Matzah on Tisha B’av

Good afternoon, guys. The first thing I want to welcome I SEE KAYLIN. >> [applause and cheering] >> I WANT TO I WANT TO DESCRIBE as well before we learn Tyrelly. I want to describe Xavi. I want you to hear so you I want you to hear this an honest I meant to tell I haven't told in this as well. You take off your coat, I'll share some Danny. If you take off your coat, I'll share something cool. Listen, but I want you to come closer. Bring Ari and Miller that good looking guy. Bring him. Ari and come. I want you to hear this. Svi, listen is also good looking of course. Svi Mordcha, I want you to hear this Mordcha. What do you say? Just temporarily. I'm afraid good. Morty Morty Samowitz met with his Rabbi from the fish or one of his rebellion right Mordechai Ben Ezri right Ben Ezri right Ben Ezri happens to be my brother-in-law. He happens to be a Velds Talmud Chacham. Tremendous tremendous Talmud Chacham but Sadiq and a very present person. And right Ben Ezri asked Morty Samowitz what do you do? So he said I'm a dorm counselor. So right Ben Ezri asked what does a dorm counselor do? Now if you wonder dorm counselor task it's like partial to the world hears the word dorm counselor. It's not always I'm not being right to lie. There's this and that. Dorm counselor are beautiful people. Whenever you fall prey to generalizations to to take a whole group and wrap a dorm counselor could be different things. Stereotype is dangerous, but often it's like a police. Pace you when you picture a dorm counselor some policeman who's you know catching people, vetting, he wakes up the chevra, dumps some water or water gun. A dorm counselor. So Rabbi Ben Izzy Schletter, this tzaddik Zack, he says to Morty, "What is a dorm counselor? What is like what what are you referring to? It's typically not a full-time job. How much time does it take to yell at a few youngsters? Tell them to knock it off. >> Wow. Vetting in the morning. So Morty sandwich innocently starts describing a dorm counselor. He mean I I notice people. I took I listen. I encourage. He starts describing the job and and like what should a dorm counselor He starts describing my issue. True you told you the story. He starts describing what a dorm counselor does in Yeshiva. He looks up and Rabbi Ben Izzy Schletter is pouring tears. True story. He's pouring tears. He's just bawling. We're so like used to I'm a dorm counselor to what tzaddik of a year he described somebody who's trying to make somebody comfortable. Trying to see somebody. Trying to listen and hear and encourage. He just Rabbi Ben Izzy Schletter just started crying, pouring tears. We're so used to that's a that's a compeller. It's a compeller. Somebody who's spending time to encourage another, to see another, to validate another, to just make sure somebody else is seen, make sure somebody else is noticed and encouraged. It's crazy. We get so used to it, Morty. When it saddic was described, and Morty, Sam was was not trying to exaggerate. He's describing what his job is. And saddic heard it, started pouring tears in his eyes. So, I want to welcome my Shika back home and appreciate what you're doing, Morty. [applause and cheering] We get USED TO THINGS. I GUARANTEE, I say this sincere. Elio could say "Hey, this where is Elio wearing a tie?" I think he's in the room next door. Eliyahu. Eliyahu wearing a tie going once. Elio is in the next room could say "Hey, there's we went with the group of guys here to do what we do in the afternoon in front of 200 public school kids." At first, they came in mayor like a little like rowdy excited with their phones 3 minutes in they would put down the phones. A few minutes Elio, describe [applause] to me first of all, I love you. Second of all, Elio, >> [applause] >> what was the reaction? was singing as we all were singing. What was the reaction of many of the 200 kids who were listening? And they were like silent. No one really cared. It was like They were It was actually insane. There were like people crying. A girl almost fainted. >> [laughter] >> And I went over to the EMT person afterwards and he was like "It was crazy. Like this girl almost fainted in the crowd." I was like "Yeah, I know. I have like an imposing stage presence." >> [laughter] >> He's like "No, it was the other guy." >> [laughter] >> Elio said in the car afterwards, he said for 6 years I'm like sitting with this. And then he's like, you know Elio is like so one of the most intelligent people and honest people I've ever met in my life. He's like, "I've heard this for 6 years." Then he like looks up, you know, Elio like figures, like you could see like the lightbulb go on. He's like, "They're kind of right." He's like, he like claps. Oh, that wasn't bad. I'm no I'm no Reb Ezzy, but You heard that? You heard that? What do you think? >> [laughter] >> Just to represent the future's coming, baby. Bro, that was good. But Elio like acknowledged, we get used to things. Sometimes like you hear it from another place, it's like he's right. The dorm counselor thing, it's a horrible name, dorm counselor, because it's it's associated I was saying Elio that Morty Sandwich was describing to Rabbi Nezworski a dorm counselor's role, and Rabbi Nezworski started pouring tears. Morty looked up, he's like, "Whoa." We get used to things like as if it's normal that a human being is like attentive to another, and his whole essence and job is to make sure another is comfortable is kind of crazy. So, what we get used to, maybe sometimes in the parshas Yisro we're handling a little bit yesterday. Yisro comes in, and sometimes in the eyes of somebody who's not used to, it awakens us, "Oh my goodness, we have something special." Uh-huh. The the From family that's sitting at the Shabbos table, I'm not talking about when they try to make it gishmack for Joe. Talking about when they're just doing Shabbos, just doing Shabbat. And like Joe is there, and he's like wide-eyed, and like like oh, we forgot this is amazing. Any Joe. Oh. But I'm really really appreciate Maishie, and thankfully he's back. I'm thankful Yankel is back. Thankful Eliyahu is back and is back and Yitzy's back and Zack is back and Eliyahu and just greatly appreciated what the Durham Council is DOING THIS YEAR. >> [applause] [applause] >> I WANT TO I WANT TO SHARE TODAY I want to share this a lot of things I want to do today. But amongst what I want to do is I want to share a minhag of two tzaddikim. Minhagei Yisrael, the customs of Yidden, are very very deep and precious and a lot could be learned from minhagei Yisrael. In some ways, it's fair to say that minhagim in some ways teach us deeper things than halacha in some ways. Minhagim means all that we've learned, all that we've studied, all that we've collected as a people. This is what's produced. Minhagei Yisrael always study our people listening. Don't be foolish. Don't make fun of our people. Don't argue on our people. Study our people speaking. Our our customs come from a people that are loyal to Hashem. Come from a people that are loyal to Torah and mitzvahs and you could study so much minhagei Yisrael. So I want to talk about Eliyahu, two tzaddikim. Eliyahu, I don't know if you know these two minhagim, but I want to share two minhagei Yisrael. The parshas HaTorah were middle of were mamish smack dab in middle of yetzias Mitzrayim. We're up to parshas Bo this week and with with with with the mamish the makos, continuing the makos that Hashem sent on Mitzrayim and continuing the process of yetzias Mitzrayim. There was a big tzaddik, his name was the Ribnitzer Rebbe. Nisim, I want you to hear this. There was a big tzaddik, his name was the Ribnitzer Rebbe. Now, the Ribnitzer Rebbe was well aware of Jewish suffering. The Ribnitzer Rebbe lived in Russia. He came to America, to this beautiful country, to this country that allows us to be Yidden with freedoms. >> [clears throat] >> And the Ribnitzer came from Russia. We are you weren't allowed to serve Hashem. We had a Yid sitting in this space madrish, beautiful Yid, who described in Russia he didn't know Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were. A Yid didn't know what Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and that was done by the Russians who didn't want us to know what Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were. The Russians were aiming to make sure Yidden were not loyal to Hashem and they outlawed they made it assur to be loyal to Hashem. Mordy, the Ribnitzer Rebbe, what was his name? Chaim Zanvil, say that. Chaim Zanvil. Say those words. Chaim Zanvil. Holy words, Chaim Zanvil was the Ribnitzer Rebbe. Not shlita, does that sound? He's not alive, but I want to tell you Mordy, I want to tell you a little about the Ribnitzer Rebbe, Mordy. The Ribnitzer Rebbe in Russia, to do a bris milah was illegal. To do a circumcision to do a bris milah was illegal and it was illegal because they didn't want us to be connected to Hashem. And a mark on our body that we are connected to Hashem was not wanted by the Russians. The claim of milah, we have a connection to God, was always our enemies of any mitzvah. They do not like bris Mila. Hitler Yemach Shmo I read it to the Chevra said that he hated the mitzvah of bris Mila. The audacity, a mark on our body that says we a bris is a treaty. A bris is an ice is a mark, a sign on our body that we belong to Hashem and him to us. We're close, we're connected. And our enemies always Amalek is Vayezan Bechufrum. Amalek attacked Rashi says Zanav is the tail is they attacked bris Mila. Amalek couldn't stand bris Mila. The Jew, the Yid who says we are connected to Hashem that we have a connection. The job of Avraham of the Yid is to teach the world that a human being can connect to God. And in this world we can connect. In this finite world we can connect to the infinite. And a Jew, a Yid, who's loyal to Hashem, who thanks Hashem, a Yid who lives his life here deeply connected to Hashem, announces to the world in the words of Yemach Shmo Hitler Yemach Shmo V'Zichro, he said the Jews are the guilty conscience of the world. They make us he said we are barbaric. We want to do whatever we want and there's a people who announce to the world that there's Hashem Yesh Din V'Yesh Dayan. There's a Ribono Shel Olam who wants to connect us, who are capable of connecting to. And the Mila, the ice on our body, the bris. The bris that every time we bre- bench we thank Hashem al brischa she'chasamta b'visareinu. For the bris on our body that reminds us we're connected to the Ribono shel Olam. That reminds us we can connect to Hashem, thank him, appreciate him, express the holy neshama that he put inside of us, and we can actually be a representation of Hashem where we can be mikadesh shem shamayim. And our enemies have always hated bris, and in Russia bris milah was outlawed. The Ribnitzer Rebbe went around Russia performing bris milah to the threat of his own life. One to do this was crazy. And the Rebbe would travel around Russia. He did hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of brisos, of bris milahs all around Russia traveling, often multiple brisos a day, crazy. To us we sit here, baruch Hashem, baruch Hashem, we've never experienced a country who's murderously trying to stop a Yid from being a Yid. Um, but Reb Chaim Zanvil, the Ribnitzer, lived in such circumstances. And he would travel around speaking doing bris milah. I advise if guys want bein hazmanim, Pesach, the summer, read up about Russian Jewry. Read up around I may she read the book to remain a Jew. Very advisable to hear about these heroes of the spirit. But Reb Chaim Zanvil, the Ribnitzer, would go around performing brisos. This tzaddik This tzaddik famously so he saw a lot growing up in Russia, being in a country that fought, he saw people killed for being a Jew, he saw a friends of his and people he knew who didn't know what Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were. He saw a revolution against the Jew, against the Yid. He saw our suffering. The Ribnitzer Rebbe. On Tisha B'Av, famously, the Ribnitzer Rebbe fasted two days Tisha B'Av. Famously fasted Tisha B'Av and Yud B'Av, two days straight. Nisim, the Ribnitzer Rebbe only ate at night all year round. So, he fasted every day of the year. He did not eat during the day. He ate late at night only. Night eat all day for many, many years. But, Tisha B'Av, he fasted two days straight. No eating in between. 9, 10, two straight days of fasting every year. And famously, the Ribnitzer Rebbe, I saw pictures. If you haven't seen it, it's kedai to see. He was black. He would pour ashes over his head. And he was black. His face looked completely [snorts] He would pour ashes over his head. He The only spot on his face that wasn't black was a line down here because he was pouring tears the whole night. I've heard this from people who saw him on Tisha B'Av. Tears were pouring a lot of the day down his face. The whole ninth and half the 10th. The second half of the 10th day, he was starting to cheer up a little bit. But, for a day and a half, the Ribnitzer was pouring, crying for our people who have gone through a lot. Feeling the pain of Am Yisrael, the galus. The Klal Yisrael as a whole. And Yichidim in our people as individuals. [music] And the Rebbe feeling our pain would sit there Tisha B'Av morning and grieving and feeling the pain of a people who's been through a lot in galus. So, you'd see his blackened face. That ashes at set time. He poured ashes over his whole face and they fell over his whole head. And then tears falling down his face like you'd see a line of white. You could see pictures of this of this matter of this matter and neither this awesome scene. What I found out, we have a guy in Yeshiva, one of one of the beautiful people who've been in this Yeshiva the last couple of years. There's a backer, he's a cousin of our own of Essie and his name is Dovi Gottlieb. What a beautiful person. I was able to see him to see him in Israel. He looks great and is continuing his journey and staying in with Fishers beautiful Yeshiva. Dovi Gottlieb's grandfather was a gabbai, was serving, was helping out the Ribnitzer Rebbe. So Dovi Gottlieb has a lot of pull. And I asked Dovi to ask Mordechai Ben David. Mordechai Ben David as well was a gabbai of the Ribnitzer Rebbe. And I asked Dovi they were best friends. Mordechai Ben David, what did you say? Reb Dovi Gottlieb's Zaidy Ari Klein alav ha-shalom was a brother-in-law of Mordechai Ben David. That I did not know. Dovi Gottlieb's grandfather, Rebbi Klein, who was a gabbai, who served the Ribnitzer Rebbe, was a brother-in-law to your brother-in-law ha-chaim to Reb Mordechai Ben David. They were brother-in-laws as Essie has just taught me. So I asked Dovi Klein, who I now know is related to Mordechai Ben David. But I asked him to please voice note Mordechai where Mordechai Ben David and ask him is the following true. Reb Mordechai Ben David sent back a voice note to Dovi, which Dovi played for me and he verified the following thing is absolute truth. We are with the ashes and listen to this. You see listen to this. I think this is gorgeous. The ashes the ashes that the Ribnitzer Rebbe would pour over his head and mourn our gullus, our difficult journeys. The klal, the entirety of our people listen, and the fracht for every Yid. Where were those ashes from? Where did the Ribnitzer said Mordechai ben David that the Ribnitzer asked me Mordechai ben David said this in a voice recording. I would go take those ashes. Thank you Ari for being here. I would take those ashes I would take the ashes >> [applause] >> from the matzah baking. From the matzah baking on Pesach I personally would collect from the remnants of the matzahs that were baked and somehow in the boxes and the and around the matzah factory there was like the leftover ashes, the stuff that was overly burnt. I would go around to matzah bakeries. Maisha, you heard this? I would collect the ashes give them to the Ribnitzer and those were the ashes that he dumped over his head. I want you to absorb that visual and I want to talk about that. I think Dovi that's stunning. Welcome home Dovi. I think Josh you heard this? Do you have to know this? >> [applause] >> Everybody visualize with me. Let's listen please visualize the Ribnitzer's custom. He's pouring ashes over his head. He's sitting mourning one of the great feelers of the pain of our people. A Yid who mamish felt the Yid. The Ribnitzer's brachos were otherworldly. I know people who got brachos from the Ribnitzer, crazy stories. Yes. And the Ribnitzer whose brachos counted and mattered because of how much he cared about our people. He felt our people. The Ribnitzer would go around to give bris bris milah to our people speaking. The ashes over his head on Tisha B'Av were from where? They were from the Matzeva. That's what I'm going to explain it. It is givald. But I want you I want First you're absorbing the scene. Step one. We're going to get there in a second, Pace. Next men next next custom. Hold that one. We're going to go back to in a minute, Nesan. Next thing I want to study, A.Y. But if you have a code, I won't share the next thing. A.Y. like this. Mayor like this. There was a rebbe called the Bluzhever rebbe. The Bluzhever rebbe saw a lot of pain. The Bluzhever rebbe survived the Holocaust, the Nazi beasts. He saw much death. He was well aware of the galus of our people. The Ribnitzer the Bluzhever rebbe. Beautiful Yid. Did anybody here ever read Tales of the Holocaust? Did you ever read My read it? The pain this man saw at the hands of the Nazis why you woman unbelievable not to be believed. I'm going to tell you a story side story, but I want to get Elio to a specific custom of the Ribnitzer rebbe Yehuda. The Ribnitzer rebbe this is a true story. The Nazi animals, the Nazi beasts lined up Yidden. Behind the Yidden was a huge pit that was about 12-13 feet long, wide. And the Nazis the Nazis were shooting Yidden Hashem Yerachem dead into the pit. The Ribnitzer Rebbe was standing next to a Yid, the Bluzhever Rebbe was standing as well next to a Yid who was not zocheh to be shomer Torah u'Mitzvos. He didn't keep Mitzvos. And the Bluzhever Rebbe had the craziest miracle. He jumps over 12 feet ends up on the other side and runs from the Nazis. He was saved b'neis. When he gets to the other side, he sees the Yid who's not shomer Torah u'Mitzvos standing right next to him safe as well. The Yid said, "Rebbe, how'd you do that? It's impossible for a human being to jump the distance you just jumped. How'd you get to the other side?" And then he escaped the Nazis and ran during the war. And the Rebbe said, "I'll tell you the truth." He said, "I closed my eyes. I held on to z'chus Avos. I held on to the merits of my father and grandfather. They were tzaddikim. And I asked Hashem through the merits of my fathers and grandfathers to carry me across the pit. And God answered my prayers and I got to the other side miraculously." He said to the other Yid, "You're standing next to me. How did you do it?" And the Yid said, "Rebbe, I was holding on to your shirt." The Ribnitzer the Bluzhever Rebbe who saw destruction who saw saw galus at its heart at at its The Ribnitzer the Bluzhever Rebbe had the following custom. One of the saddest meals of the year, probably the saddest meal of the year, is the meal right before Tisha B'Av. Right before Tisha B'Av, when we mark our galus, when we when we think about the galus klali of the entirety of our people and the galus prati, our own individual slurriness, so we sit down on the floor alone. You're not supposed to eat this meal with another. There's a lonely space of suffering. You don't eat it with anybody else. You sit on the floor. You take one piece of bread dipped in ashes. You take an egg. And the person alone, the piece of bread dipped in ashes and an egg dipped in ashes. And the Yid sits down on the floor and eats a lonely seudah. And we contemplate Jewish suffering galus. And that seudah, it's called the seudah mafsekes, the seudah that ushers in Tisha B'Av, the seudah before Tisha B'Av, when the Yid eats by his lonesome and's very much thinking about galus. The Bluzhever Rebbe had a minhag. What was the Bluzhever you know his minhag, Yeshua? I heard this from Reb Teitelbaum shlita. A gorgeous Yid and elevated Yid who was zocheh to be with in the summers, this prince of a Yid. And Reb Teitelbaum shlita told me told us that the Bluzhever Rebbe had a custom. He happens to be a relative of the Bluzhever Rebbe as is the Feiler mishpacha. The Bluzhever Rebbe at the seudah mafsekes would eat a piece of matzah from the afikoman. Would save a drip of that kaiman from the layla seder and at that sad soda the blusher rubber would take a little piece of that kaiman and he would eat it at that soda. I would like to explain the custom of these two sadikim. Two sadikim who had felt and experienced the harshest some of the harshest moments in our galas and the men are great to see you Simon. >> [applause] [cheering] >> He's like what happened to you Kalish [applause] with this mic? I miss you too. And the mic will go shortly but as a session I'm just Yeah. It's what's necessary now. The is it annoying? Trying not to make it such. The Yes or no question. You didn't think there were many options. >> [laughter] >> So I'd like to explain these two tired giants of Ram who each had a minute that was very interesting and again the Ribnitzer Rebbe of Chaim Zanvil who would take the ashes of Tisha B'Av and they were collected. The ashes of Tisha B'Av were collected from the baking of the matzah. And the question what was the Ribnitzer doing Pesach? And the Bluzhever Rebbe who would sit on the floor at the saddest meal of the year, the one that ushers in Tisha B'Av and he'd eat a piece of afikoman. Yitz, you hear these two giants diminish side light things, but I hear these two men hugging. What? Wow. I'm thinking of only about these two men hugging. You're putting Avi's like much smarter. I'm thinking these hear these two Hear these two tzadikim, Avi? Avi, you have the two tzadikim. What they do? And I want to express to the chevra what I believe both tzadikim were saying, were absorbing, amidst thinking the Bal Shem Tov is about to enter into Tisha B'Av. He had much to cry about and felt the pain of our people, but he ate a piece of Afikoman. What's the Afikoman? The Afikoman are the treats that are going to come. At the beginning of the Seder, we put the bigger piece, we break a matzah in half, and the bigger piece we save for later. And what we're expressing is that much, much beautiful, delicious things are yet to come. There's a dessert that you won't believe how sweet it is is yet to come. That's the Afikoman. And we're going to have the Afikoman. Good things are coming, good things. We may be going through hardships, but Hashem is building something beautiful. It's toward something. Something's coming, something beautiful. Something Whatever goodness is here now is only building. And the larger piece for later. And the Afikoman that's so much of the Seder, it's funny, never make fun of Jewish minhagim. The cynic says, "Seder, I'm a crazy. All the kids are thinking about Afikoman. Don't be from." Study our people. A shallow person is is crazy. They're so busy just fighting My kids thankfully spent their youth fighting over the afikoman. But instead of saying as real, this is such a such a bad idea. Isn't that cool? This what to study. Zach, how much of your youth at the seder was fighting who steals the afikoman? One of my kids would steal the afikoman. The other one would steal it from the one who stole it. They both end up crying and everything's haywire. Oh, in the Shulman home. What happens by the seder afikoman? I never I never I never went for it. I would just like you know, we're following the promotion. I could picture the Rebbe rolling over the afikoman. >> Just fear I mean, it was no Nobody Nobody messed. Yitzchak, we're busy the seder so revolves around the afikoman. I think Pesach Avraham, I think that's wonderful. And I think it's wonderful because the afikoman says with everything we're going through, the good stuff is coming. We're headed somewhere. And everything's like busy around the afikoman, good things are coming. That's the afikoman that keep him in. Wow. The delicious thing that's yet to come at the end. We're headed somewhere. And the brilliant Bluzhever Rebbe would take the afikoman and before he sat down for the saddest meal of the year, he would have a piece of the afikoman. That's right. And he was saying that all the things we're going through, Hashem's working with me. He's bringing me somewhere. He's bringing something beautiful out. And he would sit down at that meal and he'd have a piece of the afikoman. I think Avraham, that's so beautiful. And the Bluzhever Rebbe who mourned like nobody I know, fast in two straight days, was crying the Ribnitzer Rebbi who mourned like nobody like like like mourned the heart of our people. And he said the other Ribnitzer Rebbi, but where are the ashes from the matzah? The matzah of freedom. And I think the Ribnitzer was saying the same thing. That the difficulties are bringing us somewhere. He would remember the matzah of freedom. Why is he remembering the matzah when he's mourning Nesan? Hashem's working with us. Somebody would watch our Yeshiva Nesan. You know, people love There's a group of friends. They're four greats who learned in the Yeshiva. All four tell me them of Rabbi Shlita. And they have pictures of their 10th grade year, their 11th grade year. It's like iconic pictures. 12th grade year, first year, then till they're married, married with children. Beautiful pictures. I was excited to see one in Eretz Yisrael with his daughters, his beautiful son he just had. Five children. Five. Can I have a good year, good year, good year? So, very good Reb Ezi. So, Moishe, the before and after pictures this Nesan, people have like before and after pictures. Picture Nesan in 10th, 11th, 12th, till you're in college, till you're a teaching. To imagine that picture, you're next to Mayor and you're like the 11th grade Rebbi in Yeshiva, and you have a picture yearly, and you could watch an external development. But I want to make clear that it's not like, oh, look how much change. I want to express that the story of difficult Hashem was bringing us places. He was bringing us It's not just okay, we we passed that and it was Hashem was working with me bringing me places. This was bringing to that, which was bring it was bringing out the beauty of the fourth picture comes from the first picture. There was a talmud of Rabbi Russ who spoke at graduation of Rabbi Rabbi Russ is talmud a talmud of Rabbi Russ spoke at graduation one year. There probably were 500 people there Yankel. His name was Yankel also, isn't that funny? There were about 500 people there perhaps. And he said today I learn a lot of hours a day. He was a big masmid. And he said you're celebrating me today. He said in 10th grade you would have said woah. Avoid Waterbury 10th. He said everything I am today is from them. It's from them, through them. And what what the Ribnitzer, what the Belzer Rebbe I believe were both saying while they were mourning and grieving, certainly what's worthy of mourning and grieving Avraham they were describing that the difficulties were producing something. I don't say that the light way. I don't say it in a way it's almost mean. So excuse me, a guy comes and [music] cries you say "Hashem's producing stuff." Stop. Stop smiling. Start crying. Please understand I'm not talking it's easy I'm talking about my stuff. Only my stuff. It's very easy to say it on somebody else's stuff. Talk about my stuff, Dan Kalish. I'm talking about our own stuff that the difficulties we encounter the difficulties we encounter. I want to say it while I'm experiencing some physical discomfort. I'm saying it thinking I'm not here talking. I'm talking I'm uncomfortable right now. I'm experiencing physical discomfort. And I want to say to the heaven I don't want to say this lightly. I'm not talking it's easy to say on somebody else. Be quiet on somebody else. Be quiet. Speaking I'm talking me me not talking to anybody else to say it to somebody else is cheap and easy. I don't want to say something cheap and easy. I want to absorb the blush of a river. I want to absorb what the Ribnitzer taught me. And they're saying an attitude of difficulty Hashem's bringing us somewhere and I'm owner a deep deep and more enough to you didn't go through it all and weren't talking to somebody else. It wasn't the cheap schmooze from the Ribnitzer. The year felt pain like nobody's business. The year was crying two days straight pouring tears. In tremendous absorption and presentness to the difficulties of God less. But amidst that where were the ashes from? They were from the masses. The Ribnitzer absorbed that these tears are producing something. The freedom the matzah the freedom bread. And the Ribnitzer was very present that all these tragedies and difficulties and versity and schwerkait and Hashem's bringing us somewhere. The blush of a who was very present who was a heart of hearts from the most loving you didn't we've a year who loved other you didn't who felt the pain of our people but at that suit of my sack is alone on the floor he was eating some of the corn in. Hashem's bringing us somewhere. There's Hashem's bringing me somewhere. It's painful. I don't understand. But if you need Africa, I'm in. So, I want to share this with you and I sitting here learning the parshas of golus and geulah. Learning these parshas parshas boy coming from parshas va'eira, which followed up shmois, the story of golus and geulah, I want to express these two minhagei Yisrael that Hashem is bringing us somewhere. Hashem's taking us and he's bringing us somewhere. I feel this very keenly when I come back to Yeshiva. I come from Eretz Yisrael typically plugged in to guys that are like that are really at a station in their lives tasting a lot of geulah. And I come back very much so. And I come back to the Yeshiva where many people are are are are are are experiencing the pains of golus. And I want to express it's not just we've escaped that that thing has brought us somewhere. The difficulty I see a faith, I see humility, I see a care for others, I see hearts that are huge Yisif. I want to express that I feel like experiencing this going from Eretz Yisrael to here and here to Eretz Yisrael Yisif. You're raising your hands Yisif. Are all things like Are all things Is everything golus now? Are all hardships like if When the Beis Hamikdash comes, we're not going to have hardships like we're Are all things like cuz this is golus that we live in like things like don't really seem like It seems like golus over the like golus and I think The answer is 100% it's golus. You're asking when we get the Beis Hamikdash, is there going to be any golus left? Is a machlokes Rishonim. I don't know the answer. >> I wanted to sing a specific song. I had a plan, and I forget Oh. He said he said he said Checker said I love you. Checker, wow. >> [applause] >> If I could have and Azriel and Yehuda. and Checker should come up now. You don't know how good it is. And has a surprise one. Like it is Azriel, Azriel, Checker should come up as well. Aaron Feinstat obviously. Aaron Feinstat. Where's Aaron? That was the song. The right people. Yes, my Lord is coming. This is dating yourself, falling asleep in the >> At least come to the front. Chica, there's a chair right next to you. Welcome home, Chica. >> [applause] [clears throat] [music] >> Elio, can come up and sing. >> [applause and music] [music] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] >> BUT YOU DON'T KNOW HOW CLOSE you are. [music and singing] You weren't the odd near till the [music] end >> [singing] >> of who you >> [music] [music] [singing] [music and singing] >> You don't know how good it is >> [music] >> who you have done for me. You [music] don't know >> [singing] >> how good it is who you have done for me. >> [singing and music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] >> If I need [music] give myself a liking. Give up. >> [singing] >> Tell again three times. >> [music] >> If I need give myself a liking. Give up. >> [music and singing] >> Tell again three times. >> [singing] [music] [music and singing] >> You don't know how good it is >> [music] >> who you have >> [singing] >> done for me. You don't know >> [music] >> how good it is [singing] who you have done for me. You don't know how good You don't know how good it is, >> [music] >> for you and for me. You don't know how good >> [singing] >> You don't [music] know how good it is, for you and for me. >> [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] >> If only we would know how good it is. If only we would know how >> [music and singing] >> good it If only we would know how good it If only we would know how >> [singing] >> good it is. If only we would know how >> [music] >> good it is. If only we would know how good it is. >> [singing] >> If only we would know how good it If only we would know how >> [music] >> good it If only we would know how >> [singing] >> good it >> [music] [singing] [music] >> If only we would know how >> [singing] >> good it If only we would know how good it If only we would know how >> [music] >> good it >> [music] [singing] [applause] >> Thank you, Aaron. Thank you, Yehuda, Azriel, and Ramana. That's really gorgeous. You said has one more song. >> vibes. Thank you, Thank you, Graduation minus the crowd. And that's what it sounds like? >> [music and singing] [singing] [music] [singing] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music and singing] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] >> That was so gorgeous, though. That was gorgeous. To [applause] explain to you, just said to the chevre, "Asa'erem bedima, one who cries, one who cries tears, dima, but plants with tears. He's planting their tears. There's pain. There's difficulty. >> But But asa'erem bedima, one who plants with tears, berina exaeru, later on we will harvest tremendous song and joy. The joy of understanding it was hard work. It was difficult. It was so much loneliness. He's planting. You're not eating fruits. You don't even see the gains. It looks like things are just empty. But berina exaeru, you harvest with tremendous joy of understanding something was coming, something was being planted. You like picked the perfect song. How'd you do that? But I say in like many words, sings in few. THANK YOU, GERTZ. >> [applause] WHAT HAPPENED? THAT'S 40, on the stage. That is from Zusha. That was the Zusha. >> That's the Zusha. That's gorgeous. So now you have a brand new. I never heard it before. No, we're in addition. have you played it here before? I never heard this. Rob, big day, Rob. Rob, you got a brand new song today, Rob. Josh, you never you never told me about that one. Josh, you know by the way, like I went to the other room to sing it and I walked into this room and Josh was singing a different one. Same words also. Oh, no. Maybe he likes it. Josh, what happened to you? Is this Oh, no. He knows the call up on he sent it to me, so we're on it. Yeah. Sounds like that. >> [singing] >> I'll try to say that we know the truth, guys. Let's hear it. Josh, you do it. Why not? We'd love to hear. Now we're going to let off script. We're going to let Jacob pick any song that he wants to hear before he goes. Jacob, you pick anything in the world. >> [music] >> Outro to SpongeBob. >> Yeah, it's a phenomenal song. SpongeBob SquarePants, that one? No, that's the intro to SpongeBob. What's the outro? Can I finish the outro? Finish the outro. Fourth to bottom. Go to Chica and just get Get that guitar and pick it up and do something. Why won't you help us? Is he doing it right now? You know how to do it. Chica, what are you choosing? We don't want Dig'n Bells. Why do you have to always play Dig'n Bells? >> [laughter] >> I think Chica wants it. Who am I, Chica? Chica. No pressure, no pressure, Chica. What? I want to play Dig'n Bells. Chica, choose anything. Chica, three two one. This is not like threatening. This is just to help like >> [clears throat] >> What was the song that Shepherd is asking Chica to ask for, Abby? Ask. >> [music] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [music and singing] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [music and singing] >> Thank you, Thank you, >> [applause] >> I want to ask I want to close. I want to close with something from the tire shop room. Which I have a riot from Gamara condition. And I want to express my sheet the way I'm thinking about it this year. It's a so good that I don't fully sneaky. I want you to hear this but I'll only share it if you have no code on. Oh boy. Take off the coat and come much closer. Come come. A Y come close huddle up. I want to share something. I've run I want to share something. I want to share something with the I apologize. I want to try to do without the mic. It's not a good mic thing. I want you to hear this. I want you to hear this. Difficulties, challenges, and pains are one of the mysteries of our life. Because Hashem loves us, a father loves his son. And the and we can experience that in our own lives. We very clearly see Hashem loves for loves for his love for us. We can experience it and be present. It's like obvious. And yet the challenges, the vicissitudes, the difficulty, why? What? And it's one of like the mysteries of our life. Hashem loves us. And yet we don't something like hard to understand. The Tyra Savrin Rav Avraham Kahaneman Kanievsky he writes about Yisurim that even I'm sorry. He says that even if we respond completely wrong to Yisurim it elevates us and has nothing to DO WITH THE WITH THE RESPONSE OF THE HUMAN BEING. Yisurim yes and yes and yes. Thank you, Josh. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Josh. Josh is saying the right I have, but I want to talk about it, Josh. No, no, no, no, no. I'm next one. But I want to in a real way my channel real way in a real way I want to I want tell you something about this chazzal. I want to uh There's something it I think I'm getting more mature. >> [snorts] >> There's something that like hits me. The Teres Avraham says of Avraham that a person going through difficulty it brings out a beauty and an elevation nothing to do with how he responds. Teres Avraham says theoretically somebody could respond wrong to the challenges and they're bigger for the for the difficulties they went through. It has nothing to do with human response, myish. Now, there are there are responses, Speaky, and there things, of course, that we do that bring us closer to Hashem. Human action matters a lot. Mitzvahs are precious and rewarded. The Teres Avraham says about yissurim that it brings something out, Pacey, of a person nothing to do with the response of a person. Of course, emunah and beautiful responses are rewarded and valuable. But For sure. There is a beauty and a mile of difficulties that bring something out of us that have nothing to do with our response. Now, I have a proof to the Teres Avraham though this tzaddik doesn't need my help, the Teres Avraham. The Gemara in Kiddushin as Rashi brilliantly remembered, the Gemara Kiddushin lamed gimmel says that one sees an old one must be noyeh koved. One must be mechabed halacha. You see an old Speaky, you have to be mechabed him. Why? Kama here patki adu alav. Says Rashi, how many experiences did he go through? And says Rashi, the went through a lot of pain. He went through pain, respect him. A an older he went through a lot. Respect him. I have a question, Zucky. Maybe he didn't handle it right. Maybe he's a crouch today. Maybe he's an old, difficult, hardened, jaded human being. The word jaded, Zucky, what the word of the day? What does jaded mean? Word of the day, pace, jaded. Jaded is a person who went through a lot and becomes very cynical because of it. He's like the opposite of a youthful, exuberant, and excitement, and positivity. A jaded person went through so much, it never will be good. The bad stuff always happens. It always ends bad. That's a jaded person. And my kashan the rashi is why do you respect the old guy? Because he went through a lot of tzar. Who said he responded, right? And we see here explicitly like the tzar has ever run. Now, what I want to say to the chevre, pace, see this is what I want to say. Maybe yesurum helps if the person responds right. So, I want to express my shid. I want to express I always like figuring out what yesurum does. I've mentioned it humbles a person. I've mentioned about yesurum, it makes his heart softer, more caring. It makes him more full of faith. So, I just said three things that difficulty could bring out of a person. I described humility, it breaks the arrogance of a person. I described more caring, more empathy, it makes him more caring to others pain. Faith, it brings out faith. I want to express that there's a lot of things we don't know, a lot of deep deep things in ourselves. A lot of part of the journey we don't understand. I don't want to make it like it's everything that we could figure out, like we could trace. Hashem is working with us. There are deep deep secrets to what our neshamos need, like very deep things. I'm trying to like chase trace it and explain it. There's a degree of arrogance to that. Where if I understand that I can like explain it. Now, yesurim is a complicated sugia, what Hashem is bringing out of us. To a degree, me explaining it has a degree of arrogance. Oh, I understand Hashem, I'm going through this. What you're doing is There's also a degree There's There's There's a degree Hashem who loves us. I think on a little child, you know, if somebody would ask like a 5-year-old, could you explain to me your father's theories of chinuch? It would be like a little silly. Imagine you got to write with stickies 4-year-old. You go to his son Avi. Say, Avi, could you explain to me your dad's chinuch ways? Cute. Avi might be able to >> He's 5 years 4 years old. He's a little child. It's like silly. There's an understanding is tatty loves him and he's like doing things. I don't know. And there's a degree Zach with the difficulties of life. I'm like striving to like we could say our Hashem. So, I see the humility, for sure. I see the faith. I see the empathy that difficult Maybe there's sugias you I don't know. I At the point that I experienced the love of my father, I also know he's Our people are gorgeous. See, I look around at our people, our people you travel around. I just come from there. It's real seeing thousands of Yidden. We're a really cool people, Sneaky. Could I explain in all our journeys what each thing did? It would be an arrogance. I don't say it you could try you can try and you can't it helpful to me that I could see some good things around. I don't either want to be arrogant like I understand the tata. And I want to express that I should know certain we're allowed to look for good. I'm not against like understanding as much what I can. I'm also I'm not saying not to try. I'm saying actually to be very present to absorb and we're allowed to cry. I'm also saying to observe the beauty of our people. Observe, I'm friends with Azriel. Could I describe Azriel the beauty that you are? What created this? I don't know. I want to I want to express, right? It's hard to know. These things are very profound. I want to express that that in the Sugya of Yissurim when I try to like give like a p'shat and there's nothing wrong. Azriel's expressing to try to see and to see benefits is a cool thing. I remember going to Reb Miller before Pesach, Reb Avigdor Miller, and him describing three good things we got from Egypt. Pretty cool. He described See, he was looking at the Sugya of Yissurim and he was describing things that we got and that's probably a cool thing, for sure a good thing to do. And nothing wrong with that, looking at the challenges of our lives and maybe even expressing, "Hey, I see positive." It's a good exercise, very. And certainly us understanding. But I also want to say when I see this terrace of rum, I'm also aware that the construction of people But built anybody. So, I shall miss saying like you sort of brings us places. It doesn't always have to be that I can explain it. That's all I'm adding. That even in ways my She even in ways so when he says you sort of helps it's not always our response but our like a man-made thing. They're deep things. Very, very deep things, deep aspects. I don't need to understand it all. I don't regret as we all saying my loss and describing things that I can experience. I also see our people and our people are beautiful, Zach. And I'm also aware we're a well-traveled people. We've been through more than any other. That's for sure. Our people have been through a lot. I don't suspect that the beauty that is our people is separate from the journey, from the difficulty, from our challenges. So certainly to go to a shear from Reb Miller and find out like mitzrayim the difficulty brought us stuff and to even have some understanding is kind, is nice, is gentle, is sweet. But I also want to express what we started with today. That the journey Hashem is working with us, the Torah of Avraham. That the challenges we go through are bringing something very beautiful out. And I want to express amidst our tears it didn't stop the Belzer from crying. It didn't stop us we all the Ribnitzer from crying. What it did do is say that your tears have value. As said to us hazorim bedima berina yiktzoru with joy we will harvest. The Ribono shel Olam should mezakeh us all. Should gift us all to to plant with tears but of course to experience the beautiful harvest of geulah. I'll berina yiktzoru to feel the joys, the celebration. So I want to express to the chevre. I feel like there's so many rallying cries to them to be honest and present to the tearful planting, but also to celebrate the successful harvest the Google that comes that Hashem certainly bringing us towards all of us should experience Carvel Google Google practice and to celebrate and express tremendous joy at the Google Hashem brings and the satisfaction of recognizing whatever we went through was bringing us somewhere. Thank you so much Kevin. The second seder today now 5:30 is late. We will start second seder in 10 minutes.