Rav Kook: Midot Haraya - Emunah: Pure Faith | Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider | October 29th 2025

All right, good morning everyone. Booker to great to see everyone this morning for being here this morning. The uh the year is dedicated and we thank our sponsor and it should be an okay so we uh we have this we have the honor this morning to continue our learning together of Ravk. Great to see everybody this morning and uh we're studying a uh a special work of Ravkok one of his he himself did not write the safer it was compiled by his son the cook it's about midot it's about character traits and improving character traits uh the first few weeks we studied the topic of aava which is love we looked at love of amra love of the world uh love of our fellow Jew and now we're turning to the next topic which is topic of amuna. What's interesting about the book is that the book goes in alphabetical order. So we have ahava and the next topic in the topic of character traits is amuna is faith faith in god and I think it's such a beautiful topic and uh a topic that all of us uh all of us think about all of us can use uh I know for myself in this area as well so let's begin in the following way and I'll uh I'll begin really with uh the way that Rabbi Salvich would talk about how we how we learn about Judah ism, how we learn Torah, how we learn about our faith. How is it that we learn uh about these character traits? Essentially, Rab Salvation says it's something that is a misora, something that's passed down. It's something that we learn. We learn it from our parents. We learn it from our grandparents. We learn it from teachers who teach us about amuna, about faith. And I think that's one way of thinking about where faith comes from, right? How do we develop faith in God? Amuna, faith in God, deep faith in God. How do we develop that? Again, one way of developing it and again I think about the the world of in the teachings of Rab Salviche. I think that Ra Salviche would say it's something that we pass down. It's something that we uh we receive from great teachers, from rabbis if we're blessed, from our parents, from grandparents, great-grandparents, and that's something that is passed down one generation to the next. Rufk has a a another perspective. I would say he doesn't disagree with that but he adds something else which is more of a mystical or spiritual idea and that's where I want to begin uh this morning and he writes the following and here we are taking from the from taking a passage from the book miday the section of and it's the 10th piece in amuna it's number one you're seeing a number one at the top of your page and then it's a number one or the letter yud and now we're reading the words of rkuk where does amuna stem from where is the root of faith in our lives the great faith that we have in God is that's found in the heart of a Jew there's no way of of uh there's no end to the the value the worth of that there's nothing quite like it in the world the way that a Jew and the way that the Jewish people have faith in God Israelit and even somebody who is an apicor somebody who rejects the idea of believing in God that person says is really filled with faith as well even more so if you look at the faith of other nations yes they have faith but it's not compared to the faith of a Jew and he says it's not even compared compared to the faith of somebody who is rebelling against God. That Jew has a great faith in God as well. Maybe they maybe they're rebelling because they're looking for something deeper. You know, I remember Rabbi Rabbi Schlommo Carlbach. You know the name Schlommo Carlbach. He says, "Why is it that so many Jews he was talking about the American scene in the 60s and the 70s? Everybody know Schlommo Carlbach, of course." So he said, "Why is it that Jews are not coming to Shul?" like why why is it that he's he's you know you have the three what they used to call a three day a year Jews they would come on Rashan Kiper or so many Jews they would never step foot so his answer was he said you know why they're not coming to shul because they're looking for something so much deeper than what the shul is offering them right they're coming to shul and they have a rabbi that's giving a sermon they have a caner who's singing and they don't want that they want depth they want the real they want the real thing right they want to feel close to Hashem they want deep Judaism So that that was his answer and to some degree I think that's Ravkok is saying here as well even the apicorus what we might call the apicorus that person is looking for great depth and a closeness with God the shel and even though the abicoras is might be uh might be teaching or believing in things that are considered to be kudos lightheaded the shira and that which appears to be rejection of God in the very essence of the soul. There is a light of God that every Jew wants that connection and has that connection with God and they actually have every Jew has a great thirst for the living Godesh to such a degree that even a Jew that at times says they're not a religious Jew observant Jew maybe even a co what we might call a kofair that there there are situations where that person would be willing to give their life for Judaism and for God. Okay, so that is the opening statement of Rafuk. He now continues and quotes from the following Gamarra. The Gamarra says alavar Sanhedrin which we're going to see in just uh just a moment. The gamared this is describing the story of Yeitzk who is giving a blessing and we're going to read this in a few weeks in the Torah. the famous story. He's in his tent and he wants to give the blessing to Asov, to his son Asov. And we know that Yakov makes his way in. He's wearing the clothing of of Asov. And according to Gamarra, he smells the clothing. That's I'm sorry that that's what the the puk says. The puk says he smelled the clothing and he smelled that was Asov's clothing that he was wearing. And here the gamarra says something that is a bit surprising and it says alikra biggadav don't read the word bigav that's one way of interpreting clothing but read it eldav now what does bogdav mean one that is rejecting one who is rebelling in other words that yitzk recognized that he knew that as was rebelling that's what the gamarra says it wasn't just bigav it was bogdav that he that he sensed that he knew about Asav that he was rebelling but even though he was rebelling he wanted to give him the blessing. Look at what the Gumarra says. And here again, Rivkuk is citing from the Gumarra. This is just a again a teaching from the Gumarra. This Gomorrah is found in San Hed Zion. And actually the opening line I added one more line is is a line that many of us I think all of us here are going to be familiar with. It's a teaching of he says look at the following verse. A verse in Shirim Haron, your temple, your beta mikdash is like a pomegranate that is split open. Okay, that's the P in Shirim. Here's the line that I think all of us are familiar with to some degree. What does Rakeh teach? that every single Jew even though they may appear that they do not have mitzvot that they are not saturated they're not filled with mitzvot they are in mitzvot they are filled with mitzvot like a pomegranate and we're all familiar with this right the rashana time and the pomegranate what it represents and it represents says rakish it represents that every single Jew even a Jew that we might call the apicorus a Jew that is distant from Judaism that that Jew has a great yearning for God. The nishama within the nama of every Jew is aut is a closeness and a yearning and a belief in Hashem. Every Jew has that that's what Rakkesh teaches. And then the next statement the gamarra is a statement that uh that cites that we can learn this teaching from the following that he smelled the fragrance or the stench of the clothing of Asav says the gamav don't read the verse that he smelled the clothing rather that he was a traitor. that Asov was a traitor, that he was rejecting a Jewish life, a life of belief in God. But what do we see from this? That wanted to give him the blessing that he saw in him that he still had a soul that was that would that had a desire to be close to God. And I just just reading the the the note in the Garra, meaning that even traitors and sinners among the Jewish people have qualities as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. Okay. So that is proof number one or a proof text for cook the idea of every soul of the Jewish people that they have the amuna within every soul's embedded of faith in God and longing for God. And then he brings another example as well. Kon Yakim ish sorero the yose mishuta and the story of these two individuals. And I'm sure you've never heard these names. I never heard these names either. These two individuals that are brought in a medish, a medish founder that they showed that which was really hidden in their heart with an amazing that they were willing to give their life. What came out at the end was really there um the entire time. But they were just influenced by a gentile world around them and there was a lot of pollution. There was a lot that covered their soul. But within their soul was a great yearning and a great faith in God. So I want to share with you what Rkook is referring to. He speaks about two individuals and is found in the gracious Rabba. Go to the bottom of the page, page one. And Rivkuk is citing this source. This is Midrash Rabba from Bracius from Paras Toldos. And it tells a story of a man by the name of Yoseph Mishittita or Mishuta and Yakum is insurro. So let's begin with a story. We'll tell one story of Yoseph Mashita. I'm going to read it to you from the Midrash. This fellow Yoseph Mishita Yoseph Mashita. It could be that he came from Shittita Mishittita was this is the bottom. I'm looking at the bottom of page one. Yose Mashita, I'm going to read to you the the midrash, the story that Rkook is is referring to. So, he rebelled against Judaism. He was not an observant Jew and he actually took the side of the en enemy. He became friends with the enemy. So, says the says the midrash. And if you want to just follow along with me, I'm I'm three lines down. Yashita when they were ready the enemies were ready to enter the beta mikdash let's find a Jew that will first go into the beta mikdash we don't want to be the first to step into the beta mikdash we don't know exactly what's going to happen let's find somebody and who did they find they find it they found this person yose mashita that he was going to go in amin they said to him. I'm on the second column. Go into the beta mikdash and whatever it is that you take out from the beta mikdash will be yours. It will belong to you. He went in. Well, what did he choose when he went in the beta mikdash? Well, there was a big golden minora and that's what he carried out. Not sure how he was able to carry the minora himself, but yeah, he carried the minora outside the beta the beta mikdash. When he came out, they said to him, "You know what? It's not really appropriate that a Jew should be using the minora. Give us the minora. You go in a second time and you find and you can find something and whatever it is that you want to take will be yours." Okay. Top of page two. Elman tiny. go a second time and that which you take will belong to you. At that point he said I am no longer entering the beta mikdash. Now this is somebody who was kair this is somebody who rejected rebelled against Judaism and here he is saying I will not enter the beta mikdashim. offered him three years of taxes that they would give him to go into the beta mikdash a second time but he did not accept it upon himself he said this yose is it not enough that I angered God one time that I should anger God a second time what did they do to him or they placed him says here on a carpenter's bench and they began to saw his body to cut his body into pieces. At that moment, this Yoseph again who was not a religious Jew, who rejected, who was a a kofair who rebelled against Judaism, he called out oi or vi cried out and he said, "Woe, oh that I angered my creator." So this is a story that Rafuk is referring to how somebody who it appears yes that they rebel against Judaism and yet at a moment uh at a moment of of uh of of stress a moment where their challenge that that love of God and that belief in God um came out and he says that that's true of every single Jew that embedded with that with in every Jew is a faith that we have in Hashem. Um, as I was uh as I was reading the story, I was thinking about many of the hostages that came out and some of the stories around the hostages um quote unquote many of them were not religious, right? They were not brought brought up in religious homes. They did not wear a kipah necessarily. They're not sham shabas necessarily many of them. but stories that came out of the faith that they had while they were in captivity and the faith that they found during that time. And this is what Ruk is is uh is suggesting or what he's arguing is that yes within every Jew within every soul there is amuna that there is faith in God. I want to just read to you the following. This is from an article that appeared actually in ter last week and it was in the Jerusalem Post. This is from Sivan Rakov Mayor who does a lot of writing and about stories of what's happening in the land of Israel. And she writes that not everybody is familiar with this part of the of uh the story of the hostages and the hostages um coming back uh back home which thank God just happened a couple weeks ago. So she writes the following just and I'll I'll share very very moving. She writes Eton Horn of Kipus near O returned from captivity shared that it was specifically in Gaza that he fasted on Yum Kipper. He's 37 years old and there for the first time in his life in Gaza he observed the holy day properly. Seed Kelphone recounted that when he saw all the Kamas men on stage all he wanted to do was climb on stage and shout out Israel. And now that he's home, he's able to say the Shmael freely with everyone around him. Bar Cooperstein said that the song that strengthened him most and again we're describing people that we don't necessarily think of as religious and the most observant Jews. Again, we see that they do have that. That's that's what Rook is teaching us that every soul really does have within within their soul a longing for Hashem, a deacus and a great faith in God. Bar Cooperstein said that the song that strengthened him most and that he sang to himself over and over again in Gaza in the tunnels were nima which means even in the darkest places when you don't feel God when it seems that he is hiding he is still there present with you wrote these words 200 years ago they took on new meaning in the kamas tunnels and Rob Braslavski Ram sorry Ram Braslavski shared that the terrorists offered to convert him to Islam promising him more food in better conditions if he agreed but he kept he kept on telling them over and over I am a strong Jew and now facing the cameras he said I want people to understand that they are Jews that they should do more mitzvot kamas did this to me only because I am a Jew a Jew must know that he comes comes from greatness that he's not like everyone else. Elia Cohen, who returned from captivity several months ago, told how much he missed wearing while held hostage by Kamas. He invented something both created and moving. Every morning, I would go to one side of the room and imagine putting on my fillin. I would go through the whole process step by step in my imagination. Sometimes I could actually feel the fillin on me. Omar Shmtov said this week how much he misses the connection he felt with God when he was in captivity, the closeness, the sense that he was speaking and that God was with him listening. He described trying to rediscover that elevated feeling. As she writes just a paragraph to close, all these remarkable stories are of course about them, but in truth they are about us as well. They reveal the depth of the Jewish soul, the power of faith, and the holiness of Jewish identity. The entire world has just begun reading the Torah from Brashit. You heard this last week back at the very beginning. We are all part of this story, and each of us can reflect, reach their own conclusions, and choose a small step forward because it's not only them, it's us. They remind us who we really are. So that is uh I think that very much captures what RKU is is suggesting here in this piece and what the Gamarra and what the Midra speaks about of individuals that we wouldn't necessarily say are religious and in this case the story of Yose Mashita that he was a co-fair that he took the other side that he joined the enemy but at a moment a moment of of suffering a moment where he had an epiphany and he realized how much he really believed in God how much he longed for God. This idea of Rafkuk that when we speak about faith we're talking about a faith that really is embedded within every soul is something that the Bal hata that the first labure writes about and actually becomes a very important part of Kabad teachings and I want to share with you the following. We know by the way the Rifuk is very much influenced by Kabad as well. This is from seafair the book the Tanya the classic work written by rsher zman of leyadi one of the celebrated passages one of the famous passages it's in per yudat and let me just read these three four lines we can read them together he writes the following this is the founder ofus and he writes in the tanya this is the middle of page two you must know the following those and he's speaking to those who believe in god and to to his students. even somebody that doesn't understand very much about God aim and a person maybe doesn't have the background or doesn't have the ability to to really understand the depths of what it means to believe in God what it means to uh the whole conception of God where a person's not able to conjure up feelings of of awe and of fear of God. This is something that is close to every Jew. It's something that is embedded within every Jew. Torah, every Jew has this potential and this yearning and desire to keep mitzvot and to study Torah that everybody in their mouths and in their hearts mish. This is what every Jew really has deep down inside. Maya in the depth of every heart in absolute truth with love and with fear. And here's the key line. And where is this love and faith in God? It's something that's hidden. It's something that's found in the death clal. And every single Jew has it. So whether you've been taught it, Rab Salvichek, I think, would say you need a mass, you need somebody to teach it. Ravkuk says you know what it's there it's part of the very makeup it's part of the DNA of what it means to have a soul what it means to have an ashama that it's believe lanu me abotenu this is something that we have received also as an inheritance as part of the DNA going back to our forefathers to Abraov sifka rael and leia this was the first rebi of kabad just to share a story about lababachbi lababachbi Ra Mendel Schneersen who was the seventh Rebi um heard the story the other day. So one of the he was in Australia you know they as everybody here knows they were sent and they continued to be sent throughout the world. This was the who was sent to Australia. Not easy to be that far from uh from Crown Heights and from Brooklyn. They were the rebies sending you to Australia uh the other side of the world. and he was there for a number of years and he came back to meet the Rebi to see the Rebi again. This is in the early years. And he came back to the Rebi and he spoke to the Rebi about the challenges and imagine what it was like in the I don't know the 50s and the 60s in Australia to be a Kabad very very different today. Um to land there and to try to to to try to make an impact and the Rebi saw that it wasn't easy for him and uh and he was really struggling like in that role. He spoke he gave him Kizuk and uh and then they were ending the meeting. Now, this fell was going back on a boat. I guess in those days, not everybody got on a flight. He was taking a boat back to Australia. The flight's quite long. Can't imagine how long it takes on a boat. And uh the rebby turns to him right before he leaves and he says, "Well, what is it that you're going to do on the boat ride back? The many days, I don't know, maybe even weeks to get back to Australia." So, he said, "I don't know. I'll do you know what you know what you're supposed to do. Well, you know, I'll I'll learn a bit and and I'll dive in every day and uh you know, try to make the best of the time. So, the Rebi said the following. This is what I want you to do. I want you to pack up when you're on the boat. I want you to pack up all of your anxieties, all your insecurities, all your questions. I want you to pack them up and I want you to throw them overboard. I want you to throw them in the water and when you come back to Australia that I want you to believe in yourself and I want you to believe that faith that you have in Hashem that Hashem is going to help you. That's what I want you to do on your way back to uh to Australia. So that's what the that's the Rebies the Rebi taught that Rkook is teaching that that that faith in Hashem that amuna is there the power that we have to believe in Hashem is there. It's embedded within within our hearts. is embedded within our nashama. What's interesting and here we go to the top of page three. This you know I think of this as really like aidic idea like a an idea that comes out of um and comes from sort of the more spiritual the mystical tradition but we have who's part of the what's called the great litish tradition where he writes the same idea. What's interesting it speaks about it speaks about the tests of au it says that auote that there were 10 tests that a went through in his life this is the top of page three I have it here in translation our forefather Abram was tested with 10 trials we're familiar with that has a commentary on pyavos called and he asked the following question he says we have other Mishnote where it quote where it says says Abraham, but it doesn't say Abraham. Ainu says this is the only Mishna Peravos where it says Abraham. Ainu. Why here does it say specifically Ainu? Abraham our forefather. And gives the following answer. It says Ainu here to teach you that these 10 tests that he went through that he established something within his soul that he passed on to generations afterwards. He's our forefather in a very very deep way that we have a piece of that nishama as well. We have part of that DNA that goes back to our just to read the following uh the the second paragraph. Even the simplest this is a translation of even the simplest unlearned Jew is willing to sacrifice his life alidesh to sanctify Hashem. In other words, just as Afram was willing to do that in the second paragraph, page three, uh, under that 54, it's peric Mishnadal. We inherited this talent from Abraham who himself was thrown into a fire as a consequence of his faith, which we're reading this shabas actually. Again, this story doesn't appear in the Torah itself, but the story of Kipana is and uh why do we have where where does a Jew have that that strength and that courage it comes from Arau that we have it within us? And I'm going to ask you the following question. Where did we get the strength? And I think everybody just about everybody in this room made aliyah. We were not born here in Israel for the most of most of the people sitting in this room. Where did we get that strength to make that decision to come to Israel? Where to come from? Right? I look back and I think about like how did I do that? Like how did I get up with my wife and my family and and to actually to leave New York? I can still like picture that scene of like packing all of my books and packing everything in the house and how did I make that decision? Like that's not an easy thing to do. So he writes the following. He writes and and this is really this is translation of our willingness to abandon family and friends and move to the holy land. Where did we get the strength to do that? It's actually beyond just strength and courage. It's actually within us. It's actually is derived from Abraham's trial of leaving his home and moving to the holy land that he was able to do that is something that we receive within the nishama within the spiritual DNA of uh of a Jew. Okay. Um so what does it mean? What does it mean when we think about this idea of uh of faith and amuna really being within us that's embedded within our nishama sort of a it's not an easy like idea to grasp kind of a very spiritual or metaphysical idea to say that faith is not something that we learn it's something that is very much a part of us I think one way of of looking at that idea is um to think about simple faith as well what's called immunup there was this faith that we learn which is more more sophisticated ideas about God and then there's the idea of just what's within us which is the simplicity of faith and this is something that speaks about and what we're about to read I would say is one of is a line that everybody here knows and it's been turned into a song as well and it's probably the most maybe the most famous line of breast that he ever taught he taught a lot and here we are likut moan this is the great work of of breast tanina bay and he writes the following vid everyone needs to know says and he teaches aler that everybody needs to cross a narrow bridge that's right called he doesn't have it that way by the way that's added in that song so he writes just everybody this is the language from this is the actual this is the original text and what's essential and what is the general you know the general rule so to speak that's interesting also I saw one of the commentaries says it doesn't say or it says here which means to cause undue fear or anxiety to oneself self. Now you're going to be afraid. Other words, when you face difficulty in life, right, and challenges in life, you're going to be afraid. But how do you assuage that fear? In other words, the fear is going to be there. Don't cause more fear than than there needs to be. And the way to do that is with belief in Hashem. And then and the student of Brelv writes a work like Halakos, which is really based on his teachings. And he writes it in the following way. This is Rebi. This is Raasan of Neov. The way that he writes this teaching from his Rebi and he just I think it's just for our for our learning this morning. I think it's worthwhile just to see the language. What's essential ine should not cause again you could translate this cause fear that is not necessary fear at all. fear we're going to have, right? Fear we're going to have when you have then you have to go to the dentist and you know you're fear is going to be there. But how do you get through it, right? So you get through it with that belief in he quotes his in this world. We all are going to be crossing narrow bridges, right? There going to be narrow bridges in life. It's not going to be easy to walk that bridge. Do not be afraid. Do not cause more fear. Believe in Hashem. Shalom. How is it that we're going to make our way across these narrow bridges in life without fear? It's the holiness of faith of having faith and a simple faith in Hashem. And here I want to share with you the following from Rkook. Rifk and I have it in translation. This is from the works the a work called Vatim. That's the S and the K at the endatim. And he speaks about the faith of a child. The faith of a child, the purity of a child. And this is translation. And I thank Re uh Rabbi Schwarz who has a beautiful two volumes of translations. I've re some people have asked me over the last couple years what to uh uh what to read in Rivuk. If they want to start RV cook, I always recommend his books. Um What's his full name? >> His name is Ari Zev Schwarz. Ariv Schwarz and he has two volumes. Uh one is called the uh the spiritual revolution of RV cook and I don't remember the the second one also is a very similar the spiritual wisdom of RV cook something like that. Um very very very worthwhile. So here he has the following. The purity of a child contains within it universal purity. The desire for a life of natural purity pulsates within a child without any dirt or contamination. The holy expression of pure child includes within it the most powerful and clear spark of the idealism of life. And through this holy expression is able to bring to life bring the life of the world to its actual actualization. Therefore the world is sustained on the breath of children. The garra and chabas the world is sustained in the breath of children. Meaning that pure faith is the foundation of the world. The thought and one more quote from Ravkok. The thoughts of faith, the illuminating awareness, divine greatness, the relationship to God, the certainty of God, the depth of purity and honesty. These are all qualities of a child. And if you turn now to the top of page four, Rabbi Salabek has a beautiful vort insight. Again, a para that we're going to read soon about the life of Sara. This is actually the para where Sarah's life comes to a close. We're all familiar with the opening of the para where it says these were the years of Sarah's life 100 years 20 years and 7 years everybody asked the question right why is it broken down in each part why not just say 127 years so Rabbi Salvich gives the following answer and look at hear the words of Rabbi Salvich The idealism of youth quite often shines through the eyes of the gray beard. In fact, rape pe great people are sometimes great children. They are rich and multi-talented because of their age. They are beautiful because of their honesty and sincerity. Sara was concurrently 7, 20 and 100 years. She was simultaneously very old and very young representing the aged the adult and the child. So according to salvation why does it say that she was 100 20 and seven? Because when she was 100 she was also 20 and she was also seven that she never lost that naivee the purity of being a child. the faith just that pure faith of a child that knows nothing else other than loving their mother right loving their father holding on a child and we and that childish faith or childlike is a better word childlike faith is something that we need to have as well that's cook says that what's that's what Ra Salvvesic says when we talk about amuna we talk about an amuna that's embedded within us I think one way of thinking about that is just the simple faith in Hashem that we need to have I think it's true looking at looking back at the last two years with all of the all the challenges and all the death and of soldiers and of hostages and everything that was so difficult and uh all the sirens in those times we really need just that pure just that simple faith in God right I believe in you Hashem and I believe that there's there's providence that is the hand of Hashem even though I don't know it but as a child just to say I believe without anything fancy without any of the sophistication there's a lot sophistication around it as well. And what does it mean? And what does it mean that God oversees and what does it mean that God knows the future? But putting all of that aside that there's a place and RV emphasizes that who's the brilliant RV and Rabbi Salvich emphasizes as well and breast right the idea of just the simple faith that there's a time for that simple faith and just to kind of be able to uh to retrieve that faith from within us to turn to that simple faith especially in times of uh in times where we are challenged. Uh there was a great rabbi who lived not far from here who lived a few blocks from here. And um so he had the interpretation of the following. This apostle that we say when the Torah is taken out which means that every person is that all of us cling to Hashem and then we say now you he said many people ask a question well can you really feel that closeness to Hashem is that really possible for like the typical person I understand like sadikim can kind of get there but how does the you know the average person feel that sense of debus of clinging to God and faith in God. And he said that the itself is teaching us that everyone can do it. Again, what's the the language of the means in your life, in your own life, it's something that you can do means that every single person has the ability to do it. And what is it means today right now that we can do it as well. It's not something that that requires to some degree you could it doesn't require work. It just requires that simple faith that we have in Hashem that's embedded within us from Arainu and um and that Hashem has given us. Okay. Two other um two other sources that I'd like to share with you. And I was just walking I was actually walking from the U the new U office. I walked from the office to the class this morning. And yeah, it's a nice walk about 40 It's a 4550minute walk. Yeah, it was good. It would take double the time on a bus with all the construction. So I decided I decided to walk. So the walk is through Maya Sharim. So what did I see in May for the first time this morning? I saw that the oil are is out that they're selling for Kaneka that the wicks are out. They're bringing them out. It's time. We're getting close. We're just about what five six weeks away. I'm waiting to see the Sufani out. I don't think I've seen them yet, but um we're getting close. What? You saw them? I'm sure they're out. >> You had one already. Okay. U So, so I want to just one quick idea and this is it's a Kaneka, but it's really it's it's it's uh it highlights this very beautiful idea. What's the story of Kaneka? So, it's in a few lines in the Gumarra, and I'll just read to you the lines in the Garra. Again, good preparation. We're we're preparing early for Khan. It says when the house of the is the middle of two. This is quoting from the Shabas. When they overcame the uh the Greeks but they found only one jug and on it there was the seal of the there wasn't enough oil except for a single day. Actually says seven more days. Interesting. Some some gear in the gar says eight days. Here it says there's the whole story. That's the gamarra by the way. That's the Gar surf cook says what is the symbolism of the story? The symbolism of the story is that within every Jew, there's also that pak she what does it represent? that with everything that is whirling around us and all the different influences and sometimes we may forget and the Jew forgets and the Jewish people forgets just that simple the simplicity of faith in Hashem that just like that pak sheman that had the seal of the co-engal within the nish of every Jew there is the seal of the co-engal we are co-enike and we have a pure oil within us we have that purity of faith that purity of amuna and that's the that's what he says and I'll read to the last four lines in this is from his I'm reading if you want to see the words of four lines up five lines up right in the middle of the line every single Jew has an aspect of every single Jew has a little bit of a coin within them we're all part of a nation called that every single Jew has a chuka. What's a chuka? A what? A passion. We got a passion. Desire. There's an inner desire and a passion. The for a holiness of life to know the Torah and to walk in the ways of the Torah. It's found deep. There's not a Jew that does not have it. Every single Jew and each of us have it as well. We have a nishma that is a cohenike nishma that is a pure nishma that is um that's like the purity of the oil and it's going to light. It's going to light up. At times it diminishes a bit at times it's covered a bit but there's tremendous potential and potential of love of hashem closeness of hashem and amun of hashem. Yes please. >> I'm finding this very idealistic. >> It is very idealistic. Yeah. [laughter] the relation of the Jewish people for 15 years. >> Ah >> and I studied it and I you know there's a midash that says Hashem says if only they rejected me but kept my Torah. >> Yes. >> I think there were tens of thousands of Israeli secular Israelis >> don't believe in God. >> Yes. >> But they're proud Jews who know the ethical moral teachings of >> So that's that. So in other words, they haven't learn. >> So I think no, no, I think I think your question is a great question. Something that I thought about as I was learning this materially as well. I think Rabbi Salvich would agree with you and would say that that yearning is not really a yearning for God per se. It's really a yearning for morality and ethics. Ravkuk would say no that the soul of a Jew has this dimension at the very core at the very essence of every Jew there is an issa an isma that is a piece of Hashem is a spark of Hashem and we yearn for Hashem and we have faith in Hashem that is a more spiritual maybe cababalistic mystical idea believes it the balatanya believes it as well um the founder of kabad and that by the way we mentioned last that's why kabad will say come here put put on a pair of fillin because I know the moment that you put on that fillin, you're going to feel it. Your soul connects to it. And a a woman that's going to light candles Friday night that never lit candles, it's going to light up the soul. In other words, that energy is there. Yeah, I'll tell you a story. I was a rabbi in uh in Mount Kisco, New York. I don't know if anybody knows where that is. Mount Kiscoco, New York is in upper Westchester. And uh one of my congregants, Zra, blessed memory, his name was uh L Solaf. You probably don't know that that name. Uh he was part of a band called Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Anybody know that band? He Oh, good. Um and he was on the album. He was part of the band. They had that number one song, Spinning Wheel. Remember Spinning Wheel? >> Okay, good. So, he was a great trumpet player. is a world-class trumpet player. So his name was Loloff. So one day he came over to me, not a shammer shabas, not a religious fellow per se. And he came over to me and said, you know, my name is Lu Solaf, but it's really Salvetic, my last name, that my family changed the name at some point. >> So his name was Salvetic. So I said, you come from the Salvic family. And Salvetics are Levian, by the way. They're all Ley. He himself was a Levy. And I said that the genius that you have, you know, that you're you're a world-class trumpet player, you're a famous trumpet player is because you come from the line of Lim. You know what Levim did in the beta mikdash? They played the trumpet. They played music. They're great musicians. And I said that you have the nishama, that you have the DNA that goes all the way back to the original Levim as well. That's what I told him. I don't think he he I don't think he bought it, you I don't think he he believed it but that's what I said like as a way to uh to be masim what did he say I mean he liked the idea I don't you know I don't know um but that that's that's the way that rufkook and the way the balatania the way that he see that they see a Jewish person that a Jew has an ashama that is connected number one going back to Abraham a DNA that we go back of somebody that was willing to give their life mus nephesh and belief in hashem and that even in a deeper sense that hashem creates the soul of a Jew in a unique way that we have a spark. We have a a nit a spark of godliness within us that connects us with Hashem and that's the faith that we have. That's the vacance that we we have with Hashem whether we learn it or not. And that's and I I think those stories that we shared of uh of hostages coming out and they're they're yearning for something Jewish. The question is where is that coming from? of of all things that they could say when finally they're freed after hundreds of days that I want fillin that I want that I want chabas that I want sitsus like where where does that come from and let me just end with the following um you can look at the last source on your own and just one other what I saw this week and I'll I'll just one minute just to close is um there was a a a woman who lost her husband her name was Rachel Goldberg >> Rachel Goldberg Yes. >> Um, not Hersh's mother, Rachel Goldberg, right? Rachel Goldberg, she's a widow. And her husband, Avi Goldberg, was killed in Lebanon as part of part of the wars of the past. And she got married. She got married this this past week. >> And she has young children. She actually lives not that far from me. I see her. What? >> She has many children. Many children and young children as well. I saw this beautiful clip that she was as she was walking to the Koopa getting married one year later after her husband was killed with all the children behind her, all of her children walking her to the Koopa. >> And people were just talking about the faith of this woman a year later after losing her husband to be able to get up literally to get up from Shiva from that morning and to marry. This is actually he taught in a school called Himlarb and this is another rabbi who teaches in Himlarb. He lost his wife a number of years ago and they started dating and here just a year later that they married and you talk about the faith of amusel right the faith just that pure faith in Hashem to be able to start again after tragedy after challenges after trauma um I think it's something that this is what Rkook sees in Ami Israel sees in every Jew we need to see it in ourselves right that through getting through difficult times that we have the potential that we have it within us to do that to get through the most difficult of times with faith in Hashem. As says a lot of narrow bridges to get across, but we can do that because we hold on to a faith in Hashem and because we have it within us. And as Rafuk teaches and Kaba teaches, we also need to see it in one another, right? To see that nama to see that potential of faith like even when it's not apparent, right? Even where it's what's called the kofair and the the rebel, the one that's rejecting God. No, it's not true. You you believe. You believe. Okay. You have to we have to find a way to to share that in a way that's going to speak to you. Um and one last word. We just started last night and this morning tal the winter season is now here. We're praying for rain. With that rain, we should pray for a lot of that Hashem should bring down. Have faith that Hashem in this season should bring a lot of rain, physical rain to the land of Israel, but should shower us with a lot of braha because of our faith uh in Hashem. All right, we will stop here. Thank you very much for joining us. Everyone have a good week.