Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook: Fracturing the Nation is an Act of Idolatry by Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider

all right good morning everyone Booker to great to see everyone this morning and wonderful that you're here and that we can learn together uh we begin with sponsorships for this morning the shurm this morning are sponsored by Sarah and ronen Cory and family in memory of our father and grandfather Rabbi Dr kzar shirts on his six the art site and we also thank our regular sponsor all right so we uh we are ready to begin and uh we have a very beautiful teaching from Rook the theme of this last chapter that that we are studying and this is part of it's pis it's piece number six and the overall theme is one of aus is one of unity we've been uh we have talking about that topic and today we're going to see a uh a very moving piece a very inspirational piece I would say the following that you have uh across the board rabbis are talking about Unity everybody talks about Unity I think everybody believes in Aus in the Oneness of the Jewish people but um when we see the writings of ruk I think it's uh quite remarkable the way that he speaks about Aus and I would uh I would suggest that he speaks about Aus in a way that we don't generally find the discussion around Aus the importance of togetherness and unity and Brotherhood in am Isel so let's take a look at the following teaching of R cook we begin with his teaching and we're going to see something that I think is um is striking in the way that Ru cook speaks about the way that he contextualizes the idea and the importance of aus so here we go we have this toh to read from rev cook the the writings of rev cook is uh if you look at the very end of the piece you have two uh two columns or two pieces at the top I mean it's it's one it's one piece broken into two parts at the very end it says orot this is taken from his saer his writing U called orot and a section called here we go there is nothing worse says R there's nothing worse at the very back there are some sore sheets yeah when you walk in there's a uh there's a chair in the back for anyone who needs a sore sheet a Kates there's no end there's nothing worse than um than hitut creating fractured divisiveness within Amel both on a physical level and on a spiritual level and he writes the following second line a even though when we speak about splitting the Jewish people fracturing the Jewish people that some people who are people that are cruel people cruel people who think about this idea he says who the truth is it's an impossibility to break up the Jewish people but there are those that are making that suggestion why don't the religious go to one one Camp to one side and the secular go to the other he says this is something that is not going to be it's impossible but now he says the following and here our ears should perk up as he's about to say the following words he says anyone who speaks about this idea who considers this idea third line middle of the line Z anybody who thinks along these lines is thinking along the lines of a zar and as we all know Abazar idolatry worshiping idolatry is the absolute worst of all the wrote of the Torah and he says that that the person or those that think about the idea of breaking up the nation that is a that's a thought of idolatry that falls within the category of idolatry we'll talk about how he um how he sees that or from what source he understands that and we also believe with certainty that this will not happen and he quotes the following a fromel so he quotes a from you can look at the translation below that which you say we shall be as the Nations as the family of the lands to serve wood and stone to be like the other nations of the world as I live says the Lord if not by a strong hand and outstretched arm and outpouring rage I shall rule over you okay let's leave that verse for a moment and move on in the words of R and like all thoughts of any thought of brings about destruction and it also creates worry so he says even thinking about AAR now verar may be different from other mitzvot other mitzvot that relate to action so it's not until you actually act upon it as one does the AA but thinking about a aazar even considering worshiping another God so there's already a danger to that seeping in and that's true here as well just to think about just the the thought of of fracturing of dividing the nation even if we don't do it but just to just to make a remark or to uh to consider something like that that's something R cook says is M it it creates a kind of Destruction and miva it's something that that's depressing even if it doesn't come to be so even talking using those uh that kind of terminology talking about breaking up the nation there was a rabbi I won't mention the name a few uh few months ago this whole issue of draft in Israel the religious and bringing theim to to the draft he said and he's a very well-known Rabbi he said well if that happens we're going to uh I don't know if you remember this he said we're going to leave right I think we're going to we're going to group will leave the country so okay so so I think uh again I don't I I don't know if I should even have mentioned that but the um but Ru cook says even thoughts even to say things even if you don't mean that and I don't believe that he actually meant that but even to say something like that Ru cook says that creates something destructive and something that's worrisome Diva s Cooks says that's not it's not the way that a Jew speaks it's not the way that that we speak as a nation we never we never talk about divisiveness leaving leaving uh leaving the Jewish people behind heading out and and doing our own thing okay so Rook continues you and now he speaks about what the what we will call the the rebellious those that are those that are rebellious amongst the Jewish people that there's actually positivity there's something positive that they bring to the table as well again this is classic rou of cook teaching always finding the best even in you know quote unquote the R so you s this is the top of the second column you s the very foundation of the righteousness of the righteous in every generation it's held up it's strengthened by the even though there may be R even though there may be wickedness as long as they are attached with with a desire of their heart that they are connected to the nation it is said about them it says that the Jewish people as a whole and every member of the Jewish people if you're connected to the Jewish people you care for the Jewish people automatically you're a sadik so in that sense even what we call R ruk says that that they're sikim on some level and only this outward R the the wickedness the rebelliousness of them the truth the truth is he says that some of that rebelliousness actually helps the sikim maybe it strengthens the sadim those in the religious Camp have become even more devoted and committed like the drgs in uh in wine so I don't know that much about wine I don't know if we have anyone here that's a expert in wine but yeah we have somebody good so the drgs and the wine right those little pieces that are left over from the uh from The Grapes so it actually enhances right the seeds that enhances the taste of the wine is that true okay good so so R cook says that those drgs on the bottom they enhance the taste those are sh they're something that they bring to as well that they enhance the taste of the Jewish people here he says it brings out actually the best in artus in other words that we maybe in response to them that we need to strengthen our own uh our own observance of mitv this idea this idea of breaking up the nation this is something that that um that breaks up the very foundation of the of the Jewish people and here he says something else and what is it this is an act of aik anyone that wants to break up the Jewish people this is an amalik type of thought and action because they took advantage of those who are weak at the back of the Jewish people we'll see what that is in a moment those that were outside of the cloud an Aus from toim translation below he stretched his hand against his peace he profaned his Covenant so here I want to highlight two things that ruk does in this piece which as I said in the opening which is striking which is startling a lot of rabbis talk about Aus and the danger of not having Aus here ruk equates it with two items in the Torah and that is that it's an act of AAR he says this idea of breaking up the nation and it's an act of a Malik and I can't think of two items in the Torah that are more severe than those two and ruk speaks about Aus or those that want to divide the nation as an act of a verar and as an act of a Malik so here I think ruuk is unique I've heard many rabbis talk about Aus we should all put our arms around one another and we should sing and we should be together but and certainly we all agree with that but Riv cook puts puts it in a in a context which is uh which is quite strong and um and striking okay so what I'd like to do is look at a few sources with you to understand this idea of why it's a v Zara to understand why it's an act of a mik what is what is Ruff cook referring to he's not just throwing out terminology you know he's not uh with all the love that he has for for the Jewish people this is something that needs to be grounded within the text he's not just uh not just getting emotional here and saying well it's a vazar it's a Malik where is the where are the sources for this so I want to highlight a couple of those sources Source number one brings us to a that's found in par towards the end of the Torah and it says the following the PK says and this is the middle of the page this is per in your children of the Lord go you are not to cut yourself you are not to make a cut or a bald spot between your eyes L when somebody passes away now what is that a reference to Rashi says the following Rashi says L and we read Rashi below you shall not make a cut or cutting theet or a scratch in your flesh Al when somebody passes away and that's what the PK is referring to that it seems to be that this was an act or action of other nations that is a way of showing your mourning and your pain that you would rip your skin so the Torah says you are not to do that you are not to rip your body not to rip your skin this was the way of the amorites at the time and the Torah is saying no you are not to do that you are the children of the almighty of God you are to be beautiful Naim here it says you are to fit to be handsome and not to cut and you are not to make that bald spot also ripping out hair in your head when somebody passes away so that is uh that's the interpretation of Rashi but there's another interpretation which you may be familiar with of this PK and you may already get a sense of what this PK is referring to and if you look at the following gamar there's a gamar that's found in yamos and thear Yos talks about different days sort of interesting that it comes up here in Yos different days that Milla is read now I think everybody here is familiar with the idea that we have the 14th and the 15th that we have two days of reading of celebrating porum those that are in Jerusalem celebrating the 15th outside or if you're not in a Walt City from Yeshua bin nun on the 14th and in time of the gamar they actually even added more days to that 11 12 13 14 15 that you could celebrate on any of those days based on certain circumstances that's what the gamar says and uh Rish finds that to be somewhat troubling how do you have a holiday that you have so many different days that you can celebrate the holiday so if you look at the the middle of this paragraph they were a famous by the wayes and we have many arguments unfortunately if you remember the story it kind of ends badly that they offend one another and for another time but um they learn together for many many years and we have beautiful MIM between them and R brings up the following question how do you have so many different days to celebrate porum doesn't the PK say lotis go that you are not not to break up the Jewish people a aot you should not make different communities within the Jewish people how do you have porum being celebrated on so many different days you're going to have a Jewish people that are celebrating all over the place um different days of purum so that's the other we'll we'll will save the the answer for another time but that's the question that he raises and that's his interpretation of this P that we just read so we go back to the pus for a moment it says you are the children of God what does that mean what does the mean according to rakes according to gamar Rashi gives a bit of a different interpretation how does rakes translate that PK you are not that that's correct you are the children of God you are all children of Hashem you're all one family do not have M between you right do not separate do not have division within the Jewish people that's how he reads that so this by the way when ruk is talking about what it means to have a a unity and even in terms of AAR this is Hashem telling us that you are my children Hashem says to us I don't want to see divisiveness I do not want to see Lo go do not make aot aot do not make divisions in your people now the maral says the following look at the top of page too and he ask the following question and that is we don't generally have two interpretations for the same p in other words every every verse or every phrase in a verse has one and you really can't have two Halas based on the same words in the Torah so that's the question that he raises here and now we're talking about two different ideas one is not to you know make this scratch in your skin to pull out hair right the other is this of not breaking up the Jewish people so look at the maral the maral this is from the G this is the top of page two the maral of what ah very good so he says it's not a contradiction beautiful Rabbi so this is exactly what the maral says so he opens the question well what does one have to do with the other you're talking about scratching the skin and you're talking about not to make division within the Jewish people shal one is not to make division not to and the is not to you know to make this infliction on your skin we don't usually find this in the Torah when it comes to two different that are not related to one another but it seems to me it's clear to me this is not a question in this case certainly the two of them do go together the two are really the same just as making that scratch in your skin right that division in your skin so that's doing it to the body you do it to such a degree that the body is no longer whole so too in the Jewish people if you have a if you have a division and he says here an example if you have in a city that one b in says follow the other B in the same says it's as if the body itself is broken in half that you're creating a division within the body a divisiveness within the body so he says that these two alus are the same but I think the lesson here is a beautiful lesson and that is to see that to see Amel as a single body that's what the maral says and this P that says don't make an incision in your skin that's the same says don't make an incision don't make divisiveness within Amel and that's what this PK is telling us the PK in the Torah right not just the mus right not just some idea that's found in a Zohar that we should have that we should have Unity a in the Torah that says you are my children you are my family says hasem you need to be together you need to see each other as brothers and sisters and this RAB AA highlights in the mission pavos the still a these days be studying peros RAB AKA says this is RAB AKA this is Perl mishna halfway down three lines from the bottom in number two how precious are the Jewish people we are the children of God and says there was an extra level of love that wanted to share with the Jewish people beloved beloved that's right beloved so this Raba says and he's quoting the that we just looked at that P from RE that how how precious are the Jewish people to God that God says and wants us to know the PK I don't know maybe Raba says the PK that we didn't necessarily need to have in the Torah we all know it that we're the children of Hashem but Hashem wanted to express that idea and express it in such a beautiful way in such a warm way in such a sensitive way that you are my children you are my family and Lotus godu I do not want to see just like a parent doesn't want to see infi he doesn't want to see children siblings children not speaking to one another not getting along with one another that's the greatest Nas when we see family come together a Sim they were all together they were sitting around the table Hashem says the same thing in a beautiful P RAB RAB Akiva says what a beautiful PK that is how beautiful that is and Hashem wants to express how important that is okay and in terms of this idea of um of our connectedness to one another and our love for one another so there is the very famous um teaching which is which means that we as a Jewish people are all interconnected with one another that we have an obligation to one another that we're interconnected with one another now where is that from what's the source for that and here it's a bit of a surprising Source I mean maybe that maybe that P would have been a good source by that your one family that's AR but there's another p in the Torah this is from this is Source number three and this is towards the end of the where it speaks about the terrible things that will happen to the Jewish people if they turn away from from hasem and look at it says that they will stumble the Jewish people will stumble over one another you can look at the trans translation 37 they will stumble over one another as in flight from The Sword so the P seems to be describing right the pus theat of the is that people are running away from the um you know from being attacked and they're and we're falling over one another right as we're being chased away and this description this picture of a uh of the Jewish people as they're being attacked and how terrible it is and how we're falling over one another however the gamar has a different interpretation I think that certainly is theat but look at what the gamar says the that says the following and this is wow that's quite an interpretation that we're going to fall because of the sin of our Brethren and what does that mean meaning if somebody else is sinning if somebody else is sinning that you have a part in that sin not not only that Aros means that I need to care for the other person but if somebody is guilty right if somebody is transgressing maybe I'm not doing enough to help that person to teach that person to inspire that person so that's how the gamar understands that you're going to be stumbling over one another again what does it mean I'll read the gar you're going to be stumbling over the sin of the other meaning what's the to that you don't care enough for others at that time those that are distant from Judaism right those that are not observing and you are guilty for that sin as well M and this is this is Source in the gamar this is that those words sh it's right there if you want to see it that all Jews are guarantors for one another and I'll just read this one line which is added by the art scroll just as the guarant guarantor of a loone is responsible for the the borrower's debt so all Jews are liable and may be punished for the sins of an individual wow that's quite a that's quite a uh quite a teaching the idea of arus that it takes it to that to that degree that obligation that we have if somebody else is sinning right we certainly we don't say well that's their problem just the opposite that that sin that in some way that we have a part of that it's possible that we have a part of that as well what what is my relationship with that person am I doing enough to teach am I doing enough to spread the goodness of the Torah and Hashem to others okay and one other source that uh that relates to this idea of aus then we'll look at the uh we'll look at the other idea of a Malik so look at this this is one of the most famous I would say one of the most famous rashis in all of the Tor and not long ago on shuis I think you don't have a shuis without quoting this this Rashi Rashi says that the Jewish people gathered around the mountain it says that the Jewish people all came together around the mountain but it says it in the singular it doesn't sayu it says and famously what does Rashi say you see it there like a single person now there's another in the Torah that talks about when the Egyptians and we're all familiar with the story they were chasing Amel as they were by yamu before the splitting of the sea and it says no that the Egyptians were no now that also is in the singular as if it was like one person that was chasing not no no like one person was chasing them what does Rashi say but I want you to notice something that there's a little right a little difference here there's a switch right when you have the Jewish people it says but here for the Egyptians says now did Rashi just kind of like possibly make an error there no absolutely not so Rook says the following I think it comes from rook and his son as well seeu the cook that when it comes let's talk about the Egyptians when it comes to the Egyptians it says that they were Bel that they had one heart meaning all of them wanted to destroy the Jewish people they all got on board with one another together and with that so then they became isad they're really not one people right they're they're not a cohesive group but when they all decide that they want to do something together and especially in this instance when they want to destroy the Jewish people so then there then there's Aus but that's not true of the Jewish people the Jewish people have an intrinsic they are and then and by the way even when we're not and sometimes we're not but we're always we are one we are one unit We Are One People Hashem created the Jewish people to be the you are are my children you are one people here on this Earth okay beautiful now let's turn to the third page the third page now addresses what Ru cook or to interpret what ruuk is referring to that it's an act of a Malik so what did he say before he says that those that want to uh want to kind of exclude a group PUD this PUD to make this divisiveness in the Jewish people he says it's that that's an act of Amal okay so what does amalik do so we know that amalik they attack the uh the back of the group it [Music] says it says they attack B at the very top of the of the page this is from d and they attack those those that were tired those that were in the back of the uh the entire uh am Isel the stragglers thank you the stragglers look at what Rashi says Rashi says Rashi says these were the those that were lacking strength there were those in the back that were not as strong right those in the back that couldn't keep up easily with the rest now here Rashi says something else it wasn't there so they were tired but they were people with a little bit of less Faith because of their trans transgressions because of their sins that somehow they weren't keeping up maybe they didn't even really want to be with the rest of the people there was again a little bit of they separated themselves from the rest of the people it says that that cloud that was protecting the Jewish people that they were outside of that cloud that's that's rashi's interpretation of these so who did amalik attack amalik attacked that group it was that group that was outside that they removed from Amel that they destroyed from Amel so interesting R cook says to take that group those that are also maybe the those that are they may be the rebellious ones right they they are the Sinners and to remove them the way that a Malik removed them from Amel if you have any thought of removing them that's an amalik that's an Amal kind of action Amal took advantage of that group and for a Jew to kind of to take advantage of that group right not to honor them not to bring them in so that's an act of amik very interesting to to equate the two and um that's uh that's what R cook is doing in this piece what he's suggesting in this piece okay so here I want to share with you um two other two other ideas one is um what we say what's become very very popular we say it regularly but it's become like a a mantra so to speak over the last uh it's it's nine months now right I think I just saw that we we've reached the the ninth month that the the hostages yeah unfortunately so one of the things that we say is right all of us have been singing it been reciting it many shs after they say the they'll then include so where where is that found by the way what's the source for that so it's actually said every every week it's said on Monday and Thursday for the men that after the toe reading that's right right after the tow reading Monday Thursday morning it's recited I just have it here from the sitter so after the Torah is read on Monday and Thursday morning so then the kazin gets up and the kazin says right we're praying to so we ask a number of things of hem to bring back the and uh to protect us from AA Etc Etc and then we come to the end and then the whole congregation together says that we're thinking about our brothers and our sisters anyone who's In Harm's Way that Hashem should take them out of the darkness bring them to Gula bring them to Peace So I just heard this uh Rabbi deid GLI who's a rabbi who was from Baltimore originally Rabbi here in bees he quoted Rak Rak Z and he asked the following question he says why is it it's and then when we get to we don't say we don't say it should be the will of God to do the following so answered if we have if there ISU if we're brothers and sisters with one another you don't need Theon that's like an automaticon is when you're praying to Hashem please Hashem do the following but that that term or that phrase is not necessary when you have a when we're together when there's Unity we can kind of you know it speaks for itself that's right it speaks for itself and Hashem sees you're you're praying as a as brothers and sisters and you're acting and you're treating one another as brothers and sisters that Hashem responds to no need for for theat so I thought that was a uh I thought that was a beautiful idea um another idea which relates to uh to Unity and relates I think I I believe that it's what Ru cook is getting at as well in terms of how we think of unity like a vodar like a Malik I mean a vodar like those that make Division and a Malik like those that want to make a division the Jewish people there's a gar Bros that says the following the gamar says and it's in the ninth peric it's very difficult peric not because it's difficult the um the complexity of the argument but the topic is very difficult the ninth if anybody's into dreams interpreting dreams go to the ninth chapter of Bros and it's all about interpretations of dreams of what dreams what and what you see in dreams and what it means so one of the things that it says Amar I'll read it to you Amar this is the bottom of page three shal so it says if you see the following things in a dream that's a good sign for Shalom so you want to see these things in dreams by the way if you see these items in a dream it means that Shalom is on its way the shalom it's it's it's around the corner so it says shal shal there is the seur the Nahar a g if you see a river a bird or a kettle in a dream have you ever do you dream about kettles no okay Birds anybody Rivers no okay all right so we have to start dreaming about these things so um so what does that mean if you dream about a river a kettle or a bird so there is a great rashash today raron Feldman and schita he's uh one of the Elder Statesmen of the rash Shiva is the rash of n Isel he wrote a book about 20 30 years ago he was living in Israel at the time and the name of the book is the river the kettle and the bird and it's a uh it's a book all about marriage it's a book about marriage and how to have a happy marriage and a lot of good advice in that book and he says that the river of the kettle in the birth is based on the vagon again the vagon commenting on this gamarra well what does that mean what do they represent it's it's not just seeing a river a kettle and a bird so the river what does the river represent it represents a river that is found between let's say two homes you have a home on one side of the river a home on the other side of the river and people interact with one another it's a distant kind of relationship but there's a but there's a good relationship they can kind of share things with one another that's one kind of Shalom right one kind of Shalom you know you have a there's a fence between your home and the other you say good morning to one another you share what you need to share the river between you right that's one kind of Shalom I'm not sure if that's the the ultimate in shalom in close relationships and then he talks about the kettle the kettle the kettle what's a kettle so he says a kettle is where you have a combination of items that are working together you have the C you have the pot you have the fire beneath the pot you have the potatoes the beans The Barley that's inside the pot so now you have a much closer relationship of those items that working together they kind of recognize that they need one another right without the fire below without the kettle holding the items the food items so you can't have that you can't have that delicious dish you can't have the chalant right so that he says is the chalant I'm sorry that is the that's the shom and he says that's a kind of relationship which is really a higher level relationship in a marriage or between people and that is that we see that we really need one another that we can't function easily without one another and you appreciate what the other brings to the table and that's a second level of relationship but that's not the highest relationship right the highest relationship is that of the bird and the villon says the following about the bird and what does the bird represent the bird represents an animal that flies in the sky but also lives here on the Earth right it sits on the ground or it sits on a uh on a branch of a tree so it has wings it's able to fly it's a bird it's a it's an animal a species of the of the sky but is also a uh a creation of God that's here on Earth so you have one bird that incorporates two different Kos two different strengths and he says the ultimate in a relationship is where you see the two actually being one other than that he says is the ultimate in marriage the ultimate in a in a close relationship it's now that I just need something from you and it's not only that we work together nicely but we see that we are one in the same same that we're really that we work together as one that we share as we say ISO in that sense right that a body that we're we're body and soul that we are together and I think this is what Ru cook is referring to as well when he speaks about Amel that we don't just speak about a relationship that we care for one another or Aros that we we're responsible for one another but a sense that we are that's that we're one we're one body we're one organic being that is am and to break that that's AAR to break that is is an act of a Malik okay um let me conclude with the following and we can turn out to page four one last source that I want to share with you and Ru cook again he speaks about not creating PUD not creating divisiveness to see even the ram as we saw in this piece he said the ram also brings something first of all that are connected to Jewish people he says that you are to view them as sadik as well the fact that they're here the fact that they're part of am Israel so you should not call them Ram call them sikim they're sikim they're here they're here as part of the Jewish people maybe not only in you know not only in erit Israel but Jews that are part of the Jewish people and doing what they can so that's also a level ofus so we're about to see a source from one of the great aim he lived in the 1700s his name is Rabbi yakob Yeshua folk known as the pan Yoshua panu is considered to be one of the greatest of the akronim if you're in Yeshiva if you're studying in Lakewood in the Mir in slka wherever you are if you're a serious talmud student you are studying the pan Yoshua this is very high level material I would say that I've studied very little of P Yoshua throughout my years it's not easy material um and he deals with some of the most complex issues in the gamar but he's going to comment on a line of the gamarra which he doesn't usually do which is more of what we call the aada of the gamarra and the gamar says the following at the end ofos at the end of garos and if you go to the second column right in the middle it says sham amazar if you see that I think I have a little bracket there around it okay so it says amazar this is just a quote from the gamar and we could just take this quote and we could we could you know pack up our bags and just leave it there anyone who lives in the land of Israel Shu below Aon that person lives without sin that's the statement in the gamarra that's a gamarra statement that's the gamar say if you live in erel you're living without sin that's good right good to know right that's good for all of us to know now what's that no no matter what we do that's correct well that's exactly the issue that panosu is going to address well first of all I just want to I just want to take that in for a moment we can all take that in for a moment just enjoy it um but rev cook says rev cook says I believe that's part of what he's suggesting that anyone who's here you're here you're part of Amel you're waking up every morning in y in K in t Aviv inat wherever you are you're part of this nation you're sadik you're living here without that's what the gamar says the gamar says you're living without sin okay now the panua says well what do that really what does that really mean I mean how does that work I mean we can't walk around sinning and okay we're living erel so he writes the following and we'll just read a few lines I'm not sure if you've ever studied a p Yeshua so for that alone it's it's gai this morning so he writes the following near the way that I understand this is the following dka this gar is referring to in particular it's for somebody that's living in the land of Israel because they want to fulfill the Mitzvah of living in the land of Israel now I think by the way I think all of us can sign on to that right we've all come to aric Israel because we want to be part of this great Mitzvah of living in Israel so he says so it's not just anyone who lives in Israel he says if you're living here with that in mind do you want to fulfill the Mitzvah of living in Israel so yes you live here without sin this is a place of Kusa and then he writes and in order that erel protects you and you have this Merit of being in other words the person also has come to Israel with that in mind they've come to Israel because they want to live a more noble life a Holier life in Israel and with that if that's your intent and you've come to Israel you're living life in that way so in that sense you are forgiven for sin you are living without sin and here he writes the following now what happens when you sin in Israel I mean it's very nice to say that that we've come and I think I've tried I've come to Israel I think many of us that we've come here to live a more Sanctified life a Holier life a nobler life so he says if you've done that if that's your intent so erel has has that quality of uh that it's going to purify you but he says but how about the fact that okay you sin now now what so writes and even if every so often a person sins right it's only every so often if you happen to sin if it comes to your hand even something that you did even a pretty bad Sin right something that you intended to do nevertheless he says I believe that the Merit of is is going to affect you that you're not going to let it just sit that sin with that with that sin that you're going to literally carry it overnight in other words you're going to respond to that sin you're going to do chuva if you live in AR you're going to do chuva and here's the last line that we're going to read together the fact even after you sin the fact that you that now you're living in Israel so you're going to respond the fact that you're living here and you've sinned the fact that you have the surroundings the environment the very Israel so that's going to inspire you to do chuva in a way that one would not be inspired outside the land of Israel so first of all if you've come here with the intent of living here a Holier life so that he says that's already a very very special Mila and even if you sin here the fact that you're living in Israel with everything that's happening around you and so much cadua around you and positivity around you and all the holy things around you you're going to respond that's going to be that's going to help you that's going to Spur you on to do Chua in a way that you don't find outside of Israel I was on my way to be chesh last night and I was behind a truck it was a marzipan a marzipan Bakery truck you know marzipan yeah we all know marzipan okay so it had a picture of a big uh rugal on the back like a full-size rugal that I was inching along right behind that truck right right in the corner again on the back of this very large truck there was a bet know there's the big rugal and in the corner of that picture was bet which is right with the help with the help of hem and I thought to myself you know if I was behind a truck in traffic in New York I don't think I wouldn't see a rugal necessarily but I I certainly wouldn't see a Baya that I would be reading in front of right in front of me with the help of Hashem and I think that's what pan Yeshua is referring to that living in the land of Israel even if we sin even if we do do things wrong we're surrounded by so many beautiful things and so much kadua and so many things that remind us of Holiness and AEM and ofus and idealism that even if you've sinned that you're going to do chuva that's going to remind you that's going to bring you to do Chua so that's how he interprets uh how he interprets this line in the gar whoever lives in sh below Aon you're living here without any sin I think that's part of what RI cook the way that he sees am Isel the way that we need to see one another and one last line if you can hold on for one more minute is a that we say in we may not say it but it's found in tahim and it brings us to so D King David he writes to 122 he writes you don't have this I'm just read sorry you don't have it on your sheet he speaks about Jerusalem as a rebuilt City we're living in or almost now what does that mean it's a city that's it's a difficult phrase orra mean it's connected connected together so there are many interpretations in the what King David was referring to some say he refers to the Sha that it's a city that connects both the Heavenly yam and the bottom and the the yam that we're living in today today some say that refers to that the place of the B mdash is there's a combination it's Yehuda b y the the two tribes that share that spot I just want to read to you the following this is the gar in thei thei this is found in what does it mean that that's all right what does it mean is how do you translate that it's an ear this is this is the gamar what isra this a city of friendship of love that's what that's what D was referring to to rebuild this city is to make it an ear and what does it mean for all of us or many of us that are living inim what does it mean to be here it's to it's the city doesn't do it alone right I I don't know if it's maybe it's a little bit in the stones and the rocks of Yim but it's about the the people that are living in Yim and King David dreamt about this idea that that is the that's the power that's the strength that's the character of Y that those who live in that what the city is all about is a place of friendship of in that we're a city that we that we're all about friendship we're all about love and that we spread that message from that that's the message of the Jewish people the Holiness of of the uh of the B mikdash and the harabas and to be in Yim is to spread that message of Love of togetherness we should all be inspired by uh by ruk and by all of these beautiful teachings of the gamarra and of kazal that um that we work that we move towards uh towards that great Oneness that unity and of love for one another amen Yash