No idle talk and thoughts during Prayer, Stand before the King - Igeres HaKodesh 24a- RC Dalfin

so we're learning the fourth section of Tanya called sacred letters we are on letter 24 letter 24 is on page 274 in the regular tanas on top of the page this letter comes as a continuation kind of of the last letter Ines 23 the author the bat speaks about the importance of learning together 10 Jews in a group it's preferable to have 10 in a group in a sheer because there's something very special about group grp learning specifically with 10 or more people and that's based on the teaching of the sages that the means divine presence God's presence rests on a group of 10 this is a quote in from ethics of the fathers P the AL in the previous letter dissected this and explained to us that difference between receiving Ward known in Hebrew as kabat cabar and and the resting and he explained to us that cab receiving War reward which we do in Hab in the world to come it's a basic Jewish belief that for all of our actions for all of our behavior for all of all all fulfillment of God's Commandments we get there's a prize waiting for us and this prize is very special but it is at least the first stage a spiritual prize where the soul will bask in the ray in the Rays of Hashem together with other Souls enjoying spiritual Elation and and connection that's as far as reward is concerned what about the itself the itself is it's called The Dwelling the indwelling here we talk about a very interesting concept and that is that all of God's Infinity channels itself through 10 people who are learning together I mentioned in last class that this is not just for learning but also for mitzvas for doing Mitzvah together 10 Jews together doing the same Mitzvah this is something very very different which is not mentioned in the teaching of the sage and the balat balat um seemingly is mad he comes up with this novelty I'm sure he had a source it's not my business I trust him he was a great enough of a teacher and a scholar and a pi Jew to to rely on his Novelties and he mentions that not only is is when 10 are learning together but also doing Mitzvah together and I do acknowledge your uh note is that you sent me on Whatsapp thank you for that uh Insight so this is what we learned in last time in last in last chapter here in continuation of the concept of people learning together and the the AL goes on to talk about prayer this is a a known uh one of the more famous chapters in in in all of Tanya but especially in the fourth section where the AL speaks about the idea of not talking during prayer during davic this this chapter has been posted in shools around the world I've seen it not kabat shoes moos duer this is not aabad thing not to speak during prayer even though sometimes you come into habab or another sh and you wonder what happened with what the Y writes in chapter 24 but that is a a social question and an issue but we can only learn and and discuss and share what what he says and that's what we're doing right now we're going to learn now the words of the Holy letter 4 24 let's go page 274 my beloved Brothers do not do bad to yourself beloved friends who love their good inclination and who hate their evil inclination you guys want to do good you want to follow your and not follow your if that's so do not make yourself a wicked person even just for one hour I was thinking yesterday as I Was preparing the class why does it say why doesn't he say and and he continues to say don't make yourself bad even just for one hour by talking out during prayer so he's assuming it takes an hour to pray to D um a regular morning shakas morning prayer when's the last time you've been in a Sho they take an hour for a shakas I can think of one sh maybe in B Park called abunas is AKA they call them the Moonies um where they might D for an hour Shak in the morning but most shs uh 20 minutes to 30 minutes 35 minutes so the AL writes here that don't talk out even just for one hour why does it say one hour so it seems to me that that the AL writes elsewhere that from the time ofu till the time of after it should take an hour do you know that he writes it I think we learned it it wases 22 or somewhere so it seems to me that because he's of the belief that it should take an hour from the beginning of of prayer morning prayer till after the amida one hour so here when when when giving when scolding those that talk during daving he also mentions Shas one hour yes iser I would suggest the opposite that the gar says that that they would prepare for an hour they would DAV for an hour and then they would take an hour after the daving so even for people who don't talk during daving they shouldn't talk before DAV and aftering I think he mentions it explicitly somewhere yes here here it's in this chapter it's it's in this chapter that you shouldn't speak before and after but it doesn't say one hour what you're quoting from the gamarra is is true but he's going to talk about that soon let's go on a person shouldn't make himself Wicked even for just one hour before God almighty [Music] God who has chosen one a person out of all to gather and to stand before him at this hour she look at the language line four page 274 it is an auspicious time when you go to sh you think you think oh they need a tenth man that hour that time when there is prayer in the morning it's blessed from on high that during specifically that time all hours are good and all days are good but during daving taught us at chapter 12 and T this first section during Theon there is something called the revelation of M the Godless superal intellect we're not going to go into the capitalistic meaning but it means it's a very awesome special time that God shines into you Vis your prayer your amid during the morning prayer let's continue that's what he says he it's an auspicious time for God with his Gall to re to reveal himself and therefore for you to come to the sanctuary to remember kind of the The Honorable divine presence who rests with you with every Jew amongst your spiritual impurity and contamination in other words when we go to Davin in the morning the idea is that during the night we are in a spiritual state of Slumber in addition to being physically asleep and there is when we wake up we need to remove the the lack of spirituality during the night needs to be corrected and removed and therefore we wash Neel Vasser we we we get rid of the negative energy coming through the the nails and the fingers I'm not going to go into that right now but that's the idea of washing your hands in the morning it's not washing like for bread it's a different concept so the AL says here that when you Dak in the morning you you you connect to the who who who dwells within us during that time of prayer I'm explaining why he adds the words amongst their contamination spiritual contamination Tuma and explanation I said is because the morning prayer follows the evening and in the evening there is as it says in Caba an amount of spiritual impurity that rests on the body let's continue and to find for those that seek to explore God to search for God not someone who sitting and having a a martini on Venice Beach and they search and they hope in other words they they they explore God they search for God and they hope for God they're looking to find God through daving through prayer prayer isn't a waste of time prayer is the ultimate time when a person gets to explore to search and to hope for God that's the underlying tone of davening in the morning shakas this is very relevant to us especially you help make the those for laale this is what it's about this is what you're doing when you do that now what if someone during daving talks about his needs I need to get a good Mark today I need this I need that all about himself I let's continue the words this attitude shows about himself he doesn't want to really reflect and meditate to see clearly God's glory V and therefore may he becomes a contaminated spiritually contaminated Chariot liil Elio to the superal fool he basically becomes an embodiment of foolishness and Ridiculousness in a spiritual way and the verse says about such a person the fool does not want to have understanding IE is what kind of this seal the fool doesn't take the opportunity and and and doesn't realize that prayer is an opportunity to connect and rather puts the focuses I need this and I need that the explains further the person's foolish attitude doesn't want to reflect and to see the preciousness the dearness of God's and God's Beauty and greatness the King of Kings that's revealed above at this time when you D When you pray so God can reveal himself from on high MERS at this time but it has also an impact on us below those that desire to look at God's glory The Godly and his Greatness by God in in in in wrapping himself and in clothing himself in the words of prayer that's organized by each and every one of us now this is important when you ding it's you need to say the words out with your mouth in Hebrew in English in Yiddish in Spanish in Portuguese you have to say God Ash fortunate is the man who sits in the home of God in Hebrew not saying the words out we in English are trained to read without articulating the words my friends when I was reading the the new mood therapy by um Hill you remember who wrote it forget now is that Aaron Beck yes thank you but Aaron Beck as I Was preparing to write my book your better self so I remember like it's now I I was I had an office on the fourth floor of the Yeshiva Los Angeles and I'm wearing and from over there and I would go into my room and I would read his book and I would read it out loud why not because it had any Holiness to it because I wanted to articulate the words so that I'm comfortable with the words if if if need be you know I need to talk about it which of course I did at some point but that's not the usual you know I don't believe that's usual but in in in in Judaism in Torah literature and Torah you know life it says life are is to those that articulate with their lips and say the words out and the same that's when it comes to learning T the same is true with prayer and that's what Al says here this that he says here um within the words of prayer there is God's holiness that's what I'm emphasizing on it's arranged in the mouth of all there's a concept in in in law Jewish law for example someone who is about who the Kazan the caner for the high holidays it says clearly in in in the person needs to practice so the words that are you once once a year and they're un unfamiliar to the average person becomes regular more regular so that the person doesn't goof up when he when he says those words out loud as the the leader of the congregation so the concept of so that's the idea that when you say when you D to become familiar with the words let's continue and the energy from on high that's unique to that Hour of Prayer in the morning shakas rals itself to everyone based on their intellect and the source of their soul two things together you can have great intellect but if your soul source is not in that Abode you're not getting the full Revelation or vice versa you can have a great source but if you don't earn it and make it happen by by by reflecting and meditating on it it's not going to happen right you can have very great parents but if if the kid the son of the daughter doesn't take that and use it and and develop it and come to understand on their own it's not happening same same over here let's continue and the AL brings a support to his thought it says is based on a person's intellectual capacity man is praised says yal Yul also is written with yal in other words not not that not just that man is praise based but man makes the praise that the ish the man yal H you hear you see how we're reading it Yul is in thetive you know being praised Y is he praises based on your capacity of understanding and reflecting on it that's how you praise Hashem we have a rule that the the Heavenly the Heavenly um kingship is similar to the Earthly kingship and brings an example this is what he means by by making this statement as a a as a Prelude to the parable he's giving us now it is the style of a king to have his most dear and precious and Precious part of himself in in secret Chambers going to use a funny word in the tunnels right you dig you put those Treasures from your ancestors you dig them in tunnels and tunnels so that no one should see them no one should know where they are and you place many guards o by those tunnels by those inner chamber inner rooms to the extent that there are many many people who wait who look forward for days and years to see the real mightiness and honor of the king Vis A his treasures but they're hidden and the guards stand there protecting those uh those inner rooms and when he desires to reveal this and the King all of a sudden makes an announcement throughout his his his kingdom guys come gather come on come out I'm going to show you my treasures today in the dearness and preciousness of his greatness if there's an individual who doesn't excuse the expression give a damn to see those treasures and see the inner makings of the king and what does he do instead he spends time on his little petty needs PES that's the end of the parable how how terrible and how foolish and ridiculous this man is you have a king you know he has Treasures you don't know what they are you know they're guarded and one day he announces on this and this day on this and this time I'm opening up for everyone to see and a and this person hears it he says I don't care has nothing to do with me nothing I I I'm I'm involved my little in my world I have my needs and all that says the AL you're a big fool now the moral the you're such a fool that you're comparable to animals you're so foolish he quotes the verse it's a verse others who did who do go to see the treasures and the inner makings of the King look at you like an animal like a fool you have no brains your brains are limited you know your intellect's limited and he says it's also an embarrassment to the king because you show him you don't care to receive the the nas the pride and the kind of toys the the the the Delicacies and and the Specialties that he has and You by you showing nonin you display a shallowness that you're not interested in seeing his honor and his Beauty more than your involvement with your needs says some harsh words now and if you do this to a King we're not top of page at that time if they if they find out that you didn't go to see the the inner beauty of the king you're obligated to die because the king gave instruction he wants everyone to come why because if everyone's going to see the beautyful secrets and things of the king and you outright show contempt by not doing it you're embarrassing the king and guess what if you embarrass the king you must you're obligated to die corpal punishment and this is what the verse says and the fools exalt embarrassment disgrace and the AL explains that even if you're a fool made him calling you don't have to exalt your disgrace she need L that everyone should see you're a fool be a fool in your own bedroom be a fool in your own house you know what they say the fool as he opens his mouth everyone realize like what a Nar what a fool this fellow AB this guy who knows that the king is out there and the King opened up his treasures and the King says you can come see me all pets are off right come and you have the to say and to think no I'm more interested in doing what I need to take care I got to go to the bank today okay you're not only an embarrassment to yourself you're embarrassing the king you're showing that it's not important to you who the king is and what the king's all about and if that's the case corporal punishment is your punishment now go to the N Go to the the sages said when we pray when we D particularly the it's like we're standing before what did the SES say you have to stand in a way that you actually the the The Stance should be demonstrative that you're in front of a King and in front of a king you're not fidgety and in front of the king you don't look at your cell phone you're in front of a king you do that in front of a king and you're ending up in the dungeon with those Lions okay in the olden days and today you end up in gual Bay okay or in Alcatraz if they still have it or in California my old stomping grounds in uh Marin County we had um who remember the big jail over there it's a death row it was out in the Marine County I forgot there I forgot to Alat it's Alat Al you sure it's Alcatraz okay I forgot anyway no San Quinton San Quinton thank you y that's that's where I was I think I went there one time to see a Jew I think I to ask my wife anyway so Dr says your behavior is is such that when you're ding to hasem especially the amida how can how if you do anything other than focus on God and that means your body and by the way this explains why some people if you take a look in in in different shs some people during the amida they're so intense they they make with their eyes make with their hands it's not thead way but it nevertheless I want you to understand where they're coming from they they try to go into the mindset of a I'm standing before the king I'm standing before the king anyway so therefore I'm standing in front of the king who sees everything my behavior he knows my behavior he knows everything that I say even though the fool doesn't really have a thought meaning to say everyone has a thought but if you're a fool your thoughts are messed up because if you can think that you know your your personal needs are more important than being with the King and seeing the king's inner makings then your thoughts it's like you don't have a thought that's what he means doesn't mean right so he says that's why he says over here that the king sees all your actions and all your speech and the thoughts of course he knows your thoughts Hashem knows our thoughts we're thinking about if we're thinking about you know later in the day what's for supper right is it steak frankf or or chicken or uh I don't know some potatoes okay Hashem knows Hashem knows exactly what you're thinking about right but Dr doesn't mention it here in in that sense because you're so backward that your thoughts are messed up so why you mentioned it okay we continue tomorrow here it's it's it's the this is one of the muser chapters in Tanya for those that need a little muser got it have a great day everyone see you everyone tomorrow byebye