A Rabbi Doesn't Quit / Bring People to the Rebbe | Letters #6 & 7 of 30 Letters in 30 Days

Good evening. Um, I am not in New York. I'm not in my normal studio where we shoot these classes. I'm actually in Kabad of Highland Park, Central Avenue Synagogue. And that is because I was uh called away on a on a unfortunately a a loss in the family. Um my aunt passed away and today was the the funeral and uh so the the shiva was here in Highland Park. So I came to Kabad and we're making the uh the class from here. So I want to dedicate tonight's learning baso and uh this should be a merit for her. Okay. Thursday nights is our prep for Shabas Mishna. Two letters 30 letters in 30 days means a letter every day. How do we do a Shabas letter? We do double on Thursday night. So, we have a long letter and we have a short letter. Between the two, it'll probably be like uh an hour. Normal classes are like half an hour. So, this is going to be more like an hour. So, buckle up. Le Shishi wish I had cholen to serve you. All right. So, letter number uh up to six is letter number six in our series. Um, and if you need the PDFs, you want to print out the PDF just like I have the PDF printed, go to 30lets30days.com. You can print the PDF for yourself. So, our first letter tonight, I think it's letter number six, is from uh as all all of our letters are this year, page 40 and 41. And uh here we go. By the grace of God, the seventh of Oh, we're finally in the month of All of our letters till now have either been lol or tish. So, now we're finally into we're moving through the year. Um, greetings and blessings in response to your letter with its attachment. Like when you send an email and you push the little paperclip icon and you attach a file. Well, would you believe that before email existed, people used to put letters in envelopes and then they would like attach with an actual paperclip, not a picture of a paperclip, an actual metal paperclip, like other things along with the letter and and in it you write shal that you have abandoned your shift. before the summer. So, who who are we talking to? We're talking to a rabbi, a rabbi who had left his rabbitical post. Now, this letter is from Kajun and the guy I don't know what what date he wrote to the Reba. sometimes the devil will mention his response what letter what date the letter was that he received here it just says I'm responding to you um doesn't say the date but um the guy abandoned his rebbitic post before the summer I don't know what that means you know before the summer May June okay so this is ready after the high holidays. We're talking about, you know, four or five months later. It seems that what you're meaning is what you're saying is of that you have left the rabbitic um you've left the being a rabbi in general not just you left that particular shaw but you're no longer a rabbi this is most wondrous when that says lapel. It's I don't think I've ever seen it as a positive connotation. It's like I can't believe it. I can't I can't believe you're saying this. I cannot believe I'm reading these words. now for so many years. So it seems that this is somebody who's not originally from America, but who's come to America and he's been in America for many years. Neba says, "I'm actually totally shocked to hear that someone like you, someone who's been in America for so long, I was going to explain why that is an exacerbating factor, but somebody like you who's been in America so long that you are no longer going to be a rabbi seems from your translate as articles. How does sound? You know, I never look in the English. Was trying to translate as quickly as possible. You guys have probably noticed I uh don't normally match the English translation which we get from sikas in English by the way. Um so here it says as evident in the talks that you attached to your letter. So I guess this person had transcriptions of some talks or some lectures that he had given. So notice as is evident from those published talks that of of yours that you included in the in the letter or as an attachment to the letters. you are interested in the situation of Judaism here meaning in America and how to improve it. In other words, that is saying you sent me some articles or some transcripts of your own talks about the importance of improving American jewelry. So, forgive me for using your own words against you, but you told me that you're interested in improving the situation of American jewelry. So that I was saying, how does that fit with the fact that you've been in America now for a while, you understand America, you understand the situation here, um, you understand the mentality, you know how to work with these people, you know how needed it is, and you walked away from your post, you walked away from um, position in general, like doesn't add up. Yeah. moving. So it's totally not understood. Why you would stop serving as a rabbi? because uh how is it possible meaning after you've done what you've done that you're going to now improve the values of American jewelry here? Like you're telling me you you think it's important, but you just walked away from your rebbitic position. You walked away from being a rabbi in general. So this doesn't add up. the case of especially if what you write about your qualifications. You say that you're you have a lot of elacrity and you're well organized. If that's true, meaning again that Evan's using the guy's own words against him, like you have these qualities and I'm not going to tell you, oh, stop being arrogant. Stop thinking you're so talented. No, no, no. You are that talented. I believe you. I believe you that you're that talented. And if you're that talented, how how in the world do you have the right to stop being a rabbi? So those qualities you have, which I believe you I believe you have these qualities that increases your possibility of having an effect. So your your your mistake stepping away or more correctly uh more accurately fleeing from the battle becomes even greater becomes more egregious. We spoke last night a letter to uh finlestein the rabbi was explaining rabbi mabashim honor the wealthy was telling how it's his job so to speak to locate to identify people who have influence and to them influence the influencers. I don't know who this rabbi is. This rabbi in America, there's no name here. And many times the names were were redacted for privacy reasons. But it's a similar theme that EB is telling this person basically, you have no right to allow your talents to not be used for improving the situation of jewelry in America. toward now what you write which was seemingly an explanation maybe a rationalization or a defense of why you're doing what you're doing that in your in your in your situation in your in employment as a as a rabbi you were forced to submit to the balabat to your congregants will. Okay. So apparently the guy told the yeah before the summer already I left being a rabbi and apparently he's stuck in there in his own defense. Yeah. It just wasn't it wasn't good because at every every step you have to you have to cowtow to the the congregants and they have all these unreasonable demands and whatever. I just didn't feel like I was able to do what I need to do because I had had to deal constantly have to deal with the with the congregants. Right. So that that seems like what the guy was saying. So the deba takes that on says regarding your excuse of why you left. It's because you know because the balabat congregates are are uh trying to rule over you movement gamas understood that even this is not a sufficient reason like I I agree it's a problem but not a reason to stop doing what you're doing it's key because Um, in addition to the fact that ultimately it's going to have to come about that there's going to be a change regarding the the Balabatim submitting themselves. to the authority of the rabbi. Meaning ultimately you're going to have to correct that relationship. But this this change in the balabatum in their attitude is not going to come about through those who do not mind submitting themselves to the will of the congregants. but rather specifically those who fight it. And it's a very remote distant hope that the congregants themselves are going to oppose animosity towards the rabbi. The only way this is going to change is through the rabbis. themselves and the the attitude of I need to save myself. The great of the world have already invalidated that position especially the great invalidated the position of I need to save myself. In other words, the Reb is saying that yeah, you have balab who are unruly, who are uh how do you think that's going to change? It's going to change by you engaging with it and not going to be by running away from it. And as far as you saying, well, I can't handle it, stressing me out. Yeah, that's the that's the attitude of I need to save myself. And it's already been established that I need to save myself is not a proper approach to life. So instead of saving yourself, why don't you save these guys? Which guys specifically these headstrong guys who like to fight with the rabbi? Why don't you save them by working with them and teaching them not to be so defiant, not to be so oppositional. Again, this is the Reb's approach of taking problems and turning them into like which kind of balab do you want to work with? The ones who don't work with it's like I only want to teach understand everything on their own. I only want to teach them who don't even need they don't even need a they could understand it on their own. They only want to deal with them who are already docile. So what's the point there? What what point are you what uh what purpose are you serving? Now that ever connects it to the weekly para who said that the date of this letter was passion. So what do you think is the para? You want to take a guess? Whatever is speaking about somebody running away from difficult people and just saving himself. Think about early running away from difficult people and saving yourself. You want to guess? Yeah. The points out something very strange that flood is called the waters of Noah. Why are they the waters of Noah? It's the ark of Noah. The waters were the waters of the wicked people who brought fought upon themselves. Why is it called the waters of Noah? He was the good guy. Even though says in his generation, but the reason that the flood is called the waters of Noah like it says inher Hashem told him that Hashem said to that that he and his children are going to remain that he did not beg for he didn't beg to have mercy in the world and it was destroyed. and for that reason is called after his name. This means to say that even when you hear an explicit command from the creator of the world and its director like it says very clearly there told go into the into the ark and I'm going to wipe out the world. So Hashem told him I was only following orders. told me to go into the ark. Says point is even when you have specific instruction from this does not excuse you whatsoever does not excuse you whatsoever from making sure not to be a guy who says I'm just going to save myself. In other words, even though Hashem told Na, get on the ark, while I destroy the world, and he could say, well, he was just telling doing what you told me to do, told me to get on the ark while you destroy the world. Okay, that that's one thing. But you covening and requesting mercy or receiving mercy for the generation, that's another thing. The two are not mutually exclusive. Now if this logic held true even before the was given before so after the was given loving your fellow as yourself is one of the great rules of the especially after the guarantorship ship that was begun in the plains of Moab before the Jews entered the holy land in the 40th year under Moses's direction. Shak meaning not entering the holy land was under Moses' direction. That was Joshua but undertaking this arvos this guarantorship was under Moses's direction. All Jews now are guarantors for each other. That's easy to understand. what the title was accepted. It was it was accepted uh with another u you know when you click on the terms and conditions like 10 pages of stuff that you don't read. Okay. So part of the terms and conditions of accepting the was a relationship between every single Jew and every other Jew called arvas spiritship. In other words, when we accepted the Tiraa, we did not only accept to observe the Tory, but we accepted to be responsible to see to it that every other Jew should also observe. That's what is guarantorship. So there's no such thing as saying I'm just going to take care of myself. Meaning even in Nyak's time which was before mountain Titus there was no arvis there was no guarante he is he has the uh dubious distinction has the notoriety of having his name attached to the the destruct the floodwaters because he wanted to just save himself and he didn't save his generation. How much more so after the TA's been given and we have accepted responsibility for each other's mitzvah that not an acceptable approach. Now it's clear understood that you could improve Jewish the situation of jewelry also if you're not a rabbi. Okay. So it's not like there's no such thing as lay leadership. You could also improve the Jewish situation in America without being a rabbi. In fact, it could be an incredibly uh great way of serving Hashem, somebody who serves not as a rabbi and has huge effect, but to our pain, to our great pain. Mish mishum. If you think about it, all the rabbis that you know who abandoned ravenetamia for whatever reason it was in this guy's case, it's because the balabatim are are too oppositional. But for whatever reason, you see the rabbis who left the enter into other tasks of self-sacrifice. And this is easy to understand. Okay, let me just decode that says like this. Am I pretending that there aren't people who are non-rabbis who do incredible things for the Jewish community? No, I'm not. Of course, we know there are non-rabis in leadership who do incredible things for the Jewish community. That's a fact. We know that. But that's not the point here. The point is I want you to think about it to do this a little meditation. Do you know of any rabbi who left the rabinet and became one of those guys? Yeah, there are lay leaders who have self-sacrifice for the Jewish community. But do you know rabbis who stopped being rabbis became one of those layers incredible sacrifice? No. What they did is they became private citizens you're attempting to do and they took care of themselves. They uh they gave up on the community. That's just a fact. Just a fact. Mima now regarding what you write that um you're going to get into business if you have the right opportunity. You have the right uh the right venture. In general, the way to approach such things is according to the expression is the one person has another friend. One friend has another friend. In other words, if you know one person, you know many people because the one guy you know knows a bunch of people and then they know a bunch of people and it's exponential like the way that let's say a rumor spreads because one guy tells his friend and that guy tells his friend, right? So it's called networking. The term for it today is called networking. This means you speak to your friends. chief of people uh who are Yeah. You speak to them about what you want to get into. Hey, you ask them to go speak about it among their friends. ask your friends to speak about among their friends. You uh end up amplifying your your message and somebody eventually knows somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody who has an opportunity for you. So that's the way it's done. So certainly that's what that's how you should do it. And obviously the says if I hear of if I come to know of an appropriate opportunity I'm going to let you know very interesting that I was saying in first person if it happens to me that an opportunity for you comes my way I'm gonna I'm gonna inform you or at least I'll tell you I'll tell this person about you. Either I'll tell you about this guy or I'll tell this guy who I don't know who it is. We didn't meet him yet. But uh I'll tell him about you. What I wrote in the beginning of my letter has no bearing on this as is understood. Do you understand what just happened? You understand what just happened? And the rabbit just told this guy, you have really no right to leave the rabbit just because your balance are difficult. To the contrary, work with them, help them, change them. And you can't be like and just save yourself. And we have something called arvos. You have to be a guarantor for every other Yids. And yeah, there are great lay leaders, but if the rabbi ever the rabinet, he doesn't go on to become a self-sacrificing lay leader. He just goes into his private life. So after all of that, oh, you're talking about business. Yeah. If I hear of a good opportunity for you, I'll pass. And you should know that everything I wrote before, they're two separate issues. I mean, to me, that's mind-blowing that I was basically telling the guy, "How dare you leave the rabinet go into your private business and you're the potential that you have to affect American jewelry?" In the same time that I was telling him, if you want to go into business, I'll help you. I will help you to network. I will make connections for you that may be fruitful for you. I don't think that one thing that I just said earlier has to do with such a fascinating I mean, just in general, it's something to learn. It's like I don't approve of what you're doing, but then it doesn't mean I'm going to passive aggressively try to thwart your success. Yeah, I don't approve it. I told you I don't approve it. I don't think it's a good thing. But you know what? If I could help you, I'm still going to help you. I think especially when it comes to parnosa you see with the rebba that someone's ability to make a living on one hand you know the rebba speaks about making such like almost like minimizing terms like it's just you have to make a kala you just have to all about the and overdo the and you learn some letters and it seems like the reb is like you're living in it. Like who even thinks about such things? But then when it comes to an opportunity to be helpful to somebody, you see this time and time again. It's it's like holy of holies opportunity to help somebody out with making a living. You know the famous story it's in it's in about hadn't he was used to having visions of his grandfather the afteralus he hadn't seen his grandfather in a vision for quite some time and uh so he was about to d before he ding somebody asked him for a loan and he needed money to do to business but that's how money you go to the market buy some stuff and then sell some stuff and then buy some stuff sell some stuff so he told him come back after davening and then he realized hold on a second after daving he's going to miss half the business of the day and that's not so he chased the guy down and he gave the money said here here start doing business and then after that happened appeared to the vision and uh the the the teaching the moral of the story is when you help somebody out with business, it opens up all of the pathways in heaven. So helping somebody make a living and just telling them, "Yeah, I'll do a little networking for you is super sacred." Okay. says, "I'm going to use this opportunity, meaning the occasion of our correspondence here, um, to encourage you at learning service, not just to learn this, to set appointed times for learning susp Especially our era in our day and age absolutely essential in addition to the fact that it's part of the general obligation of learning learning is not additional to the it's part and parcel of that obligation but in in addition to I'll call [Music] that um I said in addition to the fact that learning cod is a part of learning but also um that that the obligation to learn to applies to all parts of including and you should see the uh what the says the laws of Torah studied regarding the fulfillment of studying Tyra Um, and he he gives him a a place to go uh look up and see what it says there. how they have it. Now it both seemingly contradictory both seemingly contradictory parts of this letter together one like they doveetail together seamlessly on one hand that told him how dare you leave the rabbit the other hand that ever said and if you want to get into business I'll help you I'll actively help you so now let's finishes the letter just So brilliant. I'm giving you a blessing for good livelihood. Good pron that is in keeping in fitting fitting with appropriate to your talents and fulfilling your purpose among the Jewish people. In other words, I want you to have both. I want you to have money and I want you to use your talents to help. Why not both? Like the word I was created to serve my master. Sometimes the which is even more forceful. Other times it's I was created to serve my master. The point is saying what's the point of life? You're here to be useful to Hashem. So I want you to have believe me I want you to have your ponosa is the most serious thing for me but not both. And I want you to fulfill your your mission in life because we were only created to be useful to you should do both. I want you to have both money and the blessing, good news in all of the above. Okay, that was a longish letter. Now we have a shortish, shall we? Yes. Why not? Why note? This is letter number seven. Tess 15th of the past. the rabbi, the genius, the god-fearing, the honorable, the esteemed, the one who works for communal affairs. Alexander sender shalom. Greetings and blessings. I'm affirming receipt of your letter. In your letter to me, you said you got the papers and you also wrote a summary of your work. I don't know who Alexander Sander is. I don't know what papers he got if it was travel papers like a visa or something permit business related thing. I don't know what it means. It sounds usually it would imply a fake document for what and he wrote about his his business and it sounds like real actual business like some type of money-making enterprise. That's what it sounds well a pella and it is a shock. It is a wonder previous letter also that said this matter is wondrous. All right. So what is a pella here? Laella and I've said this before but I'll say it again. Never say something's a pella. Don't just be like all hurt that oh why is it ever so shocked? I didn't know. I didn't know it was so I didn't know it was wrong. Okay. So, first of all, be grateful for the opportunity to find out maybe there's a different way of viewing this. But second of all, this is more important. The Reb is teaching you this is supposed to be anb says when the says something is moving to it's obviously understood self understood the deb is telling you that not only you correct your thinking but when you correct your thinking you should install this idea as a core concept because it's supposed to be something It's super super obvious. If it isn't yet super obvious, make it super obvious. Don't cry about the fact isn't super obvious to you on your own. Don't be insulted by the deba saying everyone knows this. Well, I didn't know it. Okay, so now you know it and you know it something that everyone supposed to know. So the says it is it's a wonder. This should be like obvious. You don't mention the different places where you visited during the summer time. I don't know. The guy was traveling around doing some business different communities. Anyways, he's traveling to different places in the summer. You don't mention when when you're talking about places you visited in the summer. Then now maybe you could do this. I didn't say yet what it is. So maybe now you could do it. I maybe you're going back to those places or maybe go to other places. So you can start doing it from now on whenever you go to different places. But here's the thing. It's really surprising to me that you didn't mention to me when you're going around to different places that you don't mention. She miss preparing to uh travel here meaning New York. You're going to come here and you're going to visit the aisle of the like I'm so surprised you're meeting people apparently you're traveling around so you're meeting people all the time and you don't tell them that you're coming visit the aisle I mean It's possible, by the way, that the papers he got were papers um traveling to New York. That's is a possibility and that he was traveling among people who live very far from live overseas. The point is that I was saying that should be something that you're talking about. choose something that these people that you're encountering, they should hear you tell them, "I'm on my way to New York soon. I'm gonna be visiting the aisle." So, why did you do that? Why didn't I hear about you doing that? What I think is very interesting here by the way is that this is tough. You know what any labavisher today would give in order to be able to live for one hour until she tests in 1959 and to be able to have the access I mean these were the days people still had this is you know things were up close and personal there wasn't even like wasn't so big yet think about how close you could get the kind of access you could get to the 1959 like who wouldn't want that's good old days the real good old good old days it's interesting that Eba doesn't tell him I'm surprised telling people you're coming here you're coming to 770 you're surprised you don't tell them you're going to the aisle it's it's it's interesting ing to me because you would think what would be the attraction if you were trying to get people excited. Tell them I'm I'm going to tell this I'm going to it's that that's something that you can get get people excited about to describe to them what it's like and build it up for them. But to tell them you're going to the you're going to the resting of why is that so why why is that such a draw and yet I think this is so important for us to think about in our day and age is telling this con 1959 that's what you should be you're going to the oil the oil should be significant it should get people excited they should say, "Wow, there's a man who's going to take a trip, going to go to the oil, and that's a good thing to do. Maybe I ought to think about doing that as well." Like, why don't we do that then? Like, okay, I guess if you live in New York, it's not exactly the same. I mean, even if you live in New York, you can mention to people aisle. But if you live out of town, why wouldn't you tell people we're going to New York? We're going to the aisle. That's enough. You don't think that's enough excitement? I was telling somebody in 1959 a lot of other things that when he was telling you about his trip to New York what he should tell them about go to the aisle in fact doesn't mention anything else other than the aisle about that I think that's mind-blowing okay now regarding these people you're going to talk to about going to the maybe you're going to think to yourself if they were into that kind of thing they would know about it already. Who do you want me to talk to about going to the oil? I mean, these are just regular Jews. They're not like, why why is this something I should talk to them about? It seems like a very like niche type of thing. Like going to the oil. That's more like serious people. It's a certain level of uh certain level of interest a person has to have in order to be considered that you're going to pitch them something, right? Think about in the kabad house. Well, you know, offer anyone who come to a shabas dinner. Yeah. An oil trip level, right? You know, you got a short list. It's the the closer people we often trip. But the Reb is saying, "No, this is this is what you should be telling everybody. Watch [Music] the the hearts of the Jewish people are awake. Jewish people's hearts are awake. Even among those who are sleeping in exile, shall whatever level of sleep it might be. In other words, sleep being asleep, spiritually asleep isn't all or nothing. It's not like he's he's either through him or he's not. There are levels. Obviously, there are people who have maybe not so observant, but they have a Jewish identity at least culturally Jewish. So there are levels and then also among people who are observant there are levels within that as well. So the point is there are different levels of people as far as how asleep they are to y but all of these people who are asleep degree they're asleep beat down they're awake their hearts are they are receptive says there are different levels of being asleep. of the the this verse that we're quoting actually doesn't make distinctions about patience. So the the term asleep inclusive of all the different the entire spectrum of spiritual sleep from the most obvious to probably very subtle levels. So anyways, don't hold back from mentioning these people. You could keep saying to yourself, the guy's not even from I should tell him I'm going to the aisle. That's exactly what the Reb is saying. Yes. Yes. Okay. So, God willing, you're gonna tell me good stuff about this. Truly good stuff about this. Isopus Mountain. Okay. Just read that. um true good true good means good for both heavens and for the people in other words you're doing these people a favor so it's an act of kindness it's also even though it's a spiritual thing going to the aisle it's also it's also a little uh personal good because ultimately you're helping these people by by telling them to go to the aisle uh so true good which is good for the heavens and the creations and that bears fruits like what's discussed in um the devotion kadush that uh that says that kadushin can also mean the marriage of hashem and the Jewish people or the bride of the groom. Boom. The wedding day was the day that the titer was given after 40 days. And this is hinted to by the fact this is on a men page 40 of you'll see the sources for that in in also he explains there that uh tra the festival of mountain t meaning is one day as opposed like sukus and pes It's your seven days and uh so the one repres is representative of so it's an amazing part really what does that means [Music] but it also means the wedding the marriage between hashem and the omf is 40 40 days of the Torah and alf what's the one day of one day I mean but I mean it's a one day okay blessings that you should report good news in all of the above mentioned and that is our double dose of letters for Thursday night. We wish you a good Shabas and please look out for the Shabas table discussions. Do you know what that is? Did this last year? We're doing it again. It is a PDF that we will make available uh on the 30 letters 30 days website. where you can download it and print it table and you and your family can discuss the letters that you learned this week. There are discussion questions on the letters. So, make sure to check it out at the 30 letters 30 days website and have a great shabas.