Maamar Vata Titzave 1981, #4 - Two types of faith, imposed & who you are- RC Dalfin

Good day. We're learning the mimer that the Reb said in 1981. We're in chapter 5, which is page 356. So in the last chapter, the Rebi asked a question. What's the connection between the concept of crushed for the illuminary and the concept that Mosha and his extension in every generation sustain and nurture the faith of the Jewish people enabling it to be internalized. That's what he's going to explain today. So, let's get right to it. The Reb says the possible explanation to the question is based on what's known the idea that the Jewish people believe in God with a simple faith and they don't need any proof for this. That's because of two reasons. One, because their mazle, like the word mazletove, it's a level of the soul called mazle, their mausle sees it. Sees God. The soul above sees godliness. This reference mazi is a reference to um Mark you want to mute yourself please. This is a reference to Daniel the book of Daniel where it says over there in Daniel 10 verse 7 I Daniel was the only one who saw the vision. God appears to Daniel, but he says, "Only I saw it." The men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them. In that they fled to hide themselves. The sages, the Gomorrah says since they didn't see it, why did they tremble? If you see the vision and it's awesome and scary, you're scared. You tremble. But if you don't see it, what are you fantasizing, meditating? Like, come on. Why are you scared? And the Gumar says, the Gumar answers the question the that even though they did not see the vision, their masle, the source of their souls in the spiritual realms did. And as a result of the vision perceived by their muzzle, a great trembling fell upon them. And this is not this is a gor explaining a verse in Daniel in their maz. Now we understand from this Moshe that there's part of our which we call maz. So when you say mazalto which in English is loosely translated as good luck good fortune it that's true but what you're what you're really saying is that your soul which is referred to by the word mazal SHOULD IMPACT YOU THE ONE WHO HAS THE BAR MITZVAH the bach mitzvah this the wedding the the particular simka the Jewish happy celebratory occasion. We're asking Hashem, we're asking God to draw down from above visav the mazle of the person's soul this powerful effluence energy. That's what we're saying when we say mazto. So the Reb says this here in regard to the faith that a that uh the Jewish people have. He's explaining two reasons. This is the first of the two. Why is it that Jews have a natural belief in God? He says it's because THE MASLE IN THEIR NAMBA, the muzzle of their soul, even though they don't see it, they don't perceive it, they have it. And when Hashem wants them to feel it, i.e. to be a aed by it, in this case, they went and hid because it was too overwhelming. It happens. That's what he says over here. The word mausle also comes from the word venoisel min leavon actually dripping from Lebanon in in in Leavon in Lebanon there are I think these uh trees that drip so explains explain that it's not just a physical tree that drips sap or whatever the caseel it it drips from the level of Lebanon which is lavan white. It's interesting that the word leavon is roots its root is lavan which is white which is the level of purity. So ultimately the the level of Lebanon is the ultimate of purity. So that's why there is this opposition that we're experiencing with Lebanon is BECAUSE THERE'S A FIGHT TO GET TO THE PURITY. That's my own commentary as an aside. It's not relevant to the minor, BUT THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT is the explanation with the the war in Lebanon, it's not just about his and all that everything else is that we're we're we're we're grappling with getting the white leavan the lavan which is the ultimate of purity. Lavan, right? A color, a mix is already a shade. Lavan is pure you wear white. Not just because after 101 we're buried in shrouds and it's white. It's one reason. It's because we're on a level that we're pure of sin. We're in the level of lavan white. So the word nosel mean it drips down from the white from purity into what? Into the soul. So when there's a communication between the source of the soul dripping meaning you know impacting the soul as it is in the body the soul FEELS IT AND IT'S odd or it jumps for happiness or it sings. So the Reb is saying all this that this is one reason why how a Jew has by nature a faith in God because of this level of soul called mazal. Let's continue. And he says next page 357. This is what we call the soul's perception that transcends the power of thought. Okay? Why? Because once, look at the note. Once a person sees something, he will not be able to accept any attempt to explain that it had that it didn't happen because he sees it. Conversely, when one sees something that conflicts with concepts that he merely thinks are true, he didn't see and he thinks are true, he may well abandon his previous beliefs. The explanation for these phenomena is that this is that sight stems from and activates a deeper source in the soul than intellect. So this idea of is analogous to seeing something. Similarly, with regard to the concept at hand, the soul's perception of Hashem, of God in the spiritual realms makes a powerful impression on it into the text. This impacts the soul that's enclosed, invested in the body that it has faith in godliness. That's one explanation. Another reason why it's natural for a Jew to have faith in God. The source of a Jew's soul is in the essence. Faith, I'm sorry, that faith is rooted in the essence. So before what we spoke about faith being associated with with mazle which is a level it's a sophisticated level but it's still an ex a condition a level even seeing is not essence here we're talking about the second reason the soul is rooted in the essence look what he says in the brackets that's what I said before a level above quote his masle perceives. Zash asks him, "If something is not clear, please raise your hand and stop me and ask your question or make your point." Okay? It's not a one-way street this learning. We we need interaction. The essence of the soul is connected with godliness through an essential bond that's not dependent upon a factor not even a factor which is called the quality of vision that transcends thought. So again, the first idea of why it's natural for a Jew to have faith in God, it depends on a factor. The factor is the source of your soul called Mazle. The second idea doesn't depend on that. It is who you are. Let me read the note. Follow those that have the book 357. The body body. Although sight makes a deep impression on a person, touching his core, it merely touches his core. It is not who he is. Do you hear that? Yes, sir. Instead, it is something outside of himself that affects him. According to the second explanation, a person believes not because of an outside influence, however deep it is, but because his essence is one with God. His faith is an expression of who he is. This is a very important point because our amuna what is what is the the content of our amuna? The rebba says here there's two ways of expressing amuna. One is based on a factor i.e a cause. The other one is it is who you are. The first one is not who you are. You're not that. But something super is imposed in you. Call it the masle, call it this, call it that. That's not who you are. The second experience expression of what idea of why we faith is natural to the Jew is because this is who you are. And he explains, let's continue. We could say the difference between these two explanations. The first level of faith that comes to the to the b to the soul as it's invested in the body comes from what we see said seeing the soul above sees God kind of that as far as we're concerned is encompassing the person feels that he's being influenced by a higher power. It's like the rabbi teaches you or the teacher teaches you and you make a and and based on that you make your decision or you you follow and all that but it's not who you are. It's because you listen to some outside interference i.e. a good interference, a rabbi, a teacher, a scholar, a parent, but it's not who you are. Let's continue since the soul above is truly transcendent of in investing itself in the body. So when it does impact the the body since it's real if the BODY IS NOT ITS PLACE THE THE BODY IS NOT REALLY THE PLACE OF THE SOUL. SO WHEN THE SOUL IMPACTS THE BODY, WHEN THE SOUL IT KIND OF FORCES ITSELF INTO THE BODY, WHAT IS THE SAME? YOU'RE FORCED TO LIVE. YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. GOD SAYS THIS IN THIS DAY, GET INTO THE WORLD. OUT YOU GO. YOU HAVE NO CHOICE. NONE AT ALL. WELL, and that and that is a great thing. Very nice. But it's not who I am. It's a I it's it's been imposed upon me back into the text. So in order for the for the faith for faith to be internalized by the soul that's in the body. It's through the revelation OF YOUR ESSENTIAL BOND WITH GOD, WHO you are. IT'S NOT IMPOSED ON ME. IT'S WHO I AM. And he says further because the essence of the soul is the essence of THE SOUL AS IT IS IN THE BODY. I'm going to read the note in a moment. Next page 359. The faith of the soul as it's invested in the body is internalized. I'm reading now the note. The concept of internalization explained in relation to the essence of the soul is different from the explanation of that term in other contexts. Internalization has to do with identifying with a concept and making it its it one's own. In contrast, other influences are described as encompassing because although they affect the prism, they do so as an external influence. For example, the effect of the mausole of the soul on the soul as it exists within the body is described as encompassing because the mausole is a much higher level of soul. It it has not undergone a sufficient degree of contraction and therefore though its light descends to affect the soul as it exists in the body, it is too high for the soul as it exists WITHIN THE BODY TO identify with it. Therefore, we say that it is not internalized within it. An expert teacher, by contrast, knows how to structure a lesson so that the concepts have been brought down and adapted to the level of his students. As a result, they are able to identify with the concepts he teaches and internalize them. The the internalization that stems from the essence of the soul is of a different nature entirely because faith stems from the essence of the soul. The soul as it is enclosed in the body identifies with it. IT IDENTIFIES NOT because the concept has been brought down to its level but because that is who he is. That's what we mean internalization. This is who you are. Let's continue. The Reb says with this explanation that I just shared with you, we can explain the connection between the trajectory in the my father-in-law's discourse and that is that the concept of being of of of oil that's crushed the owls that are crushed for the illuminary comes in the mimemer as an explanation as a continuation of the explanation of of the um of of of being the loyal shepherd. Next page 360 is the fact that sustain nurtures and sustains the faith within a Jew that it should be internalized. You know how is able to do it? Because he reveals by us. That's why he's called Mosha our teacher. Moshe Mark, HE'S OUR TEACHER BECAUSE HE HE REVEALS who we are. The whole concept of a Reb is not just A RABBI. A RABBI DOESN'T TELL YOU who you are. A RABBI TELLS YOU WHAT TO DO. IS IT KOSHER? IS IT NOT KOSHER? STAND UP. SIT DOWN. He marries you, you know, DOES LIFE CYCLE EVENTS. HE WERE TALKING about who am I? How do I get to myself? That's what a Rebi is. That's what the Reb says. That's what the Reb says here. He reveals your et look further because moisha reveals the essence of his own soul. When another Jew comes in contact with him, the essence of that Jew soul is also called forth. And this is beyond the level called maz. This is what we in the verse which alluded to in the word the illuminary the source of light which is above the light that emanates from it. Stop. Now, did they ever ask a rhetorical question? And the fact that it says crushed for the illuminator and my father-in-law explains in the discourse that the feelings of being crushed are experienced in exile are necessary to reach the luminary. Who this is? For the fundamental revelation of the essence of the soul i.e. the illuminary who that is experienced when you have self-sacrifice. WHEN YOU HAVE SELF-SACRIFICE FOR God meaning you're crushed. It's difficult. You're challenged. You don't know why. It doesn't MAKE SENSE. AND YOU STILL DO IT because you know this is what God wants and you do it with self-sacrifice. That's the positive idea of being crushed, of being um downtrodden, being stifled. And when do you experience this crushed positive crushed state? primarily when he says during the exile, the galut as we'll explain later. Summary, there are two explanations for the Jewish people's faith in God. Top of 361 A. The soul as it exists in the spiritual realms sees godliness. It sees godliness. This causes the aspect of the soul that is encloded in the body to believe in God with simple faith. Number two, B, faith is rooted in the essence of the soul. Not just in seeing and perceiving, but in the essence. The essence of the soul is connected with godliness through an essential bond. And that bond is reflected in a Jew's faith. The faith which stems from the perception of the soul in the spiritual realms serves merely as an encompassing light. Sovive that is not entirely internalized. In contrast, the revelation of the essential connection with God shared by the essence of the soul enables faith to be internalized. Herein lies the contribution of Moshe. Moshe nurtures and sustains the faith of the people enabling it to be internalized because he reveals the essence of the soul which every Jew possesses. The fundamental revelation of the essence of the soul is through nephesh which is expressed primarily in the time of exile as will be explained. Now we have a few minutes left. I want to talk about a friend of mine who's yard today. His name was Rabbi David Brin, David Brin. He was a rabbi in near um North Miami Beach in a place called California Club. And I know him I knew him from Yeshiva. We were students in Yeshiva and he passed away at the young age of 40. um on VV today is the sixth of year and it's uh I wrote a book a whole book about him and I I would encourage you to read it because I interviewed 50 people. He touched all kinds of people from Orthodox Jews to nonorthodox Jews to non-Jews to rebellious kids and teenagers. And at his at his funeral, there were a thousand people. You're talking probably about 15, 20 years ago. And all kinds of people that I described. And in my interviews, I I I learned so much more about him than than I knew him in yeshiva. He had um something called Marfans, the Marins disease or illness, which I'm sure you know Iser knows about. And you know they say Abraham Lincoln you know had Marfins very long fingers tall are some of those symptoms he had thick glasses and uh he had many operations and when I interviewed uh at uh I think it was at Mount Si here in New York and the doctor who was an older gentleman I think he was Italian and uh didn't speak much and I asked him doctor would you say it's a miracle miracle that David got 40 years out of his body. He said, um, I'm not going to, you know, I'm not in a position to tell you it's a miracle, but I am I I could tell you it's very unlikely. I I didn't see many people with his condition to the ex he had an extreme condition of Marins had 20 25 operations and that he lasted till 40. That's a big blessing. And David was um a real and a real um he he was loved by by people cuz he had no agenda. I I knew him. He had no agenda. You know, money didn't mean anything to him. He got married, you know, very, you know, late in in life and didn't have a child. I knew I know his his his wife, a very fine person. She's remarried. She had a few children from her next husband and and his parents. Um his father was a believe a a caner in a conservative shoo out in I think Patchab, right? Pat Patchog up in Long Island, Fire Island out there. and um his mother um was very involved with the Russian Jews in their 70s in in in in Miami. So I'm speaking a little bit about him because it's it's yard site and because he was a good friend, but but really more because he really resembled the refinement of of of man and and you have to read the book. Uh Mark, I have to get you the book because you know things that I heard and he had a list like the ten commandments that David brings David brings 10 10 ideas how to have a successful be a successful person in relationships in in human decency. Another thing I I said this many years ago but some of you are new you didn't hear this just tell you one thing before we finish. So, one of the people I interviewed tells me that he had this interest if if you if you came from another country, he he would ask you to teach him some some words in that other language. and and he asked this this congregant or this this person who he knew asked the rabbi why are you interested in in in in Spanish and in Portuguese and the Russian French like you know Yiddish English and and and Hebrew would seem uh pretty good even though in Miami uh it's helpful to know Spanish anyway um David said my job is to comm communicate with people. I'm a people's person, right? What's a rabbi? I'm there to to help people. I can't really help a person if I don't know his language. I have to think in his language. And ever since I heard that, it's like 20 years ago when when I heard this from this person who I interviewed, it left an indelible impression. To really understand a person, you need to know their language. I mean, I I I go a step further. Not only that, you need to know their culture, but you know, so, so this is the type of person he was, and this is what we put into the book, you know, all the these different ideas. So, um, may you know, and and he's buried in Miami and there was a whole question whether he should be buried in New York and at the end he was buried there. And I say that, you know, the the Reba once sent his mother a check towards I guess his expenses. And the Reba wrote on it for the sadic. That's what they say. I you know I I the they tell me that the Reb called him a sadic. So he's definitely, you know, was um, you know, a person who goes through suffering physically in the body and he's and he's able to tolerate it and to not just tolerate it but live with it and have sim and serve God and and help others. He was all about helping others. It's a real sadic. So if you're in Miami and you need a place to go, I've gone. You go there and you're done. you know, if you can't get to to Miran or the Kosel or or or or the Reb or another Sadic, whatever, you know, it's a it's a fine place to say everyone, any >> Yeah. You want to say something? >> Yes. I just have a technical que thank you for the class. Uh you say the rebi said this mime origin on a shabas in 1981. >> Yes. >> And it was written down but not published until 1992. Correct. Because Rabiel Khan took the mimemer and made 10 pages out of two pages because he explains and elaborates and then gave it to the Reb and the Reb edited back and forth. Yeah. So the answer is it was not published. it. No, I had it in 1981, but just in the the way the Rebi said it then and it was just two pages. It was like very brief. You understand? We had it, but but in '92 it came out edited. It wasn't edited by the Reb till 1992. >> Si Yokan wrote it out. >> That's right. Rabio Khan since 1986 till 1992 wrote out select my morim which are found in the five volumes of the hammorit of the rebi. He chose the discourses that he heard and he was enamored with and he then spent uh 54 hours 36 to 54 hours in a room. Didn't go anywhere except you know to daven there and and and went to the bathroom and ate something and the rest was thinking and writing and then sent it to the Reb. The Reb edited it and sent it back out. Rabio Khan made corrections, sent it back, and at a certain point, if the Reb liked what he saw, he approved it. >> Interesting. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. HAVE A GREAT EVERYBODY. See everyone next week. Byebye. Take care.