Yiddishkeit is Not Made Up of Followers and Subscribers | Parshas Korach

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Um right, very well. Actually, you don't even have to look too far. It's the very very, very first Rashi of Parsh's Kar, where he talks about very well. And we'll get to there in a few moments.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

But first, Car dug a deep well.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

He did right, he did dig dig a deep well. Well, well, well. So I was driving to 2 30 p.m. Tov Pizza Mincha Minion this week, and there was a car in front of me, and there was a sticker. Maybe you've seen the sticker. It said, Do you follow Jesus this closely? That's what it said. So I went into the Aven Mincha and I was trying to concentrate in my prayers, but I was thinking about this line. Like, it's very interesting. Do you follow Yashka this closely? So the question tells us something about religion in general, right? That it's quote unquote, it's a following. Meaning, so the answer everybody might answer differently. Like, do you follow Jesus this closely? So for one person, and it might be yes, very closely. I keep all the laws, or I go to, you know, the church on Sunday and whatever it is that they're they're whatever their requirements are. You can fill in any other religion, you know, in Islam and whatever. Correct. So that's what I'm getting at. So do you follow this closely? And it is a chizik, like, yeah, how closely do you follow? It's almost assuming like you don't follow him this closely, so don't follow me this closely. Get off my tail. That's what it's assuming. Um, but just the terminology. So, yes, it's true, Yiddishkai, we follow Hakurish Brach, we follow the Torah. But it's a little bit deeper, and I was thinking about this that a following, right? If a person is putting out content online, YouTube, Instagram, so you have followers, subscribers. So these people are they're following you, but any like if you look at the definition of a follow of a follower, by definition, you're behind the sheep. Sheep are like a follower. And it's true, in that regard, the Jewish people, we are like the sheep and a Shemazar Shepherd. So there is this similarity, but I do think there's a step deeper that I'm trying to get at. And that is in Yiddishkite is not a it because it's not man-made, it's not a man-made religion. So it's not that there's followers, it's something much deeper. It's it's it's partners. And what I mean by that is that a follower means like you're behind, you're almost passive or reactive. So when somebody uploads a video or whatever, so now you get it in your feed, right? That's in the social media, right? But if you're following someone, that means you're like trailing along behind them. There's a certain level of of distance because you're following, you're trailing. In Yiddishkite, it's it's a little bit different. It's true. We use that term, we follow God's ways and we we do the Torah, but it's much deeper than that. We're not just mere subscribers or followers, first of all, unless somebody is a gare, right? They didn't choose to follow. It's something that they were chosen for. So it's it's something much deeper than a follower. Hashem is in in our relation to him, it's Shivisi Hashem Line Summit, where Hashem is opposite me. Hashem's looking at relationships. It's a relationship face to face. I'm not following him and trying to catch up and chilling behind or waiting reactively or passively, you know, for the next thing to come out, or or or or what have you. It's it's something much deeper. It's more than a following, it's a partnership. So you don't have to look too far. In the beginning of Genesis, Baratius, so the Tara tells us, Baratius, Baralekim, Esa Shamaim Vesar. It's God created the heavens and the earth. The Balhaturim says something really interesting. He says, if you take out your calculator, he doesn't actually say that. The Baalaturim says, if you count, there is exactly seven words and 28 letters. Baratius Bara Elokim Es Hashamayam the Sha'arets. Seven words, and if you count, it's exactly 28 letters. Nothing's random. And of course, he he he focuses on the first Pasaka the time.

SPEAKER_01 4:25

What do you say? It's a week and a month.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

A week and a month. Why a month? Oh, 28 days. Interesting. Lunar cycle. Interesting. Okay. I'm sure there's something there. So for sure, the seven days, and he already touches on that. The Balatura mentions seven represents nature, and seven is the days of the week, where Shem may mean the nature is in the realm of seven. The Morel discusses this as well. Seven colors in the color spectrum, and seven um continents, and seven planets, and seven, there's seven, seven, seven all over, seven guys and seven seas, and seven notes on a musical scale. Although there's a new band that's starting Baltimore called the Eighth Note. So, I mean, there is in the Asadla in the future, there's going to be an eighth note, but that's going to be my Laminateva. But in this world it's seven, it's true. And what's Chafches? What's 28? 28 is Chafches, which is Koach representing power. So the Balaturum says not only is Baratish's Baalukimesa Shem Besa, it's seven words and 28 letters. There's another pasuk in the taira. The pasuk that precedes Matantara, the pasuk that precedes the Asarsa Dibros. That pasuk says, Bayataber Elohim Escola Dvarma Ela Lamar. That pasuk which precedes um the giving of the tairah, that also is seven words, 28 letters. But there's even more. It says the Balaturin. You know what else? Something that we say every single day. Halacha requires us to say it at least seven times a day. It's considered one of the holiest, perhaps the holiest part. Hey, Ma. It's considered to be at least one of the holiest parts of Davaning. And that's the passage, the phrase that we pronounce and call out with great fervor. Do you know what it is? What I'm thinking? Yeah Shme Rabbah. Yeah, Shme Rabbah Mevarach Lalam Uleome Omaya. It's exactly seven words and 28 letters. So this is from the Balaturin. So the first pasik in the Torah, Bareshis Bar Lokim Essa Shmay Besar, it's seven words, 28 letters. The pasik that precedes the giving of the Tirah, that's the. But Yeheshmeh Rabbah, that's not Torah. It's not, but I mean it's part of, if anything, it makes it even more fascinating. It's not part of the Torah. It's Aramaic actually. But that's one of the reasons why Kadesh is so um powerful, is because specifically it's written in the commoners term um language, right? Sometimes when you go to the language, it's like it's so holy. It's not contained in the Loshina Kodesh, it's contained in the words that back then they would under they would they would speak Aramaic much more. It was like the term. It was as if we're speaking it in Yiddish or English. There's something, it's like packed in. It's like a secret, it's like a secret sauce, it's a secret power, it's a secret kaya, chakchas, 28 letters. So the Balaturum puts these three together. And then Yehe, Shmei Raba, Mivara, me al Maya, which we say in Kaddish. The halakh is to say at least seven times a day. That's what we have, at least seven Kaddish every single day. And that posik is also phrase is seven words, twenty letters. What's all this? What's the reason for this? Says the Balaturin to teach us. Somebody who answers Amein Yeheshme Rabbah with Kayak, meaning with 28, with full power, with strength, with vitality, in our terminology with kavana, with intention. Nahse shutov la karish barhu. He becomes a partner with God, the Mice Baratius in the creation of the world, Sinai, and it's as if he accepted and received the Torah in Harsinai. So we began right before you came out that I was driving to Shul in Mincha, 230 Mincha, which I saw no lad today, but not today, is Mincha, a different day. And there was a car that had a bumper sticker, it said, you follow Jesus this closely. We're talking about that Indian. When it comes to man-made religions, there's a there's followers, there's subscribers. But in Yiddishkai, it's something much deeper. It's true, we follow a shem in the Torah, but it's much deeper than that. It's not following Knotes, you're one step behind, or a step removed. I'm following, I'm trailing behind, I'm living somewhat passively or reactively. Whatever videos come into my feed, whoever I'm following, now I'm gonna see it. Yiddishkite is much deeper than that. It's a shut of, it's a partnership. This is one of the ways to bring this out. The very first pasik in the tire, the pasik that's that precedes the Sarasadibros, and the holiest pasik we say, perhaps the holiest pasik we the verse we say um in Davanang, Yaheshme Rabbah, Mivarah Lalamu Miyamaya, but remember that seven words, 28 letters, because we're not done with that sequence quite yet. Okay, so just to dwell a little bit on this concept of Yeheshmi Rabbah, what are we saying? Yeah, we're saying, yay, it should be that Shemei Rabbah, that God's great name, it's referenced to Yudke Valke, the name of Akurush Baruch. That name, should be blessed forever and ever. Now, God Hashem doesn't need our blessings, it's obviously for us, and it's part of our tahis and purpose of being placed here on this world is to be Mekandi Shem Shemayim, to bring God's glory down, to make a dera bitachtonim, to right? Hashem could have kept our souls up there, but he didn't. He created a world, Misa Baratius, he created that world, and he wants us to be his partners in that. How do we do that? Well, we first of all, a, we need the Torah. That's that's A. And so that's why already there's a connection. Both the the Sarasame, Sarasidros, that Posak is 728, the same as Baratius. That's also 7.28. And Yeshme Rabbah, this becomes like our mission statement. It's also 728, is that our job on this world is to make, to, to make, to, to take the name of God, which is already great, and to establish it, to let that light shine forth in the world, wherever it might be. We say it seven times a day. It's not enough to just say Yehishmi Rabbah once in a person's lifetime, although there's a tremendous amount. I mean, it's talked about the amount of spiritual energy that that's involved in just one Amain. And like it's either a thousand or ten thousand times more when you say Amen, Yeheshmi Rabbah. I mean, it's just why, and then it's even more when you learn Torah. It like it keeps going up in terms of the level of power in Zachusim. Um, be it as it may, Yeshmi Rabbah becomes our mission statement to to make God's great, to make God's name great again. And you you you the Yiddishkite, Judaism is is our is our calling, it's our tafk, it's our privilege to be able to do that, not to be followers, but to be leaders, to be partners with Hakurish Baruch in creating of the world, right? And what this becomes is it becomes a lifelong process and we emulate Hashem, right? Hashem created the world in seven days, but we know Hamachadesh Bakal Yoim, right? He's Mechanish every day. If Hashem, Hashem didn't just like, you know, flick it or spin a dreidel and let it go in motion, and now Earth is on its axis and say, hey, siya, right? Sia, that's like one of the commentators for the New York Yankees. Anytime Aaron Judge is a home run, that's what he does. Hey, siya, right? You hear that? So Hashem didn't do that. He didn't say, oh, we spin the world siya. Hashem is constantly involved, ever in ever involved in our world. That's what we call Hashkacha, Hashkacha Prates. And so it becomes a calling to us, if we're partners, then we can't let our partner, right, do all the dirt all the work and we do nothing. We have to we have to emulate him, right? So if Hashem is constantly adding to the world and constantly making it spin, then then our job as partners with Hashem is to ensure that we are being a part of that creation process as well, that we are doing our job. So what's interesting when it comes to Kandish and specifically where it's the Kandish is really just a frame, a frame around the real gem, the real jewel, the what's inside, the real painting, whatever you want to call it. It's it's all surrounding this pasak of Yaheshame Rabbah, Mivara Ahlalam, Olme Omaya. And it teaches something about Keddusha. Kadusha represents holiness, right? And it represents the fact that we're constantly striving for more levels of kidusha. And I'll I'll give you a weak mention to think about those numbers. Seven words, twenty-eight letters. There's another phrase in the Torah that has exactly that same setup, and that's the Pasuk in Parsha's Kadoshan, where the Pasuk says, Kadoshan Tiu, ki Kadoshani, Hashem, alokeha. That also. That phrase, it's not a full pasik, it's a phrase. That phrase is exactly seven words, twenty-eight letters. But if this is the idea that we're saying that if we want to become a shuttaf, we will not be followers but partners with Hashem, and that means right, that means connecting to the mice that we connecting to my separation, connecting to Harsinai, and through through the Kayak of saying Yeheshima Y Rabbah and through living that and through being the Kadhishem Shemayim as much as we could, and showing the world whatever it is that we're doing, whether we're in a relationship, whether as we're working, whether as we're eating or learning, or what have you, that in each and every one of these places, I can bring God's light, I can bring his name, and I could show that he exists here. And this is what it means to be partners with him. So this Pasuk of Kidoshin T you, Ki Kadosh and Yeshan Keithan, would fit this bill, would fit this sentiment. It's part of this calling of perpetually being being kadosh. You know, it's interesting that Pasuk says Kidosh and Tiu, you shall be holy. Why? Because God is holy. But it's a little bit different. Kidoshim Tiyu almost sounds like you're not you're not yet holy, you shall be holy. But when it comes to Hashem, Kadosh Ani, I am holy. And Raphersh says something so important. He says that the mitzvah of Kadosh Mtio is a command to strive for the highest degree. I'm reading a quote, to strive to for the highest degree of human moral perfection, and rightfully it should be addressed expressly to each individual. So that's why it's talking, Apasak is talking to all of Klayusra, that every single member of Klayisra has the ability, the capacity, the potential for holiness. Every person, regardless of status or gender, age or lot, is summoned to attain the highest moral level. There's no one individual whom this call is especially addressed. And it's fascinating because the idea of kadushim Tiu means that only God is the essence of holy, right? God is the ultimate perfection, He is perfection, He's the all-powerful. So ki Kadushani, that's that's a true statement. Only God is us human beings, kadushim tiu, we can strive for holiness. Now it's true, we have a part of us that's kadush. That's true, but in terms of the calling, the missions, the mission of a yid, it's not that, it's not kadushani, it's kadush and tiu, it's striving towards holiness. Why is that? Because once a person thinks that he's exactly like God, once a person thinks kadushani that I'm kadush, then a person says I'm cabbed out, I'm dumb. They can't, they can't strive, they can't do anymore. And this leads us exactly directly to the mistake of Korak. Because Korach, the mistake of Korah says Revhersh again. Saying Rehersh. Hi, inshallah. Reversh says that Korach viewed all of Klaisra as Kadoshin. What does he say? He um Kulaida Kulam Kidoshin. He leaves out the word tiu. He says everybody's kadosh, right? Meaning in a certain way, everyone's like like God. I mean, only God is, God doesn't change, God doesn't grow. God, right? These are these are all human things, these are all physical, finite things. That's a human thing that needs moral correction and building and striving. God doesn't need that. Only Hashem, he's the essence of Kedusha, so it's it's that it makes sense. The apostan kidosh says, Ki kadushaniya, only God can say that. But for everyone else, all of us, it's kedoshim t you, it's you shall be holy. Like Raversh points out, it's true. It's true. We're we're we're we're meant we're anshi kudush, we're people of holiness. We have a holy calling. Kedoshim Lilokim, we're we're reserved, we're sanctified to God, but but we're we're that. We're we're in the realm of striving towards Kedusha. The mistake of Korach was, he said, kidokola kulum kidoshim. Everyone, you already made it. There's no, there's no there's no progressing. You can cap out in your Yiddishkite. That's a terrible mistake. And one of the re one of the areas we find specifically that the model not like that is by Harsini. I think we mentioned this here before, that Harsini was a place where we received the Torah Betahtis Ahar at the foot of the mountain. We weren't at the top of the mountain, you weren't you weren't allowed to go to the top of the mountain. It's true, Moshe got there, but for for all of us, for the rest of each, for the for the rest of our history, we're always standing betakhthisahar at the foot of the mountain, striving kadoshan to you towards holiness. Because again, the moment your person thinks Kadoshani, well, you boy, you think you're God. And that was part of the mistake of Korach. Korak is the same letters as Karach, which is ice. It's a slippery slope to think like that, right? Ultimately, and what's the i ice over water? Water, there's there's movement, there's there's there's buoyancy, things move and there's growth, right? But when it comes to ice, things stop freeze, freezing us. It just everything stops. Karach thought, what do you mean? I I I can stop growing. And my butt's that was a terrible mistake. And what's fascinating, I'll point out the very first rashi in the parsha of Karach says, Rabbi Tanchumah. This passage is beautifully expounded. So I'll just try to finish that. This is one of my favorite Rashis in Al Khamish. He says, This parsha is beautifully expounded in the Majrash Rabbi Tanchuma. I mean, Rashi is, he writes the Pshat, he tells us it's the Peshat. Almost rarely will Rashi tell us, oh yeah, go look over there. I mean, he could have just not said anything. But Rashi says, this parsha is beautifully expounded in the Majush Rabitan Khuma. Go over there and look and see what he says. Why is Rashi doing that? And perhaps Rashi, by saying this, is actually telling us the Peshat in Korach. The mistake of Korach was that he couldn't see Yofhe, he couldn't see beauty, he couldn't see something that someone else had as a beautiful thing. Rashi, to explain the parsha of Korach, tells us, hey, you know, maybe Rashi had his own Pshat, but he says, you know what, there's a Pshat that the Medrish brings. It's a beautiful Pshat, something that I don't have. Medrish offers something that I can't offer. Rashi Hakadosh. He had Rua Hakodish, Rashi Hakadush, he's the Baal Mus Rashi Hakadush, he's the greatest commentary in the entire Khamish and Tamar. And Rashi says, this parsha is beautifully expounded over there. And that's the idea that we're always growing. You never cap out, you're never at Kadushani, but you're always in the realm of Kudosh until you're striving towards Kedusha. That means that person has something to offer that I don't have. And take the ability to see Yafa in somebody else, that was the mistake of Korach. In fact, elsewhere Rashi says Korach was low ra Yafa. He didn't see well. And Yafa is actually 95, the Gamatri of the number of Psukim actually in Parsha's Korach. So this is like a fundamental aspect. And I was just, I thought it was beautiful to just just to close this out. Parsha Zu, Yafa, Nidrashes, Bimedrash, Rabbi Tanhuma is also seven words in 28 letters. The exact same as Parish's for Alakimushima Rizars. The exact same, it's pretty amazing, right? The exact same as the Pasik preceding Asarasa Dibras, the exact same as Yeshmi Rabbah, Mavarachlalamalmeamaya. It's all one theme. The idea of striving for more, striving not to be a follower, but but to add more, to be Mekandishem Shemayim constantly and perpetually. Not that I made it not Kadushani, but Kedoshim to you, that I'm that I'm I'm striving towards Kedusha. In fact, it's interesting, the word Yafeh, which means beauty, it says Yafta lokim li yafes. And many of the commentators point out that that word yefes is miloshun yarchiv, like to expand, to increase. So even the very word for beauty, the word for well done, we were saying the word that word for yefes, the word for yafeh, beautiful, is expansiveness. And that's the beauty of Yiddishkite. The beauty of being a yid is that I never kept out, I never quite made it. I'm always at the top, I'm always at the bottom of the mountain, striving, striving upwards.

SPEAKER_02 21:18

Even if you look at the way Hashem showed the truth, he made Aaron's staff expand with beauty.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Nice, very good.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

And it grew like almonds and his staff, as I understand, was in the center of all the other staffs. So it wasn't exposed to the Shina or to the Aaron or to the it was came from within. They were dead sticks. And life and beauty came from only his, which had no exposure because of the other staff surrounding this.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Very interesting. Okay, Shaka. Good enough, thank you.