Kerem B'Yavneh Parsha Podcast

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โ”€โ”€ Shiur Outline โ”€โ”€
(0:00) Setting the Stage: Lech Lecha Before Parashat Lech Lecha
(2:04) Confidence Exercise: The Cardboard Letter That Changed a Life
(3:08) Peeling Back Layers: From Country to Family to the Land
(4:38) Demanding Teacher, Believing Students โ€“ Lessons from Kerem Beโ€‘Yavneh
(8:30) Final Call: Believe in Yourself Because God Believes in You

AI-Generated Summary (AI can be inaccurate. Check important information):

Drawing upon the Malbim's interpretation of the command Lech Lecha as a call to "go to yourself," the shiur explores how an individual can break free from external societal expectations to discover their authentic spiritual identity. Citing the Rambam's explanation of nisyonot through the parable of a potter who tests only his sturdiest vessels, the speaker explains that God presents each generation with immense challenges precisely because He has complete confidence in their latent strength. Consequently, a person must shed superficial facades and develop true self-belief, recognizing their soul's infinite value and trusting in their potential because the Almighty Himself believes in them.

1. Discovering authentic identity โ€” The Malbim explains that lech lecha means to go to yourself, urging each person to look inward and shed societal expectations in order to uncover their true neshamah.
2. Believing in self-worth โ€” Rather than internalizing negative labels, an individual must recognize that they are a ben melech with a chelek Elokah mima'al, possessing immense inherent capability to achieve greatness.
3. Shedding external expectations โ€” The progression of leaving artzecha, moladtecha, and beit avicha teaches a person to peel away broad societal, communal, and familial pressures to reach authentic spiritual discovery in Eretz Yisrael.
4. Purpose of trials โ€” The Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim explains that God only sends a nisayon to those capable of enduring it, just as a potter knocks exclusively on strong vessels to demonstrate their durability.
5. Generational challenges โ€” While prior generations battled intellectual curiosity, the modern yetzer hara targets sensory desires, making contemporary efforts toward holiness and shemirat einayim remarkably elevated.
6. Internalizing mitzvah observance โ€” One should not perform mitzvot like learning Torah or wearing tefillin out of rote habit, but rather connect internally to their actions, confident in God's belief in them to help bring Mashiach.

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Okay.

ืขืจื‘ ืฉื‘ืช ืงื•ื“ืฉ,

it's right before ืคืจืฉืช ืœืš ืœืš,

I'd like to discuss something we can learn from ืคืจืฉืช ืœืš ืœืš,

which is important and we can implement it in in each of our own

lives.

Now,

the,

you know,

the ืคืกื•ืง starts with ืœืš ืœืš ืžืืจืฆืš...

ืœืš ืœืš ืžืืจืฆืš ื•ืžืžื•ืœื“ืชืš ื‘ื™ืช ืื‘ื™ืš,

ืžื‘ื™ืช ืื‘ื™ืš ืืœ ื”ืืจืฅ ืืฉืจ ืืจืืš.

And we know that the ืžืœื‘ื™ืดื already points out,

ืœืš ืœืš,

means translating as a,

"Go to yourself.

Find out who you really are," because many times we live,

we live projected images that have been painted on us by society,

by our experience,

and sometimes it's it it's really hiding an inner personality.

Sometimes we lose our confidence of who we really are,

because we've been painted on with so many smileys by what we're expected to

do,

or how we're expected to think,

or how we're expected to feel,

and somehow we we're walking around like zombies.

So the ืžืœื‘ื™ืดื points out the ืœืš ืœืš,

"Go to yourself." Before we went This is the first encounter with God with

me with with with ืื‘ืจื”ื ืื‘ื™ื ื•.

He says,

"Well,

I want to talk to you,

I want a relationship,

but first thing,

you've got to figure out who you are.

Who are you?" You know,

I say this constantly to so many young people that they they don't believe

in themselves,

because they've been labeled by whatever it only be.

Sometimes it's teachers,

sometimes it's parents,

sometimes it's society,

I don't know what,

and they stop thinking,

"Hey,

you know,

I'm a I'm a I'm a ื‘ืŸ ืžืœืš.

I'm a ื ืฉืžื”,

ื—ืœืง ืืœื•ืงื” ืžืžืขืœ,

and I can really do so many great things." Now,

I remember I had a boy which,

which really had no confidence in himself,

and I remember telling him,

"Listen,

I know you're a great guy.

Do yourself a favor:

take a piece of cardboard and write down those things about you which are

so special.

And you know that no one knows,

or maybe they don't understand how deep and special it is,

therefore they don't appreciate,

and somehow you've learned to believe them and not yourself.

And write it down,

and put it in your wallet.

Don't even show it to me." This was years,

years,

years ago,

but let me tell you,

every so often he calls me,

he says,

"I'm still looking at that bit of card." Now,

he's a big businessman today,

actually,

'cause he suddenly decided to see who he is in his potential,

and thus believe in himself,

and that that that that he catapulted,

became a very special person making effect on the community,

etc.

So the ืคืกื•ืง is understood as ืœืš ืœืš,

"Go to yourself.

Look at your own self." ืžืืจืฆืš,

first shed the,

the facade which the the the the the the country,

or you know,

the area has,

the broader society has put me,

what boxes they put me in.

What have they How have they colored my How am I supposed to think

and feel?

Well,

if I don't live up to their expectations,

maybe I'm not there.

And that's ืืจืฆืš.

Then you go deeper into yourself,

not just ืืจืฆืš,

but ืžืžื•ืœื“ืชืš.

Hey,

my birthplace,

my home,

my city,

you know what I mean?

That's even closer,

that's even more.

And then it goes deeper:

what about my family?

What would my great-uncle think about me and all that?

Shall we go on and on?

And finally,

where do you go?

ืืœ ื”ืืจืฅ ืืฉืจ ืืจืืš.

Then I can take you to ืืจืฅ ื™ืฉืจืืœ,

can show you who where you can really be.

See,

and then coming to ืืจืฅ ื™ืฉืจืืœ is a place of discovery.

And we say a boy comes to ื›ืจื ื‘ื™ื‘ื ื”,

the first thing he has to do is learn to believe in himself,

and to shed all those different projected images that were put in him by

society,

and says,

"Well,

am I for real?" It's a great place,

you know,

it's been around,

what is my 48th year now in ื›ืจื ื‘ื™ื‘ื ื”,

I've seen a lot of great boys grow,

first simply because they decide to look into themselves and who who they are,

and thus who they can be.

Now,

sometimes I can be very demanding as a teacher.

You know why?

Because I actually believe in you.

Now,

you have to understand God demands tremendously from us.

You know why?

Because He believes in us.

ืจืžื‘ืดื points out in in ืžื•ืจื” ื ื‘ื•ื›ื™ื,

describing the ื ืกื™ื•ื ื•ืช,

ื ืกื™ื•ื ื•ืช that God puts,

challenges in front of us.

Yeah.

Challenges of this generation are so big,

goodness sakes.

Sometimes I think of it,

I see you're all ืฆื“ื™ืงื™ื ื’ืžื•ืจื™ื.

When I was growing up,

the challenges were,

oh,

a thirst for knowledge even if it wasn't exactly ืคืจื•ื or Jewish.

The ื™ืฆืจ ื”ืจืข pushed me to go listening to lectures in Hebrew University.

This was my ื™ืฆืจ ื”ืจืข,

to read voraciously anything that's printed which made sense.

That was the ื™ืฆืจ ื”ืจืข,

that was my time when we were running around.

Yeah,

so there were people that fell and the people that grew tremendously.

Today the ื™ืฆืจ ื”ืจืข is totally different.

It's more sensuous and pleasure-seeking,

totally different challenge.

I wonder if I would succeed in this generation's challenges.

And yet God takes these young ื ืฉืžื•ืช and now they're going through all these

challenges with the internet revolution,

etc.,

etc.,

etc.

When I see young boys asking to bring lectures about how to filter their

phones and on ืฉืžื™ืจืช ืขื™ื ื™ื™ื,

etc.,

it says,

"Wow,

these kids are so holy." So,

every generation has its challenges,

and it's it's unbelievable,

it's very special.

And the way you succeed in those challenges is when you believe in yourself,

when you know that you're a ื‘ืŸ ืžืœืš,

when you look in the mirror and I say that's a ื ืฉืžื” ืฉื ืชืช ื‘ื™

ื˜ื”ื•ืจื” ื”ื™ื.

So,

the ืจืžื‘ืดื says,

you know,

when God sends these challenges to people,

what's it for?

It's to teach people and yourself and the people around you what you can

really attain and what your potential really is.

And God only sends challenges to those He's confident that have the capability of

withstanding them and doing well in them.

Brings the example,

brings a ืžื“ืจืฉ that a potter wanted to sell his pots,

so he had to advertise them.

Well,

in those days,

how does a potter advertise his pots?

Well,

he's sitting on the road there with,

you know,

with his pottery,

and he takes and he knocks on pots and sees,

"Look,

they're solid.

They withstand pressure." And people look around and say,

"Wow,

these pots are good." Now,

which pots do you think he's going to knock on?

Those he's totally convinced that will stand the pressure.

So,

to the ืจืžื‘ืดื,

if God sends us a ื ืกื™ื•ืŸ,

it means to say that this you have the capability of withstanding that pressure.

You're a ื‘ืขืœ ื‘ื—ื™ืจื”,

but you have it.

So,

I always say,

yeah,

might as well believe in yourself 'cause God believes in you.

The way to do it is ืœืš ืœืš,

go to yourself,

ืžืืจืฆืš,

shed the external facade and expectations and etc.,

the artificial feelings,

the artificial reactions.

Don't do things just because that's the way it's done.

Don't just learn ืชื•ืจื” 'cause that's the way it's done.

Don't just put on ืชืคื™ืœื™ืŸ 'cause that's the way it's done.

But do it 'cause you want to do it,

and then you have to ask yourself why do you want to do it.

And you will find an unbelievable you there.

So again,

ืœืš ืœืš ืžืืจืฆืš ืžื•ืœื“ืชืš ื•ื‘ื™ืช ืื‘ื™ืš,

and then you can finally come to that land which God will show us.

Have a great ืฉื‘ืช,

and I really hope you take this to heart 'cause we have to bring

ืžืฉื™ื—.

It's up to us.

And God has put us in this generation with such holy souls of withstanding

so much pressure.

Unbelievable pots.

Just everyone has to start looking in the mirror and saying,

"God wants me.

God believes in me,

so I guess I should believe in myself." Have a great ืฉื‘ืช.