Acharei-Kedoshim - Making the Right Investment

You're listening to the weekly partial podcast with Ari Goldwag recorded with the show's never-ending assistance in our monthly show in Israel 5786 2026. This week's partial is partial of Ramos and Kedoshim and it is my Bar Mitzvah partial. So, it's always fun to take a look at this partial again. And I'd like to share with you a measure. It's on the Sukkot that have to do with the concept of Sukkot goats. Sukkot goats means that once we have a Mishkan once we have a base of Migdash so previous to that it was permitted to bring carbonas on something called bamos. Bamos were altars that were public altars they could be anywhere, they could be basically anybody could bring. They have to be a bachelor firstborn to be able to use a bama to be the one who brings the sacrifice there, but it could be brought at basically anywhere. Once there's a Mishkan however or a base of Migdash so the carbonas cannot be brought anywhere a person would like to. Carbonas have to be brought in the Mishkan or the base of Migdash. The Sukkot in this week's partial say like this Adonai spoke to Moses and said Hashem spoke to Moses and said Adonai spoke to Aaron and his sons and to all of the children of Israel and say to them This is in chapter 17 Sukkot olive through hey. So, this is what he said. This is what Hashem says to say each each of the base of Israel any person from the from the house of Israel he wants to take an ox or a lamb or a goat in the encampment or he wants to slaughter it outside of the or he wants to he wants to slaughter it outside of the encampment the Pesach and bring it to the altar and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting the crib carbon of Hashem to bring it as a sacrifice to Hashem the name of Hashem Hashem in front of the Mishkan the sanctuary right? There's the inner area the Kodesh and the Kodesh of Kadashim in front of that in the in the courtyard of the Mishkan was the altar. So, if you didn't bring it there in front of Hashem Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the person who's done so it's as if they've spilled blood. It's tantamount to murder. The translation is very clear. Okay. Don't do it. Don't bring carbonas outside of the Mishkan. Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel and say to them Adonai spoke to Moses and said The sacrifices that the Jewish people previously would bring out in the fields they would bring sacrifices on bamos on public altars bring all those animals in bring them to the base of Migdash bring them to the Mishkan. The result is that the children of Israel say to them Make sure it's brought to Hashem there. Okay, so those are the Sukkot mens we're going to see I I believe we'll see from the from the measure we're going to seemingly go off on a tangent, but I think that it teaches us a depth in what is the concept behind bringing these carbonas exclusively in the Mishkan. You can't bring them anywhere you want. Now there's a Mishkan you got to bring it to the Mishkan. That's the place where we meet Hashem. In a certain like conceptual sense just to give a little heads up. You know, it's like can I serve Hashem however I want? Or are there rules to this relationship? Can I do whatever I want in my relationship with Hashem or does he have requirements and and I I was thinking about a marshal of a man and a woman the husband likes violets >> [snorts] >> the wife likes roses and despises violets. And the husband brings to his wife violets cuz he thinks that's how he expresses love, but the wife says I hate violets and throws them in his face says bring me roses. Right? A relationship if I'm want to show love to somebody I got to speak their love language. They love roses I got to bring them roses. And in our relationship with Hashem it's the same way Hashem wants us to serve him in a certain way. Right? And clearly everything that Hashem does he created us so he wants us to serve him in a certain way it's for our benefit of course. But we might have other ways of thinking. We might have other ways of believing that this is how we serve Hashem, but we got to serve Hashem so to speak in his way. The carbon that we are bringing is not brought wherever we want to. We bring it inside. We bring it in the Mishkan. But let's see together a few other ideas that relate to this and we'll see we'll bring it back to the Mishkan and we'll see a deep idea. Each each of the base of Israel each of the children of Israel say to them Adonai spoke to Moses and said Any person from the children of Israel that will bring a sacrifice they need to bring it in the Mishkan. Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel We're going to quote a Sukkot in Koheles and we're going to give a few other explanations for it and we're going to bring it back to to carbonas. The Sukkot says the children of Israel say to them Adonai spoke to Moses Sukkot in Koheles in Ecclesiastes chapter 8 verse 7 that there's an advantage in the land in everything. There's an advantage in the land in everything. What does it mean? Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of You see something in the world it looks like it's extraneous it's not necessary. What do I need all these bugs for? Right? Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Everything in the world has a place everything has a purpose. Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children See I have a a palm tree and wrapping around the palm tree there's a vine that's growing up the palm tree. It's annoying I want the palm tree to be free of any other things I want it to look beautiful. Why do they have to be these vines? So, the measure says no you take that vine cut it off make a rope. Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them Adonai spoke to Moses Another kind of plant that seems to be extra unnecessary but you can take it and you can use it he says here to sweeten a a herb an herb that's that's bitter. Okay, so something that seems extra unnecessary, but it has there's no such thing as extraneous in the world everything has a purpose. Everything has a a reason for being there. Okay, so that's concept number one. Everything has a purpose everything is important. But then we have the flip side of that Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say The Sukkot says afterwards in Koheles it says that a king is a servant of the field. A king is the servant of the field. Which means to say let's see Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them You can be a king you have dominion over the entire world but you are still subservient to the field. Which means to say Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them Adonai spoke If let's say the food produces there's produce of the field there's grain there's fruits there's vegetables if you have the produce so then you are fed and you can serve your country can be a good king. If there's no food you can't serve your country. So, the king is subservient to the field. Okay, this the king despite his great power his power only extends so far. He's still limited. And he needs that farmer. One of his own subjects perhaps considered a lowly subject. He needs his subjects to help him in order to be able to help them. So, the measure says therefore having a lot of money is a nice thing, but it's not enough. Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the Having money is great. Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say The Sukkot is saying that as the measure explained having money is nice, but if you don't have the produce of the field you're missing something fundamental. Your money won't help you. If you can't eat can't spend money. Okay, so it's very interesting. So, basically what the measure is saying is Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each Whoever is after money but doesn't have any property the measure is almost giving us financial advice. You have money, but you don't have property it's not a good investment it's a mistake. You need to have something that will last longer in a certain sense. Money comes money goes, but you have a piece of land so that can always produce it's a much better investment. You take your money you put it into land and the land will continue to produce because of Hashem year after year the food that you need to live. Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them brings a Sukkot Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them Adonai spoke to Moses and said Similar idea. Guy goes on his ships he's going out to buy merchants merchandise he's a merchant and he comes back on his ship with the merchandise he sells it. But when he gets off his ship he's got to stand on on solid ground. Adonai spoke to Moses and said to say each each of the children of Israel say to them The Sukkot says something which seems obvious. If he gets off of this ship, he's obviously going to stand on solid ground. So, what is the saying? The Yeshiva College of America. Plus it is implying something else that if you're a merchant and you have a ship, your ship can sink. Your merchandise can be lost. Your your efforts can be can come to naught. However, if you also have land, the land is something you can stand on. And ain't like ain't like have a good measure. If a person is doesn't have land, there's no greater foolishness than this. So, basically, the measure is telling us a a financial truth, but it's also telling us a spiritual truth. And that is make sure you invest in the things that last. Make sure you invest in the things that last. You want to know where to put your money? Put your money into a piece of land in Israel. This is where the future is. Don't invest in Israel where the future is bleak. Israel's future is in Israel. Invest in the future. That's really what the measure is saying. I'm extending it to be talking about something different, but the measure is saying invest in the things that last. I'm in Israel on the earth calling you. He says another shot. He says that I feel it much of the issue in the modern era. The first part of the second we said before is talking about that things that seem extra in the world. Everything has a purpose. Everything has an necessary reason for being there. Now, let's look at the Torah. Let's look at the Torah itself. There are myths that that were not explained as much. They seem to be so to speak extra. They weren't explained at Sinai in the same way. You got to fill in the details. Right? The Torah says you got to put on. Doesn't explain exactly what they are, exactly how they are made, exactly all of the different details of the law. It doesn't say it explicitly in the Torah. Those of those of those of all these things. I've got to enter. But don't think that just because the details weren't mentioned in the Torah, so therefore it's extra and it's not important. Right? The Torah says It had all of them like all of the matters. Call call me for a micro mission to accept that God is a feeling telling us the name of God. Everything is included in Torah. Everything is included in Torah. Every detail of the Torah. Every detail of the every detail of the how you make it, what it looks like, where you put it. All the details. Every of this is given at Sinai. Not only that, even the things that we're going to say right here, right now in 2026, 5786. Everything that a future student of Torah is going to say, that information was given to at Sinai. Everything was included. He saw a big picture. Call me to see if you want to raise a shoe. Then the second verse says you might say that this is a new thing. I very much like the island. Don't think that any that you say was is new. It's all encompassed in Torah. It's all given. It was there already from long before. Okay, so everything all of Torah is included in original revelation. Even the things that we seem to be revealing now, it was all given as a download, so to speak, to at Sinai. Okay, there's nothing extra. There's no detail that's not important. And I would say it's to encourage us, right? Oh, wow, knew what we're going to say? No. It's to encourage us to say that the that we say, the new insights that we have, the way that we apply the Torah to this year, 2026. The new depth, the new application, all of that is included. All of that was there at the beginning and it's unfolding. We're watching it unfold. We're watching the Torah unfold in our lives. The second part of the which says that the king serves the field. You have to be a good student. It's referring to somebody who is learning one type of Torah, one aspect of Torah, which is Talmud. Talmud means Torah. Right? It's the way of of of Talmudic exegesis. I don't even know if that's how you pronounce the word. It's the way of getting from what the say to understand what is the application of it. Well, that's the Torah. But that person who learns how to how to learn it out from the Torah, so the second half is about he still needs the the somebody who knows the Torah. You have to know how to figure it out from the but you got to know where the end is. So, somebody who knows the who knows the which means basically the tick-tock, 1 2 3 4 5 6 of what is the Torah. What is the actual things that we do? What is the explicit will of God? You got to know that if you want to be a a good student. You want to understand the depths. You want to figure out how we know it. How did we figure out that that's the but you got to know what the is to start with in order to see the depth from before. Okay? Now, the measure says the opposite as well. The measure says the opposite. The measure says the opposite. The the opposite is also true. The opposite is also true. What's the opposite? That a person who knows the Torah also needs to know how you get there. He needs to have an explanation from the person who knows how to find the explanation from the Torah. The feeling of these of these Torah. So, a person who's focused on one aspect of Torah has to also have the he he's subservient to a person who knows the other aspects of Torah. And having one thing is not enough. The way of Torah. Says the measure is if you like to have a lot, so you're not going to have it's not going to be what you're looking for. You need to have the like we said before, you need to have the earth. You need to have a piece of land. What does it mean in this context to have a piece of land? Should call me in the Torah of the world. My issue is that I like it. The first aspect is that if a person has Torah, is learning, is studying, is trying to understand the will of but he doesn't have the depth of of what goes on under the surface of how we get there. So, he's missing. He's missing if a person just does things superficially, so then he's missing the depth of it. He's missing the connection. The connection in Torah. That's possible. Okay, so it's not enough to have action. You need to have the depth of understanding of why we're doing this action. But then the measure says one last thing here in this context, which I think is really the depth of it. The Torah He says that if a person learns, but he doesn't teach, so there's no greater foolishness than this. There's no greater emptiness than this. Which means to say which means to say as I understand it based on the perhaps a parallel from to the previous concept in the measure, where do I want to invest myself? I want to invest myself in something that lasts. I want to take my time. I want to take my Torah learning. How do I get the most out of it? What's what's the long-term investment advice? The measure seems to me to be saying that if I'm just learning, that's nice. I'm just collecting money. I'm spending the money. I'm learning for myself. But when I start teaching, when I start giving it over to somebody else, when I teach my children, when I teach when I give over in a podcast, when I teach a a share in a Yeshiva, so I'm I'm paying it forward, so to speak. I'm doing something that's going to last. Doing something that's that's that's solid. You know, just like when I have a piece of land, so it's going to bring returns. We're going to have fruits and crops every year from that piece of land. Whereas the money that I get, I take it, I spend it. It's a one-time deal. I need something that gives me consistent income, passive income. It's the same thing in it's the same thing in learning Torah. When I when I teach, I'm giving I'm I'm giving it over to somebody else who's going to produce fruits later as well. The teaching that I'm giving is not just for myself. It's also something that's going to last beyond me. Now, let's come back. We're going to talk for a moment about the Torah. And the measure says something which is profound. And I think that it really parallels what we've we've been speaking about in these two other concepts. And we have our papa saying you have to say all of it. You have to say all of it. You have to say all of it. of midbar, who come on Mishkan. As we said at the beginning, in the in the in a originally, when the Jewish people were in the the midbar, they were allowed to bring carbonus before there was a Mishkan on a bama, on a public altar. Didn't have to be in a specific location. And I would add, Moshe Rabbeinu, when he would receive a nevuah, he could receive a nevuah anywhere, a prophecy. He could speak to God anywhere. But when it came to the building of the Mishkan, once there was a Mishkan, he had to hear Hashem's voice only. He could only hear Hashem's voice in the Mishkan. The tenainon, tam ano who come on Mishkan who is mutar to avoid the b'chirus. Originally, as it says, a person could bring a a carbon on a bama. And the avodah, the service was done by the firstborn males. As you come on Mishkan, as through a bama avoid the b'chirus. Once there was a Mishkan, you couldn't bring a carbon wherever you want. And not anybody could bring those carbonus. It had to be done by Kohanim, by priests, children of Aaron. Who is from the army? Israel bama bamidbar. And so, the thing is like this, that did the Jews do this properly? Did we Did we tow the line on bringing our carbonus in the correct place? The Midrash says no, we didn't. We didn't. We made a mistake. They would bring carbonus on altars outside of the Mishkan at that time. And we do find in Tanakh that that was a a long-standing issue that all of Israel had. They would bring carbonus on a on a public altar instead of bringing it to the Beit Hamikdash, to the temple. So, they actually did this already in the times of the of the wilderness, says the Midrash. Why you poraneous voice on them? And the result was that disasters happened to the Jewish people. There was a tremendous negative impact of it. We We thought we're serving Hashem. We're trying to serve Hashem in our way. We're bringing Hashem violets, but Hashem wants roses. But the result was that bad things happened. Why you almost avoid the b'chirus who are going? And it was a chillul Hashem because it looked terrible. Look, they're serving him. People of the the nations of the world would say, "Hey, the Jews are serving him, but God is letting them die. He's killing them." Feel like you spoke to Moshe Rabbeinu Israel you should be so physical and avoid So, Moshe Rabbeinu is enjoined to tell the Jewish people, "There's one place that you got to bring your carbonus. You don't want stuff to happen to you. Bring it to the right place. Just like Moshe Rabbeinu could only hear my voice in in the Mishkan, in the Tabernacle, the place to have a relationship with Hashem is in the Mishkan, in the Beit Hamikdash. In Eretz Yisrael, I'll add. This is the place. Can you have a relationship with Hashem elsewhere? Yes, you can. Is Eretz Yisrael the main place where our relationship is? Yes, it is. Yes, it is. The Beit Hamikdash is the place to bring those carbonus. And when we bring the carbonus outside, it results in in danger. It results in in poraneous. Yeah. Eretz Yisrael has a special protection. It's not to say there's no danger here, but Eretz Yisrael has a a special protection. The Nazis couldn't get into the land of Israel. They were stopped at the gates. A Kadush Baruch Hu protects us specially in Eretz Yisrael. Look at the wars that we've been fighting of late. Look at the amazing special protection Hashem has given to us. But what I want to bring out from here is that we see from the first two parts of the Midrash. Midrash gives us the financial advice and he gives us the spiritual advice. Invest in the long-lasting the long-lasting investment. The thing that gives you the most returns. Buy karka, live buy land. Have students. Teach students. Don't just spend the Don't just get the money for yourself and spend it. That's a short-term short-term thing. You get money, you spend the money. Take your money and invest it in something deep. Take your carbon. Don't bring it outside of the Beit Hamikdash. That's like spending money. That's not the deep investment. When you bring a carbon to the Beit Hamikdash, this is how I understand what the Midrash is trying to imply. When you bring a carbon to the Beit Hamikdash, what you're really saying is, "I believe in what it says in that Torah inside of that Aron." Inside of the Torah, inside of that Aron, which is the Mishkan Hashem, right? We said in the pasuk as we read it, it stuck out. We're supposed to bring the the carbon on the altar in front of the Mishkan Hashem, in front of the Tabernacle. What's the Tabernacle? It's really the place which which houses the Kodesh, the Kodesh Hakodashim. It houses the Kodesh, which has in it the mizbeach hazahav, the golden altar, which is a small altar, incense offering. And it has the shulchan, which has the lechem upon him. Both of those two things represent our relationship with Hashem, the menorah, our spiritual relationship with Hashem. And in the Holy of Holies is the Aron, the special box which contains within it the Torah, which is the ultimate relationship with Hashem, which is the the greatest expression of what Hashem wants from us. When I bring a carbon in front of the Mishkan, what I'm really saying is, "Hashem, I want you. I want a relationship with you on your terms." It's not just I'm going to bring this carbon wherever I want. Oh, Hashem, forgive me for the sin I've done. Oh, Hashem, I want to thank you even on my terms. That's a that's a carbon outside of the Beit Hamikdash, outside of the Mishkan. No, it's in front of the Mishkan Hashem. It's inside of the Beit Hamikdash. That's the real investment. That's the long-lasting investment. It's important to have a relationship with Hashem anywhere. It's That's true. I can ask Hashem for anything. I can ask Hashem for success in a card game. I'm going to win. Backgammon game. I can ask Hashem for success in in my business. I can ask Hashem for anything. But what's the main thing I want to ask Hashem for? I want to ask Hashem for success in my relationship with him. I want to ask Hashem for success in my learning. I want to ask Hashem for success in my teaching. I want to ask Hashem for success in my relationship with him, the the greatest investment ever. I want to ask Hashem to have something which lasts forever. The thing that lasts forever is is wherever I plant those seeds in a piece of land which is which is the Beit Hamikdash, the Mishkan, which is that eternal relationship between me and Hashem, my children and Hashem, people around me and Hashem. That's where I wanted it to go. That's where I want my investment to be. That's where I want to bring my carbon. That's where I want to bring my sacrifice. I want to get inside of the Mishkan Hashem. I want to bring it here. I want to get inside of Eretz Yisrael, which is the Mishkan Hashem. Chazal say that that whoever lives in chutz la'aretz is done like he doesn't have a God. It's like they don't have a God. What they're really saying is that it's easy to get distracted there. It's easy to lose sight what is the center. Is it getting rich? Is it having wherewithal? I need those things. I need parnassah. I need livelihood. Those are important. But I need them so that I have the real investment, the real piece of land, which is my relationship with Hashem. And when I live in Eretz Yisrael, so I'm reminded of that all the time that this is what it's really about. And when I forget that, they're going to remind me. The people around me are going to remind me. The the whether it's my community or whether it's my enemies. They might remind me with ballistic missiles. Reminds me of of something that I heard recently that that Rav Shmuel Auerbach said that the Arabs have been coming less and less to the to Har Habayit because they've seen how the Jews are doing hishtachavaya. Those who obviously they have rabbonim who permit them to go up there. They've been doing hishtachavaya. They've been falling completely on their faces in front of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And the Arabs recognize that when we fall on our faces, when we come make ourselves completely subservient to Hashem, they're afraid. That's it. That's the essence of what it's about. Bringing that carbon in front in the Mishkan shows me that this is what it's about. Even my relationship with Hashem is for the relationship with Hashem, not for my own self-serving needs. I want to bless you. I ask you to bless me. Hashem should help us that we should be able indeed to recognize, to take all of our investments, to take all of the things that we do and direct them. Bring them into the Mishkan. Bring them into the Mishkan. Hashem should help us that we should be able to make the right investments, have the right pieces of land, have the right actions that indeed unfold here in this world and extend on forever in our relationship with Hashem. Thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful Shabbos. This podcast was made possible through the gracious donations of listeners like you. 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