Sefer Deavrim | Rabbi Neil Winkler | October 30th 2025

the book of Malim which is what it was called the it's it's separated into alf and bet as I explained to my students it isn't that one was called uh was for from um Mr. Abramson and was from Mr. Bernstein that's not the reason why it was it actually was one book it was the sub you know who separated it the goyam the Jews didn't do that uh the church did that the early church was that was obviously too much for them to do one book so they made him into two um at any rate um and especially Malim bet the second part of Malim is it's a very sad part All of great but um it was all about the so many sins of the uh of the primarily the uh northern kingdom but also of the Judeian kingdom as well but there's less of that um and uh we are told the following thing in the 14th um chapter you're dalled And I read here from the Hebrew. I will translate it. I promise I won't lie. I'll tell you what it says. Right? And it goes and it says when ruling in Judea in the southern kingdom was a Matia who was a good king. It was in his 15th year of reign when uh Ben Yash melam when taking the throne in the northern kingdom of Shom of Samaria was uh Yuravam. There was a the first king of the north who broke away from the kingdom of David was Yuravam. This is the Yoravam number two. You know King George I was the first one. >> Very good. This is your your avan ben yawash and uh he he actually ruled for 41 years. Was he a good guy or a bad guy? There's a general they were all bad. [laughter] You're right. He did what was wrong in God's eyes. Israel. He did not sway from any of the great sins that the number one did in not not only sinning but in bringing all the other people to sin as well. Next verse. Shocking. He stra he expanded the um >> the borders >> the borders of Israel in the north from Kamat there. Add Yamaha all the way to Yamaha. goes all the way north into what is Iraq today. That's he actually conquered all that whole area in the north just as God had promised to another prophet. You may have heard of him um you know the guy was swallowed by a wear whale. He didn't only swallow by a whale. also had prophecies that God gave him and God promised him it'll happen that there will be a king who will conquer this whole area. Um and then the the text goes very strange. The text goes on not to say this rather the story of of whatever the story could be. Sometimes the story is just three or four verses here in Malahim. But if something happens, okay, it happens, but it doesn't go that way. I find it fascinating. The text almost also who edited this text almost is answering the question that is in our minds. What did he tell me? He's a terrible guy. He did all these good things. only Israel because God saw how terribly bitter the fate of Israel was and the and the um I keep saying opposition. I don't mean opposition. The oppressing the oppression they've been having. The FSur no one's lifting their fingers to help the Jewish nation. They have no help. They're thrown into greg chambers and the whole world is watching. Yeah, we can't. And then and British and Britain's close the doors to Palestine and nobody's lifting a a a a a finger for them. Ain't no Israel. And so what God has never and will never want to destroy Israel and therefore he saved him. So he saved him through a person you don't like. He wasn't from he was an idoltor. He may have had a beard, but he didn't have a nice firm hat. Does that mean he wasn't God's agent to save Israel? The text says it was. Well, some people would have said, "Were they living today?" Well, that couldn't have been a good thing. He shouldn't have done that because he wasn't from enough because I know who should be God's agent when the of people to tell you who was God's agent no matter how much good it is. Yeah, it's true. So there's no concentration camps anymore and this but he shouldn't have been doing it. So this could be a good thing. [snorts] It's outrageous. And the next verse like I told you is okay and all the other things that happened to him. Okay. And that was the end of it. That was the whole story. three verses. I'm sorry, it was uh four verses. Um two of which was this is why God saved what he did. And I would like to push it in front of the faces of people. You know what with all of your the theata and all the wonderful why don't you read a text of the Bible? What does the Bible tell you? God says, "You don't decide who I need to help my children. Don't you tell me that you don't like the way your children, you know, the story of uh you, oh God, help me save me from a thing and I sent you this and I sent you that, I sent you that." That's what it is. You pray to God to help you help get us back. Give us a safe place. God does. So, and you're going to say, "I didn't like the I didn't like the guy who was driving the car, so I decided I'd stay here and I'll drown in the flood." I think it's stupid. But that's basically what's happening. So although it's not on what we're saying, this is exactly my strong of saying the the denial of the unbelievable ongoing miracles that happened to us and are happening for us and saying that becauseund and whatever years ago the guy wasn't from enough for me is against the Tanakh. It's against the Bible. It's against And who am I? I'm a nobody but I studied this I studied Tanakh. Now I'm going to give out there are two things I have to give out to you actually. Um um hoping that you know you won't lose time we can have that because this is going to take a couple of discussions when we come to Varim and um I'm debating whether I want to give both of them. One of them is the the long story in that we're going to use it more than this, but it does indeed help us for this seure as well. So, I'm going to start by giving you I know it looks like I have a lot of them and I do, but don't worry, it's just one sheet a piece. So, not that bad. Um, I also found out how I can actually print things on two sides. I have a multi multi talent. So you see that anyway. So uh I'm going to give out this one and this is going to touch upon what we started last week before and I mean it shouldn't be the week before the one before uh and then go on because in order to explain safer there's a lot of explanation because it isn't you know doesn't have the good stories they have in in in braid and bid. So you got to figure out what is it all about. So, I'm going to get this out. Okay. You're going to have them hope >> years old. >> Thank you. >> Uh I'm not close. I'm not we're not uh turning the turning the page on the other side yet. Although if you want to peek, you can. Um we're probably and not probably I hope to be able to focusing really on this and specifically it is the brute as it's written in and effectual I'm going to also see how it's changed from what what inte And then why >> Yeah. >> Mhm. One [snorts] of the most essential things that uh I learned in my youth was uh reading the Herz where told me about the Mad Harai. He called it a theophony. I was never really a great um student of Greece of Greek but uh I figured out what that was. So I've used it in my um it sounds like you know I'm intelligent and I don't want to give a wrong intellig but theophony from theomo meaning god and often study study of god anyway the the revelation of god all right [clears throat] so let me start for the other piece of paper that really is very essential >> are we at the page of the text >> you got to cave the t >> I just I see the Yeah, but we're not going to start that right now. Going to start where I said the division of that's our stud. That will be just temporarily depending how much I talk. I'm a rabbi. You know what happens then. Um now what we did last week is the introduction to safer varim. uh when and where the speeches were given. We went through them and I show you how the years from 2 to 40 are all are all uh included in that first safer in the first three per uh uh chapters of uh Varim and how strange why we he jumps from one to the other and I showed you uh that the basic theme of of Dvare is precisely given right There he tells the stories of how Israel sinned in that first year or two with the s of the moragalim, right? Remember we go through that God said go and conquer the land and they said no. So then God says that's it. You can't conquer the land. And they said no we're going to go now. Remember that's what they did in in when the Mim and and the Moraglin. But then we go and jumped to the the 40th year when they passed through the um nations of Edon and of Ammon and of Moav where God says it's tempting for you but do you do don't even try to fight with them. Don't bother them. I've given this land to the uh descendants of Lot and of Edom and I know Asav not enough not for you. I can you should go through and I can I could go through actually it's this week's para uh where it says clearly that there are 10 nations that would be there and seven we call the seven nations that was for the Jews and the three were for them. Okay. And then they go and go to Sikhon and Og where God says and when when Sikhon attack God says you can attack and you can fight with them. So they did not fight when God said don't fight and they did fight when God said go you allowed to fight. They took over that land in effect the beginning of the uh taking over of the promised land. Um and that was the story of this first prayer of this first para that is look what happens when you didn't listen to God in those first years you got in trouble including another 39 years in this desert and when you did you started conquering the land so that's the theme of the whole book that was Moshe is trying to tell them in the last weeks of his life hey I ain't going to be there when you go do the right thing you'll do fine you don't listen to what God wants look at what happens when you didn't listen. So that was the beginning as I said that the review and um that I said a warning of the punishments that were before that and but there's a second thing that happened here and that happens in a chapter five five in chapter five you find something very very interesting and that is uh in invarim um we read and I you'll Find this in the theophony at Sinai. You see that? Look at [clears throat] Dalid. Okay, this is at the um when Moshe is explaining or better reminding them for those who were there teaching those who were not there and that was the bulk of the army of the people in the four in the 40th year of what happens there of what happened at Heni. So he tells the story in this way. He says you can start with the English. I'll put you can turn the page. You'll find that the English it's easier for you to understand. [snorts] Moshe tells the people of Israel and remember we're talking about here um the bulk of the people which were uh who were very young or not hadn't even born some 40 years earlier. Right? He says, "Okay, you came forward and you stood at he stood at the foot of the mountain. The mountain was ablaze with flames of the skies and dark with the densest clouds. Hashem spoke to you from the fire and you heard the sound of the words, but you saw no shape, nothing but a voice obviously saying, you know, don't think I can now make a idol that looked what I saw." You didn't see anything, right? And God told you the co covenants that we're to observe and uh what's going to happen so on and so forth. And then if you see that um following that Moshe says again in the next source um what was the response some 40 years ago that when you had do that let me tell you what he what your parents grandparents did explains to them he said Hashem spoke those words those are no more to your whole congregation in the mountain blah blah blah blah blah blah inscribed them on tablets. And then um so when you heard the voice out of darkness while the mountain was ablaze with fire, you came up to me, all of your tribal heads and elders, and you said, "Hashem has just shown shown us his majestic presence, and we have heard God's voice out of the fire. We have seen today that humankind may be addressed by God and yet live. But why should we die then when this fearsome fire consumes us? If we hear the voice of our God any longer, we will die. For what mortal ever heard the voice of the living God speak out of fire as we did and yet lived? That's what they were saying. They were panicked. Who can blame it? You know, I told you last time we're talking about a volcano that's going on here. And they're very frightened. So, what do they say? They said to Moshe, "Moshe, you go closer. You hear all that Hashem says, and then you tell us everything that he tells you, and we will willingly do it." So God heard the plea that that you made to me. And he said to me, I have heard the plea that this people made to you. They spoke well. It's a good idea. He said, "May they always fear me and follow all my commandments so that it will go well with them and their children." So go say to them, "Okay, return to your tents, but you remain here with me and I will give you the entire instruction and laws and new Jews." Bahub very interesting what do you find interesting about this I don't know if you all realize this and we'll catch you when you read it the first time doesn't say that what is Moshe telling them in year 40 with what did this story tell the people that may they may not have known [clears throat] I mean they knew about Hari what did he just tell them Moshe is telling them. I know what you're thinking. You know, the 40th year you want to get into land and you're tell and now we are telling you are telling uh Mosha says I'm going to tell you the laws. What's the response? When did God die and make you boss? Why are you teaching me the the laws? God should have told it to us. Moshe before he begins the whole safer dvarim is explaining to the people and it's not because I enjoyed being a professor. I'm coming here to teach you because you wanted me to. >> That was your request. They didn't know that. The bulk of them don't know about this. >> But you told me. So I'm just doing what you asked me to do. Don't get upset. Nor do even do you can you doubt that what I'm telling you is what God told me because you told me to tell you what God told me. That's a tremendously powerful thing. If you don't understand that before we begin, you'll fall into the pitfall of what others would say. Well, this really wasn't the law because we don't find it in the other Torah. There was all these mitzvah and we're going to touch upon that, too. It was all given to them. But as I told you before, the fact that Dvarum is called Mishnet Torah doesn't mean it's a repeat repetition of the Torah because as I pointed out to you, very little there's nothing of beret in there. There's very little of um of that's invar something tiny of of vayra is there and just a few stories of vidbar is found there. It it's different. There isn't a repetition. It was the Mishnet Torah. It was a repetition of the laws that Moshe had been teaching for 40 years. And he was doing it over and over again as new generations are coming in. The 5-year-olds how to get 10 years old. You got to teach them differently. That's what he was doing, you know, through his teachers obviously. And so the Mishnet Torah, he says, "Okay guys, we've been teaching you this for last long, but I'm leaving now. I want to review all these so you understand them and that's what this was a review of what they had been hearing except the guys in the back of the things who are playing with you know with games they listen care they want listen carefully so Moshe comes and said let me review what we taught to you that's why it's a mission Torah but again this I wanted to start with this from in the fourth and fifth chapters of almost part of the introduction where God Moshe is saying that I'm telling you this and know as I did in these other places that we saw. Not because I I have I I love to teach you. I've been a teacher you know how long. It wasn't love all the time. Wasn't that easy because you asked me to. This is your request. And that's why it's so important in the beginning of Dvarim that we now find out why God why Moshe is giving you know you know rabbis he gives a a sermon that's too long he's got a whole book that's too long right because this is what he wants you [clears throat] wanted me to do that's why it is essential all right so that's what I wanted to start with >> and yeah >> you also needed to reinforce the message that he had given to their ancestors because their ancestors were no longer living. So they would have got it indirectly from them. Now he wants to give it to them directly again. >> That's a a very good point. And the assumption is that their uh that their ancestors all gave him that. What about the guys who were killed in uh this plague because they s people swallowed from Korak? No, not everybody was able to give over to the kids. So, so, but that that's correct. Very good. So now we um we go on. Now the if the first part of these introductory remarks prepare us for understanding what Moshe was doing. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to know that kids are learning this, you know, and they have no idea. They're just this is the per this perox is this and that. Oh, we did that. without understanding the whole background of this. you understand the background of why wasim. you understand what the purpose of it was and what but we will go on um with the um as you see the mitzvah section theim section probably next time what we're going to do now is since I opened up about the story of the what happened at Hari the theophony at Sinai so that's what we're going to start Now probably not to finish because I talk too much but um I think that it's will will let you and we'll touch upon also the differences of how the that remarkable remarkable event of uh Mhammed Harai how different it is being uh expressed and described in different times. and why we touched upon it already but anyway um the introduction to Mahari to the theophony at Sinai in Schmote is given in number one in alf the source alf and there we're told in paradro and pericutet And the beginning of Puff on the third day as morning dawned there was thunder and lightning and a dense cloud upon the mountain and a very loud blast of the horn and all the people who were in the camp trembled. This is a great video on this is terrific. I mean you see it builds up what's happening. Oh my god. The people there Moshe led the people out of the camp toward God and they took their places at the foot of the mountain. Now Harai was all in smoke for Hashem had come down upon it in fire. The smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln and the whole mountain trembled and the blare of the horn grew louder and louder. And at that point and Mosh um uh and as God spoke uh and to Moshe he said as Mosha spoke God answered him thunder which right and then it starts the beginning of the pronouncement of this of the ten commandments. Now that's a good movie. >> [laughter] >> Then there's the same thing in [clears throat] >> dramatic >> uh right don't fall asleep when I tell you how they compare this in Moses says Hashem made a covenant with us at Korei right it was wasn't just with our ancestors that Hashem made this covenant but with us the living every one of us here face to face Hashem spoke to you on a mountain of fire I stood between Hashem at um and you at that time only to convey Hashem's words for you were afraid about the fire and didn't go up the mountain saying what happened to the the trembling and the thunder and the siren of nothing. Well, I mean I there's no description of all that remarkable what was going on there. you when you read the uh when you read the Torah and you read the text not when it's lame because in that time the most important thing is to get out for the for the kiddish but if you're going to read it and see it it's a very emotional impactive thing and the the words get and whoever wrote this did a good job the the divine um the divine word is unbelievable tremendously done. And then you compare that to Dan where Yeah. Okay. So, we're beginning to see that there must have been a different reason for the two stories. Primary, and we're going to primarily, and we're going to see that as we go on, Moshe wasn't interested in giving them all the details of what happened and how scary it was and so on and so forth. And you're right, he assumed that you know papa and grandpa told him that probably did his essential message. What was what we just said? He had to tell them that the only reason he had to go on to teach them or remind them of the mitzvot because they asked him to. So he doesn't go through all of the very very moving stories of what happened. He just says okay this is what happened. All right. Then we read in and now the third source [snorts] something which indeed is mentioned in as well. Here we read that after the um all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking. And when the pope people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance. So they said to Moshe, "You speak to us and we will obey, but let not God speak to us lest we die." Which is very clear, I'm sorry, close to what we read in Dvarim 2. Does anyone know when it says here that the people said no don't do the god we don't want to hear from god we hear from you at what point does that happen >> after the second mitzvah >> very good I'll say it was only after the first two that they got they got all nervous and after that it was only Moshe who taught them what happened who taught them what God had told him. Um, and beautifully tells us that Moshe Moshe he taught us Torah. Now using our wonderful um usage of uh the each letter has the has a a number to it. Torah is 400 tough six v 200 of the r and hey Torah five that's 400 right 6 200 5 >> 63 >> no >> 4 68 >> 611 >> 11 >> 6 and five is 11 and 200 Mosha Moshe taught us 611 but the first two mitzvot >> came from and I said that my son told us very nice doesn't fit very nicely with the reality I'm sorry to say >> it makes no sense I don't think you know it's difficult let's say up that God stopped in the middle and said okay uh okay we'll stop what nowhere does it say that God stopped in the middle and that then then he said, "Okay, good idea, Moshe. Okay, I'll go back. You go back to when it doesn't say that. In fact, it says they go back after the ten commandments, not after two." >> I'm saying that spoke at the same time as Moshe. >> No, I'm saying they God spoke >> two. He said two things. >> Well, according to this view that this uh complaint of Israel that we're afraid to hear anymore. Please stop. They said after only two um of the commandments and one of the commandments are by and themselves a difficult question. I am the Lord your God. Okay, God. Thanks for the introduction. What do you want from me? >> It's an acknowledge, right? doesn't say that. >> Yet thou shalt believe that I am Hashem. Doesn't say that. It doesn't say you must but it just says I am God. In effect says in many says it was merely they heard this voice you know you know could have been some loud through radio. They didn't know what it was. So says no you hear the voice. It's me, God speaking to you. Now, let's go and he starts cut the next the next and as I I think we've done it before. If not, I'll do it again. The counting of the ten commandments and there are 10 because the Torah says there areim three times it says 10. So we know there are 10 here and it's not 10 mitzvot and those who were at my class while ago um said it can't be mitzvot because there about 16 mitzvot in the in the right just look at the right and go through all of the lows over there just in the right um all these things. So um more than the 10 really 10 not commandments and as I've taught means words or things if you will should put that there are three better from the word dbor pronouncements that's what really had brought are the 10 command the 10 pronouncements uh and with each each pronouncement there could be more than one mitzvah at any rate um through other reasons also So there are disagreements among the kazal among the forim exactly when it happened uh that Israel ran away. Now it could very well be one or the other but I would tell you what does it mean if they stopped the uh god after the first two or the first 10 they had to stop him. What does that mean to us? They were intimidated. >> That was true. You are a heartbeat. What was God planning? >> I think he wanted to scare them. So they like not forget it imprinted. Not sure. But >> what was God planning that they had to stop him? Was he planning to give 613 mitzvah? >> We can assume that. >> And they stopped him. [snorts] And God says, "That's a great idea, Moshe. God, you'd think God would gang. Come on, you brats. How come you didn't do me? I'm trying to give you the whole thing. I don't want to hear it." >> Yeah. Why does he think it's great? Because he was setting up the rebi thing. was what? Setting up the >> only way you can pass down the learning, the mitzvah, the tradition, the very kind of what of of of Israel is only through parent and child. And rather than have God say these are the 613. All right. So long. God says, "Let's set up that Ramosha Rabenu the teacher and the rest would now be students and then they'll become teachers and they'll so it was the beginning of the parent child teacher student thing of passing down the misor and that's why God said what they said is a good idea. I like that. >> What does hiva mean? >> What from the word toe? >> Toe. >> Yeah. For the word toe. It's good what they say. It's good. Um. All right. Let's see. >> A little question. Will the children listen to their parents? Well, that way. Hashem wants us to listen to >> That's not up to God. >> That's up to you, you know. Um, >> yes. But was it clear? People couldn't hear God. They couldn't. So >> if they got the education from for from look why was put in the crucial middle of the boat >> because if you don't respect your parents, you'll never respect God. >> That's that's secondarily I would tell you. That's great. You're right. I don't want to say you're wrong. You're right. But it's secondary because if you don't reg your past generation, you don't listen to them. There's no passing on of the misora. >> If you have no respect for what they told you, I the old man doesn't even know how to fix his his iPad. If if you don't have the respect to listen what they're going to teach you, how are you going to carry on the misra to the next generation? That's why is so important. Whatever I'm teaching you, it means nothing unless you learn it for the next past generation and pass that on. You know, that's something I would have said about the we didn't get there. But anyway, that is a very essential part if you understand the concept of of of what of what we're doing here. How how is it the crazy Jews hanging around here for three thousand years? Uh it's a little more than that. think figure think figure out this the Ben Mcdash the first Ben Mcdash is was built about 2000 BCE we're now in how much 2000 CE 57 but we are in 57 I'm just saying from because we're talking about four and they've been following this and we crazy Jews are still putting on sneakers on on on your kipper this is the that the tradition was put down. We aren't large and the Torah says we are a small nation and we were going to be a small nation. >> We're very small. 0.193% of the population. >> See, there you go. >> I just I just >> But we had managed in such a remarkable faith to get so many people hating us. I think that's a tremendous thing. Not everybody, not any nation could get the majority of the world to hate you. We did it. And so >> one of great accomplishment and threat but the but you are you are going to be a small it isn't quantity it's quality >> don't you think >> huh >> it's really envy more than hatred then that's jealousy >> I don't care I know I don't know people who want to go and kill Jew Jews because they're I'm so jealous of you I'm gonna murder you. Um, but it's part of it and I and uh the quiet I think the quiet anti-semitism probably is envy. They found another Jew who got the Nobel Prize this year this year. They're not happy at all. Uh the point is Yeah. for economics. Yeah. Um the the fact that we have been able to carry on [clears throat] that misoa that tradition is based upon I'd say kabikha but based upon what's happened at harai when the when the chicken said I'm afraid of god and god said that's good you should be afraid of me you should be deeply respectful which is in Hebrew your eye and your eye isn't just I've got I got to bite my fingernails cuz I'm nervous. Your eye is real a deep deep and and ongoing uh respect that I don't have. I remember when Salvet would come into the elevator at YU I wanted to walk out. I was so afraid. >> I wasn't afraid of him. such a deep a respect of who he was and what he did. That's a deepest. So it sounds like a fear but it's different. But the Hebrew word and your can be used for both. It's more is really what fear is. Your is deep. Uh what did you say? You used a good word but not intimid. No not it doesn't intimidate you >> at all. That's right. one of those great words. Awe. That dumb. Anyway, um trust form at that time also that that we trust Moshe. We'll trust our parents. We'll trust >> One would imagine it would have. But look in the Torah. What was Korak who said it? >> He said that. Yeah. Who made you a boss? >> We you didn't. So the people are people because unfortunately they were all Jews. So they have something to complain about. No. That's it. That is that and especially when you have the same leader for so many years, you're going to have people who have all the different type of complaints about it. >> Yeah. >> You know, I was just thinking the Asians who are now, let's say, back in America, they're replacing the Jews. Maybe because the Jews are all in in um >> Florida [laughter] the top people were always coordin for years now. question >> whether musical or what they first >> how could have they not hated the way that we are maybe because they haven't done the same >> first of all they are not as much because we're special about that there's there are in New York City a lot of attacks against Asians a lot of attacks against Asians um that's in that case there is certainly uh envy >> right >> uh the idea of they're taking away id there's a lot of are but that's not really what's happening. But that's a lot of it and how many people especially the ignorant ones and we have plenty of those um who are afraid of things they don't know and people don't have their culture. They're very much they don't go what are you doing that that's crazy why do you do this and so on and so forth you know so that turns into a hatred and anger but and because in so many the whole culture within the um far east the the culture is that of the seriousness of study accomplish as opposed to you know running for their the first down you know the idea that that is the goal which has always been the Jewish goal also you know is why there is a success in that community uh they see what's important and by the way by and large they have tremendous respect to the Jews >> do they >> oh yes >> Japan loves Israel nations Japan is very close >> North Korea South Korea they're learning Talmud >> I just want to tell you that yeah and the arts art scroll has actually translated translated into Korean. The >> Gammorra Yes. South Korea some of them Israel. >> Yeah. Well, he's Yeah. They have a they have a respect because they saw what this they keep on saying the small little thing. You go ask the the people, you know, a lot of them are, you know, opposing Israel and they they're going and watching the streets, you know, the idiots. Um, do they have a concept of how many Jews are in Israel? >> Nobody can figure that out. >> No, we know how much. They don't know it. >> Just >> they have no idea that there not even 8 million Jews there. 725. So, you know, they have no idea. They think you ask the national must 150 million Jews. You tell them that there are seven million two and a half million Jews in Israel. They're shocked. you tell >> then they'll hit us a different reason. No, it is all these things happen. All right, I think I went out of time because I talked too much. Anyways, um we're going to continue next week.