The Torah of BROKEN THINGS | Parsha Perspectives | Ki Sisa 5786

Okay, good morning Boca and welcome back to Parsha Perspective for today. Thank you for your flexibility. I assume nobody was coming tomorrow morning to learn the Parsha. A lot of mitzvahs to do tomorrow, a lot of preparation, a lot of megillah to hear. So, thank you for coming today. Parshas Ki Sisa should not be neglected just because it's the week in which Purim occurs. I want to thank our series sponsors, our generous series sponsors, Becky and Avi Katz and family. Our learning is in memory of David Gross and the David ben Menachem Monish. This year is also sponsored by Jared Shar. Thanks to the Parsha Perspective for giving strength to complete his race to the base half marathon. Okay. And by Chava Naiditch for the wonderful Torah. Appreciate the insights. Thank you. And dedicated anonymously to peace on earth and compassion for the children of all nations. All should be safe and secure. And in honor of Steven Ellis ben Lev on his first year with love from the Ellis family. Okay, we're on page 484 in the ArtScroll Stone Chumash. Before we begin with the Parsha, just a word. I know many are going to listen to this after Purim, so just one word about Purim. We're on the eve the of Purim. And of course this Purim is so different, so unlike so many of the Purims that we've observed and celebrated before. Our brothers and sisters in Israel are targets, are in and out of bomb shelters, are being chased by ballistic missiles. We daven certainly for their safety, their security, for the success of the American military, the Israeli military to wipe out our enemies even before Purim begins. But I want to share with you, I saw the email newsletter my sister who lives in Modi'in her rov Rav Sobol and he wrote the following. This story of Purim is extraordinary. It begins with sorrow, divine concealment with an existential threat to the Jewish people, and ends with a reality of joy, divine illumination, and a great victory for Am Yisrael. Arba Memin. One of the allusions to the mitzvahs of Purim is known as the four mems. All the mitzvahs of Purim begin with the letter mem. Mikra Megillah, we have an obligation to read the Megillah. Mishloach Manos, we give a gift one to the other. I mentioned that Chaim and inside of Rav Tkluger Ish L'Rei'ehu. The day is all about achdus, unity. It's about overcoming whatever divisions or divide. It's about recognizing that Haman tried to leverage the differences between us and Esther understood Lech Kenos Kol HaYehudim, it's only when we all join together. Mishloach Manot, when we give a gift to another Ish, we turn the stranger, the other L'Rei'ehu into our friend. That's the second mem. The third Matanos LaEvyonim, of course we have to give a gift to the poor. And Mishteh V'Simcha, we celebrate with We celebrate with wine and a Seudah. So, these four mems are reminiscent, says Rav Sobol, of the Yom Tov of Pesach. There too we have the number four, which are the Dalet Leshonos of Geulah. There too we have a representation of four, the four cups of wine that commemorate the four languages, not just synonyms, but stages of Geulah. Hotzeisi, V'Hitzalti, V'Ga'alti, V'Lakachti. Pesach also includes a fifth expression, V'Heveisi Eschem El Ha'Aretz. We learn this every year. When I tell you what it says, the Rav Menachem Mendel Kasher in his Haggadah Sheleimah, in the first edition of Shemos in his Haggadah Sheleimah, suggested that maybe we're living through the fulfillment of the fifth, V'Heveisi, we've been brought back into Eretz Yisrael. We have a modern state of Israel, sovereignty over our land. Maybe it's time for a fifth cup. That was rejected by the Chief Rabbinate. We don't have the fifth cup. But this expression was not included in the Pesach Haggadah, which was formulated in Galus, in exile. Rather, it expressed the hope for the future return to the land of Israel, a hope that we have merited to see fulfilled in our generation, writes Rav Sobol. It may be said that Purim too we have a fifth mem that awaited fulfillment. And that is What's the fifth mem? Mashiach, not yet here. What's the fifth mem? M'chiyas Amalek, the eradication of Amalek. The miracle of Purim was great and wondrous, but it took place in exile. We were victorious in the war, yet we did not merit to eradicate Amalek completely. Therefore, it remains with four Mitzvahs of men and a dream of the fifth, Machias Amalek. In our generation, he writes, through God's kindness, we have merited to return to our land, to establish a Jewish state, a strong army, take responsibility for our destiny. As a result, ideas that were once distant and unattainable in exile, such as the eradication of Amalek, are becoming part of our lived reality. V'hayinu k'cholmim, we are like dreamers. It's an amazing email. It's the rabbi of a community who are going to be celebrating Purim in bomb shelters, separate and apart, and not in the streets, not gathering as a community, figuring out on their own, and rather than wallow in sorrow and misery and anger and resentment, rather than seek pity, they feel strong, powerful. I spoke to Rav Rimoin yesterday for a little while. I wanted to understand from him what he thinks our Purim here in Chutz L'Aretz should look like. How can we be sensitive and understanding that our brothers and sisters and citizens of Kent and he said, "What do you mean? You have to stand upright with pride. We're not just commemorating a Purim of the past. This is Purim unfolding and the miracles of today are greater than the miracles of Purim. And we have to celebrate in full force, to celebrate with full glory." He said, "You should pause, say Tehillim at the beginning of the Seudah, and maybe don't be as joyful, don't be as with with wine as we normally are. Should be a little bit more moderate, a little bit more present, but to celebrate, to feel the power of what it means to be a Jew, that's what Rabbi Sobol is writing, that the fifth mem this year we've merited. We have an army, we've merited the fifth mem, Machias Amalek. We are the remarkable generation that Hashem sent, we'll merit to complete the eradication of Amalek, which began in the days of Mordechai and Esther, and we read in the Megillah. As we see, this is not a mission completed all at once. Sadly, there are those who were murdered sanctifying Hashem's name and wounded individuals, whom we doubt will have a complete recovery. Precisely because of this, our responsibility is even greater. Strengthen ourselves in prayer to him in Torah and the observance of missiles and unity and mutual responsibility and strict adherence to instructions of the home front command. Each of us is a partner on the home front in spirit and in action in the struggle for the existence of Ami Israel and Machias and Malik. That's the email he wrote to his community today with blessings for a joyful and meaningful poem and for good news salvations and victories of Ami Israel my hood and my soul are blessed in the house of the car cane Tia Nanu Mika amcha Israel. That is the Jewish people. That's the Jewish people the Mika amcha Israel. As we're beginning my daughter in Jerusalem is sending pictures of all the Mishloach Manot she made. I I don't know the entire night she sends pictures of being in and out of a bomb shelter of her daughters who can't stay asleep who know but no routine by now. They hear the siren they walk on their own. Little babies to the bomb shelter and yet she's making all the Mishloach Manot. She's faithful. She'll have the chance the opportunity to deliver to celebrate. Mika amcha Israel the strength of klal Israel it's just extraordinary. So not just the four men but the fifth man we're being Zohar the fifth man of Machias and Malik it should be complete before even Purim begins. Page 44 parshas Ki Sisa. Ki Sisa by the way I shall I lay more and I think we in Hudson I'm going to send the email out today. I think that we should celebrate like Rabbi Ramon told us but we should be careful. Maybe this year we don't need to post pictures and videos. Maybe this year we don't have to share so publicly and online. Maybe this year those who are unable to be in the streets and their driveways and gather together don't need to see the way we are. We should celebrate it's a Yom Tov. We should be grateful to Hashem but maybe in a very sensitive way. By the way I shall I lay more Ki Sisa I chose this of good day am. This parsha should be very familiar to us not just because we read it last year should be very familiar to us why? Because we also read it last week, Parshas Shkalim. We just read it. Parshas Shkalim, the obligation of the senses. The Jewish people are taking account. And the way we take account is how? Not the most efficient way, should be 1 2 3 4, but every person gave a half shekel. They fulfilled their obligation of machatzis hashekel. We today tiny sister, we have outside in the basket half dollars. There's a minute to lift and you don't say I'm fulfilling machatzis hashekel because it's not machatzis hashekel. Fortunately, we don't have a base of mitzvahs. We're not contributing our half shekel. We're not supplying the obligation, the resources for the carbonas. It's zecher lamachatzis hashekel. And we do it for ourselves. If a person is married, they should do it for their wife. If one is pregnant, should do it for their unborn baby. All the different minhagim when it comes to machatzis hashekel. And it comes from our parsha. The census was completed through machatzis hashekel. And the Torah here tells us when it comes to machatzis hashekel, pasuk says well, the ashir lo yarbeh, the adol lo yamit. The machatzis hashekel. Let's say it's two months asham l'chaper al nafshoseichem. The wealthy don't give more and the poor don't give less. Everybody gives exactly a half a shekel. They give their portion to atone. It's kodesh l'chaper al nafshoseichem. It is a kapara. It atones. It repairs for ourselves. It's unlike the rest. You know, the Shulchan Aruch records, it's very interesting. If we would reinstate this, we'd solve whatever financial problems the Jewish people have. But the Shulchan Aruch records that shul membership and yeshiva tuition should not be a flat fee. It shouldn't just be this is membership. Of course, with dues adjustment. And of course, at schools scholarships. But we have a flat fee. According to the Shulchan Aruch, based on the Gemara, it was proportional. It was a ratio. It was a percentage of a person's income, which makes a lot of sense. Why should the person who's earning $60,000 a year pay the same membership or tuition as the person who's earning $6 million a year? If for that person making less, that giving is a lot more. It's a lot more. So, ordinarily the Shulchan Aruch and the Gemara says, really the way it was and maybe the way it still should be is that a person gives a proportion, a percentage. And yet, when it comes to Machatzis Hashekel, unusual, it's not a percentage. It's not prorated based on a person's income. Everyone gives exactly the same. No more and no less. Everyone gives exactly the same. And unlike any other campaign in history, not only if you were a poor man could you not give less than a half shekel, but if you were a rich man, you couldn't give more than a half shekel. Why not let the wealthy person contribute more? Why not? There are bills to pay. There are expansions that you got to cover. Says Rabbi Nachman the following. At first glance, a half shekel, if you think about it, is a negligible amount of money. It's nothing. Based on the current value of silver, what's a half shekel? I don't know exactly, less than $5. And with this mitzvah, the Torah is communicating a very powerful message. This is nothing small or shameful when it comes to what we do or give to Hashem or the Jewish people. See, sometimes the person feels, "I'm in a position in life. I'm insignificant. I'm inconsequential. I don't make a difference. I'm embarrassed. I'm ashamed. What am I? What difference do I make? I'm not a big ganacha. I'm not a big veer. I'm not among the wealthy. I can't write a big check. My name can't go on the wall. Who am I? I'm not such a talmid chacham. I'm a very simple person. My mitzvahs, what do they mean? My Torah, what does it contribute or add? I can't even remember anything I learned." So, a person feels negligible. They feel insignificant. They feel inconsequential. They feel they're not adding anything. Says Rabbi Nachman, comes along the Torah and says, Hashem lo ya'abeh va'da lo yamit. Everybody gives the same because that little amount, it matters. The difference they do, it's precious to Hashem. It has inestimable value. It moves and it transforms the cosmos. Hashem doesn't just welcome and value the davening of the righteous. He doesn't just welcome the learning of the brilliant. He doesn't just accept the tzedakah of the wealthy. Every person when they give what they can, when they dig deep and they give, such a person, every tefillah you utter, every gift you give, every moment or resource you share, every Torah you learn, they matter. They mean something. They're precious to Hashem. Ha'ashir lo yarbeh writes Rabbi Nachman, whoever is wealthy in Torah and mitzvot, whoever is accomplished, ha'ashir doesn't just mean wealthy in money. It means a person is wealthy in Torah and mitzvot, lo yarbeh. They're not greater. They don't get too high on yourself. You're not bigger, you're not greater, you're not superior. Don't thumb your nose at others. Ha'dal, somebody who's still learning, somebody's a beginner, somebody who's just starting, somebody who maybe this is their first megillah, this is their first poem, ha'dal, they're yearning, they're growing, still all they can give is a modest amount, lo yamit, don't dismiss it. Don't minimize it. Don't think it's nothing. Ha'ashir or ha'dal, wealthy or poor, everyone gives the exact same half shekel, because everyone's contribution counts, everyone's contribution matters, it all complements one another in order to become whole. This is one of the themes of Purim and that's why we understand that the minhag of zecher l'machatzit ha'shekel is the precursor. It is the introduction to Purim. Because Purim is all about achdus. Haman was the tzorer ha'Yehudim, he bound us together. Tzorer means enemy and adversary. As we've been sharing, the Torah Torah says, tzorer also means to bind, to unite. By making every Jew in Israel, 10 million, flee to bomb shelters, run from ballistic missiles, it doesn't matter. You served in the army, you didn't serve in the army, right wing, left wing, religious, not religious, judicial reform, anti-judicial reform, protested, it doesn't matter. Ha'tzorer, Haman tzorer ha'Yehudim, our enemies find a way to bind us together. We shouldn't need them. Let's connect all of them. We should have the capacity to unite, to be together. That's what Esther is all about. All their fast days are they commemorate the misery, the destruction, the days of introspection and Esther is the tightness. We're commemorating that Esther brought us all together to fast. We found the capacity to unite, to combine, to integrate, to not see the differences even though they're important. The issues that we debate, but to feel together. To feel together. We have to unite and that's the master shackle. It's very inefficient. It'd make much more sense for everyone to give what? A whole shackle. It'd be much more simple math. Everyone gives one one plus one plus one plus one, you'd know exactly how many we are. Instead, everybody gives a half a shackle and now you got to do some math to figure out the senses, the number of the people. It's a very inefficient way to count. So why was it mandated that way to tell us? Each of us on our own are only a half. You're only a half. It's only when we combine with another Jew, it's only when we collaborate, it's only when we partner, it's only when we see and care about and connect with the other, it's only then we become whole. You see in Yiddish kite and why do we do a census with the giving of money? It's so Jewish, right? It's like another appeal. We need a census, I have an idea. Why don't we do it through an appeal? It's such a Jewish thing. Always have to involve money? We can't just count, walk around with a clipboard? Can't just make a link, a QR code? Can't just count the people? We got to do it with a gift. So listen to what Nachman says. We don't count people, we count the master shackle was given. It's clear that what's counted is not a person as they are, but what counts is if a person gives their contribution. You're not counted just because you exist. You're not counted just because you are. You're not child counted just because you're alive. You know what makes you count? What you contribute. What you contribute is what makes you count. So, we do a census different than everybody else? Everybody else, they knock on the door, you're alive, how many people in the house? That's how many people are we'll mark you down. Now we've done the census. Now you've contributed your part in the census. That's not a Yiddish census. That's not a Jewish census. Because the Jewish sentence, you're not counted just because you're alive, just because you exist, just because you are. We're counted by what we give, by what we give. If you count the number of Jews in the world, how many Jews what percentage of the world population are Jewish? .2% of the world population. 8 billion worldwide, .2. Maybe the numbers are a little off. If you count the contributions of the Jewish people to the world, it's a whole lot bigger than .2%. And you all know the math. How many Nobel Peace Prize how many Nobel Prizes in math, in science, in medicine, Israel's contributions to technology, in every realm, in every study, in every discipline, in every discovery, .2% of the population and much much much higher that in our contribution. You don't count just by existing, we count by what we contribute. And we all contribute differently. Echad amarbe ve'echad am'at, u'levav echad l'shamayim. So, therefore, dal o yame'it. If you're rich, you can't give more. If you're poor, you don't give less. All of us if we contribute what we have, this one's artistic and this one is athletic. This one is a leader and this one gets things done quietly. We all are designed differently, but if we take who we are and what we have and we use it to contribute, that's how we are counted. We see this elsewhere in our parashah. Re'eh karasi ve'shem, Betzalel ben Uri ben Chur l'mateh Yehudah. Torah tells us Hashem says, "See, I called out to Betzalel, son of Uri ben Hur of the tribe of Judah, Va'amalei oso ruach Elohim b'chochma u'vitvuna u'vidaas, with the divine spirit, b'chochma u'vitvuna u'vidaas, u'v'chol m'lacha. The first Chabadsker was Betzalel, chochma, bina, u'vidaas. He was the first member of Chabad, b'chochma u'vitvuna u'vidaas, I've been endowed I've been endowed with divine skill, skill, ability, knowledge, and every kind. So, Hashem says, "Re'eh, see, karasi, I called out to Betzalel." Asks Reb Moshe Feinstein, "Reb Moshe, where do we see that Hashem called Betzalel? Re'eh, look, give it a kick, see. Previously, I called Betzalel. Where do you see that he called Betzalel?" Where do you see that he already called Betzalel? Says Reb Moshe, the pasuk continues by telling us that Betzalel was filled with wisdom, skill, and ability. And that was his calling. When we look into our own lives and we see our talents and our blessings and our skills, that's Hashem calling us. That's revealing our calling. He called us. You can't say he never tapped me on the shoulder. He never sent me an email. I never got a WhatsApp from God. He never revealed himself and spoke to me and told me what I should do. We don't sit and wait. We look in the mirror, and we figure out what are our talents, what are our skills, what are our blessings, what are our resources, what are our gifts, what do I have, and that's Hashem calling us. That's our calling. That's our mission. That's our purpose, explains Reb Moshe. That's what Hashem was telling Avram when he said, "V'heyei bracha." Don't just receive blessing. When Hashem told Avram, "Lech l'cha me'artzecha, u'mimolad'techa, u'mibeis avicha." And he says, I'm going to I God l'goy gadol, I'm going to make your name great, and I'm going to give you a bracha, "Avarechecha." I'm going to give you a bracha, "V'heyei bracha." Isn't it repetitive, redundant? "Avarechecha" means I'm going to bless you. I'm going to give you a lot of blessing. Avram indeed went viral. Avram was a great influencer. He He a lot of followers. He transformed the world. Everyone knew his name. Everyone still knows his name. President even recently learned how to pronounce his name, the Abraham Accords. Everyone knows Abraham's name. The God indeed fulfilled his blessing, his promise of making him blessed. So, what did the word blessing add? Isn't it redundant? So, they said it's not redundant. So, it's Abraham, I'll bless you. Blessing means use what I've given you to be a blessing to others. I'll make your name great. You're going to go viral. You're going to be a big influencer. People are going to know you. I'm going to give you a lot of resources. I'm going to give you wisdom. I'm going to give you oratorical skills. I'm going to Now, blessing, take it, use it, be a blessing to others. Everyone sitting in this room, everybody watching online, everyone everywhere has something in their life that is a blessing, has a talent and a skill. Some have great resources. Some are artistic. Some are great speakers. Some are great leaders. Some have great patience. Some have great care and concern and empathy. We're all different and we all have different talents and skills. And what says is, "I'm giving you these blessings now, blessing, take it and use it and channel it and apply it and be a blessing to others." Such a beautiful insight. "See, I called see, I called Bezalel." Where did he call him? Says Moshe, by giving Bezalel the spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, by endowing him with all those skills and talents and blessings, that was Bezalel's calling. That was his calling. He called him, and that was Bezalel's calling, and he has that for all of us as well. Okay. Turn the page. Then we have the gift of the basin and its stand. Why wasn't this included earlier? We we this in the past. We went through all the utensils of the Mishkan. We went through the Shulchan, the Menorah, the Mizbeach. The end of last week's parsha, seemingly out of place, we had the other Mizbeach. And now we have yet another vessel, yet again out of place, the Kiyor. The Kiyor was the laver that the Kohanim would come and wash. They would come and wash their hands and feet, one on top of the other, and they had to balance. It's complicated. Rashi tells us exactly how it was done, where it was in the Mishkan. And why is it here? Why isn't it back in parshas Terumah, where we had all of the utensils? It should have been included earlier. The answer, we discussed that in the past. This Kiyor, what was the basis? The mirrors. Which mirrors? The women, who in Mitzrayim, when those lousy men gave up hope and gave up faith, and those lousy men said it's enough, the women said there's going to be a brighter future, optimism and faith and hope. Bizchus nashim tzidkaniyos, in the merit of those righteous women. So, it was Miriam who convinced her mother, "Beautify yourself, attract the attention of your husband, of my father, and have more children. There's a brighter future. This is going to turn around. There's going to be a redemption and a geulah. Things are going to be okay." And we preserved those mirrors, and we studied this, too. Moshe said to Hashem, "It's a davar meguna. These mirrors, these are instruments of vanity. We're going to put them in your holy Mishkan, your place of spirituality? You're going to put these instruments of vanity?" And Hashem said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. These mirrors, these are precious to me. Because these mirrors are what the women used in order to affect or demonstrate their faith in me." And that, when the Kohanim would wash in their feet and their hands, when they would prepare for the avodah to serve Hashem, how would they prepare? By looking into those mirrors as the base of those laver, of that basin. Incredibly, incredibly holy. Soloveitchik has another insight we've quoted a countless times. I'll just say it briefly. He says also the placement of this Kiyor was right next to the Mizbeach. Mizbeach is the place of Kapara. It's the place of atonement. It's the place of forgiveness. It's the place of confession. It's the place of admission. It's the place of repair. It's the place of of Tshuva, of repentance. What do you have to see on the way to the Misbeah? You have to look in the mirror. You have to look in the mirror. We have to be honest with ourselves. We can't achieve repentance. We can't achieve forgiveness if we're not honest with ourselves. And that's why that's where it was. Then we have the anointing oil. You have all the oil for the anointing. Where the Kalim and the Kohanim were anointed with the special oil. Then we have page 488, the incense. We have this Katoris. It was finely ground. It was finely ground. We learn about the encouragement. The Kohanim had to be encouraged. Grind it finely. Grind it so that it's fine. And this Katoris very peculiar mixture. It had something very putrid. One of the ingredients didn't smell very good. And from here we learn that we invite Matel Balam Vayanam. That the community is incomplete unless those who are imperfect are included. Even those who are malodorous. Even those who are putrid in their smell, so to say, who are absent and missing in Torah and Mitzvahs, who seem compromised and corrupt in their votes of Hashem. They too have a place. The community has to be warm and welcoming and inviting them. The Katoris is incomplete without them. A very powerful message of the Katoris. And then bottom of page 48, paragraph 11. Hashem speaks this is the positive we spoke before. He calls them. He fills them with his divine wisdom. And he tells them time to get to work. You are the architect. You are the designer of the Mishkan. All the Kalim. It's Kokliol. Shulchan is Kokliol. Menorah is This copper should love. This copper should love. This copper should love. This copper should love. You and your team, you're hired. You are the design firm. You are the architect. You are to put together this Mishkan, all the utensils, all the vessels. You even design the uniforms, the big garden of the corner. And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, we're on a roll, we're on a streak. We are learning all about the Mishkan. True master Sabbath at the beginning of Kisa. Now we're interrupted with Sabbath. The eternal light is more of a sham society tomorrow. The old city of New York is the same as the old city of New York is the same as the old city of New I shall say to Moshe in the middle of all these instructions and identifying and elevating the architect, the designer of the Mishkan. All of a sudden we have the introduction of Thomas, the reminder of Thomas. However, I shall say to observe my translate the word Thomas. Thomas is observe my observe my Thomas is not observe my Thomas in the singular. That would be Thomas I. Thomas I say is observe my my Thomas is in the plural. Why do we have a plural? Observe my Thomas is Kiosi because it's a sign they knew of a nation between God and us for generations to know that I am a sham who sanctifies you. Who shall observe my Thomas observe Thomas Kadosh it's holy and sacred to you. The most famous of the desecrator are to be put to death because the nation of America because it's desecrator will be spiritually excised from among my people. Six days of work, will be a seventh day rest, it's Shabbos, it's sacred. And then the paragraphs so familiar to us from davening from kiddush. Shabbos. And the children of the Jewish people shall observe Shabbos. Lasos es haShabbos. What is the word lasos? To make. How do you make Shabbos? Shabbos is all about being passive. Don't do the 39 categories of creative labor. Shabbos is a long list of don'ts. So what's the do? Lasos is do. Do Shabbos. What do you mean do Shabbos? Shabbos is a long list of don'ts. So what's the Torah telling us do? We just had this between me and you it's a sign. That six days I created heaven and earth and the seventh day rest. And now back to your regular story. Shabbos here is an interruption. Why is she Shabbos here bringing us this interruption? So even though Chazal are wise did not connect the placement of this parshas parsha regarding Shabbos in the middle of the Malachos Mishkan to teach us the Malachos Mishkan may not take place on Shabbos. That's a lesson later in parshas Vayakel. Rashi here nevertheless sees this connection in this context. And Rashi says af al pi she katzi tzav es ha Shabbos al Malachos haMishkan al yakov ben nachlas Shabbos. Here we've just glorified and elevated, we've just described a dirah betachtonim, Hashem is going to dwell among us, we're building a house of connection and intimate rendezvous with Hashem, who's in charge but Betzalel has been endowed with everything he needs. He has this calling, I've called him, he's going to design it, it's a place of miracles, but lest you think it supersedes Shabbos, lest you think you're allowed to build a Mishkan on Shabbos, no. Hashem introduced the Shabbos in the middle of this parsha to tell us that you're not allowed to. You're not allowed to. And indeed we learn, how do you learn what are the Malachos of Shabbos? Here the Torah just said six days work and the seventh day rest, you're not allowed to do melacha on Shabbos. What's melacha? How do I know what's melacha? What's work? So, Chazal taught us, "Whatever qualifies, whatever is defined as creative labor that went into the building of the Mishkan, is the creative labor that you need to abstain and refrain from. And the same way that you're harnessing and channeling creative labor in its most positive sense, with its greatest merit, using it to build a house for God, is the same way that by refraining and abstaining, by resting from that same creative labor, you're honoring Hashem." And therefore, the juxtaposition of Shabbos to Mishkan is to teach us that Mishkan does not supersede Shabbos. Even this pursuit of the spiritual does not supersede, does not override the obligation of observing observing Shabbos. So, rather than seeing this as a redundancy, it seems that a more careful reading of Rashi can reveal that maybe maybe Hashem is not speaking to the Jewish people. Whom is Hashem speaking to here? Moshe. Moshe, the leader. As you lead them in the Binyan of Mishkan, as you lead them in the beginning of the building of the Mishkan, be careful. This is a holy endeavor. You might think, Goldberg, you could raise money, you could build, you could maybe get a contractor, you're building a shul. It's holy. You might think you could even do it on Shabbos. No. Even the most holy noble pursuit, everything comes to a stop, a standstill, everything rests for Shabbos, for Shabbos. The Sforno takes this idea even further. Not just a matter of al ya'aleh v'lo yinnach, like Rashi wrote, "It shouldn't be light, don't take it lightly." Shabbos supersedes, Shabbos is number one, Shabbos everything stops. But to point out that violating this and building the Mishkan on Shabbos will not even achieve the desired result, writes the Sforno. It won't make it a makom kodesh. Im tikal kel zeh ha'os, ein sham makom la'asos Mishkan lishchni besochechem. You think you think you'll build a house for me and you'll do it even on Shabbos? No, the Shabbos comes first. Shabbos, resting, being at peace, being in harmony, spending time with me even supersedes and overrides the building of the Mishkan. So much so that if you continue to try to build the Mishkan, I won't dwell in it. Not just that you shouldn't do it, but it'll work. If you try to do it, it won't work. I won't dwell in it. Kedusha, sanctity can't come through unholy behavior. It's a very powerful Sforno when you think about it. And it's very appropriate for the rest of the parsha because the theme of the rest of the parsha is going to be the story of the cheit ha'egel. Spoiler alert. Moshe doesn't come back in time, the people panic, they build a golden calf, Aaron maybe leads them in that effort to buy some time, and God Moshe comes down from the mountain, discovers them dancing around that golden calf, smashes the luchos. Then he has to go up for 40 days, 40 nights to beg for forgiveness for the people from this horrific mistake, catastrophic mistake, that God was about to wipe them out for. And then we have parshas Vayakhel Pekudei. Why do I have Vayakhel Pekudei? I just had Terumah and Tetzaveh. For the next 2 weeks we're going to have 2 more parshas that we already read essentially. All the details, all the materials, all the dimensions, everything in them we already heard. Terumah and Tetzaveh is almost verbatim repeated in Vayakhel Pekudei with with Ki Tisa stuck in between. Why? Why do I need Vayakhel Pekudei? And what's really happening with the cheit ha'egel? I tell you this every year. The Kuzari and others explain that the cheit ha'egel was not idolatry. A very superficial, simplistic understanding is we gave up on God, we needed another deity, so we built an idol, and like the rest of the world, we started to bow down. That's impossible to believe. How could it be? We just walked away from our Sinai. We just walked away from the greatest revelation in history. We just walked away from the 10 plagues and splitting the sea. We just walked away from miracles. It can't be we began to worship an idol immediately, right away. It can't be. It can't be. Says the Kuzari Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, so what happened here? What is the story? The story is that the Jewish people, until now we had something tangible, something palpable. Because we are physical beings, we live and operate in a physical world, and it's very hard to connect to some spiritual God with nothing physical, nothing to connect with. We had something physical, his name was Moshe Rabbenu. Moshe was the intermediary. Moshe would go to the Ohel Moed, hear God, come back and report and teach us. When Moshe climbed that mountain and didn't come back, and the panic and fear ensued that he isn't coming back, the people began to say, "We need to touch. We need to see. We need to feel. We need to hear. We live and operate in a physical world, and now we have no physical medium with which to connect to Hashem. We'll build an ego. It will replace Moshe, not as an alternative to God, but as an alternative to Moshe." And the Ribono shel Olam says, "You know, I hear you. I hear you. That's reasonable. That's a legitimate need. That's a legitimate need. But you can't make it up on your own. You can't try to be individual spiritual entrepreneur. You can't be creative. You got to follow my word, my prescription, my recipe, my formula. You got to do it my way. You can't just do it on your own. And so Ki Sisa is right in between Tirmita and Vayakhel and Pekudei. Really, the Mishkan came after the chet ha'egel. The Mishkan was the response and antidote to the chet ha'egel. God says, "You have this craving, this need for something physical, material, palpable? That's understandable. That's reasonable. I'm going to give you a Mishkan. I'm going to give you a Mishkan. You want to continue Har Sinai? The Ramban says that the Mishkan was the continuation of Har Sinai. You wanted to stay at that mountain? You can't. You have to move on in life. But we can take the mountain with us. And how do we take the mountain with us? A Mishkan, a Beit Hamikdash, a Mikdash Me'at, a shul. Whenever we want to go back to Har Sinai, come to shul. The bimah is Har Sinai. The ba'al korei is Moshe pronouncing and announcing the Torah once again. You long, you want to go back to the mountain? You have some doubt and uncertainty? You're looking for the clarity and confidence, the conviction that there's Hashem in this world? Go to the shul. Go to the Mikdash. Go to the Mishkan. You can't stay at the mountain, but you can take the mountain with you. That's what the Mishkan was, writes the Ramban. But the Mishkan also was God acknowledging and validating this generation. It's very important if you have to validate everybody. Hashem was validating. We said, "We have a need. You have to hear my need. You have to hear where I'm coming from. You have to hear my story." What was our need? We need something physical. something tangible. Hashem says, "I'm validating you. That's reasonable. That's understandable. I'll give you a Mishkan. But you can't do it your way." And therefore come parshios Vayakhel Pekudei. And they're not verbatim Terumah Tetzaveh. There's one major difference about them. Says the Beit Halevi, "Look, and you'll see K'asher tzivah Hashem Elokecha, k'asher tzivcha Hashem Elokecha over and over and over as God your Lord commanded you, as God commanded you, as God commanded you. We can't do it our way. You can't do it our way. Any more than the doctor sends you home with a prescription for medicine and you say, "You know, the doctor thinks I should take this medicine? I'm going to swallow the whole bottle." You got to follow the formula. You got to do what you're being told or it's not going to work. It doesn't work. Hashem put us in this world. He created us and he designed us. And he knows what works to make us feel close to him. You can't say, "Shabbat is a beautiful thought, a beautiful idea. The idea that we rest on the seventh day. You know how I rest? I drive to the beach and I lounge and I read and I go for a swim. That's my idea of Shabbat. You're not entitled. We're not entitled to come up with our own idea of Shabbat. Hashem gave us the formula prescription for Shabbat, for kashrut, and for life. And we have to do it his way. And if we mess with it, we try to get too creative with it, we try to be too individual with it, it doesn't work. We're not close to him. Any more than your spouse asks you, your spouse communicates a need that they have, a want that they have, and you say, "Oh, you want jewelry and you asked for that? No, no, I'm going to get you this. If you want that, you're going to love it." That's not what they wanted. And therefore, if you don't get what they wanted, not only do you not yield the result of feeling close, now you feel him further distant. Now you feel further away. Hashem says, "Follow. Follow my prescription." And according to the Sforno, that's all a long way of coming back to this Sforno. Sforno doesn't just say, "If you build the Mishkan on Shabbat, not only have you not fulfilled the mitzvah of building the Mishkan, not only did you violate Shabbat cuz that's not the way it should go, I'm not moving in," says God. "I'm not dwelling there. It's not a makom kadosh." Because when you try to do holy things in an unholy way, you don't result in holiness. It's not the way it works. Going even further than the Netziv, Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, the Netziv, writes that the words "ani Hashem mekadeshchem" are a big part of the picture. These refer to things which will cause us to have a spiritual awakening, an encounter with the Mikdash. "Ani Hashem mekadeshchem." I am the God who sanctifies you. I gave you spirituality. You're going to go pursue? You're going to go creatively try to introduce? You're going to go think you could come up with it on your own? I'm the one who created you. I'm your designer. I'm your programmer. I'm the one who introduced the entire idea and concept of spirituality, of kedusha. And therefore, even when a nachri enters a beit knesset to say the Torah, can be spiritually uplifted. A non-Jew walks into a shul, a non-Jew encounters even Jewish holiness, they feel there's something here. They could be uplifted uplifted. For the Jewish people, writes the Netziv, it's automatic. When a Jew has an encounter with Shabbos, they feel something. It awakens it arouses something in the pintel Yid, the neshama inside them. That's the os bein u ve bein achem. The sign, the symbol is even when it's unspoken, you can feel something. There's an energy in the room. There's an energy in the day on the calendar, the day of the week. There's an energy in Shabbos. Os u bein u ve bein achem. Hashem says, because Ani Hashem Mekadeshchem, because I am God who sanctifies you and sanctifies time, therefore, when you, the sanctified people, are in that sanctified time called Shabbos, you're going to feel something special. That's the os. That's something special we share that no one else does. Goisha Shabbos, a non-Jew who tries to observe Shabbos, chayav misah. It's not meant it's not designed for them. It's special and it's unique for us. Os u bein u ve bein achem. On those words os u, the Chizkuni, the great Chizkuni writes, lo bein u ve bein umos, kishatev shivukha amoni yodu kol ki okiatem imi ami. Atem ami. When you go to that hotel and you say, I can't open my door cuz they only have electric keys. When you need concessions because you're keeping Shabbos, the whole world knows there's something special between the Jewish people and Hashem. That's it. We are God's people. We are testifying that he created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. We are proclaiming and affirming our faith, our belief in Hashem in the Ribono shel Olam. It feels awkward. Feels is At the hotel, in other contexts, Hashem someone is in a hospital. I can't do this. I can't do this. I need you to do this. This is what's allowed for me. This is what I'm allowed. This is my Sabbath. The person comes to the door, they're fixing your AC, the electrical. I can't sign. They deliver the package. I'm sorry, it's my Sabbath. Every time a Jew says, "I'm It's my Sabbath. I can't." They are testifying to God as creator of the universe. They are promoting ethical monotheism in this world. Every time. Every time. That's the Oseh benei u'veneihem. Because that non-Jew says, "I don't have that. I never heard of that. I'm not bound by that. I'm allowed to do that. Oh, there's something special you have. There's something different in your relationship. There's something different that you are testifying to." It goes way beyond shmiras Shabbos. This is our responsibility. This is our role. This is our mission in in the world. In the world. U'shmartem. Now, let's go back. Ach es shabsosai tishmoru. Ach es shabsosai tishmoru. We asked, "Why does it say shabsosai in the plural?" Why does it say shabsosai in the plural? So, like the Sifsei Chachamim, Rabbi Yaakov Zvi Mecklenburg says, "You know why? Bo lashon yakar harabim." Kitam shabsosai bavur ki shabsos hashanah him rabim. First, he quotes the Ramban. And he says, "Observe my Shabboses. You know why?" Cuz there's one Purim a year. But Shabbos comes every week. There are many. So, since Shabbos is every week, Torah communicates it to us, says the Ramban, in the plural. But, the Sifsei Chachamim, Rabbi Yaakov Zvi Mecklenburg, he has a different interpretation. He says, "You know why it's You know why it's Shabboses in the plural?" Listen to what he says. He says, "B'shem Shabbos yish pishnayim b'hora'ah so. Every Shabbos, you're keeping two Shabboses. Ha'echad inyan bitul hafsakas melachah. V'hasheini inyan yishuv da'as v'inyanim Elokim. Every Shabbos, you're keeping two Shabboses. One is the passive, refraining and abstaining from creative labor, not doing the 39 melachas. One is being at peace and harmony with nature and the universe. Passive Shabbos. But then there's a second component of Shabbos, which is the active Shabbos. Making kiddush, singing zemiros, telling divrei Torah, learning Torah. It means providing and giving the energy of Shabbos. The energy of Shabbos. Ein shvisah aguf l'vadei ekev hadas anafash. Ein anachah shivugoremes shvisah v'ishuv hadas anafash. The physical resting of Shabbos is not the goal and the essence. Rather, it's a yishuv hadas. It's something emotional and something spiritual. So every Shabbos is made of two Shabboses and that's why it's sha And therefore he says, when Chazal say, "Ilu shamru Yisrael shnei Shabbasos miyad nig'alin." If the Jewish people only observe two Shabboses, we would immediately be redeemed. What are the two Shabboses? On one Shabbos. It means if we ever observe both components of the one Shabbos, we'd immediately be redeemed. Shamor and Zachor. The passive and the active. The list of don't, but also the list of do. Shabbos doesn't just come on its own. And that's the meaning in the pasuk, "La'asos es haShabbos l'dorosaychem." If you want Shabbos to be something that for generations they will embrace and keep, it can't just be about the list of don'ts. Don't do this, don't touch your phone, you can't do this, you can't do that, you can't go there, you can't If Shabbos is a list of can't and don't and don't, then generations are not going to want to embrace and live and love Shabbos. You know when they're going to live and love Shabbos? When the Shabbos is "La'asos es haShabbos." Then it's "L'dorosam." When "La'asos," when you make Shabbos, when you make Shabbos, Shabbos atmosphere, Shabbos fun, Shabbos love, Shabbos energy, Shabbos enthusiasm, Shabbos song, Shabbos zemiros, Shabbos game, Shabbos laughter, Shabbos life, that's when "L'dorosam." That's when will be says Rabbi Yaakov 3 Mecklenburg. There's a lot more to say in this cuz I've so far as an idea on this. I was going to tell you another Hizkuni and Ibn Ezra on this, but there's a lot more to get to. But this section of Shabbos off the holy Shabbos as you know, we live for Shabbos. We make the mistake of thinking that we rest on Shabbos so we have energy to work the next six days. No, we work all six days. Why? So we can get to Shabbos. Shabbos is tachlis ma'aseh bereishis. It's the goal, it's the essence, the purpose. Shabbos is the makor bracha. Shabbos is why and what we're doing it all for. Shabbos is what it is all Shabbos is what it's all about. Perek Lamed Beis Pasuk Tes Zayin. Moving right along. After Shabbos, Moshe receives the Luchos. Vayiten Moshe al ha Har Sinai Luchos even sum Elohim. The first set of Luchos were engraved and carved by the Almighty himself. Vayar Moshe Moshe al ha Har and now begins our downfall. Here we go. Sad story. Bottom of page 492, the people saw that Moshe delayed in descending the mountain. They saw that he slowed in coming back. Vayikahel im Aharon and they gathered around Aharon. They ganged up on Aharon. Vayomru and they said kum asei lanu Elohim, go make us a god that we can May Elohim, we don't Moshe the man, our intermediary, our physical tangible connection to the Almighty, Moshe the man, who took us out of Egypt, lo yadanu me hayah lanu, we know no one's heard from him. No one got a message from him. He's not back on our calculation, on our timetable. Vayomer aleihem Aharon, so Aharon said I got to buy time. I know what to do. Go gather and collect, go remove the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, your daughters, go bring them all to me and the people did that. And they brought it and built the eagle, and we know the rest is sadly sadly history. What happens here? God speaks to Mosha, "Lech red ki shicheis amcha asher hotzeisa mi'eretz Mitzrayim." "Go down. Hurry. Go down because the people that you brought out of the land of Egypt, they've become corrupt. They've lost their way. Saru maher min haderech asher tzivisim. They've strayed quickly from the way that I've commanded them." We said previously, "Saru maher min haderech." When we When we leave the derech, it happens quickly. It happens quickly. That goes quickly. Coming back takes a long time. That happens quickly. Last week on our Mevakshei Emunah flight to Israel, 25 chevra, we went to Israel and met with rebbeim, rebbetzins, roshei yeshivos, media personalities. We met with an incredible incredible four days in Israel. One of the people we met with was Rav Gavriel Rabinovich, the great mekubal in Yerushalayim, Rav Gavriel. So, Rav Gavriel has a sling on his arm. He's filled with so energy and he's flailing his arms. I'm not even sure what the sling is doing, but he's got a sling on his arm. So, he told us, "Why does he have a sling on his arm?" Cuz he fell out of bed and he broke his shoulder. And with great gratitude, he said, "Ah, that gave me more kavana. Now, when I say Modeh Ani in the morning, he said, 'I'm 76 years old. Till now, I didn't know that one of the things I'm saying Modeh Ani for is that I didn't fall out of bed.'" "Now, I say Modeh Ani that I woke up this morning, Modeh Ani, thank you, Hashem, I didn't fall out of bed." And then he said to us, "How long do you think it took me to fall out of bed?" "Took seconds. And how long do you think I need to keep my arm in a sling?" "It's going to take weeks and then I need rehab for months." He said, "There's a lesson," says Rav Gavriel, "everything is a lesson. Instead of being bitter and miserable and resentful and in pain, he said, 'Ah, I have a new kavana for Modeh Ani. Now, I know I have to say, "Thank you, I didn't fall out of bed."" And he said, "You see from here that falling takes a moment, happens quickly. But fixing, repairing takes a long time. Doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen overnight. It's a lesson for all of us. Sorrow my hair and my Derek. Sorrow my hair and my Derek. I shouldn't tell my sugar down quickly the people have strayed quickly from the path. They made an egg and masa ha. They're bowing down to it. By Omar and they say a lot of Israel. This is the Lord you got to take you out of Egypt. This is what's going on. This is what's going on. Motion goes down and he sees characters are possible as well. But even with motion and a heart motion turns and he goes down the mountain. Which now looks like it's beyond the shoulder of the two tablets. Lucas machine learning and serving. These are miraculous Lucas. God himself carved them. They have the same thing on both sides. The men the final men which is circular. The piece of stone in the middle was suspended miraculously. It It stayed in between. Even though it made no sense. But Lucas my cell phone in my mouth. And these tablets are the work of God. I'm not going to make the look him who calls Lucas. This is what it's engraved on the Lucas. Motion descends and in his descent the Torah is telling us reminding us about how these Lucas were designed. On those words that the Lucas were engraved Rabbi Sachs has a comment. Says Rabbi Sachs. In pervious the sages saw this verse with a brilliant play on words. Note in the similarity between the word Kairus freedom and Korus engraved they read engraved on the tablets Korus Allah Lucas the Rabbi said don't read Korus read Kairus. Ain the carbon and Alicia the Torah. Because you only are free don't read Korus engraved on the Lucas read Kairus free because who is truly free? Only one who occupies himself with Torah study. What they meant was that if the law is engraved in the hearts of its citizens, it does not need to be enforced by police. True freedom is the ability to control oneself without having to be controlled by others. Accepting voluntarily the moral restraints without which liberty becomes license and society itself a background of warning instincts and desires. This freedom, this idea of freedom depends for its success not on power, but on moral obligation. Places a great burden on the educated conscience, requires unique institutions and needs constant education. The people must know the law. They must hand it on to their children. They must speak of it constantly till it becomes part of their innermost being. But the gain is immense. It means that Israel, if it is loyal to the covenant, will keep the law not because of fear of arrest, trial, or punishment, but because of their love of Hashem, their concern for their neighbors, and their shared sense of past and future. With this we can appreciate the strangest fact of all Jewish history, that without sovereignty in a land, without police or an army, without any normal account without any normal accountrements of nationhood, the Jewish people kept Jewish law voluntarily in exile for 2,000 years. Writes Rabbi Sacks, "This is the strangest fact of Jewish history." There was no police. There was no court. There was nobody holding us accountable. In exile for 2,000 years, we could have given it up. We could have walked away, and some did. But here we are. We held onto it. Why? Because in the mission of Torah. What makes us free is that we learn Torah not out of being forced, not because there are police or lawmakers or trials or punishments, but because we want to. And that is the ultimate expression, that is true and real freedom. When Moshe comes down, tests. Turn the page. When Moshe comes down, he sees the What does he see with the ego? Macholos. What are Macholos? Circles, dances, dancing in circles. Moshe cast down the Luchos. He smashes them under the mountain. Now, we know the story, and so we take it for granted. You can only imagine Moshe's look on his face when he did it. Like, what did what did I just do? These Luchos that got Can you a person imagine a safe of Torah? You throw it on the floor? Moshe takes his Luchos, smashes them on the floor. Smashes them on the floor. What's going on over here? So, I know this last year we spoke about this, too. And we quoted three opinions last year. Three opinions last year, but I want to tell you different this year. Different this year. The night of Joseph Joseph Serotskin brings down eight different explanations. >> [snorts] >> It's said earlier, "Go down and see because your people have become corrupted." Go down and see cuz your people have become corrupt. Moshe didn't learn anything new now. Why does he act with such surprise? Why does he act like he smashes the Luchos. He can't believe what he sees. What do you mean? Well, he was already on top of the mountain. God told him, "You're not going to believe what's going on down there." Hashem already gave him a preview. So, how come he acts with such shock when he comes down? He should have handed them back on the top of the mountain. If they're unworthy, if this is what they're doing, Moshe should have taken them and handed them back. Why does he wait until he comes down? This is the question. For this question, Serotskin provides eight answers. You ready? Buckle up. Number one. He was, of course, bothered, of course, bothered by the building of the golden calf. But you know what really bothered Mosha? The dancing, the singing and dancing and celebrating around it. They're not sitting next to the golden calf saying, "Woe is us, Mosha didn't come back, what could we do? We have no choice." Here they are singing and dancing and celebrating their mistake. Mistakes? Mistakes are acceptable because we're human beings. To err is human. To celebrate and dance about it? That's what Mosha was shocked that he didn't know while he was on top of the mountain. And that's what moves Mosha to break and smash the tablets. That's the insight of the Sforno, similar to the Or HaChaim. Number two. We have a tradition that the letters that God had miraculously engraved on the tablets, the letters were flying, they they began to fly in the air. They lifted themselves off. And now all that Mosha had and held, what was left, what was he holding? Stones. And the stones became so heavy, he dropped them. And this image, the Kli Yakar, is that Mosha didn't smash the tablets, he didn't cast them down and break them. They became so heavy, he could no longer hold them. On this second explanation, I want to tell you on this the second explanation, I want to tell you that's this Midrash. The writing was flying off, they became too heavy, he dropped them. The Rav read that figuratively. Mosha couldn't find a way to deliver the holy words of the Torah to a group so undeserving. His spirit broken, the burden became too heavy to bear, his strength gave out, and he unburdened himself. It doesn't mean that the stone became too heavy, so he dropped it. It meant a people who were no longer worthy of receiving it so much so that the letters were no longer engraved on it. Mosha gave up. He was burdened. He didn't know, "How am I going to transmit it to this incorrigible, miserable, rebellious people?" And because he was so burdened, his spirit broken, it became too heavy to bear, he had to unburden himself. How? By dropping it, by letting it go, by letting it go. By letting it go. That's how the Rav understood that image of the Medrash, that it became too heavy. Okay, all that's number two. Number three, Again, a person makes a mistake, the redeemable can be repaired. But if they're celebrating, if they institutionalize their mistake, if the mistake becomes not something they admit is a mistake, but now becomes as if they have to kill her, then they're irredeemable. If he would have smashed the Luchos on top of the mountain, then Moshe would have been relying on hearsay. He was trying to demonstrate for the future judges of the Jewish people that you've got to go see it for yourself. You can't react and you can't respond until you've seen it for yourself. The Rashbam says, Moshe, who lost his strength, it only happened when he saw it for himself. From here we learn you can't compare seeing and hearing. The fact that he heard what happened on top of the mountain doesn't compare to seeing it for himself. Number six, the Luchos had to come down cuz lo bashamayim God didn't engrave them for the heavens, for the angels. They needed to come down to earth. Even their breaking is part of Torah. Lo bashamayim hi. It's a beautiful insight. You know, in the Aron, in the Ark, buried right now somewhere underneath the Temple Mount, is not only the whole complete Luchos, the second set, but in the of the Luchos. says elsewhere the the tablets and the broken tablets are side by side in the why because the broken tablets are also part of Torah. The idea that something can break. The idea that something breaks. Some suggest the broken glass at the end of the is commemorative of the broken tablets since we learn so many of the laws of from even the broken tablets. What are we telling the and before they leave? Right now everything is idyllic. Right now everything is amazing. Right now everything is perfect. You have your party planner, your dresser, your makeup person, your hair person. You've got an entire team who work on you and it's all perfect. Perfect. You've got an orchestra, you've got the adult choir, and you've got the kid choir, and it's all perfect. Right now it's perfect. But dear and before you even leave the we want to tell you something. Guess what? In life things are going to break. And how are you going to react? How are you going to respond? How are you going to repair? So and even before you walk out from this and step step on this glass. Break something because things are going to inevitably and invariably break and how will you respond? There's a Torah of breaking. It's the Torah of breaking. It's already out of I don't know if you know. It's you're thinking you're holding by I'm already holding by what am I going to talk about I'm holding by it. it In the Middle Ages there was a fourth introduced in the it was called the second. This brought down in the Middle Ages that there was a fourth the second. Why was there a second a fourth it? Because there's an excellent chance that one of the three is going to break. You come to the seder prepared that one of the matzos is probably going to break. They say in the name of the Chofetz Chaim and countless people's names that he was such a tzaddik he would intentionally spill the wine so that when a guest would later spill, they wouldn't be ashamed or embarrassed. The baal habayit, the host already spilled. Such an act of tzedekus. I try to be mekuyem that myself. An act of tzedekus to spill to set the way so others won't be embarrassed. Things are going to spill. A matzah's going to break. Dear chassan and kallah, things in your life, in your relationship, in your home, they might break. And if you think life is going to be utopian, life's going to be perfect, life's going to be whole, life's going to be complete, it's going to be smooth sailing, then you are in big trouble. You're in big trouble. There's a Torah to things breaking. And that says that says uh the Meged Yosef is the sixth explanation that he didn't just return to sender. He didn't just give back the luchos. Oh, that's what they're doing down there. Hashem, take your luchos back. Moshe came down with the luchos and he broke them. And those broken pieces, they sit in the Aron cuz we need to know there's a Torah of breakage. There's a Torah of brokenness. There's a Torah. There's a Torah. You got to build it. You got to calculate it. I know people in business and in their business they have to calculate there's going to be a fair amount of returns. Build that into your business. You have to know customers, you're going to have a bunch of returns. You're going to have items that break. You got to build that in. Certain businesses you have to know that a certain amount of customers or clients, the lawsuit's going to come. It's built in. Anticipate it. Be ready for it. Know it's coming. Number six. Number seven. If you would have returned the luchos to Hashem in Shamayim, it wouldn't have aroused it wouldn't have jarred it wouldn't have startled the people. The Torah tells us how and where did Moshe break the luchos? Leinei kol Yisrael. He did it in a way that all the people can see and say, "And it's only because he did that that he woke them up to say, 'Mi la'Hashem eilay? Mi la'Hashem eilay?'" Who? Who's with me? Number eight. Moshe comes down the mountain and he's holding the Luchos and he's so excited and he wants to show them what he has, what he's going to give them. If he sees them, says the Meged Yosef, what does that mean? They see him. And they weren't embarrassed and they weren't ashamed and that's why he broke the Luchos. He didn't break them because of the eigel. He broke them because even when they saw him, they didn't stop what they were doing. Eight explanations. Amazing, no? You might not have even ever wondered that question. Why didn't Moshe just give them back? Why couldn't he return them in Shamayim? Hashem Hashem tells him already when he's on top of the mountain, "This is what's going on down there." Why didn't he just give them back? Eight reasons why he came down and had to break them there in front of all the people. I want to tell you many more. I'll just tell you one last one. Lamed gimmel vav. Lamed gimmel vav the Torah describes the Moshe's tent, where Moshe's tent was and who came to see him, the entire people would stand up remain standing. Um Pasuk vav I said? Pasuk vav. [clears throat] Uh Where am I? Yeah, pasuk vav. Vayakom mevakesh Hashem. Anyone who's a mevakesh Hashem yeitzei el ohel moed would go out to ohel moed. Anyone who's a mevakesh Hashem. What does it mean anyone who's a mevakesh Hashem? Rebbi Rucham said, "You see from here." This was the name of our trip on our swag, on our fleeces that we wore, it was cold. It says "Mevakesh Hashem". 5786. This is a Jewish title to be a Mevakesh Hashem. To be a Mevakesh is to be hungry, is to be thirsty, is to be a searcher, is to be a seeker, is to be looking for Hashem. To be a Mevakesh Mevakesh Hashem. Rebbe Yerucham said, "You see, this is a very high level to be a Mevakesh Hashem." Rebbe Yonasan ben Uziel, the Targum Onkelos writes, "Mevakesh Hashem detava ufin." Yediah atzmo lomar Rebbe Yerucham midivrei Yonasan ben Uziel. Od sheyirtzeh likareh Mevakesh Hashem, yivchan atzmo. "Aima chen kol magamaso v'ratzon v'chefetz v'ratzo." Are you searching? Are you seeking? Are you looking? Are you listening? Is your intent extended? Are you living with searching for Hashem? Nikra Mevakesh Hashem. Tava, to be a taveya is to to claim, to search, to yearn, to call, to follow. Ufin, "V'alufa shel olam Hashem." "Ain ish komo v'kasha l'maleh ratzon Hashem." To be a Mevakesh Hashem is that our whole essence, our whole pursuit, our whole search is to want to fulfill the word of Hashem. We should all be zocheh to be Mevakesh Hashem to qual- qualify for that level. Mevakesh Hashem. And I end with what we shared at the beginning, the beautiful letter of Rav Soloveitchik to his community in Modi'in that we should be zocheh not only for the four Mems, the four Mitzvos that are true every Purim, we should be zocheh this Purim to the fifth Mitzvah of Machias Amalek, the complete destruction of Iran and all Amalek, so there's safety and security for our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. A freilichen Purim. May Hashem pick up next week.