Rav Kook: Midot Haraya -Passionate Love For Hashem | Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider | September 17th 2025

And it's wonderful to see everyone yashikawa for being here this morning and what a beautiful time it is to be able to learn together and especially the material especially the material of the teachings of and and the the safer mid that uh that we are studying together that's so appropriate for this time of year. It's appropriate for every day but especially in Eld. Let me just begin this way just to kind of to set the tone this morning and uh that is we know that we have just started the recitation of at least we're Ashkanaz Jews has passed mo Shabbat we started so we have this week and we have the following week as well until Monday night when we will usher in rash. One of the interesting is when do you begin in the Ashkanaz tradition and the Ashkanaz tradition says that you have to have at least four days prior to rashash shana for recitations of before you begin and that's why we cannot wait until next week because it's a short week Monday night is rashash shana so we pull it back and we have so over a week of the question is where does that number four come from why four usually you think about maybe three as a kazaka So the mafarim say that uh an animal that is set aside for a carbon that it needs four days of biddika of inspection that you have to inspect the carbon before and you have to have it have it number of days four days and then you can bring it as a carbon. So interesting when we speak about a carbon and talk about a sacrifice and preparing that sacrifice to some degree we are we are that carbon that is going to go before Hashem and this is a time of biddika it's a time that we are checking that we're doing a special checking of our midos of our character our personalities and how to uh to prepare for rash shana and yum kipper so with that background uh I think it's most appropriate that we look at a mida a mida that begins with and that is love. What a beautiful way to begin to think about our love. Our love, our love of one another, we spoke about last week, the love that really extends beyond the Jewish people, that extends to uh to all the nations of the world. And what we're going to look at this morning is the love of Hashem, and Hashem is a mitzvah. It's one of the commandments of the Torah to love Hashem. And uh I don't know about you, but when I think back about me uh my uh education going to day school, going to uh going to even yeshiva and uh and rabbanas, preparing for the rabbanas, uh we learned a lot about chabas and kashras and all different facets of ala. I'm not I'm not sure how much we heard about hashem, right? The mitzvah of avat and what it entails, what it means to be a Jew who loves Hashem. So that is going to be our topic this morning. We'll see the source for that. We'll see how that plays out and maybe some ideas as well how uh we can develop that especially at this time these days in Rashan Kipper our relationship of ava to hashem. So let's begin with the the way that describes ahava the love that we are to have the close relationship the bond that we are to have with hashem in love and he writes the following. So this is from midotaya. This is going to be the safer that we are studying this year and it's from the very first mida which is aava. It's the fourth piece in uh inava in mid shesh. There is a holy flame of love of god. It's found within the nama. It is always uh afflimed. Is that a uh is that a is that correct? It's always a a inflamed for Hashem. It's boerit. It's flaming. Interesting that the way Rook speaks about or at least the way that it begins is not so much the obligation of but it's something that is natural to us. It's something that is intrinsic to to our n what it means to be to be a Jew. It warms the spirit of a person. It brings light to the life of a person when one feels this love for Hashem. The inha and the on the joy that one has the on that one feels when they feel this closeness to Hashem the love of Hashem. It's an it's an endless what we would call an endless love that there's an endless love for Hashem. There's no way to measure that noam, the sweetness, the mat, the sweetness of that love. So we see how Rkook in such beautiful language, the way that he speaks about the love, a love that's so natural to a Jew, to a person, the sweetness of that experience of feeling that love towards Hashem. And then he writes the following. One who does not take advantage of that of that experience of love. and how cruel it is that you're really being cruel to yourself. A person that a person is sunk if you're sunk into the darkness of life. And he's going to talk about the physicality of life and materialism and you kind of lose that sense of of love and that closeness with Hashem. And instead of thinking these higher and more lofty and spiritual ideas, you kind of weigh yourself down with all different kinds of of things that are of less uh substance and importance in life. But the true the essence of lifeen, right? That beauty, the aiden, the paradise of who you forget and it becomes easily forgotten in your heart how beautiful that is. How wonderful that is. Yes. Comment. >> It's much easier to love Hashem in your life. >> Ah, okay. Good. That's that's a >> that's an excellent point. It's an it's it's an excellent point. Well, the question is and we're going we'll we'll we'll we'll try to address that Um the point that was made is that it's not so easy to feel this love if you're going through difficulties in life and tragedy and trauma in life. You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right. Okay, we will we'll we'll try to touch on that. But Rufuk believes that that there is within our soul a great yearning for for Hashem, for God. Uh it's a great joy when we feel that on. And again, we'll we'll talk about that issue. We'll also talk about maybe how how we can increase this love, how to bring a greater love to God in our relationship with God. And again, if you are matri yourself, if you do become too entrenched, too engrossed in a physical material life so you can lose this very special uh gift and opportunity of closeness with Hashem of Aba. And you live a life where you are um compromised because of the heaviness of Zohar that you can live a life and you can miss out on this when one becomes too engrossed where one's attention and one's life becomes too focused on non-spiritual matters. Okay. Omnam and we'll do one more line. But here and I think this is very much like the of and interesting in the writing of Ravuk in his thought. He says but the natural inclination of a person the natural inclination is to feel a love for Hashem is to feel a closeness and yearn for that closeness with Hashem. Um said neg but it really goes against the tea the nature of the soul and it goes against the very tea the nature of all of existence. Okay. So that's and we'll we'll hold off on the last few lines for now. So Rafkuk when he speaks about love I think the first point that I would make is that Rafuk does not speak about it as obligation even though we're going to see that there is obligation when it comes to Ava. By the way where is the obligation of Ava? Where do we where is that written in the Torah and we say it every day? We say it and we sometimes forget what we're saying. There's an obligation to love Hashemma, an obligation to develop a relationship of love with Hashem. And we recite it every day. There it all know that we all know by heart. So Rkook, interestingly, the way that he presents the idea of Ava is not from the perspective of this is what you're obligated to do, but how natural this is for a person, how natural this is for a Jew. That is it's the very essence of what it means to have an ashama to be one of God's creations to long for the creator to feel the auashim to long for our father in heaven and and in that sense that uh that there is love okay so yeah please >> um you know it's interesting because um I I didn't go to hea all my life I just had like a couple of years here and there >> I never knew God loved me >> okay >> I didn't find that out >> well I That's a that's a beautiful point as well. In other words, when we when we recognize that aspect of God's relationship with us, that God loves us. So maybe that's part of the part of that answer even in challenging times, we know that God loves us. So then we maybe it becomes easier or more natural for us to then extend the love to Hashem. But we need to recognize that aspect as well. Excellent. Okay, let's let's go to the following source. And um this is quite a uh quite a fascinating source and and to kind of begin to uh to uh to to analyze this mitzvah of love. So the very first that we find in so the very how begins it begins with how we start our day and the writes just to just to kind of set the uh set the tone the says that we should get up in the morning like a lionoker that you should be the one to awake in the morning meaning that you wake up before the sun comes up that's what the that's what the chauanar writes And then the Rama adds says says but if you're going to sleep a little bit later make sure not to sleep any later than the time that everyone is dinging in the morning and to be a part of a minion or to dav at the time that the minion is dinging. So best to get up very early in the morning. That's the first in it says you should awaken the morning. You should be up as the morning is as the sun is coming up says the and if you can't do that well at least make sure to get up at the time the right time that people are dabbing to davin together ding at the time that others are deting and then the rama writes the following and here this is isn't so much a but it really goes it's broader than the it's really about a a frame of mind and a way to start every day and mosha is writes hashemi That one when they get up in the morning, the way to begin your day and the way to live your day is a sense that God is present in my life that God's presence is here with me at all times. This is a great teaching of the Torah and it's the the way the heights of So that's what writes. How do you start your day? Okay, technically when to get up in the morning, but what's the frame of mind that we start our day with? That Hashem is with me today that Hashem's presence is with me. That's what the Ra writes. And then and then the Misha, the Mishabur, by the way, has the commentary called the Mishabur, but he also has the Bayer, which is on the same page as the Misha. This is the writing of the and he writes the following. He he wants to explain what this means. What does that mean? Well, he quotes from the safer and the safer says that there are six mitzvot in the Torah that are tidiote six mitzvot that one does all the time when we think about mitzvah when we think about mitzvah. So usually we think about mitzvot this is done on chabas is done the morning this afternoon that there but there are six that are constant mitzvot actually there's a a uh a book by art scroll called the six I think so the six constant of rabbi burkowitz burkowitz who is the rashiva inra based on his teachings and this is based on the and this is what the mission writes in he says that one should think about these six mitzvot as they begin their day and this is something that should carry us every day of our lives 24/7. Um, and he writes the fine. Let me just read a few lines to you. It's right in number three halfway down where it says in bold. So this is the commenting on the Rama one who wants how do you fulfill that this idea of Hashem's presence being with me? You should every person should try to fulfill that which is written to say and many people writes that they many great rabbis have written about these six mitzvot that are and one more line [Music] there are six mitzvot that there should not be a moment that a Jew should not be fulfilling these mitzvoti that they are constant. So what are those? So it's belief in Hashem not to believe in other gods and one of them is fearing God and one of them is and I want to bring you to the this is the final source and again this is from the writing on how one fulfills the mitzvah of the how is that you fulfill the mitzvah of of God's presence. One of the ways of fulfilling that mitzvah which is a constant mitzvah is a sense of love of God. Not only knowledge of God but a love of Hashem that every Jew has an obligation of of loving Hashem in their lives. The way that we love our children all the time. the way that we love our wife or our husband, the way that we love grandparents, the way that we love a relative, the way that we love a friend, that we should feel a love of Hashem on a constant basis, on a regular basis. That's a mitzvah of the Torah and a mitzvah, one of the six constant mitzvah that a Jew should fulfill on a daily basis. That's what that's what the Mishna Burer writes, quoting the Yes, please. >> I'm sorry, what? Are the others? >> Oh, what are the others? Oh, so the other is Okay, good. So, one is knowing Hashem. I I jotted it down. I knew somebody would ask. Knowing God, belief in God, um not to believe in other gods, to believe that God is one, love of God, fear of God, and not to and not to be drawn to or misled, drawn to other uh apicors to to uh to ideas that are not in line in the Torah. So those are the six that the that the sen writes about. So let's just see how the writes about. So how how do we come to this? So how do we know it by the way? And again you can follow along here. Last source last paragraph because we know it we say it every single day that we have an obligation of love of hashem to develop a loving relationship with how does one reach. So this is the way the and based on the this is he believes is the path to how do we do it by doing what we're doing right now. If we want to come to a greater love of hashem what do we need to do? We need to study his word. We need to study his Torah. We need to study his ideas. We need to know Hashem. And to fall in love with Hashem is to fall in love with the teachings of Hashem, with the knowledge of God. So that's the that's the answer that's given that's the pathway. I think there may be other pathways as well which we touch on but that's what the writes that's what the writes the path towards is Torah is studying Torah. Okay. Yes please. What's at the house of the home? I know that when you're raised in a home that's filled with love by him, you're conceded with it and beautiful and even above Tashuma will say that the way he got hooked on to Yiddish is by the way somebody has >> very nice. Very nice. Okay. No, I think I think it's great. As I said, I think there there are many pathways to love of Hashem. Interesting. You different yeshivas that have talking about baluva like how do we how do we quote unquote turn on a bal a balchuva, right? How do we bring somebody to chuva? I know or which is a well-known balisha here. They believe sit down with sit down with a garum start teaching Torah. That's how people are going to be drawn to uh to Yiddish through Torah. That's and that's what the writes with the sin. But others say how kabad how does kabad work? How are they going to bring people closer to as you said bring them bring them into chal for some chin. Bring them in to a to a porm party where there's a lot of joy. And so there are different different pathways different pathways to uh to avad. Absolutely. Um and the pathway that you suggested a home that exudes love for Hashem and they feel that parents grandparents and children feel that. So that's uh that's a beautiful path as well. Okay, we can turn out to page two. And who is the uh the epitome of love of Hashem in your mind? Who represents in the Torah? in the Torah who repres what >> Aon okay I would have I would have thought Aon did somebody say Aron or did they say a >> okay interesting >> so what okay there are a lot of lovers of Hashem actually in the Torah we have many lovers but interesting and again I think this is Ruf speaks we'll see this in a moment and something that relates especially to Rashashana and that is Abraham Rufk is going to say that Afraham represents the great lover of God and the Rambam is going to say it as well that he is the epitome of a lover of Hashem. One who falls in love with Hashem who dedicates their life in a loving way to Hashem. So we're going to read the Aeda in uh just uh what's today? Yeah, in less than a week we're going to be reading the AKA and Rashashana. And um Rafuk has some beautiful interpretations of the aa he has a a running commentary. does not have a running com commentary on the Torah, but it happens to be that aa is in the sitter and he wrote a parish on the sitter. So because it was in the sitter so we have cook's commentary on the aa and that's a whole study. So uh the story really begins just the puk and I took it from the sitter itself again it's found in the Torah but just the source vashaboker he got up early in the morning we're all familiar with this after he receives the command of God to take his son his only son to bring as a sacrifice so what do we know first of all the Torah tells us something interesting it doesn't need to say he got up in the morning we know he got up in the morning so why does it say that and he puts the saddle on the on the donkey. Well, why does the Torah tell us that? We don't need to know that detail. We don't usually have those kind of details. He takes two young people with him and he takes the wood. He actually breaks means that he cuts the wood. So that's the PU and you see that there are some interesting things going on in this PU. So let me share with you three different interpretations of RV cook or three comments that he makes. We'll uh I'll share the first two outside and we'll read the the third comment in the in the writing of RVuk. So first he says something very interesting here. Vayashim Abraham. Why does it tell us that? Because the Torah wants to tell us that Abraham had a good night's sleep. He had a good Now would you have a good night's sleep before before being told to do something? I mean just if you know the next morning you have to go to the bank you know here in Israel you're not going to sleep all night right so in Abraham Abraham is told that he's going to have to sacrifice his son and he's sleeping all night soundly Abraham but that's what Rkook says and why does he sleep soundly that night because he loves Hashem >> because he loves Hashem and if Hashem asks him to do this he is dedicated ated to Hashem and he can sleep the night. the love of Hashem that's Rufk writes in I never heard that interpretation anywhere else everyone knows that he was quick to do the mitzvah something along those lines but this is his comment next why does it tell us that he saddled a donkey surf says in order to tell us that he wanted to make sure that everything was in place that he would get there he would get to the place that he needed to arrive you know let's say you don't really want to get somewhere and you're getting in the car and you see that you have a you don't have that much gas in the car. Maybe I don't gas it up. You know, I don't bring it all along the way and maybe I'll be late for for the appointment, right? No. Abraham makes sure that everything is in place, that he himself, he saddles the donkey so that he is there and that he's there on time. The love that he has for Hashem and he cuts the wood. Also interesting, we probably never took note of that that he's cutting the wood. He's cutting the wood before he leaves. So now let's read RV cook and just to to appreciate the words and here and I I highlight this because here Rkook uses the word the love that Ara has. What could Ara have done? He could have relied on the fact that somewhere along the way I'll find a piece of wood or when I get there to that mountain where Hashem shows me I'll, you know, we'll we'll find some wood when we get there. But that's not what Aram did. He made sure that he had the wood in advance. He also could have taken his own wood, but the wood not prepared yet. He wanted to be sure that it was prepared. that that morning he cut the wood that the pieces were in place that he would easily be able to put it on the would be there ready to go for the right that he made sure that they would be prepared in advance that they would be ready that they so that he could use them right away. And here's the line that I would underline or maybe I did. Elona what we see here is a tremendous love this heightened sense of love for Hashem and to fulfill the will of Hashem tea and oshi now here look at what Rafuk writes there this is something that's true in the nature of everyone everybody has his love for Hashem I mean Afraham it comes out in such a unique way but interesting line which I almost find surprising that he writes that but Rufuk says this is true cult and everyone has within them this love for by the way this is one of the great ideas right one of the greatad and others that it's there's a love that's burning right I just need to get a pair of fillin on your arm and if you once it's on your arm and once you light that chaba candle that love is just going to flow right that's and that's saying the same thing it's there everybody has it it's within everyone's soul he was burning in this the holy father of the Jewish people that he was so careful about the preparation for the shelban in order because he wanted to to beautify and to make sure uh that everything everything would go smoothly. So therefore even the carban everything that would be necessary for the that he did it in a very precise way and everything was done in advance. This is the great love that Abraham had and what he showed in the by the way not everyone agrees with this. If you read he writes the great struggle that if you read Rabbi Salvich he points out the struggle the challenge but this is not the way that Rkook reads the Aeda. He reads the Akeda, you see a love, a burning love, a uh an absolute dedication and loyalty. And not for a moment, even the the the night before Aram sleeps easy. Yes, please. >> Question the same wording that he >> Yes. Yes. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. Yeah. Rashi Rashi makes that point by Bam that he also got up in the morning and that he uh that he saddled his donkey. Yeah. He did it for Right. He did it with rishoot. He did it in a uh in an evil way, in a wicked way. And >> yes, yes, that's true. Yes. >> Yes. Yes. Reggie, >> please. >> Yes. >> They will. Yeah. Yeah. They have to make sure you're Jewish. >> Yeah. Okay. But it says you're Noshi. >> Oh, Noshi. Noshi. Okay. Yeah. Interesting. >> Interesting point. >> Interesting point. I I think where Cook would say, you're right. I think Rev Cook would say that it that it goes beyond the Jew. It's all of God's creations called that all of God's creations have a have a desire and a desire of closeness and of love for the creator. Yeah. Interesting point. Yes. Please. We'll take one. Yeah. >> Maybe. I don't know. I don't know. The mother could do that. Okay. >> Yeah. No. Interesting. Yeah. Something to think about. Yes. >> Maybe this is the point that you mentioned about Bill that Bill was like the non-Jew who puts on the pill expecting to have the same something. He doesn't have the same motive. >> Born a non-Jew went through the process of becoming a Jew and is committed to Torah and God Almighty. then she's not a non-Jew in status changes but but what she said about that's why only a Jew not end up with the situation of >> okay something to think about yes please know the end tells to stop it doesn't say that you're an ohm it says >> right rightem that's true that's true yeah good point Okay. >> When he names you, it's >> right. You're right. You're right. Okay. Good point. Excellent. Excellent. Yes. >> Question. >> Yeah, please. >> If we love God, >> then in follow must love all of his creatures. Good. >> As we discussed last week, >> good. >> But how do we hate those who not only hate us, but of death and destruction? >> Okay. So, there's those are the those are the exceptions. Other than that, we love people. Um but those that are that are seeking our destruction that becomes a mitzvah to destroy them. Amalik. Okay, let's turn now to page uh to page three. Uh if you've never seen this Rambam, it's really quite a uh quite a startling Rambam. The Rambam at the very end of Hilos Chuva, the 10th per there are 10 praam of Hilos Chuva. By the way, in the Brisk tradition, there is a tradition of learning one per a day. We have the aser chuva. So that's something that you want to adopt for uh this this coming rash kipper and they say possibly that's why the Rambam broke it into 10 chapters so that one could study a chapter a day. We're now looking at the very last chapter of the Rambam of Hilos Chuva the 10th chapter and here he talks about love and a relationship of love which is appropriate when we talk about chuva and kind of reaching this higher level of relationship and closeness with God. one is to uh to attain to try to achieve that level of of of love. Let's read two quickly. Um page three. What does it mean to serve God with love? This is page three. Top of the top of page three. A person of love is a person engaged in Torah. He doesn't do it for any other reason. He doesn't do it because he's afraid he's going to be punished. loco and he also doesn't do it because he wants reward. Again, a lot of people when we think about doing a mitzvah, well, I don't want to be punished, so I'm going to do it or I'm going to do it because I want the great reward of doing the mitzvah. So, that's not aa that's not ava. Now, you're in the department of right that you're just fearing God. But that's not the that's not the ultimate says the Rambam. Why should you be observing the Torah mitzvah? Because it is the truth. and the good that will come will come. But you do it because of the truth. You do it because you believe in Hashem. And the Rama says, by the way, this is not so easy. This is a this is a high level of observance of to do it to do it for the sake of the truth and the love of Hashem. Even doesn't necessarily reach this level. And here I wanted to highlight this to you. And when he talks about love, he says this is attained this level. Oh, Hashem calls Abraham his the one who loves his the one that he loves. Oh shame because Abraham and interesting I imagine that Rkook obviously is familiar with this and maybe this is what kind of brings RV to to the interpretation of the way that he does. And we're all obligated with this based on the Torah where it says so interesting also it relates not only to our relationship with God but our relationship to mitzvot in other words then we perform mitzvah with love. So when we get up in the morning it's not okay I have to dab now. Oh I got to dab you know I got to like knock off mka today. So that's a very different way of that's maybe not the ideal. The Ram says it's not so easy not to say that not to think about mitzvah that way. But what a pleasure and what is and what a braha it is to be able to den and to approach a mitzvah that way. That's also part of the idea of ava. But here to me this is the most startling rambom. If you haven't seen it, it's really quite a um quite a rambom to uh to learn for the very first time. So he wants to the rambom wants to interpret what ava is. Okay, we're talking about ava, but let's try to let's try to um let's try to define it a bit more. The keta what is the ava that is an appropriate ava when we talk about avaen and this is what the raam writes by the way the rambom is known to known to be the great rationalist right the logic of the raam that he writes the uh the uh the maruim right very philosophic very rational based on Aristotle okay but here the rama writes the following what's ava who aa is the following that you love with a Great love. Yetra, a tremendous love. Azah, a very strong love. Oh, so by the way, when we say love, so already the Rambam is saying it's not just like love, but love that's an extreme love, right? Over the top, right? A love that is that is uh that your soul feels b a a bond or bound to hashem. Now sh means that you're thinking about god always but it also has another like the word anybody know the word mishuga if you've ever heard that mishuga. So the Rambam says so how do you translate that you're with with love for Hashem >> what >> intoxicated >> intoxicated yeah nice intoxic you're obsessed an obsession with love of God as if you are lovesick right we use that that term in English he says you're you are sick for Hashem you can't help but think about Hashem to be drawn to Hashem like the way if you were in love with a woman, you're dating this girl and you cannot help but think about that girl all the That's what he writes by the way. I'm I'm translating the way that you would think about a woman. Everything that you're doing when you're eating, when you're drinking, when you're getting you're just thinking about, you can't help but think about that woman. You can't help but think about that person that you're in love with. Now, he he doesn't say that's the love that you are to have Hashem. You should have even more than that towards Hashem. It should be even more than that when it comes to your love of God. And that's taught us as a I am lovesick for Hashem. The entire book of Shirim is all about that passionate love, that romantic love of Hashem or a person towards Hashem. So this is quite an amazing Rambam. The way that the Rambam speaks about love of Hashem. I'm not sure if this means that one is walking around with that feeling all of the time. I don't think that that's I don't think that's feasible, but that that's part of the relationship with Hashem. Now, I want to share with you the file. I never really understood this Rambam. I'm not sure if I fully understand this Rambam. It's like very hard to to kind of grasp what this means and how to kind of bring that into our own lives. But I'll share with you the following story with this which is a story of RVuk. Rufk at one point during his life. So he went to a place called Khuv. Anybody know where that is? I think it's near it's near B she was there on like a vacation that he took a week or two vacation. He went with a good friend of his Rabbi Karlam or Vakam Khalab. We speak about him as Banish just a few blocks away. They were there together. He needed a little bit of a a break from Shallay and from everything going on here and he was there. So they were up late at night, late into the night that they were learning, learning Kabala, learning very deep ideas of the Torah together. The next morning they were they got up in the morning making their way to the minion, making their way to Shul to Davin. On the way to Shul Rkook stops and he's speaking to somebody on the road and Rabbi Khalab overhears what he's talking about. He's talking about really mundane matters. He's talking about like how things grow in the area and the agricultural agriculture and the soil and all kinds of very mundane stuff. And this is the conversation that Raf Cook is having before dabbing. Not only is he having this conversation, but Rafuk is actually late for dabbing that he comes in 5 10 minutes late for dabbing. Now Rabbi Kurlop cannot understand this first of all the you know the uh the difficulty in doing that and secondly he never saw Rkook do this in his life right having this kind of conversation and coming late for David. So Rabbi Kalap he gets up the courage to ask him after David goes over to RV cook and he says you know if you can explain to me what you were doing this morning. So Rook said the following. He said, "When I woke up this morning, I was so in love with Hashem. There was a fire of love within me for Hashem that I felt if I started daving, I would just pass out. If I started saying words of daving, I would pass out. I needed to bring myself down a bit for my love of Hashem. I had to just have like a mundane conversation and wait a few minutes before I davin so that I could davin." Now I to me that's one of the most amazing stories about Ravkuk and it really you know brings to life this idea of uh of the Rambam that a person can reach such a level of love of Hashem of closeness with Hashem and like Rook that he felt that he couldn't he he literally had to come down you know they talk about the shonim that they would spend an hour before dating in preparation for the Amida and the Mishna says and they took an hour after davinging to come down from the Amida. Now, we all know what it means, right? The preparation. But what what do you mean an hour afterwards, but to reach that level, that closeness with Hashem? They literally needed to come down from that to be able to re-enter, you know, regular life. So when the Rambam writes this, again, I'm not sure exactly, you know, how this plays out, you know, in our lives, but it's a it's a it's a it's a bar that that's being set very high and something to something to work towards, right? The Rambam is saying it and Rav Cook is speaking about it. The love that a person can have and can achieve, can attain towards Hashem. Yes, please. >> That it was a and then Okay. >> Did he address that at all? Not that not that I know of. >> At the top. >> Not that I know of. >> So he's >> he has Ava at the top and the Rambam has Ava at the top. In other words, that's if you look at the last per of Chuva, he says this is it oem that you you've reached the the ultimate. Yes. >> Um I'm not a therapist really that. Um the but I do know and I have been exposed you know to children and even adults who've taken some of that and really become excessive. >> Okay. Okay. Good. So it can be Yes. Yeah. No. So it has to be done >> it has to be done with uh in in in proper >> in proper measure. Okay. So there was a question that was asked before about the um which is really a good question an excellent question and that is you know it's it's nice to talk about this avat but how about a person that has really faced a lot of challenges and difficulties in life and talk about abatashem so it's not I don't know if there's an easy answer to that I don't I don't think there is a simple answer to that but I want to share with you the following muk the following source which is really just a a basic interpretation of what we say every single day in the schma and You are to love God. By the way, maybe the Rambam isn't so extreme. What does the PK say? Love God with all of your heart, with all of your soul. Right? The PK itself is saying that this love is a is a very passionate love is a very deep love. The PK is saying that and then it says now what does it mean? Which by the way is not easy. What is I mean that term what does the term itself mean? Rashi has two different interpretations of what the term means. We're not sure exactly. So some say it relates the word which by the way is another like that it should be with a lot with all of your with with all of your will. Okay. So Rashi says two things. The first interpretation of Rashi is it relates to money relates to your possessions. In other words, are you willing to spend the money that's necessary for Hashem? In other words, when it comes to love of Hashem, when it comes to love of Hashem, one of the ways of gauging your love of Hashem is your willingness to spend your money on Hashem and on Hashem's commandments. So that's that's with all and many of the translations will have that with all of your possessions, right? You've seen that, right? That's based on that rashi with all your possessions, right? Are you willing to spend $30,000 a year on tuition for your day school children? >> More than that. more than that in a mass, right? It is more than 30 now, by the way. And if you have a few children, so are you willing $100,000 a year, right, for day school education? What more than that? And then over Okay. Yes. I I know. Well, it's part of the reason why we make aliyah. So, we're trying to figure out how not to spend $200,000 a year in tuition. But that is the that's that's the first interpretation of Rashi, right? Rashi says, "What's mea? Are you willing to spend your money?" And by the way, that's put your money where your mouth. Do you really love Hashem? Do you really love Hashem? Are you willing to spend that money on an estrogue? Are you willing to spend on education? Willing to spend it on Chabas and Rashashana, right? What it takes to do the two meals or four meals rashana and chabas and it's cost have you been to Osher? Costs a lot of money. Do do you where's where's your love for Hashem? You know, is it? So that's that's that's one. But then Rashi says something else and this addresses the question and I'll read what Rashi says. What does it mean? And and this is the second interpretation. I have a little arrow next to it. What's from the word mid says it's from the word mid. Now what does that mean related to the word mid? Every measure that Hashem gives to you the good things in life and the suffering in life. That's >> meaning in times of goodness do you turn to Hashem and do you feel the love for Hashem? So that's me. That's the mida of the good times and the blessings and you feel Hashem's closeness at those at those moments at a sim at a wedding right when the family is together right when you're healed of a of an illness that's that's but then there's also the other mida and that is the measure of puramut right when things are difficult in life challenges in life and are you able still to feel a closeness with Hashem at that time as well and to believe in Hashem and still for Hashem even in the difficult times. That's what it means. Whatever measure that Hashem gives you, are you able to still hold on to that love? It's a lot easier when it's the to have that love. But even when it's the other mida, the difficult times. So that's the test. And it is a test. It's a great test. Not an easy thing to do. Okay, let's go to the last let's go to our last uh the last page. And here the fab says something which is I think very very uh very insightful and very helpful in terms of our discussion of attaining a high level of love. By the way, we just spoke about this really awesome level of love that Rambam speaks about that Rafkuk speaks about and what he experienced in his own life. But the kind of brings it down and I think this is an important way to kind of come to a close to our shar today. And the Ramba I'm sorry the writes the following. This is on the alhatra. Let me just let me read it to you in in the translation. It's in Hebrew above in the translation and he writes the following. Hashem is not overbearing with his creation. By the way, this is the commenting on this issue of loving Hashem and the he demands of each one to serve him with his ability. And just as we have poor people and wealthy people, strong people and weak people, so too people have different personalities. There are those who can serve Hashem and achieve a very high majrega and there are those that cannot achieve such a high madrega. And that is why it says in the Torah, you shall love Hashem with all of your heart and all of your soul. It doesn't say with heart and soul but ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra rather with your heart and your soul. This means that as much as you can achieve. Every person is different. When we talk about ahava and the love of hashem, okay, there might be the ramb and there's rafkok, but then there's me and there's you. And everybody on their own level, they're ahava. Now we're all striving for maybe to you know to to to be more more successful in that area to add a bit more maybe that's something to think about in these days in Rashen Kipper this relationship of Ava but everybody on their own level everyone with their own experiences everybody with their own background and everybody with their own pains in life and everybody with their own in life everybody is different and that's what a beautiful interpretation that is that's why it says with all of your heart and with all of your soul because everybody is different. This means that as much as you can achieve that's how much you're obligated. Interesting. There is no objective obligation. Everybody individually when it comes to love that's what the says you serve Hashem each person based according to his ability and personality. So maybe that's another way of of addressing that question of those that suffer in life. Their Aava that's a test and their Ava is their Ava and my Ava is my Ava and your Ava is your Ava. Everybody in their own way. Okay. So let me let me end with the following. Let me conclude with the following and that is let's just talk about I I I try if I can especially in this learning this year because about midot of how we how we can kind of bring this into practical you know we could talk about ahava in a uh philosophical theoretical way but maybe one or two ideas as we leave the class as we leave this year today things that we can bring into our life so how do we increase ahava so this is some of the things that uh that I've come across one is in making a bra when we make a I mean ding but maybe we can concentrate on a brah in particular that that's a moment to think about hashem closeness with hashem the gifts that hashem gives us there's a story about rabies salant the founder of the muser movement and one day he was walking down the street he was in Europe and he was very very thirsty he went into a restaurant a very fine restaurant asked for a glass of water he had a glass of water he then went to pay for the glass of water and they said here's the bill it was a very very expensive glass of water. So he looked at the bill and he said, "What what is this for a glass of water?" So they said to uh Rabi Solant, they said, "You're not paying for the water. You're paying for the ambiance or you're paying you're paying for the It's like going to a Starbucks. We pay $8 for a cup of coffee. You're not paying for the cup of coffee. You're paying for sitting in a in a Starbucks." So um so that was true as well in this case. Okay. So, Rabi Santra said, "I finally understand what it means when I take a cup of co take a cup of water and I make the everything that God creates is from the word of God." In other words, not just on the cup of water. When I take that cup of water, I recognize the great miracles and wonders and everything around me and the gifts of Hashem. So, making Abraas is an opportunity to do that. and we talk about hashem and how to bring greater love of hashem into our lives. The second what we start actually we started with this morning and that is through our Torah study through learning Torah. the more that we study and maybe to take a momentum writes and he says that when you're learning you should take a moment in your learning take a moment and just to just to recognize this is the word of God and I have this I have the blessing to to learn Hashem's Torah that Hashem has shared this with me and to take a moment for that to be elevating and uh as a way to grow closer to Hashem. Um I was thinking about what would Rafuk say. Okay. Now, Rafuk does not give really any advice, so to speak, or you know, a a path towards greater love. He talks about love, as we saw this morning, something that's very natural, something that that burns within the soul of a Jew, but he doesn't really tell us how to how to increase that love, how to kind of, you know, kind of work towards a greater uh sense of love of God. But RV cook doesn't write this anywhere. But I would I would suggest this based on the uh the writings of RV cook and the thought of RV cook. And I think it's something that's unique to being in the land of Israel. So um so when we're walking the streets of Erit Israel, when we're walking the streets of Jerusalem, this is such a beautiful opportunity to feel avatar, right? So Derkron, we just say Dervon. I'm sure you're familiar with that street. Well, if you continue on, you're going to come to Kev Rael. And we know that's the way to marath and to think that we're in the same place that we're walking the same roads that Yakov walked that Rael walked that we're in the literally that we're walking the same place that's a moment and to take that moment to appreciate that that's a that I have this to be here that I have the merit to be in this place where literally and Yakov walk these same streets we talk about the Afram and were there and you shall in the harabayas we're walking these same places. So that's so to take advantage of that is abatashem also just and I was thinking the uh the dafomi those that are studying the the uh you know the page of day of of gumar the dafomi so they just started the uh the gumar zakim which is all about carbanos. So carbonos is always and especially when I was young you know learning about carbonos such a such a distant idea an esoteric idea and here we are we can visit the hotel we can stand the hotel and literally just a few feet away is the is the place of the of the misb is the place of keshkadashim it's where the where the avod took place and to kind of take that in as a as something that's so inspiring and as as a moment of hashem of thank you hashem what aut this is to be here and to be in that in the in uh in uh in the holy um in the holy surroundings of your shalim. And one last thought I guess as a as a kavana. So and this is something I thought about this morning and I think about on a regular basis and especially over the last few weeks and the last few months here in Shallayam is the construction here in USA and all the traffic. There's not a street now that's not being dug up. Right. I I mean I I I've been here 13 years. This is I mean what's happening right now is just is beyond I mean it's just uh and a yeah maybe too much. So this is what we so this is what we need to remember. So I mentioned Rabak he was the uh Khalap. He was the closest friend with Rafuk. He has a base mish just right around the corner here. It's still there. You can see his seat. You can see his uh his mum in the base mish >> and um >> right next to it >> right next door to you. Wow. It's close. So as he was getting older, it was the last year or so of his life. So there was a lot of construction outside right outside of his window right here in Shah Hassid. So his daughter So his daughter said, you know, I can ask them to start a little bit later in the morning. They're waking you up at 6:30. Have you been woken 6:30, 7 in the morning? >> So yeah, so he was being woken at 6:30, 7 in the morning. And he said, I'll ask the people just to wait another hour or two. You're not well. And he answered, he said, "You know, I've been waiting my whole life and I've been dabbing my whole life of an au and these are the sweetest sounds to hear, you know, the building of buildings in the morning to wake up to that every morning." So when we're sitting in traffic and we're and all the construction around us, just remember what aus that is. And that's a moment of a love of hashem that we have the hashem you've given me the to be here at this time in this place to see with our own eyes the rebuilding of you. So these are some ideas that we can take with us of I want to wish everyone everyone should be Welsh be a year of great blessing and happiness joy and uh I look forward to seeing everyone we're not having class the following week next week because it's Rashashana >> I think it's all the yeah this this week begin again with all the days after sukkot so I look forward to seeing everyone have a wonderful yantiff and look forward to seeing everyone then