Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider on Rav Kook:The Road to the Final Redemption Making the Most of the 3 Weeks

You my birthday. All right, good evening everyone. Great to have everybody with us. A special thanks to Poston and uh the YBA center for hosting the uh the class this year this evening. And uh I wanted to uh to share with you some ideas that relate to to this time of year to the three weeks. And we're we're also moving in this shabas shabasim. So, we're moving into Shabas of Roshesh A. That's Tuesday night and Wednesday of this coming week, which means that we're going to be beginning the nine days. And uh we're inching closer to tishab. So, the question is for all of us, all of us here, and for the Jewish people, um how to make the most of uh of these days, of the three weeks, of the nine days of tishab. what are some of the themes and what are some of the um maybe some practical ideas as well how to uh how to make the most of this time of year and um so this evening we'll look at some ideas from essentially from Ravk Ravitzken Cook who was extremely sensitive to the issue of the Jewish people uh the return to Arat Israel the the idea that we're moving towards a messianic age to the building of the Basa mdash So this whole this whole concept, the whole notion of what these days are about, we're very close to the heart of RVuk. So let me begin with the following following story, the following anecdote about a a great rabbi who was a very close friend of RVuk and um possibly his um his greatest student. His name was Rabbi Jacob Yakov and he was one of the he lived in Shahed. And uh if you're familiar with Shahed, you can still you can visit his uh his base mish and his home right across the street from the Wolfson uh the Wolfson buildings. If you know Greens the uh there's like a little cafe there basically right across the street. And uh so that's where he lived and he was the RV he was the uh the rabbi of of that community. He was assigned to that position. And uh here is the story. towards the end of his life. Um, as he was getting older, as he was frail, he uh he was bedridden. He was not able to uh to leave his apartment and early in the morning there was construction that was going on that they were drilling, right? Not that even in those years. So, it's something that we uh that we all relate to, especially those that live right here off of a Griffim or wherever you live. I think we're very much exposed to all the construction, all the drilling. um that we have around us. So that was true in his uh in his life as well towards the end of his life and his family came to him and said that maybe we can ask them because they were doing it very early in the morning 7:00 in the morning they were starting with the drilling. I think they do that here as well. So they said maybe we can ask you know that they'll start an hour later 8:00 so that you can rest and uh here you are the rabbi of the community. So he said, "My whole life I've been dabbing. I've been praying that I should see the rebuilding of Jerusalem with my own eyes." And he said, "Thank God in my lifetime that I was able to experience that. And right now I'm not able to see it with my eyes, but to be able to wake up in the morning and to hear the drilling, that's something that I consider that a braha. It's a braha to be able to hear that kind of noise, the building of your shal." So maybe that's a lesson for all of us as well as we walk the streets and we hear some of the noise and uh some of the uh some of the distractions of uh of all the all the building around us to see it in a in a positive light. So this idea of of recognizing the the miracle and the uh the blessing of the building is something that I I I think is something that we can maybe that's part of the avoda. Maybe that's part of what we can have in mind especially during this time of year as we're thinking about beta mikdash as we're thinking about the mourning of the beta mikdash but also the steps that we are uh that we're in the process of taking towards the rebuilding of the basa mikdash. So this idea of rebuilding Jerusalem um is something that is highlighted in the following gamarra. So I want to I want to share this gamarra with you. Really fascinating story in the gamarra and uh one that I that I that I learned for the very first time just recently in the last couple of weeks that I came across this source. It's a gamarra that's found in Babashra. It's daf ah am alf 75a in bababastra and it tells the following story of the great reba yohanan who was the god alhadur here in Israel. And uh the garra says and I'll read just a line or two from the gumaran wasan. He was sitting in the base medish like we're doing right now and he was giving a dasha. He was giving a teaching before before his students and he said the following um galotim al-Shim that in the future Hashem is going to bring beautiful jewels to Jerusalem like pearls and diamonds and with these pearls and diamonds he's going to build the shaim he's going to build the uh the share shalim he's going to build the beautiful gates of Jerusalem And he talks about how how huge these are going to be. 30 by30 ammos will be these gates at the entrance of Jerusalem. So the garumar then says the following leg all oto tida. There was a certain student that kind of uh kind of laughed at this at this drussia to talk about jewels and jewels are usually tiny jewels you know and to talk about these massive jewels that will be the gates of Jerusalem and he said and he says the student said that we can't find jewels this kind of jewel the size of a small bird's egg. So, can there exist stones of this size which you describe? So, he said to him, you know, you're describing these massive jewels and somehow within these jewels that you're going to create the gates of Jerusalem. The student said, you know, you're you're you're going a bit too far. The Gamarra goes on to say the following. This student went on a voyage. He went on a trip. And while he was on a ship, he had a dream. And in this dream he had a certain ru he was able able to see into the uh into the future and he saw he saw angels and what were the angels doing? The angels actually had in this dream that he saw these massive jewels these rubies and diamonds and they were etching out that they were that they were making that they were building these beautiful shaarim these beautiful gates of Jerusalem. So that's what he saw in the dream. He now comes back to his rebi to rebi yohan and he said you know what what you described I saw that myself. I had a this this uh this insight of uh of kind of like in a dream that I was able to see this. And he said to the rabbi you are fit to give this kind of this kind of teaching. And you know, maybe he was saying sorry that I kind of like questioned what you said. So how do you think the rabbi Rabbi Yohan, the great Rabbi Yohanan responded to him? I mean it sounds like he was sort of trying to make up with his rabbi. So his rabbi was a little bit harsh with him and he said the following. I don't know if you know this term. He says Reika. Now Reika is like from the word rake. >> You know what the word rake means? >> Empty one. >> Empty one. Empty one. I don't know. He he he wasn't happy with his student. He said, "You're you're you're empty to some degree." Malita lo. If you didn't see it in the dream, you would not have believed what I said. That's what the rabbi said. If you didn't see it in your dream, you wouldn't believe that this could be the future of your Shallay. So I thought this is that this gamarra is really a beautiful gamarra about about dreaming and dreaming with your eyes open was able to see was able to describe was able to have this vision of the beauty of your shalim and I always I I say this to my wife all the time imagine 100 years ago somebody describing what you shalim looks like today right with these high this is the first time I'm seeing the last you know the last few years last five years high-rise buildings going up you can't touch an apartment for less than a million dollars in USA. I mean, this is who would believe that this is what you shalim would be. And this is what Raban is describing. He's describing that shalim will be this beautiful yushalim of of jewels of of uh of gold and of silver and of diamonds. >> He's also describing the bridge and all the lights. >> You're right. You're right. You're right. He's actually he's talking about the shaim, right, the gates, the the way that you enter your shalim. So he's describing this and a a student is uh is questioning it as many of you know many Jews may have questioned this over the years all the prayers that we have for Jerusalem this vision that we have for Jerusalem is it really possible is it really is it really feasible and um so the rabbi says it is feasible and uh and the fact that you didn't believe me and you didn't believe in this vision it's something that um something that you you know you need a little bit of to you need a little bit of rebuke a little bit of repro reproof you know not to uh not to believe in this in this dream so that is the that's the gamarra found that to be an I never saw that gamarra before it's kind of tucked away right in the be right in the middle of babashra you have to learn all of Bababashra page 75 right in the right in the middle there that you find this agada now the agata goes one more step that's not the end there's one more interesting step to the gumarra and the garra says says the following based on the the measurements again not going into the details it says aloim amos it says the garra asked the following question will people be able to actually enter into these gates based on the measurements that you describe now what's the problem with that the problem is says the garra that when we come back to shalim based on a it's a p inra it says the mute when the Jews will come back to Shalim, they're going to come back. Now, what does mean? Means from the word. Ka means we're going to be standing tall. We're going to be standing straight. And the Gamarra says the following. Kyut is actually it's not Koma. Kut is like double. They're going to come back double in size. Now, what's the size of a person? Says Gamar. The size of a person Adarish was um was 100 amote. That's what the Gumar says. Adarish was 100 Amote. Let's say he was 100 feet tall. That's what the Gumar says. So we're going to come back Ku double the size of Adam Marishia. We're going to come back 200 Amote. Now every Jew coming back to us in 200 Amote, we're not going to be able to fit inside of these gates based on the measurements. This is what the Gamarra says. Again, it's kind of like a uh surprising, you know, continuation. The gamarra again all of this we have to kind of take not in the most literal sense as many gumaras agpecially this kind of agata is not to be understood literally. But there's a beautiful message here which we'll talk about in a moment. But we're not going to be able to fit into those gates. We're going to be so tall that we're not going to be able to fit in the size of the gates that uh that are being described. So what does the Garra answer? The Gamarra answers that we're not talking about the gates themselves. We're talking about the windows of the gates that they're going to be this size. That's what Rabbi Yohan was describing. Not the Shahim, not the actual entrance, but in the shower, there's going to be windows in these gates and that's the size that he was referring to. But the gates themselves that we're going to enter are going to be large enough for us to enter. Okay, that's the gumar. So what does that mean? So one way of understanding this and check the art scroll for uh for some insight here talking about the heights of people. We're talking about not physical height but we're talking about spiritual height. The kind of spirituality that we're going to have the kind of Jews that we're going to be the nobility the greatness of Jews like all of us that have returned to Yushalim have returned to Israel. It takes spiritual greatness to do that. We've been great in the galut, but we're going to be even greater, the Jewish people, as we're moving towards a messianic time. The kind of Jews that come back to shalim, right? The kind of people that are sitting here, we were just talking a few moments ago of how many moves, you know, to to get here and and and once we're here and all the challenges, this is a great generation, right? a great generation of Jews that have the courage that have the heroism that have the amuna that have the beton to give up everything that they had the world that they had the family that they had the professions that they had to come to Israel that's what it means kiut that we're going to come back as with greatness to uh to the land of Israel so I was thinking about this idea of uh of the greatness of of the return of the Jewish people I think there there there are many ways to kind of think to think about that. I think just as I mentioned, just this idea of this generation of of hundreds of thousands, millions of Jews that are making their way back to the land of Israel, what that the greatness of uh of faith and the vision to be able to do that. And I was also thinking about just some of the um some of the great young people that we uh that we have lost and people that gave their life. thinking again we're still I guess recovering and and thinking about October 7th. Um, and I just want to highlight one. I was just like kind of like thinking about this idea of uh of great individuals and um, you know, there's so many so many stories of of uh, of soldiers. David Kaplan, you showed me a book about what's the name of that book? Remind me just the name. >> The story of it in a stretcher. >> The story of it the story of its sadic and a stretcher. And who's the author? >> Navon, >> right? Navon Navon. very very wellrespected Tal Khakam a considered to be one of the outstanding students of Avar Likenstein wrote a book recently and it's a book about just appreciating how many there 30 40 stories in there >> at least 30 40 >> short story like you know short stories with anecdotes about the soldiers that gave their life for uh for Israel around October 7th and post October 7th so just highlighting and And the name of the book >> uh the story of a sadic and a stretcher. >> The story of a sodic and a stretcher. >> I got it at com >> and it was it's a book that was written in Hebrew and was translated and uh David showed me a page or two and it's really a worthwhile uh really very very special special book. So I just came across just to highlight um just high highlighting this idea of uh the greatness of of uh of this generation this generation of Jews um one name and just to just to take a moment just to uh to think about and I came across something interesting in in a diary and and a and something that he and I I don't know it could be that this you'll tell me if possibly you remember if this uh if this individual's mentioned that book He his name is Amikhai Yako Vanino. He was 20 Vanino. Amikhai Yako Vanino. He's 22 years old and he was a squad commander in the Maglan commando unit from Katrin. And he was killed on October 7th battling Kamas during the invasion of Kibutkar Aza. And that morning Amikhai was stationed at the Julis IDF base east of Ashcolon when the attack began. and the rest of his team in the elite reconnaissance unit were sent forward to the front lines and he was killed that day. So, but I want to just share with you one this is just and I'll just read two or three lines in Hebrew. You know what we have from some of the soldiers and I don't know if this is highlighted in the book that there were letters that were written sometimes they wrote letters saying if you're reading this letter you know that I've not survived that they left letters behind not knowing what would be there are diaries that we have and uh from soldiers and this is in a diary that he wrote again he's 22 years old and I'll just just read the following this is what he wrote just a few a few months before he was killed he says This year I want to be different. I want to be better. That I want to know myself better. I want to continue to improve in a yashar way in a way that is that is straight. I want to begin to write ideas about life and about my life. not to not to give up, not to give in, to always push forward that I want to always find audit 100% that I want to always give 100% that I want to be um committed to to purify to become better and better, better and better to live to del. What does that mean? You know the word delic >> the gas >> gas I want to keep I don't know that's the that's the term that I use to keep just energizing myself to do more and more and more to take advantage of every moment of time every moment to see uh to follow my uh my dreams and my will my desires live alraashim and not to give up on trying to continuously hug to continue to go from level to level. This is what this is what this young man this is what he what he writes in his diary. This is just a regular you know a regular kid. He's not not such a regular kid not such a regular young man but these are the kinds of uh the kind of people and exceptional people that uh that is this generation just thinking about this gamarra of people of great kan. I think that's what the Gamarra means, right? It doesn't mean literally how are they going to get through the how are they going to get through the shower? They're too big to get through the gate. We're too we're big. This is a big generation. Rabioan says that this is that generation of return to Erit Israel and building Erit Israel. These are going to be great individuals. And I count everyone here among those great individuals. It takes great great strength, determination and courage to uh to make aliyah and to make a life here. So that is uh that is a lesson that I wanted to share with you. Um we come back now to Ravk and we come to one of the one of his contemporaries. He was more of a a rabbitic figure to Ravkuk but they were not that that that distance in years from one another. And that is and a lot of people are not aware of this the and now we're all familiar with the with the name of Israel mayor of of and um I think he's most well known for the idea of of lashim the s that he writes about the importance of of not speaking gossip also important theme for these days as well we're thinking about chuva they studied with one another they had great respect. Revk and had great respect and love for one another. And there was something that they shared in particular, a particular love that they shared that both of them shared um with one another. A particular love for a particular item. And what is that? For the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel and in particular the building of the beta mikdash. What do they share in common? They were both kohanim. They were both priests. And they both felt that in a in a very uh very meaningful and a very tangible way. And the actually he he uh initiated a co-le of stu of students that would study the laws of the beta mikdash and he invited cohanim to come to that co-le to that group of people that were studying and not just to study in a like a hypothetical or a theoretical sense but practically how are we going to be prepared as kanim to lead the avod and the beta mikdash to believe that the beta mikdash can actually in a in a very uh you know in a very real sense that we're preparing for the beta mikdash. So they studied together in this this group of people that were studying together these laws and at some point actually told Riffuk that I see that as great as you are in in learning and you are an absolute genius in learning I want you to become a rabbi I want you to become a leader now you could sit here in the coal for the next 5 10 years and you can study this material that's not what I want from you and Rafuk actually wanted to continue to study but the said you have to go out you have to become a rabbi and with that he becomes comes a rabbi first in you know in Eastern Europe and he makes his way to Eric Israel. So there's an interesting history. There's actually a book in Hebrew called um actually wrote down the wrote that yeah Ben Schne kohanim gdolim the relationship between two kohanim gdolim and it's it's a book about the relationship between rivk and the kavim and some of the learning some of the stories that they uh stories about their their interactions with one another. The kabatim wrote a book called sepita leoshua. Sepita leoshua is based on the garra. The gumarra says that every Jew one of the questions that they will be asked on the yadin please God all of us after 120 years on this earth when we stand before God in judgment. God has a short list of questions for all of us. One of the questions is cipita leoshua did you anticipate the redemption that there's that's one of the questions meaning your life has to reflect anticipation of redemption of coming back to the land of Israel again I think for for all of us that are living in Israel we're we when we're asked that question did you anticipate redemption we'll be able to answer yes we didn't we didn't stay you know in kutzar we didn't stay outside of Israel we wanted to become part of this this moment in history and uh we wanted to live here. We wanted to to uh make our uh contribution to ami Israel and to Erit Israel. So this is a book that he wrote uh wrote many works. He wrote a lot of small volumes on different topics. He actually often picked picked um topics that the Jewish people he felt were not being sensitive to that they were not aware of. And interesting that this is one of the books a small book that he wrote about this topic. He felt that the Jewish people were not were not thinking about this topic as much as they should about redemption and about returning to Erit Israel. And actually just a year ago it was translated into English by a rabbi who's a very well-known rabbi in New York. His name is Danielle Glaston. Danielle Glaston, who is a prolific author and very well known as a magichir and art scroll just came out with that and recommended reading for this time of year. If you're looking for something to read that's meaningful to read the treatise, his teachings about anticipating Messiah, redemption, rebuilding of uh of Eric Israel. So he wrote that and um and I I'll read just one line to you from that uh from this book and by the way the book is so you have just about that book you have tipped deosa that translation with notes and then Rab Daniel Glastian has four or five articles in the book as well about about the topic. Okay. So just reading one one line from the book and again maybe a a kavana that we can have during this time and something just to be uh just to think about especially in in our deting. So the writes he says if you look at the books of the prophets so you'll see that it's all about this topic amos what are they what are they writing about what are they preaching about and what are we reading about you know in all the aftoas you know not only these weeks but in general what is the message that they are conveying to the Jewish people and again and again the message is about gulah. It's about coming back to Israel. It's about rebuilding the nation in the land of Israel. A belief that it's going to happen. A messianic vision. That's what they're talking about. So the says take note of the fact that that's the message the major message of the Naveim. And then he writes and our and our rabbis hash the rabbis that make up the shas the Talmud. you find so much of their teachings as well that are about this topic of gula about redemption about anticipating redemption. Okay, I'm not sure. You have to see if that's uh if that lines up, but that's what he says. If you go through shas, right, we have the whole shass here. go through you'll find that a lot of it and what we just read this that we just highlight in Babashra is about the says is one of the foundation foundational principles of what it means to be a believing Jew to be a believing Jew is to believe in this idea like the Rambam that he includes this idea in the in the 13 principles of faith to believe in Messiah to believe in the return to Erit Israel and here this so all that and now we just add I want to add just one add to take note of this line now where do we say this in our Daviding by the way it's all over David and and all over the as well but where he highlights one place which I think we don't always take note of and that is vanuim the way that we start davening and or or start the amida which is the essence of davening in that paragraph is a mention or highlighting the idea of and what do we say and again we should just take note of how um how central that is. In other words, a Jew who davins every day the essence of davening is the amida. The essence of the amida by the way the the most important paragraph in is the very first paragraph of salvage. Others point out that that's where you need to have kavana and to have kavana that you understand the words not only that you are standing before God but a basic understanding many authorities say that you don't fulfill your mitzvah of d you haven't dabbed if you haven't focused for a moment on those words like to fulfill the mitzvah what does it mean technically to fulfill the mitzvah the davin every day is that at least for those you know for for that opening paragraph that you have an understanding a basic understanding of what you are receing exciting. Again, if your if your head is somewhere else in that first paragraph, you're just thinking about the emails that you have to respond to or what you have to pick up in the store that day and you said that paragraph, have you fulfilled the mitzvah of dabbing for the day? So many authorities say you have not. If you if your head was somewhere else and again this is challenging, you would think the would say you have to have kavana all the way through. Okay, ideally we should have kavana from the very beginning to the end. But that opening paragraph and what do we find in that opening paragraph? There is the prayer and there is the affirmation that Hashem is going to bring a gula and that we again just to point out just to point out how uh how central that is to uh to the way that we start the daving each and every day and that we do that's every day of the year 365 days a year do that on yam kipper on rashashana on sukus we don't there's not a day that we don't recite that paragraph and that's Um and that is the basis of dabing. We say that God is a God of that God is the master of the universe and God remembers the kindness of our forefathers. We have the forefathers the beginning of history. And how is history going to unfold and Hashem is going to bring a gula. is going to be a redeemer to our children to our children's children ultimately it's going to unfold manoba out of God's great love. So when we talk about we talk about these days and maybe a place to have even a uh a little bit extra kavana to focus and to focus on that word on that on that word and on that idea of uh of gula. Okay, two other items and we'll uh and we'll come to a close. So this period of time of the three weeks and again rosh kodesh is this coming week we're going to move into with rash kodesh we move into the nine days where things get just a little bit more intensive and then the day itself of tishab these are days of of chua I mean there are days that we're we're you know we're trying to trying to improve trying to do some tikun that's that's what it means as well when we're thinking about beta mikdash we're thinking about transgressions for sins, why it was destroyed, why there's exile, and how do we bring about right, how do we how do we turn things around? How do we bring about a uh a redemption and a gula? So, Rufuk has a beautiful teaching and I just came across his teaching also just recently in the last week or so where he says that one of the things that we say this is said on uh as part of the au days of and and uh and on fast days as well we say that God you should help us do a you should help us do a Chuva. Now what does that mean? He asked the question, what does it mean? Why not just we ask Hashem? Hashem should help us do chuva, right? What does it mean a full or whole chuva? So if cook offers an interesting answer, he says, well look at the next line. The next line says we ask Hashem that you should give us a so what does that mean when we say afu? Why not just say please God give us a rifua. What does it mean a full a full rifua? So Rafuk gives the following analogy or I'll add to the way that you know his analogy. Let's say you go to a doctor and I don't know you have you have pain in your legs. You have cramps pain in your legs. So, you go to see the doctor and the doctor says, "I'm not sure exactly what it is, but take aspirin, take some Advil, and that'll help with the, you know, to alleviate the pain." So, you walk out of the the doctor's office. It's really not that satisfying because he hasn't been able to really diagnose what the issue is. And you'll take some, you know, take some Tylenol or take some aspirin, which will help alleviate the pain. Cook says that's not refu, right? That's not a full rifua. Okay, it's going to help a bit, but you real but what you really want to know is why you know what what's that pain coming from to diagnose the you know the real issue that's there and to deal with the issue and if I can deal with the issue if the doctor can do that or give me the recommendation give me the advice that that's really what I want to know I don't want to just be taking aspirin you know taking Tylenol for the next few weeks to deal with the pain suk says when it comes to chuva schlma that's also what we want to address not just any chuva. We want the chuva to try to diagnose exactly what is the issue, what precisely to identify what is it that we need to change, right? What is it that we need to correct? What tikun is is at the core is at the root of the issue for the Jewish people. And for Rufkook, I mean, it's really just quoting the Gamarra, but Rufkook says, "What's the issue when it comes to exile and when it comes to building and rebuilding and returning of the Jewish people, what's the core issue?" He says the core issue is that we need to be more loving and more sensitive to one another. We need more aut. We need more unity. This is something that RVuk is talking about again and again. Now, it's really not RV cook because the gumar itself says why was the beta mikdash destroyed and talking about the second beta mikdash, right? The the exile that we have that we're still in from destruction of the second beta mikdash. And everybody here knows what was the sin and what is it that that Hashem said you cannot have the beta mikdash and there's going to be exile. Why? Call it out. because there was because there's too much enmity, right? There isn't enough compassion. There isn't enough sensitivity. And it's interesting just thinking about Israel today and the Jewish people today and what's happening just within our country. This is one of the issues that we're that we're struggling with, right, of the right and the left and karedim and and secular Jews and those that are serving in the army and not serving in the army. And we can have those differences. We can have those disagreements. But the question is, you know, do we still feel that love and and brotherhood and and sisterhood, right? Is that is that there? And once we don't have that, that's that that that's dangerous for the Jewish people. And Rook says that's the issue. That's the the chuva schlama, right? To get to the core of the issue, we have to address that. That that's really what what is at the core. And again, that's not really Ravk Cook's idea. That's what the Gamarra says. And famously, it's maybe one of Rav Cook's most famous lines. He says, and I'm sure you've heard this as well. It's quoted, I think everybody quotes it every year. One of the sources is Ravkuk. He writes this in Kodesh. If the beta mikdash was destroyed because of how is it going to be rebuilt >> nice, we know it, right? Right? And Raf Cook writes that he says we have to go actually that means we have to go overboard means even when that love right even when the other is not deserving of that love we have to find a way to be forgiving and compassionate and that's true by the way in our own lives right in our in our own family amongst our friends and our and our colleagues and our co-workers and uh and our community and the people we dabin with in shul and then it you know then it then it goes goes, you know, then it goes then it goes further than that in and in in our uh in our neighborhoods and and within our nation and within the world as well. So this cook is the is the core issue and it's something that when we when we think about chu and we think about what we need to be doing during these days and what we um what we should be emphasizing what what we should be thinking about in our own avoda in our own behavior our own conduct is how to correct this and it starts you know all of us on a personal level at home with our family with our friends and um and continue to uh that that the nation as a whole um is able to achieve this kind of a greater love and a greater sensitivity. Um I'll end with the following uh the following anecdote which is uh I think relates to that story that we and may maybe this this anecdote of of aid rebby maybe it has its roots in that story that we uh that we open with in the kamar. So one of the great rebies his name was Ali Melik of Jansk and um he wrote the no Melik which is considered to be one of the great um so he once came to his and he said that he had a dream and in that dream he saw angels thousands of angels and the angels were all running and they were all rushing and he saw that every angel was holding a brick and this is what he saw in his dream and in the dream he stopped one of the angels And he said to the angels, "Where's everybody running? And why is everybody running with a brick?" So the angel turned to Ali Melik and he said, "Don't you know that everybody needs to have their own brick and to bring that brick to build the beta mikdash? And we're all running to build the beta mikdash and every single person needs to take their brick and to put that brick into the building to build the beta mikdash." And the Rebi turned to his and he said, "This is what we need to do." That everybody in their own way needs to take a brick. Everybody needs to that little bit of chuva, that little bit, that extra goodness, that extra kindness, that extra compassion, that extra love that we need to have for one another. And that's how we're going to build the beta mikdash. So I think these are these are some of the ideas and certainly ideas that RV cook emphasize especially at this time. the vision that we have this great dream that we have and uh Barak Hashem we're we're a generation that's not just you know kind of like talking about this in a hypothetical sense in a theoretical that you know talking about it from a distance but here we are hashem and shalim init and just being here and just waking up here and being part of life here that we are uh that we're making our contribution towards the building of Israel and Ravk emphasizes that part of that and I think all of us are on board with this. Part of that building is also a building of of love and and brotherhood of of caring for one another, of being more open to one another, of greeting one another, smiling to one at one another, of building each other up. And this is a time to do it. That's part of the avodo. We talk about being in the three weeks. It's not only, you know, not to go to weddings or not to listen to music, not to get haircuts. Okay, that's kind of on the on the do nots, but what's on the what's the positive? like what are we supposed to be doing? So, Rafuk says more more love at this time. I mean all the time but we can you know but we can put a special effort towards towards that more during these days and with that we should uh we should see the quickly in our days with the coming we're scheduled to have tisha but we we hope that Israel is going to do a great chuva and a great return and great love for one another which should be it should be days of a day of moed a day of celebration uh with the coming Messiah in the building of the BA Mikdash. Amen. >> Okay, we'll stop here. My birthday sh Oh my n my