Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook: Eretz Chefetz 11:3: Influence of the Tzadik by Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider

all right I think we're going to uh we're going to officially begin so uh good morning everyone bger Tu and uh very very nice to see everyone this morning uh let's begin with announcing the sponsor for the sheer this morning and it is sponsored scho and this is part of a sponsorship for for the entire year so we thank uh we thank the family and uh we pray for an Ila to uh to Miriam Bas aam all right so we have a uh we have a fascinating topic this morning and uh to see the Insight of R cook and let me uh let me begin with the following with the following anecdote that will uh kind of set the stage for our discussion this morning I was in America for pesak I was there a week or two after pesak and they had an event for the yard site of Rabbi salvic RAB Sal's yard site is over pesak the 18th of Nissan and um and for RAR lonstein on one night and it was actually the night the yard site of RAR lienin zal and one night in Englewood there was a a gathering there was a gathering they had Rashi aiva from Wu they had the president of Yu who was speaking as well the event I think it was like four rash Yesa that were speaking sharing their memories and I attended the event and I was surprised by one thing in particular and that is that there were um I think there were 35 people or 40 40 people that attended the event which I thought there would be about 400 people that would attend the event so I was thinking about um I was thinking about that and thinking about why people were not there I'm sure there are many reasons that one could come up with why there was a small attendance but one reason that uh that I would suggest is that the idea of uh of a sadic and the idea of of giving honor and feeling connected to the sadik is not something that we necessarily put our emphasis on in our community or let's say what we would call the Wu or the cist modern Orthodox community that that idea of uh of a real sense of Allegiance and honor and feeling a closeness with the sadik with the with the rashash Shiva with the the righteous person is not something where we've placed great emphasis and and I don't know an event like that in kasic circles or maybe in other circles I think there would be hundreds of people that would come out for a yard side for the uh for their major for their major leaders so um so that's interesting I found that found that very interesting a little bit disappointing as well and uh with that I want to I want to look at a topic which is a topic of of this uh of this piece that we're going to to be looking at but actually of the entire chapter and this chapter in ER is about thead is about the the role of the sadik of the the righteous person the righteous individual of of the generation not there maybe more than just one and the role of that person the importance of that of that of that individual and what it means to be a sadic and what it means to uh to connect with the sadic so um so let's take a look at what ruuk writes and um and we'll see I think we'll see something interesting something that is unique in terms of the way of the way that Rook speaks about the sadik so we're on the first page it's per Al this is and uh and it's the piece which is gimmel the third piece 113 so he begins with a word that we're familiar with maybe we need more of this here in Israel today sa patience kibuts orani oi the patience that's needed when you bring a group of people together is something that is that's critical one needs or there needs to be a an elevated amount or level of kindness van humility inner humility that brings sweetness to all judgment and it builds the world to Perfection now again this is always you know we have to kind of break through the language and understand what what Ru cook is saying but I think he's saying something relatively simple here and that is when we bring a group together when we bring a congregation together it requires it requires it requires that there isn't so much uhid there has to be more in that environment what does that mean it means in a Sho setting in a community setting so there going to be people that you that you like a little bit more than others those that you find uh to be more difficult but how do we work together in a community how do we work together as a nation but again we kind of break it down within a smaller Community how about within a family right how do we work together when we're when we are together and we're trying to be together so the statement that's made here that RI cook says that you need a lot of saut that you need patience with people you can't be that judgmental if you're going to be judgment you need to be you need a lot of you need a lot of sweetness when it comes to judging others you got to be sweet with others and to see the best in others and he writes and when you move towards this m of and you really need to have a uh an elevated level of of uh of of righteousness that comes from a aan Insight which is a which is a Godly insight has to be something that's constant okay now he uses a word here which isid which means that you need individuals in that community that are going to be now not everyone is going to be that righteous about uh about those kind of relationships but you need people like that you need you need saintly people that are part of that community that elevate that community and I think suggesting who become role models for the community of how we are to have mercy and sensitivity and how uh and how we learn to work together and he writes the following and here we get to the I guess to the to the main point in terms of the importance of theik from the perspective of of cook you need in such a community to produce great Saints you need individuals like this as part of the community people that are unique in their greatness of of Doubt of insight intelligence and within them they Encompass the spirit of the entire nation bam Pima so here I think this is unique to some degree to ruk when he speaks about the sadik that sadik is not just a person who cares about his his own congregation or his them but feel the entire nation that the entire nation are at the heart of the sadik that he's one with the entire people okay good good so's he's about to touch on that point and that is that a lot of the nation isn't necessarily involved they're not engaged in spiritual things and other that's that's the reality and so we need sadikin we need righteous people in order to see the potential in them and to connect them with the nation as a whole and again as as we've been talking about um recently in the in our shiur in our classes that this is part of what R cook is concerned with in terms of the larger community and also the larger Community that's not necessarily spiritual religious and in the same way that the uh you know you have particular you know aspects of the community who are so we read on now in Riv cook so such a sadic such aid needs to be somebody that's connected with the entire people that feels that they Encompass the nation as a whole and I read on now this the third line in the second uh the second paragraph here these are people of great Ascent these are great people yod and they know they know that the very essence The Treasure of the nation is within them Al therefore now here doesn't mean the way that we that we use it today they're not afraid they're not concerned and they they don't give up if they don't see a great spirituality a fountain of spirituality if they're not seeing that the nation as a whole are filled with spirituality it's not something that uh that concerns them why not well again before he says why we're concern but it only comes out here and there it only is revealed and why is it only revealed sporadically because they're involved the regular working person is involved he's getting up in the morning he's going to his law practice he's a doctor psychologist he's a nurse she's a nurse and um well they can't be involved in in studying all day and that spirituality may not be present but the sadik the sadik knows that the sadik is aware of that the sadik leaves in every person in the nation of Israel and he writes and here's the where he sees the potential that sad is able to see the potential in is that that spirituality is going to in the future it's going to come out it's going to penetrate the nation in um just organically naturally Al because the nation has that it has that special quality within them that I think is a key line as well and how does it come out how is that spirituality going to reveal itself Al through through the light of these great personalities these these these sikim the great Rabin personalities great women personalities spiritual personalities the they believe in the nation they see the potential of the nation and with that eventually they're going to inspire the nation as well that these individuals are people that represent the nation and they carry in their heart they carry in their heart the spiritual treasure that is going to bring to life that's going to revitalize the entire nation okay so this is R cook speaking about the speaking about the righteous individual or the sadas we could say the sadik the sadas it could be a woman it could be a man um I'll share the following story which I think kind of elucidates one of the uh one of the ideas that he's highlighting and that is um it actually happened to be over Kaneka time in uh in Yim and ruk reeded from a community in Eastern Europe a uh the first section of a safer Torah the first clap of a safer Torah I don't know if you've ever seen that minog that sometimes you begin the writing of a savior Torah with a clf and then the Sofer continues that and then you have the celebration at the end and they wanted Ru cook to begin the writing of the saer Torah and with the saer Torah that they also wanted to to name the Sho after rook in Eastern Europe they said we want to beim of Rook we're going to call it the the rook besset and we want you to begin this saer tah this saer tah will be in your honor and all of that sounds very very beautiful it was very beautiful R cook wrote back to them that I'm very honored I'm very touched by your offer but I really don't want this is what he writes says I don't want to be a rebi toim I don't want to be a rebi to a group to like a particular congregation or to aidus I want to be a Reby to to all of am Israel I want all of am Israel every member of am Israel to feel that I am their Rabbi that they can turn to me as their Rabbi that they can look up to me as their Rabbi and I also want to relate to to a congregation not as a one particular congregation but as as to the nation as a whole and I think that's that's that's a really interesting perspective you don't you don't have that in the world of you have laab you have kabad you have slam you have erlo whatever it may be and you have a rebi for that group and that's where you know that's where the rebi puts his attention special attention and that's where theid also put their special special attention towards the rebi so here we have this idea that ruuk and and you see it in the words of ruk that we just read the idea that the rebi the sadik that the uh that theid the person this great leader this great personality should be a person that that feels the entire nation feels that the entire nation is that they represent every individual every person in am isra that's what we need in our chief rabant that's okay yeah it's it could be no we need more of that today so that's a that's that's an interesting that's an interesting perspective and that is that's the way the ruk is speaking about sadik I wanted to share one other story just about ruk and and the and the idea of being a sadik so when he was 18 years old 18 19 years old he comes to vajan which is the great yiv of the day where all the great students would attend and study he studied with the NV the NV of Alan considered to be one of the greats of the greats he writes the AMD and when it comes to ISA so he asks the rash if he can put on Rashi and R not everybody had that Minh there's like a that you first put on your Rashi and then towards the end of daving you then put on a second pair of Fillin other Stu students did that in Yeshiva and he said that he could do that he also then asked in ITV could I wear to fill in all day while I study in other words and he said I'll do it in a you know it'll be kind of covered up I have a sleeve they wore a little cap and what both pairs at the same time both pairs I don't think both pairs at the same time even though you're right you're right some people do that if you if you walk in The Old City by the way there's yiva called zilberman their custom is to wear Fillin all day and you see and you yeah and you see children I mean they're not little children they Bar Mitzvah age high school that they're walking around the old city wearing tillin all day and many of them actually are wearing I don't if you ever I never saw this in my life two pairs of fillan at the same time that they're wearing Rashi and rabenu together so yeah interesting you could see that if you hang hang around for an hour or two in the in the Roa you'll see that so the the Civ of Alan said to him that he said to rev cook again he's 19 years old he said you can do that you're you know if you like you can do that again he's asking permission was it something there were a whole group of students that then knocked on the door of the nav and said that um that I that they said to N I don't think that this is that this should be done that this is proper there are a lot of very righteous people that are here righteous students and they don't do this and uh and we prefer that you tell rof cook not to wear it's filling all day while he's while he's learning so the NV answered the following he said that yes there are a lot of very righteous people here a lot of righteous students they're sikim but he this is what he said he he said but ruuk is the only yashar in the Yeshiva he's the only one who is a yashar now that's very interesting the question is what is that I mean by the way this is a story that was told by raron salich and it's in a book RAR salich shares a story so it's it's a has it's authentic um the NV and without getting into this is going to you know this sidetracks sidetracks a bit so but the NV writes in his introduction to saer brait that it's called saer haar that's one of the names of the books of of uh that kazal give to the first book of the Torah based on a Y and yob who are called yesim and yarim means and this is a higher level than a sad a yasher is somebody there a sadik is somebody one way of interpreting sadik is sadik yes you're sadik but you're always struggling in other words you're sadik because you're able to overcome right in other words you have you know there there are veros out there and and you're able to overcome those of like y right he was exposed to all these things but able to overcome the yasher is no longer overcoming anything right he is that's right very good or that's one level actually Rook comments on that that sad doesn't have that Sim you just have that's right that's right that it's there's a Sim that means you're you're one with God you've like perfected yourself to such a degree that you are yashar right you're just one right you're aligned aligned with God that sadic is still every day has to you know struggle to get out of bed in the morning you're tadic right you get Dominion you Davin but you got to struggle a little bit the yasher you've overcome all of that so that's what a said about about R cook now I just want to that's aniv talking about Ru cook when he's 18 years old in the aiva just to appreciate R cook and we talk about it sadic talking about a a saintly individual okay so let's um let's analyze for a moment the idea of uh of a sadik you know on the one hand the IDE of sadik is something that and and we'll touch on this in a moment that's really you know something that theic world put a lot of emphasis on the sadic or on the rebi right they put great emphasis on that the importance of being with the sadik and being the presence of the sadik and and learning from the sadik and Deus to the tadik but sadik is not only an idea that's found in theic world it's something that we that we say every single day and that we dve in for every day so I want to just highlight that look at page two for a moment one met is just to kind of set the stage and I thought this was interesting this is RAB AKA who makes a statement about sadik and RAB AA says that the Jewish people are compared to a bird now I've heard that many many times there are many ways of interpreting that like the Dove and a symbol of peace so look at what Raba says this is the top of page too Raba Raba who was a great s the Jewish people are compared to a bird in what way just as a bird cannot fly without wings without the elders without great rabbis without sikim the Jewish people would not survive we could not fly without them that's the statement of rabi AKA interesting I never thought again I never never thought about that uh sort of that symbolism of a bird in that way but that says Raba those are the those are the wings of Amel those are that's how we fly that's how that's how we uh that's how we find great success in spirituality okay but here I want to kind of bring us to uh to a source that we all say every single day not on chabas but every every day six days a week and we're praying for sadim again on the one hand we think I you know just using that term sadik I don't know what you think of when I when I hear that the first thing I sort of think of theic world and something a little bit more mystical and here every single day not a day goes by that we're not praying for for for the and these are all terms for the Rabin leaders all terms for righteous people yes do you want to U please I was just asking are youting Elder exactly El Elders right Elders a Zak in in rabic literature doesn't mean it right doesn't mean it very good right doesn't mean it's not it's not age it's it's somebody of great learning and for us great learning is always not just that you know that academically you're good in learning it means that that you're a person of of righteousness so it's they're all yeah I think I think we can put them all together what's interesting is that the the braa that we say every day in the Shimon EST also kind of brings them all together did did you want to make a comment or or just stretching stretching okay good all right so what do yes please okay you're it could be it could be that's more leader leadership yes yeah I think that's experience experience yeah I think in this context certainly in this medish of RAB I think when he says Zam I think he's referring to he's talking Rabbi leaders even even the art scroll translation has our Torah Elders not just Elders meaning our Torah our great Torah personalities very good very good when we talk about the itself sh Zak we're also talking about people of of of great learning people of great learning and righteousness absolutely so what are we saying every day by the way this a br I don't know if you ever thought about it I thought about it my for many years and I still continue to think about it why do we need AA in the amid praying that hem gives reward to sikim isn't that isn't that what Hashem does like isn't that like the isn't that how it works in other why do we have to Daven for that why do we have to Daven that the sadim should receive why why do we have to DAV that they receive reward so that they continue to be able to okay okay good that's good that's good I don't know I always found that I don't know and I don't know if I have a perfect answer for that either I also and I want to highlight this of of The Limited brot we're talking about the 18 19 bra of all things that we're praying for we're praying forua and parasa and for Gula and shenu and Sim to make the list to pray for sikim in this in this in this limited group of which is the essence of right to put sikim a prayer for for that to make the list is is interesting or I would say is is challenging right of all of all things to pray for every single day in the amida that this is what we're praying for for what take them for granted okay good okay good and we need to know that without them we are so very good I I think that's I think that's the beginning of an answer in other words how essential that that's the in other words how essential the sadic is yes how essential are are and our sikim and our righteous ones how essential they are for our lives and for the life of the Jewish people and yes we are going to Davin for them every day that's they are essential and we don't necessarily appreciate that yes please because are Ro they are absolutely very good very good so he's so again this is aish to me again I don't know if you ever thought about it like how Al sikim and this prayer for the sikim is how wh why it's so critical why it's so important and and the cavana that we should have when when we're saying it as well what is it that we should be thinking about as we're as reciting this braa yeah it says very good we want to be ah part of that very good well I first of all I think that's an excellent point what does that I'll just highlight that for a moment we want our portion to be with them we want to be part now I would say there's two ways of interpreting that we want we want to be like thear that we should because that's what we're talking about here that we should be a part of that reward okay whatever let's that's one way of looking at it or that our lives should be part of their in other words our should be part of their Our Lives should be connected to these individuals not talking about the but just talking about that our that our lives should be lives that are inter connected with sikim with it's interesting when I grew up there were there were no sikim books like there there are no books about sadikin one of the first that came out was at sadik in our time I think in the 70s or but we didn't write an art scroll has I don't know like 150 books today about sadik just reading about I think it's like three or four just somei they just came out another one Clen bger rabi like it's become a very important part of what we're reading and I think that's from art girls perspective or the or our Jewish Community we see that this how important it is that this is part of our learning it's part of what we think about it's part of what we're exposed to it's what inspires us and that could be yes we want to be a part of that not every Community has that and I I hate to like kind of you know go back to the way that I opened here we had a night about sikim and to learn about sikim and nobody came nobody came to he about art sikim so just interesting yes right right very good yes right absolutely absolutely that's yeah that was so he uh he taught that yes that's that's uh that's a very important idea as well okay let's share a couple of so so first of all just this idea of sikim so here you have Rabbi Rabbi tski Rabbi Dr Abraham tski so he has the following comment on this prayer of sadim of why we have this in the amida why do we have to pray to God why do we pray that God reward the righteous is it not self-evident right the question that I asked before I always ask that question right isn't it self-evident that God will give the righteous there due why do we have to Davin for them so he quotes AIC interpretation RAB MOS explained that this prayer is to remind us that there are virtuous people who are so selfless that they never pray for their own needs we therefore need we therefore intercede for them in other words it's sadik who cares about am Israel is thinking about am Israel day and night and not thinking about themselves and therefore we need that's this casic interpretation because they're never doing for their own needs and their concerns we need to Davin on their behalf and he writes Rabbi tski how refreshing it is to know that our sages had to formulate this prayer because there are actually are people on this Earth who do not think at all of their own needs and are concerned only with their needs and wants of others since this prayer has been preserved today we have every right to believe that even today such wonderful people exist the sages tell us that in each generation there are at least 36 truly righteous people in an age where there's so much self-centeredness and self-indulgence it is refreshing to know this but more important if this degree of self is attainable even today why should we all not aspire to it place our share this is his interpretation of plays our share says the prayer that we become like them so here that's a beautiful Cav as well we want to be let us be like sadik we're praying for the sikim the sikim that are not praying for themselves that we're interceding on their behalf and we want a we should be like that as well that we should be less and this is very uh very much what's that yeah yeah I was thinking about that phrase also we should not be embarrassed because in you we have uh we have we have faith yeah it's yeah not not easy not sure it's a good question it's amazing how we say how we say these words every day and yet uh they're they're CH yeah there a CH that's a challenging line I think it means l in the sense that we're that we're connected to the sadik that we shouldn't be embarrassed that we're that we're living a life that somehow that's disconnected and disconnected to to uh appreciating all of these personalities you know who are the plas that RAB salich has a beautiful idea that it's again youve these you know these different terms that are used here the sadik theid the the Zak which we were talking about before who's the pl so salic says in every generation you have people a PL means somebody from the previous generation and to appreciate those individuals the pl s s means the scribes doesn't mean literally the scribes but rabbis rabbis great individuals that we have that were you know a Survivor right those Elders that saw a different world to appreciate them uh as well that's a just a yes people tend to identify with what we would refer to as cont okay good right very nice very nice okay let's look at um I want to share this this the following passage from the gamar which is about uh about a sadik about the life and really about the the passing of it sadik and actually two comments that are made one by RAB salic and one which is made by RI cook on the same piece of gamar so this is a gamar that's found in BR me gim Al and it tells the following story it's a story about the uh that RAV passes away and I'll read to you the story you have it in Translation as well when R passed away again a great sad Zak of the generation so they followed him they went for the the burial and they escorted the the body for the burial as they were coming back from the burial so I guess they didn't eat all morning and they said now that we're done with the burial let's sit down for a moment and let's have something to eat let's have some bread so after they ate after they broke bread and they ate they had the following question do we have to have eaten all together but if we sat and we did not all sit together then we cannot bench together odma being that we said we're going to all eat together so they asked the following question they all sat down to eat it's very simple and they said can we all bench together now what's the problem the problem is okay it's a technical issue here that did they actually have the meal together or did everyone kind of like find a place to eat right this one sat on the stone over there under a tree they were all separate can you all bench we eat together or did we not eat together if we ate together we can say we can have a m if not you know then we can't bench that's the that's the question that they asked afterwards so come R that's and they they they entertain that question they threw out the question to everyone one of the rabbis that was there he stood up he took his garment that he was wearing and he turned it around and and he tour a second time now it sounds like that all the Tam because this was their rebi that they tour that they did Korea and now he got up and he tore his he turned his shirt a bit and he tore he made another Korea another tear in the shirt and and he what yes ah well look at what he says so Amar he said the following our Rabbi RAV passed away M and we don't even know the law of benching we never asked him this question a lifetime of learning with him and a simple question of how to bench we never asked him so R salvic comments and he says that this is a uh part of the human condition part of the reality of life and and a sadness that when people pass away there are times and he says the gamar is highlight that we don't always take advantage of those opportunities I was a rabbi for many years and I often hear when we realize it's too late it's too late I would hear people say it a eulogy I never I never told my mother that I loved her I never told my father I never said those words right I never had that discussion that I wanted to have I was never able to say how much I appreciated them in life so that that's R salik's comment on on this gamarra the gamar is teaching us here in this you know this this episode this story of that they didn't even they didn't even they they never even asked them the simplest question somehow they never got around to doing that and that's a uh the tragedy of the human condition that we don't do that and it's a lesson it's a reminder that we need to do that so that is one that's prob Sal's comment now rook's comment on the gamarra and ruk is going to comment on the idea of the sadik of the righteous individual and here let's share together in the Hebrew this is from Anaya this is the top of Page Three and and um and by the way there's a translation here of Anaya there's a rabbi here in Jerusalem he teaches in the Gus and in ER his name is RAB man and he has translated all of Anaya if you're interested in studying anay so you have the translation below um if you want to have the the additional translation in English but let let's just look at the first two lines the way the Rook interprets this gamarra he hamia this is uh he quotes the gamarra that's on the top of Page Three the right side and then his commentary is with that word he so again the gamar is in The Bold and then the word he is the beginning of his commentary he now what he's commenting on is the fact that he tore His Garment two times and in that he says symbolically there are two great losses whenever sadic leaves this world sadik that the great loss that comes when a sadik leaves the world who it's a double loss so what's the first aspect we can translate it that there's a special a very unique um characteristic the fact that this person this holy person is in the world it it it flows from that person it must flow that there's aess whether you're close to thead whether you know him or not the fact that AIC is alive and in this world that there is a hash that there's a there is a blessing that comes to the world the fact that the sadic is here that's a very high and I would say here also means that it's it's beyond us to some degree to grasp what that means but it's sad that lives like we said the 36 sadik in the lamik that the world exists because of them we don't even know who they are but the fact that they're in our world that they're living in this world that they bring a certain blessing to this world the world couldn't exist without them that's one and then there are things that one receives directly from them in other words if you're a talid of them or if they're giving or if you're reading their D Torah or if you're reading their lambdas in other words there's something that you receive Direct ly from them so that say of cook are the two tears the two creas that are done by the uh in this gamar one represents yes practically what one gains the ramifications you know that one that one feels that each of us and as a community but then there's more of a a mystical or a metaphysical idea spiritual idea that the sadik the greatness of the sadik even if we can't grasp it totally but that a sadik in the generation what that person brings to the generation and to appreciate that and maybe that's part of the Braha that were praying before that to have them that they're that they should be well that they should receive reward that they should be healthy they should be able to have the strength to do what they're doing um in each generation that that's uh that that's critical okay two other points that I'll share yes please right well that was that question was raised before what do we need to what's the doing for reward they're going to receive it anyways and I think you're I think you're right and I think that's part of what Ru cook when he says it's a skoa which is n the word skoa by the way already means it's something that is that's a bit beyond us and N so yeah yes so there's part of the answer to the question part of it once they're done I I think I think you're right it's be beautifully said I think that's what gamar and Bros that we just saw a moment ago that that's the lesson and to appreciate them when they're alive that's what happened they couldn't answer that question we didn't appreciate our Reby enough we need to appreciate them when we're when they're alive and again the importance the importance of that value in Jewish community and in Jewish life appreciating your Rabbi the rabbi of yeshu great rabbis of the generation and and that's that's a very very important value not every Community has that and maybe it's something that we maybe something that we need to work on our community what yes I think that speaks to the overall purpose of iseng Y very good very good good point very good RI cook writes that many times he writes it's not about God it's not about changing God's mind everything that we're doing is that it's it's it's up it's supposed to uplift who we are it's to en no who we are is to teach us so absolutely that RB salv G cook they they stressed that point when it comes to daving it's not about changing God's mind it's about changing your mind and your heart yes and I think that we today see this amazing phenomenon kind of have an impact on our lives very good yes I it was something I grew up I I think I think you're right and that's why I'm I'm highlighting it's not something I really grew up with this value and I'm even I'm even wondering if this value is as strong as it should be in our community I'm kind of putting that out there for discussion as well yes I can just read what you I could have told now correct all you me I appreciate it absolutely beautiful beautiful that's how Rob salvic that was the lesson that he took from from that gamar so let me let me just highlight two other sources as we're coming to a close one we're not going to read through right now if you like you can read through it on your own this is a really just I wanted to share just a classic Source in terms of how um in theic world how theic how the rebi has such a plays such an important role and uh and to appreciate that and the way that they influence the generation the way they impact the generation that's that Source number three Source number four we come back to rev cook this is a piece in aot Torah and I'll just read to you one line from Rook he says he says something which is kind of startling he says we need to give a lot of muser to the rabbis of er Isel to the of they deserve a lot of we have to give them a lot of now what what what in the world is ruk referring to what kind of to did they deserve so this is what he says it's not it's not what you think he says they deserve a lot of because they don't have enough confidence confidence in themselves that the of is have so much to give and he believes again this is this is R cook class of Rook as they coming as we're coming back to the land of Israel the spiritual power of those that are studying Torah and especially the is something that that is uh that's going to outshine those that are outside the land of Israel and he says usually we give to because people are arrogant and there's too much ego but he says I have to give just the opposite to the that they need to have more ego they need to have more confidence and they have so much to give it's interesting I I listened to a talk not that long ago from RAB yonar re he's the azin of the bezin of America he lives in Chicago he's one of the outstanding he's a Dion he's the the head Dian and he said in the early years when he was working in dianis in bezden about 20 30 years ago so whenever they had questions so it it's really the gdolim of America that they were turning to he had rosi F Ric and and uh and others that were in America but he said today like 20 30 years later whenever their difficult sh is all the calls are going to ER today all the great Kim are are are here in Israel that are dealing with the most intricate issue that the G own him the greatest minds and the greatest decisive Jewish law this is what he said are in ER to all the questions are going to Israel today so interesting R cook is writing this you know 1910 1920 as we're just coming into he says the the great rabbis here have so much to give there's so much power spiritual strength that they have and the confidence that they should have in themselves and I think it's something that uh that uh that has that has unfolded all right let me let me conclude with the following this is actually found this is the last page this is for one line and I just want to share a couple of insights or stories actually to close this is from a sa called Mo which are a collection of teachings from Roseta about the life of rook and about the holidays it's a translation actually of the book it's not fully translated but this is in the section of uh of shuis by the way so shivu one of there's a great yard site anybody know there's a yard site on Chivas the yard site of the balov that yeah the balm passed away sh so for it's also has like that additional that great sadic who passes away and the significance of that as well and so in the section about sh who's today of zille okay of good so um this is the line of the bmov that quoted it said in the name of the bmov that telling stories about sikim this the bottom of page four the last Source telling stories of sadim is like studying the might mava The Works of The Chariot what is that that's the most intense the most complex you have to be 40 years old even just to and you have to know all of Shas everything to study the Meer marava the deepest of the cabalistic secrets but the balov says a story about a sadik that's even greater that's even deeper than uh than studying the uh the Myer marava and what do you mean by that I'm not sure exactly what he meant by that but I think what he means by that in terms of the spiritual impact of uh of of hearing stories of being inspired by stories of uh the life of sikim is something that's very very uh very important something that really penetrates to the heart of a Jew and that's something that they took that very that became a very very important part of their of their fabrin of their of their tises of when they would come together it wasn't just to study a text it was to tell stories as well shalis malava Mala Gatherings that storytelling was very important we see the bmov made that statement that there's nothing like that so I'll just share three short stories about sadim the sadim that I want to talk about are the sikim of the life of Rook you have ruk himself as a as a great sadik his sort of the inner circle of ruk were all were all sikim the way that they live their life RAB who is a RV here in shed I'm sh thank you uh was a great sadic you have the nazer who the R David Cohen who is also a close Confidant and you have R AR lvin now I spoke about before is the books that one of the very F first books that came out in English which is a mustre is a sadic in our time so he had a very close relationship with r cook he was a very very uh outstanding remarkable individual in his situs I just want to share with you three stories one just as an opener the ru cook often would take walks in the afternoon and Rari Lin would would join him for those walks together so this is one of the famous stories they were walking together and they were talking and uh and I imagine again it wasn't just shooing I imagine it was uh on a very very high level and at some point RAR Livin as he's walking plucks a plucks a uh a leaf from a tree and R cook turns to him and he's like astonished he's like how how could you do that he said my entire life I've been so careful not to take anything from this world not to detach anything from this world he quotes a medish that in every blade of grass in every leaf that there's a Malak that says grow grow to that to that uh to that leaf or to that grass and RAR Lin said at that moment he recognized something about R cook and about his own life in terms of sensitivity sensitivity not only to other human beings but to the world around us and to God's creations and he said that was something that that impacted him for the rest of his life just the middle of the week yeah during yeah not on sh no not sh it wasn't M shabas no just during the week um we know that RAR Livin one of the things that he did every shabas he would go to the uh he' go to the prison here which is here in y he lived in nakot he would walk every chabas he would DAV with them and he had a very close relationship with uh with those that were in prison many of them that were fighting for the uh for for the Lei and um and for what etel as well yes and um so there was a fellow who was getting out of prison and he asked for live in he said if I could spend one night I'm going to make my way up North you know back to my family but if I could spend one night in your home and of course that was you know Ravari Lin he had very little he had a tiny little home in nak it's still there today I think on a tour you could still see where he lived you know just a bed and uh and just the very basic necessities and he had this fellow over for the night when they woke up in the morning he and his wife so they noticed that the very little that they had but his silver ksh cup and that the candlesticks were taken that they were gone and this fellow was gone as well so um so Rari Levin turned to his wife and they really turned to one another and they said let's not allow this to impact our H orim they were going to make sure sure even though this happened that we're going to continue to have anyone who needs a place in our home so even if we have difficulties sometimes with people that are staying with us so Rari Livin teaches us uh the sensitivity yes please um one other one other Story one last story will end with this so Rari Livin by the way his life you know he never he never had like a like a illustrious or an honor position per se he wasn't like a uh a Russa he worked in an elementary school he was like a Mas in the aim school that that's what he did he didn't even really teach much there he was really just there for the boys and speaking to the boys and there was a boy that he that he had as a as a student that he that he happened to see he was walking in the alleys of naklo you could still walk there and EnV Vision what it was like for Vin to be there right by makuda and he saw this boy he had grown up he was 20 years old at that point he saw him from you know down the alley and he noticed that the boy kind of like ran away from Rari Lin as he was making his way soar lein goes running after this fellow and he catches up with the with his boy he knew him as a boy he's now 20 years old and he said did I do anything wrong that you that you don't want to see me so the boy said you know I was a student of yours I was in the Yesa but I'm no longer religious today and I'm not wearing a kipa on my head and I didn't want you to see that I'm not wearing that I no longer wear a kipa so Rari Lin was actually he was a very short man so he said you know when I see a person I just see the heart of a person I don't see the head of a person and I only see your heart I only see the love that you have and I remember the kind of student that you were I don't me make any judgment and he was holding his hand the way the rarer would hold and caress somebody in his hands and the boy said afterwards and the safer it's our time that he put his kab back on you know that that was uh that was a moment in his life so this is all about sikim ruk says we have to appreciate and we DAV in every day for our sikim we should be to look up to them be inspired if we can find sikim in our lives to connect to even better Yash yes we'll take a yes yes very good you yes it's a must Tour by the way if he ever does it and I did it also I went on it twice Rabbi Benji Rabbi Benji lein the grandson of Rari lein lives here in Yim and he gives a tour and he tells the stories and you go to his house it's an amazing amazing tour if look look out for that really uh highly recommended everyone should be well CTU everyone have a good week we'll have