#59 - Perek Daled F - 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 0:08

Okay, we're deep in the fourth peric about the Badarchnias Zahirus. We mentioned that the uh Schlame Das they look for Zahirus and they're careful in all their actions and always considering what the Darhatora is and how to get to it, and checking themselves and making the strategies to get there, as we've been saying, is because that's the only thing that's really worth it. We started in the last uh session with the Pchusim. Let's quickly review that. That the Phusim, those of less uh clarity in what it's all about, let's say in a Rukhni sticker level, their head is not as tied on as tight, screwed on as tightly. So they have to work with COVID. Now, this isn't really an incredible thing because it's quite a sophisticated argument, as I'll as we'll see and as we've seen, that you have to look at yourself honestly and say, look, COVID moves me. And that's a recognition. What does it mean the covet moves me? Things like honor, recognition from others, awards, credit, a plaque, um imagine what other people think, all that, that whole family, you have to admit to yourself that that moves you. Okay, that's the first step. And the next thing is you have to understand that use that idea about what you're gonna feel like in the future in the next world when this happens, all right? How can you epo ech yukal adam halimenum masav imahakakhvadi eight silub is my shelter taken as a shivto? It's gonna hurt you. You're gonna see all these people who are on a lower level than you theoretically in this world, that you were working all the time to get ahead of them, and now they're ahead of you. That's gonna bother you. Before going deeper into that, I just wanted to share a ha'ara here. I have notes from somebody who Moshet Suriel was once um, I'm not sure where he is today. I hope he's alive and well. There's a tremendous, tremendous bucky. Um, he has a lot of swarm shows mass of notes of his on the Ms. Sharm. So he said it's interesting that he dafka starts here, not in the Sulum going up, but he starts from the Shlei May Das first. Right? Why is that? Why did he start with the Shleimay Das? Why did he start with the you know the lowest level and then move up and then move up? The end of the parak. So he says, Ulizi biglash Ramchamatsi Ladum Lena Sobigadless, try if meaning maybe the Ramchal taught us about the Shlamey'das because he was saying that maybe you're maybe you're not a Schleimi'ad Das exactly, but true, give it a try. Then try the lower uh level. And you might be Matsliak in the Mahalakh of the Shlame'das, meaning the Ramchal is trying to catch someone who wouldn't necessarily perceive themselves as a shlamey das, but look, oh, the first thing Massila Sharm said was for the Shlemi Das, let's see if that works for me. And that oh boom, uh, I guess it works for me. So I guess I do have a certain level of shlamas. Very nice idea. That's why maybe the Ramchal started with uh with the Shlame Adas, um, how they approach things first. Okay, but we're not in the Schleim'das. Now we spent a lot of time in that in earlier sessions. Now we're in the Phusim. Vinei. This is where we begin. Yeshme Absaim. They're foolish people. Important. Peti. Peti Yamin L Khodavar. A peti believes anything. Pitoi. Someone gets sucked into something. Vinaish Yeshme Ptai Mavakshim Rakya Mahakalmeelam. They just want to make their life easy. Shomer. Lamin Ni Yaga Tsmeinu. Bakokha Chasid Hapricious. Why should we work so hard? Like Yagea needs to work hard. Low Niga Level Rick. Right? Lamin the Yagewin Bukhokha Chasidus Hapricious. Hello, Dailano. It's enough for less. I want to make sure I won't don't get out of Gehenim. And we could add that a person says, look, sinu. So let's make sure to get out of Gehenham. So I want to point out first off. It's not so pushing to make sure you don't get you're. I say to Mr. Pesi, um, how you so sure you're not going to be in Gehenim? I mean, right, we like we like to we don't like to imagine that, and nor do I, and I don't wish on anybody. But um as I say, who knows? So this, but but this Pesy is sure, he doesn't have to worry about that. So he said, okay, I'll I'll work X amount. Get out of Gehenim. We have to get the best seats, right? And they continue with this thinking. So we won't, no, so we won't have the Khilikadol. Enough we'll have a Khilikhatan. So it's amazing who we're talking about. We're talking about someone who believes in a Qadash Barakhu. Let's just get this clear, right? He believes in a Qadash Barakhu, he believes in Torah, he believes in Khazal, he believes in Ghana, believes in Ghanaian, believes in all that. And he's got some level of clarity about himself that he thinks that he'll get out of Gahanim. And that person is still thinking, it's interesting. If I was on that level already, if someone's on that level, you'd think, oh, then he gets it. So he gets it, but he says, okay, but I'll have a khilikatan alumabah. It's not a very interesting. I'm gonna work a whole life to get a better seat. Incredible. Incredible. That's what they're saying. So now now, as I said, this person's argument is quite uh um a full argument. He has all those beliefs which I mentioned. So I think in our language, that's not the way we speak so much today. First, as I've said before, general, I'm talking about you know, the general um vibe, my understanding of the Tor where people are at, for whatever it's worth, and of course I could always be wrong and very wrong, but try my best. Is that is that we think less in terms of Ghanaian and and that's a good thing, it's just a practical thing. So we have to try to translate into today's pessy. How does today's pessy think? You know, why be so from, don't overdo it, chill out. Now, that of course doesn't mean that those are not don't overdo it and chill out could be good words for someone who's too nervous, too uptight, um, certainly obsessive compulsive, and taking religion obsessive compulsive, but but but sometimes I think we turn ourselves into pta into ptaiim using those arguments and thinking that it applies, right? Meaning Ruchnias is a heavy thing. We made this point before. When you learn Missil Hisharam and you learn really any safer was written by someone of Fulyur Shemayim, who is realistic about the world and understood what the world's about, it's life is serious. I was just uh reading about Rabbi Sem Berea David. Someone wrote a very nice tribute to her. Um interesting Dafke uh woman that seems to have been to uh BJJ, which for those who don't know, it's like the Frum of the Frum, that's really you know very, very, very Frum, as you would say. And she claimed to have called herself a um modern Orthodox feminist. And I saw the institutions she was associated with were were quite far on the left. And um, but she learned in BJJ, obviously in her youth, and she was writing this beautiful tribute to about Revit and uh David, David R Futner's daughter, Rfutner's only child. Sadly, she didn't have any children, so I mean Terfutner's uh line on a biological level, unfortunately, sadly, um, stopped. She also passed away, her husband, Ravionas and David, so there, but of course Rufutner lives on and she does with her thousands of students and his thousands and thousands of students, etc. Um, but anyway, so he says that Revenus and David had no place for silliness. Uh, rejuvenation, taking a break, of course, as needed. But silliness, you know, not taking life seriously, that didn't exist by her. Like, what is silliness? What is that?

unknown 8:33

Right?

SPEAKER_00 8:33

The people covet roche was she she expressed it very, very well. So, so, but but that's AD here, right? So that that that that life is serious. So these, but these people have so so we have to turn this argument into the way it would speak to us in Arya Tzahara, right? Where's Arya Tzuhara? Arya Tsara isn't to take a vacation, to take a break, to to not get too though, those are good things. But when it's when it turns into philosophy in our heads that life is just to take it easy, you know, chilling out is like uh a dovr-kodus bifnahatsmo, right? Going out to eat is a hush of thing with nayatsmo. So then we're forgetting what the pros there is and what the we're forgetting what the what's the pros door and what's the main thing. So so that that's the argument that Urbaino is saying, and he's gonna continue with his answer. But first, before he gives his answer, which we'll this which we'll um find out about in the next session, I just want to point that out that our petty today speaks in a different language, but let's make sure to hear the ruach, the spirit of what the Monsieur Sharm is saying, the ruach of the argument, and not necessarily the specific words, because the words might not be our words, um, but the language certainly is a language sometimes which is an Arya Tahar in our heads, and certainly by those sometimes around us who not meaning to be negative, but can um very often you have a child who becomes more from or more excited. And sometimes the parents can point out to something unhealthy in the growth, but sometimes just because the parents don't appreciate the the seriousness that this uh young man or young lady has learned to take life and appreciate that life is is is something which is more serious than they see it. That and the reason the parents don't see it, so even uh sometimes, even to be honest, educators that were in the past of the student is because they're not on the madrega, not because they're offering a healthy, I want to make sure my child is psychologically healthy and not overdoing it and doesn't overdo it. No, it's not coming from that's coming because they don't appreciate the goal the way the the young Khanika Khanika uh child or young adult or even older adult sees things. And we always have to be honest with ourselves where the arguments are coming from and checking ourselves, what is it? I'll add one more thing. Sometimes we just sometimes we're threatened. It's very interesting in the world of obviously thirst. Sometimes people have like so much patience for anybody to the left of them, but anybody to the right of them must be a fanatic. Why? Why why do you think there's there's no one who takes life more seriously than you do? I think there's definitely people more seriously than I do. Uh I can deal with that. We can and understand it's not, you know, let's talk about the Square Rebbe, it's amazing. Square Rebbe spends millions of dollars for his chasidis dealing with the technology, techno, technology's uh dangers. Incredible. Now I'm speaking to you on a smartphone, you very likely uh listening on a smartphone. My smartphone is Mugan, what we call Mugan, and has a good company, Hydron, etc. But you know, that's not enough for Square. And I appreciate that. I don't look saying, oh, they're fanatic, they're crazy. I got it exactly right, they're wrong. They're taking life with a certain level of seriousness. Now that doesn't mean everybody who has a phone is this, of course, and everybody doesn't have a phone is that. Obviously, obviously we're not saying that, but it's to be able to smell the the the good that's in other uh another Tibur, and realize sometimes that they're not wrong by taking certainly it's at least Dark, at least it's Shimpanul Matar, it's at least Elu Belu. And sometimes maybe they got it, maybe they're right. I'll tell you, just a personal thing. I was feeling to myself, like, wow, you know, the the this Hasidis is taking care of its people, means this Rabbi sees a danger, what he perceives as a danger to his people, and he's spending uh, you know, it's an incredible amount of efforts giving out mezuzas and writing sifri Torah and uh all around all around technology. So it's not necessarily the community that we would live in, but the fact that he's protecting his people and caring for them is very meaningful to me. So we always have to be honest with our arguments, that's the point at the end of the day. Where where are our arguments coming from? Or is it is it coming from uh uh a critique that we see something you know negative in in someone or a Tibor sometimes, which might be true, or is it that just they're making us feel guilty or or um they're being more mocked about something that we are, etc. And that that that's really where it's coming from. And and or they maybe have more clarity about some point of what a Shem that we don't have. So Hashem should uh help us not to be patelling