New Series SHOFAR #1 "Does The Mitzvah of Shofar Need Intent or Not?" Rabbi Aryeh Grossnass

Heat. [music] Heat. [singing] [music] [singing] My birthday. [music and singing] [music and singing] Okay, today I've decided I'm going to give you all a very hard time and we're going to plum to the depths of not only the mitzvah of cha but really understanding lots of different mitzvah the way we do a mitzvah. And we're going to get a little bit more specific. You see when we come to hil Shabas take a guy who he been grow up so religious so he doesn't know all the so well so he comes to your Friday night meal he sits down and let's say he I don't know what's a good mala you can do he takes his salmon and he does ber there's bones in the fish [snorts] and he picks out some bones takes for the bad from the good. He's so you don't want to offend him or something but you tell him what's he called whatever you know on Shabas we shouldn't shouldn't take out bones from the fish. So he didn't know it was us on Shabas. He didn't know it was forbidden right? He grew up not religious, but he was aware of the action that he was doing. If you say, "Yankula, what are you doing with your fish?" He say, "Oh, I'm taking away the bones from the good part of the fish that I want to eat." He's fully aware of the action he's doing. He just doesn't know it's wrong. This is what we call a shy gig mistake. He didn't know. I don't know. What do you expect from me? Today we're going to be discussing a different type of mistake in your shell and we're blessed to have a ear of where we and wherever we go. Um it's becoming more and more trendy. Wherever you go they have a ear of when I was growing up and definitely when all of you were growing up there was there was almost no such thing as an ear of I remember I'm from Manchester and we we didn't have a until about six maybe seven years ago. was near you and there was this fellow from guy. He was walking along with his hat and jacket and he's carrying his hat. So my father went running over to me. He said we don't have an Arab here. Who was from Antwor Belgium and they've had a a for years if I'm not mistaken even from before the war they've had an Arab. It's like a historical Arab. So he almost like didn't know about the he like forgotten on Shabas you don't carry. I always forget you you live in your of course you carry on shabas like you you know no one thinks twice but before the era of everyone having a of course on shabas you're not allowed to carry bringing up kids in a place with a you really you have to educate them you know you can carry here cuz we have a but when you go to different places we can't carry you always forget about it >> I don't think there's no inwood >> there's no air in Hadleywood Yeah. So, take this guy, a different fellow, Yankov. Take Yanker up. Okay. He finishes the meal. And during the meal, he he sneezed. So, he, you know, he blew his nose and he didn't want to go to the the dust bin then, so he put it in his pocket. He forgot about it. And he walks 10 minutes to his house where he's staying. And he gets there and you know takes his jack off and tissue falls out. That bit he knew that bit he knew growing up not religious you don't carry shabas you knew that he's like I don't believe it I did another a on shabas now this he carried but at the time that he was carrying he was not aware that he was carrying he wasn't aware of what he was doing this is what we called miss asig literally translated as preoccupied you're doing something else at the same time you're not aware of what you're doing. What is the then? Now we discussed the first case when he did bro he who knew what he was doing. He just didn't know it was awesome. That's called a shy gig. In the towns of the B mikdash, someone who does a shy gig on Shabas, he's on one of the one of the lus on Shabas. He has to bring a carbon, has to bring a sacrifice. What happens if it's miss? It's called an onus. Onus means like it's like a complete it's like a complete accident. Meaning we we take you away from a show gig. We almost say that you you weren't owed anything. You didn't transgress any prohibition because you weren't aware of what you were doing. If you're not aware of what you're doing, what do you want from me? It could be putting something in your pocket. It's not so partial to put something in your pocket and shabas. If you know you're going to go out, that might be a problem cuz you know, if you're in a place where there's no air, you're putting something in your pocket, you're very likely to forget. But that's that's for another time. Okay, let's differentiate this clearly once more. There's a shy gig. A shyik is mistake. You're aware of what you're doing. You know what you're doing. You're busy taking out the bones. You don't want to choke. You know what you're doing, but you forgot that I'm Shabas forgot it's Shabas today. You forgot it's a you're aware of the action. You just didn't know it was assa. The next thing which we're talking about today is miss. You're not aware of the action you're doing. You walk and there's a tissue in your pocket. This is a classic. Happens all too often. It's very awkward when it happens. Sometimes it can happen in a sho. You have lights light switches and they're sticking out and it's a bit squashy. You know, sometimes it's a kidish and it's it's very it's very crowded. So guys rubbing past someone, scraping against the wall, hits the switch. Was he aware he was touching the switch? not aware. He's not aware that is missing. He's not aware what he's doing. And it's a complete accident. Okay. And he's part from a carbon. He doesn't bring a carbon. >> There's a if you just it was an accident. So it's like it's like a teeny teeny or the says it's nothing. It doesn't exist. You weren't over anything. You want to you want to wear what you're doing. You're not over. and the nivas years ago. Good question. Okay, let's go to we have a mitzvah to blow. The mitzvah is really to hear the sha but it has to be done with a kash or a sha has to be done with someone who's right. What happens if a lady blows? Ladies don't need to listen to a sha. So what happens if you have a lady? She's very good at blowing sha. Okay. There's lots of reforms around the world. I'm sure they'd like their um what did they call themselves? I don't know what they call themselves. Rabbis. Rabinets. They've got all names. >> Rabinets. >> Rabinets. Okay. Was it rabbits? Got all different names. So, she wants to blow the chaos. >> What do they call themselves? >> Rabat in different. >> Rabat. >> Rabbat. No. >> Oh, Rabba. I know Rabbi who calls them. >> I know. I know. Rabbit just calls them rabbits for short. Okay. So she wants to she wants to blow the shea. Can she be mitu? Can she could she from listening to her can you fulfill your obligation? No. It has to be someone who has a to blow. Okay. This person comes he takes a he doesn't even know a sha makes a nose and he's blowing through it. I don't know maybe he's doing deep breathing. He's doing breathing exercises. It's uh it's a good thing to do here and there. So he takes the cha and he starts blowing through it but not to make a noise. All of a sudden gets a shock and makes a noise. [snorts] He was not planning on making a noise. The Quran calls this miss as he is missing on blowing a chauffeer. We've discussed to be over on Shabas like your potter. What about being miss on a shaer? You're not aware that you're blowing the sha. Another example of a missa is a blast has to be a certain she has to be a certain amount. We're going to discuss what the amount is at different time. For argument sake has to be 5 seconds. And this person, this guy, he's preparing his chauffeur and he wants to blow for two seconds and it ends up being five seconds. So that extra thing was he spaced out. He wasn't aware of it. It's called miss as let's have a look at source number one. It's a Mishna in Russ base 32b says the Mishna Vahis somebody who is preoccupied. We said that he's blowing air through it. He's not planning on blowing it and all of a sudden a sound comes out. He he is not he he does not fulfill his obligation. What happens if you have this fellow? He's blowing air through it and a sound comes out. So he says he's not. What about the fellow next to him who's he's listening to it? He's not a massic. He's listening with all his ears. Says the mission of a hashman a massic. someone who listens from someone who's preoccupied. He isn't. >> Is is there ever is there a or a place in Judaism whereas is and and and someone who's is there that this sort of relationship could exist? M >> well it clearly is a haven because the Mishna discusses it. >> Yes. >> But um what it is is uh beyond the scope of the sh for today. But good question. >> Okay. Good question. I wanted to know if you can differentiate between Alicia is asking can you differentiate of somebody who's missing he's preoccupied in what he's doing. He doesn't know he's blowing the sha but the other person is listening. Is there is there is there a possibility that the Mishna says not but we need to discuss it. Okay let's so we've clarified from this Mishna that someone who is not aware he's blowing and a noise comes out you're not you have to be aware of what you're doing. Now let's put that as stage one. There's another stage which is not spoken about enough and this applies to every single mitzvah. So perk up. This is very very important. Let's take a mitzvah of shaking lul. So you take a tree a branch of a lul what's it a date tree and hadim what's what's the English word for hadim >> myrtle >> myrtle okay >> and then willow I know this ones I know our robas willows and esug you take a citrus fruit okay and you you stand there and you shake it suck this Morning. There's a very interesting mikas in the garra. If when you do a mitzvah, do you need to have kavana? Do you have to have in mind you're doing a mitzvah? It's in the when a person shakes, do you have to think before, okay, I'm now doing a mitzvah or can you just shake it? Cuz the says [snorts] it says in the Torah, go and take these four species. So if I take these four species and I shake it, I've got my mitzvah. Or do you have to think before you do it that I'm going to do a mitzvah? If you know, if you take note in the before you drink each, it's got a they have a whole thing they say which is debatable. That's actually if you is referring to cababalistic things after it says I am now being I'm focusing now to so by if it's going to beis that part the everyone agrees it's a good thing to say cuz as we said there's if you have in mind if you have to have in mind to do a mitzvah refers to cababalistic um meanings cababalistic >> isn't that texture from the Arizona >> it could be it is it could be is but the question is the question is if people like myself can should say why because I don't know much of kabala I don't know cababala so when I'm I have no idea what I'm talking about. This is I don't know what it's talking about. Many many years ago lived in Prague. He's got a ch that says if you don't know what you're saying don't say if you don't know don't say you skip that part out and you say but anyone who identifies themselves as all the say whether they know what they're saying whether they not know what they're saying it's a diff no it's difference >> a lot of the literatures don't say but to to say afterwards that now I'm having to do a that's very very recommended >> because it's in the garum which we're going to discuss. Let's have a look a a little bit in the garra source number two rather says merit somebody who blows a cha as music he is ya so that means he doesn't have in mind he doesn't have in mind to blow the sha for a mitzvah he wants to play a song so you set him down shashana morning by kdesh and a guy somebody starts a song. I don't know what song he decides to sing for for Rashan and the guy's got a show for that and he starts blowing to the tune and with that with that could you be yitzma rather says yo you are yo >> in in the year 1504 there was a there was in I think it was in Spain or Portugal there was a there was it was came around a time and there was a tomb Morano who was the head of the musical department of the of the government of the kingdom of Castillia. And so what he did is he made a special ethnic orchestra and everything for bringing um things from foreign lands and this incorporating it in the music that was in the Spanish heroic music or whichever type of really classical music it was. And so all of the moranos came to the orchestra and in a certain part of the motif like they say the 1812 overture by Chaikovski has the cannons that shoot. So this one in some of the pieces he they had a ram's horn and the guy got up and blew it. So it was Lashier only. >> Wow. What year was it? >> I think it was 1504 but I'm not sure. Alicia here says in 1504 in the times of the Spanish Inquisition the Moriranos made it part of their um orchestra to blows. Well, >> sound like it was only the the shame. They did it with Kab and it wasn't for Shir there. They weren't doing it for Shir. They were doing it to to be in the mitzvah. Everyone else thought it was the but they knew what they were doing. Very interesting. Very interesting. Okay. >> Okay. The mission of the gar here rather says if somebody blows as music the garra carries on on the next to discusses what rather says oh don't you need don't you need oh person says it's not it's not so if you hear it without Michaela even if you have >> is there any Judaism that requires a you don't have a brother that don't work >> so policy what should I do okay source number three the kamar discusses what says Robert says someone who blows says the kamar it's four or five lines in hold if If you can be to you can blow as a as as music and you're not planning mitzvah and your you see from here mitzvah a mitzvah doesn't need kavana okay the ask the question there's a it's either or bry I can't remember is someone who's learning tora Sorry, I did not want to do this this thing. Jump to um source number four. Your source number four. It's on the same. So, it's on the same side. It's on the same side. >> Source number four. M. It's two lines down in the garia. You got it. Source number four over here. M. Okay. The gar asks a question. Somebody who's going past is always house was right next to Ashul. My sister at one point in her time she lived next door big yeshiva and she had just had a baby two days before from her bed. She heard to kill Sha. She didn't have to get out of bed. Okay. So the mish is talking about such a person and she heard this person heard the sound of cha or he heard the sound of meill says the gar if he was in his heart he concentrated the if not you're not going to be y so you have to pay attention in order to If you don't pay attention, you won't be the then goes and explains after this that if it's a >> when if you have somebody he's an aul. So what's his job? His job is to blow the chauffeur to be everybody. >> Everybody and anybody >> everybody and anybody so he can be miy everybody. He doesn't need to have people in mind specifically. You could just have it in general, but if it's just oneonone, then he has to have in mind. We're going to get to that in a minute. So, let's let's recap a minute. We discussed this miss. Miss means you're not aware of what you're doing. You take a shifa and you blow into it and boom, it makes a noise. That is going to be not you're not aware of what you're doing. We have the next level which is called says mitzvah is kavana a mitzvah doesn't need kavana so before you blow sha you don't need to think I'm doing a mitzvah now you could be singing you could playing a song on the yah you don't need to have in mind to do a mitzvah but the garra brings a different who says no you have to have kavana for a mitzvah you have to have kavana for a mitzvah I'd like to try and explain a bit why you need to have kavana for mitzvah. Lawrence is ready for this. What's you need to have kavana for a mitzvah? What's you need kavana for a mitzvah? Oh, I want to ask the question a bit better. If the T says shake lul I need to think I'm doing a mitzvah. What's it about? It's not learned from a it seems to be it's avor. It's a it's like a reasoning. It's a logic. What's what's the logic? Why do I need to have have in mind to do a mitzvah? The Torah says a cha need to have in mind to do a mitzvah. People are people feeling feeling the question. Yeah. Lawrence, you hear the question? There's no there's no there's no poss. It's a logic. What's the logic? Why would I need to have in mind that I'm doing a mitzvah? Why do I need to have that in mind? Why is that important? >> Good question. Are we Are we on board, Rabd? We're on board. >> Yeah. >> Okay. [clears throat] The answer seems to lie in the tour. When the tour says that we pass it's not a well-known factor we pass if when you do a mitzvah you have to have definitely by mitzvah by mitzvah let's say a mitzvah um until you see d is a mitzvah there's lots of mitzvah that's needing matzah shaking lul hearing you need to have in mind that you're doing a mitzvah People people don't know this. If you don't have in mind, you might need to do it again. It's what's the why do you need it? Let's have a look in the Torah. It's on the next page. Number five, it's in the bigger writing. The last word on the line says the is not like says who blows the cha as a instrument perish to to to play a play a song for log smitzvah but he doesn't have in mind to blow it for a tea of a mitzvah yatzo I think they change it here to we sorry I mean rather who says we don't pasan like him why cuz we hold is not like this is how the pas that's how we take on the so this is the punch line ready for the punch line therefore because we Say hi. What does Miss mean? No. This time you're allowed to ask him. What does Miss mean? >> Preoccupied. >> Preoccupied. Someone who's preoccupied. But what is what is the case that the tour is going to be for preoccupied? We discussed some cases. Let's say when he's planning to blow his his air through but not planning to blow the sha. So we should be expecting that case >> for his lungs. >> Yeah. Says ham. What is the mass? He's not forz. That's called the mass. That's called being preoccupied. Preoccupied means that you're blowing it not for mitzvah. I know what I'm doing. I know the action. This this person is blowing in order to play a song. He's not doing that to mitzvah. That's called miss as being preoccupied. How can the tour called it preoccupied? He's referring we know what's a case of misassic. Massic means you you're not aware of the action you're doing. So what's this case? He's blowing us. He's singing a song through through the cha. Is he aware of the action he's doing? >> He is. How can you call it a mass? You see from the tour that if you hold mitzvah the is if you're doing a mitzvah but you're not aware of you're doing a mitzvah you're not aware that this is a mitzvah you're not aware that now I'm doing a mitzvah you ask you're preoccupied realizing what you're doing you're not realizing you're doing a mitzvah the same way if you're blowing through a sha but you're not planning to make a sound and then it makes a sound that's called preoccupied you're not you're not aware of what you're doing if you're not aware you're doing a mitzvah It's also misassic. It's another level of misass needs you >> to know that you're doing a mitzvah. Otherwise, you're preoccupied in the fact that you're doing a mitzvah. It's a deep thing. This is that you need to be aware of what you're doing. You need to be aware you're doing a mitzvah. What do you think? Does this make sense? means an extra thing. Not only do you have to be aware of the action you're doing that you're blowing the sha, you also need to be aware that you're doing a mitzvah. If you're not aware you're doing a mitzvah, then you're spacing out on half the thing you're doing. You're not aware you're doing a mitzvah. What do you say? I want to hear what you want to say. >> Generally speaking, like when you pick up the chauffeur or you pick up a lin you your intention is >> Yeah. Shalom. Shalom. Who picks up a doesn't have in mind >> to do a mitzvah? Who picks up a L and has in mind not to do a mitzvah? So, Rab Shalom, what I'd say to you is what happens if you're playing a song in Kdish? So, you're not planning to do the mitzvah. You're the baker here and you're sitting down my kdesh and you blow it. You're not planning to do the mitzvah. That's a case. What happens if you're showing a little child how to shake gulf? You're not planning to do the mitzvah. You want to teach a child how to how to shake gulf. That's a case. So, are you going to be ya then? Do you know what the difference is? What happens if I show this kid how to shake and then afterwards I want to shake? Can I make a bra? If >> then I've already been my mitzvah. I can't make a bra. Now I did it. I lost my bra. But if I didn't have it in mind. So it's a it's a big one. It's a big there's a lot to talk about. Okay. But good question. It's such a good question. We're going to get back to it very soon. We're going to get back to it very soon cuz Okay. I don't want to spill all the beans. Don't spill all the beans. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. >> Let's spill. Let's spill the beans now. Let's spill the beans. The Mishna Burough the Hale Mishna Burer in Simmons Sam where it discusses tells us a little secret which sounds very similar to Rib Shalom's Tina. Let's look at the source number seven. The first line in the middle, you should know furthermore just discussed that if somebody doesn't have in mind before he does a mitzvah, he needs to go back. He said, do you know when you need to do that? That's where you can be you can depend when you did it the first time. Do you know when you need to go back if we hold mitzvah which we do that's if you can say ah when I did the mitzvah when I did lain when I shook the lul I didn't do it for mitzvah going what's his case but somebody blew a to teach someone else so it's rash morning and a guy comes running over to you you're the boutk comes running over to you he said you know I'm meant to be blowing a shaw down the road can you teach me the technique again. Should you show him exactly how to do it? So that's Islam. You're not planning to do your mitzvah. He said in such a case you can't say ah mitzvah we pass. So you have to do it again. You have to make sure you blow again that day. There's a mitzvah say twice a day to say once in the morning and once in the evening. What happens if you happen to be paras and it's got shama there? So you're doing you're just reading and you come there it's before and it says are you [laughter] right? Are you says the no in such a case you're going to have to go over and say it. Well, this is the big but if you say like everyone says middle of Mar you're saying in the middle of matzah you're eating matzah on s night or you blew the not and you took on sukus even though you didn't have in mind to do the mitzvah you're going to be even if mitzvah Why? This is what Shalom's saying of Shalom. [clears throat] You're doing it in order to do your mitzvah. You came to Mar in order to say that's what you're doing. You you why you taking to do your mitzvah says when do we say mitzvah? If you're doing something opposite, you're you're trying to teach somebody. So if you're trying to teach somebody, you're not trying to do the mitzvah. But if you're in sh and you're shaking, what what else are you meant to be doing? This is what was frustrated about. How can you say I'm not y I'm trying to do my mitzvah. Now in such a case, can you imagine it saves us because so many times I could talk for myself. I space out and I forgot to think to think that I'm going to do a mitz now. No, no, no, no. This is good when you put juice on filling. For example, this first you're putting on another and he's like he kind of like knows what's going on. He doesn't know exactly what's happens if you're putting on someone who's not affiliated. You're putting on fillin and he's not thinking to do a mitzvah. First of all, the only way putting on fillin, might as well tell him, you know, this is a mitzvah. You can't you can't lose out. Might as well get him to do it properly. But you're saying what else is he doing? Very good. Um [singing] he says right at the end three lines from the bottom this is all in the best scenario you should be careful to have lots you should try and have in mind to be your before you do it before you say tonight just think for a second I'm going to be changes your whole action that's what I trying to explain fool. If you do something and you don't think you're doing it for mitzvah, you're misassic. You're preoccupied in the fact that you're just I don't know shaking shaking a little of shaking a a branch. It's like what the thing. Have you ever thought what a thinks? You know these people they're shleing their lul through the airport or like you're walking down a main road in London and you you're popping your head out the window. Imagine it in Africa. And in Africa they have a Zach one day. Yeah. They take a tree and they shake it. Shake it. It will be all over the news. Yeah. You went to Africa, you know, I was there and there was a festival and you know what they do? They chop down a tree and they shake it. Right. We We have to You take a little I'm doing a mitzvah now. You're not just shaking a little said you do this. Do you know what you're doing? You're doing a mitzvah. You're making malim. You're changing the world. Every mitzvah changes the world. Ch you have kavana it changes it. There's one thing one more thing we should know that even if the mish ends off that you should have in mind before you do the mitzvah the hill says if on the way to shul you're planning to go and do mitzvah which everyone is most people are you know you don't just go to shul on a shashana morning people you get up and like one of the things that generally pass your mind is we're going to do the mitzvah of sha not that you're thinking I'm going to hear sha I'm going to hear the mitzvah of sha And if you're standing in, you don't have a mind to do a mitzvah, you're still because when you went to shul, you're having a mind to do the mitzvah. So that's enough even if you don't have in time before. So that's a little >> What do you mean you're going to do mitzvah? >> It sounds like that you you should have that you're having in mind that you're going to do the mitzvah of >> it's just the minimum. >> Yeah. Yeah. It's better to have in mind before but um so let's recap. Let's recap. We have something called miss. Miss means you're preoccupied. You're not aware of the action you're doing. For the person blowing, he has to make sure that he is um doing it on purpose. He's doing it on purpose and he's not just blowing through it or he's not just Yeah. He's not just blowing through it. Then there's the next level which we discussed as if when you're doing a mitzvah you need you need to do a mitzvah and that is we pass when you do need so you should always be careful then we discussed there's a heta let's say if you're in shul or you come to sh for you come to do mitzvah so says the it's okay but it's still better to have in mind and we said in rash if you come to sh and you were thinking on the way to sh that you're going to do mitzvah you'll also get even if didn't have in mind before. It's a shame. We're going to discuss a lot more interesting topics about Shaer. Thank you very much. [music] [singing] [music] My birthday [singing] [music] [singing] [music and singing] >> [singing]