Modern Masters: Miracles Then and Today By Rabbi Sam Shor

that 30 days before a we're supposed to begin to prepare for that so we're now in the zone of 30 days before Kaneka so this morning we're going to start to look ahead at Kaneka we're gonna learn from three different Modern Masters this morning specifically we're learn from Rabbi Yos salic the great illustrious rosesa of yiva university for decades we're also going to learn from the great illustrious Riva of Yesa taradas for decades last week we learned from the long time MH M Wilson today we're gonna learn from the greata and a third personality is the son of blessed memory the Shalom we'll talk about each of them as we get to them but we're going to begin first with one of the the whole entire story of Kaneka in t in as it appears in the talmud appears as a footnote right most holidays that we have have their own tractate of mishna and tracted of gamar that teach us all the various Halos Associated to those those those days but khaka really appears as a footnote in the tractate of Shabbat when we're dealing with the laws surrounding what materials are appropriate to be used for lighting Hanukah candles and how do we and and and how do we we like sorry shabas candles and how we light those shabas candles our sages then ask a question do the same same laws apply to Kaneka candles and in the midst of that discussion suddenly they asked wait a minute we didn't even discuss what is Kaneka and they ask the question my Kaneka and then we get into a few different discussions about the various laws Rel to khah and and the candles we light on khah so in the midst of that we're going to take a look the says the following okay it's in the discussion about when we just the lighter candles we had the Mish tells us what that we can light our candles until the last person is W the last people are walking in the shook in the marketplace my okay does this not mean that if our candles burn out while people are still walking in the in the shook then what's the we might think that we have to relight them if if if the Mitzvah is until when until the last person's walking the shook so we light our candles like we do here in at and several hours later our candles go out but there's still people walking in the streets based on this missionary you might think what that we have to to relight the candles so the gar says L that's not that's not what we're supposed to learn the so the gamar says now that if you hadn't lit okay at when when we're the beginning of his man you can continue to light till when until the last person's walking in the shook okay and the candles only have to burn for a certain period of that which most post say is around 40 minutes or more okay so rosha Fey famously said that in our day and age what does it so he said in New York City that means to to basically to until Daybreak because New York City is famously called the city that does that doesn't sleep right so therefore Remos wrote in a famous chuva that one could one could light candles little till Daybreak in your sh I don't know if it's till Daybreak but certainly it's still very very late at night we can light our candles okay so it's very interesting Rashi sorry the gar then continues what does it mean till the last people are walking the until what the Tans and we're going to explain who they are in a minute stop stopped working walking through the markets so Rashi tells us who are the the T this is this is the second text on our sheets shame it's the name of a Nation who were wood collectors they were wood cutters there were wood cutters that and the wood cutters were the last people they were nation of wood cutters and they were the last people always in the marketplace why because they stayed until people were on their way homes to their homes after the work day and in those days we didn't have a switch we turn on if we want to have light or heat Even in our houses what do we do if we want to have light or heat in our houses we needed to light a fire and therefore the last people that would be in the marketplace waiting for people on their way home who might realized I ran out of wood and I'm going to go home to a dark freezing cold house I better pick up some wood the last market open in the the last stall open in the shook was the stall of the wood cutters and these were the wood cutters this nation of wood cutters and since on the way home we might realize oh I better pick up the wood that I need people would go to them and therefore these wood gatherers were the last people these non-jewish it was a n another Nation wood gatherers were the last Merchants remaining in the shook okay so why is that important why is the fact what what Rashi teaches us that they were in um a nation of wood gatherers why is that detail important in understanding that the halakic parameters of when we're allowed to light our candles are until they leave the marketplace so RAB salic is g to offer us a brilliant KES in the next several Pages we're GNA learn from a an extensive article of which basically summarizes a she that Rabbi salv gave and this is on the top of page two and what I did is I broke it up into sections with a little bit of an English description or not a word for word trans translation but um transcription so if people want to be able to repeat over and say over the she afterwards they'll be able to so this is what says the R Points out that it seems at first glance for the words of Rashi it seems clear from the words of rash we would think that the mitzah to publicize the Miracles of khah applies to our fellow Jew right but says says Rabbi Sal based on the fact that the last people walking in the sh were were these non-jewish wood cutters and that that's the parameter in terms of until when we're allowed to light our candles listen we fulfill the mitah publicizing the miracle of Kaneka even if no other Jew sees our candles even if the only people that see our candles are someone who's not Jewish we could add to this says RAB that sure it's true that the the idea of publicizing the miracle begins and starts with what sharing the Miracles with our fellow Jew but since we learned from our gar that the last people who were still walking the streets were not Jewish they acquire this status of being what the last ones walking in the marketplace and since the last ones walking in the streets is the fun is a a function of of publicizing the miracle meaning we we're allowed to light our candles until there's no one the last person leaves the street meaning till the last person might see our candles since that's a function of publicizing the miracle say RAB Sal the the conclusion must be that at least when it comes to and the candles the publicizing the miracle applies and you fulfill the mitzah of publicizing the miracle of pum okay even if the only people who see those candles are are not Jews non-jews okay so that's the first piece now RAB salv is now going to talk about where else in the calendar year do we have a concept of P there are two other two other significant dates on the calendar year we have a similar concept of publicizing the Miracles as part inherent as part of the an you know what those dates are p is one of them Pur very good okay p and so listen what Rabbi salv says in this next piece this is the second paragraph here where the how do we fulfill the Mandate of publising the miracle through reading the Milla right and through reciting the ha on the Le there those are both of fulfillment in what publicizing the Miracles but when it comes to there's no concept of what publicizing the miracles to non-jews okay the Miracles that we publicize are what to remind our fellow one our fell Jew okay and the entire aspect of publicizing the miracle is only relevant to Jews in the case of per and P there's no fulfillment of of by translating the Milla to the vernacular or the hagada to vernacular in order that non-jews could read it okay the only way on these two yamim where we fulfill the Mandate of publicizing the miracle is through reading the Milla as a seabo okay amongst Jews and the and fulfilling the Mitzvah of drinking the four and and the Le amongst Jews there's no so now gon ask a question so the re gonna say what's the what's different about the nature of these days of khah okay where purum this applies even to to non-jews okay that between that and the days of P where we don't have the same concept okay so now turn our page over so let's what say the common denominator between the Mitzvah of publicizing the miracle as it's manifest on both p is what that in both cases the way in which we publicize the miracle is through the vehicle the medium of what T learning Torah okay so right the way we publicize the uh the the the Miracles of that are recalled in the Milla is what by reading the that essentially you're reading book of the T and therefore that's a din in what learning Torah and when we learn read the we recall the Miracles on the Le how do we do that by learning the text which is essentially what learning T okay sorry based on this now it becomes clear why non-jews are not included in the purum and the public publicizing the miracle why because the entire way in which we publicize the Miracles is through learning Torah and non-jews don't have any connection they to learn Torah applies to Jews only mhe instructed us in the Torah based on this okay separate distinct from this KH we fulfill the Mitzvah of publicize the miracle not through Li but what through our senses through seeing the candles therefore this concept of the central idea of pursuing Isa is applicable even to whom nons we have a mandate to publicize the Miracles even to the other nations of the world so now Rabbi salvation is going to bring this all together and explain something beautiful the added and and added another layer uh in the way of drush of of of of commentary of uh how would you say translate drush expound is another word it's um way of htics very good when it comes to we're talking about what physical salvation all right the survival and continued existence of the Jewish people okay this is something that even non-jews can relate to and to it on their own theya physical salvation a that even animals okay have the have the can Inuit it in their nature they can what understand of battling for survival survival the fittest right therefore we don't there's no that we're teaching the nations of the world say Rabbi salv yes in the story of p and in PM it's a story of what the Jewish people surviving and being Eternal but every s single people knows how to what stand up for themselves and fight for themselves we may not always succeed in the nations of the world right but it's something innate within every single human being within every single being every every single creature this idea of of of of of trying with all our might to survive what's different about khah what's khaka about spiritual survival okay the Greeks did not want to kill us the Greeks wanted to what assimilate and acculturate us okay so therefore the story of khaka and the Miracles of Hanukah are not about a phys the physical salvation of the Jewish people and the physical survival of the Jewish people it's about what the spiritual survival of everything that Amel represents and everything that guides us that okay and therefore he says the following Jews are ready to what stand up and fight for our spiritual lies not solely for our physical salvation and this is this is incredibly profound and important message to give over to the other nations of the world and therefore that's why the Mitzvah of publicizing the miracle is relevant and applicable even to if we're only going to share those miracles with nonews a beautiful from interpreting our gamar now we're going to learn from was the longtime R OFA in Brooklyn New York and he was the author of a beautiful beautiful I guess his sons actually put it together posthumously a beautiful saer called orid yahu which we're going to learn from the the short piece from orah now together in this piece is gonna quote a beautiful teaching from the the first G that is gonna take a totally different take a completely different spin on our gar about the last people that are walking on that expression so let's take a look at's beautiful words and we learn and we find even more even deeper that the message of khaka is all about this idea of hit renewal Fresh Start okay something that all of us at Israel are experiencing right now I was at the I was at the Isel the the former side of the O Isel Center yesterday as the movers were moving everything out and so we're going to this experience of hit renewal right now so he says and the name the very name of the yam is called which comes from the idea of what which means we say it means education also means what to start the process of growth okay Beginnings okay establishing the a point of growth when it comes to they you see often in teaching after teaching the language of ril which which means what consistency or or regularity right to be re regular regul okay which is connected by the way to what word what's the sh okay look what does with this based on a beautiful and now first he's gonna explain numerous M that include this idea of regul or Regal the word Regal or regul in the in in in the teachings so he begins with the people are particular consistent when it comes to the N candles they will Merit to see what children who are Torah Scholars and also what that the the time limit in terms of when we're meant to light our candles just the gamar we just learned right is till when the last footsteps are going through the marketplace now he's gonna quote the listen to this the idea of is what we say is about what renewal what is khaka about nullifying the ruls now that seems at first face is shocking because yish it's all about consistency right about being consistent but no what what happens when we do things consistently some lines it becomes What routine B boring Ro routine okay that is all too often for people for us as Jews the mitzah become to us like what they're just suddenly a learned behavior it's rootes okay it's something we just do by rootes not because what we're excited to do them as a in he says that that you shouldn't you should fear me and that it shouldn't be that what the mitz come to be wrote to youz and that is what that often people become burnt out they just fall into their routine they're not excited they they they may do all the M the MIM but they have lost that enthusiasm for it they just do it out of a sense of habit and rot and regularity and without any sense of renewal and excitement says and when kanah comes what are we meant to experience we're meant to push when we see those kanaka candles we see the lights shining we're meant to be what inspired to what push aside all that regularity that root that that H habitual behavior until what until we feel that passion once again and that's the idea of pushing aside the regel from the shook from the marketplace from our activities says the says R gal to push aside all that habitual behavior and this is what the alluded to in the okay sorry that he immersed himself in the his foot in in the oil oh what is that PK mean it's a PK towards the end of the Torah when the blessings you know are being given to each of the repeated reiterated okay and one of the is told okay that you his feet should be immersed in the oil so what does that mean says it means it's a reference to immersing ourselves in the what does that mean we get to see and push aside the regel the root and immerse it in the Shem what's the a reference to this is this is alluding to what the MIT which is the sh okay we have to immerse the regul in the sh we have to take our all that rope Behavior immerse it in the the light that we see from those candles that are lit with the sheem in and therefore be inspired to what be reinvigorated okay we have the capacity to what push aside all that rot okay rashless because what happens when we get into too much of a just a habitual Behavior what do we lose we become cold and we lose all the passion okay for our but what about the teaching that we looked at earlier that one who's particular with their consistent with their candles that they'll Merit to have even though it seem that we just discussed what that being re consistent or or habitual with our practic is is something that's not good listen to what how explain the second gar what does it mean to be particular with the candles it means to what to be particular that every single day we are striving what to experience renewal okay it doesn't mean to be lazy and fall into the same patterns but what are we consistent about that every day we wake up and we say what can I do today to make yish exciting and fresh for me how can I serve hasem his with excitement with enthusiasm and that has to be what's consistent not that we fall into just periods of root and we just do the do the Deeds because we're supposed to no we have to do them consistently with excitement with passion with fervor heav and if a person is particular that every single Mitzvah he does he does with that passion with that excitement that's how they Merit to what to see children who are if our kids see that we're excited about Torah if our kids see that we're on fire forem that's what's gonna Inspire them to also want it not because would we we just do it without any enthusiasm and we just go through the emotions but our kids see that we are in love with that's what's going to inspire them says yes and then he concludes because we have to do the opposite okay when we get into Ro what ends up happening we dry out and we lose any enthusiasm for serving hasem so what has to be ragy what has to be consistent this idea of we should wake up every day and say how is my D going to be different today than it was yesterday how is my passion for giving staka gonna be different today than it was yesterday that that his has to be R say okay now we're gonna learn one last piece together we're GNA learn from the shalom the son son wasi was a who came in Al together with his father-in-law theas who he's gonna tell a story about in a moment who was the previous son ofi they came in alah from Poland and they settled in the was devastated in theah they settled in and the N Shalom that we're going to learn from begins his career here as the Russa of the SL Yesa when his father-in-law passes away in 1981 he ascends to become the son of a rebi and he becomes a world-renowned Daran teacher in in Admore and he he's pretty cont he died in the year 2000 so in that 20 year kamat um uh Reign if you will when he when he was served as the Admore of the sonus he really helped to rebuild and reshape the entire CIS today it's a very large and thriving and his teachings in the saer are amongst the most popular farm that are out there in the in the farm stores today and we're gonna learn a short snippet from the Shalom about KHAK about this idea of p and everything we've been talking about he's going to really bring together everything we've been talking about so far this morning okay another idea related to this idea of publicizing the miracle he says I'll tell you a story that happened one time when I was visiting and I was went the our Master his predecessor his father-in-law the specifically when when he was gonna when he was about or had just lit his kanaka candles okay and the okay when he went to make the listen what the rebbi says he says what when he went to say the braa of the second braa of he began to cry and he could barely finish to recite the and immediately after he finished lighting he explained and shared the following words he was thinking what about the religious oppression experienced by brothers and sisters in the former Soviet republics in those days it was during the days of the Soviet Union and the oppression that they were facing within this he said the following there's a son of a king who may know that son of the king the prince may know what that his behavior is not quite up to Snuff of the way that the king a royal a member of the royal family should behave okay think about today every every Everything the royal family does is in in in in in the in the in in the United Kingdom makes the tabloids right so there's a king and his son you know he know the son even realizes that what that maybe he's not the best example of what royalty of nobility is supposed to be who but he really wants that what his father the king will will will spoil him and give him a present okay but he's afraid to ask and come for be forthright and come right out and ask for that present because why because he's embarrassed by his behavior he knows he he isn't living up to what it means to be a prince to be nobility and therefore he can't bring himself what to ask his father for that present that he really wants to be spoiled with and therefore he doesn't come out and say what you know Dad please give me a give me that that that new Lamborghini I always wanted right Do's come out and say I'm trying to think of a musle that would be appropriate for for royalty right so d give me that give me that new that new Lamborghini I always want he doesn't come out and say it rather what does he say he said instead of saying I really want that new Lamborghini He says Dad you remember a few years ago you gave me a Royals Royce and before that you gave me a Corvette okay he doesn't go to say I dad this year I want a Lamborghini he says what don't you remember in the past he gave me presents okay so by doing that what what what ends up happening his father understands exactly what the sun is getting at okay the son may be embarrassed to ask for that present directly but if he reminds him of the in the past the father always gave him beautiful presence the father will get it and understand and this is what we recall when we recite the bra okay you should give up Miracles just so you the Miracles for our ancestors you should do miracles for us in our times God Master of the world you've done for the Jewish people so many miraculous things even when the Jewish people had feel felt that they're in the worst of circumstances and we've been humbled completely down traded we're reminded what Hashem you're there with us and you brought us salvation even the worst of circumstances you brought us so many miraculous Mira Miracles and wonders and therefore we say that we're basically saying what we recognize we may not be up to where we're supposed to be we may not be even worthy of your love and and gifts and mat but just as you've consistantly brought miraculous salvation in the lowest and most difficult moments throughout our history three so to bring us Miracles and salvation in our days as well my friends as we begin to look ahead over the next few weeks and prepare to light our kanot and those narrow OFA may may we be blessed to recite this with this understanding may we be reminded to of our responsibility to teach the entire world of the many miracles Hashem has done to sustain am that's the Puma may we be inspired to experience that renewal to grow stronger in ourem and may we be blessed to see and experience open Miracles sh shalom