Modern Masters: Hearing the Absent Shofar

Good morning. Welcome back everybody. For those that were traveling last week when we when we began this man, it's great to see everybody back here. Um we are in literally almost the Arab rashana zone. And of course this year our Russashan experience is slightly different. Those of you that were here for Rabi Khan heard a a bit of introduction to this topic. Okay, we know that our rashan experience this year is going to be different at least certainly on the first day because the first day is Shabbat and we're going to explore together um in our few moments together this morning the implication of Rashan that falls on Shabas. Most specifically, this course is we know for those of you that are new to us is called modern masters. More specifically, we're going to hear from some of the masters of Jewish thought and the masters of in terms of how they approach this yam to rash shana where rash falls on shabas and therefore at least for the first day of rash we are without the chauffeur this this year and what is the significance the implication of rashash shana that falls on shabas. So, we're going to jump right in. Take a look at source number one on your sheets. This comes from the safer item master who was known to be an incredible advocate for the Jewish people. always speaking out on behalf of of the Jewish people, advocating before the that he should have compassion on the Jewish people, that there's no there's no people on earth like the Jewish people, etc., etc. So, here we're just going to jump right in. Berdichev Mala and one one rash that fell on Shabas the great advocate of the Jewish people of appealed toward the heavens master of the universe. This rash sh this specific rash you are required according to this is how he's speaking to hashem right you are acquire required according to inscribe all of the Jewish people for in for life and good things and peace in the year ahead because today is shabases and normally one is not allowed to write on shabas and Therefore, you would think that we you would not we would not see the fulfillment of what we say in the unanif in in mus that on this on this day of it is written that were inscribed for life in the book of life and and therefore you think what that you can't that the is that we can't write at all but what's the say when are you allowed to write on shabas Okay. If you're doing it for the sake of inscribing us for life says it's for you to write in your book of life if you're inscribing us for life. Why? Because we know is that pushes aside. Now obviously this is a apocryphal story. I can't promise you that this really happened that rebuk really said this but with this as our introduction we are going to look at this this day of Russash with the absence of the chauffear okay and it's a day where yes it may be true that the mitzvah of Russash is missing so how do we understand if the mitzvah the Torah calls this day right it's a day of sounding the chauffeur for you and the mitzvah of the day is missing. So how do we understand how do we approach this day of rash? So we're going to now take a look the famous gar the gar that you all know text number two and three on your sheets. Why do we sound a ram's horn on says you should sound the chauffeur in front of me in order that you shall what remember the story of the binding of Isaac and I will consider it as if what you have been ready to offer yourself before me. In other words, the story of the AATLA is not only and the reason why we remember that story by sounding the chauffear is not only because to recall that at the end uh Abrau takes that ram that got his his horn its horn stuck in the thicket and offers that in place of Yak of Yitzk. That's not the message. The icker message is what what we read in Satara on the second day of Yv, right? What's the creator for both days of Rashan? The story of first first the birth of Yitzkavinu and then the fact that both Arainu and Yitkavu at the age of 37 years old were both Moses that they were both ready to sacrifice everything in order to what? To do the rats of Hashem. And therefore the essential message of Russia Shana one might argue is this message of a Jew being ready to be Mos nephesh. And when we sound the chauffear at least according to his gar we are reminding ourselves that just as we're being ready to be most ne before Hashem Hashem ultimately will have compassion upon us upon us as he did at the time of the Okay. So now comes the gamarra. Okay, we're a little later on in rash and deals with our scenario when the rash falls on the mikdash when there was a mikdash they would sound the chauffeur in the mikdash but not anywhere else outside the midash. By the way this could be a whole in and of itself. what the implications of that statement is. Does it mean in the when there's only when there's a Ba Mikdash? Does it mean in the area where the Ba Mikdash once stood? Does it mean in Bot in the old city of there's a famous story from about 100 years ago and others who wanted to organize and sound the chauffeur an Shabas we don't know what the mascana is. They did not get the public backing to do so. It's a famous famous story. Some say they some say they sounded the chauffeur privately the three rabbanim it's not clear what really came my understanding is that there is a group in the old city this year that is planning to do something similar organized by mikdash um I won't get in again we're not going to talk about the haka question or the hak permissibility or viability bman I will just say just that the basic hak principle is that once the the sanhedrin established a gazer, a decree. It the isma. Okay. We have a principle in the gamarra that a once an earlier decree has been made by a a accepted bezdon. Okay. No other bezen can do away that decree unless that bezen is at least on the same stature if not greater both in terms of numbers of people who are in agree in agreement with as well as their their stature okay and their ex recognized stature so it's not such a simple thing to decide that we're going to sound the chauffeur even if we we hold the it's as long as you can see the where the makum of the base of mdash was that you're allowed this on the show for Shabas. It's not so clear and that's a that we're not going to get into, but just people should be aware of that. But then the the Gar continues and it says the name of everyone is required to sound the chauffeur, but what's the reality, but not everyone is what? Expert enough to know how to do it. And therefore, So what was the concern? Why did they decide that on Shabas they did not sound the chauffear? Okay. Um on Rashan that falls on Shabas because there was a concern first a recognition that not everybody is capable to sound the chauffeur on their own. And therefore there was a concern that maybe someone might take their chauffeur again because chauffeur is the icker mitzvah of rash shana. It's the mitzvah that we all so emotionally connect to when we think about what rashash shana is all about. So they were concerned that what that someone might be so moved because they really want to hear the chauffear and rash shana that they might forget momentarily that is shabas and they might bring their chauffear that they have in their house to their neighbor who's an expert and therefore they would be over on the m of of carrying something moving something okay in a public domain on shabas. So the Gar continues okay and the same principle is applied in terms of why we don't bring a take a lul on the f on chabas and why we don't read mcgill if perm falls out on chabas which was our scenario last year I think right last year we had the permash yeah this past year we had a perm shelash no or was it two years ago right >> two years ago already So Kitzer Kitser just very quickly. So we have to ask a question on this. First of all, in all circumstances, this seems like a very very big push. What do I mean? The reality is how many people are going to really forget that it's shabas and carry first of all, how many people have their own chauffeur in their house that don't know how to blow a chauffear? That's the first in reality. saying well how many of them are really going to forget that it's shabas and I'll ask take it a step further misman where certainly here in where come out every place a jew they're a ruing so the the chauffeur in and of itself today it's we consider it but the chauffeur in and of itself okay is sounding the chauffar is not a it's a that's the language we see that you you you one who doesn't know how to sound the cha might bring it to someone who's an expert. So it's not that that the chauffeur itself or sata is a theoretically you could do it if you in your house privately. So why was the scazer made? Because we're concerned that maybe one person. Okay. Even Bmanaza might carry a chauffeur in a place where there's no au. And and therefore therefore all of Israel misses out on the the mitzvah the essential mitzvah of this rash for it seems like a a crazy crazy gazer. >> Yeah. Mam. So, so, so how do we understand that? So, I just want to share with you that obviously we're not we are not the first ones to ask that question obviously and we're going to share just a few different ideas. We're going to begin with a source that's not on your sheets because after I prepared the source sheets, I found this in a in this beautiful handout that was that's been distributed a lot of shodd do. It's a collection of of fromidic thought on on these days of of rashashana and there in this beautiful magazine it quotes the balat and this I'm just going to read the balatana's words he says maralv We have to ask the question. He says, "How do we understand that our could take this recommendation that we just learned together in the gamarra and make this the the practical, okay? to take the the mitzvah, take the mitzvah of chauffear and the mitzvah of Lulov, okay, away from the Jewish people when it falls on Shabas, okay, out of this because of this gazer, they were concerned that someone might carry a chauffeur and listen to the Batana's words. He says the gaz was for those who are not so knowledgeable that were concerned that they might forget and then and they might bring the chauffeur on on shabas but how but so how that that's nice but how could that concern trump the capacity for all those of us that are knowledgeable and that would never think to do such a thing okay and prevent us from experiencing the chauffear and everything it represents on rashashana mits chauffear most specifically chauffeur of the lulot leimot and especially we're talking about these two mitzvos of of chauffar and and lul which the mikubalim say have so many important mystical you know um spiritual um metaphysical representations and permutations within the na mitzvah. So, how could it possibly be that out of this concern that maybe a a yak here or one individual who's not so knowledgeable there would hold all of Clai back from experiencing these lofty mitzvah? Everyone follow the question? Okay. So, we're now going to learn from again the course of modern masters. We're now going to learn from a more modern master, one of the contemporary leaders not only of of haka but of Jewish thought that's raashita is one of the great post in the world today. He's actually one of the post king for ouas he himself is a closeass um was born in Brooklyn made ali lives in ramot here in his farmer called a and in the rash and is divided to two parts he has one the first part of the the safer is all in-depth analysis and the second part of the safer is is is more drush is more is more um makava and Jewish thought, okay, and concepts. And so he did not, interestingly enough, did not address at least in this particular volume the the question of of Shabas in the section, but rather in the se the later segment of of trying to understand and explain the concept at least in terms of finding some kind of meaningful message within the absence of the chauffeur. So there's a text number four in our sheets and asks our question and he quotes he says we're not he we are not the first ones to ask this question. He says the truth is that many many greats throughout the generations of the Jewish people has struggled with this great question. He says, "How could it be that our would take away the chauffeur and all the wondrous messages that it represents for us and the inspiration that it represents for us? How could Khazal take that away from us? because of this great this this minimal concern that maybe happenstance someone will forget that one individual and this this concern is something that's very very far-fetched and even if it didn't happen it would only be what one person making uh uh transgressing accidentally not intentionally we He says, "But so out of this great far-fetched concern, right? Very farfetched concern. How could it be that Khazah would uproot the vi the essential mitzvah the entire yant prevent the entire community of the Jewish people from hearing and fulfilling the mitzvah chauffear even okay and not just the mitzvah itself but everything that that chauffear represents it's he says it's truly puzzling to me that it could the kazal established this so now we have to say now he's going to try to explain Why? Okay, he's saying it's puzzling but let's try to understand why it appears from this. Okay, that there are really two separate ideas that we're meant to have in mind. Many other ideas to have in mind, but two specific ideas that we're meant to have in mind when it comes to the signing of the chauffeur. The first is the what the message and the and the significance of the binding of Isaac. The sages taught us the we just learned the we just learned that we sound the before Hashem will have in mind that just as we were just as we're most we're ready to be most and Hashem will have the same level of compassion on us that he had on. Okay. It'll be considered that you were ready to sacrifice yourself before me. This idea is one of the most important messages, okay, of rash. What about the second idea that he refers to? It's what the coronation of God, the proverbial coronation of Hashem as the king of all the universe and we sound the chauffeur on it signifies it's like we're blowing the trumpet in front of the king. We are we are crowning the king for in front of the entire universe or on behalf of the entire universe. Okay. And therefore he says as the tells us and rather I should become the king upon you the upon you and already when he explains the re rationale the reason for sounding the chauffeur on already explained He says, "Go take a look what writes about this, but that the essential message is not only but what this idea of the of of the coronation of Hashem over all the entire universe." Okay. So now Reasha is gonna say something very interesting. Let's look at the third paragraph from the top. There are those that pledge their complete devotion to a king. But when it comes to the king's emissaries, they don't recognize. Meaning they'll say, "I'm a I'm a I'm a servant, okay, of the king, I'm a member of the kingdom." But in terms of all the emissaries of the king, I'm loyal to the king, not to the his emissaries. Okay. The even the laws and statutes I don't really follow. I I pledge my fidelity to the king, but I'm not so committed to his emissaries, to the laws and his and his his children without any mercy, without any consideration. This kind of devotion to a king is completely distorted because one who truly loves the king wants to please the king and be pleasant before the king. He shows honor not only to the king but certainly to his children his his ministers his advisors. Now listen to where where goes with this concept that he introduces. And therefore it seems that when we hold back from sounding the chauffeur because this is what our has decreed for us. This is an expression, a very high expression of our fidelity to this idea of of Hashem's kingship. Why? We demonstrate and declare by by refraining from blowing the chauffear that what? We are not only loyal servants to our but we are loyal to his his advisors his consultants. Okay. No, right. Not just that we're loyal to who the is and every generation. Okay. So being being a loyal servants of a bar requires us not only to acknowledge Hashem but also acknowledge that Hashem has given us a system of how the Torah is transmitted, how the Torah's relevance is communicated in every generation and circumstance. And that's through the sages of each generation. And therefore, it's not just enough for us to venerate and show our love and respect and honor for we have to show our love and respect and honor for the in every generation. And therefore if the decreed that we should hold back from sounding the chauffeur on rash, this is a demonstration of our fidelity ultimately. This idea of the coronation of Hashem that Hashem is the king and therefore we are going to respect not only Hashem says but his servants and advisers as well. And this is the completion of the concept of what? of accepting upon ourselves that Hashem is the kingdom of the is the king of the entire universe. Okay. So now he's going to say something very interesting and from based on this this if we continue down this path it appears it's true that Hashem tells us okay that the reason why we should sign the chauffear is order is is an order that we shall recall the story of and that we should merit forgiveness and and hashem's compassion But really our essential covenant is what? Our intention when we chauffar is what? That we should declare unequivocally that is the king over all worlds. And therefore we are willing to what? give up the unique school, the unique um representation and meaning of of the aa that that the chauffeur recalls the aada in order to what to fulfill the the other the other side that that's inherent in the midst of chauffeur which is what declaring unequivocally that Hashem is the king. Now it's very interesting if you think about this actually goes into an aras here that I cut out that I didn't include but and he points out that we see this similarly when it comes to pes what do I mean if you look at how what does the Torah call the call the ofot right that and all theic masters say that that's a shak for from Hashem towards the Jewish people that calling calling that The fact that the Torah calls the end of that's Hashem praising giving praise to the Jewish people. Why? Because why? What does matzah represent? Matzah represents that that the Jewish people at that moment when they were were about to go free. They didn't waste a second. It's their ultimate commitment. And therefore, Hashem acknowledges that. The Torah calls it, which means what? That it's a praise for the Jewish people. Hashem acknowledges that the Jewish people when it came time came time to leave Mitim that they went they didn't waste a second. So it's a threat for the Jewish people when it comes when it comes to what we call the we call the what? Pak. Okay. And what does that mean? We're acknowledging, we're praising Hashem from our perspective. We call the ant of Pak. We want to acknowledge that Hashem passed over and spared us while Hashem calls the ant of because he wants to acknowledge what that we had. We had enthusiasm. We had we we moved quickly to to do the mitzvah. Okay. To leave mitz behind. All right. So, so too says Zasher when it comes to chauffear there are two parallel messages going on. Okay, we sound the chauffeur before Hashem to what? To declare unequivocally that he is the mel over everything and he and he and when we do so, Hashem is reminded of what? Of the from Hashem's perspective when the chauffeur is sounded, it's what? It's a reminder of the Jewish people being ready to give of their lives to be most nephesh and therefore what happens it's it's a manifestation of his compassion for us and from our direction it's what it's about declaring hashem is the king so it has that duality in the same way as pes says of okay so now let's go on this last paragraph And therefore we push aside the mitzvah of chauffeur when rash falls on shabas not out of a sense of disappointment. Okay. Many of us when we might think of this day as being a day of what it's lacking. There's something lacking in our rash experience because the chauffear is missing. But Cesar of Ashawis if we understand all these ideas that we just discussed about the significance of the of Russ and what the chauffeur represents the duality inherent in the chauffear therefore when we push aside the mitzvah of chauffeur when rash falls on shabas we can do that with love and with joy there's no disappointment okay we're not missing really missing anything from our experience Because the essential message or idea that we're meant to have in mind when it comes to sounding the chauffeur is what this idea of Hashem as the king and the pushing aside of the tea on Shabas okay as a manifestation of this as we learned learn based on everything we learned above is an expression of the highest level of our commitment full commitment to Hashem as the king and his entire system of as part of that and when our when our intention is for the sake of heaven and we are compelled okay by the decree of our sages es to push aside the lofty mitzvah of listen to Asher's words. So when we're not able to sound the chauffeur down here on earth on Shabas, it's as if Hashem is signing the chauffeur for us in the heavens and and recalling the everything that that sigula represents as we discussed earlier. That's okay. So now turn your to the next page. We're going to learn from the Reb of Alexander. Okay. And he's going to quote our Mishna Yum. Shabas. Okay, this is our Mishna. Now you can learn read that Mishna as most people read it and that is that when the when the Y of Rashana falls on Shabas, we don't sound the chauffeur, right? That's our Mishna. But listen to how the Rebi of Alexander learns the Mishna. Okay, what does it mean? Rash if Sh falls on Shabas. Okay, it's a sign that this is going to be an actual good day for the Jewish people. Okay, it's not just a yont, but it's a yom to it's an actual good day. We might think we might again our our our human nature might be to approach this day of rashashana in the with the in the absence of the chauffeur on this day of rashashana as something what that's lacking and that we're not so excited about. But says the rebiand no already teach us when rash falls onto it's an actual good thing and good day for the Jewish people because the sanctity of Shabbat okay contributes to a sweetening of the judgment and it rouses hashem sends divine compassion to fall upon the Jewish people and therefore whatever decree is going to be for us in the coming year it's going to be clearly divided only where to the side of good >> implication here is that is better than when it doesn't >> that's how he seems to learn it correct >> yeah so now we're going to learn from the shalom the son our next modern master who of course to the greatidic master died in the year 2000 and the builds on this and takes us a little bit in a slightly different direction but builds on this concept. He says that what is the chauffeur meant to represent? It rouses and reminds us of the love that Hashem has for us and that Hashem is like a loving father that we're children so to speak before Hashem and that Hashem's compassion will always outshine his judgment. Therefore, we see on Shabas which always has this capacity. is always on the on the level of the height the highest level of love of Hashem's love for the Jewish people to okay we have the capacity to fulfill the this principle that Hashem's compassion will overcome any guilt or judgment that we might be deserving otherwise that his his his judgment will be built on his capacity Even in the absence of because that's what Shabas represents. All our transgressions will be covered up by love. That love will prevail. Hashem's love will prevail eternally. And he's going to take the same approach as the Alexander. This is the meaning when the Mishna says that Shabas it's a good day when falls on Shabas when Russash falls on Shabas it's a good thing it's a good day for the Jewish people that it's all we have a softening a sweetening of all the judgment through the power of love and compassion that is represented by Shabasesh and the role of the chauffear okay is played so to speak by whom is taken so to speak by whom by the shabas itself shabas becomes the proverbial chauffear for the Jewish people because if the chauffear is meant to remind us of Hashem's unending love and compassion for It was meant to remind us of at that moment when Arau was ready to put the knife on his son's neck and Hashem compassion comes out at the last moment. So too in our lives even if we feel we're not deserving okay the shabas comes like the chauffear okay to remind us Hashem loves us unconditionally and Hashem has unending compassion for us. Okay so now we're going to go back to Usher Weiss and he's going to bring all this together for us. This is text number seven. Okay. And again he's gonna start with the premise that one might think that sha rash without the chauffeur that there's something lacking in our rash. And now he continues but it's true that we might human nature might mean might be that we might begin to approach rashash without the shaer and think there's something going to be something lacking in my rashash shana. He says, "But the masters of actually take the exact opposite approach." Okay? And they point to our ourat. Okay? It's a good day when rash falls on Shabasto. The cold lama, he says, says that's a beautiful idea, but we have to really understand what is it that theic masters really mean. How could it be that they could say that if today is missing the mitzvah that it's a good thing for the Jewish people? So listen to the the brilliance and eloquence of Weiss as our sages have taught us in in the Garabas of a person intended to do a mitzvah and then through circumstances beyond his his control he is prevented and he's unable to fulfill the mitzvah. Okay, we learn from the verse that what he is considered as if what he actually did the list incredible words. When we human beings sound the chauffear. Kubali to catch chauffeur when we sound the chauffeur here on earth even it's the most expert chauffeur blower in the world there still is a kash a question whether we truly fulfilled the chauffeur as it's really meant to be fulfilled because if we look at all the cif kabala the mikubalim associates so many lofty spiritual ideas inherent in the sounding of the chauffar and even if the a person is an excellent chauffer and even if they're devout and pious We might have a doubt as a community whether they really recall every single lofty idea that the say are inherent in the sounding of the chauffear. And the reality is the greatness, the spiritual power of the chauffear is all be is it's all beyond our understanding and hidden from our capacity to to truly grasp the truth is our human capacity can't even grasp even the smallest. You talked about you talked about before, right? the smallest of the smallest ideas that are inherent that we're meant to have in mind when it comes to sounding the sounds of the chauffeur. Now he says, "Who knows that the proverbial angels that are supposed to come out when we sound the various sounds of the chauffear really emanate from our chauffear?" Now listen to user's beautiful words. But when Hashem sounds the chauffeur on our behalf and it's considered as if we're we also sounded it meaning on Shabas we're not signing the chauffeur. So who's signing the proverbial chauffeur on our behalf? Hashem. And it's considered therefore as if we've also signed the chauffeur. There's nothing beyond him and nothing greater than him. And therefore, Hashem's tequilos are certainly full of every one of those mystical ideas and lofty principles that we're meant to have coming forth when we sound the chauffeur. When Hashem sounds the chauffeur for us in the heavens, Those are beyond anything that even the greatest most pious chauffeur sounder could human beings chauffeur sounder could ever accomplish. even the greatest of the greats the capacity to sound and to uplift and therefore and therefore we can say it's true it's a good day when falls on Shabas and Hashem is theore who's sounding the chauffeur for the Jewish people Yumi Israel and therefore indeed it is a good day for the Jewish people. We'll just close with one last short idea from Rabbi Mosha Wolfson, the great illustrious who died just I think two years maybe three years ago. Um a great great master of and Rabbi Wilson is buried here in the cemetery in Tavaria and Rabbi Wilson says the following idea. And this year in particular, we need to what? Feel extra connected and fully connected to Shabas because we need the Shabas this year. What what does he mean? Whether we're talking about Russia Shana itself where in our circumstances that falls on on on Shabas and therefore we need the Shabas because we don't have the chauffear or whether it's going to be because if if rash falls on Shabas then what also fall the first day of Rash falls on Shabas what else falls on on Shabas the first day of sukus which means that we don't have aul and on a biblical level when is the k of the mitzvah of you're meant to take the L of specifically on the first day. So the first day of Sha of Yat falls on Shabas then then we don't have a biblical kum in the in the Arba meeting we only have the kum midanum starting with the second day of Yanto and therefore he says Rabbi Wilson whether we need the shabas this year whether it's because of rash where the shabas takes the place of the chauffear the or whether it's the the first day When we can't take the dollar, what do we take instead of taking the chauffear or the meaning? We take Hashem with us that he will be the splendor for us that Hashem is a source of splendor of glory for all of his creations. My friends, as we prepare ourselves for the awesome day of Russash Shana, a day that many of us may have at first started thinking, oh, the first day of Rashana is going to be less significant for us because there's no chauffear. It's not going to be as meaningful for us because there's no chauffear. Let's take to heart all these beautiful ideas and let's realize and be blessed that everything the chauffeur represents is coming forth even in its absence and be and perhaps even in a more powerful and palpable way than we could have ever expected if we were actually as human beings able to sound the chauffar because ultimately is our baya this year on the first day of Roshashana shativa and have a great Y