The Kli Yakar Podcast: The Lord Your God Will Deliver Your Enemy Into Your Hand with Rabbi Poston

[Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Shalom everybody. Welcome back to the bait midash. Welcome home to Torah. A warm welcome home to Torah. We're in our second episode of our podcast with our special guest Alicia Benson which I'm very very privileged to have along with us and this will turn into a discussion at some point and we'll take turns reading. We always use the clea car or we have been using the clear for a decade although now we're using the ear gorim which is another safer written by the very same >> schlom fry known as thear it's dealing with a little bit more explanation of the midrashim famous >> literature that we're all a lot of times we're familiar with but he goes into some depth and uh we always deal with the fundamentals I want to remind people that there's a link down below where you can see the original Hebrew sheets. You don't get it colored. It's just black and white, but that'll do. Um, and I encourage you to go into the link below, not just to get the sheets, but also to see previous sharim. It'll be very helpful and educational. So, the first thing in paras that the clear brings down is a cifree. It's based on med um based on our verse in Deuteronomy 21:10. When you go out to war, when you go to war against your enemies, I just want to give a little bit of background. First of all, the rest of the verse is beautiful. And the Lord your God will deliver him into your hands. It says him. Now, it says enemies in plural. You have the extra yud. So you go to war against your enemies, but God will deliver him. It's uh it's singular. >> And so what enemy are we talking about that's going to be delivered into your hand? The Yates Sahara. We all have an inclination. And if you follow this prescription of if you see a beautiful woman and you you take her home, there's basically a conversion process that goes on over 30 days, she's going to have her hair shorn uh shaved. She's going to grow her nails long. She's going to put on these rags. She's going to mourn for 30 days, which is interesting. We're in the month of Hello, right? There's a process of our own inner conversion, so to speak. >> Okay, we're going to be and I'm going to use this detox. I'm going to use an expression, and you may not like it, but it's Jewish. It's a Jewish concept, being born again. Okay, we're going through a transformation. And the concept of being born again, a g is and a baluva kishola dummy. It's like a tino, a brand new baby who's just born. But that's >> confronting ourselves. >> I'm sorry. >> We're confronting ourselves. >> Very nice. Very nice. So here, just to give you an idea, one of these concepts Rashi brings right away is an optional war. There's two types of two types of wars. One is a mitzvah obligatory war and one is called an optional war. For some reason, Rashi pins the point the the tail on the dunkey right away and tells it's an optional war. And why should that be? First of all, the Pussik says when you go out to war in most cases, when we go out to war, that's going to be an optional war. That would be one thing. Of course, not always. Because preemptive strikes, you go out to war, that could still be a mitzvah for a war >> for the sake of mitzvah. would be but it doesn't say as Rashi says it doesn't say you're going to war against the seven nations that's not in this verse it's not in this para that would be a mitzvah against the se to fight against the seven nations is a mitzvah and also taking a captive is only permissible in a in a okay in a optional war but what we're going to do is see the optional war and then we were talking about over dinner optional means you have a choice. So we're talking about the Yates the very fact that evil exists that allows us to make the choice. Had we not had meaning when Messiah comes and everything is obvious by the way by the time Messiah comes no more converts. You can't choose. There's no free will. So we eat up. We try to use our time wisely and do as many mitzvah as we can before Mashiach comes. There are those certain rabbis who are into kira, they say, "Wait, I got another guy I got to work on. Hold off Mashiah for another day." Can you believe it? There is such a a mindset just just wait because right now if the guy does sh before Mashiach comes it's amazing. Okay. So the first thing we read was the verse and the tell us that this verse is speaking about an optional war just like Rashi mentions right it doesn't mention anything about the seven nations the and this idea of the shabi vivio and taking a captive is mentioned and therefore war. That's proof enough that we're talking about an optional war. Now, Kazal also tell us in Gmorra Kadushin, which is already source number three, okay, that the idea is there's a scheme that Hashem is setting up so that in the heat of war, and I spoke to Leic about this. Well, have you ever gone to a shooting range? I'm sure many of you have gone to a shooting range. And when you go to or maybe I could say even say maybe some of you were in war, but in a shooting range if you ever have gone when you leave you're pumped up. You want to keep shooting. I mean, not that you're going to go shooting on the street, but you the the just being there with the action and the power in your hands to blow apart, you know, a can or a target. There's something that's going on. So you imagine, you know, those old days with the swords and uh god forbid other other armies, our army, and I could actually say this. I mean, I know the world doesn't think of that, that we are the most moral army. I we had the Torah. Most Jews in the army are traditional and follow the Torah. We have no rape. We don't really have any pillaging. And and when somebody does steal something, they're held accountable big time. Okay? So, and forget about genocide. It's not even an option. Okay? We know what it's like to be, you know, the the target. So, it's all lies. It's all I'm going to just tell you straight up, it's all lies. I think we read today the the um headline was the Gaz and boy that they claimed was dead is not dead. He's still alive because the whole thing was a fake a fake out. Anyway, so the Torah sets up a scheme for the and I'm going to use the word jihad for the internal jihad. For the real war is the one that goes on within us, the internal jihad. He says right that the Torah, the Torah itself is setting up especially here a way to let's say bring down the heat, right? to lower the flame, to keep your life in check and not go berserk, let's say, as we saw in many wars by the non-Jews where rape, pillaging, and just wantton murder is the norm. Okay. With that background, I want to I want to ask Alicia to to read a little bit and we're going to discuss some of the things as they come up. >> Sure. >> Ziggil. >> Yeah. Um, first is we're going to is what the what the clea generally does and what he's going to do tonight as well in our para is what he is his theme in his style that he does is he creates a mosaic of ideas from our para and juxtaposing with other ideas all using the pukim different pukim and different quotes from the Torah as a map to support these ideas and to meld them together and to bring them together. His tools are the pukim to create ideas and he creates ideas and he brings them back to the pukim and that's what we're going to do. We're going to >> to the to to the verses in Tanak >> to the verses in Tanakh and to the and to part maybe from the Gmoran places and connected to our para. So let's begin. So it says that the that the struggle of man with his inclination is just before we were talking about how the our para begins with going out uh uh to war ra waging war against against your enemies and the of course the p begins that it goes it doesn't go against your enemy it says on your enemy upon your enemy which means by at the get-go, the Jew is has the upper hand in terms of the odds are not in favor of the of the other side. The power of good is more stronger, is more light. So, and therefore that is setting the theme already for as he said before that it's about the internal battle. So, he says that it's known that that that the the war with his inclination is called an optional war. Why is it called an optional war? Because Because no one is forcing you to take up this fight. No one is to forcing you to to go into combat or into the ring with your own inclination. Because behold, it's already been given the choice, the absolute choice into the into the hands of each person whether to follow his inclination or to wrestle with it. It's totally up to you. do what it's up to you but that's not but there's a fiat we see that it's not just open season it is not open season when it comes to facing your the Torah is saying it's not the equal odds the odds are not in favor of your equal inclination why >> I would like I'm sorry I would like to just add one thing because even though God tells us already I place before you a blessing and a curse right but I want you to choose one of them he actually says choose life I place before you life and death. >> Choose life. >> Now, >> that does not mean that we don't have a choice. He's telling us what to choose. Meaning, he's urging us, letting us know this is really what you should be choosing. And it's amazing because our enemy has said over and over again, I'm using their quotes, not this is nothing to do with Judaism, and I hope it doesn't have to do with mainstream Islam, but it could be. I don't know. They say we love death more than you more than you love life. Right? They love death more than they love life. >> That we will love life. >> However they say it, you know what? If I'm mistaken, I'm mistaken. But the idea, this is what they say that they love death more than they love life. >> Okay? And this God says in the Torah, there's no mistaking. There's no corrupted text. Right? That's one of the main claims they have against us is that we corrupted the text. What do you think? We're walking around, right? Buddies, right? We're giving each other cheers, right? We're giving each other blessings, >> life energy >> for not just to be at sadik like we're going to be saying in in the u in the yontiff domining that we we're choosing life. We want to be life. We want to be listed as sadiking. Right? But life itself because the opportunities to do mitzvah, right? The opportunities to fix the world >> that and fix ourselves first, of course. And that's really when we fix ourselves, we fix the world. Isn't that what it's all about? So going back to the >> so we said before that the concept of the the struggle of man or the Jew with his in with his negative inclination is is equal equal equal equally balanced open but it's not necessarily true because there is a quote from the razal that says that both sides aren't equal in this way because it says in the Gmorrah Shabbat um number Um number 104 someone who is go who goes to purify himself the the forces of heaven are assisting him which means that if in this case the man is going to choose to g up and to fight against his incarnation then from heaven they're going to give him assistance and we've seen this that at times When we stand up and we're willing to stand up and say we're going to take our put our foot forward, we have uh energy and we have an ability and there is a wind in ourselves to take on what we need to do. >> I just want to add in the prayers for rash we're asking God to look at us as sadikim right to we he should write us in the book of life. It's a little bit nonsensical in a sense. How can we ask God look at us look at us as sadikim? Either we is or we ain't. You can't just turn change God's mind and say brighten me up as a sadic. The point is here if you the fact that you're praying that's already the the beginning. You're starting a war. You're taking the initiative. You want God to count you as means you want to go in that direction. And Hashem may just put you in the book of life just because you want it. And that's I think continuation of the same theme. >> It's a beautiful that's a beautiful thing. Yeah. As as Ania adds and he and he adds the from chapter 37. Please God, I think we should all spend time to read this month. chapter 37 of Tahilim in addition to there's the custom to read three chapters of Tahilim every day in the month of specific for the month of so it says chapter 37 in uh in our source sheet it is number six what is the translation the wicked man, the wicked man. It's also I think I think the term is the colloquial version or the symbolic version. Not just the man, but it's also referring to the wicked one. >> The wicked man watches for the righteous man and seeks to slay him to put him to death. But the Lord shall not leave him in his hands and he shall not condemn him when he is judged. This means from this PK we see that the the it's it's it's it Hashem is sort of tipping the scales and is helping the Jew stand up for himself and to have the strength to do more and to and to do consequent conversely less than what he did before. >> But I think the focus here because he only mentions that as the latter prep because these are actually two verses. That's right. Starting with verse uh I'm not mistaken verse 32 of chapter 37. >> Let's say the har it just wants to kill you. We talked about during the week about people who involved with addictions right the addiction the har it wants to kill you. Okay now it really doesn't want you completely dead because then it doesn't have it's like a parasite. It doesn't have what to to damage anymore. It wants to bring you as close to death as possible. And I think that's what it means. But it's looking for your death. It's approaching. It desires it. >> But as the next verse seems to explain clearly, and this is where the 12step program, a lot of people who went through recovery um that you cannot do it, you cannot overcome the Yates. You cannot come over your addict, overcome your addictions without Hashem's help. Now, Rabbi Tourski wrote a beautiful book. I think it's called recovery chuva through recovery. And he explains first of all those 12 steps came from the Bible. Okay. So we're talking about biblical sages. Yeah. >> This is where this is the source. This is the source right here because the following verse as you you you read verse 33 is Hashemu. God will not abandon him >> into the hand in his hand in the hand of the evil incarnation. Now, really quick story if you don't mind me that in the 12step programs they usually they usually tell this story. I'm sure it's a famous story can be told anywhere, right? A person has a really really hard time in life and he has a conversation with God and he says, "God, many of the times I just held your hand and we were walking together hand in hand. I felt the closeness. But the times that I experienced the most difficult times in my life, I noticed there was only one set of footprints. When we were walking together, I saw two sets of footprints." Very nice. But when I was experienced the most difficult parts of my life, I looked down, I see one set of footprints. Why God did you abandon me? And God says to him, you fool. I was carrying you. That's why there was only one set of footprints. Right? So that's how we should look at it. We have to like really know it. Mom is like know it, you know? >> Yeah. So just taking a couple lines back that it says in theim and then the clear theim explains it and expounds on it that the evil one seeks out the the righteous one. The wicked man watches for the righteous man and seeks to to slay him. But uh and without God's help, hem assists him. He's not able to best him. He is not he's not able to best him the overpower of the righteous man as it says in the following verse in verse 33 that Hashem does not abandon the saddic the Jew into his hand. As we quote a lot of times the Mishna of that it says or brings every Jew as a portion what to come because it brings from the verse that all the Jewish people have an element and they are in a state of being righteousness. Now continuing and this is explained by what it says by that it says in Mish verse 21, chapter 21:31 that the horse is prepared for the day of battle. The war is girded. He's strapped with all the different weapons etc to give him the fierceness. >> It's a war horse. >> It's a war horse. A war a war steed. And but after all is said and done, that is not where the victory comes from. As the verse continues and ends off, Hashem hates and to Hashem is a salvation. as we know that uh in all the wars that we've had in the previous in the in in the in the Iran war and just recently and the tremendous things the amount of planes that were flying and going and doing these things unimpeded having total control over the skies of Iran having total air supremacy and air superiority and yet the planes were going back and forth thousands of kilometers and and and the amount of maintenance that had to be done on those planes was absolutely statistically ally an impossibility. It was a miraculous thing and the six day war and others where we see that our job as we learned from Yakovu how he did certain things he maybe did present he did things through natural means but the main thing was was lifting his eyes in prayer and the study of Torah and we have to mention not just the warriors who are waring on the front lines but the people that are really bringing about the victory that are the people that are that are uh sincerely involved in Torah study and sincerely bringing the light of Hashem and the light of the Torah in the land, the holy land of Israel. Yes, Rabbi. >> You know, and I have to wonder, you know, we're living, we had three barages of rockets from Yemen in the last 24 hours. >> No. >> And they were all intercepted or they missed their targets alto together, landed in Saudi Arabia or Egypt. >> And I think that we're a little bit of afraid to give an eye in harah, right? >> But we have to give praise to Hashem. We have to thank Hashem only. >> The question is, we don't want to say, oh, you know, I spoke too soon. We're always afraid. Oh, what happens when the next one? I'm just afraid to say uh that it was a miracle. >> We thank Hashem for today and we pray for tomorrow. >> I think that's what we have to do. >> You know, we really should be in a state of ecstasy for all the miracles that are happening around us and tell the whole world. But I think we just are a little bit hesitant and that could be a downfall for us. So I hope I'm talking for myself >> miracles will are limited. you know, at some point the miracle bucket will run out. >> Yeah. So, I think at all, >> right? So, I'm hoping, you know, we had in the six day war, there was euphoria. People were like messiahs here and then we lost it. You know, we gave things over to the enemy. >> We squandered it. Yeah. >> Um so hopefully I think if we really meditate on what's really happening >> because you know there are a lot of things happening. I mean like the all the fake news and we're just so afraid >> right and I think we have to work on our on our amuna for myself >> it's not it's right I was just about to say it's not just on the macro and the and the what's going on out there in the country etc in the world but also for ourselves it's the same dynamic that each and every day we have to we we're so appreciative of what we've done and what we do and how success and what and what Hashem has blessed us to be successful with the hand of Hashem as we said all these verses before that Hashem is helping us and Hashem wants us and Hashem is giving us the push and and and we have to and it's very important to take appreciation for what we did today and what we're happy for today and to pray to Hashem that we can do more tomorrow and and and tomorrow's a new day as as it says in the who renews the creation each and every single day. So, it's a new it's a new it's a new round. It's a new day that we can thank Hashem for the miracles and pray that each day that it's it continues. Fine. >> And opposite in in parallel parallel. That's right. this war that this what the war that sort of like is the war that's giving us the opportunity to really win the battlefield that the kuyakar is talking about is not that that where does it says that the battlefield that we're preparing the the the war steed for battle through natural means but where is the real the real fight where is the real where we really win the victory and bring to Hashem and bring for for Hashem the salvation. It continues that Hashem put in the hand of manra the combat ofra that through the the the wrestling and the battle and the tactics and the combat of will be victorious. This battle, the war of the military front as it says in the evil incarnation is coming to come. And he says we are I'm going to take you down. You should say hello. I'm uh it's good you um it's I I that's I have the perfect perfect thing in arm for you. We're going to the base of Medish. We're gonna open up a safer and we're going to read it. And I'd like to just take a moment to talk about that that people don't know that. But when we talk about the study of Torah there, it begins very simple by motor. It could even be that you're sitting down and saying the words of Tahilian. It can be that you read the Hebrew. It could be that you read the English. It can be that you say the words, you have the thoughts and you read a book in Hebrew or in English and and you bring them to the you bring them to the B medish. You bring him to the Torah study and you bring him in there and you capture him there. Right. >> I just would like to add it's very important what you said and I think just to clarify the idea number one the way the clear says the way to win the external war to overcome your enemies is first to win the internal battle. Without this internal battle being fought first and won then you stand no chance. He speaks about let's say lashinhara which we are going to talk about a little bit if you could um understand that on the battlefield everybody trusts each other when the guy says run I'll cover you you trust that's going to happen there has to be a love a camaraderie of giving over your life to your brother that when you have lushen heart that doesn't work there is no love there's resentment there's hatred who knows what right so the internal battle must be won and a unified nation has to come. And the other thing I want to mention which is so there's so many podcasts all these military uh guys with three falafles, four falafles, you know, stripes, whatever it is, the analysis. This this is our only second podcast. This is the real military um Pentagon, whatever you want to call it, you know, the kira, right? I have I have a son-in-law who's in the kira the seder. But what we're and they're doing great job, don't get me wrong. But what we're doing here, this is the ultimate analysis and I think directive that if only BB was listening and all the other guys, I don't even know their names. It's not even important. the guys who are making decisions should make the right decisions and uh with God's help >> delve into their delve into and raise the the the staff and the flag of your Jewishness. Yeah. And so I just want to mention also because it says if the this contemptu how does it say the uh scoundrel the scoundrel right the evil ignation approaches you drag him to the bait mash there's actually a list of different things you could do to save the schma first you fight it you do what you can to fight it that doesn't work you save the schma okay second thing perhaps bring them to the bait madra in other words learn Torah think about the day of your death that's right? >> Mortality. >> There's a whole bunch and that'll scare the heck out of him because as I mentioned, if he thinks you're going to die, he ain't got nobody to cling on to as a parasite. >> Okay, moving. However, however, we found the comes and continues to say that there are other stat strategies and tactics by which we neutralize the evil incarnation that it says in the Gomorrah in Katano. If someone sees that his inclination is about to overpower him, that he should go to a place where they do not know him or recognize him and he should put on black clothing etc. who what is this? What does this mean? What is this teaching teaching us? This teaching us similar to what it says in the para he should make himself despicable. similar to the to the to the dynamic of the of the war, the captive lady, >> the beautiful woman taken captive captive, right? That the Torah commands us to make her look despicable in order to subdue and to subjugate and to neutralize his evil inclination. Okay. So similar to himself, he should do the same thing to himself. I just want to add that that a person who is taking the the evil that taking this woman home is a form of he this is because he's it's an expression of overpowering his evil his over his inclination has gotten the better of him. So by taking that and taking that that pro that thing and the Torah commands us to make it look unappealing and and undesirable. This is how we bring down our own evil inclination. >> I just want to mention as I did there are different things the Torah suggests like the schma and think about the day of your death. This suggestion is only after everything. you tried everything and you still can't overcome your yates or subdue it. Then the suggestion is get dressed in black, put on a black hoodie, go to a different city, people don't know you. The truth is it's also part of a scheme. By the time you think I got to go home and uh change my clothes and think about where I'm going to go that people don't know me, hopefully that would already bring you to a point where you see you're going to do a despicable thing. No. >> Okay. So, it's also a process of trying to get everything under control. It's not a green light head to okay, I want to sin. I'll just get on a on a bus and go to a different city. That's not at all what it's saying. It's after all is said and done and you really cannot control yourself, then this is the next step in trying to get everything under control. >> Yeah. Um right. This is what we find in the words of our sages mammar is saying m dare was similar to what we were discussing about taking yourself down a notch when you're in a position as it says that hadn't been given we would learn modesty from a catal and we would learn about thievery from an antote and immor and and and marital immorality from a dove. From a dove in the proper way to have it to be in a relationship from a tarn from a fowl from a chicken. >> A chicken and a rooster. Yeah. >> Yeah. Rooster. Yeah. This already would have been discussed. He had discussed it in He's going to bring up some of the details he had mentioned in another place. We're going to bring them here. Now, the first thing that we're going to talk about is this dynamic of relationship between the evil the the the the person who's heading in a wrong direction with relationship between him and what what he would learn from a cat. Um Omar Shar modesty from a cat. Purish Rashi Rashi teaches over there in the Gomorra over there. What what is the Indian of the the concept of modesty from a cat? Is that the the cat has a sense of modesty and of bashfulness that he does not make his bowel movement in front in public. Instead, he hides and goes into a place into a place where it's not seen in order to do take care of its needs. And this is meant to send a hint for a hint to the do not recognize or they do not Yeah. They don't give recognition for their own creator shmar as it says in the puk and this is a a verse quote he's bringing from Jeremiah 5:12 [Music] >> number 11 >> and number 11 as it says that they denied the the hashem and said it is not he and No evil before will befall us. Neither will we see sword or a famine. So they have like this bravado, this denial of where they are not recognizing the creator. So >> they're in denial. Denial, right? >> Yeah, they're in denial. Yeah. Yeah. D. The reason why they called it denial is because the Nile famous to famous for a lot of people is that the Nile did not require rain and was and was always all it just was regular water flowings that happened from the sea that would come through it. And so that all they could do is just forget about the creator and rely on a Hashem. In fact, it's known that in Egypt by the Nile, all you had to do was take a a shovel and create a new canal. You didn't have to look to the heavens or pray to Hashem for water, >> right? >> You looked down at your feet and you were God. You directed the water where you wanted it. And Hashem in his I'm gonna call it uh >> mercy, >> sense of humor, >> sense of humor, mercy, >> sense of humor. He brought us to this land where it's almost impossible to have a system that works properly, right? You have roashem, we have the caner, but imagine the old days, we didn't have the water system where the water was brought to us. People had under their homes in this neighborhood, sistns, they weren't as reliable. You had earthquakes every hundred years. You had to resurface it or resement the cracks. It was very hard. I mean I had one a revi once who was a his his father was a great scientist in Israel and helped or tried to help was instrumental in developing the water carrier system throughout the the country but they tried to make uh reservoirs in Israel and they were highly unsuccessful. Hashem brought us to this desert. And I don't mean in a negative sense. We have all kinds of topography. But one of the things is we really don't have all year round running rivers. You know, when it rains, okay, so you have flash floods, even you have water movement, but we are dependent on the rain. Hashem took us here for a reason to bring us to this point where we are looking upward for the rain. And the most amazing thing in Israel is and it's going to happen about a month's time from now within about two weeks after sukus it's going to start raining and the taxi driver is going to get out and they're going to start praising Hashem like just the regular Jew and I say taxi driver I don't mean anything negative. I'm just saying the regular simple Jew is going to just look up to heaven and start thanking Hashem. >> It doesn't rain here for about 6 months you know through the summer. It only rains from let's say until a little after sukus until Pes time. Okay. So that's an amazing thing took us because you brought up the Nile the idea of faith and amuna and we might as well let people know what it's like here. Everybody's just so >> you walk around when the first rain everyone has just a smile on their face. But you have to be careful cuz the oils on the roads are slick. That's right. >> So you have to make sure to drive slowly. That's You heard it from me. Okay. >> It's also it's also connected this dynamics on the personal level. All of us sometimes on a personal level when it comes to our own financial affairs sometimes we're we're all of us in in in in our in our instinct in our core instinct we're all seeking financial predictability where things are just predictable and we don't have to think about it. we could just relax and this but a lot of the times when things are unpredictable this is giving us the opportunity to have direct contact direct talking with Hashem and asking Hashem for what we need this is what Hashem wants it says in places not just as a the agriculturalists which it I like to stress and I try to I stress this outside I mention this first time on video is that the Jewish people through the Torah one of the things that they are is agriculturalists they're using the land to to to to fulfill the mitzvah is and fulfill the will of Hashem. So it's not just that they're praying praying for Hashem for rain all the time but also for it's a sign that for us what we need that we need to be on a constant communication basis and not be in automatic mode when it comes to and once we embrace that that everything that what we need we have to thank Hashem and for the minute things the small things the little things the littlest of the little things to keep going and to and to uh to ask Hashem >> okay I just want to add right before you begin again where we left off is that if had the Torah not been given, we would have learned modesty from the cat, right, we would have learned about theft from the ant. We would have learned about the the the loyalty and relationships from the dove and how to have relationships from the tarn. What we're going to do here is only describe the first one at length, meaning the cat and how it relates to the para, >> right? the rest will have to leave till next year because there's no way we're going to be able to cop it in this short time that we have left. So, let's continue. how there is this connection between the well, we're going to talk about the the uh >> the the the evildoer >> the evildoer leaning going to a different city >> to do his deed so to speak and the cat who goes away from all human beings to do his thing which is go to the bathroom move his bowels so there's going to be this interesting connection go ahead >> so pirashi as we said we learn modesty from a that that the cat does not uh do take care of its needs in front of everybody is bashful and goes to a place where it's not seen. And this is to you send it into the evildoors that don't recognize their own creator as we said the deny in Hashem and they say that he is not they have a similar trait that the cat and theor are similar in the event that they both have a rebellious streak and that they do not have a sense of loyalty and a sense of feelalty to their own creator to their master >> to their master. >> Right? And similarly that but but the big but the cat does not deal with bowel movements in public. Therefore he should look at his comp his his his is his his um part counterpart the evil should look at the cat who they both have a rebellious streak. You should learn from him that it's that it's fitting for the for the evidorit that when they that when the evador sees that his evil incarnation is overpowering him, you should learn from the behavior of the cat. He should not therefore right right away immediately you should not be doing his his movement to do his evil deeds. Alic as it says in the as it says in as it says in the number um tw 12 44 when the Lord has sh when hashem shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and the blood of Jerusalem you shall rinse from its mist with a spirit of judgment with a spirit of purging which is a concept of cleaning away of getting rid and banishing and getting rid of the negativities >> I mean it's specifically using in Hebrew the word so which is excrement right >> so there is a relationship between these people the you know through Isaiah God is showing us that at that point in time the Jewish people are full of filth >> and as well as the next verse that he brings >> right so the Second pusset that he brings is and it's written >> Isaiah 28 verse >> uh Isaiah 28 verse8 for all tables were filled with vomit and an order without place that that verse is talking about that the negativity so and the negativity of not just wallowing in your own negativity. and he should not have be involved in this misbehavior in front of everybody. this like um parenthetically whichever I don't know which parathetically collocally means but the point is is that he shouldn't be doing everything in front of man like the cat what is the point that we're trying to bring if he sees that his own inclination is is overpowering should learn from the similar the behavior of the cat behavior that if he's going to be rebellious he should not do it in in which is speaking about it's our days in Jerusalem is that there are people that struggle with their struggles and all of us have our struggles and different things but it is no position at all to do it a in public and bleed to flaunt it and see to have pride about it and that is what is one of the main things of one of the things of the Jewish people that we are shim we are bashful and we are uh um we are merciful and we're civically also here in the so this sort of propriety And comporting yourself with a sense of spa, personal space and decency is something that is very important. We're discussing this is a great point you just brought up because it's going to now go into this idea. You feel a certain amount of embarrassment. >> That's why you you shouldn't be do aem in public. >> But the idea of going in some private place to take care of your business is a very important part of the busha. Now that busha that that feeling of embarrassment can be and we'll discuss this as a motivating factor for chuva right you mentioned there three traits in the Jews to be merciful to be modest and to be a godid >> but this this bashfulness this modesty >> that we have integral within our DNA is part of the motivation for doing chuva right when we talk about the addiction, people with addiction hitting rock bottom. That's very personal and it's subjective. Everybody's rock bottom is different. But hopefully each person realizes, I can't believe I sunk to that level without really, you know, hitting an object object an objective rock bottom, meaning in jail or even close to death. Hopefully each person just realized on their own. I never thought I would stoop to that level and that should be a motivating motivating factor to only go up. >> Yeah. And all of this of what we discussed is now we're coming back to our para with the important mitzvah. >> I just want to direct people where on the source sheet number 14 it's Deuteronomy 23-4. And you shall have a designated place outside the camp that you can go there to use it as a privy and you shall keep a stake in addition to your weaponry. And it shall be when you sit when you sit down outside to relieve you shall dig with it. You shall return a correction from it. Theseim not only is talking about basic hygiene in the military camp. But if we look at the appropriate is also talking about a certain level of maintaining a certain level of personal purity and of holiness and that there is a group that as a group and as a unit that the thing they are that they are training in their own camp of the camp of the Jewish people in battle in tactics is maintaining a state of purity which I want to talk about just uh just push a little bit and that is is that it was discussed And it was sometimes and was challenged in the in the military in Israel today. And this something that we should all push and that is is that military soldiers and those that wish should have the ability to have a kosher mikvah on site in the stationary bases that they should have together with their uh what do they call bath facil the the washing facilities they should have a kosher place. I've seen it. You have like these metal pools that they're able to go to. And that this is something that is something that's an integral part of one of the character traits of Jewish military, Jewish soldiering is >> is the concept of of of purity and hygiene. >> Listen, I appreciate being active being an activist for that that ideal. Uh I just want to focus on the puk itself because you mentioned like if you have children around you, they have a diaper. So you cannot pray, you cannot learn Torah around the the excrement. Um we have right outside our door. They're doing an excavation dig. There are outhouses. You can't stand on the porch with your fillin and davin with the outhouse in your eyesight. Okay? So they're these are like simple to keep the camp clean. Now it's interesting because the Hebrew itself it's staying away from something dar something that if you translate as something evil or just something bad or in this case rei even excrement. So, we're going to get into the idea of lashhara. Like we already mentioned, the more lash you speak, the worse it is for the military, right? >> Um, yeah. >> And that the camp has to be kosher, >> right? >> So, each >> each soldier should have what we'll call a shovel, a peg where they can dig out of the ground and do their >> to be able to cover and to great hygiene. Right. to uh to have their uh >> No, it's talking about actually the camp that the camp >> when you're actually on the battlefield. It says to have with your weapons, in other words, it's part of your weaponry to have this shovel or this peg as we'll see so that you could dig a hole for your excrement and then cover it. But we're going to see something really deep. We're going to talk about the word which is to dig as to have embarrassment and it says in which to sit. It's very very awkward English but that's what it says in Hebrew, >> right? You shall keep in addition to your weapons. It shall be when you sit outside you shall dig with it and then you return and cover your excrement. We're actually going to see the words when you have that embarrassment. And that is the catalyst for you to do chuva and to cover it and move on. And uh let's let's hear the rest. >> Yeah. I just wanted to add something small is that in this mitzvah it seems a lot that we're talking about ourselves that what would each soldier privately has to do. But the main point at the end is about the sanctity and the security of the camp. It's it's more of maintaining the status quo of the of the group. It's interesting. Fine. As it says fine, it is fitting for a person in in the spiritual sense, in the personal sense to cover his misbehavior, his misdeeds which are compared to excrement and he should leave outside of the camp and there he should supposedly if he feels compelled to to to to to to do his bowel movement. And it's similar to what it said that they said that when you see that your inclination is about to overpower you as we mentioned earlier that he should go to a place that he that they don't recognize him and he should dress up in black clothing because when he's when he is defacing himself and he's totally >> by wearing black >> by wearing black and by and by making himself undesirable then he will subdue his uncircumcised heart. It's called the uncircumcised heart because in the time of the galut we're facing our own struggles. It's called the uncircumcised heart that Hashem says in a different P that when the time of the Msiah may be soon when it's going to come that it's gonna Hashem's gonna circumcise our heart and give us a new heart. Right? >> No, we we don't have to wait for that. >> No. Uh we can't we have an obligation to circumcise our hearts. >> This is what midos working on our character is all about. We don't have to wait. Mashiach comes everyone will have it happen but we have to do it to ourselves. I.e. So that he will so in order so that he by doing these black clothing and sort of like taking himself down and bringing himself down. So this causes him to take himself down. This this behavior this this action this act is going to sort of bring himself to embarrassment. >> Embarrassment of that negative is within him. He's feeling >> of leaning into his negativity. Correct. >> This is what is said here in our as we're using the words. You shall dig and and you shall sit. But you could translate it otherwise, right? >> It's amazing. Just read it. You shall >> dig and you shall sit, >> right? >> But read it as he will be embarrassed and he will return. It's the exact same Hebrew expression if you if you understood. Yes. >> Visel Shamar. And this is what it said right that to dig that the learn has a lion of embarrassment >> also it's an expression of embarrassment but also like we said otherwise that if you switch the letters around sometimes >> you could also have is your own shame >> I think when we were learning it we thought that was the uh the implication but we looked it up in the dictionary and actually just means uh busha >> it actually means it >> the reason why I mentioned the second one is cuz the first one I never heard before, so it's totally news to me. It was unfamiliar. And this this this of using these words and having it have an extra meaning is that you should be embarrassed and you shall be subdued. Your incarnation will be subdued. Shama, as it says in your in one second, it There it is. Number 15. Jeremiah 2:26. As the shame of a thief, when he is found out, so have the house of Israel been ashamed. What are we learning here? We're learning here that there is sort of like he's like a thief. He's like he's like ashamed. He's like sneaking >> and there's an embarrassment with it. >> What? >> Think about when he's found out. In other words, in the thief, I don't know if we can even relate to this. Maybe when we were kids, we thought we'd steal a a piece of bubble gum or something, >> but there when you get caught, wow, like you thought, I don't know, you get away with it and you cannot get away with it. You're embarrassed. >> So there's a certain embarrassment of the thief when he is found out. So too, the house of Israel is ashamed. What's what we learned from the thief that he is doing it in hidden he's he's hiding right also uh yeah these these these these people that are doing sins take it to heart that's similarly when they're going out of the camp they don't recognize that he that he feels he's compelled to do mischiefs that he's similar to a thief who's stealing in the night. >> Remember, we're comparing to this to the guy who cannot get his uh >> act together >> um control over his. He's done several things where he said the shah or he drugg it to the bait midash or he thought about the day of his death. Finally, compelled to dress up >> in black and go to this uh place outside where nobody knows him. >> This is exactly like the cat >> and this is the bouch that we're talking about that's going to >> be instrumental in causing you to do chuva. So it's like turn >> it's like a last resort but it could work. In other words, it's kazal was not we're not that >> it's so important you mention that rab because we've been talking about this the whole time but we didn't miss this is only the last resort and for most of us please god just by saying by by by by saying by taking it headon and pushing back against evil incarnation and and what do you call psyching yourself up and saying I'm going to take you down and I'm going to push you back that's the first step and the second step is to sit and say the complete shama and then other to go to a house of study to open up a safer and to do Torah study This is all of that. Then you have to come to this last resort that we're discussing for us by going and getting in touch with his shame his and and in sitting or returning I think it means here >> and going to a dark place and going all of that that he'll come to do that from this he will return he will be embarrassed and he will turn from this Okay. This is the advice that was given by our sages of blessed memory to the people that the last resort are seeing that the odds that he's in the losing war that there's a way to to to get in touch and to try to get the upper hands. But Rabbi >> Yeah. So maybe I'll continue from here on and you'll help me. Some of the words the the sheets we're working with do not have vowels. >> Yeah. Okay. So, we mentioned the verse. The verse was in Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse3 where you're told to take this additional tool. We'll call it either a shovel or a spade. But the truth is it's it's a peg. >> Yeah. >> You can use a peg, a stake to to dig. So add this uh this um um this peg or this shovel to your weapons. Now the word um the word in Hebrew, let me just go through >> for weaponry. >> Yeah. So a >> that's right. >> Okay. That word, what does it even sound like? So we're going to play it's oene your ears. So the peg, right? It's teaching you all. Okay. So, we mentioned in vers Deuteronomy chapter 23:13. >> So, it mentions that you're going to add this um spike, this stake, this shovel with all your other weapons. Now, the word for weapons, >> right? When we went up from Egypt, we left Egypt. It says, >> you know, you all know what give ammunition hill. You go to a you go into a hospital or you go into a store and they want to know if you're armed. >> Yeah. >> So, sometime they ask you, you have any uh are you kamush? >> Well, you know what you're supposed to say. >> Of course. Here's my kamish. This is my weapon of war. >> That's amazing. >> Now, how many books are there in the five books of Moses? >> Seven. >> Yeah. You have in in bidbar you have two inverted upside down nuns >> and everyone says there actually are seven books. So we went up armed with the five books of Moses. We were ready to accept them. Rashi says what does kamushim mean over there? Clay Zion. >> Zion. Yeah. Clay. >> Zion means seven >> with the seven meaning the five books of Moses are really the seven books of the Torah. That which is clay. It literally means your weapons which anyway means your weapons. There's no it's all everything in the everything in the Torah is interconnected. But here it says it should be with your weapons. And we're going to see a Gomorrah Doris Barapara. He says don't read it as as a your weapons but rather read it o your ears that if you hear if a person hears something that isn't proper right it's improper could be lashinhara could be curse words whatever it is something that is improper for you to hear what should you do you should stick your pegs your stakes your fingers into your earsm Now that's going to be bar kapara. We're going to see ra Ishmail holds a little bit different. >> Now we're meaning we'll see it. Actually I don't know if we're going to get to it. I forget where we said we're going to stop. We may not >> here. We're here. That's absolutely >> I know. I don't know if we're going to see it. Okay. So that was Barapar. Now this is explained in similar the way that we mention this idea that when you go outside of the camp to do the bow movement or to get rid of your inclination by acting out >> this hints to someone who sees his inclination overpowering him or becoming strong. He should go to a place people don't recognize him which means outside of the encampment. Therefore, he should go and act out or do his bow movement. However, he still needs to degrade himself, >> right? In order to um subdue his uncircumcised heart, he's >> wild. And if is causing you to hear, right? Oh, I'm so interested in horror, right? is causing you to hear into your ears into your ears something that is not proper. You should show the evil inclination. Show him this great reward you're going to get in the world to come. >> Show him with your finger. >> Ah, we're going to see that right now. How great and pleasant it is one moment in the world to come. Then all the physical pleasures of this world all this one moment in the world to come which is like bliss eternal bliss one moment outweighs all the physical pleasures we get of this world whereas what's going to happen with the finger anybody know listen to what it says God is going to create this circle of all the sadikim They're going to be singing and dancing. They're going to be what do you call it? The receiving the zashina, the light of the divine presence. And they're all going to be dancing with their fingers pointing inward to the be pointing to the what it says the >> they're going to be pointing with their fingers. >> So the finger is the finger of of the reward of the oil. there's a way to overcome the har. So there's two it there's always a positive and negative through the embarrassment. >> You're going to use that energy >> to turn your life around >> or the maybe the desire the incentive to have an intimate relationship with Hashem >> like more intimately you can ever have in this world. Uh and I think that's what it's talking about. He says um that if the person hears something that's not proper, he should take his finger and stick it in because this idea is a hint, the finger itself is a hint to the future and that's why you should stick it in your ear. Now, maybe I'll just sum up the next paragraph. >> Okay. Um, so I mentioned that Ruby Ishmael in the Gomorrah of Cassubis, he's telling you to take the lower part of your ear, the the end of your ear, which is soft, and stick it up there and close off the hard part, the cartilage, >> but there's other parts of your ear you could have folded over, but he says specifically the lower part, the end part, which is soft. >> Okay, maybe it's just out of convenience, >> right? The end of the ear. He says, >> it's almost the same thing. >> So it says the >> the end why is the uh why is there a hard part of your ear? >> Whereas the end part is very soft. So why do you have a hard part and a soft part? And he says the answer is that if if the person hears something that's not proper, he should bend over the soft part into into his ear. And there is to ask show why specifically that soft part and not a different part of your ear that you're able to you are able to like somehow fold it over. Why that part specifically? >> So rather he mentions that the ali it's mish the end part end >> remember was that a hint to the end. What what's your end? God forbid. But that's unfortunately the truth. We're going to be in the dirt and the ants and the the worms and the maggots are going to eat the body. >> Yeah. >> And the sadikim don't have that happen to them. So maybe we will be in that category. But in the end, we have to think like that like benonim that in the end our body will rot. That's the end. And that's also a way to think about perhaps the reward or punishment. That's right. >> Inhab. And so basically that's pretty much how he ends this idea that um about the uh what you should think about. Is there anything I I missed? Um they're basically saying they're giving over the same message from the >> just a different perspective. No, about the the earlobe, >> right? The earlo. But all that is based on um getting in touch with a person's his own shame at the last resort and going and doing and being propriety and going away to the end of Yeah. is going to the end and going to the side and getting in touch with Hashem and thinking about his end and thinking about the reward and the punishment whether it's through the finger of of of the of the uh of the reward of Hashem the ultimate spiritual because as we know it says in here that that what the the the joys of this world are perishable and are temporary but the finger it's talking about the the the eternal reward the point the final point the final point >> right so just know that I mentioned there were were animals that we would have learned things, important things from had we not been given the Torah. Okay, we were given the Torah and it makes it easier for us. But all we discussed so far is the cat. >> There's pages and pages which I encourage you uh maybe come back next year and listen or buy the book. It's only in Hebrew. There's no English translation by the clear. It's fascinating how he's able to unravel the words of Kazal and tie it all in together. Yeah. >> And this is El, as I mentioned, we're preparing ourselves for the uh the great and awesome day of judgment. And I'm sure that we all have a positive judgment. All we have to do is want it and Hashem will direct us. Like we said, one who one who wants to be maher, Hashem will someone who wants to be um tahor, Hashem will mahare him with all the help from heaven. The angels are going to come assist you. Hashem is going to personally assist you. And who are the angels? Sometimes it's the people you meet, the people in your minion, right? It's a plug for our minion, right? We had a hard time last few days. Come. It's l and we're learning the the the insights into the prayers for the rash. Anyway, do what you can, right? We're blowing the chauffeur sparing already getting up in the middle of the night and uh crying out to Hashem actually singing to Hashem. I mean, it's amazing the difference between the Spartan and the Ashkanazi when it comes to they they do it with such joy. And I think that we have a lot to learn from our our holy brethren theim and uh you want to say anything at the end? Um yeah the actually I did forget that but I wanted to share because you mentioned uh um uh there is a a so a song I was thinking about which one but uh the the the first I'll because you mentioned that this that we're doing one with joy. So, it's a song about how Hashem's way is is Hashem is has patience and Hashem will give goodness for the Jewish people. So, it goes This is the way your way Hashem um to to to to be to be patient to have long patience to to th to whether those are good or whether those that have misdeed. Hashem is giving us the encouragement for your sake do see how we're struggles. We have our things, but we're we're successful. And it so it ends Darling, [Music] you my birthday. [Music] my sh [Music]