Transcript
Good morning בוקר טוב Boker Tov. Welcome back to Parsha Perspectives for today. Our weekly opportunity to learn the פרשה parsha together to extract from it the contemporary lessons that can inspire our here and now. I want to thank our generous sponsors for the פרשה parsha series for the entire year, dear friends Becky and Avi Katz and family in loving memory of Becky's father, David Grossman, דוד בן מנחם מנוש David ben Menachem Manush. Also this morning's פרשה parsha שיעור shiur is sponsored. The first יארצייט yahrzeit of ישראל חיים בן הרב יוסף מאיר Yisrael Chaim ben Harav Yosef Meir, Israel Margulies, who was a beloved member of our community and a good friend, and we studied together for many years. Sponsored by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and of course his beloved wife Sarah should have אריכות ימים ושנים arichas yamim v'shanim. Thank you so much, and Israel loved to learn, loved to learn פרשה parsha, loved to share דברי תורה divrei Torah on the פרשה parsha, and it's an honor to be able to share our דברי תורה divrei Torah this morning in his memory. שיעור Shiur is also sponsored by Avi Ashman in commemoration of the יארצייט yahrzeit of his father Joseph Ashman, יוסף בן חלאוונא Yosef ben Chlavna on ז' אדר zayin Adar. נשמה שתהיה לה עליה Neshamah she'tihyeh lah aliyah. Thank you so much everyone for the generosity. This week, we have the privilege of learning, of studying, of reading פרשת תצוה Parshas Tetzaveh. It appears in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash on page 464. And before we even dive into the פסוקים psukim themselves, let's take a look at those opening words of the פרשה parsha that have been made famous, ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל v'atah tetzaveh es Bnei Yisrael. And you. So many questions we can ask. And, you don't start a sentence, you certainly don't start a פרשה parsha with the word and. What do you mean and you, and? But our commentary specifically focus more specifically on the word ואתה v'atah, and you, rather than use Moshe's name, it simply engages the pronoun, you. Indeed, this is the only פרשה parsha in the Torah since our introduction to Moshe, at least this is how it is recorded by most, in which his name does not appear.Now, the בעל הטורים Ba'al HaTurim, רב יעקב בן אשר Rav Yaakov ben Asher, explains that when Moshe pleads with Hashem to forgive the people, next week we'll read about the horrific mistake, the terrible miscalculation of the building of the עגל הזהב Eigel HaZahav, the golden calf. And Moshe, who כאילו ke'ilu grabs Hashem and says you have to forgive the people because if not, מחני נא מספרך אשר כתבת mecheini na misifrecha asher kasavta. Erase me from your book which you have written. And Hashem takes Moshe up on the offer. And so instead, indeed he his name is erased from our פרשה parsha, and he is referred to in the second person singular, you. ואתה V'atah, and you. So next week Moshe is going to make a threat, and this week Hashem makes good on that threat. You want to be erased from the book? No problem. Your name will not appear in the פרשה parsha. It is simply ואתה תצוה v'atah tetzaveh. But why specifically our פרשה parsha? If indeed that's the case, if the בעל הטורים Ba'al HaTurim is right, that Hashem is calling Moshe's bluff. You threaten me, מחני נא מספרך mecheini na misifrecha, you threaten me, erase me from the book? So why specifically is it this פרשה parsha? Why not eliminate or remove משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu's name from a different פרשה parsha? Why this one? רב שאול מוילנא Rav Shaul of Vilna answers that Moshe says it in the past tense, מחני נא מספרך אשר כתבת mecheini na misifrecha asher kasavta. Erase me from the book that you've written in the past tense. So by the time you get to next week's פרשה parsha, you have to have erased me from the book that you wrote in the past tense, and that's why פרשת תצוה Parshas Tetzaveh is chosen. It is the פרשה parsha that comes before כי תשא Ki Sisa, in which he makes the threat, but he says it אשר כתבת asher kasavta in the past tense, and that is why it is in our פרשה parsha. As I said, that is the insight of רב שאול מוילנא Rav Shaul of Vilna. רב עובדיה יוסף Rav Ovadia Yosef, זכר צדיק לברכה zecher tzaddik l'vracha says, מחני נא מספרך mecheini na misifrecha, we should read it as מחני מספר כ mecheini misefer chaf. Not מחני נא מספרך mecheini na misifrecha, מחני נא מספר כ mecheini na misefer chaf. Erase me from the 20th ספר sefer, the 20th פרשה parsha. What is the 20th פרשה parsha in the Torah? You guessed it, תצוה Tetzaveh. And that's why why תצוה Tetzaveh was chosen, because Hashem is calling Moshe's bluff. Oh yeah, I have to forgive? If not, you want to be erased? No problem. We'll erase you, מספר כ misefer chaf, מספרך misifrecha, from the 20th פרשה parsha. The 20th פרשה parsha is תצוה Tetzaveh.But my dear friends, I want to share with you a different insight this morning. And it's an insight of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, זכותו יגן עלינו zechuso yagen aleinu, from his ליקוטי שיחות Likutei Sichos, it's in volume 21, כ\"א chaf alef. And the Rebbe shares the following. He says that the question is based on a faulty assumption. We want to know why did Hashem take Moshe's name out of our פרשה parsha, תצוה Tetzaveh? If in fact he's calling Moshe's bluff, his threat, so then why not from any other פרשה parsha? Says the Rebbe, Moshe is not missing from the פרשה parsha at all. In fact, he's even more present than usual. Where's Moshe? What do you mean? Go through the פרשה parsha, where do you see Moshe's name? ואתה V'atah and you is a pronoun. Where's the reference to Moshe? Says the Rebbe, in the very first word ואתה v'atah, and you. You see a name is the word that we designate for a person, for everyone else to refer to him or to her. A name is how we are known. A name represents and reflects our contributions and our accomplishments and how we're acknowledged. And even before we have a name, even before others label us, we exist. So the name is when everyone wants to talk about Berel and they want to be talking about the same person, you have to use a name. A name is a label, a name is how we identify, a name also is a description, but we exist before we have a name. So the word you, says the Rebbe, ואתה v'atah, refers to the essence, the core of who a person is, far beyond the name that we're given. So a name in some ways is a description, and a name is a very powerful tool. A name is not only a label, but a name describes. We're told that that parents have a certain level of נבואה nevua. Parents have a certain self sense of prophecy and prescience in order to be able to know whom they are describing with the name. But a name also limits us. A name tries to confine us to the limitation or boundaries of that description. The word you is who we are with no interference from others. It's who we are in our core, in our essence, with no need to be identified or to be acknowledged or labeled by anyone else. So the Rebbe points out that משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu is the greatest עניו anav. He's the most humble person who ever lived. His greatest attribute was his recognition that he exists only to be an instrument, only to be a vehicle to advance Hashem's will for this world. משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu is not in it for himself. He's not looking to make his name or to make his name greater. All he cares is to be of service, to do good, to be an עבד השם eved Hashem. He's on a mission to repair the world, to help people, and to actualize the very potential, the reason he was created. All Moshe wants is to fulfill his sense of you, of ואתה v'atah. Not to advance or promote his name משה Moshe, to just be, to be his ואתה v'atah. So on the surface our פרשה parsha is a diminution of Moshe's presence. If you look, you say his name doesn't appear. But the truth is, says the Rebbe, in our פרשה parsha, it is the most authentic, the most accurate, the most powerful, the deepest reference to Moshe. It is the Moshe not limited by the boundaries of a name, by how others perceive or what others hope or what others expect, but it is the Moshe of ואתה v'atah, of you, down to the core, stripped to the essence of a person whose drive not for a greater name, he's the most humble, but a drive for purpose in his life.This insight of the Rebbe strikes me this year. Very recently I walked into a gathering of people in our community. And there was a person there, a performer, and I was very late to the event. I had a conflict so I came in late. And I tried to sneak in. And when I tried to sneak in, several people very kindly stood up, stood up for for Torah, not for me. So the performer noticed I walked in and recognized that I was a rabbi. And he said, \"Welcome, welcome rabbi. I'm so happy you're here. What's your name? Who are you?\" And my first instinct was, \"What's my name?\" Like, haven't you seen משפחה Mishpacha? Like, what do you mean what's my name? It's in my community. And then all of a sudden I realized, what a phenomenal מוסר musar. Yeah, who am I? What's my name? I'm a nothing, איך בין א גארנישט Ich bin a gornisht. Why should this individual know who I am? It was a phenomenal מוסר musar and a reminder that who are we? None of us are in it for our name or our ego. It's not about us as the brand, it's about רבונו של עולם Ribono Shel Olam. It's about the Torah, it's about our essence. It's not about making our name great. It's not about followers or friends. It's not about reposts. It's not about a name in lights. It's about the essence of what we're trying to accomplish and what we're trying to stand for. And that's what the Rebbe says, that don't dare think that Moshe doesn't appear in פרשת תצוה Parshas Tetzaveh. Moshe appears more authentically in פרשת תצוה Parshas Tetzaveh than he does elsewhere, because דוקא davka it's here that Moshe is not limited or bound by a name, how others see it, the name in lights, it's ואתה v'atah. It's the core, the essence of who he is, it's the you of who he is. And that is our mission, that's our mandate. You see this also, we're going to celebrate פורים Purim אם ירצה השם im yirtzeh Hashem this week. A פרייליכן פורים freilichen Purim, we need the joy, the שמחה simcha, the happiness with פורים Purim will represent of the year anniversary. We need the joy of פורים Purim. So when Esther hesitates to go to Achashverosh, in that pivotal moment, in that incredible crossroads, Mordechai turns to her and he says, רווח והצלה יעמוד ליהודים ממקום אחר, ואת ובית אביך תאבדו revach v'hatzalah ya'amod la'Yehudim mimakom acher, v'at u'veis avich toveidu. If you stay silent in this crisis, then you know what? רווח והצלה Revach v'hatzalah, prosperity, deliverance, redemption, it's gonna come to the Jews. But you know where it's gonna come from? ממקום אחר Mimakom acher. Don't worry, God's got a plan. You think this depends on you? You think you have to be the hero or heroine? You think it relies on you? God's got a plan. God can bring about a result, however he wants, הרבה שלוחים למקום harbei shluchim laMakom. There are so many ways he could bring about the conclusion, the result he wants. איי Ai, so why Mordechai, why am I coming to you Esther, and why am I pressuring you? Because if you don't step up and stand out, then, ואת ובית אביך תאבדו v'at u'veis avich toveidu. ומי יודע אם לעת כזאת הגעת למלכות U'mi yodea im l'eis kazos higa'at la'malchus. Because you know what? If you don't step up, if you don't fulfill your purpose, if you don't take advantage of this moment and rise to the occasion, you know what will be lost? Your sense of ואת v'at. You and your father's house will perish. Who knows if this is why you're in this position, this is why you have access to the king, this is why you've been given this opportunity. This is who you are in your essence. This is what your life is all about. ואת V'at! Do you want to forfeit the ואת v'at? Forget the name Esther. You'll always be known as a queen. In Persia, you'll forever be enshrined in the history books as the queen, Queen Esther. But forget your name, how about the ואת v'at, like the ואתה v'atah. How about your essence, your potential, who you are, who you're meant to be, ואת תאבדו v'at toveidu. You're going to lose, you're going to forfeit your sense of את at, of who you're meant to be, of your essence, of what you're meant to accomplish. Don't surrender the opportunity. The Jews will be saved. Have no fear, Hashem has other ways, but ואת v'at, your essential mission of why you're here, that will be lost.Mark Twain famously said, the two most important days in your life are the day you're born and the day you find out why. The day you're born and the day you find out why. So, ואתה תצוה v'atah tetzaveh, Moshe the ואתה v'atah, why are you here? And Esther, ואת ובית אביך תאבדו v'at u'veis avich toveidu. If you don't rise to this occasion and if you don't take advantage of this moment, you will forfeit, you will concede, you will lose that sense of ואת v'at. You'll lose the very purpose, the very reason for which you are here, the very core of it all. And that is what, and that is what Mordechai is telling Esther, it's what Hashem is telling Moshe. A beautiful insight of the Rebbe, it's a mistake. Don't ask why דוקא davka in תצוה Tetzaveh, Moshe's name doesn't appear. It does appear. It's not diminished, it's in fact increased, it's the most authentic, it is the appearance of Moshe's name as a ואתה v'atah.So the פרשה parsha begins with the מצוה mitzvah of lighting the candles. משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu was told, ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך כתית למאור להעלות נר תמיד v'atah tetzaveh es Bnei Yisrael, v'yikchu eilecha shemen zayis zach, kasis la'maor, la'ha'alos ner tamid. Command the children of Israel, take clear olive oil, it's crushed למאור la'maor so that it can illuminate most pure, and what's its goal? להעלות נר תמיד La'ha'alos ner tamid. In order that the candles, in order that the candelabra be lit continually and consistently. We're going to see this at the end of the פרשה parsha, the קרבן תמיד korban tamid, the notion of תמיד tamid. The מנורה menorah was lit תמיד tamid. The קרבן תמיד korban tamid, the daily sacrifice was offered תמיד tamid. The notion of consistency and of constancy. One of the reasons we fast on the 17th of Tammuz, one of the great examples of the destruction was our inability to continue to offer the קרבן תמיד korban tamid, which we'll say, well, we were אונס oness. We were exempt. What can we do? It was beyond our control. But it's tragic. When there's something you're so used to and it's taken away from you, it's tragic. For many years, for most of my life, I didn't understand it. But this year I do. How many of us around פורים Purim time last year, we're coming up on a year, פורים Purim and פסח Pesach last year where the שול shul was shut down, and we didn't hear תפילה בציבור tefila b'tzibbur, we couldn't answer קדיש Kaddish, some couldn't say קדיש Kaddish. We didn't hear the Torah being read. The קרבן תמיד korban tamid, the תמיד tamid of our life of daily דאווענען davening, of daily community, of daily שול shul, it was lost. The value of consistency and constancy, the מנורה menorah that was lit תמיד tamid, and the קרבן korban that was offered תמיד tamid. And we mourn and we grieve when that קרבן korban stopped, when it ceased, because that is painful, that's a source of destruction. And I think we can appreciate that even more, maybe this year than most. The גמרא Gemara in שבת דף כ\"ב Shabbos daf chaf beis says the following. The גמרא Gemara in שבת Shabbos talking about this מנורה menorah that Aharon and his children are called upon to light. And how are they meant to light it? מדליק Madlik, Rashi says, מדליק עד שתהא שלהבת עולה מאליה madlik ad she'teheh shalheves olah mei'eileha. The mission, the goal, I mentioned this every year, it's a great lesson of education. It's a perspective for today. Our job is to touch our flame to another wick until it's עולה מאליה olah mei'eileha, till it rises on its own. We're not a flashlight. Don't just shine a light on others, our goal is to make them illuminate on their own, to be a source of light, to shine bright on their own. That's the mission. להעלות נר תמיד La'ha'alos ner tamid, to raise the flame regularly. The children around us to be on fire so that we inspire the people around us. And that is the amazing insight of רב הוטנר Rav Hutner. גמרא Gemara in שבת דף כ\"ב עמוד ב' Shabbos daf chaf beis amud beis says the following. The פסוק pasuk says later in ויקרא כ\"ד Vayikra chaf daled, מחוץ לפרוכת העדות יערוך michutz l'paroches ha'eidus ya'aroch, that the מנורה menorah was outside of the פרוכת paroches, outside the curtain. וכי לאורו הוא צריך? והלא כל ארבעים שנה שהלכו בני ישראל במדבר לא הלכו אלא לאורו. V'chi l'oro hu tzarich? V'halo kol arba'im shanah she'halchu Bnei Yisrael bamidbar lo halchu ela l'oro. What do you need the light for? asks the גמרא Gemara in שבת Shabbos. The light was provided from Hashem all 40 years we wandered in the desert. אלא עדות היא לבאי עולם שהשכינה שורה בישראל. Ela eidus hi l'ba'ei olam she'ha'Shechina shorah b'Yisrael. The light that emanated from the candelabra was not about a need for light, but rather, it was a message, it illuminated the world. It was עדות eidus, it was a testament לבאי עולם l'ba'ei olam to all those in the world, שהשכינה שורה בישראל she'ha'Shechina shorah b'Yisrael. It was a testament and a testimony that the שכינה Shechina is שורה בישראל shorah b'Yisrael, that the light shines from these Jewish people to the entire, to the entire world, to the entire world. So רב הוטנר Rav Hutner's bothered by this question. What does the גמרא Gemara in שבת Shabbos mean? What are you talking about? עדות לבאי עולם שהשכינה שורה בישראל. Eidus l'ba'ei olam she'ha'Shechina shorah b'Yisrael. The whole world would see the מנורה menorah, the candelabra lit, and they would know that the שכינה Shechina, that the divine presence dwells among the Jewish people. Wonders and asks רב הוטנר Rav Hutner, געוואלדיק אַ קשיא gevildek a kasha, a great question. What do you mean the whole world will know? Who sees the candelabra? Who sees the מנורה menorah? Only a few people enter into the היכל heichal. Only those eligible, only those qualified enter into the היכל heichal. So what do you mean, באי עולם ba'ei olam, the whole world will see שכינה שורה בישראל Shechina shorah b'Yisrael. אזוי פרעגט רב הוטנער Azoy freigt Rav Hutner. This is the question of רב הוטנר Rav Hutner. And listen to what רב הוטנר Rav Hutner says. רב הוטנר Rav Hutner says, the whole world will see that God dwells with the Jewish people because the light of the מנורה menorah, not because they will witness firsthand the light of the מנורה menorah. But when those who do enter the היכל heichal, when they will be lit by the מנורה menorah, when they will be on fire from the מנורה menorah, and it will be contagious, and they will light the fire in others, it will spread like wildfire until the whole world knows the Jewish people are on fire because the שכינה Shechina dwells among them. For עדות eidus, for testament, for testimony, you don't need a conference, and you don't need news cameras, and you don't need a news feed, and you don't need a blogger or a newspaper. You need some Jews who their אמונה emunah is so deep, so authentic, so intense, that they are on fire. Only a handful have to enter the היכל heichal and see this מנורה menorah and its light, and in the result be on fire, to be contagious, to light the fire in others until the world is on fire. And says רב הוטנר Rav Hutner, that's also what it means the first רש\"י Rashi in Torah. The רש\"י Rashi in בראשית Bereishis that we're all familiar with. אמר רבי יצחק, לא היה צריך להתחיל את התורה אלא מהחודש הזה לכם. Amar Rebbi Yitzchak, lo hayah tzrich l'hachil es haTorah ela mei'ha'chodesh ha'zeh lachem. Why did the Torah begin with the whole book of בראשית Bereishis in a whole storyline? Why didn't we begin from where, why didn't we begin from החודש הזה לכם ha'chodesh ha'zeh lachem, the very first מצוה mitzvah in the Torah? Why didn't we start from later? Says רש\"י Rashi, quoting Rebbi Yitzchak, מה טעם פתח בבראשית ma ta'am pasach b'Bereishis? כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו לתת להם נחלת גוים. Koach ma'asav higid l'amo, la'seis lahem nachlas goyim. The power of Hashem's action, he told his nation, so the whole world would know. שאם יאמרו אומות העולם לישראל לסטים אתם. She'im yomru umos olam l'Yisrael listim atem. If they accuse us of being thieves, that we stole Israel, that we don't share vaccination with those who live in Israel who aren't Jews, if they levy false accusations, anti-semitic tropes against us, then the Torah itself testifies no, God created the world and God gave us the land of Israel. And again wonders רב הוטנר Rav Hutner, it should have said הגיד לאומות higid l'umos. What do you mean כח מעשיו הגיד לעמו koach ma'asav higid l'amo? He told the nations of the world, he created the world and he gave Israel to the Jewish people. It should have said הגיד לאומות higid l'umos, he told the nations. Why does it say הגיד לעמו higid l'amo? Said רב הוטנר Rav Hutner, the same answer. If the Jewish people believe that Israel is ours, if the Jewish people believe that the Torah is immutable, that the Torah is undeniable, that the Torah is מן השמים min ha'Shamayim, if we believe that this is the word and the promise of God, and it's unequivocal, it's unconditional, it's absolute, then the other nations of the world will follow, will believe. When we equivocate, when we're uncertain, when we fluctuate, then they do too. So Hashem says, if we're on fire, we ignite the world, we ignite the spark. כל באי עולם Kol ba'ei olam, we can influence and impact the entire world that a שכינה שורה Shechina shorah, that God dwells among us. How? By living like God dwells among us, by being on fire, being inspired, leading mindful and meaningful Jewish lives. This was the mission says רב הוטנר Rav Hutner lastly of Elkana. Elkana would go with Chana a different route to עליה לרגל aliyah l'regel each and every year with Penina and Chana, his co-wives. They would take a different route each and every year. Why? Because he would want to pass people who would say, \"Hey, where are you going?\" And he'd say, \"Let me tell you where I'm going, come with me.\" It is the mission. The way that you inspire others is being inspired yourself. להעלות נר תמיד La'ha'alos ner tamid, our mission is מדליק עד שתהא שלהבת עולה מאליה madlik ad she'teheh shalheves olah mei'eileha. If we are on fire, it will ignite a fire, a spark in others, in others as well.Okay, moving right along. With that, we start our our פרשה parsha. So going back to this first פסוק pasuk, ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך v'yikchu she'elach shemen zayis zach, take oil that is olive that is pure, כתית kasis, that is crushed למאור la'maor. And why is it crushed? For the purpose of being a the purpose of being a a uh illuminating להעלות נר תמיד la'ha'alos ner tamid in order to raise in order to raise נר תמיד ner tamid. Says רב משה לייב ססובר Rav Moshe Leib Sasover, the הייליגע heilige, the holy ססובר Sasover. He says, what do you mean? להעלות נר תמיד La'ha'alos ner tamid כתית kasis? ויקחו אליך שמן זית V'yikchu eilecha shemen zayis. Says the holy ססובר Sasover, אדם הרוצה ללמוד תורה שנמשלה לשמן adam ha'rotzeh lilmod Torah she'nimshala l'shemen. Torah is likened to olive oil, pure שמן shemen. If you want to merit to learn Torah like שמן shemen, כתית kasis, you have to break the יצר הרע yetzer hara in you, למאור la'maor. And then you'll be able to let the light of Torah in. We have such blockage on our heart. We have such blockage on our נשמה neshama. We have all of our baggage that we carry. We have all of our background which holds us back and our baggage which limits us. Says the רב משה לייב ססובר Rav Moshe Leib Sasover, you know how Torah breaks into our heart and lights us up? כתית Kasis. If you want the שמן shemen which is זך zach, כתית kasis, then you have to break, you have to break the יצר הרע yetzer hara, למאור la'maor, so that it can come in and it can illuminate.Our first אש תמיד eish tamid, says רב דרוק Rav Druk, רב ישראל מאיר דרוק Rav Yisrael Meir Druk. Our first אש תמיד eish tamid of the day. The חתם סופר Ksam Sofer, רב משה סופר Rav Moshe Sofer wonders, היה צריך לכתוב קודם כתית ואחר כך זך, שהרי זה הסדר. hayah tzrich lichtov kodem kasis v'achar mikein zach, she'harei zeh ha'seder. The word זך zach means pure, כתית kasis means crushed. How do you arrive at the pure olive oil? First you crush it and what emerges is the pure olive oil. So it should have said, ויקחו אליך שמן זית v'yikchu eilecha shemen zayis, כתית kasis, crush it, זך zach, it's pure, למאור la'maor. Why is it in the wrong order? And listen to this insight of the חתם סופר Ksam Sofer. נראה בעזרת השם על פי הגמרא Nir'eh b'ezer Hashem al pi ha'Gemara, you have to understand based on a גמרא Gemara in מנחות Menachos. אמר רבי יוחנן, למה נמשלו ישראל לזית? Amar Rebbi Yochanan, lama nimshlu Yisrael l'zayis? Why are the Jewish people compared to an olive? לומר לך Lomar lach, to teach us, מה זית אינו מוציא שמנה אלא על ידי כתיתה? ma zayis einoh motei shmanah ela al yedei ksisa? Olive, an olive is nice, an olive is is good, an olive is delicious, good Greek salad. Olives on top of pizza, olives in other ingredients, that's מטבוחה Matbucha I think. I think that's the knowledge I have of where olives belong. But the real value, the real worth of an olive is for the olive oil. You squeeze it for the oil. So everybody knows that the only way to get the oil out of the olive is to crush it, to squeeze it. אף ישראל אינם חוזרים למוטב אלא על ידי יסורין. Af Yisrael einam chozrim l'mutav ela al yedei yissurin. You know what brings out the potential in a Jew? You know what helps us realize who we're meant to be? When our back is against a wall, when we're squeezed, when we're crushed, that's when the purity within us comes out. When we're casual, and when we're comfortable, and when we're able to simply march through life, then there's all kinds of hidden latent potential inside us. The purity of who we could be doesn't emerge. But when we're squeezed, when we're crushed, when we're pushed against a wall, when we're forced to find and to dig deep within ourselves, strengths and capacity we didn't know, then that pureness, the purity flows. The purity flows from there. And he goes on, he quotes a מדרש רבה midrash rabbah, we have a lot more I want to cover, so I'll just skip this bottom line. מדוייק בדברי המדרש, ישראל יש להם כח עצום הטמון ונעלם בתוכם. M'du'a b'divrei ha'midrash, Yisrael yesh lahem koach otzum, a tamun v'na'alam b'socham. Jewish people have a pure power that's hidden inside us. Unfortunately, it takes tragedy, it takes crisis, it takes conflict, it takes plague, pandemic, it takes war, it takes boys being kidnapped for that purity to flow. התורה שבהם מתגלה כוחה הגדול רק על ידי כתיתה. Ha'tzurah she'bam misgaleh kocha ha'gadol rak al yedei ktisha. It's when we're crushed, it's when we're squeezed, it's when we're forced that we realize our greatest strength, our greatest value, our greatest purity. כמו הזית שעל ידי כתיתה יוצא ממנו הזך והמאיר, כך יוצא מישראל כוחה הגדול והאור. K'mo ha'zayis she'al yedei ktisha yotzei mimeno ha'zach v'ha'me'ir, kach yotzei mei'Yisrael kocha ha'gadol v'ha'or. So כן ישראל נמשלו לכוכבים. kein Yisrael nimshlu l'kochavim. Similarly, the Jewish people are likened to stars. We say in our דאווענען davening, מונה מספר לכוכבים moneh mispar la'kochavim. שאורם מסתתר תחת העננים. She'oram mistater tachas ha'anananim. The light of the stars is always in the background in the sky, ורק כאשר מתקרבים רואים את אור הגנוז. v'rak ka'asher miskarvim ro'im es or ha'ganuz. Only once you get close, do you see the hidden light. So only when when the it's night, the light of the stars come out, כמו כן ישראל על ידי כתיתה מתגלה אורם הגדול. k'mo kein Yisrael al yedei ktisha misgaleh oram ha'gadol. We have a great light, we have a great purity, we have great potential, but we need to be squeezed in order for it to come out. זה דרכם של עם ישראל. Zeh darcham shel am Yisrael. This is the way of the Jewish people. We have been dispersed among the nations. The Jews of שושן Shushan were fast asleep, ישנם עם אחד yoshnam am echad. ישנם עם אחד Yeshnam am echad, ישנם yoshnam, they were fast asleep, they were vulnerable. Haman came to strike and we were going to disappear because we were sleepwalking through life, assimilating and eating at a party whose whole theme was celebrating our demise, מכלים שונים mikeilim shonim from the כלים keilim of the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash. And it took a crisis, it took a threat of annihilation, extermination to wake us up, לך כנוס את כל היהודים lech knos es kol ha'Yehudim. It's when we're squeezed, when we're squeezed, when we confront enemies or challenges or crises, it's when we're squeezed and crushed that the best of us comes out. And therefore, that's why שמן זית זך shemen zayis zach, כתית למאור kasis la'maor. So that's why במקדים הכתוב את השמן הזך לכתית b'makdim ha'kasuv es ha'shemen ha'zach l'kasis, to tell us that the purity is inside. Now crush it, squeeze it, and bring it out. הזך לכתית Ha'zach l'kasis, כן בעיקר בישראל יש בהם זכות ואור פנימיות. kein b'ikar b'Yisrael yesh bam zchus v'or pnimius. We have a merit, we have a potential, we have a purity, צריך לכתת tzrich l'chaseis, you have to squeeze it, לגלות את האור הטמון בקרבם l'galos es ha'or ha'tamun b'kirbam, in order to reveal the light that's hidden inside them. So seemingly it's out of order, but in fact it's in the perfect order, namely the order is to first know and believe that we have a purity inside, and then recognize that when we're squeezed, that when we confront challenge, that's what brings it out.מחוץ לפרוכת Michutz la'paroches, פרק כ\"ז Perek chaf zayin, פסוק כ\"א pasuk chaf alef. Next פסוק pasuk. באהל מועד מחוץ לפרוכת אשר על העדות, יערוך אותו אהרן ובניו מערב עד בוקר לפני השם. B'ohel mo'ed michutz la'paroches asher al ha'eidus, ya'aroch oso Aharon u'vanav mei'erev ad boker lifnei Hashem. That's where you arrange it. The מנורה menorah is arranged and it's lit outside the פרוכת paroches, outside of the עדות eidus, by Aharon and בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael. So says רב אהרן מקרלין Rav Aharon of Karlin, רב אהרן קרלינער Rav Aharon Karliner, the following great insight. Says רב אהרן קרלינער Rav Aharon Karliner, מחוץ לפרוכת michutz la'paroches, even the Jew who feels that they're מחוץ לפרוכת michutz la'paroches. Sometimes there's a Jew who feels they're so distant, they're so far away, they're so alienated, they're בחוץ bachutz, they're outside, they're an outlier. There's no room for them, they're being judged and marginalized and dismissed. מחוץ לפרוכת Michutz la'paroches, for the Jew who feels like they're on the outside, maybe for some of us who feel like we are on the outside, יערוך אותו אהרן ובניו ya'aroch oso Aharon u'vanav. Says the קרלינער Karliner, says רב אהרן קרלינער Rav Aharon Karliner, מוטל על הכהנים להכניסם לקודש עד שיהיה להם ערך וחשיבות. mutal al ha'kohanim l'hachnisam l'kodesh ad she'yiheh lahem erech v'chashivus. יערוך אותו Ya'aroch oso, ערך erech is a worth, is a value. יערוך אותו Ya'aroch oso. To the Jew who feels that they're מחוץ לפרוכת michutz la'paroches, to the Jew who feels they're מחוץ michutz, they're on the outside, יערוך אותו ya'aroch oso. Tell them their value, tell them their worth, make them realize they're not invisible, they're highly visible. They're not inconsequential, they're incredibly consequential. יערוך אותו אהרן ובניו Ya'aroch oso Aharon u'vanav, the כהנים kohanim represent the teachers, the מחנכים mechanchim and the רביים rabbeim and the רבנים rabbanim. Don't make them feel like a גארנישט gornisht or a nothing, make them feel great. Don't knock them down, lift them up. The way to bring them back inside, inside from feeling מחוץ michutz, instead of feeling like an outsider, somebody struggling with addiction, somebody who's struggling with being inspired, someone who's struggling with staying on the דרך derech, they're מחוץ michutz, they feel like an outsider, יערוך אותו ya'aroch oso, Aharon u'vanav. The כהנים kohanim, the leaders, the communal leaders, the lay leaders, the the כלי קודש klei kodesh and lay kodesh, יערוך אותו ya'aroch oso. Our job is to יערוך ya'aroch, to give them an ערך erech, to give them a worth, to give them a great value, to remind them who they are and who they could be, and therefore to be able to bring them back inside.פרק כ\"ח Perek chaf ches, פסוק ל\"ב pasuk lamed beis. Skipping right ahead, now we get to the בגדי כהונה Bigdei Kehuna. We've spoken about this in the past. If you'd like to hear our interpretation of the בגדי כהונה Bigdei Kehuna, you can listen to previous פרשה שיעורים Parsha shiurim on YUתורה YUTorah or Rabbi Ephraim Goldberg.org. YUתורה.org YUTorah.org, rabbiephraimgoldberg.org. Don't forget to subscribe to this YouTube channel, you'll be notified about all of our classes and learning opportunities live. Simply subscribe here. So we're going to skip forward in the בגדי כהונה Bigdei Kehuna which are לכבוד ולתפארת l'chavod ul'sifares. Unlike the clothing that Adam and Chava had to put on, בגדים begadim מלשון בגד mi'lashon beged, בוגדין beguden, was rebellion. The nakedness they felt because the יצר הרע yetzer hara became absorbed internally, this clothing is not to prevent shame and embarrassment. מלבוש Malbush is בושה busha. We wear clothing to avoid shame. מלבוש Malbush, clothing, garments, is מלשון בושה mi'lashon busha, from the language of shame. So this clothing in distinction is not about shame, but rather is about לכבוד ולתפארת l'chavod ul'sifares. It's about honor, it's about honor and it's about glory. So let's go through a little bit. פרק כ\"ח Perek chaf ches, ל' lamed, פסוק ל\"ב pasuk lamed beis. This is the מעיל me'il. We're up to the מעיל me'il. And about the מעיל me'il, sorry. Let's go back. פסוק ד' Pasuk daled first. I'm out of order. כ\"ח ד' Chaf ches daled. ואלה הבגדים אשר יעשו V'eileh ha'begadim asher ya'asu, these are the garments that you should make. חשן ואפוד ומעיל וכתנת תשבץ מצנפת ואבנט Choshen v'eifod u'me'il u'chsoneis tashbeitz, mitznefes v'avneit. ועשו בגדי קודש לאהרן אחיך ולבניו לכהנו לי. V'asu vigdei kodesh l'Aharon achicha v'li'vanav l'chahano li. Page 464 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. These are the garments you make, a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a tunic of a box-like knit, a turban, a sash. Make vestments of sanctity for Aaron, your brothers, and his sons, לכהן לי l'chane li, in order to minister to me. There's an amazing Rashi here. There's an amazing Rashi here. Rashi says the following, an איפוד ephod. Look at Rashi on an איפוד ephod. זכרה רש\"י Zachra Rashi, לא שמעתי ולא מצאתי בברייתא פירוש תבניתו lo shamati v'lo matzasi b'braisa perush tavniso. This איפוד ephod among the garments that are listed that we're supposed to make is an איפוד ephod. What in the world is an איפוד ephod? So Rashi says, I haven't, I have no idea what it is. I haven't found a translation, an interpretation, I haven't found a ברייתא braisa, rabbinic writings, which explain the איפוד'ס ephod's design. So what is it? ליבי אומר לי Libi omer li. ליבי אומר לי Libi omer li. מורנו הרב Moreinu HaRav Rabbi Moshe Weiss often uses that expression. וליבי אומר לי V'libi omer li. And this is what I think. Where'd he get it from? Rashi. Rashi says, ליבי אומר לי libi omer li. This is what I think. I don't have evidence. I can't find a מאמר חז\"ל ma'amar Chazal. There's not a ברייתא braisa. I don't find מדרש medrash. But here's what I think it is. שהוא חגור לו מאחוריו, רוחבו כרוחב גש איש shehu chagor lo me'acharav, rochvo k'rochav gash ish. My heart tells me that it's a belt that's worn around the back, similar to what people who ride horses wear. Rashi gives this description of the design. And where does he have the boldness, the brazenness to offer a suggestion of an interpretation of what the design is, even though he doesn't have any evidence or source? Where does he get that from? He gets it from those words, three words: ליבי אומר לי Libi omer li. My heart tells me. So I ask a simple question. Am I also entitled to do that? Am I also entitled to say, I don't know what Hashem wants, but ליבי אומר לי libi omer li, my heart tells me that this is what this means, or this is what Hashem wants the הלכה halacha to be, or this is what He wants me to have a view of the world. Is my heart the same as Rashi's? Is your heart the same? Are we also entitled to use that license of ליבי אומר לי libi omer li? So listen to the words of Rabbi Soloveitchik, it's in the OU Rabbi Soloveitchik חומש Chumash. The answer can be inferred from a passage in אבות דרבי נתן Avos d'Rebbi Nosson, that says that כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael were crowned with three כתרים ksarim, with three crowns. The כתר כהונה keser kehuna, the כתר מלכות keser malchus, and the כתר תורה keser Torah, the crown of kingship, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of Torah. כתר תורה Keser Torah, writes the Rav, does not merely signify gaining Torah knowledge, but elevation and personal purification. תלמוד תורה Talmud Torah engenders a refinement of the personality. Depth of understanding replaces superficiality, as the individual undergoes a total transformation. One who is crowned with כתר תורה keser Torah gains a new sensitivity and a new ועלטן שאונג weltanschauung, a different view of the world. רב חיים סולובייצ'יק Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, the Rav writes about his grandfather, would compare his approach to resolving a difficult passage in רמב\"ם Rambam with a traveler who must reach his destination in the darkness of night. In the distance he sees the flashing of a dim light that signals his ultimate destination, pointing him in the proper direction. Even if Rav Chaim was only in the initial stages of formulating his ideas to resolve the difficulty, he intuitively knew the approach to take. He had the sensitivity and perception to the underlying message and theme of the סוגיא sugya, to look beyond the simple words on the page and to be able to uncover the treasure that lies within. One must perceive the faint blinking light and instinctively move in its direction. כתר תורה Keser Torah means that the individual is entirely enveloped and gains a certain intimacy with Torah. He's elevated. He has absorbed an inner holiness. He gains a special intuition and insight. He has the ability to feel the Torah's pulse and infer its thought process. What an insight of the Rav based on the זײדע zaide, רב חיים Rav Chaim. You know when someone can say ליבי אומר לי libi omer li? When a person's heart has been fashioned and molded with Torah. When you know enough Torah. You know, he doesn't quote it here, the Rav gave his הספד hesped for his uncle, the Brisker Rav, and he talked about עריסין ונישואין erusin v'nisuin. There's the notion of those who are engaged and the notion of those who are married. When you're engaged, you think you know someone. But when you've been married for many years, you can finish the other person's sentence. Someone says, what does your spouse want for dinner? What does your spouse think of this? What is your spouse? You can finish their sentence, you can intuit their desire and what they want because of the intimate way that you know them. You have a knowledge of them which is deep, a knowledge of them which is profound, a knowledge of them which surpasses that of others. ברוך אתה ה' אלוקינו מלך העולם שהכל נהיה בדברו Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha'olam shehakol nihiyeh bidvaro. So the Rav said about his uncle, the Brisker Rav, others are engaged to Torah. Others have a casual relationship, they're dating Torah. The Brisker Rav was married to Torah. And that's why he was able to finish Hashem's sentences, because of the level of of intimacy, of connection, of marriage. That's what Rashi is saying here on the איפוד ephod. ליבי אומר לי Libi omer li, I'm married to Torah. I can't find a source, I don't have evidence, but ליבי אומר לי libi omer li, my heart is in sync with the heart of Torah. It beats with the beat of Torah. It pulsates with the pulse of Torah. And therefore he is entitled to say ליבי אומר לי libi omer li, something that those who whose heart does not beat with the pulse of Torah. It doesn't matter how well you can Google or look up a שילה shailah or a Torah. It doesn't matter how much you have אוצר החכמה Otzar HaChochmah, it doesn't matter how much you have בר אילן Bar Ilan, but if your heart, if you're not a תלמיד חכם talmid chacham of the stature of the Brisker Rav, or you'd be לחיים טובים ורוכים l'chaim tovim u'aruchim, Rav Osher Weiss who says ליבי אומר לי libi omer li, if you're not a גדול בתורה gadol b'Torah, whose heart beats with Torah, then you're entitled to a lot of things, but not to be able to say ליבי אומר לי libi omer li. פרק כ\"ח פסוק י Perek kaf ches pasuk yud. Page 466. Now, next, we talk about the איפוד ephod that we were just describing. And the איפוד ephod had, it was a garment that you put, and attached over the shoulders. And over the shoulders, you hung שתי אבני שוהם shtei avnei shoham. ופתחת עליהם שמות בני ישראל U'pitachta aleihem shmos bnei Yisrael. So you put the two Shoham stones and engrave on them the names of the Jewish people. ששה משמותם על האבן האחת Shisha mishmosam al ha'even ha'echas, six of the names on one stone. שמות הששה הנותרים על האבן השנית כתולדותם Shmos hashisha hanosarim al ha'even hashenis k'soldosam. And the six names of the other went on the other, went on the other stone. Says Rav Druck, second Rav Druck of the day. Says Rav Druck, Rashi, not Rashi, rather the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim. The בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim on this pasuk says, ששה משמותם shisha mishmosam, six of the names on one stone, six of the names on the other stone. Six of the names ראשי תיבות roshei teivos, שמע shma. ששה משמותם על Shisha mishmosam al, six names on. שׁ מ א shin mem alef, spells the word, the acronym for the word, שמע shma. שאמרו שמע ישראל ה' אלוקינו ה' אחד She'amru Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. So it's a cute בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim. Six names on this, six names on the other, because these 12 tribes, they declared, they responded שמע shma. So ששה משמותם על shisha mishmosam al is an acronym for שמע shma. The רוקח Rokeach on the Torah writes, based on the גמרא פסחים דף ס\"ו Gemara Pesachim daf samech vav, those who are doing the Daf surely remember. אמר ר' שמעון בן לקיש ויקרא יעקב אל בניו ויאמר האספו ואגידה לכם Amar Reish Lakish vayikra Yaakov el banav vayomer he'asfu v'agida lachem. We all know the story recorded in the גמרא פסחים נ\"ו Gemara Pesachim nun vav that Yaakov's on his deathbed and he calls his children together and he wants to reveal to them the end of days. But he's suspicious. He's worried. He says to himself, what if I have a פסול psul? What if I have somebody living with me who is who's not going to be part of the program? אברהם יצא ממנו ישמעאל Avraham yatza mimenu Yishmael and יצחק Yitzchak had my brother עשיו Esav. And what if among my children is somebody who is ineligible? So what happened? All the children responded. In order to affirm they were of the faith, they all said in unison, שמע ישראל ה' אלוקינו ה' אחד Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. And, אמרו כשם שאין בלבך אלא אחד כך אין בליבנו אלא אחד amru k'shem she'ein b'libcha ela echad, kach ein b'libeinu ela echad. They said to ינקוב אבינו Yaakov Avinu, their father, just like there's only one God in your heart, no אבא Abba, no טאטי Tati, no דד Dad, that there's also only one God in our heart. Yaakov so relieved says ברוך שם Baruch shem. ברוך שם Baruch shem doesn't appear in the Torah. How can we ignore what Yaakov said it? How can we say it that it doesn't appear? And so we say it in an undertone, in a whisper. And the רוקח Rokeach adds on, כי מאחר וישנם ו' תיבות בפסוק שמע ישראל ki me'achar v'yeshnam vav teivos b'pasuk Shema Yisrael, and ו' תיבות ברוך שם vav teivos Baruch shem. There are six words in שמע Shema. There are six words in ברוך שם Baruch shem. Therefore, they merited six words, six names on one stone, and six names on the other stone. And says Rav Druck, beautiful רוקח Rokeach and a beautiful בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim. What in the world does one thing have to do with the other? מה שייכות בין שמע ישראל לבין אבני איפוד Ma shaychus bein Shema Yisrael l'vein avnei ephod? The stones of the איפוד ephod that had the six names on each stone, what's the connection? שמע Shma, names, stones, what in the world, what does one thing have to do with the other? And listen to his insight. ויש לומר בזה, שהנה כל עניין אבני שוהם הם לזכרון לבני השם V'yesh lomar b'zeh, shehinei kol inyan avnei shoham hem l'zikaron l'vnei Hashem. כמובן שכתוב בפירוש K'muvan shekasuv b'perush, what does the pasuk say? ושמת את שתי האבנים על כתפות האיפוד v'samta es shtei ha'avanim al kisfos ha'ephod, you put the stones on the on the corners on the shoulders, the strap of the איפוד ephod. אבני זכרון Avnei zikaron, they are stones of a reminder. לבני ישראל L'vnei Yisrael to the Jewish people. ונשא אהרן את שמותם לפני השם על שתי כתפיו לזכרון V'nasa Aharon es shmosam lifnei Hashem al shtei k'sefav l'zikaron. Aaron carries those names on his heart as a reminder. We've spoken in previous years, I think last year, the year before, that Aaron had to remember the Jewish people. A leader, a parent, a rebbe has to think about the people whom they are responsible to on their heart all day and every day, everywhere. רש\"י אומר לזכרון, שיהא הקדוש ברוך הוא רואה את שמותם כתובים לפניו ויזכור את צדקתם Rashi omer l'zikaron, sheyehe HaKadosh Baruch Hu ro'eh es shmosam ksuvim l'fanav v'yizkor es tzidkasam. So why was it designed this way? Says Rashi, that when Hashem would see the כהן kohen wearing the איפוד ephod with the stones and the six, the 12 names all together, the six and six of the Jewish people, it would be a reminder. It would be a reminder, Hashem would remember the righteousness and then he would show us favor. Rashi doesn't say מה צדקתם ma tzidkasam, what was the righteousness that Hashem would see. He'd see the names of six, the names of six, it would invoke the righteousness and Hashem would show favor. What's the righteousness that he's invoking? So he says Rav Druck, עיקר זכרון צדקתם הוא הדבר המשותף שיש לכל כלל ישראל Ikar zikaron tzidkasam hu hadavar ham'shutaf sheyesh l'chol Klal Yisrael. You know what the צדקות tzidkus is? When we want Hashem to show us favor, you know what we have to show him? שמע ישראל ה' אלוקינו ה' אחד Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. That we are unified, that we are united. And what are we unified and united around? We're united around שמע ישראל Shema Yisrael. Hashem, we have so much more in common than we have that divides us. This one wears this kind of ימקה yarmulke, this one wears the other kind of ימקה yarmulke, that one doesn't wear any ימקה yarmulke. אשכנזי, ספרדי, ליטאי, חסידישע Ashkenazi, Sefardi, Litvish, Chasidisha, young, old, Republican, Democrat, it doesn't matter. Yankee fan, we'll even make room for the Red Sox fan. As difficult and painful as that may be, but when Hashem sees that we are united, that we're unified around שמע ישראל Shema Yisrael, that whatever differences, legitimate, reasonable, as long as respectful, whatever differences we have, what unites us is our devotion to you. What unites us is שמע ישראל ה' אלוקינו ה' אחד Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. When he sees that, hinted to by the six names, six names, six stones, six stones. ששה משמותם על Shisha mishmosam al, the שמע shma that the children answered their father, that is the statement of Jewish unity, that's when he shows us favor. We're going through such a time of divisiveness, of divide, over politics and over Corona and people's behavior, and still over religion, still over religion. It's horrific, and we have to rise above it, because we want Hashem to show us favor. If we want to be redeemed from this misery, then the answer is not further judgment. The answer is not further division. The answer is not further partisanship. The answer is further and greater unity. And unity around that which unites us. And for Jews, what unites us is שמע ישראל ה' אלוקינו ה' אחד Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. That the children, the 12 tribes, who the 12 tribes all had different logos and insignias, banners, symbols, but yet, they all responded to their father, שמע ישראל ה' אלוקינו ה' אחד Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. That has to be our response now. And this also explains the Gemara in זבחים Zevachim. Gemara in זבחים Zevachim says, למה נסמכה פרשת קרבנות לפרשת בגדי כהונה lama nismicha parshas karbanos l'parshas bigdei kehuna? Why do we have the story of the korbanos adjacent, juxtaposed to the story of the clothing of the כהנים kohanim? ללמדך l'lamedcha, to teach us. מה קרבנות מכפרים, אף בגדי כהונה מכפרים Ma karbanos m'chaprim, af bigdei kehuna m'chaprim. Just as the קרבנות karbanos atone, so too the clothing, the garments of the clothing are מכפר m'chaper. So what do you see? How are they מכפר m'chaper? For what? So the Gemara there continues, איפוד מכפר על עבודה זרה ephod m'chaper al avodas kochavim. אין איפוד אלא תרפים, ופסוק בהושע ein ephod ela t'rafim, u'pasuk b'Hoshea. So the Gemara there says that the איפוד ephod, this garment we're talking about with the 12 stones, six and six tribes, this atoned for the sin of idolatry, the sin of idolatry. And this is again a perfect explanation says Rav Druck. You see, their mistake, sometimes we lose our way. Sometimes we worship money and power and social media and fame. We worship all kinds of idolatries around us. What is the antidote? What is the answer? שמע ישראל ה' אלוקינו ה' אחד Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. The איפוד ephod with the six and six, the 12 stones, the איפוד ephod with with ששה משמותם על shisha mishmosam al, the איפוד ephod whose acronym, six stones on, six names on is an acronym for שמע shma, that unity, the unity of faith, the unity of בטחון ואמונה bitachon v'emuna, that's what the בעל הטורים Baal HaTurim and the רוקח Rokeach are talking about. שמע ישראל Shema Yisrael and the איפוד ephod, they're intrinsically connected. The way the איפוד ephod is the antidote to עבודה זרה avodah zarah is שמע ישראל Shema Yisrael. It's being united around שמע ישראל Shema Yisrael. 12 tribes in sync declaring שמע ישראל Shema Yisrael, that is our greatest strength. פרק כ\"ח פסוק ל\"ב Perek kaf ches pasuk lamed beis. The מעיל me'il. We'll see this may be the rest of our time. The מעיל me'il, the robe of the איפוד ephod. Page 470 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. ועשית את מעיל האיפוד כליל תכלת V'asisa es me'il ha'ephod klil techeiles. Make the robe of the איפוד ephod and how do you make it? Entirely out of תכלת techeiles. Entirely out of תכלת techeiles. והיה פי ראשו בתוכו V'hayah pi rosho b'socho. Its head opening shall be folded over within it. שפה יהיה לפיו סביב מעשה אורג Safah yihiye l'fiv saviv ma'aseh oreg. So in other words, you have the opening of this robe doubled over, fold over the opening, and sew it up to make a a border all around it. It should be מעשה אורג ma'aseh oreg, the work of a weaver. כפי תכרא יהיה לו לא יקרע K'fi sachra yihiye lo, lo yikare'a. Like the opening of a coat of mail so that it will not tear. The reason that we have a hem, the reason that we have a collar around our garments is so that they don't tear. As someone who unfortunately has to help people tear קריעה kriah when they lose a loved one, we have a razor, a scissor, not easy to start that tear of קריעה kriah because the hem is a reinforcement. So this מעיל me'il of the כהן kohen, doubled over, stitched so it's a reinforcement so that it will not tear. That is the point. But listen to the words. פ\"י ראשו בתוכו Pi rosho b'socho, פ\"י pi, ראשו rosho, the head opening are in it. שפה יהיה לפיו Safah yihiye l'fiv. It should have a שפה safah, it should have a boundary around the opening. What should we start with? היוד הקדוש HaYehudi HaKadosh. היוד הקדוש HaYehudi HaKadosh. So the הייליגע יוד הקדוש heilige Yehudi HaKadosh says the following. Says ר' יהודי הקדוש Reb Yehudi HaKadosh, היוד הקדוש מפשיסחא HaYehudi HaKadosh miPshischa. He says, כל אדם kol adam, every Jewish person, every human being, ראוי שיהיה לו גדר ומסגרת לפיו ra'ui she'yihiye lo geder u'misgeres l'fiv. A person needs to have, it says, שפה יהיה לפיו סביב safah yihiye l'fiv saviv. Surrounding your mouth, you need a boundary. Every human being needs a boundary on their mouth. You need to be measured and careful and mindful and judicious with what we say. And that's what the pasuk means, שפה יהיה לפיו סביב safah yihiye l'fiv saviv. There should be a boundary around our mouth. In other words, you have to have a filter. You know how some people boast, you know, some people they proudly say, \"I don't have a filter. I don't have a filter. What can I do? I don't have a filter.\" There's nothing to be proud, nothing to boast about not having a filter. You have to have a filter. As it says straight in the pasuk, that's what the היוד הקדוש מפשיסחא Yehudi HaKadosh miPshischa says, the pasuk means, שפה יהיה לפיו סביב safah yihiye l'fiv saviv, put a filter around your mouth. Let there be a reinforcement, a boundary, a hem around your mouth. Be judicious and filter what comes out. כשאדם עומד בדיבורו, המלאך הגדול יכול להיקרע אדם K'she'adam omed b'diburo, ha'malach hagadol yachol l'hikare'a adam. והדבר הזה מרומז בדברי חז\"ל, גמרא בברכות דף ס\"ב V'hadavar hazeh m'rumaz b'divrei Chazal, Gemara b'Brachos daf samech beis. מצא נעול בדלת שיש שם אדם Matza na'ul b'deles sheyesh sham adam. מצא פתוח בדלת שאין שם אדם Matza pasuch b'deles she'ein sham adam. Your mouth, if you find the door open, you know that there's no one there. You find the door locked, there's a person because it means that they had the discipline in order to be able to close it and order to be able to lock it. Says Rav Druck, on the same pasuk. Says Rav Druck. This מעיל me'il that we're talking about that was designed in this fashion, it was made from תכלת techeiles. זכרו הגמרא בזבחים Zochro haGemara b'Zevachim, מעיל זה מכפר me'il zeh m'chaper. If we said the איפוד ephod is מכפר m'chaper on עבודה זרה avodah zarah, it atones for idolatry, what does the מעיל me'il atone for? על לשון הרע Al lashon hara. מניין Minayin? says the גמרא Gemara, זבחים דף פ\"ח Zevachim daf peh ches. אמר רבי חנינא Amar Rebbi Chanina, יבוא דבר שבקול ויכפר על דבר הקול הרע yavo davar shebakol v'yichaper al davar hakol hara. Because the מעיל me'il had a sound, we're going to get to in a moment, the bells attached on the bottom. So the thing that had a sound, that produced a sound, let it come and atone for the thing that had a sound, a sound, namely לשון הרע lashon hara. So says Rav Druck, וצריך ביאור, מה עניין ושייכות בין מעיל ולשון הרע, שמכפר עליו v'tzarich biur, ma inyan v'shaychus bein me'il v'lashon hara she'mchaper alav? We just spent time on the איפוד ephod, six and six stones, correspond שמע Shema, correspond with עבודה זרה avodah zarah. What is the connection between the מעיל me'il, this robe and atoning for the sin of gossip, of לשון הרע lashon hara? So Rav Druck quotes the כלי יקר Kli Yakar who writes, שלפי שהמעיל מכפר על לשון הרע, על כן היה כליל תכלת shelfi she'hame'il m'chaper al lashon hara, al kein hayah klil techeiles. The whole מעיל me'il was made from the color, turquoise, like the תכלת techeiles that go on ציצית tzitzis. Why? כי תכלת דומה לים Ki techeiles domeh l'yam. Just like we know the גמרא Gemara tells us when it comes to the תכלת techeiles on ציצית tzitzis, תכלת techeiles, the color, the deep blue, the תכלת techeiles are similar to the sea. ועל ידי התכלת תזכור בים V'al yedei ha'techeiles tizkor ba'yam. So when you see the מעיל me'il and when you see that color תכלת techeiles, it will remind you of the deep blue sea. ומן עניין זה תנהג כן U'mi'inyan zeh tinhag kein, and then you'll act like the deep blue sea. כי בים נאמר ושם חק ועדיו תבוא ולא תוסיף Ki ba'yam ne'emar v'sham chok v'ad po savo v'lo sosif. The sea has a boundary to it, it has a beach, it has a shore. כך נתן הקדוש ברוך הוא ללשון חומה ובריח Kach nasan HaKadosh Baruch Hu la'lashon choma u'vriach. Hashem gave language a boundary. You need a filter. Don't just speak your mind, don't say everything that you think. Don't be just a flood of speech. You need a boundary, you need to have a beach, a shore. As חז\"ל Chazal say, היא ראוי שיאמר אדם מן הים, שאינו עובר דלתיו בריח ואינו פורץ גדרו Hi ra'ui she'yomar adam min ha'yam, she'eino over dalasav b'riach v'eino poretz gidro. What happens? The sea has a job. The water mass on Earth is greater than the land mass. And yet the water stays where it's meant to be. We make a ברכה bracha. רוקע הארץ על המים Roka ha'aretz al hamayim. Every morning we make a ברכה bracha thanking Hashem that the sea stays where it's supposed to. What would happen? A hurricane, a tornado come, and the sea level or the waves come and they flood. Those who are still still rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy, those who are still trying to recover from hurricanes that have wiped out the Gulf and New Orleans, they know the surge of the sea can wipe out. So generally speaking, the sea does not surge. It respects a boundary. It has a boundary. In fact, I'll tell you is a great רבנו בחיי Rabbeinu Bachya, where do you get married? Standing under a חופה chuppah. רבנו בחיי Rabbeinu Bachya says, חופה chuppah is מלשון חוף mi'lashon chof. That just like the sea has its boundary to distinguish between the sea and the land, חופה chuppah is מלשון חוף mi'lashon chof. So here the תכלת techeiles, the deep blue is a reminder. It's a reminder of the sea. And the sea reminds us that our power of speech needs to have boundaries. You need to have a filter. Don't say things even if you think they're correct, if they're hurtful. Don't say things that will be counterproductive. Don't say things that are offensive or insensitive. There needs to be a boundary and a filter, a hem around what we say. That's the פיו piv, that's the יוד הקדוש מפשיסחא Yehudi Kadosh miPshischa. And that's here, the כלי יקר Kli Yakar quoted by Rav Druck, that that's why it's made out of תכלת techeiles. The חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim says also, ולכן ציווה ועשית את מעיל האיפוד כליל תכלת שהתכלת דומה לים וים דומה לרקיע ורקיע דומה לכסא הכבוד v'lachen tziva v'asisa es me'il ha'ephod klil techeiles shehatecheiles domeh l'yam v'yam domeh l'rakia v'rakia domeh l'kisei hakavod. ועל ידי זה יזכור שיש לו דין כסא הכבוד V'al yedei zeh yizkor she'yesh lo din kisei hakavod. He says, תכלת techeiles is a further reminder. Not just the deep blue is a reminder of the deep blue sea and the sea has boundaries, but the deep blue sea is a reminder of the heavens. The heavens are a reminder of the heavenly, the heavenly throne where God dwells. So, על פי זה יש להוסיף, שבא התורה לרמז בפסוק ויקח פי ראשו בתוכו al pi zeh yesh l'hosif, sheba haTorah l'ramez b'pasuk v'yikach pi rosho b'socho. והרמז הוא שראשו של אדם יהא בתוך פיו V'haremez hu sh'rosho shel adam yehe b'soch piv. Oh, beautiful insight of Rav Druck. That's this next pasuk. פיו ראשו בתוכו Piv rosho b'socho. What does that mean? What it means is, פי ראשו בתוכו pi rosho b'socho. The ראשו של אדם rosho shel adam, a person's head is found where? In their mouth. שכל דיבורו יהא על ידי מחשבה shekol diburo yehe al yedei machshava. That you need to have your head in your mouth. You need to think about what you say. ולא יהא פה ברשות עצמו לדבר מה שיחפוץ V'lo yehe peh b'rshus atzmo l'daber ma she'yachpotz. Your mouth can't be on its own. Your mouth can't have its own freedom and liberty to just say whatever it wants. You have to have your head in your mouth. You have to have your thoughts in your mouth. You have to think and be mindful about what you say. And that's why it is the color תכלת techeiles. That's what it means פיו בתוכו piv b'socho. That's what it means פיו בתוכו piv b'socho. But moving right along, moving right along. I want to share with you a couple more incredible insights in the limited time, unfortunately limited time, limited because of you. I would do this forever, but we've got an hour, that's how long you give me. Somebody recently posted last week's Parsha shiur in a chat and it got back to me, they posted it to friends and they wrote, \"long, but great shiur.\" I said, \"Long, it was an hour. I didn't even go over an hour.\" But in today's soundbite generation, one hour is the max, one hour is long. If it's over 2.5 minutes, it's long. So the pasuk here gives us the description of the me'il, it's made out of techeiles. And piv rosho is one around it. ועשית על שוליו V'asisa al shulav, continuing, we're in פרק כ\"ח פסוק ל\"ג perek kaf ches pasuk lamed gimel, page 470. ועשית על שוליו רמוני תכלת וארגמן ותולעת שני על שוליו סביב V'asisa al shulav rimonei techeiles v'argaman v'sola'as shani al shulav saviv. You make on the hem pomegranates of turquoise, purple and scarlet wool on the hem all around. ופעמוני זהב בתוכם סביב U'pa'amonei zahav b'socham saviv, and gold bells between them all around. פעמון זהב ורמון פעמון זהב ורמון על שולי המעיל סביב Pa'amon zahav v'rimon, pa'amon zahav v'rimon al shulei hame'il saviv. A gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate on the hem of the robe going all around. והיה על אהרן לשרת V'hayah al Aharon l'shareis, and Aaron wears this in order to serve. ונשמע קולו בבואו אל הקדש לפני השם ובצאתו ולא ימות V'nishmah kolo b'vo'o el hakodesh lifnei Hashem uv'tseiso v'lo yamus. So that the sound will be heard when he enters the קדש kodesh before Hashem and when he leaves so that he will not die. What are we talking about? What are we talking about? So the sound will be heard when he goes into the קדש kodesh when he goes around and so he will not die. Why bells? Bells made as pomegranates, a big מחלוקת machlokes Rashi and Ramban, we're not going to get into, but the structure of the bells and the pomegranates and the alternating and what went inside and what went on the outside and how did it work. But what is the role, what is the goal, the Torah tells us itself, that the sound can be heard. Now, what's being heard? Is Aaron speaking? Is the bell producing a sound? And why does Hashem need a sound? Where does the sound when he comes in and when he goes out? And so important that otherwise he would die. What is going on here with our with our sounds, what's being produced? I want to share with you, and Rav Osher Brander has this in his great book called Teachings, five different interpretations of what this means. And two come from Rabbeinu Bachya, and two from the חזקוני Chizkuni, and one from the כתב וקבלה Ksav v'Kabbalah. So says Rabbeinu Bachya the following, והיה זה בדרך המוסר V'hayah zeh b'derech hamussar. ולמדה תורה דרך ארץ לאדם הרוצה להיכנס לפני המלך, שיקיש בפסח החיצון תחילה כדי שלא יכנס פתאום מאחרי סוד הערה כן מלכות דרקיע, כי כל הבא אל המלך פתאום הרי זה חייב מיתה בתכסיסי המלכות V'lamda Torah derech eretz l'adam harotzeh l'hikanes lifnei hamelech, sheyakish b'pesach hachitzon techila kedei shelo yikanes pisom me'achorei sod ha'arah, kein malchus d'reki'a, ki kol haba el hamelech pisom harei ze chayav misa b'sachsisei hamalchus. He says that it's simply respectful. You don't walk in without knocking. You don't simply enter. So the sound that it would produce is essentially the doorbell. It's the knock. You don't enter without knocking. And what is this similar to? He says this is similar to מלך אחשוורוש Melech Achashverosh. כעניין שכתוב במלך אחשוורוש, באסתר פרק ד', אשר לא יקרא אחת דתו להמית K'inyan shekasuv b'Melech Achashverosh, b'Esther perek daled, asher lo yikra achas daso l'hamis. That it says regarding Ahasuerus that one who wasn't called and arrives suddenly will be put to death. So just like with a mere mortal king, you cannot come without being invited, you cannot come without being announced, it's disrespectful, so too, the sounds of the bells have to be heard before Aaron enters, because that's respectful to the מלך מלכי המלכים Melech Malchei HaM'lachim. The kingdom of heaven, writes Rabbeinu Bachya, is like the earthly kingdom. So you have to show respect. So this me'il is designed in embedded within the fashion design of it is the message of being respectful and showing respect. That is the first explanation. ועוד טעם V'od ta'am, and another reason, כדי שידע הדבר שהכהן הגדול רוצה להיכנס k'dei she'yeda hadavar she'hakohen hagadol rotzeh l'hikanes, so that it will be known that the kohen wants to enter. ואף שהכל גלוי וידוע לפני השכינה, גם לפני מלאכי השרת שבקדש V'af she'hakol galui v'yadua lifnei ha'Shechina, gam lifnei malachei ha'shares she'bakodesh. And even though Hashem knows absolutely everything, why do we need it? Why do we need it? It means נשא nasa means to be accepted. Rabbeinu Bachya says, it means שהקול נשמע she'hakol nishma. נשמע Nishma is in נעשה ונשמע naaseh v'nishma. Just like in נעשה ונשמע naaseh v'nishma, it means not to be heard but it means to be accepted, it means here too that the כהן גדול'ס Kohen Gadol's prayer has to be heard and accepted, and that is the prerequisite for putting on the בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna, בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna. So, this bell is an indication that the תפילות tefillos have to be heard. נשמע Nishma, קולו נשמע kolo nishma. The קולו kolo according to this interpretation is not the sound of the bell, but it's the sound of Aaron, that a person has to daven that all that they do will be done with success. Those are the two interpretation of Rabbeinu Bachya. And we apply these in our daily lives, he points out. First is a Gemara in Pesachim that we have a minhag to knock on the door before entering. The Gemara says that even so radically, even in your own home, even if you know nobody is there, because we're trying to cultivate and condition a sense of דרך ארץ derech eretz. And the דרך ארץ derech eretz is that you knock before entering. And that's what these bells represent. Aaron's knocking before entering. We also have a parallel in the world of davening before we go in to speak to Hashem. What is that example? מה טובו אוהליך יעקב Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov, we say מה טובו mah tovu before we walk into the shul. Many people are mumbling, they're running, they're running late, they're in shul, they don't even think about davening 'til they're on the inside. But the proper practice is to say מה טובו mah tovu on the way to shul. And these two practices that we continue to knock today as an expression of דרך ארץ derech eretz and saying מה טובו mah tovu on the way to shul, which is the קולו נשמע kolo nishma, that our voice be heard on our way into davening where davening, that our davening be successful, are modeled after these interpretations. We also have two interpretations of the חזקוני Chizkuni. The חזקוני Chizkuni writes, ונשמע קולו כדי שיניכר ונשמע קולו כדי שיודיע זמן העבודה v'nishmah kolo k'dei she'yeni kar v'nishmah kolo k'dei sheyodia zman ha'avodah. ולכך נחמו לבין שבשמים V'lakach nachamu livin shebashamayim. People need to know when was the right time. So the ringing bell when Aaron would enter was an alarm. It was a, it was a siren for the people who lived around Har Habayis that the עבודה avodah was in session. When they knew that their person was davening, they davened as well. This too has a, this too has a parallel in our world, that we know that even if you can't make it to shul, unfortunately we've seen this and know this well during Corona, even if you can't make it to shul, there's a merit and a value and a virtue to davening at the same time that the community is davening. They davened at the same time Aaron did the עבודה avodah. How did they know when he did the עבודה avodah? Because the bells on his hem would ring. Similarly, we should daven at the time that we know others are davening. חזקוני Chizkuni number two is, he says, so we should be recognized and distinguished from all the other kohanim who are working there that the Kohen Gadol is different and distinguished from the others and he should remember that. The כתב וקבלה Ksav v'Kabbalah also has a beautiful interpretation here, but we are running out of time. You can look up the כתב וקבלה Ksav v'Kabbalah of Yaakov Mecklenburg inside. I'll tell you a different חתם סופר Chasam Sofer. חתם סופר Chasam Sofer writes, this is an אזכרה למנהיגי העם azhara l'manhigei ha'am. This pasuk is a message. Aaron is a leader of the people. And they writes the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer, אף כי מטבע מהם אנשים שתקנים af ki m'teva meihem anashim shatkanim, even though leaders are often quiet, they're shy, they're reserved, they're introvert. אבל לא יכולים לעוררם כלום aval lo yecholim l'oreram klum. אבל מטעם זו טוב aval m'ta'am zu tov, generally speaking, being soft-spoken, generally speaking, being quiet and shy has merit, has virtue. However, רק בנוגע לדברים גשמיים rak b'nogea l'dvarim gashmi'im, writes Chasam Sofer, that's only true when it comes to physical things. אבל במקום שיש חילול השם, אסור לשתוק aval b'makom sheyesh chillul Hashem, asur lishtok. But in a place that there's חילול השם chillul Hashem, one cannot remain silent. רק ונשמע קולו בבואו אל הקדש rak v'nishmah kolo b'vo'o el hakodesh. When you enter into קלי קדש klei kodesh, ונשמע קולו v'nishmah kolo. When you enter into the world of קדש kodesh, you want to be קלי קדש klei kodesh, you want to be an Aaron, you want to be a kohen, ונשמע קולו v'nishmah kolo, then your voice has to be heard. You have to speak truth to power. You cannot hide under the carpet. You cannot hide in the shadows. You can't afford to say, \"I'm not getting involved.\" You have to step up, and you have to speak out, and you have to be willing to put yourself on the line. ויתכתת עם מסתתרים כנגד קל חי V'hiskatet im mistaterim k'neged Kel Chai. To those who are creating a חילול השם chillul Hashem, you cannot tolerate it because then you become part of the problem. You have to be willing to speak up and to speak out. I love this Chasam Sofer. בבואו אל הקדש B'vo'o el hakodesh. If you want to enter the arena of קדש kodesh, ונשמע קולו v'nishmah kolo, then we have to hear your voice. You cannot be silent. You cannot take the the way easy way out of not of not speaking. We have one minute left, so I'll just share one last idea. By the way, know that in 2011, archaeologists found a bell. Eli Shukron, one of the archaeologists, said they found a bell in a dig in עיר דוד Ir David and they said that bell is one of these פתמונים pa'amonim, it's one of these, one of the the bells that we're talking about that was on the hem of the מעיל me'il. And that atoned for לשון הרע lashon hara. There were 72 bells in total, not coincidentally, also the 72 shades of white that would make someone a מצורע metzora. Now, if you're trying to bring awareness to the importance of not misusing or abusing speech and you want to inspire people not to gossip, would you do that by making more noise or less noise? Would you do that by ringing a bell or by calling for silence? It's sort of bizarre. If what you're telling people is, \"שש, שתיל Sha, shtil, stop gossiping, you don't need to, you don't need to chatter,\" then one should... should have a garment that makes no noise. Why is the antidote to gossip a garment that makes noise that rings like a bell? It's a question that Bernard of Bernard Weinberger, the great שמן הטוב זצ\"ל Shemen HaTov Zatzal asks. And he answers as follows. He says later in פרשת מצורע parshas Metzora, the Torah says וציווה הכהן ולקח למטהר שתי צפרים חיות טהורות v'tziva hakohen v'lakach l'mitaher shtei tziporim chayot tehorot, that we take two clean birds as an atonement. And the Zohar says one bird corresponds with bad speech and one bird with good speech. What does that mean? One bird bad speech and one bird good. So the שמן הטוב Shemen HaTov explains that sometimes we have the opportunity to offer positive reinforcement. Sometimes we can give a compliment or say something nice and we remain silent. Sometimes our guilt is that we spoke and said the wrong things, and sometimes our guilt is that there was something correct to say and we remained silent instead. We could have given a compliment. We could have said an encouraging word. We could have offered praise. We could have given the ערך erech, the value to the person who feels מחוץ michutz, like they're an outsider, and we stayed silent when we should have spoken up. Says the שמן הטוב Shemen HaTov, that's what the Zohar means. One bird is when we spoke and we shouldn't have, and one bird is when we're silent and we should have spoken. And maybe that, says the שמן הטוב Shemen HaTov, is why דוקא davka it's the ringing of a bell which is an atonement for gossip. Because the answer and the antidote to wrong speech is not no speech. The answer and the antidote to no speech is the proper use of the best speech, the proper use of the best speech. The חתם סופר Chasam Sofer says Hashem understood the importance of giving these compliments when he says ואתה תדבר אל כל חכמי לב אשר מלאתיו רוח חכמה ועשו v'ata t'daber el kol chachmei lev asher mileitiv ruach chachma v'asu. Says the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer, here's how you טייטש teitch it. ואתה תדבר אל כל חכמי לב V'ata t'daber el kol chachmei lev. Speak to those who are wise and talented. אשר מלאתיו רוח חכמה Asher mileitiv ruach chachma. What you should tell them is that they are people who are filled with Godly wisdom. Give them positive reinforcement. And if you do, then ועשו את בגדי אהרן לקדשו לכהנו לי v'asu es bigdei Aharon l'kadsho l'chahano li, then they'll be able to accomplish great things. Give someone a compliment, lift them up, praise them, and they'll accomplish great, great things. Gottman teaches us about marriage, the ratio of positive to negative. Dr. John Gottman who's able to predict whether a marriage will last, and he has identified what are the indicators of dysfunctional versus functional marriages. He found the single biggest determinant to a happy and healthy marriage are the ratio of positive to negative comments. And the optimal ratio is five comments for every negative one. And for those who end up divorced, the ratio is .77 positive to every one negative. And so that's the message of the מעיל me'il, the bells that ring, that we atone for wrong speech not by no speech, we atone for wrong speech with right speech. Thank you for joining. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay holy. If you've not yet given to the global campaign, it is still going on. Thank you to those who did, you helped us meet our goal. We love you're part of our community, and we've got great things in store for the members of the global community. You can be a member for one dollar. You just have to show some הכרת הטוב hakaras hatov. 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