Podcasts about rav chaim kanievsky

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Parshas Terumah - Rejuvenate Your Yiddishkeit If the Kruvim symbolize our greatest Torah scholars, why were they fashioned with childlike faces instead of elderly, wise figures with flowing beards? And why does Midrash Rabbah compare Torah to both gold and silver when gold clearly holds superior value? This week, we uncover a profound paradox at the heart of authentic Torah learning that might transform your entire approach to Yiddishkeit. The Aron's design reveals a startling truth—that childlike wonder and openness, not just scholarly seriousness, forms the foundation of becoming a true Talmid Chacham. Through a personal encounter with Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l, we witness how even the greatest minds maintain their excitement for learning at every level, embracing both the golden depths and silver accessibility of Torah. Join us to discover the delicate balance between intellectual growth and spiritual simplicity that can breathe new life into your daily avodas Hashem.

A man recently reached out to me for chizuk after receiving the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with a serious illness. That very same day, I had heard two incredible stories about people who had faced life-threatening illnesses and experienced miraculous recoveries. I immediately recalled yet another story that a rabbi had shared years ago. This rabbi had a student who had come to him seeking chizuk for two separate challenges—one regarding his struggling business and the other concerning his child's health. That same day, the rabbi happened to hear two stories addressing those exact concerns. He shared them with his student, along with the kabbalot those individuals had taken upon themselves as a merit for their yeshuot . Inspired by these stories, the student took on the same kabbalot . Baruch Hashem , he later experienced miraculous salvation in both areas of his life. So I told the man who had reached out to me, "I would like to share with you two stories I just heard. While the circumstances may not be exactly the same, the message is the same." The first story was from a rabbi who shared that when his child was born 15 years ago, doctors told him the baby had mental retardation. They also said he would have very limited mobility and would never be able to hear properly. The condition, they explained, was a result of an illness the mother had contracted during pregnancy. For the first seven months of the baby's life, he did not move at all and was unable to hear. Desperate for yeshua , the rabbi flew to Israel to seek a beracha from Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l . Rav Chaim told him, "If his mother prays three times a day, Shacharit, Mincha and Arbit, the baby will be fine." With complete emunat chachamim , the rabbi immediately called his wife and relayed the message. She happily accepted the commitment upon herself. Fifteen years later, as I was speaking to this rabbi, he called over that very child and introduced him to me. Baruch Hashem , he is completely healthy, with no sign of the condition he was once diagnosed with. In fact, he had become a gifted learner, having completed Masechet Tamid over 250 times. It was nothing short of an open miracle. The second story came from another rabbi whose baby would vomit everything it ate and cry throughout the night. This went on for months, and the parents were completely beside themselves. Doctors had no solution. This rabbi also went to Rav Chaim for a beracha . Rav Chaim advised him, "Dress the child modestly, and the problem will go away." The rabbi, surprised, responded , "But she's an infant." Rav Chaim acknowledged that, according to halacha , there was no requirement for an infant to dress modestly. "However," he explained , "doing something to enhance kedushah always brings yeshuot." The rabbi listened and followed the advice. Within a week, both issues disappeared. The baby was eating properly and sleeping peacefully through the night. I then told the man I was speaking to that we may not have someone today who can tell us exactly what Hashem wants from us. But when we face challenges like these, we know that improving in an area that needs strengthening is always a powerful zechut." Hashem loves us and wants us to reach our fullest potential. Sometimes, a person needs a gentle tap on the shoulder to remind them of what truly matters in life. Be'ezrat Hashem , when we answer that call, the challenges we face often disappear. We have seen countless stories proving beyond a doubt that Hashem is in full control of our health—and that He can take away an illness in the blink of an eye. This should inspire us to pray harder, strengthen our actions, and believe that our salvation comes solely from Hashem.

#330> Sponsored by Genazym. Check out the beautiful new catalogue for auction 20: Winter event. > Many fascinating items including a letter from the Baal HaTanya, marginal notes of the Rema M'Fano, the Chafetz Chaim's letter to his wife, Rav Chaim Kanievsky's personal Siddur, and more. The auction will take place Sunday, February 16 at 1PM EST: https://www.genazym.com/auction/624-20-en/> To view the Chafetz Chaim's letter to his wife: https://www.genazym.com/auction/624-20-en/lot-62-23/> We discussed David Shainberg of Memphis and how his story turned into this book, Chevron Yeshiva and its relocation there from Slabodka, British mandate Palestine in the 1920's, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, the Jewish community of Chevron, the cause of the 1929 riots, the riot in Chevron, the aftermath, impact on today, legacy, and more. > To purchase, "Ghosts of a Holy War": https://amzn.to/4h80krY> To join the SeforimChatter WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DZ3C2CjUeD9AGJvXeEODtK>  To support the podcast or to sponsor an episode follow this link: https://seforimchatter.com/support-seforimchatter/or email seforimchatter@gmail.com (Zelle/QP this email address)Support the show

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 .

Welcome to our class on Perek Shira . Today's song is the Song of the Zarzir . There are actually two Zarzirs in Perek Shira . One of them showed up in the list of birds as a starling , and today's Zarzir , among the animals, is translated as a greyhound . What is the song of this zarzir ? זַרְזִיר אוֹמֵר. רַנְּנוּ צַדִּיקִים בַּיְיָ לַיְשָׁרִים נָאוָה תְהִלָּה: (תהילים לג א) Sing joyfully, righteous people, because of Hashem. For the upright, praise is befitting. What does this song have to do with the greyhound? The greyhound is known from a pasuk in Mishleh 30,29 שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה הֵ֭מָּה מֵיטִ֣יבֵי צָ֑עַד / There are three that step securely. Mishleh is describing certain animals that are powerful, and one of them is called the Zarzir Motnaim/thigh-belted greyhound, meaning that the greyhound has very strong thighs and powerful legs. They're able to reach speeds of 40 miles an hour, and they're used as hunters. Most people know greyhounds as the symbol of the Greyhound bus company, because they claim they move fast. But greyhounds are historically known as hunting animals. They would hunt rabbits and different small creatures. So what do we learn from the greyhound? The greyhound chases and runs and sweats for what? Not for itself. It doesn't eat those rabbits or whatever the prey may be. It works for its master, for its owners riding on the horses. And he's sweating away, chasing and proud to bring the prey to his owner. So the greyhound symbolizes a selfless servant, working for his master. That's the difference between the term Sadik and Yashar . A Sadik is someone who does what's right, even though he might have some ulterior motives. The Yashar , who's straight and upright, is doing things totally for his master. And that's why the pasuk says, Or Zaruah L'Sadik / the light is planted for the Sadik which means right now, he's not doing it totally for the sake of his master. He is not enjoying the work for itself. He's waiting for something in the future. So the light is planted for the Sadik. But the Yishreh Lev, those who are upright of heart, they have simcha , they have happiness right now because right now they're like that selfless greyhound who's serving and working for his boss. That's why the song of the greyhound is רַנְּנוּ צַדִּיקִים בַּיְיָ / the righteous will sing joyfully to Hashem because they're looking forward to what they're going to get. לַיְשָׁרִים נָאוָה תְהִלָּה: (תהילים לג א) / But the upright, they're deserving of praise because they're doing it for selfless reasons. So the message of the greyhound is, Be like me. Work hard for your Master selflessly. Rav Chaim Kanievsky adds another reason the greyhound sings this song: In the Yerushalmi in Shevi'it , chapter nine, Halacha א Rav Shimon Bar Yochai tells that when he was captured, he was listening outside his cave one day and he saw hunters. And every time a bird was captured, he heard a heavenly echo say it should be captured. And when the bird escaped capture, he heard an heavenly echo that said, have mercy on it. So the greyhound is privy to the Hashgacha of Hashem- he knows what he can and can't capture. Therefore he sings a song of, Sing to Hashem because you sadikim know what's going on. You could rely on Hashem and you know nothing evil will happen. So the greyhound is giving us some inside information: that in the end everything happens with Hashem's Hashgacha. It's interesting that the greyhound has two different pesukim that are brought down. Another one is Yeshaya 61,9, וְנוֹדַ֤ע בַּגּוֹיִם֙ זַרְעָ֔ם וְצֶאֱצָאֵיהֶ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעַמִּ֑ים כׇּל־רֹֽאֵיהֶם֙ יַכִּיר֔וּם כִּ֛י הֵ֥ם זֶ֖רַע בֵּרַ֥ךְ יְהֹוָֽה׃ Their offspring will be known amongst the nation and their descendants among the people, all who see them will recognize them, for they are the seed that Hashem has blessed. This refers to the future, when the Jewish people will stand out from amongst the nations and everyone that sees them will say, Wow, look how special these people are. Rav Shmuel Kimchi says that this pasuk is befitting of the greyhound, because it's a loyal, dedicated servant to its master, as the Gemara says, The dog knows its master. As we know, dogs are man's best friend. People don't have the same relationship with their cows or their donkeys or their camels. Dogs know who their masters are. You walk inside the door and he is licking your feet. The Jewish people have that trait as well. We also recognize our Master, more than any other nation. And just like the dog is clear, and knows who its master is, walking together every day, so too the Jewish person stands out because he's praying and connected to his Creator, to his Master. Therefore, the second song of the greyhound is that the Jewish people be recognized and outstanding for their connection to Hashem.

Today's class is about what we'll call the cat and mouse game . It's a back and forth between the songs of the mouse and cat during a chase. עַכְבָּר אוֹמֵר The mouse says, אֲרוֹמִמְךָ יְיָ כִּי דִלִּיתָנִי וְלֹא־שִׂמַּחְתָּ אֹיְבַי לִי׃ (תהלים ל ב) I uplift You Hashem because you lifted me up, and my enemies were not happy. Simply, the cat chases the mouse and the mouse sings before he is attacked. Hashem, my enemy won't get me. You'll protect me, you'll get me out of this. And the cat responds, חָתוּל אוֹמֵר. אִם־תַּגְבִּיהַּ כַּנֶּשֶׁר וְאִם־בֵּין כּֽוֹכָבִים שִׂים קִנֶּךָ מִשָּׁם אוֹרִֽידְךָ נְאֻם־יְיָ׃ (עובדיה א ד) If you lift yourself up like an eagle, and you place your nest among the stars, from there, we'll take you down, says Hashem. So, the cat responds, Don't think you can get away from me. Then, when he gets a little closer to the mouse, the cat says, אֶרְדּוֹף אוֹיְבַי וְאַשִּׂיגֵם וְלֹא־אָשׁוּב עַד־כַּלּוֹתָם׃ (תהלים יח לח) / I will chase my enemy and I'll catch him. I will not turn back until I destroy them. And finally, when the mouse is caught, the mouse says, וְאַתָּה צַדִּיק עַל כׇּל־הַבָּא עָלַי כִּי־אֱמֶת עָשִׂיתָ וַאֲנִי הִרְשָֽׁעְתִּי׃ (ע"פ נחמיה ט לג) God, You are righteous in everything that comes upon me, You did correctly and I have sinned. This is a beautiful give and take, although of course they're not singing as this is happening- it's their ministering angels. But it is not a simple cat and mouse chase. There is a deeper give and take going on. The sefer Shirat Chaim tells us that in the word for mouse / עכבר , the outer letters are ר and ע , which is / רע , meaning the mouse is evil because he's attacking and eating our food. Baruch Hashem, we have cats to eat the mice. That is the way Hashem made the world. *Fun fact: Why are there so many cats in Eretz Yisrael ? Because when the British came, there were a lot of mice so they brought cats in from England to fight the mice. But Hashem created an ecosystem where there's a right amount of everything, and if you mess with the equilibrium, It doesn't work. We're supposed to have mice and we're supposed to have cats. Now I understand that we are supposed to have cats to eat the mice, but what are the mice doing there? Here we go: עכבר like we said , the outer letters are רע evil- which indicates the evil mouse, but the inner letters are כב which is 22, the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. So, are the mice good or bad? There is a story in the Yerushalmi Demai perek א Halacha ג , that tells us there was a certain town that had an attack of mice. When Rav Pinchas ben Yair came to the town he said, what's going on? The mice were making sounds that Rav Pinchas was able to understand and he told the people, " They're saying you're not taking your Ma'aser, you're not taking your 10%. Fix it and take Ma'aser . When they did, the mice went away. There are similar stories about Rav Chaim Kanievsky- where people had mice, and he said the only way to fix the mice is to take Ma'aser . When you don't take Ma'aser , your food rots; your assets rot. That's the job of the mice. Therefore, externally , the mouse is bad. But he is really good because he's following the 22 letters of the Torah. He's sent on a mission. His job is, If you're not taking Ma'aser out, I'm going to eat it. That's why mouse's song is וְאַתָּה צַדִּיק עַל כׇּל־הַבָּא עָלַי I accept everything that happened. Not only does he mean to say that he accepts that the cat is chasing him, but also that the person now accepted and did teshuva , and so the mouse goes away. He is expressing the important lesson of Hashem is righteous in what He did. And the person says, The reason the mouse attacked my food was because I wasn't taking the Ma'aser properly. I'll fix that and the problem will go away. So not only does the mouse say Hashem is righteous , but the person says Hashem is righteous, and that's why the mouse goes away. Additionally, the mouse says, Hashem, you are good and I'm a sinner, because at the beginning of the story, the mouse says, I'm going to lift You up because You protected me, and my enemy's not happy with me. But at the end of the day, the mouse got caught. He was hopeful, but what happened? The answer is, the mouse admits, Hashem, it's not Your fault. You gave me the ability to run away. You gave me the ability to hide, but I messed up. I didn't run fast enough, I didn't do enough hishtadlut. It's my fault. And therefore, the mouse takes responsibility for getting caught. That's a nice lesson for us. There is a pasuk in Mishleh , אִוֶּ֣לֶת אָ֭דָם תְּסַלֵּ֣ף דַּרְכּ֑וֹ וְעַל־יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה יִזְעַ֥ף לִבּֽוֹ׃ / Man's foolishness causes his path to become crooked, and he gets upset at Hashem. He says , Hashem, why did You do this? And Hashem says, I didn't do it. You did it. It was your foolishness. Rav Wolbe used to quote the Gaon of Vilna on this pasuk, where it says on one hand, When someone wants to become pure, Hashem helps him. Sometimes the person starts learning Torah and keeping mitzvot, but it doesn't work. It's very hard. He doesn't feel like he is getting helped. So he complains to Hashem, Why didn't You help me? But the truth is, it's his own fault. Says the Gaon of Vilna, You have to go according to your level and not jump . The person blames Hashem for his lack of success, but in truth, it was the person's lack of understanding and lack of proper guidance properly that possibly caused him to take the wrong track. So when things don't work, don't say, "I tried really hard and it didn't work. I'm giving up- it's Hashem's fault." No, take some responsibility. That's the lesson of the mouse. He went in positive, and he messed up, but he's not going to blame Hashem.

Today is the song of Hayot HaSadeh which we'll call the wild animals of the field. They say, Blessed is the One that does good for me and for others. Rav Chaim Kanievsky explains that Hayot HaSadeh are animals that damage like it says in Devarim 7, 22, " Lest the wild animals of the field overcome you," and in Vayikra 26, 22, in the curses " I will send against you the Hayat HaSadeh." Normally, people try to protect animals, even some wild ones. But wild animals that are out to destroy, people try constantly to kill and destroy them, and therefore they should have been long extinct. Like Rashi in Bereshit 1,22 says, " The Hayot need a special that they shouldn't be wiped out, " however Hashem didn't want to bless them because the snake was amongst them. Nonetheless, Hashem gives special Hashgacha to each of the species so they're not extinct, especially the ones that are most likely to become extinct. That is why they sing God is Good to us and to others . There is another explanation of why the wild animals of the field say God is good to us and to others. In Shemot 23,11 where it discusses the year of Shemitah and how you have to leave all the fruit outside, it says, let the poor eat it, and " Let the rest of it be eaten by the Hayat HaSadeh." Which means the Hayat HaSadeh are partnering with each other. It's a Halacha in Shulchan Aruch that we say HaTov/its for me, V'HaMetiv/and its good for others. When do we say this? I once heard Rav Moshe Feinstein apply this as follows (I think it's in Igrot Moshe ): A person who buys a car would technically say Shehechiyanu , as it's like a new vessel-if it's a private car. But if you buy a car for your family, then you say HaTov, He's good to me, V'Hametiv/He's good to others. That's one of the times HaTov VHaMetiv is used. And since the wild animals of the field, when they go out and scavenge, understand that they are sharing with others (imagine a possum and weasel going into your garbage), they say HaTov, God is good to me, V'Hetiv/and He's good to others. They're sharing in the wealth. That is how they survive, because they're scavengers. They don't always have someone feeding them, they eat from the overflow. I heard a beautiful, fascinating explanation from Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, citing Rav Moshe Shapiro the famed Baal Machsheva who lived in Yerushalayim until a few years ago. The Gemara in Taanit 31A tells us that one of the things that happened in Tu B'Av, one of the happiest days, is that the bodies of Beitar were able to be buried. Beitar was a large city where hundreds of thousands of people were killed, and for years their bodies were exposed and not buried, but God made a miracle and miraculously the bodies did not rot. They eventually were buried. And therefore it says on them, HaTov God is good that they didn't rot, VeHaMetiv/and He's further good that they ended up getting buried. This shows God's endearment for Jewish people. And now for the beautiful thought: Do you ever wonder why there are no piles of dead elephants in the fields? Or dead raccoons in the forest, or anything else, all over the place? We discussed this in the past, when we talked about how vultures are the sanitation department of creation. They come and they clean everything up and they have special beaks with the ability to crack bones. But even after the vultures come and take everything apart, there are still a lot of liquids leftover. Those bodily fluids make the ground very soft, eventually soft enough that whatever leftovers there are of this animal, such as the bones that they don't eat, get absorbed into the ground. That is the burial of the Hayot HaSadeh . Because these wild animals get buried, their song to Hashem is HaTov VHaMetiv. Tov because they don't rot- because the vultures come and clean them up, which is respectful, and VeHametiv-that they are eventually buried. This shows us that even those animals who weren't blessed, God has a heart for them as well. He didn't bless them because the snake was amongst them, but they are part of creation and they sing the song about HaTov VeHametiv . What a fascinating, beautiful thought.

Today is the song of the donkey. חֲמוֹר אוֹמֵר / The donkey says, לְךָ יְיָ הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹד כִּי כֹל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ לְךָ יְיָ הַמַּמְלָכָה וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא לְכֹל לְרֹאשׁ: (דברי הימים א' כט יא) To You Hashem is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the shining, for everything in the heaven, and the earth is Yours . To You is the kingdom, and, (as the Gemara explains) You are the one that gives the positions to everybody. Why is this the song of the donkey? The Sefer Lekutei Amarim says that the donkey carries heavy loads, more than any other animal, as it says in the pasuk, Yasachar is a hamor. And Rashi in Bereshit 49, 14 tells us that the donkey is bony and he's able to carry the yoke of Torah, like the hamor that's strong, and you could put on him a heavy load. Yisachar, who learns Torah, is compared to the donkey. This donkey that has such strong bones and can carry such a heavy load, testifies, I don't have the strength, I'm not the source of the strength. You are the Source of everything. The lesson here is to learn humility and not think that you're in charge and you're able to do it. Praise the One that gave you your strength. As we mentioned previously, the donkey symbolizes humility , the sefer Hakol Yishavchucha on Perek Shira quotes the Zohar (page 242) that says, why is Yisachar compared to a donkey? Because the Donkey carries a load and doesn't kick at its master like other animals. Other animals start fighting when you put a load on them. But the donkey doesn't fight, and the donkey does not have arrogance. And so too, Yisachar, who toils in Torah, carries the yoke of Torah, doesn't kick at Hashem and like the donkey, doesn't have the arrogance. He is not concerned with his own honor, but rather with the honor of his Master (as per the Zohar). So we see from here the trait of the donkey, and that's why he is the one to say Lecha Hashem HaGedolah. The Zohar says he's different than all other animals in that he carries the yoke and is humble. One might ask that if that's the case, why is he an unkosher animal? Because ,as we mentioned in a previous class, you need to have a balance of humility, and at times, also arrogance. You can't have no opinion. Rav Chaim Kanievsky adds a proof of how the hamor symbolizes a subservient and humble creature. Firstly, the people of Canaan are called Am HaDomeh L'Hamor They're considered slaves; a nation that's compared to donkeys. Why ? Because donkeys naturally serve their master and accept willingly. Furthermore, the Gemara in Avodah Zara 5B says, You have to place yourself like a cow for your yoke. Cows have yokes. And for a donkey to carry a load, which is the load of Hashem. We're supposed to accept His yoke. So the cow has a yoke donkey has a load therefore that's his song. That's all on the theme of being a servant. But the Sefer Lekutei Amarim has a whole different explanation. There is a Gemara in Berachot that says, whoever sees a donkey in a dream should look forward to a salvation. What salvation? Mashiach, because it says He's is going to come on a donkey, and therefore the donkey symbolizes the future coming of Mashiach. As we said, Mashiach rides the donkey. And with that, God's glory will come back. The Yaavetz says, Therefore the donkey's song is הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹד etc. because the donkey is going to be the one, so to say, to announce this great message of Mashiach, that Hashem is in charge. Finally, we're not Kabbalists, but our rabbis tell us about the words of this pasuk, הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹד . כִּי כֹל has the numerical value of yesod . Then we have הַמַּמְלָכָה These are the seven traits of the seven Ushpizin Avraham is Gedulah , Yitzhak is Gevurah ,Yaakov is Tiferet , Moshe is Nesach , Aharon is Hod , and then we have Ki Kol, which is the numerical value Yesod , is Yosef HaSadik who it says is connected to the Shamayim V'Aretz, And lastly, David Hamelech is Mamlacha , so this is the full gamut of praise, and that's the Song of the Donkey. The song of Mashiach.

Today's class is donated by the Shalom family Liluy Nishmat Chanita Chana Bat Simcha Simi. Today is the song of Behama Gasa Teme'ah the large unkosher animal, for example, the horse and the like. It says, . יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ: (תהילים קכח ב) You're going to eat from your hard work, fortunate you are and it's good for you. What's the message? First, the simple explanation: The Sefer Birket Hashir says that the wild animals and the wild birds attack. For example, lions, tigers, and bears are wild animals. They live outside in the field or the forest and they have some way to survive. Yet comes the winter time, it says, the lions are impoverished and they are hungry. The bears are lucky. They hibernate. But the docile, non-attacking unkosher animals work hard for a living and their owners feed them. The lesson for us is Baruch Hagever Asher YivtachB'Hashem /Fortunate is the one that trusts in Hashem. That means these animals, so to say, trust their owners. Like our owner is Hashem. Yada Shor Konehu… the cow knows its owner, the donkey knows the source of its food . It goes on to say that the Jewish people don't know Hashem , as the complaint of the Navi. But the Behema Gasa teaches us the lesson: work hard, rely on your boss and it'll be taken care of . Rav Chaim Kanievsky quotes a Midrash (he says that he was not able to locate it st that moment, which is a little odd, as Rav Chaim knew everything). But he says the unkosher domesticated animals came to Adam HaRishon and said, " Who's giving us food? You'll feed the kosher animals, and the wild animals take care of themselves. But who's taking care of us?" So they made a deal. Adam HaRishon told them You work hard and we'll support you. And that's our pasuk . יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ: (תהילים קכח ב) / You'll work hard, it's good for you. The Sefer Yeshua V'Rachamim by Rav Yehoshua Sofer offers a beautiful thought: The kosher animal says, "I'm good, because eventually they'll slaughter me and eat me. But it's an uplift an animal to be eaten. Contrary to the belief of the vegetarians, We're doing the animal a favor, w hen we eat the animal because the animal will go from the stage of an animal to becoming a human being. But now should the horse do? We're not eating him. What's his opportunity for greatness? The answer is, he's pulling our carriages. He's allowing us to ride on him and that's his part in the picture . And, he helps us get food and whatever else it may be. So, Hashem has a plan for everybody. That's another important mussar point here. This is an important lesson, that in general, Hashem made all kind of creatures and they all have to do what they have to do. When they do what they're supposed to do, and they do it properly, that's their perfection. There is a beautiful story about Rav Wolbe and a student, Rav Wolbe was once sitting with one of his students by the ocean and where beautiful birds were landing in a very elegant way. The student commented, " Look how graceful these birds are. Look how they're landing so gracefully on the beach." Rav Wolbe said, "Do you know why they're graceful? Because it does what it's supposed to do." Rav Wolbe continued, " If you do what you're supposed to do, you'll also be graceful." That's important. There is a similar story, that is obviously fictitious, about two cows. They were a discussion and they looked in the sky and they saw an eagle flying. One said, " Wow! Look how that eagle's flying! It looks like it's floating… I can't fly at all! You know what? I'm going to try!" His friend said, "Oxen don't fly- You're silly." So the first cow went up the mountain and said, " Let me see what I can do!" Of course, this would not end very well. The other cow thought to himself, " I may never be able to fly and be graceful like an eagle, but I can do other things. An eagle cannot. I can plow the earth, I can run, I can pull wagons." It would be silly for me to try and be something that I'm not. I'll continue what I was created to do. And that's the message of the horse. Other commentaries add that not only is the cow is able to be eaten by Jewish people, but the cow goes on the mizbe'ach . Poor horse. He never got anything this bad. But the horse sings the song. This is his song. This is our song. Sometimes you're not the famous one and sometimes you're not the glamorous one, but you know what? . יְגִיעַ כַּפֶּיךָ כִּי תֹאכֵל אַשְׁרֶיךָ וְטוֹב לָךְ: You work hard and you eat. Your fortune is good to you. The Gemara in Masechet Berachot 8A says on this, it's good for you in this world . Good for you in the next world. That's the important lesson of the domesticated unkosher animal.

We're now the song of the Behema Gasa Tehora the large domesticated kosher animal. We already had the Song of the Ox, and therefore the commentaries say we're talking about the para , which is the female cow . She has a separate song: בְּהֵמָה גַּסָּה טְהוֹרָה אוֹמֶרֶת. הַרְנִינוּ לֵאלֹהִים עוּזֵּנוּ הָרִיעוּ לֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב: (תהילים פא ב) Let us sing a song to God, our strength, let us sound the trumpet to the God of Yaakov. As always, we have to understand the meaning of the pasuk, and also why this animal (in our case today, the cow) is singing this song. Rav Chaim Kanievsky cites a pasuk in Shemuel א 7,12 that discusses how the cows brought the Aron Hakodesh back after it was in captivity. The cows sang a song, says the Gemara in Avoda Zara 24B, that God miraculously allowed them to sing, " Roni Roni Hashita/ Sing sing to the Aron of made out of Shittim wood . Rav Chaim Kanievsky points out that the cows sang this song of Rena . And that's why in our pasuk, it's a song of Rena, to our God, that is our strength. But let's go deeper. What exactly is going on of here? Why the cows? And what song are we singing? The Mabit tells us in Perek Shira the Hereinu is a double Rena . Why a double Rena ? We're going to sing the song for God's justice that turned into mercy , and we'll sing a song for God's mercy. Elohim always means justice. Hareinu Elohim/ we'll sing to Elohim. That means God's trait of justice, turned around into mercy. This pasuk is said on Rosh Hashanah, and this entire chapter is talking about the Shofar of Rosh Hashanah. So this is a Rosh Hashanah message that the cows are going to be singing. On Rosh Hashanah, we have Middat HaDin/God's judgement. How do we deal with the Middat HaDin? What do we do when it looks like we're in a precarious situation? The Bet Yosef, in Or HaChaim siman ר צב where it talks about why we use the term Yitzhak Yiranen/ Yitzhak sings a song, says Abraham symbolizes Hessed, Yitzhak symbolizes Din / justice , and Yaakov Avinu is the harmony of both of them. So Yitzhak sings the song when times are tough, the songs of accepting God's will. Where do we see this? When Avraham told Yitzhak in Bereshit 22,8, " You are going to be the Olah, " it says Yitzhak sang a song of Rena . Anytime there's a korban, there's a song. So Yitzhak Avinu says, I am the korban, and I'm going to sing the song of the Korban. I'm going to accept God's will, even though I'm the Korban. Our three Avot correspond to Kohen, Levi and Yisrael. So Yitzhak Avinu deals with God's justice and sings a song of Rena, which is accepting God's will. But what happens when you're in a difficult situation and you sing the song and you accept God's will? Kol Rena V'yeshua B'Olahalei Sadikim/In the tents of Sadikim there's a Kol Rena, they are singing, even in the most difficult of times, accepting the will of God. V'Yeshua, and Hashem saves them. Yitzhak was eventually saved. He wasn't offered as a korban. The knife was taken from his neck. In part, it was because of Yitzhak Yeranen/Yitzhak Sang , he accepted with Rena . And now we go a step further. Why did the Jewish people choose a golden calf? As we know, the para is the mother of the calf. in Rashi Bamidbar, 19, 22 explaining why we have a para Aduma, it says it atones for the sin of the golden calf, because he calf is the child of the para. Rashi brings a mashal to a maid-servant whose child dirtied the palace. And they say, "Let the mother clean up the dirt of the child." So too, "Let the Para come to clean up form the Egel." What was wrong with the Egel? What went wrong? The Ramban says that the Jewish people were in the desert. The desert is a desolate area, which symbolizes Middat HaDin, and they felt, not that they were worshiping the Egel, but they felt that since Moshe was gone, they needed to focus on something on God's throne, that you focus on during times of Din. In Yehezkiel 1,20 it says, The cow was on the left. Left is always justice, right is kindness. So therefore, Aharon Hakohen thought, let that destructive cow, the cow that gores, come be the one that's going to direct us when Moshe is gone . So the cow symbolizes justice and here the cow is going to tell us the secret. You made a mistake. In a time of justice, I'll tell you the secret. הַרְנִינוּ לֵאלֹהִים עוּזֵּנוּ הָרִיעוּ לֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב: (תהילים פא ב) Sing the song of Rena to God, accepting His will. That's our strength. In Vayikra 23, 24, when talking about the shofar, Seforno quotes our pasuk and he says, it's time of justice. And what do we do? We want to be happy that God is our King. We give ourselves over to His will, and we're hoping that He's going to tilt the scale of justice and turn it into kindness, and will save us. And he quotes a pasuk, Hashem is my judge. Hashem is the One that sets the rules up, and therefore He will save us. So on Rosh Hashana we accept the will of God. We go with the approach of Rena . That's the secret of the cows. And that will bring us the ultimate salvation.

Today's song is the song of the Behema Daka Teme'Ah, the Small Unkosher Animal , and it sings the Song of Tehilim 125,4: בְּהֵמָה דַּקָּה טְמֵאָה אוֹמֶרֶת. הֵיטִיבָה יְיָ לַטּוֹבִים וְלִישָׁרִים בְּלִבּוֹתָם: (תהילים קכה ד) (David Hamelech makes a request) Do good Hashem to good people and to the upright in their hearts. Who is this small unkosher animal? Rav Chaim Kanievsky says it refers to the hyrax and the hare, which are listed in the the unkosher animals in the Torah. Why are they singing this song? He brings down from Bereshit Raba 12,69 on the pasuk where David Hamelech says that God created rocks as a protection for the hyraxes and hares. There's a type of bird from above, like a hawk or a falcon, that wants to come down and prey on them. What protects them? Rock-crevices and cracks, that they run into for protection. Says the Midrash, If this is the case for an unkosher animal, that God created these cracks in the crevices for them to protect themselves, what do you think Hashem created in the merit of Avraham Avinu, as it says the world was created for Abraham Avinu. The midrash says, Abraham , rescrambled means the world was created for us. God made so many good things for the unkosher animals, which symbolize the nations of the world. We see from here that the purpose of the rocks is just for them. So when the hyrax and the hare see that Hashem created these rocks, he's the one that says, "Oh , You created rocks for me? Surely you have to do good for the good people." That is his song. This is truly a fascinating concept! Although this is the song of the hyrax and the hare, the pasuk also talks about how God made mountains for the mountain goats to run on. This is a concept that we see repeatedly. Every animal has its habitat, and every animal has its protection. A Machseh is a shelter. God creates shelters of protection. As we say, Ki Atah Machsi /HashemYou are my refuge. Hashem built places for things to run to. We can say the hole in the wall is for the mouse to run into. For all creatures that are hunted, Hashem created that trap door, that protective haven to run into. And as we say, it's not only the rabbit that's singing the song. When we look into creation, that creature causes us to sing the song. The Chovot Halevavot talks at length about this in Shaar Bechina . We are always supposed to look into creation and learn things from creation. This is a huge lesson of looking at the protective systems . Hashem built in, for all species, ways to be protected, and ways to run away in time of danger. This is similar to a statement of Mishna at the end of Masechet Kiddushin, where one of the Tanaaim says, Did you ever see a lion that had to work? Did you ever see a tiger that had to work? Did you ever see a fox that had to work? The animal kingdoms don't work, and yet Hashem gives them Parnasa. They're all created, He says, to serve Me. Shouldn't I not need to work? But what am I going to do? Adam HaRishon sinned and there was a curse. But barring that curse, whatever Hashem does for the animal world, He will surely do for our world. That's really the Mishna's point here. If that's what He did for the hyrax and the hare, what's He doing for me? We have to look and see, says Hovot Halevavot, that Hashem created for every animal, the proper tools for his parnasa . For example, the anteater has a long sticky tongue that ants get stuck to, and so on. This is the beautiful, eye opening concept of the rocks of refuge for the hare.

The Gemara says in Masechet Berachot that a person is not allowed to make personal requests during the first three berachot of the Amida which are designated for praise, nor during the last three berachot which are designated for thanking. Rabbi Menashe Reizman noted, it is only forbidden to add requests during those sections, but it is not forbidden to make additions that have to do with the beracha being said. In fact the Shut HaRambam discusses an instance in which a questioner asks if he is allowed to make additions after Retzeh which have to do with the topic of that beracha , and the Rambam answered yes. Therefore, knowing how great thanking Hashem is and how great the beracha of Modim is, a person is encouraged to add his own thank yous in the same place that we add Al HaNisim on Purim and Chanukah. A person who was given a salvation should add his own words, something like the following: רבונו של עולם אתה ידעת שהייתי במיצר– Master of the Universe, You know how much distress I was in – לא ידעתי איך להסתדר – And I didn't know what to do to get out of it – פניתי לימין ואין מציל – I turned to the right and I did not find anyone to help me – ולשמאל ואין מושיע– and I turned to the left and there was no savior for me – ואתה הושעתני ברוב רחמיך וחסדיך– but You were there to save me, Hashem, in Your abundant kindness and mercy. And then proceed to describe what Hashem did and thank Him for it. This is just one example. We are encouraged to specify all of the blessings for which we feel gratitude for and describe them in detail. There is something very special about thanking Hashem specifically in Modim . The Da'at Zekenim writes, In general, after a person thanks Hashem, he should also make a request to keep the blessing coming. The Chovot HaLevavot , however, warns us not to thank Hashem just with the intention to receive more, but rather we should thank Hashem wholeheartedly for everything He has given us already. Being that we are not allowed to make personal requests in Modim , there we can comfortably thank Hashem without any ulterior motives of asking for more. Rabbi Moshe Shlesinger said he was once praying next to his Rebbe, Rav Yechezkel Abramski, and in the Rabbi's old age, he needed to whisper loudly for his ears to hear what he was saying. After he said Modim with great kavana , before he began ועל כולם , he started thanking Hashem in Yiddish for so many things, one of which was for giving him the zechut of sending money to the young Rav Chaim Kanievsky, to help support him when he was learning in kollel. At that time, he was not well known and he was going through a very difficult time with poverty. Rabbi Abramski saw his greatness and had the zechut to keep him learning, with his support. The beracha of Modim is so powerful. There are opinions who say that if a person did not have kavana during the first beracha of the Amida , he can still make it up if he has kavana in Modim . The Belzer Rebbe said, when a Jew thanks Hashem properly in his tefila , no prosecuting angels can hold back that tefila. The Mabit writes in his sefer Derech Hashem that the main part of the entire Amida is Modim . The Radbaz asks, how can Chazal tell us that the last three berachot of the Amida are all reserved for thanking Hashem? We understand Modim is thanking, but Retzeh is full of requests, as well as Sim Shalom. The Radbaz answered something amazing. He said the last three berachot are all collectively called the beracha of Modim . That is the main beracha, to thank Hashem. The beracha is so powerful, the Rabbis wanted to honor it by putting a beracha before it and after it, similar to Shema where we have berachot before and after it. The beracha of Retzeh is related to Modim because we know when we get back the Beit HaMikdash , we'll be able to thank Hashem there with the ultimate thank yous and with a true recognition of what He does for us. And Sim Shalom as well. When we have peace and blessing, we're in the best frame of mind to thank Hashem properly. Let us utilize every Amida to thank Hashem more and fulfill one of the main purposes that we were put on this earth, like it says, עם זו יצרתי לי תהילתי יספרו

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.

Today we continue with the song of the wild goose. Most creatures only have one song, yet the wild goose has two.. Yesterday's song was that when he sees the Jewish people learning, he sings a song. The second part of the song is as follows: וְעַל מְצִיאוּת מְזוֹנוֹתֶיהָ בַּמִּדְבָּר אוֹמֶרֶת. On the fact that it finds its sustenance in the desert, it sings a song from Yirmiyah, which is, אָרוּר הַגֶּבֶר אַשֵּׁר יִבְטַח בָּאָדָם, בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בְּיי וְהָיָה יי מִבְטָחוֹ: Blessed is the one that relies on Hashem, cursed is the one who relies on man. Why is this the song of the wild goose? Why is he singing about Bitachon specifically? In Rav Chaim Kanievsky's commentary on Perek Shira , he tells us that if the owner does not feed the domesticated goose, it will die of famine because it's not used to looking for food. The proof is that there are laws about which animals may be fed on Shabbat and which animals can't be fed. You are only allowed to feed an animal on Shabbat if you are responsible for it, because it can't take care of itself. So while the domesticated goose needs someone to feed it, no one feeds its cousin, the wild goose and yet he seems to survive. Not only does he survive, but as we said in yesterday's class, the story in Baba Batra spoke about very, very fattened wild geese. Who is fattening the wild goose? Hashem takes care of it and it doesn't die. That, says Rav Chaim Kanievsky, is a lesson of bitachon that we learn from the wild goose. And it connects well with yesterday's lesson in that the wild goose symbolizes the Talmid Chacham who is learning and seemingly has no source of sustenance. His cousin, the working man, works. But how does the Talmid Chacham survive? The answer is, he's surviving because he relies on Hashem. That is the message of the wild goose. He's saying, Hey, look out here. I have no one feeding me and I seem to be doing pretty well, because Hashem made the world as such. What a beautiful lesson, in a beautiful song. As we've said, the song is not just the physical act of it singing, but its song represents its life and how it lives. We see in the life of the wild goose, this fascinating phenomena that he survives without being fed by a human, even though his cousin seems to need to be fed. We only quoted a short part of the pasuk but the Mabit comments on the full pasuk and says reliance on Hashem has two hurdles: One is that people change their mind, and Two is that they don't always have the ability to fulfill what they promised. That's why when it comes to the person that relies on man, it says, cursed is the one who relies on a man. That means even though he's an Adam and he has power, maybe he'll change his mind. And as it says, you place your strength in flesh , which means even if he wants to fulfill it, maybe he won't be able to. So relying on man has these two lackings. On the other hand, בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בְּיי / God is Kol Veyachol/ God can do anything. But, Hold on, you might say. Sometimes it seems that you rely on Hashem and it doesn't happen. So the Pasuk continues, וְהָיָה יי מִבְטָחוֹ: Hashem will be your reliance . Will be means it might not happen right now. There's another pasuk in Perek Shira, which the Mabit attributes to the goose, that says, בִּטְחוּ בַיי עֲדֵי עַד כִּי בְּיָהּ יי צוּר עוֹלָמִים: (ישעיה כו ד) / Rely on Hashem forever, because God, with a yud and heh, created two worlds. Which means Wait for Hashem forever. Even though there are delays. Wait and rely on Hashem. And if you don't see it in this world, Hashem made two worlds- with a yud and, a heh , He created the two worlds. That means sometimes bitachon might not come through in this world, but no bitachon is wasted. That's why we say in Baruch Sh'Amar, בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם. בָּרוּךְ הוּא. בָּרוּךְ עוֹשֶׂה בְרֵאשִׁית. בָּרוּךְ אוֹמֵר וְעוֹשֶׂה. בָּרוּךְ גּוֹזֵר וּמְקַיֵּם. בָּרוּךְ מְרַחֵם עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ. Blessed is the One that said and created the world…. God says and He does. He makes a Gezera and He fulfills His word… בָּרוּךְ מְשַׁלֵּם שָׂכָר טוֹב לִירֵאָיו. He pays good reward to those that fear Him Some might say, But what do you mean? It doesn't always look like that. Don't worry. בָּרוּךְ חַי לָעַד וְקַיָּם לָנֶֽצַח. Hashem lives forever. He lasts forever. He's not in a rush. It's not like if He says, I'm going to give you a gift, and it doesn't happen right now, it's not going to happen. Hashem has time. Hashem Adeh Ad. Of course, we'd like it to happen right away, but it doesn't always happen right away. This additional pasuk and the lesson of the pasuk , which the Mabit attributes to the wild goose, fits nicely with this creature. We will see that other texts that bring this lesson out on other animals as well.

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 we will study the song of the Siporet Karamim, which may sound like bird of the vineyard , but it's actually a type of grasshopper, as it says in Hulin 65A. The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat 90B details many medicinal purposes of this grasshopper, as does the Yerushalmi in Masechet Shabbat . Rav Chaim Kanievsky and others say this grasshopper was hunted down for its medicinal purposes, and therefore we can call it an endangered species . What is the song of this grasshopper? . אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֵל הֶהָרִים מֵאַיִן יָבֹא עֶזְרִי: I lift up my eyes to heaven. Where will my help come from? The endangered species being hunted down is singing Me'ayin Yavo Ezri, which is a very famous pasuk . And there's a famous explanation: Me'ayin Yavo Ezri means, I can't figure it out. I don't know how it's going to happen . Ultimately, the answer is, I don't have to know how it's going to happen. Hashem knows how to work it out. The Sefer Pi Eliyahu shares a beautiful thought based on this medicinal aspect of the grasshopper, citing the Gemara in Masechet Shabbat which says, It helps with wisdom; when eaten, it causes you to remember things, and you won't forget your learning. This reminds of when people would take ginseng, or a certain type of stimulant to stay awake, and things like that. Yeshiva boys would take these things to help their learning. So in the days of old, the learning people wanted to eat from this grasshopper to remember their learning. But there's a Gemara in Masechet Hagiga 9B that says that if you review your learning 101 times, you won't forget it. And a famous Gemara says you can't compare someone that reviews a 100 times to someone who reviews 101 times. So there's something special about reviewing 101 times. When give101 when we go up to the sefer Torah, and numerical value of Michael , the angel, is 101. There is something special about 101. Therefore, says the Pi Eliyahu , this grasshopper says, I lift my eyes up to the hareem, which can also be interpreted as the midrash tells us, as guiders , or Moreh / teacher . Torah means they guide hora'ahrah as a guidance. So, I lift up my eyes to the guides, to those teachers, to those rabbis , and I say Me'Ayin a -The numerical value of MeAyin is 101. So the grasshopper is saying Meayin / if only people reviewed 101 times, they wouldn't need to eat me and then, Yavo Ezri/I would be saved . What a beautiful pshat in understanding why the grasshopper doesn't just look up to God, but says, ' Hey, there are other ways than taking the shortcut of eating me. Go and take the long road and review 101 times.' The Sefer Zimrat HaAretz V'Shamayim offers an unbelievable explanation of the connection between the grasshopper's song and what it does. Grasshoppers normally destroy vegetation, like locusts. They destroy vineyards and therefore the farmers usually set up all kinds of traps to catch them. But the grasshopper has a tremendous desire to eat those grapes, so he puts himself in danger, even though he knows it's dangerous. He just ignores everything, to do what he has to do. But the Gemara in Masechet Berachot 63A says that even a thief, when he's entering the tunnel, calls out to God. Some people think that's a good thing, he's calling out to God. Even he relies on Hashem. That's one way to look at it. But this sefer is saying, it is really a complaint against him. It's like a thief saying B'Ezrat Hashem when he's about to steal. He's so blinded by his desire to steal that it blinds him. He actually thinks Hashem is going to help me. People do all kinds of conniving things and think, Hashem is going to help me. Therefore, we say, learn the lesson. Don't be like that grasshopper that just wants to do what he wants to do, and be blind to all the reality. He just goes in, despite the traps and the dangers, because he wants what he wants. Don't be blind by using your bitachon in a wrong way. The Chazon Ish talks a lot about counterfeit, falsified bitachon whereby people misuse their bitachon. That's the message of this grasshopper. Don't misuse bitachon to get what you want. There are certain words for something that's meant to be. In the Syrian community they say nisib , and it's bashert in the Ashkenazi world. I once heard of someone who did something very crooked in a shidduch to get the girl and then said, "It's nisib , it's from Hashem." Really? What if I shoot you and say it's from Hashem? Don't misuse bitachon. That's the message of the grasshopper.

Welcome to Perek Shira. Today is the song of the hasida . What is the hasida in modern terms? It's a big discussion. We'll go with Rashi's translation in Vayikra that it's the Daya Levana , and he calls it a ציגוינה or in English, ciconia , a group from the stork family. What does the hasida say? It says words of comfort from Yeshaya 40,2) that we read in the seven weeks of Nechama: דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְקִרְאוּ אֵלֶיהָ כִּי מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ כִּי נִרְצָה עֲוֹנָהּ כִּי לָקְחָה מִיַּד יי כִּפְלַיִם בְּכָל חַטֹּאתֶיהָ: (ישעיה מ ב) Call out to the heart of Yerushalayim, its time has been fulfilled. Its sins have been appeased by God, it took a double punishment. What exactly is the connection between the Hasida and these wonderful positive words? We'll start with a pasuk in Yirmiyah (perek ח ( where the prophet Yirmiyah is giving the people Musar. He says, No one is regretting their sins. They're not asking what they did wrong. They just rush and don't take out time to think. This is a famous quote from Yirmiyah that's brought down in Mesilat Yesharim , where he talks about Zehirut/being careful in thinking . And the next pasuk, which is not as familiar, says, The stork in the heavens knows its time. What does that mean? It means the stork knows when it's supposed to fly away in the cold season and knows when it's time to return. It knows when to migrate without a clock or a watch. It knows what to do naturally . The Chida says that the Mussar for us is that the stork naturally and instinctively knows what he's supposed to do. But the Jewish people, don't even know what was taught to us . The Mesudat David makes a similar point about the knowledge of migrating. It knows when to go, and when to come back. These birds have instinctive knowledge in the way the world acts. And yet we don't understand how the world acts. We don't understand that there's reward and punishment. That's the musar from the hasida . At the same time, the hasida /stork is also going to be the one to comfort us. How? Rav Chaim Kanievsky says we can learn another lesson from the stork, in that it knows its times. Everything has a time. And the hasida tells us, Learn another thing from me. There's also a time for the Geula. There's a famous Gemara in Sanhedrin 98A that says in it's time, and I'll make it fast. And then it says, If we merit, I'll make it fast, and if we don't merit, it will come in it's time. The hasida , on one hand, is giving us mussar , to know and learn from the instinctive knowledge of of seasons of migration from the stork. And if we don't follow that advice, we can learn another lesson- that everything has its right time. (There's an interesting folklore that storks deliver babies, and I'm thinking that if the stork is all about times, and babies have due dates, which is a time to give birth, maybe they connected the stork, who knew the times , to the due dates, which also is connected the time theory.) The point is to learn from the nature of the creations. As we've said more than once, Perek Shira is not just about the little song the creatures sing, but the lessons that we learn from them. That is their song. And today was the song of the stork .

We are up to the song of the Tasit , which comes from a famous pasuk in Tehilim 121,2 עֶזְרִי מֵעִם יי עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם / וָאָרֶץ My help comes from Hashem, Creator of Heaven and earth What is a Tasit ? The word Tas means to fly , and the Targum Yerushalmi in Bereshit 15,11 says that at the Brit Ben Habetarim, after the animals were split, וַיֵּ֥רֶד הָעַ֖יִט עַל־הַפְּגָרִ֑ים / The Ayit came down on the split animals. Rashi says there that the Ayit is a certain kind of bird, such as a vulture, that comes down on carcasses. Based on that, the Targum Yerushalmi translates it to the Taisa comes down, and Rav Chaim Kanievsky ztl saysthis is the Tasit , from the word tas / fly ( today a pilot is called a tayas because he flies, based on this word). Why does the Tasit say עֶזְרִי מֵעִם יי עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ ? Rav Chaim Kanievsky explains, based on a pasuk in Yirmiyah , where the Jewish people are compared to the Ayat , in a negative way: הַעַ֨יִט צָב֤וּעַ נַחֲלָתִי֙ לִ֔י הַעַ֖יִט סָבִ֣יב עָלֶ֑יהָ לְכ֗וּ אִסְפ֛וּ כָּל־חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה / Has my heritage become for me like the bloodstained bird of prey, which other birds of prey surround ? He points out that this Ayit is not liked by the other birds. It's surrounded by other birds and it's bloodstained , which means maybe it has already been attacked. It's an unpopular bird, surrounded by other birds that don't like it. And it's flying around looking for carcasses. And it says, עֶזְרִי מֵעִם יי עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ: Hashem is going to help me. This bird doesn't get fed every day like domesticated birds, like the chicken or the dove. He's got to make it on his own. He has fight for a living. He doesn't have an exact system, and therefore he's on the bitachon program. And so this vulture says, עֶזְרִי מֵעִם יי עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ: I once read an article about vultures that really added to my appreciation of nature. Vultures, or other types of scavenger birds are a tremendous help for the environment. They are what's called nature's sanitation department. If dead animals were to just lie there, they would attract all kinds of diseases and become smelly and odorous. But the vultures come and scavenge, and clean everything up. And Hashem, in His tremendous mercy, created the stomach of vultures to contain an exceptionally corrosive acid, enabling them to safely digest carcasses that are infected with all kind of toxins, such as anthrax, cholera- lethal poisons- and yet they're able to eat them and thereby remove these bacteria from the environment. This is a wonder of wonders. Amd it's really the ultimate Ezri Me'im Hashem. Hashem is helping the vulture. He's out there eating carcasses ? Who knows what's going to happen to him? But don't worry, Hashem worked it out. His system is such that it can handle it. That's the vulture. The Hovot Halevavot, when talking about bitachon, tells us to look into different animals and birds and see how Hashem works it all out perfectly. They all have all the tools necessary for what they need to do to survive. Another interesting thing about vultures is that urinate straight down their legs, and the uric acid kills the bacteria that accumulates on them from walking through carcasses. It also acts as an evaporative cooling agent. Wonder of wonders, look how Hashem cares for birds and gives them what they need, even if they are, so to say, in a very difficult economic environment. That's a lesson for us. עֶזְרִי מֵעִם יי עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם That's the song of the Vulture saying, Hey guys, don't worry, I don't have any set system. I don't know where my food is coming from day to day. I I'm not like the cow that just grazes the grass knowing what's coming. The vulture says, Listen guys, it's day by day, and we survive.

Today we are discussing the song of the Tarnigolet/ the female chicken, as opposed to the rooster . The commentaries discuss why, of all the birds, animals and creatures, we suddenly have a separate song for the female species for the tarnegolet ? (See Rav Yaakov Emden's siddur for an answer.) Others say the tarnegolet is not a regular hen, but a different species altogether. That being said, we will go with the simple explanation that it's referring to the female of the chicken family. The sefer Kenaf Renanim offers a beautiful thought. It's one of the early commentaries on Perek Shira , by Rabbi Lowe, who lived between 1787 and 1847. He says the lesson here gives tremendous musar/rebuke to people that are short-minded and lack Bitachon, who do not appreciate God's goodness. He says, ' This is a disease, that ( in his times ) spread throughout Germany and Austria , where people wait until 35 or 40 to get married because they want to first have enough money to be able to support their families.' What an interesting historical fact! And why is this a message to these people? He says, because there is no bird that reproduces more than the hen. It lays an egg a day, and it has a tremendous mercy on its chicks. Why doesn't it stop laying eggs? Shouldn't it be worried and anxious, wondering, ' Where am I going to get food for all of these chicks?' But, he says, built into the chicken is a natural reliance on Hashem, that Hashem takes care of everything, and Hashem has no shortage of abilities to take care of feeding all the world's animal population. That is why the song of the tarnegolet/hen is נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לְכָל בָּשָׂר כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ / God gives bread to all creations, because His kindness is forever. That is the message that the chicken gives us. And interestingly, Rav Chaim Kanievsky says (separately, in his commentary on Perek Shira ) that the chicken's food is always accessible. It goes around pecking, and wherever it needs to go, it always has its food. Based on this explanation, it's no coincidence that the chicken has so much food, because Hashem sees its reliance, and therefore supplies it with whatever it needs. As he says, we don't see chickens dying from starvation. This is the beautiful message of the chicken: Hashem is Noten Lechem L'Kol Basar Ki l'Olam Hasdo/ God gives bread to all creations, because His kindness is forever. The Chida, in his sefer Yosef Tehilot , quotes Tehilim 119,89, לְעוֹלָ֥ם יְהֹוָ֑ה דְּ֝בָרְךָ֗ נִצָּ֥ב בַּשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ /Hashem Your words always are in the heavens. לְדֹ֣ר וָ֭דֹר אֱמוּנָתֶ֑ךָ כּוֹנַ֥נְתָּֽ אֶ֝֗רֶץ וַֽתַּעֲמֹֽד׃ / from generation to generation is Your trustworthiness, You set up the land and it will last. And he asks what the message is of " Your words are forever , Your loyalty is from generation to generation so the the land will stand?" He says this is same concern. The Chida lived at about the same time as Rabbi Lowe, and parnassa was probably hard all over the world. He says people might say, How can I get married? How can I have children? There's so much financial stress. How can I do it? And he answers, We have to rely on Hashem that He's Noten Lechem L'Chol Basar/ He gives bread to all creations, because His kindness is forever, and marry and have children. That's what L'dor vador/from generation to generation, means- even in these later generations, when we're in exile and life is difficult, do not hold back from having children. Why? Ledor V'Dor Emunatecha Hashem's loyalty is there from generation to generation. He's reliable. Count on Him. He wants you to get married. Konanta Eretz/ He wants you to set up the earth , which refers to getting married having children. Ki L'Olam Hasdo/Because His Kindness is forever

0:14 Moshe Schwed Intro 1:54 Eliezer Brodt Intro 3:50 R' Uri's background 5:45 Developing relationship with R' Chaim 9:24 R' Chaim's special room 12:30 Which seforim did you edit? 13:40 Videos with R' Chaim? 15:50 R' Chaim paid for the work? 16:50 Reprinting of the Shoneh Halochos 19:00 Nezer Hachaim 21:55 L'Dofkei B'Teshuva 25:00 Over 2000 comments from R' Chaim 29:00 Derech Ish on the Chazon Ish 35:00 Closing questions

We are studying the Pesukim of Perek Shira and we are now on the song of the rivers (Tehilim 98.8) נַהֲרוֹת אוֹמְרִים. נְהָרוֹת יִמְחֲאוּ כָף יַחַד הָרִים יְרַנֵּנוּ (תהילים צח ח) The rivers clap hands, together mountains rejoice. What is the message of this pasuk ? Clapping symbolizes happiness . Why are rivers happy ? Many explain based on the following theme, including Rav Chaim Kanievsky in his commentary to Perek Shira called Taama Dekra . He cites a Gemara in Mesechet Cholin , where it says that Rav Pinchas ben Yair was on his way to do Pidyon Shvuim/ redeem someone in captivity and needed to cross the river Gana'i , so he told the river to stop because he needed to cross. The river said, I am going to do the will of my Creator, and I know that I am going to be successful. I know what I am doing, but you don't know if you're going be successful. " We see from this that the flowing of the river symbolizes the constant fulfillment of the will of the Creator. Rivers don't stop. Rivers just keep on going. They come from the source and they go, and they come from the source and they go. That is the simcha of somebody who is serving his Creator consistently. That's the message of the river. While researching this pasuk, I noticed that the word har / mountain is the root of the word nahar / river , because the river gets its waters from the melting of the snow on the mountains. So, the river is constantly connected to its source, and that's why it keeps coming. The Source , in this case could be God. And the river is constantly connected to its Source and constantly flowing. Rav David Falk writes in one of his sefarim that he once approached Rav Chaim to add a point to this concept, based on a Gemara in Horayot 12A, where it says that Rav Masharshiya, one of the Amoraim , told his son, When you learn, learn by a river, because that way your learning will continue and flow, just like the river flows. We see from here that the river symbolizes consistency, and it can arouse you to learn consistently as well. Rav Chaim Kanievsky agreed to this explanation. So, another message of the song of the river is that of consistency . And with consistency comes happiness. But consistency is not enough. In the sefer Yismach Yehuda , Yehuda Jacobowitz writes that in order to be consistent, you can't be affected or moved by obstacles. There are things that get in your way and interfere. But a person has the ability to, so to say, ignore the obstacles, and that's what the song of the river symbolizes. Furthermore, in Mishnat Rav Aharon (vol 1, page 200), Rav Aaron Kotler quotes the pesukim in Tehilim , וּֽלְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵ֥ב שִׂמְחָֽה׃ (97,11) To those that are straight of heart there is happiness And ׃ פִּקּ֘וּדֵ֤י יְהֹוָ֣ה יְ֭שָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי־לֵ֑ב The commands of Hashem are straight (Tehilim 19,9) He adds that part of being consistent is not making extra cheshbonot and all kinds of calculations and trying to figure things out. As the pasuk in Kohelet 7,29 says, אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֧ה הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָאָדָ֖ם יָשָׁ֑ר God made man straight. וְהֵ֥מָּה בִקְשׁ֖וּ חִשְּׁבֹנ֥וֹת רַבִּֽים׃ And they're looking for all kind of cheshbonot, They're trying all kinds of shenanigans and tactics But there's a trait of Yashrut / straightness . The river just goes straight . Yashrut is straight, with no nonsense. I do what I have to do. I don't get caught up in things that I don't have to do. As we say, Tamim Tihyeh/I'm complete. I'm simple with Hashem. I just keep doing my thing. That brings simcha. I remember during the Gulf War that most people were busy talking about the war, how to react, and all the things that go along with that. But one day Rav Wolbe came in and just gave a regular class on speaking the truth or some other topic. He explained that he noticed one day that there were workers out paving the roads. He asked himself, They're paving the roads? We're in the middle of a war! Why are they paving the road? Then he said, because government workers have their jobs and despite whatever is going on, 'I gotta pave my road .' He said, it's the same with Avodat Hashem. Yes, there are sometimes bumps in the road and sometimes there are interferences, but you have to stick to your job. You gotta pave the road. That's the message of the river? The river is Yashar . It's straight, it's consistent, and therefore it's constantly clapping.

For a 20% discount on Rabbi Ashear's new book on THE TEENS BOOK click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/ Books/9781422640289.html On June 11th, Erev Shavuot, Rabbi Ashear will be starting Mishna Berura on the Laws of Shabbat. No better time to join and show your commitment to the Torah. Click on the link to join this program. https://chat.whatsapp.com/ EJFtV50LPJq44X7o0nthnN Today's Lesson dedicated for the Refuah Shelema of Shlomo Zalmen Ha'Levy ben Golda At the end of this week's parasha, Bamidbar , the Torah begins to count Shevet Levi for the purpose of working in the Mishkan for people between the ages of thirty to fifty. The family of Kehat was counted first, followed by Gershon and then Merari. The Midrash asks, usually the Torah gives preference to the bechor , who in this case is Gershon, so why is Kehat counted before him? The Midrash answers, because the children of Kehat carried the Aron HaBrit , which had the Torah inside of it. And the Torah is more important than the bechor . The Kli Yakar asked, why was Kehat chosen to carry the Aron and not Gershon? Shouldn't Hashem have given precedence to the bechor to have this honor? The Kli Yakar answered, that if Gershon carried the Aron and he was counted first, we would not have seen that it's the Torah that gave him precedence, we may have thought it was his bechor status. Hashem wanted it to be clear to all that it is the ma'alah of Torah that supersedes everything. Another reason why Gershon didn't get it is because Hashem wanted to teach us that the crown of Torah can be gotten by anyone. You don't need to have special lineage. You don't need to be a bechor . The greatest crown of all is available to anyone for the taking. As we prepare for Shavuot, we are to take to heart the message that the Torah is the greatest gift ever given. It is incumbent upon us to give honor to the Torah and to those who learn it. Those who learn it most know what real kavod HaTorah is. Rav Chaim Kanievsky zatzal once related that in the Chazon Ish's day, there was a great need for money to help those observing Shemitah properly. The first Shemitah after the war in 1948 was going to take place in 1951. At that time there was a lot of poverty and the farmers were having a hard time getting motivated enough to keep Shemitah that year. The Chazon Ish wanted to help them with their test and give them peace of mind by raising money on their behalf. So the Chazon Ish sent Rabbi Zelig Shapiro to handle this issue and raise the funds. A rich man in Tel Aviv told Rabbi Zelig he was prepared to cover any amount the Chazon Ish wanted, on one condition. He wanted the Chazon Ish himself to come to his house for a gathering and he would give him the money at that gathering. Rabbi Zelig was so excited, his legs carried him quickly back to the Chazon Ish's house to relate the good news. He was going to be able to get all the money in an easy way. No going around knocking on doors, no explanations and requests for donations. When Rabbi Zelig arrived at the Chazon Ish's house, he told him about the wealthy man and then told him of the condition and respectfully asked, “Can I tell him that the Chazon Ish will come?” To his astonishment, the Chazon Ish said, “Absolutely not. I should go there just to receive money? That would be a dishonor to the Torah, and it is forbidden to do such a thing.” The Chazon Ish did not go, and the wealthy man did not donate the money. The fundraising campaign continued with a lot of difficulty. In this story, there was no miraculous ending. Nobody else stepped up to give the large donation that this man would have. Not every story has to have a miraculous ending. The greatest part of this story is that the Chazon Ish would not bend one inch when it came to kavod Torah . No matter how much money was depending upon it. That is true emunah, following what Hashem wants under all circumstances. B'ezrat Hashem, this should give us a new appreciation of what Kavod Torah is and how Gedolei Yisrael make decisions. The Torah is our greatest gift and we have to treat it that way, as well as those who learn it. Shabbat Shalom.

Yahrtzeit Yomi #995!! (טו אדר שני) Rav Chaim Kanievsky Steipler Rav רב שמריהו יוסף חיים ב״ר יעקב ישראל קנייבסקי (1928 - 2022) ---------------------------------------------------- Share the Yahrtzeit Yomi link with your contacts!! https://chat.whatsapp.com/JimbwNtBaX31vmRDdnO3yk To dedicate or sponsor, please contact 917-841-5059. Sponsorships can be paid by Zelle to the same number. First come, first served. Monthly sponsorships are $540. Weekly sponsorships are $180. Daily sponsorships are as follows: Dedications (l'Zecher Nishmas, Zechus shidduch/refuah/yeshuah, etc.) are $50. Sponsorships (fliers, advertising, promotions, additional links, etc.) are $100. The cost to request and sponsor a Tzaddik that is not included on the Yahrtzeit Yomi schedule is $180. --------------------------------------------------- Friends, the following audio was recorded on the occasion of Rav Chaim's 1st Yahrtzeit, on Shushan Purim of last year, 5783. --------------------------------------------------- Adar Sheini Yahrtzeits 1. BOO!!/Ibn Ezra 2. Beis Yisrael/R' Moshe Schwab 3. The Levush/The Aderes 4. Menachem Begin/R' Avraham Blumenkrantz 5. R' Avraham Bing 6. R' Naftali Amsterdam 7. Yahrtzeit of Moshe Rabbeinu 8. R' Moshe Aaron Stern 9. R' Shmuel Auerbach 10. Taanis Esther/Shaya Twersky 11. Rashash/R' Shmuel Brudny 12. R' Naftulche Bobover 13. Rav Moshe Feinstein 14. Peeerim!!

Today's daf is sponsored in memory of haRav Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim ben Yaakov Yisrael, Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l. When one finds an object in a wall, what clues are there in the placement of the object that can attest to whether it belonged to the owner or to someone from the street who left it there? If the object was placed in a part close to the house, but the house was rented to others, there is no obligation to return the object. How does this halacha fit with the Mishna in Shekalim 19 where we assume that money found on the streets of Jerusalem during the holiday season was second tithe money and not from money that may have been left there from the week before? Reish Lakish quotes Bar Kapara and explains that it refers to a room rented to three Jews. How can one explain that in light of the issue in Bava Metzia 24 where they grappled with Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar’s opinion and were unable to decide whether or not there is despair when there is a majority of Jews. There are two resolutions to this question. Rav Menashia bar Yaakov explains that there were three gentiles, not Jews. But Rav Nachman differentiates between the case that Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar was relating to and this case. Rav Nachman’s explanation of this case is consistent with another teaching of his. Raba limits the case of the teaching of Rav Nachman. Raba describes three cases where there is a combination of theft and restitution of lost property and explains what offenses the one who found lost property committed. The Mishna rules in cases where money is found in a store or in a money changer’s store. What are the guidelines for keeping the lost item? Rabbi Elazar rules about a case that was not mentioned in the Mishna. Is it possible to raise a difficulty on his ruling from the wording of the Mishna? What in the Mishna motivated him to understand the halakha in this way?

Today's daf is sponsored in memory of haRav Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim ben Yaakov Yisrael, Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l. When one finds an object in a wall, what clues are there in the placement of the object that can attest to whether it belonged to the owner or to someone from the street who left it there? If the object was placed in a part close to the house, but the house was rented to others, there is no obligation to return the object. How does this halacha fit with the Mishna in Shekalim 19 where we assume that money found on the streets of Jerusalem during the holiday season was second tithe money and not from money that may have been left there from the week before? Reish Lakish quotes Bar Kapara and explains that it refers to a room rented to three Jews. How can one explain that in light of the issue in Bava Metzia 24 where they grappled with Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar’s opinion and were unable to decide whether or not there is despair when there is a majority of Jews. There are two resolutions to this question. Rav Menashia bar Yaakov explains that there were three gentiles, not Jews. But Rav Nachman differentiates between the case that Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar was relating to and this case. Rav Nachman’s explanation of this case is consistent with another teaching of his. Raba limits the case of the teaching of Rav Nachman. Raba describes three cases where there is a combination of theft and restitution of lost property and explains what offenses the one who found lost property committed. The Mishna rules in cases where money is found in a store or in a money changer’s store. What are the guidelines for keeping the lost item? Rabbi Elazar rules about a case that was not mentioned in the Mishna. Is it possible to raise a difficulty on his ruling from the wording of the Mishna? What in the Mishna motivated him to understand the halakha in this way?

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There have been many times over the generations that were considered to be auspicious for Mashiach to come. Whether or not Mashiach actually comes depends on us . Now is definitely one of those times. On Succot, we read the Haftarah of the War of Gog U'Magog and the Tur brings from Rav Hai Gaon, that it's because that war will start on Succot and תחיית המתים will be on Pesach. Rabbi Menashe Reisman quoted the Gemara which tells us that Shemini Aseret is called Succot regarding bringing the makeup korban for someone who missed it at the beginning of Succot. Hashem shook up the world on the last day of Succot and we are still in the middle of it. It says in Zachariah ( perek יד ) that a day will come when all the nations of the world will come to Israel for war. May Hashem protect us. Rabbi Meir Shapiro wrote, in his sefer אור המאור , over a hundred years ago, many hints that the year תשפד which we just began, is a potential year for Mashiach. One of the hints he brings is that in Mitzrayim during Makat Choshech, it was revealed to the Jews the same light that will appear in the days of Mashiach and it says there, ולכל בני ישראל היה אור במשבתם the word במשבתם is the same numerical value as תשפד . The Chafetz Chaim wrote, in his sefer Chomat HaDat , that just like the redemption in Mitzrayim took place after the Jews cried out to Hashem, like it says ונצעק אל ה , so too, in the future, the Jews will need to cry out Hashem to bring Mashiach. Hashem wants us to yearn for it and pray for it with all of our hearts. We all want Mashiach to come, but we don't want it to happen through a difficult war. What can we do to protect ourselves? The Chafetz Chaim once said, imagine if we could ask the great rabbis of yesteryear like the Ketzot HaChoshen, or the Netivot what we should do at a time like this. We would all be so excited to seek their counsel. Imagine if we were able to ask Maran Bet Yosef or the Rama what to do. We wish we had Rav Chaim Kanievsky here with us to ask him, but this would be a much greater opportunity. Imagine the Rif or the Rambam would come back into this world and we could ask them what to do. The Chafetz Chaim said we have something much greater than all of them. We have a great Tanna , Rebbi Eliezer HaGadol, who told us exactly what we need to do. The Gemara says in Masechet Sanhedrin (98,B) that the students of Rebbi Eliezer once asked their rabbi, what should a person do to be saved from the Hevleh Mashiach . The rabbi told them they should delve into the study of Torah and in acts of kindness, it does not say just to learn Torah and do acts of kindness, but rather a person needs to delve in Torah and delve into performing Gemilut Hasadim . Just like a businessman does not rest until he achieves success in his business, we have to go over and above in our learning Torah and worrying about other people's needs. A person can choose, when he gets home from work, to open up a sefer or a Gemara and try to break his head comprehending the deep wisdom of Torah- that is called delving in Torah. The Chafetz Chaim wrote, when someone knows that another person is angry at him, it hurts that person a lot . Being a peacemaker is a tremendous c hessed . Taking away negative feelings and allowing people to move on happily is a great form of c hessed . Giving someone c hizuk and taking away anxious feelings from his heart is also a great c hessed . Praying for someone is a great c hessed . We can help so much from wherever we are, with heartfelt prayers on behalf of others. At this time of difficulty, people from all circles are uniting in a common cause. We need unity for Mashiach to come. Maybe if we will accept upon ourselves to continue loving and helping others, who don't share the same philosophies as us, beyond this time, that would be a tremendous zechut . May we experience the great light of Mashiach B'Karov, Amen.

We all know that Hashem could help us at any moment. We all know that one of the greatest ways to access Hashem's help is through tefila . But, do we really believe in our heart of hearts that our prayers work? Do we believe that tefila is the best option we have in all situations? The strength of our tefilot depends on our belief in their effectiveness. Rabbi Ari Ben Shushan told that he and his siblings all started out their marriages childless, for around four years. They all got married about the same time and it was very strange that they were all going through the exact same difficulty. He lived in Israel at that time and one of his brothers told him he had to go to Rav Chaim Kanievsky z”l and get advice on what they needed to do to break that decree. Rabbi Ari went and watched as all the people who met Rav Chaim before him all get the same blessing, “ Beracha v'hatzlacha .” His brother had demanded of him to try to get more than that. He really wanted counsel besides for the blessing. Rabbi Ari wrote up the entire situation on paper and Rav Chaim's gabai read it to him. When he finished, Rav Chaim said, “ Beracha v'hatzlacha .” Rabbi Ari then asked the gabai to please ask Rav Chaim if there was a kabbala they could take upon themselves to help them break the decree. The gabai asked Rav Chaim and Rav Chaim laughed, saying, “Kabbala? They need tefila .” With that, Rabbi Ari left and called his siblings to tell them the message. They all knew about tefila. They have been praying heartfelt tefilot on a daily basis and that's why the Rabbi's advice was not what they were expecting. Rabbi Ari told them, “Rav Chaim knows something that we don't. We need to redouble our efforts in tefila .” With that, they all viewed tefila from a brand-new perspective. Baruch Hashem, that year Rabbi Ari and three of his siblings got the wonderful news that they were all expecting a child. We all know that tefila is necessary. But when we see it perhaps in a new light, it becomes so much more special. If someone would be going through a very tough difficulty and he is making every hishtadlut possible to fix his problem, and all of a sudden a Navi would come to him and say, “Your problem will be solved when you pray with the emunah that Hashem is in front of you and is waiting to help you. Then, all of a sudden, his tefilot would take on a new dimension. He would stop focusing on all of his other hishtadlut and would pray the way he is capable of praying. We don't need a Navi to tell us this, as our Chazal have already told us. Whenever a person comes to pray, he should first think about the person who loves him most in his life and how much that person wants to please him. And then he should think that Hashem loves him more than that and wants his benefit much more than that person does. Then he should imagine that he is walking in to have a face to face conversation, kavayachol , with Hashem. Hashem is giving him complete attention and wants to hear everything that is bothering him. The same way a person would talk to his father, who told him to come over and get his help, that is how we should be talking to Hashem during tefila . When we do it the right way, we will see amazing results. This time of year is the most opportune for tefila . During the days of Elul, Rosh Hashanah, Aseret Yameh Teshuva and Yom Kippur, we need to strengthen ourselves and pray with real emunah that tefila works. And b'ezrat Hashem, we will see the answers to all our tefilot . Amen.

There are various segulot found in Chazal , some which promise wealth, some marriage, some children. If a person follows exactly what he was told to do but does not see the outcome that he was told he would get, it could severely damage that person's emunah. The same applies when people go to rabbis for berachot and the rabbi tells them, If you do this, you will get married by this date, or you will have a child by this date. If it doesn't happen, the person's emunat chachamim gets damaged. The Gemara tells us that even a Tanna , Elisha ben Avuya went off the derech because his emunah in the Torah became shattered when what he saw didn't seem to match up with what it said. The Torah says for doing the mitzvah of kibud av v'em one of the rewards is long life and the same applies to the mitzvah of shiluach haken . Elisha once saw a boy who was told by his father to climb a tree and sent away the mother bird, and he fell and died. He did both mitzvot that promised long life and he died young. This caused Elisha to go off the path. The Gemara says, if he would have understood the pasuk properly, he would not have gone astray. The reward referred to in those mitzvot of long life is speaking about life in the Next World. The Rambam wrote in a letter to his son that if he ever comes across a pasuk or a Chazal that he doesn't understand, he should attribute the lack of understanding to his own shortcomings. He should leave the question on the side and, one day, he will get an answer. The Shulchan Aruch writes in siman 118 that washing netilat yadayim for bread with a lot of water is a segula which brings a person wealth. The Mishna Berura there writes, if somebody is careful to always wash with a lot of water but did not become wealthy as a result, it is because that person has other deeds which he did that are blocking the parnasa from coming. Washing with a lot of water does bring wealth, but that is assuming the person didn't do an averah that blocks the wealth. The Mizmor L'Asaf writes, the same applies the other way. If a person did an averah whose negative effect is to lose parnasa , if he has certain merits, they can prevent the parnasa from being lost for the time being. The Gemara says, someone who prays the Amida at sunrise will not get damaged that day. The Mishna Berura says something similar about a person who is סומך גאולה לתפילה . Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zatzal , said the same applies to those guarantees. They are assuming the person did not do an averah that would require him to get damaged. If somebody followed a segula of Chazal and did not get the reward he was looking for, it is not because the segula didn't work. Rather, it is because of other deeds that he did that he needs to make teshuva for first. And therefore, he should not lose faith in the promises of Chazal but improve his ways and continue doing the segulot . The Chatam Sofer in his Teshuvot in siman 158 writes, regarding the segula of being a sandak making a person wealthy, it is one hundred percent true. However, it is also possible that the person may have done sins which block that parnasa from coming. The same applies as well when a rabbi gives a beracha . The rabbi has power, but there could be other factors that are holding back the coming to fruition what the rabbi said. Every word in the Torah is emmet , every word of Chazal is emmet . We should never allow an experience to cause our emunah to waver even in the slightest bit. There is an answer to every question and if we don't know it yet, we should leave the question on the side and continue doing our avodah knowing that one day we will get the answer and the answer will be so clear to us that we won't even believe that we ever had the question in the first place.

Recording Available Via Telephone Dial: (605) 475-4799 | Access ID: 840886# | Reference #: 2404 The Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because of sinat chinam , which is usually translated to mean baseless hatred. Rav Elya Lopian writes, any hatred which is not sanctioned by halacha is called baseless. Many times people justify why they are permitted to hate another individual. They may even convince themselves that it is a mitzvah to hate. But in the majority of cases, it's just the evil inclination getting them to sin. Hatred is rarely permitted. Rather than justifying our reasons for hating, we should be looking to do just the opposite and go out of our way to show love. Hashem loves when we are at peace with each other. If we have a hard time doing it ourselves, we should do it for Him. I read a story about a man who had one child, a son who was very successful in his Torah learning. When it came time for him to get married, he was told of a girl with the finest qualities. However, after further investigation, they found out that she had a very low level of hearing. The boy did not want to pursue the shidduch . The father of the girl told the father of the boy he would give the boy as a dowry for his daughter one million shekels. The boy's father really wanted his son to be able to learn with peace of mind and he did not have the funds to support him. The girl did have sterling middot and was able to hear, albeit with difficulty. They agreed to go out and, soon enough, the shidduch was finalized. A couple of months after the wedding, the father of the girl informed the couple that the million shekels that he gave them was actually a loan he took out and put in their names. He basically lied to get his daughter married. The young man obviously had no way of paying back that debt, especially since he used most of the money to buy an apartment. And he honestly didn't want to have anything to do with his father-in-law anymore. He went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky z”l, to ask what to do. Rav Chaim told him to overcome his natural inclination and give honor to his father-in-law, despite what he did, and everything would be fine. The boy obediently listened. On Yom Kippur, he bought his father-in-law a very special aliyah and on Simchat Torah he bought him another one. This boy was learning in the Mir Yeshiva and since he came from America, he learned with a group of American boys. One day, a new boy came to the yeshiva and he was very homesick. He wasn't happy with his bed, the food was not to his taste, and he wanted to go home. He was also an only child to his parents. When the newly married young man found out about this boy's problems, he tried to give him chizuk . He told him he was also an only child and he also had a hard time when he started out in the yeshiva, but now he loves it. He offered to learn with this boy chavruta and the boy accepted. That Chanukah, this boy's father, who is extremely wealthy, took his private jet to Israel to visit his son. While there, his son told him of how this nice young man saved his entire year and how much he loves the yeshiva because of him. His father was so appreciative, he asked the young man what he could do to help him. The young man, seeing how wealthy this man was, told him about the million shekel debt and how it happened. The wealthy man happily went and paid back the debt in full. Rav Chaim knew that the secret to blessing is when a person goes against his inclination and loves people instead of hating. If we could all find it within ourselves to get rid of any hatred we have and give love and honor instead, b'ezrat Hashem we will turn the sad day of Tisha B'Av into the greatest holiday, celebrating the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash . Amen.

A rabbi told me that some years back his mother's eyesight started deteriorating, and eventually, she was told by her doctor that she was in jeopardy of going blind. She and her husband immediately took a flight from New York to Israel to seek the guidance of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zatzal . Rav Chaim told them to accept Shabbat ten minutes earlier than the regular candle lighting time. He also added that the entire family had to accept that time as well. Shortly after their acceptance of this kabbala , the woman had an eye surgery performed and, baruch Hashem, it saved her eyesight. However, a couple of years ago her eyes started worsening again and, once again, she was in jeopardy of losing her eyesight. When she told her son about it, he said, “I don't understand, the rabbi said the ten minute acceptance of Shabbat is a guarantee. Aren't you still doing it?” She said, “Yes, but maybe not ten minutes exactly. Sometimes ten minutes, sometimes a little less.” He asked her if she would please go back to being strict and make sure that it is never less than ten minutes. She did and, baruch Hashem, her eyesight was restored once again. Accepting Shabbat early is a wondrous segula . The Chachmeh HaKabbalah have taught us that it is also a segula for increased parnasa . The sefer Chazon Yoshiyahu told a story of one of the main supporters of his yeshiva, which took place around fifteen years ago. This man purchased a building in Manhattan for $800 million. He put down $100 million of his own money and needed to borrow the other 700 from the bank. He had 60 days to come up with that money or else he would lose his $100 million deposit. He thought he would easily get the money from the banks, but each bank he went to turned him down. The 60-day time limit was up, and he still didn't have the funds. He asked the sellers if they could give him a one-week extension. They told him that for that to happen, they needed an additional $10 million deposit which he would lose if he didn't get the money by the following week. This man was in great distress and asked his rabbi what he could possibly do to get extra Heavenly mercy. His rabbi told him to accept upon himself to take on Shabbat a full hour before sunset and, in that zechut , Hashem would help him. The man accepted from then on to keep Shabbat an extra hour. And that Friday, 40 minutes before Shabbat, his phone rang. He saw it was the bank calling and he was faced with a very big inner struggle. His good inclination was telling him, You accepted Shabbat. A kabbala is a kabbala. Just ignore the phone call. His evil inclination was telling him, It's not really Shabbat yet and your whole financial life is depending on this phone call. Just answer it. The man stood strong and overcame the test. Shabbat came, then Sunday, and finally, on Monday morning he spoke to one of the heads of the bank who told him that on Friday they called to tell him they were not going to give him the loan. However, the next day, a higher authority overruled and said they were going to give him the loan and, baruch Hashem, he got that loan and was able to purchase the building. Accepting Shabbat early is a great segula , but it has to be adhered to with the utmost strictness.

The weekly D'var Torah on the Parsha, this week dealing with the value of the opportunities Hashem gives us. Based on Rav Chanoch Schrier, quoting Rav Schwab and Rav Chaim Kanievsky

Study Guide Nazir 44 Today's daf is dedicated in memory of our fellow Hadran learner, Miriam Kerzner. In her eighties, Miriam was drawn into the world of Gemara’s intricacies and excitements, enchanted by Rabbanit Michelle’s teachings and enthralled with the intellectual challenges. Talmud became an integral and vibrant part of her life during the long days of Corona and nurtured her during her illness. She joined us in learning up to her last days. Yehi Zichra Baruch, with much comfort to her family from the Hadran Zoom family. Today’s daf is sponsored by Amy Goldstein in memory of her grandmother, Ann Barnett. "Eishet Chayil who embodied qualities from each of the 4 Imahot. Your legacy lives on in your great-granddaughter." Today’s daf is sponsored anonymously in memory of Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim ben Yaakov Yisrael, Rav Chaim Kanievsky. Of the three prohibitions of nazir, there are stringencies in some that don't exist in the other(s). Impurity and shaving are strict as they cancel the previous days, whereas drinking wine does not. The prohibition to drink wine is stricter than the others as there is no situation in which drinking wine is permitted, whereas a nazir who becomes a leper can shave and if there is a met mitzva, the nazir can become impure. Another stringency of impurity over shaving is that impurity cancels all the days and requires a sacrifice, whereas shaving only cancels thirty days and there is no sacrifice. There is a long discussion in the Gemara full of many suggestions of why we wouldn't learn laws from one to the other, in the style of: "If this one is more lenient than this one in this way and yet more stringent in another, why isn't the other one that is stringent in the first way, also stringent in the second way!" Or the reverse. Each answer provides is either based on a verse or some other clear explanation as to why the logical inference is not followed. The Mishna explains what is the process for a nazir who becomes impure to a dead body. The shaving is to be done on the seventh day. But is it part of the purification process and therefore one can only bring the sacrifices on the following day, even if one pushed off the shaving to the eighth day, or not? Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon disagree. After Rabbi Akiva's explanation that it is different from the leper, does Rabbi Tarfon concede? A zav cannot go into the Levite camp on the seventh day or purification even after going to the mikveh (status of a tvul yom) as is derived from a verse. Abaye questions this drasha as the same thing appears by nazir and yet the halacha is not the same.

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Study Guide Nazir 44 Today's daf is dedicated in memory of our fellow Hadran learner, Miriam Kerzner. In her eighties, Miriam was drawn into the world of Gemara’s intricacies and excitements, enchanted by Rabbanit Michelle’s teachings and enthralled with the intellectual challenges. Talmud became an integral and vibrant part of her life during the long days of Corona and nurtured her during her illness. She joined us in learning up to her last days. Yehi Zichra Baruch, with much comfort to her family from the Hadran Zoom family. Today’s daf is sponsored by Amy Goldstein in memory of her grandmother, Ann Barnett. "Eishet Chayil who embodied qualities from each of the 4 Imahot. Your legacy lives on in your great-granddaughter." Today’s daf is sponsored anonymously in memory of Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim ben Yaakov Yisrael, Rav Chaim Kanievsky. Of the three prohibitions of nazir, there are stringencies in some that don't exist in the other(s). Impurity and shaving are strict as they cancel the previous days, whereas drinking wine does not. The prohibition to drink wine is stricter than the others as there is no situation in which drinking wine is permitted, whereas a nazir who becomes a leper can shave and if there is a met mitzva, the nazir can become impure. Another stringency of impurity over shaving is that impurity cancels all the days and requires a sacrifice, whereas shaving only cancels thirty days and there is no sacrifice. There is a long discussion in the Gemara full of many suggestions of why we wouldn't learn laws from one to the other, in the style of: "If this one is more lenient than this one in this way and yet more stringent in another, why isn't the other one that is stringent in the first way, also stringent in the second way!" Or the reverse. Each answer provides is either based on a verse or some other clear explanation as to why the logical inference is not followed. The Mishna explains what is the process for a nazir who becomes impure to a dead body. The shaving is to be done on the seventh day. But is it part of the purification process and therefore one can only bring the sacrifices on the following day, even if one pushed off the shaving to the eighth day, or not? Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon disagree. After Rabbi Akiva's explanation that it is different from the leper, does Rabbi Tarfon concede? A zav cannot go into the Levite camp on the seventh day or purification even after going to the mikveh (status of a tvul yom) as is derived from a verse. Abaye questions this drasha as the same thing appears by nazir and yet the halacha is not the same.

Rabbi Uri Tieger was born into a secular family in Israel. He grew up like most Israeli children, attending public school and enjoying a typical secular upbringing. However, despite his secular background, Rabbi Tieger developed a deep interest in Judaism and the Torah. Over the years, Rabbi Tieger's relationship with Rabbi Kanievsky deepened, becoming a study partner. Rabbi Tieger even helped Rabbi Kanievsky edit some of his works, contributing to the canon of Jewish scholarship in a significant way. 00:00 - Intro 11:28 - Interview 1:00:08 - Outro Rabbi Efrem Goldberg: Rabbi, Boca Raton Synagogue (BRS). Rabbi Philip Moskowitz: Associate Rabbi, BRS. Rabbi Josh Broide: Outreach Rabbi, BRS.

Join our BIG campaign! Announcing the NEW APP from iTorah.com https://itorah.com/campaigns/special The Gemara says in Masechet Berachot that a person is not allowed to make personal requests during the first three berachot of the Amida which are designated for praise, nor during the last three berachot which are designated for thanking. Rabbi Menashe Reizman noted, it is only forbidden to add requests during those sections, but it is not forbidden to make additions that have to do with the beracha being said. In fact the Shut HaRambam discusses an instance in which a questioner asks if he is allowed to make additions after Retzeh which have to do with the topic of that beracha , and the Rambam answered yes. Therefore, knowing how great thanking Hashem is and how great the beracha of Modim is, a person is encouraged to add his own thank yous in the same place that we add Al HaNisim on Purim and Chanukah. A person who was given a salvation should add his own words, something like the following: רבונו של עולם אתה ידעת שהייתי במיצר– Master of the Universe, You know how much distress I was in – לא ידעתי איך להסתדר – And I didn't know what to do to get out of it – פניתי לימין ואין מציל – I turned to the right and I did not find anyone to help me – ולשמאל ואין מושיע– and I turned to the left and there was no savior for me – ואתה הושעתני ברוב רחמיך וחסדיך– but You were there to save me, Hashem, in Your abundant kindness and mercy. And then proceed to describe what Hashem did and thank Him for it. This is just one example. We are encouraged to specify all of the blessings for which we feel gratitude for and describe them in detail. There is something very special about thanking Hashem specifically in Modim . The Da'at Zekenim writes, In general, after a person thanks Hashem, he should also make a request to keep the blessing coming. The Chovot HaLevavot , however, warns us not to thank Hashem just with the intention to receive more, but rather we should thank Hashem wholeheartedly for everything He has given us already. Being that we are not allowed to make personal requests in Modim , there we can comfortably thank Hashem without any ulterior motives of asking for more. Rabbi Moshe Shlesinger said he was once praying next to his Rebbe, Rav Yechezkel Abramski, and in the Rabbi's old age, he needed to whisper loudly for his ears to hear what he was saying. After he said Modim with great kavana , before he began ועל כולם , he started thanking Hashem in Yiddish for so many things, one of which was for giving him the zechut of sending money to the young Rav Chaim Kanievsky, to help support him when he was learning in kollel. At that time, he was not well known and he was going through a very difficult time with poverty. Rabbi Abramski saw his greatness and had the zechut to keep him learning, with his support. The beracha of Modim is so powerful. There are opinions who say that if a person did not have kavana during the first beracha of the Amida , he can still make it up if he has kavana in Modim . The Belzer Rebbe said, when a Jew thanks Hashem properly in his tefila , no prosecuting angels can hold back that tefila. The Mabit writes in his sefer Derech Hashem that the main part of the entire Amida is Modim . The Radbaz asks, how can Chazal tell us that the last three berachot of the Amida are all reserved for thanking Hashem? We understand Modim is thanking, but Retzeh is full of requests, as well as Sim Shalom. The Radbaz answered something amazing. He said the last three berachot are all collectively called the beracha of Modim . That is the main beracha, to thank Hashem. The beracha is so powerful, the Rabbis wanted to honor it by putting a beracha before it and after it, similar to Shema where we have berachot before and after it. The beracha of Retzeh is related to Modim because we know when we get back the Beit HaMikdash , we'll be able to thank Hashem there with the ultimate thank yous and with a true recognition of what He does for us. And Sim Shalom as well. When we have peace and blessing, we're in the best frame of mind to thank Hashem properly. Let us utilize every Amida to thank Hashem more and fulfill one of the main purposes that we were put on this earth, like it says, עם זו יצרתי לי תהילתי יספרו

The pasuk says סוד ה' ליראיו ובריתו להודיעם – Hashem has made a covenant with the tzaddikim of every generation that He informs them of certain secrets that other people are not privy to know. Our tzaddikim are able to see things that we can't and that is one of the reasons that we go to them to seek guidance and counsel. Rabbi Ilan Guzel told that when his brother Sagi passed away, they invited the great tzaddik Rav Bentzion Musafi, shlita , to give words of chizuk in his memory towards the end of the shiva . The Rabbi told them he had to leave at 10:00 sharp to go give a different shiur . The gathering took place on a Motzei Shabbat in the Beit Hakeneset Ahavat Yisrael and the room was packed with nearly 1000 people. At 9:58, Rabbi Musafi picked up his water to take a sip, but instead his hand began to shake and it slipped out and spilled on the floor. The Rabbi then continued speaking for an additional 30 minutes. Rabbi Guzel couldn't believe that the Rabbi was going overtime, being that he said he had to leave at 10:00 sharp. After the shiur , Rabbi Guzel asked Rabbi Musafi about how he was able to stay extra. Rabbi Musafi replied, when he picked up his cup of water, suddenly he saw Sagi ז"ל , the niftar , standing right in front of him saying, “Please don't end, you're giving me such nachat ruach from this class right now.” That's when he dropped his cup and that's why he had to go overtime. He was able to see things that no one else in that room was able to see. A man told me, ten years ago he wanted to get the Lasik eye correction surgery so he wouldn't need glasses anymore. As always, before he makes any major decisions, he consults with Rabbis. This time, he asked a certain Rabbi if it would be okay to proceed and, strangely, the Rabbi told him he should not get the procedure done. It was something he really wanted to do, but in deference to the Rabbi, he held back. That summer, he was playing in a tennis match and, during the game, a ball was hit extremely hard that went right into one of his eyes. He was in considerable pain and his eyesight got skewed. He went to an ophthalmologist to be diagnosed. The doctor told him he is very fortunate that he is still able to see out of that eye, after assessing the damage that was caused and the damage that could have been caused. The man then told the doctor that he almost got the Lasik surgery a few months before and wanted to know if that would have changed anything. The doctor told him, “If you would have gotten that surgery, for sure you would be blind in one eye right now.” That is when the man realized that this tzaddik was able to see what he couldn't. The Rabbi was able to save his eyesight because Hashem showed him secret information that only great Rabbis are privy to. Through a person's Torah learning, and praying and fulfilling mitzvot and staying pure, he is given abilities by Hashem that others do not get. A man told me when his daughter was just two years old she had to wear extremely thick glasses which made her stand out like a sore thumb. Anyone who saw her immediately felt pity for her. She had a rare eye condition that required such a high prescription just for her to be able to see. When this man was on a trip to Israel, he took his little daughter to see Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zatzal . When the Rabbi saw her glasses, he asked why she was wearing them. The man told him she had an eye ailment. The Rabbi then gave her a beracha and told the man, “Don't worry, she's going to be fine.” At that point, he did not realize the extent of the Rabbi's words. A few months later, when he took his daughter to her regular checkup, the doctor started calling others into the room. The young father was getting nervous. The doctor then said to everyone, “We are witnessing a modern miracle. This little girl went from a prescription of over 700 and she now sees 20/20.” Everyone there was in awe. We are blessed to have tzaddikim in our generation and we should take advantage of them by seeking their guidance and counsel and berachot .

The beginning of this week's parasha , Metzora speaks about the purification process of a person who was stricken with tzara'at . Although the person's skin became discolored and he had to be banished from the camp, suffering humiliation, the tzara'at was actually a blessing in disguise. It was a physical manifestation of the sin the person committed. In a miraculous fashion, Hashem was informing the metzora that he committed an aveirah and needed teshuva . There's nothing better for a person than to be able to purify himself from sin. Averot create barriers between us and Hashem and they block blessing which could have come down from Shamayim . We wish we could know every time we did something wrong so we could correct it. Hashem no longer informs us in miraculous ways when we do wrong, but He has other ways of doing it and if we are in tune to His message and we are zocheh to correct what we did, then we have gotten the greatest present possible. Rabbi Ilan Guzel told the following story which took place in Bnei Brak some years back. A father was having a very hard time finding a shidduch for his daughter. She was attending a prominent seminary, she had great middot and they were a well-respected family. The father noticed all of his daughter's friends were also having the same issue, and when he investigated the matter further he found that not one of the 34 girls in her class had gotten married yet. The father went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky זצ"ל , to ask about this strange phenomenon, and Rav Chaim said, “It is happening because somebody is holding a grudge against the girls in this class. Perhaps it was a teacher whom they hurt, or another student. They must find the person and ask her forgiveness.” The father went back and told his daughter what the Rabbi said. She made a meeting with the girls in her class to try and figure out who they hurt. At the meeting, they came to the conclusion that it was a classmate of theirs who had been with them since first grade. She came from a very poor family who couldn't even afford to buy soap – they washed their clothes with water alone. So with no soap for their bodies or clothing, naturally this little girl emitted an unpleasant odor. The rest of the girls in the class tried to avoid her. No one would sit next to her in class and so she sat alone in the back. And this continued for 12 years. It became so normal that the girls didn't even realize they were doing anything wrong. This girl did not attend the same seminary as them. They went together to her house to ask forgiveness. She was so hurt she refused to even talk to them. They pleaded with her, explaining that none of them were going to be able to get married if she didn't forgive them. She then said, “What about me? How am I ever going to get married? I failed in school because none of you ever helped me. I have deep-rooted pain because of all the hardship I had to endure all those years.” She remained silent for 12 years about her pain and now she let it all out. The girls were heartbroken about what they had done to her. They went back and told their parents what happened. The parents couldn't believe their ears. Why didn't anyone help this family? Why didn't anyone give them money if they were so needy? How could they not have known about it? The girls again expressed remorse, and then this father went back to Rav Chaim to ask what to do next. Rav Chaim told him, “You must do whatever it takes to get her forgiveness. There's no other choice.” The father called all the parents and said, “I have a plan. First, we must each contribute $1000 now, no matter how hard it will be for you. Then, we must do everything in our power to find this girl a shidduch .” They went and bought her a whole new wardrobe. They gave her some of the money to start with to use for herself and her family. Then, they made inquiries to whoever they knew to find a shidduch for her and, baruch Hashem, they found a boy who was a perfect match. They went and gave this girl $30,000 as a wedding present and then, once again, begged for her forgiveness. This time she was able to completely forgive them. Within one year of this episode, all 34 girls from that class found their shidduch and got married. To be able to find out about something we did wrong is a blessing from Shamayim . With tzara'at it was an open miracle but today we could pray to Hashem to guide us and help us avoid mistakes and help us correct the ones we have already made.

The Shefa Chaim writes, one of the reasons a person's emunah may be shaky is due to the ploys of his evil inclination. Chazal have taught us that the study of Torah breaks the evil inclination, and that will enable a person to have more clarity in his emunah. Chazal tell us when Hashem created the world, he put a special light into the world, which gave people the ability to see from one side of it to the other. However, since the people were unworthy of it, Hashem hid it away for the future. He also hid it inside the holy Torah, and when a person learns Torah with purity, for its own sake with no ulterior motives, he will be able to utilize this light, and see things that other people can't. This does not only mean he will be able to see things on the other side of the world. It also means he will be able to see things in the upper worlds as well. So writes the Shefa Chaim in his sefer Torat Hamoadim. We have witnessed with our own eyes Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l, who learned Torah purely day and night for his entire life. And thus, he was able to see things that other people couldn't. I heard a story which took place during the time when there was a lot of talk about herpes and circumcision. A man told that he wanted the mohel to do the milah with metztiza b'peh which is the preferred way. Although his father and father-in-law, who were both doctors, were against it, they agreed to let him do what he wanted. A couple of days after the milah his baby was sick. It was confirmed that the baby indeed contracted herpes, and he was told to rush the baby to the hospital. The man was so scared for his child, and he was also worried about the potential for Chilul Hashem which may arise when this became public knowledge. His rabbi told him to consult with Rav Chaim Kanievski regarding how to proceed. When Rav Chaim heard the question, he said they should make believe they didn't know that the child has herpes. They should not take him to the hospital. He assured them, the baby would be fine. The man's rabbi then asked him to ask Rav Chaim if they should inform the mohel that he has herpes. Rav Chaim reiterated, consider it as if nothing happened. Don't tell anyone anything, and everyone will be fine. And of course, they listened to the rabbi, and Baruch Hashem, everyone was fine. The baby was fine. The mohel was fine. And no other babies were affected. How was Rav Chaim able to take that kind of responsibility in a case of life and death? The Torah gave him the ability to see what was happening on the other side of the world, where the question came from. He was able to see there, and beyond. He was able to see things that nobody else could. A man by the name of Baruch Ben Yigal is the father of Amit Ben Yigal hy"d, a 21 year old soldier who was murdered in 2020 during an operation in an Arab village. Amit was Baruch's only child, his entire world. After Rav Chaim passed away, Baruch told his moving story of when he personally met the rabbi after his son was murdered. He was introduced to Rav Chaim as the father of a hero in Israel, Rav Chaim patted him on his face, and began to cry. He said, you should know your son is sitting closest to Hashem's throne in Shamyaim, and he is together with Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and Rabbi Akiva. Rav Chaim was not told that this soldier died on Lag Baomer, and here he was saying, he's sitting with Rabbi Shimon. When Baruch left the rabbi's home, he stopped off at a gas station to fill up his car. While there, someone approached him saying, "I know that you are the father of Amit Ben Yigal. I want you to know, I had a dream about your son. And I saw him sitting closest to the throne of Hashem together with the Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Akiva." Baruch was astounded. He immediately raised his hands towards heaven and asked Hashem what he wanted him to do. It was such a clear sign that Hashem was talking to him. How did Rav Chaim know where this man's son was in Shamayim? The אור הגנוז, which came from the Torah that he learned, enabled him to see across this world, as well as what's going on in the upper worlds, just as the Shefa Chaim wrote. We all have access to the same Torah. The more we learn it with purity, the more access we will have to the אור הגנוז.

In this week's parasha Shemini , in the middle of the festivities of the inauguration of the Mishkan , Nadav and Avihu, two great tzaddikim were taken from the world and the Jewish People went from a state of celebration to a state of mourning. This past week, while Yerushalayim was celebrating the joyous day of Purim, the news came regarding the death of the Gadol HaDor and celebration turned into mourning. This Shabbat, we are also going to read parashat Parah and Rashi brings the Chazal who tell us the reason the Torah puts the death of Miriam next to the para aduma is to teach us that just like para aduma is michaper , so too the death of tzaddikim is michaper . We don't know why at this time we needed such a big kapara , but we do know there is definitely a massive void in the world that needs to be filled and every single one of us could do our part in trying to fill it. Although we have been hearing about the unparalleled greatness of Rav Chaim Kanievsky Z”l who became a master over every facet of Torah, it is not incumbent upon us to fill his shoes. Rabbi Menashe Reizman quoted from the Chovot HaLevavot in the Shaar Avodat Elokim who teaches us that every single person is sent to this world to do a different mission and nobody is expected to be someone he is not capable of becoming. Hashem chose this Gadol to lead the generation. He gave him the tools necessary for him to become the person he needed to become. And, he used those tools to their capacity and fulfilled his role. A boy learning in yeshiva should not feel bad if he doesn't remember his Torah like Rav Chaim Kanievsky did. A person doing his utmost to learn an hour in the morning and an hour in the night should not feel bad that he is not making a siyum on the entire Torah each year. It is known that Rav Chaim was not a public speaker. Only twice a year he gave a derasha in the Kollel Chazon Ish, on the yahrzeit of his father the Steipler and his uncle the Chazon Ish. He was not given the tongue of an orator because that was not his mission. He had a golden pen and a computer-like mind and the greatest diligence imaginable. Hashem gave him what he needed. Hashem wants all types of people serving Him in all types of ways. Some people need to excel in chesed , some in Yirat Shamayim , some in Talmud Torah and so on. Everyone needs to use the strengths that Hashem gave him to become the person that Hashem wants him to become. A person is supposed to feel good in his avodat Hashem and usually the area he is drawn to is the area that he needs to perfect to fulfill his mission. Of course, we have to follow every halacha , but regarding where we excel, it should be in an area that we feel drawn towards. So on the one hand, we need to hear about how great this Gadol HaDor was, we have to know what we had and what we are missing, but at the same time, we have to use that knowledge to improve ourselves and become the best we can be with what Hashem gave us. We don't have to know Shas baal peh , but we should know the Gemara that we are learning. Everyone can always improve, and now is a great time to do it. May Hashem give us the siyata d'Shamaya to grow more and fulfill the roles that He wants each of us to fulfill. Shabbat Shalom.

Shmini Women's Class: This weekly women's class waspresented on Tuesday, Parshas Shmini,19 Adar II, 5782, March 22, 2022, at Bais Medrash Ohr Chaim in Monsey, NY. The class was dedicated to the recent passing of HaGaon Reb Chaim Kanievsky (1928-2022), on Friday, Shushan Purim, 5782, March 18, 2022, at his home in Bnei Brak, at the age of 94. The funeral on Sunday brought together some 750,000 mourners from all over the Holy Land.