Transcript
Good morning, בוקר טוב *Boker Tov*, welcome back to Parsha Perspectives for today. Thank you for your flexibility. I have a conflict tomorrow morning so I appreciate, but it's even earlier in the week that we get to examine and study the פרשה *Parsha* together. פרשה *Parsha* series is generously sponsored. We're in deep appreciation to Becky and Avi Katz and family in memory of David Grossman, לעילוי נשמת דוד בן מנחם מנוש *leilu nishmas David ben Menachem Manush*. A huge thank you to the Katz family. Today's שיעור *shiur* is also sponsored by Dr. Golda Sadowsky in honor of ר' יהודה לייב ודורה קורצר *Rav Yehuda Leib v'Dora Kurtzer*, her dear aunt and uncle, who should be well. Thank you so much for the generosity and for the sponsorship. We have the privilege this week of beginning the fifth and final book of the Torah, the book of דברים *Devarim*. פרשת דברים *Parshas Devarim*, page 938 in the Artscroll Stone חומש *Chumash*. And let's begin with the name of the book itself. We all know the book as ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*. That's how we know the name, but is that universally how it's called? Are there other options as well? So we begin with אוצר פלאות התורה *Otzar Pla'os HaTorah*. He quotes the following. ספר החמישי מחמישה חומשי תורה נקרא בתפוצות ישראל בשם ספר דברים *Sefer hachamishi mechameisha chumshei Torah nikra bitfutzos Yisrael b'shem Sefer Devarim*. Almost universally across the Jewish people, we all know this fifth book as the book of דברים *Devarim*. ויש לציין ששם זה אינו מוזכר כלל במקורות חז\"ל *V'yesh l'tzayen she'shem zeh eino muzkar klal b'mekoros Chazal*. But we should know, שם זה *shem zeh*, this name is not quoted anywhere in חז\"ל *Chazal*. מדרשים *Midrashim* that assign other names to the Torah or give names to the books, as we know them, does not call the book of דברים *Devarim*. Doesn't appear in חז\"ל *Chazal*, not in the מדרש *Midrash*, not in the גמרא *Gemara*. ומופיע שם זה לראשונה בספרי הראשונים *U'mofia shem zeh larishona b'sifrei harishonim*. The first time we see this name, the book of דברים *Devarim* mentioned, is among the ראשונים *Rishonim*. Look at the רד\"ק *Radak*, and look at the ריב\"א *Riva*, and look at the פענח רזא *Pa'aneach Raza* and others he quotes. אמנם במדרש תנחומא ומדרש רבה כבר נזכר ספר זה בשם ספר אלה הדברים *Omnam b'Midrash Tanchuma u'Midrash Rabbah kvar nizkar sefer zeh b'shem Sefer Eileh HaDevarim*. It's not known as the book of דברים *Devarim*, it's known as the book of אלה הדברים *Eileh HaDevarim*. These are the words, these are the דברים *Devarim*. The רמב\"ם *Rambam* in הלכות חגיגה *Hilchos Chagiga* calls it חומש אלה הדברים *Chumash Eileh HaDevarim*, for example. ובממרחי חז\"ל מצינו שמות נוספים לספר זה *Uv'ma'amrei Chazaleinu matzinu sheimos nosafim l'sefer zeh*. What other names do we find for this book? Don't worry, the אוצר פלאות התורה *Otzar Pla'os HaTorah* has collected and organized them for us. So, what's another name for the book of דברים *Devarim*? משנה תורה *Mishneh Torah*. Very good. משנה תורה *Mishneh Torah*. This משנה תורה *Mishneh Torah* appears in many places. It appears in the book of דברים *Devarim* itself. פרק י\"ז *Perek Yud Zayin* in דברים *Devarim*, it calls וכתב לו את משנה התורה הזאת על ספר *v'kasav lo es mishneh haTorah hazos al sefer*. Write this משנה תורה *Mishneh Torah*. What does משנה תורה *mishneh Torah* mean? משנה *Mishneh* means repetition or review or a second go-around of the Torah. And among the ראשונים *Rishonim* we find this name mentioned, משנה תורה *Mishneh Torah*. Why is the name משנה תורה *Mishneh Torah*, why is this an apt description? The רמב\"ן *Ramban* writes in his הקדמה *hakdama* to this fifth and final book of the Torah, the רמב\"ן *Ramban* writes, הספר הזה ענינו ידוע שהוא משנה תורה יבאר בו משה רבינו לדור הנכנס בארץ רוב מצוות התורה הצריכות לישראל *Hasefer hazeh inyano yadua shehu Mishneh Torah, yeva'er bo Moshe Rabbeinu l'dor hanichnas ba'aretz rov mitzvos haTorah hatzrichos l'Yisrael*. Because Moshe offers this monologue, this soliloquy, which we'll speak about in a moment, and in it, he's speaking to the generation that are going to enter the land, and he tells them, here are the מצוות *mitzvos* you need to be aware of. Here's what to be mindful of as you prepare and as you're going to enter the land. כופל ושונה *Kofel v'shoneh*, says the רמב\"ן *Ramban*, he reviews, he repeats, he's going to go over the מצוות *mitzvos* for this generation again. So משנה תורה *Mishneh Torah*, here we have the repetition of the Torah, the review, the summary of the Torah for the generation who is going to go in. So first, it's called דברים *Devarim*, though we don't find that in חז\"ל *Chazal*, we find it in ראשונים *Rishonim*. אלה הדברים *Eileh HaDevarim*. Second name, משנה תורה *Mishneh Torah*. Third name is ספר הישר *Sefer HaYashar*. The גמרא מסכת עבודה זרה דף כ\"ה *Gemara Maseches Avodah Zarah daf kaf hei* says, three opinions. דברי יהושע... הֲלֹא הִיא כְתוּבָה עַל סֵפֶר הַיָּשָׁר *Divrei Yehoshua... halo hi ksuva al sefer hayashar*. רבי אלעזר says ספר ישר זה ספר משנה תורה *Rabbi Elazar says Sefer Yashar zeh Sefer Mishneh Torah*. Why is the book of דברים *Devarim*, the fifth book of the Torah called ספר הישר *Sefer HaYashar*? We usually think of the first book, בראשית *Bereishis*, another nickname of בראשית *Bereishis*, ספר הישר *Sefer HaYashar*. Why is it called ספר הישר *Sefer HaYashar*? Because it includes the מצוה *mitzvah* of the פסוק *pasuk*, וְעָשִׂיתָ הַיָּשָׁר וְהַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֵי ה' *v'asisa hayashar v'hatov b'einei Hashem*. When we don't know what to do, when what the dilemma that we face, what act should I take? What's my behavior? What's the judgment I should show? What's the right thing to do? The Torah can't legislate and regulate every single possibility that could come up. Sometimes we'll face decisions, we'll face dilemmas that the Torah could not specifically spell out. What do we do in those moments? ועשית הישר והטוב *V'asisa hayashar v'hatov*. So this is the book that includes that פסוק *pasuk*, which is the overarching, the umbrella policy of Torah, which is, when you don't know what to do, stay on the straight and narrow. Do what's appropriate, what's right. Ask yourself, what would Hashem want you to do? What will give נחת רוח *nachas ruach* to Hashem? What does Hashem want for you in this moment? Since it includes this פסוק *pasuk*, another name is ספר הישר *Sefer HaYashar*. So דברים *Devarim*, אלה הדברים *Eileh HaDevarim*, משנה תורה *Mishneh Torah*, ספר הישר *Sefer HaYashar*. Number five is תנא דבי אליהו *Tanna D'vei Eliyahu*. The מדרש תנא דבי אליהו *Midrash Tanna D'vei Eliyahu* calls this book ספר התוכחות *Sefer HaTochechos*. This is the first מוסר ספר *mussar sefer*. This is the book of מוסר *mussar*. Why is it called ספר התוכחות *Sefer HaTochechos*? We'll see in a moment, the very opening פסוק *pasuk* of our פרשה *parsha*, of this fifth and final book tells us these are the things that משה *Moshe* spoke to the Jewish people, and רש\"י *Rashi* tells us משה *Moshe* was embedding מוסר *mussar*, subtle, nuanced, soft, generous, gracious, kind. He had מוסר *mussar*, he had rebuke to offer, he had feedback to give, but he didn't give them a big זעץ אין פנים *zets in punim*. He didn't give them a big שטארק מוסר *shtark mussar*, yell and scream and you're gonna burn and you know who you are and you lowlife, good for nothing rejects. I can't believe the way you behaved. He was trying to lift them up. How did he lift them up? By not explicitly expressing their failures and shortcomings, but by alluding to them, by referencing them. He lifted them up by saying, we both know where you went wrong, we don't have to spell it out, but we can do better. Let's do better. So תנא דבי אליהו *Tanna D'vei Eliyahu* calls this book ספר התוכחות *Sefer HaTochechos*. This is the book of, the book of מוסר *mussar*. So here we have many, many names, the possibilities of what the name of the book is. This book, אלה הדברים *Eileh HaDevarim*, Moshe's monologue, Moshe's soliloquy to כלל ישראל *Klal Yisrael*, before his demise and before they transition to enter the land. How long was the speech? I had a friend visiting this past שבת *Shabbos*, a fellow רב *rav* from New Jersey. He heard me in one of the מנינים *minyanim*. He said, \"Yo, we speak for 20 minutes?\" I said, \"First of all, it was under 20 minutes, and second of all, yes, because my policy is if what you're saying is interesting, you can speak for a long time. If you're boring, then one minute is too long.\" So it's not a question of how long, it's a question of how compelling and how interesting. Anyway, as you know well, that's my policy. So how long was this speech? 20 minutes is way too long according to some. How long was this speech? The אור החיים הקדוש *Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh* says משה רבינו הוכיח את בני ישראל במשך שלושים וששה יום *Moshe Rabbeinu hochi'ach es Bnei Yisrael b'meshech shloshim v'shisha yom*. A 36-day speech. That, my friends, is a long דרשה *drasha*. 20 minutes is nothing. 36 days straight. Because he began to speak to them on the first day of שבט *Shevat*. It says בעשתי עשר חודש באחד לחודש דבר משה אל בני ישראל *b'ashtei asar chodesh b'echad la'chodesh diber Moshe el Bnei Yisrael*. And he spoke to them until the day he died. What is his יארצייט *yahrtzeit*? When did משה רבינו *Moshe Rabbeinu* die on? ז' אדר *Zayin Adar*, the 7th of Adar. So how long is that? How many days is that? 36 days. 36-day דרשה *drasha*. A 36-day שיעור *shiur*. A 36-day lecture. And this is hinted to, says the אור החיים הקדוש *Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh* in this פסוק *pasuk*: אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל *Eileh hadevarim asher diber Moshe el kol Yisrael*. אלה *Eileh* is how much in גמטריא *gematria*? Come on, people. You shouldn't even have to calculate it. If I'm quoting it, it's for a reason. He spoke for 36 days. אלה *Eileh* is 36 in גמטריא *gematria*. It was a speech that lasted for 36 days. So I don't feel bad going for 20 minutes. Now רש\"י *Rashi* begins, אלה הדברים לפי שהן דברי תוכחות ומנה כאן כל המקומות שהכעיסו לפני המקום בהם *Eileh hadevarim, lefi she'hen divrei tochechos u'mana kan kol hamikomos shehich'isu lifnei haMakom bahem*. How did he allude to? How did he give the מוסר *mussar* in a subtle nuanced way? Because he says במדבר בערבה מול סוף בין פארן ובין תופל ולבן וחצרות ודי זהב *b'midbar ba'aravah mol Suf bein Paran u'vein Tofel v'Lavan v'Chatzeros v'Di Zahav*. These are all places that things went wrong. These were all moments, these are allusions, these are references to places and times where things went wrong. סתם את דבריו והזכירם ברמז מפני כבודן של ישראל *Sasam es devarav v'hizkiram b'remez mipnei kvodam shel Yisrael*. If you want to maintain the dignity, there's a big lesson here. Some people think that you have to give מוסר *mussar* by shaming, by embarrassing, by calling out. But that's not the way to get a message across, not in our generation. We're a very soft generation. Maybe it worked in the past, arguably it never worked, certainly it doesn't work now. In our generation, and even in the time of משה רבינו *Moshe Rabbeinu*, so we're going back, the way to get a message across is not harsh rebuke, frontal, direct, explicit, but subtle, gentle, soft, nuanced. So you see ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim* is ספר מוסר *sefer mussar*. It is the first מוסר ספר *mussar sefer* in the in the Jewish library.In fact, so much so, אוצר פלאות התורה *Otzar Pla'os HaTorah* quotes the של\"ה הקדוש *Shlah Hakadosh*. The של\"ה הקדוש *Shlah Hakadosh* in his שני לוחות הברית *Shnei Luchos HaBris* writes, ודעו בניי שכל המוסרים שהוזכרו בדברי רבותינו בתלמוד ומדרשים מה שהעריכו אחר כך מחברי ספרי תשובה ספרי מידות או מוסר גם מדברים על פי הסוד ממידת דביקות כמו הקדוש רבי שמעון בר יוחאי בזוהר ונמשך אחריו דורשי רשומות ואחרונים דברי כולם מרומזים בדברי מוסר של משה רבינו *U'de'u banai she'kol hamussarim shehuzkeru b'divrei raboseinu b'Talmud u'Midrashim, mah shehe'erichu achar kach mechabrei sifrei teshuva, sifrei middos o mussar, gam medabrim al pi hasod m'middas dveikus, k'mo haKadosh Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai b'Zohar, v'nimshach acharav dorshei reshumos v'achronim, divrei kulam merumazim b'divrei mussar shel Moshe Rabbeinu*. Every מוסר ספר *mussar sefer* that was destined to be written and authored, from רבי שמעון בר יוחאי *Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai* in his זוהר *Zohar* to שערי תשובה *Shaarei Teshuva* of רבינו יונה *Rabbeinu Yonah*, to מסילת ישרים *Mesilas Yesharim* of the רמח\"ל *Ramchal*, to ר' וולבה *Rav Wolbe*, to every מוסר ספר *mussar sefer* that was destined to be written, they all find themselves in the original. What's the OG מוסר ספר *mussar sefer*? ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*. So you have people who never learn דברים *Devarim*, they skip שנים מקרא ואחד תרגום *shnayim mikra v'echad targum*, they don't pay attention to the ליינינג *leining* in שול *shul* for this whole book through this whole summer, and they skip right to, what's the latest מוסר ספר *mussar sefer*? אוה, I got to learn ר' דן כ\"ץ בהם *Rav Don Katzbeham*. I've got to learn ר' איצ'ה מאיר *Rav Itche Meir*. I've got to learn ר' וולבה *Rav Wolbe*. Don't skip ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*. ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim* is the OG מוסר ספר *mussar sefer*. It's the original. שאין עיניים לראות יראה הכל בנא ספרא מפורש היטב אשרי עין ראתה כל אלה *She'ein einayim liros yireh hakol b'nan sifra meforash heitev, ashrei ayin ra'asa kol eileh*. Says the של\"ה הקדוש *Shlah Hakadosh*, don't skip. In fact, it's said about the יהודי הקדוש *Yid HaKadosh*, the יהודי הקדוש מפשיסחא *Yid HaKadosh mi'Pshischa*, שדרכו היה ללמוד בכל יום איזה פסוקים מספר משנה תורה *she'darko haya lilmod b'chol yom eizeh psukim m'sefer Mishneh Torah*. That he would every day learn, not only through the summer when we're reading ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*, but he would every day learn some פסוקים *psukim*. In ישיבה *yeshiva* they have a מוסר סדר *mussar seder*.It was a big debate when ר' ישראל סלנטר *Rav Yisrael Salanter* introduced the notion of learning and studying מוסר *mussar*, there was a lot of pushback. For us today, it's taken for granted. The most ליטווישע ישיבה *Litvishe yeshiva* has a מוסר סדר *mussar seder*. You gotta learn מוסר *mussar*, character development, character growth, self-improvement. But this movement was met with enormous pushback because where do we get our מוסר *mussar*? Said the original, said his contemporaries, open the גמרא *Gemara*. גמרא רש\"י תוספות *Gemara Rashi Tosfos*. הפוך בה והפוך בה דכולא בה *Hafuch ba v'hafuch ba d'kula ba*. Just open up the גמרא *Gemara*, it's all in חז\"ל *Chazal*. שטייג אין גמרא *Shteig in Gemara* all day long, you'll be good. ר' ישראל סלנטר *Rav Yisrael Salanter* said, but we see it's not working. There are people who שטייג *shteig* all day long and they have terrible character. So we need to complement it with specifically the study of מוסר *mussar*. And today, it's a standard, it's a given. Almost every ישיבה *yeshiva*, you have to have a מוסר סדר *mussar seder*. And what do you learn in a מוסר סדר *mussar seder*? You learn שערי תשובה *Shaarei Teshuva*, you learn מסילת ישרים *Mesilas Yesharim*, you learn אורחות צדיקים *Orchos Tzadikim*, the classics. Said the יהודי הקדוש מפשיסחא *Yid HaKadosh mi'Pshischa*, you know what the great classic is? ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*. All year long, open up and learn ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*. הוא המובחר שבספרי מוסר *Hu hamuvchar sheb'sifrei mussar*. It is the greatest. So when you go on vacation after תשעה באב *Tisha B'Av*, בין הזמנים *bein hazmanim*, you don't have to pack a suitcase of all the מוסר ספרים *mussar sforim*, all you need is ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*. It's all in there. It's all in there. That's all you need to learn during this time.In fact, the שיח יצחק *Siach Yitzchak* quotes in פרשת יתרו *Parshas Yisro*, כשהיו שואלים את הגאון בעל שואל ומשיב *k'shehayu sho'alim es ha'gaon ba'al Sho'el U'Meishiv*, when they would ask the שואל ומשיב *Sho'el U'Meishiv*, איזה ספר מוסר יש ללמוד בימי התשובה בחודש אלול *eizeh sefer mussar yesh lilmod b'yemei ha'teshuva b'chodesh Elul*? What מוסר ספר *mussar sefer* should you learn during אלול *Elul*? You got to get ready. He said the answer is embedded in the נביא הושע *navi Hoshea*, who says קחו עמכם דברים ושובו אל ה' *k'chu imachem devarim v'shuvu el Hashem*. קחו עמכם דברים ושובו אל ה' *K'chu imachem devarim v'shuvu el Hashem*. If you want to return to Hashem, all you need to take is קחו עמכם דברים *k'chu imachem devarim*. All you need is ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*. All you need is ספר דברים ושובו אל ה' *Sefer Devarim v'shuvu el Hashem*. That is the path, that is the way, that is how you come back to to Hashem. And then he gets into אוצר פלאות התורה *Otzar Pla'os HaTorah* now pages and pages of מוסר סדר *mussar seder*, learning מוסר *mussar*, the origin of מוסר *mussar*, what are the מוסר ספרים *mussar sforim*, but the OG מוסר ספר *mussar sefer*, the original מוסר ספר *mussar sefer* is ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*. So this ספר *sefer* we're about to learn, חבר'ה *chevra*, this is no longer the פרשה *parsha* class. This is no longer Parsha Perspectives for today. For the next few weeks until we get to ראש השנה *Rosh Hashanah*, this is מוסר סדר *mussar seder*. We're going to be learning מוסר *mussar* together as we make our way through ספר דברים *Sefer Devarim*. Now, there's an interesting thing about the words אלה הדברים *Eileh HaDevarim*. And we've mentioned this in the past, you can listen to previous years. In the past, we did it through Rav Druk. Rav Druk in his יש אומרים *yesh omrim* spoke about this, many, many reference and mention this. And what is that? אלה הדברים אשר דבר *Eileh hadevarim asher diber* משה *Moshe*. These are the words that who spoke? משה *Moshe*. Now, isn't that interesting?We're printing the speeches, דברים *Devarim*. Here is the great monologue, 36-day-long דרשה *drasha*. Here is the 36-day-long דרשה *drasha* that משה *Moshe* gave. 36 days long. Why is that fascinating? Because this is the same משה *Moshe* who said what? When Hashem recruits him and he says, \"Nu, I want you to be the spokesperson of the Jewish people. I'd like you to start a podcast. I'd like you to write an article. I want you to get a shul, I want you to be in רבנות *rabbanus*. I want you to give a דרשה *drasha*. I'd like you to be a רבי *rebbe* in a classroom, I want you to be the ראש ישיבה *rosh yeshiva*. I want you to be the leader, the מנהיג *manhig* who's going to liberate my people from מצרים *Mitzrayim*.\" And what does משה רבינו *Moshe Rabbeinu* answer? He demurs, he hesitates, he resists. He says, not me. לא איש דברים אנכי *Lo ish devarim anochi*. I'm not a public speaker. I don't have what it takes. It's not for me, לא איש דברים אנכי *lo ish devarim anochi*, I am not a man of words. And the מדרש *Midrash* notes, and the מדרש *Midrash*, they celebrate, here we have the beginning of the fifth book of the Torah, we go from the לא איש דברים אנכי *lo ish devarim anochi*, the person who said, 'I'm not a man of words,' to 36 days long of words. אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה *Eileh hadevarim asher diber Moshe*. From לא איש דברים אנכי *lo ish devarim anochi* to אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה *Eileh hadevarim asher diber Moshe*. How did it happen? How did it happen? How did he go from לא איש דברים אנכי *lo ish devarim anochi* to אלה הדברים *Eileh hadevarim*?So last night at Camp Pass, my daughter's working there, she mentioned Rav Bender came. So that reminded me to open Rav Bender on a חומש *Chumash* and preparing for today. So Rav Bender has a beautiful idea. He tells it through the story after the פטירה *petirah* of Rav Beinish Finkel, there were a number of candidates to take over, who was going to be the ראש ישיבה *Rosh Yeshiva* of the Mir in ירושלים *Yerushalayim*? His oldest son, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, was one of the biggest מתמידים *masmidim* in the ישיבה *yeshiva*, who was a huge תלמיד חכם *talmid chacham*, a גאון *gaon* in his own right, but some thought, you know, Rav Nosson Tzvi, you know where he grew up? Not in ירושלים *Yerushalayim*. Where did he grow up? In Chicago. Chicago. How do you say that properly? Chicago. Where did he go to school? Ida Crown. He was not, he was not reluctant or hesitant. In fact, I once brought a group of teenagers from our community and he asked them where they went to school and he said, \"I went to Ida Crown. I went to Ida Crown. Ida Crown, Ari Crown, Ida Crown. I went to a very similar school to you, and today I'm the ראש ישיבה *Rosh Yeshiva* of the Mir.\" That's what he told them. He wasn't ashamed or embarrassed, and he connected to other children who went to similar schools and talked about his journey. So there were those who protested, this American kid who grew up speaking English as his first language, who went to a Modern Orthodox school in Chicago, he was going to be the successor of the ראש ישיבה *Rosh Yeshiva* of the Mir? It didn't take long for those who worked closely with him to become his great admirers. On the first שמחת תורה *Simchas Torah* after Rav Beinish's passing, Rav Raphael Shmuelevitz, whom some תלמידים *talmidim* assumed would be the successor, who was the natural choice, spent a good part of הקפות *hakafos* dancing alone in front of Rav Nosson Tzvi. He was communicating through his actions a message to the בחורים *bachurim* of the ישיבה *yeshiva* that he viewed who would be the new ראש ישיבה *Rosh Yeshiva*, none other than Rav Nosson Tzvi. Years later Rav Nosson Tzvi came into the ישיבה *yeshiva* Chanukah מסיבה *mesiba*, one of the high points of the year in Mir. An evening of שמחת התורה *simchas haTorah*, אחדות *achdus* between friends, shared celebration of רבי ותלמידם *rebbe v'talmidam*. Rav Nosson Tzvi was clearly in pain, every step difficult. He had Parkinson's. It took incredible effort for him to arrive, to move, to come to the ישיבה *yeshiva*, to meet, to speak, to communicate. The pain was visible. He, there were medications he could have taken that would have dulled the pain, but it would also dulled his senses, and he didn't want to diminish his ability to learn or to teach, to communicate or to lead, so he refused the medications. He suffered enormously so that he could continue to grow what is the largest ישיבה *yeshiva* in the world today. The singing תלמידים *talmidim* watched him, their beloved ראש ישיבה *Rosh Yeshiva*. Every one of them wondered, 'How is it possible? How did this man who faced such obstacles manage to learn and teach, say brilliant שיעורים *shiurim* and חבורות *chaburos*, maintain personal חברותות *chavrusos* with any בחור *bachur* that asked? How did the weak sickly צדיק *tzaddik* raise millions of dollars, travel and speak and meet donors? How did he grow the Mir to be the biggest ישיבה *yeshiva* on the planet, probably in history?' Rav Yitzchok Ezrachi speaks at the annual מסיבה *mesiba*, and that year he seemed to detect the unasked question hanging over the room. He raised the microphone and he roared out a פסוק *pasuk* from the הפטרה *haftarah* of שבת חנוכה *Shabbos Chanukah*. לֹא בְחַיִל וְלֹא בְכֹחַ כִּי אִם־בְּרוּחִי אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת *Lo b'chayil v'lo b'choach ki im b'ruchi amar Hashem Tzvakos*. Not with strength and not with might, but with my spirit, said Hashem, Master of the Legions. That was the answer and that was the explanation. Physical might has no connection with success. Strength has no bearing on the final result. You know what it is? רוח *Ruach*, spirit. That's everything. A weak man emerged as one of the great builders of Torah in modern history, from our greatest leader who went לא איש דברים אנכי *lo ish devarim anochi* to אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה *Eileh hadevarim asher diber Moshe*. What is it? What's the secret? A person who feels I'm frail, I have a speech impediment, I'm not an orator, I can't communicate, I can't do it. לא בחיל ולא בכח כי אם ברוחי *Lo b'chayil v'lo v'choach ki im b'ruchi*. What's the answer? If you take on the אחריות *achrayus*, if you take on and you bear the responsibility, הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* gives you the רוח *ruach*. הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* gives you the spirit to be able to communicate. Sometimes you go to someone and you say, 'I have a job for you. I need you to chair this project. I need you to take over this committee. I need you to work on this מוסד *mosad* and this institution. I have somebody who's vulnerable. I need you to bear their plight.' And they say, 'Me? Who am I? What am I?' Say, 'Start it. Take it on, and you'll find the הקדוש ברוך הוא *Kadosh Baruch Hu* is going to give you what you need.' If you accept the אחריות *achrayus*, the responsibility, הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* gives you what you need. And that's how we go from לא איש דברים אנכי *lo ish devarim anochi* to אלה הדברים *Eileh hadevarim*. Now, you wouldn't believe it, there's a ראש ישיבה *Rosh Yeshiva* I was speaking to recently. ברוך השם *Baruch Hashem*, he's growing a beautiful, beautiful ישיבה *yeshiva*. And he's a fantastic speaker. He gives incredibly high-level שיעורים *shiurim*, and he also is able to communicate in a very compelling way to those who are not scholars. And he told me, he said, 'Do you know before he became a ראש ישיבה *Rosh Yeshiva*, he was in finance. He worked in the area of finance before he decided he was going to go into עבודת הקודש *avodas hakodesh*.' And he said, 'Do you know one of the reasons he didn't is he had an incredible fear of public speaking. He had an unbelievable fear of public speaking.' At his own בר מצווה *Bar Mitzvah*, he had a fear of public speaking. And he described the many events of his life where he didn't speak publicly because he had a fear of public speaking. Today he's an orator. Today he's an incredible ראש ישיבה *Rosh Yeshiva* teaching Torah every single day in a רב *rav*. Why? Because לא בחיל ולא בכח כי אם ברוחי *lo v'chayil v'lo v'choach ki im b'ruchi*, you can go from a לא איש דברים אנכי *lo ish devarim anochi* to אלה הדברים *Eileh hadevarim*. How? When you take the אחריות *achrayus*, when you take the responsibility, הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* gives us the רוח *ruach*. He gives us the the spirit. הקדוש ברוך הוא *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* gives us the ברכה *bracha* to be able to fulfill.פסוק ו' *Pasuk vav*, next page. ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ דִּבֶּר אֵלֵינוּ בְּחֹרֵב לֵאמֹר רַב־לָכֶם שֶׁבֶת בָּהָר הַזֶּה *Hashem Elokeinu diber eileinu b'Chorev leimor, rav-lachem sheves bahar hazeh*. So again, משה *Moshe* is embedding these nuanced מוסר *mussar* messages in these פסוקים *psukim* by referencing places where things occurred, and we get to פסוק ו' *pasuk vav*. Hashem our God spoke to us in חורב *Chorev* saying, 'Enough. You can't live at this mountain forever. גנוג *Genug*, it's time to move on. Turn yourselves around the journey and come.' פנו וסעו לכם ובאו הר האמורי ואל כל שכניו בערבה בהר ובשפלה ובנגב ובחוף הים *P'nu u's'u lachem u'vo'u Har Ha'Emori v'el kol sh'cheinaiv ba'aravah bahar u'vashfelah u'va'negev u'v'chof hayam*. Keep going, keep moving, it's time to move on. You've got to get going. What's going on in this פסוק *pasuk*? What does it mean Hashem said you're here long enough, it's time to move? So first of all, where is this place? Where is this place? He spoke to us where, דבר אלינו בחורב *diber eileinu b'Chorev*. Where's חורב *Chorev*? Where's חורב *Chorev*? So the אוצר פלאות התורה *Otzar Pla'os HaTorah* has four or five different explanations, interpretations of what is חורב *Chorev*. לשון חורבן *Lashon churban*. The גמרא רשנים *Gemara Rosh Hashanah* darshans, למה נקרא הר חורב *lama nikra Har Chorev*? Why is הר סיני *Har Sinai* where we received the Torah called הר חורב *Har Chorev*? שירדה חורבה לאומות העולם עליו *sheyarda churva l'umos ha'olam alav*. Because there was a חורבה *churva* that came to the nations of the world on that mountain. So it's called חורב *Chorev*. Number one. Number two, לשון חרב *lashon cherev*. The מדרש מוסר אבא בשלשה שמות נקרא ההר הזה *Midrash Mussar Abba b'shlosha sheimos nikra hahar hazeh*. The mountain is called by three names. הר האלהים *Har Ha'Elokim*, the mountain of God, the greatest revelation in history. הר חורב *Har Chorev* and הר סיני *Har Sinai*. חורב למה שבו ניתנה תורה שנקראת חרב *Chorev lama, shebo nitna Torah shenikra'as cherev*. רוממות קל בגרונם וחרב פיפיות בידם *Romemos Kel bigronam v'cherev pifiyos b'yadam*. Those who are ambassadors, those who have Torah, the פסוק בתהלים *pasuk b'Tehillim* says, רוממות קל בגרונם *romemos Kel bigronam*, the exalted words of Hashem are in our throat, and the double-edged sword is in our hand. So Torah is a double-edged sword, the sharpness of Torah is like a חרב *cherev*, like a sword, so it's called הר חורב *Har Chorev*. Number three, לשון חורב ויבשות *lashon chorev v'yivshus*. In the דברי אבן עזרא *divrei Ibn Ezra*, הר חורב מלשון יבשות וכן פירש הברבנאל ונקרא גם כן הר חורב מדבר חורב *Har Chorev milashon yivshus v'chein peireish ha'Abarbanel v'nikra gam kein Har Chorev midbar Chorev*. מפני יוסף קרב למצרים ולא יונק שם גם עולה הגיע שם לאשכזה וזה היה מקום יבש *Mipnei Yosef karov l'Mitzrayim v'lo yonakta shama, gam ha'ola higia sham l'ashkiza v'zeh haya makom yavesh*. This was a dry, desolate land. The irrigation channels of Egypt didn't reach there, it was dried out, it was desert, it was desolate, and therefore חורב *Chorev* is מלשון יבשה *milashon yavesha* of being יבש *yavesh*, it was dried out. Number four, חורב אותיות חרב וחבר לשלום את הדברים דרך דרוש אמר ז\"ל שם שלום *Chorev osiyos cherev v'chaver lishlom es hadvarim derech drush amru Chazal shalom*. He says the following, חרב אלא באדם לומד את התורה לבד *Cherev ela b'adam lomed es haTorah l'vad*. What do we call חורב *Chorev* is the same letters as חבר *chaver*. If you're learning the דף *daf* right now you know an עם הארץ *am ha'aretz* versus a חבר *chaver*. עם הארץ *Am ha'aretz* is an ignoramus and a חבר *chaver* is a learned scholar. חברותא *Chavrusa*, חבר *chaver*, חרב *cherev*. So therefore, הר חורב *Har Chorev* is the place of חברים *chaverim*, a חבר *chaver*. You have the יקה'ס *yekes* call not a רב *rav*, החבר *hachaver*. A חבר *chaver* is a learned person, סמיכת חבר *smichas chaver*. So this is הר חורב *Har Chorev* are the same letters as חבר *chaver*. So anyway, that is the mountain where Hashem spoke to us. And what was the message that he communicated there? The message he communicated there was רב לכם שבט בהר הזה *rav lachem sheves bahar hazeh*. It's enough. Genug. You've been here long enough. It's time to move on. How long were we there? After we received the Torah, how long did we plant ourselves at that mountain? One year. We saw in the פרשה *parsha* class a few weeks ago, we were there for one year. Why was it time to move on? רב לכם שבט *Rav lachem sheves*. Why was it time to move on?So listen to Rav Sternbach. In his טעם ודעת *Taam V'daas* he says something phenomenal. Listen to what he says. נראה כוונת שהיו ישראל חפצים להישאר בדרגת קרבתם אל ה' יתברך בהר סיני *Nireh kavanas she'hayu Yisrael chafetzim l'hisha'er b'dargas kirvasam el Hashem Yisborach b'Har Sinai*. You know what life was like at הר סיני *Har Sinai*? כולל *Kollel*. כולל *Kollel* lifestyle. Sitting and שטייגען *shteiging*, sitting and learning. Everything's provided, everything's taken care. You have the גישמאק *geshmak* of sitting and learning. שרתה שכינה עליהם שם בגילוי וזכו לשמוע דבר ה' פנים בפנים בעת קבלת התורה *Sharsah shechina aleihem sham b'gilui v'zachu lishmoa dvar Hashem panim b'panim b'eis kabalas haTorah*. There's revelation, you feel connected, you're on a high, you're spiritually inspired. ולא אבו לפרוש ממעמדם זו *V'lo avu lifrosh m'ma'amadam zu*. They didn't want to separate. They didn't want to come down from this high. ולמה שאמר לנו ה' אלהינו דבר אלינו לאמור רב לכם שבט בהר הזה *U'l'mah she'amar lanu Hashem Elokeinu diber eileinu leimor, rav lachem sheves bahar hazeh*. Says Rav Sternbach, Hashem turns to them and he says, 'It's been a fantastic farbrengen. It's been a great kumzits. It's been a wonderful shabbaton. It's been an incredible summer, it's been a great year in כולל *kollel*. כי לא לתכלית זו לבד נתן לנו את התורה *Ki lo l'tachlis zu l'vad nasan lanu es haTorah*. But this is not why I gave you the Torah. I didn't give you the Torah for you to live isolated and apart. I didn't give you the Torah to stay on this high. I didn't give you the Torah for you to transcend the physical world. אלא עלינו להפיץ ולהפיץ דבר ה' ואור תורתו בין העמים *Ela aleinu l'hafitz ul'farsem dvar Hashem v'or Toraso bein ha'amim*. I empowered you, I enriched you, and I charge you to take this Torah and go out and transform and absolutely transform the world. I gave you the Torah not to hibernate. I gave you the Torah not to isolate. I gave you the Torah not to sit and live in pursuit of your own spiritual ambition. I gave you this Torah to go and repair and redeem my world. Go mold it and shape it in the image of our Torah. Go learn the Torah, let the Torah mold you and shape you, let the Torah get you ready, and then go out. Recently I was talking to a group of young people, some want to go into עבודת הקודש *avodas hakodesh* and they said, 'What's the most important thing for me to be doing right now so I'll be a great רב *rav*, I'll be a great רבי *rebbe* in the future?' I said, 'The most important thing for you to be doing right now, sit and שטייג *shteig*. Learn and grow and prepare yourself.' Yeah, there are other things you could do, volunteer to to fill in for a דבר תורה *dvar Torah*, write, get into the habit of writing, but those are on the side. Your main objective right now is to prepare yourself. So one needs time and it's a privilege to help those who need time before marriage or for a short time after marriage, sit and learn and grow and mold you, your family, to be a Torah family. But then that's not permanent. That's not forever. Hashem didn't give us that so that that's where we live. רב לכם שבט בהר הזה *Rav lachem sheves bahar hazeh*. You gotta get up at some point, you gotta depart the mountain. At some point you got to take the Torah that you learned at the mountain and it's time to take it out and take it with you. ללמדם אמונת אומן בה' אלהינו ולהכין ליבם לעבדו ולאהבה כבודו *L'lamdam emunas uman b'Hashem Elokeinu u'l'hachin libam l'avdo u'l'ahava kvodo*. You have to go teach the world. You have to go model for the world. You have to go impact and influence the world. You have to go live in the world. וזהו שאמר פנו וסעו לכם ובאו הר האמורי ואל כל שכניו *V'zehu she'amar p'nu u's'u lachem u'vo'u Har Ha'Emori v'el kol sh'cheinaiv*. שלא יצבעש להישאר בדד במקומם *Shelo yitzba'esh l'hisha'er b'dad b'mekomam*. Don't live alone and isolated. יתפשטו להפיץ לאור קדושים שמים בערבה בהר ובשפלה ובנגב *Yitpashtu l'hafitz l'or kdoshim shamayim ba'aravah, bahar, u'vashfelah, u'v'negev*. Spread out in every direction. Take the Torah and let the Torah influence the world. Torah sells itself. Go influence. בכל מקום אשר תדרוך כף הרגל *B'chol makom asher tidroch kaf haregel*, wherever your feet can take you, wherever you can go. כי זהו ייעודם של ישראל עם סגולה *Ki zehu yi'udam shel Yisrael am segula*. This is the fate and destiny of the Jewish people. We are an עם סגולה *am segula*. להיות לו ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש *Lihiyos lo mamleches kohanim v'goy kadosh*. Our mission is to be a nation of priests, a nation of preachers.Now, we are all teachers. We said last week in the פרשה *parsha* class, they were תלמידים *talmidim* of the מרגלים *meraglim*. Ah, תלמידים *talmidim*, they never learned in their class. We said everyone's a רבי *rebbe*, everybody's a מורה *morah*, because when you live your life in business, in gym, at the supermarket, everywhere you go and everything that you do, how friendly, how courtesy you have, דרך ארץ *derech eretz*, the honesty and integrity that you live with, we're all teachers. So the Torah was given not for us to live on the mountain forever. We don't set up and pitch a tent next to the mountain forever. We spend some time there. We were given a year. We sat at the mountain for a year. You have to sit and שטייג *shteig* and learn. We spent 40 years in the מדבר *midbar* sitting in a כולל *kollel* lifestyle. That's even longer than a 36-day דרשה *drasha*. We sat and we learned for for 40 years, but it's time for כלל ישראל *Klal Yisrael* to go out. So there's a period of time, which is subjective for each person and each generation where we have to fortify ourselves and ensure that we're strong. You can't go out and teach, you can't go out and be a role model if you yourself are not fortified and strong. So the period of time to get strong, to learn, to grow, to be solid, and then to take it. Isn't it amazing, Rav Sternbach? רב לכם שבט בהר הזה *Rav lachem sheves bahar hazeh*. You've been here at the mountain. It's time פנו וסעו *p'nu u's'u*, turn and go journey אל כל שכניו *el kol sh'cheinaiv*. Go see all the neighbors. Go בערבה בהר ובשפלה ובנגב ובחוף הים *ba'aravah, bahar, u'vashfelah, u'v'negev, u'v'chof hayam*. Go in every direction, bring that Torah and impact the world around you. We learned, we don't review, but we said it last year that הייליגע טפשחא *Heilige T'vashcha*. שלמה מרדומסק *Shlomo m'Radomsk* says the following. רב לכם שבט בהר הזה *Rav lachem sheves bahar hazeh*. You know what you need? Not שבט *sheves* but שבת *Shabbos*. שבת *Shabbos*. That even when you don't have a בית המקדש *Beis HaMikdash*, שבת *Shabbos* is in time what the בית המקדש *Beis HaMikdash* is in space. רב לכם שבט רב לכם שבת *Rav lachem sheves, rav lachem Shabbos*. You need שבת *Shabbos*. How do you get back to הר סיני *Har Sinai*? שבת *Shabbos*. How do you get back to the בית המקדש *Beis HaMikdash* even when we don't have it? רב לכם שבט רב לכם שבת *Rav lachem sheves, rav lachem Shabbos*. You can hear more about that in last year's. Turn the page 942. Turn the page 942.פסוק י\"ג Pasuk Yud Gimmel. So Moshe now, Moshe Rabbeinu is taking us through his speech, through his הייליגע heilega TED talk to כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael on their way into ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael and he says to them the following. He says, what happens? We proliferated, we promulgated, there were a lot of you and there were a lot of issues that rose and it was time for judge, time for judges. איכה אשא לבדי טרחכם ומשאכם וריבכם Eicha esa levadi torchachem u'masachem v'rivchem. I can't carry you all alone. איכה Eicha, one of the three איכה Eichas, we read it to the tune of איכה Eicha. There's a lot to say, we have said, you could listen to previous years. הבו לכם אנשים חכמים ונבונים Havu lachem anashim chachamim u'nevonim. So Moshe concluded, he listened to the advice of his שווער shver, of his father-in-law Yisro, and he said I can't do it alone. I have to delegate. I have to delegate. I have to find worthy men. What were worthy men? אנשים חכמים ונבונים וידועים לשבטיכם, ושמתים בראשיכם Anashim chachamim u'nevonim v'yeduim l'shivteichem, v'asimeim b'rosheichem. I'll find worthy men and distinguished men, wise men, understanding men, men well known, and I'll appoint them as your heads. ותענו אותי ותאמרו טוב הדבר אשר דברת לעשות Vata'anu osi vatomru tov hadavar asher dibarta la'asos. And you answered me, you כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael, you the people said, oh, it's a good idea. We're in. So I took the heads of your tribes, ואקח את ראשי שבטיכם va'ekach es roshei shivteichem, and I established them and I created a hierarchy and a system, and so on. Says Rav Soloveitchik, says the Rav in the Rav חומש Chumash. The first chapter of the book of דברים Dvarim details the march towards the conquering of the Land of Israel. In this פסוק pasuk the theme abruptly changes to a conversation that took place between Moshe and בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael regarding the appointment of judges and the institution of a system of justice. Why did Moshe Rabbeinu deviate? He's describing we came out of מצרים Mitzrayim, had miracles, we got the Torah at הר סיני Har Sinai. We were marching right to ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael. Oh, by the way, let me just take a detour, and let me just talk about judges and justice and leadership. Why? Why is Moshe Rabbeinu interjecting that here? He was just retelling the story of the march towards ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael, to the Land of Israel.So says Rav Soloveitchik, says the Rav, in this פסוק pasuk Moshe asked the people for recommendations. Who might be the most appropriate candidates for the judgeship? He later gave the newly appointed judge instructions, how to act in their positions, emphasizing to the nation as a whole the importance of following the Torah when they enter the land. Only after these instructions did the march toward the land of Israel resume. Moshe interrupted his narrative with this seemingly tangential point. Why? Listen carefully. Because the prerequisite for entry into the land was the institution of a system of justice. You have to see the הפטרה Haftarah on our פרשה Parsha as well.This is the message of the three weeks. קודש ברוך הוא Kadosh Baruch Hu did not throw us out of the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash and did not throw us out of the land because we weren't keeping שבת Shabbos properly, because we weren't שוקל'ן shuckeling enough in our שמונה עשרה Shmoneh Esrei, because we weren't being מקפיד makpid enough in our הכשרים hechsherim. All those are critically important, and we don't diminish them whatsoever, and we have to be vigilant and scrupulous with them, but they were not the reason or the cause of the חורבן churban. What was the cause of the חורבן churban? A failure of justice. We failed to defend the widow, the orphan. We didn't stand up for the underprivileged. We didn't fight for justice. This sequence provides the blueprint, says the Rav, for the coming of משיח Moshiach as well. And this is the historical precedent is the rationale for the sequence of the ברכות brachos of שמונה עשרה Shmoneh Esrei. So you're ready? A little bonus סידור Siddur snippet for you. After initially laying out the individual needs, forgiveness, health, sustenance, שמונה עשרה Shmoneh Esrei addresses itself to the Jewish people's communal redemption. After the request for the ingathering of the exiles, in תקע בשופר Teka B'Shofar, it would have seemed logical to transition immediately to the ברכה bracha of ולירושלים v'liYerushalayim. You ever wonder? We'll repeat this in סידור Siddur snippets. But why do we go from תקע בשופר גדול לחרותנו Teka b'shofar gadol l'cheiruseinu, Hashem gather us all together from the four corners of the globe, נפש בנפש nefesh b'nefesh, bring us together. Where should we go right from there to? ולירושלים עירך V'liYerushalayim ircha? את צמח דוד Es tzemach Dovid? Hashem rebuild ירושלים Yerushalayim. Hashem let the Davidic dynasty blossom and sprout again, let the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash be built, let משיח Moshiach come. But we don't. In between תקע בשופר Teka b'Shofar and ולירושלים את צמח V'liYerushalayim es tzemach, what are we דאווענען davening for? What are we דאווענען davening for? We דאווענען daven for justice. We דאווענען daven for justice. To defeat those who oppose it, and we triumph for those who are righteous. השיבה שופטינו כבראשונה ויועצינו כבתחילה Hashiva shofteinu k'varishona v'yoatzeinu k'vatchila. We דאווענען daven for justice. Why? Because the root to redemption is through justice. The root to redemption is through justice. You cannot have, no matter how pious, no matter how seemingly righteous, if you have a generation that is neglecting righteous justice, is not standing up for justice, then you will not have redemption. The root to redemption is through justice. And that's why למה לי רוב זבחיכם יאמר השם lama li rov zivcheichem yomar Hashem. That is the הפטרה Haftarah. What is the הפטרה Haftarah? In this שבת חזון Shabbos Chazon, the third of the הפטרות Haftaros of the ג' דפורענותא gimmel d'puranusa. קודש ברוך הוא Kadosh Baruch Hu says, למה לי רוב זבחיכם יאמר השם lama li rov zivcheichem yomar Hashem. Rav Soloveitchik writes on this, on our הפטרה Haftarah, secular historians state that the prophets negated the institution of sacrifices and priestly office. Why? Because the נביא navi says, ישעיהו בן אמוץ Yeshayahu ben Amotz says, למה לי רוב זבחיכם Lama li rov zivcheichem? What do I need all your sacrifices for?So historians, secular historians say, you see, the days of sacrifice are over. Sacrifices are archaic and outdated. But they're wrong. The prophets, they say, wish to abrogate ceremonial religiosity in toto. These assumptions are based on falsehood and hatred of Jewish people, rooted in early Christianity. The prophets never fought against the institution of sacrifice in itself. They never intended to strip Judaism of the forms of of בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash. ירמיהו Yirmiyahu chastised Jewish people so much for the proliferation of sacrifices, mourned the destruction for many days. In איכה Eicha, he emphasizes strenuously that the abrogation of sacrifice and festival was an extremely tragic event. ישעיהו Yeshayahu who shouted למה לי רוב זבחיכם lama li rov zivcheichem prophesizes the day when the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash will stand at the head of all the mountains. So no prophet ever rose up against the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash. חס ושלום Chas v'shalom. This pasuk is not meant to be understood the way these historians did. This is not an abrogation or rejection of the קרבנות korbanos of the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash. So what did he mean? ישעיהו Yeshayahu when he said למה לי רוב זבחיכם Lama li rov zivcheichem, what did he mean? They protested against the view that man's world is divided into two domains, the secular and the sacred. That within the former man is free to behave as he desires without subjecting himself to the yoke of commandment and duty. They protested against the human being who wanted Hashem not to intervene in his private affairs and public conduct. They protested against the view that it's only in the second domain, in the sacred, that that man has to serve Hashem. And that as long as one discharges one's cultic obligations, all is well. The prophets did not tolerate the outlook which says that Hashem requires only one region to be consecrated to his name, only one region in which man is to be unburden himself as the yoke. They protested against this continuity between the secular and sacred. They opposed the strange leap from the secular to sacred, from the defiled to the pure. למה לי רוב זבחיכם Lama li rov zivcheichem meant, you can't שוקל shuckle and have a long שמונה עשרה Shmoneh Esrei, you can't wear an outwardly religious garb and you're rude and discourteous and dishonest and cruel and unjust. What's the point of all of that if you don't know how to treat each other? What's the point of all of your relationship with me? You're going to seem so righteous and self-righteous in your relationship with me, and the way that you treat my other children, you're cruel, you're unkind, you're mean-spirited, you're vengeful, you're judgmental. No way. למה לי רוב זבחיכם Lama li rov zivcheichem. Oh, thank you. למה לי רוב זבחיכם Lama li rov zivcheichem. You don't understand what it's really all about. So Rav Soloveitchik, both in the הפטרה Haftarah and the words of ישעיהו Yeshayahu as well as in this פסוק pasuk, what does he say? אנשים חכמים נבונים וידועים לשבטיכם Anashim chachamim nevonim yeduim l'shivteichem. Why did Moshe detour? He was talking about our march towards ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael. And the answer is, the march towards ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael has to pass through where? Justice. And that's why in the עמידה Amida, the march between תקע בשופר Teka b'Shofar, in between the gathering of the exiles and ולירושלים v'liYerushalayim and את צמח דוד es tzemach Dovid has to go through השיבה שופטינו כבראשונה Hashiva shofteinu k'varishona. Restore justice. We long for the restoration of justice.And how do we have justice? א:ט\"ז Aleph Tes Zayin. ואצוה את שופטיכם Va'atzaveh es shofteichem. So once I recruited, ברוך אתה ה' אלקינו מלך העולם שהכל נהיה בדברו Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu melech ha'olam shehakol nihiyeh bidvaro.Once Moshe identified the candidates to be the leaders in this hierarchy, those who would be trained for and fight for justice, he gives them a message. Oh, he gives them a message. And what's the message? פרק א' פסוק ט\"ז Perek Aleph Pasuk Tes Zayin. ואצוה את שופטיכם בעת ההיא לאמר Va'atzaveh es shofteichem ba'eis hahi leimor, I commanded your שופטים shoftim in that time saying, שמוע בין אחיכם ושפטתם צדק בין איש ובין אחיו ובין גרו Shamoa bein acheichem u'shfatetem tzedek bein ish u'vein achiv u'vein geiro. Listen. I can't listen to everyone. My listening will be compromised if I try to do it all myself. I need to delegate. He listened and judge rightly between your brother and a and a and a litigant. When there are two people who are having a conflict, listen and judge favorably. On this פסוק pasuk, Moshe is encouraging those who serve as judges, don't rush to conclusions. Don't rush to judgment. Don't make assumptions. Listen attentively and discerningly and arrive at the truth. If you're, you know, busy texting, you're scrolling, you're not really listening, you're not really fully present, you're not hearing both sides. The גמרא Gemara in סנהדרין דף ז Sanhedrin Daf Zayin learns from here, אמר רבי חנינא Amar Rabbi Chanina, אזהרה לבית דין שלא ישמע דברי בעל דין קודם שיבוא בעל דין חברו Azhara l'beis din shelo yishma divrei baal din kodem sheyavo baal din chaveiro. ואזהרה לבעל דין שלא יטען דבריו לדיין קודם שיבוא בעל דין חברו V'azhara l'baal din shelo yit'an devarav la'dayan kodem sheyavo baal din chaveiro. קראי הכי נמי שמוע בין אחיכם Krei hachi nami shamoa bein acheichem. The גמרא Gemara in סנהדרין Sanhedrin learns from our פסוק pasuk that judges are forbidden from hearing one side unless it's in the presence of the other side. You have to hear both sides. You're not allowed to listen to one side unless the other one is present. Why not? I once participated in a דין תורה din Torah. I wasn't one of the litigants, nor a דיין dayan, but I was asked to speak on behalf of someone, and the other litigant was late to arrive. And the דיינים dayanim refused to begin the proceedings until the second litigant, to the great consternation of the other litigant, who was giving up time and time is money. But this is the הלכה halacha we follow still today, that you're not allowed to listen to one side unless the other side is present. Why? Why is that? It seems very inefficient. It's a waste of time. Whoever's there first, starts speaking. When the other one gets here, he'll speak. Or divide them up. Hear one one time, one the other time. It's very inefficient. So the מהר\"ל Maharal in נתיב עולם Nesiv Olam and נתיב הדין Nesiv HaDin explains based on a principle, that first impressions are incredibly powerful. When you listen to one side of a story, it penetrates and it leaves an impression upon us, and it creates an enormous burden on the other to have to uproot the original impression that we have. Now, somebody's got to speak first. Someone's going to have that privilege and opportunity, but if you have to tell your side of the story in front of the other person who's sitting there, you're going to be a lot more thoughtful and careful. You're going to be less brazen and חצפדיק chutzpedik in how you communicate your side of your side of the story. Whoever lays down the anchor, now the conversation is going to revolve around whoever told their side of the story first. So that is the הלכה halacha. The הלכה halacha is, you can't hear one side unless the other one is in fact present. And while most of us are not judges in the legal sense, but we sit in judgment all the time. We judge the people we meet, and we judge the institutions, the organizations, the schools we're connected with, and we judge the stories people tell us, and we issue judgment about motivations and intentions all around us. We may not formally be judges, but we are all sitting in judgment regularly. We have to remember this דין din of the גמרא סנהדרין Gemara Sanhedrin from our פסוק pasuk that don't just follow your first impression. It's not necessarily always true. Be discerning, listen intently, be mindful, be fully present, be fair. Don't rush to judgment. Be present. רבי עקיבא איגר Rabbi Akiva Eiger was one of the greatest רבנים rabbonim of the 18th century, early 19th century. His תשובות Tshuvas, the חידושי רבי עקיבא איגר Chidushei Rabbi Akiva Eiger, they're learned in every ישיבה yeshiva around the world. And he writes that whenever he disagreed with someone, with anyone in life, in learning or in life, he would always begin by assuming they're correct, to represent their opinion in his mind and see whether there was an argument compelling enough to go against it. He began, not I'm right, they're wrong. He began, oh you disagree? Let's assume you're right. Let me now see if my argument is enough to offset yours. We know בית הלל Beis Hillel and בית שמאי Beis Shammai were great intellectual adversaries. They debated and argued all the time. We פסק'ן pasken like בית הלל Beis Hillel. Why do we פסק'ן pasken like בית הלל Beis Hillel? The גמרא Gemara in עירובין דף י\"ג Eiruvin Daf Yud Gimmel tells us, even though בית שמאי Beis Shammai were smarter. בית שמאי Beis Shammai did better on the SATs. I don't know if they stopped giving them in his time because it was no longer merit-based to get into the ישיבה yeshiva, but then בית שמאי Beis Shammai was much smarter. בית שמאי Beis Shammai were מחדדין טפי mechad'din tfei. They were more brilliant, they were sharper, they were smarter. So why do we follow בית הלל Beis Hillel? The גמרא Gemara tells us, you know why? בית הלל Beis Hillel always listened to the opinion of בית שמאי Beis Shammai before forming their own. When you listen to someone else's opinion and you're smarter, your opinion is more informed. You're not always right. You don't have a monopoly on the truth. Your first impression is not necessarily correct. Hear what other people have to say, and hear it with an open mind. Hear it not based on the anchor of your first impression. Hear both sides before coming to a decision. So as we, during this time especially these three weeks, we shouldn't rush to judgment. We shouldn't sit in judgment. We should hear other sides and other impressions. We're not necessarily always right. I have a great story that goes along with this, but I want to get back to the פרשה parsha and cover more more ground. So for another time.פרק א' פסוק ל\"ב Perek Aleph Pasuk Lamed Beis. Skip ahead. Find on page 944. And here the פרשה Parsha moves on, משה רבינו's Moshe Rabbeinu's monologue moves on to the mission of the spies, the mission of the spies. משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu is reviewing his recounting Jewish history until that point and significant, seminal in Jewish history, changed our history forever, we continue to reel from it, was the failed mission of the spies. And he says, I told you and spies and I recruited and I sent you out, פרק א' פסוק ל\"ב Perek Aleph Pasuk Lamed Beis. ובדבר הזה אינכם מאמינים בה' אלקיכם U'vadavar hazeh einchem ma'aminim b'Hashem Elokeichem. And on this matter, you do not believe in Hashem, your God. On this matter, you do not believe in Hashem. What does it mean on this matter? Rav Tzukerman, Rav Tzukerman in his לב מרדכי Lev Mordechai. Rav Mordechai Tzukerman was a rav in גבעת שאול Givat Shaul, was one of the last תלמידים talmidim of the חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim. On said teen mission, when I brought a group of teens to meet with Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, זצ\"ל zatzal, he also met with Rav Tzukerman and he told personal stories of the חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim he had with the חפץ חיים Chofetz Chaim. It was amazing. Anyway, in his לב מרדכי Lev Mordechai he writes, בדבר הזה אינכם מאמינים badavar hazeh einchem ma'aminim. When it came to this thing, you didn't believe. Hashem said, I'm marching you into the land. You came back and you said, but they're giants, but the fruit of vig, we'll never conquer, we can't go. Moshe Rabbeinu says, בדבר הזה badavar hazeh, regarding this matter, you had a breakdown, a failure of אמונה emuna. And says Rav Tzukerman, יתכן שאדם חי כל ימיו חיים נעלים של אדם מאמין yitachen she'adam chai kol yamav chaim ne'elim shel adam ma'amin. It's possible a person lives his entire life, a believer. You go to the אמונה emuna שיעור shiur, you זאָגט תהלים zogt Tehillim, you have the longest שמונה עשרה Shmoneh Esrei, you say בעזרת השם b'ezras Hashem, בחסדי השם b'chasdei Hashem, you're a big believer, a big מאמין ma'amin. You read all the books about אמונה emuna, talk about אמונה emuna, you learn about אמונה emuna, you practice אמונה emuna, you live אמונה emuna. But then what happens? בנקודת הניסיון שלו, הוא יכול להתגלות כחסר אמונה B'nekudas hanisayon shelo, hu yachol l'hisgalos k'chasar emuna. And then all of a sudden, life gets tough. Now you've got a particular crisis in health, in finance, in שידוכים shidduchim, in fertility, in the way someone treated you. All of a sudden the going gets tough. What happened to the גרויסע אמונה מענטש groisseh emuna mensch? What happened to all that אמונה emuna talk and learning and newsletters and שיעור shiur and books and talk? בדבר הזה אינכם מאמינים Badavar hazeh einchem ma'aminim. We have to live our life and know there'll be a בדבר הזה ba'davar hazeh. There's going to be that moment. Where is your אמונה emuna in this moment? Someone hurt you, they said something. Financially, the economy's turned, interest rates are up, inflation, business has dried up. This is your moment. This is it. All those שמונה עשרה Shmoneh Esreis, all those אמונה emuna שיעורים shiurim, all the אמונה emuna talk, it was all important, it was all lovely, but it was all to get to this moment. בדבר הזה Badavar hazeh. What's your בדבר הזה badavar hazeh? זה כל עבודת האדם בעולמו zeh kol avodas ha'adam b'olamo. Said Rav Tzukerman, this is the essence, the totality of all of your of all of עבודת השם avodas Hashem. This is what it means to be an עבד השם eved Hashem. שיוכל לעמוד בדרגתו גם בעת מבחן ובשעת ניסיון Sheyuchal la'amod b'dargaso gam b'eis mivchan u'v'shaas nisayon. Can we remain on that level? Will we lean into the אמונה emuna? Do we talk the talk and walk the walk even when we're in a difficult situation? Or, אמונה, אמונה, אמונה, אמונה, אמונה, אמונה Emuna, emuna, emuna, emuna, emuna, emuna. You stubbed your toe, there's no God. אמונה, אמונה, אמונה Emuna, emuna, emuna, Wi-Fi slow, there's no God. אמונה, אמונה Emuna, emuna, the flight was canceled, there's no God. Or much bigger than that, אמונה, אמונה, אמונה emuna, emuna, emuna, we're struggling financially, there's no God. What is our בדבר הזה ba'davar hazeh? These, they came out of מצרים Mitzrayim, they saw miracles, they stood at הר סיני Har Sinai, they got the Torah, they sat and they שטיג'd shteiged for a year in כולל kollel afterwards. אמונה, אמונה, אמונה Emuna, emuna, emuna, and all of a sudden with the מרגלים meraglim, בדבר הזה, אינכם מאמינים badavar hazeh, einchem ma'aminim. They lost all the אמונה emuna in that one moment. When is our בדבר הזה davar hazeh? That's when we've got to rise to the occasion, to lean in and to realize, this is what's meant to be. This is when our אמונה emuna is being tested. This is when we have to rise to that to that level.גם בי התאנף Gam bi his'anaf. Moshe Rabbeinu here talking about the מרגלים meraglim, then says something very peculiar. What does he say? פרק א' פסוק ל\"ז Perek Aleph Pasuk Lamed Zayin. Turn the page, 946. He says, you know, the failure of the מרגלים meraglim, Hashem said, you can't go in. You've got to wander. And you know who else didn't get to go in because of you? פסוק ל\"ז Pasuk Lamed Zayin. גם בי התאנף ה' בגללכם לאמר Gam bi his'anaf Hashem biglalchem leimor. You know who else didn't get to go in? Me. Hashem also got angry at me because of what you did. גם אתה לא תבוא שם Gam atah lo savo sham. Moshe, you're also in timeout. You also don't get to go in. Says רש\"י Rashi, גם בי gam bi, נתמלאתי רוגז Nismaleisi rogez. Hashem got angry and I also didn't get to go in because of what you did. Everybody asks, is that what happened? A little historical revisionism, no Moshe? If you're כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael, you say, look, I'll bear responsibility for what I did wrong. I got it. The subtle מוסר mussar, the not-so-subtle מוסר mussar, we deserve it, we'll take it. But come on, Moshe, be fair. Why didn't Moshe get to go into the land? What happened? Because of מי מריבה Mei Meriva. He hit the rock instead of speaking to it. So what do you mean גם בי gam bi? Now Moshe is blaming them. That doesn't seem or feel very fair at all. אור החיים הקדוש Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh asks this, the רמב\"ן Ramban asks this, the כלי יקר Kli Yakar asks this. They all ask it. The רמב\"ן Ramban says how, where? When was Hashem upset at Moshe about the מרגלים meraglim? The רמב\"ן Ramban says, he meant Hashem was upset at you for the מרגלים meraglim and me for מי מריבה Mei Meriva. He didn't mean גם בי התאנף gam bi his'anaf, Hashem was also angry at me, בגללכם biglalchem, you because of the מרגלים meraglim, me because of מי מריבה Mei Meriva. He wasn't really lumping them together. The רמב\"ן Ramban suggests a way that you have to reread it. The אור החיים הקדוש Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh doesn't accept that because the פסוקים psukim go on talking about the מרגלים meraglim, so the אור החיים הקדוש Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh gives a different answer. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar gives yet a different answer. Had they not been in the מדבר midbar for 40 years, what would have the episode of מי מריבה Mei Meriva never would have happened. If they would have marched right in like they were meant to do, they never would have been thirsty. Hashem would have never said speak to a rock. Moshe never would have failed by hitting it. He never would have been excluded because of that episode. So Moshe doesn't mean to blame them that the episode of the מרגלים meraglim is the reason he couldn't go in. Moshe's just saying that the episode of the מרגלים meraglim derailed the entire timeline, and it allowed for the מי מריבה Mei Meriva to happen, and that's why I didn't get to go in, says, says משה רבינו Moshe Rabbeinu. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar has another answer, and Rav Druk has an answer. I have a חידוש chiddush. I have my own answer, but I'll save it for next year because I want to get more in. I have my own answer. What did Moshe Rabbeinu mean, גם בי התאנף Gam bi his'anaf? I have my own creative answer, I'm pretty proud of it. For another time. Rav Soloveitchik has an answer. Should we see Rav Soloveitchik's? גם בי התאנף Gam bi his'anaf. Moshe suffered an account of the children of Israel. The Torah emphasizes it several times. Yet in what regard were the people responsible for Moshe's חטא cheit? If the חטא cheit consisted of hitting the rock instead of addressing words to it, Moshe was responsible. So the Rav Soloveitchik gives an answer too. You could look it up inside. We'll save that for next year. He has he has a beautiful answer too. But I want to move along. פרק ב' פסוק ג' Perek Beis Pasuk Gimmel. You gotta get to the second פרק perek. We got to get to the second פרק perek.We turned and we journeyed, וניפן ונשע מדברה דרך ים סוף כאשר דבר ה' אלי ונסב את הר שעיר ימים רבים vanifen vanisa midbara derech Yam Suf ka'asher diber Hashem elai, vanasov es Har Seir yamim rabim. We journeyed towards הר שעיר Har Seir many days. And this is a message I want to share with you. It's not my own. It's from the כלי יקר Kli Yakar. And we can argue, it's debatable the message, but this is the כלי יקר's Kli Yakar's insight, maybe very relevant to our generation. We turned and we journeyed towards הר שעיר Har Seir. Who inherited הר שעיר Har Seir? עשיו Eisav. Good. Says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar here, פנו לכם צפונה pnu lachem tzafona. פנו לכם צפונה pnu lachem tzafona. פרק ב' פסוק ג' Perek Beis Pasuk Gimmel, sorry. ויאמר ה' אלי לאמר רב לכם סוב את ההר הזה פנו לכם צפונה Vayomer Hashem elai leimor rav lachem sov es ha'har hazeh pnu lachem tzafona. Enough of your circling this mountain, turn northward. ואת העם צו לאמר אתם עוברים בגבול אחיכם בני עשיו היושבים בשעיר וייראו מכם ונשמרתם מאוד V'es ha'am tzav leimor atem ovrim bigvul acheichem bnei Eisav ha'yoshvim b'Seir v'yir'u michem v'nishmartem me'od. They will fear you, but you should be very careful. What was the message of the כלי יקר Kli Yakar here on this episode? עוצר פלוס התורה Otzar Plus HaTorah quotes the כלי יקר Kli Yakar. You can look at the כלי יקר Kli Yakar inside. He says the following, פסוק זה נוקב ויורד עד תהום. ויש בו רמז לשעה ולדורות Pasuk zeh nokev v'yored ad tehom. V'yesh bo remez l'sha'ah v'l'doros. ענין צפונה זה נראה לי, כשנמצא איש הישראלי בגלות החל הזה, איזו הצלחה שיעשה שם, יטמינו ויצפינו הכל בפני עשיו Inyan tzafona zeh nir'eh li, k'she'nimtza ish ha'Yisraeli b'galus ha'chel hazeh, eizo hatzlacha she'ya'aseh sham, yatminu v'yatzpinu hakol bifnei Eisav. If you're living among, if you're dispersed in the exile among עשיו Eisav, you need to turn צפונה tzafona. The word צפונה tzafona, what does צפון tzafun? At the סדר Seder? צפון Tzafun means hidden. It's time to hide. What are you hiding? אין לך אומה שמקנא בישראל כמו עשיו Ein lecha uma she'mekana b'Yisrael k'mo Eisav. There is no people who are as jealous of the Jewish people as עשיו Eisav. כילודאי תמה כל גזול בידם מהם מברכת יצחק אבינו שלקח ברכתו של עשיו במרמה ki l'dai tama kol gazul b'yadam mehem m'birchas Yitzchak avinu she'lakach birkaso shel Eisav b'mirma. Because after all, עשיו Eisav and his descendants believe that יעקב Yaakov stole the ברכה bracha, and יעקב's Yaakov's children have stolen everything that עשיו Eisav deserved. וכן יעקב ציווה לבניו למה תתראו. רש\"י אומר בפני בני ישמעאל ובני עשיו כאילו אתם שבעים. שניהם שונאים ליצחק, גזל הצלחה מישמעאל V'chein Yaakov tzivah l'vanav lama tisra'u. Rashi omer bifnei bnei Yishmael u'vnei Eisav k'ilu atem s'vei'im. Shneihem son'im l'Yitzchak, gazal hatzlacha m'Yishmael. Because the descendants of ישמעאל Yishmael believe that their uncle יצחק Yitzchak stole everything that ישמעאל Yishmael was supposed to get. And the descendants of עשיו Eisav believe that uncle יעקב Yaakov stole everything that עשיו Eisav was supposed to get. על כן ציווה דוקא אצל עשיו פנו לכם צפונה שלא יתקנא בכם Al kein tzivah davka eitzel Eisav pnu lachem tzafona shelo yiskaneh bachem. So the כלי יקר Kli Yakar says, you want to know how to survive the גלות galus? Modesty and humility. Be understated. Let your affluence, wealth, and prosperity be hidden. זה הפך ממה שישראל עושים בדורות הללו בארצות אויביהם zeh hefech mima she'Yisrael osim b'doros ha'leilu b'artzos oyveihem. Says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar Rav Luntschitz writing 100 years ago, 150 years ago, that this is the opposite of what Jews are doing in our time. מי שיש לו מעט הוא מראה את עצמו מלבושי כבוד ובתים מפוארים וחשובים כאילו היו לו כמה אלפים Mi she'yesh lo me'at hu mar'eh es atzmo malbushei kavod u'batim mefoarim v'chashuvim k'ilu hayu lo kama alafim. The Jew who has a modest amount lives beyond their means with clothing and jewelry and vacations and homes and ostentatiousness that is eliciting the jealousy and the ire of the nations that host us. ומגרום האומות בעצמם ועוברים מה שנאמר פנו לכם צפונה u'megarim ha'umos b'atzmam v'ovrim mah she'ne'emar pnu lachem tzafona. This פסוק pasuk is telling us when you live among עשיו Eisav, when you're circling הר שעיר Har Seir, פנו לכם צפונה pnu lachem tzafona. Turn inward, be understated, be modest, don't be ostentatious, don't be in the face of our host nation. מנהג זה הוא הפרעוס בני עמינו והוא המסבב את כל התלאה אשר מצאתנו Minhag zeh hu ha'per'us bnei ameinu v'hu ha'mesovev es kol ha'tla'ah asher m'tzasanu. Says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, this is the cause of all of the distress that we find. והמשכילים יבינו לקח מוסר V'hamaskilim yavinu likach musar. And those who are enlightened will listen and accept this מוסר musar. Don't be ostentatious. Don't take the affluence and flaunt it in the face of others. Be understated because when you elicit the jealousy, that is when antisemitism is on the rise. And the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, similar to what the כלי יקר Kli Yakar here writes, עוצר פלוס התורה Otzar Plus HaTorah says, הסיבה לכל הצרות בגלות המר הזה מה שמראים לעיני הגוים את העשיר שיש לבני ישראל Hasibah l'chol ha'tzaros b'galus ha'mar hazeh mah she'mar'im l'einei ha'goyim es ha'ashir she'yesh l'vnei Yisrael. When we flaunt our wealth. So he says an incredible thing that's quoted in the ספר פלא יועץ Sefer Peleh Yoetz, the name אברבנאל Abravanel. Where did דן יצחק אברבנאל Don Yitzchak Abravanel get his name? מובא באברבנאל שבגלל כן נקרא שמו אברבנאל, שהיה לאשתו טבעת טובה עד שכל הרואה אומר ברו בנאל יא Muva ba'Abravanel she'biglal kein nikra shmo Abravanel, she'haya l'ishto taba'as tovah ad she'kol ha'ro'eh omer b'rivo inalya. She had such a ring. The אברבנאל's Abravanel's wife, it was 20 carats, clarity, what are all the, color, cut, thank you. Cut, color, clarity, carrots, על המעלות al ha'mailos. The אברבנאל's Abravanel's wife wore such a ring that everyone around her said בריבו ענליא B'rivo inalya, which means אבן של כבוד even shel kavod, אברבנאל Abravanel. What a ring! וזה גרם גירוש ספרד v'zeh garam geirush Sefarad. And the פלא יועץ Peleh Yoetz says, it was the ring on the אברבנאל's Abravanel's wife's finger, and the אברבנאל Abravanel we know was in the courtyard of the king. So royalty and all the non-Jews of Spain saw the ring on his wife's finger, and that's what led to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. The jealousy, the envy, the hatred, that's what led to it. The פלא יועץ Peleh Yoetz, we're not blaming the wife, we're blaming the אברבנאל Abravanel who brought the ring for his wife. So then no one saved the emails. We're not blaming her. I don't know how much her שייטל sheitel cost, I don't know how much her dress cost, I don't know how much the ring cost. But there's a huge caution. And again, you could debate. There are those who say those days are over. Jews have nothing to fear, no shame, we're strong, we're proud, we belong, we deserve. It's an interesting debate. It's an interesting question. But the כלי יקר Kli Yakar and the פלא יועץ Peleh Yoetz are literally attributing the hostility of enemies to when we flaunt ostentatiously in their face our wealth and prosperity beyond what we should. The ספר אורחות יושר Sefer Orchos Yosher, not the רב חיים Rav Chaim, רבי יצחק מולכו Rabbi Yitzchak Molcho, a different אורחות יושר Orchos Yosher who lived in סלוניקה Salonika, he writes, כמה רע גורמים אנשים הרוצים ללבוש בגדים חשובים ויקרים שמתקנאים בהם הגויים. וכמו שראינו בגלותנו זה גלות ספרד Kama ra gormim anashim ha'rotzim lilbosh b'gadim chashuvim v'yikarim she'miskanim bahem ha'goyim. U'k'mo she'ra'inu b'galuseinu zeh galus Sefarad. He too, he was from סלוניקה Salonika. He suffered the expulsion from Spain, and he said all this happened, אשת יצחק אברבנאל שהלכה לבית המרחץ וגם הלכה גם אשת המלך Eishes Yitzchak Abravanel she'halcha l'veis ha'merchatz v'gam halcha gam eishes ha'melech. They were at the spa. She was there the same day as the queen. The queen saw her jewelry. If the queen was jealous of her jewelry, that is the cause, that was the tradition. That was what precipitated and led to the expulsion. Wild. Wild. But the message, the lesson, lesson maybe is clear and he quotes the תקנות Takanos of the ועד ארבע ארצות Vaad Arba Aratzos that when we live among the nations how to behave and not to elicit the jealousy and the envy and the anger of the nations among whom we live. Torah then tells us to be careful with מואב Moav. Why should we be careful with מואב Moav? The חזקוני Chizkuni says, it's a crazy חזקוני Chizkuni. ויאמר ה' אלי אל תצר את מואב Vayomer Hashem eilai al tatzar es Moav. Don't aggravate מואב Moav, says the חזקוני Chizkuni. Why was משה Moshe saying this? להסתיר על כולם שהייתי עתיד להיקבר בערבות מואב Lehistir al kulam shehayisi asid lehikaveir b'arvos Moav. משה Moshe's saying, I'm going to be buried there. I'm spending eternity there. So be nice when it comes to מואב Moav, because I'm going to be interred there for a very, very long time. Lastly we didn't get to, עוג Og. עוג מלך הבשן Og Melech haBashan. Where did he get his name עוג Og? Oh, it's pages and pages on עוג מלך הבשן Og Melech haBashan. We'll save it במרצת ה' b'mirtzashem for next year. Have a fantastic day. Thanks again for the flexibility. Wednesday morning we're on for living with אמונה Emunah. Wednesday night our guest on Behind the במה Bima, Rabbi Dr. מאיר סולובייצ'יק Meir Soloveichik. Until next time, stay happy, stay healthy.
