Thought for the Week Parshas Bamidbar The Keys to a Higher Life , Rabbi Yaakov Winner - 5786

How are you? I hope everyone is I hope everyone is healthy, strong and happy physically and spiritually. Today is Sunday. We'll start as with a stock should come now. Now we're going to say a prayer a post from Tim which is going to be directly connected to the pass of the week and it has a profound message which I wouldn't have thought about otherwise and I'll tell you something that I realize now for the first time. I must confess embar embarrassingly so. So the of your righteousness is like the mighty mountains. Your judgments extend to the great deep man and animal you deliver, oh hashem. So I'm reading an English translation and commentary which he brings from Rashi. What does it mean that your righteousness is like the mighty mountains? Those upon whom you want to bestow kindness and righteousness, you raise up and strengthen like mighty mountains. And those who you wish to judge and take vengeance from you lower them to the great deep. So over here that in the beginning of the para brings from a medish but first let's talk about the beginning of the para the first inb that means the first words you hear the first message you Let's say Hashem is commanding them to make a census to count the yiddens. So count all the hidden. Okay. So the over here says and Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Sinai desert in the tent of meeting on the first day of the second month of the second year after the exodus from Egypt. So what I never realized before was this is talking about this year we're still in the month of year. That means that when we say we have to live with the message with the par of the week and what it's telling us the fact that this emphasizes that it was on that means it has a special connection to the entire month of just like has a special message different than other months is something that connects to the entire month. So today is so we're still connected to the whole month what they're still connected to the so what is the message so the medish sorry the brings over here connecting to this he brings and it says as follows When you're doing righteousness, it becomes grand publicized known to all. Just like these mountains, when it comes to judgments, then the doesn't publicize it so much. I'm not going to get into what he says before, but let's go straight to the point connected to our godless. When Hashem wanted to make the Jews great, he mentions that where did this happen? In what day? In the first of the month. In the second month. Which year? The second year. The second year. And that's how he begins the what the says where as he said before. So in other words, we don't know what the significance to ear is on this medish, but we do know that the fact that we go into the specifics and into the details of this as he mentions over here that that's emphasizing the greatness of the Jewish people that it's noted in great detail and it's like a major amount a major announcement in all the headlines CNN, ABC, New York Times, whatever. ever it is and we publicize it, we make it grand, we make it outstanding like mountains. It also shows on the strength etc. My point is that there's a medish that takes note of the details over here of the time of the place and therefore that itself is a lesson to us that when something is very very important very worthy we note the time and we get into the details and specific to make it more grand to make it more epic to make it more monumental. So that means that this emphasizes the awesomeness of the Jewish nation. Okay. Now in general I spoke many times I my nature my my objective in this is not to speak about things that are spoken about often and all over because then I could just say go take a look and maybe some of my students my my my target audience is my and if they learned by me so they know stuff so I choose rather to speak about places or that is not so well known and my objective is to make it more known especially those things that are undiscovered. Now we'll start with the idea of preparation and the why this para there's two things that are that I've spoken about in this week's parid is always read before this coming Wednesday Thursday night and midbar is always read usually in the week before right before that. So what is the connection between and the holiday is Sunday? Everyone knows in the end of brings that immediately began occupying himself with the nation to receive the Torah. On the second day of he told three days of boundaries and borders be careful not to ascend the mountains. They have to separate from their wives. that's the end of as we know when it comes to Jewish holidays we don't just celebrate events which took place long ago but brought down all the time from the means that these days not only we recall events that took place a long long time ago but if you're there if you plug in properly if you connect properly proply you experience it properly you remember them properly they're reactivated it's happening now I don't want to get into it now there's connection to so many things the famous connected to the I'm sure I mentioned before the famous question why does it say everyone was there usually it says when spoke to and told to tell it over to the why does it say over here gives an unbelievable le means that it's on repeat. What does it mean? It's on repeat. The experience of Sinai forever is repeated whenever a Jew is all these things that Hashem spoke was spoken in a status in a mode of they could be repeated. You can have in essence every single time when the Jew is doing it's like the giving of the so I'm saying the same things over here every time a Jew experiences a it's literally the greatest of the great we're going to receive the once again this coming Thursday night Thursday morning and Mr. I hope to make another video on Thursday with Hashem's help. But in any case, so that means if then in preparing ourselves, so too we have to stop preparing ourselves for sh. So the two most obvious questions on this week's par which is discussed all over is what's the connection with and why does the emphasize in the over here that spoke to the bidbar in a desert this part this wholeish is called even though the English name is called numbers because it talks about the census but the way we call it is bidbar and bidbar means the desert. What significance is there that the entire book should be called desert and why does the emphasize that he spoke to the midbah and this is connected to the famous old question of all time you'd think the Torah should have been given if the whole objective of was to come to and the whole thing we had a countdown of 49 to be yearning for it the could have made a different system we could have counted down 50 days whatever and gotten them to show the distance between is not so far. It's only because of side things that went wrong that we have to be there for 40 years. But in any case, you think Torah is the holiest of the holies. Let the holiest of the holies have the most appropriate worthiness of a place where it resides like inul. It's in the so too. a place should it be a place of beauty, a garden, something that shows on value. So this is a very famous question which is discussed in many many places. So before we get to that, I want to repeat something that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, but I actually didn't repeat it because we didn't have enough time. So I'm going to say it now because I think it's so important and I never heard people speak about it. The Reb in 1956 said that the Reb 20 years before that in 1936 said a Tyra and this and what did he say? He said a tora that the said to when the the first the mag and with this he grabs the maggot. He grabbed the maggot and then the maggot said this grabbed and then said it when he wanted to bring the to a new level. This is a phrase. So I'm going to read to you inside how the goes. See there in the old print it's page 144. In the new print it's 156. The second day of tough tal. And this is the we spoke about it I think two videos ago but I didn't get into the itself but I I took a different point from this but it's connected to what I'm going to say now. Hashem says these are the holidays. We spoke in the video two weeks ago that means that I Hashem is calling the to holiness that the yidden create the status through see over there. But let me just read inside what the was that the said the holidays are called. What does that mean? The learned that it means that we draw them out, the Jews. The holidays were designated by Hashem in the Torah, and the Tory precedes the world by 2,000 years. We can't explain all these concepts now, but please listen to the Tory. So the holidays are in the Torah in the Tory and the preceded the world by 2,000 years. Mountain Tyra and Yidden. The holidays were waiting for 2,000 years for the Jewish nation to come along and for Tyra. And that's what it means. We draw down the holiness. We have to bring it down. How do we draw it down properly? through preparing ourselves before the holiday and over here the goes into a paragraph. I'll just read some snippets. He says it used to be when you look at somebody you could tell that it was shabas. When you saw you saw the sim the Jew's face was was shining illuminating. The week was a different week because it was influenced by the shabas and the we waited. People were yearning. Now it's bad enough that the shabas is not influencing the week. It becomes impacted from the week from mundaness. If you're sitting shabas by the table and you're talking aboutim the latest sports or politics that means that your shabas table has become invaded with mundaness and he says that's because of the coarseness and we see over there so in other words in the was this idea preparing for the and this was said by the to the mag etc etc as we said before the reb said in 1936 the reb repeated in 1956 see also the reb the second is 1956 where he talks about the idea of which we're going to talk about it today a bit two we're going to talk about the rebik says says that of course there has to be a because you're living one world, one life on one planet. Let's say for example, you have a job on Wall Street or Colin Street or a day of drive. It's the world of I don't know whatever it is, business, physicality, materialism. Now you want to connect to spirituality. It doesn't work just by just pressing a button. The Reb says of course there's sometimes exception to the rule. But usually the rule is you have to prepare yourself. You have to make yourself a conduit. You have to make yourself a vehicle to be able to receive that dosage of spirituality. It's a combination as we spoke in the other two weeks ago. But there's got to be some preparation on your part. So first of all let's talk about the answer of midbar which I believe is one of the most important things one of the most important messages. I'm going to speak about two things which I personally believe and which I find are are are the two I would say maybe the most important rules for spiritual development and why many people feel that they weren't touched by spirituality or it's not working etc. So the number one rule is the what the medish says why was the given and the answer is the medish says oh I forgot the l down somewhere I lost the page the medish says because you have to you have to empty yourself from everything just like a midbar is a empty space. It's an empty land. There's nothing there. There's many many other reasons which we spoke about many many other times. Right now I want to focus on one thing similar to what it says on an empty mind could receive. Now what does that mean? That means right now you want to get influenced by spirituality or not. You know what I heard a somebody comes to and he's busy learning something else a while by this by this gathering. I heard the med would say you didn't accomplish the he didn't accomplish the you're not here and you're not there. If you want something to hit you properly you got to be in it. Focus. Pay attention. And it means there's two aspects to it. The first thing is be receptive. Be enough open-minded that you're giving it a serious chance. And that's what it means. The the first chapter we're talking about now about make yourself like a desert. Empty yourself from everything else. There's no houses. There's no businesses. There's no sites. You're not going on an interesting hike over here. You're not going sightseeing. There's nothing. Only the word of Hashem. focus on it and absorb it, digest it, internalize it, let it hit the spot. And the only way that happens properly is if the is given in a desert. There's no side distractions whatsoever whatsoever. Today we're always talking about the age of distractions and devices etc etc. Look how terra is so unbelievable. I love to how Tyra preempted so many things and so many problems that are so current and here comes the message. The reason why the Tyra was given in the midbar is that there should be no distractions and you should be TOTALLY FOCUSED ON THAT and that alone and that's the only way that's the only way and a lot you know they say an expression you know it takes a lot of faith to be an atheist. Why? Because you would actually be a bit open-minded and really give it a chance then you would see the truth. Yeah. Now someone's going to tell me that's what you say. Thank you. And the Reb explains this also if I remember correctly similarly when he talk about the difference and matzah. What's the difference and matzah? It's the same letters but the has a and matzah has a hey. What's the difference? A hey has an opening on top. There's a window. Hello. There could be something greater than you. There's some could be something infinitely greater than you. Try to fathom that. And that's what it's all about. And that's how we get the toy. That's the first step to make the proper preparation to the tora is that we're dealing with godly wisdom. Open up your mind to it and open up your mind totally to it and empty yourself from other preconceived notions or agendas. Try that and see what happens. And this is also connected. I spoken about I'm sure I've spoken about these things many times because I just love it in pic giml of tany talks about das and he says clearly a person could have and I can't elaborate now the time is running but you could be talented with your IQ in different departments one isma one is bina it's different intellectual faculties and capacities but das means the commitment attach yourself solidly thoroughly ly and that's going to make all the difference. And the says over here, you must read these words and I say this to people again who say they've got involved the spiritual lifestyle but but they don't see it. It's not working. It's not happening. The answer is again read these words over here the in chapter 3 and then I'm asking a question. Did you do this what it says here? This is the manual. Did you or didn't you? If you did it then we could talk. If you didn't do it try this first. What does says that what's his bonding? And then he says again, so there's two things over here. There's there's um um quantitatively speaking and is qualitatively speaking. What I mean to say is first of all qualitatively speaking you have to attach yourself an intense fixation of thought that's one thing and then quantitatively without losing concentration. And the same thing when he says before, he says, "Focus your mind with intensity and consistency." Listen, my friends, intensity means you're allin. Nothing else exists. Consistency means that it has to be for a while. I say the same thing, I forgot which day where it says you have to soak in the words of the master. And he compares that to Malika. So when we speak about Malika, you know, there's a certain amount, there's a certain time frame of how long Malik has to take. You know, it doesn't happen automatically. And if it's less than that time, it didn't accomplish what's meant to accomplish. What's Malik? Malika means that there's a piece of meat that has blood in it and it has to soak in salt water in order for the blood to come out. There's a time. I forgot right now what the amount of time is but let's say for example it's 20 minutes if you do it less than 20 minutes it didn't happen it just didn't happen now the same thing over here the means qualitatively speaking you're all in and means you have to be there it takes a certain amount of time it's not automatic that's what we're talking So right till now we spoke about two things number one empty yourself completely be open-minded be really really receptive to be really receptive you have to go to without any preconceived notions and the second thing like it says make yourself like a midbar and the second thing we said you need to have to really apply yourself in a way of da as the says in chapter three now I want to speak about one more thing there's a where he says something very very interesting he says like comes before you think to yourself in the in the history the chronological order of course first was and then I don't know how many years later a thousand plus years later was the story of but in the calendar the yearly cycle the sequences first comes on on the 18th of year then comes on and the reb explains that the reason why has to come before is because we have to go to properly properly I'm sure we spoke about this many times about the concept of you have to the whole idea why we say the blessings to learn and there was a plague because they didn't do that. I'm not going to elaborate now because I'm sure we spoke about it other times. But the Reb explains the spirit of the inner dimension of Tyra has to be injected and eternalized infusing us before mira. So therefore our whole approach to receiving the Tyra and learning the Tyra will be proper. Basically, are we looking at the Tyra as as laws and and restrictions and regulations and a guide for man or we talking about the Tory is godliness? It's God himself which he gave us a which through that we entered into the deepest most intimate relationship with what's Hashem's wedding where we got married to Hashem. It makes a world of a difference every single second you're learning and especially in the concept like the mentioned when he speaks about the idea of it's a repeat every single time we're learning it's a s experience and therefore you go to it with a whole different reverence wow and therefore of course it WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE TO say it doesn't make sense if you don't understand something in I don't understand etc etc so therefore like has to come before Because if you don't have the right approach, if you don't have the right attitude, it's going to be catastrophic. You must have the right attitude to limit our to learning to the only example I can give to this and I probably spoke about this once before is that the custom is that we learn the al you know in the day when the kid goes to the custom is that we learn the al that the teacher points to the in the from Even though most of the world points to olive way it's in an alab chart but the custom is and I don't know exactly know when it started but I'm sure it started who knows when that we point to the alab in the first title page of the Tanya and the Reb explains because even though technically chronologically literally one doesn't really start learning until he's like 13 as the Mishna says But the spirit of sides, the spirit of the inner dimension of Torah, which is the idea of godliness in a revealed way, how spirituality dominates that has to be injected into the child even before he starts learning. So the spirit of pra that the is hashem himself is immediately transmitted injected to the child immediately and the same things over here. So that's a third point I'm speaking to you today about the is that we have to start understanding or appreciating in our mind the awesomeness the beauty the infinity the profoundity of what the Torah is. And the more we learn what the Tyra is, the more we get excited about the Tyra, the more we enjoy learning terra and the more puts us on a high which is unbelievable. So Gabis posting from my home is your man in Melbourne. And to finish with just one more sentence, even though this is another thing I want to talk about a lot is when it comes to counting, the verse says raise the heads, pick up the heads, lift up the heads. So all the commentary speak about there's many words to use for counting. What's the deal? Lift up your head. And I'm mentioning this now over here because I think this is the the conclusion and I've said many times there's sometimes solutions that advice that gives give it sounds simple but that is the answer and it's like rise above it immerse yourself in higher things like take the high road. lift up your head. And when you lift up your head and you put yourself in a different sort of situation, a different mind space, a different perspective, then all of a sudden everything changes. And this is what we have to start doing. Let's get involved. put our brain space and our head space in our higher consciousness and that will be the proper preparation for mira and we'll make more and more resolutions to increase in our learning in especially in the way of das quantitatively and qualitatively and we'll see unbelievable greater results posting from my home your man in Melbourne