The Cognitive Dissonance of Jews with Allegiance to the Left

okay I want to begin the class with uh saying together a few for our brothers and sisters in ER Isel for all of the wounded and their families especially for all of our soldiers and of course for all those who are in captivity hostages and for all of the families of the slain and for all of our brothers and sisters and for all of the Jewish people in is and the whole world so let's begin we'll say cap giml actually you have it for those who are sitting on this side you could just look up they have a sign with it if you want those who are sitting on that side you see there's a sign or in the back most of the sadum have aahum in the back so uh you can get one I'll say loud and everybody's welcome to join piml and k this could have been written a few weeks ago this Capital if you if you have a TM in English it's worthwhile to look at the translation cap man and we'll do one last one which they also have on the wall hanging that's what's there right [Music] k and the last capital of is hallelujah okay there's one source sheet on the beima please take there's more copies still yeah okay okay I want to welcome everybody who's here physically everybody's here virtually I want to especially make a special welcome for brindy Bry herkowitz who's here and as you know it's not so easy for her to come here every single week thank you Bry for coming and uh you add so much light to our class so thank you for being a pillar of light and Radiance it means a lot that you come here and you make the effort today's class is dedicated by good friend in memory of his dear father in tribute to his yard site on the 15th day of May he be an eternal source of blessing and inspiration to you and the whole family and all of the Jewish people thank you so so much there was a famous expression of the of the Al he said once in which means you have to live with the times and uh they asked what's the meaning of course yeah what do mean you have to live with the times some Jews it meant Once Upon A Time To Live With The New York Times H I don't think it means that I don't know if it ever meant that all the News That's fit to print and he explained living with the times means living with the para of the week the para of the week means living with the times why because since it's the parha that by Divine Providence was designated to read that week so it means somehow it captures the soul of the week it captures the Nish and the messages and directives it's a blueprint a road map for the events for the experiences for the Voyages and journeys of every Jew individually and the Jewish people collectively through the week so to live with the times means to tune in to the of the time to the energy of the time which is captured that week in that in that para there are three there are three scenes in par V that I want to address with you today in this class they're all in the same paraa three scenes three different stories in a para in a portion loaded with uh quite intense stories and I think each one uh quite relevant maybe on more than one more more on more than one level the first one is in the par V is the para with the story of L and his family being saved from the destruction of s and do and let's just remember the context the context is that uh two people two Messengers two angels come to lights come to where light the nephew of AR who has settled years years earlier and has done quite well for himself when a asked him to move on and find his own niche in life because it wasn't working out between their Shepherds so L chose to become a citizen of he did so well the ter says was sitting in the portal of Z which was the place with the with the Judiciary with the court the Supreme Court would sit at the entrance to the city that was the traditional place of the Gathering of the Supreme Court and as Rashi says quoting the med that L was nominated as one of the Supreme Court Justices of Z whatever the system of justice they had but he was nominated as AET which means he didn't only um move there but he really integrated you know he made it he made it to the top he made it to the top echelons of of the community lady will see that he had two daughters who married inhabitants of Zim he had sons-in-law of means they integrated socially they integrated on a family level uh they were married with the people there he was now a judge a respected Citizen and these two people come to him he takes them to the house he feeds them this he had ingrained in his DNA from his uncle ainu and his aunt SAR of course his father Haram was A's younger brother and Aram has taken with with him on all their Journeys his father has has died earlier as the Torah says at the end of par so uh and at some point in the story The People gather the people of Zim who loathe guests and Hospitality gather around the house they demand from ly to give the guests out Lloyd pleads with them not to do it he pleads and pleads and they told them we're going to afflict you even more than them in the famous words they say the T says they say to you're here as a stranger you're here as an alien you're you're you're a g you're a foreigner and you're going to come tell us what to do you're going to come judge us and that's when the Angels revealed to him that this entire city is about to face destruction because of the evil and abhorent immorality that has taken root in SED and they urge him to leave and Escape together with his wife and his children and any children that he has around the city at some point L goes to his daughters and sons-in-law who are already living out of the house to plead with them to leave and the says seemed like a joke a gesture a comedian in the eyes of his son-in-law when he told them this place is going to be destroyed you know this it was Paradise do was Paradise on every level affluence Independence uh Aesthetics a beautiful you know the picket fence Community everybody was on their own you worried about your own lawn and nobody bothered you Live and Let Live sh sh sh shal and now he's he's warning of pending destruction it's a very dramatic word it wasn't like an argument it was no philosophical or theological debate you're you're a joker you're just a joker they just laughed him off like some ridiculous strange fellow who was the source of who was just a mockery and uh of course they refused to leave the last moment and this is the P that we're going to focus on design Genesis 196 as the two Messengers are urging L to leave it's already close to is a very powerful word Ines in the Holy tongue which means he hesitated he procrastinated in Yiddish for those who learned in Yiddish schools faam right faam okay F okay that depends Hungary Lithuania Poland Galia Russia we're not going to get into the politics at the moment the bottom line is he tarried we have in the right even though he may T it may take a long time in inish you call it he procrastinated if you will so the two men the two angels Hold On To His Hand they actually him they schlep him and the Hand of his wife and the Hand of his two daughters who were with him in the house with the compassion of Hashem on him and they literally transport him they take him out and his family and place him outside of the city where they are saved of course he has given the Commandment not to look back to leave and not to look back his wife looks back and the T says she becomes a pillar of salt I want to focus on something we have focused on it once in I think in the past perhaps maybe in other class I don't know if in the woman's class but it's a it's extremely powerful and Rel when you think about this and to see how sometimes such profound acute and relevant messages are contained not in a sentence not in part of a sentence not even in a word not even in a letter but actually in a musical note as you know the whole tanak has what's called Tamra in they're called trop musical canell with which each verse and para is read now it's not so easy because in the there's no you don't have any of these notes so they have to be memorized but the B the one who reads the T that's on chabas or yam for middle of the week reads it with these TR that are ancient some even say they come from which means this is part of the part of the oral tradition how to read a PK and each word has a different music note with which it is read during the reading of her in fact the whole tan the whole tan has trra if you read for example it's not known today what the music is but each word has has TR has some of them are very very common some are very rear one of the most rear notes is called shalas shalis literally means a chain and this has a if you see on top of it looks like a zigzag you see on the top of the me of a it's called shalis it's a note so rare it's found only four times in the entire only four times in this one is the first the next one will be next week the third one will be VV the last one will be par and that's it only four times on four words and the musical note is a very interesting one because it actually represents procrastination and taring and hesitating to the point that it sounds like the person is stuck in un unable to make a decision a clear decisive decision moving forward so this is how it's read and some people even do ah that depends again on the community and then he goes so those are more common musical cancellations but the first one is extremely rare and one of the earliest commentators on just articulated it obviously justly that this is a note that represents what we call today in English amb Jonathan sax an essay he wrote in Hebrew there's no word for ambivalence in modern Hebrew they have ambivalent I think but that's modern Hebrew there's no real word for ambivalence the closest is El of he's speaking to the Jewish people and he turns to them in in Kings 117 how long will you be uh what we would call H yeah how long will you dance at two weddings well if you live in New York you dance at nine weddings sometimes in one night and another three Mitzvah after the before the up in middle of the okay it used to be Brooklyn now even you have to decide which wedding which wedding you're gonna attend I know it's a hard Choice how long will you jump from one column to another column what we call in English sitting on the fence you have to decide if you believe in idolatry so go to idolatry and if you believe in Hashem says go to Hashem that's the closest expression we have Ines we don't have a word for ambivalence we don't have a word for it but we have a musical note for it and the musical note is shalas if you even look at the zigzag what's the zigzag the zigzag is I'm going in One Direction but then I'm pulled back in the opposite direction but then I'm like no I got to go to this so I go to the other dire but then I'm pulled back and I'm pulled back I can't make I can't craft a decisive decision to move forward because I'm Paralyzed by something there's an emotional paralysis that is holding me back from making that move so the very word and the music are very aligned with each other and that's why you hear this person is which is actually a person is debating a person is thinking cting which is a very good and and decent and and worthwhile human trait I shouldn't be rash and and and impulsive and impetuous but then I'm like uh okay that's a good question new now it's time for resolution but I'm like in the old days of the record plays you remember when there was a scratch you remember when there was a scratch on the record or later on the CD and the same the same stanza is or the same note is being repeated literally again and again and again and then in some cases some people concluded which let me just go to sleep or let me just go eat or let me just go do whatever just I'm not going to deal with it so it's like a conclusion to this shalis to this sense of stuckness why did L hesitate why did L hesitate Rashi says he was very hesitant to leave without his wealth he had to run away in a moment's notice you know he couldn't prepare what about his computer what about his database what about the family albums what about all of the Investments what about all the furniture what about all of the investment he put into his home all of his money all of his assets he's just running away so that's on on the on the basic on the basic most literal level I'll just mention in Fast and it I'll mention swiftly the other three places where you have this note because it's fascinating how in each one of these places somebody is stuck the next week is a ainu sends his faithful servant the T doesn't give a name but tradition says it was elazar to find a match for his son yak and he sends him away from the Holy Land all the way to Karan which is Mesopotamia Northern Iraq or Southern turkey in today's geography and over there he wants him to find a young woman for his son yak and elazar takes the mission he makes an oath to his father-in-law and he goes to the well the well in those days was the central meeting place because everybody needed water says before the Industrial Revolution you don't have sinks in your house everybody needs water so you go to the well the public Wells Spring from which everybody everybody is there that's the place where people meet that's the place where people socialize you know at some point you're going to meet somebody there because everybody needs water for their homes for their children for themselves for their livestock Etc and elazar prays and V he says to Hashem and he says please do kindness with my master and allow me to find the right person and that's when he finds he identifies those characteristics that he's looking for in the young future wife for somebody who will offer water to him and his camels Etc on thear he said please help me it's very strange the word is frequent in tit it's one of the most common words and he said it never has a shus obviously something was holding him back indeed kazal our sages pointed out that elzar was not so happy with this Arrangement part of him wanted to do what a said but part of him wanted it shouldn't work out because he had a daughter he had his own daughter and he wanted his daughter to marry and he thought it was a wonderful so he was asking for it to happen but another part of him was asking that it doesn't happen so there was this shalas this was this uh this confusion inside of elazar do I really want this this is what this is what wants AR thinks this is the best for but really inside he had another agenda the third the third shalas is equally dramatic and perhaps even more and that's in pares VV in the story of YF YF is sold as a slave by his brothers to an Egyptian Minister potifar and we all know the story Po's wife takes a liking to YF and does not stop pleading with him to betray his own morality and her own moral ity and be together with him it says y refuses has another he refuses and again kazal said this was not simple he was 17 years old he had nobody in his life he finally he finally found a home in ptif and P nominated him to be completely in charge to be the CFO of his operation he loved him so much he cherished him this woman K say didn't only plead with him but she warned him and threatened him and the worst threats that she gave him to the point that one day he surrendered he succumbed if not for the image of his father which saved him at the last moment it did not come he refused but it did not come without profound struggle the last one is the Le least apparent it's Inu Slaughters the animal in the new Mish but when you look deep into it you understand that this is the last time mha would do the a in the Mish because when this Tabernacle was created and erected for the first seven days were days of training called from the 23rd day of and those days M was the he was the high priest and he trained Aaron he trained his brother he trained his nephews he is the one who did the work in the Mish the last time he does the work the last day the last time he he offers this animal there the next time it'll be passed on to Aon so when you read it you know when you start reading it and you understand the there was a very profound experience in m renu's in M renu's heart number one this is the last time he gets to do it and number two did he actually train Aon well did he fulfill his duty as the teacher as the mentor so it comes with a very profound sense of question of hesitation of introspection of reflection what was l so hesitant about why did deserve such a what made him stuck when you see the cont of the story one can understand it very well and again I'm grateful to Rabbi Jonathan saak an essay articulated it beautifully and the main point is this L has chosen to abandon his uncle Aram he just didn't like his lifestyle the Shepherds didn't get along with aam's Shepherds and aam told L he says listen we're brothers let's not fight we shouldn't be together living opposite lives and undermining each other if you want to go to the right I will go to the left if you want to go to the left I will go to the right this is the beginning of and that's when [Music] leaves as Rashi says he told he said I don't want and I don't want's God this life was just not for him and he invested his life in was a metropolitan was uh was was affluence was was the symbol of success and light made it he made it in and he made it there for many years as I said to the point that he was nominated as a Supreme Court Justice in di imagine for a little Jewish kid I don't know if you want to call him a Jewish kid but he certainly grew up in the house of the first Jews this was an achievement not only did he move to do and he found some little little apartment and he was a ner he was a parasite no he made it to the top echelons of society and then his daughters marry out what else can you ask for full successful integration suddenly on this night this beautiful life that he imagined for himself and his family starts to crumble when he speaks to the people and he's their judge he's one of their leaders he's one of their legislators he's one of their thinkers he's one of the most prominent citizens of Z and he asks them he says I have two people here don't bother them they don't just say you're breaking policy we're going to do what we want they turn to him and they say don't forget who you are you're a foreigner you're a parasite or in words that would become popular later you're a dirty Jew go back home don't come here and tell us how to live our home light didn't expect us I'm not from that world I'm from your world I invested everything in your world I did so well I followed all the laws I integrated so beautifully I'm an asset for you you're an asset for me I thought we have become one I thought we're brothers at that moment a Moment of Truth L realized that at this moment they looked at him and they said you're not one of us go back home we're going to hurt you more than we hurt your guests deep down we have no trust to you and then when he comes to his sons-in-law and he pleads with them and he said it's time to leave they look at this man he thought his sons-in-law respected him they were proud to take his daughters and they say you're just a joker you're a weird person you suffer from Insanity you're not part of our community the two people look at L and said it's time to say goodbye It's Time to Say Goodbye to them there's no future here there's no future for you there's no future this is a destroyed place it's been already destroyed morally it's been a destroyed place by this moment he hesitates we can relate to his hesitation this is the hesitation that so many Jews experienced in Germany the 1930s we've invested our lives there we have become in sometimes more German than Germans I was once in Connecticut in a and I met the Holocaust Survivor he was a German Jew I still remember his name was Mr Oak but he survived in a unique way the Nazis killed his father and they sent back to his house an N of Ashes they cremated him he says one day we get a gift an N of Ashes they said this is your father's ashes his mother managed to get papers for him he was a kid that he was an Aryan and he lived in Berlin imagine in Berlin he lived as a Jew during the Holocaust so he was part of Berlin German culture he was telling me about about the the the Hitler yugan prades and all of the they would make prades Hitler's birthday in April and all these things and he was part of it he was part of it until somebody finally revealed his identity but that's how he survived and as he was talking to me he was quoting poems from geta and Schiller these are some of the great German poets and I could see this twinkle in his eye and I said you're you're you're saying these poems with with po these poems with so much passion he says yeah this is the sweetness of my youth this is the this is the school I grew up in I I I still I still have this this deep feeling for where I grew up you know and it it was it was it was such a struggle for so many Jews who did so well in Germany they they assimilated they intermarried many of them converted in the 1800s they they have joined the society and and successfully in integrated some of the greatest musicians people like Felix melon it was Moosa mendon's grandson he was considered one of the greatest musicians in in Germany his his father they mean they converted to Christianity Henri Henri H was one of the greatest writers and Poets another Jew Henri H also converted to christianas giving a few examples in terms of Academia and Science and politics the foreign minist of Germany after the first world war was was a Jew what was his name uh uh very interesting story they they killed him they assassinated him in 1922 I forgot his name but in any case and now suddenly it's hard to believe it's hard to believe that this whole world crumbled many year many gen many times Jews and different countries they felt they were so integrated and then at a moment of truth you're just a foreigner you're a parish side you're a cancerous tumor go back home this is the moment of on one hand he knows that they're right he wasn't stupid and he had some of the spark of aru that's why he sacrificed himself to have these guests on the other hand can you look back at 50 years and say it was a mistake it was a dismal mistake it was such an error of judgment I was blinded by some glorious intoxicating passion that turned out to be worthless and fule mwth buus and the angels tell him don't look back don't look back because looking back means you're still stuck even after you leave you're still stuck you can't let go in Psychology in the 1950s there was a a phrase that was coined I Believe by two Jewish psychologists uh cognitive dissonance you know what cognitive dissonance is that's the sh cognitive dissonance is it's very hard for a person to deal with conflict you have two opposing truths and they're both true in your mind it's very hard to live with that and therefore you have to bend one side you have to go into some form of denial we can't live with cognitive dissonance our brains want to make sense out of things and this is what ly fa faced his his whole life he believed in so much of his life he believed so much in he contributed to it he built it and now there was nothing left for him they hated him they despised them they loathed them it's very hard to be able just to shift so he's glaring at this contradiction he gets frozen he gets stuck I don't know what to do and they Mish have to take him and slep him out and they tell him don't look back his wife who probably came from Z looked back this is what's called postcognitive dissonance even after I am forced into one trajectory I still look back I'm still stuck I'm still paralyzed and the result of that is I become salt psychologically that is a very profound experience the ability to let go is not an easy thing to do think about it psychologically and emotionally sometimes I can hold on to something for so many years hold on to pain hold on to resentment and for good reason I don't want to let go because maybe this pain is the only thing that I have as a witness to what happened if I resent you it means I still have dignity for me to let go I feel I'm sacrificing my identity what do I have left light doesn't want to let go the only thing he has is this procrastination this belief this Faith maybe's di is still a good place maybe the Angels were joking maybe there is a future in maybe he won't be destroyed maybe his sons-in-law are right he should laugh from himself he has internalized the laughter he has internalized the shame the challenge is if I don't let go I become salty I become salty I become bitter my life is now filled with bitterness even if I don't recognize it as such because it's so deeply ingrained in me the gift to be able to say this is where I was but this is where I'm going to be now the gift the ability to be able to look at certain thoughts that creep into my psyche and thoughts always create emotions every emotion is preceded by a thought right it says in in in in SE the T many that emotions are called children and the thoughts that produce them are parents a child comes from parents when I have an emotion every emotion has a parent no emotion lives in a vacuum every emotion has a mommy and every emotion has a tatti that brought it into existence and those are thoughts ideas the thoughts are then translated into emotional energy into an emotion the ability to be able to transcend my and say I am really Letting Go the ability to be able to I'm speaking as though it's easy it's not easy it's not easy but it's necessary for Freedom it's necessary huh you're doing a sneak preview here in in our own personal life you know the ability that put in before to say a prayer some people say it's with the person forgive those who hurt them that's very very deep I can force somebody to I can't force myself to forgive sometimes I don't want to forgive because if I forgive what's left of all my pain if I forgive if I could continue living with that sense of of of Justified resentment then the only problem is the salt now lives inside of me forgiveness is not just for the other person forgiveness is for the person themselves it's the ability that you don't hold you you're not controlling my life anymore I am not a victim in any degree or form it happened what happened happened I don't I don't forget it and I have to create proper boundaries whatever that means in a person's life but it means that my soul was not damaged my soul was not ters and I'm ready to own that type of Freedom that ownership could sometimes look like victimhood because what I'm I'm I'm Letting Go I'm Letting Go I'm going to let you win no I'm going to let my soul win I'm going to let myself win I care too much about living the life I'm supposed to Li live I care too much about living the life God wants me to live about living a full actualized life to be able to remain in Shackles by another person's ill-conceived choices whether they did it advertently or or or or or willingly continues in that prayer so here we see it in in light light the word light actually has different meanings right in Hebrew light means a cover up like by Bas when when Rus comes to he comes clandestinely also means a curse CLA the tum says is ltin and light is also a fragrance it's a fragrance when YF is being taken down the Caravan right are Tak him on the Caravan they have different spices one of them is light so which is light is light a cover up is light a curse or is light a fragrance and the answer is that's a choice I have to make that's the choice I have to make and then I can I turn my curse into a fragrance can I turn that which covered me up which caused me to go into hiding into a source of fragrance but it doesn't come without the struggle of the the shalas the word shalis means a chain why did they use that word for this note because I'm chained you see the accuracy of it I'm in a chain I'm I'm literally chained I can't leaves di I'm sorry this is too heartbreaking for me and you know why I'm sharing this today this is the feeling of so many Jews today I read two articles inet's newspaper which is considered radical leftwing newspaper in Israel blaming much of uh the terrorist acts over decades on Israel and uh two writers both write I'm not quoting verba this we have created our home in the radically left-wing Community what they call in in in in Israel no or nut is uh um enlightened the enlightened community that focuses on feminism and human rights and the underdog and wants to be tolerant to all those who are downtrodden and dejected and highlighting the right of every individual to live their life the way they see fit to an extreme to a radical extreme expressing itself in almost every agenda and we thought that this community internationally would be outraged by such atrocities committed towards children and women and elderly and Men non-competent civilians and not a word not a word not only only not a word but 32 universities in the United States of America and you're talking about top universities you have to pay 60 70,000 a year to get your children into them right you thought your Shiva tuition was expensive and what are you paying for you're paying for that your children should be in an atmosphere where nobody can distinguish between good and evil between Barber barbaris M sadistic cruelty and basic human decency and kindness to the point that leaders of these universities couldn't even condemn Hamas I heard Dennis Prager speak this was before it happened and he said that you know in the 1950s and 60s and 70s laich used to make fun a lot of University that the American Jews feel that if their kids don't go to university they won't be mentioned they won't be people they won't be G they're going to Beed anded he say I really disagreed with him about that because no it it's America if you want a good job this is a place of higher education he says today I see that these are some of the most corrupt places on Earth in terms of not having any moral Backbone in terms forget about not having a moral backbone ter of actually supporting abhorent evil Behavior without any body actually thinking reflecting being introspective and what's even more shocking is how many Jews how many Jews Jewish students and Jews who were targeted they would be the first ones to be murdered of they were there Kamas doesn't care if you're a left Winger or a right- Winger what you wear what you think what you believe and yet so many Jews including some very famous Jews have dedicated their lives to to healing and to help people heal and sophisticated and intelligent in so many ways and here too such a moral breakdown so these two women init right we don't have a home anymore we don't have a home if you can justify rape and barbarity and torture and death and and taking little babies hostages what's left to the fabric of humanity this is this is L's procrastination it's fascinating psychologically how to explain it maybe it's part of the trauma of gullas one of the deepest symptoms of trauma is that you start thinking you deserve it somehow Jews have such a low so many Jews have such a low self-esteem that many of them could cultivate a mindset where actually when such a trash atrocities are committed towards the Jewish people they can find it in themselves to say what did we do to deserve it what did we do to deserve it the levels of self-hate of self shame of self-loathing are so profound this is what happens when you don't know who you are when you don't know what you stand for when my when one's entire education was inculcated with messages that undermined their core self and they created a camouflage life like in the wax museum you create a life for yourself with a community that you think loves you and that a Moment of Truth they look at light and said dirty Jew get out of here you're just a Jester you're just a joker it's shaking Jews to the core it's this this shall us wow wow at the end of the day but the truth is for a Drew anchored in y and for a Drew anchored in Jewish eternity and history all this is a re revelation of the power and the uniqueness of the Jewish people as I told you in that other class when you see who hates you you get to know who you are show me your enemy and I'll tell you who you are when a person when people who have no problem doing the most barbaric things in the world and they are the ones who hate you you're doing something right when you look at history and you say Hitler hates you Stalin hates you arat hates you Bin Laden hates you raani the aalas in Iran all these hate you pyro wow what are you doing so good what makes you so holy that they hate you this is a time of Awakening for the Jewish people and it's an opportunity not to be missed be able to say your home is is waiting for you light was wandering and he got lost in the appeal of don't get lost in the appeal of embrace who you are embrace your soul embrace your people embrace your Homeland embrace your destiny there's a reason evil despises you because this is a nation that was designated to be ambassadors of love and of light and of divinity and of morality and of Hope and when you see such irrational hatred I'm not only talking about Hamas I'm talking about from sophisticated professors and politicians and journalists and essayists in their protests and demonstrations it only highlights the unique Eternal role of the Jewish people to revolutionize the world and make it a mishkan make it a bikes make it a place of Peace it it it shows you the revolution of the who spoke [Music] about quoting the of about it teaches you who the Jewish people are what the Jewish people are and it reminds you also that what's happening today didn't start today there for thousands of years somehow this group of people manages to evoke the deepest sense of disgust and hate but why why and the answer is because a nation that was chosen to be the ambassadors of goodness and love become what's called what we might call the miners canaries of History I don't know those of you who are familiar with mining but before miners go down to mine let's say for coal they send down Canary Birds Canary birds are very sensitive to noxious fumes if the birds don't come back you know there are poisonous fumes in the mines don't go down if the birds come back you know it's safe Jews are the miners canaries of History we are the canaries of History where there is evil in the world it's attracted first it targets first the canaries where Jews are targeted you know this is a place of noxious fumes that's why hasem told right when he met him the first time those who bless you will be blessed those who curse you will be cursed it's not just a promise it's actually a parameter of History one of the most accurate litmus tests throughout history if you want look at a nation and see is this a blessed place or a cursed Place ask one thing do they bless Jews or do they curse TRS in Nations where they curs Jews they started with Jews but they never ended with Jews they ultimately persecuted and targeted every dissident every minority they didn't agree with Nations that bless Jews are blessed places it's the litmus test of History we're the canaries of history and the canary is the one that's sensitive to this evil and evil feels what is goodness and therefore it attacks it and it attacks ta it with such vicious hatred at such a mo point the worst thing Jews can do is self-doubt can engage in self-doubt and self-loathing in a sense of an inferiority complex complex of weakness Jews have mastered the ability to be able to say that throughout thousands of years our dedication is one thing to bring Redemption to the world to bring love to the world to bring truth to the world says to be to be a light onto the people says you're my Witnesses God says the Greeks used to kill the witnesses if you kill the witness then you don't have to deal with the story the Jews are the witnesses that the witnesses of a higher consciousness of a higher morality that the fact that there's something called Truth For Heaven's Sake there's something called Truth and there's something called a lie and there's a difference I said one of the problems of Israel versus the Arab Arab have no problem just telling a story yeah you bombed our hospital it doesn't have to be grounded in reality I can tell you right now it's 10:00 at night you look at me yeah makik Hitler once said if you say a small lie people don't believe you if you say a monstrous big lie then everybody believes you because how could it be right if you say it's a small Lae you know I couldn't come to the wedding cuz I had a flu nobody believes you you didn't want to come sh but if you tell me like you know this big lie right I was in the hospital I almost died I had a double stroke with a triple bypass and my father was also and plus I had to be in Australia all happened in Australia of course I believe you Jews are not masters of that they're not M you just create that doesn't have to be grounded in any reality whatsoever any reality whatsoever and people get away with it Jews don't even know how that not everybody a lot of Jew they don't know how they how that works how do you do that this was this what Hitler said don't say a small lie don't do that the the biggest lie whatsoever then it must be true that's exactly what you're seeing now but our comfort is hasim em truth prevails reality prevails goodness prevails that's why we're here today that's why is is here today this is a time to open the doors to every Jew and to every good person say stop stopes ating stop procrastinating know who you are Embrace who you are and live who you are the Jews had one weapon for 4,000 years it accompanied us since the day we became a people till this very day the T and the mitzvas and in such a Time the Jewish people need to recognize that power to be able to stay in that space of truth of authenticity of godliness of kadua of Holiness of Oneness and of of course never ever doubt ever our right it's even embarrassing to say this to protect ourself but much more than that Our obligation to eliminate such horrific evil from Humanity that threatens every innocent Jew and really every innocent person like hehm tells those who bless you are blessed those who curse you are cursed I want to come to a second seene could have also been written a few days ago but it was written around 3,300 years ago AB has two children he has two sons yal born from haar and Yak born 13 years later or 14 years later from Sarah if you take a look the next source SAR the mother of babyak sees that the son of hugar his name was yal who came from Egypt she was in Egyptian woman and she became a maid servant in the house and then a had a child with her which was Sarah's suggestion and named him yal and she saw that this son is mitah he's literally mahik means jesting jesting what does the jesting mean what's wrong with somebody laughing so this is where kazal struggle a lot to understand the word Rashi brings the med brings different opinions but they find in the tanak the word is used for murder it's used for adultery and it's used for idolatry andal was involved in all of these things tells expel the maid servant and her son because the son of this maid will not inherit together with my son with tells AB don't feel so pained about this whatever SAR tells you listen to her this has become an eternal commandment to the first Jewish man and to every Jewish man since what whatever she says listen to her she's smarter she's wiser she's deeper she gets it okay you don't have to quote this in my name could quote it in your name or in God's name for that line yeah okay will be the one who will perpetuate your legacy now I want to ask a question SAR says he will not inherit with with with my son Abu was was a very very affluent man we see it throughout thees was extremely extremely successful that's why he could be so hospitable he was affluent he had prosperity and plenty later he would be called Nim a prince of God even told the king of I don't want your money I don't need you to tell me that you made me Rich I don't need you to tell me you made me Rich God already blessed me was extremely already when he came back from Egypt it said he was Heavy with silver and old and with a tremendous amount of Life stock he was extremely successful person so what do you care if you is going to get part of the inheritance so s is like aama okay so you're very protective of your son but so protective to the point that you can't get a piece of the cake and even if she is because is her son she wants him to have everything Hashem actually tells aru in this case she gets it more than you AR was upset he says listen to SAR but here again when you read the P carefully you see what s understood people translate SAR said send them away from the house because this son will not L will not another I'm not going to allow him to inherit what Sor is actually saying is L he won't be able to inherit it together with Y she's not talking about if she will give permission or not she's talking about the fabric and the nature of yal versus and here too s thousands of years ago articulated one of the most tragic mistakes that so many have made and continue to make some of us growing up in Western cultures cultures of democracy understand if you and I are fighting over a house you say it's your house I say it's my house and we split the pie we split the birthday cake you take 50% I take 50% you take 70 I take 30 so peace is more important than me having the entire house the future of my children children the future of our children is more important and that's why we make compromises everybody thinks that logic should apply to the Middle East as well if Israel would only give away the territories it liberated in 1967 creating a Palestinian State near an Israel State let isal have his peace of the yusha and let y have his peace of yusha and everything will be beautiful it makes beautiful sense right why not and that was the motivation behind aric Sharon who was the Prime Minister of Israel in 2005 who gave away the entire Gaza and in fact he had to forcibly expel 10,000 Jews I was in gush before it was like a paradise with the beaches and the green houses and the farms and the shs and the infrastruct was built over 30 or 40 years was was a a piece of Majestic Beauty and what do you have 15 or 20 communities or 25 communities 10,000 Jews were forcibly expelled and every last Soldier was evacuated giving the Arabs literally a paradise with an economy that was worth billions of dollars and with International Aid now indeed if the next day they would lay groundworks to build hospitals and museums and universities everybody who criticized IR Shon would have to say you know what maybe this was a good move wow wow you gave them Gaza you left look what they're doing to it it became the Singapore of the Middle East the Hong Kong of the Middle East wow and within a few years that vision would expand to the West Bank Etc but the next day that day the cemeteries were destroyed the shs were burned and missiles started to fly into Israel if Israel had SE and not just SE had the backbone it would say with the first missile that flew into Israel this is over this is too dangerous this was the buffer zone we now just brought the enemy kastan into our very territory from here they can start their mini Holocaust which they did on S when they were finally successful it's over this is what SAR is saying yal is not looking for a piece of land together with Y he's not looking for a Palestinian State near Israel he's looking for a pal Ian state in Le of Israel all these demonstrators these Jews who demonstrate from The River To The Sea you ever see Palestine what's from The River To The Sea what's the river to the Sea it basically means a The River To The Sea includes Israel so what happens to all the Jews there what happens to the Jews in Northern in in in near Gaza in the South s is the most peaceful person s says I want peace not just for the Jews I want peace for y too I want peace for everybody you have to understand the mindset the mindset is I don't want you here in fact according to the Quran they're not allowed to have Jews owning land in that space that belongs to the you're not allowed to if you believe in Allah you're not allowed to so I impose my Western liberal ideas on the enemy and I say no really really really this is just a Justified frustration cuz I didn't get my state I in 2005 you got your state but there were checkpoints checkpoints means it's not a real estate but why were there checkpoints and smart people don't know how to conf how to the differentiate between a cause and an effect if there would be no missile coming if there would be no rocket sent if there would be no suicide bombers in there would be not one checkpoint it would be like America and Canada or even less the whole reason there had to be this security is because of the danger but how do people distinguish when there's no distinction between lies and Truth absolutely no level this is what s is explaining you have to understand the situation you're dealing with an enemy that doesn't want to inherit with you wants to inherit instead of you so now you have to make a choice should millions of Jews live or God forbid surrender to those who want to destroy them that's the choice and the worst thing that happens with a surgery is the doctor starts to clean out the Sur clean out the infection or the disease and then the doctor sees blood the doctor says oh I can't deal with this and sews it back up and the Raging cancer is left in the body to erupt a few months later or a few years later this has been Israel's greatest mistake and that's why Hashem tells AB s gets it s is articulating the truth if one day you're going to have neighbors with a leadership that really respects your right to exist you'll have peace in a week it's not an issue but when you're dealing with a time of war and you're dealing with war 75 years to make these calculations is suicide it would be like in 194 5 somebody would come to Churchill or Rosevelt America or Britain and say I don't understand how could you go into Berlin what about democracy how can you go into Berlin it's not democracy there's so many people living in Berlin you have a Hitler who wants to destroy the entire world now you have to eliminate every single vestage of evil without compromise for the sake not just of the Jews for the sake of the Arabs for the sake of our children too this is what Sor was teaching Jew Jews have become so intoxicated by The Love For Peace which is beautiful but often so misguided and misdirected because peace I can only make with somebody who wants some form of coexistence even if they don't want to be my best friend Rabin during the ill-conceived ozlo Accords which literally created thousands of suicide bombers giving them the autonomy in the West Bank death after death murder after murder said Peace you make with enemies not with friends wrong peace you make with former enemies peace you make with former enemies and if I compromise and I make a concession to somebody who simply doesn't know how to inherit with me what does that show it shows you're weak that's what s understood if I give you half of the cake what do you say I'm kind your says you're weak I put pressure I got half of the cake you know what it means I can get the whole cake that's all it means church WIll said appeasement is feeding the crocodile and the hope you will be eaten last so I give you the cake and you say wow I can get all of it that's the mindset every time Israel conceded ter teritory even negotiated to concede territory it Unleashed waves and waves of Terror rivers of blood without one exception SAR understood this better than anybody else and she said you have to understand how yal looks at the world you have to understand how y looks at at this point in history there's only one way you can create peace for both sides and then we come to a third scene the last scene we're going to be exploring and it's very disturbing at first glance because it happens three times aam and Sarah travel to foreign countries and when they come in a asks SAR to say that she's not married to him she's his sister this is a brother and sister going touring he does it the first time in Egypt they come to Egypt and Sarah claims she's his sister she's not his wife AR is afraid if she says the truth that she's the wife they're going to kill the husband because they're going to want to take her but if she's a sister actually they'll actually be nice to the brother and take her you would see a okay and say it happened once in it happens again this time in Gaza they actually in Gaza they go to Gaza it's under the Philistine Rule and by the way the Romans when they destroy the second bik they want that that to add insult to injury so they changed the name from Judea to Palestine because of the Philistines the plishtim that were there in in the ancient times to add insult to injury they also tried to change the name of Jerusalem to but that didn't work but Palestine stuck this is from a Roman name to remind us of the pl so when a and Sarah come to Gaza the Pam lived in Gaza in the South once again aam s and aam maintain that they're brothers and sisters and this is thisen said why the king says why do you lie to me says I said there is no fear of God in this place you're going to kill me because of my wife in a place where there's no fear of God Temptation can Prevail very easily and therefore I had no choice indeed she's my sister the daughter of my father not the daughter of my mother and she became my wife rashley says it was actually the granddaughter of his father because sah was his niece it came to pass when caused me to wander from my father's house I said to her to SAR this is your kindness which you shall do with me to any place that we come please say about me he is my brother wow so it happens twice when and SAR we think it's over told us does exactly the same thing once again he's traveling with Rifka to Gaza they go to a place called gar under the domain of the Philistines in Gaza and sure enough they present themselves as brother and sister and then a the king figures out that they're actually husband and wife he looks out through the window and he confronts Y and says again why did you lie to me and once again y says this is how we do it so it's funny you have three times the same story story of twice with s twice it's like a common theme it's the most common thing in their lives you come somewhere you're my sister I'm your brother great arrangement we thought it only happened three times actually AB who tells the king here and he says I ask S and say please this is your kindness call wherever we go so I don't know how many times it happened wherever they traveled were brothers and sisters so of course there's the moral dma which discuss at length you want to save your life okay so that's why you just give up so you're going to say you're the brother so they don't have to kill you in order to take her what about her right the raan says committed a great Folly he great that he did it that he just subjected his wife to be taken to Pirate the Z says something interesting the Z says there was a reason a didn't argue with God when God said whatever s says listen to heru knew that s's stature was much greater than his it was fine easy for him to listen to her like Rashi says when it came to prophecy the matriarchs were superior to the Patriarchs theas were greater than the others The Zo said completely were not concerned about their wives they knew that there's a spiritual uh uh aura or Halo Halo a spiritual Halo that will protect them and therefore SAR and Rifka will come out unscathed which indeed SAR came out unscathed from from and and from the Philistines and the same is true with Rifka they were worried about themselves so they asked their wives do us a favor and say that we're brothers so that they won't kill us we don't have that same spiritual guardian angel of protection that you may have but still we have to understand okay however you're going to explain how they had a right to do it why is this such a common theme and the T every story does of lived for 175 years right we don't have stories of 175 years we have six seven stories about him eight Stories the same is with we have three stories about him because it's not every story was recorded 40 years in the desert how many stories are recorded it's the stories that are relevant for eternity t comes from the word h which means it's a blueprint for life what's the blueprint here that I should start wherever I go say my wife is my sister and I'm her her brother what's what's the lesson here this is a beautiful Insight one homological insight it's in a saer called Divina that was written by the first name was Rez he was named after thees from one of the great was thees and his son his grandson great-grandson was known as the first a city in Poland he passed away in 1905 and he has AIC work called work called Divina the words of understanding um he was one of the great uh spiritual leaders and sages of his day in Poland in B RAB rabitz and he says a very beautiful line he says what happened with the is always a signpost a blueprint for all the children a asks why did you say she's my my sister so he could have said I was afraid to be killed there's no fear of God here if there's no fear of God there's no morality you have no problem murdering somebody in order to take their wife okay that's an explanation but then he goes into this whole to he says when God took me away from the house of my father and I was wandering all over the place then I turned to my wife and I said I need the from you and what's the said wherever we go say you're my brother it's very interesting why does the Philistine King have to know about the personal agreement that a made with SAR and he says was talking to him and he was talking to every to all of his children forever and he said like this this nation is going to go through a lot of Journeys and you're going to go into many terrains and many places where life may be very difficult what is going to allow you to be able to survive what is going to allow you to endure and to emerge intact to emerge with your wholesomeness and with your full Splendor and light and the answer is you're going to turn to each other and say there's a kindness that I want you to do with me any place we ever go look at me and say you're my brother and a ainu here was giving the Jewish people the recipe for Eternal endurance as you will go from country to country from land to land over thousands of years when you will see that other Jew look at him and say you're my brother look at her and say you're my sister and that's why he says as we wandered as we were had to relocate struggle with so many different challenges face adversity every step of the way what is going to allow us to avoid all of the pitfalls physical emotional psychological social spiritual and the answer is wherever we go say that you're my brother what is ainu saying here ainu here is articulating one of the most powerful and potent messages in Jewish history the fact is that for most of our history we have been wandering most of our history most Jews haven't been living in a in a few years history will be made by the fact that more than half of the Jewish people will be living in a which didn't happen since the days of schah once the 10 tribes were exiled never was there more than a small percentage of the Jewish people even the time of the second bikes only 42,000 Jews made Aliah with Ezra and to rebuild the second bikes now there are 6.6 million Jews living in Israel and that number should be recognized 6.6 million KERO in a few years hasem you're going to have more than half of clist hopefully mashia will come far earlier so only half will be all of cherol more than half how do you survive this most Nations when exiled to countries where they became the minority without a political and Military infrastructure to maintain national identity they forfeited their identity within a few Generations that's the normal way of things in 1989 the Dal Lama called in a few Jews and he says I've been exiled from Tibet by the Chinese since 1959 how am I supposed to maintain my identity in foreign culture and foreign soil so he called Jews to find out how they did it imagine that Dal lamb wanted to know from the Jews how 2,000 years outside of their land millions of Jews how they managed to secure their identity and after 2,000 years in Exile miracles of Miracles millions of Jews returned to an ancient Homeland to Israel and made the Desert Bloom despite all of the dangers and despite all of the obstacles this was the trail this was the path that was trailblazed by A and S and by and Rifka and that's why it's such a common story because I said to her this is your kindness wherever we go say he's my brother she's my sister this is what will protect you that throughout history when you see another Jew don't just look at them and shrug shoulders but actually be able to look at another Jew and say ah you're my sister you're my brother a Jew should be able to look at another Jew whether you're my family or not my family whether I knew you I didn't know you and the natural organic state of Ru says is say he's my brother she's my sister in other words we may have growing up hundreds of miles apart from each other sometimes thousands of miles Jews come from different perspectives and different walks of life Jews certainly have disagreements and I don't think all the disagreements are going to dissipate in the next few months but we're brothers we're sisters so we naturally love each other we care for each other we respect each other we're one we're family we share the same genes the same DNA the Same Soul we're here for each other through thick and thin yes there are different levels of observance there are different categories there are different demographics different perspectives but our souls are literally interconnected like siblings in one family that is the truth of the Jewish people that A and S and and Rifka articulated in the first generation and today in such a time of Crisis and the Jewish people are fac ing crisis you could feel it you could feel the power of it and don't underestimate the power you could feel you could feel the outcry of every single Jew who has a beating heart towards what's occur what occurred in you could feel the outcry of support and help everyone feels that they want to be drafted into this war for survival according to their capacity according to their ability you could feel it in the sense of ofar ery and Brotherhood and Sisterhood you can feel the Oneness and it's a very very comforting thought because when you live in a world that looks at this with such apathy and indifference and can even protest Israel and support Hamas ainu said don't forget your brothers and sisters this is what's going to help you not only survive what's going to help you thrive and this is the time now this is the time on a new level of is has emerged it's a fact we can look at it as superficial but it's not true the opposite is The Superficial the divisions are superficial the fragmentation is superficial yes there are divisions in Israel just a few months ago there was a talk about two separate nations with all the demonstrations about the judicial overhaul there were people who spoke about two Nations living in Israel and suddenly within a few hours in the morning we realize not only we're one nation but that we're actually one the Jewish people is one one isama that's manifested in many different bodies that's a strength that is extraordinary that is a strength that's powerful for this we have to be able to be free to have free Souls so we could feel who we really are that when I look at another Jew I could really say ah you're my brother ah you're my sister sister and that's the truest thing wherever we go call wherever you go you're my brother you're my sister with a brother and sister you can have a disagreement brothers and sisters fight especially when they're babies hopefully not when they're older but in the house brothers and sisters are made it's part of it's part of raising children but a brother and sister it's a brother and sister it's a bond of blood it's essential it's intrinsic that's the truth of the jewi people that creates a fortress that's not breach I told you maybe once if you ever go to San Francisco there are sequoia trees redwoods that are some of them are three or 4,000 years old so you look at a tree it's been around before M was born not bad it's been around the times of Y of of of of it's pretty good you're looking at this tree and scientists wanted to understand how do these Redwood seoa they're called how do they survive thousands of years have forest fires you have hurricanes you have storms and they have the infections and bacteria and viruses before Corona how did these trees survive so they thought that the roots must go so deep to be able to weather every storm but in recent years when they develop the technology they noticed that the roots don't go deep in fact seoa have shallow roots some of them four or five feet it's not deep at all and then they realized what they lack in depth they make up in breath in breath and what I mean is when a Sequoya tree's roots begin to develop it searches to be able to find its place and get the water and nutrients it needs when it meets the roots of another seoa they interlock with each other they literally join forces and you can have 10 20 30 40 50 100 seoa trees on top of the surface each one is distinct but if you go down the roots are interlocked interlaced interconnected integrated with each other like one tree no storm can destroy that a storm can destroy one tree two trees when you have trees so interlock nobody can destroy it so what they make up in depth what they lack in depth they make up in breath and I'm looking at this I'm looking at them and I'm thinking you know we are the coas of history on top of Earth on top of the surface every tree is different it's supposed to be different it has its personality it's flavor it's chemistry it's DNA it's it's it's idiosyncrasies it's Unique quality and flavor and that's it's supposed to be that way the mishna says their opinions are not the same their faces are not the same people are not supposed to be the same if not God would tell us to get married to ourselves people are not supposed to be the same on top of the surface every tree has its own uniqueness and it should maintain its uniqueness but under the surface you go on a deeper level a Subterranean level if you go into the if you go into the depth M oness and Oneness doesn't mean no different personalities but it means there's a sense of Oneness and trust and connection and camaraderie that is what allowed the trees to survive that's what I've says that any place we go look at me and say my brother there's a beautiful interpretation he says it says in the last Source the song of tell me you my soul loves the Great Master said and it's quoted in a called who was a student of the and a friend and he says I heard it from he says you have to interpret it this way please tell me that you love my soul not tell me you who my soul loves tell me whatever I want you to tell me tell me sometimes you know you s I'm sitting with some somebody you're sitting with somebody and uh there is someh a lack of communication deep down what they're saying is ha before we can talk before I can trust before we could connect tell me tell me that you have to my soul it's what our children need more than anything else I want to educate my child I want to discipline my child I want to c i want to fine-tune my child I want to raise my child but first and foremost my child needs to know tell me I don't mean only say it with words tell me with your soul tell me with your most genuine presence tell me tell me make me feel that you love me make me feel that you believe in me make me feel that you cherish me this is what a wife needs from a husband this is what a husband needs from a wife this is what we need from each other tell me tell me what CU once I can feel it once I can feel that you love me once I can feel you're a source of love then I'll be open to everything and if I can't feel that then ultimately I'm creating defense mechanism and putting God putting on you know bulletproof emotionally bulletproof us well today we live in a day in a time that this is the great power of the Jewish people to be able to hold on to that place of true true connection true true a true doesn't mean Jews shouldn't have disagreements we wouldn't be Jewish anymore but it does mean that ab and S and Rifka our first fathers and mothers literally this is the story that repeats itself you're a brother and a sister through thick and thin never detach never separate never allow hate Discord contention politics to tear people apart to tear families apart to tear the nation apart to tear Israel apart tear the community apart that's the the of the Jewish people it's the eternal power once said doesn't only mean not one nation TR it's the lack of that the lack of that's what because it runs contrary to who we are we are a nation that represents love and Oneness in the whole [Applause] world how does it begin it begins internally with ourselves and with our loved ones and that also means that in today's day in today's day when there's such a a arousal a spiritual arousal among the Jewish people coupled with uncertainty coupled with trepidation coupled with concern and worry as I said in a previous class we were all drafted into an army you just have to figure out which division you're in an army has different divisions not everybody can take a gun and go to the front line not everybody is supposed to you have to ask I have to ask which division did draft me into which division did he draft you into in this battle but whatever division we are we're in one Army and today when there's a search of so many Jews to be able to hold on to something to hold on to something to be able to be anchored in something Eternal there's a tremendous opportunity and a and a privilege on every person finding their own sphere of influence to be able to influence Jews in a positive way to strengthen their relationship with Hashem the relationship with that which is the source of all energy the source of all blessing the source of all love the source of all power when you live in a nation we live in such a with such a small people but such an but an eternal people and a historic people and over the generations so many have become arranged and so many have become alienated but this is a time that Jews are looking are looking and everyone has a sphere of influence to inspire yeden to be able to come closer to learning of t to the celebration of Mitzvah to to to on a daily basis on a weekly basis in their home in their Community but this is an opportunity not to Forfeit in the depth of Darkness There's an opportunity for a Jewish Renaissance that is unprecedented a Jewish Renaissance that can create and blow in a new a new sense of inspiration and empowerment in the Jewish people on a nation of Eternity that is anchored in eternity may we all see victory and may we mainly see when we all see massive Victory and may we see a complete Gula very speedily in our days thank you next week we have a class Tuesday 9:30 have a beautiful day and a beautiful week thank you for bringing such a a guest thank you for coming six wow six [Music] wow really everyone wow wow that's that's what they told you wow they call each other wow okay okay yes regards yeah and your brother-in-law they came for shabas I was there two uh two weeks ago yeah yeah say like you were saying every emotion has process very often you feel one it's here is what has a right somebody has a right impes right oh you wrote to me yeah very good yeah it's a corrupt statement you don't have you don't have a right to defend yourself you have an obligation to defend you have an obligation that children very good very good not the right to defend yourself the obligation the moral duty yeah it's a moral duty if not you endanger innocent people part of murder you're accomplice of you're an accomplice of evil mazeltov maslov I sent a good representative I sent a good representative to theim you're welcome we should hear good news huh ah you said mentioned Dr Gman thank you for coming Dr Gman it's an honor to have have you thank you for coming thank you thank [Music] you and when things are back to normal may know yes we have to it's important we can't forget the other battles right unfortunately it's all part of it's all part of it exactly exactly wasn't call it evil many years anyway thank you should give you everything doing G and thank you for being on the front lines when they ever told you to go to medical school I guess he's so you're going to have to deal with the whole transgender yeah well whatever yeah all right it's an honor to have you thank you for gracing us it was a pleasant surprise okay thank you I'll shut it off