Rav Kook: Midot Haraya - Introduction | Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider | September 3rd 2025

Just before we begin this year, I just want to uh with the learning today, we pray for auh bas. Okay. Um so I welcome everyone and uh I hope everyone is doing well and as I said wonderful to see everyone back. There are Yes, there are sore sheets at the uh at the entrance on the way in. There's a table with sore sheets and uh yeah, I recommend that everybody there. I think there should be plenty of sore sheets and recommend that everyone have one. All right. So this uh bezatashem bezam with God's help we uh we are about to embark on the study of RVuk. But unlike last year where we were doing different topics in RV cook in the Ashkafa RV, we are going to be looking at one particular safair of RVuk and that is known as midotaya. The midot of Rkook of Ravit. This was a safe that Rkook did not write himself but it was compiled by his son Rasu the Cook. I believe that it was first published in and uh but everything in the book everything in the book are is from the writings of Ravk and what we have in the seafair and this is uh what we please God have this to embark upon is to think about the midot to think about character traits think about how to improve in different areas how to have a greater kvatim a greater closeness to Hashem and to see in particular particular what was it that Rafkuk highlighted of the mid of the different characteristics that a Jew is to focus on and uh and to work on. So that is the uh the topic that we're going to be looking at today and it's inana. It's the topic of the day meaning that here we are in keshul and uh this is very much what keshul and moving towards rajashy what these days are all about and that is a self-reflection self-examination where we can improve in our conduct and our behavior in our vodatem. So I think it's it's a beautiful topic, a perfect topic to uh to begin at at this time and please God one that we're going to look at in the coming weeks in the coming months together. Ravkuk in the book Midotaraya he addresses 18 18 different midot the number 18 is always a special number he has 18 different midot so we're going to make our way throughout the year looking at the different midot that Ruk addresses that he highlights and uh and not only in a philosophical way or a hypothetical way but a way in which we can uh be inspired by that that we can incorporate these ideas into our own religious life and in our service to Hashem. in our avodas hashem. So let me begin with the following anecdote which is a well-known anecdote by the way when we talk about midot when we talk about muser I would think for many of us what comes to mind is the great rais saler rais salant zatal going back to the early 1800s. So he begins to really talk about and emphasize this idea that Jews need to think about their conduct, need to think about their behavior, need to do what he called something that we need to do on a regular basis and that is to make an assessment to to look in the mirror and uh and to think about who we are and where we are in life and the constant growth that we that we need to do. So there's a story that is uh one of the most well-known stories about Ravi Salaul Salanter and that is that one evening as he was making his way back into town he saw that there was a shoemaker that had his shop open where all the shops were still closed he was still working on a pair of shoes and he walked into the shop and he said you know it's very late maybe it's time to close and to go home and the shoemaker said the following to Ravi Salanter he said as long as the flame is still burning he had a candle on the table as As long as the flame is still burning and there is work to do, I can continue to fix I can fix the shoes. So as Rabi Salanter left the store, he said how profound that idea is and how true it is for life as well. As long as the flame is burning, as long as we are living, as long as we have an ashama within us every single day, there is work to do. There is work to do and we can fix, we can continue to fix, right? we can continue to improve on our lives and who we are and becoming better and better people and better in our vodas hashem better in our so that's uh in a nutshell in a word I think that very much captures the teachings of muser the teachings of midos and as we'll see in a moment um rufk was very much influenced by the teachings of rabies salant that he felt that he was very much a rebi to him even though he never met Rabi salanter we'll see that in a moment. Uh but but right before we do that, you know, if we think about kazal, if we think about where do we find this in our sources? Where do we find it in Mishna? Where do we find it in gamarra? The idea of self-examination of nephesh of improvement. Where do we find that? Where where do we find that idea? I think you can find it in many many different sources. But I want to highlight one source which is a source I think that's familiar to all of us, very familiar, but it could be that you never read it this way. And it's a Mishna that's found in Peravo. So it's on the page. It's on if you want to turn the page to the side if you want to. It's page one. It's the Mishna Mishna perishiml. And it's a statement that's made by Hill which I think we're all familiar with. And this is a reference to Hill that he would say if I'm not for myself, if I'm not for myself, who will be for me? If I'm only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? So that is a statement of it's a beautiful statement. But the question is what does that mean exactly? If I am not for myself, who am I? If I'm only for myself, who am I? And so I want to look at the Rambam. The way that the Rambam has the the way that he interprets this Mishna and this is very very significant when we talk about the perish of the Rambam. The way the Rambam understands what Hill is saying and he says the following. I have it here again. Now you can turn the page straight if you want to look at the uh the language of the Rambam. I'm just going to read read through the Hebrew of the Rambam. And here you have it in translation as well. So what was Hill referring to? Amar Hill was saying the following. If I myself am not going to motivate myself, inspire myself in order to reach greater virtue. Who is going to do it for me? That's what it means. Anili. In other words, I need to take responsibility for my actions, for my behavior, for my conduct. Nobody else is going to do that for me. So that's the way that he interprets the opening statement. And then what's the second statement mean? So he says, being that I'm the one to choose the path that I'm going to take, I can look at myself and I can ask the question, well, what really have I accomplished in life? So he's asking the question, what have in a in a humble way, what really have I accomplished as a person? many what good thing has come from meal I am not yet a whole person so an interesting way that the Rambam interprets the second phrase of meaning when I look at myself when I take a close analysis of who I am and my actions what have I what have I really accomplished and then what's the last statement and if not now says the and hill was saying the following and if I don't work on these personal virtues of attaining virtue and becoming a better person at this point when I am young when am I going to then acquire them is that something that I can do as I become old in life it's going to be very difficult to do that to make change. If you wait till the last minute so to speak once a person becomes accustomed to acting a certain way then that becomes established in a person's nature and therefore and he quotes at the end that they train a person when they are young. So the Rambam says something really magnificent and I would say an interpretation that I that I was not familiar with when I read this Mishna that it's all about self-improvement. This is what Hill was saying. I need to take responsibility and do what I can each and every day in terms of a self improvement. When I look at myself when I make an assessment of myself I ask the question I really have it accomplished. I am not shalim in the sense that I would like to be fully shal and if I don't do it if I don't do it now if I don't take advantage of the opportunity now it's something that can easily slip through my fingers. So that's the way that the Rambam interprets his Mishna. The Misha is a reference to maote tovote and mido tovote and how a person is to improve and to take advantage the first of all the responsibility to do it and to take advantage of uh of that opportunity. Okay. So that I would say just an interesting source according to the Rambam this is the Rambam's interpretation. This is what Hill is highlighting and the importance of working on on mido the importance of nephesh the importance of of self-examination and a constant effort to grow as a Jew and as a person. Okay. So here I want to talk about just for a moment Rabisel Salanter and the influence that he had the impact that he had on the life of Rkook. So if you look at source number two, this is a description of Ravkuk when he was 18 years old when he heard about the passing of Ravis Salanter and this comes from a uh one of the additions of Mido Taraya with an introduction and in in the introduction it speaks about the relationship again a relationship that they never had a personal relationship but the way that he looked up to and the way that he felt that he was impacted by Rabis Salanter and I read the following source number two on page one. when he was a young man was young the idea of being engaged in Muser and thinking about and working on one's midot that was something that was that was something that was central to the life of Rkook and to the thinking of Rafuk from a certain perspective who shall saler He saw himself as a student of Rabis Salanter Masuatar who was the founder of the Musubin Rabis Salanter Miss and the story is told when Ravuk was 18 years old Raisant when he heard about the passing of Rab Sald he tore his garment he did crea He took off his shoes, his leather shoes and he participated or observed the laws of a that day like the law of Talmud when your muak when your main rabbi passes away that the says you have to observe certain laws of aut's connection the way that he felt that salant even though he never studied with him and that's the last line even though he never saw sal in his life but he felt that this teaching the muser and midote was something that was so important and something that he received from rais sal that he considered to him to be like a rebi mufak okay that was when he was 18 years old and now just if you can turn for a moment to the next page which is which is 1b and just to see yes is >> what he >> what was the age of Ravk? >> Um he was born in 1865 and he ca and he arrives in 1904. >> 34 38 >> 38 Okay. >> Thank you. Um so that's at the very beginning of RV Cook's life when he's 18 years old. No. 56. You said 1857. >> 1865. >> And he arrives in 1904. Yeah. Um, so in 1933 1933 and this is actually 2 years before RV Cook passes away. It was the 50th anniversary of the yard. It was the the yard site the 50th anniversary of the passing of Rabies Salanter. And at that time Rafuk writes he gives a eulogy and we have a written eulogy that he gave a memorial that he gave for Ravi Salanter and uh and it was translated as well. So I just want to read to you just one paragraph from that eulogy that he gave from for Rabis Salanter and again with this to appreciate what it is that we're about to uh that we're about to engage in in terms of the study of Muser and Midot and why Rabis felt that it was so important to do so. So this so if you look on page I have a 1B at the top where it says the holy of Israel is also a blessed memory a eulogy on the 50th anniversary of his passing 1933. The theme this is R of Cook writing and I believe this was a eulogy that he gave uh again this is on the 50th anniversary and then it was put in writing as well. It was published the theme which encompassed his entire life. This is Ravuk describing the life of Ravi Salaul Salanter. The theme which encompassed his entire life was inventing a comprehensive bandage that would heal every type of illness that afflicts the soul. He wanted it to be effective for the simple masses on their level and for the elite, the masters of Torah, reverence and wisdom on their level. And here's the main main point that I want to share with you. He noted how profound the disease of distraction from self-examination is. how people are preoccupied either with their daily physical concerns or with their own intellectual fixations and no one thinks of trying to find himself in the storm of life. So Rabisel Solante this goes back to the 1800s mid 1800s and he's writing about or what he's addressing is that people live a life where they're easily distracted and they're not thinking about themselves. They're not thinking about their growth. finding themselves in the storm of life. And I think about today if there was distra distraction then distraction that we have today. There's so much that we are distracted by and we often don't take the time to think about our own um our own lives and how we and and improve and how we improve and thinking about our midot and thinking about all different areas of our spirituality. As a result, pure reverence slips away from the people's hearts. And as a result, as I'm sorry, and as a result, all of their traits and actions become corrupt. Our generation degenerates and the situation poses a danger to the standing of Torah and true Judaism, God forbid. Okay. So that is again in a nutshell in the way that R cook in the eulogy that he gave for Rabi Salanter one of the items that he highlights and that is the the uh the danger of distraction and the importance as Ravi Salaul Salanter taught of on a regular basis. It could be on a daily basis, on a weekly basis that a Jew takes time for muser that a person takes time to think about their lives and to read and to hear lectures and what we're going to engage in as well. Please God, over the year in studying Muser ideas and character improvement. Okay, beautiful. So, let's now look at the following. And now we enter the book midaya. And that how do we enter the book of midotaya the way that Rkook does. And that is the bottom of page one. The bottom of page one which is three and four and in translation five and six. And before he enters any of the midot and as I said he's going to address 18 different areas of midot. Before he does so, there are two statements that he has as an introduction to the book and um and to the process of looking at mid. So this is the bottom of page one where you see number three. There's an alf on top. I'll read it in the Hebrew and translate the you have the translation below as well. refinement of midot that we are to use our intellect in the pathway of intellect who km heresh oresh it comes first or it's necessary before the emotional response the way that we're going to address improvement and self-improvement is it requires a careful analysis it's not enough just to respond to it emotionally we need to think about first of all to identify what is it that we need to improve and then how to go about that improvement right am I getting angry okay am I angry too often first to identify that that is an issue and then how is it that I'm going to make a tikun how am I going to fix that so says that requires first step is and then the next step is an emotional response to If you can't identify what is good and what is badish, how is it that you're going to feel or you're going to address? How is it that you're going to now acquire goodness in a natural way that it's going to become a part of you? that it's going to be something that's going to be lasting and that you're going to be able to distance yourself from the ra where that ra becomes something that is or potentially can become something that is natural to you after that becomes hairgill where you become accustomed to doing it. So the first lesson that he teaches is the importance that this is something that requires a careful analysis and it's not something that you can just um address in an emotional way that I feel bad that I act this way that I feel guilty about that that's yes that's part of it but it needs a a what what the language that he uses is dot that it needs intellect that it's something that requires a careful analysis first to identify And then to address the uh how to correct things and then number the uh bet where I have here number four on the side the other introduction that he has to the he says that every good there can be certain faults that come along with that mida and this is what's required for a full-fledged avod um in this area to bring to light that you bring to light the good that they are absolutely that they are cleansed that they don't have any and this I think is really addressing a very high level and that is that in every mida that the mida should be a spectacular mida a perfect a pure mid I heard a story recently of um of Rash Moan Orbach Zatal. He was one of Gdole Torah of his past generation. Actually lived just a few blocks away here in Shared. And um on Shabas he was walking on the street here just a few blocks away and he sees a young man with his elderly father and his father is carrying a stack of chairs. So he saw he kind of thought that there was a little bit strange that here you have the young man and the father is the one that's like shleing all the chairs on chabas. So he stopped them and he said well why is it that your father is is carrying the chairs. So he said to he said well I don't hold of the af here in the community but my but my father does. So um so in his so you see he the mida was a good mida in other words he's careful in but you need to be very precise and very careful in terms of that it's that it's absolutely cleansed so he writes in his safer or I think his children put together grandchildren of the the teachings of that he felt that that was incorrect that he felt that when you have a mitzvah of kava and an issue about the auv So again this is where a careful analysis of mito become uh become essential. Uh if you turn to the next page I I'll share with you two really beautiful ideas of rivk which really um which come from the very beginning of our dvening and uh to think about midot and actually within shak as we start our dvening that's actually on page it's on page two on the top that's a page two on the top it says about midbar on the top. We're going to skip that source for now, but we're going to just go below where it says um if you see that on the page. You see where everyone see where I am? It's it should be there should be a number two on the top of the page if that didn't get cut off. This also says Bidbar on the top of the page and below that it says UNL. We're going to we're going to skip that for a moment, but we're going to now go to the uh the following source. two different places in our deting as we begin each day where we address at least from we'll see Raf Cook has a very interesting interpretation where we are already addressing the idea of midot and um and working on those midote. So here this is a fascinating fascinating insight of cook. So one of the we say every morning we thank God for the ability to to walk that you prepare the steps of man as we begin our day and we begin to walk. So we thank God for that. So Rufuk has the following interpretation. Well, first he says and I'll just read to you. We'll read the the opening lines here. It really is wondrous. It really is quite miraculous that we have the ability to walk. The fact that we have that balance and we kind of just take that for granted, but we balance our body, right? We can be six foot six feet in the air and somehow we are balancing all that we're standing straight and all of that we have just these little feet right on the bottom. the base is very very small and yet we're able to to stand straight. Not only can we stand but that we can run. We can run very quickly and all of that we kind of take for granted but that's a really a gift and that is somewhat of what he calls ple pain. It's a miracle. It's quite a wondrous thing that we're able to do that the loi polar that we don't fall to the ground as we're standing as we're walking and to thank God for that. So the balance that we have and he says that that's that it really comes from a sense of balance and that God gives us and we know God forbid if we don't have that balance in certain diseases and and uh as we get older sometimes that's not a simple thing but that is a uh that's a braha that we have and to be to be aware of that but then Rafuk goes on to say that balance that we speak about in terms of walking or running that there's a balance also in life he says and in our mido is well and that's what this refers to if you um and I underline um just if you skip a few lines down right in the middle when it comes to the the makeup of man of the soul of manag there are many different and I think here let's talk about different midot different midot where a person has to find the right balance and the purpose and the goal that we find that right path in life. So, we know that we're supposed to be compassionate, but it's not always a time to be compassionate. There's a time for hatred. There's a time for anger as well and to be able to to balance those two things, right? is a time that we are to be benevolent that we are to be giving but there's a time that we need to restrain ourselves to refrain from giving as well so to find the right balance and he says that that is what this braha is about as well that we're thanking God for that for the ability to do that and I think we can also think about as a prayer to Hashem as well that we should find the right balance in the midot in the decision making throughout the day so that's the way number one how RKU interprets an interesting interpretation of mit the balance and um I'll I'll just share an interesting story actually from Ravis Salant uh he also talks about the schllemut and the balance of a person and he believes that you really need to study muser in order to have that right balance and to reach aut personality. So there was somebody that came to Rabi Salant and he said that there was a certain that uh that learned muser that he incorporated every single day in his study and that's what Rabi Salant what he suggested that everybody should set aside time on a regular basis to do so. So this person said this he would have been that much greater if he didn't study Muser all the time because he's taking so much time for Muser he could be studying Talmud and studying he would be that much greater. Rabi said, "I'll answer you the following with the following." He says, "The says that if you have on the table, if you have to make, you're making amotsi, you're going to have bread. You have a very small a very small roll on the table, a full roll, a whole roll, or you have a very, very large loaf of bread, but it's a broken piece. So, which of the two do you make a braha on first?" >> What? >> The whole one. >> The whole one. That's right. The whole even though it's this tiny whole one. So he said about this, okay, he might know a little less learning, but he's whole. He has the right because he studies muser. He's he's a person who is shal and the shale that's where we make the braha on, right? A person who is shal the whole role. Yeah, he knows a lot. He may, you know, he may know a lot of Torah, but Schllemos is is essential and the way to that and the way to find that balance in life and to be able to make those decisions um properly. So that requires study of Musim. Okay. One other really beautiful and we don't always take note of this. It's part of our daing that we say every single morning and right after the shafar that list of 15, you know, blessings that start the morning. So we then have a paragraph and in that we say the following that we ask God that we should cling to and that we should do. So Rook says the following and we'll read just a few lines beautiful a beautiful interpretation of RVuk how he interprets that. So he says the if you want to follow along this is by the number three. He says yes a person has a person has good inclinations and a person is always seeing like he's seeing images of positive things and a positive path that a person can follow that a person to be full of fear and of love and and and a will to do the right thing that a person is giving humility. A person has images of that and a longing for that as well. But the great challenge is that those images of all this be all the beautiful midote they're not necessarily necessarily davuk they don't cling to the person. It doesn't become part of the person. Right? We have we read the stories about the gdole and uh we're inspired by them, right? Inspired by wanting to follow these beautiful attributes, but often we don't follow through with that. Often it doesn't become a part of who we are. They become like images that are just passing images. They they just uh they kind of just they uh they pass over and and kind of just move on. And the problem is they don't become part and parcel of the nephesh of the soul of a person. And because we kind of let them they kind of just flee away and we don't we don't do what is necessary in order for them to become part and parcel of our personality. So we we lose out on the opportunity for these great ideas of Mus and Kadusha to enter us. So that is our prayer every single morning that Hashem should help us that we should be that we should cling to the it should enter our very it should become part and parcel of who we are it should become part of our in our very kishkas the uh all of the these beautiful attributes that we hope to attain. So that every single morning as part of our ding we pray to Hashem that all of these ideas and the beautiful attributes and the muser ideas and the character traits should become part and parcel um as to who we are. All right, let's go now to the uh the final page. And we spoke about the idea of Ravkuk and the way that he uh felt very much influenced by Rabisal Salanter. But it's been pointed out by many that uh that Rav Cook doesn't really follow in the same path as Rav Israel Salanter because one of the things that Rais Salanter spoke about is the need for that on a daily basis on a regular basis that a person need needs to assess their conduct and their behavior. Rafuks felt that that was like a little bit heavy-handed and he also another aspect of Rab Salanter one of his ideas is that a person should take um statements of kazal that speak about muser and repeat them over and over again. And he said even in in a in a mournful melody that a person should say them again and again kind of this more emotional um you know uh path towards midote improvement and ru felt that that was that was not the right path for this generation and essentially what rufuk said is that we need to have midote improvement self-examination with a lot of positivity with a lot of sim with a lot of joy and that part of it you don't really find in at least in the early teachings and the teachings of Rabis Salante. Uh so this I want to share with you the following. This is from Oro Tachuva Perrick Yudalid Piska Yural and um Rifkuk is going to say the following but I'll just share the I'll share the following uh anecdote with you. I was in I was in uh New Jersey two Shabbasim ago for Shabas. It was a shabas right before el was that mozz shabas that's uh right two shabbas ago and the rabbi that shabas morning said the following he said you know as we're about to enter el we have to you know we have to take lul very very seriously and he said I heard from a very prominent rabbi the following the following mushel the following parable and that is how are we to think about mitzvot and our observance of mitzvot so he said if you would see a wall and it would say on the wall, wet paint, right? There's a sign on the wall. It says wet wet paint. So, what do you do? So, some people might go over and and touch the wall, right? Just to see if it's still wet or if they if they see a little bit of the paint on their finger. So, that's the wall with wet paint. But if you would see a um a fence, a wire fence, and it says danger and danger of being electrocuted. So would you touch that fence? So we would not touch that fence. So he says that's the difference between the way that we address mitzvot throughout the year and the way that we're thinking about it as we're going into el, right? How careful we need to be when it comes to mitzvah and our observance during the month of El. So I heard that and I was thinking about that, you know, that um that suggestion and kind of how does that go over and how do people hear that and is that the way to think about going into the month of El and going into Rashana and Yamipper? I think for many generations and I found it interesting because I think of that kind of style, you know, they they speak about that from Eastern Europe and years ago kind of the uh the fire and brimstone of El and everybody shaking in their boots and they say even the even the fish and the ponds were shaking in uh in Eastern Europe in Eastern Europe in the felt that the days of awe were coming. But Rook says and I I'll read the following two lines from Ruf Cook. This is from Arotachuva. He says and you have it here. It's again on page the last page that you have. When we speak about ideas of holiness and we talk about ideas of doing chuva, if we talk about ideas of chuva that bring about a kind of sadness or a melancholy or that's a little bit depressing, he writes He says we should really distance ourselves. He says at times right from those ideas other words if we're talking about ideas of chuva we're talking about being electrocuted on a fence if you're going to do an aa right ideas of kaduca and chuva that bring about a kind of melancholy or sadness at he says that's according to cook that's not the way to talk about chuva it's really not the way to talk about anything holy that you're going to feel a kind of sadness in that he does say he doesn't say you shouldn't didn't ever talk about it that way. So maybe there's a place for that as well. But maybe at times that's not the way to think about think about chuva. And then he writes the following because the joy that's found in the depth of holiness that's greater than any other kind of chuva. That's that's the essence of of doing chuva. That's the essence of kaduca. The essence of kadusha is joy. The essence of chuva is joy. So we talk about midot and we talk about midot improvement. And here rkuk veers away from raisel sal. I mean we shared how much he thought of raisel sal as as a role model and the impact. And yes he believes and he adopts this idea of the importance of chuva and midot and self-examination but it must be done from a place of joy. Right? Right? The joy that we're bringing out the best in ourselves. The joy that we're reaching our potential. The joy that we could be better than we were. Right? The joy of becoming a greater sadik and a greater sad. The joy of coming closer to Hashem. The joy of coming closer to people to think about in those terms. And Rafuk says that's the essence of chuva. That's the essence of thinking about midot that it has to be filled with joy. So that we're going to try to do when we whenever we talk about the midot and the mid raaya. I'll uh I'll close with the following. And this is um and this really brings us into into the days that we're in right now and the days of Eld. And again, as I said before, this is just a hypothetical or theoretical conversation or teaching or learning that we're doing together. But in general, by the way, when we're talking about Muser and talking about these ideas, I mean, for myself and for all of us, hopefully this is something that we can we can all grow from. Again, not just like a formal learning, but learning that we can kind of bring into our lives. So, at this time, Lol, we're in it right now today at this moment. We're in LOL. these days of and these are holy days auspicious days for chua and the in the very the first in the that talks about the hilosash is we're preparing for rash it speaks about the importance of how many people here started saying well if you're ashkanaz you should not have started yet so we didn't get there yet but we started David or that we add to our ding chauffeur blowing that we have in the morning. So we're we're very much in these days and moving towards Rajashana. So the mission brewer writes the following. So this is the first comment that the has on the of the days before Rashashana and this is something that we're all familiar with. He writes that we have an we have a hint in the Torah itself for these days of which is based on the words right we all know this I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me this is the says right that theos of that we should think about the love that we have between ourselves and Hashem that there's a closeness at this time unlike any other time of the year and Then he says this I think is not as well known the savote and the last letters of aniim the last letters of it's all yuds right so it's four yuds right audosimur there's a 40-day period that we're in right now everyone thinks about it that way but it's a 40-day period right starting with the first of all all the way through yum kipper that's hinted to says the ini as well and how special these days are and to use this time in particular every day is a good day for thinking about midot thinking about where we need to improve what kind of kabala what can we take upon ourselves at this time I was listening to air this morning Rabbi Ari Liuitz who is the the head of the smika program at yu and he spoke about what kabala what things he's going to do he's taking on two things that he doesn't generally do. This is what he said. I'm taking on two things over the next 40 days. And then at the at Nila, he's going to choose one of those that he's going to continue to do for the rest of the year. He's taking on two now and he's going to choose one of that he's going to do for the next 40 days and then at Na he's going to say which one he's going to continue doing. Okay? So that's what these days are about. It's a serious time for for that. And here he writes the following. Keep it these 40 days says the leot that we feel closer to our beloved meaning to Hashem in doing chuva and our beloved meaning. Hashem is closer to us that Hashem accepts our chuva. So this is a time that we are growing closer to Hashem that Hashem is growing closer to us and our chuva is accepted even more so during this time. I'll just end with the following anecdote which is a uh sort of like where we began this morning the great rebby who was always he was known for always defending Amy. So this is a story about more about Muser. So there was this fellow that was going around the town in the in theatel with Ra is I'm sorry with Ra Bardich in Bardich and he was going doortodoor. He was a guy who who fixed things. You have those I think in Torah tibids you have ads for guys that will come to your house to fix things. So this guy was going doortodoor and he came into the knocked on the door of Revliche and RV answered the door and the man said I see that you have a lot to fix here and I'm happy to do so. So the rebi he called his wife and he said you see this man who just came he noticed how much I need to fix right there's so much fixing that I need to do right even this fellow saw all of my faults and all the things that I need to fix in my life so that's what Raisel Santer was teaching he was teaching the idea that there like the way that we began as he walked into the shoe maker that he the shoemaker said that the the candle is burning there's work to do there's what to fix. And as Rav Cook says, how beautiful that opportunity is, the joy that we uh the joy that we need to uh to bring to that fixing in order for that to happen because only with joy do we grow. Only with joy do we do we feel kaduca and closeness to Hashem. So we should all be za these days as we begin. And please God, I look forward to uh a special uh coming weeks and months together as we begin to study the midot the way that RKU speaks about the midot and but especially at this time to uh that we should all be za to take advantage of these days to braha and uh for all of us and for all of Israel. Everyone have a wonderful day.