Rabbi Daniel Glatstein – The Light and the Splendor

[Music] Welcome to Inside Arts Scroll where the books that we read and the people that write them come to life. It's a distinct pleasure Anis to welcome to Arts Studios Rabbi Danielle Glatstein. How are you? Shalom. It's a pleasure to have you here. Rabbi Gladstein is a Mayan Hanea, a wellspring that just constantly teaches and teaches. And as a matter of fact, I I'm I did a drop of research about in in an interesting way and I I went to Torah anytime and I realized that he has given almost 11 and a half thousand shuru. You should just go from from strength to strength. Amen. Today we're here to discuss a fantastic book, Delight and the Splendor. a book about Khaneka and Tishvata, predominantly about Kaneka and it's perfect timing because Khan is right around the corner and Rabbi Glatin I'm going to tell you personally that like a good part of most people that I know Khan is like it's it's presents and if there's even a mccart to that it's latas it's families getting together of course it's hadlas it's alhanisim and probably even learning the sugas maybe but when I had a chance to to learn through this this book through the seafair like it opens a whole new world of the incredible power, the energy, the iris of Kaneka. So, Yashri Kay for giving me the opportunity and I highly encourage everybody else to to jump on the bandwagon. You'll have a totally different and transformational Kaneka. Um, Rabbi Glen, you called the book the light and the splendor. Um, did you think of that title? The light and the splendor. I would like to be able to take credit for it. You know, our uh books have a a pattern of a title, you know, the 'the' and the 'the'. We started with the mystery and the majesty. Uh the first book was somewhat of an alliteration also. So, we've tried to keep that up. The there's been a lot of input. My father had a lot of uh input in in many of the titles, but the light and the splendor really captures the essence of what Kaneka is. As you say, unfortunately, it has become somewhat of a commercialized Yamiff. You know, you look in the uh magazines and you would think Kaneka is a is a festival of consumption and uh some suggest, you know, we need to apply the rule. But actually the essence of Khaneka is pulling away the external facade of the commercial aspect of a Yamiff or the exterior appearance of the way things seem and really trying to dig beneath the surface and uncover the essence and the internal beauty and splendor, the light and the splendor of uh various teachings and concepts. So I think it's not just a catchy title, but I think it captures the essence of what Khaneka is. I know right away in the beginning you you kind of frame that and you share the difference between externalities and internalities in Haid and in Hadar. Can you share a little bit about that concept because to me it was very intriguing. Sure. So obviously you know you can't start a discussion about Kaneka without bringing up the question of the basis. The basis asks the uh iconic Jewish question. You know I think in all cifados this is probably the most well-known question the kasha the bas what's interesting is that the basis did not invent this question this question is already found in the lun the eshko many many but the basis has to be the balasha right right right now when we were a kid do you remember there was a safeair narund 100 answers to the bas kasha now I remember I think I have it I went tow you know 500 answers to the basel it's amazing you know the thought they were trying they must be turning over that because of them more tora has been uncovered than any other yumptiff you know I think uh you look in the there's the most material on kanaka than any other yumptiff the it's amazing you know so it's it's an irony whenever they try to get us that's where we So one very famous question to Bas's uh very famous answer to Bas question. Do I just uh yeah let's let's let's let's go to the question first and then we'll get to the answer. Let's clarify the question. The question is simple. They found oil that was enough to last for one night and miraculously it lasted for eight nights. So simple mathematics says the miracle was for seven days. For seven nights. So we should celebrate Kaneka for seven days. The first day wasn't a miracle at all. So why celebrate an 8day Yumptiff for a seven-day miracle? That's that's the question of the BF. And the BF himself brings three different answers. They're well known in the uh Hayhivas in the in the hallowed halls of the uh Torah lecture halls. They've been debating this question for many generations. Basically has three answers and the prehadesh has an answer and numerous a very well-known answer that people like to say over and and it's a a great answer to say over at your Kaneka party. You know this is a go-to Khan party answer is that you know in life we always celebrate the supernatural but we take for granted the natural. You know we celebrate when miraculously it rains during drought but do we celebrate rain? Do we celebrate the simple gifts of breathing, of water, of air, of condensation, of precipitation? We take these things for granted. That's that's life, you know. So the author of Kelm would say and Mosha Feinstein would say that they quote the famous Kamarra that the daughter of Rabb Khan Bandisa was once despondent and he says, "Well, you know why you so sad?" She says, "I accidentally lit the vinegar this Friday instead of the oil." And he said, "What's the difference?" The one who said oil should light will say vinegar should light. In other words, if you stop and you think for a moment, how does oil burn? How does that happen? Could you explain it? Is it rational? Is there any reason? Can't explain it. It's a fact of life. We're used to it. We know that it happens. Scientists will tell you when you light oil it will burn. But can it be explained in a logical manner? Can't be explained. Can it be explained why one substance? These are the hidden miracles of this world. So we have seven days to commemorate the open miracle of the oil and we have one day to celebrate that even nature itself is a miracle. Which day is that by the way? Which day is that? That's a good question. They don't say, you know, between me and you off the record, you know, if we turn off the camera for a second, that that would be an interesting because, you know, there's a question, which night is the most important night? Is there a difference between the first and the last? Actually, some say the Basar brings it down that the first and the last day are the the highest of Kadusha and the and the intermediary days are of a little bit of a different status. Yeah, it would be interesting to know because then we could say, okay, tonight I'm focusing on they're not oade necessarily on that point. Probably the first day would be for the as they say. You could you could delve into that. It's for the next book, the next edition. Amen. Amen. So, but that's the answer. But let's stop for a moment. You know, you buy that. Is that satisfying to you? You know, we tack on a day for the recognition that even nature is a miracle. Okay, that's a beautiful thought. It's a true thought. It has nothing to do with Kaneka. Yeah. Why? Let's do it a different time. You know, let's say sukus. We have eight days for the clouds of glory. Let's tack on a day cloud day. You know, let's tack on after cloud day. It's a miracle that they're clouds. Do you understand how the water in the ocean could evaporate and then rise up and it's lighter than air and it could condense right? I think that's what it's called. Close close okay close this is more connect to the green screen I think yeah but um how do we explain how do we explain that this phenomenon but we don't tack on a day to sukus we don't tack on a day you know pes we have seven days for the miracle of let's say the splitting of the sea and one day we should have water day do you it's a m water is a miracle you know how what's water you have two atoms of hydrogen one atom of oxygen they're both gases neither of them would quench your thirst and they combine to form a liquid. Like why don't we have a water a day? This really bothered me because here you know like uh we're talking about the book. My humble contribution is not just to write down a vart. There are enough books of beautiful swarm. It's to take certain important piece of information we have, re-examine it and and show that there's a depth and a beauty to it that could really exhilarate the nama. So this is a perfect example. This is a classic answer. But think about it for a moment. Does it resonate? Does it really resonate with you? And I saw a beautiful idea in one of the amazing of Rabd Rashivron. He has a beautiful say for Khaneka and I I believe this idea is uh his development where he says that possibly the most famous words of the Ramban that the Raban ever wrote at the end of parasan says unless a person realizes and recognizes and believes there is no such thing as nature. Nature is not an entity. Nature is just an appellation that we give to processes that are not overtly supernatural, but they are divinely orchestrated no less than than the supernatural. So this is a yoid. One of the most important foundations of of Judaism is recognizing there's no nature from open miracles. We need to recognize the hidden miracles. But that's specifically relevant to Kaneka in the following sense. Like you mentioned there are two terms in lashes. There's they both mean beauty but they have different fundamental connotations. There's the word and there's the word hide. Had refers to external beauty. Esrog has paid. It has beautiful shape, beautiful bumps, beautiful color. It's you by looking at it. But then there's something called Hashem tells place from your splendor on on you can have someone you look at them they're objectively look beautiful. There are certain objective standards. There could be someone else who maybe if you take a picture of them, a snapshot, and you look at that picture, you might not say objectively their their looks are uh are appealing, but when you speak to them, and by the way, just as an aside, that's sometimes the danger of people in in the world of uh that that's the the the danger of just taking a snapshot picture. They're just a picture because you're just viewing them and judging them by. You can have someone maybe they're not objectively, but when you know them, they have wisdom, they have humility, they have kma, they have good character, noble character, there's an inner splendor that shines from them that's more magnificent than just objective beauty. That's hu is inner splendor. And one of the main points of contention between the Greeks and the Jewish people is which is given primacy. Judaism doesn't reject. You know the Torah does speak about the objective of im and so forth but it is an enhancement only if there is. The Greeks judged other people only by their external appearance. body sculpting, body image, muscle tone, Olympics, Olympics, athleticism, the Jewish people don't view things that way. To us, the primacy is given to internal character. Wisdom could enhance that. That could the Garra talks about yi, but that's an enhancement. That's not the fundamental. That's the battle between Yavan and Israel. Hadar versus Haid. The the amazing I I would call it just discovery of Ken is that battle between and hide can be applied to looking at the world and the events of the world. You could look at rain and you could say well let's measure let's measure the water in the ocean. Now let's measure how it evaporates and becomes lighter than air. Now let's measure how much water is contained in the cloud and let's predict when the rain will fall. That's the world of Yavan. If I could measure it, compute it, calculate it, add it up, I believe in it. But anything that I can't computate doesn't exist. We don't believe that. We believe that the way we pray, the way we dabbin, the way we learn Tyra, the way we speak, our character affects events in the world. We believe, yeah, if you rally or you protest, that could have an effect. But that's not the only thing that has an effect. There are things that could have a more profound effect. We believe there's an inner mechanism of the universe that we don't understand how it works. that God is pulling the strings with a veil with a cover that masks how it's operating but on the internal the way it works the hood of the world is the which is directly affected by our mitzvah our so if is a celebration of how we overcome the and it's the giving primacy to so essential to is recognizing that This world is not only about the open miracle. It's about recognizing that the open miracle has to show us there's a hid to this universe that even the rain and even the fact that oil burns and the regular ordinary things that we take for granted is a miraculous hand of Hashem. There is no wonder then why Kaneka is so inextricably bound with gratitude. And this is also a beautiful idea. It's amazing idea. Even though I wrote it, I said it, I forget it all the time. Why don't we have gratitude? Why aren't we waking up in the morning overflowing with gratitude? Because we take everything for granted. Why do we take things for granted? What should I be grateful for? That I have a house. I have a house cuz I I went I got a job. And when you get a job and you work, you get a salary and you buy the house. What should I grat food? Grat what should I have gratitude for? Children. You get married, you have children. That's the process. What should I be grateful for? There are processes in this world. So I do what I have to do and the results are inevitable. That's yan. That's Greek philosophy. We have to remind oursel constantly that if you have children, yeah, you got married, but it's only because of the kindness and compassion and the raayim and the benevolence of the almighty. And if we have a house, it's because of Hashem's. There's no processes. It's the who is gifting it to us at every moment. So, Kaneka is inextricably bound with gratitude to Hashem and like the Gabra says but I know the don't learn like this that they made the just very posh means a time to give thanks that's really what it is beautiful and you you you write it so beautifully in in in the safer inside of the book I want to come back to something you said before there's 500 answers to the basis question and really at a different time when we we sit down and we smoo these type of things like could all 500 be true but that's a different discussion Um, if there's 500 answers to Bas's question, don't you think there should have been a maka called Kaneka and I know you addressed this in the book extensively like migill we got goes one day barely one day and we have a whole okay it has other in it as well you get a few small pieces of real estate a few blood and shabas and then that's and it's mentioned once or twice I think in the entire sh why is that why is there no maka wouldn't it be you know you make a se on over the eight days of kanak they'll be like dearu and they'll be this organization, that organization, you know, it was worth it for me to come today just to hear you phrase the question that way because we're all familiar with the question why there's no mas but then you think about it like is there enough material to really ask that question but then you see the swarm that are coming out you know and ra you probably have two 300 shorek on Torah anytime that could make a maka you know so there is an approach in the safer I call it a very uh innovative but profound and and yet provocative approach and it's very important for the greater audience to be aware of it and to think about this this approach I heard many years ago from a great RV I used to love to listen to he was originally um he was a RV in England he comes from Ireland his name is Rabbi Isaac Bernstein in my opinion one of the top speakers I've ever heard and you quote him pretty extensively not just once in the book it's there more than once yes I quote him there and be in the essay on the restoration of the Jewish home. Correct. Correct. Very good. Cesi did a good job reviewing the the book and he shared this approach from Rav Salvik. Now I I try only to bring down sources that I could document. So I found Rav Salvich wrote it in a journal I believe a hadome journal. It's a very powerful approach. It's based on uh we'll try to say it in a nutshell. It's based on a contradiction between two garumar between the gar and mo katan that says if you see somebody rip apertra you have to tear ka twice one for the letters that are being ruined and one for the parchment and yet the des says that when was wrapped in a safer so the they said what's going on they said the parchment is burning and the letters are the letters are disrupen So that means the parchment is being destroyed but the letters are being preserved by flying up. So ask of Salv. So why does say you have to tear Korea twice? Should only tear Korea for the gimm and not for the oas. Fantastic question. It's the first time I ever heard it was when I read the cafer. So and he says something amazing. He says, you know, throughout history, they've always tried to persecute us physically, but for the first time when it comes to Yavan, they were they came to profane. We never found that before. Did you see byar and his cohorts, they came to profane, to desecrate, to render secular? We don't find that. We don't find that by Persia. We don't find that by Rome. only by Greece. Why is that? And he brings and really this this turns out to be interesting whether this principle always applies but the principle is predicated on the fact that a gentile has a capacity only to persecute. But to then defile our sanctity, it has to be an internal job. Only someone who is fundamentally connected to sanctity has the capacity to render it profane and make it secular. So it never happened. The real story of Kaneka and this is not for the faint-hearted. You know they we're going to put a audience discretionary viewership on this. You know you have to be have a certain level of uh Jewish background to even listen to this. Okay. So, if you're if you're not ready to hear this, tune in to a different interview with, you know, fast forward a few minutes. Yeah. But it wasn't about the Greeks against the Jews. It wasn't because all the Greeks could do is laashid, largely. But there was an internal battle going on here and that is the vast majority of the Jewish people had headed over and moved over to the sides of the Greeks. We call them Msavnim, Helenists. And these Hellenists they indeed have the capacity they have the capacity to profane and that's what they try to do. And therefore we keep the story very brief. TMI Khan too much information. We can't tell the multitudes what went on. This wasn't Gentile versus Jew. This was Jew versus Jew. There's no on was a downright embarrassment for the Jewish people. The gar that says you have to tear Korea twice. You know why I have to tear twice? In a des Romans they could affect the white parchment. It can't affect but the gar in it's talking about when a Jew tears a sra could affect the parchment and the letters of the fascinating and therefore there's no we don't want to get into all the details this this is a little bit scary because you're saying the majority of the Jewish people in the world were not people who were 100% shar mitzvah kind of bought into the secular philosophy. I guess you could say in those days it wasn't the western philosophy, it was the Greek philosophy. I mean, has there been another time in history that there's such a parallel like nowadays the pe the you know the the percentage of Jews in the world that are tyrat Jews that would have been able to be in one of the makabes is very small. If you look at the broader Jewish world, it's probably 10%. So I I don't know what I'm trying where I'm going with this exactly, but it it it it's on some level there's echoes of the Kaneka story in today's society. Absolutely. And you know, the reason why this approach is so important and I I urge the viewership to study for themselves, you know, really was this what was going on? I I found from the rasher, he said, you think you think the miracle is they found one flask of oil and it lasted for eight days. That's what we're celebrating. The one flask of oil was the mi the the small minority of the Jewish people that remained loyal to mitzvah and from there they were able to proliferate and become strong again. That's the true symbolism. Amazing. So what you're mentioning is it turns out Kaneka is so relevant to our times because unfortunately the facts on the ground are that those who are true to the traditional values of our mitzvah today are also a very small percentage while the majority of our people maybe we need to do a better job educating them but the reality is that there right now there's only enough oil to last for one day in the Jewish people. And Kaneka is a time that we need to strengthen ourselves to ensure that the rest of the Jewish people can also be illuminated and ignited with the fire of Torah the way that we khanim those who are loyal to us are right now. Right glass, I want I want to bring this to close because and I know that there's a beautiful story, something fascinating you want to share, but there was something in this book that I never knew before. Um perhaps a reason why we eat donuts on Kaneko. What you had a very unique uh approach. Do you remember what exactly I'm referring to? Why do we eat donuts? Okay, we know because of the oil. My my my 12th grade rebi used to say no. You eat one the first day and it burns you for eight days. But but you have a very unique reason maybe from Yes. Correct. Because you know if you just eat a latka it's not going to cut it because you're only going to make a bar. But uh the gar tells us that the vanim they defiled the msbayak and the only real prayer we have to pray for the restoration of the misbayak is an alamea. So therefore they made jelly donuts. Now you'll say why donuts why not cookies? That's a good question. Maybe because a cookie it's a suffic bench. But jelly donut it's fried. You for sure make an al and this way you could pray restore the misbeh. So look, look how much ms we have. We eat dangerous substances that that could minimize a human lifespan just to be able to pray for the restoration of fascinating. Okay, Rabbi Glassing, I know you mentioned an personal story that happened based on something that that happened. Could you could we could we could we bring this together and we could probably sit here for like another six or seven hours and just touch the surface of what's in this safer, but let me let me hear the story. Okay. So basically uh this this safer and also in the Rome Balines called Rome Balines and the eternal children of Hashem I published an idea from the is discussing why don't we say why don't we have nine days of Kaneka the also discusses the bas's question so he quotes the of Lunal one of the great of province and Lunal says look the try to be matalesh ma and Shabas. You know why there eight days of because in those eight days if there are at least seven days you'll have a Shabas you're definitely gonna have but how are you eight days is the tim and the says oh that's why you can't have because you add on nine you lose the rema but after publishing this I'm not a collector of Jewish uh artifacts we'll call it antiquities but I have a very deep connection with maybe I discussed it on a different occasion and I always wanted to get a hold of the signature of the it is a very uh unique item and I asked one of the the big collectors today Israel Mrai you know if you ever see the signature of the you know if you could uh I want to take a look at it at least give me the opportunity to think about it even though it's it's beyond my uh purchase power I want to see it anyway over the years different people show me different signatures and really what's unique about it is the kas signed his name in the shape of a boat because of his great great-grandfather who was saved on a boat. Okay. And over the years, people have shown me the signature, but it wasn't the complete boat. So, that's how I justified not paying the money because I figured if I'm ever going to get it, it it's the whole boat or nothing. Okay. Anyway, right after the book came out, I got a call, you know, uh I have an amazing specimen of the of the signature. It actually has two of his signatures. And he told me the price. I was like, you know, it's I I wish. But then without getting into too many details, somebody who knew that I enjoy the wanted me to have it and he came back to me with a special price. And right after the book came out, I became the proud owner of the signature of the This is the official uh signature of the Wow. Uh in in the shape of a boat. Uhhuh. And first of all, look how beautiful it is. It's in like a leather bound edition to preserve it. And there's another signature because the name of the safer is and the's name is David. So he used the from the title. He put in David which stands for and then okay and by the way and on the title page there's actually uh biographical information the was a great bibliograph and he wrote biographical information on the saying wait a second the that's the we just published for art scroll I bet it's in here and sure enough ink this was the personal copy of the from which he gleaned this and I learned that and I published it for arts school. So you see this art scroll, right, that art scroll publishes it and the says, you know, uh here's a little uh a little gift. Exactly. A little kiss from Hashem that this was personal copy of of where he saw that eight days and now it's brought to the general sib. Wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing um the book the light and the splendor. Highly recommend that you buy it. It will transform your Kaneka. literally touched the tip of the iceberg so much and it's so beautiful and it's so powerful you should just go from the same way that you publish this book and many others you should continue to publish it with and at the end of every time that you publish a book say for someone should buy you a beautiful book like I wish you and all your amazing work here and for all thank you so [Music]