Rav Aaron Dovid Poston: They Saw that Israel was Supernaturally Victorious in Their Battles

Heat. Heat. Shalom everybody. Welcome back to the midash. Welcome home to Torah. We are in para's balak. As you all know, we use the clear as the basis for our discussion. It's text heavily textorientoriented this year. I'm going to cut through some of it and try to sum things up, but we want to walk away with some of some Hebrew. The Hebrew is really where the the juice where the meat and potatoes are. And uh you can get the original Hebrew sheets online. Look down below in the link on the YouTube um description box. And if you're interested in receiving the English source sheets, you can send me an email. I'd be happy to add you to the list. So here we are in parases balac and the clear this is actually the safer called ear goreim written by schlomit and we're on page ket and he begins with a medish that balak saw the yal benipur what did he see also all that Israel had done to the Amorites now the truth Truth is all you have to do is go back to the end of last week's para and you see what took place in the war with okay so that must be it however what the clear card is going to point out in this medish what happens mozzav which we're going to find out later is I'm going to use the word on a lower level than midian Now, it could mean we'll find out when we get to there, but Moav is bitter enemies with Midian. So, why would they approach Midian? So, simple shot would be to ga gather or garner an ally. Um, the truth is in the back round it was Midian who was partially responsible for the sale of Yseph. So Mauv wanted to encourage Midian to come and join by saying look you they're going to they're going to kill you. You might as well join us and then we have a standing chance. If you look at Rashi Rashi mentions and I I it's not highlighted but it's underlined and it's it's um yeah it's underlined and bolded. I mean it's it's large font. So the Rashi mentions, yeah, okay, so they spoke to the elders of Midian, but weren't they always, you know, hating each other? Weren't they bitter enemies? Like it says in Genesis 36:35, um, who defeated Midian in the field of Moab, meaning they had a battle. Um, we're going to come across that late later. Now, what did Moab see to take counsel with Midian? And by the way, this is also in source number two with Midash Rabba Midbar Rabba chapter 20 paragraph 4. Since they saw that Israel was supernally victorious in their battles, right? Halvi that the veil should be taken off our enemies and they should see the you know I guess you can always justify it that the Jews have you know Israel has some kind of you know monopoly on high techch you know it's really because it's really supernatural that we're able to create defensive mechanisms and even um what's the word to get in the right um intelligence in order to pursue and to to um to do what we need to do in the battlefield against our enemies. So they said you know the leader that being Moshe was raised in Midian. So from the age of about 20 until about 80 for approximately 60 years he had left Egypt. Most of that time he spent in Midian. And so they wanted to know what was his character. What does it mean his mida his what were his strength? what are his weaknesses? That is always part of the intelligence, right? Um apparatus. You need to know who your enemy is. So they they went there. Mov approached Midian to ask what is his character? And they know what they told him that the strength of this person is in his mouth. Now between you, me, and the lampost, we all know that Moses had a speech impediment. How can someone's who has a speech impediment be claimed? How can any objective person say that his strength is in his mouth? Well, I'm going to get to that shortly. But what happens? So, what do they come up with now? They know his strength and they're going to say, "You know what we're going to do? We're going to find someone who also has strength in his mouth. I.e. that being bum, a wizard." a wizard. It might be a nice word, but he was a, you know, he was a manuvo. He was a disgusting person, but nevertheless, he had the ability to bless or curse people. Okay, so let's just read quickly in Hebrew. I know I just mentioned that we're going to try to avoid some of that just to save time, but maravidian. What exactly did Moab see that they were going to willing to take some kind of advice from Midian? Because when they saw Israel acting in a way victorious in such a way that is not normal, it's supernatural. Amu, what did they say? This leader of the Jewish people, he grew up in Midian. So what did he ask? What is his character traits? What are his strengths? What are his weaknesses? His power is only in his mouth. That's where his greatest power is. Amrew. So they said we're also going to get somebody just like that who has the power in his mouth. Now let's go on to what the clar has to say. He says, I already discussed this in parmos that what the Jewish people are called firstborn to Hashem. There's a p in Exodus 4:22. You can find this on the source sheets. Um, Benur Israel, my child, my firstborn Israel. That's what God calls us. He tells Moses, "Go tell Pharaoh, let my people go, my firstborn Israel." That is what Israel is called. Now, what is it about a Bakur in terms of yusha in terms of inheritance? What do we know? That the firstborn gets >> double portion. Now, what was the brah that was given to Asaf? Whatever brah was given to Asaf, we the Jewish people will get a second portion, a double portion. we'll get double whatever he gets. And it's unbelievable because when we think of what he got, it's very sad and not a great life. But in Exodus 27 verse 40, it says by your sword you will live. Can you imagine that's a well that means your whole life is spent fighting and death. Guess what? The Jewish people got a double portion of a sword. But what kind of sword? Wait till you hear with this. With this sword that we were given, we were given two swords. And with that, with that double sword, we will be victorious. We will overcome the nations. And what is this double I'm gonna actually change it a double-edged sword. Okay, we're gonna say it's a double-edged sword. Not really. It's we're gonna call two swords for the moment. That is tora and both prayer and learning Torah or keeping Torah. Both of them are called. They're both called a sword. Where do you see Torah called a sword? In Song of Songs 3:8, it says, That verse is talking about the Sanhedrin. That verse is talking about Diane, people who are sitting in judgment and each man has a sword on his thigh by his thigh. And so that is talking about Torah and Dar in Sanhedrin page 7bik that this verse is referring to the Torah. That's what it's speaking about in song of songs. So Torah is called that's one that we receive. What about the word? How is because we said that toil are our sword or our double-edged sword. So in Genesis chapter 48 verse 22 when Yakov is giving the blessings to the children he saysashi right with my sword and my bow I overcame and beat the um the Amorites I'll read the verse he's actually telling the children of Yseph I have given you one portion over your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and my bow. Okay, here's a good question. Did Yakov really approve of Shim and Ley's behavior that he's going to take responsibility and say, "I wiped out. It was me all along." That's what it sounds like. So basically the idea is he was not exactly happy with it but he prayed for their success and that's what the word and kashi represent the sword and the uh the sword and the bow and you can see that in rashi as well. Okay. So, tila could be also referred to as and Rashi says that is a lush of tfila and it says in Psalms 149 verse 6 and this is going to be I'm going to say one of the main verses right lofty praises in their throat and a double-edged sword in their hand. Now the word P is like the word for times, the amount of times. So it's pne means two times. But a double-edged sword is p. It's two mouths because the word p is plural. Pote. The actual sword has two, right? It's not like a one-edged sword, but it's a double-edged sword. It's sharp on both sides. That's has two faces, has two mouths, so to speak. And that's what it's called. What do the Jews have? The Jews have a double-edged sword in their hands. That's their weapon. And what is the next three words? It's like, whoa, listen to this. Yes. Torah and is the way we are going to be victorious and take our vengeance out for all of the criminal acts that have been um perpetrated against us. I'm sure you're aware of this that Torah, what are we doing right now? Someone's talking. But whenas are learning, they're talking to each other. They're conversing. Torah is dependent on the mouth. And so is to feel. How is to feel dependent on the mouth? It says in in um Proverbs 145 21, it says, "My mouth will speak praise of Hashem and all flesh will bless him. Bless his holy name forever and ever. P. So the the the P the mouth P is dependent right on to feel is dependent on the mouth. I think that's a no-brainer, right? We all know that when Jews come together to pray, our lips are moving. Remember, right? Ellie saw her and he says, "I don't something something weird's going on here, right? Something unusual is going. I think maybe she's drunk. She's moving her l her lips, but I don't hear anything, right? Because nobody's supposed to hear except between you and God. But it depends on the mouth. What about Torah? So regarding to fill it look in Exodus 13:9 it says this idea that you're going to put on these tophosies on your arm and between your eyes on your head it's going to be in order that the Torah of God will be in your mouth. This is the that is double-sided meaning two mouths and we know that it's called both toil and Torah and this is clear now similar the actual Torah actually says can you believe it that if a man has two wives now we're talking way back must be over a thousand years ago or maybe more recently in the sparty world but if a man had two wives and one he loved and one he hated and the firstborn what we to say a firstborn gets a double portion imagine the hated wife has the firstborn the Torah commands us I'll tell you where I'm not mistaken in Deuteronomy 21:15 if a man has two wives one is loved one is hated what does he have to do he's to make sure that the firstborn receives the double portion even though he's from the hated wife now we had this idea that God also keeps the Torah that the Torah for some reason it emanates from him and it comes from his mind but he is also it's you know as if to say he's following the Torah and the Torah was written as well for him in certain ways and there's like many levels of meaning can you imagine for a second because God is also called an ish now ish can be ter translated as man which God obviously is not or it can mean a master and we say every mornings. He's ish, right? Where do we see that? Is we see that? Exodus 15:3. He's a master of war. So, he can be an ish and he can have two wives. Now, what I'm about to tell you will like you have to be sitting down. He has two wives. One of these wives is Israel. That's good. Great. But who's the other wife? The nations. Now, I would have thought the one he loves is Israel. and the one that he hates would be the non-Jews. And that all might be true, but that's not what we're going to look at. We're gonna actually say like this, that the nations, they all love each other. Oh yeah. When it comes against the Jews, they'll drop their emnity against each other. They all have something in common. When it comes to the Jews, we're very different. We're very unique. We're very outside the box. And they hate us for that. They hate us for that. And we're going to see that right now. So this idea of Hashem having two wives, we're on the top left well of pageos Israel. Who are these two wives that God has? The nations and the Jewish people. We have to prove that the nations are called wives or women and Israel is called wives or women. And once we establish that, we'll go to the next stage. So we have this statement that God has like as if he has two wives that being the nations in Israel and the nations are compared to women. Where do we find that? Now this is very interesting in Shirim chapter 2:7 Song of Songs. God says when you read this verse, you actually think that he's talking to and about the Jewish people. The truth is there are three great oaths that the Jewish people took and the nations took and we should be bound to them, right? That we're not going to make aliyah in mass that we're not going to, let's say, were subjected in galut by the non-Jews and we're not going to rebel against them. But there was an important part of this oath given to the nations. The nations had to swear that they would not overly persecute the Jews. You know what that means? They violated their part of the oath. And therefore, in a certain sense, we may not be obligated in our part of the oath. But let's leave it for now. Right now, we're just focusing on the idea that this was a an oath to the nations. And that's what Rashi says. That's what everyone seems to say that this is talking about the nations. Kazal saying page 111a. So it talks about but it's talking about the nations alim. Now I'm not saying that all non-Jews are but I think in general right they're not righteous. Of course, there are brahashem, you have Ruth, and you have so many um examples through history of people who excelled in keeping the seven no laws. Ruth actually converted, but before she converted, she was a righteous Noah. So, we're obviously not talking about righteous Noahites. But in general, what the UMos are called? They're called Rashim. And where do we see this? In Jeremiah 51:30, it says over there um that their might failed. They had become like women. Now, this is talking about this army in Babylonia in Babylon. So, we're talking about non-Jewish warriors who lost their strength like women. So, there's a comparison of rashy to like women. Now, we're only talking about strength, physical strength. Obviously, we're not talking about in any other. Now, I actually think that women are stronger. I remember Carol Bernett, she tried to explain what it was like to give birth. So, I don't think a man would even, you know what I mean? I think that the muscle she gave was like pulling your top lip over your the back of your skull. But I think that women are very strong in certain ways, okay? Especially when it comes to carrying for nine months a baby and giving birth, you know, physically. But they have a certain stamina that a lot of men just don't have. Anyway, go on. So, we established that the non-Jews can be called nashim. What about the Jews? So, very interestingly in Isaiah 54:E5 that your master, your husband has made you. Right? Master and husband are the same word. It's talking about Hashem. Hashem made the Jewish people. He made us. That's what Isaiah is speaking about. Now getting back to our subject which is the loved wife. This is the nations. So it doesn't mean the wife that is loved by the husband. It just means the wife that is loved i.e. by all the other nations. All the other nations they love each other. Why? Right? They I'm not going to say they stand for nothing, but again, when you compare them to the Jews, we're the hated ones. We're the persecuted ones. And when someone comes before the basin to convert, one of the questions the basin will ask, "Are you really sure you want to join this persecuted people?" Right? Are you really sure? Okay. So, they have this affinity for each other. Whereas the hated wife that when it comes to the they hate the Jews. Why? That we separate ourselves from their food and their drink. We cannot sit and and normally eat with them unless number one it's kosher, right? And then what makes it kosher? Part of it is who cooked it? Who made it? It has to be cooked by a Jew or a Jew's mashiach in the kitchen and make sure everything was was done correctly in terms of the flame and whatnot. So what it really means the reason we don't drink their wine, not talking about a votar wine, I'm just talking about stamine and uh we don't eat their food is so that we don't come to marry them. That's the real China. That's the real problem they have with us, right? I mean just thinking back to the Nuremberg laws, right? The truth is we're not allowed to marry non-Jews. That's a Jewish law. And yet what happens that uh we were doing intermarriage in Germany in the 18 mid 1800s it was on the rise. Intermarriage on the rise and the Germans themselves made a rule that they can't marry us. Right? We were violating our own laws. But this is something that um that irks I'm not sure that's it's just using a nice word. It really perturbs the the non-Jews that we have separated ourselves. We won't eat and drink with them. As it says, where did the word Sinai why is Mount Si called Sinai? And so in Gomorrah Shabas on 89b it says that that's where hatred, see the words and are related. That's where hatred entered the world. We accepted the Torah and they did not. That is where I think every non-Jewish soul is like kicking themselves. Why didn't I take the Torah? And they even developed religions where they're trying to justify that they're the chosen ones after all, right? because they regret. They ultimately will regret and if they don't now, they will regret not having accepted the Torah. That's why the the converts are in such good shape. They're mamish u to be uh applauded and lauded. Okay, we're not seeking them, but when they come to us um you know, we we make it uh we have to love them. Okay, so the next thing is What happens when the the firstborn is to the hated one? We're talking about the Jewish people. So the son who's the firstborn is the firstborn to the hated one. That's the Jewish people. And that's why God says he says it. We can't mix it up. You know, you're not going to It says in Exodus 4 22 Israel, my son is the firstborn called Israel. We all know it's well known it's recognized that the firstborn is given a double portion pim meaning literally two mouths mish by what we said before in psalms 149:6 that the Jewish people they have a double sword in their hand that's two faces or two mouths What are these two mouths? The Torah and which is called P which is called mouth and they're also called a sword. This idea against that in other words as given that blessing by your sword you will live and we were given it twice. By the sword double sword we will live. Torah and it's through these two swords that the Jewish people will be victorious. Now, interestingly enough, I never thought about it like this, but we all know the famous statement that Yitsak made when Yakov came to see him. Hakov, this voice is the voice of Yakov. Why is Cole said twice? Voice. This voice is the voice of Yakov. I'm sure it could have been said with one time co but was used twice. And at the time that Yakov is, it's interesting that word is twittering, you know, tweeting, chirping. I think chirping, chirping. And I think today's horns are used the same. to chirp right when you hit a horn. Um when Yakov is chirping with his voice i.e. Torah and a show let that the hands of Asav have no power over Yakov. The kafalash and the actual according to the double expression of voice hints to which are now he's going to add a new twist we all know that there are three pillars upon which the world stands to a vod and gassadim is the next topic okay we're going to call it sodaka And as well if the Jewish people do that third pillar right we have Torah the Voda is prayer as well as sedaka charity this is also dependent on the voice how is charity dependent on the voice so we know there's a gor that says when you give a pr when you give a coin no matter how small the coin is you will be blessed with six blessings But if you console Mess the person who is in need of your charity, you get an additional 11. By the way, you'll find that it's inramed at the bottom of source 22. It mentions if you look in Isaiah chapter 58 verses 7-9 that's just for giving charity you'll count them there are six blessings and then if you go to verses 10 11 and 12 and you count those blessings you'll see there's an additional 11 but it specifically says if you speak to the person if you open your mouth so sodaka on a certain level as you notice is also dependent on what we call p on the mouth on the coal and that's what it means. So, now it also says in Exodus 17 verse 11, it says over there that when it came to passing, the govern Israel, Moses was sitting on the hilltop and Yeshua was down below fighting the war with the Malik. Moses, every time he raised his hands, what happened? The Jews were victorious. when he lowered his hands because they were quite heavy then Yeshua was not winning the battle. A malik had upper hand. Now listen to this. Who was on the s who who who were on the sides of of Moshe helping him hold his hands up? They were growing heavy. So he was sitting on the rock. He had Aon and his brother on his right side and he had his brother-in-law on the other side. Why? Why Aram? So Moshe represents Torah. We're talking about these three pillars. Moshe represents Torah. On the right, he had Aram which represents a voda prayer. That's the base of Mikdash. And who's why is he there? It's his brother-in-law. Meaning he's married to Miriam. Miriam was such a teddas and is is she was a woman full of it says when when Pharaoh wanted to destroy the Jewish baby men bale babies that her and Yvid right took the babies and fed them and nursed them and kept them warm right they kept them alive this is the that Miriam is known to have done would it have been appropriate for all the Jewish male soldiers and warriors to look up on the hill and watch Moon and Miriam holding up Aron's hands. No, it's not appropriate for the woman to be up there, especially in war, but at all to right to be holding up her maybe she didn't have the strength either to hold up her her brothers, but it was a way of being modest. Okay, through modesty it was her husband who stood up there on the hilltop. So he represents. So when the Jewish people are strong with these three things, that's the learning and keeping of the Torah, prayer, and charity. They're also related to the word, to the word hand. Oh, I'm sorry. then Israel will be um will be involved in strengthening Torah which we said is dependent on the hand. It says in Deuteronomy chapter 33 verse two it says over there that from his right hand was a fiery law for them. So in other words, whenever it says mino from his right, it always means his right hand. Whenever it says yad without mentioning it right or left, it's always left. Okay? So miamino means his right hand. The fiery law came and was given. So it means from his hand and tells us in page 61A that one should not talking about a man should not count out money into a woman's hand. you know, especially we're talking about when he has the desire to look at her or to get close to her, to look at her hands even. Okay? So, you we count out the money you put on the table and let her take it. I know it sounds, you know, well, it's not respectful, but it says that even if you're like Moshe, you have so much Torah, it's inappropriate to do that, right? Especially if that's your intent. If it's not your intent and you have no other way, it's probably not such a big issue. But if it could be avoided, that would be great. So that is what that verse is talking about. And we're talking about even if you had as much Torah as Moshe Mosha, it was handed down like it was to Moshe, you still shouldn't do it. What about saddaka? How is sedaka related to hand? I think it's quite obvious, right? Not only is that how you give saddaka, but it also says you shouldn't be tightfisted. You shouldn't close your hand to giving sudaka. Okay, so it says in Deuteronomy 5 15 verse 7. It says, "And you shall not close your hand from your needy brother." And what about tila? Can we relate to prayer? The truth is the Jews used to pray with their hands like this. And the idea is why do we put our feet together? We keep our feet together. We're supposed to imagine as if our feet are tied. It is true that the malim the angels have only one foot and so we're like representing angels in a certain way. But also because we're supposed to be like sub subjects of Hashem, like submissive to Hashem. And so our feet were bound and our hands should be like bound. Okay. But because they're going go ahead and do that. So we have uh changed tactics. What we do is try to put it over your chest, squeeze your fist and put it over your heart. But there's all kinds of ways people pray and we'll see. Raising your hands also is a very Jewish thing. Okay. So we're going to see it shortly. So ah here it comes. Right now also to feel a prayer is dependent on the hands. It says in Psalms 63:5, "In your name, I shall raise my hands. I shall lift my hands." And you can see rash on that. It's talking about in prayer. Okay? Bishima, right? In your name, I raise my hands. And this is what it says when we spoke about Moses raising his hands. Moses raised his hands. And we were victorious. Mosha the Gi Israel when Israel when when Moses did this Israel actually was strengthened in all these things and they actually become uh victorious. This ready for this this is called this is the strategy. You want to know um a method, a technique to win a war, make sure you do the following, right? Torah of voting. But wait till you hear this. those who arrange a war. I don't know if it means the general, I don't know if it means the the um you know the the political echelon, but basically you want to win a war, you have to take with you into your hands avion. What is that's a sword is a bow and arrow. A main is a shield and a shirion is armor. Whether it's a knee pad or a bulletproof vest, that type of thing. This is what you need. What the clear is now going to do is express how these four things are related to winning the war because this is what he said. Right? We have all three Torah, right? prayer and or um they're actually compared to these four things. These four things, the sword, the bow and arrow, the shield and the armor that you can relate all three of these to those four things. So the we already mentioned the keshit we hints to to prayer as we saw in Genesis 48:22 as Jacob says with my sword and my bow I overcame the Amorites I wiped out the whole city right and I'm giving it to you the children of Yseph. Um, this hints also to Torah because it says in Psalms 127:E4 that like arrows in the hands of these warriors. So too in the hands of these youth and the youth are your disciples. As you see in Rashi, we're talking about Torah. Torah is this is the weapon of war. Uh it says arrows, but it means the same thing. It means like the bow, the bow and arrow. Um in terms of Torah, what about a main? Main as we said, is the shield. So it says over in Psalms 18:31. It says, "The word of the Lord is a refined. He is a shield to all who trust in him." So we're talking about um Torah and prayer. What about Shiron? This is the the armor. This armor represents is represented by sodak. It represents saddaka. Now I don't know if you know this idea of the nail. The armor the way like think of an armadillo something here from where you have armadillas. So you have this, it looks like armor, but it's a bunch of little pieces that are all like shingles on a roof. You you follow what I'm saying? They're like interlocked, but they're going to protect. Okay? So if think about every time you do tadaka, it may be a little bit, it may be a small coin, but you know what? It's going to add up and it's going to protect you. And that's the idea. It says in Isaiah chapter 59:17, the yilbash saddaka kashiron. So if you look at 32 in the source sheet, Isaiah 59:17, and he dawned righteousness like a coat of male, and a helmet of salvation is upon his head, and he dawned garments of vengeance as his attire, and he was clad with zeal as a cloak. Very important. We're going to see the whole verse, but right now um right and good babaasher 10b explains what I just did that each little small pocket of of protection adds up to a lot of protection and that's like giving sodaka. Okay. Just as the armor is going to protect the one wearing it. So to so charity we find that David he was a man. He was a warrior and he conquered a lot of places outside of uh what we call you know Israel at the time. He created a greater Israel to a certain extent. And why was he victorious in his wars? Because of the merit of giving sudaka. And he he it says in 2 Kings 14 verse seven. Now when I look at this verse and I look at the murim, I didn't really see that it was talking about David per se. It was talking about kings that descended from David and they were victorious. As it says in 2 Kings 14:7 and struck down Edom in the valley of salt. Now it's very important. He Adam be mel in the valley of salt. Melik somehow or another salt is going to be related to charity. Ma what does it mean exactly? Where is this valley of salt? It's not really that where it is what it's called that it's called the valley of salt because the Jewish kings who fought there they merited to win because of the um the merit of of doing sudaka and sodaka somehow is related to salt and if you look in cassuba 66b it says melakaser now this is a little bit it's not exactly the easiest thing to explain name. Look in what would you say it was? Cassubis. Look in source number 35. So we're talking about the daughter of Nagdim Bengory. Nagdim Gorian was one of the wealthiest men of of Israel at that time of the destruction of the temple. He had enough money with few other very wealthy people to sustain the Jewish people for a couple decades. when Rome came to destroy Uralia and um she approaches the the sage and asks to to for Saddaka and he didn't recognize her and he said who are you and she said I'm the daughter of Nagim Bengoron so he said listen I know your father had a lot of money where did it all go so she know she's very poor so she said my teacher is not is it Not that they say such a proverb in line, salt for money is lacking. Now the word so what does it mean? There's nothing with which to preserve it and prevent it from being lost. What does salt do? One of the main I guess characteristics of salt is it a pres preservative. So salt which is if you want to preserve your wealth this are words of advice. You want to preserve your wealth then give sodaka. He asked about the father-in-law because the father-in-law was also wealthy and she said, "Well, when we lost it, we lost everything." Okay, this is very important. This is actually going to be quite controversial and I think you're going to appreciate this to a certain extent if I can explain it correctly. So we're on like near the top of the left side when we said oh me this valley of salt and it says inabashra page 10b all the saddaka that the nations give now the truth is it sounds like anybody who gives for the wrong reason should be in this category anybody gives for the right reason should be in the other category so all the nations that give they're they're doing a sin, right? If you're doing saddaka, you're giving charity, if you're doing it because God commanded you to do it, which I think the seven laws include that, by the way, as a subcategory because the Rabonian says that any any of the mitzvah that are logical or ethical, you're obligated in. So, it's logical and ethical to give sodaka. So if you're doing because God said so, that's good. But if you're giving it to make yourself great, to make yourself feel better, you're walking down the street and you see somebody and you, you know, you're not saying God commanded me. I'm only giving because I feel bad for this guy or I wanted other people to see me give. That is only to make yourself feel better. But if you say, I do feel bad for the guy. I do want to feel good about this act, but I'm doing it because God told me, then you're in the category of being Jewish. Right? So he says like this that any saddaka that the nations give, they're only it's called a sin. They're doing a sin because it says in Proverbs 14:34 and it literally says it charity will elevate a nation. What nation is that? the one nation that we spoke about on right on Shabbat. It's it's it's one nation just like God is one. The nation is one but the kindness of the nations of the kingdoms is sin. That's what it says literally. King Solomon says that um you can't get around it. The kindness of the nations is sin. Why? Because they're only doing this for their s own aggradisement to make themselves better, feel good. And this is what it says. Why is it called the valley of salt? That was because of this is why the downfall of the nations in that place because of the they did with pride meaning only for for selfish reasons gar and I'm sorry near it's also hinted in the name of valley of salt for all three reasons meaning the Torah and giladi starting with sodaka So, right this idea that the the um the salt preserves so too the preserves your wealth. What about Torah? So, it says the way of Torah is a little bit through deprivation through uh being satisfied with less such as just eating bread that's dipped in salt. That's literally what it says. You want Torah, eat bread dipped in salt. What about a voda? There's a famous pekk in numbers 18:19 where God gave the kanim a special bris melik and it was not just it was also forever. It's a brisel. It's a covenant forever with salt and that is a vod that's prayer. And it was because of these three pillars that David stood on that his children stood on the the future kings. This is those three pillars in which they were able to overcome Edom. And Isaiah again Isaiah in 59 17 yub saddaka that if you dress up in sedaka that's like your armor and it's a co Yeshua's ro and it's like a helmet or a hat of salvation on his head and then the rest of the verse talks about and vengeance on the go to dress up in righteousness like armor and giving giving charity that is just like each little piece is going to collectively make a fullbon a great um thing of armor for you so to the each and every coin is all combined and that's in the bahavashra what does it mean that it's going to be a ka Yeshua's veroa this helmet of salvation on your head. This is prayer that when you pray, I don't know if you noticed, they did these um I don't know how it works, but modern technology can do heat and then colors of different heat and people who pray uh there's a certain aura that they can be detected. Anyway, what it says here is what does tila do? It makes a crown, a godly crown on your head. So too, we say in art and where do we say this? We say this inimos, right? May my prayer be a praise for your head. Okay, we speak about this um garments are for vengeance. That's the Torah because that's mush that this um it's it's basically and the Torah is going to be the clothing for the soul. Now if you go into Ezekiel chapter 16 verse 7 it says over there that but you were naked and bare that is a reference to not having Torah. Okay. So if you don't have Torah the person would be considered naked and bareamil. So this idea to be dressed up in the in this armor, this is the armor of Torah. This is the armor that will not just save us but also allow us to take out the proper vengeance on our enemies and save the Jewish people. There is one small piece I want to finish with and I maybe I'll just sum it up that again. what did Moab see to take uh advice from Midian? So we spoke about the idea that Moses grew up in Midian and we wanted to know the character traits but he says that Moab was actually lower. They were on a lower level. I'm not exactly sure what he says and Moab. Now does that mean physically? I would have thought Mo was on a plateau and um Midianites were not. But let's not think in physical terms. It must be metaphysical terms. We're talking about that Moab was on a lower level, whatever that means. And it says that we saw it already in Genesis 36:35 that Midian had a battle in the fields of Moab. So the way the world normally works is that whoever is greater does not take advice from whoever is smaller. So why would Moav which is greater or higher take advice from Midian which is lower since they saw that the Jewish people were so victorious in a way that was not normal. It was supernatural for the um the supernatural ability of Jewish people to overcome was through Torah. The Torah is not a normal thing. It's not natural. Right? It's like beyond it's it's not in this world because the way the normal way works is the greater person is overcomes the the smaller person. But when it comes to Torah, we see many times that the smaller person, the smaller thing overcomes the greater. Just Hanukkah as an example. Porum is an example and many of our our wars seven Arab armies have come against us and it's just it's not normal. So that's we see now it says in Gmoratinus and we this is a famous Gomorrah that they asked these rabbis who did you learn the most of your Torah from right you think I would have said my rabbis. So the rabbis are greater and then but they didn't say that and then the colleagues were next in line for greatness and then the students were probably least great and who did they learn most their Torah from? The lower ones. The lower that's the way Torah works. That's the way Torah works. It says like this. So I learned a lot from my rabbis. I learned a lot from my colleagues, but who did I learn the most from? The students. And so it also says, why is the Torah compared to a tree, right? The Torah is compared to a tree. Why? So what happens is, I don't know if you know about kindling or maybe you whatever small piece of wood, when you want to start a fire, right, in your fireplace or whatever it is, you need to have some kindling. It's those small little pieces that can make such a great fire and you need that. And that's what it says here. So too, when it comes to Torah, the greater you are, the more you're learning from the smaller people, so to speak. I'm not sure exactly what this is referring to. I think it basically is that if you see a tree, try to imagine what its roots are. Right? You see the tree it might be small or let's just say whatever you see you see but you can imagine that the roots are equal or even more than what is visible and that is the lower area and I think we will stop here even though there's a lot more to go um but I thank you all for your patience and I hope you all learned something and I wish you all a Shabbat shalom a great Shabas and a great life and we'll see you next week. Heat. Heat. My shing.