Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider on Rav Kook: An Undying Love for the Land: Preparing for Tisha Be'Av

You my birthday. All right. Good evening everyone. Arafto and a special thanks to Raostin and to the Yabana Center for hosting this uh this um significant class. Significant in the sense that we are preparing for Tishabove. Tishabove is not far away. It's next Wednesday night, Thursday. this Wednesday night, Thursday, and uh so we're just under a week away. We're in the midst of the nine days. We just started the month of Av. And uh so tonight's class is uh is geared to that idea, to that theme. um in a practical way to be thinking about the signific significance of these days for ourselves the spiritual significance and uh and to enter tishab with um with appropriate kavana kavana that'll make the day more significant and these days significant so um where does tishab begin where does the story of tishab begin so uh I think we could trace it back khazal say that we could trace it back to the moragland them to the spies that enter the land of Cananan. And as we know, they come back with a the majority come back with a negative report. 10 of the 12 say that it's not uh not a place that we can that we will be successful to uh to conquer. It's not the time to enter Eat Israel. And the Gmorrah and the Midash famously says that the Jewish people began to cry. They were crying because they um not out of sadness. They were crying because they were overwhelmed by this idea that God wanted to bring the Jewish people into the land of Israel. They weren't ready to enter the land of Israel. So they're crying and uh everybody is out of sorts. So Hashem says you cried that night and that was the night the ninth of a it was it was a crying that there was no place for that crying. There was no place for that lack of faith. And Hashem says that that cry is going to continue throughout the generations, throughout the years. And we're going to cry with destruction of the beta mikdash, the first beta mikdash, the second beta mikdash, and the ninth of Aav. So we can trace back the story of Tishab to a lack of faith on the part of the Jewish people and in particular a lack of faith in the beauty in the kaduca, in the significance, the centrality of Erit Israel. So I think that's uh that's lesson number one and that's what I want to I want to highlight this evening. Essentially I want to look at three different gamaras uh all of them with a commentary of RVuk and all of them about the land of Israel the love of the land of Israel Barakashem we're sitting in a room where uh where where we have people gathered who all have a very special place in their heart for the land of Israel that we have come to the land of Israel but the message of of the kaduca and I'll use another term the love that we are to have for the land of Israel is something that's so central so important and RVuk said that you know famously there's a line of RVuk where he talks about that we need to have but he also another line of RVuk another teaching he says that we need a tikun we need a fixing for the of the and part of tishab the idea of tishab is how to fix that the nine days these three weeks nine days tishab is how to fix the moraglin what was the what was the sin that they lacked a love and a passion for the land of Israel. So what it means to do a tikun to do a fixing is that we increase ours. So let me share with you three different gimmaras with uh all of them that are about the love of the land of Israel with a commentary of ravkook. We'll add one or two other items and um and please God that'll be our hopefully inspiration for uh for these nine days and as we enter tishab so this is a gamarra that's found in braos det page 8 in braos it talks about the great rabbi yohanan who was the godlador of of Israel and uh there were a group of people that came back from bavl they came to rabbi yohanan and they said to rabanan that We met people, we saw people that were very old, elderly people that were living in Bavl. So Raban said, "I find that hard to believe that you have old people that are living in Bavl, that people live to a ripe old age." And he quoted a puk and a puk that we say every single day as part of creatur. And this is the end of the second paragraph. It says that you're going to have long life. your life and the life of your children on the land of Israel. And he took this probably in a way that we never thought of interpreting this puk, but he said the puk says that in the land of Israel, you're going to live a long life. That's what the puk says that you're going to live a long life. Your children will live a long life. Allah the land of Israel. So he said, I find it hard to believe that people outside the land of Israel live a long life. that only here in the land of Israel do people live that the special blessing of living to a ripe old age. So the gamarra says and he he asked that question and braos. So the uh the gumar says well they did something unique and maybe this is a good lesson for us as well that these people that lived a long life outside the land of Israel that they went early in the morning to Davenin and that they stayed late. They came to the B mish and to the shul and they stayed late and they learned in the bass mish and because of thatus because of that merit they merited a long life that's the gumar what I just shared with you are the words of the gumar interesting gamarra interesting way of interpreting this pk to take it very literally this idea of living a long life in the land of Israel that it's not so uh not muanme not so obvious that a person would live a long life says rabnan outside the land of Israel but because they went to shu early in the morning they stayed late in shul that they had that that's so interpret and talking about again the theme of tonight is the love that we have for the land of Israel and the ver so he interprets it in the following way he says in the land of Israel living a moral life an ethical life a life that he says when we do so we live a healthier life he says that's something that for a Jewish person living in the land of Israel that that comes more natural to a Jew because you're not living in where you have, you know, a society, a culture, and you're fighting that culture and and it creates a lot of anxiety and tension in your life. A lot of anxiety and tension. Is that good for long life? We know today it's not it's not a good thing. We have to live a life that we're tranquil, that we live in serenity. So he says that's what it means for a Jew to live in the land of Israel. That you live a more serene life, the way that you the way that you keep mitzvah, the way that you connect with the Jewish people. And when you live with that serenity of soul, of self, so that's going to lead a person to living a longer life. And RV cook also says when you live a spiritual life the more spiritually inclined more spiritually focused a person's life is the more connected you are with Hashem the more connected a person is with mitzvot with good deeds so that also is going to increase life that's going to bring a tranquility to a person's life so he says that's what the that's what the gamarra means that's what Rabbi Yohanan meant he he actually didn't mean it in a magical sense that living in the land of Israel you live along longer life. We know that's not necessarily the case. But what he meant was that when you live in the land of Israel, please God. It should be true for all of us. I'm not personally I'm going through a move right now. We just moved last Tuesday. It doesn't feel very tranquil. It doesn't feel very easy. And I'm sure for all of us, we've had our moments in Israel, but we should all be blessed to feel that tranquility and that serenity of living in Israel. And in contrast to what it means outside and and we read a lot about that, the anti-semitism and people feeling less comfortable as Jews. I was just listening to Ashir this past week. is a well-known rabbi in the five towns in uh if you know that term in Woodmir and uh in Lawrence uh a large Orthodox community and the talk that he was giving was the um the challenge that the Jewish community and the Orthodox community he was talking you know specifically about the orth orthodox community how to deal with the wealth that people have and again sounds nice to to be wealthy but he was talking about all all the issues that um that people in that community because of the wealth and kind of trying to balance the uh you know a spiritual life and a life of money and what's become very popular all the foods he's talking about and the kittishes and you you know a $10,000 kdish with all the scotch and all the sushi and all the the meat platters and that's just like a standard that's not a special kdish that's just the you know that's the standard kittish and in and this is what he's talking about. So one of the things that he said and I was kind of like waiting to see in this hour class if he would talk about this. He said well one way of kind of alleviating this you know this challenge is if you move to Erit Israel if you go to Israel people live a simpler life. Even people with money, even people with money, they live simply. They have simple simpler homes and apartments and cars and and again very different from at least the way that community what it looks like in uh whatever where he lives what he was you know what what the challenges that they're facing. So this is what Rav Cook says as well. But Cook says coming to the land of Israel, we live a more serene, a more tranquil that we align our Jewish lives with with a community that is keeping Shabas and celebrating and and uh and a community talking about the army, but yeah, it's our army. And so Surf Cook says this is what Rabbi Yohan and Ray Yohan was surprised to hear that you could actually live a long life outside the land of Israel because of all of the anxiety of what it means to live a Jewish life outside the land of Israel. But because they went to the base mish early in the morning and late at night and Cook says you can accomplish this outside the land of Israel as well. You can find that serenity. Okay, it requires a little bit more effort. He says you have to come, you have to be very dedicated. You require some sacrifice, but you can attain that outside the land of Israel. But he says what's special about the land of Israel is just how natural, how organic Jewish life is here. And I think that's something that that for uh for all of us here, it's something that we relate to. And when whenever I talk about moving to Israel, coming to Israel, it's often one of the things that I share with people is just life is organically Jewish. It's naturally Jewish. It's What's the word here for Saturday night? If you ask a secular Jew, I'll meet you Saturday night. What how do you say it? There is no Saturday night. You say mo Shabbat. Moash. Have you ever heard that term? Moash. Moz Shabbat. Moz Shabbat. That that's everyone. It's Moz Shabbat for that's like the term. That's they everybody everybody's familiar with that term. So just an example of the organic natural Jewish life. So that's what Rivkco interprets as Gamarra. Very beautiful idea and to think about the uh the natural the natural goodness the organic goodness of uh of Jewish life here in the land of Israel. That is Gomarra number one that I wanted to share with you. Gamarra number two, it's a gamarra that's found in Braos. And uh interesting gamarra which I just came across recently. Does anybody here know of two brothers that married two sisters? two brothers who married two sisters. Anybody know of examples of that? Yeah, you've heard of it. Interesting. Again, in one family that you have two brothers, right? Or two sisters in one family that marry that married brothers. So, it's not that common. Do you know anyone? I happen to have a friend. I know somebody that has in his family two brothers that married two sisters. Not that common. So, here the garra says the following. The garra says in the name of he says there's a certain city init the name of this city is gnit shubonyim zugotim that there were 80 pairs of brothers they happened to be kohanimmon zugotayot and they were married there are 80 examples of two brothers from family actually kanim They married sisters who are also from the family of Kanim. That's what the Gamarra says in this one city in Israel called Gnit who badan. And then the rabbis were kind of interested in seeing well you have one city in Israel that you have these brothers marrying sisters. Do we find this outside the land of Israel? They looked from surah to Narada, the big cities of Bavl, the uh like the capital New York, LA of Bavl and they from one to the other belu mante dabista they found one case. There was one family in this one rabbitic family that two brothers married two sisters. Okay. So what do you think Rufok is going to say on this Gamarra? You can probably tell me what gumar what what Rufuk is going to say. So Rkook says why does how does that happen in narrat by the way how does it happen generally that you would have two brothers marrying two sisters? Well the family marries off one child and what do they see? They see how beautiful that family is. They say ohim look how nice they are. Look at this girl. Look at this guy. Let's see if there's somebody else in the family that we can find for for the other you know for his brother. So Ravk says in Erit Israel and again coming back to this beautiful theme because of the beautiful life of Erit Israel because the beautiful families and the ethical life that we live here. So we're going to find it says and this was true of in this in the city of Gnit. Now he says that gnit is like the word gean. Now this by the way Rkook is very particular. This is one of the special things in reading the agata the anayuk that words even like a word a city here it's a city called gupni that it has there's something there and a gadgeta very often you have you know words that are being used specifically to to kind of symbolize um certain ideas. So he says go is from the word gean and what is gean? Geffin is a vineyard and he says when it comes to vineyards so if you plant certain grapes and try to build vineyards in certain areas it's not going to go but in certain places you need just right go to California the beautiful vineyards of California come to your shalim the hills of shalim of up north right in the golan right you need just the right you know the temperature you need the right soil and that's where you have the beautiful gean where you produce the beautiful wine so Rav Cook says that's The Gamarra is hinting to as well because of the beautiful the because of the kaduca because of the beautiful life that we live here. So we also have beautiful families the beautiful families. And here he says something interesting. What do the gamar say? The families of kohhanim married one another. And here rufkuk says kohhanim are sometimes the toughest people. Do you know that that uh that that that uh that tradition that we have? Usually I think of kohanim coming from aon aim of the you know that they're that they're peacemakers but we also have this idea a number of gumar say that kohanim are >> very good they're they're there's like the zeal of the kanim they're like a little bit a little bit edgier I don't know if that's if that's true and I think that comes from pinhas right pinhas the kayi right so through pinhas through that tradition of pinhas the blood of pinhas right who gets up there and sees a sin and puts a spear through through through through two people. So that's there's a little bit of that right when it comes to the zeal of uh that's in the kanim in the family of kanim. I know you can think about kim that you know if they're like a little bit edgier people. So he says even when it came to the con when it when it was regarding these families of con that they married with one another even those families where things are could be a little bit testier but those con because of because of Israel because of this place living here it creates an environment for us for Jews to where we bring out our best and therefore we have uh 80 cases of brothers marrying sisters in the city of Gnit in Arabic is that's the gamarra of Brahostaf meal. Okay. One other gamarra that I want to share with you and it's a gamarra in Shabas. The gumar shabas talks about a great rabbi. His name is Rav, one of the most well-known of all of the sages of the Talmud. You have Rav and Shuel famously that they they debate one another on just about every few pages of uh of the Gamarra. Ravage and here the Gamar talks about Rav who is making his way from Bavl and he's I'm sorry he's making his way from Erat Israel to Bavl and I'll read to you just in translation a few lines from the Garra Gamarra Shabis Daf Kufet 108 it was reported that Shuel and Cara two rabbis were sitting on the bank of the Mala river they saw the water that was rising and it was murky Schmool said to Cara, "A great man is coming from the west from Erat Israel and his intestines are aching and the water is rising to greet him." Okay, it's a little bit unclear why that is. One of the farim says that he actually had to go to the bathroom that he had intestinal issues and we're going to be referring to Rav as he's coming from Eritrell. And the water rises up as a way of a way of kind of so others wouldn't see, you know, that him having to go to the bathroom. Something along those lines. Again, a little bit unclear, but they see that he's coming he's making his way in with a ship and uh coming to Bava. So he comes from Bavl. Uh Cara, this rabbi, again, not sure who he is. That's the first time that I that I see that name. Cara went and found Rav who was the sage that came from Israel. And he asked him several questions to test him. And the question is, what does that mean? That he's testing him. Rafuk is going to explain that he's actually testing him that he wants to hear about Erit Israel. Again, you have a great rabbi coming from Erit Israel and you want to hear about Erit Israel. You want to hear something special about the land, especially in the old days when people would come from Israel and people that never saw Israel, tell me, you know, what does the kotel look like? Tell me about Kev Rael. Tell me about the the land of Erit Israel. So here also it sounds like as Rav was coming, they asked him the following questions. It's not clear from the Gar, but RV cook says that it has to do in particular they want to hear about the land of Israel. But they begin to test him with certain questions in hala. So they asked him the first question was about and I'll read to I'll read the question to you. He said to him from where is it derived that one may write felactories only on hide of a kosher animal. So can you the question is is it a kosher paritfillin if you write on a kaf that's not from a kosher animal. That's the question that they asked Rav. That's question number one. and he quotes a pusk and the pusk teaches that you can only write uncosher hide uncosher animal leather question number one and that is his answer again he quotes from the pulk the next the next question that they asked him is about damn nida the blood of a nida and where is it derived that it has to be the blood has to be red in order for that to be considered damn nida and Rav answers with a with a pock proving that it must be the color red. That's the second question that he asks. And then a third question that they ask him is about the ora is about brisma ma. And the question is do you need to do brisma on the body itself or is it more of a symbolic gesture that it says the ora to circumcise like we say the arel to circumcise the heart. Maybe this also is more symbolic. It doesn't really require the actual circumcision. That's the question that they asked him. Is it really does it mean literally that you have to circumcise and to circumcise the male organ? And yes, he proves that as well that it refers to the actual circumcision the way that we know circumcision. Now, those are the questions that they asked Rob as he got off the boat and they were testing his knowledge. Kind of a kind of a strange, you know, group of questions to to ask. So, R Cook says the following. Let's go to each of the questions. And Rufuk says that they all relate to the land of Israel, the gadia of the land of Israel. So how is that? Question number one, does when you're writing a paratillain, does it need to be on kosher parchment? Does it have to be on kosher cloth? So Rook explains that to me in the following. Does a Jew need to be you have the holiness of a Jew. Does it have to be does the Jew need to be on kosher land? Does the Jew actually have to be in Arit Israel? Can you not be a fully kosher and good Jew outside the land of Israel? So that is the RVuk says that's what they were asking him. Do do the letters again you have the holy letters you have the shame hashem right is it the letters or does the kaf the actual item itself that it's that it's written on does that also need to be kosher sort of cook says again what does that refer to a Jew do you need to be in the land of Israel does the does the ground have to be kaducarit as well and what's the ala the is it's not kosher unless those holy letters are written on holy parchment the Jew is not the full fullness of a Jew Jew in the full sense of the cautious of a Jew of the holiness of the Jew unless we're also on the land of Israel living in the land of Israel. The second about damna about the blood. So here Rafuk says what is that a reference to? It's a reference to the blood of sacrifice the sacrifice for the land of Israel. Is it really necessary to sacrifice for the land of Israel? And I talk a lot about this that the the courage that we have again something we talk about the soldiers we talk about people heroes I look around a room and I say we're the heroes right we are the courageous people that came to the land of Israel we didn't thank God having given our blood for the land of Israel not giving our life but we we sacrifice the sacrifice of leaving our community of our home of our shs leaving children behind grandchildren behind coming to the land of Israel The sacrifice is it worth it? Is that necessary for the land of Israel? Is dam's blood is blood really what's needed to to do we have to give of our blood for the land of Israel? Cook says yes. And that was the second question that they asked. And the third question the ora is it just a is the idea of being ael a circumcised like a circumcised heart. Is it enough just to talk about that idea? Is it enough just hypothetically to love the land of Israel or is it or is it something that requires the actual act right on the body itself that the body of a Jew to live in the land of Israel again the sacrifice the commitment it's not just an idea and sometimes when I hear certain rabbis in America talking about the land of Israel and the yearning for the land of Israel I say it's very very beautiful you know they say you know this part of Davany I have kavana and I say tahillum I'm not sure if you can compare compare that to have kavana or to you know to say tah tom if you can compare that to somebody who are is here in the land of Israel somebody who has made that fullfledged commitment to be in the land of Israel so that was the question that they asked right when it comes to the orlo the circumcised heart is that a is that an idea is that a theoretical idea or is that something that practically we mean yes the body that the body of a Jew the sacrifice of a Jew is here in the land of Israel This is what they wanted to hear from Rav when Rav got off the boat and they asked questions. These weren't just questions, you know, just to just to test his knowledge. They were interested in hearing and being inspired by a rabbi who lived in the land of Israel, who was living in the land of Israel and the commitment and the love that we have for the land of Israel. So that is the way that Rivk interprets this Gamarra. Very interesting, fascinating. Gumarra Gamarra Shabas Daf Kufet the story of Rav coming from Arit Israel to Bavl and the questions that he was asked by the rabbis when he entered Babel. Okay. So now let me share three uh three short ideas um from RV cook and we'll close with these ideas um that relate specifically to to this time of year to the three weeks the nine days and tishab uh Rufk came to Israel in 1904. He came to Yafo. He settled in Yafo. There was a position open and um again you know what it meant for Ravkok. He was offered many Russia Shiva positions in Eastern Europe to give that up to come to a little community in Yafo, a handful of people and uh to be the rabbi there. But again, this was his dream and a dream that he saw for the Jewish people that he felt that we're at a period in Jewish history. We're at a messianic time, a pre- messianic time. Masha and he came and uh the influence that he had on Israel and the influence that he continues to have on the way that we think about Israel our love for the land of Israel is uh an enormous impact in uh from his teachings and the way that he lived his life. So when he came to Israel within a couple of years they asked him there was a calendar that was coming out and they asked him to write a motto a pitgam a oneline motto for each month and that would be printed on the calendar. He did that. I think it was three years that he did that and uh there was a book that was published uh a number of years ago in which they took each pitgam and the rabbi interpreted the meaning of that pitgam. So the pitgam this motto that he had for the month of tamuz again and it was it's gonna the pitgam this motto is going to relate to the three weeks is um the pitgam and I'll not not quoting it word for word but the essence of the pitgam is that as we enter this month and with the 17th of tamuz the three weeks that the rabbis need to be rabbis that are filled with rakamim that are filled with um mercy, with compassion, and not rabbis that hit with the muel, that hit with a stick. That's what he that's what he wrote. Now, what did he mean by that? Why did he say that? Well, interestingly enough, there is a source going back to the what's known as the the roak and it's mentioned also in it's codified in and the says that during the three weeks when a rabbi is teaching again one of the you probably this is not one that they generally you know we know not to have meat and wine and not to music and weddings and not shaving during this time but there's another that's mentioned about the three weeks Repostant, you're not allowed to hit students over the three weeks. That's the writes, you can do it year round. You can do it year round, but it says during the three weeks because we're there are certain dangers and we're afraid that somebody may be hurt. We're more careful. Don't hit your students during the three weeks. That's that's what it that's what based on the that was his teaching and then it's it's codified in in the with that. So yeah, so that's interesting. So RVuk, what did he say? Ravuk said that we need to extend that. That's not just about the three weeks. It's really about any time that the Jewish people when the Jewish people are in Sara Sarus and we've gone through a lot of Tarus. We've gone through a lot of pain. It's been 2,000 years, the Holocaust and Pgrams and so much pain that we have gone through that we as a Jewish people as we're coming back to the land of Israel at this point in history, it's time for us to be more compassionate. We need to be more loving of one another. So that lesson he took that lesson and he expanded on that lesson not only a lesson for the three weeks benames he says we're we're in a period of bayamitsum the Jewish people a lot of a lot of a lot of pain a lot of suffering and we need to be more compassionate to one another so that is uh that is a lesson from Ravk again something to think about during this time in particular his famous line Rivuk has probably maybe maybe his most quoted often quoted line is the beta mikdash was destroyed because of and the way that we're going to have that tikun, the way that we're going to fix it is with we need a lot of free love. We need to be more sensitive. We need to be more compassionate. We need to go out of our way for other people. We need to a favor for somebody. Look where somebody needs some help, right? To be there for somebody else. That's what we we need to do more of that. We need more aus. And here, look at the issues that we're talking about today in Israel. This isn't just a like a hypothetical theoretical idea. What are we talking? What's in the news every day of of the different camps of the karedi world of the of the leftwing of how do we how do we find a way to be to that there's more brotherhood that there's more sister that there's more that there's more love and when we do that Hashem is is uh is filled with joy when he sees his people when he sees his children loving one another. Okay. So that is uh that's one lesson from RVuk. Another lesson from RVuk. And here's another interesting interesting ha which is gen which is not broad and I never saw this before until I I read it in the writings of Ravk. So by the way if you look at Torahitz this week there's a great um compilation of the halas for tishab. It's always always a good thing to do during these days. A good recommendation whether you do it with with tidbit, the Torah tidbits or online to review the laws. A lot of uh a lot of interesting laws, laws that we don't do on a regular basis. We have to remind ourselves what we're allowed to do, what we're not allowed to do, how to spend the day of tishab in an appropriate way. One of the tishab is that we don't wear leather shoes on the day of tishab for the 24 25 hours of tishab. So, Rav Cook writes the following and this is he had a discussion RA Tukachinsky. Ra Tukachinsky had a luak which is still we use uh use that his hakos and how he formulated the alot today in the famous lua from Rav Tukachinsky. And here is it's such a such like a minute law but it has we'll see in a moment it has really beautiful meaning. Which shoe do you take off first when you are removing your shoe for tishabove? In other words, the day is coming. It's a it's a half hour before 20 minutes before I'm going to go to shul. I'm going to now take off. I have my leather sneakers. I have my leather shoes. Taking off my shoes to now get ready for tishv. Whether you put it you put on another pair of shoes or you wear socks, whatever it may be. So again, which shoe do you take off first? So So you know, we're very particular even the morning what shoe to put on first, what to tie first. So there's writes to Tukkachinsky that we take off our left shoe first. Now generally we take off we always do mitzvah with the right that's the general our general policy in you start with the right let's say in when the coin takes off his shoe there's ala that he takes off the right shoe first you're about to do a mitzvah so when you're about to do a mitzvah so you begin with the right again there's a whole question if you're a lefty sometimes it's all safe for about is for lefties right if if the is different for lefty let's assume we're righties many people are righties so you take off your right shoe first. Even for lefties, many say you do it with your right. But he saysuk wrote tokajjinski, but this you take off your left shoe. Why? Because we're about to engage in something that does not have joy, right? It's about mourning. It's not something that we're doing in a way that we're, you know, that we're looking forward to doing it, that we're doing it in an honorable way, right? We're doing it as an act of mourning. And he said this is true of a mourner as well. Again, loenena, we should know of it, but technically the mourner also starts with taking off the left shoe and not the right shoe. Again, the right would be representing something honorable, something that is joyous, something that we're looking forward to doing. So, if you remember this, I I've never done it in my life. I've never thought about just take off my shoes before tishov. I'm going to try to remember to do this to take off the left shoe first. But then Riff Cook writes and this is the point. This is what I wanted to share. Uh, I wanted to share that but to share this beautiful point. We're we're all going to be taking off our shoes at a certain point. Please God, in the future, hopefully not in the notsodistant future. When are we going to be taking off our shoes in a positive and a joyous way? Tell me what >> go temple mount. When we enter the temple mount, maybe some people already are doing this. people that go on the temple mount I don't know all the but when all of us please god and we pray that there shouldn't be a tishabove that we should have the rebuilding of the ba mikdash so when we enter the temple mount the is you have to take off your shoes when you enter the temple mount what do we do first we're going to take off our right our right shoe first because that's going to be a moment of joy of anticipation the joy and that would that's the way that we'll we'll always do it so I thought that was a very beautiful beautiful contrast so tishabove we take off our left shoe, but we anticipate the day that we'll be taking off our right shoe with the rebuilding of the beta mikdash. I'll end with the following the following story. This is not a not a Rook story. This is a kidic story and it's about one of the great kidic masters Aram Dov of Aich. Not sure if that's a name. Not as well known as some of the other kidic masters. He wrote a book called Batay Batay which is considered to be one of the classic works of a very beautiful work was translated number of years ago and uh he has a lot in there about humility actually that's one of the themes that he comes back to again and again he was a great lover of the land of Israel and he left Avich somewhere in Eastern Europe to come here to Israel he moved to anybody know he became one of the prominent rabbis in Spat in the city of Spat I think we have a remain a shul that has that was uh remains of his shul that was where he was where he was the rav and he comes and he makes aliyah he actually doesn't publish this book batin until he comes to Israel he said that I want the heir of it Israel to be to expose my my teachings to the heir of it iselrael and only then will I publish the book the batian the beautiful safer if uh interested in looking at that and learning more about that safer So when he was in Avrich, there was a u there was a mishak similar to the story, a rabb a a he wasn't a rabbi necessarily. He was just a man who was collecting sedaka who came to a rich and he came from Eritusel. He came from Erit Israel and like we said before Jew that comes from Eritusel. Again we take it for granted people you know hop on planes go back and forth but um in those years to meet a Jew that lived in Aritus. So he sat with him. He said I'll give you some money of course but I want to I want to hear about Eritus. Let's let's sit together for a while and tell me about Erit Israel. So he describes Israel describes the beauty of the Kotel and the beauty of Kevlar and and he said the the rebi of Aramov he said please tell me more and more and he just wanted to hear wanted to soak up the descriptions of Eric Israel. So finally the man said to him, you know, you'll you'll have to come and when you come to Eritusel, you'll see that every stone is like is like a ruby is like a diamond. You know, just walking the streets, you'll see how every every stone sparkles in Aritus Israel. So years later when he made aliyah, he comes to and a few weeks later he actually sees this he sees this man. He sees the mishak, the guy who was collecting sodaka and he said to him, "You know what? I'm here in Eric Crell and a lot of what you said is is absolutely true but but I don't really see like all of the you know all the stones sparkling that they're all diamonds and rubies like the way you said they would be. So uh the Rebi said you know what I think I need to to do a little bit of chuva a little bit of chuva. So he locked himself in his room for a number of days and he would go to the window every day and he would look out the window to see if finally he would see that every stone was really a ruby and a diamond. And finally finally he he woke up one morning and he saw that he looked out the window and he saw how every every stone was like a ruby like a diamond and he got all of his together and he made a big ma he made a a big meal a big suda and he described to him that this is a suda sa this is a suda of thanks that finally I have attained I've achieved that state that when I walk the streets of aritis that I see every every stone like a like a diamond like a ruby that they're all sparkling Okay. So that's his story and uh the message of the story is uh of course a a very very beautiful lesson. The lesson of how our eyes see Israel and and and to train train our eyes or maybe that we remind ourselves. I think all of us we we we're here because we we have a great we have a great love for the land of Israel. But sometimes we have to you know take a second look. We don't have to lock ourselves in the room but take a second look remind ourselves of of how holy Aritus is. What a gift. What a blessing it is to be here. What a what kaduca there is. What holiness, what sanctity, what sanctity exists here in every stone in the air in the aira to erit Israel. And uh as Ravuk said is the way that we started and the way that I'll that I'll close. He says that that's the tikun tishov. Where does it start? It started that night the ninth of a when the maragland came back and they did not see the beauty of Eric Israel. They did not see the sparkling kaduca of Aratus Israel that they were willing to forego Aratus Israel. And we have to do a tikkok says a tikun and our tikkun is our tikken is to be here and we're we're doing that tikkun. We are doing that tikkun. We are here and loving the land of Israel and sharing with others the beauty of Israel. Uh we should all be za to always experience that that beauty and the joy of Israel. We should be za as we saw in the garban said living long lives. All of us should be za to live long and happy lives because of the kaduca because of the organic holiness of of Jewish life of living a Jewish life in the land of Israel. And we should all be za this year not to have to sit and not on the floor not to recite keynote not to have to take off our shoes. We should be za to take off our right shoe this year and enter the uh the holy mountain the mak mikdash the ba mikdash and with the coming of the messiahu msiah should come quickly in our day. Amen. My name is so much here.