Lech Lecha: The Stunning Common "String" of the Contributions of Avraham

Okay, good morning everyone. Thank you for the sponsor of today's breakfast to all the above mentioned people and also everyone else here who has a cough. Okay, we're talking about uh the kashivas in general of the right side. The right side is always deemed more. So for example the mishab and simmon base of katan says we find that the right side and the tyra is considered more kashov regarding the big finger and big toe when we put blood on the big finger and big toe of the kahanim we give we give precedence and priority to the right side. The mish shabura also brings an idea that the reason why when you wash your hands you pick it up with the right you know the reason why you uh use the right hand to wash on the left side and so forth is we give priority to the right side the right side is the left side is din there's an idea the right side is midass and the left side is din because the right side is the south and the left side is the north. The says that when a person wipes themsel when they go to the restroom, you do not wipe yourself with your right hand. You wipe yourself with your left hand because first of all, you eat with your right hand. So eating and wiping are two activities that you don't want to mix. I don't want to get too graphic over here, but let's say you don't want to be confused those two processes. Not to get too graphic. Okay. Anyway, also you write with your right hand. Also, when you show people how to do the trap, you motion it with your right hand. So, the right hand has kaduca. You don't want to wipe with your right hand. Also most importantly, you tie the fill in with your right hand. Therefore, it's not appropriate to wipe with it. Now, let's say you say, "But I I don't use my left hand well." And put it this way, it's not a sufficient job. Not going to do a good job. Well, the first thing is you need to do a good job. Okay? I don't want to get too graphic here, but if you don't do a good job, you can't d a even even a minuscule amount. So you have to make sure you do a good job. So therefore, it's it's worthwhile to learn to be adept with the left hand. Okay. Anyway, we're continuing now. Um above all says the priority of the right hand. It's because the almighty gave the Tory to the Jewish people with the right hand. God gave the Tory with his right hand. Okay. Fine. So these are uh different ideas of why the right hand is more uh prefer is more is given priority. Now, therefore, when you get dressed, you should put your right head into the neck hole first. No, that was a joke. Okay. You should put your right hand into the sleeve first, the right foot into the what is it called? Leg first. Yeah, you want to always want to give Now, by the way, when you take a shower, by the way, it's recommended to take showers. That also assists Yeah. Jot that down. Um, it's important to take showers at least once a month to make sure that you're remain clean. Now, when you take a shower, you should wash your head first. Your head takes priority. The rice first the shampoo. Okay? I'm not going to get I'm not going to get graphic into what products you're going to use. You wash your head first. You wash your face first, then your right side, and then your left side. The right side always takes pre. What about putting on shoes says you know and if anyone's listening to this uh she and they don't get the jokes the jokes are al says that you should tie um you should put on your right shoe first. You put on your right shoe first. You don't tie it. Then you put on your left shoe. You tie your left shoe, then you tie your right shoe. Right? Everybody knows that. You tie your right shoe, then you tie your left shoe. >> Left shoe. Left shoe right. >> You You tie You put on your right shoe, then you put on your left shoe. You tie your left shoe, then you tie your right shoe. Yeah, you tie your left shoe first, says Misha. Why do we tie the left shoe first? I thought the right side is more important, says Misha. Because when it comes to tying, we find that Tyra gives kashivas to the left side because you first tie your fillin because you tie your tin on the left side. So even though the right is always more but when it comes to tying you should always tie your left shoe first cuz when it comes to tying the left is more. So it's interesting that we learn out the den of shoelaces from you know isn't that unusual shoelaces are learned out from what exactly is the connection between shoelaces and comes Rubikar says that au says in this week's para actually at this point of time I think his name was a actually I gave a little clip last night it says says the med says in the of it could be read in the merit of Abraham the world was created but it's a it's a hira it's a small hey so we could read it as if it doesn't have a hey meaning even in the merit of a the world was created even at the time he was just a it was worthwhile for the world to be created but a said after he rescued the hostage [clears throat] light. Yeah. He went on a daring raid to rescue the hostage light and the mel he also saved me says if a string [clears throat] or a shoelace if I'm going to take anything from you I don't want you to say that you made me wealthy says going on to and the merit that head from a string to a shoelace. He his children were to two mitzvah one the string of two a strap of says in his since we are in the merit that said I'm not going to take a shoelace therefore shoelaces and are compared to each other that's a he brings brings he say amen >> [snorts] >> that since we are in the merit that said I'm not going to take a shoelace therefore when we tie our shoelaces they are governed by the laws of the lavush also says this reason that since in the merit that Abraham said I'm not going to take a sho a string or a shoelace that we're therefore we compare tying shoelaces to tying fillin therefore we first put on the right shoe then the left shoe then we tie the left shoe and then we tie the right shoe. There's a very interesting gamarra in Sanhedrinal the garra talks about when does a person have to give up their life for mitzvah brings the opinion of wheni came he said the name of that normally you only give up your life for the cardinal sinsim but that's when there's no specific decree of the government but at time of the decree of the government even a mitzvah you got to give up your life and then the Garra says that also um this idea that if it's not at a time of a special decree that's only privately publicly even a mitzvah so bish even privately shalish kazer publicly what's an example of a mitzvah Shanua to change the color of your shoelaces. A mitzvah is to wear genti um Jewish shoelaces. Jewish shoelaces that you're now to wear gentile shoelaces. And if at a time of a gazer they say you need to wear gentile shoelaces, you got to give up your life. And if it's publicly even not at [clears throat] a time of a gazer, what does that mean? Jewish shoelaces. Jewish shoelaces were black. Gentile shoelaces were red. So [clears throat] one of the says, why do Jews wear black shoelaces? He says because since we cherish our shoelaces because in the merit that Abraham said, I'm not going to take a string or a shoelace. We like to make our shoelaces like our and therefore if the Gentiles try to make us deviate from normal Jewish shoelaces, we give up our life because it's infringing on the mitzvah of now I don't know that doesn't apply and uh but it just the idea of the the connection between the sho string and fill in. >> What does that apply today? >> Yeah. In other words, if you're wearing, you know, white Converse, you could wear white shoelaces >> and the government says that everyone has to wear, you know, certain outfit. If ICE agents come and they say they're going to deport you if you don't wear red shoelaces, then you know you'll have to discuss it with government authority and your local Orthodox rabbi. Um it depends why they're doing it, you know. Okay, I'm just bringing the idea. That's not okay. Now uh really the purpose of this year is to highlight the connection between Abraham Ainu and certain practices that we have specifically chakras. We know that shakus begins with there is a custom that chakras begins with adam. The story goes that somebody once came to the villagin he with a new uh siddar and he wanted the vagine's husk. The vagin looked in the sid and he saw that the author of the sid gave the reason why we start based on the garra that the name of the rashi that from the day that god created the world nobody called hashem until Abraham Abramu called hashem adar ade Abraham said Hashem Abraham gave Hashem a new word a new name. Now this sidar suggested since Shak was enacted by Abraham and Abraham invented the name Adine. Therefore we start Shakris with the invention of Abraham. And the vagin was so blown away by this he said it was worth it to publish this safer only for this commentary. Now in general just off the record if you go to a big rabbi with a safer and they open it up for 3 seconds and they read one line they say it was worth it to publish just for this that means bug off. I don't have time to read your whole thing now. Yeah. Yeah. This this one word was worth it for the Jose for just for one word. Now have a good day. But let's assume that that's not what the >> and the same thing. Yes. >> He said he didn't say Adon. Correct. >> Correct. But he referred to Hashem as >> the first one referred to Hashem as >> Yeah. Right. [snorts] >> Okay. So now we're seeing that we like to in the ofu give him credit for his inventions. By the way the says the were in the he brings from the by the way many people ending by saying so that means we start and end the same way. What do we call that? Come on. >> You end this with what I'm saying? >> No. No. And it means that you said >> no. No. Some people start with and they end with and also or some people don't start with and don't end with. So it's also starting and ending the same way with most people don't I don't think uh there's such a such a tradition to start and end with it anyway in the safer magic he brings this same idea that Amrainu um uh was the one who invented ad and therefore shak starts with this based on this he says that [clears throat] and there's a Mishna That says when the time to the talmud came the mamuna would say go out and see if it if this man came. So the onlooker would say Barcoy, right? What does Barcoy mean? It's like the like the the sun has cracked the horizons. I think it's also in Yuma, right? It's in Yuma. And they would say Why would they ask to the sunshine in order to mention that's so we see that we like to mention Abraham in the beginning of the why? Because [snorts] because now it's interesting what else do we say in the beginning of chakras? and I in your abundant kindness come to your house. That's also a reference to the mida of Abraham who excelled in the mid of comes me says you know we have a mitzvah to do once a day talis and fill in here are the options of when you could wear talis and fill in on the way to in at chakras when chakras is over doing karpel eating breakfast going to work I don't know there are unlimited options of when you could wear talis and fill who who decided we should wear tal by shakas where does it say have to wear t by shakras it's a misa why you have to why you have to do it by shakas you could do it any time of the day >> so do it before shak right like you know before we dive in chakras many people go out to the suka so before shakras maybe you should be zores to Take talisant fill in why talis fak says since why do we have talis fill in the merit said I'm not going to take a shoring I'm not going to take I'm not going to take a string I'm not going to take a leather strap and we have chakras in the merit of Abraham Abraham enacted chakras so therefore we like to combine the various inventions of the same way was enacted by a so therefore we start shak was enacted by a therefore we don't wear t by we by shak because this is the invention of I was thinking last night you know there's a special of zizos by shakas the specialian says you should you should wake up 30 minutes before the veer comes to knock on your window. Do you have that here in Cedarhurst where that somebody comes and bangs on the window pane? Anyway, there's a special Indian of Zizos for shakus. Why? Maybe because Shakus was enacted by Abrau and the Indian ofos we learn out from Abraino. We don't doesn't say doesn't say we don't have the same you know of course you want to come to but maybe the special Indian ofus is specifically linked to shakas. Furthermore, we read in a also why do we say a why is a shak why not because it hap it happened in the morning but also you could say because you know this is part of the program of au shakra is program so we bring the aada okay so I want to try one more one more idea okay isn't it interesting that fill in are learned out shoes like that's a interesting connection that or because said I'm not going to take a sho string therefore and therefore we tie our shoes left side first like what is the connection between and shoes like when you look at your shoes do you is fillin the uh first thing that comes to mind what's the connection between and shoes I want to share with you an amazing malam one of my favorite malams the malam is found in paras kis everybody knows that when somebody doesn't want to do yum there's a process of khalita so what's the process of khalita she takes off his shoe and she spits in the shoe the removal of the shoe so cababalistically the reason why they take off the shoe the mab writes elsewhere here is that the body to [clears throat] the soul is like the shoe to the body. The body is just right. If I ask you right now, where is your soul? It's mostly upstairs. Only the lowest lowest part of the soul trickles down into the body. Most of the soul right now is in the shayim under the Sometimes a person has a premonition something's happening. Why is that? Because something is happening. His soul sees in heaven something's happening. But his soul down here gets like a weak mess, weak signal. Anyway, the body houses the lowest part of the soul. The same way the shoe houses the lowest part of the body. Nobody lives in their shoe except for >> the shoe. >> The little old lady. Only the little old lady lives in a shoe. Most people don't live in their shoes. Only their foot is in their shoe. Some people might put their foot in their mouth, but they don't live in their shoe. Only the lowest part of the body is in the shoe. So too, the lowest part of the soul is in the >> in the body. Therefore, when we come to a holy place, we take off our shoe indicating we want to strip oursel of our body. We want to we want to divest oursel of our physical connection. So, in a holy spot, we take off our shoes. That's the cabalistic reason. So, for for heam basically there's a soul. The soul of the deceased is floating in the air and he needs a body to house him in. So we want by doing yum you give the offspring gives a body to the deceased tormented soul. But if you don't want to give the body we're saying [snorts] we take off your shoe like you don't want to give a shoe to this floating soul. That's the cababalistic interpretation. But the M in gives a rational explanation. You ready for this? It's what is the difference between man and an animal? >> What is the difference between man and an animal? How does it manifest? So many people would say um men uh ma mankind could speak, animals can't speak. Some birds could speak. Sometimes it's more coherent and intelligent than other people you might meet during the day. So the Mamm says it's not speech. Some animals could be trained to speak. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. There's in North Wood Park there's a bird. Hello. Hello. It's not a parrot. It's a It's a um a black what is it called? The a black a regular black bird. What is a regular crow? A crow says hello. friendlier than 99% of the people I see during the day. So birds could be trained to talk. Is it das? No. Many animals have intelligence. What is it? The Malam says the difference between man and animal. Superiority of man over animal is what is [clears throat] that animals can only be instinctive. Animals only have instinct. Whatever the Almighty programmed to do, they do. If they don't want to do that, in other words, God programmed um lions to be hunters. You're not going to see a lion in a tea cafe sitting there very politely sipping tea and having pleasantries with a rabbit. It's not going to happen. He can't do it. What if he goes to therapy? What if the lion goes to therapy and the therapist says, "You know, you went through trauma as a child. You know, your third grade rebi one time didn't make you hasha and that counts for all your problems in life." But but really, you're a tame. You're at heart. You're a you're a good lion at heart. You could get along with rabbits. It's not happening. It's not happening. Animals cannot act against their nature, their instincts. But man has a which means that if somebody gets on your nerves, you have the ability to overcome that. Don't say you were triggered. You're not triggered. You triggered yourself. You could overcome it. Don't say this person forced me to do this. No one's forcing you to do anything. A person has control of their decisions. And even if they say, "I don't want to do that." You can do it anyway. That's the the difference between man and animal is that animals can act only based on instinct. Man can overcome their instincts. The Gmorrah says in Shabas, if you ride on a horse, you're a king. If you ride on a donkey, you're a free man. And if you wear short shoes on your feet, you're a human being. That's why in this generation, most people are not wearing shoes. They wear flip flops. PL, where do you think you are? You think you're in the Caribbean somewhere? You're you're in civilization. Put on a pair of shoes. Nobody needs to know what your toenails look like. Nobody needs to know that you have fungus on your toenails. Why? Now, I happen to be if you need a podiatrist from Yakob Bame, it is free advertising. You should call him up. He'll take care of you. with with with state-of-the-art service and technology. [laughter] Yeah. But really, we don't need to know. Please put on a pair of shoes. You know, that just that but if you wear shoes, leather shoes, don't none of this uh none of this material artificial. Put on a pair of leather shoes. The says if you wear leather shoes that shows you're a human being. Why? Answer is because how does man show their superiority over animal? By taking an animal, putting the animal on their feet and walking on them. That shows the hierarchy. Man, animal plant. So you're walking on the grass, you're the man. You have leather on your feet, the animal. And underneath that is the plant. What is the superiority of man over animal? Superiority is we could go against our base instinct. So we have a man who his brother's wife falls to him in Ebam and he has the opportunity of doing a favor to his deceased brother and bringing continuity to his brother [cough] and he doesn't want to marry her. Say, "Pal, why don't you want to marry her? You married her sister. Why don't you want to marry her between me and you?" I measured her nose and her nose is 1 cm longer. I don't like her nose. I liked her sister, but I don't like her cuz her nose is too long for my taste. Or I don't like I don't She has a She has some freckles. I don't like it. I don't want to marry her. Whatever it is, the guy has a particularity. He doesn't like this lady. So he said, "But Rabid, it's a mitzvah. You're bringing continuity to your brother. You have the Torah is obligating you to do. We You need to put aside your personal taste here." Say, "I can't do it. I can't do it. Just not my taste." Mean you can't do it. You could do it. Choose to do it. Can't do it, pal. Take off your shoes. You're not a human being. What do you mean you can't do it? You have a mitzvah to do because you because the look is not according to your taste. So get over it, pal. You can't get over it. You can't exercise free choice against what you want. You have no right to wear shoes. Take off your shoes. You're you have no superiority over the animal. So what does a shoe represent? Really the ability to overcome your base instinct. Why do we wear tillin? One of the reasons we wearin for those who say this prayer for those who say and then they say this prayer before the twillin in one of the written before we wear the on our arm opposite the heart to subjugate our tya and our thoughts to Hashem and we wear fillin on our head opposite our brain to be mishabed all of our senses is the purpose of fill in it's to subjugate our base instinct which is also the symbol of our shoes. So perhaps there's a deeper element. It's not just said in the merit that I'm not going to take a sho string or a shoelace that we're but on a deeper level there's actually a connection between the mitzvah of and the concept of wearing shoes in society at large shoes represent the superiority of man over animal. And what is that superiority? the ability to exercise choice over personal taste and personal desire. Anyway, Rabbi Sai, have a great day. Now that is over, we could say again [cough] or at least once a year we do. Have a good day everyone.