Judaism 101 - Shiur #3 - Getting In Touch With Your Soul

2:18 So when you experience yourself, for example, everybody in this room is a child. How do you experience your relationship with your parents? Your parents are essential to your being. Does that make sense? You are the extension, so to speak, of them. You are their DNA embodied. Just like you couldn't separate the ray of the sun from the sun itself, you can't separate yourself from your parents. Let's say a person decides they're never speaking to their parents again. They move to North Korea. They're literally never going to have anything to do with their parents again. What's the relationship they have with their parents? What? It's true. It's true that it's not a great relationship. But correct. Fundamentally, you are still their son. So even if you move to North Korea, nothing has really changed. Perhaps in the relationship in action. Something has changed, but not in the relationship itself. Does that make sense?

3:21 Chaver, you need to do this to let me know that you're following. Great, excellent. What then is the soul? The soul experiences that reality. Tomorrow we're going to go through five different dimensions of the soul. But for today, let's just focus on what the soul is. The soul is a piece of God. That means that just as a person turns inwards to discover their relationship with their parents, you don't need logic to prove your relationship with your parents, and if you do, that means something is off in the relationship. So too, when it comes to God, we turn inwards to discover our relationship with God. Can we biologically or scientifically prove that we have a relationship with our parents? Of course Of course. What would we use the science for in that case? How would we use science when it comes to our relationship with our parents?

4:20 To prove that the DNA is magical. Correct. It science can tell you there is a relationship, but science cannot speak to the quality of the relationship between father and son. You understand? That would be up to the humanities. Remember last time we split between music and art and science. Music and art are what we're going to call the humanities: literature, history. That's the why of it. That's the feeling of it. Science can tell you what exists. The soul can tell you how it exists. You understand the difference? The soul can tell you the depth of the relationship. The soul is the thing that experiences pain when our relationship with our parents is suffering. So far, so good. Got it? Shlomo, make sense? Yeah. So if you had to define emuna, you would define emuna as follows: Emuna is the sixth sense of the soul. That's what it is. You have five physical senses. But there is a sixth sense. Every one of you uses the sixth sense all the time.

5:27 But in order for the sixth sense to be meaningful, it needs to be cultivated. Let's say Chassid Shalom, somebody had some sort of disorder where they Let's say we're socially unaware Let's say they had Asperger's syndrome and so they didn't really connect well with people. You understand? What would you do in such a case? Anybody know? Yeah. Correct. It's called social skills training. Social skills training is because intuitively there's a blockage. We can teach you how to overcome that blockage. This is the scenario. This is how you should behave. You understand? Just like that's true on a physical level, that's also true on a spiritual level. Guys, come late. Try to make room for them. Obviously, we don't want guys coming late because you already missed a bunch of things. So it goes as follows. Just like it's true on a physical level. If I have a situation where somebody has Asperger's syndrome and they can't.

6:34 They can't understand how to engage socially. We have to teach them how to do it. So too, when it comes to the soul. Sometimes a person experiences blockages of the soul. How many people here understand intuitively what I'm talking about? A blockage of the soul. Raise your hand if you have any idea what I'm talking about. A blockage of the soul. I'll give you an example of what that means. You ever show up to davening and have no interest in davening? The rest of you, that means right. You have to let me know if you're all just looking at me like this. I have no idea what the answer to that question is. Has anyone here showed up to dabbing had no interest in dabbing? Welcome back. Great. That is a blockage of the soul, right? That's a blockage of the soul. Imagine if somebody came to you and said, "I love my wife.

7:21 I used to love my wife And now I don't know. I just don't feel anything, and honestly, I feel it's like a chore to sit down and talk with her. Can science answer that question? Maybe. Welcome back. How would science answer that question? Clearly there's a lack of chemical response. So maybe science could measure the chemicals. But if you go to a biologist and not a marriage therapist when your marriage is falling apart, you're probably gonna I hope you had a prenup. Because it's probably not gonna work out. Make sense? So why would you go to a marriage therapist when your marriage is falling apart? Because it's not a matter of the intellect. It's a matter of the soul. There's a blockage in the soul. So what do you need to figure out how to do? You need to cultivate the talent of the soul.

8:14 Does that make sense? So if a person says, "I don't like coming to Davening" You can do one of two things. I'm not telling you that either one are wrong. But you can do one of two things. You could speak to his mind, or you could speak to his soul. What would it look like to speak to his mind? It would be as follows: If a guy says I'm having trouble davening, let's send him to Eishat Torah. Let's send him to a discovery seminar, and we're gonna send him in Riviantov Blazer Sheer, Rivka Friedman Sheer, Rutfy Berger Sheer. They're gonna prove God X Y Z. He's gonna come to davening the next day. What do you think? Kramer says no. Why? Even like I would say Facts. Let's say there's even if you're not practicing being even. But I'm giving them all reason. God created the world.

9:06 Judaism is true. So what's that? Is that a chesaron in your intellect or a chesaron in your soul? Exactly right. You can go, and sometimes it works. Sometimes you go to an Eishat Torah discovery class, right? You walk out of there, your mind is blown, and the next mincha yudav, and after that morning's classes, you're like shuckling like you're having a seizure, because you're just on fire with your Judaism. Maybe, but your response intuitively—you didn't even 100% understand why when you were shaking your head no. But I saw that you were right. Your response intuitively is that wouldn't work for me. Why not? Because even if you've proven it to me There still may be a disconnect between my intellect and my soul. Shalom. For sure. Again, I wasn't saying one or the other. You definitely need the intellect for Judaism doesn't tell you to be stupid, so we definitely say that you need the intellect. The question is, when you have a blockage in the soul, sometimes the blockage might manifest itself intellectually.

10:13 So you need to go to that Eishat Torah discovery class. But more often than not, and that's why I'm with Tuvia on this one, more often than not, it's got nothing to do with the intellect. A problem in the soul is a problem in the soul. It could be that when a person is having a problem in their marriage, it could be that one of the parties has a chemical disorder. They need to go to a psychiatrist. They need to take medicine because that medicine, let's say they're depressed, is going to help their depression and the male of their marriage is going to get together. It could be that science is partially an answer to the question, but more often than not, it's a blockage of the soul, not a blockage in science. As I think I think in many ways, because psychology is an imprecise science, because it's not like psychiatry. Let's just measure the chemicals and respond accordingly. It more belongs in the humanities in some respect.

11:05 David, you want to say something before you got it? So far, so good. So then the avoda is as follows: If you are a person who's sitting in the shir and saying, "I have questions about Judaism." I want you to ask yourself now the following question: Why do I have questions about Judaism? One of two reasons. Maybe both are true. Reason number one: Intellectually, I don't know if I believe in this. That's fair. Makes sense. Reason number two: There's a part of me that knows I believe in this, even though I don't know why I believe in this. There's a part of me that knows I believe in this. But I'm disconnected from that part. How many people here have any idea what I'm talking about? Raise your hand if you have any idea what I'm talking about. There are some people that come in. They come into this year and they go I don't know if I believe this is true. It's purely intellectual. If you can show me the math, I'll believe it. And I think you would disagree with them, but they would say, as soon as you show me the math, as soon as you show me one plus one equals two, I'm down to Davin every single day. No ifs, ands, or buts. Do you believe them? Do you believe them when they say that?

12:16 I don't believe them when they say that either, but that's what they say, and so we're going to respond to them accordingly. Between you and me, what's likely going to happen? The first few days maybe is going to last, and then it's going to die off. Because relationships are a talent of the soul, not a talent of the intellect. Is it the way you build a relationship with someone, and they're figuring out who they are, for example, by sitting down and talking? You figure out like you think like it's not just like you just feel something for a person or not. Like I could see a kid in the class and be like that kid's weird, but sit down and have a two-hour conversation with them and see if it's amazing. Great example. So all I want to know is this. When you want to build a relationship with someone.

13:04 If your initial reaction is that the kid's weird, What's the chance you're going to sit down and have that two-hour conversation with them? Why is that? How did you know? What was the part of you that knew that kid was weird? Not necessarily like the way they look on their face, right? Because there's something more than that. Because sometimes a person can look a particular way on their face, and you have one interaction with them, and right away you go, nope, that's not going to be my boy this year. How'd you know? Let's. You just. Know right? You just feel it. It's instinctual. Not everything is intellectual. Let's take. I don't know if I gave you guys the Mona Lisa muscle already before. Some people think it's a beautiful picture. I thought not so much. It's a talent of the soul. Did I tell you guys the story about the guy in yeshiva that was dating And he told me she was the most beautiful girl in the world?

14:04 This is a great one, and it exactly answers your question. Many years ago. A guy in yeshiva is dating, not in mevaser. This is back when I was in America. I was already married, so I was the young koylal guy that some of the guys would come to and talk to about their dating. Sometimes you don't want to talk to a rebbe about your dating life, so you want to talk to a younger guy, but someone who's a little more experienced. So I was that guy. So there was this one guy who used to come to me to talk to me about his dating all the time. Should I break up with this girl? Should I continue going out with this girl? He had all sorts of questions. One day he comes in. He sits down and he's got the brightest look on his face, like his whole life just came and it's awesome. I said, "What's going on?" He said, "Last night I met the girl I'm going to marry." I said, "Really?"

14:54 He goes, "It's not even a question. This is the one." I said, "One date?" And you know. He goes, "I know for sure." "Tell me about the date. He said, "It was amazing. Amazing date." He said, "We went out. We went to a park." We were at the park too late at night. The park was officially closed. The cops came to tell us that we had to get out of the park. And she spoke back to the cops like, "I like the fact that she stood up." She's like, "What's the difference if we're here or not?" That's exciting for him. But works for him. Fine. Sadie told me this whole thing. So I said, "Great. Sounds like personality-wise, you guys really get along." He goes, "Yeah, perfect." I said, "Haskafkaically, did you discuss important things in life and where you're going with each other?" He goes, "Yeah" Everything I want, she wants. She wanted to live in this community, I wanted to live in that community. She wants to send her kids to this type of school, I wanted to send my kids to this type of school. She wants to have this type of house, I wanted to have this type of house. It was like perfect. I said, "Okay, personality and our shkafa." There's only one last thing.

15:49 You attracted her. He looks at me and he goes "She's drop dead gorgeous." I said Amazing! I'm so happy for you. I'm so excited for you. What an amazing thing! Who set you up? So he said, 'This Rebbe in yeshiva set me up.' " He's like, "This Rebbe, he's unbelievable. He just has a talent, a sixth sense. He knows how to set guys up. Every time he sets somebody up, it like works out. I don't get it." So afterwards, later, I went to that Rebbe and I said,"Rebbe, I heard you set up this guy." And he goes, "Yeah." I said, "Rebbe, I spoke to him this morning. He's like, 'This is the one.'" He said, "I know. He came back. He was so excited. I spoke to her this morning. She's so excited. They're going out again. It's going to be amazing." I said, "Rebbe, he told me personality-wise they got along, and hashkafically it was perfect." But Rebbe told me She's drop dead gorgeous.

16:38 Can I borrow your arm for a second? He went like this to me. Come with me right now. He grabbed. You know what I'm saying? He didn't just say come. He grabbed. It's a hurtful thing. He grabbed me. So I was like being schlepped out of the beis medrash. I went into his office. He sits me down and he says to me This is the ugliest girl I've ever met in my entire life. I was like what are you talking about? He goes. Explain to you something. This girl is so ugly, How ugly is she? This girl is so ugly. That I didn't want to set him up because I thought he'll never talk to me again. I was like, wait a second. Why would you set him up with her then? He's like, my wife made me do it. So I was like, oh my god, this is crazy.

17:32 And this guy thinks she's drop dead gorgeous. So in my head, I'm like, all right, which one is true? Is she drop dead gorgeous or just drop dead? I was waiting to see. I'm so excited to see. Nobody was more excited for this engagement than me. I know they were excited, but trust me, my excitement was much greater than the couple's excitement themselves. It comes a time he says I'm getting engaged this Sunday. There's a lachaim tonight. Can you make it? I never go to lachaims because Gotta go lachaim and a var and a wedding. I've got learning to. Don't have time to be running all over the place. I'm coming to your lachaim. No question. I got there before the couple. I'm waiting at the door. Are they here yet? Are they here yet? Are they here yet? I'm like that little kid. I'm so excited. They come in the house by the lachaim and he comes in first. Come on, you know move.

18:24 And she comes in and you know what. She was not drop dead gorgeous. And she wasn't drop dead. And then I remembered Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Why? Because it's a talent of the soul. Of course, a relationship can be built. Sometimes you meet a girl and you think to yourself right away, I don't know if she's attractive. Three, four dates later, and all of a sudden she's drop dead gorgeous. What changed? The relationship built. But if you don't have that initial soul connection It won't work. Won't work. I'll share with you. Many years ago, I sat through a very uncomfortable sicha here in Yeshiva Shari in Vaseret Zion when our founding rishivir of Azaria Berzon was giving a Tuesday night shmuus to the yeshiva, and he said, "Guys, asked him a dating and marriage question. So the question was, can you marry a girl you're not attracted to?"

19:16 And it was a Choshav Rashiya, a Talmud of Rassalvechik. So we were expecting some sort of highfalutin answer with words that we didn't understand. Classic Rassalvechik style. So he looked at us and he goes "Look, I don't think a two is going to turn into a ten, but you know, maybe a six could turn into an eight." And we were like, "What?" It was the last thing in the world we were expecting. And he's like, "Take my wife for example. She's a ten." And we're like, "Oh my God! Just stop talking!" But it was—it's true? We all know that to be true because the talent of the soul can be cultivated. David, does that answer your question? Fair. So Getting back to it now. So let me ask you a question then. What's higher and lower? What's first and second? Logic or emotion? Logic. Anyone else disagree?

20:20 Not that I simply disagree. I just think it depends on the person. Anybody think that Emuna should come first? If you don't have Emuna You're not gonna try to look for answers a lot. Abe. I think it depends on the situation. Give me an example for a relationship. Emuna does. There are times when Emuna doesn't. So you need both, right? For a relationship. You need both, Jeffrey. But Chaver, do you see what's happening right now? It's amazing. All of you are right. But you're all coming from your own personal preference. Those that are more intellectual are naturally going to say, "I can't work on something I don't understand." Fair. Some of you are saying, "Yeah, but I'm not going to work on something that I don't feel." Fair. And then Abe comes along and says, it goes the same thing. It's like you need both, and it depends on the situation.

21:25 So it goes. It's very easy. It's a very easy formula, and it goes like this: You need faith and logic, emuna and yediyah. Just like you need science and art. Math and poetry. If you only have one So it's off. It's like a person who only learns Gemara. But he doesn't learn Tanach or Chasidus or Musar or Ashkaf. It's an imbalance in the equation. So here's what it would look like if I only had faith. This is what it would look like. I love you so much And then the girl says What do you love about me? I have no idea. Not a very meaningful relationship. Or on the flip side, the husband says. What do you mean? I don't love you. I can tell you everything about you. That's nice But that's not love. That's everything about. That's everything about you. About you has nothing to do with you.

22:29 A person can learn Gemara from today till tomorrow, and you've seen this. Every one of you has experienced this. You can learn Gemara from today till tomorrow, and the problem with Gemara is I know a lot about what God wants. But I don't feel connected to God. And the opposite is true. You have guys that daven amazingly, just intuitively. These guys know, wake up, and they're daveners. But when you ask them, I love it that you're so in love with Hashem. Can you tell me what God wants? They have no idea how to answer the question. They're amerazi. So a guy in yeshiva who says, Rebbe, I don't know what's bothering you. I come to all my staram. I'm learning amazingly. I'm doing great in yeshiva. But he's not coming to minion in the morning. What would you say? It's nice that you can tell me about what God wants when it comes to divorcing your wife. I'm glad that you're learning the sugya of pidyon shvuyim in the morning. Now you know what God wants if you're jailed, or if somebody in your community is jailed. It's an important sugya, very relevant here in Israel, especially where we have captives from Hamas. It's awesome that you can tell me about what God wants, but if you don't daven in the morning, do you have any relationship with God?

23:42 Isn't that a little off? And vice versa, a guy who gets frustrated. Let's put it the opposite way. How many people in their lives have been frustrated because all they've been taught is Gemara? So from the time I was in fifth grade, I was learning Elu Mitzias. It's great. Now I know what God wants me to do if I find a lost object. Probably I'm just going to steal it anyway. Let's be honest, probably I'm just going to put it in my pocket and go. Simon, not Simon. Unless it has the guy's name in it, it's going in your pocket. This is reality. But honestly, I have no idea why I'm doing this. How many times do I go in an interview and a guy says, 'Maybe I want to know why I'm doing it.' Isn't that fair? You don't have one without the other. Your Judaism will be imbalanced. Makes sense? What do you consider logical or factual? Some, because for example, you say Why can't we turn on light on Shabbat? You might explain the fact why, and he might say, "I don't agree with that. I don't." For example, I was talking to two people at the hotel about how the coin god will walk in certain places and nobody else can walk.

24:47 So I was asking, why can't two walk through there? Isn't it God's house? We all should be able to walk everywhere. They said those rules are so much preparation and everything. But some people might just say I don't agree with that. I think I'm the same person as a coin god. The life can also be able to walk. What kind of logic can you use when the essence of a coin god is. Something you like, like it's not like physical. See, that's a great example. Because it's a question of where you put divinity. If you believe in the Torah's divinity So then you can attach a finite reason to it. But we should always be mindful of the fact that there's something beyond logic. So I can get you to a point for guys like Jeffrey. Because Jeffrey says If I'm going to work on this, I have to know why. You got to give me the logic, and turning yourself on from the logic feels stupid. And he's right.

25:48 So when it comes to a chok, the Rambam brings down reasons for chukim, as does the Ramban, as do many Rishonim. Because there are reasons. But we also have to know that chok is not limited to the reason. So even if I don't understand the reason, even if I don't agree with it. That's where it goes into the realm of, and nevertheless, because I believe in the divinity of this thing, because I believe it to be true, not here, but here in the soul, I'll still be loyal to it, and I'll still search for answers that are more meaningful to me. For example, you may have come and say, "This is an area of kedusha, right?" And then a person goes, "But I feel, right?" Which is the way ninety nine percent of these questions start. I feel is not the beginning of a logical question. I'm more than happy to validate your emotion. But that's not. You're not asking me a question. If you say, "I feel like God doesn't exist," what do you want me to say back? I feel he does.

26:43 Now what? We're not having an intellectual conversation. If you feel like God doesn't exist, we're having a soulful conversation. What's the blockage in your soul? So if you say, 'But I feel like we should be allowed to walk anywhere, and God's house should be an invitation for all people,' we could also talk about the fact that relationships have boundaries. We have logical answers to those questions. But even if you don't. Remember, having the talent of the soul. It moves it over a notch. Does that make sense? That's how we started off in the very introduction. If you only have a logical proof, what happens if the logic falls apart? Then you're still left with something that remains. In a modern context. Louder. I'm a little deaf. In a modern context, where a lot of people Atheism is starting to question. Yes. By the way, that's not a modern question.

27:41 People have been asking that question for centuries. Of course, to a very extreme degree I would say. How do we personally find the balance between imuna and logic here? Because the logic is saying things need to change because the world is definitely unmanageable. See what happens is you're going to fall into a big trap right now. I'll just stop you before you fall in. You're gonna tell me that the halacha needs to change because, and then you're gonna fill in some answer that's irrational, and I'll tell you why. If the Torah is timeless, meaning if it is divine, that means it applies equally in every moment of every day throughout history. So now the question is, what moves? And this is the great question of our lives. When we have things in our life, we have to decide what's mutable and what's immutable. If you believe in the divinity of the Torah, which maybe you don't, I know you do. But let's say a person believes in the divinity of the Torah now, everything else has to move around it.

28:44 And what happens is, and this is happening for sure in an extreme way in our generation. But don't worry, it'll only be more extreme in the next one. Is as we arrive to certain conclusions from the perspective of the humanities, we may decide incorrectly now. The Torah needs to change, or the Torah is wrong. That's not really a fair thing to say because it's not rational. In other words, if your belief in the Torah is just as a code of ethics, then I agree. Mali, this code of ethics or that code of ethics. Once you accept the divinity of the Torah, there is no reason for the Torah to change. So the answer is, my logic would not at all dictate logically that the Torah should change. So I agree with that as far as forming your own personal opinion. But in a broader sense, in all society.

29:34 Choose on the left, right now. We should. So they say abortion should be allowed. Sexualities should be legally allowed. Even though I know, because I believe in the Torah, and I don't believe that Torah changes for values, I believe these things are wrong. At the same time, saying these things are wrong means people are wrong. So my question is In the sense of society, how do you manage to It's such an important question. I'm going to give you a clear answer. And the clear answer goes like this: You have a right in your life to believe things, and just because that offends the sensibilities of others doesn't mean you don't have a right to believe them. And basically, that's what's happened today. If you exist on either side of the aisle today, because today the world is so polarized, people are absolutely lost their minds. But if you are on this side of the aisle What you've done is you've villainized everybody on that side of the aisle. So reasonable people can disagree with respect.

30:44 But that's not what's happening to me. It's like if you believe this, you're a Russia On both sides, and that to me is nuts. So you're allowed to believe whatever it is that you want, and the fact that people on this side of the aisle are offended by that is not your issue. There's a difference between being offensive, which you shouldn't be, and believing something which you're absolutely entitled to. That's number one. Number two The fact that people are so easily offended today is a function of the fact that they're disconnected from their soul. Because people who have a soul are very confident, truly confident, and not arrogant. They're truly confident in their beliefs, and they even invite other beliefs into the conversation because it helps sharpen theirs. You understand? Number three The Torah welcomes scenarios throughout history where the civilized world may disagree with it, and what that does is it allows us to sharpen the Torah's viewpoint. For example, when it came to abortion or homosexuality. So now it's an important question for us to ask: What does the Torah actually say? Does the Torah just say you're terrible? You're a rasha. The Torah splits between the act and the person.

32:00 Are there scenarios where abortion is muter? So what would the Torah say about a blanket statement of there shall be no abortions? And that's a fascinating question, and it forces us to be mechadeed a little bit more. What the Torah actually says. So far from us being offended by what civil, what the civilized society does, we welcome the opportunity to debate it, not to argue for the sake of convincing somebody else, but to sharpen the points and arrive further at the truth. We do it in Gemara. Everything is a machlokas, and machlokas allows us to be mechade the point to sharpen it further and further until you get to its truth. Why would we not do it when it comes to the civilized world? That fair? Clear response? Something I kind of want to say to you. It's like something that I heard in school is that society today looks at Torah through the lens of society rather than looking at society through the lens of Torah.

32:55 It's instead of you know seeing things from it's just a matter of perspective that all of a sudden. Everyone's so quick to say that the Torah is terrible for saying this. Where did that originate? Right. That if it originated in. The Torah's divinity. Then I doubt you would come to that conclusion. If it originates in the humanities, then we have to ask ourselves what's primary in our life. Don't you think that just as science I like when you start off my questions by saying, "Don't you think?" Because the answer is, "I have no idea." Let's see what I think. You'll tell me. That just as science has advanced, from much more primitive in the last couple hundred years, at some point in the future I would call the humanities and soft sciences now, such as. Relationships like psychology. I think the thing will eventually advance into more hard, not eventually science. We'll be able to evaluate things based off just like.

33:48 You realize that you're describing a world Where we lose our humanity. Oh. Let's not build that world. As eventually. Every time throughout history, we've attempted to do that Hundreds of millions of people have died. Jokes. One example, but it's the same thing. When it came to, we said people don't really have free will of their own. It's all based on capitalist system. So down with capitalism. Let's go with Marxism. That resulted in communist Russia. Stalin killed over sixty million of his own people. Every time throughout history that we've tried to remove the humanities from the sciences, every time we've tried to remove the soul Millions of people have died. Hundreds of millions of people. It's a bad idea. I think it's great that science is advancing. I want to know what science tells me about what and how. I want to know what and how to the max. That's amazing.

34:43 Thank God that we have religion on the other side of that equation to say that for every what and how there's a why, and that's what keeps the world in balance. Make sense? So I think there was somebody who asked. I forget who it was in the beginning of the year. Can we speak in a general sense about the role of science and religion? Without religion, science is exceptionally dangerous. And without science, religion isn't answering half the equation. So you have to be both. Yeah. Yes For sure. Lots of people tell me they're content. And that's fine. I have no reason. Remember, if you tell me you're content, then great. We're probably not going to have much of a conversation after that. But I wonder, in my experience, in the few years of teaching that I have I wonder why so many atheists come to have conversations.

35:48 I wonder why they do that. Why can't they just go? I don't have any need to have this conversation. Why do they invite the conversation? Why do they search it out? There's something about them that's saying. I know this is true. For example, I had a guy at my house, which I told you guys about on the first Shabbos of the year. But I really spoke about his friend Tyler. There was a guy at my house who told me that he went to Binghamton. And he was an avowed atheist. And then he said, in his words, Jewish things kept happening to me, and now he's a full-fledged practicing Jew. I said, Well, what happened to your atheism? He goes, Come on, Rabbi, you know how it goes. I'm saying, you're an atheist until you're not, and maybe you will be. Maybe you'll be an atheist for the rest of your life, and that's fine. You have every right to choose how you want to lead your life.

36:35 As we see the rise in atheism, I wonder if it's not coincidental that we also see the rise in depression and anxiety, suicide, people numbing themselves with drugs, alcohol, television, inappropriate sexual relationships, and marriage falling apart. I believe there's causation, not just correlation. People are welcome to disagree with me. But I think it's interesting. Person who's deeply connected to them, soul is deeply connected to themselves. It's actually really relevant. Polytheism is really important because while we may not believe in many gods, we certainly believe in many things, and we ascribe power to things without God being behind them. The difference between Judaism and other religions is we say Shema Israel, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad. Soft core monotheists believe in one God. Hardcore monotheists believe in oneness, so that every power in the world, whether that's financial power, sexual power, every single power in the world is being driven by that one god. So it's absolutely relevant.

37:41 Our ability to handle that which is distinct from each other is absolutely predicated on the belief in one god. So let's go back to our example before that. Reuven was bringing about how do I discuss things with people that disagree with me. If you believe in one god, then you believe that every single person has something unique to contribute to the conversation. You invite difference in your life. You appreciate and value the dignity of difference. If you don't believe in that, if you believe in polytheism, so to speak, then difference is dangerous, and we have to get everyone together. That was communism. That was Mikdash Bavel, making everyone the same. That nightmare of everyone being the same is a disaster. And that's what we have to be so careful about in religion, because remember, religion invites difference. True religion invites difference. When religion starts to be like, okay, every one of you has to think the same way and talk the same way and every one of you has to relate the same way to God, that's when it becomes very dangerous.

38:33 There, I've got six minutes. Do I take questions? Or do I finish what I have to do for today? Cone says I finish. Let's finish. Let's do both. I believe in one God. I don't believe in the capacity to extend time on my level. Two ways of experiencing the soul, and then tomorrow we'll pick it up with five dimensions of the soul, and then next week we'll start to move into. We'll see. Positive and negative. Negative, we spoke about already. Negative means, and you'll hear this from a lot of people. I wish I could believe But I don't. How many people have ever heard that before? I wish I could believe but I don't. Maybe you've even felt it yourself. Who, who's, who's speaking? Which part of you is speaking when you say, "I wish I could believe, but I don't"? Some would say in this room, it's a fair argument. Some would say they would say that society You're just afraid to leave religion.

39:52 Because you're gonna leave your parents, your community. Undoubtedly, there's gonna be a negative impact you're going to have to deal with. Maybe, and yet when you speak to those people If you probe past the just societal stuff, what might you hear from them? You might hear things like "Yeah, it's weird, because honestly, I do feel that if I had the courage, I could just leave, and still I stay." My friend, who is absolutely off the derech, eats pork on Yom Kippur. Mamish, nothing, no Shabbos, no kashrus, nothing. And yet Every year, including just yesterday, he calls me to wish me a k'siv v'chesima taiva and a good kebenchir. And by the way, he says it like that, taiva. He called me and said, "He's like k'siv v'chesima taiva." I said, "Ooh" You're from?' He said, 'Taiva.' Why does he always call me? Not weird. Calls me before every yontif. Now you could say he's just being polite.

40:52 Maybe. And yet another story with him. He told me, "You're never gonna believe what I just did." I made a Friday night Shabbos suddah in my house for all my gayish friends. I said, 'What? You made kiddush?' He goes, 'Yup.' I made kiddush, challah, all the classic Jewish food. I even printed out zmiros and I had them on YouTube in the background so that everyone could sing along. A traditional Friday night dinner. A kid who grew up in yeshiva just like yours. Because he went right here to mivbasar. He was my chavrusha. He used to wake up at five o'clock in the morning to learn with me. I said What are you making a Friday night suitor for? He goes, 'Oh, don't do anything with your pinto liyid. Don't be so frum about it. Trust me.' This is just me trying to teach my Gentile friends something about the culture that I come from.

41:45 And yet, this year he called me up before Pesach. And he says, 'You're not going to believe it. I eat matzah all year long.' He shows me the box of matzah that they have in his neighborhood in the Czech Republic. There's pork on the box of matzah itself. So I said, 'You're going to eat matzah on Pesach?' He goes, 'Yeah, probably. I always eat matzah.' "This guy's sold." Is screaming out for a connection. Talk to somebody who's got a sick relative. And all of a sudden everything in their life is falling apart. A person that doesn't come to diving Kal Shem Kalim, weak And yet all of a sudden that day they're really diving. What are they doing? Just hedging their bets. That's what they might tell you intellectually, but when they really open up, what are they saying? I felt something. Why? Because in moments of pressure.

42:37 The truth comes out. When you wipe away all the nonsense, the truth comes out. So that we've spoken about. But I want to go the positive for two seconds, and we'll finish up with this. What if this light bulb Right here, this one. Said, "I don't believe in light." What would you say to it? I would say What are you gonna do? That's not bad. Most of us would probably look at the light bulb and say You are shining right now. What does that mean? You don't believe in light. It's irrational. To those that say I don't believe in God. I would ask you Who's the you that's talking? Where are you? Point to yourself. Is the you that's speaking this protoplasm? Is it your brain? Are you just your brain? Is that all you are? If you were brain dead, would it be no problem to just stab you to death?

44:03 Take your lesson from it. I don't think so. So you'd have no problem. Wait. It's. You'd have no problem with something that has no rational faculties. With killing. At that point, to kill it, it's brain dead. But Shlomo, I want you to be gruesome about this. I'm going to hand you the knife. Why gruesome? Why don't you do? No. See, that's just because you're afraid. I'm going to hand you the knife, and I want you to stab that thing to death. It's not even a person anymore, just a thing, right? Emotion never wants to. Why not? Emotion never. Emotionally Why not? Psychological weakness. I don't know. Superstitious. Is it really just a psychological weakness that you can't stab it to death if that person wanted to be more alive? I can't have them like they're DNR, do not resuscitate. So if a person was in a coma Maybe they come out of it, maybe they don't. But right now they have no rational faculties. Kill them.

45:05 I think I'm out of it. I don't know. There's a difference between brain dead and coma. But that's the point. That's is. At what point do you lose your humanity? If you define humanity just by your brain Then what's the difference if it's temporarily off or it's off legamry? You might say that. What if a person? Let's take it a step further. What if somebody had a chromosomal defect where they don't have the same rational capacity for thought? Would you kill them then? Why not? What's the difference? Aren't we just talking about degrees now? If you could use fifty percent of your brain, or you could use a hundred percent of your brain, but not right now because you're in a coma, versus you'll never use a brain again. What's the difference? Why does your brain define your humanity? And by the way, what does that say about any of your relationships? Are they all brain oriented?

45:52 Because a child who's born with a genetic defect I think the parent still loves that child. What's the pshat? Well Rabbi used a term capable of rational thought. So I only love something because it's capable of rational thought. We've used the term and I don't like that term. How would you define someone's humanity? So I'm going to put in the qualifiers, and you're not going to like it from a secular point of view. Because I'm going to do it. I would say, remember, I said percentages. If this thing's brain functioning is anything over zero percent, you cannot kill it. Because that's where we find life. Who defined life that way? From a secular perspective, who defined life that way? Society. So it's very. So you're right. Your argument fell apart. Your argument fell apart already. I wasn't actually arguing that. No. I understand, but I'm saying you can't make that argument rationally. It just won't work.

46:52 Everybody knows that when Hitler killed two hundred fifty thousand people that were disabled, right? And by the way, that's true. He killed two hundred fifty thousand people that were disabled from the years nineteen thirty nine to nineteen forty five. It was because he was coming with that distorted worldview of you are your mind, and if you're less your mind, then why not kill you? The answer is because you're also a soul. Who's the you that's asking the question?