Transcript
Automatic transcript; may contain mistakes, especially in Hebrew.
Okay, if you take a look in this week's parsha there's some well-known stories. Very often when we're learning Chumash we skip sukkim. We don't realize we're doing it. We just move so fast through the stories that when we see one or two or three sukkim that don't appear to be relevant to us. So we just kind of like move fast through them. So I want to share with you there's three sukkim in this week's parsha that it's just like we move. I'm sure again I never really pay attention to the stories. Life Turns into a Pillar of Saul, good. At the end of that story, there's a break, there's a couple of sukhim, we'll read them in a moment, and then there's another story of Lodon, his daughters say there. Some of us are familiar with that story too. But there's a couple of sukhim that are like, almost out of like left field, don't appear to advance the narrative in any way, but these sukhim, as we'll soon see, are actually fundamental to every one of us in our life.
There's nobody in this room that hasn't been impacted by these psukkim, but it happens so fast that we generally don't pay attention to these psukkim. So let's read these psukkim now. Loach's wife has just turned into a pillar of salt. Listen to the next words of the Torah. Beyash'kim Avraham babokeh. What does Avram do? Excellent classroom participation. Avram wakes up in the morning. El hamakom asher amad sham espenayash'em. What do those words mean? To the place where he stood before the face of God. Does that make any sense to anybody in this room? I shouldn't go, just watch the turn, just watch the turn. Loth's wife turns into a pillar of salt. The next line in the story is, an Avram got up in the morning and he went to the place where he stood before the face of God. What obvious questions are there? What has this got to do with anything?
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The next story should be about who? That Lo just ran away, his wife died. What should the next line in Chumash B? And Lo was with his daughters, and his daughters thought that the world was destroyed and then that whole story happens. Instead, we have a line here that Avram Avinu woke up in the morning and he went to the place which we don't at first know where it is. We don't know where this place is, but it's the place where he stood and he encounters the face of God. So far so good? Okay, and then what happens? Vayashkeh ha'punei sudom Vamorav al kolpunei Eretzakikah And now in this place that Avram standing where he once stood before the face of God, he is now looking out and he's observing sudom, amora, and the entire plains. Yeah, which means what's he looking at? He's looking at the ruins. He's looking at everything V'yar v'hine allah kithara arets kithara kivshan Once in my life, not twice, once in my life, I've had to, not had to, but I chose to look at the aftermath of destruction.
You girls weren't born yet. There was such a thing called September 11th. I was in New York on September 11th. I was in Queens. I remember exactly where I was when the first plane and the second plane hit the World Trade Center. Several weeks later, one of my closest friends and I, we went to ground zero. You know what ground zero means? Ground zero means the place of the destruction. In that place of the destruction, weeks later the fire was still burning. Because when buildings like that just fall, it's not like the fire goes out after a day or two. The fire is trapped and it's being oxygenated. And so weeks later they had bleachers set up and we went and we looked at this devastation of 9-11 and I have to tell you, probably the most horrific thing I've ever seen in my I can't imagine what it was like The Single Craziest Thing So in the middle of this entire story about Saddam being destroyed and low running away and his wife turns into a pillar of salt, what do we find?
Avram Avida wakes up in the morning, goes to the place where he stood before Hashem and what does he look at? He looks at Saddam, Amorah, the entire plains and what does he see? The smoke is rising off the ground like the burning of a furnace. Last Pasuk and then it V'y'heb shechayz eloh kim v'y'yishka eloh kim v'yishta chazloh mitocha feicha ba'afo chazarim hasher yosho ban loth And now the Torah tells us a detail of the story that we already know. Girls, who was saved from Sedom? We know Loth's wife died, but Loth was ostensibly saved. But now the Torah tells us, and when Hashem destroyed the cities of Sedom and Amor and the Kikar, Hashem remembered Avrom. Tov Vrom So He Sent Lo from out of the destruction and therefore Lo was able to survive. So we have three pzukim here that appear to have nothing to do with our story. Three pzukim that are totally irrelevant. You know girls, there's a movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark. You girls have ever heard of this movie? Because you've never seen a movie in your life.
Brech Hashem, the Tami Doth of Tomer Devorah are absolutely pure. One of the famous kashas The story of the lost Ark is...if you took out Indiana Jones, who is the main character of the movie, the story stays exactly the same. It's like a famous kasha that they have on this movie. Every word of Torah is infinitely precious. If you can take out a pasak and it doesn't change the story, then the pasak shouldn't have been there to begin with. Here we have three pzukim, not one, not two, three pzukim that don't advance the narrative of the story in any way, at least at first blush. Avram Bida wakes up in the morning, goes to the place where he stood before God, witnesses the devastation, the destruction of Sedom and Amorah, Avram and it tells us, but because Hashem remembered Avram, Loet was saved. Very strange. So far so good. I have more questions. This is going to be one of those shirim where there's like a lot of questions in a row.
Yeah? You can handle that if we do like 10 questions in a row and then we'll do it in one fulsa woop and we'll answer all the questions at once. Okay, I got more questions. Here's another question. Why does the Torah need to identify the place where Avram is looking at? Where Avram's looking from? Because why is that important? If Abram, if what's important in this story is that Abram Avinu is witnessing the destruction, which I don't know why that's important But if it's important, does it matter to me that yesterday or at some point he stood in that place before the face of God? This is where classroom participation comes in. Okay, we got about 20% of you Let's try again There's a story. Saddam is destroyed. Abram Avinu goes to look at the destruction of Saddam Does it matter that he was here at some point in this place standing before the face of God?
No. Excellent job. I love it. We're doing better. Bez, Hashem, you're all going to meet your zebeb exactly at the right time. Amen. See? We're getting that rhythm. Although that was a better ameen than the no. But okay. Another question. Okay, let's say it's important to tell us that Abram of Enu was there at some point. Is it critical to tell us that this is the place where he once stood before Hashem? Why doesn't the Torah just tell us, he went to the place where he was yesterday or a week ago? No, no, no, no. This is not just any place. This is the place where he stood before the face of God. Why is that critical? You understand the question? Yes. I don't believe you. Okay. And last one, it sounds like, if you're following the logic, it sounds like it was critical Avramovinu returned to a place where he had once stood and a place where he encountered the face of God in order to be able to witness the devastation of stone.
In other words, I imagine just being silly about it, if this is Sedom, it's a huge place, right? You know how many towns were in Sedom? As she says, there were five towns in Sedom. This is a big place. Don't do it. It's a big place. Don't do it, Shoshan Hara. It's a big place. So he could have witnessed the devastation from here, from here, from here. If it was critical that Abramovino witnessed the devastation, then fun. But that's not what the Torah tells us. What's Critical? That he went to, we'll call this one, right? That he went to this place where he once Stood and encounter the face of god. That's what sort of like almost gave him permission To look at the destruction of saddam. And why would that be? So far so good? Okay. Now I I told you before that these sukhim are relevant to every one of you and so far I haven't proven them.
Because it doesn't sound particularly relevant to any of you. But there are two gamars. They're almost exactly the same. I'm not going to read them inside. It's Yerushalmi Imbrathos 4-1 and it's a bavli Imbrathos 26-B. Avram tik'entvila shakris You girls know how many times a day do we daven? Three. And not? Five. Excellent. Yeah, we daven three times a day. Good. Good to know that you're not Muslim, yeah? Now, we dab in three times a day. Now we dab in shakris, kenegedav ramovinu, mincha, kenegeditzvok, and mairav is kenegedyakof, right? Why was Yaakov the one that established mairav? Because he had 12 children at home. He did not want to do bedtime, so he's like, mairav, mairav, I gotta go to mairav. And then there's night seder. Yaakovinu was very firm, yeah? I got four wives, you can handle the kids. He didn't turn out so well, but okay the uh... So Avram Avinu is Mesachin Shachris. Where do you know that from?
How do you know that Avram Avinu was the first person to say Jews are dominating Shachris. Where in the world does that come from? These Sukkim. Look at the words. Avram tik'en tavilah shakr sheneh marv, yashkeim avram babok'el amakomashar amacham ve'en amidah elosham tavilah So the Gemara tells us that these tsuk'en, these three tsuk'en, where Sodom has just been destroyed, Loat's wife turned into her pillar of salt. What does Avram Vinu do? Avram Vinu goes, I'm getting up in the morning, I'm going, I'm getting up in the morning, and this for all time is now going to be like Tom or Devorah girls need to wake up and not wear their pajamas to go, Davin. And also on Shabbos morning, because Shabbos is not at two o'clock in the afternoon on Shabbos morning. That message is brought to you by when I came here last year for Shabbos.
You can make fun of the Shabbat girls later. Anyway, I'm sure every one of you is up a-sikit. Yeah? Judging all the Shabbat girls. I have a simple question, I'm sure you girls have the same question. Why of all the places in the world that Avram Avinu wakes up in the morning, is this the one that establishes Shakras? Are there any other places in the Torah where Avram Avinu gets up in the morning? Yeah, Kedis Yitrak. And if I was going to decide which one would be the one to tell us that Shakras was established, I would have thought that Kedis Yitrak is a pretty good choice. But no, it's the Vayashkhe Yavram Babokar and he goes to the place that he stood before the face of God that happens right after the destruction of stone. What in the world does that have to do with chakras? You understand the problem? Let's keep going. Girls, you know there's a halachah that you're supposed to daben in the same place every single day? It's called what?
Malcolm Kavua Right? Some people are super makbid on their Malcolm Kavua. They come to shul and if somebody is, God forbid, sitting in their seat, they kick them out of their seat. I, when I first moved to Eretz Yisrael, I davened in a shul that nobody said hello to me for an entire year except to say to me, you're sitting in my seat. And then after a year they said maybe you could start paying membership. And that was the last time I davened in that shul of Arhacham in that year. I met a friend and in the end my daughter married his son. So I guess it was worth it to go for a year, but not to be treated so nicely. My daughter has an awesome husband and I am an awesome son of Ma. Anyway, that doesn't meet the bar of an awe for Tomer Devourer.
There are better ones. No, no, no, no. I didn't mean it like that. I meant this wasn't a good enough story to say awe to it to begin with. I didn't mean ratchet up the awe. I meant knock it out completely. There's such a thing called the muk'em kavua. If we didn't know anything, I would say Makum Kavua is a pretty strange Halachah. I have to daben in the same place every single day. It's a little what? What you say? It's like digging a tunnel. It's like digging a tunnel? Like every day you dab in there, you're collecting what's done. That is so deep and so profound. I don't see it here in the Gemara, but it's a great idea and I love it. I love it. But still, I think it's a little weird if I'm being honest with you. I think it's a little weird because I don't know.
May I Daven inside? Tomorrow I go to the forest? Don't you girls hear all the Brestlers in the forest back here screaming tati? Yeah, it's not just me, right? You have a thing behind and if you listen carefully, if you attune your ears, you'll hear Brestlers walking in the forest behind Toma Devorah doing his modulus, talking to tati. You'll see, it's there. I would have thought, Daven in a mineral place every single day. Certainly, certainly, certainly To make it like a big deal to daven in the same place every day that's a little weird. Listen to what the Gemara says. Listen to what the Gemara says an amazing Gemara. Brakhos 6B. Amr el-chabo amr el-hooner el-chabo said in the name of avuna. Kol hakovei amakam l'tvilaso if you establish amakam kabuah for davening you know what you're Like elo k'avram be'ezro the god of abraham will assist you.
U'Keshhem meis omerimlo and when you die this is what they're going to say about If you daven in the same place every single day, E'anav, E'chassid, Mitamidav Shalav Ramavimu If you daven in the same place every day, you know what you are? You're humble, you're a chassid, and you are the student of Abraham our forefather. And where do you know this halachah from? Where do you know that Abram Avinu davened in a mukm kabua? Avram Avinu Minola D'Kavim Makam How do we know that Avram Avinu had an established place to Daven? D'Chisv, because it says in the Pasak, Vayashkam Avram Babokir. Avram got up in the morning, which we just learned was what? The source for? Avram Avinu. And where did he go? El Amakom, to the place Asher Ahmad Sham, to the place where he previously stood. So what does that tell you? It tells you that Avram Avinu had a set place.
And so this is a big deal. Our Pasak, which seems to be a throwaway Pasak that doesn't advance the narrative, At all! At least it appears to me! Not only is it important it's the source for shachris It's the source for having a makam kavua and having a makam kavua is so unbelievably important That if you have it when you die they look at you and they go woah! She was so humble! She was such a chassid! Not peyas chassid, not actual chassid, yeah! She was such a chassid! She was a student of avrava vino! That sounds like a lot! Even if you want to go with your digging Your Tunnel Muscle? That sounds like a tremendous amount. To say that just because you stood in the same place, you're an on-ups, I don't know, maybe you're arrogant. Just because you stood in the same place maybe you kicked somebody out of your muscles.
What in the world is going on over here? Okay, I want to try to learn something deep with you for a second. But in order to do this, let's take one step back. You're Avram Avinu. God has just told you that you are Av Hamon Gaim. David Avram Mevinu We are to understand a little bit more about the story of Saddam. You know, it's not obvious what the story of Saddam is about. We tend to think, because we get focused on the details, we tend to think that the story of Saddam is about the wicked people of Saddam who were destroyed and loathed. But what if I told you, and this is what I want to suggest tonight,
what if I told you that maybe another way of reading this story is that it's not a story about Saddam at all. But it's the story about Avram Avinu, who's now been given responsibility to be the father of every nation on this earth, Avram Avinu If you have a question or experience, even if you know what the words mean, it doesn't make davining easier. Because it doesn't really flow. You ever try to read it in English? Lord thy God, rock of Mysela. You don't know what half the words mean anyway. And even if you know what they mean, it just doesn't flow. It doesn't work. Some people say the problem is the words. I don't think the problem is the words. Some people say it's hard to teach spoiled kids how to davim.
Because they have so much. Why should they turn to God? They have a credit card. So they use their credit card. They don't need Hashem. It's an answer. I'll tell you the truth. I don't know if I believe in that answer. I think this is why it's so hard to daven and tell me if this makes sense to you because if you daven and You genuinely allow yourself to want something the vulnerability of actually caring is that the answer might be no and When we think what do you mean? It's easy to want something I have to tell you it's the hardest thing in my experience in the world to want anything What happens if you are heartbroken and devastated? I want sort of line love is giving someone the keys to your heart And asking them not to crush you inevitably if you love somebody they will cause You pain and the people you love most will probably be the ones to cause you the most Pain because if you love them and they hurt you, The pain feels exponentially larger many years ago I heard from one of my friends In 8th grade he got into a big fight with this kid who like mouthed off to him and his Rebbe Was rabbi gershon kramer who was like one of these like in the five towns rabbi gershon
Kramer was like an 8th grade Rebbe he was like a legend and rabbi kramer told my friend And my friend told me and I remembered it ever since since I'm 13 years older rabbi kramer Said to him he said something nasty to you so you had to say something nasty back if a The dog barks don't bark back at the dog I'll get it and then I'll lose it. It's possible but I'll never get it. And to be rejected time and Time Again is the hardest thing in the world. So how do we, and this is a very big deal, how do we show up to Daven in a way where we can turn to Hashem and genuinely access our desire? And I want to share with you why that's important. Because if you don't desire, you are the least powerful If you don't feel like you're aedavur omid b'chnei aurotso You girls know...I don't know how to do this with maachanayim, I can only do this with basketball Do You Know Basketball?
Do you have a hoop here in tommedorah or stom? Yeah! What Do You Mean? I didn't mean for that t'ole conversation, that's on me That tommedorah moment is my fault One Second, Stay With Me You know in basketball they have a drill where they take a ball, coach takes a ball and he rolls it down the court and two guys during practice have to chase the ball whoever picks it up first wins the drill and why is that hard? Because most people don't want to dive for the ball because then you're going to get burns all over yourself from like sliding on the floor so most people just bend down who wins that chase? The guy who wants it more because he's going to elbow the guy out of the way and he's going to dive on the floor and if you When you only want something nothing can stop you You actually in the game of basketball people think you have to be tall to get a rebound but it's not true You have to want it more than the other guy you have to be willing to box out You have to be willing to push them out of the way If you really really want it you'll get that rebound That's what makes a great rebound It's the same thing in life You see winners you see people that are really mutt's liach at anything
In their personal growth in business with their families I can tell you right now and you can do the same thing The difference between what people want and what people think they should want If you ever look at someone and you see, look at their life You'd say like this person is awesome at this, this, and this You know why they're awesome at it? Because that's what they wanted And then they have shoulds, you know what shoulds are? You know like when you go like I know I should go to the gym Because look you know I'm here I'm in seminary and the food is delicious Chef rina just made a briss I was at the briss and the food was delicious I'm pretty sure Shefrina made it because the food said baked made by the balasimcha. It's not it. Because she had a baby. You're missing out. It was amazing food. She's coming back. She's coming back.
But girls, if you say I should go to the gym, you know what you almost never do? Why not? Shudh is always a rule that stands outside of yourself. The key is this. If you allow yourself to desire, you'll be the most powerful person in the world. But the thing is, most people won't desire because the vulnerability is, I could get crushed. You know how many people out there are not willing to put themselves out there to get a shut up because they say, What If Somebody Says No? You know the best way to stay single is keep saying no to guys You Will Protect Yourself You Will Never Get Hurt If you say no you will never get hurt You will also never get married It is the hardest thing in the world to be vulnerable Where do you get the capacity in life to show up to something and say This is what I deeply desire knowing that the answer might be no You know what the answer is?
You have to be what's called firmly planted in your own soil or another terminology same concept is you have to be in self enough to know that just because the answer was no doesn't mean your life is over. Let's look at these fooken one more time. It's an amazing thing. Avram avinu was told I'm going to destroy sedom. Meaning what? He got up there. He stood in a place. Hashem said, no, there's no ten saddikim and stone, they have to be destroyed. What's the very next word? Vayashkim Avraham Babokir. What does that mean? He got up. Meaning what? Just because the answer is no, doesn't mean that the show is over. You ever meet people that when the answer is no in life they can't get up the next day? They're just devastated, they stay in bed for weeks on end. Why do they do that?
Every nation in the world avramovinu says, okay, if I'm responsible for every nation, that means I'm responsible for the worst ones, too. God don't destroy them. God says they have to be destroyed. Avramovinu is not devastated. He's emotionally connected to it. But he gets up the next day. And where does he go back to? To the same exact place. Means I'm still rooted. I have not been blown over. Because the answer in my life was no. And what makes this place so incredible? Because it's the place where he encounters the face of god. And the place where you encounter the face of god You are a soul of god And that is the single most important lesson we can learn
And this is how we're meant to encounter every single day Why Is This Shachris? This is shachris because and this is the most unbelievable idea This is shachris because this is the consciousness of how we're meant to start our day This is how it to start this day I have no idea what I'm going to encounter today You ever have a day where you just started off like a regular day and then everything went hey wire? Shabbos Yom Tov Vayera You have no idea what's going to happen
Hashem is not a vending machine and just because you pressed A6 and put in your 75 cents, just because you opened up the sitter and said the words and chuckled like you were having a seizure does not mean that Hashem is going to give you what you think is right in this moment. Hashem is going to do whatever is right. And you could ask, so why bother davening? To begin with, and that's a very profound question, but one thing for sure. Someone who davens is someone who desires and someone who desires is a force multiplier in this world. And so this story, this is what I believe. This story is not a story about Saddam at all. It's not the first time that a wicked civilization has been destroyed and it certainly won't be the last. It's a story about Avram Avinu coming into self, taking on responsibility for the entire world because that's what it means to be in self. If you are so deeply connected to God, as Avram Avinu was, that means you're connected to every one of his creations.
That means he's called upon to be the Avram ongoing. And in his first act, he goes, okay, I got to look out for the little guy. And God goes, sorry, not that one. And it doesn't shake him. The next day he's in the same exact place and he has the courage to look at it. And the Torah's descriptive. It says, look how those smoke is rising from the ground. He didn't come back two weeks later when everything was gone. He came back and he looked at it. And then the most amazing part. And then the Torah tells us, and it's like the Torah steps out and it narrates and it says, you know what happened? Vyiv ishaqas el-kim us'ariyatikar? You know what happened when God was destroying the entire plains of Sodom and Amorah and everything that was going on over there? Yisrael okemaz avram god remembers avram Yisrael chazlohitocha veychah nitzah Yisrael Eretz loth's life You know what that means girls?
It means even though the tefillah was a no, it doesn't mean it didn't work. You have no idea what happens when you put yourself out there. It might not look the way you wanted it to look. Certainly Avram Vinu lost it all. He went to, listen he played a good hand. He said to God, I'm here, I know why you want me here on this earth. I'm here to build this world into a place where your presence is manifest. And even in Sodom and even in Amorah, God goes sorry, not this one. So Avram Vinu thinks he failed. Hashem doesn't say this to Avram Vinu. Hashem says it to us. Hashem's telling us. He's saying, Avram Vinu got up in the morning and Avram Vinu went back to the same place he went back to his mukam kavu and nothing changed. He wasn't shaking. He was able to look at the devastation.
But what does Avram not know at this point? Avram Vinu doesn't know that Lot was saved. Who does the Torah tell that to? Tells it to us. What's the Torah telling us? Why is it important for us to know that Lot was saved? Because just because you think you didn't win the battle doesn't mean you didn't win the battle. You think the answer was no. You have no idea what you might have done with your tfilah. And this is a very profound thing because if you show up to Davening and you think I'm in control, no you're not. That's not what Davening is about. And look at the description of makum kavur remember there were 3 things and we'll finish with this 3 Things if you firmly root yourself in a place when you die because it's a lifetime achievement award It's not something that happens in a week and it's not one of those things I hate when people do this Like they go through something tragic and they're like 3 months later they go But it made me who I am sorry that's not the way that works 3 Months does not have the opportunity to make you who you are It's something that you live with for your entire life And you work on it and you work on it and you work on it and that's why the kamara says if you have a makam kavua
Then at the end of your life you know what people will say about you three things number one you're humble number two you're a chassid And number three you are from the students of avram avinu what does that mean? To be humble means to make space for somebody else Single greatest gift you could give anyone in your life is to pull yourself back to make space for another The humility of Avromovino is he shows up to God and he says, this is what I desire, but God, whatever you do, I'm here for it. That's the ultimate in humility. To show up to Davening in your Makam Kavua firmly planted to say to God, I desire this, but I've also turned my life over to you. That's step one. Step two, what does it mean to be a chassid? What does Rashi say a chassid is? Chassid doesn't mean pay us, chassid doesn't mean strymal. Chassid means somebody who lives L'Thnim Mishur Sadin.
That's what Rashi says. What does L'Thnim Mishur Sadin mean? L'fnymeshur Sadin doesn't mean that you take on every chumra in the world. L'fnymeshur Sadin means I'm not just connected to the commandment, I'm connected to the commander. So Avram Avinu shows up and he says, listen God, you're going to do what you're going to do. I'm all in on this relationship. I'm connected to you. I won't move from this spot just because you say no. Because I'm a chassid. I'm connected to you. And if you do that, at the end of your life, what will people say about you? Like, oh she was a tambidav Avram Avinu. Why? Because a student is not someone who sits in class. I have to tell you, plenty of girls go through Tomer Devorah and they can sit there, they can hand them their little green cards so that ICE will not deport them from Tomer Devorah. They could show up. People could be here in body. And there's always those, you know, like you have the body people.
Body people means I was present. Tomer Devorah can't get me in trouble. I can't get called I was there. Not everybody who is there is there. There are girls who are here and then there are girls who are here. You can always tell the difference. There are girls who are here and then there are girls who are here. And the girls who are here, even they don't necessarily become talmidot. Because to be a talmid of somebody, to be a real student means I'm open to receiving their wisdom. I'm learning from them. Maira'i Rebbe and many many people thousands of people came through a shir and in a private conversation once Latawelis He said to me Mordechai that guy was in my shir, but he's certainly not my talmud Just because you sat in the class doesn't mean you're a Talmud. They say this is about Rassal Vaychek Thousands of people went through Rassal Vaychek's shir. Not everybody who sat in shir was a Talmud What does it mean to be a Talmud of Avramavinu the greatest distinction that you could have you come at the end of your life At your funeral at your husband, you know they say she was a Talmud of Avramavinu How could you be zocha to something like that?
It means you have to be matabel the wisdom of avramavino You have to be a person who embodies this Not just believes it, it has to be in your bones That I'm capable of coming and I'm saying Hashem You gave me a responsibility I'll fight for every one of them You do what you're going to do This space I'm humble it belongs to you I'm connected to you no matter what If you do that then you're r'oi to the greatest title in the world which is To be the student of avramavino Girls Have A Beautiful Shabbos Subs by www.zeoranger.co.uk
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