Real Life is Spirituality: L'Haskilcha Bina - Igeres HaKodesh 11a - Rabbi Chaim Dalfin

so we're learning Today Chapter 11 the 11th letter in the fourth section of Tanya which is dedicated to the letters the 32 letters of the Al from different time periods in in his life they're not in chronological order for any sake of the matter just to be clear but there is a running theme in a kind of General way which we discussed several times the Alba deals with two primary aspects in these letters one is the most the most obvious one is the idea of giving Sedaka and the concept of Charity of Seda especially Seda to Israel to institutions and people in her Israel in Israel and uh the second idea is the idea of prayer as we have learned a little bit about and we will learn more about the significance of prayer and how to pray and when to pray and with what kav to pray and the importance of prayer and by the way I've been making I've started to make some clips on prayer with a more practical uh angle and a more practical uh you know bottom line of how you could you know Dove and pray prop more properly so you might want to listen to them than not very long on my on my YouTube channel anyway this is a very very very famous if not maybe the most famous letter of the Tanya is and it became really popular if I may use that word during the last century when we had the the Russian KGB anava communist ER in which they stopped or tried stopping GES kite Judaism and in particular theab who were the bulk of the Jews left in observing Jews left in Russia Russia and Ukraine to uh stop them from teaching youngsters they didn't care if you taught old people like all of us here with our white beards but uh youngsters was a big no no and the in this case of the previous the six made a a pack took an oath with the Reb the they talk about 10 such but the extension is to everyone of course to to do or die forite and not to give up and they went underground so you talk about the underground tunnels you know the the the joke of the Year from several months ago well in in Russia in the 1920s and 30s and 40s and all those years you actually had underground yeshivas underground meaning doesn't mean necessarily underground sometimes it was underground in the basement but it means it went into hiding and what gave them the kak to do this they use this chapter yud Al which begins with the words and it's always referred to in circles as so if you hear talking about 99.9% of the time he's talking about this chapter and deals with the overall issue how to accept Hashem as only good even when things seem to be bad wrong especially when it comes to the essentials of Life of children children sust um life healthy life and sustenance livelihood and over there there isn't room to wiggle you either have good health or you don't you either have par or you don't Etc so there is where it counts you know whether you have uh hot water or cold water ain't going to break you okay it's better to have hot water but if you have cold water you can't go into the Mikvah I've seen people go into the mikah and cold water in fact when I go down to flowa in the winter and the the pool is by Mikvah I go into cold water I don't care how cold it is that's I have to go to the Mikvah I jump in is it would it be nice if to have hot water sure but when it comes to to health if you can't get up in the morning or your body's aching you or you can't come to the shear because you have a bad headache and all of that and more serious things that's when it becomes really really the test is real so the in Russia when they knew that their their friends many of which never came back and saw the the light of day because they were taken away by the communist the KGB and they either died from Hunger or or or um or illness or they were shot and murdered and we know the names and we know the families and then what do you do the next day you go out again and this is relevant to the holy Alexander she is dedicated to him who was just murdered in area do you think for a moment that laich kabad is going to stop sending to what people perceive as dangerous places which is absurd cuz every place is dangerous walking down the street here is dangerous driving when there's rainy at night it can be dangerous you could you know you can end up in a crash if you're a Believer and the abish wants you to do what you're doing for the sake of Hashem you do what you have to do so they asked the one of I think the about this after they said they took away yesterday three because of their underground work what are you going to do he says what I'm going to do tomorrow I'm going to send three others and they're going to go willingly and happily this idea spoke about the shabas and crits they spoke about kronite SCH this idea of running away is is not Jewish and although we all do it we've been running where are you running to La is no good Chicago is no good Pennsylvania is no good borrow Park is no good Y is no good you got to run here you got to run there stop running the Reb the Reb our re singlehandedly because of him their CR Heights is what it is today with houses going from a million5 to $2 million well in 1970s you could have bought those houses for 20 $30,000 and then in 1969 at the fa said no we're not going to run and we're going to save the shoes and we're going to save the houses did everyone listen No but theba made a very big impact and by a large did that and because of them alone that neighborhood is saved okay B Park didn't have that problem where I live because of the Italians I don't want to go into a lecture that I gave shabas you know and Williamsburg didn't have that problem because of the and their tactics you know their matchness but kites could have had that problem CU kabad laich were not into you know beating you up and and screaming and killing and put you know what I'm saying that's not the kabad Style by as a general rule how was it saved through the theab this man who was born in Russia in 1902 in Ukraine and and he just put his foot down and he said you guys you might them he didn't say those words I'm paraphrasing where you running stop running there issues white flight dangers okay there issues yeah the 60s was tumultuous in every city there was riots Gamu y it's going to pass same things now where you running where you running when we learn this and we'll understand it and we'll think about it not just learn it on the state but meditate on reflect on it and then try to bring it into our lives gave the then the ability to to make it through and it gives it to us today even though on one hand at first glance it is so over the top and and so beyond our reality ab and is that you ask yourself Al Reb why are you say teaching this or better said the sons of the Alba why do you incorporate this letter amongst the 32 letters when it's not who we are when it comes to luxuries I can understand we can make a sacri sacrifice when it comes to Basics we shouldn't be concerned about the basics of life and health and all that that's what he's going to say over here but he's going to explain it he's going to give he's going to give an Insight Insight so asked the same question to students here in borrow Park and he said on one hand it's so far from the average from Jew any Jew but from Jew as well regardless what color your socks are and how tall your trial is right but nevertheless everyone can take a little bit what we call a little bit for of it and utilize it in their life so this is a general introduction to this chapter and it was included in the gases because without it there could be a time when you get stuck and you get despondent and depressed you learn you think about you live with there's no question you're not going to become but it'll help you upgrade it'll help you with so let's now go into the text page number 11 get this is part of a in comes from the word to make you intellectualize to make you use your who is the AL writing to is Sir he's writing to you myself and everyone else so it's so why is he quoting a which says it it should be so you'll say well there's no PK says thank you very much find another P or don't quote this p Just because you don't find another PK with the word doesn't justify saying which is singular so the explanation is that the AL is is addressing every individual and yes not just an individual as part of a cloud of a group which then you would say to you to each and every one of us to each and every one of us addresses Bea understanding I want you to listen and to learn and understand and then to live with it what does he say right away he starts off with a left a left hook that's very hard language harsh language this is not the way for the light of God to be it's not just a fleeing it rests it dwells it become it becomes an inhabitant the the light of God will not be it won't well rest and become a habitant in your life if you have a desire for the physical life including children and sustenance if your goal in life is to have good health exercise diet and that's your end all B the children to procreate and all the go and all of life's Necessities says the in the beginning [Music] of this is not the way that will bring the to rest in you do you hear that wow this is very very strong language this isn't just like you know well you know sometimes this way that way you know check it out and take it easy maybe yeah maybe not he says and only Al such a big sadik can say such words cuz for us to say such words is wrong is outrageous but the AL who communicates now remember the emphasis is if you want to have The Godly light in a way that's you know right they say right a little bit here a little bit in and out no problem but you want you want it to dwell and to become part of you for that you have to to what to want look at the word you know that means you're a physician you're helping but your your goal should be that's all as the what's my desire not that's what he says so right away you see that this is a tall order a very tall order let's continue so he quotes the we say an know your will for God's will now there's two ways of looking at the will there is a will that I an know to God but it's more in the behavior mode I'm not in the mood today of learning i' rather go play golf I rather surf the net I rather just sit on the beach and with with with with with with a a glass of wine andem says you should learn as much as you can and know your will in the practical sense to God's will but doing that doesn't yet accomplish this for this for to be to for your life to be and that you shouldn't want that type of batail ain't going to do it because what that batail says is hey I'm going to concede now to you for whatever reason but really my real will still wants all those things that are important remember we're not talking here right now about tiis not talking about indulgences we're talking about the basics of Life Health life children gmas just basic gmas now says that the real meaning of no your will to God's will is complete subservience not just in Behavior but in mid in in the character and in the mind the paradigm shift a paradigm shift to the point where I got it what do I get that it's all God it's all Hashem wants and if today he wants me to learn which he does now of course if you're not well or even if you're well and you need to kick back and just to clear your head We Know by they went on data right they went on what we call vacation vacation they went out to the to the good air okay and they learned over there or sometimes there stories with and other sikim that the doctors instructed them that they shouldn't think T and learn T because it as much as it's TAA it makes an impact on the body and they needed to clear they needed to have that period and that's and that was done that was done byad and and Reb you know so some of their would go to visit them in their vacation areas and would take strolls with them as they walked you know and they would talk about you know ancillary things I remember hearing the SAT title bomb would go to Saratoga Springs up in Upstate New York you know there were Springs there and it was healthy you know he was read an older man you it was probably his 80s 70s 80s whatever and uh this was at a period when the Reb our Reb spoke about zazar and the Reb I think it was 1966 the60s and theba spoke and and complimented him that he became he was elected as the President of Israel which is a Nasi the word Nasi and the and and the I think was that the spoke about this and when the word got to the spoke about him calling him Ai and comparing it to n he he flipped out you know he became very upset obviously okay anyway but he was he was up in Saratoga spring so there was a a relative of his another tidle bomb I forget the name now another re R who went to see him and he really wanted to bring up this discussion on their walk to get the rebbit to kind of get more upset you know and and and to and so that so that he can come out with a a CO announcement against theba for calling shazar n okay but he checked with the Reb Reb's wife fager fager his wife and she said to the to the relative don't say a word to my husband he has instructions here from the doctor cuz he already I think was was before his stroke but never left you know he needs calm and and and he can't get himself ruz nervous and and upset bringing the topic up you're going to upset him big time so you know you're his cousin and you guys take strolls together but there's certain topics you don't bring up and this is one of them not at this point I heard this and I I and and I believe it you know certain stories even if you didn't hear from the source I could believe this story because the the other components fit into the overall picture but what's why am I sharing this with you today because there's in the behavior mode then there's in the paradigm shift and that's not just a behavior modification approach that's an entire shift in the way you think and the way and and who you are ultimately so the AL is saying and using this in order to accomplish that you should not want you have to use the higher level of and if you don't apply the higher paradig shift but rather just the behavior modification you won't accomplish this that you won't want that's what he says the and after citing the explains that your will your will whatever that will is should be NFI but in existence not just in practicality in existence it shouldn't exist look at the language can't get any clearer than this and one should not have any will whatsoever a the word CL at all regarding worldly matters all of them which include children life and sustenance and livelihood and now he quotes if it wasn't harsh enough he quotes another to seal Our Fate and as the sages Say by force God forces us to live but the AL uses this to support his point only if you negate G in other words Hashem says I want you to live I'm I'm allowing you and I want you to come into the world but I'm forcing you to meaning you want real life and you you were given this chance you have to let go of gmas and we could say from this opening paragraph in in it sets the tone one second it sets the tone for a ye not for a it's it's very heavy there's no question about it but like said it puts us in a certain framework what is important and what is not important and again we're not talking about the indulgences and luxuries we're talking about the Necessities if a person has a health issue a child issue a partos issue these are very real things but at the end of the day remember that Hashem is greater than all of that and if you an know your will to God's will if God does it it's the right thing you know what I'm saying and and and and and it's God's will yes is sir I just want to say it's it's somewhat paradoxical that we have to come down into into this world into the physical world into a fleshy body in order to elevate the level of the and here the alter is saying and now you're going to n all of that gsh but we use the but at the same time you have to it and think right but like you said like you said from the Kash I said this last week because you also asked about about that which was good is to be mocet while you're Bas medish is no big deal to beet when you're you're under your Talis and you're daving you're talking to hem there no big deal to beet when you're in your office and those ladies drive you nuts wanting you to write prescriptions that are you know not you all that and over there somehow I don't know how that you have to figure out that's where it counts yeah that's the point how how want us to facilitate that everyone in their world has to work that out but it the is is it begins with with us in other words before you could you know make the right decision how regarding your your your physician medical issues you you have to come to a place yourself outside of who what you do about this issue that that's the over here so of course it takes the to be but again remember this is T this is not this is a safer of of the B and especially so the is and we haven't yet learned we're going to learn this week theic approach the's approach I should say to how to accomplish this and that's the and that's the emphasis here you see I'm glad you brought it up to walk away from from this heus again with a practical thing okay of course everything's practical but it's the fuel the oil the battery that's most important here because otherwise a you won't accomplish it and B even if you do it's more on the Practical level it doesn't accomplish and the paradigm shift so it is as you say kind of an oxymoron it is you know but that's only when you look at it when you look at it outwardly when you look at it B closer and deeper it it it meshes very well it meshes very well that Hashem chose us in the not the Angels not the theas but us on Earth and he wants to see on Earth if we could live this way and again is I tell you that these you know we're Yankee Doodles okay we're spoiled spoiled brats okay basically get whatever we want okay whether it was before now whatever right but these yeden who lived through these times this this was no joke there wasn't food there was tyus all over and they wanted to kill you this was real and they stood fast because and I knew these people I knew them it's not I'm telling you I heard from my grandmother I saw them and spoke to them and listened to them for years and I'm telling you they lived this way and I would say that a I remember months ago an IDF Soldier wrote a letter to his parents you know but they killed him and he said I'm happy I'm happy if I go this way missish it's the same thing I I would not discount that in aoda it's the same thing as the in Russia and Ukraine during you know Stalin's time it's the exact same thing the person knows clearly that there's a chance of never coming back but he's doing it for CLA and I'm not talking as a Zionist I'm talking about as a yeid that's a holy act we'll learn tomorrow more Z have a great day take care byebye