Transcript
Okay, good morning. בוקר טוב Boker tov. We should have בשורות טובות besoros tovos, please God, let today bring good news, good tidings. Our hostages should come home, our soldiers should return to their families with a sweeping, sweeping victory. We have the privilege this morning to learn, to study, to prepare for פרשת בהעלותך Parshas Behaaloscha together. Page 774 in the Artscroll Stone חומש Chumash. I want to thank as always our incredibly generous series sponsors, Becky and Avi Katz and family, in memory of Becky's father, לעילוי נשמת דוד בן מנחם מענדל leilui nishmas Dovid ben Menachem Mendel, David Grossman. This morning's שיעור shiur is also sponsored by Carol Erman in commemoration of her mother's יארצייט yahrtzeit, לאה בת בצלאל Leah bas Betzalel, her נשמה שתהיה עליה neshamah she'have an aliyah, and by the Ashman family in honor of the יארצייט yahrtzeit of לאה בת מלכה Leah bas Malka, her נשמה שתהיה עליה neshamah should have an aliyah as well. Please note, if you are not in our פרשה Parshah perspective WhatsApp group, you want to. First of all, we put there the write-up of the פרשה Parshah perspective, but we also have the schedule. The summer's going to be on and off. There's no שיעור shiur next week, then there will be for the following two weeks, then we're taking a little bit of a break. So if you want to follow the schedule and know when we're on and when we'll post previous שיעורים shiurim, then you want to be part of our פרשה Parshah perspective WhatsApp group. Page 774. וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe leimor, דבר אל אהרן ואמרת אליו daber el Aharon v'amarta eilav, בהעלותך את הנרות behaaloscha es haneros, אל מול פני המנורה el mul pnei hamenorah, יאירו שבעת הנרות yairu shivas haneros. Hashem spoke to Moshe and he said, \"Tell Aaron the following: when you light the lamps, when you light the מנורה menorah, toward the face of the מנורה menorah, you face seven lamps cast light.\" יאירו שבעת הנרות Yairu shivas haneros. What's going on at the beginning of our פרשה parshah? How does this contrast or juxtapose to the end of last week's פרשה parshah? There's always a continuity and a contrast, the sequence of פרשיות parshios is never random. It's always by design. And not only does the text itself communicate, but the placement of the text and where things are in the text itself communicates as well. So רש\"י Rashi tells us famously, למה נסמכה פרשת המנורה לפרשת הנשיאים lama nismicha parshas hamenorah l'parshas hanesiim, לפי שראה אהרן חנוכת הנשיאים חלשה דעתו l'fi she'ra'ah Aharon chanukas hanesiim chalshah da'ato. The end of last week we read twelve times in a row, each of the prince of the tribes, the special sacrifice they brought on the inauguration of the משכן Mishkan. And it was unbelievably repetitive, unbelievably redundant. נשא Naso is the longest פרשה parshah in the Torah, but it doesn't have to be. You can cut out an enormous amount. You could divide it maybe not in half but almost, by simply putting the קרבן korban, the sacrifice of the of the prince once, and then say, \"And the eleven others brought exactly this.\" Why do we repeat? Why do we say it over and over and over and over again? I saw someone wrote so poignantly and so accurately. If a person has a privilege at the סדר seder table to have grandchildren present, and the grandchildren sing מה נשתנה Ma Nishtana. You don't only have the youngest or the oldest of the grandchildren, depending on the home, you don't only have one grandchild sing מה נשתנה Ma Nishtana, and then you go around the rest and you say, \"Berel and Sarah and Ruven, ditto.\" You agree the same מה נשתנה Ma Nishtana, right? You say, I want every one of you to sing מה נשתנה Ma Nishtana. And מה נשתנה Ma Nishtana never grows old, and מה נשתנה Ma Nishtana is never grating. Doesn't matter how many times you hear it because each child brings their uniqueness, their distinctness. Each child brings their personality to the way they sing. And the same is true with the קרבן karbon, and the same is true for us in our lives, this is all relevant to last week's פרשה parshah, but we do the same מצוה mitzvah on the outside. We דאווענען daven in the same words from the same סידור siddur as all the other people surrounding us in the שול shul. But it's so different. Who are we, what's going on in our lives, what's the mindfulness, what's the consciousness, what's the personality, what's the פנימיות pnimiyus that we bring to it? On the outside we all shake the same לולב ואתרוג lulav and esrog, we sit in the same סוכה sukkah. We all ate the same cheesecake on שבועות Shavuos. נבך Nebach. Still paying for it. Still carrying it around. It looks like the same thing on the outside, but what we bring to it is so different. But anyway, Aaron sees these קרבנות הנשיאים carbonos hanesiim, says רש\"י Rashi back to our פרשה parshah, and he says, \"One second, what's going on? It's not fair to me. What about me? Why only the princes of the tribes because I'm a כהן Kohen and כהן Kohen is not counted among the tribes for this purpose, I don't get to participate?\" Hashem says, \"Aaron, relax. Relax.\" אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא Amar lo HaKadosh Baruch Hu, \"חייך Chayecha, relax. שלך גדולה משלהם Shelcha gedolah mishelahem, שאתה מדליק ומיטיב את הנרות she'ata madlik u'meitiv es haneros. What you get to do is much greater.\" What you get to do is in perpetuity, what you get to do is everlasting. The רמב\"ן Ramban says, what does it mean it's in perpetuity? Your offspring, your progeny will continue to light the candelabra even even when there is no בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash. When? With the holiday, the miracle of חנוכה Chanukah. When we came back and rededicated and reinaugurated and חנוכה Chanukah, חנוכה Chanukah too, which is a peculiar comment that the Torah is making a reference or an allusion to חנוכה Chanukah. We've spoken about this all this all this in the past, and I'm not going to get into it because we've spoken about it in the past, other than to ask you, what do you say to a child when a child says, \"It's not fair to me\"? What do you say? You get what you get and you don't get upset. You get what you get and you don't get upset. Everyone gets what they need, what they deserve. Very little tolerance for the child who says, \"It's not fair to me.\" And yet, Hashem doesn't say to Aaron, \"You get what you get and you don't get upset.\" He rewards Aaron. Aaron complains, Aaron is frustrated, Aaron says, \"Not fair to me,\" and what does Hashem say? \"Good point. You know what? You get to light the מנורה menorah.\" Why did Hashem react differently to Aaron than we all react to children or grandchildren or children in a classroom when they offer the same complaint? I leave that with you as a question. But I want to start with a comment, I don't remember if I said this last year, even if I did, it bears repeating. The אמרות טהורות Amaros Tehoros of the רחמסטריווקא רבי Rachmastrivka Rebbe. רש\"י Rashi says on the words בהעלותך את הנרות behaaloscha es haneros. בהעלותך Behaaloscha means like an עליה aliyah. An עליה aliyah to the Torah, why is it called an עליה aliyah? Because the Torah is read from a platform and you go up to receive your עליה aliyah. If a person moves to Israel, we just celebrated on שבועות Shavuos, we honored and we marked and we celebrated, we admired, and we were envious, and please God we'll all join soon, those who are making עליה aliyah. Why is it called עליה aliyah? You go up to Israel. Israel is the highest highest physically, spiritually, but the highest land. ירושלים Yerushalayim is the highest city, the בית המקדש Beis HaMikdash, the highest mountain. You go up. עליה Aliyah. So בהעלותך behaaloscha means to go up. Says רש\"י Rashi, what is it בהעלותך behaaloscha? שצריך להדליק עד שתהא שלהבת עולה מאליה She'ye't'zarich l'hadlik ad she'tehei shalheves olah me'eleha. You have to hold the candle, the flame to the wick until the wick rises on its own. עד שהשלהבת Ad she'shalheves, till the wick catches fire and now rises, it flickers on its own. Which is really a mission statement of education. It's a mission statement of parenting. That we are not supposed to remain helicopter or bulldozer parents. We don't remain in perpetuity in our children's lives, but we hold our candle to theirs, we light them, we light that fire, עד שתהא שלהבת עולה מאליה ad she'shalheves olah me'eleha, until it rises on its own, until it shines bright on its own, until it can have some independence. But says the רחמסטריווקא Rachmastrivka, שיש בזה קצת רמז she'yesh b'zeh ketzas remez, למעלת לימוד תורה לפני תפילה l'ma'alas limud Torah lifnei tefillah. There's an allusion, a hint here to the idea of learning before דאווענען davening. We just celebrated the one-year anniversary of our כולל בוקר kollel boker. Every morning at Boca Raton Synagogue, we have men who rise early, 6:15 in the morning, our בית מדרש beis medrash is packed. ברוך ה' Baruch Hashem. 6:15 in the morning. You got to wake up in the fives to be here at 6:15 in the morning. The one-year anniversary of doing it day in and day out and learning, and then people have חברותא chavrusa, some learn on their own, some small groups. And there's enormous value. On a WhatsApp group people were sharing how it transformed transformed their learning, their day, to start out the day and know that you've studied תורה Torah, to learn before you דאווענען daven means you're awaken not a cup of coffee and grounded and centered yourself through תורה Torah before you דאווענען daven, changes the entire day. And you see it from this פסוק pasuk. כי על ידי שלומדים תורה לפני התפילה, מאיר אחר כך בשעת התפילה שיוכל להתפלל כראוי Ki al yedei she'lomdim Torah lifnei hatefillah, me'ir acharkach b'shaas hatefillah she'yuchal l'hispallel k'rauy, עד שתהא שלהבת אש התפילה עולה מאליה ad she'tehei shalheves eish hatefillah olah me'eleha. When you learn before דאווענען davening and you hold the fire to the wick, the wick can catch and then it rises on its own. Your דאווענען davening rises. כי נר מצוה ותורה אור Ki ner mitzvah v'Torah ohr. Torah is light. על ידי שלומדים תורה שהוא אור לפני המצוה שהוא תפילה, אז יאיר לאדם לו נרות של מצוה בשעת התפילה Al yedei she'lomdim Torah she'hu ohr lifnei hamitzvah she'hu tefillah, az ya'ir l'adam lo neiros shel mitzvah b'shaas hatefillah. Wherever you are, come to our כולל בוקר kollel boker, but even if you don't rise early, learn early. The Rachmastrivka Rebbe told us when we met him and other צדיקים tzaddikim as well, there's a special notion of learning in the very early hours of the morning. You know why? The world has not yet become contaminated and polluted by people, images, ideas, distortions, biases, lies. The rest of the world is sleeping and when you wake up early, if you ever have, and you hear the birds chirping and it's the dawn and maybe the sunrise, it's quiet. The world is not yet active and engaged and contaminated and polluted. And it's a holy and a pristine time to study, to learn תורה Torah. Spiritually, the environment is clean and you can achieve more in that clean environment. כי נר מצוה ותורה אור Ki ner mitzvah v'Torah ohr. So בהעלותך את הנרות behaaloscha es haneros שאתה עומד להעלות נר מצוה התפילה she'atah omed l'ha'alos ner mitzvah hatefillah, אל מול פני המנורה יאירו שבעת הנרות el mul pnei hamenorah yairu shivas haneros. אור המנורה הוא רמז לאור התורה Ohr hamenorah hu remez l'ohr haTorah, על ידי זה יאיר לאדם נר מצוה דתפילה al yedei zeh ya'ir la'adam ner mitzvah d'tefillah, ואפשר שצריך עד להדליק עצמו v'efesher she'tzarich ad l'hadlik atzmo, עד שתהא שלהבת אש התפילה עולה מאליה ad she'tehei shalheves eish hatefillah olah me'eleha. When you דאווענען daven, when you learn before you דאווענען daven, your דאווענען davening will be enormously and radically transformed, it will be different. So this was the instruction to Aaron. Aaron starts with, \"It's not fair to me.\" He's told, \"You light the מנורה menorah, you light the מנורה menorah.\" And what does Aaron do? What would you expect Aaron to do? He does the right thing. The Torah goes out of its way to tell us, פרק ח פסוק ג Perek Ches, pasuk gimmel, ויעש כן אהרן Vayas kein Aharon. אל מול פני המנורה העלה נרותיה Al mul pnei hamenorah, he'elah neiros'eha. Aaron did indeed as he was instructed, as he was told to do, כאשר צוה ה' את משה ka'asher tziva Hashem es Moshe. Aaron did what he was meant to do, as if you would think otherwise. So we've seen many interpretations about this, but there are always more. Aaron did what he was meant to do. Says רש\"י Rashi, ויעש כן אהרן Vayas kein Aharon. Aaron did. להגיד שבחו של אהרן שלא שינה L'hagid shivcho shel Aharon she'lo shina. Wow. We have tremendous praise, tremendous praise for Aaron. And what's the source of our praise for Aaron? שלא שינה She'lo shina. He didn't change. He didn't deviate. He followed the instructions to a tee. He did what he was meant to do. That's praise? That's such a source of praise. Would you expect Aaron to have done differently? Aaron would have distorted? Aaron would have made a difference? So says רב דרוק Rav Druck in his new, in his new להבות אש Lavos Eish on מדבר Midbar. הרחבנו בדברי רש\"י בזה Hirchavnu b'divrei Rashi b'zeh. רש\"י עוזר להגיד שבחם Rashi ozer l'hagid shivcham. פלא לשבח את אהרן בכך שלא עבר על ציווי ה' Pela l'shabeach es Aharon b'kach she'lo avar al tzivui Hashem. Good boy, Aaron. Good boy. You followed orders. You were supposed to light the מנורה menorah and good boy, you lit the מנורה menorah. It's so, what's the word, infantile? Is it, what's the word? Degrading. Aaron, we're treating like a child? Aaron did the right thing and that's the praise we have of him? What does it mean? אלא הכוונה בדברים כפי שאנו למד, עיקר שבחו של אהרן היה בזה, שלא שינה דבר מהכוונה ותכלית המצוה. שמתחילה עשה בלי ציווי ה' לבד, וגם לאחר שהזכיר ולא לומר את כל פרטי הדקדוק ועושה, עם כל זה לא שינה בדבר לעשותו El hakavanah b'dvarim k'fi she'aninu l'omed, ikar shivcho shel Aharon hayah b'zeh, she'lo shina davar mei'hakavanah v'tachlis hamitzvah. She'mithchilah asah b'li tzivui Hashem l'vad, v'gam l'achar she'hizkir v'lo lomer es kol partei hadikduk v'osah, im kol zeh lo shina b'davar l'asoso. Says רב דרוק Rav Druck, what it means is, originally why did Aaron do it? What motivated and informed and inspired Aaron's compliance? Because Hashem said so. When Hashem says, \"Jump,\" Aaron says, \"How high?\" He did it because God said so. But then, Aaron delved into the depthness and the פנימיות pnimiyus. Aaron looked into it and he learned and he studied, \"What's the מנורה menorah all about? What is the flame all about? Why am I lighting it?\" And then he came to light it again. And this time, why did he light it? Because he understood it? Because he was motivated and driven and inspired by it? No. להגיד שבחו שלא שינה L'hagid shivcho she'lo shina. He still lit it for the original same reason, namely because God said so. He was still driven and motivated by God's command. When we're obedient and compliant, when we follow orders because we understand, because it's meaningful, because it's inspirational, what risk do we run? What happens when the inspiration runs out? What happens when it's not fun and exciting? What happens when we have no enthusiasm? What happens when we'd rather stay in bed and not go to the כולל בוקר kollel boker? What happens? So therefore, the reason we do מצוות mitzvos has to always remain because God said so. Now that we're doing it, it's more wonderful, it's enriched when we understand it, when we learn about it, when we're excited about it. But ultimately, the reason we do it has to be because Hashem said so. And Aaron never deviated or changed. Never deviated or changed. And you see this in the גמרא Gemara in שבת Shabbos. The גמרא Gemara tells us, דורשי רשומות Dorshei Reshumos, when כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael, when the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, when God said, \"Will you observe תורה Torah?\" and we said yes, and we said yes, so angels descended and they put and they put crowns on our head. How many crowns? באו ששים ריבוא מלאכי השרת וכל אחד ואחד מישראל Boh shishim ribo malachei hashares v'kol echad v'echad mi'Yisrael. 600,000 angels descended and they put two crowns on the head of every Jew. One for נעשה na'aseh, we will do, and one for נשמע nishma, we will listen. And the question is asked by many. The מהרש\"א Maharsha, רב שמואל איידלס Rav Shmuel Eidels asks this question. How many crowns? What was impressive about saying נעשה ונשמע na'aseh v'nishma? We will do and we will listen. What was impressive? That we put we will do before we will listen. But once we said we will do, of course we have to listen. If you come up to me, say \"Goldberg, can you do me a favor?\" Now, an ordinary person would say, \"What's the favor?\" But Goldberg's amazing. So what does he say? \"I'm in. Whatever you want, whatever you ask, I'm in.\" Can I leave it at that? No, what do I have to do next? After I say, \"I'm in, whatever you want, whatever you need, I'm in,\" what's the favor? There's no קונץ kuntz. There's nothing admirable about saying, \"What's the favor?\" What's admirable is that I said, \"I'll do it\" even before knowing what it is. But once I say I'll do it, I still have to find out what it is. So the only impressive thing that the Jewish people did was putting נעשה na'aseh before נשמע nishma. That we'll do before we'll listen. But once they said we'll do, of course you have to listen. So how many crowns should the angels have given? One. For the fact that we put we'll do before we'll listen. But not two crowns. Once we said we'll do, of course we have to listen. So you know what the מהרש\"א Maharsha says? נשמע Nishma doesn't mean what's the favor. נשמע Nishma means before I do the favor or once I'm done with the favor, I want to sit down and I want to understand why this favor is meaningful to you. What's it all about? Why is it important? Why is it meaningful? Why did you ask me to do it? If the favor matters to you, it matters to me. So I'm in. I'm going to do it. And tell me what I need to do and I'll get it done. But more than just get it done because you asked, I want to delve into it, understand it. I want to understand it. I want it to be meaningful to me. This יסוד yesod רב יוסף חיים זוננפלד Rav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld, רב של ירושלים Rav of Yerushalayim. שנה אחת shanah achas, one year on a שבת shabbos, שמחה בשמחת תורה simcha b'simchas Torah, תוך כדי הריקוד והשמחה עם ספר תורה, עצר לו פתאום ופנה שאלה כלפי הילדים toch k'dei harikud v'hasimcha im sefer Torah, otzar lo patah v'ifneh she'eilah k'lapei hayeladim. One year on שמחת תורה Simchas Torah he's dancing with the תורות Toras. He stopped and he asked the children, \"He said at the end of דאווענען davening we say, 'אין כאלקינו, אין כאדונינו, אין כמלכנו, אין כמושיענו Ein K'Elokeinu, ein k'Adoneinu, ein k'Malkeinu, ein k'Moshieinu.'\" The children, the BRS Boys Choir sings this on שבת Shabbos morning. Whatever tune you want to use, the classic אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu, the קרליבך Carlebach אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu. אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu. What do those words mean? Translate. אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu. There's no one like our God. אין כאדונינו Ein K'Adoneinu, no one like our master. No one like our king, no one like our savior. And once we finish the opening stanza, then how does it continue? אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu, ein... And how does it continue? מי כאלקינו Mi K'Elokeinu? מי כאדונינו Mi ch'Adoneinu? מי כמלכנו Mi k'Malkeinu? Who is like our God? Who is like our king? And then נודה לאלקינו Nodeh l'Elokeinu, we admit or we concede or we're grateful, and then finally ברוך אלקינו Baruch Elokeinu, we bless. Asked רב יוסף חיים זוננפלד Rav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld, it's out of order. מי Mi, who, who, the question should come first. You don't say nobody like our God. Who is our God? No, who is like our God? Nobody like our God. It's out of order. You don't answer the question and then pose the question. You pose the question מי כאלקינו Mi K'Elokeinu, and then you give the answer אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu. It's out of order. So said the רב יוסף חיים זוננפלד Rav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld in the middle of הקפות hakafos on שמחת תורה Simchas Torah to the children after he asked the question, לפני שבכלל מנסים להבין ולשאול שאלות לחקור, דבר ראשון צריך לדעת שכל התורה שאנו לומדים וכל המצוות שאנו מקיימים זה משום שאין כאלקינו Lifnei she'b'chlal menasim l'havin v'lishol sheilos la'akor, davar rishon tzarich ladaas she'kol haTorah she'anu lomdim v'kol hamitzvos she'anu mekaymim zeh mishum she'ein k'Elokeinu. The first thing we need to know is the reason we learn, the reason that we דאווענען daven, the reason we do all that we do is because אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu. There is no one like our God. What animates and informs, what molds and shapes our identity, our lives, our lifestyle, everything, is אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu, there's no one like our God. But now that we accepted, now that our starting point is there's no one like our God, now let's get into it. מי כאלקינו Mi K'Elokeinu? Let's study it, let's analyze it, let's understand it, let's look into it, let's compare, contrast, analyze, study, evaluate. מי Mi? Is there anyone? We start with the answer. Because we don't have some open-ended question then we'll arrive at the answer. We start with the answer. We're confident in the answer. The answer is a non-negotiable answer. And then we ask because nevertheless, even though we start with the answer, you know, in marriage sometimes, we'll give it in this direction. A wife asks a husband to do something. Doesn't understand it, doesn't make sense, doesn't care about it. After muttering and nudging and asking 15 times, he finally is compliant and he gets it done. And he does it. So the wife says, \"Don't you want to understand why I asked you to do that?\" He says, \"No. I don't really care. You asked me to do it, and I did it. I didn't really want to do it. I don't really care about it. It doesn't make sense to me. But in the end of the day, you asked, so I did it. No.\" So on the one hand, she's grateful that he did it, but on the other hand is disappointed. Like, where's our relationship? What do you mean? This was not just about the act, it was about coming to understand me, coming to be curious about me, coming to learn me. You're not curious why? Why it matters? Why I asked? Why it's a need I have? So with Hashem, our starting point is we're in. Whatever you tell us to do, we'll do. אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu. נעשה Na'aseh before נשמע nishma. We're in. But nevertheless, נשמע nishma. Yet, yes, absolutely. We don't wait for him to tell us. We say to him, נעשה na'aseh, we're in, but נשמע nishma, no, right after we do it, we want to sit down and understand it. אין כאלקינו Ein K'Elokeinu, there's no one like you, we're in. But right afterwards, מי כאלקינו Mi K'Elokeinu? We're going to get into it. The קישקעס kishkas of it, we're going to study it, we're going to study it. And that's what's going on here also. מגיד שבחו שלא שינה שגם כאשר הזכיר ועושה וטעמה Magid shivcho she'lo shina she'gam ka'asher hizkir v'osah v'ta'ama. Aaron got into it. Moshe tells him, \"God wants you to light the מנורה menorah.\" He says, \"Good, done. I'm in. I'm lighting the מנורה menorah.\" And then he sits down and says, \"But now I'm going to learn about the מנורה menorah. How many branches, how is it fashioned? What are the knobs, what are the flowers? Why does it look like this? Why does this light matter? What do the lights represent? Why is this light always lit?\" And then the next time he went to light, now did he do it because he said, \"Oh, now I understand it's געשמאק g'shmak, now I...\" No. He still went back to doing it, why? להגיד שבחו של אהרן שלא שינה L'hagid shivcho shel Aharon she'lo shina. He never deviated his original motive and his original motivation, he was driven by what? Because God said so. Now it's enhanced, it's nice, it's lovely when we understand it, but the reason we do it is because God said so. All that is number one, new רב דרוק Rav Druck. Again, we've seen this many times, but a new רב דרוק Rav Druck. Number two, רב דרוק Rav Druck on this, ויעש כן אהרן Vayas kein Aharon. Aaron indeed do as he was asked. This is the great surprise, this is the big praise of Aaron, we asked, what's going on? What's going on? So we go back. רש\"י Rashi, what we started with. רש\"י Rashi wondered, why does this פרשה parshah follow last week's פרשה parshah? Last week the נשיאים nesi'im, the 12 tribes, the 12 leaders brought their 12 exact, duplicated sacrifices. And this week Aaron starts out by saying, \"Not fair to me. Not fair to me.\" חלשה דעתו Chalshah da'ato. He was despondent, he was depressed, he was out. \"It's not fair to me.\" And God said, \"Aaron, don't, didn't say, 'Snap out of it, you get what you get, you don't get upset, everyone gets what they need.' He says, 'Ooh, I love it that you're jealous. I love it that you're envious. I love it that you're competitive. Don't worry. I got something for you. It's called the מנורה menorah.'\" נמצא לפי רש\"י Nimtza l'fi Rashi, את אחר שאמר הקדוש ברוך הוא לאהרן שלך גדולה משלהם at acher she'amar HaKadosh Baruch Hu l'Aharon shelcha gedolah mishelahem, what I have for you is even greater, אתה מדליק ומיטיב את הנרות atah madlik u'meitiv es haneros, go light and maintain the candelabra. גילה לו בזה כי מעלת הדלקת המנורה דבר זה גדול יותר מקרבנות הנשיאים Gila lo b'zeh ki ma'alas hadlakas hamenorah d'var zeh gadol yoser mei'karbanos hanesiim. So what do you see from God's answer? That lighting, kindling, cleaning the מנורה menorah is greater than offering sacrifices. Not just equal. He didn't just satisfy or appease Aaron by saying, \"I have something for you that's equal to what they did.\" He says, \"I have something for you that is greater than what I had.\" What's greater? How is the מנורה menorah greater than the קרבן karbon? לפי זה היה צריך אהרן הכהן לקיים מצות הדלקת המנורה ביותר שאת ויותר עוז, עם רגשות הרבה יותר. L'fi zeh hayah tzarich l'Aharon haKohen l'kayem mitzvas hadlakas hamenorah b'yoser se'es v'yoser oz, im ragashot harbeh yoser. So Aaron should have turned to the נשיאים nesi'im and done what? I would be beneath Aaron, of course he would never do such a thing. But Aaron could have looked and said, \"Yeah, you had the spotlight when you were each bringing your sacrifice. But get what, guess what? What I'm asked to do is even greater.\" It's even greater. והתחזק אהרן הרבה בהדלקת המנורה וכבוד הנבדל לו, שהיה אותה ולא נגע V'hischazek Aharon harbeh b'hadlakas hamenorah v'ke'avod hanivdal lo, she'hayah oteh v'lo niga. Because and who told me it's greater? Hashem himself. Told me that this is greater than what you got to do. However, ויעש כן אהרן vayas kein Aharon, להגיד שבחו של אהרן שלא שינה l'hagid shivcho shel Aharon she'lo shina. Aaron didn't do that. It wasn't about comparing or competing with other people. It wasn't about fame or influence. It wasn't about popularity or celebrity. It wasn't about... that's להגיד שבחו l'hagid shivcho. ויעש כן אהרן Vayas kein Aharon. Aaron, just like a good soldier, went about what he was asked to do. It wasn't about flaunting or flexing or showing off or comparing or competing. We do what's meant for us to do. It's what a powerful lesson, what a פרשה parshah perspective for today. עיקר השבח הוא מה שעשה כן עוד קודם שנודע לו מעלת הדבר וקדושה Ikar hashivach hu ma she'asah kein od kodem she'nodah lo ma'alas v'davar gedusha. He was ready to do this, he asked to do this, even before he knew how great it was, and then he didn't flaunt or flex it. He didn't show it in in anyone's face. Our job as loyal soldiers of Hashem, keep your head down, do what's asked of you, and get it done. Don't look for fanfare, don't look to celebrate. It used to be, it's changing, but it used to be, this was one of the major differences between baseball and football. There's many, many differences between baseball and football. There's a famous comedian of blessed memory who had a whole routine on those differences. It was fantastic. Football's all about violence. You play on the gridiron and you and you, you throw the long bomb and you tackle, and baseball, the whole goal is just to be safe at home. And he has a whole routine on it. But one of the contrast is football players, football players, they score a touchdown, what do they do? There's a whole celebration. They have a whole celebration, and they spike the ball, they have a whole dance routine, and they have a whole celebration. Today you see in football, a team is losing, they're losing 49 to zero, and a guy has a sack and all of a sudden he celebrates like it's they just won the Super Bowl. In baseball, in baseball, again it used to be, it's changing, it still should be, it's a much more dignified game. This is why you all came to the פרשה שיעור parshah shiur, right? To hear about this. In baseball, a player hits a home run, what are they supposed to do? Put your head down, you don't even smile, you run around the bases and you go back to the dugout. Why? Because that's your job. Your job's to hit a home run. Your job, if it's a pitcher, you should throw a strikeout. Get back to the, get back to the dugout, come back for the next inning. It's your job. It's your job. This is a new-age, new-fangled idea, and it's not good, because we live in a world that measures everything by fame and celebrity and notoriety and followers. And and and how viral and how much influence, and everyone's desperate to be an influencer. \"I want fame, I want influence, I want free things, I want all these eyeballs, I want people to watch me.\" Not Aaron. ויעש כן אהרן Vayas kein Aharon, להגיד שבחו של אהרן שלא שינה l'hagid shivcho she'lo shina. You know what Aaron did? He put his head down. Hit a home run every time and went back to the dugout. He lit the מנורה menorah, that was his job. He didn't look over at the נשיאים nesi'im and go... He didn't tell the נשיאים nesi'im, גדולה Gedolah, mine's greater than what you got to do. He didn't even look out at the crowd and take a bow. He just put his head down and went back to the dugout. ויעש כן אהרן Vayas kein Aharon, שלא שינה she'lo shina. Never went to his head. When he became a bigger celebrity and more viral and a greater influence, never got to his head, never deviated, never changed, did it for the original reason because Hashem said so. We have a job, we have a mission, and it could be at work, and it could be in life, and it could be with our family, and whatever context it's in, and whatever context it's in, we have a job. Just do your job and go. Don't start flexing, comparing, competing, don't measure against what other people do, don't flaunt and flex and think what you do is greater. Everyone has a job. You're the חזן chazan in שול shul and a thousand people are listening to you and marveling at your voice. That was your job. God blessed you with a good voice. Do your job. Come off the בימה bima, go back to your seat, and go home. And you know what? The person who stays after שול shul when there's not a person there and collects all the סידורים siddurim and חומשים chumashim and puts them back in the bookcase. Is their job smaller than the חזן chazan blessed with the great voice? In many ways their job is greater. Nobody sees, nobody notices, nobody thanks them. Nobody talks about them at the שבת Shabbos table. Their job is even greater. But you know what, whatever role you play, you walk around with a צדקה באקס tzdaka box during the week at מנין minyan, whatever your job is, in your family, in the community, at שול shul, in your profession, just keep your head down, do your job. Don't spike the ball, don't celebrate. Don't have a whole dance routine. You could once in a while take pride in accomplishments. I'm not talking about not pausing to take a personal pride in an accomplishment. But keep your head down, do your job, and make it back to home safely. פרק ח פסוק יט Perek Ches, pasuk yud tes, moving right along. We have the consecration of the לוים Leviim who were dedicated and devoted for their service, for their jobs, speaking about do your job and come home. And the apprenticeship and the responsibility, זאת אשר ללוים zos asher laLeviim, because we have a conflict of from 25 years of age and up, so which is it? Is it from the age of 25, the age of 30? There's a five year of an apprenticeship that starts at 25. And רש\"י Rashi tells us a pedagogical lesson, a lesson for life. If you tried something for five years and didn't have success, move on. It's a lesson for life. The לוים Leviim, five years of apprenticeship and at 30 you really begin, because if after five years you're not finding success, then pivot and find your job, your role, your goal. The רמב\"ן Ramban has a different interpretation about what these five years and what this deviation is about. Then we come to the פסח שני Pesach Sheini, פסח Pesach offering in the wilderness. The פסח שני Pesach Sheini. I'll sorry, I skipped... פרק ח פסוק ט Perek Ches, pasuk tes. The אמרות טהורות amaras tahoros... Sorry, I skipped. One quick insight on this. The קדושת לוי K'dushas Levi, the רחמסטריווקא רבי Rachmastrivka Rebbe quotes רבי לוי יצחק מברדיטשוב Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, the holy ברדיטשובר Berditchever, who says the following. ואתנה את הלוים V'esna es haLeviim... We're on chapter 8, verse 9. Chapter 8, verse 9, bottom of page 774. והקרבת את הלוים לפני אהל מועד V'hikravta es haLeviim lifnei ohel moed. And bring the לוים Leviim before the Tent of the Meeting. והקהלת את כל עדת בני ישראל V'hikhelta es kol adas Bnei Yisrael, gather all the Jewish people. והקרבת את הלוים V'hikravta es haLeviim, וסמכו בני ישראל v'samchu Bnei Yisrael, bring the לוים Leviim and do סמיכה smicha on them, lean on them with your hands. והניף אהרן את הלוים תנופה לפני ה' מאת בני ישראל V'heinif Aharon es haLeviim tnufah lifnei Hashem mei'eis Bnei Yisrael, then Aaron will wave the לוים Leviim before בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael so they can serve, והיו לעבוד v'hayu l'avod. והלוים יסמכו את ידיהם על ראש הפרים V'haLeviim yism'chu es yedeihem al rosh haparim and so on and so forth. How many times in these פסוקים psukim do we find the word ישראל Yisrael, בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael? So רש\"י Rashi points out, פרק ח פסוק יט Perek Ches, pasuk yud tes, I had the wrong פסוק pasuk. פסוק יט Pasuk yud tes, chapter... verse 19, not nine. Sorry, I had the wrong פסוק pasuk. ואתנה את הלוים נתנים לאהרן ולבניו V'esna es haLeviim nesunim l'Aharon ul'vanav, it's in the same פסוק pasuk. מתוך בני ישראל Mi'toch Bnei Yisrael one, לעבוד את עבודת בני ישראל l'avod es avodas Bnei Yisrael two, באהל מועד b'ohel moed, לכפר על בני ישראל l'chaper al Bnei Yisrael three, ולא יהיה בבני ישראל נגף v'lo yihiyeh b'Bnei Yisrael negef four, בגשת בני ישראל אל הקדש b'geshes Bnei Yisrael el hakodesh five. Five times in one פסוק pasuk we have the expression, we have the words בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael. בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael. We can't use \"them\"? We can't say \"they\"? We have to spell it out five times בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael in one פסוק pasuk? So רש\"י Rashi says, שנאמר בפסוק זה חמשה פעמים בני ישראל להודיע חיבתן של ישראל she'ne'emar b'pasuk zeh chamisha pa'amim Bnei Yisrael l'hodia chibasom shel Yisrael. Because when you use someone's name, it is an expression of love. When you use someone's name, it is an expression of affection. When you use a name, you give life. I've spoken about before. I recently got an email from someone about it. When you use someone's name, I remember... I still remember when I was dating my beloved wife, the first time that she used my name. She called me Ephraim or said something. My name wasn't rabbi then. It was Ephraim. That was at my bris. They didn't give me the name rabbi. It's Ephraim. That's my name. Why Ephraim, not a Ephraim? Ask my parents. They're back in town, you could ask them. But the first, I still remember. It there was a, it was an intimacy, a connection. It wasn't just you or that guy, or we weren't just to use a name. Wow, he used my name. I have, I have an identity. I'm a person. When you use someone's name, it means something. So I challenge people, when you're checking out of the supermarket, when you stop at the toll booth. Toll booth you should have an easy pass or a sun pass. But when you're checking out of the supermarket, you know Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky used to go to the toll booth that had a person, because he said they sit there lonely all day, no one's noticed them or said thank you when they got the change. So he would say, let's go to the toll booth with the person, even though it could have been faster to go another way.So, but when you're checking out of the supermarket, everyone has a little name tag. Why do they have a name tag there? Why do they have a name tag? They're just a number, they're just a, they're just a invisible, inconsequential, they might, they're they're like the self-checkout. They're just a machine. Why do they have a name? Try using it. On the way out, say, Carol, thank you so much. Have a wonderful day. Bob, thank you, you were wonderful. How are you, Bob? How's your day, Bob? I promise you will extend their life by years. You'll put a smile on their face, you'll bring that person back to life. You know what most people are doing while they check out on that same line? They're talking on the phone, they're scrolling, they're answering a text, uh-huh, uh-huh, here's my credit card, uh-huh, uh-huh, the bag. They're lucky if while looking down they say thank you. But if you look up and you put your phone away, if you're on the phone, you say I'll call you back in a minute or hold on, I'm checking out. Bob, thank you so much. I'm sorry, and how are, how was your day? You'll change a person's life when you use their name. So someone emailed me recently because I've said this before, say, Rabbi, ever since you said it in a drasha, I've tried to do it, and I don't take out my phone when I check out, but now I use Apple Pay and I pay on my phone. So what do I do to tell the person that I'm not on my phone? I'm just trying to bring up the Apple Pay so I can pay. הלוואי Halavai, these are the questions that we ask.So רש\"י Rashi says, why does it say בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael? Just say they, them, use a pronoun. Use a statistic or a number. We got it. בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael five times in one פסוק pasuk, בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael. You know why? Because when you use a name, להודיע חיבתן של ישראל l'hodiya chibasan shel Yisrael. השם Hashem loves us. He says my קינדער kinder, יידן Yidden, כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael, בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael, I love you. I love you. So why is this the פסוק pasuk he chooses to express his love? This is the verse that he's choosing to show he loves us by using our name five times? Says the רחמסטריווקא Rachmastrivka quoting the קדושת לוי Kedushas Levi the בדיטשובר Badichever, שזה shezeh, הרי נראה שזה שנבחר חביבו יותר מכל שאר בני החבורה harei nireh shezeh she'nivchar chovivo yoser mikol she'ar bnei ha'chaburah. Because what's this פסוק pasuk talking about? The role of the לויים Leviim. The לויים Leviim, the Levites, were distinguished. They were elevated. They had a prominent position to serve the Jewish people. לפי זה היה מקום לחשוב באיזה שנבחרו הלויים מתוך בני ישראל לשרת לפני השם L'fiza ya makom lachshov b'eizeh she'nivchara Leviim mi'toch Bnei Yisrael l'shareis lifnei Hashem, שהם חביבים לפני השם יותר משאר ישראל she'heim chovivim lifnei Hashem yoser mi'shaar Yisrael. So if you're some lousy low ישראל Yisrael, עם ישראל Am Yisrael, I'm just a simple ישראל Yisrael, I'm an Israelite. So if you're a ישראל Yisrael, you say, I'm watching the לויים Leviim. אהרן Aharon is resting his hands on them and he's waving them, and the special sacrifices of them, the כהנים Kohanim and the priests are being anointed, and they're getting all the attention. God must love them more than he loves me. The כהנים Kohanim and the לויים Leviim, they have prominence, they have a central role, they have the spotlight, they're the leaders. They must be really beloved by God and I'm an afterthought. I'm an afterthought. So דוקא dafka, specifically now in the context of these verses where the לויים Leviim are being elevated, השם Hashem says, time out, pause. One moment. He says, I love you all.And you've seen this. You go to a שמחה simcha and a parent is talking about the בר מצוה Bar Mitzvah boy, and I've seen it and it's beautiful. They say even though we're highlighting יענקל Yankel right now, it's his בר מצוה Bar Mitzvah, each of my children are special. ראובן Reuven, you're delicious and שרה'לה Sarah'le, there's no one better than you and I want even in the moment that I'm elevating one, you each need to know how much I love you. And I love you all equally and you're each my favorite in your own way. חביבים לפני השם יתברך יותר משאר ישראל Chovivim lifnei Hashem Yisborach yoser mi'shaar Yisrael. לכן הודיענו התורה הקדושה דוקא כאן חיבתן של ישראל לומר שכולן חביבים לפני השם יתברך בשוה Lachen hodienu haTorah haKedosha dafka kan chibasan shel Yisrael lomar she'kulan chovivim lifnei Hashem Yisborach b'shaveh. I love you all equally. So it's in the moment that the person can feel less than, that's when you have to use their name. That's why when you check out and that person is getting paid minimum wage at the checkout line who nobody all day in many hours of a shift looks up, even notices they exist, use their name. Use their name and see what it does for them, because השם Hashem uses our name specifically in the פסוק pasuk where we might feel like an afterthought to the tribe of Levi. ויתר Vaiter. פרק ט פסוק כ\"ג Perek Tes Pasuk Chaf Gimmel. Chapter nine, verse 23. 9:23. פסח שני Pesach Sheini. Those who said למה נגרע lama nigara, it's not fair to me. Those who were ineligible to bring the first קרבן פסח Korban Pesach, the first, to observe the first פסח Pesach, they complained to משה Moshe, למה נגרע lama nigara, not fair to us. Second time in our parsha, someone kvetch is not fair to me. Both times, השם Hashem doesn't say, grow up. What does he say? He rewards them. אהרן Aharon was lighting the menorah and these individuals with the gift of פסח שני Pesach Sheini, second chances, second opportunities, spoken about it a lot in the past. Chapter nine, verse 23. Top of page 782.Then at the end, after פסח שני Pesach Sheini, the divine signs for when we travel. How do we know when to travel? We made lots of stop and start. We did a lot of traveling. I'm doing a lot of traveling, ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, שמחות simchos, weddings, other events. So, how do we know when it's to travel? How do we know when it's time? We look for a sign from השם Hashem. על פי השם יחנו ועל פי השם יסעו Al pi Hashem yachanu v'al pi Hashem yisa'u. פרק ט Perek Tes, Chapter nine, verse 23. כ\"ג Chaf Gimmel. על פי השם Al pi Hashem, according to השם Hashem, according to the word of השם Hashem would they encamp and according to the word of השם Hashem would they journey. The charge of השם Hashem would safeguard על פי השם ביד ביד משה al pi Hashem b'yad b'yad Moshe. What's going on over here? So, Torah devotes a great deal of attention to the way that we had traveled and camped in the midbar. What flight did we take? What was our, our, our coordinates? How did we travel? When did we go? When did we stop? and so on. When the special cloud rose over the משכן Mishkan, it signaled, pack your stuff, it's time to go. געגאנגען Gegangan, we're out. When the cloud descended, it was time to stop, unpack, and camp. All the decisions, when to go and when to stop, were based על פי השם al pi Hashem. Torah says they're all based on השם's Hashem's will. You know, sometimes we're at home, sometimes we're on the road, and different times we find ourselves in different places, different situations, different circumstances, and the one thing that has to be a constant in a life and a world of variables, am I home, am I on the road, am I on this journey? The one thing that has to be consistent and constant is whether it's on our journey or our encampment, על פי השם al pi Hashem. What has to be the constant in this world of variables is that we follow השם Hashem. We don't leave religion behind when we leave. השם Hashem doesn't stay in the שול shul, השם Hashem doesn't stay in the בית מדרש Beis Medrash, and השם Hashem doesn't stay in the comfort of the routine in my house. Wherever I am, whether I'm on the plane or the train or the boat, I'm on a cruise, I'm on a vacation, I'm on a business trip or I'm going to a wedding, wherever we are, wherever we go, we has to be traveling and camping על פי השם al pi Hashem, in accordance with the Torah. We're always a Jew. Just like our marriage. A man is on a business trip, he doesn't say while I'm on the trip, I'm not married. His identity, his status, a woman is traveling, she's married, she's a mother. Wherever we go, there are identities that are core to who we are, על פי השם al pi Hashem. It's perfectly acceptable to take time off to vacation, to journey. But even when we break our normal routine, על פי השם al pi Hashem. you have to daven, you have to make brachos. You have to be careful what we look at, how we dress, you have to be careful we make a קידוש השם Kiddush Hashem, that we're honest, that we have integrity of what we're doing. Those three words על פי השם al pi Hashem, that is the Jewish Waze. That's our compass. That's our Google map. על פי השם Al pi Hashem. What gives me the the direction of where I'm going always is defined by על פי השם al pi Hashem. How am I going to interact with this TSA agent? How am I going to interact with the valet? How am I going to interact with the flight attendant, the person sitting next to me on the plane? על פי השם Al pi Hashem. Everything has to be informed by על פי השם al pi Hashem. דוד המלך Dovid HaMelech says in תהילים Tehillim, מלאה הארץ קניניך melo ha'aretz kinyanecha. תהילים קפיטל ק\"ד, פסוק כ\"ד Tehillim kapitel kuf daled, pasuk chaf daled. Literally means, השם Hashem, מלאה הארץ קניניך melo ha'aretz kinyanecha. The literal translation is, השם Hashem owns everything in the world. But the פסוק pasuk can be understood that צדיקים tzaddikim say what it means is, what's a קנין kinyan? An opportunity to acquire. מלאה הארץ קניניך Melo ha'aretz kinyanecha, the world is filled with ways that we can acquire a relationship with you. מלאה הארץ Melo ha'aretz. In Montana and in Wyoming and in the Grand Canyon and the Swiss Alps, and of course all over ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael where we should all be prioritizing going right now. Wherever I go and whatever I do, מלאה הארץ קניניך melo ha'aretz kinyanecha. If I go על פי השם al pi Hashem, I'll find you everywhere. I'll find a דרשה drasha story everywhere. We can deepen our connection wherever we go, the flight, the cruise, the hike, whatever recreational activity. The של\"ה הקדוש Shlah HaKadosh applied this פסוק pasuk and arrangement to the life of each and every one of us. The של\"ה הקדוש Shlah HaKadosh says our lives are filled with journeys and encampments. And this פסוק pasuk is an allusion to the attitude we have to have. With each departure, we say על פי השם al pi Hashem, אם ירצה השם im yirtzeh Hashem. This is the origin of the expression, says the של\"ה הקדוש Shlah HaKadosh. This is what he writes. למשל, בלכתו בדרך יאמר L'mashal b'lechto b'derech yomar, every time you go, I was talking to someone last night who was on the drive to New York. Many leave Florida, they go on that I-95 drive to New York. What do you do when you pull out of your journey? You should your your driveway, what should you say? הנני נוסע בעזרת השם יתברך Hineni nosea b'ezras Hashem Yisborach. I'm driving בעזרת b'ezras, with השם's Hashem's help. You don't just say I'm driving here, I'm going to carpool, I'm going to the mall, I'm driving to New York. You say I'm going בעזרת השם b'ezras Hashem, with השם's Hashem's help. ובדעתי לחנות במקום פלוני בעזרת השם U'v'daati lachanos b'makom ploni b'ezras Hashem. Where are you going? Oh, I'm taking my kids to camp, God willing. I'm starting to drive, God willing. God willing, בעזרת השם b'ezras Hashem. אם ירצה, נמצא שם שמים שגור בפיו בשעה שעולה על מחשבה זו ובשעת מעשה, ככה כל פעולותיו Im yirtzeh, nimtza shem shomayim shogur b'fiv b'shaah she'oleh al machshavta zo u'v'shaas maaseh, kacha kol peulosav. It's an amazing של\"ה Shlah. של\"ה Shlah says this is the origin of the Jewish idiom, the Jewish expression, God willing, God willing. I looked it up. If you look in the Merriam-Webster definition, that idiom, what is God willing? So this is how the Webster's dictionary defines it. Used to say what one hopes and expects to do or happen if no problem occur. For example, we'll be able to move into our new house next week, God willing. That's how the Webster dictionary defines. God willing is what I hope if no problems happen. That's not the Jewish use of God willing. Webster's is wrong. And we have the origin of it, so we get to decide the definition. And what's the origin? This פסוק pasuk. על פי השם יחנו ועל פי השם יסעו Al pi Hashem yachanu v'al pi Hashem yisa'u. Says the של\"ה Shlah, this is the origin of this פסוק pasuk, that a person doesn't just mean this is my plan if I have no obstacles. This is my plan if I have no problems. Such a definition demeans השם Hashem. Why? It puts us in charge and in control and is more of a prayer that nothing get in our way. That's not what it means. God willing isn't a prayer that nothing get in my way. God willing means whatever happens and however it goes, that's what God wants. God willing means I have my vision, my plan, my goal, but my journey is God willing, is בעזרת השם be'ezras Hashem. Wherever he takes me, however long it takes to get there, whatever happens on the way, it's all על פי השם al pi Hashem. על פי השם יסעו ועל פי השם יחנו Al pi Hashem yisa'u v'al pi Hashem yachanu. The flight delay? That was his plan. The cancel, that was his plan. It's all his plan. שלמה המלך Shlomo HaMelech taught, לב אדם יחשב דרכו והשם יכין צעדו lev adam yechashev darko v'Hashem yachin tza'ado. A פסוק pasuk in משלי ט\"ז ט Mishlei Tes Vov, י\"ט Tes Zayin, משלי י\"ט פסוק ט Mishlei Tes Zayin pasuk Tes. לב אדם יחשב דרכו Lev adam yechashev darko, a person thinks about and plans their their their דרך derech, but השם יכין צעדו Hashem yachin tza'ado, but השם Hashem directs your steps. So you say this summer, here's my plan, I'm going here, I'm doing that, I'm going there, and home, this is going to happen, then this is going to happen. השם יכין צעדו Hashem yachin tza'ado, you got your plan. מען טראכט און גאט לאכט Men tracht un Got lacht. Everyone knows. Man plans and God laughs. Conceding or surrendering השם Hashem is in charge of our journeys and our encampments shouldn't make you anxious or worried. It's not a power struggle with השם Hashem. It should bring comfort and security. You know how much better it is knowing going into the summer, whatever plans you have, על פי השם al pi Hashem, God willing. They're all God willing. If it doesn't work out, it didn't work out. So what? Yeah, it didn't work out, cuz all our plans in life, whether we're on the road or whether we're staying home, they're all על פי השם al pi Hashem. They're all God willing. So says the של\"ה הקדוש Shlah HaKadosh, when a Jew pulls out and when a Jew pulls in, always, it's always God willing. Let me tell you one last idea about this, and then we'll move on. One last idea about this. Gmara Shabbos lamed aleph teaches, and stick with me because we're going to take a detour to come back to this last part of this idea. Gmara Shabbos teaches, creative labor on Shabbos is prohibited. You're not allowed to, the 39 categories of labor, they're all creative labors. You're not allowed to do creative labor on Shabbos. Kilkul, one of the prohibitions on Shabbos is you're not allowed to be destructive. Ah, if it's a creative labor, how is destroying creative? So the Gmara says that in order for kilkul to be a melachas machsheves, it has to be kilkul, steira, a soisa al menas livnos. I destroyed something, I knocked down a house so that I could build a big beautiful house. I erased so I could write. When you're doing something destructive, it's only creative if the destruction is the pre-text to do something constructive. And where do we learn that from? The Mishkan. And yet, and yet, in the case of the Mishkan, the destruction and the construction were in two different places. Everything we learn about the laws of Shabbos, the 39 categories of creative labor on Shabbos, they're all learned from the Mishkan. So we learned the prohibition of demolishing and creating from the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. So how could you tell me I'm only liable if I knock down a house on Shabbos if I did so because I want to build there? But when we destroyed, when we demolished the Mishkan, why did we do it? Because we traveled with it and we assembled it somewhere else. So how do we learn when it was in two different places? Kasavar Rebbe soiser al menas livnos b'mkomo chayev, soiser. Al menas livnos shelo b'mkomo lo chayev. If you demolish and you're going to build somewhere else, that's not a creative labor. So how do we learn that from the Mishkan? And the Gmara answers, Amar Rebbe, michdei kol melachos yafinan miMishkan. Hasam, soiser al menas livnos shelo b'mkomo. Amar leih, shani hasam, k'ein d'chasev al pi Hashem yachanu. That was different, why? Because it says על פי השם יחנו al pi Hashem yachanu. השם Hashem determined our travels. So how does that change anything about the challenge of learning this from the Mishkan? Because the verse says על פי השם יחנו al pi Hashem yachanu, when I demolish in one place and build in another place, that's like I did it in the same place? How is that? So listen to this amazing idea. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, the great Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir, zatzal, he explains with a moshel, with a parable. A mother travels with her baby. Mother travels with their baby. I've done family vacations with my children, when they go with their baby. Baruch Hashem, bli ayin hara, kein yirbu. And it's not easy. It's rough. That baby is sleeping in their arms on the way to the airport, sleeping in their arms at the airport, hopefully sleeping in their arms on the plane, sleeping when we get to the destination, sleeping when we went on the hike in the baby bjorn, sleeping in the stroller when we went to go see the museum, sleeping, one baby can go with parents from LA to Bahrain, to Boca, to South Africa, to Paris, to Costa Rica, of course, hopefully to Israel, the destination. From the baby's perspective, where was the baby all along? One place. His or her mother's arms. His or her mother's embrace, under their love, under their protection, getting their hug. When you ask the baby when they grow up, where were you? Was in my mother's arms. That's the only address that mattered, no matter where the mother was. From the mother's, from the mother's perspective, the mother's passport is stamped all over the world. But from the baby's perspective, the baby was in the mother's arms being cuddled in those sweet, protective, powerful, loving embrace all along. So in the desert, geographically we traveled from place to place. We moved around and about, but emotionally we were in one place. We were carried in the loving divine embrace, in the arms of השם Hashem. And that's what it means, על פי השם יחנו ועל פי השם יסעו al pi Hashem yachanu v'al pi Hashem yisa'u. When we travel through life, we're in השם's Hashem's embrace. Yes, our passport may be stamped many separate locations, but wherever we traveled or journeys journeyed all along, על פי השם יחנו ועל פי השם יסעו al pi Hashem yachanu v'al pi Hashem yisa'u. We're in השם's Hashem's arms all along, wherever we spend time, and once we realize that, only when we realize that, we shouldn't be anxious or worried. That's when we can let go and let God and first relax. פרק י פסוק ט Perek Yud Pasuk Tes. Yud Tes. How did we know when to break up the camp? The חצוצרות chatzozeros, the trumpets. Trumpets. The Torah says, עשה לך שתי חצוצרות aseh lecha shtei chatzozeros, make two silver trumpets, make them hammered out. They'll be yours for the summoning of the assembly and to cause the camps to German, to to journey. These are yours. Make, make these. The אמורא סופר Amora Sofer says the רחמסטריווקא Rachmastrivka, on a later פסוק pasuk, פסוק ט pasuk tes. כי תבואו מלחמה בארצכם Ki savou milchama b'artzechem, when a, when a war, when you wage war in your land against your enemy who is oppressing you, וזכרתם v'nizkartem. כי תבואו מלחמה בארצכם על הצר הצורר אתכם והרעותם בחצוצרות V'chi savou milchama b'artzechem al hatzar hatzorer eschem v'harei'osem bachatzozeros, blow these trumpets, ונזכרתם לפני השם אלקיכם ונושעתם מאויבכם v'nizkartem lifnei Hashem Elokeichem v'noshatem mei'oyveichem. And when you blow the trumpets, you'll be remembered before השם Hashem your God and you'll be saved from your enemies. Blow these trumpets and they'll remind you. You think this is just about your battalions, your units, your armies, your soldiers, your weapons, and you're fighting the enemy. When we blow the trumpets, we'll remember who is really fighting with us and for us. Everything is השם Hashem, the ultimate we're in his embrace, we're in his arms, על פי השם al pi Hashem, we're even in his embrace in Rafiah, in the north, and wherever we go. But there's another idea. Every time the Torah invokes the image of a war or מלחמה milchama, it's talking about physical enemies. Unfortunately, we know too well right now, but it's also talking about another war and another battle that we fight, and that is the war with ourselves. The external war is a difficult war. We can't even begin to imagine and we have endless gratitude to our brave and courageous and holy soldiers who are fighting it. That's the external war. But there's an internal war that we fight. You fought it, whether you were going to come to the parsha class or not. Whether you're going to wake up when your alarm went off this morning, whether you were going to daven, whether you're going to have kavana, whether you were going to talk during davening. Whether you were going to eat the good thing for breakfast or the bad thing for breakfast or skip breakfast all along. We are fighting those battles from the moment our eyes open in the morning till we fall asleep at night. Our day is filled with battles and with wars. I don't get enough sleep and when the alarm goes off, you know there are two types of people in this world. There are those people who don't even need the alarm. They mentally decide when they want to wake up, that time comes, they sit up in bed and they start their day. And then there's me. I'm ashamed to tell you how many alarm clocks and systems and snooze and separate locations, and every morning, by the time I would get out of bed, I have fought a war, a battle, a battle. So that's the other meaning of this פסוק pasuk. יש לנו מלחמה גדולה עז גבר על יצר הרע לעשות כל האוס קו רק על פי תורה ולהזיר זורמי כל איסור Yesh lanu milchama gedola ez gevar al yetzer hara l'asos kol ha'os kav rak al pi Torah ulhazir zoarmei kol issur. והטעם שהמלחמה כבדה כל כך כיוון שהוא עוזר באיזה גשמי שבו יש אחיזה גדולה ליצר הרע V'taam she'hamilchama kveida kol kach keivan shehu ozer b'eizeh gashmi shebo yesh achiza gedola l'yetzer hara. We're battling in this physical world. Our soul is spirit, is being held in this body, and the body has temptation, distraction, is trying to navigate this physical material world. And the soul says, I don't belong here. This isn't my natural habitat. I strive for something so much higher. How can we live together? How do we reconcile navigating this world together? וזהו שאמר הכתוב כי תבאו מלחמה בארצכם V'zehu she'amar hakosuv ki savou milchama b'artzechem. כשאדם הולך לעסוק בעניני ארציות K'sheadam holech la'asok b'inyanei artziyos, בארצכם b'artzechem. When a war wages בארצכם b'artzechem, doesn't just mean in your land in Israel, בארצכם b'artzechem means when the war waging in you has to do with ארצכם artzechem, the physical material world. That's the war. על הצר הצורר אתכם Al hatzar hatzorer eschem. There's an enemy, the body, the animal impulse, the animal instinct, the animal soul. So what's the עצה eitzah? What's the advice? How do you win? כיצד יכול האדם להתגבר על יצר הרע בשעה שעוסק בענייני Keitzad yuchal ha'adam l'hisgaber al yetzer hara b'shaah she'osek b'inyanei, how do you overcome this world? שיזכור האדם לעצמו כי הוא לבדו אינו יכול להצליח Sheyizkor ha'adam l'atzmo ki hu l'vado eino yachol l'hatzliach. The answer is to remember, I can't win on my own, מבלעדי השם יתברך mib'laadei Hashem Yisborach. I can only win when השם Hashem helps. You know where they know this well? What's the first step of the 12 steps? You have to surrender to a higher power. I can't conquer whatever addiction, whatever struggle, and make no mistake. I've been in the room. I've been privileged to be invited to award a token to people who've hit milestones. That room is filled with גיבורים giborim, with warriors who are battling and fighting each and every day, extraordinary people. And they're not different than you and I. You know what the only difference is? Their addiction has a stigma so they're in a room. And the person who's a workaholic, we admire, oh, they have such a work ethic. But they're also an addict. And the person who's addicted to exercise with diminishing returns to the point they never see their family, they never learn, they're addict. We say, whoa, they're incredible. And the person who is so addicted to fashion and style and going to the mall, we say, oh, they're so with it and so style. They're also an addict. There are addictions that have stigma and there's the rest of the addictions that we all struggle with that don't, but we all struggle. We're all struggling. You don't think you're struggling? Take out your phone and look at your screen time and how much time you spent on it and tell me whether you're an addict or not. We're all addicted. So how do you overcome? All of us, the first step is surrender to a higher power. השם Hashem, I can't possibly manage how much time I'm on your technology without your help. I can't manage what I look at, I can't manage what I consume, I can't manage how I escape, I can't manage my life, the challenges and struggles without you. The first step for all of us to self-improvement is surrender to a higher power. That's the only way. And that's what the מגיד Magid says in the פסוק pasuk, עשה לך שתי חצוצרות aseh lecha shtei chatzozeros, חצי צורות chatzi tzuros. אדם צריך לזכור לעצמו שהוא עצמו אינו רק צורה Adam tzarich lizkor l'atzmo shehu atzmo eino rak tzurah. What's a צורה tzurah? Remember you're made up of חצוצרות chatzozeros, חצי צורה chatzi tzurah. You're made up of two parts. There's the animal body, but you're also made up of a godly soul. Blow the חצוצרות chatzozeros, remember your two צורות tzuros. There's not only me, the body who's drawn to, who's tempted, who's addicted, who's compulsive. There's also the other half of who I am, the true half, the everlasting half of who I am, which is to be a godly soul. והרעותם בחצוצרות V'harei'osem bachatzozeros, blow the חצי צורות chatzi tzuros, the two parts of who I am, and that's the way to win the war, the מלחמה בארצכם milchama b'artzechem, the battle in the place over our physical and material sense of being. Okay. אוי וויי Oive. We've got five minutes left, but we've got five hours' worth more of material. What should we do? יתרו Yisro is ready to leave. יתרו Yisro is still with the Jewish people. פרק י פסוק כ\"ט Perek Yud Pasuk Chaf Tes. Chapter 10, verse 29. Page 784. The order of breaking the camp. They blow the trumpets, that's how you know to go and come. They break the camp. And who's ready to book out? None other than יתרו Yisro, משה's Moshe's father-in-law. ויאמר משה לחובב בן רעואל המדיני חתן משה V'yomer Moshe l'Chovav ben Reuel haMidyani chosen Moshe. משה Moshe tells חובב Chovav, the son of רעואל Reuel, another name for יתרו Yisro, his father-in-law. נוסעים אנחנו אל המקום אשר אמר השם אותו אתן לכם Nosi'im anachnu el hamakom asher amar Hashem oso eten lachem. We're going to the place that God promised us. Come. לכה אתנו Lecha itanu. נו Nu, שווער shver, father-in-law, come with me. והיטבנו לך V'heitavnu lach. We'll make it good for you. כי השם דיבר טוב על ישראל Ki Hashem diber tov al Yisrael because God has spoken of good for the Jewish people. It's going to be good. It's going to be געשמאק gishmak, it's going to be געוואלדיק gevaldik. שווער Shver, father-in-law, יתרו Yisro, come. געגאנגען Gegangan, come with us. ויאמר אליו V'yomer eilav, and יתרו Yisro responds and he says, לא אלך lo eilech, I'm not coming. כי אם אל ארצי ואל מולדתי אלך Ki im el artzi v'el moladti eilech. I'm going home. It's time to go home. ויאמר V'yomer, now unlike every other son-in-law who says, no, please don't go. משה Moshe means it. ויאמר אל נא תעזוב אותנו V'yomer al na ta'azov osanu. משה Moshe says, no, I mean it. I'm not being sarcastic. I'm not just saying it superficially. שווער Shver, father-in-law, I mean it. כי על כן ידעת חנותנו במדבר והיית לנו לעינים Ki al kein yadata chanosainu bamidbar v'hayisa lanu l'einayim. Don't leave us. You know our encampments in the desert? You have been our eyes. והיה כי תלך עמנו V'haya ki selech imanu, when you come with us, if you come with us, then with the goodness what השם Hashem does will benefit us, we'll give to you. And abruptly, the Torah leaves it there. Did יתרו Yisro leave? Did יתרו Yisro stay? What does the פסוק pasuk say? Doesn't tell us. We don't know. Later commentators debate, the Rishonim debate, did יתרו Yisro stay? Did he leave? Why would the Torah omit that fact? Did he stay or did he leave? We've spoken about it in the past, I'm not going to give you an answer now. But the question is, why was it so important for יתרו Yisro to stay? Rav Druk wonders in his לבוא שש Lavo Shesh, why is משה Moshe pleading with his father-in-law, you have to stay. Why is it so important? Why is it so important? So the answer is, go back to the beginning of פרשת יתרו Parshas Yisro. When יתרו Yisro joins the Jewish people, why does he come? He says, עתה ידעתי כי גדול השם מכל האלהים atah yadati ki gadol Hashem mikol ha'elohim. Now I know that God is the greatest God. And רש\"י Rashi says יתרו Yisro had experimented, he had studied comparative religion. He had experimented with every religion in the world. There wasn't an idolatry that he hadn't worshipped, that he hadn't worshipped. לא הניח יתרו עבודה זרה בכל העולם שלא חזר עליה ועבדה Lo hiniach Yisro avodah zarah b'chol ha'olam shelo chazar aleha v'avdah. He tried every idolatry, and that's why it says מכל האלהים mikol ha'elohim. From all of those false gods, this is the only real God. It means יתרו Yisro was a בקי baki. יתרו Yisro was an expert in everything the world has to offer. He was בקי ויודע את תחבולותיו baki v'yodea es tachbulosav. He knew everything the world offered, cuz he experienced, experimented, he experienced, he tried all the ענינים בעולם inyanim ba'olam. Everything that would distance you from God, he tried it. יתרו Yisro was an expert. He tried Molly, cocaine, meth, marijuana, alcohol. He tried, he went to Vegas and he lived in the casino and he did the gambling. He lived on the strip and he went into the places he shouldn't have been in. He tried the stock market, he was a hedge fund manager, he pursued money. He was an Instagrammer, an influencer, he tried the world of social media. There was nothing in the world that he hadn't done. He worshipped at all of the idols, all of the altars of this world. He worshipped celebrities, he worshipped athletes, he worshipped money, he worshipped influence, he worshipped power and access to the White House. He worshipped it all. He had tried it all and he knew the downfall and detriment. He knew the problems with all. And that's why משה Moshe says והיית לנו לעינים v'hayisa lanu l'einayim. Don't leave. You'll be our eyes because we're about to go through this world and it's going to entice us. I've got two to three million people with me, says משה Moshe, and I know they're going to want to check out Vegas. I know they're going to think that where it's at is stock market. I know that they're going to think they want influence and power and social media followers, but you've seen it all, you've done it all, you've been everywhere and you know that that's not what it's about. What does it say in the third paragraph of שמע Shma? ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם אשר אתם זונים אחריהם V'lo sasuru acharei levavchem v'acharei eineichem asher atem zonim achareihem. And רש\"י Rashi there says, don't pursue the things that will draw you and distract you. לב ועינים Lev v'einayim are heart and our eyes are the מרגלים של הגוף meraglim shel haguf. They're the spies. of the body. The eyes and the heart. The eyes have this amazing ability. Out of the corner of our eye, I think I see an extra piece of dessert. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a little יצר הרע yetzer hara I could look at, a little יצר הרע yetzer hara I could worship, a little יצר הרע yetzer hara I could desire. The eyes and the heart are the spies of the body.So what Moshe is telling Yisro about, והיית לנו לעינים v'hayisa lanu l'einayim, you'll be our eyes, is when our bodies, the spies of our bodies, our eyes fail us because they make us want to check out or pursue or sign up or subscribe or go to the places that will not be good for us, you've been there and you've done that. And you can get up and you can say, don't do it. Don't do it. Coming back to our metaphor about the room and the 12 steps, I need you to be the sponsor of all of כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael. What's the idea of the sponsor? Someone who's a few steps ahead of you. Been there, done that. I know the downfall, I know the obstacles, I know the problems. Yisro, will you be the sponsor of כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael? והיית לנו לעינים V'hayisa lanu l'einayim, stay and be our eyes. Stay and be our eyes. Did he stay or did he leave? We don't know. The text doesn't tell us. Why doesn't it tell us? It's a good question. Spoken about it before. I'll leave it for you to think about. So much we didn't get to about how Moshe is the greatest, most humble man ever. והאיש משה עניו מכל האדם V'ha'ish Moshe anav mikol ha'adam. Who wrote that down? Who wrote that down? Who recorded the whole Torah? God dictated it. Who wrote it down? So Moshe wrote down, Moshe is the most humble man of all time. Does that sound humble to you? Moshe, write this down. Moshe is the most humble man that ever lived. Moshe says, \"Sure, I got it. How do you spell Moshe?\" No problem. We'll make sure I get that right. Does that sound like humility? I guess next year בבהעלותך b'aloscha we'll have to answer that question. Please God together in ירושלים Yerushalayim. Should be a day of בשורות טובות b'soros tovos. Please remain to finish all of ספר תהילים sefer Tehillim. We'll divide it up. 30 people stay. It'll take five minutes to finish all of תהילים Tehillim. We owe it to our brothers and sisters.
