Why Anti-Israel Hate Is Really a Wake-Up Call - Rabbi Aron Sokol & Michoel Weichbrod

I'm setting and we're on. You open up. You be the will be the I'll be the co-host. You'll be the co-host. I don't I'm a little shy. I don't know how to open this stuff up. Let me think. Hey, what's going on everyone? Welcome to another episode of >> [laughter] >> Homebound / Parsha Inspired with Aaron Sokol and myself Michael Wyche. How's [laughter] it going? Yeah, that was pretty good. I would start it. Hi, welcome how do I start my my show? Welcome back to Parsha and no, welcome back to the podcast. My name is Aaron Sokol and you're watching Parsha inspired. I probably did that 200 times. So Okay. Now they got both introductions. So we're good. >> [laughter] >> Well, you got all the different all the different cheetahs. So Let's let's talk about your favorite topic. Okay, but I really want to come at it from a different angle because we're co-hosting. So the floor is yours, but I'll just say that when I started with I called up Fleischer today. He's actually in New York. He's for the Israel Day parade. He's he couldn't he couldn't join us, but he said possibly at the end of the week. But when I started my show I my interview with him. I started out saying, you know is coming. The goal is happening and the Jews are asleep. And he said Aaron, I want to correct you. The Jews are not asleep. The Jews are fully awake and they know what's going on and they're aware and the heart of the Jewish people is in Israel. But on the other hand, you have your channel and your channel was my inspiration to get started cuz I said I also love Israel. And so what's your take on on that on that type of view of that you know, things are much better than we think. They're not. They're much worse. They're they're worse. >> [laughter] >> You know, I guess you can I guess it uh it's like everything in life, you know, you can be the the cup the the the cup half full or the cup half empty. I've also had some conversations with Rabbi Yishai Fleisher. Rabbi Yishai Fleisher is he's an amazing person. He's very optimistic. And and I'd love to be on board with him and feel like you know, things are doing great. We're doing great. I would say I would say that if if you know, maybe if if if if the if we were the way the Jewish people are right now, if we were doing this maybe um I don't know, 20, 30, 40 years ago uh maybe maybe I would look at the cup half full, but I I think with the way the world is looking with the anti-Semitism in the world, with the way Eretz Yisrael is progressing, the signs are so obvious. The the Hashem is making it so clear. Um for the the fact that there are are you know, millions of Jews, hundreds of thousands of religious Jews who claim to learn the Torah and all that stuff. And the fact that they are completely comfortable you know, being in in in the exile during this period of time and with the rising anti-Semitism, I think that we are You know, as a person who who learns Tanakh such as yourself um I mean, it would be nice if all of us learn Tanakh, but you know, the the truth is the Jews who learn Tanakh are not as common as as obviously it should be. >> So, you're saying you're saying that American Jews are asleep? Is that what you're saying? Cuz I'll I'll tell you I'll tell you why. Cuz like you go I was in America for the first time in 13 years for July 4th last year and I was shocked how many security guards there are in Lakewood. Everywhere. And every shul's got a camera and they got locks and this and that. I grew up there. It was never like that. So, there's definitely there's definitely an uptick in uh security and uh security threats, but let's talk for a second what really is uh I guess your your mission. Your mission is to is to help Jews make Aliyah, right? You want to convince them and you have a channel and you talk about Aliyah and you give lots of uh Torah values towards Aliyah, but what's really holding them back? You saying they're asleep? They're just not they're not aware they don't realize and if we just tell them, they'll come? Is is it is it a lack of knowledge? >> It's um I would say it's self-inflicted ignorance. >> Come on. Come on. >> It [laughter] is what it is. The Torah is there for everyone to read. Hashem is there, you know, pulling the strings and making everything as obvious as possible. I I don't I don't you know, it's I don't know. I don't know. Like if I was still in America at this point, I I can't >> Okay, so let let me let me take it away from from from the America. Let's go back to the midbar, okay? The Jews come out of Mitzrayim, they witness Har Sinai, they're given the Torah, they they're they're promised they're going to this special land and and they and Moshiach says to them, you know, they say we want to send spies, they send spies, they come back, they cry Tisha B'Av, right? And God Hashem is so insulted that the Jews don't want to go that he tells them, that's it. 40 years, you guys are dying. And like that's like the anti-colac climactic moment of the Torah because had the Jews gone straight into Mitzrayim into Eretz Yisrael, that would be the end of the Torah. Exodus would be the end of the Torah and we would have nothing else because if you go from the beginning of Yeshua, I I really wanted to hold back to get biblical into much further on. >> Hehehehe. [laughter] I didn't want to go so heavy so quick. You know what I mean? But like it's impossible to ignore that Eretz Yisrael is God's signature issue. So if you look from Yeshua all the way to Malachi, you go the whole context of the thing is the Jews trying to get into Eretz Yisrael and then the Nevi'im come and tell them you're going to leave, you're going to leave and eventually they leave. And they're promised to come back and now now we're coming back. So why didn't the Jews want to go to Eretz Yisrael then? Like and why was Hashem so insulted? >> So yeah, I I I've been making you know, since I started my YouTube channel, so I've made already uh two um two this is I I I think just two, I assume. Uh maybe three actually. Uh videos already on Parshat Shelach. You know, I don't make a video every week on the parsha, but I'll always on Parshat Shelach I I have to make a video obviously. And cuz it's you know, it's it's the parsha of Aliyah. And the and the problem and um you know, that's the big question. The big question is why don't Jews want to leave? So you know, we can we can point to you know, the I would say what seems to be the most obvious issue is just uh not wanting change. We get used to where we are. Even in Mitzrayim where things were not good, you know, you might think that oh in America people are you know, addicted to the luxuries, but um even in Mitzrayim where things were not good, Jews still did not want to leave because people people they get used to whatever life they have. And people don't want change. It's very hard to change. Very hard to pick up, move to new place and start start life new. But overall uh in the in the Midbar, uh you have the people who didn't want to go to Eretz Yisrael were were the great the great ones, the great people, the great men who were sent as the spies. They were they were nothing short of tremendous tremendously great tzaddikim who who are significantly greater than any tzaddik we've ever heard of or met in our generations. And I I don't think that they were addicted to luxuries or didn't want change. I truly deeply believe that there is a And I I've said this many times. I I believe that there there is a special yetzer hara when it comes to Eretz Yisrael. Because the yetzer hara is is is always, you know, trying to stop the Jewish people from uh doing mitzvahs and getting closer to Hashem. I mean, that's the job of the yetzer hara to try to test us constantly. But overall, the ultimate ultimate goal of the Jewish people is always going to be to get to Eretz Yisrael. Cuz without Eretz Yisrael, the Torah is b'di'eved. Serving Hashem is b'di'eved. Everything is b'di'eved. It's not the correct way. And the yetzer hara, he'll try to stop us from doing many different mitzvahs. But if we push hard enough, so he'll step back. He'll say, "Okay, let me try to stop the other one. I'll try to stop them from learning Torah. I'll try to stop them from doing b'rit milah. I'll try to stop them from inter- you know, for for intermarriage and stuff." Um but the one the one the one mitzvah, if you will, uh of of living in Eretz Yisrael is something that the yetzer hara like has like this ultra superpowered uh strength to to even go and grab the the rabbonim and the tzaddikim, which we saw in the days of the meraglim, and which we are seeing nowadays, that it's, you know, the the the the the the front lines of the people saying not to move to Eretz Yisrael, unfortunately, are many people with very long beards. And I don't I don't I don't I wouldn't be chashud that these people are addicted to to to uh the luxuries and and don't want change. I think it's a really yetzer hara that convinces people, "Don't go. It's not worth it. It's too hard." In those In the midbar, it was the the the people of Canaan are too big. They're too strong. Now, it's the problems are too big and too strong. It's too difficult to make a parnassah. It's too difficult to get your kids into school. Everything is too difficult. And it's the same exact conversation with a different topic, but it's the same exact conversation. It's Eretz Yisrael, we get it. It's important. God who wants us to be there, no one's denying that, but just look, it's impossible. We can't do it, so we have to stay in the exile until Hashem does some miracle. It's just we're always waiting. We're waiting for something else. And in every single year we celebrate Tisha B'Av if you want to say it that way. And [snorts] what is what is Tisha B'Av? Tisha B'Av is not it's you know people we sit and cry at Tisha B'Av. Hashem doesn't need us to cry. Hashem doesn't hate us. Hashem doesn't want to punish us and watch us have to fast and be sad. Hashem wants us to have regret and self-introspection and say, "What are we doing? Why are we always sad on Tisha B'Av? Why are there so many tragedies on Tisha B'Av?" Well, it's because we did one thing that was really, really bad. We did not trust in the word of Hashem and go to Ertez Israel where we need to be. And until we fix that we will keep having tragedies and and and attacks and anti-Semitism and it's all just for one thing, get to Ertez Israel, do Tisha B'Av and serve Hashem. >> So I'm I'm going to you know you really can't that makes a lot of sense. That means that this is the biggest keynote problem of the entire Tanakh. This Shabbos I read Yecheskel the first 20 perakim. Because I started with the ma'aseh merkavah, but then I realized the context of that whole ma'aseh merkavah was only to show the importance of Ertez Israel. You know, he was in galus, he had just been exiled. And he's there and he's he's he has a message to the Jewish people and it's interesting that that nevu'ah of Yecheskel actually happened before they built the second Beit Hamikdash. So you know, the Jews back then in the book of Ezra and Nehemiah are all the story of the second temple where the Jews didn't want to come back and it definitely is some a very old, old problem. But for so many years and I want to tell you something that I've been noticing that's that a lot of people are talking about anti-Semitism today. And I wanted to see if you would agree with me, and hopefully you do, but if you don't, it's okay. I don't think there's anti-Semitism anymore. I think that anti-Semitism is over. I think there's something something new, which is anti-Israel. Meaning that Iran is very clear that they simply they want to eradicate Israel because Israel the Jews returning to the land is a theological problem for them because it was a prophecy. My parents live in the old city. On an average year, when it's not Corona or a war, millions of Christians are coming to the country to to witness this miracle. And they And you ask them why they came. They'll all tell you they read they read the prophets that the Jews will return. So, it's like both Islam and both Christianity all understand this, and they and they flocked towards here. And like we've talked about many times in Gaza, when they went into the houses there, the soldiers saw a picture of the of the mosque because they understood that this was the war. The war was over the Jewish inheritance, whether the Jews have an inheritance or not. So, how can you like be um on the fence on this? It's either you're you agree that the Jews are in Eretz Yisrael or they don't belong in Eretz Yisrael. Gentiles who are expressing anti-Semitism, {quote} {unquote}, towards the Americans is might might be something deeper. They might understand that either the Jews belong in Eretz Yisrael and they should be there, or they don't belong in Eretz Yisrael and they're thieves. >> Yeah, well, I mean, a lot of things to say on the anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Uh but I'll just I'll just say this. Um, you know, you [clears throat] said now nowadays it's not it it the anti-Semitism is sort of manifesting as anti-Zionism. Many people will say kind of the opposite. They'll say anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. Uh, but the truth is I I think how it works is like this is is that anti-Semitism uh, Hashem created it to keep the Jewish people in check. And for most of Jewish history um, at least over the past 2,000 years, uh, the opportunity to move to to live in Eretz Yisrael wasn't really that feasible. It wasn't it wasn't a real thing. I don't think Hashem ever in the last 2,000 years Hashem never fully expected uh, I mean I assume I don't know. I'm not I can't speak on behalf of Hashem, but just based off of the way the world is working, uh, I don't think I assume that Hashem didn't expect that the majority of the Jews would just get up and move to Eretz Yisrael with the fact the fact that Jews were always being persecuted and and you know, Jews had there were definitely some golden ages where Jews were doing okay. But, uh, they were always short-lived, a few generations and then on to the next pogrom or or or Holocaust or Inquisition or whatever you whatever you want to label them. Um, so anti-Semitism uh, always looked like uh, anti-Semitism. It wasn't really it wasn't connected to Eretz Yisrael because the anti-Semitism was there to stop Jews from assimilating. The problem was always the assimilation. Jews wanting to be better Germans than the Germans, wanting to be better, uh, you know, better, um, Arabs than the Arabs and and Jews wanting to uh, show that they could be better Christians than the Christians. Whatever it is, whether it was just basic assimilation, whether it was some sort of avodah zarah or whatever it is. Um, so anti-Semitism It was always It was always It always looked like anti-Semitism because it was always this Hashem was always using anti-Semitism to stop assimilation. But now, uh, we've kind of moved away from that, although there's obviously still tons of Jews unfortunately going off the derech and this and that. >> [snorts] >> But, um, uh, but now there's a new thing on the table and it's going to Eretz Yisrael. So, Hashem I believe Hashem sort of like changed the anti-Semitism into anti-Zionism for the Jewish people to in a certain sense get the message because what whatever whatever the um, I guess whatever the the world is talking about and doing and and this obsession is is is meant to give a message to the Jewish people. And if the world right now is if it went from anti-Semitism to anti-Zionism and the world is now obsessing with this anti-Israel rhetoric, it's for the Jewish people to understand that the message is from the from the from the nations of the world to go to Eretz Yisrael. That's that's the hot topic. Israel is the hot topic right now. That is the talk of the world and it's not a coincidence. You know what I'm saying? I don't know if if I'm making complete sense, but >> No, I totally agree, but I I still I still feel that not only is anti- that I still feel that there's a world awareness of a of a problem with the Jews returning to Israel. I think that that Christendom and Islam both feel threatened by a Jewish state regardless of our just our existence um creates creates an uncomfortable feeling. They they they're like, you know, how is this possible? How could it be that the Jews were forgotten by God, but yet they returned to the land and fulfilled this prophecy. >> Yeah, for sure. I I mean what you're saying is really like more of the Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens stance. Um, which which is a theological issue that if the Jewish people return to the promised land, it is proof that we are the chosen nation. That's what you're trying to say I guess and that yeah, there's no question about that that that by us and that's what I always say in my videos that I always I always I always end my videos by saying, you know, "Hazak u'varuch. Be strong and to create the the greatest Kiddush Hashem the world has ever seen." I say that all the time and people sometimes ask me, they say, "I understand you want people to move to Eretz Yisrael. I understand that's a special thing. I understand that Eretz Yisrael is the right place, but what does that have to do with a giant Kiddush Hashem?" And I always try to explain, "Well, by the Jewish people moving to Eretz Yisrael, we are fulfilling the most spoken about prophecy in the entire Torah. And therefore, we will be creating the greatest Kiddush Hashem." And Hashem himself says that. He says that in in in Sefer Yechezkel. The The Yechezkel, he specifically says that by us living amongst the that was a giant Chillul Hashem. And by us returning to Eretz Yisrael, yeah, Yechezkel, I think he said it I think this is quoted two or three times, very clearly, that by us go going to When I Hashem says, "The world will know who I am when I bring my people back to the to the land of Israel." And that's because uh now we are living in a world where we understand what that means. We're living in a world where we have been scattered uh across the planet. And for all the Jewish people to against all of natural all of the natural course of the world, for us to all come back, still be keeping our religion, to come back to Eretz Yisrael as a tiny broken nation, especially after the Holocaust, and to rebuild Eretz Yisrael, and to become the mighty nation that we've become, it makes no no sense. Naturally, it's completely and utterly 100% impossible. And the fact that we're doing it absolutely does create this major theological problem for the the two big religions that tried to replace us. You know, the whole replacement theory of Muslims say that they were, you know, they were God chose them over us because we sinned, and Christians say God chose them over us cuz we sinned. And, you know, and in certain sense, even the Christians, they, you know, they they call us the witness people. Like, because they had a problem with the fact that we keep surviving, so the Christians start referring to the Jewish people as as uh they needed to be able to explain how is it that the Jewish people are still are still exist. So they call us the witness people. God kept us alive to witness the Christians grow in power and become the chosen nation of God. But in a certain sense they were correct. We are the witness people and which is why the Tanakh refers to us as the witness people, but not in the way the Christians referred to us. We are the witness people by the fact that we return to Eretz Israel, we are the witnesses in a certain sense that God's word is true. The world is witnessing through us being in the land, which is why Jews making the people think, "Oh, when Hashem promised us in the Torah that he's going to turn us to the land." So many Jews like to say, "Oh, that's going to happen in a miraculous way." No, there's no It doesn't say anywhere that it has to happen in a miraculous way. There's no reason to believe it's going to happen in a miraculous way that history hasn't shown that. There's no place that shows that. >> I'll tell you I'll tell you by the And I I by the miraculous by the spies, when God decided to wait 40 years to kill them, he actually did that not to kill them. They were over 70 they didn't wake up. They would go into the grave and the next morning on the 10th of Av they would get out of the grave and then by the 15th of Av on the last final year when everybody got up and they saw the full moon that was considered a holiday. But when they went into the reason why Hashem did it slowly was It says Rashi says that because he didn't want the nations and the possuk says he didn't want the nations to say, "Oh, Hashem can't take them into the land." Meaning that was a very big issue. The If you look through Tanakh, so many times, I mean, almost every time Hashem wants to make a performance, a world performance out of the Jews. And that's what the Jews The whole Tanakh is the story of the interaction of the world with the Jews. That the Jews, when we left Mitzrayim, we needed Paro to send us out of Mitzrayim. He had to be a witness. And the the final battles are all so that the guy I'm sure know they do call a omen like we say we say in to feel on Rosh Hashanah that we want everybody in the world to know this. It's not just the world is not just for the Jewish people meaning the guy I'm who have animosity towards Jews are like Hashem says like how you do if you do your work if you do what you're supposed to be doing then they really can't they can't argue with that. You know, that that's that's the another thing that I saw about the maraglim. So, now you ask me a question. I led the show too long. >> Yeah, well, I'm sorry. You want you said I should ask you a question. >> I don't know. Um >> Um so like this uh I had an interesting thought when I was I was looking over parsha shalach. I mean and this is the I mean I I noticed this every year but I don't know if I ever talked about it too much. Um the the end of parsha shalach it ends with um the midst of tzitzit. >> Right. >> We say we say this uh we say this every year. Should we get our chumashim? >> [laughter] >> We we say you know we say it not every year. We say this every day. Uh you know the the parsha of of tzitzit. And um Let's see what we got here. And uh and and and the the thing that's interesting is is the is the parsha is the parshas is the is the the midst of tzitzit it says you know that you should you should see the tzitzit and you should remember all the mitzvahs in the Torah, right? All the mitzvahs in the Torah. So, so uh da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da um is called called mitzvahs is called mitzvahs okay. So, now Now the You know, why is the Mitzvah of Tzitzis written at the end of Parshas Shelach? So there's an interesting thing I keep thinking about that. Uh Klal Yisrael remembers a lot of the Mitzvahs, but there's one Mitzvah that Klal Yisrael Hashem knew Klal Yisrael would forget about the Mitzvah of Eretz Yisrael. Now you know, when you look at your Tzitzis you got to remember all the Mitzvahs. Now so there's something that that I that I find interesting with Techeiles is that, you know, um the the Pasuk obviously the it says you should put up Psil Techeiles. You have to put a a blue a blue string that's part of the Mitzvah of Tzitzis. And what's happening nowadays is we were reintroduced to the the Chilazon. Okay, there's a is a disagreement as to is it the right fish? Is it the wrong fish? But um there's pretty good reason if you do the research there's pretty good reason to believe that the Chilazon is the right fish. And uh even if for some reason it wasn't uh there's really nothing to lose by taking the chance of fulfilling the Mitzvah Deoraisa of wearing a uh uh uh uh Psil Techeiles on your Tzitzis. And what I find is that the people in Eretz Yisrael, the movement of wearing the Techeiles of bringing back this Psil Techeiles is happening specifically in Eretz Yisrael. People in in in the Galus in the exile uh tend to be very uh distant from this. They they don't want any part in it. They don't want to put this Psil Techeiles. They say until Mashiach comes we don't put the Techeiles on our strings. And so I the way I see it is what you when you look at the at the at the at the Parsha this Parsha of Tzitzis and it says and it says put the Psil Techeiles on the Tzitzis and then you should remember all the Mitzvahs in the Torah. When you remove that Tzitzis that one string that Psil Techeiles in a certain sense you're removing one mitzvah. You're removing something. Something is missing. And I think that something is Israel. Again, there's a lot of reasons to believe that. I mean, there's not It's not a coincidence that the Israeli flag is trailers, right? It's a white flag with two blue strings, and the person who created it was actually designed it after tzitzit with trailers. It's blue. It's two blue strings on a white gar- on on a white on on a white flag. >> [snorts] >> And there's a lot of connections between trailers and Israel. And again, the fact that the people that are living in Israel, the people that are very holy oriented, are very drawn to putting on the the the trailers, >> [laughter] >> and and the people who want to forget or have forgotten about the mitzvah of Israel, they don't want to put this string on. And it's not a coincidence that they're not remembering columnists. >> So, what's my question? >> What's your question? Well, it was It was a nice thought. I want to hear if you have anything to to add on it. >> Okay. No, no, no. So, first of all, I'll just tell you just to be argumentative, there is a Zohar that says ain't tzitzit ain't trailers. That means that tzitzit sits and the trailers are intertwined. So, that means the tzitzit was what the coin were. So, the but it could be that we're very close to having the tzitzit as well. And and that and that that could explain the trailers. But what you got me thinking, the Reb Yaakov Emden in his I Yavit in his Hakdamah, it has a something that's called Sulam Beit El. And in Sulam Beit El, when he gets to the point where in Shmona which way you face, he says you're supposed to face and he says it's not enough to just face there if you can go. It's you know, you face when you can't go. But if you can go, you have a mitzvah to go. And then he goes on and he says he says a shot, he says a explanation for the verse that everybody says "Al ma of the arts, why did we lose arts Israel?" They didn't make a brocha on Torah. So, everybody tries to understand what they they didn't make the brochos of Torah and that's why they lost arts Israel. That doesn't really seem to make sense. I mean, they were big sadikim. They would not make that brocha in the morning. It's part of the sitter. You open it up. So, Yaakov Emden writes that of the arts, really a question why should arts Israel lose out? Meaning, arts Israel is supposed to produce wonderful wonderful fruit. So, why should arts Israel lose out because they were not mavrich the Torah. What does it mean mavrich the Torah? That means to incorporate the Torah. Because if you live in arts, there's no way you can fulfill the Torah. So, how could you pass on the Torah to to your children if the Torah tells you to live in arts, Israel? So, it has no continuation. This is what he's This is his words. These are not my words. But, he said if you follow the Torah and that's why arts Israel mach That's why the land the land the air is clear because you're following the complete Torah in arts Israel and therefore, of course, you'll be able to pass it on to your children and it's something that's really a lot that remind I was reminded of that when you talked about seeing something and and and remembering all the mitzvahs. So, all the mitzvahs could only be kept in arts Israel. So, that this goes back, I think, to my my original question is why the Jews didn't want to come to arts Israel. If they were given the Torah and the Torah says it could only be fulfilled in arts Israel. So, there seems like you like you answered me originally was that there's just something about this mitzvah that makes it impossible. Nobody Nobody wants this relationship. Nobody and it's um you know, I'll be honest. I've been here for 30 I came here the first time in 1992 and I got married in '97. So, I've been here pretty much the whole the whole run. I was a couple months in America, but for 99% of that time I was I was in Israel. You know, I don't know how it happened. I don't know how I made a living. I never had a job. You know, I never really worked. I always just just got by. But, I've been just getting by for 31 years, you know. And this is this is really To me, when I first came here, I I was shocked cuz I grew up in Lakewood. And in Lakewood, you went to Lakewood cheder. And the first time I came to Eretz Yisrael, I got in a cab, I went to the Kotel, and started crying. And I realized that there were two things that I was lied to. And number one, that there's Hakadosh Baruchu in the world, that there's a God who loves us and cares about us and is interested in us in every detail of our life and keeps us even when we sin. And number two, that there's a place called Eretz Yisrael, and the actual Makom Hamikdash exists and we could be here. And I was kind of upset that this was hidden from me. I I I imagined >> Now, the first thing you said, how are you how is that hidden from you that Hakadosh Baruchu loves us and exists? >> Well, I I I went to Rav Asher Zelig Rubenstein. I went to Yeshivas Toras Simcha. That was actually not my first stop. My first stop I went by Rav Tzvi Kushelevsky. And then I learned by Rav Moshe Meiselman, and then he sent me to Rav Asher Zelig Rubenstein. And Rav Asher Rubenstein, I met him earlier. And he talked about Hakadosh Baruchu. He talked about Eretz Yisrael. I mean, on my channel, if you're a member, you can see some of these old old videos from 30 years ago. They're not videos, they're audios that I recorded and I uploaded to YouTube. That was the first thing I did on YouTube when I opened my channel many many years ago. And he talked about Eretz Yisrael in a way that if we you may makes you look like like a really calm guy. A really really calm guy. I'm going to get a clip and see if I could put it in over here. But like he talked he he he said it's impossible that a person could enter the world and not be zocheh to live in Eretz Yisrael. Every every he would said every pitch that Hakadosh Baruch Hu sends at you and throws at you you could hit a home run. And you could do it only in Eretz Yisrael. You know, he was he was on fire. And I never heard anybody talk about Eretz Yisrael. I never heard anybody mention Eretz Yisrael. You know, and that was a shocking cuz I grew up chareidi. I grew up in Lakewood. I went to Lakewood cheder. The the the children of the roshei yeshiva in Lakewood were all in my class. Shustal, Olshin, you know, Newman the kids were younger. And Reb Reb Kotler didn't have children my he had a he had a son who was a couple of years older than me. Reb Aron Kotler who ended up being uh the CEO of Lakewood Yeshiva. I remember when I was a bachur he he he he was in in the parking lot I'm going to get in trouble saying this with the Lincoln Continentals. He would love those Lincoln Continentals doing donuts in in the parking lot of of the of the Irvington. If anybody knows what I'm talking about give me a thumbs up. But yes, I grew up in that in that environment in Lakewood. I grew up in the stark stark original Lakewood Lakewood environment and I was never told about Eretz Yisrael. I went through >> they don't hear about Eretz Yisrael. It doesn't uh Lakewood in in in Lakewood Eretz Yisrael and Miami is almost give or take >> So he should would say to you, no of course they talk about Eretz Yisrael. They they look look at look at they have on the corner they have a square on the wall where they left out a piece and they chiseled it out they had a guy come there and he put gold leaf on it, you know, to show the Kotel, you know. Uh yeah yeah. >> I have a question for you. You wanted a question. >> Yeah. >> Why do you have an American flag in the background? >> [laughter] >> I I and I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. Caleb Caleb, it's a Rashi in this week's parsha. Vayas Caleb, Caleb gets up on a chair and he says he said isn't this the only you know bad thing that Moshe Rabbeinu did the he called on us a yam he made us cross the sea and the reason why the way Caleb was able to get everybody's attention was by putting the American flag. Okay? So someone sees the American flag I'm from America I grew up there. I know what it's like and I'm here. Now given I I you know and that's what Caleb did. Caleb put up the flag of anti-Moshe and then he did a switch. It was a bait and switch. He was the first bait and switch and it's a possuk in the Torah and it says Ake of a share Hoy a lay Ruach a cheresh Rashi says that he pretended that he was anti-Moshe and he was really he was pretending he was anti-Eretz Yisrael and he really was pro-Eretz Yisrael. That's it's literally a Rashi in this parsha. So that's my answer. How did I do? How many points do I get? >> Bad. Not bad. Here's another question. What what what would you say is the connection between uh yeah the parsha of Shalach um ending and the next parsha is immediately a major Jewish rebellion uh with Korach. >> Oy oy oy. You touched on a very very very big topic. The question really the question is deeper because the Jews came they left they left Horeb on Chof Iyar. Okay? They traveled for 3 days on on Chof Beis Iyar they come to Chatzeirot. On Chatzeirot they're there for 30 That's when they had Kiryat HaTa'avah they wanted food and that's when they were complaining they loved the cucumbers and the fish of Mitzrayim and then 30 days later which which Chof Beis Sivan Miriam gets They they moved to They moved to They moved to Chatzeirot. Uh they moved from Kiryat Arba to Chatzeirot and Miriam gets tsaraas. Now, they're going to wait there for 7 days until Miriam finishes on the 29th of Sivan. On On the 29th of Sivan, they came to Midbar Paran and from there they sent the meraglim and 40 days later is uh Tisha B'Av. So, that uh it's uh when did Korach happen? So, Reb Yitzchak Gazi, who wrote the Mamle Eisan Bamidbar, he writes and he makes an entire cheshbon and he shows how Korach actually happened on the 24th or 25th and 26th of Sivan. Okay? Meaning, it happened between when Miriam got tsaraas and it happened and before they left they sent the spies. So, it really should have happened It really should have happened in Parshas Balak. It really That story was really in Balak. >> Or just Parshas Korach and Shalach should be switched. >> Exactly. The But Rashi in the beginning of Shalach says that the reason why Uh why I'm sorry, why is the the Parshas Miriam? Rashi asked The first Rashi asked, "Why is the sending of the spies connected to Miriam being uh having tsaraas?" And the answer is because Hashem wanted to uh connect the two that we don't speak badly about Eretz Yisrael. We can't talk badly about Eretz Yisrael and by the way, that's word for talking bad about Hakadosh Baruch Hu. The When you can't You can't separate God and Eretz Yisrael. Yisrael v'Oraisa v'Kudsha Brich Hu Chad Hu. The Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and the Jewish people are are one. And the only way you can fulfill the Torah is in Eretz Yisrael. So, that means that the Torah is just the physical place where we Eretz Yisrael is the physical place where the Jews can enact it to get Olam Haba. That there's no other place in the world where the Jews could physically do the Torah. So, there there's a playground for for the Torah, and that's Eretz Yisrael. Meaning the reason why Korach was delayed until after Shlach was because the rebellion against against Moshe, which would seem like the biggest problem that could ever happen. That a guy Korach, and by the way, the Kli Yakar and the the Pri Tzaddik both say and also it's it brought it's brought in the Megaleh Amukos also talks about this idea that Korach was really supposed to be a Levi Gadol. He was really supposed to be just like there was a Kohen Gadol, he was supposed to be a Levi Gadol. And when Mashiach comes, we're going to get that back. But Korach and his his argument was actually correct. He really should he really had a had it, but he was just going up against Moshe. But Hashem said, "That story I'm going to tell you after I tell you the story of Shlach cuz I want to make this sequence of events, and I want to totally ignore Korach even though it was the biggest rebellion." And from a from a you know, theatric point of view, with the earth swallowing them up and all the all the pans without the pans. The pans became part of the Mizbe'ach HaNechoshes. But so I think that's why. >> Yeah, I I also think that there is a you're right, there's like like you said the connection between by the the the sin with Miriam and the Lashon Hara spoken about Moshe Rabbenu. You know, that really connects to uh the sin of the Lashon Hara with um with uh the Meraglim. But I think really the whole parsha of Balak is like the I mean well at least the second half of parsha of Balak is jam-packed with sins, right? It's like sin after sin after sin. The Jews complained how they're going to make it in the midbar. Hashem burned them. Then they complained, "How are we going to eat the meat? We want more pleasure. We want more you know, it's not good enough. We want more more more meat." So, Hashem punished them. Then they they misjudged even the way the lashon hara was spoken. It wasn't just stam lashon hara. It was it was it was they took the the greatest human being on Earth, as the Torah says, the most humble man to ever live on the planet in all of history, and they they they they they knew this and they still misjudged him. They said, "How could it be that he you know he separated from his wife and we didn't have to there And and I feel like that also, like Hashem in a certain sense he Hashem like allowed all these sins to happen to teach Klal Yisrael all these lessons right before they would go into Eretz Yisrael. So that way they would be prepared to know we don't talk lashon hara about things that are way spiritually beyond us. We don't complain about not having enough pleasure and not having enough ease and how are we going to make it in the midbar? How are we going to make it in Eretz Yisrael? Like in a certain sense every lesson in Behaalotecha, Parshas Behaalotecha, is like preparing us mentally to understand how we should come to Eretz Yisrael. And yet we still we still messed up. The Jewish people still messed up. And and and we're having that nowadays again. We're having that nowadays again. Hashem is like Hashem is turning the world upside down both in regards to the anti-Semitism of how we no longer belong anywhere in the world, in regards to making Eretz Yisrael. Hashem could make it that he could make it that we should live in Eretz Yisrael, but Eretz Yisrael should be a pathetic puny little place with no army and and and it and and we should still be for we should still have to live here. But Hashem made it that you think you think you can't have money? Look how much money Eretz Yisrael has. They're an economic world power. They're a military world power. We have everything and still and still it's not good enough. We need better, more lashon hara about Eretz Yisrael. And and and that's what what I said in the in the beginning of the podcast when you were asking me and we were talking about the cup half empty half full. It It to be some sort of self-imposed ignorance because I I what what else do you need to see? That's That's That's That's the question. What else do you need to see? What is it that everyone's Everyone's waiting for something. They're waiting for that thing that's going to tell them it's time to go. What What is that thing? What is that thing? Everything that Hashem said we need to see, we've seen. So, you it it's one simple thing. You don't trust in Hashem. I I I don't And people say, "Oh, that's too harsh. Jews don't trust in Hashem." Hashem said He lays it out for us. We don't have Nevi'im. Well, when we had Nevi'im, they wrote down everything. They wrote it all down. But Jews refuse to learn the books of the Nevi'im. So, they don't know what's written down there. All All All of the prophecies came true. But they don't want to They don't want to acknowledge that. It's become easier than ever to live in Eretz Yisrael. We don't want to acknowledge that. So, I I I don't see how to explain it any other way than than a than a you know, a self-imposed ignorance. And uh what do we need to see? Unfortunately, the thing that's going to get the most majority of Jews to Eretz Yisrael is is not going to be a very pretty thing. Uh we've seen that >> I hope not. I hope not. I hope not. >> I hope not also, but uh you know, we can we can we can run away from the truth and hide under rocks and make believe that the world is going to be beautiful and everything is going to be magical and the eagles are going to pick us up, but uh but again, that's why we have Tisha B'Av. Tisha We don't We don't We don't celebrate uh We celebrate Again, I say celebrate. I think it is a celebration cuz in a certain sense, where uh Hashem gave us He He instead of us in our lives having to go through major tragedies, uh Hashem Hashem other people went through tragedies for us. All we have to do is learn from them. We have that amazing opportunity that Hashem gave Eretz Yisrael to us on a golden platter. And all the lessons that we need in order to get to Eretz Yisrael of what of what it looks like when Jews don't come here, that happened to people before us. And we have all the information. We have all of Jewish history. And Hashem gives us Eretz Yisrael and we still say, "No, thank you." What do you think is going to happen? What do you think is going to happen? Tisha B'Av is the story of every single tragedy, every major tragedy started and took place on that day, on Tisha B'Av. And Tisha B'Av started with, "I don't believe in God. I'm not going to follow him to the land that he told me to go to." So, I don't know. I don't know what to say. >> know, the problem the problem with I'll tell you the problem with anti-Semitism. The problem with anti-Semitism as being the motive. First of all, it worked. Throughout history, anti-Semitism has you know, all my neighbors who are from all the countries that they came from outside of America all came for anti-Semitism or from complete poverty. So, like there were there were some people who came from complete complete poverty. Uh I won't name the countries, but I'm I'm sure it's obvious. And there are people who came from just persecution. But one of the things about the Meraglim was that Hashem wasn't enough. The Jews I'm sure after God told them, "Listen, 40-year wait now, you're all going to die in the Midbar. You're never going to ever see this land." They probably saying, "God, please just let us go in. We'll do Teshuvah. We'll go to the land. We'll we'll we'll make it work. You know, it's better than dying in the desert." But Hashem wasn't going to have that. He said, "No. I want you to want it." So, you know, I kind of get I kind of get on that level I kind of get Yishai's idea of like, you know, we really got to want it. You know, it's not enough that we just come but I think that one of the ways I saw um in the safer by Rabbi Teichtal, he he his book Eim Habanim Smecha where he says is that it's enough to come here because [clears throat] the land itself does the rest of the work. Hashem Once Once you're in the land, once you're here, and you're here for good. Meaning I mean, when when a person is in Eretz Yisrael and he already decided in his head that he's in Hutz Laor it's when Yakov already was in Erna T'israel and he thought that he was going to Hutz Laor it's the Malachim already switched. You know, he was in Bersheva and the Malachim already switched cuz he knew he was going. So, you could be in Erna T'israel and you could move here and never be here because you say, "Well, I still have a house in Miami. If it doesn't work out, we're going to do a one-year pilot trip." It that doesn't work. You know, I've heard you say that so many times. And um And also don't believe the people who come back. The people who come back not saying that they they needed to, you know, that they they failed, you know, because some people unfortunately are not Zoha to be here and they could just pray for that. But, what would you tell somebody who can't come to Erna T'israel? >> No such thing. >> It's no such thing. Good for you. >> I'll tell you you tell you we were just talking about people who leave. It's like just recently I I was talking to different different people. Um you know, I get I'm in touch with people from all sides of the aisle. People that are trying to come, people that want to come, people that are on the way, people who are thinking of leaving, people who are halfway leaving, people who have left, people who have left that want to come back. So, I hear I I have a sham I have I have nice conversations with everyone. >> [snorts] >> And I like over the past 2 3 months I I already had multiple conversations with different friends and um different people struggling with different different issues. Um uh whether it's whether it's Shalom Bayit issues, whether it's issues, whether it's Parnasa issues, which is pretty common. I guess that would be the top of the list of issues. And every one of them it's it's the same thing. Whether it's a decision they made on their own or whether it's a decision that was made by a Rov, it's they have a problem and they say, "Okay." I'll explain to you how the the the the works here. The This is how it works. It They say, "I have a problem. I live in Eretz Yisrael. So, the number one solution is leave Eretz Yisrael." Let's and those who want to stay, right? And even the rabbonim who I I I hear a lot of, you know, from what the rabbonim are telling these people and I've even spoken spoken to rabbis myself. And and how the rabbonim even the rabbonim even in Eretz Yisrael, the Eretz Yisrael rabbis also, it's it's it's all it most of the people there's this exile mentality of even the those who love Eretz Yisrael and are here, it's something we have to really get rid of. There's this There's this The idea is that, "Okay, you have a problem. Number one solution is always leave Eretz Yisrael. Let's see if there's any other solution." So, then they go down the list. What if you move? What if you get a new job? What if you work American hours? What if you do this, that, that, that, that? And sometimes they can find a solution and many times they don't find a solution, so they say, "Okay, no solution, so obviously go back to America." But I think, you know, and and and and so a lot of times people talk to me, they say, "Look, I spoke to a rabbi or I spoke to a friend or I contemplated it myself. You know, now the the exchange rate is pretty rough. I know some people struggling financially because they had American jobs. They're like, "What am I supposed to do? I'm making I might I took a, you know, 30% cut now. It's it's I can't I can't make ends meet. So, you know, it it So, immediately it's just like obviously the solution is to go back to America. I don't want to, but what else is there?" I think that the the shift from the the exile mentality to the to the geulah mentality is one thing you have to get rid of leaving Eretz Yisrael. Why is it always the number one option? It should not be an option. It should not be an option, which is why you you said like don't listen to the people who made you read that. It it You shouldn't. It's There's this major problem with every and any issue the solution is leave Eretz Yisrael. If we could find if we could find another solution that might delay things or Okay, very nice. But this is the issue and this is why people always people ask me they say, "Oh, my rav told me this or I thought of this and, you know, due to my issue, what else am I supposed to do?" I say, I don't know what you should do. I don't have any answer for you. But you know, leaving Eretz Yisrael has to stop being the top of the list. I know so many people who had problems in Eretz Yisrael and they said, "Oh, I can't get a a seminary for my daughter." You know what they did? They opened up a seminary. You know how many seminaries started like that? You know how many yeshivas started like that cuz I didn't have a yeshiva for my son, so I opened a yeshiva. I I didn't do it, but I'm saying how many schools, how many how probably most of the schools started that way, you know, just people saying, "Okay, we need to have this instead of leaving. Let's make it work." And and you look I look in Mishpacha magazine. I think I'm I'm I'm the longest subscriber since it came out. I've been a subscriber and it's only been so that I have something, you know, something to get my fire going because I'm always seeing and I'll just tell you this week I was very happy with many ads for for houses in Eretz Yisrael. And by the way, the prices over here are just going to go up. The more closer we get to where the Mashiach, you know, it's just going to go up and up and up and up. So, if you have if you have you know, money to buy a house, it's just going to go up. And there's still places you could buy houses cheap, but it's really it's really going up. And but I also see a lot of like I don't know loose lashon hara about Eretz Yisrael. It's just like a flippant attitude towards Eretz Yisrael. And it's not specifically I'm I don't know I don't know I don't talk about Mishpacha magazine. I I also read other magazines. But I'm saying there's like an attitude of like, you know, I saw an article 1/3 of every Israeli is suffering from PTSD from the war. I don't know anybody who suffer I'm sure there are. I'm not belittling it, but we live with a whole new Amona in Arutz Israel. People think that we you know that you know kids in Arutz My son is would like to go to the army. He's being he's he's in Yeshiva and he wants to go cuz he's like of course I'm going to go to the army. We're going to protect He's He lived through October 7th. He lived through you know and he's been through all this and he's like of course like that that's the natural thing to do. Now does he learn Gemara? Yes. He he he just did a his bachinas got he aced everything but he wants he you know it's like when you're here then you realize that hey I can take a part of this. I don't need to be against the army. I can go to the army and teach Torah in the army. I can be an influence in the army. I could I could use whatever is here and if more Jews felt that way and if more Jews from like you said Lakewood came and came to the army the army would be chareidi. You know if we had a million more Jews in Arutz Israel then we we would have a majority we'd be able to make this country more religious you know. >> That's the That is the Geulah mentality. It's not The Geulah mentality isn't just we need to build the Beis Hamikdash. We need to come to Eretz Israel. It's everything. It's You have You have a child who doesn't have a good school? Start the school. Oh that's too difficult. You need more parnassah? I I I I was just just literally today I was in touch with somebody who who um who was sending me his plans of some some whole fancy mission and endeavor to create a new job market platform for people making aliyah. So there are people doing stuff. There are people doing That's That's the Geulah mentality. The Geulah mentality is not how can I get to Eretz Israel. The Geulah mentality is we are we need to be in Eretz Israel. It's not a That's That's already That's already done. It's not a question anymore. We're done with that question. We need to be in Eretz Israel. What do we need to do to make Eretz Israel better? We're We're up Eretz Israel. We're The fact that again the fact that right now, as we speak, there are Jews who are now traveling to to new communities. There's new communities being built up now in Florida and and North Carolina, and you know, I've made videos about this stuff. And the fact that they're making just now starting to lay the groundwork for these communities, starting to just now build the yeshivas, it's uh it's um it's uh the greatest chillul Hashem you can possibly do. The greatest The grea- I don't think that can be a poss- possibly right now for somebody to start opening up a new yeshiva in America right now is a gigantic, tremendous chillul Hashem. And um it's it's smacking God in the face. It's Hashem, I understand you set the groundwork for everything we needed. I understand that you made it as easy as possible to come to Eretz Yisrael. The the the gates of Eretz Yisrael are open. The gates of the Har HaBayit are open now. And Jews are running around can't go to Eretz Yisrael, also to go to the Har HaBayit. Where the Beit HaMikdash has nothing to do with us. It's this this this galus mentality is just insane. I I don't know where I mean, I have ideas, but um you know, it it's it's it needs it needs to change. That's why you know, people people like you were I think you mentioned it before and then people ask like, you know, um people ask me, you know, "I want to come to Eretz Yisrael and how do I make it work? I have this issue, that issue, that I I just tell everyone at this point like I'm I'm already like I don't know, it's it's hard getting harder for me to connect to people at this point. I'm just like there there's no question. You come to Eretz Yisrael. You'll figure this stuff out. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe you'll be poor. So what? So [laughter] what? I mean, do you want If I tell somebody, "If you could trade places with the Chofetz Chaim, would you want to be the Chofetz Chaim?" I think every Jew would say, "Yeah. Yeah." You know how You know how poor the Chofetz Chaim was? You know what I'm saying? [laughter] Like most of the greatest tzaddikim were dirt poor. Would we want to trade places with them? I think most Jews would say, "Yes." But the truth is they don't want to. They don't want to. So what? If you come to Eretz Yisrael and you're poor, if you come to Eretz Yisrael and you have a hard time getting your kid I I came to Israel I home schooled my kids. Why? Cuz I don't want to have to deal with chinuch. I teach my kids I teach my kids Torah at home. You make it work. It's not It's not complicated. Everything is such a big deal to everyone. Western society Western culture has created this this concept of like nothing in life should be difficult. If it's difficult it's bad run away from it. That's the most anti-Torah mindset possible and it has completely taken over the Jewish world. It's ridiculous. >> Yeah. People people people are are afraid but on the on the other hand the ones who are moving to Eretz Yisrael um lots of baalei teshuvah I'm talking about emes dikka real real baalei teshuvah's uh they they have a very easy time moving to Eretz Yisrael. Converts uh move here very easily. People from out of >> all this all this this this exile shtuyot in their head. >> It's the obvious it's the obvious location. Like where else would would you want to live? Um and for them it's much more difficult to live actually in a frum community because the the you know Eretz Yisrael actually it's amazing how how diverse Eretz Yisrael is. Even in Ramat Beit Shemesh you think oh it's all one type. There's every style of Jew um I don't say every but most every style of of Jew in so many different so many different uh so many different styles but the one thing they all have in common is that they're they they've all made this decision uh and a lot of them I think the majority of them didn't do this from from uh you know from being scared of running away and the ones who came from America but they did it because either you know some of people retire here after their kids marry and uh and move to Eretz Yisrael. You know the generation of the of the midbar who came out of Mitzrayim who died in the Midbar, that generation, they took the money from Mitzrayim out of exile, and halfway to Eretz Yisrael, they just said, "Nah, I don't want to go." So, Hashem said, "You're not going to go, but your kids are going to take your money and go to Eretz Yisrael and build up Eretz Yisrael." And and that could be that that, you know, the ones who don't get here will at least have some consolence that their money will end up with their kids who are coming. And by the way, not everybody uh who come to Eretz Yisrael on Birthright or come to Yeshiva for seminary is an automatic thing that they're coming to Eretz Yisrael. Uh but a lot of them end up over here. A lot of the a lot of There's like a high percentage of kids who are coming to the good Yeshivas here in Eretz Yisrael and they're saying, "I'm here for the long haul." Uh in my family, there's a lot of people like that as well. So, um that that might be what what ends up happening. It might be that, you know, you'll you you will you will influence quite a few people, but do you think that it there's going to be like a revolution? I don't know. I don't think it'll be a revolution. I think it'll it'll raise awareness. People may talk more. I think people are talking more. And I do see that there's a bigger conversation going on online, and you're a big part of it. You you were, you know, Yishai Fleisher told me that he used to be what he do do more more outreach uh inreach aliyah, and you've really started this uh this new phenomena, which has a lot of I'm one of the you know, one of the I'm a result of watching your show. I started I started doing a podcast. I said, "You know, let me also see what I could add to it." And each one of us has something to add. And um but I don't I I don't really see it happening that there's this huge uh awareness and there's a switch happening. I'm I'm more positive towards the next generation. I think that the kids come here, they see that this is really doable, and they feel something here. >> Yeah. Yeah, I think yeah, I think that's true. I think that uh um [snorts] Yeah, we we we we have the opportunity uh right now. Every Jew has the opportunity to see the base of Migdash in our lifetime. But uh the way we're going, it seems like uh the Jewish people are not interested the same way the Jewish people in the midbar were not interested. And uh and the mantle will be passed to our children. And uh I do I do I do assume that they will be the ones to be zocheh to build the base of Migdash. I hope that in my old age, I will be able to assist. I feel like I've put in a lot of work. I really would like to be able to to I tell my kids every day, I say uh my greatest dream in life is to be able to lay a brick in the base of Migdash. So, even if I don't see the base of Migdash built, I hope, like Dovid Hamelech, I hope maybe I can start the groundwork and be involved in even laying out the plans, some of the architectural work. I'm I'm a pretty handsy person myself, so I think I could be involved in that. So, that that's my dream. Um and I guess we'll close uh all my my closing statement will be um uh you know, you go on TorahAnytime. Do you want to say something? >> No, I thought you were going to say chazak u'baruch. I wanted to beat you for it. >> Oh, no, no, I'll just say one more piece and then we'll and then you can say something if you want. Otherwise, >> No, no, I'm good. >> Um uh you know, I go on I went on TorahAnytime, you know, uh looking at the Every year I go on TorahAnytime, take a look at the speeches from all the nice rabbis on parshas Shlach. And um it's pretty pretty difficult for a rabbi to actually say what the parsha says if he's living in America. So, you have, you know, some rabbis will choose to dwell on the last few pesukim about tzitzis. Some Jews some some rabbis will will will take the parshas Shlach and say, you know, we shouldn't rebel against Hashem, we shouldn't speak lashon hara about anyone, and they'll somehow everyone somehow twists and turns and you know Eric to Israel is at the center the big elephant in the room and everyone's trying to wait to finagle their parsha sheer. How do they not talk about what the parsha is about. Uh so my >> even the word chet hamaraglim is a lie. It's not the chet hamaraglim. It was the chet of the Jewish people. And it wasn't the chet of lashon hara. It was the chet of disgracing God's beloved land that all Jews did it. Now we not to say lashon hara we hide it in the word chet hamaraglim. So it sounds like there were 12 spies, 10 of them did good did bad two did good blah blah blah. But it really was all Jewish men made this mistake and they spoke badly about the land that Hashem likes. That's really what happened. But we can't say those words so we call it chet hamaraglim. >> You know but it's not It looks the same It looks the same nowadays. You know we say chet chet hamaraglim. You know like if the maraglim were the issue. Nowadays you have the same thing. You have you tell people why don't you live in Eretz Israel? They say oh my rav. Stop blaming it on your rav. You have a Torah too. You can open up a Chumash and you can read the same words that I read and that and that Rav Aaron reads. And and you can you you you don't need a rav to tell you when every single page in this entire book says Eretz Israel Eretz Israel Eretz Israel you don't need to ask the kashya to your rav. Stop hiding behind your rabbi and just do the right thing. Just because your rabbi isn't doing the right thing doesn't mean you also don't have to do the right thing. Um but my my chizuk to the people today is is is open once a year if the Torah isn't obvious enough to you if if the mitzvah of Eretz Israel wasn't made blatantly obvious enough to you parsha shelach should do the trick. So don't read parsha shelach and then go and listen to your friendly neighborhood rabbi's parsha sheer and and find a way to make this week's parsha about the about some lashon hara shtickel. Um all that is beautiful but uh read the words for what they are. Jews who do not want to trust in God and come to Eretz Yisrael pay a very, very heavy price. It's just a fact again, not my words, it's the words of the Torah. If you don't like it, I apologize. Um, well, actually I don't. I don't apologize cuz Hashem wrote it, so. >> [laughter] >> Anyway, that's that's it. You have anything else to say, Aaron? >> Yeah, I just wanted to tell you there's a new book. It's called The Gift of Eretz Yisrael. >> Yeah, sure. I have it. I uh I'm >> And the neighbor the neighbor of mine is a uh Yishai Kalfa. >> Yeah. >> And he has a ford from Rav Zev Leff. So, I'll just tell you very quickly what Rav Zev Leff says. One of the things that he said, he says many things and and it's worth to buy the book just to read the introduction. >> amazing book. Amazing book. >> And it's amazing. I read the whole book cover to cover on Shavuos. Um but Rav Rav Rav Zev Leff points out he should be well that he points out that Eretz Yisrael's called a wide land. Eretz Rachava. But if you look at it, it's really, really narrow. It's like, you know, a couple miles across. >> Well, if you turn it sideways. >> No, [laughter] no, no, but he says but Mitzrayim Mitzrayim is Lashon Meitzar, like the Strait of Hormuz. It's it's really supposed to be really thin, but it's really wide. So, and that's really this it depends what you're looking. If you're looking at physical physical space, Eretz Yisrael physically doesn't hold the Jewish people. Just like the Aron didn't hold, you know, it it it's just but on a spiritual sense, it's really wide. So, we don't look at we don't look at the physical Eretz Yisrael. So, when making calculations, after you make all the calculations, you should also take into This is a spiritual place. Things happen over here um that would make the best storytellers, you know, you know, just When when I tell stories about Eretz Yisrael to other people in Eretz Yisrael, they're like, "Okay, so what?" But, you know, it's really it's really a a place. Tam Uru like Rabbi Left said, you you taste it and you and then you're able to see it. So, um yes, so take us take us out Rabbi uh Michal Whitebread. I'm going to call you Rabbi. I I call you Rabbi. You taught me so much. >> I I guess it depend I guess it depends how you want to lay I mean, if you want to call me a Rabbi, everyone is a Rabbi. >> Well, you know what? You know what? If >> Hitler is a Rabbi. He taught us some pretty great lessons. I mean, everyone is a teacher. >> Oh, come on. Come on. No, but a Rabbi a Rabbi today um is somebody who teaches Torah. And you teach Torah. So, >> Yeah, and there's a different different way of viewing that word. So, I don't know. >> Well, you teach a Torah you teach the only Torah that we have. You know, the Torah that that many other people aren't teaching. So, >> Yeah, I don't like to be called Rabbi because the reason I I I I agree with you. You know, any if I I it's true. I mean, that's I I'd like I'd like to be known as somebody who teaches Torah. So, inevitably I should be a Rabbi. The only thing is I don't like the word the label Rabbi because the uh Kol Yisrael has decided that somebody who's a Rabbi has to look a certain way, talk a certain way, dress a certain way. So, if you call me a Rabbi and then I'm wearing a t-shirt, so immediately he's a fake Rabbi. I don't listen to anything he says. But if I'm not a Rabbi, I say I'm just a random nudnik am ha'aretz who opened up a chamisha and I'm just saying the things I read, then all of a sudden it's like, "Wow, this guy is this guy is a good am ha'aretz." You know what I'm saying? So, >> [laughter] >> So, I prefer not to be a Rabbi, but uh but I am a teacher of Torah. There there's no question about that. I'm a teacher of Torah and and because the best way to learn Torah is to teach it. You know, so anyway, um you want me to you want me to you want me to do the outro? Because I have a world-famous outro at this point. >> The most talked about outro. >> [laughter] >> Chazak u'baruch. Get your t-shirts. You can only get them in Judea. You can't get them anywhere else. >> I'm actually literally right after this podcast, I think I'm going to be going and setting up an online store. That's my That's my goal for this week. I'm going to be trying to set up an online store so that people can buy. But, um All right, guys. We hope you enjoyed that episode. We We hope you enjoyed this conversation with with with myself and with Aaron Sokol. Um I know that we did. We always enjoy talking together. We're going to have to make more of these. If you guys want more of these, let us know. Let us know in the comments below. Give us a like. Subscribe. Subscribe to Parsha Inspired. Subscribe to Home Base Yisrael. Spread the good word. And as always, Hazak u'baruch, be strong. Be courageous. Get involved and be part of making the greatest Kiddush Hashem the world has ever seen. Boom. >> Thank you. All right. Yeah, so that was okay. I was a little I was a little choppy, but Baruch Hashem, I think I think you I think you were very good. So, >> I think it was >> I'll send I'll send it to you over now by email. Okay? >> Yeah, and I'll I'll I'll edit it. I'll send it.