will be if you
listen or you get a reward if you listen
or you get a reward at the end if you
listen to these mishbatim just like the
hookim just like the mishbatim in the
mid. So basically it's ina
it's gimmel olive
the Jews had a conversation with God and
they said master of the universe
and believe me the Jews know a lot about
blessings and consuming them in this
world. We are very blessed throughout
all of history. Even in the worst of
times, we see the blessings. I mean,
just to stop for a moment, just to say
the miracles, even though there's
anti-semitism galore. I know somebody
doesn't like that word, but there's
anti-semitism galore. And yet, we're in
the midst of it. And we are, at least
here in Israel, I don't see why you
can't see it in in wherever you are, the
miracles, the kindness. I mean to you
need like there's podcast of people who
know the details and they talk about the
miracles that have been happening not
just since October 7 but since the
foundation of 1948 of the state or even
before our whole history the hashka
practice
and I'm not going to go into that I try
to stay apolitical but the facts are the
facts right you just can't get around it
So, we're talking to God and we're
saying, you know, all of these benefits
we're these uh we're eating in this
world. We're consuming. We're benefiting
in this world. We're saying to God, it's
right. There's reward and punishment.
One of the 13 principles of our faith is
that there is a judge and there's going
to be reward and there's going to be
punishment. And we're saying, you know,
we're eating in this world the basically
rules say the fruits we're eating. We're
consuming the reward. You know what
Hashem says? No, it ain't so. It ain't
so.
God is telling the Jewish people,
all that you're consuming, all these,
all these good things. By the way, the
Gomorrah says all the are mentioned, all
these blessings mentioned in the Torah
and the rest of Nak, it's all about all
it's all about the world to come because
the Karen, the prime,
how do you say it? The the real reward
is waiting for us in the world to come.
But there are these fruits, there is
some produce, there is some benefit that
we do get. By the way, Rabbi Daniel
Glassian explains there's 20 I think he
got it from Raf Sajik, but there are
other people that list what you can do
to to have the fruits. When I say fruit,
it's like the crumbs. The real reward is
waiting for you in the world to come.
But you can have a taste. You can have a
taste of the world to come. And there's
20 there's a list of 26 things you can
do. An example, the more effort you make
to do the mitzvah, you'll get rewarded
in this world. You spend more money, you
make more effort. There's a whole bunch
of there's a whole list. One of them is
simp. The more simp you have doing a
mitzvah, Hashem rewards you in this
world. It doesn't take anything away
from the world to come. But here we're
saying, okay, we're getting all these
benefits. It must be that we're
benefiting from our mitzvah in this
world. And Hashem says, "No, all that
you're consuming and benefiting from in
this world,
you're only benefiting from, you know,
the the whipped cream and the cherry on
top. You're not you're not eating and
consuming what I'm holding off for you
in the world to come." As we saw in the
verse, the the latter part of verse 12,
right? God will keep the covenant and
the kindness that he swore to your
forefathers and it all began with in the
end. In the end, he's guarding it for
you. You're not, Even though you're
benefiting and you're blessed in this
world, it is not being deducted from the
the main bank account that's waiting for
you for all eternity. And wait till you
hear. So God says right all you're
eating in you're eating
see the word
it means here at the end right the fruit
of the mitzvah the the extra taste that
you're benefiting from that is what
you're eating from not from the mitzvah
itself not from the karin itself
but the prime the primacy the prime the
kerin the the main bank account is not
being deducted at all and you will
benefit from it in the world to come.
Now later on the medish brings a u an
mash an analogy. So it explains what we
just said.
What exactly is this lesson? How can you
make it like understandable for us,
right? What does it compare to to a
to a particular imagine a particular
orphan? He gets like adopted by somebody
who's very kind. Not just very kind,
very kind. And what does he do? He's
going to uh go through a stage. He's
going to go through an internship. He's
the man is going to teach him a trade.
Like he adopted like his own son, right?
One of the mitzvah that you have to do
for your children is teach them teach
them a trade so they don't become uh
robbers or thieves or, you know, have a
a clean trade. So he adopted him as a
son and so he taught him a trade. Now
what do you do when you normally go to a
school to learn a trade? You pay to to
learn, right? And if you're really
working, you should get something in
return. So maybe you're even Steven,
maybe. Well, this kid is growing up in
this house. He gets food. He gets
clothing. He gets shelter.
And so he feels I owe
So he's basically saying, look, you you
the B you think you owe me because I'm
doing all this work,
but really I'm already eating my due. So
at the end either we're even Steven or
I'm going to owe you.
That's how the child feels or should
feel. He's getting so much and what is
he giving in return? Well, listen to
what he says. So the
the yat the orphan says to himself he
says to the but in the media actually he
says he's saying to himself
all that I'm eating I'm basically taking
from my wages that you're going to pay
me in the future right I'm going to come
out either even or owe you
so the balabay is responding back just
imagine we're
We're the orphan and God is the balabay.
The balabay says,
"Listen, you've been in my house, but
every time my sistern was low or my
barrel was low, you went and you filled
it for me. You worked beyond,
you know, beyond what was request
required of you.
Ali and the the wood that you chopped
for me, right? There's cold nights.
Who's going to go out and get the the
wood? Whatever you you you brought in
the wood or you chopped the wood for me.
All that I'm guarding. I'm holding on to
that money for you. I'm guarding you.
You're going to get that reward.
And there's a PK. The PK we we just saw,
right? God's going to show
God is so kind. He's going to not
deduct. He's going to give us the payros
and not deduct it from the car. That's
the analogy if it makes sense. So the
clear card continues.
The Torah everything could be divided
into two, right? Like there's two kinds
of people in the world. There's Jews and
there's non-Jews, right? There's
anything you can divide up into two.
Well, guess what? The Torah itself has
two different ways. There's called,
which is using, and I'm going to use I'm
not going to translate it as listening.
I'm going to translate it as
understanding. There's something going
on between the two ears. There's a shut
you're you're not just listening, but
you're comprehending. There's something
registers inside the head. And then
there's masot. There's physical actions.
There's Torah is a instruction manual
telling me what to do. So there's two
there's two aspects within Torah. You
have the understanding and you have the
actions. Two separate ways.
Move our
actions that we do are pretty much
self-explanatory in the text. Take a lav
a fence around your roof. Uh blow the
chauffeur or listen to the chauffeur.
Whatever it is, right? Put on the titus.
But it's fill in simple instructions.
Obviously, it's not so simple, but
there's an oral to that explains all the
details. But whatever the simple
explanation is, that's what you do. But
then there's a thing called
and that's
and that would be and I'm going to try
to translate it the best way I can.
That's more like the secrets that could
be the mystical aspects that are within
the secrets of the Torah. Okay? That's
going to that's going to take place
inside your noggin.
Torah. This is learning. When you learn
Torah, it's it's requires.
So when you're just learning, okay, I'm
going to just pick up the lulaf. Okay,
that's called simple. But to really, and
by the way, this is called makshava.
When you read like the Maharal, you're
reading the kakar, you're learning, it's
called makshava. That's what the
discipline is called. It's thought. It's
deep thought. That's what we do here.
We're trying to think deeply. So
learning Torah requires
effort and a lot of effort. And the
clear card says
these two in the Torah, these two
different paths in the Torah. So one is
going to benefit even though he used the
words need it's for the needs of the
body and the other is for the needs of
the uh the nephesh.
Okay, we are an a spiritual being having
a physical experience or we're a
physical being having a spiritual
experience. But we are we really have
two parts. We're we're spiritual beings
and we're also physical beings.
So the makov the shia is benefiting or
it's for the needs of the soul and the
physical mitzvah that we're doing theim
is somehow benefiting the goof. By the
way just to understand this because it's
going to get a little complicated. Well
actually you know what I'll read it and
then I'll explain it.
So the action is is actually the action
we do the physical actions we do is
fixing our body. It's perfecting our
body. I know this may sound mystical and
for those who are familiar I know you
guys are that the mitzvah are compared
to right we have 613
each mitzvah is connected parallel to
some part of our body whether it's
organs or bones or senus right
the Mishna brewer or the kayim in his
introduction to hil shabas explains
something absolutely fascinating
he says that in the resurrection of the
dead
a different limb. It's going to be um
it's going to rise because of the tal
tora. The Torah that you learned or the
mitzvah you did is going to basically
inject life. We're doing it now. As we
do mitzvah, it's some kind of life force
that's entering it, but that life force
will only be activated well in in a
certain sense when the resurrection
takes place. So he says, "Look, if you
don't do a mitzvah properly, we could we
could be resurrected and we will be
resurrected
with mumim with blemishes in those
mitzvah that we didn't perfect or we
didn't fix." So he gives an examples.
You're running to do the wrong thing in
the resurrection of the dead. You might
have a limp or a broken leg or
something, you know, wrong with your
leg. If you didn't put on to filling
correctly, you'll have an arm that's
twisted. If you're looking at things you
shouldn't be looking at, you might be
missing an eye. Uh he says, "Look, you
can you can be resurrected without a
pinky. You can be resurrected without an
arm, a foot, a toe, but you can't be
resurrected without the heart." He says,
"Shabas is the heart." This is his
introduction. He wants you to learn the
laws of Shabas because he's trying to
scare you. You should take it to heart.
If each mitzvah is connected something,
Shabas is the heart. It's the heart, the
pumping. It's the the Jewish people. And
so the best thing because we know that
Shabas has a lot of
just set aside time to do review. As
long as you're doing review, you're in
good. You're in good company. You're in
good shape because there's a lot of
mitzvah.
Okay. So over here we're talking about
why is it good for the goof? The masa is
latic. He doesn't say what I just said,
but I think that could be an aspect of
how it's good for the goof.
This could be quite controversial. I
think I hold that it's not but and wait
till you hear what I think. So the
actions you do is good for the goof
because most of the mitzvah in the Torah
are to preserve or guard the health of
the body
like drum roll is mlob
like the kosher laws what's kosher
what's not kosher right things that are
forbidden claims are bad for the body
why would it be controversial because
the modern mind the the liberal modern
mind would say, "Hey, now we have
refrigeration. Now we have antibiotics.
Why can't we eat pork?" Right?
So whether science says it's healthy or
not, I have no idea. But people would
think it's not healthy, but now now it
could be.
I think it's something else. So we we
discussed the idea of reincarnation,
health, benefits for the body in that
way. I want to discuss this other idea.
It's off it's a little bit off the
topic, but it's related.
The Ramban says that the one of the re
even though it's a Ramosa Feinstein
holds it and should not non-Jews
should not try to keep kosher. That's
what he claims. I'm a little bit I'm not
going to argue with Ramosa but I think
there's an aspect the Ramban speaks
about. You are what you eat. Okay. I
don't know if you So there are animals
that are the animals of prey and they
don't have such great meidos. Whereas
doicile animals, you know, cows and
sheep and goats and I don't know,
chickens are doicile, but whatever. They
But you know, so the kosher animals are
not they're not tearing apart other
animals. They're basically eating herbs
or things that grow from the ground
basically. So the Ramban holds that part
of the kosher laws is to instill in us
good midos or at least prevent us from
having bad midos by not eating. So I
think I think that's what he's kind of
referring to here that the masot
most of the mitzvah of the Torah and he
uses example of eating non-cooser food
could be uh detrimental to the health
but I don't mean health in physical way
I mean health in spiritual working on
your character right it takes you away
from a healthy relationships and I think
that's what he actually says here he
says kamo
Just like the mitzvah that do make
sense, right? The ones that are
reasonable
that they by the way. So the the Ron
holds that there's not seven laws. There
are seven principles for the the
non-Jews to keep. But any mitzvah that
is logical or ethical, a non-Jew is
obligated to keep. So they don't have
just seven laws. They have seven
principles, but they have a lot of laws
and and they're they're uh anything
that's as it says here.
In other words, logic dictates that it
should be done.
What's the Medina mean here? Diplomacy,
interpersonal society, interpersonal
relationships. So, it makes sense what
I'm saying. Anyway, I didn't make it up.
I heard it somewhere and it made sense.
It resonated and I keep pushing the
agenda. So that's for the goof.
What about the nistar? Nistarra
is those either mystical or ethereal
aspects of the Torah. And that's
that's going to benefit the the soul
aspect.
Again, when we talked about the um the
hookim, the hookim do not have a benefit
that's obvious, right? Stopping at a
stop sign or a red light is obvious
benefits me now and society. But not
wearing shness or whatever any you know
eating matzah and pesaf certain things
that are of religious nature let's say
according to raosha even the laws of
kash
you don't really see the toelis that is
nicker that is obvious the benefit
that's obvious in this world it's only
about
that means the reason we keep the those
decrees that don't necessarily based on
logic is because there is some kind of
benefit that's going to benefit benefit
us in the world to come but not here.
Now there's a concept that I'm going to
try to describe. God is holding a nare a
candle.
That candle that he's holding is our
soul and our body. In other words, life
itself. You know people they don't wake
up in the morning. I mean, we thank God
every morning, right, that we're we're
alive. It's he's in absolute control of
life and death, of our existence. So,
we'll call it the soul and the body. And
that's the candle that he holds. What
are we holding? We're holding a candle.
That's his Torah. Torah and mitzvah. And
I'm going to describe it right now. So,
it comes out, it's the bottom two lines
on the right side. It comes out that in
the hand of man are two candles near
mitzvah the Torah or based on proverbs
6:23
right for the commandment is a candle
and the Torah light so there's a candle
in our hand God gave us the Torah that's
the candle in our hand
and um the clear card continues on the
top line on the
in spite of this right or addition to
this
Obviously,
God does not have a hand. We're talking
uh in an amp, how's the word go? An
amphorphic
>> anthropomorphic
way. Uh that God has
I'm going to read.
God is holding these two candles that
man has. So we're holding Torah mitzvah
and he's holding the gofishes
and tell us in another medish it's a
beautiful medish
God actually says to the Jewish people
remember we're discussing this idea that
he's guarding our our reward right he's
guarding our reward so relating to that
says to the Jewish people
My candle is in your hand. I gave you my
Torah. So my candle God is saying is in
your hand
and your candle is in my hand. In my
hand, meaning your soul. Now the way it
works, this is just the reality. We have
to be humble and be submissive that if
we fail, if we don't do our side, we're
not guarding his Torah. He says, "I'm
not going to guard your soul.
You're looking at me. There's reward and
punishment. There's consequences to your
actions. We have a covenant and he's
guarding the
promise." Let's just see what he says.
So, how is this lesson explained in
analogy that we can understand?
[Music]
Each log gal. So the galo, by the way,
it's up north above Samaria, right? The
Shimon.
It's the Gomorrah says back in the day,
in the time of the Talmud, it was very
difficult for transportation. Today we
have route six and 90 and who knows
what, right? You go in between.
It was very difficult. It was like two
different medas. And we we understand
also there was a split. But this is when
during the second temple there was no
split, right? You it was just the
terrain was difficult to traverse. It
was hard to communicate. Okay. So you
have a guy who let's say he's originally
from the Galil and he owns a piece of
property there but he's living in Yehuda
and you have Yehuda meaning down where
we live in Jerusalem area. And you have
another guy who who is from Yehuda.
He owns a a karum
but he's living in the gal.
So each one has to go whether it's
weekly, monthly, couple months a year
quite a few times a year to their karum
to their vineyard that's in the that's
far away. So they made a deal. Hey, you
have to have a lot of trust. But they
made a a pact. Listen, you're closer to
my carum and I'm closer to your carum.
I'll take care of yours. You'll take
care of mine. And it looks like a match
made in heaven. It looks like a good
deal, right? It's a pretty good
reasonable thing.
So I'll read it.
And
so one says to the other
you guard my vineyard that's in the
galhuda
and I'll guard your uh field your your
vineyard that's in Yehuda.
So too
is saying about this idea that I have uh
my candle is in your hand. Remember my
candle, God's candle's in the Jewish
people's hands, as it says in Proverbs
20 6:23
mitzvah,
right? That the u that the mitzvah is a
candle and the Torah is light and that's
in our hands. And it also says in
Proverbs 20 verse 27, you see that
number five on the source sheet,
man's soul is the Lord's lamp which
searches out all the innermost parts. So
our soul is in God's hand
which basically means shamva
or god wants us to guard to observe.
It's al guard and observe are the same
word but to to do to keep the theorah
the mitzvah. And I God says
so I'm going to guard your soul. There's
some relationship here
and it's written in Deuteronomy 11:22.
Um, now it says in Hebrew, you wouldn't
see it in the English
shamish.
There's a double language of guarding
in English for if you keep all my
commandments. I would translate it as if
you surely keep all these commandments.
There's like an emphasis. Whenever
there's a double language, there's an
emphasis, but nevertheless, it's still a
double language. And um the clearar is
explaining this to mean there's a double
guarding just like I'm guarding the
Torah in the mitzvah. God is guarding my
soul. There's a relationship. That's why
the language is is used twice.
This analogy will be discussed as we
have just discussed.
As we discussed, the Torah has these two
ideas, two concepts. One is
deep thinking in you know listening and
the other is action
which is parallel to the physical body
and the soul and that is as Kazal
mentioned. Now this is a puss and we say
it every morning when we wrap our
tofillin in um Hosiah Hosea chapter 2
verse 21. Now it's a little bit I don't
want to read the whole measures because
of time
but we're saying that I betrothed you to
me right God and us are betrod to each
other and God is betroing us through
Mishbot
and
now they're going to be like these two
things. We keep the sedic and the
mishbat and God keeps the rahim.
So the mishbah is representing of the
Torah and the mitzvah and the raim is
going to be Hashem's kindness and
returning our soul like we say every
morning and keeping our um reward in the
world to come. I'll explain it like
this.
So there's an analogy. How do we
understand this idea of this
relationship of this marriage?
There is an analogy to a king who
marries a mitrona miterona which means a
noble woman. He wants to marry her and
zim.
So
it's she establishes these two gems.
There's they're particular uh like
emeralds of some sort and she's bringing
that into the marriage. It's not a dowy,
but it's something that belongs to her
that she's basically putting on the
table. Okay? And Hashem is doing or
let's say the king is also putting up
two of two precious stones as well.
Now, what happens is over time she loses
one of these stones and the king, he
wants to teach her a lesson. So he
removes also one of these two stones. So
even though they made it in display, you
walk into the palace under the as soon
as you walk in under display you have
these four stones. Two she brought to
the marriage to he brought to the
marriage she was playing with it.
Whatever she lost it and he's not so
happy. So he he removes his stone.
That's how the analogy seems to work at
the time.
Israelim.
So too, Hashem established, he brought
to the table
and that was
um
that was parallel to the two stones. In
other words, we brought to the table two
stones and God brought to the table two
stones.
So God brought the we brought Mishbot.
Now Israel had mishpot if the Jewish
people which we did by this thego by the
sin of the golden calf. We failed. We
fell short. We weren't doing mishpot
which is righteousness and judgment. So
what does Hashem do? He takes away his.
And there's actually a puss in Jeremiah
chapter 16
verse 5.
find it.
Um, number 12.
Remember Jeremiah is giving us rebuke.
He's a prophet.
So, for so said the Lord, it's Jeremiah
16:5. Do not go into a house of
mourning, neither go to lament, nor
bemoan them. For I have gathered in my
peace from this people, says the Lord,
the the love and kindness and the mercy.
God took it away. He did, right?
Sorry, skip.
I removed my peace, says Hashem, from
this people.
So, we see that that that did happen and
that's the result of us losing this
gemish.
So
ah just like this materon found she she
got the message and she found she went
out of her way and she found that rock
or the gem and put it back. So too
Hashem
so too the Jewish people they made the
tikun as well.
The truth is the way the analogy works
was what the king did was after she
found that stone he made a special crown
with the four stones and he made a crown
out of the four stones and put on her
head forever like right so too that's
going to happen that's what happens to
the Jewish people when we come back and
and we make the tik and the mishpah we
keep the Torah properly Hashem is making
this crown for us as well and that's
And that's what we're saying when we're
wrapping our finger with the
Now he asked two questions which he's
not really going to answer. This is like
eight pages and we're only going through
one. But the questions he asked now and
he'll answer later.
There is to think consider contemplate
in the mashall why is it specifically
mentioned these these rocks these rocks
aireim
is very related to the word betrodal
that's one idea to think about even
though it's it's literally the name of
the rock so too
right we saw the analogy of one Jew who
had uh his um vineyard in a different
municipality, different location in
specifically in Yehuda. the other one
had in the gal. But why a karum?
Specifically a karum. He'll answer it
later, but he does get into the idea the
Jewish people are God's vineyard. So,
so the clear continues.
Therefore, it seems we can explain the
following.
Right? We did ask the question, why was
vineyard specifically used in the
midrash? the Jewish people are compared
to a we'll call a a grape plant, right?
The the whole the whole plant itself.
Now what he's going to do, he's going to
describe the leaves
as
the protectors, the kma, the wisdom,
and the grapes, the produce, the fruit
itself as the goof, the uh the ma.
The truth is a page later, he switches
the whole thing. And if you read the
gamorrah, it seems that the gammor is
saying the opposite as well. But he
tries to prove his point and we're going
to stick just with this point for now.
Just know there's another way to explain
it and explaining it in the total
opposite way. But if you look at Mish
for example, chapter 9:2,
well, if you look at verse one, it's
number 14 on the source sheet, it's
talking about wisdom.
By the way, if you want to know why the
Torah starts with a bet, this is a great
way to investigate and understand that
wisdom was built with a a bet, right?
The the the world was created through
God's wisdom. So, wisdom has built her
house. She has huned her seven pillars.
Why? How many books of the Torah do we
have? Everyone usually says five, but
it's actually seven. And listen to this.
Seven.
How do you get seven? It's all five
books. You have these two inverted nuns
in the middle of uh the beginning of the
Bidbar.
That's we learn there are three books in
Bidbar. Before the nun, between the two
nuns and after the last after that
inverted nun there actually seven books
and Khazal tell us there's seven books
and it's based on this she has heuned
her seven pillars. But the main point
here she prepared her meat. She mingled
with her wine. That's going to be the
comparison to the karum. But going back
to this idea that when we went up from
Egypt, we went up, it says
one fifth or armed, right?
Armed, right?
If you go into a, I don't know, a
hospital in Israel, you go into a store,
certain stores, they want to know if
you're armed. They ask you if you're
kamush
kamush give how would you translate in
English at the ammunition hill. The
kakar says we went up armed. We went up
with five books of our Torah. Meaning we
were we were willing to accept it when
we left Egypt. We were willing to accept
it. So we went up armed. That is our
armament. And the kakar says I'm sorry.
Rashi says on that spot what is
kamushim? He says clelesion.
Clay what? What does that mean?
Literally armaments. The word Zion means
armaments.
Now if Rash is going to interpret
as armed
and the word for armed is basically the
number seven.
You can follow Zion is seven. Zion also
means armed. Rash is interpreting is
clay Zion with armaments. The Torah
itself is our armament. That is our
shield. Okay? So you're not only talking
about five, but on another level, you're
talking about seven. Okay? So the clear
says the following.
He bases it on this verse.
So the the the pouring or the mixing of
the wine has something to do with
wisdom. Okay.
that just like you have I mean we have
to use our imagination many of us never
even saw unless you live in Gusettion
you know certain but you see a vineyard
you see a escolote a cluster of grapes
there are leaves that are covering those
leaves are protecting from the sun and
maybe from the weather from the other
elements the leaves are protecting the
fruit
as it says in Gmoren. Again, this seems
to be the other way around, but if you
look at number 15, the last two lines of
15,
let the clusters of grapes pray for the
leaves because if it was not for the
leaves, the clusters of grapes would not
survive. Somehow or another, the leaves
are protecting the grapes. So, in the
Aramaic,
Alia alia
aliyah misumalia.
Basically you need to request mercy on
the well the cluster needs to request
mercy on the leaves that they should
survive because if it was not for the
leaves the cluster would not survive.
So the clear card says
so the cluster is basically the the body
of the fruit which is a remis to the
mass at least in this version. So the
the actions
okay but the actions are
even though it's an action it's done for
the sake of Torah as it says in like um
Proverbs 11
verse 30 the fruit of a righteous man is
the tree of life and the wise man
acquires souls. By the way when it says
Why? What did it mean to acquire souls?
Where did we hear that before?
By Abraham making converts. Now, what
kind of converts? They were con
converted to monotheism or benoak,
right? They didn't become Jews or if
they did, they didn't continue on. Uh
but anyway, the idea is to spread I'm
going to just say it to spread the
gospel to spread the good news. Right?
That's what we Jews are supposed to be
doing. We're supposed to be letting
people know that God loves us. He gave
us an instruction manual and it's to our
benefit, right?
If you create, if you help other people
become more righteous, it's a big it's a
bigoot.
So the clear quotes this
is
which we just said and fine. And now he
says basically
the leaves are a hint to wisdom.
I mean they just took away the trees on
that micro five but trees
right where's the power of the shade
coming from the leaves and it's sail is
not just shade it's refuge it's u
protection so the leaves are protecting
the the power of the leaves gives um is
the
it's known we're talking about wisdom
that it's known known that the the shade
of the tree is coming from the power or
potential of the leaves. So too, so too
wisdom. It actually is a PK in
Ecclesiastes 7:12. Look at number 17 on
the sheet. For whoever is in the shade
of wisdom,
if you read the rest, you got to
understand, hey, Jews will be Jews,
right? Is in the shade of money. And the
advantage of knowledge is that wisdom
gives life to its possessor. You know
why the Jews are so successful as a
people? Because they keep the Torah.
They have wisdom, right? We create
things. We somehow we're blessed. So,
but it's based on wisdom. It says the
shade of wisdom.
And he says,
it says in Psalms 1:3,
listen to these words. He shall be as a
tree planted beside rivlets of water,
which bring forth its fruit in its
season.
But it's alle
wither. Just keep that in mind because
we're going to discuss this for the next
few few lines. This idea
keep okay. So he explains the pre are
the mitzvah.
The pre the fruit the main thing is
doing the mitzvah and they are
pretorini. You're doing them because of
spiritual reasons. That's that's the
pre. But the ol those leaves are a
hinting a re
again those leaves are protecting the
fruit. It's the leaves themselves that's
the shade of wisdom.
There's a major makus in kamur kaducian.
It seems like there's a mak there's no
real makus but you have rabbitar you
have raika and then you have the sages.
Rabi Tarfin says the misa is the mitzvah
the msa is more important doing the
mitzvah is more important than learning.
Rabbi ka says no learning is greater and
then everyone got together and they all
said learning is greater because it
brings you to doing. So then which one's
really greater? You would think where
eventually brings you to. So we're going
to discuss that a little bit.
Um the gammor is none.
So the bottom line was they all got
together. All the sages agreed in the
end that learning
now learning and really teaching are
synonymous with each other. I'll just
stop and tell you why. We all think no
no doubt that learning is such a great
mitzvah. Such a great mitzvah. No doubt.
But what's the source?
What's the source?
So you ask people, they say, "Okay, it's
a Joshua, right? You should meditate on
day and night. That's the mitzvah." But
it can't be. Why can't it be? Because
every mitzvah has to be in the five
books, not in the prophets, right? We
say it every day.
And you shall teach your children. You
shall teach your sons. One time I just
asked what's the source for learning and
you're telling me it says to teach.
Well, you can't teach. You have a
professor here, right? You can't teach
unless you learn. In other words, you
have to learn first. Then you have but
learning is more like a prerequisite.
The main thing is teaching. Like I said,
our obligation is to teach to make other
people righteous.
You have to be you have to find value
and want to give it away, right?
something so valuable you cherish it but
it's like the candle what happens when
you light a candle and from another
candle doesn't take anything away right
some people are afraid I'm going to give
something away I'm going to have less
when it comes to wisdom it doesn't work
like that to doesn't work like that so
they all agreed that the talmud is
greater because it brings you to action
that's why it said that if it was not
for the leaves
than the eshkalot Then the fruit itself
would not exist had it not been for the
shade of wisdom
that hints to in the leaves. So
if it was not for this wisdom, the shade
of the wisdom which is hinted to in the
tree in the in the leaves, how could you
ever come to have a cluster which we
said is hinted to by the actions, right?
The leaves are the the and the fruit is
the action.
Just like we learn there's two parts of
the Torah.
I knew Tammud, which is learning or
teaching or something that's going
inside the mind and the soul and the
misa which is the actions which we said
is compared to the goof nim
it's so that's going to be compared to
the vineyard
which has two things. The vineyard has
the cluster the eshko and the olin and
the leaves that protect it. So too, the
goof and the nama, both the body and the
soul, they're also compared to a karum.
And we see in Isaiah 5:7,
for the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is
the house of Israel. God is calling us
his vineyard
Israel. The Jewish people are God's
vineyard.
So
that's including the both the body and
the soul.
And tell us inosim
the Jewish people are called. You would
think that word is for all mankind. It's
not. The word
that means mankind. That includes Jews
and non-Jews. But the specific word Adam
means only those who are Jews or
converts, right? Anybody who's a Jew. It
says here
but not non-Jews.
Actually, you know what? I'm going to
make a little tweak. It does say in in
one version, but if it says idol
worshippers, I would exclude people who
are ben mamish truly righteous that
they're not in the same category.
They're somewhere in between. They're
closer to Adam as opposed to but that's
a little bit of a stretch. I just want
to be kind.
So we find out the Jews are called
and they're compared to this vineyard
which is the goof the goof the body
which is nima pre which we already said
is compared to the cluster of the fruit
and then the shama to the to the um to
the leaves. Now there's a puss in the
first chapter of Psalms
um I think we just read it uh verse
three right so let's look at it again
when it says which brings forth its
fruit in its season so the fruit in its
season the words
the kar the way he wants to understand
it means there's a season it's limited
it's katsu means there's a budget it's a
limited so there's that's this worldm
the actions are in this world and you
only have a limited time after we die
we're called
nifar means you're you're exempt from
mitzvah you there's no opportunity to do
mitzvah in the world to come it's in
this season so the the fruits are being
brought forth in this world but the
leaves do not wither that we already
said the leaves are compared to wisdom
that wisdom will last forever okay now
have to see what that means also So
and the wisdom that it acquired that's
what you're that's what you're going to
take with you uh forever.
So the Pik says
right the fruits will be given in its
season and the leaves will not wither
the fruit given in its season that's the
body
it's making it's producing things in a
limited time period call it 120 years.
Um,
that's what this road is. It's a limited
time and we saw last week, but quoting
Arvin again on page 22A. The Pik says
today to do them. God wants you to do
the mitzvah today. Don't put it off.
Don't procrastinate. It means
but it doesn't just mean that. It means
that you can only do mitzvah now in this
world. in the world to come there's no
opportunity for to do more mitzvah it's
finished. So the the
when it says the fruit in its time it's
talking about this world
the reason it says in its time
the body itself is limited 120 years
it's the time to produce the fruit
that's what the fruit means to produce
in this world
but what about the soul The nephasit,
the thinking soul, the the intelligent
spirit that we have. By the way, the
Rambam translates the word as
intelligence. The Mahar, which the kar
is a student of translates the word as
spirit. So I like to put them both
together and call it an intelligent
spirit. Just to review the idea, the
Rambam says the purpose of life is to
reach that stage of the navua where you
have perfected your your sacral your
intelligent spirit where everything is
clear.
Everyone else everyone else almost
everyone else you know the the villagon
and and all the coalists you have to
work on your you have to work on your
character. It's all about character
development with spheros whatever it is
you have to work on your character. The
truth is the Rambam is saying the same
thing because he says you cannot reach
that level unless you perfect your
character. So I don't think there's a
machus there just it's a matter of
semantics. Okay my opinion
continue on.
So he says and this is where I think
we'll earn
anyone. Now the way it's translated the
Gmorra is anyone who's teaching Torah.
The the translation here would be
anybody who's involved in Torah, who's
busy, I would say, learning. But no, it
actually says teaching. Anyone who's
teaching Torah in this world, he'll
merit and he'll teach in the world to
come. Now, when I was first becoming
religious and maybe it was just for the
guiltters, they said, "Listen,
you got to go through the whole shear.
You got to go to the shar if you don't
understand what they're saying because
when you get through what to come,
you're going to understand it. So if you
don't go to the shear at all
your your gehenn is going to be sitting
in a shir in the future in the world to
come forever and not understand it but
at least as you go to the class and it
goes in one ear and out the other
when you go to you'll understand it and
I think this is this the the shot here
whether you read it as if anyone who's
involved in learning Torah in this world
he'll learn it in the world to come
it'll become clear to him or anyone
who's involved in teaching
he'll be um he'll be involved in
teaching Torah in the world to come. And
it's based on this verse in Proverbs
11:25.
It's somewhere here where here number
24. A generous person will become rich.
Isn't that nice?
And then the last words,
don't read it as Marv, read it as
a teacher. Gamu.
So the teacher will also learn in the
future. This is about uh the the the
future. Now before we end, I just want
to say something very interesting that I
read uh two ideas in Gore Kaducin.
number one that when we say that
learning is greater imagine being in the
desert for 40 years and we're learning
all about the mitzvah that are going to
be done once we get into
well we're learning the limud this was
already after we were already decreed 40
years in the desert we were given many
mitzvah so the learning is greater than
the doing because the learning itself
first of all it says it brings brings
you to Misa. So it says if you have the
learning, you can have both. You can
have the learning and the action. If all
you have is the action, you may not even
have it right, but all you have is the
action. So at least if you do the
learning and it brings you to action,
you have in your hand two things
as opposed to just the action, you only
have one thing. Another idea as I
mentioned that we were learning for all
those years about the mitzvah
and then we get into the land and we do
it.
It's so important that those 40 years
it's that learning that gave us the
land. In other words, we were merited
the to come into the land because of the
learning.
Okay. But once we get into the land and
do the mitzvah, then we get the fruits,
meaning the land will produce.
Just keep in mind because there's a big
I'm going to call it a makus, a big
difference of opinion. Going to the
army, not going to the army. Is it
important for people to be learning?
Obviously, those who are not learning,
that's a whole another story. There's no
excuse. But the idea is that it's so
necessary. The acquisition of the land
came because of the learning we were
learning in the desert and we end up za
that we do the actions that we do in
Israel that is what gives the braha and
the fruit you need both you need right I
just thought about this today and I
don't mean god forbid anybody should
take the wrong way but you see signs
everywhere bring them home
who who's who do you think god is
talking to I hope all the Jews all over
the world understand we're all praying
bring them home. What about us?
Are we home?
Maybe they should like touch a spark.
We're we're feeling for somebody who's
in a dungeon. Uh
can't even think to you know what pain
they're going through.
But we also we're also not home, right?
They're all over the world. There's more
Jews outside the land of Israel. We
should also come home. So bizmatem
are Jewish brethren. We we we're we're
praying every day for the incoming
gathering of the exiles. H I think I
think there's one there is an idea. You
know, I actually spoke to Rabbi Kessan
last night about it. We are shinishba.
We are actually captured. We are
hostages. We are being kept hostage by
the non-Jewish ideas. Right? You can see
Jews on campus. They join with the
cathas and they're saying some kind of
words like uh from the river to the sea.
Right? There we are. Whether it's the
universities, whether it's the general
society, the word shishba captured by
the Gentiles is not always physically
held hostage.
It also is emotionally and spiritually
and you know all the psychologically.
Uh and so my prayer at this moment is
that we should all come home. Not at
least the hostages physically and
sometimes when they come back they're
still there mentally, right? But for the
Jews all over the world come home at
least start emotionally and religiously
and psychologically to come home. And uh
I think with your will, you want to be
here, Hashem will bring you on eagle's
wings, right? More people are making
aliyah now. I mean, I don't want to talk
about the anti-semitism. Don't wait till
you can't sell your house. Don't wait
till you're you're running out. You
should come here out of love and we will
welcome you with open arms. And with
that, I want to wish everyone a good
Shabbat. Shabbat shalom and a great
life. And we'll see you next week. Heat.
Heat.
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my
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shing.
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