Rabbi Dr Yosef Bronstein - The Tzadikim of the Final Generation - Torah Efrat

First of all, thank you all for coming to for coming to this year. It's really inspirational for me for me to be able to come out on a on a random Monday night and join together with hundreds of people to try to get to try to get ready together for for Tishab last year. It was really really was a centerpiece of my preparation for Teshab and so I was so happy and so honored that Rai Sam Shore invited invited me back and of course we're here in the sh in the sh Madrid and I it would be remiss if I didn't mention Raf Schlommo and Schlommo's leadership for everything that happens here in addition to bringing me in on a daily basis during during during the year. It's such a to be part of this community in one way, shape or form and it's such a to be able to work together with Schlommo under on under the oposes of of um also feel free to chime in if people have questions or comments not large when not a large crowd which is definitely better for an interactive share. When when Sam Sh told me that the topic for tonight was going to be kadash khadash there was one theme that immediately came to my mind. It's a theme that I've been thinking about a lot since thinking about a lot since since October 7th in the last two years. And I know Schlommo's been thinking about thinking about thinking about a lot as well. And that and that's as follows. There's been so much pain over the course of the last two years. So much so much sar so much pain so much trouble and so much confusion as to what we should be doing in in this moment. And am Israel we as Jews were looking for comfort. We're looking for soloulless. We're looking for guidance. We're looking for people to tell us what we should be thinking and feeling and doing in this moment. Where should we be looking for guidance? To whom should we be looking for for soloulless and comfort? Who are the people that we should be looking at and saying, "Wow, they're the ones who are doing it right. I want to follow them. If I want to if I want to go through this kufa properly as an effort, if I want to contribute to what Amish is going through, these are the people that I should be following. So that that that was that's an opening question as a portal to to explore that question. I would like to start with a with with a with I guess a similar question but something much more specific and that is whose responsibility is it to bring Mashiach? We're all thinking about Mashiach now. It's nine days. We're thinking about we're thinking about gula. Who is the ones of who's the ones we should be looking at? Who are the ones that are responsible according to the misora? according to Torah, according to Jewish tradition, to be the ones that are supposed to be the people who are ultimately going to bring the final gula, they're ultimately going to be the ones that tip the scale to bring Msiah. And I think if you look in the Jewish tradition, if you look in the Ms, if you look in Torah, for many many generations, for close to two millennium, the answer was clear. The answer was the sadikim, the leaders. If you're sad with a capitali, these people who have a different type of if you're not with a lower casei, the people that are just righteous individuals, the people that are the people that have more Torah, more more mitzvah than the rest of us, they're going to be the ones who are ultimately going to bring Msiah, they're going to want they're going to be the ones that tip God's hand to bring the ultimate gula. And you see this all over Torah. You see this all over the Jewish tradition. So we're not going to read the whole Garra, but one Garra which which explates this point is a pretty fascinating story in the Garra in the garra says used to frequent the yeshiva was late. He didn't come. So I don't know if he was officially enrolled officially signed up but he took umbrage at this every day you come you went you went to you a h a long hashes you came late what's what's going on over here so said my time why did you come late you should have showed up in time for this year said I woke up and I washed his hands and heavened. Then I then I laid back to sleep. What was Ilon doing on this rokesh? Waking up the aos one by one having them d and then and then then helping then help then then help then helping them go back to sleep again. Wake them all up at once. Then you could have come to share on time. the Msiah. What would happen if all the others do at the same time? They would have forced Hashem's hand to bring Msiah. So what's our first clue? Who are the people? Who are theos that are going to force Hashem's hand to bring Mashiach? Abi says, "Are there any people alive today that have this to force Hashem's hand to bring Mashiach and his children? They were the ones that could force Hashem's hands through their to bring Mashiach." So what did Rebi do yesterday after he's like, "Let's get them to Davin. How do you get people to din? declare a fast day and his children led the stood at the and led the wind started blowing and the rain started falling when he started saying the world started shaking. [Music] Who let this secret in that and his children could force my hand? And Hashem says to bring Mashiach. Amri Ilio. They got the word out. It was Ilioavi who was trying to explain to Rabasi why he came late to Shir. He let out the secret that there were sadik in the cap forest hem's hands to bring Mashiach. And the says that was punished because of this. So it's a pretty fascinating story. I don't really know what it means but I think one point that for our purposes is clear. Who are the people that could bring Msiah and Yakov? How would you describe these people in our in in contemporary English? The sadikim, the leaders of the generation, they are the ones that could force Hashem's hands to bring Mashiach. If you look throughout, you find this theme over and over and over again. Look at just as one example look at source number two safo zakornos I don't remember exactly who wrote this but it's it's a story of recollections of different statements from from bells who survived the holocaust and rebuilt bells in Israel source number two he said about his grandfather who was grandfather I don't know off the top of my head. I don't know. Somebody could Google it. Find it. Find it on video again. Who are the ones that could bring Mashiach? But if they would have ded and forced Hashem's hand to bring Mashiach, it would have been would have happened with a lot of pain with a lot of koshi. But if you don't if the sad don't force Hashem's hand and Hashem wills it by himself then it could be. So again from the down to there are many more makuros that exploate this point. Who are the ones that have the bring Msiah to bring it's the sadikim. It's the leaders. It's the capital. It's the leader of the generation. They are the ones who can bring Msiah. According to the Baba, according to Rafkuk, according to many other sadikim in the last 100 years, this notion that sadikim are the ones that bring Msiah begins to shift in the last 100 years or so. The bombish I think was the one who said this most explicitly, but it's there already in the writing in the writings of Rafk. And I think this is an idea that I've been thinking about a lot over the course of the last two years. Let's look at source number three for a second and then and from the from the front of Babbi and then we'll take a step back pimshin p 1987 for many of us that doesn't mean anything but for people that are really holding in kabad that was a seinal pim where the listed maybe 15 different reasons why msiach is coming tomorrow he said if you want to understand why why do we keep on saying Msiah is coming is coming is coming here are the reasons there's some amazing things happening in the some horrible things happening in the world. These these this isn't my calculus as to why I keep on saying Mashiach is coming immediately. What's the problem then? He was he had been saying it for years. Mashiach still hadn't come. So there are a couple of here and there recognizes this problem and he explicates it. I think Msiah should have come yesterday. So why didn't Msiah come? Look at source number three. in the middle of a drunken purim fabbring. Thank God for those people that thank God for the transcript properly for the tape. I don't not sure otherwise we would have any recording of this should have come already. Why has not come says I struggled over this. I thought about this. He doesn't often say that things are very clear to him. There are very few places that I'm familiar with where the says I thought about this for a long time. What is the only explanation I have found as to why is not yet the is well aware of the sadikim are the ones who d from Mashiach. How many if if you're living in in a shtle in the 1600s in Eastern Europe, how much did you think about Msiah? I don't know. I'm not sure if we have historical evidence about that. Presumably, probably not so much. Did your Reb did your did your did of that town think about Mashiach? The answer is probably yes. Why is Messiah not yet come according to this of the Z? Because ultimately, who is the one? Who are the people that are supposed to be responsible to bring Msiah in the last generation? Not the job has transitioned, the mission has transitioned from being the responsibility of the leaders to being the responsibility of Israel as a whole. In earlier generations, you could rely on the nasi. The nasi the leader. This is a quote from Rashukasi. The Quran and the people were loyal to the but was the one who was actively working to bring Mashiach. We are getting close to the time has to come. The job has the job has been democratized. It is no longer the mission just of the you're from Jew, you do whatever you want. You learn Torah, you do mitzvah, you do. But Msiach is too great of a topic for you to think about. Gul is too great of a topic for you to think about. That might have been true in earlier generations. But but in earlier generations were not successful in bringing Mashiach. These sadikim on their own were not successful in getting us and getting us over the finish line. Either Hashem didn't want them to they or they couldn't do it. Who is going to be the people that get us over the finish line? Is the mission has been democratized? It is now incumbent on everybody to think in terms of gulah, to think in terms of messiah, to think practically what is your most messiah going to look like and what can I do my own personal life to try to get us closer to that reality. you we were all responsible to think in those terms and not just the Nazi not just the Sadik Hadur and Obama explained in in in in numerous instances on numerous occasions that were that we're not this is not a shallowing out of the mission rather what is happening as we get closer to Msiah in earlier generations literature literature is filled with this we have a distinction between the sadic and the average person that sadic has a special nama that sadic has a different type of a hashem atic has unique responsibilities a unique way of looking at the world and even tells you over and over again if you're not at sadic if you don't have that in leave it on the side it's not for you is different than a what is the messianic reality though what does say about Israel when comes the sadikim every bit every single Jew Israel as a whole are going to be entirely comprised of every Jew has a has a has a mash and the messianic reality is that becomes manifest that nits becomes real. So we're not talking about a shallowing out of the mission that in earlier generations the mission was just for the sadic and now it's for everybody. What are we doing? for elevating the level of amuse, elevating the level of the average Jew to the level of a sadic such that in our generation, no matter if we're deserving or not deserving by by dent of to the fact we are living in the final generations before Mashiach, we have a responsibility to think in terms differently than our babas and zas to think in terms differently than people in earlier generations and we can't rely and on the sik to think about Msiah and for us just to say I wish I want to be a firm Jew. I want to learn Torah and do mitzvah and and do a little bit. Every single Jew has to think historically, has to think broadly, has to think about gula, about redemption, learn what is the diamond gula going to be like and how can I help bring myself, my family, my community, and the entire world closer to that reality. You want to see, you want to see it inside number four. Um, this is a speech from 1991. Tinfim again this is a it's it's it's part of a much longer speech in the beginning of the speech the delineated what is the avoic versus the avod of the average person then look what he says source number four after all of the trials and tribulations the ups and the downs of that went through throughout all the generations What are we able to do to reach the level of sadic something that was out of limits for people in earlier generations but as said in his first speech our respon it's not because we're better than earlier generations not because we're more deserving Hashem put us in the last generation. Hashem put us in the final tufa before Mashiach. Therefore, we have unique responsibilities. Responsibilities that were relegated to sadikim in earlier generations. They are now incumbent upon us to start thinking in those terms and act and and and and and to act accordingly. I can't talk about this topic without without reading a little bit of source number five. In Kabad circle, there's something called the known. This is this is one of the few times that spoke in first person. Probably one of the only times he publicly expressed frustration. Messiah hadn't actually not not yet come. It was a surprise for bringing. It was after Marv the Reb came back from from the Marv and afterwards he start afterwards he started speaking. Look at verse number five. Says what more can I do to be marish to create a storm to create energy behind the push to bring Mashiach? Ata logist everything we've done until now has not yet worked again a dogged dogged optimism throughout all of talks here is a sense of frustration probably I think he's 90 years old work so much accomplished more than anybody else could could have ever imagined but he didn't reach his final goal which was to bring Mashiach and it must have it it clearly ate him up inside look at the next paragraph What is the last and final thing that I can do? Pass over the mission to you. He passes the baton, passes the mission on to the entirety of the Jewish people. Why was I thinking so much about this theme over the course of the last two years? I know not just myself or Schlommo as well and and many and and many other people. I don't want to say anything bad about AmIrael. I don't want to say anything bad about particular Jews over about their hagos about different activities, behaviors, policies and decisions over the course of the last two years. But I think Jews around the world and particularly Jews in Ara is have felt a Darth of leadership. We're living through crazy times. We're living through unprecedented times. We're living through times of tar and trouble and death and destruction and pain. And we're looking for voices that are going to give us solace. We're looking for voices that are going to give us comfort. We're looking for voices that are going to bring us together. Looking for voices that are going to give us guidance in terms of how we should act and feel and think during this crazy tuva. And I know for myself looking upwards so to speak to people in official national leadership positions did not necessarily do it in terms of actually offering guidance and soloulless and comfort. But according to the baba, who are we supposed to be looking at in order to gain soloulless, comfort, guidance in the in the in the in the last generation? Am Israel and Amus Israel has been so phenomenal over the course of the last two years starting with the soldiers and the families of soldiers and and and going going to volunteer groups and just people in neighborhoods that are taking care of each other. There are so many so many so many inspirational stories. It is so inspiring to live in our trail over the course of the last two years together with all the troubles and with all the pain and with all the suffering and with all the fragmentation and with all the friction and with all the lack of leadership just living together with Israel has been so inspiring has been so meaningful has been so uplifting we don't have to we're not looking upward so to speak again of course we have we have we have people that then know more Torah than us and we have sadikim to guide us but I think the I think the focus in terms of where we should be looking where we have looked practically to gain those voices of soloulless and comfort and guidance has shifted from looking upwards at the top of the hierarchy to looking at ami Israel looking at the average Jew looking what has the average Jewish family gone through in Israel maybe and around the world over the course of the last two years how many inspirational uplifting elevating things have they done look at our neighbors look at the communities look look at people who are who are serving families of people have served pe people that are still that are still involved in volunteers groups. It's unbelievable what's gone on here in Ar in the last two years. And these are theim, not necessarily the capital Sadi, the single or the the leaders of the communities, but Israel, these are the people that we could be looking at to gain comfort and solace and guidance over the course of the of this final push before we reach Msiah. And for the babrebi this was a mission he was handing over to his to Israel. I'm not sure if it's something which he actively saw happening. Rafk 100 years ago writes about this process has already started. Look at number seven. This is a three lines out of Rafuk is dealing with a very fragmented generation. He's dealing with an older generation of from Jews of people that are people who are who are connected to. is dealing with a generation of young Jews that have thrown away Kaduca and Tara and the Msura yet the most nephesh from Amra and Israel and Rafuk starts he starts off describing this tension and then somewhere before he gets his solution he has the following sentences writes as follows source number sevenf in most historical periods we find in earlier generations a Great amazing people, the Rambamashi. We're amazed at how great they were and the strength of their spirit. But how much did the average Jew know? There was no public education. Most Jews were literates. They were more literate than their than their than their Christian neighbors. But the average Jew not was not necessarily on a very high level in terms of knowledge of Torah in terms of but in the later generations his giants have become too have started decreasing. But am Israel the collective has started ascending in our nation. The people that are ignorant people that don't know Torah have been minimized have decreased. But there's been there's been there's been a parallel decrease of actual real goonim and real sadikim. If describes the tension that that creates and the problems that creates but he also describes the opportunity that that creates because ultimately who are going writes this who are going to be the ones that are going to bring msiach it's not just that sadikiador we want sadikiador we want the baba we want we want refuk we want this type of leadership because we want to know what we should be thinking and feeling and doing dur during this time period but ultimately it's ami as a whole that is being elevated when they're here in Israel and those are the people am our neighbors, our friends, our families, our communities. These are the people that are ultimately going to help bring Msiah and ultimately help bring the gul just just to follow the sadikim and what what are the next words in the babes doesn't focus on this but I think we see it happening here in Israel when returns to Israel then then the kos that were the kokos that were hidden they were concealed in the nama of the collective amra come out and we we saw this over over the course of the last two years and we should continue to see it not in not at times of tension and distress but in times of and that then of should be able to become more should be able to become more and more elevated. Just to conclude to one more piece from and then and then then a concluding thought source number eight here is a place where says explicitly that the that the notion of it gets dispersed as you're getting closer to Msiah when you get close there is more co-op for unity among the level of the theos or that is found in as you get closer to Msiah you all become elevated the there's no longer there's no longer has to be such a hierarchy every Jew becomes we need leaders we need we needim to look up to but I think that the is saying that really the place we're going to find oursel is going to be looking at our neighbors and our our communities and I'm sharel these are the people that we should look to in ter in order to gain inspiration I think this is a beautiful idea and I think it's something which I which we've lived through empirically we've seen it over the course over the course of the last two years I think one practical takeaway is this is the importance of his to be to Israel there's a lot of talk about and during this time period of in theory the way the Sometimes I think about it is that you don't you don't have to go out there in the street. You don't have to talk to people. I'm I'm in my house. I'm by myself. I'm I'm in my own corner. But I have to start thinking about the uniqueness of Jewish and and get to get myself to love other Jews. I think here we're seeing a different a different facet of of not just about loving Jews in the abstract. It's about practically speaking to Israel. It's going out there in the streets. Go to the go to the streets of walk around a fraud. Get involved in your community. Whatever. When the more connected to Israel we are, the more connected to the amikim we are, the closer we are going to be to that level of sadic that is there inherent in the nam of Israel as a whole. And the closer we're going to be to that reality of for ourselves, for our families, and and for our communities and if we do that properly over the course of the next week, hopefully we won't have to have a a and we should be able to see the Giloy of Sadikimal. of