You Shall Circumcise the Foreskin of Your Heart with Rabbi Aaron Dovid Poston

Heat. Heat. [music] [singing] [music] [singing] >> [music] [singing] [music] [singing] >> Shalom everybody. Welcome back to the bait midash. Welcome home to Torah. A warm welcome home to Torah. Okay. So, in order for us to start, we always preface the idea that we are dealing with the fundamentals in Judaism. We're dealing with the yakar, although not the standard edition of the kakar. We're using a book called Gibborim written by the same schlom fry milit. So, [snorts] those are familiar with the kakar. He is the Tammed was the Tammed Mukak of the Mar 450 years ago. And um we encourage you to learn Hebrew. You can use the original source sheets which you'll find the link down below in the description box. [snorts] And we do encourage you to uh learn Hebrew. Okay. Now, one of the things I've been most impressed with with the hostages return is that almost every one of them has claimed that Hamas tried to convert them to Islam. Now, if you were a hostage, which you know we weren't, we we're faced with two choices. We can ease the punishment, the the torture by saying, "Okay, whatever you want." Right? That would be seemingly a normal. You couldn't really hold it against them if they would have said, "You know what? I'll take the easy route. I'll convert to Islam and I won't be the thought is you wouldn't be tortured as much." That's the simple thought. Every single one of them, not one bowed or or or bent in that direction. In fact, they all came back claiming that being in this environment only strengthen their faith. It's just like really it should give us all what's happening in heaven when a Jew is really faced with such a choice and they chose the right, they chose the correct path, right? Not one of them converted to Islam even though the pressure was great and yet they not only did they just not convert to Islam but they actually you know started becoming observant on different levels which is absolutely amazing whether they took on shabas where they took on yum kipur whe they took on you know the mitzvah of fillin even in in in in captivity uh lighting shabas candles or praying uh it's just amazing that we should get and halvi I mean we should never be in that position but halvi even in our own position how they should strengthen us we're there we were there for them we were praying for them Israel really is a very special unique people and uh I think we have a lot of I don't even know what the word is not on a certain level it is um just really I think some real deep um introspection for where we are in our faith faith when we are not even faced with, I don't know, an ounce of what they went through. The first paragraph is interesting. We're going to kind of skip over it a little bit. I'm going to sum it up. The first paragraph, it's based on a midrash. And um the real meat and potatoes that we're going to learn tonight is not based on this midrash. Later on, he probably discusses it. This is like a 15-page essay. We're only going to deal with the first page and a half. So, beginning with this midrash, which you can find in mid raba brait and number 48 paragraph 10. So, we know the pymer hashem. Well, I shouldn't even say that because there's a mlo. Is he talking to God or is he talking to the archangel Mel? So, he says, Right, my lord, if I find faith in your eyes, please pass not from before your servant. So he's having a conversation with God. That's for sure. And of course, Aram is full of he wants to do. And that day in the heat of the sun, after 3 days of his circumcision, he had c he had just circumcised himself. And nevertheless, he wanted to do and Hashem made it a hot day so that what? So that people wouldn't come. However, these angels had a different mission and Hashem wanted to somehow u what's the word appease the Ara wanted to do. At the same time, these three angels actually had a mission of their own. And um to cut to the chase, Aram's in the middle. Imagine you have a 15minute conference. I'm sure he had more than 15 minutes, but imagine you had a 15-minute conference with God. And you say, "Oh, excuse me, God. I have to take care of something." It sounds a little perhaps even highly mistaken. But what we learn is what? First of all, he thought they were humans. Man is created in the image of God. God does want us to do and therefore he really was not leaving Hashem's presence. In fact, he was running towards Hashem's presence by involving himself in with what he thought were human beings. Nevertheless, these were not human beings. And when he says, "My Lord, if I find favor in your eyes, please pass not from before your servant." The midish explains there's it's possibly we're talking about an angel by the name of Maelia taught um he said this is to the greatest of them. In other words, Mika was in the middle and whoever is in the middle is the greatest. So let's say for example you're sitting next to your Rebi, you should take the seat to the left. Your Rebi should be to your right. When you're walking down the street, the same thing until another student appears. If another student appears and he's greater than you, so then you go, you stay on the left and make sure that the greater student goes to the right of the Rebi. Or if you're the greater student, you then move to the right of the Rebi and the younger student or the more inexperienced student takes the left side. So he knew he was talking to Mikel. And there is a a proof text here in the Medish as well that he's talking to Mel. But anyway, so what the medish does, it takes six different statements that Ara actually said to these angels and I don't know if you're familiar with the idea. It says that there's a famous concept in Judaism aos sim labanim whatever our forefathers did that is some kind of harboring some kind of a idea of something's going to happen in the future with that and when he said these six different things it's broken up into six different things not only is it the future there's actually broken into three parts. Whatever Aram actually did then took place in the desert then took place when we came into the land of Israel and then will take place and when after the Messiah comes in what we call Lavo in the future world. So Aram says let some water be brought please. And so that's what happened when Ara was in the presence of these people. He wanted water to be brought for them. And the Med says that God promised, he swore that I'm going to pay back your children in the wilderness, what we call the Midbar, in the Yishu, meaning when we come back into the land of Israel, and loav the messianic times. And I don't want to spend that much time going through all the verses. Um I'll maybe I'll use the the first one as an example and uh you can read it on your own. I want to get to the meat and potatoes. But let's say for example when we were in the desert. So there's a pk in numbers 17- 18 whereos. Okay. So then Israel sang this song come up oh well call out to it. So we we all know that we had water in the desert but numbers mentions it as an agave in the past and when we came into Erit Israel of course we know it's a land with streams of water and springs and underground water in Deuteronomy 8 verse 7 this underground water coming forth in the valley and the mountains this land is amazing that we have water where we need it and in the future. So in in Zechariah chapter 14 verse8 on that day meaning in the messianic future spring water will flow out of Jerusalem. Okay. So there's going to be proof text in the medish for each one of the things and I you know what I'll go do the second one as well that Ara wanted watered brought so that he can wash their feet. Right? So that is about purity. So God bathed us in in in the desert in um in in Yeesco chapter 16:E9 I bathed you with water. He did. And when we come into Israel, wash yourselves and purify yourselves in Isaiah 1 verse 16. And in the future also in Isaiah 4:4 when my Lord will have washed the filth of the daughters of Zion. That's referring to the time of Messiah. I'll just make mention of the other four things. He asked them to um lean against the tree to have rest against the tree. Okay. So simply the I might as well go through it. So when he says recline against the tree, so in the desert, we know an in Psalms 105:39, it refers to the time we were in the desert. He spread out a cloud for shelter. When we come into Eric Israel, of course, we have the mitzvah in Leviticus 23:42. You shall dwell in booths for a 7-day period. And in the future in Isaiah 4:6, there will be a tabernacle as shade from heat in the daytime. And that's referring to the messianic times. Uh he also asked them that he wanted to fetch a morsel of bread. So in the desert, of course, we were fed with mana from heaven. That's in Exodus 16:4. And when we come into the land, right, in Deuteronomy 8:8 talks about the land being a land of wheat and barley and all the the seven special species. And what about the messianic future in Psalm 72:16? May there be abundant grain on the earth. And that's what will happen. And then uh Abraham also said that he wanted to run to get the cattle right to serve the meat. Bakar rots Abraham. And so when we were in the desert of course we had the quail, we had meat when we were in the desert and in Israel. So remember in um I think it's numbers. Yeah, it's numbers 32:1, right? Describes the children of Ruvane and uh and on the other side of the Jordan having abundant livestock. And in the future in Isaiah 7 21, it will be on that day that each man will raise a hepher and two sheep, meaning there will be plenty of meat in the future. He also said he stood, it says he stood over them and Hashem promised same thing in the desert in the land of Israel in the future time. And so what does it mean? In the desert, Hashem went before them by uh by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way. Hashem protected us. He stood over us. And when we come into the land of Israel in Psalms 82:1 that um God will be standing in Badas Kale, God stands in the divine assembly. That's the Jewish people in the land of Israel. And in the future in Mika 2:13, the one who breaks forth will go before them, meaning their king Messiah will pass in front of them with Hashem at their head. So that's just like the groundwork. He doesn't really go into it now. Perhaps next year, the year after when we got into the clear further. Now, we're going to get into the meat and potatoes of today's lesson. So, on page me, the bottom right, it says something very important. We've been discussing the idea of acquiring wisdom. We want to be wise. We are a wise people, right? Even the Gentiles will call us a very wise people. MG basically the concept is right in order to become wise in order to grasp wisdom and to bring that wisdom into the world. So we have three main limbs or organs in which kma is um is able to be grasped is able to be understood and what are those three organs you have the le you have the ozen and the p so it's the heart it's the ears and the mouth [snorts] mit from the aspect of the le how is slave heart and wisdom connected. So you see in Ecclesiastes 1 verse 16, it's really number 21 on the source sheet. By the way, on the English source sheets, number 1 through 20 is all that measures I just read to you. So Ecclesiastes 1:16, I spoke to myself, saying, I acquired and increased great wisdom more than all who were before me over Jerusalem, and my heart saw much wisdom and knowledge. So we're talking about where does the wisdom reside [cough and clears throat] and or where is wisdom grasped in um in in the heart number one. And how is it expressed? How does it come into fruition? So we see a very obvious verse. Not only is there an act of acquiring and increasing great wisdom, but my heart saw it was in in um not recognition of it. And then that's the heart. What about the P the P? The mouth. Look in Mish Proverbs 10:31. The mouth of a righteous man speaks wisdom. Padikma. Okay. So, it's the mouth that's going to bring it into fruition. And we know what that means. And then he mentions about the ear. The ear in chapter it's also Mishle chapter 15 verse 31 is number 23. The ear that listens to reproof of life shall lodge amongst the wise. So the ear that's willing to hear corrective instructions for life. That means he is close within the wise. Tolen is lodging is like sleep overnight rests. So that's where wisdom will rest within only if the ear is willing to hear. And the clear car then continues with a few other verses that relate to the idea of hearing. And he brings Isaiah 50:5. The Lord God opened my ear and I did not rebel. I did not turn away backwards. So ado there's a concept we're going to discuss what ora and orel is uncircumcised and orel right we have Abraham who circumcised himself that's called the physical flesh circumcision but God wants us I would say drum roll please but nobody has tables here god wants us to circumcise our hearts our our ears and what else? And our tongues and our mouth. And we're going to prove that. And this is very important in terms of our own I'm going to call it religiosity, our own way of life in trying to be Jews, and trying to be pious, right? That wisdom is the beginning of all. Fear is the beginning of all wisdom, but wisdom is what you need. In fact, that's the very first thing that we pray for when we start the Schone Esray, right? They're the three brahos of praise. And the first request is for wisdom. Wisdom. And even King Solomon, the smartest man in the world, right? He was pretty smart to say, "What do you want? Riches or wisdom?" He knew that if you got the wisdom, the riches would come along with it. If you ask for the riches, well, you may lose all that because if you're not smart, what are you going to do with all that money? So he asked for wisdom and he was granted both. So we just saw the verse in Proverbs 15:31. What about in Isaiah 50:5? We just read, "The Lord God opened my ear." Okay. Now, as a proof text again that there's something very important about open ears in Psalms 40:7. You neither desired sacrifice nor near nor meal offering, but you dug ears for me. You dug ear. You opened them up. Okay? You pierced them, so to speak. You you dug into that. And that's a very important concept. Now, the next paragraph on the left side of 47 begins with the word atum. Right? When we were running for shelter in the Iraqi war, how many years ago? 90 90 or 91. We made these rooms called ATUM. It was a sealed room. It didn't have to be what's the word? It didn't have to be rocket proof. It had to be chemical proof because the fear was there were chemical rockets. And atum means sealed or clogged. And that's with the same thing as orel. The idea of being circumcised. We're going to find out that as a Jew when we get circumcised, that's going to open up the possibilities for the additional three, the ears, the mouth, and the heart. It all begins with the physical circumcision. Now, I've been asked by women, what about us? And the truth is the women according to Judaism are already burn born circumcised. They have no what's the word? Uh clogging. There's no barriers. there's no interference. They have a much straighter relationship, a much more direct relationship with the kesh. So the paragraph says, right? God forbid one should seal or close up or clog their ears or their hearts or their mouths from listening to to Torah. Now, Mishmo doesn't just mean listening. It means understanding, right? If you have a block, you could be listening, literally listening all you want, but it doesn't like go in. We've all experienced that. Heru nikra orel this idea that if you are clogged, right, from any of these three things, three limbs, you're called uncircumcised. Ribzzar. Look what it says in number 29. [snorts] We we know there are five. This is in perzer number 29. We know that there are five types of ora. One is for the tree. We're not going to discuss that right now. But there are four in reference to man. And I'm just going to read the Hebrew from the clear dal or there are four or which is the oral of the basar. That's the circumcision on the male member. Then there's oraloha which we're going to discuss. The oral is halev. So there's going to be a circum you need you have a uncircumcised mouth, uncircumcised heart and an uncircumcised ears. Oh by the way there is a discussion about mamray and what did mamray do to counsel or givea? So we discussed this Rabbi Bridowitz whether it's because you can only do it once. So he convinced him to wait until he was commanded. But there's another idea brought down because it says it was in the plains of Mamray in the orchard of Mamray amongst the tree of Mamray and he was showing him where because in the Bible it doesn't ever say right you have better have an oral Torah, right? It never says where the brisma on the body is supposed to be done just because we know what the word circumcised and uncircumcised is referring to but it never says where and with the help of Mamray he discussed the idea where should the circumcision be done and it should be done where the fruits come out right because he's by the trees what produces fruit the trees and by the way there is or by trees you don't see or by anything else in the physical world except on man. So there's four that are related to man. There's one related to trees. So what about the the uh the mouth? So let's start with the mouth. By the way, this perker discusses this idea. Um, and so on the mouth, if we look at Exodus 6:12, right? Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, "Behold, the children of Israel did not hearken to me. How then will Pharaoh hearken to me, seeing that I am of closed lips." In Hebrew, ani safety, right? I am of uncircumcised lips. Look at rashi. What does it mean or else means closed and the rashi says every expression of ora always denotes closure and he brings example their ear is clogged in Jeremiah 6:10 and they're of uncircumcised hearts as in Jeremiah 9:25. Um he also brings another and I think it's really related to the mouth but he doesn't say so. He says, "You two drink and become clogged up in Habacook 21:16." By the way, I just want to mention what Rashi actually says and I kind of skipped it. So when it says the ora is a it denotes closure, so about the ear, it prevents hearing. The clogging prevents hearing and when it comes to the heart, it prevents understanding. Um we know that it's true by the fruit tree, right? In Leviticus 19:23, you shall tr treat treat the fruit as forbidden. And we have to only in the fourth year. So for three years, we don't eat the fruits from a fruit tree until you bring a special um tithing of the fourth year. Um and that's by the way only in erit is. And what does it mean? How does Rashi end with that? He says about the fruit, make it for a closure and a covering of prohibition which which will create a barrier that will prevent you from eating it. And when it says 3 years, it shall be closed up. It's ora for you meaning closed up and covered and separated. So this is the idea. Okay. So when it comes to the mouth, we see it clearly in Exodus 6:12. What about the heart? So in Deuteronomy 10:16, it's a direct commandment. You shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart. Therefore, and be no stiff necked and don't be stiff necked anymore. And Rashi says there, what does it mean? The foreskin of your heart, the blockage and covering of your heart. Okay. And then we have the ears which we already quoted Jeremiah 6:10 right behold their ear is clogged and Rashi says there also ora means clogged and so is every expression of ora it also means blocked up and and and and clogged. Okay. So the bottom line on me or so the medish mentions specifically the four this these four different clogs right blockages one of them is physical that's going to be the one on the flesh the or that's the one on the body and then there's gimmelot There are three that are of spiritual nature. So the idea of the ear, the mouth, and the heart is spiritual. You don't, God forbid, make a cut into any one of these three organs. We have to figure out how we can I'm going to use the word circumcise ourselves. how we could fix this clog these barriers that are separating us from and since we have Ben who love to listen to this I will mention again Rabbi Bowitz mentioned it in the Shir Tuesday night according to the Ron Reno Nissim anything that is logical or ethical and non-Jew needs to keep and who wouldn't want wisdom who wouldn't want it, right? Um, it's going to make you more successful in life. Being successful, I'm going to say, is ethical, right? Why should you be a taker? You should be a giver, >> right? So, I think that this is wisdom also, right? For the whole world. That's why the non-Jews look at us for this wisdom. So, the three are Keep in mind, we're not asking the non-Jews to circumcise themselves, right? But circumcision weakens the power the dri the power that's driven on the on the on the flesh, on the body. It weakens it. that it's well known, right? Anybody with a a thinking head understands this well that the evil inclination um provokes or arouses that limb more than any other limb of the body. And say um I'm just going to read it. Rav says one who intentionally causes himself to have an erection shall be ostracized. The word is needly basically shunned. Now this is obviously something that happens in private. So how do people know to put the person on? Okay. So perhaps it means that if it became public knowledge I don't know. Maybe it's just to understand how bad it is. The Gmorra suggests. So why didn't Rob just said it's forbidden? Wouldn't it just be easy to say that masturbation is forbidden, right? Wouldn't it just be better just to say that? Why do you have to say someone who intentionally caused himself to be aroused should be ostracized? So the gamor explains that it's actually proper to ostracize such a man. Maybe the person himself should have an an idea that this is something wrong and it's going to lead him in the wrong path as he arouses the evil incarnation upon himself. And Ravami says he's actually called a habitual transgressor as this is the craft of the evil inclination. Today he says to a person do this sin and when the individual obeys his inclination we're talking about the evil inclination convinces you like the media and the doctors that it's healthy and it's all kinds of you know beneficial things to you. Right? do this sin. When the individual obeys his inclination, on the following day, the evil inclination says to him, "Do that sin." And on the following, he says, "Go worship idols." And he goes and worships idols. Obviously, there's many what's called shades of gray. one doesn't just go from this or maybe they do from this to to the other extreme but uh I think I think it's um it's a statement also say that Hashem leads you in the direction you desire to go in. So we're always faced are do we do we want to be pure? Do we want to try to attain purity or are we willing to go into the polluted waters right and um and remain god forbid impure? No. So that's the choice that we are faced with. But that specifically that limb that was discussed and I'll just read the Hebrew someone who rouses themselves on purpose intentionally is ostracized because the um he's he's bringing the stronger and stronger on himself. Since the physical powers overcome a person specifically most likely in that particular limb. So that's only the beginning. He's going to begin and then he's going to end with other limbs, right? Doing other sins and he's going to lose all of his wisdom. This is like you want to lose all your wisdom, go ahead. This is the key. You want to maintain your wisdom like Yosesephadic, right? He ran away from Mrs. Potif, right? He we saw Tan in the Gomorrah who sat on his fingertips and even bled, right? As to not and Yseph, he was strong in his bow. Strong in his bow. We're not going to get into that now. But Ysephadic is an example for us to follow in trying to remain pure. He's called Ysephic, not an accident. Now, we have Kazal Gammor that describes this a little bit. It's number 31 in the source. It says a person doesn't commit a sin unless a ruach enters him. Right? The literal words says a man commits a transgression only if a spirit of folly. Now the word is going to be actually related to the word s is with a but a and a sin are interchangeable. And it's understood that what did she do? her husband warned her. She's anyway not allowed to uh be in she's not allowed to be isolated in a locker room with a man who's not her husband. the husband, yes, he may be jealous, but the word t which is written in the Bible in numbers 5:12 if the wife goes astray is written in the with the letter Hebrew letter shin affording the alternative reading of which is related to the term for folly the word uh like we said if you look in Rashi number 32 that's the verse we just read and numbers 5:12 12 that uh down below in the middle should any man's wife go astray the word is our sages teach in mid that adulterers do not commit adultery unless a spirit of folly enters them and is written here here by the t can also mean meaning to become foolish and there's There's a verse in Proverbs 6:32. One who commits adultery with a woman is devoid of sense. It says he's lacking heart. Right? We're discussing the idea of having an uncircumcised heart. It's he's meaning he's lacking an understanding heart. Okay, let's go on with the clear car. And he says like this. Hooray. We have to understand the or this this foreskin is having the foreskin still on the body is going to cause a foreskin on your heart on your ears and on your mouth. Because it's the mouth, right? It's these limbs, the heart, the mouth, the heart, the ears, and the mouth that through them, that's where you finish. That's where justice, the finishing, and all the actions of man take place through those limbs. [snorts] I'm sorry. We have to understand that all these three things what we're about to say um has all of the well actually maybe it's talking about the limbs. These limbs have all the ability and the the the skill to move forward. You want to be successful. A successful person knows how to let's say control his heart, his ears, his mouth. It all begins with controlling that limb that was circumcised to begin with. And where does man find his where does man really find his success? In these three things, right? When it's the first mission perote, right? The world stands on three things. This one's not the first second in Torah, right? Torah, which we understand what that is. That means having the instruction manual from Hashem and following it vod which usually means prayer, right? Worship and they're all three of these things which cause a man a person to be successful is all dependent on the mouth, the ears, and the heart. If you don't circumcise your ears, mouth, ears, mouth, and heart, you're not going to find success. And how do we see Torah? We said Torah, a gimad. Torah is dependent on the heart. It says in Proverbs 14:33. Where is that on the sheet? Number 33, wisdom rests in the heart of an understanding person. Right? What does it mean? That it's resting. Right? Wisdom rests on the heart. Uh took it Rashi says it dwells and rests tranquility, tranquility, an expression of rest. That's what Noah, right? An expression of rest and tranquility. Okay. So we see how the heart and kakma are related. Torah is Torah. What about the ears? So in Proverbs 28:9, he who turns his ear away from hearing Torah. Remember hearing means to understand, but he turns his earn. What happens? to even his prayer is considered an abomination. So we see how we're using the Torah right now to explain Torah and ears. You need to have good ears. And what about P? And what about the mouth? Look in Exodus 13:9. That's number 35 on the source sheet. And it shall be to you as a sign upon your hand, as a remembrance between your eyes. It's talking about to fill in. But what is all that about? In order that the law of the Lord shall be in your mouth. So the Torah is in the mouth, right? It's in the heart, the [clears throat] ears and the mouth. What about what about giving charity? That's also how is it related or hanging on the heart? Because it says in Deuteronomy 15:7, right? If there will be among you a needy person from one of your brothers in one of your cities in your land, the Lord your God is giving you, what are you supposed to do? Not harden your heart from giving. You shall not close your hand from your needy brother. Do not u close your heart to your brother. So relating to the heart. What about the ozen the ears? Proverbs 21 verse3. It's number 37 on the source sheet. He who stops up his ear from the cry of the poor man, he too will cry out and not be answered. Do you understand? If you step up to the plate and you do what you need to do, don't hide yourself from the cry of the poor man. Hashem will hear you. And if you do, right, it's measure for measure. you move away maybe you you don't want to hear him cry so then God forbid your own prayers will not be answered which reminds me we're learning in the morning and I give this to Shir on Sunday the prayers we do on rash and yam kiper but it's throughout the whole year that the na'vi when the prophet saw a okay let's start like this hashem's real essence is unknown. In other words, we cannot fathom the infinite. Rabbi Bry also mentioned this. But what can we measure? What can we understand and grasp? His conduct. And how do we understand his conduct? So, Rab Freellander explains that each thing in creation has one aspect of God's conduct. And we can learn about God's conduct because he created these things and they emanated from him. And so you can learn one thing from each thing. A human being, however, encompasses all of God. In other words, all of this. We can look at another human being and understand all of the conduct of God. We're created in his image and his likeness. But interestingly enough, when the Na'vi sees a a vision, because that's what most of the Nim are seeing it inept epileptic fit in a in a dream or in a horizontal position. Only Moses saw it a clear vision standing up awake. So he sees something, a vision, a lion, a bear, a minora. God then says to him, "Explain to me what you saw." And if he explains it correctly, meaning he was able to see God's conduct, uh meaning what does what does God want? What is the message that God wants him to convey through understanding God's conduct through the physical world? Can see the physical world and understand it. So God says, "What did you see? What is my message?" And the Nvy would repeat back to him what he saw, what he understood from it. And if it was correct, God would then say, "Now share that with others." If it wasn't correct, you would say, "You didn't get the message." Right? So something we could see and understand through creation. So perhaps the idea if you're stopping up your ear measure for measure, right? You're stopping up your ear from hearing the cry of the poor man. Hashem's not going to answer you. We have a we our job is to try to understand the nature of God through his conduct. And we're actually obligated to follow his way. In other words, uh we not just the 13 attributes of mercy, but all of this conduct, but let's take the attributes of mercy. If you take the Bible and say, "What does it mean? I didn't even open it yet. I'm going to look in the beginning and the end, and I'll figure out what everything means." So what's the first thing God does? He creates man of course but he clothes man. He clothes the naked and what is the last thing he does? He buries Moses. What kind of would call this is a thankless job. You don't get thanked by whom? Maybe the family but you're not going to get thanked by the person you bury. So what is it really? The whole Torah is about the whole Torah. It's like one big instruction manual how to do. So, and the truth is the entire Torah is God's name. It's a code, but it's his name. So, keep in mind if you stop up your ear from the cry of the poor man, you will not be answered. Interestingly enough, Gammoraba Baba Baser 9b mentions um because this is the ear. Now, we're talking about the mouth. One second. The next thing is the mouth. Correct. And it's exactly what was brought down in one. Basically, if you're if you appease the poor person with words, you console him. That's true. It says in Baba Basra that if you give a a coin to a poor person, you will receive six blessings. It's amazing. If you look in Isaiah 58 7 and 8, you you'll see there's are six blessings um that just by giving being a giver being a giver in giving charity, you receive six blessings. However, later on verses 9- 12, you'll see there's an additional 11 blessings if you speak and you console. Because in verse 10 it says, "And you offer your soul to the hungry." What does that mean? You offer your soul to the hungry. It's through your speech, your soul, your breath. Right? And if you get six blessings just for giving the money and you get another 11 blessings for consoling him with words, that's 17 blessings. What's the gamach? 17 to right. Tove is good. Tove is good. Okay. So you get 17 blessings if you open your mouth. [snorts] And that is what the clear card wanted us to see. So we see that giving saddaka with your heart with your ears as well as with your mouth. What about tila? I think that's quite obvious but we have to go through the motions of explaining it. In gammorus it explains the verse in Deuteronomy 11:13. We all know this verse because we say it more than once a day. To love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart, right? Okay, that you'll find uh number 40 on the source sheet. It will be if you hearken to my commandments that I command you this day to love the Lord your God to serve him with all your heart and with all your soulm um it's very interesting rashi um it says and it will be if you hearken if you listen if it will be if hearkening you will hearken meaning if you hearken to the old if you study what you have already learned you will be hearkened to the new in is you have to do you have to do review which is by the way one of the 48 ways to wisdom to acquiring wisdom but I'm going to speak about the first four at the end I want to mention because I think it ties in very strongly to everything we just said um just hang in there for a few more minutes so we're talking about prayer prayer is dependent on the heart as we know it says to serve him with all your hearts and in the Gmorrah in Tinus it asks a void What what is this avoid? That's what kind of service or worship is dependent on the heart. So we know we must come and conclude that's prayer. Prayer is service of the heart. What about the mouth? How does that serve as um in prayer? Well, that's obvious especially since us Jews know that we have to move our lips. We have to be able to hear what we're saying. So if you look in number 41, Psalms 145:21, it says, "My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever." My mouth will speak the the praise of Hashem. And then we come down to the last gamor about um the the ears. the ears when it comes to prayer. In Gomorrah, Gomorrah Bro 31 31A number 42 on the source sheet we know that one who prays must focus his heart towards heaven. The indication of the importance of the matter is right. This is a Pik in Psalms 10:17. The desire of the humble you have heard. God has heard. Direct their hearts your ear will listen. Again, you're moving your lips for what purpose? We thought in the in the morning she right. If you're moving your lips, what is the conduct of Hashem? The listening part, right? You're saying it loud enough for yourself to hear, not to distract anybody else, but you yourself can hear. It says, in other words, if one focuses his his heart in prayer as a result of God directing his heart, his prayer will be accepted as God's ear will listen. So the speech I mean you think the god needs ears. No. But there's something about the hidden conduct of Hashem that's revealed in the through the limbs in this world. And the Hebrew is a person has to hear his own voice when he's whatever comes out of his mouth. In order ready for this for the the prayer to be complete in all of these three limbs all these these three organs. [clears throat] Now what did we say the organs were? Ear oy starts with an olive. Lamid lathe starts with a lammed and p starts with a a p uh a p. So here you have the word alf. The word olive is in including all three limbs the oim the lathe and the p. So we have a pk in song of songs. Chapter 8 verse 12. My vineyard which is mine is before me. You oh Solomon shall have the thousand. What does it mean? Right. And that's just the first discussion here. One second. Then he brings this idea that the the word olif is a notary meaning it's the acronym for the ear the heart and the mouth oid le the the the pay on the pom as if to say all of them all of them are you have to have all of these things direct directed in your prayer. So too, it says in Song of Songs 4:4, "Your neck is like the tower of David built as a model. A thousand shields are hanging from it. Elloya Olaf, very interesting rashi over here. Um just like in Jeremiah the quivers in which the arrows are placed like in Jeremiah 51:1 polish the hour arrows filled the quivers okay this is similar to the and similar to this the chamber of hume stone what happens at the chamber of hume stone on the temple mount that's where the instruction the ha the Torah goes out from and the Torah is the shield of the Jewish people and we understand al if mame is the teaching that is the shield itself. Okay, we're going to the last few lines here as he mentioned the verse in Song of Songs 4:4. He says in Job 33:33, "If not you listen to me, be silent and I will teach you wisdom." Again, the word alma teach you wisdom. The only way to really get wisdom is having control, having the the blockage removed from your your heart, your mouth, and your ears. And that's where he ends. Hamas, all of the talents, all that you your your your good traits with actions and wisdom are all dependent on these three limbs. the aralot, gimmel, ivari, meu. And all three of these, even though we're talking about spiritual circumcision, they're all dependent on that original physical circumcision of the body on the eighth day starts there. That's what I say. The Jews, there's no difference between Jews and non-Jews, right? There's a huge mlocus. Do we have different souls or does the soul come in like a non-Jewish non-Jew converts? When they convert all of a sudden they get a new soul? I want to hold like this that we all have the same soul like the Rambam says, but I don't want to dismiss the Arizal and the Zoho and everyone else. I want to say like this that we all have the same souls, but there's a blockage. The Jew on the 8th day is getting the head start. That's it. We just get a head start. Right? Everybody is obligated to figure out how they can acquire wisdom. Right? And you have to get rid of this blockage. So we get the head start. We get the physical. And it seems dependent. Once that happens, then the ball starts rolling. There's still work to do. It's not automatic. And I'm going to show you why. But he says the in order to uncircumcise yourself to physically you know say spiritually uncircumcis yourself from these three limbs you got to start with that shinimus from the very moment that the the boy is circumcised in the physical body then they're also going to come to become un uh which unblocked. Now I want to just end with this one idea. I've given this series the 48 ways to wisdom. You'll see down below in the description box of the YouTube channel that there is a series called the 48 ways to wisdom. And if you just look at the first of four, one is constant study, the second is effective listening, the third is saying it out loud. And the fourth is an understanding heart. If you want to acquire wisdom, this is where you begin. This is the beginning. The 48 ways to wisdom. So what does it mean constant study? Constant study means you value it. You are a truth seeker. You're hungry for wisdom and you want to learn with a goal in order to retain. That would be constant study. Otherwise, why would you study constantly? That has to be the underlining idea. That is like the beginning. Next is effective listening. Ears, right? Your listening has to be an acquired trait. Just like they say about halva and maybe broccoli or beer, right? The first time you eat or drink any of these things, it's a little bit off tasting, but you can acquire you can acquire a taste for it. Guess what? You can acquire um a skill for listening. It's definitely acquired skill. And thank my mother, which just celebrated her birthday. She said, "When I'm talking to you, you look at me." She wanted to make sure I was listening. Okay? Call it cavode mom. Second thing, saying it out loud. That's the third of the 48 ways to wisdom. That's saying it out loud is using your mouth. You're bringing it from potential to actuality. That's very important. And the fourth is an understanding heart. The heart is comprehending your inner drives. You have to know yourself. Most people are not even honest with themselves. But in order to have an understanding heart, you have to be able to be honest with yourself because you want to know yourself. An understanding heart means who am I? What drives me? What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? How can you ever fix yourself if you don't know your pitfalls or you don't know your strengths? Many people only focus on their pitfalls or only on their strengths and they're never going to grow, right? they're either going to become so despondent and give up if they only think of themselves as whatever low-lying fruit or if they think they're God's gift to the world, there's certainly nothing to fix. Um, so you have to know what's driving you in order to know how to get where you want to be. And so with that, I think that was like a nice amount of information and hopefully we can all use it to transform ourselves to really truly be and I'm going to use this word. I know people don't like maybe people don't know but to be born again in the truest sense because someone who is a bachuva or even a convert convert we say you're tino shinola dummy you're like a brand new baby so whether we're born Jewish as Rosh always says you have to choose it I don't care if you were born Jewish you got to choose it right many people these people as I mentioned the beginning they were in the tunnels and they chose the right they made the right choice right they they have meaning in their lives I mean just imagine becoming like I don't know if it's called Stockholm syndrome or something like that but becoming like your captor even liking him [laughter] whatever that means we've never we probably never in that situation but it's a psychological uh circumstance where people do fall into that so we are we are all captured by the Gentiles, every single one of us. And no matter if you were the biggest Roshiva growing up in New York, I mean, right? New York, New York, uh, anywhere else, and you come, you come to the the says you have the din the status of. So, I'm encouraging all my friends from New York especially, but really everybody all over the world, come home, make this a better place. You have what to give, right? We'll have our needs, but Hashem will provide. So, there's an open invitation, not that I need to give it to you, uh to come home and at least make an investment and come here a few few months a year, then a half a year every and then and then uh maybe you'll spend your the rest of your life here. But anyway, with that I will say have a great life, have a good Shabas, have a gaz winter, have a great winter, and may all the rain fall in the right places at the right times with the right amount of force, not like it was in the Philippines this past week or in Jamaica the week before. But when there's peace in your shalim, there'll be peace throughout the world. So keep praying for peace in your shine and we'll see you next week. [music] [singing] [music and singing] Heat. Heat. [singing] [music] >> [singing] [music]