Step 4 - User contributions [en]

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah

2026-10-29T12:08:15Z

AdamSinger: Include supplied Kol HaTor p. 118 in Noach source-guide inventory

{{ShiurInfobox
| title = Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah
| original_shiur = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/xUFinACpPCePFzZl.mp3 Part 1 — REC00062_2.mp3 (4:46)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3 Part 2 — REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3 Part 3 — REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)]
| source_sheets = [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|Five handouts and source guide]]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cEQvWzPqieQRGNFm.pdf Four-page PDF]
| related_topics = [[:Category:Topic - Geulah|גאולה]], [[:Category:Topic - Kabbalah|חכמת הנסתר]], [[:Category:Topic - Mussar|מוסר]], [[:Category:Topic - Yesod|יסוד]]
| related_parsha = [[:Category:Parsha - Noach|Noach]]
| related_holidays =
| full_transcript = [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 1|Part 1]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 2|Part 2]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 3|Part 3]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 4|Part 4]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 5|Part 5]]
| step4_message = A time of spiritual opportunity calls us to connect deeper Torah wisdom with a refined, responsible life—not to assume that redemption will happen by itself.
}}

'''Speaker:''' Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld<br/>
'''Series:''' Vaad — Parsha<br/>
'''Recording date:''' Not independently established; source-sheet heading refers to 5787.

This shiur uses Noach as its starting point for wisdom and redemption, rather than as a general exposition of the parsha.

== One-Line Step Four ==

A time of spiritual opportunity calls us to connect deeper Torah wisdom with a refined, responsible life—not to assume that redemption will happen by itself.

== Summary ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

=== Noach’s two openings: wisdom above and below ===

The verse describing the Flood brings together two movements: “the fountains of the great deep” break open below, and “the windows of heaven” open above ([https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.7.11 Bereishis 7:11]). The [https://www.zohar.com/zohar/Vayera/chapters/32 Zohar, Vayera 117a], uses Noach’s six-hundredth year as a sign for the six-hundredth year of the sixth millennium. It speaks of '''תרעי דחכמתא לעילא''', gates of wisdom above, and '''מבועי דחכמתא לתתא''', fountains of wisdom below. The world is being prepared for the seventh millennium, just as a person prepares on Friday to enter Shabbos.

In the opening recording, Rabbi Gershenfeld presents Noach as a '''צדיק יסוד עולם''', a person whose task is to bring life and blessing into the world. Water can make barren earth fruitful; similarly, a צדיק must join higher insight with activity that awakens people below. Deep thought must be accompanied by חסד and active concern for others.

The speaker develops a contrast between the spiritual flow that could have transformed the generation and the physical waters that destroyed it. He attributes the failure to the generation’s unreadiness and, at Noach’s level, insufficient concern and prayer for others. '''He flags at the outset that part of this explanation is not being presented as a received מסורה.''' It is recorded here as his interpretive presentation, not as an independently established quotation from a named commentary. [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.108a Sanhedrin 108a], which he cites, explicitly describes the generation becoming arrogant through the goodness bestowed upon it and being judged through the water it had taken for granted.

The year 5600, identified as 1840 on the handout, is therefore not a slogan that makes spiritual work unnecessary. To understand what opens, one must read the passage in context and ask what human response the opening requires.

=== A propitious time is not an automatic redemption ===

The shiur describes several times associated with the possibility of redemption. These are opportunities, not guarantees that the world will become redeemed without effort. Noach’s generation illustrates the seriousness of the response: in the speaker’s presentation, an opening that could have led toward redemption instead became the Flood.

The discussion of '''בר נפלי''' in [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.96b Sanhedrin 96b–97a] is central. The Gemara connects Mashiach with the promise, “On that day I will raise up David’s fallen sukkah” ([https://www.sefaria.org/Amos.9.11 Amos 9:11]). Rabbi Gershenfeld develops the image of repeated falling and failed realization: a great possibility can be present and yet not be brought to fruition. This is the shiur’s interpretation of the passage, not a literal translation of the phrase בר נפלי.

The practical consequence is neither despair nor complacency. An auspicious time increases the urgency of the work. It asks us to recognize the opportunity and help bring it into life.

=== The ו connects wisdom to the world ===

In the shiur’s reading of the Zohar, the letter '''ו''' expresses connection. It joins above to below and, as the conjunction “and,” joins one thing to another. It is associated here with '''יסוד''', the capacity to transmit life and bring higher purpose into a receiving world. The Zohar’s image of ו raising ה becomes a way of describing the elevation of '''מלכות''', the world that receives and must embody that purpose.

Good intentions alone are not enough. A genuine משפיע, one who gives to others, needs wisdom and a deeper vision to guide what is given. The movement is therefore not merely downward: the ו must first connect upward to wisdom and then bring that wisdom into life below. The shiur’s numerical discussion of six, sixty, and six hundred develops this relationship between connection and increasingly empowered wisdom.

The Friday-afternoon analogy sharpens the point. Preparing for Shabbos changes how a person acts; it does not mean the preparations have already been completed. Likewise, preparation for גאולה calls for directed activity, not merely confidence that history is moving toward a desirable outcome.

The discussion of the Leshem adds another distinction: the world has an ordinary flow, but also additional illumination at particular times. Rabbi Gershenfeld relates this to the Ramchal’s '''גילוי יחודו''' in דעת תבונות. “Not all times are equal” means that one must attend to the particular opportunity of the moment rather than assume every period presents the same spiritual conditions.

=== What does it mean that the gates are open? ===

The latter part of the middle recording and the final recording turn to '''Leshem Shevo VeAchlamah, Derushei Olam HaTohu, part I, derush 5, siman 3''', on the supplied page 76. The running header spans אות ד׳–ה׳. The speaker contrasts two interpretations of opening the gates: the same exceptional people may receive deeper wisdom, or a wider circle of seekers may now be able to enter.

The teaching reported in the Leshem in the name of Rav Yisrael Salanter emphasizes the second possibility. The gates are not merely channels through which a few people receive more; they are an entrance that becomes available to more seekers. The speaker’s illustrative proportions are not demographic claims or precise measures of who can learn.

The crucial qualification is visible in the handout: '''לכל המשתוקקים לדבק באלהים חיים'''—for those who yearn to cleave to the living God. The opening is not an invitation to treat חכמת הנסתר as a curiosity detached from its purpose. The shiur describes a greater role for חכמה in access to this wisdom after 5600, while retaining the importance of קדושה, serious effort, a living מסורה, and the desire for closeness to Hashem.

To explain how exceptional individuals could enter when the gates were still closed, the speaker discusses special access through רוח הקודש or גילוי אליהו and the metaphor of possessing a key. He associates this discussion with the Ari’s introduction in שער ההקדמות, while expressing uncertainty about the exact source location. The distinction is presented as an approach discussed in the shiur, not a universal historical rule established here.

In the questions that follow, the speaker does not flatten everyone into the same spiritual type. Wisdom, holiness, a teacher’s transmission, and a person’s distinctive capacities all matter. Greater access does not erase the need for guidance or the differences between people.

=== The lower fountains and the work of character ===

The overview handout places different interpretations side by side. In the passage attributed to Rav Eliyahu Weintraub’s '''Saarat Eliyahu''', the “fountains of wisdom below” are explicitly not identified with secular sciences. They are understood as the awakening of the human soul from below: seeking the depth of פנימיות התורה, refining מידות and physical life, and making the body a fitting vessel for higher light.

Rabbi Gershenfeld explains this as '''אתערותא דלתתא''', an awakening from below. The person must become ready to receive. In this reading, the growth of מוסר and the work of becoming a better, more morally directed person are part of the meaning of the lower opening. The relationship between upper wisdom and lower preparation is therefore deeply practical: what we learn must shape the kind of person we become.

The shiur introduces—but does not complete—the disagreement with the approach presented in '''Kol HaTor'''. At the end, the speaker explicitly leaves the fuller discussion of that disagreement for a subsequent class. The supplied Kol HaTor pages should therefore be read as material for continuation, not as arguments fully developed in these recordings.

== Continuation — Parts 4–5: Wisdom in Practice ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

'''Continuity note:''' These two recordings continue the existing Noach shiur and take up the disagreement over ''קול התור'' that Part 3 explicitly deferred. They are not a separate standalone entry.

=== A disputed text and the responsibility to use wisdom ===

Parts 4–5 continue “Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah,” taking up the disagreement over קול התור that Part 3 explicitly deferred. The earlier discussion of the Zohar’s opening of upper gates and lower springs of wisdom now becomes a question about human responsibility: what must people do with that opening, and how can wisdom prepare the world for גאולה? These recordings develop both an activist interpretation and the objections to it, rather than presenting the interpretation as uncontested.

Rabbi Gershenfeld begins with the disputed provenance of קול התור. He recounts its attribution to רבי הלל משקלוב, its transmission through the Rivlin family, and its twentieth-century publication as a simplified presentation of an earlier manuscript that, in his account, was not made available for inspection. His opening recollection includes uncertainty about names and dates; later, reading רבי חיים פרידלנדר’s introduction, he identifies רבי שלמה זלמן ריבלין as the original publisher. This publication narrative and the associated family traditions are the speaker’s account, not independently verified historical findings.

The controversy, as Rabbi Gershenfeld recalls it, involved רב שך and רב חיים קניבסקי in the 1980s. He presents רבי חיים פרידלנדר’s introduction, supported by רב חיים קניבסקי, as strongly affirming the work’s attribution to the גר״א. Against this he reads רבי אליהו ויינטרויב’s statement, endorsed by רב שך, rejecting the identification of the Zohar’s lower springs with external wisdom and secular scientific discoveries. The alternative reading understands those springs as an awakening from below toward deeper Torah understanding and refinement of the person into a vessel for higher illumination. Rabbi Gershenfeld suggests that Torah-rooted wisdom can bridge aspects of the interpretations, but does not establish a resolution of the authenticity dispute.

=== A ladder from earth to heaven ===

The central conceptual image is יעקב’s ladder: “סולם מוצב ארצה וראשו מגיע השמימה.” Rabbi Gershenfeld contrasts readings of “חכמות בנתה ביתה חצבה עמודיה שבעה” that emphasize Torah or the seven worldly wisdoms, then presents the גר״א’s approach as joining them within one connected structure. The lower wisdoms are not an independent rival to Torah; they express what is rooted above and can help illuminate Torah itself. תוספות יום טוב is especially important as an example cited by קול התור of Torah greatness combined with mathematical, astronomical, and philosophical learning. The biographical and scientific illustrations offered about him remain the lecturer’s presentation.

=== Practical work, visible holiness, and appropriate limits ===

In this reading of קול התור, קידוש השם requires more than inward righteousness. Building Jerusalem, קיבוץ גלויות, the flourishing of ארץ ישראל, תיקון המידות, uncovering Torah’s hints, and studying the שבע חכמות together make Israel’s wisdom and character visible. Continuing across the recording boundary, the argument invokes “חכמת המסכן בזויה”: wisdom may be disregarded when its bearers are impoverished and persecuted. Rabbi Gershenfeld explains the text’s insistence that a flourishing Jewish society can help other nations recognize Torah wisdom, practical competence, and the quality of Jewish life. This is the text’s argument about recognition, not an endorsement of wealth as the measure of spiritual worthfulness or an independently demonstrated sociological rule. The discussion remains anchored in the Zohar passage previously studied in the Noach shiur, although the passage read here refers to פרשת וירא; the recordings do not resolve that attribution difference. The lecturer connects the opening around שנת ת״ר, 5600, with preparation for the seventh millennium, not with a newly announced redemption date.

This is a continuation section on the existing Noach page, not a new standalone page. It fulfills Part 3’s promise to address the קול התור disagreement. Part 5 further specifies that qualified Torah scholars should choose a wisdom according to their ability and inclination, develop it, and teach it to other תלמידי חכמים and יראי ה׳, always relating it to Torah and קידוש השם. Rabbi Gershenfeld’s humorous recollection of Rav Wolbe’s Friday-night advice reinforces the broader practical lesson: a beautiful שבת table conceals the work of building a home, just as an inspiring vision of גאולה must become lived effort. His closing interpretation associates the final four hundred years with מלכות, material limitations, and “ארבע מאות שקל כסף,” framing the task as revealing the connection between the lowest physical realities and their higher roots. This is presented as a symbolic spiritual reading, not a historical proof or a universal mandate to study science. The recording ends before the promised off-record discussion of רב משה שפירא’s position, so no position is attributed to him here.

=== Verified direct references in the continuation ===

The following exact references were checked against reachable primary-text records. Links are to the texts, not an endorsement of every interpretation offered in the recording.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Part(s) !! Source !! Hebrew !! Role in the continuation
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.9.1 Proverbs 9:1] || משלי ט:א || The seven pillars verse.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Proverbs.9.1 Rashi on Proverbs 9:1] || רש"י על משלי ט:א || Rashi’s seven-books explanation.
|-
| Parts 4–5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.28.12 Genesis 28:12] || בראשית כח:יב || Yaakov’s ladder.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.26.19 Deuteronomy 26:19] || דברים כו:יט || לתהלה ולשם ולתפארת.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.4.6 Deuteronomy 4:6] || דברים ד:ו || חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.75a Shabbat 75a] || שבת עה א || The teaching on calculating seasons and constellations.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.9.16 Ecclesiastes 9:16] || קהלת ט:טז || חכמת המסכן בזויה.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Tiferet_Yisrael.14 Maharal, Tiferet Yisrael 14] || מהר"ל, תפארת ישראל יד || The explicitly cited chapter.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.14.1 Proverbs 14:1] || משלי יד:א || חכמות נשים בנתה ביתה.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.23.15-16 Genesis 23:15–16] || בראשית כג:טו–טז || The four hundred shekels of silver.
|}

=== Attributions preserved without a newly precise external link ===

The recordings name and discuss ''קול התור'', ''קול היונה'', the Zohar, Rabbeinu Bachya, Rambam, Kuzari, Tosafot Yom Tov, Aliyot Eliyahu, Ayil Meshulash, and several twentieth-century figures and documents. Where the recording did not supply a verifiable edition and exact location—or where it reports a contested attribution—this draft does not assign a new external link or treat the claim as independently confirmed. The supplied handouts and their prior discussion remain available in the [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|existing source-sheet guide]].

=== Continuation audio and transcripts ===

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 4|Transcript Part 4]]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 5|Transcript Part 5]]

== The five handouts ==

=== 1. Overview: “What happened in 5600 (1840)? What is happening in 5787?” ===

This sheet assembles Bereishis 7:11, the Zohar passage, an excerpt from Rav Chaim Friedlander’s introduction to Kol HaTor, the contrasting Saarat Eliyahu passage, and the Gemara about בר נפלי. It also includes a short note on the period from 5600 to 6000 and תיקון מלכות. That final note is not developed sufficiently in the recordings to supply a complete explanation here. The heading’s reference to 5787 is not, by itself, a prediction of a specific event.

=== 2. Leshem, supplied page 76 ===

The marked paragraph explains the opening of the gates as permission for seekers to enter חכמת האמת. It reports the teaching in the name of Rav Yisrael Salanter and describes additional higher light revealed and clothed below. The original photograph is provided so that the reader can inspect the exact wording, including the underlined qualification about yearning to cleave to Hashem.

=== 3. Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 116 ===

Sections ב–ג relate the opening of wisdom to preparation through the seven wisdoms, building Jerusalem, ingathering exiles, the flourishing of Eretz Yisrael, תיקון המידות, and uncovering Torah allusions. They connect recognition of Israel’s Torah wisdom with Israel living on its land. These are claims of the supplied text; they should not be mistaken for a completed presentation of the speaker’s view in this shiur.

=== 4. Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 118 ===
Sections ה–ו continue the supplied text’s discussion between pages 116 and 123. Section ה relates concern for visible Torah wisdom to קידוש ה׳ and the recognition of Israel’s wisdom. Section ו turns to a description of אור החכמה העליון. These are claims and categories in the supplied text; the original scan should be consulted for the full Hebrew and footnotes.
=== 5. Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 123 ===

The passage uses Yaakov’s ladder: ascent toward heaven begins with the ladder’s steps on earth. Sections יא–יב urge Torah scholars to cultivate an area of the seven wisdoms according to their abilities and discuss a relationship between knowledge of nature and Torah wisdom. This is the material set beside Saarat Eliyahu’s different interpretation for further study.

'''Attribution note:''' The overview sheet presents Rav Chaim Friedlander’s endorsement of Kol HaTor alongside a contrasting interpretation. The [https://www.sefaria.org/Kol_HaTor Sefaria entry for Kol HaTor] also notes disagreement over aspects of its attribution to the Gra. The chapter 5 passages used here are documented by the supplied handouts; Sefaria’s current online edition contains only chapters 1–3.

== מראי מקומות — source guide ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew !! Where it appears !! Role in this page
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.7.11 Bereishis 7:11] || בראשית ז:יא || Recordings; overview handout || Noach’s six-hundredth year and the two openings.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.108a Sanhedrin 108a] || סנהדרין קח ע״א || Restored opening recording || The generation of the Flood misuses its abundance; judgment through water.
|-
| [https://www.zohar.com/zohar/Vayera/chapters/32 Zohar, Vayera 117a] || זוהר, וירא קיז ע״א || Recordings; overview and Kol HaTor sheets || Upper gates, lower fountains, and preparation for the seventh millennium; matching online paragraph 445.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.96b Sanhedrin 96b–97a] || סנהדרין צו ע״ב–צז ע״א || Middle recording; overview handout || בר נפלי; the quoted verse continues across the daf boundary.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Amos.9.11 Amos 9:11] || עמוס ט:יא || Quoted through the Gemara || Raising David’s fallen sukkah.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Leshem Shevo VeAchlamah], Derushei Olam HaTohu I, derush 5, siman 3, supplied p. 76 || לשם שבו ואחלמה, דרושי עולם התהו || Middle and final recordings; IMG_5567 || Greater access for seekers, citing Rav Yisrael Salanter.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Daat_Tevunot Da’at Tevunot] || דעת תבונות || Middle recording, through the Leshem discussion || גילוי יחודו and special illumination; exact section not specified in the recording.
|-
| Shaar HaHakdamot, introduction, attributed by the speaker || שער ההקדמות || Middle recording || Earlier exceptional access; exact passage not identified and speaker’s source-location uncertainty retained.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Saarat Eliyahu], excerpt attributed to Rav Eliyahu Weintraub || סערת אליהו || Final recording; overview handout || Lower wisdom as spiritual awakening and refinement, not secular sciences. Exact edition/page not supplied.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Introduction to Kol HaTor], attributed on the sheet to Rav Chaim Friedlander, 1969 || הקדמה לקול התור || Overview handout; introduced in final recording || Endorsement of the work and context for the disagreement to be discussed further.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Kol HaTor, chapter 5], supplied pp. 116, 118, and 123 || קול התור, פרק ה || IMG_5568, IMG_5642, and IMG_5569 || Supplemental continuation material on seven wisdoms, Torah, and rebuilding Jewish life in Eretz Yisrael.
|}

== Audio and transcripts ==

The final page uses the complete replacement set in filename order: '''REC00062_2.mp3 (4:46)''', '''REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)''', and '''REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)'''—approximately '''57:53''' in total. The replacements restore the first recording and the material missing from the earlier middle upload. The earlier, shorter files are not used as the final transcript set. Two later recordings, Parts 4–5, are presented above as a continuation of this shiur; they are not substitutes for the original three-part set.

Each recording has its own full automated Sofer.ai transcript. These transcripts have not been substantively rewritten and should be checked against the audio, especially for Hebrew quotations, personal names, and spoken dates. Exact source references in this article are distinguished from uncertain or erroneous references in the automated transcripts.

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/xUFinACpPCePFzZl.mp3 Part 1 — REC00062_2.mp3 (4:46)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3 Part 2 — REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3 Part 3 — REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)]

[[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 1|Part 1]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 2|Part 2]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 3|Part 3]]

[[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|Read the source-sheet guide]] · [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cEQvWzPqieQRGNFm.pdf Download all four handouts]

[[Category:Shiur]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]
[[Category:Parsha - Noach]]
[[Category:Topic - Geulah]]
[[Category:Topic - Kabbalah]]
[[Category:Topic - Mussar]]
[[Category:Topic - Yesod]]

Shiurim

2026-10-29T12:07:38Z

AdamSinger: Create an organized index of all currently available shiurim

__NOTOC__

<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:14px 16px; margin-bottom:16px;">
<div style="font-family:Georgia, serif; font-size:1.35em; font-weight:bold; color:#2c4a7c;">All Shiurim</div>
<div style="margin-top:6px;">An index of the recorded shiurim on Step 4, organized for direct access to each main page. Each shiur page includes its summary, source material where available, audio, and transcript links.</div>
</div>

== Shabbos & Kiddush ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
! Shiur
|-
| [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
|-
| [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles]]
|-
| [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush]]
|-
| [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed]]
|-
| [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush]]
|-
| [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
|}

== Parsha ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
! Shiur
|-
| [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah|Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah]]
|-
| [[Matos-Massei: The Drama of Bamidbar — The Possibility, Power and Preciousness of Torah She Baal Peh|Matos-Massei: The Drama of Bamidbar — The Possibility, Power and Preciousness of Torah She Baal Peh]]
|}

== Yamim Noraim & the Three Weeks ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
! Shiur
|-
| [[Rosh Hashana: שמע and בכל לבבך – Loving Hashem with Both Inclinations|Rosh Hashana: שמע and בכל לבבך – Loving Hashem with Both Inclinations]]
|-
| [[Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source|Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source]]
|-
| [[Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness|Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness]]
|-
| [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?|The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?]]
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Bilbul to Chassidus — Reframing Aveilus|Tisha B'Av: From Bilbul to Chassidus — Reframing Aveilus]]
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Humiliation to Churban — Kamtza and Bar Kamtza|Tisha B'Av: From Humiliation to Churban — Kamtza and Bar Kamtza]]
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha|Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]
|}

== Avodah, Torah & Character ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
! Shiur
|-
| [[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א|Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א]]
|-
| [[Derech Eretz: Da'as Connecting Torah and Mitzvos|Derech Eretz: Da'as Connecting Torah and Mitzvos]]
|}

== More ways to browse ==

* [[:Category:Shiur|View the complete Shiur category]]
* [[:Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad|Browse Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad material, including transcripts and source sheets]]

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah

2026-10-29T12:06:58Z

AdamSinger: Add Kol HaTor page 118 as the fifth Noach handout

{{ShiurInfobox
| title = Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah
| original_shiur = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/xUFinACpPCePFzZl.mp3 Part 1 — REC00062_2.mp3 (4:46)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3 Part 2 — REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3 Part 3 — REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)]
| source_sheets = [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|Five handouts and source guide]]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cEQvWzPqieQRGNFm.pdf Four-page PDF]
| related_topics = [[:Category:Topic - Geulah|גאולה]], [[:Category:Topic - Kabbalah|חכמת הנסתר]], [[:Category:Topic - Mussar|מוסר]], [[:Category:Topic - Yesod|יסוד]]
| related_parsha = [[:Category:Parsha - Noach|Noach]]
| related_holidays =
| full_transcript = [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 1|Part 1]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 2|Part 2]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 3|Part 3]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 4|Part 4]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 5|Part 5]]
| step4_message = A time of spiritual opportunity calls us to connect deeper Torah wisdom with a refined, responsible life—not to assume that redemption will happen by itself.
}}

'''Speaker:''' Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld<br/>
'''Series:''' Vaad — Parsha<br/>
'''Recording date:''' Not independently established; source-sheet heading refers to 5787.

This shiur uses Noach as its starting point for wisdom and redemption, rather than as a general exposition of the parsha.

== One-Line Step Four ==

A time of spiritual opportunity calls us to connect deeper Torah wisdom with a refined, responsible life—not to assume that redemption will happen by itself.

== Summary ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

=== Noach’s two openings: wisdom above and below ===

The verse describing the Flood brings together two movements: “the fountains of the great deep” break open below, and “the windows of heaven” open above ([https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.7.11 Bereishis 7:11]). The [https://www.zohar.com/zohar/Vayera/chapters/32 Zohar, Vayera 117a], uses Noach’s six-hundredth year as a sign for the six-hundredth year of the sixth millennium. It speaks of '''תרעי דחכמתא לעילא''', gates of wisdom above, and '''מבועי דחכמתא לתתא''', fountains of wisdom below. The world is being prepared for the seventh millennium, just as a person prepares on Friday to enter Shabbos.

In the opening recording, Rabbi Gershenfeld presents Noach as a '''צדיק יסוד עולם''', a person whose task is to bring life and blessing into the world. Water can make barren earth fruitful; similarly, a צדיק must join higher insight with activity that awakens people below. Deep thought must be accompanied by חסד and active concern for others.

The speaker develops a contrast between the spiritual flow that could have transformed the generation and the physical waters that destroyed it. He attributes the failure to the generation’s unreadiness and, at Noach’s level, insufficient concern and prayer for others. '''He flags at the outset that part of this explanation is not being presented as a received מסורה.''' It is recorded here as his interpretive presentation, not as an independently established quotation from a named commentary. [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.108a Sanhedrin 108a], which he cites, explicitly describes the generation becoming arrogant through the goodness bestowed upon it and being judged through the water it had taken for granted.

The year 5600, identified as 1840 on the handout, is therefore not a slogan that makes spiritual work unnecessary. To understand what opens, one must read the passage in context and ask what human response the opening requires.

=== A propitious time is not an automatic redemption ===

The shiur describes several times associated with the possibility of redemption. These are opportunities, not guarantees that the world will become redeemed without effort. Noach’s generation illustrates the seriousness of the response: in the speaker’s presentation, an opening that could have led toward redemption instead became the Flood.

The discussion of '''בר נפלי''' in [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.96b Sanhedrin 96b–97a] is central. The Gemara connects Mashiach with the promise, “On that day I will raise up David’s fallen sukkah” ([https://www.sefaria.org/Amos.9.11 Amos 9:11]). Rabbi Gershenfeld develops the image of repeated falling and failed realization: a great possibility can be present and yet not be brought to fruition. This is the shiur’s interpretation of the passage, not a literal translation of the phrase בר נפלי.

The practical consequence is neither despair nor complacency. An auspicious time increases the urgency of the work. It asks us to recognize the opportunity and help bring it into life.

=== The ו connects wisdom to the world ===

In the shiur’s reading of the Zohar, the letter '''ו''' expresses connection. It joins above to below and, as the conjunction “and,” joins one thing to another. It is associated here with '''יסוד''', the capacity to transmit life and bring higher purpose into a receiving world. The Zohar’s image of ו raising ה becomes a way of describing the elevation of '''מלכות''', the world that receives and must embody that purpose.

Good intentions alone are not enough. A genuine משפיע, one who gives to others, needs wisdom and a deeper vision to guide what is given. The movement is therefore not merely downward: the ו must first connect upward to wisdom and then bring that wisdom into life below. The shiur’s numerical discussion of six, sixty, and six hundred develops this relationship between connection and increasingly empowered wisdom.

The Friday-afternoon analogy sharpens the point. Preparing for Shabbos changes how a person acts; it does not mean the preparations have already been completed. Likewise, preparation for גאולה calls for directed activity, not merely confidence that history is moving toward a desirable outcome.

The discussion of the Leshem adds another distinction: the world has an ordinary flow, but also additional illumination at particular times. Rabbi Gershenfeld relates this to the Ramchal’s '''גילוי יחודו''' in דעת תבונות. “Not all times are equal” means that one must attend to the particular opportunity of the moment rather than assume every period presents the same spiritual conditions.

=== What does it mean that the gates are open? ===

The latter part of the middle recording and the final recording turn to '''Leshem Shevo VeAchlamah, Derushei Olam HaTohu, part I, derush 5, siman 3''', on the supplied page 76. The running header spans אות ד׳–ה׳. The speaker contrasts two interpretations of opening the gates: the same exceptional people may receive deeper wisdom, or a wider circle of seekers may now be able to enter.

The teaching reported in the Leshem in the name of Rav Yisrael Salanter emphasizes the second possibility. The gates are not merely channels through which a few people receive more; they are an entrance that becomes available to more seekers. The speaker’s illustrative proportions are not demographic claims or precise measures of who can learn.

The crucial qualification is visible in the handout: '''לכל המשתוקקים לדבק באלהים חיים'''—for those who yearn to cleave to the living God. The opening is not an invitation to treat חכמת הנסתר as a curiosity detached from its purpose. The shiur describes a greater role for חכמה in access to this wisdom after 5600, while retaining the importance of קדושה, serious effort, a living מסורה, and the desire for closeness to Hashem.

To explain how exceptional individuals could enter when the gates were still closed, the speaker discusses special access through רוח הקודש or גילוי אליהו and the metaphor of possessing a key. He associates this discussion with the Ari’s introduction in שער ההקדמות, while expressing uncertainty about the exact source location. The distinction is presented as an approach discussed in the shiur, not a universal historical rule established here.

In the questions that follow, the speaker does not flatten everyone into the same spiritual type. Wisdom, holiness, a teacher’s transmission, and a person’s distinctive capacities all matter. Greater access does not erase the need for guidance or the differences between people.

=== The lower fountains and the work of character ===

The overview handout places different interpretations side by side. In the passage attributed to Rav Eliyahu Weintraub’s '''Saarat Eliyahu''', the “fountains of wisdom below” are explicitly not identified with secular sciences. They are understood as the awakening of the human soul from below: seeking the depth of פנימיות התורה, refining מידות and physical life, and making the body a fitting vessel for higher light.

Rabbi Gershenfeld explains this as '''אתערותא דלתתא''', an awakening from below. The person must become ready to receive. In this reading, the growth of מוסר and the work of becoming a better, more morally directed person are part of the meaning of the lower opening. The relationship between upper wisdom and lower preparation is therefore deeply practical: what we learn must shape the kind of person we become.

The shiur introduces—but does not complete—the disagreement with the approach presented in '''Kol HaTor'''. At the end, the speaker explicitly leaves the fuller discussion of that disagreement for a subsequent class. The supplied Kol HaTor pages should therefore be read as material for continuation, not as arguments fully developed in these recordings.

== Continuation — Parts 4–5: Wisdom in Practice ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

'''Continuity note:''' These two recordings continue the existing Noach shiur and take up the disagreement over ''קול התור'' that Part 3 explicitly deferred. They are not a separate standalone entry.

=== A disputed text and the responsibility to use wisdom ===

Parts 4–5 continue “Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah,” taking up the disagreement over קול התור that Part 3 explicitly deferred. The earlier discussion of the Zohar’s opening of upper gates and lower springs of wisdom now becomes a question about human responsibility: what must people do with that opening, and how can wisdom prepare the world for גאולה? These recordings develop both an activist interpretation and the objections to it, rather than presenting the interpretation as uncontested.

Rabbi Gershenfeld begins with the disputed provenance of קול התור. He recounts its attribution to רבי הלל משקלוב, its transmission through the Rivlin family, and its twentieth-century publication as a simplified presentation of an earlier manuscript that, in his account, was not made available for inspection. His opening recollection includes uncertainty about names and dates; later, reading רבי חיים פרידלנדר’s introduction, he identifies רבי שלמה זלמן ריבלין as the original publisher. This publication narrative and the associated family traditions are the speaker’s account, not independently verified historical findings.

The controversy, as Rabbi Gershenfeld recalls it, involved רב שך and רב חיים קניבסקי in the 1980s. He presents רבי חיים פרידלנדר’s introduction, supported by רב חיים קניבסקי, as strongly affirming the work’s attribution to the גר״א. Against this he reads רבי אליהו ויינטרויב’s statement, endorsed by רב שך, rejecting the identification of the Zohar’s lower springs with external wisdom and secular scientific discoveries. The alternative reading understands those springs as an awakening from below toward deeper Torah understanding and refinement of the person into a vessel for higher illumination. Rabbi Gershenfeld suggests that Torah-rooted wisdom can bridge aspects of the interpretations, but does not establish a resolution of the authenticity dispute.

=== A ladder from earth to heaven ===

The central conceptual image is יעקב’s ladder: “סולם מוצב ארצה וראשו מגיע השמימה.” Rabbi Gershenfeld contrasts readings of “חכמות בנתה ביתה חצבה עמודיה שבעה” that emphasize Torah or the seven worldly wisdoms, then presents the גר״א’s approach as joining them within one connected structure. The lower wisdoms are not an independent rival to Torah; they express what is rooted above and can help illuminate Torah itself. תוספות יום טוב is especially important as an example cited by קול התור of Torah greatness combined with mathematical, astronomical, and philosophical learning. The biographical and scientific illustrations offered about him remain the lecturer’s presentation.

=== Practical work, visible holiness, and appropriate limits ===

In this reading of קול התור, קידוש השם requires more than inward righteousness. Building Jerusalem, קיבוץ גלויות, the flourishing of ארץ ישראל, תיקון המידות, uncovering Torah’s hints, and studying the שבע חכמות together make Israel’s wisdom and character visible. Continuing across the recording boundary, the argument invokes “חכמת המסכן בזויה”: wisdom may be disregarded when its bearers are impoverished and persecuted. Rabbi Gershenfeld explains the text’s insistence that a flourishing Jewish society can help other nations recognize Torah wisdom, practical competence, and the quality of Jewish life. This is the text’s argument about recognition, not an endorsement of wealth as the measure of spiritual worthfulness or an independently demonstrated sociological rule. The discussion remains anchored in the Zohar passage previously studied in the Noach shiur, although the passage read here refers to פרשת וירא; the recordings do not resolve that attribution difference. The lecturer connects the opening around שנת ת״ר, 5600, with preparation for the seventh millennium, not with a newly announced redemption date.

This is a continuation section on the existing Noach page, not a new standalone page. It fulfills Part 3’s promise to address the קול התור disagreement. Part 5 further specifies that qualified Torah scholars should choose a wisdom according to their ability and inclination, develop it, and teach it to other תלמידי חכמים and יראי ה׳, always relating it to Torah and קידוש השם. Rabbi Gershenfeld’s humorous recollection of Rav Wolbe’s Friday-night advice reinforces the broader practical lesson: a beautiful שבת table conceals the work of building a home, just as an inspiring vision of גאולה must become lived effort. His closing interpretation associates the final four hundred years with מלכות, material limitations, and “ארבע מאות שקל כסף,” framing the task as revealing the connection between the lowest physical realities and their higher roots. This is presented as a symbolic spiritual reading, not a historical proof or a universal mandate to study science. The recording ends before the promised off-record discussion of רב משה שפירא’s position, so no position is attributed to him here.

=== Verified direct references in the continuation ===

The following exact references were checked against reachable primary-text records. Links are to the texts, not an endorsement of every interpretation offered in the recording.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Part(s) !! Source !! Hebrew !! Role in the continuation
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.9.1 Proverbs 9:1] || משלי ט:א || The seven pillars verse.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Proverbs.9.1 Rashi on Proverbs 9:1] || רש"י על משלי ט:א || Rashi’s seven-books explanation.
|-
| Parts 4–5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.28.12 Genesis 28:12] || בראשית כח:יב || Yaakov’s ladder.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.26.19 Deuteronomy 26:19] || דברים כו:יט || לתהלה ולשם ולתפארת.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.4.6 Deuteronomy 4:6] || דברים ד:ו || חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.75a Shabbat 75a] || שבת עה א || The teaching on calculating seasons and constellations.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.9.16 Ecclesiastes 9:16] || קהלת ט:טז || חכמת המסכן בזויה.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Tiferet_Yisrael.14 Maharal, Tiferet Yisrael 14] || מהר"ל, תפארת ישראל יד || The explicitly cited chapter.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.14.1 Proverbs 14:1] || משלי יד:א || חכמות נשים בנתה ביתה.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.23.15-16 Genesis 23:15–16] || בראשית כג:טו–טז || The four hundred shekels of silver.
|}

=== Attributions preserved without a newly precise external link ===

The recordings name and discuss ''קול התור'', ''קול היונה'', the Zohar, Rabbeinu Bachya, Rambam, Kuzari, Tosafot Yom Tov, Aliyot Eliyahu, Ayil Meshulash, and several twentieth-century figures and documents. Where the recording did not supply a verifiable edition and exact location—or where it reports a contested attribution—this draft does not assign a new external link or treat the claim as independently confirmed. The supplied handouts and their prior discussion remain available in the [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|existing source-sheet guide]].

=== Continuation audio and transcripts ===

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 4|Transcript Part 4]]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 5|Transcript Part 5]]

== The five handouts ==

=== 1. Overview: “What happened in 5600 (1840)? What is happening in 5787?” ===

This sheet assembles Bereishis 7:11, the Zohar passage, an excerpt from Rav Chaim Friedlander’s introduction to Kol HaTor, the contrasting Saarat Eliyahu passage, and the Gemara about בר נפלי. It also includes a short note on the period from 5600 to 6000 and תיקון מלכות. That final note is not developed sufficiently in the recordings to supply a complete explanation here. The heading’s reference to 5787 is not, by itself, a prediction of a specific event.

=== 2. Leshem, supplied page 76 ===

The marked paragraph explains the opening of the gates as permission for seekers to enter חכמת האמת. It reports the teaching in the name of Rav Yisrael Salanter and describes additional higher light revealed and clothed below. The original photograph is provided so that the reader can inspect the exact wording, including the underlined qualification about yearning to cleave to Hashem.

=== 3. Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 116 ===

Sections ב–ג relate the opening of wisdom to preparation through the seven wisdoms, building Jerusalem, ingathering exiles, the flourishing of Eretz Yisrael, תיקון המידות, and uncovering Torah allusions. They connect recognition of Israel’s Torah wisdom with Israel living on its land. These are claims of the supplied text; they should not be mistaken for a completed presentation of the speaker’s view in this shiur.

=== 4. Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 118 ===
Sections ה–ו continue the supplied text’s discussion between pages 116 and 123. Section ה relates concern for visible Torah wisdom to קידוש ה׳ and the recognition of Israel’s wisdom. Section ו turns to a description of אור החכמה העליון. These are claims and categories in the supplied text; the original scan should be consulted for the full Hebrew and footnotes.
=== 5. Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 123 ===

The passage uses Yaakov’s ladder: ascent toward heaven begins with the ladder’s steps on earth. Sections יא–יב urge Torah scholars to cultivate an area of the seven wisdoms according to their abilities and discuss a relationship between knowledge of nature and Torah wisdom. This is the material set beside Saarat Eliyahu’s different interpretation for further study.

'''Attribution note:''' The overview sheet presents Rav Chaim Friedlander’s endorsement of Kol HaTor alongside a contrasting interpretation. The [https://www.sefaria.org/Kol_HaTor Sefaria entry for Kol HaTor] also notes disagreement over aspects of its attribution to the Gra. The chapter 5 passages used here are documented by the supplied handouts; Sefaria’s current online edition contains only chapters 1–3.

== מראי מקומות — source guide ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew !! Where it appears !! Role in this page
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.7.11 Bereishis 7:11] || בראשית ז:יא || Recordings; overview handout || Noach’s six-hundredth year and the two openings.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.108a Sanhedrin 108a] || סנהדרין קח ע״א || Restored opening recording || The generation of the Flood misuses its abundance; judgment through water.
|-
| [https://www.zohar.com/zohar/Vayera/chapters/32 Zohar, Vayera 117a] || זוהר, וירא קיז ע״א || Recordings; overview and Kol HaTor sheets || Upper gates, lower fountains, and preparation for the seventh millennium; matching online paragraph 445.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.96b Sanhedrin 96b–97a] || סנהדרין צו ע״ב–צז ע״א || Middle recording; overview handout || בר נפלי; the quoted verse continues across the daf boundary.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Amos.9.11 Amos 9:11] || עמוס ט:יא || Quoted through the Gemara || Raising David’s fallen sukkah.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Leshem Shevo VeAchlamah], Derushei Olam HaTohu I, derush 5, siman 3, supplied p. 76 || לשם שבו ואחלמה, דרושי עולם התהו || Middle and final recordings; IMG_5567 || Greater access for seekers, citing Rav Yisrael Salanter.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Daat_Tevunot Da’at Tevunot] || דעת תבונות || Middle recording, through the Leshem discussion || גילוי יחודו and special illumination; exact section not specified in the recording.
|-
| Shaar HaHakdamot, introduction, attributed by the speaker || שער ההקדמות || Middle recording || Earlier exceptional access; exact passage not identified and speaker’s source-location uncertainty retained.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Saarat Eliyahu], excerpt attributed to Rav Eliyahu Weintraub || סערת אליהו || Final recording; overview handout || Lower wisdom as spiritual awakening and refinement, not secular sciences. Exact edition/page not supplied.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Introduction to Kol HaTor], attributed on the sheet to Rav Chaim Friedlander, 1969 || הקדמה לקול התור || Overview handout; introduced in final recording || Endorsement of the work and context for the disagreement to be discussed further.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Kol HaTor, chapter 5], supplied pp. 116 and 123 || קול התור, פרק ה || IMG_5568 and IMG_5569 || Supplemental continuation material on seven wisdoms, Torah, and rebuilding Jewish life in Eretz Yisrael.
|}

== Audio and transcripts ==

The final page uses the complete replacement set in filename order: '''REC00062_2.mp3 (4:46)''', '''REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)''', and '''REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)'''—approximately '''57:53''' in total. The replacements restore the first recording and the material missing from the earlier middle upload. The earlier, shorter files are not used as the final transcript set. Two later recordings, Parts 4–5, are presented above as a continuation of this shiur; they are not substitutes for the original three-part set.

Each recording has its own full automated Sofer.ai transcript. These transcripts have not been substantively rewritten and should be checked against the audio, especially for Hebrew quotations, personal names, and spoken dates. Exact source references in this article are distinguished from uncertain or erroneous references in the automated transcripts.

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/xUFinACpPCePFzZl.mp3 Part 1 — REC00062_2.mp3 (4:46)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3 Part 2 — REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3 Part 3 — REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)]

[[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 1|Part 1]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 2|Part 2]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 3|Part 3]]

[[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|Read the source-sheet guide]] · [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cEQvWzPqieQRGNFm.pdf Download all four handouts]

[[Category:Shiur]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]
[[Category:Parsha - Noach]]
[[Category:Topic - Geulah]]
[[Category:Topic - Kabbalah]]
[[Category:Topic - Mussar]]
[[Category:Topic - Yesod]]

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets

2026-10-29T12:06:57Z

AdamSinger: Add Kol HaTor page 118 as the fifth Noach handout

← [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah|Back to the shiur]]

These are the five handouts supplied with the recordings. The photographs preserve the complete printed pages and handwritten markings. The excerpts and English descriptions below are editorial aids, not a substitute for the originals.

'''[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cEQvWzPqieQRGNFm.pdf Download the original four-handout PDF].''' The additional page 118 scan is supplied separately below.

== Handout 1 — 5600 / 1840 and 5787 ==

[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/nuyDQQmktIHMRVLj.jpg Open the original overview sheet].

The heading reads: '''“WHAT HAPPENED IN 5600 (1840)? WHAT IS HAPPENING IN 5787?”''' It collects Bereishis 7:11, Zohar Vayera 117a, an excerpt from Rav Chaim Friedlander’s introduction to Kol HaTor, a contrasting passage from Saarat Eliyahu attributed to Rav Eliyahu Weintraub, and Sanhedrin 96b.

The Zohar’s pivotal phrase is:

<blockquote>ובשית מאה שנין לשתיתאה יתפתחון תרעי דחכמתא לעילא ומבועי דחכמתא לתתא</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' In the six-hundredth year of the sixth millennium, the gates of wisdom above and the fountains of wisdom below will open. The passage goes on to describe preparation for the seventh millennium by comparison with preparation for Shabbos. The matching passage is paragraph 445 in the [https://www.zohar.com/zohar/Vayera/chapters/32 online Zohar edition].

The Saarat Eliyahu excerpt gives a contrasting interpretation of the lower fountains:

<blockquote>והפירוש האמיתי ב׳מבועי דחכמתא לתתא׳ הוא התעוררות נפש האדם מלמטה (בחינת אתערותא דלתתא) להבין את עומק פנימיות התורה, ובירור המידות והחומר של האדם, כדי לעשות את הגוף כלי מוכן לקבלת האור העליון</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' The true meaning of the fountains of wisdom below is the awakening of the human soul from below, to understand the depth of the inner Torah and to refine the person’s character and material life, making the body a prepared vessel to receive higher light. The preceding paragraph explicitly rejects identifying this wisdom with external or secular sciences.

The sheet’s short final English note on the 400 years from 5600 to 6000, תיקון מלכות, and the four letters of the Name is preserved in the photograph. The available recordings do not develop it into a full explanation. The reference to 5787 in the heading does not, by itself, establish a specific prediction or recording date.

== Handout 2 — Leshem Shevo VeAchlamah, supplied page 76 ==

[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/iAqaPsGkkvbMFgPw.jpg Open the original Leshem page].

'''Running header:''' דרושי עולם התהו חלק א׳ דרוש ה׳ סימן ג׳ אות ד׳–ה׳. The underlined passage is in the lower portion of the right-hand column. Its important qualification reads:

<blockquote>לכל המשתוקקים לדבק באלהים חיים</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' For all who yearn to cleave to the living God.

The paragraph explains “the gates will open” as permission for seekers to enter and engage in חכמת האמת. It reports the teaching in the name of Rav Yisrael Salanter. It is introduced in the middle recording and read in detail in the final recording. Read the complete surrounding paragraph in the photograph; the excerpt above preserves the key wording without attempting a full OCR transcription of the dense page.

== Handout 3 — Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 116 ==

[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cMocDbbyEzydmtpA.jpg Open the original Kol HaTor page 116].

Sections ב–ג connect the opening of wisdom with the seven wisdoms and with building Jerusalem, ingathering exiles, the flourishing of Eretz Yisrael, תיקון המידות, and uncovering Torah allusions. One of the listed elements is:

<blockquote>בנין ירושלים, קבוץ גליות, פריחת ארץ ישראל, תקון המדות, גלוי רמזי התורה ולימוד שבע החכמות</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' Building Jerusalem, ingathering exiles, the flourishing of the Land of Israel, refinement of character, uncovering Torah allusions, and studying the seven wisdoms.

The printed biblical quotations include [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.26.19 Devarim 26:19] and [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.4.6 Devarim 4:6]. The text relates the nations’ recognition of Torah wisdom to Israel’s life on its land.

== Handout 4 — Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 118 ==
[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/UJOuXiMSUFWfHnWC.jpeg Open the original Kol HaTor page 118 scan].
Sections ה–ו continue the supplied ''Kol HaTor'' material between pages 116 and 123. Section ה presents the page’s account of concern for making Torah wisdom and its study manifest among כלל ישראל, and of the relation it draws between that concern, קידוש ה׳, and the recognition of Israel’s wisdom. These are ideas reported by the supplied text, not independently verified historical or theological conclusions.
Section ו presents the text’s further account of wisdom as a foundational, higher light in creation, using the short phrase חכמת אלקים. It also refers to earlier sources and figures in support of that account. The original scan controls the wording, punctuation, footnotes, and any names or citations; this description does not claim a diplomatic full transcription.
== Handout 5 — Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 123 ==

[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/bePIHyuJBuDeYeOT.jpg Open the original Kol HaTor page 123].

The opening paragraph uses the image of a ladder standing on earth and reaching heaven. Sections יא–יב discuss the seven wisdoms, different scholarly abilities, and knowledge of nature. The instruction on choosing an area of study reads:

<blockquote>כל אחד יבחר באחת החכמות לפי כשרונו ונטייתו הטבעית והשכלית</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' Each person should choose one of the wisdoms according to his ability and his natural and intellectual inclination.

The following section describes a reciprocal relationship between knowledge of the properties of nature and Torah wisdom. These Kol HaTor pages are supplied as '''continuation material''': the speaker introduces their disagreement with the other approach but explicitly postpones a full discussion to a subsequent class.

== Text and attribution notes ==

Kol HaTor is presented on the handout as the teaching of Rav Hillel of Shklov associated with the Gra. The overview sheet includes an endorsement by Rav Chaim Friedlander; the [https://www.sefaria.org/Kol_HaTor Sefaria book entry] notes disagreement over aspects of the work’s attribution. Sefaria’s current edition contains chapters 1–3, so the exact chapter 5 passages here are linked to the supplied photographs rather than to a nonexistent online chapter.

The original photographs are the controlling source for wording, pagination, footnotes, and annotations. Short excerpts have been checked visually; no complete diplomatic transcription of the five pages is claimed.

[[Category:Source Sheets]]
[[Category:Parsha - Noach]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Main Page

2026-10-29T12:06:10Z

AdamSinger: Update this week’s parsha to Vayera and link to the all-shiurim index

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[[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א|Read full article...]]
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'''Published:''' October 17, 2026
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<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

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</div>

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===Parashat Vayera===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">20 Cheshvan 5787 · October 31, 2026 · Genesis 18:1-22:24</div>

''Vayera follows Avraham’s welcoming of guests, the promise of Yitzchak’s birth, the destruction of Sedom, the birth of Yitzchak, and the Akeidah.''

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' II Kings 4:1-37
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Vayera Read on Sefaria →]
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<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Chanukah: 1 Candle — First night of Chanukah || December 4, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 2 Candles || December 5, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 3 Candles || December 6, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 4 Candles || December 7, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 5 Candles || December 8, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 6 Candles || December 9, 2026
|-
| Chag HaBanot || December 10, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
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|}




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{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
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'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Ahavat Hashem & Avodah'''
* [[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א|From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א]]

'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
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<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
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Main Page

2026-10-24T21:03:26Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-10-24

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Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
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'''[[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

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[[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א|Read full article...]]
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'''Published:''' October 17, 2026
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<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
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===Parashat Lech-Lecha===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">13 Cheshvan 5787 · October 24, 2026 · Genesis 12:1-17:27</div>

''Summary for Lech-Lecha coming soon.''

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 40:27-41:16
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Lech-Lecha Read on Sefaria →]
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<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Chanukah: 1 Candle — First night of Chanukah || December 4, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 2 Candles || December 5, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 3 Candles || December 6, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 4 Candles || December 7, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 5 Candles || December 8, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 6 Candles || December 9, 2026
|-
| Chag HaBanot || December 10, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




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Browse by Topic
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<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Ahavat Hashem & Avodah'''
* [[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א|From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א]]

'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 5

2026-10-22T23:01:13Z

AdamSinger: Add authorized Sofer.ai continuation transcript — Part 5

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This is the full automated [https://sofer.ai Sofer.ai] transcript of REC00005.mp3, a continuation of the Noach shiur. Wording has not been substantively rewritten. Paragraph breaks and selected exact-text source links were added. Check the recording for transcription errors, especially Hebrew quotations, personal names, and spoken year numbers. Statements, historical claims, and attributions are transcribed as spoken, not independently verified historical findings.

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'''Audio:''' [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)]

== Listening outline ==

The following timestamps are an automated navigation aid; they are not verified chapter boundaries.

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3#t=0 0:00] — Depreciated Wisdom of the Poor and Sanctification
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3#t=158 2:38] — Combining Torah Knowledge with Secular Wisdom
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3#t=302 5:02] — Students Engaged in Mathematics and Logic Studies
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3#t=487 8:07] — Choosing One of the Seven Wisdoms
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3#t=643 10:43] — Linking Wisdom to Building Jerusalem and Redemption
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3#t=1174 19:34] — Rav Wolbe’s Advice on Friday Night Practices
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3#t=1309 21:49] — The Significance of the Last Four Hundred Years

== Full transcript ==

[https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.9.16 מסכן בזויה]. The wisdom of poor people is depreciated, is deprecated. So as long as we're poor and as long as we're not successful, we can't מקדש. גם שדודה מתוך קנאה וצרת עין, and will be destroyed by their jealousy and their צרת עין. So there's a ברכה that's going to come to ארץ ישראל that's special. He goes back again, a couple pages later and goes back to that: יחד כדברי הזוהר הקדוש, על שנת ת\"ר, in the year 5600, לאלף שישי, יתפתחון תרעי דחכמתא לעילא, and they open up the gates the gates above, ומבועי דחכמתא לתתא. And he says, why do you have to work on the חכמה below, just work on תורה?

And he brings the same idea that [https://www.sefaria.org/Tiferet_Yisrael.14 the מהר\"ל brings in פרק י\"ד of תפארת ישראל], that תוספות יום טוב brings, that it's like a ladder, כי אין לעלות בסולם שראשו מגיע השמימה, you can't get to the top of the ladder, מבלי לעלות תחילה על דרגות הסולם המוצב ארצה, without first getting on the סולם that is firmly planted in the ground. ובזה צפונה עיקר כוונת, נרמז ליעקב אבינו. This is the key hint of the חלום that יעקב had when he's leaving ארץ ישראל, was that he has to know that you have to have חכמה בגוים and you have to go up. And again, the מהר\"ל says that's why we make in ברכות נ\"ח, you make two ברכות, we we understand that the חכמות חיצוניות gets a ברכה also, because it's חשוב, because it's the the מוצב ארצה. And, and now, so first part is you're not going to understand תורה completely without knowing the lower level חכמות.

אין דבר יותר גדול לקידוש השם להצלת כבוד ישראל בעיני עמים, מאשר לקיים את הדבר הגדול הזה. There's nothing that's more קידוש השם'דיק than when a Jew shows that he knows תורה well and he knows secular knowledge well, and he's going to bring later on that this example is the תוספות יום טוב. וכל שכן שאנו הולכים ומתקרבים לזמן היותר מסוגל לחזון זה משנת תר\"ל, זה כמו בזהר הנ\"ל. So we can start figuring out the bottom of the ladder after the year 5600. ומדוע נעזוב את הנכס הגדול הזה של חכמת תורתנו הקדושה? Why should we leave this great ability to מקדש השם, שאין שמיעה לתורה, או חלק ממנה לאחרים, ונמצא שם שמים מתחלל. If we don't know the bottom of the ladder, we're making a חילול השם. And here it goes: ומתגדל עלבונה של תורה. And this was a this will be a defamation of the תורה. And this bothered the הגר\"א very much. The חילול השם בעיני the גוים of the תורה.

את הדברים האלה וביתר אריכות דיבר רבנו, and the הגר\"א spoke about this a lot. This is not just some short aspect that ר' הלל משקלוב wrote, בהתרגשות עצומה, he got very emotional about it, שאין לתאר לא בדיבור ולא בכתב. I can't explain to you how much this bothered the הגר\"א, that תורה was a חילול השם בעיני העמים, and we have to work by bringing Jews back to ארץ ישראל, we have to work at חכמת downstairs, so make a קידוש השם, there will be חכמה בעיני העמים. והביע שמחתו והוקרתו על אלו מתלמידיו, and he would bring his joy and his respect on those תלמידים, המקיימים בכל כוחם, והעלו את העניין הגדול הזה בפועל ממש, that the students who did that, they did it, לקידוש שם שמים ושם ישראל. בסיעתא דשמיא. We know which תלמידים they were? What's he referring to? So in in עליות אליהו, right, by רב שמואל לוריא, he brings a whole bunch of the people were working on different things.

Most of them mathematics. Mostly things mathematics and logic, the two he brings most of the students were working on. And you know, I think, listen, I think we all understand, hopefully we all understand if not, that I love everybody at this table, more or less, you know, but it probably is not speaking to us. We're talking about תלמידי הגר״א or עילויים גדולים who know ש״ס and know משניות and know חומש, and now they're, you know, מקדש שם שמים and they're learning geometry and again, maybe I'll sit down and I'll study the pages on the what he praises about the תוספות יום טוב. So, and we all know, we all recognize geniuses who can do all these things at one time. Many of us can't, so. But they're also focused in Aristotelian classicism and not in not in empiricism or or anything that we would today consider science. Math and math and logic are kind of it.

We're still in sort of pre-Newtonian, pre- And I think in 1840s there was not a whole lot of science for them to be studying. Right, but that transformation, that didn't seem to get made by anybody. No, there are people, again, the הגר״א תלמידים who, yes, definitely are. Empiricists? Yeah. Okay. ועל כל אלה, כל אחד מחכמי התורה, and to all the חכמי התורה, וכל שכן יודעי חן, and now here's the חידוש, right? This is one of the paragraphs that got explosive. Everyone is learning Torah, everyone is חכמי התורה. חכמי התורה is not being a בן תורה and showing me your alumni card from the מכונים. Doesn't work, we're talking about, you know, חכמי התורה.

וכל שכן יודעי חן, this is one that certainly if you know קבלה, אמר רבינו, חובה רמה, it's a great obligation, ללמוד ולתפוס אחת משבע חכמות, take one of the seven חכמות and become good at it, המנויות לעיל, that are counted above, just so it's, you should know that they're never counted above, וללמדה גם לאחרים, תלמידי חכמים ויראי ה׳. You should sit down, he told all of his students that you have to be מקרב them to get this out to the world of תלמידי חכמים. כל אחד יבחר באחת החכמות לפי כשרונו, everyone should pick the wisdom that works according to their potential, ונטייתו הטבעית והשכלית, according to their nature. רבים מחכמי קהילתנו, many of the wise people in my קהילה, where Shklov was, בשקלוב, ומקומות אחרים נהרו לרבינו הגר״א בבקשת הוראות ממנו בעניינים אלה.

Many people in my town were given by the הגר״א a obligation to sit down and learn one area of secular wisdom so they could make a קידוש השם. והוא היה קובע לכל אחד ואחד את מקצוע החכמה המתאים לו לפי כשרונו ונטייתו. And he would sit down and tell each of his תלמידים, you're good for this, you're good for that, what what what can you do? So he's trying to get that the הגר״א was very engaged in this, it wasn't just a one schmooze, but he sat down and he tried to help the people develop it. וברוח קדשו אמר גם כן לכל אחד רמז אחד ויותר שבו נרמז שמו וענינו בפסוקים בתנ״ך. He explained to them why he did it based on רמזים in תנ״ך. ופעמים, if he didn't know that, גם על הגורל. Sometimes he said, \"I don't know what you're supposed to learn, Baruch, right?

So he'd do a גורל הגר״א if he didn't know your name.\" But mostly, right, they said that he figured out based on your name what you should be doing and what you're trying to understand. Yeah. כמבואר לעיל כי שורש כל ש... And they said, but now make sure one thing: we're not going to be like the רמב״ם or the חובות הלבבות who seem to say, I'll keep saying seem to say, that the two things are different. There's a מנורה outside and there's תורה inside, and they're two separate dimensions. We're looking, there was one סולם, the הגר״א understood that everything is connected to the תורה, and you're doing this because it does two things: It helps you learn תורה and it helps you make a קידוש השם.

But we have to always keep clear that הקדוש ברוך הוא, when it says [https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.9.1 חצבה עמודיה שבעה], is talking about the the bottom of the ladder from the top of the ladder. כמבואר לעיל קישורם כל יסודות החכמה וגיוסם עם בנין ירושלים וקיבוץ גלויות. All of this working on it has to be building up Jerusalem and bringing in the exile. ופריחת ארץ הקודש על פי פסוקים בתנ״ך הנזכרים לעיל, like I've mentioned before. וזאת היתה אחת מהמטרות הגדולות של מסירת נפשו של רבינו בנסעו לקיבוץ גלויות ולמצות יישוב ארץ הקודש. And this was the purpose of why the why the הגר״א sent all of his many of his תלמידים to come to ארץ ישראל. ומרגלא בפומיה. There is a riddle in his mouth, there was a pearl in his mouth, a pearl of wisdom.

במידה שיחסר לו לאדם בידיעת הסגולות שבכוחות הטבע, in the aspect that you're lacking knowledge of one of the treasures of natural science, יחסר לו מאה ידיעות בחכמת התורה. That משל you won't have, and that'll hold you back from a hundred understandings of תורה. ובמידה שחכמי התורה ישיגו מכוחות הסגולות, and at the level that people understand the natural reality, the סגולות הטבע, and that's very empirical, we're not talking about like, you know, over there, יוסיף להם מאה שערים בחכמת התורה. It increases a hundred times the power of the חכמת התורה. So that's that's what we're looking at. Did the הגר״א write this himself, anywhere that we know for sure the הגר״א said something at least similar to any of this? Oh, so here we go. That's that's a great question. So So yes, the introduction the איל משולש on the book in geometry, he says something very close to this.

That if you don't know this, it shuts anything out. Now, there it's not written in the הגר״א's name, it's written the תלמיד says over from the הגר״א, but it's in the הגר״א's lifetime, so like you know, it's better than writing something a hundred and forty years after, a hundred and thirty years after the הגר״א's lifetime. So again, there's always things This is not it's like The people who wrote this were clearly הגר״א תלמידים, and the question is, did they get too pulled after the fact that they invested in ארץ ישראל, and they made the active aspects we have to do for the גאולה, they made it too strong? Let's take a look at the the first page now. Let's go back and see the introductions. So this is the introduction of רב חיים פרידלנדר. רבי שלמה זלמן ריבלין היה מוציא לאור המקורי של ספר קול התור.

So רב שלמה זלמן ריבלין, a grandson of רב משה ריבלין, who's the famous תלמיד who was sent by the הגר״א, and his name was דרשן, I can't remember what the גימטריא is. Everyone's going to use their phone to help me. The גימטריא of משה? Yeah, somehow what why why he saw this name, I can't remember what it is. You'll find it after I'll find I'll find it afterwards. כמו שזכרנו, אנו חייבין לו חוב עצום של הכרת הטוב, על כך שדאג לכך שתורה נפלאה של קץ מגולה, that this wonderful תורה of the redemption will be done. And רב חיים פרידלנדר write it, and he's got the signature of רב חיים קניבסקי at the end of this. של רבינו הגר״א, ולא תאבד סוף דבר, and we won't lose the end, כל מה שאמר נר לרגלו, everything he says is truth, is the path he should go on, לא לא ימצא איזה דבר שיספיק עליו אמיתתו, דאיזה כולם מתורתו של רבינו הגר״א. Boom.

So that's like, you know, when רב שך started making comments, רב חיים told me that he wouldn't have written the language so strong, but רב חיים קניבסקי told him to write the language so strong. And he said if רב חיים is willing to sign it, I'm willing to write it. And that's a strong language, right? Wait, and רב חיים just signed it? No, he didn't. It would hurt him learning a seven דף for the day like this time. Was רב חיים קניבסקי like a is he one of the גדולי הדור then? Yeah, in the '80s? Yeah, his father died. Definitely, 100%. Yeah, definitely. Yes. Okay. So, then we just saw last time just we'll contrast the two. So here comes: חלילה וחס, רב אליהו ויינטרויב writes and רב שך signs, לומר על דברי הזוהר הקדוש, מבועי דחכמתא תתאה, שכווני היא לחכמה חיצוניות. It's to wisdom that's external. ומדעים של חול שנתגלה בעולם.

And for the scientific explosion that occurred in the world. אין חכמה אלא תורה. ואין מאינות דחכמה אלא מאינות דתורה. When it talks about the springs that come out, it's got to be תורה. I hope we can all see how we bridge this, that of course he's right, right? The פסוק in משלי says, [https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.14.1 חכמות נשים בנתה ביתה], right? The חכמות, that's talking about תורה, and from that comes the עמודי שבע. הפירוש אמיתי במבועי דחכמתא לתתא, what's the real idea? הוא התעוררות נפש האדם מלמטה, בבחינת אתערותא דלתתא. The real story if the the what's going to happen is, people are going to want to learn תורה. People are going to want to learn קבלה.

When they talk about the lower level aspects, it's not the desire and the need to learn secular wisdoms, but it's the fact that everyone's going to understand that תשוקה that even if I don't really understand גמרא yet, I've got to sit down and learn things deeper and more understanding, להבינא עומק פנימיות התורה. There'll be people they'll be they'll want to learn the מהר״ל. ובירור המידות החומר של אדם, and we'll recognize that we have to work on our attributes so we can learn תורה properly. כדי לעשות את גופו כלי מוכן לקבלת אור עליון, so we can have the גוף of the תורה for the אור עליון. Okay. So what are they saying about the culture? Are they saying that's just a He's saying it's false. False. חס ושלום. חס ושלום. חס ושלום.

There's more חס ושלום in this writing than you can like, you know, everything is like Where would רב משה שפירא weigh in, on which side did he weigh in on? So I think I told you, we'll turn the tapes off at the end. No, it's nothing to do with Weintraub, you know, just going to finish up the real part. We'll do it at the end. But I don't know, he like, it's one of these things, this was a civil war, like. Okay, I'll tell you at the end what, you know, what what. Okay, just just the end part. What what's the big part? So the הגר״א just So we've got the 5,600. But Baruch over here is worried about, okay, 5,600, what happens last 400 years? We're getting ready for, you know, Everyone must know this like it's a cute story, but it's the real story.

I asked Rav Rav Wolbe once, 'What should I do so that the תלמידים in מכון שלמה become ערליכע בעלי בתים, so that they know what it is to run a house and run a family?' So Rav Wolbe looked at me, and Rav Wolbe's sense of humor was like so dry that you often didn't catch it. Maybe the British would have gotten it, I don't know, like would need some help. But so he said, 'Well, I know the first thing you have to do is not let them go out Friday nights to סעודות with families.' Being an idiot, of course, I I jumped, which he wanted me to do, of course. And I said, 'What are you talking about? That's the most important thing to do so they'll see how בעלי בתים are, and it's not just by the ראשי ישיבה's. I want them to go out to see בעלי בתים, and not just to see the rebbe's.' He He said, he said you should go out to all the רבי's houses, not to בעלי בתים's houses.

It's like, what are you talking about? He said, no, no, no, no, it'll destroy their marriages. He says, the boys leave ישיבה, and they think that every Friday night that a Jewish house runs like a Friday night table. You sit at the head of the table like a prince, your wife sits as a princess, the kids all have their דף קשר from schools, they come and ask you questions, you respond to their questions, everybody's nice and nice. He says they're not going to realize how hard it is to run a house, right, and how much work comes into putting in the שבת table. He says, nope, that's what destroys life. They think that what it is is they're going to sit like a king, and their kids are going to come with a דף קשר and just ask wonderful questions on תורה. He says, can't have them out. You have to have them in in the ישיבה, don't let them go out.

And then he says a question, okay, I know it's unusual not to have them out. But then he was joking, he says, but at least if they go out, you have to make them, you want them to be normal, tell them they have to go over during bath time and help with the bath time and they'll see how crazy the house is, and then they know what a Jewish house looks like. That's, you know, that's That's why they should go to rabbis' houses. Because they know the rabbis are weird, they don't expect their houses to look like a rabbi's house, right? There is some שכל to it. So what's, you know, so what's happening here the last 400 years? It's like what's what's what's going on?

So the way the הגר״א understands the last 400 years, maybe it's really the האר״י ז״ל understands the last 400 years is so we got the 5600 is the opening of the wisdom, and the last 400 years is 400 always is an expression of מלכות. The last letter in the אלף בית is a ת, ת is גימטריא 400, and to bring something all the way out from upstairs downstairs, you have to go through 400 gates to get where you want to get to, because the קדושה, מלכות creates borders and limitations, and there's a four-letter name of הקדוש ברוך הוא that gets expressed, or if that's too deep for there's a there's four elements, there's water, רוח, fire, and dirt that have to be מקודש, and they're all in the world of מלכות, they're all downstairs, that God's bringing out to the world. And we have to מקדש these 400 blockages in the last 400 years.

And that's what אברהם did when we first came to ארץ ישראל, and he bought מערת המכפלה from עפרון, עפרון from the word עפר, the lowest level of גשמיות, the most coarse aspect of גשמיות, for 400 משקל of כסף. כסף always stands for desire, רצון, an ability to מקדש the physical nature of the world. קול התור understands that this understanding how science and תורה fit together is that קידוש, is that being מקדש. That being מקדש the last 400 down here that are at the bottom, right, that that the מלכות is restricted and it's constrained, and we have to free it by 400 שקל כסף that we give over, that we find meaning and find value in what looked like it doesn't have meaning and value downstairs.

Clearly a very ethereal goal, and again, no one at this table has that mission for them to do it, but clearly the הגר״א thought that people had that mission to do it, and that's what we're trying to do in the last 400 years, is that we should be able to take everything downstairs and show how it connects upstairs. That's what the [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.23.15-16 ארבע מאות שקל כסף] is attempting, and that's what he wants his תלמידי חכמים to try and achieve and develop. Okay. So, is he like telling people to do this before the the year 5600? He wanted He sent people there that it would There should be a group of people that are ready in 1840 to do it in ארץ ישראל, like, you know, let's go. And he told people like הלל שקלאווער spent 10 years being a רב before he came to ארץ ישראל again.

You can't just go to ארץ ישראל and like, I'm going to tell you at age, you know, 48, like go to ארץ ישראל. This was plans that they all had that he got his team trying to go for it. Just just like practically, it's just like knowing the knowledge and and is it also about teaching? Yeah, so the, once you teach how it makes a קידוש השם and connect it upstairs, have the [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.28.12 סולם מוצב ארצה וראשו מגיע השמימה], that's the קידוש השם. קידוש השם to the גוים? Because they're not they're not in ירושלים. Wait, they're going to see that we're חכמים, we write books, they see what's going on. They weren't in Spain by the רמב״ם? They say the רמב״ם created a קידוש השם. They weren't in Prague by Rav by the תוספות יום טוב, but they made a קידוש השם.

They weren't in Vilna by the גר״א, but they saw קידוש השם, they saw חכמה, they saw truth, they read the books, they said this gets quoted, they said what's going on. So you're like publishing for a Jewish audience, but then maybe somehow it's going to go out there and somebody's going to see it and then it's going to create They know it! They know there's wisdom out there. There's wisdom out there. Okay, tape's off, because I really don't know the right answer to your

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[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 4

2026-10-22T23:01:11Z

AdamSinger: Add authorized Sofer.ai continuation transcript — Part 4

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This is the full automated [https://sofer.ai Sofer.ai] transcript of REC00004.mp3, a continuation of the Noach shiur. Wording has not been substantively rewritten. Paragraph breaks and selected exact-text source links were added. Check the recording for transcription errors, especially Hebrew quotations, personal names, and spoken year numbers. Statements, historical claims, and attributions are transcribed as spoken, not independently verified historical findings.

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'''Audio:''' [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)]

== Listening outline ==

The following timestamps are an automated navigation aid; they are not verified chapter boundaries.

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3#t=54 0:54] — Identifying the mysterious קול התור
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3#t=228 3:48] — Publication history of the ספר in the 20th century
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3#t=355 5:55] — The 1980s controversy between רב שך and רב חיים קניבסקי
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3#t=511 8:31] — The seven wisdoms (שבע חכמות) in גר״א teaching
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3#t=866 14:26] — Why תוספות יום טוב is central to קול התור
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3#t=1229 20:29] — Zohar passage on the 600th year and future wisdom
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3#t=1497 24:57] — Practical steps for קידוש השם and rebuilding Jerusalem
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3#t=1796 29:56] — Why We Must Return to Build the Land

== Full transcript ==

Okay, so so the question is how to understand the זוהר in נח that we looked at last week, which opening the seven, I was going to say it right now, let's do it. יסוד גדול לרבנו הגר״א. Everyone have where we are? Got the קול התור? Oh, that קול התור. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. Everyone's got one? It says ב at the top, it's got footnotes two and three at the bottom. What is the קול התור? Who is that קול התור? What? Who is he? Who is the קול התור? Okay, that's the big question. Just, I can't remember what we said last week and what we didn't say when I I got my ברוך will be my shield down there to tell me when to stop and when to start, right? So, who is the who is the קול התור? The huge question, right? That's like, you know, where maybe everything starts. There is a nephew of the הגר״א, רב הלל שקלאווער.

Everyone knows he learned with the הגר״א for more than 10 years בחברותא. Everyone knows the הגר״א pushed him to come to ארץ ישראל on עליה with the Rivlin family. The ספר was supposedly written, again just in the 1840s. The exact history I went through a long time ago and I don't remember it that well, but the 1840s. רב הלל שקלאווער, according to the מסורה of משה ריבלין, a grandson of a תלמיד of the הגר״א, the famous Rivlin that set up all ירושלים, his father was the person famously who, I'm so bad at גימטריאות, I don't like them, someone can do this, it goes like this, probably if someone can Google it for him, it will be better for me, I can't remember how it goes now. But there was there was a הלל ריבלין and a משה ריבלין who were two תלמידים of the הגר״א, and the הגר״א one week was telling everybody their שורש הנשמה from the from the חומש.

If you think we have a knowing yourself, they knew it like this. So, are you connected down there? Someone Google, someone's good with a computer. So, I don't want to say this inexactly. So, משה or הלל ריבלין appeared before him, and he asked what his שורש הנשמה was, and he says the גימטריא of your name is דורש ציון. Someone has to look for ציון. You have to leave Vilna and go build up the ישוב in ארץ ישראל. And he was one of the first 20 תלמידים of the הגר״א to go in based on the גימטריא of his name. Can someone check that for me? How does what how does what what was the גימטריא, what was his name? I can look it up, but I can't remember. So, okay. So, his grandson put the ספר out in like 1947.

And they said that the ספר was not put out before then because it was much too kabbalistic, with many, many, many, too many גימטריאות and too many hints at the coming of the גאולה and how the last 400 years would be of world history. So, they didn't put it out. But רב הלל ריבלין put out a a simpler, clear expression of what קול התור was, what קול התור was, and dumbed it down for the audience. Everybody agrees that at the time the both the תלמידים of the פרושים of תולדות אהרן and the and the And the תלמידים of רב צבי יהודה קוק wanted to see the original copy that was taken from, he refused to do it. The copy of הלל ריבלין's ספר? The copy of of משקלוב's, of the original הלל משקלוב's ספר.

There's supposed to be an original הלל משקלוב's ספר that was written in the 1840s, and then I believe it's משה ריבלין put it out and he in a simplified version in the 1940s, 100 years later. But he kept parts of what he said were too prophetically powerful to reveal to the whole world, and he refused to let anyone see the original ספר. And then began the מחלוקת about what's going on. Everybody understands that parts of this were definitely the גר״א. The question is how it was written over and expressed here, and that's we saw. When I, in the 1980s, like this was the battle raging between רב שך and רב חיים קניבסקי, and both of them wouldn't budge on it.

And רב חיים קניבסקי, רב חיים פרידלנד, a תלמיד of רב חיים קניבסקי, made him put out the volume with his הגהות, with רב חיים פרידלנד's הגהות, because רב חיים was sure that it was correct, even though his מסורה coming from the חזון אי״ש was different, but okay. Then רב שך got הרב אליהו ויינטראוב, a תלמיד of רב הוטנר, to put out the counterproof that it wasn't done, and then it kind of made a big, it was a big conversation for five years, and then I never know how these, and then just quieted. It was like, okay, everyone's got their camps and do what it is and As to whether they and so everyone knows there's lots of וילנא גאון ideas in the ספר. רב שך believes that the וילנא גאון ideas were expanded and expressed in too modernistic a way to be trusted and to be real. רב חיים פרידלנד didn't feel that way. Okay, here we go.

So at the very least, it is based in הגר״א's in the הגר״א's ideas, even though other things could have been mixed in, at the very least? Yes. That's that's right. There's there's a there's a מסורה of real תלמידי הגר״א here that that you have to So, and you'll see it all resonates. We all know the גר״א, we can do the גר״א all around. He had these ideas. הלל ריבלין wrote קול התור, correct? Yeah. And קול התור is a different ספר? He says he edited קול התור. So the קול היונה is an edited version is supposed to be an edited version of the of of the קול התור? No, it's the second edition. It's the second edition, and that's the thing that רב שך and No, קול התור is the one קול התור is the one they're arguing so, thank you. What, you want to write in your own name, go write in your own name, like that, okay, no one's going to care about that. Oh, I see, okay, fine. Okay.

So here he goes. Here he starts off, page two of the ספר. The first page just talks out praising how great the גר״א is. I didn't think we had to learn that. If you don't know how great the גר״א is, then we failed at the מכון at the מכונים. יסוד גדול לרבנו הגר״א, להתכוננות בלימוד שבע חכמות. Everybody knows that the גר״א was preparing us that we had to learn שבע חכמות. We had to learn the seven wisdoms from [https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.9.1 משלי פרק פרק ט פסוק א, right, that חכמות בנתה ביתה חצבה עמודיה שבעה]. The world was built with wisdom, and God crafted out seven חצבה עמודיה שבעה. הקדוש ברוך הוא crafted out seven He's going to say seven עמודים. Does he quote the פסוק in משלי here? I can't remember which one part that put down here. That's what's going on. עמודיה שבעה, there it is in footnote four. He brings it right. Right, so חצבה עמודיה שבעה, okay.

So on that פסוק in משלי, not where the footnote's going, [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Proverbs.9.1 פסוק in משלי, which is פרק ט פסוק א, רש״י says], they made the world, עמודיה שבעה, the world stands on seven ideas, that seven ideas is the those seven foundations are the seven books of the תורה. What do you רבינו בחיי, the רמב״ם in his, not in מורה נבוכים explicitly that I remember, but he talks about it in his book הגיון, this book of logic, that the seven, that פסוק in משלי that the world stands on, חצבה עמודיה שבע, the world stands on seven, that's talking about the seven wisdoms of the world, the מנורה that's got seven עמודים that stands outside of the תורה.

Right, we got the ארון in the קדש קדשים, we have the מנורה outside the קדש קדשים, and they, רבינו בחיי and the רמב״ם, I'm sure there's people other than that, those are the first two that we know and go with, and they understand that it's secular wisdom. But רש״י understands it's תורה. And like all the I all of from the מפרשי מקראות גדולות over there. Now, I'm interested. Let me see if I can figure out where it should be. Hm. See if I can bother you? Just want to go over your shoulder there, there's a black, beaten-up משלי on the one shelf out from where you're sitting. Yeah, right there on my shelf with all the הגר״א's. You got that page like All the הגר״א's, there's going to be a There's going to be a הגר״א on משלי, black. Don't go that high. No, where your hand is, no, down below. There, on that No, to the right. There.

Yeah, over there someplace it'll be a משלי, won't there? The No. On משלי? Black. Thank you. Let's see. So, and the הגר״א, כדרכו בקודש, has this in-between approach, which is that היינו הך, they're the same thing. It's all one, it's all one. It flows out of תורה upstairs, and just comes down here into the חכמה below. It's not two different aspects, it's one It's one כולל. It's all connected from the the roots at the top, on the תורה itself, תורה הקדושה, and it comes down outside into שבע חכמות. Those are the three basic שיטות. Yeah. Let's just see what he says over here on the פסוק. Oh yeah, we love it. Small print. Which פירוש are we looking for? No, he doesn't explain. He just says the world's made on these seven Doesn't say what they what what they are. Okay, that's what I remembered. Okay. So, here he's going to say the explicit what the what the seven are.

So, יסוד גדול לרבינו הגר״א לקונס בלימוד שבע חכמות. Like the מהר״ל, and like the תוספות יום טוב, they both established the הגר״א שיטה before then, that they said that you have to understand that the world is made like a [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.28.12 סולם מוצב ארצה וראשו מגיע השמימה]. They use the metaphor of of יעקב's ladder, and the bottom of the ladder is the שבע חכמות, the top of the ladder is the קבלה, the in-between the ladder is חומש and רש״י, and they're all connected. And that's what you have to see. If you move away from that, you've lost the world of הגר״א, מהר״ל, and תוספות יום טוב. Why do we talk about תוספות יום טוב so much? Because the תוספות יום טוב is the one who is quoted all the time in קול התור as being the person who expressed this idea most completely.

You know, he knew more astronomy The again, the תוספות יום טוב is what we all know, תוספות יום טוב the commentator on משניות, he was the מהר״ל's תלמיד מובהק. He was the one. Like you can't be anymore תלמיד מובהק of the מהר״ל than the תוספות יום טוב. At בר מצוה, his mother gave him a over to מהר\"ל and said, \"What do I do with this kid? He's bouncing off walls, and and and speaking תורה all the time, and I don't understand what he's talking about.\" And the מהר\"ל met him and said he's a genius, and he learned in מהר\"ל's ישיבה from 13 to 18. On his 18th birthday, the מהר\"ל thought he'd done pretty good and put him on his בית דין, and he sat in the בית דין for the next 15 years until the מהר\"ל died, right, on the מהר\"ל's בית דין. So like you don't have any תלמיד like when you want to see like what did the מהר\"ל, you know, like.

So and In מחשבה, though, you don't see him say so much over, though, תוספות יום טוב. What do you mean תוספות יום טוב? Seriously? I mean like like if you talk to our friend over here, right, like you know like you're going to sit down and like you look at you sit down and go through פרקי אבות, you're going to see all the time in תוספות יום טוב quoting מורי ורבינו like he doesn't move without the the מהר\"ל over there. And then you know and all around there's at the end of the fifth פרק. Okay, a little what's a cliffhanger? But no, let's keep straight. How could he comment on the קול התור, though? That was, he was earlier, no? קול התור you're saying that was 19th century, 1840? Wait, wait, the קול התור is bringing brings later on the not the xerox, but the an example of this approach is the תוספות יום טוב who lived in the late 1500s, early 1600s.

קול התור was a תלמיד of the גר\"א. Yes. And the גר\"א was much later. Right. תוספות יום טוב. Right. You said the תוספות יום טוב was commenting, bringing the קול התור. No, the קול התור is bringing תוספות יום טוב. Oh. And but I forgot what I was saying right now at this, but oh so the תוספות יום טוב is the one who brought out the the the מהר\"ל much more. He studied astronomy with Gans, who was a student of Copernicus, and he said that Copernicus was right and you have to follow him, that's the right astronomy that you have to follow. And he wrote a commentary on Aristotle, and he everyone knows he quotes Euclid all over, like these these very specific Euclids in in in all the agricultural and all זרעים. He gets he loves to show off principle 32 of Euclid and principle 56.

It's not like some big thing, he's quoting it like you know right on the spot with with precision, so he his his expression of secular wisdom is much greater than the מהר\"ל's. The מהר\"ל know it or not know it, מחלוקת of the מפרשים. They say he just wrote about it more that because Copernicus was coming out, he had more to write about. But he's the one that the קול התור talks about the מהר\"ל, קול, תוספות יום טוב goes on. Just did someone give me my ברכות here? I'm not sure if I can put my finger on it. There's a famous one. Thank you. In ברכות Jacob told me he doesn't talk about this openly. He talks about like Most of them זרעים, so I'm not such a בקי in, right? But over here in ברכות I I will accept more responsibility. Yeah, here it is.

Yeah, so take a look at We're not going to do it now because I didn't xerox it, but it's which כדאי to learn, but in פרק חמישי of ברכות, in his commentary, right, דברי חמודות obviously is from תוספות יום טוב, סעיף קטן מ\"ג on הבדלה, אתה חונן לאדם דעת. What's the meaning he gave him דעת? He talks about the connection between seven חכמות and תורה in a very philosophical and explicit language, which is probably interesting to learn. Okay, back Back over here. What is this commentary called? דברי חמודות on the רא״ש? The regular, this commentary on the רא״ש, the one you see right next to מעדני יום טוב. Okay, so, so he said we have to get ready to learn שבע חכמות. And the reason that that he keeps going back and forth, the הגר״א's reason for learning it was so expansive is what produced an uproar.

ולקרב שנת תר״א, זה אלף הששי, היי דברי זוהר הקדוש בפרשת וירא, what we saw last week, אשר שם נאמר: ובשית מאה שנין, in the 600th year, לשיתא שתיתאה, in the in the 6th thousand century, 5,000, יפתחו תרעי דחכמתא לעילא, wisdom open ups from above, ומבועי, and springs, דחכמתא לתתא, ויתקן עלמא, and that's to repair the world, עלמא למיעל בשביעאה, and that's to repair the world for the year 6,000, the 7th cycle, which is like שבת, which will bring which will be the גאולה. So, now he explains: רבינו הגר״א, and now he makes it clear. This is not like a one-time thing, this was the הגר״א's the הגר״א's focus. דיבר הרבה על דברי הזוהר האלה. The הגר״א was focused on this, even though he died in 1810 or 11 I think, 30 years before this became relevant, but he was כוננו, he wanted to prepare us, במסירת חישובים עמוקים, with many deep thoughts, ועיקרם הוא, שאתחלתא דגאולה קשורה עם...

What do we have to work at? So, this is what bothered the the this vision is what concerned the, what's this called, the ישוב הישן? The תולדות אהרן, ישוב הישן, that we have to work to make the גאולה. We can't just sit in the corner and דאווען, but the הגר״א understood that there these these sources are opening up, and we have to work for them to bring out the גאולה, much too activistic for a סאטמאר approach. But for sure the הגר״א was... ועם, and we all know the הגר״א tried to come, he sent his students, it's very hard exactly how much it is, right, but you see what he did, you understand this was going. ועם התפתחות... So, sorry. ועיקרם הוא שאתחלתא דגאולה קשורה עם קיבוץ גלויות. If you want, the גאולה starts, and we have to work to bring together Jews to ירושלים. One. Two: ועם התפתחות, and there'll be an opening, מבועי, of springs of חכמה באתערותא דלתתא.

And there'll be an opening of wisdom from below על ידי ישראל בירושלים כמבואר להלן, like I'll explain later on. Jews have to be שטייגינג deeply into תורה in ירושלים, that's why he sent his תלמידים here. כאן ראה רבינו רמזים טמירים, the הגר״א showed us great hints, על יעודו בענין זה, on the future in this concept, שהיה כנודע נועד לזה משיח בן יוסף. This was the משיח בן יוסף, that בן יוסף will fix up the lower-level worlds to get ready for the upper-level worlds. משיח דאתחלתא, the משיח that begins the progress that's going to come. רבינו הגר״א עסק בידיעת שבע חכמות הצפונות בתורה. He spent time trying to find out how from upstairs we bring downstairs the שבע חכמות that are hidden in תורה. שבעה שערים, that's what the פסוק in משלי is talking about, במובן האמור: חכמות בנתה ביתה, that's the פסוק in משלי, חצבה עמודיה שבעה.

חכמות בנתה ביתה, the חכמות of תורה, is the way the הגר״א learns it, builds up the house. חצבה עמודיה שבעה, downstairs there are seven expressions of this wisdom, and they're the seven lower levels of wisdom. וכך אמר לנו רבינו, אלו דברים, and now why do we have to work at knowing חכמות of the nature of the world? מביאים לידי קידוש השם בעקבתא דמשיחא. Knowing, and they're going to bring to a קידוש השם. How do we make a קידוש השם? We have to make a קידוש... קידוש השם for the Jews. We're going to do it one: בנין ירושלים. If we build up Jerusalem and show that the that the גלות is over, that'll be a huge קידוש השם. They'll be shocked at it. Then after building up ירושלים, we have to have קיבוץ גלויות. We have to bring Jews back in. And then we have to have that ארץ ישראל is a successful expressive place.

The גר''א says according to קול התור explicitly that when you're poor, no one respects you. We're going to see at the end of this next paragraph. פריחת ארץ ישראל, you have to have the success of ארץ ישראל. Of course, part, הגר''א always, תיקון המדות, don't forget about that one also. You have to work on good מדות. Jews are walking around and they're wonderful, refined people. גילוי רמזי התורה, and we're going to see the hints of תורה that talk about the מהלך of history and about the process of of of these seven wisdoms of the world, ולימוד שבע חכמות, and learning the שבע חכמות, על פי הביאור להלן, like I'm going to explain later on.

So all of these things, the גר''א was very into קידוש השם, which we don't hear too often, and it was a קידוש השם for the גוים, that that's what the גאולה is about, and we have to sit down and know that כלל ישראל is something bigger than just being צדיקים in a internal way. We have to make sure it's expressed to the world, and that's our obligation once we get the זוהר from פרשת וירא. Here it goes: הדרגה הגבוהה ביותר של ברכת ישראל, what's the great praise of כלל ישראל, וברכת ארץ ישראל הנמנות בפרשת כי תבוא היא, it says, what do we have to work for? We have to work for it: [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.26.19 לתתך עליון על כל הגוים]. God will place us above all the nations of the world אשר עשה, that God made, לתהלה, we will be praised, ולשם, and we will be recognized as unique, ולתפארת, and we will be recognized as beautiful.

Three different aspects he's going to bring from lots of פסוקים, that there's an obligation on כלל ישראל to act in a way that לתהלה ולשם ולתפארת. So עליונותה של ישראל, the greatness of כלל ישראל על כל הגוים, באה על ידי הכרת בחכמת ישראל שהיא חכמת התורה. You can't get away from it. The first thing we have to do is, or one of the things we have to do is that they have to appreciate the greatness of תורה. על פי הכתוב, like it says in ואתחנן, פרק ד', I think, [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.4.6 כי היא חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים אשר ישמעון את כל החוקים האלה], they'll hear all of these חוקים, ואמרו רק עם חכם ונבון הגוי הגדול הזה. They're a smart nation.

So רש''י on [https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.75a the גמרא there in שבת ע''ה] says what's they're going to recognize חכמתכם ובינתכם, he says it's where we can explain to them how our knowledge of astronomy helps us be successful in agricultural areas. They're going to know this year will be a good year for planting, that year will be a bad year for planting. He learns it very pragmatically. He says because that's something that they understand. Excuse me? He says because that's something that they also understand. Right, that they understand. That they can see what's going on. And the כוזרי learns that חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים is, no, they're going to see there's חכמה and בינה because they're going to see that we have good family life, and that marriages last, and that people are good people, and they're going to see it.

And it's not about agriculture, it's not just about astronomy and everything, it's about all of how we act. And we'll see right now that the גר''א is going to understand it in all of these ways. He's going to understand that the first thing is powerful and probably one of the things that concerns, that's one of the things that concerned רב שך, is that he felt that until ארץ ישראל is a successful land, they won't care about our wisdom. And that therefore Jews have to come into ארץ to build up ארץ ישראל to make it, what's the name of those books? Turn the desert into a, make the desert bloom. Make the desert bloom, that's what I was looking for, that's the word I was looking for, yeah. Dense, you know, whatever, we got it, okay, like that. That's what we're going for. So, that's what he's going to say.

כי כשישראל, so he says, מתי יכירו העמים בחכמתם של ישראל, when will they recognize the the wisdom of כלל ישראל? כשישראל יושבים על אדמתם, והיא ברוכה בכל הברכות, and we get all the blessings, והסגולות הטובות הנמנות שם פרשת תבא. כי כל זמן שישראל נתונים בגלות, as long as we're in exile, מעונים ונרדפים, we're poor and we're chased, כל חכמתם בחינת חכמת

[[Category:Transcript]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah

2026-10-22T23:01:10Z

AdamSinger: Continue Noach shiur with authorized Parts 4–5, transcripts, and verified source links

{{ShiurInfobox
| title = Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah
| original_shiur = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/xUFinACpPCePFzZl.mp3 Part 1 — REC00062_2.mp3 (4:46)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3 Part 2 — REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3 Part 3 — REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)]
| source_sheets = [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|Four handouts and source guide]]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cEQvWzPqieQRGNFm.pdf Four-page PDF]
| related_topics = [[:Category:Topic - Geulah|גאולה]], [[:Category:Topic - Kabbalah|חכמת הנסתר]], [[:Category:Topic - Mussar|מוסר]], [[:Category:Topic - Yesod|יסוד]]
| related_parsha = [[:Category:Parsha - Noach|Noach]]
| related_holidays =
| full_transcript = [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 1|Part 1]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 2|Part 2]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 3|Part 3]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 4|Part 4]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 5|Part 5]]
| step4_message = A time of spiritual opportunity calls us to connect deeper Torah wisdom with a refined, responsible life—not to assume that redemption will happen by itself.
}}

'''Speaker:''' Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld<br/>
'''Series:''' Vaad — Parsha<br/>
'''Recording date:''' Not independently established; source-sheet heading refers to 5787.

This shiur uses Noach as its starting point for wisdom and redemption, rather than as a general exposition of the parsha.

== One-Line Step Four ==

A time of spiritual opportunity calls us to connect deeper Torah wisdom with a refined, responsible life—not to assume that redemption will happen by itself.

== Summary ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

=== Noach’s two openings: wisdom above and below ===

The verse describing the Flood brings together two movements: “the fountains of the great deep” break open below, and “the windows of heaven” open above ([https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.7.11 Bereishis 7:11]). The [https://www.zohar.com/zohar/Vayera/chapters/32 Zohar, Vayera 117a], uses Noach’s six-hundredth year as a sign for the six-hundredth year of the sixth millennium. It speaks of '''תרעי דחכמתא לעילא''', gates of wisdom above, and '''מבועי דחכמתא לתתא''', fountains of wisdom below. The world is being prepared for the seventh millennium, just as a person prepares on Friday to enter Shabbos.

In the opening recording, Rabbi Gershenfeld presents Noach as a '''צדיק יסוד עולם''', a person whose task is to bring life and blessing into the world. Water can make barren earth fruitful; similarly, a צדיק must join higher insight with activity that awakens people below. Deep thought must be accompanied by חסד and active concern for others.

The speaker develops a contrast between the spiritual flow that could have transformed the generation and the physical waters that destroyed it. He attributes the failure to the generation’s unreadiness and, at Noach’s level, insufficient concern and prayer for others. '''He flags at the outset that part of this explanation is not being presented as a received מסורה.''' It is recorded here as his interpretive presentation, not as an independently established quotation from a named commentary. [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.108a Sanhedrin 108a], which he cites, explicitly describes the generation becoming arrogant through the goodness bestowed upon it and being judged through the water it had taken for granted.

The year 5600, identified as 1840 on the handout, is therefore not a slogan that makes spiritual work unnecessary. To understand what opens, one must read the passage in context and ask what human response the opening requires.

=== A propitious time is not an automatic redemption ===

The shiur describes several times associated with the possibility of redemption. These are opportunities, not guarantees that the world will become redeemed without effort. Noach’s generation illustrates the seriousness of the response: in the speaker’s presentation, an opening that could have led toward redemption instead became the Flood.

The discussion of '''בר נפלי''' in [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.96b Sanhedrin 96b–97a] is central. The Gemara connects Mashiach with the promise, “On that day I will raise up David’s fallen sukkah” ([https://www.sefaria.org/Amos.9.11 Amos 9:11]). Rabbi Gershenfeld develops the image of repeated falling and failed realization: a great possibility can be present and yet not be brought to fruition. This is the shiur’s interpretation of the passage, not a literal translation of the phrase בר נפלי.

The practical consequence is neither despair nor complacency. An auspicious time increases the urgency of the work. It asks us to recognize the opportunity and help bring it into life.

=== The ו connects wisdom to the world ===

In the shiur’s reading of the Zohar, the letter '''ו''' expresses connection. It joins above to below and, as the conjunction “and,” joins one thing to another. It is associated here with '''יסוד''', the capacity to transmit life and bring higher purpose into a receiving world. The Zohar’s image of ו raising ה becomes a way of describing the elevation of '''מלכות''', the world that receives and must embody that purpose.

Good intentions alone are not enough. A genuine משפיע, one who gives to others, needs wisdom and a deeper vision to guide what is given. The movement is therefore not merely downward: the ו must first connect upward to wisdom and then bring that wisdom into life below. The shiur’s numerical discussion of six, sixty, and six hundred develops this relationship between connection and increasingly empowered wisdom.

The Friday-afternoon analogy sharpens the point. Preparing for Shabbos changes how a person acts; it does not mean the preparations have already been completed. Likewise, preparation for גאולה calls for directed activity, not merely confidence that history is moving toward a desirable outcome.

The discussion of the Leshem adds another distinction: the world has an ordinary flow, but also additional illumination at particular times. Rabbi Gershenfeld relates this to the Ramchal’s '''גילוי יחודו''' in דעת תבונות. “Not all times are equal” means that one must attend to the particular opportunity of the moment rather than assume every period presents the same spiritual conditions.

=== What does it mean that the gates are open? ===

The latter part of the middle recording and the final recording turn to '''Leshem Shevo VeAchlamah, Derushei Olam HaTohu, part I, derush 5, siman 3''', on the supplied page 76. The running header spans אות ד׳–ה׳. The speaker contrasts two interpretations of opening the gates: the same exceptional people may receive deeper wisdom, or a wider circle of seekers may now be able to enter.

The teaching reported in the Leshem in the name of Rav Yisrael Salanter emphasizes the second possibility. The gates are not merely channels through which a few people receive more; they are an entrance that becomes available to more seekers. The speaker’s illustrative proportions are not demographic claims or precise measures of who can learn.

The crucial qualification is visible in the handout: '''לכל המשתוקקים לדבק באלהים חיים'''—for those who yearn to cleave to the living God. The opening is not an invitation to treat חכמת הנסתר as a curiosity detached from its purpose. The shiur describes a greater role for חכמה in access to this wisdom after 5600, while retaining the importance of קדושה, serious effort, a living מסורה, and the desire for closeness to Hashem.

To explain how exceptional individuals could enter when the gates were still closed, the speaker discusses special access through רוח הקודש or גילוי אליהו and the metaphor of possessing a key. He associates this discussion with the Ari’s introduction in שער ההקדמות, while expressing uncertainty about the exact source location. The distinction is presented as an approach discussed in the shiur, not a universal historical rule established here.

In the questions that follow, the speaker does not flatten everyone into the same spiritual type. Wisdom, holiness, a teacher’s transmission, and a person’s distinctive capacities all matter. Greater access does not erase the need for guidance or the differences between people.

=== The lower fountains and the work of character ===

The overview handout places different interpretations side by side. In the passage attributed to Rav Eliyahu Weintraub’s '''Saarat Eliyahu''', the “fountains of wisdom below” are explicitly not identified with secular sciences. They are understood as the awakening of the human soul from below: seeking the depth of פנימיות התורה, refining מידות and physical life, and making the body a fitting vessel for higher light.

Rabbi Gershenfeld explains this as '''אתערותא דלתתא''', an awakening from below. The person must become ready to receive. In this reading, the growth of מוסר and the work of becoming a better, more morally directed person are part of the meaning of the lower opening. The relationship between upper wisdom and lower preparation is therefore deeply practical: what we learn must shape the kind of person we become.

The shiur introduces—but does not complete—the disagreement with the approach presented in '''Kol HaTor'''. At the end, the speaker explicitly leaves the fuller discussion of that disagreement for a subsequent class. The supplied Kol HaTor pages should therefore be read as material for continuation, not as arguments fully developed in these recordings.

== Continuation — Parts 4–5: Wisdom in Practice ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

'''Continuity note:''' These two recordings continue the existing Noach shiur and take up the disagreement over ''קול התור'' that Part 3 explicitly deferred. They are not a separate standalone entry.

=== A disputed text and the responsibility to use wisdom ===

Parts 4–5 continue “Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah,” taking up the disagreement over קול התור that Part 3 explicitly deferred. The earlier discussion of the Zohar’s opening of upper gates and lower springs of wisdom now becomes a question about human responsibility: what must people do with that opening, and how can wisdom prepare the world for גאולה? These recordings develop both an activist interpretation and the objections to it, rather than presenting the interpretation as uncontested.

Rabbi Gershenfeld begins with the disputed provenance of קול התור. He recounts its attribution to רבי הלל משקלוב, its transmission through the Rivlin family, and its twentieth-century publication as a simplified presentation of an earlier manuscript that, in his account, was not made available for inspection. His opening recollection includes uncertainty about names and dates; later, reading רבי חיים פרידלנדר’s introduction, he identifies רבי שלמה זלמן ריבלין as the original publisher. This publication narrative and the associated family traditions are the speaker’s account, not independently verified historical findings.

The controversy, as Rabbi Gershenfeld recalls it, involved רב שך and רב חיים קניבסקי in the 1980s. He presents רבי חיים פרידלנדר’s introduction, supported by רב חיים קניבסקי, as strongly affirming the work’s attribution to the גר״א. Against this he reads רבי אליהו ויינטרויב’s statement, endorsed by רב שך, rejecting the identification of the Zohar’s lower springs with external wisdom and secular scientific discoveries. The alternative reading understands those springs as an awakening from below toward deeper Torah understanding and refinement of the person into a vessel for higher illumination. Rabbi Gershenfeld suggests that Torah-rooted wisdom can bridge aspects of the interpretations, but does not establish a resolution of the authenticity dispute.

=== A ladder from earth to heaven ===

The central conceptual image is יעקב’s ladder: “סולם מוצב ארצה וראשו מגיע השמימה.” Rabbi Gershenfeld contrasts readings of “חכמות בנתה ביתה חצבה עמודיה שבעה” that emphasize Torah or the seven worldly wisdoms, then presents the גר״א’s approach as joining them within one connected structure. The lower wisdoms are not an independent rival to Torah; they express what is rooted above and can help illuminate Torah itself. תוספות יום טוב is especially important as an example cited by קול התור of Torah greatness combined with mathematical, astronomical, and philosophical learning. The biographical and scientific illustrations offered about him remain the lecturer’s presentation.

=== Practical work, visible holiness, and appropriate limits ===

In this reading of קול התור, קידוש השם requires more than inward righteousness. Building Jerusalem, קיבוץ גלויות, the flourishing of ארץ ישראל, תיקון המידות, uncovering Torah’s hints, and studying the שבע חכמות together make Israel’s wisdom and character visible. Continuing across the recording boundary, the argument invokes “חכמת המסכן בזויה”: wisdom may be disregarded when its bearers are impoverished and persecuted. Rabbi Gershenfeld explains the text’s insistence that a flourishing Jewish society can help other nations recognize Torah wisdom, practical competence, and the quality of Jewish life. This is the text’s argument about recognition, not an endorsement of wealth as the measure of spiritual worthfulness or an independently demonstrated sociological rule. The discussion remains anchored in the Zohar passage previously studied in the Noach shiur, although the passage read here refers to פרשת וירא; the recordings do not resolve that attribution difference. The lecturer connects the opening around שנת ת״ר, 5600, with preparation for the seventh millennium, not with a newly announced redemption date.

This is a continuation section on the existing Noach page, not a new standalone page. It fulfills Part 3’s promise to address the קול התור disagreement. Part 5 further specifies that qualified Torah scholars should choose a wisdom according to their ability and inclination, develop it, and teach it to other תלמידי חכמים and יראי ה׳, always relating it to Torah and קידוש השם. Rabbi Gershenfeld’s humorous recollection of Rav Wolbe’s Friday-night advice reinforces the broader practical lesson: a beautiful שבת table conceals the work of building a home, just as an inspiring vision of גאולה must become lived effort. His closing interpretation associates the final four hundred years with מלכות, material limitations, and “ארבע מאות שקל כסף,” framing the task as revealing the connection between the lowest physical realities and their higher roots. This is presented as a symbolic spiritual reading, not a historical proof or a universal mandate to study science. The recording ends before the promised off-record discussion of רב משה שפירא’s position, so no position is attributed to him here.

=== Verified direct references in the continuation ===

The following exact references were checked against reachable primary-text records. Links are to the texts, not an endorsement of every interpretation offered in the recording.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Part(s) !! Source !! Hebrew !! Role in the continuation
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.9.1 Proverbs 9:1] || משלי ט:א || The seven pillars verse.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Proverbs.9.1 Rashi on Proverbs 9:1] || רש"י על משלי ט:א || Rashi’s seven-books explanation.
|-
| Parts 4–5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.28.12 Genesis 28:12] || בראשית כח:יב || Yaakov’s ladder.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.26.19 Deuteronomy 26:19] || דברים כו:יט || לתהלה ולשם ולתפארת.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.4.6 Deuteronomy 4:6] || דברים ד:ו || חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים.
|-
| Part 4 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.75a Shabbat 75a] || שבת עה א || The teaching on calculating seasons and constellations.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.9.16 Ecclesiastes 9:16] || קהלת ט:טז || חכמת המסכן בזויה.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Tiferet_Yisrael.14 Maharal, Tiferet Yisrael 14] || מהר"ל, תפארת ישראל יד || The explicitly cited chapter.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Proverbs.14.1 Proverbs 14:1] || משלי יד:א || חכמות נשים בנתה ביתה.
|-
| Part 5 || [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.23.15-16 Genesis 23:15–16] || בראשית כג:טו–טז || The four hundred shekels of silver.
|}

=== Attributions preserved without a newly precise external link ===

The recordings name and discuss ''קול התור'', ''קול היונה'', the Zohar, Rabbeinu Bachya, Rambam, Kuzari, Tosafot Yom Tov, Aliyot Eliyahu, Ayil Meshulash, and several twentieth-century figures and documents. Where the recording did not supply a verifiable edition and exact location—or where it reports a contested attribution—this draft does not assign a new external link or treat the claim as independently confirmed. The supplied handouts and their prior discussion remain available in the [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|existing source-sheet guide]].

=== Continuation audio and transcripts ===

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 4|Transcript Part 4]]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 5|Transcript Part 5]]

== The four handouts ==

=== 1. Overview: “What happened in 5600 (1840)? What is happening in 5787?” ===

This sheet assembles Bereishis 7:11, the Zohar passage, an excerpt from Rav Chaim Friedlander’s introduction to Kol HaTor, the contrasting Saarat Eliyahu passage, and the Gemara about בר נפלי. It also includes a short note on the period from 5600 to 6000 and תיקון מלכות. That final note is not developed sufficiently in the recordings to supply a complete explanation here. The heading’s reference to 5787 is not, by itself, a prediction of a specific event.

=== 2. Leshem, supplied page 76 ===

The marked paragraph explains the opening of the gates as permission for seekers to enter חכמת האמת. It reports the teaching in the name of Rav Yisrael Salanter and describes additional higher light revealed and clothed below. The original photograph is provided so that the reader can inspect the exact wording, including the underlined qualification about yearning to cleave to Hashem.

=== 3. Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 116 ===

Sections ב–ג relate the opening of wisdom to preparation through the seven wisdoms, building Jerusalem, ingathering exiles, the flourishing of Eretz Yisrael, תיקון המידות, and uncovering Torah allusions. They connect recognition of Israel’s Torah wisdom with Israel living on its land. These are claims of the supplied text; they should not be mistaken for a completed presentation of the speaker’s view in this shiur.

=== 4. Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 123 ===

The passage uses Yaakov’s ladder: ascent toward heaven begins with the ladder’s steps on earth. Sections יא–יב urge Torah scholars to cultivate an area of the seven wisdoms according to their abilities and discuss a relationship between knowledge of nature and Torah wisdom. This is the material set beside Saarat Eliyahu’s different interpretation for further study.

'''Attribution note:''' The overview sheet presents Rav Chaim Friedlander’s endorsement of Kol HaTor alongside a contrasting interpretation. The [https://www.sefaria.org/Kol_HaTor Sefaria entry for Kol HaTor] also notes disagreement over aspects of its attribution to the Gra. The chapter 5 passages used here are documented by the supplied handouts; Sefaria’s current online edition contains only chapters 1–3.

== מראי מקומות — source guide ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew !! Where it appears !! Role in this page
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.7.11 Bereishis 7:11] || בראשית ז:יא || Recordings; overview handout || Noach’s six-hundredth year and the two openings.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.108a Sanhedrin 108a] || סנהדרין קח ע״א || Restored opening recording || The generation of the Flood misuses its abundance; judgment through water.
|-
| [https://www.zohar.com/zohar/Vayera/chapters/32 Zohar, Vayera 117a] || זוהר, וירא קיז ע״א || Recordings; overview and Kol HaTor sheets || Upper gates, lower fountains, and preparation for the seventh millennium; matching online paragraph 445.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.96b Sanhedrin 96b–97a] || סנהדרין צו ע״ב–צז ע״א || Middle recording; overview handout || בר נפלי; the quoted verse continues across the daf boundary.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Amos.9.11 Amos 9:11] || עמוס ט:יא || Quoted through the Gemara || Raising David’s fallen sukkah.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Leshem Shevo VeAchlamah], Derushei Olam HaTohu I, derush 5, siman 3, supplied p. 76 || לשם שבו ואחלמה, דרושי עולם התהו || Middle and final recordings; IMG_5567 || Greater access for seekers, citing Rav Yisrael Salanter.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Daat_Tevunot Da’at Tevunot] || דעת תבונות || Middle recording, through the Leshem discussion || גילוי יחודו and special illumination; exact section not specified in the recording.
|-
| Shaar HaHakdamot, introduction, attributed by the speaker || שער ההקדמות || Middle recording || Earlier exceptional access; exact passage not identified and speaker’s source-location uncertainty retained.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Saarat Eliyahu], excerpt attributed to Rav Eliyahu Weintraub || סערת אליהו || Final recording; overview handout || Lower wisdom as spiritual awakening and refinement, not secular sciences. Exact edition/page not supplied.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Introduction to Kol HaTor], attributed on the sheet to Rav Chaim Friedlander, 1969 || הקדמה לקול התור || Overview handout; introduced in final recording || Endorsement of the work and context for the disagreement to be discussed further.
|-
| [https://step4.site/index.php?title=Noach%3A%20Opening%20the%20Gates%20of%20Wisdom%20%E2%80%94%20Preparing%20for%20Geulah%2FSource%20Sheets Kol HaTor, chapter 5], supplied pp. 116 and 123 || קול התור, פרק ה || IMG_5568 and IMG_5569 || Supplemental continuation material on seven wisdoms, Torah, and rebuilding Jewish life in Eretz Yisrael.
|}

== Audio and transcripts ==

The final page uses the complete replacement set in filename order: '''REC00062_2.mp3 (4:46)''', '''REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)''', and '''REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)'''—approximately '''57:53''' in total. The replacements restore the first recording and the material missing from the earlier middle upload. The earlier, shorter files are not used as the final transcript set. Two later recordings, Parts 4–5, are presented above as a continuation of this shiur; they are not substitutes for the original three-part set.

Each recording has its own full automated Sofer.ai transcript. These transcripts have not been substantively rewritten and should be checked against the audio, especially for Hebrew quotations, personal names, and spoken dates. Exact source references in this article are distinguished from uncertain or erroneous references in the automated transcripts.

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/xUFinACpPCePFzZl.mp3 Part 1 — REC00062_2.mp3 (4:46)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3 Part 2 — REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3 Part 3 — REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/tbWZzlRhrEZUYOHQ.mp3 Part 4 — REC00004.mp3 (31:01)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/xKxeUpoHTyeZwzPv.mp3 Part 5 — REC00005.mp3 (26:05)]

[[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 1|Part 1]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 2|Part 2]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 3|Part 3]]

[[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|Read the source-sheet guide]] · [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cEQvWzPqieQRGNFm.pdf Download all four handouts]

[[Category:Shiur]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]
[[Category:Parsha - Noach]]
[[Category:Topic - Geulah]]
[[Category:Topic - Kabbalah]]
[[Category:Topic - Mussar]]
[[Category:Topic - Yesod]]

Main Page

2026-10-17T21:03:24Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-10-17

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
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✦ Today's Featured Article
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'''[[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א|Read full article...]]
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<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' October 17, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
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<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Noach===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">6 Cheshvan 5787 · October 17, 2026 · Genesis 6:9-11:32</div>

Noach is commanded to build an ark as Hashem brings a flood to destroy a corrupt world. After the waters recede, Noach offers sacrifices and receives the seven Noahide laws. The Tower of Bavel is built and scattered.

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 54:1-55:5
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Noach Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






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<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Chanukah: 1 Candle — First night of Chanukah || December 4, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 2 Candles || December 5, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 3 Candles || December 6, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 4 Candles || December 7, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 5 Candles || December 8, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 6 Candles || December 9, 2026
|-
| Chag HaBanot || December 10, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Ahavat Hashem & Avodah'''
* [[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א|From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א]]

'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
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Main Page

2026-10-17T19:15:16Z

AdamSinger: Add Ahavat Hashem shiur to Browse by Topic

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
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Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
</div>

{| class="step4-home-grid" style="width:100%; border:0; padding:0; background:transparent;"
|-
| style="width:55%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
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<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah]]''' A time of spiritual opportunity calls us to connect deeper Torah wisdom with a refined, responsible life—not to assume that redemption will happen by itself.

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' October 16, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Noach===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">6 Cheshvan 5787 · October 17, 2026 · Genesis 6:9-11:32</div>

Noach builds an ark as Hashem brings a flood upon a corrupt world. After the waters recede, Noach offers sacrifices, and Hashem establishes a covenant signified by the rainbow. The parsha concludes with the Tower of Bavel and the generations leading to Avram.

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 54:1-55:5 · '''Sephardic:''' Isaiah 54:1-10
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.6.9-11.32 Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Chanukah: 1 Candle — First night of Chanukah || December 4, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 2 Candles || December 5, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 3 Candles || December 6, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 4 Candles || December 7, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 5 Candles || December 8, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 6 Candles || December 9, 2026
|-
| Chag HaBanot || December 10, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Ahavat Hashem & Avodah'''
* [[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א|From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א]]

'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א/Transcript

2026-10-17T19:06:53Z

AdamSinger: Published transcript: Ahavat Hashem — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א

{{AutoTranscriptDisclaimer}}

← [[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א|Back to shiur page]]

This transcript was generated by [https://sofer.ai Sofer.ai] and formatted for the wiki. Hebrew terms appear in their original form. Source citations include links to the referenced texts online.

'''Audio:''' [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/BWmwWBtsITZCbvYZ.mp3 4 — Perek 1: ד״ה ויש שהיו / ד״ה ויש לך]

== Full Transcript ==

Still, in last in last פרשה, we have to say, since we raised the issue, we talked about the fact that Yaakov has more of an aspect of love than Avraham did, and everyone kind of took that as not intuitive, that wasn't the intuitive way that we know. But the the Zohar makes a <i>diuk</i> that's <i>likhora</i> hard to move from. Zohar says that in last week's פרשה, it says that [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.24.67?lang=he ותהי לו לאשה ויצחק אוהב את רבקה]. So it says you see that it says love by Rivkah, it doesn't say anywhere love by Sarah. So later on by Yaakov, it says [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.29.18?lang=he יעקב אוהב את רחל]. So the Zohar takes it obviously that it's not serendipitous that the only two places you see love for a wife are by Yitzchak and Yaakov. It's in דף קל״ג if you want to look it up. So I said it's no it's obviously not serendipitous that the only two places you find love are by Yitzchak and Yaakov, and not by Avraham. <i>Ai</i>, he's called [https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.41.8?lang=he אברהם אוהבי], אברהם the one I love. So what's going on? So it answers that it answers that everybody loves their wives, but we're talking about a <i>Torah'dike</i> love that moves above that, where the Torah is going to call it a special love. And that's the that's the aspect they're going for. So we don't we don't need to I brought a fancy Maharal and everything last time with this <i>peshat</i> in the Gemara in Pesachim, but it's <i>mamash</i> the Zohar just and with a <i>diuk</i> in the <i>pasuk</i> that you can't move from, <i>likhora</i>. Oh, so like you said that that Avraham didn't have that level of love, that connection that, wait, it didn't say that by Yitzchak necessarily. Did Yitzchak like also see the big picture? He sees it somehow more. I mean, other but what what it seems is it seems that basically what the Zohar wants us to understand over there in a very technical <i>ofen</i> is, of course, you can't say this about Avraham. One second, the מדת החסד is that <i>chesed</i> wants to just give. So I'm giving, giving, giving. I think once told you it's it's in the it's in the <i>sefer</i> now, but Rav Wolbe set us all up so well when we did our חסד ועד with Rav Wolbe in Beis Musar. So when we did it, he had us first, the first thing we did in the מוסר ועד was we just had to look at somebody and actually get his eye before you say <i>shalom</i>. Don't just say <i>shalom</i>, but actually look at him and then say <i>shalom</i>. And then after that, the next thing was you have to look at him and actually see a person there, and then you have to do some kind of <i>chesed</i> to him. Then Rav Wolbe, after we did it for two weeks, Rav Wolbe said, \"Now if you look back at all the <i>chasadim</i> you did, whatever you did for everybody is what you need yourself. Because you obviously imagine that <i>chesed</i> is what you're lacking is what everybody else in the world is lacking.\" That's very narcissistic. The third step of <i>chesed</i> is stop, look at the person, don't do what you want to do, think what the other person needs, and give to the other person. And that's going to be the deeper connection that we're looking for. So that's this idea that the Zohar is talking about over here, that's the idea of צמצום השכינה, that if <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> just made the world with <i>chesed</i>, then He would have made a world and He would have given what He thought He, כביכול הקדוש ברוך הוא, needs, and we'd all be exploded, right? It would be putting 120-volt razor into a 220-volt outlet and it would sizzle. So you know, we lose all of our good metaphors as technology grows on us, right? People don't understand anymore about first, second, third, fourth gear. That doesn't work anymore, like everything's automatic, right? My kids have now told me that the new electric razors automatically switch between 120 and 220, and then I'm have to change this metaphor because the new generation's not going to know what I'm talking about anymore. So it's it's very rough, but we'll find something, right? But the idea is that you're putting yourself into what you're doing. So what the what the Zohar wants to say over here is that the reason, there's a normal love. The normal love of the world is an אברהם'דיקע love, where you love by giving out yourself. The high-level, raising love is a Yitzchak love, where he holds himself back, holds himself back to hear what does the other person need. And that's going to really be that deeper connection of of love. And then the ultimate love is where you want to give like Avraham, you hold yourself back like Yitzchak and hear, and then you have the aspect of <i>rachmanut</i> where you're sensitive, you want to always be with the other person, not just that your <i>din</i>, that you're holding back and then giving, but the biggest thing you give is you're always with the person, that Yaakov is always is connected, that's the real type of love we were talking about last week. But what I want to just bring was that I did I did a fancy, a tip tap dance last week and I saw the Zohar in last week's <i>parasha</i>, דף קל״ג, says you see that there's no love by Avraham Avinu. Never says that Avraham loves Sarah, it only says Yitzchak and Yaakov, who both have מידת הדין, love their wives. And then it says, of course he loved Sarah, but he loved her in a more common way, whatever it may be called. And so, yeah. Why is love this is manifest in the Torah between Yitzchak and Rivka, because it looks like Rivka is scared to tell Yitzchak that, you know, Esav was not a good child, it looks like fear. No, I don't I don't read the text that way, maybe someone does read the text that way. Right, the text, what it seems to be is that so the, you know, the Zohar understands that she was <i>mechuyav</i> to make it a לשמה ברכה, and that she was <i>mitzvah</i> by <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> not to tell him that she was doing it differently, because we had to have a לשמה ברכה over here. So, okay, we're over here. Okay. Bottom of page ל״ט, second to the bottom line, I think. והענין אהבה זו מבוארת בתורה דכתיב. So now we get to the aspects. So we got the general idea of <i>ahavah</i>, and now we have to get down to the details. As we always know, the more you love something, the more you see the details of it and recognize each detail has to be connected up to <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i>. The Maharal is going to explain this later in Netiv Ahavat Hashem, that by <i>yirah</i> it never says love God with your heart, and with your soul, and with your money. Because <i>yirah</i> is a התבטלות. <i>Yirah</i> is not acting. And therefore, it's just a כלליות, going into yourself. But when you love something, loving is taking each part of yourself and connecting that over to the loved one. So we're going to start off over here with the three aspects of love. So the Maharal, beautifully over here, is going to show that the Gemara is talking about the three different aspects of a person have to connect up to <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>. And he's basically going to see, the way he's going to set it up at first, is that there's a part of us that's רע, that just wants to rebel, but it's not really me. It's an external aspect, it's not me. There's me, there's my יצר טוב, and there's my יצר הרע. So he's basically going to learn בכל לבבך is being מקדש your יצר הרע, the part that's not you, it's outside of you, and that that part has to be connected to <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>. And then there's your עצם, there's you yourself. And that's בכל נפשך, so you want to be independent and have your own life. And then you have בכל מאדך. He's going to understand that's basically the upper side of you, that's the [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.60b?lang=he אלקי נשמה שנתת בי טהורה היא], that's my שכל, which is very, very much cleaves to <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>, you have to make sure that cleaves to <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> also. So we're talking about the יצר הרע, עצם, and יצר טוב have to all be connected to <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>. That's the division of labor we want, and that we have to try and go for. And again, this is a nature of of wisdom: that things you're not interested in, you don't break down; things that you're interested in, you have to know all the details to carry it out, to see how it works. My example of this is always, I've said it before, we'll just that the metaphor works for me, I think it'll work. I was at at Penn once teaching during the world championship basketball game of Philadelphia versus Los Angeles. So before the class, I sat down, I was going to schmooze with some of the bright Ivy League kids from Penn, you know, like what kind of kids who go to Penn, Shlomo, right? So I was going to try and schmooze with some of those bright kids over there. And this kid next to me said, \"You know, do you know Allen Iverson?\" And I said, \"Well, not personally.\" But he says, \"He's the greatest basketball player in the world.\" I said, \"Great.\" I wasn't going to get in an argument about this. I said, \"Great. Yeah.\" So the student saw that I was not impressed enough. He said, \"No, no, you don't understand. He's got the quickest hands in the entire NBA.\" And I said, \"Great.\" He said, \"No, no, Rabbi, you don't understand. He's got the quickest first step.\" I said, \"Great.\" says, \"the best fadeaway shot.\" I went, \"Great.\" I couldn't stop this kid, right? He just kept going, right? You know, \"He's got the most steals per minute, he's got this and he's got that,\" and he's going on. And there's nothing, and the more I agree with him, the more upset he gets, and just is like adding on what a phenomenal basketball player this person is. So afterwards this was like a such a strange experience to me, I thought about it, and I said, \"That's exactly what happens when a <i>baal teshuvah</i> goes back to his mother, and the mother says, you know, 'How'd you like the school today?' So he says, 'Oh, I have a great rabbi. He's a big <i>tzaddik</i>.' And Mom goes, 'Yeah, right?' Says, 'No, no, you don't understand, right? You know, he's got a he's got a PhD.' 'Yeah, good, great.' 'No, no, you don't understand, he's so deep. He's so creative. He's, you know, he's this, he's that.' You start adding all the things, and your mother's eyes just glaze over, like she's not interested in. So anything that we're interested in, we see all the details of it, we see all the parts that have to be connected up. Anything you're not interested in, you see as one homogeneous whole, just don't bother me anymore. It's going to be simple.\" So אהבת השם is so important that we have to see the details and the parts, how to connect each of the different parts of ourselves up, just like you have whatever it is, you have the your aerodynamic aerodynamic? No. cardiovascular work you do, jogging, and then you have to sit down and work on your biceps and your triceps, and you can't forget your abs, and you have to work on all these things afterwards. So so too over here, that's what's got. So you got the ואהבת, and now you got the details. [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.6.5?lang=he ואהבת את השם אלוקיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך.] [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.54a?lang=he בפרק הרואה, ברכות], פירוש חז״ל: בכל לבבך, בשני יצריך, with both of your inclinations, with both of your creativities. בכל נפשך, so the question that חז״ל are bothered by everything is, what's the בכל? בכל has to be an inclusion. A בכל has to include everything, has to include something you didn't think of simply. If I just said ואהבת את השם אלוקיך בלבבך, I wouldn't have known בשני יצריך, I would've just thought one לב. בכל נפשך, I wouldn't realize אפילו נוטל את נפשך, that you have to give up your life for it. בכל מאדך, what's בכל מאדך? בכל ממונך, with all of your money. דבר אחר: בכל מאדך, בכל מדה שהוא מודד לך, הוי מודה לו, with all the מידות that He judges you, whether it's good or bad, whether it's tough or <i>chesed</i>, admit to Him. And the Maharal is going to learn praise Him, that's going to be the greatness of what you're trying to do. <i>Tanya</i>: רבי אלעזר הגדול אומר, [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.61b?lang=he אם נאמר בכל נפשך למה נאמר בכל מאדך], ואם נאמר בכל מאדך למה נאמר בכל נפשך? Isn't there a simple <i>kal vachomer</i>, the one's more important than the other? לומר לך: אם יש לך אדם שגופו חביב עליו מממונו, if there's a person whose body is more precious to him than his money, לכך נאמר בכל נפשך. ואם יש לך אדם שממונו חביב עליו מגופו, לכך נאמר בכל מאדך. So everyone, of course, is bothered by this <i>kal vachomer</i> over here. The Maharal doesn't talk it out so much. Again, being under Alex's rules, I think we won't go wandering all around, but maybe at the end if we want to. But the Gra and the Maharal the Gra the Gra in the Gemara here, and the Maharal in Gur Aryeh are bothered by what, בשוטה עסקינן? We're dealing with fools? Who in the world would give up his body for money? We're not dealing with fools. What's going on? To understand the reality of this <i>kal vachomer</i> over here. Over here the Maharal doesn't deal with it, so we'll leave it aside for the moment. Right? So I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to <i>mechazek</i> you or מכריע you now. You said exactly the right words, but you probably said them for the wrong reason right now unless you unless we sharpen up your thoughts, right? In other words, that is where that's where the Gra is going to go at the end. What you said does shouldn't make any sense because we're talking now about the צדיקים, their ממון is more חביב than their גוף, it's talking about טירדא, טרחה. It's not talking about giving up their life for it. Yaakov went to go back for פכים קטנים because they were valuable to him, he worked hard for it. But to ממש give up his life for it, we would never think that a צדיק would give up his life for פכים קטנים. Yeah. אפילו נוטל את נפשך. So, but now you're saying the right answer according to the Gra. The Gra is going to push the language of the Gemara get get over here, but that's not for right now. But that's always when you at the end you're saying exactly what the Gra says, but you shouldn't be able to know why in the world the Gra says that. You have to make two <i>gevaldike</i> דיוקים and then you can say what you said. שממונו חביב עליו מגופו, לכך נאמר ובכל מאדך. הנה רז\"ל על פי חכמתם נתנו פירוש עמוק לכתוב של ואהבת את ה' אלקיך. So the Maharal goes, wow, this is <i>gevaldike</i>. Right, this is a beautiful, deep פירוש. What's the beautiful, deep <i>peirush</i>? So according to the Maharal, the beautiful, deep <i>peirush</i> is how it describes the three parts that might pull away from הקדוש ברוך הוא. These are the three parts that you have to connect up with Hashem, and that's the fight over here, that's the beauty, the depth of what's going on. Most of the <i>Rishonim</i> learn over here, what are the three <i>bechinot</i>? That the three <i>bechinot</i> are בכל לבבך is your לב, בכל נפשך, that's רוח, בכל נפשך, that's your body, בכל מאדך is your money. <i>Ai</i>, why don't we have head? So they have a <i>terutz</i> that the Maharal and the Gra both find hard to say, that the head is included in שמע ישראל ה' אלקינו ה' אחד. We don't need to include the head over here because the head is in אחד. But obviously over there the head is in the philosophical אחד. It's trying to find God's unity, it's not trying to find <i>ahavah</i>. So it doesn't explain why the head is left out over here. So the Maharal is going to say his big <i>chidush</i> that מאדך is head. Who learns like that? Who learns like that? Abarbanel, the Alshich, maybe the Ibn Ezra. You can fight a battle winning back and forth, yes or no. וזה כי אהבה אל השם יתברך, שיהיה נמשך אל השם בכל חלקיו. This is the key idea we talked about, that when you get to a deeper level of <i>ahavah</i>, it's not enough to have a generalized <i>ahavah</i>, but just like a person who cares about basketball wants to see all the parts, a person who cares about life has to see all the different parts connected up to הקדוש ברוך הוא. And we're going to see a, there's a <i>midrash</i>, a מדרש זוהר, the <i>midrash</i> says that that this is talking for בני תורה, but for בעלי נפש, ואהבת את ה' אלקיך, בכל מצוה ומצוה, it's all 613 <i>mitzvot</i>. Each <i>mitzvah</i> in life has to be connected up. That's a deeper level of the connection over here, we're starting with the three here. ולא יהיה לו הסרה מן השם יתברך. <i>Ahavah</i> is so that there'll be no time in life, no psychological state in which I won't be connected to הקדוש ברוך הוא. <i>Ahavah</i> is, again, the desire, the need to feel connected to the other being, to feel a <i>shleimut</i> through that connection, and to get a <i>simchah</i> through that connection. והאדם הזה דבק בו יצר הרע. So the first thing we have to know is we have a יצר הרע. Now over here is a beautiful מקור. Again, everybody wants to know like, you know, there's this very big debate about how much קבלה Rabbi Yisrael Salanter knew or didn't know, right? One of those battles that goes back and forth that they were so הצנע לכת that so the the Rabbi Hutner תלמידים, all טענה of course that Rabbi Yisrael was a בקי in in <i>Kabbalah</i>, and that he <i>Kabbalah</i> books were found among his ספרים, and that his son became a major קבליסט, his his son was ממש a חכם של נסתר, and that the Alter and everybody else learned it, right? You know, the famous story about the Alter. They have this מחלוקת. It's one of the examples of perhaps the problems that we would have with Making of a גדול, and The Making of a גדול brings a story that everybody knew that from ראש חודש תמוז through Elul, for two months, the Alter of Slabodka left Slabodka, and he went and learned with Rabbi Eliyahu Moskowitz', Rabbi Daniel, the מנהל of Kelm's father, and the two of them learned together. So, so Rabbi Nosson Kamenetsky asked Rabbi Meir Chodosh, the great משגיח and the closest תלמיד to the Alter, what did they learn together for those two months? So he says they learned Tur Shulchan Aruch. The Alter told me they learned Tur Shulchan Aruch together. So when Rabbi Nosson Kamenetsky told this to Rabbi Hutner, Rabbi Hutner told me, I There's a Yiddish expression, <i>Kashe un farfl</i>. You know, you're you're you're eating all the cheap <i>mezonot</i> and forgetting the meat. You're, you know, you're eating the the cheap stuff and you're forgetting the meat, that which means like you're an idiot, basically, you're you're taking in the wrong thing. He says, \"If you think that רב רב רב Nosson Tzvi Finkel went to Rabbi Moskowitz to learn Tur Shulchan Aruch, you have no idea what's going on. The two of them were learning <i>Kabbalah</i> together. They were learning כתבי האר\"י ז\"ל. Rabbi Moskowitz is one of the big בעלי קבלה in the generation. They went for two months and they they learned עניני נסתר.\" So, Rabbi Nosson so, Rav Natan Kaminetzky went back to Rav Meir Chadash and told him what Rav Hutner said. And Rav Meir Chadash says, \"But this is what the Alter told me.\" So, Rav Natan writes his closing line over there was, \"And no one was closer to the Alter than Rav Meir Chadash. And he says explicitly that this is what Rav Natan Tzvi Finkel told him. So, obviously, he's right and Rav Hutner is wrong.\" Okay. Now, if anybody thinks that that's true, then you have no idea what <i>gedolim</i> are, that obviously, they did learn some Tur and they learned some Shulchan Aruch. And obviously, Rav Meir Chadash, like everything, everyone knows in Slabodka, you don't say over you're learning the Zohar, you keep it hidden to yourself. And Rav Hutner was right. Rav Hutner was just expressing what Rav what Rav what Rav Meir Chadash was keeping hidden into himself, you know, in other words. My my son-in-law who learned <i>b'chavruta</i> with Rav Natan Tzvi Finkel, Yochi, when I told him that he learned Leshem, didn't believe me. Told me I was, you know, I was out of my mind. So, his son-in-law showed me his Leshem that's got הגהות all over Leshem from top to bottom, you know, all around. And they published up his פנקסים, his פנקס when he was 19 years old, said that the Alter Slabodka told me I have to become a בקי in כתבי Ramchal and כתבי Maharal. This was at age 19, right? You know, he at 19 was different than we were, but you again you wouldn't see it in his writings. You'll never see him quote the Maharal, you'll never see him quote the Ramchal, right? His Kalach Pitchei Chochmah was all beaten up also. But who is that? Rav Simcha Zissel Broide, the Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron. So so there's this, you know, there's a closing in. Anyway, so what we're talking about over here is in there's a big <i>machloket</i> in Iggeret HaMussar. Rav Yisrael Salanter says there's a <i>machloket</i> between the בעלי קבלה and the בעלי פילוסופיא of what the <i>yetzer hara</i> is. Is the יצר הרע תאוה, or is the <i>yetzer hara</i> a יצר that's just made not to מקבל עול מלכות שמים? A רוחניות'דיקע thing with no purpose. And he says we have to know both are right. He says, \"I, you won't find anybody say both. They'll say this or that, they're both right. It depends what <i>madregah</i> you're holding at. It's this or it's that. They're both they're both there.\" So, in when he wrote Igeret HaMussar, this became a big this was like a big <i>chidush</i> in Igeret HaMussar that he said both. One of the sources, I think you'll see in the next line over here in the in the Maharal, is the Maharal understands that that's <i>pshat</i> when we have different types of מזיקין in Bava Kama: one מזיק is שן and one מזיק is קרן. That symbolizes that one מזיק, one היזק inside of ourselves is we want to get pleasure, that's the <i>ta'avah</i>, the lower-level יצר הרע. There's a higher-level יצר הרע, the קרן, that קרן, goring, you gore not because you're going to eat anything, you gore just to be in charge. You gore just so you want to have energy. So I often think that the this this Maharal is a source for the idea, which is very controversial in Rav Yisrael, and the thought that you do see that people put the two together, they're both here together. That's what's going to go for right now. \"והאדם הוא דבק בו יצר הרע,\" man has a יצר הרע in him. \"כי החכמים יודעים בחכמתם ובקבלתם,\" they knew both from their wisdom and they knew from <i>mesorah</i>, \"כי אדם יש בו כח תשוקה אל דבר שהוא רע מצד שיש בו רע.\" There's an aspect of man that רע relates to רע. There's got to be something in man that gives us free will, and there's an aspect that רע wants רע. \"לא שתאמר כי התשוקה הזאת בשביל הנאתו,\" it's not because of desire, \"שיצטרך אליו, רק בשביל התשוקה לדבר רע.\" It's a pure desire not to accept עול. מלכות שמים. It's a pure desire to rule. וכך מוכרח מדברי חכמים, and this idea is clear from the words of the rabbis, the <i>Masechet</i> is בבא קמא, ובכמה מקומות, שחשבו, that they write, there's a damager called קרן, כוונתו להזיק. If God put a damager like this in animals, it's to reveal about man also, that in man, there's a קרן, its intention is to destroy, משום יצר הרע, לא בשביל שום תאוה, not for any physical desire. כדאיתא בפרק שור שנגח ד' וה', בבא קמא מ\"א, בשמעתא: יש בנוגח מה שאין ברובע. It says you can't make a קל וחומר from רובע to נוגח, because רובע has sexual pleasures, and נוגח has no sexual pleasures, and goring has no sexual pleasures. וכח זה דבוק באדם, הוא נקרא יצר הרע. ואין כאן מקום לפרש דבר זה, it's not the place to explain all this, אבל דברי חכמים ברורים לכל משכיל בתורה. The words of the rabbis are clear to everybody, that there's three <i>yetzer hara</i>s simply: there's the <i>yetzer hara</i> of of תם ומועד, that's this one, the קרן, there's the <i>yetzer hara</i> of שן, and there's the <i>yetzer hara</i> of רגל, הרגל, of just doing things by הרגל without thinking. וסוף סוף, אם היה אדם סר מן השם יתברך על יצר הרע שבו, so <i>sof sof</i> we have to worry that part of me, and the <i>yetzer hara</i> is not the essential me, but God put something in me, right, that's going to pull me away. נחשב כי יש לאדם הסר מן השם יתברך. So <i>sof sof</i>, even though it's not me, at the end, בחינה זאת יש באדם הוא יצר הרע, יש סילוק האדם מן השם יתברך. When I follow my <i>yetzer hara</i>, I'm not connected to God, and love is to be connected, to be דבוק בהקדוש ברוך הוא, to be connected to God, to have a תשוקה to be there with Him. ולכך אמר הכתוב: \"בכל לבבך\", כי הלב יש בו יצר הרע, ויסלק יצר הרע לאהבת השם יתברך. You have to take this <i>yetzer hara</i> away and have that connection to love <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i>. And it's an essential aspect, it's an essential aspect that pulls you in the wrong direction. ואחר כך אמר: \"ובכל נפשך\", בכל נפשך, that's you. That's not a יצר that's outside of you, that's me, and a person will love somebody else as long as it doesn't impact their basic libido urges, their need to be alive. <i>Chiddush</i> is even when it takes yourself, and that's why the only even is here. Everything else is not doesn't need an <i>afilu</i>. Here the <i>afilu</i> is it's it's being <i>mevatel</i> the essence of who you are. By בכל לבבך, it doesn't say אפילו בכל לבבך, but בכל נפשך, it says <i>afilu</i>, because it's taking your essence. נגד עצמו של אדם, שיהא תחת רשות שמו של השם יתברך, ולא שיהא יציאה לעצמו של אדם מתחת רשות יתברך שמו, and we shouldn't leave God's רשות. When someone's putting a testimony of you're going to die, that's when you're going to leave your love for <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i>? You have to love הקדוש ברוך הוא בכל נפשך, even when they're going to take your נפשך, even when, not just hard working like Jack saying, like Yaakov saying, but even when they're going to <i>mamash</i> be <i>mesirat nefesh</i>. כי הבחינה ראשונה הוא מצד הרע אשר ימשך אחר האדם. The <i>yetzer hara</i> is something outside of man, it's a שאור שבעיסה, it's the yeast in the dough, but it's not the dough itself. אינו זה אדם עצמו, רק שנמשך אחריו, it's an outside purveyor of sin. והזכיר בכל נפשך, he mentioned \"all your soul,\" נגד אדם עצמו. וזה שאמר בכל נפשך: אפילו נוטל נפשו לא יהא סר מן השם יתברך, your essence. Okay. Your physical essence? Spiritual essence. And בכל נפשך, are we saying that that's your That's your independent, no, that's that's your independent <i>neshama</i>. Okay, means בכל לבבך has all all three of the first <i>bechinot</i>, of שן, רגל, and that's בכל לבבך, all of those? Because he seems to be only mentioning one. One, yeah, because he wants the <i>chiddush</i> of something that's completely for no purpose, completely wild. Okay. ואמר: \"ובכל מאדך\", and now here comes the one that we're going to work on, here's this big <i>chiddush</i>. ו[https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Deuteronomy.11.6?lang=he זה ממונו של אדם]. ויש לך לדעת, כי עשרו וקנינו של אדם הם כמו אדם עצמו. So, first of all, you have to recognize they're going to say, what, is something outside of man? I want to make it so that man doesn't leave God. But you have to realize that a <i>kinyan</i> is a part of man himself. ודבר זה נתבאר בכמה מקומות. This is explained in many places. ויש אדם שממונו חביב עליו מגופו. There's a man whose <i>mamon</i> is חביב עליו מגופו. Okay, we'll explain that when we go back and see how he explains the piece. אבל עיקר פירוש is not that it's part of man. So again, so money's part of who you are. Obviously, we see all kind of <i>dinim</i> with money. He brings in כח היצר. The Maharal brings that you see that since you have to be an עושר, you have to be wealthy to be a <i>navi</i>, it affects the essence of man. You can't just say that to be rich is an outside <i>din</i>. Why do you have to have money to get <i>nevuah</i>? But it impacts the essence of who you are. אבל עיקר הפירוש מה שאומר ובכל מאדך, דבר שהוא נגד השכל שבאדם is opposite man's intelligence. כי שכל אדם בו אהבה מאוד מאוד. He learns not like Rashi, not like the פשט פשוט. [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Deuteronomy.6.5?lang=he Rashi learns מידה ומידה], but he learns מאוד מאוד. Right? מאוד מאוד. So, and that's the שכל אדם is is the מאוד מאוד. What's very much in man? What very much in man is a wise man is going to love <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> much more than a simple man. The מאוד מאוד is always means beyond everything else, beyond רגיל. What's different between man and the animals? Maharal says in many places: intellect. And that's why over here, the <i>seichel</i> is called מאוד. ואהבת את ה׳ אלקיך בכל מאוד. What's very much about man? Very much about man is is his <i>seichel</i>, which makes it very, very much. ולכך אמר ובכל מאדך. And there it says with all of your <i>seichel</i>. Aha. So, it says all of your <i>seichel</i>, that's the third part. So, now we've got it. So, we've got the first part, בכל לבבך, is to take away the <i>yetzer hara</i>. Next one is בכל נפשך, is you yourself as an independent being. And now בכל מאדך is the part of you that's above yourself, which is the <i>seichel</i>, and that you have to also bring to <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> as much as you can. We always talk about, right, the <i>seichel</i> is simply the the <i>neshamah</i>. Man is a רוח basically. The <i>yetzer hara</i> is coming in from the outside, and the <i>seichel</i> is coming in from the outside, right? That's what we say, אלקי נשמה, in the morning we say, אלקי נשמה, you give me my נשמה, אשר נתתה בי, you put it in me. You hear that there's a me and there's a <i>neshamah</i>. The <i>neshamah</i> is a vessel that I have, just like the <i>yetzer hara</i> is not the real me, my <i>seichel</i> is not the real me, right? Leshem says all the time that that's why when you get to the world to come, עולם הפוך ראיתי, I'll see an upside down world because if you're real smart in this world, you're going to lose that <i>seichel</i> in the world to come and you'll be if you didn't work as hard as the guy that wasn't as smart, you're not going to you're not going to get where you have to go. So, that's this the other side of מאדך. Ay, so that's a very good <i>peshat</i> in ובכל מאדך just over here we'll see. Just because you're so used to everybody else not learning this way. So just on the next piece, we're going to see that Rambam learns, Rambam learns the same way that the Maharal does in the לשון of מאדך, not like the Rashi and Tosafot it's בכל מידה ומידה. So in [https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Blessings.10.3?lang=he הלכות ברכות פרק י׳ ג׳], שמע שמועה טובה, מברך ברוך אתה ה׳ אלקינו מלך העולם הטוב והמטיב. שמע שמועה רעה, bad שמועה, מברך ברוך דיין האמת. וחייב אדם לברך על הרעה בטוב נפש כדרך שמברך על הטוב. When bad things happen, you have to be happy about them. שנאמר ואהבת את ה׳ אלקיך, where does he find it? He finds it in the words of ובכל מאדך. ובכלל האהבה יתירה שנצטוינו, so he learns ובכל מאדך means <i>ahavah yeterah</i>, learning the way the Maharal's learning. מאדך means the over overflow. אפילו בעת שיצר לו, even when there's pain, יודה וישבח בשמחה. Right? So we see again that he's learning the <i>derash</i> not like the Rashi and the Tosafot. The <i>me'od</i> is coming from <i>lashon</i> of very much so, which is the <i>sechel</i>. Okay. Can it be then the Rashi on חומש מדה when it's <i>tov</i> and when it's פורענות? Right. So both does. So why can't the Rambam be saying the same thing? Because he's saying the word <i>ahavah yeterah</i>. That's what he's <i>doresh</i> from מאדך. He brings only the words מאדך, and he brings <i>ahavah yeterah</i>. So he's learning the words, the <i>derashah</i> is from the word <i>me'od</i>, not the word מדה like Rashi does. How do we know then Rambam is connected to the intellectual part of like like Maharal? מהר''ל מאדך something that makes you think No, I'll show you in Perush HaMishnayot, because he says it over there. Because why do we do this? Because we're going to say כל מה דעביד רחמנא לטב עביד, and therefore goes like Ours will figure it out intellectually. Yeah. We'll we'll we'll get there. That'll be that'll be next week's over there. I just want to show that right that this when I when I first saw this <i>me'od</i>, I thought like, whoa, this is like off the scale of where's this coming from? And then after I saw the Rambam learns this way and Rabbi Chaim Vital says this way. So he's got three big people. It's not just And they're all be working the same way that that the <i>me'od</i> is your <i>sechel</i>, the <i>me'od</i> is your <i>neshamah</i>, and then we have to put them all together. Yes, sir. Why in how does the Maharal explain בכל לבבך? Because the Gemara says בכל לבבך בשני יצריך, right? Right. So if we say that that's <i>sechel</i>, then So so that that's this idea. The idea we have is right that people have we have two <i>yetzerim</i>. We have a <i>yetzer</i> in עולם הגשמי and a יצר יצר in עולם הרוחני. Exactly what the Rabbi Yisrael Salanter is trying to say says that there's two <i>yetzerim</i>. There's one יצר that's in the לב, and there's one יצר that's in the נשמה, in the מוח. Above that, the a <i>ruchniyus'dik</i> one. So you've got you've got <i>yetzerim</i> in all the different parts of who we are. It's not simply I'm going to say that there's only <i>yetzer hara</i> and <i>yetzer tov</i> in the לב. There's the <i>yetzer hara</i> is floating all around. That's what Maharal's doing That's what the Rabbi Yisrael Salanter's doing, that's what Maharal's doing. The the <i>yetzer tov</i> is The נשמה is not the <i>yetzer tov</i>? The נשמה is a <i>yetzer tov</i>, it's a spiritual <i>yetzer tov</i>. Maharal's פשט. So Maharal's פשט, he's not using that word here. But it is. The נשמה is a <i>yetzer tov</i>. Yes. So, but when So then what's the <i>yetzer tov</i> of the heart? The the Gemara says The desire desire is to do the right thing, desire to follow the soul. That's also coming from the נשמה. No, it's coming from the רוח. It's from a lower level. So again, what are we saying? That there's a <i>yetzer tov</i> in the רוח and there's a <i>yetzer tov</i> in the נשמה, and then there's <i>yetzer hara</i>s in the רוח and also <i>yetzer hara</i>s in the נשמה? Yeah. What How does that Each part each part expresses itself differently. <i>Yetzer hara</i>s of in the נשמה? That's that's what that's what we're working on. That the the <i>yetzer hara</i> of the of the גוף, of the of the לב is going to be <i>yetzer hara</i> in the natural world. And the <i>yetzer hara</i> and the <i>yetzer tov</i> of the <i>sechel</i> is going to be a שכל'דיק יצר הרע. It'll be an עבודה זרה'דיק יצר הרע. Are they the same three types? Again, and the reason the Maharal only Yeah, there's three three types, because everything's <i>chesed</i>, <i>binah</i>... There'd be three types of of <i>tov</i>, right. But how come he only focuses on one, I don't understand? Because he's trying to explain the <i>middah</i> in each each session each each circumstance. So what I want to do here is explain מאדך. What's מאד? מאד is that you're אלקי, נשמה שנתת בי טהורה היא. There, there's so much good. The problem is how are you going to use this good in the overdrive to do the right things? We're not going to look at the יצר הרע over there. We want to see what the good is going to do, how can you use the good, what are you <i>mechuyav</i> to do when you have the overdrive, and what's going on. We'll see how we do it. Let's let's let's just get into the paragraph. I think the questions you're asking are all what he's going to do right now. Okay. So now he's got a problem. So if the מאד is my <i>sechel</i>, why are you bringing money? What's the story with money? ומה שדרשו בכל מאדך בכל ממונך, הוא דבר זה בעצמו. כי כאשר אדם נאבד ממונו, בזה סר שכל אדם. That when a man loses money, he can't think. He goes after the money. Like the Yerushalmi in Terumot says, Yerushalmi in Terumot, פרק ח', הלכה ג', I think, לבו של אדם The heart, meaning there, the intentions of man, תלוי בכיסו. The heart of man depends on his pocketbook. And like we saw, the Maharal says that to get to נבואה, you have to be rich. It's a certain <i>yishuv hada'at</i> that even big <i>tzadikim</i> can't get to without that. שממון של אדם שכלו נמשך עליו לפי שהממון נותן לו קיום. Because money gives him <i>kiyum</i>. Money gives you support, and without that support, you can't think. That's <i>pasuk</i> in Devarim. Where is it? Wait one second, let me find the <i>pasuk</i>. Now that I don't remember where it is, let me just find the <i>pasuk</i> first. And I don't want to get lost. Which Gemara was that? Yerushalmi. Yeah. Yeah. So so this oh this there's a <i>pasuk</i>, the <i>pasuk</i> the Rashi the that the Maharal is referring to is this <i>pasuk</i> in Parshat Ekev. It says all that הקדוש ברוך הוא did, אשר עשה לדתן ולאבירם, that he did to דתן ואבירם, ואת כל ואת בתיהם ואת אהליהם תבלעם. They were all swallowed up, everything they had, all their property was swallowed up, ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם, all that enabled them to stand up, ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם. So we're describing all the wealth was swallowed up. What's <i>peshat</i> the wealth was swallowed up? <i>Peshat</i> is what helped them stand on their feet. Right? Rashi brings down, Rashi says, זה ממונו של אדם. What gives you <i>yikum</i> for your feet? That's the money of man. שמעמידו על רגליו, helps you stand up and be strong. Right? If if you've got money, you're there's a גדלות האדם you have, and if you don't have money, there's a certain lack of גדלות האדם we have, a certain weakness that everybody knows and feels. What <i>pasuk</i> is that? י״א פסוק ו׳. [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.11.6?lang=he דברים י״א פסוק ו׳]. Where was the Yerushalmi, Rabbi? Yerushalmi is in תרומות, פרק ח׳, I think ג׳. I'm not a <i>baki</i>, but I looked for it yesterday. Nothing, you can't see this, I just wanted to see if it was a <i>sugya</i> or anything, there's no <i>sugya</i>, just just says it straight. Nothing to do for it. Okay, so so now we have that <i>me'od</i> that <i>me'od</i> is your <i>seichel</i>, and that even when it's difficult, you have to be <i>meshabe'ach</i>, you have to praise הקדוש ברוך הוא. And then we're going to make it that what gives your <i>seichel</i> ability to get to that level is money. And that gives <i>chizuk</i> to your <i>seichel</i> to understand things in a deeper way, in a deeper area. Okay. Rabbi? Yes. Which <i>yetzer tov</i> do you get when you're 13? The <i>neshamah</i>. That's explicit? So the other one you have already? Yeah. The desire that my body has not to connect to God is not caused by any <i>yetzer hara</i>, it's a You have two you have two you have you have one desire because of your body, and you have one body your <i>neshamah</i> has, even your <i>ruach</i> has not to connect even though it's <i>ruchani</i>. All right, but we said that one is in the heart, there's myself, and then there's my <i>neshamah</i>. And that that there's a middle level that even without those two <i>yetzer hara</i>s The <i>gufniyut</i> one he's not talking about. Is there a is there a third <i>yetzer tov</i> and <i>yetzer hara</i>? There's lots of There's lots of other <i>yetzer hara</i>s and <i>yetzer tov</i>s. He's trying to talk about in the <i>pasuk</i> over here that the <i>pasuk</i>'s seeing in the <i>ruchaniyut</i> area, there's a רוחניות יצר הרע and there's a huge רוחניות יצר טוב of your <i>seichel</i>, and there's you <i>be'etzem</i> in the middle. Now on the <i>guf</i>, in the lower area, there's all kind of <i>yetzer hara</i>s we got to talk about. Myself would be the עצם. You בעצם. Do I have a Is there an עצם יצר הרע and an עצם יצר טוב, or just the עצם? No, the עצם, the you עצם don't want to connect. You're afraid to connect. And that's not caused by any <i>yetzer hara</i>. Any <i>yetzer hara</i>. What is that? What is it? You're an independent being. You're an independent being, you don't want to lose your independence. And that's not a That's real. That's real. You have to be convinced that giving up myself, I get more. You mean עצם means the drive for for independence? Drive? Desire to create, express something. So if you don't you don't want to connect to Hashem because sounds like exactly what the <i>yetzer hara</i> is. No, the <i>yetzer hara</i> is always a יצר that's רע. It's something that's that's going a place that's not good. This is describing what I really am and dealing with how I have to reach it. <i>Yetzer hara</i> is דמיונות, it's make-believing something false. This is This is a story. You have to know that you are separate from God and you'll be greatest if you connect to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. But that's an intellectual process you have to go through. I was always learning בכל לבבך בשני יצריך, meaning two types of יצר הרע. That's that's what that's what I was saying. No, I think no. יצר הרע and <i>yetzer tov</i>. But <i>yetzer tov</i> is the is the מאודך. And that's That's what that's what, yeah. But I'm not I'm not a Rebbe in <i>yeshivah</i>, if you hear what I'm saying. No, so that's he's not calling this a a <i>yetzer tov</i>. This is the part of you that's naturally going to flow after Hakadosh Baruch Hu. This is your שכל that's going to get you מאוד מאוד. So then what's the other יצר? The other יצר is the part that's outside of you pulling you in the other direction, pulling you the wrong way. So, בכל לבבך בשני יצריך, one is the <i>yetzer hara</i>, and what's the other יצר if it's not the מאודך? There's a יצר in the world of רוח to do what's good, but not because it's intellectually right. There's a goodness inside of man. You want to do what's good. The captured part inside Yeah, your your ten-year-old kid who, your six-year-old kid who decides to pick up the stuff on the floor, that he doesn't have his שכל, doesn't have his נשמה yet, but there's a part of him that's a good kid. You can't like, that's what I think Moshe was asking, like, can't you know, we know that there's a <i>yetzer tov</i> that a kid has before he's 13. You don't see every little kid just being a a a libido monster. It means at that level of a higher level, yeah. So, is the <i>yetzer tov</i> and the <i>yetzer hara</i> two separate forces or are they just one is, you know, one is like the cart before the horse and the other is you're you're harnessing the energy in the right way? Meaning one is meaning is is one the energy is using for the sake of itself and then it becomes רע, and the other is that, you know, you're just you're able to use that energy in the way that you want to direct it or are they two separate things? Two separate things. He said that, so he's very clear about it here. It's רע רע, רע רע, he wants to go to the רע רע. That's what in the Iggeret HaMussar the Rav says also. There's this sometimes people, yeah, I don't know, I don't really mean this, but this is this is this is a <i>chabura</i>, not a class, so I can, you know, this. There's a person you have to love to hate. This is this is a person, Dennis Prager, who is one of the great propagandists, polemicists of the generation, whatever it is. So, so even in, I told you the story about when I about the <i>kashrut</i> story? Then the tape is off, so I feel better for a whim. I I many years and this and this in the other one. So, that's it's good. To me, it's a good <i>raaya</i> why you can't be overly liberal. Because there's a <i>yetzer hara</i> you have to work with. You have to go for it. The the second good thing I thought he said was, he says, \"I've decided that this generation, the biggest problem is they can't hear anything. We're supposed to be called שמע ישראל. We're supposed to be a hearing nation. A nation of hearers.\" He says, \"We can't hear anything. Everybody walks around these days and they listen to songs that have no lyrics and no melody line. All it has is a, nothing personal, all it has is a loud beat, what do you call it, beat, what do you call it? Bass, bass beat, so all it has is a beat.\" He says, \"I'm convinced that we have to stop teaching people to say Shema. They're not going to get it. They're not going to be able to hear anything.\" He says, \"First we have to teach people to listen to classical music, and after they hear the refinement of classical music, then afterwards we'll get them to שמע ישראל.\" That was his that was his second job, he said. You know, it's, they have much more people going to classical concerts than we have going to שמע ישראל concerts, but those are the two. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, so even Dennis Prager has got two good ideas. Yeah. Could it be true to say that the <i>yerida</i> of Elisha ben Avuya afterwards, according to three levels here, first of all he went to the פרדס, the <i>sechel</i>, and he couldn't, he didn't understand his own, how how it's working. Then he went, then he said, according to Rav Dessler, so when he saw himself as מציאות for for himself, that's the נפשך, and then he said, \"Okay, since I'm I'm נפשי myself, so I can enjoy, can free my the first level of the the רע, I can, בהאי עלמא, it says, since בהאי עלמא אבד, so I can enjoy this.\" It could be. I don't know what Rav Dessler says over there. But, but you're definitely right with the there's the I'll show you afterwards, the the Arizal learns flips it though, flips it the other way. Did he go the other way? Yeah. That's the Acher? Acher, not Acher. That's why that's what's that's the נשרו ספרי מינים מחיקו. Okay, back over here. Next paragraph. Yeah, sorry. I don't understand still why he doesn't focus on the שתי יצרים and the Gemara doesn't focus on the שתי יצרים of מאודך. Only by the the level of <i>ruach</i> we say you should be מחבר both of your No! Don't start me with this מחבר, you're telling me all to account דברי תורה. Stop, cut it out. There's no מחבר. Where's a מחבר? You read it. This says over here that you, no! This Right, not the <i>yetzer tov</i>, they're not worried about, the <i>yetzer tov</i> is going to naturally go there. So, you're going to tell me he's not mentioning things that we're not worried about? Right. So, then the He says the כל, he says it's the כל of it. But, then the the מאדך is also something that will naturally go there. No, because the <i>sechel</i> has to be מאוד מאוד. You have to push your <i>sechel</i> to get your <i>sechel</i> to do it. Why? The the the <i>tov</i> part of the <i>neshama</i> is got to be strong on its own. It's it's the רע of the <i>neshama</i> that that that's No, the <i>neshama</i>, you know your <i>seichel</i>, your <i>seichel</i>, you have to work to get your <i>seichel</i> to work. He's going to say over here, he's going to say that you your <i>seichel</i> is normally going to tell you when bad things happen, accept that comes from <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i>. But you have to be <i>modeh</i>, you have to be משבח הקדוש ברוך הוא. That's the <i>seichel</i> working really hard. To see it as being good, to be able to sing song about it, that's what the <i>seichel</i> working really hard. And what about all the <i>seichel</i> of the <i>yetzer hara</i>'s? You don't have to be מחבר them? Then, they don't come from the <i>neshama</i>. Then we have we have <i>seichel</i> like the <i>yetzer hara</i>. Over here, we're talking about the כל, the כל, all the good, the <i>me'od</i>, the thing that's very, very good, the thing that's בכלל אבי יתירה שנתגבר בו. Fine, so, but but the כל in the in the נפשך was the very, very bad. Right. So, now why are we switching the כל מאדך to be very, very good? Because we've gone to Because we've gone to the other part. We're going to the part. There's three There's There's three parts of me. There's me, there's a part of me that pulls me down, and the part of me that pulls me up. That's what we're looking at. So, the part of me that pulls me down, you have to make sure that you're מסלק that bad part. The part that pulls me up, you have to make sure it pulls me up very, very much. Part of me that pulls me down over here, also But it's not the essence of me. אלקי נשמה שנתת בי טהורה היא. That's not the essence of me, also. But, it's the essence of the <i>ra</i>. It's the essence of <i>ra</i>. The essence of the אלקי נשמה, this part of me, <i>neshama</i>, is my wings, it picks me up. It's essentially good. The question is can I get it to be as good as it can be so it really, really picks me up? And this is the essence of the <i>ruach</i>? That's the essence of the <i>ruach</i>. The essence of the <i>ruach</i> is powerful. The essence of the <i>nefesh</i> is <i>ra</i>? <i>Ra</i>. And the essence of the <i>neshama</i> is <i>tov</i>? <i>Tov</i>. <i>Neshama</i>. And, again, why he focuses only one of the <i>ra</i>'s and not all three of the <i>ra</i>'s? Because don't need the feel of this, don't need the feel of the feel of the one that is hardest to get back to. Wow. The biggest <i>chidush</i>, the בכל. כרן is the hardest? כרן is the hardest, got no reason, can't talk to him. He's <i>ta'avah</i>. <i>Ta'avah</i>, you can explain to yourself. You know, you you you You don't need it. you don't need it. Rebbe. Yeah. Why myself, when I don't want to connect to God, me being the individual, why isn't that רע? Why isn't that me breaking off from God, isn't that רע separation? Why isn't that that עצם also a type of רע? It is a type of רע, but it's not a <i>yetzer hara</i>. It's an issue you have to deal with. So, it's not neutral. There's a <i>yetzer</i>, it's going in the wrong direction, Right. and that's stimulus, stupid, ridiculous. Me, that I have to connect myself, that's intellectual. That's real. That's real. But, is is it there's not If you make the wrong choice, it's רע. You make the wrong choice, it's רע. But is Do I make It's not a <i>yetzer</i>, but it's not a energy there. Because of of of a driving force, <i>yetzer hara</i>, or I just made a wrong choice and now what I did is wrong? Right, there's no there's no outside force, no <i>yetzer hara</i>. I made a wrong choice, and what I did is wrong. I made a wrong choice, right. Okay, weiter. ויש לך לדעת. There is to know. כי פסוק של ואהבת, הוא אחר פסוק [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.6.4?lang=he שמע ישראל ה׳ אלקינו ה׳ אחד]. So, he's going to go back now and <i>lechazek</i> his שיטה of that the essential love is the אהבת ה׳, שהוא אחד ואין זולתו. He is one, there's no one behind beside Him. So, there's no one beside, and we realize that everything else in the world is ephemeral, and my job is I have to cleave to God. So, again, we have שמע ישראל ה׳ אלקינו ה׳ אחד is a intellectual statement. But an intellectual statement, you don't love an intellectual statement. Then, the <i>mitzvah</i> comes along that ואהבת, you have to love God, and you have to make it that you have a תשוקה to be there, you have desire to be there, and you get <i>simcha</i> from being there, and that you're willing to use מדת הדין to stay there, קנאה. You have all these things that you have to get there for. But that's ראוי, like he said before, because that's the reality. עד שאינו סר בשום ענין מטובו. כי מאחר שאין זולתו, איך יסר מטוב? So, that's the philosophical foundational point. לפי זה, זה שאמרו, ״אפילו נוטל נפשך״, מדבר הכתוב, אם באים ליטול נפשך, שיעבוד עבודה זרה, being as of עבודה זרה, right? יש לך למסור נפשך, על זה ״אפילו נוטל את נפשך״. Since there's nothing else in the world, that's why you have to give up your soul for this. Now there's a <i>machloket</i>, and this is what he gets into in Gur Aryeh. If we want to see the Gur Aryeh in over in this <i>pasuk</i>, there's an argument whether that's talking about just the <i>pasuk</i> of עובד עבודה זרה, whether it's talking about all <i>mitzvot</i>. So, we know it's not talking about all <i>mitzvot</i>, you don't have to give your life for all <i>mitzvot</i>. So, he's bothered with how you going to learn this now that the <i>pasuk</i> is telling me two things. is telling me give up my soul for עבודה זרה, and it's telling me love God with all the <i>mitzvot</i>. ונראה לפרש, I'll explain now that I've told you. And since I've told you the key is that there's nothing besides God and therefore you have to give your life for עבודה זרה, but you don't have to give up your life for other <i>mitzvot</i> because other <i>mitzvot</i> don't deny <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>, but you do have to love God through all the <i>mitzvot</i>, because there's nothing else besides הקדוש ברוך הוא. ונראה לפרש, אף דעיקר קרא מדבר בעבודה זרה שאפילו אם נוטלים את נפשו לא יעבוד עבודה זרה, מכל מקום יש לפרש על כל מצוה שאדם חייב לעשותה באהבה. So he says that there's that we can learn out from the same <i>pasuk</i> that you have to love הקדוש ברוך הוא with all. כי יש ג' מניעות ומעכבים את האדם מלקיים המצוות. Now he's saying a second <i>peshat</i>. The first <i>peshat</i> had to connect all the parts to הקדוש ברוך הוא. Now we're going to have to break through three blockages. לפעמים מפני שיצרו שמסיתו שלא לעשותם, the יצר tells him not to do them, ואף כי אין טורח עליו מלעשות, רק יצרו מגרה בו, your יצר הרע awakens you because it's like קרן, שלא יעשה מן הדברים שהם מעשה יצר הרע בלבד. ולפעמים המצוה בעצמה קשה עליו מעשות מפני טורח, sometimes the <i>mitzvot</i> are hard because they make your body move from its inertial state, and that's going to be like a שן, ולפעמים קשה עליו מפני הוצאת ממון. וכנגד זה אמר, שיהא אוהב השם יתברך בכל לבבו ולא יפנה אל יצרו שמסיתו שלא לרעות באהבה, ולפעמים מניח מצוה זו שמצוה זו קשה עליו. כנגד זה אמר שיעשה המצוה בכל נפשו. כאשר יעשה המצוה בכל נפשו לא ימנע אלו, כאשר טורח ויגיע בקיום המצוה, נפש doesn't want to do it, ויעשה המצות אף אם מצוה קשה עליו מאד. וכן יעשה המצוה אם המצוה קשה עליו מצד ממון, ועם כל זה יקיים המצוות. ושייך אלו ג' דברים בכל מצוה. Every <i>mitzvah</i> has these three things that hold it back, so you should learn the ואהבת on each <i>mitzvah</i>. בכל מעשיו שיעשה יעבוד השם יתברך במצות באהבה. Okay, that's <i>peshat</i>, I think, number two. So it includes all the <i>mitzvot</i>. Not just generally, but each <i>mitzvah</i> is going to have these three aspects of working against the יצר הרע, working against the difficulties from pleasure, and working against the loss of money. Which one is that? That doesn't... Don't know. Could be some kind of גופני. It's also like שן, right? Yeah, it is. What about the הרג one? What we discussed? Adam just goes with that. It's going to be that's going to be, I think it's probably already taken care of with the Shema. You're connected, sorry. Maybe the טורח is the second one is הגוף. טורח to do something. Okay. ואמר, אומר דבר אחר, בכל מאדך, בכל מדה ומדה שהוא מודד לך, הוי מודה לו. Second <i>peshat</i> in בכל מאדך. So again, he learns not like Rashi and the Tosafot, that he learns the דרשה over here is from the word מאד, not from the word מדה. From the word very much so, not from the word measurement. ולפרש הזה, which makes sense, because why do you throw out the א? Why should it become מדה? ולפרש הזה בכל מאדך, מלשון מאד. כמו שאומר שיעבוד אותו בכל כוחו ומאודו. Like the רמב\"ם says, בכלל אהבה יתירה שנצטווינו בה, right, they're both learning the same way. ובאיזה צד מאד, how do you love God very much? זה כאשר אדם מודה, gives הודאה. You have to be happy, you're singing הודאה and praise all the time. ומשבח השם יתברך בשמחה, זה אדם אוהב השם יתברך מאד. That's your obligation, exactly the way the רמב\"ם learns, we saw it there in הלכות ברכות, דף י'. כך פירוש הכתוב על דעת חכמים. יש עוד באלה דברים דברים עמוקים ואין להאריך. You're going to see when on back on page מ\"ג, he'll say over a deeper idea again, then we'll go back and explain what the ענין עמוק is, he's going to explain it when it gets forced into it. That's the idea over here. Okay, now just a little <i>halacha lemaaseh</i>, take the top of the sheets I gave you. Now obviously, to have all these כוונות in Shema is going to be very difficult, and to actually have a תשוקה in the middle of Shema, desire in the middle of Shema, is very hard, and to be thinking about all the different <i>yetzer hara</i>s is very hard, but as the in the back of Shmirat Halashon, the Chafetz Chaim, right, we'll call him the Mishnah Berurah to make you feel like you have to do it, right, the Mishnah Berurah, right, the Shmirat Halashon, you know, that's already a מידת חסידות, but okay, but like the Mishnah Berurah, like you have to do it, so he <i>taytsh</i>es up very beautifully. עוד באתי להורות על דבר מה דאיתא בגמרא. Let me tell you something that's got in the Gemara. [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.14b?lang=he אמר עולא, it says the Gemara in ברכות י״ד, כל הקורא קריאת שמע בלא תפילין], if you read Shema without תפילין, כאילו מעיד עדות שקר בעצמו. It's like he gave false testimony. <i>Dehaynu</i>, cause it says, שומע, וקשרת, ואינו קושר. Even אף שבדעתו לקשר אחר כך, even though you have intention to put on the <i>tefillin</i> afterwards, אינו מועיל לזה. Doesn't help. כיוון שאינו קושר תיכף, if you're not wearing it now when you're saying Shema. ולכאורה, the same way that if you don't put <i>tefillin</i> on, you're giving false testimony in the שמע, if you don't love <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> when you say the word love, you're giving false testimony. So, bad news for the Jews, right? We got some work to do over here. דהוא הדין כשאומר ואהבת את ה׳ אלקיך. When it says love God, it doesn't mean just say the words and think of the Maharal, it means to actually love God. To have a desire, to see the שלמות, to connect. יראה להכניס אהבת ה׳ יתברך בלבו. You have to enter, you should try to bring in love of God in your heart. דהיינו כמו שכתב [https://www.sefaria.org/Duties_of_the_Heart,_Tenth_Treatise_on_Devotion_to_God.3?lang=he Chovot Halevavot, שער אהבת ה׳ פרק ג׳]. What should you do for אהבת ה׳? So, the Chovot Halevavot says: יתבונן בגדולת הבורא, see how great God is, ורוממותו, שהוא מחיה את כל העולמות, He keeps the whole world alive. ובהפך, קטנות ערך נפשו, how small you are, וזעירותו וזלותו, and you see how small you are. So, now He's great, and you're small, you realize my שלמות depends on becoming like Him. I want to connect to Him. I want to integrate the Torah into me more. I want to have the perspective of <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> in me more. ואחר כך יכיר רוב טוב הבורא עליו, afterwards you recognize God's good to you, בהתמדת טובתו, and all the good הכרת הטוב מיום היוסדו על הארץ, לא לפי מעשיו, that God gave me good even when I didn't deserve it, ומסתיר עונותיו מבני אדם, ומאריך לו, and He hides my sins from people, and gives me life. So, that's what you have to do when you say ואהבת. Right, now that we know what the <i>pasuk</i> means, now you got to do some work. <i>Baruch Hashem</i> the Chafetz Chaim is a <i>posek</i>, he knows there's a <i>bediavad</i> in reality, so he says now if you can't do that when you say שמע: ואם קשה לו לכוין זה בעת קריאת שמע, if you have trouble having this happiness and joy and uplift, your <i>meod</i>, your mind is not flying like it's supposed to fly, יראה להתבונן בכל זה, על כל פנים פעם אחת ביום. You have a <i>chiyuv</i> to think about it once a day and get <i>ahavah</i> in your heart once a day. ובפרט, בשביל שהיא מצוה תדירית, because love is a <i>mitzvah</i> that's constant, שאינה תלויה בזמן, it doesn't depend on night or day, <i>kayadua</i>, like it's known, תהא נגרעת, it should be worse, שלא יראו, you won't be afraid לקיימה על כל פנים פעם אחת ביום? You have to do it once a day. You got to sit down and take a little three minute try to get love in yourself a day, especially since we're working on it here a month, like let's let's go for it, you got to you got to do it. וטוב שיראה, and he says also it should be no worse than ארבעה מינים, just like you can't, it's a <i>mitzvah deoraita</i>, so the Shulchan Aruch פסקנ's you can't eat a meal until you've taken your מינים, cause perhaps you're gonna forget the <i>mitzvah</i>. So, the same thing should be true of loving God. You can't eat your meal until you've loved God. How can you go through the day? Maybe you'll forget the rest of the day to love <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i>. So, he <i>paskens</i>'s <i>lemaaseh</i>: וטוב שיראה להתבונן בזה אחר תפלה, you should do this after דאווענען, קודם שיכנס לביתו לאכול, before you enter your house to eat. ודמיא לשאר מצות, it's like other מצות, המוטלות על האדם, that's put on man, כמו תפילין, or לולב, ומינו בחג הסוכות, or your <i>arba'ah minim</i> on סוכות, דאינו אוכל קודם שיקיימם [https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.652?lang=he כמבואר בסימן תרנ״ב], that's the דין by <i>tefillin</i>, siman סימן רל״ט, that's by that's by ארבעה מינים, סימן רל״ה, עיין שם, that's our, we have the <i>pasuk</i> down beautifully, but just knowing the <i>pasuk</i> intellectually is not enough, we have to have that desire and that perspective trying to go for. Michtav MeEliyahu אליהו in פרק י״ג says the kind of same thing. Alright, this could be done we just be <i>mekayem</i> once in a day and that's already called <i>mekayem</i> the <i>mitzvah</i>? Like you <i>gevaldige</i>, yeah. Once a day, yeah. Yeah. Wow. Wow. That would be hard enough. Michtav MeEliyahu says the same type of problem. Last, last paragraph I quoted: על כן תגדל מדת אהבת השם יתברך, you have to realize that learning to love God is the essential <i>midah</i> of life. You have to be in love with הקדוש ברוך הוא, להתענג על השם ולהנות מזיו שכינתו. You know what the hippies talk about? There should be love flowing out there, we should love what we're doing, there's gotta be that that relationship, right? אשר תכבד לקנותו, and it's very very hard to acquire it. ואם מעט, there's very few people אשר יקיימו את המצוה הראשונה בקריאת שמע. There's very few people that read the קריאת שמע. He says more people <i>mekayem</i> the first <i>pasuk</i> of קריאת שמע than the second <i>pasuk</i> of קריאת שמע. The first <i>pasuk</i> of קריאת שמע you know there's one God, you do it. ואהבת... Yeah. Well, like Rabbi Akiva we can try. Says, just wait. כי עד שיגיע אדם לקניין כח נתינה ולהכרת הטובה, אז מען לא ישיג את אהבה כלל. Until you learn to be a giver and until you learn to appreciate the good that's given to you, you won't get to <i>ahavah</i> at all. Just wanted to make a little <i>lema'aseh</i> vision of what we have to do after working on this, yeah. In the Be'er Heitev in the beginning of the Mishnah Berurah, it says that to be מקיים אהבת השם is through Torah, right? So, how is that, it says the only way, he brings the Sifrei that the only way to fulfill אהבת השם is על ידי תורה. How's that? Not the only way. It's one of the ways. Over here he's saying through the Chovot HaLevavot way. On <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>, on what on what he's given us, הכרת הטובה. So the Chafetz Chaim would deem us of a עדות שקר if we don't have the אהבה, or he just said you have the עדות שקר, but here's you know what to do after that? Best you can do, yeah. You can walk up to <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> and say, \"Listen, you know that I I can't do this, it's too much to work to get to אהבה in the middle of Keriat Shema.\" Is [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.6.6?lang=he והיו הדברים האלה], is that a, also a commandment or is that just and then if you do this that's what's going to happen and that's what will be? מחלוקת. Right, the Sifrei learns that it's a natural outcome of it and the Gemara seems to learn, we're gonna see, we'll see in a little bit around it, it's gonna be a, it's a <i>mitzvah</i> you have to put in your heart. I changed the girl's name. They said if you call her for 30 days, it's okay. She came back to me and says someone told me that I should do it from the <i>shul</i>. Do it from the... <i>Minhag</i> we should name name the girl, name her in <i>shul</i>. She said that she named her in <i>shul</i>. So I know Rav Pam, always this whole thing with Rav Pam. Yeah. So what does Rav Pam think, should I should I stop doing what Rav Shlomo Zalman said? Should I do it in <i>shul</i> also? Rav Pam thinks Rav Pam, Rav Pam just wanted to do it because

[[Category:Transcript]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א

2026-10-17T19:06:50Z

AdamSinger: Published shiur page: Ahavat Hashem — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א

{{ShiurInfobox
| title = Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א
| original_shiur = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/BWmwWBtsITZCbvYZ.mp3 4 — Perek 1: ד״ה ויש שהיו / ד״ה ויש לך]
| source_sheets = ''No source sheet available''
| related_topics = [[Ahavat Hashem]], [[Shema Yisrael]], [[Maharal]], [[Chesed]], [[Yetzer hara]], [[Hakarat hatov]]
| related_parsha =
| related_holidays =
| full_transcript = [[Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א/Transcript|Full Transcript (Sofer.ai)]]
| step4_message = Turn שמע into lived ואהבת: identify each force pulling away, bind it to ה׳, and make love concrete through gratitude, listening, generosity, and costly mitzvah action.
}}

= Ahavat Hashem: From Shema to Integrated Love — נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א =

'''Shiur Date:''' Date not supplied with uploaded audio<br/>
'''Speaker:''' Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld<br/>
'''Series:''' Vaad — 03 - Maharal, Shem Tov, Gur Aryeh and Be’er HaGolah<br/>

== One-Line Step Four ==

Ahavat Hashem is daily integrated avodah: direct desire, self, intellect, effort, and money toward ה׳, then express that attachment through attentive חסד, הודאה, and each mitzvah.

== Summary ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

The shiur studies Maharal’s נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א, and opens with a Zoharic diyyuk about the Torah’s explicit language of love. Rabbi Gershenfeld develops three models: Avraham’s חסד of giving, Yitzchak’s disciplined restraint and listening, and Yaakov’s synthesis of giving, restraint, and enduring presence. Love is therefore not generic warmth. The more genuine it is, the more it notices particulars and responds to the other person as a distinct אדם. Rav Wolbe’s practical guidance makes that claim concrete: first make eye contact, then see the person, then give the particular חסד that person needs. The shiur suggests that such outward attentiveness trains a deeper עבודת ה׳ as well: love becomes a sustained, detailed response rather than a passing feeling.

Maharal contrasts יראה, a general stance of התבטלות, with אהבה, which actively joins every part of the person to ה׳. Rabbi Gershenfeld reads בכל לבבך, בכל נפשך, ובכל מאדך as a map of that work: confront the pull of the יצר; offer the independent עצם; and direct the highest faculty, שכל and נשמה, toward attachment, praise, and הודאה. The shiur also considers the familiar readings of נפש and ממון, the Maharal’s emphasis on מאד as intensified love, and the role of material stability in supporting human steadiness. Love is tested in details: desire, effort, and expense can all resist a mitzvah. The practical task is to identify the specific resistance in a given moment and connect that very area to the רצון ה׳.

The last section turns the teaching into daily avodah. שמע establishes the truth of ה׳ אחד; ואהבת asks that truth to become desire, joy, and action. The shiur invokes the warning about reciting קריאת שמע without תפילין as a call for integrity: words of attachment must be joined to a life that bears them out. Following the method attributed to חובות הלבבות, one can cultivate love by contemplating גדלות הבורא, personal smallness, and ongoing חסד. Rabbi Gershenfeld recommends setting aside a regular daily moment for this work, especially before distraction or routine intervenes. Love then appears in each מצוה: overcome the inner resistance, the טורח, and the monetary cost; practice praise even in difficulty; and cultivate נתינה and הכרת הטוב so that faith becomes lived connection.

== מאמרי מקומות (Sources Cited) ==

The following sources are cited or discussed in this shiur. Click the links to view the original texts online.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew Name !! Type !! Description
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Netivot_Olam,_Netiv_Ahavat_Hashem.1?lang=he Maharal, Netivot Olam, Netiv Ahavat Hashem, Chapter 1] || נתיבות עולם, נתיב אהבת השם, פרק א || Primary text || Primary text studied throughout, including the passages introduced by ד״ה ויש שהיו and ד״ה ויש לך.
|-
| Zohar, דף קל״ג — exact section needs review || זוהר, דף קל״ג || Zohar || Cited for the diyyuk about explicit love of Rivkah and Rachel. The shiur gives a daf but not a verified parashah/folio locator.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.24.67?lang=he Genesis 24:67] || בראשית כ״ד:ס״ז || Tanach || Yitzchak takes Rivkah as his wife and loves her.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.29.18?lang=he Genesis 29:18] || בראשית כ״ט:י״ח || Tanach || Yaakov’s love for Rachel.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Isaiah.41.8?lang=he Isaiah 41:8] || ישעיהו מ״א:ח׳ || Tanach || Avraham is called אוהבי.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.6.4?lang=he Deuteronomy 6:4] || דברים ו׳:ד׳ || Tanach || The Shema declaration that the shiur contrasts with the command of ואהבת.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.6.5?lang=he Deuteronomy 6:5] || דברים ו׳:ה׳ || Tanach || The central verse through which the Maharal analyzes the distinct parts of the person.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.6.6?lang=he Deuteronomy 6:6] || דברים ו׳:ו׳ || Tanach || Raised in the shiur in connection with whether the verse is command or outcome.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.54a?lang=he Berakhot 54a] || ברכות נ״ד א׳ || Gemara || Includes the readings בכל לבבך בשני יצריך and בכל מאדך בכל מדה ומדה.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.61b?lang=he Berakhot 61b] || ברכות ס״א ב׳ || Gemara || The baraita on one whose body or money is dearer, discussed in relation to בכל נפשך and בכל מאדך.
|-
| Bava Kamma — comparison of נוגח and רובע; exact daf needs review || בבא קמא, יש בנוגח מה שאין ברובע || Gemara || Used in the shiur’s analogy of שן and קרן to distinct forms of the יצר. Exact folio not confirmed from the available text check.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Blessings.10.3?lang=he Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Berakhot 10:3] || משנה תורה, הלכות ברכות י׳:ג׳ || Halacha || Blessing on adversity with a good spirit; the Rambam connects this to ובכל מאדך and אהבה יתירה.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Deuteronomy.6.5?lang=he Rashi on Deuteronomy 6:5] || רש״י על דברים ו׳:ה׳ || Rishon || Rashi brings בכל מדה ומדה שהוא מודד לך and the related explanations of the verse.
|-
| Jerusalem Talmud Terumot, chapter 8, halakhah 3 — exact location needs review || ירושלמי תרומות ח׳:ג׳ || Talmud yerushalmi || The shiur itself expresses uncertainty about the locator for לבו של אדם תלוי בכיסו; no link is supplied pending review.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.11.6?lang=he Deuteronomy 11:6] || דברים י״א:ו׳ || Tanach || The verse about what was swallowed with Datan and Aviram.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Deuteronomy.11.6?lang=he Rashi on Deuteronomy 11:6] || רש״י על דברים י״א:ו׳ || Rishon || Rashi identifies היקום אשר ברגליהם as a person’s money, which sustains him.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.60b?lang=he Berakhot 60b] || ברכות ס׳ ב׳ || Gemara || The prayer on the soul’s purity, used in the shiur’s discussion of נשמה and שכל.
|-
| Acher and ספרי מינים — exact primary-text location needs review || נשרו ספרי מינים מחיקו || Gemara || Mentioned briefly in the discussion of Acher. The exact formulation and its source location remain unverified.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.14b?lang=he Berakhot 14b] || ברכות י״ד ב׳ || Gemara || Ulla’s statement that reciting Shema without tefillin is like giving false testimony about oneself.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Duties_of_the_Heart,_Tenth_Treatise_on_Devotion_to_God.3?lang=he Chovot HaLevavot, Sha'ar Ahavat Hashem, Chapter 3] || חובות הלבבות, שער אהבת ה׳, פרק ג׳ || Rishon || Cited for a contemplative practice of cultivating אהבת ה׳; the shiur paraphrases its method.
|-
| Michtav MeEliyahu, chapter 13 — exact volume/page needs review || מכתב מאליהו, פרק י״ג || Acharon || Cited for the centrality of אהבת ה׳ and for the connection between love, נתינה, and הכרת הטוב. Exact edition locator is not supplied.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.652?lang=he Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 652] || שולחן ערוך, אורח חיים תרנ״ב || Halacha || The law not to eat before taking the lulav, used as an analogy for acting before one may forget.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.239?lang=he Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 239 — contextual mapping needs review] || שולחן ערוך, אורח חיים רל״ט || Halacha || A siman cited in the recorded discussion. The exact connection asserted in the shiur has not yet been verified.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim.235?lang=he Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 235 — contextual mapping needs review] || שולחן ערוך, אורח חיים רל״ה || Halacha || A siman cited in the recorded discussion. The exact connection asserted in the shiur has not yet been verified.
|-
| Rav Shlomo Wolbe, Beis Mussar — exact location needs review || בית המוסר || Mussar || Cited for the practical sequence of seeing a person and tailoring חסד; exact location is not supplied in the shiur.
|-
| Rav Yisrael Salanter, Iggeret HaMussar — exact passage needs review || איגרת המוסר || Mussar || Discussed in connection with the nature and levels of the יצר הרע; the exact cited passage is not isolated in the audio.
|-
| Maharal, Gur Aryeh — exact passage needs review || גור אריה || Acharon || Mentioned in relation to the scope of אפילו נוטל את נפשך. The exact commentary location requires review.
|-
| Mishnah Berurah / Be'er Heitev — exact siman and se'if need review || משנה ברורה / באר היטב || Halacha || Invoked for the practical emphasis on cultivating אהבת ה׳ daily. The audio does not provide a sufficiently precise locator.
|}

== Audio ==

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/120402666/BWmwWBtsITZCbvYZ.mp3 4 — Perek 1: ד״ה ויש שהיו / ד״ה ויש לך]

[[Category:Shiur]]
[[Category:Topic - Ahavat Hashem]]
[[Category:Topic - Shema Yisrael]]
[[Category:Topic - Maharal]]
[[Category:Topic - Chesed]]
[[Category:Topic - Yetzer hara]]
[[Category:Topic - Hakarat hatov]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

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2026-10-17T17:36:03Z

AdamSinger: Display the usage example literally without self-transcluding the template.

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'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
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Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah

2026-10-16T06:06:58Z

AdamSinger: Create sourced Noach shiur from three complete replacement recordings and four supplied handouts; distinguish continuation material.

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 3

2026-10-16T06:06:54Z

AdamSinger: Create sourced Noach shiur from three complete replacement recordings and four supplied handouts; distinguish continuation material.

{{AutoTranscriptDisclaimer}}

← [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah|Back to shiur]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|Source sheets]]

This is the full automated [https://sofer.ai Sofer.ai] transcript of REC00064_2.mp3. Wording has not been substantively rewritten. Paragraph breaks and selected exact-text source links were added. Check the recording for transcription errors, especially Hebrew quotations, personal names, and spoken year numbers. Statements and anecdotes are transcribed as spoken, not independently verified historical claims.

'''Audio:''' [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3 Part 3 — REC00064_2.mp3 (22:07)]

== Listening outline ==

The following timestamps are an automated navigation aid; they are not verified chapter boundaries.

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3#t=0 0:00] — Shift at 5600: From Kedushah to Chochmah
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3#t=89 1:29] — Public Service: Gates Open Post‑5600 for Chochmah
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3#t=267 4:27] — What ‘Opening the Gates’ Really Means
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3#t=425 7:05] — Leshem and Rabbi Nachum’s Kabbalah‑Mussar Partnership
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3#t=591 9:51] — Revelation of Upper Light Descending to the Lower
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ObWUTWJISLxFnNJU.mp3#t=858 14:18] — Interpretation of ‘Maboei D’Chochma Tita’ by Weintraub

== Full transcript ==

According to R'' Yisrael Salanter, that change was 5,600. Now that we can, and that's what the idea is, saying it a little bit, I'd say, according to this, according to the Ari z"l, is perhaps the approach they took, and that might be the argument with the Gra, is that the way you had to get into חכמת הנסתר before 5,600 was with <i>kedushah</i>. After 5,600, you get into it, you need some <i>kedushah</i>, but you get in with <i>chochmah</i>. <i>Chochmah</i> is the way to get in now. There's a wisdom you get in with, and that's the approach they were taking. Now, I don't know where to start this whole idea, but I do, because it's late already. And I never, when I prepare something, I see that I prepared two or three classes here, but okay. So, he's talking about this fact that not all times are equal.

He's not really, this is not, and there's other places he talks about it, but this is just a place I remember. The lessons about, it's hard to remember where everything is, is R'' Tzadok. It's just like things wander in and out. I don't have that brain, unfortunately. So, so he's talking about the fact, what he's talking, he's developing גילוי יחודו, that you should never think that time is the same. Every day's different. You have to figure out what the time is. This is what Kabbalists are always doing. There's an עת רצון. You should grab onto things at the right time. Okay, fine, hopefully. And he's, but now, \"Oh, while I'm talking about this, let me give you a parenthetical public service announcement that from the year 5,600 on, we're all, we're open, the gates are open, and now we can walk in with <i>chochmah</i> to learn חכמת הנסתר.\" That's what he's going to do right now.

So, I think I'll just take a little part of it, and not do the whole piece. Maybe next week we can do the whole piece and see how it flows. I'm not a good counter, but probably 20 lines up, maybe. There's a תנו רבנן, a ת\"ר. Yeah, I should have marked it, but I didn't. This was going fast. Yeah, please. Yeah. תנו, תנו רבנן. ובפרט Okay. That's not תנו רבנן, I'm sorry. ובפרט The word before that, משנת ת\"ר. From the year 600 ואילך, from the year 600, 5,600 ואילך, כמו שכתב בזהר הקדוש בוירא קי\"ז עמוד א, בשית מאה שנין, in 5,600, לשיתא, in the in the 600th year of the sixth millennium, יתפתחו, they opened up, תרעי דחכמתא עילאה, the gates of wisdom opened up, ומבועי דחכמתא לתתא, and the wellsprings, the springs below opened up, ויתתקן, the world was getting prepared, ליתקן עלמא, the world was getting prepared, לאעלא בשביעאה, the world's getting prepared for Shabbos, for the seventh year of redemption and rejuvenation, כבר נש, like the Zohar says, like a man דמתתקן, he prepares himself, you start putting on your Shabbos clothes, you start going to the מקוה, ביומא שתיתאה, on the sixth day on Friday morning, excuse me, כבר נש דמתתקן ביומא שתיתאה מכי ערב שמשא לאעלא בשבתא.

You start getting ready on ערב שבת to go up to Shabbos. סימנך [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.7.11 בשנת שש מאות שנה לחיי נח], and we see the special <i>segulah</i>, the special power of the 600th year from Noach's life, that נח was יסוד, and יסוד is what changes the world, and we use the same language, [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.7.11 נבקעו כל מעינות תהום רבה], the bottom opened up, וארבות השמים נפתחו, and the windows of heaven opened up. We get the two flows. Okay. Now comes the <i>diyuk</i>. What's it mean יפתחו? What's יפתחו, the gates, mean? More wisdom comes out, or more people go in? He's going to bring from Rabbi' Yisrael Salanter that the gates mean there's now a democratization, that the gates are open and more people can go in. Not that that the people who are the same people, but they're just going to get more.

So, he says, ומה שכתב יפתחון, What's it mean the gates opened? He said, \"Gates keep people out. Gates are there for people. It's not for qualities of wisdom, quantities of wisdom.\" רוצה לומר שניתן רשות. Now here it comes. Who has permission to learn חכמת הנסתר now? לכל המשתוקקים. People have a desire לידבק באלוקים חיים. If you have a desire to be close to God. If you're learning it and you're not interested in connection with <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>, wrong. ולעסוק בחכמת האמת ולכנוס ליטול את השם כראוי, and you'll enter in and take God's name appropriately, so of course the וכל מי שיעמיק בזה, anybody who studies חכמת הנסתר now, ישכיל, you'll get smarter, וימצא, and you'll find knowledge. ולא היה כזמן קודם שנת ת\"ר. It won't be like before the year 5600 when the gates were locked.

כי אז, from the year 1840 and before, היה עדיין סתום וחתום. Everything was still closed and sealed. אלא רק ליחידי סגולה לבד, it was only open for individuals. Who says this <i>chiddush</i> that opening the gates does not mean that the special people get more wisdom, but that the gates are open for everyone to enter in? כך שמעתי בשם הגאון החסיד רב ישראל סלנטר. This what I heard as a <i>mesorah</i> from Yisrael Salanter. Many, many, many of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter's <i>talmidim</i> learned with the Leshem. Lots of great stories about them learning with the Leshem. The one I like telling the most is in the introduction, the Miftach of the Leshem, where Rabbi Aryeh Levine tells over the story from Rabbi Nachum that Rabbi Nachum, one of Yisrael's great kabbalists, one great <i>talmidim</i>, wanted to learn <i>Kabbalah</i>.

And the Leshem wanted to learn <i>mussar</i> from Rabbi Yisrael Salanter. So they made a <i>shidduch</i>, they learned together. And Rabbi Nachum taught the Leshem everything he heard from Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, and the Leshem taught him <i>Kabbalah</i>. At the end of the two and a half months together, Rabbi Nachum said, \"You know, I didn't want to ask beforehand because I wanted to keep learning with you, but why in the world did you learn with me <i>b'chavruta</i>? So why didn't you go learn from Rabbi Yisrael himself?\" Says, \"I'm afraid to go to Rabbi Yisrael, because I was afraid Rabbi Yisrael would want me to be a מוסרניק. And I think that my greatness is being a בעל סוד, בחכמת ה... חכמת הנסתר. I don't want to become a בעל מוסר.\" So he says, \"You're a תלמיד טועה, you're a completely mistaken person.

Anybody who sits around Rabbi Yisrael Salanter sees how different all of his <i>talmidim</i> are.\" He says, \"Take three <i>talmidim</i>, and his three closest <i>talmidim</i> at that time were the Alter of Kelm and Rabbi Naftali Amsterdam and Rabbi Yitzchak Peterburger. Rabbi Yitzchak became אב בית דין of Moscow and a big <i>posek</i>. Rabbi Naftali Amsterdam became a <i>tzaddik</i> who was a <i>tzaddik</i> and that's what he did. And the Alter of Kelm, Rabbi Simcha Zisel Broide, became a מחנך, the teacher, well he is for sure a מוסרניק. They all became different.\" But Rabbi Yisrael, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, his mission was not to turn everyone into מוסרניקס, his position was, and he used a poetic phrase, just like everyone who saw Avraham Avinu looked at the אבן טובה that was on his neck and became greater, we look and learn from Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, we became greater.

That's his <i>chiddush</i> from our Zohar. וכל זה הנה הוא מגילויי האור שלמעלה אשר נתגלה לעילא ונתפשט ונתלבש למטה. All this is a revelation of the <i>or</i> that came down and it's dressed in the lower, below. הרי, behold, like I've been telling you, נמשך בעולם הזה תוספת אור עליון. There's a standard operating procedure, but to get ready for <i>geulah</i> and the year 6,000, we get more אור, ומגלי סתרי רזי תורה. And God gave us deep ideas. Why? So to say, כדי לתקן את העולם, ותיקון עתיד. Right now we gotta sit down and make the world a better world. We got lots to do. We're supposed to sit down and make the world more more moral, more value-driven. וכל זה, everything that's been speaking about here, הוא הבחינה שנייה. It's the second aspect of גילוי יחודו that the מדרש was talking about, שהוא בחינת תוספת.

It's a uncommon flow, it's added on, אשר אמרנו, כי ניתוסף מלמעלה אור גדול. Sometimes great light comes on. מתפשט ומתלבש למטה, ונתגלה שם אור עליון. It is revealed there light from above. מעין אור עתיד, like the light that comes from above. Okay. Okay, עד כאן ההקפאה. Maybe that's why you're fitting fast. Unless there are a lot of questions, then we can sneak in something for four minutes here. What about the מעיין תהום רבה? It sounds like everything's coming from the אור עליון, and that's what it was talking about opening these gates 5600, but when we refer to Noach, we also had these the ones from below. Nice. So that's the big provocative discussion, and I'm not going to get in, I'll just give you a a a simple a simple answer. And this is what Rav Eliyahu Weintraub and Rav Shach wrote in the הקדמה over there in the ספר.

Take a look at the Rav Eliyahu Weintraub piece. We'll put it in context next class for real. The first sheet you had. The battle between Rav Chaim Friedlander and Rav Weintraub. הפירוש האמיתי, everyone have me there? Are we Did you wind? Second paragraph of Rav Weintraub. Okay, we we turned there. <i>Chalilah</i>, let's let's start, he's right. <i>Chalilah va-chas</i>, I'm trying to rush too fast and I'm going to mess it up. <i>Chalilah va-chas</i>, God forbid you should have someone like Baruch in your class, and there are much worse people than Baruch, believe me. לומר על דברי הזוהר הקדוש that they think that מבוע דחכמתא תתאה, what do they think that חכמתא תתאה means? שהכוונה היא לחכמות חיצוניות. They're talking about engineering, AI, crypto, crypto, עמודים שלהכו שנתגלו בעולם, and new sciences of the secular world, אין חכמה אלא תורה.

When the word <i>chachmah</i> is used, it means only Torah. I'm not going to discuss this now. ומעיינות חכמה, it says מעיינות of חכמה, אלו מעיינות של תורה. What's מעיינות של תורה mean? It means to, Rav Shach and Rav Weintraub and a whole crew of people that we'll go through, it means that the דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה of ethics gets fixed up. We're not talking about the Industrial Revolution, the Scientific Revolution that we're going to see that actually Rav Hillel of Shklov, a תלמיד of the Gra, thinks it is talking about, but הפירוש האמיתי במבוע דחכמתא תתאה הוא התעוררות נפש אדם מלמטה. It's the fact that I make myself a כלי to receive הקדוש ברוך הוא. It helps me understand why בחינת אתערותא דלתתא. I get the דרך ארץ, I get the <i>middot</i> that I'm really running after הקדוש ברוך הוא, להבין עומק פנימיות התורה.

That's the part of me, it's the Shlomo HaMelech chachmah. ובירור המידות, it's becoming a בעל מידות, והחומר של אדם and fixing up my physicality, כדי לעשות את הגוף כלי מוכן לקבל אור עליון. That's what the מבוע למטה is and the growth of the <i>mussar</i> movement is going to be according to them what happened in 1840, and the general drive to be a better person, that's going to be in it. But we're We'll do a World War 3 and 4 discussion next time. No. According to the Leshom's understanding You didn't bring a doughnut or something for us with a candle on it for your first day? I brought this question. Okay. I hope I enjoy it more than the doughnut. It's going to be hard. Would the according according to understanding that the the the the gates are open for everybody to access, does that also mean that the experience of those who would have access anyway becomes more intense, or their experience is the same regardless?

Fantastic question, very good question. And again, it's going to be a <i>machloket</i>. And just to explain the <i>derech</i> of <i>machloket</i> is that if the way people got I don't You all understand, right? That there's there's minors No one's learning <i>Kabbalah</i> deeply who doesn't have great <i>chachmah</i>. But if the way that you got into it before was by <i>kedushah</i>, right, so it could be that you have a a strong compliment of <i>kedushah</i>, and before 5600, you would be the top. But now you have your <i>kedushah</i>, but you have a low weak <i>chachmah</i>, so you're not going to benefit from the opening as much as someone who is a <i>chacham</i> with a weaker <i>kedushah</i>. Other people say no, that if you've got the <i>kedushah</i> and you're going in the right direction, then the flow will come down and make you blossom in a much bigger way, and, yes, your <i>chachmah</i> won't be as strong, you won't be able to write the Leshom, but you'll understand the wisdom much more stronger than you did before.

So it's about whether the the <i>middot</i> of <i>kedushah</i> and <i>chachmah</i> are affect one another or if they don't? No, obviously they affect one another. It's Right. It's It's a question of is the way that you latch onto <i>Kabbalah</i> with your <i>kedushah</i> or with your <i>chachmah</i>. Yeah. So how are you going to say like the Rambam and the Chovot HaLevavot and I guess all the Geonim who did not make it For obviously it could be that you should just make the same... Rabbi Akiva, they didn't make it to 5600, yeah, right, you know, David living back there in Great Neck, Long Island, he's just like, yeah, you're so much luckier than the HaGra, you're so lucky, yeah. But the Ramban I'm saying there are people simultaneously around, who were Moshe de Leon, and I guess a lot of people in Spain, who were <i>zocheh</i>, whether they had <i>kedushah</i>, according to the Leshom's <i>mahalach</i>, that had had had a certain qualification, and on the other we're in.

So why were there people that you would have thought were <i>kedoshim</i> seem to not enter in to the gates? I'm not sure of the question. Why were the Rambam beforehand and not had that access, but the Ramban let's say did? I still don't What What are you asking me? If we're saying that when the gates open... You're You're basing yourself Just someone who is throwing out questions, sorry. Basing myself off the off the HaAri z"l and the Leshom saying that realistically it's the fact that now it is open to for other people to come in. For everyone to come in. How did people come in beforehand? You must have that the gates were closed, it must have been you had something else, not <i>chachmah</i> per se, but you had <i>kedushah</i> or a key or <i>giluy Eliyahu</i>, or however you got in another way.

I'm saying why was it that the Ramban and select individuals got in, whereas the Rambam and the Chovot HaLevavot and the Geonim seem to have not got in via that key of <i>kedushah</i>? So, obviously there's there's two major aspects. One is that you have to have a <i>mesorah</i>, right? You no one's getting in without a <i>mesorah</i> of a Rabbi to open themselves up, and like everyone says, there's no <i>rebbe</i> for <i>Kabbalah</i> for the Rambam in in in Andalusia, Spain, but the Ramban had the people who had a <i>mesorah</i> of mister. Second of all, the famous statement that should be said about you that I forget the exact לשון, so I don't want to say it as explosively as it is, but the the גדול הדור, a nice person, R'' Yosef Karo, was in his 60s, and he walked up to a young 35-year-old man called the HaAri zal, and said, \"I really like your wisdom.

I want to learn with you.\" And he tells him, \"No, you come from the left-hand side of the of <i>neshamot</i> like the Rambam did, and it's not going to work with me. Learn with Moshe Cordovero. You're You are a You are a codifier of מדת הדין, organize... Like the Rambam and like yourself. And Moshe Cordovero is a בעל קבלה, but he's a בעל קבלה who is a, as anyone who learned Pardes Rimonim, who is a an organized person. Go learn with him. I'm not learning with you. That's not appropriate. So obviously people have <i>neshamot</i>. There's The <i>kedushah</i> we're talking about is not just <i>chochmah</i>. It's Now, of course people will get upset if I say that, but this is what the Ari zal said, so like, okay, like. Okay. All right. Do I Do I Do I trust you, or no, to bring all these sheets next week, or no?

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And it will be really hard. You won't be able to sleep. I'm sorry to do it to you, but like, you know. I'm trying I hope that I'll be teaching next Thursday night, but it is my granddaughter's wedding Wednesday night, so I'm trying to avoid <i>sheva berachot</i> Thursday night. So far, I've been successful, but if the people who are holding twist my arm, so I'm not never sure what's going to happen. It helps good <i>middot</i>. So and still I need חכמת התורה, right, and the Ramat Beit Shemesh people it will be in Ramat Beit Shemesh, so well, we'll see what happens. Okay. So, Jonah will tell us by I hope I'll know, because the problem I won't really know till the wedding and the dancing and with what's going to happen. Right Right now, I'm committed to to saying next Thursday night.

Yes? Sorry, just going back to the beginning, you know that we got to go back and look back at all these different years and see why What's the error? What was the thing at 1840 that went wrong? We didn't get to it yet. Oh, okay. That's in the next two pages. Okay, yeah. Then we get the <i>machloket</i>, Rav Chaim and Rav Shach, <i>machloket</i> on Kol HaTor, the Vilna Gaon's תלמידים. Yep. Turn off I'm not going to talk about It's not for our עולם, I don't think anybody here wants to Is the tape still off? No? Oh. Almost said it.

[[Category:Transcript]]
[[Category:Parsha - Noach]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 2

2026-10-16T06:06:50Z

AdamSinger: Create sourced Noach shiur from three complete replacement recordings and four supplied handouts; distinguish continuation material.

{{AutoTranscriptDisclaimer}}

← [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah|Back to shiur]] · [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets|Source sheets]]

This is the full automated [https://sofer.ai Sofer.ai] transcript of REC00063_2.mp3. Wording has not been substantively rewritten. Paragraph breaks and selected exact-text source links were added. Check the recording for transcription errors, especially Hebrew quotations, personal names, and spoken year numbers. Statements and anecdotes are transcribed as spoken, not independently verified historical claims.

'''Audio:''' [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3 Part 2 — REC00063_2.mp3 (31:01)]

== Listening outline ==

The following timestamps are an automated navigation aid; they are not verified chapter boundaries.

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3#t=0 0:00] — Intro: Questioning Mainstream Kabbalah Narratives
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3#t=94 1:34] — Bava Metzia Story Illustrates Superficial Learning
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3#t=163 2:43] — Debunking the Simplistic 5600 Messianic Claim
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3#t=305 5:05] — Chronology of Redemption: 5006, 5060, 5600
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3#t=1684 28:04] — Two Ways to Learn the Zohar
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3#t=1744 29:04] — Pre‑5600 Access via Elijah or Holy Spirit
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/KItqZjUFkOlucyFB.mp3#t=1822 30:22] — Key Metaphor for Unlocking the Zohar

== Full transcript ==

Again, that's not my main No, tonight we're just Noach is just the stopping-off point because Adam bothered me on the way back just and it came up here, so we're going to go for it. Okay. Now, I want to see it's full Everybody knows, which means that nobody knows anything, I think. I never think so. That's just that's your foundational line. Anything that everybody knows about <i>Kabbalah</i> is obviously because it was so watered down you can't figure out how it really relates to the idea that's being talked about, you have no השגה what it's like. You know, you've it's lost its its vision of what's going on. So, people think that somehow in 1840, in the year 5600, all of a sudden everybody can learn Zohar and we can all come to Jerusalem and all these different things, and that's completely misunderstanding what a Messianic age, a Messianic era is, and a lack of recognition that there's many, many, many Messianic eras in Chazal.

Like you always know these people who like read four lines in the Gemara and that becomes their whole life. They forget what happened four lines before that Gemara and four lines after that Gemara, but this Gemara is it, and every question that they have is this line of Gemara, and the famous Gemara I always like starting off a <i>halacha shiur</i> with, right, in Bava Metzia פ״ה, right, איסתרא איסתרא בלגינא קיש קיש קריא ליה, when you only have one coin in a <i>tzedakah</i> box, it makes a lot of noise. When you have a lot of coins, it doesn't make so much noise. And that's actually Zohar also besides the Gemara, and of course Mesilat Yesharim brings it in <i>chassidut</i> and in <i>anavah</i>, that that's the sign of stupidity, that you're a one-note wonder and you don't have many coins in it, and of course the sound \"kish kish\" is the sound of קש קש, straw straw, right?

Straw makes a lot of noise, it says, wheat germ doesn't make any noise, right? Kish kish, קש קש, you're superficial superficial, and that's obviously like the dear beloved person who I'm not going to put in the tape who got me upset when he said this over after being away on vacation in a very superficial way, got me excited, so we have to go inside and see what really is going on and what's happening, that's what I want to try to look at. Now, what I want to look at is people go, \"5600, that's it!\" But really, the Zohar right before it says that really the <i>geulah</i> should have been at 5060, right? That there's a series of times that are epochs of <i>Mashiach</i>, and guess what? Some of them didn't work out and change the whole world, it didn't change it.

All of a sudden like 1840 becomes a date, that's it, the whole world changed, we didn't have to do anything, it goes on, unlike we see that the date of Noach, Noach should have been the time for <i>geulah</i>, as the Gemara says, the Zohar says, the Gemara says, it should have been time for redemption. We botched it up, so we got a <i>mabul</i> instead. But so I'm just going to do a little bit, it's confusing and I might be trying to do too much tonight, as usual, but we'll see if we can handle it, right? If I don't understand, explain it so you can beat up on me, but I'm going to try to go a little bit faster, just give you outlines of what's going on. So, really they they the the Zohar is picking times for when redemption is ripe to happen. And so in this piece of Gemara here talking about Noach, talking about the whole Zohar is actually starting off with why does the זכר את יעקב את יצחק ואת אברהם in Parashat Bechukotai, why is there a <i>vav</i> there in Yaakov's name?

So, Zohar says there's a <i>vav</i> in Yaakov's name because <i>vav</i> is what brings redemption, מידת היסוד, what connects the upper world and the bottom world, the <i>tzaddik</i> who has the ability to connect the upper world and the lower world, that's where redemption comes from. And then starts talking, and it says, \"Okay, so if we understand the power of a <i>tzaddik</i>, that he's a <i>vav</i> of connection upstairs and downstairs, and the power of יסוד, that יסוד is what gives out life and creates children and פירות...\" Then what's the most <i>mesugal</i> time that should happen? So it goes: 5,006, 5,060, 5,600. Right? 5,000 of course is already, 5,000 means you're in the world of six, right? 5,000 is, right, it's the beginning of יסוד.

חסד is zero to one, right, etcetera. So looking for the יסוד should be יסוד. So it says, 5,006, 5,060, 5,600. Now, it seems everybody who gets excited by this in different camps forgets you have to look back at 5,006 and 5,060 and see what they did, and maybe you have to look back at Noach and see what it did, and recognize that when we say this is this is the <i>atchalta degeulata</i>, this is the beginning of the redemption, it doesn't mean exactly like they think the Gemara means. I mean unless you know something big happened in 1300. Okay, some people say that in 1300 the Zohar was נגלה, was revealed to the world. But we understand that it wasn't the redemption, right? We see that these are these are times of it. And that's what the Gra he says, I brought the bottom of the page here, the Gra he says that, well, you know, bottom of the page, that סנהדרין נ\"ו, אמר ליה רב נחמן לרבי יצחק: מי שמיע לך אימת אתי [https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.96b בר נפלי]?

Who's going to tell me when בר נפלי's coming? Who's going to tell me when the son of miscarriages is coming? Gemara's lacking a poetic sense over here of literary meaning and so, huh? When is the son of miscarriages coming? אמר ליה: מאן בר נפלי? Who are you asking about? The son of miscarriages? אמר ליה: משיח. משיח בר נפלי קרית ליה? You call משיח the son of miscarriages? אמר ליה: אין! דכתיב: ביום ההוא אקים את [https://www.sefaria.org/Amos.9.11 סוכת דוד הנופלת]. נופלת, what's נופלת? It's in the present tense. Everybody's always, already the <i>diyuk</i>, right? Everyone hopefully sings when he sings Sukkos, somebody turns to you and goes, why is it נופלת in the present tense? It should be נפלה, the Beis Hamikdash fell once, why is it נופלת in the present tense? And the Zohar, the Gemara understands that no, when we're trying striving for high ideals, it's always falling.

We keep trying to do great things and we fail. And it's נופלת. And that's what the בר נפלי is. It's miscarriages. There are many, many, many, many, many times that have been a <i>segulah</i>, have been a time that are propitious for redemption. And guess what? You and I are still here. I want to make sure I don't get anti-Zionist. With Donald Trump running the world, and Bibi Netanyahu running Israel, and the mayor of Jerusalem who says that I have to have a bike path in Har Nof controlling the world, right, and there's not a redemption. That's what we go for. That's, so we have to understand that, right, again, like you have to understand that Chabad and and messianic Mafdal and דתי לאומי people phrase it like the <i>geulah</i> is coming, now everything is different, right?

<i>Atchalta degeulata</i>. They should have been saying it back in 1300 and 13, I think those are the right dates, in 1306 and 1360, right? They should have been, I can bring you a whole bunch of more dates. They should have said it in 450, and 725, and 839. There's a whole bunch of dates the Gra lists. He says there's many times and we have chances to do something, we don't do it. It's called בר נפלי. Why is it called בר נפלי? Because that's the nature of it. The nature of it, it falls. It miscarriages. Now of course that means we have to work hard and try to bring it out, and of course every time we move a little bit forward. But please, please don't think this is a one-time, up, 1840 the whole world changes and now, right, now we can say אתחלתא דגאולתא, we can change everything and move around.

Okay, we got the idea. Okay. So the piece of the Zohar we're going to look at, I just, maybe I won't have time to look at that. We'll get everything done. I just wanted you to see that in the same flow of the Gemara is a גאולה that nobody looks back to as being גאולה, that the 1300, 1360 גאולה nobody looks at, which is 5,060. But the idea is off-shooting one thing: the world of יסוד, when energy comes from upstairs downstairs, the time is fitting for גאולה, and ו' symbolizes the phallic symbol, symbolizes the flow that's going to wake up the מלכות, the world downstairs, and bring it to completion. That's what is being discussed. And this this Gemara in Vayeira, which is in Vayeira because we're talking about <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> remembering Sarah, so we're talking about the power of remembrance and that ו' of bringing things down and being connected to the world, so we get into all ו' over here.

So, okay. Now, what's what's the idea? Why is it 60 or 600 beside the original 5,000? So, basic idea is that to really change the world, guess what you need: deeply empowered wisdom energizing and directing your efforts. So, 6 would be 13 5,006 would be just we're in the יסוד of יסוד. 15,000 5,060 is we've got the we've got the יסוד of 6,000, meaning and the יסוד of 60, and י' stands for wisdom, of course, 10 is wisdom, and 100 stands for super-wisdom, and a thousand stands for עתיק יומין wisdom, deep, deep, powerful wisdom. So, and when it's going to say that 6 * 10 it means the 6, your desire to give over and connect the worlds has to, of course, be connected with deep, deep wisdom. And I won't go into a rant against populist movements at the moment.

כד ייתי אלף שיתא שיתאה, so when the 6,000th year comes, איהו רזא דו'. Okay, when you get to the year 5001, you look in your basic understanding of Judaism in the world, and you say, \"Ah, when the 6,000th year and the year of יסוד, יסוד connects, it's a ו'. There's two missions I have, my missions are, and I have not just missions, <i>Hakadosh</i>- all times are not made equal. All times are not made equal.\" Yes, all times are not made equal, and therefore there's certain times that there's a flow that's special. So, in the 6,000th in the beginning of the 6,000th ספירה, I have an obligation to be giving out to the world more and to be connecting the world more, and the ו' connects vertically and the ו' connects horizontally as an \"and\", as a conjunction.

So, כד ייתי אלף שיתאה דאיהו רזא דו' כדין ו' יוקם לה'. You should immediately know that the mission of a ו' is to connect to מלכות. The ו' of the masculine connects to the מלכות, מקבל of the physical world, and you should expect great things happening. And I know what my mission is, the mission is to bring the world up. בזמנא שית זמנין עשר שית נפיש. For this time, we want this time to be 10 * 6. 10 * 6 because 10 symbolizes wisdom, חכמה, the top of the 10 ספירות. כדין שלימו ו' עשר זמנין. And to have completion, you want to have ו' 10 times. ו' שית, ו' it stands for 6, זמנין עשר, and we want you to go up to חכמה 10 times. Isn't כתר 10? Yes. י' symbolizes, it's going to be the כתר of the י', the י' Always symbolizes חכמה, and it's connected to the world of כתר.

ו סליק ביוד. We want the ו connected going up to the יוד. The ו goes up, it can't just be a משפיע, you can't just be a person of good deeds. If you want to be a real יסוד, we all know you have to have a deeper vision. That's why you have to know deeper wisdom. You want to be משפיע for real, there's got to be a little bit like we're saying that you have to have a כתר, you have to have a crown, you have something great, passionate that you can share over. ו נחית בה. And then the ו goes down to the ה. Okay, that's one. And that's the first <i>segulah</i>, and that the the Zohars bring at the beginning. That seems to be the major opinion in the Zohar from the beginning. It's written, and people in the year 10,060, 1,060, got very excited, everybody thought Mashiach was coming.

There was a Jewish movement based on the Zohar, just like maybe we have in 1840, that it's going to happen now, 1060. Next opinion, which the Gemara later on, did I bring that whole Gemara here? 1060 in whose calendar? Ours, we're good with this. 1060 in their calendar? No, because 1060 in our calendar... 5060, yeah, that makes more sense. Which is 1030 in their... 1305. Yeah, cuz 1948 it was when Avraham Avinu was born, so 1060... אשתלים ו גו עשר שית זמנין. Let's multiply the ו times the 60. So, 10 times 60 makes 600. So, we want to have a superpowered, having a little bit of wisdom, that may not bring the גאולה. But having 5,000 years, which makes a a a יסוד that's empowered by 1,000 pieces of wisdom, and then by having a יסוד that is powered by 100 pieces of wisdom, right?

We're talking about high-level worlds, obviously when you're going out of the 10, you're going to the upper worlds, right? כדין חזי שישא לאקמא מעפרא. Then it's proper that the שישא, the יסוד, should pick up the dirt, and we should have a real redemption. ובכל שישא ושישא מההוא אלף שית אתתקף ה, and every 60 years there should be an increase from the year 5,000, and 5,060, and 5,120, and 5,180, and 5,000 and... you can figure out where it goes, right? There should be another push. סלקא בדרגא, it should go up a level, לאתתקפא, and the יסוד should become stronger. ובשית מאה שנין, and when you get to 600 years, a powerful, on steroids, great יסוד that's connected deeply to wisdom and to deep wisdom, לשתא יפתחון תרעי דחכמתא עילאה. That will open up the gates below, ומבועי, and the wellsprings, דחכמתא לתתא, and open up the wellsprings below.

This is where the argument begins, when we have to figure out what are the, what's the flow above and what's the flow below? What are we, what are we opening up? What's, what's happening? But two things open up: wisdom upstairs and wisdom downstairs. ויסתתקן עלמא, and the world will get fixed up, לאעלאה בשביעאה. And the world will get fixed up and get ready to go up for the seventh, get ready for Sabbath. It's going to say that the <i>yesod</i> is getting ready for <i>malchus</i>. This is the famous <i>mashal</i> the Chafetz Chaim brings, and everybody afterwards brings, that the world we're in right now is like Friday afternoon. Friday afternoon everybody senses Shabbos is coming, you act differently, you run differently, life goes faster, things are moving on.

The Zohar says that from the year 5600 we begin preparations for Shabbos, preparations for <i>geulah</i>. כבר נש... Okay, he's bringing a <i>mashal</i>, the Zohar says a <i>mashal</i>: כבר נש דמתתקן ביומא שתיתאה, like a בר נש that gets ready on the sixth day, on Friday, כד בעי ערובי שמשא, he gets ready for the nightfall, לאעלאה בשבתא, for ערב שבת, אוף הכי נמי. That's what happens to us now also, that As we get to the year 5,600, everybody sensed something big is happening, everybody senses that time is moving more quickly. I think all of us feel that like knowledge is doubling every eight years or something, and scientific advances happening all over. וסימנך, and the Zohar says we're looking for it, what's the <i>siman</i> for this? Our פרשה, [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.7.11 בשנת שש מאות שנה לחיי נח], in the 600th year of נח, נבקעו מעיינות תהום רבה, and what's it called?

ארובות השמים נפתחו, it's the end of the <i>pasuk</i>, right? That we get both. From there we get both opening up. By By נח, נח is our classic vision of <i>yesod</i>, classic vision of a <i>tzadik</i>, classic vision of giving over, and that's these two flows. Okay. Not sure where to go next. Maybe we'll just go the easy part. But let's just go to the Leshem and his understanding of this Gemara, which, of course, this is a joke, I'm only joking, guys. I'm only joking, right? But of course, you know, who does a great <i>mekubal</i> go to when he needs direction, understanding? That's right, basically, he goes to a בעל מוסר. He goes to Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, right? So for a <i>psak</i> on the Zohar, all over the Leshem quotes Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, right?

Amazing, right? Amazing. Now, of course, everyone has discussions of why he did it. Rav Elyashiv was was asked by Hillel Goldberg, did he do it so that he would be accepted by the outside world, because all the ליטווישע גדולים understood Rabbi Yisrael Salanter was <i>gadol</i>? So Rav Elyashiv said, \"No, because he's the גדול הדור.\" In everything. Like this is not a political thing. Anyone who knew who Rabbi Yisrael Salanter was, he was the גדול הדור. And then he said maybe he was the <i>gadol</i> of the whole century. A good century, it had Chatam Sofer, Rabbi Akiva Eiger, like Rav Elyashiv went, \"You don't know who Rabbi Yisrael Salanter was unless you understand that he's the one who gives the <i>pesak</i>, that whenever the Leshem goes back to it, how do we know, how do we know, how do we know?

Rabbi Yisrael Salanter.\" Were they just here? Yeah. Okay, so here we go. So I don't know exactly where to begin this piece in the Leshem. Everyone got the Leshem? Okay, so what the Leshem is talking about over here is basically Leshem's talking about he's talking about the Ramchal's גילוי יחודו from Daat Tevunot. And he wants to talk about the fact that we have to know that <i>halacha</i> and simple Jews work in a world of <i>halacha</i>, of a constant stream. They think that the world is a constant pace. And they don't realize that there's always a secondary harmonic note of special flows from <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> at special times. So there's always 200 million volts going into the world, and then there's ups and downs that happen every day, and every day is different, every way is different.

That's גילוי יחודו. That's where <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> moderates, modulates the world. And when he's talking about this, he says, \"And you have to know that the world changed in 5,600, 1840, and like the Zohar says, the gates opened up.\" So what did the gates of upper wisdom opened up means? So several <i>mefarshim</i>, perhaps the normal understanding is that before 5,600, one in a hundred people had a special <i>neshama</i> and a special wisdom that they would learn חכמת הנסתר. deep ideas. One in a hundred. And then when they open the gates, what did that mean? Open the gates means that the same one in a hundred are going to learn <i>Kabbalah</i>, but they're going to get it much better. The gates are open now and they can go wandering around, and that one in a hundred are just going to be much more powerful.

They're going to be, just like in a secular world, if you understand that the downstairs wellsprings came up and produced James Cotton? Who was the guy in 1840 made the cotton gin? Eli Whitney. Eli Whitney, Eli Whitney, that's why cotton. Boola Boola, Eli Whitney. Boola Boola? Eli Whitney. I'm sorry, Yale, I missed the the I missed my Yale chant. I did not ever get a I'm sorry. Yes. Boola Boola was the chant, and Eli Whitney and Whitney buildings and library. And he made a lot of money off of the cotton gin also, it seems. Okay. Right, so so so it just meant that people who were very bright got much more wisdom. Okay. The Leshem, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter say no. When the gates close, what's that mean? Nobody gets in. When the gate open, what's that mean? Everyone get in.

And we're going to see everybody who has basically is a <i>mentsh</i> and controls their lower-level תאוות, and everybody who's willing to work hard at it and not think that it's a cartoon comic book and you're going to be עמל and recognize its wisdom, they can open it now. So they have this democratization of of of wisdom, that the gates open does not mean that there's still the one in a hundred that are learning it. It means now that 30 in a hundred can learn it. I'm not sure what the number is, I'm just try to That's That's the <i>chidush</i> of the Leshem of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter. Everybody else just learns the one in a hundred still learns and he just can understands it much much better. And and then because he understands it better, he can be more like Noach and change the world more.

That's the argument. But the Leshem is bringing in the <i>shem</i> of of of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter that that's what the change means. The gates were opened, and then everybody can enter in. And therefore, there's democratization of <i>Kabbalah</i>, and that's what you see. And if you know anybody who learns 10 even anybody who learns 10 years in the Mir, starts learning חכמת הנסתר and does these things, maybe not the uplifting way that you would want, but that people are are open to the the study, and that's what we're trying to understand, and that's what the Leshem is quoting Rabbi Yisrael Salanter for and are saying. So there are two different ways of learning the the Zohar. We're good? Okay. The question, of course, is in Shaar Hakdamot, I believe, the Arizal asks He obviously doesn't ask the Leshem, but he knows that this is the way they're going to learn of the He doesn't He doesn't speak on this Zohar particularly, but he's obviously referring to the Zohar when he writes in Shaar Hakdamot in his introduction to the Zohar.

He says that, \"Oh, you're going to ask me if this If this Zohar in קי״ז says that the gates are locked, well, then how did anybody get in? How did anybody ever get it?\" So he has one answer and a half of an answer, and the one answer is you're right. And this is the part that's, again, gets complicated, gets filled with a <i>machloket</i>, is that he says you're right. The gates of the חכמה of <i>Kabbalah</i> were locked, and the only way you get <i>Kabbalah</i> before 5,600 is with גילוי אליהו, אליהו comes and visits you, or with רוח הקודש. The gates are locked. You can't get into the חכמה of of <i>Kabbalah</i>. You have to be a special נשמה, you have to have special קדושה, and you can get in with רוח הקודש or גילוי אליהו, both are high souls and be מטהר their souls in very special ways.

After 5,600, the gates are open. Now you can approach it as חכמה, you don't have to approach it as רוחניות and קדושה. Do you hear the difference in the two? Some of you nod your head, Michael, yeah, no. No, yes. Okay, got it. David, okay, we're good. I like the people who sit opposite me and nod. I'll tell your brother to nod more. Okay, so that's that's that's the one way. Being it's halfway that maybe it's there, maybe it's not there, but it gets developed later on, that the second way is, there's a <i>mashal</i> that everybody uses afterwards. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It says that it's the Zohar says that it was locked, right? But some people get keys. Some will get keys to open it, right? If you're a special נשמה that have a key to open it, then you can get in.

But if you're not a special נשמה, it's locked to you. So if <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> gave you a special capacity to figure out how to get in, you got a key. That's what a key does, a key opens you up. These are two ways to answer the question, that it was locked and how do you get in. I'm sure there's more ways, these are two classic ways, the two that go on. Okay. But according to the

[[Category:Transcript]]
[[Category:Parsha - Noach]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Transcript Part 1

2026-10-16T06:06:46Z

AdamSinger: Create sourced Noach shiur from three complete replacement recordings and four supplied handouts; distinguish continuation material.

Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah/Source Sheets

2026-10-16T06:06:42Z

AdamSinger: Create sourced Noach shiur from three complete replacement recordings and four supplied handouts; distinguish continuation material.

← [[Noach: Opening the Gates of Wisdom — Preparing for Geulah|Back to the shiur]]

These are the four handouts supplied with the recordings. The photographs preserve the complete printed pages and handwritten markings. The excerpts and English descriptions below are editorial aids, not a substitute for the originals.

'''[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cEQvWzPqieQRGNFm.pdf Download all four handouts as a PDF].'''

== Handout 1 — 5600 / 1840 and 5787 ==

[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/nuyDQQmktIHMRVLj.jpg Open the original overview sheet].

The heading reads: '''“WHAT HAPPENED IN 5600 (1840)? WHAT IS HAPPENING IN 5787?”''' It collects Bereishis 7:11, Zohar Vayera 117a, an excerpt from Rav Chaim Friedlander’s introduction to Kol HaTor, a contrasting passage from Saarat Eliyahu attributed to Rav Eliyahu Weintraub, and Sanhedrin 96b.

The Zohar’s pivotal phrase is:

<blockquote>ובשית מאה שנין לשתיתאה יתפתחון תרעי דחכמתא לעילא ומבועי דחכמתא לתתא</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' In the six-hundredth year of the sixth millennium, the gates of wisdom above and the fountains of wisdom below will open. The passage goes on to describe preparation for the seventh millennium by comparison with preparation for Shabbos. The matching passage is paragraph 445 in the [https://www.zohar.com/zohar/Vayera/chapters/32 online Zohar edition].

The Saarat Eliyahu excerpt gives a contrasting interpretation of the lower fountains:

<blockquote>והפירוש האמיתי ב׳מבועי דחכמתא לתתא׳ הוא התעוררות נפש האדם מלמטה (בחינת אתערותא דלתתא) להבין את עומק פנימיות התורה, ובירור המידות והחומר של האדם, כדי לעשות את הגוף כלי מוכן לקבלת האור העליון</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' The true meaning of the fountains of wisdom below is the awakening of the human soul from below, to understand the depth of the inner Torah and to refine the person’s character and material life, making the body a prepared vessel to receive higher light. The preceding paragraph explicitly rejects identifying this wisdom with external or secular sciences.

The sheet’s short final English note on the 400 years from 5600 to 6000, תיקון מלכות, and the four letters of the Name is preserved in the photograph. The available recordings do not develop it into a full explanation. The reference to 5787 in the heading does not, by itself, establish a specific prediction or recording date.

== Handout 2 — Leshem Shevo VeAchlamah, supplied page 76 ==

[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/iAqaPsGkkvbMFgPw.jpg Open the original Leshem page].

'''Running header:''' דרושי עולם התהו חלק א׳ דרוש ה׳ סימן ג׳ אות ד׳–ה׳. The underlined passage is in the lower portion of the right-hand column. Its important qualification reads:

<blockquote>לכל המשתוקקים לדבק באלהים חיים</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' For all who yearn to cleave to the living God.

The paragraph explains “the gates will open” as permission for seekers to enter and engage in חכמת האמת. It reports the teaching in the name of Rav Yisrael Salanter. It is introduced in the middle recording and read in detail in the final recording. Read the complete surrounding paragraph in the photograph; the excerpt above preserves the key wording without attempting a full OCR transcription of the dense page.

== Handout 3 — Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 116 ==

[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/cMocDbbyEzydmtpA.jpg Open the original Kol HaTor page 116].

Sections ב–ג connect the opening of wisdom with the seven wisdoms and with building Jerusalem, ingathering exiles, the flourishing of Eretz Yisrael, תיקון המידות, and uncovering Torah allusions. One of the listed elements is:

<blockquote>בנין ירושלים, קבוץ גליות, פריחת ארץ ישראל, תקון המדות, גלוי רמזי התורה ולימוד שבע החכמות</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' Building Jerusalem, ingathering exiles, the flourishing of the Land of Israel, refinement of character, uncovering Torah allusions, and studying the seven wisdoms.

The printed biblical quotations include [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.26.19 Devarim 26:19] and [https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.4.6 Devarim 4:6]. The text relates the nations’ recognition of Torah wisdom to Israel’s life on its land.

== Handout 4 — Kol HaTor, chapter 5, supplied page 123 ==

[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/bePIHyuJBuDeYeOT.jpg Open the original Kol HaTor page 123].

The opening paragraph uses the image of a ladder standing on earth and reaching heaven. Sections יא–יב discuss the seven wisdoms, different scholarly abilities, and knowledge of nature. The instruction on choosing an area of study reads:

<blockquote>כל אחד יבחר באחת החכמות לפי כשרונו ונטייתו הטבעית והשכלית</blockquote>

'''Editorial translation:''' Each person should choose one of the wisdoms according to his ability and his natural and intellectual inclination.

The following section describes a reciprocal relationship between knowledge of the properties of nature and Torah wisdom. These Kol HaTor pages are supplied as '''continuation material''': the speaker introduces their disagreement with the other approach but explicitly postpones a full discussion to a subsequent class.

== Text and attribution notes ==

Kol HaTor is presented on the handout as the teaching of Rav Hillel of Shklov associated with the Gra. The overview sheet includes an endorsement by Rav Chaim Friedlander; the [https://www.sefaria.org/Kol_HaTor Sefaria book entry] notes disagreement over aspects of the work’s attribution. Sefaria’s current edition contains chapters 1–3, so the exact chapter 5 passages here are linked to the supplied photographs rather than to a nonexistent online chapter.

The original photographs are the controlling source for wording, pagination, footnotes, and annotations. Short excerpts have been checked visually; no complete diplomatic transcription of the four pages is claimed.

[[Category:Source Sheets]]
[[Category:Parsha - Noach]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Main Page

2026-10-10T21:03:09Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-10-10

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
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Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
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'''[[Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

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[[Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness|Read full article...]]
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'''Published:''' September 20, 2026
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<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
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📖 This Week's Parsha
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===Parashat Bereshit===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">29 Tishrei 5787 · October 10, 2026 · Genesis 1:1-6:8</div>

Bereshit opens with the creation of the world in six days and Shabbos. Adam and Chava are placed in Gan Eden, eat from the forbidden tree, and are exiled. Kayin kills Hevel; the generations from Adam to Noach are listed.

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' I Samuel 20:18-42 | Shabbat Machar Chodesh
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Bereshit Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Chanukah: 1 Candle — First night of Chanukah || December 4, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 2 Candles || December 5, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 3 Candles || December 6, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 4 Candles || December 7, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 5 Candles || December 8, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 6 Candles || December 9, 2026
|-
| Chag HaBanot || December 10, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Main Page

2026-10-03T21:05:29Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-10-03

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
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Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
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'''[[Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness|Read full article...]]
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<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' September 20, 2026
</div>
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<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
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<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Bereshit===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">29 Tishrei 5787 · October 10, 2026 · Genesis 1:1-6:8</div>

Bereshit opens with the creation of the world in six days and Shabbos. Adam and Chava are placed in Gan Eden, eat from the forbidden tree, and are exiled. Kayin kills Hevel; the generations from Adam to Noach are listed.

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' I Samuel 20:18-42 | Shabbat Machar Chodesh
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Bereshit Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Shmini Atzeret — Eighth Day of Assembly || October 3, 2026
|-
| Simchat Torah — Celebration of completing the Torah || October 4, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 1 Candle — First night of Chanukah || December 4, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 2 Candles || December 5, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 3 Candles || December 6, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 4 Candles || December 7, 2026
|-
| Chanukah: 5 Candles || December 8, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Main Page

2026-09-26T21:08:48Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-09-26

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
</div>

{| class="step4-home-grid" style="width:100%; border:0; padding:0; background:transparent;"
|-
| style="width:55%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' September 20, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Bereshit===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">29 Tishrei 5787 · October 10, 2026 · Genesis 1:1-6:8</div>

Bereshit opens with the creation of the world in six days and Shabbos. Adam and Chava are placed in Gan Eden, eat from the forbidden tree, and are exiled. Kayin kills Hevel; the generations from Adam to Noach are listed.

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' I Samuel 20:18-42 | Shabbat Machar Chodesh
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Bereshit Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Sukkot I — First day of Sukkot || September 26, 2026
|-
| Sukkot II — Second day of Sukkot || September 27, 2026
|-
| Sukkot III (CH’’M) || September 28, 2026
|-
| Sukkot IV (CH’’M) || September 29, 2026
|-
| Sukkot V (CH’’M) || September 30, 2026
|-
| Sukkot VI (CH’’M) || October 1, 2026
|-
| Sukkot VII (Hoshana Raba) — Seventh day of Sukkot — Hoshana Raba || October 2, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
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2026-09-20T12:19:24Z

AdamSinger: Feature newest shiur: Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness

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'''[[Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness]]''' The shiur opens with the mystery: how could a navi flee his mission? Classical answers are surveyed. Ibn Ezra (drawing on a yesod echoed in the Kuzari) distinguishes between naturally gifted prophets and those who achieve prophecy through painstaking cultivation; a ‘worked’ prophet can lose nevuah when conditions shift, offering a psychological-spiritual window into Yonah’s flight. Rashi resists this, presenting Yonah as fully prophetic but calculating consequences: if Nineveh repents easily, Israel’s stubbornness will look worse, creating a chilul Hashem, and Nineveh’s teshuvah may be transient while Israel’s, once earned, endures. Saadia Gaon’s view that Yonah did go but it wasn’t recorded is noted then set aside by Ibn Ezra and Rashi. This complex of motives reframes Yonah not as a cartoonish rebel, but as a conflicted servant of Hashem, weighing truth, optics, and the nature of lasting teshuvah.

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'''Published:''' September 20, 2026
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* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

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'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
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* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
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'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
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Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness/Transcript

2026-09-20T06:19:54Z

AdamSinger: Created transcript for Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness

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This transcript was generated by [https://sofer.ai Sofer.ai] and formatted for the wiki. Hebrew terms appear in their original form. Source citations include links to the referenced texts online.

'''Audio:''' [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/qBBZVHNtMsqXwxUA.m4a Yonah on Yom Kippur: Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness]

== Full Transcript ==

Okay, anybody knows me knows this always mystifies me. I still don't have a great <i>pshat</i>, but we're going to try and go through it a little bit. I'm willing to have everybody try and <i>shlog</i> me up, and we can sit there and try to get something better, if we can. I guess my real problem is that having grown up in the house of a psychologist, and one of the few there's so few foundations that one gets from Tanach in modern philosophy, psychology. Do you want one more? And Maslow famously learns up Yonah in a very powerful way, and I thought that that was having when you learn Yonah as a whatever it is, a 14, 15, 16-year-old boy with Maslow and like that's the most clear <i>pshat</i>, understanding of what's going on, and then you become <i>frum</i> and see that nobody says it. And then I thought I was sure you know, I was sure over time that I'd finally find someone who says it before Dr. Maslow says it. But I'm getting pretty old now, and I just want to report that I haven't found it. And if you find someone who says it, please tell me. Such a good <i>pshat</i>, I don't know why it doesn't fit in. Maybe that's we'll argue at the end why it's not a good <i>pshat</i>. But at least when you're sitting at Ne'ilah, we should be thinking about it. So, the question is how how does a <i>navi</i> reject his mission in life? And of course, Maslow says very profoundly that this is and it fits so beautiful <i>lichorah</i> for why why we chose it for Yom Kippur, is because the greatest problem of man is fear of his own greatness. Like to sit down, to tell a prophet I'm going to turn over the major metropolis of his century, Ninveh. How can I do it? What can I do? So, he runs away from his own greatness. And it hits me that and I I can't get it out of my head cuz I still think it's a a good <i>pshat</i>, I'm going to have to prove myself that it's not. I still think it's a major idea to think, and in fact on on Yom Kippur, that the final thought <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> wants to leave us, as we've been talking about with <i>teshuvah</i>, is <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> does not want us just to think about the little individual sins we did of not giving exactly 10% <i>maaser</i>, we only gave 9.6%, unless that 4% was <i>pikuach nefesh</i> then it's very major, but or you know, <i>lashon hara</i>, there's a much bigger idea to to be afraid of, and that Chazal in Megillah ל״ב established that we should read Yonah at the end of Yom Kippur. And Maslow wants to say because the greatest sin we do, which is what the Alter of Slabodka says all the time, the greatest sin is we run from our own greatness. Right? The greatest sin we have, the Alter says in a <i>shmuess</i> on on Yom Kippur, is that we on the ימים נוראים, might have been Rosh Hashanah, that we think that we're great because we're good privates, and <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> wants us to be great generals, and we fail at that. So, according to Maslow, we'd non-<i>frum</i> Jew of course, well we'd we'd read we read Yonah because that's what we're doing. There's a person <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> gives you a a mission, you're going to succeed at the mission, and you run away from it because you don't know, recognize how great you are. At the end of Yom Kippur, we're wearing clothes of a <i>malach</i>, we should understand how great we are, we're trying to achieve, that's what we go for, that's what we're doing. Now, I guess maybe does everyone know Maslow well, or doesn't know Maslow well? How should I structure? I was going to go at the end. I'll do the <i>frum</i> part first, and then the non-<i>frum</i> part at the end, like I don't know which way you want me to do this. You talk a little more, we'll hide it later. What What do you want to do? I don't know, maybe you can tell him the book he wrote, because nobody knows. Yet, at least. Beside the table of hierarchy of needs. Oh, I know, because the table's tonight. Hierarchy of needs. That's That's a whole another conversation. Okay, I put it out there. I think I'll do it at the end. Let's just do what's inside here, and then we'll at the end we'll put the cherry on top. So, everybody's mystified. How in the world. What, what's, how do you understand a <i>navi</i> running away from his greatness? You're a <i>navi</i> and you're running away from a ציווי of <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>, how does that work? So, that's the introduction. The Ibn Ezra makes at the introduction to Yonah for him, and Ibn Ezra is going to say, so, he first there's a he brings a <i>peshat</i> from the Gaon, usually in the language of the Ibn Ezra, the Gaon means Saadia Gaon. Couldn't find find where Rav Saadia actually spoke about Yonah, maybe he did in some text some place that we don't have, but he says that that Saadia Gaon dismisses the problem. He actually went to Nineveh, it's just not written about in the text. The Ibn Ezra and Rashi won't accept that. No, it says he fled, it was ברח. You don't ברח if you did your שליח, then you Okay, want to take a vacation to Tarshish? Take a vacation to Tarshish. We're not going to use the word ברח. You're fleeing, you're escaping, what's going on? So, the Ibn Ezra has his <i>yesod</i>, which is a <i>yesod</i> that he uses all the time and the Kuzari uses all the time, that he wants to say that there's two types of prophets, there's two types of people. There's one poet, artist, who's naturally talented. There's another poet, artist, who's not naturally talented, but works really hard and trains himself, and you'd think at the end that the two of them are exactly alike. But the two are completely different because the artist who's naturally an artist is always an artist, but the person who's not naturally an artist, but worked to become an artist, he always loses if he's not on the edge of his game, he loses his artisanship. It's a he he's just to the end. This is why Ibn Ezra understands Yonah, that Yonah is, if everything is not exactly right, he's not going to be a prophet. So, I'm going to go in the ship, I'll go in the sea, and I'll I'll lose my prophecy, or I'll go to <i>chutz la'aretz</i>, I'll lose my prophecy. Other people, if it's natural to you, you're going to have it all the time, and therefore you should understand that Yonah is a flawed, natural prophet, and he's like the in-between chain. You're right, most great prophets wouldn't do this, but Yonah is a he was a gritty, hardworking, stretch prophet, and he made <i>nevuah</i>, and he climbed up the bottom chains of the the ladder, the bottom steps of the ladder, and could fall off the ladder very quickly, and that's what you have to understand. Therefore, you understand that not all prophets are created equal. So, your shock Ibn Ezra learns through the whole <i>sefer</i>, the shock is that you think there's one types of <i>navi</i>, and no, just like there's people on different levels, there's <i>navi</i> in different levels. So, be real, a <i>navi</i> can fail also and not do what he's supposed to do. Doesn't say exactly what the problem was, but that's going to be the Ibn Ezra's opening to it. Okay. As opposed to Rashi, who's not going to deal with this as a real question. Rashi's response is, \"No, he had a <i>cheshbon</i>. He was a complete <i>navi</i>, no lack in his <i>nevuah</i>. He said, 'If I give prophecy to to Nineveh, then what's going to happen? They're going to do <i>teshuvah</i>. When they do <i>teshuvah</i>, it looks like <i>Klal Yisrael</i>, who won't do <i>teshuvah</i>, is bad. But I know the reason <i>Klal Yisrael</i> doesn't do <i>teshuvah</i> is because they're really they're so they're so <i>azut</i>, they're so bold that it's hard to get them to do it, but once they do it, they'll forever keep it. The Assyrians, they're easy, they're going to do <i>teshuvah</i> and then they're going to come right back and they're going to sin. And therefore, I don't want to make a <i>chilul Hashem</i>.'\" So, the Midrash says that that Yonah's mistake was he was more <i>makpid</i> on the <i>kavod</i> of the <i>ben</i> than the <i>kavod</i> of the <i>av</i>. He should have done what the <i>av</i> told him, but he was worried about Klal Yisrael, so he did it for Klal Yisrael. So, it's not that he was weak or small or anything, he had a <i>cheshbon</i>, he was willing to be a self-sacrifice for Okay, let's take a look at those first two opinions. יש לתמוה, introduction, the Ibn Ezra starting יונה, איך יעלה על לב חכם שידע השם ומעשיו, how is it possible for a wise person who knows <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> and he knows <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>'s ways, שיחשוב לברוח מפניו? How can you possibly believe <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>, who is מלך מלכי המלכים, over this world and hundreds of billions of universes, והוא בידו, you know that you're in His hand. וכל מלא כבודו, everything's full with His glory. איך ינבא מורה פי השם? How can a person who has <i>nevuah</i> rebel against God? והוא כתב כי הוא נביא. I'm stuck. This is my question. He's a <i>navi</i>, he rebels, how could a person be this stupid, what's going on? That's <i>kashya</i>. והגאון אמר כי הלך אל נינוה וקרא עליה. Saadia Gaon says no way, he went there. ולא הזכיר זה בכתב, וכקרא להם ואכלו לחם, like when it says that they called for them and they ate bread. ואני אומר כי אין זה כמו זה. No, it's not like that. Little details we can leave out of texts, but big details like like doing God's <i>nevuah</i>? No, no, no. כי אין טעם להזכיר אם אכל אם לא אכל. Who cares if he ate or didn't eat? אם לא קרא לו, רק פגע בו בדברים. There, it's eating and not eating when it doesn't make a difference. ועוד, אם יונה מילא דבר השם, למה היה בורח? If he was doing God's will, it wouldn't have used the verb <i>boreach</i>. והוא אמר, על כן קדמתי לברוח תרשישה. He says he was <i>livroach</i>. So I don't accept the Gaon's easy response to the problem that doesn't exist. ועתה, הנה ראינו שלא היה משה רוצה ללכת בשליחות השם. Now we look, we also see that Moshe didn't want to do the original שליחות להוציא עמו, to bring out Klal Yisrael. ואף כי יונה להחשיב אל נינוה, כך אמרו חכמינו שחשב כבוד הבן. It says in Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer that the mistake of Yonah was he didn't he didn't care. He demeaned the <i>kavod</i> of <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> to protect the <i>kavod</i> of the בן, כלל ישראל. So now I have a different answer. ועתה, this is the way he always starts his answers, ועתה ארמוז לך סוד. Let me tell you a philosophically deep idea. יש עושה חרוזים. There's a person who's a poet, he makes חרוזים, he makes verse בתולדתו, it's natural. בלי לימוד, he doesn't have to learn it, he's a natural poet. ויש שצריך לימוד. And there is some that have to learn it. וכאשר יקבל, and when he gets this new addition, יוכל שלא לקבל, it's possible he can lose it. ונקל הוא אחר מן הראשון. And it's easy, and it's lighter for the last one who learns it from the first one. And he says, וכל נביאים לבד משה, אחרי רואי כבוד השם הפנים, נבואת כולם במראות הם. All the <i>nevi'im</i>, they saw a lower level than Moshe Rabbeinu, and he says therefore <i>nevuah</i> was hard for them, and it can pass away easily. Moshe Rabbeinu could never have done this, but other prophets and other <i>nevi'im</i> can do it, and that's what we have to understand. The reason you're making the question is you think that <i>nevuah</i> is just black and white. All <i>nevi'im</i> were created equal. Not right! All <i>nevi'im</i> are not created equal, and just like there's 10 levels of <i>serafim</i>, he says, 10 levels of angels, and there's a low-level angel that's called an איש, and a high-level angel that's called Elokim, called God, there's a low-level <i>navi</i>, and Yonah is a low-level <i>navi</i>, and we're reading about him on on Yom Kippur to understand the struggles of a person trying to be good. And even a person on a high level trying to be good still has this flight, fear and flight. So we've got <i>lichorah</i> three answers. One is from Rav Saadia Gaon, there's no problem that there's no problem that he did do the <i>shlichut</i>, it's just not mentioned in the text. Second one is the Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer, so he's worried about the <i>kavod</i> of the בן and not about the <i>kavod</i> of the אב. And the third answer the Ibn Ezra takes from the text himself, which is that He was a strict prophet, and it was hard for him to keep it, and therefore you're going to find by him much more It will take him great strength to live up to what he's supposed to be doing because it's not natural to him to keep the <i>nevuah</i>. Why does he distinguish the answers for with the <i>chachamim</i> that he scored? Like with Rav Saadia he explains that he doesn't like the answer, but the <i>chachamim</i> who said the answer was... I don't know That's that's like it's it's a style. It's just like when whenever whenever the Ramban goes <i>al pi emet</i>, that's meaning I'm arguing with what's coming before. Here it's <i>al pi sod</i>, I'm telling you a philosophical <i>sod</i>. This is not something that everyone else is going to do. I'm into a <i>sod</i>. The Ibn Ezra tells you in like Here goes something deep. Deeper and a little radical usually it means. And it's and he says it's a <i>sod</i> the same way that the Ramban's afraid to say things על פי דרך אמת to the המון עם, so it won't misuse it. He's not going to explain his <i>sod</i> he says, because non-philosophical people won't understand it. If the <i>amei ha'aretz</i> get to this <i>sod</i>, they're going to imply it in the improper ways. He says that? He Yes. And this of course the famous Many places where the Ibn Ezra gets in trouble, he says a <i>sod</i>, and the question is, what does he mean by that <i>sod</i>? And the question, what do you mean by that <i>sod</i>? Good conversation. Okay. What's, sorry. What's radical about this? The third is the third answer himself? I don't think it's very radical at all. I think it's very beautiful. I think it's like we always talk about when people talk about how can how can Avraham Avinu sin, or how can anybody sin, how can Moshe Rabbeinu sin? We tell them wake up. These these are not automatons, these are not robots that we're talking about, these are human beings, and and he's just saying a <i>chiddush</i> that even a <i>navi</i> has doubts, and falls and fails. If if we said it about a normal person, that would be okay. But a <i>navi</i>, that's that's a little that's he considers a little But I I think there are, there are lots of <i>nevi'im</i>, you see they go up and down and it's hard. They have to be <i>b'simchah</i> and not <i>b'simchah</i>. This explains, I think, why he has to run to the sea and why all these aspects. So it's radical, but it's I don't think it's you know, not an Ibn Ezra we go on the edge. Okay. Rashi. רש״י: לברוח תרשישה. מה ראה יונה שלא רצה לילך אל נינוה? So he asks the question, too. Why wouldn't he go to נינוה? אומר עכו״ם קרובי תשובה הם. Non-Jews, they lack boldness, they lack—not boldness, the word I want—they lack certitude, they lack connection to their intellectual roots. אם אומר להם and if and if the נביא tells them, יעשו תשובה, נמצאתי, I find, מחייב ישראל, שאינם שומעים לדברי נביאים. So if I tell them and they do <i>teshuvah</i>, they're going to go look at that, can you imagine what's going to happen? Right, you know, you see Ahmadinejad is going to be eating bagels and going to synagogues, right? And Netanyahu still tells me over here doing his thing, that's a <i>chilul Hashem</i>, like I don't want to do that, I'm not going for it. So the Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer says his mistake was he was more careful about כבוד הבן than כבוד האב, a wrong <i>cheshbon</i>, but this was his <i>cheshbon</i>. A fourth approach. Isn't that the same as the <i>chachamim</i> I think he speaks it out much more that the what what it is. Maybe it's the fourth, but he's saying it's the same. He adds the idea of that <i>akum</i> are easy to do <i>teshuvah</i> and <i>Klal Yisrael</i> is not easy to do <i>teshuvah</i>. Not that that wasn't in the answer before, yes. What's the connection between You said that the the <i>goyim</i> are close are are not connected to their intellectual roots, and therefore they're closer to doing <i>teshuvah</i>? Yeah. Why? I don't understand that. Look at he's a <i>Litvak</i>, right? He doesn't move. You can't push him around, right? He's not going to go any place, you know, right? If I had some nice American I got a British on this side, right? You know, I had some nice American and a Catholic then, you know, they These guys have gone through pogroms. They're not going to, you know He's not going to he's not going to get off the chair, but he's going to go for it. So, because the Maharal says this again and again and again, all the time. Because we're connected to our spiritual roots, if you don't convince me, I don't go. A non-Jew has got less intellectual visions. You give him an idea, he says, \"Oh, it's a good idea for a while,\" and then he goes back and except he's more connected to the <i>chomer</i>. <i>Chomer</i> is more easily affected. The <i>tzurah</i> is not more easily affected and, therefore, you know, just this the simple one is that we've got all these we got our <i>kaparot</i> up here all the time, right? So, like, you know, would you prefer to fight a rooster or a or a chick? A hen. There's no such thing they have rooster fights, right, that they pay money to watch in, you know, now now. No one has chicken fights, right? Like chickens are called chicken. You call a chicken a chicken for some reason, right? I didn't look it up, actually, you call people chickens because they're chickens. They they're chickens. So that the rooster symbolizes the זכר and the עז he's got something, right? And, you know, the עז שבעופות, גמרא בביצה says, כ״ה עמוד ב׳, is is a rooster. And the chicks are the feminine. They they'll go. Okay. The Zohar. Okay, now comes the next problem. After I'm After I'm disappointed after I'm disappointed by after I'm disappointed by Maslow not being in print, I don't have a source for him. My next one is, you know, maybe you guys will all see that they're for certain you read the <i>siddurim</i>, but I was חטאתי, right? חטאי אני מזכיר היום. I I spent my Halloweens were always spent going around raising money for UNICEF. In the days when we thought UNICEF was holy like, you know. And my parents were very important that had to, like, you know, collecting money for the United Nations was a a a major event. So, it could be I'm not sure exactly what to think. I got a couple places going this way, a couple places going that way. The Zohar, the Zohar for sure, and many, many places in the Midrash, a יונה is a Okay, the Zohar is going to take it one way. The Okay, if I sit down, do it, everybody in the room is going to sit down. Yoel, can I pick on you? Yeah, okay. Why is Yonah HaNavi called יונה? Why is he named after that bird? He's so peaceful. Oh, that's so sweet. You got the word peaceful, right? You have the the whatever it's called the the olive branch in its mouth and that it's there. And we think that the I thought we think of the Gemara in Eruvin, דף ק׳ עמוד ב׳, that the יונה never leaves its mate, it's monogamous the whole time. It's great. It's a vision of a <i>tzadik</i>. It's got the it's after the עורב won't go out and save the world, the יונה does. The Zohar is extremely harsh about the יונה. And but then there's another place with Tikkunei Zohar is more positive. We'll see right in. Okay. So, I think we know that, according to the Zohar, we're not sure whether there's ever a prophet named יונה or not, and that יונה is a metaphor for the <i>neshamah</i>, for everyone's soul, and that יונה that is an allegory, and to say deep idea with an allegory is what they're trying to do, and that the <i>neshamah</i> comes into the world, it's called a יונה, and its mission is to come down in this world and fix up Ninveh. Ninveh comes from the <i>lashon</i> of like נוה ירושלים, זה קלי ואנוהו, to build a palace, right? That the whole story is a story of you've got my beautiful, refined <i>neshamah</i> coming down into this world, and הקדוש ברוך הוא says, \"What's your task? Your task is fix up fix up Ninveh. Fix up the world. That's your <i>tafkid</i>. Your <i>tafkid</i> is to make a better world.\" Over here with this little clear Okay, fix up the world, and that's what's going on. So, the Zohar asks, \"Why is the So the Zohar asks this question: why did יונה flee? And it says you have to know that the etymology of the name יונה comes from the word אונאה, to be afflicted, like in ויקרא כ\"ה, right? לא תונו איש את עמיתו. Don't afflict in improper commercial relationships your brother. So Yonah means that the <i>neshamah</i> is afflicted when it comes into this world. The Yonah is not sugar and spice and everything nice and flying above everything. The Yonah is an afflicted bird, and the <i>neshamah</i> is afflicted. And the reason that it sinned was it was afflicted, it was tough, it was hard, and it thought that HaKadosh Baruch Hu couldn't see cuz we're in a world of נעלם, נעלם, and that's why it sinned. So it sinned because it was אונאה, it was being oppressed by the body. And because it was oppressed by the body and it had pain, it didn't think that HaKadosh Baruch Hu was gonna see what's going on, which is fairly radical, very radical cuz the whole way the question starts with is we can't believe that a prophet sins. So the same radicalness of we can't believe the <i>neshamah</i> sins, and the answer is the <i>neshamah</i> sins cuz this world is very hard and and seduces it. Take a look. הכא אית לן סמך ואלפא. Here we have a סמך, a foundation for our world. We have a metaphor to ta

lk about our world. על עובדי בני נשא on the workings of men בהאי עלמא. You want to understand how people live and work, Yonah is the allegory for every man. יונה דנחת לספינה, what does it mean Yonah went down to a boat? It meant that Yonah went down to a boat. A boat is ספינה, נטמנה פה, here in the world, and it went to his body. דא איהי נשמתא דבר נש. A Yonah is the soul of a human being. דנחתא, it goes down להאי עלמא to this world, למהוי בגופא דבר נש into a body of a person. ואמאי אקרי יונה? Why is this bird called a Yonah? בגין דכיון דאשתתפא בגופא, because once it becomes a partner with the body, כדין איהי יונה בהאי עלמא. Then it becomes afflicted in this world. כדין it is it it is Yonah, it is afflicted בהאי עלמא. כמה דאתמר, it's like the language that's used over there, ולא תונו איש את עמיתו. In business a man should not afflict his neighbor, and if you've got some kind of rare good that's needed, you can't raise the price too much. וכדין, and that's what the משל is, בר נש אזל בהאי עלמא, a man goes in this world, כספינה with a boat בגו ימא רבא in a big ocean דחשיב לאיתברא, and it's always a crisis. כמה דאת אמר והאניה חשבה להשבר. And they thought that the boat was going to break. ובר נש כד איהו בהאי עלמא חטי, and a man in this world when he sins, חשיב he thinks דעריק מקמי מאריה. He thinks he can flee before God. So maybe this question is not as difficult as the question that the Ibn Ezra asked at the beginning, because now we're just talking about every man. And we're saying that why did he flee? He fled because he was afflicted by his body and seduced, and was stupid and not smart enough to realize that God has <i>hashgachah</i> on everything. So it's a different question he's asking, answering. לא אשגח בהאי עלמא, and he thinks that HaKadosh Baruch Hu is not ruling over this world. וכדין, and therefore God, הטיל קודשא בריך הוא רוח סערה תקיפא, and therefore הקדוש ברוך הוא showed him I rule over the whole world, and he makes a strong wind דהא איהי גזירת דינא עליה. charge of making justice, I can go on. So the Zohar has a complete different answer to the question, because it's answering a different question. It's not talking about a prophet, it's talking about every man, and it seems the reason he's sinning is just because he is afflicted by the body, so he can't think straight, and because he doesn't believe there's <i>hashgachah</i> in the world, because the world is a world of נעלם, it's hidden. Yes. Wasn't getting on a boat the sin? In this <i>mashal</i>, it seems like Yonah sins because he's on the boat. I hear the question. I think the answer is that you're you're in this world, and you're you're not you're not on the sea, you're in this world. That's what the Zohar is going to say before this. And what happens is, when you're in trouble, what do you try to do? You get a place that aren't stable, and then you're in the sea, and then you've got the problem we're talking about over here. So the first thing is when you run, that's what our problem is. It's running to the sea. Stay on the dry land. You're running to your problems. Also funny the the boat is the <i>guf</i>... We'll turn We'll flip over to page 61. Now, that's a good question. I got it, we'll see in the Gra in a moment. Okay, now just again to break my UNICEF, United Nations greatness of doves, the Zohar lots of times and everybody, the Yonah is the worst. The Yonah is an example of the most foolish bird around. Take Just take a look, an explicit <i>pasuk</i>. ויהי אפרים כיונה פותה. Ephraim, the tribe of Ephraim, is like a dove that's seduced. אין לב. It's got absolutely no intelligence, no wisdom, no heart, no courage. מצרים קראו, they sometimes call to Egypt. אשור הלכו, they sometimes go to Ashur. They go back and forth between these two big powers, they don't know what they're doing, they've got no wits. And let's see exactly how the Rishonim understand אין לו לב. אין לב, רש״י: להבחין מה טוב להם ומה רע להם. They don't have the the brain to know what's good for them and bad for them. Therefore, they just wander back and forth between Egypt and Ashur, and they can't figure out what we should exactly do. So, of course, this is going to work, I think, in the Zohar's understanding of Yonah, that he doesn't have a <i>lev</i>, he's just not smart. He's אונאה, he's afflicted, and he goes and does wild things left, right, and center that aren't normal. The Radak says a little differently, a little more: ויהי אפרים, נמשלו ליונה הנלכדת ברשת לפתיותה. The metaphor is like a dove that is captured in a net because of its stupidity. שאין לה לב להבין, it can't understand כי כשתבוא ללקט הגרגרים, that when it goes to collect the seeds to eat, רשת פרושה שם ללכדה, there's a net there to catch it. כן אפרים, כשהולכים ושואלים עזר מאשור or Mitzrayim, they go to ask for help from Ashur and מצרים, כי לרעתם ילכו שם בבקשת עזר מעכו״ם. They were stupid, the עכו״ם are not going to help you. ולא מהקל יתברך, they should have asked from God, אשר בידו הכל. ויחשבו לעזר, ובהם יפלו ברשת הקל יתברך. And because they tried to use the <i>goyim</i>, they fell in the net. וזה שאומר כאשר ילכו אפרוש עליהם רשתי. כיונה, והוא הדין לשאר עופות. Ha, maybe all birds fall into nets with seeds! אלא יונה לפי שאין לה מרה, it's got no guile, it's got no it's it's naive, כי היא הולכת בתמימות, it walks naively, לא תרגיש ברשעים סביבה, doesn't understand the evil around it. So, now, I think we're finding that Yonah is not exactly the brilliant genius normal prophet we see that's doing everything right, it seems the name Yonah means, again, a little bit like the Ibn Ezra or something we're trying to find it, it's he doesn't have intelligence, and we're seeing he's an example of the lack of intelligence that he has. And he doesn't have any guile, he does have any sensitivity, and that therefore this visual you have of Yonah of sugar and spice and everything nice is not the way Chazal look at it. How do we square that with Shlomo HaMelech using Yonah as like a language of love to the Jewish people? I think, I think that's this idea that we were saying, that it doesn't have, if, we all understand love is not smart, love is whatever, exactly, the word he uses is naive. That's the word we want to use, naive. There's a beauty, like, we have to balance these two things, right? It's That's just, he's talking about the positive aspect. Positive aspect of it. Okay, look in the Gra on the back of the page. I was hoping the Gra would explain it more clearly, exactly what the problem was, but he doesn't, but he just, does what we want over here, and he's going to answer, I think, Binyamin's <i>kashya</i>, hopefully a little bit, and it's going to get to my part that everyone has a <i>tikkun olam</i> they have to do. Yonah, top of the page there, זו היא הנשמה. כמו שכתוב בזהר, שהיא כיונה פותה אין לב. So now, the Gra puts these two ideas together, right? That the, the Yonah is se- seducible, whatever the word is, it's you can you can you can seduce it, and that's the <i>neshamah</i>, the <i>neshamah</i> does not know how to deal with the physical world well. So that's what the Zohar is understanding again, that Yonah, it comes down to the world, and he feels הונאה, he gets tricked and and broken by the body. והטעם האחר, a second reason why he's called Yonah, now it gets tough, מה יונה כנפיה מגינות. The second reason he's called a Yonah is because by a Yonah, Yonah is the only bird, the Gemara says in Shabbos, that fights with its wings. So, the idea is that a Yonah should naturally fly away from the earth when it's got a problem. If a Yonah was smart, it would know its ability is to go back to <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i>. Third, the Gemara in עירובין דף ק, שאינה מנחת בן זוגה. It won't leave its spouse. וכן נקראת בשיר השירים יונתי תמתי. My Yonah, my complete one, which is also my naive one. ועוד, שנמסרת לשחיטה ואינה מפרכסת. It will give itself over to be killed out of love, and it won't shake. ונאמר, כי עליך הורגנו כל היום. כמו שכתוב במדרש, מה מכות אלו? מפני מה אתה נצלב? על שמלתי את בני. לפיכך נקרא יונה, בין בגלגול ראשון, בין מגלגול שני, בין בטוב, בין להפך. Good. Ben Amittai, why is he called Ben Amittai? ככה הקדוש ברוך הוא אמיתי. That's the root of who he is. He's <i>emes</i>. Okay. <i>Leimor</i>, just skip down three lines, <i>leimor</i>: כל מה שאומר לו השם, יאמר הכל לישראל. You should say everything over to, that <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> tells you. So then, what happens? הנשמה, שידע למה בא לעולם. The <i>neshamah</i> knows why it came to the world. שיתקן כל אחד ואחד את עצמו וגם את עולמו. Right? This is the foundation of the Ramchal, we see it now in the Gra, that everybody has to fix up himself and fix up the world, and there's two aspects. You can't be satisfied to just fix up the world and not yourself, or just fix up yourself and not the world, but you have to to come. קום לך, קום ממקומך, שיושבת בגן עדן, ולך אל העולם הזה. נינוה הוא עולם הזה. Nineveh means the <i>neveh</i> of <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i>, הדום רגליו. This world is his resting place. ושם נווהו, there is his palace. כמו שכתוב, בשובה אל נווהו, פה כאן הוא עיקר דירתו. <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> wants to be in this world. ועל זה שולח את אדם לתקן את נווה של השם. And that's what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to fix up this world, so <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> can rest in the world. And that's what Nineveh is. Nineveh is the place that <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> is supposed to be resting. Okay. Let's just get to the part we need. ויקם יונה לברוח, after that, we got it. כמו שכתוב בזהר ש- דעתו לברוח מהשם, like the Zohar says we just saw, that he thought he could avoid <i>hashgachah</i>. וזה לשם אדם נקרא בעל תשובה, and therefore we call a person a <i>baal teshuvah</i>, cuz when you sin, it's cuz you lose connection with God. ואומר, שובה אלי, come back to me. Why did he sin? Tarshishah. Tarshishah the Gra understands is אחר תאוות עולם הזה, after <i>taavot</i> of this world. So, he says, <i>lichorah</i> like the Zohar again, that the reason he's he's sinning is just because of the physical world, that's what's blocking him. I can't make out a big, beautiful Maslow. You got Maslow? Here's Maslow. This look okay, right? How many are there, Susan? There's one. You want a sheet? Yeah. Yeah, we are. How many we need, Susan? Over here. Over here we need one. Oh, I didn't make 15 Maslows also? I don't think I did. No, that's here, pass it, pass it, pass these around. You want this? Here we go. Okay. Avi, you got the sheet? Take it away, guy. Just read away. Why is it that we are all born with limitless potential yet few people fulfill those possibilities? One of the reasons Maslow put forward is what he called the Jonah, Jonah complex. The biblical Yonah was a timid merchant who tried to resist God's call for him to go on an important mission. Maslow's complex refers to the fear of one's greatness or avoiding our true destiny or calling. Maslow observed that we fear our best as much as our worst. Perhaps it seems too frightening to have a mission in life, so instead we take on a series of jobs for survival's sake. We all have perfect moments in which we glimpse what we are truly capable of, when we know ourselves to be great. And yet, Maslow noted, we simultaneously shiver with weakness, awe, and fear before these very same possibilities. He liked to ask his students questions such as, which of you intends to become president, or which of you will become an inspirational moral leader like Albert Schweitzer? When they would squirm or blush, he then posed the question: if not you, then who else? These were all people who were training to be psychologists, but Maslow asked them what the point was of learning to be a mediocre psychologist. Sounds like the Alter miNovardok again. Doing so, doing only as much as necessary to be competent, he told them, was a recipe for deep unhappiness. They would be evading their own capabilities and possibilities. Maslow recalled Nietzsche's idea of the law of eternal recurrence, that is, that life, the life we lead has to be lived over and over again into eternity, like in the movie Groundhog Day. If we live with this law in mind, we would only ever do what was really important. Some people avoid seeking to be great because Okay, that's the basic that's the basic this is what he works on. Now just again, over in in the book actually, Jonah's Complex, he he talks about the obligation of self-actualization. When his notes were published after he died in Transcendence of Human Personality, he says, \"I was obviously young and dumb when I wrote this, and that there's a higher aspect of really what your mission in life is, to have transcendence, and serve a cause greater than yourself, and that my self-actualization has been misused and misunderstood. And the top of the chart chart of needs is an obligation to be transcendent, do something that affects the world, changes the world.\" But growing up, that was always my understanding of why Yonah fled. I can't find it in the text right now. I always thought the Baal Shem Tov or somebody would say something like this, but it seems like he can't. I don't know exactly why not. I'm still working it over in my own mind, but that's for your agitation and thought. And the Gra and the and the Zohar right now are basically giving a it's a critical take on a person who has a certain weakness that we all have. We, as the <i>neshamah</i> is coming weak to the world. And it's because that we crumble under the pressure and pursue the easy pleasures of the world. Yeah. I mean, it just it seems almost like not such like a a <i>machshavti</i> Jewish type of take? Usually, on this type of things for a <i>navi</i>, usually we look for a <i>mahalech</i> or answer in this way. It is surprising. So so why would a <i>navi</i> just pursue he's clearly not a little guy. So so I I understand that what they're saying is that he's not really a <i>navi</i>. It's everyman. They understand this in the allegory. We're not talking I think he's they're avoiding the whole Zohar and the the Gra are avoiding the whole question of of of of the Ibn Ezra. We're not talking about a <i>navi</i>, we're not talking about a great man. We're talking about everyman. This is the story of בעלמא. The Zohar starts off, this is a <i>mashal</i> of everybody that comes in the world. הא כהאי אית לן למסמך בעלמא, this is a metaphor for the world. על עובדין דבני נשא בהאי עלמא, this is the way people act, not prophets. Every <i>neshamah</i> acts, that's what this is everyman, this is the story of everyman. And the word that it's called a <i>navi</i> in the text is just it God tells you, every man knows that you've got that's what that's what the Gra says. Every man knows that there's a לאמר, you have to fix up yourself, שידע דאמר ליה בעל העולם שיתקן כל אחד את עצמו ואת כל העולם כולו. He knows he's got to fix himself up and the whole world, but he's a in <i>hana'ah</i>, he's attracted by עולם הזה, and he thinks he can run from HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and that's what it is. So it's no longer the question of a prophet. This is the story of everybody in the world. So they've answered it on Yom Kippur? Why would it be a message fitting for that day? Oh, now you're asking for for why why we're reading it on See, the Gra and the Arizal z"l fits, so why read it on Yom Kippur? So, that's right. So they have it, the Gra has it because you have to go in <i>gilgul</i> and <i>gilgul</i> and <i>gilgul</i> until you learn this is not right, it's going to be really bad for you. You don't want to come back, you're going to have one problem after another problem after another problem. And and that's why it ends with a question. It ends with a question, it says, \"Are you going to break out of this cycle and be strong once, or not?\" Yes. Rebbe, is this I've heard this idea of where where all where people run from their greatness, people are scared of actually what Is this a concept that comes up in Torah somewhere, or in in Chazal? That's to stop that's to we just we that's what we I think it was the opening that's the saying of the prompt, yeah. Obviously, the Alter of Slabodka speaks about that all the time, but to find it in Jonah, I'm not sure you can find that anywhere. I don't I've not found it. At the end of being an old man, you write certain things down and like, you know, when I was 25 years old I wrote down, I went through all of Jonah, because Jonah is a book that just fascinates me, right? It's like always I like when things are short and and and unclear, complex, opaque, like what's going on in these <i>pesukim</i>. And I always thought I would find, I was sure like, you know, once I went through all of Likkutei Baal Shem Tov, like, you know, I thought the Baal Shem Tov must have said such a good <i>vort</i> for the Baal Shem Tov to say. And you know, I think the Alter would have said if he had a chance, he didn't speak on Yom Kippur, that's the problem, so we didn't get him to speak on Yom Kippur, I don't know. But at this moment, I don't have a I don't have a source for us. But this is a legitimate thing that people run from their greatness, are they just lazy? Like what is it that people run from their greatness? Stop, stop, stop! We just saw, right? We just did the Gra, right? The Gra and the Zohar, what do they say? They're caught up in their physicality. They're caught up in physicality. We get to we get to <i>hana'ah</i>, there's <i>hana'ah</i>, we we we get we get blocked. Now, of course, the Alter of Slabodka again speaks about the fact that people are afraid of their greatness, right? And maybe we can talk about some some brief Baal Shem Tovs about people being afraid of מוחין דגדלות and מוחין דקטנות. And maybe that's what we're we're talking about, right? But I don't think it's a heavy theme, but it's true. It might be the דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה type of theme. Yeah, Jonah. I'm having trouble with the chronology. I want everyone to understand, right, that Jonah's name is not Yonah, so this is not affecting him at all personally. I forgot your Like my <i>satan</i> is calling me out. What's your Hebrew name? Yuda Tzvi. Yuda Tzvi, right. Aha, now I know you like to cook stuff so much. There we go, okay. I'm having trouble with the like the play-by-play, right? Like a <i>neshamah</i> comes into the world, right, comes into the body, right, which that's like not his decision, right, it's not the decision of the נשמה, הקדוש ברוך הוא sends it. But in the case of Yonah, that's an act of the This is what Binyamin was trying to talk out. This is stage two. This is stage two over here. We'll sit down and look at those <i>pesukim</i>. Like first thing you come into the world even in dry land and there's a little bit of <i>anavah</i>. The dry land is part of that process? Dry land is the first part, you land. And then you run to a place that you think is more free from God, then it's going to be even worse. You're going to think, oh, I don't want to be in the <i>beit midrash</i>, I'm going to go out to the world. And then there's going to be it's tougher for you, then you're going to break out there. So the the dry land is like a like a more protected? Yeah, it's Lakewood. I don't want to be in Lakewood, Lakewood's I want to go out, I want to go out in I want to go to wherever I want to go to. Would we call that praiseworthy? If you're prepared and intelligent, and you're strong. If you're weak, no. If you're going to fix it up, yeah. He's running to Tarshish not to not to fix it up. Question. Yeah, go ahead. Are there any practical example like from <i>gedolim</i> of like people worked on this idea like before Yom Kippur or like? Well, it depends which is the idea. How to realize their realize wrong greatness of No, so this, I'm saying it's, we're not going that way right now because that's what that's <i>mazal</i>. That's the part we're saying I'm not sure it's a Torah idea, right? I think the Alter Slabodka, for sure, all over the Alter is talking about the fact that people aren't people accept Yeah, you can see when he writes his the Rav Dovid Leibowitz writes over the אלטר שיטה of what a <i>kollel</i> is, and he says a <i>kollel</i> is not a place that a person's sitting to learn, it's where he's training himself to be a general in the army to fight the wars of Hashem, and anybody who thinks that his mission is to be a <i>rosh yeshivah</i> or an <i>av beit din</i> shouldn't be in this <i>kollel</i>. But, you know, you have to sit down and fight for הקדוש ברוך הוא like the Gra is saying over here that you're sent on a mission and שידעו למה בא לעולם שיתקן כל אחד ואת עצמו וכל העולם. That's pretty big and that's maybe what Abby wants. Like you you see that that's what's going on, that everyone feels it, but we get seduced by the world and we feel weak. Okay, everyone should have a <i>gmar chatimah tovah</i>. We'll see you after Ethan's question, yes. At the boat, how do you I mean, going back to the just the very beginning of the <i>shiur</i>, how do we rationalize the side of Yonah? You seem to just say that the the story of Yonah is <i>stam</i>, like it's just a No, no, it's there's a lot of there's there's there's Of course, he went to do to give to give He did the bare minimum of what he was supposed to do, giving <i>tochachah</i> to Ninveh, and then he left. He didn't stay around. He like So, you have to look back at the job, and yes, yeah. And if anybody ever finds an opinion that says it's מוחין דגדלות and מוחין דקטנות, please tell me. It must be out there someplace, I'm sure, but it's no Where is it? Yeah, right. If you have millions of dollars in your start-up, I'll give you the pens so you know how to contact more. I'm working on it.

[[Category:Transcript]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness

2026-09-20T06:19:52Z

AdamSinger: Created shiur page: Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness — transcribed via Sofer.ai

{{ShiurInfobox
| title = Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness
| original_shiur = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/qBBZVHNtMsqXwxUA.m4a Yonah on Yom Kippur: Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness]
| source_sheets = ''No source sheet available''
| related_topics = [[Teshuvah]], [[Sefer Yonah]]
| related_parsha =
| related_holidays =
| full_transcript = [[Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness/Transcript|Full Transcript (Sofer.ai)]]
| step4_message = Yom Kippur’s Yonah calls us to stop fleeing our divinely assigned greatness: do real teshuvah, accept mission-sized responsibility, and align our lives with Hashem’s guidance instead of hiding behind small sins or clever rationalizations.
}}

= Yom Kippur: Yonah, Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness =

'''Shiur Date:''' Date not specified<br/>
'''Speaker:''' Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld<br/>
'''Series:''' Vaad — Yom Kippur and Teshuvah<br/>

== One-Line Step Four ==

Reading Yonah at Ne’ilah is a charge to confront the Jonah Complex—fear of our own greatness—by making teshuvah that embraces purpose and leadership, trusting hidden hashgachah, and choosing bold, enduring commitments that elevate us from capable ‘privates’ to responsible ‘generals’ in Hashem’s army.

== Summary ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

The shiur opens with the mystery: how could a navi flee his mission? Classical answers are surveyed. Ibn Ezra (drawing on a yesod echoed in the Kuzari) distinguishes between naturally gifted prophets and those who achieve prophecy through painstaking cultivation; a ‘worked’ prophet can lose nevuah when conditions shift, offering a psychological-spiritual window into Yonah’s flight. Rashi resists this, presenting Yonah as fully prophetic but calculating consequences: if Nineveh repents easily, Israel’s stubbornness will look worse, creating a chilul Hashem, and Nineveh’s teshuvah may be transient while Israel’s, once earned, endures. Saadia Gaon’s view that Yonah did go but it wasn’t recorded is noted then set aside by Ibn Ezra and Rashi. This complex of motives reframes Yonah not as a cartoonish rebel, but as a conflicted servant of Hashem, weighing truth, optics, and the nature of lasting teshuvah.

The shiur then deepens with metaphoric and mystical readings. The Zohar treats Yonah as a parable about the soul’s journey: the ship as the world, the storm as spiritual turbulence, and hidden hashgachah guiding events beneath the surface. Tanach imagery of the dove—“Ephraim is like a simple dove” (Hoshea)—and Radak’s net portray naivete that stumbles into traps, contrasting with Shlomo’s wisdom of discerning love. The Gra integrates themes of seduction and Divine supervision, mapping how our drives can be either nets or wings depending on awareness. Practical musar emerges: business ethics, personal responsibility, and tikkun begin with owning our role on the boat—stopping the blame-shift, identifying the leak we caused, and aligning actions with Hashem’s plan. The world is a vessel; each of us must steady it by honest self-assessment and courageous course correction.

Finally, the shiur returns to why we read Yonah at Ne’ilah. Beyond tallying small aveiros, we confront the greater failure: fleeing from our own greatness. The Alter of Slabodka’s call to be ‘generals,’ not merely ‘good privates,’ reframes teshuvah as accepting leadership of our unique mission. Abraham Maslow’s “Jonah Complex” (fear of greatness) is brought as a resonant, if non-traditional, lens: people often run from the very heights they’re called to reach. On Yom Kippur, clothed like malachim, we are urged to trust the hidden hashgachah, transcend rationalizations, and take on bold, durable kabbalos that align with our deepest purpose. The takeaway is stark and hopeful: stop hiding in the hold, rise to deck, name the storm, and say hineni—then steer toward Nineveh with clarity, humility, and courage.

== מאמרי מקומות (Sources Cited) ==

The following sources are cited or discussed in this shiur. Click the links to view the original texts online.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew Name !! Type !! Description
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=megillah&daf=32a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Megillah 32a] || תלמוד בבלי מגילה ל״ב ע״א || Gemara || Source for reading the Haftara of Jonah on Yom Kippur Mincha.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Ibn_Ezra_on_Jonah Ibn Ezra on Jonah (Introduction)] || אבן עזרא על יונה (הקדמה) || Rishon || Ibn Ezra’s question and ‘sod’ about levels of prophecy and Jonah’s flight.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Ibn_Ezra_on_Jonah Rav Saadia Gaon on Jonah (as quoted by Ibn Ezra)] || רב סעדיה גאון על יונה (מצוטט באבן עזרא) || Rishon || Saadia Gaon’s view that Jonah did go to Nineveh; details omitted from text.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Jonah.1.3 Rashi on Jonah 1:3] || רש״י על יונה א:ג || Rishon || Rashi: Jonah feared Nineveh’s repentance would indict Israel.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_DeRabbi_Eliezer Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer] || פרקי דרבי אליעזר || Midrash || Midrash: Jonah prioritized Israel’s honor over God’s command.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=beitzah&daf=25b&go=Go Talmud Bavli Beitzah 25b] || תלמוד בבלי ביצה כ״ה ע״ב || Gemara || Identifies the rooster as the most aggressive among birds.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar Zohar] || הזוהר || Other || Allegory of Jonah as the soul descending into the world and fleeing.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Tikkunei_Zohar Tikkunei Zohar] || תקוני זהר || Other || Additional Zoharic perspective on Jonah and the soul.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=eruvin&daf=100b&go=Go Talmud Bavli Eruvin 100b] || תלמוד בבלי עירובין ק׳ ע״ב || Gemara || Dove’s fidelity; used as a positive symbol in Chazal.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Hosea.7.11 Hosea 7:11] || הושע ז:י״א || Tanach || Ephraim likened to a naive dove lacking heart; vacillates between nations.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Hosea.7.11 Rashi on Hosea 7:11] || רש״י על הושע ז:י״א || Rishon || Rashi: They lack discernment of what is good or bad for them.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Radak_on_Hosea.7.11 Radak on Hosea 7:11] || רד״ק על הושע ז:י״א || Rishon || Radak: Dove’s naivety leads to entrapment; Ephraim’s folly seeking foreign help.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Jonah.1.4 Jonah 1:4] || יונה א:ד || Tanach || A great storm; the ship thought to be breaking—quoted in the Zohar’s allegory.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Leviticus.25.17 Leviticus 25:17] || ויקרא כ״ה:י״ז || Tanach || Prohibition of ona’ah; Zohar links ‘Yonah’ etymologically to ‘ona’ah’ (affliction).
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Song_of_Songs.5.2 Song of Songs 5:2] || שיר השירים ה:ב || Tanach || “Yonati Tamati” used as endearment; Gra applies to Israel’s qualities.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.44.23 Psalms 44:23] || תהלים מ״ד:כ״ג || Tanach || “For Your sake we are killed all day” applied to Israel’s martyrdom.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.15.2 Exodus 15:2] || שמות ט״ו:ב || Tanach || “This is my God and I will glorify Him”; ‘anvehu’ linked to ‘naveh’ (dwelling).
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Jonah.4.2 Jonah 4:2] || יונה ד:ב || Tanach || Jonah explains why he fled to Tarshish: God’s mercy would spare Nineveh.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Jonah.1.3 Jonah 1:3] || יונה א:ג || Tanach || Jonah rises to flee to Tarshish—central verse for the narrative.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Malachi.3.7 Malachi 3:7] || מלאכי ג:ז || Tanach || “Return to Me and I will return to you” invoked in teshuvah context.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Vilna_Gaon_on_Jonah Vilna Gaon (Gra) on Jonah] || הגר״א על ספר יונה || Acharon || Gra integrates Zoharic allegory: neshamah’s mission to rectify self and world.
|}

== Audio ==

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/qBBZVHNtMsqXwxUA.m4a Yonah on Yom Kippur: Prophecy, Teshuvah, and the Fear of Greatness]

[[Category:Shiur]]
[[Category:Topic - Teshuvah]]
[[Category:Topic - Sefer Yonah]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

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* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
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===Parashat Ha’azinu===
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''Summary for Ha’azinu coming soon.''

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'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
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* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
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* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
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'''[[Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

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'''Published:''' September 8, 2026
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? Did You Know...
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* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

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===Parashat Ha’azinu===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">8 Tishrei 5787 · September 19, 2026 · Deuteronomy 32:1-52</div>

''Summary for Ha’azinu coming soon.''

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'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Hosea 14:2-10; Joel 2:15-27 | Shabbat Shuva (with Ha'azinu)
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[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Ha’azinu Read on Sefaria →]
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{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
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| Rosh Hashana 5787 — Jewish New Year (5787) || September 12, 2026
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| Rosh Hashana II — Second day of Rosh Hashana || September 13, 2026
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| Tzom Gedaliah || September 14, 2026
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| Erev Yom Kippur — Eve of Yom Kippur || September 20, 2026
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| Erev Sukkot — Eve of Sukkot || September 25, 2026
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'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
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'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
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'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
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'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
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Main Page

2026-09-08T09:46:03Z

AdamSinger: Feature new Teshuvah shiur on homepage

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Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
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'''[[Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

Teshuvah is not mere sin-correction but a joyful, ongoing return to Hashem and to our primordial tzelem Elokim, expanding from Elul through Yom Kippur to elevate our entire life beyond the ledger.

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[[Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source|Read full article...]]
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'''Published:''' September 8, 2026
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<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

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===Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">23 Elul 5786 · September 5, 2026 · Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30</div>

Moshe addresses all of Israel before his death, renewing the covenant. He teaches that the Torah is close and accessible. Moshe transfers leadership to Yehoshua and commands the Hakhel gathering every seven years.

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'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 61:10-63:9
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[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Nitzavim-Vayeilech Read on Sefaria →]
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! Holiday !! Date
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| Erev Rosh Hashana — Eve of Rosh Hashana || September 11, 2026
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| Rosh Hashana 5787 — Jewish New Year (5787) || September 12, 2026
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| Rosh Hashana II — Second day of Rosh Hashana || September 13, 2026
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| Tzom Gedaliah || September 14, 2026
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| Erev Yom Kippur — Eve of Yom Kippur || September 20, 2026
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| Yom Kippur — Day of Atonement — holiest day of the year || September 21, 2026
|}

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{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
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'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
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<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
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Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source/Transcript

2026-09-08T09:38:31Z

AdamSinger: Created transcript for Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source

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← [[Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source|Back to shiur page]]

This transcript was generated by [https://sofer.ai Sofer.ai] and formatted for the wiki. Hebrew terms appear in their original form. Source citations include links to the referenced texts online.

'''Audio:''' [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/XTQRWtRcAKLOWneF.m4a Teshuvah Beyond the Ledger (audio)]

== Full Transcript ==

I think the idea is, so I need one back for me that too many of us relate to <i>teshuvah</i>, which is one of the foundations of the world and of life, and we relate to it I think like less developed people, that we think, if I hear it one more time during <i>Elul</i>, like עזיבה, חרטה, קבלה להבא, וידוי, like a ledger, it's you've done something wrong, you have to put it back. I think we see that, and maybe that's what we'll do next week, I don't know, not sure, the Zohar in <i>Nasa</i>, the Maharal, HaRav Kook, most of the <i>chasidishe rebbeis</i> see it in a much grander scale, which I think is a very healthy thing for all of us who are <i>baalei teshuvah</i>, or working with <i>baalei teshuvah</i>, or wanting to be <i>baalei teshuvah</i>, I'm not sure, like, you know, like whatever we're going to go for, that's what we're trying to to look at. So that's why I just want to bring some sources and paint that picture big, and then we'll that's what we're doing. So it's like it's <i>teshuvah</i> after the ledger, I'm calling it, like after you look at the simple eradicating the sin, okay, I eradicate the sin, now is it all over? And of course <i>teshuvah</i> is so much bigger than that, and so much more uplifting than that, we have to break out of it and see the bigger aspects. So there's I think like you want to find your your knee-jerk reaction in a <i>gadol</i>, so you don't say it's not just my knee-jerk reaction, it's somebody's big knee-jerk reaction. So, Piaseczner came through a couple of years ago, like, you know, he said exactly what I was feeling, so I can say what I'm feeling in his name, and you want to fight with a person who's died in the Holocaust on <i>kiddush Hashem</i>, okay, I'll let you do it, like, you know, enjoy yourself. More than that, the beginning of the piece is like so shockingly powerful for a person to say in the middle of the Warsaw Ghetto, it's just like if that doesn't wake you up to <i>teshuvah</i>, like nothing wakes you up to <i>teshuvah</i>. And since I think most of us haven't learned Ash Kodesh, so maybe I just thought we'll do this piece from Ash Kodesh as the introduction, and then we'll dig down in the Maharal and HaRav Kook, and then maybe next week we'll go to maybe we'll go to the Zohar to see the Zohar's discussion of <i>teshuvah ilaah</i> and <i>teshuvah tataah</i>, although I'm afraid if I go there it's so what's written in the Zohar is not the simple way that anyone understands it. So it's like one of these things where you have to <i>lehitgaber</i> on the <i>peshat</i> of the we'll see what I decide to do. Okay, here we go. So let's test this, let me take I broke it up into two paragraphs. In the in Ash Kodesh it's all one paragraph, they don't work by paragraphs, as you all know, but I'll break off the part that I want to say, and then we'll, but you can't do this piece without seeing his framing of it, which is just like you sit and think about a <i>rav</i> giving a <i>drashah</i> on <i>Shabbat Teshuvah</i> in the Warsaw Ghetto, this is his first year in the Warsaw Ghetto, his first <i>drashah</i> on <i>Shabbat Shuvah</i>. And like okay, here we go. So I went to bottom of it. So he says like HaKadosh Baruch Hu would do <i>teshuvah</i> upstairs, we'll see what that is, but down at the bottom, גם אנו צריכים לעשות תשובה כמו זו. We have to do <i>teshuvah</i> like I described the way HaKadosh Baruch Hu is doing <i>teshuvah</i>. כי שהאיש שב רק על חטא בלבד, when a person does a thin <i>teshuvah</i> on his sin, meaning according to him you just do the ledger work, you just, okay, I had a a blemish, I took care of the blemish, now I'm happy, rather than recognizing that the blemish is the recognition of the fact that you're not healthy, and a blemish is the recognition of how far away you were, and you want to be so much healthy and want to be so much more complete, and you go for more, בלבד אשר נכשל חס ושלום במחשבה, דיבור ומעשה, דיבור ומחשבה ומעשה, okay, so did If you you sinned even just with thoughts, אז נשאר שוב במצבו הקודם שקדם החטא. After you've done your four steps of of the <i>teshuvah</i> from the Rambam, you're back in the same place you were when you started. You were a normal everyday person living in <i>Rechaviah, Shaarei Chesed</i>, and okay, you said <i>lashon hara</i>, and you fixed up the <i>lashon hara</i>. Now do you feel good? Don't you realize like we're going to see the Maharal say that there's a whole deeper world of idealism and perfectionism you're going to return to? Once you recognize the little particular lack, didn't make you realize, wow, it feels so good to be clean and beautiful, I want to go for a higher level <i>teshuvah</i>, that must be what you want to do. You can't be stuck just in fixing up the little sore and not fixing up the existential, ontological reality of what you're doing, right? All of these sources we're going to bring the next two weeks are about the ontological essence of <i>teshuvah</i>, that you should do <i>teshuvah</i> without doing anything wrong. If somebody sits down and sees, you know, I have to make fun of Baruch and not of Yonah. If I make fun of Yonah, it'll affect his <i>shidduchim</i>, and Yonah is a <i>tzaddik</i>. But Baruch, he's already married, so like, okay, so like, you know. So, so, there's an urge that without doing any sins, you sit down, you see Baruch doing <i>teshuvah</i> and you sit down, \"Oh, he must have sinned this morning. What happened, he woke up late for <i>davenen</i>?\" And he says, \"No, I'm in a permanent ontological, existential, experienced state of I realize how much greater I can be, how much more I can do.\" That's the <i>teshuvah</i> that we want to get to over here. <i>ve-ikar ha-teshuvah hi</i>: שובה ישראל עד השם אלקיך. He's bringing the <i>pasuk</i>: שובה ישראל עד השם אלקיך. HaKadosh Baruch Hu doesn't say, \"Just fix up your lack, just fix up your sin.\" HaKadosh Baruch Hu says, right, the top of the right it's it's it's <i>shabbat shuvah</i> saying this in the Warsaw Ghetto, the second line of the text: שובה ישראל עד השם אלקיך. God doesn't tell you, \"Fix up your sin and be fine.\" No, <i>ki kashalta be-avonecha</i>, fix everything up. לכך צריך לומר לכם זאת, כי כשלת בעונך, you tripped. דתחשבו שדי לכם לשוב על חטאים בלבד, you think it's enough you just do <i>teshuvah</i> on the individual, limited sin you did? You don't realize your mindset's missing HaKadosh Baruch Hu and your connection to the universe is missing. לכך מזהיר הנביא שתשובו ללכת עד השם אלקיך. When you start the process of <i>teshuvah</i>, don't end up just by having this little ledger and saying, \"Oh, I said <i>lashon hara</i> about X, I fixed it up, that's it.\" No, the <i>teshuvah</i> has to be to start the process and then go all the way through. תרומם כחך בקדושה וטהרה ובעבודת השם. Return yourself completely to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, that there's a level of existential, essential, foundational <i>teshuvah</i> that we all have to do, and we lose the beauty of <i>teshuvah</i>, and the power of <i>teshuvah</i>, and the expansiveness of <i>teshuvah</i> in just working on individual spots on the ledger, not seeing the big vision. Okay, I think that's very powerful and very beautiful. That's my basic vision, that my the the goals for the next two weeks and the goals for every <i>ba'al teshuvah</i> who comes in, that he should feel in himself that greater vision, greater goal, greater glory that he wants to go to. That's the real <i>teshuvah</i> we're looking for. That's what the Alter of <i>Slabodka</i> talks about all the time, that's the Ba'al HaTanya talks about all the time, that's what the Piaseczner talks about much of the time. Okay, that's what we're going for. Now, just since I'm here, I couldn't deny you the first part, which is just like I can't believe it, just like a <i>gadol</i> saying this, he's sitting down in the middle of Warsaw Ghetto, surrounded by Germans, going to be killed on <i>kiddush Hashem</i>, and he says, \"<i>shabbat shuvah</i>, listen, we know the <i>midrash</i> that every HaKadosh Baruch Hu keeps every every <i>mitzvah</i>. So HaKadosh Baruch Hu keeps every <i>mitzvah</i>, so He has to keep the <i>mitzvah</i> of <i>teshuvah</i>, too. It's <i>Shabbat Teshuvah</i>, He has to do <i>teshuvah</i> also. So what's HaKadosh Baruch Hu supposed to do <i>teshuvah</i> on? He's got to do <i>teshuvah</i> on the situation that we're stuck with the Germans surrounding us. He's got to take that away from us and move it away. Are you happy if He just takes away the Germans? No. You want Him to do complete <i>teshuvah</i> and give us good and bring us back to <i>eretz yisrael</i> and do everything great for us. That's the תשובה הקדוש ברוך הוא has to do, and we're <i>mevakesh</i> in <i>Shabbat Teshuvah</i>, and then he goes, and if we ask that from HaKadosh Baruch Hu, we should ask that from ourselves also. Nothing to say except that's an <i>adam gadol</i> like, you know. I can't imagine a person hearing a person say this in the middle of this. Okay, you can read it with me, like this is like a prayer. This is pretty amazing. So, it's just it writes obviously we say this line in the <i>haftarah</i> of <i>Shabbat Teshuvah</i> next week: שובה ישראל עד ה' אלוקיך כי כשלת בעוונך. כי הקדוש ברוך הוא מקיים את כל התורה. HaKadosh Baruch Hu has an obligation to do the whole <i>torah</i>. We're demanding HaKadosh Baruch Hu to do what we got to do. Midrash Rabbah Mishpatim, Yerushalmi Rosh Hashanah. וממילא מקיים גם תשובה. How does HaKadosh Baruch Hu do <i>teshuvah</i>? כששב מן הרעה שחשב חס ושלום לעמו, when He changes His mind not to do the evil that He sent to His people, <i>yisrael</i>. <i>o amar laasot</i>, or it's going to be done. <i>hu teshuvato kivyachol</i>. That's what HaKadosh Baruch Hu's <i>teshuvah</i> looks like. HaKadosh Baruch Hu on this <i>Shabbat Teshuvah</i> should stop the <i>gezeirah</i> against us. כמו שכתוב השם וינחם השם על הרעה, הקדוש ברוך הוא changed His mind, אשר דיבר לעשות לעמו. <i>mah hu vayenachem</i>? <i>vayenachem kivyachol chartah</i>. That's the first part of <i>teshuvah</i>. <i>vayenachem</i>, God felt bad. He knew it wasn't the right idea to destroy <i>Klal Yisrael</i>. <i>shezeh reishit hateshuvah</i>. אבל כש תשובתו היא רק על הרעה, if the only thing HaKadosh Baruch Hu stops is the fact He's going to destroy the Warsaw Ghetto, שנגזר או אמר לעשות? אז נשארו תמיד חס ושלום באותו המצב הקשה. We're still stuck among these Germans. Don't we want a full <i>teshuvah</i> from HaKadosh Baruch Hu? Doesn't He have to do more? כי רק על רע נאמר להוסיף חס ושלום. HaKadosh Baruch Hu just says in the רע, הסרת ושב ונשארים כמו קודם הצרה. We still remain in our weak, low level, שגם כן אנו נמוכים. We're we're low. <i>vezeh tehillim tzaddik</i>: <i>shuvah ad heh</i>'. No, you've got to return. When you're doing <i>teshuvah</i>, you can't stop just not having said <i>lashon hara</i>. You have to go back and say, I want to be a <i>tzaddik</i>, I want to have clarity in the world, I want to, right? You hear what he's going for? You start with a ledger-dicker <i>teshuvah</i>, and then you have to like get to the You can tell that I went to the <i>teshuvah derashot</i> of Rav Soloveitchik. You have to go back to the ontological, existential <i>teshuvah</i> of of HaKadosh Baruch Hu. It is, it's the You can see the way the Maharal understands it. It's <i>mamash</i> the essence of what we're going for, right? So then, when נשארים כמו קודם הצרה, גם כן אנו נמוכים. <i>vezeh shetehillim tzaddik</i>, that you have to <i>shuvah Hashem</i>. עד מתי והנחם, שבענו בבוקר חסדך, he's <i>mitpalel shuvah Hashem</i>. כביכול, עשה תשובה בנו, He should do <i>teshuvah</i> with us. עד מתי הנחם על עבדיך, how long until you have mercy on your servant? עד מתי תהא התשובה רק בנחמה על עבדיך על הרעות והצרות שנמסרו אותנו? It's not enough for HaKadosh Baruch Hu that you do <i>teshuvah</i> not to destroy us in the Warsaw Ghetto, שאז נשאר שוב באותו מצב הנמוך. We still remain as crippled, weak nation. <i>savenu baboker chasdecha</i>, make us satisfied from your חסד, ונרננה ונשמחה בכל ימינו, let us sing about your greatness, וזה תהא תשובתך כביכול. Your <i>teshuvah</i> should be complete. And we're asking HaKadosh Baruch Hu do <i>teshuvah</i> complete. The <i>teshuvah</i> should not just be this little, nitpicky, detailed <i>kabalot</i>, but it's got to come with an uplift of a greatness and a return. That's what <i>teshuvah</i> is supposed to look like. That's what we're trying to do. So what I of course like is the fact he doesn't It's not just as sometimes you feel about certain people that the <i>teshuvah</i> is just up there and not linked to sin. You have to start over here with the problem. You got to cure the localized wound, and then you have to cure the whole body and go for greatness and strength. And that's what we're going for. And it's like, you know, like I always say over from the Alter Slabodke that Rabbi Reuven Graz has a bunch of <i>maamarim</i> and <i>sichot</i> of Alter Slabodka that the that the <i>alter</i> used to beat up on all the <i>kru meh talmidim</i> that they were too serious. And he told them, he says, you do the <i>maasim</i> of <i>tzadikim</i>, but your face looks like the face of <i>reshaim</i>, meaning not happy, not filled with energy and life, right? That's the <i>teshuvah</i> we have to do. There's got to be Yeah, we got to be <i>am yisrael</i>, there's got to be a greatness about us, there's got to be something we're going for. That's what Piasetzna wants over here in this <i>maamar</i>. And he wants from Hakadosh Baruch Hu also, which is more than I'm asking. I I feel fine to ask it from <i>avi</i>, you know, <i>avi</i> sent me as a <i>shaliach</i>, but like, you know, you know, for Hakadosh Baruch Hu to do it, he had he had to have bigger shoulders than me. Okay. What was Hakadosh Baruch Hu returning to? Returning to His love with <i>klal yisrael</i>? That's it, His love with <i>klal yisrael</i>. אני לדודי ודודי לי. We're trying to wake up His <i>dodim</i>, right? Come back to us, that's what we're trying to do. Is His <i>teshuvah</i> dependent on our <i>teshuvah</i> then, because He'll only punish us because of what we did? No, he's got he's got he's got We know from Da'at Tevunot that there's two aspects. He has free will. He can start with <i>gilui yichudo</i>. <i>gilui yichudo</i>, He can do whatever He wants, He can do <i>teshuvah</i> also. It can be the other way, but he's asking for <i>gilui yichudo</i>. Yes? <i>rabi</i>, in a in a in a <i>drashah</i> like this, obviously the people are the people are hearing this and they're feeling this amazing sense of hope, that, like, wow, maybe Hashem will Pshh, can you imagine being in the audience? I'm with you. But but but what I feel it right now! Pshh! But but as the leader, you know, he doesn't know if it's going to happen or not, and it clearly didn't happen in this situation, what These these <i>manhigim</i>, these <i>manhigim</i>, they're, you know, I I think I think you know Okay, you ask your full question before I answer what I think the answer is. I know the answer I want to give, but you might want to ask that question. Just just as as a leader in these types of situations, you know, it's a it's a question of like, you you tell the people that this really could happen, this will happen, Hashem could do it, and then for Hashem not to do it, I feel like you're you're almost setting up a certain expectation that gets then, like, not met by Hashem. So he's clearly not that. He's not saying I I promise you this is going to happen this year that the <i>gematria</i>, whatever, it's the year <i>Tav-Shin-Mem</i>, whatever, <i>Tav-Shin-Nun</i>, right? Or make up some <i>gematria</i> that for sure God's going to come this year, Mashiach. He doesn't do that. He says, but God's got to do <i>teshuvah</i>, like we got to do <i>teshuvah</i>. We got free will, you've got free will, I'm trying to open your free will, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, to do big things, recognize it's possible. And he's trying through his his speech to awaken that and and develop that. I Look, we always I always go back to the Rav Tzadok, which just like, it's awesome to me, right? The first time that we have <i>tefillah</i> in the <i>chumash</i> is by Avraham in פרשת וירא, ויעמד ויתפלל. Avraham gets up and he's davening for <i>Sedom</i>. Now, obviously, it's the first time it's written <i>vaya'amod</i>, so it must have been a good <i>tefillah</i>. It's like <i>hakadosh</i>... like Avraham hit something great. Now, most of us never had a day that we felt like this was my Okay, at least some days have days that we feel at least got to feel good about a <i>tefillah</i>, like at least we got somewhere, you know, like we got something out of it. Some days, you know? And then you get very disappointed when you come home and it doesn't doesn't work out. But Avraham, boom! He What happened? He gedavened. And it obviously hit the place where Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, <i>vaya'amod</i>. You stood up, that <i>amidah</i>, right? Everyone's learned the fourth <i>perek</i> of <i>berachot</i> here, we're a good <i>chevrah</i>, right? <i>vaya'amod</i>, the first time <i>tefillah</i> is used. And then the next day it says, and that we learn to be קובע מקום לתפלתו, וישב אל מקומו. He returned to his place, as if that davening was so special, I got to go back to the exact same place, the exact same time, I got to daven in it. And what did he he was davening that <i>sedom</i> should be saved. And he looks out and he says, I can't remember the exact <i>lashon, kitor ha'ashan</i>, he sees the the smoke going up from <i>sedom</i>, right? Like, well, that <i>tefillah</i> didn't work out exactly the way that I thought it was going to work out. Like, you know, what's going on? So the <i>midrash</i> there says that that Avraham that Avraham didn't realize that his <i>tefillah</i> saved the whole world. His <i>tefillah</i> saved that <i>lot</i> didn't, why that why was <i>lot</i> saved? <i>lot</i> was not saved because of his own <i>zechut</i>. <i>zachar Avraham</i> , right? <i>vehitzil et Lot</i>. God remembered Avraham, Avraham's <i>tefillah</i> over there, so Avraham saved the seed, the <i>zera</i> of Melech HaMashiach. So it worked, right? His <i>tefillah</i> was so good. Now, it didn't do what he wanted, but there was you use it in the negative, no one uses it in the positive, there was collateral benefit from it, right, that's going out, right? Like he he saved <i>mashiach</i>, he saved <i>lot</i>. That that's what's going on. I think in many of these great people, <i>avi</i>, that's what you see. That you can imagine someone sitting down, and you see Moshe Chaim Luzzatto being a <i>tzadik yesod olam</i>, everywhere he goes he's part so the <i>nirdaf</i>, he lets people beat up on him, and he he is not going to teach Zohar if they tell him not to teach Zohar, and he's not going to teach Zohar, so what's he do? All right, he writes a couple of books that, you know, are pretty well received afterwards, Mesillat Yesharim and Derech Hashem, right? Like to keep with what's going on, it sounds like that worked out pretty good. But if you were sitting there, and you're Yaakov, and Yaakov says, \"You could learn so many deep things, what are you doing this Derech Hashem for over here? Like, what are you Like <i>derech Derech Hashem</i> I really have a question of, but like Mesilat Yesharim, like, you know, like what are you doing over here?\" You see that there's in this world, you see the Maharal the Maharal, the Ramchal go and do <i>yishuv eretz yisrael</i>, and he dies. Not only does he die, every child he has dies. Anyone says they're from the Ramchal's lineage, right? <i>sheker</i>. Everything's blotted out. But his <i>sefarim</i> have had a supernatural <i>siyata dishmaya</i> to be accepted. And it comes from, I think we see here, the impact of what's going on. The same thing by Piaseczner. What are the possibilities on the planet that you sit down and in the bottom of your apartment in Warsaw? So, one thing he sent out to Tel Aviv. Okay, he got one, I can't remember which ones, like Hachsharat, Tzav Veziruz, each one like comes different. One he sent to Tel Aviv to get to he gave it to somebody who was leaving going through the sewers out of Warsaw, and he told to give to someone Shapira in Tel Aviv. Okay, so the guy got out and he got to Shapira, so that one like that's not so crazy. But he buried, right, the <i>Esh Kodesh sefarim</i> in the middle of a building in Warsaw, and the and the <i>sefer</i> gets out, and there must be 20 <i>shul</i>s called Esh Kodesh 100 years 100 100 years late 90 years later? You see that something's going on. This is what I talk about all the time, at least I've talked about all the time over the last four months, right? Right, the <i>gemara</i> in Berachot is <i>yod zayin amud alef</i>, that's what the the idea is. עולמך תראה בחייך ואחריתך לעולם הבא ותקותך, the <i>tikvah</i> you have, the desires you have, maybe you're not going to get them <i>ledor dorot</i>, but they'll resonate for generation after generation. Your hope, your <i>tikvah ledor dorot</i>, don't think you failed. Right, just dream big. Go big. If you really care about it, if you're like the if you're like the Piaseczner who says, \"Come on, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, you can do <i>teshuvah</i> right now. You deserve <i>teshuvah</i>, let's go for it.\" If you can be like the Ramchal, that listens to people who are biased and doesn't write <i>sefarim</i> in <i>kabbalah</i>, or goes to <i>eretz yisrael</i>, I think it's pretty good. But what you can't do, of course, is promise. No one promises, he's not promising. He's saying, \"God God's going to misfire, God? I'm doing <i>teshuvah</i>, you know what you're supposed to do. Now you have to be a <i>chasid</i>.\" Right? Like I can't like I can't imagine! Like this piece is so powerful. When I read it the first time, I was like I was like, you know, I usually read these things, like that was 20 years ago, I used to read them on <i>tishah beav</i>. Like that was what I would like, you know, try and figure out like how big people related to tragedy. But like I read this one, I remember like I read this one, and like I couldn't I I I literally closed the <i>sefer</i> up, and I didn't read anything more, and I just like thought about it for a long time. And then I didn't usually read the Esh Kodesh until the next <i>tishah beav</i>, and then I read this next paragraph and I said, \"That's what I believe! That's exactly what I think, right? You have to do the small-level <i>teshuvah</i> and the big-level <i>teshuvah</i>, go all the way back.\" And I said, \"Boy, it's a good thing I went back to it, like, you know, I wouldn't have seen what was going on.\" But okay, it's <i>yahrzeit</i> time. Rebbe, so I just want to ask, the the piece on Avraham looking out over <i>sedom</i>, that's a Pri Tzadik? Yeah, I think in Vayera, I think right on the spot. Hm. It's a <i>torah</i> you can't find it with all your fancy codes and all that. That's right. I may have to use you sometime, too. Yeah. Yeah. There's a small-level ledger <i>teshuvah</i>, yeah, then there's the And I I'm afraid I'm afraid to call it legal <i>teshuvah</i>, right? But that's what I'm thinking of, halachic <i>teshuvah</i>. I don't like when it would be anti-<i>halachah</i>. And that's why I love the way that the Piaseczner sets it up. You have to do halachic <i>teshuvah</i>, but you can't just be satisfied with halachic <i>teshuvah</i>. Yes. So there's the halachic <i>teshuvah</i> with all the details of, \"I said <i>lashon hara</i> in this spot on Monday, and later on I did it Thursday,\" and going through our <i>cheshbon</i>. You're a <i>tzadik</i>, you had to move before you said <i>lashon hara</i> a second time. That's pretty good. No, no, I forgot all the times in between. Okay. And yet, we're supposed to try to get to the higher level and understand, in the bigger picture, how we want to elevate ourselves. And when I think about that, there's often a root there to to whatever the <i>aveirah</i> might be. But do you have guidance on how we should think? Do you start from the bottom and go up? Do you start from the top and go down? Do you have guidance as to And and if somebody asks, \"Well, do I do this or do that?\", I think the answer of course is both, probably, by now. But do you have any guidance in terms of if we're going to go through this process, where do we start and what would be the way to navigate so that we go between? You jumped too fast on me, right? This is what we're setting up, the different highways and byways that this is going to go. And it's a <i>machloket rishonim</i> and <i>acharonim</i>. There's definitely a vision in the Maharal, in <i>telshe</i>, in <i>slabodka</i>, in HaRav Kook, to We're so We're so stuck in the mud over here if we look at all the little things. What we really have to do is just to get to the big picture and then go back and do the little things. However, like the Piaseczner, like the Chafetz Chaim, like Rabbeinu Yonah, maybe like the Rambam, you never know exactly what the Rambam wants, you'd start from little and you move up to the top like the Piaseczner just said. So there's definitely two schools of thought, and obviously the answer is just like your <i>shoresh neshamah</i>, you have to feel it. You have to feel what elevates you and moves you and inspires you. Okay. So let's go over here. So just seeing this in the Maharal, his idea of this, I think the key <i>yesod</i> for the Maharal, that's what I'm That's what I keyed in on. The two pieces for the Maharal's upper-level <i>teshuvah</i> and broader <i>teshuvah</i> that we have to try and strive for and go for. His idea all around, it's so many times placed it, these are the two that came to mind this afternoon that I put down. I don't know, maybe there's a better one, someone can tell me, but these two are the ones that we go for. Is that his idea is that what's it mean that הקדוש ברוך הוא שבעה דברים נבראו קודם שנברא עולם? Seven aspects of the world. <i>gemara</i> in פסחים נ״ד, נדרים ל״ט, that there were seven things created before the world was created. What's that mean? So the Maharal says that means two things. These are <i>yesodot</i>, so you have to start with them. Just like the foundation comes first and you build on top of it, so in <i>hashkafah</i>, you have to have your <i>yesodot</i> and then you can build on top of that. So his whole vision was what do these <i>gemarot</i> mean that HaKadosh Baruch Hu made <i>klal Yisrael</i> make the עגל הזהב, ליתן פתחון פה, to give an open mouth to <i>klal Yisrael</i>? What's it mean that David HaMelech sinned, to give <i>pitchon peh</i> to people? So the Maharal understands that since <i>teshuvah</i> came before the world, <i>teshuvah</i> is <i>muchrach</i>. <i>teshuvah</i>'s got to be done. It doesn't depend on the fact that you got angry at somebody yesterday and said <i>lashon hara</i>. There's got to be <i>teshuvah</i> in the world. And that means you have to do <i>teshuvah</i> even if you don't sin. Even if you haven't done one of the ledger book sins, you've got no Rambam to <i>klap al chet</i> on, you've done nothing wrong, there's much higher world you want to get to. There's a world that comes before this world, and it's hidden. It's cut off from you, it's hidden. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu had to make it So what happened? If Hakadosh Baruch Hu didn't do it, we'd live in a world and that the the <i>yesod</i> of <i>teshuvah</i> would be hidden in the spiritual world, and it wouldn't connect with us down here. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu had to make people sin to bring <i>teshuvah</i> into the world, and that <i>teshuvah</i> was brought in the world is brought by God's force. So you see that you have to do <i>teshuvah</i>. It's not dependent on your sins. God made a world, just like He forced David to do <i>teshuvah</i>, He forced <i>Klal Yisrael</i> to do <i>teshuvah</i>, He's forcing you to do <i>teshuvah</i> by having given birth to you. You have to reach back up to the world of <i>teshuvah</i> and grab on deeply, and that's the beauty of the awe-inspiring, all-encompassing, all-awakening aspect of <i>teshuvah</i> you're going for. That's what he keeps going. He always goes with this <i>gemara</i> that and and it's the Maharal always says, he says, if Hakadosh Baruch Hu made something, everything is a <i>nivra</i>, it's created, it has to be brought to its <i>tachlit</i>, that's what he brought out to its end. So if Hakadosh Baruch Hu made <i>teshuvah</i>, it's our mission to bring that <i>teshuvah</i> out to the world, and that's what we have to do. So, I put it in this order, I'm not sure it's right. Sorry, I didn't get enough time to think it out. We'll do both if Maybe I should go the other order, we'll go for it. So, Amar Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: לא עשו ישראל את העגל אלא כדי ליתן פתחון פה לבעלי תשובה. Hakadosh Baruch Hu didn't do the <i>egel</i> with t

heir freewill, just to give an open mouth to people to do <i>teshuvah</i>. What's it mean open mouth? People could say, \"I see there's got to be <i>teshuvah</i> in the world.\" Hakadosh Baruch Hu expects, part of the world is doing <i>teshuvah</i>. He forced people to do <i>teshuvah</i>. <i>vetanya</i> the <i>gemara</i> in Nedarim: שבעה דברים נבראו קודם שנברא עולם, seven things were made before Hakadosh Baruch Hu made the world, they're foundational, they're essential, <i>elu hen</i>: תורה, ותשובה, גן עדן, וגיהנם, כסא הכבוד, בית המקדש, ושמו של משיח. Okay. <i>lefichach</i>, he starts in Maharal, Netivot Teshuvah, chapter four, שהיה חטא נמצא בשביל ליתן פתחון פה לבעלי תשובה. Why did he bring it out? Because he wants there to be an open mouth for <i>ba'alei teshuvah</i>. They can't talk about what they don't see. He learns very beautifully the word <i>pitchon peh</i> means it's before the world was created. They don't know it exists. They can't talk about it. Now that they see it, ah, now I got it. You have to take something that's <i>nistar</i> and make it <i>nigleh</i>. לפיכך, אף על גב שהיה חטא במקרה, מוכנים היו אל התשובה. You have to know that there's a foundation that you're going to do <i>teshuvah</i>. Even though you sinned not intentionally, you sinned just because of your situation, <i>teshuvah</i> is something that everybody has to do in the world. אשר תשובה גם כן אינו דבר במקרה. <i>teshuvah</i> is not something that just happens because you sinned. <i>teshuvah</i> is a foundation, it happens everyday, a foundation you're standing on everyday. It's a foundation, it's something you do everyday. כי התשובה היא מיסודי עולם. <i>teshuvah</i> is one of the foundations of the world. Just like you don't learn <i>Torah</i> whenever you want, you've got to do it everyday, <i>teshuvah</i> has got to be lived everyday. There's something that's grand, and ethereal, and powerful, <i>kemo she'amru bemasechet</i>, this is Nedarim, he quotes the <i>gemara</i> in <i>Nedarim</i>: שבעה דברים נבראו קודם שנברא עולם, ואחד מהם הוא תשובה. <i>vedavar shenivra</i>, if God made the foundation, אי אפשר שלא יצא לפועל. We have to take everything that HaKadosh Baruch Hu made, the essence of being human is bringing the world out to action, שאם לא כן יהיה בטלה הבריאה, that if we don't bring out the foundations that HaKadosh Baruch Hu made, then the world is going to fall apart. That's what I was talking about last Friday night until people's wives Right, it's obviously we didn't think they'd do it, but it's the the Zohar that Rabbi Yerucham brings all over, that the Zohar says that the first letter in the <i>Torah</i> is a <i>bet</i> because the mission of everybody, a <i>bayit</i> is to bring <i>yotzi davar lepo'al</i>, to bring something out to actualization. Our mission, the first <i>bet</i> of the <i>Torah</i> is there's something <i>alef</i> that's hidden, ineffable, and the purpose of human beings in the world is to bring the <i>bayit</i> out to the world, to bring something out that expresses the idea. That's what he's saying over here, and that's what we have to do. with the <i>teshuvah</i>. It's impossible there won't be <i>teshuvah</i>, and therefore HaKadosh Baruch Hu made people do <i>teshuvah</i> that didn't really deserve their sin, but he had to have <i>teshuvah</i> because he had to do <i>teshuvah</i>. Okay. Well, wouldn't the point have been made better if they hadn't sinned at all? Because then <i>teshuvah</i> would have been unexpressed, and you wouldn't know that it's a foundational stone of the world. Well, we're trying to learn that <i>teshuvah</i> is to be done after the alleged after the alleged sin, so then you need to have a situation where they didn't do a alleged sin. No, what do we want to do? We wanted that they didn't have an alleged sin. HaKadosh Baruch Hu forced them. They knew it wasn't up to them. And that's considered an alleged sin, even though he's forced? Yeah. Wait, what's the <i>peshat</i> in the Maharal? He says even though that that the <i>chet</i> is <i>bemikreh</i>, nonetheless it's <i>muchan latshuvah</i>, because <i>teshuvah</i> is not something that's <i>mikreh</i>. Yeah, what's the question? I just don't I don't get that that that flow of logic. He says even though <i>chet</i> happened kind of accidentally on its own, nonetheless it's still <i>shayach</i> to for <i>teshuvah</i>. What was the <i>hoveh amina</i>, it wasn't <i>shayach</i> for <i>teshuvah</i>? And then he kind of explains it, but I don't get his explanation. Which words do you want exactly? What line? So from <i>lefichach</i> until The beginning, right at the beginning? Yeah. Okay, here we go. Not not the first line. The first line is fine, but the second the second <i>lefichach</i>. Okay, end of the first line. לפיכך, אף על גב שהיה החטא במקרה, even though that the <i>chet</i> that occurred looked like it was a <i>chet</i> that was not this foundational <i>teshuvah</i> we want you to do, it was a <i>chet</i> that looked like they had to do it because they were bowing to a golden calf, מוכנים היו אל תשובה. They were prepared for <i>teshuvah</i> because God made it a foundation in the world. The incident looks like it just happened, but they were prepared from the beginning because <i>teshuvah, teshuvah</i> is not something that is accidental. It's not something that happens sometimes and doesn't happen sometimes. כי תשובה היא מיסוד העולם, תשובה is part of the world. So even though it looked like that was a <i>mikreh</i>, really Hakadosh Baruch Hu was showing everything that <i>teshuvah</i> is part of the world. That's what we're going for. Again, a <i>pitchon peh</i>. If Hakadosh Baruch Hu didn't make them sin, then we wouldn't know about <i>teshuvah</i>, because we wouldn't know there's a <i>yesod</i> up there called <i>teshuvah</i>. It's hidden from us, too ethereal. Once <i>Klal Yisrael</i> sinned, and then we did <i>teshuvah</i>, now we see that people do <i>teshuvah</i> and they can go back and they can do everything great, now we know there's <i>teshuvah</i> exists in the world. Why was the setup that it had to be <i>mikreh</i>, or that rebbe is saying it looked like it was <i>mikreh</i>, meaning Hashem pushed them into doing this bad thing, so if anything, that is not <i>mikreh</i>. That's right. It looks like <i>mikreh</i>, but it's not really <i>mikreh</i>. But it looks like <i>mikreh</i>. So it's only it's only <i>muchan latshuvah</i> if it's not <i>mikreh</i>? If it is <i>mikreh</i>, then it's not <i>muchan latshuvah</i>, because No, it's <i>muchan latshuvah</i>, because one of the foundations of the world is <i>teshuvah</i>, and anytime you do a little <i>teshuvah</i>, you can do big <i>teshuvah</i>. Anytime you do little <i>teshuvah</i>, alleged <i>teshuvah</i>, you're going to do big <i>teshuvah</i> afterwards. Yes. So there had to be sin so that the idea of <i>teshuvah</i> could be introduced, but isn't the message that <i>teshuvah</i> is really an ongoing process, and that you don't need to sin to do <i>teshuvah</i>? Right. It's basically like the first like like this sin was basically just a signal that there is something called This was to bring it into the world. This was a lightning bolt that you know that <i>teshuvah</i> exists. And is it It's just <i>pitchon peh</i>, that's exactly what it's for, so people can now talk about. They didn't know <i>teshuvah</i> was around before. This is pretty I'm saying like the like the <i>chet ha-egel</i> is a Oh, this is pretty radical. This is a radical, but it's a <i>gemara</i>. Come on. This is a radical statement, but it's a <i>gemara</i>. Like fouls us forever, and it's saying that it was just like a, you know, a thing that had to be dropped into the world so we can learn <i>teshuvah</i>. I mean, they're still suffering from it. Right? It seems it was just like a little Right, so you have to do your double thing. They did a sin, but it wasn't enough for it. Really the the <i>teshuvah</i> they learned, he says, should have protected them. HaKadosh Baruch Hu took away the protection they should have had. Okay, Maharal, Baruch Hashem. You see the part that I want, it's underlined, but let's start from before that. אמרו, כי תשובה נבראת קודם שנברא העולם. כי התחלה שיחזור עליו בעל תשובה, סביך שיהיה תלוי פשוט נבדלת לגמרי. Why did God make <i>teshuvah</i> before the world? Because you had to go back to something that's not connected to physicality. Cuz physicality is naturally open to sin. Physicality just for obvious is open to <i>chet</i>. That's the <i>mikreh de-chet</i>. What he's going to bring here is going to bring the piece, just so we know where we're going, he's going to say, you being a human being means you're not connected to the <i>alef</i>. You're not connected to your source. And therefore you have to do <i>teshuvah</i>. Ontological, existential, foundational <i>teshuvah</i>. And he's going to bring a <i>re'ayah</i> that it says the, quotes a <i>pasuk</i> in איוב, אף שמים לא זכו בעיניו, even the skies weren't pure in His eyes. The skies, the stars, they have to do <i>teshuvah</i>. So just being physical means you have to do <i>teshuvah</i>. So if the skies have to do <i>teshuvah</i>, then obviously <i>kol vachomer</i> us to do <i>teshuvah</i>. You should never see where it helps to be. Right? Then, you know, like, then the two sides are going. That's what he's going for. How is <i>teshuvah</i> understanding you're essentially physical, or essentially have a physical element? But there's part of you, there's part, cuz there's part of us right that's that's above that where <i>tzelem Elokim</i> that's above this world and that's we don't recognize enough and we're returning to ourself and our beginning, returning to our <i>reishit</i>. The <i>reishit</i> of the world is <i>teshuvah</i>, the <i>reishit</i> of ourselves is <i>tzelem Elokim</i>, we've got to return to the beginning. That's the heavy exciting stuff. To see it. Yeah, go ahead. Is there an element of that when someone dies there's an element of <i>teshuvah</i> because they move to a non-physical realm? Yep, that's why שוב יום אחד לפני מיתתך, the Maharal talks about it here in the, <i>teshuvah</i>, yes. ואמרו כי התשובה נבראת קודם שנברא העולם, כי התחלה שחוזר עליו You have to return to something that's great! בעל תשובה צריך שיהיה התחלה פשוטה ונבדלת לגמרי. It can't be in the physical world. It's got to be a <i>tzelem Elokim</i>. It's got to be an <i>alef</i> above the <i>bet</i>. כי התחלה שאינה פשוטה, something that's physical, אינה נבדלת מן החטא. It's lacking, it's not like HaKadosh Baruch Hu. The word <i>chet</i> always in the Maharal, as he proves many times very beautifully, means lack. There's a lack. So the fact that we're not connected to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, that we need to fix up that <i>chet</i>, that's the ontological <i>teshuvah</i> we have to do. שכל דבר שאינו פשוט, הוא מורכב. Something that's not ethereal above the physical world is compounded, and compounding is going to be a sin cuz God's not compounded and therefore you're far away from God. <i>hu gashmi</i>, it's physical, גשמי שייך בו חטא. ובעל תשובה צריך שיהיה נבדל מן החטא. You have to move above the world of sin. ואינו נבדל מן החטא ומסתלק ממנו רק בשביל התחלה הפשוטה הנבדלת. And the way you get there is you get to the beginning that's cut off from physicality. שאין שייך בו חטא לגמרי, there's not sin there, <i>velo behatchalah gashmit</i>. It's got no physicality to it. So here we go now. <i>she'af shamayim</i>, something that's not free will, <i>shayeach bo chet</i>. HaKadosh Baruch Hu saw it's lacking, it can't resonate with me perfectly. דכתיב, אף שמים לא זכו בעיניו. Even the heavens are not worthy in God's eyes. רוצה לומר, אף שמים שהם גשמיים נכבדים, they're very, very refined physicality, <i>zakkim betachlit hazakut</i>, and they're refined at the end of refinement, מצד שהם גשם לא זכו בעיניו, because they got some physicality is a distance between them and HaKadosh Baruch Hu and they have to do <i>teshuvah</i>. שאינם בלא חסרון כלל, they do have a חסרון, שהגשם יש בו חסרון. Physicality cannot understand spirituality. וכיון שהם בעלי חומר לא זכו בעיני השם יתברך, and since they got physicality they're not pure, <i>she'eino pashut nivdal</i>. לפיכך, אי אפשר שיהיה תשובת אדם בכוח התחלה גשמית, therefore you can't do <i>teshuvah</i> by returning to the physical part of who you are, you have to return to the spiritual part to the <i>alef</i>. שדבר זה אינו, כי בכוח אותה התחלה לא יקנה הבדל מן החטא. If you return to a <i>bet</i>, then you haven't done <i>teshuvah</i>. אלא בכוח התחלה אלקית, you have to go back to your <i>tzelem Elokim</i>, the beginning that God gave you, the צלם אלוקים, בלתי גשמית והיא פשוטה. Either you have to return, sometimes he says, to your <i>tzelem Elokim</i>, and sometimes just to God's <i>tzelem Elokim</i>. ולכך מדרגת התחלה הזאת קודם שנברא העולם. Therefore God had to make <i>teshuvah</i> before He made the world, before there became a <i>gashmiyut</i> world, be- before it became a world of limitations. ובאותה התחלה פשוטה כוח התשובה. And that simple, foundational beginning has the power of תשובה, להיות נבדל מן החטא. ואם לא כן, לא היה אדם נבדל מן החטא. So, that's what I think we're looking for, that's the idea what we're trying to get to, that's the big nine-level ledger <i>teshuvah</i>, that there's an I, there's the real me, my <i>tzelem Elokim</i>, there's an I, that's the real Hakadosh Baruch Hu, that's the essence of the world, there's foundations that are hidden from me, that's what I'm trying to go for, and grab for, and understand. Okay. So, this was <i>shayach</i> even before <i>chet</i>? So, even אדם הראשון קודם החטא, they still had to do <i>teshuvah</i>? Just living, you had to do <i>teshuvah</i>, right. The <i>mitzvah</i> of <i>teshuvah</i> always exists, even without sin, that's the <i>chidush</i>. You have to bring out seven things Hakadosh Baruch Hu made the world based on, you got to bring them out to, all of them, one of them is <i>teshuvah</i>. And if you don't <i>chap</i> that you're missing <i>teshuvah</i>, then you're missing your estate. So, why was the <i>etz hadaat</i> necessary? If if no matter what state you're in, that the <i>teshuvah</i> would already be necessary, right, then why did we need the <i>etz hadaat</i>? They didn't know it. It wasn't, they didn't see it. But Adam Harishon did <i>teshuvah</i>, right? He did <i>teshuvah</i> beforehand, why wasn't that good enough? That's all the questions. <i>Chazal</i> don't say that it was <i>teshuvah</i>, right? The first one, Yehudah was the first one to do <i>teshuvah, Reuven</i>'s the first one to do <i>teshuvah</i>. Here we go. What's that mean? Yeah. When it says <i>shchakim shachak chet</i>, does that mean we understand we can understand <i>chet</i> as just Lack. existing in a separate from Hashem? Correct. Exactly right. Because that's not, obviously, the <i>shamayim</i> is not doing any action there, right? Right. It's just existent. And no free will, yeah. But we're saying that It's like when you ask your wife why is she upset with you. \"You're existing,\" like this is bothering you. So, but despite that, in order to to help us, Hashem Hashem drew us further away so we could feel that. Wait, it's like a slingshot That's for sure. That's what, <i>baalei</i>, the Zohar says, <i>baalei teshuvah</i> are closer to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, like a slingshot. When you And that's what and that's what I that's what the Piaseczna's trying to say in the first piece. When you're sitting down, you feel how low you are and you're getting over here and it's little stuff, yeah, has to wake you up. If I fix this up, let's fix everything up. Okay, just a little bit of Kook in this. We'll just do it for 10 minutes and Again, just a positive, big look of <i>teshuvah</i>. התשובה היא הרגשה יתירה בריאה של נפש. He says, <i>teshuvah</i> is the expression of the healthy <i>neshamah</i>. If you don't feel like you want to do ontological, existential <i>teshuvah</i>, that means you're sick. Because a person who is healthy realizes, there's so much more to know, I'm so distant from Hakadosh Baruch Hu, I'm so distant from myself, I have so much love, and so much wisdom, and so much caring I want to do, I'm cut off from that. I don't have to sin with it, I just wake up and go, I'm not as great as I want to be. I'm not doing what I want to do. And if you don't have this <i>hargashah</i>, then there's something the matter with you, you become too small a player, you're just being an accountant. You're missing the business opportunities, right? Like this An accountant doesn't know what's going on, he doesn't know how to make money, he just knows how to record the money being made. But the businessman, he sees the opportunities out there, and he's going to go for it. התשובה היא הרגשה יתירה בריאה של נפש. נשמה בריאה בגוף בריא, if your <i>neshamah</i> is healthy, and your body is healthy, <i>muchrach</i>, you're obligated היא לבוא, לבוא גדול של תשובה, you have to think about <i>teshuvah</i>. I can be more, I can be You did nothing wrong. You woke up and daven neitz, you helped the little old lady across the street, you took care of the kids for your wife, you sat down and <i>chap</i>ed your rebbe's <i>tiretz</i> in <i>gemara</i> class, but there's still <i>teshuvah</i> you have to do, there's more we can do, there's a deeper, essential connection we can go for. והיא מרגשת בה את העונג היותר גדול. And the greatest joy you get is from doing <i>teshuvah</i>. When you return and get the right perspective, you return to your essence, you return home, right? Some places the Maharal says it's like just going home makes you happy. So <i>teshuvah</i> should be that joy of going home. Right, you're just, you're home, I got it, like, you know, we're there. Then we have these <i>gemara</i>s in שבת דף ל׳, ל״א, and who is, <i>eizehu ashir</i>? So we have all these different people and all these different <i>maan damar</i> of who's wealthy, that it's a person who has his fields close to his house, it's a person who's got an <i>ishah na'ah</i>, it's a person who's got a good <i>beit hakise</i>. That's what he's leading to right now. Harav Kook explains over there in <i>shabbat</i>, that's what he's explaining over here, that people, it's a <i>gishmak</i> if you just get rid of your wastes and you're not bothered by your wastes. That's a very happy feeling. That should make you feel good. A person who is <i>bari</i>, when he does <i>teshuvah</i>, he doesn't cry and moan. He's happy. He says, \"I got rid of this bad stuff. I'm a healthy being now. Let's go for it.\" <i>plita, plita</i>, what do you call that? He means excretion, but getting rid of bad things <i>leyadei osher hachomri</i>. Just like going defecating brings you to a physical joy, המזיקה פועלת פעולתה הטובה, you get rid of the physical bad things in you, and that's a good that's a good <i>pe'ulah tovah</i>. I couldn't get the I couldn't find the it's not in <i>sefaria</i>, I don't think Orot HaTeshuvah is on <i>sefaria</i>, so I took this other thing, and you can see I couldn't set it up right, I was rushing this afternoon, I'm sorry, so it just glued, put them all together. המבריאה בגויה כשהיא שלמה בתכונתה. It makes you healthy in your body when you've completed yourself like you're supposed to be. והורקה רוחנית של כל מעשה רע וכל רשומים, similarly, spiritually, when you when you empty out all the spiritual things רעים ומקולקלים הבאים ממנו של כל מחשבה, all your bad thoughts, <i>vera'ah</i>, and your evil thoughts, ושל כל ריחוק מהתוכן האצילי, and the fact that you're distant from the essence and the context of being <i>atzili</i>, being noble, <i>eloki</i>, being spiritually religious בכלל, שהוא יסוד לכל רע, the essence of all evil is losing your princeliness and losing your אלוקי, וכל גסות וכיעור, all of the coarseness and ugliness, <i>muchrachei lavo</i>, you're obligated to come, <i>kshehaorganizm bari</i>, like a healthy organism, מצידו הרוחני והגשמי יחדיו. Your your physical body and your spiritual body should work alike. Just like a good healthy body gets rid of the wastes, your spiritual body should get rid of the wastes. That's <i>teshuvah</i>. <i>teshuvah</i> is and it should make you happy, right? I personally don't have any problems with my stomach, but you know people have problems with their stomachs and they go to the bathroom and it's like, okay, that's it's a big deal. I got it. Like, you know, still a little hard to figure out that <i>gemara</i> over there, what it means exactly, <i>eizehu ashir</i> that you got a bathroom, but I think it might just be Guys quest the same thing, right? Exactly, that's what I was going to say right now. Well, so like I must be just because I have a good stomach, I think, I don't know, like, you know, there must be people who suffer more from this or something, you know? I don't know, I'm open to The <i>gemara</i> in <i>berachot</i> says that the pleasure of the world to come is like having to go to the bathroom? Yeah. Also the idea of getting rid of a burden? You you the the gross it's you get connected to HaKadosh Baruch Hu and you finish out all the physical aspects of who you are. Also you've lived with that then. It says, right, the three things that מרחיבין דעתו של אדם, one of them is <i>tashmish</i>. The first <i>havah amina</i> is תשמיש של בית הכסא. Yeah. נגד כל חלק של כיעור, so similarly, what's <i>teshuvah</i>? <i>teshuvah</i>'s this bigger thing. We're not כשמסתלק מנשמת אדם על ידי הסכמתה הפנימית של אור התשובה. I'm going to do <i>teshuvah</i>. I got to get rid of all my <i>sheker</i> and all my <i>lashon hara</i>. And when you do that, it's <i>geshmak</i>, it gives you pleasure. When you do תשובה, מתגלה עולמות מלאים בבהירות עליונה בקרב נשמתו. It reveals worlds that are filled with clarity that's that's very high in the midst of your <i>neshamah</i>. You have to love <i>teshuvah</i>, it's <i>geshmak</i>. כל עבירה וחטא דומה להסרת דבר החוצץ מעל עין הרואה. Now he makes a difference. It's not like getting rid of excrement. Now it's It's like having what do you call that? Actually had them once, and I forget what they're called now. What do you have when you have these gray things pass in front of your eyes? Cataract? No, but you know what it's called. Floaters? Floaters, right. You have these floaters, right. You have these, I guess it's cataracts. Cataracts would be a permanent floater, right? Cataracts like that. Right, but like so like so he's using, first he uses an <i>alef</i>, the vision of, he's trying to make <i>teshuvah</i> a <i>geshmak</i>, right? So and it's just part of life, like you've got to do it. So, the first one is it's like going to the bathroom, the second one is it's like not being blind, not having cataracts, right? כל עבירה היא דומה להסרת דבר החוצץ מעל עין הרואה. It's like taking away a cataract. <i>ha-ofek</i>, and the horizon, <i>re'iyah shelemah mitgalah</i>, and huge horizons of sight can be seen all around. אוי, שמים וארץ וכל אשר בהם, how can you not love <i>teshuvah</i>? You shouldn't be sitting there shivering over it and being all upset, like: \"Wow, I mean to get such great sight when this is done, it's going to be fantastic.\" And it's not just you. You have to know the whole world is going this way. So, he wants to say just like a child can't stop himself from, this is what Rav Kook says this all the time, a child can't stop himself from growing. As long as he's alive, he's just going to grow from one foot to five feet. Same thing with <i>teshuvah</i>, the world's got to do <i>teshuvah</i>, the world's growing, and it's eventually to get <i>teshuvah</i> down, that's what's going to happen. העולם מוכרח הוא לבוא לידי תשובה שלימה. You know Mashiach is going to come, the world's got to get to <i>teshuvah shelemah</i>. ואין העולם דבר עומד על מצב אחד, the world is not a stationary place, כי אם הולך הוא ומתפתח, it's developing. פיתוחו תמיד ישלים ומוכרח היא להביא לו את הבריאות הגמורה, and the development has to bring us to health, והחומריות והרוחניות, גשמיות ורוחניות. והיא תביא את האור חיי התשובה עמה, and it'll bring the light of <i>teshuvah</i> with it. These are some looks to hopefully make <i>teshuvah</i> not a teeth grinding process of pain, but something that, yeah, we understand why <i>Yom Kippur</i> is לא היו ימים טובים לישראל כמו ט״ו באב and <i>Yom Kippur</i>. So, that's the start of the <i>sugya</i>. Next week we'll go into תשובה תתאה ותשובה עילאה that's made famous by the Arizal and everybody. Trying to think whether we do it with the Zohar to start with, which is a <i>shver Zohar</i>, or just we avoid it and just go through the Arizal and the <i>chasidim</i>, but that's my thoughts for next week, but it'll depend what I feel Thursday afternoon. This this this group is, yeah, not not settled yet. So, just structurally, the <i>gemara</i> in the Zohar is trying to tell us that that <i>teshuvah</i> is essential when we want to reverse Hashem in <i>nedarim</i>, that it's not only essential, but you it's a untainted root that you tap into, and Rav Kook is telling us that it should be enjoyable, essentially, and it's a natural, good feeling process. In this experience And it's natural. It's just it's it's part of the way the world was set up, right. And in this case, whatever you do, it seems like more fundamentally like a <i>rosh hashanah</i> experience, as there's not as much technical work to do, whereas perhaps in <i>aseret yemei teshuvah</i>, you go into the details and do more the fix-ups, or really that could that could be for <i>elul</i>. That that's what Tom was asking before. But definitely <i>rosh hashanah</i> is the big picture, and then <i>yom kippur</i> you have to have some <i>kabalot</i> along the way, that's like yes, Stern says you have to do certain things down here, but and I think the <i>alter</i>, you know, would would tell people that they should make a couple of small <i>kabalot</i>, and then have the big vision of <i>teshuvah</i> all around, because the biggest thing in when you change your mindset, then you change all of who you are. That's the real <i>teshuvah</i>. It's the small <i>kabalot</i> are what almost like a <i>keli</i> to hold the concepts that you For the concepts of the fundamental That could be, but you know, like you said, mindsets make who you are, and that's the <i>teshuvah</i> we want to do. We do <i>teshuvah</i> on the biggest, right, who would say all the time? You can see all the <i>shmuesn</i>, the biggest <i>aveirah</i> is <i>katanut</i>. So, if you do <i>teshuvah</i> on <i>katanut</i>, you're not like you're not you know, like oh no, you're not I was a <i>katan</i> today, I didn't appreciate, I wasn't <i>tzelem Elokim</i> like, you know. Reb Yisroel's <i>kabalot katanot</i>, is that is that a different school? That's Kelm. That's what he's going against. And the seriousness and the, yeah. Who says the biggest <i>aveirah</i> is <i>katanut</i>? The <i>alter</i> of Slabodka all the time. And and this is probably why I guess that there are other prayers that say kind of like repentance. So right, like there's no <i>vidui</i> we could say? It's really, you can say <i>vidui</i> if someone, if a person wants. It's like much bigger picture. But it's a day of <i>teshuvah</i>. It's a day of <i>teshuvah</i>. In other in other words, some people want to say that, oh, the way that what you're doing on <i>rosh hashanah</i> is you don't worry about <i>teshuvah</i>, you just show God that I know what it is to be an <i>eved Hashem</i> and I'm good. But that can't be because it's a day of <i>teshuvah</i>. Right. It's the first day of <i>teshuvah</i>. I mean, that's that's that's really to kick everything off. It's the <i>rosh</i> of <i>teshuvah</i>. And there's no <i>chartah</i> and there's no and there's no talking about sins, there's nothing negative, just. Yeah. Okay. <i>shalom</i>. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sorry. Did you hear? What time? Today at 7:30. Is that a point that a <i>baal teshuvah</i> should do the big things instead of center on the small things? So who goes against that? Based on what source? <i>Kelm</i> goes against it all over, Rabbi Yisrael goes against it. Right, that's what I'm saying. But why? It seems like a <i>baal teshuvah</i> should do the big things and the small things? They want you to be real, they want you to be practical. You have to start from the bottom up, like Mesilat Yesharim. This is the battle, right? The battle is that all <i>avodah</i> should be simply from the bottom up, right? You should deal from the <i>gashmiyut</i> and then change everything up. But from the world of the Zohar, and maybe it's just for people who have the big heads, you see the opening is that, no, grab onto something high and bring it down. Nefesh HaChayim over there with his vision of <i>teshuvah</i>, right, is that you grab up high and you schlep it down. So that's what the Zohar brought in, that's what the <i>chasidim</i> brought in, this aspect of another vision of <i>teshuvah</i>. Okay. Thank you.

[[Category:Transcript]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source

2026-09-08T09:38:29Z

AdamSinger: Created shiur page: Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source — transcribed via Sofer.ai

{{ShiurInfobox
| title = Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source
| original_shiur = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/XTQRWtRcAKLOWneF.m4a Teshuvah Beyond the Ledger (audio)]
| source_sheets = ''No source sheet available''
| related_topics = [[Teshuvah]], [[Elul]], [[Yom Kippur]], [[Kedusha]]
| related_parsha =
| related_holidays =
| full_transcript = [[Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source/Transcript|Full Transcript (Sofer.ai)]]
| step4_message = Teshuvah is not mere sin-correction but a joyful, ongoing return to Hashem and to our primordial tzelem Elokim, expanding from Elul through Yom Kippur to elevate our entire life beyond the ledger.
}}

= Teshuvah: Beyond the Ledger — Returning to the Source =

'''Shiur Date:''' Date not specified<br/>
'''Speaker:''' Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld<br/>
'''Series:''' Vaad — Teshuvah, Elul and Yom Kippur<br/>

== One-Line Step Four ==

Moving past the checklist of azivah–charatah–kabalah–viduy, real teshuvah aims at 'Shuva Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha'—restoring closeness to God and our deepest self; created before the world, it calls us in Elul and Yom Kippur to cleanse blockages, rejoice in renewed purity, and pursue higher kedusha.

== Summary ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

The shiur reframes teshuvah from a narrow ledger of wrongs into a sweeping, life-expanding return. While the Rambam’s steps remain essential, they are only the entryway. Drawing on the Piaseczner Rebbe’s Aish Kodesh—spoken in the Warsaw Ghetto on Shabbat Shuvah—the call is to hear ‘Shuva Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha’ as an invitation to return all the way to God, not merely to patch isolated failures. Sin is a symptom that reveals distance; the goal is renewed closeness, vitality, and aspiration. The Piaseczner’s daring language about a ‘divine teshuvah’ models for us an exalted orientation: we, too, can choose elevation and reconnection even amid darkness. This larger vision is especially crucial for baalei teshuvah, guiding them beyond guilt into uplift, courage, and expanded spiritual identity.

Following the Maharal, teshuvah is a pre-creation foundation—‘teshuvah kadmah la’olam’—built into reality so that all existence can realign with its Source. Teshuvah means returning to our beginning, to the clarity of tzelem Elokim, and therefore it applies even when no discrete sin was done. Feeling low, dulled, or blocked is itself a summons to return. The ‘ledger’ work removes blemishes, but the essence is ontological: reclaiming who we truly are. The shiur gestures to the Zohar’s strata of teshuvah—tata’ah and ila’ah—as a map from fixing particulars to ascending toward intimacy with Hashem. Thus, halachic viduy is not the endpoint; it is the doorway into a dynamic, expansive movement upward, a project of becoming more whole, radiant, and God-connected.

Practically, the avodah of Elul and Yom Kippur is to transform correction into elevation. Teshuvah should be experienced with simchah, like washing away grime or removing something that blocks our sight: relief, clarity, and renewed energy. The world itself ‘demands’ complete teshuvah, pressing us to grow beyond minimal repair. Debates about big versus small sins miss the point; the central question is whether we are returning all the way ‘ad Hashem Elokecha.’ This means pairing honest viduy with higher commitments in kedushah and taharah, stretching our aspirations, and making daily, concrete steps that express our deepest identity. Inspired by the Piaseczner’s courage in the Ghetto, we learn that even within constriction we can choose a grand teshuvah: not just amnesty from failure, but a re-attunement to our origin, purpose, and boundless capacity for closeness.

== מאמרי מקומות (Sources Cited) ==

The following sources are cited or discussed in this shiur. Click the links to view the original texts online.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew Name !! Type !! Description
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar Zohar (Parashat Naso) זוהר פרשת נשא] || זוהר || Midrash || Zohar on teshuvah ila'ah and teshuvah tata'ah.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Aish_Kodesh Aish Kodesh אש קודש] || אש קודש || Acharon || Piaseczner’s Shabbat Shuvah derashah in the Warsaw Ghetto.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Hosea.14.2 Hosea 14:2 הושע יד:ב] || הושע || Tanach || Call to return to Hashem; haftarah of Shabbat Shuvah.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus_Rabbah Exodus Rabbah שמות רבה] || מדרש רבה שמות (משפטים) || Midrash || Midrash that Hashem fulfills the Torah.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Rosh_Hashanah Jerusalem Talmud Rosh Hashanah תלמוד ירושלמי ראש השנה] || ירושלמי ראש השנה || Gemara || Yerushalmi cited about Hashem ‘keeping’ the Torah.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.32.14 Exodus 32:14 שמות לב:יד] || שמות || Tanach || “Vayinahem Hashem” after the Golden Calf.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.90.13 Psalms 90:13 תהלים צ:יג] || תהלים || Tanach || “Return, Hashem; how long?”
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.90.14 Psalms 90:14 תהלים צ:יד] || תהלים || Tanach || “Satisfy us in the morning with Your kindness.”
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=berachos&daf=17a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Berachos 17a תלמוד בבלי ברכות יז א] || ברכות || Gemara || “Olamcha tireh bechayecha... Tikvatecha le’dor dorot.”
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=pesachim&daf=54a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Pesachim 54a תלמוד בבלי פסחים נד א] || פסחים || Gemara || Seven things created before the world, including teshuvah.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=nedarim&daf=39a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Nedarim 39a תלמוד בבלי נדרים לט א] || נדרים || Gemara || Also lists seven things created before the world.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=avodah&daf=4b&go=Go Talmud Bavli Avodah Zarah 4b תלמוד בבלי עבודה זרה ד ב] || עבודה זרה || Gemara || Golden Calf to give ‘opening’ to baalei teshuvah.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Netivot_Olam,_Netiv_HaTeshuvah.4 Maharal, Netivot Olam – Netiv HaTeshuvah, ch. 4 מהר"ל נתיבות עולם, נתיב התשובה ד] || נתיבות עולם, נתיב התשובה || Acharon || Teshuvah precedes creation; foundational, not contingent on sin.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Job.15.15 Job 15:15 איוב טו:טו] || איוב || Tanach || “Even the heavens are not pure in His eyes.”
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.2.10 Pirkei Avot 2:10 פרקי אבות ב:י] || פרקי אבות || Other || “Repent one day before your death.”
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.18.33 Genesis 18:33 בראשית יח:לג] || בראשית || Tanach || “And Abraham returned to his place.”
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.19.27 Genesis 19:27 בראשית יט:כז] || בראשית || Tanach || “To the place where he had stood before Hashem.”
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.19.28 Genesis 19:28 בראשית יט:כח] || בראשית || Tanach || Abraham sees the smoke rising from Sodom.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.19.29 Genesis 19:29 בראשית יט:כט] || בראשית || Tanach || “God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out.”
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Orot_HaTeshuvah Orot HaTeshuvah אורות התשובה] || אורות התשובה || Acharon || Rav Kook: Teshuvah as expression of a healthy soul.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=shabbos&daf=30a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Shabbos 30a תלמוד בבלי שבת ל א] || שבת || Gemara || Aggadic teachings referenced in Rav Kook’s discussion.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=shabbos&daf=31a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Shabbos 31a תלמוד בבלי שבת לא א] || שבת || Gemara || Continuation of aggados cited about happiness and wealth.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar Zohar זוהר] || זוהר || Midrash || Zohar likens baalei teshuvah’s ascent to a slingshot.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar Zohar (on Bereishit/Bereshit) זוהר על בראשית] || זוהר || Midrash || Why Torah begins with bet; man’s mission to actualize.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah,_Repentance Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah משנה תורה, הלכות תשובה] || משנה תורה, הלכות תשובה || Halacha || Rambam’s framework of teshuvah (vidui, azivah, charatah, kabbalah).
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Da%27at_Tevunot Da'at Tevunot דעת תבונות] || דעת תבונות || Acharon || Ramchal on Divine conduct and revelation of unity.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Mesilat_Yesharim Mesilat Yesharim מסילת ישרים] || מסילת ישרים || Acharon || Ramchal’s ethical classic written after controversies.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Derech_Hashem Derech Hashem דרך ה׳] || דרך ה׳ || Acharon || Ramchal’s systematic presentation of Jewish thought.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Pri_Tzadik Pri Tzadik פרי צדיק (Vayera)] || פרי צדיק || Acharon || Pri Tzadik on Vayera, Avraham’s tefillah and its effects.
|}

== Audio ==

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/XTQRWtRcAKLOWneF.m4a Teshuvah Beyond the Ledger (audio)]

[[Category:Shiur]]
[[Category:Topic - Teshuvah]]
[[Category:Topic - Elul]]
[[Category:Topic - Yom Kippur]]
[[Category:Topic - Kedusha]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

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2026-09-05T21:09:19Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-09-05

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* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

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===Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech===
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'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 61:10-63:9
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| Erev Yom Kippur — Eve of Yom Kippur || September 20, 2026
|-
| Yom Kippur — Day of Atonement — holiest day of the year || September 21, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Main Page

2026-08-22T21:03:13Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-08-22

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
</div>

{| class="step4-home-grid" style="width:100%; border:0; padding:0; background:transparent;"
|-
| style="width:55%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' July 23, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Ki Tavo===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">16 Elul 5786 · August 29, 2026 · Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8</div>

The first-fruits ceremony and the declaration of tithes. The covenant on Har Gerizim and Har Eival. A detailed tochacha (rebuke) describing the consequences of abandoning the Torah.

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 60:1-22
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Ki%20Tavo Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Leil Selichot — Night of Selichot — penitential prayers begin || September 5, 2026
|-
| Erev Rosh Hashana — Eve of Rosh Hashana || September 11, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana 5787 — Jewish New Year (5787) || September 12, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana II — Second day of Rosh Hashana || September 13, 2026
|-
| Tzom Gedaliah || September 14, 2026
|-
| Erev Yom Kippur — Eve of Yom Kippur || September 20, 2026
|-
| Yom Kippur — Day of Atonement — holiest day of the year || September 21, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Main Page

2026-08-15T21:04:05Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-08-15

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
</div>

{| class="step4-home-grid" style="width:100%; border:0; padding:0; background:transparent;"
|-
| style="width:55%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' July 23, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Ki Teitzei===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">9 Elul 5786 · August 22, 2026 · Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19</div>

The most mitzvot of any single parsha — 74 commandments. Topics include: the beautiful captive, the firstborn's inheritance, the rebellious son, returning lost objects, the rooftop fence, forbidden mixtures, and the obligation to remember Amalek.

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 54:1-10
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Ki%20Teitzei Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Leil Selichot — Night of Selichot — penitential prayers begin || September 5, 2026
|-
| Erev Rosh Hashana — Eve of Rosh Hashana || September 11, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana 5787 — Jewish New Year (5787) || September 12, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana II — Second day of Rosh Hashana || September 13, 2026
|-
| Tzom Gedaliah || September 14, 2026
|-
| Erev Yom Kippur — Eve of Yom Kippur || September 20, 2026
|-
| Yom Kippur — Day of Atonement — holiest day of the year || September 21, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Main Page

2026-08-08T21:02:39Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-08-08

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
</div>

{| class="step4-home-grid" style="width:100%; border:0; padding:0; background:transparent;"
|-
| style="width:55%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' July 23, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Shoftim===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">2 Elul 5786 · August 15, 2026 · Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9</div>

Laws of judges and officers, kings, Kohanim, and Levites. The cities of refuge. Laws of war — including the exemptions from battle. The eglah arufah (broken-necked heifer) for an unsolved murder.

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 51:12-52:12
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Shoftim Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Rosh Hashana LaBehemot — New Year for Animals || August 14, 2026
|-
| Leil Selichot — Night of Selichot — penitential prayers begin || September 5, 2026
|-
| Erev Rosh Hashana — Eve of Rosh Hashana || September 11, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana 5787 — Jewish New Year (5787) || September 12, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana II — Second day of Rosh Hashana || September 13, 2026
|-
| Tzom Gedaliah || September 14, 2026
|-
| Erev Yom Kippur — Eve of Yom Kippur || September 20, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Main Page

2026-08-01T21:02:40Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-08-01

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
</div>

{| class="step4-home-grid" style="width:100%; border:0; padding:0; background:transparent;"
|-
| style="width:55%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' July 23, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Re’eh===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">25 Av 5786 · August 8, 2026 · Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17</div>

''Summary for Re’eh coming soon.''

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 54:11-55:5
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Re’eh Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Rosh Hashana LaBehemot — New Year for Animals || August 14, 2026
|-
| Leil Selichot — Night of Selichot — penitential prayers begin || September 5, 2026
|-
| Erev Rosh Hashana — Eve of Rosh Hashana || September 11, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana 5787 — Jewish New Year (5787) || September 12, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana II — Second day of Rosh Hashana || September 13, 2026
|-
| Tzom Gedaliah || September 14, 2026
|-
| Erev Yom Kippur — Eve of Yom Kippur || September 20, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Main Page

2026-07-25T21:10:32Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-07-25

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
</div>

{| class="step4-home-grid" style="width:100%; border:0; padding:0; background:transparent;"
|-
| style="width:55%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' July 23, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Eikev===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">18 Av 5786 · August 1, 2026 · Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25</div>

Moshe promises reward for observing the commandments. He reviews the forty years in the desert, the sin of the Golden Calf, and the second tablets. The third paragraph of the Shema. 'What does Hashem ask of you?'

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 49:14-51:3
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Eikev Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Tu B’Av || July 29, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana LaBehemot — New Year for Animals || August 14, 2026
|-
| Leil Selichot — Night of Selichot — penitential prayers begin || September 5, 2026
|-
| Erev Rosh Hashana — Eve of Rosh Hashana || September 11, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana 5787 — Jewish New Year (5787) || September 12, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana II — Second day of Rosh Hashana || September 13, 2026
|-
| Tzom Gedaliah || September 14, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Main Page

2026-07-25T21:09:31Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha, holidays, featured article for week of 2026-07-25

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
</div>

{| class="step4-home-grid" style="width:100%; border:0; padding:0; background:transparent;"
|-
| style="width:55%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' July 23, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

===Parashat Eikev===
<div style="color:#555; font-size:0.9em; margin-top:-8px; margin-bottom:8px;">18 Av 5786 · August 1, 2026 · </div>

Moshe promises reward for observing the commandments. He reviews the forty years in the desert, the sin of the Golden Calf, and the second tablets. The third paragraph of the Shema. 'What does Hashem ask of you?'

<div style="margin-top:8px; font-size:0.92em;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):'''
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:8px;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/search#query=Eikev Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c5c7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:0.9em;"
! Holiday !! Date
|-
| Tu B’Av || July 29, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana LaBehemot — New Year for Animals || August 14, 2026
|-
| Leil Selichot — Night of Selichot — penitential prayers begin || September 5, 2026
|-
| Erev Rosh Hashana — Eve of Rosh Hashana || September 11, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana 5787 — Jewish New Year (5787) || September 12, 2026
|-
| Rosh Hashana II — Second day of Rosh Hashana || September 13, 2026
|-
| Tzom Gedaliah || September 14, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:4px;">All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Tisha B'Av

2026-07-23T17:08:18Z

AdamSinger: Fix table row separator formatting

'''Tisha B'Av''' (תשעה באב, “the Ninth of Av” 9 Av ) is an annual Jewish fast and day of mourning. It commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Batei Mikdash in Jerusalem and the exile and national tragedies associated with that loss. The fast begins at sunset on 8 Av and concludes after nightfall on 9 Av; when 9 Av falls on Shabbat, the fast is postponed. The day is marked by fasting, the reading of ''Eicha'' and ''kinot'', and other practices of mourning.

== Dates and times ==

For the yearly Hebrew and Gregorian dates, see [https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/tisha-bav Hebcal’s Tish’a B’Av calendar]. Because the fast’s beginning and ending times vary by location, use [https://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim_cdo/aid/143790/jewish/Zmanim-Halachic-Times.htm Chabad’s location-based halachic times (zmanim)] for exact local times.

== Step 4 classes ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Article !! Focus
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Bilbul to Chassidus — Reframing Aveilus]]
| Reframes ''aveilus'' as a disruption that can reset our ''daas'': moving beyond self-focus toward Hashem’s honor, responsibility for Klal Yisrael, and longing for Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash.
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Humiliation to Churban — Kamtza and Bar Kamtza]]
| Studies the Kamtza and Bar Kamtza narrative and its chain of humiliation, silence, and inflexible leadership, calling for foresight, moral courage, communal unity, and practical responsibility.
|-
| [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?]]
| Explores how the fiery opposition of Torah debate can become אהבה בסופה: through חבורה, rigorous truth-seeking, Maharal’s unity of שכל, and Rav Yisrael Salanter’s demand for לשמה and mussar.
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]
| Explores the Midrash of Mashiach's birth at the moment of the Churban, and how Tisha B'Av calls us to break old patterns, ascend ''me'chayil el chayil'', and move toward the third Beis HaMikdash.
|}
Each article includes a concise summary, the shiur’s sources, and a link to the full transcript.

[[Category:Topic Hub]]
[[Category:Topic - Tisha B'Av]]

Tisha B'Av

2026-07-23T17:07:57Z

AdamSinger: Fix table formatting for new shiur row

'''Tisha B'Av''' (תשעה באב, “the Ninth of Av” 9 Av ) is an annual Jewish fast and day of mourning. It commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Batei Mikdash in Jerusalem and the exile and national tragedies associated with that loss. The fast begins at sunset on 8 Av and concludes after nightfall on 9 Av; when 9 Av falls on Shabbat, the fast is postponed. The day is marked by fasting, the reading of ''Eicha'' and ''kinot'', and other practices of mourning.

== Dates and times ==

For the yearly Hebrew and Gregorian dates, see [https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/tisha-bav Hebcal’s Tish’a B’Av calendar]. Because the fast’s beginning and ending times vary by location, use [https://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim_cdo/aid/143790/jewish/Zmanim-Halachic-Times.htm Chabad’s location-based halachic times (zmanim)] for exact local times.

== Step 4 classes ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Article !! Focus
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Bilbul to Chassidus — Reframing Aveilus]]
| Reframes ''aveilus'' as a disruption that can reset our ''daas'': moving beyond self-focus toward Hashem’s honor, responsibility for Klal Yisrael, and longing for Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash.
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Humiliation to Churban — Kamtza and Bar Kamtza]]
| Studies the Kamtza and Bar Kamtza narrative and its chain of humiliation, silence, and inflexible leadership, calling for foresight, moral courage, communal unity, and practical responsibility.
|-
| [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?]]
| Explores how the fiery opposition of Torah debate can become אהבה בסופה: through חבורה, rigorous truth-seeking, Maharal’s unity of שכל, and Rav Yisrael Salanter’s demand for לשמה and mussar.
||-
| [[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]
| Explores the Midrash of Mashiach's birth at the moment of the Churban, and how Tisha B'Av calls us to break old patterns, ascend ''me'chayil el chayil'', and move toward the third Beis HaMikdash.
|}
Each article includes a concise summary, the shiur’s sources, and a link to the full transcript.

[[Category:Topic Hub]]
[[Category:Topic - Tisha B'Av]]

Tisha B'Av

2026-07-23T17:07:16Z

AdamSinger: Add link to Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha shiur

'''Tisha B'Av''' (תשעה באב, “the Ninth of Av” 9 Av ) is an annual Jewish fast and day of mourning. It commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Batei Mikdash in Jerusalem and the exile and national tragedies associated with that loss. The fast begins at sunset on 8 Av and concludes after nightfall on 9 Av; when 9 Av falls on Shabbat, the fast is postponed. The day is marked by fasting, the reading of ''Eicha'' and ''kinot'', and other practices of mourning.

== Dates and times ==

For the yearly Hebrew and Gregorian dates, see [https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/tisha-bav Hebcal’s Tish’a B’Av calendar]. Because the fast’s beginning and ending times vary by location, use [https://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim_cdo/aid/143790/jewish/Zmanim-Halachic-Times.htm Chabad’s location-based halachic times (zmanim)] for exact local times.

== Step 4 classes ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Article !! Focus
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Bilbul to Chassidus — Reframing Aveilus]]
| Reframes ''aveilus'' as a disruption that can reset our ''daas'': moving beyond self-focus toward Hashem’s honor, responsibility for Klal Yisrael, and longing for Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash.
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Humiliation to Churban — Kamtza and Bar Kamtza]]
| Studies the Kamtza and Bar Kamtza narrative and its chain of humiliation, silence, and inflexible leadership, calling for foresight, moral courage, communal unity, and practical responsibility.
|-
| [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?]]
| Explores how the fiery opposition of Torah debate can become אהבה בסופה: through חבורה, rigorous truth-seeking, Maharal’s unity of שכל, and Rav Yisrael Salanter’s demand for לשמה and mussar.
|}

|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha]]
| Explores the Midrash of Mashiach's birth at the moment of the Churban, and how Tisha B'Av calls us to break old patterns, ascend ''me'chayil el chayil'', and move toward the third Beis HaMikdash.
|}
Each article includes a concise summary, the shiur’s sources, and a link to the full transcript.

[[Category:Topic Hub]]
[[Category:Topic - Tisha B'Av]]

Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha/Transcript Part 2

2026-07-23T16:16:42Z

AdamSinger: Created transcript for Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha Part 2

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'''Audio:''' [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/JJzoEPnkJEAXeUOu.mp3 Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha – Part 2 (July 23, 2026)]

== Full Transcript ==

It's no really like I got this thing. Right. And I think I don't know I think I heard here Moshe I wanted to ask Moshe or Dovid when they get this <i>shleimus</i>. Where was it? Just in Darwin like the the the time when they get this <i>shleimus</i> to you don't know there's no <i>shleimus</i> here. So then there's another one. That's what the <i>Rav</i> says is the only way to <i>brachos</i>. תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם <i>v'chayil el chayil</i> and <i>ein lahem menucha</i> <i>lo ba'olam hazeh</i> <i>v'lo ba'olam haba</i>. There’s no <i>menucha</i>. There are levels of <i>shleimus</i> to the point. The <i>Alter Rebbe</i> says it's like you have a little a little a little <i>lachmanyah</i> that's <i>shaleim</i> and then you're thick and then you have a <i>lachmanyah</i> that's <i>shaleim</i> but it's made of unrefined bread it's made of better so there's many levels of <i>shleimus</i>. Like the end goal is the end goal of <i>bracha hashleima</i> is that one of the <i>shaleims</i>? I always thought <i>shalom</i> is the end goal. That's really but there's many levels of <i>shleimus</i>. It's like a loaf of bread. So saying so there isn't there isn't a <i>bracha</i> to <i>Kadosh Baruch Hu</i> is <i>Kadosh Baruch Hu</i> is infinite so we can't do it. No, I'm saying also for us for people. Yes, but <i>talmidei chachamim</i> <i>ein lahem menucha</i> <i>lo ba'olam hazeh</i> <i>v'lo ba'olam haba</i> וילכו מחיל אל חיל. Where <i>Rav</i> says is to see that right you got it. In <i>olam haba</i> there's not going to be completion, not going to be <i>shleimus</i>, you're going to keep but you better get used to working hard. Cause the <i>talmidei chachamim</i> so it's a <i>ba'alei batim</i> they they they have <i>shleimus</i> in something else. Ready ready. I’m not sure if people join where they can join so easily but we'll try it but we gotta set up the whole <i>hashkafa</i> of the <i>Gemara</i> first. But what Bobby's talking about adding and I think one of the things I wanted to add onto it which Moshe said so nicely was this aspect of going as an example in a world of seven which is a completion of the physical world and then going to a world of eight and going to a world of ten. Is that adding or are we breaking? We break the seven to get to eight. So so when we break seven which is an entirely new going entirely new structure we're not we're not adding on to what existed already we're breaking seven creating a new thing of eight, breaking that, creating a new thing of ten. It's not adding on simply to. It's not a <i>binyan</i>. You're going you're going to see breaking the first <i>Beis Hamikdash</i>, <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> bursts to the higher level second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i>, breaking the second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> to the higher level third <i>Beis Hamikdash</i>. So keep on going אמר מנחם בחזקיה שמו and you have to take them back you have to you got it. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So he said. So he wanted to know what's the name of <i>Melech Hamashiach</i>, right? So he said obviously if they've broken the temple now there's a new <i>middah</i>, new attribute they have to relate to in the world. What's the attribute they have to relate to? So he said the answer could be <i>Menachem</i>. <i>Menachem</i>, <i>Rashi</i> says means you think about things from a different direction, you think from a different way. And <i>Chizkiya</i> is you have to have great strength. So you have to break through the false weak <i>hava amina</i> of the beginning to get to a deeper understanding of truth. אמר מנחם בחזקיה שמו that's what it says in the <i>Midrash</i>. <i>Peirush</i>. שכל מי שבכח הוא דבר אחד if someone is strong about something <i>mitzapeh l'tova u'teshua</i> נקרא שיש לו נחמה that's what's got <i>nechama</i>. How you're going to be able to help make another person complete? You walk up to a person he's befuddled. So he's weak. Being befuddled, being in <i>aveilus</i> means you're weak. So you have to walk up and the basic thing you have to do is you have to give the person strength to move past his befuddlement, move past his pain to get somewhere. So the root is you have to be strong. It's not easy to help people grow, it's not easy to pick up a new paradigm after you've broken the old paradigm. That's what goes for <i>Mashiach</i> שנחמתו בגלות נקרא מנחם. Therefore it's called <i>Menachem</i>. הוא תנחומים של ישראל בגלותם. He makes them think about, oh, I lost the second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> but the third <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> is going to be better. It's hard to think that way and get to a whole new level of completion like like <i>Noach</i> said to go from the world of completion of seven to the world of completion of eight to the world of completion of ten. נותן חיזוק וכח לאשר מקבל תנחומים because the essence of what you're trying to do with <i>nechama</i> is a person's weak when he's in <i>aveilus</i>, a person's weak when he's confused, a person's weak when he's broken. The essence you're trying to give him is strength to build and grow and develop and therefore the essence <i>inyana</i> is <i>chizuk</i> and the aspect is <i>nechama</i>. Because <i>avel chalash</i>, a person who's just lost a loved one, a person who's lost the <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> feels weak <i>mitzad atzmo</i>. תנחומים שיש לו מקום אחר מחזיקם אותו. He needs strength from somebody else to get there. so for the essential name of <i>Mashiach</i> is you got to give strength to people. They've lost they had a vision of completion in seven, they got there and it was broken and now they feel they can't go any further. כך כמה שהוא בן חזקיה. That's why we call the <i>Mashiach</i> the son of strength. וכן אמרו בפרק חלק מנחם בן חזקיה שמו. The <i>Midrash</i> says the same as the <i>Gemara</i> in <i>Sanhedrin</i> that <i>Menachem</i> the son of strength, that's his name. <i>Shene'emar</i> כי רחק ממני מנחם. That's far from me someone to give me comfort. <i>Meshiv Nafshi</i> to turn my soul. ואין ספק כי משיב נפש a person who returns a <i>Nefesh</i> הוא מחזיק אחר מחלשותו. You make him strong after he's weak. לפיכך נקרא המשיח מנחם בן חזקיה. That's what we're looking for. We have to see what the reality is from a world of seven to a world of eight to a world of ten. And it takes strength to get a person to do that. That's why academics lack the strength and <i>Ma'aseh</i> 7, 8 and 10 don't help very much. And people who are strong but don't have brilliance can't help very much. ודבר זה מורה כי משיח הוא נבדל מישראל. <i>Mashiach</i> has to come outside of <i>Klal Yisrael</i>. כי נחמה הוא מצד זולתו. You have to think about things from a new way. That's going to be <i>Moshe Rabbeinu</i> growing up in <i>Paroh's</i> palace. That's going to be <i>Mashiach</i> growing up, like it says in the <i>Midrash</i>, in the palace of the Arabs אשר הוא נבדל מהם. וכך משיח אינו מכלל ישראל רק ממעלה יותר עליונה ונבדל מישראל he's separate from them. לפיכך נקרא משיח מנחם. He's to make them think about things from a different perspective. The old perspective of seven's not going to work, the old perspective of <i>Beit Hamikdash</i> is not going to work. This is what I always, <i>Rav Moshe Shapiro</i>, <i>Rav Moshe</i> somehow either because he's an <i>Iluy</i> people always brought him the big things or <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> knew his <i>Ne'emanuto</i> as a door so he had great things. So it says one day <i>Rav Dessler</i> who was the <i>Mashgiach</i> at <i>Ponevezh</i> in 1949 and <i>Rav Moshe</i> was like 15 years old and <i>Rav Yechezkel Levenstein</i> who was at that time the <i>Mashgiach</i> in the <i>Mir</i> came to <i>Daven</i> at <i>Ponevezh</i>. So <i>Rav Yechezkel</i> wanted to walk <i>Rav Dessler</i> back to his house. So <i>Rav Moshe</i> traveled along behind him. And <i>Rav Yechezkel Levenstein</i> gave <i>Mussar</i>, very very harsh <i>Mussar</i> to <i>Rav Dessler</i> the whole way. That <i>Rav Dessler</i> was talking about big ideas and broad and deep ideas and not doing like <i>Kelm</i> where you work on a small <i>Nekudah</i> and try and change that little <i>Nekudah</i>. And he's talking about what the Holocaust meant and what the post-war meant. And <i>Rav Moshe</i> said that he saw <i>Rav Dessler</i> sitting like a little 17-year-old <i>Yeshiva Bachur</i> listening to <i>Rav Yechezkel Levenstein</i> give him <i>Mussar</i>. And after about 10 minutes of <i>Mussar</i>, <i>Rav Dessler</i> stopped him and said, I agree what I'm telling you is not the <i>Mesorah</i> we had from <i>Kelm</i>. He says, but you have to realize it's a totally different world than we had at <i>Kelm</i>. For everybody's weak, there's a new world after the Holocaust and everybody's weak from the Holocaust and we have to start building over again new foundations, new ideas and therefore I'm teaching a complete different way because it's a complete different generation. He says, do you think that <i>Noach</i> taught <i>Torah</i> before the <i>Mabul</i> and after the <i>Mabul</i> the same way? Of course he didn't. He had to teach <i>Torah</i> differently in a different way because he had to get people to look at the world in a different way. And that's what this <i>Maharal</i> is saying of <i>Menachem</i> is always look at something from a different way. You have to change what you're doing, you have to make it stronger and heavier. And that's what he tried to do. Okay we're good. Yeah. Okay now, so where is, so the Jew asked the Arab, well where is <i>Mashiach</i>? If he's born, where is he? And he said, he's in a palace. He's in an Arabic palace, in a non-Jew's palace in a Jewish land called <i>Beit Lechem</i>. What's that mean? <i>Maharal</i>. <i>V'omer heichan shari</i>? Again, he understood this was not just asking social questions but this would tell us how to bring about <i>Mashiach</i>. <i>B'biras Arva</i>. He was in a palace, an Arabic palace. כך גירסא בספרים שלנו, probably <i>shelanu d'charti</i>, but I don't know what the other <i>girsa</i> in the <i>sfarim</i> are. I looked, I looked in the <i>Medrash Rabbah</i>, in the <i>Amgeir Medrash Rabbah</i> says the source so it just brings <i>Biras Arva</i>. But if the <i>Maharal</i> says כך גירסא בספרים שלנו, must be there's another interesting <i>girsa</i> someplace else, I don't know where it is. כבר בארנו למעלה כי כל הדברים האלה בלתי גשמי. I told you, we're not, this is not describing that there's actually a physical address in <i>Beis Lechem</i> that you should go visit. רק הכל מחייב סדר שכלי. What's being explained here is the intellectual organization שהמשיח הוא בבירת ערב. If you want to know what the intellectual aspect of <i>Mashiach's</i> doing, the <i>Mashiach</i> is in the very best place of Arabic thought and showing that from there is where growth will develop. And exactly from all the wrong ideas that we brought up there, that's where we're going to get strong from. רצה לומר שיש לו צירוף וקישור לשם. The <i>Mashiach</i> is not going to be learning in <i>Meah Shearim</i>. He's going to be learning in some place that's dealing with what the <i>yeitzer hara</i> is and how the world thinks the world is going improperly. ודבר זה ענין מופלא. The fact that the <i>Mashiach</i> is living in Arabic territory, כעין ראוי שיהיה אצל ישראל. He shouldn't be by <i>Klal Yisrael</i>. What he has to really do is figure out the <i>yeitzer hara</i>, he has to really figure out what's wrong in the world and then fix it up. שקודם גאולה אין העולם במדרגת משיח. ודבר זה מדבר קודם גאולה. Before redemption, <i>Klal Yisrael's</i> not complete. ודבר זה עצמו שגדל משה בבית פרעה. That's the same idea that why did <i>Moshe Rabbeinu</i> have to grow up in <i>Paroh's</i> house? That he had to see the power of <i>Paroh</i>, the <i>eizeh</i> of <i>Paroh</i>. אין חבוש מתיר עצמו מבית האסורים. דף כה עמוד ב ברכות. A person who is in prison can't free himself from prison. You have to be from outside. So the leader has to be outside of <i>Klal Yisrael</i> so he can see how to free them. ודבר זה עצמו שגדל משה בבית פרעה, <i>v'lo b'veis aviv</i>. He had to learn how weak Egypt was to figure out how to save <i>Klal Yisrael</i>. וזה כי בודאי חטא מצרים ותועבות היה גורם שיפקיד השם יתברך על חטאתם. Definitely it's the sin of the Egyptians that was so disgusting, that's what caused <i>Klal Yisrael</i> to be redeemed. <i>U'moshe m'forash bakasuv</i>. מכות מצרים ועצמו נפרע מהם המצרים הם מגדלים הגואל אשר על ידי גואל יהיה השם יתברך נפרע מהם. That by the redemption they would be saved. לכך היה גדל משה בבית פרעה. Similarly, <i>Mashiach</i> is going to have to grow up in the evil of the Arabic world and learn what's evil about the Arabic world where we're going to go for it. Right, that again we said that the <i>Maharal</i> brings in the <i>perek</i> before this that there's two <i>man d'amars</i> in the <i>Gemara</i>. One <i>man d'amar</i> is the <i>Mashiach</i> lives among the Romans, <i>Edom</i>. That comes from the world of <i>din</i>. <i>Esav</i> lives by the sword. The Romans live by conquering, they they control everything. The Arabs, they come from the word <i>orev</i>. They come from the word sweetness, they live for things that are sweet. They're the world of <i>taiva</i>. <i>Yishmael</i> had twelve children. <i>Esav</i> didn't have twelve children. <i>Yishmael</i> had lots of children, he had harems, he had many wives. <i>Yishmael</i> stands for <i>taiva</i>. And therefore this <i>Medrash</i> is holding according to the <i>man d'amar</i> that we're going to have to grow up, the <i>Mashiach</i> will have to grow up in a world of <i>taiva</i>, a world of <i>Aravia</i>, of the root word <i>erev</i>, sweet, is the word <i>ayin reish beis</i>, <i>eir</i>. They live for things that awaken them, they live for things that excite them. And figure out how to break through that blockage and bring meaning there. That's what's going to be. <i>V'kach Arvi'im eitzel</i>... וכך הרב מדבר על מלך המשיח קיום הזאת לגאולה הקצה. It gets to the extremes. You have to get to the very extreme of an idea to see its weakness. So the people that are most hedonistic are the sons of <i>Yishmael</i>, the sons of <i>Arav</i>, and the people who live for sweetness. Now I don't even know actually in Saudi Arabia if they still have a harem or no, I didn't actually want to Google this, I was thinking about this. Does the king of Saudi Arabia somehow have a bunch of wives or no? Sure. Yes? Yeah? I don't know, I'll ask Ben Shapiro. No, but you can't see them, they're all in the way, I think. <i>Mizad echad</i>, <i>mizad sheni</i>, this is <i>na na</i>, trying to make <i>leitzanut</i>, but a lot of these things talking about trying to look at wrong ideas and from the wrong ideas come the right ideas and hedonism and all of these other kinds of things, the sort of people and today <i>bizman hazeh</i>, this would be like a college campus. That's where it all came from, that's of course the <i>teshuva</i> 100%. All the <i>ba'alei teshuva</i> you taste a little bit of the taste of <i>Mashiach</i> inside. Why does this point that <i>hakatzah</i>, why <i>haMashiach</i> comes? מצד הקצה יש לו סתם ונמשך מלכות משיח אשר באותו נמשך אחר כך תפס סוף של אותה אומה. You get the end of something and you see how it can't exist. When people are balanced, you think, oh, this balancing works differently, but when a person has a <i>shita</i>, I think the key of life is just let's call a spade a spade, I just want to live for <i>taiva</i>. When you see that, you see that you can't exist with just <i>taiva</i>. When you see the world's just for—why does the <i>Mashiach</i> of <i>Am Yisrael</i> need to come from the <i>kitziyunut</i> of the—because of the <i>yetzer</i>. That—they're controlling us, they're just an expression of our <i>yetzer hara</i>. They're the extreme of what's—in other words, a guy living in <i>Mea Shearim</i> is still affected by MSNBC news and whatever's going on in Tel Aviv. So you have to really understand it, if you just know a little bit of it, you don't really understand what the problem is. You have to see the <i>shita</i> worked out completely and then you know how to respond to it. When the <i>hakatzah</i> gets to—gets to the end, it's clear what's going on over there. When people are balanced, you don't see completely what's going on. So he's living probably in this Arab palace and he's also a proper Jew. Unlike the false <i>Mashiach</i>, <i>Shabbetai Tzvi</i>, right? He went about like that, all these <i>Kedushas Levi</i>'s written for the idea you just said, to make sure you have this right. כבר בארנו זה בדברינו השם, explained <i>bederush Hashem</i> why <i>Moshe</i> had to grow up there, he had to understand the <i>shita</i> deeply and then he can see what the <i>shita</i> is wrong and that there's no roots to it. עין שם ותמצא לבאר ביותר, you'll see there explained more completely why you have to see the complete development of an idea then you can argue on it. לכך אמר כאן כי דירתו בבירה ערבא. Therefore he's got to be in a castle of <i>Arav</i>, it's got to be the best of <i>Arav</i>. כמו שהיה משה רבנו עליו השלום בדור פלטין של פרעה כי המשיח הוא דבק בתואר אותו אומה. That's the key idea, because the <i>Mashiach</i> cleaves to understand the lap of the nation. I understand what your Achilles' heel is, right? We understand that <i>Yaakov</i> comes from the word—he grabbed onto <i>Esav</i>'s heel, he knew what the <i>kabala</i> with <i>Esav</i> was, that there's no foundation, therefore he grabbed onto the heel. That's what the <i>Mashiach</i>'s going to do. כמו שפרשתי לפני זה ולכך משיח בבירת ערבא ומבית לחם. Why in <i>Beit Lechem</i>? Because מלכות ראוי בית לחם להקרא. We have to take care of the needs of the people, you have to give people <i>lechem</i>. Everybody has to provide food and energy to people. The Arab castle's providing it the wrong way, <i>Mashiach</i>'s going to provide it the right way, but the key idea is always going to be <i>Beit Lechem</i> is where the <i>Mashiach</i> comes from because he's going to take care of our hunger, he's going to take care of our needs. Okay, so now he's going to ask the question: so he said why is it <i>davka</i> in an Arab castle, why couldn't it be a <i>Esavite</i>, a Roman castle? ויש להבין מה שאמר דווקא בבירת ערבא. Why is it <i>davka</i> in an Arab castle? My kids, we all liked, what's it called, the Schonbrunn Castle in Vienna, that's a beautiful castle, like why shouldn't he grow up there? כי המשיח הוא רוכב ומעלה המדרגות הרבים. The <i>Mashiach</i> is going to travel and grow up from battling. with the Arabs *she-hem Bnei Yishmael*, that's they're from *Yishmael*. והוא דבר מופלא ועמוק בחכמה. And there's a deep idea why *dafka Yishmael*, כי כה ישמעאל נאמר עליו שנים עשר נשיאים יוליד. He had 12 great children, which symbolizes the sexual prowess, which symbolizes energy, *nesi'im* that pick themselves up. So, that's specifically the battle we have to fight. And they said the *lashon nesi'im bedrash* *al ken nesi'im* *chaser yod*. It's written without the second *yod*, there's no *yod* between the *aleph* and the *mem*, which means that they're picked up but they're lacking. They don't have the thought that you really need to be raised up. רצה לומר יכלו כעננים, that's what the *Midrash* says there in the *pasuk* and I think maybe *Rashi* brings it, I don't remember now. But the *Midrash* says they get picked up like clouds, they look big, but because they're lacking ideas they just disappear, they dissipate. And that's what Messiah's job is to see that their promises are completely lacking. ודבר זה רמז מופלא בעניין כוח ישמעאל. This is a great symbol for what *Yishmael* is. אשר ישמעאל מתעלה בכל פעם למעלה למעלה. They have this power of sexual desire. אבל הוא כמו ענן זה שיכלה בסוף. It just dissipates at the end. אבל מלך המשיח מתעלה עליהם. The Messiah will rise above them, שכן נאמר וארו עם ענני שמיא כבר אנש, if you can see it, that the clouds are lit up like a, above like a man. *Darshu chachamim*, זכו ארו עם ענני שמיא. If we're *zoche*, then the Messiah will come like light. לא זכו עני רוכב על חמור. If we're not *zoche*, the Messiah doesn't do his job and it's going to come very slowly, he won't have a big idea. The best way to bring Messiah is that we should illuminate with the right ideas. If we don't have those right ideas, illumination, then it's going to come very slowly, poor, riding on a donkey which is the slowest animal. הרי כי מדרגת משיח לעתיד יהיה מתעלה על כל העולם החומרי הזה מעלה מעלה כענן מעל. It rises above the physical world, high, high, as a cloud above. לכך הוא רוכב על ענן, *she-lemala*, *lefi she-yihiye* *mitale elyonim*. לכך משיח גדל בבירת ערבא. Therefore *dafka* the Messiah grows up in an Arabic palace. לפי שמשמיט מעלה כוח ישמעאל. He controls the *Yishmael's* *koach*, the sensuality and physicality and their pleasure from *arves*, called *arves* called sweetness. To recognize that sweetness can be used and has to be used for a greater purpose. At the end when you see hedonism just for hedonism, pleasure just for pleasure, it's got no sense. לפיכך הוא נמצא בבירת ערבא בית לחם כי מתעלה על הערבים. *She-lehem ne'emar* שנים עשר נשיאים יוליד. He had lots of kids and they went up very high. אשר כוח שלהם הוא ענן. *Ve-mashiach* *mitale* even higher. And that's what it is, *kasiv*, the job is to *ya'aru im anani*. He has to have a light that breaks through the clouds. That's what the Messiah has to do. He has to have a light that illuminates the clouds. *Shemaya kevar enash* like a man, שזה נאמר על המשיח לכך אמר שבירת בית ערבא. Okay. So now he brings some *machlokes*, that some *gemaras* learn that that way. ובמדרש הזה מוכח כי משיח בבירת בית ערבא. We hold here that the *koach* that's holding *Klal Yisrael* and the world back is the power of hedonism, *hen Yishmaelim* והם מרדי ומרדי על אדונם. And *Sanhedrin* though it says that Messiah is waiting on the doors of the Roman exile, ובגמרא אמרו שהוא על פתח מלכות רביעית, *Esav*. *Machlokes hu machlokes*, *kemo she-itbareir lemala*, מי יהיה בסוף מושב. These are the two major attributes of world and the <i>Maharal</i> says over there that they go fighting back and forth, sometimes <i>Yishmael</i> wins, sometimes <i>Eisav</i> wins, sometimes <i>Koach Ha'Chesed</i> wins, sometimes the <i>Koach Ha'Din</i> wins and you have to battle both. <i>Malchus Paras</i> שפירש למעלה שמלכות ישמעאל or <i>malchus revi'is</i> <i>hu malchus Edom</i> וכמו שנתבאר למעלה בענין זה <i>umachlokos rais</i> ואוי בנו לך שלא תטה לפרשן אלה גשמי one more time, please don't learn we're talking about fighting the Roman Empire or fighting Saudi Arabia, we're talking about fighting the culture and the ideas and the ideals of those people. רק שבא לומר בו ענין המשיח מפשוטו מן הגשם of course <i>Maharal</i> is going to be against all these people who whenever there's a war with Iran or something thinks that oh that's you know that's the messianic vision oh there's a war like sometime we'll fight with America I don't know like you know maybe we'll always have to wait for the next Vice President to become President and it's okay like you know something's going to happen. Okay. And why are they fighting each other, the <i>Eisav</i> and the <i>Yishmael</i>? Okay. So now why, like we said, why is it that originally we said originally the <i>Medrash</i> says that originally this <i>Jew</i> was plowing the ground and he heard the voice of his ox and the <i>Arab</i> told him okay, there's no reason to plow the ground now. Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the king's horses and all the king's men can't put Humpty Dumpty together again. Stop working so hard, you had your chance to fix the world up and you can't. And then the second voice of the ox came and he said, oh, that means <i>Mashiach</i> is coming in the world. So we see the destruction wasn't to punish us and to just put us away, but it's to build us. And there it goes. And so then he said, so now the <i>Arab</i> said, put back on your ox and put back on your plow. And the <i>Jew</i> said no, we have to have a new <i>madreiga</i>, we're working for <i>Mashia

ch</i>, it can't just be the physical world, I have to rise to a higher level. כמו שאמר דזבין לבידי he bought, he sold his ox and he sold his plow and he bought linen. ועאל למדינתא ונפק ממדינתא and he traveled from place to place selling soft, warm, supportive clothes for babies. Because he wanted to... the idea of a baby was the <i>Mashiach</i> was just born, he wanted through <i>chesed</i> and care to coddle and create and develop the baby. כל הדברים מאלו הם שכליים all these things are intellectual. Not that you should believe that you should look for the Procter & Gamble guy and he's the one who's bringing <i>Mashiach</i>. שכך נתקדש השכל למשיח this is what happens intellectually. Intellectually we're going to have a different way of acting. We're going to realize that we have to nurture the <i>Mashiach</i>, we're going to have to do it in a different way than just plowing the ground. והדבר הזה בארו במקומות הרבה ואין צריך להאריך בדברים אלו. Okay. So now we didn't do the next part of the <i>Medrash</i> so we'll go back to the next part of the <i>Medrash</i>. I think that the big piece of the next piece we'll just go over with this... go. So it says that when he went to look for the <i>Mashiach</i>, the <i>Jew</i>, he was told that he had gotten blown away by winds and <i>shedim</i>. Did <i>shedim</i> blow him away? Excuse me? For <i>Mashiach</i>? For <i>Mashiach</i>? A little baby <i>Mashiach</i>? Baby <i>Mashiach</i>? This is what it says. <i>Kemo she'omer</i>, okay, וזה ביארו במקומות רבים ואין צריך להשיב. ומה שאמר כי רוחין ושדין נטלו אותו he couldn't find the <i>Mashiach</i>, that winds and <i>shedim</i> and negative spiritual forces take him. כי בודאי כל כוחות הטומאה שבעולם הם מתנגדים לענין משיח and <i>Mashiach</i> had gotten tossed away, he wasn't in <i>Beis Lechem</i> anymore. ומהם מגיע ביטול עליו וזהו ש... <i>Lefichach heshiv</i>, and he said, I don't care. You think I'm gonna be upset that the <i>Moshiach</i>'s not where he's supposed to be? No, I learned that just like the destruction there was one groan from the animal that was destroyed, there was the second groan right after it's for building. So too here over here, everything that God does is helping me figure out what I have to build right now. So I'll just go find the <i>Moshiach</i> where he's going to be. דאורחי ענני במארי שמיא, rely on God, <i>d'al raglacha rav</i>, but by God it was destroyed, <i>v'al ragla misbanei</i>, he built up. Whatever God's doing, everything that happens in the world, my mission is not to hope for a better world. I wish I could just deal with <i>Moshiach</i>. Whatever is in front of me, that's what I got to build up. I got to sit down and deal with the world I'm dealing with. <i>K'moshe's ba'olam alo</i>, שכחורבן בית המקדש הוא סיבה דביאה זו. The destruction of the <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> is the cause for a new creation, <i>sh'iye lo l'sof</i>. וכאשר תדע תבין בדברים אלה, ואז תבין דבר גדול. This is a huge thing, that all destruction in the world is just helping us get to a better completion. And therefore there's no place for pessimism, there's only a place for optimism, there's no place to stop working like the Arab thought after the first voice: sell your donkey, sell your ox, sell your plow. But it's to keep working in harder and better ways. <i>Ki chorban habayis</i>, אף שהוא חורבן למטה, הוא סיבה לבית יותר עליונה, like Moshe kept saying, the bigger <i>shleimus</i>, <i>k'moshe's ba'olam alo</i>, like Noah keeps saying, we're going from completion in seven to a completion in the world of eight, a completion in the world of ten, like the <i>Midrash</i> says in <i>Maseches Tamid</i>, that in this world we're going to play, pray to God with a seven stringed instrument, in the afterworld play with an eight string instrument, they'll play with a ten string instrument and all that. Okay. Now here he goes. Now this is going to be a hard part philosophically. The first hard part philosophically he said was understanding why destruction leads to a higher level building. This is going to be now, he's going to go through and he's going to say, look, the second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> had more <i>kavod</i> than the first <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> and it existed for a longer time. So you see between the first <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> and the second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> we went up. So you should imagine the third <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> has to go even further. Right? So the first <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> only lived for 410 years, the second was 420 years. Oh, that's better. The first <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> didn't have as much <i>kavod</i> as the second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i>. He explained that that's because <i>kavod</i> is something you can see and feel. <i>Kavod</i> is what you see down here. Oftentimes something's too ethereal, you don't recognize how great it is. But a king has to have a throne, has to have a crown because that gives <i>kavod</i>, things down here. So God brought it down further and that's with the idea that everything we do will be brought down further, so we're more clear to everybody, the truth of the <i>kedusha</i>. <i>V'od</i>, that's what we're up to, right? כי לא היה ראוי שיהיה מן השם יתברך אשר טוב ומטיב. It's impossible to imagine a God who's good would <i>mammash</i> destroy something like Humpty Dumpty that we couldn't put it back together again. <i>Chorban Beis Hakodesh</i>. ויהיה הוא יתברך סיבה להפסד. Why would God be the cause for destroying the world? <i>Chorban habayis hakodesh</i>. כי אין דבר מתיחס להשם יתברך. God did not destroy the world. אם לא היה דבר זה שיעלה הטוב אל הבית יותר עליון. Rather, he takes the world up to a higher level station. That's helping get us to a better place. ואף בית המקדש ראשון חרב לעוונותינו. Yes, the <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> was destroyed for our sins. <i>Amru</i>, and it says in <i>Chaggai</i> and the <i>Gemara Bava Basra</i>: גדול יהיה כבוד הבית האחרון מן הראשון, <i>amar Hashem</i>. Don't worry, God says after destroying the temple. The second temple will be better than the first temple. <i>pirshah b'Bava Basra</i>, שהיה בית שני יותר גדול בשיעור מבית ראשון. It was taller, it had more gold, it was bigger. וגם בזמנו היה יותר גדול. It also existed longer. שזה היה עומד ת''י שנה. The first <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> was 410 years. <i>v'zeh taf-chaf</i>. This is 420. years. <i>Keda'isa b'Yoma</i>. <i>U'mize tireh</i> כי השם יתברך אשר מאתו מציאות, God would not destroy reality and help us and just destroy it and not help become greater. אי אפשר שיבוא חורבן והפסד לזה, God would not let things just be destroyed אם לא כאשר יעלה אל הווייה של מציאות יותר מעלה on a greater level. לכך יקבל מציאות שלפניו הפסד, and therefore the aspect before it has the <i>hefsed</i>. Okay, now here comes the hard part. It was missing five things, right? It was missing that's right, <i>chamesh devarim</i>, good for you. <i>V'ein lecha lishol</i>, and don't you dare ask like you just asked, right, like you know, of course when the <i>Maharal</i> says don't ask that means you should ask if you're awake, right? You should be the first person after that, you should do it. Ah, wait a second, <i>yoter ma'aleh</i>, everything's better, wait a second. ואין לך לשאול סוף סוף אי אפשר בית שלישי שיהיה במהרה בימינו לא יהיה כלל חורבן. Sorry, one second, it was here. Why didn't God just make a <i>Bayis Shlishi</i> to begin with? I think the answer, I think the question he uses is coming up, let's see, sorry. כי דבר זה אינו בלא דלא שיהיה הבית עומד נמצא בתחילת הבריאה. You see that nothing starts complete. God made תהו ובהו וחשך על פני תהום. That started the world with darkness and we went to light. You can't get this positive aspect without a negative aspect. See <i>Da'as Tevunos</i> and the entire idea that only from negativity, the contrast, we can get the positivity, we can understand goodness. רק הראוי להיות נמצא בריאה שאינו כל כך במעלה קודם ואז מעלה בקודש אל מדרגה יותר עליונה, just like by light, it starts <i>choshech</i> and then light. <i>She-nimtza eizeh briya</i>, why wasn't the first thing God made light? Why did God make a world without light? שהייתה הארץ תהו ובהו וחשך עד שיהיה כאן העדר מציאות לגמרי ואז נברא האור להשלים הבריאה. That's what we're talking about over here, that everything has to go in a path to go up. כי בעצמו אינו ראוי שיהיה מדריגה עליונה. It's not appropriate that there should be a lower level until you've worked through the higher levels. Everything's like a ladder, you have to work through each level, that's why God בונה עולמות ומחריבן בונה עולמות ומחריבן. והוא הבית אחרון נמצא ראשון רק שמעלה בקודש, that's where all the pieces, we go up in levels. ולכך היו נמצאים שני בתים קודמים. You go up levels with each <i>Beis Hamikdash</i>. כי אף אם חרב הבית אל תאמר כאילו לא היה כלל הבית בעולם. Don't you dare think that everything has been for naught. No, there's a <i>hava amina</i>, there's a growth there that we needed. כי דבר זה אינו שסוף סוף כבר נמצא בו הבית לעולם וקדושה זאת לא בטלה. I think I told everybody this story, it moved me so much, it was like there's a wonderful person, Rav Chaim Cohen, such a wonderful person, I don't see him so often, he's a lot <i>Beit Shemesh</i> <i>v'chutz la'aretz</i>. So he got engaged to a girl from <i>Tzfon Tel Aviv</i>, a nice Israeli girl, went up to <i>Beit Shemesh</i> now and they <i>davened</i> in the <i>shul</i> of Rav Mordechai Auerbach, Rav Auerbach, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach's nephew, I believe. The nephew that the father died young, so it's like the nephew was raised in Rav Shlomo Zalman's house. So we were there for the <i>ofruf</i>, the <i>tefillos</i> packed out, end of the year, and like Rav Elyashiv went to <i>Tzfon Tel Aviv</i> to fancy <i>Makom</i> in the Five Towns for the end. So we went there and Rav Auerbach was just unbelievable, really a great, great person. He got up and at the <i>drasha</i>, and his <i>drasha</i> between <i>shacharis</i> and <i>musaf</i> on <i>shabbos</i>, he said, we all learn the essential <i>midda</i> of <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> is <i>rachamim</i>, י\"ג מידות של רחמים. גמרא שבת קוף למד גימל says מה השם רחום וחנון אף אתה יהא רחום וחנון. Everything he said, that's the essential aspect of <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>. But that's only the revealed aspect of <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>. The <i>Zohar</i> says that what was <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> doing before he made a world of <i>chessed</i>? Before he was making a world of <i>chessed</i>, he was <i>boneh olamos u’machrivan</i>. And it says he was <i>boneh olamos u’machrivan</i>, built a world, and says up, this world's not good, I can do better, and he made a better world. He does make it better, he didn't make it the way he made a better world. He didn't make it the way he made a better world. And he's trying to show that the essential aspect of <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>, we didn't make a perfect world to begin with. He was <i>boneh olamos u’machrivan</i> for <i>madreigos</i> and steps to show that's what we have to do. So he said he never, never really understood the <i>midrash</i> until this morning, until <i>Shabbos</i> morning. He said, came to <i>shul</i> and having this <i>aufruf</i>, and the <i>shul</i> was like <i>Yom Kippur</i>. He says how do I know it's like <i>Yom Kippur</i>? He says <i>Yom Kippur</i> is a very special day in the <i>shul</i>. My beloved president's the only day he doesn't talk to all the congregants. He says he's so serious that even the president doesn't talk with anybody. He says so today with all these <i>baaleitshuva</i> in the <i>shul</i> davening seriously, where president couldn't talk, he was actually davening also, so it was a <i>shtickel</i> <i>Yom Kippur</i>. He said it in front of his president, like you know. So with a big smile. But he said very, very beautifully and sensitively in <i>shvach</i> of <i>baaleitshuva</i>. He said, look at these <i>baaleitshuva</i>. These guys were out there on pot and drugs and crimes. They built a world, and it was a good world, these guys have all built good worlds, I'm sure. They're making money, they're having good relationships. But they had the strength to break that world to build a better world. He says that's <i>haloch b'drachov</i>, that's the essence of <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>, this ability to see that there can be something better, and have to break it and move on. That's the deepest aspect of <i>haloch b'drachov</i> of <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>, that's what the <i>baaleitshuva</i> are showing. That's what <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> is showing over here with I'm going to destroy the <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> to get to a deeper, higher level, that's what we're trying to work for. <i>Kodem haya zeh</i> הרי סוף סוף כבר נמצא בית בעולם קדושת המקדש וחורבן של בית שני לקבל <i>havayah ha'achronah</i>. And the reason the <i>Beis</i> was destroyed, to get to a higher level. We have to know that the second the <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> was destroyed, the <i>Eretz</i> groaned a second time to tell us keep growing. כמו שיוקדם העדר לכל הויה. It's always a lack then the <i>metziah</i> up. Now we have to fix it up to something better. ויהיה לפיכך כל אדם אשר נתן בו השם יתברך דעת וחכמה, every human being is like that, every <i>baal teshuvah</i>, we build a world, <i>mevin devarim elu</i>. He understands this idea. People, somebody asked, it says the <i>Briskers</i> had <i>tainos</i> on <i>Rav Yisroel Salanter</i>, why was he doing so many different things? Why did he start this? He had, he made a journal up for six month, six years, and then he stopped. He built a <i>yeshiva</i> for two years and then stopped, built second <i>yeshiva</i> two years and he stopped. So <i>Rav Yisroel Salanter</i> said, I'm being like <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i>. I'm building something and I see it didn't work the way I wanted, I make it better, right? So it's not a failure to start something new, I'm making something better, I'm going forward. That's what we're doing. כי מן השם יתברך המצאת המציאות עולם והווייתו. אין ראוי שהחורבן וההפסד, God doesn't destroy things to have <i>hefsed</i>, שחורבנו הוא כדי שיהיה מתעלה להוויה יותר עליונה. It's getting to a higher level. וכל אלו דברים בארו חכמים. All these words are what the rabbis would explain this <i>midrash</i>, <i>k'mo she'amarnu</i>. וזה באמת קושי המציאות להעלות על תכליתה. The destruction of the Temple we have to know, <i>aveilus</i> today is to get us to a higher level. והוא שלמות האחרון כמו הדברים אלה. Like he explained over here. That's the end of his discussion on this <i>midrash</i>. Okay, so it must be in I don't remember where it is right now. But the <i>Yeshuos Yaakov</i> asks, <i>ai</i>, we're missing the the five higher levels in this Second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i>, how can you say even though it's longer and it's bigger, it's lacking in the <i>kedusha</i>? So he explains that the key idea of building is getting <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> more in the world. It's taking the physical world and making it more spiritual. And losing the light of a higher level world is not what the world is for. The world is called <i>Ne'elam</i>, hidden, <i>Olam</i>, word to be hidden, and then it's rooted from the word <i>Olam</i> to be brought up. So the growth is, he says, work with the world of <i>Ne'elam</i>, hiddenness, to bring <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> to places where he's not before. That's what the growth that we're looking for is, and not an ethereal growth that's disconnected from the world. And you can't have both growths naturally; you can't have the highest level in the physical world. Have to work to express something in the physical world; that's what we're trying to work on. The <i>Midrash</i> goes on and the <i>Maharal</i> then explains it, but he finally meets <i>Mashiach</i>, <i>Mashiach's</i> mother, and he gives <i>Mashiach's</i> mother, he says, I want to give you some of my <i>Lavenim</i>, some of my linen stuff. And she says, no, right, it's hard to be <i>Mashiach</i>, I don't want to give him the linen stuff. So he says, well look, take the linen support, and you don't have to pay me now, you can pay me in the future, you pay me later, right? So that's what they decide. So the big idea is that working in the world is very, very hard. At the end, once you get there, it'll be linen; it'll be a soft, wonderful, sweet world. You have to take it on credit, right? You can't pay right now for it because it's not going to be, it can't be soft, have to be <i>Chazak</i> like we saw with <i>Nachman ben Yitzchak</i>, right, <i>Benayim</i>. But at the end it will be soft and it will be sweet, we'll have that aspect going up. But you shouldn't think that the way that you're going to bring <i>Mashiach</i>, that brings sugar and spice and everything nice; it needs a certain toughness to do the right thing. That's what we have, the <i>Midrash</i>, I think, is going for. Questions, comments? Just a question on second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i>. <i>Rebbe</i> said that that was bringing <i>Hashem</i> more out in the world because <i>Hashem</i> is in <i>Kevod</i>. It's making heavy, it's light material, therefore <i>Kevod</i>, the word for <i>Kevod</i> is, <i>Kevod</i> is always a <i>Talmid Chacham's</i> weight. You don't appreciate him, you have to give him <i>Kevod</i>, you have to stand up for him, you do things in the external world to be able to internalize. So that's what we're working, we're working on bringing <i>Kevod</i> to the world, that's what the second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> did better than the first <i>Beis Hamikdash</i>, and the third <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> will do better than the first and the second. Even though, as it says, just hinted to in <i>Mishnayos</i> in the fifth <i>Perek</i> of <i>Pirkei Avos</i>, that you didn't have the miracles, you didn't have all these other kinds of things, it still had an aspect of greatness that was better than the first one even didn't have <i>Hashra'as Hashem</i> because of <i>Kevod</i>. The aspect is <i>Kevod</i>, that's what we have, that's what we need, we need to be communicating to people the greatness of <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i>. Okay, let's try to find a meaningful use for this concept. Going to the King of the <i>Aravim</i>, so when finishing with the <i>Benayim</i>, when we do <i>Ahavas Chinam</i> and don't <i>Sinat Chinam</i>, no <i>Sinat Chinam</i> anymore. In this world where it's tough, we have to remember from the first year in the <i>Yeshiva</i> that everything's not so good. And this <i>Midrash</i> says exactly like an opposite, like we compare the <i>Aravim</i>, <i>Romim's</i> <i>Ma'aleh</i>, compare them, it's like it's a different, whole different thing that the whole building of the <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> was shown. Right, the idea then to put the two together, the answer is that of course your <i>Rebbe's</i> right, just don't want to break up what you learned in <i>Cheider</i>, like we have to, we have to do <i>Teshuvah</i> for our sin of <i>Sinat Chinam</i>, but we're going to a deeper source. Why do we have <i>Sinat Chinam</i>? Because we were looking for things more pleasurable and didn't do it. And by us, it's not so clear that we're doing it just because of pleasure, but we see it by the Arab in the <i>Midrash</i> and then we'll understand how to break out of it. The reason why we did these various things because in this <i>Machlokes</i> of the <i>Aravim</i> and the <i>Romim</i>, because like the <i>Midrash</i> mentions <i>Rabbi Elozar</i>, the <i>Romim</i> there were so two things, not the <i>Aravim</i>, but the <i>Aravim</i> will be later and that's why the <i>Midrash</i> came as to like these two separate times. And so this is the big idea in the <i>Maharal</i> that one of the ways of learning for the second <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> was made with wood and because we didn't love each other so we got thinner and Now after that the question is what are we going to go to? We go to one of <i>Chesed</i> or one of <i>Din</i>? And that's where <i>Mashiach</i> is going to come from. For whatever you messed up, that's what's going to destroy the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i>. We messed up with <i>midas hadin</i>, so we got destroyed by <i>midas hadin</i>. So the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i> will be rebuilt with it. That's according to the <i>Chafetz Chaim</i> and the <i>Sfas Emes</i>. Some people learn that the <i>Gemara</i> says no, the problem was we always had <i>midas hadin</i> and they always had <i>Chesed</i>. They destroyed it and therefore we have to bring it back with <i>midas hadin</i> as opposed to <i>Chesed</i>. It's complicated. That's another <i>shittah</i> of how <i>Mashiach</i> is going to be. Right. This <i>Beis HaMikdash</i>, the third <i>Beis HaMikdash</i>, is going to be a greater <i>Beis HaMikdash</i> than the other two, does that mean the world has to be at a lower place for it to make that step? Yes. And guess what? We're in good shape. We're very optimistic. We're very optimistic. So the <i>Chesed</i> of like the Babylonians, Nebuchadnezzar is mapped onto <i>Chesed</i>. They are - so <i>Chesed</i> <i>keneged</i> <i>Chesed</i>, that knocked out the <i>Chesed</i>. And <i>Din</i> of Rome knocked out the second <i>Beis HaMikdash</i>, which was also a <i>Din</i>. In terms of the way that the <i>olam</i> was created initially, and we always know that they point to the <i>Chafetz Chaim</i> and the <i>Sfas Emes</i> over here like <i>Moshe</i>. So now the third one is, like you said, the first one is <i>Chesed</i>, the second one is <i>Din</i>, so the third one is <i>Tiferes</i>, which is going to be a combination of the two. Well when the world's, when <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> was creating the <i>briyah</i>, He started with <i>Chesed</i>. I thought He started with <i>Elokim</i> and said 'No, no, we can't do that.' So would it be that the first world He started with <i>Elokim</i> and broke that, can't we have no, can't do <i>Chesed</i> and then He created the world? As everybody understands with the <i>Zohar</i>, understands it, עלה במחשבה לפניו לברא את העולם במידת הדין. <i>Bereishis bara Elokim</i>. <i>Elokim</i> is <i>Din</i> but that's the <i>beis</i>. The <i>aleph</i> of creation is of course before there was <i>Din</i>, there was <i>Chesed</i>. He wanted to create a world. So the <i>aleph</i> is the world of <i>Chesed</i>, the <i>beis</i> is the world of <i>Din</i>, and then the third aspect is <i>Rachamim</i> putting the two worlds together. Okay, so it still maps, same map, same map. Are we at a much lower level than the <i>Yidden</i> that lived during the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i>? Like we hear about them and we hear that they were doing <i>shfichas damim</i>, and <i>avodah zarah</i>, and <i>giluy arayos</i>, and then <i>sinas chinam</i>. And I know that we're - we haven't been <i>zocheh</i> to build the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i>, so we're still involved in you know, we're still involved in these things in a way. But are we at a - like when we think about like building ourselves, are we - were they at like a really high level and we don't appreciate it and we just hear about what they did wrong? Or that they were like us and they weren't at a higher level either, they just had the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i> and they were getting a <i>kaparah</i>? This is the whole <i>machlokes</i> between the <i>Chazon Ish</i> and the <i>Alter of Slabodka</i> about how do you understand the sins of the original people, right? The <i>Alter</i> says that of course their sins are much more refined than our sins and you shouldn't read the sins of the <i>Rishonim</i> as as bad as they are and it's just saying that the level they were at they should have done better. And the <i>Chazon Ish</i> says 'No, the sins were bad sins, that's why the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i> was destroyed.' The reason was that the <i>yetzer hara</i> for idol worship was so much stronger that therefore their sins aren't as bad as our sins because we don't have such a strong <i>yetzer hara</i> but they were the same. And then all the <i>pilpul</i> between the <i>Chazon Ish</i> and the <i>Alter of Slabodka</i> is big topic, we can't get into it right now, but that's the point.

[[Category:Transcript]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha/Transcript Part 1

2026-07-23T16:16:40Z

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'''Audio:''' [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/tQAcQfEckEQoXMQm.mp3 Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha – Part 1 (July 23, 2026)]

== Full Transcript ==

עובדא הוה בבר נש דהוה רדי. There was a man and he was hoeing the ground, plowing the ground. <i>Va-az tora sof</i>. The man was plowing the ground, his <i>tora</i>, his <i>shor</i> groaned. <i>Over lachad Arabi</i>. One Arab came by. אמר ליה מה מי את? Who are you? <i>Amar lei Yehudai ana</i>. I'm a Jew. <i>Amar lei shari torach</i>. Take off your ox. <i>Ve-shari parnach</i>. Take off the hoe, the plow. <i>Amar lei lammah</i>? Why should I stop plowing? אמר ליה דבית שי יהודאי חרב. The <i>Beis Hamikdash</i> of the Jews was destroyed. <i>Amar lei manna yadata</i>? How does this Arab know that? <i>Amar lei mi-ge'at torech</i>. I know from the moaning, the groaning of your <i>shor</i>. <i>Ad de-asek immah</i> while they were working together, <i>ga-as tinas a-prisit</i>. The <i>shor</i> groaned a second time. <i>Amar lei</i>, the Arab said, <i>asar torach</i>, go back and saddle your ox, <i>asar parnach</i>, put on your plow, <i>de-yalei parke de-Yehudai</i>, because there's been born the <i>Mashiach</i>, the person of the redemption of <i>Klal Yisrael</i>. <i>Amar lei mah shemei</i>? What's the name of the person who's going to redeem <i>Klal Yisrael</i>? <i>Amar lei Menachem shemei</i>. His name is Menachem. <i>Ve-aviv mah shemei</i>? What's the father's name? <i>Amar lei Chizkiyahu</i>. God will make him strong. <i>Amar lei</i>, the Jew kept asking this Arab, <i>ve-heichan shrayei</i>? Where does he live? <i>Amar lei be-birat</i>, in a castle, ערבת דבית לחם יהודה, in the town of Bethlehem, a Jewish town. זבין ההוא גברא תורא. That Jewish man sold his ox. <i>Zavin parne</i> and he sold the hoe, the plow. והוה מזבין לבדין ינוקא. And he bought <i>lavidin</i>, bought linen. for children, soft linen. Period. That's more than enough. I'd like to swallow. Should I go back and read it one more time or should we hit the questions now? One more time and then good. Okay. Let's go for questions. Tell me just this one, go ahead. Why is it all about the ox? Why is it all about the ox? Right. It's not all about the ox, let's just make the question right. Why? It's about the ox and the plow and the plow. Ox and the plow, wrong. Ox and the plow. Yeah. Okay, great. Next. Why is this? He starts by you should stop. Stop everything and then he continues but then he doesn't continue, he sells everything. Boom. What's these three stages? 100%. Like what's what's happening? So first he tells him undo your ox, undo your plow. And then he tells them put on your plow, put on your ox. And then the Jew doesn't do either the two. The Jew sells his plow and sells his ox. What are those three levels? What are we hinting at? The question is why originally do you tell him stop plowing then start plowing again like <i>Moshiach</i> say what's the plowing for, what are you doing, why is that crucial? Correct. And why all of the different questions? What's his name, his father's name, where's he from? Yeah, what's his father's name, where's he from, why all these aspects? Right? What's what we try to determine? What's going on? Why's he sell everything and buy linen for babies? That's a strange thing to be involved in. What are we what are we feeling here? Yeah, okay. חד ברנש איכה סומש? I don't know why, anyway. <i>Lashon</i> of <i>Eicha</i>, <i>Midrash Eicha</i>. Right. But in <i>Gemara</i>, <i>barnasha</i> is like a <i>mezuzal</i> person. It's like a <i>gnai hashuv</i> person. It's like a <i>barnash</i>. It's like a <i>gnai siman</i>. It's like a last <i>am ha'aretz</i> siman. Or like <i>Amos</i>, <i>Amos</i>. Does it have some mean here? Like <i>had barnash</i>, like what? Like nada? A person obviously, yeah, a person. So why are we taking this person? How did this person not know about the <i>Churban Beit HaMikdash</i>? He was far away from the <i>Churban Beit HaMikdash</i>. What is this person and all of a sudden he turns around? Yeah, what's going on? Yeah. Why do you need an Arab to come and tell him? Why's an Arab come to tell him? Why is why is <i>nevuah</i> by a <i>shor</i>? A <i>chashuv shor</i>. He's got <i>nevuah</i> and he knows what's going on, right? Why is it that an ox is smart enough to groan but the Arab and the Jew aren't smart enough to groan? What's going on? Is it relevant that he's actually plowing? Anyway. Is it relevant that he plows at all? Well, if it wasn't relevant then he wouldn't tell us. He didn't tell us it was on Tuesday, didn't tell us what the weather was, so right, obviously. Yeah. So that's the <i>Gemara</i> quickly. This <i>Midrash</i>, it's actually <i>Gemara</i> in <i>Taanis</i>, also in <i>Yerushalmi</i>. But okay, that's fine. Okay. I'll just go for <i>Yehuda</i> quickly and just so we can put the questions in. <i>Midrash Eicha Rabbah</i>. <i>Rabbi Shimon omer</i>: <i>uvda</i>. It happened, <i>havei b'chad barnash</i>. It happened with one <i>stam</i> man, like Moshe said. Not a <i>chashuv Talmid Chacham</i> or anybody. Not a <i>Talmid Chacham</i> in <i>Beis Medrash</i>, a person who was just out there in the world. <i>D'havi raddi</i>. He was plowing. <i>Ga'as tortei</i>. His ox moaned. Why's the ox moaning, the people aren't moaning? The man's not aware of it, but the ox is aware of it. That's strange. עבר לה חד ערבי. It happened there passed one non-Jew, an Arab. אמר ליה מה את? Who are you? אמר ליה יהודאי אנא. I'm a Jew. אמר ליה שרי תורתך. Untie your ox and untie the plow from the ox. <i>Amar lei lammah</i>? Why should I stop doing that? אמר ליה מקדשא דיהודאי חרב. The Beis HaMikdash of the Jews was destroyed, but the Jew didn't even know about it, but somehow the ox and the Arab knew about it. אמר ליה מאן ידע? How do you know that? We're far away from the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i>, we're far away from the <i>Beis Midrash</i> like Moshe was saying. אמר ליה מגס דתורך. I know it from the moaning of your ox. <i>ad de-aseik imei</i>, they were working together, <i>gaas zimna achrita</i>. The ox moaned the second time. <i>Amar lei</i>, so now the Arab told him, אסור תורך ואסור פדנך. Retie up your ox, reconnect your hoe, your plow, <i>de-yelid purka de-yehudaei</i>. That the birth of the Messiah happened for the Jews. אמר ליה מה שמיה? What's his name? The Jew asked the Arab. אמר ליה מנחם שמיה. <i>Ve-aviv mah shemei</i>? What's the father's name? <i>Amar lei Chizkiyah</i>. The father's name is Chizkiyah, he will be strong. אמר ליה היכן שרי? Where does he dwell? אמר ליה בבירת ערבא דבית לחם יהודה. He dwells in a castle, an Arab castle, in the land of the Jews, in Beit Lechem. זבין ההוא גברא תורא. That man sold his ox like Moshe said that he liked the ox that he was told to do. <i>Zavin pardaneh</i>. He sold his plow and ועביד מזבין לבושין דינוקא and he went and bought linen for little kids. Okay, so let's go what's outside, then we'll try to see it inside. This is the piece that the Maharal wants, how is a person supposed to relate to <i>Churban Beis HaMikdash</i>? So a person could see the <i>Churban Beis HaMikdash</i> as a destruction of the world that's impossible to fix up. That would be the simple way to look at it. We looked at it and I can't think of the right <i>mashal</i>. We looked at it that Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again. If an egg breaks, you can't put it back together again. So we could look at the destruction of the Temple as that's it, we had our one chance and the <i>Goyim</i> are right, maybe the Christians took over for us, maybe there's a second coming, but we can't do it. There's no purpose once we've destroyed the egg, you can't put the egg back together again. That's one way you can look at destruction. And the answer is, this piece is, that no you have to understand that it was creative destruction. God built worlds and destroyed them, בונה עולמות ומחריבן בונה עולמות ומחריבן, and the destruction of the Temple was to get us to a higher place than we were before. And that everything in the world works on gradual growth and we have to see the <i>Churban</i> as a gradual growth, that rather than being completely hopeless, we have hope and we expect it and that that's the essence of Torah. And we're mourning today not just to think about the broken egg and all the people who broke the egg of Humpty Dumpty sitting on the wall, but so that we can build a better world and a greater world, that's what we're trying to do. Okay, that's the basic idea of the Maharal, let's proceed that we'll see the Maharal say, we'll see it outside first of all. So basically what's the idea? The idea of the Midrash is that like Moshe said there's a <i>stam</i> Jew who was very, very distant from the Temple, not connected to the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i>, he's unaware of what's happening to <i>Klal Yisrael</i> and what's the involvement? He's involved with the physical world, the <i>olam ha-gashmi</i>. He's plowing. He's a good <i>balabos</i> unaware what's going on. So the <i>Bais Hamikdash</i> gets destroyed and because of his low spiritual level he's unaware of it. But the <i>Shor</i> is aware of it. Let's say it simple first, we'll go back and do the depth. So but the <i>Shor</i> is aware of it. The <i>Shor</i>. The <i>Shor</i> cries and moans and the Arab comes along and says your temple's destroyed. So your temple's destroyed, the Arab thinks that it's like Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. Stop working so hard. Unleash your animal, unleash the plow. The first <i>mitzvah</i> given in the <i>Torah</i>, first obligation in the <i>Torah</i> is a man has to make a better world. Right, man was placed in the garden <i>leovdah uleshamrah</i> to work it and to guard it. And he tells him you've destroyed it, forget it, there's no reason <i>leovdah uleshamrah</i> anymore. The first thing is that you control animals and the second thing is that you use your human intellect to make plows. Very famous <i>midrash</i> the great things that a human being did was he made fire, he made plows to make the world better, the first commandment of <i>leovdah uleshamrah</i>. So the Arab says I hear the spiritual voice and it's over. The temple's been broken, you had your chance, you destroyed your chance and now there's no reason to try and make the world better again. Untie your ox, untie your plow. Just mourn, there's nothing to do, you've lost your chance and the rest of your life should be just negative mourning, that's all you should do. Before they finished that conversation the <i>Shor</i> groaned a second time and that groan was to tell you that the <i>Moshiach</i> was born. The idea being that no, it wasn't the fact that the destruction can never be fixed up and it's Humpty Dumpty had a great fall you can't put the pieces together again. But the idea of the breaking the first aspect was to have <i>giluy</i> of the second aspect is that when you destroy a lower level completion you get to a high level completion. And that's what happened that you shouldn't lose your optimism, you shouldn't lose your vision, you should work harder. You have to recognize that the <i>Moshiach</i> was born immediately and that's the <i>Maharal</i>'s major part of this <i>perek</i>. The major part of this <i>perek</i> is that why did <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> create the world תהו ובהו וחשך על פני תהום, why did <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i> create the world incomplete to tell us it's always our mission to take incompleteness to move it to <i>vayehi or</i> to bring it to 'there is light'. And that <i>Boneh olamos umacharivan</i>, <i>Boneh olamos umacharivan</i>, he built worlds and destroyed it to show us that each world can teach us more so we can get to a better level. So when the Arab sees that immediately there's no reason for a <i>churban</i> and no reason for destructiveness and pain and pessimism, he says okay go back, keep doing your mission making the world better, <i>leovdah uleshamrah</i> to work the garden and to guard the garden. Go back and do it, keep working and building and developing. The Jew says but I want to know how are we going to build a better world? How are we going to build a better world? What are we going to do? So the name of the <i>Moshiach</i> I want to know what the attribute, how are we going to do it? There's so many ways I can work. So <i>Menachem</i>. comes from the name right we <i>Rashi</i> says in the end of <i>Parshas Bereishis nicham</i> to <i>linachem</i> somebody to see something with a different perspective. So <i>nichum aveilim</i> is a person's mourning and thinks he can't go on and you look at it from a different direction you see that rather than being destructive it was creative this gives me ability to grow and develop in a new way so the name is <i>Menachem</i>. What's the father's name? What's the <i>mida</i> that it comes from? How can you <i>menachem</i> somebody? You have to be <i>chazak</i>, you have to be strong and you get that strength from <i>Hakadosh Baruch Hu</i>. So the <i>nichum</i> comes from you don't give into the <i>hava amina</i> you push through a bad <i>hava amina</i> to get to a deeper <i>maskana</i>. To get to the way to see <i>Mashiach</i> it's easy to just wallow in the destruction it's easy to wallow in everything but if you're <i>chazak</i> and you push through the <i>hava amina</i> you push through the wrong answers to get to the end then you get <i>Mashiach</i>. So the Jews answer is okay if that's the case you've told me to go back and to plow the ground like I was doing before that's not my mission my mission now is to change the way I look at the world and I'm now going to sell linens for babies so I can help the <i>Mashiach</i> grow I'm going to I sell my cow and I sell my plow and I realize the higher level I have to grow for and I have to help something that's in its nursling stage that's very soft and very very fragile I have to take care of it I'm going to get diapers for the baby or swaddling blankets for the baby or whatever it is so like <i>Moshe</i> said there's three levels over here there's one level of I can't do anything that's untie the cow and untie the plow there's a second one is keep going the way you were going before and make a living and do make the world better in a normative way and the third level is no I've got to be occupied in <i>Mashiach</i> I have to do something new and a different way right now and I'm going to look to sell warm supportive clothing to the fledgling new aspect of <i>Mashiach</i> that's out there that's what I'm trying to do there's lots more that goes on the way down but that's that's what we're looking at that's what the idea is but the <i>Maharal</i> wants this big point over here is that don't see destruction as a one-time act there's a second level after destruction the destruction made you see a deeper truth like we talked about <i>aveilus</i> last night that all <i>aval</i> a but is always a deeper revelation right <i>aval</i> and <i>aveilus</i> come from the same root and the <i>Rashi</i> says it's really the <i>Gur Aryeh</i> explains the <i>Rashi</i> which explains the <i>Targum Onkelos</i> that <i>aval</i> is always it's truth but a deeper level of truth I love you but not enough to walk over to your house so I love you is true but then the but reveals a deeper truth about what's going on so <i>aveilus</i> the <i>aveilus</i> for the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i> is we have to get to a deeper truth that makes us act differently than the way we acted before which was the plow now we're going to sit down and make linens soft garments for babies to bring the <i>Mashiach</i> and have the destruction was not destruction destruction was there to bring forth the <i>Mashiach</i> and the <i>Mashiach's</i> essence is to look at the world from a different way a deeper way <i>nechama</i> and you have to look at that with strength that's what the <i>Maharal's</i> basically saying that's what we're looking at and then the side questions maybe the two side questions are three side questions oh yeah I didn't do okay I missed one part is the <i>pashut pshat</i> so he asked where the <i>Mashiach</i> was obviously this Jew was smart he knew that he had to find out what's the <i>mida</i> that's going to bring the world back again so he got the name <i>Menachem</i> that you have to look in a different way and <i>mida</i> of the father and the place where everybody everybody knows this of my this is my stuttering mood as many many decades ago right here's the <i>Midrash</i> right before. before this line before this is that <i>Menachem</i> is <i>gematria</i> 138 although we talked about that 138 is <i>gematria chen</i> finding a portion 138 the <i>Arizal</i> is saying all the time is find the highest level of who you are to lowest level you are the <i>gematria</i> will look out work out in a non-perishable day but <i>Menachem</i> you have to look at the thing from a different perspective a deeper perspective a higher perspective is what the <i>Arizal</i> says and you have to bring it down to the deepest perspective within your book before and <i>Chizkiyahu</i> is it's got to be strong it's not easy to change the world it's easy to fall into the mistakes and the inertia that we're in they were stayed in and not really change making you have to <i>chazak</i> but the part that I left out didn't explain was why is he living in a Jewish town in an Arab palace? So the <i>Maharal</i> always learned that there's a huge fight. Okay. So he says the key thing is that the <i>Mashiach</i> how's the <i>Mashiach</i> going to grow the <i>Mashiach</i>'s going to grow by recognizing living in the best of the destroyed world and seeing how vacuous it is and seeing how empty it is so he's going to see just like <i>Moshe Rabbeinu</i> had to grow up in <i>Paro</i>'s house so he could see how evil and lacking <i>Paro</i> was and therefore he could see exactly how important change was <i>Mashiach</i> is going to grow up in an Arab palace because he has to see how evil and lacking meaning the Arab world is the <i>Maharal</i> understands all through <i>Netzach Yisrael</i> there's a <i>machlokes</i> of <i>Amoras</i> no of <i>Tannaim</i> where will the redemption come from there's two redemptions one says the <i>Gemara</i> in <i>Eruvin</i> <i>Pesachim</i> that the <i>Mashiach</i> lives in Rome and the other one the <i>Mashiach</i> lives in Arab of Arabia like here and the <i>Gra

</i> says more clearly than the <i>Maharal</i> says the <i>Gra</i> says there's a <i>machlokes</i> the Arabs they symbolize sensual desires physical pleasures and the Romans symbolize institutional power growth what's going to be the way what will be the catalyst for us to grow when we see how evil <i>din</i> is or we see how evil <i>chesed</i> is bad <i>chesed</i> bad <i>din</i> is Rome bad <i>chesed</i> is <i>Yishmael</i> and therefore the person who's become <i>Mashiach</i> is going to grow from seeing the best of the Arab world and recognizing how completely lacking it is only if you really see that can you have the energy to bring about redemption and everything that's good that's what looking for again the <i>Arizal</i>'s language he learns this deeper which we'll talk to right now it's that you have to be there so that you can redeem the <i>nitzotzos hakadosha</i> that are in <i>klipos</i> you have to take out the light that's hidden in <i>klipos</i> and therefore you have to go to the place that's got the most light which is the king of the Arabs <i>Maharal</i> then says you have to see from seeing how bad something could be you'll learn how you have to change it and respond to it but either way that's what the <i>Midrash</i> is going for that's basically the idea of <i>Mashiach</i> okay we'll see it inside now any questions? Rabbi what's the Romans represent which aspect? <i>Din</i> control that's <i>Eisav</i> which is <i>din</i> <i>al charbecha tichyeh</i> they fight wars they try to control they conquer and that side and the Arabs they don't want to conquer they're they have harems they have sexuality sensuality so as far as for the Arabs it's just sensual desires and for the Romans it's control? Yep <i>din</i> and <i>chesed</i> yep impure <i>din</i> impure <i>chesed</i> why is it the <i>inyan</i> of the <i>Arvim</i> and the <i>Yehudim</i> like the <i>Arvim</i> recognize him and tells them what to do? Yeah yeah yeah okay so that's the hard one that's a great question <i>Maharal</i> does deal with that also okay so there's going to be There's two deep philosophical questions in this <i>Maharal</i> that the <i>Gemara</i> will talk about. Maybe we'll talk about see how we can flow into it without making a long day. Two ideas that aren't simple to understand. One is how come the Arab and what you think you're asking Moshe is how the Arab why the Arab and the ox understand things that the Jew doesn't understand? That's crazy. Well, what is that? And the second deep question is what what is this system that you can only <i>boneh olamos u-machrivan</i>? Why can't God just make it good the first time? What do we have to grow for? And then do we really grow? Is what's built new really better than what the old one was? It seemed by the second temple wasn't as good as the first temple, but it was longer than the first temple, so what's going on and how do we get better from the negative aspect? Also in the end the Jew shows that he understands what the Arab didn't understand. 100%. And at first it was lower than the entire world of things. That's right. That's right. You said it holy through it. So, I can't remember now if the <i>Maharal</i> does it here, he does it everywhere else. But the basic idea to your question Moshe is that <i>Gemara</i> in <i>Eruvin</i> and <i>Pesachim</i> that after the <i>Churban Beis HaMikdash</i>, <i>nevuah</i> and <i>Ruach HaKodesh</i> is left to children and <i>shotim</i>. Dogs? No, I wouldn't say animals. That <i>Gemara</i> doesn't say. The <i>Gemara</i> says three things. It says <i>shotim</i>, fools, <i>tinokos</i>, children, and the third thing. There's a third thing too. I can't remember. <i>Chasrah</i>? Yeah. And <i>shoteh</i>, it's all in <i>Eruvin</i>, it's got three places. Okay, but whatever it is, it's there. <i>Meshugeh</i>? Yeah. <i>Cheresh</i>, that's right. <i>Cheresh</i>, thank you. So, so the idea is that it's a hard deep it's a deep concept something like this, that the <i>Kohen Gadol</i> every day has to wear eight garments because the world that we live in is complicated. On Yom Kippur, he only wears <i>ke-ilu</i> one garment. He just wears <i>bigdei lavan</i>. Because he gets to a higher world of simplicity, of <i>pashutus</i>, of simplicity, of holiness. But after Yom Kippur he has to go back to his his world of complications. So, the idea is that a human being, a <i>Talmid Chacham</i>, is obligated in this world to be in a complicated world. He got eight garments and we have to use it. And because we're complicated, we often miss the <i>pashutus</i>, the simple idea that's coming along. We can't live in that world of <i>pashutus</i> beyond this world, so we have to <i>mekadesh</i> this world. So, we're working in a world of eight to understand everything, and therefore we'll miss <i>nevuah</i>. <i>Nevuah</i> is given over to people who are simple. A <i>shoteh</i> doesn't think, a fool doesn't think, a child doesn't think. So, there's lots of terrible things about that. You're going to make all kind of stupid mistakes being a <i>shoteh</i>, being a fool, and being a child. But he is open to sense simple ideas more than the <i>Talmid Chacham</i>. And that's why they have <i>nevuah</i>. And that's what happens over here. So, the Arab and the ox are simpler than the Jew. And therefore they pick up this simple idea that's too profound and simple for the <i>Talmid Chacham</i>, the Jew, a person just thinking. Okay? Basic idea. Take a look <i>Maharal</i>. <i>Pirush HaMishna</i>. כי כבר ביארנו בחיבור באר הגולה אצל כל אבן בוכה שבו נתבאר נוח כמו שביארנו. Why when the redemption came the dog didn't bark? כי הן מכלבים הרגש מלמעלה יותר מן האדם. Since they don't have the seven other voices, they're simple. So the simple deep idea comes out, they're more connected, that they're missing all the complications of man's intellect. כי אדם לחשיבות צורתו so the importance of being an <i>adam</i>, אינו מיוחד לקבל הרגשה. We're not set up to understand the simple world above this world. We're understanding complicated things in this world down here and this world get up, like someone said, maybe Joel said, that that's why at the end the Jew doesn't do like the Arab tells him to do, doesn't do like the ox tells him what to do, because he's smarter. But he missed the <i>nevooah</i> call, missed everything. <i>K'mo she-hu behemah</i> like a <i>behemah</i>, <i>l'fi pshitusah biyoter</i>. Because it's simple, it's not confused by seven other voices, it just gets the <i>ruchnius</i> and therefore it's open. Maybe the <i>Gemara's</i> not, maybe the third part of the <i>Gemara</i> is <i>Nashim</i>. <i>Nashim</i> get <i>nevooah</i> up over there. <i>Ki hatachton</i>, all right, <i>likach margesh yoter</i>, <i>behemah</i> feels more מן העליונים יותר מן האדם, שאינו פשוט כל כך. Man is not simple, man is complicated. We got to make all our <i>machlokos</i> and back and forth in the <i>Gemara</i>. פחת התחתונים הם קשורים עם העליונים and therefore you see that animals לכך הם מקבלים קודם. They pick up things that we don't pick up. הדמיון הזה אמרו בבבא בתרא דף י\"ב: מיום שחרב בית נטלו נבואה וניתנה לתינוקות ולשוטים. It's given over to youths and fools. וכל זה כי כל אשר הוא פשוט ואין בו דבר there's no ideas that are blocking this person. והוא מיוחד לקבל מן העליונים and therefore he could pick up whatever's going on. Today's thought, אבל אדם שהוא בר דעת, a man who's got <i>daas</i>, you're thinking all the time, <i>v'hu l'atzmo</i>, he's got to work on his obligations himself too. Things are complicated, it's got something, he doesn't just receive from the world around him, <i>hu l'atzmo</i>, <i>eino muchan l'kabbalah</i>. He's not so ready to receive. Yes, what'd you say Moshe? Do we really say today that these <i>nevooah</i> in <i>tinokos v'shottim</i> like it's really I was low. Are you asking like do we go to Tzfat and recognize that that's what's going on? No, I'm saying do we see this? We don't see this stuff today. I don't see a big difference between a slob and a 14-year-old about a <i>pashuteh</i>. I hear. There's an idea right we have all over the <i>Gemara</i> you see that you go into a <i>Beis Medrash</i> and ask the <i>tinokos</i> what they're learning. So yeah, so we're afraid to get too <i>Breslov</i> about this, that the people who <i>davka</i> don't have intelligence are the ones who can say over things. Because in <i>Beis</i>, specifically where it says <i>miyom shecharav habayis</i>, talk about the <i>Maharal</i> brings down that the <i>Beis HaMikdash</i> is the neck, that connects the <i>daas</i> of the mind and the heart. So people that don't have a connection, a <i>tinok</i>, he doesn't have <i>daas</i>. So when you're severed then it's more, you're more in their world. A person who's crazy doesn't have <i>daas</i>, a person who's a <i>tinok</i> doesn't have <i>daas</i>. Right, that's what I'm saying. You just open it to them. Moshe is saying he doesn't, he wouldn't walk up to any <i>tinok</i> and tell him tell me what to do. But you know, maybe those things are that sometimes children feel danger that we don't feel, we just push through. A woman might feel danger we don't feel sometimes. And it's also on the opposite like the story behind that is more <i>pashut</i> and less <i>daas</i>. I don't no, what the child has, what the child has and what a woman has is not <i>daas</i>. They're not <i>pashut</i>, they're <i>pashut</i>. They're expanded though, no? Like a child's imagination is that they can be anything. If you talk to a crazy person, I've talked to a few, they'll say you know, they think they're Napoleon. That's not <i>daas</i>. Right, but I'm saying the ability to expand and hit levels of, they're open. They're open to sensitivity. This not there, it could be that they're just, they're crazy inside themselves. What I'm saying is because they don't have so much in their head, they're more sensitive to what's going on. Anybody who's a thinker knows, I think anybody who's a thinker knows. I think anyone who's just even a little bit of a bad husband, when you're thinking a lot, you don't really, you're not noticing what your wife's doing. You're holding in the middle of a <i>deep sugya</i> like I'm all busy. A person who walks in and he's completely vacuous, in this case a <i>tinok ve-shoteh</i>, walks in and he sees his wife's face and he goes, \"Oh, I know what's going on over here,\" right? And he's just thinking about something. That's what we're trying to talk about. But Moshe's right. I'm not going out to find the stupidest Dani Shev and tell him, \"Tell me what's <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu's</i> <i>hadrakha</i>.\" I'm not exactly sure of course. You asked me for <i>ma'aseh</i>? משחרב בית המקדש משחרב בית המקדש. We're trying to understand the <i>pshutis</i> that it's not rather than go to Rav Chaim Kanievsky, you should find the stupidest person you know and go to him and go through that. But the idea is that sometimes they have the <i>regesh</i>. There's a <i>regesh</i> to an <i>am</i> that is there. You have to know sometimes the <i>regesh</i> does go. It's more maybe the <i>memra's</i> connected to what you were saying is that Moshe's pointing the point, <i>mishe-kharav ha-bayis</i>, so like the <i>nasbeh</i> in the <i>aravi</i> probably only got this <i>nevuah</i> only now. He didn't have it before. But again, the key is <i>eino mukhan le-kabbala</i>. The keyword is <i>eino mukhan le-kabbala</i>. Yeah, so I'm saying that's what I'm trying to say. A person who's thinking and acting all the time, we're not sensitive. You have to know it because you're not a blank slate. These things are blank slates. They pick up what's going on. So, the point I'm saying is that the notice that this <i>barnash</i> had that when do we say this is <i>nevuah</i> and when we say it's <i>shtuyot</i>? It's like exactly this. I'm sure the <i>shor</i> gored many times. He did that. But he only got the <i>nevuah</i> now, <i>mishe-kharav ha-bayis</i>, and now they noticed it. Like to notice when this is a <i>nevuah</i> and when it's not, that's לפיכך ניתן רשות לומר לראש יותר ממה שראה אדם. Therefore, an animal sees more, right? The famous Rashi says this and we skip it over. How come the donkey knew it, but Bilaam <i>ha-navi</i> didn't know? So Rashi says Bilaam <i>ha-navi</i> was thinking lots of things. The donkey wasn't thinking of anything. המשל נמשל פה. אתון ובלעם. Bilaam's a <i>navi</i>, but he didn't get what the donkey got. וכן תמצא דברים הרבה שמקבלים בעלי חיים שאינם מדברים. Animals have a sense that a man doesn't have. יותר ממה שמקבל אדם. והביאו בזה בגמרא בפרק השולח. דהוי מעשה רב עולש דהוי יתיב גבי חד דהוי ידע בלישנא דציפורא. Because a man who knows the language of birds... אתו עורבי וקא קרו. And he said, \"How... why do you think the birds have this wisdom?\" and it said because they are <i>pashut</i>. הרי יש ידיעה לבעלי חיים בדברים נסיים. That animals pick up things men don't pick up. ולא תמצא בזה באדם מטעם שהאדם לפעמים אינו מקבל. Mankind is complicated. Mankind is <i>da'as</i>. מפני שאדם מסובך. מפני שאדם דעת. וכן הסברנו עוד סמוך. ולכך אל תתמה ממה שאמר ההוא ערביא. What that Arab said. שידע חכמה זאת להבין מבעלי חיים שאינם מדברים שחרב בית המקדש. ודבר זה אינו ספק שהיו יודעים להבין בבעלי חיים מן הקול שלהם. לפיכך כאשר געה פעם ראשונה אמר <i>shecharav</i>. He <i>chapt</i>, the Arab <i>chapt</i> what the animal <i>chapt</i> because they were in the world of <i>pashutus</i> and they're <i>mekabel</i> that there is negative energy going out to the world. ובפעם שנייה אמר שנולד משיח. כי כבר אמרו למעלה כי חורבן הבית הוא סיבה להוויתו. Why were the two... before he could move from the place, the two were tied together? It is that don't think that the <i>churban</i> is just humpty dumpty that you can't put it back together again, but the destruction was designed to build something better. כי חורבן הבית הוא סיבה להוויתו. The destruction of the house was a way to get something better. מפני שהדבר השלם לא יתהווה. Because if something's complete, you can't make it better. You have to break down the foundations to build something better. And therefore <i>HaKadosh Baruch Hu</i> builds a world up and says, \"Up! You see how far we came. We can't get to the end. We can't solve all the problems. We have to break it down and build it up better again.\" וכאשר חרב הבית אז ראוי שיבוא משיח. ופרשת דעל רגלוהי מתבני. By its feet will be built up. פירוש כי נולד משיח. ועל ידי זאת אינה לידה ממש גשמית. Don't you dare think that the Messiah was actually born then. We're not talking... not an individual flesh and blood. We're talking about a spiritual state in the world. We're talking about metaphysics. כמו שהוא הענין פה לגבי כן החכם מדבר ענין גשמי כלל. Quite, the rabbis aren't speaking about physical reality at all. רק מופשט מן הגשמי. They're talking about what's happening in the metaphysical world. ורצונם לומר שנולד משיח שעצם כח משיח הוא נמצא בעולם. The power to bring *Moshiach* to the world. Now we have to bring it out. וזה כי קרוב שחרב הבית נולד משיח. Before the temple was destroyed, we could have *Moshiach* who's going to save everyone but get to a different level. כי שלם לא יתחדש. Because when you have a completion, you can't get to a whole new level of completion. You have to rebuild the foundation. *Kemo she'amar*, השכל והשכל שיש לדעת, we have to realize that destruction is creative destruction and we'll get to more than we have right now. וכאשר חרב הבית. When the temple was destroyed, אז יש לו כח מה שלא היה קודם. There's a new level, there's a new energy we couldn't get before. ויש כאן העדר שהוא סיבה להויה. When you see a lack, that's a cause for greater creation. So seeing the lack opens up creativity and a breadth of desire that couldn't happen before. ובוודאי יש מונע ומעכב מצד אחר. *Avadai*, there are things that have to be broken through that *Moshiach* wasn't coming easily. כי עדיין כח טומאה גובר בעולם. The *loshon hara* and the *sinat chinam* were still in the world עד שראוי שיעביר השם יתברך מן העולם until he takes them away from the world. סוף סוף נולד שם משיח. Nevertheless, the ability to build a better world ועל הדרגה זו כראוי שיהיה משיח כבר בעולם. *U'vmenachem k'mo she'amar*, yeah. So only *Hakodesh Baruch Hu* has the ability to make the call that something has to be destroyed. Like *Yirmiyahu*, for example, is a person who saw that things are going wrong. He didn't have the right... let's say you could have the power... you can't say let's destroy the *Beit HaMikdash* to rebuild it better. Only *Hashem* can make the call on that. So it's the... if a person sees something has to be built better, does he have the right to make the call and say let's destroy to rebuild? The *Alter* of *Slobodka* points out that that's one of the major ideas that he says בונה עולמות ומחריבן בונה עולמות ומחריבן. He's got like five or six *ma'amarim* that that's the essence of growth that we have to do it in our world all the time also. We have to reach something and then we have to break it so you can go for something greater. He says every time you learn *Gemara*, the *Maharal* says that the *Alter* of *Slobodka* says every time you learn *Gemara*, you have a *hava amina*. What's your obligation? The *hava amina* is a pretty good *hava amina*. We have to break it to get to something better. So *Hakodesh Baruch Hu* is *megale* in the world that he has built worlds and destroyed it. Why did he build worlds and destroy it? To teach us that we have to build worlds and destroy it. So yes, we have to take this awesome responsibility but you have to know the son of the *Netziv* writes that when they destroyed *Volozhin*, they closed *Volozhin*, he felt that because they closed *Volozhin*, something better would develop. Although they had to have *emunah* that by closing *Volozhin*, even though they couldn't see it coming, there'd be a better built-up program or whatever they were going for. It's an awesome responsibility, but somebody has to always do it. You have to sit down and say this works as far as it went, let's break it and go again. *Rav Yisroel Salanter*, you know, he says that *Rav Yisroel Salanter* opened up many *yeshivos* for two or three years and then closed them because he thought they weren't good enough and he went on to do something more. So yeah, that responsibility. וזה כנגד רב שלם. *Shalem* is a whole thing and we're saying the *inyan* of something...

[[Category:Transcript]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha

2026-07-23T16:16:38Z

AdamSinger: Created shiur page: Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha — transcribed via Sofer.ai

{{ShiurInfobox
| title = Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha
| original_shiur = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/tQAcQfEckEQoXMQm.mp3 Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha – Part 1 (July 23, 2026)]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/JJzoEPnkJEAXeUOu.mp3 Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha – Part 2 (July 23, 2026)]
| source_sheets = ''No source sheet available''
| related_topics = [[Tisha B'Av]], [[Kedusha]]
| related_parsha =
| related_holidays =
| full_transcript = Full Transcript (Sofer.ai): [[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha/Transcript Part 1|Part 1]] · [[Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha/Transcript Part 2|Part 2]]
| step4_message = Tisha B’Av’s destruction conceals the birth of redemption; pause, reengage, and transform your efforts into nurturing holiness and future growth.
}}

= Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha =

'''Shiur Date:''' July 23, 2026<br/>
'''Speaker:''' Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld<br/>
'''Series:''' Vaad — Tisha B'Av<br/>

== One-Line Step Four ==

The Midrash teaches that the Churban immediately births Mashiach, guiding us to halt habit, return with higher intent, and ultimately redirect our tools toward raising the next generation and sanctifying everyday labor into steps of Geulah.

== Summary ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

A classic Midrash (echoed in Taanis and Yerushalmi) tells of a simple plowman whose ox groans. An Arab passerby instructs him to unyoke the ox: the Beis HaMikdash has been destroyed. The ox groans again, and the Arab reverses course: yoke the ox anew, for the redeemer of Israel has been born—Menachem son of Chizkiyahu, in Beit Lechem. The man then sells his ox and plow and buys linen for infants. The shiur unpacks the symbolism: Why an ox and plow? Why does an outsider perceive what the Jew does not? Why the sequence of stopping, restarting, and finally selling the tools? And why invest in baby clothing? Through these questions, the sugya becomes a lens for understanding Tisha B’Av, the nature of kedusha, and how destruction and redemption are intertwined.

Drawing on the Maharal, the shiur frames Churban not as irreparable loss but as creative destruction: Hashem builds and destroys worlds to raise reality to higher kedusha. The three-stage arc emerges. First, stop: the shock of loss and mourning—undo the plow—because ordinary productivity cannot continue unchanged after the Mikdash falls. Second, restart with awareness: re-yoke the ox, resuming work suffused with consciousness of Geulah, since the birth of redemption accompanies the fall. Third, transform: sell the ox and plow and invest in linen for children—redirect the very energy of labor into nurturing new beginnings, chinuch, and future holiness. The plow represents human effort; its reorientation signals that our avodah must ascend, converting exile toil into purposeful steps toward rebuilding.

A further key is peshitus—holy simplicity. After the Churban, prophecy flickers in children and the simple; animals can perceive what sophisticated minds miss. Like Bilam’s donkey, the ox ‘groans’ truth, while human intellect can be dulled by habit. The Arab outsider represents a surprising conduit for wake-up calls when we are numb. The Kohen Gadol’s shift from eight garments to simple white on Yom Kippur mirrors stripping away externals to reach essence. Tisha B’Av, then, invites us to hear the groan of reality—feel the loss deeply, yet detect the birth of Geulah within it. Practically, we mourn, then act: learn, daven, build families and communities, support Torah and chinuch, and sanctify daily work so that every field furrow becomes a step upward in kedusha.

== מאמרי מקומות (Sources Cited) – Part 1 ==

The following sources are cited or discussed in this shiur. Click the links to view the original texts online.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew Name !! Type !! Description
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Berakhot.2.4 Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 2:4] || תלמוד ירושלמי ברכות ב:ד || Gemara || Ploughman’s ox lows twice: Churban and birth of Mashiach.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations_Rabbah.1.51 Lamentations Rabbah 1:51] || איכה רבה א:נא || Midrash || Story of the ploughman, Arab, ox, and birth of Menachem.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=bava basra&daf=12b&go=Go Talmud Bavli, Bava Basra 12b] || תלמוד בבלי, בבא בתרא יב:ב || Gemara || After the Churban, prophecy given to children and fools.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=gittin&daf=45a&go=Go Talmud Bavli, Gittin 45a] || תלמוד בבלי, גיטין מה:א || Gemara || Rav Ilish and the man who knew the language of birds.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.2.15 Genesis 2:15] || בראשית ב:טו || Tanach || Adam placed in Eden “to work it and guard it.”
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.1.2 Genesis 1:2] || בראשית א:ב || Tanach || Tohu va’vohu and darkness over the deep.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.1.3 Genesis 1:3] || בראשית א:ג || Tanach || “Let there be light” as emergence from chaos.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis_Rabbah.3.7 Genesis Rabbah 3:7] || בראשית רבה ג:ז || Midrash || Hashem created and destroyed worlds before ours.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Genesis.6.6 Rashi on Genesis 6:6] || רש"י על בראשית ו:ו || Rishon || Explains “vayinachem” as reconsideration/change of perspective.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Gur_Aryeh_on_Genesis.6.6 Gur Aryeh on Genesis 6:6 (Maharal)] || גור אריה על בראשית ו:ו || Acharon || Maharal’s elaboration on Rashi/Onkelos about deeper truth (“aval”).
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Targum_Onkelos_on_Genesis.6.6 Targum Onkelos on Genesis 6:6] || תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית ו:ו || Rishon || Onkelos’ rendering of “vayinachem,” informing Rashi and Gur Aryeh.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Numbers.22.23 Rashi on Numbers 22:23] || רש"י על במדבר כב:כג || Rishon || Why the donkey saw the angel while Balaam did not.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Exodus.11.7 Exodus 11:7] || שמות יא:ז || Tanach || “No dog shall whet its tongue” at the Exodus.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.27.40 Genesis 27:40] || בראשית כז:מ || Tanach || Esau’s blessing: “By your sword you shall live.”
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Netzach_Yisrael Maharal, Netzach Yisrael] || מהר"ל, נצח ישראל || Acharon || Maharal’s work on exile and redemption themes.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Be'er_HaGolah Maharal, Be’er HaGolah] || מהר"ל, באר הגולה || Acharon || Maharal on deeper meanings, incl. animals sensing more than humans.
|}

== מאמרי מקומות (Sources Cited) – Part 2 ==

The following sources are cited or discussed in this shiur. Click the links to view the original texts online.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew Name !! Type !! Description
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=berachos&daf=64a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Berachos 64a] || תלמוד בבלי ברכות || Gemara || Talmidei chachamim increase peace; they have no rest, ever ascending in spiritual growth.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.84.8 Psalms 84:8] || תהלים פד:ח || Tanach || Verse supporting ‘ein lahem menuchah’—constant ascent from strength to strength.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=sanhedrin&daf=98b&go=Go Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 98b] || תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין || Gemara || In Perek Chelek: one opinion that Moshiach’s name is Menachem ben Chizkiyah.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations.1.16 Lamentations 1:16] || איכה א:טז || Tanach || “For comforter is far from me” cited as source for Menachem.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations_Rabbah.1.51 Lamentations Rabbah 1:51] || איכה רבה א:נא || Midrash || Midrash of the Arab telling the Jew about the Churban and birth of Moshiach in Beit Lechem.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=berachos&daf=5b&go=Go Talmud Bavli Berachos 5b] || תלמוד בבלי ברכות || Gemara || “A prisoner cannot free himself from prison,” applied to leadership from outside.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Daniel.7.13 Daniel 7:13] || דניאל ז:יג || Tanach || “With the clouds of heaven came one like a son of man,” linked to Moshiach’s advent.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=sanhedrin&daf=98a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 98a] || תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין || Gemara || Zachu—Moshiach comes with clouds; lo zachu—poor, riding on a donkey (timing/mode of redemption).
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Zechariah.9.9 Zechariah 9:9] || זכריה ט:ט || Tanach || “Humble and riding on a donkey,” source for alternative mode of Moshiach’s arrival.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.25.16 Genesis 25:16] || בראשית כה:טז || Tanach || Yishmael will beget twelve princes—used to frame Yishmael’s koach.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Genesis.25.16 Rashi on Genesis 25:16] || רש״י על בראשית כה:טז || Rishon || Rashi notes ‘nesi’im’ written deficient, alluding to clouds that dissipate.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=arakhin&daf=13b&go=Go Talmud Bavli Arachin 13b] || תלמוד בבלי ערכין || Gemara || Future kinnor of ten strings; stages of seven, eight, and ten in song.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Haggai.2.9 Haggai 2:9] || חגי ב:ט || Tanach || “Greater will be the glory of the latter house than the former,” post-Churban reassurance.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=bavabatra&daf=3a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Bava Basra 3a] || תלמוד בבלי בבא בתרא || Gemara || Expounds that the Second Temple exceeded the First in measured grandeur.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=yoma&daf=9a&go=Go Talmud Bavli Yoma 9a] || תלמוד בבלי יומא || Gemara || Durations: First Temple 410 years; Second Temple 420 years.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=yoma&daf=21b&go=Go Talmud Bavli Yoma 21b] || תלמוד בבלי יומא || Gemara || Lists five things lacking in the Second Temple (Ark, Shechinah, etc.).
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.5.5 Pirkei Avot 5:5] || פרקי אבות ה:ה || Other || Mishnah listing ten miracles in the Temple, context for first vs. second.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Zohar Zohar] || זוהר || Other || Idea that God ‘built worlds and destroyed them’ before creating ours.
|-
| [https://www.dafyomi.org/index.php?masechta=shabbos&daf=133b&go=Go Talmud Bavli Shabbos 133b] || תלמוד בבלי שבת || Gemara || Imitatio Dei: As He is merciful and gracious, so should you be.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.1.2 Genesis 1:2] || בראשית א:ב || Tanach || Creation began with chaos and darkness—used to model ascent after lack.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.1.1 Genesis 1:1] || בראשית א:א || Tanach || “In the beginning God (Elokim)”—Din vs. Chesed framework in creation.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Netzach_Yisrael Maharal, Netzach Yisrael] || מהר"ל, נצח ישראל || Acharon || Maharal’s treatment of Churban and Geulah; Moshiach named Menachem, Beit Lechem, Biras Arva.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Sfat_Emet Sfas Emes] || שפת אמת || Acharon || Acharonic view about rebuilding via middas ha’din vs. chesed.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Da%27at_Tevunot Da'at Tevunot (Ramchal)] || דעת תבונות || Acharon || Ramchal: understanding good through contrast with lack/evil; ascent after hester.
|}

== Audio ==

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/tQAcQfEckEQoXMQm.mp3 Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha – Part 1 (July 23, 2026)]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/JJzoEPnkJEAXeUOu.mp3 Tisha B'Av: We Only Go Up in Kedusha – Part 2 (July 23, 2026)]

[[Category:Shiur]]
[[Category:Topic - Tisha B'Av]]
[[Category:Topic - Kedusha]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Tisha B'Av

2026-07-23T11:11:33Z

AdamSinger:

'''Tisha B'Av''' (תשעה באב, “the Ninth of Av” 9 Av ) is an annual Jewish fast and day of mourning. It commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Batei Mikdash in Jerusalem and the exile and national tragedies associated with that loss. The fast begins at sunset on 8 Av and concludes after nightfall on 9 Av; when 9 Av falls on Shabbat, the fast is postponed. The day is marked by fasting, the reading of ''Eicha'' and ''kinot'', and other practices of mourning.

== Dates and times ==

For the yearly Hebrew and Gregorian dates, see [https://www.hebcal.com/holidays/tisha-bav Hebcal’s Tish’a B’Av calendar]. Because the fast’s beginning and ending times vary by location, use [https://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim_cdo/aid/143790/jewish/Zmanim-Halachic-Times.htm Chabad’s location-based halachic times (zmanim)] for exact local times.

== Step 4 classes ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Article !! Focus
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Bilbul to Chassidus — Reframing Aveilus]]
| Reframes ''aveilus'' as a disruption that can reset our ''daas'': moving beyond self-focus toward Hashem’s honor, responsibility for Klal Yisrael, and longing for Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash.
|-
| [[Tisha B'Av: From Humiliation to Churban — Kamtza and Bar Kamtza]]
| Studies the Kamtza and Bar Kamtza narrative and its chain of humiliation, silence, and inflexible leadership, calling for foresight, moral courage, communal unity, and practical responsibility.
|-
| [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?]]
| Explores how the fiery opposition of Torah debate can become אהבה בסופה: through חבורה, rigorous truth-seeking, Maharal’s unity of שכל, and Rav Yisrael Salanter’s demand for לשמה and mussar.
|}

Each article includes a concise summary, the shiur’s sources, and a link to the full transcript.

[[Category:Topic Hub]]
[[Category:Topic - Tisha B'Av]]

The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?

2026-07-19T10:11:32Z

AdamSinger:

{{ShiurInfobox
| title = The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?
| original_shiur = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/eCoHzTMlflzqNfba.mp3 Recording Part 1]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/fatzZODNcqRuTKUG.mp3 Recording Part 2]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/TfYxXrdDIctBessb.mp3 Recording Part 3]
| source_sheets = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ZAZkqIWWjnHmKLvV.pdf Source Sheet 1]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/SkRgytVWvJhMGozR.pdf Source Sheet 2]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/BwhMNEgsLmBIKdiZ.pdf Source Sheet 3]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/QmsEMdyULTwpXjqG.pdf Source Sheet 4]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/vGxHpaKskomsfDry.pdf Source Sheet 5 — Ohr Yisrael, Letter 6 in English]
| related_topics = [[Shalom]], [[Machloket]], [[Torah Study]], [[Mussar]], [[Chaburah]]
| related_parsha =
| related_holidays = [[Tisha B'Av]], [[The Nine Days|Nine Days]], [[Bein HaMetzarim]]
| full_transcript = Full Transcript: [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?/Transcript Part 1|Part 1]] · [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?/Transcript Part 2|Part 2]] · [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?/Transcript Part 3|Part 3]]
| step4_message = Torah debate fulfills its purpose only when rigorous truth-seeking is joined to humility, mussar, and love, transforming the fire of disagreement into deeper unity.
}}

= The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom? =

'''Speaker:''' Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld<br/>
'''Occasion:''' The Nine Days / Tisha B'Av<br/>
'''Shiur date:''' ''Not supplied in the uploaded files''<br/>

== One-Line Step Four ==

The beit midrash needs principled opposition, but the conflict must continue until the sugya is clearer, ego yields, and the learners rediscover that their different insights belong to one Torah.

== Summary ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

The shiur opens with the Nine Days question: if “תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם,” why does serious Torah often accompany fierce division? The source sheet begins at Bamidbar 21:14—“על כן יאמר בספר מלחמות ה׳ את והב בסופה”—which Chazal read as אהבה בסופה. The class seeks a pathway from the “milchamot” of learning to genuine peace. Rabbi Gershenfeld frames the problem experientially: rigorous batei midrash can feel like battlefields; communities polarize; yet the Torah promises a deeper unity. He lays out the roadmap: Kiddushin 30b with Rashi and Meiri, Berakhot 63b on חבורה, Maharal’s metaphysics of שכל/אש together with Sefer Yetzירה’s אמש, and Rav Yisrael Salanter’s Ohr Yisrael 6 integrating depth with מוסר and לשמה. The goal is not to blunt conflict, but to carry מחלוקת through its clarifications into humility, warmth, and love—particularly urgent during בין המצרים leading to תשעה באב.

Kiddushin 30b is the anchor: “אפילו אב ובנו, הרב ותלמידו… שעוסקים בתורה בשער אחד—נעשים אויבים זה לזה, ואינם זזים משם עד שנעשים אוהבים זה את זה,” reading “את והב בסופה” as אהבה בסופה. Rashi explains “נעשים אויבים” as מתּוך שמקשים זה לזה ואֵין זה מקבל דברי זה—real non‑acceptance until the matter is clarified; a genuine “מלחמתה של תורה.” The image of “בשער” evokes a gate—an entry into פנימיות that initially blocks, provoking struggle. The opposition is intellectual, not personal: love arises when the truth emerges. The shiur illustrates how principled challenge honors both father and teacher precisely by refusing to accept what one does not yet understand. Thus, the Gemara’s promise—“אינם זזים… עד שנעשים אוהבים”—becomes a demand: do not stop at the stage of opposition; bring the debate to resolution and renewed affection.

Berakhot 63b gives the method: “הסכת ושמע—עשו כתות כתות ועסקו בתורה,” for “אין התורה נקנית אלא בחבורה.” Its warning—“חרב אל הבדים ונואלו”—targets the one who sits לבד; isolation makes one brittle, foolish, and even sinful. No individual intellect can exhaust a divine text. A חבורה cross‑examines blind spots, distributes strengths, and approximates the breadth of Sanhedrin‑style deliberation. Practically, this means building חברותות and discussion circles that invite competing דיוֹת, sharpen questions, and require articulation until the sugya yields. The shiur stresses that healthy opposition is a cooperative act: you “make yourself an אויב” to incomplete readings so that your colleague’s idea, and your own, can be refined. Group learning is thus neither courtesy nor fashion; it is a structural necessity for acquiring Torah and a guardrail that steers מחלוקת away from egoic stalemate toward shared discovery.

Maharal (Chidushei Aggadot to Kiddushin 30b; Bechorot 8b) reframes the dynamic metaphysically. Torah is שכל; שכל is אש—rising, intense, and truth‑seeking. By nature, אש generates principled opposition: each mind asserts what it apprehends as true. Yet שכל is fundamentally אחד; once the matter is clarified, the disputants return מיד to love because one Torah contains the partial truths of both sides. Sefer Yetzirah 3:3 deepens the image: the three “mothers” אמש—אש, מים, אויר—map a world of opposites (אש/מים) mediated by אויר. The בית מדרש is where vigorous אש must be carried through a mediating אויר to reunite with אמת אחד. What feels like conflict is often the friction of ascent from פירוד to אחדות. When the higher plane is glimpsed, perspectives integrate, and אהבה בסופה is not sentimental but ontological—an expression of Torah’s oneness.

The Meiri to Kiddushin 30b emphasizes psychology and ethics: love thrives on הסכמה; deep disagreement strains it. Still, when both sides aim to “להוציא הדבר לאמיתו,” opposition need not become personal hatred and should culminate in mutual understanding and love. Rav Yisrael Salanter (Ohr Yisrael, Miktav 6) diagnoses a twin obligation: maximal depth in learning and moral work toward לשמה. First comes חריפות הדעת—the fierce, exacting battle for truth; then comes לשמה—the de‑centering of ego so one can yield to clarity, majority, or the greater. Many communal fractures arise, he argues, from two deficits: shallow learning that masks weaknesses, and activism or argument driven by self‑interest rather than לשמה. The repair is integrative: Torah depth plus sustained מוסר bring both אמת and שלום—“אמת ושלום אהבו.” Both are indispensable conditions for אהבה בסופה.

Practically, the shiur urges a disciplined split‑screen: in the בית מדרש, fight for אמת with rigor, precise questions, and accountability; outside, relate with warmth, ענוה, and חסד. Stories of great poskim model this contrast—a “general” in learning who is a “סבא” at home. Build structured חבורה where making oneself an “אויב” means opposing confusion, not people; insist on clarity in shiur, but translate the victory into humility, not triumphalism. Let ספרים be a standing חברותא to broaden voices when partners aren’t available. Guard against the ego that refuses to listen; cultivate the holy ambition that refuses to settle for fuzzy pshat. The measure of success is not who “wins,” but whether the sugya becomes clearer and the relationship warmer. Fierce truth‑seeking and interpersonal gentleness are not contradictions—they are sequential mandates of one avodat Hashem.

== Key Ideas ==

=== The Nine Days question ===

If Torah promises peace, why do Torah communities often fracture? Bamidbar 21:14’s “ספר מלחמות ה׳ … את והב בסופה” (אהבה בסופה) frames the task: transform the war of Torah into love by the end.

=== Kiddushin 30b—opposition that must end in love ===

Father–son and rebbe–talmid studying בשער אחד become enemies through debate, yet do not move until they become אוהבים. The gate image signals entry to פנימיות that requires struggle before unity.

=== Rashi: the ‘war of Torah’ is principled non‑acceptance ===

נעשים אויבים means מקשים זה לזה ואין זה מקבל דברי זה. One must refuse to accept what one cannot yet understand, pushing the sugya until clarification yields renewed love.

=== Berakhot 63b: Torah is acquired only בחבורה ===

“עשו כתות כתות ועסקו בתורה… אין התורה נקנית אלא בחבורה.” “חרב אל הבדים ונואלו” warns that isolation breeds brittleness and folly. No single intellect can exhaust a divine text.

=== Maharal (Kiddushin 30b; Bechorot 8b): intellect as אש ===

שכל is אש: it rises, contests, and divides; yet שכל is fundamentally אחד. When clarified, parts reunify מיד, revealing one Torah that contains partial truths on both sides.

=== Sefer Yetzirah 3:3—אמש: אש, מים, אויר ===

Fire and water are principled opposites; אויר mediates. So too, the בית מדרש channels fiery debate through mediation toward higher unity—moving from פירוד to אחדות.

=== Meiri: keep debate impersonal and end in understanding ===

Love depends on הסכמה; strong disagreement strains it. But when both seek “להוציא הדבר לאמיתו,” opposition need not turn personal and should culminate in mutual understanding and love.

=== Rav Yisrael Salanter (Ohr Yisrael 6): depth plus לשמה ===

First, חריפות—pursue rigorous truth; then, לשמה—remove ego, yield to clarity or greater authority. Many rifts come from shallow learning and non‑lishmah agendas; integrate Torah depth with continuous מוסר.

== מאמרי מקומות (Sources Cited) ==

The source sheets and shiur discuss the following primary texts. The links open canonical online editions.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew Name !! Type !! Discussed in the shiur
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Kiddushin.30b.2 Talmud Bavli, Kiddushin 30b] || תלמוד בבלי, קידושין ל ע״ב || Gemara || Torah study makes father–son and teacher–student opponents who ultimately become loving friends.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.21.14 Bamidbar 21:14] || במדבר כא:יד || Tanach || The verse את והב בסופה, interpreted by Chazal as love at the end of Torah’s battle.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Kiddushin.30b.2 Rashi on Kiddushin 30b] || רש״י על קידושין ל ע״ב || Rishon || Learners become opponents by challenging and refusing claims they do not yet accept.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Meiri_on_Kiddushin.30b Meiri on Kiddushin 30b] || מאירי על קידושין ל ע״ב || Rishon || Truth-directed dispute need not become personal hatred and should conclude in understanding and love.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.63b Talmud Bavli, Berakhot 63b] || תלמוד בבלי, ברכות סג ע״ב || Gemara || Torah is acquired in groups; isolated learning is rebuked by חרב אל הבדים.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Chidushei_Agadot_on_Kiddushin.30b Maharal, Chidushei Aggadot on Kiddushin 30b] || מהר״ל, חידושי אגדות על קידושין ל ע״ב || Acharon || Intellectual opposition can end immediately in love because the higher truth is one.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Chidushei_Agadot_on_Bekhorot.8b Maharal, Chidushei Aggadot on Bekhorot 8b] || מהר״ל, חידושי אגדות על בכורות ח ע״ב || Acharon || The opposition of fire and water symbolizes conflict among differentiated intellectual positions.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_Yetzirah.3.3 Sefer Yetzirah 3:3] || ספר יצירה ג:ג || Other || The three mothers אמש correspond to air, water, and fire, with air mediating between opposites.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Ohr_Yisrael Ohr Yisrael, Letter 6] || אור ישראל, מכתב ו || Acharon || Rav Yisrael Salanter joins rigorous depth in Torah with mussar and learning לשמה.
|}

== Source Sheets ==

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ZAZkqIWWjnHmKLvV.pdf Source Sheet 1] — Nine Days overview: Bamidbar 21:14, Kiddushin 30b, Rashi, Meiri, Berakhot 63b, Maharal, and Sefer Yetzirah
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/SkRgytVWvJhMGozR.pdf Source Sheet 2] — Rav Yisrael Salanter, Ohr Yisrael, Miktav 6
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/BwhMNEgsLmBIKdiZ.pdf Source Sheet 3] — Maharal, Chidushei Aggadot on Bekhorot 8b
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/QmsEMdyULTwpXjqG.pdf Source Sheet 4] — Maharal, Chidushei Aggadot on Kiddushin 30b
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/vGxHpaKskomsfDry.pdf Source Sheet 5 — Ohr Yisrael, Letter 6] — Additional clean copy of Rav Yisrael Salanter, Ohr Yisrael, Miktav 6

== Audio ==

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/eCoHzTMlflzqNfba.mp3 Recording Part 1]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/fatzZODNcqRuTKUG.mp3 Recording Part 2]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/TfYxXrdDIctBessb.mp3 Recording Part 3]

== Transcript Note ==

Audio transcript is automated and preserves candid classroom language, including occasional strong expressions, to maintain fidelity to the live shiur context.

[[Category:Shiur]]
[[Category:Topic - Tisha B'Av]]
[[Category:Topic - Nine Days]]
[[Category:Topic - Machloket and Shalom]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?

2026-07-19T10:08:42Z

AdamSinger: Added Ohr Yisrael, Letter 6 PDF as Source Sheet 5

{{ShiurInfobox
| title = The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?
| original_shiur = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/eCoHzTMlflzqNfba.mp3 Recording Part 1]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/fatzZODNcqRuTKUG.mp3 Recording Part 2]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/TfYxXrdDIctBessb.mp3 Recording Part 3]
| source_sheets = [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ZAZkqIWWjnHmKLvV.pdf Source Sheet 1]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/SkRgytVWvJhMGozR.pdf Source Sheet 2]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/BwhMNEgsLmBIKdiZ.pdf Source Sheet 3]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/QmsEMdyULTwpXjqG.pdf Source Sheet 4]<br/>[https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/vGxHpaKskomsfDry.pdf Source Sheet 5 — Ohr Yisrael, Letter 6]
| related_topics = [[Shalom]], [[Machloket]], [[Torah Study]], [[Mussar]], [[Chaburah]]
| related_parsha =
| related_holidays = [[Tisha B'Av]], [[The Nine Days|Nine Days]], [[Bein HaMetzarim]]
| full_transcript = Full Transcript: [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?/Transcript Part 1|Part 1]] · [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?/Transcript Part 2|Part 2]] · [[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?/Transcript Part 3|Part 3]]
| step4_message = Torah debate fulfills its purpose only when rigorous truth-seeking is joined to humility, mussar, and love, transforming the fire of disagreement into deeper unity.
}}

= The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom? =

'''Speaker:''' Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld<br/>
'''Occasion:''' The Nine Days / Tisha B'Av<br/>
'''Shiur date:''' ''Not supplied in the uploaded files''<br/>

== One-Line Step Four ==

The beit midrash needs principled opposition, but the conflict must continue until the sugya is clearer, ego yields, and the learners rediscover that their different insights belong to one Torah.

== Summary ==

{{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

The shiur opens with the Nine Days question: if “תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם,” why does serious Torah often accompany fierce division? The source sheet begins at Bamidbar 21:14—“על כן יאמר בספר מלחמות ה׳ את והב בסופה”—which Chazal read as אהבה בסופה. The class seeks a pathway from the “milchamot” of learning to genuine peace. Rabbi Gershenfeld frames the problem experientially: rigorous batei midrash can feel like battlefields; communities polarize; yet the Torah promises a deeper unity. He lays out the roadmap: Kiddushin 30b with Rashi and Meiri, Berakhot 63b on חבורה, Maharal’s metaphysics of שכל/אש together with Sefer Yetzירה’s אמש, and Rav Yisrael Salanter’s Ohr Yisrael 6 integrating depth with מוסר and לשמה. The goal is not to blunt conflict, but to carry מחלוקת through its clarifications into humility, warmth, and love—particularly urgent during בין המצרים leading to תשעה באב.

Kiddushin 30b is the anchor: “אפילו אב ובנו, הרב ותלמידו… שעוסקים בתורה בשער אחד—נעשים אויבים זה לזה, ואינם זזים משם עד שנעשים אוהבים זה את זה,” reading “את והב בסופה” as אהבה בסופה. Rashi explains “נעשים אויבים” as מתּוך שמקשים זה לזה ואֵין זה מקבל דברי זה—real non‑acceptance until the matter is clarified; a genuine “מלחמתה של תורה.” The image of “בשער” evokes a gate—an entry into פנימיות that initially blocks, provoking struggle. The opposition is intellectual, not personal: love arises when the truth emerges. The shiur illustrates how principled challenge honors both father and teacher precisely by refusing to accept what one does not yet understand. Thus, the Gemara’s promise—“אינם זזים… עד שנעשים אוהבים”—becomes a demand: do not stop at the stage of opposition; bring the debate to resolution and renewed affection.

Berakhot 63b gives the method: “הסכת ושמע—עשו כתות כתות ועסקו בתורה,” for “אין התורה נקנית אלא בחבורה.” Its warning—“חרב אל הבדים ונואלו”—targets the one who sits לבד; isolation makes one brittle, foolish, and even sinful. No individual intellect can exhaust a divine text. A חבורה cross‑examines blind spots, distributes strengths, and approximates the breadth of Sanhedrin‑style deliberation. Practically, this means building חברותות and discussion circles that invite competing דיוֹת, sharpen questions, and require articulation until the sugya yields. The shiur stresses that healthy opposition is a cooperative act: you “make yourself an אויב” to incomplete readings so that your colleague’s idea, and your own, can be refined. Group learning is thus neither courtesy nor fashion; it is a structural necessity for acquiring Torah and a guardrail that steers מחלוקת away from egoic stalemate toward shared discovery.

Maharal (Chidushei Aggadot to Kiddushin 30b; Bechorot 8b) reframes the dynamic metaphysically. Torah is שכל; שכל is אש—rising, intense, and truth‑seeking. By nature, אש generates principled opposition: each mind asserts what it apprehends as true. Yet שכל is fundamentally אחד; once the matter is clarified, the disputants return מיד to love because one Torah contains the partial truths of both sides. Sefer Yetzirah 3:3 deepens the image: the three “mothers” אמש—אש, מים, אויר—map a world of opposites (אש/מים) mediated by אויר. The בית מדרש is where vigorous אש must be carried through a mediating אויר to reunite with אמת אחד. What feels like conflict is often the friction of ascent from פירוד to אחדות. When the higher plane is glimpsed, perspectives integrate, and אהבה בסופה is not sentimental but ontological—an expression of Torah’s oneness.

The Meiri to Kiddushin 30b emphasizes psychology and ethics: love thrives on הסכמה; deep disagreement strains it. Still, when both sides aim to “להוציא הדבר לאמיתו,” opposition need not become personal hatred and should culminate in mutual understanding and love. Rav Yisrael Salanter (Ohr Yisrael, Miktav 6) diagnoses a twin obligation: maximal depth in learning and moral work toward לשמה. First comes חריפות הדעת—the fierce, exacting battle for truth; then comes לשמה—the de‑centering of ego so one can yield to clarity, majority, or the greater. Many communal fractures arise, he argues, from two deficits: shallow learning that masks weaknesses, and activism or argument driven by self‑interest rather than לשמה. The repair is integrative: Torah depth plus sustained מוסר bring both אמת and שלום—“אמת ושלום אהבו.” Both are indispensable conditions for אהבה בסופה.

Practically, the shiur urges a disciplined split‑screen: in the בית מדרש, fight for אמת with rigor, precise questions, and accountability; outside, relate with warmth, ענוה, and חסד. Stories of great poskim model this contrast—a “general” in learning who is a “סבא” at home. Build structured חבורה where making oneself an “אויב” means opposing confusion, not people; insist on clarity in shiur, but translate the victory into humility, not triumphalism. Let ספרים be a standing חברותא to broaden voices when partners aren’t available. Guard against the ego that refuses to listen; cultivate the holy ambition that refuses to settle for fuzzy pshat. The measure of success is not who “wins,” but whether the sugya becomes clearer and the relationship warmer. Fierce truth‑seeking and interpersonal gentleness are not contradictions—they are sequential mandates of one avodat Hashem.

== Key Ideas ==

=== The Nine Days question ===

If Torah promises peace, why do Torah communities often fracture? Bamidbar 21:14’s “ספר מלחמות ה׳ … את והב בסופה” (אהבה בסופה) frames the task: transform the war of Torah into love by the end.

=== Kiddushin 30b—opposition that must end in love ===

Father–son and rebbe–talmid studying בשער אחד become enemies through debate, yet do not move until they become אוהבים. The gate image signals entry to פנימיות that requires struggle before unity.

=== Rashi: the ‘war of Torah’ is principled non‑acceptance ===

נעשים אויבים means מקשים זה לזה ואין זה מקבל דברי זה. One must refuse to accept what one cannot yet understand, pushing the sugya until clarification yields renewed love.

=== Berakhot 63b: Torah is acquired only בחבורה ===

“עשו כתות כתות ועסקו בתורה… אין התורה נקנית אלא בחבורה.” “חרב אל הבדים ונואלו” warns that isolation breeds brittleness and folly. No single intellect can exhaust a divine text.

=== Maharal (Kiddushin 30b; Bechorot 8b): intellect as אש ===

שכל is אש: it rises, contests, and divides; yet שכל is fundamentally אחד. When clarified, parts reunify מיד, revealing one Torah that contains partial truths on both sides.

=== Sefer Yetzirah 3:3—אמש: אש, מים, אויר ===

Fire and water are principled opposites; אויר mediates. So too, the בית מדרש channels fiery debate through mediation toward higher unity—moving from פירוד to אחדות.

=== Meiri: keep debate impersonal and end in understanding ===

Love depends on הסכמה; strong disagreement strains it. But when both seek “להוציא הדבר לאמיתו,” opposition need not turn personal and should culminate in mutual understanding and love.

=== Rav Yisrael Salanter (Ohr Yisrael 6): depth plus לשמה ===

First, חריפות—pursue rigorous truth; then, לשמה—remove ego, yield to clarity or greater authority. Many rifts come from shallow learning and non‑lishmah agendas; integrate Torah depth with continuous מוסר.

== מאמרי מקומות (Sources Cited) ==

The source sheets and shiur discuss the following primary texts. The links open canonical online editions.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Source !! Hebrew Name !! Type !! Discussed in the shiur
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Kiddushin.30b.2 Talmud Bavli, Kiddushin 30b] || תלמוד בבלי, קידושין ל ע״ב || Gemara || Torah study makes father–son and teacher–student opponents who ultimately become loving friends.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.21.14 Bamidbar 21:14] || במדבר כא:יד || Tanach || The verse את והב בסופה, interpreted by Chazal as love at the end of Torah’s battle.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Kiddushin.30b.2 Rashi on Kiddushin 30b] || רש״י על קידושין ל ע״ב || Rishon || Learners become opponents by challenging and refusing claims they do not yet accept.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Meiri_on_Kiddushin.30b Meiri on Kiddushin 30b] || מאירי על קידושין ל ע״ב || Rishon || Truth-directed dispute need not become personal hatred and should conclude in understanding and love.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.63b Talmud Bavli, Berakhot 63b] || תלמוד בבלי, ברכות סג ע״ב || Gemara || Torah is acquired in groups; isolated learning is rebuked by חרב אל הבדים.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Chidushei_Agadot_on_Kiddushin.30b Maharal, Chidushei Aggadot on Kiddushin 30b] || מהר״ל, חידושי אגדות על קידושין ל ע״ב || Acharon || Intellectual opposition can end immediately in love because the higher truth is one.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Chidushei_Agadot_on_Bekhorot.8b Maharal, Chidushei Aggadot on Bekhorot 8b] || מהר״ל, חידושי אגדות על בכורות ח ע״ב || Acharon || The opposition of fire and water symbolizes conflict among differentiated intellectual positions.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Sefer_Yetzirah.3.3 Sefer Yetzirah 3:3] || ספר יצירה ג:ג || Other || The three mothers אמש correspond to air, water, and fire, with air mediating between opposites.
|-
| [https://www.sefaria.org/Ohr_Yisrael Ohr Yisrael, Letter 6] || אור ישראל, מכתב ו || Acharon || Rav Yisrael Salanter joins rigorous depth in Torah with mussar and learning לשמה.
|}

== Source Sheets ==

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/ZAZkqIWWjnHmKLvV.pdf Source Sheet 1] — Nine Days overview: Bamidbar 21:14, Kiddushin 30b, Rashi, Meiri, Berakhot 63b, Maharal, and Sefer Yetzirah
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/SkRgytVWvJhMGozR.pdf Source Sheet 2] — Rav Yisrael Salanter, Ohr Yisrael, Miktav 6
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/BwhMNEgsLmBIKdiZ.pdf Source Sheet 3] — Maharal, Chidushei Aggadot on Bekhorot 8b
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/QmsEMdyULTwpXjqG.pdf Source Sheet 4] — Maharal, Chidushei Aggadot on Kiddushin 30b
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/vGxHpaKskomsfDry.pdf Source Sheet 5 — Ohr Yisrael, Letter 6] — Additional clean copy of Rav Yisrael Salanter, Ohr Yisrael, Miktav 6

== Audio ==

* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/eCoHzTMlflzqNfba.mp3 Recording Part 1]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/fatzZODNcqRuTKUG.mp3 Recording Part 2]
* [https://files.manuscdn.com/user_upload_by_module/session_file/310519663587271540/TfYxXrdDIctBessb.mp3 Recording Part 3]

== Transcript Note ==

Audio transcript is automated and preserves candid classroom language, including occasional strong expressions, to maintain fidelity to the live shiur context.

[[Category:Shiur]]
[[Category:Topic - Tisha B'Av]]
[[Category:Topic - Nine Days]]
[[Category:Topic - Machloket and Shalom]]
[[Category:Rabbi Gershenfeld Vaad]]

Main Page

2026-07-19T09:54:59Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha and holidays for week of 2026-07-19

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
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<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' July 17, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

<div style="font-size:1.1em; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom:4px;">Parashat Vaetchanan</div>
<div style="font-size:0.9em; color:#555; margin-bottom:8px;">11 Av 5786 · July 25, 2026 · Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11</div>

'''Vaetchanan''' contains some of the Torah's most central passages: Moshe's plea to enter the Land, the repetition of the Ten Commandments, the Shema, and the V'ahavta. The parsha also includes the command to teach Torah to one's children and the designation of cities of refuge.
<div style="font-size:0.88em; margin-top:8px; border-top:1px solid #ddd; padding-top:6px;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 40:1-26
</div>
<div style="font-size:0.85em; color:#666; margin-top:6px;">
Shabbat Nachamu — the Shabbat of Consolation after Tisha B'Av
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px; font-size:0.88em;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.3:23-7:11?lang=bi Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.92em;">

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse;"
|-
! style="text-align:left; padding:3px 6px; border-bottom:1px solid #ddd; color:#555; font-size:0.85em;" | Holiday
! style="text-align:left; padding:3px 6px; border-bottom:1px solid #ddd; color:#555; font-size:0.85em;" | Date
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px;" | '''Tish’a B’Av'''
| style="padding:4px 6px; white-space:nowrap;" | July 23, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8;" | '''Tu B’Av'''
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8; white-space:nowrap;" | July 29, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px;" | '''Rosh Hashana LaBehemot''' — New Year for Animals
| style="padding:4px 6px; white-space:nowrap;" | August 14, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8;" | '''Leil Selichot''' — Night of Selichot — penitential prayers begin
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8; white-space:nowrap;" | September 5, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px;" | '''Erev Rosh Hashana''' — Eve of Rosh Hashana
| style="padding:4px 6px; white-space:nowrap;" | September 11, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8;" | '''Rosh Hashana 5787''' — Jewish New Year (5787)
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8; white-space:nowrap;" | September 12, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px;" | '''Rosh Hashana II''' — Second day of Rosh Hashana
| style="padding:4px 6px; white-space:nowrap;" | September 13, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:6px;">
All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.
</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>

Main Page

2026-07-18T21:04:52Z

AdamSinger: Auto-update: parsha and holidays for week of 2026-07-18

<noinclude>__NOTOC__</noinclude>
<div class="step4-home">
<div style="background:#f6f6f6; border:1px solid #a2a9b1; padding:10px 14px; margin-bottom:12px; text-align:center; font-size:1.1em; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Welcome to '''Step 4''' — a wiki of accessible Torah wisdom, tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah.
</div>

{| class="step4-home-grid" style="width:100%; border:0; padding:0; background:transparent;"
|-
| style="width:55%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
✦ Today's Featured Article
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

'''[[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?]]''' {{AISummaryDisclaimer}}

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px;">
[[The Nine Days: Why Doesn’t Our Torah Seem to Create Shalom?|Read full article...]]
</div>

<div style="border-top:1px solid #ddd; margin-top:8px; padding-top:6px; font-size:0.88em; color:#555;">
'''Published:''' July 17, 2026
</div>
</div>
</div>





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#4a7c2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
? Did You Know...
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.95em;">

* ...that the word ''tirosh'' (wine) contains ''tirash'' (poverty), and this duality is the key to understanding Kiddush? ([[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|source]])
* ...that [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Shabbos candles]] are not merely about light, but about establishing ''seder'' — an ordered, purposeful framework for Shabbos?
* ...that the phrase ''[[Av Hamon Goyim]]'' — "father of a multitude of nations" — encodes a transformation in Avraham's very identity?
* ...that [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|true leadership]] begins with recognizing that Hashem is the ''Elokei HaRuchos'' — the G-d of all spirits?
* ...that [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Kiddush Hashem]] is not only about martyrdom but about how we live every ordinary moment?

</div>
</div>

| style="width:45%; vertical-align:top; padding-left:10px;" |





<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#7c4a2c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
📖 This Week's Parsha
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px;">

<div style="font-size:1.1em; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom:4px;">Parashat Devarim</div>
<div style="font-size:0.9em; color:#555; margin-bottom:8px;">4 Av 5786 · July 18, 2026 · Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22</div>

'''Devarim''' opens Moshe's great farewell address — a review and reinterpretation of the forty years in the desert. Moshe recounts the appointment of judges, the sin of the spies, and the journey toward Canaan. This Shabbat is ''Shabbat Chazon'', the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av.
<div style="font-size:0.88em; margin-top:8px; border-top:1px solid #ddd; padding-top:6px;">
'''Haftarah (Ashkenaz):''' Isaiah 1:1-27
</div>
<div style="font-size:0.85em; color:#666; margin-top:6px;">
Shabbat Chazon — the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av
</div>

<div style="text-align:right; margin-top:6px; font-size:0.88em;">
[https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.1:1-3:22?lang=bi Read on Sefaria →]
</div>
</div>
</div>






<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#2c4a7c; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
🗓 Upcoming Holidays
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 12px; font-size:0.92em;">

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:collapse;"
|-
! style="text-align:left; padding:3px 6px; border-bottom:1px solid #ddd; color:#555; font-size:0.85em;" | Holiday
! style="text-align:left; padding:3px 6px; border-bottom:1px solid #ddd; color:#555; font-size:0.85em;" | Date
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px;" | '''Tish’a B’Av'''
| style="padding:4px 6px; white-space:nowrap;" | July 23, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8;" | '''Tu B’Av'''
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8; white-space:nowrap;" | July 29, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px;" | '''Rosh Hashana LaBehemot''' — New Year for Animals
| style="padding:4px 6px; white-space:nowrap;" | August 14, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8;" | '''Leil Selichot''' — Night of Selichot — penitential prayers begin
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8; white-space:nowrap;" | September 5, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px;" | '''Erev Rosh Hashana''' — Eve of Rosh Hashana
| style="padding:4px 6px; white-space:nowrap;" | September 11, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8;" | '''Rosh Hashana 5787''' — Jewish New Year (5787)
| style="padding:4px 6px; background:#f0f4f8; white-space:nowrap;" | September 12, 2026
|-
| style="padding:4px 6px;" | '''Rosh Hashana II''' — Second day of Rosh Hashana
| style="padding:4px 6px; white-space:nowrap;" | September 13, 2026
|}

<div style="font-size:0.82em; color:#666; margin-top:6px;">
All dates begin at sundown of the evening prior. Times are for Diaspora.
</div>
</div>
</div>


|}




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#f8f9fa; padding:0; margin-bottom:12px;">
<div style="background:#555; color:white; padding:6px 12px; font-size:1em; font-weight:bold; font-family:Georgia, serif;">
Browse by Topic
</div>
<div style="padding:10px 14px;">
{| class="step4-topic-grid" style="width:100%; border:0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Shabbos & Kiddush'''
* [[Kiddush: Tirosh or Tirash: Wine, Daas, and the Inner Work of Kiddush|Tirosh or Tirash: Wine and Daas]]
* [[Kiddush: Wine as Sod in Kiddush: Bridging the Hidden and the Revealed|Wine as Sod in Kiddush]]
* [[Kiddush: Bridging Zohar and Maharal: Wine, Binah, and the Meaning of Kiddush|Bridging Zohar and Maharal]]
* [[Kiddush: Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word|Distinguishing Shabbos with Wine and Word]]
* [[Shabbos: The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha|The Framework of Oneg and Kedusha]]
* [[Shabbos Candles: Illumination, Seder, and Oneg: The Meaning of Shabbos Candles|Illumination, Seder, and Oneg]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top; padding-right:10px;" |
'''Leadership & Character'''
* [[Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos|Leadership and Elokei HaRuchos]]
* [[Leadership|Leadership (overview)]]
* [[Making Kiddush Hashem|Making Kiddush Hashem]]
* [[Teaching the world|Teaching the World]]
| style="width:33%; vertical-align:top;" |
'''Torah Sources & Study'''
* [[Crucial Gur Aryehs for Bereishit, Shemos, and Vayikra|Key Gur Aryeh Sources]]
* [[Gershenfeld Booklet for Learning Chumash and Gur Aryeh|Learning Chumash with Gur Aryeh]]
* [[Calling beshem Hashem|Calling beshem Hashem]]
* [[Av Hamon Goyim|Av Hamon Goyim]]
* [[Bamidbar 27:16|Bamidbar 27:16 — Elokei HaRuchos]]
|}
</div>
</div>




<div style="border:1px solid #a2a9b1; background:#eaf3fb; padding:10px 14px; font-size:0.9em; color:#333;">
'''About Step 4:''' This wiki preserves Torah wisdom learned from Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld — tightly bound to identifiable sources in TaNaCh, Gemara, and Mesorah; deep; and relevant. [[Main Page/About|Learn more →]]
</div>
</div>