Mystical Insights into Hoshana Rabba with Rabbi Aaron Dovid Poston

[Music] You my birthday. [Music] We've been working together with the Sima Center with uh common flax and his beautiful introductions with music to almost all of the sharim. If it's not the introduction, we we we flip it back into it. Uh so uh common rabbi k has been teaching at ya center on Sunday nights for a while now and you're invited to join in. It'll be uh after sukus is over we'll start again >> and uh I chose to talk about simp a little bit which really today happens to be shana the ultimate the the final day and uh I think we should all take I think to heart as common mentioned in hashishir that that Hosana Rabba is he didn't mention it specifically he talked about the 10 Nazis being hung finally the interesting story is in McGillis Esther you can't hear me >> you can you come closer >> McGillis Esther I'll speak in McGillis Esther There were these for 2,500 years there was these small letters that was unknown why they were small but that's the tradition we keep the tradition having these small letters and it comes out alto together because the large v and the small letters is 5706 and 5706 on hosana raba which our tradition says is the final judgment on the gentiles the final so to speak. >> What do we have? This trial took place earlier in the year in the secular year and there was appeal after appeal. They could have been hung and perhaps they should have been hung. Obviously, they shouldn't have been hung. They were hung later. But uh because of their appeals, it was pushed off till 5706. And where do these small letters appear? In the names of Human Sons. Not only did Hman have 10 sons that were hung, he had a daughter who committed suicide. And one of the I'm going to say 11, there were actually 11 on trial. And one of them was I don't know they say a crossdresser, whatever that means and wherever that takes you >> and he and he committed suicide. But one of them screamed as he was on his way to the gallows. Pormfest >> 1936. >> And the truth is >> 46. >> Porm 1946. Porm is in the spring. What in the world was he saying? It was a message to us for sure. Just like everything that's happening in this world, it's a message for us. I don't know what it means that perhaps our captives, the captives, the Jewish captives will be released >> on Hosana Rabba. We don't know. We don't know what it means, but it means something. >> It means something. So today and there's a gamor that uh may seem very strange. This is said about hill senry. Let's get the other sheet. So was it was taught in a bracer. This this page has several things referring to hill. So there's an additional bryer regarding things were that were stated in the temple at the simpl. This is what they said about Hillaza that he was so joyful at this party that took place due to the den on water. We have a misura that we do a water libation on on the uh the hag of sukas throughout the the different days and it was great joy. I think uh mentioned about that but the uh the somersaults and the the the dancing at the would almost come to making fools of themselves but of course they weren't they were doing a shame shay for the sake of heaven very similar to we spoke about melik for the sake of Torah not for his own sake not for his own ga but when hillel was being joy joyful and rejoicing at the sima He would darian. He would teach Torah in front of the masses. Why? He was trying to strengthen them in faith. They shouldn't come to sin. Of course, that is what leaders, rabbis, teachers, and friends try to do for each other to make other people more righteous. First, you have to start with yourself, but then share share the blessing with others. [Music] He said that God said the came that's accuri that God said and maybe I shouldn't have given that away. Let's just say this is what he said. I mean that sounds very gadic. It sounds the opposite of hum of being humble. If I'm here, everyone's here. Okay, we have people in this generation that would say that. They walk into the party. I'm here. Everyone's here. What did he mean by that? So according to Rashi which we will see he's speaking for imagine Mosher Rabenu when he spoke God's voice emanated from his went in his body out of his throat into the air. That was not Mosha's voice that we heard. That was Baraku's voice that we heard. This is Yehuda Nasi. Well, actually right now we're talking about Hillel. But when when Yehuda Hani Revi spoke also there's Makur where he says Revi Omar an Om. What was that? Why does he have to say in an what is ani? So far according to Rashi we're saying it's the name of God. So, hashem is he's saying the whole time we have a base mikdash that God wants his to dwell there. So, sorry. So, his honor is in existence and everyone comes here to have a relationship, a special relationship with Hashem. By the way, unfortunately, we all know that we don't have a basin mikdash today, but tomorrow we may. In the meantime, we have mashot study halls and synagogues and they will act as but the true beta mikdash is in existence right now in heaven and we're waiting for it to come down. In the meantime, we have to produce it within our hearts. Let's not forget that the an I'm sorry. If I'm not here, man, who's here? Who is here? He's really saying that if the Jewish people would sin that the would be removed. So, who would come if the is not there? Why would we come to the base of Mikdash? We want to come to the base of Mikdash because of the Now, the truth is he lived in the second temple period. And it's a good question. You might ask, was the actually in the second temple? The answer is of course not in its fullness. Right? Even the miracles that would happen on a daily basis, 10 of them in the first temple, only five of them in the second temple. So you do have an aspect of the let's not let's not forget that. Now there are some really I don't know if anybody's familiar with the gammor mita but I highly recommend if you're interested in learning gamorra in depth with all the maforim and the questions that we should have asked they're they're right there on the page in the matifa. So he says what I just mentioned about the difference between the first and second temple. Nevertheless, there was a bit of the theina there during the second temple. Okay, I just want to read Rashi real quick for you so you understand what Rashi is saying that it was Hashem that uh if the word ani isn't is representing Hashem sounds very strange. I mean unless it's God speaking, right? So Rashi says that to help to help people become more righteous so they wouldn't sin as if he was speaking in God's name so to speak. Can you imagine speaking on behalf of God? The whole time I desire to be in this place and my presence, divine presence is in this place. So then the glory of God is in existence and everyone will flock everyone will come and if we send then the would be removed okay so that's clear in Rashi that the word ani is referring to Hashem in fact just so we should have some clarity here what do we say during hos during the the hashas we say and we're going to be saying it also in simp but what is what is I mean at least my English translations that I have don't translate it's like why not interestingly enough there are um three verses in the Torah I'm going to pass this around so you'll see it in uh in Exodus 14:19-21 There are only three verses in the entire Torah that have 72 letters that are consecutive back to back. And not only the back to back, the way the the when we say 72let name of Hashem, we're not even talking about well there is a 72let name of Hashem, but there's also threeletter names of Hashem. And I'm going to show you the graph. We'll talk about it shortly just as a a quick glance, a sneak peek, sneak preview, and I'll pass that around too. You take these three verses. This is by the splitting of the sea. And you start with verse 19 with the first letter. Then you go to the last letter of verse 20 and then back to the first letter of verse 21. And you do that 72 times alto together. And I'll just read the verses in English. They're just so beautiful. If you really just think about it, no one verse is more special than the next. They're all one. They're all God's holy name. From the bet of Rashe to the lament of Israel at the end. Then the angel of God who had been going in front of the Israelite camp moved and went behind them and the pillar of cloud moved away from in front of them and stood behind them. And he came between the camp of Egypt, the camp of Israel, and there were the cloud and the darkness. and it illuminated the night, and one did not draw near the other all night long. What happened next? Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord led the sea with a strong east wind all night, and he made the sea into dry land, and the waters split. Salvation, these three verses represent, I guess, the beginning, the pinnacle, the middle, something to do with salvation. And I want to pass this around and you'll see that the first there's 72 left. If you split 72 in half, it's 31 through 36. And then the next line, 37- 72. >> Words for letters. >> All right. >> There's 73 words made up of the three verses that each have 72 letters. And the way it's done is called Yeshar. You go straight read. We write right to left. Then we're not reading it but we're counting it. The second verse left to right in terms of numbering and then the opposite direction in that last verse. Okay. So the first of 36 is Vo and the 37th number name is Ani. These are names of Hashem. Ani Vo. Now what does it really mean? It's not translated. Ani is me. >> And what's who? It's really who. It's just a devalization. It's him. It's he. Me and him. Who's God speaking about? The Jewish people. We're going to see. So I'll pass this around. This is the ultimate of aus of the unity of Hashem. The vas of Hashem with his chosen people. Now I just want to show you another idea. This is what's that? That's the same chart. No. So this is this the chart with name number one who then number 37 is an okay chart. I just want to focus on the 18th name. >> God's why. How do you know that? >> Of course, it means that. Yeah. So, listen to this. >> I don't know if you ever ran into anybody who doubts the Jewish people, the chosen people, but there are people out there who say to us, you're you you have 613 mitzvah. You can't do them all. It's ridiculous. You cannot be saved. You cannot find salvation. You need something else because you cannot do the mitzvah. You're doomed. It's a setup. They say to find out that you're doomed and you need some other remedy. That's you've heard. I've heard that. Guess what? It's only through through absolute unity which we have been I'm going to say trying to create since onward then we do and then we have rash and we're crowning Hashem as king right and then we're doing the 10 days of chuva even more where we're actually apologizing to people because you know what you've all heard the statement you have been between man and God between man and You will never be able to uh be forgiven for the sins between man and men unless you make up and try and make amends or seek forgiveness. The trick is this. It's on the whole statement. It's you may have thought it's only the mitzvah between man and man that you have to work on in order to find forgiveness for the those mitzvah. No, no, no. Even the mitzvah between man and God, you're not forgiven for if you don't make these attempts and tries to make up between man and man. We spoke about this before. The we're all God's children. How does a parent feel when his children are fighting? Right? And someone wronged the child. They're not so forgiving. Okay, Hashem is. But when it comes to the Jewish people and we we're seeing it, we're seeing it with our own eyes. what's happening. Okay, he's going to take it out and maybe that's another reason why we're going to also uh whip the uh the aravos tomorrow because it is the final judgment day for the for the non-Jews. So the 18th name is why have you heard this expression Hashem is so we all think I shouldn't say we all I thought that what it meant was that if I want to do a mitzvah and I'm anus and I'm not able to do the mitzvah God's going to me give me credit he's going to give me credit because he's combining my good thoughts with some kind of action never took place That may be true and it probably is true. There's a much deeper level in terms ter terms of listen to these words. There's a Jew somewhere on the other side of the world doing a mitzvah maybe without the whole proper intent and there's a Jew somewhere else wishing he could do that mitzvah trying to do that mitzvah. He either doesn't have the money or he doesn't have the opportunity. Who knows? But he has the right intent and the other Jew has the right actions. Hashem is the to the to the thought to the actions that the Jew who done did the action without proper intent gets just as much credit because God's combining the guy who thought about doing the mitzvah but didn't have the opportunity. And they're going to share the credit. They're going to share the credit. Isn't that beautiful? And this is how we are fulfilled Jews. I couldn't believe that's what the words they were trying to convince me. I cannot become a fulfilled Jew because I can't do all the mitzvah. I can do all the mitzvah if I'm part of the community if I'm part of Israel and we're sharing the same ultimately we're sharing the same soul. So, so you're doing a piece of so rightfully is to become a full vessel you need to include everybody. Remember there's certain mitzvah only for the kim only for the levim and and even break it down there's some only for agricultural people for you know business people for married people right there's different mitzvah only collectively can we do all the mitzvah okay the best thing is also to learn you learn about them you get credit but just imagine the camaraderie that we have we know we're all individuals and you have a natia for painting and the other one for sculpting thing and the other one for playing music. We can make a museum. Whatever it is, we can make a harmony, right? An orchestra. It's so beautiful. If only we This is God's name. But why is it the 18th? Because you're supposed to live through them. What is the subject? The mitzvah. This is 18th name to live through the mitzvah. live to do the mitzvah only as a whole, as a community. Just another idea. It's really off subject, but I want to get back to some of the commentary we speak about. Maybe you've heard this expression, wherever you find God's greatness, you find his humility. Hill Zakim was actually coined brought down the nits of the Nishama Mosherenu who was the greatest humble you know the most humblest of all right he had the most amount of him humility there's no way he came and said like some of these grandiose figures into the party if I'm here everyone's here he was saying I am part of I'm Israel and that's according to Shami that he was speaking for himself i.e He as a Jew part of Amis Isisrael. Amus Israel the name of God anu that God's own name in in terms of being connected. That's how we're going to be saved. The salvation comes through number one the beginning of the efforts that we make to have a relationship with our fellow Jew. Should love your fellow Jew as yourself. That's how some translate it. That's how we all translate it. Don't forget Hashem is your friend. He's also your Okay. So, it's a double I don't know if they I don't know if it's called a d what do they call it? A tandra. >> I'm not so sure, but whatever. It's the same phrase is used for both. Our relationship with God and our relationship with our fellow human beings. So, going back to this one statement, where you find God's humility, that's where you find his greatness. >> Destination. >> Huh? Say it. Invas. So watch this. You all know there's many many too many different ways to count gamachis, right? There's the regular standard view that's going to be here. Then you have what they call and uh common alluded to it for a moment and then skipped over it, but okay. It's called misvi method. So basically you spell out the whole letter. So olif looks like an olive but it's spelled olive lid pay and then there's a gamachi attributed to it. That's 111 bet 111. Then you have bet bet your tough 412. Now if you take yud k and vavv because you don't you don't really have to do the other a but in the meantime if you do just those just looking at the fullness they're way off the charts in terms of being small numbers. Now god created the universe he created language he created the alphabet or alphabet as we know and he created the whole gamashria system. He made his own name Yuk V smaller all four letters which equals up to 54 smaller than just the next one in line which is Alamid is sorry Gimmel 73 >> take a look take a look >> where's the 54 come from >> okay >> where does the 54 come from >> you're looking at the you're looking at it so for example look at on the right Five. Hey. Hey. Olive. >> It's six. The gamachi of hey when you spell it out is six. V 22. Yud is 20. Yudvalid. Now I have a summary on the bottom. Yud V. That's 20 + 6 + 22 + 5. I'm sorry. I didn't wrong. I did it wrong. Uh plus six. Sorry. Uh case 21. 21. So it's 55. I think that's how it works. Then look look at the lowest value. Gimmel was 73. God's own name is the sm is smallest than even any other letter yud. And even yud alone which is God's name that's 26. That that name alone in its fullness. Okay. I want to pass that around. You can see it. Now in terms of the word mitzvah in a mitzvah we have many meditations before we do a mitzvah the bra alone is to help us bring intent and a to bring hashem's yud together with the vke is another meditation we should have this in mind that we're completing the name of god by doing mitzvah now think about the atbash on the bottom of the page the one I g passed around. So the word mitzvah, what's the root? >> You heard of the word >> se is a group of people working in tandem for a common goal, right? You might have a street cleaner, you might have a tax collector, but the city's got a function. Or the banquet hall, you have people set the tables, you have people bringing the food, and you have somebody behind a counter cooking the food. They're all or the security guard. They're all trying to make everyone comfortable and safe and fed, right? It's a te. So the root rashi says twice in shas the word mitzvah means to unify to bring everything together. So in theash, so the alith is equal to a tet like an a to a zbash bet to a shin that would be like a b to a y. In fact, if you look up at Bbash on Wikipedia, it'll say it's a Hebrew uh code that the United States used in World War II when they fought with the Japanese and that helped win the war. The atbash method. But anyway, going back. So, mitzvah meadic the me we Sorry, let me just see that a second. >> The other one. The other one. Yeah. Can I see it please? So the me is the fifth letter if you go backwards. Am I right? You got tough shin re no sadic. >> Okay. So so the sadic is the hey. It's the fifth letter. Okay. And the mem is yud. So me sadik is really y and it's connected to the v mitzvah the word mitzvah you have the v and the hey of god's name at the end in the beginning you have the meadic which is really yudhe in the atbash and we're transforming right the messadic into the yud by doing the mitzvah and bringing together the yud with the vi ultimately to bring Hashem back to himself, so to speak. We're He's in exile. Why are we dvening? We're Oh, bring us out of exile. Bring us out of exile. He's in exile. Right? We know that we should be crying for the which is in exile. We have these signs. Bring them home. Bring them home. Now, who are they? Who are they? Us. We're also like when I think about the Holocaust, was my family directly affected? Every Jew was directly affected. Some more than others in terms of direct. We all being held hostage. Not only now, most of us are considered shinishba. What does that mean? That we were in exile. We're in other countries. It's true. We're there to spread the word. We're there to spread the message and collect the sparks, to raise the sparks and bring them home, but we're also affected, right, by doing our mission. And Hashem will forgive us >> for many of the foreign ideas and the foreign customs that we've accustomed ourselves to. But we have to go to the mikvah and we have to shed them. We have to get debrainwashed or brain get get rid of all the the schmutz, right? So we're all so when I saw those signs the signs when I saw these signs bring them home I couldn't help but pray for our brothers and sisters who also need to come home and this could be a sign this could be a big sign in fact I didn't do the but Rabbi Kessen says that 5786 is the gamash of Samakos the 10 plagues And we all know the 10 plagues were what? Were for our benefit. It was yud v not the god representing of din but of mercy for us. Okay. So this was to show his mastery. There were no witnesses to creation of the world. We have a we have the Torah that tells us but nobody witnessed it. But God replayed. It was like a replay. It was recapturing, understanding that he's the master over all creation through the witnessing of the 10 plagues. And this is what I'm not predicting at all. It could be this year that the whole world will come to the final realization. >> It will happen questions when uh that one everyone will recognize that God is one. the the the God of Israel is the the God who created the universe and we are their repres we are God's representatives we are his true servants and we all know the rest of the story the k will serve the k the non-Jews will help us serve Hashem properly they won't be going against us they won't be preventing us there's there's there was no hesitation for them to give us the boost we need to serve of properly will see all of our brothers come home. But most of all, we have to wash our own brains out a little bit and get rid of some of the the uh >> the schmutz from from from >> and uh I I I don't think I'm going to go through much, but there's some really there's some really good comments here. Um maybe I will just spend just a short period of time on it. So Hillel's name is 65 the gamatria and so is ado nai. So even by him saying I am here everyone is here he was really talking again according to rashi in god's name. So that's one of the simple uh shot. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Wow. Um, so this is another idea. It's a little bit hard to explain, but I'll do the best I can. That is brought down. Why does it say this by Hill specifically at the Sim Ba and he brings down? Because the Ba Mikdash, the Ba Mikdash was created by our hands. I know we hope one day it's going to come from heaven, but I think the way to reconcile with the Rambam that we have a mitzvah to do it, we have to start. There's something that we have to do. But like I said, the B um Bessio, their own synagogues are like a small baked kessid baked medish. But what it is it of course this house cannot contain God, right? He himself you think it can contain me. There's like a certain presence, a certain way we can relate him to that. So he says like this, it's such a small thing that can contain so much. Wait till you hear the way I'm going to translate it and the understanding. It's precisely in the little this little t this little building that we're going to invite the most high to serve by the work of our hands. There's something we're actually doing to create something above anything we ever have could even think of. Our mind is extremely limited, right? Hashem is the ultimate. There's no limitations to cloud. So this little home that we're building for the Almighty is actually like symbolic of what we are. We are so creative. I mean I don't have to tell you how many Nobel prizes Jews have won compared to the rest of the world. And it's not because we're sitting on the committee for sure or not. Right? We're we're the most detested and hated people around. And yet for some reason 25% of the Nobel Peace Prizes that changed the world and made the world a better place. I think we're 0.02% of the world population. I know America maybe is 2%. But when you take the world population, it's 0.02. It's an unbelievable amount. So hear this. This idea lends to so many possibilities because you're having containing the almighty in such a small space that just think of your brain your the spirituality the potential we have it's unmeasurable immeasurable you know what I mean >> it's unfathomable and uh it's beyond comprehension and who knows where it will Back to what Kmen was speaking about also in terms of prayer. Prayer also becomes reality. Whether the arobas we're going to be have to do with the lips and mak our prayer. Let's figure out a way to use our speech properly for Torah for Muser for sharing joyful things. I'm including myself being less critical of others, right? But to figure out a way to glue to have the vicus. I'm gonna say another thing. I I don't think I've ever said this on camera before, but I'll say it. I was told that before someone converts, a non-Jew, before he converts, even though he's a Jewish soul, he's not able to fully comprehend the oneness, the unity of Hashem until after conversion. And I think I figured it out. This is my own hypothesis. And that's because once they convert, it's it's like the reality is on the ground. You are like they'll ask you in the basin, are you ready to be a persecuted person? You know, we're persecuted. You ready to join us? And so we're compared to a sheep. A sheep is a small, fragile, sensitive animal. I know it looks very big because of all the wool and the hair on it, but it's a very sensitive small animal. And if it stubs its toe, the whole animal shutters. That's the Jewish people. One Jew suffers. Can you imagine what the torment that we've gone through for the last two years? Can't imagine the people that are even closer. Everyone knows somebody. But this is also for Arapora, right? Whatever. And I think I think our our Chuva was accepted. We'll see. But uh it look it's looking good, but I don't know. I don't think we're out of the waters yet. I'm not making a prediction. I think it's already happened. I didn't I just heard about it. It's going to be a lot of infighting with the uh different types of tribes over there. And uh we hope the best man wins or doesn't win, but let them uh let them settle their disputes without us. That's all I can say. And this coming into simple Torah, we're all going to try to dance our feet off. And um what do we do at my house for for some of you been to my house for Havda? Maybe you've been to Havdala. We laugh. Soon as we as soon as we say and the new week begins, we have a statement. All beginnings are difficult. What greater way to begin the week with a smile, right? It's going to bring endorphins, going to bring uh chemicals through your body that's going to give you a lift that you're going to use for that week. The beginnings, the beginnings are always difficult. Don't forget that. But you have a community, you have friends, and hopefully if you don't have spouses, you'll find your spouses. And that also catapults you into right and to have a a good and meaningful fulfilled life. So I wish everyone ava and a good year and a good winter and hopefully have enough rain this year to get us out of the situation we're in. [Music] She [Music] never [Music] sh my