Modern Masters: Yosef, Binyamin and the Fast of 10 Tevet | Rabbi Sam Shor

our sponsor sari schlomo dren we're sponsoring this entire morning in loving memory of sari's Father Mr Joe palansky husband of our friend rosan palansky on the occasion of his yard site this coming Shabbat we wish the entire and and continue and from the many many memories of of Jo Joe's lifetime okay ni yeah I'm sure because I was never to meet him but I know his M so I know I can imagine he was a very nice man Danny do you want the this yeah I have it all right so tomorrow is a very very unique unique situation in that it's the tenth of tavat and the tth of tavat is of course a day which we fast it commemorates the siege of which led up led to the and it's very interesting that thatav is the only fast ofer that if it were to fall on chabas or a shabas that we actually fast the fast is not moved and of course our fixed the calendar cannot fall on chabas itself but a sarav does fall tomorrow on Friday and it's the only fast we F where we fast on aabas the question is why and um another interesting fact about assar is that we always read paros on the Shabbat preceding ass and the question is what is the connection between or possible connection between the story of ysep and yoseph revealing himself to his brothers and this whole experience of the fast of so that's the Deep dive we're going to do together this morning I want to begin first though with an interesting short two and the ra that are not on your sheet the ra says the following one who has a bad dream what's says the r you have to fast the next day you wake up in the middle of the night and you remember you had a a nightmare that you remember and it's bothering you It's haunting you the fact is you fast in order that whatever difficult you know or scary Vision you experience as part of that nightmare you'll do Chua and hopefully it won't come to fruition that nightmare okay and when fast even if that dream was when from Friday night okay you fast the next day on shabas even if that dream was Friday night okay so that's that's the first the RA in a pre few prior to this says but when it comes to public fast days the ramen says that we didn't decree a fast day on the on the seabo the community not on shabas not in y so how do we how do we explain this this idea that one who fasts one who has a bad dream has to fast even if it's on jaus but we never established a community fast day on chabas and I'll take it a step further okay the sis is a communal fast day it's not indiv an individual that woke up and had a bad dream so what is what is it about the nature of fasting of what's called fasting at a bad dream that require Ires us to fast even if we had even if that that that bad dream was on Friday night requires us to fast even on shabas why which is different than a public fast day where we're not allowed to fast on chabas and I'll take us up further so we're not allowed to fast on shabas a shabas on a public fast day with the exception being AAR is there or might there be a parallel to be drawn between a and this idea of fasting for a bad dream okay we're going to come back to those questions now we're going to jump right into our sheets okay no because yeah we're gonna get there also very good okay you've been listening to some of the sheer this week anyways we're gonna start with the cedra last week's cedra is this now yes it yes there you want to fast now the we're to explore together what why what that means and why we fast we matter we're going to explore together okay so first let's start with let's start with last week cedra we all know the great reveal ysep reveals himself to the brothers he and then is brought before him the famous P that Y and embrace and they've been to to cry weep on each other's shoulders and neck and Rashi the famous rash text number two in our sheets why did they why did y cry when he embraced that that moment had a prophetic Vision why and what soon as he Embraces byin he begins to cry because at that moment he has a prophetic vision that one day in the future centuries in the future in the N that belongs to M's descendants they're going to be two destructions what are those two destructions that he's that he's prophesizing and okay in the is part of the and he prophesizes what that they going to be in the future twoos the b m is going to be destroyed twice in the future okay and by cries why says rash okay and why does B cry because he also has a prophecy he realizes that what that in the future the mishan that once stood in Shila is GNA be destroyed okay and that was in the akla of the descendants of Yosef and therefore therefore they each cry so the question that obviously be asked is what why does ra Rashi see this message of the two brothers crying okay of the two in this story of RA rael's two sons being reunited why does Rashi see this specific message maybe they're just crying because they haven't seen each other they never really met each other okay and what Eternal message can we glean from this powerful moment in Jewish history now I add one other question is there any significant star reading this story specifically on the shabas which precedes and now we're going to begin to piece this all together we're first gonna hear from the first of our Modern Masters this morning which is his collection of thebi which many many many times and often begins with an anal is of Rashi and so the the is going to help us unpack this Rashi that we just learned together and he says as follows why did ysf Andy cry over the sanctuaries which were to be destroyed in each other's territory and not over the destruction that was to occur in their own territories if they're having a prophetic Vision at that moment why doesn't Yos cry about what the the fact that the mishkan and she is going to be destroyed and why does the binyamin cry about the the the mikash why is it the opposite so listen to this idea eliminating other people's problems ultimately depends on the other person's Free Will friends can help with their prayers and advice but the person himself must take the necessary action okay it's not up to us to solve someone else's problems what we can support them we can help them but ultimately that person has to persevere themselves and overcome whatever challenges they're having themselves so when Yosef and be perceived that they were powerless to solve each other's problems they cried in sympathy nevertheless they did not cry with the future destruction of their own sanctuaries because they had the responsibility to find a solution to their own problems and not mer to sit and cry sympathy for each other's future losses this empathy this level of love for one another of concern for one another of concern for our brethren so to speak is a fundamental message Eternal message that the laab rebbi sees in this teaching from Rashi okay and now we're gonna come back to this and we're g to build on this even more and see exactly what this has to do with AAR okay so Rabbi the second modern master we're gonna learn from today is Rabbi bar Simon SCH Rabbi Simon is one of the Russia younger Russia yiva yiva University and he has an incredible set of called IM that if you don't have the saer I recommend you you try to get it if you can it's only available in Hebrew it is an absolute goto go you know it's it's God it's gold it's absolute gold um and it's a wonderful wonderful sa so this is what RAB Simon has to introduce about about and the connection between and the story of listen to his words say we can add to this and and and connect this to the the the timely messages of what we're discussing meaning the fast of the as we know the wrote In The Name Of is different from all the other fast that if it would fall on chabas we would not be able to push the fast another day because the says those words that you fast it was established to have a fast specifically on this specific day which is similar to what the words that the Torah uses to describe the fast right and the concludes with the words but I don't know why he says we I know we're supposed to fast if it falls on chabas and I know that fixed the calendar so it can't fall on chabas but but I know we're supposed to fast and falls on a but I don't really understand why that's how the ends okay now the explains it okay and he writes to explain this idea listen to this powerful that in the year that the was destroyed that decision that that din that that the B was gonna be destroyed was already decided in Shay on what day on the the 10 of T before TSH meaning that same year but both times the B was destroyed the decision in sh that the B was going to be destroyed that year occurred when on the day of and therefore says therefore every single year it's decided it's decreed on this day of whether TSH will continue to be a day of morning or whether we'll see the and we know that for a painful loss or painful moment in the past okay there is a custom that in the Lithuanian World okay the lith world is a custom to F not to fast on a yard site if you have a yard site for one of your parents there's accustom to fast on the yard site amongst the lithuanians okay myself I'm more as anyone who's ever learn have a little more of a and I follow the which is on a yard it's a it's a hilula it's a celebration we drink a we we we we say words of Torah and and we recall that person fondly but in the thean tradition the yard said is a day of sadness and therefore we fast on that day but what with the exception being that if the ardite falls on chabas you don't fast okay so says the there is a precept that based on this idea of fasting on a yard site that we fa we fast to recall painful moments of the past and that if it falls on shabas would not push aside chabas meaning you'd have you wouldn't fast on chabas shabas you're not allowed to fast okay and E even if you're fasting for a yard site you would not be allowed to fast on chabas but when it comes to fasting for a bad dream as we just learned from the r it's permissible to fast why because there's on there's pleasure that comes believe it or not from fasting why okay and therefore why do we fast why do we fast when we have a bad dream what's the whole precept says the that one is is is concerned one is troubled he's tormented by the vision that he had in that nightmare okay it was not just a bad dream it was a it was a a nightmare of a dream and therefore it stayed with him when he woke up and therefore he's concerned that what that it might be some kind of premonition of something bad that's going to might Beall him in the future and therefore we fast and since the whole reason reason why we fast is seemingly what to alleviate that torment that emotional torment that maybe this nightmare might come true therefore it it's considered own it's considered pleasurable to us why why because we're no longer holding on to that torment if we fast and we believe that that fast will will nullify whatever whatever decree might be contained in that nightmare or revealed by that nightmare then what are we doing we're basically bringing ourselves we're letting go of that pain and that torment that that emotional concern okay so now and therefore he says when it comes to the fast of the ninth of a what is the ninth of a all about recalling the two painful moments in the past when both each of the mikdash were destroyed if that's the whole point of that fast then it's what it's it's fasting for a terrible decree that H terrible events that happened in the past and that's the only significance of this day of tab and therefore what it doesn't push aside chabas meaning you wouldn't fast on chabas okay here's the sour by the way good morning okay good morning therefore you wouldn't fast on shabas but says let's continue but the fast of the T since it's about what hopefully changing the decree in sh that we won't be mourning on we'll be celebrating therefore it's what similar to uh a fast on a bad dream that we're hopefully nullifying a bad de decree and changing whatever premonition of a bad decree we we might have had to something positive and therefore the only therefore it's it's pleasurable and therefore what the fast would push aside chabas and you would be allowed to fast and we would on shabas shabas in the case of the tenth of tavid and that is now just now Rabbi Simon summing this up that is to say that since we learned from this s that on this day of it's decided in sh whether or not we're going to fast [Applause] on therefore it's considered what a fast on a a future painful moment potentially future painful moment that we hopefully are gonna nullify by F through that fast and therefore it's permissible to fast because we have some sense of on fulfillment pleasure in knowing that hopefully through our fasting we're going to prevent a future continued SAR okay so what the says here is that the fast of a is somehow Hally similar to the fast of a or fast on a bad dream the F why do we fast we have a bad dream why is it permissible fast we have a bad dream even on chabis because hopefully through fasting on chabis we will nullify what the any any mute of premonition that that that that might come to fruition that that that was that was part of that nightmare so too therefore it's it's it's the fast is hopefully nullifying future pain and and transforming the potential for future pain to hopefully something not painful so too the fast okay which has the potential within it say to change whether or not we'll be mourning on or whether we be celebrating T therefore it's it's there's a parallel to be drawn between these two types of fast okay that's the so what does this have to do we'll come back we'll take question then so what does it have to do with the story of Y okay because we mentioned the introduction that this that this fast all always coincides with follows immediately the Theos and therefore coincides either with right so the conclusion of the Y Saga if you will what does this all have to do with Y so we're now gonna learn from the okay from it says he passed away about a year ago this is sour sheet that I used in the past okay was a great great here in and in his sa he offers a very very unique Insight regarding the connection of the story of ysep to this day of assar and this is text number five in our sheets he writes he says that in all the other fast days there was a there were throughout throughout history there was something that occurred that was going to be a premonition that there will be eventually be a major tragedy that would fall out on those days okay and he says okay we don't fast in because it was the but occurred onus and that therefore was a premonition that this date was destined what for something tragic to occur later in Jewish history was the day when thein came back and gave their bad report about the negative report about arel and then fortia was also a foreshadowing of the later he says but what but it's not clear what occurred earlier in history as a foreshadowing that this day of aarav would eventually be a day of tragedy for the Jewish people as well that through as we just said that through uh that that through this earlier event it would be a foreshadowing of other tragedy's yet to come now listen to what listen Okay suggest there are those who say Okay suggested that there are those that have stated that perhaps this day ofar commemorates what the day that Yad was sold by his brothers he named official rights we know that it's not stipulated specifically in the Torah what day the cell of Y occurred and therefore it's possible to suggest it happened on the day of okay okay he says even though we don't have it specifically stated he says we have an illusion to it what's the illusion to it the the zodiacal sign of the month of is what a what's a a little a kid a kid right a goat and the Goat represents what the of the S of Y why based on the a a lamb explains okay in accordance with the the uh the the G okay The Sinner of the G that I gather what's that referring to how is a g connected to the story of of ysf when the brothers stripped the coat off of Yosef what do they do they Shack the goat and they dip the coat into the blood of of the goat and therefore says R Fisher there is a remes okay in the zodiacal sign of this month of Tav that this is the month where ysf was Soul because the zodiacal sign is this G which connects back to the blood of the G that the cloak of Yos was dipped into and therefore he says we can learn from all this and in it from all this that perhaps the the the early diff terrible moment that occurred there was a foreshadowing of the later tragedies that would before the Jewish people on this day of the T was what the sale of Ys conne and you know what what was what did you ever receive it's very interesting anyways that's com what punishment did you ever receive for the sale of said you 10 will now atone for that sin was part of the so Rabbi Simon in this next piece is going to bring start to bring this all together all right right oh what do we learn from all this that the 10th of T what happened what took root and came to and came to to be fulfilled and carried out the through the the the the hatred that the brothers had for y they came toell and because of this okay transpired everything that transpired then based on our many many transgressions what nothing has really changed and we still haven't seen the B revealed meaning what sadly we're still not all in harmony sadly we still still don't love love our brothers sadly we still have a lot of resentment between us and our fellow Jew and therefore we have to feel really feel and pay attention and stress the words of thei in the famous words of the every the Jewish people collectively are one entity we're really brothers but we have to feel what to be concerned for one another sh and if we are able to then it will be decreed please God in the heavens during this year on will be speedily rebuilt and the fast of the of this month of of of of of the will be transformed to the day of says Rabbi Sim the fixing that has to happen for this the the the sin of is what that we come to recognize that really every single one of us and our fellow are two parts of one Collective Soul that we call Amel and we're gonna learn one last piece together from Rabbi mosha wolson mosha wolson of course we learned from many times before RAB Wilson is the or was was the the longtime Yesa tadas in Brooklyn he's also a little bit of a he he's your Reby you you're you're Tas Nick maybe you know my uncle also learn Tas my uncle also learned Tas Aon CIVC sure he's here now actually three brother yeah yeah the three Aon learn learned anyways anyways um anyway so that's yeah it's brother they all work together we'll talk let's learn from Rabbi Wilson Rabbi Wilson um we'll do Jewish geography afterwards Rabbi Wilson um is buried no Rabbi Rabbi mosha Wilson as it was for many many years decades the in Brooklyn he also was the Reba of a community in Brooklyn known as Amun Isel which has there's a branch of that Community here in betar Elite as well and Rabbi Wilson was an absolute Giant ofid and Jewish thought and and um they they used to ask you know which he belong to and his answer was I like to eat at all the Tish I takes a little bit from from this reab from this RAB so he's similar to you know any to to to to my Affinity for as well and he's one of the great teachers of the last last you know many many decades of of Jewish thought so we're gonna learn from Rabbi Wilson who's gonna bring this all together for us he says from everything we learn in our par the little Dr droplets of comfort that we as we enter to this time of and prepare for and we have to believe that a Jew doesn't feel doesn't feel pain or give up God forbid during the times of darkness and diaspora and we should know that is always with us even in our dispersion I'm always with you okay grab on to me with what grab on to my right hand everything comes from and even nowm is revealing his wonders before our eyes and therefore during these time periods of where we might fall into despair we might be think you know there's reason to despair how do we strengthen ourselves through Torah and through daving through acts of and with every appropriate if we're able to do that we'll be able to experience great riches and treasures okay we feel like what we're blind people wandering in the dark we don't we don't realize and recognize or even can't even imagine you know what what comes as the result of our service to to of our of our doing the right thing we don't even begin to understand how much we fix and clarify through our good [Music] deeds and this is a very beautiful idea that Rabbi Wilson appears many times in Rabbi Wilson's teachings and that is based on the bov that the reason why orchestrated the Jewish people have been dispersed all over the world is that there are sparks of Holiness that exist in the world and that by are are going to those far off places W even talks about this about going on vacation okay that based on this that when a Jew goes goes to to to to to Costa R and and davins okay and eats kosher food and is M there that they're bringing back those spars of Holiness that disperse all over the world so he says that through our through our dispersion okay we have the capacity to to inspire others even those that we don't know we don't know them at all and that we have the capacity what to bring others Closer by just going there and clarifying and bringing the Sparks of kadha Back to Life by our presence of going there and doing mitzvos in those places now by the way this is similar to a very beautiful teaching from the we Shar the S we shared here in the past and that is that there's a Mitzvah of right of loving your fellow as you love yourself but if the if the ask if the torah's definition of loving our fellow is love your fellow as we love ourselves does the Torah Define for us what it means to love ourselves and the answer is no so how do we know if we ever fulfill the Mitzvah of loving our neighbor that the entire parameter of loving your neighbors love your neighbor you love yourself and the Torah doesn't give us the Garin it doesn't Define for us what it means to love ourselves how do we know if we ever fulfill the Mitzvah of loving our neighbor so listen to the beautiful answer this the G the g g says we have to read that PK a little differently says we have to read that P there is a Mitzvah of what's the mitzvah loving he says the love of Hashem should be for your re for your re for your neighbor as it is for you and Theus goes on to explain as follows that that every single Jew who is in love with the K who fulfills the every single one of us who fulfills that who is in love with hem who lives a life of commitment of of K of of of being on fire for do being close to he says we become an example for others not by preaching and talking down to them but by living a life of Kes of others will come to see it and be inspired and come to love hem in the same way you do says and therefore back to Rabbi Wilson's beautiful words okay when we find ourselves in Gus and dispersed it's it's we make feel distant but the reality is Hashem orchestrated this in order that the mes that we've done throughout our the many centuries of that galut has inspired many many others and brought others closer to to a life of Kad and may it be's will that we Merit to serve him with a pure heart and soul and and desire and turn all of the fast days to days of Celebration and joy hem okay even when we're in the in the within the darkness of galut says RAB Wilson can be a source of transformation not only for ourselves and for of our fellow Jew but for the entire world and this day of that we fast on tomorrow even though it falls on shabas okay has the capacity to what to change a decree whether we'll continue to be in that state of pero of of and and galut or whether will finally to experience the ultimate ofia of coming com home of seeing bash and that's what this day of is all about it's to remind us okay that if we can come together as one and we can live a life of and and and then we can transform the world and that's why we fast even if it falls shabas because it's not commemorating just the painful moments of the past it's what it's reminding us that we can change the future to indeed change the future and to celebrate together with and no longer sitting on low floors may we to learn from the experience of the of the sympathy that y bamin his brother Benyamin have for one another as they cry not for their own losses but for the losses of of their brother the sympathy the empathy of what it means to live a life of AEM AAS is AEM and Kem