Parsha Perspectives - Behaalosecha

Good morning. Good morning Boca and welcome back to Parsha Perspective for today. Thank you for your flexibility by Hashem traveling for Simchas again. So appreciate the flexibility moving the sheer to Monday. Parsha series is generously sponsored by our dear friends Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of David Grossman. Our learning is lately nishmas Becky's father David ben Menachem Manish. We remain incredibly grateful to the Katz family. This morning is also sponsored by Avi Ashman to commemorate the year of sight of Leah bas Chaim nishama sh'einav aliyah and by doctors Joey and Sima Lasky in honor of David Miller's birthday whose age is protected by a non-disclosure agreement. So a very happy birthday to our dear friend David and many more in good health and happiness. We have the privilege this week of learning and reading Parshas Balak page 774 in the Artscroll Stone Chumash and we continue Sefer Bamidbar which is our trek and journey through the desert on our way to the promised land but like most adolescent experiences is filled with ups and downs. It's not linear. It's not simple. We don't get to simply leave Egypt and find ourselves in Israel the promised land but the journey towards any almost any promised land any promised land that's worth getting to is filled with ups and downs ratzo v'shov. We advance, we progress and we regress and it's all about overcoming. We'll see an insight soon. It's all about persevering and overcoming and enduring and not letting the down spiral down but learning to be able to bounce and to be able to go even higher than we were. Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe lemor we begin page 774. Hashem spoke to Moshe saying "Daber el Aharon v'emarta elav speak to Aharon and tell him b'haalotcha et hanerot el mul p'nei hamenorah ya'iru shivat hanerot." Speak to Aharon and tell him when you light the menorah toward the face of the menorah the seven lamps cast light. The branches there were seven branches in this candelabra. What did the menorah look like? Rambam holds that they were straight, others suggest that they were curved. You'll see depictions of the menorah differently. The Arch of Titus maybe should be definitive. If we believe the artist whoever carved the Arch of Titus was accurately portraying what the menorah looked like when it was stolen and maybe still is sitting in Rome in the Vatican, then maybe that is the ultimate the ultimate authority on what it looks like. But everyone agrees that it seven branches, a middle branch, and then three eastern branches and three western branches that pointed towards that towards that middle branch towards that middle branch. Rashi tells us "Ya'iru shisha shisha shisha shisha sakin kanem." Six that were on branches "Shlosha mizrachim." The three eastern branches "Ponim lamula emtzai aptzilocha bahem." The wicks of the three eastern branches did not The wicks would ordinarily burn up. These were extraordinary wicks. These branches and the wicks leaned towards the center branch. "V'chen shlosha maaravim rosha aptzilos lamula emtzai." So the three eastern and the three western branches, their wicks did not burn straight up. And if you look at an accurate depiction of the menorah the candelabra, they will show the only wick the only flame that burns up is the middle one and the three on either side are slanted tilted burn towards the middle one. "V'lama?" Wonders Rashi, "Why? Why this anomaly? Why this very unusual manner for candles to burn?" Answers Rashi, "K'dei shelo yomru lo ora hutzarich." Lest you think that the menorah the candelabra is about the light it's illuminating, otherwise it would be dark, that Hashem wouldn't be able to see, so we light a menorah so that he can see. Lest you think that, it was organized in unusual fashion with the wicks tilted and leaning in so that you don't think that. And wonders of small bear and balm Why now? Why here? All of a sudden we're worried that we want to demonstrate that it's not that Hashem needs the light. How will we demonstrate that? By organizing it in an unusual fashion. What about all the other Kaylim? What about all the other vessels in the Mishkan? What about all the other Avodahs? All the other manners of service? So for example, we have the Lachum HaPanim, Yachin Lifnei Hashem Tamid. Lachum HaPanim, the show bread that sat on the Shulchan on the table Tamid, regularly. And we weren't worried well, we better do something to show that Hashem doesn't need the bread. It'll be misunderstood. They'll think Hashem needs the bread. We better organize it in a way that demonstrates Hashem doesn't need the bread. We don't say that. Moreover, HaKramas HaKorbanos, Aish Tamid to Karon HaMizbei'ach HaOleh there was a fire burning on the altar never extinguished. Or the Ketores, the incense that was burning and we don't say, we better do something unusual to demonstrate that the incense isn't because Hashem wants a pleasant aroma. We better do something to demonstrate that the fire's burning on the altar cuz HaKodesh Baruch Hu loves a good barbecue. He wants some good flesh. We don't say that. So why all of a sudden here do we say we better demonstrate that the light is not for Hashem, it's not that he couldn't see without it, but rather it serves some other purpose. Why here? And why now? And why didn't we for anything else? Says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum the following. the light of the Menorah Each of the Kaylim, the vessels in the Mishkan, stood for or symbolized, they represented another quality, another aspiration, another goal or ambition, another energy. What was the energy of the menorah? The menorah represented Torah. Kiner mitzvah the Torah or the light of the menorah represents Torah. In fact, the word Torah, the root of the word Torah is or is light. Torah illuminates this world. It gives us a path. It lets us navigate. It's the instruction manual, the blueprint of creation. Kiner mitzvah the candle is the mitzvah and the Torah is likened to or light. And that's what Hazal in the Gemara in Bava Basra Chaf Alef tells us, "Harotza l'hachkim yadrim. If you want the wisdom of Torah, which direction do you face?" Go south. Go south. I spoke last night a beautiful seder as part of what we had at the Yeshiva to thank our outgoing Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Leven shlita. We welcome Rabbi Willig and we'll welcome at the end of the summer in Elul a special event and I reminded the Yeshiva bachurim. I reminded the Yeshiva, "Harotza l'hachkim yadrim. If you want wisdom, you want Torah, Yeshiva of South Florida. Yadrim. B'sheya ashir. If you want wealth, yatkin. Go to the north. Now, why? Why is it that if you want if you want Torah, face south and if you want wealth, face north? What does that mean? Because in the Mishkan, the shulchan was to the north. The shulchan represented wealth, the table, affluence and the menorah, which was the symbol of the light of Torah was in the south. They say that's why that's what we do here. I sit on that side. The rabbi sits to the left of the aron and the president sits to the right of the aron because when the rabbi faces mizrach but angles towards the aron to show respect to the aron, so which way is he facing? South. Because "Harotza l'hachkim yadrim." The rabbi wants more Torah knowledge, so he's facing southeast. Whereas the shul president, who has to make budget, he when he angles towards the aron is facing which direction? North. Northeast. Both facing east towards Eretz Yisrael, but depending which side of the aron you're sitting on, the rabbi is interested in he needs Torah to teach Torah, learn Torah. I wrote to sure president treasure maybe should sit there also to the right of the Aron because I wrote if you want wealth then Yatzpin. So in the there are two ways two ways that you could teach Torah and spread Torah. One, dumb it down, lower the bar, make it accessible to everybody. Don't stand out, don't be exceptional. Lower the bar so everybody feels they have a place or raise the bar. Be an example, illuminate the way. So it says the second makom Torah makom or create a place that's a makom Torah that's all light. Don't make compromises. Make Torah illuminate, make Torah be transmitted, teach Torah in a way fire. Young people today have an expression lit. Be lit. Be all lit up. Be lit. Be on fire the way it was originally given at Har Sinai. And it says in the place of the menorah needs to be entirely lit. Should be entirely light, lit up so that the light that comes that middle branch which represents Torah is going to the other lights shine on it so it is illuminating everywhere around. If you want if you want to shine a light on others, if you want to illuminate others, if you want to ignite the spark in others, you have to be all lit up. If you are lukewarm, if you're not on fire, then don't expect to light up other people. If you're neutral, if you're power off, if you're half asleep, if you're complacent, if you're apathetic, if you're casual, if you don't have an on fire relationship with whatever we're talking total me those to feel up, then you're not going to inspire people around you. We have a principle we saw some Atlanta used to talk about that a Jew, the best way to influence the people around us is to be so inspired that we overflow, we ooze the inspiration. But if you're not inspired, how do you expect to inspire others? Inspire yourself to inspire other people. And so the menorah, the lights all shine on the middle branch, so it is entire illuminated, and only when it is in gunsel lifted, only when it is entirely lit, can it illuminate out towards the others. We will say it's the first one in the middle of the main neglect is manner of maravi. It says in the show of that we can understand why is it what candle was used to light up all the other branches of the menorah? The western candle. What was special about the western candle? Near maravi le olam lo cava, it never went out. Even though the candelabra was lit once a day, but the western candle was remained lit constantly and never extinguished, never went out. We imitated and emulate our mikdash ma'at, we have a near tamid, we have a light that always remains lit. So why was that the one that lit the others? You see from here says the show of maran bam today la shpira la amla in bum so hamadlik hamashpia yos kulo shakulo vedulo tamid. If you want to light others, you have to be lit all the time. If you're casual, if you're indifferent, if you're checked out, if you're not inspired, then you can't light up other people. Parents, rebbeim, grandparents, community leaders, we have to constantly reinforce and reinvigorate and reinspire and remotivate, because if we're not on fire, then we can't expect to inspire anybody else. I I once went to a small rabbinic gathering conference, a group of rabbis, and we're talking, planning, strategizing, and one of the conclusions that we all reached was, how inspired are we? The things we're looking for, or hoping for, in our mispallelim, in our congregants, in our members. We want to improve davening, we want to eliminate talking, we want it to be more inspired, but when we look in the mirror, how inspired are we? What does our davening look like? What example are we are we leading? In every which way, in every area of Jewish and Torah life. And that's true not only for a group of rabbis, again, parents, educators, and all, we have to ourselves be inspired if we want to inspire, if we want to be able to inspire others. So, that's what R' ben Avraham says, "El mul panim in orei yeshivas Anieros, she- that the the middle candle has to be all lit." And he writes, "This is the exact opposite of what you call a shendelabrah." A shendelabrah, all the candles point in different directions. Why? Cuz the goal is to spread the light throughout the room. So, if you have a light fixture hanging out over your dining room table, you have a light fixture, the candles are all pointing different angles to bring the light all over the room. And this is the opposite. The candles are all pointing towards the middle light. What's the point? That's the difference. Not that Hashem needs the light, we do. His Torah needs to be in ganz lichtig, entirely lit up, and then it can spread that light and share it with others. Continues the Torah, "Pasuk gimmel, Vayaskan Aharon." This was the instruction to Aharon, which by the way, appeased him. We're not going to get into cuz we've spoken about it in the past, but Rashi already tells us that this was what appeased Aharon. When last week Aharon didn't get to bring one of the one of the offerings of the Nesi'im, the 12 heads of the tribes all brought the exact same parallel sacrifice, and we didn't just read it once and say "times 12". We read it 12 times. Once described, I heard last week's parsha, once described as a parsha only a bar mitzvah boy's mother could love. Because it feels so repetitive and redundant and endless and long, the longest parsha in the Torah, 176 pesukim. So, over and over again, why is that? You have to wait to parshas Nasso next year. But, Aaron is upset, he's jealous. What about me? I want to bring special korbanos. I want my chance. I want my moment. And what does Hashem say? Relax. I've got you. Behaloscha es haneros, you, for generations to come, will light the candelabra. Which, by the way, the Ramban quotes and others, this was an allusion to Chanukah in the Torah. Cuz what were the generations to come that you would light and relight? Was a reference and allusion to Chanukah in the Torah. Interestingly, as we've pointed out in the past, Hashem does not say to Aaron what we would expect, which is you get what you get and you don't get upset. What are you complaining? What about me? What do you mean what about me? Everyone gets what they need, what they deserve. Chanukah l'naar al pi darko. Aaron, Aaron, this lover of peace and unity, Aaron all of a sudden is complaining? What is his ego? He wants the spotlight? What's going on over here? But Hashem doesn't say that. Because we have a principle called kinas sofrim tarbe chachma. This is a makor in the Torah for the healthy application of competitiveness. Competitiveness can be unhealthy. Some of us have to work on that. We can't even let our grandchildren beat us in a game. But, competitiveness can be unhealthy, but competitiveness can be very healthy. Because if competitiveness leads to drive, it increases wisdom. The Gemara Chazal say kinas sofrim tarbe chachma. When scholars are competing, they break through with wisdom. It leads to progress and innovation. So Aaron is not his ego is not driving him, it's that he's driven in a very pure L'shem Shamayim way, because if you see someone's davening beautifully and you say, "Not I want to daven beautifully instead of them. I want the amud. I want to lead the davening." But just I wish I were so connected to davening, then that's a wonderful thing. To be inspired, to be competing, so to say, one wants to be a I want to be as much of a massman. I want to be as driven. Then it's a good thing. Then it's a good thing. So all that we shared in the past, I'll pose a question which we won't answer, which is why now, why this? Does it appease Aaron? Aaron first says, "Nesiyim, what about me?" And Hashem says, "Relax. You light the menorah." He's, "Oh, taco, good point. Thank you. I'm good to go." There are plenty other things that only Aaron and the Kohanim get to do. Why did none of those appease Aaron? It's only this? There are plenty of sacrifices, access to the Kodesh Hakodashim, offerings, plenty of things that only Aaron and the Kohanim were able to do. And yet, he doesn't seem to be appeased by them. Why specifically is it here? But in any case, if I ask Cain Aaron, Aaron does what's asked of him, El Muplai Aharon Ela Nerosa, he indeed turns all the branches of the menorah and elevates them K'asher Tzvah Hashem Es Moshe, the way Moshe had commanded. Vayas Cain Aaron. Says Rashi famously, L'hagid Shvacho Shel Aaron Shelo Shina. This is the ultimate praise of Aaron. Vayas Cain, he did what was asked, he didn't deviate. Wow! Wow! Should be blown away by Aaron. God told him to do something, and you know what? He did it. Yeah. That's why he's Aaron. Still, Bamidbar? We're now three parshas into Bamidbar and we're still impressed that Aaron didn't change, he didn't deviate, he did what was asked. Like we're supposed to be impressed by that? Shilo Shina, he didn't deviate. He didn't deviate. So, some suggest Shilo Shina doesn't mean that he didn't deviate in what was asked of him. Shilo Shina means he didn't change. The same Aaron who was anonymous, the same Aaron before he had been raised and elevated to greatness, the same Aaron now that he is of prominence, he never changed. He's the same as the way he was. Some people are elevated to positions of prominence and distinction, some people gain power, some people have a prestigious role, and they it goes to their head. They get an ego. They say, "Look at me." They think they're different, they think their time is more valuable than others, they think their attention is more valuable than others. La haga shvacha she Aaron that even though he is designated to halacha, to light the menorah, even though he's the Cohen Gadol, la haga shvacha the praise of him is lo shina, he didn't change. He stayed the same Aaron, down-to-earth, the same Aaron. But the Kotsker Rebbe in Emes Ve'Emunah gives a different answer. The Yid HaKadosh every morning a bracha sh'lo when he make a bracha sh'lo asani thank you God for not having made me like the other nations of the world. Essentially, thank you for making me a Yid, a Jew. Thank you for giving me the Torah to illuminate and light up my life. Thank you for giving me access to the blueprint of creation. Thank you for giving me this life and this lifestyle. Thank you for not making me like the others. So, the Yid HaKadosh when he made this bracha, he would feel every day sh'ni sh'tana b'chol yom, every day he would feel like he just got out of the mikvah he just converted. Every day he'd wake up and say, "Wow, I'm a Jew." Exceptionalism as we spoke about on Shavuot. You've chosen me, you've designated me, you've given me this mission, this task, you've empowered me the tools to succeed to accomplish it. Wow, wow, I'm like a convert. By asking Aaron Shloshina means his Yishana etzlo. The word Shina means didn't deviate. Either the action didn't deviate, he didn't change, or third interpretation, the word Shin Yud Nun Hey can also be Yashan. His Yashan means it never got old. It never got old. It never got old for him. Sometimes you do something repetitively, it can get old. I won't say my age, but I've been putting on tefillin for a few years and it can get old. Every single day putting on tefillin, every day the same Shmoneh Esrei, every day living with the same wife, every day dinner with the same kids. Every day in life, the challenge, the danger, things are at risk, there's a threat when we let things get old and stale and repetitive and redundant. The greatness of Aaron Shloshina Yashan never got old. It never got old and it never got stale. It never got old, it never got stale. A beautiful marriage is the one in which you wake up and say, "I can't believe Wow, I can't believe I'm married to this person." It doesn't matter what anniversary you're celebrating. Someone in our shul is turning 97 who's been married for many many many years. He talks about his wife like they're newlyweds. Like they're newlyweds. I don't know if they're married more than 70 years. They talk like they're newlyweds. Every day he acts like he just got engaged. Like he just walked out from under the huppah. That's the Aharon HaCohen had that attitude with Hashem. Every time he opened the siddur, he said, "I get an audience with the Almighty? I get to tell him what's in my heart? I get to daven? I get to put on tefillin? I get to keep shabbos? I get to make a bracha? I get to study the parsha?" It never got old. It's not a coincidence the Kotzker doesn't bring this, but it's not a coincidence that the word old, yashan, is the same word as yashein. Yashein means to shluf, to sleep. Because when things get old, we tend to sleepwalk through them. As opposed to be awake and alive. How many are sleepwalking through life? Sleepwalking through marriage, sleepwalking through parenting, sleepwalking through their job, sleepwalking through their davening, sleepwalking through the parsha. And they wake up after many years and many decades, and they call it a life, but they've been asleep all throughout. Sleepwalking through. So, don't let it become yashein or yashan. Don't sleepwalk through. Don't let it be old. Lahage shvach shel Aharon, the great praise of Aharon shel Oshina, he never fell asleep. He didn't sleepwalk through his Yiddishkeit. It was with a bread, with a fire, with an excitement, with an energy, with an enthusiasm. He never fell asleep through it. He was so excited and happy to be alive, to be married, to be a father, to have a brother, to be the Kohen Gadol. It never got old. Just like the Yid HaKadosh would wake up every day and felt, "I just became a Jew. I just walked away from Har Sinai. Wow, I'm a Jew." What As if they just discovered, "I'm a Jew." Last week we did we converted five people. Baruch Hashem, I also spoke on Shavuos how active our Beis Din is, how the line is out the door, and it doesn't matter how many more are trying to kill us, and the bigger target will be on your back by joining our people. More and more No one's dropping out, and more and more people are lining up. and Baruch Hashem we had the privilege, the privilege of welcoming five new Jews last week. And one was crying hysterically in the mikvah. Emerged from the water to breathe again, born anew with a new birthday, a new birth, was crying hysterically at the privilege to be a Jew. To come out of that mikvah and to make the first bracha as a Jew, to put fillin on as a Jew. To be a Jew. And that the Yidden color said, he felt every day when he'd make the bracha "Shelo asani guy." Hashem, wow, I just got out of the mikvah. I'm a Jew. How privileged, how blessed, how lucky, how fortunate am I? La'hagid shvacho shel Aron shel Rishona, it never got old, he never fell asleep. It was always new, it was always fresh, it was always something exciting. Then we have the consecration of the Leviim, the Leviim, their roles, their jobs, their responsibility, and how they were elevated, how they were given their job, apprenticeship and responsibility when they were counted from five ben chamesh v'esrim shana from 25 years old until 50 years old are the key years of working. Not younger, not older did they succeed, were they destined for that job or not. Torah has a lot here to say, but we move to perek tes, page 778. Perek tes pasuk aleph, chapter nine, verse one. Vayidaber Hashem el Moshe b'midbar Sinai b'shana hashlishit b'tzeit Yisrael mimitzrayim b'chodesh harishon lemor. Hashem speaks to Moshe in the desert. It's the second year. Second year since we've left Mitzrayim in the first month. Vayasu bnei Yisrael et Pesach b'moado. What's the first month in this context? Nissan. We know we have a debate, which is the first month on our calendar. Nobody debates is the first month January or August. Actually, I take it back. Our fiscal year is July 1st. So I guess in Boca Raton synagogue you can argue is the Rosh Hashanah January 1st or July 1st? Is it July 1st? So, lahavdil lahavdil. But, in Torah, we have a debate. Is the first month Tishrei or the first month Nissan? And here the Torah is referring to Nissan as the first month. And the Jewish people, what happens in Nissan? What holiday? Pesach. This is year two. In other words, the one-year anniversary of leaving Mitzrayim. Now it's time to observe. This wasn't when they lived the Exodus. This is the first time commemorating the Exodus, reliving the Exodus. And they were Moshe Bnei Yisrael last to the Pesach and he said, "Good to go. Start cleaning, buy your matzah, save up, start make your salt water, your karpas, and so on. Observe Pesach, the carbon Pesach." They also said Pesach, they did it in the first month on the 14th day by ben arbaim. Kechol asher tziva Hashem commanded Moshe, kein asu Bnei Yisrael, thus did the Jewish people. Vayanashimu Yisrael bnei adam, but what happened? There were those who were ineligible, there were those who were tamei, there were those who were impure. Velo yachlu la'asot Pesach bayom hahu, they weren't able to participate, they couldn't be part of it. Why not? They were tamei. And how did they become contaminated? Why were they impure? The Gemara records Chazal have a debate. Some say they were carrying the bones of Yosef. Others say met mitzvah. All different reasons offered why they were ineligible to participate because they were impure. But, in any case, they said something that almost nobody has said since, which is it's not fair to me. I want to clean for Pesach. It's not fair to me. I want to have to host a seder. It's not fair to me. These people said Vayamru anashim eileh "Lama nigara?" Why should we be denied? Why are we deprived? Why don't we get to have Pesach? And Moshe says to them, "Huh, that's a good question. Let me check in with Hashem and find out what the rule and here we're introduced to Pesach Sheni, the Yom Tov of second chances. And we won't repeat, we've spoken about it in the past. I think we once wrote an article about it. They're carrying the bones of Yosef and who better is a model of second chances? Yosef gave his brothers the ultimate second chance. And the whole Yom Tov of Pesach Sheni is a holiday of second chances. So here Rabbi Saks, Zechuto Yagen Aleinu V'Yad Hashem, I don't know if it's out yet, but I have my copy, writes, "The first month of the second year, the first commemorative Passover, as opposed to the original Passover in Mitzrayim, already presents the issue of people unable to fulfill the command as given." My favorite sentence in the English language, are you curious to say what I'm hear what I'm going to say next? Rabbi Saks wrote, "His favorite sentence in the English language." He knew the English language pretty well and lots of sentences in it. His favorite sentence in the English language is Winston Churchill's definition of success, "Going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill's definition of success is going from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm. The real difference is not between failure and success. The real difference is between failing and giving up and failing and keeping on going, missing the mark and recalculating the route. Because even the Torah acknowledges this. We know that in the inner reaches of our soul, we can be honest with ourselves. We can acknowledge the way in which we fallen short. Those who cannot offer the Pesach sacrifice, whether due to lack of planning or to circumstances beyond their control, are eager for another chance. They know that in His forgiveness, Hashem gives us the strength to heal what we have harmed, to try again, and to become the person He wants us to be. To go from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm, that is the definition of success. And here the Torah gives us this recipe for that success by acknowledging that life doesn't always go the way we want. And sometimes we'll need second chances, and that is the beautiful holiday, the Yom Tov of Pesach Sheni. Turning the page, perek tes, chapter 9, verse 18, pasuk yud ches, page 780. Now that we have this Pesach Sheni, now the Torah gives us the divine signs of when to travel, when to journey, when to go, when to stay put. We know the Jewish people had many journeys through the midbar. And how did they know when it was time pack up, and when it was time to settle down? They knew because there were divine signs. Hashem himself was the voice of ways. Hashem himself was the one who who announced, "We're taking off. We're going to be boarding. It's time to go." There was no debate, and there was no doubt. Do we stay? Do we go? Hashem himself divinely was the one who said what to do. So, the Tiferes Shmuel wonders on these pesukim. Says Reb Shmuel Berenbaum the following. "Al pi Hashem yisa'u u'vnei Yisrael, al pi Hashem yachanu." Through Hashem we travel, through Hashem we stay put. You know, it is not easy. The people who travel, baruch Hashem, I have the zechus to be traveling a lot lately and in the coming weeks for simchos, and that's the best reason to travel. And never ever ever complain if that's the reason that you're traveling. But there are people who travel for work, there are people who commute regularly, and it gets old and tiring. It's difficult and exhausting. And that's one person or a small group of people. How many were this? Two to three million people. And if you're traveling with your family, I'll never forget, baruch Hashem, kein ayin hara, I have seven children. Our family unit now, kein ayin hara, is bigger. Several are married and grandchildren, but with the seven children, we didn't often travel all together, but when we did, especially going to Israel, when and in the old days you had to go through somewhere else, let's say New York. When you got to TSA with nine passports, everyone looked at you like, "Could you choose another line? Please go somewhere else." But every kid with their carry-on, with their snacks, with their demands, "Put it in the bag. I'm not sharing a bag. I want my own bag. I need to pull my own bag. I need my own backpack. I need my own two to three million of those. Two to three million women packing multiple outfits a day, shoes, accessories. How is it they 42 times picked up and moved on and then settled down? How is it? How is it? Lucky people have lived in the same house for many years, but some people due to circumstances, they move cities, they move homes, and they'll tell you it's exhausting. It's exhausting. The shame of it. Call it a sham Adam. So, how did they do it? Two to three million people 42 times. 42 times in 40 years. 42 times in 39 years. That's a lot. That's a move more than once a year. That's huge. We have 39 categories of creative labor. One of the prohibited things we're not allowed to do on Shabbos and Yom Tov is to demolish. The prohibition of building is when you're uh demolishing is when you demolish on the condition for the purpose of building where you demolished. If you demolish and you're not going to build where you demolished, then you haven't violated the biblical prohibition of demolishing cuz that's kill core you're destroying. Where do we learn these 39 categories from? The Mishkan. So, where was so there? Where was demolishing in the Mishkan? They took it apart. Each time they traveled, they took it apart. I how can you tell me biblically you only violate the prohibition of demolishing when you plan to build if when they took it apart, they weren't going to build in the same place? How some so some of us live in the Shalom in Kamau. They were going to build in a different place. How could it be? Because the possuk says that they traveled and journeyed not based on their own inclination, not based on their own intuition, not because of their own decision. When did they travel? When Hashem told them to. Because they traveled based on Hashem telling them to, they traveled to be with Hashem. So wherever they went to was makom. The kind of love it puts a little bit differently. I'll come back to the first small. Kind of love it says the following Marshall. Says the following Marshall. A mother with a little baby has to travel. So she goes from Miami to New York to Paris to London to Israel to Australia back to South Florida. So from her perspective, her passport is stamped all those cities. She kept traveling and journeying and found herself in many different places. But the baby that she carried in her arms, how many places was that baby? One. In his mother's arms that whole time. I his mother was in so many places. Her passport is stamped so many places. True. But the baby was in his mother's arms the entire time and the rest is irrelevant. In the midbar, we traveled in Hashem's arms. He was holding us up in Hashem. Everywhere we went was an extension of the same place in his arms and that's how we can learn so some of us live in those makom oh even from the Mishkan. Nemsa Shakira is a lot of videos on YouTube. They lived always prepared and ready that as soon as they heard that siren of the trumpet, La pack up. We are following a sham wherever he takes us, wherever we go. When they unpacked, we're we're all where we want us to be. And when it's time to pack up and go, we are where a sham wants us to be. So you're right. If you have to commute, if you keep having to travel, you could be annoyed, you could be disturbed, you could be frustrated, particularly certain airports, you could be very bent out of shape, but if you always feel my life is a mission, if you embrace your place, if you are where you're meant to be, if a sham is directing our journey, then we're ready to pack up and unpack because we're constantly on this journey of where he sends us, we're on the road of where he wants us to be. We're fulfilling our mission and our purpose in our life. So the key, the difference to whether you'll be frustrated and annoyed by the commute or embrace the adventure of the commute, the entire difference is whether you'll be willing to embrace your place. This is the sticker we created on the back of cell phones or the decal in the car windshield or the tag for your luggage. You could all order these online at the online.org/decal and it's a constant reminder. Embrace your place. You are exactly where you are meant to be. That our journeys are not random and they're not chance and even when we're delayed or especially when it's expedited, it is all the guiding hand of a sham. So how could the Jewish people 42 times in 40 39 years pack up, unpack, pack up, unpack 2 million passports to hand to the TSA agent? How could they not be incredibly frustrated? Because when a person feels they're in their mother's arms, if you feel you're in the embrace of Hashem, you go with him wherever he's going, wherever he takes us, wherever he sends us, then you won't live a life of being frustrated. Parshat Ki Tisa, pasuk aleph. You make the two trumpets. Page 782. Make two trumpets, and hammer them out out of silver. And you will use them to call and to direct the camps. And here, Rabbi Sacks invokes some teachings from Rabbi Soloveitchik, so we get a two-for-one. The passage with the juxtaposition of the words congregation, edah, camp, machaneh, become a springboard for one of the most profound meditations of Rabbi Soloveitchik. We have seen that for Rabbi Soloveitchik, there are two ways in which people become a group. A community, society, or nation. The first is when they face a common enemy. They band together for mutual protection, knowing that only by doing so they can survive. Such a group is called a machaneh, a camp, a defensive formation. Alternatively, people can come together not a defensive formation. People could come together because they share a vision, a set of ideals. This is what it means to be an edah, a congregation. Edah, the root of the word edah is aid, aidus. What's an aid? A witness. A society built around a shared project is not a machaneh, but an edah. Not a camp, but a congregation. A camp is brought into being by what happens to it from outside. A congregation comes into existence by internal decisions. The first is as a response to what happened to the group in the past. The second represents what the group seeks to achieve in the future. This duality was given its first expression with this command. Make two silver trumpets. Make them out of hammered metal. Use them for summoning the edah, and for having the machanos set out. The two types of groups represent in the most profound sense two different ways of existing and relating to the world. Our ancestors became a machaneh in Egypt, forged together by a crucible of slavery and suffering. Ever since, Jews have known that we are thrown together by circumstance. One of the things that bonds us and binds us with Jews around the world right now, we are a machaneh. We're on the defense. We're having to argue for our right. Would you believe in 2025 there's a candidate for mayor of New York who can't call Israel the Jewish state? Antisemitism on the rise. The call to globalize the intifada. DC, Colorado, and last Friday the FBI sending out a warning to shuls and Jews everywhere to be on heightened alert. We are a machaneh. We're a machaneh. We share a history all too often written in tears. Rav Soloveitchik calls this covenant of fate, bris goral. This is not a purely negative phenomenon, and it gives rise to a powerful sense. We're part of a single story. We have in common is stronger than the things that separate us. The covenant of fate was born in the experience of slavery in Mitzrayim. But there's an additional element of Jewish identity. Rav Soloveitchik calls this the covenant of destiny, bris yi'ud, entered into at Har Sinai, bris avos and bris Sinai. This defines the people of Israel not as the object of persecution, but the subject of unique vocation to become a mamleches kohanim v'goy kadosh, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Our task as a people of destiny is to bear witness to the presence of Hashem through the way we lead our lives, Torah, and the path we have trod as a people across the centuries, history, a camp and a congregation. Sometimes the clarion call speaks to our sense of faith. We are Hashem's people, his emissaries and ambassadors, charged with making his presence real in the world through healing deeds and leading holy lives. At other times, the trumpet that sounds and summons us in the call of fate, Jewish lives in danger in Israel and the diaspora. Whichever sound the silver instruments make, they call on that duality that makes Jew and Judaism inseparable. However deep the divisions between us, we remain one family in fate and in faith. Incredible idea from this possuk. These two chatzotzros are lemikra ha'eida u'l'massa es hamachanos. The trumpets, the clarion call. Sometimes the trumpets say, "Stand up and defend a fellow Jew. You're part of one camp. You're part of one faith. You come from one history. You're part of a machaneh. You're one camp." And others the trumpet sounds to call the eida. Pay witness and testimony, faith, Torah, the life, the lifestyle. There's bris avos, what unites us with all Jews no matter their background, level of observance, the shared history, and the defensive position and being part of one camp. And then there's the covenant, the bris Sinai. We're bound by Torah that legislates and regulates our lives and gives it purpose and meaning. Parshas Ki Sisa, possuk lamed, the order of breaking the camp. Bottom of page 784, "Vayomer Moshe l'Chovav ben Reuel Hamidiani, Moshe now turns to his father." We have several unprecedented things here. He now turns to Yisro, his father-in-law, and he says to him, "Don't go. You have to stay." It may have been unprecedented, but it's been repeated by me a lot. I love my Yisro. And every time he's ready to leave Boca, which he is this week, I say, "Where are you going? Why are you leaving? Stay even longer." So Moshe and I have that in common. We both love our father-in-law. So Moshe tells his father-in-law, Chovav ben Reuel, which is another name for Yisro, and he says, "No, simanim acharei el hamakom asher amar Hashem. We're heading out to the place that God showed us. No, this isn't the end. We're not there yet. Don't leave now. We're just breaking ground. We're just going on our way. We're making it to the promised land. Let's itanu, come with us. They give her to buy Israel. And come with us and we will treat you well because I spoken of good for Israel. Give a lot to be a lot of and you just says I'm out. I'm not going. I got to go home. It's time to return home. Going back to my land and the place of my birth. Whose words are very they're not reminiscent because they're a precursor to the same words used by Naomi Ruth in that conversation. Moshe implores him. He repeats it. Don't go. Don't forsake us. You know the way around the wilderness and you will be our eyes. What does that mean you will be our eyes? Now by the way, we we're not going to speak about this now because we have in the past. Does Yisro stay or does Yisro go? Should I stay or should I go now? Does he stay or does he go? Is Moshe persuasive? Does he convince him? Or is he unsuccessful and does Yisro bail? What does it say? It doesn't. The Torah is ambiguous. The Torah is mysterious. The Torah leaves it open-ended and you have to ask yourself why? If it was important enough to raise that they had this dialogue, this conversation, why leave it as a cliffhanger? Why not tell us? So we gave an answer, we've discussed that in the past. But why is Moshe so desperate? Aside from loving his father-in-law, why is he so desperate? He gives us a hint. You will be our eyes. You will be our eyes. You will be our eyes. What does that mean you will be our eyes? You're a good scout, you see well, you can track the footprints. What does that mean you will be our eyes? Oh. So I think they were all Jews by force. And our Sinai, the Jewish people were endowed with we got the sanctity of what it means to be a Jew, and it's non-negotiable. Even though we weren't there. 3,300 years later, we weren't present physically. So, why can't we turn to Hashem and say, "I'm not bound by this contract. I didn't sign it. I didn't sign up for it. I'm out. Why am I obligated by it?" Because not only those who were physically there, those who were descended from those who were there. It's like a corporate contract, not a personal contract. It's like a It's like a constitution where all the citizens are bound. We're obligated. We're obligated. So, they were all Jews by force. There's only what can be known as a Jew by choice. And who is that? Yisro. Yisro came after cuz all that he had heard, and he wanted to put his lot and destiny with this people. And Moshe says, "You know, there's nothing more motivating and inspiring for the Jewish people than converts. They're holy. They're amazing. They're amazing." As I just described, we spoke at length on Shavuos, and even then didn't finish what we had to say. But the Gemara tells us, "Kashin Yisrael, Kashin Gerim Yisrael K'Sapa'chas." That converts are as painful and difficult to the Jewish people like a bad rash. That's not a big compliment for converts. So, in fact, Rashi, Tosfos, they give reasons. Because you see, converts, many of them don't stick with it. They make us look bad. We went through a program, we converted, and changed their identity, and then they bail. Then they back out. Then they don't keep up the lifestyle. So, they make us look bad. Others say, they're they're a bad influence. The convert brings their whole upbringing, their whole background, their genetics, and they're going to compromise when they when they mix in and integrate. But Tosfos quotes Rav Avraham Ger, quotes Tosfos, quotes the opinion of a convert himself, who He "You know why Kashin Yisrael K'Sapa'chas? You know why converts are as bad as a bad rash? Cuz they're so on fire and so inspired and so motivated, they make us feel bad. Converts are annoying like baal teshuva. They're so on fire and they're so excited by the things that we're so bored that have become stale and wrote and we're sleepwalking through and they hold up a big mirror to ourselves and they make us be better and that's annoying. That's really annoying. The goody two shoes, the person on fire, that's annoying. So, ultimately, it's a compliment to the convert, not God forbid an insult. And maybe that's why Moshe is telling his father-in-law, "Don't go anywhere. We need you here." And why do we need you here? Because you are the only one who's opted in. Everybody else is obligated in. You've opted in. You are a Jew by choice. And so, you're being in our community and among our people, you remind us how lucky and how fortunate we are cuz you chose this. While some are trying to run away, you ran towards and that's a great reminder. Moshe says, "Don't leave." But Yisro says, "Lo alech." And he says, "I will not come. I'm not coming." Says Rabbi Sacks, "Perhaps not by coincidence that immediately after we read of Yisro's departure, Moshe experiences burnout and despair." We're about to see Moshe turn to Hashem and say, "I'm done. I'm out. I can't do it." Something very similar will happen later in Parshas Chukas where first we read about the death of Miriam followed immediately by the scene in which the people ask for water and Moshe loses his temper and strikes the rock. This act costs him the chance to lead the people across the Yarden into the promised land. It seems that in their different ways, Yisro and Miriam are essential are essential emotional supports for Moshe. When they are there, he copes. When they are not, he loses his poise. Leaders need soulmates, people who lift their spirits and give them the strength to carry on, no one can lead alone. It's a very interesting observation. Maybe it resonates for me more than you, but Rabbi Sacks describes that Moshe, when he has the emotional support, the connection, identifying with his father-in-law, his sister, in each of these episodes when he leads loses a support system, he loses his poise also. Because Rabbi Sacks writes, "Leaders need soulmates, people who lift their spirits. No one can lead alone." And that should be appreciated too. Sometimes leaders can feel lonely. Perek Yud Pasuk Lamed Hey. Here we have the bracketed interruption. Sefer Bamidbar is not really one book. Our Rabbi saw it as three books. The part before this bracket called the upside down Nun on page 786, then the two sentences in between is its own book, and then the rest of Bamidbar is a third book. And these Nun upside down Nun Hafukham, these upside down Nun not only not only look like brackets, but they act as brackets sectioning off this part of the of the Torah. So here, Rav Druck, our first Rav Druck of the day, Va Yehi Why is this part a bracket? We're familiar with the Psukim. One we in one we invoke when we take the Torah out, and the other we sing when we put the Torah away. What are the two Psukim? Va Yehi Binso Aharon. When the Ark would travel, Va Yehi Binso Moshe would say, "Kuma Hashem Uvehos Yidach Misanecha Arise Hashem and scatter our enemies. Let those who hate you flee from before you." Uve Nuho Yomar, and when it rested, we would say, "Hashem, Shuva Hashem El Yisrael Reside tranquilly Hashem among the myriads." So when we take the Torah out, when it travels, we invoke Va Yehi Binso Aharon, Hashem decimate our enemies. When we put the Torah away after we read it, Shuva Hashem, come back Hashem, dwell among your myriad. Wonders Rashi, those are two lovely thoughts. Those are two beautiful pesukim. Why do we have to bracket them off? Why do we have to section them off? Says Rashi, we make a sign a symbol before and after lomar to tell us shainz amakama, it doesn't really belong here. These two verses are out of place, they don't belong here. V'lama kana why are they here? K'dei l'havsik bein paranous d'paranous. K'dei seba k'sei kodesh. Because we don't want two negative events, two poor experiences of the Jewish people to be back-to-back. So to break them up, we interrupt with these two pesukim that are bracketed off. So says Rav Druck in his Lav Asaych, he says the following. What are the two things that we're bracketing off? What are the two things that we're bracketing off? The Ramach tells us, the one was Vayisu me Hashem, that we ran away from Har Sinai. And then what comes after the bracketing? Vaya'an am k'mison'nim b'aznei Hashem, we were complainers. First we ran away from Hashem, Har Sinai. And then we complained to Hashem. So to not put these two episodes back-to-back that reflect poorly on us, we put these two pesukim them in, bracket them off, and section them off. So says Rav Druck, M'du'a davka parshas bein tzara'as we could have chosen a lot of things to take out of place and put in here. Why do we choose these two to be the interruption? And the answer is because the first of the paranous Vayisu me Hashem, what does it mean that we k'tino k'vorei'ach mibeis hasefer? When the bell rings at school, those kids are out of there like Vladimir. They run as fast as they can. There's two ways you could leave someplace. You could back away slowly the way we walk away from the Kotel. We turn around, we walk away backwards, we don't want to leave, we want to stay, it pains us to leave, we walk away slowly. Or when the bell rings, when the work day is over, you run. You run. You are done. You are out of there. So, what was the problem that they left our Sinai? They couldn't stay there forever. They weren't meant to be there forever. They had to journey. Moshe himself tells them, "Shuvah l'ahaleichem, go back to your tents. Go back to your regular everyday life and begin to practice what you just learned." So, they had to leave. What was the chisaron v'ishu mehaHashem? The answer is, they were so quickly ready to run and lose the feeling of having been at Har Hashem. You know, some people Shavuos was last week. It's in the rearview mirror. They forgot it was Shavuos. They forgot what they ate, what they learned, what they listened to, who was here. It's old news. It's in the record books. For others, and it should be all of us, especially those who still didn't say Tachanun today, the last day, because we're in the sheva brachas after standing at Har Sinai with Hashem, after standing under that mountain in that marriage. So, we're still feeling fired up from Shavuos. We're still on fire. Ah, the yom tov is over. Ah, it was a week ago, but we're still on fire. So, they were so ready to leave Har Sinai behind. They weren't still carrying it with them. They weren't still on fire from it. And that was a peranus. So, what is the reference or the response, the answer or the antidote to that feeling? What is injected here? Vayehi binso Aaron. Why? It wasn't just that while we were at Har Sinai, we should be on fire and excited and have this relationship with Torah. It's Vayehi binso Aaron. The Torah goes with us wherever we go. So, the answer and antidote to tinok bo'le'ach mi'beit sefer, to run away from Har Sinai, to let the feelings loose so quickly, is to realize Vayehi binso Aaron, that the Aaron and the Torah go with us in sour they journey they travel with us wherever we go so essentially we never left our Sinai we took it with us and we take it with us you could run away from an experience a a Simcha a milestone a vacation a Yontif and it didn't transform you it didn't change you you leave it behind it's in the rearview mirror or you could constantly remember it you could be transformed by it you can invoke it you can look back at it you could share the great memories of it it's coming with you you don't leave it behind our Sinai was meant to come with us and that is the message of by even so Aaron and that's why that is the antidote and then drew has a second piece there's a second piece by even so Aaron so there were peronos before and peronos after the peronos before were that we left our Sinai peronos after I understand afterwards we were punished for the peronos that's called peronos I probably got angry but and he burned them with a fire and they were destroyed so peronos peronos means what's the translation of peronos a negative consequence a tragedy calamity a peronos so there was a calamity we complained and there was a calamity that he brought a plague about us and and we lost many people but where's the calamity that we left our Sinai we weren't punished there was no consequence or accountability says drew the calamity was that we walked away and didn't carry the charge the energy of our Sinai sometimes the calamity is not some external punishment the calamity is not some external external consequence sometimes the calamity is what we gave up. The opportunity lost, who we could have been. That in itself is a calamity for which we for which we mourn. Okay, the same thing I didn't get to last year, I didn't get to today. So, next year by Hashem, please God we'll learn in Yerushalayim. But "Vayishmo Anav Me'od." Moshe was incredibly humble. We have Miriam and Aaron speaking lashon hara about their brother. And Hashem comes and gives the ultimate endorsement. Says, "Don't touch Moshe. He's mine. He's my man because he's the most humble man of all time." The most humble man of all time. In fact, I'll tell you one insight in it in the last 2 minutes. I have many more, but I'll I'll just read to you what Rabbi Sacks Today was a big Rabbi Sacks day. Where Rabbi Sacks writes, "Vayishmo So, So, Miriam and Aaron are gossiping about Moshe? Miriam is punished and Hashem himself comes along and testifies for Moshe. And how does he do so? What's the ultimate testimony he gives? He doesn't say, 'How dare you? Moshe is the holiest the most righteous. He's the most careful on and kashrus. He has the longest esrei. He's the biggest masmid in the Beis Medrash.' He doesn't say any of those things. What's the ultimate compliment? What's the ultimate admiration Hashem has for Moshe? "Vayishmo Anav Me'od." Moshe is very humble. Writes Rabbi Sacks, "This is a novum in history. The idea that a leader's highest virtue is humility must have seemed absurd, almost self-contradictory in the ancient world. Leaders were proud, magnificent, distinguished by their dress, appearance, and regal manner. They built temples in their own honor. They had triumphant inscriptions engraved for posterity. Their role was not to serve, but to be served. Everyone else was expected to be humble, not they. Humility and majesty could not coexist in the ancient world. So, this seemed absurd. In Judaism, this entire configuration was overturned. Leaders were to serve, not be served. Moshe's highest act of weight was to be called Hashem, Hashem's servant." The architectural symbolism of the two great empires of the ancient world, the Mesopotamian ziggurat, Tower of Babel, and the pyramids of Egypt, visually represented a hierarchical society broad at the base and narrow at the top. The Jewish symbol, the menorah, was the opposite, broad at the top, narrow at the base, as if to say that in Judaism a leader serves the people, not vice versa. Moshe's first response to God's call to the burning bush was one of humility. "Who am I to bring the Jewish people out of Egypt?" It was precisely the humility that qualified him to lead. Humility is not what it's sometime taken to be, a lowest estimate of oneself. True humility is mindfulness of self. Anav is one who never thinks about himself because he has more important things to think about. I once heard someone say about a religious leader, "He took God so seriously, he didn't need to take himself seriously at all." That is biblical humility. Humility is not self-abasement. It is not self anything. It is the ability to stand in silent awe in the presence of others, the love the otherness of other people, the majesty of creation, the beauty of the world, the power of great ideas, the call of great ideals. Humility is the silence of the self in the presence of that which is greater than the self. Humility is one of the most expansive and life-enhancing of all virtues. It does not mean undervaluing yourself, it means valuing other people. It signals an openness to life's grandeur and the willingness to be surprised and uplifted by goodness wherever one finds it. Humility is more than just a virtue. It is a form of perception, a language in which the eye is silent so I can hear the thou, the unspoken call beneath human speech, the divine whisper within all that moves, the voice of otherness that calls me to redeem its loneliness within the touch of love. Humility is what opens us to the world. But that contrast between the ancient world, which and think about today, I'm going to write an article hopefully today or tomorrow about how the world almost was brought down last week because the richest man in the world and the most powerful man in in world had an ego match cuz they had a keyboard and internet connection at their fingertips and went at it. And the ego and access to post their thoughts in real time could have had an enormous impact on the whole rest of us and the rest of the world. We still live in a world to a certain extent which believes that leadership is ego, majesty, and regal, and royal, and that all serve them instead of recognizing that in Judaism the leader serves the people and the leader serves Hashem and that service should be done with humility, which was the ultimate accolade of Mosha. With Hashem we will pick up next week. It should be a day of besoros tovos, yeshuos, and nechamahs. Please remain for all of sefer Tehillim. If everybody takes a booklet, we daven hard for our hostages and our soldiers, we can finish Tehillim fairly quickly.