Aharon’s Heart: The Choshen, Nosei B’Ol, and the Power to Bless Every Jew

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. We have the tzivuyim of making the Bigdei Kehunah. Ve'ata tetzaveh es Bnei Yisrael is about Bigdei Kehunah. Last week's parsha was about the Mishkan, the binyan. This week's parsha is about the Bigdei Kehunah. One of the most intriguing parts of the Bigdei Kehunah is, of course, the choshen, and in the choshen was the Urim V'Tumim. The pasuk tells us, perek chaf-ches, pasuk chaf-tes, what was the Urim V'Tumim. Shteit in pasuk, V'nasa Aharon es shemos Bnei Yisrael b'choshen hamishpat al libo, b'vo'o el hakodesh, l'zikaron lifnei Hashem tamid. And the pasuk continues, V'nasata el choshen hamishpat es ha'Urim v'es haTumim. So there was a choshen, and in the choshen there was an Urim V'Tumim. V'hayu al lev Aharon b'vo'o lifnei Hashem. Continues the pasuk, V'nasa Aharon es mishpat Bnei Yisrael al libo lifnei Hashem tamid. The repetition of libo and libo and libo, that the choshen, the Urim V'Tumim... Was Aharon carrying a libei. V'nasa Aharon es mishpat Bnei Yisrael al libo, v'hayu al lev Aharon. A lot of emphasis on the lev, the lev of Aharon. Chazal tell us that the zechus that Aharon was someach b'gedulas achiv, when he was told that Moshe Rabbeinu was going to be the manhig, that Moshe Rabbeinu was chosen to take out Klal Yisrael, to be Moshe Rabbeinu, to give the Torah, Moshe was a little scared. Aharon is the older brother, and yet the Ribbono Shel Olam guarantees him, v'ra'acha v'samach b'libo, he'll be happy. Chazal tell us, ha'lev shesamach, that this lev, this heart that was happy, he was someach b'gedulas achiv, is the one heart that should wear the choshen with the Urim v'Tumim. The Ran in the drashes, drush shlishi, asks a she'eilah: the Urim v'Tumim is about nevuah. V'choirah, lev shesamach is good middos, true, the connection between good middos and nevuah. That is the she'eilah that the Ran addresses in drush shlishi. Ha'lev shesamach, all right, so here something, but how is it connected to the fact that the Urim v'Tumim is about nevuah? What is the connection, frekt the Ran, between ha'lev, the middos... The lev shesomach and the inyan of nevuah. So the Ran is in a ganz arichus, complete ganze drasha, to explain that the Rabbeinu Shloylam rewards midah keneged midah. And it's done that way so people could learn to realize that this was because of this. If you don't have midah keneged midah, then we don't know. Like this, it brings out that the Rabbeinu Shloylam is rewarding for this particular ma'aseh. So there has to be a connection between the lev shesomach and the nevuah, and he explains that there is, because the lev shesomach was about nevuas Moshe. Azoy zogt der Ran. I always understood it more, the lev shesomach begdulah, that he's going to be the manhig, he's going to be the leader, he's going to be the one that takes Klal Yisrael out. But you see, says the Ran, that it's more about the nevuah, because obviously the reward, the midah keneged midah, was the orah tumah, which is the nevuas Yisrael, which teaches us the future. Maybe the, I guess the nisayon was not so much about the gedulah, it was more about the nevuah.

For Aharon wasn't jealous about gadlus. He wasn't jealous about the honors in it. Maybe it's just the closest to the Eibishter, the nevuah. So the Ran sees, understanding to the Ran, that the Ran sees that the kinah was about the nevuah, even though it's not clear. L'choira it should have been with the shlichus that he was jealous, and the halev shosha samach was about the shlichus. The Ran says it was about the nevuah, and so he got choshen, mishpat, Urim v'Tumim, which is nevuah for Klal Yisrael. If I may, I would like to go into this inyan a little more, deeper to understand the midah keneged midah. The lev shesomach gets the Urim v'Tumim, and I'd like to begin with understanding the Urim v'Tumim. What was it? A lot of talk in the Rishonim. What was the Urim v'Tumim? What was its koach? What was it? How did it work? The Rishonim are full. What is the Urim? What is it? How did it work? So there's an interesting Even Ezra which the Ramban already quotes, and he says that the Even Ezra was trying to be wise in this inyan, and he explains that it's actually maaseh kesef v'zahav, but its internal workings is mazalos and kochavim. It works al pi the mazalos and the kochavim. I think it's כדאי to read the words inside so we shouldn't misquote it. Says the Ramban, סבר רב אברהם להתחכם בענין האורים והתומים ואמר כי הם מעשה אומן כסף וזהב. Veherch b'inyanam ki chashav sheheim al ha-tzurois sheya'asu baalei hakochavim lodaas machsheves ha-shoel. Astrology. According to the Even Ezra, it's astrology. You look at the Chumash sefer, you text the Even Ezra, and he says what, this, and he brings rayos, and again the Chumash sefer. And at the end he says, But I have to be moideh, there is a chacham of astrology. The kochavim do play a role in the asidus, and so possibly there's some shaychus, the Even Ezra to the Urim v'Tumim. There is some connection. You look at the Chumash, you'll work on it over Shabbos, and not here to dwell into things which are beyond my havanah. But the Chumash was big enough, and he says he sees some astrology inyanim in the Urim v'Tumim, like the Even Ezra says. I would like to follow with the derech of the Ramban, to explain the Urim v'Tumim, and with this to go back to the original she'eilah: the lev she'somach b'gedulas achiv was zocheh to Urim v'Tumim, the connection. I want to ... on the Zohar ... does it doesn't go a shiur like this, right? Okay, I'll tell you a vort from Zeidy. It's a beautiful vort. It's in the Kisvei Avnei Mori, my zeide's sefer. It's classic, even quoted in the ... that they put out all the likutim, they quote the zeide. It's a beautiful vort. And he says the following. Says, l'choirah, Aharon, when he heard that Moshe Rabbeinu... To be the manig, to be the leader, his daas, his mind could have started to question it. Doesn't make any sense whatsoever. ... And I would like to add to my zeides ha'ara, tell me, who was sitting and learning all the years? Aharon. Aharon was shevet Levi. The Rambam says clearly that who was the melamed, who was the Rosh Yeshiva Levi. So Aharon was sitting in Mitzrayim teaching Torah, mechadik, right? Aharon HaKohen. Tell me, what was Moshe Rabbeinu all these years? Look at the Midrashim. He was a melech in Cush, and then he sat in Yisro's home. Atah kein chachtan bazich. I'm just adding this, as they say, a little bit flavoring to the zeides kasha. ... Very. ... If bin doch der Rosh Yeshiva. If bin doch der greiser rav, der greiser posek, der greiser... Moshe Rabbeinu, what? You have a satmar yeshiva. Azoi volt er gekent fregn. Azoi volt er gekent fregn. And the teretz is, sagt the zeide, that's the daas ha'adam. Machshava, the mind, the mind says...

I don't understand. Doesn't make sense. Yet the lev was mizgaber. Halev shesamach b'gedulas achiv. The heart, the heart said, You know what? It doesn't make sense. But I'm happy for my brother anyway. You're right. It's a good kasha. The Ribono Shel Olam chose my brother. So the lev, the hergeshim of the lev, overpowered the daas. U'memeila is el zoiche to the Urim V'Tumim. Maya, my zeide doesn't fearays. Maybe this is what he means. What was the Urim V'Tumim? Urim V'Tumim means you don't have daas. The Urim V'Tumim means that the Ribono Shel Olam is the daas. Darkoin, darkoin zog ich veis nisht. I don't have them. I don't have them. We don't know. Lo mifregen the Urim V'Tumim. Not finished yet, rabosai. Aber vos hat es mit dem heart? Let's learn the Ramban. Says the Ramban that I believe, Veha'inyan hu. How does it work, the Urim V'Tumim? Zogt the Ramban that the Urim V'Tumim works. Ki lo hayah maaseh umin. This wasn't a maaseh umin. He says, so what? How does it work? Zogt the Ramban that it works, that the shemos hakedoshim, there were shemos in the Urim V'Tumim. And these sheimos needed to be read to understand what the sheimos are telling us, says the Ramban. And how does that work? Lev. Oh, here it is. Mikoicham yeilev hakohen tamim b'yedias inyan haosiyos she'iru le'einav. You have to read. Ramban says clearly that the lev of the kohen was able to read the osiyos of Kodesh, and immediately he understood what the osiyos are telling him about, the question about the future. What does the Ramban want about the lev? And the teretz, chabeis, is the taharah of the lev. When the lev is tahor, it sees, it's masig, it sees b'orei olam, it sees sheimos hakodesh. It's able to see ruchniyusdike zachin that you can't physically see. The Ramban says clearly, Aval hayu sham sheimos hakodesh acheirim nikraim tumim. Sheimos hakodesh. Mikoicham yeilev hakohen tamim. The kohen's heart had to be pure, and through that taharas halev... He was able to read and understand those osiyos. Now we're starting to understand. A tada mentsh mit zayn fiziksh, with his basa v'damdike koiches and machshavos, he don't understand how Moshe Rabbeinu was chosen. Avos, a mentsh is a mentsh, un es do a negius un a tracht. Ober amol, there's something called a leiv, vos is toher. It's beyond negius; it's tomim. It could see that the Ribono Shel Olam chooses, and this becomes the ratzon Hashem, and it becomes clear to him through the leiv. I'd like to use the words that the Zeidy used. Zeidy used the words, Arenet nisgetracht mit zayn das, arenet getracht mit zayn harts. And I've spoken to you about this many times, and I have many raayos to this. It's not for now, because I want to finish the point that I'm trying to bring out about the Choshen. Haleiv mevin. There's a certain thing called the leiv, and that leiv by a Yid is different than it is by a goy, and that's why a goy has no shaychus.

To understanding, a tzaddik can understand. It doesn't go. There's a lev tamim, there's a lev tahor. Lev tahor bara li Elokim, v'ruach nachon chadesh b'kirbi. That lev, rabosai, is b'koach to look at shemos hakodesh and understand. He's able to understand, b'gadlus achiv, that the Ribono Shel Olam chose him and not him. U'mimeila, he gives him the chesed. So this is all very nice Torah. It's emesa Torah. What's it negate to us? Let's talk about this l'maaseh. How does one achieve, we're not Aharon HaKohen and we're not Moshe Rabbeinu, so what is it that brings out this lev? How does it come? We all know that Aharon HaKohen was ohev shalom. He was a rodef shalom. He was ohev es habriyos. We're soon going to speak out from the Alter from Kelm that you want to know where the pure of lev comes from? You want to know where a rachav v'samach b'libo comes from? It's in the actions, rabosai. The maasim cause a person. The more he does it, the more he's oisek in actions of ahavas Yisrael and ahavas habriyos and redifas hashalom, those things cause that the heart should become healthier. See, today they tell you if you eat bread, and if you eat the chleizvas, ... and you eat oats, ... you'll have a healthy heart. Let me tell you about a healthy heart, okay? You want a healthy Jewish heart? This is how you do it, rabosai. Mitalmidav shel Aharon HaKohen. The Mishnah tells us how to do it: to be an ohev shalom, to be a rodef shalom. Then the heart starts becoming unclogged. You know, gashmiyusdike inyanim, and becomes sensitive and healthy and strong in inyanei ruchniyim, and it's not my vort, rabosai. Avada the theatrics around it is my vort, but the Alter from Kelm, the first few shmuzen, which is interesting, rabosai, later we'll get back to these shmuzen, finds it necessary to discuss noisei b'ol im chaveiro. That is, if you look at Reb Simcha Zissel, the Alter from Kelm, the beginning of his maamorim, it's all about noisei b'ol im chaveiro, and there's so much in there, mamash pages and pages of yesodos, and some of them we'll still quote. Aharon HaKohen achieved such a ahavah that mimeila him and his children were granted the zechus to bench Klal Yisrael, because they were able to be levarech es amcha Yisrael b'ahavah. I've told you before, but I believe that's the asher kidshanu b'kedushaso shel Aharon. What does the kedushaso shel Aharon, in sepashut, you mean? Kedushas kehunah. No. Asher kidshanu b'kedushaso shel Aharon v'tzivanu levarech es amcha Yisrael b'ahavah. That's kedushas Aharon, rabosai. Kedushas Aharon was that his lev was tahor in ahavah. That's d'asher kidshanu b'kedushaso shel Aharon. The kedushah of Aharon is, it's yivanu, and therefore he's metzuvah, levarech es Am Yisrael b'ahavah. And I believe it's also meduyak in the pasuk, rabosai. You know, the pasuk speaks all the time that Aharon should wear. The vernacular, the loshon could have been v'lavash, v'lavash Aharon, he should wear the Urim v'Tumim, v'lavash Aharon es mishpat Bnei Yisrael al libo, he should wear it. The pasuk stresses v'nasa. All the same loshon, v'nasa, v'nasa, he should nosei, he should carry it. And I believe that there's a muvdik yesod in this inyan of v'nasa, mitmachen, like nosei b'ol im chaveiro. Aharon carried the weight of Klal Yisrael. He carried their tzaros, he carried their inyanim. V'nasa, he carried it al libo. That's the lev of the Urim v'Tumim. And I believe it's meduyak in an interesting Even Ezra.

The Eben Ezra says, what is the mishpat bnei Yisrael? V'nasa Aharon es mishpat. What is mishpat? Says the Eben Ezra, he should carry the mishpat, tam mishpat, dinei Hashem. U'gzeirosav hu hasidos. We're talking about gezeiros. A mishpat could mean if there's a mishpat against Klal Yisrael. Mishpat bnei Yisrael, he's carrying that also. Aaron HaKohen carries with him Klal Yisrael. Aaron carries Klal Yisrael. There's a meyudik medrash talpios, a naf eifod. He speaks about how every part of the Choshen and the Urim V'Tumim was a segulah for a refuah. Every part, from not being able to have children and having a difficulty of children, and eyes and head and feet. It's a medrash talpios. And if you want even more of a detailed, almost like a doctor's health book guide, today they, oh, you can buy a book, a thousand pages about a vitamin. This helps, this helps, this helps. It helps you for this and for that, and then the third page contradicts the fourth page, that it helps you for, and it doesn't help you, and it helps you for this way and helps you that way, and that way therefore doesn't help you this way. You know how it works, okay, Baruch Hashem. Rabbeinu Bechaye has a detailed guide how the Urim V'Tumim helps for givis inyonim in machlas. Each part of the Urim V'Tumim, it's detailed. Look at the Rabbeinu Bechaye. It's a meyudik Rabbeinu Bechaye. And I understand that the pshat is— Because Aaron carried this with him. Aaron carries with him shmois Bnei Yisrael. Aaron carries mishpat Bnei Yisrael. Aaron carries Klal Yisrael with him. And it's interesting, the Ramban points out, it's a mefurash pasuk in Shmuel Aleph, perek chaf-gimmel, pasuk vav, Dovid HaMelech had a choshen, had his own choshen with the Urim V'Tumim. It's a mefurash pasuk, rabosai. The pasuk says clearly that it was brought to Dovid. Dovid had a... and the Ramban speaks about it. And the Ramban says that this was given over to Gedolei Yisrael, chachmei Yisrael, that they had the secret of the Urim V'Tumim. And I believe the pshat is very poshut: the melech, the king, was lev Yisrael. That was what the king is really meant for. He was the heart of Klal Yisrael. He carried Klal Yisrael with all its troubles and all its problems. Mimeila, he had this Urim V'Tumim, which was given to Aharon, which was to be the shmois Bnei Yisrael al libo. He also had this choshen. He also had this ephod. He was the melech Yisrael. And the melech Yisrael, his rabbeinu Gemara tells us clearly that Dovid HaMelech was proud that what was he oisek in all day. Let's talk Dovid HaMelech, the great Dovid HaMelech. Ani yadi meluchleches b'dam uv'shilya k'dei l'taher ishah l'baalah. He was busy with it. Chazal tell us that every morning they would come in and ask Dovid HaMelech, Amcha Yisrael tzrichin parnassah. Every morning, you know, they talk about the cabinet that they report back to the president, right? I'd like to know how many days they report back to the president. I want to know that. Is it between golf sessions? Is it between flights overseas for Chavezvas mitutartim? I want to know. It says, Kol yom v'yom, boys, and I always wondered. I said, What's pshat, kol yom v'yom, every day? The Gemara says every single day they do this. They walked into Dovid HaMelech and they say, Amcha Yisrael tzrichim parnassah. You are the lev of Klal Yisrael. It's your achrayus to be noisei b'ol. Tell me, what's the solution? Every day. Does it change from minute to minute? And I always never understood. The answer is the same every day. L'chu parnasa zu mizu. Yaakov broke a record player. This is parnasa zu mizu. I asked this kasha as a child to my zeide. Truthfully, I never got a straight answer. I don't understand it. But the most I could say today, as I grew up, I was starting to understand, it was to remind the melech, that's what his job is. You should know, Amcha Yisrael, that's what you have to think.

About from morning to night. This is what every day, regardless if there's a change or there's not a change. This is Melech Yisrael, because Melech Yisrael is lev kol ha'am, and that was his responsibility. The lessons, rabosai, and then we'll get to the Alter from Kelm, and then we'll get to Hashgacha Ma'isa. Trust me, I know what the agenda has to be, the menu. I know the menu. I can get away with 25 minutes of Torah. If at the end I stick in a shtikel Reb Yerucham and a sheinem ma'aseh from zeiden zichrono livracha, a piece of history. Okay. To me, there are shmuzen here from the Alter from Kelm, which are yesodei yesodos, an eye-opening to the utmost. And again, I asked the oilam, there's no time, but you should take out, chachma, musar, the beginning, and read the first 10, 12 pages, six, seven shmuzen. It's all about nosei b'ol im chaveiro, how a Yid is supposed to be nosei. Like I told you the loshon, v'nasa ha'aron al libo shmois, mishpat, v'haya al libo. It's supposed to be al libo constantly. Says the Alter from Kelm, v'hinei lavoi—this is in page aleph, it's the first part of the shmues, and I'm going to take out pieces and parts because it's a chiddush nifla to me—v'hinei lavoi l'ma'alas nosei b'ol im chaveiro אי אפשר. A person can never reach this, rak acharei sheyisragel harbeh b'ahavas chaveirim. V'maaseh uv'machshavah. It takes work to be a real nosei b'ol im chaveiro. You can't just be moved by a story and feel bad when somebody tells you something that, that—no, you gotta work on it. It takes preparation. It takes years of taharas halev. It takes years of a racha, someach b'libo, to have a ahavah, to care, and then you can be a nosei b'ol im chaveiro. Later on in the shmues, this is on page daled, take out another line here from the Alter from Kelm: V'al kein, mi shemargish ba'amidah zo, shomer nafsho, yilmod tamid mussar al zeh. We have to learn mussar about this topic. Uvifrat, b'nosei b'ol. Says the Alter from Kelm, asher hi olah al kol hama'alos. This to him is greater than all other ma'alos. And here I quote to you at the end of that shmues: V'hanirah, ki hi l'maalah miv'ahavta l'reiacha kamocha. The words of the Alter from Kelm, rabosai. I grew up that it's like a rishon, the Alter from Kelm. We learned—my zeide learned it with me and taught it to me, and through the yeshivas that I went to, the words of the Alter from Kelm were learned mamash like the yesodei yesodos of mussar. He says clearly, V'hanirah, ki hi l'maalah miv'ahavta l'reiacha kamocha. Why? Ki hi b'maaseh gam kein. V'ahavta l'reiacha kamocha, you love. Ora, rabosai, there's a whole goyish world. Talks about love. It's all religion-based on it. And I'm not going to start telling you about that religion. You know, anybody who knows, knows. If you don't know, I'm sorry, better off than not knowing, efshar. Love, love, love, love. It's all about love, love, love, love, love. Okay. Love till l'maaseh. There's no l'maaseh in that love, you see. Maaseh. To be able to be a noisei b'ol im chaveiro b'maaseh. I would like to just tell you one more thing from the Alter from Kelm. Zogt Alter from Kelm, yesod: This will bring the geulah, and only this. First words in the Alter from Kelm. Heilanu seder hageulah, says the Alter. The Torah teaches us through neshmos, seder hageulah. This is how geulah comes. It begins with nosei b'ol im Moshe Rabbeinu for his brothers. It continues with the sneh. You see, we always understood, rabosai, that it's to bring out the gadlus of Moshe Rabbeinu. The Alter learns, no, it's about geulah. This is the seder, he says, of geulah. It begins with nosei b'ol im chaveiro. It continues with the makkas...

Emunah. And he says, Kavyochol hamshaleach b'sneh, the Eibishter with the sneh, v'hashliach b'hergeloi. And the shliach, with the way he was fearing zich, noisa b'olam chaveiroi, Moshe Rabbeinu, the sheep, the bricks. And then he continues, v'achar kach schus emunah. Then Klal Yisroel has to begin to work on emunah and use that zechus, and then comes the geulah. And then he ends off, Niskeh, v'hinei geulas Mitzrayim siman l'geulah ha'asidah. And this is a siman how the final geulah will come. It begins with noisa b'olam chaveiroi, emunah. Niskeh l'hachin atzmeinu k'seder hazeh, v'tov lanu b'zeh b'voa minyei. Rabosai, noisa b'olam chaveiroi, geulah. That's how we want geulah, and here you get your beautiful ... Rabosai. My zeh, there was a tremendous noisa b'olam chaveiroi. That's, you know, I've been asked many times, why do I only talk about bein adam l'chaveiroi and lev and hergeshim and ahavas Yisroel? That's what I saw at home. What should I do? I basically heard that as much, addressed as maybe even more than just sitting and learning, which was a davar pashut in Lit, I think. Plus, my bubbie used to say, I mean, Vos elst vus ta tun? ... she used to tell me that hashtap is besser vos ta tun. I mean, she was like, you know, in the group in Lit, you have to learn, so. But the talk was always middos and middos and middos and middos and middos, right to middos. Zeide was from the heads of Vaad Hatzalah when he came here. All the books, if you read anything about Vaad Hatzalah and Shanchai and there, he was mamish. He even marched on to Washington. He spoke to the Secretary of State, Hutchison. One day I'll tell you about it. There are pictures of him and Georgie Klein speaking to Dean Hutchison, the Secretary of State. Visas and visas and helping Vaad Hatzalah. When my Zeide came, he was actually on the first boat out. Till today, my father always talks about General Migs was the name of the boat, the first boat to leave Shanghai. Who did they send? They sent all the maritz, which was not much from the Mir Yeshiva, all the maritz, and my Zeide. And why did they send my Zeide? Because they knew, besiyata dishmaya, that he'll come and ready to America and evet shein. And as a matter of fact, I even have a cutout from an article that was printed in the newspapers in Shanghai. There was a Yiddish newspaper printed in Shanghai. Even believe me, they were there for a few years. They had already had a— it was a full life they made over there, with all the troubles and all the poverty. Managed there were no dinei Torah there. Plenty of the psak dinim of those dinei Torah as well. It is what it is. I think in the Midbar we find that they came to Moshe Rabbeinu with dinei Torah. I can't imagine what they were fighting over, but al kol panim it's possible. So in that paper, my Zeide writes that he's leaving Shanghai and he's saying goodbye to everyone, and he's promising that anyone who needs any help should call on him, and he's leaving and this is what he's going to America. And he says goodbye to the Shanghai oilam with this. I have a letter that my zeide wrote to Reb Chaim Shmulevitz a year after arrival here in America. Reb Chaim was still in Shanghai. Reb Chaim was the last one to leave. I have this letter as well, where Reb Chaim writes, Ani ha'achron livnei Torah. I still have that letter. My zeide writes to him, and he writes back to my zeide that he wants a visa, and he still hasn't gotten his visa to leave yet. Ani ha'achron livnei Torah. I'm the last ben Torah to leave, which means—and the way I heard this from my zeide—Reb Chaim made sure everyone else went first, and then Reb Chaim went himself. Made sure everyone went first. I have this letter, rabosai, if anyone wants, I can show it to you, and it's part of the history, but I have it, okay? I have it in my hand. The letter to my zeide, and it's been printed in a few places. I think in the hasrachah de-Pasi Kedem you'll find this letter already written, Vani hu ha'achron livnei Torah. My father till today tells me that as General Migs, the boat left.

He says it's something he'll never forget. The Mir Yeshiva, the oilam, together with Reb Chaim Shmulevitz, went to the docks to say goodbye. And my father explained to me then, we never knew if they would see each other again. It was war. It was, you know, it came to the Naye Medina. Nobody knew what the future is, so it was mamash pirud achim. It was saying goodbye. Told me that the yeshiva, the Mir Yeshiva, b'roshom Reb Chaim, came to the dock and they sang Ani Maamin. Told me as the boat left, the bechiyos of Ani Maamin was so strong on both sides, on the people at the dock and the people on the boat. He said they cried and cried till they couldn't hear each other anymore. It was so loud, the bechiyos and the screaming. This was Shanghai, okay? When my zeide came to America, he right away was taken as a Rosh Yeshiva. He had a very, very nice job. There was a yeshiva in the Bronx called the Havas Torah. Beautiful, beautiful yeshiva. Reb Dick was the menahel. Reb Yerucham Gorelick was, I think, the maggid shiur at the place. I have all the stationery and all the information. I even know how much they were paying him then. You can buy a supper with it, okay? I got it all, all right? And I have a letter which he writes to him within a year that he's giving up the job, even though it's a beautiful job. And he writes with the following words: How can I sleep at night knowing that the oilam is still in Shanghai? They have no way to come back. He's giving up his job. He's putting himself completely into vadatzalah to getting visas. Rabosai, is it shanchai? Probably. Is it what the world that they saw? I'm sure. But this is the Yidden that once were not too long ago. It's not that long ago, rabosai. And if I may, I will share with you a story that I experienced this week as well. Everyone knows Chai Lifeline. It's a tremendous thing. They have bachrim. I've told you about them, the way they go back and forth. My son tells me, my son, my second son—actually my third son—tells me that he was staying with his brother, and he tells me that so-and-so, one of the bachrim that work for Chai Lifeline, is going to stay with him that night, Sunday night, for a few hours, and then he's heading back to Lakewood at about ten o'clock. You could probably figure out why the ten o'clock. Okay, that already was... The American bachrim here know what was Sunday till ten o'clock. Okay, okay, you got it, okay? Right? Why are you laughing? You don't know what I'm talking about, okay. You don't know what I'm talking about. It's okay. I have very little knowledge in it also, but I learned quickly, okay? There was a big event and it was over, be'erach, about ten, so he's heading back at ten o'clock, all right? The next morning, the snow, rabosai, right? So my son tells me that he's stuck there because of the snow, but it's okay because so-and-so... Is here with him and he'll take him back. I said, so-and-so, I thought he's leaving at ten o'clock. What happened? It went a little later, the inyan? The inyan went a little later? Did the party afterwards go a little later? What was the— My son says, no. He traveled back to Lakewood, and he heard that there's somebody there that the parents can't make it for the night to sleep with them. So he traveled right back. He was in Lakewood. He traveled right back. And the next morning he was there with him. This is bachurlach Yiddishe kind. This is lev. This is the lev of Klal Yisroel, which no goy in the world could understand. No goy can verstehen this בכלל. ... hamtoma gedolim hu lefshan chai, hamtoma ikvei hatzon amongst us. This is kedusha, rabosai, kedusha. This is kedusha, to be noisef b'olam chaveiroi. That is b'zechus, like the Alter tells us, that the geulah will come with this seder, emunah and noisef b'olam chaveiroi, ... bimheira b'yameinu, bvias hagoel. You've just experienced another Torah.

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