R' Zalman Schachter - Yahrtzeit - Early years in Chabad - Stories & Insights - Rabbi Chaim Dalfin

very special program but examine this year is a year it's called the year of hack Hill in the Torah there is a commandment that at the end of Deuteronomy the Torah says that [Music] the year after this sabbatical year verse says um gather the nation men ladies and even babies gather them to Israel to the temple noted that they should hear and learn and have war of god and this is commandment because every seven years the whole nation came to the temple men ladies and babies even and they learned and the king would read the Torah to them and maimonides were usually in his book doesn't give the he has many books but he had one of his prime books is called mishna Torah where he where he uh codifies all the Jewish laws and he doesn't give that much the reasons and the Commandments and here he says a very interesting reason in the book of my mind is he says the reason for this commandment was that in order to inspire the Jewish Nation we were all inspired him instead of House of Mount Sinai and we saw the awesome psych of of the giving of the towers and Commandments and hurt Commandments from God but that could wear off that inspiration could be a roof and the Torah says every seven years all the whole nation can come together to the temple and that and then to it will have like the same intensity and power of giving to the Torah will reinspire the nation is Obama had a very strong request and this year in which this year is what happened last year was a sabbatical year and even though we don't have the temple right now and we'll have it again we still could keep this commandment in the spiritual Realm by getting together as much as possible in this year in order to learn more and to hear more and transpire ourselves and we'll have the special power of the Haku and special tower of this year to inspire us and give us strength for the future so uh when we were uh we knew Robert Dawson he came to to interview our 10 years I don't know how many years ago it was but how many years ago was it 13 13 of them so he stayed by us then we actually grew up together in Borough Park in the same small community most Republicans that live in Quran Heights only a few Misfits live outside so he's a little older than me but I don't even sure and I definitely knew his father very well he was a small shul and his father's personality and uh and it was and it was brother his brother was in my class so when you write down we heard about the book he was in touch with us when he was making the book and uh he offered to come speak and we thought oh wow what a great event to [Music] Inspire ourselves and to learn and that was the spirit which which we made this event to learn more and to inspire ourselves and and to grow and learn from disgusting and examining the life of someone what stood out and represents the life is that he had this I don't want to say dual personality doesn't sound well but he had this duality in his in his in his life which is very unusual very unusual people don't realize how unusual it is usually a person puts himself in a certain uh framework a certain uh a certain uh mode and that's where he stays too it's very confusing to have more than one mode in your life and uh yes maybe we'll visit sometimes to some other event or some other synagogue maybe it's not but to have to two things going on at one time is very unusual and I think we're dominant I think was unusual for absalm and I remember the first time came to us some some uh 25 years ago it might be off like three years like he said but uh everybody when it came to us the first time was the Purim and when he came we were having an endocrine we always have a meal and he came over and when he told me um he he he told me and he gave me this whole um reason why he's coming this whole thing didn't I don't even know how to support him I don't remember exactly what he said but I saw from that it wasn't easy for him to come wasn't it wasn't self-understood it wasn't that simple that he's coming and then when he felt comfortable he started coming on a regular basis but I thought it took effort it wasn't simple it was these two parts of his life was something that I we thought was worth examining and and learning from um Roshan dolphin did research on the subject he is a well-known mashpia which means he's involved with no teacher has said the teachings he has many books on Hasidic teachings he is also a historian he wrote many books on a historical figure on figures historical books she has a lot of experience in doing biographies and he writes in his book he sent me a PDF of his book which she sent me a PDF of his book and he writes in his book that this was his hardest book that he wrote um so I imagine that for some reason this was not so simple maybe he'll explain that if he wants to but he's an author of 90 books historian researcher and ethnographer of the Jewish world he has an educational program in Israel YouTube channel channel and and is a recording artist he interviewed ramzan in 2010 he just published his latest on our Zaman and are we available after the talk he is an inter International soil speaker endorsed by professors Jonathan Cerner Lauren schiffman and the late Dr Abraham prosky he lives in New York with his wife and children we are very honored to have him with us today these are we talking is [Music] Reagan is an informal Gathering you gotta relax and be and be chilled and that's the moment this isn't a formal election I know you think it is in a formal letter I don't want a formal lecture you know why president obsiderman was informal technician s almond he was the first thing from a formal person the book there at the Shire mentioned I do want to say right to the beginning that rabbits of Shiner really gets the credit for this event as much as Shiner is the rabbi here but she she was fantastic and really uh to start to figure out so I write about individuals and communities that at times it feels like it feels like there's disparity there is you know differences have been trying to use the word duality and I focused in the book primarily on his early years and there's two reasons for it one because I come from the same school and I knew the same people he knew although he was much older than I but I and he shared of equality Yiddish to kiss kiss yeah the inside of jewishness not the outside but absolvement came from the kishkas he was a holocaust Survivor he was born in Poland in 1924 he moved in 1925 to Vienna he was raised in a most wonderful environment until the war broke out till Christmas 38 and then the war on 39. and he came out of that mold he was a godzillian Jew from Galicia and then the his parents expect to say they came to America we'll talk about that in a few moments so you're talking about an individual who was very colorful he comes from that world he comes to the world of Chabad he didn't know about till 1939. now he was born in 24. it was you know throwing the dog but he was a mitch a big match and he was so intelligent and so gifted he really was a gifted person I don't I I saw most of you know Rob salmon especially people who are a little younger very gifted person you don't find such people really and it comes from this world to America and in America he reintroduces himself to the laboratory the first the sixth brother of Joseph yesen the sixth review of Chabad who survived Stalin and then the Holocaust comes to America in 1940 in a wheelchair is a Broken Man but he has an assistant his son-in-law the last of other children our River today and who came in May and June of 1941 and he helps his father-in-law for nine years to rebuild Chabad [Music] he comes out of the Chabad of the 1940s now that that Chabad of the 1940s was during the Holocaust and then post articles it was a very different Jewish Judaism Within the so-called Orthodox world it was a very different orthodox what we consider kind of normal today and acceptable and what is expected was not the case then again we only have a little bit of time so I can't give you the examples from each I've written a lot about this I wrote a book called Orthodoxy 1900 and 1950 I studied Chicago and Baltimore and Philadelphia and St Louis the Bronx Williamsburg Brownsville all the you know the Brooklyn and we did it I did a big study on on the Judaism of between 1900 and 1950 with the previous River in 1929 and 30 went to visit for almost a year he went to all these places and I mentioned so I studied that it was out in the came out of this lapada so this is really what I want to talk about I want I want to introduce and share his humble beginnings so that when we talk about Solomon later in Winnipeg from 1956 to 1975 19 years in Winnipeg there's a lot about that here in this book it's a whole world then from 1975 and I believe the 1994 or so or 95. he was a Philadelphia that's another world and then he comes to this beautiful Boulder the last time I was here 13 years ago I was introduced to the mountain lion right my singer took me somewhere around here to give me a little tour and all of a sudden I saw things running I asked him what's running on the mountains it's a mountain lion stay put do you remember he doesn't remember I remember the yesterday why did I come in 2010 four years before if someone passed away because representment invited me to come I grew up in the khabar of the 1970s 60s and 70s and as I studied more and became I was involved I heard about two figures in khabada caught my attention what was rep carlebach and one was a zombie shelter [Music] they were the talk of because they were so involved and then they chose careers and paths that were not like the conventional atypical Chabad yet they were so Kebab that's what I'm a Shiner alluded to so who were they what were they how were they why were they I wrote a book called the real slow-mo sold out the real slow that was also a fast fantastic Insight in studying of Salma Karma and now I did this work and it's it's I wrote the China said you know why why is the hardest book because it's the hardest book is to understand the first and try to understand the person going back 60 70 years of his life he he invites me here and here is the actual house with he and the evil would live somewhere around you in Boulder and we're sitting here we're schmoozy two hours of schmoozing the time flew it was great the late Michael kazakov video it today it's available now on YouTube there are thousands of hits I I constantly get feedback from people Jewish not Jewish all kinds of people it's my number one film video clip that's most access in this interview which this book comes out of this interview in fact chapter six in the book is a transcription that I did of the interview home is forbidden homes what made this Michael told me Michael Kosovo told me of a dolphin this was the best interview ever and I'm not saying that to to my full horn why was it such a good internet [Music] because he and I come as we say and give the shebrew from themselves and hater from the same Hater Hater means a Jewish school when you're in elementary school and you play with each other and you bother each other it's an absolving light come from the same favor and I remember during the interview he went into English many times thank you he went into Yiddish and then he said oh I'm supposed to speak English for the interview but he says when I see you it says to me when I see you and I see your beard I see yamakan I see your mannerisms I remind myself of 770 1943 and 44. that's the Hub of the Bible movement in Brooklyn New York in Crown Heights we call it 770 you show the rabbi the represent I've told you about it and what did you discuss what did we discuss we discussed his rabbis his teachers the fights they had the fights the stick they did the troublemaking and then he discussed with me stories that he personally had in the previous and our rhythm I want to give you a few examples which animation for 1950 the previous rabbit passes on in January there is still a question who should be the next Remy because there were two summers and the ready Rabbi karari was an older son-in-law but most people wanted the younger son of the ready and this was an ongoing issue during that year the result told me and it's it's on on the YouTube he says I went on for him to the oh hell to the previous rabbi's holy grave site Queens New York you go to today and if you're making a stopover it's suggestible go there it's a great place to say a few words and it's a great holy place anyway and he comes back to 770 and the ready meets him and the ready says at that time called Red Zone what did you at what did you do with the oh well what did you talk what did you talk to my father-in-law my father was very dangerous holy person you spoke to him right he says yeah I spoke to him I asked you for three things one I asked him that you should become the ready in other words even though that you're younger but I know I'm paraphrasing I know you're Brilliance and I know what you will do in the future like sending Rabbi and rabbits and Shiner he had to Boulder Colorado which is in Brooklyn exactly the baby had that Vision in 1950 and Solomon smelled it so he says I prayed for you to be the revenue that's Point number one Point number two I prayed to God that God sent you children give you children because at that time him and his wife the red being his wife did not have any children and factors they've ever had chief they have thousands of children people who who admire them and respect them but biological children they did not have and point number three I prayed that you will be the Messiah that you will be the Messiah and without told me that that really threw me but the third Point through me for a loop because everyone says everyone who didn't do research on himself says that he was more of a follower husted of the sixth Remy than the second is ready because he was in the Yeshiva as a student from 42 to 44 44 45 it's like when you go to university right your professors when you're young they become your teachers sell them this one come to admire someone later in life except this wonderful scientist who's still studying thank God using your brain we should all do the same thing so Salman saw in the ready that he has the potential to be the mashiach and that really that really caught my attention and he saw that in 1950 you can see it in 1994 1950. 00 and I spoke all about I said this Jewish mysticism Chabad teachers things like that we did not discuss really Jewish renewal although he told me some briefly some of his ideas in fact he took me into his basement and he showed me on the wall a picture of Elizabeth a picture of the rapper a picture of Mr Thurman Howard Thurman llama was a very broad-minded person and Truth be said the Orthodox community could not relate to his broad-mindedness they couldn't relate and understand it why that is it's a retired lecture for itself and I'm giving you the bottom line so here's the question how is a person electron resolvement who comes out of the like what I use the word there's another one we use the Smith and then they know what smethan is anyone speaks here there's only a smetana and sour cream right the best it comes out of the best his rabbis were students of the fifth Republic how does it transition later in life into being the Obama that many of you knew as the founder of the traditional movement I can't really answer that question because I didn't study in that history Jewish removal the movement as it applies to him I didn't but what I could say is because he was such a colorful person and it was such a open person he was able to go to places that most others could that that much I do understand so here it is it's 1945 the draft you have a war going on there's the draft zombie had a best friend called avraham Abraham Weingarten they grew together in Vienna it's in the book he happened to be a ready of mine a teacher of mine third grade Angela Papa Yeshiva which I would still in Bedford Dean and Patrick Simonson which of the neighborhood next to Crown Heights anyway they were best friends they both go to the draft board you got it you got it checked you're gonna check you know you gotta go to the yard there's no skirting do we need we need soldiers it doesn't work on God people think that of all Orthodox people and many emotions are skirting the armies out of frog didn't start the Army and others they were gonna go they have to be healthy right so there was I forget what Street in Manhattan they went they won't start making it short that's in the book um he he he so why God comes in and someone's there and he and he looks at him and checks him and he he says let me ask you a question you go to the movies he says movies we don't go to the movies we study common we studying and we study all day he says do you have a girlfriend I gotta close my ears a girlfriend what you want to let me get out of your mind he says you're not normal you're exempt it's your story oh my God they went different rooms sound goes in I haven't subject and why God was waiting waiting you know and there was a it was a line of people and he said sorry if you have to leave we need the rule like you know there's no room for you you got your tests go on move but I'm waiting for my friend laid outside he waits outside no Zone half hour an hour an hour and a half places I'm going back to Crime hikes I'm going back to 770. five six hours later Solomon comes in and why nothing says someone who were you you you philosophize like what were you doing it's something what happened you see these things they're called census right but since there's a garment under my shirt right Salomon wore this same thing out there they told them take it off they have you know you have to get undressed we have to do the X-ray to check it Solomon said I'm not taking it off hmm but you're you know if you're on one place you're allowed to take it off I'm not taking it off so you know what you said okay I'll take them and I'll throw them over it's it's this side of this side so you can throw it over the back they take it because the chest and how it's exposed they take the X-ray and somehow that comes they see a line bye tuberculosis [Applause] [Music] what happened that's why I took hours what happened the fact of the citizens somehow came out of the X-ray [Music] but that was all in 1945 a regular fellow would take a regular Orthodox Christianity Jew would take off to Texas didn't this was down in 1945 I'm I'm sharing with you these stories to to make it clear to you who he was at the time he told me he told me himself that he checked with the rebbe about going to college he pursues his degree right and he got a BL ba I believe in at Boston University yes [Music] I like that thank you he asked the river whether he has permission to do that now why they do that why don't we do that I'll tell you why because in 1945 he was chosen among with others to go to New Haven Connecticut to be a teacher in the lababitch Yeshiva in New Haven okay in addition to that people know those hypothetics don't know this but really he had other responsibilities on behalf of the previous River in New Haven in 1948 47 he leaves New Haven and he goes to Rochester New York he goes there to save a Yeshiva that was dwindling he's unable to save it but he told me he neutralized it in a way that it ended peacefully there's a lot of history there I've put some of it in the book in the footnotes as well I don't want to you know by the way in my books you have to read the footnotes you don't have to read them but if you really want the kiss kiss you gotta read the you gotta read the photos so Salman goes on behalf of the previous River there and he was struggling with paranasa with alive with him it wasn't easy it wasn't easy for many people you know they takes a child in 1949 and Falls River I believe and as a rabbi Hebrew school teacher can and I put some pictures of that in there you could see him leaving a mock pesos call that you wear the Sailor and like a cancerous hat then 52 I believe he's in in New Bedford yeah you know Bedford he becomes a rabbi in a Bedford listen if you have a stable job of an income you're not going from New Haven to Rochester to Falls River and to New Bedford in 48 he has his first child and I put a found a record of that in the newspaper and I put it into the book when he was born by the way there are 20 pages of newspaper articles of Solomon's lectures all over the country it's very fascinating to see where he was when he was what he lectured on it's very interesting I found a lot of material I included it because it speaks for itself it speaks volumes and then all so he sees now he he needs something to get a job as a hill director he needed to have an enemy you can't become a Hitler director please stand without a debris he gets the degree he slips down to Boston he tells the afternoon service in the corner I mean there are many stories he was what you would call at the time a classical Orthodox Jew okay is that clear that everyone at that time it was a clap if you if you pray three times a day whether you have a ninja or you don't you're classical on the next you pretty you know I'm not saying okay someone who belongs to reform or conservative doesn't do that but most people who prayed three times a day and make and make to make sure they do it you put them into that category okay but he wants to be a little director now listen to this they give them a choice Jacksonville Florida a Winnipeg has anyone here been to Winnipeg [Music] how many years is it not how many how many Moses are not cool than when it fed in snow hour and a half again it's unbelievable and Solomon shoot and his wife fangled they choose fake they choose Winnipeg they're 19 years why because he wants to be in a place where there's a kosher Mikvah for his wife to have kosher Mikvah and other people to have a potion victim and Jacksonville didn't have it and Winnipeg did happen because the Winnipeg Orthodox Community conservative Community goes back way back and they had shoes and they had a Bigfoot to them kosher butcher I've been in touch with Bernie battle the editor of the Jewish posted news of Winnipeg we've had a lot of conversations and hopefully we'll get to do an event there how am I gonna get there when it's not snow is a different question but anyway so he goes there because he has now stability he has a lot of you simply speaking when you don't have a steady income a steady livelihood problems with spouses where people we know what it means to bring bread to the table right you don't bring things to the table besides your wife your husband knocking you over the head and saying you're a bum get outside get them don't be a lazy good for nothing you know my father is a Survivor is a Romanian Jew and I'm trying to eventually my father ain't doing well the overall thank God he said he's not going to be well my father taught me taught us kids as children you go out and work but I have a degree I want you to be a scientist a mathematician or a rabbi don't tell me it's not fitting for you because you're a prima donna in California you call them the valley girls and give as we say is possible oh my little Yiddish oh my brother my grandmother the Polish Survivor said to me I am I want you to be a doctor I've been rabbi The Best of Both Worlds the best of both worlds took sound in a long time to find that stability and he did it and he did it with honor he did it with class and he did it with hard work and such an important lesson for the Young Generation the new generation hard work he finishes in Winnipeg in 1975 and he goes over to Philadelphia that's where the Jewish renewal movement really flourished the Nay our organization took off theirs even though there was the khaburra movement in the late 60s with arms of green and Boston other places but really it all came kind of the 70s late 70s mid 70s too through the 80s as Alma found a home there and I want to you know just conclude with one point because time is of the essence sure yeah okay all this time that I'm talking about Simon lived almost 90 years that's a long time you want 125. okay we begin with 90 then we get to 125. I I got I got the time thank you the Rabbi says I should continue gotta listen to the rabbi they're ready the barbecue rip his River loved it and cared for them I want to give you a few examples so it becomes clear it's in the book but just to in 19 70 or 71. there's a fact the song as you had it here Rabbi labeled the rabbit label wolf listen to this Rabbi Dr label wolf was a great teacher and happens to be a friend as well my wife's Australia he's from Australia and my wife's grandfather helped him a lot in this youth having a very philosophical discussions with him about God and Torah so he told me I interviewed him he told me one day he was at Madison at the University of Madison Wisconsin and he gets a package in the mail he opens the package and there's like pages of pages of translation of Jewish books and writings from whom from reps almond shastler he says he has no idea how Salman knew that he's already and he's at Madison he didn't ask him it could be a feeling I have no proof to it that the Rhythm told Zalman you know send the material for him to use in teaching and educating the college students again I have no proof to that but that he told me he got years later Brother Wolf had a private audience with the record about other things in the middle of the conversation the river says are you in touch with rabbits on the Shafter he says what yeah he says no I'm not the rubber says I want you to be in touch with him so he says I want you to take the time and the interest in meeting and spending conversation with results this was probably a heaven the book that remembers late 77 778 another time he came to 770. in the 80s not the 91 we will tell you about soon in the 80s and he brought his wife with him she was more rude to the published and he tells her about the ins and outs of 770 and if I see them and everything else it comes to the river and pepper smiles and talks to him again is very warm connection and finally in 1991 of this there's a video of it put a picture of that video the back of the book and that you can hear it online and there's a transcription of the Edition to the English the redness says to him he came in September it was before the high holy days so the rebels says to him surely you will bless we choose to appear Capital honey of the Priestly blessing because Rob Zombie was a coin right you know his full name [Music] he was a coin he was a Jewish priest a Jewish priest is called up to bless the rest of the congregation on the three holidays of the Year Passover and the high holiday season so come and the reputation sure you bless the Jewish people and surely you'll do that and God blesses you that's on the video 1991 was the last time that he saw the red bean that was last time to arrest us for him because there ever had a stroke in 1992. so it is my belief and it's my position based on my research I welcome anyone else's research that although formally zombie went a different way than the river right he went a different way than the river I believe he was a hushes at heart till the end and the proof is and I finish with this look at his Tombstone yesterday yesterday was Alma's yard site that's why we made most of the event associated with his day of ninth year since he's passed and you know on your side the soul of a person's sins but it doesn't just Ascend and say goodbye to us have a nice day in a stands and gives us more energy more kayak more power more effectiveness it's a destiny I was assured when I took an Ali I asked God by the beginning of the year and I had a mind of Solomon for his soul and when I asked the topic to give me an idea I didn't tell him why and in my mind that's what I had to tell him for so what was the language that Solomon absolvement himself put on his tombstone I investigated this he wrote his own tombstones the language the first two words in Hebrew the rabbi harav the rabbi now comes the word is tell me what is referred to thank you only students of Chabad yeshivas are point with that athlete attorney because the name of the ship that you would have said sorry said to me Mr tactical name of the Yeshiva Tom hey Timmy that's plural so the singulars come in if someone puts that on his Tombstone as the second word after the word rabbi one because that's who he was that's where he came from that's what made him the Jewish renewal rabbi how when what do we understand that how to reconcile it everyone should figure that out on their own and I'm serious it's not my place to to go and tell edit everyone has to find their own their own answer and before I finish I've said it three times I want to sing a I want to sing a song because I'm saying to me during that 2010 interview in Boulder and in fact people have called me to ask if I have the lyrics but I'm not going to sing the songs that are sent to me I'm gonna sing a song that was originally in Hungarian and now it's an English and then I'll explain it okay at home talking keep trying his day Han is a rooster cry means it does have to do it [Music] are you talking keep trying on schools I figure I finally [Music] in a green field above the Pearl in its mouth flies around [Music] fools is a what type of bird is this then the song says he [Music] to Jerusalem it wants to go it's flying where does it want to flight the Euro July continues Vision vectors sorry when would that be we're sitting here in Exile 1900 years when will we go to Jerusalem when will we have the Redemption and The Song answers she said when the temple will be rebuild that's when it will be in the Misunderstood [Music] Jerusalem be speedily in our day are made I dedicate that song to himself he really brought together many different people from all walks of life and who each one I mean those who knew him well or those who knew him not so well but just were inspired by his teaching really were affected by him and so I think that um you know if revzalman was here sitting on the chair that chair any chair at The JCC he would enjoy this because Rob Zombie loved people he loved life and the main things he loved Yiddish kite and I always said he has he had a lot of Hashem love for Hashem um so in that and why do I think that he would be happy because he anything about Judaism that even if there was dialogue even if we disagree on many different things there's so much that unites us and so much that brings us closer and so right I'm going to start questioning answers I want it to be in um and then I have a few people who are going to speak just about the end the question answers that people shouldn't forget um just just one thing is that I think that when we go out of here today we should use this talk and this thing to maybe to be nicer to each other and actually learn different things from each other and see how we can incorporate more Judaism into our life and whatever whatever we can do that will be a step up to whatever we're doing so um if anyone has any questions I guess you can um raise your hand I'll call on one person at a time and of course let's try to be respectful we come from different backgrounds we have different opinions and we you know I'm sure we're going to do that in that realm is that that um it was important from Nova Easley road which was a Latvian right Yiddish name okay um so I wanted to just test something and I'm trying to be really brief but I was watching your video the other day and there was one moment where Solomon I mean he was always lit up but this was an explosion and he was talking about hearing some rabbis say Judaism is about the future you remember that moment yes I do so it struck me so as a Jewish middle person heschel is very important to me I shall have a famous saying that at Sinai God gave himself or herself to the Jews with hasidism the Jews decided to give themselves as a community to God very interesting very nice and so here's I was pretty quick here we go um it's Solomon was a great historic revi this is my my view right because he he had this vision and this is very different from the bad Vision but that's why you're a good person to test it on he had this vision of the Jews transforming from al-kohan which is which is what she emphasized this blessed people where everyone is a priest to a people who are um not eating where the people where everyone is a project of the future of a better future for the world and this is also an extension of what heschel said which is that today the great huskies are Barbra Streisand and Albert Einstein they're bringing the spirit of hasidism to the world as a whole rather than pertaining it in Papa but just one that they're my tests to whether you think this is a okay well that's a great question and a great point casual was a brilliant mind and in fact I don't know if you know this but it's in the book did you know zombie wanted to work with hession wanted to take a position at jts in 1962. as a mashpia as spiritual mentor teacher should I tell you what happened they invited him it was a Shabbos it was a Shabbos it was Memphis times the afternoon time the Shoppers could take out the total from the art not only in the morning but on Sunday afternoon when they took out the Torah from someone went over to the to the ark and asked everyone to pray together the Provost of jts together with another leader were there at the time and it busted their bubble because that was unconventional this was this was jts the conservative movement so the background to what you're saying is true on the know that he revolutionized not just combat and Orthodoxy reformed conservative and even reconstructionists he did something very different and it was something that the Jewish World at the time couldn't handle they couldn't handle it they burnt rings that way that's why you Winnipeg you know I was telling uh Adam here who wrote me from the airport thank you I'm Simple Story as simple resolvement at a thousand students hovering over him because he was a Pied Piper he went to shoot to show these little kids and he went come on let's dance and dance and they all ended up in this house a thousand which rather has a thousand young people I said custoda hovering over them show me why today what party bar it's a whole minute so he broke the stereotype and he gave everyone as said he gave everyone a chance he introduced it and whoever wants to accept it accept it or doesn't doesn't accept it but he gave the world that chance and he brought it he said actually with hasidism so what do we have to do Javier you know we have to do we have to study hasidus that's what Zama was all about to say this Jewish mysticism but really to understand and when you tell him to her citizen you'll appreciate it a hundredfold lord that's my answer anyone else who would like to don't be embarrassed yes yes I just have a question I don't see Eve here is she all right she is all right she said she decided thank you is there anybody else yes what made you so curious about reps almond that you wrote this book that you may have done all this stuff because there was no one like him in the world from that background to what he did to the places he was me it's anomaly Macabre too but salmon even more so he I write and study thank you people in communities that on one hand just seems to be diversity that it seems to be different differences disagreements and my job is to bring them together you can smell her body with a mile away and you can see it's about a mile away we call this ostentation ostentatious Judaism right this is only spoke to my interview I was over the phone just something that I never experienced so I came I flew to Boulder on my own cost to sit with this man spent two hours and he was in Better Health we could have sat all day I promise you it was you said you saw the video if you look at his face and my face and the interaction it was so warm it was always saying yeah there's this schmuck delicious it was great time flew by that's what made me research him and that's what made me bring rep Zalman together with with Orthodoxy with all the movements there's room for everybody um I just want to say that um and I'm from Jewish renewal and I only became Jewish manual and I only got very involved in my Judaism until when I moved to Boulder and I would just invite you encourage you to truly take on rebz almonds thought process that I mean I know you say that in words that you want to be a Unity thing do you not you're not but but really what I also hear is you want us to see him as more of a chabotage than appreciate that the Jewish renewal has brought so many people back so it's more like I see him as a kebabweek and a Jewish Republican so I think I I just encourage us to be careful that yes he has strong Foundation of kabobs because and thank goodness he found a way to attract all the people who quit Judaism at age 13. so Jewish renewal was it was the right time and you know it's a real blessing that he took all his background and made it more uh I don't know if it's approachable um it's like there's too many of us that could not be considered but we can be Jewish or no which gets us closer and some of the Jewish renewal went further into their Judaism and became more observative or arbiting but there's so many of us that it's so wonderful that we're feeling attached again to our Judaism because the word isn't approachable isn't it success makes it more accessible and that that's his gift he took he he didn't give up with us and I was at his funeral I know I was so I was so it was so heartwarming that we had the unity we had the Chabad rabbis there um so I I just want to say it's wonderful that you're presenting all the history and yeah and let's uh let's uh give him the appreciation that he he made Judaism more accessible to many people thank you and um I want to think about it okay fair enough Melissa thank you for a wonderful talk I am enjoyed myself immensely rep Zalman and I talked about music a lot and as prayers for the soul if you know a story about music would you share it please sure the only problem is one second maybe we can do it again because I know that China is on her way to something else and I really do want her to speak okay first of all I want to thank you so much for your beautiful presentation and the thought of you two singing I wish I'd been a fly on the wall because I could just see his face and I know what those kinds of things meant to him I was not in the kishkis of Greg Solomon's growth in fact I was raised secular I'll tell you in a second who I am some of you know me some of I don't but I wasn't read zalman's mind stream I was I was my name is the microphone please thank you my name is Rabbi Turner rosenholz and I'm a rabbi in the Jewish renewal I was ordained as a magi by Reb sawman in 2007. um he is my root teacher of course along with my beloved teacher over there likes to stay hidden so I don't even know if I should say his name but I love you so much was a root teacher of mine and I um studied with him greatly I studied with him at naropa I studied with him in every single thing he did in Boulder for a series of years I used to come up from Fort Collins and starting in 2009 I also sat with him an interview I did 54 of them and by doing 54 interviews what he did is he gave over to me his spiritual biography and his intellectual history so I understand and know how he got from restoration to be new renewal was not meant to be a denomination that came from his students Jewish renewal was meant to be a fertilizer stick into non-orthodox Judaism in order to create an accessible way to understand the beauty of this tradition was a man who included everything he ever learned and he transcended it and this is really what I want to share and be sure everybody understands because one of the most important things to him I only saw him in all of those in personal private interviews cry two times one of them was when he found out somebody who he thought might replace him was actually not a good person I will not name a name but those who know him know and when he would talk about Claudia Israel and how separate Cloud Israel was there are 12 tribes there are 12 ways to do Julie if you will and each and every one has a place what would have happened if his holy brother had not created the merchant money in order to support him you talked about how important pronuncities so that's the first thing I really want to say you went from New Bedford to Manitoba very quickly but you missed some very important truths of that time because what happened in New Bedford is when he really started to open up he opened up by studying from Yale psychologists he found a little world Bible and he went aside and he found out that the goyan we're smart too this really influenced him he realized that he joined places where he worked with other ministers he began to open up in the early 50s in New Bedford in a way that completely began the transformation because for the longest time he was like we must restore pre Holocaust Judaism restore pre Holocaust Judaism and then he's like wait a second I am in the trenches with people now we have to renew it and he left New Bedford because he kept trying new things and they didn't renew his contract it was too Visionary here's something he said in he said to a group our being together as part of visioning together the purpose is to know how we can best cooperate with what is being birthed at this time the vision is in the now and yet its face is to the Future and I think that's what Evie was trying to talk about he believed when he met the the ready monach Mendel in Marseille and he heard him talk on tuba Shabbat about Ian's he then found within the secular culture where that was also spoken about and he began to understand the shift that had to happen in order to transcend yet include was very important he was a Chabad Rabbi till the end but not the Shabbat Rabbi from your kitchen s he raised the kisses up into the heart the heart into the mind and he envisioned something different this is very important for us to understand that his ever-changing nature was both and he transcended he included he allowed for a new way and some of the things he thought in the 40s were different from the 50s different in the 60s because that's the beauty of him he continually evolved I want to say that in all the wonderful interviews that were done I did not read this book I've read excerpts I talked to people who were interviewed I've talked to reviewers I've talked to his family I've talked to his closest friends they're not so sure this is all the real zombie it's a part of his story so as we continue to honor this beautiful piece of research I invite us also to have our curiosity about what has been left unspoken and what are the messages to move into the future to create the kinds of things that we have spoken about thank you for letting me speak thank you [Music] it's a hard act to follow China but she's a good friend so yeah that helps is it on yeah please okay so talking about a chair I had a chair and also I don't know if you guys know it uh with Brooke Salman so I I was brought here to be kind of the spiritual director of imaginable Orthodox congregation here and um at one point somebody had a chair from Germany that was supposed to be the best act support and I would have loved to have one because I was getting older like some of you here but they couldn't they they couldn't like protocol it wouldn't allow them to transfer that chair to me so examine found out about it and he actually gave somebody some some money to buy another chair for me trying to collect office chair which which I do have and then at the end somebody we see the other chair gave them to me two of them to me anyway so I'm just telling you that because no bounds it's Abbas Israel like people are talking about his his love of Israel and love of the world love of wisdom of the world just got thrown and growing and growing Boulder is the longest place I've ever lived and a lot of it has to do with representment when I first came here knowing really anybody not nobody somehow reps Allman heard about it and I was at the and it was the Boston train station and I see this Jeep pull up so and if you're a member of Thomas YouTube I still have a visual memory of that and that was him and he was very happy to pick me up and take me to his house and spend some time with me there the thing was I knew him probably longer than some of you are alive here I see enough Point here to know possibly that wouldn't have been the case um what happened was I was living in Worcester Massachusetts and reptilement happened to be the shotsman the one who made the match between uh Rabbi and Robinson there and so called my birthday is on Zuko the support I'm going to be God willingly at 80 years old so I hope some of you have a party [Music] anyway so I go to Services during school code and I'm looking across them the feature the divider and I see this person wearing this rainbow talent that I've never in my life seen a rainbow totally before and I kept staring at it and meanwhile he was staring at this young woman holding a rule of an Etro which in those days was very rare for young uh young Orthodox women needed to go to services with the Lulu manitra because staring at each other and that's how we became friends from that moment on and that was I would say maybe 60 years ago so we stayed friends off and on writing who had also sent me some of his writings and but what I want to say you know he believed like I did that nothing is by accident in this world everything is but shared everything is is meant to be for a Divine Purpose and today it happens to be a month from the giving of the Torah the sixth day of seafood and now we have the sixth day of tamus and yesterday repsalm is uh nine field site and I remember speaking at his memorial service I invented that and nobody found it until I saw other people find it later like but what's special about this of Tom Lewis it's actually written in the prophets talking about the prophets what happened the haftorah the prophetical right reading from the first day of support I mean of um happens to be the beginning of the chapter of Ezekiel and in that chapter how does the chapter start Ezekiel had his vision on the fifth day of the fourth month which would have been yesterday in Osama resortsite so when I saw that I told everybody I knew you know what I'm talking about Jesus Richard and what was efficient the vision was the what's called America the vision of the chariot so I made this connection in my mind right away who is who is this representment and and like the time and and other people said by the way I also have a connection with way back because I taught her sister so again another thing by accident we're all intertwined here Six Degrees of uh and Robinson Robertson ruffle is my sugar sister and he was that was the couple that represented yes awesome so what's what's the significance of this uh how are my memories we were planned with that are so all-inclusive like like Karen and Rabbi dolphin was saying I saw him I studied with him when he studied or especially when he prayed he would just go elsewhere he would go to many many different worlds maybe more than in our worlds even and just be in that kind of ecstatic state but I one time I was invited I went to his house on on Thanksgiving and they would representing wearing an apron and ready to serve and going around can I help you if you need something else and you also want to serve you something else that I won't mention here but I basically said thanks but no thanks so so that was him he was America but he in my mind he was like this sharing goes up and down up to the highest World down to lowest worlds and everywhere in between was perfect comfort and and joy and simple and Delight in everything in existence so it's so fitting that it's your type was the day that the vision of The Chariot the Maricopa goes up and down and he told one story in obso one story in his book it was very delightful the first hobagraph about he had to decide where he's going to go home in the world who's going to be his Rabbi and he thought about going to the building because the building was like the biggest genius in the world but then he was experience a hasidus the more uh teachings so he went to the market of masary to Margaret but he really wanted balance just like the Obama because I wanted so much about about balance so Russian German went to the Margaret of mysteries and he goes into the hall and a lot of the students are there and they're talking about division of the Chariot he has this in his book and and some of them are dancing some of them and doing somersaults some of them singing some of them making Roars like lions because that's part of the vision of The Chariot so he wasn't so sure if that's the place he wanted to be it seemed a little too wild and then Ms Richard Maggie walks in and he says he quotes one of the verses from ezekiel's vision and and he opens his hands like this and the first was now think of it but um when they stood their wings were folded up so that was the magic signal for everybody the cool little bit you know you don't want to leave this world if you want to be here and remember explains it as if the Fiery Heart had to be tamed by a brilliant brain so that's again the top and the bottom the highest and the lowest coming together and finally you know Angelus we read about all the Jews can't figure out was talking about Unity like one person with one heart and that's the word that camp which also has pain in it because each one saw Grace in the eyes of the other and we're actually kind of sardonically says it wasn't there before it wasn't there so much after but at that moment after giving the Torah all the Jewish people were like one person moved one heart and I believe in I feel it that I see it with people and vulgar this was her abdominant he was his love for Israel his love for Torah and his love for God was we continued to emulate and be inspired by that motto