הגאון הינוקא - שיחה מרגשת על התורה The Yanuka - English subs

If we would realize that we have the Torah, and rejoice in the Torah, then we would see that it fills all lacks and wants. Why are people distressed? Why is the world overcome with sorrow? This person says, 'Maybe Hash-m didn't give me a soulmate.' That person says, "Children? Maybe he has, but I don't." Everybody agonizes over what he lacks. The entire world is filled with deficiencies. If we would only realize that goal and root of everything is the Torah, the Holy One looked into the Torah and created the world, the Torah is above all else. A person's mind should be occupied with Torah, nothing else in the world should interest him, he shouldn't be interested by anything else other than Torah. If a person reaches the level of rejoicing in and cleaving to the Torah, nothing else in the entire world will interest him, except for being absorbed in Torah. You should know that this world is not worth even one sigh, [or worth] being confused or scared. Don't break for any reason. Don't let bad thoughts bother you, or be mentally tormented by health issues or problems. Just be happy. First, be happy that Hash-m made you a good people. Rejoice in the Torah. Rejoice that we have the Torah, that we have the letters of the Torah, that we have a haven and escape in the Torah, we have Hash-m Yisborach, we have the Torah which is above all else. What does the world have? Don't be jealous. What do they have? They have nothing, vanity and emptiness. Hash-m gave us a gift, gave us the holy Torah. We are privileged that we have the Torah! Do you know what a delight it is to learn? This is the joy a person should have in the world - the Torah! Nothing else matters, the whole world is vanity. A person won't be preoccupied with sorrow, from his livelihood, he won't be troubled. Just rejoice in Torah. Then, one feels Hash-m reveal Himself, and His closeness. Why is a person tormented? The world is very tormented because they forget the Torah's sweetness. They are absorbed by this world, and then all sorts of problems start to manifest, and they begin noticing many deficiencies and problems. But if they would be immersed in learning Torah, nothing else would matter, because the entire world is vanity. What is there to be drawn or follow after in this world? It's not worth it…there is no other pursuit…just rejoice in and learn Torah, and know that this is the root of all joy and beneficence, this is the goal, this is the greatest gift, and the loftiest thing. A person should pray for, want, and rejoice in this. This is salvation for everything, and through this there will also be salvations. May Hash-m grant you hashpoas tovos and good life. -The Rav, may I ask a question with your permission please? -Yes -The Gemara, in Tractate Shabbos, 33, says, when Rabbi Shimon emerged from the cave and saw someone [engaging in worldly matters] he directed his eyes at him and incinerated him. Why? Because he [R'Shimon] was occupied with and knew of the aim, Torah, and the other was occupied with worldly matters. So why, when he killed him, did a Divine voice emerge and angrily rebuke him? First, on page 35b, The Gemara says regarding Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Shimon, that many acted in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yishmael and were successful in their Torah study, and many acted in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Shimon, and were not successful in their Torah study. Why? And why was there such a grievous complaint about a man who did not merit the same level as Rabbi Shimon, and engaged in the matters of this world? I spoke about this yesterday while conversing about music with someone, and he asked a question about Bar Kapara and his furor, etc… I gave him an explanation about this, according to the Maharal of Prague. "Directed his eyes at him [lit. "in him"];" the intention being, the tzaddikim lend their eyes to reveal the person's inner self, for tzaddikim don't actually kill, G-d forbid. And even if it brought about the person's death, Hash-m brought it upon him, and brought about that the tzaddik be angry at him. He was already previously deserving of death, and his passing pre-decreed, Rabbi Shimon [didn't kill him]. So too, Pharoah was already deserving of the plagues, and Hash-m gave what was due, as the Degel Machane Efraim explains… But, what's the true meaning about Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Shimon and arriving at the goal of Torah? Rabbi Shimon truly merited reaching the goal of Torah, and the sweetness of Torah, which not everyone merits doing. There are sodos (secrets) of the Torah, kabbalah, and innerness of the Torah, And there's also "Your way should be known on earth," we learn hilchos netilas yedayim [the laws of ritual handwashing], hilchos seuda [the laws of the meal], we study material affairs, how to behave in this world, we remind ourselves that we exist in this world. This is the significance. But the Torah wants to tell us, though it's true that a person exists in earthliness, one also must connect the earthliness to Hash-m, as Rabbi Yishmael did. Rabbi Yishmael took the customs of derech eretz ['the way of the land,' decorousness], labor, and earthliness [and elevated them]. and earthliness [and elevated them]. Moreover, regarding Rabbi Yishmael's practice… even if the greatest of great were to attempt, he couldn't reach his level, one cannot say he was a layman. Just pave a way that this way too should come Now, about Rabbi Shimon, what's the root and innerness of this? Rabbi Shimon says, everything is G-dliness, your entire being should be in G-dliness, don't engage in this world, don't touch it, hover over it That's Rabbi Shimon's opinion. Now, Rabbi Yishmael says, Look, be in this world, touch it, and elevate it. Rabbi Shimon says, don't touch, be separated and removed, holy Don't touch this world, because with every interaction you won't succeed to free yourself from it, it will confuse you. Now, people tried to follow Rabbi Shimon's opinion, and in the end, weren't able and fell from everything. They weren't able. But, like Rabbi Yishmael… Why do we need to work? Why do we need to speak with people? Why do we need to pray in a minyan (quorum of ten people)? Beyond the accomplishment of "and I will be sanctified [in midst of the Israelite People]," it preserves our mind, by interaction with human beings, and people won't be obliterated by being overwhelmed with Hash-m's greatness, If they will perceive Hash-m's greatness, they won't be able to exist anymore. If they would experience a revelation like Moshe Rabbeinu when he ascended Mt Sinai they could no longer exist. Because of this, in the Torah, we need to know how to behave during each time and circumstance. And where does Hash-m show us how? Through the times and seasons. On Yom Kippur He gave us a fast, be like the angels, when everyone is like Rabbi Shimon, abstaining from the world, not touching the world. And here, we are like Rabbi Yishmael - Purim like KipPurim - on Purim, we are merry, we touch the world, drink wine, have a feast, we do touch [the world]. So, ask the world today, What do you prefer more? Purim or Kippurim? Purim, like Rabbi Yishmael, and Yom HaKippurim, like Rabbi Shimon. It's difficult for them to attain the level of abstinence from the world. Therefore, we need to know how to draw the Torah near, how to contemplate it, and how to draw near to it. But, we must know that the Torah is everything, because this entire world is vanity of vanities don't follow after it. Cleave to Hash-m Yisborach, lift your eyes to the heavens pray, rejoice in every letter of the Torah, in every holy book you learn, rejoice in each holy book, rejoice in all the letters of the Torah, in each verse, every saying, in each bracha you merit saying to Hash-m Yisborach What a gift it is What a gift it is to lift your eyes to the heavens and praise Hash-m's Name, praise His great Name sing before Him, give thanks to His Name, speak before Hash-m, and contemplate…what a gift it is to rejoice in Torah, and know this is the goal, the main objective of all objectives. May it be His will that Hash-m Yisborah privilege us with this, and that we rejoice from the Torah alone, and not be intimidated by anything in the world, Amen.