Rabbi Morechai Kraft - Withstanding Pressure

first of all again I welcome everybody back to our Tuesday of lunch-and-learn and hopefully this time period will be our Tuesdays that will be designated to inspire and to help elevate our voters of Shanley may different ways so last week we began a discussion about really what I feel such an important concept that sometimes we don't understand the greatness that a coach powerful that a sham is placed inside of us and sometimes we tend to sell yourself short and feel that somehow I can I only need to be mediocre like I'm only just who I am that great this is beyond my reach is beyond my my my touch and we saw by the nausea we saw that the nausea the decision of the nausea the one decision to say I'm going to refrain from wine I'm gonna separate from this world a little bit that decision to rule over himself places a crown on his head and that crown is is so magnificent that he becomes like a Kohen Gadol and not just like a Kohen Gadol he is if he transported himself back to the Garden of Eden before there was sin in the world before there was the wine the fruit that was given to other than before there was death all through the power of one decision and apparently coach Barkley Shah wants us to understand that that is the inherent greatness that lies within us our decisions are so powerful and so transformative I'd like to take this topic and just move it in a different way but in a similar vein this week and speak about number one to what extent are xem values and takes into consideration our sacrifice and our pain and if we could understand to what degree a Shem is valuing our actions and elevating our actions brass we look at ourselves a little bit differently and see the importance in absolutely everything that we're doing the place I'd like just to hone in on is from parshas Balasco which we read last week and in that partial we speak about a sham now designating the Laveen to be able to do the service in the Michigan and eventually in the beta mag - and in the temple and that the plastic tells us that coach Barker says to Mosher abandoned by Law School this is chapter 8 verse 5 caucus and Levine we took the dais well vietato son take the Levine from within B'nai Israel and I want you to start purifying them for the process of leading or facilitating the service in the tabernacle the Mishkan co tassel ahem the Torah Meza a layman hat does fabulous on the process that has to happen fight of the venal work we're singing partials Barlow ska if we're seeing an exchange that blue VM are now the ones who are going to be designated for service in the beta Beck - but that wasn't the original plan of a chef the original plan was not that it should be the love iane but it should be the picaros but the chorus meaning the firstborn of every tribe would have the ability to or have the opportunity and the privilege to be to do that service in the temple there was a transformation there was a switch and the switch happened after the Haida Eagle after senator golden calf in which the beccarose firstborn did participate but no member of the tribe of Lavy did and as a result hashem took away this privilege from the picaros and gave it to the Laveen the question is and let's begin over here is why did the Shem first of all why did he designate the because altogether why would the becaus chosen to do the service so to understand that we have to look back at day a pus ik back at a verse and the verse tells us why a college bar who said that he was going to kill the firstborn of Egypt he said the following and it says be omakase Kobuk or beards miss Ryan he - Lee call before me as well Shem tells us actually tells us later by mid bar in gimel bus a good game of 313 but referring to what happened at the time when a Shem slew the firstborn of Egypt Shem says the following but you're not closely called the Corby arts be Omaha zicoba Corby at Smith's Ryan and that day which I struck down all of the firstborn of Egypt hink - Dina Cobra hobbyist well I sanctified the firstborn of the Jewish nation the person clearly tells us there's a direct correlation I'm the day when Hashem struck down or says I'm going to strike down the firstborn of Egypt Shem says at that moment there's a decision that was made to sanctify so to speak to elevate the firstborn of the soil I'm going to strike the firstborn of Egypt and I'm going to elevate the firstborn of Israel and that's clearly indicated the pasok buyo mobco see Colby Colby Rasmus Ryan and Ashley Cole before via disability as well and that day when I struck the book Hornets miss Ryan I sanctified the firstborn of Israel what's the connection why does a Shem statement that he's going to strike down the firstborn of Egypt therefore imply or necessitate the need to elevate the firstborn of the Jewish nation the outer makes La Batre Dawson's tree Finkle the great Russia Shiva is the putco who died in 1929 and really the father of the modern yeshiva world and especially in the approach that we so often speak about the idea of godless or other not the greatness of how what the human being is so the outer and the earth cellphone and the safer in a piece called me Maddie has - a monadic resolution he says as follows try to explain what is the car they should what is that connection the day I struck down the firstborn in Egypt and that day the chorus part was said I've sanctified or made a decision to sanctify the firstborn of Israel what can possibly the correlation so the author explains and to read the words directly from your cell phone he says like this he said pure should the Varden hope the explanation the thing is as follows became in shapira's man how close - Emma super chorus but it's Ryan since and that day when a champ said he's gonna strike down the firstborn of Egypt we could tip of course pinellas from the Banega straw the children of these are the firstborn of the children of Israel began to panic there was fear never heard or they were afraid a fear overtook them Sheila Sheila and the hem is a shame it's Karim timorous also at sarvasah and therefore was the coach barking - Shem says I have to repay them I have to repay the firstborn with the reward corresponding to the pain that I caused him he although some the mother he served me call you avec tisha or sub kedusha music Redis and thereafter I therefore I have to raise them above the rest of the Bennis world some to some extent and give them a special job a special service why because I owe it to them I caused a fear and as a result of causing that fear I feel I have to give something back question is what was that fear that was caused well it seems like a Shem said the word are the words I'm going to strike down the firstborn of Egypt he didn't say the firstborn of Israel he said the firstborn of Egypt but the firstborn of Israel when he heard the word firstborn something must have triggered in their mind and he said wait a minute were also firstborns were also that applies to us to a firstborn I sure didn't say that except firstborn of Egypt but he said the word firstborn now I don't know why that would cause the blaze felt to to be fearful we're speaking about the 10th plague and in the previous nine plagues a shemin's delineated between Egyptian and Jew to the nth degree you know for example we know that if the water turned to blood it was blood for the Egyptians and it was water for the Jewish nation in fact we know that the Russian tells us that if an Egyptian drank from a cop who was blood if that cop was passed to a Jew D Israel it became water again we saw this delineated throughout all the plagues frogs did not touch a Jewish home lice did not touch into his body hail did not touch the Jewish animals it was so delineated darkness the Egyptians are frozen in the state of darkness and Christ will has light they can see they're walking around factor going to the homes and understanding where the treasures were so they can ask the Egyptian enslavers to to hand it over to give it to them so therefore why would the Jewish nation possibly be afraid why would the firstborn possibly be afraid when Hashem says I'm gonna slay the first board Egyptians he said first board Egyptian he didn't say firstborn Jim all he said was first born now I'm the firstborn it's true he might have said but it doesn't apply to me just like the blood didn't apply to me just like the frogs didn't apply to me just had the lights didn't fly to me just a locust didn't apply to me the hell the darkness it doesn't apply to me why would there be any feeling in the heart of any member of the of the Jewish nation of first born that a Shem mantid that's the question that the outer Slovakia asks in trying to understand why a Shem felt necessary to reward the Jewish firstborns because he said these words at Cosi called the hobby art Smith's right I'm gonna strike down the firstborn of Egypt why then did a sham feel so so obliged to say he - the the Cobra orbital now because of that I'm going to elevate to sanctify to make holy the first borning Jew so the the outer explains the necessary thing : he says his father's he said what happened over there it says I'm them how gorgeous Ocean Park Thibodeau militia moccasin birkhoff's yogi Shakur Bini is thrilled with Koala militia local midstream certainly were aware that whenever a sham spoke about striking Egyptian cement the Egyptians he didn't mean any member of the Jewish nation however he said something very interesting he said the fact that a Shem said the words firstborn and a Jewish firstborn heard those words firstborn what happened it caused the language of the altar it caused in in the emote in England in Hebrew means a little feeling of displeasure and uncomfortableness you said the word firstborn I know you're speaking about the Egyptians but I'm a firstborn - and you utilize that word firstborn that must have caused inside the heart of the Jewish firstborn a little bit of uncomfortableness a little bit of what we saved in Hebrew in the emote just a little bit of I don't feel comfortable with that word because I'm a firstborn Oh was it Shem say I caused you such fear I have to make it up to you I have to give you now a new service in the Michigan in the temple I have to reward you for in commensurate to the pain that I caused you what pain it wasn't any emote a feeling a little bit of uncomfortableness that's not a panic that's not a trembling that's a little bit of discomfort because you use the word that applies to me as well but a Shems in the Jemez world Hashem is so aware of our pain he's so aware of our sorrow he's so aware of our discomfort and especially since Jefferson I'm the cause of it I said the word I have to pay back to you and that's the altar says the outer system beautifully he says buscar inna who was no surface zu handing them a college bar coat of Santa's kedusha shokudo she saw L in reward for this little bit of any English displeasure uncomfortableness coach Bartow abundantly rewards the Jewish first born with a statement kodesh Israel I'm going to make you elevated a special level of holiness she's a little koala underscore victim a club and mid bar keenly Kabu Kabu narrow hick - do something Shem says your mind now I have to have a special relationship with you because of that pain that I caused you so first lesson I just like to bring out in this discussion today number one to what extent a Shem is so aware of our pain to what extent a Shem is so alert to any discomfort that we have and therefore when a Shem brings things to our life which are difficult which do causes pain whether it be physical pain or whether it be intellectual pain that understanding or emotional pain we understand that a Kurdish Barco is so aware of it if he's aware of the evening emote of the first forms the gist their discomfort how much more so is he aware when we're actually really uncomfortable and really in pain so I think we see from this just a starting point and the starting point is to understand it to be fully aware to what extent a Shem is watching us to what extent a Shem is involved in our lives and to what extent a Shem is fully feeling our pain but let's say we could move it just a little bit forward and understand to what extent now a chef values our actions we have a statement in our sages has brought down in the the Alco Tremonti the Aqua Chelonia is one of the mid Russian when we speak of a Midrash of course was talking about oftentimes the worst that's annoying words of men of the generation that wrote the Mishnah and they're recording in the conversations that existed before that oftentimes is information that has been transmitted orally from scene I so when we talk at them in Russian we're very much talking about the oral communication that we have and understand the terror and we know to understand the toad we need the all law the oral communication in order to flush it out and to give it understand it and that's why these words that them in Russian are always so meaningful it's so impactful so one particular volume called the aperture mony there's an enormous statement and he says as follows excuse not the official only it's the Tanguma the meta stuff homo ten Columbus's as follows coach Bach who says in part is below so now when he's transitioning he's going from the Horus or chosen originally to the service in the Michigan to the Levine and again the reason we mentioned the in the class was that when it came to the theta angle the sin the golden calf so the bahar was participated but no one of the member no not one member of the tribe of Lady participated and often that could be because of their closeness to demotion Rubino being the same tribe but because no one participated a shed maiden exchange said the first one can no longer be my my look and my messengers as a reward to facilitate the service in the temple in the Michigan it now is going to be the Levine we saw parsha paluska that trance that transitioned that that transformation so to speak but the Magister coma says as follows on the verse which reads carcass and Levine take the Levine and now take them two time Oscar boneau take them to elevate them to do the service and start preparing them and purifying them in a very specific process which the Torah describes in parshas Balasco the meddra says there are cost of the PASOK says says it the hilum mm Alexis a Shem Sadiq Eve home hashem always needs to test a Sadiq what does that mean it says ain't a college park whom Allah saw autumn is Laura and should both canna boudic also tequila coach Baku doesn't elevate a person or in this case of the VMR are the tribe but specifically specifically does not elevate a person for leadership until he's both Cain who boudic also tequila please examine him he's broken him he sort of searched his essence build echo so he's done some sort of examination first in other words before I shan't elevate someone - to leadership he has to first see what are you made of who are you what are you all about four key mature only been to say on na Louis ELISA - Farah and when you see that the person can withstand the test or has withstood the test that indicates that this person is now worthy of leadership you know the word in this Ione and Hebrew leads a test but the root of the Simon comes from the Gordon a son the son heber means to elevate to lift up the purpose of tests when a sham gives a test is to NASA is to elevate us to allow us to bring forth something from ourselves that Hashem knew was inside of us but it was lying dormant it was lying the potential but the test forces it to come out and when it comes out in Hashem sees it we've changed as a result and a Shem so to speak you testify upon us that we're now worthy of leadership Sir Kenneth amoeba avril lavigne oh of course we find by Abraham Avram the South Kurdish bark of a yesterday scientist Janos coach Bart who tested him with ten tests film on behalf we know that Avram withstood all tests tests that began with as a young child to be willing to be thrown into a fiery furnace rather than to bow down to the idols of Nimrod and finally the tenth test which was a test of the ceiling to subordinate subjugate all of his emotion and intellect to do the will of Hashem man in this case would be to to sacrifice Isaac the case yeah it's nothing and we see once Oberon passed all those 10 tests Vaman ban the aqua kookaburra they rocked their home afterwards hashem blesses him shannon lavish and Baracus Avram book called the concludes at the end of that the tenth test a Shem blessed album with everything now what about the Levine if the VM so to speak are going to be now elevated to this type of service they also need to be tested that's what W Melek says when he says that a college bar who always works like way a Shem Sadiq you've hung Shem will always test the sonic before elevates him so it says I've shift or shall a V so to the tribe of lavey they were tested what was their test the measures 10 homers says something which is so unbelievable the test of the VM wore while they were in Egypt lost noon ofsome akitoshi emotional coach Bob not enough son they gave their lives they gave their nefesh akitoshi emotion comes barkow to sanctify God's name what does that mean that while the Benes 12 weren't in its Ryan nos noonish um aqui douche emotional color Sparkle they gave their lives and kiddush a chef I don't know did he ever give their lives in can you shine we never hear about that anywhere in the turn factory Lavery were separate from the Jewish nation to some extent the warrant enslaved Egyptian law allowed the priestly class as it were not to be enslaved so they weren't part of the slavery so where did they give their lives to sanctify God's name as we know to sanctify God's name by giving one's life that is ultimately the highest level of service tuition ultimately something which that you has to be willing to do and to be willing to sacrifice for if necessary in a situation that we know what the Rambam tells us in the good mother tells us that some said that bow down to an aisle or die we have to wait to die someone says commit an act of sexual morality or dive or black willing to die here or if someone says kill or be killed they just said we'd rather be killed before we kill murder it's we're in mitzraim we're in Egypt do we see that the vinay Lavery gave their lives for kiddush Hashem so the statement of home of our rabbis continues and says should not Eve at a later they didn't cease from the study of Torah while they weren't Egypt should be Shia is Robin is Ryan masturbatorium either and we have to understand something at the time when the Jewish nation was in Egypt the Jewish nation had reached the level although we had made a certain degree of of integrity and we understand that there was only one case of morality throughout the Jewish nation but apparently in our connection to a Shem and in the assimilation to Egyptian life the Jewish nation had fallen really really really incredibly and we understand that because we know that when we came out of Egypt we came out function which goes out tells became unsafe that means if approximately 5 million Jews came out of Egypt his four cents did not make it forth this would be 20 million 20 million children descendants of Jacob had fallen so precipitously in Egypt that they weren't worthy to come out I mean that he had become so similar to the Egyptian that they could not come out of Egypt so the Jewish nation was struggling Egypt was a test in every way possible challenging the Jewish Monde and the Jewish heart and her soul and was extraordinary Messiah of course we're all the descendants of those 5 million that came out so they could imagine the holiness of of of our ancestors really weren't because four-fifths did not come out but if we think about that there must have been tremendous pressure on Jews in general descendents of Yaakov - are you going to maintain integrity to the teachings which we've had from avril lavigne oh yes like the alkyl to the struttin to the generation in Egypt are you giving loyal to that which was giving you we haven't you see to tell you yet but we know we were keeping parts of the totem or are you gonna fall they become Egyptian Mike and there were great temptation to become Egyptian like as we know in fact we know that even doubled America tells us in Salem he says you know thank you for intensifying the slavery issue tense if Ida slavery that's one of the holders that could that done develop gives thank you for intensifying the slavery indefinitely first of the fact that Jews were feeling so comfortable in Egyptian life that was only the intensification of slavery that enabled them to cause it to us and we have to be separate and we are different and we're not like that they won't let us be like them but even as we were slaves we were still immersed in this society which was so filled with with values which were so contrary the Jewish Way of life every extent from idol worship to immorality to the way they viewed what the human being was in the lack for the worth of the human being it was a battle in the Jewish heart and again many Jews did not make it Forsyth's became so Egyptian like that they weren't worthy of coming out yet because I'll tell us their cities are telling us that the trip of Lavy no saloon optional chiamo they gave their lives for a sham was me to give their life / M she looked in that litter they didn't cease from connection to a sham to the study of Torah should be Shasha hang is Robin is Ryan massive autonomy law that so much the Jewish nation while doing Egypt became disgusted with the Turin and with bris me l'm the coulomb of the mothers are so many just left they came out of worshippers of the shifter she laid the coulomb tsadikim I you know semester terror the tribe of lady were entirely righteous and they involve themselves continuously in the study of Torah now that statement of our sages is extraordinary I'd like to explain it there's an application to ourselves that I feel is is so important to bring out and maybe one of the most remarkable insights that that that I've firstly discovered in the long time it's a remarkable insight question it says that the B'nai LaVey gave their lives in egypt they didn't give their lives in fact not only that my wishes shamanic Lebovitz that's a question is closed off and he said wait a bit like understand it wasn't illegal to study Torah in Egypt that was not part of the slavery they never made laws against the study of Torah like the wrongs did for example and then Rabi Akiva was arrested for teaching turn and we know that even in recent history in the Holocaust study of Torah the performance of mitzvot could be a death sentence we know in the Soviet Union the sacrifice have used to do bris Mila to keep mikvah to teach terror penalty could be a sentence to to Siberia which it often died was pretty much a death sentence that was not the case agent there was no law that said you're not allowed to return you weren't killed for teaching Terra he weren't killed for learning - so what does it mean that the B'nai lady gave their lives a kedusha mo to sanctify god's name because these kept studying terrible it wasn't the Soviet Union into that extent that it was illegal to engage in the idea in stone or Nazi Germany or under the Romans or that matter under the Greeks made the study of Torah also illegal as we know that's been part of our history for years but that was not the case religion what then doesn't mean that they gave their lives so I'd like to explain this extraordinary insight from Irish she sure had a claim of it says it follows it must have been that the pressure not to learn Torah came from within it came from our own people it came from those who have already started to assimilate into Egyptian society and culture and said what are you doing are you crazy what do you need that for why'd he have to be so ideologic why did so idealistic wanted to try to live such lies of holiness go after the pleasures of Egypt make your life more easy why do you have to live for a world that you can't see why do you have to be different if you're different it makes our lives more difficult just follow the society be part of the culture the pressure did not come from the Egyptians the pressure must have come from within the Jewish world but within the children of Israel from our own society and yet the Bonet LaVey withstood that pressure and said no there's a vision in life there's a terror as a connection to the Almighty there's another world there's a holiness that comes to the study of eternal perfection of man that can be achieved through it and we're not going to give up the mission we believe in the mission we're going to fight for the mission who are not gonna be the swayed by anything the Egyptians aren't putting a pressure but sometimes the pressure of internal pressure the pressure of one's own family it's the work one's own society one's own neighborhood can also be a very significant pressure that will not succumb to that pressure we're gonna do what we believe is right I want to go forth with strength what's the chef's response to that Hashem looks at the Levine and says you're worthy of leadership why because I tested you in Egypt and I saw that you are willing to give your lives give their lives I've never threatened it must mean there's another definition of giving your life that we give our lives for a sham when we withstand the pressure of society when we say we're gonna live as Jews we're gonna keep mitts vote I'm going to do what's right despite the world around us despite the pressure around us Hashem says I look at you as if you gave your life that's another way of giving your life I so value your struggle I so value what you achieved I so value what it means to fight pressure and to do what's right nonetheless in my world of Shem says you've just sanctified my name by giving your life sometimes we don't realize that we've given our life so I said there are times in Jewish history when Jews have been faced with the ultimate test are you willing to die or betray God in his turn many Jews have said we're willing to die as we know but sometimes we have to be aware that we're giving our life for God on the Shems world we are doing the mitzvot of sanctifying God's name of kiddush Hashem and how are we doing it well look at what the Levine did Levine didn't die for a Shem physically but withstanding the pressure of a society that said just be like us and they said no we are not going to be just like you we're going to resist we will do what's right with a serve god i want to withstand pressure Hashem says that is a form of giving one's life and therefore Shem says I've tested the bidet lady they gave the life of me I think we see from this something extraordinary remarkable a sham so values the achievement we make when we withstand pressure you know we live in a world where living a Jewish life isn't always easy it's challenging and we know in many situations the challenges might come from outside the Jewish world sometimes the challenge comes from within our own environment why are you doing what you're doing is so important our details like that so necessary do you really have to be so careful in what you eat you know is it you really can't do that and challenge about when we withstand that pressure and we say listen I do what I need to do I'm doing what's right we explain in a nice way and say this is what I believe and I'm gonna do what I believe because that's what a chef wants when we live our lives like that despite the pressure and it's difficult sometimes there's no question we have to understand how a Shem views it as Shem views it as if we gave our life and it could be that after 120 years when we go to Shamai and we go to heaven on our ledger is dying forgotten because we worst oppression and it's something to think about in situations where we are challenged challenges can be so many challenges in situations where we're invited and we don't want to eat that which is offered because of laws of kashrut or something is asked upon us to to come for Shabbat and we know that that's not proper we can't do that or it could be even attending a certain event where being there would it's not the proper thing to do we know it's not the proper place to be when we withstand pressure and we live our lives according to God's Word from a Shems vantage point we've sanctified his name as if we gave our lives so I think if we put these two ideas together we see something which is so empowered to what extent a ship feels our pain the discomfort of the firstborn was enough for God to say I'm elevating you to a new status because you were a little uncomfortable I feel your pain and we have to the stand to what extent God is aware of our sacrifice withstanding pressure and doing what's right it's a way of giving our lives for God God said you gave your life for me how much God must show must love us for that how much reward he would want we'll want to give us with that and we have to look at ourselves differently we have to understand that when we do withstand pressure and we do what's right like the Egyptians do like the Levine did in Egypt it's not a small thing it's a big thing and we should take such pride in it and realize what an achievement that is I've just given my life and when we think like that we begin to realize and appreciate that a Shen has such love and respect for me and of course that engenders enormous respect for ourselves and that feeling an awareness of who we are what we've achieved can propel us forward really on a path of achieving even greater greatness and that's what a coach Barker wants from us I wish everybody a wonderful week and I look forward to a continued discussion next week and again if anyone has any questions I invite you to personally send me a whatsapp or send me an email rabbi craft at gmail.com I'll be happy to respond to it and if it's something relevant to to the group to the poster for everybody to see wishing everybody a wonderful week