"Your Great and Holy Name is Proclaimed Upon Us" with Rabbi Aaron Dovid Poston

[music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music and singing] >> Shalom Aleichem everybody. Welcome back to the Hebrew and Aramaic Midrash. Welcome home to Torah. This class, as we know, is dedicated to the Siftei Chaim series. This is Rinat Chaim specifically on the Yamim Noraim, the prayers of the High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. And we know And we know that um we pray for the whole year. Right? So, it's appropriate. We started this in Elul last year, and we're still going going strong. So, I do suggest in the play in the uh in the description box, there is a link to the playlist, and you can look at the last week cuz this is a continuation. We had mentioned in depth what these words meant, and your great and holy name you have proclaimed upon us. V'shimcha Hagadol V'hakadosh Aleinu Karata. We, the Jewish people, were tied We're mamish tied in but the actual very name of Yehuda, Yehudim. We're Jews, Yehudim. Is Right now, let me just give you a little bit more background. It's not because majority of us are from the tribe of Yehuda. That's just not true. Okay, the background is that it is true that the northern tribes were dispersed. Let's just say majority of the northern tribes were dispersed, not all of them. There was intermarriage between the south and the north. And when the Syrians came to conquer the north, there were many refugees. And when Yirmiyahu went to bring the tribes back, he brought Could have been 10 or 20%. But in all, Yehuda is not um the re name Yehuda, we're not Yehudim only because Yehuda was, let's say, the main tribe at the time because of the dispersion of the north. But because of the allegiance to Mashiach, the allegiance to the tribe of Yehuda. So if I was from Asher or Naftali, like let's say like in America, I might be from New York or or Florida, but I'm an American. So here we're talking about even though I'm from a tribe, by the time of the I'm going to call it disaster of the dispersion of the north, who separated themselves from Yehuda, who separated themselves from Yerushalayim, they come back, whoever came back, 10 20 30%, they basically did teshuvah and said, "You know what? We We sinned. We cut ourselves off from the monarchy." It was a cutting off of the monarchy. And here you have a reclamation of the monarchy of Yehuda. So they're basically saying, "I I'm going to say pledge allegiance, so to speak, to the monarchy of Yehuda." The name Yehuda is exactly the name Yud and a Hey and a Vav and a Hey with a Daled, a Daled in the middle there. Yehuda. So you have the very name, the very name of the Jewish people are tied in with Yud Kay Vav Kay. Now, he doesn't mention that. I'm mentioning it because we just said, "Your great and holy name you have proclaimed upon us." Rav um Rav Chaim Friedlander begins by saying, "Has seen the hapiskah." The zenith, the climax of the previous statement at the top of our tongue and that you chose us. We have been chosen by God. Shall be here at on Israel. It was the the chosenness of this people of Israel. That is what it means the shim God of God or shall lay new karate. Then your great and holy name you would proclaim the plan us. Shamash God is back with me and I knew the very name of God has been proclaimed upon us as what I am a sham. We are the nation of God. We are God's people. The Elena mutual task and this God of the God nation of sham sham. And therefore it's actually placed upon us. We have the I'm going to call it a yoke but all not in a bad sense but in a very positive sense. A duty, a lofty duty a task and this God a very lofty duty to sanctify the name of God. The aim on the make a yummy at with some a sham is back and when we fulfill we do the will of a sham. The only the most so and we serve him we serve him properly. As I shall know how God make a dish the bread then God's great and holy name is sanctified in this world. We discussed before the word the word word mix for is God's holy name in the odd bash. >> [snorts] >> Right? The word mix for means to look at there to connect and what we're doing is we're bringing Godliness into the world by fulfilling his will by fulfilling his command but even the word command really means a greater sense of connection. Just in the odd bash for those who don't know it's like a z b y. Like it was the alphabet it's like an so basically it works in Gematria where the aleph becomes a tav or the one becomes a 400 or the bet which is a two then becomes a what's the a bashin 300. So either Gematria could be switched or the letters could be switched but the word mitzvah the last two letters is vav and hey. Okay? Which is the two last letters of God's holy name and the mem and the tzadik first two letters of the word mitzvah in the atbash is yud and hey. So by bringing by doing mitzvahs physical thought whatever mitzvahs we're involved with we're bringing God into the world. We're connecting the yud hey with the vav hey. We're bringing godliness into the world. So he says when we fill Hashem's will and we're serving him then his great name is sanctified in the entire universe in all of creation. And that's when Israel is at their highest level. Their their the situation is a madregah shel shleimut a perfection of spiritual perfection. Then as a result also the sanctification of God is in its fulfillment it's perfect perfection. However when the Jewish people God forbid are in a very low spiritual level then God forbid this is a profanation a desecration of God's name. Previously we mentioned the timlo Hashem you alone will reign Hashem. The question is through whom? How? Right, there's a religion. There's another religion they they all the religions actually want to be a replacement to the Jewish people. That's what they right? We we talked about Sina. Hatred came into the world at Sinai. The word Sina is hatred. Sinai. Why did why did hatred come into the world? Because God told us you cannot marry their daughters. You cannot eat with them. And if you were a what would you think? Oh, these people they separated themselves from us. But you know what? They had a choice. God offered the Torah to every nation and they said no. Their hatred is really self-inflicted hatred for making the wrong choice. But nevertheless, the Jews made the right choice and therefore we cannot marry their daughters. We cannot eat with them, right? We have special laws of kashrut. So through whom through whom is this revelation of the kingdom of God? Ready for this? The heart Zion Mishkan Kvodcha b'Yerushalayim ir kodesh part of our prayers. Right? On Mount Zion the abode of your honor in Yerushalayim the city of your holiness. This is a nice follow up to Rabbi Flex discussing the idea of what Yerushalayim really stands for and why the Akeda took place here. I think of Jordan Peterson's words. He came to Yerushalayim and he gave a lecture a speech at I think it was Binyanei HaUma. Whatever it was a large large venue and I think the words he used I don't want to misquote him, but he basically called it the city on the hill. It's like the canary in the mine. You guys have basically brought morality into the world through the Bible, right? He knows he's a Christian, so he calls it the Old Testament, but he's respectful, I guess, as a daughter religion of Judaism, how much the Jews count, how much they mean something to the world. Um I heard recently I forget who it was. I don't think it was Mark Twain, but it could have been John Adams, one of these great you know, statesmen or philosophers or authors uh basically saying if if the Jews didn't exist, the world wouldn't exist. It would be chaos and no civilization, right? I mean, we're talking chaos at its best. But this is what Yerushalayim is. This is where the revelation takes place, like we just discussed. Kol Ha'Olam meaning it's through Eretz Yisrael. For all those people screaming I I you know, I have to say it, but they're screaming from the river to the sea, right? Palestine will be free, but they're saying is we don't want the Jews. We don't want them. We don't want [clears throat] them. And this is suicidal, right? Even the Romans, the Gemara tells us if they understood what would have happened through their destroying the Beit HaMikdash, if they really understood what it stood for, we brought korbanos and their atonement is found there, they would have sent forces to defend it, not to attack it. But as if to say that it's in Eretz Yisrael, I they Am Yisrael. So it's not just Am Yisrael, it's not just the land, but it's the people on the land. When we are here, B'ezrat Hashem, as we're seeing the Kibbutz Galuyot, the in-gathering of the exiles before our very eyes, it's still happening. We're not yet a majority of Jews living in Israel, but it's very soon. It's a little bit of a plug to come up to Eretz Yisrael. Zeh Zeh Hu Chesed Nifla Hashem Yisrael. It was such an act, a great act of loving kindness from Hashem S A F Shari Ought to hold to give us the opportunity. We wake up every morning. Modeh Ani, right? We said that the motion makir, he wrote or he authored I think he revealed the idea of we wake up and the first words on our mouth are really I am grateful. Remember the word Yehudi really means grateful. I am a Jew. And we wake up with such joy that we have this tough kid, we have this duty to bring godliness into the world, to serve Hashem, and that he gave us another opportunity, gave us life itself. That's what we say in the morning. So here we're saying that's a great act of loving kindness that Hashem gave us the opportunities and the abilities. The hit to Alenu at tough kid that he gave us this duty, granted us this job, so to speak, to be what? To be a mamlakhet kohanim v'goy kadosh, to be a a nation of priests and a holy nation l'hamlikho l'kadesh in order to proclaim his monarchy, his his kings, his kingdom, and to sanctify his name, his great name. Mishum kakh Anu mevakshim tamid, therefore we are constantly requesting what? Asi l'ma'an sh'mekha, right? In many of our prayers, at the end of the Shmoneh Esrei especially, but in the Rosh Hashanah davening over and over again, right? Do it, act, save us for your sake. Right? We talk about Hashem is in galut. God is in exile. He He loved us so much, he said, "I'm going to be with you even in exile." Anu mitpal'lin Hashem Yisbarakh bizman ha'galut, and therefore we're praying to Hashem even in the exile. This long exile. Hashem Yisbarach Yoruud bigashmiut v'ruchaniut that we are lacking. We have descended to a level where physically we're on the run and spiritually we're empty. I deka shmu Yisbarach bigoyim and through that, through the exile, Hashem's name is profaned. Profaned. Profaned. So, people say, "Where is God?" They they they almost justify and see God has no relationship with the Jewish people and he himself Right? I think that's what the the especially the Christians that Hashem is too big. The father is too big. They therefore we need some kind of intermediary. It's not true. But, that's what galut, part of galut. So, we look forward to the redemption, the full redemption with Mashiach and the Beit Hamikdash and everything will be clear. In the meantime, she oshi einu v'anti leinu l'maan shmo. So, because we're not really holding, we're not at our best. But, Hashem will save us because of his own honor. For his sake. Ukvodo Yisbarach. Af al pi she einenu roim yeshua biglal ro maaseinu and [clears throat] even though we're not deserving, we're not really fit for God to save us on account of our evil actions. Ach Mikeivan shem Yisbarach kesher. That's the word. He because Hashem has such a strong connection, a knot. It he's tied to us. It with his name. Bishmeinu and with he connected his name with our name. Im kein, if that's the case, just a few more lines. Rui she oshi einu l'maan shmo gadol, then we're it's fitting for us to be saved for his sake. Now, you so said this fundamental idea "Hashem is rock as Kasha at Shmo by Am Yisrael" that Hashem tied the knot, so to speak. He made this relationship unbreakable, to a covenant with the Jewish people, with Am Yisrael. Chazal explained in many places, and one of them, for example, is in Numbers 31:3, and Rashi explains over there the verse says, right? That "Vayedaber Moshe Haltzu Mitchem" "Gather yourselves together for war Latet Nekama Hashem B'Midian" "We're going to fight Midian in the desert." And it says it's a vengeance for God. Rashi says over there, "She'o Omed Neged Yisrael" "Anybody, listen you anti-Semites, anybody who stands up against the Jewish people, Neged Yisrael, K'ilu Omed Neged Hakadosh Baruchu" "As if you're going up against God himself." That's what Rashi explains. "Amru Chazal She'Kadosh Baruchu is Kasha at Shmo B'Shem Am Yisrael" that Hashem has connected his name with the Jewish people, with the names of the Jewish people so much that if you look through the the Bible over there in Numbers 26:5, where all the names are listed, every name has a Yud and a Hey. Doesn't make any sense. That Here, look what it says, like for example, in that verse, "Chanokh Mishpachat Ha Chanokhi" Every single family member has the Hey and the Yud attached to their name. I mean, in grammar, it makes sense, but it didn't have to say it that way. But, Hashem went out of his way and attached his name to show the Jewish people, still, even We're talking about much later in numbers, still are connected with Hashem. I I the clear car goes to a much deeper explanation of how the yud and the hey represents the male and the female and their holy to God because of the way we have relations, the way we have marriage, the way we don't intermarry, the way that we don't we're not promiscuous, that Hashem is connected to the Jewish family, right? It's just like ish and ishah. The word male and the word female, the male has a yud in it and the female has a hey in it. And if you remove the yud and the hey, which is God's name, you're left with aish. You're left with fire. You want a good marriage? You want good relationships? Bring Hashem into the relationship. Okay, so God's name is tied to every family member. The Hashem Yisborach hey and vav. So we see that in that whole chapter in 26 of Bamidbar that there's a hey and a vav attached to the Berosh Hem u'besofam. That all of their names in the very beginning and the end you have a a yud and a hey to all their names. Yesh Mosha so Chazal in Yerushalmi Taanis brings an analogy, an analogy to what this is talking about. Moshal l'melech. It's analogous to a king. Shay the kesher al mafteach im sharsheret. So the king has um I guess palace, a room, but he has a key and that key is attached to a chain and the chain goes around his neck, right? So he's he's attached the key to a special room, special place to this chain that he's wearing. Why? K'dei shelo yeilech l'ibud. So he doesn't get lost, right? You don't want to lose that key. Kadosh Baruch Hu, so too Hashem ties Am Yisrael to his name, k'dei shelo yakulu v'yibudu, so the Jewish people do not get lost. Right? We have Jewish names. We have Hebrew names. And so for many of us who were assimilated or assimilated, we grew up with non-Jewish names. Okay? So those who are connected [clears throat] and stay connected will make sure that their children have Jewish names. Move on, but we see that also with what we saw in Bamidbar, Numbers chapter 26. U'var Zos Maharal, the the Maharal explains, Hayos v'Hashem Yisbarach kashar v'talah kiddush Shemo b'Am Yisrael, that Hashem made exclusive this connection and made it dependent, his the sanctification of his name, on the Jewish people. on Am Yisrael. Aidei Kach anachnu b'tuchim she'Kadosh Baruch Hu l'olam lo ya'azvenu, and this is why we are assured, we have the trust and faith that Hashem will never abandon us. Ki af al pi she'einanu ro'im, even though we're not exactly fitting, we're not on our best behavior, aval l'ma'an Shemo Yisbarach, but before his sake, yishm'renu m'chli'ah, that he guards us from destruction or extinction. B'sof shel davar, and the end the end Right? The end will be yoshi'enu v'yeshu'as olamim, that we will have an eternal deliverance. Have no fear. Just another two lines. Yesod zeh Kadosh Baruch Hu Yisbarach talui banu, therefore, this is the principle that the sanctification of God's name is totally dependent on us. It's on our shoulders. Then how much good do I learn what a great consolation there is of rain over us Shima Shiva Zuki menu move talk low odd that this is a it's the very reason that we will always have it in assurance of eternal existence. Ah, however, on the other side would tell it the lame new ah we would get a lot more odd placed upon us is a very heavy severe great enormous responsibility. And that scares a lot of people. I get it. Keep a comma say in all of our actions and be called to new and all of our movements Shima Lanu and new make a catch him Shima Lanu is brought. We sanctify God. Hopefully all the half of a half of a sham or the opposite. And I don't want to mention any of their names, but we know that some of the biggest criminals, some of the you know, we could put Jesus in that category. Some of the people that have you know, either persecuted us directly or caused persecution. And many of them were Jews. Many of them were Jews. With communism with Karl Marx, how many Jews were killed by the Russians? Um Okay. The actual zoo mutilate our cloud Israel the cloud and this actual is placed upon cloud Israel the entire Jewish people in its entirety. So there is one aspect that we are unified. Doesn't matter if one Jew sins, right? In Joshua, so Achan sinned, it says Israel sinned. One Jew sins, we're all responsible. I know that's a heavy that's a heavy thing to land you guys. But it works the other way around too. The Jewish people are very holy, and who wouldn't want to be a part? In fact, that's the reason why the whole world's claiming to be us. They're all claiming to be us, right? Whether it's the Muslims, whether it's the Christians, they're it's called replacement theology. They're now in place of the original covenant, they now have it. But, we're the ones who have it, and it's eternal, and it is inclusive of all of us. Not only that, also individually. The So, this covenant is a universal general covenant on the people, as well on each individual. And I will just end with this one idea. You have a choice. We had Kabbalat Torah. Where do I stand? Where do I stand? Do I want my children to be Jewish? Right? Do I want to Right? Do I want to be part of this eternal Cuz it is eternal. But, I have a choice. I can opt out. Okay? And just not follow the mitzvahs, not follow the dictates, be obedient. Or, I could, as I have chosen, and we chose not only only every year at this time, but every single day. We That was my message on Shavuot, that we're every single day given that opportunity. And that was why the day itself was not mentioned, meaning it doesn't say it's Matan Torah. Right? There's no date given for Matan Torah. So, we should feel as if every single day we're given that choice. As Rav Nachman Weinberg used to say, as I used to say, "If you were born" He would tell the guys in Yeshiva, "If you were born in Ramallah, you would follow Arafat. If you would follow If you were born in Iran, you'd follow Khomeini. If you were born in Lebanon, you'd follow Hezbollah." Whatever the guy's name is, Nasrallah. And if you were born in Mea Shearim, you'd follow that rabbi. But, you you have to choose it. You have to make that choice. So, with Hashem, we have a a new year, a new week, a new summer, right? New chance every single day. But at this time, it says specifically "b'zman". It's at this time. And we should feel it. And b'ezrat Hashem, all the Jewish people come together like we did that time at our Sinai. B' Right? Together we encamped. As Rashi says, "isha echad b'lev echad", as one person with one heart. And with that, I wish everyone a great week, great summer, and we'll see you next week, b'ezrat Hashem. Yibaneh, yibaneh, >> [music] >> yibaneh Hamikdash. [singing] Yitzion, >> [music] >> Yitzion, Yitzion >> [singing] >> tzimaneh. Yibaneh, >> [music] >> yibaneh, yibaneh Hamikdash. Yitzion, >> [singing] >> Yitzion, Yitzion tzimaneh. Yesh sham Hashem >> [music and singing] >> sh'chiato uv'nanah >> [music and singing] >> na'aleh.