JOURNEY TO LATVIA {Full Journey}

Welcome to Latvia. When was the last time you were able to say that you were in Latvia? It's been a while, huh? I want to thank our guide, Edward. Round of applause for Edward. Okay. And we also want to thank the bus driver, Ray Raymond, who's navigating the treacherous road in the snow. You see, it's not it's not it wasn't easy for Avi to arrange snow in Latvia. It's an extra feature. It makes it much more authentic. You know, if you would come to Latvia and it would be like 75 degrees and sunny, you would think you're you're in San Diego. You know, now you know it's actually Latvia. It's the middle of May and it's snowing. You know, you can't make that up. When was the last time anything like that happened? Okay, so we're going to speak a little bit about Rome Simka of Dinsk. You know, when we get to the cabra, we'll speak about his history, but I want to give you a little bit of a flavor for the approach alra of Rome Simkins. Maybe we'll do a clip on Revor Simka's attitude to the formation of the state of Israel and uh anyway, Ramor Simkha was born in 1843. He lived 83 years to 1926. He was the rv of the Ashkanaza community of Dinsk. The Ragatrav was the RV of the community of Dinsk. And Rome Simka has a unique approach to in a way similar to the parasim where he would apply principles to explain the narrative of the usually most of the onra they explain the narrative based on the context of based on the details given in theukim but to bring in let's say is found in shas or to explain why did something or why did something is uh innovative and and original. So I want to just give you a little bit of a flavor for one of the uh classic approaches of Rome of Dinsk. Okay. The Rambal establishes the following rule. There was once a debate between Yeria Hanovi and Kanya Benazar. Yeria Hanovi came and he predicted something bad would happen and Kana predicted something good would happen. So Yermia turns to Kanani says you know you better watch out. Ya says, "Because if what I say doesn't come true, that doesn't prove I'm a Nvi. But if what you say doesn't come true, that proves you're a Nvi Shakar says Rambam. Because if a Na'vi says something good will happen, it has to happen. And if it doesn't happen, that proves the Nvi is a false Na'vi. But if a Na'vi says something bad will happen, it doesn't have to happen. Hashem is maybe the person did Chuva. Maybe Hashem relented. Maybe Hashem had rahim. So the Ram establishes the following rule that if a Nvi says something good will happen, it must happen. If it doesn't happen, that proves he's avi says something bad will happen. It doesn't necessarily have to happen. That's what the Rambam writes in. However, the Rambam in his introduction to the parish asks the question on this. Really, if the Almighty says something good will happen, it has to happen. But Hashem told and it says was very afraid. Asked the Rambam, what was Jacob afraid? So say but I thought the rule is that if something if if avi says something good will happen it has to happen. So what's Jacob afraid of? Says the Rambam. When does when do we say that if a Nvi says something good will happen it has to happen. That's only if the Nvi says it. But if he hears it from Hashem it does not have to happen. If the Almighty tells somebody somebody something good will happen, it does not have to happen. It's only if the Nvi repeats it, then it has to happen. You got the rule. So it comes out there three scenarios. If a Nvi says something bad will happen, does not have to happen. If Hashem tells Anvi something good will happen, it does not have to happen. The only time it has to happen is if Hashem tells a Nvi something good will happen and the Nvi says it over. Okay. Now why why does it have to happen? Says the Ram because otherwise there would be no way to check. If a Nvi is a Nvi Ms. The way to check is if a Nvi says something good will happen and it doesn't happen then he's a Na'vi she comes and in his he utilizes these rules of the Rambam in at least four places. I'm going to give you just a little flavor for how the uses these principles to explain the inra. You know, Hashem tells Abrau that he's going to have a child, that he's going to inherit Israel. And what does Abrau say? How do I know that I'll inherit the land? says, "I know how my children will know that they'll inherit the land because I'm going to tell them. And once I tell them, it's guaranteed to happen. But how do I know? Because so far I've only heard it from you. And just because you've told it to me, it doesn't have to come true." That's how learns. How will I know that I'll inherit? My descendants will hear it from the Nvi, but I heard it from God, so it doesn't have to happen. Okay, this is this one is really remarkable. You know all the mafar deal with when Sarah heard she was going to have a child, what was her reaction? She laughed and Hashem remmonstrates with Sahem says, why did Sor laugh? Why did Sor laugh? And what was Abraham's reaction? Abraham also laughed. Doesn't the Pik say Abraham laughed? So why is Hashem only criticizing Sarah? Why is Hashem not criticizing Abraham? So Rashi says no by Abraham it means he laughed in joy. By Sarah when it says she laughed it means she laughed incredulously. In fact the tarum translates the laughter by Abraham that he rejoiced by Sah she laughed. There's another uh beautiful says you know um yeah you know this phenomenon your daughter your daughter does everything right you know she knows how to raise her children she knows how to deal with them she knows how to speak to them but your daughter-in-law she can't do anything right she doesn't know how to raise children she doesn't know how to run her household you ever you hear that phenomenon it's it's pretty common you know the daughter knows everything the daughter-in-law you know what happened to her. So the thing is the mother-in-law wants to criticize the daughter-in-law but if she has even an ounce of common sense she knows she can't do that. So what does she do? She turns to her daughter and she says yanta why don't you don't know how to raise the kids. You don't know when to put them to bed. You don't know how to go shopping and she makes sure to say it in earshot of the daughter-in-law. She says she's talking to the daughter but she really means the daughter-in-law. So too says Hashem tells Abraham, why did Sorah laugh? Meaning, why did you laugh? Hashem was criticizing Abraham, but he was allowing him to save face. However, says, "No, you know why Hashem didn't criticize Abraham? Abraham laughed? Because he had no guarantee that would happen." Why? Because God told him. Just because God told him, it doesn't have to happen. So, there's no problem with Abraham laughing. But the question is, S why did S laugh heard it from ani so then it has to happen so Sah has no right to laugh here's another example where uses this principle rashi says it means opposite his wife says it means for his wife davened for Rifka. So Romero Simka asks why didn't he davin for himself? Says Romeka he didn't have to davin for himself. Hashem already told Abraham that Abraham would have children and Abraham said it over. So Yitzk was guaranteed to have a child but there was no guarantee it would come from Rifka. So therefore davin not for himself because for him it was a guarantee but he had a davin fork. One more friends. Hashem told you know that he's a great guy. I really want to reward him. What does Hashem [Music] tell therefore say? Why would Moshe have to say it? Why can't Hashem just tell Mosha and then it will happen? The answer is says, if Hashem just tells that Pinas will be rewarded, maybe he won't be rewarded. Maybe Pinas will sin and he won't be deserving. But once Mosa says it, then it has to happen. So therefore tells Hashem tells say it once says it you could take it to the bank that it will come true. So this is an example of where uses principle of the ra in his and his namely if the nvi says something bad will happen doesn't have to happen if he says something good will happen and the nvi does not repeat it does not have to happen once the nvi repeats it then you could take it to the bank okay we're headed to Dinsk, the city of the Meshma and the Ruggage. I once heard from a great who had a connection to the Tory of Ruggage and to the city of Dinsk. I heard from a warman. If you wanted to know the size of the city of Dinsk, basically if you got on a a wagon and you started saying ashray, by the time you g you got up to you were in a different city, just to give you a picture uh you know an understanding of the size of the city. We're going to speak about Rome's attitude toward the foundation formation of the state of Israel, Zionism, secular Zionism. We know that the garbus tells us on is going on to the Gmorra discusses the oaths that enforced. One of them is that the Jewish people should not forcibly establish sovereignty. One, Hashem made swear that would not rebel against the nations of the world. And one one made the nations of the world swear. So in light of this shua that Hashem made us swear so to speak that we would not rebel against the nations of the world, we would not forcibly gain sovereignty. How do we understand that in the context of the establishment of the state of Israel? Are these halakically binding? Do they prevent us from establishing um sovereignty, a homeland in terms of uh statehood before the coming of Msiah? This is a question that many aim dealt with. Some maintained and argued that it was not permitted to establish a state. However, once it's there, it has a reality. So this is the discussion of many of the the analyzes these and he says what exactly are these we don't we don't know exactly what the nature of these oaths are you know is when a person swears do you remember taking a shua do you remember ever being summoned to court to take an oath that you wouldn't establish lish a homeland in the state of Israel. You do was your grandfather did he take an oath? When exactly were these oaths administered? So the abnor says that these are not oaths that should be understood in a literal sense. But similar to what the garra says in that before a person is born they take a shva that they're going to be a sadic. They're not going to be a Russia. Okay. But they still have free choice. they could still decide to act wickedly even though they took an oath. Which means that these oaths are notically binding oaths. Maybe these are these are certain direction that would have liked the world to take but they in no way restrict a person. That's the approach of the of the inn as explained by Zeb and the it's interesting the moral of Prague and the Israel says when he discusses these he doesn't call them oaths he calls them decrees the gazer God decreed that we should not be able to He compares them to the which are gazer. Now when it comes to the God decreed that there would be certain punishments. There is no mitzvah or injunction on a person to try to fulfill the there's no mitzvah for a person to be the hey I'm having a good day. The was not in the sky. Let me see how I could be mim the gazer of the today. There is no there's no rationale to do that. In fact, it would be prohibited to try to fulfill the so too when it comes to the three oaths. These are decrees that God did not want for the majority of the gullus for the Jewish people to have any type of sovereignty. But there's no reason for somebody to be mim that. In fact, it's counterintuitive. In fact, you would not be allowed to be mim. It would be sadistical to say you know let me try to be mimv not to be not to gain sovereignty init. No these are not oaths. These are decrees how hashem wanted the world to run. But if you see so to speak that you're having a good day or you see the oaths are not in force. So then logic dictates that not only would be permitted but it would be required. Another logic that Rab Zean offers in the is that you know these oaths go together. One of the oaths were Hashem made the nations of the world swear that they would not subjugate us too much. But wait a second, did they keep their end of the deal deal? Were they were they precise in the magnitude of their subjugation? No, they went overboard. Certainly after the Holocaust where the nations of the world violated their end of the deal where they were mashabai. So then we could say back you broke your end of the deal so all bets are off. We're no longer subject to keep our end of the deal. Now why am I talking about this? I want to read to you a letter that Ramor Simka wrote in the aftermath of the bow for declaration. Rome Simka also had what to say about these these oaths. He says like this. He says now that the civilized nations of the world the enlightened nations of the world have ga gathered together in sin remo and they've issued a declaration giving the Jewish people the right to establish their homeland. So the oaths are we are not permitted to be to utilize force to establish sovereignty. But once the nations of the world recognize our right to establish a homeland in the aftermath of the bow for declaration in the aftermath of the convention of St. Remo says, "The fear of violating these three oaths are off. and with the permission of the with the permission of the government. And therefore says and if a person delays so this was Rome Simka's position on the yes perhaps they're enforced but only until a specific point in history once we are given permission by the enlightened nations of the world. So all bets are off. We're permitted to establish a homeland without any fear of the mentioned info. We're here in the city of Dinsk at the Kev of Rome of Dinsk, the author of our the author of the he lived 83 years 1843 to 1926. Israel, his voice was one of the most eminent voices in the in the gatherings of the Israel. Any problem somebody had with a husband, with a wife, with a child, with family, they came to the and he gave them full attention and he was mameik. He he delved into the issue like he was deal delving into a raam or a difficult passage in the garra. He didn't leave anyone like him was wondrous in the mitzvah of his house was aim when he was in the city of Balt near Vna and uh he would have a certain god stay by the house raor tictton raor tictton and on one occasion Ramir Tictton was m the father of the arame he should be zak to have a son who will illuminate the world in Tyra. So the father Kleinus named his son mayor after Romeor Tictton and indeed Ramir Simkha illuminated the world in Tza in a shul where Romeor Simka grew up they still have or at least they had like a hole in the ground where Romeor Simhka would learn because he would learn by you know rubbing his feet in the ground until literally carved out a notch in the floor his concent concentration was uh incredible. Here's a picture of Romero Siminsk. This is what Romero Siminsk looked like. You could examine it more later. As a young boy, his mother miraculously saved him from the cantonists. You know, they would the cantonist would come, they would capture boys to serve to serve in the army. And I think they're on an expedition right now. So when Simka was 16 years old, he published the he wrote the but it was not published until a year after his petira. He did not in other words he wrote it as a young young person. He began it at 16 years old. It was not released until well after the he learned under the rv of Slabka. Unfortunately Romero Simkha he had one son-in-law who passed away young. Rome Simka's son-in-law is buried by the ink in Warsaw. His daughter suffered from emotional distress and he did not have descendants did not have uh living descendants. His father-in-law was wealthy. His wife supported him. People would ask me, you know, where do you make parosa? So he would say he would say as follows says he who gives life gives food. What he meant was he who have provided me with my wife provides me with parasa because she works and uh she supports me. In fact says a remes and yeshiva the yeshivas you know where does this come from? It's ashoid the the the boy you throw him into the water the water of and what about the girl the daughter she has to go to work that's would say about this phenomenon he was elected the in 1888 and as it says over here he gave us life 39 years. He gave us the due of life for 39 years. He published you know when the arch came out in Slabka they would give turns to the bha yeshiva each you know when you get nowadays the safer comes out so they put up a signup sheet on the yeshiva everybody signs up everybody gets their own copy sabaka there was one copy so you would get like a half hour slot to learn the safer arch in 1907 so think about it served here from 1888 for 39 years in 1907 after 21 years in Raonus in Dinsk. He was offered to take over the chief rabinet inim from Rabmo Salant. And the city of Dvinsk road wrote to the city of no no you're not taking our from us. He's our life. The whole uh continent is hinges on the words of Rome Simka of Dinsk. Maybe we'll speak about more in the in the bus in the aftermath of World War I. There was a lot of general confusion in the world of who survived the war, who didn't survive the war and word went out that Rome Simka was killed and throughout the Jewish world they were maspid him and they eulogized him and they wrote articles about his patira articles that he himself would read. You know as uh Mark Twain once wrote the recent reports of my demise are exaggerated. You know that happened to Rome Simka. Ramir Simkha the Jewish world thought he had passed away. They were masped him and they wrote about his patira. One last thing maybe we'll speak about it more also Simka of course in parisai wrote prophetic words that when the Jewish people become too comfortable in the gulos and they think that their destiny lays in the gulos and that the day will come that the Jewish people will refer to Berlin as their Jerusalem and then a nation will come from afar and unfortunately uproot us as a people. Ramir Simka wrote this well before the Holocaust even had anyone had an inkling of the uh plans of the Nazis. So we're talking about one of the alltime anom of Israel in many many centuries. Yeah. Okay. Hey, it's a great to be here in Vinsk at the kev of the rugged cover of Rosen the author of the toughness pane on the Rambam Sha Pak. Not only was it he once in a generation but in many many generations even says on the not only someone who had such command of the Torah we never saw in even many generations it's well known that in all the writings of the ruggage which there was a saf led by Raman Kashar But the rugged cover style of writing would he would write I in here look here look there look there and you'd have to figure out what is he stringing together and all of these cryptic comments. The reason he wrote that way is because of the ta he had so many so much source material it was literally humanly impossible to write what it actually said in these places. However, Reb Zevan said that when the rugged would give Shir, his clarity of expression was so powerful, his clarity was unparalleled that anyone who heard a shear from the rug would say that's the only way to understand the Rambam. That's the only way to understand the Gumarra. It wasn't he had the capacity of explanation which was incredible. At age 8 years old, he was completely proficient in the entire Sedar Nazikin. So he began his learning career at 12 years old. His father took him to learn from the Balevi in at the time was Raqq and he learned the with Brisker. He then went to learn from Disk. Then he went he visited the a descendant of the Balatan where he became very close with the Kabad and he was the RV of theum here in Ruggage. just to show you a few pictures of what the rugged shovel looked like. Here's one example of what the rugged looked like. And then we have another famous picture of the rugged shov. Uh he did not frequent the barber often. And that's because while he would frequent the barber, he would have to remove his yarmaka. He wouldn't be able to learn. So that wasn't worthwhile. That was not a worthwhile endeavor for him to have to remove the yamaka because then he wouldn't be able to be involved in Tyra. Not only that, but even on Tishab, the yard site of his father was Tishab. His he was in Dinsk, but his father came from Ruggage. He was born in Ragachev. So he would go back to his hometown for Tishab where the whole city would gather around him in Ruggage and he would regail them in detra the entire day. And even during the Shiva, he would regail them in Tory the entire day. And nobody had the audacity to ask you know until his uncle said you know this is and he said yeah but the said says if you have an insatiable drive then it's if there is anyone in history that we could say wasra it was the ruggage. Now in his travels from Dinsk to Ruggage on the wagon he would learn half of shas bal they would say what about the other half say on the way home he'll he'll learn the other half. So you know they would say about the shagasar that he learned shas a thousand times in his life but the ruggage learned shas every time he traveled home from dinsk to rugach. We mentioned uh the the ruggage wrote very very biker very biker. I'll give you just one little flavor of the rag. You know the Ram says that by the city in we give the an opportunity to do chuva. So the the uh the rivid asks on the rabam okay it's very nice we give the an opportunity to do chuva but there's no mur sh that we give the dakas an opportunity to do chuva says the ruggage there may be no makar shas that we don't give anhanidas opportunity to do chuva but what was sadim sadim was look in the tumas by the city of sadim hashem said and I'm going to judge then if in fact what's reported to me that they did I will follow through says the the saysum says if they do they won't be punished where the tarum get this from but the tarum reads the that if would have done chuva They want to been punished from here. It says a rugged the Rambam derived from Tarumlas. That was the command of the ruggra that he was able to see where the Rambam understood is derived from. So this was the raach a once in a many generational uh baky inul. Okay, I'm going to say K pointed out next to the rag says uh they buried Tory and Sheamus next to a person that the whole Tory is incorporated in himnazign that incorporated the whole meaning is you bury next to that knows and Genea who more than the rugged We say his mind encompassed his yard site which is the same yard site as Alf in 1936. Okay, we're standing here outside of the great synagogue of Dagavil which is the Russian name for Dinsk Dinsk and we're in the synagogue Kadisha or synagogue Khadesh which was built in the year 1850. Now this is a historic synagogue because in this synagogue prayed Rabbi Ramy Kaken Kuk the first rabbi of uh Ashkanazra of the state of Israel and over here we have a plaque for him. Uh we have uh plaque Rabbi Abram Isaac Cook in memory of the outstanding Jewish religious thinker and public figure native of Giva. Grieva is a a suburb of Dince now Dagills the first Ashkenazi chief rabb of the land of Israel. We'll just say something over from you know the gumar says in that there was a about whether is or is obligatory or discretionary. So says you know they said let's wait there was andua and they said you know let's to settle the matter we're going to wait until we're going to wait until the shieldbearers enter the bish. The question is why are called shieldbearers? You would think they're sword wielders. Why shieldbearers? Cook said from the gar we learn that the job of a is not to attack other people. You want to think what you think. You could think what you think. But the has to be able to defend his position. This is derived from the garra that calls bal trac. This is an expression that's used in the kinos balet trac. What's interesting is I found in the writings of writes the same thing. The job of the is to be able to defend their authentic position not to attack the positions of others. So this is uh this is the makam where dav are in dinsk. Okay. Okay. Hi everyone. We're leaving the city of Dinsk. We were to be on our the rugged want to share with you a amazing approach of the rugged a unique approach a gaust approach to the episode in the Torah of Maya striking the rock. Many of the mafarim deal with what exactly did Mosha do wrong? He should have spoke to the rock and he hit the rock. And why is this called meiva ash? So what what strife was there? What fighting was there? There was no fighting. They needed water. So they asked for water. So there are many different perush. The rugged sho has the most unique approach to the whole episode of Maya. It's found in the ornas on paras or and uh by the way I want to I want to tell you that how do we have all these writings of the pane where does it come from the safane had a talmed uh of citroron as well as he had a daughter and they were moister nephesh to so to speak sneak back into the vince while the Nazis were approaching and they procured all of his manuscripts in microfilm and they were able to rescue almost all of the writings of the arsame on microfilm. Unfortunately, they both sacrificed their lives to do so. But we have all the writings of the ars today through the ms nephesh of this student of sitron and his daughter and they smuggled out the writings of the arsame on of the ruggage on microfilm. So here the uh he says something incredible. The says doesn't say mate the stick. What do you mean the stick? Well, what's which is the stickenu in his humility thought? There are two sticks in clam. There's my stick that I made the mas and then there's the stick of aron which in paras right before kas arin put into the kadeshim and it sprouted. So moisha in his humility thought when god said the stick he meant a stick not his stick he thought Aaron was greater than him. Now what difference does it make if Misha uses aroine stick or his own stick? Well there's a big difference. What was Aaron's stick made out of? It was made out of eight. Eights is mabel to What was Mosherenu's stick made out of? Mosha's stick Rashi says in Bashalakisa Batsur that the mat of Mosha was made out of a very strong material sanirino that could crack a rock. So there's a fundamental difference between the material that arin stick was made out of and that Mosha stick was made out of. wasn't clever. Uh, but maybe it wasn't cle cuz it already blossomed. So, okay. So, our own stick was made out of wood and Mosha Rabenu's stick was made out of rock. Now, if Mosha would have spoken to the to the rock, everything would have been perfect. But Mosha hit the rock, which is not the end of the world. But he hit the rock with the wrong stick. What's the problem? The is that flowing water if what caused it to flow was the water is t. So when mosha hit the rock with arrow stick the water that comes out of the rock is t. Now that it's t no one could go to the mikvah. The nashim can't go to the mikvah. The nashim can't go to the mikvah. There's no peace. There's no sham in Israel is had Mosha used his own stick with that's made out of rack which is not then the would the water that came out would not have been either. So the rugged says the sin of was the misplaced humility of the says akin to we know that was criticized for excessive humility and it caused destruction. So likewise thought Aaron was greater than him. He hit it with Aaron's stick. It caused the water to become tame. They didn't have a mikvah for 40 years. Is that possible? But that the rag says this whole period they didn't have a mikvah was the mikvah what was the miriam came from the from the rock from hitting the rock but the water is mab the water's because it was with that is the sin of mariva au says the rugas shas This in other words, the water became tame. Anyway, that's some uh for your consumption. We'll do another one soon.