Rav Kook: Emunah - Anticipating Perfection | Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider | November 12th 2025

Booker to great to see everyone this morning. Wonderful to see everybody here and uh the beautiful opportunity to uh to learn together and to learn the teachings of Rafuk. Let me just begin with the the sponsors for our shar this morning. We have a regular sponsor the Eloish Miriam Benom. We have an additional sponsor today as well. Dedicated in memory of Mali and Bob Swarski in honor of their great love of humanity. And I'll add one more sponsor, a Eloy Nishama to uh to my mother-in-law passed away just over a week ago. Uh my wife just got up from Shiva the uh yesterday, the other morning. and her name Yehudis Raisel Basitzk Visara Zra a very very special woman and uh I have her and all of us have her in mind as we uh as we learn this morning so we um we're studying a really a beautiful wonderful book of Ravkuk a collection which is known as mido aya which is the character traits that all of us are working to uh to improve and to master in our lives. Uh we're in a section which is called amuna which is faith. A couple weeks ago we looked at the uh the idea of faith, faith in God. What does that mean from the perspective of Ravkuk? And this morning we're looking at another aspect of amuna which uh I think is very much very much captures the the thought of RVuk and something that I think speaks uh speaks to all of us especially those uh that live in Israel who have made aliyah. And Rufuk is going to talk about the importance of amuna. Amuna in the future in perfecting the world. Amuna in the coming of the Msiach. And that's another aspect of amuna. When we think about amuna in our lives, we think about amuna and hashem. And then there's amuna ina and certain certain principles. And one of the very important principles of faith is this idea. The idea that we're moving to greater perfection. We're moving closer and closer to uh to the end of days to the days of Mashiach. And let us uh let us open with the words of Ravkuk. So this is from a safer called Midot Raya. It's a section called Amuna. This is the 11th piece alf. And uh let's open with with with some words of Ravkasha. This is the top of page one right under the Alfash. That very unique perspective on the world that will be revealed to everyone in the future when the world will be renewed. When the world will leave, will no longer be a world that is a world that is cursed. Aur where is the world cursed by the way? Where where is this idea of a world that's that has curse upon it? >> Okay. Good. Interesting. Yeah. What? Yeah. >> Okay. Good. Okay. That's interesting. Interesting. That I think that's that may be part of the story. I want to go back to the very beginning of the Torah where it speaks about a world that is an imperfect world where Adam and Kava that they sin in the in the garden of Eden in Ganeden and that there are certain curses at that point that there certain punishments that the world is now going to endure. The Midrash actually says, you may be familiar with this, that the world itself, that the trees were supposed to that the bark of the tree was supposed to taste like the fruit of the tree and the world itself somehow does not obey God's command that there's some some some imperfection the world even in creation. Now, that's a that's a really mysterious idea. Now, what does that mean? That God wanted trees to be a certain way and they don't really respond. But somehow that within the world itself, in the world that we know that there's a world, let's call it a very imperfect world. And that's what Rafuk is speaking about. A time will come and we're waiting for that day where those imperfections are going to be fixed when the world will be freed where there will be no blemish, no faults in this world. This is the hashkafa. This is the perspective of a Jew of the Jewish people that were awaiting that day and that we're working towards that day of bringing greater perfection to kunolam. That's what it means to be a Jew. That's the way that we that we see the world the way that we see the world unfolding and the way that we see our role or mission this world. How do we bring a greater perfection to a world that is fraction? A world that's imperfect. That's a and there's emuna there. the faith that that is going to happen. The faith that it's going to that we're going to realize there's going to be a realization of that of that vision of that dream. Even at this very moment, even when we don't see it, a Jew has that faithb. But because it's an advanced idea, the world is not ready for that idea. It's like hard to to grasp that idea. the rest of the world is not quite ready for for that idea to see the world in that light. So therefore it requires a great faith and there's the word amuna which is very important for in this section where he's talking about faith that eventually it's going to be revealed that the world and the Jew is going to bring this idea to the world and even I think what means here even when we don't fully understand it we can't fully grasp what that means a messianic time a time of a world of perfection a world of peace even though those ideas are are very very distant but it's something that the Jew lives with a complete faith that that is going to come about it's something that we feel within our spirits is something that we can't quite see it's hidden from the eye it's something that's that's very you know very thin very very small like what to to actually hold on to that idea but the hearts of the Jew, the hearts of the Jewish people, they recognize this idea. Okay, this is the the opening. There's a little bit more from RVuk, but we'll we'll hold it uh hold it here for now. So, what does RVuk say? Part of what it means for a Jew means we have faith in God. We also have faith in a world that is perfecting and that we are part of that and our role, our mission is to perfect the world. Um to kind of sort of appreciate this idea, I want to turn to something that Rabbi Salvichek, Rabbi Yseph Salvich Satal that he speaks about. I think the way that he frames this will be helpful to our conversation. Um Rabbi Salvich in a in a collection of his teaching called reflections of the RV speaks about a Jew and says that a Jew lives in three different time frames simultaneously. that all of us, each of us, every Jew and the Jewish people, that we're living in three different time frames at the same time. Now, what does he mean by that? And he uses the following words. That's right. He talks here. He uses again the fancy words of Salvich. We have retrospection, we have appreciation, and we have anticipation. What's retrospection? >> That we're thinking about the past. That the past is very much alive for us. Abraham and Yakov. These are personalities. They're not just personalities that we read about, but they're very much a part of our lives and who we are and how we see the world. And then the idea of appreciation. What do you understand? What he means by that is the moment. To appreciate the moment, the moment that we're in, to appreciate every second, every day to make the most of it. And then we have the idea, and this is what RV cook is referring to in this piece. And that is anticipation. I remember when I was young there was a commercial for Hines Ketchup and the song was anticipation. You remember that? I don't know if you remember that commercial. Anticipating. You have to be an American for this. So anticipating. And they would have the, you know, the bottle and the and the ketchup coming out slowly. Anticipation. We're anticipating. So the Jew is anticipating the future. So all of this, the Jew is experiencing these three time elements, time frames all at once. We have a we have a foot in the past. We're here in the in the in the moment and we have a foot in the future as well. Ruf Cook really emphasized I think for Salvich he very much emphasizes the past and how we hold on to the past in the sura. Ruff Cook's perspective, his great emphasis in his writings and his life is let's let's be very much aware and live with that sense of the future and how the future is unfolding and how Gula is is closer and closer. So let me just just to read one line. I thought this was uh this article of Rabbi Salviche begins the following way. Maybe for for many of us here grandparents uh maybe this will speak to us or this is the way interesting this is the way that Rabbi Salvich kind of describes his experience as a grandfather. A grandfather stands before his newly born grandchild filled with paradoxical thoughts. Feelings of renewal merge with fading memories of the past. So you see the grandchild, you're thinking about the future of this child. You're also thinking about the past, your parents and past generations. For the Torah committed Jew, this scene has an added dimension. Gazing at the newborn, the grandfather also experiences a sense of generation awareness. And what is generation awareness? And here, Rabbi Salvich, I didn't that's that's all I brought for you from this article. It's the opening of the article, but he talks about time awareness or time consciousness that we live with this sense of the past. And this is he puts in the in this um context of looking at a child of a of a grandchild and the thoughts that a person has past generations, children, future generations. And this is uh this is very much a part of how a Jew lives their life and with a great sense of amuna, faith in the future. And now we turn to RV cook and I want to share with you two um actually three three three different um teachings from Ravkuk about the idea of anticipating the future. And here we come to a term which I think we're familiar with a term that the Gamarra speaks about and that is the importance of what's called cipita leoshua a that we are awaiting that we are awaiting a Yeshua of salvation. So look at what RV cook writes. This is from the work of roaesh number three on your pageua. This is awaiting for the Yeshua, the redemption or the salvation of the Jew, the Jewish people and all mankind. Yeshua I'm reading from it purifies a person's life when a person has this sense of awaiting a great day in the future. It expands a p a person's consciousness and it beautifies a person's spirit when a person has this sense of and I would say an optimism and a hope and a belief that better days are ahead and we know what it was like here for the la the past two years and what we what we went through here in Israel and to live also again with the pain of the moment right but also this sense of amuna in a salvation a muna in better days, a muna in in Hashem bringing, you know, the possibility of of miracles and of wonders and and of better days for the Jewish people. A person who lives that way with that kind of optimism with looking towards the future with a with a good eye. So such a person says Ravkuk, a person, it purifies a person's life. It expands a person's consciousness. It beautifies a person's spirit. Rafuk comments on one of the most well-known gumar about Yeshua. There's a gimmar that's found in Shabas Alf. And I think everybody here is familiar with with this idea or with this gamarra and that is that after our time on this earth after 120 years we're going to go to shmayan and in shmay we're going to stand before the heavenly court and the garra says lamal in garra shabas there are going to be a list of questions that hashem is going to ask us the first question is going to be honesty and business right and then it goes on with a number of other the Torah. Did you spend time studying Torah? So all of us are going to say yes. We were here Wednesday mornings and we never missed a piria involved in family life bringing family children to the world. And then famously God is going to ask Cita Leoshua. Did you live a life and this by the way is really a striking or startling question of all the things that God is going to ask us when we stand in Shmim after 120 years. Did you live a life in which you anticipated cipitaua the salvation the redemption? Were you looking forward? Did you believe with amuna? Did you believe with full faith that yes, the Messiah can come better days ahead? That it's a world that is perfecting that we're moving towards perfection and that we're part of that process of perfection. So Rufuk writes the following and here let's read the words a few the a few lines from Rufkook. This is from his anaya his famous commentary on the gumar he wrote only on the first two and chabas. So we have this piece if you want to follow along the very last paragraph on page one this looking this anticipation it requires focus constant focus on looking towards that day the possibility the potential of that even when you don't necessarily see any sign of that salvation that is unfolding but to to to look for it and to anticipate that and here he writes the following al he says somebody like who is on guard duty who's standing and watching and that person needs to watch that's what they're hired to do and weeks could go by months years can go by and you don't see anything again thinking a little bit about October 7th as I read this right that you are there to watch and to be very careful in that watch again. Months, years can go by, but you have to be uh but you have to be very very vigilant in your watching. So that's what it means of cook what it means Yeshua saying that we're always looking out for what are we looking for signs of of salvation of redemption. And then he writes the following and this is very very important. Um oh yeah I didn't let me just finish that sentence. even when he doesn't see anything new to respond to. But that person can never leave that post. The one who's watching that's the person who is looking for looking out for the signs. And here he writes the following. But there's another aspect of what it means. But if you do see something, if there is some sign that needs a response, it's important, it's critical that if you do see something that you then respond to that. So that person who's on the lookout that sees something that needs a response. So that's a not it's not enough just to watch for it. You need to respond to it as well. And I think Rafuk is referring to looking to signs of Yeshua. If the Jewish people are beginning to make their way to the land of Israel as Rabbi Salvich famously said in his talk called Adid, if there's a knock on the door of the Jewish people, that's what Rabbi Salvich he quoted from Shirim that God is knocking on the door. How can we not respond to God's knock? There's a sign, right? That's the sign. We've been waiting for it. And now we have Erit Israel. We have the opportunity to come back to the land of Israel. That's what it means. One is to always be always to be vigilant in watching for those signs and then to respond to it. Respond to it when we need to. Um, page two, top of the page, Rafuk in a piece, a famous piece from Our writes the following. And the way to think about to think about the awaiting the redemption and here I'll read the Hebrew at the top. It's translated right below. When you think about it's an ongoing process of gu where did begin it really began says with the redemption from Egypt and the full redemption that will come about it's one long process and there's no stop in that process there's a long process of And what does mean by that? That's a phrase that we're familiar with from the agada from the Torah. What does the Torah need to say? Both a strong hand and an outstretched arm. So yazaka refers to what was happening at that moment that God brought his his strong hand on Egypt. But what's the za the outstretched arm? What that means is that gulah that process that began in mitim that there's a long process that's the the long process of gula that we are part of and asuk says and asar says we are to be watchful of and that we are to believe in that in that process of gula and all the everything that is unfolding is really part of this process elyah Moshe and Eli go they are both they're all part of one redemptive process Moshe began the process and Ela is going to come and announce the be the the end the coming of the Messiah interesting in the Hagada the night of pes which is about gula so we begin with the story of Mit of leaving Mitim and the story of Moshe even though we don't really talk about Mosherenu that much or very little one time he appears sort of you know just uh somewhere towards the back but we begin with the story and where does the story end on the night of on the night of Pesak what's the highlight as we come to the end we open the door for nothing right the beginning of the process is Moshenu the first gula but the ultimate redemption is what we are awaiting and to believe in that and to believe in that process Moshe started and and Eli Yahu will Finish the one who open, the one who will close together. It's all one unit is I like this line. And the spirit of Israel, you can underline this. And the spirit of Israel and we are listening. We're listening for the sounds of the movements of Gula. Interesting. What's the term that we use for the Messiah or that we're in a time that we're moving closer to Mashiach? the iikita, the messiah, the mashia. What's the iikita, the avy anybody know? >> The heels, the footsteps that we're listening, there's a sound as if there's a sound of Messiah. And I think for many of us, you know, living here in Erit Israel and what what brought us to Erit Israel is this idea, the sense that we want to be part of this process as we're moving closer and closer to messianic days to believe in that. That was the uh Rabbi Salvich had a a well-known son-in-law Ravar Likenstein Zatsal who was the Russa of Gusettion and uh so the father-in-law Rabbi Salvich was in America lived in Boston taught yes university and his dream or one of his dreams in his life was that his son-in-law would become the Russa. He knew that one day he would pass away and his great son-in-law Revan Likenstein would stay in New York and would be the Russia Shiva. But he didn't want to stay. He wanted to move to Aratus and with Rabbi Salvich's daughter. They were married of course and um this is this is a sort of a famous line from Ravar Likenstein who who by the way he really liked sports when he was young. I don't know following not so much following but he supposedly he was a really really good uh basketball player and he used a lot of sports analogies. So he said, "I'm moving to Erit Israel. I'm moving to the land of Israel." This is what he told his uh his father-in-law because when you come to a stadium, you can do two things. Either you can be sitting in the stands and you can be watching the game >> or you can be on the field and you could be playing, you know, playing the game. You could be making a difference. He says, "I don't want to be watching it from a distance. I don't want to be sitting in the in the stadium. I want to be a player. I want to be part of the unfolding of the redemption. And that's what Rafuk is saying here as well that we're that we're aware of this that we hear it and that we listen for the footsteps of Msiah as Mashiach is getting closer. Let me just read the last line. We listen for the movements. We look for movements that are that are pointing us towards actions. What's happening that is part of the both that's that come about through all the different different things that are unfolding until the moment where there'll be the flowering of the the light of redemption all of its fullness and all of its glory and all of its goodness and again I don't know what brought each of you I'm sure there are many different reasons what brought us to the land of Israel to leave our home which was not easy to do for all of us and leave our communities and leave our families amilies and what brought us the land of Israel. I know for myself and for many people part of it was very much this belief of this that says that every Jew should live with a sense of that there's a process of redemption that is unfolding that we're moving closer and closer and we're living today in this age and we are to believe that we're living in a very very special and a very unique for 2,000 years we've been sitting in and and just trying to survive as Jews and for the first time the Jewish people and here we are 7 million Jews strong in the land of Israel. We're sitting in traffic in Jerusalem. We can't get anywhere with all the building and the light rails and the trains and the high. I mean, all of this is like unfolding before our eyes and it's quite amazing and to feel that and to sense that Rav Cook says that's that's part of amuna. That's part of the faith. And as I say that we should somehow as we're sitting in that traffic and we're sitting with all the dust and all the all the construction around us, the joy and to feel the amuna in that as well. Okay, let me just share a couple of other other ideas. And this is this is really interesting. Rabbi coming back and we're sort of sharing Rafuk and Rabbi Salvichek this morning. Rabbi Salvich says, you know, there are certain things that we do to to remember since we've been in the galut to remember what it was to be in the land of Israel. And there are things that we do in order to remind us sort of of the the sadness of being so far from the land of Israel. And he uses the term he says that's what's called a certain things that we do that are to remember the destruction the fact that we don't have a migdash but then there's another term that's used in and that's mikdash things that we do to remember beta mikdash and he's going to and is the salvich family or salvich always this fine distinction between the two and one he says is really about the sadness and about the mourning and the other is really about the joy and anticipation of rebuilding. So on the sadness, one example of that and I'm not sure if this is something that you've done or seen that is when people will build a house that they will leave a section of the house unfinished and many will have that as you enter the house that they'll have that they don't you know they don't paint that section you still see the cement and that is actually it's brought it's brought that one should do that I haven't built a house I haven't you know I just been renting and moving into homes so I don't I I haven't had that but if one has the to have that or maybe something that you can do living where you are that that's a constant reminder of of in other words that every time that you enter your home or anyone enters your home to see an unfinished house. I mean it's it's kind of jarring in a way to see a slab that's that again I don't I don't remember really seeing that growing up people really observing that that per se I see it more initial that people do that but that's a that's across the board that ideally that one should do that that's an example of but then there's another this other part of of what it means to remember and it's not remembering in a sad way but in a positive way and with anticipation and this is something that everybody here does and that is that we put salt on our table or we put salt on the kala when we eat kala we eat the bread now where is that where's that min from why do we do that so very simply and I'll read it to you right in the middle of page two writes there's a mitzvah to bring on the table there should be salt in the table table before you break bread, before you make why is that sign that we're all familiar with that when we sit at our tables, we should think about the that our home and the table in our home should remind us of and what we're eating should remind us of. Now, when we do that, that's not a that's not a sad statement. That's really an anticipation. Now, there was a little bit of a taste. literally a little bit of a taste of what it was like to eat a corban. With every corban there was melik and to think about the melik and to think about corbanote and to think about anticipation, right? That's leoshua that we're anticipating that we're waiting the day that we'll eat the real carbonote and we'll eat the meat of carbonote and and the salt of the carbanote. So that is Yeah, please Harry. >> Excuse me. >> So that means not only on Shabbat but anytime you have >> that is true. That is true. Yes, you're right. It's not a It's not al of shabas. Even though I would say most people don't do it during the week when you get a bagel from uh whatever bagel and cream cheese that you I don't know maybe the locks that's considered having salt in uh on your on your bagel. But you're absolutely right. This is not a shab. This is across the board that every time that you eat bread when you're breaking bread that you have salt with it. Uh another interesting example of this and this actually and I I bring this example because Rafkuk this is something that he saw and something that he saw from his rebi one of his most influential rabbim was the nitiv who was the great Russa of allein he was very close with the nitiv and there's a of the nitiv of his teachings on on pes and this is a little piece where actually his son writes it and he's sort of transcribing what his father a memory that he had of a of a um a seder that he had within its civ. I mean it wasn't just him. I think there were like 200 I think it describes 200 students that were at at that seder. But Rafkuk was there with the great nitiv of Alian. And one of the first things that he uh the first varra that the nitiv gave was about wearing a kit. Why is it tonight that we're wearing a kit? I don't know if you ever thought about that. the minug of wearing a k on the night of the seder. So here let me just read it to you. Do you want me to share it with the words of So this is number four. I remember in a conversation his beer I remember this isuk's son who is again transcribing sharing what his father this his father's memory of being at the seder with the nitiv. And said the following. When you eat of the everybody who ate in the time of the mdash, it was if they were eating, it was really a as if you were sitting at the the table of the kingdom. It was eaten in the city. Everybody had to come to Shalim. Imagine that. Everybody from the whole country making their way for Yantiff. You have to eat the carbon off in um and what did they do that the custom was that everybody who ate that they wore a white linen garment. In other words, to look a little bit like a co. Now, everybody was eating in their homes. You don't eat the garb in the in the beta mikdash. You bring it home and every family eats it. But because it's a little bit like being in the beta mikdash and a kurban, you should wear something that is like cohain like and you should wear a kit so that everybody sitting at their table should also feel like they're like a cohane like they're eating of a carban which they are eating of carbon. That's the reason that he gave interesting there are many other reasons the tas says that we should it reminds us of death and on the night of so much joy that we need to kind of you know curtail our joy a bit and the nitiv says I simply don't understand that reason this is the reason and cook reports that's the first tora that the nits gave so what's interesting is they wear and I'll take your you'll take I'll take your comment in a moment so wearing the kit what is that to remind us of as we're sitting at the seder it's not a sad moment it's a moment of anticipation. We're putting on the k. Maybe we're looking at that kl. Usually, it's the head of the household. Actually, Rabbi Salvich and Isaga asked the question, well, everybody should really be wearing the k. Why is it that only one person wears the kit? Okay, I'm not sure the answer to that, but we're seeing that k and we're getting a taste like the salt at our right like the salt that's on our table on chabas or anytime that we have bread. Um, and we're getting a taste on the n of the seder. One other thing and I'll take your comment and hear the writes. Why do we wash our hands before we have the vegetable the carpass? Does anybody you know that say that you know that's one of the washings that we do. So here let's read this last line very last paragraph. We want to make our seder similar to the way that they would have their seder in. And for that reason not and here we get into a whole area which is called tuma and which is when a vegetable has liquid on it and it can now become tame and therefore we have to wash our hands before that's why we do it. That's why we're doing it. We're doing something that is mikdash like and again this is like a whole area of that we're not really familiar with. We don't we don't practice these today for the most part. But that it it relates to that and says we're doing that the seder. Why are we doing at the seder? Because what we're doing one of or more than one thing that we're doing the seder is trying to capture trying to feel right this sense of anticipation. We're sitting at the seder but we we we want the ultimate. We want the we want the real seder. We want to be wearing the kto like they used to. We want to wash our hands like they used to do if there was a vegetable that had liquid on it because of issues of tuma. Yes. Did you want to say something? >> Specifically, uh, a cloth that something we wear really reminding us of the death. Why can't we wear just on the on sale and that just another white cloth? Why this has to be the k specifically? >> Why you're saying the kit? Because the kit resembles that that according to the it resembles what they were in. But what are you what are you asking? Why? because it >> No, I thought the kit was more like like something that really and truly you wear once you're there. >> Okay, good. Good. So again, there are those that >> Good, good, good. Right. It's interesting. You wear it on Yamipur, right? And that maybe and that yes, the mafarim say that relates possibly to death that a person should others say relates to being angelike, the white and the and the purity of of not of being cleansed of one's sin. >> And there are those who say what you said. Maybe the night again there are those and who those that say on the night of pes it's a way to curtail some of the sim with all the joy of the night even though the niv outright rejects that does not understand that at all if that were true then we'd wear k allum if we have to curtail the joy and he says the k in this circumstance is that's his interpretation what we're we are emulating what was done and we are anticipating the eating of carbon pak that we do not have yes did you yeah Ethiopians. >> Yeah. What do they do? >> They're white for women. Men and women wrapped in white cloth. >> And you're talking about for pesak >> forot >> or for tilot. Okay. Maybe. Yeah. May maybe maybe there's uh maybe there's something there as well. Um okay. Let's go now to the top of page three. Uh one more quote from from RV cook and from the writings of RV cook. The top of page three. makes an interesting statement. One line, one sentence and here you have it in Hebrew at the top and translated as well. If a person says to you the following that he has found all the light all the beauty of Torah and the mitzvot mat that he has found all the beauty in Torah at this moment at this time in this place alishmalo do not listen to that person if a person says I've found the beauty and all the beauty and grandeur of Judaism in the way that I'm observing Judaism in my life or my community. Do not believe such a person. Sounds like a a uh striking statement. That's a signal. He has not he has not um penetrated the depths Yeshua. He is not living with his sense of anticipation of the future. Now, what is Rafuk referring to here? So, we were just talking about the seder seder and night. We sit down. We sit down with our families. We have the matzah, the maru, the karoset, we have the matzah balls, we have the chicken soup, and we're all and we all feel that it's the most beautiful, perfect night. But should a Jew feel that way in the night of Pesak? Rav Cook says you're missing something if you feel that everything is perfect, if everything is beautiful because you don't have the essence of the night of pes and that is carbon pes. You're not eating the carbon pes. By the way, the mar which we eat today is only a diner they say, right? It's only their aban because it's not eaten properly and a lot of Jews don't recognize that. I don't know if I like sort of live that way or grew up that way of what's missing that there's a longing for something more. I always tell the story um Rabbi Yosetsvi Ramon he is the chief rabbi of the gush lives in a daniel one of the outstanding postkim of this generation leaders of the religious community I'm sure you have seen him maybe read some of his he's written a lot he goes through all of the very quite amazing what he's done so he tells a story you probably have heard this story I've told it here but he goes to uh he's on a trip in Manhattan he has meetings is in Manhattan and he's spending some time there and he's running from meeting to meeting. He hasn't eaten yet. So, he runs down to the uh in Manhattan they call it a bodega. I don't know if you know that. You know what a bodega is? Whatever. He goes down to a little supermarket, comes into the supermarket, he picks up an apple. Let me eat something. As he picks up the apple, he now in his mind he's now going through all of the halos. Now he's saying there's truma. There's possible messer that needs to be taken. Is this a schmita year? Y you have going through all of the in his mind. And then he kind of like, you know, takes a step back. He says, I'm in Manhattan right now and none of these apply to an apple outside the land of Israel. And he describes, he said, I just put down that apple and walked out of the store. could not eat an apple that doesn't have any kaduca any kaduca anything that that have all of the that does not have the of of so here cook says if you're living a life and yes you have all of this Judaism but this yearning that we should have for schmita and for yel and for beta mikdash and for kurbanote and for tuma and tahara there's a whole world of ala that we're not able ble to keep yet even here in Aritus like these are there's a whole discussion schmita today midisa midaban the truma and ma everyone basically agrees that we're only it's only on a deraban level there's so much of Judaism and of ritual and practice or observance that we're not able to observe today so a Jew should never say if a Jew says to you my Judaism is perfect how wonderful it is you know to live in New York or even in Shalam that everything is perfect say no It's not perfect yet. And that's part of what it means anticipation. That's what it means to have a muna to have that faith in the future. Okay, just to come to a close um Ravk speaks about this in a very beautiful way in the bra that we make and here I think it's we can already begin to talk about Khan. As I was walking down the street here, I overheard a woman that was saying she was already making a date. I'll meet you, you know, right before Kaneka. So Khan is already it's not quite in the air but um but we'll say it's already in the air. This coming Shabas is the 24th of Mareshban. Sunday is the 25th. So this Sunday is one month to Kaneka. Okay, one month away. So we can we can we can share a Kaneka idea. So Rafuk says the following the braha itself that we say on the nanuk and he asked the question well I understand the first night that you say because it's a single candle but then we go to 2 3 4 all the way up to eight we should say that's that's a question that he asks like why do we not change it's accurate the first night but once we move to the plural and we're lighting more than one it should become nro so he writes the following And here I'll just just to highlight the very first line. This is from his from his if you're looking page three right in the middle. When we think about that is impacted or influenced from a future that is more elevated. When you think about Kaneka, what is Kaneka? Kaneka is celebrating the past, right? It's the great miracle. We're remembering the miracle. But RVuk says that when we think about Kaneka on the holiday and how to light the we're really thinking about the future as well. How this is connected to the future. We're actually you know when I was speaking earlier about mikdash when we stand in front of the minor which we'll do in just about a month. So what are we supposed to think about? Is that a sad moment of thinking about what we don't have? I don't think we we don't I don't think we think about it that way at all. It's a moment of celebration and it's a moment of anticipation that I'm lighting this minora and we're anticipating a lighting of manura again in the beta mikdash. We're getting a little bit of a taste. Interesting way to think about I don't think we usually think about it that way. A little bit of a taste of the rebuilding of the beta mikdash. A little bit of a taste of that the manura will be lit again. the way that we taste the taste the salt on our kala to think a little bit about the the uh the melaf the salt that's onote. So he writes the following. He says all the branches again just to kind of summarize this long paragraph but he says that all the different branches in the eyes of cook they all represent all different factions all different groups of the Jewish people in a in a good way that we're made up of of all different all different communities. But in the in the days of Mashiach, what's going to happen? All those lights are going to come together. There's going to be a great synthesis. There's going to be a great uniting of the Jewish people. What we've thought about for a long time is this community and you're Ashkanaz and you're lit and and you're this and you're that. But when the Messiah comes, so we're all going to come together. That's going to there's going to be one great light of the Jewish people. Look at the last two lines of we don't use the term they're the candles that we're lighting or the lights. When we make this brah what are we thinking about says Rook? We're thinking about that elevated that lofty vision of the future where all those lights become oneonashem that time of the lofty vision of the future and therefore it looks like a lot of candles but it's really one candle. We're one people. An interesting interesting way to think about the manora as well is not it's certainly not it's not about destruction. It's about anticipation as we stand it's a beautiful kavana to have as we stand before the minora to think about where we have a little bit of a taste of that manura that's going to we're going to have it again. There's going to be a beta mikdash and there's going to be a day of where all these lights become one light and all the branches of the Jewish people are going to become one one branch all together. There's going to be unity. There's going to be there's going to be uh peace. I'll just end with the following. I uh I open with um with just mentioning that my uh my mother-in-law passed away just uh over a week ago. And I was my wife sat Shiva here. She went back to America to finish the Shiva. She's coming back tomorrow. But I sat Shiva right next to her. You know, I sat next I wasn't sitting Shiva as a son-in-law. You know, officially you're not sitting Shiva. It was a bit of a Shiva for me as well. losing my mother-in-law. Um, but as you're sitting in a shiva, all the people that are coming and of course the the phrase that everybody says. So, you wish that person that they should be comforted amongst those that are that are mourning Jerusalem, right? The the destruction of the beta mikdash. I think one of the ideas is that we're expressing to the mourner that we're all mourning to some degree, right? That's the part that all of us and that we're all together in this. You're mourning. It's a much more acute morning, a much more painful morning, but all of us as a people are mourning at this time and we should all and we feel together that there's that there's something that we're sharing. Maybe that's part of what we're saying when we say, but I thought about one other just thinking about it over this past week. One other idea is that when we say to the mourner that we're mourning with you with destruction of the beta mikdash, we're also expressing the idea that we all know that that beta mikdash will be rebuilt. We have that amuna, we have that amunach that a time will come that the beta mikdash will be rebuilt again. So maybe we're expressing to the mourner, we're mourning for the beta mikdash and you are also mourning. And just as the beta mikdash will be rebuilt, a time will come and again in a very subtle maybe a hidden way, a time will come where you will be comforted as well. And what do I mean by that? that there'll be a triatin a time will come when the beta mikdash and a messianic age that those that we have lost in life all of us those that we have lost in life we believe the Rambam has it as the 13th principle of faith that they will come back to life the Rambam says that is an essential belief of a Jew not just that not only that an isama exists or continues on but in life that we will again be with our loved ones phys physically in our physical physical bodies that we'll be together again. That's we believe in that. That's a that's an essential not only is is it a belief the Ram says it's one of the 13 essential beliefs of a Jew is so maybe that's what we're saying as well when we wish somebody just as we are mourning for Jerusalem and we know that the beta mikdash is going to be rebuilt so in your morning also know that that day will come as well again we're it's not a time to I I don't think it's a time and maybe that's it's not a time to say that it's a time of mourning but in a subtle way in a way of that gives strength right that that day will come as well the day of a day will where all of us will be reunited with uh with our loved ones so that is uh what RVuk says and RVuk very much lived that belief and and really taught us as a people it's time for us to really hold fast to that belief of the amuna schlma in the great perfecting of the world of a have the mash that we're living at a very very unique time and the fact that we're here and the fact that we've chosen to live in Israel and the fact we're not just watching it. It's something that we are participate participating in um living here every day contributing and uh we pray with full faith that we should see the uh the coming of Msiachu. Amen.