Pshat in the Parsha: The Bottom Line | Rabbi Shmuel Gordin | April 28 2026

Okay, first before beginning, I'd like to thank our sponsor for today's shore. Uh, this sh is sponsored in loving memory of Mrs. Sally Buer, Sur Rifka Basmeer, Al Shalom of Chicago by her family. Her yard site was Tesser. Thank you very much for the sponsorship. Okay. Uh, not only is today my birthday, but it's also my bar mitzvah para that we're going to be looking at. paras wasn't supposed to be actually uh my para was supposed to be paras kadoshian aimos kadoshian but my two uncles my mother's brothers were rabbis of conservative congregations orthodox rabbis of conser conservative congregations and they were busy on my bar mitzvah parha so we had to we had to delay nonetheless nonetheless um we're actually and to make up for that we're actually going to be not only looking at paras but we're going to be looking back at paras kadoshian as well. It wasn't a plan but that's the way it is. Okay. So paras is a para that really consists of two distinct parts. The first part is directed towards the kohanin and it's laws concerning their um the boundaries of their participation because of kadusha. And then the second part deals with the moadin. It deals with the holidays. It's the cycle of the holidays and it's actually read on in Israel on two of the in one of the holidays on Pesak and it's read in in diaspora on Sukkot and Pesak when it comes actually read on Sukkot I'm sorry I think here in Israel and it's read on Sukkot and Pesak the second day of Pesak in the diaspora in the Galot Okay. Now, >> that's right. By us, it's the Thank you. Thank you. By us, it's the first day of PES. Well done. Well done. Okay. >> Say again. >> It's his par. All right. So, you like me, you were able to read it over and over again, right? Yeah. Okay. Anyhow, the dividing line between these two sections, between the two portions of the para is a very very significant puzzle. Take a look at it. It's the first puk that you found on part on the first page. You shall obey my commandments and you will fulfill them. I am Hashem. I am the Lord. You will not desecrate my name and you will sanctify my name within the midst of Israel. I am Hashemish who sanctifies you. Now this puk is understood by most of the commentaries to be a puk that actually delivers a mitzvah. The mitzvah is kesh hashem to sanctify a kadesh's name. And at the extreme of course it becomes the obligation to even give one's life for kdesh hashem unfortunately throughout our history and we'll come back to that but there are some commentaries who not only see it as a mitzvah but actually see it as the close of a section of the Torah that began in paras kadoshian with the first pus of paras kadoshian and that is the second pus on your page. Speak to the entire assembly of the children of Israel. You shall be holy. You should be holy, sanctified because I am. I am God who sanctifies you and I am kadosh. Hashem says, now let's stop for a minute. This is the introductory puk according to these commentaries of the rest of paras kadoshim and the beginning of paras. And we're going to take a look at some of the pieces within that section that are important. But let's take a look at this first puzzel etc. What what strikes you as strange? >> Why does it say that's an issue that we're going to see over and over again? >> Extra word, right? Over and over and over again in the Torah it says what is elas? So Raji quotes a position on this which is on your next page which is as follows. Mamede it's a cifro it's a one of the midrashimoadas. Wow. This teaches us why does it say the entire assemblage of the people of Israel? Because this this parha was taught by Moshe differently than all the other parote. This was taught by hael. What's hakel? Bringing everybody together. He gathered the entire nation and then he told them paras kadoshim. That's unique says says a cifra from the way it was transmitted differently than all the other parot. Okay. So let's go back to the first page then. How was the Torah usually transmitted? If it wasn't taught by hakail, how was it usually transmitted? So, if you take a look at the bottom of page one, either in the Hebrew or the English, you'll find that the Gomorrah tells us exactly how the Torah was transmitted. And it's a very interesting thing. It was transmitted in what I would call hierarchical fashion. Hashem spoke to Moshe. Then Moshe stood aside and Aaron entered. And a and Moshe taught Aaron. Then Mosha stood aside and Aron taught the Kohanim and the Kohanim stood aside and they taught the Lim and then the Lavim stood aside and they taught Ben Israel. In other words, it was done in hierarchical fashion say the rabbis so that it was repeated over and over again and the people who needed to hear it the most were hearing it again and again and again. They then the theory then says that after all that took place and the people were taught by the last by the last uh batch before them they went over it again and Moshe said that this time Hashem didn't say it. Moshe said it and walked aside. Aron said it and walked aside. Kanim came in said walked aside. Same thing. Now basically what the Torah what the rag goar is teaching us is that this was the right way to teach right this is a way that the Torah would be kept. So what problem do you have? So why isn't this part? >> There you go. If this para is so important what we call in what's any way you cut it it doesn't make sense. If the best way to teach is to teach the way that we just described then certainly the portion that you say roofb should be taught in the best way. And if on the other hand, hael is the best way to teach then what? Teach the Torah Hake every time. What what what is what are we learning here? What are we getting here? So there are a number of answers. I'll give you two. One is that in education just mixing it up makes an impression. And mixing it up makes an impression that people will remember. If I came in dressed in a clown costume to teach you today, you would remember that. You would remember that class, right? You that that there when God tells Moshe, "Teach this." What he's saying to Moshe is mix it up. Make it different. Do this differently because I I want them to remember this. Okay? Yes. Go ahead. >> This is this is this part not not amora the one before koshi. >> Is that >> that's bake? No. Well, what you mean in the midst of hakl? No, not necessarily. No, this is just the trans the initial transmission we're talking about now. The initial transmission of Torah to the people. How did it happen? And it apparently when it was this partial it happened all at once. So one answer we gave is that you're just mixing it up and you'll remember it. But there's a deeper answer I think and it it's based upon the difference between role and relationship when it comes to our involvement in Judaism. >> We each have >> to you is like the basis of everything else. It's >> Yeah. Okay. foundation, >> right? But but why does it have to be said to everyone at once? Because when we deal with the realm of kaduca, there is no hierarchy. What do I mean by that? If you or I manage to reach whatever pinnacle has for us, then we reach the kaduca of Mosher Rabenu who reached the pinnacle of the kadusha which was for him. In other words, we're all we're all tasked with an individ each of us is tasked with an individual task. And in the realm of kadusha, in the realm of what I would call relationship with a kadeshu, each of us has unlimited potential. It whatever whatever that potential might be, that's ours and we've got to try to reach it. Then there however is role. We play different roles and therefore you have Mosher Rabenu Aaron Kohanim and that's the way the Torah is taught because the everyone had to do their fulfill their role for the Torah to continue. So what they're being told is as follows again. You all have your roles and stay in your roles and do what you need to do to to to keep things going. But at the same time recognize that when you stand there next to the farmer Cohen, you're the same. When you stand there next to the to the water drawer, whatever it may be, you are like him. And that that concept of kadusha is extremely important. Yes. The four times that this happened uh kadoshini and mo those were all signs also of unity that you can't go that theorah unless very nice very nice she's indicating that you're not good that's good okay it's another answer another answer is that this para and the other para IO taught the hael the message was the unity of the people as well and that's bringing everyone together accomplishes that these are beautiful answers very nice okay so therefore we now have before us a portion of the Torah which begins in paras kadoshim and ends in paras according to these commentaries and it is bounded by two signi very very significant sukim which are relate to each And then at the end you have to be involved in keshm. So what are the things that enable us to make to create keshashem? What do the Torah consider to be the ingredients in kadusha or are bringing kadusha into the world? So I'm going to take some some examples from Parasus Kadoshim. Some of them will be sukum you've heard before but we're going to see them hopefully a little bit differently today. The first ones I'm going to start with though are might be a strange choice. One of the first things that Parius Kadoshian commands is a series of agricultural laws. Those laws are if you take a look at the bottom of page two le and all right and and then in in your vineyard it's olo and per now what what are these things let's stick with le shik and p chika is not mentioned here by the way but it is the third the third okay what >> they forgot >> they forgot not quite all right there reasons well done well done okay now let's let's try to understand what are these things leet you know probably and that is what I as I'm gleaning wheat from the field or the barley from the field naturally a certain amount falls from my hand to the ground I leave it that's for the poor next when I'm harvesting the field I cannot harvest the total field. I have to leave a certain section of the field available for the poor. Right? Finally, shikha is when I'm bundling up the bundles and I come in and I bring the bundles into the house and I left one bundle out there in the field, you leave it. All right. Now, let's talk about this for a second. We all know that sedaka is an important component of Jewish law. Is this sedaka? And the answer is it's not. It's not. This is an issue of ownership. When that leet falls to the ground, it no longer belongs to the farmer. It now belongs. It's now what we call hefare anin. It belongs to the conglomerate of Anim, anyone who could come and pick it up. It doesn't belong to him anymore. Right? It's not yours. When you harvest your field and you leave a a portion unharvested, what you are saying is that portion of the field is not mine. It's not mine. It doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the poor. It's not sedaka. It's they have the right to these things. It's an issue of what I would call conflicting ownership. In other words, and the Mishna and the Gomorrah spends time on this. They say what hap what how much is led? How much isn't led? We let's say you're holding on to it a be you get a beasting and you open your arm. There's everything led how much is how much you're supposed to leave for pay. Paya is interesting. Paya there's no actual amount. It depends on who you are and what you whe your generosity but and there are various different stages of possibility. Yes. >> Um how much time needs to elapse before it's not yours. In other words, if it fell and immediately or >> it fell immediately it immediately is not yours >> after one second. >> That's it. If it falls, if it's like it and it falls to the ground, it no longer is yours. And and there's a whole there's a whole discussion of when this when the poor people come and there's in in Baomitsio and alums where we talk about finding lost objects. We say that once a wave of poor people has gone through the field then anything left becomes hefare for anybody because they've picked up what they can pick up. But and there's a discussion about what we mean by a wave. Do we mean a wave of people that are moving fast or people that are moving slow? So a whole discussion. But what I'm trying to express is the importance of understanding that this is not seducka that it's ownership. It belongs to them. Now why is that so significant? Think for a minute. What is the one object or thing or something that has distinguished the halves and the have nots across the centuries? Property land. If you were landed gentry, right, then you were in the upper class. If you didn't own any land, then you were in the lower class. That's the way it was. And throughout, we're talking about throughout history, that's the dividing line between the halves and the have nots. So what is the Torah doing? The Torahes is attacking that line. He's saying this, we're attacking this line because you should know that you really are just like they are like you and you are like them. They're not really different. And you you think you're different because you own land. It's not all yours. It doesn't belong to you. It's kesharus and he gives it to you and he gives it to them. And therefore you you're attacking the line. And I want to speak about some lessons that we learn here that are very important. Lessons are taught in this process to both the farmer and the poor person. What what are the lessons? Well, the farmer, what does he learn? He learns number one you don't have to you don't own it all like we just said that it's not yours really it's and and if and part of it belongs to the poor next the p farmer also learns and this is an important message I think in our time you don't have to have it all there's a vast difference between the farmer who sees that leet fall to the ground and says okay I'll leave it for the poor I really don't need it. And the farmer was scrambling over every rock to find every last last bit. It's what we would call conspicuous consumption in our time, right? No, you don't need to have all those things. I was a rabbi in Englewood, New Jersey. Don't repeat this because they'll they'll uh stone me, but people built houses that were huge that when they hardly had anybody to be in the rooms, aren't and and you sort of wonder money spent on things that you don't and and what happens is people feel that if I get that last thing, that's going to make me feel better. That's gonna that's going to fulfill my need and it's not. You don't need it. So that's a lesson to the the lessons to the farmer. What do the poor learn? One second. What do the poor learn? That it's work fair and not welfare. Right? Nobody the farmer doesn't pick up the leet and hand it to you. You've got to come in and you have to pick it up yourself. The farmer doesn't say, "I'll I'll harvest the payoff and and here it is." you have to come to the field and you have to harvest it. So the poor person is learning that they can't rely on their poverty. They have to do what they can to to to to earn and to to gain. And therefore the Torah is in a beautiful fashion, like I said, hitting that line and teaching each participant very significant lessons about how that line can be overcome. Okay, one more question and then I got to go on. Yes, >> this is an example of kadusha presumably. In what way is this a manifestation of what we just learned before? >> Okay, what is this a manifestation of kadusha? So the answer would be that kadusha means when I bring holiness into the world when I obey these laws among others then I'm fulfilling keshashem right in other words I'm create I'm creating a society that is based upon kdesh hashem right that's sanctification and and by the way it's you know we're we're a strange people strange people right because if The Mishna says that at one point they were they used to come to collect the pay the poor people with instruments and then the said no you can't come with instruments you can only use your hands why because they started hitting each other with the instruments in other words you know so it's unfortunate but it's a reality it's a reality these are people I'll take questions at the end okay >> just make a comment on what he said that I think the kaduca is emulating Hashem is giving us >> well that's what it says in the text right we are emulating we're trying to find to sanctify aes because he is sanctified >> and we're doing it what what he >> we do what we're doing what he does we're trying correct correct well said all right now let's go on now we're going to move from this which I I was a section of the Torah that we don't usually pay attention to and I want you to understand that that this is an example of where the agricultural laws shouldn't be ignored that they really have things to teach us. But now let's go to what I call a section of the text page number three a series of sukim that I just called for want of a better term surging morality. What I mean is they're building on each other until we get to a point of kaduc of total kaduca. Right? In other words, these and these these sukim are more familiar to us in the realm of kaduca than the ones that we just did. Let's see page number three. do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind and you should fear God. I am Hashem. Okay. Now, before we go any further, someone pointed out that Hashem seems to find itself on a lot of these Hashem or why. So the rabbis say because a lot of these things aren't apparent. Only Hashem knows if you're doing it. Only Hashem knows what you're feeling. So therefore, don't feel that you're out of sight and therefore out of mind. No. Now let what what gets you? What? What? Would you think that I would be allowed to put a stumbling block before a blind man right on a If I understand this as it's written physically, then it's telling me if someone's blind, don't take a stone and put it in front of him. What kind of person would do that in the first place? You don't have to you don't have to command me to do something that that I would normally do. So therefore, the rabbis understand and we're going to look at they say that that's talking about cursing someone who won't recend themselves and and they point to another p where it says and that's a a judge among you you should not curse and it points to the fact that it's the whole spectrum from top to bottom but liferel is is very very important. What does it mean? It it means a number of things. It means that when you are in possession of a certain knowledge and you and someone is not, you don't take advantage of that. Now, what do I mean? And let's take there are that it there there's a hierarchy here. The first is don't mislead. Don't mislead. Don't if you know the truth, don't tell someone at those of you who remember New York, uh you decide to tell someone from Wyoming that everybody goes for a walk in Central Park at 2:00 in the morning. All right. Uh dangerous. You you're misleading someone. uh you you a sc a stock tip um which you give to someone which you know isn't a good tip. You're misleading. >> Everybody does that. Real estate agents do it all the time. >> Well, they shouldn't, right? Not supposed to do it. A lot of the things that the Torah commands us not to do, we unfortunately >> say we naturally wouldn't do it. We would naturally do it. >> Well, that up to that. Yes, I guess so. Very good point. At that level, yes. Then there's another level and that is not only should I not give someone the wrong information but I shouldn't withhold the right information. In other words, if I know something and you don't and it could benefit you to know it, then if I fail to tell it to you, then I'm over. I've uh transgressed the isor if and here come back to stocks right if I know that it's a good stock to buy and I said I'm not going to tell them you know I I want to all right I'm withholding information now take there is a problem with this dimension why go to the skip a puss we'll come back. Now, what does that mean? Means you should not go as a tailbearer in um in your people. Now, there are three levels of evil speech according to Kazal. There's Railus. Railus is gossip, right? In other words, I'm just minding everyone else's business. People magazine, right? uh we we've turned gossip into an art form, right? We're so interested in everybody else's lives. Why? And you ever wonder why why is it why is it so interesting? Because we don't want to look at our own perhaps, right? Um and we're just we're just gossiping. So that's then there is lashon har that's the second stage. What's the second stage? Second stage is damaging speech. Right? The first is just gossip. Second, mind your own business. Second is damaging speech where I somehow am saying something that is wrong and and is it it paints someone else in a negative light. And the rabbis tell us there's all sorts of things that come into play here which they call avak lashhorah. What's avak lashenhor? Avak lashenhur is the dust of lashenhor. For example, you tell someone that fellow is very rich or you say that fellow is filthy rich. All right, that's evacu right. In other words, he doesn't know what to do with you're sitting you're sitting with a group of friends in a room and then one of you have to leave. Your friends the first thing they talk about is you and you know it because you would do the same thing. That's lash and horror. That's horara. Right? In other words, anything that will in any way create and and the diff the the esor today in our world is is it's all over the place, right? It's all over the airways. It's all all over the the internet. I mean, everybody's talking about everybody else and everybody's saying bad things about everybody else. And it creates a society where you have people bringing guns and doing things and you're you're you're we're in a society now where it's an again if gossip is an art form then lash horror is a special art form. In other words, where where everybody is everybody feels that attacking someone and the kids who grow up today don't have to only worry about what someone says to them when they're there. They have to worry about what someone is putting on the internet which then goes >> viral >> viral right and and you just don't know you just don't know so that there's a famous story about loshora and that is you may know it the a rabbi in a small town was was approached the rebi was approached and the the penitant said to him I I want to do chuva for lashenhara So the rabbi turned to him and said, "Okay, I'll tell you what to do. Take a tissue take pieces of tissue paper and go around the town and put the paper on everybody's step. That's that's how I'm going to do chuva." Then he comes back to the rabbi and the rabbi says, "Now go collect them. You can't. They blew all away. That's the point. You can only do truva for lush and horror when you understand what lush and horror is. And that is you put it out there. You can't take it back. How many times have we said things that afterwards we really really think, "Oh, I should not have said that." Well, let's not say them. Let's that's that's that's working on lashenhor. That's And finally, there's Mozy Shabra. Mozy shamra is lashenhar is even if what I'm saying is true but it's damaging I can't say it shamra is when I fabricate and this also is prevalent in our society right make up something I'll make up something and I'll put it out there and call someone a name and and whatever it may be these are all aspects of lifet Now having said that take a look at as I said the third here. Do not walk as a tail bearer as a gossiper in your people. Don't stand by and see your your your uh your friend your neighbor in in trouble and not help him. Now let's take the first part of that. How does that puk correlate with at the middle level which is don't withhold information from the next person that someone needs to know someone comes to you and says I'm going out with soand so and you know that so and so is whatever it may be whatever it may be I mean you know everybody's not being I just as an aside as an aside I a member of my sh was a pediatric gastroenterenterologist and he had a patient a fume patient who was had colitis and one day the patient come in and said came in and said I'm getting married to this week give me a masleto so my guy who wasn't wearing a yamla turned to him and said oh really Um, did you tell her about this? >> A doctor's not >> what I he can say to He's not going to tell her. He's saying, did you inform her of your condition, right? And he and the and the fellow says, "No, my rebi said I don't have to tell her." >> So then the the guy went a step further, right? said, "Okay, you're getting married under a canopy, right?" Yes. And in the process, you're going to be giving her a ring, right? Right. And the ring can't have any stones. Is that correct? It has to be just a total ring without diamonds or anything in it. Right. Right. Why? Because she has to know what she's getting. She has to And the doctor said, "She has to know what ring she's getting. and she doesn't have to know what hassan she's getting. >> All right. >> And and whether or not it made a difference, that was his muser. That was the mus and it was good muser. But none nonetheless, are there times where I this these two these two mandates are going to come into conflict? I know something about someone that this person doesn't know and this person is about to get married to this person, right? and and if I withhold the information maybe I'm guilty of if I share the information maybe I'm guilty of or even Russian horror so and it is very very important that we understand that both ends of this dilemma are solid we just got to figure out how to how to maneuver between them what I used to say when I was teaching in Shiva University I said, "If you know if your friend is going out with a girl and you know something about her that you feel he should know, first sit down and say, why do I feel he should know it? Am I jealous that he is going out with her and I'm not? What what is motivating my my statement? Then think about whether the fellow really needs to know it or should find it out for himself. And then finally, when you've gone through that whole thing, go ask a rabbi because what you're about to do, if it's wrong, can potentially ruin someone's life. Can potentially ruin someone's life. >> How could that give that answer that? >> Which one? >> The the person with >> How could the rabbi give that answer? I don't I have no answer. I cannot I cannot defend the rabbi of the person with colitis. >> It's and it is a whole society >> deliberately withhold. >> Yeah. Yeah. They deliberately withhold information. They don't tell because because the is all that counts. And and then and then my my my daughter who has a number of friends her age, she's she's 28, has a number of friends her age who are al already divorced >> because rabbis >> maybe maybe. Right. So this is you know this especially now with with get with all sorts of sexual issues and whatever. Yeah. It has to now do you have to tell her on the first date or can you wait until you these are all issues that should be thought out and carefully managed but recognize that there is a pull between these two. Okay. Now let's go to the next puzle. We're actually we're skipping over the second because we're running out. >> I'm sorry. We're going to what? >> That's why is there >> say >> that that's that's what the rabbis would say because only you know why you're doing those things or if you're doing >> okay now let's go on next I'm doing the next to last. All right. So, let's take the first part of the P. What is revenge? Right. Do not take revenge nama or nira on your friend. Now, wait a minute. When when I think of revenge, right? What do I think? It's dramatic, right? It's a guy with a sword. He's running after someone. What is revenge? How would I be guilty of revenge? So, the rabbis tell us. Here's example. Here's an example specifically. If someone comes to you or you go to right, you go to someone, I'm sorry, you go to someone and you say to them, lend me please your flashlight. And the person does not lend you the flashlight. No, I'm sorry. Can't >> what? Without even without saying a reason. >> Saying say it again. >> A per I'm sorry. If a you come to someone and you say can I please borrow your flashlight and the person I'm sorry thanks for the person says no. No. The next day he comes to you and says can I please borrow your ladder? and you say no. And the only reason you're saying no is because he wouldn't lend you the flashlight. That's revenge. Wow. It's a pretty high standard. No, but that's revenge. But it gets even better. What's the second one? N >> mean English. >> Excuse me. >> What does that mean in English? >> N. Well, and it well we'll first let's define it by what it is and then uh hold a grudge is probably the best. Um what happens is same case you went to your friend and you wanted to borrow a flashlight and your friend said no and he comes the next day and says I want to borrow your ladder and you say oh sure I'm not like you who wouldn't lend me a flashlight right so that's niro all right that's taking that's not revenge that's a pound of flesh if you will Right. And that the but the rabbis are doing this to break it down to show us that it's not these aren't fantastical commandments. These are commandments that affect our daily lives. Affect our daily lives and they are the they are what what the Torah considers the ingredients in keshashem. Now go back. So that this came before the revenge. And and what what is this? What what are we saying here? Do not hate your friend or your fellow in your heart. Right? Um rebuke them. So this can be understood on there are two levels here. Two levels. One is don't hold a grudge. Don't hate your friend in your heart. Bring it out. Right. I have the saddest episodes I had in my rap rebbitic career were among them were people who families who would not sit together at funerals because of and and you would go to them and you'd say wh why not? and they'd say, "Well, years ago, and we don't even remember what it was, but that it happened and and we're not we're not sitting together. It's healthier if you have an issue to find a way to bring it out." And that's find a way to say something. I when I think of that I think of something that happened to me when I was in studying for SMO. One year was a very difficult year for me because I was because of external issues and I was walking up the steps to uh and someone put their arm around me, one of my friends, and I don't even remember who it was and said to me well what's wrong? You're not acting yourself. You're being short with people. You're He was giving me. But he did it brilliantly because he was basically couching it in what it was, which was not something between me and them. It was something dealing with me and and and I was able to pull myself out because of what that fellow said and it changed. So the the recognition is of that puk is don't hold things in your heart bring them out talk about them but there's another element brings us into the world of to what's to rebuke. when I see someone doing something wrong, do I confront them or do I let it go? So again, the rabbis say it's a mitzvah to confront them. But and here they say something brilliant just as it's a mitzvah to say something that will be heard. It's a mitzvah not to say something that won't be heard. Right? In other words, you know, rebuking someone again is a sensitive it's a sensitive process. If you're going to say this to someone, are they going to move from shog to maze? Are they going to be someone who didn't know what they were doing and now they're going to do it on purpose? Find ways to rebuke and that is and I'll come back to that. Now let's go to the last puzz and we we already did the first part of it which is ocomar. The last part of the pusk is the pinnacle kamoka. Someone want to translate that for me in English. >> Love your neighbor. >> Love your neighbor as yourself. No be. And why? Because halahically you're not supposed to like love your neighbor like yourself. If you're on the rabbis say if you're on a a desert island and you've got enough water for you and not enough water for both of you, you don't have to share your water. You don't have to like that person as much as yourself. You can value your life ahead of theirs. What does it what does it say? It doesn't say va va. What does that mean? That I should want for you what I want for myself. That I should be as happy if with your success as I would be with my own. And to take a difficult example, two guys are applying to medical school. One guy gets in and one guy doesn't. Can that second guy be happy for his friend without begrudging? It's very difficult. See, if you said when you say love your neighbor as yourself, it's a wonderful thing to say. But love for your neighbor is for yourself. The Ramban says this is that this is this is doable, but it's hard. And what they're what you're doing is you're taking the the thing and making it real because now these these are real things. This is something that happens all the time where someone else benefits and I don't or someone else has good luck and I don't. Uh and the ability to be happy for the other is huge. All right. Yes. >> Another angle from this. Give your neighbor the same benefit of the doubt you would give yourself. our patience with others. >> Okay, very good. That's very good. That's very good. Give someone else the benefit that you that you would give yourself. In other words, don't hold them to a higher standard than you hold yourself. All right. Very good. Now, let we're running out of time. So, let's go to the next etc. fulfill my hukot. What are hukot? Laws which have no rational reason that I know, right? That I know. And as examples, don't interbreed your cattle, don't wear chise, etc., etc. Mix mix linen and wool. Now, something get you about this flow of the text here. We went from one world to another. We went right. We're at for and what's the next don't wear shots. Right. What is the what is the >> So, I'm going to tell you a story. Did I ever tell you about uh diner one and diner two? >> What? >> Diner one and diner two. Okay. Diner one and diner two. And with this we'll end our are two speeches sermons that I gave to my to my shaw. What what happened? Someone came to me. I've been there for maybe 10 years and said, "Rabbi, you don't know what's happening in your community. On Saturday night, people are going out and they're eating in the diners. They're eating in the non-Jewish restaurants. Now, this is understand this is Bergen County. You got restaurants you can go to. You got not as many as you have now, but you had enough. And not only that, she said, but they're making us feel uncomfortable because we're not going with them to the diner. I saw red this. I had no idea this was happening. So, I it was Pares Kadoshim. And I got up to them got up and I said I the the take a look at these two sukim said what's why is one right after the same question I asked you and I said because the Torah wants us to understand that they are equally significant that and wearing both must be observed and that's why the Torah I believe is making that leap to say this and this and I turned to them and They said, "Okay, you all would say throughout your lives, but you're there's a hoke that you're not following." And I went through Rael bit. I said, "If you go to the diner and you eat the tuna fish, you may be eating chicken filler because apparently when they run out of tuna fish, they take white meat chicken and put it in because it's less expensive. You may be eating who knows what you're eating. Who knows what you're eating when you're eating? And went through it. This is not kosher. This is not kosher. The oil is not kosher. The place went crazy. I had been there for 10 years. They had never reacted to a sermon like this before. They were out of their they came up to me AND THEY WERE, "DABBI, WHAT are you what are you good talking to us about this and talk about important things?" So I decided that was diner one. I decided to do diner two. Diner 2 was I started off the next chabas by telling them all of the comments or some of the comments that were made to me after the first speech and I had them rolling in the aisles because they were someone said the rabbi is upset we didn't invite him to the Italian restaurant. Uh, one said, and this this was the classic, the rabbi said it isn't kosher. If it really was, he should have said trafe. He didn't say trafe. He only said it isn't kosher. So, he's So, he's he's fudging his >> What's the difference? >> You tell me. I don't know. All right. That's the point. That's the point. You know, you could the ability of someone to dem I don't what dissemble what you know what I don't know the right word. The ability for someone to to to just make it right what they're doing. That's what it was. And then I said to them, I said to them, I'm not telling you where to eat. I'm telling you to be honest. To be honest, if you go out tonight and you eat in the diner, then don't say you're going out for a kosher meal. It say I'm going to go out and I'm going to eat tra or I'm going to eat whatever it is without knowing. You have to be on. That's what's required. And if you are honest with yourselves, you're not going to go there. Most of you. And sure enough, that that second speech changed behavior. Some people came to me and said, "Rabbi, you're right. I haven't been honest about this." One person said to me, you know, when I travel in the in Europe, I I'm fairly lax. I'm not going to be that way again. And so I'm sharing this with you because the whole thing was based on this this flow from vioa to shot and it was saying to them listen you got to observe both and if you don't observe both then you're not fulfilling your responsibility. Anyhow, um there's more to talk about that we could talk about uh keshashem. The Rambam talks about it at on the pus and memor talks about keshashem god forbid in a case where you are confronted with potential death somebody's threatening you when you have to what you have to do when you have to do it. Um he he points out and nobody realizes this. He says, "If you forfeit your life when you don't have to, then that's a terrible sin. If you protect your life when you shouldn't, that's also a sin there." But, you know, both ends are are problematic. Unfortunately, we've seen many times throughout our history where that area of hala has to be discussed, and we hope we'll reach a point where it doesn't have to be. Okay, thank you all very much.