Physical & spiritual FREEDOM | Letter #29 of 30 Letters in 30 Days

All right. It is our second to last class of 30 letters in 30 days. It's uh letter number 29. Before we start learning, we're going to give with our Kabad Pushka app. Remember the whole point is that we're giving the a birthday present by learning to by learning the Reba's letters, but also we are giving that's uh combine the two, the learning and the doing. Why not? Okay, we just want to remind everybody that tomorrow night 900 PM same regular time, but we will not be live streaming from this studio which is the old Soul Word Studios that you've come to know and love. But we will be at the new, God willing, we will be at the new Soulwards house half a block from the aisle. There will be an in-person crowd. Um, but that's already maxed out at capacity. There was a link for it's a women's event. Uh, I think I had the space for 50 women and I think that's all all those spots are taken. If there are any cancellations, I guess we'll change the website to reflect that. So maybe check the link to see if a spot opens up, but right now it's at the maximum capacity. We will be raffling off a complete set of Idris Kadesh at the women's event tomorrow night. Um that's for people who actually are coming to the event and uh also after the event we will go to the aisle with a report of those who attended the live event. If you're getting FOMO and you're like, "Oh, I want to go to the live event." God willing, we will have other live events at the Soul Words House. That's what it's there for. That's why we made Soul Words House. In other news, yeah, make sure to uh if you want the Four Cups Hagada recovery Hagada. If you know someone who might enjoy a recovery themed Hagada that's really based on, get the Four Cups Hagada. We'll put the link in the YouTube description. Oh, speaking of YouTube, subscribe to my Soul Words YouTube channel because uh we're almost at 100,000 and then I get a cool silver plaque from YouTube, which we'll put up, God willing, at the Soul Words House. Okay, anything else? We gave to Ducka. I mentioned tomorrow night's live inerson event for women. I mentioned we're raffling off a whole set of egress. I mentioned the Hagoda, four cups Hagoda. Uh I don't think there's anything else. Let's get to tonight's letter. Here we go. Um, gotta open it up. Thought it was open already. Okay, this is from Alf from volume 11 of the letter 3396 Nissan Brooklyn, New York. It is from Nissen just uh and tonight just became Yud Nissen. So, you know, it's this time of year and it does talk about PES and yes, that's one of the reasons why we chose this letter. Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Dinor. Who is uh Benian Dinor or Dr. Ben Dor? Shalom. Greetings and blessings. Benian Dinor or Dindberg was a politician, a member of the very first Knesset. He was later the Sinuk, the minister of education. And um his story is unfortunately I mean I I would call it a tragic story similar to last night's letter the letter to uh Rebel Yzar Steinman the the author the writer the thinker who I I don't like using this word because it's an inherently derogatory term but it is accurate. There's a category of Shaunaish, somebody who once learned and then abandoned the Yiddishkite, which is very very different than someone well for sure different than a Tik Shinishba, someone who was raised ignorant of Judaism. But I'm saying even it's different from someone who was they were raised within Yiddish kite, but they never really became immersed as far as studying. They were not they were never at in any respect. But somebody who was someone who actually had deep knowledge of Tyra and then left, that's um yeah, it's not such a good thing. I don't have to elaborate on that. And it's tragic. And of course, if you know the history of the 20th century, you'll know that a lot of that happened. And you'll know that the Reb not only dealt with that from the perspective of a global movement sort of, you know, on the universal scale of things trying to stave off the influence of secularization and modernization, but on a very very personal level that Eb had these connections, these relationships to people like we learned about last night Eleazar Steinman and and tonight Benian dinner. So Benian dinner actually came from a a kabad family although interestingly enough he at first did not learn although later he did. He first learned in in liter yeshivas like actual not like we use the term litish today like actual lit in in Lithuania. He um he learned in Slabodka and uh he then and he was in he was in VNA and later on he came to Labavich the actual Labavich the town Lubavich and he learned inim and apparently he had become he already had become enamored with some of the secular ideas of the time. Um, he had difficulty towing the line inim. He had what we'd say problems with Kabala soil, which is interesting when you read this letter that the Reb wrote to him. And he left. He left Yeshiva against the express directive of the Reb. He wasn't thrown out. to the contrary that Ashab wanted to keep him and um and he left anyway and he left Yiddish kite and he uh Yeah. Yeah. So that's the story. That's that's the story. Now what's interesting is so you see that Eba has a relationship with him and it's a warm relationship and it's a respectful relationship and and you could say well you know what choice did Eba have? He was this guy was he was minister of education. He was a useful contact and that's true and the Reb did make sure that in Israel had a connection with Dr. dinor because of his position and because of how it would benefit for uh for Jewish children and how it also uh I'm sure you've heard of the rashet the uh network of of schools of labavich schools theok network of of labavich schools so that was obviously bene that that received direct benefit from the relationship between kabad and Dr. But it it's deeper than that. There's clearly a personal connection as well and and there's a warmth and there's a love and you know there are many things we can learn from this this letter tonight's letter. Um, but just one of them is an example of how our rebel relates to someone who is not just not currently Torah observant, but someone who willfully abandoned the way of Torah observance. So, let's let's look at that, shall we? Okay, I made a braha earlier. When I say I feel like I have to clarify what I'm drinking. This is Coke. This is actual Coke. Not Diet Coke. It's like actual Coke. Coke. Cuz I bought a bunch of little cans of Coke to put in the fridge at the Soulwards House uh coffee room. It's like a little coffee room library. You'll see it when you come to the Soulward's house. So, I had to buy a bunch of little Cokes, you know, the little ones like this big. So this is what that is. I'm sure you're all very fascinated to hear about this. Okay. I received your letter and just now your book called at the turn of the generations. Thank you for this gift. So, first of all, the Reba is thanking Dr. Dinner for his book. Um, it's not a safer, it's not about learning. It's uh some scholarly work and yet the Reba is showing appreciation. Now, and I don't think just to be polite, by the way. I think that that you know that Eva was expressing some type of validation that the that the work was worthwhile to some extent which that itself is you know you can learn a lot from because here's somebody who was capable of learning he was learning inkim just the fact he was even admitted to I don't know how big of he was but if he was admitted to it he was some type of and he should be should have by all rights should have been writing right if he wants has to write something and he was the told him I received and I and I liked it. I appreciate it. Thank you. certainly in connection or continuation with our conversation and when it says our conversation I I assume that means I assume that means that he visited the rabbi. Uh uh I would so in in continuation of our conversation it would be nice for me to receive all of your some of your I don't know to say all but your other works um that are published especially and the gives a specific title Israel Israel in exile and others and thank you in advance. So I mean this is more than just that I was saying I received a book that you sent to me. Thank you. This is that I was saying and by the way send more and here's a specific title of a specific book that I would specifically like to see. So I would take that as real encouragement like serious encouragement. Um, now I didn't have the opportunity to look to be to look closely into the safer, the one that you sent me. But I didn't want to delay my letter any further because the time of our liberation is upon us. It's coming. And I wanted to give you my blessing of freedom, true freedom, freedom from worries of the material sort and materials of the spiritual sort. freedom from limitations and boundaries and anything that is a an obstacle against living a true Jewish life. It's a beautiful concept here. Reb is saying by all rights I would have wanted to write to you after I've properly gone through your safer or your book whatever you want to call it. Um but I didn't want to miss the opportunity is coming and is a time where is in the air and I want to channel some of that and and give you a braha of kos. It's a beautiful concept. like there's a there's a power in the time of year. This is the the Jewish and specifically concept of time that when a when a time comes around it the same energy that was available in the world the first time which actually precipitated that that event that we're commemorating it that energy is in the world again and in fact in a in a more powerful way in an even more powerful way than the first time. That's how this explains it. So the Reb says, "I didn't want to miss the opportunity if I can bench you with kadus." And the goes into so specifically what kind of kadis from worries of material concerns and worries of spiritual concerns and and and from any limitations that would hold you back from a true Jewish life, a complete Jewish life. Gorgeous braha. Okay. And we understand the guy's not okay. You understand that? All right. Now it would be superfluous to explain to comment especially for someone like you. What does it mean someone like you? Someone who you you you you're familiar with these concepts. You learn you're aim like you know the you know what I'm talking about here. I can use shorthand with you. physical freedom. Not only is it not an end unto itself and is rather only a a preparation for spiritual um freedom or like the verse says describing Hashem is speaking to Mishenu and this is before Mash even goes to Pare to say let my people go. Um, Hashem says, "I'm going to take out the Jewish people. I'm going to remove them from Egypt so that they can serve me on this mountain." In other words, I'm going to take them out of slavery to parare so that they can become they can receive the Tory to become servants of Hashem. So, yeah, you have to be brought out of Mit in order to be brought to Hareni. But to just be brought out of Mitim and then not be brought to Hari. I know we say Deno, but the point is just to have physical freedom without it being translated into spiritual freedom. What's the point? And you understand? I mean, I guess I'll spell it out, but you know, the Reb is writing to someone. Again, you have to think about the terms, you know, the 20th century, the the allure of nationalism and secularism and enlightenment and someone like this Dr. Dinor who he was a member of the first Knesset and he was an associate of Benorion and and he was he bought that whole uh vision of this what is what is freedom? what is uh autonomy? It's it's political self-determination and the whole the whole line, right? Devoid of Yiddish kite. So the Reb is saying to him, it's like, okay, so you know, you're a guy who grew up in the old country, right, with the puggrams and the persecution and you know, I know exactly what it is. You know, the is saying I grew up with that, too. Okay. And now you're an antisel and now supposedly free. But like what does free mean? Like free to live a Jewish life. Are you living a Jewish life? So physical freedom unto itself is not it's not a talis. Is that what the say? Yeah. It's not a it's not a goal. It's not an endgame. It's but but is it worthless? not worthless. It has a role. It's a hakara. It's a preparation. Or you can even go be if you want to phrase it even more strongly, you could say it's a prerequisite. You could call it even a prerequisite. Although I don't know if it is necessarily a prerequisite but um yeah physical freedom has its place but only as a means to an end not as the end unto itself. Such an important concept both in this context of the ideology of Dr. Dinor and his cohorts and also I think today you know it's uh we have different isms and different ideologies that are alluring in different ages and different times but we can all relate to this idea of pursuing physical freedom as an end unto itself and the trap that that is for the for the Jewish people. Okay. So there can be no literal freedom, simple freedom in the simple sense without spiritual freedom. [Music] And there can be no freedom of even the animal soul until there's freedom of the godly soul. So even the animal soul is a slave even if it thinks it's free. Free to do what? Freedom. Freedom to what? Freedom to go to the beach. Freedom to order whatever you want on Amazon. That's freedom. Freedom to to order a pizza. There can be no freedom even of the animal soul until there is freedom of the nephilocus. Meaning that a Jew is living in alignment with his spiritual mission and calling which is to serve Hashem. And it is tragic if you think about it because you know you're talking about someone like Dr. dinner, a big thinker, a an idealist, a dreamer who really really wanted this this idea of freedom, not just for himself personally, but as a as a proud Jew, he wanted freedom for the Jewish people. And it is sad to think about how they um pursued a sort of hollow and meaningless type of freedom, which is no freedom at all. Even the animal soul is not free until the godly soul is free. Let's continue. Very interesting statement here. In the war between the inclinations, it's between the spiritual will never accept the authority of the material and can only be subjugated to it temporarily. Meaning even in cases where the spiritual is subjugated to the material, it is only temporarily and will never accept it with a full heart. The spiritual will never be vanquished. It will never give up. It will always yearn for what it yearns for, even when it's temporarily squashed by the material. Mashen, that's not so though if you flip it in reverse. When the opposite happens, when the spiritual triumphs over the material and completely wins over it, not just where the spiritual is is is forcing the material, but where the material comes to recognize that this is right. This is the way that it needs to be. That is exclusively when peace will reign in the microcosm that is man. It's very interesting. The material can be subjugated to the spiritual but only temporarily and never and and inwardly the spiritual will never give up. it'll never really submit. But if you flip it, the opposite is not. So when the spiritual dominates the material, the material can become completely dominated by the by the spiritual. Material can completely surrender to the spiritual. And in fact, that condition is the only true peace that a person can have. And if you think about it, you know, if the spiritual can never really be dominated, it always yearns for what it yearns for. It wants it wants elk. It wants to be close to God. So even when it's being suppressed, when a yid is not living a life of ty mitzvah, there can be no peace. How could there be peace when the when when the nama still wants what the nama wants? However, if the nishama dominates the gof and the nefabis, then the goof and the neam could actually ultimately ideally come over to the side of the nishama and then there would be peace because everyone's on the same side. [Music] Because you know what could happen? The the the the the material the material meaning the body and the and the animal soul can become refined and can actually um become uh transformed to a vessel to a vehicle to express the the will of the of the spiritual. That's the ultimate state where the the soul wants the mitzvah and the body does its bidding. The body acts as the the vehicle to carry out the mitzvah. This is this this part is I don't know this this is powerful. I mean you think about this is somebody who was in by the he saw the rebashab he left he left for what he thought were greener pastures tragically I think it's tragic he was pursuing what he thought was freedom you know if you think about it that eb's tone here is so loving and compassionate and forgiving because if it were anyone else, I think they would write to him as, "You're a defector. You you betrayed us. Like, you you made your bed. Go lie in it. Yeah, you're unhappy. You're unfulfilled. Okay. Well, you you got what you chose. You got what you what you were looking for." and and the deba is not only writing with such compassion but letting Dr. Dinner know that he can still choose the right thing. he can still choose the right thing and and explaining to him that the difficulty he experienced as a young man it's not an imaginary difficulty there is there is a certain challenge in submitting yourself to Hashem there is but it's part of a process and you have to allow yourself to go through that process and it's almost like that saying to this guy, you know, you never really went through your spiritual maturation process. Like you you avoided it. You you sidestepped it and you ran away, but like let's come back and let's do what you should have done when you were a buck. That's how I'm reading it. Read this. Okay. So, yeah. The beginning of the process is you have to be mabil you have to accept authority which is where he got hung up when he was a bak he couldn't deal with that he couldn't subjugate himself to the authority but the end of the process it's deep spiritual fulfillment and true freedom So you went running after false freedom because you couldn't go through the temporary imposition of cabala soil. But if you can go through the initial discomfort of having to submit to a higher authority, it doesn't stay uncomfortable. It doesn't remain that way. Ultimately, what do you achieve? You come to Let me just make sure I get the words right because they're beautiful words. Um, spiritual fulfillment and true freedom. Colossianis or like aidis uses the expression and this is a paraphrase from McGillis Esther. and he it should it says mana. It should say it should say with an olive. There should be an olive there. I don't know if that's a an artifact from the original um that the godly soul is always in a covenant in a faithful covenant with with Hashem. Esther remained faithful, loyal to Morai even when she was in the palace. The nishama always remains loyal to Hashem, even when it's in the body. So you have to know, like we were saying before, the soul can never truly be dominated by the body. It will always yearn for what it yearns for, closeness to Hashem. And it will give you no peace. Even if you try to subjugate it, you won't because it can't it cannot forsake Kashm. The nishama always wants Hashem. Right? So here's the deal. The real peace and the real uh satisfaction and the real freedom, all of that stuff is going to happen when you finally just recognize that the soul has never given up. Understand that the Reb is writing to somebody. I don't know. I mean I you can see pictures of him. He's not wearing a yamakai. I don't know how secular he was. I don't know which things he kept or he didn't keep. But you're talking about somebody who outwardly, you know, completely secularized. And the Reb is speaking to him and saying that your soul never stopped wanting what it has always wanted. And this that you felt the discomfort of Cabala soil as a young man and therefore you ignored your soul. Your soul didn't stop wanting what it wants. And go back and just be mabbal oil. And I promise you, you're not going to be miserable. You're going to be so fulfilled. You're going to be so happy. And and you're going to truly be free. Yeah. Let's continue. [Music] So if you start off by accepting the yoke, you know, a yoke like you put in an animal, but you'll graduate from escafia to first it's escap subjugation, but then it becomes transformation. That negativity not only is it held in place by the positivity but the negativity actually becomes co-opted by the positivity and becomes part of it comes subsumed within it and in fact that is the entire purpose of man. That is the entire purpose of man to bring about that subjugation and ultimately transformation. Yes, it starts with subjugation which is not pleasant and maybe that's what you ran away from when you were a younger man. But if you'll just continue the process, you will come to the and by the way you learn and you say who's going to get to that level? You know what our reb is telling this guy who's not from? You will get to the sweet is you will get to the you will get there. And this is very very very characteristic of of the Reb's teachings in general that theim is not just forim that there there is a sweetness and there's a pleasure and a personal satisfaction in serving Hashem. Yeah. At first it feels like a personal betrayal. I want to do what I want to do. I want to pursue what's meaningful to me. I don't want to have to do something that I'm being told to do. Yeah. And at first it's uncomfortable, but ultimately the truest personal satisfaction comes through being loyal to our soul because the soul's never going to give up. The soul's not going to stop wanting what it wants. If you can't beat him, join them, right? Okay. Maybe that's a cynical way of saying it. Sorry if I'm being overly flippant. I think this is a powerful, powerful, powerful letter. Just trying to lighten the mood, maybe. Okay. Um, I'm going to conclude with the uh traditional blessing. I don't know why. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but like the traditional blessing like the good old time old good oldfashioned blessing. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. At any rate, I'm gonna whatever could have said the customary blessing, the traditional blessing. I'm going to conclude with the traditional blessing uh with a blessing for a kosher and happy Pes and I wish to all of you and to me to all of us a uh fail. Okay, we'll see you tomorrow nightm for our Yodal Nissen event and our 30th letter.