Elul Reverberations: L'dovid Hashem Ori by Rabbi Yossi Goldin

what I'd like to do in this class for the next few weeks is is take advantage of the opportunity um to not just learn abouta in general but to focus on theil that are more relevant to the upcoming to the time period that we're in one of the beautiful aspects of a class Ona a class on daving is that we don't just learn it intellectually we can actually apply and really try to connect to the time of year by focusing on theot of that time of the year so today I wanted to focus on one of theot that we say or excuse me the main F that we say um during El and that is the the perek that we add on at the end of daving both Shak and Mar called the David Hashem okay as many of us are aware this is a peric in per 27 per kav and before we go through it together which is what I did here on Source number one the first page which is bring to you the uh the actual um the actual peric I want to First skip to page to to Source number two just discuss where it came from the idea that we should say this or let me say that in better English where the idea came from that we should um excuse me I don't want this to make it harder for you to hear um where the idea came from that we should be saying the per so the source or one of the sources um that this that quotes this is the in Source number two and this is repeated in a number of different places no there is a in our communities in the second day of we start the beginning of we continue through that we have the mid every morning and every after every evening to say that now where does this come from says the says the based on a medish there is a medish that references the beginning words of this peric of and assigns them or connects them to the time of the year okay Al the words hasem Hashem is my light is my Guiding Light says the M that's a reference to R and hasem is my savior that is a reference to Y and then when I am covered when I am hidden by his covering which is a reference to suot okay so so the simple understanding is the reason we say this peric of is because a bit of a word play a word of a bit of a word play that the there is a mish which connects parts of t to the time of year that we're about that we're approaching right now now let's just that's an excellent question and I don't know it's an excellent question um I I I should have I should have looked into that I don't know why they said after not after Marv I'm not sure I'm not sure but I I'll try to see if I can look it up for for next time but it's a good question okay now I want to take a look at this medish okay this medish that is quoted by the is actually very interestingly a lot more involved than it appears it's not just simply a oh the word is a reference to R and the word is but there's there's actually the mag actually continues in this per of and suggests that this per of references or describes the entire experience of rip Source number three R the RAB the rabbis interpreted the following they interpreted this peric of to be referencing why is my light is the day of judgment okay now why what is the connection between between judgment and that you should bring about like light as clear as day your righteousness and your judgment meaning that there's a certain Clarity that is attained and achieved on a day of judgment judgment isn't just a day that is scary judgment judgment or Y is a time when a certain Clarity is achieved similar to light which gives us a certain amount of clarity okay why is the phrase connected to that's a little bit easier to understand there's a certain amount of saving that does on the one hand we do our part to to do chuva but Hashem also forgives our sins and enables us to become saved on Y and then actually the Mish continues and shows us how other parts of the actually also do reference this concept or this time period so what is what is uh again can mean different things but if people who want to do bad to me when people want to do bad to me and they approach me either they attack me or they come close to me so says the med that's referring to the not to the other nations what does it mean they come to eat my flesh what it refers to is the here it's actually referring to according to it's referring to the angels of the other nations that come on yadin and they go to God and they say God it's not worth it for you to save the Jewish people it's not worth it look at all the bad things they've done okay so it say says kazal this whole per of is actually describing different types of people who are approaching am Israel who are trying to challenge am Israel and they come and they and they try to suggest you shouldn't save them says continues the medish they come and they and they are my enemies against me says the medra something fascinating the word the letter the word Satan is a gatri of 300 excuse me okay like the um like the like the days of the year minus one why minus one because the Satan is able to challenge attack not physically but attack meaning challenge God about Isel all days of the year except for except for one you have no opportunity to touch them can't touch them this is their day this is the one day of the year says God to the Satan there's nothing you can do against them go see what they're doing this is their day I want you to go and check and see what are they involved in on this day of once he sees them all standing around fasting and doing all day they're wearing white clothing and they're wrapped at least the husband the men are wrapped in their Talis like a like the like the Angels the Satan returns to God and says he's embarrassed what did you find what were my children doing what were doing during this time they are like I have no opportunity I can't do anything seeing them the way they are he almost admits the the Satan does says the medish he almost admits that he can't do anything that there's nothing he can do to attack am he can't find anything wrong with what they're doing they're just they look like Angels therefore immediately God then turns to the Jewish nation and says I have forgiven you if even the Satan who always find something wrong with what we're doing watches us Anum Kipper and says and says I have I have no attack I have no I have nothing to say they they're they're doing the right thing then says then that gives that gives the confidence to say if anyone again continuing in this per if a camp comes to attack me I'm not going to be nervous okay now again the details of this Mish are not as important for us what what's what's interesting about this midash is that this midash is basically going through the entire peric of and interpreting not the entire peric much of it in reference to rashash and Y kipur which is the reason why according to the we read it on on during El however one thing is missing from this medish which I think is very very interesting that was quoted above which is the continuation according to this medish and this is the main source it references Rashana it references Yumer what doesn't it not reference sukot okay interesting enough the med itself never references sukot although there is a natural reference to sukot which is if you continue in theim the does say that if you cover me that why now God didn't have to use the word God could have the word he could have used the fact that if you continue in the per there is a reference to sukko just continues and supports the idea that this peric is a reference to this time period of rashishana yum Kipper and suot okay now one of the questions that the maim asks is okay this is all very very nice this explains to me though why I should be saying it from rashash through sukot it doesn't necessarily explain to me why I should be saying it in l meaning why do we start saying in if the references are beginning rash toot so one simple under one simple explanation could simply be this is the time of preparation we're we're entering we're entering the this the time where we're preparing for rash and therefore this is the time we should begin to we blow the Chau we say this is this is the Preparatory stage however there are some there was one refer a couple people mentioned it but I found the actual text in the pre in the sorry there's this a typo in Source number four the prik the prik ofin actually does find and point out I it's interesting I was going through this peric myself as I Was preparing this class and this jumped out at me and I'm not usually the kind of person that these things jump out at and then I know I found this in the pr sadik there is a reference to El in in this in this um in this in this text as well in this per the the last sentence of this per is the word lle read it backwards is I thought I was like okay that's cute interesting and by the way lle is a fascinating word lle means were it not and it's talking about this ultimate belief in which we're going to talk about we're going to get to soon which is that this idea of that that concept of Kash is fundamental to who we are as Jews in so many different ways it's not just a a nice little word the word lle were it not for meaning the basis of who I am is this cave alash is an important concept and I see here that the pr and Source number four mentions it as well is this time where we begin to work on we begin to work on all these things that we're working on and we start now and the reference that a hint to it is okay so what we've done here so far is just to begin to see the sources now what I'd like to do is really understand this better because is it just like a word play is it just like okay the word or can reference rashash and reference and then the suus and lle and El is that the reason we say we say we say the per of I think there's much more and I think that if we if we together go through the perim there are a number of themes that come up in this per of that I believe are Central to this time period that we're in right now and so what I'd like to do is we're going to go through the peric briefly just read through it I brought I brought here uh for you I brought it for you in English and in Hebrew we're going to read it in Hebrew I'll translate but for those who would like to follow along in English are welcome too okay and I'd like us to just there's a there's a number of different themes that are that are that are pointed out by by some of the MIM regarding this specific peric questions that have come up and through that hopefully we'll develop and we'll see that if anything this per of is most appropriate for this time not just because of the hints in the midashim but actually because of some of the major and beautiful them that come out of this peric of tahil okay so well let's read it together what I'd like you to try to pay attention to the first stage the first thing I want us to to think about is to try to as we're reading through this just pay attention to what kind of mood David H is exhibiting during this peric during this per of meaning what what kind of emotions are are we hearing from him uh during the per of so the so the peric Begins the following means begins with of David David is the author hasem is my light he is my savior who would I be scared from is the rock of my or the stronghold of my life who am I afraid of when enemies attack me approach me to consume My Flesh when my enemies come to me they're going to fall and they're going to to stumble if an army comes upon my I will not be scared if War Springs up against me it is this that I trust now this can be one of two things it could be what I just talked about or could be what's going to follow the standard approach is what I just talked about my the fact that God is with me that is what I am holding on to to know that I'm going to be safe continues one thing I ask from hem this I request to sit in the house of hem all the days of my life means to like to to bask or to to to to gain from the Splendor of Hashem and to visit his his um his thank you it says their Temple excellent thank you when he will cover me or he will as it says here shelter me in his here it says Pavilion but it just means in his Suka in his tent in his uh on a bad day or on a on an evil day excuse me he will hide me inside his tent Will Raise Me Up onto a rock means a rock it's also a name of which is a play on words because we refer to as is our is our Rock now and now he will raise up my head above my enemies that around me and I will bring as a Corban in his tent What tent is he referring to the Mish the I will bring sacrifices um of tra of Declaration tra means noise or sound like we talk about I will sing and I will and I will sing continue to and sing and play music forem listen my voice calls out to you save me and answer me to you my my my my heart cries look for me or find my face hasem at your face Hashem I I desire or I am I am looking for I seek your face a means I would seek your face do not hide your face from me of do not turn away from your from your servant we just see how they say they say off can mean either your nose here coming in Anger don't turn away in Anger you were my help don't abandon me and don't leave me the god of my salvation because my father and mother have left me will gather me in follow please show me the way hasem your way and Lead Me On a straight path because of those people who are surrounding me or looking to to hurt me or people who are watching me do not give me over to the nees to the will of those people who are my enemies because Witnesses or another way of saying it there's people who are unfair people who are who are who are excuse me troublemakers have have come up against me had I not the Assurance had I not the believed that I would see the in the in the land of the living to believe inem look to and be strong and and and push your heart and and be have have courage vave and believe in Hashem or look to Hashem so how would you describe Moshe uh not Moshe excuse me dav's emotions during this per of to begins he afraid excellent good and then what happens after that and then he has like a mitigated confidence almost right okay correct meaning I think that many the Maan point out that you could really split up this peric of into a few different SE sections you have from until about where basically it's tremendous confidence right come come challenge me I got nothing to worry about you're going to raise my head above everybody God's here I have God's protection I am confident that nothing bad can happen to me God is there then all of a sudden God I'm calling for you right the the the the phrase who do you say that you say that to somebody who has turned away don't turn away from me where did you go right and and what's even what's interesting is also he says Al don't leave me the god of yes what what what's that what's that a word play a reference to good his father correct but I was even thinking he it's the same in that he called earlier in he called him yes you're my salvation you saved me and now he's saying where did you go you were my salvation where did you go but yes you're right yes could also be an interesting reference to his to his father yesai okay so we have here very very mixed emotions we have here what we call conflicting emotions and then as continues it's like a little bit different my parents left me who's going to take me in Hashem okay so now hasem is protecting him but the confidence is much more mitigated show me the way it's much more of an involved type of not like confidence everything's going to be good Hashem will protect me but much more let's work on this together I'll any please don't let me get hurt where he sees Hashem Hashem is there but it's more like please make sure that nothing that nothing Happ and then he ends with a certain faith in or a demand of himself to think to to so question number one is and by the way there are those and if you were to go into into into the world of Bible criticism and there are even some other people who say that this was written at different times written by different people because it can't be the same emotion yeah we know this was all written by Dav and it was all written at least as we understand it it's see the pr were written together so what what is going on here why why would DAV meaning make up your mind D either you're confident either you're feeling good about your chances either you're feeling like nothing can hurts you or you're feeling vulnerable what do you mean excellent okay so I think this is what you're saying and this is something we've said we've mentioned this before we also mentioned it in the past in the context of we've seen this before which is what is referencing here is The Human Experience the it is natural part of the human experience for a person to go and have have different emotions at different moments to go from intense security nothing can hurt me I'm all bu and then 10 minutes later all of a sudden you're feeling like H where are you that is The Human Experience that is the human emotion we are people who at times feel totally totally secure totally confident in who we are totally confident and then an hour later I'm not feeling as confident anymore that's just number one things could shift as time goes on but even without that our own human emotions sometimes change and so what David is highlighting here is the experience and by the way in saer this happens a lot where there's up and down but I would even suggest that if we think about this in the context of el and Ripper this is also a very very important theme that is highlighted on rashash and Kipper itself because rashash specifically is a very very complex day if you ever thought about it is rash a happy day or a sad day sad happy both okay the answer is it's both okay the on the one hand it's y it's a day of judgment I don't know if you would call it sad maybe sad wasn't the right word scary intense and yet we also know that and talk about that we're supposed to dress in our Finest Clothing and we're supposed to have sud we're supposed to have Happy Meals why so kazal say there's a famous metress that's quoted that why do we dress appropriately and come in all happy wearing our Finest Clothing and having the best the best food Foods because we're confident that what that we're going to succeed that we're going to have a good din so on the one hand we're supposed to come in with a certain confidence the fact that we wear our Yanti clothes we even wear in fact in Israel it's very interesting I don't know if you've seen this before but many Israelis who will never wear suits all year round some of them will wear suits on rashan yum Kipper like there's a certain like rashan andum Kipper that we we don't just wear nice clothing we're the nicest clothing that we have and we have beautiful and we have an extra long meals with s is a different different idea but the point is is that on the one hand we enter y we enter rash confident we enter rashash feeling like we got this is with us it's going to be good but then at moments we reach moments like or reach moments where we talk about there's so many different moments where we're saying wait a second I just felt confident but like now I feel a little bit lost now I feel a little bit lonely now I feel like a little bit I'm not there and so the time period of Y has this combination of feeling excited happy confident with the emotion of wait a second I don't really know how this is going to turn out I'm feeling a little bit lost I just felt good before I would say even within the samea we feel that way and what there's nothing in my mind that highlights it more this The Duality of rashash in general then the fa the famous that we say throughout the of a those two words a I think highlight The Duality of rashash and highlight what what is describing here on the one hand Hashem is our M he's our King he's judging us and we have to step up to the platee we're not necessarily going to have that confidence but then we second after a minute it's almost as if you know you were you were a person a person were to walk into a a court date with a very very important and then he walks into the courtroom and he looks up and he sees who's the judge his father so on the one Hashem is Malu but Hashem is also ainu and that duality of rash of ainu Mal I think is very much captures The Duality of rashash And the emotions that we feel on rashash while also capturing I think what's happening with here and it's interesting to know that after he goes through those two emotions he goes through the emotion of confidence to the emotion of sadness SL dist to all of a sudden kind of combining the two towards the end of saying Hashem is closer than I thought but I can't have this false confidence I need to then step up sorry there was a comment or a question we should be excellent excellent thank you so much yes I think I think again remembering that is not just writing his own emotions he's writing a safer for us and I think as well that you're right that he's basically giving us a sense of what we should be feeling I think actually when kazal instituted that this should be said on during El that's exactly part of what the idea is I think one of the reasons that kazal instituted this to be said during El is because these emotions are emotions that weren't meant to be tapping into as much as we can as we prepare rer when we say it's not just to rush through it at the end of daving as much as we can but meaning I know we're very often rushing and we're running and going where we need to go but we're tapping into these different emotions recognizing that wait a second there's a duality here that's approaching that's part of the Season that we're approaching now and something we have to we have to we have to make sure that we that we that we that we take into account okay that was just one one one explanation or one theme that is developed here um in this in this peric but there are a number of other themes in in fact um some of this is there's there's a there's a very very well-known question there's a couple of big questions that come up on this peric if you look in the peric in Source number one again we get to pasid there are a couple of more pointed questions on some of the text that some of the maim or some some of the later maim ask one of them is there seems to be a redundancy there seems to be a repetition here um in the way do is talking look at source at PUK number four this is is the probably the most famous line in the in the in the in the per of so the question that many ask is wait a second what does it mean means I ask one thing of that one thing I beseech I request they say I don't understand this is a repetition one thing I asked this is what I ask of you now again on some level we could we could suggest and there are some for that that answer it's poetic license it's it's it's the way D's writing he's writing a very poetic poetic way and that's what he's saying but there are some of farim who suggest that there's something very very deep here that is very fundamental I believe to the season of of of Russ of of as well they say there's two two answers that that I wanted to highlight one is I didn't bring the source for you here but it's an answer that I heard in his name which resonated with me and the explanation is turns to says one thing I ask of you we assumed was part of the question it's actually part of the answer say what was asking of he was asking that should help him become a I would like to be AES what does it mean to be AES a what does the wordes mean means somebody who yearns better the best word that I can think of is yearns yearns is not just requests asks is somebody who doesn't just want something but he yearns for it in a very very deep level and what is saying right now he's saying the one thing that I want before I even begin what's going to be the key to me entering shift is if I become somebody who is a who seeks who looks who yearns if I had to pick one Mida that I think is the most important for El as we approach it is what we would call AES becoming AES being AES being a mes means I'm somebody who's looking I'm somebody who's searching I'm somebody who's not just saying and just going like this and then going on with my day I'm somebody who's saying I'm looking for that connection I'm yearning for that connection I would like that connection is a part of what I want now I don't know how I'm going to find it and it might take time and it might be complicated but if fundamentally we are a mes then that is going to be a key part to to our relationship and to our success and to our having a successful y r and excellent good very good very good and I think it also ties in with a number with a number of different of other themes but yes now now there is a alternative way to explain this and I heard this in the name of rosha Sal with with a similar result but a different way of explaining it and again by the way the he is usering using some literary license there because it doesn't fit in necessarily as much in the language of it but says says M Sal a similar idea what does it mean one thing I ask from you Hashem I'm not just going to ask it from you I'm also going to try to do it myself is saying to I'm not just G to ask you for whatever I'm about to ask you for which we'll get to in a second because when a person asks for something and then just sits back and says okay give it to me God that's one type of of hasem but if we say to Hashem hasem I'm asking you for this and at the same time that I'm asking you to give it to me I'm also going to look for it myself work for it try to achieve it at the same time then AEM says Ah okay now to me that's the same idea which is are we showing initiative are we showing openness are we showing a desire for growth and that to me I think is the key to rash and is US approaching saying look some people come in and they're much better they really go in with this energy to change I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that and and we We should strive to improve in all different areas but I think the most important thing is to come in with an openness and say I really want to do better I don't yet know how I'm going to do that and I'm willing to let let let let's together come on go on a journey to figure out how to do this but I am AOC I'm willing to put in the work and I'm not just going to expect you to do everything you know there's a beautiful there's a beautiful P that we say uh at the end of of very well-known person we also say in a lot what is basically saying we say God return us to you and then we'll return what are we basically saying to who has to take the first step you God bring us back and then we'll come what people forget is that there is another p a very parallel where who turns to us and says the following what do you return to me and I will return to you and so we have here almost the way I always Envision it and I think it's an important thing it's almost as if like you have like uh two friends who gone to a big fight and they both want to make up they both want to be able to go back to what was they both want to reconcile but each one is saying I don't want to take that first step I can't be the one to take the first step so it's almost as if a is saying to us you got to come up first and we're saying no if you bring us back we'll come and is saying no you got to come first and so I think when we turn here and we say no we're not going to wait for you to take that first we're not going to require you to take that first step we're willing ourselves to take that first step or help me be willing to take that first step I would like to be this m I'd like to put in the effort and that is I think one of the most important themes of of russer did you want to comment a question sorry I think wants us to partner with absolutely that's the point show the way to exactly exactly 100% we it's okay for us to ask of certain things from but we have to show that we're willing to put in that and that's what I thinkes means and that's what I thinkes according is is basically saying I'm going to ask you for it but I'm also going to put in the effort to try to to achieve it and I want us together to be able to do that now this idea of the unique time period that we're in and the opportunity for us to have that connection is is hinted to a number of different places if you look at source number five and six a very famous P that we've heard of and and according to kazal references not yet El but really the time period of the of the the says in Source number five dear you should search for Hashem when he can be found sorry is is it number five for you yeah number five okay you should call him when he is close what does it mean to seek for God when he can be found and to search for him when he's close sayaz and I brought you the r but it's really it's really based on the kazal that this is referring to a specific time period there are specific time periods when God is closer and therefore it's up to us to also seek him out right just because he's close doesn't mean you can be like okay God's close I don't want to do anything no you also need to put in your effort you need to seek him out says the r in Source number six another relatively well-known ra even though CH anding means yelling and shouting to is always beautiful during the 10 days of it is even more beautiful and more powerful and it is received immediately you should seek hasem when he can be found says the r also something very interesting when do we say that this is only referring to that's for a when a person DAV as an individual but if a person DAV as part of a community within a anytime they cry and shout out to hasm they are Ed which is an interesting we're not going to talk about that now the difference between the Y and the that's something that we'll hopefully get to um a a little bit later but we see here is that this is a unique time period this isn't just a regular time period this is the time period when hasem is coming closer to us and therefore it's incumbent upon us to meet him as it were halfway however this only refers to the to rasher what about the time of el so the time of el as many of us it's become much more well known in the last I don't know few years that in the world ofus the time of el is a very unique time as well it's a time that's known as anyone anyone know I'm referring to has anyone heard that phrase before okay in the world of is the time of the king is in the field what in the world does that mean what does it mean the king is in the field so look at this very interesting I had I had heard this concept before but I had never seen it inside it is initially quoted by the adorak the First rebbi with the following the following Parable he says says the first is a time when there's a revelation of the 13 of the 13 attributes of Mercy which is why the start to say the very beginning and we say start a little bit later he says wait a second so then let's understand this if these are days of revelation of the re re revealing of the 13 attributes of mercy so why are we treating them like regular days why why isn't it y he says the following there's a big difference between Kipper and between el I'll give you a to a King before he comes to a city what happens as a king approaches the city the people of the city go out to greet him they go out they exit the city into the fields right in front of the city in order to greet the king now says says says the admir Zak that period of time when the king is in the field and everyone's out there it's a very unique time why is it a very unique time because potentially when the king is in the field that is a time when anyone technically can go and approach the king can go and approach the king can converse with the King can talk with the King and so it's not yet the time when the king is in the city sitting on his throne which is the more official celebration but it's also a very very unique time because anyone is able to go ahead and approach the king what happens after that when he goes into the city once the king then goes into the city who goes first the king and then everyone follows the king he goes into his into his kingdom to his to his Palace then once the king gets into the palace a you can't get into the king anymore you can't go into the king's Palace whenever you want you need special permission only special people can make appointments to see the king when he's sitting on his throne so what what what what says the they're on the one hand when is the holiest time the greatest time it's when he's sitting on his throne it's when he's in his throne and he's showing his kingdom on the other hand there are unique opportunities that happen at other points that you can't have when he's sitting on his throne because when he's sitting on his throne he's much harder to access there's there's all these people around him so and therefore when he's out in the fields it might not be the time of the height of Celebration but it's a unique opportunity for those who have something pressing for those who want to have that personal connection and says the is the time where we're going out where the king is coming and we're going out to greet him and again using it's it's just it's just different imagery but I think it's the same idea which is this is the time period when AES is waiting for us to also join him and meet him halfway in building a relationship ell is a time where we now have to show that we want the relationship that we're willing to put into the relationship and and that it's also a time when is as it were showing us that he's coming he's approaching and we have to then go out and take advantage of that of that opportunity yes also I think it means that even a can access absolutely that's the point that's the idea that for everybody is that it's a lot easier to access him correct correct and it makes you feel it makes you feel that you have a relationship with the King that you can have that you don't have to be correct exactly that's exactly the point that's exactly the point the field is where the common man can have that encounter with K in a much more in in a much more meaningful way rash has a beautiful explan has a has a beautiful answer to this question as well if you look at source number nine rash asked the same question why is there a repetition of and he gives the following explanation the way life works is our life is often divided into different moments different parts different sections as a person goes through different stages in his life it's also natural that his Ambitions his dreams the things he want to accomplish are also going to shift a young adult has one type of aspirations and whereas somebody who's older and has more experience has different types of and somebody who's poor or at a stage in life where he has less money is going to have different types of expectations and dreams than somebody who maybe now has amassed more more wealth what does it mean when he says turns to hasem and says the following I was a I was I was also at some point I was a Shepherd you took me from working with the Shepherds again we're quoting other other you have brought me to different stages in life says but I will always have always had only one only one shifa one ambition and I will only have one ambition so says what is the importance of the repetition to show that both in the past in the past I only had one ambition aak Remains the current ambition that I will continue to have which is I always had one ambition as opposed to most people who their Ambitions change to me says I have one ambition and that ambition is sh and therefore say that's the reference between the past and the future and the repetition is to to show that that was DAV that was dav's um ambition but I want to continue with this and also point out that there's something else that comes from this D turns to and says I want one thing God I want one thing I'm gonna ask you for one thing is one thing too hard come on I can ask you for one thing right and okay fine Hashem says all right I'll give you one thing and he says shift I want to Forever live amongst you in your home to and say I mean technically that's one thing but on the other hand you know that's a pretty big thing meaning it seems almost as if in my opinion if some if we were to go to somebody and say who could give us a wish and say I just want one thing and then to ask for like the biggest thing ever it seems a little bit daring almost it seems almost daring it's like I just want one thing that I should have a million more wishes right or I want one thing that's going to Encompass everything it seems almost a little bit daring of D yes used to mention the temple doesn't exist that's sorry the temple doesn't ex that's true that's true but the question is what could first of all he's requesting building it but also what here means is an important point but it could just mean he wants to bask in the glory of a you are right first of we don't know we don't know either way it wasn't built yet correct but was there was the Mish there were aspects of the mishan there was no mikdash I I believe there was there was definitely something there was definitely something because they had they had the arrow they had that's true no that made it true but but in Shilo for a while no oh you're right this is later correct uhar correct correct correct correct but I so I think again we don't know if he refers to literal first of all it could be he's asking to build it or he's also just asking to bask in the even in the but the point is he's asking for something pretty he's asking for something pretty big so per perhaps the lesson is yes the whole changes very demanding he's demanding correct Lo very good perhaps I don't know I've remember hearing this idea before perhaps is teaching us a very important lesson again that is connected to this time of the year think big ask big okay very often on rashash Yumer we stand there in sh and we're asking for a little bit more of this a little bit more of that I have this problem I have that and not to take away away from all of those things those are all important all of our personal issues but what about the national issues what about the big things is teaching us never be shy to ask for big things if you have audience with a and is g to say I am going to give you something go for the gold as they say as we should never be shy but not just that we should make sure that we're constantly in our minds have the mentality to ask big and I want to share with you if you look here in Source number 11 it's a beautiful mus that you may have heard before I think it exactly highlights this point and is something very important for us to keep in mind as we approach the this comes from uh the art school introduction to Source number 11 used the parable of a king sorry it says it's tan I apologize for me okay I apologize I'm I'm I have a separate sheet with some notes I must have uh okay number 10 thank you ra used the parable of a king who banished his son because he failed to live up to his Royal responsibilities there a calent young man acclimated himself to the rough life of a rural Village and before long was more a villager than a prince his father meanwhile kept watch over his beloved the wayward son he accomplished this through agents who reported back to the palace and unobtrusively shephered the young man through frequent difficulties finally unable to Bear the degradation and poverty that his son was suffering the king gave him a chance to redeem himself he sent an official with a message your father loves you and is ready to Grant you anything you want make a wish the prince did not have to think very long tell my father how grateful I am for his concern and tell him that it is cold here my coat is worn please ask him for a new warm fur-lined coat can one imagine the Heartbreak of a father who wanted his son back in the palace the boy could have asked for a chance to visit the family he could have asked for reconciliation he could have asked for the kingdom but he had forgotten where he had belonged he had he he in his mind he was no longer The Prince and he wasn't thinking in those terms he had traded the palace for the Corel traded his Destiny for a coat so too Ram said we come to the day of all when God Longs for us to say father we want to come home to you and all we think about is a bit more money a nicer home a warmer Co not to take away from all of those things we all have personal things that we should be doing for that are important to us but the message of this Mas and I think the message of is you should also be asking big we should be doting for the bigger things we should be doing for the national things that we need as a nation the things that sometimes we just we lose touch we we we we lose perspective on because we're so involved in our own day-to-day and that is another theme that I think is highlighted in the David Hashem hashemi we have two more things that I want to just highlight because we only have a few minutes I'm going to go a little bit quicker if you continue on in this P that we quoted so what do we say shift what is that to ask for I should dwell in the house of hem call to see the Splendor of and to visit his Palace to visit many Maan point out there seems to be another inconsistency here he's asking for Shifty Shifty means to live live means something more consistent semi-permanent and at the end we say what does leer mean to visit what's the difference between between living and visiting visiting is much more temporary and shifty is a certain Comfort a certain a certain a certain permanence to it I would take it even for more than that when when we say shift to what do we call it we call it B hasem the house of hasem but when we say what do we call it he what's the difference between the B hasem and heo again they could be referring to different places but let's assume they're referring to the same idea House of hem versus his his kingdom sounds much more intensive it sounds much more extravagant it sounds much more kingly bem is the house of Hashem so again what DAV might be hinting to here and this is what some people point out rash points this out is that we're asking for the opportunity to be able to live but for but to never lose that sense of greatness for it to feel like Weare when you're visiting somebody you act very differently than a week later when you've moved into the house you take off your shoes put your feet up on the couch the way you act that sense of comfort that sense of relationship is different when you're living so somebody than when you're visiting so we want the opportunity to live there to be with Hashem consistently but it should always feel like we're visiting so that we never have that sense of comfort or that sense of that sense of the sense the sense of that sense of of of always of confidence or false confidence that we get too comfortable I think that's also the reference of bem versus AEM is again a house it's a sense of it's is this's house is this beautiful structure and that is something that we're continuously trying to so I think what again is pointing to is again this the same thing we talked about about this balance on is our father we want to have that closeness with him but we should never forget that he's also malano we should be able to siate hasem have that relationship but always remember that we're being that we're still visiting in the sense of never losing that aura and that and that fear and the final thing I just wanted to I know I'm going a little bit quicker I apologize happy to take any questions after we finish when everyone is on break we end with one of the most important lines I think in this entire peric is hope the concept of means hope tkv now on the one hand the importance of this tikv is a recognition and an understanding that no matter what happens if we believe in Hashem there's always hope Hashem will always be there for us but I think on level we have to remember and it's important what we're highlighting here is that hope is fundamental to everything in our in our lives you could be going through any challenge that's going on in our lives something we're challenged with all different challenge if there's hope there's always a chance that things could get better if there's hope then there's always this understanding and this belief that things will get better and in fact R uh R Jonathan Sach has a beautiful piece where he points out He suggests that Judaism is the religion that introduced the concept of Hope to the world the concept of saying things might not be good now but I'm confident because I'm confident that things will be good in the future if you look at source number I have it as 14 it might be 13 for you I'll read this very very quickly and with this we'll end consider the structure of biblical narrative in literature there are many kinds of narrative but they all have one thing in common what Frank kmode called the sense of an ending they reach closure some end with they all lived happily after they we call these fairy tales others end in death and defeat we call them tragedies there are other types but they are all they all have a beginning and an end and that's what makes them stories consider the structure of the biblical narrative in literat oh sorry forgive me sorry that's thank you um yeah then Exodus beating then Exodus there's uh there's some typos here so I apologize about that Exodus begins God calls mosha to lead the Israelites back to freedom in the promised land now we feel the story is about to reach closure but it doesn't it doesn't come instead a journey that would that should have lasted that should have taken days lasted 40 years and the final of Deuteronomy we see Moses still on the far side of Jordan granted only a distant vision of the land again the natural ending is deferred we're just going to skip two paragraphs I know of no other stories that have the same form namely a beginning but no end we could not think of them as stories at all were it not that we know the ending it has been there since the beginning God's promises to avam a children a land and an influence on Humanity such that though through through you all the families of the earth will be blessed so there is an ending but it is always beyond the visible Horizon the Jewish story ends as mosha life moshe's life ended uh with a glimpse of the land not yet reached a future not yet realized the same is true of Jewish belief Jewish is the Judaism is the only civilization whose golden age is in the future the Messianic age the age of Peace when nation will not lift up sword against nation and the Lord shall be one and his name one this ultimately was the dividing line Jud between Judaism and Christianity skipping now to the next paragraph at the heart of Judaism is is a belief so fundamental to Western civilization we take it for granted yet it is anything but evident it has been challenged many times rarely more so than today it is the belief in human Freedom we are what we choose to be Society is what we choose to make it the future is open there is nothing inevitable in the Affairs of humankind human beings are all the only life form capable of using the future tense only beings who can imagine the world other than it is are capable of freedom and if we are free the future is open dependent on us we can know the beginning of our story but not the end that is why as he's about to take the Israelites from slavery to freedom God tells Moshe his name is I will be what I will be Judaism is the faith in the future tense Judaism is religion of details but we miss the point if we do not sometimes step back and see the larger picture to be a Jew is to be an agent of Hope in a world Ser serly threatened by despair every ritual every Mitzvah every syllable of the Jewish history every element of Jewish law is a protest against escapism resignation or the blind acceptance of Faith Judaism is a sustained struggle the greatest ever known against the world that is in the name of the world that that could be should be but is not yet there is no more challenging vocation throughout history when human beings have sought hope they have found it in the Jewish story Judaism is the religion and Israel the home of Hope and I leave thereby also it's most fitting if we think about the song that we chose that is chosen to represent the state of Israel known as with that I leave you we should be able to use the next few weeks as we read the highlighting many of these different themes together everyone have a great day [Music]