Transcript
Good morning, בוקר טוב Boker tov, may it be a good morning and a בוקר טוב boker tov for כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael. It should be a day that we hear בשורות טובות, ישועות ונחמות besoros tovos, yeshuos v'nechamos, please God. Hostages should come home, our soldiers should return to their families with a sweeping victory. Incredibly grateful to our generous parsha series sponsors, Beck and Avi Katz and family, in memory of David Grossman, in memory of Becky's father, דודי בן מנחם מנש Dovid ben Menachem Manis. This morning is also sponsored anonymously as a מזל טוב mazel tov to Meira and Daniel Elsayev on the birth and bris of יהודה אלכסנדר Yehuda Alexander. מזל טוב Mazel tov, we should give you a lot of נחת nachas, and by Mrs. Naomi Balazon, in memory of her beloved mother, Sophie Mander. Her נשמה neshama should have an עליה aliyah. It's also dedicated for a רפואה שלימה refuah shleima, חיה יעל שושנה בת חנה פריידל Chaya Yael Shoshana bas Chana Freidel, who should have a complete, speedy רפואה שלימה refuah shleima. Everyone's invited to please remain afterwards to complete all of ספר תהילים Sefer Tehillim in honor of אחינו כל בית ישראל acheinu kol beis Yisrael, our brothers and sisters in Israel.Just before we begin, we're about to dive into the parsha page 484, פרשת כי תשא Parshas Ki Sisa. Raise your hand if you enjoy the parsha perspectives class. Come on. Why are you here? If you don't enjoy it, why in the world are you here? I mean, the coffee's good, it's not that good. So you enjoy the parsha perspective, you should raise your hand. Would you like more people to be able to watch and listen and read and enjoy the parsha perspective? She raised your hand. If you're doing something about that to help us reach more people, raise your hand. If you haven't raised your hand, then please join the BRS Global campaign. 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Page 484, פרשת כי תשא Parshas Ki Sisa.וידבר השם אל משה לאמר כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל לפקודיהם ונתנו איש כופר נפשו להשם בפקוד אותם ולא יהיה בהם נגף בפקוד אותם Vayidaber Hashem el Moshe leimor Ki sisa es rosh Bnei Yisrael lifkudeihem v'nasnu ish kofer nafsho laHashem bifkod osam v'lo yiheyeh bahem negef bifkod osam. Hashem spoke to Moshe. Our parsha begins, of course, famously with the census of the Jewish people. When you take a census of the Jewish people, according to their numbers, every person gives כופר נפשו kofer nafsho, an atonement for their soul when counting them, so that there will not be a plague brought upon them. זה יתנו כל העובר על הפקודים מחצית השקל בשקל הקודש Zeh yitnu kol ha'over al hapikudim machatzis hashekel b'shekel hakodesh. The way our census is taken is there's not somebody who knocks on the door with a clipboard and he asks you for the information or fill out the form. The census was taken by asking everybody to come and to give a מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, to give a half a shekel. And then the half shekels would be counted and you'd know the population. That is the terribly inefficient way that the census was done. And this מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, the half shekel, which ultimately would fund the קרבן ציבור korban tzibur, the communal sacrifice, was called שקל הקודש shekel hakodesh. The שקל shekel, the donation, the money was called holy. עשרים גרה השקל מחצית השקל תרומה להשם esrim geirah hashekel machatzis hashekel trumah laHashem. The shekel is 20 geirah, half a shekel is a portion to Hashem. And then the Torah continues, כל העובר על הפקודים מבן עשרים שנה ומעלה kol ha'over al hapikudim miben esrim shana vamala, העשיר לא ירבה he'ashir lo yarbeh. The wealthy can't give more. The global campaign there is no limit, you can give whatever you want. But the מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel was limited. The מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel was a half shekel. Some great, some גביר gvir came along, flew on his private plane, decked with his charcuterie boards and champagne, wearing his Rolex watch and dripping with his custom-made suit, and he said, half a שקל shekel? פששש pshshsh, do you know who I am? I'm going to give a billion שקל shekel. You know what the, you know what the בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash said? Keep your billion שקל shekel. Half a שקל shekel. Half a שקל shekel, everybody. העשיר לא ירבה he'ashir lo yarbeh. Doesn't matter who you are, how wealthy you are, nobody can give more. And let's say someone comes and says, I have nothing. I can't pay my rent. I don't know how I'm putting food on the table. I don't have a half a shekel to give. הדל לא ימעיט hadal lo yamit. There is no excuse. The poor person, the indigent, the impoverished, can't give less than a half. לתת תרומת השם לכפר על נפשותיכם laseis trumas Hashem lechaper al nafshoseichem. Because this is a כפרה kaparah, it's some atonement for one's, for one's life. ולקחת את כסף הכיפורים V'lakachta es kesef hakipurim, we take it לזכרון l'zikaron, and so on and so forth. Let's get started with a, we'll start with the, of רב דרוק Rav Druk. We'll start with Rav Druk. Says רש\"י Rashi, ולא יהיה בהם נגף שהמנין שולט בו עין הרע והדבר בא עליהם כמו שמצינו בימי דוד v'lo yiheyeh bahem negef shehaminyan sholeit bo ayin hara v'hadever ba aleihem k'mo shematzinu b'mei Dovid. Why can't we take an ordinary census? Why can't we, when we want to make a מנין minyan, why can't we say one, two, three? Why do we have to do this peculiar Jewish counting? Not one, not two, not three. Anyone over here at Disney, you're making the minyan for Yeshiva week, and someone walking by over hears you counting not one, not two, they look at you like you just landed from Mars. That's how you count, not one, not two. הושיעה את עמך וברך את נחלתך Hoshia es amecha u'varech es nachlasecha. We have פסוקים psukim that have ten words in them, so we use a verse with ten words because we're doing whatever we can to avoid counting with a number. Why? Rashi tells us, because anything that's given a number is subject to עין הרע ayin hara, the evil eye. If you count. That's why there are those who won't tell you how many grandchildren they have, they won't tell you how many great-grandchildren that they have. They're afraid if I reveal the number, עין הרע ayin hara. Many have no problem with it. Hashem himself talks about the number. And in fact, he counts over and over again because of חיבה chibah, his love and affection. When you share a number, you're revealing what you have love and affection for. So, there's different opinions on that. So Rashi here quotes, the census is taken indirectly. We don't give the direct number because we don't want an עין הרע ayin hara. So how is it taken? Not by counting one, two, three, four, but rather half shekel. Everyone gives a half shekel. Says מבואר בפסוק שהיה מן הדין שתבוא מגיפה על בני ישראל על ידי שפוקדים אותם m'voar b'pasuk shehaya min hadin shetavo mageifa al Bnei Yisrael al yedei shepokdim osam. If we would count outright, we would invite and welcome a plague. וכן ציוה, you know, I never understood a plague. ברוך השם Baruch Hashem, in my lifetime, a plague? Every time we talk about a plague, and we'll welcome a plague, it'll bring a plague, what it's like to survive a plague, what you need to do to, we live through a plague, we understand now. וכן ציוה הקדוש ברוך הוא שלא ימנו כל יחיד ויחיד בפני עצמו V'lachein tziva Hakadosh Baruch Hu shelo yimnu kol yachid v'yachid bifnei atzmo, don't count each individual, but rather count the coins, and then we'll know the total. צריך להבין מהי באמת הסיבה שמנין בני ישראל גורם למגיפה Tzarich l'havin, mah hi b'emes hasibah sheminyan Bnei Yisrael gorem l'mageifa? But why? Why would counting the number, why would that lead to a plague? ואחר שיש איזה סיבה למגיפה, צריך עוד להבין, מדוע עצם זה שסופרים אותם באמצעות מחצית השקל, מונע את המגיפה v'achar sheyesh eizeh sibah l'mageifa, tzarich od l'havin, madua etzem zeh shesofrim osam b'emtzaus machatzis hashekel, mone'a es hamageifa? And if in fact, we are worthy of a plague, if God determines that that generation or those people deserve a plague being brought on their house, then what? No, no, no, no, God, we used to have, we said not one, not two, not three, now no plague. And Hashem says, true, they said not one, not two, not three. So therefore, I guess I have to hold back the plague. How does that work? אמנם ברש\"י מבואר שסיבת המגיפה כשאומנים בני ישראל משום ששולט עין הרע על ידי המנין Omnam b'Rashi m'voar shesibas hamageifa k'shemonim et Bnei Yisrael mishum shesholeis ayin hara al yedei haminyan. Rashi says, no, no, what's bringing the plague is the evil eye by using a number. Avoid using the number, and therefore you will dispel the evil eye, and there you won't, you won't deserve the plague. That's רש\"י Rashi. But רבנו בחיי Rabbeinu Bachya has a different interpretation. Says Rav Druk, quoting רבנו בחיי Rabbeinu Bachya, טעם הדבר שהמנין מביא מגיפה, שבשעה שמונים כל אחד ואחד מבני ישראל בפני עצמו, כל אחד ואחד נזכר באופן פרטי לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא, ונשפט באופן פרטי על פי מעשיו הפרטיים Ta'am hadavar shehaminyan meivi mageifa, sheb'sha'ah shemonim kol echad v'echad mi'Bnei Yisrael bifnei atzmo, kol echad v'echad nizkar b'ofen prati lifnei Hakadosh Baruch Hu, v'nishpat b'ofen prati al pi ma'asav haprati'im. When I say one, two, three, each person has their own number, each person counts independently and separately, each one is an entity and a unit on their own. Now I invite God to look at each person isolated from the other. Hashem says, oh, you're number one, bring me number one's file. Number three, bring me the file on number three. Let me see, let me check. Are they worthy? Should I protect them? Should I take care of them? הלא אין צדיק בארץ אשר יעשה טוב ולא יחטא Halo ein tzadik ba'aretz asher ya'aseh tov v'lo yecheta, but there is no perfect person. We never want God to look at us alone because our file on our own, he's going to see where we come up short, our mistakes, our poor judgment, our indiscretions. וכן מידת הדין תובעת עונש U'mameila midas hadin tova'as onesh. So the strict sense of justice will kick in and God says, bring me file on number three. Oh, you're counting them separately, independently, each person is their own unit. Okay, let me judge and evaluate each person on their own. And when God looks at and judges and evaluates each of us on our own, who can withstand? When justice will kick in and we'll measure who we could be and where we are, what we could be giving to Tzedakah and what we really give, what we could be volunteering and how much we volunteer, how much Torah we could be learning and how much we learn, when it looks at our browser history, when God looks at our bank account. על כן יכול הנגף לשלוט בעם ישראל Al kein yachol hanegaf lishlot b'am Yisrael. So therefore, a plague could be visited because, not because of some עין הרע ayin hara, that's Rashi, but רבנו בחיי Rabbeinu Bachya says a different reason. Because when we're judged separately and apart, none of us are really fully worthy. When judge judgment and justice kicks in, we're in trouble. לעומת זאת, כאשר אומרים שסופרים את בני ישראל בפני עצמם L'umas zos, ka'asher omrim shesofrim et Bnei Yisrael bifnei atzmam. So what's the way around it? If we want to sense us, we want to know how many there are and we want to avoid being looked at and judged separately, what's the way around it? We use a half shekel. What's a half shekel? It says, God, I'm not a unit on my own. I'm just a half. It's only when I connect to the community. It's only when I care about my neighbor. It's only when I combine with those around me, only then am I whole. If you think you're whole on your own, you are grossly incomplete and broken. And when you realize that on your own, you're incomplete and broken, only then are you whole. Only then are you whole. And what is the מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel used for? The carbon of the צבור tzibur, the sacrifice of the community. So therefore, how is the census taken? How is that money collected? Only when we give a half. It's terribly inefficient. I hate math, I'm not good at math. It's not complex math when everyone gives a half shekel to figure out how many people there are. It's easy math. I'm still not good at it. So it's a terribly inefficient way to do a census. If everybody does one, so then you know how many you have. Why give a half? So says Rav Druk quoting Rabbeinu Bachya, because it's not about the number, it's about avoiding looking like we think we've arrived, we're a unit on our own, we're complete, we're independent. It's realizing we're simply a half. לכן נצטווה כל אחד ואחד מבני ישראל לתת רק מחצית השקל ולא שקל שלם L'kakh nistavah kol echad v'echad m'Bnei Yisrael laseis rak machatzis hashekel v'lo shekel shalem. And that's why everyone gives half a shekel, not a full. להורות שכל אחד ואחד מבני ישראל אינו שלם בלא חבירו L'haros shekol echad v'echad m'Bnei Yisrael eino shalem b'lo chaveiro. Because if you think you're going to be isolated and alone, you think the war in Israel is someone else's problem, and the anti-semitism and whatever other community, that's their problem. And the global campaign, the Torah being taught out of Boca, let them pay for it. They cover the rabbi's salary, someone else's problem. You think you're alone, you think it's not your problem. You think that your fortune, your destiny, your fate, your good to go, no, מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel. Each of us are a half. We have to see and care about the other. וכל אחד צריך את החלק הציבורי שאמו, באופן שכל כלל ישראל יחד כציבור אחד שנמנה v'chol echad tzarich es hacheilek hatziburi she'imo, b'ofen shekol Klal Yisrael yachad k'tzibur echad shenimneh. We have to be one unit, a group of halves who only are whole when we unite and combine and collaborate and connect with the people around us. We are not alone. I spoke at a שבע ברכות sheva brachos last night and I quoted essentially this idea and that's why, that's why Hashem did not create אדם וחוה Adam v'Chava. I'll give you a little bonus שבע ברכות sheva brachos Torah right now. God did not create Adam and Eve to begin with. He knew ultimately he was going to create two genders. Is it safe to say that here? Two genders. He knew he was going to create male and female. Why not do that from the beginning, from the start? Why create one androgynous figure that was both and then split them in two? Take חוה Chava from אדם Adam's rib, which if you look in the מדרש רבה Midrash Rabbah, really means they were one unit, one figure, and Hashem divided them in two. Why do it that way? Again, it's inefficient. He's God, he's omnipotent, he's infinite. He's the almighty. He knows ultimately they're going to be two. You know what the answer is? Because if he would have created Adam and Eve separately, when they came together to get married, it would have been one plus one equals two. But by creating them as one and dividing them in half, then we spend our lives as a half looking for the person who completes us. That's our line, you complete me. That comes from us. Standing under the חופה chuppah, the feeling should be, and it should only grow from there, you complete me. I was only a half, and only with you do I become a whole. מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, that's true for hopefully the person we find our soulmate, our בשרת bashert, that we are completed by and we complete and we build a life together. But it's really true for any two Jews. We're a מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, and it's only when we're connected to community, when we care about community, when we collaborate with community that we're whole. And that's the idea of Rav Druk of a תפילה בציבור tefillah b'tzibur. הציבור המתפללים יחד, הקדוש ברוך הוא מקבל את תפילתם כתפילת ציבור Hatzibur hamispalelim yachad, Hakadosh Baruch Hu mekabel es tefillasam k'tefillas tzibur. When a group, when a unit come together to daven, and some people still say, they don't realize this part of Corona also is over. No, no Rabbi, I daven at home. I sing לך דודי Lecha Dodi with my kids. I have the most beautiful davening. I don't want to or need to come to shul. I concentrate better when I'm at home. Yeah? But when you daven at home, God says, okay, you're the whole davening? Get me her file, bring me his file. Let me check it out. Let me see if what they're asking for they deserve. Let me see what they're worthy of. But when you come to shul and you come to a צבור tzibur, and ברוך הוא אמר השם מלך b'rov am hadras melech, you don't go to some living room or driveway or come together just with a few, but you come to the shul, the בית הכנסת beis haknesses, the gathering place, and ברוך הוא אמר השם מלך b'rov am hadras melech, and the shul is packed with hundreds of people, and now all of us combine to present Hashem with the perfect תפילה tefillah, the perfect prayer. And Hashem looks down and he says, I don't know, each of you alone and apart, you're really not deserving. But I look at all of you together in combination, and I'm in love. Hashem says, you my children have come together, the combination of all of you, ah, how could I say no? How could I say no? So who wouldn't daven תפילה בציבור tefillah b'tzibur? That's why the Gemara and Chazal and rabbis tell us that when you daven תפילה בציבור tefillah b'tzibur, it's נשמעת nishmas, Hashem receives it. It's more likely to be received positively, favorably, because we're not alone. It's not just our file. He's looking at us as a whole. That's קרבן ציבור korban tzibur, that's תפילה בציבור tefillah b'tzibur, that's מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel. That's מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel. And that's why העשיר לא ירבה והדל לא ימעיט he'ashir lo yarbeh v'hadal lo yamit, the rich can't give more, the poor can't give less. All of us, all of us contribute, all of us are part. Nobody's greater, nobody's less, nobody's more distinguished, nobody's less distinguished. We are all together and we are all united in this, in this way. We have to all contribute and we have to all be part of it. The רחמי שריפקה, the אמרות טהורות Rachmei Shrifka, the Imros Tehoros also quotes the קדושת לוי Kedushas Levi who sees this a little bit differently, who sees actually let's go back to Rav Druk first. We'll do one more of Rav Druk and then the קדושת לוי Kedushas Levi. One more of Rav Druk. On the pasuk, זה יתנו zeh yitnu. This is how you give. זה יתנו zeh yitnu. This is how you give. Rashi says, הראה לו כמטבע של אש her'ah lo k'matbe'a shel eish. Hashem showed Moshe a coin on fire. ומשקלה מחצית השקל u'mishkalah machatzis hashekel. He said this coin, its weight is a half shekel. כזה יתנו k'zeh yitnu. Give it like this. Rashi says Moshe didn't know מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel. They didn't have that currency. What does that look like? What's that about? So Hashem had to show him. He minted a coin that was on fire. He showed him the image of a coin on fire. As Chazal say, משה נתקשה במעשה המנורה Moshe niskasheh b'maaseh hamenorah, just like when it came to the menorah, Moshe didn't know, how do you make this candelabra? So Hashem gave it to him. He delivered it to him in one piece made out of one solid block of gold. And says Rav Druk, יש לתמוה בדברי חז\"ל yesh lismo'a b'divrei Chazal. Why was it hard for Moshe to picture the half shekel that Hashem had to show him a half shekel that was on fire? That which it was hard for Hashem, the menorah, we know why, because the menorah was very complicated, had detail, fine detail, and it was fashioned out of one block of gold. So that was complicated, that was very difficult, Moshe didn't know where to begin. But a half shekel? What's the big deal about a half shekel? What's the big deal about a half shekel? And why did Hashem show him this half shekel on fire? What is it about being on fire? In the past we've studied that money is fire. Why is money synonymous with fire? Is fire good or bad? Yes. Both. Fire, if it's used for energy, if it's used to illuminate for light, if it's used for warmth and heat, it's good. But fire, if it's not carefully protected and carefully used, fire can spread and destroy, obliterate. Money, good or bad? It depends. It can be used as a resource, as fuel for good, like to promote Torah, brsonline.org/global, or fire can destroy, money can destroy. People become corrupt. I'm going to keep doing it until we hit our budget. Money can become corrupt, money corrupts people, money destroys, money clouds judgment, money distorts. So that's why, but Rav Druk has a different, that was our interpretation, Rav Druk has a different one. The מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel. Why not the שקל שלם shekel shalem? הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu says the following. He says because every mitzvah is made up of two parts. Listen to this beautiful, beautiful vort. Says Rav Druk, every mitzvah is made up of two parts. It's made up of the physical part, the material part. It's made up of what we do, but there's also what we bring to it. Where's our mind, our mindfulness, our mindset, our personality, our attitude, our approach. So the מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, giving half shekel, that was part of it. Giving it on fire, that was the other part. You could give the מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel begrudgingly, difficult, like you're giving a kidney, like you're giving an organ. You could give a half shekel like, you're miserable, you're פביסנה fabisena, you're upset. It's difficult. They have to ask you 50 times. They have to mention it every sheer. They have to send you 30 emails. You give the half shekel in the end, but you give it with a sad, mean face and a cold hand. Or you could give it מטבע של אש matbe'a shel eish. It could be on fire. There's an opportunity to give, to do, to impact, to partner, I'm in. I'm in. And says Rav Druk, that's true for every mitzvah that we do. Every mitzvah, there's the half of the mitzvah which is blow the shofar, shake the lulav, sit in the sukkah, wear the tefillin, light the Shabbos candles, and then there's are you on fire? There's the davening. Did you turn the pages of the siddur? Did you flip the booklets of the, of the Tehillim? But were you on fire? On fire? Are we living dispassion, disaffected, cold, withdrawn, lukewarm, just going the motions of life? Or are we on fire? Is there an energy to our Yiddishkeit, to our Judaism? To our Judaism. Shulchan Aruch records this, Hilchos Tzedakah, the Code of Jewish Law, Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah, siman Resh Mem Tes. צריך ליתן הצדקה בסבר פנים יפות Tzarich litein hatzedakah b'sever panim yafos. Shulchan Aruch records, don't just give tzedakah. Don't just give tzedakah. There's a knock on the door, the person outside the shul, the organization, Israel that's still so badly needs all of our help. Don't just give it, give בסבר פנים יפות b'sever panim yafos with a smile. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you. Thank you. If someone knocked on your door and said, I have an investment opportunity, I am guaranteeing you and promising you an incredible return, would you be fine, I guess, okay? You'd say, thank you so much. Really? Guaranteed return this amount and you came to me? And you invited me? And you're letting me? Is there a greater return than tzedakah? The ROI, the return on investment of tzedakah that you get? What we hold on to, we can't take with us. What we gave away, we have forever. When we invest and we achieve immortality in this world and the next, eternity, because we're shaping and molding and redeeming this world, when we make a difference and we bring ideas and values and impact the world. So, the reaction to the opportunity to give tzedakah is בסבר פנים יפות b'sever panim yafos. Thank you. I'm so grateful. I'm so honored. I'm so appreciative to be able to have this investment. בסמחה ובטוב לבב ומתאונן עם העני בצער, ומדבר לו דברי תנחומים b'simcha u'v'tuv leivav u'misonein im ha'ani b'tza'ar, u'medaber lo divrei tanchumim. You invite the poor person in, can I give you a drink? Tell me about your problems. Let me connect to you as a real person. ואם נתנו בפנים זועפות ורעות, הפסיד זכותו v'im nosno b'panim zo'afos v'ra'os, hifsid zechuso. And if you give with a sad, withdrawn, miserable, negative face, then even though you gave tzedakah, you don't get the mitzvah. You lost the merit because the merit's not only giving, it's how you give. And that's the vort. Isn't that beautiful? The מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel. Half of the is the mitzvah. The other half is אש eish, be on fire. That's true for tzedakah in particular. Don't give begrudgingly. Don't give miserably. Don't make people grovel and beg when they're trying to do good things and not putting it in their pocket. Give בסבר פנים יפות b'sever panim yafos, give with joy and a smile and a full heart. Give on fire. Half of the mitzvah, the מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, is give. The other half is give, and the manner that you give, give on fire. Rav Druk elaborates here, but I want to move on. The רחמי שריפקה, the אמרות טהורות Rachmei Shrifka, the Imros Tehoros also comments on this and comes from a different perspective. Very interesting, very beautiful, a different perspective. And he says the following. He quotes the קדושת לוי Kedushas Levi of Berditchev. כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל Ki sisa es rosh Bnei Yisrael. When you count, the word כי תשא ki sisa doesn't really mean to count. What does it mean? סיסא sisa, what does it mean? To lift, to lift. How do you lift somebody? By making them feel they count. When someone feels they're insignificant, inconsequential, they don't matter, they don't make a difference, then they don't feel very good about themselves. How do you lift someone's spirits? By making them feel that they count, acknowledging them. כי תשא Ki sisa, lift their head. How? Each person gives כופר נפשו בפקוד אותם kofer nafsho bifkod osam. Says the קדושת לוי Kedushas Levi the following: בזמן שיש איזה צרה מתוכה על כלל ישראל חס ושלום, שאחד מבני ישראל מדוכה ביסורים, ורוצה להתפלל לקדוש ברוך הוא להיוושע מן הצרה B'zman sheyesh eizeh tzarah mitucha al Klal Yisrael chas v'shalom, she'echad m'Bnei Yisrael m'dukeh b'yisurim, v'rotzeh l'hispallel laKadosh Baruch Hu l'hivashea min hatzarah. If there's a person going through a difficult time, a hard time, struggles and challenges, and you want to daven to Hashem to be spared, העצה להתפלל על כבוד שמיים ha'eitzah l'hispallel al k'vod shamayim. The answer, one's going through a hard time, someone's desperate to be married, someone's desperate to have a child, somebody has an illness, they're desperate to recover, the matzav of all of us are desperate to win this war and to have peace and serenity for hostages to be brought home. What's the formula? What's the winning liturgy, the text, the formula? להתפלל על כבוד שמיים L'hispallel al k'vod shamayim. Don't make it about you, make it about God. Hashem, if I'm alone in this world, I can only accomplish so much, but if you help me find my mate, if I could be married, the home I could build, the difference it could make, so don't do it for me, do it for you. Hashem, if I had a child, if we could conceive, what I could teach them, what I could pass on to them, how I could empower them, the path I can set them on, don't do it for me, do it for you. Hashem, someone I know or somebody is sick, if you make them better, you give them back their health, you understand their impact, what they mean to the community. So, don't make it about selfish and self-centered and our needs, couch it in the context of Hashem, it's about כבוד שמיים k'vod shamayim, it's about your honor, your glory, your mission, your agenda, your agenda. שבזמן שאדם בצער, שכינה מה אומרת, קלני מראשי, קלני מזרועי sheb'zman she'adam b'tza'ar, Shechina mah omeres, kalani meiroshi, kalani mizro'i. הקדוש ברוך הוא is עמו אנכי בצרה imo anochi b'tzarah. When a Jew, when one of, you know, the saying, we're only as happy as our least happy child. When our child is upset or struggling, we're struggling, we're upset, we can't sleep. Hashem is our father. He's only as happy as his least happy child. He has a lot of children. So when we say, you can explain Hashem's misery that he's unhappy with us in two ways. Number one, הקדוש ברוך הוא אבינו ואנחנו בניו Hakadosh Baruch Hu Avinu v'anachnu banav, he's our father, we're his children. So when a child is miserable, he's miserable. But the second way is, שבכל דבר שנמצא בעולם יש כוח אלוקי המחיה אותו sheb'kol davar shenimtzah ba'olam yesh koach Eloki hamechayeh oso. Everything that exists in this world, there is a godly energy that sustains it. וזרע ישראל, כל אחד מהם יש לו חלק אלוקה ממעל, הנותן לו כל חיותו, בשעה שהם בצער, נכלל בזה גם חלק אלוקי U'zera Yisrael, kol echad mehem yesh lo cheilek eloka mima'al, hanosein lo kol chayuso, b'sha'ah shehem b'tza'ar, nichlal b'zeh gam chelek Eloki. If every human being is a distinct expression, manifestation of God in this world, חלק אלוקה ממעל, צלם אלוקים chelek eloka mima'al, tzelem Elokim, everyone contains a piece of God. Well, if that person is compromised or struggling, then that expression of Hashem also doesn't find full expression. The, the שכינה Shechina is, Hashem's presence manifestation in this world is somewhat diminished. So we daven, make them better, let them get married, let them have a child, let them recover, let them be peace. Why? So you can fully be manifest in this world, God. Your expression can be in its fullness in this world, God. I know you're בצרה b'tzarah with us. You're בצרה b'tzarah with us. We spoke about this last week in siddur snippets, when we spoke about a pasuk in the end of the long Tachanun that describes Hashem when the Klal Yisrael, when the Jewish people are being attacked, you are taken hostage. The honor of Hashem is held hostage. As long as there are hostages in Gaza, Hashem is diminished in this world because the nations of the world look and they say, where is God? If they are his children, how come they're held hostage? How come they're so unfairly treated in the Hague and by the international community and around the world? Where's God? So, the very end of Tachanun, I don't know the siddur, the pasuk in front of me, you could listen to the siddur snippets. We're asking Hashem, therefore, send the hostages home not for us and the hostages alone, for you, for you, because your name, your honor, your glory, your strength is diminished, it's hostage in this world itself. And that's what we're saying. כי תשא את ראש בני ישראל Ki sisa es rosh Bnei Yisrael. This is what the קדושת לוי, רבי לוי יצחק Kedushas Levi, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev said. כשתרצה לישא ולהגביה תפילתם של ישראל, שיעלו מעלה מעלה K'shetirtzeh lisa u'lehagbiha tefillasam shel Yisrael, sheya'alu ma'alah ma'alah. If you want to elevate and lift the prayers of the Jewish people to go higher and higher, לפקודיהם, מלשון חסרון, כמו ולא נפקד ממנו איש Lifkudeihem, m'lashon chisaron, k'mo v'lo nifkad mimenu ish. כשהבאים להתפלל על מה שחסר להם k'sheba'im l'hispallel al mah shechaser lahem. When you come and want to daven for what's missing and to elevate it higher and higher, ונתנו איש כופר נפשו להשם בפקוד אותם v'nasnu ish kofer nafsho laHashem bifkod osam. Daven for the חסרון chisaron that Hashem has, that which Hashem is missing. So this philosophy, this attitude is embedded in this opening pasuk, says the קדושת לוי Kedushas Levi. When you turn to Hashem and daven, don't make it about me, but I want to, but I'm not happy, but I'm suffering, but please make it better, but make me happy. That may be, maybe not. But when you say, Hashem, it's not about me. I have a mission, I have a purpose, and I want to work for you, but I can't get it done if I'm not well, if I don't have the resources I need, can't get it done if I'm missing critical components. So all of our davening, all of our davening, we should transform to be about כבוד שמיים k'vod shamayim. And that is embedded in this opening pasuk. The אור החיים Ohr Hachaim and the עבודת ישראל Avodas Yisrael have another interpretation. What does it mean? What does it mean? We'll we'll get past the opening section with this. We said the rich can't give too much. Doesn't matter who you are, doesn't matter how much you have, we don't care. You can't give, you can't give too much. It's a very powerful image. It's a very powerful image because you would have said, it's kind of foolish. It's mistaken. I understand why the poor can't get away without giving anything. Everyone has to be counted. 100% participation in the Koldrey campaign, whatever everybody says. I understand, every give a dollar, give what you can, everybody has to be counted. העשיר לא ירבה He'ashir lo yarbeh, but the wealthy can't give more? That is the worst campaign of all time. So let me be clear, the global campaign, the capital campaign, there is no campaign at BRS that has a maximum. I invite you all. So why? Says the Tefer Shmuel and others, because when it comes to this campaign, which is all about community collaboration, connection, coming together, everyone is equal. And we don't want anyone feeling they're the בלא-באיאס balabos. It's my בית מדרש beis medrash, it's my shul, I built the school, I built the, no, we all contribute and we all contribute evenly. And when it comes to these carbonos, we're all doing. And that's the simple understanding. Financially, nobody should be able to say, big shot. I'm the גביר gvir. I made it happen. I'm the בלא-באיאס balabos. It's mine. You know the golden rule? Everyone know the golden rule? The golden rule is whoever has the gold makes the rules. That's generally considered the golden rule. And unfortunately, sadly in life, all too often in life, that's generally the rule. So the whole מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, the קרבן ציבור korban tzibur was designed that there's no golden rule. He who has the gold doesn't make the rules because he couldn't give more because everyone gives the same. But the אור החיים Ohr Hachaim and the עבודת ישראל Avodas Yisrael quoted by the רחמי שריפקה, the אמרות טהורות Rachmei Shrifka, the Imros Tehoros interpret it a little bit differently. For the sake of time, I will read it to you inside, but very beautifully decides, עשיר ashir and דל dal, wealth and poor, don't only have to do with money. They could also have to do with מצוות mitzvos. We have the righteous and we have the less than righteous. We have a person who's a צדיק, a צדקנית tzadik, a tzadkanis, and we have those who are not reaching on that level. So when it comes to the מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, when it comes to community and coming together, nobody gives more, nobody gives less, we're all equal. And the whole notion of the מחצית machatzis, the whole idea of the מחצית machatzis, the גמרא קידושין Gemara Kiddushin says, לעולם יראה אדם עצמו כאילו חציו זכאי וחציו חייב l'olam yir'eh adam atzmo k'ilu chetzyo zakai v'chetzyo chayav. A person should always look at their own life and think, I'm half worthy and half unworthy. And if I do one more worthy thing, I'm going to tip the scale. My whole life is a scale of, I've done a lot of good things. Done some not such good things. We're equal. The next decision I make, my next act, the next behavior I exhibit is going to tip the scale one direction or the other. That's a very healthy way to live. It's a very motivating way to live. When a person appreciates the significance of the very next act, the very next moment, it could tip the scale in either direction. Hopefully, it'll motivate, incentivize to tip the scale the right way. So that's מחצית השקל Machatzis Hashekel. The scale is even and my next act will tip it in one direction or another. And in this attitude העשיר לא ירבה והדל לא ימעיט ha'ashir lo yarbeh vehadal lo yam'it. Nobody is the righteous, the person who's the more knows more Torah or davens a long Shmone Esrei or volunteers for more chesed, לא ירבה lo yarbeh is no better. והדל לא ימעיט vehadal lo yam'it is also equally important that there's nobody unworthy. Doesn't matter where you are. If you're a beginner, if you're just starting, it doesn't matter what stage or age of life, doesn't matter how observant, not observant you are, הדל hadal everyone has a place. When it comes to the צבור tzibbur, the community, there's a place for everybody. So they redefine and retranslate so beautifully. I wish I had time to read it to you inside. They redefine and retranslate it as not just financially, העשיר ha'ashir and דל dal, but also when it comes to righteousness. העשיר ha'ashir, the righteous, and the דל dal, the unrighteous. Everyone is equal the מחצית machatzis, we should all see it as our next act is going to tip the scale for the whole community. It matters, we matter, it makes it makes a big difference. פרק ל\"א פסוק ב' Perek Lamed Alef, Pasuk Beis.Turn the page. Now then the the Torah gives us the כיור kiyor, we've studied in the past. You could listen if you want, the כיור kiyor, the laver where the washing was done, came from the mirrors. Moshe didn't want to accept them, Hashem said accept them. What was going on in that conversation? Then we have the שמן המשחה shemen hamishcha, the anointment oil, how it was made, the ingredients, how they were anointed and elevated. And then we get to the incense, which was which was made. The רמב\"ם Rambam says the purpose of the incense was essentially potpourri. The בית המקדש Beis Hamikdash, the משכן Mishkan, from morning to night was filled with slaughtering animals, sprinkling the blood of the animals, burning the fats and limbs of the animals, barbecuing the animals. Eventually, sitting out in the sun, those animals could produce a pretty horrible odor. How was it offset? Says the רמב\"ם Rambam, that's why we have the קטורת ketores, the incense. Potpourri, positive smell, a plug in, whatever hotel you wanted. The Ritz Carlton smell, the four seasons, five season, how many seasons? There are four seasons. The four seasons, whatever you know what I'm talking about? The cartridge thing you could plug in. Anyway, so they had that in the Bais Hamikdash in the Beis Hamikdash it was called the קטורת ketores, and it offset. The other Rishonim go to town on the רמב\"ם Rambam. That's the רמב\"ם Rambam, often explains rationally, we have this because of that, we have this. The others, no, no, no, that's not what it's for whatsoever the קטורת ketores. The קטורת ketores is how we appease the Almighty, the ריח ניחוח reiach nichoach we produce this pleasant fragrance. What, God smells? God has a sense of smell? What's the קטורת ketores all about? God has a sense of smell, that's where we can appease him through the קטורת ketores. When God gets angry, how do we describe it? חרון אף Charon af, which means, חרון charon is heat, אף af is the nose, the nostrils. You know the cartoons depict that the person who gets so angry, there's steam coming out of their nostrils. Where do you get that from? The Torah, God, חרון אף charon af, the depiction of God getting angry is steam coming out of his nostrils. And in our parsha later, the חטא העגל chet ha'eigel, Jewish people make a horrific, egregious mistake of building the eigel, the calf, and Moshe says God forgive them and he invokes the formula that Hashem says I can't help but forgive when you say those words. They include ארך אפים erech apayim. What do the words ארך אפים erech apayim mean? אפים Apayim again means nose, nostrils. ארך Erech means elongated. Hashem expand, flare your nostrils. Have elongated nostrils. Why is God's anger described as heated nostrils and his patience and his being forgiving is described as having elongated nostrils? And somehow we can get into those nostrils of God through the קטורת ketores, through this incense that's described in our parsha. What's going on? How did God create us? ויפח באפיו נשמת חיים Vayipach be'apav nishmas chayim. Go back to the book of Genesis, בראשית Bereishis, the way God created man is described as God breathed a piece of his soul into ours through what? Our nostrils. The godly soul in us comes through the nostrils. So when we want to remind God, we're imperfect, we're fallible, we're a work in progress, we're doing our best, we're coming along, believe in us and give us another chance, where do we go? He gets angry in his nostrils because he says I gave you a piece of me. I gave you a צלם אלוקים tzelem Elokim. Every human being is made up of two parts. The the נפש הבהמי nefesh habahami, the animal impulse, the animal impulse, the animal instinct, we want to eat like an animal, live like an animal, act like an animal, but we also have a godly soul a צלם אלוקים tzelem Elokim. We have the divine inside us and the divine is all about self-control, the capacity to regulate ourselves, to be disciplined. So when we're undisciplined and we indulge that animal instinct, that animal soul, that animal impulse, God's nostrils flare. God's nostrils get heated. He gets angry because he says, what did I give a piece of me into you, you're neglecting the צלם אלוקים tzelem Elokim that came from my nostrils to yours. But when we say ארך אפים erech apayim, believe in us, we're imperfect, we're coming along, we're a work in progress, give us another chance. What we're saying is, have expanded, extended nostrils. Be patient, believe in us. The קטורת ketores had in the ingredients here on page 488, the חלבנה chelbona. The חלבנה chelbona, the galbanum, I have no idea what that is, but apparently it smells terrible. And the קטורת ketores is incomplete if offered without it. And our rabbis derive from here that any community that doesn't have the פושעי ישראל poshei Yisrael, the Jewish community, listen carefully. A Jewish community that doesn't make room and doesn't make space and doesn't invite those who are imperfect, those who disappoint us, those we disagree with, those who come up short, those who are leading lives that are not consistent with what God wants, is an incomplete community. The קטורת ketores, the ingredients of the קטורת ketores are the ingredients of the Jewish people and there has to be room and space for everyone including the חלבנה chelbona, including the פושעי ישראל poshei Yisrael, including those who act inappropriately, incorrectly, because what we're saying to Hashem is all of us have that piece of us. All of us to a degree are פושעי ישראל poshei Yisrael. And why should God be patient and forgiving? Why should the קטורת ketores work to bring a ריח ניחוח reiach nichoach to Him to forgive us if we can't make a space and room for them with us? There's a lot more to say on the קטורת ketores, but that is the קטורת ketores page 488. But moving along. פרק ל\"א Perek Lamed Alef, וידבר השם אל משה לאמר ראה קראתי בשם בצלאל בן אורי בן חור למטה יהודה Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe leimor re'eh karasi besheim Betzalel ben Uri ben Chur l'mateh Yehuda, we're back to speaking about the architect of the Mishkan. Who was the architect of the Mishkan? What's his name? בצלאל Betzalel. בן אורי בן חור Ben Uri ben Chur from the tribe of יהודה Yehuda. ואמלא אותו רוח אלוקים Va'amalei oso ruach Elokim. God says I filled him with a godly spirit. He's a great architect. He's a great designer. What does he need? בחכמה ובתבונה ובדעת ובכל מלאכה bechochmah u'vitvunah u'v'daas u'v'chol melachah. You know why he's a great architect? Because he's a חב\"דניקר Chabadniker. He's a Lubavitcher. I'm not making that up, that's what the pasuk says. חכמה בינה דעת Chochmah, binah, daas. חב\"ד Chabad. חב\"ד Chabad is חכמה בינה ודעת chochmah, binah, v'daas, the בעל התניא Ba'al HaTanya. ובכל מלאכה U'v'chol melachah. בצלאל Betzalel, why? He was walking around the Mishkan putting tefillin on people? What is חכמה בינה ודעת chochmah, binah, v'daas? The three types of knowledge. We've discussed this in the past as well. We're not going to revisit it now. חכמה בינה דעת Chochmah, binah, daas, we don't have synonyms in the Torah. Three words all mean knowledge. There are three types of knowledge. It's abstract, the capacity to analyze and deduce. There's how to how to actually manifest it in practice. There are three types of knowledge, חכמה בינה ודעת chochmah, binah, v'daas and that's the basis of Tanya, the Alter Rebbe. As much as people think that חב\"ד Chabad or חסידות Chassidus is about farbrengens and l'chaims, which it is too, at its core it's about learning. It's knowledge, it's intellectual. It's חכמה בינה ודעת chochmah, binah, v'daas. And that's what בצלאל Betzalel had. And Hashem turns to Moshe and he tells him check it out. Give a kick, give a look, check it out. What's he giving a look at? How do you see knowledge? What is he seeing in בצלאל Betzalel? The תפארת שמואל Tiferes Shmuel, the new volume is still not out, but I get the newsletter, so thank them for that. And at least it's enough for me to mark up and share and share together with you. So we're learning this year. מה הכוונה ראה? מה יש לו לראות? Mah hakavanah re'eh? Mah yesh lo liros? Hashem says to Moshe, give a look. ראה Re'eh, look at בצלאל בן אורי בן חור למטה יהודה Betzalel ben Uri ben Chur l'mateh Yehuda, who is the architect of the Mishkan ואמלא אותו va'amalei oso and I filled him with חכמה בינה ודעת chochmah, binah, v'daas. What do you mean look? And if Hashem told בצלאל Betzalel, go to it. I filled you with all the knowledges that you need, all the knowledge you need, get to it. Build the Mishkan. What does Moshe have to look? It's a ציבוי tzivui, it's a commandment of God, get to work. And what does it mean? Then Moshe turns to כלל ישראל Klal Yisrael and he says go, look, look at בצלאל Betzalel. What are they looking at so much? The says Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, listen carefully. He says it's in the name of Rav Moshe Feinstein. אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה רבינו הסיבה למנות את בצלאל amar Hakadosh Baruch Hu l'Moshe Rabbeinu hasibah l'manos es Betzalel why was בצלאל Betzalel chosen to be the architect of the Mishkan? To be the general contractor of the Mishkan? אף על פי שהיה רק בן Af al pi shehayah rak ben, how old was he? גמרא סנהדרין ס\"ט Gemara Sanhedrin Samech Tes tells us, 13 years old. Imagine, you saw the fencing around, מירצהשם mirtzashem, we're we're going forward. Imagine we find a 13-year-old and we say he's going to present to the community meeting. He's our head of our committee, our architect, he's running the the project, the construction, 13-year-old בצלאל Betzalel. כי הקדוש ברוך הוא מילא אותו ברוח של חכמה ותבונה ודעת עד אין שיעור Ki Hakadosh Baruch Hu mila oso beruach shel chochmah u'tevunah v'daas ad ein shiur because Hashem filled him even at 13 with חכמה בינה ודעת chochmah, binah, v'daas with endless measure. שהקדוש ברוך הוא נתן לו חכמה וכוחות מיוחדים בשביל זה SheHakadosh Baruch Hu nasan lo chochmah v'kochos meyuchadim bishvil zeh. What Hashem really endowed him with, what he gave him was unlimited talent and skill to get this done. וזהו לשון ראה, שאין הדומה שמיעה לראייה V'zehu lashon re'eh, she'ein hadomeh shmi'ah l're'iyah. And ראה re'eh means look, means see, believe, no. You can't compare seeing to hearing. Seeing is believing. שרואה בעיניו בכל כוחותיו She'ro'eh b'einav b'chol kochosav. Go check out בצלאל Betzalel, you're not gonna believe it. Go see what a genius, go see how creative, go see how competent, go see how thorough, go see how spiritual, go see how connected. מיד יראה, מיד בעיניו מה הוא תפקידו Miyad yir'eh, miyad b'einav mah hu tafkido, because when you see him, and when you meet him, and when you learn about him, you will know immediately that he was made for this. When you see him, you will realize this is his תפקיד tafkid. This is his mission, this is what he was made for. והטעם שהקדוש ברוך הוא רוצה שיראה בעיניו כדי שיבין למה בצלאל הוא ראוי V'hataam sheHakadosh Baruch Hu rotzeh sheyir'eh b'einav kedei sheyavin lamah Betzalel hu ra'ui. Now you'll know why. You didn't just get an email and a name team as the chair of the Mishkan committee. Go go go see him in action. Go speak to him. Go learn about him, because when you do, you'll understand he was made for this. This is the talent, this is what he has. we believe תפקיד מיוחד tafkid meyuchad. Every one of us was created for a particular purpose and a mission. We're here on this earth to make a difference. We're not here to accumulate the most things. We're not here even to get the most experiences. We're here to make the biggest difference. It's not about what we can get out of this world, it's what we can give to this world. As the רמח\"ל Ramchal begins his מסילת ישרים Mesilas Yesharim, the gift called life is not about rights and entitlements. Well God, you made me a member, a citizen here of this globe. No, what do I get? What are my rights and entitlements? No, what's coming? I'm a member of the BRS global community. What do I get? What do I get for it? No. מה חובתו של אדם בעולמו Mah chovaso shel adam be'olamo? The question is not what do I get, the question is what can I give? The question is not, does Hashem take care of my needs? It's what does Hashem need me for. How am I needed? How am I needed? Every human being was created for a particular purpose and mission. to fulfill the reason We weren't put in this world just to enjoy. Nothing wrong with also enjoying. But it's not about the wine collection or the car collection or the trips and the vacations or the portfolio. It's about what can we do with all those things? Our skills, our time, our energy, our health, our wealth, how are we impacting the world? What are we building? What are we transforming? What difference are we making? How are we repairing? How are we redeeming? How am I bringing my unique skills? Every one of us is unique. Each one is their own expression of Hashem in this world. The world is incomplete without us. And when we will be gone, the world will be missing something terribly. And while we are here, what do we do with it? And that's the ראה re'eh. Go look at בצלאל Betzalel because when you do, you'll have no doubt this is what he was made for. And everyone needs to look into themselves to see and what am I made for? Why am I here? What are my skills and talents? And how can I use them? What difference can I make with them? פרק ל\"א פסוק י\"ג Perek Lamed Alef, Pasuk Yud Gimmel, continuing.וידבר השם אל משה לאמר ואתה דבר אל בני ישראל לאמר אך את שבתותי תשמרו כי אות היא ביני וביניכם לדורותיכם לדעת כי אני השם מקדשכם Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe leimor v'atah daber el Bnei Yisrael leimor ach es Shabso'sai tishmoru ki os hi beini u'veineichem l'doroseichem ladaas ki ani Hashem mekadesh'chem. Hashem interrupts the building of the Mishkan to give us the mitzvah of Shabbos. There are 13 parallels between Shabbos and Mishkan. We're learning them together now and turn Friday into erev Shabbos. Every Friday afternoon, we spend 10 minutes getting ready for Shabbos together. I'm tempted. I love Shabbos. I live for Shabbos. And so I'm tempted to tell you all the beautiful divrei Torah about Shabbos here, but we spend so much time on these such passages on Friday afternoons. You're all invited to join us. Turn Friday into erev Shabbos. You could find all the old ones online. You could start from the beginning. We had a hundred and maybe 200, I don't even know what number we're up to. So here the pasuk says, אך ach. אך Ach is a limit. את שבתותי תשמרו Es Shabso'sai tishmoru, observe my, translate the word שבתותי Shabso'sai, my Shabboses in the plural. Why didn't God say observe my Shabbos? Why does he say it in the plural? The כתב על התורה Ksav al haTorah, Rav Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg says, in every Shabbos there are two Shabboses. What are the two Shabboses? The positive and the negative. There are the 39 acts of creative labor I can't violate, the ל\"ט מלאכות lamed tes melachos, the שמור shamor, but every Shabbos has the זכור zachor. What spirit, what energy, we spoke about at the beginning of the מחצית השקל machatzis hashekel, what's the fire, the ברען bren, what energy do I bring to Shabbos? Is it just I'm not writing, I'm not driving, I'm not turning on the TV, I'm not texting, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. I'm not separating, I'm not winnowing, I'm not threshing, I'm not cooking, I'm not baking. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. That's Shabbos, sitting around miserable, looking at the clock waiting for Shabbos to end, miserable about all the things that you can't do? Or is Shabbos also זכור zachor? Is it is it Kiddush? Is it לעשות את השבת la'asos es haShabbos? You making Shabbos, creating Shabbos, elevating Shabbos, enriching Shabbos, empowering Shabbos. Is there are you on fire? Is it a Shabbos of fire? Are you on fire for Shabbos? So that's שבתותי Shabso'sai. Every Shabbos has two Shabboses. זכור Zachor and שמור shamor, the positive, the negative, the passive part of Shabbos, the part of Shabbos that happens, ready or not, here it comes. When Shabbos comes. Florida we get an extra hour. If you're watching in New York, you know what I'm talking about. Ready or not, here it comes. That's one part of Shabbos, but the other part of Shabbos is not just the passive here it comes, it's the positive. Let's make Shabbos. Let's create Shabbos. Let's make a Shabbos that will transform us, that we'll remember forever. שבתותי Shabso'sai too. That's why the Gemara says אילו שמרו שתי שבתות מיד נגאלו ilu shamru shtei shabasos miyad nig'alu. And if the Jewish people would only keep two Shabboses, immediately would be free. That's why Mordechai ben David saying just one Shabbos we'll all go free. Just one Shabbos Mashiach will come. I would I thought it says two Shabboses. The answer is just one Shabbos that we observe both parts of it, then Mashiach is going to come. שבתותי תשמרו Shabso'sai tishmoru. Why should we do it? כי אות Ki os, it is an אות os, it is a sign. How is it a sign? What is the אות os? כי אות היא ביני וביניכם Ki os hi beini u'veineichem, אות os. רש\"י Rashi says, האומות ha'umos. To whom is it an אות os? אות Os, it's a sign ביני וביניכם beini u'veineichem. This is why men don't wear tefillin on Shabbos. Ever wonder why we don't wear tefillin on Shabbos? It's nothing inherently muktzah about tefillin. It's leather with parchment. We could touch the mezuzah, we read from the sefer Torah. What's the difference between tefillin and the sefer Torah that tefillin we don't wear on Shabbos and muktzah and the sefer Torah we read, the mezuzah we kiss? The answer is tefillin are an אות os, they're a sign of the special relationship. Bris milah is an אות os, is a sign, circumcision. And Shabbos. So you need two signs, two witnesses. So the bris is a permanent witness. The tefillin are the second witness, but Shabbos is a witness, I don't need tefillin. אות Os. So for who is it a sign? Shabbos is a sign. When we observe and keep Shabbos, oh, it's a sign. We're making a statement. To whom are we making this statement? Zagt der רש\"י Rashi, האומות ha'umos, to the nations of the world. Wonders Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, מה נפקא מינה אם הגויים ידעו או לא ידעו שהקדוש ברוך הוא בחר בנו מכל העמים ונתן לנו את השבת Mah nafka minah im hagoyim yed'u o lo yed'u sheHakadosh Baruch Hu bachar banu mikol ha'amim v'nasan lanu es haShabbos. Why do we care if the non-Jews, if the nations of the world know that we're שומרי שבת shomrei Shabbos, that we keep Shabbos? What's the difference? It's just awkward and weird at the hotel. Can you open my room for me at the whatever, all the complications of being a shomer Shabbos when the non-Jewish world, what do we need them to know? לדעת כי הקדוש ברוך הוא מקדשנו ladaas ki Hakadosh Baruch Hu mekadsheinu Why do we want them or need them to know? Why? Says the Tiferes Shmuel, Rav Shmuel Berenbaum, בדעת כי הקדוש ברוך הוא בורא ומנהיג b'daas ki Hakadosh Baruch Hu borei u'manhig. Why do we keep Shabbos? Because Hashem said so. Good, true. Why do we keep Shabbos? If you keep Shabbos, you testify that God is the creator of heaven and earth. Shabbos is every what day? Seventh day. Do you know that travel the globe, not only civilized society, but also ancient tribes. How many days are there to their week? Seven. It's a peculiar number. It's not five, it's not 10. Why seven? Why does the whole world including atheists and agnostics keep a seven-day week? Everybody, universally. Where does that come from? Comes from us. Because when we observe Shabbos, we are testifying that God is the creator. The only way to arrive at a seven-day week is because he created for six days and rested on the seventh and we're following in his footsteps. When we make, when we keep Shabbos, it's עדות eidus. We say ויכולו Vayechulu with one other because we're giving עדות eidus, we're testifying. Testifying. שמירת שבת של כלל ישראל משפיע אף על האומות Shmiras Shabbos shel Klal Yisrael mashpia af al ha'umos. So when we keep Shabbos, it's not keeping it to ourselves, for ourselves. We are impacting the whole world through our observance of Shabbos because we're testifying. So sorry, I'm not available. You know why? Because there's a creator. He created the whole world and everything in it, including you and your family and your business and your life. And because I'm acknowledging that creator, I surrender and I submit to him, even though six days a week he told me to go conquer the world. One day a week I'm at peace with nature and the world, and therefore I'm unavailable. And our שבת Shabbos, our observing Shabbos, and it's an אות ביני וביניכם os beini u'veineichem, our sharing of our observance of Shabbos, our being public and proclaiming our observance of Shabbos doesn't only shape our society, it impacts the entire world. ששמירת השבת היא באופן שמשמש השבת כראוי, להבדיל, גם הגויים ידעו ולא הולך לעבודות ביום מנוחתו שלו She'shmiras haShabbos hi b'ofen she'm'shamesh haShabbos k'raui, lehavdil, gam hagoyim yed'u v'lo holech la'avodos b'yom menuchaso shelo. We introduced to the world, now other nations keep other days. Christians keep Sunday, Muslims keep it Friday, but where did they get that from? The idea of a Sabbath. It comes from us. It's our contribution to the world. A technology Sabbath. There's a movement saying take a day off a week from technology. The whole notion of a Sabbath and of a sabbatical, it comes from us. So the אות os, this sign, this symbol, we're trying to teach and transform the world. And we're longing, we're looking forward, we're waiting for that Shabbos. מאחר שאנחנו יוצאים מן השבת וממהרים לבוא Me'acher she'anachnu yotzim min haShabbos u'me'maharim lavo. We don't ever want Shabbos to end, and we can't wait for it to start again. ישמחו במלכותך שומרי שבת וקוראי עונג Yismechu b'malchusecha shomrei Shabbos v'korei oneg. אל תשמח ישראל אל גיל כעמים Al tismach Yisrael el gil ka'amim. All of these statements reflect our special relationship, our love, our longing, and the testimony that Shabbos is that impacts the whole world around us. זהו תפקידים של כלל ישראל בעולם בכל ימי חיינו Zehu tafkidim shel Klal Yisrael ba'olam b'chol yemei chayeinu. This is our mission, our purpose, it's why we're here. It's why the Jewish people exist. Not to retreat and live on our own, but to mold and shape the world around us. The Torah and Yiddishkeit, Judaism was not given just for the Jews. It was given to repair this world, to teach this world, teach this world moral and ethics, how to relate to time and space and people and relationships, how to relate to ourselves. And Shabbos has all of those components. And the עדות eidus, the testimony that we give to God, the אות ביני וביניכם os beini u'veineichem is for Shabbos. We had on our podcast several years ago, Behind the Bima, Ben Brafman is a very accomplished lawyer, trial lawyer, and he told the story on Behind the Bima, but it's a story that's very famous. He had a client who was a big rapper, Combs. I think P. Diddy is his nickname or name. And he said the following, \"People think Combs is just a rapper, he's an industry. 600 employs 600 people. He expected them to work not just during regular business hours, nights and weekends, he's used to getting what he wants. So Combs tells Ben Brafman when he hires him to be his lawyer to get him off on some serious charge, 'First thing you got to do is give me all your numbers, you got to be available 24/7.' So Brafman says '24/6.' Combs says '24/7. Everyone who works for me is available 24/7.' 'Listen, I just want to get this out of the way now because I'm the right guy for this case, but you got to understand. I observe Sabbath. Absent a real emergency, I won't answer the phone.' Brafman explains that he had staff members in place who weren't Jews to handle emergencies, if an emergency came up, they could fax Brafman, he would see it and decide whether it was worthy of taking action. 'Don't call me Friday night,' he said to Combs, but that Friday night the phone started to ring and ring and ring. Phone rings a thousand times, Brafman says. 'Most people would hang up after 50. Phone call was coming from a blocked number. No fax. So obviously it wasn't an emergency. He didn't answer the phone. After Shabbos is over on Saturday night, Brafman calls Combs to confirm his suspicions. 'Were you trying to reach me Friday night?' 'Yeah,' says P. Diddy. 'Was it an emergency?' 'No.' 'Sorry I didn't answer the phone.' Combs explained that was totally fine. 'Why?' 'I won 10 grand. I bet my homies you wouldn't pick up the phone,' said a thrilled Combs.\" The year was 1999, Sean Puffy Combs had just been arrested for a weapons charge after gunfire broke out at a nightclub in Manhattan and so on and so forth. So, he hired Brafman and he won that money because when Brafman said, 'I'm not answering the phone. You can call me as many times as you want, nothing's gonna happen,' and then he won $10,000 from his homies because he said, \"Watch this. It doesn't matter who I am, no matter how many times I call, he won't answer the phone.\" What a Kiddush Hashem. What a, I'm not talking about him representing him, that's a different question, but what a kiddush, I'm not saying that's not a Kiddush Hashem. I have no comment on it whatsoever. Maybe it's also a Kiddush Hashem because you're defending justice and the system of justice, which is important. But but not answering the phone, no matter who's calling, no matter how famous, no matter how big, no matter how wealthy, no matter their expectation or demands, what a Kiddush Hashem. אות היא ביני וביניכם Os hi beini u'veineichem. It's an אות os to whom? אומות Umos, to the nations of the world, to the rapper community and well beyond. פרק ל\"א פסוק ט\"ז Perek Lamed Alef, Pasuk Tes Zayin. ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת V'shamru Bnei Yisrael es haShabbos. We don't just keep Shabbos, ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת v'shamru Bnei Yisrael es haShabbos. You recognize these words? They're Kiddush, Shabbos day. ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת V'shamru Bnei Yisrael es haShabbos, they're davening. Page the top, top of page 492, we're not going to get into it even though I want to, ושמרו v'shamru. What does it mean to be שומר shomer? ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת V'shamru Bnei Yisrael es haShabbos. What does it mean to be a שומר שבת shomer Shabbos? More than the Jews have kept Shabbos, Shabbos has kept the Jews. What does it mean to be a שומר שבת shomer Shabbos? The word שומר shomer means? No. No. No. ואביו שמר את הדבר V'aviv shamar es hadavar. It means to look forward to, to anticipate, to get excited about. ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת V'shamru Bnei Yisrael es haShabbos. Be a שומר שבת shomer Shabbos. When are you a שומר שבת shomer Shabbos? Rav Druck talks about it in this week's parsha. When are you truly שומר שבת shomer Shabbos? Not on Shabbos, but when Sunday is יום ראשון לשבת yom rishon l'Shabbos and Monday is יום שני לשבת yom sheini l'Shabbos, and today, Tuesday is יום שלישי לשבת yom shlishi l'Shabbos. And each day you identify that day is one day to Shabbos, two day to Shabbos, three, it's not Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. When your life revolves around Shabbos, who are we having this Shabbos? What's the menu for Shabbos? What story will we tell on Shabbos? What games will we play on Shabbos? Shabbos. When a person all week is looking forward to Shabbos, then you're a שומר שבת shomer Shabbos. If you don't think about Shabbos all week until 10 minutes before candle lighting Friday, no matter how well you observe Shabbos, you're not a שומר שבת shomer Shabbos. ואביו שמר את הדבר V'aviv shamar es hadavar, we see that word שמר shamar being used always as to look forward, to anticipate, to long for it, to look forward to. That's what it means to be a שומר שבת shomer Shabbos. Five more minutes and 50 more divrei Torah. Okay. פרק ל\"א פסוק י\"ג Perek Lamed Alef, Pasuk Yud Gimmel. Let's go. A little bit further in the parsha. Lamed Gimmel, Daled. חטא העגל Chet Ha'eigel. Moshe does not come back from the mountain. He was supposed to be down after 40 days, 40 nights. Does not return based on their miscalculation. What happens? Panic. Panic ensues. And Aaron, in a attempt to buy some time, even participates in building the Eigel, the חטא העגל chet ha'eigel, the Golden Calf. They abandon God just after the greatest revelation in all of history, and they build this golden calf and they worship it, they dance around it. And then God says, \"I've had enough. This is an incorrigible people, they're impossible.\" They cheated on me on our wedding night. I'm out. Moshe says, \"Give them another chance. Give them another chance.\" By the way, part of his argument is give them another chance. Why? עם קשה עורף הוא Am kesheh oref hu. They're stubborn, stiff-necked, obstinate people. God says I want to destroy them because they're עם קשה עורף am kesheh oref. Why would Moshe use the very argument God used to destroy them as the argument to defend them? Spoken about that in the past, too. But God ultimately acquiesces, he gives in, he's appeased and he and he does forgive them. So the Torah here describes וידבר השם אל משה לך עלה מזה אתה והעם אשר העלית vayedaber Hashem el Moshe, lech alei mizeh atah v'ha'am asher he'elisa. Go and send from here, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. אשר נשבעתי לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב לאמר Asher nishbati l'Avraham, l'Yitzchak v'l'Yaakov leimor, I promised their forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, I'd give them this land. And the people heard pasuk daled. וישמע העם את הדבר הזה Vayishma ha'am es hadavar hazeh, God says this עם קשה עורף אתה am kesheh oref atah. See, God calls them stiff-necked, Moshe calls them stiff-necked. Listen to the past what we said about that. The people heard this terrible news, וישמע העם את הדבר הרע הזה ויתאבלו Vayishma ha'am es hadavar hara hazeh vayis'abelu, and they mourned, made themselves into mourners, ולא שתו איש עדיו עליו v'lo shasu ish edyo alav, and and and no one put on their jewelry and Hashem said I could destroy you in an instant, I want to destroy you in an instant. What is this word ויתאבלו vayis'abelu? What is this word? So I want to read to you from Rav Soloveitchik. When the people heard the bad news, they mourned. So Rav Soloveitchik says, \"In the wake of sin comes a strong feeling of sorrow. The previous day they had engaged in wild, joyous celebration around the calf, but now they felt the bitter sorrow of mourning. The consciousness of the sin reached them was expressed in the sorrow of mourning. This is not the only time that sin is referred to in terms of mourning. Same phenomenon recurs with the חטא המרגלים chet hamiraglim, the sin of the spies. Moshe related all the words to Bnei Yisrael and the people mourned greatly. The pasuk says in במדבר פרק י\"ד Bamidbar Perek Yud Daled. Here too, mourning follows sin. What is the sorrow of mourning? According to Halacha, the laws of mourning apply when a person loses something important and precious. The loss of money and property is not a real loss. A real loss is the loss of a dear and beloved person. Mourning is a reaction to a loss and expresses itself in a strong sensation of nostalgia, of yearning, of retrospective memories. The power of mourning is cruelty and loneliness. As its focal point in the memory of the human being. Were man able to forget, to eradicate events from memory, there'd be no need for mourning. The feeling of bereavement are dependent on memory, which is the greatest blessing of man qua man. Memory constitutes the entire awareness of the human I. In times of mourning, however, this blessing becomes a curse.\" Who are we and what are we? We are the composite of all of our memories. All of our relationships and all of our consciousness and all of our existence is our memories. Memory is a beautiful thing. When someone has dementia, Alzheimer's, memory loss, they physically may be fit and fine, but without their memories, who are they? Memory is the definition of who we are, and it's an amazing blessing. Amazing blessing. But memory can also be a curse. Memories float up from the past and when the past comes to the surface, a man is forced to compare yesterday with today, he is engulfed by a feeling of bereavement and mourning. Over the course of many years, a man becomes accustomed to returning home from the outside of fairs. He climbs the few steps before the front door of his house in the same way he's done for years. He rings the bell out of habit and expects to hear. always soft steps from the other side of the door. He waits, but the steps never come. He puts his hand in his pocket, pulls out the key and opens the door. It seems the same door, the same furniture. Everything is clean and polished. Nevertheless, something has changed. Everything appears to be in exactly the same state in the same place in which the way they were before he left the house. Nothing has been moved, only no one is there waiting for him. All around there is peace and quiet, which can sometimes be worse than heart-rendering cries. Mourning engulfs his whole being.Who is Rav Soloveitchik describing? It's talking about his wife. It's talking about after the loss of his wife, how he would come home and everything looked the same and felt the same and was left the same, but was entirely different because she wasn't there. Rav Soloveitchik, the lonely man of faith, the halachic man, the great Brisker, who we think of as this rational mind, had this heart which was broken with the loss of his wife. And he's describing what אבלות aveilus, what mourning is. It's the memory and the comparison of yesterday to today, of what's missing and not there. The sinner also mourns. What does the sinner mourn? He mourns that which he has irretrievably lost. What has he lost? Everything. The sinner has lost his purity, his holiness, his integrity, his spiritual wealth, the joy of life, the spirit of sanctity in man, all that gives meaning to life and and content to human existence, content to human existence. The mourner mourns the soul of the beloved one he has lost. The sinner, his own soul which he has lost.So what's the connection? ויתאבלו Vayisabalu, they mourned. What are they mourning? What are they mourning? They're mourning who they could have been, who they should have been. They're mourning the decision they should have made. They're mourning the loss of that moment. There's a connection between חטא cheit, a mistake, and mourning, because in each moment of mourning is the realization, in each moment of of of focusing on a mistake that we've made, is the mourning of who we could have been.Mourning inevitably contains a masochistic element. The mourner tortures and torments himself. He hates himself. In the bereavement of sin, there is also a clear masochistic element. A sinner begins to sense a feeling of contempt and disgust towards himself, a masochistic self-hatred. The sin is an abomination, an object of revulsion, something utterly nauseating. The feeling generated by sin is not a moral sensation. The moral sense in man is not such a powerful feeling. The feeling of sin which drags a person to repentance is a sensation, corrected and a negative aesthetic reaction. The sinner feels disgust at the defilement of sin. Suffering of sin lies in the feeling of nausea toward the defiling, disgusting uncleanliness of the sin.So, it is only through the feeling of ויתאבלו Vayisabalu, it's when we are mourning, if you made a mistake, this is what we don't have time for, but I wanted to see. After the חטא העגל Chet HaEgel, they made מחולות mecholos. They danced in a circle. And רב ישראל סלנטר Rav Yisrael Salanter and רב משה מרדכי אפשטיין Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein, they both write, the sin of the חטא העגל Chet HaEgel was not the bad judgment. We have bad judgment, we make mistakes. But what happens right afterwards? Do we sing and dance and celebrate the mistake? Do we have great memories and nostalgia, remember the party, remember that time we did that thing, went to that place, looked at that, watched that? Or ויתאבלו Vayisabalu. Or if a person is really regretful and remorseful, if a person really feels guilt and shame for what they did wrong, they're mourning the purity they lost, they're mourning the moment they can never get back, they're mourning the innocence that is lost. So the whole problem with the חטא העגל Chet HaEgel, פרק ל״ב פסוק י״ט Perek Lamed Beis, Pasuk Yud Tes, were the מחולות mecholos, the circles, the dancing, the singing that they did afterwards. The bad judgment, we're human beings, we make mistakes, we sometimes have bad judgment. What's unforgivable is when you celebrate and sing and dance to those mistakes and have such nostalgia for it. The opposite and what we should have felt was not nostalgia and sing and dance and joy, but ויתאבלו Vayisabalu, to mourn, to grieve, to feel I've lost my innocence. What have I done? What did I lose? Who could I have been? How can I get this time back? How can I make a different decision going forward? That's the connection between mourning, loss of a person, and mourning when it comes to sin. There was a lot more to talk about.Pick up next time. BRSonline.org/global. Please do not leave if you've not yet contributed to our campaign. If you're a member, you're doing your part. If you're not a member and you've given, you're doing your part. If you're coming, you're watching, you're listening, you're enjoying, but you're not helping, you're not doing your part. Please stay for תהילים Tehillim, beginning right now.
