Modern Masters: Inverted Letters Turning the World around | Rabbi Sam Shor | May 28 2026

So good morning everybody. So typically in this slot, Rabbi Tab usually teaches para hash shàu slot and then I usually teach later in the day and my course is called modern masters where we meet 20th century and 21st century gdole gdole and through their writings. So today we're going to do a comino because there might be people that that were coming to expecting that Rabbi Tab's regular pars this year and >> okay so we're going to do a cambino. You're going to get a two two for one. Okay. So no refund a two for one. >> So we're gonna we're gonna jump right in. We know that this coming Shabas please God. We will read para of course contains within it the we're all familiar with which are surrounded by those backwards upside down nuns bracketed by the backward upside down nuns and we know that there are many many reasons for this many uh many messages that are contained within these so we're just going to dive right in we're going to take first of course themselves Okay. And when the iron was in motion, Moshe would say, "Rise up, Hashem, and scatter your enemies and disperse those who hate you from in front of you." When the Aram was was at rest once again, he would say, "What? Hashem return the multitudes of the Jewish people. Okay, so those are sukim that are surrounded by those upside down nouns. So rashi of course we're all familiar with the rashi. Okay, why why what does Rashi say on the on this on theimaro? Rashi says that the the brackets of the of the nunim okay are inserted here. Why? to teach us that this is not really the place where these really should rest. If they're out of place, why then do they appear here? These are inserted to separate between two traumatic events, two calamities. And the two calamities of course are the the change, the shift in attitude after we came away from the experience of Mhammed Arcai. Okay, that the the Jewish people stood at Sinai and they experienced revelation in such an unbelievable way and then suddenly what happens is a shift in attitude and then we have these sukim and then what happens after that they start to complain we want meat okay Hashem what you've been sustaining us on so far is not good enough we want meat okay the whole shift in in in in focus in in world view in in in in the way they relate to those are the two those are the two um calamities the tragedies so to speak that begin to befall the Jewish people okay so we're going to now learn from the first of our modern masters of today we're going to learn from the taratima rabbi epste of course the taratima is the son of the the the who was a great great pulpit rabbi community rabbi and postk and wrote a very authorative commentary on on known as the his son was a student of the yeshiva. He studied with his uncle the nitiv. And of course he did not follow the in the footsteps of his illustrious uncle and become a rashiva or the footsteps of his illustrious father and become a community rabbi. Rather he be went into finance became a banker and he wrote as as a side project so to speak to to to convince his rash his uncle the rashiva and his father the posake that he was still committed to a life of Torah and limitra. He wrote a monumental commentary on the entire known as the Torahima. And the Torah timma quotes basically points to all the relevant kazal all the relevant teachings from uh from the Talmud from the medish related to the various sukim he's commenting on. So in if you look at text bet on your sheets okay the tanu our rabbis he's going to quote the famous shabas surrounded these with the the upside down on either side right my what's the reason for us okay to teach us that what that these two are considered as what an important book in of itself. So based on what Rabb Yehuda Nasi is teaching us here in this famous gam okay that the quotes we could say that really there are sevenarim in the Torah okay there are the five and then what there this this para itself is divided into three parts okay so really you could say there's seven in the Torah so what does it mean that rebi says that these are so important that they are considered as what an important book in and of itself. What's the significance of these two suki? So, we're going to look at a few different answers to that question today. We're going to begin with an idea that's not on your sheets. Theory Torah quotes a a safer known as the A of Now, when I looked up what the safer was, there are numerous farm that are known as the D of Ram. So, we don't know which one theory Torah is is speaking about. So there there's a that points to our the words of and says that if you look at the last letters of those three words you have a yud an okay which are the same letters in the word ani which means what a poor person and he says if you think about the imagery of the aon going out the aron being in motion okay what happens in a safer tower today when we open the aron The safet is emotion. What's everyone stands, everyone goes to kiss the safet, right? We treat the safet with respect. So the those of those three words says the Ara, okay, gives us the letters of ani and we learn an important message in terms of how we're meant to treat someone who is an ani. An ani is an impoverished individual. An impoverished individual so often has to wander because why? because they're homeless. Okay. The impoverished individual is not settled. Okay. And all too often we might walk by an ANI that you know with their with their with their cart of of of things that of items that they possess every every worldly possession they have as they move from place to place as they wander. And we sadly all too often many of us don't take the time to treat that honey. We'll take questions at the end. >> Where was the word? the sofa the last letters of the words and so okay if you look at yudin and nun the same letters as ani okay they're out of order but they're the same letters okay so again ani all too often okay does not settle they're they're homeless ani is often homeless so says the draam says the dra there there's a a beautiful message encrypted into in this P that the Aon just as when the Aon is emotion everyone runs to rise and to go kiss that Aon and treat the Aon and the safer with respect and with love and concern and it god forbid by you're not allowed to walk with a safet without someone being mal that safer together with you why out of respect and concern that nothing should happen to that safer Torah or the person carrying that safer Torah so there's someone that's mala them. So too an ani we have to treat with love and respect and concern. Even if that ani is homeless and is wandering with their little with their little pecula of all their worldly possessions we need to treat that ani with love and respect which is a beautiful idea that the draam sees encrypted in our pics. So now we're going to learn from we're going to learn on our sheets two longer pieces from two uh more contemporary modern masters. The first person person of the vision we're going to learn from is the niv shalom the son ofi rabasi whom we've learned from many many times before in this course. If you take a look in the third we're just going to start the first two lines first you know two and a half lines here are just quoting our pukim. So we're going to start in the middle of the third line where it says now he's going to quote the garamarra that we just learned that the traima quotes right. Okay. Now, this these make up an important book in and of itself that the Torah is really divided into seven. And these two are considered a book in and of itself. We need to explain and try to understand this. Okay, we have to begin to try to understand what is the significance of this book of this proverbial and what are the what are the messages and wisdom that we're meant to learn from this in this short little book of tukim. The Torah was given to us to what? to instruct us in Hashan's mitzvah in all the five books of the Torah. There are different mitzvah that are communicated or alluded to in each of the five books of the Torah. And in these what it looks that there's not even one that's introduced here. So, how can we say this is considered a safer of the Torah if in all the other books of the Torah the the each each book has what mitzvah that are communicated about it that are spelled out for us. But in this these two if there are quotequote a book there seems to be that there no not even a single mitzvah encrypted within these. Okay. Okay. Now, he says there are you could suggest that there are throughout most of the Torah, we are what? Not only is it spelled out the actual mitzvah that we are meant to to act on and do and fulfill, but also the Torah tells us what? instructs us in the ways of God. Okay. So you have the active mitzvah as well as philosophical guidance in terms of how we relate to the whole system of mitzvah how we relate to what the purpose of the entire Torah and Mits are all about and this is the idea that's communicated by this by these two that are considered a book in and of itself. Okay. And we can learn this idea further by what's introduced by the great the great one of the early masters in his safer the perish in his explanation of our p the sum. Okay. Now listen to how the mid explains our the word going out that when the aron would go out. Okay. The rested in the so the is like what is like in our in our day in our time like has what resting within him? Not the l but the entire Torah. Okay. So therefore the iron is a illusion to the idea of the were meant to show towards okay because the the represents the same idea of the because he contains with him the Torah and the understanding of all the mitzvah. Okay. And therefore someone who wants to come closer to Hashem he says we learned that the iron what had to travel had to move. It wasn't sitting still. It moved with the Jewish people and the Jewish people certainly faced all kinds of challenges on their journey. And therefore we learn for another important message says the says the okay that is that if a Jew wants to come close to they're going to what? face challenges in their life in their life's journey. A Jew is never fully settled as we learned from Rafuk a few weeks ago, right? That a Jew is always a Jew is always moving, never fully settled. Okay? And therefore along the way there are going to be challenges in our life's journey. Because a Jew cannot really grow without what? Overcoming life's challenges. Okay. Life a person can face a challenge in their life and what give up. Okay. Or we can learn like Rabbi teaches us a Jew never gives up. Okay. All of life's challenges have the capacity for us to what? To propel us further, to reach greater heights, to ascend, to persevere and reach greater heights. And most specifically often, and this we probably know this, those Torah scholars often face what? Life's most difficult challenges. Whether that be social, whether it be economic, whether it be, you know, dealing with their family. Okay. Torah scholars often face the greatest challenges. But after they persevere and overcome those challenges, they continue to what? to go up from one level to the next. Because every challenge that a person face in life, they have the opportunity to what? To pass those challenges, to persevere over those challenges and go higher and higher. Okay. So that's that's how the kajets the kajit mi begins to to unpack this puk this tukim. And now the the the um thei is going to explain this idea even further. Okay, look this now go to the the ne the left column. is what is alluded to in our verse when it says the Aon went forth to say because as a Jew begins his life journey and facing the challenges in terms of how to persevere and ascend from one level to the next Moshe the tells us Moshe davened and spoke on behalf of the Jewish and continues to speak and dive in on our behalf. That continues so to speak to our on our behalf and says, "Hashem, rise up." And with his help, what a Jew will not fall and can't overcome those challenges. Quite the contrary, he becomes strengthened in knowing that Hashem is with him in all circumstances and he continues to get stronger and go higher and higher and his enemy that Hashem should scatter our enemies and and disperse those who hate hate him. This represents what the the evil powers in the world. They will not become attached to the Jew. And a Jew can always what? Can always has to know that they can always overcome life's challenges. Hashem is there with us and they can pass and traverse those difficulties and challenges. Moshe continues to dive in on our behalf that as our as we journey we are able to overcome the trials that we face in our lifetime. Okay. So now says next paragraph the begin Jewish life begins with this idea he the idea of what that the goes forth that there the path of a Jew what is that they're going to face the the journey of a Jew is laid before them is what the many challenges of overcoming and turning away from rah, from evil, from wickedness. Then and only then can they rest and be at rest. Once a Jew has overcome those challenges and he's arrived to take a little bit of a breather, right, and rest, then what happens? We don't we don't rest for a long time because once we've overcome those challenges and turned away the rah now comes a responsibility okay what's that responsibility to do good to comprehend and express our love for God and our desire to cling to God that all the days of our lives what does it need to strive for to come close to God and that's how a Jew comes to what complete his mission in life as the tells us okay that Hashem instructs us you shall build for me a mikdash a sanctuary and I will dwell doesn't say I will dwell within within the sanctuary Okay. I will draw dwell amongst you, every single one of the Jewish people. Okay. Within every single Jew, first it begins what? Build a midash. What does that mean? To build a place of holiness. It starts with what? Turning away from then a Jew will merit what? That God will dwell within them. Hashem to fulfill our purpose to cling to God to feel Hashem's imminent presence within our lives. Okay. And now let's just learn this last piece from the sleimer. Okay. This is the whole idea of our para these two that comes to dive in and and and to ask God to consider all the life circumstances of the Jewish people whether they be in the state of what having to turn away from to enable them to what to overcome all of life's obstacles whether it's they're in a state of doing good and allow them by doing that good to what to fulfill their life's purpose of what of clinging to God and experiencing God's presence imminence in our lives in if that's true now we can understand our gamarra says the if that's true if that's the message of these two now we can understand why we say that these are what aashu an important book in and of themselves why even though it's not spelled out any specific actions and mitzvah that were meant to do why because these took him reiterate to us and teach us about the entire purpose of all the entire Torah and all the mitzvah. This is a lesson in of itself just as if we fulfill the because there's no greater lesson and message for us than what than the instruction of the per purpose the entire purpose of what Torah mitzvos and what a Jewish life is meant to achieve and all about. Everyone with me so far? So that's the sunb's take. Okay, that's one modern master. We'll take questions at the end. Okay, that's one modern master. Now, if you turn your sheets over, we're gonna learn from our third modern master of the day. Mo Mosha Wilson was of course an outstanding outstanding teacher of He was also the of Yeshiva Tarvadas in Brooklyn, New York. Okay. Um he uh also had a little bit of a even though he never never really considered himself an adore, he did have like a following like an adore. He had a community in Brooklyn known as Amunas is and also they have a community here in Betarit of his and uh Rabbi Wilson has many many including the beautiful set okay known as and we're going to learn from the amuna okay the word beautiful words of Rabbi Wilson starting with the second paragraph here under that okay where it says everyone see the word Okay to understand this whole idea we can begin by explaining. Okay. Now listen to this idea. He says that there are are sparks of holiness that are scattered in all corners of the world. All right. He says these sparks of holiness became went into captivity in all four corners of the world. They were captured in all four corners of the world either as a result of the ofish or even before that earlier in the days of of chaos before the creation of the world. Okay. Okay, listen to this idea. He says, "These sparks of holiness are waiting, okay, to be gathered up and be reunited with the of the Jewish people by whenever the Jewish people travel to those far-off places, they gather up the sparks that are there." But Shambara, how do they do so? when they learn Torah there or they dive in there or be aim or do any of the other mitzvos in those remote places that somehow is meant is is a manifestation of gathering up those sparks of holiness that are in captivity. Okay. For this purpose, this is why the Jewish people went into galut. Why the Jewish people had to be exiles. to gather up all the scattered sparks across the world. He said it says if the Jewish people had been worthy, okay? If we're on the Madre, we would have been worthy, then we would have never had to go into Gulf. In other words, our had we been worthy, our power would have been so strong. Had we been remained united here and been worthy, our power would have been so strong that the magnetically metaphysically all those sparks of holiness would be drawn to would have been drawn to we wouldn't have had to experience gallas. But sadly we didn't live up to that says the okay but okay after we've already transgressed and we went into galis there's no the Jewish people don't have the capacity to clarify and gather those sparks the only way we can do so is what by going to those places where those sparks of holiness have been scattered. And we can understand this based on the Jewish people were not scattered. Okay. Amongst the other nations of the world for any other purpose except what? to facilitate the gathering of potential converts to enable those in the shamote to to enable those to enable those in the shamote I'm going to explain it okay to enable those in the shamote that okay were destined to become members of the Jewish people we believe that a gaded okay is an that somehow was separated from the Jewish people okay and that every nishama including gay I gaded stood with us at Sinai. Okay, the nama is a stood with us at Sinai and therefore the reason why the Jewish people had to experience going into the golas says the gamar wasn't able to what to that those potential gay room all over the world that need to come back to the Jewish people should be able to interact with the Jewish people and learn about Judaism and connect to Judaism and that those shamote should be able to return to their source. Okay.os. What does it mean that these sparks have to be clarified? Okay, this is the idea. He says that they're gay, potential gaim that are connected to the Jewish people that have been scattered all over the world. And therefore when the Jewish people go okay and these potential gaim see a Jew put on fillin or learn about the laws of Kash or see a Jew like uh Kanukia okay something in their okay which is meant to return the Jewish people is ignited okay is connected all right so now he continues now he says when the Jewish people complete this this clarity this clar clarification of these holy sparks gathered together all those who have been dispersed both the ju the the Jews who went there as well as those new Jews that have joined the Jewish people and he will bring them back to our land. Okay. So now Rabbi Wilson is going to continue. Now he says we read this parha after shivis. Okay, which means we read this para always as we're in the going into the summer months. So we read this para at the completion of a period in the Jewish calendar that was a an enlightened period on the Jewish calendar that began with the great day of tubish the of and after we went into the days of and the days of Nissan and the high the the the holy days of the omareot okay and the days of the day of. And now what comes upon us? The months of just around the corner. And those two months represent what? The destruction and the in the in the exile. The Maral says that beginning with the 20th of Sivan, which is a week from now, right? A little more than a week from now. Already that the last part of the month of Civ Prague is connected to not the days that came before it, the days of joy and celebration that came before it. But it's already connected to the months ahead of of of a of tamuz. Okay. That's true. If that's true, those days are ahead of us. Then these days of galut and exile are what are days that are specific for the task of fixing and gathering those spark sparks that have been dispersed in all the flung far-flung places. He says, "Therefore, the way the world has been established is that we go on Benazman, right? Everyone goes on summer vacation. On summer vacation, people begin to travel to all these far off, far-flung places." Okay. Okay. Okay. A person's steps are determined by and he sets the desire path. Hashem orchestrates our journey, our travails. Explained this how a person thinks that when they plan a journey, they plan a vacation, they think they're going what? for the purpose of re rest and relaxation. Right? But the truth is the reality is orchestrates everything. Okay? If we choose to go to a place on vacation, it it must mean that in that place there are these metaphysical sparks of holiness that are waiting that are connected somehow metaphysically to our specific nama that are waiting for us to come to that place in order that through whatever mitzvah we're going to do while we're visiting there, whether it would be when we dive in while we're there, whether we when we say modi, whether it's we wash, whether whatever it may be that we do while we're there. Okay. Metaphysically, we are the going there and we're meant to go there in order to gather up those sparks that are waiting for us to come to that place. And now Rabbi Wilson just concludes the last paragraph. Okay. Um 8. And now meaning at this time before we go out on our journeys. Okay. Before we go on Benim again, he was a mash and a great yeshiva. Right. We read specifically this time the para of and the when the sjourned. Now what is the message of the Jewish people going out into the exileto the grandson of quotes in the name of his grandfather the BMT. that every single Jew in their lifetime will traverse metaphysically, okay, the 42 journeys that the Jewish people traversed in the Mibbar, the 42 pathways, the 42 challenges, okay, that the Jewish people faced in the Midbar. And those of us who are are are we are worthy to be the of Hashem, okay, in our hearts to have Hashem to recognize that okay, is with us. So we're happy in our hearts and we recognize what that all of our life's journeys come from who and they're all protected by Hashem himself. Okay. in our generation. We're the proverbial ones who contain the safer. We're the proverbial even though we may not really be fully worthy. We the Jewish people in our generation continue to learn Torah to and those of us that do do those things that d and learn regularly. We become the of what of the entire Jewish people. Okay? We're the proverbial that's going to protect the entire Jewish people. And by us kind of being the ones who carry the proverbial aron, we will continue to interrupt between what? Whatever troubles the Jewish people face. That's how Mosha Wilson learns our the our garra and our pukim. I want to close with one last piece that kind of builds builds a bit. We're going to close with one last piece that's not on our sheets that kind of builds a bit on this idea from the balant of a kadesh that that Rab Mosha Wilson spoke about of of going into going on vacation and going to wherever we're going to travel. Okay. Specifically in order to gather up those sparks and the opportunity to bring kaduca and bring reattach those sparks of kaduca to to to the greater hole that is the Jewish people. So Rabbi Arashore who is the son of Rabbi Gdaleshaw we just learned from Rabbi Mosha Wilson who is the Mashkani of Taravdas Rabbi Gdalash who was the father of Ramshaw who we can learn from was the rashiva long term longtime rashiva of Tavvdas he was also master of kasidut and his son Rabbi Abram is one of the great teachers of kasid in the world today and Rabbi Ramshaw his far called okay we're just going to learn a short little few lines from the okay says okay the para of teaches us what okay most specifically he wants to speak about the idea of Hashem scattering our dispersing our enemies he says what is what is Hashem standing up for us to scatter our enemies is dependent upon it begins with what? A person being careful with our speech. Okay. And in accordance with how careful we are with our with our speech, okay, that is what protects us from. Now he continues. Now listen to this beautiful idea. the just like just like we said the bashanto says that we we read these these as we're preparing for the sum for the summer vacation right the days of summer ahead of us the okay we'll be traveling to many vacation sites and there'll be time for us to sit together with our families and talk with one another, okay? In a way that we don't have the same kind of time to just sit and chat all year long. Oh, wow. Sorry. He says, "And there's a potential also what?" Okay. Very real potential to what? To fall prey to speaking with others about things that are what? inappropriate for us to talk about that you might even violate prohibitions of the Torah. And from those initial discussions, okay, of things that are not appropriate can come to what? Not only do engage in inappropriate speech, but what lead to inappropriate activity and behavior as a result. Okay. And therefore when we go out we have to speak to our the our children to our our spouses and our children. Okay. Our daughters and encourage them what to be very very careful not to speak about inappropriate things with one another and not become influenced okay by discussions they may have with other people as well. It's a very very fascinating take on these on these. sukim I think we we actually learned four different beautiful takes on these sukim messages that we can glean from these we began with the with the div a who said that what that this puss is a messenger how we treat those who are impoverished or seem to be homeless who seem to be wandering like that proverbial aron we have to treat them with cav respect in the same way we tr we would treat a safer tora or an aron that's emotion then we spoke about the son of ai quoting the kashnitser of of of of seeing this as a model in terms of in general in terms of how a Jew faces challenges and journeys in life and that the way to overcome those challenges and journeys in life is what to cling to the Torah and to cling to and that this these are considered a an important book in and of themselves because they teach us not necessar but an orientation towards understanding the purpose of the entire Torah and all the mitzvah. Then we learn from the great teacher Rabbi Mosha Wilson who said in the name of Bentadesh that the reason why we read these sukim now is what? Because we're going to go out on our vacation and we got the opportunity by by doing mitzvos when we go out on vacation into all the far-flung places across the world to what to gather up those sparks of kaduca that are waiting for to go there and reconnect them to the sh the source of kaduca of Israel. And then finally we learned from Reb Ram Shaw the beautiful message that if we're going on vacation together with our families okay we now have an opportunity to engage in in in conversation way that maybe we don't get to do all year long and therefore let's not forget to be very very careful in terms of how we use theore the power of speech and if we use it correctly then indeed we will live up to the mandate of the that the spells out for us To what? To gather in the sparks that are waiting for us to bring