Vayechi: Yaakov’s Words to Reuven, Ein Mazal L’Yisrael, and the Power of Mitzvos

Transcript

Parshas Vayechi, we have Birchas Yaakov, the brachos of Yaakov Avinu giving the shevat, the shivtei Kah. When it comes to Reuven, Yaakov Avinu gives an introduction to the bracha, tochacha, so-called bracha tochacha, of Reuven. He begins, if you look in perek mem tes, pasuk gimmel, Reuven bechori atah. Reuven, you are my bechor. Kochi v'reishis oni. You are my bechor, but it doesn't suffice just to say you are my bechor. He stresses, kochi v'reishis oni. Says Rashi that tipah rishonah, that Reuven was born from the first seed of Yaakov, which means shelo kara keri miyamav. Yaakov never saw keri, which means he never lost any semen, any seed, before Reuven. The Chaim HaKadosh asks an interesting she'eilah: why is it so important for Reuven to know this? Why is Reuven, and for that matter, l'cheira we could ask the question of the Chaim, Klal Yisroel for future generations has to know. That's from Tiperishayna. What's the point? Are we trying to bring out Gadlus Yaakov Avinu, that loira kari miyamav? It's hard to understand why he would be here now, in the Birchas Yaakov, that it should be pointed out. It would also be difficult that Yaakov himself would be telling this to his children, that what, that I never saw Keri miyamai? I mean, what exactly is the point behind telling Reuven that you're reishis oni? Why do you get kasher? The Chaim HaKadosh. Here, rabosai, a shaila, a very nice shaila. Forgive me for repeating it. There are those that are still coming in, so we'll just repeat it one more time. The question is, Yaakov Avinu gives an introduction to birchas, or let's call it tochachas Reuven, that Reuven bechori atah, reishis kochi v'reishis oni. And Rashi explains, what's this reishis kochi v'reishis oni? What does it mean? Tiperishayna, never lost any seed before, any seed before. The question is, why is he telling him this? What's the point of telling this to Reuven? L'choira, it's trying to bring out Gadlus Yaakov, that the greatness of Yaakov was loira kari miyamav. It's difficult to understand Yaakov telling this to his children. And why here? It's an interesting ha'arah. Rabosai, there's a pelladik Or HaChaim HaKadosh over here. Pelladik, pelladik. And there's a lot to be learned from this Or HaChaim HaKadosh. The Chaim HaKadosh explains that there are actually three entities in this world. And I'm going to quote the leshonos of the Or HaChaim, A, because I don't want to misquote him, and B, because it's very eloquent, the lashon of the Or HaChaim. Says the Or HaChaim, davar yadua hu, it's known, ki kol ruchniyus sheba'olam mischalek l'gimel bechinos. Any life, living in this world, is divided into three bechinos, echad kedushah, echad chol, the echad ra. All living forms have in it three bechinos, three aspects. They have kedushah, they have chol, and they also have a part of bad. And each one gives off, so to speak, its fruit. V'chol achas mashloshes toitzi anafeha v'tis'avel b'chinaso, and it tries to bring its...

Aspect. Kedusha tries to bring kedusha. It will be mashpia; it will grow fruit, yafriach. And fiatois, chol will bring out chol, eating, drinking, and ra will bring out aveirah. So within the person, or as for that matter all living things, these three things are joined together in unity. And m'meila, a person has in himself a netiyah to kedusha. He tries to do things which are even goyim. That doesn't exclude goyim. They also have a netiyah to do good in this world, because since it is created as a living thing, and all living things have a netiyah to kedusha, so they also have a netiyah to kedusha. They have an aspiration for holy things. They also have an aspiration for chol, people want to eat and drink. Nothing wrong with that, says the Aruch HaChaim. And then there's the aspiration to do good, which we all have within ourselves, which we call in our lashon, as they say in mama lashon, yetzer hara. Everything and everybody has a yetzer hara. Explains the Aruch HaChaim HaKadosh that the more the person embellishes, the more the person invokes within himself one of these three things, his offspring will be of that bechinah, of that aspect. A person who fills his heart with inyanei kedusha, he'll radiate and he will generate kedusha. Ad kedei kach, that the children that will be born from him will have kedushah. For example, we find that the traits of parents are in the children. Why? Because since the parent is complete in this trait, this becomes who he is, he gives off that into the children. So too says the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, the machshavos, the thoughts of a person when he lives with somebody, with a wife, will have a direct effect to who and what the child will be. Because he radiates, and he gives off this koach of who he is into the child. Says the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, Chazal tell us, the Zohar, that the reason why Yosef was the bechor was because when he lived with Leah, thinking that it was Rachel, with my mouth and speech, it's with the wax in the ears. It could be a wax problem, nothing personal, not you. With Leah, thinking that it was Rachel, meila, his kavanah was for what? That Yosef, the child that will be born, will be the bechor. Says the Zohar, that's why he was the bechor. He instilled into Yosef bechor. You understand what's going on over here? Yosef got the bechor. The question is, how he got the bechor? He wasn't the bechor. The answer is because his kavanah, Yaakov was for that. Says the Aruch HaChaim, the kavonos, says Zohar, holy Zohar, the kavonos create the mesius. Because if you live chai ishus, thinking holy things, the children will be holy. If you live chai ishus thinking lowly, not holy but lowly things, that's going to be the offspring. Says the Aruch HaChaim HaKadosh, Reuven, what was your aveirah? Bilbel yetzuei aviv. The Torah calls this a chisaron in tznius, to say the least. Torah calls it worse. Vayishkav... Torah calls it znus, so let's polish it, say a chisaron in tznius. Says Yaakov to you, maybe it's because of me, because when I was molid you, when I gave conception to you, I had a chisaron in my machshavos, in these inyanim. Therefore I tell you, Reuven, bechori atah, kochi v'reishis oni, I'm pure. It has nothing to do with me. Yetzer seif, the yetzer hara, pachas kamayim al toyser. You're an Aruch HaChaim HaKadosh, pili ployim, pili ployim. Reuven, I'm giving you mussar for a bad trait that you have. You'll turn around and say—

But you can hear, whose son am I? Whose child am I? Says Yaakov, it doesn't come from me. Derech Chaim even goes to explain, how could it be that the avos had children like Yishmael and Esav? If kedushah is only ma'alos kedushah, and of course the teretz is, there's Terach lurking in the background. There's Terach in the wings to take blame for the children. There is Lavan. There's Rishayim also that had, what do we call that background here also. Meila, you had Yishmael, and meila you had what? You had Esav. And avadah, מצד Yaakov, and מצד Yitzchak, and מצד Avraham, only kedushah was instilled into the children. So says the Orach Chaim HaKadosh. Now, rabosai, I'd like to give a little different understanding to the inyan of Pachas kamayim, based on kochi v'reshes oni, the introduction that Ruvain is given about Yaakov's kedushah, and that would also explain, could be along the lines of the Orach Chaim, with a little different understanding. And with this we'll go into the sugya that I think you all would appreciate: Ein mazal l'Yisrael. How much does mazal play in a person's life as a whole, in his children in particular? And then we'll have a good understanding of what the pasuk means, kochi v'otzem yadi, only in the introduction that was given. I see the smiles. Obviously I touched on a topic that everybody's excited about. I hope you're still excited at the end of the shiur. Because you gotta thank God when you're gonna walk out of here in the olamos, olyonim, mazal, and ruchniyus, and malachim, and shedim, and gilgulim, ad mosai. You're in for a treat, or you're in for a very big enlightenment. Chazal tell us, Bonei chayim, mezonei, b'mazla talya. Mazal. Mazal dictates children, it dictates life, and it dictates parnassah. Now, when you read the Gemara, you can come and say that it means just having children, having life, and also it means having parnassah. But how the children will be, how the life will be, and how the parnassah will come about, that's not mazal. That could be already not dictated by mazal. But we could come and say that actually, you know what the Gemara is trying to say? Everything in life is dictated by mazal, because bonei chayim, mezonei, in a roundabout way is everything: a person's children and everything that goes into that, a person's life and everything that goes into that, and a person's parnassah and everything that it entails is basically a person's entire life. Which I believe is the pshat of the Gemara. I think the Gemara doesn't mean just onee having a child is mazel. Children is mazel. Child rearing is mazel. Life is all about mazel. Parnassah, everything about it entails mazel. So the question is, the Gemara, Mesechta Shabbos, daf kuf nun-vav, where the Gemara brings a machlokes if yesh mazel l'Yisrael. I quote you the Gemara. The Gemara says like this, kuf nun-vav amud aleph, Itmar, Rav Chanina omer. Rav Chanina says... we'll get there. That's part of what we're going to learn today. Says the Gemara, now for all of us that are not so interested in that type of topic, you know that it's going to be not only about that, and maybe not at all about that. It's actually about very strong mussar and hadrachah in life this year in this topic. So itmar, Rav Chanina omer, Rav Chanina says, Mazel! Mazel even makes you smart. You hear? I would say mazel is about things that happen in life. A person's thinking, how he thinks, if he's smart or not, it's also mazel. Mazel machkim.

Mazal masha, yesh mazal לישראל. And you should know that Klal Yisroel also has mazal. רבי יוחנן אמר, רבי יוחנן says, חטא שם, אין מזל לישראל. Klal Yisroel is not about mazal. אזל רבי יוחנן לטעמיה. Rabbi Yochanan goes according to his reasoning. דאמר רבי יוחנן, מניין שאין מזל לישראל? How do you know that there’s no mazal for Klal Yisroel? And the Gemara brings pesukim: ולא יכתבו ולא ישראל. And Rav also holds like that, says the Gemara, אין מזל לישראל. The raya from Avraham Avinu. Hashem takes Avraham Avinu and He shows him the stars, and according to the stars, what is this? Your mazal is not to have children. צא החוצה, go out of the stars, go out of the astrology, and you’ll have children. אין מזל לישראל. There’s a stira here. According to the man d’amar that paskens אין מזל לישראל, and pashtus, rov Rishonim take on that Klal Yisroel has no mazal, so how could we turn around and say, בני, חיי ומזוני is b’mazal talya? Many get kashas. Many have asked it. I saw the Maharal on this sugya asked this kasha. If אין מזל לישראל, what do you do with those sugyas? What do you do with the Gemara that says it’s all b’mazal talya? So the answer is, we can give a very simple answer. I found Rabbeinu Bechaya explains an interesting pasuk in Devarim. The pasuk says, וזכרת את ה׳. You should remember Hashem, כי הוא הנותן לך כח לעשות חיל, that He’s the one that gives you power to win wars. What's the pasuk? Vecharta baShem, you should remember Hashem. The pashut pshat in the pasuk is, when a person wins, he forgets Hashem. They say there's no atheists in the foxholes. What happens? Everybody, when he goes to war, right away, God and Hashem and help me. And then when he comes back from war, you know, all right, there was a lot of also experience involved, strategy involved. You know, you start chopping away at the nes of the Rabbeinu Shlolem until you forget Him completely. You forgot because, Rabbeinu, You even did such big miracles. So the pasuk is saying, Vecharta baShem, ki Hu hanosein lecha koach laasos chayil. Rabbeinu Chayim says that's not what the pasuk is trying to tell us. What the pasuk is trying to tell us is, Vecharta baShem, that it's not mashma it was Hashem who was doing it. You're going to come and say it was luck. Vecharta baShem. Rabbeinu Bechaye: shemimenu levad yagia lecha kol hatov, ki Hu hanosein lecha koach laasos chayil. He gives you power to do chayil, to do war. But Rabbeinu Bechaye goes one step further in translating this pasuk, and it teaches us a tremendous yesod. It's not only, as you'll soon see, to say that you're not, about mazal, that the Rabbeinu Shlolem runs your affairs, but ki Hu hanosein lecha koach laasos chayil. He gives the koach hamazal in your hand. You listening? I want you all to focus on the following statement. If anybody talks about sorcery, say, I am a sorcerer. Say that. It's an exercise. I do witchcraft. Say it. Say, I do witchcraft. What are we talking about? Chas v'shalom. I do sorcery, I do... Okay, so let me read you a little bit about the next few words that are made of the Chai. You ready? Kilomar, hu masar b'yadcha koach hamazalos. Hashem gives you the power of the mazal. Shebara la'asos chayil l'matah. That means He gives you chayil, strength, down here to be a sorcerer. I don't even know if that's the right word, but to play with the mazalos. You listening? V'hu hislitcha aleihem. Not that there's no mazal doesn't have effect on a Jew. The opposite. The Jew has effect on the mazal. Hu hislitcha aleihem. You have power over them. You can sit there and play with the mazalos. U'kemo she'amru Chazal, Ein mazal l'Yisrael. You hear? He's explaining the Gemara of Ein mazal l'Yisrael. The... Shabbos קנו... that it means that you...

have power over them. They don't have power over you. Pashtai mazlei, throw meat, what? They don't have power over you. More than that, says Rabbeinu Bechaya. Ki hu hanosen lecha — not only does a chartes Hashem let Hashem and not mazal, the opposite. Ki hu hanosen lecha koach la'asos chayil. He gave the mazalot to you to be in charge. You're in charge over the mazalot. V'zeh she'amar l'Avraham, hakem es brisi asher nisbalti imecha, ki chen hiftiach l'Avraham, because this is a promise that He gave as a bris, as a treaty to Avraham Avinu, kol zar'o lemaalah min hamazalot. You have the expression, you're above the mazal. So you think that the word above the mazal means it doesn't have an effect on me, I'm above it. The truth is, it means more than that, and that's what we have the uniqueness of the Rishonim. Lemaalah means you're on top. You're the boss over the mazalot. Did you know this stuff? You guys are all mazal sorcerers. I know you guys. In private, you walk around with white turbans as walking Kabbalists. Did you know this? This is the basic stuff from the Rishonim. True. How do you know that we're above mazal? Did you know that the word above doesn't mean that it has no effect on me? It means you're literally above it. You're the boss and they're underneath, they're the subordinates. V'hu shedarshu Chazal, and that's what Chazal say, Vayotzi osa hachutza, ein omer habeit ela milmaalah lematah, melamed shegbiaho lemaalah min hamazalot. Doesn't mean, look, habeit ela milmaalah lematah, melamed... Where he told him, he took him above the masel, and he told him, Look down on the masel. פירוש, yeah? Yeah, I see he's learning the pasuk also. וַיּוֹצֵאוֹ הַחוּצָה, וַיֹּאמֶר הַבֶּט נָא הַשָּׁמַיִמָה. אין אומר הבט אלא מלמעלה למטה. He's saying that the word habet, whenever you say habet, it means from top down. I'll give you an example. Habet na mi-shamayim. We ask Hashem, look down from heaven. The word habet is not to look. The word is to look what? Down. You know, I'll tell you, remember we have a Gemara that says, habata b'hefker? Remember the sugya of habata b'hefker? It's koneh if it's not koneh. What is the case? You're looking down at the product hefker that's on the floor. The word habet, says the Rabbeinu Bechaye, is when you look down. So when he tells Avraham, look down at the stars, why? Because he what? He put them above him. He had to look down. Habet na mi-shamayim. And he says that you're l'maalah min ha-mazel. Then the Rabbeinu Bechaye says an interesting yesod. The pasuk is not referring to the individual. V'zocharta, even though it's lashon yachid, v'zocharta, he says the pesukim talk like this. Zocharta is you, not v'zocharchem, but all the pesukim referring to Klal Yisrael as a whole speaks what? This zocharto. Why? Says Rabbeinu Bechaye, because even if there's such a yesod of ein mazal l'Yisrael, it's only for the rabim and not the yachid. Klal Yisrael is l'maalah min hamazal, but the yachid is not l'maalah min hamazal. Comes the Meshech Chochmah in Parshas Lech Lecha, and he says, Ay, you asked Avraham Avinu. Hashem was talking to Avraham Avinu about having children. Says the Meshech Chochmah, but it was about having his Klal Yisrael children; it was the rabim. Therefore, even though it was spoken to Avraham Avinu that you're l'maalah min hamazal, what is it? It's for Klal Yisrael; it's l'maalah min hamazal. And Avraham doesn't represent an individual. Avraham takes on what? The form of rabim. This is the Meshech Chochmah. So, we could turn around and say that's maybe pshat in the Gemara: ein mazal l'Yisrael is true. The Gemara says, Banai, chayei u'mezonei talui b'mazal; it's not a stirah. Why? Ha b'rabim, ha b'yachid. It depends. When the Gemara says ein mazal l'Yisrael, Rabbeinu Bechaye and the Meshech Chochmah, they will explain it means the klal. This that the Gemara says, Banai, chayei u'mezonei, that it's b'mazal talya, we could say is what? Individual.

Now, I want to tell you more. I want to tell you more. There's an interesting pshat I heard from my grandfather zatzal. You with me? You with me so far? Not so? On one hand, children, everything is totally to mazel. On the other hand, we pasken ein mazal l'Yisrael. So I'm a s'tirah: that Gemara, ein mazal l'Yisrael, is the rabim. But by the yachid, maybe it is mazal l'Yisrael. Now, let me show you a little bit more, because there are other answers to this question of ein mazal l'Yisrael. And let me begin with a pshat I heard from my grandfather zatzal. Yosef and Yankev are considered father and son. We know this? No, but there's more. Chazal tell us not only father and son, but they were connected as father and son, that everything that happened to Yaakov happened to Yosef. Yeah? Eileh toldos Yaakov, Yosef, says Rashi b'neimen the Chazal, kol ma she'ira lazeh, ira lazeh. Now, if you look at the Rashi, he quotes different scenarios that happened to Yaakov and happened to Yosef: this one, his brothers hated him, and this one, his brothers hated him. But the truth is, this is an abridged version of a Midrash that brings a much bigger list. If you look at the Midrash, there's more to the list of things that happened to Yaakov and that happened to Yosef as well. One of those things on that list is that they both married women from Chutz Laaretz. They both married women from out of Eretz Yisrael. So my zeide zatzal asked, you know, you want to come and say this one, his brothers hated him, and this one, his brothers hated him. Okay. You could see a comparison, but to say a comparison between two people, that they both married women from America or from a place from a different country, that makes two people the same? A place? Do you know we have all in common the same thing, that we're both married to women from... Well, Mike, you can't say that, because I did a little trick. I went to France. But all right, but that's not the point. You understand that you can't compare people based on who they married from the country that they married from. What's the significance of zenos isha v'zenos isha? My zeide, zecher tzaddik livrachah, gave a beautiful pshat. He says like this: The Gemara in Sotah tells us that zivugim are al pi mazal. Says the Gemara, that's only zivug rishon. Zivug sheini is al pi ma'aseh. The second marriage that a person has to do, that's according to his actions already. Now, pshat is very simple. Every person is born with a diktat—I don't know if that's the right word—but al kol panim, it's already predestined for him a wife. That's what we call, let's say, mazal. ... it was already decided on. Now, if something happened, he has to remarry a second time, so now it's lefi ma'asav, the way he has to behave, so he will get a wife. This, l'choirah, is the pashtus of the Gemara, the way I understand the Gemara. Grandfather quotes from Teshuvas Beis Hillel, the early kadmonim, that the Gemara is only referring to Eretz Yisrael, but in Chutz La'aretz, even zivug rishon is al pi ma'asav, not al pi mazal. And a chinam in Eretz Yisrael... Zevik rishon is al pi ma'aseh, but zevik sheini is al pi ma'aseh. In Chutz La'aretz, it's not like that, that even zevik rishon is al pi ma'aseh. He explains that the Gemara says in Bava Basra that under a chasanah, they used to ask the chassan—what they used to ask? The marava amri, in Eretz Yisrael they would say, matza or motza. Matza isha, mar mimaves—bad, he finds the wife bad. Or motza isha, matza tov—excuse me, motza isha, matza tov. Or motza ani es isha mar mimaves, which means good wife, bad wife. The truth is, I don't know how he would know already under the chuppah. I mean, in the old days, till the chuppah, they didn't know each other. And under the chuppah, right by the chasnah, I mean, I don't know how much you could know already. I say the one said a gevaldige pshat: hamechtes samach re'im ahuvim. How could you say—today they date for hours, for years and months before, they know. You could say that they were re'im before they walked into the chuppah. They knew each other, friends. But in the times of Chazal, they weren't re'im ahuvim under the chuppah; they knew each other.

We go ahead. The families, re'im ahuvim. The families are re'im ahuvim; they were friends. Al kol panim, the question is, how would he know under the chuppah? I don't know. Matzah, ... how would, in such a short period of time? Al kol panim, al kol panim, the question is, why the Marov? The Marov amri in Eretz Yisrael, they used to ask this question: why only in Eretz Yisrael? It's a good question to ask. Why don't they ask this question in Chutz La'aretz? Eretz is like the ... because in Eretz Yisrael, ... You have to ask him. But in Chutz La'aretz, since it's ... so there's nothing to ask. You know the chassan; he's a good person, ... Whatever the chassan will be, you know that it's pashut. There's nothing to ask in Eretz Yisrael; it's ... and since it's ... not befreggen, okay. The megillah. This is the pshat when it says, V'zenos ish miChutz La'aretz, v'zenos ish miChutz La'aretz. They both married—not that they married a Chutz La'aretz; it's who they married in Chutz La'aretz. Yaakov Avinu married the imahos, and Yosef married also—that was my mitzvah—in Chutz La'aretz. Hagan in Chutz La'aretz al pi ma'asim. You see that that's the connection. That's the kesher between Yaakov and Yosef in this nekudah: who they married, shiftei Kah, when they were ma'amin in Chutz La'aretz, women who were able to be ma'amin shivtei Kah. This is the gadlus, the greatness, uniqueness of zenos ish miChutz La'aretz, v'zenos ish miChutz La'aretz. Rabosai, it's all very nice, but what do I have from this halachah l'maaseh, that the zivug... Of Eretz Yisroel is al pi ma'aseh. When you leave חוץ לארץ, is al pi ma'aseh. The sevara is hafuch, l'cho'orah. In Eretz Yisroel there's hashgacha pratis. Ein Hashem ba mitechilas hashanah ad acharis hashanah. And Chazal tell us there's a special hashgacha pratis in Eretz Yisroel. It's a point in Eretz Yisroel that's al pi ma'aseh, and in חוץ לארץ, which is mostly mazal, mostly teva, it's dictated by not a special and unique hashgacha pratis. There it's al pi ma'aseh. There it's with hashgacha more than in Eretz Yisroel. It tells like a teshuvah. If anything, it should be the other way around, leaving the vertical alone, but the yesod for the teshuvah is. How do you understand that in Eretz Yisroel it's al pi ma'aseh, and in חוץ לארץ it's al pi ma'aseh? I'll tell you what I think the teretz, rabosai, could be. The Maharal gives a different teretz to the kasha I asked you. I asked you a question: ba nechayeh mezonos. Is b'mazal talya? A mefuresh Gemara. If the Gemara in Shabbos in kuf nun-vav says, Ein mazal l'Yisroel — good, there's a machlokes, but we pasken ein mazal l'Yisroel. So one teretz I tell you is that the Gemara of ein mazal l'Yisroel is b'rabim, as they state that רבי מאיר, רבי חייא, many Rishonim. Maharal says a different pshat. Maharal says, you don't understand what ein mazal l'Yisroel. Ein mazal l'Yisroel means it's not that there's no mazal. Ein mazal l'Yisroel means it can be changed by ma'aseh hamitzvah that you do. You do mitzvos, and meileh that becomes your mazal. He uses an interesting lashon in the Maharal. He doesn't say that there is no mazel. He's mashkim that there's mazel. So even ein mazel l'Yisrael is a taich, not that there's no mazel, because you could wave it off with kiyum hamitzvos. The lashon of the Maharal is that that makes you mazel. Here, peirush. You know, rabosai, I'm not one to be metayek in the Maharal. You've never even heard me done this before. But if you see the Maharal is saying meyudik pshat over here, meyudik a taich. You know what the Maharal is saying? There ain't mazel l'Yisrael. Peirush, she'efshar lachria es hamazal al yedei mitzvos. You could force the mazel. You see from the Rishonim the same nekudah, but from a different angle. Rabbeinu Bechayei is learning you could force the mazel because you're the boss over the mazel. Remember the Rabbeinu Bechayei? You're on top of the mazel. You're l'maalah min hamazel. You dictate mazel. But what? Because that was haftachah, says Rabbeinu Avinu. Maharal is saying a little differently, but the same nekudah, that you could force the mazel. So if ein mazel l'Yisrael doesn't mean what? Ein mazel, that it doesn't exist. There is mazel. But the kiyum hamitzvos that you do is machria the mazel. And he says, af she...

Eino mispalel klal. Even if you don't daven, says the Maharal, why? Tefillah vadai changes the mazal. I don't need to come and teach me that I could be mispallel and override mazal. Af she'eino mispalel klal. You hear, Maharal? Avada, we know tefillah breaks through everything in this world that comes against us. That's not a chiddush, says the Maharal. I don't need to say in mazal Yisrael because it's tefillah, which, by the way, many Rishonim do say. What does the Maharal? The Zohar always knows, yeah, אין מזל לישראל, but if you daven, you can override it. Says Maharal, if you don't daven, you can override it. Afilu lo mispalel, even if he doesn't daven, נפח על ידי מצות, על ידי תפילה דאורייתא דמייל. Why? דהוא יתברך יעשה מה שירצה בשמים ובארץ. You know what the Maharal is saying? Tefillah wavers the mazal. The Eibishter runs His world and He does what He wants. Mitzvos change the mazal, but it still works with mazal. You'll have a mazal. You'll have a good mazal. What do you think, Maharal? You're listening to this? If not, I'm going to stick it into your ear, into your—I'll email it into the ear. You hear, Maharal? We know that אין מזל לישראל means I could daven, the Ribono Shel Olam will say, forget the mazal. But it's more than that. Even if you don't daven, but if you mekayem mitzvos, you're machria, you force the mazal in a certain way. The mazal is there. But you, you change the course of the mazel. Oy, basai. You have a very nice teretz. It's true, ein mazal l'Yisrael, and it's true that what the Gemara says, Bnei, chayei u'mezonei b'mazla talya. But it's not a stirah, because ein mazal l'Yisrael doesn't mean that there's no mazal. It means that you could change it through kiyum hamitzvos. So too, Bnei, chayei u'mezonei, the mazal there could also be changed by the kiyum hamitzvah, getting back to the teshuvah's beis hillel. So why is it that an Eretz Yisrael, if talui b'mazal, where chutz la'aretz is not talui b'mazal, ela b'ma'asav? That's a kashya. Now, boys, I want to tell you something which will shock you. We here in America are not mechuyav in mitzvos. Do you know that, that we're not mechuyav to do mitzvos here in America? לפי רש״י. Yeah. You know what? I'll pick out two of the biggest mitzvos that we have. Talmud Torah. I didn't say. I said mitzvos. Notice I didn't say Talmud Torah. I said mitzvos. Okay, let's explain what I mean, because, im chas v'shalom, some guy was sleeping till here and he's gonna fall asleep after here, and he'll walk out saying that I left you here this morning and the market share אמרתי he's doing mitzvos in America. We say every day, ... la'avoseichem la'seis lahem, v'haya im shamoa. On mitzvahs, you're going to listen to the mitzvahs, and it says where? Al ha'aretz, on the land that Hashem promised us. So Rashi, right there on the pasuk, Parshas Eikev—you know the Rashi. Rashi says, Hatzivi lecha tziyunim, which means make markers. Hanichu tefillin, asu mezuzah, put tefillin, put on a mezuzah. Why? In order you should remember what the mitzvah looks like when you come to Eretz Yisrael. That's why, in chutz la'aretz, in order we shouldn't forget, so to speak, that this mitzvah, one day we'll go to Eretz Yisrael, we'll not just know how to put on tefillin, put on tefillin in America, in chutz la'aretz also. Yes? Unbelievable Rashi. So the Gaon, the Gra, on this medrash—it's actually a Sifri—says that there's a ta'us hadfus, that actually there's no such Rashi and there's no such Sifri. The person who printed it made a mistake. It was a, it was a nutrikin. How do you say nutrikin in English? An acronym. They have a very nice word for it—acronym, right? An acronym, okay. It actually said, Hey, taf, ayin mem.

What it really meant to say was, hafrishu trumos, asru maasros. We take trumos and maasros in Chutz Laaretz, which is derabbanan, in order we should remember when we get to Eretz Yisroel. The printer was an am haaretz, says the Gra, but you listen. He was an am haaretz. Like you're the printer? I didn't mean you. That it actually means, hafrishu—I'm sorry, hanichu tefillin, asu mezuzos. And I could tell you that you see the mistake. Asu mezuzos? Ah, come on. Asu make mezuzos? You should put mezuzos on the door. Tell me, anybody here knows of a mitzvah of making a mezuzah? The mitzvah is what? To put the mezuzah on the door. Hanichu tefillin. Okay, I still wear. He became such an am haaretz he can make such a mistake. But how could you make a mistake, asu mezuzos? You didn't know that it's not about asu mezuzos? You didn't realize there's something wrong? Hafrishu trumos, he said. Yisru maasros, now you're talking. But asu mezuzos? Peldik a mistake. And I'll tell you what the biggest pele is. The Netziv comes and says it's not true, it's not a mistake. There is such a Chazal, and that's what Rashi means, and he's right. Ikar kiyum hamitzvos in Eretz Yisroel. In Chutz Laaretz we're only doing it, and we shouldn't make mistakes when we come to Eretz Yisroel. Yeah, the Netziv. You knew this Netziv? I'll tell you, all yeshiva bachurim that went to Eretz Yisroel know this Netziv. You know why? Because as soon as you walk into any yeshiva when you come from America, they drill this into your head. You have to come here because you should know, in Chutz Laaretz it's treif, it's treif, and your mitzvos are not mitzvos. Right? That's how you know it. They're all talking. They're all talking. It's this whole thing. According to the Maharal that learns that mitzvahs dictate mazel, it's davka shelo dafka mazel, because we don't mean the mazel what you think mazel. We mean the mazel that's changed by mitzvahs, in Chutz La'aretz, in Chutz La'aretz, that you don't have the kiyum hamitzvahs, so we can't follow the mazel of Klal Yisroel, which is dictated by mitzvahs. So then what do we do? What we do is, al pi ma'aseh. And the Ribono Shel Olam comes and makes us into and says, I have to be mezaveg zivugim, and that's what Chazal mean, HaKadosh Baruch Hu yoshev, HaKadosh Baruch Hu sits and is mezaveg zivugim, which means in certain cases you can do it yourself, because you do mitzvahs, you get a good shidduch. But in Chutz La'aretz where there is no such mazel. So what happens to a Yid shemayin that has a bad mazel, so to speak? The Ribono Shel Olam says, I intervene myself. And what? It's al pi ma'aseh. Notice it doesn't say mitzvahs, it says ma'aseh. Shainim, patach ma'aseh, the middos. The Ribono Shel Olam comes and intervenes. Azoi volt ich gezogt pshat. In Eretz Yisroel, we could leave it to the mazel. Not the mazel that develops things mazel, but the mazel that the Maharal means, that the mitzvahs dictate the mazel, since ikar kiyum hamitzvahs over there. Mashenkein in Chutz La'aretz, it's al pi ma'aseh, meaning the Ribono Shel Olam Himself comes and changes the mazel based on the fact that the person needs a different zivug. Okay. What do I have? Let me tell you what I have. I want to read to you a din in Shulchan Aruch, which will shock you. Will shock you. Everybody, please take out your turbans. I'm going to teach you, as they call, heebie-jeebie Torah. But the only thing is, I'm not taking it out of a Kabbalah; I'm din in Shulchan Aruch. In Shulchan Aruch, it's siman Kuf Ayin Tes. Kuf Ayin Tes. I'm sorry, let's start with the Mechaber. Nohagu she'ein matchilin b'veis uv'daled. The custom is that if you start something, you don't start on Monday and Wednesday. If you want to start something, you don't start on Monday and Wednesday. I would tell you because you should start on Sunday. All the Kabbalists that you take on, a lot of people, they say, I'm going to learn this week. Sunday's out because Sunday's vacation day. Take my trip. So I begin on Monday. There's no mazal on Monday, so you're not supposed to start on Monday. So what do you say? Okay, so I'll begin already, what, on Tuesday. So half the week is gone. Okay, I'll start next week. You're not—okay. So let me tell you, there's a reason for this ein matchilin, and you think I'm joking. It's about learning also. You're not supposed to start learning something on Monday. But I tell you, as a baal mussar, start on Sunday, but all right, we'll soon see why. The ein nosin nashim, says the Mechaber. You don't marry women.

Cover the milui halevanah. When the levanah starts to fill, which means you have to not do it in the beginning of the month, start the 16th, 15th after. Why? Because the milui halevanah. Now, you want to explain to me where this comes from? This comes from mazalos and mazlim. Yeah. Mazlim's also bad mazal. What do you think? Did you notice that the word mazlim has to do with mazal? Interesting lashon. Mazlim, because they follow the mazalos. Yeah, yeah. When did you get married? I hope 15th and after, because it was before. From after, before. The first of the month is good. Ein nosin nashim ela b'milui halevanah. Okay. Milui. It shows up from one to... Okay. Vilochein. Okay, forgive me, I'm sorry, I'm not into this stuff, because the Aruch HaShulchan says not to pay attention to it, so I don't, because, you know, I'm halachah, I'm not going to pay attention to this. You think you're joking? Someone called me up with this. These chasidim... What? Okay. Well, soon see, we'll soon see. I know, I don't understand it either. The Muslims have a custom that there's something wrong if you do things before or after milui halevanah. ... l'haschil lumoi berech chodesh. Yeah? Af al pi she'ein nichush, even though nichush is not allowed, he's talking about darkei Emori. Nichush. You know what nichush means? Lo nachash bYisrael. One of the great things about Kaisel, we're not sorcerers. Superstition. Whether you cool when they paint the kallah with her cosmetics over there. They make a party and they paint the kallah. Who? Kashuat? Who? Henna. Henna, they call it. A henna party. Okay? Af al pi she'ein nichush, yeish siman. Even though nichush is not allowed, but siman ephes, and there's something about it that's siman, and therefore you got to be careful. Vema she'adam yodea shehu keneged hamazel. If you know that something is against the mazel, then you shouldn't go against it. You think I'm reading this from Rabbi Bird's books. It's the Meforshei Rama. The Meforshei Rama, yeah? Vlo yismoch el al ha-nes, yeah? You shouldn't be somech on the nes. The only thing is, ein lachosh achar zeh mishum tamim tihyeh. There's a fine line. To go after it, that you're not allowed. To believe in it, in the sense that this dictates your hanhagos, that you're not allowed. But to worry from it, that you're allowed, and that's a good idea. Comes the Maharal and says, What? How can you tell me darkei Emori, nichush, and halacha is that you're allowed? Comes along the Maharal and says, What? That's not a kashya. You know why? We find a tremendous shidduch was done with nichush. The shidduch with Yitzchak and Rivka was done al pi nichush. The Gemara says, brings the Gemara over here, Chulin. The Gemara in Chulin: nichush. She'einu k'mo nichush, Eliezer eved Avraham v'yones in the mashal, eino nichush. Yeah? You know who the greatest sorcerer of all was? Eliezer. Eliezer wanted the shidduch. He made a whole—if she comes and the water comes up, and—superstition. So any nichush which is not like Eliezer, nishkefelach, it's not so bad. Comes along the Tosafos, hechshu b'Tosafos, Eliezer eved Avraham heichi nichesh? What are you saying? You're saying Eliezer Avraham was the biggest sorcerer? How do you do it? Reishis kol, Eliezer had no right to do it because he was eved Avraham; he was kasherim mitzvos. Beis, the shidduch—he doesn't ask you this, but I'm asking you—so it comes out that the shidduch of Rivka to Yitzchak was through nichush? That's what the Gemara is telling us? So I would tell you this kasha. Why? Because emes is the Brisker Rav makes a stark diyuk, and if you know...

Notice, he asked her about mi at, who is she, and he wants to know what her family is. So the Brisker Rav explains that even though she saw simanim from Shamayim, for a shidduch you don't rely on simanim. A person has to go here. A lot of times, I told you this one, I once went out on a shidduch, and the girl started telling me that it's the right shidduch because the gematria of our names matched. Within ten minutes, I had her home. You think I'm kidding you? I sped through the lights to get her home. When they start coming with mazalot and nichushim and names, rabosai, have a nice day. When it comes to shidduchim, don't rely on the mazalot. Rely on the middos. So Eliezer truthfully didn't rely on all this. The kasha: but why'd he do it in the first place? And even more so, Tosafos's kasha: why did he have to do it in the first place? I'm telling you, but besides the middos, you also made a nichush. But you're not allowed to make—I'm answering you, for the shidduch it's okay, but you're not answering what right, l'halacha, you have to do it. You're not allowed to make nichush. Tosafos's kasha: you're not allowed to make nichush. What right did he have to do it? Forget about, that he shouldn't be somech on a shidduch for it. Fine, okay. Brisker Rav says he wasn't somech on that. He didn't rely only on that. But you're not allowed to make it. You're not allowed to do it. It's maaseh me'iri. But he did it on a middos. Says the Maharal, when it comes to mitzvahs, you're allowed to do it. Marrying a wife is a mitzvah, and therefore, you know what? I'll read it for you, because I know you don't believe me. You think I make up stuff. Okay, I'll read it to you. U'lefi zeh hakol lo kashya. According to what I learned, it's not a kashya, ki l'dvar mitzvah hi. The dvar mitzvah, l'havi isha l'Yitzchak, u'l'hatzil Yisrael, shari. Nichush, when it comes to saving Klal Yisrael; nichush, when it comes to mitzvahs, you're allowed. And he says that's the pshat over here. Ein matchilin lilmod, and you're not allowed to get married, and this, אי דאקי מורי. Dvar mitzvah. For dvar mitzvah, you're allowed. Rabbi, do you have any explanation what that means? I don't understand this. Hashtei kushyos. I don't understand. Two things. First of all, why should it be different? Why should it be different? Second of all, the opposite. When it comes to a dvar mitzvah, you don't need all this, because a dvar mitzvah changes all this. So the Maharal explains himself in Ner Beis. In the beginning, the Maharal explains that the mitzvahs are machria the mazal, and then he turns around and says when it comes to mitzvahs, be afraid of the mazal. What's the pshat? Rabbi, I got the kasha, I got the kasha, right? Chaztirah. On one hand, the Maharal starts off, ein mazal l'Yisrael because the mitzvahs change it, and then he turns around to Yisroel, when it comes to mitzvahs, it's muttar to do all this. Why is it muttar? ... Rabbi, let me tell you what I think the pshat over here. Mitzvahs change the mazal. This one, tefillah changes the mazal. Maharal says beautiful. Say, ... to the Eibishter, and when you daven to the Eibishter, he can bypass all the forces of the world. ... Maharal is mamish beautiful. Why is mitzvahs machria? He doesn't explain it. He just says that the mitzvahs are machria. Rabosai, if you did a mitzvah, you think because you did the mitzvah you get a reward that the mazal doesn't have effect on you? Is that what it means? I believe it's deeper, rabosai. It's a lot deeper than that. What's mazal and what's mitzvah? Mazal is the world as it was put into place to run; it's so it's run. There's a system to the world. Rabosai, is the world for itself a tachlis? It was a world created for mitzvahs. The world was created for mitzvahs. And it was created not only for mitzvahs, but it was created for Klal Yisrael and mitzvahs, right? One is, it says, Bishvil Yisrael shenikra reishis, and bishvil haTorah shenikra reishis. The first Rashi: Bereishis, for two reasons: for Klal Yisrael shenikra reishis and for the Torah that's nikra reishis, right? You notice the Maharal says two things: for mitzvah and l'hatzil Yisrael. There are two things that you could go and follow nichush. One of them is what? Mitzvahs, and one of them is Klal Yisrael, Klal Yisrael, Klal Yisrael. Mitzvahs changes mazal. You know why? Because the whole world was created for kiyum hamitzvahs. You want to know what creates events in this world? Mitzvahs create events in this world.

I'll give you an example. Did you ever think why it rains? So the Gemara tells us it rains because the Ribono Shel Olam is shofech kiton mayim al panav. The Ribono Shel Olam is throwing water on the face. If you sit in a sukkah, the Ribono Shel Olam is not proud of your yeshiva sukkah. The Ribono Shel Olam throws kiton mayim al panav. Tell me, it only rains on your sukkah, or it rains in the entire place, right? So the rain of the entire place is depending on your ma'aseh mitzvah sukkah, no? I'll ask you another shaila. The pasuk tells us, Ki adam ein ba'aretz lavadis adamo. Therefore, did it rain because there was no person to work the field, right? Remember the first pasuk in Bereishis? There was no rain. Why is there no rain? Because there was no people to work the ground. Chazal say, Ki adam ein ba'aretz lavadis adamo, tefillah. There was no one to daven. No one to daven. So it comes out that if we daven, we get rain. That's the way it works. Tell me, you know, the whole world, there's billions of people in the world. They all daven for rain. You know, there's a billion people, they all daven for rain. They all daven for rain. What's the pshat? Klal Yisroel davens for rain, so the world gets rain. What we do has a direct effect on the entire world. Here, the world stands on three pillars: al haTorah, v'al haAvodah, v'al gemilus chasadim. Correct? So gemilus chasadim, we can come and say that the world does chesed. All right. Avodah, tefillah, I don't know, you could say this, many goyim that also pray. Al haTorah, tell me, in America, 50, 60 years ago, all right, you know how many people were learning? Take Eretz Yisroel, take Europe, take America. How many people were learning in that kufa? You tell me. Say how many people were sitting by a Gemara. The World War II, how many people were sitting by a Gemara, huh? You tell me. Nobody. Basically nobody, right? What's the pshat? To the few people that did learn, the world has... A Yid has a tremendous achrayus, knowing that his maaseh hamitzvah, since that's the reason why the world is here, affects all the things that happen in this world. In Hebrew it's called mareches shamayim va'aretz. The continuity of happenings in this world is all because of your maaseh hamitzvah. A Yid that sits by a Gemara has to know he's holding up the world. You think it's just a metaphor. Yeah, literally holding up the world. There used to be an expression, he has the whole world in the palm of his hand. Now, what was, remember this expression? I got the whole world in my hand? It's a song, right? I got the whole world in my hand. You know what the pshat is? A Yid who thinks that, he's thinking hashgachah nigleh, it's emes in nigleh. He's holding the whole world. The guy who's learning Tosafos is holding the whole world. There's nothing to laugh at. It's true. Mareches shamayim va'aretz. That's the pshat, mitzvahs changed the model, because model doesn't exist when it comes to kiyum hamitzvah. Mazal is the taich, the Rabbeinu Shalom runs the world outside the realm of Klal Yisroel, outside the realm of — and that's not ein mazal l'Yisroel, but the goyim have mazal, because there is a world and the world does move, but not when it comes to kiyum hamitzvos. When it comes to kiyum hamitzvos, the world revolves around the mitzvah. I'll tell you even more. You know, it comes and says by Pesach, we say, Pesach al shum mah, matzah al shum mah, and what is it? That we were Mitzrayim and we ate matzah, right? Because of — listen, listen to this. The Brisker Rav, the Chaim's father as well, spoke this inyan that actually the reason why Mitzrayim happened was so we should be able to eat matzah. Why? Because if — u'bara alma, if you look in the Torah, He created the world because we were supposed to eat matzah, and we're supposed to sit by a Pesach Seder because of mitzvos Hashem, so therefore the events had to revolve around the mitzvah. Not pshat Pesach al shum mah, meaning that there's a story and therefore we have a Pesach. The opposite. This is that we have Pesach, meaning because the Brisker Rav says this, you notice it doesn't say—

Why? But what is this to commemorate? Why didn't it say why? The Torah says that this happened and therefore, al kein, therefore. So why do we say al shumah, for what to commemorate? Why don't we just say that this is the reason that we eat it? And the answer is because it's not the reason, because actually we're eating this even b'futas. The thing is, al shumah meaning what is it to commemorate? Because the story just happened, so the mitzvah should come out, that's all. But actually the mitzvah is chayav v'kayam, and the story revolves around the mitzvah. So what is he saying? You know what he's saying? That there's no events in the world, only the mitzvahs. The mitzvahs are mechayev the events of the world. That's what Reb Chaim's yesod is. You think this happened. Nothing happened. For example, everybody thinks that we came to Eretz Yisrael, yeah, or we came to America, tremendous yeshuah for Klal Yisrael. It's possible that actually there was supposed to be a yeshivas Ponevezh and there was supposed to be a yeshivas Lakewood, and mimeila it all revolved that we should come to America, we should come to Eretz Yisrael. That's how a Yid has to look at mazal. Mazal is a ta'ach. Not the events are affected by the mazal, but the mitzvahs affect the mazal; they affect the events. Mimeila. Mar'ah was saying gevaldik, but the mitzvahs are machria the mazal. Ay, you ask a kasha, so then why is there a halacha that we have to worry about the mazal when it comes to mitzvah? My friends, let me tell you like this. If the Ribono Shel Olam wanted us to do mitzvahs, why did He just put us in this world and say, Do mitzvahs? Why did the Ribono Shel Olam have to make an entire world which goes against the mitzvahs? Every mitzvah here—Torah, let's say Torah, that's my favorite one—you know, the whole world is, what do they say, it's created in a way that goes against learning Torah. A person has parnassah and schleps you away from learning. A person has a family, it schleps you away from learning. Everything schleps you away. Why did the Ribono Shel Olam make it? It should be easy to learn. It should be easy to do a mitzvah. The world is a distraction for the kiyum ha-mitzvah. That's the way the Ribono Shel Olam made it. So the world, the mashal, is the anti-mitzvah. Think about it. The world and its events are the force, the nisayon against the Torah. So what the halacha is teaching us, American yeshgai, on one hand, we don't have to pay attention to this mazel, this world, and the maareches shamayim va'aretz. But when it comes to kiyum ha-mitzvah, we have to worry about it. Why? Because the forces of the world are there to destroy. They're there to destroy the kiyum ha-mitzvah. It's a war of worlds. It's the war of shomrei Torah u'mitzvos against this world. That's the way it is. If you think of what I'm saying, I don't know if I'm explaining myself in a way that you'll hear me clearly, but think about it. The world was created in a way that it schleps the person away from kiyum ha-mitzvah. This world and the next world, so to speak, the world of ruchniyus, do not go hand in hand. Each one is misnaged to the other one, and the Rabbeinu Shalom wants it that way. That it should be a war of worlds, and that we should earn our Olam Haba, and that we have to fight within this world. So we have to worry about mazelos when it comes to mitzvah, but only by mitzvah. That's the taich. On one hand, when it comes to mitzvah, ein mazal. But at the same time, we have to worry about the mazal, because it's there to be the anti-mitzvah. It's there to be the anti-chayei Torah v'yirah. The world is a difficult one. I told this to you many times. Don't think that you'll sit in a corner and the Rabbeinu Shalom will send you mon from Shamayim. It doesn't work that way. My father always says it over: a talmid chacham will sit and learn, he'll have a hard time. Don't think it's easy. Disrespect, eh, the bench catcher, no money, this yeinus, difficulties. But what's the pshat? He knows about Torah to amal. He knows that he has the next world. He knows that what he's doing is greater than all the nisyonos and all the forces that are fighting him. But you have to know there's forces out there. You have to know the world is not meant to be conducive for learning.

But also, it has to be against also. So that's what it means. When it comes to dvar mitzvahs, we do have to worry about the maareches Shamayim v'aretz. What am I getting at? I'll tell you what I'm getting at. Bani Chayim mezonei is mazel. There's no question that there's mazel. You're not going to miraculously change the mazel based on, Oh, I did a mitzvah, and therefore the Bani Chayim, for example, a guy, I did this mitzvah, I'll come into business and everything will be open in front of me. It's not going to work that way. There is a maareches Shamayim v'aretz in Bani Chayim mezonei and everything. But within that structure, a person has ability to be machria how the mazel will go within the mazel. He's able to, what do I call that, to guide, to direct the mazel in a certain way. Hakol talui b'mazel. The Chida brings this, the Meshech Chochma brings this. Mazel is b'motzi zera levatalah, beis mem zayin lamed, b'motzi zera levatalah. Meaning, the person's kedushah will form his mazel. Wait a minute, is it maaser or is it mazel? And the teretz is, it's both. There is a basic mazel, and within that mazel you direct it, l'fi the kedushah, or chas v'shalom l'hepech. A person is capable. Changing maloches Shamayim vaaretz, but within the framework of Shamayim vaaretz, you're not going to start flying because you did mitzvahs. Don't expect that. Men don't fly. Certain, I do, I know some mekubal sitting here, he knows how to fly on the carpets. But other than that, regular people, me and you, we don't fly. But we could fly within the model of not flying. There's a nes b'toch teva in every maaseh, depending on the hanhagah that a person has. If he's kadosh, you'll see that everything goes in a certain way for him l'tovah. Of course, it doesn't mean that you're not going to have to pay bills, but you'll see a certain siyata dishmaya to pay the bills. That's nes b'toch teva. That's mazal and l'maalah min hamazal working together in the same realm of this world. The kedushah plays the most important role. Hakol talui b'mazal. Your mazal will depend on how much kedushah you have. Rabosai, if in inyanei kedushah, in the privacy of one's mind and heart and home, it's not oiskahalten, which means it's not 100%, you could be guaranteed that difficulties will come up and you'll see that the mazal's directing you away. The mazal's pushing you in the other direction. When you have kedushah, I guarantee you, and I promise you, if you see that I'm wrong, come back to me and I'll show you that it's not wrong. You'll see that the mazal is directing you. In a good way. The kedushah of a person directs the mazal. Now let's go back to Reuven. Reuven, bechori atah, kochi v'reishis oni. What is he telling Reuven? The Ramban explains he's telling him this because bad thing you did, blame it on me maybe. It has nothing to do with me. I want to say, could be, not so much to blame him, but he's saying a different nekudah. He's saying, we know Bnei Chayim zoinis b'mazal talui, and we know that the mazal of a person is dependent on his kedushah. So the hakdamah is, Reuven, reishis kochi v'reishis oni, the kedushah was Eisav. In kedushah I was 100%. So whatever did happen, the mazal, which was Bnei, what kind of children you'll be, that's not where it comes from. It's true the Chaim is saying a gevaldige vort. The Chaim is saying before he gives tochachah to the children, what he's doing is he's introducing that it's not me. I'm not the one to be blamed for this, because by me the kedushah was 100%. The limud is, when the kedushah is good...

The children are proper. You know, there's a very famous story that someone came to the Chofetz Chaim, I heard this from my grandfather, and he asked, Rebbe, give me a bracha for good children. Have good children. The Chofetz Chaim said, My tayere Yid, good children you don't get with a bracha. Good children you get with tears and sweat. Tears and sweat. What's the taich? The taich is there's a lefi ma'aseh in children. So what are you going to come and say? Think of what he's saying. That what, tears and sweat, that I'm going to be mechanech them that way? Does he mean that? And the truth is he means something else also. There's no bracha meaning that you can do what you want and that the children will turn out al pi mazel good. Because even Banim Chayim u'Mezonos, which is mazel talya, the father has to be kadosh. The father has to be shleimus. And then the mazel goes properly. You wish somebody mazel tov. Understand that the mazel talya is dependent on the hanhaga. It's not just mazel, it's hanhaga. I know I took the bubble out of the aura. Mazel. Yeah, you know, you tell you, mazel, good mazel, yeah. It's all about hanhaga. By Klal Yisroel, your hanhaga dictates your mazel. You want to have good children, and that's what the Chofetz Chaim is saying. It's not the sweat and tears of chinuch in general. It's not the mazel talya. A person has to behave. A person has to be noheg himself. B'kedusha u'v'tahara, and you'll see your life, your children, your parnassah, within the teva, within the difficulty, within the mazal that you're in. You'll see yeshuos and nechamos. You'll see unbelievable nissim and niflaos, because hakol tali b'mazal, like I told you. Mazal, I don't see. Chidda, is it mazal or is it kedusha? The kedusha dictates the mazal, because we're here for עניןי קדושה, so we make our own mazal. V'zacharta es Hashem. Remember Hashem, ki Hu hanosen lecha koach la'asos chayil. Your mazal is made by you, to your own hands. You're the one who creates your own mazal. If you want good mazal, learn Torah. Have yiras Shamayim. Kedusha in yiddish, bifrat. Most of the sefarim talk about kedusha in yiddish. The big test, not an easy test. And understand that that's why the world around you is against all this. Think of what I explained to you. When you walk in the street, the street is different than all this, because the velt and the mazal is to go against the kedusha. It's the anti-kedusha. World was created to oppose mitzvahs and kedusha. And your trick, your goal, your task in life is to have the kiyum hamitzvos change the teva, because that's the velt that you're creating. That's the world that you're here for. Because that's what HaKadosh Baruch Hu created the world. This is kochi v'otzem yadi. Let's take this lesson and let's work on it. Let's work on it. And you'll see, maareches shamayim va'aretz will change. Things that were difficult before, you'll see miraculously will open up and will lead you al derech hayashar v'hatov. But the kedusha, the inyan of kedusha has to be bishleimus. ... bizchus, with Hashem's yeshuos.