"...Do not Forsake the Instruction of Your Mother" with Rabbi Aaron Dovid Poston

Heat. Heat. [music] [singing] [music] [singing] >> [music] [singing] [music] [singing] >> shalom everybody. Welcome back to the bait midash. Welcome home to Torah. A warm welcome home to Torah. As you know, we deal with the clear as the basis for our discussion, and we encourage everybody to learn Hebrew. So, in the description box below, you'll find a link where you can find the original Hebrew sheets. If you're interested in receiving the English source sheets that I put together, send me an email. I also want to mention that we're in the midst of our I'm going to call it the end of the year K H K H K H K H K H K H K H K H K H K Hanukkah fundraising drive a campaign and uh one of the one of the things we're working on is that there is a conversion program set up by the army. So we're talking about to fill in. Okay, the army normally pres pro provides to fill in to the soldiers who are converting. However, they're they're short this year and they they needed uh between 15 and 20 pair. So far, we raised them enough money for seven pair to fill in. These are for soldiers. These are for people who have already been in combat and they're not Jewish and they want to convert to Judaism. And so, we're going to provide them to fill in with your help, of course. So, you can also find the link below to donate. We really need to come up with another apair and it's going to be on Hanukkah special celebration for their finishing their conversion and entering the tribe. Okay, so let's begin. We're in paras and the clear we're actually using the ear gioreim safer written by Schlomitz and he begins the first four lines is a medish is Jacob. If you look in source number one that Yakov sent angels ahead of him to his brother Asov into the land of Sahir, the field of Edom. Now just notice, by the way, it says ara. I think we mentioned it last week or the week before when you have a hey at the end of a word like a noun a a a place. He's going to a place. You can have a lammed before going to the place or you have a hey at the end of the word. And Rashi mentions that. Look in Rashi right away in source number one. In every word that requires the prefix of a lammed two at the beginning, scripture places a he at the end. It's not every place, but it's every place that that the hey is used. It's really like a lammed in as a prefix to the word or to the place. So we see in the medish [snorts] Yakov his legimar I'm sure everyone's aware that Yakov prepared himself he was he established for himself he set up for himself three things duron is gifts he gave gifts which we'll see shortly he g he he prayed for success when he's meeting Asov his arch enemy who wants to kill him. And Milah, he set up for war. He split the camps. So just look at the verses real quick in Genesis 32 verse 16. Uh verse 15, right? He sent gifts. It says over there 200 she goats and 20 he goats and 200 use and 20 rams. And it goes on and on. He sent a lot of stuff. We're going to find out he also sent slaves, servants, and handmaidadens. aim. That's the the words he brings down. And what about so in 32:12 in Genesis, he says, he's talking to Hashem. Deliver me now. Now deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Asav, for I'm afraid of him, lest he come and strike me and strike a mother with children. We're going to deal with this verse a lot. But the Hebrew is more important. But in the meantime, we see he prayed. And what about setting himself up for war? As it says in Genesis 32:8, it says he split. He divided the people, meaning his family. Look at the verse in English. YaKob became very frightened and distressed. So he divided the people who were with him. and the flocks and the cattle and the camels into two camps and Rashi says he was frightened less he be killed right of course that's normal but also think about this this is very interesting this is the Jew now I think her name who was the first uh female prime minister of Israel >> goldair I heard I I didn't hear her say it but I heard she said that and many people may disagree with what she said but she said it nevertheless that maybe I and forgive. Maybe I don't know what that means. I don't know if that's a phrase. Perhaps there's a possibility for forgiveness for them killing us, but she can never forgive them for causing us to kill them. This is very like look at Rashi that Yakov was afraid lest he be killed and he was distressed that he might kill others. You hear? So gold air didn't didn't pull it out of thin air. is a you know there there there is something there is something to it perhaps perhaps maybe I'm reading more into it than I should but anyway that is where we began with the medish [clears throat] now the clear begins in this first paragraph I think he usually has a very humble spirit when he deals with Torah but sometimes he has a certain I'm not sure what word to use a grandiose approach and I think this is like somewhere in the middle because he [clears throat] says was mallear. He found in terms of explaining this so many books have already been written like so many have been so many books have been written like water is covering the seabed that like as as knowledge as knowledge is like water that covers the seabed so much knowledge has been already revealed or discussed Yakov, how troubling how the hardships that Yakov had to endure because of Asov. Okay? And not just that, how that is going to affect us today in our present exile. We're in the exile of of Asov. So he he says like this that so many things have been written regarding this. how this could be related to the hardships the Yah experienced with that's hinted how it's actually going to even relate to the present exile um remember we discussed I think either last week or the week before the concept it's called what was it called misa aos sim labanim what actually happened to our forefathers was a sign of things that would happen to us. And we have tradition. I mean, it wasn't just Rebi. it was any of the great Gdole who went and had to deal with whether it was the Vatican, Rome, uh any kind of foreign adversary perhaps on a on a high level, political level, they would learn these these um parot these paragraphs that dealt with Asav's encoder with Asov so that they could have some kind of insight, spiritual insight, psychological insight in order to deal with the leaders of these other nations. And now he says so too. So it's all written. Plenty's written. I'm going to add and he's he says my mouth is not darkened which means I am enlightened. But he doesn't use I'm enlightened. He says my mouth is not darkened from adding uh onto this idea. And so he says therefore how he begins and remember this is like a 20page essay. We're only going to deal with maybe two and a quarter pages. So maybe next year hopefully in the year after we'll continue. But he basically says, I see to begin to explain the the para uh this paragraph these paragraphs um just as passing through according to the most simplest meaning we call the and afterwards and only afterwards he's going to reveal to us. Then he will stand up and show us the markers. The markers, right? That's what the Jewish people are. We are the markers. That's what Cion is. We are the Zionist, right? The real Zionist, the realm, the real markers for the world. Um, and that's going to be a simmon from our forefathers to us how we need to deal in exile. So he begins as he said I'm going to give you simple now for us we're going to say we've read this 100 times and never saw this well maybe we did parts of it he says there are times it's well known there are times that a living person is considered dead okay a living person can be considered said when is that when the person is lacking it's absent from him any of the good stuff of man we are in this world is this world the world to come obviously is going to be bliss but in this world if we're have no enjoyment from this world if one has no enjoyment from this world who Roy met considered or called dead and we have a few verses to prove this idea when Rifka found out right her son is of marriageable age I mean she you know watched him grow up and uh she already knows that Asaf took I'm sorry she already knows yeah that Asaf took Canaanite wives I don't think she was too happy about that but it was Asaf there was No way. This mother, this Jewish mother was going to let her son Yakov marry Canaanite women. What is she saying? Genesis 27:47 [snorts] or 46. It's number five on the source sheet. The last words are underlined of what use of is life to me. But what is she referring to? She's like almost like I'm dead, right? She said, "Rebecca said to Isaac, I'm disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Ket." Yeah. She cannot stand what she's about to say. If Yakov takes a wife of the daughters of like these from the daughters of the land, the land of Cananan, of what use is life to me? So a Jewish mother and what is it about Cananan that she was not interested in her son Yakov marrying? Uh so in Genesis chapter 9 25 this is earlier on. And he said cursed be Cananan he shall be a slave among slaves to his brethren. Cananan. So cursed is cananan. The word auror cursed is cananan. And he he shall be a slave to slaves. That's pretty low. Slave to not just a slave. Slave to slaves. Just remember it was a double language. What does that mean? We're going to discuss. He will be to his brothers. Look at Rashi on that bottom of page one. Cursed be Cananan. So this is like Noah had experienced either castration or sodomize but according to many it was castration. Now who did it? Who did it? It seems like it was Kam. But Kam wasn't cursed. Cananan was cursed. Why was [snorts] Kam not cursed if he's the one that afflicted his father in such a horrible way? Because God already blessed those who came off the ark. when they left the ark, he blessed them. So later when this incident takes place, if did it go curse because he just cursed, he just blessed him. So assuming that it was what did he do? You've caused me, look at Rashi, you've caused me to be incapable of be getting another fourth son. In other words, if if there are three sons, which there were, Yafett and Shem. If there's a fourth son, they don't get a third of inheritance. They get a quarter of inheritance. It's a loss. So that could be one reason. Another just from Noah's point of view, a son to help serve him. But let's just look at the rashi itself. Cursed be Cananan. You have caused me to be incapable of beetting another fourth son to serve me. Meaning cursed be your fourth son that he should minister. I mean he Cananan basically was the fourth son because he didn't go on the ark but he came off the ark. So which means he was actually um what's the word I'm looking for? Conceived and born on the ark. And we have a tradition that while God's world is being destroyed during the flood, it was wrong, it was forbidden for mankind to have this enjoyment and uh co cohabitate. Um and therefore it was it was it was wrong. But we see that's where he came from. So he's the fourth son, so to speak. He already had three sons and he had the first grandson. Okay? So he was born on the ark. So based on rashi that he says he would be the fourth son. The fourth son should be cursed so that he should minister to the children to the older ones. She shame and yafis. Uh again it's interesting because we we're talking about cananan being cursed uh serving the other brothers the older brothers she upon whom the burden of serving me meaning Noah had been placed from now on. Just a quick uh see the second part of the rashi. What did Kam see or what reason did he have that he castrated his father Noah? He said to his brothers, "Hey, look back at the first man, Adam." Adam had two sons and one killed the other so as to inherit the world. Our father already has three sons and he still desires to have a fourth. So that would be a motivation for the castration. Okay, let's go back into the clear car. And he ended up the last thing he gave us was the verse about Valer Shamar. Now this is going to be the whole thesis is based on this idea. We said that some people who are alive are considered dead. Who are they? So there's actually a gamorra in Nadarim. If you look on the source sheet on page two, source number seven, right? Source number seven. Uh I underlined it. The Gomorrah actually says there are four who are considered as if they are dead. Who are these four people? A poer, we call them ani, someone who is impoverished. A leper, someone who is a mitsura, someone who has affliction all over his body. An assuma, a blind person. And the fourth, which we're not going to discuss, is one who has no children. That's pretty redeemable because even if you don't have children, it's not a great situation, but it is what it is. You get what you get. And if you have students, your students are your children. So if you're not mer if you don't merit to actually have children, you could merit to have students. Why not? So there are different verses. We'll go through them very quickly. In Exodus chapter 4:19, it's in source number seven. Uh when Moses was told, now you're going to go back to Egypt. You go back to Egypt. All the people that were chasing you before, they're dead. Very interesting idea because were they really dead? I have here in front of me the Rashi says they weren't dead. They were impoverished. And if you're impoverished, it's as if you're dead. I'm just going to read the comment in the art scroll on that one statement. It says, "Why did God add this command in Midian, meaning to go back to Egypt? That it was not already included in the earlier command when he was at Mount Karev. Moses was planning to go to Egypt alone and in disguise to avoid being recognized as a wanted killer. Remember, he was accused of murder, right? He put the guy out by the using the name of Hashem, buried him in the sand. Therefore, God told him now that such precautions were unnecessary because his enemies were dead. For as Rashi points out, had been reduced to poverty and were so inconsequential that they were as good as dead. So Moses heard that and he took his wife and his children. He had confidence now that he could be the true leader and take the Jews out of uh slavery bondage. It's going back into the clear again. The last thing we mentioned was these this medish. Oh, I don't think we went through the whole medish. Basically, that was the first. Okay. That if you're impoverished, you're dead. You're like you're dead. A leper. Remember uh where mo where Moses prays for his sister who Miriam who had leprosy it says in numbers 12 verse 12 let her not I pray be as one dead in other words being a leper is kilu as if one is dead and a blind person how is that like being dead in lamentations 3 verse six lamamentations is what a Right. Um it says he has made me to dwell in dark places as those that had been long dead. So this is referring to dark places i.e. could not see. And the last one is about um uh children in Genesis 30:1. Give me children or else I am dead. So in chapter 30 of Genesis verse one, it was Raul. Rael saw that she had not borne children to Yakov. So Rael became envious of her sister. She says to her husband, she says to Yakov, give me give me children otherwise I am dead. So you see that being childless, it's ku. It's as if it's like being met being dead. So we're not going to discuss that last thing. We're going to discuss these three things. Impoverished, being blind, and being uh afflicted as a leper. These things are basically we're focusing on being like you're dead. So what does the clear want to explain or what is he saying that the medish in nidorim is talking about ofoto? It doesn't say it. It just says impoverished, blind, or a leper. But he says it's deeper than that. There's layers and layers. So these are referring to being afflicted on the body level. If you want to write it down, body or your money or your Torah. Nobody wants to be afflicted in any one of those three things. But if you are, that's not a good thing. It's like you're dead. You got to be sitting down for this that these three things they are all inclusive or they include all personal success. You want success, you don't want to be blind uh bodily afflicted um [snorts] or let's say like this, you don't want your body, you don't want your money or you don't want your Torah to be afflicted. Okay? And this is the last line on the right side. At a time where you are afflicted with them. So we saw in the Gar in Nidarim, you're considered dead. By the way, it's Nidarim page 64b. We're on the top leftono. Remember when it speaks about being afflicted in poverty, it's talking about money mits. when you're afflicted with this uh this particular spiritually skin disease it's referring to your body a leper and what about a suma that's going to be hard to explain I think not hard but let's just say it's not so intuitive why would a suma blind person be afflicted on a Torah level and he brings down since by evil people now the truth is I don't really see this having to do with evil people. This verse is actually seemingly referring to idols. We say it every day. This is in Psalms 115:5 number eight on the source sheet. It says regarding idols. Anyway, they have a mouth but they do not speak. And then underline they have eyes but they do not see. So the evil people unfortunately you know we're talking about a spiritual level being blind, spiritually blind. Correct? So they have eyes but they do not see. in Hebrew. So, they don't see. Now, how do we know it's all about evil people? Even though that's talking about idols. So, he brings us to the next verse, uh, Isaiah 5:12. I know it's a typo here, but it's chapter 5:12. And it says over there, uh, the latter part, they have not seen. What does it mean? Start from the beginning. There are harp and and loot, tambourine and flute, and wine at their drinking feast. And the work, this is like underlined, and the work of the Lord they do not regard. They're not concerned with spiritual things. They're not interested in what the Lord has to say. And the deed of his hands, they have not seen. Meaning they're their eyes are closed to uh the deeds of God, they have not seen. in Hebrew that poem yabu mu they do not see. And it's so interesting in Psalms 119:18 it's kind of like the other way around. What are we praying for? What should we be praying for? What should we want? What should we be yearning for? To uncover my eyes. Gal anai, right? To uncover my eyes. This is Psalms 119 verse 18. that I should look at the hidden things from your Torah. Right? It's a beautiful verse. And Rashi says on that hidden things. What does it mean hidden things from your Torah? The hidden things that are in it. Now we're in Kisv and I mentioned in the beginning we gave a shir on Kislev in the very beginning that there are 36 special lights that God created what we call in the beginning this uh I'm going to call it a superal light that he hid in the Torah. Right? These we light 36 mitzvah candles on Hanukkah. There are 36 volumes of Talmud, right? 36 is a very special number, but we're not going to get into that. We spoke about that already. But this idea that uncover my eyes during kisv we want to see the light. Okay, we have to do things to uncover our eyes. We shouldn't be blind. So that Rashi says hidden things in it which is the Torah which are not explained. The Torah is full of mystery and hidden secrets. That's why you need a rabbi. That's why you're coming to the class. That's why you study Torah from your Torah. wonders from the explanation of your Torah which are not explained therein. Not everything is explicit in the Torah. That's why you need all the way back six how many? Three million of us witnessed heard God speak and transmitted it from generation to generation to generation. And that's what we're doing here tonight to hear the truth going back into the kar. So he gave us all these different verses and he says one, two, three, four, five, six, seven lines down on the left side. Um,uan, right? This nation that was living here at the time, they were cursed with all three of these things. And they're all hinted at within that verse. Cursed is Cananan who will be slaves of slaves. So right away the clear says remember it says slaves twice slaves of slaves. Why don't you just say lowly slaves they're slaves of slaves. So slaves is mentioned twice and he says it mentions two types of slavery. Number one, the first type of um hit or affliction with slavery comes with the absence, lack of money, becoming impoverished. Every slave, if you have money, you're going to get out of slavery, right? Mashid Konabo. Once you're in that position where you have been impoverished and now if you were walking down the street and you found a a bar of gold, guess who belongs to your owner. Your property is not your property anymore. Whatever you find, whatever you acquire, your owner acquires. So that's pretty impoverished because he says he has no portion or even inheritance to anything which could be considered his. That's and that's in Gmorrah. It says it's also in Kadian 23b. And what about um the second type of slavery? We did discuss last week or the week before about the word alot, right? means engraved on the tablets. That word is spelled almost exactly the same. It's just the valization different you find freedom through the law. The word means engraved on the tablets the tablets and we the tells don't read it as what's the word engraved but freedom. [snorts] freedom. You find freedom through the law. And that's what the second part is about the second type of slavery or enslavement is hinted at by the idea that he's afflicted in his Torah. He who because the one who studies Torah scripture is free. He's the real she's the real free person. like we just explained of the freedom coming from the engravement of the lus themselves and that person is afflicted with um servitude because he's empty from it. What is he empty from? Torah. Now let's talk about the third the the the second idea uh or the third idea that saras you're you're afflicted in your body and how do we know it's all coming from the same right we already said that there's two abdus which is money and Torah what about the saras inside that cursed cananan is a third idea because it's written in vayikra chap that's Leviticus chapter 13 verse 52 look at number 12 on the source sheet. Um, this is talking about Saras. The Saras is called malignant. Now, that's just in English. I don't know what malignant means other than it's cancerous and it's dangerous and it's spreading. I really should have looked up the word, but we know that it's bad. Well, guess what? In Hebrew, the actual Hebrew word is cursed. Look what it says. And he shall burn the garment, the warp and the woof, threads of wool or linen, or any leather article which has a lesion upon it. So leprosy does not just afflict the skin. It's on the skin or it's on the clothing or it's on the walls of the home. Well, when it's on the clothing, you have to burn the clothing. And it says in English, for it is a malignant surat and it shall be burned in fire. But in Hebrew, it says it's cursed. the the root of cursed. So now we understand there is a connection as we were saying that um cursed is cananan and cursed is saras. So there's a a a link there. Remember what Rifka said? She saidloakan if my son is going to take a wife from the daughters of Kanan. Well then what life is there? I might as well be dead. That the nation of Cananan is cursed with these three things from the idea that if a person is afflicted with these three things, he's considered like he's dead. And she said, "If that's the case, what kind of life can I have?" Gam Asov. Even Asov who already married Canaanite women, he finally figured it out. And from that point on, he only married daughters from Ishmael. So Gavotan he he saw himself the evil in the daughters of Cananan Gimmel. He saw these three character traits clinging to these women and therefore what would be the result then his own seed would be considered like that he figured out therefore it says in Genesis 28:9 which is number 13 on the source sheet it says Asov went to Ishmael and at the end in addition he took wives in addition to his other wives as a life in Hebrew the Asav Ishmael and he took Ben Abraham as additional wives. Therefore, according to the clear this para supports his suggestions, his proposal So Yakov himself was frightened. He was afraid that perhaps would be fulfilled Asav's own words. Asaf said, "I'm going to kill my brother YaKob." Now when you we're talking about you're considered dead if you have if you're afflicted by any of these three things. So you can imagine the clearar is going to say this is what Asav wanted to do. He wanted to afflict him with these three things. Number one could be just to kill him outright. Begufo perhap I skipped something. So it's very possible that he could fulfill according to Yako's fear he might be able to kill him in one of these three ways. One is beufo literally killing him physically to actually kill him or he would do into him wounds. I'm not sure the difference between and but basically one wound might be worse than the other or less than the other but they're types of wounds until he's considered dead. You ever see you ever hear somebody who's so beat up? I mean, so I don't really even want to think about it, but either he kills a mamish or he wounds him to the point that he's on the brink of death. Okay, so that's one. What about if he took his money? What if he took his money? Oh, she took maybe, you know, Yakob's afraid. Maybe he's going to try to take all my money. and um he'll be considered like dead cuz we said that if Per is like dead and what do we know as a fact that Asaf sent his son Elifas to kill Yakov. Now Yakov was probably his favorite uncle maybe his only uncle but nevertheless and he grew up with Yitsak of his grandfather. How can he do this to his own grandfather to kill his other you know the son of Yak of Yeitzak? But Asaf sends him on the way. you got to kill my brother uh Yakov. So what does Elifas do? He approaches him. He says, "Listen, I really don't want to kill you. I have what am I I'm stuck. I'm in a pickle. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have mitzvah." Obviously, if your parents ever tell you to violate the Torah, you don't. But he told me to kill you. He has whatever justification and I uh I don't want to kill you. So Yakob says to him, "Take all my money. If you take all my money, I'll be considered like dead and then you go back to your father and tell him you killed me and you're not lying because I'm like met. I'm like death." That's what he says that Alifas was fulfilling. He chased after um Alifa the son of Asov chased after Yakov in order to kill him because it was father's command. Leagodo, but because even though he told him to kill him, but since he grew up in his bosom, so to speak, whether it was Yakov as the favorite uncle or Yitsak as the grandfather that loved his son Yakov, Mash Yadov, he withdrew his hand. He took all of his money again commit to uh fulfill the command of his father which was to kill Yakov. But obviously he didn't physically kill him. He took all his money and came back and said dad you know I killed him. And Yakov himself says this is all I had was my staff. And that infers that he had lost everything except for his staff. That's all he had. And what about the Torah? Yeah. So the third way of possibly killing is killing Jacob was to wipe out nullify the Torah that Yakov himself learned and built up over the years and then he would be considered kame like a dead person. Yakov. Now think about what Yakov said. Now this is going to be a little complicated in chapter 32:12 which we'll find back in source number four. Uh I think it's three actually um in source three. Now deliver me from the hand of my brother from the hand of Asaf. I am afraid of him lest he come and strike me and strike a mother with children. He doesn't say and strike me. Although it sounds like he does because it's it's a what's he when he says strike me what is he talking about and what does he mention a mother with children the clear says like this he right away says lois atmo and I see well he does talk about himself he says and I am fearful and he also says less he strike me but the clear says he's not referring to himself but rather he's hinting that The fear is that he's going to take away from he's going to take my Torah away. This is the way the clear card is reading it. He's he's saying not that he doesn't mention himself, but he's not referring to himself. He's referring to the Torah that he's trying to take away from me. And how does he prove it? Because he says when the words say, what's the next word? Aim. Mother. But am and im is the same letter with alme and aim with olive is is mother. So is he's almost doing a play on the word because if he he's afraid less he comes and strikes aim mother my Torah we're going to see the the word mother or im even with olive is still as in proverbs 2:3 which is number 15 we're already on page three. If you call for understanding, now this paragraph is dealing with wisdom. It's dealing with the Torah. And it says, it's like only if you call, which is really understanding. It's talking about the Torah and raise your voice for discernment. Now remember, aim is what we're looking at or is what we're looking at. And look at the next verse in Proverbs 18. Does he take us there right away? [clears throat] Yeah. So in Proverbs chapter 1 verse8 [cough] [clears throat] it says specifically alto do not forsake the instruction the Torah of your mother. So this by the way hearken my son to the discipline of your father. That is going to be we could be the written Torah. The father is let's say more less flexible more concrete. The written word is concrete and there's no flexibility. But the oral Torah is like the mother. The instructions coming from your mother which we know that the the oral Torah is alive. It's viable and it's constantly changing in terms of the language. The principles are the same, but each generation is obligated to teach to the next generation. It's like they call a generation gap. If it was just written without a without oral instruction, it would be uh what's the word? It would be old-fashioned by uh you know two three generations. You know, we have radios, we have shabas elevators, we have cars on chabas, we have to talk about it that they didn't have that then. So the whole idea of the oral Torah being flexible, meaning flexible not in principle, the principles are the same. But when Joshua heard what he heard from Moshe, first of all, Moses did not tell over to Joshua word for word. He told him in a way that Joshua can understand and Joshua told the next generation in a way they can understand. And every generation needs to be able to explain the Torah in the way that that generation, the future generation can understand. So that's what it means. Don't abandon the Torah of your mother. Okay. So what the Kakar just did, he jumped from aim alanim in original chapter 32:12. uh that he was hit me with the Torah, which is then related to the children. And it says he didn't mention himself, but rather he hinted to the idea that that he was afraid that that um Asov was going to try to get the Torah away from him. And we read two verses, one Mish, Proverbs 2:3, the other one, Proverbs 1:8, relating to the word im or to your mother. And then he says alanim it's referring to the children meaning the toos who are our children our children really like by Noah it says and these are the children of Noah and then it says about his character rashi says what are the toos of the righteous it's your good actions it's your your shame to it's your good name it's your mim toim it's the mitzvah that you do or have done and that's what he says and god forbid if you don't have that. Well, let's just read what he says. It's the product of the righteous people. What's the product? Their good deeds. And he was afraid lest he come. And if he came and got rid of my Torah, then what would be left? As it says in Deuteronomy 29:17, uh perhaps there's among you a man, a woman, a family, or a tribe whose heart strays, but without Torah, your heart will stray. uh this day from the Lord our God to go and worship the deities of those nations. Perhaps there's among you a root in Hebrew root is a shores that produces um let's just say fungus and rot in the tree. So it's really an idea of god forbid if the root is bad then all the branches that stem out of the tree is also going to be bad. So that would be the result if he lost the Torah. There would only be negative things in the future for his for his children. And then he says um we're four lines up from the bottom of that paragraph on the right. He says a okay vesh Omar this is what it says when Yakov says it's in in Genesis 32:13 look number 18 Yakov is saying to God you said God I will surely do good with you I am certainly going to do good with you this was God's promise to the Jewish people that was God's promise to Yakov So the last line is the real good is the world to come. The world that's waiting for us. Well, remember how we started? If you don't have any pleasure in this world, you're like dead. We we're we're actually pleasure seekers. God created us. He we all know we love pleasure, right? Who doesn't love pleasure? But we have to choose between what we call real pleasure and counterfeit pleasure, right? Shrimp, lo or lobster, non-coosher meat, that's counterfeit pleasure. Lamborghinis, right? Unless you're using it for the some good purpose. But there's a lot of counterfeit pleasures in this world. We have a choice to go for the the kosher one, but we still get pleasure. We are pleasure seekers. So, Ravnok Weinberg gave this great seminar called the five levels of pleasure. And of course dus hashem and different levels of meaning is brings us pleasure right love relationships these are meaning these things bring us pleasure and you have to choose am I going to go save the whales or I'm going to try to save the Jews right from the river to the sea Israel will be free right something like that okay so he says Where would I ever get any kind of enjoyment from this world? This world if would take away from me would negate from me my Torah regarding these three things. Yakov was afraid. He was afraid of losing these three things or succumbing to the afflictions of these these three things that he sent him the first message. The first message look in uh 32 verse5 which is number 19 on the sor sheet and um and he commanded them saying meaning he commanded the angels saying so shall you say to my master to Asov thus says your servant Jacob I have sojjoined with loving and I have terried until now in Hebrew imgarti the aer very important. The word garti means I live with but he could have used other words. The Torah could have used other words uh to yosv, right? All kinds of words could have been used but he uses specifically the word garti. Garti rashi points out is a gamatria. It's not just a gamatria. It's the same letters as tarag. Why do we use the word tarag for the 613 mitzvah? because of the gamatria. But specifically, he used the word garti. He's saying I kept the Torah with this Russia. I was all the odds were against me. So, you know what I mean? Loving was a scoundrel and like his name Mr. White, right? Mr. White. You know, all those commercials for uh those toilet cleaners or the drain cleaners or whatever the cleaning supplies, they got Mr. White. He's going to get scrubbed away. or I think of the Ducas of Hazard. I don't know if you all remember that, but the mayor, the corrupt mayor, he all got dressed all up in white. But anyway, it's very funny that Lavan, his name is Mr. White. That's what his name is, Mr. White. So, Yakov's coming back and look what he says. Look at Rash. He explains it. So, the first idea is that I didn't become like very important. I was just a ge. I was just a stranger. Because you got to understand, Asov was upset that Yakov stole the blessings and Yakov was coming back and saying, "They had no effect on me. You have nothing to be upset about. Your blessing was you'd be a great leader. I wasn't a great leader. I was just a regular guy, right? Uh not worthwhile for you to hate me on account of your father's blessing, which you think I got. Um remember, one of the blessings is you will be a master of your brothers." Well, I was just a regular guy and it didn't really have an effect. But this is a little bit of deception. Even the word Yakov means to deceive. We're not going to get into that now. But um the most important explanation is the next part of that rashia number 19. It's underlined. Another explanation. The word Garti has a numerical value of 613. That's why we call them the tarag mitzvot. Um I live with the wicked love on but I kept the commandments. I kept the Torah and I didn't learn from his evil deed. In other words, it had no effect. I wasn't damaged by my association with love on. And what he's trying to say is it ain't going to happen with you either. I'm going to be you're not going to you're not going to steal my Torah. I already went through the trials and tribulations of being tricked left and right and center many times over and I didn't lose my Torah. You you you you're not going to do it either. Let's see how Clearar explains it when the last two lines on the right side [snorts] on page 87 Pion the first message that Yakov sends to Asav is imi and this hints in Russia that even though love was evil that Even though love and had the power to do with me all these three things, nevertheless, Yakov came out unscathed, un not damaged. And this is what he means when he says, "I kept all the 613. I kept the Torah. It didn't affect my Torah. didn't affect the Torah. And what was the next message he sent to him in verse six? He said to him, remember this is all related to the Torah. When he says I had now the way we speak, the more you have, right? If up until 10, let's say shekels. If I have up until 10 shekels, I'm going to say the word shekels. But once I get past number 10, it becomes singular. >> Okay, that's the that's the norm. Um, so when he said, "I have donkey, where is it?" Uh, see, I don't know why they translated dunkeys, but it says, "I have acquired oxen and dunkeys." That's the English translation, but in Hebrew, I have acquired an ox and a dunkey. Right? Look at the Hebrew. He says, but it does mean plural. Don't I get why they translate that. It's not a problem, but I just want you to see that. Um, so what is it about Ashure and Ashure is a hint to Yoseph. Yseph is referred to in the braha um by Moshe at the end of his life. At the end of Mo's life, he blesses Yseph as a shore and the kamore is by Yakov is blessing as a donkey and we'll see why. So what he was saying is the the he sent him the shore and the to show I got the Torah and you're not going to take it from me. Listen to the clear card. We're one, two, three, four lines down. So he said, "I have ox and I have donkey." Um, page 5B. Look in number 21 on the source sheet and it's really towards the very land. Go to the next page number four. Uh at the top of the page I underlined it. Um I just want to get to the point. The school of Elawa taught a person should always make himself subjugated to matters of Torah like an ox to a yoke and like a donkey to a burden. Okay, so that's the statement over there. Now, try to imagine try to imagine coming to a shear where you're the first one there. Try to imagine going to Davin where you're the guy that opens the door. Try to think that this is like not a burden but a pleasure to serve, right? that you take the take take an ox and he puts his head into that yoke. That's how we should be with Torah, right? That's we are kohani and we're an oy kadosh. We're a holy nation and a nation of priests. We should want to serve. Okay. Um just to show you in number 22 and 23 in Genesis 49:14, Yakar is a strong bone donkey. Rashi says he bears the yoke of Torah like a strong donkey. We'll see why. Because he was binimar had a special neck. He they were really big scholars and they knew how to advise the Jewish people about timing, when to go to war, when to invest or whatever, business-wise, anything to do with Torah and knowledge. And in number 23 in Deuteronomy 33:17, this was Moses' blessing to whom? To Yseph, to his firstborn oxo huddo is his glory given. Um, and he will gore peoples together as it says. Um, just while we're there in 1st Chronicles 12:32, and the sons of Yakar, those who had an understanding of the times to know what Israel should do, they were advising the Jews how to not just interpret the Torah, but how to apply it when it came to times. Their chiefs were 200, and all their brethren obeyed their word. Go back into the clear. The last thing we said was Leam that he says in Gmorazar, a person should always um place upon themselves the words of Torah like a o ax going into the yoke and like a donkey carrying a burden. Therefore, car Yakov Ysef shore. The truth is it was Moses that called Yakov the shore and Yakov did call to the tribe of Ysaka as a donkey. These two brothers learned Torah more than all the other brothers. We already saw by the quote is from 1 Chronicles 12:32 32 where it says the only way they could actually teach and instruct is because they knew more Torah and Yseph it says initi all the Torah that Yseph that um that Yakov had learned remember he spent 14 years in where in Bashva in the yeshiva of Sheaman all that Torah that he learned he specifically gave it over to one of his sons I'm not saying he didn't learn Torah with the others but he learned specifically of course during the first 17 years anyway of Yoseph's life until unfortunately that he was sold. But Huh? >> Said one of his sons. >> No, it was Yakov. It says here These two sons, these two tribal leaders, they learn the most Torah or let's say the tribes learn the most Torah. And we saw already by Yakar, there's something unique and special about their relationship with Torah being and by according to the medish that Yseph is the one that got the full brunt of the Torah learning that Yakov had learned in the Yeshiva. love. It's very interesting because we're going to come across this again towards the end that this hints that Yakov when he left's house, he was shal. He was perfectly complete with his Torah. So that's Torah. What about his money? He was afraid that that Yah that Asov was going to afflict him with money issues, become impoverished. Well, he sent them the message, the third message, he said. So, in verse six, which we already read, um verse six, where is it? It was maybe it's number 20 on the source sheet. I have acquired ox and donkey, flocks, man servants and maid servants that I have sent to tell this to my master to find favor in my eyes. What is it about the fact that he sent flocks manervant and maidervant? It says in likrit ashtarot it is true there's a pik um that mentions uh that the flock are called ashtarot. We find this in Deuteronomy somewhere but basically asht what we call flocks. Why are they called ashtarotim? According to the Gomorrah that causes the owners of flocks to become wealthy. What a great idea. You know if you're having uh some financial problems become a shepherd and you'll be rich. I think it means that either it was a good you know a good what's the word? A good occupation. It could be. In other words, there are certain times of the years you're going to sell a lot like before Pesak, maybe for the other Hag game, you'll send a sell a lot of sheeps. Maybe just in general, it's a good business. But I think be based on the idea that if you give me micer maser, you will become rich. You like you're allowed to test Hashem. There's such a thing called maser behema. You also have to micer tithe your animals. So this could be an opportunity to expand your your opportunity to give that could be. But anyway, the kin definitely says that they're called ash because they cause so when he sent his flocks by him, right, that it was to show him that he did not get affected by the money. And what about the women, the the man's servants and the female servants? It says in Gmor Shabas, who's considered rich? Kufos vaku vadim someone who has a 100 fields and 100 servants who can work those fields. I looked up and theorim seemed to explain. So I want to know what was the secret about 100. It seems like it's an aguzma some type of exaggeration. It probably just means if you have a lot of servants and fields you're good to go. You're considered rich. Okay. What about his body? his body. He wanted to show I wasn't affect afflicted either. So he does say I was delayed until now. Right? All part of verse six. When he says I delayed until now, he's trying to say I lived with him in peace. This evil person, I somehow was able to work it out and got along with him. But it was something called peace. like it says in Isaiah in the future when Messiah comes and we're looking forward to that day. He obviously did not come yet because the lamb does not lie down with the wolf as it says in Isaiah 11:6 and where is it on the source sheet number 28. And the wolf shall live with the lamb. And a leopard shall lie with a kid. And a calf and a lion club cub and the fatling shall lie together. And a small child shall lead them. In Hebrew. Okay. So far so good. He's saying I I lived in peace. And so therefore, as the verse ended, he sent this message in order to try to tell his adversary that you should find favor in your eyes for me, right? Find favor. He doesn't want to become damaged in any of these three things. You don't damage me. I don't want you to damage me. I want you to find favor in your eyes. And why is that? Listen to this. I don't know if you can relate to this. Hopefully, none of us can. But a person who's afflicted with these three things, can you imagine someone with soores all over their body? Who wants to be around such a person? But we also know poor people who hopefully we're we were full of and love that we can handle poor people. But in the real world out there, poor people are shunned. Who wants to be, you know, you go to, I don't know, a fancy dinner and the guy's not dressed properly and he doesn't have the proper etiquette. You kind of uh you wonder what he's doing there. Listen to the words. Someone who's afflicted with these three things which we said were blindness, soras, leprosy, or poverty. The word muksa has two connotations. It either means pushed away. let's say like almost you know uh what's the word I'm looking for like almost like excommunicated from society right you're pushed away which obviously a mitsura someone who lep has leprosy certainly is but impoverished and and blind or in this case if we're talking about you know uh a healthy body or or or having money or Torah so or muksa could be from the other word of um to be disgusted. So the question is either way either way you're pushed aside from society at the time you're afflicted with your body and even at times when people are impoverished then what happens is the person who's poor is hated obviously that's not the Torah away. But that's the way of the world. It says in Proverbs 22:1, "A name is chosen above great wealth. Good favor over uh silver and gold." Really, Rashi says a good name above great wealth. Good favor is chosen. Okay, but it's still high up there. People do appreciate money. And what about Torah? So it's written about Torah the also in proverbs 5:1 19 a lovely hind and a graceful mountain goat her breast will satisfy you at all times you shall always be intoxicated with her love this is talking about wisdom it's talking about the Torah in fact we talk about having novel ideas we like get ecstatic we have like a uh a mind-blowing moment when we see something new in the Torah that we haven't seen before right our souls connect to it. It's a love and it's intoxicating love. But it specifically says here about this um it happens to be and I you know you forgive me there are women listening. It's a of a sexual nature that um the the husband of the of this female is has such enjoyment every time he is with her because her hips are so narrow that it feels like it's the first time. So that's a reference over there. And when the angels came back and they responded that guess what? He's coming with 400 men. He's coming to you. He's coming to you. That's when Yakov understood he needs to establish or set up these three barriers. These three as we said Doron which are gifts to which is prayer and set up for war which was splitting up the the family doron we understand the gifts he gave that was parallel to the moneyo he doesn't want to be affect afflicted with with poverty so he gave him a gift it's it's a trick it's what are you going to call a scheme it's what he needed to do to counter the wish that he didn't have money. So he tried to win favor by giving money. The mil that would be parallel to his body, right? He it was parallel that he was coming to damage his body. That's what you do in war. I mean, that's what you're supposed to do, right? Uh I don't know if Israel learned that lesson, but when you go to war, you finish them off, right? Okay. And what about toil? The idea of is actually related to Torah. That this is parallel that he's coming to to damage to affect my Torah. Like it says in Psalms [clears throat] 32:6. Where is that on the source sheet? [snorts] Um I think it's actually seven. Uh no it's number 32. Uh it's 326. It's s number 32. Um, and we're going to deal with this verse. This is the last paragraph, so hang in there. The verse says, "For let every pious man pray to you at a time." Remember, we're trying to put plug in tora and the word right in Hebrew also is referring to Torah and also Ace matzo, the time [clears throat] is to be found. Also, Torah is a mitsia. It's a find. It's like when you find, you're walking down the street, you find a gold bar. Wow. Right. You're learning the Torah. It's like amazing. It's a mitsia. Um rock. Then last part of the verse, rock levim that the prayer is that the flood of vast waters shouldn't over overcome. They shouldn't reach him. Let's just see what the clear car has to say about this. And he says we're on the second to the top line. Um what does it mean? The word this is Torah. The word mats. It's a find. And that's what it also means when it says alois. When it says regarding this, you shall pray Ella el Torah as we know Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 44 and we say it every morning read the Torah right when we hold up the Torah. This is the teaching which Moses set before the children of Israel, right? So Zoe is Torah. What about Tila? Okay, the word if you look in the art scroll sitter it says the wordah is a language of ple we what israel was given to yakov is another name because he strove he fought with god and won when we and we have plenty of Jews who have you know tinus holocaust survival whatever we we're here to like Abraham he fought with god if you could only find 50 or 45 or 40 righteous people. See, Noah did not fight with God. He just did everything God wanted. That's why he's a non-Jew. He's a gentile. The Jew is Yeshel is to fight with God. Also means straight to God. No interference, no intermediary. But it also means that you strove, you fought with God. Listen to this. What is Tila? the the arts girl sitter says le pale is from ple ple is a serious investigation to high crime it's but it's reflexive we do it when we pray we're meditating on our desires that's future our past our present where we're holding what we did wrong where we should straighten ourselves out okay listen to this he says to feel is lush and pit It's called like a legal dispute to have a legal dispute with your maker, your creator. And what's the conversation like many mitzvah? Jacob is saying or King David whoever if God forbid you should take away from me the Torah mitzvah what's going to happen to your great name that if the Torah is taken away from me your name will be a disgrace just think about what Moses says when God says I'm gonna wipe out the Jewish people I'm gonna start just with you he says I mean he said a lot of things but one of the things says, "What do you think the the the Egyptians are going to say? I mean, right, you're going to wipe out the Jews to just to die in the desert. The whole thing was a big your name would not be made great if you do that." Had a conversation. So, he says, "That's what it means." Going back to that verse I said was very cryptic. We said the aim is talking about Torah, the mother. Don't forget, don't abandon the Torah of your mother that he was afraid that the Torah would be erased. That's what it means. He's going to hit the aim alim the mother on the children as we mentioned. And then also when Jacob says you said that you're going to only improve the situation, how am I going to have a good situation if you're mitzvah? All good only comes from Torah mitzvah. And that's why he says in verse 11, chapter 32:1, are we on the last page yet? I know it's here somewhere. Let's see. Anybody find it? Number 37. So Jacob says, "I have become small from all the kindness and from all the truth that you have rendered your servant. For with my staff I crossed the Jordan and now I have become two camps." So I have become small. What does that mean? Rashi Rashi says which I unfortunately I don't have here. I do look on the very top of page six. See he knows he knows that he was in he's standing in good when he left Israel and God promised him that I'm going to be with you and therefore great but perhaps I messed up somewhere. In other words, how much confidence? Says never be so confident in yourself until the day of your death. So Rashi says, I have become small. My merits have diminished because of the kindness and the truth you have rendered me. In other words, God has given me so much. I I owe him. He doesn't owe me anything. I am so indebted to him. I owe him. When you owe somebody, you don't know if you're going to be able to pay up, but you're in debt. So he feels indebted. He says, "God has done so much more for me than I've done for him. Therefore, I fear lest I became sied, sullied with sin since the time you promised me. Even though you promised me, but maybe since then I, you know, failed and therefore it will cause me to be delivered into Asav's hand. Perhaps I am not living up to the standards I should." And that's what Rashi says. This is understood to those who understand it. Remember the idea of giving gifts that was mentioned the idea was to either to um appease or to be forgiven. Now the word puna as a gift but the word punov is used a p of oer the word punov is referring to wealth. How do we know? It says in a mid based on a in a Pik Genesis 41:56, we're like just a few sources to the end. Now, the famine, this is back in Egypt, the famine spread over all the face of the land. Yseph, I don't know if you're aware of this. Yseph, we know that that he predicted there was going to be seven good years. And he told and suggested and advised Pharaoh, collect everything, put it in the storehouses so that when the next seven years of famine hit, you'll have what? To feed the people. So once the famine began, the famine became so bad that it was over all the face of the land. What does it mean over what we think it means? Okay, it means like you know physically on the face of the earth. No, it was from the rich. Once the rich, in other words, you don't open the storehouses until the rich don't have, right? I'm talking about the corrupt society here, not this is Egypt. So, uh, basically the people were suffering, but they didn't open the storehouses until it affected the rich. That's what it means. Now, the famine spread over the face of the earth. Look at Rashi. Rashi says, "Who are the face of the earth? These are the rich." So, let's go back to the clear last two lines. These are the rich. Meaning to say that that the wealth that he was um lit up with or he was um uh chasing after was basically as an appeasement an appeasement as a gift. Now I just want to summarize these last five lines because this is really this goes on and on and on for pages. But if you just read it after the fact that Yakov was not affected by these three things, look in verse um it's Genesis 33:18. It's number 39. It's the last source. It says Yakov came safely to the city of Shm which is in the land of Cananan when he came. But look in the Hebrew the Yavo Yakov Shalim Yakov came home complete. He came home with peace but complete complete in what way? Shalomo shalomo shato. After he left love in his house, he came back complete perfect with his body, with his money and his Torah. He didn't lose any of that. And these are parallel to what we mentioned. These are the things that he feared that may affect him in. So look, I don't know what you got out of it. We we discussed a lot. Hopefully you learned a little bit of Hebrew. Hopefully you learned some basic principles of Judaism. how important Torah is, how important it is to follow the Torah, and you wouldn't have learned what we learned tonight had you not been at a Torah class. So, I [clears throat] hope that uh >> Huh? >> Can't hear you. >> With chant. Yes. Don't forget if you come on time, you get to have some chanting. Anyway, again, if you want the English sheets, send me an email. My email is on the web page uh down below. You can donate. We It's a big mitzvah, not just to donate for the soldiers uh that are converting. This is to fill the big toillin drive that we've been doing for the last two years, but also yan. We have a new building. We have a budget. And this was our first year. Now, we know what our budget cost us. and it's all written up on our web page and you can be a partner. There are bookshelves all around me with already some labels. We're going to do the books as well. There are sets of books here that cost thousands of shekels and one could uh um make a dedication to a loved one or for a good purpose. And with that anyway, we will not be we will be meeting next week. Am I right? When's Hanukkah start? >> Yeah. So we we're we're next week we're meeting and uh we're having a big Hanukkah party here uh Tuesday night Rabbi Bridowitz. So you're all invited to that. And no, next Sunday we're going to Rabbi Singer's debate. Most of us are going to see Rabbi Singer debate, a Christian missionary. In the meantime, I'm going to just say to everyone, have a great week. And I always say this now, it's the winter that we pray it should rain in the right amount, the right time, and the right places. And you know what I mean. We'll see you next week. [music and singing] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [singing] [music]