The Stubborn People

Herely the two things that I'm thinking about now. We'll see if we get to both. I want to start with this I want to start with this first thing Where We missed good afternoon. Nice to see you and Leslie. I want to I want to start we're middle of a series to make sure that So I want to start with an Indian that very much relates to children that that like that touches me. May I go it said as follows. After I'm Israel does the ego. After we have when I say it's a hard word I say I'm Israel does the ego at least there was an ego that we didn't stop many of you didn't were involved in we after the hit the sin of the ego. So Hashem says something about our people a criticism. By Yoymar Hashem Moshe it's in Parshas Ki Sisa. And Hashem says to Moshe E C S Am Zeh. I see this people. It's a stiff neck people they're stubborn. They're so stubborn Am C S Am Zeh they're stubborn people. Now here all stubborn people is saying a negative. Stubborn the negative my schmices they don't listen to rebuke they don't listen to anybody. They're so stubborn. They don't listen they don't if a person doesn't want to hear Muslim to change such a stubborn people and Hashem criticizes our people. He may behold E C S Am Zeh. I see this people. They may Am C S Am Zeh they're so stubborn. It's interesting you're what when you you're taught in Hinukh, if your kid does something you don't say you're a liar. Not a liar. You said you just said a lie. You don't say you're a liar. Not a liar. Said a lie. Like don't like be kaveya. You're such a bully. You just did something aggressive. It's a po'el, it's not you. Here Hashem sees us, mayor, and he says something about our people. He doesn't say you acted, you did something wrong. Re'iyah shamasha, Hashem sees. He likes He sees refo. He sees. And re'iyah shamasha, I get you people. And Hashem gets us, so that's what we are. Re'iyah shamasha, I see this people. Vehi ne'em behold, am kshe arefu. I'm looking at you. Kshe arefu means stiff-necked. It means you don't turn, you don't move, you don't budge. Stubborn people. Gosh. You can't look You can't listen to mussar and tochacha and rebuke. That's what Hashem is saying, that you're stubborn. So, it's two things strike me. Two things strike me. The first thing that strikes me is our creator saw badness. Re'iyah shamasha. Hinei am kshe arefu. Kshe arefu sounds stubborn. It's It's said in a negative way. And Hashem doesn't say you made a mistake. He says kshe arefu. I see the And he's giving us mussar. He's giving us mussar and he's saying about us that we're brazen, that you're so stubborn. So, Hashem, our creator, says about us. So, the first thing that's striking I would almost ask it as a kasha. Hashem sees bad in Am Yisrael. I'd ask it as a kasha. The navi Bil'am, when he talks Klal Yisrael, says lo hibit oven b'Yaakov. I can't see anything wrong in Klal Yisrael. >> That's what Hashem thinks. >> Here it says am kshei oref, they're stubborn. It's an attack. It doesn't say you made a mistake. It's who we are. It's a makasha number one. So if as he says, it's a way of giving mussar, the way of giving mussar, it says we are hinei re'isi am zeh. I see in these people they're kshei oref. >> Bilam came to reveal the highest truth. >> The deeper place. >> What what what what what what what helps us best? >> Is a little mussar. So if as he said, >> You're asking >> But I'm asking at defining. Doesn't say you did something re'isi am zeh. This is like >> There's nothing [laughter] else that's going to work out. >> Lit- it's funny. So I wanted to talk about it, Josh. I wanted to I wanted to talk about that. It's Everything we hear about giving mussar is not to do this. Literally. Now I'm asking, I'm trying to I want to understand. I really want to learn Torah and chesed. Everything Yeah, yeah, I'm not coming the kasha on the Torah Rebbi I agree. Rebbi you said a good thing. You heard something wrong. I'm willing to say that. I'm trying to study something. I'm asking the tendency I'm asking the tendency when you give mussar is not to say you are because not true. We're not bad. So Hashem made us bad? Here re'isi am zeh. This is the pasuk said. This pasuk says I have seen Klal Yisrael. Amazing pasuk. Everything you're taught not to give mussar about this way, Yehuda. But one day your kid makes a mistake and says a lie. You can say, "You're a liar?" Hashem, you say, "You just said a lie." Hashem, I'm asking here when Hashem when we do our chesed by the eigel, Hashem says re'isi am zeh. I see these people and behold I'm sure if you guys are stubborn." Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to say I'm going to explain. I want to I want to just say there's a truth but anybody follows the second. This Jonathan is something cool. In a few second later I see my show speaks to Hashem. You feel when when Hashem criticizes us I see you. You're you're stubborn. Later on my show talks to Hashem to forgive us. And he says I'm going to read the please if I find favor in your eyes. You know walk with stay with the people stay with you know why? Cuz they're a stubborn people. I thought that was bad. My show invokes you like Hashem please stay with they're they're stubborn. I thought that was bad now they're the cash if you learn well there was shining all last this question. And I'm not prepared right now you could check up there and then there was shining literally speak about this question. Hashem when he criticizes us says you're stubborn I see you you're you're stubborn you're brazen. You don't bend. And my show when he before for mercy from you so says you like Hashem please stay with you so cuz you cuz very stubborn. I thought that's a negative. That's not He invokes the am kshirelfu as a reason to stick with them. >> Why do you think it's a negative? >> When Hashem criticizes us, that's what he >> What was the criticism? >> That's the pasuk in Matot Ma'asei Gad. I'll read you the pasukim. Hinei, I see them, they're am kshirelfu, hinichali, leave me, va'yichar api vem, I'll let out my anger at them, va'achalem, I'll destroy them, and I'll make you a great nation. I'm done with them. Hashem's criticizing them. >> Oh boy. >> Moshe says, no, no, no, no, no, don't leave them. But when he Hashem criticizes kshirelfu, they're brazen, they're stubborn. When Moshe defends us, he says the same kshirelfu. >> Maybe that kshirelfu is for bad, but maybe it could be used for good. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, I want I want to say I am not replacing chas v'shalom. Please study the Ramban, Rashi, the Rishonim, the Chizkuni. The Rishonim speak about this kashya. >> Moshe, they're asking >> Quiet. Quiet. >> How does Moshe use the same thing that Hashem criticized as a list? And you have to learn the Ramban, Rashi, mamish. I just want to point out something that anybody who studies our people, we are so stubborn. Anybody, my grand my Oma is the hero was one of the heroes of my life. She did You couldn't budge her from Hashem. She went through horrors, she didn't budge. Anybody who studies our people, I want I want to say something. I want to say an interesting thing. My wife and I went to Poland, and we saw we we came into we saw things that are difficult to see that our people went through. You face it and see it. There was a lady there who's a giyares. She's married to a husband for a few months. She's some from somewhere in in an African country. Very wonderful lady. And her husband, I don't know why he brought like Kamada on their honeymoon. And all of us grow up, we knew what went down. Now, some of us are more attuned to it and going there is very overwhelming. This lady was completely overwhelmed. She said I didn't know that and when she became a girl, she became a girl within the year. When she became a girl, a convert, she's told class will go through a lot. Are you sure you want to join them? She was very very shaken Schliemann. Like legit shaken up. I went they asked me to go upstairs on the bus. There was a double decker. I was downstairs and we had a hub of people that were talking and learning and like doing our thing together. They asked me to go upstairs and I went to talk to her. And I sat with this kosher lady and her new husband. She was freshly married. And I sat with them both and she was very very shaken Schliemann. She was shaken with our people have been through, but I'm talking about rocked. I think we're more aware Schliemann that it's been a complicated journey. She didn't grow up. We know about it. We know from family members. I grew up with my own mind. I know do I know, but I know a lot. She didn't she was very shaken up. We we got into a conversation. And when we spoke about the tenacity of our people. She was like asking what are you seeing? I want I said I want to express one thing I'm seeing. We're a people who won't stop going after God. We're in You know who said this after October 7th 3 years ago? Rebbe Berkowitz said it. Rebbe Berkowitz got up and I had my whole family might say we were all reeling like all of Claudia's throw. And might say after Simchas Torah my whole family was like we were torn like everybody, our heads were spinning. So very overwhelming. And I wanted to tune in. I like Reb Berkowitz a lot, and he said such a thing. He said we're a people who stand behind Hashem. We're not fair-weather friends. We're not it's cuz it's not what we are. There there's difficulties and challenges, but we belong to Hashem, and it's not it's not like a movable thing. It's not like, "Oh, when things are good." It's just the fact we're the Am Hashem, really and and truthfully, and and one of the things that hit me in Poland when I spoke about it to this lady, this fresh Yid, this new Yid, she was very like to I don't remember if she said it, I said it, her husband said it. It was like something that like came out. We're a people that don't budge. It's not it's not just all been a picnic and all been just but difficulties and challenges. We're a stubborn people that's here serving Hashem. We're standing right here. Many have tried, much has happened, much has gone down, but I'm moving. That's the sense. I like seeing when I used to shop in ShopRite, I marriage is not doing well by I like seeing an old goyish couple. Because I actually care about America and the Western world, and they're not doing great. There's not so many shidduchim anymore. It's like family life is not doing well, so I I like in ShopRite, you some once in a while you'd see doesn't even exist anymore the ShopRite. They were like old couple shopping together. Even like sometimes they're like bickering, but there's something nice about an old couple that stuck to each other, been married like a crooked number. In the words of Ezra, been married like 50 years. Now, obviously in our world, it's like there's nothing as beautiful an old couple who stuck, who are staying together, who are committed to each other. They're there. They're not going anywhere. We're together, mamesh. And us and Hashem is a metzius of a people that's not bending. We're am ksheif, we're stubborn people. We're not moving, we're not we're not fair-weather friends, we're not And the the stubbornness of our people is like very pronounced. My my old mother can't find more She's not moving, she's not It's not changing, it's not It's not Well, well, you never know if something happened. No, no. We're to Hashem and Hashem Anachnu ma'aminim There's lines that we say in davening of our loyalty to Hashem and Hashem to us, and it's not changing, it's not bending, it's not a negotiable thing. I've had situations with guys in yeshiva. Recently, I got into like an argument with a guy. He was like nervous, he's used to fair-weather friends. I told him, "We're friends, I'm not We're not like We got into some now I said, "No, we'll be closer. We're not moving. I'm It's not a negotiable thing, our friendship. We're together, we're friends. We get into arguments, but say that happens. and I got into a good argument last year. It's beautiful. We like We laughed about it today. It wasn't funny at the time. But then afterwards, it's you laugh cuz we're we're friends. It's not It's not a fair-weather friendship. And I want to express that a beautiful mark of our people is we're ksheif, we're so stubborn. There's no more stubborn people in the world, none. And it's so beautiful. It's like gorgeous. We're so stubborn. You won't find any more stubborn people in the world. It's not And and the sense that nothing You're not You're not budging, you're not moving us. It's not It's not Think of Think if you ever would think from an enemy's perspective. I don't want to think too much about Yemach Shemo V'Zichro or other people like him. But anybody who knocks our people, talks about our people, if you go from their perspective, they're not moving. Famously, I've read it to the guys here, Mark Twain, who was no big lover of Jews, apparently. Samuel Clemens, he writes this about the Jewish people. He calls us like the eternal people who don't bend, who don't He describes some form of stubbornness. It's actually could be. I don't know if he did or not. >> American Shalom Aleichem, he calls them. >> Right, maybe maybe like I've no idea. But I do want to say Jonathan that it's a beautiful meter of our people that we're really stubborn. Really stubborn. We stick We stick to what I [clears throat] had a funny story I lived with my father as as a teenager. So I don't remember somebody spoke in his shul and I thought the guy said something like that was bad for the tzeibur to hear. I don't remember what I heard the guy say, Max. So I said to Zaidy like I don't remember what the guy said, but I said to my father like like he told like the people, "Aren't you worried or something?" And my father said Zaidy said the like stubborn Jews. He said my father they're not changing them. Like they're serious about Yiddishkeit, Hashem. Like he wasn't nishtanem. I don't remember what the speaker said that like bothered me, but my father like laughed it off. He said that that they're they're in. They're not You're not like budging them. Oh, he said that, we're out. No, it's not like that. It really is not like that. It's just not like that. We're not We're not a fair-weather friends. We're in. We're locked in. We're shomer. It's actually the mark and the beauty and and the preciousness of our people is that we're really locked in. Real. Real. Something I think about in the season in in this time of din of Rosh Hashanah, of Yom Kippur, I speak about Hashem We think we're thinking about Hashem and his people. Anachnu Yisrael Am HaShem. That's very very locked in and not budging. I told you somebody close to me went to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. They had become a baal teshuvah. And they expressed to the Rebbe like they're it's so hard like it's new. And from my understanding the Rebbe said for for a yid keeps Torah mitzvahs like you're looking at it as something new. You're new to this. This is just to where this is what yidden do. Minutes ago your generations were tzadikim. It's just what yidden do. And always come back to we're stubborn. This line of stubbornness when Hashem says in a pasuk "Ra'isiha sama'az am kshei oref." I There's no part of me believes that that's so bad. It's wonderful that we It's the most deep and when Moshe Rabbeinu davens now Hashem is certainly being meramez is hinting don't use it in a bad way. Don't be brazen and learn to hear mussar. >> was the criticism that Hashem said? >> We're using it in the wrong way. We're That's for sure. But the the pronunciation where am kshei oref is wonderful. Where am kshei oref we're stubborn as anybody who studies our people it's a beauty. Somebody tell me about children that if you have a kid who's very stubborn they're very hard as a little kid. No. They're like locked in. That's the kid you know is going to be the biggest of all your kids he's like an emes'dike yid. He's mamesh'e yid. If your kid is like very You have that one child no. Like yeah the kids okay yeah I'll give you a candy. Okay. You have that kid no. No it's not like that. That's the kid that's the kid bet on that kid. Bet on that kid. That kid is stubborn and doesn't just follow. Somebody in this yeshiva's grandfather was like a troublemaker in school. Was like thrown out of school. They ended up saving their whole family. I don't remember all the details the Holocaust. But that kid like in school is so is not just a follower. Come come. No, I'm not doing I'm not playing the good This is me. Like that stubborn. That's the one who's the most Jewish. That's a year. He's not like everybody just behave. He's a year. Please, I'm not doing that. I'm not just following. We got where we got cuz we don't just follow. Cuz if we weren't share if we would not have an Avraham Avinu who said no. No, I'm sorry. I know the eminence and I'm keeping the eminence. Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov and the shvatim and Yosef HaTzadik. We got where we got because we're not people who just like go with the the wind blows and it David HaMelech describes Mishnah that kimaitz asher the defender ruach like wind that like shaft that the wind blows. We got where we got cuz we don't just just behave. No. No. And by the way, when you have such a kid as one of your children, the kid who's like all That's the kid who's going to save our people. Just understand that cuz he doesn't It doesn't just Can he just behave? Can he just do what everybody else No, share. There's a resolve and a stubbornness. I don't just Can you just fit in? Can you just behave? Can you just do what everybody else does? Can you just march? No. No, I can't. There's a There's a stubbornness and a conviction and a sense of my own truth and the things I'm about. I'm not just following everybody else does. I I I say I become I'm becoming very close to Gershon. I'm becoming very close to Gershon. I see qualities in you that are the reason Gershon why our people are here today. >> Wow. >> Because we're not just people Can you just come on? No. No, excuse me. I have truth and he's he's creative and and and curious and and energetic. So So could say I don't get it. Can you just just, you know, party line, do whatever? No, no, no, I can't. And because I can't why can't just keep party line with everybody's telling you to do, with everybody's do like like come on. But that's not the me that we eat. We're not here because we just like did what everybody does and just that's not why we're here. We're here as a year and have something very deep about us that we do in a certain way. We march to our own drummer that there's something inside and conviction and truth. So the same me that Hashem criticizes and points out that it could do damage. I'm not saying not to be careful and Hashem says I'm careful. Your stubbornness got you in a little trouble I'm Israel. But Hashem's pronunciation as our people of K'shei Oref is wonderful. And Moshe Rabbeinu when he davens for us says I'm careful. That very me that's why you love us. That very me that's why we're so cool and precious and the most loyal people and you gave it to us for there's something inside of us that says stand strong. Don't just like do what anybody tells you and because there's there things we believe and know there's a stubbornness and as is the k'dusha. I'm careful to k'dusha. What I want to what I want to get at Yehuda and specifically in this time of of t'shuva, I think there's so many inner things that we're like afraid of. We don't like acknowledging. We like shaming and push away cuz like it's a bad part. I don't think that exists. I don't think that exists. I don't think we have parts. I think we have things out of place. We could have a stubbornness that you know what listen to a t'chacha, listen to mussar. But the etzem me that's precious and priceless. And I think that's an encouragement to look in, to figure out, not to be afraid of what we find at all. Not to be afraid of what we find. What's there in the deepest way are precious things, very powerful and precious things in the deepest, most meaningful ways. There's certainly an avoid of chuva is to is to fix up for sure, but chuva also means to return and it means to bring things back to their shairesh, to their roots. It's we're not broken beings in the slightest. If somebody would see us, what broken people, stubborn. Broken, it's the most beautiful place. Their stubbornness [clears throat] is the beauty of Am Yisrael. It means let's use them in the right place. Let's make sure to get in in the right place. The things inside of us, so many people, the things that a person young's kid was in fourth grade and explored, he wanted connection. Beautiful. Very beautiful. He mamish wanted to be connected. What he thinks is like I can't believe. That place of darkness like a very nice space. Just He really wants to be close and connected. We're actually were born to connect and relate and be close to ourselves, to each other, to our families and ultimately of course to to Hashem. Just the the deep places that are good. When we Rabbi Shapiro spoke about this and I I don't think it's like a pat on the back like positive thinking. Hashem's bochin klayos v'layv. He knows our inside. So much of that is used or he knows what we're thinking. He's bochin klayos v'layv and he knows our innate goodness of a Yid. The k'she'air if that's beautiful, the the deepest things that are very, very nice. Yeah, for sure. Could something be out of place? Could some And of course the chuva is to be loyal is to be true to ourselves, to be true to Hashem in a the way, but not to be afraid of things we'll find. The things inside as beautiful as the outside world is the inside world. And the midas and the things we find are not like corruptions inside of us, the the deep corruptions. When people look and analyze and find and they find wonderful things inside, wonderful. Then it's a matter of putting things in their place. It's not the deeply ugly things, it's not true. Our inner world is beautiful as is our outer world. So I wanted to use this this nakuda of the stubbornness of the head of all that sounds like now I've had it, they're stubborn. And my sure I've been when he pleads for us, speaks about that very stubbornness that's so precious. And even as a reason Hashem should be with us, the stubbornness is beautiful that we're stubborn. This that's that's the first thing that I wanted to share with the chevra and and express in the in the story in this sugiyah of teshuvah. Did Ari come here? >> Where's Ari? >> He said he's going to play something today. Thank you Ellie for the boating trip yesterday. Thank you. >> You guys help me clap? >> Should we do it now or waiting for after sukkas salary? >> Now. >> Wish come with You'll do with >> Yeah. >> [applause]