Making Ruchniyos A Reality - Parshas Re’eh Archives

So there was and the Torah summarizes him off that it's good to him him off with you. And the say that whatever you have he has to have. If you have a certain type of fancy mattress, it's also for you to have a fancier mattress. If you have a fancy mattress, he has the fancy mattress. If you have a pillow, he has a pillow. What you have he has to have. That's the of an every. He's your What's he entitled? But what you have him off he has to have. Says on the famous the says If you buy an says the you have bought you have bought an you now have an you have a boss. Why does it say you have a boss? He's equal to you. Why would it say like he's superior to you? It says you have somebody who's superior to you. He's not superior, he's equal. Why would you say why would you say superior? He's equal to his boss. He's equal to you. You have the same. It's not like he has a fancier mattress. So what's this that he's superior to you? answers he brings the The says that let's say you only have one nice pillow or one nice mattress. Says the what are you going to do? You only have one mattress. That's a fact. So what do you do tonight? You have one a one schmuck a pillow in house, and it's you and your ever the free. If you take it and not him, so it's felt you broke this possuk "He toyed with you mock." He's not like you. You You You have a nice one, he doesn't have it. So, that's out. You can't take it not him. If you say, "Well, if I can have it, he can't have it." That's me that's time. To stay mate. A lady who well-meaning lady was once watching my children play with her children, and they were fighting over a toy. She said, "Let's just when I Why fight? Let's just put away the toy." That's terrible me that's to teach the kids. You're telling the kid, "Don't worry, you won't get at least he won't get it." If she was punishing them, I don't mind. As an honest, you're fighting? Nobody gets schmuck. I'm the first guy into tough schmuck. You're fighting, you lose it. But as a solution, that's I said, "I have me this right. You said I have a good plan." Listen, "At least you don't get at least he won't." What is he teaching the kid like you don't get at least he won't get it? That's me this time. That's not a That was not a good plan. You could punish them and nobody gets it. Or you could say, "Let's share. Let's both Let's figure this out." It's not a good resolution. I have a good plan, nobody gets it. That's not allowed. That's the mate. Only stay mate. If I can't have it, you can't have it either. That's That's not allowed. So, here's a guy has one nice mattress. He has one fancy mattress. If he takes it not his ever, so then felt you broke a possuk and parsha parsha "He toyed with you mock." He has to be like you. To say, "If I can't have it, you can't have it." See, it's not a stay mate. It's also question of me this time. By force the eved gets it. That's the Yerushalmi says. Says Tosefos by al korcha. Oy bazoy, that's what the Gemara in Kiddushin af chof means. Kol hakoin eved kain odom achtzmoi. You're born an odom cuz if you only have one, he's going to get it. Now, I want to say something to the chevre. I don't know I'm right from the march. I'm curious what the old thinks. This is a beautiful just If you know, I I was talking to my children. They're going off to Eretz Yisrael, very difficult. Yaakov and Nachman are often I was talking to them about life. We were talking about learning in yeshiva. I was talking about shiurim. Shiurim are wonderful and take them seriously. But if if if your rebbe ever says a shiur on a ktsais, always make sure you get the ktsais. I regret when I was a bochur, I liked the ktsais. I'd read up quickly cuz it was like it was just like, you know, an offensive lineman in the way of shiur. I was getting to my rebbe's shiur, so I'd like run by the ktsais to get the shiur. But it's a mistake. Learn the ktsais kishmak. Learn it klar. The rebbe's saying your kaveiger ktsais. Don't just skip the ktsais to get to the shiur. Slow, slow. And then your rebbe's saying a beautiful k'neitch on the ktsais after you have the ktsais. Klar, then get to the rebbe's k'neitch. What's he asking, adding, arguing, saying, clarifying. But like work on the ktsais, get the ktsais. So, the emes if you just got this Yerushalmi on the parsha, it's beautiful Yerushalmi. Says your eved ki tov lo imach, he has to be equal to you. We have a Gemara that says he's an odom, he's superior to you. Frak Tosefos daf chof in Kiddushin, equal, why superior? Explains Tosefos the Yerushalmi that if you only have one gishmak ezach, by force the eved the eved has to get it. If you only have one gishmak fast the pillow by force Everest to get it. Cuz if you take it not him, you broke the him. He has to be equal to you. If you say well, I can't get it. He's not Nobody's getting it. It's a stalemate. They didn't allow her to do that. By force he gets it. What I want to ask is there's there's an oddity that comes to just like a force oddity. I'll be what's the He's my Why is he getting? What's the my head? It's like shocks you're stuck. There was no other solution. I even want to say and you can argue with me. You could say yeah, this is how it comes out. What's he gets it cuz we're stuck. We can't We can't think of another solution. That's why he gets it. We're stuck. Maybe we both should bring it to the neighbor by the way. Instead of me this time I I mean this earnest. Isn't it a good my ever shouldn't be better than me? I'm not even sure You say it's time. It's time. If I can't have it, you can't have it. But isn't there a my ever shouldn't be better than me? He's not my ever. Good the Torah examines the cost of I can't be better than him. What he could be better than me? So together we don't want to be stalemates. We'll give it to the neighbors. Something What's the that Hashem comes out your ever should be better than you? Is the cash or cash or too bad? That's how it comes out cuz you can't be better It's funny. I hear the dog and you can't be better than him. But shouldn't that be a din he can't be better than me? Isn't that a good idea? Yeah. Is there Does that mean here? Is there a good idea my ever shouldn't be better than me? That's what I'm asking. You all can argue with me. I think it's a good idea that I can't be my My ever can't be better than me. He's not MY EVER. HE'S NOT MY EVER, you know. It's funny. The text says it says Fred cash kind of odd What what it's against the smartest be superior to you. Does it really have to be equal? Is it logical your average should be better than you? It's illogical. What is my average? Remember, I bought an average. I'm going to treat him as an equal. Isn't it a small ratio shouldn't be better? And like this is odd that we stuck with this thing. By the way, he also should be stuck. So we're both stuck. Let's give it to a neighbor. I'm stuck because it says you mark. And he should be stuck cuz an average shouldn't be better than an other. So we're both stuck. Why why is my stuck? You could say mine's a mix for his doesn't say. What may I again please understand if we just learned the I'm happy. I want to share something with the that maybe I should mention this. I want to share a thought with the that I'm curious what the holds. You're not forced to hold the my cash. Remember to my cash. You just going to finish equal to this. I'm asking that should be a small ratio shouldn't be better than me. Isn't it a small ratio shouldn't be better? Twice as under the market kind of die by. Yeah, but okay my height what can I do? There is a cost we have to be equal. The one time that he be equal. He shouldn't be though. He has to be better than. Where is your average? I hear. I hear. I hear. I hear. I don't want to force I I want to say something to the I don't want to force it. Yanni, what do you hold? You hold of the cash. Don't hold it. Maybe if nobody's bothered we had we ended off two weeks in a row with bomb cash is to think about it your table. I didn't call the stat. I didn't call it a bomb cash. Remember let me quickly catch up your mind of Time reverse, me catch up my my shkaf quickly. I don't doubt it. I'm not selling you my my issues. This if you want it like sometimes you let somebody have a warped mind, you let somebody in once in a while. If you're saying a sheer, you let somebody in. I'm I'm telling you in an honest way of I'm bothered by this kasha. Am I crazy? I don't ask you to be bothered as well. You bothered or you're not so bothered? Why? I'm going to repeat it my shkaf. The the the possuk in this week's parsha says you eved ki toiv lo imach. Your eved has that goodness with you. So the gzeira is amazing. Gzeiras kaso v'rado. You should have a gishmaka mattress. Am I eved has less? He's not my eved. No. You're on a good mattress, so is your eved. Keep Yeah, it's gzeiras kaso. Hashem says your eved Let me just catch him up. So your eved has to be like you. Say Says the Gemara Kiddushin daf chof, if you buy an eved k'eina adam l'atzmo, he's your boss. He's superior. Fractal superior is equal. What says in adam? Says Tosafos Yerushalmi. If you only have one gishmaka mattress, if you take it not him, you broke it toiv lo imach. Nobody takes it. You're a stalemate. If I can't have it, you can't have it. Al korcha, he's going to get it. But he's k'eina adam l'atzmo, so he's superior. That's what Tosafos says. So I ask, isn't there a svara the same way you're saying me take it not him breaks the possuk cuz imach, isn't there a svara you shouldn't be better than me? He's not my eved. Make a tnais he shouldn't be better than me. What's this oddity like we're stuck cuz me this time, so he also is this time. Let's together I have an eitzah. Together we'll give it to the neighbor. It's inappropriate I have it not him. Imach. It's inappropriate he has it not me. He is my eved. There's not a svara he's my eved. The same way you struggle I can't give it to me this time, so he can't give So, he I can't say nobody So, he can't say nobody has it. So, he also can't I would say together I have a good aid for me this time. Give it to the neighbor. The Bar Shamsh is not the ever gets it. I'm asking if the if the aid sham it shouldn't be his, but me this time. So, I say we both have a problem. It shouldn't be his not me. He's my aid. Shouldn't be mine not him. It says imach. So, give it to the neighbor. The Torah says give it to the aid. What's the shaya Yakov? It seems it sounds like a swara. The Torah says he's your aid. So, if you have a big doubt then it's only your aid. One in a million cases is one thing. You You miss out twice the same as a swara. They always Thank you Yakov. Thank Thank you Yakov. Thank you Yakov. Frek Yakov another kasha. Frek Yakov Kalish a bomb kasha. And then I'm I'm saying it as Yakov asked a bomb kasha. This kasha if you don't like I disagree. You my kasha you don't like okay. If you don't like this kasha then you're starting up. Frek Yakov a kasha. The Gemara Kidushin says if you buy an aid you bought an aid. Frek Yankif Kalish. Could you found ME A MODERN CASE THAT BY FORCE YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT TO HIM? And for that reason the Gemara says kind of Adam atzmi. The Gemara meant cuz you had this oddity where you stuck you have one You didn't buy an aid. There's no swara you should be better. You were like stuck. It was an oddity by force like it worked out. You couldn't take it yourself. You can't have nobody do it. So, you got to give it to him. And for that we rare case it sounds like there's a swara kind of Adam that would plays out over here that if you only have one it goes to him, but there's a swara that exists that he should have it over you. And that's strange. It's not just it came out that way. Otherwise it would be strange that the Gemara would say some kind of them. I want to share with you my thought of it. Disagree with me, agree with me, I want to share a thought of it. I'm trying to learn Torah. To me my kashas a kasher to the chevre was mostly not agreeing to my kashas. I'm trying was selling yakas kashas yakas a good kashas I think. What I want to say this is follows. Kikona Adam is like this. I I I I was masadik last night. I told the I told the this last night. >> [clears throat] >> I believe I could be mistaken for a different night and I'm now I'm T4 and it was a few nights. Okay. But I could be it was last night's last night I told it's been a long week of traveling. What I want to say I told the this week that one day you're going to go to a hotel and that two beds. One is a fancy bed one is a junkie. I said I don't want you to give the what your wife the fancy bed because you're a sadik. If you give it to her because you're a sadik you take the junkie bed and she has the fancy bed because you're a sadik. It's on the factor. I said that I then we didn't teach you well. I said any proud husband it's truly in a her life depends on you. She's your her life depends on you. It's your job. She is you got a you have a charge. You have somebody to take care of. Anybody with pride no wife of mine is sleeping on a junkie bed. A little like said that you put yourself in a junkie bed. You chose the junkie bed. No charge I said I wanted to be a guy for that you gets the good bed not a victor. Not you move out there she got the good bed that you gave in. If you gave in and you got the good bed, you're a tzaddik, but you're not a good husband. She should get the good BED CUZ NO WIFE OF MINE is sleeping on a bad bed. You're a baal gaavah. You're taking care of somebody. No what spouse of mine, nobody I'm charged to care for is sleeping on a junky bed. Perhaps Reb Yisrael, I'm thinking that this is a din in the Torah and nothing by Hashem like Hashem was like stuck over here. If there's a junk If there's a good mattress that ever gets it, I'm asking like it's counterintuitive. You're the The Torah says, "No, if I did it Any normal A vada by No ever Nobody I'm charged ki tov l'eema. Whatever you have, your charge will so gets that class. Anybody live That's part of what what your standard is. Anybody I'm a achrai for is on a standard as well. What you're a hotshot, you have a fancy mattress and people you're a achrai for are sleeping on a cheap mattress? Are you really so fancy? Ki tov l'eema. He's He's your achrai. He's your responsibility. What you have A vada you want for him. A bazoi If there's only one, there's a svara that you want him to have it. There's a svara Nobody I'm charged, nobody I'm a achrai for I'm I was asking like it's counterintuitive that the The ever gets it, not the other No vada. As an adon, nobody I'm working for is sleeping on junk. If I'm an A bazoi, there's a svara that I'm charged for somebody. There's a svara that he should sit on something good, that he has If I can afford it and it exists here, then he gets it, too. It's a svara like that when you're a achrai for somebody. When you're responsible and caring for somebody that's a svara like that. That's what I wanted to share this svara with the oilam. I wanted to share when we're achrai, when we're responsible for somebody, it should come from a gaiva. It should come from a gaiva that's a svara like this. I'm achrai, it's not it's not it's not happening that somebody under my watch is sleeping on junk. What defines junk? If we have good available, so they're not sleeping on junk. That's what I I wanted to share this svara with the oilam. But according to this is a svara kind of you're charging your achrayis that this person firstly has something good under my watch. What I can afford, what exists by me if I don't want to give them. That's the mentality. I told this this chassan this mentality, it's this week's parshas Re'eh. So this is what I wanted to share with the chevre. What do you hold, Yaakov? Maybe the answer is your kasha there. The martlocha, could this be pshat? I like it. I like this pshat. This was komtoyis. I don't look at it as an oddity now that came out sure. There's a svara, there's a logic here, a very strong logic. This is the logic of Hashem, that's what I think. That's his answer. This is what he meant. Calls it He likes it so much. What was Toises catching now? Every good answer, I don't want you to I agree with Mamesh. >> [laughter] >> How far I fell. Okay, let's move on a little bit. It's interesting. It's funny how life works that when you study Torah to different parsha, it depends what's happening to you. I spoke to a chassan this week. This is what we were thinking about in the parsha. I interviewed a bochur today. He told me today in the interview it an awkward moment. I asked him about his family. Tell me your siblings. He says, "Well, there's parents, sibling, sibling." Then he gets to one and he looks, he doesn't know what to do. He's like, "Introduce me." I said, "Introduce me to your family. I can learn a lot." It says in Shidduchim Yiddish and your shaikh is also Yiddish. I like hearing what's the mishpacha. It gives me a sense who's where, who's doing what. You get a picture of what the mishpacha is about, what the expectations are. It gives you a lot of pictures. So, I said, "Introduce me to your siblings." He gets up to his third sibling, there's a pause. He looks at his his father, his mother. The father starts tearing up. Does anybody want orange juice? The matzah don't pour I wanted to change the subject. It was like [clears throat] it was tight. The bottom line is sibling was nifter. Bottom line is a sibling was nifter. He didn't know what to say. He shrugged it. He didn't know what He was introducing me to his family. So, I had to come to the mish. I wanted it I told this the room got a little awkward. I I caused an awkward an awkward matter. So, I told him I told him a maiseh that happened in this kehilla, in this city. I told him the maiseh. And I want to learn with you a possuk and a parsha today. The story I told him that happened in our city is Simchas Torah. We're dancing levadik. It was gishmak Simchas Torah. Beautiful Yom Tov. And Yankev Matz gets like a ruach hakodesh. I don't He shows me Rebbi Yerucham. Yankev's a guy who Rebbi Yankev Shleita Chacham Muflag. He shows me Rebbi Yerucham. I don't know why he showed me at Simchas Torah. Somebody could ask him. Somebody has a ruach hakodesh or I don't know. He showed me Rebbi Yerucham in the middle of Simchas Torah. What jump? And maybe he thought I was acting too crazy. Like, "Calm down, Yankev." He showed me Rebbi Yerucham. Yerucham has a piece that from maiseh that he says that we daven when somebody's sick and the city rallies and prays, we mispallel. Then they say cross off the list the person was nifter. And Yurochum says it's it's wrong. He said, "Forget when the person is sick." Rebbe Yurochum says the main one should praise the person themselves. Okay, we also pray, say there, but the main one to pray. He said, "After meesa, he can pray." Adam told the list we should start praying. You could do it for the person after meesa. You could You should do it for the person. The person is in olam haba. You could do it for the person. Start praying. Rebbe Yurochum speaks. You could add a kasha to the person, bring gifts to the person. They need your prayer more than ever. We should pray and do things l'ilui nishmasam. And And he wrote a beautiful piece. Why he showed me this simple story, I have no idea. It was like I was like looking at Yankel. I'm trying to dance. I'm trying to maybe get a little shicker, try some of Rebbe Danny's drinks. I was mamesh having a good time. And he And he shows me this like serious piece. L'maaseh, amazingly, the next day the next day in my house, I had the same I had the same maaseh. I asked I They tell me I have to stop doing interviews. Maybe I'll stop, but I asked a guy tell me similar same story. Some people just never learn. So, I had the same story. So, the guy told the bochur told me then, "Listen, there was worse. I had two other interviews in the room. And they have to pretend like they're not listening. There were two other families. That's three families in the room when it happened last time. And the whole room got stiff. The whole room I Not only did I ruin it for me, his parent Like everything. So, maybe I'll stop doing it. You might not hear any interviews anymore. Tell me that." You see, maybe I'll stop. Maybe The bottom line is is that the kid told me, "I wish I had a shidduch." The next day, he wistfully said, "Ah, I wish my brother was nifter a year. Ah, I wish I had a shidduch." So, I said, "You know, I can't believe this. A guy yesterday showed me your piece. I didn't know what is he trying to do. It's the day after Simchas Torah. It's the day after two hours. He showed me in this room two hours is down. The day after I'm doing an interview with the guys in Yeshiva Ahavas Yisrael. And he wistfully says about his brother who was nifter, "I wish I had a shidduch with him." I said I can't believe it. It's like an ace. You like changed the whole room instead of gloom and it was got stiff. It was such a chizuk. I said a guy I said Reb Yaakov Matt showed a piece to you. He he did it by way of me. It was mamesh yesterday for you. And I learned the piece with him. I told him the piece. And Reb Yerucham says a vadai could have a shidduch with him. He could have a shidduch with him and do things l'shma shem may discuss this piece with Reb Yerucham. It's beautiful piece. And the emes of pasuk in this week's parsha says, "Banim atem l'Hashem Elokeichem." You're children of Hashem. "Lo sisgodedu u'lo sasimu korcha ben eineichem l'mes." Don't overly grieve. Don't cut oneself. Don't bald oneself for a mes. Ki am kadosh atah l'Hashem Elokecha. You're holy people. So let's learn the Siforno that many m'farshim here what's saying over here. You're children of Hashem so don't overly grieve by somebody's nifter for a krov. We're children of Hashem. It's so sad that such a big person passed on. What's being said in this pasuk? You're children of Hashem. Don't cut yourself. Don't bald yourself for a mes. You're am kadosh. So let's first learn the Siforno. The Siforno says that when somebody's nifter there's a sense that we're lost. We're lost. Person loses a mes, we're lost. The first point of first says that it's not ro'i to have tremendous tza'ar for a mes if there's a different krov who's very much there you can rely on. We're not lost. This other krov is here. So the first thing is Hashem's here. Banim l'Hashem. You're children of Hashem. You shouldn't have a certain grief that what's going to be Hashem's right here. Hashem's here. You're not alone. It's amazing Siforno. Bottom line Hashem Hashem is still here. Hashem's here for you. Your father is right here for you. Don't overly grieve, which is remarkable. Rebbe wrote a letter to his children upon his death and he told them two things. And both things possible Rebbe told them. Rebbe told them first of all Hashem's very much here for you. He said the three shots from the person you lost me. So normally Hashem was the silent partner and I was the more noticeable partner. Now I'm not so noticeable go to Hashem. God is the partner Hashem's here. Bottom line Hashem don't overly grieve. Hashem's here. That's the Siforno. Then he says Kiam Kodesh says Siforno writer. Vigam you shouldn't be too much because you should know I'm Kodesh in my world. He said no in my world it's not over. The person is in my world. Rebbe said secondly wrote this to his family. First of all take solace Hashem is right here for you. Second of all I'm closer to you than ever. I know what's going on. Any efforts I could do in Shamayim it used to be there were things between us too. Now I know what's happening without any I can pray in Shamayim. There's the Siforno says both things not to overly grieve. He says we have Hashem here and he says there's that there's the Ramban speaks it out as well. The Ramban says don't have overly grieve he says. He says such a line also it's a temporary pray that's just a temporary parting. Your children there's eternity there's certainly somebody moves cities, it's very sad. But you're there's my bow, there's eternity. It's It's It's a difficulty. I'm not going to say that and then not around, but there's my bow. There's my bow. I when we went through our son in the Shiva, my little heart became much more real to me. Beforehand, it was like a fromish moose. From a people use those words, my bow. Afterwards, it was I have friends who learn in I'm sending my two sons to my home. I have friends who learn in my son's home. I have friends who learn in my son's home. I have friends who learn in my son's home. I have friends who learn in my son's home. I have friends who learn in my bow. It's a place. It's a place, my bow, reality. So I want to speak I want to segue into something that's relevant to the parashas where it speaks about heart heart heart evil. I want to segue into Yuma. That's test some of that. And speaking about my bow as a place. That's reality. There's something called my bow. I want to learn with my friend. And the says as follows. The says on that test Yuma. The says what time you went in a brace. The commission of the on the 25th of Davis Yuma heart reason. The day is called heart reason. The miss food. You're not allowed to say bad. It's a young kid. The 25th day. Of Davis is a holiday. You're not allowed to say bad. No eulogies. What happened? It's the young kid who came as base of sand dress my tongue. Like river. But not my precious. Alexander the Great Alexander my tongue. The more always a thorn in our side. The more were so difficult to us. They told Alexander the Great they made up lies to Alexander the Great. They did a terrible sin and they told Alexander the Great things against us and he said and they convinced him to destroy the base of the Kush. And and he started marching on the base of the Kush, Alexander the Great, because the Kush convinced him to destroy it. I used to listen I used to have a program I like listening I like knowing what's going on in the world. So like 12:23 I made up the times I don't remember the time but I knew the exact time that I can turn on BBC in English and get a world round up on the radio in Eretz Yisrael. I knew the exact time and it was a world round up and I'd hear the all the world news. And one time like I turned it on a few minutes too early and they were finishing up a program on BBC about the Kush. And they were describing how we always could have managed revisionist history. They were describing how we always started up with the Kush. I thought to myself you're such a fool Kush. What do you know about? I didn't wasn't a word of truth. Not one word of they made up complete lie again. The whole story was a lie how we were thrown in their side. They They They caused us tremendous sad the Kush. But there was a whole mice of the Kush the Kush on BBC. Had a whole story they interviewed descendants of them against So one big lie they made up. So I thought to myself what I know about I like believe I know is a lie. Then they get to the world round up and all of that I believe them with a smile. So funny like what you know [clears throat] about is one big lies. Maybe what you don't know is also lie. Don't just believe but the news I took like it was a nation of sin I like that. Okay that's funny how we work. But the Kush are in, that the Kuthim spoke to Alexander and they convinced him to destroy the Beis Hamikdash. Bow bow shimon hatzadik. Shimon hatzadik it says they went the Torah says who they is. It being Shemayah. And Shimon hatzadik was told about the impending destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. That Alexander might come is marching on the Beis Hamikdash. Ma asa? What did Shimon hatzadik do? Lavash bigdei kehuna. He put on the bigdei kehuna. Then he sat the bigdei kehuna and he wrapped himself in all the bigdei kehuna. And he took the precious in when he took the talmidei chacham the tzadikim and they marched towards Alexander. V'avukah shel ur b'yadeim. They had lights in their hands. There's an epic confrontation about to take place. Alexander the Great is marching with his army towards the Beis Hamikdash to raze it to the ground. Model of Islam. And Shimon hatzadik is marching v'avukah shel ur with all the tzadikim and chassidim and anshei ma'aseh and they're marching towards Alexander the Great an epic confrontation. They're headed right at each other. Ad she'alah men hashachar. Till the morning rays came. Kivun she'alah men hashachar Amaleq mi'alol. So when the alos hashachar they're able to see each other the two armies. Alexander the Great says who are these people coming? Amru lei they told Alexander the Great Yehudim that he hated Shomron dubach. These are the rebellious Jews who the Kuthim told you about. Kivun she'igila antefrus they came to the place called antefrus Zarcham the sun at that point was shining brightly. V'pagu zeh bazeh they momash came upon each other. This big confrontation, Alexander the Great's army and Shimon HaTzaddik's army. Kivan sh'ra l'Shimon HaTzaddik, when Alexander the Great saw Shimon HaTzaddik, he did something that shocked his army. His army didn't see Alexander bow to anyone. His army saw him slaughter and capture and conquer all. And all of a sudden, Alexander the Great sees Shimon HaTzaddik. Yarad mimalkavta, he goes off his horse to the shock of his soldiers. Vayishtachu l'fanav, and he bows down to Shimon HaTzaddik. He subjugates himself to Shimon HaTzaddik. Amarlu his soldiers in dismay say to Alexander, "Melech gadol k'mocha, powerful king like you, yishtachu l'Yehudi zeh? You bow to this Yid?" Amar lehem, he says to his army, "D'mus diyukni shel zeh, the form of this man, menatzeachas l'fanai b'veis Hamikdash. When I go to war and I'm going to win, his I see it, the image of Shimon HaTzaddik. He comes and it appears to me in dreams and tells me I'm going to win." Amar lehem, Alexander says, "L'mah basem? Why did you come here?" Amru, they said to they said to him, "Efsher bayis, the house shemispallel bo yolech v'al malchuscha, we daven we're loyalists, not like the Kusim said. They squealed on us and said lies to try to kill us. We're loyalists, the house that we daven for you and your kingdom. Sh'lo tichrav, yituch l'havdich l'hachrivoi, you're going to destroy such a house? We pray and we mispallel b'shleimus al malchuscha, we pray for you and you're going to kill us?" Amar lehem, "Mi ha'elu? Who are the ones who tried to who are these people who tried to say lashon hara about you?" Amru lehem, "Kusim ha'elu, she'lo nechesh es ha'Kusim, these guys who have led you to destroy the Bet Hamikdash. "Am lamen misun b'yadechem." They're given over to you, and it describes that they they they they they got rid of the Kuthim. They got rid of the Kuthim. They came to Har Gerizim, and they plowed Har Gerizim. Till today is the place that the Kuthim hang out. And they came to Har Gerizim, they plowed it, knocked it down. What they want to do to the Bet Hamikdash, "K'mul ha'ish l'veito sham." They got happened unto them. This is the confrontation, Alexander the Great and Shimon HaTzaddik. And I want to say, Rebbi Saadia, that the Mishnah says, Shimon HaTzaddik said, "Al shloshah d'varim ha'olam omeid." The world stands on three things, Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Chassadim. And my kasha is, what's the chiddush of the Mishnah? The world stands on three things, Torah. I literally don't know a a scholar in history if I'd say one of the three most important things, Torah, that'll be in there. Avodah, Tefillah, service to Hashem, Bet Hamikdash, Korbanot Hashem, it would be in there. And Chessed, to be like "Baruch Hashem Chessed." I literally don't know anybody in the world that wouldn't say this. It's the pasuk. Michah the Navi summed up Yiddishkeit in three things, "Asor Mishpat u'ahavat Chessed." Learn the Torah, live the Torah. Ahavat Chessed is Gemilut Chassadim. And Hatznei Lechet im Hashem Elokecha is relationship to Hashem, is Avodah. Who wouldn't sum up Kol HaTorah in these three things? It's like pashut, the three parts of Yiddishkeit. Relationship to Hashem, connection to Hashem, being like Hashem, learning Torah, living Torah. These What was the chiddush of Shimon He wasn't looking to say chiddush. A guy once was being funny at a Sheva Brachot. He said, "I want to end my speech with something from Reb Moshe Feinstein." Mazel Tov, and he sat down. Reb Moshe said, "Mazel Tov." And so did anybody else who ever lived. What's this vort Shimon HaTzaddik said, world stands on three things? The Ramban says that Alexander was a Talmud of Aristo of Aristotle. And the Ramban says in Vayikra that Aristotle he says Aristo of the Talmud of he says. Doesn't say Alexander of the Talmud he says Aristo of the Talmud of. What they were about is rational thinking, only what you see. We don't believe in what you don't see. Only what we see, the physical world is what's real. That's what Aristotle was into, the Talmud of the Ramban says, the physical world's real. Shimon HaTzaddik's battle with the reality of ruchniyus. That there's a world called Olam Haba. There's a world called Avodas Hashem. There's a world I was with my son right outside this Beis Medrash and I saw a butterfly. I was with my wife right outside the Beis Medrash and I saw a butterfly that was painted perfectly. It was gorgeous. We were watching a butterfly. We followed it around. I said you have to be such a maiman not to believe in borei olam. You have to be a maiman like a like I'm just not I'm not meshuga enough. You have to be so crazy not to see there's a painter of this butterfly and a soul. You'd have you have to be such like the emunah that it would take not to believe in Hashem is just I'm just not such a maiman. I can't do it. It'd be crazy. I said I'm not the emunah that you're asking from me. I'm not willing. The challah and kugel the kugel made itself. You ask me things I just can't do. Shimon HaTzaddik taught the reality of ruchniyus, Avodas Hashem. Al shlosha d'varim that there's a world that's ruchniyus. To me always this confrontation of Alexander coming to Shimon HaTzaddik and and ultimately Alexander when amud hashachar which of course is Mashiach, when the lo yesh acher, when the The of the morning come and Alexander's bowing in front of Shimon HaTzaddik. This is always I'm a very visual learner. The picture of the worlds that collide. A world of physical, a world of only what we see, rational thinkers, to a world of Shimon HaTzaddik. It wasn't just he said it. He was waging a war against people that were not learning about Olam HaBa, about the Ribono shel Olam, about a kesher to Hashem, about ruchnius, about prayer, about Torah. And Shimon HaTzaddik wasn't just he said it. This was a life's war against the movement that was very physical and believed in power and physicality and nothing else else. And Alexander's coming with his physical men. And Shimon HaTzaddik with his avukah shel or, with the licht, with the beautiful brilliant light and his tzaddikim. And they're coming at each other. It's the story of the world. And Alexander getting off his horse and bowing in front of Shimon HaTzaddik to the shack of his army. And he says, "All our wars, you know, comes to me in the chalomos. All our physical, there's a background, there's a there's things behind all the physical. The physical's true, there's physical, but there's a ruchnius, there's a spiritual, there's a there's a Ribono shel Olam behind who is the world, who's melo kol ha'aretz kevodo. This visual of the Shimon HaTzaddik coming and facing Alexander and Alexander getting off the horse is the visual of all of us as we head into Rosh Hashanah Elul and we're reminding ourselves, we're hearing the calls of Ribono shel Olam, we're hearing the calls of a kesher to Hashem. It's the world that's our reality, a world of ruchnius, a world of avodas Hashem. That as the the light, the clarity sets in, as the days of clarity like David HaMelech uri v'yishi, these days are called days of or. The avukah shel or of Shimon HaTzaddik, Av, days of clarity, when we remember that this ruchniyus, there's a void of Hashem, there's a whole reason for this world. It's true there's physical things, but they're all meant to subjugate in front of the real reasons for the world, service of Hashem. It's on these days of clarity that these days of clarity when we're remembering that this world, the physical is all true, it exists and it's real, but ruchniyus is the important is is is equal is equally real and is the essence of this world, is the purpose of the world, and the forces of physicality bow in front and subjugate in front of which is the forces of service of Hashem that are the essence of this world. I love this visual, and especially these visuals, a beautiful visual for all of us to share. I should say.