KLM: A Word for the Shabbos Table - The Incredible Kavanah of Aaron HaCohen

Heat. Heat. [Music] Let me tell you a story about the old city. Uh when we had the privilege to live here um as you old city members were in Revashiva Ka old city members know you get a lot of calls can you host us for shabz can you host exg groupoup kiru x everything everything I remember there was some Israeli tourists that wanted to see religious people light uh candles and I brought um remember Zev Lev I brought this rabbi from um Measharin Goa, very sweet and he just spoke in Hebrew. And by the way, these Israelis didn't realize that religious people don't know how to speak Hebrew. They thought only Yiddish. Anyhow, by the end of his time of describing Hadlak's nearest, they all were crying. Okay, so we know the old city is magic, especially for people come in. So I we got one of those typical calls. can you host X group for uh Chabas? So I said, uh oh, you know, right now in this time period, we're just doing Chabas Night with the kids, but you can come and uh come in the day. So she says to me, oh no, we don't do in the day. It's not it's not so spiritual. Isn't that interesting? When do you feel the most spiritual on Chabas? Is it when on le shabas in the day in the mid afternoon? Right. When do most people feel shabas is spiritual? When? Kabala. Yeah. Yeah. Now, Kabala Chauvis is beautiful, but the bottom line is in the beginning, right? When it first starts, but as the day goes on, right, midafternoon. Okay. You know, let me sleep. All right. I think Friday night. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Now, there's something deep here because guess what? If you were to interview uh the Arial, when would he say the holiest time of Shabas is? End of Shabas. the end of Shabas Sudashis it's a time of ra I think I pronounced that right okay that's when it now but we don't feel that why not you you know what I'm teaching why not for me I luckily I have four or five grandchildren every on Friday night the singing and they all sing and they all know the prayers Right. And that is the most you know alive time familywise. Right. Right. And I think like you say kab Shabbat the davin. So the bottom line is one of the culprits of us not tapping into the arrial's kavana is um wrote the more you get familiar with the experience the longer it passes. uh you know it doesn't affect you the same way right we know that's the thing also I Hanukkah right first night of Hanukkah the singing the lighting gishmocked right seventh night sixth night it's not the same right so we're this is actually this is intentional okay it's this is a battle literally a battle for life why do I say that Because when um roads when you do things by repetition and you're in a relationship or something like this, right? If you don't show up, you're there's distance here, right? And the reason it's get you know what the there's a mitzvah called choose life. It's a constant mitzvah right now. You choose the level you'll be present. How much engaged, how much connected. It's it's in your hands. Okay. So, let's learn from one of the heroes uh about this. Uh and it's in this week's para a word for your table. I don't know if it'll be safe or ha but here's a word for your table. All right. in parasa um perices piml. Uh all right wait let me open up the para opens up of course Hashem says to Moshe then it says de aon speak to our own elo when you cause the narrows to go up make sure that there's seven lights uh seven different lights or lamps putting out light. So what happens next? Okay. Vasc Aron Aron did Auron did it. He did as uh he was uh it says Vas Vas Aron did it and then it says as Moshe Aron did it as Moshe uh commanded him to. Wow. You know, Moshe conveys instructions how to do the monora, right? Ready for this explosive insight? Aron did it as Hashem commanded. What is anybody here surprised even slightly that he followed instructions? You hear the qu everyone hears the question? Uh what's going here? All right. Yes. Yeah. Please motion more difficult perhaps. Another difficulty is good. We often see that Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aaron together, right? You would think that with something specific to the co arin that certainly he would be included in that nu. Mhm. And yet he spoke to Moshe to to to transmitted to which excluded. Okay. Okay. Hey, you know that's I'll tell you when if you can't hear Moshe just asked uh here's another problem. If this is Aurin's task specifically Arin's task, why didn't Hashem communicate directly or at least to Moshe and Aron which it does? Okay, now I was thinking was I don't know how I'm going to deal with that one. What can I do? But now I realize it's going to be part of the solution. Okay. Uh so let's see what Rashi says. Um so everyone here's the problem is the fact that Aron set up the manura as Moshe told him in the name of Hashem. Uh you know it says Aron did it as Hashem commanded. So Rashi says like this and and I'm going to I hope you'll try to supply an explanation of what Rashi says. So Rashi highlights those words. By the by the way, this is a famous thing. What's bothering Rashi? When Rashi speaks, I I know you know this. I'm sure you learned it from Rabbi Gold. Um, a commentator doesn't speak unless he has to, right? Unless something's bothering him, uh, or he knows it's going to bother us. So Rashi highlights the word Aurin did did. So he did it, right? So Rashi is saying what's he saying? Rashi says as follows to tell the praises of our own shalos. He didn't change it. He didn't change. That's what it says. Now this isn't still you could still have the same problem, but here let's just review. He's instructed how to set up the manora, seven lights, etc. And the Torah says he didn't change. He did as Hashem commanded. Rashi says, no, it didn't say he didn't change. It says he did so as Hashem commanded. Rashi says it's praising our own for not changing. So, can we solve this? I I I mean I can I'll tell you what, you know, I used a safer called para kima. You know, he brought this point. But can does anyone have a solution? Let me let me put it in classic language. It's difficult to justify the Torah bothering to mention that Auron AoE followed orders in constructing the uh manora. And Rashi says the Torah is praising him for not changing. Where's the praise? What's so praiseworthy about that? We're talking about one of the greats. He's like number He's tied for one probably. Yes. Well, the question is why would he have changed it to what? Right. I mean, he was going to, you know, light it standing on his head. Exactly. Exactly. Why? Lanny's point. Why? Why would I expect him to change? What would he be changing? Yes. Yes. Motion. It's It's clear that doing and speaking are not the same. And everybody when they do a mitzvah personalizes it because explaining how to do something and actually doing it are worlds apart, okay, are absolutely worlds apart. So everybody who engages in an activity, does it the way they think they're supposed to do it, okay? And they're adhering to pretty much their instructions. Like any manual, you know, you do a tuneup, right? you know, and you do an extra turn or this turn, you gap it this way, you gap it that way. Everybody personalizes it. And this is saying that that Arine did not do any of that. Ar did its like Masha told him to do without without enhancing it. So beautiful. your your solution is to say he really totally followed the instructions and most people there's a little uh loss in the what do you call it something gets lost in the uh passing on of the instructions to thing right that's what you're saying not only los sometimes you think you're improving well right right from right to left I mean how much change no but he okay good so Wait, wait, Mosha. Wait, wait, Mosha. Mosha, Mosha, hold on a second. Mosha, can I cuz I want to uh build up what Lenny is saying before you respond to him. Before you destroy No, what what Lenny is saying is, okay, if it's a sophisticated thing with lots of technical details, then maybe you could make some tweaks and errors or overdo it. The question is, was this commandment to um to set up the manora? It says when you kindle the lamps toward the face uh of the manora, uh do seven lights. So that it doesn't sound like there's too much subtlety here. I'm suggesting you have any thoughts? Can you look at Rashi and tell me? In other words, was there something a lot of complex details lor in this commandment that we would praise Aron for nailing it and not going too below or above? If you have something, tell me. Okay, I just gave you homework. But Mosha, what do you want to say? And then wait, Rabbi, there's a whole there's a whole procedure. what they do in the morning, where they do before the cabus, get enter the cabus, which which lights, which lamps are lit first, what direction they're facing, what direction the minor is facing. There are a lot of lot of details. How far you go up on the steps? You have to bend down. I mean, whether you go up on the steps, is that more is that necessary? Especially when the manura wasn't that tall, actually. I mean, there are a lot of lot of details, okay, involved in the manura, and they're not all apparently convenient. Why do we have to stop at cleaning the first two and lining the first two and not all seven simultaneously? Okay, so Moses is saying that there was a lot of complexity and he did that and I I very it could very well be and it could be they explained that way and we'd have to kind of just see what was the uh embedded in this commandment in the first tubukim. Okay. Yes, Ronnie. Oh, I just have a feeling that I wasn't paying attention because dance. I'm sorry. Dance. Did you say dance? Dance. Dance. Oh, very nice. And editor, please. You know, I've always for for so many years been a soldier inside the business that I worked in. You know, when one of those guys that I would report to would say, "Okay, I need you to do I need you to get this done." There's no messing around. There's no, you know, like, "How do you feel about it? What are you even going to necessarily bring to it?" You know what you have to do. Call me when it's done. Mhm. So you're saying why is Aron being praised then? Is that right? You're part of the problem. Who was who was it that thinks that it's so praiseworthy? That yeah that okay that's the difficulty. That's the difficulty. How did you get it done? He didn't give you every last detail of how to do something. You weren't a robot. You put in your creative juices, your thought, your planning, your implementation, your you got it. You got it done. When they give you an order like that, you know exactly how to do it. They just told you exactly get it done. They just told you to do it because the assumption is that you already knew exactly the proper order to do it. But his go didn't know what he went through to get it done necessarily. Okay. Okay. Good. So, anyhow, I I like it. And that's a valid possibility. Number one is that not uh not everybody executes with total precision and doesn't underdo it or overdo it. Okay, that's one possibility. Let me tell you what the uh para uh what he says. Uh he he says now and and this is a again my raisin detra. Okay. He said that our own did it like this. He never changed. He did it every time like the first time he was on. He was connected. He did it with simka and enthusiasm, excitement as if it was Le Shabas. He was right in the middle of Shabas. He's still happening. I'm just using it as a metaphor. In other words, Aren did it as Hashem commanded, meaning heard the commandment every time. Okay? And that's that's big. In other words, he didn't do it by habit. He didn't just run through the he Rashi says he didn't change from the way when it when he got the original commandment. Okay? Now, and that's big stuff now. So here we go. Aren is he's up there that he did the same thing again and again and again but he felt commanded. He felt connected and he did it with enthusiasm. Okay. Question. How do we get there? All right. This is for sure a message uh according to the second solution that we have to call forth our co-host. Now by the way I'll tell you I had a I had a challenge. Okay, that's AR co iron coin. How do we know that we're expected to be on like that? Like 100% and everything. How do we know? I'll tell you, I learned the hard way. When I was first married, you know, my wife's a God bless her, is an Israeli, you know, different culture than America. And it's uh, you know, wedding and the chevraas. And every every morning I'm like morning like this morning. But you know as the shepheras go on whatever you get a little tired as I don't know if anyone remembers or look at huh one's enough one's enough exactly but but like once you're in three or four or just looked at your kid the kids are getting married they're exhausted right so guess what like on the fourth fifth day I'm like morning morning you know and she looks at me and goes my what's wrong with you. She let me have it. Boom. What? You're not? You're not like uh totally there when you say good morning to me. So, you know, I'm busy. I I'm mulling over this. I'm going to sh and everything. And I get to the I get to the crashes and lo and behold it says be aba with all your heart. Behold with all your soul me with all your might. Come on. I'm only human. You hear it? But we see he wants 100% 100% of the time. Not simple. Good. Yeah. Everyone agrees to the challenge and you agree. Hashem wants that from us, too. Okay. So, we have Aron up here. Every time he lit, he's present in the moment. Okay. And then we got us. All right. I was thinking of a mitzvah for us to think about to work on this. So I'm thinking about I was thinking about Suki de Zimra something like that ashray something like that you say it three times a day let's take that one okay ashray or doing it day in and day out what yeah it's a that's at the end so the thing is this we do it all the time so now we have to think our own did it as if he had just purchased is the safer written by Rabbi Webber called Ashray. It's majesty, its meaning. No, imagine your first time you you you read Ashray something like that. That that excitement. Aron Cohen had this. So, he's way up here. Point number one. Yeah. We have to be careful if we want to get to Aron. We have to be careful of evop. Yeah. Evop is Rochet Tavos. No, you're trying. I Yeah. Guess what? I made it up. If you get this, I'm scared. You're in prophet. Is for the e evop ev here. Aron does it every time. Where are we? Evop is the evil voice of perfectionism. Okay, we get dead in the tracks. You know, sometimes I'll put things on the group, you know, try to do this, let's do this, but we we get dead on the tracks really early on and it's because of EVOP. Let me explain. there's this uh top top top top like strategic management consultant coach type of guy and uh he's he's always doing conferences with like super successful CEOs and he looks at them all and I mean this isn't the first group that he's noticed this but he says everyone seems unhappy right that they're they're making millions and they and and they're CEOs and they're unhappy. So he says, "You know why you're unhappy?" And it's what a shame. You're working so darn hard and you're not even uh not even enjoying it. Right? So he he said the the problem is that um you're we're he says you're living in the gap, not the game. What's that mean? that with anything there's an ideal like an ideal top of the mountain achievement. Okay. So he says these CEOs are constantly measuring themselves about how far they are from 30 million whatever the the the ultimate achievement. Okay. So they can never enjoy the gain the gain they had so far. Okay. This is I mean this this happens all the time. if a person's not conscious of this. So uh you know with uh by the way the the the midish of course this isn't he didn't innovate this idea in the midish mish it says like this that um right with um Hebrew books you go from um left left to right left to right okay so it says the casil's eyes are to the left and the hakam to the Right. So the cile if you look at shas let's say shas is over here and you're on the he's always looking about what he did not finish in the shas. Okay. The hakum says, "Okay, I moved forward one measea or I moved forward." The mi the the midish is boils it down much less. I did two Mishnas. But wow. Yeah. Hang around with Rabbi Gold. He just marches forward like the hak. This page of your shami. This page. This page. This page. And if you focus on the gain, you'll get there. You hear it? You'll get there. But so here we're talking about Aron. He's like he wouldn't have blown it in chevroles like I did. Okay. Aron would have been good morning every sing. It doesn't matter how tire is. All right. All right. So it's going to take us a little Yeah. You have to be care of evop. All right. Now it's just realize aim is just saying oh I did it once. Okay. You you dance. Okay. So that's number one. But now let's think of how to do it. All right. How how do you bring yourself? You're saying Suki to Zimmer. I'm taking Suki Zimmer or Ashray. Let's take Ashray because Ashray is um they say of all those it's the most important one. If you if you don't have um kavana like uh if you're not under um relating to saying you have to do it again. Okay. So let's take ashray that's an important one in the suki zimra and uh so what do we have to do how do we get ourselves to feel excitement and connection and focus every time we say ashray rolin that's the roshiva said rolin or energy drinks whatever it takes okay whatever it takes the that's number one is medicine. No, honestly, let let me adapt that, okay? Because I don't I'm not going to promote that. I won't be km, you know, have to close down. No, but what does it mean drugs in a in a certain sense is if you're exhausted, uh, you're like dead in the gates, right? So, proper sleep is a drug, right? And I, you know, some say it's not to have anything before you um dab in, but I have glass of water. I hydrate. So I'm not like, you know, brain dead, god forbid, right? So anyhow, number one, to be present and turned on even though you're doing the same thing again and again, again, is drugs. Meaning you have to get your physical self in shape. Okay, that's whatever whatever it takes. All right, that's number one. What? Okay, other suggestions. How do you How do you do it like it was the first time? Like you were commanded by Hashem was standing behind Yeah. Oh, okay. I'm going to go to that one next. Okay. So, let me tell you, uh um Elton Bondi, remember him? Yeah. So I spoke to Elton and he he um he's a wonderful man in South Africa and one of his friends uh his son was in Gaza right in in combat and he came back the son came back and he and and the father's obviously curious like what's going on there? What's it like in the thing? And listen to what the kid said. He says I have no idea. All I did, you know, they have a I guess a um some sort of microphone or ear thing in their helmet. He says, "All I did was two things. I listened to whatever the commander was saying. I Okay. And I was constantly like this, making sure no, you know, piece of garbage came out of a tunnel. In other words, that that a terrorist didn't jump out at me. That's the whole time I just was listen doing listening and doing whatever he said and I was on guard uh of somebody you know blindsiding me. That's that's his thing. Okay. So he said my my wife the thing is this is when you're doing a mitzvah if you're conscious of the commander. Okay. the commander right akadesh boru and and how does he where are the commands it's in the mission and the whole but basically you're saying ashray is important I need to be present right say it with kavana don't say it by wrote right those are the instructions right and then I'm looking out like a like a hawk I'm making sure that I'm not getting distracted you know I'm not really I'm not looking around you here but just realize that there's really not too much difference between Hamas and the Yates. The Ham the Yates gets paid good money to get you distracted. Right? So if you can you imagine this? But now let So let me take it. So number one is to feel the commanders behind you calling out the orders and to realize you're in enemy territory. Okay? You can get distracted anytime. Now if you take that seriously, I promise you you'll have a better ashray. But now let's go to another reason all all based on this Rakmanislan right the the that building fell on the soldiers just recently you moan right this is horrible and and I'm I'm glad that they post pictures of these sweet beautiful kids 20 21 who are now dead horrible horrible right but we we have to realize if we believe what it says that the Torah is m and matzla. It it shields us. It protects. We could be affecting so many people right now. All right, we're this is what we're doing, right? So, I encourage you that you need to make a sense of urgency. It's for real. You know who is the ultimate commander? Who is the commanderin-chief of everybody? Kajes boru. If he sees us upping our game because we care about these other Jews, have that in mind, right? If he cares, if he sees that, I I wouldn't be surprised if things start moving better and better and and less of that happening. Okay. So, anyhow, that's a little bit of a heavy instruction. So, what do we have? we have if we want to be present right and do it not like Ara Cohen was there all the time see the thing is this when we do it on automatic pilot and habit I I don't want to be heavy but it's not parv okay first of all I want to praise anyone who shows up and says ashray on a daily basis they are praiseworthy but if they're doing it like a rowboat It's not. It is not par. The na'vi says mitzima if you do it by wrote it. The nvi is let's I don't even want to get into it. It's very it's not good to just uh show up. But beware of evop on the same time you might get motivate. I hope you'll be motivated after you hear this. And then let's say you take you get to ash. Oh, I forgot to do it. Or you do it this day and it doesn't work. Don't worry. Now you should know that the game has changed and there are going to be forces trying to get you to not do it, not to show up each time. When I say show up, I mean really show up and really be present. Beware of evop, but keep fighting. Okay. So that that's uh so what if I were to abstract this is you re to realize that Hashem uh we are being commanded in the moment. Okay. It says in keshma every day you should do it like you just heard it at Sinai. Shem has a high bar are all your heart all your Hashem has a high bar. But you look at you look at you. You're successful. You accomplish things. You take things seriously. So Hashem wants you. He doesn't want you to uh exit like halfbaked. Okay. So, you know, that's that's uh the the key suggestion. I had one more. Okay. Uh Rabie Green told this years ago. He uh obviously grappling with this idea about being present every time. Oh, but oh, that's what I want to ask. I want to put it to the people in show business, right? Okay. No, seriously. A Let's take actors. Actors are doing the same darn script every single day, you know, especially in theater. It's the same run. They keep going again and again and again. Now, somebody shows up, right? You know, if they're like, uh, you know, oh, he's just like doing it mechanically. They they probably don't do that. I I'm doing research on that. But yeah, so let me ask you that. No, no, let me tell you the story first. Sir Alec Guinness, uh, is he of blessed memory or is he still around? Who knows? He does. He does. Okay. his wife may um the uh Sir Ale Guinness uh he got some award as probably he got many and for his acceptance speech they say this is what Rag Green said he said good evening 98 different ways you hear that that's somebody's got something going on inside right good evening good e good evening etc you hear So I I I and then I want to ask you guys if you have any tips, okay? But what I took from that, one thing I took from the good evening is first of all, it's possible. You know, you have to just change it up a little, right? And you're in a different situation, but I was thinking like this. What is one of the things that helps the performer? The audience, right? there's a new audience and he knows that he's getting paid to to be to be do a great job. Right? So just thinking that we could just think that there is an audience when we are praying who's the audience Hashem. Okay. But also when you say for example when you say alenu it says there's a host of malim that hashem if you will they come to hear us say alenu and hashem says listen look how they're praising me you hear so utilize that there you are not in a vacuum when you're doing this you're not all in your own little head or whole world there's there's an audience to what we're doing that's something occurs to me does anybody you have any insights period you don't it doesn't have to be from when they do their shows they do they they do you any thoughts on on how they maintain it every time the audience the it is the audience yeah the audience gets that the audience doesn't give them that acceptance normally it's all about the audience uhhuh I hear that a point where many artists um they don't want the front rows closer until the rich people get the tickets, right? Like Billy Joel, he sends his tour guy, tour manager to go out to the front of the show, the to the last row of the show and give out all the tickets for the front row. You can't sell his front row shows only to people with enthusiasm that because that will spur him on the spotlight. Spotlight's in his eyes. The only thing he can see is a great So he can only play he plays to the front row and that's what motivates him. seeing some rich guy up there. Let me let me just make sure. I don't know if everyone can hear so I'm just going to repeat that. But uh David, I won't say his last name. What David said is uh let's take Billy Joel. Uh so he's saying that the what is the secret to be on the audience has a big impact. Okay. And so therefore he's if the front row where the people who have a lot of money get their tickets but if it's empty it will affect his performance. So he tells his whatever the guy's working for, bring some people from the back, fill up the front row. You're not allowed to sell us front row tickets. You're not selling any artists over the years. It's like that guy in the front row is pissing me off, right? Usually they're behaving. They're present. No, cuz his wife made him come to the show, you know? You know, right? So here, what do But I want to say that that's what a rockstar does. But listen to this. are great again the Ara coins. Okay. Now again we should use the audience effect realizing there's either Malahim or Kajor who is is our audience. Okay use it. But you know what this is one of the most amazing story. I think it was reimin I think it was him or a tomet of his. So he Yeah. Yeah. A little different. Uh so what happened? He he gave a talk and I I'm guessing vill. Okay, I don't remember the details, but there was there was maybe one person that showed up for the talk, like a really really low uh number of people, one or two. But he said, "Okay, there's one here, right?" Like one or two. And he gave a talk as if the place was packed. He was the next speaker. He was the speaker. Yeah. Yeah. The guy in the audience was the next speaker. Oh, no. Right. Right. That would be bad. Right. But listen to this. Listen to this. There's only one guy. Okay. Uh, let me just be relaxed. He gave it like it was packed. You know who was in the women's section? Sarah Schneer, the woman who founded the Base Yakov movement. She heard that cheer and it changed her life and she changed Krail's life. You hear? So, let's go beyond Billy Joel. By the way, he should have a Rafoolish LMA. Okay. Um but let's go beyond and realize that we can do it and you never know that you never know the effect especially since Hashem runs the world and the the influence in the world. Yes. Regarding a question I had um I have a roommate that concentrates very well when he's doing what? When he's studying Kota. Okay. And he learns by himself. So I asked him like how he's so successful. So he He's very he's very connected and he told me he like answered like he wasn't didn't understand my question. He said what do you mean if it says something wrong when you're learning that I'm seeing next in front of you he says God's standing in front of me he's listening to me learning so how can I not concentrate oh beautiful I think if we think about this idea howation could change yeah yeah or or actually um our realization as opposed to imagining yeah what we just heard is there's someone who studies Torah really well consistently totally involved even if he doesn't have a rousa which I can that's why it's very hard. Right? So Aram asked him what what's your secret? He says what do you mean what's my secret? When I'm learning Torah, Hashem is right there. It just says this in peravos. Even when you're learning one person, the divine presence are there. So Hashem's right there. How can I not be present? Okay. So let's use that. Let's use the audience and let's use anything we can. And please God, we should be Zoha to head towards Aron Cohen who is on every single time. And remember, don't forget this consciousness of the commander. We're being commanded in the moment and we are also in enemy territory. Okay? And just remember, who knows how much good it could do, especially if we have kavana that we're going to increase our focus and engagement in order that Hashem have uh ramanas and protect Israel and bring the [Music] You see your body [Music]