Rabbi Mordechai Kraft - The Sounds of Silence

okay hi everybody just welcome back to our Lunch and Learn Tuesdays and as we say if it's Tuesday it must be lunch alone so we're walking back so this week I'd like just to look at a topic which cylinder which interests me very much and it's the topic which in Hebrew little shook up which means science and just to begin we know that it says in the ethics of a father's Pirkei avos and find in chapter 1 in the 17 missioner he says shimon Benilde mission once said from the sunset call you mine Qaddafi Qaddafi near the pinnacle cone so the whole life had grown up amongst the component and so why is the sages below month I see the goofed or Bella snicker and I haven't find anything better for the goal for my body then silence then she interested later on in perky Allah to find the third chapter it says citing the pharmacy Co that the fence or wisdom assigns what's the value what's happening in science that's what I could talk a little bit about today is this aspect of silence you know I just don't leave the story that I once read that when the great gone in the Bnei Brak no Franklin yes key so he married the daughter of the Palio sure this is Charlie usher finish line and his wife since about sheva and probably should have was made in my fifties or so and it was actually this of whose leadership came to the knee back and met with the French uncle uncle was the cousin fish and the fascination was certainly the dawn of the generation if you look up open door and they back lyosha was was to become certainly the greatest post sake generation died in a few years back so when WI she came to Bnei Brak speak to the constant issue that they should have between his daughter but rather the ocean and because nephew drank an esky so proudly big sack together in a room and he sang five minutes don't speak ten minutes no one speak 15 minutes no one single would put him down 20 minutes just looking down nobody single would imagine that type of stillness that silence finally after about 20 minutes of so well the ocean was young enough as nation he said so what about me what about you nephew and so and the Qasimi she responded no buts let's go board that's legit opals name twenty minutes of silence and then a few words of what about the boy and then let's go forth so very fascinating what was happening in those twenty minutes of silence the answer is it's not the thing weren't speaking they were speaking planning they were communicating they were talking their hearts were talking to each other there was an enormous dialog going on between them Ajay's didn't need words to express that's the silence that can happen the dialogue that can happen from the consignments there's a real salt assault communication connection and then they knew what they were thinking he's going back and forth and is that to be said he works the end and be the where they were I read that story I was something I was so moved by it so intrigued by that me what can happen when we allow ourselves to be silent when we can hear sort of the unspoken voice of another person certainly unspoken voice of a sandwich which constant surrounds us and that's maybe what becoming mean or say December of yeah but when you say that you know a whole life and never find even better for my group for my body and silence and shaker in the body so to speak interferes as poor with me with the souls ability to to speak the body is the interferences which is the way it has to be solely our free choice in true but I think it's silent somehow silenced ourselves by refraining just letting herself listen and experience we can hear so much in that period of time that suns and that she could and and and that's what was happening between the pain is in the consummation Lilia sure there was plenty of communication I have never had a family simpler so I won after my wife said to me if you have would you speak to the Magnusson mention certain Ben was a great conversation so what'd you say I said to the mayor's you didn't say anything we just gave just each other a hug with each other's eyes and stood there for a moment in in that moment so much passed between us and I knew what he was thinking what I was thinking and I said what I hid the same that silence he said he is in a silence and it was a pure beautiful conversation now this is not to say sometimes of course such a powerful we have to do and you have to communicate express our love and appreciation no question I'm just trying to look at it from a little different angle assignments know and try to explore this moment know even in music what makes music music is the silence if music will just be a continuation of notes secession of sound without breaks that that would be noise what really allows amuse it to be music is the is actually we stop and you pause and in that silence that the mind actually processes what went before and allows one to anticipate the next bar next set of notes next you know the next movement the rift as a word is the sadness of my hosts for the formation so the speaking allows the brain to process it and move it forward great musician once said you know giving advice to we're young by the money to retire guitarists giving him advice of what means no what can I do to improve my soul he said work and your silence work on your boys's not so much your speed not so much here here here here technical performance of notes are looking for different combination of notes book and science because that silence is really where the music is made to some extent and I think this is such a beautiful metaphor for the way we have to look at things that has to be time in our lives where we allow ourselves that have a sense certainly as Jews that's that's which cherishes that Shabbat divide us that time will be create sort of a island send via the quality and the holiness and also another silent stirring or the distractions of the school let us sort of just just be we don't create which often we don't allow ourselves to to utilize things that might block us from thinking just let ourselves be relevant that is our world today so overly stimulated because there's something you know here something something I don't occur whether it be music whether the conversation was something that's you know used to people the car was a point of refuge you could stop and you can think in that person no it's not enough people want to contact us so this is this is the vision I want to get you today of a little bit of what sounds can achieve and maybe the greatness of that moment what we want and build on this premise of the mission in a box that tells us that all my life I've grown up the most Sage's meeting I've heard wisdom I felt amazing wisdom yet I've never found anything better from my goof for my body than in silence so let's see we could have just explored that from different ways today first place I dislike to look in the end is something just a little bit make a little bit an unusual approach of what can happen in the silence and for this I like to trace ourselves back a few weeks ago to partial school cast and me visit the story of Moshe obey know and Iraq the famous episode was familiar with where there is a now Miriam dies and there's a water shortage you know well that traveled with us was a was from a rock but caboose is an oasis of water because once Miriam died so the wealth ceased giving water and the rocks even ceased in water and now there was a crisis and multilingual was commanded by Shem to speak to Iraq allowed to bring forth water there was a confusion and Rashi points out based on our sages that had this rock was a moving rock you know colonel Midrash I mean Moshe was uncertain exactly which Iraq he was supposed to speak to and in that uncertainty what happened was he perhaps spoke to the wrong rock courtesan to fortune and it didn't reduce its water as it was supposed to speaking to Allah and he in his moment of of either a little bit of anger at the people for for pressing in or just just concern for the people that they need water he took it upon himself to hit the rock and I must be kind of course know that Coach Barlow says about Makela a mountain be didn't trust me but he shamed me to sanctified being in that's one of the reasons that pleasure Boehner was not allowed to enter the Land of Israel so it's a very crucial moment and then this idea hitting a rock we're speaking to rock but the discussion today is it around the difference reading it's speaking but I'd like just to focus on a comment that a great sage the Tories are have called the towers that doesn't leave us that lady say go Poland and do the year's 1586 died 1667 really one of the greatest of all called Roman that period post medieval period and famous for his work on ship from Earth to Dallas as we call but also rode a a parrot Rock Cornish and on this episode of motion even if the rocky yeah it's a sediment battle for my silly Moshe took his staff and he he hit the rock twice so commenting on that just to read the words the task he says as follows he says we can mush most at all should be blow us ever after he said more first of all you have to understand that he was speaking to the wrong rock okay who's the moving rock he says well you're done a cruise ship is there however they knocking that mistake to your table to cut off the cast there wasn't appeals it gets the brunt of ties that there's a little bit of anger that that overcame ocean and Sun level and caution to error l de coca Pedro a loco but the coach Bob particularly not be especially upset that he hit that he hit the rock run and speak to it it says the second book called the may see Pete Hershberger on the fifty Barton also on flesh more flesh and specifically said I want you to speak to the rock I don't want you to hit the rock the commander Kushan a where did my friend with motion where did you understand that who tell me about hitting why do you think he did it ello came in shiraz she ain't even loyal but wonderful should I see he saw the speech wasn't working somehow he was told to speak but it wasn't producing it wasn't bringing forth the water that coach population said would come forth allocated should rise England even oil hail Aloha bench is a sellable number one he should understood that this is a different Rock is that speaking the right Rock okay you know that that's something he should have appreciated before you hit it you're speaking no one said you hit so chill across your mind that that they've been talking the wrong rock there's no need to strike this no you know you did oh the time adds the color purpose at least hey Lola hunting you should have waited mocchi oh dear also a killer sir in order to receive information from Hashem as to what to do I'd like to focus just on this last part of the test says hola holaa Paco's what you've done hey Lola he should have waited mushy oh dear oh so I killed yourself he should start he should have paused and with all the noise around and one reason why didn't around with all the commotion and confusion he should have really steeled himself just to wait I said I'm not gonna do anything I'm just gonna stop and wait and allow in this moment was caught this moment of silence in this moment the silence to to get the information from a Shannon as to what I should do because I don't know what to do right now I was commanded to speak it's not working I was never commanded to hit so what he should have done is issued stopped he should have waited and by waving toss says he would have received information as to what to do so now he would have felt the communication hm would have allowed him to understand pain at the correct rock must be the rock over there or the rock over there but you're not the right place you're not with the rock that you need how would he was covered then to that moment of silence the moment of delay the moment of moment of waiting so when I reminisce ties it struck me back eager motion of a know it could happen that confusion converge by not stopping to to have a moment of silence of myself and what can emerge when we have that norm for science we can get insight in a way that we could lift our firm at you before in other words that silence allows us to to clear away all the distraction and all the confusion and allows us to to gain a certain degree of clarity but we have to be willing to stop in to to allow ourself silence and just not always act not always do but just allow that pause a moment just to be in to think and to trust that I shed created me Jim loves me Jim wants me to have direction in this world of course he will give me instruction as to what to do so we think there's a little bit imagine if we're in a very tense situation and then we're trying it together what is the correct course here often times in our moments of stress and confusion we were talking and asking this if it was a little bit just allow ourselves to be still and to be silent there can be a communication that will achieve that is ashen wants to give us but it comes to a silence of our minds of course it can't go back to what we began this whole discussion is fun with this we don't allow ourselves that time what we really just are so busy and so distracted by so many things those allow ourselves those moments to hear the music what's a chef communicate and had no sugar bingo stop and just wait it as I said howdy gesture look full of office I'm not optic he should just wave my shoe do so CalPERS I was a sham going to instruct him now but he had to wait you have to allow himself the silence that speaks so much can happen in that silence you know it's it says that Hashem created us in a way whereby again he wants us to know what to do this world is a puzzle and we have to figure out but Shen has not left us alone and one way he does communicate to us is fun with inside of ourselves no I'd like to take us to a fascinating statement now from initially from Proverbs and the commentary of the Vilna Gaon DeGraw the great sage of the century and the girl tells us as follows then there was a time when we had fries we had the war we were able to go to the Navi and ask the Navi what I should do what question what what's my purpose is for what profession I should pick up perhaps even questions about what spouse might be what business venture the nothing hidden guide that's a certain time in Jewish history whereby we had that to recognize and of course the challenges in that type of direct connection the second quarter history is prophecy ceases a mess we're in right now and we're shem wants us to understand movie called us which is analogous or utilizing that mom to find them from the darkness my understanding with intellect that's the second page states assisting us with it right now oh they'll tell something very fascinating he says that even though we're in a era now where there's no direct prophecy he says don't think that prophecy that's not fully lost just like the media's worse he says like this he said the girl likes initiative he should again Travers he said about other national debt with the athletic book he said every human being as a Duluth they asked for the book as a a path that's the pathway that's true for everything being no two human beings are like everyone has all bad it has to go on and explore everyone has their own mission everybody has their own laboratories gain diketon domes and the impacts of vandalism - mines are never the same two faces are never the same indication that the face is not saying then pun is indication that tool in the inside planning means face in same letters means the internal side of who we are the external expression we are as a reflection of faculty different shamans and therefore different missions this was unique in that respect he said the ain't ever negative shock as in the nature of two individuals will never be the same no clones must for the coach park bush and doesn't need copies he needs us to discover our uniqueness and get to the world exactly what we can give it says shine the Vian I hope the Mexican beans was just a sham at the point where we had profits so we would go to the profit and we would seek a sham we'd ask that father help guide me help me to figure out really what what my purpose help me in that communication help me find myself and and and and and give me what I need to know to go forward we're not beyond their happy wish mother the boy and the Prophet would speak according to the prophecy says don't push me like father Fischer shlussel if he'd ever do and he will fight each individual the path he should go a point to the root of his mission not will the feet have a group for encoding each other's to look and understand your mission and their friend in your own personal individualized nature and talents and finds you based on who you are or the beautiful thing that must have been to have some and help direct it we don't have it born again because Kent or a different stage in history network the Shem wants us to do the hard work of utilizing intellect to this government however this is what the Dylan don't says the girl says his father this is so beautiful in Genesis I'm his parish and his writings and Michelin and act accordingly Mitch lays proverbs son and he's particularly for him to kept sighing dollars which is is sixteen for look it up but the longer says a weekend oh we should Bucklin the war said when the Lewis ceased from traffic see stop we note stopped when we came back from the second exile that saviors actually assets worth I hadn't worship to leave this world desire to worship idols and as the worst desire and as the desire to worship I was left the world such a great fire that the world that was the fire on the fool of the fire prophecy capable that existed in hand there's gonna be the ability to that get information so to speak from behind bar go behind the veil the direct communication so to speak from God then it has to be calculated that to test us that was idol worship so if I don't worship is gonna cease to go longer see out horses are an object if that ability to see that ceases and we saw a prophecy that would severely affect our food choice handler hurt our free choice so she says prophecy left exactly when you do need to see how the spiritual world affects the physical world it was a great mistake out of worship but once it left he says like this they're going on rights we should but lahum the law when Travis e-stat Yeshua foolish Bistro there's still something called kodesh well a Holy Spirit something inside ourselves the each accessory oh the enemy snake and each person it's us of his own inner advice he studied intuition we left for something called intuition and that intuition allows us to discover from in ourselves how we need to get ourselves what we needs to what's the right path we should put on the bottom element says and this intuition towards equality is for dodosh this is called to find a spiritual holy spiritual energy yes you put on the course don't think the prophecy is completely banished from the world we still have UFO Kodesh we have it in our intuition we have it inside of ourselves the Shen would not abandon us Shen would not leave us alone I sure would not allow us to continue forth or the rule about Sun will discovering and knowing what the right path is what the correct thing to do is he allows us for all the coalition it's called intuition and we all have that it's inside of ourselves question is how do we access it how do we discover how do we bring it forth I think the only way to achieve it is allowing ourselves those moment societies allowing herself time where we're just sitting with themselves and and we're not not speaking we're allowing the inner voice inside of ourselves to control and this inner voice can hear it and know it can it sometimes be the intuition of the kodesh almost live alike this has been every time we have intuition it's Naboo uh prophetic but the velodrome says we capable of discovery inside of ourselves there's a holiness inside of ourselves which enables us to achieve something pink the prophecy you often Kodesh it's intuition but where do we find that find that in the moment of silence to really discover really our path where we need to go we have to allow ourselves just really to sit with ourselves and to stop speaking and allow that silence and that silence will discover who was cheering was one side and arnecia moments are souls that are the least part of who we are and then dictate to us what the correct course of action is I remember once many times many times I would shoot my big let's toss that he felt he experienced this very evening in his home life as certain particular timing said the 1960s he always told us that beachy boat just that it wasn't sighs I'm fine your pills I mean the sixties a very smaller Shiva and but Edward says Vegas he wasn't as teaching-learning than his own personality no sir he wasn't attracting the students that he wanted and there was a point that he felt maybe we should close the Shiva and just be a private citizen to go to Israel to Jose can just not fight off the man's Roshi and he always described it and he said that there's something inside of him that said I can't do that that's wrong but you're a traitor to your father's legacy his father of double-date that's built you cheaper my distance it's never dedication foil we gave His life said you're a traitor to your father's legacy father left in Russia he's supposed to continue his legacy continue his particular modality of teaching Torah but you see from his paper been included mr. bunker sit by leaving abandoning the and despite the pressure he said there was that were just students there were there weren't there wasn't interest something he said I have this state in my position this is what I need to do would be to abandon this ship idea trade and he said looking back on that of course you know the achiever like now is why they know maybe she wrote the world men learning in influences on Jewish world throughout positions and he won't reflect on that and he felt that that human intuition was actually an expression where the poet honest honest so where do we were capable of it we're capable of achieving it we're capable of so much that can come forth from us in those moments of silence and I think it's probably good exercise to allow ourselves at certain times just to to be silent wherever it might be sometimes maybe the silence has to come by disconnecting from the furnace technology so the Chavez Shabbat allows with that if you try to find slope on here the day will be sentenced a minute walk without without earplugs that reference I just think maybe you should try the silence in conversation talking somebody instead of answering right away person asks you for advice to do it instead of answering just you're so little planted to think and allow ourselves to access that deeper part we are Venetian homage which is connected to give us a sense of really help the other person offer advice would be so valuable because it might even be coming from the intuition or maybe we want to utilize the silence situations where someone says something which can still make a good a liver not gonna respond they're not going to say something back you know because some degree of humility and acceptance just allow ourselves and I think I think a benefit of this is we tend to feel so good about ourselves we know the essence occasion in this world since saviors are four kings this time confirm them beneath a lockable Jewish thinking why because King should believe that we were so full of ourselves that we just are not motivated without without influence and we just don't happen to possibly say things we regret how many things I do something we've ever do to control or rustles apparently the silences that responded such an enormous way of the controls to allow result at that time to say I'm going to we still have to think listen and after I have for the spaces he controlled what I'm gonna say one of this the tone of the expression and the facial expression I think an added benefit is we feel the key should miss Ivor's we feel the sense of control and this control is passed and master yourself is real kingship is on to the Jewish nation and that's why because he's in control versus kingship means that affects the world affects it affects so to end the discussion today i'm keiko just to go back in we visit the statement for Pirkei avos it says that that call you may quote me of my good doubt we benefit from all my days i was i and was raised I grew up amongst the great sages of humble ones long months us in the goof Clovelly stinker I haven't find anything better for my body quiet silence it's so good for the body mastery of self it's so good for everything in life usually and really what I was trying I we're trying to bring out today is this idea that it allows in that space here the real music motion of a nor had he stopped and the not and he waited a little bit had he allowed himself to to hear a Shem from within the silence and the clamp and what everything that he would not rush for the test Jay the Lahontan my show deal service had he waited he would have known what a shame wants we discovered in those moments of silence wasn't and he hit the rock and of course he should have waited and again as we mentioned with value of that silence can allow us to access the part of a sultan who offers the more prophecy as he says so beautifully that scheana's not abandon us the world prophetic world but this moonshine has stopped speaking to us be speaking to us loud and clear just have flowers of the silence to be able to access system and to cure it and of course with each other sometimes we could just maybe shut down the noise we could hear arts communicate to each other our souls to nature maybe we can sit there for 20 minutes like the ocean of consternation and have a conversation in silence the two souls speak to sauce connect and they hear understand I wish everybody a wonderful week I look forward to continue our discussion different types of topics