#54 - Perek Daled A - Mesilas Yesharim Explained

In two short sessions a week Rabbi Dovid Schoonmaker will elucidate and bring to life the eternal words of the Mesilas Yesharim. Rabbi Dovid Schoonmaker is the Rosh Yeshivah of Shapell's / Yeshivas Darche Noam in Yerushalaim.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Who would believe? Here we are. Perik Dalad. Bedarek Knias Zirus. Before going further, though, friends, I have to share something that I just heard last week from my dear friend Ravzev Rudman, who was a close time with Ramoshe Shapiro, and he said something I had never heard before. He said, Ramosha said Bar Hashem, that the Ramchal was near Daf, that he was chased. Anyone knows the history of Rabinu, which was incredible. He was seeing Gilyim Shalelio, visions of things, otherworldly Kabbalistic, uh mystical experiences, and understandably, or not understandably, we're not getting into the historical debate, but uh Gdolim Kubalim in Italy at the time, and Padu, I think it was, said that he can't go on with this, it was too out there, etc. And uh the Ramchal eventually ran away to Amsterdam, and I think that's where he wrote Mesil Tishorm. So Roshapiro is like this, and I'll just uh schmalt it up a little bit. How many of you have ever heard of the safer? Adir Bamaram. How about Klach Pisri Chachma? How about Kinesh Kina Sashem Tzwakos? Those books are kabbalistic works, right? In the green books that you see. I've hardly opened any of these for myself. I think Klach I opened up a little bit, but uh it's called Klach, by the people who know it, 138, Klach Kum Tlamadchas. Those are Kabbalistic works of the Ramchal. Sed Ramoshe, if the Ramchal hadn't been chased out of Italy, this Berach is language. This is years later, and I'm hearing it secondhand. Uh I'm saying it secondhand here, Rabbi Rabman heard it directly. But if the Ramchal had been written up, we would have more books like that, which would be great for the Kabbalists. But because the Ramchal was forced to tone it down, he wrote a savor like Ms. Arm for us. Incredible. So it's just a tremendous statement by a goddamn Rosh Shapiro. And I think also it gives a um a chizak and a munah how things happen. I don't know what the Ramchal was thinking when it was happening, that he was being chased, and for sure it was a terrible thing, but we always have to remember that Ronosham runs the world and in such a magical, mystical, beautiful, specific way, and great things are happening in our lives. Matsmiya Chishua, Kadesh Baruch is bringing Yeshua into the world right now as we speak, that we're not aware of, and it's it's good news, and uh just just this one one thing. Okay, so so friends, I wanted to share before everything else, just the a word on the title. The on the title, but Darekneas is a hearus. Here we have to appreciate and imbibe a little bit the Ramchal, you know, Borg Hashem that we have him. But if you look at the Siddhir, so the Hakdam, we had the introduction, we had Perak Alf, which is what it's also all about, as I emphasized many times. I said it's in my humble opinion, one of the most important Prakim in Jewish literature at all. And then, so let's start from Perakpage, kind of where things start. Babir Midas has Zahiris, Perikimel, Bechelkeh has Zahiris, Perik Dalid, Biderakinias has Zahiris. Look at this clarity. Oh, here's Zahiris. I'll perak about that. Here's the parts of Zahiris, an inner depth in that part too. And now how do you do it? How you get it? Well, thank you. And just glancing ahead to Parake is Bibir Mafside is Zahiris. This is what you have to avoid, right? So for Prakkim, which solidly get us into that. But once he's the tremendous organization, we have to thank the Ramkhal, just like Rubino Rambaum wrote an word, Shas is not organized. That is not a critique, it's obviously built that way. Bedafka is not. Someone's just commenting to me the Shabbos, how there's certain sughis and Shabbas, Shabbos is a big masekta, one of the biggest maseks, 155, 156 tapim. And there's certain sugyots, certain topics which are so essential to Shabbos, which we find in Zvachim. Incredible. That's how Shas works. But then Rabbein Ramam came and organized the whole thing. And so too, Rabinar Ramchal came in his way and organized the whole thing, a different whole thing. But that's what's going on. And let's not just appreciate it, let's. I'll give you an anecdote to say what we should let's. There's a great Talmud Khaf in Yushalayim named Rab Abba Berman. He had a yeshiva called, I believe, Ian Hatalmud. Um and uh it was a small yeshiva, but an impactful yeshiva, and very hush of Talmudim. He had many, I think he had only had daughters, and he had extremely hush of um sons-in-law, just give you a little sense. The goan had kuddish Ramosha Twersky, who I like to quote as Okhat Teno, unfortunately was massacred by our dear cousins in Harnof in that terrible, terrible massacre in one of the dark, dark, dark days in Ushalayan. But Ramosha Twersky, Solvaikchik's grandson, a beloved grandson, who was a Gohan and a tzadik and a kuddush, died on Kadush Hashem. I was okay to be close to him, I wasn't close, but I definitely had Shaikhut to him, and I like to say things over from him. Anyway, so he was one of his illustrious sons in law, and he had a had other illustrious sons-in-law, Rababa Burma. Anyway, Rababa Burma was a pretty famous person here knew Shalaim and uh considered a very big Lamdan, someone who knew how to learn extremely well. And I think he said he got his darak and learning from Rubhaim, the stencil. He had learned the Svarm of Rubhaim Salavichik, and he like watched what he did, and that's how he became great in the Torah. That's where I heard he got his Darak Aliman from. Most of us get it have to get it from a live person and someone who fixes this up. But the point I'm bringing out in that anecdote was that um we have to learn from Mahabram. I don't think we I know I don't I don't do this enough myself. Learn from Tosis. Like, what's Tosis doing? What's Rashi doing? What does Rashi and Khosh do? Maybe I could do a little bit of that myself, right? Imbibe their deriq. They work with a certain derich. So this is a simple one. Khal had a certain deriq, and a lot of his deriq is way beyond us, and not something we can ever touch or hope in our wildest dreams. But we can be organized and how we deliver information and how we break it down for our own self, for our own growth, but all the more so for our students, children, um, coworkers sometimes, uh bosses, employers, employees. You want to get somewhere, break information down clearly. What are you trying to say? So so often let me repeat that. So often get it. Huh? Explain things clearly, break them down, be organized. Of course, of course, I am speaking to myself. I know I make efforts sometimes when I speak to make sure not to mumble. I did use to mumble a lot more. I probably still don't know. But finish it though. My son tells me, opposite, you just don't finish the thought. Like you start talking and you know, finish your thoughts. But but be clear, right? And break down ideas in a clear way. There's something I'm working on. Here's a project, or here's something we want to do in the family. Introduce a mirror and you know, break it down. Here's the idea. We're gonna try to sing more on Shabbos, and you don't always have to tell everybody, something it's just a question of having clear in your head. But that's another lesson, a small lesson from all the great lessons we have in Mesila Sharm. That Rabinu took the time to break, it's not till he'll do this in other Midas also. Here's Zahiris, here's Khalki Zahiris, here's how you get Zahiris, and here's the things you have to avoid if you want to be a Zaheir. Incredible. Hine, so no further ado, let's go. Hine, Mashimavia Sa'adim. What brings a person, Al Darakhl, generally Al-Hazahiris, to this wonderful Mida, who limit hatara. So remind everybody the great question we have is that Rabal didn't speak about Zahiris that much. We, and Ms. Sharm explained, put it in, right? We discussed from Messilh Sharm the what's called Seder Habi Kuach, where he did go into it more. It's one of the playim that Rabina didn't explain it more. He will explain a little bit more. We've got into part of it, but it's interesting, he didn't make like a separate thing. But I just want to say a little bit about it's not necessarily it's a super important topic, and Rabutna writes that Torah brings to Zihirus, and Zihirus brings to Zrizus, that the Ramkal says, Rabinkas Beniar says, but Torah, Rabhutner said, always has to be put in. Torah is always bringing level to level. So how does Torah do this? So Tyr Talmud recently asked me, we were discussing this, is it conscious or unconscious that Torah does it? Zach Halpern. And I said, Oh, I'd love that question, because I believe it's both. It's definitely on a conscious level, Torah brings to Zahirus, but it's also on an unconscious level. It's on a conscious level, because here's the idea that we learned a lot about in earlier sessions, that without Torah, I don't know what Zahiris is. I don't know what I'm supposed to be careful about. Is Lush and Hara is is is speaking nicely about a person something that I should ever worry about? Why? How important is it to be careful about Lush and Hara? It's just it's just talking. Mahshava, my thoughts are mine. God has no place in my maqshava. He must not care about it. If I punch someone, that's a problem. Two consenting adults, right? That's how a lot of society looks at things. It's a great example. Two consulting adults, anything's okay. No, that's not how the Torah looks at it. But only Torah brings to the Zahiris because I need Torah to consciously tell me what is a problem, what's not a problem. That's why a person has to be Mavatil himself to Halacha and to Chachamim to know you think it's not a problem. It is. Do you know how serious Shalom is? Do you know how serious Maklokus is? I don't like Maklokus, that's bad. No, Maklokis is bad because of this. Right? That's the Zahiris Torah brings to Ziris. Torah brings a person to act the way he has to act. I shouldn't say this Maïsa, friends, but I'm uh touched to say because I just I just read it and I didn't check whether it's true or not. So usually I wouldn't say a maisa, I try to be a little more careful, but it's a wonderful Maisa. And here's the story the way it goes that Ravaran Cutler lost uh a grandson of Ravaran Cutler. I think one of Schnere Kutler's sons was was Nifter. Again, I can I can't testify the truth of the story. I mean historical question, but I think the point uh is important, so you know maybe you check out. But Ravyaka Kamanetsky was sent to give a gr a hespot for Ravaran Kutler's grandson, and he got up, he said, I can't believe that I have to be Masbid three generations because he'd been Maspid his friend from his youth, from Slobodka, the great Ravaran Kutler, the light of the generations. He had been Masbid, his son, Ribshner, the great Rashiva of Lakewood, the person who was who was really Akhrai responsible for the for the initial stages of Lakewood's crazy growth, right? When Rivar passed away, there's 120 fellows in Yeshiva, something like that. Rubshner really saw through the stage, and now Ribshnair's son another generation. So that was the story that Rubyako just couldn't be maspided when he stopped and cried, he had to get into the car. His driver told him they were driving back to New York, and his driver said there's a certain wedding that they very much want Roshiva to go to when he went, and Rubyako put himself in with all the koch, right? And his driver couldn't believe it. He said that Roshiva, you know, this morning, this afternoon, whatever it was, you're so sad you couldn't bring yourself to the masput, and now you're dancing like uh like young Baker. He says, I'm a soldier of Hashem. A soldier does what he has to do when he has to do it. You don't tell the commanding officer, I can't do this now, I can't do that now. My my general is a Kharashborhu. When I'm supposed to be happy, I'm happy, I'm supposed to be sad, I'm sad. It's amazing. So I'm just bringing that now because I think that's really a lot of what when we say Torah brings to Zahiris. What do I have to be careful in a careful way? I have to be careful now to be sad. I have to be careful now to be happy. Okay? But it's also, that's on the conscious level, but it's also friends on the unconscious level. What I mean on the unconscious level, my understanding from certain sources and from life is that Torah makes you saw here the etzim on its own, unconsciously, the dark skula. The posic, the, as I'll say, hash barosho yasogba torah. Someone who feels sick in his head, right? Headache, right? Hash bugufo, yasog batora. Start learning. So the superficial way to learn is because you get distracted, right? I have a headache and I start learning. I get distracted, but a lot of things can distract you. So why is it Torah? It could be Torah has that aspect. That's it. So Rabeno Moral says much much, something much deeper. Torah, I'm paraphrasing the moral. Torah is the essence of the Briya. Istakal Boraisa Ubaralma. Kudash Boko looked at this blueprint and he created the world. Torah is the blueprint of the world. That means that the more one learns Torah, the more one learns Gemora, the more one puts his head into learning as much as possible and sinks in deeply into that. So he's going into the Seder Habriya, the normal Seder Habriya. A lot of things are happening which aren't supposed to be happening. A lot of things which are happening in our lives, which are out of the Seder. Like, where does this fit in? I mean, where does this insanity fit in? Where did this idea come in? Right? That's insanity. So how do I get back to sanity? How do I get back to Seder? How do I get back to real laws? Torah. Just learning, learning, learning gets you there, right? I asked my Rabbi, Rabbi Yakufri, one time, how does he how does one work on Abhisham? So he in his humility said, What do I know about Abhishem? But then Barakashem he spit out a line to me. But you learn for five hours straight, and you look in the sun, you feel abhazem. Amazing. You can't explain that. Where do we feel it? Little people like us. I hope everybody's felt this. You learn even for 45 minutes. 45 minutes, phone off, chazak, and then you dime marv. It's a different marv. What happened? Why? Torah is maybe the day zero. Torah puts you in the right mindset, and in the right mindset, in this unconscious mindset, things make sense. Hilch Satara. So it's a different thing. It's conscious. Torah brings to Zerus in a conscious way. I know what I have to be careful about. And without Torah, I don't know what I have to be careful about. And I'll be careful about the wrong things and not care about the right things. But Torah also aligns my brain, aligns my soul, a lies my essence in a way that's here, then now you say to me a mitzvah, oh, that speaks to me. Say Lash and Hart, don't speak Lash and Hard. I get it. Of course not. Wow. Because I'm zoned in. Like you use the word zone, you're vibed in, you're zoned in. When you're in the zone, then you can be careful about the Dine Torah.