Podcasts about bet hamikdash

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** The Sha'ar Hakavanot (collection of Kabbalistic teachings) writes that after one counts the Omer – meaning, after reciting the Beracha and then counting that day's number – one should offer a prayer for the rebuilding of the Bet Hamikdash. The text of this prayer is, "Harahaman Hu Yahazir Abodat Bet Hamikdash Limkomah Bimhera Beyamenu Amen" ("The Merciful One shall restore the service of the Temple to its place, speedily and in our days, Amen"). The reason for this practice is that according to most Halachic authorities, the Misva of counting the Omer applies nowadays Mi'de'rabbanan – by force of Rabbinic enactment – as opposed to Torah law. The Torah obligation of Sefirat Ha'omer applied only in the times of the Bet Hamikdash, when we offered the special Omer sacrifice, whereas nowadays, in the absence of Bet Hamikdash, when we cannot bring this offering, our counting is only commemorative. Therefore, after we count the Omer each night, we pray to God to rebuild the Bet Hamikdash so we can offer the Korban Ha'omer, and then we will be able to count in fulfillment of the actual Misva. And even according to those authorities (such as the Rambam) who maintained that Sefirat Ha'omer is required by Torah law nowadays, we offer a prayer that the Temple will be rebuilt so we can offer the Korban Ha'omer. This also answers the question addressed by the Halachic authorities as to why we do not recite the Beracha of "Shehehiyanu" the first time we count the Omer each year. As we know, whenever we perform a Misva that presents itself on infrequent occasions, we recite the Beracha of "Shehehiyanu." Seemingly, this should apply to Sefirat Ha'omer, as well, yet Halacha does not require reciting this Beracha before the counting of the Omer. The reason is that when we count the Omer, we are mindful of the fact that we count only as a commemoration of the actual Misva, which we cannot fulfill in its true form due to the absence of the Bet Hamikdash. The counting of the Omer thus evokes a degree of sorrow, and does not warrant the recitation of the festive "Shehehiyanu" blessing. Summary: It is customary to recite immediately after Sefirat Ha'omer a brief prayer for the rebuilding of the Bet Hamikdash: "Harahaman Hu Yahazir Abodat Bet Hamikdash Limkomah Bimhera Beyamenu Amen."

Welcome to Daily Bitachon We are reviewing the Haggadah shel Pesach with timely lessons We're in the Baruch Shomer Havtachato L'Yisrael And the question is, What is the greatness of Hashem that He keeps His promise? The commentaries explain that the word Shomer has more than one meaning( they are actually related). The common meaning of Shomer is a watchman or, to guard something But Shomer also means to wait. We see this when the Torah, in Bereshit 37,11 describes that the brothers were jealous of Yosef. And it says, וְאָבִ֖יו שָׁמַ֥ר אֶת־הַדָּבָֽר What does that mean? Rashi says Shamar et ha-davar means hayah mamtin/he's waiting, umtzapeh/ looking forward, matay yavo/when is it going to happen? Rashi then brings other cases where the word Shomer in Tanach means to wait. The Sefer Ikarim , in the 4th essay chapter 47, explains that the root of the word שמר Shomer / watchman or guard , really comes from waiting , because a watchman is waiting for his watch to be over. It's probably the most boring job in the world So he's called a Shomer because he's waiting נַפְשִׁ֥י לַאדֹנָ֑י מִשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים לַ֝בֹּ֗קֶר שֹׁמְרִ֥ים לַבֹּֽקֶר׃ David HaMelech in Tehillim 130,6 Nafshi l'Hashem , My soul is to God, Mi shomrim la-boker , from those watchmen that are waiting for the morning, shomrim la-boker, they can't wait for the morning to come In Shemot , Perek 12 , Pasuk 42 , it says that the night of the Seder is called Lel Shimurim , which most people understand means the night that we are guarded, but that's not what Rashi says. He says it's called the night of waiting because Hashem was waiting, looking forward, L'kayim Havtachatoh , to fulfill His guarantee and promise. So now we have a new understanding, Baruch Shomer Havatachatoh Yisrael , means Blessed is the One, Hashem, that was looking forward to keep His promise - not that he kept His promise- He was looking forward to it This commentary is brought down by Rabbi Yitzchak Meltzen in his Haggadah shel Pesach , Siach Yitzchak , and many others bring it down as well. Additionally, the Seforno, on the pasuk of Lel Shimurim L'Hashem says Hashem was looking forward to save them. And he asks, Why didn't He just save them earlier? Why is He waiting? The answer is, They weren't yet ready or fit for the Ge'ulah . Hashem was waiting for the right time, Ki Chafetz Chesed Hu He wants to do it, and that's what it means, HaKadosh Baruch Hu Chishev Et Haketz He figured out a way to make it happen, at the right time. These explanations are all related, because Hashem wanted the Jewish people to survive, and He knew if He waited any longer, we'd disintegrate. He had to work out a way to get us out at that time This is all part of Hashem's waiting and looking forward, but He couldn't wait anymore, He had to let us out early. And this explanation is relevant to us as well, every day of the year. We're responsible every single day of the year to look forward to Mashiach That is one of the 13 principles of faith. We must not just know he's coming, we have to be Mechakeh , we have to look forward , we have to wait for him to come. We wait, and Hashem waits at the same time. The Shibbole HaLeket says an unbelievable line- that Hashem is always working this out, and saying matai yavo haketz, when is the time, when is the end going to come for this Galut? When is the Geulah going to come? This was not just a one-time thing at Yetziat Mitzrayim. Hashem is always waiting, and not just for Klal Yisrael at large, but He's also waiting for every individual to come back home already. Rav Chaim Palagi, in his sefer Moed L'Kol Chai , siman 15, quotes the Tanna D'Vei Eliyahu perek 31- where Eliyahu HaNavi says, God is waiting for them to come, more than a father waiting for a son, or a woman waiting for a husband, that we should do Teshuvah, so that He can redeem us and build the Bet HaMikdash. Rav Chaim Palagi writes, I honestly say that whenever I read this Tanna Devi Eliyahu, I cry. How could it be that the Melech HaKavod, the Honorable King, G-d and King of the world, is waiting for us to do Teshuvah? Why? To do unbelievable goodness for us, and we are not paying attention! He says, Imagine, someone has a dear child, and it's 11 o'clock at night, he's not back, (I'll add that he's calling his cell phone, and he's answering). He's an hour late. The father starts peeking through the windows, worrying, Where's my son? When's he coming home? Or it's like a lady that's waiting for her husband to come back from an overseas trip, and now his flight is delayed. How much pain does it cause? That's the pain of Hashem . Look how much pain He's taking. Come on, He says. He ends with a prayer Hashem Elohim , Hashem our G-d, Ten b'lev Amecha Yisrael, Put into the heart of the Jewish people, do Teshuvah. L'olano Hashem, not for us, ki l'shimcha ten kavod but to give You honor. That's Baruch Shomei Havtachato Yisrael , He's still waiting, to this day, He wants us to get out of this. This goes all the way back to Yetziat Mitzrayim , but as we see, we still didn't get out of it. We're still in the same Galut , and Hashem is waiting for it to come to an end. The pasuk says, לֵ֣יל שִׁמֻּרִ֥ים הוּא֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה לְהוֹצִיאָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הֽוּא־הַלַּ֤יְלָה הַזֶּה֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה שִׁמֻּרִ֛ים לְכׇל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְדֹרֹתָֽם׃ {פ} It's a day that Hashem is waiting for, It's Shimurim L'chol B'nei Yisrael . Rashi says it's a term of protection here in the end of the Pasuk . But the Balai Tosafot s ays Shimurim L'chol B'nei Yisrael , Gam Yisrael Mitzra'im L'zeh Laylah , we're also looking forward to this night. And the night of Ge'ulah , not just then, but even now. We should be looking forward on this night. That's why on this night, we say This year we are here in Chutz L'aretz, next year we'll be in Eretz Yisrael. This year we're slaves, next year we in freedom. That's the term, Tzipita L'Yishua , we're looking forward. Every single day, we say in Et Tzmach David , that we're looking forward, we're waiting for that great day to come. And that's one of the questions they ask after 120 years, Tzipita L'Yishua , Did you look forward to 's Hashem's salvation? Hashem is waiting and we are waiting. Bezrat Hashem it will be fulfilled soon.

Welcome to our Daily Bitachon class. Today's piece is about figuring out the right date and the right time for the seder. One might think it's from Rosh Hodesh because that was the first Mitzvah the Jewish people were told. החדש הזה לכם. This month is the month of the Jewish people, ראש חודש Rosh Hodesh Nissan. ראשון הוא לכל חודש השנה, the first interaction with God. And there is also the message of the moon, which is a powerful and important lesson of Bitachon. There is a famous story about Rav Chaim Shmulevitz. He once met a Holocaust survivor and asked, " How did you survive in the camps? What kept you connected to God? You had no siddur, you had no Tefilin….What did you have? " The survivor said, " There was one religious item that the Germans could not take away from us- the moon. We kept count of the days so knew when Rosh Hodesh was coming and we were able to say the blessing on the moon every single month. We looked up to the moon and we saw the moon get larger and smaller, but the moon remained. " That symbolizes the Jewish people, it waxes and wanes, but never disappears. We count to the moon, we don't count to the sun. The moon is all about Hodesh , which is Hadash/new and renewal . The Jewish people are resilient. They constantly renew themselves, just like some businesses that are successful for generations because they know how to renew themselves. Kodak didn't renew. Blackberry, Research in Motion, didn't renew. It seems that Apple is renewing itself. Samsung is having some struggles with AI. But the bottom line is, you need to have that ability called התחדשות and that's the Jewish ability. We are constantly renewing ourselves. We're still here. The goyim count to the sun. The sun's year is called שנה /Shana/year which is לשון שונה , which means to repeat something. ראשון, שני, the second time- it's just repetitious. The sun goes up, the sun goes down. You don't see any changes in the sun. It's the same basic cycle, whereas the moon renews itself. It gets bigger, and smaller, but it's always there. I once heard from Rav Moshe Shapiro that if you got up in the morning and the sun wasn't there, you'd know the world is over because the sun isn't there. If it's not there, it's over, because it doesn't have the ability to go up and go down. It's the same with the nations of the world that count by the sun. When they drop out, the Greeks, the Aztecs, the Romans, they don't come back again. But the Jewish people are like the moon. When the moon disappears, you don't say, " Oh no, the moon is gone!" No, it's coming back. It might have a little bit of a dip, or a little low, but it's going to come back strong. We saw that post Holocaust. People wondered what was going to be with the Jewish people. But we came back with a vengeance. The same thing happened with the Sephardic world in Israel. When they originally came, due to various challenges and struggles a lot of them lost their religion, but they came back with a vengeance. There are dozens or hundreds of Sephardic Yeshivot and Kollelim. They came back. Like the famous line of Hacham Ovadia, who wanted to Return the crown to its old ways. And they came back. The Jewish people don't disappear. And the power of Rosh Hodesh is such an important lesson that one might have thought the right time to say the whole Seder is not on the 15th of Nissan, but on Rosh Hodesh Nissan. Interestingly, it says, HaHodesh Ha zeh Lachem/ this month is yours. And in the Haggadah, it says Baavur Zeh / because of this, (which actually refers to Matzah and Maror something we can point to). Furthermore, the Mekubalim say that זה/this indicating something to point to, refers to the Shechina. Like it says, זה אלי ואנוהו, This is my God, and I will beautify Him. בעבור זה So when we point to the Matzah and Marror, at the Seder, the Shechina is there. And the same thing is true on Rosh Hodesh. We say in our blessing of the moon, that if the Jewish people only received the Shechina once a month, it would be enough. We say the blessing on the moon standing, because when you bless the moon, you see the Shechina. You see God's hand in nature. The moon gets bigger, and the moon gets smaller and that's the power of זה . החדש ה זה לכם, זה אלי ואנוהו . So one might have thought that this is the זה we're trying to get to- the revelation of the Shechina, the זה , that happens on Rosh Hodesh. But we're going to see from the pesukim that no. We are talking about the revelation of the זה / zeh / this that happens with the Matzah and the Marror, that the Shechina revealed itself on the night of Yetziat Mitzrayim , like the Hagaddah says, that God revealed Himself. It says, ובמורא גדול , we're going to say later on, with the great revelatio n, זו גילוי שכינה , We say in the piece of Matzah Zu לא הספיק בצקם של אבותינו להחמיץ, Their dough did not have the chance to rise, עד שנגלה עליהם, until it was revealed upon them, מלך מלכי המלכים, the great King Hashem . So there's a revelation on the night of the Seder. There's a revelation at Keriat Yam Suf, and there's a revelation that happens every single Rosh Hodesh. There is also a זה revelation in Shir HaShirim 2,8, where it says, הנה זה עומד אחר כתלנו, Behold this stands behind our walls, משגיח מן החלונות , supervising from the windows, מציץ , squinting , looking through, מנחרכים, the cracks . In the Midrash Raba Shir Hashirim 2,26, it says, What does it mean Hashem is standing behind the wall? Behind the Kotel HaMaravo of the Bet Hamikdash, that God swore would never be destroyed. The Midrash continues with an interesting line. The next pasuk says, ענה דודי ואמר לי, My beloved responded to me and said somethin g. And the same Midrash says, מה אמר לי, What did God say to me? החדש הזה לכם ראש/He said to me HaHodesh Ha zeh . It's quite clear from this midrash, there's a connection between הנה זה , the Shechina is still standing by the Kotel Hamaaravi , and HaHodesh Hazeh Lachem the month is still yours . Even in the Galut, even in the darkness, we still have the moon, that is telling us the Shechina is with us. And that's why we would have thought that יכול מראש חדש the Seder might have been on Rosh Hodesh

Welcome to our daily bitachon class. As our community is reeling from the tragedies that occurred on Shabbat , I'd like to leave our Haggadah discussion for the day. There's a story that's told over that a skit or a play about a certain tragic event during the times of the Holocaust was shown, and people were extremely moved. They all cried and were very jarred from the play. Somebody asked the Brisker Rav , why it was that when people heard about the Holocaust, and how six million Jews died, they were not bawling and crying, but they were bawling and crying from this small skit of what happened. Rav Brisker answered that if you have a very large piano that you're trying to get it into the house, as much you turn and twist, the piano won't get in. But if you have something smaller, you can get it in. This is similar to our brains, which are made in such a way that it has a certain capacity to hold things, and certain things, it just can't hold. Something of with the magnitude of the Holocaust can't be held, but when a smaller snip of a larger tragedy comes by a person, they're able to hold it and process it and that causes the emotions to flow. And when a tragedy of the magnitude where a mother and two children are killed in such a sudden way, the term is used Alah Mavet beChaloneinu/Death has come through our window. The Rabbanim explain that when someone comes into a house, they usually knock on the door. That's the regular way of doing things. Coming through the window means you snuck in. So Alah mavet bechaloneinu/Death came through the window means there was no warning. There was no sickness. Someone was taking a walk on a Shabbat afternoon with their family, and this came out nowhere, and something like that is just too big to process. It's too big to figure out, especially in the early stages, when people are looking for answers. But there really is no answer. It's really just a time for emotion and crying. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot , Perek 4 , Mishnah 18 tells us Rav Shimon ben Elazar says וְאַל תְּנַחֲמֶ נּוּ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמֵּתוֹ מֻטָּל לְפָנָיו / Al tenachamenu B'shaah shemeto mutal lefanav / Do not comfort someone when the dead is still lying there. Rabbenu Yonah explains that because at this point in time, trying to comfort the person is just going to cause anger, and cause the person to say things he doesn't want to say. The Sefer Midrash Shemuel says more than that, B'vadai yimna milhitnachem . He will for sure refuse to be comforted, to accept the will of God. If anything, the person might say improper statements. Nechama means comfort . But as we've said in the past, nechama also means to have a different look at things . Rashi says vayeinachem means God looked at it differently. Nachum Ish Gamzu , said Gamzu l'tova , and the root of his name is Nachum , which we call a reframe , But there are times when there's no place for a reframe. It's too raw and too big for a reframe, and at those times, there is nothing to be said. That's why, quite often Rabbis are put in the position to answer the question, What's going on here ? In other words, Rabbi , reframe this for me. And the answer is, Right now is not a time for that. It's not a time for looking for answers. It's a time to cry. It's a time to stay with this shock and the emotion of what happened and process it and see if it can somehow get inside of you. A lot of times when we're looking for those answers, we're trying to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling of sadness, of confusion, because it's too hard to deal with. So answer it for me. But it's not the time. The sefer Mili DeAvot on that same Mishnah in Pirkei Avot brings a proof from Hashem. He quoted the Yalkut Shimoni in Yeshayah , where it says in Yeshayah 22:12, Hashem calls out to the angels to cry, to bemoan that the Bet HaMikdash was destroyed. And it says Bikshu malachim l'nachamo , the angels wanted to comfort God, V'lo ratza lehitnachem / And God did not want to be comforted. And it goes on to say, Al ta'itzu l'nachameni / Do not try, don't push yourselves not to give Me comfort . It's not the time. That's my little thought for today. I don't feel it's the right time for people to start looking for answers or reframes or comfort. It's too early. It's too raw. It's a time to sit with that emotion of sadness. And although it may sound like it, I'm not coming from a therapeutic approach. This is a Mishnah in Pirkei Avot based on Rishonim . Now, if it sounds like it rings from the world of therapy, that's because Torah was here before therapy, and there's a time for mourning and there's a time for crying. And as uncomfortable it may be to sit with these emotions of sadness and questions, and whatever it may be, that's really what one is supposed to be doing right now. We don't like to cry, but it's a time to cry.

Welcome to our daily bitachon Haggadah Shel Pesach series . We're up to the piece of Maaseh , which lists many great Tanaim , Rebbe Eliezer , Rebbe Yehoshua , Rebbe Elazar ben Azariah Rebbe Akiva and Rebbe Tarfon who were all together in Bnei Brak one Pesach , and spent the whole night talking about Yetziyat Mitzrayim. Rebbe Yechiel Michel Epstein , better known as the Aruch HaShulchan, writes in his commentary on the Haggadah , that he's bothered by a few questions. Firstly,Rebbe Eliezer lived in a town called Lod , Rebbe Yehoshua lived in a town called Peki'in and Rebbe Akiva lived in Bnei Brak , as the Gemara in Sanhedrin 32a tells us. ( Rebbe Eliezer and Rebbe Yehoshua were teachers of Rebbe Akiva .) Why were they all by Rabbi Akiva for the holiday? Especially Rebbe Eliezer , as he is the one that holds (see Sukkah 27b), that one is supposed to stay home for the holiday. So why was he leaving his home on Pesach to go to his student, Rebbe Akiva ? He answers based on a Gemara in Mesechet Makkot 25b, that Raban Gamliel , Rebbe Elazar ben Azariah , Rebbe Yehoshua and Rebbe Akiva were all on the road, and heard a tremendous ruckus of partying coming from Rome. They started to cry, and Rabbi Akiva started to laugh. Rabbi Akiva asked, " Why are you crying ?" And they said, "They're sitting in serenity and confidence. They destroyed the Bet HaMikdash, and here we are. " They asked why he was laughing, and he said, "That's why I'm laughing. If this is what happens to those that go against God's will, imagine what's going to happen to those that fulfill God's will!" And he explains that Rabbi Akiva was telling them an important principle, that after someone goes through Midat HaDin , after there's justice on someone, the chesed that comes out is tremendous. Rabbi Akiva was trying to tell them was that if the Babylonians, who had no judgment on them, and thus no purification on them, merited so much kindness from Hashem , because Hashem's kindness is never-ending, imagine how much we, who went through (and are going through) this tremendous justice and judgment and purification by God, are going to be enveloped in God's tremendous kindness. Because of Rabbi Akiva's chizuk , and new way of looking at things, says the Aruch HaShulchan , they felt indebted to him. He strengthened their hope in the Jewish people, at a point in history, after the Chorban when they were suffering through so much. So they all came to his house, in his city (except for Rabban Gamliel , who was the Nasi , and didn't come), to spend the night with Rabbi Akiva, talking about Yetziyat Mitzrayim . Because Yetziyat Mitzrayim is the time that we get clear on the Nitzchiyut , the everlasting state of the Jewish people, that no one could destroy them. Rabbi Akiva was the expert on this, so they spent the night working on this concept of Nitzchiyut Yisrael , the eternal state of the Jewish people . That, he says, is the purpose of the night of Yetziyat Mitzrayim . Because Bechol Dor Vador , Omdim Alenu .. In every generation, they try to destroy us. Therefore, they felt the best way to gain this clarity, in the post-destruction era that they were in, was to go to Rebbe Akiva , who had this understanding. So they went firstly, as a token of appreciation and respect Rabbi Akiva , for what he did for them, and also for the chizuk that they would get from being at his seder . He doesn't say this, but Rabbi Akiva is known as the one who, while they're tearing his skin off, was saying My whole life I've been preparing for this. Rabbi Akiva was was able to go through tremendously challenging situations and stick with the attitude of Kol ma d'avid Rachmana latav , whatever God does is for the good . He was a student of Nachum Ish Gamzu, who said Gamzu L'Tovah , and the Yerushalmi cites a fascinating discussion between between them. Nachum Ish Gamzu, after not taking care of a poor man fast enough, asked God to give him a severe punishment. When Rebbe Akiva saw his Rebbe like that, he said, "Oy li / Woe onto me that I see you like this!" And Nachum told Rabbi Akiva , " Oy li, Woe onto me if I don't see you like this!" Rabbi Akiva said, Are you cursing me? And Nachum Ish Gamzu said, " No, I'm not cursing you." He saw what Rabbi Akiva would go through at the hand of the Romans in the future, and how it would bring him to his greatness. Rabbi Akiva is the quintessential picture of resilience. 24,000 of his students died, and he picked himself up, found five new students, and all the Torah Sh'beAl/all the oral law that we have, came from him. The Aruch Hashulchan says that they spent the whole night on this concept, until their students came and said, our Rabbotenu / Our Rabbis , the time of Kriyat Shema Shel Shachrit has come. Kriyat Shema Shel Shachrit symbolizes the upbeat attitude, as we say, Magen U'Moshiach , God is a shield and a protection, , bechol dor vador , in every generation. Kriyat Shema is our promise from Hashem that we're going to last forever. Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echad . Interestingly enough, Rabbotenu , Higiya HaZman Kriyat Shema Shel Shachrit , were the final of Rebbe Akiva , as it said, fortunate is Akiva , that his soul departed, as he was saying, Echad . So this was the place, and this was the night, to get that chizuk from Rabbi Akiva .

Welcome to our class on Bitachon . Today we continue our Haggadah series and we are up to Ma Nishtana . The Sefer Shibbolei HaLeket , one of the Rishonim , quotes his brother, Rabi Binyamin , who explains that the Ma Nishtana question is based on the pasuk of Vehiggadatah lebincha . Ve higgada tah is the source for the term Haggadah / tell your child . And in that statement, it says, ba'avur zeh / because of this , which means I'm pointing to something as I say this . What am I pointing to? I'm pointing to the matzah and maror that's in front of me. So the son asks a question about the maror . Why do we eat maror instead of other things? He also asks about the matzah - Why are we eating matzah and not chametz? In the times of the Bet HaMikdash , the son would ask Why are we eating the korban Pesach, roasted , different than all the rest of the year? Now we don't ask that question, we ask about the leaning, and we only respond to the question of leaning, which is Avadim Hayinu / We were slaves, we got out, and that's why we're leaning tonight. So we lean as free men because we were freed tonight. But where is the answer to the rest of the questions? Those come only at the end of the Haggadah , when Rabban Gamaliel says that we have to discuss these three things- Pesach , matzah , and maror , and that's really the answer to the boy's questions. A question is asked- Why did the Baal HaHaggadah /the author of the Haggadah , set it up that we ask the questions at the beginning of the meal, but not answer them until way later? One of the answers, given by the Chatam Sofer , is that it's to show us that we need to have patience. The reason the night of the Seder is so dragged out (Come on, let's finish already), is because we are in Galut , and we need to wait. We're not always going to have the answers right away. We're not always going to get out of the difficulty right away. We have to wait. There's a Yiddish saying that I learned when I was in Mir Yeshiva High School. When you're learning Gemara and you have a question and there's no answer, the line that my teacher in high school used to say was is Fun a kasha shtarbt men nisht , which means you don't die from a question. In other words, don't worry, you're not going to die because you have a question. You'll survive. You learn a Gemara and you have a question, and go further and keep the question in your mind. You don't die from the question. So we start off the night of the Haggadah with a question. What's the answer? I don't know the answer necessarily, so I'll be patient and the answer will come- in a year or two or three or five or ten, but we can continue with the questions. We can live with questions. That's one of the lessons built into the Haggadah - that you're not going to have all the answers right away. You have to learn patience and wait for the answers. There's a story they tell about a man who lived a long life. They asked him, What was your secret for a long life ? The Gemara talks about how when people lived a long life, they used to ask them, What did you do? And this man said, Well, a lot of people have questions. And God says, 'Oh you have questions? Okay, come up. I'll give you the answers.' I don't have any questions, or better yet, I'm patient and I'll wait for my answers. It's okay. I'll wait. I have patience. I don't need the answers right away, Hashem, I could live a life that has a lot of questions. Moshe Rabbeinu would question, Tzaddik v'Ra Lo, Rasha v'Tov lo- Why do bad things happen to good people and vice versa ? What's the answer? Hashem didn't really give an answer. Why? Because we don't always have the answers. That's an important lesson. Another point, many years ago in the Deal Synagogue in Deal, New Jersey, Rabbi Ezrachi was there, and he was walking by our room while we were in the middle of a difficult Gemara . We had a question, so we shared it him. He really liked the question. And he said over the question in his powerful, booming voice, Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi, and we didn't have an answer, and he didn't have an answer. And he said, " You don't need an answer. Enjoy the question." Relish the question. The main thing is the question.The answer is secondary. Live with the question. Chew on the question. Enjoy the question. Delve into the question. That is our opening lesson. It's a night of Chinuch. It's a night of lessons. "Father, I have questions." And we say, " Sonny boy, you're not going to get all the answers. You're going to have to wait." And eventually, the answers will come.

Welcome to Perek Shira. Today is the song of the Nachash/ snake The Nachash says, Somech Hashem l'chol hanoflim. God helps stand up those that fall, Zokef l'chol Hak'fufim/ He makes stand upright all those that are bent over. What does this have to do with the snake? It depends how you look at it. Either the snake is singing about himself, or he's sending the message to others. Let's look at the snake . The snake was upright, but he ended up not only bent over, but completely lat on the floor after his legs were taken away. So he's the one that fell down. Although he fell down, he accepts upon himself the judgment. The Beit Elohim says that the snake accepted that sinned, and that was what was supposed to happen. So even though, Somech Hashem l'chol hanoflim/God lifts up all those that fall down, and Hashem is Middat HaRachamim , the snake says, Somehow I was not included I that. I am not getting up.I'm not being fixed. I accept that I did something wrong. The Chida adds that, Somech Hashem l'chol hanoflim is Rasheh Tevot סילה Silah, which is a pasuk in Eicha 125. Silah l'chol abirai Hashem / Hashem has trampled all my heroes, referring to the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash. So even though we're down on the floor after the Churban, Somech Hashem l'chol hanoflim, all those people that fell ( referring to the Jewish people) will get up. He quotes the sefer Lechem Teruma, that the word נחש Nachash is made of three letters, Nun , Chet , Shin . The נ Nun, has the numeric value of 50, which can be broken into 40 and 10, a מ and a י . If we take the Nun of Nachash and turn it into a מ and a י , we're left with מנחש which, when re-scrambled, spell משיח Mashiach; So even though the Jewish people fell down on the floor, the Nachash is telling us, I might not be fixed, but everyone else will be fixed. Somech Hashem l'chol hanoflim. So the force of the Nachash, that brought everybody down, will be turned into Mashiach. So eventually we will all get up. The Gemara in Berachot asks the question, Why is there no נ in Ashre? Because it hints to the falling of the Jewish people, as the pasuk says, נָפְלָה לֹא תוֹסִיף קוּם בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל״. Naflah/they fell down and they will not get up again. That's sounds like a horrible pasuk, that Jewish people fall down and never get up. But the Rabbis of the West said, Hashem picked us up, David Hamelech picked us up. Somech Hashem l'chol hanoflim. So even though the pasuk says naflah they fall down, and they won't get up anymore, you can read the pasuk differently to reflect that Dsvid Hamelech picked them up: נָפְלָה לֹא תוֹסִיף קוּם בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל״ If you fell and you can't fall anymore, Now you're going to get up. So this is the message of the snake - In the end you will all get up. I might be left behind. I'm testifying that I'm the exception to the rule. Everyone else will get up. Whoever fell down will stand up again. The sefer Misaprim Tehilot L'Hashem tells a different lesson- that even though the Gemara in Barachot 10a tells us that all creatures will be fixed in the future except for the snake, he still continues to hope. He says, If there's hope for everybody, maybe there's hope for me too. This is hard to understand, as the snake is really no good, so we're not going to learn lessons from him. Albeit, this Sefer goes on to say that the Nachash was cursed with two things: 1-He was standing straight and he's flat on the floor. 2-He's going to eat from the dust, וְנָחָ֖שׁ עָפָ֣ר לַחְמ֑וֹ (Yeshayah 65,25 with a commentary from the Bereshit Rabbah 20,5) which refers to the future. So he had two curses and he says, because the snake was hopeful even though he was cursed and there was no hope, Hashem cut the Gezera in half. In the future, he's still going to eat the dust of the earth, but he will be able to stand up. His legs will come back. He says, that's why the Gemara, in Berachot 12b, when describing how to bow gor Modim , says to go down like a stick, straight, and to get up like a snake, where your head goes up first in a serpentine way. Why the do Rabbis choose this example-to stand up like a Nachash? To teach us that even the snake, in the end, will stand up. We can suggests an explanation for these two punishments of the snake: The snake did two things wrong. The Torat Chayim says that in the Gemara in Berachot , where talks about bowing says that one that does not bow by Modim will be punished that after he is buried his spinal cord will turn into a snake. The Torat Chaim says things because the snake did not bow and that's why it ended up going down on the floor and losing his legs What does it mean that he didn't bow ? He didn't have Hakarat HaTov. He didn't appreciate and see Hashem's Hashkacha. He was a kofer . He denied Hashem's Hashkacha. That's one aspect of the snake.. The other aspect of the snake is that he spoke Lashon Hara and that is why he has put dirt in his mouth so he spoke negatively and he had an improper Hashkafa, so to say, in the belief of God's supervision in the world. And since the sin of Lashon Hara has no Tikkun and can never be fixed, it could be why that punishment remained. But the lack of Hakarat HaTov, the lack of thank yous and lack of understanding Hashem's Hashkacha is somehow easier to fix. So perhaps half of the sin was forgiven, whatever that means. I am just trying to understand this concept brought down the Sefer Misaprim Tehilot Hashem . Regardless, what does it tell us? The snake is telling us, As low as you drop and as far as you go, if I have hope, you have hope. Pick yourself up, fix yourself, and eventually the sin of the Nachash will eventually become the times of the Mashiach.

Welcome to our humility series. Today we are going to explore the contrast of arrogance and the proper outlook. We know we should not be arrogant, showy, boastful people who take credit for our accomplishments and feel that we're special. That is Gaava , which should not be confused with something called the Rommemut HaNefesh/an uplifted soul, a feeling of how special I am. I come from good stock. I have Tzelem Elokim, I'm not an animal. I'm a human being. I have a certain royalty to me. That's not a feeling of Ga'ava . What's the difference? Ga'ava is I'm better than somebody else. Like it says of Hashem, Ki Ga'oh Ga'ah /He is arrogant bove the arrogant. His kiseh kavod is above the most arrogant of the wild beasts- the lion, the domesticated cow, the eagle. They're the most arrogant and Hashem is above them all. That's the term of Ga'avah . But there's another term used of Hashem, הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמְּרוֹמָם לְבַדּוֹ מֵאָז. /Hashem is the King that was uplifted alone from way back when. What does that mean? The Maharit, Rav Yosef of Trani and the Bet Aharon explain that this means that even before there was a world, where there was no one compare oneself to, Hashem was Ram . That's what we also have to be. I'm not great if I look at myself, where I come from and what my sources are and see that I'm royal. I'm not comparing myself to you. That's an inherent greatness and that is a prerequisite to having good Middot . Rav Yehezkiel Levenstein says that when a person has that feeling of Rommemut , he doesn't need to start looking down on others. He has an inherent greatness. He doesn't need to become great by pushing others down. The Elder of Kelm says that the force against the Jewish people is Amalek . What did Amalek do? We left Mitzrayim b'Yad Rama/with an outstretched hand, with Rommemut They were like a bubbling bath. They were on the top of the world. But along came Amalek, and like a person that jumps into the bubbling bath, cooled them down, didn't let them feel their Rommemut , or feel how special they were. Amalek wanted to take away the feeling of Beni Bechori Yisrael. That's what Amalek came to do. So how do we fight off Amalek? Says the Elder of Kelm, וכאשר ירים משה ידו, :Moshe Rabbenu lifted up his hands and כשישראל נושאים לבם לאביהם שבשמים, the Jewish people lifted up their hearts. He says this means שהתחזקו ברוממות נפשם they strengthened themselves in the exaltedness of their souls. And they looked and had they honor then V'gavar Yisrael. He adds that later Amalek was Haman, who also tried to break the Jewish people, להכניע רוממות הנפש מישראל, to break that exaltedness. But it didn't work. How did we fight back? לא יכרע ולא ישתחוה, Mordechai would not bend, he would not bow. We have to realize that this is not just about Amalek the person or Haman the person. Bereshit 6, 5 says וְכָל יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבֹת לִבּוֹ רַק רַע כָּל הַיּוֹם: / The Yetzer of his heart said only bad all day . So simply it means that all day the Yetzer Hara is giving you bad ideas of what to do. The Nefesh HaChaim, in Shaar 3,Perek 8 says this means that the Yetzer Hara's trick is to say all day to you, You are no good. He wants to break you. He wants to make you feel shafal . And once he breaks you, you'll do anything. You need to have Rommemut HaNefesh. But part of his ploy is to make you think that being shafal/ being lowly is how you're supposed to feel. The Imrei Emet says something unbelievable about the words רק רע כל היום The last letter of רק is ק The last letter of רע is an ע . The last letter of כל is ל . The last letter of היום is מ , which spells עמלק Amalek. We all have an Amalek inside of us that wants to tell us all day, " You're no good. " But don't think that's Anava . It's Shiflut . And the Nefesh HaChaim in Shaar א perek ד וזאת תורת האדם כל איש ישראל אל יאמר בלבו ח"ו This is the Torah of the human being, to ant Jewish person, Don't say in your heart, Who am I? What's my strength? What's my power? What can I do? Who am I? " No, you have to realize, he says, and put steadfast in your heart. Every deed, every speech, every thought that you do every second of the day has impact. ומה רבו מעשיו ומאד גדלו ורמו. How great are your deeds! How powerful they are! Rabbi Ades once said, Imagine a man sitting in front of the control tower with all kind of buttons and levers, and that's the place where they hit the button to launch a nuclear attack. Will he sit there and they'll say, " Who am I? What am I? What can I do? " It's not about you, it's about what you connected to, where you're positioned. You're a Jewish person! Your soul came from beneath the Kiseh Hakavod. You're powerful. And this is throughout all our writings. Mesilat Yesharim chapter 19, when talking about praying for the Bet Hamikdash to be built, says, "if a person says, מִי אֲנִי וּמָה אֲנִי סָפוּן שֶׁאֶתְפַּלֵּל עַל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם What am I? What's my value? I'm going to pray for Yerushalayim? My prayers are going to cause the Galut to come and the Yeshua to happen? And he says, Yes. The answer is Man was created alone, because everyone has to say, בִּשְׁבִילִי נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם" I am the only one to pray for the churban. I am important. I'm the only person in the world. We have to walk around with these feelings of Rommemut HaNefesh . The Sefer Kol Mevaser on Parashat Yitro quotes Rav Bunim of Peshishcha who said, Every Jew has to have two pockets . In one pocket, it should say, " בשבילי נברא העולם / For me the world was created And in the other pocket should say אנכי עפר ואפר , /I am but dust and ashes If you're getting a little too carried away, remind yourself I am but dust and ashes And if you're getting a little down, you have to take out the בשבילי נברא העולם / For me the world was created. It's a balance. You have to have both. So much so that Rav Hutner brings down in that in the Gemara in Masechet Rosh Hashana 26 B, there's a discussion of How the shofar of Rosh Hashanah is supposed to be. Should it be bent or should it be straight? One opinion says, כמה דכייף איניש דעתיה / the more you bend yourself in humility, the better it is And another opinion says, No כמה דפשיט It's better to be straight. What are these two approaches? Rav Hutner, in his sefer on Rosh Hashanah, Maamar 15 says that, yes, there's a concept of bending yourself. That's important. It's Rosh Hashanah. There's Kabalat Ohl Malchut Shamayim. accepting the yoke of God's kingdom. I am going to humble myself and bend myself. But that could be dangerous. We don't want you to feel like you're a piece of dirt. So the other side is, you have to stand up straight, stand with your head high and say, I belong to the army of Hashem. I'm a proud card-carrying Jew. That's not a contradiction to Anava . You can know who you are, know your family, know your roots, know your greatness. And at the same time, after all that, you say, but did I do it? It's a gift that Hashem gave me. It's the car that God gave me to drive. It's not my car, its all His gifts. It's the talents that God gave me. Anava doesn't mean walking around lowly. That's the Yetzer Hara talking to you. When you walk around feeling down and low and it's not allowing you to produce, then you know it's coming from that Rak Rah Kol HaYom. You have to see what it's producing, what it's causing. He wants to break us. And that's why we sometimes think that it's the Yetzer HaTov saying, " You have to be humble. You have to be xyz.." No. You are great. And there's nothing wrong with saying you're great. And there's nothing wrong with saying Bishvilli Nivrah Olam . There's nothing wrong with saying Banim Atem Hashem Elokechem I once asked one of the gedolim, Rav Berel Povarsky, what a healthy person that's feeling depressed should do. And he said, " What should you do? You say the Beracha Ohev Amo Yisrael- God loves you. You're part of the Jewish people. The Creator loves you." Those are the thoughts that a Jewish person has to have. Rav Haskel Levenstein says, the more Rommemut you have, the better your Middot will be, the less you'll be brought down, the less you'll be stuck over pettiness and silliness. Rav Ades says he was once on a plane, looking out the window at all the cars in the parking lot getting smaller and smaller and smaller. What happened? Who was shrinking all the cars? Of course, he was saying that in jest. The cars didn't get smaller, he said. I got higher. And when you lift yourself up, you see that all the things that are seemingly important, that people get busy with, are really small. You lift yourself up and the challenges disappear. Rav Yerucham Levovitz once said, " How many people have to go for therapy to get out the sandbox and stop playing in the sand? How many people have to go therapy to stop playing with their dolls? How'd you stop?" The answer is, You matured. You grew up, you became uplifted. It says in HaAzinu Devarim 32,2 thar the Torah is compared to a wind that blows through the grass, and just like the wind strengthens the grass and makes it grow, it lifts you up, it makes you greater, it makes you above. Now, someone might say, and again, the Yetzer Hara talking, "what do you mean? Ma Anu, We say every morning, what are we? Ma Hayinu/What's our life? Ma Hasdenu/What's our kindness? Ma Sidkatenu/What's our righteousness? Ma Yeshuatenu/What's our salvation? Ma Kohenu/What's our strength? And we go on..: and we say, רוֹב מַעֲשֵֹיהֶם תֹּהוּ וִימֵי חַיֵּיהֶם הֶבֶל לְפָנֶיךָ It's hot air, man is nothing more than an animal… it sounds horrible, But you have to continue. Now we go into a whole different story לְבַד הַנְּשָׁמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה שֶׁהִיא עֲתִידָה לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶךָ: We're Your nation the the children of Your convenant, of Avraham Yitzhak and Yaakov, that You love them and You're happy with them. And we're called the Yisrael Yeshurun, and therefore we have to be thankful and praise You and bless You, אַשְׁרֵינוּ מַה טּוֹב חֶלְקֵנוּ וּמַה נָּעִים גּוֹרָלֵנוּ וּמַה יָּפָה יְרֻשָּׁתֵנוּ: How lucky we are, how fortunate we are, We come to shul in the morning and we stay late at night and we say, Shema Yisrael.. what a positive switch. You can't get stuck in the What are we?Of course there is truth to that. What is our strength? And what is our abilities? But we have a Neshama, and that gives us Rommemut. These are the thoughts that we have to have. And they're not contrary to Anava.

Today we continue with the Song of the Mouse , but on a deeper level. The עכבר / mouse says says, אֲרוֹמִמְךָ יְיָ כִּי דִלִּיתָנִי וְלֹא־שִׂמַּחְתָּ אֹיְבַי לִי׃ (תהלים ל ב) I'm going to lift up Hashem because He drew me up from the depths, There's an interesting story in the Navi, in Shemuel א . It was a horrible day, when the Pelishtim took the Aron Elokim , as the Navi reports, The glory has been exiled from Israel for the Ark of Hashem has been captured. But Hashem immediately made a miracle and the idol of that town came crashing down, so they decide to do something. And the first thing is Hashem struck the people of Ashdod with hemorrhoids. They got scared and decided to move the Aron to the town of Gat, but again there is a great commotion. Why? Because again the people of the city, from small to great were afflicted with internal hemorrhoids. So they decided to move the Aron to the town of Echron. And those people said, " They brought it here because they want to kill us ?" Finally, the leaders got together and decided, " Let's send it back. It's going to kill our people." There was a panic of death in the whole city. The hand of Hashem was very heavy there. And the people who did not die were stricken with hemorrhoids and the outcry of the city ascended to heaven. Horrific punishments were coming onto them. And when they were ready to send back the Ark, they said, " We'll send it back with a gift. " What did they send? They were five Philistine governors, and they sent five golden images of hemorrhoids and five golden mice. Very strange. Make your images of hemorrhoids and images of mice which are demolishing the country and give them his homage to the God of Israel.. Perhaps He will alleviate His hand from upon you and your gods and your land. What in the world is going on with this story? We turn to the Yalkut Shemoni Bamidbar chapter 11, which tells us that the people of Pelishtim said, God brought 10 plagues on the Egyptians. He ran out of plagues . So God said, I ran out of plagues?! I'm going to give you something you never saw before ! And so when every one of them sat down to relieve themselves, God sent mice from the depths to nibble away at them and cause hemorrhoidal pains. So it wasn't just the hemorrhoids, as the pasuk says, but the mice that caused the hemorrhoids. That is why, when they wanted to do teshuva they sent back, in homage, the image of mice and hemorrhoids. And therefore it says the sefer Siach Yitzchak that the mice say, אֲרוֹמִמְךָ יְיָ כִּי דִלִּיתָנִי וְלֹא־שִׂמַּחְתָּ אֹיְבַי לִי׃ (תהלים ל ב) / I want to praise Hashem. He drew me up from the depths, like with a pail And the enemies did not rejoice over me. We overtook the Pelishtim . And the mouse is happy to say, I caused a Kiddush Hashem, I caused the Aron to go back to the Mishkan. The Gemara in Masechet Yoma , 52 B says that in the Kodesh HaKodashim of the first Bet Hamikdash, originally there was the Aron , the manna , the oil, the staff of Aharon, and the box that the Pelishtim sent the 'gift' in! Th Ben Ish Chai is bothered- You're putting that gift- with these mice- in the Holy of Holies? The Ben Ish Chai explains that they removed all the gold mice and hemorrhoids, and just left the box there to remember the miracle that had happened. But the sefer Lekutei Amarim says in the name of an elder , who wrote the book Nefesh David , that the mice were there in the Aron . And that's why he says the mouse's song is אֲרוֹמִמְךָ יְיָ כִּי דִלִּיתָנִי וְלֹא־שִׂמַּחְתָּ אֹיְבַי לִי׃ (תהלים ל ב / You lift me up from the depths and You put me in the Holy of Holies. That's the song of the mice. The Gemara in Horaot 13A says, why is everyone controlling the mice? Rashi asks, Why is it that everybody is chasing mice, with mousetraps, etc… The answer is, Their makeup is bad. Rashi says that their Yetzer , their inclination, is really bad because they eat through things that they have no pleasure from, and they destroy them. That's why the Yerushalmi in Baba Metzia ( perek ג Halacha ה , cited by Rav Chaim Kanievsky, says the mice are wicked and that's why they're chased. As we know, everything in the world can be channeled or used for the good. And this wicked mouse, who bites and eats, was used on a mission to protect the Kavod of the Aron , which shows us that even someone with bad tendencies can channel them and use them, and say, אֲרוֹמִמְךָ יְיָ כִּי דִלִּיתָנִי וְלֹא־שִׂמַּחְתָּ אֹיְבַי לִי׃ (תהלים ל ב) You lifted me up, and my enemies were not happy. This is a song that was sung for David Hamelech when he went into the Bet Hamikdash. David also, it says, had seeming negative tendencies. It says is he was a redhead. And when Shemuel saw him, he said, He's a redhead. He can't be anointed. But no, Tov Ro'ee/he has good eyes. The Gemara says even though he was aggressive, he asked permission from the Sanhedrin. So certain people might have Achbar-like traits, and you might think the man is going to end up being totally wicked, but in the end, if he's channeled properly, he'll be able to sing that song of the mice, because they were the ones that brought Kavod Hashem, by bringing the Aron back to the Mishkan .

After Moshe was placed in a basket in the Nile River, the pasuk states: ותתצב אחתו מרחק לדעה מה־יעשה לו "His sister stood from afar to see what would happen to him." The Midrash explains that the entire pasuk uses language referring to the Shechina , as if to say that it was Hashem Himself who was standing from afar, watching over Moshe. What is the lesson here? Rabbi Menashe Reizman, based on the mefarshim , explained that what Miriam did—standing and watching—seemed irrational. Naturally, a baby left in a basket on a river would not survive. People usually cannot bear to witness suffering, especially when it involves a relative. So, what was Miriam watching for? The answer is that Miriam was a neviah . She had received a prophecy that the Jewish savior would be born into her family. She stood there with unwavering emunah , waiting to see how Hashem would bring about the salvation. Even though it seemed as though her prophecy would be nullified—since Moshe was abandoned in the river—she trusted that Hashem would fulfill His word. This teaches us that Hashem's ways are far beyond our comprehension. What appeared as abandonment was, in fact, the very act that enabled Moshe to rise to leadership. Being raised in the king's palace gave Moshe the stature and respect necessary to lead the Jewish people. The word אחותו (his sister) in the pasuk also signifies connection. Although Hashem appeared רחוק -distant, He was always present, providing exactly what was needed. The suffering endured by the Jewish people in Mitzrayim was immense, yet the Torah dedicates only a handful of pesukim to describing it. The majority of these parshiyot focus on the geula and Hashem's wondrous salvations. The mefarshim explain that dwelling too much on hardships can distort our perception and harm our emunah . For example, Chazal tell us that Pharaoh killed 300 Jewish babies every day—150 in the morning and 150 in the afternoon—and bathed in their blood. When Moshe witnessed this unimaginable suffering, he asked Hashem how such atrocities could happen. Hashem explained that it was all being done with chesed , to provide the necessary tikkunim for those souls. Moshe pleaded with Hashem to save at least one child, and Hashem permitted it. That child, however, later caused great destruction to Klal Yisrael . His name was Michah. Michah used the inscription "Aleh Shor" , which Moshe had used to retrieve Yosef's coffin, to bring forth the egel from the fire—a sin that continues to impact us today. Michah brought avoda zara into Eretz Yisrael and was the father of Yeravam ben Nevat(Nevat was another name for Micha), who led the ten tribes into exile and set events into motion that ultimately led to the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash . We cannot fully comprehend Hashem's ways. The children killed in Mitzrayim were undergoing tikkunim to achieve eternal life in the World to Come. Many were gilgulim (reincarnated souls) from earlier generations—the generations of Enosh, the Dor Hamabul , the Dor Hapelaga , and the people of Sodom. The Mishna in Pirkeh Avot teaches: אל תסתכל בקנקן אלא במה שיש בו - "Don't look at the vessel but at its contents." The Lev Aryeh explains that this can also refer to the atrocities in Mitzrayim. The letters קן in the word קנקן have a numerical value of 150(written 2x), hinting at the 150 babies killed every morning and every afternoon. The mishna reminds us not to focus solely on the apparent suffering but to consider the greater purpose—those souls were spared from bringing even greater harm to Klal Yisrael . Even the worst suffering can be Hashem's way of providing tikkunim for each creation, ensuring its eternal life in the World to Come. Our role is to trust that the Shechina is always with us, working for our ultimate benefit. The Chatam Sofer writes that every Jew has a mitzva, as they age, to reflect on their life and see how Hashem guided them. We are to recognize how events that once seemed terrible were, in hindsight, truly good. One of our main missions in this world is to develop complete faith in Hashem's constant and boundless chesed . One day, everything will be revealed. Until then, we have the opportunity to demonstrate our belief.

Today we study the song of the Fox הוֹי בֹּנֶה בֵיתוֹ בְּלֹא צֶדֶק וַעֲלִיּוֹתָיו בְּלֹא מִשְׁפָּט בְּרֵעֵהוּ יַעֲבֹד חִנָּם וּפֹעֲלוֹ לֹא יִתֶּן לוֹ: (ירמיה כב יג) / Woe to the one who builds his house without righteousness, and his upper stories (or attics) without justice, and who works his fellow without payment, and does not give him his wages. This is the Song of the Fox, talking about the man who's dishonest in his building and dishonest with his workers. Why is this the song of the Fox? Because the fox is known as a sly creature. The Gemara mentions many parables of foxes and they're always sly. The Sefer Lekutei Amarim quotes something fascinating from the Gemara, at the end of Masechet Makot : When the rabbis were going past Mount Scopus, they saw a fox coming out of the Holy of Holies and they started to cry, for how could it be that a fox entered a place where no human was allowed ? Why was it so terrible about the fox, that the pasuk says, עַ֤ל הַר־צִיּוֹן֙ שֶׁשָּׁמֵ֔ם שׁוּעָלִ֖ים הִלְּכוּ־בֽוֹ׃ {פ} On the Temple Mount that is desolate, the foxes went in it ( Eicha 5,18)? We cry over the foxes that went there. But what's so bad about foxes? The commentary Yefeh Anaf on Eicha tells us, because the fox symbolizes trickery and slyness and the Gemara tells us, Yerushalayim was destroyed because people are no longer honest in business (Terumah in Sotah 48B). So if the foxes are coming out, it's symbolic of the fact that the Bet Hamikdash was destroyed because of the fox-like behavior of the people. That's why they cried. That's why the fox says, " Woe onto the one that builds his house without righteousness, referring to the Bet Hamikdash. If you build your house without righteousness, it's not going to last. There's another beautiful lesson of a fox that has to do with dishonesty. The Midrash Raba in Kohelet (5,25) tells of a fox that found a vineyard that was fenced on all sides. He saw a small hole in the fence and wanted to get in, but he couldn't because he was too big to fit through the small hole. So he fasted for three days, became very thin and weak and snuck through the hole. After he ate and became fat, he wanted to get out, but he couldn't because he was too big. So again, he fasted for three days, until he got thin and weak again, and he got out. Ultimately, he went in and came out the same way. Then he looked over at the vineyard and said, " Vineyard, vineyard, what are you worth? What are you worth? All beautiful fruit- But what did I gain from it? " That is man in this world. Rav Matityahu Salomon says we tell the fox, " You should have thrown the grapes over and saved them for later, and not eaten them now." That's a message for man in this world. Sometimes we have to prepare and think about the long term, not just the pleasure of the moment. That's one of the mistakes that the fox, so to say, preaches about. He's sly. Additionally, the Gemara in Sanhedrin 39A mentions stories of foxes. And it's elaborated more by Teshuvot Rav Chai Gaon who says there was a story of a fox who was attacked by a lion that wanted to eat it. So the fox said, " What do you want from me? I'm just a little, thin guy! I'll take you someplace where you'll see a nice, fat man and you can eat him instead, okay?" The lion answered, " I'm afraid- what if the man prays? Maybe I'll stumble and I'll get into trouble. " But the fox said, " Don't worry. Your sin won't come to you, or to your son. It'll come to your grandson, so don't worry about it until then! Enjoy, enjoy!" The fox preached, and spoke until, finally, the lion agreed. So, the lion approached the man. But it seems the man's prayers helped, because there was a hole in the ground, with a mat on top of it, and the lion fell right in. The lion looked up at the fox and said, " Fox, what happened? Didn't you tell me that it's not going to come onto me, it's going to come onto my grandson" The fox answered, " Yes, that's true, but your grandfather also sinned, and you are the grandson." So the lion said, " That's not fair! Why should I get punished for his sins?" To which the the fox said, " Why didn't you think about that when you attacked?" The Baaleh Mussar , say, What exactly is the message here? The message is that we live life and we get stuck in the moment, and we don't realize it. When we see something enticing, our brains shut off. We say, "Yeah, of course what the fox says makes a lot of sense. They're not going to get me, they're not going to get my kids…" But then when you are full, you say, Hey, that doesn't make any sense. It made sense when you were blinded, but when you start thinking straight, it doesn't make sense .

Today's class is the Song of the Lion. It's a pasuk from Yeshaya 42,13 יְיָ כַּגִּבּוֹר יֵצֵא כְּאִישׁ מִלְחָמוֹת יָעִיר קִנְאָה יָרִיעַ אַף יַצְרִיחַ עַל אֹיְבָיו יִתְגַּבָּר: Hashem goes out like a mighty warrior. He's going to arouse vengeance, He will shout, He will even roar above His enemies. He will be powerful. This refers to Hashem, Who will, in the future, go out and fight the enemies of the Jews like a roaring lion, a man of war. The comparison to the lion is obvious, as it's a roaring, powerful, ferocious animal. The sefer Kol Rina points out something very interesting. As strong as they are, lions don't kill unless they're hungry. They sleep most of the day. When they do kill, it's for a cause, because they're hungry, as it says, They roar to eat and they want to take from God their food. That means they're doing it just to eat, to survive. And when the morning comes, it says, they, so to say, calm down. They relax and go back to their den. That why we say, Gibbor K'Ari/ be strong like a lion. Because the lion's nature is that although he is strong and gets angry when he needs to, it's controlled. He's not always roaring and killing. It's what we call a targeted attack . And he says that in Yuma 69B, it says Hashem is also a Gibbor , just like we say in Pirkei Avot , Ezeh Hu Gibbor/who is someone that strong? Someone that controls his in this Yetzer Hara, which in this case is anger . The Gemara says that's the strength of Hashem. Every day we say, HaEl HaGibbor/God is strong. His strength is that He holds back and doesn't just destroy the world. So a lion is not just a symbol of strength, it's also a symbol of self-control. And Hashem is that lion-Just because He's not exercising his strength right now for whatever measured reason He has, that doesn't mean He isn't able to do so. The sefer Lekutei Amarim says this is the song of the lion, the king of the wild animals, because he says, Even though I'm so strong, and even though my roar is so powerful, the ultimate might comes from Hashem. So the lion's song is, You think I'm powerful? Listen to the power of Hashem. Realize how strong and powerful He is. The sefer Perek Bashir adds that the song and message of the lion comes to counter another lion- Nebuchadnezzar, who is compared to a lion, as it says in Yirmiyah 4,7, The lion has come out of his lair. Rashi says this refers to Nebuchadnezzar. He was the lion. His symbol was a lion and his strength was the month of Av, which has the symbol and horoscope of Leo the lion . So his power was the power of the lion. And that's why the Bet Hamikdash was destroyed in Av. That's the power of the lion. But there's a counter force. There's a pasuk in Bereshit 40,9 that says Yehuda is compared to a lion. Mashiach comes from Yehuda. So it's one lion against another. God is also compared to a lion, as it says, אַרְיֵ֥ה שָׁאָ֖ג מִ֣י לֹ֣א יִירָ֑א / A lion has roared, who's not afraid. So the lion's song is saying, Realize that the lion that will win in the end is the positive lion, not the negative. There's a beautiful Midrash Agadda Bereshit Perek 56 , that says Hashem is called Aryeh , like we said in Amos 3,8 אַרְיֵ֥ה שָׁאָ֖ג מִ֣י לֹ֣א יִירָ֑א And Nevuchadnezzar, who was called an Aryeh, like we said, עָלָ֤ה אַרְיֵה֙ מִֽסֻּבְּכ֔וֹ the lion comes out of his lair, (Yirmiyah 4,7) in the month of the Aryeh, Av, destroys the Bet Hamikdash, that's also called Aryeh , like it says ה֚וֹי אֲרִיאֵ֣ל אֲרִיאֵל֔ / Woe to Ariel ( which refers to the Bet Hamikdash (Yeshaya 29,1) And he's going to control Yehuda, also called a lion, as it says, גּ֤וּר אַרְיֵה֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה . (Bereshit49,9) Furthermore, the Gemara in Chulin 59B says, the Caesar asked Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Chananya, Your God is compared to a lion, but what's the big deal? A hunter can kill a lion . And he answered, That's not the kind of lion we're talking about. We're talking about a superpower lion. So the Caesar said he wanted to see that lion. The rabbi said, You're not going to be able to survive . The Caesar persisted so the Rabbi prayed that this powerful, super lion would reveal itself. And it says, when he was 400 parsa (about 400 miles) away, the lion roared and the wall of Rome fell. Them he got a little closer and roared, and it says that the king fell off his chair. The king then told the rabbi, Please pray for me that he should go back, And the lion left. The sefer Pi Eliyahu says, when we talk about Hashem as a lion, we can't even fathom the strength of the war. I remember when I was in Israel over 40 years ago, the Biblical Zoo was in the neighborhood of Mattersdorf. I remember clearly that when the lion roared, we felt the vibrations even blocks away. It was something so powerful. And that's just a mashal We can't even fathom who gave the lion the strength. The strength God is mind boggling. And now we think we're dealing with Iran or Iraq, but whatever we are dealing with, Hashem says, Do you know what strength I have? When I come out as a warrior, I'm unstoppable, but it's not the right time. I'm holding back . That's the song with the lion.

Today we study the song of the Camel. It's a partial quote from a pasuk in Yirmiyah 25,30 גַּמַּל אוֹמֵר. יי מִמָּרוֹם יִשְׁאָג וּמִמְּעוֹן קָדְשׁוֹ יִתֵּן קוֹלוֹ שָׁאֹג יִשְׁאַג עַל נָוֵהוּ: (ירמיה כה ל) Hashem cries from above, from His holy abode. He gives a voice, He roars, on His dwelling place, He's crying over the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash. What does this have to do with the camel? The Chida, in his commentary on Perek Shira, says something fascinating. He quotes, "the angelic and holy Mahari Semah," who was a great Kabbalist. In his sefer Meshivat Nefesh, he writes that Yishmael is connected to the camel, which seems obvious, as the camel is predominantly found in Arab lands. But he goes deeper and says it's called HaGamal הגמל the camel because it's Heh Gimmel Mal " - and Mal is Brit Milah. What does that mean? The Zohar, in vol 2, page 86 says that Eretz was given to the Arabs when it's in state of destruction. That is what is delaying the Geula - the fact that the Arabs have control of Eretz Yisrael. This was written 400 years ago. He adds that , "the camel is roaring," means that Yishmael wants the Bet Hamikdash to be built when he is in control Eretz Yisrael (which doesn't really make sense because when the Bet Hamikdash is rebuilt, he won't be here). But the point is that Yishmael has a connection to Eretz Yisrael, albeit not a full connection. He has a connection only in its destruction. Rav Wolbe beautifully connects this Zohar to the words of Rav Akiva Eiger, in order to help us understand it on a simple level. In Aleh Shor vol 2, he quotes the Zohar that cites Rebbe Shimon that it says says about Yishmael in Bereshit 16, that he's a Perah Adam, which is like a wild donkey of a man.. He's not called a man . He's called a Perah Adam. Why? The Adam aspect is because he had a Brit Milah , which is the completion of a person. but he didn't finish it off because he never received the Torah. So he has the beginnings of man, but it was never finished off. The Jewish people finished it off with Kabbalat HaTorah so they're called Adam Mamash / true man . Rav Wolbe quotes Rabbi Akiva Eiger in Nedarim 31A, where it discusses the connection between the Brit Milah and Torah. He says that the Brit Milah removes the foreskin of the body, and also the foreskin of the heart, and allows the person to understand Torah. He goes on to add a very big, hiddush- that the father makes the Beracha that he's putting his son into the covenant of the Jewish people - but the father does not do the Milah- the Mohel does. So, why is the father making that beracha ? Because the Brit Milah allows the father to his fulfill mitzvah to teach his son Torah. He couldn't teach his son Torah without the prerequisite of the Brit Milah . Therefore, he makes the beracha, " I'm now able to do what I need to do with my son, because of the Brit Milah," which allows this child to learn Torah. Therefore, he makes a practical application that just like the Halacha that if a father is not teaching his son Torah, it's the grandfather's responsibility. (The pasuk says, "Tell your children and your grandchildren," and this is quoted by the Rambam in Hilchot Talmud Torah, where he says that the grandfather has responsibility to teach his child grandchild Torah.) Similarly, says Rav Akiva Eiger, if the father is not available, and the grandfather is at the Milah , the grandfather would make the Beracha , because he has that same responsibility to teach the child Torah. The Brit Milah opens up the gates of Torah for the young child. That's why Rav Chaim Palaggi says that in Birkat Hamazon, we say Brit V'Torah, because the Brit is what gets the person ready for Torah . The Arabs have a connection to Eretz Yisrael. That's why they're there and that's why they're interfering. The one up that we have over them is the fact that we received the Torah. That's why the greatest protection, and what will bring the Mashiach, is Limud Torah , which is the antithesis of Yishmael, who fell short. Coming full circle, that's why the Camel sings that song, because that's the song of the Yishmaelim . They're singing the song that somehow, they still want to stay connected to Eretz Yisrael, even when there is a Bet Hamikdash. But, as we know, that will not happen. Have a wonderful day.

The preferred way to light on Chanukah is with olive oil, because it was used in the Bet Hamikdash. Today, we find some olive oils made expressly for lighting, labeled "Not fit for human consumption." Is it permissible to light with these oils? The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) discusses a certain olive oil that is too bitter to eat. He rules that it is still fit for the misva, as long as there is no ruach tuma on it; e.g. it wasn't left under a bed. Rav Haim Kanievsky, as quoted by Rav Nissim Korelitz, ruled that the oil labeled "not fit for human consumption" is no different from the bitter oil permitted by the Ben Ish Hai. Although, one could distinguish between the two and say that, technically, the bitter oil is edible; people just avoid it because of its taste. On the other hand, the other oil is very acidic and would be dangerous for anyone to eat it. However, they don't make that distinction. Rav Eliashiv zt"l (Ashrei Ish p. 239), ruled that it is clearly better to use edible olive oil for the misva, since the oil used in the Bet Hamikdash was edible. Some claim that even oils labelled "not fit for human consumption," are indeed edible. They mark it as such to avoid paying the higher import tariff for foodstuff. SUMMARY Lechatehila, it is preferable to use olive oil that is fit for human consumption. However, any olive oil, even if it is "not fit" or bitter, is kosher for Chanukah lighting. (Yalkut Yosef, Chanukah p.117)

Today's class is dedicated Leilui Nishmat Yitzhak ben Chana, Mr. Irving Missry by his daughters. בְּהֵמָה דַּקָּה טְהוֹרָה אוֹמֶרֶת. The Behema Daka, the small animal such as the sheep and goat, says מִי כָמֹכָה בָּאֵלִם יי מִי כָּמֹכָה נֶאְדָּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ נוֹרָא תְהִלֹּת עֹשֵׂה פֶלֶא: (שמות טו יא) Who is like You in the strong ones Hashem, who is like You, glorified in holiness, awesome in His praises, Doer of wonders Why is this the song of the docile, kosher animals? Rav Chaim Kanievsky, in his commentary to Perek Shira, says that sheep and goats are chased more than any other animals. As is explained in Vayikra Raba 27,5, that's why Hashem uses them for Korbanot. They're chased and they're dear to Hashem. And Hashem saves those that are chased, which is a hint to the Jewish people, who are constantly chased by the goyim . The Midrash Tanhuma Toldot siman 5 says that one of the Caesars told Yehoshua, Look how powerful the sheep is, that he can stand among 70 wolves! To which the Rabbi answered, No, the sheep is not great, but Gadol Hu HaRo'eh, the Shepherd is great, that protects the sheep. That is the song of these sheep and goats, and it's the message of the Jewish people- that you have a great Shepherd that does wonders and saves you and protects you. There is a famous Gemara in Masechet Yoma 69B that says God is Gadol Gibor V'Nora h, great powerful and awesome. It says because when the Bet Hamikdash was destroyed, the Anshei Knesset Gedolah said, Where is God's strength? Where is God awesomeness ? To which the Gemara says, the Anshei Knesset Gedola put it back because they said, You know where God's awesomeness is? If not for the fear of Hashem, we wouldn't survive. You think it's the powerful armies that we have, the weapons that we have, the intelligence that we have? No, it's that God instills fear. That's what stops them from attacking. Nora tehilot, He is awesome in His praise, which means He's awesome. He's powerful. This actually goes back to Yaakov's Avinu in Parashat Bereshit 35,5. After Shimon and Levi wiped out the city of Shchem, Yaakov Avinu said, " What are you doing? You're going to cause them to attack me?!" Then it says they traveled and there was fear of God on those cities that surrounded them. They did not chase Bnei Yaakov. The Baal Turim says the words and they traveled show up twice, teaching us that when the Jewish people traveled in the desert, they were similar to Yaakov Avinu's bed, with the tribes all around it, to tell us that just like the fear of God was around the cities due to the zechut of Yaakov, so too, when we traveled in the desert, we were not attacked. We were a nation traveling the desert for 40 years. Why weren't we attacked? The fear of God. The miracles of the desert continue in our times as well, but we just don't see it as openly. The Targum Yonatan ben Uziel adds on words. He says, they traveled from there, and adds the words " praising and praying to Hashem," which means they praised Hashem for the success in the war in Shchem, and they prayed for continued success. Therefore, There was a fear of God instilled in the people around them. That's one approach as to why this is the song of the animals- because of the wonders of Hashem's protection. The Sefer Sivtei Raanot give an additional, advanced explanation, in his commentary on Perek Shira. He says that these animals are used for Korbanot , and through the Korban , we announced the three fundamentals of our religion. It says in Sefer Ikarim that there are three fundamentals of our religion: - The existence of God - Torah Min Hashamayim, that the Torah was given to us from heavens. And, - Hashem's Hashgacha Pratit. Where do we see that in the korban? Firstly, the Korban goes to Hashem, Who created the world. That means God exists. Secondly, we are doing this as Hashem directed us to in the Torah. That's Torah min Hashamayim. Lastly, the Hashgacha Pratit is that we believe that everything we did to the animal should have happened to us as a punishment for our sins. Thus, Hashem is watching. We want to protect ourselves, so we bring Korbanot. That's why these animals sing the song of Mi Kamocha B'El Hashem- Who is like You amongst the powerful ones , that describes God's strength, Mi Kamocha Nedra B'kodesh/ Who is glorified in holiness, that He gives reward to the Sadikim and he punishes the Resha'im . That's what they were saying. This is the Mi Kamocha in the fact that Hashem punished the Egyptians at Keriat Yam Suf. As powerful as He is, He controlled himself and meted out justice at the right time.. And finally, Norah Tehilot/God is awesome was the awesome site of Matan Torah where everyone saw that there was nothing else but God and everything else is nonsense. The animals that are part of the Korban system testify to these three principles of our faith, through their song.

La Gueulá en la Parasha de la semana Parashat Toldot

Welcome to our daily Perek Shira lesson. אֲוַז שֶׁבַּבַּיִת אוֹמֶרֶת. הוֹדוּ לַיי קִרְאוּ בִשְׁמוֹ הוֹדִיעוּ בָעַמִּים עֲלִילוֹתָיו: שִׁירוּ לוֹ זַמְּרוּ לוֹ שִׂיחוּ בְּכָל נִפְלְאוֹתָיו: (תהילים קה א-ב) The domesticated goose says, Say thank You to Hashem. Call out in His name…. Like Avraham Avinu called out His name and announced to the world that there was a God, as it says in the recent Parshiot when Avraham Avinu was talking to Eliezer, he calls God, Elohe Hashamayim VElohe HaAretz but the first time he says, Eloheh Shamayim , and Rashi explains that originally God was only the God of the heavens and Avraham Avinu made Him the God of the heavens and the earth . So the first job is הוֹדוּ לַיי קִרְאוּ בִשְׁמוֹ to praise Hashem, and call out in His name. הוֹדִיעוּ בָעַמִּים עֲלִילוֹתָיו Let the world know about Him. nations know Alilotav (a very important word) that He's the One that is responsible for all causes. As we say, Hashem is the cause of all causes and El Nora Alila/ God is awesome in the fact that He brings about things in unbelievable ways. We are told that Hashem says, The reason why I'm doing this to Paroah is so that you should tell your children, Et Asher HitAlalti L'Mitzrayim which Rashi says means I taunted or I laughed at. But Rabbenu Bachye says it means I showed the Egyptians and I showed the world that I'm the cause of all causes. Further שִׁירוּ לוֹ / Sing a song to Him זַמְּרוּ לוֹ Sing a different type of song. שִׂיחוּ with your light talk/ chatter בְּכָל נִפְלְאוֹתָיו tell over the stories of His wonders and His miracles . Rabbenu Bachye quotes an example from Rabbenu Hananel who said regarding the plague of Arbeh , that it was said that there'd be no locust anymore in Egypt and from that day on, there was never another locust swarm in Egypt. He says, this is something that we have to say שִׂיחוּ בְּכָל נִפְלְאוֹתָיו: tell over the world His wonders, His miracles . It's a responsibility. And not only when you get up to give a speech, but with sich a/ light talk- when you're talking with your friends at a cocktail party, what should you talk about? B'chol Nifleotav/All His wonders. What a beautiful pasuk! But what does this have to do with the goose? The sefer Lekutei Amarim, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, and many other commentaries point out that the Gemara in Masechet Berachot 57A says that if you see a goose in a dream, you should look forward to wisdom , as it says in Mishleh 1,20 says חׇ֭כְמוֹת בַּח֣וּץ תָּרֹ֑נָּה בָּ֝רְחֹב֗וֹת תִּתֵּ֥ן קוֹלָֽהּ׃ / wisdom will be sung outside. And since geese make loud noises outside, singing in the streets, that's a sign of wisdom. And the ultimate wisdom is to recognize and sing songs to Hashem. So the Lekutei Amarim says, this is the song of the wise goose. What's the wise thing to do? Thank Hashem. Call out on His name, let the world know He is the Source of all causes. Sing songs to Him. Speak of His wonders. That's wisdom, that's the wise message of the goose. And that's his song. The Gemara in Masechet Sotah 48A discusses songs that are just for partying, not to praise Hashem, not for the right things. The Gemara says that after the Bet Hamikdash was destroyed, we shouldn't have these frivolous, unnecessary parties. And the Gemara adds that Rav Huna was able to ban those parties in his town, and they were able to buy 100 geese for one zooz , let's say for a dollar. But as time went on, the ban on those parties was loosened. It turned around and they couldn't buy even one goose for a dollar. So what's the message from the goose? That the right songs to sing are songs of praise to Hashem, not just love songs or the like. The Rambam speaks at length about the negativity of romantic love songs, which is the common song of the day. It's beautiful that the messenger of proper song is the goose . The sefer Lechem Rav on Perek Shira says, in the name of Rav Yisrael Najara, a famous author of pizmonim who lived at the time of the Arizal Sfat, that the goose is there to teach us a lesson of song. He's one of the few kosher songbirds the letters of אווז goose backwards stand for זמרו , sing והללו והודו, and praise, אל / God. So built into the name of this bird is the importance to sing songs. And that's his message to us.

Today's song is from the Agur , not a well-known word. We're working with the explanation that it's a crane , which is a type of bird, and he says הוֹדוּ לַיי בְּכִנּוֹר בְּנֵבֶל עָשׂוֹר זַמְּרוּ לוֹ: ( Tehilim 33,2) / Thank Hashem with a kinor/harp, with the nevel-asor (an instrument with 10 strings), sing to him. The pasuk that follows this one in tehilim, continues, שִֽׁירוּ־ל֭וֹ שִׁ֣יר חָדָ֑שׁ הֵיטִ֥יבוּ נַ֝גֵּ֗ן בִּתְרוּעָֽה׃ / Sing a new song to Him, play well with a trumpet. Why exactly does the crane sing this? The Mabit tells us something very interesting about the crane. The crane has a tremendous power of tsifsuf / chirping or noises, and is able to sing in a very powerful way. There is a pasuk in Yeshaya 38,14 where Hizkiyah Hamelech says, כְּס֤וּס עָגוּר֙ כֵּ֣ן אֲצַפְצֵ֔ף I'm going to make noise like a crane. The crane was created in a certain way to, to communicate. It has a very long trachea and its mouth is different than other type of birds. It's able to make a call that can be heard for several miles. So, the crane is known as a very powerful, loud bird and therefore, says the Mabit, the crane tells us, ' You might not have my abilities, but you have your own abilities. You can use your kenor/harp . Why does he say Hodu L'Hashem b'kinor/ Thank Hashem with the harp? He answers that a harp is something that is quite simple to play. This Hodu/ Thanks to Hashem is directed to the four people that have to say Gomel . The word Hodu is the term used in the prayer of HaGomel , which is said after surviving a situation of danger, whether crossing the ocean or desert, being released from captivity or recovering from an illness. And since these are common events, the crane says, I can't ask you to do something complicated . It needs to be a common thing. Everyone has their kinor/harp, the standard way of saying thank you. And the people that are on a higher level, whom he calls the Benei Aliya , won't simply do a Hodu they'll do Zamru/ a song , and they will use this Nevel-asor , which is a more complex instrument. The commentaries discuss about the Asor and ask, why a 10 string harp? The Gemara in Masechet Arechim 13B quotes a pasuk and tells us that the harp of the Bet Hamikdash had seven strings When a Mashiach comes, it's going to have eight strings, and LaAtid Lavo when it comes to Olam Haba , the highest level, it's going to have 10 strings. And that's actually our pasuk, where it says a 10 -stringed Nevel, and then the next pasuk says, a new song-which is the song of Olam Haba. What exactly does that mean? The Ramban explains in Shaar Hagemul letter 144 that this symbolizes the forces and energies that we have. The is the world of seven, and there are seven different Middot that are revealed to us, which are the seven Ushpizin . So we can sing to God with the harp of seven . But that's for the common folk. Then we go on to a higher level of eight, which is Olam Haba , and then finally we go on to 10. This means different people have different energies and different abilities, but whatever your ability is, you have to use it to praise, to sing, and to give over what you can and sing your song. So the crane is saying to everyone, You don't have to be like me. Rav Wolbe was once sitting with a student by the beach when they saw a beautiful bird landing in the most elegant and graceful way. The student commented, " Wow. Look how elegant and beautiful that bird is as it lands." Rav Wolbe replied, " You too can be elegant and graceful if you use your talents to do what you have to do." That's really the message of the crane. He's saying, ' You might not have my voice, but Hodu LHashem b'kinor-You can use your kinor or your nevel or whatever your instrument is.' The bottom line is this beautiful message, the song of the agur הוֹדוּ לַיי בְּכִנּוֹר בְּנֵבֶל עָשׂוֹר זַמְּרוּ לוֹ:

Welcome to our special Musaf Rosh Hashanah Pesukim series. We're now in the fourth pasuk of Shofarot. As we discussed, the first three pesukim of Shofarot refer to the shofar of Har Sinai. The next three refer to our shofar, that we blow on Rosh Hashanah, and the last three refer to the shofar of the times of Mashiach. Our pasuk today is from Tehilim 47,6 עָלָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים בִּתְרוּעָ֑ה יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה בְּק֣וֹל שׁוֹפָֽר׃ Hashem/Elokim (in His trait of justice) goes up in the Teruah, Hashem (with His trait of mercy) b'kol shofar. The Teruah , which is a broken blast of the shofar, refers to Hashem's justice, and that's why the term Elohim , which is God's justice, is used, whereas Shofar refers to the straight sound of the Tekiyah , and that refers to Hashem's trait of mercy. This is quoted by the Maharsha in Rosh Hashanah 32B and indicated in a famous Midrash brought down the Pisikta Rabbati parashat מ - David Hamelech tells us there is no greater force than the shofar that removes God's trait of justice and brings Him close to mercy. On Rosh Hashanah God sits down on the chair of justice and when we blow the shofar, God switches from His justice to His mercy. That's why it starts off, Elohim - God plans on going up as an Elohim , and the power of the shofar turns Him into Hashem . So God switches from His chair of justice to His chair of mercy. The Slah, also known as the Noda BiYehuda (his real name was Rabbi Yehuda Landau), was one of the Gedolim of a few hundred years ago. In his sefer on Hagigah 14A, he shares something fascinating: What are these two chairs? What's this chair of mercy? Does Hashem have a separate mercy chair? He cites the Yalkut Shimoni in Malachim 2,46 which talks about the wicked king Menashe. Menashe caused a lot of idol worship. His father Chizkiyah saw, with Ruach Hakodesh , how bad he would be, and therefore he didn't want to get married, until the prophet came and told him, " You're going to die because you don't want to have children." He married the prophet's daughter and ended up having this Menashe. Menashe was extremely wicked. He actually killed the prophet, his grandfather! Ultimately , Menashe was caught by the enemy and was placed in a copper cauldron. They were about to boil him alive. After calling out to all the idols and not getting answered, he said, " I remember my father taught me a pasuk, 'When you are in pain and all difficulties are happening, return to Hashem, your God.' I'm going to try it." So he called out to God, but the angels were blocking the windows of the heaven, so as not to allow his prayer to go up. They said, " God, this man put an idol into the Bet HaMikdash! We're going to let him return in Teshuva?!" But God, so of say, has to follow the rules. God made a tunnel under the Kiseh Hakavod and allowed his Teshuva to sneak in. Says the Slah, That is the Kiseh Rachamim/the chair of mercy. When God wants to, so to say, circumvent the angels and let somebody in, He lets them in . What exactly does that mean for us? How are we to understand this? The Yaarot Devash , Rav Yonatan Eybeshutz says something fascinating ( helek rishon derush 15) He says, Chizkiyah didn't want to get married because he saw Menashe with Ruach Hakodesh . But, he says, Ruach Hakodesh comes through angels, and therefore he was not privy to the final, happy ending of Menashe being chozer B'Teshuvah, because the angels didn't believe Menashe was deserving. Based on the angelic knowledge of the future, there was no hope for Menashe. That's why Chizkiyah didn't want to have children. But what he didn't know was that Menashe would be accepted by God. It says he ended up becoming the chief of all Baalei Teshuva in Gan Eden!. Chizikiyah didn't realize what he brought into the world through Menashe. Fascinating . What's even more fascinating is this chair of mercy, where God looks down and doesn't just see where we are right now, what we're fit for right now. God sees the Teshuva in the person, and the greatness of our future. This is different than what we learn from Yishmael, about the way you are now. He quotes a midrash in Bereshit 53,14 that says that when the angels wanted to kill Yishmael, Hashem said, I see what you don't see. I see the Yishmael is going to make Teshuva . The angels didn't know that. They knew his wickedness. They didn't know his Teshuvah. And that's the concept of the chatira . The Yaarot Dvash says, look at how much Hashem does for us, that there can be someone that even the angels don't see any hope for, and Hashem, with His mercy, opens a special door for him. He says, This is one of the miracles that God does for us, and quotes the Pasuk in Tehilim, Even Maasu HaBonim Hayeta L'Rosh Pinah/The rock that the builders despised becomes great, and says it refers to Baalei Teshuva. The angels despised him, yet he became the chief, even greater than Sadikim. That is M'Et Hashem Hayta Zot/This is a miracle of God . It's one of the wonders that God does for us, that He's able to see what's going to happen and accept even the most distant person in Teshuva , which is aroused at the time of the shofar. So, whoever you are and whatever you are, that's what happens at the time of Shofar .

*Halajot Tisha Veab 2024* (Vale la pena sufrir un poco por Yerushalaim y el Bet Hamikdash por lo men by Suri Cattan

Chodesh Av is upon us.. I was feeling unsettled after a year of Mourning so many atrocities to just go into Chodesh Av like any other year. I delved into sources and prayed to Hashem for clarity. This Shiur is outcome of it all.In the place of mourning may we dance together as one this Tisha B'av with Mashiach in the third Bet Hamikdash, Amen! 

The Talmud Yerushalmi in Masechet Yoma says the reason the Bet HaMikdash was destroyed was because the people at the time were chasing money and had baseless hatred. The question was asked, what is the connection between these two? Rabbi Matisiyahu Solomon explained, the people were chasing after their friend's money. It was their jealousy which led to their hatred. If someone covets what his friend has, he eventually starts to think, "Why does he have it? He doesn't deserve it. I should be getting that." And then he comes to resent his friend for having what he wants. That is baseless hatred. How do we stop it? Isn't jealousy a natural feeling? I read a mashal which was written to explain the words of the Ibn Ezra on this subject. Imagine, there was a farmer who spent all of his days planting cucumbers, onions and various other vegetables. He had no formal education and he lived in a hut. One day, he hears loud music coming from a distance. He goes to see what's happening and there he watches as a special procession is in progress, celebrating the engagement of the princess. She's on a big chariot with her groom to be, waving to the crowd, and everyone is cheering. Would this farmer feel jealous that he was not chosen to marry the princess? Of course not. It's so far out of the realm of possibility that the thought wouldn't even enter his mind. That is how we are supposed to view what other people have. Whatever a person was given was first determined by our purposeful Creator. He gives people their spouses, their homes, their children, because He determined that is what they need to fulfill their purpose in the world. What someone else has was never in the realm of possibility for anyone else to get. A person might feel he was more qualified for a job than someone else who got it, and he is burning with jealousy that he wasn't picked. He must realize, he was never a candidate for that job to begin with. It doesn't matter how qualified he is, for his purpose in this world, that job was bad for him and that's why Hashem didn't let him have it. We have it within our ability not only to not be jealous of others, we could even be happy with what others have, even though we might have wanted it for ourselves. The moment something is decided, whether it's our friend signing a lease on an apartment we wanted or getting a job we wanted, we have an opportunity to accept the will of Hashem and say "thank you for putting everyone where You know they need to be." If someone doesn't fix this inclination towards jealousy, he is only hurting himself. People spend painful hours thinking about what they could have had or what they should have had and ask why everyone else gets what they want. We have what's meant for us and if it would be any other way, we'd be missing out on our opportunity to fulfill our purpose here. Even when it comes to our spiritual lives, we're not supposed to feel bad when we see others more successful than us. A person who is struggling to understand Torah might get down on himself when he sees his friend understand everything right away. Another person might feel bad when he sees his friend able to react so calmly when his patience is tried, while when he is in the same situation he's ready to explode. Everyone has a different purpose, everyone is given different strengths and different weaknesses for their jobs. It could be for a person with a temper to hold back his anger just a little bit is more precious to Hashem than the man who reacts calmly who has no inclination towards anger. And for a person who has a hard time grasping Torah, to sit and try is more precious to Hashem than the genius understanding it instantly. What matters the most is our efforts, not the results. To summarize, everyone is given the exact character traits and circumstances that they need to be in to be considered successful with their mission in this world. If we can accept the will of Hashem for ourselves and for others, we'll reach great levels in emunah, we'll release so much stress and tension and we'll be able to have true Ahavat Chinam.

Podcast Jajam Shlomo (Sally) Zaed El tercer Bet Hamikdash lo construimos nosotros o lo mandará Hashem??? Conferencia

This morning we study and analyze a famous passage of Talmud which is recorded as the reason for the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash - the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza. We present an original understanding of this from Rabbi Yochanan Zweig that entreats us to refrain from a very common destructive trait. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5FLcsC6xz5TmkirT1qObkA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/mining-the-riches-of-the-parsha/id1479615142?fbclid=IwAR1c6YygRR6pvAKFvEmMGCcs0Y6hpmK8tXzPinbum8drqw2zLIo7c9SR-jc Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3hWYhCG5GR8zygw4ZNsSmO Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions or feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Podcast Jajam Shlomo (Sally) Zaed 3 Berajot de la Amidá que pedimos por el Bet Hamikdash Conferencia

RAB SALLY ZAED- 3 BERAJOT QUE PEDIMOS POR EL BET HAMIKDASH EN LA AMIDA by TALMUD TORA MONTE SINAI

The day of Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz (the 17th day in the month of Tammuz) is observed as a fast day to commemorate five calamities that befell the Jewish people on this day: 1) Just several months after the Exodus from Egypt, Beneh Yisrael worshipped the golden calf on Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz; 2) Toward the end of the First Temple era, it was on this day when the daily Tamid offering was discontinued; 3) Just before the destruction of the Second Temple, the wall of Jerusalem was breached by the Roman legions on the 17th of Tammuz; 4) An enemy named Apostomus publicly burned a Sefer Torah; 5) A statue was brought into the Bet Hamikdash. Other calamities occurred on this day, as well. The Gemara in Masechet Ta'anit establishes the rule of "En Ta'anit Sibur Be'Babel." This means that when the Sages in Babylonia established fast days, they did not treat them with the same severity as Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Ab. Thus, it is permissible to wash, bathe and wear leather shoes on Shiba Asar Ba'Tammuz. Furthermore, the fast begins in the morning, and not at sundown the previous evening. The Halachic authorities address the question of whether or not the restrictions of "Ben Ha'mesarim" – the three-week period between Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz and Tisha B'Ab – apply on the night before Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz. The period of the Three Weeks is a time when many calamities befell the Jewish nation, in commemoration of which we observe a number of prohibitions. Do these restrictions take effect on the morning of Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz, when the fast begins, or do they take effect already the previous night? The Hid"a (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806) addresses this question in his work of responsa Haim Sha'al, and he writes that one should begin observing the restrictions of the Three Weeks already on the night before Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz. Other authorities rule leniently in this regard, allowing haircutting and festivity on the night before Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz, and therefore those who are lenient have a basis on which to rely. Preferably, however, one should refrain from such activities already at the night of Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz, except in situations of a particular need. It should be noted that according to some authorities (including the Ramban and the Shela), the fast of Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz begins already the previous night. Of course, Halacha does not follow this opinion, but it nevertheless demonstrates that the night of Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz is considered the beginning of the Three Week period, and it is therefore proper to begin observing the restrictions of the Three Weeks already on this night. Specifically, these restrictions take effect at Set Hakochavim (nightfall) of the evening of Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz. Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (contemporary) rules that since these restrictions are of Rabbinic (as opposed to Biblical) origin, they do not have to be observed during Ben Ha'shemashot on the evening of Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz. It is only at nightfall, when the stars become visible, that one must begin observing the restrictions of the Three Weeks. Summary: The restrictions of the Three Weeks begin at nightfall the evening before Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz. Even though the fast of Shiba Asar Be'Tammuz does not begin until morning, one should begin observing the laws of the Three Weeks already at nightfall the previous night, except in situations where it is necessary to delay these observances until morning.

Although we have been learning about how valuable it is to accept and thank Hashem for the way He deals with us when things don't necessarily go the way we want, we cannot forget about thanking Him when things do go the way we want. We are not only supposed to thank Hashem when a problem arises. We should thank Hashem and praise Him constantly for the endless chesed which He bestows upon us. In the very same Chazals which tell us to thank Hashem for the “bad”, somehow we sometimes forget and overlook the parts that tell us to thank Him for the good. One example, the pasuk says in Tehillim , חסד ומשפט אשירה , which Chazal tell us means that David HaMelech did not only sing to Hashem when he experienced His open chesed , he even sang to Him when he experienced what appeared to be the opposite of chesed . Usually, when that Chazal is quoted, the speaker ends up talking about thanking Hashem for the difficulties. But we can't forget about the first part of the Chazal . David HaMelech also sang to Hashem every time he experienced something good, חסד אשירה . On the pasuk which tells us to love Hashem בכל מאודך , the Chazal tell us, בכל מידה ומידה שהוא מודד לך הוי מודה לו במאד מאד . Whatever Hashem sends a person's way, he is supposed to thank Him for very much. On this Chazal as well, we tend to focus on the part that tells us to thank Hashem for the “bad”. But we must not lose sight of the words בכל מידה ומידה , for the good as well. We have to thank Hashem very much. The Shomer Emunim quotes the Midrash in Tehillim perek 100 which tells us that if a person thanks Hashem for the good that he receives, it's considered as if he's bringing a korban todah in the Bet HaMikdash , and he brings upon himself and the entire world more chesed from Hashem. The Yesod V'Shoresh HaAvodah used to thank Hashem for every little chesed that he received. He would first acknowledge that every little chesed came from Hashem, and then he would thank Him for it. He gave examples to his children about how he thanked Hashem. He wrote, on one occasion, when a glass that he was holding fell on the floor, it didn't break. He thanked Hashem for the chesed he just did for him. He realized it was Hashem who decided to leave the glass intact. It doesn't have to be that when a glass falls, it breaks. Whatever Hashem wants to happen is going to happen. On another occasion, he passed by a dangerous place and didn't get harmed, and he thanked Hashem for protecting him. The Chozeh M'Lublin had a revelation from Shamayim about how precious this avodah was to Hashem. Hashem loves when people thank Him, especially for every little thing that they receive. Chazal tell us, Yosef HaTzaddik always had the name of Hashem on his lips. He constantly asked Hashem for help, and then would thank Him afterward. And that is why, בכל הוא עושה ה- מצליח בידו - Hashem brought success to everything that Yosef did. Here, the Torah and Chazal are teaching us the recipe for success. Constantly asking Hashem for help, and constantly thanking Him afterward. Chazal also say, if someone had a miracle performed on his behalf, it may take away from his merits in the Next World. But if he sings to Hashem and thanks Him for the miracle, not only will he not lose zechuyot , he will even gain atonement for all of his sins and become like a newborn. Look at the power of recognizing and thanking Hashem for the good! Every time we say thank you for anything we get, it brings so much joy to HaKadosh Baruch Hu . He wants us to recognize all the good that He does. An individual who is looking to thank will find more and more reasons to thank Hashem. And he'll also realize how much blessing he truly has.

Parshat Teruma: Why was the Bet Hamikdash REALLY destroyed?!? The $100,000 donation!!! And of course the holy “Levush “ and the holy ”Beis Halevi” Zchutam Tagen Aleinu

When a person is given the honor of carrying the Torah scroll from the Hechal (ark) to the Bima (table), on which side of his body should he position the Torah – to the right, or to the left? The Ben Ish Hai (Rabbi Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his work Torah Lishma, addresses this question and cites the verse in the Book of Debarim (33:2), "Mimino Esh Dat" – "From His right came the Law of fire." This verse indicates that God gave the Torah to Am Yisrael with His right, so-to-speak. Accordingly, the Ben Ish Hai writes, it is proper when carrying the Torah scroll to position it on one's right side. For that matter, he adds, one should carry any book of Torah – such as books of Talmud or Halacha – with his right hand, to commemorate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Ben Ish Hai emphasizes that this is particularly important while one wears Tefillin, which is generally worn on the left arm. When one wears Tefillin on his left arm and carries the Torah or Torah books with his right arm, he is surrounded by Misvot. The Ben Ish Hai draws a comparison between this situation and the Halacha requiring those who light Hanukah candles by the front door to position the candles opposite the Mezuza, so that they are surrounded by Misvot. Similarly, while wearing Tefillin one should carry the Torah or Torah books with his right hand, which has the effect of causing him to be surrounded by Misvot on both sides. The Ben Ish Hai rules that even those who are left-handed should carry the Torah on the right side, in commemoration of the giving of the Torah at Sinai. However, if somebody experiences discomfort carrying the Torah on his right side, such as if he sustained an injury to his right arm, or if he is frail and feels more at ease carrying on the left side, he may do so. The Ben Ish Hai draws proof from the Ketoret (incense) ritual performed by the Kohen Gadol in the Bet Hamikdash on Yom Kippur. As the Kohen entered the "Kodesh Ha'kodashim" (innermost sanctum of the Temple), he carried two shovels – one containing the spices of the Ketoret, and the other containing hot coals. Upon entering the sacred chamber, he would place the spices on the coals to create a cloud of smoke. Clearly, the spices were the primary component of the ritual, and the coals were secondary. Yet, interestingly enough, Halacha requires that the Kohen carry the coals with his right hand – the more important hand – and the incense with his left hand. The commentaries attribute this law to a number of factors, including the fact that the coals were much heavier than the spices, and that the coals were very hot and should thus be carried with the stronger hand as a safety measure. The Ben Ish Hai infers from this Halacha that when the need arises, it is permissible to carry in one's left hand that which would otherwise be carried in the right hand. Hence, when it comes to the Torah scroll, too, somebody who finds it difficult to carry it on his right side may carry it on his left side. Summary: One who carries the Torah scroll or any book of Torah should carry it specifically on his right side or with his right hand, even if he is left-handed. However, if this would cause him difficulty or discomfort, he may carry it on his left side.

When the Bet HaMikdash stood, a person was able to bring a korban to gain kapara through the sacrifice. Of course, it needed to be accompanied by sincere teshuva as well. When a person gets kapara , he becomes purified and that makes him a vessel to receive Hashem's blessings. Although today we don't have the Bet HaMikdash yet, we can still offer korbanot to Hashem by sacrificing of ourselves to do what's right. Acts of sacrifice purify us and thereby make us vessels to receive Hashem's berachot . They also give us a greater power of tefila. The greatest gain we can get from any sacrifice is the sacrifice itself. That is what is going to stand by our side for all eternity and allow us to enjoy Olam Haba . Therefore, no one should ever regret any sacrifice he or she has ever made, even if it didn't produce the side blessing in this world we were hoping to get. Sacrifices do bring blessing, but we don't always see how. Yet, sometimes the blessing comes almost instantly. A man told me his niece was given clearance by her older brother to start shidduchim even though he was not married yet. Baruch Hashem, she became engaged very quickly, but she had a heavy heart knowing that her older brother was having such a hard time. Every day, her tefilot were that Hashem should bring her brother his zivug and let him get engaged before her wedding. A few weeks ago, she went with her mother to pick out a wig that she would use once she's married. She saw one that she loved, but she knew it wasn't as modest as it should be. It was so difficult for her to do, but she said to Hashem, "Please, I'm going to sacrifice right now and have this wig cut much shorter than I would like it to be. Please accept this korban and bring my brother his kallah ." The very next day, a shadchan called and mentioned a girl for her brother and, baruch Hashem, they just got engaged, as she hoped, before her wedding which is scheduled to take place in August. Acts of sacrifice are very powerful. A man from Monsey told that he earns his livelihood by playing music at weddings and parties. One time, he was called and asked if he would perform at the wedding of an orphan bride for free. This was not easy for him to do. He charges $3000 a party and needs all the revenue he can get. But, with a great deal of self-sacrifice, he said, "Sure, it will be my pleasure to help out a poor orphan bride." The night before that wedding, he was playing at a different wedding and he remembered his commitment to play the next night for free. He whispered a prayer to Hashem, saying, "You know how hard it is for me to give up all that money. Please, in the zechut of my sacrifice, make it that I don't lose out on the money." At the end of the wedding that night, the host came over to pay him. He said, "I'm very impressed with how you performed tonight. I asked that all the music should sound Jewish and you didn't mix in even one song that I didn't like. I'm giving you a tip for your great work," and he handed him an envelope. Later, when he counted the money, he saw there was $3000 extra, the exact amount he gave up to play at the orphan's wedding. He said he has gotten some nice tips before but never that much. He thanked Hashem for allowing him to get the zechut of playing for free at the poor orphan's wedding and still get the money in a different way. Sacrifices produce great merits. The greatest gain is the sacrifice itself, but it's also nice when we see the side benefits in this world as well.

In this week's parasha , Va'era , we read about the makot that Hashem sent upon the Mitzrim and Mitzrayim . One of the reasons Hashem brought so many makot , rather than just wiping out the Mitzrim in an instant, was to teach us about how much control He has over the world. He is involved in the finest details of every person's life. Things that may seem insignificant, Hashem has already been planning and setting up days before we even think about them. The Admor of Lelov had a minhag , on the night of Tisha B'Av, to go look at the place where the Bet HaMikdash used to be and try to feel the loss. One year, he went with his son to Yeshivat Bet Avraham of Slonim, because at that time you were able to see the makom of the Mikdash from the Yeshivah's roof. By the time they got there, it was very late at night and all the boys in the Yeshivah were already sleeping. There was a man in the hallway of the dormitory and they asked him if he knew who had the keys to the roof. He said he wasn't exactly sure and he wasn't going to wake up the entire Yeshivah to find out either. Just at that moment, one of the dorm room doors opened and a boy walked out. They asked this boy if he perhaps knew who had the key to the roof. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the key. He said, the boy who normally takes care of the key was not in the Yeshivah that night. Just the other day, he was unloading his pockets because they became so heavy upon him with so many things that he put in them. “I was standing next to him and he asked me if I could take his key ring for a couple of days. Tonight I couldn't fall asleep, so I decided to get dressed and walk around a little.” With that, the Rabbi and his son were able to go to the roof. Look at what Hashem did to enable this Rabbi to continue his minhag of looking at the place of the Bet HaMikdash on Tisha B'Av. He prepared the keys from days before and put them in the hands of the boy whose room they would be right next to. And then made sure this boy would get up and go out to see them when they arrived. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Friedman, the author of the popular weekly gilyon Noam Siach , told me he went, around Yom Kippur time this year, to get a beracha from the Vizhnitzer Rebbe in Yerushalayim for a good year. When he arrived, he gave the Rebbe a copy of the latest gilyon that he just printed for Shabbat Shuvah. The Rebbe thanked him and asked him if he had a copy of the special Peninim Yikarim edition that he prints once a year. He told the Rebbe he recently printed it, but he only brought a limited amount to distribute in Eretz Yisrael and he had none left. Knowing the Rebbe was planning a trip to America, he told him he would be sure to drop one off when he came. The Rebbe said it would have been so nice to have one to read on the plane to America. When Rabbi Friedman left the Rebbe's office, there were a few people in the waiting room waiting to get in. One of them caught his eye. It was an elderly man reading the Peninim Yikarim edition of that year. Apparently this man printed it out for himself. The Rabbi went over to him and when the man noticed him his eyes lit up. He said, are you Rabbi Friedman? The Rabbi said yes. The elderly man told him he prints out every edition that he writes the moment it comes out. The Rabbi then asked him if he would part with his copy of the Peninim Yikarim to give to the Rebbe of Vizhnitz. “Of course,” the man replied. He then said he actually spoke to the Rebbe the day before but then he remembered he forgot to tell him one detail. He wasn't going to come back for it, but for some reason, at the last second, he changed his mind and came. Now, he said, he knows why he came. He was a piece of a larger picture with Hashem guiding him to give the Rebbe what he wanted to read on his plane ride to America. Even the smallest details of our lives are carefully planned and orchestrated by Hashem. Shabbat Shalom.

Hashem puts people in the positions they need to be in to accomplish what they need to accomplish in this world. The situations are set up, tailor-made for each person, and then the decisions of how to proceed are up to them. It may not be obvious to the person how much is riding on the decision he's about to make, but in many instances it's Hashem giving him a chance to correct an error from the past. Hashem wants us to be successful with our missions in this world, and that is why He gives us great opportunities to perform. The Ramban in Vayigash writes that Yosef never told Yaakov what his brothers did to him. Since the brothers did not tell Yaakov, Yosef was not going to tell him. It would be considered lashon hara . How far did Yosef go? The Mefarshim tell us for the seventeen years that Yaakov lived in Mitzrayim , Yosef made sure never to be alone with him, so that Yaakov would never ask him what happened to him during that time when he went away. This meant that Yosef was not able to learn one-on-one with Yaakov, even during those years where the Zohar writes Yaakov was zocheh to Heavenly revelations in Torah on the level of Moshe Rabbenu. It was so difficult for Yosef not to be as close to his father as he wanted, and it was all because of his worry of having to reveal what his brothers did. Rabbi Menasheh Reizman quoted from Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul, the grandson of Chacham Ben Tzion, that Yosef was making a tremendous tikkun here. The Torah says about him, when he was seventeen, ויבא יוסף את דיבתם רעה אל אביהם , Yosef would tell his father about the “bad” things that his brothers were doing. Even though Yosef had good reasons for it, it was still called דיבתם רעה . And now, for the final seventeen years of Yaakov's life, Yosef bent over backwards not to say דיבתם רעה , to fix whatever blemish he may have had from what took place in his earlier years. This was his opportunity to make tikkun , and he wasn't going to miss it. Furthermore, we find that although Yosef HaTzaddik completely forgave his brothers for selling him, telling them they had nothing to do with it, it was all m'et Hashem. Yet, their sin needed kapara throughout the generations with the עשרה הרוגי מלכות -the ten martyred Sages. The question is, why did they need kapara if they were completely forgiven? Rabbi Reizman quoted from the Shelah and the Alsheich, that it was not only Yosef that the sale affected. The main one who was hurt was Yaakov Avinu. He was in deep mourning for such a long period of time, and the Shevatim never asked him for forgiveness. They had opportunities to explain to Yaakov what they did, and then apologize and ask for mechilah . But because they never did, they never got forgiven, and that sin needed atonement. Part of the reason we're still in exile today is to get kapara for that avon . And, specifically the galut of Edom, which is Esav, had the right to subjugate us for so long because Esav was the one who excelled in Kibud Av v'Em . Binyamin, who was not involved in the sale, merits to have the Bet HaMikdash built in his portion. The pasuk says, ובין כתפיו שכן - the shoulders that were there for his father to lean upon in his old age should have the Bet HaMikdash built upon them. Rabbi Reizman quoted one of the Gedolim from the last generation saying, “We find today, baruch Hashem, people living very long lives, and some in their old age need a lot of care. Some don't even recognize their children anymore. Perhaps Hashem is giving the final generations the ability to gain merits in Kibud Av v'Em that Esav never got. To take care of an aged parent, day and night, with no reciprocation. It's a very big test, because it's so easy to send the parent to a home and visit once a week. But to take that responsibility to care for the parent, all while suffering the pain of them not recognizing the child, is an enormous zechut . Every situation in life presents another opportunity. Hashem wants us to be successful and therefore He puts us in the positions we need to be in to succeed.

Today is Asarah B'Tevet , a public fast day, the same day that Nebuchadnezzar's army sieged Yerushalayim , which ultimately led to the destruction of the first Bet HaMikdash . The Abudarham writes that this fast is unique compared with other fasts mentioned by the Nevi'im . The reason is because if they would fall out on Shabbat, they would be pushed off. But if Asarah B'Tevet would fall out on Shabbat, we would fast even on Shabbat, like Yom Kippur. This is because the Navi says, regarding Asarah B'Tevet , we must fast בעצם היום הזה - on that very day. We need to understand why this is so. After all, Asarah B'Tevet was just the beginning of the siege. It took another two and a half years for them to destroy the Bet HaMikdash . If Tisha B'Av , which commemorates the actual Churban , doesn't override Shabbat, why would Asarah B'Tevet be stricter? It's true that, in practice, Asarah B'Tevet will never fall out on Shabbat, but it does fall out on Friday. And hence, we are fasting today, going into Shabbat, rather than pushing off the fast. The Chatam Sofer explained, it is on Asarah B'Tevet that the Heavenly Court decides the fate of the Bet HaMikdash each and every year. On the year in which it was destroyed, it was on Asarah B'Tevet that the final verdict was given. And every year, the Heavenly Court reassembles on this day and reassesses if the Bet HaMikdash should remain destroyed. We know, in general, we're not allowed to fast on Shabbat because we have a mitzvah of oneg Shabbat, taking delight in the day. However, if someone is disturbed by a dream that he had on Lel Shabbat, and he wants to fast on Shabbat because of it, he's allowed to. Since the fast has the power to overturn something negative, and it will relieve the person's distress, the fast is considered oneg Shabbat for him more than eating. It is with this in mind that we can explain why the fast of Asarah B'Tevet would apply even on Shabbat. Since the Heavenly Court is convening on this specific day and through a fast, we have the power to annul the potential unfortunate judgment of keeping the Bet HaMikdash in ruins, we would fast in the hope of reversing it and getting a judgment to rebuild the Bet HaMikdash . This would be our greatest oneg . This means there is so much riding on this day of Asarah B'Tevet . And at this time especially, we are yearning for the Mashiach , and we should take advantage of the day with extra tefila and teshuva . Every single person's avoda counts. The Mesilat Yesharim writes in perek 19 that a person should never say, “Who am I to pray for the Geula and the rebuilding of the Bet HaMikdash ?” Because every single person has their own share in avodat Hashem. And what one person could accomplish, nobody else in the world could do. It is only a compilation of every single person's avoda and tefila that is going to merit the rebuilding of the Bet HaMikdash . The Mesilat Yesharim writes further that the requesting of the Geula serves a purpose in its own right. Hashem wants us to want Him to reveal His glory and show the world who He is. The fact that we're interested in Hashem's kavod is a great avoda and something we should strive to want. Today is the perfect day to request it. The Beit Din in Shamayim is in session right now and every person's tefila will help. May we be zocheh to the fulfillment of the pasuk, כה אמר יהוה צבאות צום הרביעי וצום החמישי וצום השביעי וצום העשירי יהיה לבית יהודה לששון ולשמחה ולמועדים טובים . Shabbat Shalom.

The Tzvi L'Tzaddik writes that chodesh Kislev is a preparation for the Geula HaAtida . It is the month in which the Chanukah candles reveal the light of Mashiach . The Maharsha writes in Masechet Baba Metzia (80b) that Rosh Chodesh in general is a day that is designated to pray for the Mashiach . There are numerous requests in the tefila for Hashem to rebuild the Bet HaMikdash and reestablish the mizbe'ach once again to bring korbanot upon. We need to utilize the day to pray with all our hearts for the Geula . We say in Halel, כל גוים סבבוני – all of the goyim surround us. The Brisker Rav explained, this is referring to Yishmael, who completely surrounds Eretz Yisrael on all sides. How do we defeat them? The pasuk says, בשם ה' כי אמילם – only with the name of Hashem will we be able to cut them down. The pasuk in Melachim 19, describing the powers of Hashem, uses the words מפרק הרים ומשבר סלעים – smashing mountains and breaking rocks. The word סלעי"ם in that pasuk is rosheh tevot (acronym) for סוריה, לבנון, עזה, ירדן, מצרים – Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Jordan and Egypt, the five Yishmael nations surrounding us. It says further, סבבוני גם סבבוני – there are also those surrounding those who surround us. This refers to Turkey, Iran and Iraq. How do we defeat them? בשם ה' כי אמילם – also with the name of Hashem. It says further, סבוני כדבורים דעכו כאש קוצים – they surround us like bees. And Rashi in Devarim , perek 1, says the characteristic of the bee is it strikes man and immediately dies. So too סבוני כדבורים , these nations surrounding us strike like the bee. They don't care to die as long as they sting. How do we defeat them? Once again, the pasuk continues בשם ה' כי אמילם . This means our best weapon in defeating this enemy is by using our voices to cry out to Hashem. The Ramban writes, there is the מצות עשה from the Torah to cry out to Hashem in times of trouble and the Maharam Shik writes, the greater the trouble, the bigger the mitzvah is to pray. As we are witnessing with our own eyes, the trouble extends across the globe, our enemies are everywhere we turn. The only advice is to call out to Hashem. The mefarshim tell us, when Hashem defeats our enemies at the Final Geula , it will become obvious to the entire world that He runs it, and everyone else is powerless. There will be no doubt that the victory belongs to Hashem and, from then on, there will never be persecution again. The Zohar HaKadosh writes, in the End of Days, one of the terrible rasha'im who will rise up against us is named Armilus and he is going to be obliterated. The Malbim writes, at that time it will not be clear from people's names who are the ones referred to in the Nevi'im and in the Midrashim , for example, Gog U'Magog . However, Rabbi Menashe Reisman pointed out that Nasrala is the same gematria as Armilus. We aren't sure who is who, but it doesn't matter. All we need to know is that we need Hashem to help us. It is incumbent upon everyone to use our greatest weapon, our mouths. We need to learn more Torah, we need to cry out more in tefila. And then, b'ezrat Hashem, we will see the fulfillment of the pasuk בשם ה' כי אמילם .

The Chovot HaLevavot writes that the bote'ach b'Hashem does not get distressed from the things that would normally distress a person. For example, if someone is not able to sell his merchandise or collect money that he is owed. Another example that he gives is if someone develops a health problem. How could it be that those things would not disturb the bote'ach b'Hashem ? It's because he knows for a fact that Hashem worries about his needs more than he does, and He chooses the best outcomes for him, better than he could ever choose for himself. He knows, if he knew why Hashem was giving him these things, he would be thanking Him to no end. He would understand that there could be nothing better for him than exactly what is happening. That is enough to keep him calm and composed. He doesn't need to know the reasons. He only needs to know that Hashem is in complete control and is determining every last thing that happens to him and is doing it with unending love and mercy. We are living in a very fearful time. People have a great deal of anxiety and understandably so. It is so important for a person to recognize that no matter what is going on and no matter who seems to be in control, everything that happens will only be determined by Hashem. Everything that takes place to our people as a whole and everything that happens in each individual's life is only controlled by Him. Hashem is still choosing the best possible circumstances for every single person to be in, in his own life. Of course, we are supposed to respond to this with better avodat Hashem, with more intense tefilot , with more unity and ahavat Yisrael , with more Torah and more mitzvot . We are to know that every little deed we do matters and has a major effect on the entire situation and the world at large. We spoke yesterday about improving in Torah and gemilut chasadim . The Chofetz Chaim also said that for a person to be zocheh to ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון – to see with his own eyes HaKadosh Baruch Hu , once again, rest His Presence in Yerushalayim in the Bet HaMikdash , he has to be careful what his eyes look at. Pure eyes will merit to take delight in seeing the radiance of the Shechina in the glorious days ahead. So, on one hand, the difficulties are supposed to motivate us to be the best that we can be and they are not meant to handicap a person with fear and trepidation. But at the same time, we must always remember the basics: Hashem is, was, and will always be the only One making all decisions at all times. And while Hashem is governing the affairs of the world at large, He is still intimately involved in every single person's life. A man told me his wife recently went to the hospital to deliver their child. When she arrived, they told her it was going to be a very long labor, so she asked her husband to please go get her a book to read. He came back later with a book on emunah which she read from. Unbeknownst to them, the child had Down Syndrome. The man told me, baruch Hashem, they are very happy and enjoying their baby immensely. Right before his wife went into the final stages of labor, she read a piece from that book and it was all about how great the neshamot of Down Syndrome children are and how they are going to be at the forefront to greet the Mashiach . That is what is giving them so much strength now. Out of the tens of thousands of books that her husband could have chosen from, he brought her back the one book that had the exact words that she needed to read before starting this new chapter in their lives. That is HaKadosh Baruch Hu lovingly telling them, You have to go through this for your best, but don't worry, I will be with you every step of the way. This is how it is in every person's life. Hashem is always with us and He wants us to know it.

URGENT APPEAL for ISRAEL from ITORAH.COM https://itorah.com/campaigns/special איכה ירדוף אחד אלף - How could it be that the enemy was able to kill so many of our people? Our hearts are breaking for all the families whose lives have been turned upside down. Our stomachs are churning, hearing about the atrocities that are taking place. We yearn for the day that Hashem will exact vengeance from our enemies. We yearn for the day when the Mashiach will stand upon the roof of the third Bet Hamikdash and tell us, הגיע זמן גאולתכם ואם אין אתם מאמינים ראו באורי שזרח עליכם “ The time for your redemption has come. And if you don't believe me, look at my light that I'm shining upon you.” At that moment, Hashem will shine the light of the Mashiach upon us and we will live in complete bliss and tranquility. Now we are experiencing the birth pangs of Mashiach. The Vilna Gaon asks why the Geula is compared to Ayelet Hashachar- the point of night closest to dawn. As the night progresses, it becomes darker and darker. And before dawn it becomes the darkest. That is also the way it is in child labor. The closer it becomes to the time of delivery, the harder the contractions become. When the contractions are almost unbearable, then the baby finally comes out. So too with Mashiach, when the pains become unbearable, as we are witnessing right now, we know the Geula is imminent. The world is not a free-for-all. Nobody can harm us unless it is the will of Hashem. Throughout history, the enemy was only able to infiltrate because of our shortcomings. When we do what's incumbent upon us, our enemies will have no power. One of the things we need to improve in is being unified with each other, to end the machloket , to make peace with everyone. Now is the perfect time. Everybody's hearts are a little softer. We all want good for each other. When the Jewish people are unified, we are untouchable. How beautiful it is to see the hundreds of thousands of Jews gathering across the world to say Tehilim , crying out to Hashem from the bottom of their hearts. When the Jews were in trouble during the days of Haman, Esther said to Mordechai, “ Go and gather all the Jews together.” Our power is in unity . And when we are unified in helping each other do the Ratzon Hashem , there is nothing greater than that. Call the person you haven't been speaking to and tell him, “ Let's make peace to help our brothers and sisters in Israel.” It is so beautiful when we look out for each other. Somebody told me his cousin was on the Gaza border fighting to protect us, and he was shot in the stomach. He had his own car there and ran to it to go get help. But before he got there, he saw a fellow soldier who was shot in the face. He stopped to help bring this soldier to his car. They managed to escape the scene and go to a hospital. Baruch Hashem, they are both alive and stable. The parents of the other soldier thought for sure their son died there on the border. They had no idea that he escaped. When they finally found him alive in a hospital and found out that this other soldier risked his life to save him, they cried tears of thanks and praised this soldier to no end. Am Yisrael Chai. We are a nation who cares about each other. Let us perform the ultimate display of care and make peace with our ‘ enemies ' for the sake of peace. And of course, let us improve in any way we can in our Avodat Hashem, and may we see the Geula B'Karov, Amen. URGENT APPEAL From iTorah.com https://itorah.com/campaigns/special "Kol Yisrael Arebim Zeh La'zeh" All Jews are responsible for one another. Please donate to and provide for your brothers and sisters in Israel who are suffering and need your help! Our campaign will be used to fund purchases of… • Providing 2,000 meals PER DAY to IDF Soldiers around the country • Sisiyot and Siddurim for the soldiers • Supplies for the displaced • Battle Gear for families for protection • Food & Necessities • Financial Aid to Families whose wage earners have been taken from work and deployed into battle.

In the beginning of this week's Parasha, Ki Tavo, we read about the mitzvah of Bikurim where the landowners bring up a basket of their first fruits to the Bet HaMikdash. There they read a portion from the Torah thanking Hashem for all of the chasadim that He does for them. The Midrash in Bereshit says in the zechut of this mitzvah alone, Hashem created the entire world. What is so special about Bikurim? The purpose of our existence is for us to recognize Hashem in this hidden world and serve Him properly. When a landowner works his field and puts in all the necessary efforts to produce a crop, it will obviously appear that he is the one who made it happen. His mitzvah is to go to the Bet HaMikdash and declare that Hashem is the One who made everything happen and thank Him for it. That act of recognition and thanks is worth creating the entire world because it is fulfilling its purpose. The sefer Torat Chaim writes, Hashem does kindness with us every moment of the day. It's just that we don't recognize all of them. We think things are running naturally and we don't sense that with every move we make and every breath we take, we are experiencing chesed Hashem. The Rabbi continued, technically, we should be thanking Hashem at every moment, but because that's not possible, the Rabbis instituted a thank you section in the Amida which we say three times a day to include all the 'thank you's that we owe for the rest of the day. One of the areas that we are tested in this world is how we respond to challenges. Do we recognize the challenges are from Hashem for our best or do we feel like we're being picked on and complain about them? We must also realize that one of the areas we are tested in is how we respond to blessing. Do we recognize the blessings are from Hashem? Do we thank Him for them? That's a test we would much rather have, so let us do it the best possible way. The Torat Avigdor writes, one of the reasons the words "קל עליון-supreme God" are written next to the words "-גומל חסדים טובים Who grants benevolent kindnesses" in the Amida is for us to contemplate the fact that any chasadim we have are directly from Hashem and the people who seem to be the immediate cause of them are just His messengers. How can we improve in this area of thanking Hashem for everything we have? It could happen that a person was once facing adversity. For example, he had a dangerous illness. He cried and prayed to Hashem many times for salvation and, baruch Hashem, it came – the doctors declared him totally healed. Naturally, at that time, he must have felt indebted to Hashem. But after time went on, did he still feel the same thankfulness for living a regular, healthy life? That is where the test kicks in, to be appreciative of the blessing of health, without the challenge of it being threatened. If we could contemplate all the undeserved blessings that we have, we would be so humbled and we would look forward to thanking Hashem. The Gemara says in Masechet Berachot, when a king makes the first bow to Hashem in the Amida, he should remain like that for the remainder of it, never getting up until it's over. One of the reasons given for that is since Hashem blessed him with so much, he needs to be even more humbled and appreciative. The more Hashem blesses a person, the more hakarat hatov he needs to have - and we are all blessed. The Pele Yoetz writes, if that applies to physical blessings, how much more so to spiritual ones. If a person is fortunate enough to be religious, to know Hashem, to follow mitzvot, to be clear about his purpose in life... Or if someone is fortunate enough to live his daily life revolving around Hashem – praying, learning – he should be so humbled and appreciative that he is from the select group in this world that have this merit. When we become more thankful individuals, it brings more beracha. Right after Modim in the Amida, we ask Hashem for the most wonderful gifts – שלום, טובה, ברכה, חיים, חן וחסד ורחמים. How could we ask for so much? Because once we appreciate, the pipelines of blessing burst open. הודו לה' כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו-B'ezrat Hashem, we should have the praises of Hashem on our lips all the time. Shabbat Shalom.

If someone gets treated by another individual in a negative way, naturally, he will feel ill will towards that person. Part of being an eved Hashem is going against our nature and doing what Hashem wants instead. Very often, when we dig a little deeper and find out new information, we're able to justify why the person acted the way that he did, and we no longer feel the same way that we felt before. The pasuk says in this week's parasha, Shoftim , ושפטו את העם משפט צדק . The midrash explains this pasuk as a calling for us to think of ways to judge people favorably, understanding that we do not know all the information. As we begin to prepare for the upcoming Yamim Nora'im , we are looking to get as many zechuyot as we can. The Gemara says in Masechet Shabbat that if we will go against our nature and think of excuses why someone acted the way he did, and thereby continue to love him despite what he did to us, then as a reward Hashem will judge us favorably as well. What wouldl a person not do to get a favorable judgment by Hashem for the entire year? The Gemara there tells a well-known story of a man who worked for a wealthy employer for three years. On Erev Yom Kippur he requested his wages so that he could return home to his family for the holiday. The employer said, “I'm sorry, I don't have any money.” The worker then asked to be paid with produce. The employer told him he didn't have that either. “Then give me land.” “I don't have.” “Give me cattle.” “I don't have.” “Give me linens.” “I don't have.” Although the worker saw with his own eyes produce, land, cattle and linens in his employer's possession, he did not question him. He turned around and went home with a heavy heart. After Sukkot, the employer arrived at the worker's house with his wages along with three donkeys laden with food, drink and other delicacies. After he paid the worker in full, the employer asked him, “When I told you I didn't have money, what were you thinking?” “I thought you had invested all of your cash in a business opportunity,” replied the worker. “And when I told you I didn't have cattle?” “I thought perhaps they were leased out to others.” “And when I told you I didn't have land?” “I thought perhaps you had a sharecropping arrangement with other people.” “And when I told you I didn't have produce?” “I thought perhaps you didn't tithe it yet and it was forbidden for consumption.” “And when I told you I had no linens?” “I thought you had consecrated all of your possessions to the Bet HaMikdash.” The employer then exclaimed, “That's exactly what happened! When I saw my son veering from the path of Torah, I threatened to donate all of my wealth to the Bet HaMikdash and cut him out of his inheritance. When you approached me, I had just done that. But afterward I performed hatarat nedarim and became absolved of my vow and got my wealth back.” The Sheiltot of Rav Achai Gaon tells us, the worker in this story was none other than Rabbi Akiva before he became a great sage and the employer was the Tanna Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkinus. The Imreh Yitzchak asked, how could it be that the great Rabbi Eliezer would send his worker away dejected like that on Erev Kippur and not tell him why he wasn't paying him? He at least should have given him confidence that he would get paid soon. The Imreh Yitzchak answered by asking a different question: Why did the Gemara tell us this story took place on Erev Yom Kippur? Perhaps the answer is, Rabbi Eliezer saw that Rabbi Akiva was a man with great character, but completely devoid of Torah. He also knew how much potential he had and feared his judgment on Yom Kippur. Knowing the awesome segula that if someone judges others favorably, Hashem will judge him favorably, he purposely did not tell Rabbi Akiva why he couldn't pay him. He knew he would judge him favorably and that would be a tremendous zechut for him. That's why he waited until after Sukkot to pay him, because the final seal of one's judgment is then. And Rabbi Eliezer wanted Rabbi Akiva to have that zechut all the way until then. We are not on the level to determine who will and who will not judge favorably and we don't put people in those predicaments, but if we are ever in a position that we can go out of our way and overlook something by judging others favorably, we will be gaining tremendous zechuyot and all of the benefits that come along with them Shabbat Shalom.

Recording Available Via Telephone Dial: (605) 475-4799 | Access ID: 840886# | Reference #: 2411 Rabbi Menachem Reizman quoted Rashi at the end of parashat Bereshit who explained the word nechama , which we normally translate to mean consolation, as מחשבה אחרת – to think a different way. The Maharal, in his Chiddusheh Aggadot in Sanhedrin explains, the essence of being consoled is when a person looks at the very same situation that brought him pain and agony with a new understanding. And because of that understanding, he is able to feel better about what happened. When Yosef HaTzaddik was trying to console his brothers for the guilt they felt for selling him, the pasuk describes it with the words וינחם אותן . Yosef gave them a completely different understanding of what had taken place. He told them it was all the doing of Hashem for the benefit of Klal Yisrael. He needed to go through the tests in Mitzrayim and pass them so that the people would have the strength to withstand the tests they would be given in Mitzrayim during their long exile in Egypt. And indeed, Hashem testified that the Jews remained pure that entire time. Yosef did not tell them something different happened, rather he made them see what happened already in a new light. This is the idea of nichum avelim . A mourner is in great pain over losing his loved one. There is a mitzvah on his friends and family not to divert the mourner's attention from what happened, but rather to give him a new understanding of what took place. It appears that the mourner's loved one is gone forever, buried under the ground. The people are supposed to give the mourner chizuk by telling him about the great life that the departed is currently living - everything he did in this world was just the prelude for the real life that is just beginning for him. The Midrash says on the words וירא אלוקים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד – Hashem saw everything He created and behold, it was very good. “ טוב מאד ” זה מיתה - – What was “very good”? The day of death. Life is not called very good, but death is. The Sefer HaYashar writes, this world is filled with trials and tribulations. There is nobody that has complete tranquility. Even the wealthiest individuals with everything they could ever possibly want do not have tranquility in this world. There is so much worry and anguish. There are so many things that people are filled with anger over all the time. When does it become very good? When the person goes on to the Next World. There, they have complete tranquility and bliss. If someone in mourning was made to understand that their loved one was enjoying immensely, that would ease their pain somewhat. This is the idea of nechama. To look at the very same circumstance that seems to be a tragedy and see it from a new perspective. The Gemara says, in the future we will only say the beracha of hatov v'hameitiv and not Dayan HaEmet . The Tzlach explains, this does not only mean that everything in the future will be revealed good. Rather, we are also going to look then on all of the occasions that we ever said Dayan HaEmet on in this world and we are going to say on that exact same situation hatov v'hameitiv . We will then see the inherent goodness in every tragedy that ever took place. Hashem is called the Baal HaNechamot. He is the only One who can give us real nechama , because He will show us the real reasons why things were good, even the unthinkable like the Holocaust and persecution of the Jewish People throughout the generation. Even those tragedies Hashem will show us the inherent good in and we will truly be comforted. The great avodah we currently have the opportunity to perform is to use our emunah and feel nechama in every situation that life presents us with as a challenge. Nachum Ish Gamzu, the Rabbi of Rabbi Akiva was a master at this. His name is Nachum, the same lashon as מתנחם , to be comforted. He was always able to see every situation from a different vantage point and see the goodness of Hashem in it. Rabbi Akiva learned that lesson and taught his colleagues how to feel comforted even as a fox walked through the ruins of the Bet HaMikdash. We say in the Kaddish, Hashem's Name should be exalted לעילא מן כל ברכתא שירתא… ונחמתא – more than any blessing or praise or nechama that we could possibly utter in this world. What does it mean that Hashem should be praised more than any nechama ? What does nechama have to do with praising Hashem? The answer is, when Hashem shows us the good in everything that ever happened, His honor is going to be raised so high because of the praises that everyone is going to give Him then. When we get the ultimate consolation, we will have the ultimate praises. We are asking that Hashem's Name now be more exalted even then that. We can console ourselves and praise Hashem now for everything that happens before He reveals the goodness, and those would be the most valuable praises possible.

Recording Available Via Telephone Dial: (605) 475-4799 | Access ID: 840886# | Reference #: 828 The Gemara in Chagigah (p. 5) says that Hashem cries over the fact that the we are in exile and that our pride has been taken away. However, the angels are not allowed to see Hashem cry; He does it in a private chamber. The only time Hashem ever cried openly was during the actual destruction of the two Bateh Mikdash. Then, He cried for us together with the angels. He wants to live with us, but our sins chased Him away. We didn't appreciate what it meant to have Hashem living with us. The Gemara says that Tisha B'av became a day of misfortune when the Jewish people cried in the desert after hearing the negative report of the spies. They thought that when they tried to conquer Israel their men would be killed by the sword and their women and children would be taken captive. Hashem told them that they cried for nothing; He was with them openly. He was going to destroy their enemies like nothing. They didn't appreciate Hashem being with them, and they fell into despair. Although we are still in exile, and Hashem does not live with us openly, He is still behind the scenes controlling everything. Perhaps, if we appreciate Him now, when He is so hidden, that would make a Tikun, and cause Hashem to bring the Bet Hamikdash back and live amongst us openly again. How do we appreciate Hashem? First, we have to realize that we are in the best of hands. Everything He chooses for us is good. Who knows what we need better than Hashem? Therefore, a person should never be upset with his current situation. There is no need to worry regarding the future. If we want or need something, there is no reason to ever despair of getting it, because Hashem can do anything. The job of the Boteach B'Hashem is to not only accept the life Hashem gave him in the present, but to be happy with it, and feel secure regarding the future, knowing that Hashem could help in an instant. A person who knows of Hashem's abilities and love for us will never despair or be depressed. As long as there is hope, there can be happiness. This can be explained by way of a parable. There was once a person who became very sick. His friend asked him how he was. He responded, "I'm okay. I just got an appointment with a great doctor, and I'm very hopeful he is going to help." A month later, his friend asks again, "Did you see the doctor?" He responds, "Yes, but he didn't have enough experience with my condition. He referred me to a specialist who does. I have an appointment with him in two weeks. I am very hopeful that he will help." His friend sees him a few weeks later and asks how was the appointment. The man responds, "It was good. He gave me medication, and I am waiting for it to work." A month later, when asked whether the medication worked, he responds, "No, but I'm on a different medication now. I am hopeful that this one will work." When asked about the second medication, he says, "It also didn't work, but my specialist got me an appointment with best doctor in the world in this field. I am very excited, because I know that he is going to help." He goes to that doctor, and he tells him, "I am sorry, there is nothing that can be done to heal you." Once the man hears that there is no more hope, he despairs. As long as he had hope, he felt good, but now he is going to be depressed. A person who knows that he has Hashem never feels that he is out of options. Hashem never told anyone, "Sorry, I am not able to help." Hashem might say, "Wait," or, "It's not good for you right now." But there is always hope that He could help us at the right time. Just last week in Israel, a sixty-year-old woman gave birth to her first child, a healthy strong baby girl. She said, "I just experienced the greatest happiness of my life, when the staff showed me my baby, for whom I have waited so many years." Everyone can be helped no matter how hopeless the situation seems. Hashem is with us, even if He is hiding. B'ezrat Hashem, if we appreciate Him now when He is hidden, in that merit He will come and live with us openly with the rebuilding of the Bet Hamikdash, במהרה בימנו אמן . ".

The Midrash says when Hashem gave us the Torah, all of the animals in the world were still and were not able to make any sounds. All of the angels in Shamayim stopped their praises, all of the waters were completely still. No human beings were able to utter a word. The world was completely silent. And only then did Hashem say אנוכי ה' אלוקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים. Hashem wanted the entire world to know that there is nothing besides Him. But it goes further. Rabbi Meir Shapiro explained that on each of the shalosh regalim , we focus on a different aspect of Hashem's control of the world. On Sukkot we understand that Hashem controls the world at large and thus we bring 70 bulls, corresponding to the 70 nations, and the Torah says regarding the command to go up to the Bet HaMikdash to be seen by Hashem, את פני האדון ה'– we call Hashem the אדון, the Master of the world. On Pesach we understand that Hashem has special hashgacha on His People, He skipped over the homes of the Jews and saved them from harm and thus, in the command to go up to the Bet HaMikdash to see Hashem, it says את פני ה' אלוקיך - which shows us that He has a special hashgacha on Klal Yisrael. And on Shavuot, when Hashem opened the Heavens, it was revealed that He has special hashgacha on every single individual. And that's why for the command to go up to the Beit HaMikdash it is written יראה כל זכורך, speaking to every single individual. Hashem cares and worries, kavayachol , about every single Jew. Our problems are His problems, our concerns are His concerns. All He wants is for us to be successful in this world, to do the jobs that we are here to perform and He goes to great lengths to give the chizuk that every Jew needs to do his job properly. Recently in Israel, two children of one of the people who were killed in Meron wanted to do something special l'ilui nishmat their father. They knew how much their father loved going to the Kotel to find people to put tefillin on. They decided to go to one of the army bases up in the North and ask the soldiers there if they would put on tefillin . When they arrived, the guard told them they were not allowed to enter the complex. They were so distraught, having traveled so far to give this special zechut to their father and now they were being turned away. The guard felt bad for them and told them there were many soldiers out in the forest doing what was called their sherut miluim . And so, with renewed strength, they went out into the forest and found some 40 soldiers there and put tefillin on most of them. When they got to a certain individual, he refused to allow them to put on the tefillin. They kept trying to encourage him, but he said, “I will never put on a pair of tefillin again.” After pleading with him, he finally told them the reason. He said, “No one ever put tefillin on me except for one man.” He explained that he grew up irreligious and one time he was by the Kotel and an extremely nice man made conversation with him and got him to put on tefillin . Since then, he had gone back to the Kotel numerous times and, each time, that man puts tefillin on him. But for the past two years, he had gone to the Kotel eight times and that man was never there. He said, “He is the only one that I would allow to put tefillin on me.” The two boys asked him to describe the appearance of that man. After he did, they took out their phone and showed him a picture of their father. He exclaimed, “That's the man!” They told him he passed away in Meron two years ago and they came to put tefillin on people to elevate his neshama . With that, this man happily put on the tefillin and then told them, in memory of their father, he would accept to put on tefillin every single day going forward. Look at what Hashem did for this man! He sent the only people in the world who could possibly get him to put on tefillin and commit to tefillin . And they found him over 100 miles from their home, out in the forest somewhere. Hashem cares about every single individual. Everyone has a share in the Torah and, on Shavuot, our souls illuminate and yearn to fulfill that share. May Hashem help us to fulfill the great mission that we were sent here to do.

The pasuk says in parashat Ki Tetzeh , כי ה' אלוקיך מתהלך בקרב מחניך להצילך מכל אויבך – That Hashem dwells amongst us and protects us from our enemies. But there is one condition – והיה מחניך קדוש – that our camp has to be holy, which is accomplished by adhering to the laws of modesty. The Maharal explains that modesty, which is an act of concealment and protection, brings a person protection mida kineged mida . The Midrash Tanchuma in parashat Vayishlach says that modesty brings kapara the same way offering korbanot on the mizbe'ach in the Bet HaMikdash did. On the last Yom Kippur of the Chofetz Chaim's life, in his weakened condition, he stood up and spoke for a full hour, in his shul, about the importance of modesty and told the people how much closeness it brings them to Hashem and how much atonement is provides for them. A young lady emailed that she had been struggling in the area of modesty and one morning recently, she gave herself a lot of chizuk and decided it was time that she started dressing the way that she knew she was supposed to. She was in a rush that morning to make an appointment and so she quickly got dressed and put on her jacket, and then, before she ran out, she made scrambled eggs for breakfast. While she was meeting with the client that day that she was trying to do business with, she raised her arm to point to the ceiling where a chandelier might look nice, and the woman she was speaking to asked her how she burnt her jacket. The young lady then looked at her sleeve and saw it was completely burnt. She knew for a fact that when she put it on that morning it was not like that. Must have been while she was cooking the eggs over the stove, her jacket sleeve caught on fire. She paused and thought about how easily her entire arm could have gotten burnt. Hashem stopped the fire without her even realizing that it was ever there. She felt Hashem's protection, right after she decided to dress more modestly. There is a daily email that goes out from an organization called Do'eihu . This organization sends out an email giving chizuk in halachot that pertain to being modest in the workplace. One of their subscribers sent them the following story. It's from a woman who contacted a lawyer to help her file a claim for an injury to her daughter that put her out of work for two months. The office of the lawyer who was recommended was located on the upper floor of a high rise building in central Yerushalayim . When they arrived at his office, the door automatically locked behind them. There was no one else present in the office at the time in which they were there, which meant they were in yichud (seclusion) with him. They told this Jewish lawyer they wanted the door to remain open to avoid violating the laws of yichud . He replied that he would not agree to leave his main door wide open because he had folders with his clients' files in one of the outer rooms and it would be irresponsible of him to leave the office open while they were in the inner room. The woman asked if she could sit on a chair in the entrance room next to the open door in the hallway to keep an eye on the files while her daughter would come into the inner room and give him the documents, while leaving that door open as well where she could see. He agreed to the plan and that is how their meeting went, all three times that they met. Sometime later, the lawyer called them and said he received a settlement that was three times larger than one that was typically expected in this type of case. They asked him why they received such an unusually large amount of money. He said, “My only explanation is the merit of your dedication to upholding your spirituality in our meetings.” They went out of their way during all three meetings to follow the halachot and they were rewarded with three times more money. Of course they were overjoyed with the results, but they were even more overjoyed at the kiddush Hashem that they had made by adhering to the laws of modesty.