Hein Am Levadad Yishkon: Jewish Identity, Integrity, and Kiddush Hashem at Work

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. The beginning, Shemos, starts the galus of Mitzrayim. Ashteitzach, we all know how bitter the galus of Mitzrayim was. What triggered galus Mitzrayim? What was it that brought about a response that Paro should be asher lo yada es Yosef? So, of course, there's a lot of mefarshim that Paro was a kafui tov. But what was it on our side of the equation, so to speak, that triggered? We lived in Mitzrayim. We didn't make trouble there. And yet, Paro thought, Pen yirbeh aleinu, v'nosaf gam hu al soneinu, v'nilcham banu. So we look at it and we say it's the common scapegoating, right? All through the generations, Yidden were accused. Even were accused of trying to take over and take away the goy's parnassah, their money, their homes. It's not a new song. It's an old song and dance, as they say. And l'cheira, the pesukim seem to say that that was basically the basis and the trigger of what triggered Paro to take Klal Yisrael and be meshabed them and begin Galus Mitzrayim. But if you look at the mefarshim, the Acharonim, we see and we learn that there was something on our end that taka triggered, that taka warranted that the Mitzriim should come and be meshabed us and take us into galus. We'll begin with the words of the Mahalach of the Netziv in many places. The Netziv speaks, and he discusses what was it that brought about Galus Mitzrayim. Says the heilige Netziv, Vatimale ha'aretz osam. The pasuk tells us, what was it that led Paro? And the answer is, Vatimale ha'aretz osam. Says the Netziv, what does ha'aretz mean? Which aretz are we referring to? Vatimale ha'aretz osam. Says the Netziv, it doesn't mean goyshen. If you look at the Even Ezra, it says clearly it means goyshen. They overflowed out of Goyshen. You know, when the communities grow, they start to expand out. Azei lernt, that's how the Even Ezra learns the pshat, Vatimalei haaretz osam, but the Netziv argues. And he says, Vatimalei haaretz osam doesn't mean goyshen, but rather it means the entire Eretz Mitzrayim. Balelamed lo Eretz Goyshen levad, shehi miyuched liYisrael u'meleah miYisrael levad, ela afilu kol Eretz Mitzrayim shehiki yeshivas Mitzrayim b'chol makom, malei eretzim Yisrael. Everywhere, they started going and finding, and he explains the Netziv, houses amongst the greatest and best communities, the best neighborhoods of Mitzrayim, says the Netziv, and therefore it became a problem and we needed to start a galus.

Zogt der Netziv, what's the pshat? U'vo ha'kasuv l'hakdim zeh sibas sinas Mitzrayim u'gezeiras ha'malchus. The pasuk here is beginning to explain to us the root of the galus, because Yankev Avinu wanted sheyeishvu dafka, they should sit only in Eretz Goshen. Why? K'dei sheyihyu badad v'nivdal miMitzrayim. We were supposed to stay in Goshen and we didn't. And he brings a Medrash that there was a hashpa'ah, the minat Yosef passed away, Yosef was nifter, pasku milamul. Then he says a very sharp thing. He says, U'kvar biarnu, u'kvar biarnu b'sefer Bereishis al ha'pasuk, 'Vayehi ezrachah asher hi ha'sibah sheb'chol dor vador omdim aleinu l'chaloseinu.' It's not only in Mitzrayim, but every generation, b'chol dor vador she'omdim aleinu l'chaloseinu, bishvil she'anu rotzim lihyos k'geirim v'nivdalim min ha'umos, she'ein anu rotzim. We don't want to be geirim, we don't want to be nivdal min ha'umos. We come to countries and we want to assimilate, and we don't mean assimilation, chas v'shalom, marriage assimilation, because we know Klal Yisroel didn't assimilate with marriage, and 'fakert, lo shinu lishmon, l'shonam u'malbusham.' And still there was a ta'ina. What was the ta'ina, says the Netziv, the pasuk, Hein am levadad yishkon, uvagoyim lo yischashav. Az ei lant heilige Netziv habeisah. When we search to look, what was it that Klal Yisroel did that brought about galus? What? Vas hot men shoin opgetan? And the answer is, I was ... elaborate on this more from other acharonim, gedolei acharonim, that guide us to understand this, Hein am levadad yishkon. But this was the problem. It wasn't am levadad yishkon. And therefore, looking to move out, Vatimolei haaretz osam, that itself, that itself caused that there should be a galus. And this is not only galus Mitzrayim, says the heilige Netziv. This is all the galusin, b'chol dor vador omdim aleinu l'chaloseinu. I'd like to quote you another piece of Netziv, habeisah. The Netziv on the pasuk itself of Hein am levadad yishkon, uvagoyim lo yischashav, says the heilige Netziv, this is Bamidbar chav-gimmel, pasuk tes, says the Netziv, Hein am levadad yishkon, lo k'derech kol umah v'lashon. We are different than all other nations, that when they go into galus, when they go into galus, those that bring you into galus, they try to assimilate, right? Whole idea of bringing the people from other countries, right, the Hachnasas tumah, right, bringing in the refugees, the refugees, right, tumultach. She says the point of all other refugees is to assimilate with the country and adapt. Klal Yisrael is not like that. בזה אהב וחשיבות כל אחד בעיניהם יותר משהם נפרדים מהם. The biggest chashivus, the best thing we could do for ourselves is to remain separate. הן עם לבדד ישכון. Says the Netziv meheiredike pshat, הן עם לבדד ישכון, וממילא בגויים לא יתחשב. What does it mean, u'vagoyim lo yischashav? If they mingle with the goyim, lo yischashav, don't think you'll be granted any respect. הן עם. When it's an am levadad yishkon, b'menuchah, b'kavod — I stress the word kavod, with dignity — וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך, ואין איש משחרר עמו. U'vagoyim. But when he is bagoyim, when he...

Not to be part. Kasher hu roitzeh lihyos muravim lo, lo yischashev. Eino nechshav b'einam. Even the goy that you're trying so hard to get along with, you're trying to adapt, you're trying to be one of them, lo yischashev. They'll never respect you. You know when they'll respect you? When you're am levadad yishkon. And he quotes, of course, the pesukim of Shmos and many, many other places in the mekoros to this yesod. So we have here in the Mahalach haBeisai that Galus Mitzrayim, according to the Netziv, begins because of ein am levadad yishkon. What the pasuk teaches and tells us we must be, levadad yishkon. You know, we have to live among the goyim, haBeisai. We do business with the goyim. Baruch Hashem, those that are lucky that they could do all their business, to vishen brida, you're lucky if you could do that. In every business, at some level, at some point, needs to be connected with the outside world, and a person must learn how to live in that world, because we can't completely surgically remove ourselves from that world. But at the same time, we need to understand the hein am levadad yishkon. It's a chochmah. It takes wisdom. How to balance. To be with, to live amongst, and at the same time, to be hein am levadad yishkon. Abayei, listen to me carefully. I'm not a controversial person. I don't have big kanoishdike shitas about things. But I do know that it's a very delicate balance. And if a person does not learn properly the balance, and that learning must come from Gedolei Yisrael, who teach us and are madrich us on how to have that balance. There's an interesting Chasam Sofer that says that the reason why it all began after Vayamos Yosef vechol echav, because as long as Yosef and his brothers were around, there was madrich. There was hadracha. There was hadracha on how to live in Mitzrayim, to live amongst, with, yet separate. I'd like to discuss this hein am levadad yishkon in the words of Gedolei Yisrael, the Acharonim, the Chasam Sofer, the Ma'arel Diskin, the Netziv, as we soon will quote, based on the pesukim that we have in Parshas Shemos. But I repeat again, rabosai, if we don't learn and if we don't take the time. To get training in this area, it's almost impossible not to err on a daily basis, not to make grave mistakes, where one believes he's doing the right thing and one believes that he's doing something that will bring him hatzlacha, and the truth could be nothing further than this, and it's the opposite. Rabosai, let us learn the words of the Gedolei Acharonim. What does it mean, Hein am levadad yishkon, and how to apply it? Lomed lernen a beisai. Let's learn the words of the Chasam Sofer, the Chasam Sofer and the Likutim. This is page kuf zayin. The Chasam Sofer says a tremendous chiddush. Says the Chasam Sofer, Uvnei Yisrael paru vayishretzu vayirbu vayaatzmu bim'od me'od, vatimalei haaretz osam. Fregt der Chasam Sofer, it should have said vayimlu haaretz. What does it mean, vatimalei haaretz?

Oisam. Vayeimlu veilu the earth, the land. What does it mean that תמלא הארץ oisam? The Chasam Sofer also says the word b'maod. ויתעצמו במאד מאד. What is b'maod, מאד? Ein lo shachar; it should have said me'od, me'od. You want to say a lot, you don't have to say b'maod. With, me'od, a lot, a lot. The Chasam Sofer is ha'ader. Says the Chasam Sofer a tremendous chiddush. The word me'od could also mean, b'chal meodecha, which means you're gesheften — lashon Ashkenaz, Yiddish. B'maod, me'od means they got involved deeply, b'maod, in the business of Mitzrayim, says the Chasam Sofer. In the likutim, vatimalei ha'aretz oisam, so mimeila they got influenced without even realizing that, and that the aretz filled them up. V'hashpa'ah from the streets, so to speak, filled them up, says the Chasam Sofer. Nacha v'lo teida. They didn't even realize this was happening. A person could go to work every day and not even realize how he's being influenced. Pasuk: ובני ישראל פרו וישרצו וירבו ויעצמו ב- Me'od. It should have said me'od. Me'od, me'od, a lot. What's b'me'od? Me'od, b'chol me'odecha, b'me'od, in the money, in the parnassah, me'od, me'od. It got involved deeper and deeper. U'me'eilav hatimalei ha'aretz, osa. You know, rabosai, when a boy leaves yeshiva, he is very much protected. And he goes out into the world, and dress codes have to change, and language has to be somewhat broader, different. It becomes very complicated. The hadrachah, the training is needed so much to know what's influenced by the street, what's influenced by the guy, and what's accepted. You can't expect that a person should dress mamish, like a yeshiva in gas, when he's going to work. Maybe. Where do you draw the line? And is it that the first few years you draw the line one place, and then as time goes on, the influence from the outside convinces you that this is the proper mahalach, that this is takke the way you should dress, and this is the way everyone dresses. And I'm being very careful, rabosai, because I don't mean— Hakar noi istika shiur. It's not my mahalach, everybody knows that. I'm not here to... You'll soon see, rabosai, what I want with the v'hein am levadad yishkon. But I also want to tell you another point. You know, they talk about wining and dining a client. I'm not a big businessman, rabosai, but that much I know. You got to wine and dine, and what does wine and dine a client mean? ... You have to take them out. And you got to go here and there and to this and to that. I want to tell you another Chasam Sofer, rabosai. The Chasam Sofer in Parshas Balak learns a different pshat in what went wrong in Mitzrayim. The first pshat we had was that what went wrong in Mitzrayim, they went deep into the heart of the business, so to speak, of Mitzrayim, to the point that the hashpoah, without even realizing, entered them. There's another Chasam Sofer. Hein am levadad yishkon, u'vagoyim lo yischashav. Says the Chasam Sofer that it's very important that when you go, you have to make sure to keep your identity. That's the hein am levadad yishkon. And that's...

What happened in Mitzrayim? שליחינו ושממנו, שעינו מלבושם, והי שם לגוי גדול. When it says, לגוי גדול, in the beginning it was לגוי גדול. That's what it means. In the beginning, Mitzrayim, look, wow. It was unbelievable, tremendous. Look how big. What happened? אבל כאשר רוצים להזדמות לשאר הגויים, אז אדרבה. The more you try to be like the goy, the lower you lower yourself. Like we see afterwards in Mitzrayim, there were two phases. Okay? Some sefer in Parshas Bo learns there were two phases. In the beginning we were strong, we were גוי עצום. But then, ותמלא ארצו אותם. What does it mean? He brings a medrash, שהיו בתי תרטיאות וקרקסיאות מלאים מהם. The theaters, the arenas, were full, full of Yidden. Oz, and that's what brought about ויקוצו מפני בני ישראל. וכן הניסיון, says the heiliger Chasam Sofer, this is the reality. ילמדנו תמיד כי ביותר שרוצים ישראל להתקרב אל האומות, מוסיפין שנאה קטטה. The more we try to become close to them, the more hatred. על כן אמר בלעם, הן עם. כי רק אז הֵם נחשבו לעם לבדד ישכון. אבל בגויים, אם ישערבו בגויים, לא יתחשב עמהם, אז לא ישחשב, which is really the Netziv that we just spoke. לא יהיה נחשבו לכלום, כי שמעתי ואוספתי מהפך משלי. So we have here two pshatim in a beisai. The first pshat was, Vatimalei haaretz influence. Chasam Sofer, they got influence. Avodah zarah, there was influence from the outside. Vatimalei haaretz, oisam. A second pshat, the Chasam Sofer in Parshas Boelik says, they started to go to places, a beisai, אפילו מטעם business. Gotta be careful where you go. Where you go is everything that we go, everything which is under the heter of wining and dining, so to speak. Is it all takkeh necessary? Is it all al פי הלכה? This is another part of הן עם לבדד ישכון ובגוים לא יתחשב. I want to tell you a third Chasam Sofer, and like I said, I will not say anything on my own, because it's a very, very dakus, controversial, very... Yiddish zach, an eideles sugya. It's an eideles sugya, beisai. I want to tell you another Chasam Sofer. The Chasam Sofer says in Parshas Vayechi, why did it take after Vayamos Yosef, and that's all of a sudden, וישרצו ותמלא הארץ אותם, and then the galus began? Says the Chasam Sofer, ותמלא הארץ אותם, we became visible. It's another pshat the Chasam Sofer says in Parshas Vayechi. Vatimalei ha'aretz osam, shekol ha'aretz osah maleah miYisrael, shemitchilah hayinu nechbaim al hakeilim. We remained hidden, hidden, nechbaim al hakeilim, not high profile. V'lo yiru hachutzah. Nobody saw us, so nobody paid attention. U'be'achshav, vatimalei ha'aretz osam. Once we became visible, ad shetikanet para b'hem, v'amar, Hov, v'nischakelos. We have three pshatim, rabosai. The first pshat in vatimalei ha'aretz osam means we got into the depth of what Mitzrayim stands for, the economy of Mitzrayim. Mitzrayim was the place of the whole world, the center of the world, and we got into it deep, deep into, me'od, me'od, till we got influenced. That's vatimalei ha'aretz osam, pshat number one, and that's in Parshas Shemos. In Parshas Balak, he says vatimalei ha'aretz osam, he brings a Medrash: we started going with them to the wrong places, to sit...

If someone says, Ila, medateib lerespectfully, it's not a problem. It's where you start going, that became the problem. The third Chasam Sofer, a beisai, is in Parshas Vayechi, that we started to have a high profile instead of keeping a low profile. I'd like to quote you on my real diskin. On my real diskin, on the pasuk, Yadoa teida ki ger yihyeh zaracha b'eretz lo lahem. Fragt the Maril Diskin, heilige Maril Diskin fragt, lichoira it says, ki ger yihyeh zaracha b'eretz lo lahem. Okay, so we know it's eretz. If it's ger, then it's eretz lo lahem. The word lo lahem is redundant. Zogt the Maril Diskin, because we should have remained in Goshen, because that was lahem. That was given to us. The problem is we started leaving Goshen. This is very much like the talk we've talked till now, but listen to the adding point, the point that the Maril Diskin adds. Uvnei Yisrael paru vayishretzu vayirbu vayaatzmu, vatimalei haaretz osam. Fragt the Maril Diskin, vatimalei haaretz osam is also מיותר. It says, paru vayishretzu vayirbu. What's vatimalei haaretz osam? Says the Maril Diskin, the kivan shenisrabu me'od me'od, vatimalei haaretz mehem, pshat shelo yirtzu litzamtzem yeshivasam b'eretz Goshen. They weren't happy to remain local in Goshen. Rather, kol Eretz Mitzrayim nismalei miYisrael, shenispazru l'chol hamechoimos, b'chol ha'asakim uv'chol inyanei hamedinah. We got involved in everything. Chol inyanei hamedinah. Maybe politics. We look for power. We look for higher positions. We try to get involved in the inner government and workings and business, higher and higher, more and more. I want to tell you a meirdike pshat I once saw. Pasuk in Eichah: Eichah yashva vadad, sarasi bagoyim, sarasi bamedinos, haysah lamas. I don't remember the sefer, but I know it was well over 300 years ago the sefer was written, so many years ago, and I thought it was such an unbelievable devar. Rabosi bagoyim. When we start wanting to be big, sarasi, we decided that we need to have positions, sarasi bamedinos, haysah lamas. That's when the attacks, and that's when the attacks begin. The problem is, when we start wanting sarasi, we start wanting positions, we start wanting to be a somebody in countries where we're supposed to be. Hein am levadad yishkon. Chabosai, this we could talk for a great length, and there's so much what to be detailed and taught on a practical level. But I would like, rabosai, to bring out a whole different point, if you may. Something practical to take away from the shiur, al pi darkeinu that we always speak. I'd like to introduce another pshat in Hein am levadad yishkon, u'vagoyim lo yischashav. Rabosai, what does it mean in a practical sense? So I'm going to tell you. Badad could also mean to stand out, to be above the fray, to be exemplary. It's very important to learn that even when you go amongst, and sometimes we have to, jobs take us that we have to be amongst umos ha'olam, how important it is to be levadad yishkon. U'vagoyim, if you think you're on the same level as the—

Guy, like this chashiv. It doesn't work that way. I want to tell you a story. Not one, but a few, rabosai. Tell you a few interesting stories that I experienced in the Gedolei Yisrael. Over the years, I've contemplated it. Hanhaga, a Yid's hanhaga. How is a Yid supposed to behave amongst the rest of the country, the rest of the goyim people? And I asked the following shaila to Hagaon Rabbi Yosef Rosenblum, one of my roshei yeshivas, one of my rabbeim. I asked him that if a Yid, he passes a red light, is that a chilul Hashem? Is that a chilul Hashem? Why? Because the goy that sees, or the cop that stops him, thinks, That Yid, see, look how he's, right? But I don't understand. There's other goyim doing this. Everybody does it. I'm not doing it because I'm a Yid. Everybody, everybody. I asked him if a Yid would go to a theater, and everybody would say, Hey, look, look, the Yid's going to theater. But I don't understand. You're there also. What's the big... I don't understand. Who's being taina on me? You're taining on me, who cooked the Yid. What about you? You're also there. Is that a chilul Hashem? If everybody's—it's normal, it's an accepted behavior in a country. Because the manch is an anti-Semite, so to speak. And in his heart, he hates the Yid. If the Yid cuts the line—what do you mean, how many cuts the line? You ever see the way—what could be the worst thing that a Yid could do? And the answer is to cut a line. Chas v'shalom if you dare cut the line. Everybody stands there and looks. Everybody cuts the line. What are you talking about? Is that a chilul Hashem? Yeshiva told me a hundred percent, from us is required a behavior which is exemplary. You need to behave with royalty. You need to be something unique. V'ra'u kol amei ha'aretz ki shem Hashem nikra alecha. And yes, any little thing that gives the goy to look at us to say, does a sheinah chilul Hashem. I want to tell you another maaseh about this. One of the talmidim by me in yeshiva had to go work. We went through the sugya. There was no choice. There was no parnassah. He needed to go work. L'chol hadei'os, one hundred percent. Not that there's anything wrong to go to work, but it needs das Torah. There's a time to leave the yeshiva to go work, and this was this person, one hundred percent, needed to go. But it bothered him. It bothered him very much. I saw he couldn't make peace with it. He couldn't make peace with it. So I went over to the rosh yeshiva, my rebbe. What? Are you kidding me? He couldn't make peace with it. He couldn't make peace with it. He planned on learning for many more years than he did. So I went over to my Rebbe, ... and I asked him, Rebbe, how should I be mechazek, or be madrich, or tell the person what he should think, his focus on why he should go out leaving the yeshiva? Because he has to without thinking, Ach, look where he's going, look what he's doing. The yeshiva answered me, Teach him and tell him that he has such an opportunity not everyone gets. What opportunity? He has the opportunity to go amongst goyim, and be mekadesh Shem Shamayim in every step of the way. He has a chance with every word and every action and every nuance that he takes to the mekadesh Shem Shamayim. I went back and I found something beautiful about Beisai, which I brought back to the Rosh Yeshiva the next time I saw him, and the Rosh Yeshiva smiled and he said, It's beautiful. Maybe he knew it; he just made me feel good. Could be.

I was... Rebbi was like that. He made it sound like he didn't know, wanted the guy to feel good. But let me tell you, I found a mayedike Medrash Talpiyos. Chanoich was a malach. Chanoich, לקחו אלוקים ואיננו. We all know the famous Chasam Sofer, Chanoich disappeared. He was a malach. He just disappeared. He vanished. There was no human being over there, yeah? Okay. Let me tell you a little bit what Chanoich did. Does anybody here know what profession did Chanoich have? Chanoich made shoes. I don't know if they were Rockports or, I don't know, whatever they wear today. He made shoes. Zogt the Medrash Talpiyos, Chanoich toifen alim. Chanoich, he made shoes. He sewed shoes. V'al kol tefirah u'tefirah, every stitch he would say—you take a stitch today, it's a machinery, but those days it was avodas yad—on every stitch he would say, Baruch shem kevod malchuso l'olam va'ed, sheyesh bo yichud v'kishur kol ha'olamos. He's tying together yichud, the Ribono Shel Olam and kol olamos. It's a Medrash Talpiyos. Zogt Reb Yisroel Salanter, the Alter Reb Yisroel Salanter, what does it mean, al kol tefirah u'tefirah? Zogt Reb Yisroel Salanter, he was making sure that every stitch was in order. The job was real. It was exactly the way it was supposed to be. It was honesty in business. Al kol tfirah u'tfirah. He would check, and that's Baruch shem kevod malchuso l'olam va'ed. I told the Rosh Yeshiva maybe the kavanah means, because a tremendous kiddush Hashem was going to come out from the precision of how he did his business, how he did his job, with honesty. The Rosh Yeshiva smiled. He said, Yes. Al kol tfirah u'tfirah. You hear every nuance, every stitch. It's an opportunity, rabosai, for kiddush shem Shamayim. I want to tell you a story. My brother told this to me. Hashem, there's a very big rav today. Everybody probably heard of him, a lot bigger than I am. Rav Leiff, shlita, the rav of Agudah. My brother heard this story from him, Rav Gedel. So maybe you heard the story because he's famous, but I've heard it for the first time. Maybe you didn't hear it. I'm sharing it with you. I think it's a beautiful story. Rav Leiff said over the following story from Minneapolis, when he was a rav in Minneapolis. Said over about a certain person. I happened to know the person. That's how I got to know the story. The person happens to be a distant cousin. The story is that he went into a store on Shabbos, a pharmacy, which was near a hospital because his wife needed a certain medication. Needed a certain medication, and he went into the store on Shabbos. It was a must. The pharmacist said, It's a certain, how much, whatever it was, and he said to him, Okay, here, this is the bill. He says, But it's Shabbos. I can't really pay you. But give me 15 minutes after sundown, whatever the time was. Within 15 minutes, I will bring you the money. I'll give you my word. I'll give you the money. Okay. The hospital was real, right next to the pharmacy. Right after Shabbos, the guy runs, keeps his word. He pays up for the medicine. He sees all of a sudden all the people that are working in the pharmacy going over to the pharmacist and giving him money, and there's a commotion. So he asks, What exactly is the story? I mean, what happened? He says, It's very simple. When you left, and I trusted...

by giving you the thing, there was a bet in the store, and he'll never come back. And we took bets on it, and everyone betted against you that you won't come back. And I said, I know the Yid, I know the Jews. I've experience with them. If he says he'll come back to pay, he'll come back to pay. I won the bet, thank you very much. This is a beautiful story. How about when the story is the other way around? Over what? For what? It has to be hein am levadad yishkon. The Jew stands out as an example of what it means integrity, what it means to have honesty, courtesy, to be respectful, to be honest, honorable, dignity. There's so many middos tovos b'nei melachim, that we can walk around with royalty. Yiddav zayn malchus, to be royalty, something that people look and say, Wow. And I end with the following, Reb Leizer. Promised you a story. I told you two, I'm going to tell you one more with a smach. Okay, so that's my leverage. You get the story only if you listen to the smach. But first let's tell you the story. I found years ago a letter that the Zeide zichrono livracha wrote. I don't know if the oilam remembers, there was something called the Americana Hotel. I don't know if it's still around these days. Does anybody remember the Americana Hotel? It's still around? It's still around, the Americana Hotel? No, it's not around. It's in Manhattan. My parents' chasunah was in the Americana Hotel because the amount of people that were supposed to come, there were no halls amongst the Yiddishe halls that could hold such a big crowd. So they went and they discussed with the Americana Hotel, the owners, that they would kasher the Americana Hotel and rent it for the night. There were so many people that came to the chasunah. It was in the newspapers that chasunah, it was such a big, the Americana Hotel. I found a letter where my zeide writes after the chasunah to the board of the Americana Hotel, I thank you for the service. It was excellent. I thank you for the catering. The food was unbelievable. For שטייטע בוני Yiddishe catered, the food was unbelievable. The flowers were unbelievable. It was excellent. And the waiters, and he went through a whole list how it was clean, and the lights. I remember even he brought out the lights were dimmed perfectly. It just brought out the evening so well, and it was mamish a whole letter like this. So I took the letter. I went over to my father. I said, But what's this letter? He said, It's a copy of the letter that Zeide sent to the Americana Hotel. I said— Did he plan on getting a discount with such a letter? Was that the point of the letter? Like, I couldn't figure out why was it such an overflow of appreciation and hakaras hatov and respect and admiration and mamish on every nuance. He said, No. As a matter of fact, Zady always felt that he was overcharged for the night, and he still wrote this letter. He said Zady always held that he was told that they took way too much money from him. So I don't know if the Americano tells her, Come after me and sue me. I don't want any trouble from anybody, okay? I mean well, okay. What's the pshat? Derech eretz, malchus, royalty, respect. Even in business, and even if you think that the other person is maybe taking advantage of you in the business, that doesn't mean that your standards of how Yid behaves with derech eretz is supposed to be. Now I want to tell you a smag, rabosai, and with this I'll end. I read you the smag from siman ayin daled. You ready, rabosai? I see the time, a half a second, and we're done.

The Smag was a Baalei HaTosafos. R' Moshe ben Yaakov miKotzi, he's one of the Baalei HaTosafos. Asei ayin daled, says the Smag, U'kvar darashti l'golyos Yerushalayim asher b'Sfarad. I gave a drasha to the golus, to the exiles, U'l'shar golus Edom, and all the other golusin of Edom. Ki atah sheheerech hagolus yoser midai. I see that the golus continues and continues. What is the advice I want to give them? Listen, rabosai, to advice: Yesh l'Yisrael l'havdil mehavlei ha'olam, v'lechazik b'choi samoi shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu, shehu emes. We need to grab on to emes, u'shelo l'shaker, and not to lie. V'lo l'Yisrael v'lo l'goyim, not to the Yidden and not to goyim. Now listen carefully, v'lo l'hatosam, and not to make them a mistake, b'shum inyan, to fool them or to cheat them. U'l'kadeish atzmam b'mutar lahem, shene'emar, like it says, a pasuk in Tzefaniah, She'eiris Yisrael lo ya'asu avlah v'lo yedabru chazav, v'lo yimatze b'fihem lashon tarmis. Honesty. Now listen to the end of this. Now, rabosai, this I end, and I want you to take this with you: V'lo yimatze b... u'k'sheyavo HaKadosh Baruch Hu l'hoshia, because when the Ribbono Shel Olam will come to redeem Klal Yisrael, we need that yomru hagoyim, the goyim should say, B'din asah. The Ribbono Shel Olam was right for redeeming them. Ki heim anshei emes, v'Toras emes b'fihem, that they're honest. That the goyim will stand. We need this. Aval im yisnag'u im hagoyim b'ramous, yomru, ra'u mah asah HaKadosh Baruch Hu, shebachar l'chelko ganovim v'ramaim. If not, they're going to say, Ah, look what the Ribbono Shel Olam chose. This is the advice that the Smag gives to the golus, rabosai: character, character in the workplace. You've just experienced another Torah class, brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.