Why should we buy a home? If Mashiach comes, we'd have to liquidate it and go to Eretz Yisroel, so maybe we should keep the cash in the bank?
ANSWER:
Hakadosh Baruch Hu told Yirmiyahu haNovi: "You're going to Bavel for 70 years." He says, "Bnu botim, build homes in Bavel, and see that your daughters are married off. Get busy and lead a normal life wherever you are, because life must go on. When the time will come, I'll call the shots; don't disturb your normal life."
While you are doing all these things, do it l'Shem Shomayim, remember Hakadosh Baruch Hu, be grateful all the time, teach your children Torah and so on, but don't break up your lives. We are not supposed to break up our lives. If you liquidate your house and make it into money, and you'll wait for Mashiach, by the time Mashiach comes you won't have any money left! And who knows if you won't have to go to the poorhouse before that.
Therefore that's the system of the Torah; we don't liquidate anything now. You don't know how long it will take, you have to hope every day, but you cannot make any reckless steps. And even people that tell you, "Go now, sell your homes and settle in Eretz Yisroel!" Even though they are not saying because of Mashiach, settle in Eretz Yisroel, you need a lot of circumspection; you need a lot of good advice before you do such a thing.
I'll tell you a little story. Reb Yisroel Salanter was once approached by a man, many years ago, who was thinking of going to Eretz Yisroel; so Reb Yisroel said "No!"
So he said, "Why?"
"Because in Eretz Yisroel you'll become a beggar, you'll have to come constantly to beg for money, there's no way of making a living." In those days you couldn't make a living in Eretz Yisroel.
What do we see from these words of a big chochom? Making a living is a very important thing, your moral around breaks down when you don't have a parnassa. When you need charity who knows to what moral depths of degradation you will fall. It's very degrading, it's breaking of the spirit and discouraging. Only great people are able to overcome poverty and to continue. And even of those, you have to know a lot of people have died young in Eretz Yisroel because they didn't work. Now I am not discouraging work, people that are able to learn successfully go ahead, but there are people who did not have enough to eat and neglected their health, and died young as a result of poverty, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not happy when people ruin their health because of poverty.
So if you're able to live successfully under certain circumstances, then go ahead and do it, but most people must take good advice before they do it. It says, "Harbei asu k'Rebbi Shimon Ben Yochoi v'lo olso b'yodum." Many people tried to do like Reb Shimon Ben Yochoi, who didn't want to do anything except learn Torah, and they didn't succeed. Some can, but the multitude cannot, not everybody is suited for that existence.
Therefore it's important to take counsel, don't liquidate anything before you get the go-ahead from somebody who knows.
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
After Bilam failed in his attempts to curse Bnei Yisrael, he hit upon another plan to cause their destruction. He had Midyanite women seduce Bnei Yisrael, and as a result Hashem wiped out twenty four thousand men in a plague. Thereafter, Hashem instructed Moshe to avenge their deaths and wage war against Midyan. When the soldiers returned with the spoils and captive women, Moshe became angry. How could they let the very women who caused Bnei Yisrael to sin, remain alive? Chazal tell us (see Rashi to 31:21) that because Moshe became angry he forgot some halachos and Elazar had to inform Bnei Yisrael how to deal with the vessels taken from Midyan.
Rav Wolbe notes that Moshe's anger was completely validated. His intentions were holy and he had Hashem's commandment and Bnei Yisrael's best interest in mind. Nevertheless, anger is an awful state which, despite one's intentions, causes people to forget their Torah learning! If such was the case with Moshe Rabbeinu, what can be said for people who get angry for less than noble reasons?
The Zohar writes that when a person gets angry, to a certain extent, his neshama departs from him. This is not said with regard to any other middah. When one gets angry, he is simply not the same person that he was a few minutes beforehand! What situation could be so terrible that warrants one to lose part of his neshama? So next time something aggravating happens take a deep breath and think, "Is it really worthwhile to get angry for this?" It's tried and true that if one puts this exercise into practice, his response will be quite different from his original reaction. It's worth the effort. It feels very good and it brings Hashem tremendous delight!
* * *
Sefer Bamidbar concludes with the laws regarding one who kills someone unintentionally. He must flee to a city of refuge and remain there until the Kohein Gadol dies. Should he leave the confines of the city, the relatives of the dead person have permission to avenge his blood and kill the murderer.
Moshe Rabbeinu did not merit entering Eretz Yisrael and thus he did not designate any of its cities to be cities of refuge. Yet, he did merit setting foot upon the land given to two and a half tribes on the eastern side of the Yarden. In Devarim we are told that Moshe's final mitzvah was the designation of three cities east of the Yarden as cities of refuge. Chazal tell us that in response to this deed Hashem said to Moshe, "You have caused the sun to shine for the murderers."
Had there been no cities of refuge, the accidental murderer would have no peace. He would constantly be on the run and he would live in fear day and night. The city of refuge gives him serenity. Once he enters the city, the sun begins to shine for him once again.
Rav Wolbe comments that Sefer Bamidbar can be referred to as "The Book of Divine Providence." It depicts numerous manifestations of Hashem's providence regarding each person in every situation. Indeed, the final laws sum up this idea very well. Hashem takes an interest in the lives of murderers. He heartens them from heaven by ensuring that the sun should shine for them, too. No matter what situation one is in, Hashem wants to make sure that he feels His encouragement from up in heaven.
ANSWER:
Many things. First of all the first Churban Bais Hamikdash accomplished that we became rid of royalty, became rid of the kings. Royalty, kings, were a great blessing when the institution was functioning properly, but when it fell into the wrong hands, it became a dangerous thing. It became corrupted and finally we had to get rid of it. In galus Bavel, the institution of royalty came to an end; that in of itself was a great blessing.
The Churban also took us out of Eretz Yisroel. For seventy years the nation looked back, and now they saw what they had once enjoyed. When a person, for a little while, loses what he once had, and then he is restored to it again, then he is grateful and he thanks Hakadosh Baruch Hu for the Eretz chemda tova u'rachava. There are many benefits of the Churban.
Another benefit was, that we became rid of the false nevi'im; nevuah, prophecy stopped. Prophecy was one of the greatest blessings for the Jewish people, but when false prophets developed near the end of the Bayis Rishon, it became a peril and therefore prophecy came to an end. But it couldn't come to an end unless there was a break with the land. but in the land the false prophets were beginning to spread and flourish. In galus Bavel everybody saw that the true prophets had foretold it and it came true, the false prophets said that there wouldn't be any galus Bavel, and now the false prophets were discredited and the true prophets were vindicated, and therefore the galus Bavel brought an end to false prophecy.
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 can a Kollel couple live a basic life, if his wife has to go out to work?
ANSWER:
Now this you have to know, it's not an ordinary normal life. If you want to live a normal life, you usually won't be much. It's only people who are ready to sacrifice, to live with heroism, to become something exceptional. Now you're not required - a woman is not required to work to keep her husband in the Kollel, certainly not. But if she is willing to do it, it's a greatness, and she is distinguished in our nation, distinguished in our history. But nobody is obligated to do it.
Certainly it's not a normal life, but was it not a normal life when Rabbi Akiva went away for twenty four years and he became the father of our nation in Torah. All the great people live abnormal lives, but it doesn't mean that we are obligated to do it; it's hard to be abnormal. So let's live normal lives, and be frum Jews, and be happy with Torah and Mitzvos, and have a nice family, and celebrate Shabbos and Yom Tov.
If you're big enough to go a step beyond what's normal, then tavo aleichem brocha, surely good; but see that you're happy when you do it. If you're doing it in unhappiness and you're yearning for what the so-called normal life is, then you're not doing it.
If you're big enough to live a Kollel life, then you're great, but nobody can force you into it.
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 isn't Olam Habah which is the purpose of our existence, spoken about more openly and in more detail in the Torah?
ANSWER:
I'll tell you what the Kuzari says about that, why the Torah doesn't speak about Olam Habah at length. It speaks plenty; the trouble is you're not listening.
I'll say what the Torah says: it says Avrohom passed away and he lay down with his forefathers. Now where was Avrohom buried? In the Meoras Hamachpelah. Were his forefathers there? No. What does it mean that he lay down with his forefathers? What does it mean when it says Yaakov Aveinu passed away and he lay down with his forefathers, then it says months later, he was taken to Eretz Canaan? What does it mean, Moshe Rabbeinu lay down with his forefathers? He's buried in Har Nevo, not with the forefathers. Aaron Hakohen he passed away and was buried with his forefathers, he laid down with his forefathers. Where are the forefathers at? He's not buried with anybody else!
The answer is, the Torah is reiterating again and again, the Torah is telling us there are forefathers, when a man dies immediately he goes to his forefathers, the great pleasure of joining your family; that's what everyone is waiting for. V'neman ata l'hachayos meisim, we'd like to rejoin our father and mother again, once more you'll be reunited, that's the great happiness! That's what happens when a man passes away from this world, if he's deserving.
Therefore, the Torah speaks constantly about that, many times in the Chumash. Besides the fact that Bilaam who was saying the word of Hashem, says openly - Bilaam says, tomus nafshi mos yeshorim us'he acharisi kamohu, let my soul die the death of these righteous people - which means the Jewish people, he's pointing to Yisroel - and let my end be like his...What did Bilaam want, to be buried in Old Montefiore cemetery? Let my end be like his? He was talking about what happens after death, open pesukim.
The question is, why doesn't the Torah describe the mansions, like the new testament, l'havdil? The new testament speaks about the mansions that you are going to get.
The Kuzari says, once the Torah is going to go into detail, then it's open to competition. Along will come some faker and say, I'm going to offer you better things than are written in the Torah. Once it's specified what you are going to get, then some competitor will come along; Mohammad.
Mohammad offers his people a lot of beautiful women in a garden. He says there will be a garden with fruit trees and streams flowing, and women all you want: that's what it says in the Koran. So let's say the Torah will promise him a thousand women, Mohammad will raise the price to two thousand women.
So the Torah doesn't want to say anything, so nobody should be able to compete.
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 misas tzaddikim mechaperes, why is it that the death of tzaddikim is a kapara? Why does it atone?
ANSWER:
You must understand, that yakur b'einei Hashem hamuvso l'chasiduv, it's precious in the eyes of Hashem, it's a rarity when you have to sacrifice a righteous man. Now when a righteous passes away, it causes a certain regret among the people, and then even for a moment, people pause to appreciate what they once had. That's the great tzara for human beings. When they have the righteous man they lack to appreciate.
Let's say the Chofetz Chaim when he was alive - certainly there were a lot of people who appreciated him, but very many didn't even bother to think about him, because he's around. After he passed away then the worldbegan to understand the Chofetz Chaim.
I once went into visit in a shiva house where a local Rov passed away and his son was sitting shiva. And his son told me, now he appreciates his father... a little too late.
That's what misas tzaddikim has to accomplish, people should know what they missed. It's a pity. Had they understood what they had when he was still around, it would be a bigger kapara. Believe me, if people would study the tzaddikim that are alive, it would be a much bigger kapara, but since they don't unfortunately, they say look, "he's a human being like I am, I yawn he yawns, I have to sleep he has to sleep, so what's so great about him? He has teeth and I have teeth, he looks exactly like me, so there's nothing to him!" Because people are so shallow. We are, we are bemused, we are influenced by externalities.
The Gemara reports about Moshe Rabbeinu, people said look how thick are his thighs, that's the way to look at Moshe Rabbeinu...Kamo uvim shokuv, look how fat his thighs are. You know, Moshe Rabbeinu was a muscular man, he was a big man, he was a heavy man, a giant man. So some people said, look how thick are his thighs, he eats well. Ohhh! Now they didn't say that, don't think they said that, but it was a thought that floated through their minds; he's a human being. That's how people are; that's a tragedy. If they could rise to understand Moshe Rabbeinu while he was alive, they'd get the full benefit, but after Moshe passed away it says vayiviku, the whole nation wept for thirty days.
Oh, now they wept for thirty days, that's a pity, but it's mechaperes however. Now we begin to understand something, that's a kapara for everybody, it's an atonement, everybody is supposed to get better. That's why it's such a great thing to make hespedim on tzaddikim, so people should appreciate them, they should come and listen and learn the lessons.
That's one of the ideas of misas tzaddikim mechaperes.
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:
When you do a favor to a fellow Jew, Hakadosh Baruch Hu rewards you, but suppose that fellow Jew is a very great tzaddik, you get much more reward.
Remember when Yisro, Yisro knew that there was a Mitzri, ish Mitzri hitzilunu, he saved us his daughters said, a Mitzri helped us out. So he said, invite him to eat; he didn't know who he was, but it states, because Yisro gave Moshe Rabbeinu bread to eat, Yisro was rewarded so greatly forever and ever. So if you do a kindliness to a great man, it's much more richly rewarded by Hashem. So let's say you have one dollar to give tzedaka, you can give it to a poor fellow on the street or give it to a poor ben Torah, ben Torah is much more important.
I once heard a man say, "Why give it to the ben Torah, you're partial to bnei torah?" The answer is,"Yes, we are partial to bnei Torah." Hakadosh Baruch Hu is partial to them. I remember there was a big argument against the Rosh Ha'yeshivas, at the time of the Vaad Hatzolo, when they were saving Jews from Europe, the Rosh Hayeshivas were bringing over bnei Torah. So a man told me, "Rosh Hayeshivas because they're partial to bnei Torah, they are bringing over bnei Torah."
So I said, "Whom else should they bring over? Certainly the bnei Torah they should bring over, if you have only a few visas to save lives, no question they're first, what's the question? Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants them."
Therefore if you start up with a nobody, you talk loshon hora on a plain nobody, it's wrong, it's a chet. But if you talk lashon hora on a tzaddik, vsonei tzaddik y'eshumu, if you hate a tzaddik you'll be held very very guilty. So if you want to talk loshon hora, of course it's best not to say anything, but choose bums, don't choose tzaddikim, don't choose frum Jews. Frum Jews are tzaddikim, ameich kulom tzaddikim, frum Jews are tzaddikim. Frum Jews are sacrificing for Torah, the cost of schar limud for their children. You can send them to public schools, they're laboring to pay huge amounts of money for tuition, so they deserve credit for that, ameich kulom tzaddikim, don't talk on Jews.
Therefore Korach started up with Moshe Rabbeinu, he was the very worst man to start up with. Had he been suspicious of a little fellow there, the son of the ish Mitzri, had he started up with him, it wouldn't be a mitzvah, but still he wouldn't be in the ground.
He started up with Moshe Rabbeinu, and he spoke against him, he was dan l'kaf chova, then it's a very great mistake.
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 important is physical exercise, and how should one go about doing it?
ANSWER:
The Rambam says physical exercise is important. How to go about doing it? There are various ways. If you have time, I would suggest you should walk every day, fast, at least a half hour. Not at nighttime in lonesome streets. If you're able to walk a half hour fast, maybe more, and think some of these ideas that we are talking about today, so you won't be wasting time, you'll be thinking in avodas Hashem at the same time.
Walking gives the whole body a certain amount of exertion, and it gives you more muscular power, it helps your digestion, elimination; fresh air is very good for you. So I propose walking, however there may be other ways too, but exercise is important, no question about it.
Adam l'amal youlod, man was created to work, not to sit, sitting is not healthy. The Gemara says even when you're learning all day long, shlish b'yeshiva, a third siting, shlish b'amida, a third standing, and shlish b'halicha, a third walking.
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 can a person prevent himself from suffering depression when old age suddenly appears?
ANSWER:
Sh'sulim b'veis Hashem, if when you're young you are planted in the bais Hashem - you went to the right places to learn, b'chatzros Elokeinu yafrichu, and you blossomed forth b'chatzros Elokeinu, you were in places where they spoke about the purpose of life, and you learned how to think about the chasdei Hashem, you learned how to appreciate everything - then when you'll get old it's a habit that won't be broken, you'll continue. Od y'nuvun b'seiva, even in old age you'll still produce fruit, d'sheinim v'rananim y'hiyu, it'll be fat and juicy in your old age too.
So the old man now, hobbling with a cane, he's so happy he has a cane, he's happy to hobble. He sees the light, like the Rabbeinu Yonah says, what's the happiness of an old man? He sees the light of the sun. I enjoy the light of the sun! Umosok haor, how sweet is the light of the sun, even that's a happiness! Vtov l'einayim liros es Hashem, it's good to see the sun, so you have to practice up when you're young. If you're sh'sulim b'veis Hashem, then od y'nuvun b'seiva.
If you wait till you're old and you have aches and pains, and then you start thinking, 'how can I learn the happiness of life?' It's a little late. You can still try, but the best thing is to start when you are young.
So practice while you're young and you have everything. That's why it says, l'hagid baboker chasdecho, in themorning, morning means when you're young, v'emunascha baleilos, then when you're old in the nighttime, it still continues. You have to start in the morning however; in the morning of life you have to start.
So when you're young it's time to practice up; b'yom tov hoyo tov (Koheles 7:14), when it's a good day, practice up being happy on the good days, and b'yom ru'uh, r'ei, and on another day when it's not so good, you'll continue to see the good.
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
Is Torah considered something of Hashem's imagination, or does it have intrinsic value?
ANSWER:
As far as we're concerned, not only Torah has intrinsic value, but an orange and an apple have intrinsic value, because Hakadosh Baruch Hu's imagination has intrinsic value, too. If Hakadosh Baruch Hu imagined an orange into existence, it has intrinsic value.
And you can spend your lifetime studying that orange, because you'll learn from it the wisdom of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. How wonderful it is that it has a capsule. The orange peel is a capsule that preserves the contents. You could put an orange on your table without refrigeration, and it'll last for days. It's a wonderful capsule, and it's beautiful. The color is appealing for the purpose of making you enjoy what's inside.
Inside is a delicious beverage, and when you cut it into quarters it doesn't spill out. Can you cut a bottle of ginger ale into quarters? It's so planned, that the cells imprison the liquid, so when you cut it into quarters the liquid doesn't spill… a few drops because you rupture some cells, but otherwise it's all there. It's healthful and nourishing, and it's fun too. When you finish there are seeds inside, you spit out the seeds and the seeds are like tickets for a refill. The seeds fall on the ground and another tree grows.
And so, certainly everything has intrinsic value, but compared to Hakadosh Baruch Hu's existence nothing is considered as intrinsically existing.
Good Shabbos To All
Question # 136
QUESTION:
Please prove the authenticity of our Torah? That's a question I like to get!
ANSWER:So we say to the questioner, you have the floor, please disprove it. Please disprove the authenticity of our Torah. TheTorah is here. Here it is, and we are here. We are the nation that claims our fathers gave us this Torah that they received from their fathers, and we received a tradition that Moshe our teacher gave it to them, and our entire nation stood at Har Sinai and they heard Hakadosh Baruch Hu say toMoshe and give him a mandate in their presence. Moshe Rabbeinu, you're going to speak to this people for Me from now on, and therefore Moshe Rabbeinu when he gave us the Torahwas mandated by Hakadosh Baruch Hu in the presence of 600,000 males between 20 and 60 years of age, not to mention the elderly ones, the young ones and the women. That's our claim; no nation in the world everclaimed such a claim. Not the Mohammedans. Of course the Mohammedans claim that the Bible is true because the Jews say so. Christians claim the Bible is true, because the Jews say so. The Vikings didn't have any traditions, the Buddhists didn't have any traditions, they made no such claims.
We are the only ones who claim that Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave it to us. And if you'll ask, how do we know that it's true? So we'll ask you a question: How do you know that there was a George Washington? ProveGeorge Washington. So you say there are books. We also have books. We have books, too. So you say Washington was recent and our claims are old. Anybody around here saw George Washington? Anybody sawa man who saw George Washington around here? How do you know he was there? It's emunah; you believe people. So should we believe nations of disorderly people, there were so many shikurim among them, and so many club wielders, so many roughnecks. Such a nation testifies that George Washington was present, and we accept their testimony. Well, there are so many documents; there are a lot of documents. You want documents? Josephus wrote two thousand years ago a big document. So that's thousands of years ago, so that's as good evidence as any evidence that you'll produce for anything that happened three hundred years ago in America.
Therefore we are standing on solid ground, we have a historic tradition. We are not one person, we are anation. And our nation always was united behind this. We never had a single Jew who disbelieved that Moshereceived the Torah from Hashem, up till a hundred fifty years ago. Not the Karaites, not the Sadducees, none of them disbelieved that, - they all believed. There wasn't a single Jew up to the time of the German assimilationists and reformers one hundred fifty years ago; there wasn't a single Jew who disbelieved in theTorah. So our entire nation was behind this tradition. Not to mention the fact that the Christians and Mohammedans all say the same thing about our Torah, that we received the Torah.
So therefore if anybody wants to bring proofs against the authenticity of the Torah, we'll give him the floor.
Question # 33
QUESTION:
Isn't it good enough just to be a good person? Why must we follow the Torah?
ANSWER:
And the answer is, why must you keep traffic laws? Isn't it good enough to be a good person? How many good people go through red lights? How many good people have killed innocent persons by driving drunk? Good intentions are not enough to be agood person. A man must be bound by a code. And if he is choosing a code, he might as well take the very best code there is. There is no such thing as agood person without Torah. A good person can be a mercy killer, he kills his old mother because he can not see her suffer. A good person can be a selfish man, who thinks he is doing good, when in reality he is only helping himself, because he is blinded by his own desires.
We have to know that nobody is able to live with standards that he himself creates. You see 50 years ago the reformers, the reform Jews, had certain standards that they considered good, moral, and today they are changed entirely.So whatever people consider as standards in one generation can change in another generation.
It's only those who live by the eternal standard of Torah, who remain good forever and ever.
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
The Gemara says, when a man is in his mother's womb a malach comes and teaches him kol Hatorah kulo, teaches him the entire Torah. And just as he's about to come out into this world, the angel makes him forget everything. So the question arises, what's the sense to this procedure? Why teach it to him if you're going to take it away?
ANSWER:
It's never taken away from him, it remains with him. Consciously he loses knowledge of what he possesses, but subconsciously, even sub-subconsciously, somewhere in a man's recesses of his soul there is the wisdom of Hashem. If you want to become great, you have to find ways and means of bringing forth what'sin you already.
Now, how to do that is not for tonight, but one detail will be spoken about, and that's... the world. The world was created for the purpose of bringing forth from a man the greatness in him; nature. If you'll understand this principle about man, how great he is, that he has native wisdom, he's born with deep understanding of things, with endless understanding, only he has to have some way of causing it to come forth.
I'll give you an example. Sometimes you have a well and you want to pump out water with a pump, but nothing comes out. But when you pour water into the pump, so the water in the pump finally makes contact with the well water; that's called priming the pump. Now if you press the pump handle the water will gush out. And so, when you want to get this wisdom that's buried within you, if you'll take what's outside, what the world of nature supplies, the wonders, and you'll put them into your mind - not that makes you wise, not that makes you understand things, no, that primes your pump and it makes contact with the depths that are in your soul - and then the water starts gushing out much more than you put in.
In Mishlei it states, mayim amukim eitzah b'lev ish, deep waters is the wisdom in the mind of a man. There are deep waters in every man, even an unlearned man, v'ish tevunos yidlena, a man of tevunos will draw forth that water. You have to use tevunah, tevunah is a pump, a tevunah pump. A pump of understanding to draw forth the water; but it's there. And nature is the thing that will help you draw forth the wisdom. Now I'm not saying nature is the only opportunity, I mentioned before, Toras Hashem temimah, but that's not the subject tonight.
Tonight the subject is nature. If you look at it you'll see how it draws forth from your soul the depths of the wisdom and your eyes begin to open up.
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
Are we permitted to walk on Kings Highway because of lack of tznius?
ANSWER:
Wherever we walk on the streets today is the same problem. A person must fill his mind at all times with noble thoughts.
The Rambam says, only a mind empty of Torah that turns to these things. Of course nature abhors a vacuum, if the mind is a vacuum, so foolish ideas will come in. Every idealistic Jew should make it his business always to have idealistic thoughts, and it's not too difficult. You can train yourself of thinking happythoughts, joyous thoughts, think about what Hakadosh Baruch Hu is giving you in this world. You see the blue sky, the sun is shining, and the wind is blowing fresh air, and your clothes, malbish arumim, it's warm inside of your clothing. Hashem is causing your heart to beat and your blood is circulating within you in a wondrous fashion, your kidneys are working, purifying your blood.
Your brain is receiving messages from the outside world and arranging all the affairs of your body. The body itself as it functions in a normal fashion is such a simcha to have, such a happiness.
When people think these thoughts, there's no need to have any other ideas in the head except the simchas hachayim. If one will introduce into his mind noble pictures from our great past, he'll think of experiences of our nation; krias yam suf, he'll think of the maan, there's no end of good things in this world to think about.
As you pass the stores, you see food, bakeries, groceries, fruit stores, hazon es haolm kulo b'tuvo, Hashem feeds the world with kindliness. There's so many good things to think about, that there's actually no need that the mind should be vacant and allow the foolishness of the world to enter.
Of course, if a person invites wrong ideas, that's his fault. Let's say he buys a New York Times, he's asking for trouble. He's opening his mind for rishus and apikorsus and immorality. I'm not talking about the meshugaim who bring in through a TV into their homes gentiles and leitzim; they're asking for trouble.
When a person is trying to fill his mind with kedushah and thoughts of happiness, even simchas olam hazeh, there's so much to be happy! Simchu tzadikim B'Hashem, so much to be happy about in this world. Therefore there's no need that the mind should be empty and allow the wrong thoughts to enter.
And so when you walk on Kings Highway think about the trees...Why are there no leaves on the tree now? Because we don't want any shade, we want the sunshine. In the wintertime, no shade only sunshine. In the summertime you need shade, the trees are giving you leaves and shade. Think about that, isn't that wonderful!! When we look at the tree, study the fact that no one branch grows directly underneath the branch above it. The branches are all spread out like fingers in order to catch as much sunlight as possible. Never does a branch of a tree grow underneath a branch above it, a wonderful thing to see that. When you study the trees on the street you see the niflo'os haborei.
When you look at the sun shining on you, sunlight as it strikes your skin, it creates vitamins, a very important function of the sun. Those who don't get any sunlight sometimes suffer from rickets; their bones don't manufacture enough calcium and get bowlegged. Also the wind, the wind sweeps the air fresh, even coldwinds freshen the air and as you breath the cocktail of oxygen and nitrogen, a little carbon dioxide, breathe deeply and it invigorates your blood.
So there is happiness to think about on the street. As you look at the stores, clothing; clothing is a miracle, malbish arumim. Why does cotton grow? Cotton is not for animals to eat, cotton is just a waste it seems. No, cotton is a wonderful plant that Hashem made, vayas Hashem Elokim l'adam u'lishto kosnos ohr, He made garments to cover their skin...
The wonder of wool that grows on the backs of sheep, a sheep eats grass and from the grass produces wool. A sheep doesn't eat wool, it eats grass and it makes wool out of the grass. So when you see clothing stores it'swonderful, malbish arumim... When you pass the fruit stores and you think, in every fruit there are seeds, asher zaro bo, every fruit has seeds, a miracle. How did the seeds get inside of the fruit?
Suppose you opened up an apple and found a quarter inside, it would be a nes, but a quarter is nothing, it's a dead thing, a seed is alive. In every seed there is at least a million bits of information to help it turn into a tree. So when you see a fruit stand, asher zaro bo, everything has a seed in it, miracle, miracle, miracle. So as you pass by the street you don't have time to think of anything but the niflo'os haborei.
Therefore like Dovid Hamelech said, es'haleich lifnei Hashem b'artzos hachayim, he said let me walk before Hashem in the land of the living. The Gemara says in Yuma, zeh mkom shvokim, it's a place where there are markets, and Rashi says where you can buy anything. A place where there's everything to buy, you see chasdei Hashem, you don't have to buy everything, but the fact that's it's available is a very big simcha.
So the streets are a happy place, a person can be a big philosopher in a Torah sense and become an oveid Hashem merely by thinking these thoughts in the street.
Therefore there's no need in the street to waste your mind on the wrong kind of thoughts.
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
The Torah states, "Before a blind man you should not put a stumbling block", so why does Hashem Himself do it by allowing so many false ideologies to flourish?
ANSWER:
Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not obligated to keep the Torah.
And His business is to put us to tests. Our business is not to test anybody including ourselves. We ask, al t'vieinu lo lidei nisayon, don't bring us to tests. We run away from tests, but Hakadosh Baruch Hu puts us to tests, and that's our success in this world. If not for the false religions, it wouldn't pay to be a Jew, because everybody would recognize the truth of Judaism, so where do you come in?
Today you are an aristocrat. As you walk through the street, here is a gentile, here is a Mohammedan, here is a Witness, here is an evolutionist; you're an aristocrat. You believe in Hakadosh Baruch Hu, you believe in matan Torah, in brias haolam yesh m'ayin – you'll get reward for that.
What reward would you get if you'll walk let's say through Brownsville or the wilds of Bensonhurst, and everybody around you believes the same thing as you do, so you're nobody.
So it pays for us, it's the best business for us, to have so many different ideologies, and despite them we are able to withstand all the tests; so that's our success.
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
What should one tell someone, why Hashem allowed Hitler to kill so many Gedolim?
ANSWER:
What should you tell yourself you mean!
And the answer is, why did Hashem allow Hitler to kill not Gedolim, why did He allow him to kill ketanim? You have to understand that.
And the answer is, because even though I'm not capable, I'm not worthy of telling why Hashem did things, but following certain rules that our sages told us...There's a rule, that there were once two tzaddikim and they both died young, and the Gemara says why did they die young? It was like two ripe figs that had to be taken off the tree when they were ripe, because if you wouldn't take them off, they would rot on the tree.
These tzaddikim were taken out of the world before they spoiled. Yomus zakai v'al yomus chayav, better to die innocent than to die guilty.
We have to know the generation in Europe was rolling downhill. I was there. I left in 1938, that's the year that Hitler marched into Sudetenland, and they were rolling downhill all over Europe; nobody should tell you any differently. They were deteriorating rapidly.
In the small towns there were movies already, there was dancing - I myself saw men and women dancing together in a little town that if you didn't watch while you were walking on the road, you passed through without knowing you passed through the town; that's how small the town was. All the wicked ways of the outside world had come in already, and there were atheists everywhere.
You have to know, in the small towns all the stores were closed on Shabbos, because that was an old custom they couldn't break easily. But already after World War 1, there was one store that was open, the barber shop was open on Shabbos. You know what that means in the small towns? It was unthinkable once, and everybody was going out to the barber shop, the youth gathered in the barber shop, and outside the city there was a hachshara, and later in the night, Friday night, the whole youth was there. They were singing artzo alinu, we're going to a new land, and we're having new ways, a different culture, we're going to build a socialistic government, a commune, and everything now was changing.
Now suppose they had been allowed to exist, you know what would have happened? You wouldn't have any Judaism left in Europe.
So Hakadosh Baruch Hu rescued them, he took them out of the world before they had an opportunity to deteriorate entirely. And in Gan Eden - they went to Gan Eden after being in Hitler's Gehinnom - they were successful, because we don't live for this world alone. The greatest misfortune is to live in the world even happily, but to deteriorate and become a porek ol, and to forget yiddishkeit, and to mingle among the goyim, that's the greatest disaster that could be! And Hakadosh Baruch Hu rescued them.
Now you have to know that you have a lot of propaganda to the opposite of what I'm telling you, and I'm able to defend this and explain it with statistics, someday I'll write a book about it, (the book is already written) I'll publish it someday bli neder, and it explains many facts that were known to people who were there.
It's open knowledge that the generation was being ruined and they were falling down every day to a lower and lower madreiga.
Good Shabbos To All
Question #274
QUESTION:
What's the purpose why lately there's been a revulsion against the Holocaust, and there are plenty of reshoim today who are denying it?
ANSWER:
We have to know that a great error is being committed all the time by the Holocaust people. They leave out one element that's the most important of everything, and that is: Hashem.
Hashem made the Holocaust, not the Germans; and don't deceive yourself. Of course the Germans are reshoim gemurim and they deserve to bedestroyed in many millions, and it should be la'asos nekomo ba'goyim to'cheichos ba'leumim, there should be a nekomo on them, and yet theemphasis should be, Hakadosh Baruch Hu did that to us.
Now by constantly talking about what the goyim did and never once mentioning that Hashem had anything to do with it, a fundamental error is being committed, and now Hashem is going to show you. You think that you are going to arouse the rachamim of the goyim to have more pity, I'm going to show you it'll have the opposite effect.
Goyim are going to learn from this ways and means what they would like to do to the Jews themselves. Yes!! They look at all these things and although they might say some words of sympathy, but in their minds they're thinking, "We'd like to do that ourselves someday," because we left out the ikar.
The most important part of the whole Holocaust business was only made for the purpose so we should cry out to Hashem, that's all it was made for! If that's omitted, then the whole thing will backfire.
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
Is it an aveiro, is it a sin, to go through a red light?
ANSWER:
It is one of the very biggest sins. First of all, you're endangering your life, and a person that endangers his life should know that Hakadosh Baruch Hu, even though He saved the man's life He's going to collect his mitzvos from him. It'll cost him many years of tefillin, many years of tefilla, many years of krias shma, m'nakin lo m'zchuyosov; they'll deduct from his mitzvos when he put himself in danger.
In addition however, he put other people in danger; it's a very severe crime. It's considered as if he is a shofeich domim even though he didn't kill anybody. When he put himself in a situation where he could kill someone, it's considered as a shofeich domim potentially and that's a tremendous sin.
We have to understand that. People who are reckless in driving, are doing something that's the opposite of the will of Hashem and asidin litein es hadin, no question about that.
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
After the sin of the Golden Calf, Bnei Yisrael were informed that instead of Hashem accompanying them along their journey He would be sending an angel in His place. "The people heard this bad tiding and they became grief stricken" (Shemos 33:4). Rashi explains that the bad tiding refers to the fact that Hashem would not be residing amongst them nor journeying along with them.
Rav Wolbe comments that this pasuk really defines the essence of good and bad. "Good" is anything which brings a person closer to Hashem, while "bad" is anything which distances a person from Him. Thus, the knowledge that Hashem would not be traveling along with them was most certainly a bad tiding.
As the Ramchal writes, our mission in this world is to create the strongest connection possible with our Creator. It makes sense that anything which aids a person in accomplishing their mission is "good" while anything that impedes him from achieving his goal is "bad." The formula for making correct decisions is often very simple. We must ask ourselves: Is this action going to bring me closer to Hashem or distance me from Him? It's a small question that can yield tremendous dividends.
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The parsha relates how Hashem agreed to show Moshe a partial revelation of His glory. He told Moshe exactly where to stand: "Hashem said, 'Behold, there is a place with me; you may stand on the rock'" (ibid. 33:21). Whatdoes this mean? Which place is with Hashem? Rashi explains that the place mentioned refers to a place on Har Sinai which He prepared specifically for this purpose.
Rashi writes another interpretation of the pasuk citing a Medrash. The "place" refers not to a part of Har Sinai; rather, it was mentioned regarding the Shechina Itself. Hashem did not say "I am in a place." He said the place is "with Me." From here Chazal conclude that "Hashem is the place of the world and the world is not His place."
Rav Wolbe elaborates on Chazal's words. The universe is a very big place. It contains billions of people and trillions upon trillions of stars. The perception of most people is that it's so big that it even has enough room for Hashem. However, the exact opposite is true. Hashem isn't contained in this world at all. Rather, the entire world is being held in His "palm." Hashem is the place upon where the world stands and the world is not the place where He stands.
This is an idea that should accompany us throughout our lives. Our aim is not to try to fit Hashem into our world, but rather to fit our world into Hashem. It is He who pulls the strings; one's family, job, colleagues and all the other aspects that make up his "world" must be aligned to work in tandem with Hashem's will.
Why was the Ark of the covenant, the Aron Habris, made of wood covered with gold, whereas other things were solid gold?
ANSWER:
One of the symbols our sages tell us is, that the Mishkan symbolized organs of the body; the whole Mishkan was like a body. Outside on the roof you had oros techashim, (animal hide) it's like the skin of the body, and the pillars of wood, the keroshim were like ribs, and there was a separation between the Heichel and the Kodesh Hakodoshim, like there's a diaphragm in human beings between one part of the body and the other part of the body. The heart was symbolized by the Aron Habris, that's the heart.
Now, we are commanded to make a wooden ark, but we must cover it with gold inside and out. Which means, that the heart is a human heart but it's our job to put gold on the inside of the heart - that's not what I say, it's what meforshim say - and gold on the outside. Gold on the inside means, he must be genuine, he must have true ideas in his heart, he has to cover the inside of his mind with the truths of the Torah, that's gold. The outside he has to cover with perfect behavior, that's outside, it should be tocho k'baro and also baro k'tocho. And the wood is something that should be perishable but because it's protected by gold it'll last forever.
Therefore the human soul, when it's coated mibayis umeichutz with zahav, it becomes eternal and will last forever.
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 should anybody appreciate the world today, if he knows that the world to come is more enjoyable?
ANSWER:
Why not? If it'll hinder you - let's say, if eating in the lobby will ruin your appetite, you'll eat some cheap confections in the lobby and then when the time comes to eat the expensive dishes served in the wedding hall you won't have an appetite - certainly you don't ruin your appetite on nothing.
But suppose it's not going to interfere, why not? Especially if you'll take what this world offers and you'll make a very big brachah over it, and you'll be happy with gratitude to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, not only are you justified in enjoying it in this world, but that's going to bring you (to olam Habah), that's part of the hasken atzmecha, that's part of the preparation, to enjoying properly the things of this world, and thanking Hashem! That's one of the big things.
Kol haomer shira b'olam hazeh, if you say song to Hashem in this world by thanking Him for the good things you have here, zoche v'omro l'olam haboh, you'll say it in the world to come. So therefore, on the contrary, if you'll enjoy properly, it's springtime, and the sun is shining tomorrow, or even if it's raining tomorrow, it's a beautiful spring rain, not too hot not too cold, and go out and breathe the new spring air, and say Hakadosh Baruch Hu, we thank You that You gave us life!! Baruch ata Hashem hamachazir neshamos lifgorim maiseim, that You give us another day of life, to enjoy and to breathe, and to eat and to see all the wonderful things of creation, and you thank Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Not only why not, you should do it, and that's going to be the hasken atzmecha b'prosdor.
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
When Yisro saw the tremendous effort that Moshe Rabbeinu invested in judging Bnei Yisrael, he suggested that Moshe divide the responsibility between a number of people. After receiving approval from Hashem, Yisro's advice was accepted and criteria were set to determine the qualifications for a judge: "You shall discern from among the entire people, men of accomplishment, God-fearing people, men of truth, people who despise money, and you shall appoint them leaders" (Shemos 18:21).
Rashi explains that the "despising of money" mentioned in the pasuk refers to money that is truthfully theirs, but due to a lack of evidence it can be extracted from them in a court of law (see Ramban's clarification of Rashi). Only a person who despises such money would be qualified to judge Bnei Yisrael. What would compel a person to not only willingly forfeit money which is rightfully theirs, but to also despise the money in question?
Rav Wolbe cites the Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 116:7) which mentions that an especially punctilious person will not eat meat from an animal that had a questionable shechita, even if the animal was rendered kosher by a competent halachic authority. The very fact that he must rely on a human's decision detracts from the "glatt kosher" standard that he wishes to maintain. Just as there is glatt kosher meat there is also glatt kosher money. Money which can be extracted from a person via a court decision does not conform to the high standards which a Jewish judge sets for himself.
Most people are very careful about what they eat. They will make sure to check for a hechsher on every product, and something with questionable verification will not make it into their shopping cart. Yet, when it comes to monetary issues they do not demand that their revenues carry the same level of verification. It would seem that the difference is in the emphasis that parents place on the kashrus of food when children are young. It behooves us to impress upon our children that they should be as careful with what enters their pockets as with what enters their mouths. Conveying this idea to others will sharpen it in our own eyes and aid us in attaining a glatt kosher bank account.
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Moshe ascended Har Sinai and Hashem instructed him to tell Bnei Yisrael the following: "You have seen what I did to Mitzrayim and that I carried you on the wings of eagles and I brought you to Me" (ibid. 19:3). Rashi explains that Hashem was telling Bnei Yisrael that they do not have to rely on testimoniesor hearsay since they witnessed Hashem's wonders with their very own eyes.
Rav Wolbe cites the Sefer Kuzari which elaborates on this idea. The sefer revolves around the king of Kuzar's search for religious fulfillment. He discussed religion with a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew. When he asked the Jew about his beliefs, he responded, "We believe in the G-d of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, Who redeemed Bnei Yisrael from Egypt in an awesome display of miracles, sustained them in the desert and conquered the Land of Canaan for them."
The king asked the Jew why he described his G-d as, "The One Who redeemed Bnei Yisrael from Egypt," and not as, "The One Who created the world," as He was described by the Christian and Muslim. The wise Jew responded that while other religions belief in G-d relies on hearsay, Jewish belief is based upon occurrences that took place in front of the eyes of the masses.
The foundation of our beliefs is rock solid. Millions of people experienced Yetzias Mitzrayim and heard Hashem speak at Har Sinai. Truth be told, if we pay close attention we can also see it now in the twenty-first century: He runs the world, He runs our lives, and we can feel His hand guiding us through the maze of life.
What's the importance of teaching a child, Torah tzivah lanu Moshe, this passuk that Moshe gave us a Torah that Hakadosh Baruch Hu handed over to him?
ANSWER:
There's a sefer written many years ago by an Italian man, he wasn't a big Torah chochom, he was a maskil. However he wrote something, I won't mention his name because he wasn't a big chochom Torah, but he says an important point. He says, we have to teach a child from the beginning the Rashi on the Chumash, from the beginning. If you can't teach it inside, teach it baal peh; because once a child gets accustomed to the p'shutei hamikrah, the plain meaning, that gets first base in his mind, then later the attitudes that Chazal want us to see in the Torah are going to be difficult to introduce into his mind.
Which means, we have to get there first with the child, before we tell him Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water, or other Mother Goose rhymes, first thing has to be, Torah tzivah lanu Moshe. That's the first thing a child has to hear. A child opens his eyes - he's asleep, he comes out of the darkness, suddenly he starts talking, the first thing is, Torah! That's the first idea, Torah, a Jew has to know there's such a thing. That's what we are, we are people of Torah, and tziva lanu Moshe, our great teacher gave us the Torah. Moroshah, it is an inheritance, k'hilas Yaakov, for the whole congregation of Yaakov. That's our inheritance, that's our wealth, that's our heritage forever, that's how to get to first base in a child's mind, and no time should be lost.
A child from the outset must be taught about the Borei. From the beginning you have to talk about Gan Eden and Gehinnom; both! You have to talk schar v'onesh, from the beginning, and in his mind these fundamentals get settled. Otherwise, Mickey Mouse gets there first, or worse. Once they get in, it's difficult to introduce Moshe Rabbeinu and Har Sinai.
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
