Inside ArtScroll - Season 4 Episode 18: Rabbi Daniel Glatstein - The Mystery of Rebbi Meir

[Music] Hello everyone and welcome back to Inside Art Scroll where the books you read and the people who write them come to life. Today I am privileged to be joined by Rabbi Danil Gladstein, renowned author and the author of a brand new book on Rabbi Mayor Balhanes. Thank you Rabbi Gladstein for being back here. Thank you. I know you have a busy schedule Kohara between Shurim and and books. You you're being mash on in so many different ways and the latest of which is this magnificent bookser uh on rib mayor balances. Um but before I get into the book I just want to wish you a mazav. It says on the book jacket and I remember hearing that you reached a milestone in your shurim uh something like 10,000 shurim recorded online. Am I am I correct on the number? Okay. So that's that's a confirmation. Uhohara I I don't know how you do what you do. I know it's multiple shirim a day on on varied topics. Um, you know, it's it's one thing to give the shim, but then you have to also prepare for the shurim. So, I don't know what your secret is, but labor of love. You should you should continue to doing doing what you do. Amen. And here at Arts, we're exciting that you are continuing to do what you do in the via the written word. um you've put out you know the various books over the last few years mystery and the majesty and then and and the others and here we have something on Rabby Mayor Balaness so I have to start by asking you where did you come up with this concept to put out a whole book just on the Tor mayor so I'll tell you a little bit about the genesis of this idea it's actually in a way inexplicable because I mean raor is the tanakama the Mishna you He's one of the many many of the tano. You have ka you have and growing up I don't think I had any special connection with raor so to speak. All I knew is if you lost something, you know, you drop a coin in the pushka and you kini and then a couple years ago I had a kasha anamara. I'll tell you what the question was. I mean basically in a nutshell there's a rule in shasar and aravan says that we never pass like okay we don't pass like says he was very deep. He was very profound you know he could figure out 49 ways to beame to bear he was so deep so uh even though there was nobody like him but we don't establish like him so I found the gumar migillah the garumar mcgillah talks about various opinions of how much of migillas esester you need to read I know it's kaneka time but how much of migillas you need to read and gar brings an opinion from uh ballayahu later on in the migillah or shihoodi and the garra says Rome holds koula you have to read the whole and that's how we pascin and I'm wondering you know but we never pascin like rare why do we pascan like rome over here and I don't know this idea hit me that I know I knew there was one exception to the rule that we pascan like Romera and really this entire book is predicated on this Bryce and the Garb the Gomorrah brings the Mes how does Hashem feel about us how does Hashem feel about the Jewish people so uh Rabhuda's opinion in the garra and kadushin is that depends how we act if we're misbehaving then we're called avadim if we're behaving like kind then we're called his children you know I always would have loved to use rabihuda's uh opinion you know on my kids you take your kids shopping which is mistaken number one you know and so if they behave someone asked who are they oh these are my children you know if they're not behaving you say I don't know their mother asked me to watch them for that I don't know who they are but that's where's opinion amazingly that we're not always considered the children of hashemita is we're always considered the beloved children of the says even if we're sinning and even for not just called his children we're called right it's unconditional It's unconditional. So and I I was wondering so how do we pask in regarding that and the rajba has in two choice that regarding this mayor even though we never passing like romeor because the garra brings many that support raita. And so I had this idea that if the reason why in this one instance we passing like Rome is um because there are many that support him then maybe by migillas Esther is dependent on his and I found in theam says that what was the biggest miracle of purim he says the fact that even at the time we were doing the greatest a in the history of the Jewish people that hashem made this decree three but at that very moment Hashem was orchestrating that if we do chuva he's going to bring the to indicate so it's so it's not a so okay that's where it started once I had this idea I said you know I think it plugs in in other places and I think there are other shittas ra that are consistent with this or are not consistent with this so I actually thought I'm going to write a contress inesh of like a 100 pages on the moment I decided to take on this project literally for one year time I have no other way to say this other than the heavens would not let go of me every single para every single para I just the para is about ram the yumpt is about ram and for a year's time I every week about I'll give you an example. So is about to to meet as the says he was afraid. Rashi says lest he be killed. He was distressed lest he kill. Okay. Now simply refers to and ask. So say he was afraid lest he kill. Why are we calling him? So they're in the full gamut of I'm saying from towarm to soy all say that rashi is being morames with the word to ram because the end of hy says because of a certain episode that ram was so to speak dismissed from the yeshiva and he was labeled. So Yakovu when he was about to encounter Asov and we know Rome has very mysterious lineage. Rome comes from Asov. So Yakov was afraid if he would kill Asov he would not go for mayor. So here it is. As soon as I like took on this project and I said so why is Jacob why is it important to Yakov to preserve Rome now in I couldn't shake Rome. Couldn't shake it. Now, now did you have source material to follow as you were going through the the the suga of or was it totally you know kind of like supernatural uh sources that fell into your lap? It it was ideas, questions, thoughts. It just was like uh Rome came, he wouldn't let go. I have no other way to explain it. And what's interesting is just on a personal level, my my um my second son for what? I'm not sure why it wasn't named after someone really. We named it mayor. Yeah. And uh so maybe maybe a mayor liked that. Uhhuh. And he was named after Mayor Balines. No, I wasn't even thinking. No, it was actually honestly it was more named after the Malbam. My my grandfather's grandfather was a very dear friend of Malbam. We named him mayor. Uhhuh. And the rest was history. Wow. Now reair Balines I know there's a it's it's such a basic thing and and almost like part of the fabric of Claius you ask any kid you ask any adult or mayor is Rome Balines talk about the the genesis and the the the formation of his name that that he became synonymous with with Nissim with miracles with Yeshua. Yeah. So it's actually a very interesting topic. It's definitely shrouded in mystery where this terminology came from. Balhanes I mean Rabaka was pretty impressive you know you know Rabenu wasn't following says but it's only Romeor is called Balaness. So I hope it's okay if I say this on camera but um Ruben Margolus has an analysis on this and he questions whether there's real veracity in this terminology. Ramire Balines in his opinion the whole idea Rome Balines as well as the Sudaka connection Mhm. he feels is sort of uh an interesting error that has crept in. He says that there was a sedaka that was connected to the Ramban Remem Bun and somehow it was thought that it was because it was in it was connected to the city of Tavaria. So, a printer, look, art scroll specializes in uh, you know, immaculate printing, but not every printer went through the painstaking job that an editor needs to do. And somehow ram the word Ramban became Balan became Romero Balaness. Wow. So, but but what's the what is the earliest source that we have for Bales, but he's referred to as such? Okay, so that's a good question. The for example and earlier for example I'm going to mention the MS now you know the listeners think oh I know them I have the that's a wonderful and you should get it also how they came out but there's an earlier by the name of Sha Ny which a lot of this safer is based on the Beneskai quotes him about Balines and he says something fantastic and I want to share and I'm happy it's on this venue because it's especially at a time like this it's for to be aware of he says we know the loves someone who is someone who could beameus means that even if let's say are not doing something right you sort of you become their defense defense attorney their advocate in Shama like you know I know art school came out recently with the kaduca and uh he was known as the great the defense attorney of the Jewish people and in more recent times there's a individual who his life is very inspiring to me and my grandfather when he was liberated from the camps he became very close within this individual the cloenber reba who was a great hero of the Jewish people and he rebuilt his casidos he rebuilt his life and I have a friend Moishi Morgan Stern who uh sends me clips of the Klesenber Reba. You could hear him laning the migilla and in the middle of the migillah he'll divert and he'll break off in his own in his own words. In his own words in Yiddish someone showed it crying weeping you know like what's he doing on us? We're we're dispersed. We're outcasts. You know it's 2,000 years. You know what do what do you expect after 2,000 years? that type of you know he would talk to tom and I always knew that this was an important thing but I never realized how important says loves anyone who's them and such a person is able to beh and perform miracles and he says Since Mayor was therefore he's balas. So I was thinking what do you mean he's where is he? Because he says you have to read the home. So it hit me exactly the biggest whatever it is they're your kinder. Mhm. That's the greatest possible li. So I saw the benesai writes in a safer I think it's being on and don't I know people are listening don't don't say you know gladstein said I'm I'm just telling you what the benes said okay take it up what the benes it's such a big to do what It's I mean I never heard of I never heard that before but then in another benes writes in the ben that he amazing interpretation we know there's an opinion he touches it like this what's someone who could respond Israel are lacks in this. It's because of the it's because of the because of he could they could respond to Hashem. Wow. That's the highest maj. So now it gave me a little glimpse raor's connection to miracles. It's not like uh super it is supernatural but everything has to have a Hezbar based on it's because he's the ultimate mesh and very interesting. It's very interesting because the almost like the prevailing notion among us among yidden is we we breast beat and we we constantly beating up on ourselves and on whether individually or Israel as a whole. it almost became part of the religion to to find the faults and to you know that's part of part of the culture and and you're bringing out this point of of being uh of being a sane of being you know what yeah it's incredible look you know uh the cloenberba in 1967 you know in context of what's going on in the world when clao were able to go back again to Kisami and Yiddin were euphoric to dominate moment in the history of the Jewish people. A painful moment to go back to the Kaisari. He said father banishes his kid said I don't want to see you. I don't want to look at you. You can't even be in the same country. And after years and years the father he's had he has gaguin for the kid. He's he's longing for he said come back. Come back. Kid's coming back. You know, with Karat, he feels bad that he bec he was aranged. And just as he's about to get to the wall of the castle, stay right there. Stay right there. I want to see my father. Don't move another step. When don't move. I came this far back. I'm ready. I'm not ready to see you. says aber when we came back to 1967 of course it was a great sim and you know what is it is to be able to go to but recognize the pain of it recognize that the tata is still saying I'm not ready don't go any further so I I view it that the state of today is we're also is not we haven't reached. So the question is how do we get past the wall? You know what's the that's going to get us past the wall? The Gomorrah says that when Gabriel was thrown out of the Shayim, he was thrown and uh because Gabrielle did not fulfill the mission Hashem entrusted him with trying to figure out how's he going to get back in. And all of a sudden after a little while, Gabriel says on the wives of they stay up late until their husbands come back from learning. Hashem said, "Who was that?" Bring him back in. Bring. So to me, that's a very vivid illustration of how you get past the wall. So how we can get past the wall, we need to learn from a mayor. We need to learn how much loves. If Hashem loves the yidden so how much Hashem loves it that doesn't mean like everything is good you know it doesn't mean we're going to whitewash right you know it doesn't mean okay we're not there's no muser there's no instruction now a good father guides his children but that we have to feel especially at a time like this the overwhelming immense irresistible we're irresistible we're irresistible It's it's interesting that you mentioned that because I would say and I wonder as a as an experienced RV uh if you've seen this. I would say over the last two decades actually we've seen in Yiddisha culture much more than speaking to people from from previous dyists they told me it wasn't that way. the last 20 30 years almost like an explosion of a focus in our hashkafa in our music in writings wherever you look on the love for Israel right every year it's a big sadic and every year you all all that type of lingo so it it it is kind of this this uh theme fits very well with with that shift I don't know why why it was a shift maybe you comment on that. I know this isn't a commentary on on K's attitudes, but in a way I'm not that guy. Uhhuh. Because my style is I say it as it is because ultimately I feel that's the only way to do it. But still in that context, Mhm. I want to I want to share with you something. And yeah, so look, truth be told, I first put out a kadesh. It's calledini. And this is not a translation. It's an adaption, but there are many, many that I didn't know a few years ago that are now in the English. I want to share one of them with you. Yeah. Kimat now every time I speak I say this over and I think this gonna answer the question you asked. I think a very important observation just head on. If I would ask you or really if somebody would have asked me a few months ago, who does Hashem love more? Our generation, our parents' generation, our grandparents, the grand I knew I knew great people. I mean I saw my grandfather my grandfather was a tala right you know we spoke about this yeah we spoke last time yeah mean he his grandfather was best friends with in the 1860s right right I saw kadusha I saw of course they're great people today but not not like not like was so somebody would ask who does love more I don't think anybody would say it's So I want to share with you I never I didn't I never even knew this we say every day what are the simple translation of those words out of a million people 999,0009 we're going to say with a great love you loved us says rabba does not mean great rabba means increasing expanding ing growing theam's love for the Jewish people increases gets bigger expands brings a proof I'm going to take the literary license to apply it I'm here in arts school studios to art when I we were in high school together right yeah we were missa okay what did we learn seventh eighth grade look you know we're not on camera nobody's listening to this right but if for if you for whatever reason weren't paying attention when And there's a Gamarra test. What do you do? So you took out something called Cino Gamarra. Yeah. And you looked at the English translation and then you realized actually the Aramaic is more comprehensible than the the you know the oldfashioned English. And then Arts Girl came out with the Gumar Makus, right? Yeah. Sure. Yeah. And even then they had like the like notes on the first. You want to love this insight. Yeah. The insights, right? Yeah. Insights. And then I think they came out with ham something and then they just came out with gumar after gamarra after gamarra. My parents didn't have arts goar right. Our parents didn't have it. We had arts goamaras. Why say oh because you needed no because you need a crutch. Because ribbons loves us more saysab. The expansion of the Torah, the proliferation of of Harbat's Torah today is an expression manifestation of Hashem's growing love for the Jewish people. It's not just art scroll. If there's any rash in sh that you struggle with, I'm not saying you should run to something. You don't understand. You could open up a mifa gar every rashian chass is mvir and you don't know every toy in chass and art school is coming out with in English. Why? because we're on a on a low. No, because loves us more than he loved earlier generations. That's the ribb. So, how how do you how does that drive with you? It's a very good question. I want to I want to I want to discuss this concept head on because on the one hand I when I was a bakar I used to go to Victor Miller. I grew up in M31st. I would walk to RA Miller Schul for about three years aros. Arnos was quite a long walk. I thanked he gave me that idea to do that. R Miller would say Rabi says that we can't even imagine the greatness of our grandmothers. So Miller would be Madak doesn't say we can imagine the greatness of our grandfathers. We can't even imagine the greatness of our grandmothers. And he doesn't say we can't reach their level. Now can we we can't even imagine their level. Look I know my own grandmother she's she can't go to right now but when she was able to dive in in the house she would talk to theam all day long. Who could reach such a madrega the way she would talk to? So there's by the way the brings many rias to the phenomenon does from you know or we're like a a nail compared the earlier generations were like the the stomach the internal organs and there many many rice first bdash had theim the second which did not have. So there's no question we move away from there's but there's another way to look at it brings that told him that your your your esteem in shayim is greater than even earlier generations said come on rebi you told me that I don't even reach the the nails of early gener says judges a that he lives in and now the sitra is very powerful. So you're more valuable in Shamayim than even earlier generations. So I ask you a question. Really the situ was out of control in Svas in the 16th00. Yeah. You could just imagine the the pitus the billboards and to us you know it was on a higher majga than me today. But ki earlier generations there was very strong kayak then. So what would say about a bakar in 2023? What would he say about the esteem that such a person is held in Shamayim? So on the one hand there's but there is a very substantiated concept that the love and the esteem has for today is greater than earlier generations you say oh it's I don't know in yeshiva I never learned so you learned yeah writes and again check it out this is what says you can have a yeshiva bakar today he can be harving on a rish he doesn't fully understand the word of the rishine in shamayim the bakar is held in greater esteem than the words than the rish of who he's learning then I saw the publisher says and if this sounds unusual look at what oh yeah the is quite famous but really this do you read that which which makes sense do you read is the reason why the love gets greater because The nanusk right now even though even though previous dyus and this is something we always grapple with when evolution was about this even though in previous dus maybe the nanas and rrooknas were not as severe but the nanis and gashmas were definitely more severe in a significant way and today we're blessed with such an abundance and and and for those who live in safe places were we're blessed with relative safety especially compared to what yed dealt with in previous generations. So it's a it's a deep in your not for now. Uh it's a it's a big topic. It's a topic that you've grappled with in in many of Yeshu especially when you've you visited Karim and different places and you bring out the history of the times and you stuck understanding a context in which the great men of our previous generations lived which just makes it even even more astounding how they reached the levels that they did. And uh much of what we have today is given to us on a silver platter. But like you said, the uridis just magnifies um the accomplishments of today like Vital said everything we do today is so much grander in the eyes of Duran. I think that's a very um empowering idea. In other words, you know, to get up for shak do you know your shakus tomorrow could be more powerful than a shak of a reshine. We have to think of it that way. You know, I think it's something that our needs to hear especially the young especially to young adults who sometimes question like you like you just you know it's a lack of esteem of their own value and the value of what they do. Right. Right. Right. I don't know if the nardic approach works so much today. It's more the Slabatka godless approach that that Aadar needs to hear, you know, about their inherent greatness. Um, as we wrap up this conversation about this fabulous new book which is just it's like mind-blowing the the things that you share in here, share with our viewers one more revelation, something that's like uh, you know, eye opening. So, I'm going to tie together a few very important things. Okay. Bottom line is Raor makes the following announcement in the US. He's Messiah. Okay. So that's something you got to find out about. Ramier is Mashiach. One thing he he's a but he doesn't come from uh David. He comes from as he's from. He's Messiah. Another amazing thing. He's buried different than anyone in history. He's buried standing up. He's buried in Taria. He's buried in Taria. Do we do we know for sure that he's buried in Taria? I don't mean to open up a can of worms, but you know the only way to find out the answer to that question is also you got to get this book. There's a chapter on that there also you know what what evidence is there that he's buried there. Okay. He's buried standing why he's buried and writes that aid can never be from Balan. So just in a nutshell, when the end of days come and Hashem's going to be ready to redeem us should be very soon, the nations of the world are going to say, "Come on, they're not better than us." And the only answer really is, "Yeah, but they're my is ultimately what will be made for Israel." Therefore, the bay says he's buried standing because that's the that is until the great day Mashiach. Not that his personality is Msiach. His enables Mashiach to come. And since you can never lose focus on the coming of Messiah, you always have to think about Rome Balanas. So, of course, you know, it's going to have a nice gold lettering this way. Whatever you're doing, your eyes will always be on Rome. And until the great day, by the way, the Gar Rashashana says that Messiah, little trivia for the audience, you know, who knows out there, which city will Messiah appear in some Williamsburg, Mansi, Bara Park, Flatbush. I always say if it's in New York, it's in my it's in Cedarhurst because it's the closest to JFK, right? The gar in Rashana says Amuka Mikam Msiah reveals itself in Tavaria. Why? because we're gonna need to get up and then says that's a good reason. That's a good reason. And if I may, you know, people traditionally, you lose your toothbrush, you lose your keys, you lose something, you invoke Rome, like what's got to do you because you you you're a little scattered, you can't find your thing, you you bring Rome into this. There's an idea that the physical world parallels the spiritual world. And in the world of Rome, a yay is never lost. No matter how far you may drift, no matter how far you may go from Hashem, you're always connected. You're you're the beloved child of Hashem. So if in the in the spiritual world, you're never lost. So in the physical world, things are not lost either. So that's that's where I think Remair comes in. I think I wanted to ask you just say don't forget. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. Um Remair's yard site. Ah, perfect. Yeah, perfect. So traditionally many say it's peseni. So I like to say because peseni is a day of second chances. So in the world of a mayor there's always another opportunity. But after you read this book you'll see Beneskai writes that Kaneka need to light a candle for a he doesn't say why. Many suggest it's because the real yard site of Rome Balines is Kaneka. And that we like to say Marsh says means who illuminated our lives in the times of he should answer me suror is inextricably bound with kaneka it's likely his yard site the whole is predicated on the light of kaneka and uh I'm very honored that the hashka has it that this should be coming out coming out on really unbelievable that it's coming out for kaneka Yeah, you've done an unbelievable job here giving the the all these amazing sources and really opening our eyes, no pun intended, to the to the world of reher. So just as her mayor has been all these years for you should continue to bring to be a meher for you. Amen. Uh especially in this of bringing his Tyra and and his background and his inspiration. Amen. to call Israel and I and it's a it's a this book contains messages that will resonate with people. It talks to you know you think we're mayor bales it's esoteric which it is on some level right but in this book what you do is you bring it down to our level anyone could read this men women read the book be inspired by mayor's message and uh and you should continue to to do what you do wonderful work and we thank you again for coming out here to talk thank you thank [Music]