Chizuk for Iron Sword from the Chofetz Chaim & Rav Joseph B Soloveitchik by Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider

good morning everyone bov uh nice to see everyone thank you for uh for joining us this morning and uh this is an opportunity to to be with one another to be m one another and just seeing one another and spending time with one another is already a a source of so let's uh let's just begin with a uh quickly and but meaningfully with a peric of Al and you can say that along with me or just uh have have the words in mind and with thatum we have our soldiers in mind we have those that have been kidnapped in mind those that uh those that are suffering those that are in hospitals please God they are healing and uh all those that are going through a stressful and a very difficult time uh here in Israel and Jews throughout the world we uh we have them in mind as we as we just recited that uh Capital to Hillen so let me share the following idea with you which I think is appropriate especially for these days and I know a question that all of us have been asking ourselves and continue to ask ourselves is in what way can we be helpful in what way can uh can we make a difference in terms of uh this very very difficult very trying time and all of us are trying trying to find a way to do that and uh the idea of this is uh and and the fact that we that we're thinking this way and we're acting this way is is very profound and very much a a Jewish idea an idea that is that is sourced in the Torah itself and Rabbi salvic has the following uh the following teaching and one which I'd like to share with you and uh the name of this teaching is uh can be captured in a single word and the word is which means uh that we are here with a mission we think about the soldiers in Israel that they're on a mission but every single Jew is to think about their mission think about their mission in a larger sense in terms of what we are to do here in this world that God has given us in a sha has given us time in this world on this Earth what is it that we are to do in the larger sense in terms of uh the life that we lead the occupation that we choose um but then we also have a question on a on a daily basis on a weekly basis what is it that is my role how is it that I can make a contribution and that's something that we're thinking about today literally all of us as we wake up this morning and uh here in Israel and throughout the world in what way can can we make a difference what is my what is it that I am supposed to do in a in in a Divine sense what God has in mind for me to do here in this world today this week and RAB Salva quotes the following PK and he says the PK that we we often read quickly we Overlook and he says that this is very much the the source for the idea of and it goes back to mosu a uh part of the story that we're all familiar with where God comes to mtion and says that I am choosing you and I'm sending you to go to MIM to free the Jewish people to redeem the Jewish people and the P says in and now with an and you are to go to parro and points out that the word in the which is similar to the word or that we're going to be reading in this week's para that really should have been sufficient in the but that's not where the ends the adds the words and here says beautifully that this is the idea of this is the idea that we are to be an emissary that we are to represent God so to speak in this world and uh it goes back to mosenu mosh raenu was a sh and all of us also every single Jew in their lifetime that we are to speak that we are to think about our quotes from Rook cook which he does not do often and perhaps this is the only time that I'm aware of that R salv quotes a teaching from rev cook in which rev cook speaks about a a line from the daving that we say and this we just said a few weeks ago it feels like a long time ago rashash Kipper at the end of the we say we say before I was created I had no purpose and now that I've been created now that that I have been put in this on this Earth it is if you did not create me or I did not have purpose in my creation at first glance it sounds like a bit of a depressing statement right there was really no need for me before I was created no need for me after my creation I had haven't really lived up to my potential and that's exactly what Ru cook says or the way that he interprets this line from the Davin before I was brought into this world 100 years ago 500 years ago there was not a purpose not a reason necessarily for my existence but now God you've brought me into this world at this place at this time and if I do not fulfill my mission my purpose at this time not but what that means is that we are to look for those opportunities we are to to look look around look within our uh within our own Community within the community of am Israel and to say to ourselves and and I think many of us all of us are really are thinking that way but that really is a very profound and a very beautiful and that's really a very Noble way of living and that is what is my role what is my purpose at this moment RAB Salva quotes another gar which is a well-known gamar a gamar that's found in M that speaks about the fetus in the womb of the mother at that point the fetus as we all know learns the entire Torah from Amal but the gamar within that same gamar it says the following it says that there is an oath that is taken at that moment by the fetus right before it enters this world and the gar says what is that oath that's taken by that little fetus Sho to sadik r that we are to live our lives as sikim as SOS and we not we are not to live our lives in a uh with negativity or or in a in a bad way in a wicked way and RAB salvic says that this is another source another source that we can look towards that speaks about ISU that we take an oath and the idea of taking an oath means that we have a sense of responsibility that we are here each of us and we are asking ourselves that question in what way can I take responsibility when especially at this time where where the am Isel where am Isel is facing difficult times what responsibility can I take upon myself in what way can I make a difference and um and I think the one of the keys to to kind of thinking about this idea and putting it in context in terms of how we can make a difference is one other gamarra that is also quoted by Rab salek in this beautiful it's a beautiful article beautiful teaching that he that he titles and he quotes the following gar this is and it says the following the gamar says that this was the statement that was often made that it was rilay in the mouths of the rabbis of yav and this is what they said and this was I guess commonly said or often said by the rabbis and this is the quote I am a creation of God and my friend is a creation of God my contemporary is a creation of God my work is to be done in the city and he works out in the fields I get up in the morning I do my I do my work and he he is engaged in his work just as he does not take on the work that I do I do not take on his work and what the gar is saying is that everybody has their particular and again in the in the days and the circumstance that we're in right now all of us are making the contribution that that we can make that we can take upon ourselves the little bit that we can do and the comparison of this person doing more or these individuals or this community doing more than I'm doing is in the eyes of gamar that's not necessarily a healthy comparison we should not be comparing one to the other everybody has their place everybody's contribution is an important contribution is a significant contribution those that are on the battlefield are making their contribution those that are providing for the soldiers are making their contribution those that are are providing for those that have been displaced from their home that is their contribution I just got a call the other day of many people that are staying in a hotel nearby that need their laundry done we don't even think about that that they don't have the washing machines that you have hundreds of families that are staying in hotels with children how are they doing all of their laundry so the people that are picking up you know that uh that responsibility that that is that that's the contribution that they are making everybody making their contribution is considered to be signific again we're all part of the the same effort and the gamar then ends with the following the following words which are very very beautiful the gamar says that we really should not make the comparison between what each is doing it's really just a question of everybody doing it with the right intent the gar says I might say that this one's doing more and this one's doing less that's not the right thing to say shanu we should say the following this is the teaching that's most significant whether you're doing a lot whether you're doing a little as long as everybody is doing it for the sake of heaven and everybody is making their contribution for the sake of Heaven those that are tying tius those that are making food for those that are in need those that are davening more those that are reciting to hm those that are those that are learning learning Torah and they and they have a name of a soldier in mind or have s in mind as as they're learning everybody who's making their contribution in their way in their way that's Shay all of that is going towards the effort and the fact that it's all the sh sh is making a significant difference and the words of the mishna and come to mind as well that we can't possibly and we were just talking about that earlier myself we can't possibly do everything we at at times it feels so overwhelming but the mishna says that that it's you can't possibly do it all but but that doesn't exempt you either that we're all trying we're all trying our best we're all giving what we can and again as the gamar says in bra so beautifully that everybody that's doing it's not a question of comparison it's a question of everybody making their unique contribution one uh one other teaching from RAB salic along the lines ofus and the idea of SCH it's a philosophical concept that we just spoke about um it's a broad concept but it's also a concept as well the idea of being a sh and that works in very in a very technical way in terms of we're probably most familiar with the idea ofus as aor somebody that we use that term that's somebody who's representing the entire congregation something that you're not necessarily doing on your own that one person is assigned to do and that's the idea of in um in but we also another example of and very often when we speak about is that the sh is the one that is engaged in the activity but the other person who has sent is not engaged in that activity uh the gar we're learning thear that we assign somebody else to deliver the get we assign somebody else to act on our behalf and in terms of in terms of a marriage so we're not there we're assigning somebody else says when it comes to the of God the Holy One that he gives us a here on this Earth there is a difference and there is a contrast between the and this kind of in the sends the person and then that person is on their own but that's not the case in terms of our the that we engage in Hashem remains with us God has sent us but God is also there God is at our side in terms of all that we are doing and everybody that is acting as a shal in so many of us what an incredible time what a remarkable time in terms of so many people that are really taking on that that position of being AEM those that are serving the Army those that are volunteering those that are daving those that are learning that Hashem is with us in that and we should feel very much feel that presence of Hashem in all that we're doing to feel the Embrace Hashem the Embrace of Hashem to feel the closeness of Hashem as all of us are taking part all of us are volunteering all of us that are making an effort in terms of in terms of the needs of am Isel at this moment um I'll just conclude with the uh the following teaching I uh the teachings that I just shared up to this point all of them really come from Rabbi salvic and I think it's always important to turn to our great uh spiritual leaders at this time the great spiritual personalities and to see and to learn from them how is it that we are to conduct ourselves in difficult times another great personality one of the uh one of the the greatest of the last 100 150 years was the Kim and the Kim we know that he wrote a number of very important books famously the saer that becomes he becomes known as the K based on that safer the missish breu as well he writes many many works I think 40 or 50 volumes some of them being smaller pamphlets but many many works one of them is known as that's one of the works of the of the the love of and it's a safer all about all about the importance of and the of as well he has the of the of lending money all of that and many other topics in the saer called in the beginning of the safeer he gives introduction in terms of the importance of and he has the following and I'll read to you just one line in conclusion one teaching that he has about difficult times when we're facing am Isel is facing what he calls a time of mid that we feel we feel the strain that we feel the difficulty that we feel the trauma that we feel suffering and how is it that we are to respond at those times so he writes the following and I'm um I'm quoting to you and translating to you from this is and these are the words the writings of the writing of the when the world is facing when the Jewish people are facing a very very difficult time a time of suffering a time that we can call Aid and I think all of us can relate to this time as as a midin that somehow has uh has overtaken the Jewish people in the last the last weeks and somehow the difficulties that sah that we find them day in and day out and here we are with soldiers on the front line with hostages that are still being held in captive so there's great sah that we're living with on a daily basis and that's those are the days that we're in that is the that's the environment that's the atmosphere that's the reality that we are facing says that if there is a in the world that all of us need to take hold of that we need to be engaged in more and more during these days that through this please God will awaken there'll be a great outpouring of from sh and from Hashem from the almighty at this time as well so this is a Time says the and uh for myself and for all of us here to share the advice of the at a time of the that we increase greater kindness to one another a smile to one another a good word to one another reaching out to one another with an email with an with a WhatsApp seeing how everyone is doing and again the the volunteer work that we're all engaged in it's giving Sedaka it's giving uh giving to those that are in need during this time to reach out to one another um to take part in volunteer activities these are all ways of increasing and says the that this is a way to respond and maybe one of the most significant ways to respond when m is present in the world that we overcome that with and that from Shay from Hashem that we should see yeshu that we should see salvation we should see that Hashem should bring comfort for to all those that are suffering at this time for all of am Israel and with that I'll conclude uh my words of kuk and we'll just join in together again you can join in together with me with the words ofu or have it in mind in this prayer of course we're praying for a is that all of our Brethren and that's all of us really it's um it's our soldiers it's those that are kidnapped it's those that have been injured but it's each and every one of us that are going through difficult times that we have each and every Jew in mind and we ask a that should bring comfort and salvation so we'll join in with those words [Music] that that day should come soon the G should come soon salvation and and I wish everyone a good day everyone should be safe everyone should be well and looking forward to seeing you soon