What Makes the Jewish Claim at Sinai Unique in World History - Parshat Eikev - Rabbi Dovid Kaplan

para shaft is going to be the next year that I'm going to be giving other people other people will give. So we uh we had spoken about in part then we're going to go on to parv in paran we had left with a question and uh where was it what was the puk um al-na on page 964 so the p is right it's in right in the middle of the page it says I'm not sure how you about 11 12 lines from the top and base. So he said ask him for in the past from time that God created man. Has there ever been or even been heard such a thing that has ever been that a nation heard God that or claims to have heard God as a nation? Christianity began with one person spreading the word. Islam began with one man spreading the word. Never has there been a collective of a nation who claims together that we heard God. 600,000 men between the ages of 20 and 60, women, children, older people. So, it comes out to approximately two and a half million people. That's the that's the estimation. Now, what's what's amazing here is that the Torah, the Torah itself says, has it ever happened or has anybody even claimed to have happened? The major religions of the world don't claim that. The major religion of the world, it was one man who spread the word to somebody else. he got a communication of some sort from the prophet or whatever it was and then spread the word and the Jewish people said we heard it collectively as a nation. Now the question I had asked you with last left you with last time was that that's the that's the plain meaning of the verse but the question I had left you with is that if you translate in Hebrew the words translate to ask the earlier days and I left you with a question how do how does one speak to days right that was the question we so that what the al-shakur says one of the classic he was the he was the the the theas I call it the club uh the Arizal and Schlomma alabit who wrote the and the Bose car they were all invas and the uh the alik mo he says like this when a person does a mitzvah you in a mitzvah doesn't just when you do a mitzvah it's not just you finished and we go on to the next thing you did the mitzvah you actually infused time with some sort of tangible kadesha. There's a tangible holiness. The day itself, if we close that door over there, Tyler may close that door. The day itself has been infused with kadusha. Someone on a high enough level is actually able to speak to those days. We don't we don't think of those terms, you know, we think I can't talk to a day. What day a day was yesterday? Yesterday was yesterday. No, that's because we that's how we think about it. The Torah is telling you that the day was infused with mitzvah and kaduca and holiness. And since it was infused with the mitzvah and holy that there are some sort of tangible obviously this is according to the zohor. So according to the zor it's coalistic. So I can't explain it because I don't understand it myself. I only know the what the concepts and the concept is that there's something beyond our experience and be because we always live based on well if I've experienced it if I'll see it I'll believe it. If I haven't seen it, I haven't experienced it, then forget that doesn't exist. And the zor is telling you, no, there is a concept and somebody on a high enough level. Now, who is on a high enough level? So, we're talking about the generation, everybody in the desert who was supposed to have died died already. Remember the decree that they're going to die in the desert. So, you're talking about the generation of people who are now going into the land of Israel who are in high enough level that they can now speak to the days. [Music] They could speak to the days and talk to the days about what happened. The days specifically are the six days between the first of Son and the giving of the Torah on the six of but that's why he says and that's why I told you that the Torah also uses um um his days came approached closer for him to die. Israel when Jacob is going to die the days approach the days came what doesn't mean the days came forward the days are just days are passing means the days that he had infused with productive holiness because he did the mitzvah those days actually come forward that's what the alik says a very strange esoteric concept so I could tell you more but I then I'd have to shoot you so I so uh that's that's what I was intrigued by the question because they see the question the answer is esoteric but the question is because of the accuracy of the termin terminology that says again the context means ask what happened in the past but if you translate it literally means ask the days okay let's go on then you have the the the ten commandments later in the para uh but we're not we're going to go on to para zv and again anybody who's watching or listening this is the last shear until uh ro kesh el which is going to be on um the 24th of August. 24th of August. That's going to be the first day. It's a Sunday. Okay. Page 980. It'll be when you when you listen when you obey these statutes, you will keep them and you will you will guard them and you will do them. said, "Hashem will keep the covenant and the kindness of now rashi says over here the very first rashi right column top line. So what does the word av mean?" What does the word ach in Hebrew? Anybody know? >> What's that? >> A heel. Exactly correct. What's a heel? It'll be if you heal. What a heel. What does that mean? The heel of the foot. So avant context is a hard word to translate into English. It' be because or it'll be because or when you listen to obey the mitzvah. But what's it got to do with a heel? What's it got to do with a heel? So the answer is take a look at reverse. If the easy mitzvah is people trample with their feet, with their heels, if you obey those mitzvah. Now here's a question. What's easier to obey, an easy mitzvah or a harder mitzvah? >> Harder mitzah >> is theoretically you'd think the harder mitzvah is easier to obey. But the truth of the matter is that in life it's not necessarily like that. Sometimes people the the what we perceive is more important will do. It's a detail. How how important could it possibly be? Uh if I set the table for Shabas, all right, we're into science fiction here, but if I set the table for Shabas, so you know, I got to set it. My wife says, you know, make sure, you know, fold it the napkins. You know, I set the table, put out a table. I put in an extra board or two in the table to make it people are coming. Then I put out the plates, you know, and I fold a napkin. Oh, this is how you fold a napkin. Isn't that what it means to fold a napkin? That's how I do it. You know what? What's wrong with that? No, no, that's not how you fold a napkin. Ah, come on. It's just a napkin. No, no, no, no, no. The napkin is shaped into some sort of flower or some sort of something and it goes in a ring and it goes it looks really fancy and it looks what go you're almost so fancy you don't want to use it. Why are your hands greasy? I don't want to mess up the napkin. It looks like such a good job. Somebody did such a good job on the napkin. So, so you know what? So, so it's a how important is it really? How important, you know, we we all keep we all keep, you know, none of us speed when we're driving. None of us speed, Saxine. Nobody speeds. Nobody goes above not not a not a mile over the speed limit, right? None of us do that. And we all stop at red lights. What about a stop sign on a on a lonely side street and you got that, you know, that phantom stop. It's like the phantom tag at second base for the double play. You know, you don't come to an absolute full stop, you know, kind of, right? That's when you get nailed. By the way, cops hate that. That's what they That's what they get. My father, the first thing he told me when I got my license, they told me tell me three things. They said, "If a ball rolls into the street, stop completely." Because if there's a ball, there's a kid coming after the ball. There's a kid running. If a ball rolls into the street, stop. And and sure enough, whenever a ball would see a ball rolling, next thing you know, there's the kid. Cuz who else is playing with the ball? The other thing was come to a complete stop at stop signs. everywhere. Come to and I did. I was always stopped at a stop sign. I always came to the Clinty stop. Then he also told me, "Don't honk at people because you don't know who's got a gun in their glove compartment." And he said, "Don't give anybody the finger." So I fulfilled my father's commands 50%. My horn wasn't working. Yeah. You know, like listen, there was road rage in California one year. There were 40 shootings in California. you know the road rage you know people get you know the point is that when it comes to Torah and mitzvah so we do the mitzvah we do the main things what about the little easy things you know say take an example you have to get say keshma by a certain time every day how important could it be to say aul none of us would none of us would forget about alula filling we're going to do I got to get up and say keshma that sort of thing is mine keshba today keshba today was is is was um the latest time for keshma 9:20. That means by 9:20 in the morning, you have to have said keshma and fulfill a Torah command. All right, it just g up and saying the first paragraph. That's all it takes. All right. How important could it be talking in shul? How important could it be? Oh, it's a little things. Somebody's drowning. We first one to try to find them to save them. Somebody somebody was a what do you call somebody is is hungry a vitamin for your house or guest for a meal. What about the little things that people trample so what and and and the the the irony of it is what determines who we are as people is the little things that we do not the big things that we do. Big things we'll all do. If you saw a guy bleeding on the sidewalk, you know, you would stop what drop what you were doing and you'd call hot solo and you would help him out. You walk away feeling like a national hero. But everybody would do that. Everybody would do that. Who wouldn't do that? But what about Zeshba? Even my sons when they came home from Yeshiva and you know the boys are sleeping and they can sleep. It's what's called doing a bagel. You know what doing a bagel is? Well, doing a bagel is you go to sleep, you get up at 9:00 in the morning, then go right back to sleep till 9:00 the next morning. You know, you just do a 24-hour bagel. You know, you do you do the cycle. So, I would wake them up in the morning. I said, "Listen, guys. No, you don't have to get up now if you don't want. You go to the latest minion. I don't care. But you got to say krishma. Get up. Say crash, go back to sleep. You gota say crash. It's it's a it's a it's no less of the mitzvah than anything else. So we had a bus driver once in my neighborhood. It was a real jerk, pardon the expression. The guy was here in Israel and and he was he would wait. People would be by the back door the front door. Okay. He saw somebody wants to get off the back door of the bus. He wouldn't open the door until people begged. I think he liked hearing our American accents. You know, I hear some lady say, you know, until he went and I remember thinking, it's not that complicated, man. You got two buttons there. Just push both buttons at every stop. It's really not that sophisticated. And he was clearly doing it clear. It was obvious that he was doing it to to to to torture people, just to torture them. I remember once I was driving, I was on the bus with him. You know, a guy apparently didn't like being a bus driver. It's not my fault. You know, you take you. Okay. So the guy, we're on the bus and we're driving towards my neighborhood and all a sudden he stops the bus and we're on the main street on Eshko Boulevard. He stops the bus and he gets off and on the sidewalk a little old lady had fallen down. So he walked over and he helped this lady to her feet and then I remember he gets back on the bus and you can see him I can read it written on his forehead as he struts back on the bus like does anybody around here realize the presence of the sadic that you're who who you're in right now? And it was clear that he thought himself he thought himself like like wow look what I just said. Now I you know if you saw a little old lady on the sidewalk what would you do? Would you kick her? >> And what was that? Anybody who if you had the opportunity saw a little old lady you'd pick her up. I think to myself listen you want to be at Sonic just open the back door. It's all it takes to be in Sodic open the back door. That's the that's the rule. That's the Torah is telling you over here. Don't take any of the mitzvah for granted. Now all the mitzvah are important. At a deeper level, at a deeper level, we have 248, there are 248 positive commands and there are 365 prohibitions. We are made up of what the Gor says. We have 248. The word in English we translate as limbs and 365 senus or tendons. whether that's physiologically accurate and what the translation is exactly. That means that we are made up of 613 essential parts. And every time we do a mitzvah, what we're doing is besides doing the mitzvah, we are providing spiritual vitamins for the corresponding physical part. So a person, you know, even even in a physical world, there are certain things that are very necessary. We need to drink a lot of water especially in hot hot hot weather and you need certain vitamins and certain minerals and stuff. There's something called there also trace minerals right sometimes sometimes you find out you're show you're low on iron how much iron do you need you know you don't need you don't need a whole lot but without that we don't function the body doesn't function properly the spiritual body the spiritual body eventually that's going to exist for eternity is also it's nourished based on the mitzvah that we do and therefore the Torah is telling you don't take anything for granted number one number two you'll notice if you look in the puk over here. Do you see anything strange in the pusk? In the structure of the pusk, the very first pusk, you look carefully at the pusk. There's something that something that that that that's uh stands out. The the the giveaway is always always in sukim look for plural and singular because you find that in the Torah is always significant. It starts out in the singular in the plural. when you is you plural the Jewish people and then the Torah says why does it say why didn't say it started out is plural so why does it switch from the plural to the singular why does it go from to why does it switch singular to plural plural to singular so the answer is that why do we dive in in a minion? I'm using minion as an example. Why do you d in a minion? The gammor says there is more merit when a group of people does a mitzvah than when an individual does it. When you dav with a minion, the potency of your increases exponentially based on the minion. It's not just youing, it's the whole group is dving. When a group of people is involved in doing a mitzvah, the reward factor that akorh provides so to speak is greater based on the numbers and the it's exponential. It's not 1 2 3 4. If one person is doing the mitzvah, there's a certain amount of the pie. If if if two people are doing the mitzvah or three people are doing, it's a bigger pie. And it's not just a double the pie, it's a bigger chunk because likes when the Jewish people are united and we do mitzvah together. But even when a group does a mitzvah, you got a group of people doing a mitzvah, the reward, there's maybe more to go around, but it's going to be subjective to each individual because no two individuals put the same effort into the mitzvah ever. So you could have 10 men in a shul and a minion. One guy had to come from farther away. He he drove further. So it was more effort for him to get to sh the expend expenditure of gasoline. You have another guy who has a reading disability and he works his way through a dining so he gets more reward than the people who could read smoothly. You have another guy who's not feeling well that morning. He had a headache and he pulled himself off to Schul also. every mitzvah, every single no two individuals are coming at it from the same from the same exact exact starting point. So on the one hand when you're a group on the other hand you an individual are going to get individual reward. That's what the say okay take a look at next if we're if we're good. I met a bro before by the way. Hey, by the way, anybody who came in late, we're not this is the is the last year for basim till uh roto is going to be the next uh >> next year. Not personal. Not personal, but let's see. We don't know what would happen if you would leave leave the room. The uh but it's not personal. Will love you, bless you, and he will increase you. He will bless the fruit of your belly, meaning your children, your earth, the your produce. God is going to bless you in all ways. Now the truth of the matter is most people the attitude before you get married and have children but most people the what we've been conditioned with is get make sure you got a financial basis. Make sure before you get married you have some sort of financial basis so I start bringing children into the world. Right? That's what that's what the the the standard mindset is. The Torah mindset is that says I'm going to bless you with children. And the blessing of children come before the blessing of produce. How do you account for that? That means that somebody's having children before they got the blessing of produce. Which mean that the Torah's attitude is on the one hand we have to behave responsibly. We do not advocate irresponsibility. And even the idea of trusting in God as Rab Gotautle says don't con don't confuse with irresponsibility. We have to behave responsibly. On the other hand, part of responsible behavior is having a plan. I don't have the money yet. Doesn't mean I can't get married. I have a plan for how I will support a family. So, the Torah is telling you you have to have a plan. You have to have a plan. But you don't have to have the the the what do you call it yet? This goes to other areas because people sometimes confuse when it comes to children. What are the priorities in life? What are priorities? It's like there's an old saying, you know, uh uh um what was it say? One second. Um what are you going to do for a living? And people ask, "What do you do for a living?" And the question should really really be what are you living? Switch it around. Just switch it around. Not for a living, but living for. Now what are you gonna do for a living? What are you living for? Sometimes people think I'm living in order to make a living. Yeah. Well, when does that cycle end? So you have to be responsible. You have to have a parasa. You have to have some way to support a family. But the first thing the Torah says you have a blessing with children. Then people confuse it with careers. I once read in uh at Newsweek Time or Newsweek years ago. So they had a report on these uh on on I think it was four women were interviewed. These are women who are in their early 40s and they were a product of women's liberation which means women liberation meaning that you know women who want to be men and they they they you know we're not going to just do the be the wife at the home type of thing. We're going to make a career for oursel. Now women sometimes have to work because of family you need in America today you can't make it on one one income. I need to have two acup. But they're working because that's necessary, not because it's a career because there's something about having a career. I need to have a career. And these women were kind of duped into the they bought the entire propaganda hook, line, and sinker. They're in their early 40s, late 30s, early 40s. And every one of them said that here we are. We don't have real great chances of getting married. And even if we do get married, we don't have real great chances of having children at this point. And we were we were deceived by the society. They were very bitter. All four of them are very bitter. You know, why didn't we do the why did why didn't we do the regular thing? So, I'm not you know, obviously, by the way, and I even know women, they're better mothers because they also work outside the house. They can't. They're just not made to be home with the kids, you know, all day. There other women who that's their goal in life is to be a homemaker and and stay in the house. be in the home and stay with I sometimes I ask guys what is what what do your parents do says well my father's an accountant my mother doesn't do anything I love when guys say that my mother doesn't do anything just if she would hear that imagine if she hear yeah she doesn't do anything she bakes cooks cleans nurtures does everything in the house a kid looks at she doesn't do anything so that's not our attitude our attitude is that the mother's obviously she's fulfilling a a very important role but the career for the sake of a career here. So then they can leave you at the end of they can leave you holding the stick. You're high and dry. That's what the Torah is like. Okay. Take a look at Let's skip on ahead. Now take a look at you'll be blessed from all the next couple there will be nobody barren among you or among even among your animals will remove all illnesses from you. I mean guys this is what we could what we could have if we'd be good. all of the ills that were happened in Egypt which which you which you knew about will now place among you. Now what's the difference between doesn't say it says but put them on all your enemies. What's the difference between what's the difference between what's the difference between says means they won't even put be put on you temporarily but all these terrible illnesses they'll be placed permanently and all your enemies and then the Torah gets to the point that I really want to get to here is consume all the nations who God gives you. By the way, this does not mean actual cannibalism. You're not going to eat them. Even though we don't even know the bra, I guess you make a boring pri the uh the uh so say you'll consume the nations. Do not have compassion on them. do not worship their gods because it is a they that is a stumbling block for you to worship their gods. Don't have compassion on the nations. Now what this is talking about is when they go into the land of Israel to take over the Canaanite the land of Cananan where these were the nations who were pagans and they were into the the the the the the all various forms of perversions and God gives an order. These people have a choice. They could either leave or die. Those are the two choices. They can leave if they want. But they cannot stay in the land of Israel when you're there. And if they are, you have to we have to destroy them. You have to kill them. Now, the first question is why? First question is why? Why you have to kill them? Why or drive them out? Why can't they just stay here? Well, it's a two-state solution, right? Isn't that what Macron said, right? They the the what do you call the the what do you call macaron the macron because he's got France all worked out over there they just got their act together over there you got they got Muslims unemployment and they speak French on top of it and you know the no fate worse than that so so the the the what do you go and he then then the the dork comes out and he says they should have a two-state solution as soon as the Palestinians heard that they stopped the hostage negotiations tell after all you know listen why why why why negotiate if we're going to have if we're going to have our own state. They're not. They won't have their own state. But that's what he said because he's got it all worked out, you know, in in France. So, so so so why do we have to drive them out? Why do we have to drive them out? The answer is because they are a negative influence. If we're going to live in the land of Israel like like Jews, we can't have that society with the valuelessness the Canaanites who are into every form of perversion and pagan worship. We can't have that. Remember, it was a very big temptation. People ask how what's the big temptation with idol worship? What what what's the temptation? You know the analogy I use, imagine somebody wise from about 200 300 years ago. Take Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin was always considered wise. Poor Richard's Almanac. He always had something wise to say. He had those little glasses also that made him look wise. And he was smart enough to get himself on $100 bill. Nothing smarter than that. Ask Ben Franklin, could you imagine? told Ben Franklin 300 years ago, "One day there's going to be a box with images on it and people will be glued to this box. They will be families sitting around viewing the images on this box. This box will occupy every room of a home including bathrooms and it's going to be the most dominant have the most dominant effect and influence on the society. Do you think that Ben Franklin with all of his wisdom could have possibly imagined what television would be like and what they what the draw would be? Could he couldn't imagine it because it wasn't it didn't exist. It would there was no frame of reference for him to be able to imagine television. For us, when we hear about idol worship, we don't understand that idol worship when it existed in its original state, there was a spiritual high to idol worship. It's like somebody asks you, "What is heroin like?" Go describe to somebody the sensation of heroin, right? Anybody who's never used heroin. How are you going to describe that? Well, it's just like it's just like marshmallow fluff, but a little different. You know, how how you going to describe heroin to somebody? You can't describe it. What's skydiving like? Well, you know, it's kind of like jumping up and down on your mattress, but different. You know, no, there's no comparison because I can tell you what's the proof. I have jumped up and down on my mattress. I would not skydive. There's no connection whatsoever. So, so what is what is what is it? What's a there's no there's there's no comparison. Okay. So, idol worship was an addiction and it was a drive and a draw. There was something to it and therefore the says we can't have that because that's forbidden for Jews. Therefore, they got to get these people out of the land. Now, if they don't want to leave, you're going to have to kill them because we can't leave this cancer spreading around and we just can't leave it around. Those are your choices. Now what are the Torah teaching you over here? The Torah is teaching you Torah says it emphasizes don't have compassion on them. And for this we learn don't be more compassionate than God. Don't think that God made a mistake and we're going to be more com if God says destroy them that that's what we have to do. So this brings us to the question of vegetarianism. Is vegetarianism permissible in Judaism? Is it permissible according to Allah to be a vegetarian? So there are three types of vegetarians. By the way, I I don't know if any of you are vegetarians. My experience with vegetarians is that you find out that the person is a vegetarian very soon. Somehow when you meet a vegetarian, you find out that they're vegetarian right away, right? Or at some point in the conversation that will come up, right? True or not true? You know, I I like hot dogs. I I don't really share that information when I meet. Hi, my name's Kaplan. I love hot dogs. A good grilled burger also. It's not, you know, I'm a carnivore. I I don't I don't mention that to people. Well, vegetarians somehow they always make sure you know that they're a vegetarian. So, the question is, are you allowed from a point of view to be a vegetarian? So, there are three types of vegetarians. Number one, I don't like meat. I don't enjoy meat. According to I don't enjoy meat. I don't have to eat meat. Nothing wrong with there's nothing wrong with eating meat with with not eating meat except that you miss out on certain mitzvah because on yiff there's a mitzvah to eat at least the kazay of meat we're talking about beef shabas you don't have to if you don't like it shabas is only for on is delight if you don't enjoy it on chabas you don't have to eat it on yont so you have to have meat and wine a little bit of meat little because the gumar says there's no sim rejoicing is with meat and wine. If the also says there's no rejoicing without food in general, there's got to be food. If you go to a wedding and there's no food, you know, forget it. You know, no food, no gift. You know, if you if you get together for people get together, you know, you whine and dine people in order to make a sale. And we know that it puts you in a different mood. You sit down, food is a social icebreaker. Meat wine is simka. That's yont. Shabas is not about simka. Shab is about on delight. You eat gapilta fish and you do you like your filter fish? If you like your filter fish, eat it. If you don't like gila fish, how many of you don't like gafila fish? The eyes have it right. If you don't, my wife in 40 years of mar over 40 years of marriage has never ever made homemade gtha fish. How do you like that? I I I you know I like actually the frozen stuff like they serve in the yeshiva they drop it in you know the frozen loaf that they that doesn't taste like fish. I thought I can't I don't like it. I don't like the smell. I don't like anything about it. When I was before I was married to go to and problem is every Jewish woman thinks she makes the best gapa fish in the world. And every time I'd go out for a shabas you know they're serving gil. I said thank you very much. I don't I don't do I don't do geila fish. Oh taste mine. I would skydive before I do that. So eventually I got to the point I just said, "Well, I'm allergic to fish." That people people always respect allergies. I'm allergic to fish. Oh, is there anything else we Yeah, doctor said ribeye steak is really a good is a good good substitute. That's how I got out of it. I could I couldn't touch the stuff. Shabas, you don't enjoy chicken, you don't enjoy meat, you don't have to have it because it's so y if you're missing out on a mitzvah, but I don't like meat. Okay, you don't like meat, so don't eat meat. That's no problem if you're a vegetarian because you don't enjoy meat. I don't enjoy how it feels. I don't I don't enjoy I I I I don't feel I don't feel well from it. No problem. According to the second type of vegetarian is somebody who does like meat, but I'm protesting the meat industry. I don't like the way the meat industry treats animals ve where they fatten them up. It's I'm protesting the meat industry. Listen, if you want to protest and you think that by you not eating that burger, uh it'll affect how the meat industry treats treats calves, you know, it's up to you. just give me the burger, right? That's up to you. You could do that. Nothing wrong with that. I don't say you're not going to accomplish much, but if you want to do that, that's fine. The third person says, "I don't eat meat because I think it's morally wrong to slaughter animals." That person is going against the word of Hashem. That's forbidden according to Allah because then it makes it sound like you know better than God. God created the animals. God tells us to use animals sacrifices. We slaughter animals to make shoes out of the hide. We slaughter animals in order to eat them. And God said it's perfectly acceptable. And in certain times it's a mitzvah. A person who comes along and says I'm smarter than God. So then that person is falls into the category of being a kofair. He is going against the word of God. That would be forbidden. Here the Torah says, "Do not have compassion on them because I, God, am telling you that if you leave them around, they are going to destroy you either physically or spiritually. Imagine, let me ask you a question. Give you a dramatic example. You're walking on the streets of Austria in about 1895. There's a mother pushing a baby in a carriage. as little baby Hitler. And at that moment, you get a prophecy. And there's no question that it's a prophecy. It's a prophecy from God. And God is telling you, you are the last line of defense between that baby and what that baby will do if you don't kill him right now. He will do exactly what he did. But you're the last line of defense and you have a prophecy and it's unmistakenly a prophecy from God. We're not talking about somebody who's hallucinating or somebody got drug drug flashback. You know that it's a prophecy. We're using an example. Just go with it. What should you do under those circumstances? He's he is at that point. You know that there's a hala that if a woman is in childbirth and there's a threat to her life from the unborn baby and the only way she's going to survive is the baby is killed. So until the baby's head comes out, what's the Anybody know? >> You kill the baby. Why? >> Why? >> We value life. >> We value life. But why do you care? What's the specific just justification? Why the baby? Why not the mother? >> Considered to be hot, right? >> He's right. But when he has his head comes out, then then you don't touch either of them. But why before the head comes out is it that that you killed the baby because the baby >> still >> he's still part of her. But what's the justification? >> He's no Yeah, but he could also grow up and make babies. >> Okay. The He's a rode. He's a pursuer. If you see a guy chasing another guy with a knife to kill him, so you have to step in and kill the pursuer. You have to kill the pursuer unless it's justified. But if it's not justified, you have to step in and kill the pursuer. The baby until the baby is born, the once the baby is born, the head comes out. So it's an even then it's even. But until that head comes out, the baby's a pursuer. We know that that baby in the carriage is a pursuer. Prophetically, we know what God's telling you, these people are going to pursue you. They're going to pursue you spiritually. They got physically there have to be destroyed. That's what the Torah says. Okay. Um, now take a look at all the way down the puzzle. I show you an interesting rashi over here. Um, he's talking about when you you're going to go into the land and Hashem's gonna uh uh gonna help you defeat these these nations. Then six lines on the bottom. Hashem will send the wasps. How does he translate watts or hornets? Hashem will spend the hornets. There was a one of the superheroes was called the green hornet. Somebody do you remember the green hornet? >> That was a long time ago. Oh, that was that was a long time. Who was the guy with Ko? That wasn't Green Hornet was with Ko. Who was the >> the what? like >> the green something. The green something or the Ko, right? >> Something something with with Ko, right? Ko was the karate guy and the uh so they they had but there was a green hornet. Maybe it was a green hornet. Was it a green hornet in Ko? I don't think so. The green something or other and Ko. See what a sophisticated background you missed the uh so he says will send the wasp they'll destroy those who remain and those are hidden from you other we'll go we'll go to what about the guys who are hiding in they got they got tunnels or or hiding places how are you going to get those enemies Hashem will send was now take a look at this rashi very very strange rashi says hats left column three lines at the top mean sheret. It is some sort of wasp. A sheret oath means a a a small flying creature. Not not actual birds. What we call uh what we call uh what we call uh what do you call wasps, bees, all those things. An insect. Thank you. Daylight and a dollar short mean it sprayed poison at them. It castrated them and it blinded their eyes wherever they were hidden. It was a nasty creature. Got him. Got him. Got him high and low. Right. What's this got to do? I mean, okay, I understand it blinded them, castrated them. What's the Where did this come from? Where did this come from? So, the answer is the Canaanites are descended from who? They come from Noah's son. What did Kam do? What did his son Kanan do? What did Kam do? Kam saw Noak exposed and then he went and castrated his own father. The Gomorrah says why? Because there were three sons of Noah who were going to divide the world and he didn't want that there should be a fourth son and he'll have a share of the world as well. So sinned in two ways. He looked at his father. Remember a shame and ye took the garment and they covered their father when he was exposed. What did Kam do? Kam got all he got, wow. He looked at it in a very inappropriate way. So he sinned with his eyes and then he went and he sinned by castrating his father. What was the God pays back ma? What happens to his descendants? What happens to his descendants? They get blinded and they're castrated. That means that something that happened a couple thousand years earlier. the effects that ancestors have spiritual effects in one way or another they're going to go. So his it didn't have to happen to them if they would have behaved and they wouldn't have worshiped idols. They wouldn't have done been involved in all sorts of in all sorts of uh debauchery. So then it would have happened but because it did happen so then the punishment becomes something that's lingering something that's been activated in the bria itself which is the which is the ancestor. Okay. Um, one more point. Don't be afraid of them. Four lines on the bottom. God bid. Hem is in your midst. A great mighty God. Gentlemen, you go to the dentist. Nobody should have to go. But you go to the dentist and it's going to be a root canal. One of life's most enjoyable experiences, right? It's going to be a root canal. At least give me the laughing gas to make it, you know, you know, make make at least get something out of the day. Now, before they start the the the root canal, what does he do? Gives you a shot of Novacaane. That's also no fun. It's also no fun. Which one are you more concerned about? The shot of Novacane or the root canal itself? What's on your head? >> What's that? >> The shot. You won't feel it after you shot, >> right? But without the When you're going to the dentist, what do you think about the shot or the root canal? Right. The root canal canal. First, they put you in pain, then they take your money. You It's never a good day at the dentist. It's just It's just not a good day at the dentist. Let's go to the ballpark. You know, it's just not a good day at the dentist. Are you a dentist? >> Be very careful. >> Well, she won't watch. Make sure to fast forward. Fast forward when you get to this part over here. >> Yeah. At least that. Yeah. Well, you know, so so for those of us who are not, you know, you what but what are you really concerned about? What are you really concerned? You're concerned about the the the root canal. That means that there may be two things to be afraid of sometimes in life. But one of the things pales in comparison to the really major major idea. Okay. So what God says don't be afraid of them because God is a God is awesome. A good old venora. How does he a great and awesome God? What's the Torah really telling you over here? Say there are two things to fear. We have to fear God and we have to fear the Canaanites. Now which one is some do we really have to fear more? That means when you when when when a person is in a situation, you know, we were just had the situation. Every time the sirens went off, every time the sirens went off, people ran to bomb shelters. On your way to the bomb shelter, you're worried about stubbing your toe. Nobody's thinking about that. Nobody's thinking about their banging their knee on a chair in the bomb shelter. You're thinking about bombs. So, when there's a great a bigger fear, the little fears, the minor fears, they pale into they pale in comparison. So the Torah is telling you, what are you you're afraid of the nations? You're afraid of these people. They're people. You have a you have a great and awesome God that we have to fear. And I told you fear means there little levels of fear. You could fear the punishment. And there there's fear. We're just in awe of God. It's a higher level of fear. We use the word fear to be in awe of God. But at the end of the day, what if these are insignificant people? And that's why the Torah connects it up over here. The Torah says you got nothing to worry about. You're worried about the people. A person who's really afraid of something bigger has zero concern about the little things. I don't even think about the Nova. To the contrary, I say, "Bring it on. Bring on the Nova." I ask the guy, "What's the legal limit? Hit me with the legal limit. I just don't want to feel anything. I think it's eight. I think it's eight shots." And as soon as he says, "Tell me if it hurts." As soon as he starts drilling, I just go like this. You know, give me another shot. What are you making me wait? Just give me the shot. you know why I don't want to feel it because that I'm afraid of much more that the Novacane is actually pretty cool and you're like hey I don't have a face I only have half of a face I had one shot once when they pulled out my my uh my wisdom teeth gave me a shot in the roof of the mouth I said is this gonna hurt me well you're gonna feel some pressure you know what that means that That means that you're about to experience pain like like few people in history ever have before. He says, "You can feel." He gives me the shot in the roof of my mouth. I'm like, I felt like the needles going out top of my skull like like that. He says, "Yeah, that that's no walk on the beach. I didn't want to hear that." Oh, really? Neither is this buddy. And he seemed to be enjoying it too much. That's the That's what the Torah is telling you. Torah is telling you over here. He was German, too. That's what the Torah is telling you over here. that the the the what do you call it that that that if there's keep a perspective what are you worried you worried about them if you have if we have true understanding what fear of God is so then we have nothing to worry about with the enemies all right gentlemen so again this is the last year we're not going to have a year till and uh be para cha so for a you're on your own okay please tell uh please tell Rabbi uh ever watch. I tried call I'll try calling you again today. Please don't. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> Appreciate it.