The Children of Israel Were Armed When They Went Up From Egypt with Rabbi Aaron Dovid Poston

Heat. Heat. [music] [singing] [music] [singing] >> [music] [singing] [music] [singing] >> Shalom and welcome back to the midash. Welcome home to Torah. A warm welcome home to Torah. Um Esther, you have to mute yourself. Sorry. Just let you know. Can you do that? >> Okay, good. Okay, I'm sorry. She left. Sorry. Shalom. Welcome back to the midash. Welcome home to Tori. Warm welcome. As you know that we work with the Hebrew sheets. So, I encourage you to go into the link below and see the uh the original sheets. Um you can also view past Shirim and we deal with the clear. The clear is the basis for our discussion. And there's another safer that he wrote called the ear gioreim. Many many are not familiar with the ear gibber but it's by the same author schlomits themed muk of the maral and of the schlawes and what we're going to see I'm telling you now you'll never look at the kish the same way if this is true right he has a great msur he has a great tradition of transmission of the to from sai and he deals with a lot of ethics Right? I mentioned before the villagon says the prime purpose of our actions in this world is for tikun hamidos to work on our character. So when we read the verse and we're going to read it now in chapter 13 of Exodus verse 17 and it came to pass when Pharaoh sent the people right he sent the people elimin which would have been a shorter way as we see in Rashi much shorter more direct Why? The puss seems to say for it was near. Okay, so it was close. And if they, as you'll see, if they got afraid because of war, it was so close. It was so easy easy to return back to Egypt. That's what the verse certainly seems to say. For it was near. Because God said, "Lest the people reconsider." Again, the word here, we said it meant lead. It also can mean to change their minds to reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt. Simple shot. We've grown up with this. We've learned this over and over again. They could have gone the more direct route right up the northern part of Sai. Right into Gaza. Right. Right through Erit Israel. Right through the scenai to Israel. And that's certainly what Rashi explains. When you hear this what the clear card is going to say, you'll like I said, you'll never look at again the same way. You'll have to know there are deeper cabalistic uh secrets. It's the Torah is the instruction for living. It's it's an instruction book. And you'll find out that this is talking to us. It's talking to us. It's not just a narrative about something that happened 3,300 and uh some years ago. No. So the first of all he brings in measures it's a very interesting medish it's in actually it's in theory in the um you could see this on source number two says like this I'm going to read the Hebrew alam that when we were at the sea of reeds right the the the we called the red sea the sea of reeds right the yams What happened was that they gathered into four groups. Now they didn't literally gather physically into four groups. It means that there were four mindsets within the Jewish people within Israel. Different people thought different things and there were four main categories of their thoughts. One is let's right you had the Egyptian army was we the famous expression you're caught between a rock and a hard place they had the sea on one hand on the other side were the Egyptian army coming to to to kill them and take their money back right we had their money so one group said let us commit suicide let us just jump into the sea and die by drowning. Not a second group said, "Let us just return and be slaves forever. There's no way out." So these two groups, I would say, were pessimistic, had a very negative idea of the future. The second two, the is to scream out, to cry, which really means to pray. So that's that's a good thing, isn't it? Let us fight. Let us fight back. That's not a bad thing either. Survival life. Okay. Where do we see these four groups in the PK itself? So those who said no, they if you look in chapter 14 verse 13. So you look at number three on the source sheet. So Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord's salvation for he will wreck for you today." Wreck like wre E a K. He's going to perform for you as salvation. That was what he said to the people who wanted to commit suicide. No, just stay there. Don't jump. Right? Stand firm. And the ones that said, "You know what? Let's just go back to Egypt and we're going to be slaves forever." Says, "For the way you have seen the Egyptians is only is only today. Don't worry, tomorrow the Egyptians won't be in existence. There's nobody to take you back to Egypt." Right? There's no reason to go back to Egypt. Those guys are going to be dead. Only what you see is what you see today. Don't worry, tomorrow they won't exist. So those for those who wanted to go back to Egypt, what about the ones that wanted to fight? It says, "The Lord will fight for you. You don't have to fight. The Lord will fight for you. And for those who were screaming and praying, but you shall remain silent." It's all in the verse, right? I'll read it again. Verse 13 and 14. In chapter 14, Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord's salvation that he will wreck for you today. For the way you for for the way you have seen the Egyptians is only today. You shall no longer continue to see them for eternity. The Lord will fight for you. You shall remain silent. Okay. So all those just to make sure we understand the Hebrew about the idea of standing firm and seem you'll see the salvation of Hashem. the ones who wanted to um the ones who wanted to return to Egypt, you're never going to see them again. And the ones who wanted to fight, God's going to fight for you. And for those who were crying or praying that you should be quiet and silent mention >> not yet, not today. Okay. So that is the medish. Okay. The medish does not mention nakshon. What we're about to see now from what I understood and gathered, fighting and praying is a good thing. Although God says don't do it. So, one of my students asked me this. So, what are we supposed to do? Aren't we supposed to pray? Yes, you're supposed to pray, but there's a time where you actually have to act. You it's not like you stop praying. Okay, you you there's a time where you have to act and you are praying for something. So, you have to learn how to read the signs. Okay, now on the right side, the clear card begins with the fascinating idea. The rabbis taught All of the troubles and think about our own lives. All of the troubles that Israel experienced while they were in the desert. Everything was to accustom themselves to train themselves to for them to teach to be to be taught and to learn. But to have trust not just faith but trust in Hashem. Everything that comes let's say negatively seems bad seems trouble it's you know trials and tribulations that we also go through everything is in order to turn us to the good so that we can improve ourselves. However, there's a little bit of a caveat. If there's too much good, what happens? We rebel. And an example of a PK, for example, in Deuteronomy 32:15, you'll see this number four. And Yeshurin became fat and rebelled. Okay, we this is because if things are too good, right, then we either we become corrupt or we just become lazy. One of one or the other. I mean, I don't I guess lazy is better than becoming corrupt, but still the result could be the same that you rebelled. Okay. And that's unfortunately the truth. Therefore, because that's true that if we have it too good, the likelihood of rebelling is is most probable. Therefore, God holds back a little bit of the good, okay, from the Jewish people. He holds back Why? Because because God, he desires, he's he goes crazy. He's in love with us. He wants the our tilos. He wants the tilos of Israel. Now, does he have any needs? No. Does he have any wants? He can create any wants he want. Anything that he wants. He wants it because he's our father. But he wants it because he wants us to see us improve. That's really what he wants. The crying out is the point where you say, "Ah, I'm I still I'm not perfect. I still have what to work on, right? Otherwise, these troubles wouldn't have come to me." Therefore, what does God do? He brings about sometimes certain troubles in order that we should cry out. Remember, it's all for our own good. It's God doesn't need us to cry out. He wants us. He like I don't know, we talked about this before. A father, he knows what his kid wants, but he wants the kid to ask for it. Here's an example in brachit raba 455. See this number five on the source sheet. The question was asked, why were our mothers right and why were they barren? The answer the the mid gives that God wants their tilis. He wants the tilis of the sudikim. All the Jews are sadikim. God wants the tilis of the Jewish people. happens to be and the midash brings down a verse very interesting verse h from a midrash in song of songs the the this the verse in song of songs is chapter 2 verse 14 you'll see this number six on the source sheet as well my dove in the cliffs of the rock in the cover of the steps show me your appearance let me hear your voice for your voice is pleasant and your appearance is comely if you look in Rash Rashi mentions mentions this is said concerning the time when Pharaoh pursued them and overtook them camping by the sea. Isn't that we're talking about that moment with no avenue of escape before them because the sea was on one side and they could not turn because of the wild beasts. What did they what did they resemble at the time? Like a dove, a pigeon, right? stove that fled from a hawk and entered the cliffs of the rocks and a snake was hissing at her. She would go in and there was a snake and she would go out and there was a hawk. No matter where she went, there was a wild animal trying to to chase her. But God said to her, to the dove, to the Jewish people, "Show me your appearance, the prop the propriety of your deeds." It's all about the deeds, brother. to whom you turn in time of trouble. Right? The words, "Let me hear your voice." Right? And we know in Exodus 14:10, "And the children of Israel cried out." In fact, that's not just there. Source number seven, we're going to see shortly that they cried out and their cry ascended to God from the labor. This is why remember this now when we're going to talk about that verse returning to Egypt. It's going to flip on its head. The whole way the clear card looks at this verse is completely opposite. Going back to Egypt does not mean going back to Egypt. Going back to Egypt will mean crying out. Okay, we're going to see it shortly. Going back into the clear he says camo came where like he lines up from the bottom. Camo came. So too, just like the um the mothers were barren and cried out to Hashem. So too in this para kazal that dion out in in um in the med of it's analogous to a king. He's coming home back to his palace. So echet olaf and can you imagine try to use your imagination the king is on his way home and he hears a voice of a princess who's screaming why because there are listing there are thieves that are attacking her um she hear so he hears the basimis she's crying please save meim from these thieves The king heard and he saves her. Liam time might have passed and the king wants to marry this princess take her as a wife. And you know what he really wanted? He wanted to talk to her. He just wanted to have conversation and chemistry for I don't know why but for some reason she was not interested. She didn't want me. So what did the king do if you were the king? What would you do? Probably not what he he did. He went ahead and he organized listing thieves to attack her again. I mean he paid him off. I don't know what he did. He incited them. But that's what it says. So the lists attacked her. Or maybe they didn't really attack her, but they pursued her and she screamed and the king heard. And of course he went when he heard her shabistim. When the listim came, when the thieves came, she cried out for the king. And the king says to her, "This is what I want." This is what I want. I want to hear your voice. And that's the verse we just read in in Shirim in in Song of Songs chapter 24 where Hashem set it up. We weren't just being right. He set the whole thing up. The Egyptians have us cornered and we were crying out when we were in Egypt. He made us cry out again because he wants to hear a voice. Four lines down. Last word on the line. So, Hashem is what caused he caused this whole thing to you know the to be choreographed where we're in this position. So we cried out to him. All the troubles and the servitude of Egypt too. It was all set up so that we would cry out to Hashem and and we read the verse already, but in Exodus 23. It's right that they cried out and their voices were were went up to Hashem. that he heard. So too, we're Jews. We're living it. We're living the life with anti-semitism as well. All of the troubles that brings to the Jewish people from time to time, even if we're we're not fit, we're not deserving of the troubles. Even when we're not deserving of the troubles, he brings it about because he wants to hear our prayers. So what do you learn so far? First of all, if you're always crying out and you're always praying, you don't have to have the troubles, right? So it's not always so negative, right? I remember during the Gulf War uh Ravn Weinberg was I think his yard site is Sunday 17th yard site Ravn Weinberg he said look God wants us to be unified we're a family he wants us to be unified and when we're not unified he'll make us unified so why don't we just be to the chase be unified then we don't have to have these troubles that bring us to the to become unified same thing here if we're constantly in a state of prayer we're really, you know, opening our hearts and and trying to have a dialogue, a relationship with the Keshu. So then he's not going to bring these things that are going to cause us to cry out. That's my opinion. But let's move on. And in this way, all this is why we had all the troubles. Remember we ran out of water twice, right? There wasn't any water. We cried. We we complained. What about the Arita Salman ra? We had man come down daily right this past Tuesday we had the famous kesh right the the sigula of of reading para haman imagine every rashash shana you're granted your whole year's right allocation. Imagine while we're in the desert once a year we get allocated all the man. Well, first of all, that defeats the purpose of having a relationship, right? If a father wants to give his child, what do you call it? Allowance. So, you think he's going to give him $365 on the first day of the year and say, "Come back to me in a year or every day come and get a dollar." You have that relationship. But anyway, so we didn't have food. We complained. Meat, fish, leaks, onions. Remember the fish in Egypt? Anyway, so God provided for us and what about the what about all the wars that that were provoked? Now, just think about this for one second because we're using this verse that in case we went right through the Philistines, we might see war and turn back. Well, just think about it a second. Where did we go back to? We went right back to a war with a Mullik. So, something about it h doesn't sound so right. if you follow what I'm saying so far. Okay, we're gonna we're gonna find out. I know I'm talking cryptic because I don't want to give it all away. I want you guys to think this through. But so even having a war is called trouble. [clears throat] Yeshu alashm it's au. So basically what he's saying is that all the troubles that came to us was all in order for us to change our ways regarding our stiff neckedness. Is that a word? Our stiff the character being stiff necked and we would eventually return to Hashem and cry out to him. And that's exactly the verse we're dealing with in the first verse we dealt with, which was chapter 13:1 17 that it was at the time that Pharaoh sent the people lod um lead us by the way of the Philistines, the Philistines because it was close. For Hashem said, lest they reconsider, the people reconsider when they see war. According to the simple explanation, it's exactly the point is that in case they would see war, they would return. It would be close. It would be so easy for them to return. So, Hashem didn't want to take them that way. But which way did he take us? Back in the direction of Egypt. Doesn't make sense. And that's why the clear car says, drum roll please to me. I'm going to tell you that it's the complete opposite. Everything that you thought you knew about this verse that it's quite the opposite that God took them in a securitous route in order for them yes to see a war. A yes to see a war. It's exactly where they ended up right by the war with a maliku. And they did cry out. They did cry out. And that's in Gmorra rashana 29a if you want to look it up on the source sheet and in Exodus 17:11. So it's source 8 and9. How do we know that they cried out? So what happens? Moses is on the top of the hill during this war. Joshua is in battle. And every time Moses raised his hands, the Jews were victorious. And every time his hands grew heavy and he put them down, a mullik would prevailed. So the question of Gmoria, what do you think it his hands had anything to do with it? I mean, if you're looking as an observer, every time he raised his hands, we were ahead and when he lowered his hands, they were ahead. Certainly, that would be your conclusion. No, no, no, no, no. It had to do with his hands were were neon were steady. They were in prayer. Not just his hands were in prayer. The Jews looked at his hands. And look what it says in the Gomorrah number eight. So Mishna cites the verse. It came to pass when Moses held up his hand. It's in Exodus 17 11 that Israel prevailed. When he let his hand down, a mullik prevailed. You can ask did the hands of Moses make war or break it like that it was all based on his hands. No. The verse is coming to tell you as long as the Jewish people turn their eyes upward and subjected their hearts obviously subjecting your heart. We're talking about prayer to their father in heaven they prevailed. But if not they fell. Right. The pik says and it came to pass when Moses raised his hand. Okay we read it. Right. Moshi um just look at Rashi for a second on verse on on Exodus 17:11 source 9. So did Moses's hands then make them victorious in battle? No. Rather this is tell you that when the Israelites looked up and subjugated their hearts. It's a quote right from Rashashana. Okay. So going back into the clear. So he says when Moses raises his handil right that's what the Gmorrah says it's prayer and that's what kazal say in the medish in the yok shimon now ready for this karov who where were they going yes quickly to Israel it's true but what was karov the philistines who were the philistines so avi you heard of avi you heard of avi Abraham. Okay. The whole story was Sarah. But in the end, they made up and even made an an oath. Karov who? The oath. The oath. So look what happens in look at the number 12 on the source sheet in Genesis 21:23. And now this is um this is Avi Melik speaking to Abraham. And now swear to me here by God that you will not lie to me or to my son or to my grandson. In other words, generations according to the kindness that I've done with you. Gave him a lot of gifts. You shall do with me. And he also gave him he lived with him for a while and with the land wherein you have sojourned. Just like Moabon, we had restrictions. We couldn't do battle with them. Right? So too, we would never have battled with the Philistines because of the oath that that Abraham made with Avi. That was Karov who means it yet it was still in um it was still active. That oath was still active. So there never would have been a war. Remember God took us back the other way to Amalik where there was a war. So the whole PK as we said didn't make sense then because if we say right it came to pass when Pharaoh let the people go that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines for it was near what we understand that to be is that if we would have met up with them there might have been a war and there shouldn't be a war because there was a certain oath between Abraham and and Avi so there wasn't going to be a war so instead remember God wants us to cry out he wants us to see a war so he took us back the way of the of the Malik. But the word says, "Let the people can reconsider when they receive war and return to Egypt." Even the word reconsider. So the first time it said to lead that God didn't lead them that way, but he led them, right? But the less the people reconsider. The word means to lead. We're going to see it means the Torah way. He wants us to follow the Torah, which you'll see in a second, which okay, let's just say it now. He wanted us to pray. He wanted us to cry out. And that's why it says the end and return to Egypt. What was there in Egypt? We cried out in Egypt. He wanted us to go back in front of the Amalakis, experience that war, cry out, pray to Hashem. And that's what it means by returning to Egypt. meaning not returning physically to the land of Egypt, but returning to that state of mind where we were in a pinch where we cried out to Hashem. Never looked at the verse that way, but we're going to continue to explain it. So, it said the words is the closeness to the oath. the oath was still in effect as we see and we read the verse in Genesis 21:23, okay? Where he made him swear, don't lie to me, don't lie to my children, right? You're not going to affect them negatively for generations. Basically, the oath was still in effect. That's why God did not take them that way. Okay, the next paragraph. Okay. So, there is to ask on this. You still have to wonder why didn't they go that way? Doesn't mean they had to have a war. [snorts] The only command was really not to provoke. The command was don't start a war with the Philistines. Just like God commanded us. Um, if you look in Deuteronomy chapter 2:9 with Ammon and Moav and Hara, not to provoke, not to start, but I just want you to know that if they break their side of the promise, which Moaf Ammon, right, they all Asaf for sure, whatever they do, you we don't have we're not bound. So the question is, why not go through without a war? I mean, that would have been the simplest thing. Just don't have war. We went through Moab. We went through Ammon without a war. So too here al it's just a command not to have a war and then we could have walked through the easy route. What was so bad about going through the according to everything we explained it actually is resolved. It makes it very clear. The reason why we didn't go through the short way, the way of because if we went that way, we would not have seen war. We wouldn't have seen war. And God wanted us to that oath was still in effect. there wouldn't have been a war. We wouldn't have started it. Therefore, God took us in a secuitous route. He took us around in order us for yes to see war. And the way we read it was he didn't take us that way because we would have seen war. No, he didn't take us that way because there wouldn't have been war. So, he took us in place where there could see where we would see war. I'm just reading the words, brother, sister. The reason we went back in order to have that war was that we would scream out to Hashem like we saw with Moses' hands. Because what God wants most is his children to speak to him. If they would have seen war, what would have happened? They would have changed their ways. they would have done chuva and I could testify I mean I think everyone in this room can that what we saw and witnessed on October 7th since then the nation there so many individuals have were even those who were let's say I would say most of the people who were sitting on the on the fence have become more connected to their identity and those who I have to tell you the the on the sukus, the night of sukus, which we're talking about a week before. I don't know where I came out with these words, but I said something drastic is going to happen, disastrous. But you know what's going to happen? Our greatest um detractors, those Jews who are far-left are going to be our greatest spokesman. I must have heard it somewhere and repeated it, but it touched me and I felt it was true. And I think that many, you know, this guy Michael Rapaort, I don't know if he's really a detractor. I don't know how far left or liberal he was, but he's putting on to fill in every day and he seems to be a good spokesman, but there are plenty of people, you know, from from the that area, you know, the the Gaza belt have uh we'll see in the next elections if I'm right, but uh a lot of people have done Chuva and are doing Chuva. In fact, we've provided over 120 pair of tofillin for the army that the soldiers are requesting it. We were involved with thousands, tens of th actually hundreds of thousands of pair of tits. Not that we made them, but we were involved with organizations that made sites. We were we were doing it and so many soldiers non-religious soldiers are have requested. And that's just an example. I mean some of the stories of the of the um hostage themselves and their families taking on shabas and kashus and all kinds of beautiful beautiful mitzvah right when therefore if they would see war they would become better people they would change their mind about their evil ways and what are they uh regarding their stiff neckedness, their stiff necks and they would return and behave like they did when they were in Egypt. Not like what we think, the bad stuff, but the good stuff, but they would they would cry out to because of the trouble and the subjugation. That's what it means when it say God did not lead them, right? The the oath was still in effect. He didn't lead us that way because the oath was in effect. We would not have seen war if we went by the way of the what benefit what good is there to see war himself said maybe they'll change their mind when they see the war The benefit would have been that they would have changed their ways. When they see the war, when they see the war coming on them, they would really do they would, right? We we we witnessed item. They would have returned to Hashem all of and they would have uh screamed out and prayed to Hashem. What would they have screamed out? The idea of Egypt, meaning they would have behaved like they did when they were in Egypt. Um, now, of course, not all our behavior in Egypt was so great. In fact, one of the things we know is that four-fifths of the Jews didn't make it out. We're going to talk about that right now because what? Let's just read it. Leaf. Therefore the elimid therefore God took us in a securous route by way of the see in order that we should experience all these troubles in the desert like the troubles that we found at the sea of reeds. parro as we know that Pharaoh and his his army chased after them. What did we do? We cried out to Hashem and we did we turned to our hearts. We placed on our hearts we to to return from our evil ways. Now in if you would ask what kind of evil could they done from the time they left they were just walking what kind of evil we were pretty decent people at this point we went where we're on the process right on the 50 days between leaving Egypt till Hari it was just an upward trajectory you couldn't get any lower than we were in Egypt it was just on the way up so what did we do so bad well it was pretty bad when we were in Egypt because can you imagine I don't know if you have any family or friends outside of the land of Israel that [clears throat] have no desire to come here. Um, obviously you have a plan. Good. But imagine four fifths they didn't want to leave. I always ask what is the moral dilemma? Okay, life's comfortable maybe you know what's the moral dilemma in Egypt that they had to die and not be saved. All right. So I you really think about it on a sur surface just wanting not wanting to leave Egypt shouldn't be a moral sin but if you think about what the Jewish people have brought to the world the concept of Messiah the concept of a better tomorrow that is a moral that is a moral stance right if you think I guess like Darwinism that uh everything is random and might makes right it's okay But if you believe in God and there's you have to follow the Torah that there's there's a better way. There's a better way. And I think that it it really comes down to I mean whether you live or die, it's it sounds pretty extreme, but if you don't believe in a better tomorrow, why have kids? You're you you know it's like you're ruining your kids' lives. Bring them into the world. Okay. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? like it's it's pretty extreme bringing kids into the world thinking that the world I don't know know what words to use that I can get away with you know that it's dark and um you know it's just not pleasant why bring children into the world but if you believe that tomorrow will be better then you know it's it's a it's a good thing to bring children into the world anyway so he he brings it out in a different way he says is if you're going to ask so until now they left Egypt what was so what what could they have done therefore in the p right in um it's if I'm not mistaken uh Exodus 13:18 or maybe I didn't bring it down >> yeah it's in the middle >> it says says in number 14. So God let the people he led the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea and the children of Israel were armed. They were armed when they went up out of Egyptim Israel. We're all familiar. The first rashi basically says that they um armed. See with third line down. So it means they were actually armed. The second opinion down below which is a little bit highlighted is that they were only one kamushim only one of the Jews left Egypt. What happened to the other four fifths? They died during the three days of darkness. Why the three days of darkness? First of all, God knew they weren't going to they would they were not interested in leaving. Why the three days of darkness? So the Egyptians wouldn't see that four-fifths of the Jews died after all these plagues and the ninth included. The Egyptians if they woke up the next morning and saw and you know how many you know how many Jews there were that died? More than a few holocausts, right? If we had 3 million Jews that left, okay, that 3 million Jews. So there were four fifths that died. You figure 12 million something like that. There must have been 15 million Jews. Must have been 15 million Jews. It was a plague. Hashem killed them. Hashem, >> how did they >> No, Hashem took care of it. >> Yeah, because it's a miracle. We didn't Wait, you We're going to We were those three days we were looking in the houses for the gold. So that the next plague on the night of the firstborn, we went into their houses and said, "Give me your gold. I'm sorry. Lend me your gold." And they said, "What gold? I don't have any gold." They said, "What do you I know where you keep it. Last 3 weeks ago, I was in your house. I knew. I looked around. For those three days, some say 6 days. The three days of darkness, the Egyptians couldn't even move. It was so thick, they could not even move. So we during those three days of darkness, we had light. We went around. Wherever we went, we had light. Hashem created a miracle. The whole thing was a plague and a miracle. They were buried. Hashem buried them in the sand. Can you imagine that? After the 3 days of darkness is over, the Egyptians walk out and they see 12 million Jews lying dead on the ground. They would have said, "Oh, all those plagues were not meant for us. It was just natural." Or, right, like it wasn't about us letting them go. It's just, I don't know, a freak of nature. You follow? So there was a miracle involved in the fact that they were wiped out our brothers and sisters and that God made sure that their bodies were not to be found was it had to be it was all miracle thing is like this we're asking what did the Jews do that was so bad until now and the clear is saying that's why you have this juxiposition mentioning that the the the Jews went up armed i.e. He says it was only one. So the the rest died only one fifth went up. The rest died in the three days of darkness. Just like Rashi explains now he says this means those Jews who died during those three days they weren't they didn't they were not interested because they didn't have amuna they were amuna they were lacking like I said one of the 13 principles why should it make a difference if I believe in the coming of Messiah or not I'm anticipating it's one of the 13 principles because I believe that tomorrow can be a better day. I have whatever that means. You know what I mean? The messianic era. I believe in a better tomorrow. That is a moral thing as opposed to some other people that we know that that don't care about even today. He's making this assumption. Perhaps we we're obviously the ones that left, right? Are we're the descendants of those that left. Maybe they learned from those those people that died even according to the second opinion rashi that they actually physically went up armed. Now just think about this that they went up armed. The word mizu yanim means literally armed. Have you ever gone into a store or airport or hospital and they ask you are you armed? You know what the word is they're using? Kamush. You heard of ammunition hill, right? You heard that? [snorts] They ask you if you're kamush. Well, if I have my or my kamush with me, I say, "Yeah, this is my this is my weapon. I am kamush." So means that according to somewhere else, he says that because the Jewish people left Egypt willing to take to to receive the Torah, it's as if they already received it. That was their weapon of war. The weapon of war was the idea that they were kamush kamush. But wait, what's more interesting is that what does it really mean according to rashi aruanim which if the root is zion what's zion is number seven where kamush is the number five mim is seven. You know in the num in in bidbar in the book of numbers there are these two upside down nuns right those khazar tell us that the book of numbers is divided into three books it's actually three books so how many books do you have you have Genesis Exodus Leviticus then you have three of numbers which brings to seven and then you have Deuteronomy seven books that we really have seven books Someone says we have seven books in the they're not lying. They're telling you the truth. But it's interesting because the kamush means armed and rashi says cleion which means really armed but it really also means the same thing. It's the kish. It's the seven books of Moses. Anyway, let's move on. According to the second opinion, if they were armed that if they actually were armed, that is another proof that they had a lack of amuna. And the clear even goes on to say in other places it had to be because the way the um the measure says that each one went with five weapons. That's what it means. They went up armed. that each one went up fight and each one had exactly the same. That's a miracle. Like you know there's a lot of different kind of weapons. There's sticks, there's stones, there's slingshots, there's swords, there's spears, there's arrows. But they went up all five all three million people had exactly the same five weapons. And he says first of all they weren't even trained. They were slaves. They had no free time. How would and what benefit would it go that they all brought five weapons and they wouldn't even know how to use them. It's got to be the Kish. That has to be the weapon of war, not real weapons. But over here, he says if they did have real weapons, that also is a sign of a lack of amuna. And he says like this is that they would have taken uh real physical weapons which they should have had was trust in hem Yeshua that God would save them without a sword and without a spear like it says and he brings from chaim chapter 5 verse 8. This is a rhetorical question, but basically in the war of Cisora, we know Yael chopped off the head of right Cisra and um D'vor sang about it. So um how did they win the war? She chopped off his head. Um I don't know how she did it, but she had a peg. She had a peg, a tent peg. Okay. So here the puss says in Judges 5:8 when they this is part of the song of Dvar when they chose new gods then there was war in its cities was there this is a rhetorical question was there seen a shield or a spear when the 40,000 went against Israel that when when the Jews fought they didn't have weapons. Okay. Um very interesting idea. I want to end off with this last idea of I just mentioned that uh today was in the news that the laws have changed in in respect to Kev Yosesef happens to be today this week but today this morning they dive in there for chakras usually I've been there in the middle of the night you have to sneak in in armored buses with the army escort to cover Ysef in Shrem and today PM maybe it's a Right? Why am I bringing this up? Yseph the in chapter 13 verse 19 says Moses took the bones of Yseph with him. But why is he telling us that now? Moses took it on the night of the the firstborn, the the plague of the firstborn. While all the Jews were going around collecting the gold, which they had seen and spied out a few weeks earlier during the plague of darkness, Moses was down by the Nile and he was doing some really interesting things over there. He wasn't looking for gold. He knew Yoseseph made his children and his children and all the u brothers swear you're not leaving Egypt without taking my bones right that's he made him swear so Moses goes down to get the bones how did he do it he wrote on a piece of clay uh aloo shore that the shore should rise yph is called ashore in in the braot u by u by yakov by Moshe Um even bum refers to him as a shore. So Yseph is the shore. So rise o rise oore. By the way, just to know when the arav stand there and say to um the rest of the people by the golden calf, this is your gods, oh Israel, who took you out of Egypt. It was it was a calf, but it was a baby shore, right? Because the needs or feels the need for an intermediary. Right? Moses, >> he was our leader. He was our savior and he disappeared. Right? And according to them, right? Whether it was cuz uh he came late. There was an image of a mita of a bed that he died. So they said, "We need a replacement." When they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who took you out of Egypt." They were thinking, "What's the best replacement for Moshe? It must be Yoseph, right? The the shore represents Yoseph because they the Jews couldn't leave Egypt without Yseph's bones. They thought maybe it was the power of Yseph's bones that took them out of Egypt." Well, guess what? They weren't that far off. Similar to the way the Christians, the Christians aren't that far off. Meaning that the Jewish people are Isaiah 53. I mean we are the suffering servant and if they attach themselves to Jewish people which they do seem to attach themselves to a Jew but anyway for a Jew to believe that is absolutely idol worship for a non-Jew to somehow come to the Jewish to God through the Jewish people that's more acceptable but let's move on to this idea that Moses went and took the bones of Yseph. So the clear says there's a juxtiposition regarding this idea and and because Moses saw that through the circuitous you know going around that they were going to end up by the yamsuf and he needed in order for the yum to split. He needed the bones. It was the bones that helped the sea split. Therefore Moses went out of his way to make sure he did a mitzvah. because of the mitzvah bringing Yosph's bones up that the sea would split because there's this um I call it a gazer sha but it's a a connection between uh what we say in Psalms 114:3 right in halam raanos [clears throat] that the sea saw this the the the water saw and split that's maro hayam what Did the sea see? What did this the water see? Raot Yseph the the sea saw the the bones of Yseph because when Yseph was being let's say seduced by Mrs. Potif, he ran outside and he left his cloak and he was half naked. It says vanaha he ran out. He was the embodiment of Torah. In other words, one of the other things that Clear says that, you know, we didn't have the Aon Ces until, you know, a good year after we left, right? But nevertheless, we carried Yseph's bones in an aon in a coffin. And that coffin was like for us the the holy ark with the Torah that was inside because his bones he he kept the Torah, he kept pure. He was [snorts] at Sadi. Joseph Sadi he ran away from the temptation of Mrs. Potif and in the merit of him running away keeping the Torah and keeping pure the sea split. Now he's trying to say what I think that the waters themselves of the sea of reeds learned from the Nile just like tell us Mosha alure Moses had written on this piece of clay riseo bull rise bull madifo toar and what did the Nile do? It caused the the uh the casket to rise. It was sitting on the bottom of the Nile and it came up the Yseph. Now Leor just like Moses originally wrote on the clay and threw it into the Nile, it came up. So too what was written on Moses's staff, the name of God. So just like over there the um um just like the he says right the the n I'm sorry this the the um the the yamsuf saw and split share it knew about because I guess all the water is connected in the world. They all each molecule is all knows what the other molecules are thinking. So too, the actual staff that Moses had that split the sea, it was God's name was inscribed on that staff. And this is clear to those who understand. Now just like a summary, we said a lot. We have to go over it. But the biggestish I think here is the way to read that verse that if we read it totally in a different way to understand that when it came to pass when he sent the people later on the clear explains the word is to lead by Torah that God did not lead them this way but rather a different way and that was by not bringing them to to the polishing where there wouldn't have been war but rather to in the direction where there would be and that would be the mil with the malik of course one of the great things we're coming up to porum soon is to not only to remember but also don't forget right what's the difference between remembering and not forgetting okay we'll have to talk about that and to erase you have a mitzvah to erase the memory of them and then not to forget it's a big quandry But we'll have to talk about it more. Apparently when a kash hands his ring over to Hmon Kazal tell us that did more for the Jewish people to do chuva than all the um prophets combined. You can imagine the the the the prophets have like a job description to guide the people and right guide them how to follow the Torah and to help them to do chuva to guide them in the chuva process and uh one act of anti-semitism I know it's one act it's a major act right when akash gives the ring the right formed to do whatever he wanted to do h did more for [snorts] the Jewish people in terms of returning and doing cha to Hashem than all the prophets. That's something to really think about. But we should be happy that we have this relationship. We should be feel privileged how close we are to Hashem and that we really are blessed and we know through all the troubles and tribulations we have in our own personal life that it brings a better outcome. There's always going to be you have to close your eyes, maybe you have to breathe, maybe you have to do some inner work, but you'll realize there's something that you need to change to work on, right? Something to develop yourself, you know, your character in a better way. And with that, so we'll say have a great life, a great chabas, a great winter, and it should rain in the right place, the right time, the right amount. And you all know what I mean. And everyone have a great life. Heat. Heat. [music and singing] [music] >> [singing] >> my [music] [singing] shing. [music]