Chizuk and Comfort - The Meaning of HaMakom: Chizuk for Iron Dome by Rabbi Avi Herzog

this morning I would like to share with you uh two insights of both relating to the same word to the same phrase and that phrase is one that we recite when we um leave from a visit to a when we leave from Nik um I will tell you that for me personally since I've made Aliah and discovered that here in Isel it is just has common to use the the um words of comfort which is may you be comforted by sh I've taken to using that instead of the traditional ashkanazi um words that we are all of course familiar with but it is those words that I will focus on this morning and that is of course may God comfort you but it's very odd we use the phrase H maybe we don't stop to think about this we don't sayem as in we don't say and it really is very strange that name for or at least appellation if it's not an actual name but a descriptive appears also in as in and suddenly we recite so there too we refer to we also refer to in the where what appears to be although that is not necessarily the case an introduction to the the four Sons we recite and this too has made its way into many different Tunes many different songs so R and I've mentioned some of this before has at least two I'm familiar with two different insights or understandings of the usage of the word h in the we're not going to focus on this morning as it is not P time may we soon see a new in our day but we're going to focus on the other two on that and of course um as we extend to a the first understanding that so beautifully um supplies for us is that according to him the word has the exact opposite connotation that one would normally think generally speaking we think of God as being omnipresent and God is omnipresent and God is everywhere and the word hamak then would mean that God is everywhere and even if I do not feel that God is here right now I know that he's everywhere and because God is everywhere maybe that can comfort me in some way so salvic understands the term similarly but really coming at it from the exact opposite end and by that I mean as follows R salic and by the way I first heard the this Insight of R salvic from Rabbi yose Adler of tenek New Jersey um the brother of U's very own um R Aon Adler and Sal explains as follows he takes us to and particularly to K and there we recite two phrases back toback many of us of course if we attended Manan this morning recited them together with the kahal this morning we don't necessarily stop to think that these two phrases are actually Polar Opposites we introduce kadus and then we recite Kad kados Kad holy is God the entire world is filled with his glory and then we recite the phrase of course we're all familiar with these words God is blessed from his from his place R Sal directs us to the speaker of each of these two phrases each of them the first being yes and the second had they had a they had a vision they both were able to see and bask in the glory of whatever that may or may not mean keep in mind that every single person that ever had a with one exception and that's according to our tradition their was always in a dream so this is a a a vision of sorts but meaning in the form of a dreamah reminds USIC was living at a time which was glorious and so he was able to view and to perceive and's if you will his angels saying the entire world is filled with God's glory because that was the world at the time that was the Jewish World at the time but that was not so forel forel instead and we end a half time that way which we read of his of his vision known as and a wind or a spirit lifted me and I heard behind me or coming from behind not but rather and it is a sharp contrast but still one that can be soothing and can be healing and that is blessed is God MIM for wherever he may be and explain to that is the meaning of the words that is the meaning of the usage of and that is that when somebody passes away even an immediate relative even a parent which is simply the nature of the world it hurts it hurts badly no matter who it is it hurts of course even more when it's a sudden death of another relative Beyond a parent and it's not the natural course of events and it's unexpected it hurts as much when we are an Israel and we are reeling it hurts even more for the families of course of now the andot and before that all of those that were massacred on Z on October 7th and R explains so beautifully just as gave voice to his feeling in expressing to us what he heard the malim perhaps reciting from behind that is that at times like this we feel like God's not out there we feel like God is nowhere we feel like God has left the building and has zero interest in what is transpiring in the world and specifically what is transpiring with these events now with the mil with the war what is transpiring with am Isel and so according to ra the way he so beautifully explains what heard what was able to express is it may seem like he's not out there but he is God is out there someplace I don't know where that place is I don't know what God's role is in all of this I don't really understand right now why this is happening and why it has to happen but just the knowledge that God is mimo that he's out there someplace can give me some sort of soless explains R salvation magic some sort of some sort of comfort and so with that in mind we wish to all those that are suffering more closely than perhaps and I don't want to speak for any of you but than any of us here on behalf of or directing our words to excuse me to all those that are suffering on a personal level to the family that just the other day lost a a lone soldier from Atlanta it turns out that my mother is a dear friend of her Aunt inak May God who is out there someplace even if we do not understand how and where right now may just that knowledge that God is out there that he is hamak in some place be in some way words of comfort the second explanation that Sal gives to the word h to the name H and its usage as we Comfort a actually has a completely different twist and that is based on the [Music] gamar that compares and contrasts two different MIT TV that we are all familiar with and T that if you are anything like me um have failed miserably when it comes to these two similar mitv when our parents were alive or are still alive it is very difficult as an adult in our own right at least at least if not more difficult than it was as children and that is honoring our parents and so on one hand and again we're all familiar with theim the torat tells us number one honor your father and your mother similarly and perhaps in contrast to that and the gar does understand it as a contrast we are told we are commanded and bidden that a person must I don't like to use the word fear I think that be in awe or be AED by is a better translation and is more related to the connotation of the pasuk itself that one should be in awe of their mother and their father of their parents and so the gar in Discerning the difference between these two and there are many differences in the language including the fact which we're not going to focus on this morning but when it comes to kib honoring um the father is placed before the mother when it comes to Mo when it comes to a the mother is placed before the father there are several different contrasts and differences in the text itself we're not going to get into that now but rather the gar tells us is follows that when the Tor tells us it's referring to what we must proactively do how we must actively engage in order to honor our parents and so there are so many examples the gives the following three and there are more one is to give their parents food one is to feed them one is to give them to drink and it doesn't just mean when they need it when they are no longer able to care for themselves that's a separate Mitzvah but aside from that in general to offer our parents a drink when we're going to visit them and I know that when I go to visit my mother I sometimes fail miserably at this I'll walk in her door and of course she'll offer me a drink at some point during the visit shouldn't I also say to her mom can I make you a cup of coffee mom can I prepare something for you to eat or at least bring you something from your cabinet to eat how often do I do that not often enough but to dress them and again it doesn't just mean when a parent is no longer able to take care of themselves but if one has the financial means and the parents do not to provide for their clothing even when it's not just a question of financial needs when we are with our parents is there anything that I can get you can I get your coat for you can I put on your coat for you here of course right now in Israel it's warm and nobody needs a coat but we get the point literally we bring them in and we take them out in other words escort our parents out the door escort them or go to greet them when they come in the door instead of sitting on our sofa with our cell phones and again I'm speaking for myself I fail miserably at this we all know that the that this mitvah is perhaps the most difficult to observe to its fullest and to pass this particular test at least for me I can tell you that I believe it is when it comes to Mo when it comes to fear or as I told you I prefer or then explains this as being the exact opposite kib is what we do how we proactively honor our parents or on the other hand is what we mustn't do what we may not do and so the garat gives the following examples and let's focus on the first example here as salic [Music] does that a person may not see may not sit excuse me in their father's or mother's seat one should not sit in their chair if your father or mother has a special chair you do not sit there now as an aside there is a that that a parent can be mo that a parent can dismiss their own cavod and so therefore for example as a boy growing up whenever we would have a birthday party especially the family birthday party so whichever one of us children had a birthday that we were celebrating we got to sit in our father's seat because my father said it's perfectly fine but bying that it wouldn't be okay generally speaking one is forbidden both literally and figuratively to sit in their parents' seat whatever jobs your parents are doing that's for them to do whatever your parent does that's for them we don't dare try to we can emulate their ways we can certainly engage in certain activities with them whatever it may be but we don't dare sit in their place we don't dare try to replace our parent they have their place in this world and a person should not speak in place of their parent if a parents are in the middle of saying something we should do our best to a not interrupt but beyond that to not speak for them let them speak we get the idea to not contradict our parents and if one does need to correct them because there is no choice then obviously to do so only in a respectful way but let's go back to the first example that's provided as Sal and explains that that's exactly the meaning or one of the meanings behind this multi-layered name and appellation [Music] of and R explains again so beautifully as follows these examples of of are when your parent is alive when one's parent is alive but when one's parent is no longer with us then the flip side of the equation is true the other side of the coin then instead of it's at that point we must up to the plate and we must take the place of our parents so whatever it may have been that our mother that our father brought to the world that's what we must continue bringing to the world and in that way they live on on one hand but on the other hand when our parents are no longer here and we still must show them mo the morah that we show them is that we carry on for them and we continue to bring to our families to am Israel and to the entire world what they contributed as well and so again to if I may dare to all of the families that are suffering in some way have suffered be it on October be it families of and others that have given and unfortunately the reality is and we can State this unfortunately and sadly with 100% certainty that there will be more continuing to give their lives until this dastardly War which we have no choice but the fight comes to an end to them we say with heart heartfelt feelings knowing that you now have the the privilege and the opportunity to sit in the place of those dear ones that you lost knowing that you have a charge that you have a mission but again coming at it if I may from the angle of a privilege and an opportunity to bring to the world what they brought to the world or if they died when they were so young as so many did and never had a chance to really contribute much to the world may you contribute to the World on their behalf and whatever you envision and envision now that perhaps they would have amounted to and what they would have done to contribute you now have the opportunity and the privilege to contribute in their memory and we all do we all have the responsibility we all have the privilege and the opportunity to bring to the world what our parents did on a micro level and on a macro level meaning in terms of approaching this from a macro perspective to engage in Opportunities of to engage in Opportunities of to do whatever we possibly can to literally y shave Momo to take the place of those that are no longer with us and aside from the avel the morning aspect even to take the place of those that are literally right now serving the am in the and the arets or their families who are busy taking care of their children because their husbands or their other spouse their wives are often me whatever it may be and therefore they are no longer or at least temporarily they are not able to tend to to their normal course of business then therefore it is we that go out to the fields to pick or in my case I'm guilty of that I have not yet had the opportunity to go literally picking produce as my son did last week and so many of us are doing at the same time purchasing if we can in order to support those that otherwise would be losing the money when I heard yesterday that literally just a 20 minute walk from me the the uh Carina rebi um basically commanded he gave it sa to all of his that are able to take off a day I'm not sure if it was just a day or more but to take a day and they went yesterday I believe just to go to the fields and to volunteer to pit produce because I'm Isel needs you and if that's the way you can contribute then that's how you should contribute and all of those in communities men otherwise that normally would not even give a second thought to enlisting in the Army and are now doing so it's simply mind botling to observe it and that just picking up from where salvic left off if I may is perhaps the greatest um manifestation of hamak in this particular case of taking the place of all those who no longer can do so or temporarily cannot do so to step up to the plate and to be there for them and to be there for am Isel these two insights of R to the usage of H may this alone bring us H in the sense of just knowing that God is out there someplace H in the sense of when the need arises for us to step up to the plate and to take the to take the place of those that are no longer with us and to bring their best to the world through us there perhaps is no greater that we can provide for ourselves and that we can provide for am Isel and for the entire world and just to close with where we began we recite the words H the word h in is when we are thinking of them at the home of aim as we are taking leave and also in the hag because the hag was written for the galut mindset for the galut Jew and again that's for a different time may we ourselves take comfort in the fact that we know number one that God is out there someplace and number two two that we who do have the opportunity bring kamak into this world that we do indeed take the place and step up to the plate I know I keep using that metaphor and I apologize but to take the place of those who cannot do so and who unfortunately will no longer be able to do so may that bring us and may that thought and these ideas provide to all of is to all those those that are in need