Rav Kook: Overcoming Fear | Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider | May 13 2026

to everyone for being here and we continue our as rather sham a very beautiful learning of the teachings of cook. Regarding me doubt our character traits and we're going to see a very interesting very interesting teaching of cook in one me though. Thank you very much which is generally not highlighted but let me just begin with the sponsor which is the sponsor for the 2026 academic year the Nishman Miriam from Allah Sham and Zikaron Livracha. Okay, so the our topic this morning is a topic that hopefully will be an inspiration for all of us. And the word that's used is pahad or pahadanut. Now pahad means what? Pahad means fear. Cook is going to talk about how to overcome fear. The importance of being fearless. That's what it means to be a Jew and that's the topic that he's going to address. Interesting I would say if you open most of the musar s'farim or midot s'farim last week we looked at anavah humility. So I think you'll find that in just about any book that's talking about healthy midot proper midot for a Jew anavah humility. But I'm not sure if you will find this. I think this is something that is unique in the writings of cook. And that is pahad not pahad like fear of heaven but how to overcome pahad to become a fearless person. To overcome pahad. So let's take a look at this and I'll actually I'll begin with the following just thinking about pahad or overcoming pahad. So a friend of mine his name is Simcha Hellman. I'm not sure if that's a name that anybody is familiar with here. He he made aliyah about 30 35 years ago from Brooklyn a friend of mine from uh Yeshiva University. We went to to uh BMT together, if anybody remembers that name, that Yeshiva, Base Medrash L'Torah, or some said it was some say it was best meal in town. That was the uh BMT. It had the best food of all the Yeshivas. Um so, we were in BMT together as well. So, he made Aliyah. He made Aliyah to Hebron. To Hebron, to the Mearat Hamachpelah, to Hebron itself. Not to Boca, not to Katamon, but to to Hebron. And he tells the story that when he came, it was during the Intifada. He made Aliyah. This is before Nefesh B'Nefesh. He gets off the flight with his little children, with all the uh with all the bags that he has, and he goes outside the airport. He goes to where the cabs are lined up. And um he goes to the cab driver and says, "We are making Aliyah, and we're going to Hebron." The cab driver said, "We don't We don't drive into Hebron. You know, it's too dangerous to go into Hebron. If you could ask somebody else." And he went cab to cab to cab, and nobody would take him to his home in Hebron. Now, imagine that, like making Aliyah, you get off the flight with your children, you finally come to Israel, and there's not a single cab driver that will bring you to your home. That nobody wanted And again, and I I not We're we're not judging them. It was It was a very dangerous time. It was Intifada, and they didn't want to drive into Hebron at the time. So, he describes how he got on got on a bus. Again, this is after this long flight with his little children, and um and he goes to the bus station and makes his way to Hebron. Now, he lives in Hebron. He's still there today. One of his jobs, very beauti- very beautiful, he's he's uh the official tour guide of Hebron. He was He's been giving tours of Hebron for the last 30 35 years. If you haven't done it, highly highly recommend it. A very very special person, a very sensitive person. You think who I'm talking about? This guy who's moving to Hebron. He's a bull fighter. He's not very sensitive rabbi, very sweet person. And over the years he's also taught in many Yeshiva. One of the Yeshiva that he teaches in is Reshit Reshit Yerushalayim. It was first in Yerushalayim. It's now in Beit Shemesh if anybody's familiar with that Yeshiva run by the Marcus brothers, the Marcus family, beautiful Yeshiva. And he's taught night seder there for the last also for the last 30 years or so, 25-30 years. And just imagine that every night over the last 30 years that he's driving back from Beit Shemesh through the the roads, the a lot empty roads, you know, making his way back and making his way into Hebron. Hebron has about 80 families in Hebron. I'm not talking about I'm talking about the inside of Hebron, what's called the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. I think till today there's only about 80 families that are living there surrounded by about 150,000 Arabs. You're 80 families. And imagine what that is. So when I think about pachad and fearlessness, no fear that Rav Kook is going to talk about, that we're going to learn this morning, that's an example in my mind of of a Jew, a Jew, a friend of mine, a regular guy, grew up in in Brooklyn, New York and living with fearlessness. His name is Simcha Hochbaum, Simcha Hochbaum, very, very special person. And you can look him up. He has a lot of shiurim and divrei Torah that he gives every week from Hebron. Okay. So let us let us make our way now into into the words of of Rav Kook. And we're going to see how this theme of overcoming pachad, not being paralyzed by pachad, is something that's very, very important in the thought of Rav Kook, not only in this piece from Midot HaRa'ayah. It's going to be a very important idea in general for Rav Kook and especially as the Jewish people are making their way back, as we're building a country, as we are are in an effort of the Mashiach, as we're in a Messianic time, the uh the confidence, the courage, the heroism that the Jew needs to tap into. Okay. So, the first piece is from, if you look at the very top of the page, page one, Midot HaRa'aya, the name of this section is called Pach Danut. That's the word that he uses at the very top of the page, which again, Pachad, fear, but he's going to talk about how to overcome that fear. And all of us have fears, by the way. It's natural to have fears. I'm afraid of the dentist, right? That's I think I have a very hard time going to even bringing my children to the dentist. It's always my wife that brings it. Just hearing that drill from the other room is enough, you know, for me to almost pass out. So, um So, Pachad, how do we overcome fear? And we all have our fears, and Rav Kook says we need to learn how to overcome them. We need to get to the dentist's office, and you have to take care of your teeth. If you're going to give in to that Pachad, it's not going to be not going to be good at the end. Okay. So, this very first piece, I want to I want to read it for the sake of time. I want to read it in just the translation, which is makes it a little bit easier, and also for the sake of time, cuz a couple of pieces that I want to read in Hebrew. Let's go to the translation. Actually, this is a is a translation of Midot HaRa'aya that came out about 50, 60 years ago. A Rabbi Ben Zion Boxer. I don't know if anybody's familiar with that name. Very well-known conservative rabbi, translated a lot of Rav Kook. He was a rabbi, I believe, in Forest Hills, in Queens, and uh really an expert in Rav Kook. And this is a new translation that just came out in the last month or so. A Rabbi Josh, or Yeshua Gerstein, who just came out with this translation of Midot HaRa'aya. So, we're using his translation right now, to credit him. Cowardice is utter folly. I'm reading now from the text itself. Cowardice, fear, is utter follo- folly. Instead of fearing, one should exercise caution. Now, one does need to exercise caution. It doesn't mean that you uh that that you do things which are not uh which are not appropriate, where you don't take uh the proper caution that's necessary. The more one succumbs to cowardice, the greater the likelihood of stumbling. The more fearful you are, says Rav Kook, you're going to stumble in that fear. Fear itself becomes the stumbling block. Therefore, it is crucial to employ intellect. We have to use our seichel to overcome fear and realize there is nothing to dread. So, that's I need to tell myself before I the dentist's office, okay, let let's get this straight. I can sit in the chair for a few minutes, right? I can take that shot. It doesn't hurt that much. I need to do it. Use your seichel. Put your seich- Use your seichel to overcome fear. That's what Rav Kook says, okay? Good advice. All frightening aspects are more are mere colorful fragments of a larger picture awaiting completion. Once assembled, one can move forward with resounding certainty, infusing the soul with strength and vigor. These perceived malevolent forces and their shadows transform into supportive forces bringing joy and expanding the mind. [clears throat] Their malevolent and destructive nature dissipates, replaced by a holy encouragement that empowers. They shall obtain joy and gladness. Your rejoicing in the Lord is the source of your strength. Okay, that is the piece from Rav Kook that is uh is translated here. I don't want to go word for word in an analysis, but what I'd like to do is is actually share another piece with you, which is a fascinating piece, which is also about Pesach. Rav Kook comes to Israel in the year, anybody know? We say it here a lot. 1904, he he in Israel. He comes to Yafo. What is the very first book that Rav Kook writes when he's here in Israel? The first book that he writes is a book which is called Ikvei HaTzon. Ikvei HaTzon and it's a collection of essays. He writes it's seven essays and the essays are all about the topic of returning to the land of Israel. In particular, he's talking about the divide between the religious community, the traditional community, and the Halutzim, and the uh and the pioneers. And how to bring those communities together. That's That's a major theme of those essays. Now, the name of the book is Ikvei HaTzon. Why does he call the name Ikvei HaTzon? What What does he name the book Ikvei HaTzon? So, good. So, Ikvei HaTzon is a term that's taken from the book of Shir HaShirim. And the words literally mean Ikvei and Ekev. Ekev means the the heel. Good. The heel or the footsteps of the Tzon. The Tzon are the flock. So, what does that a reference to? So, here Rav Kook is hinting to to to the following idea. He believes that we are in a period of Ikveita d'Meshicha. Ikveita d'Meshicha, which means the footsteps of the Messiah. So, that's the word Ekev, Ikvei. And what's the Tzon? What is the flock referring to? And this is where Rav Kook says something which pushes the envelope, which is which is novel. That we need to go in the footsteps of the flock. Now, what is he suggesting? Listen to this. There are times that the flock knows better than the rabbis. There are times that Bnei Israel, the people as a whole, that they sense something, that they're responding in a way that the rabbis are slow to respond to it. So, the name of the book is Ikvei HaTzon. And by the way, what is he referring to? What is he referring to to go in the footsteps of the flock? He saw what God See how they act. Good. He's talking about the footsteps. He's saying that they have it right. Now, if they are the ones we need to follow their footsteps in this time of the footsteps of Messiah, of the footsteps of Messiah, their footsteps, where they are going, the direction that they are taking us, that they see the centrality of the land of Israel, that they see it's time for the Jewish people to come home, that they're ready to sacrifice for the land and for the people. So, that That's the name of the book. So, that's hinted in the name of the book. By the way, Reb Shachter also has a a book called Ikvot HaZon, and he names it that for a different reason. Okay, let's look at what Reb Cook writes. Reb Cook writes the following. And he's [clears throat] going to say when we come back to the land of Israel, especially at this time, we need to be fearless. We need to push aside our fears. Who's the community that is fearless at this time? Is the rabbis that are living in Israel? Not necessarily. Right? The ones Those who are fearless are those that are making aliyah. Those that are draining the swamps, right? Those that are coming and building and building up the land of Israel. Okay, here Reb Cook, and we're going to see two paragraphs from Reb Cook. Aval Lama Yira Yisrael? Why should the Jewish people be afraid? I'm at the bottom of page one. I'm reading from Ikvot HaZon. Oh, and I didn't mention this. What's the name of this article? The name of the article is the third article in the book Ikvot HaZon. The name of the article is HaPachad. Interesting. So, Reb Cook is He finds this idea of fear and overcoming fear and being fearless as a as something that he's thinking about. It's something that he's writing about. Again, one of the first articles that he writes coming to the land of Israel is an article in this book called Ikvot HaZon. What's the title? What What does he name the article? HaPachad. That's the name of the That's the name and I thought I put it here, but I left that out. HaPachad. That's the name of the article, The Fear. And what he's going to talk about, it's time to get over the fears, and we've also built up certain fears in the galut, in this long exile, that we need to be more confident, that we need to be more heroic, more courageous as we're coming back to the land of Israel. Okay, beautiful. So, let's look at Let's Let's see the language in our book. Aval lama yira Yisrael? Why should we be afraid? Zeh am she hamahor hayoter elyon. This is a nation that has an elevated light. Shel hamachshavah hayoter tehorah. We are a nation that has purity of thought. Vi'yoter rumamah. And it is one of great heights. Hu uzo vechutsno vechasno. And it's our strength and it's our power. Shehad tzedek hayoter tahor vi'yoter zach hod vehadar that the tzedek, the righteousness of the Jewish people, is our purity. It's that which is our our glory. Tikvah tovah so, it's our hope and it's our longing. Hutz zarich rak la'alot. We as a nation need to just continue to elevate, become greater and greater. Rak la'haskil yoter vi'yoter. We need to become more aware, more cognizant. Bameshech var kavua that which is already embedded. Vetzav u'vepriklot atzmutoh that which is found within us. Az rak az yimalei yeshua ve'orah. Only with this confidence, we have to be fearless as a people and to know how great we are, to know the great potential that we have within us, then we will have We'll be able to reach a salvation ve'orah and light. Az yigaleh lefanav kamah gadol erko. We'll be able to see the great value of the Jewish people. Vekamah shifalim and how lowly hinamotam are those she'am dorchim al lav derech hagavah, those that trample upon us with their feet of ga'avah, of arrogance. So, what Kook is saying it's time for the Jewish people and maybe we've learned that lesson. We have a lot of There's maybe a little bit too much at times of the of the hutzpah of the Israeli Jew. But, here Rav Kook is writing in the early 1900s as we're just making our way back all the troubles and all of the uh the suffering of the Jewish people, it's time for us to put aside fear, pahad, that's something of the exile. We need to be people of great of great heroism, of great courage, of being fearless. And let's read one more excerpt from Rav Kook from this article uh which is called "HaPahad". And here he's going to talk about This is top of page two. He's going to talk about on a spiritual level what we can attain if we have the courage to attain that spiritually. What is Rav Kook possibly Maybe you see it already. What is Rav Kook going to What is he going to refer to? There's a spiritual attainment that if we have the courage, we can attain that. Coming back to the land of Israel. On a spiritual on a spiritual plane. What? Bitachon. Okay, good. Good, bitachon b'Hashem. He's going to talk about something else as well, but that's good. What else is Rav Kook often talking about spiritually when the Jewish people return to land of Israel, that we're going to be able to reach certain heights in the realm of spirituality that we have not been able to reach outside the land of Israel. What in particular? Anything stand out? What? The land itself, okay. It's the redemption. >> Okay, good. These are all good answers. You're all right. But, let's look at what Rav Kook says. E efshar sheyakhol ruach hakodesh hamaor Elokim Yisrael ki im kishya'asir mikerev nishmato et hapahad harav parua. Where in order to reach And what is Rav Kook What's the What's the goal for Rav Kook? Ruach hakodesh. That we in the land of Israel And by the way, when he talks about Ruach Hakodesh, often he talks about prophecy as well, which he doesn't he doesn't say that word here. But Ruach Hakodesh, we're going to reach the highest levels of spirituality, which is Ruach Hakodesh, to attain a a sense of of of God's messaging to us, to receive messages from Hashem. Something that we can't do, and the Kuzari writes this and others say that you can't attain Ruach Hakodesh and Nevuah outside the land of Israel. But what does that require? The confidence that we can do it. Because if I turn to everyone here in the room and say, "I believe that you can attain Ruach Hakodesh and you can attain prophecy." What would you say to me? You're crazy. What are you talking about? >> [laughter] >> What do you mean? Nevi'im, Navi, Ruach Hakodesh, that's the stuff of of Yirmiyahu and and Isaiah, and and that's not that's not for us. And Rav Kook says, "You're underestimating what you can do as a Jew. And especially when you come back to the land of Israel. You're underestimating what you can do spiritually here in the land of Israel. That's Pachad. That's fear that you don't believe that you can do that. Get over that fear and have that courage that you can attain the highest levels of spirituality here, especially again, he's talking about as returning to land of Israel. So let's just read this paragraph. If Ruach Hakodesh and Ohr Elohim al Yisrael, you can't attain this level you have to remove care of Nishmato from within in your soul at the Pachad, remove the fear, the Pachad Ra this bad fear of a Parua, which is an unbridled, uncontained fear, Asher Davak bo be Kama Sorry, yeah, sorry. Asher Davak bo ki Makam Milafef Milafefet, that it's attached to you like an all-encompassing sickness or a plague, mi Meshech Yemei ha Galut, because it's been such a long Galut that you have forgotten what it means spiritually the attainment that you can achieve. V'aridi food shall soon av hashivenu v'ra'enu. We've been chased by our enemies and we've been running. We've been on the run. We've been on the go for such a long time. Now we can finally settle in to Yerushalayim. We can settle into Eretz Yisrael and we can now attain the highest levels, but that requires great confidence. Gam And here he says something very interesting. So a source for it, gam al ish yechidi, even here sorry about the nation as a whole that we can attain very very high levels, but he says when it comes to every individual, gam al ish yechidi, says the Gemara, he's quoting Gemara Shabbos, which you see in the parentheses, ein hashchina shora, that God's presence does not dwell ki'im al chacham, you need to be wise, gibor, you have to be courageous, v'ashir. What's ashir? Rich. You need to have some money also, yeah. >> [laughter] >> You have to be wealthy. Cuz what does what does wealth give you, by the way? Power. Gives you power, gives you confidence. Yes, sir. People with money have confidence. So that's the confident And he's quoting the Gemara. The Gemara says that God's presence, that you can't experience that presence of God unless you have these qualities. So we need those qualities. We need to tap into those qualities again. We've forgotten some of that in the exile, says Rav Kook. The ein hashchina elecha mitoch simcha. You also have to have a lot of joy. By the way, what was missing What's been missing for a long time in the galut? Joy. Joy. >> [laughter] >> Joy. Do you know we don't Birkat Kohanim, if you remember from the good old days when we lived in America, North America, wherever you may come from, how many times a year does the Kohanim ascend to the bimah and do Birkat Kohanim? Once. Right, just the shlosha regalim, that just on the holidays. Why? Here in Yerushalayim it's done every day. So rov mefarshim, most mefarshim say, because in order for the kohen to give the blessing there needs to be Simcha. There needs to be joy in order for him to in order for the Kohanim to give blessing to the Jew That blessing to the Jewish people. And outside the land of Israel there isn't joy. There isn't Simcha. It's been so difficult for the Jewish people. And when is there Simcha? Only on the Shlosh Regalim. Only on those days when we're eating and we have, you know, and we have our family together and the joy of the festival so the Cohen can duchen. So by the way, this idea that Simcha is also a attribute of what it of of being in in Eretz Yisrael. That's something that even halachically has ramifications. Okay, yes, please. I'm just curious why why does it have to be the Simcha because it's such an important blessing that it seems to me in my ignorance Right. >> that it would he would go beyond the joy thing and give it anyway. Right. Okay, good question. I guess it just doesn't it doesn't work otherwise. In other words, you need that level of joy for the Cohen to to to verbalize it, to say it in a way, and for the people to receive it. Maybe that's just the reality. That's Those are the dynamics of of that blessing. Yes, please, Rosanne. >> How can you define How do you define joy when we were at war, you know, we were attacked? >> Right. Right. >> happy? >> So they say, I'm sure you've seen this. They have a lot of the statistics that Israel today is one of the happiest, right? They keep like they keep pointing that out. With the wars, with October 7th, with Iran, that we're like number six in the world, the happiest country. How can it be? And our young people are not happier. [clears throat] Good. Good. Yeah, very nice. Yes, please. If you're reading stuff on Google all these stats are set in kind of a way to Okay, good. Good. Yes, very nice. I think it's cuz we're home. I mean, you know And we're home. Right. When you're home, that's right. Even where there is challenges, but you know you're finally home. You're not on the run. That's what it means. Simcha doesn't mean you're you're hopping around and and dancing all day long, but it means that there's a sense of serenity in your life. You know you're in the right place. You know that this is where you're meant to be, where Hashem wants you to be. You're with Am Yisrael, with with your family. Okay, good. Yes, please. One more Just come and give us a show. They're referring to the K'ayl Bow. Is it come and maybe going up? I mean it Yeah, I mean those That's like Okay, that's like the next step of of kind of like defining what those are, but Yeah, I think you can Yeah, certainly connect the uh connect the two. Interesting, right? Those three do do connect with the mission of Birchos. Very nice. All right. Now, I want to look at one word one word, and a word that we say in davening, and the word is Komemiyut. So, when I say the word Komemiyut, so I think that may be a word that that that rings a bell. Where do we Where do we use that word? So, we use that word right before Kriyat Shema, right before we say the Shema. We say the Haveieinu Leshalom Me'arba Kanfos Ha'aretz, bring us from the four corners of the world, Vetolicheinu Komemiyut Le'artzeinu, and bring us And how do we translate the word Komemiyut? What does the word Komemiyut mean? Upstanding. Upstanding. Good. Yeah, upstanding. Standing. Komemiyut. By the way, where else do we use that word Komemiyut? And we see that Chazal like this word. Harachaman, this is in benching, whenever we bench. Hu Yishbor Lenubeinu Veyenu, Vhu Yolicheinu Komemiyut Le'artzeinu. So, what is Komemiyut Le'artzeinu? What does that mean? So, there's a beautiful I'll read it in a moment, a beautiful peirush on the siddur, which was first given as shiurim, and then written as a book by Rav Shimon Schwab. Does anybody know that name, Rav Schwab? He was in Washington Heights, one of the great rabbonim, one of the great leaders of American Jewry of uh the last 100 years, and he gave Shiurim in uh in his shul on the sitter, and it was put together. Artscroll has a beautiful We'll read We'll read a line a couple lines from his from his parish. He points out the following. How many times is the word Komemiut, this one word Komemiut, how many times does it appear in all of Tanakh? In all of Tanakh, one time. It appears only once in all of Tanakh, which is interesting. An interesting a word that appears only a single time that Chazal, when they're writing the the prayers, that they like this word, that they come back to this word. Right, it's a word that we say right before we say the Shema. It's a word that we say in Bir- Birkat Hamazon. Okay, so where is that word found? Here Here it is. It was actually in last week's parashah. Those that remember from Feels like a very long time ago, but last week's parashah is Bechukotai. And I'll read it to you. You can look at it on the page. It's source number four. This is the closing of the book of Vayikra. And it says, "Pasuk Yud Gimmel, Va'ani Hashem Elokeichem, I'm the Lord your God, Asher Hotzeiti Etchem Me'eretz Mitzrayim, I took you out of the land of Egypt, Me'ol Lahem Avadim, from being slaves, Va'eshbor, and I broke Motot Ulchem, and I broke the poles of your olchem. Olchem. What's an ol? The burden, good, the yoke, very nice. Ve'olech Etchem Komemiut." This is what the pasuk says, "And I walked, or I led you Komemiut." Upstanding, that you were standing tall. That you were standing straight as you left Mitzrayim. That's Komemiut. Now, that's the source, that's the one time that appears in the Torah. And what does Rashi say? Just Rashi also is not sure what the word, or he assumes we may not be sure of what the word means. What does Komemiut mean? Says Rashi, "Bekoma Zekufa." Koma, that we're standing. Z'kuf, that we're standing straight in this translation with an upright stature. So, very interesting, this idea of koma m'yut and we've talked talking about the idea of coming back to the land of Israel with a with a courage with a with a heroism that the Torah itself is describing that. When you make your way back to the land of Israel and that's how actually chazal incorporated it within davening as I bring you from the four corners of the earth of the world, right? In the arba kanfot ha'aretz, I'm going to bring you back and you're going to experience a kind of koma m'yut that you have not been able to tap into outside the land of Israel. The exile experience has not been a koma m'yut experience. Not experience of of standing tall, right? Not one of courage. It's been one filled with pachad. It's been one filled with a lot of fear. Okay. Yes, please. Advantages to to being to which? Uh yeah, very good. Right, self-respect. Exactly right. Yes, please. Yeah. >> [laughter] >> Right, right, right, right, right. Yeah, there's a word that they say, I don't know if you maybe it's the Chazon Ish, others say it, that when you come to the land of Israel, you should come upright and not in a coffin to the land of Israel. Not just to be buried in the land of Israel, come upright. Come while you can still walk, while you can still enjoy being in the land of Israel, not just for burial. So, koma m'yut means, right, in an upright position. Yes, yeah. Yeah. Um the company him to the school and the rabbi said to him, "I want to go back." Ah. So, that was yeah, Rav Yehuda Michele, he just wrote that in his vart torah. We're also talking about the word coming me youth. Right. And he says that we walked like in a sort of hunched over. We have to yeah, very nice. He took him back and then Right, right. Very nice. Good. Okay, so now I want to share with you, this is from Rav Schwab. This is from his um the commentary on his prayer book and on the prayer book on t'filah and he shares the following. Just read it to you. The translation, I led you in an upright posture provided by Rashi, that's what Rashi says the word coming me youth means, presents a difficulty in light of the same and that one should not walk even for amot with koma zekufa, an overly erect posture, because it's a sign of arrogance. Gemara Kiddushin 31a. So, the question is, how could Rashi say that it means koma zekufa, that you are to stand straight and tall, when the Gemara says you're not allowed to do that, that you're never allowed to walk in this position? So, on the one hand, you're not permitted to do it. On the other hand, it says that's how God is going to bring you back to the land of Israel. So, he writes the following. I remember when I was in the Mir Yeshiva, my revered rebbe, the mashgiach, Rav Yerucham Levovitz, was troubled by this, this question, and he offered a prize of 10 zlotys. Zlotys, I don't know how to pronounce that. To any bochur who could explain this Rashi to his satisfaction. I would have loved to have earned 10 zlotys at the time, but it took me many years to understand the true meaning of coming me youth. I finally came to the realization that Rashi's explanation of coming me youth as be koma zekufa means he understood it as having the meaning of stretching oneself up to one's full height. This would be similar to what one would do while his height is being measured at the doctor's office. They hold yourself up. So, it's not appropriate when you're walking or in, you know, where it's arrogance where it may where it may be a a posture of arrogance. But when we're coming back to the land of Israel to stretch ourselves, right? Our potential, our full potential. Like Rav Kook says, the Ruach Hakodesh, the Nevuah, what we can attain spiritually that we never thought we could do that we can finally do that in the land of Israel. Yes? Please. Okay. Yeah. Uh-huh. Right. Very nice. And it has to do with the has to do with ascents, right? Ascent and confidence. Beautiful. Beautiful. How Very nice. Please. Yeah. Ah, very good. Very good. We spoke about that last week when we say the Amidah that with the name of God. Beautiful. Let's Let's now turn to page three. So this is Rav Kook is going to expand on the theme of the importance of of confidence. And he's going to direct it actually to the rabbis that are living in the land of Israel. Very interesting. This is from a work which is called Orot HaTorah. This was a collection that that his son um brought together from the different teachings of Rav Kook regarding the Torah. This is the very last piece that's found in Orot HaTorah. And Rav Kook says that I need to give to Hakha. I need to give Musar. I need to admonish the rabbis of the land of Israel. Now, you don't know what Rav Kook is about to say. He says, "I'm about to give mussar to the rabbis of the land of Israel." What kind of mussar would that be? So, here again, for the sake of time, let me just read it in the in the translation. He writes the following: "This, in fact, is characteristic of all who are magnanimous, the great of the world who redeemed all worlds with their moral spiritual influence. They are initially humble and timid, excessively fearful." Here's that word pachad and meek, "until they recognize their duty and missions, which crowns them with a fortitude and fortifies them with courage and tenacity." Okay, Rav Kook is going to say, "You rabbis of Israel, it's wonderful everything that you do, but you need to be more confident. Yes. You need to be more confident as rabbis." And here we go, we read on. "We must summon these scholars of the land of Israel and proclaim to them from the very heights of Zion, you are living a life of greatness. You are endowed with immense strength and power. You have the ability to forge new pathways in the source of Torah, in the true Torah of the land of Israel, which will once again illuminate the entire world uh in its glory." And let's read the last the last paragraph here. "Residents of the land of the living, you will not demonstrate your extraordinary talents by imitating to a large or small degree the style of novel interpretation, semiotic analysis, and homiletic sermonics employed by the scholars in the diaspora. Torah scholars in the land should not just mimic the methods of scholars abroad. You have a much higher and loftier destiny to restore the Torah's crowning strength to its former glory, anchored in the holiness of our lives in ancient times. You must ascend the heights of the godly soul, which roams the mountains of Zion and imbibe from the splendorous dew of her all-encompassing radiance. So, what is Rav Kook referring to here when he's talking about the rabbis that they need to have more confidence and not just to mimic the ways of the past as we're coming back to land of Israel. Well, first of all, I would say this, they are addressing laws that they never addressed earlier. Like what? In other words, as the rabbis are coming back in the early 1900s, what kind of laws are they beginning to address in a beautiful shmita. We haven't really spoken about shmita. And by the way, which rabbi said some had to have a lot of confidence in his p'sak regarding shmita? Rav Kook himself. And he took a lot of flak for it. But he felt that as the Jewish people are coming back that we can rely on a heter mechira again. Not getting into that. That's a whole shiur and a lot to talk about in that area. But he's And here he's He may be, you know, referring to to the confidence that that he needs to have as well. Something else which which comes to mind. When we're coming back to land of Israel and rabbis need to direct the Jewish people as we and give them guidance as we're coming back to land of Israel. So, the Jew has been studying in a base medrash, right? That's the way that a Jew has been studying. Now that we're coming back to land of Israel, so maybe the base medrash is not sufficient for an 18- or a 19- or 20-year-old boy. What else is incumbent on that young person? What? To work? I was going to say something else. To go to the army, to defend. Now, we haven't we haven't done that. The exile we haven't What? >> [laughter] >> We haven't We haven't addressed that. We've been sitting in our batei midrashot in the exile for a long time. But the first For the first time, we now have a country to defend. Maybe rabbis need to stand up and say, "Let's develop a hezder idea where we can study and we can also serve in the army." But that's a courageous stance because that's something that nobody has spoken about. Rabbis have not Well, no no so many rabbis today so great rabbis of our own Lichtenstein who comes to Israel and many of the great great rabbis did have this courage, but this is what Rav Kook is referring to. Rav Kook says it's time for the rabbis that we have to be filled with courage. We have to be filled with confidence. We can't give in to fear. We can't just mimic and he uses that line here, just mimic what we have done for so long. It's easy to mimic and I know it's easy to say this is the tradition, right? Tradition, right? This is what we do, but to break from that takes great confidence and you need people like Rav Kook, people like Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, the greats of the Hesder movement and others to say, "Okay, here's a new path. Here's a new reality. We as a nation, how are we going to address the new reality of not being in a shtetl and not being in a foreign country, being in our country? What does that mean to us?" Yeah, please. Uh about 30 years ago, two of them uh opened the first um Yeah. So that not every boy was appropriate for learning in a yeshiva. Good. And now 30 years later, there are so many officers. Good. Good, yeah. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Okay, so the these aren't easy things to do. It's not easy. It's not easy to formulate a new plan. It's not easy to break from a tradition that we've you know, that we've lived by for so long and that's Rav Kook says that's part of the getting over the pacha. That's fear. Don't allow fear to set in. Have the confidence to set to to blaze uh to be a trailblazer and uh and to offer new ideas and new paths to the Jewish people. Okay, I want to let me conclude with uh with the following. And uh the idea of of uh overcoming fear and the confidence that we need as we come to the land of Israel. And by the way, I without knowing everybody here, I salute everybody here for their confidence and not giving in to fear, overcoming to come to the land of Israel to settle here. What it means to leave family, what it means to leave the place of comfort, the place where we can speak the language, right? To come to a new country. That is that's that's that's courage, right? That's that's heroism. So here in the Gamara, I want to share with you the the following from the Gamara. This is the last page. Um this is from a safer which is called Hegiyone Halacha. The author, his name is Reb Yitzchak Mursky. Uh he lives in Har-Nof. He was one of my first rabbis when I came coming back to BMT. So when I first came, I was 17 years old when I came for my year in Israel. The good old days, 1984, a long time ago. Um and he was my night rebbe. He taught me Gamara at night. Reb Yitzchak Mursky, he wrote five or six volumes called Hegiyone Halacha, which are a very popular set of uh set of Sefarim here in Israel. And this is a piece about uh about Eretz Yisrael and about the confidence that we need to come to the land of Israel. And he points out that in the Gamara itself there is a phrase which is called "amma paziza". Amma paziza. Now Amma Amma is like the word "am" and paziza means impetuous. Impetuous people. Impetuous people. We are an impetuous people. That's Amma paziza. Now he says it's only used two times in the Talmud. That phrase is only used two times in the entire Talmud. And let me read to you the following and you can follow along with me. "Af al pi even though she midat ha-pazizut pazizut min ha-midot ha-nifsadoti, even though impetuousness is not considered to be generally a positive measure. The Muslim and the Muslims say that we should not be impetuous. Nevertheless, there are two times in the Talmud the Jewish people acted they acted impetuously below and that was not considered negative. The first example of that is when we receive the Torah. How is that? The other is coming to the land of Israel. Those who not only not a negative that they were praised for being impetuous. The message of Shabbat it says in the tractate Shabbat there was a Sadducee. He saw that was studying his Talmud studying with a Gamara. The the and the fingers of his hand were under they were underneath his legs. He was sitting on his fingers. Because he was so entranced he was so focused on his learning he didn't take note of the fact that his legs were pressing down on his fingers began to come from his fingers. There was he was sitting and learning for many many hours and the pressure of his legs on his fingers they started to bleed a bit and he didn't take note of that. When the Sadducee saw rubber learning that way you're an impetuous people. You did this you acted this way when the Torah was given she dumped them that you accepted the Torah even without knowing what was in it. She called them She Shema Tam Altiva Shel Hatorah before you even knew the content of the Torah in Kalachi in Kasha, whether it be difficult or hard, in to La Mode the Mitzvah and love, whether you would be able to observe the Mitzvah or not, the heart of them to keep out of the motel you were quick to accept the Torah but a dying at him and here you are still today the Mitzvah zoo She and him they are not careful they are not cognizant they are impetuous here you are sitting and learning and you don't even notice that your fingers are bleeding. I'm a little rebel it's a lot new in a college park with Tom life. We walk with God with a pure heart with some of the qualities of our who and we relied on God that God would not give us something too difficult to observe. That's one story about the Torah but here's the story here's the second story and this is what what I want to emphasize. Again that's one time the says I'm a Ziza that they the Sadducees says you are impetuous nation and now the other. What are the Sadducees? Who are the Sadducees? Those that rejected the the Torah shop have the oral tradition. Right. And a Mashniya the second this is the second time the Talmud uses the word Ziza the Mitzvah you should eat in Israel regarding making Aliyah to land of Israel a story that's found in my second a similar story. Kisha Allah Zera Zera was ready to make Aliyah me Babel Israel low mass of air he couldn't find a ship a boat that would carry him that would bring him across the Jordan Cave on Shakashaka he was afraid he might lose that opportunity seek a show he um Put his life in danger. Thank you put his life in danger I'll never say age of a lion are Mesa Palace survive it took hold of a rope that was hanging from a tree and with that he he made his way to the land of Israel by the so that's how he entered Israel again I don't know if literally if this what it means he took hold of a rope and he swung across the river and that's how he made his way to Eric's Israel. I'm a little older there was a sad you see that happened to be standing there as well and what did he say I'm a positive you're an impetuous people and by who lot of you you acted this way when the Torah was given in impetuous way shallow hunter you didn't wait until you found a boat or ship to bring you across the river. And here's the key line and a little bit of answered my said this place referring to land of Israel motion the average this is the says he says to the man Moses and Aaron did not enter the land of Israel even if I waited another minute it was possible maybe I would lose the opportunity below maybe I wouldn't be able to enter the land of Israel. The two times that the time is the word is for Torah learning that when it comes to Torah learning it's not always thought out you jump on the opportunity to learn to go to a sheer maybe to take on a Yummy they're going to study every day even if it's something that might be a little bit you know a little bit beyond what we can do we don't think too much about it that's the fearlessness when it comes to Torah and where's the other fearlessness I'm a positive land of Israel if if all of us here made all the bonos, we come, should we not come to land of Israel? No, that it's not about all the bonos. At some point you say You jump in, exactly right. That's what he did. He jumped. He didn't actually jump in the water, he took hold of a rope, he jumped across the river. All right, right. So that's now let me just two more things. In the footnote brings one of the famous, you may know this, one of the famous teachings of Cook. Most stream Michelle Cook's there's a tradition from of Cook that he said the following killer Indian if you want to look it's the footnote 29 right below killer Indian when it comes to coming to Israel and settling the land of Israel in love show has been a note. It's not always a time to make full bonos. The of Cook says there's a hint in the Torah for this. Why? Because came to land of Israel, what was the first people that they had to fight with, go to battle with? Mela cash bond of Cook says why did I shall have them first fight with Mela cash bond the fish I am Mela cash bond is a hint in the Torah that's how you need to enter the land of Israel. You need to conquer cash [snorts] bond You need to conquer cash bond when you conquer cash bond if there's too much too much analysis right too much logic or rationale in the decision that you're not going to make it to the land of Israel. I'll end with it let me end with this. There are two books that just came out in the last few weeks that I haven't I read just pieces of both but I want to highlight them and I'll leave everyone with this. Um Rachel Goldberg Poland. So, there was a book when we see you again. She just published that book. It's a book about her experience of after October 7th and unfortunately losing her son. She's on a book tour. It's a number one best seller, New York Times best seller. Everybody's talking about it in America. She's on a book tour right now. My mother said she read it this past Shabbos. She said, "I read it cover to cover. The whole day I read the book. I couldn't put it down." I said, "Why did it take you a whole day to to read the book?" [laughter] And she said, she said, "I was crying throughout the book and I had to keep putting down the book and then opening the book and putting it down and opening the book." So, this is Rachel Goldberg Poland. The name of the book is when we see you again and it's a powerful book. And when you talk about courage, when you talk about heroism, when you talk about hope, I think of a person like her and that's what she's writing about. She's writing about the hope that she has and she's she's in a I'm sure all of us have seen interviews and and what the way that she speaks and the faith that she has. So, this is the courage that Rav Kook is speaking about when Jews are returned to the community of Jews here in the land of Israel. And one other book that I just saw this past Shabbos, a very powerful book. It's by a rabbi his name is Rabbi Chaim Navon. I don't know if you know that name. He's a talmud of Rav Aaron Lichtenstein. He's a bit of philosopher and eminent rabbi here in Israel today. The name He wrote it in Hebrew. It was just translated. It's called "A Tale of a Tzaddik and a Stretcher". "A Tale of a Tzaddik and a Stretcher", the life stories of the martyrs of the Hesder yeshivot in the first year since October 7th. It was written in Hebrew. It's translated. It's a book It's about 30 stories of those that gave their life and stories that he interviewed families and the amazing courage and and the faith and especially unfortunately and I think all of us know this there was a tremendous loss in the Hesder world in in October 7th. But those numbers proportionally were were extremely extremely high. And in Yeshiva I think the Gush there were eight students that were the killed in Gush. So there was tremendous loss. >> Yeruham lost the most. Yes, Yeruham lost the most. There's yeah the name yeah it's again it's in Hebrew for those that read Hebrew. The author is Rav Chaim Navon translated. The name of the book is A Tale of a Tzaddik and a Stretcher. A Tale of a Tzaddik and a What? It hasn't been It's No, it's tran- it's translated. It's available on Steimatzky if you want. But it's a book about and we all know this the heroism the Hesder and the young men not only Hesder but the young men across the country of the faith and the courage and and pachad was not is not a word that they that they knew. Pachad was not a word that they that they said. So we should all be zocheh to what Rav Kook speaks about as we come back to the land of Israel be filled with courage and strength coming from Yod and I wish everyone a good day.