Vaera | Feelings of Inadequacy | Rabbi Ari Kahn | January 15th 2026

So >> this year is again sponsored by Rabbi Michael and Jerry Lax meter for a granddaughter Aigel Bacha Aarona and also this week it's also for Rabbi M Rabbi Laxmter who's having some procedure today. So for Schlama to Mosha Ben Mosha Ben Miriam Kaya vari is I see some people need to make an entrance. Okay. >> Okay. So, we're going to start from the beginning God. And obviously this verse is difficult and and I'm not going to fully engage all of the theology which really is necessary based upon the various names being used as you move to next. So we have various names of God and we have some kind of interesting introduction but I'm going to skip to the more famous element or elements you can decide. So going back, I appeared to the there shouldn't be three dots there. I think I appeared to the patriarchs as I'm going to keep my covenant. So over here when it focuses on the covenant because there's various things that could have been said. So what's being articulated is that you know the land of Israel there's a larger picture here which means right now we're stuck in the middle of Egypt. We know that we're getting towards the end although this is the beginning of the end if you want this is the this is the beginning of the redemption and sometimes redemption processes can take a while. I heard a very prominent rabbi say that Rafkuk made up the term it's which is completely not true being that it's in the garra. So I I I was just kind of surprised that he could have uh said that and other people have used it. I just I I I don't know. I I I don't maybe he misspoke. Maybe maybe saying the current times. I I don't know what to say. But but I can find older as far back as you want to go. You can find people saying oh now we're by the Anyway, depends how you start, how you count the beginning is so again there's going to remember of the covenant and here it's within the context of the Egyptian servitude, pain, slavery. So, So tell them tell the people you know God is saying I am about to get involved in history know that that's really what this issue is about besid God creates nature and kind of like lets nature go off on its own every now and then making every so slight adjustments shall we say okay destroying stone which is very bad to say in the context of hearing that there was an earthquake there this morning. But uh you know every every now and then making these slight adjustments but essentially it it is a god who you know pushes the start button in terms of history in terms of nature but is hovering in the background. I mean, if you just think about God's revelation to Moshe in terms of, you know, here's a sign, here's a sign, here's a sign, and then moving on to all the plagues, do this, do this, do this, do this. You don't find Arak or Yakov with that kind of a conversation and that kind of an ability and that kind of a revelation taking place. So, meaning it's not just the revelation at Sai, it's it's everything leading up to this. But over here, God is telling Moshe that there are there's an there is an open brit which needs to be fulfilled which is also part of the names of God as well of the Yudvy and that for them it was all future oriented but the future is going to be now which means that there is also a present tense of of God's word coming to fruition. I just now saved you looking at Rashi and looking at the Maharal Magorar. Okay. So just just know that that's in the background. So going back to I am God. Just in case you're not we're not following some of the theology. So those of you may be familiar with the various quote unquote of I'm going to extricate you from the pain suffering of Egypt. I'm going to save you from the servitude and I'm going to liberate you with with a strong arm and with a great amount of judge judgments and I will take you to me as a people and I will be for you a god. And you will know. How's that for a command, a commandment, a prediction? You will know which means again God getting involved in history. The way that this is going to take place, the texture of this is going to be such that they will not have any kind of doubt about what just now happened. And maybe we should read the next puzzle because we are Zionists. And again, I just want to give a a warning. you know, I may trigger somebody today in terms of Zionism. So, uh, so be prepared and be warned and I'm going to bring you to the land, right? He's going to stretch out his hand which I have given to Yakov and you're going to receive this as an inheritance. I am God again. So again lots of promises were made in brachit and now a lot of fulfillment of those promises are taking place over here. So those of you who do know that the gumar attaches or or connects the four lash of gulah with the four cups of wine that we drink and there are other opinions in the me there are at least two others one which goes back to beret and yoseph and the wine steward know another which goes towards the future but there are three different opinions listed over there. So some of you may know that there is some intrigue regarding a fifth cup. If you don't know this then know that uh most likely the kosal aliyahu is a compromise. Pour it but don't drink it. A compromise between four cups and fifth and five cups. So therefore we have the fifth cup but we don't drink it because there is this difference of opinion. There are those who actually read in the text of the garra that there is a fifth cup and then those their text of the gumar is that there are only four cups. So that's part again part of the intrigue. There are those again we'll go back to our Zionist warning. There are those who have determined that or claimed that during the time that we lived in Israel the vaheti had come true. So therefore they would drink five cups and during the time that they were in exile there were only four cups. Again just we're not I I can't even start talking about pes because certain people will get all agicated right. I mean obviously you don't start preparing to pes till but uh So it's we didn't even you know venge the kesh yet of that's not till chabis. So we can't be talking about pes I I could just say I don't want to eat I don't want to eat in a home that they already made the desserts for uh for the seventh day of pes on tubishvat. I'm just saying I I I I I think that there I mean I it's good to be prepared. It's good to uh but not that good. So, and there are people who Okay, so let me just go back a second. >> Five cups. >> Yeah, there are people who today drink five cups out of this Zionist expression. >> I'm Z wanted to drink more alcohol. >> Yeah. Yeah. Could be the fifth cup of of grape juice. I mean, that's uh I don't think it's necessarily. I mean, somebody wants to have more than four cups, they can do it anyway. During the meal, they can drink more. But but if you notice the Rambam's hagada, he says this is the hagada that we read during the exile. Again, not trying to get too pes or hinted right now. The I mean this is the most that I prepare for pes is the Torah. So um from the very beginning is a galut or opening right right next to your that that is obviously could not have been said in uh in galuts. So therefore there was a different text. Now what that text was so therefore some will claim that the the text would include the fifth cup. So as I said there all kinds of interesting opinions over here but nonetheless it is you again if you're going to claim there's only four but why not by the way the simple answer to that could be that pes is not about sorry is not about pes is not about because that may be that may be something else that may be the again this four of may not be one of them so as I said that That's part of the the background to all of this. But I I do want to read one puss again because as I was reading it, I'm I'm certainly hopeful that it that it generated some type of uh of a reference in your minds. And that was Pak Zion because Pakian sounds at least to me very much like a marriage, right? The gar learns It almost sounds to me like it sounds very much like like a wedding which again this talks about the the two sides of the relationship is also a really interesting word because especially from a perspective is one of intimacy. So therefore, now those of you who are just wondering, you know, is this my reading into it? Is there a place to say that leaving Egypt really is a damsel in distress and the night and shining armor comes and takes us out or we go running off of off into places unknown with him? That's a that's a puk which hopefully you're familiar with in source number 12. What is it? Is of a It is of a bride and a bridegroom. Where you followed me off into the desert of a place with nothing growing. So yes, the Nvie absolutely 100% is reading back leaving Egypt as a marriage. So therefore, and again this focuses on this idea that we followed God off into the desert places unknown. I don't know is a shock the guys what are you going to do for a living? No, just follow me off into the desert. So uh so there requires I guess every marriage really requires some type of a leap of faith. But that is what the credit over here. So I'm saying if Yahoo is going to articulate it in that particular way. So then it is nonetheless interesting that that element is again you don't have to work hard that element is here when you read these verses. So it's not just languages or expressions of redemption. There is something again the lack of any better word is is intimacy. Now there's a couple things here that I still want to come back to but the first thing I want to note is the response and that's Moshe relays all of these wonderful dramatic important messages to the Jewish people and they did not listen to Moshe because of shortness of spirit and because of a kasha and that's debated what a kasha But the simple reading will be that they were so involved in their servitude that they were unable to really properly be able to internalize that which God had relayed to them or motion relates to them from God. And therefore it really has a uh a sad ending to this particular section. It's it's interesting that we read the four langu we actually read the promise and we're not reading it in context because in context it was like yeah thank you. It's like no we don't believe it. No now I guess the larger question is why don't we why don't we believe it? So that is our title for today, feelings of inadequacy. It could very well be that we don't deserve, we don't feel that we're deserving of this. Which means if you take these enslaved masses and God says, "No, no, we're going to be partners." You're kind of like looking both ways. Me like, like what are you talking about? I mean part of the problem of slavery is that you begin to identify with your job. You begin to identify your identity is that of what you do in your vocation and therefore on a daily basis you are the people who are not just enslaved but humiliated um doing the kind of work having having no personal autonomy having no freedom. And that's aside from the physical and the emotional spiritual damage which is taking place. It has to then also seep into feelings of you know who you are. So I just want to keep that in mind. Read a little bit further and then I want to come back and and and maybe read the words again because it could be that we were missing something. It continues then here it skipped a couple of verses. So if identified an aspect of feelings of inadequacy, you now realize that that actually reaches to one other person and that's Moshe and Moshe says Ben is haven't listened to me. Pyro's not going to listen to me. And not only that I am which I don't think is such an easy turn of phrase which means is the same thing as fatim I have my doubts about that but Moshe is saying is that I am not the spokesperson and it's not going to work and people don't listen to me that's really anything people don't listen to me now if if you just think about Moshe for a second Moshe had an audition as savior many years before right he goes down sees people fighting he saves one and next time the Jews are fighting and he tries to again get involved you know guys we can do better than this we're and who are you and and Moshe kind of just gives up and walks away and when I say he gives up you should argue with me and say what do you mean he gives up his life is threatened at that point the larger point is it didn't work they didn't listen to him they they questioned him so Moshe now if I just say that there are some how feelings of inadequacy and by the way for that matter Moshe has at this point already approached parro and that's how we ended last week's para he approaches parro and he says you know God sent me let my people go so on and so forth and that did not work very well which means to to to what extent did that not work well this situation deteriorated the situation gets worse and does not get better so again if you're Moshe and you have feelings of inadequacy at this particular point. Perhaps it's feelings of reality that this is what it is. In source number 10 was the previous conversation. it's just not going to work. Like rejected, shut down. So now again, God is saying, "No, Moshe comes back. It's not working." And God is saying, "No, no, no. Go and tell Israel this, this, and this." And they say, "No." Like, so, so now Moshe is in an interesting situation. Mosha's situation again perhaps to some extent parallels Ben Israel. And then we get a strange series of verses. And it's the kind of thing which is so strange that we don't even bother asking about it. It It's strange that it's here. It's strange the way it's presented. It's strange what's not here. It's strange where where it ends. So let me just start reading it. or we'll read you gimble the response. No, go back. Double down. Right. And and and the language is good. Command them. They're not listening. Command them. You're taking them out. Which means God doubles down as well. And it gives a list of people in the family. And now it gets into more details about Ley. Gan gives a list gives more over here. and then it gives us more details. Um, we can skip a little bit. Oh, sorry. Was good. I should have bolded that. Right. And some other people over here. Oh, right. We have gives us some of the names of them. gives us some more information. which is great because it just now gave us a list, some more detailed, some more basic of three tribes and then stops. So what is this doing here? And you're gonna see that look at Rash sorry because it had to tell us. By the way, why did it have to tell us? It already told us. We already know who Moshe is. Okay, you want to be more specific. Could have given us more information then. But it gives us Mosha's, you know, larger family. So since it wants to tell us about Moshe, so then it gave us everything up till that point. I kind of suspect that there's a more efficient way of doing this. I mean, again, the Torah that sometimes is just so terribly stingy in information and we can learn over by like the by the slightest turn of phrase and that other times is so generous with information and even telling us, right, you know, the other stuff is not necessary. We just had to kind of catch up to this point in order to get up to where we're up to in the story. It goes back from the beginning and tells about Ruinto that it's saying that now this is really interesting. It's saying that Jacob expressed negativity towards these three tribes. Ruvane, not nice things to say. Shimon, Levy, not nice things to say about them. And therefore they accepted the Mousar. They accepted what go what Yakov had said. And here it wants to go back and say, "Oh yeah, by the way, these are good standing Jews." Again, really interesting. The refers he goes to that as the first interpretation. But then he says, So that's really interesting also because along the way there's some other people mentioned and some of it's a little ominous and oh yeah yeah we need we're going to need to know who Korak is. By the way we we're told who Korak is right from the beginning of par Korak. So it's as if he's saying, "Oh, there's some foreshadowing we're going to need to know later on in some of these people, Korak and Pinas and so on." So I'm going to say again that first of all, Rashi and Rasham are pretty similar. Secondly, you realize they have to work hard to give us an interpretation because it's so unclear what this is doing here. And it's the kind of thing that we would probably prefer that we didn't have the problem to explain rather than having to explain the problem. You could have had the last couple of verses. You could have started from Ley. You could have just introduced our own and mo and then Moshe and say that you know this is the family that they're from. You didn't have to do everything else. The Ramban It couldn't have started by Ley like I just now suggested because then you would think that Ley was the first born unless of course you remember. So it goes on it and says and again it talks because he notes the distinction between the way that Ley is referred to versus the other two. There's much more information there. He says because they are so holy. Of course they're holy. Why? Because Mosh and Aaron come from there. There are some others that come from there as well. Like now the question is who who who I should be mentioning. The midrash that Rashi quotes is in source number five. And I'm not going to bother reading it. I'll just note that it's there. In source number six is the running commentary here of the Targamon attempt. And he notes here a a couple of things that we should uh pay attention to. One is when he speaks about a kasha he describes that as aazar. Okay. Okay. So, I just want to pause there and he's not the only place. There are midrashim as well saying Israel doesn't accept God is going to take you out. Not because they're so busy at work, right? That's what it sounds like. Oh, just just too busy at work. No, it's that Abu Dak Kasha. It's saying something a little more sophisticated. I don't want to explain the the circle. We probably find something similar in Alicia Benavouya. Alicia Ben Avouya is of course the Tana that goes astray and he is the one who ends up becoming a supporter of the Romans and you have to ask yourself why would he become a dissident like this. Why would he reject God the God of Israel become a become with the Romans? Well, the Romans are more powerful than the Jews. Why are they more powerful? By the way, this is a very pagan idea and I'm going to come back to this as we continue because paganism doesn't seem to ever really disappear that the Romans are more powerful. Well, the Romans are more powerful because the Romans destroy the temple. So why should I put my faith in God when there's something which is more powerful which means reading the newspapers can lead one to theological conclusions. So over here the Jews are enslaved by Egypt. So what does the slave believe? The slave believes that the power which is enslaving them is more powerful than their god who has and I say empty promises. This goes back exactly to what we're up to in the story. They don't believe because how can you defeat the the Egyptians? Their god is obviously more powerful than our god. So this this is almost a constant in Jewish history. I'm not saying the Jews always fall for it, but this is this is a constant that if Jews are suffering, so then it must be that God is not protecting us. For Christianity, this became theology. The more that we can make Jews suffer, the more we can prove that their God has rejected them, which becomes a a a wonderful circular reasoning, make them suffer more. So you see, God didn't do a miracle and protect them. So it must be that God has rejected them. So if you go back at this moment, it's because of the avoda kasha which is wrapped up with their perceptions of Abuah zah because apparently God can't save them and that's why they are enslaved and Mosha's message to them is that God just now said that now is the time an hashem now is the time for the promises to come true. This is taking place right now. Now so I'm just saying is that there is some interesting theology which in that point now when he starts going through these three tribes there is a bit more negativity than maybe we led on. So over here you know okay we we have Ruvane you know Israel it mentions Sha who is the Sha who's zim is not so that's also you know good foreshadowing for one of the problems that are going to take place a little bit later on it gets again it mentions pin afterwards and it tells us that Pinas is Eli Yahu. This is one of the sources that says this. Amram we're told marries his aunt do right over here the taragum actually protects Amram because instead of calling doat he calls it kavivato >> his his lover. He marries his lover which is really interesting. Although kavivato may also be the Aramaic for do because of a dual meaning. Um you you have koraku elar it says benaron he married one of the benot shitro that it did not say that in the text and pinas and had a child on now I just want to stop for a second how many laws from safera were just now broken here along the way and and again remember maybe I wasn't clear enough but by saying that means that somebody married a which is also not so nice. So if you look at source number 17 which is of course it's don't follow the practices of Egypt or the practices ofan Oh, by the way, we just now went back to Ruin. That's what Ruvane did. Okay, that may have taken us to Okay, that's not so good, right? Right. Okay, we didn't get up to Yehuda, but we could have thrown him into this as well. Um, and the interesting thing about all of this is it says that all of the these behaviors is what causes the land to expel the current inhabitants. And if you're going to go there, for so I'm just going to point out now that this list of people is a little bit more interesting than maybe it was you know prior to comparing it to Vayikra. And I want to go back now one more time. I told you I want you to read this whole section again because it says something interesting. But but but let but but let me just pause for a moment. If somehow these various tribes Reuben Sham I can continue Yehuda and and so on have some kind of a sense of the morality of Vayikra. Then how would they feel about themselves and their chances of being entering into the land and being able to be the ones who are going to take this land? By the way, for that matter, how confident can they be that they're going to be the ones who are going to be taken out? Which means I go back to the larger point I made when I started. There are may very well be feelings of inadequacy. We are not deserving to be saved. Which means I I just now mentioned two sides which may be independent but they may be interrelated. One side is that theologically it's harder for them to believe in a god who they haven't seen in a while or ever. They've heard they heard their Bible stories. But Egypt is very strong. When you are stuck in Egypt you begin to believe the things that it says in the Egyptian newspapers. And they believe the Egyptian gods are powerful because look how powerful Egypt is. By the way, somebody should have told them, you know who built up Egypt? You know who gave them all of their money? You know who created the financial situation? It was a Jew. It was Yoseph who did it. And Yseph did it interpreting dreams with God's interpretation. Which, by the way, we're going to get really close now. You know what? At which point Yoseph realized that all this is going to take place. When he heard the dream of the wine steward, he knew that that was his path out. He tried to speed up the gula and said, "Okay, just go tell him and, you know, get me out really quickly." But had to wait had to wait a little bit until Pyro's going to have his dreams and then the wine students are going to come and tell him to get out. But the wine student is the the wine steward is the ga those says coast four times in that narrative and that is the beginning of the ga which means if you're going to believe you know that this is possible and by the way then the transformation of Yseph going from slave servant to becoming all you know powerful and so on and not only that builds up Egypt I'm just saying is that the Yseph is always in the background over here unless you forget him and they have all forgotten and just there's this powerful Egypt and therefore the Egyptian gods are ones we can't contend with. But for that matter, we are slaves and we we don't have a God who can protect us and we are inadequate even if there were a God because why would God want to deal with us at all? And I want to now go back and read what we read before because what did God say to them? He doesn't say a word about they're deserving anything. What he says over here is I appeared to back in source one again they did not see the future where everything comes to fruition I'm keeping my covenant with them which means this may not be about you by the way this is itself amazing because we're talking to the Jews about being saved and you know and for us you see Matri we go back and we think Mitra is not about and you're going to say that's ridiculous is not about is about God keeping the covenant that he made with God said to Aim your children will be your descendants will be enslaved in a land which isn't theirs and then I'm going to take them out. That is a promise to Abraham. This is not about them. It's about what else did God say to Ara and your descendants will then get out and they will receive this land. Receiving the land is not about them. It is about Abraham. Right? Just keep on reading. Who is the land being given to them? What is our connection to it? Right about all about the servitude. But what's the Brit? the Brit is with the tell and that's all the great language right all of this right but all of this is for another reason which landm you're getting it only because you're the beneficiaries is of a will and the will the inheritance is something which belongs to the avot and you're the ones around right now in order to take it but this is not about you this is about them so therefore my feelings of inadequacy my feelings of being insecure it's not about me but did I have a great great great great grandfather who was unbelievable and he was a mavino which means this is the whole question do you identify as a descendant of if you do then you should know that you were deserving of all kinds of greatness. Now, what's the problem with the sh? So, the shik is taking place because of okay, it's taking place because of I'm marrying you. Well, it's that's not really the case. It's it's not the case is that you are Israel and I'm already married to AmIRel. I'm married to Am Israel because of the relationship that I have with Avam. You just happen to be the ones around right now who are manifest in this identity of who am Israel is. So therefore, we are getting married and we're going off into the desert and then we're going to go off into the land of Israel because you are you're my bride. And they're saying like, what are you talking about? Well, that's part of the inheritance which is taking place. When we read a little bit further, okay, a lot further. And we go to source 11. It's right. You're going into the land. Don't say I am deserving. And God is chasing that because they're wicked. It's not because you are so good. They are so bad. You notice the word. It's the inheritance. You are inheriting the land. which means talking about us entering the land is telling us the exact same thing which was told over here in these but the mistake about the is to think that it's present tense directed towards right then because it's not it's directed toward them but only by virtue of them being the people around who God can keep his promise to or who God can keep the promise that he had made in the past to and God is saying now is the time for me to keep this promise entering into the land is because of this promise and and it goes on and on you're you're you're undeserving I'm pretty convinced is a phrase which is created with the golden calf and I think it's used almost exclusively with the golden calf. Again, you guys mess up. You guys, you you do a vodarash. You do a voter. But don't think that just because you mess up that I'm going to get rid of you because essentially God is saying, "I have a hard time doing that. We we have a contractual relationship." And by the way, as it continues over here, it doubles down on that and it says, right, we started this week's you guys messed up. And then then I had to take the and I broke the and so on. Lashido. This is also even more interesting because the whole purpose over there remember was to get up to motion on our own and talk about the greatness of motion on our own. And my point is that Moshe may feel inadequate. Aron also eventually may get feelings of inadequacy. Did did you notice along the line also we got to pin and who to describe Pinas as is Elazar. It says married a daughter of Yro. the way theoretically if I were going to be really difficult I would say then Pinas couldn't be a cohane because his mother was a convert and you're saying leave me alone because it's before matan tora but that taragonatan just gave us another thing to think about and by the way another point in terms of inadequacy think about it mentions nviv nv didn't work out well and yes I can make a whole case and argue why nvu were so holy I can also argue why nvu actually may have sinned which means I start going through this list It's not it's to say that oh look how special Ley are. Okay. Amram seems to have messed up a little bit. Ley seems to have messed up a little bit, right? Elazar may have messed up a little bit. Nvo may have messed up a little bit. By the time you get to another Nvo and Elazar, you're getting, you know, pretty wide in terms of the Aron may have messed up a little bit. So over here by asking, but maybe we are inadequate. Maybe we're not deserving. And whoever says that, no, you missed the point over here. And I want to go back to what I think the larger point is because parro already made the connection for us. And this is going to now be really what the issue is and it was what I read before when Mosha come and what does he say? Source number 10 right before this bed. Israel and God are intertwined. In whose mind? In Power's mind. By the way, it's not just Par's mind. This now becomes the issue. God is saying whether you like it or not. There's a whole another side of this. I need to keep my word. Why do I need to keep my word? Because I have a relation with a Yakov. But once I have relation with them, I have relation with AmIrael. And therefore, if Ami Israel is mistreated, do you know what ends up happening? It ends up that God gets mistreated as well. Which means there is this absolute relationship between God and the Jewish people. And therefore, parro could reject any rights of the Jewish people, the just slaves because he rejects God. If he accepts God, then he needs to accept the Jewish people. and the Jewish people. What does God the language being used over here which I said is the language which emerges in other places in Navi and certainly within Kazal it's a language of marriage I've taken you as my people now of course what happens when you get to a golden calf you could say okay that's it it's okay they cheated the relationship is over which actually takes us to um you know I I said before that within certain theology Christian theology ology. The more that uh the Jews suffer, the more that it's proof that the Jews have been rejected. I just want you to consider the following. Do do we all know what super what's the exact word? Super. Now it's not. Now, now it's now it it escapes me. It is the theology where the church says superseded. It's really it's it's where or or replacement theology. It's that the church has replaced Israel. So I just want to make a couple things about that. Within Christian theology, they accept the same point. They have other verses in the New Testament as well, but they accept the same point that God is the groom and God is married to the church. Within Catholic theology, they also believe that a Catholic wedding is one which is permanent. So, how in the world do you get to a place that the Jews have been rejected when you believe that a Catholic marriage is forever? So, when the Jews are married to God and they believe in a replacement theology whereby the Jews are replaced by the church, how does that happen? And I'll just tell you right now, I'm going to I I should start a new career as a postake for Catholics and saying it's not that you're divorcing and marrying somebody else. She just replaced the first one, right? Isn't isn't that isn't that exactly the path? I mean, they'll say that that the church is Israel. You know, you talk about identity fraud. This is the greatest identity for it, which is which has happened in in human history. But they're going to claim that that you can't divorce. This is not just like Gershon, right? They say they say this is this is I believe it's a 20th century interpretation. They say Rabeno Gish Gish or Hagola, the light of the exile or Hagola. So he made a number of what's called Takanote of Rebuan. One of them is you can't take a second wife. One of them is you can't divorce your wife without her agreement. So he says how does he protect the Jews in the exile because God can't get rid of the Jewish people without their agreeing and he can't take somebody else as well. Which means if Bethan Shamata says this then Bethan Shamala has to accept it as well and therefore throughout all these years and the Jews are quote unquote rejected or at least that's the narrative of of the church then uh you can't say that God you can't say that God would get rid of the Jews and take somebody else. So it's not just that uh it's not just that this should not work within Catholic theology is that Rabo Gersin also created a takana against it. But but I'm going to say there is a larger issue. The larger issue is that Jewish suffering is hashem means I'm saying that's exactly the point and what God is saying here is I need to take you out of Egypt. It's because there is this intertwining between the two of us. You you're not meaning you're not following this. All that you're saying is but I'm inadequate. Yeah, that's exactly the point that you're inadequate. That's the issue. That's why I have to take you out because you feel inadequate and maybe you are inadequate but it's not about you. It's about something which is much larger. And if you keep this in mind a couple of things are going to fall into line. One of them has to be with the whole nature of uh of the second commonwealth which means building the the bay chain. So there's there's a couple of things that that I want to bring together on this. First of all, only you know rabbis can do this. They'll start with the Mishna and then we'll go back to the Mishna when it describes in verse 14 those who went on aliyah and came up in Beni it saysim there were people of 10 different strata as it were of right we talked about that came up and uh they get worse and worse by the way along the way on on the list. All kinds of uh of of people came up and the kumar which is in source 15 and rashi explains it in 16 when all this happened bail became much more perfected because all the hard cases ended up coming up to Israel where the it's like the bastin let the bin in Israel deal with all of these things and but you know we can't deal with it. So, so becomes this more perfected place becomes you know like uh like flour which is being sifted. That's the terminology used in the garra terminology over here. It's there. It's the middle of uh 15. Again, it's describing this sifting which is which is taking place. But now you can say to yourself, so the inadequate people go in, but the inadequate people go in, but the land can't tolerate the inadequate people. So there there is just this strangeness in source 13 which is maybe we could have gone and talked about that and if you know this from the either the commentaries or there's other places in as well is that it was the various people who were married to inappropriate people. We're just we'll just leave it at that. It's the various intermarriage and so on which is taking place which means this theme of inadequacy. It's not a one-time theme. It's something which seems to repeat itself over history. The much stronger language which I think needs to be read together is source 17. This is Yesco Peric Lammed Vavv. And I was actually a little surprised cuz after thinking about it and then looking it up and then reading it, I'm kind of shocked that I couldn't easily find maybe there's somebody there. I didn't find but I certainly didn't easily find anybody who read this together with our para and the four note of at least four elim second. You like this? It's very clear. It's not about you. It's because the situation of Jews being in exile is I'm going to sanctify my name which is being desecrated right now. when I sanctify you. Again, there's language of marriage marriage here literally of one second. Does this sound a little familiar? So, I'm just like reading all this and saying, "How in the world is nobody reading this together? It just sounds like the same thing." But, and it continues. But what's the problem? What about all the people coming up or people who are inadequate and people who have dirty clothing and people who have dirty souls and people who've made mistakes and people who've done all kinds of uh all kinds of reasons that their feelings of inadequacy are justified but I'm going to throw upon you pure water and purify you from all of the things at all, you know, of this inappropriateness. I'm going to purify you, right? Some people have have hearts of stone. I'm going to give you a new heart. again doesn't sound that again like this language of marriage and I right you will be for me a people and I will be for you a god and that's what I'm saying I'm just kind of shocked I was not again I'm being careful easily find the connection over here but again I'm going to clarify in a moment just read a little bit more I'm just going to skip towards the and so on, right? This is not for you. So, I just want to pause for a moment and and talk about this one. You've already heard me say multiple times, I'm completely convinced that this is an extension of what Moshe is told to tell the people. Then, if you feel inadequate, it's not about you. It's not about you. It's that the situation of Jews being init. And and by the way, don't don't go telling them this that just tell them to keep supporting your various organizations. And I I I know I love the argument that we need a strong diaspora that that that they're willing to volunteer and be a strong diaspora in order to support Israel. Unless of course the times that they then need also cuz good friends need to tell friends when they're making mistakes and tell us how uh how we should be uh doing things and and so on and so forth. Obviously I don't want to get political. We'll leave this to others to do but just like one question. Have you read which says the situation of Jews being in the diaspora is a kil hashem because God and the Jewish people are interwoven and we we heard one part of it I hope very clearly when we read the part which said that but I made a promise the promises to av and now again what's the conclusion it's not about you and I made a promise to them I'm going to give them the land and this is not about you. You could get kicked out of the land because the land can only tolerate certain things. But don't think you deserve to be there because you don't. But I made a promise to them and your rights there are because you are the descendants of them. But realize that you being in even though when the Jews go into exile the goes with them but it's a situation of hashem because God promised the land to us and we're not in the land to hashem and therefore people who make this choice oh I'd like to have a little bit of a hashem and I you know this is my life and it's very difficult to do something else. I don't have to say all of this to you, at least those of you sitting in the room right now, but this is what it this is what it says in Yesco. But the point about Yesco when it gets articulated is God again the Nvi is speaking from God's side again, not just that I have a promise and I have to keep my word. There's another part of this and that is that we are interconnected. and went I'm going to read it again. When parro can say never heard of God and the Jews could be slaves. Well, that's exactly the problem. And the Jews being slaves is evidence as it were of God not being all powerful. And God says, I'm only going to let that situation last for a limited amount of time until I am forced to show my strength and do all kinds of miracles in order to show that there is a God who is all powerful. Because for better or worse, for us it's much better. The Jewish people are identified with God and that's part of being God's people. I I want to end up with one story that I didn't send to you. If any of you want it, I'll send you the fifth page. Right over here we have a fifth cup. >> So I also have a fifth page over here. I I found it in a book which is called Hara about Ruff Cook, the life of Ruff Cooken Cook and it tells of a story. Now, now the story that it tells, I happened to come across this because I I'm writing about this other person. And this other person was a uh a farmer who lived in Rakovot and he had learned in the same mish asuk that he he learned in there's a lot lot lot more things for me to say about him. As I said, I'm writing at least a monograph, maybe a small book, maybe a book about him and some of the things that he's done. I don't want to ruin that whole story right now. But I will say this, he became a farmer and uh but he was quote unquote ultra orthodox. I say but he was ultraorththodox and at some point Raf Cook comes to and they uh and he meets him and and he has regret. This other fellow has regret. He goes like all these people inv you know which is at this point the most shave really. He goes, "The new generation is not observant. The new generation isn't keeping Shabbat. The new generation is not educated in Torah." And uh, you know, is this and he and he says, "I think it would have been better if we just stayed back in Europe where everybody is religious." So, so again, to to hear a story like this being told in the 1910s, 1920, I think this fellow died by 1924, Cook died by 1935. And you know before a holocaust, before the reality of staying in Europe was not really a uh reality and the only ones who really survived were the ones who uh came and by the way you just look at the families family after family and where they came from and uh that becomes revealed at some point and R Cook responds to him and what I'm about to say is very famous and I would not be surprised if he said it on more than one occasion to more than one person. But what was interesting to me is that that's this conversation which takes place. And he says, you know, when they were building the beta mikdash, there were workers that were there and workers spit and workers scratch and workers curse and workers are workers. He goes, "But when they finished building, then the thing they built ended up being very holy." And he says, "But that's what's taking place now as well. A whole bunch of workers came into this land to build up the land. And as they're building the land, okay, you you you see certain things, but essentially what he's saying is don't assume just because somebody looks inadequate that they are in fact inadequate because inadequate people doing holy things are by extension holy and inadequate people who are descendants of Abra and Yakov have a great amount of rights of inheritance in terms of this place. So essentially don't judge the movie by seeing one scene because there's lots of more scenes which are going to be presented along the way. But this metaphor of using building even the holiest place the beta mikdash and the workers that are building it may not seem the same thing as the khen who one day is going to walk inside and do the holiest things there but still the workers have to build it and you're just living together with all the workers right now. and what Raf Cook is really saying and that's really a a great privilege because all of these workers at some point were going to come to this realization that they really did something which was in fact quite holy but that's what's taking place now as well is that the Jewish people again they're involved in Abu Dasha they feel inadequate how can they possibly be the beneficiaries of all of these promises you know who am I who am I to marry someone like this okay maybe I have some but who am I to marry someone like this he goes you don't you don't understand God needs You is that the most bizarre thing? God needs you. Why does God need you? Because he made a promise that he has to keep. And you're the ones that he can keep the promise with. If you're the ones that he can keep the promise with, that means that you were stuck together with God for eternity because God has to keep a promise to a music and YaKob. So therefore, God needs us as a people. God has to keep the promise to us. We may feel inadequate, but realize that we're really not. We have to deserve it. We don't deserve it. Again, there are there again all the rules that we saw. We're not entering the land cuz we deserve to be here. But we deserve to be here. I just I know I'm contradicting myself, but we deserve to be here because we're I'm Israel and I'm Israel. There's a relationship and God's going to keep his word. Don't don't don't think that you're going to create a situation that God doesn't keep his word. God will keep his word. And therefore, it's like you kind of can read the four of and we're so focused on our and we're so focused on our leaving that we kind of miss the story. We miss the narrative. The story over here is that there's a relationship with the Avote. I'm keeping my word. And it said it twice there. It said it regarding taking you out. I kept I made a word to I gave my word to them regarding entry lands of Israel. I gave my word to them. You were the ones who are around. So you're the ones to do it. So maybe the clothes are dirty and maybe the relationships are wrong. And maybe you can read that whole section and look at every single reason why we are inadequate. And that's really what that whole list there is, especially when you read the target time. It's all of this inadequacy. Correct. Correct. Now it's time to build something which is holy. And when it ends up becoming holy, then you realize that you were actually worthy to inherit that which was promised to a kanyaku.