Feeling Happy For Another Jew - The Special Middah of Rav Matisyahu Soloman

elsewhere it's a pleasure a treat and trust me joy he glad the co glad [Applause] [Music] each [Music] good Lu everyone it's a real honor to be here to be associated with this this T Center which is really the center of Jewish life here on the upper west side the Prager and of course the it's a real honor to be representing the sh this evening to representing a kahila that's founded by the illustrious prerub you know it's interesting I just heard and I just realized about a year and a half ago I remembered a story that I heard many many years ago and I tried to verify it it's a story [Music] about the story does not appear in print it's not recorded anywhere nobody seemed to know anything about it and I was sure that Solomon said this story when he was inaugurated in the lakea so I called up the I said say this story he said no he said I was there when Ra was inaugurated he didn't say the story I said I'm positive he said the story I said who can I ask he said I don't know call up his [Music] son-in-law so I said give me the son-in-law's number I called up the old son Salomon he said it sounds Vaguely Familiar called my younger brother in-law Cole Weinberg so I called the youngest son-in-law of Solomon he said yes Rio said the story when he was honored by the Lakewood yiva about 15 years ago Lakewood had a dinner in the Brooklyn Marriott and they were honoring Solomon and mashia gets up and he says I want you to know tonight he turn the whole thing on its head they're not honoring me you're honoring my mother what you talking man said in 1941 Ron cuddler his Yesa and clet had him move to V and then theah that the R's father was one of the leaders the leader of the vah the vah had a plan to rescue raran Cutler from the clutches of the Nazis and the plan was either via England or the United States of America and they needed a volunteer in England to sit in a secured bunker on a designated evening by the phone for 24 hours maybe a call would come in to rescue raron Cutler and it turned out to be a Friday night and they needed someone potentionally to be M shabas to sit by the phone on a Friday night maybe the call would come in to rescue raron C and A young young girl named Ethel Solomon volunteered to sit at the phone in a secured bunker [Music] like she sat by the phone maybe maybe to save the life of raron cuddler and 70 years latero got up and he said I am sure that the reason why he was to become the of lake is in the Merit of the my of his mother who [Music] like friends we don't understand the elevation the alah that we have when we express concern when we show heart for another Jew you know I have the opportunity few times a year to lead a Jewish Heritage trip to various places in Europe and other places in the world I thank my good friend Brer for thank you for uh connecting me this evening and we went on a particular trip went to Morocco last year it was par and they bring along the the is like Aza it's a tiny and everybody knows that there's unusual phenomenon in says it's a sealed para typically between the end of one para and the beginning of another para you have a few spaces the beginning of and he could not tell the difference between the end of beginning of and we're all familiar with the words [Music] of says passed away the shall the eyes and the Heart of the Jewish people were sealed shut and they s because of the bondage you know we sort of take the words of rash for granted that the eyes and the Heart of the Jewish people were sealed shine why does Rashi say that why does Rashi say that our eyes and our heart were seal sh Rashi should simply say we were brutalized we were tormented we were tortured why the emphasis on the eyes and the heart and I believe sent me why rash emphasizes the eyes and the heart because we come to this week's and we're all familiar with the famous let's review the simple words of Rashi because they Treasures Laden in the simple words of Rashi what is rash says placed his heart and his eyes to feel the pain of the Jewish people oh now we know why you need eyes now we know why you need a heart you need the eyes to be able to see the pain of another twoo you need a heart to be able to feel the pain of another too so when Rashi says in Mah that our eyes and our heart heart were sealed shut Rashi just doesn't just mean we were in pain Rashi means that we were so overwhelmed with our personal difficulty that we didn't have the emotional wewi all to climb out of our personal distress and see what someone else is going through and feel someone else's pain and you know what friends we all know how it is in life we know how it is when we have our own Sor our own difficulty it's very hard hard to even look or think about somebody else and that's a very big problem because that gets us into a very difficult cycle because if we don't have the wherewithal to see the pain of another Jew and we don't have the we withth all to feel the pain of another je then God deals with us mid deals with us quid pro measure for measure and then K the eye of Heaven says well I don't see your pain and the big leave of Shay also says I can't really feel your pain because if you can't see and feel the pain of someone else then the rebish deals with us the same way and then as they say houon we've got a problem cuz how are we ever going to get out of this mess so [Music] comes comes the r and is waiting for someone to break the cycle and [Music] what says I'm going to break the CLE so opens up his eyes opens up his heart and then the re says I've been waiting for somebody to do this for a very long time because when you open up your eye and you open up your heart then the ram responds in kind and the ream looks down from Shay and he sees acutely what we're going through andam feels our pain very sharply [Music] friends a later listen to [Music] this a simple rash says that's all it took I just needed one man to open up his eye to look at another Jew I needed one person to feel the pain of another Jew and immediately responded and kind you know there's a big movement today and it's a very important movement but you has to be very careful what they look at but you has to make sure they only see proper images but at the same time you have to have your eyes open What's the person next to me going through what's he feeling can I make him more comfortable can I help him with something can I help her with something do they need help with their children with their family with the sh looking out feeling what other people are going through this [Music] week's did you know that until never communicated with and [Music] all do you know who I am hasem could have said many things he could have said I'm sh I'm has many names says the name is that was the intro why is this the first message tells was telling how you going to get out of the mess you know how you going to get out of this mess when you feel the pain of another Jew cuz when you see and you feel the Reish responds in kind [Music] com I'm going to tell you a ver when I hear this ver my soul Quivers it's really a remarkable observation does anybody know is the ever refer to as the one who resides in the thorn bush who Reb oh he's the one who resides in the thorn bush once at the end of the Tyra the [Music] says who does this go to by the way friends it's a big do you know the best real estate in Israel is the land of Y I know you want to invest here I'm giving you good advice tonight the most fertile Lush real estate in the land of is says why to the best of [Music] all says twice in we have the word one is at the end of the the other one is at the end ofus [Music] had children before the famine but once the famine began y says the world is suffering I'm not going to engage in pleasure so ysf had children before the famine why the greatest of because [Music] was said if people are suffering I'm not going to enjoy myself you always they felt the pain of other people and says I like that that's my kind of s That's my kind of you know why is [Music] called you know you got you know why you hit the jackpot you know why you want it big cuz you learned the lesson that I taught my at the thorn bush that it's important to be in that that's the Hallmark characteristic of and the H characteristic of a Jew to feel someone else's pain and therefore who's giving it you know the Mas came to Lakewood in 1997 he moved next door to a family the epin family Epstein family they had kids the same age as Rao's kids they grew up together they made Simas together they were they were almost like family Ra's daughter became AA everyone was excited for the wedding they were both families the Solomon family the EP family everyone was going to be dancing at this wedding shortly before the wedding Rabbi Epstein passed away so now no none of the family could go to the wedding none of the Epstein girls could go to the wedding and ra told his family okay we're excited for Sim nobody could say a word about the Sim in ear of the EP it's not right the day of the wedding the Epstein family comes home there's a note on the door to our dear family kindly do not make dinner this evening the caterer is going to be coming to your house to serve you the wedding meal in your house because if you can't be at the wedding but at least you'll be M because we're bringing the wedding to you and then shortly after the photographer came over because Rio asked the photographer to develop the pictures at the time of the wedding so that they could also feel and be m a little bit at the wedding so this is not just an idea that the mash taught this is an idea that Mash breathed this is the hallmar characteristic of a Jew but there's an even higher level there's a higher level than feeling the pain of someone else because did you know that when Hashem comes to M and he says M have a great job for you what would you like says I I I would like you to take the Jewish people out of Egypt so he says what do you want from me give it to who's she says was AI mha wasn't AI yet Aon was AI does anybody know when did Aon ever say when did he ever receive rash brings you look you look in the comes to the B alien and he says by the way I told to tell the Jews to get rid of their idolatry so AR was already a before M anybody know how old AR was when he received prophecy theum says AR had already been AI for 80 years before the re ever said a word to and he had received nonstop for 80 years so says you know we never even spoke before before why you giving me the job give it to AR right so the question is what did Arin do 80 years earlier how old was Arin he was three years old AR was a from the age of three what did AR do from the age of three that he was and the answer is we only know one thing that AR did there's a very interesting P that we read just this week the P says about basas that she sees and they said so again the B is troubled what is this kid you know it starts by saying that and then it say and then it says is he a y or is he an about says we're talking about two different people here you see he sees a baby that's the yell at that's M wasn't the one crying who is crying [Music] say was cry let's do some detective work the brother is crying must be the writes in his Dres for a brother to cry over a brother it must be a Jewish child only a Jewish child could cry for his brother you know what AR did at age three I saw a sa from AR the brother of we only know one thing that did at age three he's able to cry for his brother you could cry for your brother you have the heart necessary you have the tools necessary for God to communicate with you that's what Arin a did at age three we're in a way we're like AR we're standing at the riverbank the river we'll call it the Atlantic Ocean and on the other side of the river we have brothers and sisters suffering in ER are we going to be the at the very least to cry to feel the pain to feel the s you can't just go a day just walk around like everything is okay at the very least you have to be able to shed a tear to feel the pain you know what kind of an alah that will bring you but did you know that at age3 even though Aon was AI there's something he wasn't yet there was something that it took him another 80 years to accomplish because 80 years later meets and he says dear breather guess what I got a promotion s says what's what's the promotion M said hasem asked me to take the Jewish people out of his and mustered up the that he wasn't stingy he wasn't jealous was happy for his brother Mar said do you know where that momentous achievement was accomplished that's the first mention of you think it was for not that chose whatever happened on it's the that a brother rejoiced over the of another that's the place where wants to give the Ty so what happened Hashem says you knowon you have such purity of heart you are to we the on your heart you know 80 years earlier was not awarded why couldn't have the 80 years earlier when he cried for say we see a very important lesson in human Dynamic it's not so hard to feel pain for another J someone's suffering my heart goes out to you someone has a difficulty what can I do to help you it's a much higher level to rejoice in someone else's success that's a very high MRE human being has a certain jealousy a certain stinginess I'm there to help you my heart hurts and goes out for you but if someone else is being honored or someone else has a success or someone else is having NAS from their family it requires a very pure heart to feel unadulterated joy for someone else you know there's a big discussion people like going toim weddings mitv what's the most important part of the like the the CH the most important part of a is to feel happy for the B that's why you go to a you could go to a s and you tell the B you know I feel happy for you you go to the honor honor I'm happy for you deserve it you look at the guy next to you he has a beautiful M he has from his children he hasas maybe from grandchildren feel happy for them that's one of the highest achievements you could accomplish as a Jew in this world so I conclude by telling you dear friends I am happy for you that you have such a wonderful R and rent at your Helm you should enjoy them the love thank [Applause] you