Parshat Massei: The Song Remains the Same - Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair

the rabies carriage sped through the swirling mists of a Russian morning inside the carriage the Rebbe and his Sharma seized a query sat in silence all that could be heard was the doll Thunder hooves cantering on thin turf suddenly the Rebbe told the shamans to stop the carriage the carriage came quickly to arrest the horses snorted and winded pawing the ground with their hooves then they came up from the field the most beautiful sound the distant song of a shepherd singing the Rebbe listened intently his brow was creased as though he was trying to remember something suddenly his eyes narrowed his mouth widened with a smile please ask that Shepherd to come here he said to the shunts when I heard you said the Rebbe to the Shepherd I thought what a beautiful song you were singing would you mind singing it for me again sure why not said the peasant he began to sing the tune again beautiful said the Rebbe the shepherd he finished scene yet now let me see it goes like this and the Rebbe began to sing the tune note for note precisely as it heard it yes that's it exactly said the peasant I wonder said the Rebbe would it be asking too much of you if you could sing it for me just one more time all rights of the peasant and he opened his mouth to sing nothing came out he closed his mouth and tried again nothing politely the Rebbe wished him good morning climb back into the carriage the Rebbe and his Shamas sat in silence and the carriage for a good few minutes and then the Shabbos couldn't contain himself any more what happened back there when I heard that peasant scene said the Rebbe I realized he was singing one of the songs with Olivia the Levites sang in the Holy Temple the beit hamikdash for two thousand years that tune has been in exile passed from one stranger to the next wandering from one country to another that peasant was like a shell containing a precious spark of holiness as soon as the spark had been returned to its owners the Jewish people there was no further need for him to remember the tomb and so he forgot it at the beginning of this week's Torah portion must say the Torah lists the 42 places where the Jewish people camped in the desert on their way to Eretz Israel what is the reason for these 42 stops in the desert there's a mystical concept that there are sparks of holiness in this world that are trapped in the deserts emptiness the purpose of the Jews wandering in the desert was so long was to release and gather these sparks each of the 42 places they stopped corresponds to a letter of the great name of Hashem of 42 letters and so by gathering the sparks from each place a little more of God's name his presence his revelation in this world was revealed 3000 years later the Jewish people are still wondering a hundred years here 200 years there on our journeys through Spain England China America the Jewish people free the sparks of holiness that the chap throughout the world and when this process is complete the Messiah the Messiah The Anointed One will gather all the Jewish people to the Land of Israel and on that day Hashem will be one and his name one and all the songs of holiness will be heard once again [Music] [Applause]