ANSWER:
I am not going to go into the issur of wearing men's garments. I don't want to enter to any debates on that subject. I'll talk about something else.
Merely on the basis of identification, forget about all ideology, and I could speak about what pants mean. Pants accentuate a female body, and that shouldn't be done. It's accentuated enough as it is, but I'll leave everything out and just talk about symbols.
Pants are a symbol that you do not belong to the Torah camp, and that's all. It's a symbol, and we have to wear badges on us. We wear a badge; that's why we wear hats. A hat is a badge: I am a mamin, I believe in Hashem Elokei Yisroel, that's what a hat means.
If you don't wear a hat, you wear a yarmulka, a kippah, even if it's embroidered, even if your name is embroidered on it, but still you're declaring that we're all together. We, and the chassidim who wear shtreimleich, and those who wear derbies, and those who wear spudiks, and those who wear beanies, we're all together, we're am echod because Hashem echod, we're showing that we believe in Hashem Elokei Yisroel. It's something.
Therefore identity is of paramount importance. When a woman wears a dress - of course it has to be a dress, a mini skirt is just a pair of pants cut off short - but if she wears a dress so she's identifying, not only with decent Jews, she's identifying with decent humanity. Pants already is a departure. Although there are a lot of people who are wearing pants who think that they are virtuous, but you have to know pants can mean divorcee, divorcees marching around in pants, unmarried women living with husbands… Pants means already avant-garde, out of the world of Torah, not only that, out of the world of decency.
And don't give me any arguments, there are decent people wearing pants, I know some of the decent people wearing pants too, but I wouldn't come to give a talk in a place where there are women wearing pants, because it's not my place. It's already an alien camp, they are wearing badges. The badge should say, I am for Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and that's what a dress means. That's not the end of the subject, but I don't want to get to do any debates in halachah, it's a simple matter of identity.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures.
To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
"יוסי בן יועזר איש צרדה אומר יהי ביתך בית ועד לחכמים... (אבות א:ד)
Yose ben Yoezer from Tzreida said, "Your house should be a meeting place for the Rabbis."
Last week we explained that despite the fact that a single meeting place should suffice for any given city, nevertheless, Yose ben Yoezer's dictum could apply to every individual. They can fulfill it by ensuring that their house is an appropriate abode for housing Chachomim. This week, we will offer a different explanation.
The Rambam, in his introduction to mishnayos, reveals a fascinating phenomenon. He writes that while everything created has a purpose, the most significant component of creation is man, and the primary purpose of his existence is to engage in intellectual pursuits. Hence, he asks, for what reason did Hashem create billions of human beings who never spend a day in their lives accumulating wisdom?
He answers that all these individuals are there to serve the select individuals who do spend their lives the way that Hashem intended. There is no way that these men could possibly become scholars if they also had to worry about sewing clothes, building houses and preparing food. Thus, Hashem put millions of people in the world to ensure that these individuals would be free to engage in Torah and mitzvos. Hashem sometimes has thousands of people work on building a single edifice so that one time, many years later, a pious individual will be able to rest his weary body in the shade of that building. Hashem orchestrates everything in the world for the sake of the small amount of righteous people.
This concept manifested itself during the Mir Yeshiva's escape from Poland during the Second World War.
Thousands upon thousands of workers spent years upon years laying the tracks of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The first time that the railroad was used was when the train transported hundreds of Mirrer Yeshiva students across Asia. After arriving in Shanghai, they found a large empty Shul that had been built by a wealthy businessman years earlier for no apparent reason. The amount of seats in the Shul matched the number of students almost exactly! (An interesting note: Just prior to the outbreak of the war, Rav Wolbe, due to his German citizenship, was forced to leave Poland. He found a haven in Sweden and thus he became the liaison between the Jews in America and the Mir Yeshiva in Shanghai).
The Gemara (Sukkah 45b) relates a remarkable statement of Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai: "I have seen bnei aliyah (people who are constantly growing spiritually) and they are few. If there are a thousand, my son and I are amongst them. If there are a hundred, my son and I are amongst them. If there are two, my son and I are they." Reb Chatzkel Levenstein zt"l explains that Rebbi Shimon was not bragging, rather, he was teaching us an important haskafa. Don't be preoccupied with how many people around you are actively pursuing spiritual growth. Make sure that you are a ben aliyah and willing to take any initiative in order to grow.
Accordingly, although Yose ben Yoezer is addressing everyone in Klal Yisrael, practically, only a ben aliyah will comply with his directive. Indeed, in every community there is only one house designated as the meeting place for Chachomim. The Tanna is exhorting each of us to strive to be that single ben aliyah. And the same holds true for all areas of Yiddishkeit. Don't look around to see what everyone else is doing; just make the effort to climb as high as you possibly can.
Ask yourself and answer: Do I make an effort to seize spiritual opportunities when they present themselves, or do I pass them up for a "more opportune" time?
What about the custom of saying good morning to someone, and they don't answer you?
ANSWER:
Now this very bad custom of neglecting to answer is the result of lack of chinuch. People have to be trained, and I must say this, you cannot learn any Gemara unless you have Rashi; you need tosfos, you need more meforshim. The truth is however, even on Rashi and tosfos you have to have a Rebbi. That's why there are Rosh Hayeshivas who explain the sugyah. It's not enough to sit down and learn by yourself, because many times you'll be lacking in appreciation of what's really being said here.
When boys for instance learn Bava Kama in a Yeshiva, and they learn all about arba avos nezikin, four kinds of damages, and they learn, one of the mazikim is adam, man is a damager. Now it's not enough to learn that piece of Gemara. The Rebbi where ever he is, even in the biggest yeshiva must take time out to explain to his disciples what it means when people damage other people's property.
If a boy is riding a bike, and here is freshly laid paving, and he is careless, or he is a vandal, and he drives his bike onto the wet cement and he mars it forever and ever, that's a vandalism. A yeshiva boy who does such a thing wasn't taught properly.
So children have to be taught not to commit vandalism, that's called nezikin, not to be a mazik. It's not enough to learn, it has to be explained in practical ways by the teacher, by the Rebbi.
And that's why people have to be taught, when the Gemara says that a man who does not answer you when you greet him is considered a robber, that has to be taught to children, that has to be taught to adults also. You must answer if somebody greets you, and it's an evil illness, when people are so raw, so untrained that they don't understand this.
Some people do answer, but it's almost invisible, they give a nod, you need an oscilloscope, you need a special instrument to see if he nodded his head! Or he mutters something; you need something to magnify the sound. He should answer clearly and he should make a noticeable motion with his head, he should acknowledge your greeting, that's the minimum a person should do.
That training has to be taught to children by parents, children have to be taught the realities of Torah in actual life, because otherwise they are not practicing the theories that they are being taught.
You know that there are boys who learn about stealing in the Gemara, and some of them have good heads, and they can talk about tashlumei keifel, and things like that, and they know that halochos, and still they wouldn't hesitate to steal a Gemara from a beis hamedrash to take it to the yeshiva without permission.
Now what does that mean? It means theory and practice are divorced from each other; it's up to the Rebbi to translate that into actual fact. You cannot take somebody's Gemara, you need permission. You cannot take a sefer from a synagogue without permission.
You have to answer when somebody greets you, otherwise you are a robber, because it's your duty. Once he says something to you, it's your obligation to payback; if you don't you are a robber.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
Why is the celebration of Shabbos limited only to the Jewish people? Gentiles are forbidden to keep Shabbos; they have no right.
ANSWER:
Because Shabbos is a very big privilege. Gentiles are supposed to know the creation of the world from nothing, but to celebrate Shabbos is like entering a sanctuary. You know Shabbos has thirty nine forms of forbidden work, and it's a parallel to the thirty nine forms of work that were done to construct the Tabernacle, the Mishkan.
What's the parallel? Because Shabbos is also a sanctuary. The Mishkan is a sanctuary which was made with thirty nine forms of work, weaving, spinning and so on, and Shabbos is a sanctuary. And just as in the Mishkan only the kohanim are privileged to enter, and anybody else that enters has a very severe iniquity, and so Shabbos is a sanctuary that only those who are privileged are permitted to enter.
Shabbos is a gift; it's a gift to the Jewish people. And that's what we say, v'lo nosato Hashem Elokeinu l'goyei hoarotzos, You didn't give this gift to the nations of the world. And if Gentiles practice Shabbos they're stealing what does not belong to them; they haven't earned that privilege. Shabbos is a great honor, yom v'lyla kayitz v'choref lo yishbosu, they cannot keep Shabbos, it's forbidden for a Gentile.
Suppose somebody today would hang up a sign near his door, Doctor so-and-so. So he could get arrested. Therefore if a Gentile will practice Shabbos, he's hanging out the sign, he has no right. It's an honor that's not for him.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
"ויהי מורא שמים עליכם" (אבות א:ג)
And let the fear of Heaven be upon you.
Antignos is informing us that it is not enough to have ahavas Hashem. Every person must also possess a healthy dose of yiras shamayim.
Interestingly, there are many words and phrases in Yiddishkeit that are used frequently, and nevertheless, many people have very little idea of what they mean, at least on a practical level.
A backpacker in Israel approached Rav Noach Weinberg zt"l, the founder of Aish HaTorah, and asked him if it is true that they call this country, "The Holy Land?" "Yes it is" he responded. "Well, let me tell you" continued the tourist, "I've hiked from the Golan in the north to Eilat in the south, and I've been from sea to shining sea - and I haven't seen any holiness."
"OK" responded Reb Noach. "So you've traversed the entire country. Tell me, how many boofasticks did you meet?" "Boofasticks? What are boofasticks" asked the tourist. "I didn't ask you to explain to me what boofasticks are" said Reb Noach, "I just asked you how many of them you met." "Well how can I tell you how many boofasticks I met if I don't know what boofasticks are?" asked the bewildered tourist.
"Listen to what you are saying!" responded Reb Noach. "Do you know what holiness is? Is holiness defined by angels with halos flapping around or rainbows bouncing off of rocks? How can you possibly tell me that you didn't see any holiness when you don't even know what holiness is?
How many times over the course of our lives have we heard about the greatness of holiness and the necessity to strive to attain this virtue? We probably cannot count the times since they are so numerous; yet many of us have no idea of what holiness really means! The same applies to the concept of "yiras shamayim." We grow up hearing about it all the time and they are two words which get thrown around repeatedly, but realistically it remains a vague idea for many people.
While literally yiras shamayim means fear of Heaven, we can explain it in practical terms with a story that occurred with Rav Wolbe.
Rav Wolbe was once in Europe and he was asked to speak at a gathering of alumni from Yeshivas Be'er Yaakov (where he served as Mashgiach). He asked the alumni to sum up in a single sentence the underlying message of all the discourses that he had given during the years that they had learned in Yeshiva. He received various answers, but he was not satisfied. "The single idea I was trying to convey" said Rav Wolbe, "is that ruchniyus (spirituality) is no less a reality than gashmiyus (physicality)."
Yiras shamayim can be explained as the recognition that ruchniyus is very real. It is even more real than the computer or piece of paper in front of you! (See Alei Shur vol. II p. 355 in explanation of how the entire Oz Yashir highlights this idea). Every mitzvah brings blessing to the world and every aveirah wreaks havoc, and thus, all the occurrences in the world are contingent on the deeds of man. Yes, G-d does care and it does make a difference if, on Shabbos, you take the peas from the carrots or the opposite.
We understand full well that if we give over our credit card information and one of the 16 numbers is off by a single digit it won't go through, even though we were off by just a tiny bit. In a similar vein, lack of meticulousness in performing mitzvos is simply not good enough. And the opposite is also true. A few seconds of Torah learning, a smile or a couple words of tehillim make a difference in the world and a world of a difference! Acknowledging this truth will positively affect all of a person's actions, since he realizes the greatness of the smallest mitzvah and the gravity of the minutest aveirah.
Ask yourself and answer: What am I going to do to help define for myself what emunah, bitachon, ahavas Hashem and yiras Hashem mean on a practical level? Am I cognizant of the fact that all that we do makes a difference to us and the world around us?
Here a person tells a story. He had parked his car; when he came back he found a homeless sleeping in the backseat. The police came and kicked him out. He drove two more blocks and stopped for an errand and he made sure to lock all the doors. When he returned he found the same homeless sleeping again in the backseat. So the question is, my kumashma lun, what is Hashem trying to tell us?
ANSWER:
Kumashma lun tuvo, He's telling us many things. I won't tell you everything, but one thing I'll tell you however; how lucky you're not he, you have a home. Being homeless is a pity, I'm not talking about these reshoim, the drunks and drug addicts, they deserve what they're getting. But there are some homeless like an insane woman, when she was a balabusta in her own house, and now she's pushing a little cart, and all her worldly possessions are on that cart.
Where does she sleep at night? She's bundled up with the rags and her head in her dress, and she's so sad, she sits by herself in the park bench trying to sleep, she can't get any sleep, who knows where she slept last night… that's a bitter rachmanus. Once she had a home, a kitchen, a refrigerator, her own bedroom, and she had a telephone, she had everything a house requires. Now she does not have anything except that little cart. That's a rachmanus; a heartbreaking thing. What we could do for her I don't know, because she is insane, she won't let you do anything for her.
But, one thing at least, you have to learn to thank Hashem for all the things that you do have that she doesn't. The homeless have to teach you how lucky you are to have a home. You come home at night, you lock the door; you have privacy. If you have a wife even better, children, family, it's warm, you have running water, you have a bathroom, you have beds; you have so many things.
The truth is that if you start counting your blessings, there are so many you don't know what to do, but you better get busy start counting right away, and little by little your life becomes full of happiness. The purpose of the homeless is to make you sing to Hashem all day long for what He is giving you. And the most important gift is, Ato chonein l'adam daas, He gives you sanity, sanity is a tremendous gift.
So when you see a homeless person, think about that; how lucky you are. And that is a very important purpose why Hashem sent that homeless person into your backseat.
Good Shabbos To All
Question #70
QUESTION:
Why isn't all food made ready to eat?
ANSWER: Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted us to work in this world. It's very important we should be busy. If we would live idly like Adam in Gan Eden, we would fall into sin, and that's why when Adam showed that total leisure was dangerous for him, he fell into sin. So Hashem said, from now on B'zeias Apecha Tochal Lechem, with the sweat of your brow you'll eat bread. You have to work for your bread, it's a blessing to work, Gedola Melacha, because you’re busy working it keeps you out of trouble.
If everything was ready made, you never have to do any cooking, women would go wild. It's a blessing that they stand in the kitchen, and there's a big opportunity. A woman standing at the gas range is like a Kohain at the Mizbeiach and she's Makriv Korbanos. She's Makriv herself on the gas range for the benefit of her family. Hakadosh Baruch Hu planned this world for work, work is a very important blessing in this world, Gedola Melacha, how great is work. Make no mistake about it, Adam was given this blessing, B'zeias Apecha, with the sweat of your brow. Tova Torah Im Melacha, you need work in this world, Sheyagia Shenaihem Mashkachas Avon, laboring in Torah and laboring in work causes people to forget sin.
And therefore when Hakadosh Baruch Hu made an exception and gave us fruits, He's reminding us of our original state. Our original state was planned to be total leisure, where we'd enjoy the fruits of Gan Eden. So on Chamisha Asor Beshvat we go back to Gan Eden for a short visit and we look at the fruits, and we utilize them for the purpose for which the world was created. Then we go back to our work, Shaishes Yomim Ta'avod, six days you should work, V'asisa Kol Melachtecha. When Shabbos comes, thank Hashem for Shabbos or on Shabbos thank Hashem that He gave you six days to work.
Think about that: Thank Hashem that he gave you six days to carry out all your plans, to labor, to perfect yourself, to create the benefits of character that accrue from work, Gedola Melacha. Shabbos is like giving Maaser. When you give a tenth of your earnings to Hashem, you thank Him for the other nine tenths, and when you keep Shabbos to Hashem you thank Him for the other six days. Shaishes Yomim, six days you should do your work, a blessing of six days, it's a happiness the six days, opportunity of six days, because the work is in itself one of the great benefits that Hashem is giving to mankind.
THIS WEEKS "MOMENT" IS L'ILUY NISHMAS, Yosef Eliezer Ben Mordechai, Reb Yossi Pressburger, a dear friend. He looked for every opportunity to spend his time in Dvorim Sh'bkedusha, Chesed, and Limud Hatorah.
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures.
To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
ANSWER:
Certainly it does, and certainly it doesn't; now pay attention. When you'll take your son that you'll have someday, and you'll force him to sit down in the evening and do his Chumash homework, you are forcing him to do something against his free will, but you are bestowing upon him a gift. That gift although it deprives him of free will, is certainly worth what he's getting. However, because you are teaching him Torah now and he is learning the ideals of the ways of righteousness, you're giving him more free will. Because later in life he's not going to listen to the temptations of the street that would lead him off the path of success in life, that would lead him chas v'shalom to disaster.
He will utilize his free will to choose what's good for him, what's wholesome and what's beneficial. And therefore in a sense the Torah certainly deprives us of free will, too. The Torah says do this and that, it's not asking us to decide what we want to do, but because we listen to the Torah we gain an independence of mind, we are no longer enslaved to low desires and wicked passions. Therefore the rest of our lives we were able to choose virtue and success and happiness.
So the Torah is cheirus, it's a freedom from all the forms of degradation to which the world is subjected and enslaved, because they didn't have a Torah to set them free. Oh they'll say, you people of the Torah you are enslaved to the Torah, so we'll say we are happy to be enslaved to the rules of good sense.
If you are enslaved by the traffic rules, you cannot cross at a red light, then you're happy. It's a good thing that all the drivers are enslaved by fear of the police, and they stop at red lights. Otherwise if everybody would drive through red lights there would be collisions every day on every street corner, and the morgues would pileup. It's because we are enslaved to good rules that our lives are saved.
And as a result, once you learn to control yourself in front of a red light, when you come home and your wife says something that causes you to see red, you're able to contain yourself, you learn self-control! You don't do just whatever you want to do, you understand that if you plunge through the red light it's a disaster.
So just as you stand waiting for the light to change, you wait for your wife to quiet down and a few minutes later she's a different person. That's how women are; for a moment she says something, a few minutes later she's a different person. And it's the same with everybody else too. If you learn how to control yourself by means of the Torah, then all of life is much more successful and happy.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
ANSWER:
Because the Torah declares the body of a Jew sacred. The body of a Jew is not to be maimed, and it's against the halacha to be menavel hameis. If people want to experiment, it's only a question of spending a little more money. At one time you could import bodies from India at twenty five dollars apiece, now the price maybe went up a little. An Indian body is exactly the same inside as a Jewish body.
You have to know that the idea of autopsies in Eretz Yisroel is a war of ideology. The academic community there wants to wean us from superstitions; that's what they're mostly interested in. They are not interested in bodies, bodies they can get, but they want to train the Jewish people to give up their superstitions.
Superstition means, supersto, in Latin it means something that stands above you. We hold on to these superstitions, because these are high and noble ideas, they stand way above us. And to these superstitions we have to cling with our lifeblood. We're moser nefesh for them. And if we have to fight with the whole academic community in Eretz Yisroel, all the apikorsim, and the government, that's our duty; it's forbidden for a Jew.
If you chas v'shalom have a relative of yours that dies in the hospital, make up your mind beforehand that if the doctor starts urging you to permit an autopsy, you will say a loud and resounding no. Make it up now, because sometimes the doctor was so nice in the last hours of your relative's life, he sidles over to you now and he makes the suggestion, and sometimes a man might be weak.
So tell him, if you're too weak to say no, tell him I must ask my Rabbi. So walk out to the bathroom and come back and say my Rabbi said no.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures.
To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
Should Jews believe in UFOs, in unidentified flying objects?
ANSWER:
This is not a Jewish question, but if you ask anybody, should he believe in it, and the answer is no. You believe in it only when it's proven. It could be that there are unidentified objects, but if they are floating around, if they are artifacts, if they are manufactured objects, then they come from someplace on this earth. There is no question that somebody on this earth has released them. No objects that are fashioned by intelligence are coming are coming from any other place in space. There are no thinking intelligent beings in space - you can bet your pants on that.
Now I am willing to wager also that there is no life in space anywhere, but it's not a principle of the Emunah to say that. If you want to believe there are certain species of elephants someplace in space, go ahead. But no men or no thinking beings are anywhere in space, and it's as silly as could be.
Even according to the evolutionists, man is chas v'shalom the way they say, is the result of unimaginable lucky accidents. Billions, trillions of lucky accidents coincided, they say, to make man. So if you're going to say that the same number of lucky accidents happened another time in the history of the world? That's the lunacy of the science fiction writers.
So you can be sure there'll never be anything like a visitor from outer-space, if he does come he was already on this earth first.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
על שלשה דברים העולם עומד על התורה על העבודה ועל גמילות חסדים (א', ב').
(Avos 1:2) "The world stands upon three things: Torah, avodah and acts of kindness."
Rabbeinu Yonah points out that this mishna does not say, "Upon three things does the world exist" as does the mishna at the end of the perek (1:18). He explains that there the Tanna is informing us that there are three elements necessary to enable the world to run smoothly: judgment, truth and peace. Our mishna is enlightening us to something even more basic - the purpose for which man was put into this world. Man was created to do three things: learn Torah, serve Hashem and perform acts of kindness.
What is so special about these three things? Man was placed in this world to achieve shleimus (character refinement). This shleimus encompasses three facets: The relationship between man and his Creator, the relationship between man and his fellow man and how man relates to himself. Avodah (tefillah) is the means of achieving the ideal relationship between man and his Creator. Gemillas Chassadim is the way to perfecting one's interpersonal relationships. Torah was given to refine one's character traits (see Tiferes Yisrael).
This mishna gives us a whole new outlook on life. Most people define their lives by their vocation, and perceive avodas Hashem as an added obligation for which one must make time. In truth one's life should be defined by his avodas Hashem, with ample time set aside to make a living. The need to make a living was a curse that came as a result of Adam eating from the eitz hadaas. As the Ramchal writes (Derech Eitz Chaim), common sense dictates that the bare minimum of time should be spent involved in an activity that came as the result of a curse. Although it is absolutely imperative that one make a living, obviously it is not the goal and purpose of our existence.
The importance of a Jew staying focused on his goal is highlighted by the following story.
Rav Wolbe was visited by a talmid who delineated for the Mashgiach the various responsibilities that he had as a Rabbi of a community. Rav Wolbe listened to his numerous obligations and then asked him if he left any time for himself. Rav Wolbe was making it clear that even when one's vocation consists of helping others in their avodas Hashem, he must ensure that he leaves ample time to further his personal avodas Hashem.
Our daily activities should include at least a small dose of these three essentials. Certainly, a day should not go by without learning and davening. The Chofetz Chaim (in his introduction to Ahavas Chessed) says that the same applies for gemillus chassadim. There are well known stories about people who would not go to sleep at night before performing an act of kindness for a fellow Jew. The possibilities for performing chessed on a daily basis with family, friends, colleagues and neighbors are endless, and one should capitalize on these opportunities. After all we are here on Earth to amass spiritual wealth, and who wouldn't put in a little effort in order to collect these brilliant diamonds?
Ask yourself and answer: Does my schedule include ample time for Torah and tefillah? Do I set aside time for chessed and grab the chessed opportunities that arise? Does my occupation revolve around my avodas Hashem or does my avodas Hashem revolve around my occupation?
On one of the tapes it was stated that most illnesses are caused by talking, and the person asks that I should elucidate.
ANSWER:
Most illnesses are caused by emotional upset. It's well-known that a great many heart disease cases originate in emotional upset. When a person goes to a heart specialist, one of the first questions is, do you become angry easily or frequently. When you go to an eye specialist, he also asks that, because anger, oshso m'kaas einei, my eye is worn out from kaas. Kaas can ruin your eyes.
It certainly can cause chalila brain tumors, almost as much as a concussion! It can cause chalila diabetes, which we know. People from constant aggravation chalila contract diabetes; the metabolism is upset. It can cause a lot of things.
I know a man who killed his wife. She contracted cancer when she was young, because he was a vicious fellow, and she was a quiet woman that couldn't fight back. And he so ate up her vitals by his wickedness that she died young from cancer. No question in my mind that he was the cause.
Therefore most of these things come from emotional upset, but the emotions are upset more than anything else, by words. If people wouldn't argue, wouldn't talk, they wouldn't bite each other, then there would be a great deal less of emotional disturbances.
Most emotional disturbances come from mouth quarrels, more than would come from worries, from real things that bother a person's mind. And if people wouldn't talk, then there would be a great deal of good health in this world.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
(א', ב') שמעון הצדיק היה משיירי כנסת הגדולה, הוא היה אומר...
(Avos 1:2)"Shimon HaTzaddik was of the last members of the Great Assembly. He would say..."
The Bartenura comments that the expression, "He would say" implies that Shimon Hatzaddik didn't mention this idea just once; rather, he would say it all the time. The Bartenura continues that the same applies even to the Ta'anaim about whom the mishna merely says, "Rabbi Ploni said..." Rabbeinu Yonah even goes so far as to say (regarding the five disciples of Rebbi Yochanan ben Zakkai mentioned in Avos 2:10) that they would each state their particular proverb every single day! Their maxim became their motto and their mantra.
Pirkei Avos quotes proverbs from more than fifty Ta'anaim. It is remarkable to think that not only did each of these Ta'anaim have a motto; each of them lived with a unique motto. They didn't just go with the flow of those around them; they each found their own path in avodas Hashem.
While all of mankind were placed on Earth for the very same reason - to bring glory to Hashem - there are numerous ways of accomplishing this goal. This idea is crystallized by our Patriarchs who did not adopt the same approach in their avodas Hashem. While Avraham used chessed as the basis for his connection to Hashem, his son Yitzchak chose to connect through prayer and his grandson Yaakov forged his relationship via Torah learning.
Every one of the billions of people who walk the earth has a different look and each one of them has a unique fingerprint. Chazal tell us that the differences aren't limited to their external appearance: "Just as their faces are different from one another, so too, their opinions are different from one another" (Bamidbar Rabba 21:2). Every person is made up of a distinct combination of strengths, weaknesses, virtues and characteristics unique to himself. Accordingly, his purpose in life is also uniquely tailored to himself.
The Gemara (Shabbos 118b) relates that many Ta'anaim and Amoraim had a specific mitzvah that they excelled in, and the Sefer Chareidim writes that every person should follow in their ways and adopt a specific mitzvah. A prime demonstration of this idea was Rav Chaim Pinchus Scheinberg's scrupulousness regarding the mitzvah of tzitzis. He wore tens of pairs of tzitzis! In a similar vein the seforim write that each person should have one mesechta that he "acquires" to the extent that he knows it by heart. Each person is meant to take his talents and preferences and carve out his own niche in avodas Hashem.
The problem is that instead of developing and cultivating their own individuality, most people are looking over their shoulder to see what everyone else is doing. Rav Wolbe (Alei Shur vol. II p. 413) bemoans such behavior as he depicts an imaginary Heavenly courtroom scenario.
"So Chaim Yankel, why did you wear tzitzis?" questions the judge. "Well, when I was three years old my parents bought them for me and I just kept on wearing them." "OK, and why did you make brachos, wear tefillin and learn Torah?" continues the judge. "In school they taught me to make brachos, my father bought me tefillin for my bar mitzvah and my parents sent me off to learn Torah. "But what were you thinking when you performed the mitzvos?" thunders the judge. "I wasn't thinking. That's what everyone was doing and I wasn't going to be different" is his pathetic answer. Obviously, such answers are not going to get him too far.
Every person is given the ability to make a unique contribution toward enhancing Hashem's glory in the world. Cognizance of one's unique features that make up his character is the first step toward accomplishing this goal.
Ask yourself and answer: What makes me unique? What are my main strengths, weaknesses, talents and preferences? How am I utilizing these distinctive characteristics in my avodas Hashem?
Do these tzaddikim who sold out to Hakadosh Baruch Hu in this world for the sake of the World to Come, do they actually enjoy this world less? Do they feel less keenly whatever pleasures life can afford, than someone who thinks he's going to be here for the next ten thousand years?
ANSWER:
On the contrary! The man who knows that life is brief is the one who enjoys it most. That's a principle that never fails. The tzaddikim have more Olam Hazeh than anyone else.
Who are the ones that bored? Who are the ones who have to look for thrills? Who are the ones who are constantly unhappy unless they're on the go? The people who live for this world! Because they're not thinking of the end, it's endless.
Of course they wouldn't admit that, but subconsciously life will continue forever and ever, they don't want to consider that there' going to be an end, and therefore they're bored from the beginning. Whereas tzaddikim know that they have to hurry up and enjoy life. That's the reaction automatically of all those who are facing the prospect of Olam Habah. This world is a much happier world, and if you don't believe me then try it.
I will give you a simple experiment which I always tell you. When you walk by a cemetery it always cheers you up. It's unfailing, because the realization that life will come to an end makes you appreciate more keenly what you possess right now.
Therefore number one, the tzaddikim are tourists in this world and they enjoy this world much more sharply, with more zest than anyone else. You see tzaddikim don't get into cars Saturday night and chase around. People are looking for pleasures; tzaddikim have them! Tzaddikim don't have to drink for thrills. Yeshiva boys never take a shot in the arm, they have their thrills, they're happy with the Bais Hamedrash; there are thrills in the Bais Hamedrash. Even to walk from their house to the Yeshiva is to them fun, you never stopped to analyze it.
When a person understands that this world is only a temporary visiting place, he certainly gets much more out of it, whether he is aware of it or not.
And secondly and even more important, those that understand that life is purposeful are going to utilize it and accomplish, whereas those who don't know the purpose of life, they are going to lose out, waste that most precious gift that never again will be offered to them.
That's the opportunity to live and to utilize their free will.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures.
To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
If it says Hashem Ish Milchomo, Hashem is a warrior, then doesn't that mean that we should emulate Him?
ANSWER:
Certainly, and that's why when it was necessary Mattisyahu and his children became anshei milchomo and they gave their lives on the battlefield; every one of them died fighting for Hashem and his Torah. Or when you have to fight against the reformers, against liberals, against reshoim, against homosexuals, you can't sit back and say it's none of my business, no!! You have to be ish milchomo.
You have to get up and battle! Doesn't mean with your fists, you won't accomplish much. You accomplish with letters, telephone calls to the City Councilman.
Certainly you have to do things, we have to be anshei milchomo. Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants it, milchemes hayeitzer, to battle with the yeitzer hara, certainly there is a lot to do.
One of the biggest ways of fighting with our enemies, is to help yeshivas! Yeshivas are battalions where the soldiers are being trained in war. Certainly we have to be ish milchomo! When you go out and you support - let's say families that are raising children in Eretz Yisroel, that they have 13 children - you're ish milchomo if you raise money for them.
Because anybody that is raising 13 children is raising a battalion that's going to wage war on the yeitzer hara, they're all frum children. That's the way to fight back.
Certainly you have to fight back, and that's why we have this moshol to be a model for us.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
How did Yaakov make such a fatal step of showing favoritism to Yosef?
ANSWER:
Yosef was entirely deserving because when Yosef demonstrated his concern for the ideals of his family, by supervising the activities of the brothers, and bringing the reports to the father, any accusations or complaints. So Yaakov saw that this was a man who carried the responsibility of the nation on his shoulders; he didn't say it's none of my business.
Yosef was concerned, and even small things, small blemishes he reported to the father in order to make sure that the family remained perfect. When Yaakov saw that Yosef was born for leadership, the true leadership is a man interested in preserving the ideals of our family and our nation, so he gave him a garment of authority. V'asa lo ksones passim, he gave him a varicolored coat, a coat of royalty, to show that he's a leader.
He wanted thereby to arouse competition among the brothers. Kinas sofrim tarbeh chochmo, envy for good things causes wisdom to flourish. Don't teachers l'havdil in the classroom give prizes to children who excel in learning? Because they want others to be envious and to try to outdo this one, and that was Yaakov Avinu's motivation. However, the fact that it backfired is a lesson for us. The Gemara says therefore we learn: never give a gift to any of your children unless you give it to all of them, this we have to learn.
So you people that are young and don't have children, and those of you that have children, don't give any gifts to your children unless everybody gets the same. Now if one child happens to need a bigger gift, tell him to keep his mouth closed. Make him solemnly promise, because it will cause the greatest trouble. Don't think that the other children don't care.
The Gemara says, l'olam al yeshane adam bno bein habonim, never show a preference for one child among the other children. When you give gifts, don't give any gifts or give everybody. And the Gemara says because of that we went into exile. We went down to Egypt because of that, and we have to learn that lesson.
Yaakov didn't have a Chumash yet, we have a Chumash, it's our job to study the Chumash and to benefit by the lessons.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
ועשו סייג לתורה
(Avos 1:1) Make a fence for the Torah
The Torah instructs us (Vayikra 18:30), "You shall safeguard My commandments." Chazal extrapolate from this verse the requirement to make a fence for the Torah. A fence prevents people from trespassing into restricted places. Accordingly, we are commanded to erect barriers lest we come to transgress the Torah commandments.
In Avos D'Rebbi Nosson (chap. 1, 2) this dictum is discussed at length. It enumerates numerous people who made fences to preclude the possibility of transgressing Torah prohibitions. Among those mentioned is Adam Harishon who told Chava that Hashem forbade them not only to eat from the eitz hadaas but also to touch it. He erected a fence lest Chava sin; for if she can't even touch the tree certainly she won't come to eat from its fruit.
Additionally, Avos D'Rebbi Nosson mentions how Chazal erected a fence, as mentioned in the very first mishna of the first Mesechta (Brachos). Although the Torah allows for the mitzvah of reciting the evening krias shema to be fulfilled at any point of the night, Chazal instructed that it be recited before midnight lest one fall asleep and end up not fulfilling the Torah commandment.
It is clear from the fact that both the written Torah and the oral Torah begin with erecting fences, that taking such precautions is an integral part of the Torah. This idea is highlighted through an interesting story recorded in the Gemara (Sukka 52a).
The great Amorah Abaya once overheard a man tell a woman, "Let's get up early tomorrow and set out on our way together." Abaye thought that he had better follow them to prevent any improper behavior and thus he trailed them for three parsaos (about eight miles) until they reached a fork in the road. At that point, they parted ways and one of them mentioned to the other how it's too bad that they have to part ways since the companionship along the rest of the journey would have been enjoyable.
Abaya lamented that had he been in that man's shoes, he would not have overcome the temptation to sin with the woman. Consequently, he was quite despondent until an elderly man informed him that a person's yetzer hara is directly proportionate to his spiritual level. The temptation is larger when the person is greater. Thus, the man who set out on the journey was not as great as Abaye and as a result did not have the powerful yetzer hara that Abaya did. Therefore, it would be a mistake for Abaya to gauge his spiritual level in comparison to this man's behavior.
The phenomenon mentioned by this elderly man, brings us to a very basic question. If the Tannaim and Amoraim had such a tremendous yetzer hara, why don't we find that they ever faltered with illicit relationships? The answer is that they never slipped because they never walked on ice in the first place! Abaya would never have set out on a journey with a woman! The Tannaim and Amoraim all erected fences and guidelines. Their great fear of the slightest possibility of transgressing any sin prompted them to take all necessary precautions.
Rav Wolbe related that when he was learning in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Poland, the bochurim noticed a habit of the Rosh Yeshiva, Harav Eliezer Yehudah Finkel zt"l. He would never walk on the main street in Mir; rather, he preferred taking the side and back streets of the town. Truth be told, in the early twentieth century there was no pritzus even on the main streets of the city. Nevertheless, the Rosh Yeshiva opted for a more circuitous route since he did not want to take even a remote chance of beholding an inappropriate sight.
Every day we beseech Hashem, "Do not place us in a situation where we will be tested." If we are serious about our entreaty, the very least that we should do is to ensure that we do not put ourselves into similar situations.
Ask yourself and answer: Do I daven in a place which is not conducive to speaking to my Creator? Do I work in an office which has pitfalls of kedusha? Do I bring into my house technology or reading material that present a test for members of my household?
והעמידו תלמידים הרבה...
(Avos 1:1) Develop many disciples...
Last week we explained how every single Jew can fulfill Chazal's directive to "develop many disciples" in a passive manner: Through one's behavior, he acts as a teacher to all those who observe him. Yet, there is also an active way of teaching that each of us can employ to educate others.
Chazal make a most intriguing statement about Shlomo Hamelech. The pasuk states (Melachim I, 5:11), "Vayechkam mekol ha'adam - He became wiser than all men" and Chazal explain "Afilu min hashotim" - He even became smarter than the fools. What does this mean? What type of compliment is it to say that he was smarter than imbeciles?
Rav Elchanon Wasserman offers a beautiful explanation of this Chazal. The mishna in Avos (4:1) states, "Who is wise? He who learns from every person." Chazal were revealing to us that even the fools aided Shlomo in becoming more knowledgeable. Accordingly, "Vayechkam mekol ha'adam" should be translated in a very literal way: "He became wiser from every man." Every person has a unique facet to his personality that can be used to enlighten mankind, and thus Shlomo gathered wisdom even from the fools.
If even fools have something to teach, then every person who was granted intellect certainly has something to offer others. Just as Hashem grants a person monetary affluence to enable him to help others by dispensing charity, likewise, Hashem's gifts of good middos, talents, knowledge and areas of expertise were given to a person for a similar reason. In light of this idea, the Anshei Keneses HaGadolah are instructing us, "Develop many disciples" i.e. share your talents with others, thereby providing as many people as you can with added utensils for their avodas Hashem.
Reb Nochum Stillerman Shlit"a, is known as "the man with the plan" (as dubbed by Rav Yissachor Frand Shlit"a at the Twelfth Siyum Hashas). Not only did he map out a twenty three year plan for finishing Shas with five chazaros, he has a systematic plan for just about everything he does. He worked as a fundraiser for many years and he raised nearly half a billion dollars during his career.
One day he was stopped in his tracks by Mrs. Wolfson (wife of renowned Reb Zev z"l). She bluntly reminded him that all his talents and know-how will we buried along with him after 120 unless he begins teaching others the tricks of the trade. Since then, he has been teaching his fundraising methods to community kollels and numerous other organizations. There could be no better use of one's talents than to transmit them to others in a way that enables them to increase the glory of Hashem.
If a person's informing others of his techniques will detract from his ability to support his family, then he certainly has no obligation to pass on such information. However, often one only stands to gain from teaching others the tricks of the trade. Any growth in avodas Hashem that is achieved through his instruction gets accrued to his account.
Rav Wolbe would cite the Chovos Halevovos' analogy to two merchants who bought shoes for ten dollars. The first merchant sold one pair of shoes for a hundred dollars, netting a sizable profit of ninety dollars. The second merchant sold each pair of shoes for a mere twenty dollars, but he sold thousands of pairs thereby netting a profit far greater than his counterpart. Likewise, one who invests only in himself will net a sizable reward, yet it doesn't begin to compare to the reward merited by one who also helps others grow in their avodas Hashem. Could there be a better investment than that?
Ask yourself and answer: What unique talents or knowledge did Hashem grant me? How can I dispense this information to others and thereby aid them in their ruchniyos?
How can we apply the Mizmor Shir to our own experiences in our own lives?
ANSWER:
And you have to know that this question demonstrates the necessity of this lesson. The fact that you are able to come here, is enough reason why you should say a Mizmor Shir.
Can’t you recall people of your own age who are not able to come here? Who will never able to come anywhere? On every level of our lives - boys, young men, middle age - some people have been left behind. Death always claims victims at every age level, and you survived. So you could sayl’Dovid Hashem heolisa misheol nafshi, You took my life out of the grave.
So what’s your job from now on? This is the job: you have to apply yourself to the great career of Hashem Elokei l’oilam odeka. If you want a concrete method, every time you walk in to a synagogue, or you walk into a yeshiva - you think a yeshiva is a place where you learn gemara… sure it is! But first and foremost, the yeshiva is a place to thank Hakadosh Baruch Hu for what He did for you, that you are alive.
Gemara is nothing but a song, it’s a song of gratitude to Hashem. Mizmor shir, it’s a song. Zemiros huyou li chukecha, your laws are songs of gratitude, that’s how to understand a Yeshiva. Don’t get lost in the details! Rav Simcha Zisel said, learn to be mafshit es hatzura, learn to take off the externalities and see the heart of the thing.
You come into a shul. Well a shul is to daven, you have to put on a tallis and tefillin, you have to say things… And so remember first and foremost, you know what a shul is for! Hashem I thank You. In case you don’t know the meaning of the words, or if you do know the meaning, it’s saying over and over again in many variations, I thank you Hashem. Modeh ani l’fanecha, that you gave me life today, and You gave me all the wherewithals of life.
Therefore it’s not difficult for us to find reasons why we should follow the same system as Dovid.
Good Shabbos To All
לעילוי נשמת אבי מורי זאב בן אברהם יהודה
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures.
To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
והעמידו תלמידים הרבה...
(Avos 1:1) Develop many disciples...
This piece of advice is practical for a Rabbi or Rebbi. How does it apply to a person who spends his days in the workforce or even a fellow learning in Kollel? How are they expected to find disciples to teach and develop? The same question can be asked regarding our impassioned entreaty in birchos Krias Shema where we ask Hashem to give us insight, "to understand, comprehend, hear, learn and teach." Who exactly is the average Jew expecting to teach that should warrant his praying to this end on a daily basis?
There are two practical ways for every person to fulfill this dictum of the Anshei Kenesses HaGedolah; one passively and the other actively. We will first discuss the passive mode of teaching. Even without doing anything out of the ordinary a person has the ability to teach others, since his actions speak volumes.
The story is related of a Jew in Haifa who passed by a billboard and instinctively turned his head so as not to behold an indecent picture. He then quickly made his way into the nearby Beis Hamedrash. A nonreligious fellow Jew beheld the sight and was stunned by the man's reflex reaction. "How could it be that I live for staring at these indecent sights, and here is someone who has no interest in them at all? It must be that what he has, gives him even greater pleasure than staring at the billboard" he mused. He followed the man into the Beis Hamedrash; a move which turned out to be the first step in the process of turning around his life and becoming religious.
Did the Jew know that by not looking at the billboard he was teaching someone? No. He did not know then and, quite possibly, he will not find out until he reaches the Heavenly Tribunal and they reward him for causing a fellow Jew to return to his Maker. All the mitzvos done by this Baal Teshuva and his offspring will be credited (to a certain extent) to the account of this unassuming fine Yid. Rav Wolbe (Alei Shur vol. II p. 201) relates a similar story of a man who was inspired to become religious due to the cheerful smile and good morning wishes offered to him daily by the only religious man in his community.
The truth is that behaving in a way that teaches others the beauty of the ways of the Torah is the ultimate achievement. As mentioned in the final mishna in Pirkei Avos, everything in the world was created to give glory to Hashem. Accordingly, man was placed in this world with a mission of enhancing Hashem's glory on Earth. When someone observes a person who behaves in a refined manner, he perceives in his behavior an expression of godliness that reveals the Creator of the world. Chazal relate a case in point:
Rebbi Shimon ben Shatach once bought a donkey from an Arab. After bringing it home, his disciples noticed a precious gem hanging from its neck and they happily informed their Rebbi about the tremendous blessing that Hashem bestowed upon him. Rebbi Shimon ben Shatach responded, "I bought a donkey, not a precious gem" and proceeded to return the gem to the donkey's original owner. When the gem was returned to the original owner the Arab exclaimed, "Blessed is the G-d of Shimon ben Shatach!" (Devarim Rabbah 3:3)
Why did the Arab bless Hashem? Shimon ben Shatach was the one who returned the stone to the Arab and he should have been the one to get the credit? The answer is that his actions revealed the Creator, because such a deed could only have been executed if there is a Creator to Whom Shimon ben Shatach was totally committed.
Indeed, each and every one of us is a teacher. We teach via the way that we behave in our house, in our shul and in the office. This mishna is instructing us to act in a way that has the ability to produce many disciples. One's behavior should exude spiritual refinement to the point that people will be able to recognize the Creator through his actions.
Ask yourself and answer: Is my behavior at home a good example for my children? Are my attendance at davening and my learning sessions a model for those looking to grow in their avodas Hashem? Has my conduct in the workplace enhanced Hashem's glory in the eyes of my colleagues? Does the way that I walk down the street or drive my car prompt people to exclaim (see Yoma 86a), "Praiseworthy is his Rebbi who taught him Torah?"
Why was there so much turbulence in Yaakov's life?
ANSWER:
Why is there so much turbulence inside of a washing machine? If there wasn't turbulence, then your clothes would come out the same as when you put them in, but because there is turbulence in the washing machine the clothes come out white. You have to be tumbled; and that's what's good for us, we are tumbled in life in order to make us better.
You know what Yaakov accomplished? When Yaakov was in his father's house he was sitting in tranquility. He certainly was making progress. Even his mother was a great Rosh Yeshiva, he learned from his mother too; there was a lot to learn from his mother. Shma b'ni mussar avicha v'al titosh toras imecha, don't forsake the teachings of your mother! He had a great mother and he learned from her.
He also learned from Shem v'Ever, a great Yeshiva, fourteen years. But you know when he came out of Lavan's house, he was the best that he ever was. Lavan's yeshiva was the very best place, because in Lavan's yeshiva he's being tumbled, he's subject to a turbulent environment. The trouble with Lavan made him great.
It says Vayhi li shor v'chamor tzon v'eved v'shifcha. When he came out of Lavan's house he had a shor, that's bchor shoro hadar lo, that's Yosef, the chamor, that's moshiach, oni v'rochev al chamor, tzon, is tzon Yisroel, eved, Moshe Rabbeinu eved Hashem, shifcah, that's Rus l'bais Dovid, all these great things happened to him because he was in the house of Lavan. He took the drubbing that Lavan gave him, he took the difficulties of Lavan's character, and he utilized them to become great.
He said everything is for the good. When he was in Lavan's difficult house and he served Lavan, bchol kochi avadti es avichen, with all my koach I served you, by day and by night, in the heat of summer or the cold of the winter, he took it because he knew Hakadosh Baruch Hu was giving him the best, that's why he became the best.
Don't think Yaakov was unhappy, he wasn't unhappy, he enjoyed the difficulty, he rose to meet the challenge, and he conquered. Ki sarisa im elokim anashim, you conquered, elokim means the yetzer horah, anashim, and you conquered men, that's Eisav and Lavan, vatuchal, and you won out. And that's why you're called Yisroel, because you utilized the difficult circumstances and you became great.
Therefore whatever happened to Yaakov was for Yaakov's benefit. But above all realize, Yaakov understood it; Yaakov knew it. He realized it and therefore got the full benefit.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
Important Numbers
