Reb Yoel Kahan, Yahrtzeit 6 Av, what did he tell me on Simchas Torah 2015? Lesson for us- RC Dalfin

And today [clears throat] is VVE 2026. It's theite of my dear and loving. It's his yard today. So I always try to reflect on his yardite particularly some things that he told me over my um 55 years that I knew him. Actually I knew him all his life cuz he was my cen from 30 days old. Uh he was the cyan who redeemed me. I'm a so I guess I go back with him uh all my life 65 years. Anyway, Simrao was a very special day before Gimmel Thomas and after Gimlamos I want to talk about after Gimlamos what I experienced with him although I was on in California I would come in sometimes for Sima and then later No I didn't come in for sorry it's when I came back to to Brooklyn to do my is here and the writing and different teaching. So I was once a night in the Reb's room just for the for Akus a part of Akus and Rebu was there and he was already getting older. I don't remember if it was 2010 I I don't remember but it was the last 10 years of his life sometime and um he was pretty serious. I remember someone made some extra noise and and he and he said and he said shh like you know this is not a place to to to act you know you know you drank uh and you're jumping and you're making noise and you're being you know all over the place that was the that I don't [laughter] want that I saw that but I didn't that's not what I wanted to say anyway after coffers he went in to the hanola the administration room down the corridor upstairs in 770 to put on his coat and to go home. Others in the room would go to Nagal Rabbi Nagel's house and they would there went sham d went my father went and others and they had a faban hours was not there cuz I I went once or twice that faban a little bit also and I didn't see him there he went home and when I went into the room you know I I thought he would be more elated and happy and he was pretty somber. Again, I'm not I don't know if this is every year, but this is one one of the years. And and as he's putting on his coat, I I say I asked him, "May may I may I ask you something?" He said, "Sure." So one time so I asked him about the ro in Tel Aviv who was of course in labavich and he told me um an interesting story that happened uh with that demonstrated who was but I don't want to speak about that either now and then he sat down on a chair and it was you know I thought he's you know he has his coat on he's going to leave and I I was thinking of walking them into his house and um and out of the out of the blue I don't remember if I said something tell me about your childhood I I don't remember I I don't think I said that he says you can't imagine he says in giddish and he said it with such a [cough] such a broken heart you know with he didn't have you know tears in his eyes, but it felt like he had tears, deep tears, painful tears. Is you can't he said you can't imagine the poverty that there was in Eric when we got to Soul in 1935, 36, 37 going into the 40s. He said, "You can't imagine." And you know, I was just silent, all ears. There's nothing to say. I just was taking it in. And I'm still taking it in. Like, why is he thinking about this on? And what does he want to kind of tell me about this ana? It's an open interpretation. Everyone can take the story I just told you or shared with you that happened with me and him and interpret it any way you want. If I may suggest an idea, a short idea and this is covered as yard site that although and you have to be happy you're happy with the depth of is when you when you when you realize from where you come from and what you were given that you reflect on. So he was reflecting on the difficult times that his you know first of all he was his father was taken away when when he was three four five months old in 1930 he didn't see him till three and a half I believe or three whatever three three and a half and the hardships leaving Russia getting to coming to and then no money poverty illnesses everything that was going on in Eritis in the in the 30s and into the 40s even the 50s my father would told me how he when he came in 1950 he walked around barefoot but I'm not talking about that and this is what he sh wanted to share with me this is the message he wanted you should know in other words to appreciate the and to appreciate the it's and We just came out of the Reba's room. You need to remember where you come from. And if YOU DON'T TAKE TIME TO THINK about that, you're really fooling yourself. You're not really happy. It's a false happiness. When are you happy? When you realize from where you come from and what you went through the challenges and difficulties and you made it. You made in the sense that you came to America, you lived with the Reba 40 all those years from 1950. He came two weeks after the passed away and you lived not only till the 1944 but you lived God gave him I think to 19 2020 21 years in which he was teaching and everything was recorded and videos and recordings of Fabrinans. What a gift Hashem gave us that Hashem KEPT HIM ALIVE ANOTHER 25 YEARS AFTER GIML THOMAS. So then it comes simp it's not that you're you know somber and depressed it's reflective and I share this message in particular with the young people today with the new generation please understand take interest in your past because the better you understand your past and where you come from you appreciate more your present and surely the future. That's one one lesson that I personally take from it and share with you and again as I said you could take it any way you want. Another another thing that we're talking about on his yard site the same simra during the day after Daviding 2:00 or so he would go home also and it always struck me like you know people are part not partying but they're drinking and they're dancing and it comes and he go and he goes home. So first I think this is a munic. This is what he saw growing up in Tel Aviv. They davened I think I even asked him once they ded I asked him once. He said they ded regularly they ded it was it was but they finished 2:00 whatever and then they went home AND THEN THEY FRAMED ALL AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. Abiel did the same thing. He would SIT TILL 10:11 AT night stay a day till the end of Yam and in the house I was there with him several times at this he took sang spoke all kinds of things especially ideas from the milit you know came out which he help he he worked on them before the Reb was Mia and gave him out he worked on them and all that. I remember one simple I think it was 2001 Sam he was crying it was based on a mimer in K we look at uh I think hookah's bulock and he spoke about the idea the idea of that a shepherd doesn't leave his flock the rebba doesn't leave his flock there's a famous but he explained it with theb and he was crying and crying think [laughter] what are you crying for? Because when you when you when you when you when you go into something and it's meaningful and it's deep, it evokes feelings and this is a day to to to to take those feelings and work with those feelings and let the feelings be experienced. So yeah, HE COULD HAVE GONE DANCING AND HE COULD HAVE GONE TO FABANGES in this house and that house and of course he would be the fabbranger. Who else? But that's he had no interest. He went home and and and he and he wasn't looking. If people came, they came. They didn't come to come. You know, he never said, "Oh, I WANT YOU TO COME." I MEAN, HE WOULD INVITE, you know, he he would invite some some bakim to eat with him. He invited me to come with him and I I I came to eat with him and all that. But I'm saying the the the energy the the environment the as we say was all about depth meaning purpose. What are we doing here? How do WE WHAT'S OUR ESCASHIOUS like today? And of course the is more here now than before. And he didn't like the yat. HE SAID YOU know [laughter] [gasps] he would dismiss it. the quote from from to to dismiss's words but he meant in concept don't give me this you know quoting are you living here are you living that the reb is more alive to you now after the than before this is a real mashia this is someone who was dedicated to the toad God, not only his pedigree of his father and grandfather and great-grandfather for the Raim, but this is someone in our lifetime who who was the Reb's single man to bring the Reb's the Reb's teachings to the world. Like it says on his tombstone he fetched the information from his rebi his teacher brings it mashka right it's an acronym for de la mashk and he funneled it out he funneled it out they gave it out in a way that's comprehensible and now hundreds and thousands of yeden maybe millions have learned because he's made it accessible to the greater Jewish world. So on a day like this that we it's a few days before Mashiach's birth on on tishabove we want MASHIACH TO COME TODAY. WE DON'T WANT TO WAIT till tishabove. But on a day like this, three days where Yeah. It's three days before it's definitely the right time that he he should come back. The come back and everyone else Amen. Now, now and now.