TYH-Matisyahu-Yum Yum- Judaism Without Apologizing - Rav Eytan Feiner

This Torah class is brought [music] to you by tora anytime.com. >> Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Judaism without apologizing. This episode I sat down with the great Eton Finer, the rub of the white shaw in Farakaway as well as a major rebinic force in America and in Israel and around the world. And we got into some pretty edgy topics as we talked a bit about influencers. We talked about the current state of Jewish music. We talked about if everything is okay with Thank you, Hashem. We talked about matio amongst many other pretty interesting topics. And I think you're going to be intrigued to say the least. So without further ado, Retan finer on Judaism without apologizing. Thank you very much Rabbi Feiner for coming on to the Judaism without apologizing podcast an honor to have you. >> So you are the rv of one of the most vibrant communities in America and in the world and in many ways the trendsetters of a lot of areas of Yiddish. And I want to talk about that a little bit. There was a time when hashk hashkafa and das tyra was sort of from the rabbanim and the rashivas and it trickled down. I think it's safe to say that that ship has slightly sailed and nowadays a lot of our influence and hashkafa comes from influencers and people with loud megaphones and people who are exciting and cool and good at social media. Does this pose a danger? And if it does, what should one do about it to protect themselves, their children from sort of getting swept up with whatever hashkafa is being dictated by the loudest social media personalities in the Jewish world as opposed to coming from the classical sources of Raban and Men Rashiva? >> It's a great question. One we could spend uh I believe hours talking about [laughter] and I enjoy very much this opportunity. Allow me to just preface that it's aus for the Hebrew listening that uh Rabbi Eisenberg has been doing and continues with Seattle to do a fantastic job and uh I think the title really captures so much of what um you set out to do that uh we have to present the MS uh to cla and the forums the platforms for uh disseminating the the MS obviously we have to adapt to a certain extent to the time so starting with that excellent question you know it's a issue. It's an issue that a lot of people brought to my attention the uh influence of the influencers um and what's happening to Das Tyra today and uh you know typically we put Rabon Rashivas certainly they should be guiding us they should be the manhikim and the ones who are mad so we have a large segment of the population that's doing just that uh but there's a big problem there's a big problem with all the social media outlets out there and the that people are being mas face that they're uh really wasting and a side issue is of course the one you're bringing up your broaching right now which is that people are kilo they're listening to the influencers they're watching the podcast they're attentive u it's a big problem why because in the end of the day our job is to be misdavic to the bore our job is to be an evad so how do we know how to be in it used to be rewind you know back to the times of the mishkan and the Mikdash was gabbalik had an urban tell me what's my tough in this role what am I supposed to be doing and everything was simple now we have a bigot we don't have anatum anymore but who are the people that get sprinkled with kaidesh who are the closest individuals to tapping into that depth of the kaidesh that inspiration from the as the moral explains could only be masa could only grasp What gives him as a he could tap into a level of explains that he could tap into certain things that even might not be privy to how do we connect we go to we can't be to the what to be why because they're the link they're that crucial bridge to interconnect us to the burly and to the so everybody agrees that our job is to be and we want to do the if you want to do the rot how do I know what the hashem is go to the people that are closest that are in proximity to the people that are living with the to the revealing that that secret is beam to the raon to the rashas to the gdiad be misic to them. You know go in and connect to them. Connect to them in a way not just but explains connect and thus you have a relationship with them. You marry your daughter. C can I pause there for a minute? Does the rough feel that a lot of rabbund are are more and more being put like in an untouchable sphere? They're either too yachish, too out to out out out of the not aware of like the struggles that working guys in Manhattan have or girls who have a smartphone whether you like it or not or and they don't know and and very often it's just the same your shadow's too long or you're not learning enough and and therefore ma the rise of the influencer to fill the void the natural void of some guidance of some hashkuffic correction. What's the solution? Obviously, we don't want to tell Rabanam to come down to the level of of the peasants, the the but what else is the solution? >> So, I I don't think for a lot of those questions, we don't need to have that address of the rabbi, the names that would be galdic. If everybody had that personal Yakas, you know, a Yakasi with Gdolei is that would be galdic. I went to a godo. I remember I was 19 years old. I just gone to Nisam and I met with Rapam. Uh after breakfast he was in the five towns. I told my younger brother was uh bay aim and rapam is speaking in town. Forget the bagels and locks. Let's go speak to so I stayed afterwards. Everyone you know gave him. I said it's great. I had to myself. I sat down. I asked you know and he looked at me he listened attentively and smiled and he said I don't know you. If I don't know you how can I guide you? I said that's enough. So the terrorist says what it would be great if we had a personal and but the vast majority of class we don't have that. The ter is what everyone's got to get a rov everyone's got to get a rebby I but that ro that rebi might not be the gold doesn't have to be you know there's a somebody he was by a young rebi and a certain stat in Europe and everything he asked of the rebi he was he saw the rebi everything the rebi told him he was and then also one says rebi wasn't there he says where's his rebi he says oh the rebby went to his rebi said so what am I wasting my time it's the young rebi let me go let me go to the reby's rebby I'll be even more there make even more money. So he takes off and moves his entire family. He goes to the other town and he starts asking that the reb he's mish everything is failing. He goes back to the yoga rebs I don't understand. says everything I listen to you I figured I'm going to get double kine when I go to the rebies rebi says you understand had you living here means hashem is telling you you're linked to the das your dyra to connect is this he's young he's not as big says of course I'm not as big as my rebi doesn't make enough kamina the job of the rebi is to see himself not that he's the biggest is that he's a that's it that's so if That could be 30 years old. It could be 60 years old. It could be 90 years old. But he's the that are sent. It's it's all a sh. >> So can I pause? I'm sorry. >> Everyone's got to have their everyone's got to have their >> What is the r What do you say to somebody who's living in a community where he dabs at six different shabas, one for the the rub that he has, he doesn't connect with. He went to Berlin. He's from Wu. It's not a shock, but he's not walking distance to any other rabbanim. He the the the one charismatic r in town is swamped with people. So So what's the answer for such a guy? It is a great question. And if that person came to ask me, I'd say stop everything you're doing and find that RV. Find the R. You don't have to do it by him necessarily, but make that person your but you got to go after it. If you recognize the bit and how crucial it is for you, for your is for raising your children, form and all aspects, you got to find that rabbi everybody's how do we begin right at the beginning of we have already. So you might think what do you mean comes in the heels of what do you mean without his famous part? You could take away everything the salt and you can't take away his friends because that's his life. Well, how do we begin? You can have all the in the world, but it's got to been with you gota that's that's the foundation. You got to I tell everybody it doesn't have to be theory. It doesn't have to know him. It's got to be someone who knows you, someone that you respect obviously, but someone who's working on himself to be the biggest best ean that he could be and that you're going to work with him under him to yourself be inspired to become the biggest best ean. But a person who's going to navigate life, especially in today's society, and say, "I'm going to do it all on my own." That's it's not and the mice said every rabbi needs a rebi every somebody came to speak to me once I said let me run that by my rebi he said rabbi f you're in your 50s the reb what do you I'm asking you I said yeah I'm not the safet I said if I suffici I'll call him up any time a day or night pretty much and if if I need every ra needs a r every rabbi needs a rebikas we're all blinded everybody has biases in so many aspects of life tell us But you got to get a rep. Are you dominate six different jewels? That it's almost a shy. Should he be dominating at six different shores? Let's talk about what you don't want to do at the white je. I understand. Okay. No. You don't have to do an honest reb. I want you to do. I tell people all the time. I had people left to show people who ask me questions. I want you to d you cannot where you will emerge the biggest best evidence you can be. If the white was the right place for sar. But there are people I could have amed you know when I taught in soul for for six years. I have people I'm still close with today. They're in all different places the world will still call meas and as a rebby I'll do the best that I can. A rebi is someone who says I'm going to go ahead and sacrifice time and energy and I will give my tamid and anyone who asks is you got to be a no. You got to push all this is telling us this is the moral ethical compass of life. Then you worry about you got to start with having a start that's the way to be to the that's the way to get that sprinkling that taste of to know how do I navigate my life but it's got to be a two-way street. >> So let me ask another question. If anybody would come into their house and see a a magazine or a book of kira they would throw it out and hunt down the person who brought it there and and slap them in the face. But nowadays we have phones that have a constant stream of kira or quasi kira or influencers who are camouflaging subtle anti-yra values as just fun and and games >> and we sort of consume it wholesale. What is a good way to navigate this increasingly crazy world of so of of social media where I want to be down to earth and normal with it, but I also want to like have guidelines where I don't just consume or my kids or my wife and just consume everything that's out there and think it's normal. What would be a good guideline? >> So, that's a great question. I think it comes back uh a lot comes back to that first point that we've been discussing which is having that rebi to go and get that guidance to know what to allow in the house what not to allow in the house you know the boss writes in he says a safe of inside the house of you not let even do you know face and we have so much that's going on here so says what that also needs what to allow or not to allow so you can have people whether it's the influencers whether it's the here. So what are parents supposed to do? The first thing is the parents have to get the parents have to give and turn and transmit that to their children all within the context of to let them know put things into context. There's a time for sports. Sports might be a very good to have today. There's a time for music. But know that what who are the real heroes? Who are the ones you're going to look up to? Who are the ones to get guidance from? Parents need to give their children the guidance and many parents need to get that guidance as well in terms of there's a place for sports, there's a place for hobbies and likes, there's a place for outlets and healthy outlets. What are healthy outlets? And if we put onto the table the sports and the music, but parents have to educate their children to know these could be great singers and they are great singers. We have so many great singers. But they have to know there's a difference between singers who are they have all these different levels you know of their own struggles their but that's not where we get our dasty from we don't get it from influencers who are giving doing podcast there are a lot of perhaps a very positive great podcast going on all over and the end of the day the of how to live life as an hashem that has to come from the role models of I could have people come into the profess and I say and certain people struggling fear I say in the end of the day whatever questions you have in Yiddish and we'll tackle a lot of questions in Yiddish but I give them a little tour around the room and I show them rugged ra whatever you want I love and then yeah all over in the end of the day there's a go you know they got the you know they live the so you don't have a sh to the or to the of dummy or to this farm or to people at least who weren't this farm who are living this farm. Those have to be heroes. So parents have to educate the children to know yes this might be a healthy outlet. You know what you could listen to this podcast you could go and watch this sports game but your heroes are not the sports players. Your heroes are not necessarily the people doing the podcast. they could be wonderful people and I always think there's a big between goa sports players or even now we have some Jewish sports players or that's a separate discussion I have to invite me back with but you can have great podcasters and you know what you can have great musicians and we have wonderful wonderful singers you go to we have great singers some of them are are unbelievable but that doesn't mean they're the ones that give us when writes that tells us you know we Touch of a person what he praises. You could teach the children there's a time for sports but put into the right box. Compartmentalize. There's a time for music. There's a time to play music. There's time to listen to music. There's a time to go ahead and be interested playing sports, watching sports, video, whatever it is. And that has to be done with who are the ones guiding us how to live life. It's the not everyone is a shy. No problem. Get yourself a rough not in tune. So get yourself a rough who understands you. Yes, it's better to have a young rough who gets it, who knows what sports and knows music that the person can say wasn't as great as Moshuad. Yeshua is just mirroring. He's the echo of why is he chosen? And he's chosen over. Why? Because he's he could be he could understand people get people he's unbelievable but he's not doesn't have to be every door theor tells us is not he's not he doesn't have to be has to be the one who understands his door who gets his door set you don't need a shu You don't need to have your own find a rebi who at least learned their who at least has his own sheish who at least has his own yonik from his and he understands you and he gets you in you got to find a but people have to understand that if this person is dedicating his life to then he's got a certain connection and hopefully we den that he's got a certain find the person who gets someone that you're comfortable with that you got to open up to and it's got to be a two-way street 100%. But the rebi who's too busy who can't give the people time you got to find yourself another rebi but I could tell you that I personally find the people really want it they go after it I told people be a nj and a rebi told me be a nj and I went to walk him back after she to drive him to the airport to the train station and I figured yeah I'm getting on his nerve so what he says he got a bush said that's yeah a friend you could buy you could buy take out a friend give him a cappuccino every day take him out to a nice restaurant you could buy Abby you can't buy but I say you got to make but I say go out proactively and get a rebi who understands you when you do that it just it eases the burden of life because you have that clarity of the rebi takes you and I once asked my rebi a very important the life um altering shila and um you know I do my best never to question my rebi told me certain answer and I just had a stle stickle you know to to ask I just I'm not questioning I just just want to know the beer. He said don't worry that's my I said great this is what a great way to live life is that's [clears throat] our job go be go after go after make him yours and then say this is great whatever shus I have he's taking he ought to take and he's going to take that's I could sleep much better at night that's it it's his decision he get up to shine after 120 say why'd you do that Don't come to me for that. Who doesn't want to live life like that? What a great advantage. I say if there's one to walk away, I tell people going into coming back from soul, the guys from yeshiva, the girls from seminary, get her off, get a rebi. And if your rebi is then call them as often as you can, maintain that line. Keep up the communication. >> I want to harp on a point that you were making and it's has to do with music. And I want to preface by giving credit to where credit is due that there are is an organization I think founded in fari called thank you hashem which did tremendous tremendous or five towns tremendous tremendous work and and and injecting enthusiasm and joy into yiddishkite. So let's just get that out of the way. However, however I think that questions need to be asked. If one organization dominates, and I use the word dominate with a capital D, dominates media, Jewish media, with a constant stream of pizzazz and loud and music and bumper stickers, and it's not rabbis, which is okay. It doesn't have to be rabbis. It's not a there's not a clear link between their dosyra and them. and it's injecting a lot of joy. My question is, does it run the risk of dumbing down Judaism where you have grown men who are singing and jumping and clapping to often meaningless songs, sometimes meaningful songs, often meaningless songs, and admittedly so meaningless. And the the the message could be taken by these sort of innocent youth consuming this that this is what Yiddish is. This is to jump and to clap and to sing and to dance and to have the right bumper stickers and sort of the roll up your sleeves hard work tedious technical aspects of Yiddish which is like 95% of Yiddish becomes increasingly less interesting and let's focus on the 3% of the jumping and the clapping. Is this a problem or making making this up? You're asking a fantastic question and I hope everyone appreciates what Rabbi Eisenberg is doing because uh these questions need to be asked. And so allow me to preface that when tells us. So yes, the Gomorra is talking about learning, but it's not just about learning. It's about everything in life. There's a reason the mesh writes how do we end the first five original pro and before they added the subsequent collection of braces called perra how do we end what's the dea says no pain no gain we're in a world that people looking for shortcuts looking for the quick fix the quick burst of inspiration in the end of the day anything meaningful anything everlasting in life comes from hard work comes from diligent arduous hard work the daily struggles the daily grind of being in Hashem in every single aspect of her life. No pain, no gain. But while we're in a society, you want to lose weight, just give yourself a shot. Ompic etc. Now again, I'm not especially this is being videoed. If your doctor tells you you should use ompic especially want to slam the diabetics, that's something to discuss with the doctor, but what's the no shortcuts in life? We want to become a vulnerable, but we want to get a good night's sleep tonight, too. We want to lose weight, but we want to don't want to give up the prime rib and we don't want to give up the sushi. We don't want to give it the strawberry shortcut. We we want our cake and and we want to eat it too, right? That's there no shortcuts in life. I want to get close to what it's got to be [clears throat] built on the meat and potatoes. It's got to be built on the bread and butter. I happen to love to love but I also I love the he writes in the back of the safer and he say I gave you a great safer great and he writes in the back just know that this is these are the paparos like the like the Mishna says in the end of the third par was paparosa gamatrias the paparosa they're not the old derms of the appetite they're not the meat and potatoes meat and potatoes is what you want the entree the entree is sha the entre is the is to be mas the is to work every single day is ineving growing and shiking is ine so we need to go ahead and realize that to be to be takes work real work you know I sometimes give the mush of a banana split you know it's it's great when you have the the ice cream and you have the bananas then you could throw on the whipped cream throw on the chocolate sprinkles throw in the cherry on top the butterscotch topping, but you can have all the toppings in the world. If you don't have the bananas and the ice cream, what's banana split? So, there are people they're looking for that bring in the kumit, you know, late at night. There's the burst, you know, and again, I want to be very clear. Let's go to I'm all a big fan. I'm a big fan of I'm a big fan of many. I'm a huge fan. They're all But don't build your Yiddish kite on that. Yiddish kite is built on tyra and fela on working day after day is you know it's a great perhaps where yakinberg I'm used to say a lot of people we focus on the one who start out focus on threw himself to the fire furnace let's fast forward to the end gives up his son and the galdic he says you know what to him is the greatest and the ra doesn't even mention the First one says how does the dayto day I left my parents I left my family I left everything behind that sacrifice that every day the rest of his life I left my homeland I left my family day to day to be just go where's he going doesn't make enough where to be what the Just keep going. It keeps stop. Where are you going? Where's he going? It doesn't make an on the on the go. You got to be growing. So I'll do what I do in life. I'll listen to this nice song before I go to sleep. And I don't jump up clap happy clappy and it's all great and I'm all for it. T says, "Well, everything's got to be at the right time in the right place in the right measure." And it all goes back to having the rough having the right. But don't build the Yiddish guy on these things. It's building a banana split. Starting with whipped creams and cherries and [snorts] colored sprinkles, butterscotch, chocolate. It's gishmak. It's tasty. It's sweet. But it's not a banana split. The gish theor it's being the same. Yeah. People even when it comes to and people fall in love with and it's all great to it's butites and all don't be you can't just plunge into the depths the profoundity of kabala. There's a system in place. So it's got to be what? There's a reason it's parties. So there's a reason it's got to start with what? Withish and then you ascend. You go to Mishna and then you go to then you go to and then you go to then you go to you keep growing and then you get to deeper you get to at the right time in the right place. But don't behave. It's the same way I tell people. People are sort of finding what do you hold about going to Oman rashana. I said don't ask me ask their wives what they hold about their husbands going you know there was the old joke about the husband who said to his wife um that uh you know I'm going to one rash she says okay ding for a new shitta you know so ask their wives about it but the ter I tell them if it does good for you then I vow to go if you have an anistic inspiration and you like going to kavor and you like traveling and leaving and going to kavald kitadikum in Europe and all the yard sites think spice up your yish You want the Thursday night kumitz with the chan potato. You want the mot with the labor dancing. You want a happy club. Whatever works for Yiddish, be the biggest, best, and greatest ever. But don't define your Yiddish guy by the clapping and the dancing and the music. It's galaz. It's mudc and it's ways to round a person out to take an odam schol and enhance all the aspects of a person's personality. And all they need to strive and strike is but don't build your Yiddish. Yiddish has to be built on the hard dayto-day of minion three times a day of for everyone and women of their own but is what whatever you're doing just know it's got to be built on. >> So can I can I pause for one second? Could it be that there's an have [clears throat] to speak about for hours. There's an additional what what the Rev is describing is these are innocent and and good perhaps but not not the icker. I want to read to the RV perhaps I'm sure he knows the the single most popular song of the last year. The single number one it's called Yum Yum. And these are the lyrics. You can bring a horse to a farbringan. You can also make it drink. Clink clink clink clink clink. Fishy swishy. Yum yum yum. Sudasan. Yum yum. And so when asked what the meaning of these words were, the individuals who created it answered, "There is no meaning. There's no meaning to these words. It's it's just meaningless, fun, cute words." So, I don't want to, you know, fry a a small fish in a giant frying pan, but is this a bad thing where we're just sort of slapping authenticity in the face, where we're just the number one song in all of Kali's is a meaningless song and as long as from people with beards, many of whom do the Schaw next door or down the street, you see them. So, therefore, it's okay and it's harmless. Is it harmless or is it sort of saying authenticity is dead and just do whatever is fun and exciting? >> So, I'm going to leave, you know, comments about certain specific songs andor uh groups, composers to touch. I'm going leave that up to Gdola Israel for the uh the dance, you know, in that regard. But I will say that people have to understand the of music of niggan is so profound, is so deep. You know there's an apocryphal story that said I would give up to plum the depths of quoting his said was given the and that was encrypted encoded in and the about the amazing powers of of music there's there are certain you could only enter music. Here we talking about we're talking about big things. We're talking about the eighth note. There's a great story. The girl lived 1720 1798. Uh Wolf King Amadeus Mozart, the famous composer, the renowned uh child prodigy. So he lived uh 1761 to 1797. There's an apocryphal story that the gro one of his personal goalies met up with Mozart and they were talking music and there are seven octave seven notes in the musical scale and the gro kabalo and there are a lot of secrets at kabala you could tap into right the the horn a usher by the third perk of there's certain levels you could tap into certain depths of sod that you could only grasp and the sang for Mozart the eighth note and Mozar fainted on the spot So is it trueis? I don't know if it's but the eighth note writes in the zikra the of kabonus was only attained when the idea was accompanied by shir is a big thing. Zimmer is a big thing. So I say to people all the time this is these are holy things you could tap into at the powers of me. No coincidence many people the world over wake up every morning to music. It's that's why we wake up to music. It speaks to the nama. It is the nama. So what are we hitting the nama with? How can we take something so holy, so haic. How can we bring it down? Again, there's a time. There's a time to have fun. There's a time and if people need it to enhance the Yiddish guy, put it as a cherry on top. But people often know what's real authentic music. We have we have music that's been going on for decades. That's ho that's coming mak h that has depth that has meaning when you're talking about puka we're not getting into dvid you know zirus and the different but we have many people who have taken puka who have bought out certain rile from the alkaoslis to hill let's go to the [clears throat] the the composer of all composers David and these are words that speak to the heart this is what's real so if people say well I get an inspiration from I'm not here to stop anyone from getting inspiration I want everyone to be inspired. I want everyone to be happy in your disguise. And again, whatever if this music does it for you, but let's just put things into the right perspective. Let's not cheapen the depth, the spiritual profoundity of what is all about. So people have to understand if parents come to speak to me, I'll tell them, "Yeah, if your son likes this song, I have no idea what the words mean. I don't know what the words mean. This music doesn't do it for me. But if this music does it, so what does it do for your son? if this is going to fill the void because he wants to listen to English music. Much better listen to this than regular English music. Again, I'm not mentioning any specific songs, any specific bands, but whatever people need, different people need different things to spice up the Yudish guy to enhance that >> but but at what point does it become >> like not an excuse anymore where hey, it's better than the alternative. Well, I mean, >> so, so again, it's it's case specific, meaning there are people that I speak with where I might not hold of certain types of songs, certain type of music, but if I know this is what this person needs, I might not hold that a regular bent tyrant should be watching sports, but it might be what this person need, this person might need as an outlet to martial arts, this person might need to go out and join a basketball, uh, you know, uh, a team, a tournament, etc. especially today in other words we have so many vices in society and so many that are so rampant pervasive throughout society that I humbly believe any asyak used to say when you're asking a whether it's or 50% of the sha is the sh who's asking the question so objectively speaking is this the gross I think we all know that they're talking about higher plaint they're talking about ly or music etc. But if somebody needs an outlet, someone needs to dance. They need to release energy. They need that cathartic process of just getting up and jumping and they're looking for outlets and and the healthiest outlet is to have beautiful for example you mentioned thank you Hashem. Thank you Hashem. I'm over let's get into thank you Hashem. But again the right perspective the right compartment and knowing what role it plays and knowing who needs it and who doesn't need it. But parents rebum morris they have to always put in extra time and energy to educating in the right mahalik the perspective of what's real authentic music what's real authentic his cyber stick music you know Brazil famed uh composer and he has so many great I once asked him how come he doesn't do these concert he doesn't do concerts you know the strobe lights and the lights and the smoke again this doesn't do it for me but I a lot of people this is what they need. So I asked him he said as Rebby is Russ told him that's what the guy do they do the concerts with the smoke and the strobe lights and the fires and this he says that that's not you that's not you and he doesn't do it now again but this is what a lot of segments in society today need now does that make it is this the M is the that's not the question the question is it's and there are different people in each generation that need different types of things. So if I if somebody came to ask me, I'd say, "So do you understand what role this is playing in your life? Is this music to what do you really need this? Do you?" But if they need it and they need to have that outlet and they need to j jump and clap and figure out if that's what they need then say but understand the hierarchy understand the totem pole of what's the real the real how many people when you have and then what happens there's the right and a person a lot of times again in what happens you have a great and he puts a great kashmaka contemporary niggan you know and instead of thinking about the words of kadushi you're thinking about the words of the niggan right so you're singing even great songs you're thinking now you're not thinking you're thinking which is one of my favorites of it but you got to think about the words of kadush right now so I'll give you speaking to so always was glass of when he came over from in the mirror you saw in there. started singing lied Friday night kabal shabas which is so widespread and prevalent today and he came in he said went over to what's with all the singing what's said I I agree yeah I understand it but this what the boys need today this what the boys need tonight so says no I always tell people that's case specific if you don't need this music let's go to all the but if this music does something for you and enhances you got but that's the question a person has to ask what role is it playing as me becoming the biggest and best evidence of that I could. So what happens with if the music is not lukewarm innocent? I'll give an example. You could pass. You don't have to talk about it. >> A a a singer named Matahu was featured by >> Rabbi Aberw. This is Judaism without apologies. >> Right. Correct. There was there's a singer name is Matiso who was featured by Thank you Hashem who sang recently a song called Spread Light. The words are spread light, spread love around the world. Those are the exact words. That might not be an innocent song. I mean, here's a here's a person who admittedly left authentic Judaism, extremely publicly sort of spat on authentic Judaism, shaved his beard, threw Islamic on the ground, does not eat kosher, is not authentic Jewish in and admittedly so in a very very very public way. He is featured on a the largest Jewish platform singing a song called Spread Light and Spread Love. How is a parent supposed to explain this to their innocent 11-year-old singing this song and watching him not sing this song? Like the the messaging here is very complicated and nuanced and it's not just an innocent listen this is what they need. This is you know a sham. This is like he's saying spread light. What does that mean? Meaning spread whatever version of light you want. You could spit on the Tyra and leave authentic Judaism and it's fine as long as you spread light and love whatever that means. like that's not just a lukewarm song. That is potentially dangerous hushkuffa that's being absorbed subliminally into children. >> It's a very valid and uh and important point. Uh you know again I'm not here to to judge any specific yet. I I don't know much about Matio. I know some uh general details about his journey. I don't know where he's holding now. And certainly you know again is called I I don't know his current a level of Yiddish but putting any names aside anyone who doesn't represent authentic Judaism anyone who is not um publicly if the public perception is this person is not a fromid then we should not be featuring him that is not a message now again I as much as you know again we would download the council I I would assume I would hope that there's a dusty involved in anyone who would bring someone who is not a representative of fume authentic Yiddish kite uh to play any role in in these songs or anything of that nature especially when children uh young adults are listening to this on a regular basis there's a shila that needs to be asked that's a very important shila 100% in terms of and people have to understand going back to the depths of music you know we're talking about music and and the composition music these are things that penetrate into the recesses If a person's nom they have tremendous and they have tremendous ashbah and we get influenced not only by the words by the lyrics themselves we get influenced by the le nephesh the reesh that goes from the composer from the one playing it and to us so person has to be very very careful and then you have the larger question of who is representing to us and pour the messages spread the light you're right what are we talking about we're talking about the or titra the guide etc that can only be spread by people who live lives that are authentic to Moshe Mus to a genuine authentic Torah lifestyle. So, and that's a a very valid and very important question and that's something that we would hope that any group that takes in anyone, you know, we could talk about we always want to be mar. So, there are ways to do it. There's a time and a place, but that doesn't mean we feature people who are not representative, who are not shares, whoever those people are. We can't let people know that's who we're going to get these messages from. Torah has got to be authentic and Shir and Zimra. We can't we have to be so careful not to cheapen it and not to solely and not to tarnish it. You know there's a great and for and the six he cites his says a great he says so he says he's ask why is it let's call it's so based on an at the beginning of his parish and prog he says like this he says you know what shir and zimra is shra why do we call song music. Shira here we are. Why is it called Shira? He says Shira. There's so much bursting inside. So much spirituality that's bursting and and inundating your nama. You can't harness it any longer. You can no longer contain it. So what does it do? It's the shir. You go to and at the you eat the sh is the sh is what zim. The same is z. You're pruning. You're getting out of the kipus and the katum. But Shira is the shir of the nash. There's so much that's bursting. You're feeling such a such a you can't contain it any longer inside. What does it do? It breaks through the barriers and it's the shirim of the nishama. And that's why you can't hold back anymore. That's why parathetically you get it. What some people are very funny when they sing, right? Because you can't control it because singing is so authentic. It's the pineim coming through at Shimra Zimra. He says everybody has to serve that you got that's that's the basic that's the bare minimum if you want to get close to you want to go inside that's got to be bana you can't hold back just let it go let the sh burst forth that's bonana you got to sing it can't just be margus the and contained it in me a slave in a recess you got to let it go singing is so powerful and we know it's powerful we know how many people would turn on to Yiddish because of the right song the right comes it's the right I'm a big fan comes it's at the right time and place for bringing the right time and place singing sitting together and singing and when it's the right words and the right lyrics this is gavald but the right time in the right place and the right words and the right people leading it we have wonderful people today we're not going going to get into names for Julie, but we have great composers and we have great [clears throat] you know going back you know decades we have great and we have great naga but a person has to be so careful who are the personalities behind the nagoda who's getting up on that stage because it's so powerful and there's such a connection to the singer that a person has to know when educating his children when educating himself who are going to be the role models and this person is not just giving off the actual lyrics that come out they're giving off so much of their pineas so much of their pineas is coming through whether you like it or not there's a connection there anytime we speak there's an automatic innate connection that's going on when it's singing and there's so much is coming through you got to be on guard for example a woman once asked me she said to me rabbi find I'm not attractive I'm very obese I'm not attract why does anyone care about my son I said because so and so they don't they because when you sing comes when you're beautiful unbelievable special on Michelle And it's such a burst so quick so much of so much of your beautiful pinemius that it could be very seductive and it could be very dangerous. It's got to be something singing that's reserved for your husband Kobe because it's so powerful. So who's representing that? Whose penis do we want to share? Whose noma do we want to connect to? Who going to be the people that are going to give the message and what other message? for major important questions and this has to be navigated and the first part of that is knowing listen to Judaism without apologizing and knowing it's a question oh but it's Jewish it's coming who are the people on the stage who are the people giving me the my life whose panmas do I want to connect to and who are going to be the heroes who's going to give me my my dust so there's a time and a place but it's got to be it's got to be like everything in life it's got to be everyone has to know what do I need now at this stage of my life we don't have to become the villain overnight. But we got to be in a journey. As Rafi Maxman says, you got to shoot for the stars. If you shoot from the stars and you miss you'll end up on the sun, you'll end up on the moon. But if you're only shooting for the moon and you miss, you're in big trouble. So shoot from the stars. We want to become a we want to be. We want to be our but we might not get there, but that's where our shifas are. So we have to know anytime we're listening to people and they're making us b it could likely be bringing us down. So there's time a person says I need that pick me up listen to that song. Okay is the right time the right place the right measure. A lot of these things are addictive and I have people coming to me wish I listen. go into their kids' bedroom and the kids listening four, five, six hours a night and you know yes is it much better than on YouTube and Tik Tok for them that are could be is yes but a person has to know it doesn't make it right that you should just listen to right measure like everything in life it's about what that's about the girl says in his pivos life is about self-discipline it's about control it's about we don't eat everything the guy eats and we don't go to all the places and you What we don't listen to older music we get out of say different the says you want to be safe from anyone who's an is going to be saved what's we have page 34 we have going back going like ashamed to grow people. What's someone who's proud to be a Jew? What does mean proud to be a Jew? I walk like a Yid. I talk like a Yid. I dress like a Yid. I'm proud of my Yiddish name. I'm proud of my Yiddish clothing. I'm proud to be different. Well, our advice just like we eat differently. We don't need to eat everything that guy do. And we don't listen need to listen to all the music. And we can't just take the music and make it kosher and say, "Oh, let's put a gig into it. Let's go make it kosher." But there's a time and a place. If I could share a personal story this um I try sometimes in yard sites of GD you saw I try to share something from this farm so years ago um I think [clears throat] it was the first yard site so I said between said I took a from it was bas and he talks based on and post can take a goigan now we're not talking about that has any lude or you know erotic messaging or LWD you know improper and and really user dick lyrics or no let's say just taking Gisha music I take in the gyish music can I put it to you words and can I be mad and we know we've had different groups that made a whole business out of can you take the guys and that was a shin and he says as long as it's not you know and the love songs etc as long as it's just taking basic uh basic niggan you could be mad you could be you be mish you could bring it into the [snorts] u into the um genre of of Jewish music if you put good you know good words to it as long as again it's not something that conjures up anything that's inappropriate that's also so I sit over the chuba I just said over the chuba and maybe I added a little bit to it in the midst of this year and I get called from a friend of mine a kishmaka old kav from old days at times and he calls me up and he says I know you're the rabb of the white I know people listening in Torah talked to this year maybe it wasn't such a a good thing to say this year because you know you're telling people you know this guy's going to listen to me back when we were growing up it was Billy Joel Elton John Chicago you know it was real music not like you know what the guy we're listening today and as friend says you know but once you're speaking out such a trua and the people going to think I can listen to the English music and I could take English music and you're making it kosher you're making and he left me a long message a long message on my voicemail about uh I don't but I don't think I don't think you should say you know to us like that in public etc. So true story. Before I had a chance to call back this old friend from Yeshima days, I get a call from someone I hadn't seen nor heard from in years. I was a rebi learning rebby in camp outside of Baltimore many many years ago, decades ago. And uh I taught the tapshi of teenagers, but the top of them meant the oldest kids, the ones who were the most rowdy in the summertime. They were not so interested in learning. And one guy, but he uh couldn't really sit so well. So I u worked a show I developed a beautiful cashew with him. Uh I just saw him recently also beautiful. He ate over when I was in the mirror and I saw he ate over our house. So he had a nice cash with him. He calls me up that day. He says be fine. We'll just call him Ruin. He says I'm sorry that I haven't called you in the last 15 20 years whatever it was when I saw this. He says but just today you said over in Toran any time and you quoted this chuva. says, "When I was in camp and we were learning and I remember [clears throat] you told me over that same chuva and you quoted Billy Joel and Elton John and said, "Can you take one of their best songs? Can you take piano man by Billy Joel? Can you take a and you'll take, you know, Hebrew words and make it, you know, Gishmak, etc." And he was speaking about that. I said, "Wow, this is so and I was so fascinated by discussions like that. You should know that summer I wanted to give up yishkite. I was in uh going off to Derek teenager and my parents said just try out one last summer in a firm boy's camp and I went and you're my learning rebar changed my whole summer and then I said he can relate to me and I related and connected to him >> he says and because of that I stayed from in the end of the day this guy went to the mirala boss in out of town city a beautiful balabos and he said I never thanked you I said but now that you mentioned that she and I heard that chuba again it reminded me let me call 500 thing so I call up that friend of Baltimore and I say so and so I say shimman let's just call him shim I say shimman before we get to your sil let me just tell you a story that the aster sent my way today he says okay says well for some people they need to hear about the billy there's some people that need to hear it doesn't mean it's for everyone it's not for the guy at brisk in the mirror necessarily you're sitting and shy so it's the same thing we talk about different types of songs today etc don't make your [clears throat] hissyus that I'm going to get it out of fluffy, light, sometimes meaningless songs. Look for your the real Osiris from the day-to-day grind of an Evan Hashem as the shot that every day I wake up in the morning like Rakatamski said and the first question I asked myself is what does the Aishto want for me today? How can I become the biggest, best, greatest Evan? said over once that one of the main reasons I love the fact that my rebi is my rebuttitz somebody came over to me once in camp told me that his son was in a summer program on the naw campus and they had a Q&A with burkovich lita remoti varabi and he said to me that his son was a u open a more modern 15-year-old kid and they had Q&A with hagon and He told me that the mudra told him afterwards that says you know so and so your son after they had the brief words of physic they had a Q&A and he raises his hand he says burkowitz can I ask you a question and ask the rico can I ask you a question he says sure he says what makes rab burkowitz tick that's what this 50-year-old boy says what makes ram burkowitz tick and right away he answered and this came from the father heard it directly from the major burkowitz answered him I get up every me and I ask myself every single morning, how can I become the biggest, the best and greatest ean that I could be? How could I give to the bore today? And then the boy said, Rab Burkowitz, how often throughout the day do you think of that? And he said every second of every day that's inevit so much of what we do in life goes to what writes about the a number of places about his farm is that so many people living without a we just eat whatever we want the meat planners and the sushi planners and now call and we just listen to whatever music what do you mean it's Jewish people he's Jewish this are we living on a fashion are we thinking about what we're eating how much we're eating are we thinking about what we're listening to, how much we're listening to. You think it's not making us, but everything we eat has ashba. Everything we listen to has a major hashbah turns as well. There's nothing that's small. These are big things and they're all big things. And people need to listen to Jews, right? Judaism without apologizing. People have to know these are shyus. These are real questions. And that's the first step. And the church says what? It all comes down to the beginning. Get yourself a rah. Get yourself a rebi. Oh, there's a dirt that there's lack. There isn't a lack. Touch is what? There's no darifa. Yif was he was a warrior. He was a hush of warriors that says Aster says the address and the person is in the five towns and they're in my in Queens or lake or Baltimore whatever they say find someone it doesn't have to be doesn't have to be doesn't have to be rap just to be a rebby that you respect that's going to learn you that's going to get you that's going to be interested in you that's going to be interested in wanting you to be the best and greatest of that wants nothing more that you should get up every single morning and say to yourself. Okay. What music does Hashem want me to listen to today? What does he want me to eat today? What are the friends that he wants me to have? What activity should I be involved in? We have a lot of these issues. We have from era of people, right? Supposed that are going to beaches that are going certain places on vacation. All of a sudden, we could dress differently in vacation. Yeah. Put on the shorts, put on the jeans, sneakers, baseball. These are shotless. These are shotless. What What gives me when Tom and Mike calls me up and says, "Rebi am I allowed to go to this in this place for vacation?" Oh, and you besides the preach of Shila, you know, I don't know if I'll have a minion three times a day. I don't know if I have a minion at all. Are you allowed to go to s these are shilas? These are real shas. Get her off. Get ready. We're yidden. We have to understand we don't go to every place the gel and we don't listen to every type of music and we don't eat every type of food. Live with a live with it's the healthiest and it's going to bring inner peace. It's going to bring which is what every single person and you guys the world over is seeking. What are we in pursuit of in the end of the day? We know wealth doesn't make people happy. The charter jets, the flights, the vacations, the pes hotels and the sushi meat planners and all the alcohol cigars that doesn't make people happy. What's the I want more but I'm content. That's it. But that's a stop is just that. You're son. You enjoy the you got a beat up 67 Chevy and it's got bruises all over. And the day and you're not looking for you don't need the SUV Tesla. You don't need the Lexus. You're happy. You enjoy what Hashem gave you. If you needed something more, Hashem give you something more. So we have so much great music, so many great words, great lyrics. Why do we need to go to people who don't represent God? Why do we need to sing songs together with people who are not openly outwardly from? Now doesn't mean there's not a time for it. We could go ahead and have a setup, have a platform if we're doing kerokim and we ask the shy list and we can owe this a time and a place. But if we're going to advertise this is Yiddish guy, this is Jewish music today. This is a concert. This is a song that's going to hit tens of thousands of impressionable young kids, boys, girls, etc. Who's representing Yiddish guy to them? But don't let the heroes, don't let the pictures on the wall, Ishlafo, don't let it be those musicians, those who who are not representing authentic, genuine unus don't let it be the sports players. So certain kids need to go to a ball game. We're not going to get into motion weight. So that's a shy. That means what? There's a time perhaps for a father to take his son to a baseball game. Doesn't mean he's supposed to have season tickets. doesn't mean he has the sports heroes plastered all over his wall in his bedroom. Who should be on the walls of the bedroom? That's part of what the rebellion that's part of what the parents who's on the walls of the bedroom is wrong. Those are the ones adorning your walls. But there's a time you got to have an outlet. In conclusion, the number I put out a poll. I I told some people that I was that I was at interviewing you and the number one overwhelming question that I got was I learned in Kyle. I was in seminary. I was in yeshiva and now I'm working and I don't want to be that guy that just gets swept up and floats for the rest of my life because I don't have time. What is a practical to give such people who desperately want to stay on fire but often struggle to do so? What would be uh a mentality perspective that you can give them to stay on fire? So another great question and u again so much of it is case specific that it's a question of finding that right person who knows that individual what he or she needs to stay on fire but they're asking a great question because Hashem wants us to stay on fire we got to be passionate about our yiddish kite we have to have an impassioned aver dynamism for every of you know the famous girld if you're not going up in yishk you're going down. There's no such thing as I did my years in Israel in seminary. Let me just maintain status quo. There's no status quo. If you're not going up then you're going down. Got to be always got to be on fire. What was the be on fire? Different people need different things to keep on fire. But the Tada Chavez, we always have to be working on a relationship with our brother. We have to get up every morning and go to sleep every night. Tell ourselves that loves us more than we could ever ever imagine. Way more than your spouse and then your parents love you, then your kids love you, loves us billions, immeasurable times more. And still wants us to reciprocate that love. But when it comes to a dual relationship, there's a etc. We have to be working on the And we have to be on fire. We got to be passionate. Tara says what? There's no one recipe. There's no one solution for every single person. But we got to find that person who to us is on fire. I say tell us how do you do it? Beginning you want to get out of the maze. And in a larger sense, the maze of life, the core mazes, right? So go to the people that navigated the maze. Go to the people that made it out of the maze and ask them how they did it. churches go find people who are on fire and say rebi mo how do you do it how do you do it how do you stay on fire every day and people think don't have the struggles they have the struggles yes came to he says I'm going through urido I'm only learning 17 18 hours a day instead of you know 22 but everybody the stipler talks about this throughout his letters trying to digress up everyone has alas I go to the people that are on fire and say rebby rough Rashiva, how do you do it? Tell me. But it's so personalized. For this person, I might say listen to this type of music. For this person, I might say learn this this type of safer. Learn this ma and of this is what he needs. This is what she needs. Go to this kevoly. Everyone [snorts] needs everyone's got their own dak. Everyone's got whatever they need to become the biggest greatest. But stay on fire. Stay passionate. And the first step is you got to want it. You got to want it. Raoba says in what do we call it? Because it's you run in the direction of your rot. So what do you sinus? What do you really want in life? Find people who have what you're looking for. Go to them. Speak to them. Follow them around. Call them. Email them. Text them. N them. Drive them crazy. But just say I need I need are you going to stay in fire? a person could come to me and I looked I said the search isn't over we're still writing the pages of the book there's no such thing as a person who says well I went through all these form all these I did all the music it doesn't do it for me let's find something that does it for you there's something you describe for everybody and that gets back to really how we started this discussion that once you have the revy the rub there are some people yes um rashashana is the right thing to do and this comes even every Thursday night or this break is the right thing to But people think I hear about these crazy this smoking this the marijuana weed these aren't not at all. Don't look for the shortcuts in life. There are no shortcuts in the don't look for the shortcuts. Don't look for the fluff. Let's build the banana split from the ground up. Let's start with the gishmak ice cream. Doesn't mean I'm giving a lot. We should go and get ice cream. like the the mean and potatoes. That's the that's got to be the the foundation. It's got to be a foundation of Torah and that doesn't do it for you. Okay. So, let's find a way to work on let's find a way. What what minion do you like? What type of style? What there's something here for everybody. Just this morning I ded in an at minion. It was great a very humbling experience. I was uh out of town in another uh community and I walked in. They had great security. They said, "I'm sorry you can't go in." I was going into D. I'm sorry you can't go in. They says, "Does anyone here recognize this person?" I was like, "I know." They weren't letting me in to go down to Dominion in this place. I said, "I wish the white had security like this place, but in the end of the day, you said I finally made it." But I loved it. I got to hear him. I got in the end of the day, this song will be for everybody if I could just be Messiah. Was a great Weiss. He said this at a project inspire convention years ago. He said, "You know what? The ultimate Evan Hashem is someone who can learn like the best and that person like the most admira." And they have the Torah of the Obama kissing the rub in the hand and they have the Yashus of the Yakis and they have the Hungarian Jews after the Holocaust. You package that together and perhaps we could be onto and the and the piece of Yeshua of the but we want Mashiach now and the other day what's the place in Yiddish for everyone we need we need we need we need the we need everybody because everyone needs to find how are they going to get close to but the sha is don't build it on cherries or with grape on sweet tasting sprinkles and butterscotch toppings. Build it on the kishmaka ice. Build it on the meat and potatoes on the bread and butter of yishkai. And that's what make sure you have your it doesn't do it for you. So let's find what does it for you. Let's find what's safer. We'll leave it. Nowadays we got we have we have there's a program for everybody. Whatever pays for everybody and gamar doesn't do it for you and there's so much out there you got to want it. Yiddish has to be built on the ad and the rock salah foundation has got to be some level of learning and [clears throat] for and some people might be learn but it's got to be built on and it's got to be built on it's got to be built on and is yes with a minion but and it's finding the right minion for you it's finding the right but it's got to be dominance is that connection to the burial that vasc and then once you have that foundation tora Vod and of course you got your and you have your time for like one you know whatever it is but you have the time of okay now let's add on all the sprinkles now let's add on all the giz and let's get the right music at the right time let's find the right ways but it's not through shortcuts like smoking marijuana weed or any of these other crazy retreats and getting high that's not the route we're not going to get true vineyard reasons why marijuana is also that's not today's discussion for stop looking for shortcuts in Yiddish is build it on the bread and butter the meat and potatoes the dog is the and then you could have what for you it's going to be for you for you you want to sing about I don't know I don't know what the words I I don't know what if that does it for you but that's not the definition of you god you're anem because of your dominate Because if you're learning, because if you're Tyra Mitsus, that's the icker foundation. Once you got the foundation, add on all those sprinklings and drippings and make it a Gishm Yiddish. Sprinkle and make it come alive because that's what wants. He wants you to know there's something in Yiddish for everyone. There's something in for everybody. And you got to know it's got to be but it is Gishmak. You haven't found it yet. The quest continues every single day. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. And every kid is on a journey. But keep that quest, keep that search going. Find the people that are excited about Yiddish. Follow them, read from them, listen to them, talk to them, and keep that fire burning bright. And sometimes the fire's going to happen. Sometimes it won't be the same passion. Won't be the same verb. Say, "That's okay. As long as I'm constantly on that insatiable quest to get closer and closer to Vegas with the that's the end goal should give everybody give Rabbi Eisenberg to continue to [sighs] enable and empower every single year to live with. >> Amazing. Thank you very much for coming on. >> Pleasure. A Torah Anytime original series. You've just experienced another Torah class brought to you by tora anytime.com.