Thought for the Week Parshas Bechukosai Truth is its own Reward, Rabbi Yaakov Winner - 5784

how are you I hope everyone is I hope everyone is healthy strong and happy physically and spiritually we are blessing the month of C with going towards so what is the con ction between all these things so as usual since the war started we add St should come now we're also going to say a prayer part of the we say we ask for a couple of requests and then there's a blessing that ends Hashem is blessed to bestows Bountiful kindness upon his people Israel and today we want to discuss when we say good kindness it means that it's good in a revealed way and now we'll come to the passion today we'll discuss and as we've pointed out many times one of the objectives of these shim is to show the Prof f it of how in a way it's counterintuitive and it transforms our entire perspective even concerning the very basic fundamentals of yish kite one of the fundamentals of yish kite is the idea of reward and Punishment so as we all know it's one of the pass in the which talks about the which is rebuke which talks about what happens when we don't listen to there there also but first we start off by saying that if we will go in hashem's ways we will be rewarded and then all theuk that follow the beginning of this week's para talks about the reward fulfilling the Commandments and what is the reward fulfilling the Commandments ments primarily the p is talking about physical rewards and over here comes the famous question why does the T spell out the rewards in a physical way by the way when I'm speaking today is primarily one very fundamental beautiful in any case so the question is you know if we look at the source the ultimate ultimate source the holy book the holiest book is the Kish and therefore if we speak about spiritually minded people Seekers you know people that are Seekers of Truth people that that that their their value system is that their priorities are right so you think speaking of a physical reward seems demeaning it's a it's a degradation could you imagine imine if would we're students in an institution of Higher Learning and the only reason why we're learning these students are only learning because someone is looking over them and going to punish them if they don't learn or they're going to reward them with a Ferrari or with with fala whatever it is so for the person who's a spiritual person a cerebal person even a thinker and a serious-minded individual physical reward would not even really entice him to a certain sense it would be embarrassing to think that the only reason why people over there sitting and listening and searching and studying truth is because they're going to get physically rewarded so then the question is why Tak this is a famous question which all the address why is it that the T speaks so much about the reward in the physical sense and this question is also true concerning reward when mhia will come so some of the commentaries say number one that the Torah is not really speaking about the physical rewards as the reward or the ultimate reward for fulfilling hashem's will but really it's getting rid of a negative in other words sometimes it could be a world and the world poses a challenge and there are obstacles and hind Hind hindrances is to fulfilling what wants so you should know that the ultimate in other words if you serve the abish properly then the abish himself makes it easier to perform the mitz he gets rid of any negative obstacles to the performance of mitz and that's that's a good answer in a certain level because you're really searching you want to be connected to Hashem and therefore if you really gives you what you want what you're really searching for so therefore the reward is that you'll be able to do it peacefully in a world has Tranquility where there's no disturbances to be able to pursue a life of spirituality that's one answer another answer is this is the more classic answer and that is that not everyone is holding on that level that they're going to get excited and motivated by spirituality the truth is there are people that what's going to inspire them what's going to motivate them the physical reward in other words this serving hasem forem sake for the right reasons but then there something call and the sages say we start with get the person to do the right thing even if it's for the wrong reason but at least he's leading a proper lifestyle and he's connecting to hasem even if it's not the ultimate level of service but first we start in that level then and and ultimately he'll he'll come higher he'll reach higher levels and he'll be able to do it for the right reasons but right now we the person's holding we have to motivate him even if it's a very shallow reason for him to do the right thing and that is the physical reward so that's another answer but the problem with e both of these answers is that really what's the message of this of the of the whole concept of reward the message is what how does that Inspire the person who's really focused on the spirituality it's not even important to him whether Hashem is taking away the obstacles not taking away the obstacles it's a discussion of truth it's a discussion of spirituality why are we talking about in general the Physical Realm why is that important imagine we're studying we're studying a book of ethics and morality we're studying a book of philosophy we're studying a book of what is the definition of justice and now all of a sudden we're having being told certain things about outcomes and results from this lifestyle why isn't it and how does the to what message is there for the person who doesn't really care in general about what's going on in the Physical Realm and about the impact what message is there for him in other words primarily for the person who's really serving so to understand this we first have to ask another question a more comprehensive question in a way we know that 13 13 principles of faith that the r writes about and the last two are about but basically according to the those that are studying the rambam why did the rambam write about what's going to happen M comes because it's about reward and Punishment and that we have to know it's a principle of faith that there's reward and punishment but then if you think about it for a second what does it mean that there's an an i means there are 13 and the permeates every single aspect of that's why it's in the truth is argumentatively speaking if somebody would argue let's say is or every MIT there's a lot of debate on this whole subject about what are the principles of faith and the truth is we have to explain Y how everything is really ultimately but but but there's in a way which is more in a demonstrative obvious manner for example if we say comes from obviously if we detract we we subtract we take that out of Y that the to is not from hasem then everything changes because then the to could change the reason why the to can't change it's because perfect because himself so we understand how this truth that the is has to permeate and is is is through and through every single aspect every single I of and the same thing when we look at the rest of the we have to look at them in that perspective we have to understand how every single one of the 13 principles of faith of the rambam is something which is essential to the entire Judaism so now let's talk about the abish as someone who rewards those that do the right thing and punishes those that don't why is that an a if hasem would not reward us he'd be dishonest he'd be a thief if you have a loyal employee who does everything right and served you Faithfully so of course he should be he should be treated in accordance commensurate since you are a loyal subject of the king so therefore the king repays you obviously if he didn't repay you then it'd be cruel you repay kindness with cruelty someone acts nice to you and then you're not going to repay them so therefore the question that itself is the question why is that the whole concept of why is that that's basic do I have to be told that Hashem is honest I have to be told you should know Hashem repays those that serve him of course he does a reg 18y old person 20y old person 22y old person who someone is going to treat him a certain way and do whatever they ask that person will the 20-y old the 25y old will take care of the person who did this service for them so therefore we have to say there's something much deeper going on and the answer is that this idea that this is not something that we have to know know to make us feel good it's not something we have to know because the abish is honest we have to know it because it tells us something about the very nature of it tells us something about the very nature of yish K of Judaism and that is what is the ultimate what is yish what is and what is the meaning of what is the meaning of the ultimate truth and the ultimate goodness that it permeates every other it permeates every single level there's no place that's devoid of the ultimate truth and the ultimate goodness if it's ultimate goodness it has to permeate every single realm if it's ultimate truth it has to permeate every single area as we know the famous meaning of the words Al me Al is the beginning of the Al B me is the middle of the alib b s is the end of the alib bay and that teaches us that EMS truth is something which permeates everything from beginning to the end back to front and to front now how does the Reb the words of the rebba he says we see this and that's the meaning also of life itself life itself means when it's Essence in other words what is what does it mean this our very life so it something that teaches us something in relation to what level that ourz is meant to be like but it also something that tells us something about Hashem and his let's start the way the Reb explains in the with an analogy of a body a human being we have a human being and the human being has when we look at a live human being he has two things that are operating that are active his functions functionality abilities and the fact that he's alive when we talk about the premium eyesight in your eyeballs smelling your nose speaking with your mouth SE in your head so those are specific faculties that have a specific space in the body where they are and it works in the Dynamics of the more refined the The Faculty the light the more refined the vehicle the conduit through which it expresses itself so intellect which is the most Superior of man's faculties resides and operates and works through the brain which is the most refined part of the body but the question is what about life itself we look at the human being and we say he's a human what makes him a human what means that he's alive and the answer is is not intellect because there's many people that their intellect is very low what happens if a person's in a what happens if a person is born in in he's he he's special but the bottom line is he's intellectually impaired so is he less human is he less alive when we talk about life the toes on his feet and his brain are exactly the same alive any part of the body which is connected to the body is alive so we speak the idea of life itself there's no difference between the brain and the foot But Here Comes the question you could ask if intellect is the highest faculty of man and we say that it has to have the highest part of the body where it operates through and we it's revealed so then how come life itself which would be higher than intellect is also in the toes and everywhere in the body equally you'd think if life itself is higher than intellect so for sure it would need it would need a specific refined Superior higher place to reveal itself and the answer is just the opposite why because life itself your humanist call whatever you want since it's your essence it's everywhere equally because it's higher it's not limited to which Realm it reveals itself in other words in other words because that's you could we say this could we say there's you which is separated from you if it's you it's you so you're humanness and your life itself is you so every part of you has to have that you but guess what intellect is not you intellect is not your essence it's a part of you a part of you could be separated from you now this is how theb explains we talking about the and this is why it's an both the whole point of is that it's you it's you there's no part of you where it doesn't affect and it doesn't permeate if you were learning to on doing Mitzvah and you you only saw and the only Power would have is that your spirituality would become elevated I the t is soul food then it's not your essence it's only in the level in the realm of spirituality divested from the physical but if we say that when you learn it becomes it's you that means it's everything about you you include your phys a life and therefore since the the way you the way it becomes part of you is that it's m you that means therefore the the the the the um results the consequences the outcomes that come from your also to permeate every aspect of you your physical life too that's what the Reb explains in the now why is it that you could have a holy man at sadic and his physical life didn't turn out in such a way that we saw the goodness I.E the reward that should manifest s in the physical too that's because other things get in the way that we can't understand like golos zus but it doesn't take away from the concept the concept is T is the ultimate good T is the ultimate truth MIT is the ultimate good Miss is the ultimate truth if it's the ultimate truth if the ultimate it's the ultimate goodness it has to to be good and true in the Physical Realm so now we understand why it's an is an it turns it all around completely we're not getting rewarded don't look at reward as something that's done for our sake we are interested in reward and we have to have reward so therefore the rewards us also in the Physical Realm no reward is a statement of the truth and of the essence of reward is for hashem's sake in other words to validate so to speak to demonstrate what is so therefore we have to have it as an what is what is the essence and truth of everything that def has no limits to where it is and how it express itself and let's connect it to the Mish one of the mionn in pick up is this week P the everything is in it with it you will perceive grow old and worn over it do not stir from it for you can have no better portion than it you know what means that is the best my mother used to say this all the time my [Music] mother is the best is the best merchandise because the good goodness which is is the ultimate goodness on a spiritual realm and a Physical Realm since it's the ultimate goodness it will have to manifest itself even in the Physical Realm of Health financial benefit whatever you call a good life that's what it means it has everything in it that's what it means the best is if something has the best means it has everything or else sound the one hand or the other hand it has this but not that if you say it's the best it's the best merchandise means it has everything and this also explains in general you know yes we talk about the physical things and sometimes we mean that it should be but the truth is whenever we said the it's because it was it was it was understood that like like what I believe is that that and and whoever understood that if something's good it has to be good in every level and obviously it was not about that but since we're so connected to Hashem we understood that good means good and if it's good it's in every level so there's a famous ver for the we said this before that you know when he turned to and he would say it should be a good year he would say the coming year upcoming year that's a good which means it should be such a good year that my wife is going to say it's a good year she doesn't know from good doesn't only mean that my son is going to learn sh and that my my son is going to withstand old Temptations and that I'm going to be connected to hasem it means if it's good it's got to be good in every level and I was once by what was talking about I think I said this also theb was talking about Mia and he's talking would sometimes like like describe a scenario when you go to another Jew and you tell him is coming gonna ask what's gonna happen will come you have to tell him it's going to be good good so he's going to ask what do you mean it's going to be good State good you have to tell him that he has to he has to you have to tell him it's going to be good the way he understands good so if you meet a person and he wants to know what's going to Happ M comes tell him it's going to be good how is it going to be good whichever way you define good it's going to be good because it's a profound ver because the ultimate good is Hashem himself and Hashem himself has no limits and will come the ultimate of so we're all G to see [Music] how the goodness of will permeate the physical etc etc and this is and this is the preparation for which is the main holiday and day of the entire month of the whole idea probably going to mention in the next couple of weeks is the that which was up came down below that which was below Rose above there was the marriage of Heaven and Earth in other words religion is not meant spirituality is not meant to remain in the realm of spiritual the whole idea the whole purpose of Y connected with the of means that when you're when when we receive the we're making a difference in the physical world every time we're learning we're making a difference in the physical world every time we're studying we're making a difference in the physical world when we light a candle out of shabas Kes we're lighting up the world in a physical way and that's the whole novelty the tremendous awesome idea and the Epic achievement of mat is that everything we doing connected is actually changing the world you you you can change the world because and the is all about how there's no limits ultimate truth also prieres to physical that's the entire point and that's one of the explanations why is called a sword and the says and the that the that the strengthens the good your it weakens the bad means it's destroying the negative etc etc and that's the whole idea of there's a story about a certain a certain Rabbi was not not approach they say this story this is a story that used to be said when we were B 35 years ago the rebba as you know and this is by the way another central theme of the rebba Whenever there was a problem that's in the physical the rebba would answer something in the spiritual and that's going to take care of the problem in the physical one of the most famous things that everyone knows about is checking muas when it's a question of Health okay so somebody had a heart problem or health problem the said check the muza they found something wrong with the muza they went to another one of the Jewish leaders in not of the persuasion and they told him the story the guy was sick he had a problem the rebba told him check the muza and everything was taken care of when they fixed that problem the mza and they came with him to tell him you see look at the rebba and he said famously it's not related it's not connected and in a way he's trying to make a division this the the realm of the B and there the realm of a concept in G and then there's the Physical Realm of health and Financial Security and a good life in the physical world and the two are not related when the whole idea of yish kite and is everything and everything is AEM because the ultimate truth must be in every realm and every single level so the perspective would be should say this is what the Reb was doing and showing and demonstrating his entire life every single letter almost Ines is about that IDE someone writes about some physical issue and the answer is a spiritual because the spiritual and the physical are exactly one and that's exactly what is about so my friends have a good and I'm wishing every single one of you posting from my home your man in Melbourne