The Mitzva Mandate | Rabbi Yonatan Udren May 28th 2025

long overdue because we've been working on this since before Corona back and forth and Corona changed the world. Um it's my pleasure to introduce uh my very I don't remember 20 something years ago. Uh my my dear and old friend Ravan. Jonathan Yudrin is a a very very popular educator here in specifically for new in their early 20s and and he's doing phenomenal work for the past 15 years for the past 15 years in Hebrew University for the Rabbi Ruven Gri program which started Hebrew University has now expanded here working with not only university students but but young professionals here in greater your um and it's good to finally have you an opportunity to have you here with us and so uh you're in for a treat welcome. Thank you very much, Ros Sam, my dear friend and mentor really for over 20 years now. It's just good to be here with all of you. The students that I work with, the young people that I work with, they're usually sleeping during this time. Uh they don't get the earliest I will do a class is at noon. So this is already, you know, very very early. If we fall asleep, it's your fault. We'll all be caffeinated. I saw some some coffee out front. All the supplies are necessary. So uh it's good to be here with all of you in during this special week of celebrating. Appreciate all of you coming out early in order to learn and hopefully we'll be able to do some preparation for shuvot which is almost upon us. Very very exciting this Sunday night. So that's what I wanted to talk about today. Um but first just to go back a little bit I did most of my or all of my yeshiva studies here in Israel and I did my smika at yeshivaar now it's called mahanaya but with rabbi uh Rabbi Riskin Rabbi Schlommo Riskin sure he's known by everybody here most people here um so in order to get into the program at Hamtar they have a test they want to make sure you know you know enough to be able to study the big books you know they give you the small books for the first couple years in order to get the really big ones you have to show you know what you're doing. So they gave us this test and one section of the test has a list of obscure mitzvot. So I remember I was struggling with one of them. I some of them you know toet great I know that one rashit gaze. Wait a second. What does natural gas have to do with the Torah? What is the first natural gas line that we find? We What what does this have to do with anything? I was very very confused. Uh the mitzvah is rashita gay. It's the first shearings. I don't know if anyone's ever had a chance to do the mitzvah of rashita gay. Anyone here ever had this? It's like pian. It's like one of those things that you know unless you're really out there in batt or somewhere you don't really get to to do these things. Um but the point is that there are a lot of mitzvot 613 to be exact though amongst the foreshim we don't exactly know which ones are in which ones are out that itself is a whole limu that we could spend a whole series talking about which one is in which one is out if you count fill in as two so then which one goes out right it's a whole interesting process but if we're talking about celebrating commemorating experiencing the giving of the Torah so what is the Torah other than mitzvot Obviously we have stories right say for ber sheet those are a critical central part of it but if you have to look at what really the Torah is in one word you have to really say that it's mitzvot so that's great mitzvot are wonderful they allow us to be able to do incredible things here in this world however there's a big problem with mitzvot that I'm going to bring up today and maybe you look a little scant me this is my first time here maybe it will be my last time here but the moral asked this question and he was Jewish So, I hope it's okay. Okay, think about this. Parents in the room here, maybe grandparents even. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Um, sorry. Great grandparents. My goodness, this awesome crowd. What's the fiot you have? My goodness. Young at heart though and energetic. That's what's important. Uh, exactly. I thought I thought just new parents with young kids. Um if you can remember that time with young kids or your you see your kids dealing with young kids um trying to give a directive to a younger kid. Okay. Um before you go to bed I want you to wash the dishes. This is my life. Okay. Familiar anybody? Um to your kids or to you to me giving a direct Oh yeah. That's my wife also to me. O can we get personal here? Can I put out the couch? uh me saying to you know the kids one of the kids here's your job right all the kids have certain jobs in the house everybody has something that they need to do uh if I give each kid one directive the chances of that happening depending on the kid my friend over here says not so good okay even for one directive yeah well it is like that you say yes do it and it's it's not done okay Oh, good. So, you're already helping me. What's your name? Silia. Sylvia, thank you. You're already helping me. Let's say I give two directives. What are the odds of both of those directives being done? Does it go down? Goes down. No, it goes it goes it doesn't go down, it goes up. If I give, if the more I give, I'm imagining the less performance and chance I'm going to get, right? And let's say I give 10. Okay, I'm going away for the day. These are the 10 things that I need you to do. What are the odds that all 10 are going to be I mean my kids are good barem they're amazing they're the best it's very very difficult let's say I give the kid 613 tasks to do throughout their whole life and then that's not even enough I'm going to add rabbitical right parental additions to make sure those get done properly and they're going to be from the moment that they wake up in the morning the very second before they even open their eyes they have to do something mod then then when they get dressed they have to do it in a certain way when they get in the shower they have to wash a certain way when they go to bed they have say something specific before they lie down and go to sleep. Everywhere in between, their lives are dictated by all of these different directives that I've given them. What are the odds that that's going to go well? Okay. It's a chance. It's a big Yeah, exactly. What's your name, sir? What? What's your name? Jay. Jay. Jay says like this. Okay. Exactly. It's a big Sorry. I don't agree. You don't agree? Great. All right. We already got a muk loaded. Good. We have a big midash. Yes. answer to your question. Sorry. Look how we behave in answer to your question. Look how you behave in answer to your question. Say sorry. Say again. We do many mitzvah. We do many mitzvah. Okay, so we're in Okay, good. Um, we don't do them all. We don't do them all. Good. We will get to that for sure. We can't do them all, by the way. Right. That's important to know. We'll get to there. Sorry, but say again. We don't have to do all. We're not a co-en. We're not a co-en. True. Absolutely. What's your name, ma'am? Leah. Leah. Leah says, "Well, not a code. We don't have them all to do." Let's say even Leah, the ones that we're supposed to be doing, okay, that are relevant for a woman at your stage, right? All that is upon you. I pick on you, but for anyone at the stage where they're at, the mitzvot that we're supposed to do at the stage we're at in our lives, there's a lot to do. And not only is there a lot to do, but there are a lot of places to fall to the extent that maybe we ask a question, Hashem, why so many mitzvot. Would it not have been better just to give me one? Hey, 10. How about that idea? You ever hear that? 10 commandments. Doesn't that sound perfect? Seven. Seven. Okay, seven. Even better, right? Less. Seemingly, it would be the less mitzvot the better because I have a greater chance of doing what it is that God wants for me. Nevertheless, the Torah seems to take an opposite approach and khazal all the rabbis get on board and by the time they're done I've actually never seen this I don't know if you ever seen a number of total mitzvot including all the Torah mitzvot and all the rabbitic mitzvot maybe throw a few minhagim in there we're talking about thousands I assume right I mean I don't know anyone ever heard this before the count of total mitzvot it's a lot okay fills up lots and lots of books so the question I want to ask and really I want to ask through the lush of the mahar because he asks it he asks he asks it in a very direct and important way to think about what is it that mitzv about mitzvot that are now well and merit what is what's so good about more mitzvot okay yes do I get a credit for not doing negative yes I go a whole day without talking lion horror get a mark at the end of the day a plus if you kind as far as I understand if you had a desire to speak lashhara and you withheld yourself so then yes but the mitzvah of doesn't apply every second you don't kill someone Jay unless you have a very evil heart and looking at your smile I can't imagine that's the case okay very good okay so now this is if you look at number one where where does this come from where do we dive into in khazal this discussion look at what number one the good makot this is the most at least the most or one of the most mumbled lines in all of the time you go to right that's what happens this is an actually very beautiful and deep sentiment that are expressing he wants to God wanted to give merit to us therefore how did he give us merit here to increased to mitzvah God had this idea so to speak more the better. Why? Because every mitzvah is a it's a merit for us. So therefore I'll increase them and the more the marrier so to speak. Okay, that's the assertion of Kanekashia. Now if you go to number two, yeah, I would think it's more that we are made in the image of God that we are doing. Okay, beautiful. So these things are really on a deeper level of reflection of our true essence and we're aligning oursel with our highest self with our godly self. I like that very much. Okay. But before we get to um that facet of the discussion and the spiritual kind of outgrowth of what we're saying here, we still have a problem and the moral is going to articulate this first. Okay, look at number two. Wait a second. The moral says I got a big problem here with this statement. Uh, how can you say that? It's how can you say that? This is antithetical to logic again. The says this. Okay. So, we can say it. He should have lessened mitzvot. Maral was a father. He understood, right? in order so they wouldn't have to do so many. Make it easy on us, Hashem. Give us a few and then we can manage. It's kind of like what happened is they came out of they were only given they were only given a few in the beginning. Yeah. And that didn't even go so well, right? Yeah. Well, you know, if that was the test case, right, then then we're off and running uh and we're a little concerned. God should have known this, right? Uh so the moral asks this question, we have to understand why it is that mitzvot are zahoot. I believe they are zahoot. We just have to understand what that means and that's what I hope to do for the next how long do we have rev 1010. Okay, great. That's a good amount of time. Can I trouble you for a glass of water or whoever is really appreciate it? Okay, so let's start with Rashi. He always has what to say. Okay, look at number three. Rashi, let's look at this. Should we do the Hebrew every time or English? How what's easier for people? Hebrews. Hebrew. Uh people are happy with Hebrew. Okay. So, we'll do Hebrew and English. Okay. And the English is there too. Rashi number three. This is uh on that place in Makot. He's asking what does it mean? What is the So, so the Rashi says this is similar to what Jay was pointing to. Okay, so we're going to get from those things that we refrain from doing. wrote so that uh so we didn't need to thank you Sam there wasn't a need to command us right God didn't have to say okay don't eat creepy crawies don't eat a dead deer that was run over by a car okay don't don't do that in general it's also not kosher it's called A umim these eight uh creepy crawly things that the Torah outlines. Don't eat these things like an owl. Um all these forbidden foods that we have catfish, I don't know, kind of gross. All these animals that we're told not to eat, these things that are gross by Hashem saying to us, "Okay, uh don't eat these. We were not going to eat it anyway. Who's going to eat a a deer that was hit on the by a car on the side of the road?" People eat lobster. That's true. Right. Around like corona time, right? People eat ants. That's true. Um I guess Rashi in France was very refined and did not eat it. Oh, that's true. They I don't know if they ate snails back in Russia. They eat everything. That's true. They just put a little butter sauce on it and it's yummy. Right. Put butter sauce in anything that's yummy. Sorry. What' you say, sir? Say something. I missed it. No, I No, he wasn't with Far East. I'm familiar with the Far East. Yeah. Yeah. When they eat bats or or you know whatever, right? They have these things markets, you know, stalls in the streets where they Okay. So, I'm getting a lot of push back. People really don't appreciate Raji. Just to understand what Rajie is saying. Raj is saying that the Torah commanded us a lot of extra mitzvot things that we wouldn't have wanted to partake in anyway. And therefore, if by not partaking in them and not doing them somehow, we get scar. Now, this is the question that Jay asked. Wait a second. Do I get for just not saying? I walk through the whole day. Um, I'm not sure if it works that way. I think there has to be like a live for mitzvah, right? There has to be a live chance to be able to do something wrong, right? There has to be a lobster in front of you in order to and say no to it, right? Uh, but just to walk through down the street of Shalam and say, "I'm not eating, you know, raw oysters." Um, I'm not sure if that does it. But in any case, Rashi sees a lot of the mitzvot as um, let's say, culturally unnecessary, at least during his time. Maybe cultures have changed now, things are different. So because of the fact that they're culturally unnecessary. So therefore we get from those. Okay. But already some push back from rashi. So let's hope that there's more than just not eating the dead deer. Anyone ever eat venison? It's kosher. Just not very not really around but you can eat it. Yeah. What? Buffalo. I think people It's delicious. Good. Buffalo's good. Okay. They don't really serve it around here. Giraffe. Anybody? Buffalo. Yeah, sure. I'm They have some closure. No, I know. I'm mentioning that just as far as uh but they can't they don't know where to where's the check. The neck is very long here in the middle. Right. They know where to but they don't have uh Okay. And anyway, let's see a different answer. A very optimistic answer. This is going to leave everyone feeling good about themselves. Okay. Look at number four. This is the Rambam's parish of on this particular Gora. The Rambam says as follows. If a person, we have a masur, we have one of our fundamental fundamental beliefs in faith that if a person does a mitzvah from the 13 613 mitzvot here are the the how does a person do the mitzvah here? Here the Rambam says he does it as is appropriate and is proper. I put here and he doesn't add any kind of advantages from this world. A person does a mitzvah completely for its sake from a place of love like I explained to you. in that doing that performance of that one mitzvah done properly. All those different all those different conditions that are met, you get your Excuse me. And therefore, person's not going to go through their whole life and not do one mitzvah properly and therefore they will merit the world to come and the dwelling of the of the nephesh in this upper world through that one m. Okay, just to speak it out and then we'll hear from people. Ramom says, why are there so many mitzvah? Why is it? Because if you do one right, you get your ticket to Okay, what does one right mean? I think the word that best articulates this totally altruistically. If a person does a mitzvah, any of the 613, totally altruistically, then you get your ticket to Maba. Thank you very much. You're on your way. That's very encouraging. That is encouraging. I agree. Have the door in one mitzvah, right? That way, but you got to do it, right? without any um anybody any any kind of sense of I'm getting something from this. Okay. So there are a lot of challenges and questions here we have to work through. Yes. Yes. But the Rambity says that among men only very few people will ever reach that level. Okay. He says for women it's impossible. He says for women that this level is impossible. You'll have to show that to me. I didn't see that. I didn't see that at this level. I don't remember that. I've seen Chuva several times. You'll have to show it to me. But in any case, the Rambam doesn't differentiate here between men and women. Uh I wouldn't understand why there would be. However, um if now here do do you hear there's a there's a challenge there's an issue here because you say the Rambam says, "Hey, you know you hey Rabbi um Refam I want to go to Alhaba like what do I do?" Just do one mitzvah and you just do it properly then you'll get your ticket to alaba. So okay but you do it altruistically. You see there's a problem there. Yes. What's the problem? Because once you want to get right. Exactly. Okay. Like I'm trying to get to that's the goal is how do I get to you? You do a mitzvah properly. Right. So there's like an internal kind of challenge in it. Problem is flipping understanding what the word mitzvah means. Meaning that we don't misunderstand. Everyone knows I'm an orthodox rabbi. So a mitzvah obviously I believe are are are not optional. I'm not saying they're optional. If we define a miss simply as an obligation, we're miss the teachers is we're missing a point or opportunity. Beautiful. And therefore what the is saying here is what's ingenious about is basically flipping the definition of what is saying gives us so many opportunities to do good so many opportunities to achieve so many opportunities to bring merit into our life to bring kadusha to bring godliness into our life it's it's it turns the definition of the word mitzvah on its heels the beautiful beautiful so we're going to see more about that understanding the mitzvah is not just a command but there's something much deeper there. But nevertheless, if I if I want to know tlless according to the Rambam how to get to I have to do a mitzvah altruistically. That's a bit it's a bit of a challenge. Now, um it must be right that that a person must be able to step away from the sense of I'm getting something for this and I'm really doing the mitzvah in the proper way. Okay. Um it must be because it doesn't make sense otherwise, right? It must be that the person can achieve this and they can remove themselves. Okay, I'm not worried about that there. I just want to do the mitzvah. I just want to do it from a place of love for you, a place of connection to you. It must be that that what that's what the Rambam's talking about. Okay. There there's some ability to step away from the Sahar aspect of it. Okay. Um but there's another problem here with the Rambam. If you only need to do one in order to get to my ticket to then Sorry. Yeah. Why didn't maybe I'll say to myself, hey, you know what? I put on twill this morning. I had kavana. I did it. I know. I don't know. I don't know how to I just feel like I did it. You know, kahogan. I put it on. I got there early. I put it on. I said all the things that are connected with it. I had the kavana. Felt really spiritual, right? It felt awesome. I did that mitzvah fillin koi kahogan nyava. All the all the things that the rambom asked. Now what? Like let's go to the B a Cyprus lay on the beach, right? Like I did it. But then I'm done. But then if you do that then you prove that you didn't do that for the sake of you didn't. No, I did it. I I wanted to I needed to do it. It was a task. The rabbi told me that in order to get alab, I have to complete the task. I completed the task. Now I'm going on vacation. Right. Some people retire and they just I don't know. Not like you guys coming to learn Torah. This is awesome. They go and retire and they, you know, land on the beach all day. But but uh but the right so you hear there's a problem here with the rambom that way. This is a problem immediately. Yeah. Says you do it altruistically, right? But you're going to get allah. So already it's not altruistic, right? So good. So we pointed that out. So we said it must be that a person must have to be able to separate themsel from the mitzvah. Like we say pure vote, don't serve the master in order to get the prize. Rather do it not in order to serve the prize. Right? That's kind of that same type. So I have to kind of remove myself from this looking for a prize, right? I mean, you know, think about this in our own lives, human being, right? To look for not something good for doing something good. Yeah. No, for sure. Whatever. So I'm just thinking about this. The way we give because we want to give. On the other hand, somewhere back of our mind, we're going to we're doing a mitzvah. Sure. So if we're doing a mitzvah, it means we're doing what? God's broken bond. Therefore, we will get some reward for it. Right. I mean, we don't go through all that thinking what we're doing. You're right. You're right. Look, I think the way the human beings are naturally built is that we have a an interest in getting something for it. That's kind of the way we're built. And part of our work in the world, especially if you want to get more mystical, I think someone mentioned kind of a deeper idea, want to get more into mysticism and cabala. Really, the whole purpose of the Torah and why we're here is to be able to transform ourselves from receivers, excuse me, from givers, no, from receivers to givers. Yes. Transform ourselves from receivers to givers to make sure that my whole life is about looking out for the other as opposed to looking out for my own interest. That's right. So, the Rambam very aligns with that very nicely. the Rambom isn't interested in me and we'll get to this you know shortly I see um the I can't step on other people to get my mitzvot right it's like there's something wrong if I'm doing what's called a mitzvah a vera if I'm doing an aa I doing something wrong in order to get a mitzvah there's a problem there okay so has to be done properly and just to to touch on the other point um maybe I'll check out once I do that one mitzvah so I'm not g a person who would get to a place where they could do a mitzvah all the all the uh the conditions that the Rambam outlines that type of person wouldn't go and lie in the beach all day afterwards, right? That type of person has transformed their personality to no longer be a taker but a giver. Okay? So therefore, we wouldn't have to worry about that. Okay? But that's the Rambam's position. By the way, the Mahal doesn't like it. The Rambom gets a lot of flack for this. How could it be that one mitzvah doing one properly gets you? It's a lifelong endeavor. mitzvah as Ra Sam said beautifully it's it's it's a momentby-moment opportunity not not an obligation that's put upon us okay so there's definitely one to think about as far as the Rambam is concerned just for time sake let's move on to the shemish and this is sorry just is it okay hold on to it if we have time at the end please I'd love to touch on it okay the the shem is uh uh already moving things in a ve in a different directionic perspective and he's already taking into assumption And we understand the word mitzvah should not be or should not always be com translated as the word command but rather the word mitzvah is connected to the Aramaic word za which is connected to the modern Hebrew word which means a staff. It's about connection. Okay, we have 613 points of connection available to us with the divine. Okay, let's look at the shemo. Yeah, I know. I'm just thinking if we should for sake just do let's do the Hebrew. Why did Hashem command all these different types of mitzvah? We have we have we haveim all these different types. Hey, these mitzvah they're good for us. There's something positive. We're supposed to live these each and every day. How is it that these mitzvot are good for us? This is our question. There's a problem that we have and that is the nature of the physical world. The natural world would cause us to forget forget Hashem. Forget that we're anything physical. Forget that there's any broader purpose in the world. Because the word nature is also means to drown. Drown in the river. That the nature of this world, it drowns all these good ideas, not just smart ideas, but ideas that are deep, that connect us to the divine, that connect us with our true selves, that connect us with the bar. The world is a raging river and we have no control over it. It's trying to drown us. So, what do we do? Yeah, sorry. Go ahead. He's referring to one of the questions of the first on the four sons. Exactly. Very good. Yeah. Exactly. Very good. People go to nature to be absolutely right. But he's talking not about you know the beautiful trees and the tu and the negv or something. Um he's talking about the nature of the physical world and its ability to be able to cause us to forget that there's a god in the world. Okay. um difficult thing to open up one's bank account and see oh what is that big charge oh yeah I spent that right where's a go in that moment it's hard this physical world right raising kids grandkids great grandkids um not even to talk about the the troubles we're in the challenges we have as a nation war hostages right I mean there's a lot of challenges in the physical world both on a personal level a national level international level I mean not going to open it up we could just spend the next you half an hour fetching or so, right? I mean, it's hard. The My friend over here is nodding. Yes. Yes. Yes. We know. Uh yes, it's a tough world. The nature of this world caused us to forget the Ramall in the beginning of his says, you know, there's no in this book, which is not true. Obviously, it's full of it's the joke of it. But uh he says you have to read this book because the physical world will cause you to forget all these lessons. The nature of the physical world causes us to forget that there's a god in the world. Hashem's presence is instilled of all of reality. It's a challenge. The world is according to a raging river and we have no place to turn and to hold on to except for look back in the Hebrew. How did Hashem help us? What's the life raft that we have to hold on to? So he says we have all these mitzvah that every mitzvah is an opportunity for us to hold on. It's like a life raft in the the raging river of this world. Everywhere I turn, I see a mitzvah. Why are there so many? Why do the rabbis add on to it? They're trying to get me in trouble. are trying to have me do uh write write long lists for lol and and have to do all this juva. No, they want us to have contact points with the divine. Okay? Just like a battery has two contact points in order to make the battery go. We as Jews have an incredible opportunity. We have contact points with the divine each and every moment in our life through the mitzvah. Wake up in the morning. What's that? It's awakening to the fact that you're in the world. What's going to happen? Otherwise, I'm gonna get up. I'm gonna start to hear the news and I'm gonna start to think, oy, what's going to be? So I center myself around mitzvot around around these mitzvot that from the very first moment of consciousness I'm able to connect to a broader understanding of reality and I'm able to hold on to as she says able to hold on to a life raft in this challenging world which is filled with upheaval. Yes. I guess I'm wondering but I disagree because I see that if you see the world you believe that someone created it just didn't come about. Absolutely. The apocryphal story everyone must know about Rabbi Sh who went to the Alps on vacation and his congregation was very against it that he took a month off. He said, "But if you see the Alps, you know that there is a God." Beautiful. How could I go up to Shabbay and they'll ask me, "Uh, did you not see my beautiful Alps?" 100%. Okay, so this is beautiful. This is what our friend over here was saying as well. Wait a second. We can see God in nature. And the Rambon himself, by the way, says, "You want to find God's fingerprint in the world? Look at nature." Absolutely. That's true. 100%. What's your name again? Sorry. Leah. Leah. You know what? You're what I call a pot stir, Leah. We have these with my students. They're my favorite students. Okay. Because they don't let things just be. They like to stir the pot. So good. It makes it interesting. So I thank for I thank you for what you're saying. Leah, I wanted to go back one sentence too that human beings who are being human. Yeah. And they're not Jewish. This refers to Jewish people, the Torah, right? But you look at people who are good, the ones who say people who do not see Holocaust and people who are general, genuinely good, moral people. Absolutely. So, so that there Lee, I'm going to say I'm sorry that's just a little bit out of the scope of what we have the time for today, but agreed. Um, there's definitely one to talk about about non-Jews, but here we're just today focusing on uh for Jews and mitzvah and how that works as far as our relationship with Torah. Okay. So, um, but you're right. I think that both things are right. In other words, nature gives us an opportunity to appreciate the divine whether we're doing it in, you know, uh, appreciating nature in a in a hike or a walk or excuse me, I grew up in Florida, so like there's a beautiful sunsets. I used to be on the beach a lot. Definitely. Um, was spent as a child I spent time on a on a sailboat out in Lake Michigan in Chicago. Those are some of my most like cherished memories as as a kid. You're out there on a boat and you're just in the middle of Lake Michigan. It's like, wow. You know, that's an a awesome opportunity to to to appreciate nature and God's fingerprint. That's true. And the world is a crazy world, okay? And the world is filled with upheaval. And I'll just speak for myself and maybe this isn't as much a challenge for you, Leah, for others. But to be able to hold on to a consciousness that Hashem is running the world in each and every moment, no matter what, no matter what's going on in my life or my wife's life or at home or with my kids or with, you know, our community or or whatever, that can be more challenging. So that's I think what the Shemish is saying and the mitzvot are opportunity to make contact and keep in touch, right? Right? Hashem's like, "I'm going to send you down to the physical world." And it has to be a world where you can't necessarily intuit it my existence. Why? There's something important to that. What's the importance of the world? Not seeing Hashem's hand overtly, right? Shown. What's the Why? Why? Why is the world like that? Why do we need the world to kind of hide God's face, so to speak? Look for him. We can look for him. Free will. Okay, good. Free will. We have to have free will. Without free will, so the whole plan doesn't make sense. Okay. But there so says I have to make this world this way. If there's going to be something called and if there's going to be something called free will so it has to be this way that my face is hidden but I got something good for you. I got for you life wraps to be able to stay in touch and they're called mitzvot. Okay, that's what the was saying. So that really turns the whole thing on its head and then from that perspective we're like well if that's what it is give me more. And that's what the rabbis are doing. They're like yeah more more. Let's throw in more mitzvah. Okay. So, let's see a little bit more here. Different perspectives. Now, um I want to go back to the mar. This is going to shift things. Okay. From up until now, I think we've been talking about mitzvot in relation to my personal relationship with mitzvot my mitzvot. Am I eating kosher? Am I keeping mitzvot? Am I putting on? Am I ding? Right? All those type of things. But really, as we pointed out at the beginning, mitzvot are not just for me alone. Okay? And there's a broader perspective of mitzvah. Okay. So look at the moral number six. He says maybe you'll say, "Wait a second. You'll lose out on all the merits for the mitzvah that you do because there's so many that you're going to miss out on." And if you put together your column plus and minus you're going to come out on the negative side because there's too many mitzvot. Okay? Remember the moral asked the question less mitzvot would have been better. Seemingly more mitzvot is problematic. person doesn't do what he's supposed to. Okay? We live in a world where you have to buy what you pay for. That's the way the world works. So the mar says that's true. If go back to the marmar okay look back to your page number one it says the mar says if it would have said the individual ah so then what this would be a question if we're talking about pluses and minuses like a personal accounting If it said wants to give merit to the individual, you got you got a point there. My question is valid because it's possible that so many mitzvot might not be good for the individual. Maral says this, it's a wild statement. So many mitzvot actually for the individual could be a problem. It's a problem because you're going to have people that are in the negative when they do their tally sheet. Okay. No one here in this room obviously. Don't worry about it. Sadik here. But um but but but there are people in the world that are going to lose out by the system that was created by the Torah. Yeah. But not doing the mitzvah. So it would have to be again that I think that the understanding is that if you have an opportunity to do it and you do it and it's a it's it's an assay or you do something that you're not supposed to. However it is that that the that it works out, right? However it is that it works out because there's so many possibilities. 3 613 365 248 because of all that. So there's a possibility you'll come out in the minus and the moral says inami it is possible that an individual person could come out on the wrong side of the equation. It's not great for the individual. However, this is where we have to shift our understanding of what mitzvah are about. Look at the second line there is the purpose of it is not just for the individual. It's for all of us together. Right? Jews together all over the world here in Israel. here in this room all over the world. Even if it would have been great for the individual, one personal person that there'll be less. Right? Back to my analogy of my kids. One commandment. One, right? Ten commandments. That would have been better. Even though that's true, but the Torah was given to we are prepared for. We are ready for. We are built for this. We are built for the Torah. not in relation to the individual but the nation as an entirety as as I think Leah said someone said that um right is uh men women people at different stages in their life right the Torah is a national spiritual framework and imperative that we all have to get in on together it's claw Israel yeah and then I'm confused a human general has to make decisions that'll be good for the army but maybe they have good correct exactly Exactly. Exactly. Should be on a higher level. No, because any system that has to exist in this world always has a flaw. Every system has well in this case, right? There's uh this person's going to find a way out or this person's going to get punished. Every single system works that way. It's just the nature of systems. We still live in the physical world. We're not living in Hashem's world. We're living in our world, in the physical world. So that we have to understand that because we live in the physical world, the system has to fit the physical world. This is the best possible system that Hashem could create. But nevertheless, the moral says there's there's a flaw in the system. But we have to understand the why the system is built this way. Okay. And what about when the actual mitzvah itself is bad for the person that what you'd have to give me a specific example who has to stay unmarried because there's no Okay, good. So fine. Um, Auna crisis, right? That we could get into a whole list of um, yes, there are challenges there. This is my first time sitting with you, so I'm not going to open up everything, but um there are challenges there. I have personal challenges with some of the mitzvah in the Torah, some of the issues that you're bringing up. I'm sure we could bring up challenges with it. That's again, I'm going to push that aside just because of the time. We don't have to deal with that. But correct, that is something that would have to be dealt with. But the purpose of the point here is yeah, it's for the majority and not for it's for it's for uh the Maharal here. The Rambom thinks that that the reason why there's so many is because it is good for the individual. In other words, for the ra the Rambom solves this problem in another way. Yeah. That there's I mean obviously the rabbi is aware of this but that our acknowledges and prefers the majority minority. That's a very good point. What is that's a point. What's your name? Aig says that if you look in different areas of halaka, there's a preference for the majority opinion. Okay? Whether we talk about how the Sanhedrin works or even talk about um finding uh if you have three pieces of meat on the ground, you're not sure which story they came from, which one's kosher, right? You work according to majorities. There's uh what about those hostages? What do you mean? Because then other people will be kidnapped. Okay, just without getting into that because that's a charged topic. But um we have to we have to really, you know, have a couple of clims together before we get into that and it's a little too early for me. But um what's that? It's always 5:00 somewhere, right? Uh but I'm not going to touch that one. Um however, let's just say like this. Uh it's an interesting point that the Torah prefers the concept of rov. Okay. um and and and that is a general principle in Halaka. So that actually that actually helps the position of the mar that supports it. I like that very much. In other words, Aigal is seeing in the broader kind of conceptual idea that we're presenting here about the importance of the of the over the prat. We see this in as well in details. We see it as well. Okay. So the the mar says it is better that it's it has to be it's for the cl so therefore some individuals will miss out. The ram says no it doesn't work that way. It's for the individual. That's why there's so many. Okay. So, it's a really interesting and if you want to see more inside is he goes through that and describes that. Okay. But that's the answer again. So, just to appreciate before we see the last piece of that we have to kind of turn our focus uh towards mitzvot not only as an individual practice but also as a national spiritual framework that all of us exist in. Okay. great example in in uh modern hakic history about this. Okay. Rabavadia Ysef was tasked with setting up the Rabanoot Kashoot agency for the state of Israel. Okay. Now uh the Robinoot Kashoot was set up as a standard that would allow as many restaurants as possible, as many hotels as possible to be able to keep a minimal level of kashoot so that we could have something that as many restaurants and and and hotels could buy in on. That was the goal of it. Was the goal to keep all the right all the questions that the shock brings up and the Taj bring up and does it solve all the day? Absolutely not. Okay. There are individuals that would choose not to eat ramen. By the way, the rabbin is very complicated, right? Rabanuai might be different than Rabanutaria and so forth. Certainly not getting into puskining as far as what people should eat and what heck sharing they should eat from, especially in an oir, right? H how could I say such a thing? But um but but that was set up as a national standard. So we look at this is great to be an Israel on so many levels but we can appreciate this much more here in Israel because we are a part of a broader whole. We see oursel as part of a nation here. It's easier for us than it is let's say in New York or wherever we are um to be able to see that. Okay. So we have to see oursel as united amongst us. Kim you do your part is women men we all do this together. Okay. It's a different perspective now. Um, on that note, we're going to look at what Rav Cook has to say about this. We know that Rav Cook sees the iner bright perspective. He's going to give us here. He says, there's one, this is kind of funny to say to, you know, in a Jewish perspective. You have to be cook to be able to say this. There's one unified principle that is unique for the entire Jewish people that we all can buy in on, right? Big camp Judaism. There's one concept that we can all buy in on. What could this possibly be? Okay, we are not We Jews, my friend said to me this once, we're splitters, not we are um yeah, splitters, not lumpers. Okay, we always like to divide things. So, how could there be one common ideology that we all buy in on what is this magic arts? It's the very beginning of the Torah. This is something that we all buy in on arts. What what is Rook saying there? What does he mean that this is one unified concept that is unique to that we all buy in on? What is that? What does he mean? Why is that so important? What does the first sentence of the Torah really teach us? Forget about the story, right? Not talking about the literal nature of it or the allegorical nature of it. What does teach us? God created the world. God created the world. Therefore, what we have to come back to his Wait, sorry, one second, Leah. To come back to God. Okay, you guys are too too high level for me. I'm looking for something very simple. Our whole existence is to be tools of Hashem. Okay, also beautiful but too high simple. One word. What does it mean that God created the world? Recognition. Recognition of help me. There's one word here. Sorry. A recognition of the creator which means what? If I realize that this is a that we live in a story and that there's an author to the story. Therefore, what there's he gave the Torah. Yes. Sure. But but what what there's an author here. We're a part of something. Sorry. Creation. Yes. Okay. Maybe I'm just thinking about this in a specific way. My what's that? God exists. God exists. Therefore, what purpose? Okay. This is I think the word that Rook is getting towards. If God exists, if we're part of a story and there's a beginning to the story, end. Therefore, there's an end. There's a middle, right? We're in the middle somewhere. We don't know where. Hopefully towards the end. We're hopeful. But there's a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And there's a if there's a beginning of the story, there's an end to the story. That means there's a purpose to it. And not only there's a purpose to the total story, but there's a purpose that each and every person has within that story. Okay, that's the first step that quotes. So now, what are the what are the ramifications of that? Uh so now that we understand that there's a purpose to the world. Okay. So what do we do now that there's a purpose? So Rav Cook says God gave us what we call mitzvot masot. We have these very practical mitzvah to do. Everyone here was very spiritual beautiful. Rook says no it's about mitzvot masot. What's the power of a mitzvah doing it here? I'm connecting shamay arts. from taking shamayim the abstract the conceptual the ideal right that's just you know up there so to speak to the arts the here grounding it doing it the practical I'm building a bridge between those two two places says and it also offers this sense of relationship this connection to Israel as our specific land in order to do this. Okay, again, yes, mitzvot are what connects us to heaven and earth. But we also have a connection to erit Israel. What's that connection about? It's about doing the mitzvot. It's about actualizing this vision of building a bridge between shmayva, but not just doing it on individual level. Doing it as a nation and doing it in a place. The place that is meant to do mitzvot that were enabled to perform this task is here in Israel. And obviously here in there's a there's even higher kusha here so that we can do we're supposed to do without being bothered. At least that's the way it's supposed to be in theory in actuality. Just one second. Sorry. And then we'll get want to just get through this piece and then we'll ask question. from decay. Okay. Um, so we're supposed to be able to have this land where we're able to do what we're supposed to do in harmony, right, with the climate of the land, with who we are. That's the second part, okay? I'm Israel through the mitzvah. Okay? As a nation doing it all together. Now, now that we have that, we have to wait a second. Now, we're all here in Israel or whoever is here. But that differentiates us from the other nations. There is a mechanism set up in this mitzvah which separates us. Okay. What's one of one example of a mitzvah that separates us from the non-Jews? Kash. Beautiful. I think the easiest example, right? Kash. Uh, sorry. You know, we can have a meeting together. We can be friends, but we can't eat together. It has to be this separation. So, says, "Wait a second. We're supposed to be Israelit doing all these things. uh a light to the nations, but also the Torah does something unique and as well that allows us to be able to provide a unique sense of our own identity. We're separate but we're in we're both engaged with the whole world but separate from it. Who is the great teacher that teaches us how to do this? Who was both involved in the world and yet separate from it? from the avot way back au beautiful Ara gave us this model to be able to both be in the world he was going and he was separate right he was separate he created this opportunity for us to be both engaged in the world to be able to lift up the world as well as maintain our unique identity from it mitzvot practical mitzvot in all of allow us to connect sh this is a whole list here connect shaya actualize our potential as a nature as as a nation live here in Israel and lift up the entirety of all of all humanity while at the same time allowing us to maintain our unique distinctive entity different from the non-Jews all those things happen with mitzvah mat okay so