0:00 / 0:00
Yisro: Why You Should Be a Proud Jew Today: Crash Course on Jewish History
9,354 views
For Source Sheets: https://www.theyeshiva.net/jewish/9221 This class was presented on Tuesday, Parshas Yisro, 20 Shvat, 5784, January 30, 2024, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY. To sponsor or dedicate an upcoming class click here: https://www.theyeshiva.net/donate To watch more classes & to read Rabbi YY's articles visit: https://www.theyeshiva.net Follow Rabbi YY Jacobson: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RabbiYYJacobson Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheYeshiva Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yyjacobson Twitter: https://twitter.com/YYJacobson Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yyjacobson/ Telegram: https://t.me/RabbiYY
Comments(0)
Transcript
Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
it's
fascinating that
uh the par of
mat which is of course and in many ways
and not just in many ways probably in
all ways it's the most pivotal event of
Jewish history and of world history
M when you have the divine
revelation and this happens all in Paras
and yet the name of the portion is named
after a non-w y you would think you know
in yishai the name contains the theme of
that which carries the name a name is
very significant and the name of this
par so the names of each par are very
powerful they're potent and the name of
this par is
y you would think such a par should be
named and yet it carries the name of
because it opens up with the story of Y
in fact the first half of the para deals
all with Y it's the events of Y coming
to the desert and only from there do you
have the second half which actually
deals with the Revelation ofi and the ju
position is very interesting that the
first half of Parra is a story of a
gentile who was actually a pagan priest
in midan who comes to the desert Kar SII
to be with the Jewish people and the Z
says on this something very powerful it
says that the T could not be given until
yro did not come until yro did not come
something essential was missing and only
when he came can the T be given that's
what the Z says so let's explore at
least one angle one aspect of this the
opening of par it's your first Source
sheet it's
the Exodus chapter 18 the
beginning the Begins
the
and he identifies who is number one you
have to know
he's he's the Cen which means the leader
or the priest of this of the country
called midya he's also of course the
father-in-law of M mha married his
daughter to P he heard everything that
Hashem did for MAA for his son-in-law
and for his people for Isel for the
Jewish people that Hashem has taken Isel
out of Egypt
the T says what happens he decides that
it's time to go pay a visit and he takes
his daughter and her two sons G and elaz
M's two children and his wife after they
were sent away they never made it to MIT
initially when mha went back from midan
to MIT he took them but then he sent
them home and now they come for the
first time and they come to
visitu and the Jewish people in the
desert near the Mountain close to the
mountain of Hashem near Mount Si that's
the
story it's interesting that the
identifies him as we already know who is
is in we met him mosa met him he gave
mosa his daughter mosa saved the girls
of the daughters of Y who were being
harassed by a well and mosa stood up for
them and he protected them from the
Shepherds who were abusing them and
Prosecuting them and uh and persecuting
them and M then marries and he's shepher
the flock of so he already
met was the priest of midan but here the
T identifies him again as Ken midan
because this is important and K say
midan means either the leader of midan
in other words he was a politically
powerful person or Cen as in the term
priest he was considered one of the most
uh prominent Pagan religious figures in
paganism of that time he was considered
the top spiritual priest of the Pagan
religions in
midan on this there's a
fascinating teaching of our sages you
would think the PK is pretty clear y
heard everything hasem did from M for
the Jews he took them out of MIT and he
said you know let me go visit let's
let's go but the in the next source
is which is Page
116 we quote and you have it also in the
English asks
what is it that he
heard and caused him to come to arrive
what did he he Mas means what from the
word sh Mas what was the what was the
rumor what was the news that he heard
that caused him to
come tell him he come and he took his
daughter and took the two children and
traveled to the midbar what was it venay
not only did he come he converted he
joined in there's an argument of course
there's an
argument can be otherwise who argues
three of the greatest sages of the time
and these are three sages who lived at
the end of the era of the second bikes
in the beginning of the era after the
destruction of the second B mikdash the
first person was actually a Ley was a
Ley who was still one of the vocalists
one of the vocalists in the second bikes
yesu so he was literally in the era of
the end of the second and the
destruction postd destruction so you
have three personalities argue RAB
Yeshua RAB elazar Hami and RAB
elzar
says what heard about was the war
of because right before the story of his
arrival what's the story right before is
coming the end of what's the last story
of the T tells The Story of B that after
the splitting of the Sea and the Jewish
people were now traveling in the desert
who came to declare war on them the
Jewish people were in and came and
declared
war came from his country he marched
towards the Jewish nation and he
declared war and that's when mosa
summoned his disciple
and said choose the right people and go
fight and indeed the war begins the next
day M goes onto a mountain and he's
daving with his hands stretched upward
together with Iron and who sustain him
but Yeshua leads the military campaign
and he weakens amalik and his people
with the sword that's the story and
what's right after the
story Hur yesu says obviously this ju
the position this close proximity Is is
precise this is what hisory heard about
the war ofik and that's why he
came he argues he says no that's not
what
happened what he heard was he heard
about which is interesting because
according to this it means that came
after the T was given even though it's
recorded in before the T was given so
some people say like the Z and others it
happened before the T was given but
according to this is what he heard
about when the T was given to the Jewish
people it's K the sound of it the voice
of it traveled the world from one end of
the world to the other end of the world
so y was impacted that's what caused
them to come then there's a third
opinion
RAB says no it
was he heard about yam he heard about
the splitting of the Sea and the Jewish
people went through it parted for them
and then the Egyptians who were pursuing
them drowned in the sea as we discussed
last week at length and bashak this is
what inspired ISRO to come three
opinions RAB
Yeshua and rabi
elzar as I mentioned Yeshua all these
tan lived right after the end during the
last era the last years the final era of
the second bikash and saw its
destruction in fact was an Uncle of Bara
the famous Bara who led the revolt
against Rome 60 years after the
destruction of the second B mikdash A
Man Named shim Bena who became known as
bar the son of the star because he was
considered the
star said about him he was the star that
emerged from yov to fight the romansa
even felt that he is Messiah ultimately
he led a massive campaign against Rome
very successful he liberated started to
build a third bikes and was extremely
extremely successful for a few years to
the point that Rome was devastated I
think two Legions of Rome were wiped out
by
him ultimately it was not successful H
was his
uncle probably it's a tragic and
fascinating story The gor says
Inus Jerusalem Tal
chapter 4 tells the story that during
the Revolt which was extremely
successful he fasted every single day
was considered like a uniquely saintly
person in his generation he was one of
the tan one of the great sages but also
in addition to that he was like known as
a man of unique saintliness and Holiness
and S and he prayed and he fasted and
daved every single day that the Jewish
people shouldn't be defeated by Rome
what happened was this was a tragic
tragic mistake of his nephew bar who was
the military commander of this entire
campaign there was a uh the Romans were
trying every possible way to breach bear
that was the last Fortress bear where
the Jewish people held out I think close
to a half a million Jews were there and
they sent in a non-jew ausi from the
shamron they sent into him to go speak
to was daving or learning and this man
went and started to whisper
to and people told that there is this
fellow who came in and is talking who is
he it was looked suspicious so summoned
this non and he said what happened what
did you tell him what did he tell you
and he says listen if I tell if if I
don't tell you the truth then you're
going to kill me right if I tell you the
truth then the Roman Emperor is going to
kill me other words I'm stuck I'm stuck
better to be killed by him than to be
killed by you he made this whole it was
all a lie but he contrived this and he
finally spilled the beans quote unquote
with no beans to
spill wants to find ways to make peace
with
Rome this is what he revealed this is
what they spoke about so he called his
uncle and he said what happened what did
he tell you what did you tell him he
said nothing it was nothing he was busy
his own think
got so upset he kicked him he kicked and
he was
killed and the gor says ultimately
that's when B fell
soaz was considered one of the great
Giants of his time and he argues that
what y heard was
mat that was the
issue rebelar says not was who wasar
wasar
hus known as rabz ha he was the teacher
of RAB AKA and of RAB Yeshua he was one
of the greatest sages of the time he's
known as rezar hag to the point that the
the his his his Brilliance and his depth
and his scholarship was like
unprecedented and unparalleled this is
rabi elazar so we have here opinion
three opinions of the great sages what
caused yro to come but as the
commentators point out the whole
discussion seems strange the T clearly
says what
heard they're debating what did hear the
T says if you look in the first
St heard everything did for and his
people he took them out of Egypt that's
why he picked himself up and he traveled
to the Sinai desert so why does the
ask what did he hear that made him come
and then we have different reasons than
those that are stated in the text the
says clearly what did he hear the man
heard that hem took them out
of so first of all they ask a question
that seems unnecessary and then they
give a different answer they should say
yeah it says this one says this one says
this one says this one
says and what's the logic behind the
three different opinions I mean we know
that there's a Mitzvah sometimes it
looks like we have to argue about
everything like why are the three diverg
opinions why why are they disagreeing
with each other why does each one of
these eminent sages attribute y
sacrifice to a different factor and then
the third
question let's look at the first
reason amalik he heard the war of amalik
and that's what inspired him now that
seems strange the other two things were
indeed all inspiring the splitting of
the sea I get it you hear about K yam
you're like I'm I'm going I have to see
what's going on there with my own eyes
you hear about mat wow that's big as he
says the sound went from one end of the
world to the other end of the world but
the first opinion say he heard of the
war of amik and that's what inspired him
but the war of amalik actually weakened
the morale of the Jewish people it
weakened the spirit of the Jewish people
as our sages say amalik was there to
prove that they're not Invincible kazal
say it's like there was a hot bath and
everybody was scared to go into the bath
and amalik jumped in simply to lead the
way and show you don't have to be scared
of the hot water everyone was in awe and
reverence of the Jewish people and
amalik is the one who said no you don't
have to worry we can take them on so if
anything even though yua fought them why
was that so inspiring to make come
especially in comparison with the other
two
things
especially in comparison with the other
two thingsam and which were obviously
Supernatural Miracles here was actually
a war against the Jewish people the
gamar doesn't even say Yeshua says it
was the victory against amik he says the
war of am that's what inspired to
come but the truth is that here in this
argument if we go a little deeper into
it we discover a very profound
reflection
on the Jewish people and
Judaism and it was always relevant but
it's certainly and especially I think
relevant today as well and here we see
it looks like just an innocent argument
three opinions what inspired is to come
but if you go if you look between the
lines and you go one level deeper you
see really a universe or three universes
unfolding in these three opinions
of course the T says what
heard heard everything that happened
says everything that happened and it's
specifically The Exodus of Egypt so why
would they argue why would they even ask
the
question what perturbed the what
perturbed the rabbis and the sages was a
specific issue a particular issue and
they say it in the
words he heard and he came
V he physically picked himself up and
came the T introduces y with the two
words midan he was the priest of midan
this means that ISRO was living with
great honor and living in great
distinction he was at the height of his
career midan this was considered one of
the most prominent vocations in the
ancient world the religious leader of
midan the political leader of midan so
yro was surrounded by riches by riches
by Glory by Honor he was a Man of
Distinction this was the destiny of the
Pagan Priests of yure they were
considered the The Visionaries of
society everybody needed them and looked
up to them especially in the Pagan world
with it was so much
blindness yet he left it all behind he
said bye-bye and what does he go to as
it says in the third third
Source the fifth chap fifth of
this is the father-in-law of
mha brings his grandchildren and the
wife of
mha desert they go to the desert because
that's where the mountain of hasem is so
Rashi
says we know where M was at this point
everybody knows where he was why does
the T have to tell you the exact
location it should have said came to was
we know where he was the answer
is is trying to explain the significance
of
this he was on top of the world he was
living in the glory of the
world tell you and his heart inspired
him to leave glory and riches and go to
a Wilderness go to a Barren and fertile
place to a
desert means like to a place of
desolateness a place that's infertile a
place that's not conducive to very
prosperous luxury and living and comfort
this is an insane
move in order to hear words
ofra that's what's bothering them what's
bothering them is y heard great
things but what happens he decides he's
going to leave everything behind to go
to the desert eager to hear the words of
Tyra directly eager to be not just a
spectator not just a fan but a
participant a player he's not anymore
the priest of midan he's not anymore a
leader now he Isa he's the father-in-law
of M now he's coming as a stranger as a
foreigner he's going to convert he's not
he was he didn't grow up there it's a
whole different challenge he's starting
all over again that takes a lot of
Courage that takes a lot a lot of
courage to start over your life again
especially when you didn't have a
miserable life if he was a homeless
beggar he had nothing okay the Jews have
very good there's a good kides shabas
morning if you go to the right sh you
can get food every single day in the
back you have soup you have whatever you
want I got it the midbar had gal stuff
but is had it all so now you're
abandoning your life and you starting
all over again and it's difficult you're
the father-in-law
ofu is the man you're converting into a
whole new Faith a whole new people that
you were not part of and that's why the
G uses the
words what compelled them to come not
what compelled them to be inspired what
compelled them to come why would a
person of such stature midan abandon
everything in order to pursue an
attraction to T what compels an
aristocratic Royal
leader to say goodbye to a very
comfortable habitat a glorious lifestyle
R says he's on top of the world why he
wants to join a nation of
Nomads a place of desolateness in a
desert and yet the T says
that he came so you could say well he
heard
about he heard about the Exodus of it
says he heard everything that Hashem did
for M and the Jewish people but let's
face it he could be content by hearing
stories from
afar he could he could sign himself up
to all the good whatsapps that come out
from the Jewish people he could send a
check he could get messages he can get
letters he can follow the Jews here or
there what motivates him to become part
of them V to become part of the two or
three million Jews in the desert he
could sit on his couch on Sunday and be
a fan of the team fan of the team called
CLA is no problem he could be an admirer
he could be a supporter he could be a he
could be a fan not not a big
deal he felt that he actually has to
come he has to transform for life you
see it's a whole different question you
could sit and say wow this is amazing
this is incredible I'm going to learn
lessons from it I'm going to apply it to
my life maybe I'll bring it even back to
my ashram and midan maybe a few
meditation skills that I could learn
from the
Hebrews but no he's ready to go through
complete metamorphosis and
transformation especially the venis GU
to go through this process of
conversion why cuz he's not a spectator
he's a player right the famous metaphor
you have in a game the difference
between Spectators and players the fans
sit on the bleachers and they watch the
game they enjoy it they drink they eat
popcorn they eat french fries if there's
kakosa section they can get a koser hot
dog with mustard and sauerkraut and
healthy
ketchup if your team is winning galic
and if your team is losing yeah so you
have a phone to go on or you go home
early that's if you're a spectator if
you're a player whether you're losing or
you're winning you're in the game you're
not watching the game you're not part of
the fan club you're there you could have
remained a spectator he didn't he became
a player that changes everything when
you're playing it's raining the sun is
shining it's a good game it's a bad game
you're feeling well you're not feeling
well your team is doing a horrible job
you're in you're in fully why because
you are playing the game you're not
watching the game that's the question
Mas
from a spectator he became a player his
fate now becomes linked to the Jewish
fate you know often I sometimes I travel
a lot I you meet converts you know
people who uh it's fascinating always
for me to see a person you know grew up
completely in a different environment
nothing pushed them nothing compelled
them their parents think uh what's wrong
with you especially
today
F you know I most of us in this room it
looks like we're born Jewish grew up
Jewish so what are you going to become
tomorrow you become
Amish you have people and when you see
that metamorphosis that transformation
it always begs the
question you could sit at home and go to
a website go to a nice Jewish website
and learn a nice thing about Judaism
read the
Bible this is the
question and for this the sages present
three different explanations
because these are explanations not just
to be inspired but to make that
transformation RAB Yeshua says he
witnessed the war of amalik it was the
war of
amalik says it was
mat and elzar says it was the splitting
of the
sea these three
opinions
embody three extraordin inary features
of Jewish
history when this happened by ISRO it
was just the beginning it was literally
before right after the tah was given
today 3,300 more than 3,300 years later
we can go back and appreciate these
three opinions with far more depth the
depth that comes with
experience let's take the first opinion
Yeshua Yeshua says it was the war of
aik that's what caused is to come and I
asked the question why is that so
inspiring amalik actually as we said he
weakened the spirit of the Jewish people
because the war of amalik represents
something it represents the Enigma that
once again caught the Jewish people by
surprise on October 7th 2023 and the
following weeks and months and that is
the Enigma and the riddle of
anti-Semitism that's what yro saw in mik
it was wasn't the victory against amalik
of course that was part of it it was the
very war of amalik that touched him to
his core in fact I would say many of our
brothers and sisters and good people
were also touched by their core when
they saw once again
mik because who was amalik what was the
war of amalik amalik was an independent
nation they had an independent country
they were strong they were secure and
the Jewish people when they left Egypt
part of their Journey did not go through
the territory of amalik in fact they
were very far from the territory of
amalik literally hundreds of miles away
so amalik was unprovoked amalik was
unthreatened there was not even a
perceived thread that maybe they want to
come and take our country this was not
part of the plan it was not part of the
agenda yet amalik found it necessary to
declare war on a people that has just
set itself free after Decades of person
person Al and horrible National and
individual Agony and suffering remember
that the Jews were in P's concentration
camp for 86 years for 210 years but for
86 years they suffered horrifically
crushed murdered beaten mercilessly
their infants plugged plunged into the
Nile River into the Nile Delta and
finally they're free finally this young
nation is free and they're just a few
weeks old Sak
the men beaten and enslave labor for
decades so and a few weeks after The
Liberation amalik unprovoked unprovoked
he comes and attacks the Jewish people
and that's why by the way the T
says you always have to remember amalik
because there's a difference between
rational hatred and irrational hatred
rational hat is may be completely wrong
but at least I can appreciate what
you're scared of
let's face it there are people that
trigger us very
deeply you get triggered by them maybe
you're right maybe you're wrong but it's
not relevant because there is a process
there's something I'm feeling threatened
by if I can talk sense to myself and
sometimes it's not sense sometimes it's
an
emotional difficulty but I can deal with
it I can confront a fear on
insecurity told his
Nation
hatred was not
justified but in his own mind he was
threatened by the Jewish population
growth that going to take over the
country they're going to take over the
land in other words he felt threatened
should have he felt threatened the
Jewish people didn't want to take over
Egypt the Jewish people didn't want to
expel py from Egypt they were good
citizens but for whatever reason he felt
threatened by the Jewish people and
therefore he began a war a genocidal war
against the Jewish people that's one
type of hatred such a hatred you hope
maybe maybe not always but maybe we can
talk we can converse and I you could see
that I'm not a threat and then maybe
there could be some form of
reconciliation with a mik it's a whole
different process with a M there is no
connection the Jewish people don't live
there they're not coming close to you
they're not interested in you they're
not even walking around your country
they're not even it's not part of the
journey so there's no military political
economic motivation
the Jewish people are minding their own
business they're in a desert they're not
even in a territory that you claim is
your territory they're not even there
they're not even close to
amalik what happens he attacks why why
the answer is he doesn't need an excuse
there is an insane irrational hatred
that runs deep deep down it's not
calculated he hates them because their
very being
as long as you're here I'm threatened by
you this means there's nothing to say to
you if the problem is my very being my
very existence cuz I'm not bothering you
this is a whole different type of hatred
this is a hatred what's the cure for it
what's the cure how am I supposed to
assuage it what am I supposed to
do that's why the worst thing you can do
with amalik is blame
yourself right one of the greatest
challenges of the Jewish people was
because they're a good people they blame
themselves for all forms of
anti-Semitism if I change my nose and I
change my forehead and I look better and
I'm more Rich or I'm more poor or I'm
more religious or I'm less religious or
I assimilate or I inter marry or I look
this way or I change this way I finally
you'll stop perceiving me as a threat
but when you're dealing with anik your
very existence is the threat this you
have to remember the worst thing you can
do is internalize the hatred and say
it's my fault and therefore I have to
bend over backwards and compromise
everything that's important and
necessary both in terms of physical and
spiritual power to assuage somebody who
couldn't care less because they would
destroy you
regardless an interesting moment I want
to share with you there's a Jew his name
Ison adalist Ron adalist idealistic I
guess adalist is one of the founders of
shalom you know what Shalom is peace now
one of the founders and uh you know the
Shalom shav was very very strong
movement certainly was a very very
strong movement and basically blamed
much of the hatred in the Muslim World
against Israel on Israel because we
don't want to make peace and everybody
really wants peace Etc which as you know
is a philosophy that has guided many
many Jews and caused Israeli leaders to
make ill-conceived and Ill faded
decisions from one extreme to another
extreme run out the list once came to
get a dollar and a blessing or I don't
know if to get a dollar and a blessing
but he came to see
the it was in 89 maybe 8 88 89 those
years and
uh and the gave him a dollar and a
blessing and then he say says can I ask
you a question the rebba says yeah he
says do you in Hebrew he spoke to him he
says are you still of the
opinion are you still of the opinion
that Israel should not make any
concessions should not give away
territory should not make any
concessions the Reb who was also a very
wise man looked at him and
says you have influence in other words
is this just going to be an abstract
debate of two Jews you know arguing with
each other like you know you B I'm
explaining he didn't say basically you
want to provoke me or this is is like a
real question do you have do you have
influence about this before he answers
so he
says I have influence like every Jew he
was one of the founders of Shalom so
they did make a lot of noise but he said
I'm like any Jew every Jew has influence
so he
says if if I can have
influ if I can influence you so then the
influence should be in the direction
that all of Isel belongs to the Jewish
people and anyone who gives away any
part of
it he's actually stealing from the
Jewish people basically what he was
telling him is that besides everything
else besides everything else it's not
even a certain Jews land to give it
away doesn't belong to me or my wife
that I can give it away you have to ask
every Jew in history it's their country
that Hashem gave to them and essentially
it's a desecration of all Jewish history
is basically saying that the promis to
the Patriarchs abam Yak of M Jews from a
till now who believe that this is their
land it's all meaningless and Hashem
himself who says this is the land I'm
giving to the Jewish people it's really
a mockery it's not so
serious so he looks at the and he
says you're saying this even if this is
going to cause war in the whole world
that the whole world is going to come
out against us and the whole world is
going to fight
us so the rebba looks at him and
says without skipping a heartbeat those
who want to make war against Israel
don't need any excuse to make war and
whatever you do or you don't do it's
it's going to be irrelevant then he says
I grew up in Russia so let me tell you
how I grew up in Russia there was every
other day another Blood liel against the
Jewish je people and it had nothing to
do with anything Jews did it came from
people who want to harm the Jewish
people and the worst thing you can do is
start thinking that if I don't do the
right thing and protect myself they're
going to love me he says they want to
harm you and it's going to be irrelevant
to at least do the right thing and
protect yourself so he says you have no
hope that one day the world will want to
make peace with us like you're such a
pessimist so he looked at him and he
said that's not up to you or me that's
up to the world has to make peace with
us and that's up to Hashem and he
doesn't need me or you to encourage him
to help with that process because every
Jew is his only child his point was yes
one day the world will make peace with
us but don't think that if I go through
plastic surgery and emotional surgery
and spiritual surgery that's what's
going to make the peace it's the
responsibility of people to change and
that's going to happen when they're
ready to change in the meantime don't
intoxicate them with false hopes that
they can kill you and don't do things
that will undermine your safety and only
embolden your enemy to be able to
accomplish what they want to
accomplish I have to say I I watched the
video and I saw that he like I'm not
going to say he went through like isra
conversion but he was like he was very
confrontational like his heart melted a
little bit and he said thank you and he
left as he left theba turned to him and
said
I don't think you should be spending the
time of your life to find reasons that
the Jewish people should give away parts
of
Israel this is
what
says he suddenly saw a hatred that came
from somewhere so mysterious so strange
and in a paradoxical way yre said I have
to find out what's the secret of this
people that they can trigger
such such Venom such hatred that's
irrational you know it says
in I become wise through my enemies what
does it mean I become wise to my enemies
sometimes the greatest wisdom in life
you can get from your
enemies sometimes if you want to
understand who a Jew is what a Jew is
you have to look at their enemies show
me who enemy is and I'll tell you who
you are draw up a list of Israel's foes
from the beginning of time till today
and you'll understand how holy the
Jewish people are when you see that the
people who want to kill you are people
who are ready to
torture mutilate burn alive even their
own people even their own
dissidents you say wow what a holy
nation the Jewish people must be when
you see that your greatest enemies are a
and and a and a Hitler and a Stalin and
a Bin Laden andat andani and and
and when you see that these are your
enemies people who couldn't care less
about barbarity and sadism of the worst
degree in the name of God
allahar is says what kadus what Holiness
do the Jewish people have that trigger
mik unprovoked that as long as there's a
Jewish baby in the world he can't sleep
at night H says as long as there's one
baby I can't sleep at night Hitler took
resources that he needed for the war for
the war and he used them just to
exterminate the Jewish people because
that was more important than his own
Victory his own victory was not as
important as the extermination of the
Jewish
people and this is what a lot of Jews
are astounded by in the last few months
they didn't expect this let's face it
everybody thought that the the the the
survivors I was I saw an interview with
a woman in
Israel very very left-wing woman very
very liberal woman she spent a year
living in an Arab Village that's how
integrated she felt she dated and almost
married an Arab young man and she said
her grandmother always told her her
grandmother was a Survivor from the us
from hungry and her grandmother always
told her that you should realize that
the people around us our neighbors if
they had the ability they would do
exactly what the Nazis did if they had
the ability if they had the ability they
would do exactly what the Nazis did to
every Jew living in Israel and I told my
grandmother she said you're traumatized
by the Holocaust you're a victim of
Holocaust trauma we are of a new
generation so she dated an Arab and she
went to live
there so they interviewed her now and
she said in one moment my whole velt on
sh my whole my whole world Vision it it
crumbled she suddenly saw that her
grandmother had a point that there are
not everybody but that there are
hundreds of thousands or millions of
people who would gleefully do the same
thing that they did on October 7th 2023
every single day of the
year until all 6.6 million Jews in
Israel lifeless and for them it would be
ter every single
day and a lot of Jews who were sleeping
awoke and then they thought okay at
least the Civilized world would protest
at least all the women's rights
movements that whenever there's a woman
who's being abused even a even a little
concern of abuse they cry out and here
with the atrocities done to so many
women I'm not going to elaborate here
and children and men and older and
younger silence and the universities who
are supposed to be which are supposed to
be the enlightened places of mankind 32
top universities in the United States of
America filled with letters and
demonstrations proas blaming Israel for
the atrocities and leaders of top
universities all they can say is that if
somebody calls for the genocide of the
Jewish people it may not be wrong it
depends on
context it all depends on
context and now as Israel is fighting
such a painful and difficult war in Gaza
the obsession of everyone of so many
news outlets newspapers and websites and
blogs and whatsapps and politicians and
professors and news anchors and
journalists and
essayists of how many people will Israel
kill and it's disproportionate and how
can Israel do this and you need a
ceasefire and here's a shelter and here
is a hospital and here there's a school
and here there are
civilians as though Israel started the
war as though Israel went into Gaza cuz
it had nothing else to
do as though they're not dealing with a
group that promised that they would do
it in their words again and again and
again they would literally do it again
and again and
again and nobody even
realizes the double standard the
Distortion the depth of hatred towards
this little tiny Jewish country that's
trying to survive literally lamb
surrounded by 70 wolves and you're
talking about literally even good people
decent people who otherwise seem fine
and Men somehow when it comes to the
Jewish people all the logic and
rationale that's applied to every other
nation in the world is thrown out the
window I mean anyone knows anything
about the history of War Pearl Harbor
happened December 7th 1941 did I get my
history right December 7
2200 servicemen were killed in Pearl
Harbor Japan decided to kill 2200
servicemen in response America declared
war on Japan over the next few years I'm
not talking about soldiers how many
Japanese citizens were
killed close to 2 million 100,000 in one
night did they take America to the hog
criminals criminals genocide they killed
2200 servicemen go to Japan and kill
2200 people make it
proportionate but America understood
Japan wants us dead if we don't win they
want we need we're going to be defeated
again they need an unconditional
surrender till Japan didn't agree to
unconditional surrender the war
continued nobody was screaming at
America here is a hospital here is a
school of course it's horrific when a
child dies who's guilt who's guilty when
you take a risk to attack another
country
that other country has not on the right
a moral obligation to defend its Citizen
and attack you how many German citizens
died were killed during the second world
war by the Allies not I'm not talking
about the V I'm not talking about German
soldiers I'm not talking about SS I'm
talking about citizens German citizens
more than a half a million more than a
half a million and they kept on bombing
Dresden you know this history and
Hamburg and people asked the American
generals why you bombing why you bombing
we know we won this war and they said
they have to realize that they lost
you're dealing with a Hitler regime if
there's even a tiny little little bit of
it left if there's no complete complete
surrender there not impossible to
win 2800 Americans were called killed
9/11 in the Twin Towers 2800 so what
should have America done go to
Afghanistan and kill 2800 members of
al-Qaeda you know how many citizens were
killed in the next few years after
9/11
400,000
400,000 and I never heard anybody saying
America's
genocidal why you came here you killed
3,000 Americans we're going to wipe you
out completely that to wipe out Al-Qaeda
wipe out uh
Isis and that's what happened it's hor
yeah war is horrific who do you blame
you blame Al-Qaeda not America you blame
Japan not America you blame Hitler for
the second world war not Churchill you
don't blame Churchill for the second
world
war you blame Hitler for the second
world war that's with every other
country in the world besides
Israel people just have to understand
the numbers per capita what happened on
what happened October 7th is this
imagine a group in Mexico breaches the
the border of Texas murders 35,000
Americans takes 5,000 American
hostages 5,000 I want to know what the
United States of America would do in
Mexico I want to
know
even even even today even
today what does this all demonstrate
this is what y saw and in a funny way it
inspired him many ways you could say
this is depressing what I'm saying but
for yro this wasn't actually
depressing it showed him what the Jewish
people mean it showed him what they
represent it showed him if there's such
irrational insane hatred for what what
are they trying to
do I asked somebody I said I don't
understand if Kamas put down all of its
weapons gave away all of its weapons
releas least to the hostages there
wouldn't even be another moment of
war the whole reason this war is because
you want to attack Israel because Jews
are not safe so what's the solution the
solution is stop killing
Jews surrender put down your arms
completely there wouldn't be one war
there wouldn't be one gunshot there
wouldn't be one missile oh we forgot
about that
solution you would think this is rocket
science you would think it's genius this
is simple stuff I told somebody what
would happen if Hamas decided to go on
vacation for 3 years to Hawaii or to
Mexico together with hasbalah together
with Iran together with Syria together
with Egypt together with
Afghanistan is anybody afraid that when
they come back Israel has taken over
Syria has taken over Egypt has taken
over Iraq has taken over Afghanistan
went into Gaza and killed every child no
nobody would be afraid of that what
happens if tahal would go on vacation
for three
days what would happen they go on
vacation for three
days it would be the end of the
Israel what does that mean this is what
saw they came from far just to kill
Jewish
children attacked the weak he attacked
those who were spit out from the cloud
those who were vulnerable he attacked
why just because he can attack them he
can do
it somebody set my wife actually sent me
a beautiful clip
from last week I don't know when he said
it he said an interesting thing par
persecuted the Jewish people
horribly
told who's I should listen to him I
don't have anything with I don't have
anything with God I'm not sending out
the Jewish people what happens there's a
splitting of the sea the Egyptians go
into the sea they're drowned and that's
the end of them we never hear from them
again we're still eating because of them
mat and and and making we don't forget
them but the celebration began right
after that we mention every day that's
the beginning of B at the end of bash
comes amalik and amalik makes a war
against the Jewish people and Hashem
says every generation in fact every day
we mention amik we're going to wipe out
amik why doesn't get such Why
doesn't aik were busy fighting with
247 erasing aik is only
the for those who eat don't
eat
there was a difference par said who's
God I don't believe in God I have
nothing with God I run this world I'm
the dictator okay no I'm auga like this
you throw him into the sea and you're
done amalik never said that am came to
the Jewish people and said who are
you say it says
attack the exhausted Jews the Jews who
were downrod who left the cloud Amal
came attack them he attacked the
vulnerable he attacked the weak what
does the inner amalik say the in doesn't
say who's God God may be big the inner
amalik says who are
you a mik is the feeling I'm a loser I'm
dejected I'm a
nobody that that's a continuous
War I once told a teenager you know I
know you have issues with belief in God
okay you'll figure that out one day but
one don't forget and that is whatever
you believe God is God believes in you
the moment you fail that aik says who
are you garnished you are
nobody takes the weak and the vulnerable
those who feel
dejected those who feel downtrod I'm
worthless
that's and when yro sees this type of
hatred when yro sees this type of
passion he asked to ask
himself what Holiness does embody in the
world
that it responds so intensely
both good people respond so powerfully
to the Jewish people and their haters
respond so powerfully and there's no
sense here it's be completely Beyond
rationality it's like almost in the DNA
of existence y says this I have to be
part of it's not enough I can't sit home
in the couch and read the
news this
says thear says he was the greatest
debater with the non with the Gentiles
of the time the Roman Roman philosophers
and others wanted to debate the Jewish
people who was the representative of the
Jewish people RAB Yeshua so he was in
constant contact with people around the
world and he saw behind all the
philosophy and behind all the questions
there was an irrational obsession with
the Jewish people Yeshua says this is
what touched isra that's why Yeshua says
this this is what affected isra in such
an extraordinary way
you look how many demonstrations there
were pramas against Israel it's
fascinating in the Congo Millions were
killed in darur millions were killed in
Syria half a million were killed you saw
one demonstration oh it's Muslims
killing Muslims that's fine let's go for
breakfast Israel trying to defend itself
let's go out on a demonstration hundreds
of thousands of people on a
demonstration saw this he understood
this this is what made him realize
you're dealing with a whole different
reality here this was a source of such
Enlightenment of such Clarity for isra
then comes the second
opinion says what y saw was what he
heard was
mat in other
words it wasn't enough that he saw how
amalik hates the Jewish people
what really caused him to join the
Jewish people was he had to understand
not just that amalik hates them but that
God loves them he had to understand the
power of
mat when yro heard about
mat this is what caused them to
come this
went
and what is this that y heard and it's
who says this I mentioned was the man
that embodied Holiness and
saintliness to the point that he def
he's the spiritual defender of Bar's
entire Rebellion as long as he was alive
and intact the Romans couldn't defeat
the Jewish
people understood this
power when yro heard about mat he
realized he can't stay home and just be
an observer he has to be a player not a
spectator but a
player you know we're living 3,300 years
later so we can take for granted the
contribution of T the contribution of
yish the contribution of Mitzvah but y
did not he understood something and
since yro was a non-jew and he decided
to join the ranks of the Jewish people
he understood something that I once read
from another
non-jew another
non-jew his name is not yra his name is
Thomas kohel he's an Irish yra was a
midianite this guy was an Irish
is an Irish fellow and he wrote a book
called the gifts of the
Jews the gifts of the Jews by Thomas Co
if a Jew would read another Jew WR this
he would feel ashamed it's too Jewish
but since it's written by ISRO so then
you could write whatever you want nobody
could blame you that it's too Jewish
because it wasn't written by a Jew so
he's not coming from that place at all
and I says and I quote we can hardly get
up in the morning or cross the street
without being being Jewish he's talking
about non-jews what do I mean the
religion of the Hebrews a tiny marginal
desert tribe changed the world view of
Western Civilization the West's most
deeply held beliefs about life human
nature God and Justice are all owed to
the ancient Israelites in the ancient
world of the Evert turning wheel the
countless gods and goddesses of the old
mythologies played out their dramas in
the world above these gods were lustful
jealous greedy humans were of little
import man had no freedom to choose a
destiny no divinely inspired laws and
ethics to guide him according to kahal
the Hebrews developed a whole new way of
experiencing reality it may be said with
some justice that theirs is the only new
idea that human beings have ever had
written by a
non-jew I I said many Jews would be
uncomfortable with these words but this
is written by Thomas coell what did y
see in
Mata what he saw in Mata was
the power of to the power of Mitzvah and
again then the Jewish people had to
accept a lot of it with
faith why they were a new people they
didn't see what's going to happen
throughout history so they had to accept
from well they saw they saw the
splitting of the sea they saw the temp
they saw the m so it wasn't Blind Faith
it's what they saw but the knowledge of
the future was still based on faith
after 33 100 years in many ways I should
say we're lucky we don't need any more
faith you could see the reality cuz
whenever in science if you want to
understand what's the secret of the
longevity of something if you have an
organism that survives for thousands of
years if you have a tree that survives
for thousands of years you have the
Redwoods the seas in San Francisco they
want to know what's what's the secret
what's the secret of you have somebody
who lives till 116 years old right in
Japan it's usually in
Japan what's the secret they tell you I
drink wine every day I eat chocolate
every day I don't exercise I'm relaxed
I'm Serene I meditate I don't take
anything to heart I'm not nervous I'm
not anxious everything is perfect okay
it's not for
me whenever science wants to know what's
the secret though how does this organism
survive especially in difficult
circumstances you always have to ask
what are the features or the traits that
this organism has and had throughout its
entire existence you always have to look
for characteristics that have been there
from the beginning till now you can't
look for something that was only there
temporarily because that doesn't explain
its existence at other times so whenever
you want to understand scientifically
the power of something to survive and
thrive for long Generations under
difficult
circumstances you have to always
identify what is a permanent feature and
trait that was always there with it that
gave it huh that gave it this power yeah
what is the spine what is the the the
the power of endurance I can't look for
something that was sometimes there that
was sometimes not they have to look at
something that was there
[Music]
constantly so if anyone this is very
very important to understand if anyone
is a real object really objective
without great and you ask the Jewish
people have been around thousands of
years thousands of years and very
difficult
circumstances they went through every
conceivable Sor in the world every
conceivable type
of form of suffering and Savage
brutality from in almost every anywhere
they almost any country they were they
were expelled from you can count on your
hand the five countries that didn't
expel Jews one of them
America and
Australia that's pretty new literally
you could count on your hand every great
Empire Tyrant and dictator was obsessed
with the Jews usually genocide
extermination
persecution and yet the Jews are here
thousands of years later so you have to
ask as an objective person what's the
secret what did they have so you look
for something that was always there I
can't look for something that was there
for 200 years so you might say language
sometimes language holds a nation
together the problem is most of our
history most Jews didn't speak our
ancient language till today more than
half of the Jews don't know Hebrew Jews
spoke the language of their host or yish
or Aramaic or Espero or Laino or
whatever the language of their host so
you can't say it's the it's the language
so some people will say land territory
but for most of our history sadly we
were living outside of our land
dispersed all over the world so how do
you account for their existence during
that time so you'll say culture the
Jewish people had tremendous culture the
problem is Jewish culture changes
radically from one country to another
country from one Milli to another milu
there are Jews who don't know what is
and there are Jews who don't know what
filter fish
is there are Jews for who bagel and lox
and Bingo was the beginning and the end
of Judaism and there are Jews don't even
know what Bingo or Bagel LAX is they
want
sushi in terms of Jewish culture what we
call tarbut culture it changed radically
from generation to
generation so if you ask is there one
accompanying thing the Jews had you say
an army unfortunately most of our
history we didn't have an
army you'll say maybe we had tremendous
amount of finances unfortunately most of
our history not so you identify what are
the features that hold a nation together
and make them survive and all of the
regular features land territory culture
language military prowess Finance none
of it works with the Jewish
people but there is there one feature
that was always there from the day we
became a people till today is there one
feature that you could say it's
permanent it was always there in every
country every Malu all circumstances
every situation Good Times bad times
rainy days sunny days when Jews were in
their Homeland when they were exiled
when they were persecuted when they were
on top of the world when they were in
the abyss from the north to the south to
west or east and it accomp the entire
nation from one end of the world to the
other end of the world and there's only
one such feature what is
it the answer
is
mitz
mitz that's where in the 900s
wrote he wanted to understand what's the
glue of the Jewish nation in the 900s
most of them were living all over the
world very few Jews were in the
land the and the
mitzvas this is the one feature that
accompanied the Jewish Nation from the
day we became a people at Mount Si until
this very day the T and the Mitzvah that
the Jews learned and observed and
internalized and celebrated and lived
with and Beed to their children and
grandchildren and they did it with
unwavering commitment that mysterious
and dedication through thick and thin
it's the one feature that existed in
every country under all circumstances
for every single Jew and you could see
further Jews who abandoned it Jews who
neglected it Jews who said goodbye to it
we don't need this let's use other
features let's find other ways there
were the helist Jews already in the
desert they made a golden calf and then
later you had the worshippers of the and
the worshippers of the Bal and those who
joined Hellenism it's etc etc those who
converted those who assimilated in every
generation what happened to them so
either after a few generation some of
their descendants came back to mitz and
those who didn't they're unfortunately
gone they're
gone we you could see with experience
this doesn't take this what I'm saying
now is not an article of auna it's an
article of historical fact using a
scientific
model
CU it's it's not like there's 20 things
and you have to choose between 20 things
there's only one thing that was there
constantly so a person could say I don't
agree you how how does mitv help the
survival of a Nation what's the
connection so it's a very interesting
question but you can't argue with the
fact the greatest Empires who had a lot
of
power nonetheless they're vanished
they're gone this is what y
understood saw the he saw what exists in
the life in the Theology and in the
daily life of T and Y said I can't sit
on my couch and just hear about this I
have to
come I want to tell you a little story
was shared by the former Chief Rabbi of
Israel Rabbi Israel mayor Lao
R May Lao said it was the early 90s he
was sitting in his office he was the
rabbi of Tel Aviv and he was sitting in
his lishka in his office a Jew from
London came in and he asked if he could
speak to him for a few minutes his name
was M
Kaminski M
Kaminski Aid of g a GID an older kid
with a white
beard he takes out a book and he says
this is my biography and my story of
survival in the Holocaust he was a
Survivor and uh I'm about to publish
this book but before I do I have to get
something off my chest this is the early
90s RAB La says what he says something
is sitting on my conscience and I never
apologized it's sitting inside of me for
50 years 60
years and I need to apologize to you
so he says what are you talking
about and he reminded RAB Lao a story
that happened when RAB Lao himself was
four or five years old October
1942 the Germans come into petrikov in
Poland this is the city where his father
was the rabbi of Petrov they come into
Petrov and they begin an action
separating the Jews from each
other they gather all the men into the
city square and put them on trains to
take them to
tre's
father was murdered in Trea with his
brother the women and the children they
left in the meantime to deal with them
at a later date in middle of the night
the morning before they left on the
trains RAB LA's father Lao left the
square and he came running to his home
and he told his wife the rabbitson that
he found for her and their little baby
lul they called him lulik is mayor
they had T was naali and it was
L he found a a bom a attic a hiding
place in the Attic where they can hide
it was basically on the fourth floor of
an abandoned building in an isolated
attic and he felt that they should hide
there he told them and he ran away he
ran back to the square cuz he had to be
there is is Mayor
Lao who's sitting in front of M Kaminsky
and his mother indeed went up to that Bo
and went up to that attic and they found
there another few dozen Jews who were
all hiding in that Hiding Place who was
there this m Kaminsky this GID who was a
little child and he was already an
orphan both of his parents were
taken and uh he was there this little
kid M Kaminsky together with Y mayor
with with is mayor
suddenly they hear the sounds of boots
loud Boots the Nazis came into the
building and started to go floor after
floor to search for Jews who were
hiding they went in to one of the rooms
that was close to the room where they
were hiding and there were a bunch of
planks of wood so they thought under the
planks Jews are hiding so they started
to pick up plank after plank beam after
beam the Jews in the meantime were
hiding in absolute silence in this attic
M Kaminski tells RAB Lao he says you
know your
mother brought into the hiding place a
bag with a few
apples she didn't know how long they're
going to be hiding so she had a few
apples M tells RAB I was starving I
haven't eaten in a very very long time
and I saw the bag so I took one of the
apples without permission I didn't want
to ask cuz I thought you would say
no and I started to eat it it but right
when I started to eat the apple it's in
my mouth the Nazis came in to start
searching the
building I knew if I continue to take a
bite into the Apple it's going to make a
sound and they're going to discover our
hiding place I also didn't want to spit
out the Apple because then you and your
mother and the people there would reveal
that I'm a thief cuz I stole the Apple
so I sat for two hours with this apple
in my mouth about to chew it but I can't
chew it
until the Nazis left the building and I
continued to eat my
Apple now I came to ask you forgiveness
for that Gava for the fact that I stole
your Apple it's been already half a
century and it still sits on me and I
want to apologize to
you RAB Lao broke out
sobbing and he looked at he gave him a
hug and he said trust me I forgave you
that moment even though I did not know
the story till this
moment when he shared the story I
thought to
myself you know think about the
refinement of a person what sits on his
chest for 50
years that he stole an apple here you
surrounded by Nazis who wouldn't have an
issue did not have an issue gazing a
million and a half
children that's what their conscience
and their Enlightenment most many of
them were phds and scientists and
doctors
that's where their science LED them to
and here you have an orphan who has
nothing in the world and what's sitting
on his
chest that he stole somebody else's
apple and when he has an opportunity and
needs to publish his Holocaust Memoir
and he's getting older he comes to
Israel to ask
forgiveness that's what touched R more
than anything else just to thought about
it what does this tell you this is the
adle kite the refinement of mat
writes one of the last
things tells the Jewish people is we
say you're going to step on
their means elevated platforms of your
enemies you're going to step on their
platforms meaning that which is most
elevated you'll step on it so it's not
just a physical promise it's much more a
spiritual promise what he's saying is
sometimes look in the world and you see
what is the most elevated emotional
spiritual attribute and that still sits
under the legs of is you sometimes look
at
theay in the pinky of a Jew who
saturated with t and that little tiny
year sh the lowest level of adelite is
still far loftier than sometimes the
great deep levels of refinement that you
read from people who worked maybe worked
on themselves and their decent human
beings but didn't have the gift of
T is saw this he saw to live in a such a
space of Purity to live 24/7 in such a
space of truth of
authenticity of Love of divinity of
godliness this is a completely different
type of
existence this
ISB what caused is to say I can't stay
put rather I need to come and then
there's the third opinion RAB elazar
razar says it was Kus
yamu Kus yamu is what made yre come
what's
yam if it was T itself he says y could
have sat at his
hamk go into the yeshiva.net and listen
to a class and enjoy it what causes y to
abandon everything to leave his
environment and join a Wilderness with
these millions of Hebrews he had to hear
of the splitting of the sea what does
this
represent rebelar says this is what
touched
y because the splitting of the sea
demonstrated another component of Jewish
history and that is that the people of
Israel CL Isel
transcended the laws of nature and the
deterministic patterns of History they
say that Louis IV from France asked
blazy Pascal he was one of the great
scientists of the day what's the
greatest proof he has for God blazy
Pascal was a religious person he went
through a metamorphosis and Pascal said
your majesty the Jewish
people their
history
because what you saw throughout Jewish
history was and this is I think also
very comforting to us in today's
darkness and Horrors the largest Seas
the mightiest
oceans the fiercest
tsunamis could not drown the Jewish
people they would combat many
overwhelming turbulent Seas throughout
history they wouldn't Experience One
Titanic travesty and tragedy but many
many they would encounter impossible
odds but like it says in in Song of
Songs Great Waters could not extinguish
the love and Rivers could not overwhelm
it they would cross every sea and if the
sea they need a part it would part and
they would come out on the other side
stronger more vibrant More Alive more
determined a nation that endured so many
oceans and seas that threatened to drown
every single one of them and they indeed
suffered so many losses as we did and we
still
do and yet y saw that inexplicably they
came out at the other side of of the sea
and not only they came out they were
pulsating with a love for life and a
zest for peace and a faith in better
days and a faith in Gul and Redemption
he says this is a people that their
narrative narrative transcends the form
formulas of deterministic History yro
understood what another non-jew yro
would write thousands of years later his
name was Mark
Twain and he considered himself a
skeptic aelf self acknowledged
skeptic they say that when he met Shalom
you know Shalom was a yish
comedian and they met in New York so
Mark Twain was a funny guy turns Shalom
and he says oh I hear that you're the
Jewish Mark Twain he says no you're the
Shalom you're the Gentile shalom in in
1899 I believe it was 1899 in Harper
magazine Harper magazine azine Mark
Twain penned an article an amazing
article it's called why the Jews but one
par you know his English was special
eloquent it's before you did texts where
you spelled U with a u and and LOL and
all that people still had to write full
sentences you remember those those
horrible
days Mark Twain writes and this is what
is saw this is what kazal are saying in
their own inimitable words Mark said the
Egyptians the Babylonians the Persians
they Rose they filled the planet with
sound and Splendor then faded to dream
stuff and passed away the Greek and
Romans followed they made a vast noise
they're gone other peoples have sprung
up held their torch high for a time but
it burnt out and they sit in Twilight
now or have vanished the Jews saw them
all beat them all and is now what he
always was exhibiting no decadence no
infirmities of age no weakening of his
Parts no slowing of his energies no
dulling of his alert and aggressive mind
all things are mortal but the Jews all
other forces pass but he remains what is
the secret of his
immortality he doesn't have an answer he
ends the article with a question what is
the secret of his immortality again if a
Jew would hear this from other Jews many
of them would feel uncomfortable nah we
just like Chinese food and Gulf and make
a couple of dollars and go on vacation
to the Caribbean but Mark Twain
understood he
saw he
saw in its manifestation in every
generation and he wanted to know what's
this unique situation another great
contemporary novelist one of the
greatest writers was Leo tto one of the
greatest Russian novelists he wrote an
article in
1908 I quote the Jew is that sacred
being who was brought down from heaven
the Everlasting fire and has illuminated
with it the entire world a non-w writes
he is the religious Thor spring and
Fountain out of which all the rest of
the peoples have drawn their beliefs and
their religions the Jew is the emblem of
Eternity he who neither Slaughter nor
torture of thousands of years could
destroy he who neither fire nor sword
nor Inquisition was able to wipe over
the face of the Earth he who was the
first to produce the Oracles of God he
who has been for so long the guardian of
Prophecy and has transmitted it to the
rest of the world such a nation cannot
be destroyed the Jew is as Everlasting
as eternity
itself this is how you're supposed to
write by the
way for all the English writers for all
the English
writers and this is important to
emphasize I often share this with
students aor has their whole Discovery
program based on this seven wonders of
Jewish Rory but it's important for
people to understand because we
sometimes take it for granted and that
is when you look at history and you see
that a nation has survived for thousands
of years when almost every Empire not
almost every single Empire that numbered
hundreds of millions or millions of more
are
gone I never went into Macy's and met
met somebody who said hey I'm from I'm
an Edomite I'm a midianite I'm a moite
I'm an AM malachite oh I'm straight from
the Roman Empire oh I'm from the
Egyptian par family it never
happens but the Jews the same Jews who
were fighting 3,000 years ago are still
fighting now it's a fascinating thing
thear says individuals die the community
doesn't die it's the same CL that stood
by sin it's still standing here today
when you see the eternity of a nation
that itself is Supernatural it's but
then you could say look at the Chinese
look at the
Indians but then you have something else
it's not just we survived in one country
with tens of millions hundreds of
millions of
people but you're dealing with a nation
that for most of our history has been
dispersed in every corner of the world
persecuted crushed often close to
Annihilation and now to
survive is crazy it's insane but that's
still not enough if at least we would
not number a few hundred million a few
billion Jews don't constitute even a
quarter of 1% of humanity I'll say it
again we don't constitute even one
quarter of one of 1% of humanity it's
not that we're 1% we're not a half a
percent we're not a quarter of a percent
0.2 in other words the number of Jews is
smaller than a statistical error on a
Chinese census think about
it 1.4 billion Chinese as I'm talking
another million were
born they're planting the Shalom Z now
and we are barely 14 maybe 15 16 million
Jews Cano such a tiny number then not
constituting a quarter of
1% so imagine how difficult that is now
even that would be already insanely
powerful but with such hatred and
anti-Semitism there's not a tyrant or
Empire that didn't try to annihilate or
persecute or Exile or harass the Jewish
people people to a point of Extinction
that's also impossible think about all
these factors coming together an eternal
people dispersed all over the world tiny
numbers dealing with tremendous horrible
genocides and persecutions till today
you have hundreds millions of people who
would want to see every Jew dead and a
country in the United Nations who calls
for its Annihilation
constantly and hundreds of thousand
thousands who with Glee would do it and
if that's not enough look at the impact
if this tiny nation was hiding somewhere
in a cave I don't know near New Zealand
still
strange but the impact that the Jewish
people had on civilization over these
thousands of years with both hands tied
behind the back is beyond even from a
secular
perspective as somebody once said the
last 100 years saw four major
revolutions if you ask somebody who were
the four most powerful figures that
influen civilization in the last 100
years certainly some of the top names
are Zigman Frey the father of
psychoanalysis Albert Einstein who
changed science and physics Carol Marx
who gave the world socialism and
communism Charles Darwin who changed the
world of biology so you have Freud you
have Marx you have Einstein you have
Darwin three of them were Jewish Darwin
was
wrong now when you're dealing with a
people that's
0.2% three of them were the most seminal
figures I'm talking from a secular
perspective there were 900 Nobel prizes
given out in the last 100
years around 2530 how much how many Jews
should have gotten the Nobel Prize based
on our numbers the answer is maybe a
quarter of a
Jew one Jew would already be a
lot and the answer is some and the truth
is that in some areas they got 30 40% of
Nobel prizes 25% 30% 40% it's
unimaginable what happened
here and this is even from a secular
point of view never mind if you look at
the world of the spirit the sages and
rabbis and Prophets and Mystics and
sadik and men and women of such great
nobility and Holiness and wisdom over
the generations this is all what yro saw
and I want to show you one point here
and that is as we bring it together if
you look in the last source of your
Source
Sheets if you look in the last source of
your Source
sheets you see everybody knows this
Mitzvah says when you count the
Jews don't count
them it's going to create a plague what
should you do
let everybody make a contribution count
the contributions everybody gives a and
you count that and it's very astonishing
to people what's wrong if we count Jews
till today you go to a they're looking
for a minion somebody who doesn't know
how a works it's very strange it's like
not one not two not three not four not
five or it's
like we
have you can't count Jews first time
says don't count Jews let everybody give
a a half a shekele count the money so
one cynical way of doing it is God knows
that's the way to do it you make an
appeal you want to get their money say
we need a senses in the meantime they'll
give coins you'll count but what's
what's the meaning of it once had a very
powerful Insight by RAB Jonathan
saak said something very powerful he
said why do governments make a sensus
why does anybody make a census census is
a way of flexing your muscles of showing
the power that you have of a company you
Google Microsoft you have 10,000
employees that's powerful don't mess if
a country has a million troops a million
soldiers it shows power if a country
makes a senses we have 300 million
people here this means the labor force
it means the contribution it means the
Ingenuity is powerful so whenever you
count counting is a way of demonstrating
your power your skill your prowess your
efficiency or at least how much
potential you have the says to the Jew
to M don't count the Jews you know why
if anybody's ever going to count the
Jewish people it's a recipe for
despondency for depression you're going
to say such a nation how can they
survive how can they Thrive and never
mind how can they change the world AB
was told that he's going to be a
blessing to the entire world this
doesn't make sense it's a recipe right
away it's one little lamb surrounded by
70 wolves there's no way this lamb Can
Survive and Thrive and then change the
world bring Redemption to the world
light up the world doesn't make sense
Hashem says TOA don't count Jews never
count Jews counting Jews is a recipe for
disaster on every level but we want to
count
them let them give and then you count
their
contribution don't count them count what
they give count what they have given
what they give and what they will give
the world and then you'll know exactly
who they are
think about it was told 3 and a half
thousand years ago
37 all the nations will be blessed by
you you're going to become a great
nation I'm going to make an eternal
Covenant I want to ask you if you wrote
a book let's say uh mosa Jefferson wrote
the Bible George Moses wrote it let's
say you want to say that play Devil's
Advocate you don't write things in a
book thousands of years ago that will
demonstrate that you're a you're a it's
insane to write this a you're going to
be an eternal I'm going to make an
eternal Covenant with you and all the
nations will be blessed really how do
you know this you're going to prove
yourself wrong that's the uniqueness of
all the phenomena I spoke about in
Jewish history if it would have happened
you could say wow it's pretty incredible
what's really incredible was it was all
predicted there was a book written
thousands of years ago and there it says
it's going to be an you're going to be
an eternal Nation you're going to be
spread out around the world you're going
to be hated loathed and
despised you're going to be the smallest
of all the
nations light unto the Nations you're
going to change the world you'll never
be extinct you will never be decimated
you'll never be destroyed everything was
written thousands of years ago so you're
writing in a book things that don't make
sense you don't write that unless you
know what you're talking about and the
only way you can know what you're
talking about is if you're somehow in
charge of this planet it's called
God this is not Blind Faith this you
could look into the book I didn't make
up these verses he told it's going to be
so whoever wrote this book let's say a
human being fabricated it you don't
write things that will PL that will
prove that you're inauthentic you just
don't do
that and yet it was all written in the
saer he saw something unique about
this and it said in this
book says you a light unto the Nations
you're here to change the whole
world and one more thing it says in this
book as long as you're in with Middle
East was if you remember history it's
called the Fertile Crescent one of the
most fertile
regions and here's the phenomenon when
the Jewish people were exiled from is
every witness says it became infertile
as the p says it's going to be desolate
When You're Gone rash says it's AB
there's an organic connection between
the Jews and Mark Twain has a diary when
he went to Israel in the
1860s and he says desolate Barren desert
you go today the desert
bloomed another fascinating thing is
where whoever heard that a nation exiled
2,000 years should come back to its
Homeland it's unheard
of the Dal Lama called in Jewish leaders
a few years ago 1989 he said he's been
exiled from Tibet by the Chinese for 50
years and he doesn't know how he's going
to be able to bequeath the tradition to
the Next Generation they're in exile for
50 years so he called the Jews to figure
out how did you do it interesting the
Dal Lama is a book about it called the
Jew and the Lotus Mr common what's the
point the T says you'll be exiled
everywhere but you're going to come back
to your
land and even though half the Jews are
still not in the land and we're waiting
every moment for messiah because with
all of the Beauties and miracles we all
understand the darkness of the time but
one cannot
underestimate the miraculous fact that
thousands of years later close to half
of the Jewish people live in
a and this was predicted in that
book even though we're still
before but you see a foretaste you see
something of a of so many Jews in the
last generation who came to is all
predicted thousands of years ago by
whoever wrote this sa as far which we
call the
tanak so isra understood that to
experience this
immorality he has to leave his mansion
in midan and he has to join the nomads
in the desert to become part of a story
which transcends nature I can't sit on
my couch and send a donation I can't sit
on my couch and identify and say yeah
they're good people I have to transcend
my my own nature I have to make my
own to join the Symphony of Eternity so
is was not Jewish but he made this
awesome sacrifice to join the Jewish
people and internalize
it
says study
anti-Semitism and it should be a
powerful teaching who the Jews
areel says look what T is look what T
did to the Jewish people look what
Mitzvah did to the Jewish people terms
of survival and in terms of quality of
life in terms of refinement in terms of
Ethics in terms of Holiness in terms of
K in terms of
godliness and reel
says he
so he saw a completely different pattern
in history where they were Guided by the
creator of the world who is Supernatural
and predicted ASI says as Mali says God
says just like I won't die you won't die
when he saw this is he said ah this I
have to become part of this I want to be
part
of and the same is true in each of Our
Lives Hashem says don't count
yourself very often people are looking
for dignity for self-esteem what do I do
I look in the mirror say I look
good I'm waiting for a compliment God
says don't count Jews you're going to
get
depressed give and then count the
coins put yourself in a space of Light
Of Love of giving and then automatically
you'll see your value you'll appreciate
your
value somebody once asked sir Moses
Monte Fury sir Moses mon was one of the
richest Jews in England it also helped
that he was a brother-in-law of
Rothchild that sometimes helps and he
was also great philanthropist m is named
after him you ever saw the mill the mill
of Moses m you visit is and Ne way
somebody asked him once in classic
Jewish question it's what men ask other
men how much are you worth this year
it's how you say good morning instead of
good morning how much are you worth this
year so that mosha gave a number he gave
a number let's say
400,000 so the Jew says oh stop lying I
know I know you're worth at least 10
times the amount come on you made much
more he said oh you didn't ask me how
much I made this year if you would have
asked me how much I earned this year I
thought could earn much more you asked
me how much I'm worth this year so I
told you the number that I gave to
charity this year a person is worth that
which he's ready to share with others
that's what
said look at their
contributions when you judge yourself we
often judge ourselves so harshly you
look at yourself I don't count to
anything when I can Embrace somebody
when I can give somebody love when I can
help somebody ignite a spirit that comes
back to to a person because the dignity
is Immortal and it's unchallenged it's
never questioned the question is how
much I'm aware of it and the makes a
person aware of it so in every person's
life we have all an inner y there's
always an inner Y and the inner yro
struggles one part of yro says I want to
be a couch potato did I Couch Potato
okay it's not Mark Twain's English okay
one part of is is in mid the question
is what allows yro to make his
own to split through his own sea to take
that plunge what do they called the ice
plunge you know when you go into the ice
to take that scary
plunge what takes to really be able not
just to identify to be a spectator to be
a fan to be part of the fan club of the
Jewish people but to really integrate it
to go through what's called Aus an
internal
transformation
and each one of the sages points on
another point one
is when you see how much evil wants to
destroy you you understand how much is
at stake in your life it's true in
everybody's life when you see how good
your Yar is and wants every morning to
plant in you fear and insec
and uncertainty and despondency and
despere and he never gets lazy it's
unbelievable we never get lazy from this
area this shows you how important it is
what's at stake how much you have to be
courageous and not let it take you over
when I see how in a moment's notice I
can slip and fall prey to theik inside
of me theik that wants to say who are
you I'm not asking about God par asked
about God who are you you idiot you
you lazy good for
nothing you see that you realize what's
at stake don't let amalik win that's
number
one number
two
says when a person sees literally on a
daily basis what it means to live in a
space of divinity to live in a space of
infinite love Infinite light infinite
trust infinite goodness and not to step
out of it the choice becomes obvious
which space am I going to live in we
live in a space of light or in a place
of Darkness a place of complete
attachment and authenticity or a place
of superficiality and falsehood it's not
even a
competition now because falson and
competition is so empty it creates all
types of attractions but it doesn't even
it never competes with
EMS that's what touched is and then the
Third is
says when I see in my life that I don't
have to live Shackled In the laws of
everything is predictable and
everything is always the same in the
same cycle in the same orbit but when I
plug into the source of creativity
creativity comes from the word creation
when I plug into the Creator you become
part of a creativity and even seize part
what that means emotionally and
psycholog ically even very difficult
situations insurmountable obstacles they
part you live in a different place in a
mindset of Liberty and Freedom the is
inside of us says it's time to go I saw
last night somebody sent me an interview
with her son yam was a
hostage and he ran out of one of the
buildings and the Israeli soldiers
mistaking him for a terrorist for Kamas
terrorist killed him together with
another two people and then f said a
sent out a famous letter to the soldiers
not only she forgives them but she loves
them and when they come out of Gaza she
should they should come meet her and her
family they want to hug them cuz she
knows what a impossible situation they
were in not knowing who's a killer who's
not a killer who's a terrorist who's not
and they shouldn't for a moment hesitate
to kill a terrorist because of what
happened and it really inspired the
nation I I think I shared two last week
or two weeks ago about her so somebody
interviewed her and she said that she
grew up a very very secular Jew very
secular home very secular Jew in Kaa red
Kaa they used to call it very very
leftwing Kaa City that's where she grew
up and she says something
happened something in me was awoken and
arose and transformed and I can't even
explain it but she said something
drastic was transformed inside of me I
suddenly feel connected to a people and
to a Homeland and to my Jewish tradition
and I don't know from where it happened
I don't know how it happened I didn't
grow up this way it's not part of my my
equation it's not part of my thinking
process it's not part of my
education and then the interviewer asked
her what do you do with the horror the
pain that your son was in
captivity a young man and he was
murdered by our own forces he was killed
I should say by our own
soldiers and she said listen nothing
will take away the pain of a mother who
lost her child especially under such
circumstances but she said but I have to
choose every day between pain and
despair despair I will not have pain I
will have she says I have to choose
between losing all hope and having pain
but let the pain be filled with
hope this is how a mother
of this is how his mother
speaks it gives perspective it gives
perspective to who we are as a people
what our role is as a people and these
are the three things that our sages are
bringing out what yro felt and it
transformed him completely it turned him
into the person who Not only was an
admirer and a spectator looking for a
commentator on the news who supports
Israel and say yeah like like like like
like y could have gone on Facebook and
did like I like Israel I like Douglas
Murray I like I don't know all the two
and a half people who support Israel and
don't believe we have to go to aitz
again you know the Jews are right we
find one non-jewish reporter who thinks
we have a right to live and it gets sent
around to all the Jews and we're very
happy there's one person who thinks we
shouldn't die thank you and we really we
do appreciate he's a
great we appreciate
it but y didn't just press like y became
one of C hasem he became a soldier in
hashem's Army this was the secret when
he saw when he saw when he
saw this changed him for for eternity as
it changes us for eternity may we see a
complete Victory and a complete
Redemption now have a wonderful week
next week we're on hasem Tuesday
9:30 yeah we're on next week we have a
class yeah sure thank you for
coming stuff means I love my child
unconditionally bring you to one point
and then on the contrary it's one thing
when you really love somebody they can
heal and they can be open to their own
truth that's what it's about it's not
about finding some my mother's truth
that's not what it's about I never
thought of these ideas hey where were
you four years ago you know when there's
emotional pain we're not going to listen
to any ideas we're just going to focus
on Survival you know what I mean if
somebody is choking me just think about
it if somebody's choking me right as
they're choking me they're preaching to
me that M
happened first of all I can't hear
anybody I can't even hear lecture on
Coca-Cola just trying to breathe but
what's worse is the one who's choking me
is the one who's telling me about mat
what does that mean that mat is
associated with what choking me choking
me so not only can't I hear it I have to
go to the Other Extreme in order to get
some bre fresh air so the love the
connection creates an openness where I
don't feel choked and then slowly I can
actually hear truth she's open yeah yeah
than so you're welcome thank you for
coming thank
you so much and that I enjoy your
English so much thank
[Music]
you yours was what your
children DA's
scho she finished high school not a
success in our Liv girl may I she a she
was C there and her
accomplishment collected money
for this is our such
success
wow wow
sh yeah yeah an author yeah he was a
literary he was a literary
genius thank you thank you for coming
pleasure to have you hope you me I I
came in and I I couldn't leave okay I
saw you
there no no it's nice to have another
man here for little protection no I know
it's it's fine it's fine
anyway I I stood in for my wife this
week I
see I'm sorry the questions keep sure
sure no problem because I'm
dist so I have to say would who
have and allowed anded his own children
to be there after all all the yes and
all the G and it's a good question yeah
you know they supposed to be at
Mat so I'm thinking so if yra came
before maranta then and they were there
if not not I want believe that they were
there many opinions say yeah there's an
argument what thank you an argument when
y came literally he came before Matan
but then there are others that he came
after but I have to feel it I have to
feel
the but you know what there may be also
very profound
message maybe a very profound message
and that is we don't care for
yeah and that is that m raenu in terms
of his own children you would
say he wasn't successful Aon Aon and his
children succeeded him moshe's children
didn't succeed him in fact it says mha
was upset about it he wanted his
children to succeed him Hashem said
yahushua what this teaches is also very
profound sometimes a parent thinks that
he's a complete failure because his
child is not succeeding him but you see
for m m became the greatest teacher of
the Jewish people but it was not
something that went in the
family so there's different roles
there's different situations there's
different
Journeys you don't look at mosa and say
oh what did you do where are your where
are your kids right this kids had a
different mission right I don't always
feel that you know it's because of what
we do it's because of what hasem wants
that's my point yes that some sometimes
not what we do it's what Hashem wants
it's everyone's journey and everybody's
soul and it's a very complicated
idea in many ways you can say is
personal one has to let go and ask
what's my mission what's my role I could
do the best I can make their own
decision and every child makes their own
decision I could be there to support and
love and be present but you can't but
you can't live your child's
life we educate we Inspire we Mentor we
always remain loving and supportive
through thick and
thin but my child has his Nish my child
has her
journey that's the lesson of
Misha and still he remains the greatest
Jew and teacher who ever lived despite
that Ma nobody looks at mosa and say hey
Moshe you're such a great teacher you
couldn't Inspire your kids
doesn't work that
way thank you very much sure missed you
we missed you I was away but yes welcome
back each time welcome back I felt I was
missing welcome back we did a little
crash course of Jewish history
abely Yeah question first of was an
amazing thank
you to helping non like a lot of
profession on a social work in a we
[Music]
have listen our respon as I said before
about tells you're going to be a
blessing for the whole world the ram
says that by Hari the Jewish people had
a MIT got a Mitzvah to influence the
entire non-jewish world to
accept in other words part of the Jewish
responsibility is to light up the whole
whole world we're not just a people for
ourselves by being true to ourselves our
role is to influence positively the
whole world when not influence a nonre
to embrace the you're familiar with so
that is part of a ra says by told the
Jews from Hashem to influence the entire
world right like the
says means you should influence the
whole world so it's not about trying to
like not work so it's not about
isolation and
segregation no of course Jews need to be
true to themselves and authentic and
follow the But ultimately by us being
real Jews our job is then to influence
the whole world especially especially
today you understand yeah a lot of Jews
don't know this but this is how it is
l