Making Bitter Waters Sweet | Parshas Beshalach

so one time this business traveler he gets a hotel room he's absolutely exhausted he wants to just go straight to sleep and he's lying in bed and he can hear from the room next door whining crying and he hears the words that that the person is crying oh I am so thirsty I'm so thirsty I'm so thirsty I'm so thirsty can't stand it anymore the guy's crying crying oh I'm so thirsty he gets up gets out of bed he gets a glass of water he walks out into the hallway he knocks on the guy next door's room he sees this little guy come to the door says yes he says look here's water drink the water you won't be thirsty goes back to bed gets in bed it's quiet for a little bit then he hears from next door i I I was so thirsty I was so thirsty okay all right speaking of let's oldie but goodie speaking of complaining about thirst complaining about thirst you see it's always Italian this week's Pasha Pasha mashaallah didn't leave mitzrayim and what do we have here paddock tests love starting with pasta called base 1522 like yeah summation cicero me yams off' i shall let the jews onward from the sea of reeds violates who they went out almond Berkshire to a place called the wilderness of Shur the Yale crew slashes Yamin Bamidbar they went three days in the wilderness will aim at Somalia and they didn't find water three days without water that's the setup via via amara so they came to a place called Maura Villa Yahoo leashed Iseman me Maura they were unable to drink the water from Maura him or him came because the waters were bitter see the word Maura Maureen I'll came there for Karishma Maura in fact that is why that place is called Maura which means bitterness because the Jews were unable to drink the water at that place due to its bitterness by a loin or arm I'll Michelle a man managed to and the people complains to make sure say what shall we drink I'm so thirsty like it's akela sham so he made sure cried to Hashem the yayo hashem AIT's a sham showed him a tree a piece of wood but Yash like hell am I in my sure through that wood or that tree into the water the in tokoha volume the waters became sweet some some like haiku Misha there he made for them a statute and an ordinance a sham did become nice ahoo and there he proved them let's talk about this story we have a few elements first of all we have the Jews traveling three days in the wilderness without water that's one thing then we have they find water and wouldn't you know it after three days of dehydration no water and that water in their canteens but they didn't have new water they had one of their identities as we know from amethyst which I'm gonna point out in one second but they didn't have new water for three days and in them in the wilderness obviously they're limited to how much they can carry with them so now after three days of not finding a new source of water they find water and rotten luck once you know it the waters bitter that's the second part of the story and then the next part of the story is the final part of the story Moshe fixes the water with a tree or a piece of wood okay so we're gonna try to understand this story and from understanding this story we're gonna also understand how to deal with negative people and negative experiences people who give us a bad taste in our mouth experiences who give us a bad taste in our mouth it's gonna teach us how to deal with negativity if we can understand the story properly but before we get more clarity I want to cause more problems which often is the way that we do it when we study Torah is that the more complicated or demanding or difficult to question and the greater the clarity is that ensues so I want to add to the difficulty for a second before we start to clarify in addition to the verses which I read to you just obviously Teta Shabak soffits from you know scripture the written law there's also tradition about path there's the oral tradition which elucidates the meanings of all of the verses notably we have from the mad rush from the milta myth hilter's Michonne unch my sense of each choice we have some more information about this story one one thing the myth helter tells us the waters that were bitter were only bitter for the Jews at that time in other words if you would have come yesterday or the day after well certainly did after because of emotions dit but even if that incident hadn't occurred the waters would have been fine they were the waters were only bitter for the Jews at that time in other words right when they showed up again rotten luck three days without water the water was actually fine and then that's when they became bitter they became bitter at that time and only for that time so that's the first thing the Methodist tells us a very strange concept another thing the Methodist tells us is that at that time not only was the water from Marah from the water source they're bitter but even water that the juice still had with them in their canteens remember I said we know they have canteens from the weather specificity mothers even water that they'd been carrying with them from other water sources previous water sources all of that became bitter at that time too ok so now we have a very strange story three days without water then once you know it just their luck they find water and it's bitter and then makes you fix the fixes the bitter water with a tree that's according to what we read in the silken then the Methodist comes and makes it even a little bit more difficult to understand it says it wasn't bitter until they showed up it was only bitter for that time that's one thing and medicine else is another thing that it wasn't just the waters in moaña it was actually any water that they had would have been bitter even water from their canteen ok so now we have to understand let's understand this story with all of these details because if we can have one way of looking at it that that clears everything up this will be the this will be the approach that will will will teach us the most again when you build up the question may the question more difficult more confusing and then you have one approach that sort of puts everything into place then that's the approach that's going to help us the most and we'll also be able to apply practically we mentioned if we want to we want an instruction and a lesson and how to deal with negative or bitter experiences people places things okay so I'm going to tell you a story it's actually it's not even a story it's it's a Marshall it's a parable an old parable there was once an old farmer who was out in his field and there was a road that went through the field and one day a traveller was walking down the road and he stopped and he saw the farmer and he said excuse me sir do you know the town up ahead further down the road the farmer says yeah sure he says well it so happens that I'm moving there right now and before I moved there I've never been there but I have to move there I'd like to know what are the people like in that town so the farmer says well let me ask you a question what are the people like in the town that you're moving from so he says oh they're wonderful people they're always looking out for each other they're so supportive so honest so humble and I'm really gonna miss them I hate to have to leave them and the farmer says well I want you to know that the people you will find in the town that you're going to right now are just like that any traveler is happy with the news and he continues on a little while later farmers still out in this field and another traveler comes walking down there down the same road same direction stops any sense of the farm races as you know the city that's that's up ahead the town farmer says yeah the guy says well I wonder if you could tell me a little bit about it because I'm about to move there I've never been there but I'm I have to relocate there I'm gonna be there for a while what's it like what are the people like so the farmer says could you tell me something guy says yeah he says what were the people like in the town that you move that you're moving from he says oh well really to tell you the truth they're not good people they're Petty and they're jealous and they're backstabbing conniving everybody is competing with each other it's it's not a nice place very very stressful place to live and I'm actually very glad to be getting away from them the farmer says I'm very sorry to tell you that you're going to find that the people in the town you're going to are just like that - what's the lesson again I say it's a parable which means a story that never happened but it didn't need to happen because there's a certain truth behind it you ever how old were you when you discovered that if you drink orange juice soon after brushing your teeth that it's no good right okay so brushing your teeth doesn't make orange juice not sweet orange juice is sweet but for you it's it's not sweet it's not a good doesn't it's not compatible there it's and it's an interesting thing because you know it today you know quantum theory not that I know anything about it but there's an idea of the conscious observer and the observer effect and that by seeing and measuring and evaluating something in this world it actually causes it to be that way so the way we perceive something is actually more than perception can actually create a reality at least for ourselves and what other reality do we have then than our own so I'll tell you another story this story has to do with the previous Lubavitch either that ever the rebel Roxanna be a severe talk who's your site is today you'd shot the tenth day of the month of schrott I passed away in Shin good that's 1950 and his leadership began back in Russia after Lubavitch had been displaced from the town of Lubavitch but he continued in Russia not in labovitz but various locations there then he had to leave Russia and there are different stops on the way but then there was another period of time where he was in Poland and then eventually America so to oversimplify it there were basically three eras there was the Russian era and the Polish era and then there was the American era the last ten years in in Crown Heights at 770 so the story I want to tell you is from the first era is from the Russian era obviously the each each of these eras was marked by different challenges and the first era the Russian era was marked by severe persecution at the hands of the Communists in fact the previous owner himself was was public enemy number one an enemy of the state and he in fact was it was arrested and he was sentenced to capital punishment and he was narrowly saved from that from that fate so the times in Russia were all about dealing with very very difficult situations for the Jewish communities where Judaism was just being being targeted and and the community was under extreme pressure and the the previous Rebbe was working hard to try to keep the structure the infrastructure of Judaism alive so that people would would remain connected even during these very very harrowing times and as such trade occurred it would have a mysterious all over Russia and he was in he was in touch with a vast network of activists and leaders and people who were out in the field trying to keep Judaism alive in all the different locations throughout Russia anyways one story it happened where a couple of sidon from the town of Odessa came to the previous rabbit at the same time and each one reported personally to the to the previous Reba in a personal audience so the first one came in and the previous one ever asked him was totes looking Odessa what's going on you know in the town of Odessa so he says well you know thank God we do have the shul where you know they're there they're I mean your name people traveling and there there's a sheer the people are learning Torah and you know that we're holding it together and it's a it's it's okay it's okay but Hashem and the previous rabba thanked him very much for his report and then he gave him two rubles as a symbol of his he stopped us his participation in this hassid's communal work now there was another closet who came with him they both came from the same place from Odessa and he was waiting to speak to the feet of cadaver to the previous level and he was listening in and he heard this whole exchange and he was thinking himself why is this guy giving such a rosy depiction of what's going on in Edessa I'm not gonna do that I'm not gonna sugarcoat it so when he came to the Finnick Odair bare feet are gonna be asked him he says what still soaking Odessa what's going on you know Desa and he says well you want to know the truth I mean there's a show but barely anyone comes to it for sure not the young people does anyone keeps Shabbos I mean is that is that is that is that even on the map people don't even think about that I mean Cassius I mean do people even buy kosher meat means anyone using the mixer if the this is a desire there and yeah there's a Torah class how many people come to it I mean basically assimilation is rampant especially among the young generation and we're losing people every day and the situation is really really not good and the the previous have a thanked him for his reports and sent him on his way the guy got upset though because the first guy came in and after he gave a report previously gave him two rubles to show that he wanted to participate in this Constance work now this costed comes in and he gives some realistic report and not only he doesn't get two rubles he doesn't get one ruble he gets zero so the guy actually he asks he says Rebbe I this is the response to being honest I'm only telling the truth I'm not gonna sugarcoat it like this other guy I'm gonna tell you what's really going on in Odessa so the the feeder could have the previous rather said I do you think that I'm asking you this question because I don't know what's going on in Odessa I know very well what's going on in Odessa I asked you the question to find out in which Odessa do you live two guys come from one place having to vastly different experiences you think I don't know what's going on oh that's I know exactly what's going on in Odessa I want to know in which Odessa do you live so it's very easy to say well I'm being a realist I'm being honest yeah okay but what does it really tell us it tells us where the person is connected tells us what the person's own experience is and that experience is a reflection of what's going on internally so if that's what you're seeing all around that is an expression of what's going on inside of you and this is precisely precisely what was happening in this story now we can understand why why does the myth help to say that the water only became bitter right then it was only bitter right then and then the myth also says and and and even if they had water in their canteens that was bitter to what's the answer it's very simple the whole thing makes sense or at least the mistletoe makes sense because it wasn't the water it was the way they were taking the water and in fact the Magadh this is an old city shove or that goes all the way back to the second generation goes back to the magnet of message to the Magadh used to say [Applause] the avaya motto so they came tomorrow the logically states Miami Mara they were unable to drink water from Mata ki ma team hain because they were bitter the simple way to read it and that's that's the simple shot team our team hain the word my aim is plural in in Russian Kurdish so martim hain they were bitter means the Mayim the waters the waters were bitter but the magnet of Mitch used to read it like this that Yahoo Omarosa they came to mod of allah yahoo leash taste miami mother they were unable to drink water from mora why he more him came because they the jews were bitter the jews were bitter and therefore any water they would have drunk would have been better so that's what it means it became bitter then because it was their perception that made it that way and that's what it means any water they would have had to drink even water from the canteen it didn't matter if it was from that source or not it was an extension of and a reflection of their perception at that time okay so now we've explained almost all of the story one thing we did not yet explain how come it happened after three days Punk'd you know bath girl like they say of all of all times you know just just just my rotten luck what timing after three days of no new water sources and now the water is bitter it's a little bit it's a bit a little bit funny yeah it reminds me of my Zadie all of a sudden used to tell me a joke his jokes were not very funny but they were very instructive so he said he said there was once a farmer who was losing money and he realized it's because his horse eats too much fruit the horse feed cost too much so he cut down on the food and he saw he's getting closer to making a profit so then what did he do he said that's good that's working so he cut down more on the horses food and now he's getting even closer to making a profit so it cut down more on the horses food and now we started making humans started making some money he says wow this is really working good good for so he cut down more on the horses food and now he was actually making enough money to live from farming and then his horse died from starvation he said just my my rotten luck right when I get to the point where I'm making money and then my horse decides to go and die okay right obviously I told you my grandfather's jokes were not funny but they were very instructive just my rotten luck just when I have the horse down to eating little enough that I can turn a profit now he dies yeah he died because he starved them all right the point is three days without water just my luck just after three days of no water and now the now the waters are all bitter you know what water is water is metaphor for Torah Torah is water because it flows from the high place to the low place it always finds the lowest place Torah is Hamas a shallow cut each particle divine wisdom and yet it settles down here so that we can relate to it and understand and apply it in our lives so Torah is water three days without Torah why would their perceptions be so skewed that now life is bitter everything is bitter everything's everything's awful everything's dark because they went three days without life-giving water without Torah in fact we learned from this verse homiletically this is why there's a Torah reading on Mondays and Thursdays so that we should never go three days without a public color reading you have on Shabbos Plus Mondays and Thursdays and it's based homiletically on aid Russia from this from this posture from this verse because if we go three days without water it it starts to color everything that you will experience your whole world your whole life the whole Odessa becomes a bad place I was one time I was in the South and I saw a in the Bible Belt I saw a sign and it said seven days without Bible study makes one week think about week WEA K seven days without Bible study makes one week yeah get it all right but we say even more than that three days god forbid you know even a day you start to get weak Torah is our life and what what about Torah makes it our life it's that it allows us to see reality the way Hashem sees reality and when you see the truth when we see how things really are we see the goodness we see the potential to everything or I mentioned today is the yard site of the previous rabbit so his Mimer his discourse that was released on the day of his passing which he wrote to be released before it was known that it would be the day of his passing is called bossy lagana I've come into my garden it's Hashem speaking about this world as a place of pleasure and joy and comfort where where it was how it was initially when I come created the world when GaN Eden was a place on this earth and how it will be and even more so when Messiah comes and the Shiina returns to this world so if you don't have Torah for three days or even for for a day it starts to distort your entire experience of a reality so you're wondering why are people so negative and why am i experience is so negative it's coming from within and how how did that come to be why are how is our internal state in this place of negativity because we're not tapping into divine reality to the truth oh so that's the rest of the story so how did Moshe remedy the waters he took in eights we said Torah is compared to water before but Torre's also compared to a lot of things another thing Torrey was compared to his an 8/8 hi I'm Gila Maha Z Kimba like Schlemmer Mela King Solomon the wisest of all man says in Proverbs initially that the Toyota is called a tree of life to hold fast to so my shed took the tree the eighth's the Taira and even a little piece of it you don't have to learn the whole Torah even just a vault an idea a Jewish thought can change your whole perception of your day and of your life and of your reality that's all it takes so bottom line when we are experiencing negativity around us we have to know that it comes from within us and when we want to remedy the negativity from within us we have to internalize the divine holy perspective that is offered in Hashem para