Kerem B'Yavneh Parsha Podcast

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โ”€โ”€ Shiur Outline โ”€โ”€
(0:08) Opening Blessings and Purpose for Shabbos Kodesh
(2:34) Ramchalโ€™s Insight on Missing Mitzvah Capability
(4:08) Sefer Haikkarim on Osek and Makriv Concepts
(5:11) Adam Ki Yakriv: Sacrifice and Self-Refinement
(6:25) Giving Up Self-Centered Desires for Spiritual Growth
(7:35) Rambam on Soldierโ€™s Duty and Divine Promise
(9:16) Clarifying Znus: Beyond Illicit Relationships
(12:08) Rebbe Rashab on Giving Up for Prayer
(13:35) Conclusion: Wishes for Parshat Torat Kohanim

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

1. Universal Priesthood โ€” While Vayikra focuses on the Kohanim, every Jew is called to be a "minister" of Hashem, elevating mundane life into Avodas Hashem.
2. Inner Dimensions โ€” When the physical Beis Hamikdash is absent, we must fulfill the essence of Korbanos through spiritual labor and deep study of their laws.
3. Sacrificing the Ego โ€” The phrase mikem korban (a sacrifice from you) implies that one must sacrifice their own nefesh habahamis (animal soul) and selfish desires to reach God.
4. Defining Zenus โ€” Following the Rambam, znus (straying) includes any obsessive pursuit of physical pleasure that distracts a person from their divine purpose.
5. Holiness through Restraint โ€” True holiness, as explained by the Ramban, is achieved by distancing oneself from self-centeredness and limiting unnecessary ta'avos (desires).
6. The Collective "Us" โ€” Spiritual growth, much like a healthy marriage or military service, requires giving up individual autonomy for a greater, more beautiful collective reality.

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Parsha and Chagim ideas from the rabbis of Kerem B'Yavneh
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This is ื—ื•ื‘ืช ืฉื‘ืช ืงื•ื“ืฉ Chovas Shabbos Kodesh ืคืจืฉืช ื•ื™ืงืจื Parshas Vayikra, ื—ื•ื“ืฉ ื ื™ืกืŸ Chodesh Nissan, ื—ื•ื“ืฉ ื”ื’ืื•ืœื” Chodesh HaGeulah. We should be ื–ื•ื›ื” zoche to the ื’ืื•ืœื” ืฉืœืžื” Geulah Shleimah ื‘ืžื”ืจื” ื‘ื™ืžื™ื ื• bimhera beyameinu and pray for the welfare of ื›ืœ ื›ืœืœ ื™ืฉืจืืœ kol Klal Yisrael, specifically ื™ื•ืฉื‘ื™ ืืจืฅ ื™ืฉืจืืœ yoshvei Eretz Yisrael, and more specifically ื—ื™ื™ืœื™ื ื• ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉื™ื chayaleinu Hakadoshim, our holy soldiers, which are defending our nation, our country now, whether it be in Iran, whether it be in Lebanon. They should all ื™ืฆื ื‘ืฉืœื•ื ื•ื™ื‘ื•ื ื‘ืฉืœื•ื yeitzei beshalom ve'yavo beshalom. We should all find only ื‘ืฉื•ืจื•ืช ื˜ื•ื‘ื•ืช besuros tovos. Yes, we are starting ืกืคืจ ื•ื™ืงืจื Sefer Vayikra, which is naturally called, as we all know, ืชื•ืจืช ื›ื”ื ื™ื Toras Kohanim, the teachings, the laws of the priests. Now, it is true that there are definitely all the ื”ืœื›ื•ืช halachos of ืงืจื‘ื ื•ืช Korbanos and the ืกืคืจื Sifra which predominantly have to do with the ืขื‘ื•ื“ื” avodah of ื›ื”ื ื™ื Kohanim, but one would say that overwhelmingly ืกืคืจ ื•ื™ืงืจื Sefer Vayikra has the multitude of ื”ืœื›ื•ืช halachos of ื›ืœ ื”ืชื•ืจื” ื›ื•ืœื” kol HaTorah kulo, ืงื“ื•ืฉื™ื Kedoshim, etc., go on further and further. Obviously, the usage of the word ื›ื”ื ื™ื Kohanim seems a bit broader than just the priestly caste of ื‘ื ื™ ืื”ืจืŸ bnei Aharon, but rather it refers ื•ืืชื ืชื”ื™ื• ืœื™ ืžืžืœื›ืช ื›ื”ื ื™ื ื•ื’ื•ื™ ืงื“ื•ืฉ V'atem tihyu li mamleches kohanim vegoy kadosh. We too have been given the mandate and the commandment that we must become priests, people whose lives are set aside to serve God. ืžืžืœื›ืช ื›ื”ื ื™ื Mamleches kohanim, we will be a kingdom of priests. We will all, in all our daily lives, ื‘ืฉื›ื‘ืš ื•ื‘ืงื•ืžืš ื•ื‘ืœื›ืชืš ื‘ื“ืจืš beshachbecha u'vekumecha uvelechtecha baderech, we will be ministers of ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื Hakadosh Baruch Hu and ืžืจื‘ื” ื›ื‘ื•ื“ ืฉืžื™ื marbe kvod Shamayim in His world. We must all do the ืขื‘ื•ื“ืช ื”ืžื–ื‘ื— avodas hamizbeach of connecting ืขืœื™ื•ื ื™ื ื•ืชื—ืชื•ื ื™ื ื•ืชื—ืชื•ื ื™ื ืœืขืœื™ื•ื ื™ื elyonim vetachtonim vetachtonim le'elyonim. We must merge the different dimensions of our reality in one harmonious beautiful thing. In the light of this, I want to try to understand the ืžืฆื•ื” mitzvah of ืงืจื‘ื ื•ืช Korbanos as it has to do to us specifically today, specifically to us as, I would say again, ืžืžืœื›ืช ื›ื”ื ื™ื ื•ื’ื•ื™ ืงื“ื•ืฉ Mamleches Kohanim ve'goy kadosh. As mentioned quite a few times that the ืจืžื—\"ืœ Ramchal brings down in his letters that if ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื Hakadosh Baruch Hu takes away the capability of fulfilling a ืžืฆื•ื” mitzvah, it means to say that He wants you to connect to the inner dimensions of the ืžืฆื•ื” mitzvah. If you can't do the ืคืฉื˜ peshat of the ืžืฆื•ื” mitzvah, then you must look into the ืจืžื– ื“ืจื•ืฉ ื•ืกื•ื“ remez derush and sod of the ืžืฆื•ื” mitzvah and focus on that, and through that, hopefully and one day we will come back to the ultimate ืคืฉื˜ peshat of the ืžืฆื•ื” mitzvah, ื”ืงืจื‘ืช ืงืจื‘ื ื•ืช hakravas korbanos of actually sacrificing on the holy ืžื–ื‘ื— Mizbeach in ื”ืจ ืžื•ืจื™ื” Har Moriah in the ืžืงื“ืฉ Mikdash ื‘ืžื”ืจื” ื‘ื™ืžื™ื ื• ืืžืŸ bimhera beyameinu amen. Similar idea is found in ืกืคืจ ืขืงื™ื“ืช ื™ืฆื—ืง Sefer Ha'akeidas Yitzchak, actually quite a few places, one predominantly in ืคืจืฉืช ืชืฆื•ื” Parshas Tetzaveh by ื‘ื’ื“ื™ ื›ื”ื ื™ื Bigdei Kohanim, and also again once again in ืคืจืฉืช ื•ื™ืงืจื Parshas Vayikra, where he discusses that multiple times we have ืžืฆื•ืช mitzvahs which are ืœื“ื•ืจื•ืชื™ื›ื ledorosaychem, ื—ืงืช ืขื•ืœื ืœื“ื•ืจื•ืชื™ื›ื chukas olam ledorosaychem, they are perpetual. Yet practically speaking, as the ืจืžื‘\"ื Rambam points out, today after the ื—ื•ืจื‘ืŸ Churban and the ื’ืœื•ืช Golus, and even ืชืจื•ืžื•ืช ื•ืžืขืฉืจื•ืช Terumos u'maasros is only ื“ืจื‘ื ืŸ derabbanan, we only have roughly sixty ืžืฆื•ืช mitzvahs that we have to deal with out of the whole ืจืž\"ื— Ramach. There's sixty there. I mean, we've even cut down in size. And how can ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื Hakadosh Baruch Hu say this is ื—ืงืช ืขื•ืœื ืœื“ื•ืจื•ืชื™ื›ื chukas olam ledorosaychem? It's been generations upon generations which we haven't had ื”ืงืจื‘ืช ืงืจื‘ื ื•ืช hakravas korbanos. Well, the ืกืคืจ ื”ืขื™ืงืจื™ื Sefer Haikkarim writes very similar to that which the ืจืžื—\"ืœ Ramchal wrote in his letter, that is that when the ื’ืžืจื Gemara says ื›ืœ ื”ืขื•ืกืง ื‘ืชื•ืจืช ืขื•ืœื” ื›ืื™ืœื• ื”ืงืจื™ื‘ ืขื•ืœื” kol ha'osek betoras olah ke'ilu hikriv olah, a person which is ืขื•ืกืง osek, which deals with the ืชื•ืจืช ืขื•ืœื” Toras ha'olah, it's as if he was ืžืงืจื‘ ืขื•ืœื” makriv olah. It doesn't mean saying ืคืจืฉืช ืื™ื–ื”ื• ืžืงื•ืžืŸ Parshas Eizehu Mekoman in the morning before ื‘ืจื•ืš ืฉืืžืจ Baruch She'amar. No, it doesn't mean that. It means being ืขื•ืกืง osek, putting it aside, thinking, making it your vocation, as the ืžื’ืŸ ืื‘ืจื”ื Magen Avraham writes on the ืคืกื•ืง pasuk, on the ื‘ืจื›ื” beracha, ืœืขืกื•ืง ื‘ื“ื‘ืจื™ ืชื•ืจื” la'asok b'divrei Torah, it should be your ืขื™ืงืจ ืขืกืง ikar isuk. ื‘ืชื•ืจืช ืขื•ืœื” Betoras olah means into the different dimensions of what the ืงืจื‘ืŸ ืขื•ืœื” korban olah means. And if you can't be ืžืงืจื™ื‘ makriv a ืงืจื‘ืŸ ืขื•ืœื” korban olah on a ืžื–ื‘ื— mizbeach, then you somehow have to find a way of being ืžืงืจื™ื‘ ืงืจื‘ืŸ ืขื•ืœื” ื‘ืœื‘ื‘ื™ makriv korban olah belvavi. ืžืฉื›ืŸ ืื‘ื ื” Mishkan evneh, you have to find it in your heart, and there has to be a ืžื–ื‘ื— mizbeiach in your heart, and there you also have to be ืžืงืจื™ื‘ makriv an ืขื•ืœื” olah. Now let's try to understand what this means. One interpretation of the ืคืกื•ืง pasuk of ืื“ื ื›ื™ ื™ืงืจื™ื‘ ืžื›ื ืงืจื‘ืŸ ืœื”' Adam ki yakriv mikem korban l'Hashem is found in the ืกืคืจ sefer ืœืงื•ื˜ื™ ืชื•ืจื” Likutey Torah of ืื“ืžื•\"ืจ ื”ื–ืงืŸ Admor HaZaken, the Alter Rebbe, the founding Rebbe of the ื—ื‘\"ื“ Chabad ื—ืกื™ื“ื•ืช Chassidus, Reb Shneur Zalman of Liadi. He writes over there: ืื“ื ื›ื™ ื™ืงืจื™ื‘ Adam ki yakriv, a person wants to come close to ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Primarily first so God says: ืžื›ื ืงืจื‘ืŸ ืœื”' mikem korban l'Hashem. You've got to sacrifice something from your own self. God would almost sound like, like the Merchant of Venice, He wants our pound of flesh. What does He want? ืžืŸ ื”ื‘ืงืจ ื•ืžืŸ ื”ืฆืืŸ ืชืงืจื™ื‘ื• ืืช ืงืจื‘ื ื›ื min habakar u'min hatzon takrivu es korbanchem. So the Rebbe explains over there that every person has animal instincts and the different levels of animal instincts. There's the very very strong animal instincts of a ืฉื•ืจ shor, a ืคืจ par. These different, this is ื›ื— koach, and then you have different animal instincts of your ื ืคืฉ ื”ื‘ื”ืžื™ืช nefesh habahamis, which are which are comparable to whether it's ืžืŸ ื”ื‘ืงืจ ืžืŸ ื”ืฆืืŸ min habakar min hatzon. He goes on and discusses what these instincts are. In summation, what this is saying: that if you really want to learn how to ื“ืื•ื•ืŸ davven, you want to become close to ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื Hakadosh Baruch Hu, you have to give up a bit of your self-centered search for pleasure. You have to decide that in order to finally accept ืžืœื›ื•ืช ืฉืžื™ื malchus shamayim and become a vehicle for ื›ื‘ื•ื“ ืฉืžื™ื kvod shamayim, you have to stop looking into obsessive desires which are totally self-centered. Can you give something up? When you join the army, you give up a certain, your capability of making your own decisions, at least in the very beginning. You become part of a machine. And then your considerations become much more: what is the necessity of the country, of the nation, represented in the army? You stop thinking about yourself privately, you see yourself as part of a great important idea. Do you want to become part of the ministry of God? You want to be a ื›ื”ืŸ kohen, a ื’ื•ื™ goy, ืžืžืœื›ืช ื›ื”ื ื™ื ื•ื’ื•ื™ ืงื“ื•ืฉ mamleches kohanim v'goy kadosh? You've got to give something up. ืจืจืžื‘\"ื Rambam describes when the soldier goes to the wars, he's got to stop thinking about his wife and the children and he's got to think about ื›ืœืœ ื™ืฉืจืืœ Klal Yisrael and about ื›ื‘ื•ื“ ืฉืžื™ื kvod shamayim. That's what the ืจืžื‘\"ื Rambam writes in ื”ืœื›ื•ืช ืžืœื›ื™ื Hilchos Melachim, the ื”ืœื›ื•ืช halachos of every soldier that goes to war. And God promises that if you will do that, he will come back safely. And I say the same thing in the war, our cultural war, the world of externalities that we are trying, struggling to get close to ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื Hakadosh Baruch Hu and make this world a world closer to ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื Hakadosh Baruch Hu, we also have to give up ourselves in whatever we do. And this is a very important thing because you see many times I'm asked, 'Rabbi, how to get closer to God, how to get closer to God?' And I always tell them, you know something? The first thing you have to do is get further away from your self-centered self. And this is ืœืžืขืฉื” l'maaseh ืคื™ืจื•ืฉ perush ืจืžื‘\"ืŸ Ramban. ืจืžื‘\"ืŸ Ramban describes ืงื“ื•ืฉื™ื ืชื”ื™ื• Kedoshim Tihyu. You want to be ืžืžืœื›ืช ื›ื”ื ื™ื ื•ื’ื•ื™ ืงื“ื•ืฉ mamleches kohanim v'goy kadosh? ืคืกื•ืง pasuk says: ืงื“ื•ืฉื™ื ืชื”ื™ื• Kedoshim Tihyu. You should be holy, yeah. How do you do that? The ืจืžื‘\"ืŸ Ramban in ืคืจืฉืช ืงื“ื•ืฉื™ื parshas Kedoshim says, you know what you have to do? You have to give up your obsessive desire for pleasure. You should be focused totally and more and more on what is necessary for your existence, and each one has his own psychological composition, and think of the agenda of life. ืงื“ื•ืฉื™ื ืชื”ื™ื• Kedoshim Tihyu. Can you separate yourself from the ืชืื•ื•ืช ืฉืœ ืขื•ืœื ื”ื–ื” taivos shel olam hazeh? Now people think this is just a ืžืขืœื” maaleh. It's a ืจืžื‘\"ืŸ Ramban. It's a ืจืžื‘\"ื Rambam brings this in ืกืคืจ ื”ืžืฆื•ื•ืช Sefer Hamitzvos in ืžืฆื•ื•ืช ืขืฉื” mitzvos asei ืœ\"ื– lamed zayin, where the ืจืžื‘\"ื Rambam writes explicitly on the ืœืื• lav of ืœื ืชืชื•ืจื• ืื—ืจื™ ืœื‘ื‘ื›ื ื•ืื—ืจื™ ืขื™ื ื™ื›ื lo sasuru acharei l'vavchem v'acharei eineichem, which is a ืœืื• lav, ืœืื• ืž\"ื– lav mem zayin in ืกืคืจ ื”ืžืฆื•ื•ืช Sefer Hamitzvos. ืื—ืจื™ ืขื™ื ื™ื›ื Acharei eineichem ื–ื” ื–ื ื•ืช zeh znus, ื›ืขื ื™ืŸ ืฉื ืืžืจ k'inyan shene'emar, ื•ื™ืืžืจ ืฉืžืฉื•ืŸ ืœืื‘ื™ื• ืื•ืชื” ืงื— ืœื™ ื›ื™ ื”ื™ื ื™ืฉืจื” ื‘ืขื™ื ื™ vayoimer Shimshon l'aviv osah kach li ki hi yashra b'einai. Now ื–ื ื•ืช znus there does not mean having an illicit relationship with some female, because over there we have the story of Samson telling his father, 'Take...' right for me. And the ื’ืžืจื Gemara says yes, he followed his eyes, what he felt was right, was right to quench his thirst. So ื–ื ื•ืช znus simply doesn't mean to say something illicit, it means to say you even enter marriage because of self-centered obsessive desires for an unquenchable thirst. That's also called ื–ื ื•ืช znus. You can get married for ื–ื ื•ืช znus. And the ืจืžื‘\"ื Rambam continues, ื•ืจื•ืฆื” ื‘ืืžืจื• ื–ื• ื–ื ื•ืช verotzeh be'omro zu znus, when the ื—ื–\"ืœ Chazal say ื–ื ื•ืช znus what does it mean? ื”ืžืฉืš ืื—ืจ ื”ื”ื ืื•ืช ื•ื”ืชืื•ื•ืช ื”ื’ืฉืžื™ื•ืช hemashech achar ha'hana'ot ve'hata'avos hageshmiyos, being drawn towards pleasure and obsessive desire for temporal realities. ื•ื™ืชืขืกืง ื”ืžื—ืฉื‘ื” ื‘ื”ื ืชืžื™ื“ veyitasek hamachshavah bahem tamid and to be constantly thinking about how can I have a better time, how can I satiate my desires, how can I feel good, comfortable, etc. The ื—ื™ื ื•ืš Chinuch elaborates on this in ืžืฆื•ื” ืฉืค\"ื– mitzvah shin pei zayin, I suggest we read that on the ืžืฆื•ื” mitzvah and he writes over there ืฉืœื ื™ืจื“ื•ืฃ ืื“ื ืื—ืจ ืžืจืื” ืขื™ื ื™ื• shelo yirdof adam achar marei einav, man should not be running after things he sees. Oh, I see that beautiful car, I think I need something like it. ื•ื‘ื›ืœืœ ื–ื” ืฉืœื ื ืจื“ื•ืฃ ืื—ืจ ืชืื•ื•ืช ื”ืขื•ืœื ื”ื–ื” uvechlal zeh shelo nirdof achar ta'avos ha'olam hazeh we shouldn't be running after things which are obsessive desires of temporal realities ื›ื™ ืื—ืจื™ืชื ืจืขื” ki achrisam ra'ah because if you live that lifestyle it doesn't end well ื•ื›ื“ืื™ ื‘ื–ื™ื•ืŸ ื•ื›ืกืฃ vekedai bizayon vakesef. And there he quotes the ืจืžื‘\"ื Rambam and he explains that the idea behind this is because doing after, following to satiate a pleasure, ultimately you stop thinking about purpose, meaning, and direction. The ืจื‘ ืจืฉ\"ื‘ Rebbe Rashab of Lubavitch, ืจื‘ ืฉืœื•ื ื‘ืขืจ Rav Shalom Ber, in his ืงื•ื ื˜ืจืก ื•ืžืขื™ื™ืŸ Kuntres Uma'ayan elaborates that the first ื”ืงื“ืžื” hakdamah to ืชืคืœื” tefillah and spiritual growth is first give up something. Give up something, give up something. We all know, those of us who are married will understand that, you get so much more by giving up yourself because you enter the collective of us and it is so much richer and colorful and beautiful. So my message is ืื“ื ื›ื™ ื™ืงืจื™ื‘ adam ki yakriv, we're going to learn ืชื•ืจืช ื›ื”ื ื™ื Torat Kohanim, we have to learn how to be ืงื“ื•ืฉื™ื ืชื”ื™ื• kedoshim tihyu, we have to learn to be people that are going to give up our self-centeredness and give up some of your ืชืื•ื•ืช ta'avos, something, try it, something, just something. We allโ€”it's like, you know, you want to be healthy you got to lose weight, and we have a lot of excess baggage. Something we have to give up for the glory of God and ultimately we will be closer to him and we will be ื–ื•ื›ื” zocheh through all this ืขื‘ื•ื“ืช ื”ืฉื avodat Hashem, ื˜ืืงืข taka, to be close to ื”ืงื“ื•ืฉ ื‘ืจื•ืš ื”ื•ื HaKadosh Baruch Hu and bring ื›ื‘ื•ื“ ืฉืžื™ื kvod shamayim into this world and this is the ืชื›ืœื™ืช ื”ืขื•ืœืžื•ืช tachlis ha'olamos. I wish you all a successful venture in ืคืจืฉืช ืชื•ืจืช ื›ื”ื ื™ื parshat Torat Kohanim, a beautiful redemptive ื ื™ืกืŸ Nissan and we should all hear only ื‘ืฉื•ืจื•ืช ื˜ื•ื‘ื•ืช bsuros tovos and ื—ื’ ื›ืฉืจ ื•ืฉืžื— chag kasher vesame'ach.