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Don't Give Up - Don't Give In - Rabbi Paysach Krohn Shlita
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Don't Give Up Don't Give In Rabbi Paysach Krohn Shlita Noted Lecturer And Author Of The “maggid” Series 25 Tammuz 5785 #PaysachKrohn
Categories:Torah/Mussar
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[Music]
Shame supposed like to welcome everyone
to tonight's shash
to blazments and family for sponsoring
tonight's sh like
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thank Dr. Joseph Safy for his support
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Pesron
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sponsor
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we have the cover and privilege to have
with us once again Rabbi Pesron noted
Irish and author of the Aget series who
has just come out with a new book which
is available here tonight from sorrow to
celebration the three weeks tishov and
tubovve it's available for $25 on the
back table after this year it's my cover
to call up by chrome for tonight's rush
Um,
First and foremost, I'm deeply grateful
to my dear friend
and for having invited me once again to
come to
these two have arranged thousands and
thousands of shurum
that they have is incredible and I just
want to encourage everyone. I know every
year they have a dinner so please
support
because you're supporting sh all around
the whole world. I would like all of you
to please I can't see behind me but I
imagine Voltera are you here?
>> Oh there he is. Please give him a round
of applause.
[Applause]
As my dear friends Morty and Yosi know,
without Voltater, I couldn't get around
any place. He helps me so many ways.
It's not shy to imagine. He's from the
Philippines and he has a heart of gold.
He does everything, including organizing
my notes once I put everything down on
paper. So, Baltier, thank you very much.
And he's going to be selling the books
right afterwards. The book is $25. My
autograph is free.
Most of all, I want to thank the rail
that I'm even able to come here in this
condition just a few months after a
stroke. To be able to speak to all of
you is something that is so special to
me.
A week after I had the stroke, my wife
got me a book. It's called Stronger
After Stroke. And it was written by a
fellow Peter Lavine. Obviously, he's a
Yiddish fellow with a name like Lavine.
and he's written and studied about
stroke and written many many articles
all over the place. He's a research
associate in the Kesla Institute for
Rehabilitation where I was for a few
weeks and the one in West Orange
Sadikim and they helped the people the
from people that are in Kesler in West
Orange in such an incredible way. David
should bench all of them but in this
book there's one expression and I felt
it is such a and it's so important for
every person that goes through
challenges and every one of us in
different types of life goes through
challenges and that sentence in the book
is don't give up and don't give in and
that's the name of this topic don't give
up and don't give in many times we feel
so lost because we have a difficult
situation we figure How in the world are
we going to get out of it? And it's so
difficult to overcome. But a person has
to know don't give up and don't give in.
And I'm going to show you exactly how to
do that. Now we all know that when
Schwab or Kamki says
or Davi you know it's
so I want to tell you something
brilliant that Schwab said
that at the end of tonight we're say
never ends
So Rav Schwab says what does the word
mean? Most of us
always we hope for you. But listen to
what Rab Schwab says. Rav Schwab says
that the word
really means a cord or a string and I
would call it a rope and a rope a rope
of hope and that's what says why right
after we say
in that's when we say Allahim. You know
why? Because every
Yid that's listening all over the world,
every man, woman, and child, we have a
rope of hope that's connecting us to
Hashem. And if you have a rope of hope,
you should never give up. Any could
happen. That's why you only sayim after
you say
then you could say because in the times
of
when gave up and they figured how in the
world is anything going to happen? We're
lost just like we thought October 7th we
lost but look what happened.
You got that rope of hope. You could
hold up. You don't give up. You don't
give in. You know why? Because we and
the takes care of us. Now tonight in I
want to tell you a fabulous shot that I
once saw. We say we say this
but we say it three different ways. We
say
why do we mix up the language and where
else do we do that? If you remember by
we also say
it should fall on them on the enemies of
fear and terror
because of the strength of your hand.
They should be still like stones. And
right after that we say
so why do we mix up these?
So I once saw a fabulous shot because
sometimes when a person is looking for
Yeshua or salvation and help it doesn't
come in a very straightforward way. Do
you the way you think it might comes in
a roundabout way you would never imagine
that it's going to come in such a way
and all of a sudden it comes. I'll give
you two examples. For example, let's say
a guy has to buy a car. You know he's
got a job. So either he has to go get
another job, his wife has to get a job
or he has to ask for a raise. So that's
a normal way of getting more money, so
he should be able to buy a car. But
sometimes what happens is the guy has to
buy a car. And he figures, where in the
world is he going to get the money? And
then a guy calls up and says, you know,
you lent me money, many many years ago,
and I never paid you back. I just want
to pay you back right now. And he pays
him back. And the guy had forgotten
about the loan. He was maybe even more
already. He forgot about. But now all of
a sudden, he has this tremendous amount
of money and he's able to get the car.
That's
it came in a roundabout way that he
wasn't expecting it. Now for example
with studies show that most most come
from family or friends. They're the ones
who read. But sometimes what happens is
a parent sends a child, let's say to a
yeshiva and the guy has a great and he
ends up marrying his sister or a girl
goes to seminary and that was not the
seminary she really wanted to get and
she gets into another seminary and what
happens? Her roommate's brother is the
one that she marries. That's
you didn't think it was going to happen
in that way. And that's why if we have
that rope of hope that's
a person should never never ever give
up.
Now the person can never know how the
Yeshua could come. But I just want to
tell you an amazing thing.
Uh a few weeks ago I got a very
devastating text from a dear friend of
mine. I known him for many years and he
tells me that Nebach in November 2011 13
years ago he was diagnosed with a
certain illness but the doctors felt it
was dormant and it didn't have to be
treated and what happened now in
November 2024 13 years later the illness
came back and now he had to be in the
hospital and he had to be treated so he
wrote me like this he says isn't it
interesting that the windshield wiper
glass in the front of the car is very
big but the rear view mirror is very
small. Why is that? And he said he once
saw a very interesting ashkaf when you
going forward you have to have a big
blick a big picture of what's going on
in the front. If you're looking
backwards you just need a small thing.
Don't look back. That's not what's
important. Not what's behind you or
what's ahead of you. And what is ahead
of you is that idea of amun. And I want
to tell you a fabulous ramban. Everybody
should write down this Ramban and you
should try to learn it.
And the Rambam the Ramban writes almost
if you're allowed to say such a thing an
adorable expression.
Imagine the Ramban says you buy a muza
for a buck for a dollar. Why is he
saying that? He wants to tell you what's
in the muza but he's telling you
Muz somebody buys a small little muza,
but then he looks into it. He puts it on
his doorpost and he is ironing in the
words of the of the uh of what's what's
in the creation of what's in the muzza.
And then he realizes that that's what
the all wants what wants more than any
of us from all that Hashem wants from us
is that we should believe that we are
his people. And then he ends
when we lishma in that little muza that
cost one zeus $1, we can learn so much
from that if we just follow the words of
and he says that's the whole purpose of
yen getting together to d out together
that people should get together and
everybody should say
we are Hashem's creations. And if we d
out loud together and we say that we are
Hashem's creations and we hold on to
that rope of hope,
we don't have to worry. You don't have
to, you know, don't give up and don't
give in because anything can happen.
Mashem, tomorrow, you're going to have
great news. You'll see. Anything can
happen. No matter what the doctors
thought it was going to be till now,
mashem, it's going to be great tomorrow.
You call me tomorrow night, you'll
you'll see.
And you know something, it occurred to
me that that's exactly what Rabbi Yaka
did. Imagine you are Rabbi Yaka and you
had 24,000
that died. So what would most of us say
if we were raka? Okay, Hashem, listen,
you don't like my Torah, I'm out of here
and forget it. I'll go do something
else. That's not what he did. What did
he do? He had that big picture of
looking forward and like my friend wrote
you don't say oh oh what was in the back
you say grow we have to grow in the
future
he lost 24,000
he took five theor tells us in
also in
tells us that he taught five
and they taught to all over
and they brought back tora Now, Raa
could have said, "Oh my gosh. Oh, look
what I lost. Forget about it." You know,
he's looking in the rearview mirror.
That's not what he did. He looked at the
big picture. I have a
I don't have to give in. I don't have to
I don't have to give up. I'm going to
build it up again. And that's what every
person, no matter what the mat is, and
that's what I try to do myself in this
mat, you should never never know from
it. You have to do so much exercise and
it takes so long and it's repetitive and
it's boring and it's over and over and
sometimes you get so angry. When are you
gonna feel that you could walk like a
mench and you see little babies running
up the stairs and you know you feel
everybody can walk everybody can move
around you know easy and it's so hard to
live with that you know it says that
you're not supposed to be jealous and
you're not supposed to get angry but I'm
telling you in this situation that's one
of my biggest noness not to get
frustrated with the exercise and vesic
if he he knows already what a sadic is
you know even though from the
Philippines he always says borasham
and and and you know he comes with me to
the therapy and then when we come home
he drives me he says we he says rabbi we
got to do the exercise and you know he
drives me you know with the hands I mean
there was a time I couldn't lift my hand
I mean this is a miracle believing that
I could lift my hand this way or that I
could move my fingers once I started
moving my fingers I began to realize my
goodness I have a new shot and z kafuim
right z kaf means your back but you know
when a person is paralyzed in the left
hand and he can't move his fingers and
now all of a sudden he can move it.
That's also
and that's all part of it. You get a new
understanding in what the damning is all
about.
So I want to just say something now. I
don't know when I was grew up in the
growing up in the 1960s
I was a big John Kennedy fan. I love the
Kennedys. you know, I was enamored not
only about what they stood for. You
know, he was a president after
Eisenhower was 190 years old. So, you
know, Kennedy showed, you know, that
there's youth. So, that, you know, was
so great and his accent was fabulous.
And of course, his brother Bobby as
well. So, I want to say something that
Bobby Kennedy once said that I think is
so positive and I loved it. I used to
say it over so many times. I can never
say it in his accent and I wouldn't even
try with the Boston accent. But he said
like this, "Some men see things as they
are and ask why. I dream of things that
never were and ask why not." And that's
that's a great great expression. I just
want to repeat it. Some men see things
as they are and ask why. I dream of
things that never were and ask why not.
And that's what,
you know, to that's what he did. He
said, "Why not? I lost 24,000. tell me
I'm going to build it up and I'll have
even more. And that's what he did. And a
person should never give up and never
give in. Just because a doctor says
something, the doctors are only they're
not the one. They don't pus. They age to
Poskins. So you could say, why not? I
once saw a great poster. It's never too
late to become what you could have been.
It's never too late to become what you
could have been. Now again, I'm not a
singer, so I'm not going to sing this
song, but one of the greatest songs that
was created in our time is a song called
You got to hear Benny Freriedman sing
it. And the chorus, I'll just say it for
you and and you'll see that it's so
amazing.
There's hope if we sing together.
There's a we don't have to be afraid.
We're not going to fall and we're not
going to tremble.
We're not alone.
We have the
and that's
and that's the main thing that we have
to know that we have that
is that core. That's that rope of hope.
A person should never give up. You're
looking for your daughter. She's so old
already. You're going crazy. She's 21,
right? And you're going nuts, right?
See, see Volter, he already knows that
sometimes I can't feel the left side of
my lip. So, he's bringing me the tissue.
That's that's what kind of tadic he is.
I didn't even ask him.
There's like one step, you know, when I
washed already salt on the table. It's
unbelievable. I mean, I told him he's
going to go back to the Philippines.
He'll probably be 20 pounds heavier and
he'll probably become a y.
Now I just want to tell you something.
We're going through very very difficult
times. Not only because of Israel and
the anti-semitism that's all over the
world but right now this is a time and
since
it's a time of introspection it's a time
that we have to think and that was the
whole purpose of this book it's in three
weeks to
you know when it's a time of to get us
to think a little bit and if that's the
case I want to tell you what I think is
one of the most fabulous malams you'll
ever hear in your life and the malam is
going to give us a way that we should
all live. Every single one of us that's
here tonight and watching all over the
world, every man, woman, and child,
listen to this brilliant mal.
We all know the mig
for me and I will dwell in them. So of
course, everybody wants to know what's
them. So people say it means both
migdash. That's what the descent.
There'll be two but
I'll dwell in both of them. But then the
says but there's two extra words in the
in that it says oh the next
it says
so shall you do it. Why does it have to
say
it said
so two extra words? So he says something
brilliant.
Every person has to build a midash in
the chambers of his heart.
A person has to prepare himself.
You have to be a walking talking mdash
and a dwelling place for his holy
resting place.
And that's what he says. And that's what
is every one of us has to become a
walking talking bdash. And tonight I'm
going to show you how to do it. And he
says like this. He says something so
brilliant. Your head your is like the
kesh in the B mash. Why? The kesh holds
the
represent which is the wisest thing that
was ever given. The biggest given to the
world. And your brain is where all
decisions are made. Studies show we make
over a thousand decisions a day. Now,
not every everyone is so important. You
wake up, are you going to get up now?
Are you going to put the alarm back on?
The snooze alarm. You know what shirt
you going to wear? What what what shoe
you going to do in you know what are you
going to say to this person? What are
you going to say to your wife? What are
you going to say to your kids? Which
business are you going to try to do? So,
we make thousands of decisions. Where
does it all start from? from the moyak
and that's why the tora is represented
in the because that's the moyak because
we want the tora to be the one our
guiding light as far as all the
decisions that we make but I want to say
something that my wife said I have to be
very careful how I talk about that and
that's technology and our phones our
phones many many people whether here
tonight or watching all over the world
have phones that
mish destroy our brains for example Even
if you're looking for something that's
cauter on your phone, but you know how
many advertisements come and all of a
sudden that advertisement is there and
you're so enticed by it that you got it
and you're not you're not looking at
what you were looking for.
But you start looking at that
advertisement and that advertisement is
poison. And it's not only poison for
you, but it's poison for your kids. And
that's why it's so important the
technology. We have to be so careful
with our phones, with the WhatsApps and
the chats. I know that so many people
are on chats and chats are killing us.
Not only a lot but the absolute waste of
time how many hours a day we spend on
the phone and how much nar and how much
immorality and the truth is that today
even if you look let's say in something
that's cautious politics or business
even politics there's so much filled
with so immorality you know even the
president you can't even talk about the
president without immorality you know
all the headlines that are going on and
in business how many people are being
taken away from their jobs because the
terrible things that they did with
women, you know, in the business world.
So, you're looking at business, right?
You want to grow a business, but you
open up the phone and and then you have
to read all that trash and all that
immorality. And that's why you have to
be so careful, especially with phones.
And that's what I think what the Malam
is referring to that your brain is the
your brain is the kesh. And just like
none of us in our right minds would
bring a smartphone into an orang kesh
into a ban mikdash, you have to be so
careful, you know, where you take a
phone into a shul, you know, we have to
realize, you know, we're so used to it,
we're so dull to it, it almost doesn't
make a difference, you know, to most of
us. We take it for granted. And that's
really, that's the first thing. Now the
second thing that he says again which is
so brilliant is not only that your head
is the moyak and your head is the kesh
but the your heart is the just like
bread is the nutrient and the sustenance
of the world without a heart a person
can't exist. So he says your heart your
heart is the your head is the and your
stomach is the misbeh just like the
misbeh consumes the your stomach
consumes food. Now what does it mean
that your heart should be like the the
upon? The heart is where all the
emotions come from. And so therefore I
think that from tonight on we have to be
careful what we watch in technology.
Even if we watch by accident and what
you read in the newspapers, even if
you're going to say a kasher newspaper,
the Wall Street Journal I would say is a
kosher newspaper I'll be right. They
certainly like Israel and you know
basically the hashkuffs are okay. But I
don't have to tell you what you can find
in in the Wall Street Journal because
the news is news and everybody wants to
sell newspapers. So you know we're not
only reading only the business or the
other stuff that happens as well.
So I just want to tell you what does it
mean to have a heart like Allah come
upon him. I want to show you what does
it mean when people have a heart and
they're thinking beyond themselves. This
is one of my favorite stories about Rab
Ga. Many here are old enough to remember
Aba who was a fire of Torah the rashiva
of tells and I had the to speak to many
many times when he was in campura. I
interviewed him about what the old tells
was like you know in in LA
was amazing. So many years ago he was
traveling from LaGuardia to Cleveland
with his rebbit and they were going back
to Telss and he was in the airport and
he noticed that there was a buck from
the yeshiva from the B medidge that was
trying to get on the flight but he
didn't have a reservation and he knew he
would have to go standby. So Rab GIFA
was watching to see if the kid got on
and said the kid did did get on. He was
the last one on the flight. On the
flight as the traveling to Cleveland in
those days when our gifted was alive,
they still gave meals on domestic
flights. Today you don't even get potato
chips, nothing, right? Only on
international flights, they'll give you
tissues or whatever. But you know,
certainly they'll give you meals, but
no, not on domestic flights, but in
those days they did. Now, what happened
was as they're flying from Cleveland,
from Laguadia to Cleveland, the
stewardist gives this ber a kosher meal.
So he was an al kid. So he says, "Ma'am,
I just want to explain to you. There's
no way that this could be my meal. I
didn't even have a reservation. I got on
the standby. There's no way that this
could be my meal." So she said, "Young
man, we appreciate your honesty, but I
just want to tell you the rabbi told me
to give you his kosher meal." So he
said, "The rabbi said I should eat his
kosher meal. I can't eat the rabbi's
kosher meal." So listen to this. He goes
over to Raifa. He says, "Roshiva, thank
you so much, but there's no way that I
could eat the Rashiva's kosher meal." So
Ra Gifa, those of you who remember him
said this is yoga
and I want to teach you something. He
said, "I'm going back tonight to
Cleveland with my wife. No matter no
matter how late we get home, I'm going
to get supper tonight, but by the time
you get to the dorm, the kitchen's going
to be closed and you're going to go
without supper. I just wanted to be sure
that you have supper tonight." So that's
a that's a heart to Rashiva. You would
think he's thinking about Rasha. That's
not what he's thinking about. He's
thinking about this poor kid who's going
to go to sleep without supper because he
was a standby. That's one example. I
want to give you another example of what
does it mean to think out of the box and
to have a heart. That's
we spoke about your head being the your
heart being the Listen to this. He was a
Spanish fellow. He ded now he was not of
any sort but I may have told this in
Woodlake. I hope you don't mind. Yi Yasi
was a great host for me in Woodlake.
Unbelievable. But him and Linda, but I
just want to tell you that um this guy
the R used to come to SH at 6:30 in the
morning and he learned uh Gomorrah with
15 people and this Visha fella what he
did was he came early and he gave these
15 people coffee and tea every person
coffee the way they wanted it with sugar
without sugar 99 milk red milk or
whatever coffee with milk without milk
you know all everything. He had a whole
list but he had this mishas he only gave
a half a cup and people would say why do
you give us a half a cup you come to
show you give us coffee and tea why
don't you give us a full cup so he said
I have my reasons but he wouldn't tell
anybody and he said beside the kitchen
is right outside the bashmed you want
any more coffee or tea just call me I'll
get it for you and sure he know he did
anyhow one day he wasn't feeling well so
he wakes up his son and he says I can't
go to Sh today. I'm not feeling well.
Could you give coffee and tea to these
wonderful people who come to learn a
half hour before dinging? I'll give you
a whole list of everybody you know who
wants this coffee. What kind of coffee?
What kind of tea? He says, "Aba, of
course." So he gives him the whole list.
Sure enough, the kid runs the sh. He
goes into the kitchen. He sets up
everything. He's got this big tray with
15 cups and he's about to go into the
bish. All of a sudden, he sees his
father. He says, "Aba, what are you
doing here? I thought you don't feel
well." He said, "I forgot to tell you
something." He said, "What did you
forget to tell me?" He said, "I forgot
to tell you. You give only a half a cup
to everybody." He said, "A half a cup?
What don't What do you don't people want
a full cup?" He said, "Of course they
want a full cup." So he said, "Why do
you give me a half a cup?" He said,
"I'll tell you, but you can't tell
anybody while I'm alive." Afterwards,
you could tell people. Listen to what he
said. He said, "There are two people of
those 15 who have Parkinson's, and their
hands shake terribly. And if I would
give everybody a full cup, their hands
would shake. It will go all over the
garra, go over their clothes and go over
the guy sitting next to them. It would
be so embarrassing. So like this, let
them yell at me, but like this can yell
at those people. And if I gave everybody
a full cup and gave them a half a cup,
they would also feel bad that I was
isolating them. So that's the upon and
that's a heart. And that's what we have
to do. tell us that one of the reasons
that the BDO was destroyed was because
we needed
somebody is not as f as you, somebody
who's not as learned as you, somebody's
not as wealthy as you, somebody that
doesn't have the kids that you have or
whatever you have to love every year.
That's what the upon is. And I'll tell
you one more great story.
And this story, I saw this with my own
eyes. In the five towns, there's a group
of women. There's an organization called
Mashl. Now, I was at the warehouse where
these women come twice a year. Once
before Pesak and once before Rash. What
they do is they all come, they bring
their children's clothes that are not
usable anymore. They're perfect. You
know, they're a little old, but they're
not ripped and they're not discolored.
And they pack them up in boxes and they
send it on a trailer to Israel. So poor
people in Aisro will be able to have
clothes for either for yund or for the
summer or for the winter. So I was there
at Mashl and I saw in the warehouse how
all these women are packing boxes
putting in clothes and if the clothes
look a little afraid or whatever they're
not going to give it and they send it on
a trailer on a boat show. So listen to
this. So oni
that's where all these women come to get
the clothes but not one name is
mentioned on a box so nobody would be
embarrassed. Everybody goes to an office
and they're given a number based on what
they need and that number let's say 36
or 42 or whatever and then they come and
they take that box. So this lady, let's
say, had number 42. And she comes home
and she opens up the box and she sees
beautiful clothes for kids and she calls
her kind and she says, "Kinder look,
we're going to have beautiful clothes
for Rashana and for the rest of the
winter." And she was so happy. And as
she's taking out the clothes, she
notices an amazing thing. There's a
dress in there. She wasn't expecting a
dress, you know, she thought it's only
for her kids. and she takes out the
dress and she puts in front of her and
she sees that takit and that night she
had to go to Chevroas. So she calls in
her husband. She says, "You know, I
didn't want to go to the shas. I didn't
have a nice dress, but this looks like a
nice dress. I think I'm going to try it
on tonight, and if it fits, you know, we
could go to the chevas. I won't be
embarrassed." Sure enough, she puts on
the the dress at night, and the taka
fits for fine. And as she's about to go
out of the house, she feels a pin
sticking into her skin, and she couldn't
understand. She opens up the dress. She
sees that the pin is stuck to an
envelope and the pin inadvertently
opened. She takes out the envelope and
in the envelope is a letter. Thank you.
And in the envelope there's a letter and
it says like this. If you are reading
this letter, you probably need the money
that's in this envelope. And in that
envelope was $195.
The exact amount of rent she had to pay
for that month. Now, if I was in the
five towns and I saw who that lady was
who put that in, I would sit down so I
could stand up for her because that's
what godless is. That's how your heart
is upon him. You're giving clothes for
kids. But who thinks that if the mother
is getting clothes for the kids,
probably she also needs a dress. Who
thinks like that or she also needs
money? So that's that's kavaldic and
that's beautiful and that's how people
should act. So that's the moyak. Be
careful with your phones. Be careful
what you allow into your brain because
all your decisions and the way you talk
and the way you act and everything that
you do is going to be dependent on what
you thought and what you saw and what
you read. And of course your heart has
to be beyond just like upon him. That's
the nutrients of of mankind. That's the
nutrients of
what you should do. Be careful and mak
of course everybody here obviously eats
kosha. But what happens when you go out
of town and you're on a plane and you
don't see that O and you figure no the K
is okay. But what's a K? Anybody could
put any letter. You could put a Z. You
could put an F. You could put a U. But
you know, you have to be much more
careful when you go out of town and
you're in business and you don't have
the regular hashk that we have in New
York. Don't take things for granted and
don't cheat on certain things that you
wouldn't eat at home or you wouldn't eat
in New York. And that's what it means.
That's what the Malam is telling us. the
upon and if each of us believed in our
heart that we are a walking talking
midash we would act different we would
talk different you know David comes a
walking talking bdash he and I we
remember abd so we know and you know y
you you get your sh's answer by David so
you know that's a person who's a walking
talking bdash the way he talks the way
he acts even his jokes everything is
it's all with a sensitivity you know for
other people, never to hurt any other
people.
Now I want to tell you two fabulous
stories and with that we'll end and
these stories can mish change your life.
Last year I wrote this book. It's called
from sorrow to celebration. Three weeks
tishabove and tub and you know when
you're writing about three weeks and
shivas
and and tishab you know it could be a
very sad negative type of book and all
of you know in all the mag books that
I've ever written or all the speeches
that I give I always try to be positive
and to make people feel they can be
great and be even greater. So how are
you going to do that in a book that's
about such a sad period you know during
the three weeks. So somehow the put into
my head that I should look up which gimm
passed away from
tishov throughout the history of yiddesh
kite and I figured if I could find some
yard sites of prominent people in this
3-week period the stories about them
would be fabulous. So you're not going
to believe it. Rebel Yash was nifted
28th day of Thomas. Rashi was nifted the
29th day of Thomas. Roima was nifted the
fifth day above the Rebi was nifted the
seventh day above the 10th day above.
And so therefore in this book I have
stories about all these on the day of
theirite during the 3-week period from
Shivas Thomas you know until tishov. But
I want to tell you to me what's one of
the most
one of the most fabulous stories.
I realized that um on the 18th day of Av
the 18th day of Thomas rather was the
yardite of um Rab Isaac
Isaac who was the second chief rabbi
chief as rabbi. He was a tremendous. He
gave a shi in and
used to go to his. So he was a
brilliant.
So I I once heard such a fabulous story
about him, but I want to give you the
background to this story. In June of
2013,
in June of 2013, I was asked to come to
South Africa. In South Africa, there's a
fabulous R. His name is Rabbi Warren
Goldstein. And they have what's called
Sinai indaba. I love that word indaba.
Indaba is a zulu word. South African
zulu word which means conference of
important matters. So Rabbi Goldstein
called me. He said listen we're bringing
in famous speakers from all over the
world. And we want you to come and
you're going to be there from Mat Shabas
until Sunday night. We're renting a
hotel that's going to hold 4,000 people
and there many many conference rooms in
that hotel and throughout from Mat
Shabas until Sunday night there'll be
dozens of dozens of speeches in all the
different conference rooms and everyone
will start on time and we'd like you to
speak twice and then I want you to do
something else. I'll tell you when you
get to South Africa. So of course I was
very very happy to be honored to come.
There were many great speakers over
there and I must tell you they have
something in South Africa that mamish we
must learn here in America. Every single
speech starts exactly on time. How do
they do that? I'll tell you how they do
that. Let's say a guy's up here
speaking. So when Morty Melman is
sitting, you know, when there's 10
minutes left of the speech, he holds up
a sign 10 minutes left. And where Yosi
is speaking, when there's five minutes
left, they held up a sign five minutes
left. And when the time is over, the
floor opens up. the speaker falls in and
that's the end. And like this, every
single speech goes on time. So once I
got to Rabbi Goldson calls me up and he
says, "Listen, I need you to do me a
favor." He said, "The 4:00 speech is
going to start on time on Sunday and
then I'm going to give my major speech
after that." He says, "But he said, me
and Rabbi Barl Wine, who was one of the
speakers, we wrote a book called The
Legacy about Lithuanian Gdelm. We'll
give you the book. we'd like you to
interview us. Would you mind
interviewing us from 4:00 to 4:30? I
said, "No, of course not. I'll be
honored." So, of course, 4:00 I was
there and they're both sitting up front
and I'm sitting on on the side and I
prepared some questions that I was going
to ask. And now it's 4:25.
I know I got 5 minutes left. So, I
turned to Rabbi Wine. I said, "Rabbi
Wine, I would like to ask you a question
that I've been wondering about for 25
years." And he looks up 25 years. I
said, "Yeah, remember 25 years ago you
were over in Miami and you needed a mile
for the second day's pesak and you
called me in New York and you asked me
if I would come and spend yand with your
family and I would do the bris and I
came and it was fabulous. I love being
with your family. I love being in your
home." But I said, you know, Rabbi want
I want to ask you something. My rev your
was packed. In those days, people didn't
go to Vietnam for Pes like they go
today, right? They went to Florida.
Everybody went to Florida, right? Today,
they go to all these what they call
exotic places. It's hard to imagine, but
okay.
Anyway, so um
I said, I looked at you during my rev
and I noticed, Rabb, you're the only man
in Miami without a suntan. You're always
inside. You're writing. You're making
videos. You made cassettes of Jewish
history. I've listened to so many of
your cassettes. You've written books and
articles. The Jewish Destiny Foundation
produces more than some companies. How
do you do it? You never stop. Don't you
ever get tired. Rabbi Wine, you're
you're unbelievable. Tell me how you do
it. So, he got very serious. He said, I
want to tell you what happened when I
was 11 years old. He said, when I was 11
years old, it was 1946
and I'm a Ben. He says, I didn't know
that. He said, "One day, my father tells
me, Barl, we're going to the airport." I
said, "Aba, why are we going to the
airport?" He said, "Because there's a
very special R that's coming to the
airport. He's coming to Chicago and he's
going to speak to all the Rabonim and
many Balabatim and to all the 200
Yeshiva Bakram that are in Skoi and the
other yeshivas in Chicago." So I said to
my father, "Who's the man who's coming?"
He said, "Rabbi Isaac."
So you know my father told me that he
had been he was the second chief rabbi
Ashkanazi traveling at Israel. So I
said, "Aba, of course I'll go with you."
And we came to the airport. There was a
whole cavalcade of cars and everybody
followed Rabbi Herzog's car and they
came into this big shaber
gave a shir to all the Rabonim and then
he addressed the tamidim and he said,
"Tamidam, I want to talk to you
personally. I just got back from the
Vatican." This was 1946.
And he said, "I just got back from the
Vatican and I went to visit Pope Pas.
And I said to the Pope, I have a list of
10,000 names of Jewish kids that you
people have. Some of the kids, we gave
them to you. We thought that you could
save them for us during the war. Other
kids are in your monasteries. I know
where these kids are. Give me back those
kids. Not one of them wants to be
Christian. Not one of them wanted to
change their religion. You know that.
give me back those kids. And he said
that the Pope Pas said, I can't give you
back even one. He said, why not? He
said, because we have a rule that if a
child has been baptized, we can never
give them back to another religion. And
every one of these 10,000 was baptized.
And he said, "Rabbi, Rabbi Wine said, I
was 11 years old." And when when um
Rabbi Herzuk said that he couldn't get
back one of these kids, he started
crying so hard he put his head down on
the podium and everybody was listening
to him cry. And Rabbi W said, "I was
never so scared of my life. I never saw
anybody cry like that. An adult cry."
And when he picked up his face, his face
was red like a lion. And he said, "Boys,
I'm talking to all of you. What are you
going to do for the future children of
Cla Israel? Don't ever forget what I
told you. I can't do anything for those
10,000. Those 10,000 are lost. But in
America, there's going to be thousands
and thousands of kids. What are you
going to do for those children? And then
he sat down. And Rabbi Wine said, "All
the Brim were asked to go up to shake
his hand." And Rabbi Wine said, "I don't
know till this day." When he took hold
of my hand, he looked me straight in the
face and he said, "Are you going to
remember what I said?" What are you
going to do for the children of Cla? Are
you ever going to forget what I said?
You have an aas to help the children of
Cla. And he said, I just want you to
know every time I feel tired, every time
I want to put my pen down, every time I
put my head down, I think of what Rabbi
Herz said to me. What are you going to
do for the children of Israel? That's
why I don't stop. And that's what I want
to say to all of us here. We all have
hopefully we all have children and
grandchildren. We got to spend time with
them. And I want to end with this
fabulous story. I once told the story in
Toronto and when I said the punchline, a
lady screamed and she burst into tears
as you'll see how poignant
how special it was. You know this this
punch line as you're about to hear it
and you'll see I'm going to give you
homework of what you should all do for
the rest of your lives. Now what
happened was that a couple years ago in
Lakewood they decided they're going to
close one of they're going to close the
yeshivas the elementary schools two days
before Yandiff because it's a very busy
time and the youn will be able to go
into the kitchen and help the wives
because there's so much to do. So this
fifth grade rebi comes in to the kitchen
or two days before y and he says to his
wife what could I do to help you? She
says, "You really want to help me?" He
says, "Yeah." He says, "Listen,
we have six kids. If you could take the
kids to to out of the house for 4 hours,
I'll be able to bake and I'll be able to
cook and I'll clean and I'll be able to
be able to get things accomplished." And
he said, and the guy was thinking, "What
in the world am I going to do for 4
hours with kids in Lakewood?" And then
he remembered Newark airport is an hour
away from Lakewood. So he figured he'll
go to Newark airport with the kids. They
were never in the airport. An hour
there, an hour back. He already killed
two hours. And they'll figure out what
to do there. And then he remembered that
in Newark airport, they have what's
called an airra. An airtra is a very
sleek train. It goes very slow. It goes
from terminal to terminal to terminal.
And these kids, he would go with them.
He go long-term parking. You don't have
to pay, you know, to get on the train.
You just go from terminal to terminal.
And they go over the Jersey Turnbreer.
They see planes taking off and landing.
And it will be such a great time. and
Tata took them to the airport and he
went on the airplane and they were
having a great time together. After two
hours on the train, a pilot comes on.
Pilot, spiffy looking guy with a tie and
a cap and a suit. And these pilots are
very nice guys, especially the guys from
the south. And he sees a father with six
kids. And he goes over to the kids. He
says, "We're all flying today." And they
didn't know what to say. So he looks at
So he looks at the father and the father
says, "Actually, sir, we're flying
nowhere." He says, "You're flying
nowhere? What does that mean?" He says,
"You see, we're religious Jews and we
have a very busy holiday that's coming
up." And my wife asked me if I could
take the kids out so that, you know, she
could bake and cook and clean and we're
just spending a great time having a
wonderful time together. He said, "The
pilot got very serious." And he said,
"Young man, I want to tell you
something. I've been a pilot for 25
years. There's not a major airport in
this world that I haven't landed in. He
said, "Two years ago, I got a text from
my son." He said, "Dad, you're always so
busy. You never have time for me. You
never came to any of my birthday
parties. You didn't even come to my
graduation. And last week was the
birthday of your first grandson, my son,
and you didn't show up. Do me a favor.
Take my number out of your contacts."
And the pilot said to the young man, he
said, "And two weeks later, my daughter
wrote me the same thing. I should take
her number out of my context because I
had no time for them." And listen to
what he said. He said, "Young man, I
have flown everywhere but gone nowhere.
You told me you're going nowhere, but
with your kids, you're going
everywhere." And that's what I want to
tell you. You know who told over this
story in Lakewood? There was a manal
sham Canar who has a yeshiva called
Aaron and he had made a kish party for
the first graders that were getting
their and he invited all the parents and
grandparents and he said I'm talking to
the grandparents you think that you came
just to a littleish party but you should
know for your kids that your grandchild
that's the most special thing you could
do cuz they know you care about them and
I want to tell all of you something that
I do that is so I don't tell to
everybody. But I know thousands of
people are going to hear it. But I know
not everybody here is old enough to do
it. Morty, you're not old enough yet to
do it. But yo, you could do it. Yeah.
>> Yes. You know, I'm giving you as a
compliment. Every Thursday night, I have
what's called a Zadei conference call.
That means that that at 10:30 all my
grandchildren and children call and we
all talk. They want to hear what story I
heard, what sack I heard from Abd, where
I spoke, what I did, what I learned or
whatever. or you know anything like
that. And I'm just telling you that's
how you maintain a shakus with your
family cuz I'm begging all of you if you
don't validate your children and
grandchildren they're going to get
validated in places you don't want them
to be validated in. And we know that
with the phones and the technology
that's available and with the friends
that are never available you never know
where a kid can pick up terrible
terrible things. You as the parent as
the grandparent you got to make a shas
with them. You have to be there for them
everywhere, every time. Call the kids
once a week. I I have a seda with one of
my grandchildren. It's so brilliant. His
name
we learn a certain prayer together. It's
unbelievable. Not every grandparent can
do that. But you could talk to them and
keep a sh with them. I'm not going to
ask anybody here if you know the names
of all your grandchildren and what
schools they go to and the names of all
your great-grandchildren if you have
any. But that's an aras. You got to know
that because if you know that you
they'll listen to you because they look
up to you. You're really special in your
mind. You might not know he's special.
But just remember you're kesh. You're
upon him and you're a misbeh
for everything that he does.
I mean he was he was a kid. He was in
his early 20s when he started organizing
shum all over the world. I couldn't
believe it. The first time that I met
him you know I had spoken to him on the
phone. I thought the guy was you know
for everything that accomplish that he
was 65 70 and I seen he was his 20s but
hashem we have great yidden that are
doing great things. There's so many of
you here that I know that are doing
great things for I give each of you a
fulfill your potential. Think about
remember you're a walking talking
don't give up. Don't give in to
Hashem is going to be there and I hope
it's Hashem that I'll be able to dance
at all your kids weddings you know
without
>> without Voltater. By that time, Voltater
will have a beard and pay us
>> and then we'll be able to dance
together. The Filipino Kazatska. Okay.
Thank you. Thank you for inviting me and
thank you for listening.
[Applause]
>> The books will be available in the back
table. They near the door
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foreign.
[Music]
foreign.
[Music]
Amen.