Rabbi David Sutton – Daily Dose of Perek Shirah

[Music] Welcome to Inside Arts Scroll, where the books that we read and the people that write them come to life. It's a pleasure to welcome back to Arts Scroll Studios, Rabbi David Sultan. Shalom, Rabbi Sutton. >> Thank you. Always a pleasure to be here. Rabbi Satan kayara it's just the books keep coming and people keep reading them so you should continue to keep publishing and keep sharing. >> Thank you. >> Today what brings us here is a daily dose of perksh a beautiful magnificent book that empowers us to say to learn to reflect on perakshira each and every day and it'll transform our life in the process. Baser hashem you agree? >> Absolutely. >> Okay. Um Rabbi Sin I want to begin by asking you something that's kind of been sitting in the back of my mind and so since I started you know reading the safer and learning the safer and that is that I when I grew up I never heard of parakira I don't think anyone heard of parakshir today people say parakira they go to the kisel it's the biggest school possible share with us the power of parakshira and why you think it is that people have embraced perhaps it's Anyone who involves himself in this world he merits to learn to teach he's saved from the from evil occurrences from gum from the mashiach lives a long life I mean that's this is not a >> decent >> pretty good and it's not a a sugula that okay is you know some come from somebody 200 years ago you know there's a very nice you know a lot of nice schoolers you know say the man on the Tuesday of parish right >> that's uh the rimov it's not it's not a tana talking this is a tana talking it's a school from aana so you know it's pretty powerful this is what next one u says I mean this again I'm not going to read the whole thing but it's it's powerful enough. I actually yesterday I was uh in the deal shul and I offered them for sale and I was telling that there's a great sigula and I said you know what the biggest suggest you buy one from for your wife it's a school of shalom buyers so that's >> so they say if you want shalom buy it >> exactly so buy a book give it to your wife it's it's a nice thing to do >> um is so it's just like magic you say every day a little bit of perkira and all of a sudden you go to ganeden and life transforms or >> I love that question. I love that question because that's the way people look at school. It's like, okay, I'll just do this thing and magically it works. But the mabit well again it's interesting wrote on this the mabit who's the son of the marit wrote to say I think the father I'm sorry the many many great people wrote it and he makes a duke at the beginning where it doesn't say but rather it says you have to involve yourself in you have to live right? And it doesn't say you have to read the whole thing every day which is also the say in in this explaining this. So that's the what inspired me to daily dose is you don't have to finish the whole peric people okay after the whole peric shir I'll spread it out with it's too big there's 86 different creations here no no no one at a time you fulfill the sigula even more so by taking a day at a time and delving into each one of the creations okay so let's let's define a little bit what perakshira is first of all perhaps share with us who the author of perk is >> okay so that's also in that introduction is David Hamelik himself After he wrote to decide to write per that means this is after all of that he dedicates himself to looking at creation as a whole after he sings his song of let me now go on to the songs of the different creatures of the universe creations of the universe so basically like man's song is and then perh is the song of creation >> correct >> okay so Rabbi Satan if you open this up and it's so fascinating because there's so many different animals and just creations and each one sings its own unique Shira, its own unique song. Now, what does that mean practically? Does that mean that when you walk by a frog and you hear it croaking, it's sh singing shira or when I was just this past Shabbat in in um Camp Monk and they have roosters. So, at 5:30 in the morning when the roosters are saying kakadoodle do or kukuriku or whatever you they're they're singing shir to hashem. What does that mean exactly? >> So, that's again that's a long discussion. I'll give it to you in short but it's interesting again we're not talking about now but we got to slide it anyway >> especially as somebody who wrote the baser >> so hashka pratit hashem's divine providence so I was at the um auda has a pre-conference a mental health conference and I was there and a doctor I'm not sure he's a doctor mayor at deals in in mental health so as a joke he says okay what are you working on next rabbi sat he enjoying the bay sal. He says, "What's next?" I said, "Actually, I'm involved in Peric." He says, "Oh, perhaps four great shirim on Peric Shira from Rabbi Danil Gladstein." So, wow, that's I I didn't know that. And he shared with me something. I said, "Great. There's there's there's a you know, shortage of uh good uh information." So, I called by Gladstein up and I had an idea. I said, "You know, Gladstein, I heard that you wrote this this commentary. Why don't you write a forward for the book?" And he said, "Gladly." And he took those shirim that he had done, worked them through. And that was one of the things that he's discussing is this question. >> Is it that the frog actually sings a song? And if you understood frog language, you would understand it. Is it that the frog's angel in the shamayim sings the song? Or does it mean there's really no song at all? It's like a shamay supreme. The clouds, the the heavens talk. Means when I look at the heavens and I see the wonders of the heavens, that's the way they talk. You don't hear them, but they're going through their mission and doing what they're supposed to. That's their song. The sun's song is that it comes up in the morning and goes down at night and it's showing its precision and how God created it. That's its song. So, there's basically three approaches to what the song is create of creations are. >> Fascinating. But there is an opinion that when you hear the frog croaking or you hear the cow mooing, they're singing Shira. >> Yes. That's really comforting because at 5:30 in the morning when I heard the rooster crowing, had I thought to myself, "Ah, he's singing Shira to Hashem," it would have been less annoying. Okay, that's fantastic. That's amazing. Now, what what what I noticed when I was going through, you know, the the daily dose of peric is that the it's not just animals. It's not even physical creations that sing Shira, it's also ganed, gehenn, they sing Shira, too. And what fascinated to me what was fascinated by was you know Gan could hear they sing oh we have another coming another person to bask in Hashem's divine presence but that must be what is that like death metal what what's the sh of gean what can we learn from that >> well again the answer is that you got to read the book we're not I'm not going to go through the book now >> you don't want to give it all away >> don't give it all away I want people to be that's a good get them keep them in suspense got it >> keep them in suspense But you should know that every part of the Bria, every part of creation, even the ones that you wouldn't think necessarily sing Shira, they do sing Shira. That's and like what you said before, if everything has a unique um job in life, any tapid, then whatever your job is, you're doing you're singing Shir. Um, as I'm going through the whole thing, like certain types of animals just jumped out at me why they made it into David Hamel's Shira for example, the penguin. Uh, David Hamel wrote the penguins Shira and I wonder like did David ever see a penguin? Was there a zoo? Like was there a biblical zoo in those days? >> What do you think? >> I I can't answer that question. I assume that David I I know he had and I assume that is able to scan the entire creation and he knew about penguins and he knew about the song of penguins. And it's interesting you bring that up because that was the thrill of Peric Shira is as we said David Melik took these creatures I don't know who made it on the list and who didn't which again in Peric Shira at the end the last song is a song of the dog and it's very very interesting the discussion that comes again it's it's literally a fascinating fascinating book so at the end it says the students we'll we discuss in the book why it's important who his rebi fasted 85 fasts. And he says, "I don't understand it. How did dogs make it into the What's going on? Dogs? They're they're brazen. How can they make it until an angel comes down and answers the question?" So, it seems there's there's something to making it on the list. I don't know who did it, and who didn't. Like you said, it's interesting. Penguins made it. And that was to me fascinating. And that was the whole thrill is I now know David Melik looked at a penguin and said this is his song like what's the connection between the penguin and his song and like I said there's many many written ki has fascinating thoughts there's a say for kafanim there's there's multiple books I walked into the the bookstore all the book any bookstore I could and I said give me all the books on per give me I anything you have on peric and the fun was I had the poetic rights to pick What spoke to me? There's a lot of explanations to for example, you know what the snake song is? God makes stand up all those that fall down. Now, why do you think that's the snake? >> Counterintuitive almost. The snake was up and then it went down. >> Exactly. That's that's the question. It's So now figure out why. Why is he singing that song? So some say he's bemoning the fact he's on the floor. He can never get up, but you get up. And some say no that in the in the future the snake will get his legs back and will walk. And then then they What do you mean the snake's gonna walk? I thought it says everyone has a tikun but the snake he's never going to be fixed. So there's so much action going on over here. So much depth. Why this animal? Why that? What he says? And I like I said it was really it was a thrilling experience. I did it I did a lesson a day. I prepared one a day over a period of time. And it was just the the excitement to find like how am I going to you know crack the you know there's this uh game I forgot um something I forgot it's a challenge you walk into this uh room and you're supposed to >> escape room >> escape escape the room >> escape the room >> escape the room right so every day was an escape the room >> how am I going to figure out what do penguins have to with nakamu nakamui and I stumbled on a beautiful explanation I don't know if I should let this one out should >> you should you got to you got to tempt us a little bit it's like eating the Google before Chabas. >> Okay. A little bit to I don't want to give away. Right. Exactly. I don't want this to be an audio book and we don't we don't read the book. >> So penguins, they're on the they're on the which pole? North Pole? South Pole. >> North Pole. >> North Pole. North Pole. No one survives there. It's freezing. You can't survive. And penguins are thriving there. How do they survive? Because they all huddle together and they keep moving in formations. The ones on the outside can only stay there for a certain amount of time and they keep on moving formations and that way they survive in that cold atmosphere. And one of the commentaries explained that this is symbolizes galut. How can you survive? No one survives, but we're still here because we have that penguin-like trait of huddling together and protecting each other in those formations. And therefore, the penguin says, "Comfort comfort my people. We survived. You're going to survive. It's beautiful. It's gorgeous. I I don't know if if if the rough knows this, but probably one of the most fascinating of all creations is the penguins um you know, survival. In order for them to survive, millions of details all have to come together and for the next generation to come about, it's brilliant. There's a documentary that was done about penguins that I hold should almost accompany that section of because what you're saying rabbi you don't I don't know if you know if you saw if you know what I'm talking about what it it's remarkable and it's tak them surviving the mo the harshest of climates and for everything to happen for them to come to that next gener to redemption is almost an impossibility and we're coming up on on the we're coming up on on the three weeks now take the penguins's message and Um, one thing that that I think anyone that learns parake probably is bothered by is that you would assume that the first chapter in parakir would be man. What does man say? Aashir uh you know David has a yet not a word about man. It's about everything besides for man. What's the shot? >> So again, everything I think goes back maybe 20 years ago. It was in it was init um during I don't remember was right before Shàuot and I went to Arbak was alive in yeshiva in in Rakavia and I walked in and he was giving I knew he I was planning to hear and he asked this question in the schmoo and he answered I don't know if it was his own or that every creature has a Shira. It's predestined it's Shira. Every penguin is the same penguin. He has no freedom of choice. And his song is going to remain that song for generations. A human being comes here to write his own song. So you don't have a pre-written song. You have to now come in here, live your mission, especially go with the explanation that your mission is your song and you will sing your song. And it's interesting the um when I was helping the uh the family of the dedicators did in honor of their parents uh the Shaolam family in honor of their parents Nathan Elaine Shalom. So I wrote over here when I helped them out the one song that is conspicuously absent is the song of humankind. This is because each person must compose their own song by living through and accomplishing their unique mission in this world. The song of our parents wrote with their lives is embodied in the verse. And say such successful life shalom. May you be at peace shalom and may your household be at peace. Shalom and peace be upon all that is yours. Their name is shalom. Shalom. So uh I decided that that's their that's their puk. That's their song. >> You you made a peric for their family. >> Yes, I write I made a perch for their family. So that's that's what everybody really has to you know say their you know what's their their puk what's their uh as you're speaking something really fascinating popped into my mind you know bring down that 40 days before conception you know takes you know already decides the plane that's already the formative experience before even conception and 40 is a powerful number I know of somebody who's writing a safer with 40 hopefully we'll talk about that safer at some point um but what does the nishama for those 40 days. So I don't remember who says it one of writes that it watches the malam sing. >> So the formative experience of human beings is shir. >> You got to find that one. >> I could find it for you. I I actually found I know a musician and he shared this with me. I have to find where he said he wrote this make a whole piece on this. The reason I'm saying this is because according to what you're saying I just realized something magnificent. The first 40 days of your existence you're watching the malikir. What's a malik? One unique task. Whatever it is, that's his song of Shir. And then Hashem says, "Okay, now write your own song. Now write your own song." That's the purpose of our life. You should write that Shira. So you just made me understand something which I don't think I thought of for a long time. >> Wow. >> Um, interestingly enough, they point out that that's why human beings are so spiritually connected to music because it brings us back literally to the first moment of our existence. And that's why music cut every boundary in every type of person. And it's so fascinating. We see sometimes people who are so not connected to Yiddish and they go to Kumz or they they come to shul and there's some singing and all of a sudden it just their on fire which I think is a segue you know next Rabbi Rabbi Satan after writing this learning about this could you give us an accurate definition of Shira >> that's a good question. So there's a very interesting hutner that talks about Shira and he says there's a term mismo and a term shir mismoat misour and >> he explains that msour actually ms might not be him but ms is which means to cut down right which people will understand it's it's verses of song no means verses that cut down. You have a forest full of interference between you and a kadosh and the suk zim which going through with a machete to clear out that forest. That's the zimra. So certain aspect of zimra not shir zimra is you're using that to take away the barriers. A yashir. Now if you go through aashir at the end it starts off with we're talking about we're talking about um we end off and then we say in we the as if it end and then it says I thought we just finished why we going back to the beginning. Mhm. >> So says there's a says all those that wear a ring around themselves that go out with that ring. That bracelet says she is means a bracelet that goes around and he says that's why when we end the sh we come back. It's like autoplay on on the song. It keeps on loops again and again and again and again. Means a sh is something that never ends. Sh is you recognize Hashem into snowballs and then you and you understand it and then you build on what you got before and you keep on going. Is this neverending appreciation of a kadu. That's why it says we're all going to be standing around the kadu in a circle and a circle just keeps going and going and going. There's no beginning. There's no end. Sh is the concept of my appreciation of Hashem that just never ends. It's it's it's a it's a unique understanding that just it has ups and has its downs and has its beat, but it's it's not it's never supposed to end. >> So So just based on what you said, so what does it mean by Shabbat that it's miser, >> right? So again, you have to go I'm sorry to do this to you. You I don't think you interviewed me on this. There's two wonderful books on Shabbat. One's called Living Shabas and one's called Embrace Shabas. And in there we have a discussion why is Shabas have both mismar and Shir together in it. Shabas has that unique because that's and Shabas again is a day go through also beautiful piece on Shabbat is a day of sh that's why we switches we switch we sing more on Shabbat something about Shabbat and again we we're not going to overdose on content right over here but Shabbat and Shira is is David Melik by the way wrote wrote uh perk Shira was this concept we have seven days of the week that correspond to the seven Abraham's the first one that's his day and because that's his day the Shabbat is a day of sh and it's interesting perk is broken into six chapters six days of the week the seventh day doesn't have perk Shabbat is the sh if if you really want to go there's a lot of lot of depth going on in the uh >> and if I'm not mistaken one of the songs in perh days. Correct. >> Yes. Days also sings, >> but not chabas, >> right? Days. >> The days. >> There's a special topic about Shabbat singing this. Okay. Again, we got this. There's too much. >> You got to buy the book. >> You got to I can't can't do the whole book in one uh >> you know, I didn't have the experience of doing this for what is it? It's about 90 days. 89 days. >> Yeah. >> Um of doing it each day because that's really the real way to grow in anything. I crammed it. So, I think I should go back and do a little bit each day. That's that's how real growth actually happens. To tell you the truth, anytime you work on a book, you've had the experience as well with working on a book, by the time you finish eding and looking over it, you you can't it takes some time that you can even go back to the book, right? But, you know, it takes a certain amount of, you know, decompression. >> True. >> But I'm starting again from the beginning and then just going lesson by lesson and appreciating for what it's at. And it's really it's it's it's beautiful. It's just that the the the the I'm not saying it's beautiful what I wrote, but the the every puk and the connection the animals and what's going on. It's like it's it's mindboggling how much one thing that that I feel you did did us a big service with and I on some level I feel like you're the king of this is that at the end of every single chapter you don't just read a chapter. There's a little practical takeaway. So here it says seani becomes much saying moani becomes much more meaningful when we truly take note of the fact that our soul is restored and renewed in us when we wake up. And I was thinking I saw this one and I was thinking to myself, okay, so tomorrow morning by modi, let me think a drop more than I usually think. That's how you grow. And I wonder if that's the school of of parakira that every day you make a small little change based on and then slowly but surely your soul begins to sink. Um I want to take it back to the beginning. Where did the idea originate to do a safe peric? >> Did you honest truth? I know the answer but I want you to share share share with >> my daughter my daughter uh was looking for a sigula uh she she uh had a certain need and she started pericashem the need was fulfilled and when she was doing it she was looking around she had her grandfather's perak by Rabbi Sherman's original art school perh and they were nice short pieces and it's a beautiful book with great pictures and it's a nice companion to this but she said I really want to go into it deep and She was looking for some Hebrew swarim and it was above her pay grade so to say and she said abba you know what I I need a book on peric shida could you could you do something I said okay >> and when our kids ask us especially our daughters we can't say no >> exactly >> and now the rest of clar is going to benefit from it just to bring things uh to a close although I feel like we just started um Rabbi Satan can you share one moment in writing the zfare one thought one concept which was jolting to you something that was Wow, that's amazing. And I'm sure there were many. >> The most jolting point I think was the snakes. >> The snake getting up and the dog at the end not being and they ask a question. Why can't Why are dogs singing? And the commentator says, "You why? What about why is the snake singing? Who's worse, the snake or the dog? What's going on?" And with some research, there's the dog. Who's the dog? It says we're walking and we're on our father's shoulders and we say, "Where's my father?" And the father puts the child down and the dog bites him. Who's the dog >> in that mushik? >> And then it says from the snake comes out of viper and says Sepha is gamachal. Amalik is also the snake. So who is Amalik? Is he the dog? Is he the snake? He's part dog. He's part snake. The snake aspect of him. So would be fixed. The dog aspect of a mulik won't be fixed. It's just there's so much depth. When I start I started off me that the biggest jolt was I started say okay this is kid stuff. >> You know a dog has a saw with it. Yeah. Someone told me oh you know the cover this looks like a kindergarten book like it's animals and like hey this is kids stuff. And then when I started seeing what is going on over here like I hold I never I never realized that means a mullik's a dog a mollik's a snake this what there's just so much depth going on over here. I was like you know the truth is almost every day you open up and there's like a shocker over there. Oh this is this is this is another one. The domesticated goose says give thanks to Hashem. Declare his name. Make his acts known among the people. Sing to him. Speak of all. What do geese have to do with wisdom? And then there's a says if you dream of a goose, it's a sign you're gonna be a kam. What do geese have to do with everyone that you open up? There's something going on over here. The pomegranate sings a song. The fly. The fly. When he sees Jewish people not learning, he sings this song. What is a fly? Seeing Jewish people, oh, the fly is flying around. You think, "Oh, the fly is bothering you. He's coming around. He's watching you." >> He's the mashkia. >> He's right. He's this drone. You know, you think it's just a fly. No, there's a drone going around over here watching if you're learning. Now, also has his drones like one after the other after the other. So, the truth is I really have to backtrack on my answer. There wasn't one jolting moment. Every single day was another jolt figuring out what this creature has to do with this puk. And it was really a uh a thrill. And I hope that all the readers get the same thrill as I did while they go through it. Agreed. Rabbi Satan, keep writing. We'll keep reading and go out there and buy this book. Each day you'll grow a little bit. By the time three months are over, you'll be in a different place. And hopefully you'll tap into the majestic magical skoola of everything that's promised for a person that's somebody that's throws themselves into parakira in the right way. Let's hashem that we get that impact and that amit hashem he kicks back. [Music]