Rav Kook: Milestones in reacting Tikun | Rabbi Aaron Goldsheider | July 8 2026

We welcome everyone this morning. Nice to have everybody here and nice to be together to learn this morning. I'll begin with the uh the sheer sponsor from Benmo. Okay. Uh we welcome everyone and um wonderful to be together to learn. This is actually a uh special morning in the sense that we uh that we are concluding our study of the safer midotaya. For those have been that have been with us from the beginning. A big yashikawak as we've made our way through the safer. If this is your first time here, we say yashikov to you as well. Great that you are here and uh great to learn together. We're going to have one more. There's one more session, one more class, one more Shir before we break for Tishabove and the weeks following Tishabove. So next week there'll be a Shir as well on the topic of Galut and Gula special in honor of uh of Tishabove the three weeks nine days tishabove. So today we're looking at the very last mida of RVuk that he has in his safer midotaya very beautiful safare and again it's a great school to be able to learn it to learn it together. Many of you were here for many of the shuram to go through all these beautiful character traits midot of RVuk and the final trait that RVuk speaks about and very appropriate that it should be the final one in his enumeration of midot is tikun tikun. Tikun which means fixing. Tikun which means to make whole healing. Tikun that is the very last mida that Rafuk speaks about. He has two mamar he has two teachings around tikun. Last week we looked at the first teaching and this morning we're going to look at the second teaching about tikun. So tikun is is a word that I think that we have heard. I would say that uh it's become even more popular in the world of uh maybe reformed Judaism, conservative Judaism where the idea of tikun holam or tikun haam has become a very important message for them. It's a very important message for us as well. And where does tikun begin? Where is the very first time that we have the idea of tikun? Now tikkun we can think about tikun on the level on a personal level of tikun hamidote tikkun of our own character our own behavior. We also think about tikun as tikun olam a tikun for the world and for all humanity. So I was thinking about and this is where I want to begin today thinking about where is the very first time that we have this concept of tikun and I I think if I would ask the question is that a Torah idea? Is there a verse in the Torah? like where is that where where does this idea of tikun come from? I think it would be difficult to find an actual verse an actual pusk in the Torah that talks about tikun but we'll say that it's a very important idea and it's something that appears very early on. So I want to uh I want to highlight the following puk that appears in the very beginning of our Torah. And that is the way that God begins creation. And it says, this is source one on page one. God made two great lights. Two great lights. What lights are being referred to? We're talking about the sun that appears during the day. and the smaller of the lights that is there at night and the stars. What's the problem with this verse? Rashi says there's something very problematic in this verse because the verse begins by saying that there were there were two great lights and then it goes on to say that there was a light that was gul of the sun and then there was a light that is katan of the moon. Well, I thought that the verse opens saying there are two rotim. What happened to the two great lights? That's Rashi's question and that's what Rashi addresses. You may be familiar, you may remember Rash's answer and it's a very very surprising answer. So where did that great light of the moon, how did it no longer be great? Says Rashi and this is the left side of the pageim shave. Yes, they were both created equal in size. That's the beginning of the verse that there were two great lights. The moon was then made it was made smaller because the moon complained. The moon turned to God and started complaining. And what did the moon say? How could it be that we have two kings that are wearing the same crown? What did the moon say? The moon said, "I don't want to share this world the with the sun. Somebody needs to be larger." I guess the moon wanted to be larger. Wanted to have dominance. And God said, "You know what? With that kind of attitude, you're going to be the one that's going to be smaller." With that kind of complaint, if that's how you see yourself and see the world, you're going to be smaller. That's Rash's interpretation. It's a midrash based on the midrash of what is happening in this puk that the puk originally you have moon and sun equal size equal strength equal light and um god had to make the moon smaller by the way just reading one more just interesting the verse goes on to say that you also have the stars so why are the why are the stars there says rashi because the moon was made smaller God added an array of of lights. What's like the English word to pacify to p to pacify the moon. The moon was now very upset because it lost its uh its dominance. It's it lost its light. So God said, "Okay, I'm going to bring a few more lights, a whole bunch of stars, and that will pacify you that you'll have other other uh other lights around you." Yes, Harriet. >> But you'll come every month. >> Is that the consolation? I'm not sure. It could be. Maybe there's there's a way of uh a way of interpreting it that way. But what we have in front of us that this is actually if something here that something go something goes terribly wrong. In other words, this was not the this was not the intent. This was not the way that God wanted the world to be. God wanted there to be the wanted to have the great lights. So the question is how to interpret this. How do we interpret this idea? Again, this is a midrash. We don't take or in in a literal sense. I think there's uh that we can't leave it there in a literal sense that we talk about a moon complaining to God and that God diminishes the moon and brings the stars to pacify the moon. That there's a greater lesson here. Now the greater lesson is going to be around the idea of of tikkun of how do we fix a broken world. A world that we live in that's fractured. A world that we live in that's not the ideal world that God had a certain intent for this world for some reason beyond our comprehension. that there is a world that we have that is uh that is flawed that is uh that does not have the and by the way I want to point out the following and this points out as well a braha that we say every single day which alludes to this midrash and to this teaching and it's a braha that we recite right before or it's the paragraph before we recite the schma every single morning and we say very beautifully and it's something that in many ways should speak to all of We say we say let there be a great light a new light that will shine onion. Here we are in init. And we pray for a new light and all of us should be that we should have that great light that we should experience that great light. Now what are we referring to? What great light are we referring to? And then we say, "Blessed are you God." The one who created the meote. Now, what are the meote? What are the lights that you God created the lights? >> What? >> The sun and the moon. That's what we that's that's a quote. Horot. And how did God create the meote? God created. So, what are we praying for? We're praying for a world of perfection, a messianic time. Every single morning right before we say the Schma, we are praying for a great light on Zion that there should be peace, that there should be perfection. And those oser method those lights that you made in the very beginning of time and somehow that there's a fra fractures in this world somehow the challenges that we face in this world that which we don't understand we pray for that day that there will be wholeness that there'll be serenity that there will be peace a time of msiach that's what we're praying for every single morning I don't know if you ever thought about when you said this braha I'm sure we've said it many times I've said it many times I'm not sure if I ever thought about it this way as well. Blessed are you God. The one who created those lights in that perfection of we are yearning for that day. We are waiting for that day. We are praying for that day. We're working towards that day. Yes, please. I just something bothers me and you know I mean I know we're not going to solve it now >> but the problem to me is that you know made us a certain way and we have a choice and whatever but we were not made to be perfect. We we were made flawed and >> that's right there's Yes. Good. >> We can work on it and we can whatever. >> Correct. >> But it would take God to make us perfect. >> Okay. So we're that that's right. We're not perfect. We're all working towards tikun on a personal level. The world around us is not perfect either. And the mission of a Jew and of the Jewish people is to bring about that perfection wrote. We're praying for that day, that wholeness of the day. Now let me just share one other paragraph with you. I'll take your comment in a moment. And this paragraph for many people in the room, women in the room, I imagine that you're not as familiar with this paragraph. It comes from kdesh lavana. Kdesh lavana of course is once a month that we go outside we look at the moon and we give a braha. We recite a braha for the new moon and there are a number of braot or or prayers that we say along with it. Um for the most part I think the min is that women do not recite kdesh lavana. There's whole discussion in the literature about that. But for the most part men are reciting this. So you may not be as familiar with this but this is the very last paragraph of kdesh lavana. And what do we say? May be your will, Hashem. As we're looking at the moon every single month, and that's what you're supposed to do. You don't say indoors. You're supposed to go outside and to be under the moon and look at the moon. And as we look at the moon, what do we pray? We pray to God. And again, what's interesting, this is like a midrash that a lot of people are not necessarily that familiar with is rashi. But this is something that makes its way into a standard and that we say every single month that which is deficient in the moon to make whole. The moon should not have any mute. There should be nothing diminished, nothing lacking in the moon. Let the moon be the same size and the same light as the sun before it was the way that you created the world originally. This is a that's said every single month by the Jewish people. It's a prayer for wholeness. It's a prayer for perfection. It's a prayer that reminds us of our mission on a personal level and on a national level as a people that what are we here to accomplish? We are here to accomplish tikun a fixing a fixing of that which is fractured that which is not whole. Yes, please. >> Yeah. So it's the same exact lettering >> as tikun. Very nice. >> I mean it's with a tetra and tikun. Okay. Good. Yeah. Katon and tikun. Interesting. Yeah. Very nice. Never thought of it. >> Beautiful. small. >> Beautiful. Beautiful. Yeah. Beautiful. That's a really interesting idea that the word katone, the word katan is actually the word tikun if you turn the letters around. So that katan that smallness or that where we where the brokenness that there's a Yeah. What's that? >> Yeah. Yeah, you do have to. Yeah, you have to make that you have to make that switch as well. Okay. All right. So, this idea the idea of tikun so this I would say is maybe the first you know the first source that we have within the Torah within kazal and you see it's not just a uh not a minor kazal. It's a kazal that makes its way into our into uh into our ritual. And I found another source as well which I which I thought is uh which I thought is significant and that's in the Rambam. The Rambam uses the word tikkun halam as well. Where does he use this? And here's I guess just a b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b basic question. How do we how do we go about the process of tikun halam? How do we fix the world on a personal level on a communal level on a national level on a universal level? So look at this mission pyavos. The Mishna says, and this is many have the minute of learning pyovas during these weeks that we're in right now. And he says, this is very famous. The world stands on three items. So the Rambam writes the following. So what are these three items? These three items is the pathway to tikun. The more that we're dedicated to Torah, toad to abod, that is the way in which we accomplish. That's the way in which we reach tikun. And let me just I just found this fascinating myself just to see the Rambam use the language of tikunam. And he uses it in this uh in this context. This is the commentary of the Rambam to Pieros. Let's just read this just to appreciate the language of the Rambam. And you have it here with the translation. Arts recently just came out with this translation. The Rambam's commentary, his parish. So how do we go about and we'll see in a moment through and when we and very appropriate for our learning this morning talking about as we increase as we uh master our that's and also when we live a life in which we observe mitzvot mitzvah he says that's the category of service of God so again you fill your life with Torah with with keeping the mitzvot what happens and here's the line that I want to share with you second to last line from the bottom here's the ram using that terminology you that's the way in which we make our way that we um that we that we attain tikunamitsu in the most perfect manner. So how do we get to tikunam? What's the recipe? It's a very simple recipe in this uh for the Rambam. It's a life in which we're dedicated to Torah aoda and that's our that's the pathway to tikun. Good. Now let's go to page two. And now we come to and the very last statement that we had the last teaching in mida. This is our our sem to speak of uh of the safair. And here with all the lofty ideas of tikun haam of of a world that needs fixing and uh the dedication to Torah mitzvot aoda gimladim the raam here I'm sorry ravkuk here um offers us I would say a very a more practical way to think about tikunam and um again this safer was compiled by his son the cook based on these are all the writings of ravk and interesting that this the way that he chooses to close the safer and um sort of the last statement of uh in the safer and he writes the following. So this is the last uh the last piece that which a person can fix. what a person can fix. A person should put all of their effort into that engagement and not be lazy about it. Other words, what we can fix about ourselves, what we can fix in our community, what we can fix in our relationships with others, right? That we should put all of our efforts into that. And says, but that which we cannot fix that we can take a step away. In other words, what we can do, all of us can assess in our life on a personal level, on a communal level. Maybe this is what you were alluding to before. There are limits to what is as much as we want to change everything. Maybe you know in in uh related to some of our uh to our midote. There may be a limit what we can do. There may be a limit what we can do for our community. Limits what we can do on a more universal scale. So what we can do, put everything, put all of your effort into that. what you cannot do. take a step back and realize that there's there's only so much that one can accomplish in this area and in that way you can fulfill and he's quoting a p here when a person is filled with worry let him like or um which means you don't put that much thought into it in other words what you cannot not correct. So that you just let it let him they they translate the word here let him quash it. In other words, what don't worry about those areas that you that you don't have control over over what you can't be and you should be involved with what you can in terms of and this is also I'm sorry no this isn't from the you should use your intellect with clarity to to uh to identify which area in what way you can make tikunat as much as you possibly can fix and that's where you should put your efforts. And then he ends with the following. This is a pic a from Mish that says the following el hashem entrust your affairs to hashem hashem trust your affairs to the lord or entrust your affairs to the lord and place and your plans will succeed. So here how does RF cook end? Do what you can fix what you can the idea of engaging in tikun is something that we all need to do on a personal level communal national level but once you realize recognize that there's a limit and in certain areas what you can't fix you take a step back and you put your faith in God that you partner with God this is as much as I can do and then you allow God to uh please God to do the rest. I was thinking about the following. There's a famous story, not a Jewish story, and you probably are, you probably have heard this story of the uh it's called like the allegory or the story of the starfish that there's a little boy that's on the um that he's on the uh by the beach and there are starfish along the beach and the sun is out and the starfish are beginning to dry out. And he's walking along the beach and he's throwing the starfish. She's picking up each one and he's throwing them back into the water so that they they can survive. And there's a man that walks by and sees what the boy is doing and says to the boy, "You know, there are miles and miles of this beach. There are literally thousands, tens of thousands of starfish. You know, you're not going to be able to save all of them." So the little boy reaches down and picks up another starfish, throws it into the water, and says to the man, "Well, I just saved this starfish." And then he reached down again and he picked up the starfish and he put in the water, I saved this starfish. So it's true that you're not going to be able to save all the starfish. There are miles and miles of beach with starfish. But this I can do. And I think this is what Rufuk is saying here as he comes to the end of Tikun. Tikkun we try to the best of our ability to be mitain again on a personal level our midot mitake our community. on a larger scale, possibly on a national scale, what we can bring to the nation, but we do what we can and we also recognize that there are limitations. And when we have those limitations, we turn to Hashem. That's the last go. We turn to Hashem and Hashem, you should you should help fulfill, you should help attain the uh you know, our our ultimate goals, our ultimate dreams. And I was saying there's a beautiful teaching of of Rufk. I'll take your comment in a moment uh along these same lines. So Rufk says and we'll read it in a moment. I want to read the uh the actual uh just the language of Rkook. So in Davening one of the things that we say in Davening is alenu. So again that's in the marv. It's the marav that not during the week but it's the marav on that we say on Friday night at marav on Friday night. Any as well we say that Hashem should that hashem should cover us that God should protect us with with a suka with a suka of peace. Surfuk asked a simple question what is why is a suka the uh the allegory the representation of what does that mean sukacha a suka of peace. So says something very beautiful there's a famous you know teaching vort from RVuk. He says a suka is different than just about any other mitzvah because when it comes to a suka, there are all different ways, all different possibilities that a suka is considered to be a kosher suka. You're supposed to have four walls of a suka. If you don't have four walls of a suka, you can do it with three walls. If you don't have three walls of a suka, you can do it with two walls and with a tap. And then there's all these other it doesn't have to be a full wall that you have that is considered even if it's not a full wall we consider it as if it extends all the way upward. So suka he says is a mitzvah unlike any other mitzvah that even when it's in parts when it's even when it's not whole it's still considered to be a mitzvah. It's still considered as if you have done something very significant. You fulfilled the mitzvah. We don't say that by kash. We don't say halfway there. That's close enough right? So we don't say wearing titis if you're missing one of the no you can't even wear it if you're missing one of the four corners of the beaded but when it comes to suka that is true and he says when it comes to making peace making peace with others peace in our community he says even a partial peace is a very worthwhile peace even when it's not whole even when it's not perfect that that peace that kind of tikkun the little bit of tikkun step by step as we're moving towards that tikkun of of peace. That's that's the lesson of sukasha. Let me just read it to you. I want to read just to take the see the words of Ravk. This is from a safer one of the beautiful sparum of collections of Rkook's teachings called Moadharayat Moshvara who was one of the great students of Rkook. This is number two just to sh see the language. Um and this is from this this isn't the writing of Rkook. comes from a teaching of written up by his student. We find when it comes to the law of we find laws that are particular that are only found in law of you can have a kosher in a way that you don't find in any other not only when it's not whole. You can be missing major parts of the suka and it's still considered a suka. You could have two walls and a little teac a little bit more and that's considered a kosher or fully kosher. You could have just a wall of dalamos and and it's considered a full wall what's called lavis. all these different that make a suka kosher even when it's not a full suka and this is also true shalom this is also true saiduk when it comes to the precious mida of making peace shalom shalom is so precious you need so essential to life even if we cannot attain it in its wholeness Even a partial piece is a beautiful piece if we're moving a little bit closer to making peace. Even where it's broken, where it's not whole, as long as we're making greater peace between one another shalom. Great is peace shalom. This is why we pray for a piece like a suka. Even if it's like a suka, this is the way the cookook interprets this bra that we make every Friday night at even when it's like a suk even like a suka these where where it's only in parts and it's still considered a kosher suka when it comes to peace and we talk about tikun making tikun and there's something that I'm thinking about today and many of us as some of the some of the tensions in Israel between the right-wing and the left and the kared them and army issues. So, we can have differences. How do we come a little bit closer? And it may not be it may not be a full piece. We may not be on the same page with one another, but little by little. And it's true in our personal lives as well. People that we may have had a falling out with or relatives, people. So, it may not be perfect. Again, that relationship may not be perfect, but it doesn't mean that a little bit, a step closer, a little bit more is not something that's very worthwhile. That's the sukash of says let's think about shalom like a suka. Even an in a a suka that's not full that's not whole is still considered a kosher suka. Shalom that's not whole is still precious shalom. Tikun as much as you can do. That's how ruk ends the safeair when it comes to tikun. As much as you can accomplish and then you turn to hashem and pray for pray for the rest that hashem should make it whole. Yes. Do you want to? >> Yeah. Just a little confused about the first part with the moon. Yeah. You're saying that in the time of the supposed to that we should have two full. >> Correct. Correct. That's how God that's that's the perfect world that God created. We want to return to that perfection. >> But look at what we get with the >> what's going to happen with the waxing and waiting. Not sure. I don't know. I don't know. But Hashem in creation, the way that Rashi reads the creation story, the way adopted that in art is that that is the ideal. The ideal Hashem wanted a world, two great lights. We want to get back to the great lights that God created the world with a perfection. Yes. Um I guess there's one thing I don't understand um with in terms of dimensions of the like there are certain you know like I know when I was looking for an apartment um I did not get a balcony was big enough for Okay. So you have to bring a rabbi over to your apartment and he'll Yeah. Again suka like no other this what no other like no other there are so many permutations there's so many ways in which you can make a kosher suka okay interesting so that that's RV's famous interpretation of cook what does it mean one other >> very good that's right that's right >> very good Very good. Very good. Again, you don't really have every year around Suka's time, they have a tour of all the different kinds of sukot that you can make. You can make a suka out of hay. You open, you know, you make an opening horseback, >> right? On a horseback, right? So, you don't find that with other halo. It's so good. Beautiful. Um, just one other idea, this idea of of of a tikun, even where it's not a whole tikun, where it's not where it's not perfect, we we do everything that we can. We engage in tikun. I was thinking about the following two Mishnot and this also coming to that I think we're all familiar with this is founded perimlar the day is short and there's a lot to accomplish right our lives are short but I used to think when I was 20 years old that life was endless and now that I'm almost 60 years old that life is not yeah life is short And there's a lot to accomplish. The workers, we're a little bit lazy at times, right? We're not doing enough for tikun. There's so much reward. There's so much benefit if we engage in the boss. Who's the boss? Hashem. Hashem is cheering us on. Hashem is pushing us forward. Keep going. >> Keep going. That's right. Keep going now. That's Rabbi Tarafhone. And who is the next Mishna? Whoa. Who statement is that? >> That's Rabbi Tarafhone. That's a continuation of Tarafhone. But you don't have to finish everything. That's how ended the with as well. Try to do everything that you possibly can, right? It's a short day. It's a short life. There's so much to accomplish. But do as much as you possibly can but you also can't step away you can't sherk the responsibility that you have of tikun okay so that I thought that's interesting the way that that uh these michay also connect with the idea okay we come to one last idea from uh from RVuk related to tikun and appreciating appreciating what we have accomplished So here we have the following gumar. I'm not sure if you have heard this. Garra talks about taking large strides that you're not supposed to do that. Alpsa. Have you ever heard of what's called a gasa? When you walk, you're not supposed to walk taking really large strides. That's what the says he says specifically. Maybe it's not really appropriate that on the street is kind of like hopping along like you should walk in a more dignified way and the garra says that it actually brings a that that it that it uh that there's some damage that it can do to a person. This is what the gamarra says. Look at what the garia taking large steps. It removes 1500th of your eyesight. It's not good for your eyesight. Says the gamarra taking large steps. That's the reading the gumar. It's the gumar in braosgimlante. How do you fix this uh the damage that's done to your eyesight? We're at the top of page three. Uru the eyesight comes back shalabas when you make kdish on Friday night that's the garra >> women well no when you you're also making kdish you're saying amen when kdish is recited when kdish is recited on Friday night okay so the question is how do we understand this gamar now rkuk says that this is not to be understood on a literal level that there's something else that's happening here there's something else that's being taught Now so gassa the gumar says in general and for a learned person a wise person better not to take these large strides and then the gar also says that on shabas one is not supposed to do it either and that's based on this is source number two it says that you're not supposed to what does it mean that you're supposed to withhold on Shabbat from what's rag referring to the gamarra says you're not supposed to take large strides on Shabbat. Now, why not? What would be wrong with taking large strides on Shabbat? What do you think? >> Good. Some kind of exercise kind of rushing that you're doing on Shabbat. You're running on Shabbat. It's not a time to do that on Shabas. That's what the Gomorrah seems to be suggesting. The Gumarra says even during the week regularly should not be taking a seaga should not be taking large strides. Okay. So how do we understand this? Ravk says this is not a gamarra to be understood on a literal level. There's a spiritual idea that's being relayed here in the garra. And let's read the following from RV cook. This is from his anaya. This is now we're in the middle right in the middle of page three where the word omn you see the word omnam and here we read the words of cooknamish a person who is a whole person he knows his place in the world that he is a personal that there are many endeavors there are many actions that are necessary He sees purpose. He sees meaning in all of the steps along the way. And this is the way. This is the path to wholeness. A person recognizes that it takes many steps along the way in order to reach and to appreciate those as milestones. to appreciate that there's a journey. Now, if you're taking large steps, says RV Cook, what are you doing in a symbolic or spiritual sense? You're trying to >> what you're rushing past the stages, the milestones that you should appreciate along the way. That's what Rafuk says. All of those steps along the way toward Appreciate all the steps, all the paths, all the milestones, right? Coming to Israel, beginning to learn Hebrew, coming to a new apartment, a new neighborhood, right? All of these things that are challenging, but all of these things to appreciate that one can appreciate. Here is the process. Here are the milestones. and with each of them to appreciate that as achieving goals along the way. Now, we can miss all of that and just kind of complain about that and want to just get to the end goal or we can be a little bit more appreciative. Do not take do a wise person recognizes not to take not to take the large steps but to recognize that each step along the way is something to appreciate and to see them as milestones to see them as accomplishments along the way. And in that way you can appreciate you'll find you'll find some serenity and joy in the process in the journey. He's quoting a puk and in every path in all of your ways see the hand of hashem see the closeness see the blessing have the gratitude in all the steps along the way. Now on Shabas, what does the Gamarra say? On Shabas, if you make Kdish Friday night with bringing in Shabas, you get some of that eyesight back. So what does that mean? And here we go to this is actually a per a uh on the anaya just to read one paragraph. He writes the following. His his name is Raild in a saber called and he writes the following. What do we do on Shabbat Shabbatim? On Shabas we don't run anywhere. It's not a time to try to reach the next goal. What is Shabas about? Shabbat is just a day to appreciate what I have accomplished, where I am at this moment. It's a day just to be joyous with what you have, where you are. Do we have great goals, great aspirations? Absolutely. But there's a time also just to appreciate where we are in the journey. A joy in the journey that you have taken even though you know that it's a partial. You've not fulfilled the the task yet. But there's a time to appreciate the moment and the accomplishments and the milestones. It's a time to appreciate the focus. and the joy. What you have, what do you have before you, what you have accomplished. This brings about a sha. This brings about a serenity of the soul. That is the shava. That's the rest. The of shabas is just to take in where you are. Not thinking about the following week, not thinking about goals. Think about what you have accomplished in the uh in the process. So when I was thinking about this in Tikun and Ravkuk I think this is something that's very important because when Ravk is speaking about tikun he's also talking about the idea of gula he's talking about the ultimate tikun where we started our class we started our shir with the tikun of a fulfillment of that day of reaching of attaining that day that messianic day of the roakim but we also need to appreciate the process we also need to appreciate the journey right we're praying for that ultim Imate day of Messiah of Schneamed but also to appreciate every moment you know we're coming we're coming up to to and uh we're in the midst of the three weeks Shabasim so we're already moving into the month of Av next week. What's interesting that there's a that's only said one day a year on tishab which is called which is said tishab afternoon at ma time and it's about the destruction of shalim and it's a prayer that hashem should bring for the destruction one of the greatest students of ravk was ravgoran ravgor who became chief rabbi of Israel he was the chief rabbi in the army of sahal as well one of the uh one of the remarkable individuals of modern day uh of Israel of modern Zionism religious Zionism the famous picture of the kotel and employing the chauffeur so he said that we have to change the lashon in because in it says is a place of andya it's a place that is desolate it's a place that's bizuya that's that's that's disgusting right that Hashem has turned, you know, has turned his back, so to speak, on you shalai. And he said, how can we continue to say those words when those words are simply not accurate? And he's writing this, you know, 40, 50 years ago. Imagine today what he would see in you shalam with all the luxury towers going up and the millions of people that are here and can't touch an apartment for less than a million dollars in Shalay. And he said, "How can we say that? I how do we how do we say those words? We're not we're not just reading a text. We read from the sitter. We're saying something that's that's supposed to be heartfelt. That's supposed that's accurate. That's that that that's that's that's uh that's honest. So he said that's no longer accurate and we can no longer say that. And he changed the text and in the sided maybe in other cidurum that that the na prayer has been changed removing those words in particular. Just about everyone disagreed with him. Rabbi Salvich and all the rabbis disagreed and said, "No, it's a reference to the fact that we don't have a bas and those words shamema bizuya and it's appropriate that those are the words and we should continue to say them." But I thought the idea is a very very interesting one and something to contemplate and that is Regoran is saying we need to recognize that in this journey towards the redemption to see what we have accomplished the fact that the Jewish people are here in Shalime and that we have a beautiful Yalaim and that we have millions of Jews living in Ara Israel Shalim that we have a government that we have an army and we can't just continue to say the same things that we've said for the last 2,000 years since the destruction of the Basa Mikdash and that somehow we need to find that balance between that ultimate dream of Gulah and also to recognize the blessings to recognize the milestones the accomplishments the tikun the tikunum that we have accomplished um for our people and for our nation so this I think is something that uh that Rkook is alluding to as well this is the way that he's interpreting this uh this gamarra not to take gasot that in life in a life of amel as well that we need to recognize all the milestones along the way and uh and to appreciate them. Um I'll just close with one other one other anecdote which is I I've mentioned this here before but I'll just mention it um uh you know a a final time as we're coming to the the close of the safer. So by the way I would just say this is something that that all of us just you know walking the streets of of you shalim and thinking about the idea of tikun of tikkun that how much we have accomplished that's what that's the way the riv cookook uh concludes the safer when it comes to tikun yes we have our great dreams and aspirations but also to recognize you know everything that we and as individuals as a community as a nation what uh what we have attained what we have accomplished there was a great rabbi that lived a couple of blocks from here his name was Rabbi Jakob Mosh Khal and he was the student considered to be one of the greatest students of Ravkuk he becomes the Russashie of Mer Kazarav after the death of Ravkuk and he's one of the holy sadikim one of the righteous of if you want right after class I'm not leading the tour but if you want to go you can go just around the block and his base mish is still there if you know where greens the uh coffee shop is right across the street it's called Bvul And you could ste see his his chair is still there and there's a beautiful description of of him. Um so as he was getting older in his last years and again he literally it's right just two blocks from here. So there was uh a lot of construction that was going on around his apartment and uh I'm sure many of us can relate to that the construction uh all around us hashem and um so early in the morning they would start drilling at 7:00 he was older he was frail he was sick at the time and his family came to the great Rabbi Khalab his children they said maybe we can arrange that they'll start a little bit later you know another they'll wait at least till 8:00 not at 6:30 :30 7:00 starting the drilling in the morning we can ask them to wait and he answered in the following way he said you know I've been dabbing my entire life I've been praying my entire life that I should see with my eyes Hashem returning to the rebuilding of he says I can no longer see it because I'm in bed but it's such a joy that I can hear it that I wake up every morning hearing the drilling hearing the binanal, hearing the building of yushim. Please don't tell them to stop doing it. I want to wake up to that every single morning. So, we should also feel that way when we hear the drilling, when we uh we walk the streets that we should thank God for the process of gula, the tikun, the sukat shalom. We may not be there yet, but to appreciate all that we've been blessed with and we should continue to see the uh the gulma as we move closer and closer. We should be z to have tishabove this year. We should be zoh to celebrate on tishab. Um but if we do have tishabove this coming year so next the next time that we meet next week we'll have a our shir will be dedicated to themes of tishabove from ravk. So we'll look at that and I wish everyone a wonderful day and a wonderful week.