Vayikra - Who Are You

0:00When you want your spring break to feel like and your kid's pool day to feel like and your hotel bed to feel like. Ooh, and room service to feel like. Because at Hilton, hospitality feels like. Your cabana's ready? Would you like fresh towels? It matters where you stay. Book now at Hilton.com. Hilton for this day. Morning, good morning. Welcome to Breakfast on the Class. Breakfast on the Class today is dedicated and it's entire week. By the day and less slow, 12% of the silver donors grace and wrath and begin the end family. In celebration, the marriage, their daughter reshelt to David Mizrahi, as out of my brook. And I just wanted to add that if anyone sent me requests for Tiffila or for Behrachai yesterday or the day before, so it took me much longer than I thought. There was much more names than I thought. And much more Behrachai, but I made it through

1:00and I prayed for every single one of them. So I hope that as a Shema Tiffilot on the special day were answered and that you should be so glad to see the Yeshua that you were hoping for whatever that might be. Amen. Breakfast on the Class is also dedicated for the Shema, for the Ashram Azaf, for today. And we continue to have for Khanabad Sena Tehra. Also dedicated honor of Stephen Jamal's birthday sponsor Jack Ampatricia Tabish, Hazaku Baruch, dedicated by Leah and Gidon Kohler. In celebration of both the one-year wedding anniversary and the birth of their baby boy David Khayim, stunning. What a beautiful time it is in your life. We can practice on the Class, dedicated honor of the wedding of their daughter Frida Siyon to Andre Pariser. May their lives be filled with health happiness, Naha, and Jalombai. May you build a home filled with Torah and it's always the Shema from Laura and Mauricio Siyon. Shema, bless us, Behrachai. To experience only beautiful Samakhot, one of the Shema Zaltov, to the Dwek and Ben Haim families

2:03on the bombings of their son last night. Hazaku Baruch, very, very special, Ezra Dwek, very special and precocious young men who is a burning and many tamil Khacham already. Hazaku Baruch, everyone was so proud of you last night at your bombings. Okay, let us begin. The Pasuk says, Adam, Kiakribe, Mikaim, Korban, La Monai. When a person brings clothes from you, Korban, La Monai, a sacrifice, Takadons Baruchu. And then the Pasukim continues and talks about Minabemah, Minatzon, Bakar, Takibut, Korban Khem. What exactly you should bring you, Korban, from the different types of animal, of Milchha, et cetera, et cetera, that a person is able to bring. Now, I want to point out one beautiful thing, one beautiful idea that I think is Novea, that comes from this Pasuk, Adam, Kiakribe, Mikaim. A person who comes close to Akadons Baruchu

3:05to bring Korban, please only answer them in. If you're listening to this live, Baruchatadunai, El-Lohemachau, Adam, Shia, Korban, Baruch. Many of us are familiar with a great Sadik and a great Mefaresh in the Khumash, in the Kraut-Gedodot, called the Kliakar. Kliakar literally means Kli means vessel, Yakar means very expensive or precious, okay? So Kliakar means the precious vessel. Now, what's fascinating about this rabbi is his origin story. So let's take a look for one minute at what happens to this young man and how he gets to the place where he ultimately gets to. He becomes ultimately the rabbi of the Tosvot-Yom-Tob. He has his students' number in the great Khashovim, in the great respectable people of the city of Prague,

4:06in which he was the rabbi. And he taught a great many Sadikim Mefareshim that we all know today, those are his students. So he was a very, very impressive person. But where does his story begin? His name is Rev. Shilomo, Ephraim Lunchits. Now, this man, the Kliakar, was born to a fellow cold rabbi Aharon and his wife. This rabbi Aharon was a very simple person. He lived with his holy wife in the city at the time of outside of Prague. And what happened, unfortunately, was that his father needed to make part of Sadik's support to the family. And he took on the job of running a pub in the local area. This is a very common thing for Jews to do. They were at the time not allowed to own land. They weren't allowed to do many professions.

5:07So what would they do? They would own the local pub. The non-Jews would come. They would spend their money in the pub. The person who owned the pub didn't own the land. So to speak, owned the license for it. And they would pay a tremendous fee to the local land owner, the parrots of the area. So this was one of those situations. And one day, there was not enough money in the Kupa. And he couldn't even pay for the alcohol to be delivered to the pub to be able to serve the people. The parrots got very, very angry. And he didn't keep up his end in a contract. And he took this rabbi, rabbi Aron. And he took his wife. And he threw them in his prison. Prisons, then, were not like the prisons that you're talking about today. With curated, healthy meals. When you get a certain amount of time in the yard, right? You know, it says that you got a hole in the ground. They threw you in. If they remembered, they fed you a few times a week. Unfortunately, this man rabbi Aron was a very weak older man.

6:07He passed his away. His wife, at the time, is pregnant with a baby boy, with a baby. This baby, unfortunately, is born into the world and his mother dies in prison. One of the wardens of the prison of the parrots, he is crying from one of the cells. He comes and he sees a baby that's been born, a dead father, and a dead mother. He goes to the parrots, this non-Jewish man, and he tells him there's a baby there. The baby is very beautiful, very cute baby. He says, listen, call up the local Jews. Tell them to come two of their dead out here if they want to bury them. They can do so. But bring me the baby and don't tell anybody. The baby comes to the parrots. The parrots, himself, I'd always wanted a child, had been unable to have a child. He sees the baby is really actually very cute, very sweet baby. So he adopts this baby as his own and brings them into the house

7:09and doesn't say a word to this child. The Kliakar is raised as a child going to Christian schools. Being taught, you know, the ways of his non-Jewish stepfather who actually murdered his parents might neglect. Completely unaware. One night in this child, very sharp, very smart child that the parrots shows off to everybody, this child has a dream. And in his dream, an elderly Jew comes to him and he says, this is my name. I'm your father. This person took you into their house and is pretending to be your father. But both myself and your mother died in prison. You need to run away. You need to go to join the Jewish community. Well, the guy goes to his father the next morning

8:09for breakfast. The father sees his son's face as not like he usually is. What's bothering you? He says, I had a dream last night. A dream that you're not my father that some Jewish guy is my dad and that you've adopted me. The guy says, what are you talking about? It's just a dream. Silly, maybe you ate too much candy before you went to bed. Forget about it. Okay, try to forget about it. But again, that night, after being told to forget about it by his stepfather, he dreams again a second dream. And this time his father is not happy and is not sharing news but he's upset with him. He says, you are my son. We gave birth to you. Run away to the great rav the maharal of Prague. Review who the low he lives in Prague. He's going to take care of you. And then he tells him, if you don't believe me, understand? If you don't believe me,

9:09you should just know you're going to die. You were designed. You were prepared. You were destined to be part of this story. If you don't follow your destiny, you don't have a place in this world. Don't tell the your stepfather the dream is just going to try and dissuade you. Anyway, the kid wakes up. He kind of knows what he needs to do. He sneaks out of the house, hitches a ride, gets to Prague without telling anybody. Go straight to the door of the maharal and he tells them what's going on. The maharal talks to him. He sees that the kid is a genuine kid. He's a very smart kid. The maharal takes him into his home and raises him as if he's his own step son. He teaches him and he sees that the kid is eager to learn and he's a brilliant student. Well, this kid is growing up in the house of the maharal by the time he becomes Bar Mitzvah, he's already filled with Torah knowledge. Meanwhile,

10:11the parrots back in his city has not given up for his child and he's now sending people to every major city around his village to find and look for this boy. The maharal years that there's people looking for this child. So what does he do? The maharal tells him he says, listen, it's not safe for you here. Guys going to drag you back. Go to the city of Levov. There's a Yishiva over there and in that Yishiva, I just walk into the Yishiva. Don't say anything, okay? Sit down, pretend like you're a regular student. Don't talk about your story. How brilliant you are. You're going to ask questions they're going to want to know where you're from. Story's going to get out. Just low-key under the radar. Study in this Yishiva from these great rabbis. Well, it's exactly what he does. He goes to Levov, keeps it under the radar, listens to the class,

11:12and when the class is over, he goes back to his room and he studies all night with a sweet lady. And they started calling this man Rabbi Ephraim Kasha, not because he asked questions but because his wife in order to have panasa, what did she do? She used to go around selling Kasha, selling the wheat to the local people and that was how they made their money. So that was who he was, Rabbi Ephraim Kasha. Years go by like this, until one day the Maharal falls ill. And the Maharal, on his deathbed, the Chavrakadi should come and they want to take from him his last will and testament. And he says, I want you to know who should take the position, leading the city after me. And he writes this fellow, Rabbi Ephraim Kasha, lives in Levov,

12:12bring him what's called commanding you to go and take the position. The Maharal, once he signed, who else signed after him or the other great rabbis? Whatever the Maharal says they followed. So the people of Prague set off after the rabbi passes away with this letter in their pocket, they arrive in the city of Levov. Now Prague was like the crown jewel at the time of Jewish and Torah scholarship in that region. So when they arrived in Levov and all these Chashuvim are asking about, Rabbi Ephraim Kasha, the woman who sells the wheat has been, they can't figure it out. They walk in, they hand him the letter, Maharal said, so he must know he's talking about. He looks at the letter, he reads it, he understands that that means that his stepfather, his savior, the Maharal,

13:12the one who taught him all of his Torah, the one who guided him in his life and passed away, and immediately like the halakhah dictates he tore his clothes like one test keryah, like we learned in Masekh in Mawet Katad, he immediately tore his clothes the tearing of a student for their rabbi. He has no choice, the letter is signed by all the great rabbis. This young man, the Kliakar moves back to Prague and takes the helm of the community. And he has the students that we mentioned earlier, the famous famous students, Tosvot Yom Tov, the Vave Amudim, famously also the Avrahabri, Uvena Cohen, so fair. If anyone here ever heard of Yalkutrubeni, Yalkutrubeni is also his student. Shulot, Shalot, Shuvot, Shuvamiaava, also his student. So this man becomes the chief rabbi of the city of Prague. He writes many Sifarim, besides for the Kliakar, others Sifarim as well. Now, the reason why I'm sharing the story with you

14:13is because I want to illustrate a point. The Pasoog says Adam, Kiakriim became. And yesterday we talked about the idea of why does it say the word Adam? And we gave the idea that Rashi explains that a person needs to learn that just like Adam, he's shown could not steal because he lived in Ghanaedan. By himself. There's no one to steal from. So we explained Adam means a person also can't steal when they come to bring the Korban. But today I want to point out a different lesson or a different message. Why are we talking about Adam Kiakriim became. A person who comes close to Hashem by bringing the Korban. What are we communicating? By saying the word Adam. If it said without the word Adam, wouldn't it mean the same thing? Kiakriim became. When someone of you brings the Korban, it means the same thing.

15:13So why do we use the word Adam? The answer is my friends, a line that we say many times in this class. Says the Gujarat. He is a Haru Mibreani. Be careful with the sons of the poor. Ki Mehem, Tetsetorah. For from them will Torah emerge. Not only was the Kliakar a literal son of the poor. But as Al-Kha'amim explained, it doesn't mean poor and money. It means poor and Torah. A lot of times, we give Kavod to people that are wealthy, people that are powerful. So that's obviously bad. But then you think, okay, give Kavod to people who are wise and keep them its vote. Okay, besaid it. That makes sense, right? Says the Gujarat wrong. He is a Haru Mibreani even. What about the person who doesn't know anything? What about the person who doesn't do anything?

16:14Careful with that person. Ki Mehem, for from them will Torah emerge. The Maharal of Prague was one of the the princes of Torah. He hands the reins over to whom? To a child that went to Christian school when he grew up. A child raised in the house of a parrots of a murderer. But in the end, Hakalos Bahu has a plan for this child. And God allows his holy father of Aron to come to him in a dream and to wake him up and to tell him, you have greatness in your veins. Go to the Maharal of Prague and he'll take care of you. My friends, how many times do we meet people whose origin story does not match the person that is sitting in front of you? How do you know so much if you didn't grow up with this? You look at a person

17:14and you think this person is not deserving of my respect. Not because I respect money or power or influence. No, or beauty. I respect holy valuable things this person doesn't have them. But unfortunately, for you, unfortunately that person might grow to outstrip everyone else in the class. This person who came from nowhere where did he wind up? He becomes the rabbi of rabbis. The Maharal does not choose his own son-in-law to take over his position. He chooses the Kliakar and the answer I think hides in the name of the Kliakar himself. He was a precious vessel and unfortunately he was filled with the wrong things. So that was his childhood. But once he emptied his vessel

18:14from all of that. He was able to fill it again with the most powerful, beautiful Qur'an-Mitsut. So my friends, our arms must be open. Our eyes must be open. Our hearts must be open. To welcoming in every kind of Jew. To teaching every kind of Jew. Because how do you know who's going to be the future leader of the community? Of Amnistrael. He's the Harul-Binehan-Eem. Says the Pasook. Adam. Even if you're not a Jewish person, so to speak. Even if you're not a great person. Even if you're not a Baal-Midoto-Vot. Even if you're not a person of great wisdom. All you need to be is Adam. A human being. And if that human being wants he accrued, became Qur'an-Lamunai.

19:14If they sacrifice from themselves to come close to Akadosh Barahu, Qur'an-Lashem. Suddenly, they become someone drawn to the inner, innermost chambers of Bure-o-Lam. My friends, where would we be as a people without Rabbi Akiva? One of the greatest sages. Nowhere. Where would we be without Rabbi Meir? The author of the majority of the Mishnayat, that Rabbi Huda put together. Where would we be without him? Where? Where would we be without Shmaya-Baptalion? Nowhere. Some of these grew up hating religion. Some of these grew up the children of getting of converts. So what we're seeing over here is an extremely powerful statement

20:15of Adam who gave Me came. Now, I love pointing this out. The Ghimmarah says, when the Pasuch says Adam ki akri Me came, it refers to someone whose Jewish. Atem ki ru'im Adam, you are called Adam. Ven of de kochavim masalod ki ru'im Adam. And I don't worshipers are not called Adam. This does not mean that someone who's not Jewish is not considered a human being. Says the kliakar. None other than the kliakar. You know what that Ghimmarah means? They give Marah means to say that there are multiple words that you could use for human beings. You could use for the human being you could use the word ish. You could use the word ish also means

21:15mankind. You could use different adjectives to describe humanity. Gever. But Adam is unique because ish and gever and inosh all have a plural way of statement. You could say about the word ish. Ish. Ishim, geverim, anashim. But when it comes to Adam, there is no word Adamin. Adam is a word for humanity for human beings that is singular. Says the kliakar. Understand. And the reason why Amisrael is called Adam is because like the pasouk says who is like the nation of Israel? They are a singular

22:17united nation. Not united nations. That's anti-Jews. They are a united nation. We are called Adam when we are united because we're not plural. We're one. The nations of the world there's a person in Poland in Japan. No. What collection there's a person in China have to do with going on. What's going on in Ireland? Nothing. But if a Jewish person he is about. A terrorist attack that happened to Jews in France everyone's praying over here in the synagogue. Does China have a day of prayer when there's a earthquake in Greenland? No. You have to know with me. So therefore the nations of the world are not called Adam. We have other words for human. We'll use that for them. But not Adam.

23:18My friends what a powerful idea. That this poor boy with a Christian education with a story about his father and a dream winds up at the doorstep of the Maharal and the Maharal says to him come on in and he trains him actually to be his replacement. Now this little divide or I just told you about Adam with the Kliakar has a story as to how it comes out. The king at the time is approached by one of his anti-Semitic advisors and tells them what do we have to Jews here with us? Why are we giving them quarter? And they think that they're better than us that we're their human and we're not. He says what's the proof? He says because it says they say that only they're called Adam. The Kliakar uses the idea I just told you to defend the entire Jewish community.

24:19Against this claim by the anti-Semitic advisor to the king of Prague. Understand what that means that the Maharal's family and his legacy could have been driven into exile or worse killed had he not welcomed in this young man who ultimately saves the entire city with this exact idea and how beautiful it is that the idea he saves the city with is the reason that the Maharal takes him in in the first place because we're all one people Adam, come on in you don't know anything come on in you could become the Kha'amin tell us that Adam is divided into two possible definitions either Adam man is called Adam because he was taken from the earth

25:19or say the Kha'amin that he could be called so because the word Adam can also be read which means I will be like I will be like God Adamela Elyon I will be like the one on high every human being has the opportunity to either be Adam earthly, physical or they have the opportunity to be Adamela Elyon spiritual, Godlike divine in their actions in their thoughts in their education in their efforts so the Shaila for every person in the world is a very sharp and poignant and pointed question am I blaming my background for my mediocrity am I settling for some diminutive level of Torah knowledge

26:19because I didn't go to Yashiva am I cutting off the possibilities of my religious nature of my mitsvot of my climb because of where I came from says the Pasoog Adam you want to know the definition of what makes a man a man Kiyakriv Mikhim when you decide to come close that decision alone is enough to create the leader of all of the Jewish people of your time we don't need to go further than Moshe to see a parallel to the story of the Kiyakriv he grows up in the palace of Paro what makes Moshe decide to leave what makes Moshe decide to say to himself you know something

27:19I want to risk my life for my brother all he needs to do is to take the red bill and go back to sleep I'm the son of Paro I have unlimited power of money whatever I want eat, do, sleep, breathe or I could join this tortured people this enslaved nation one might have thought that this person this Adam yeah he, what would he have been a nobody but ultimately Moshe who chooses the highest road it is fascinating to me to think that Moshe describes himself in the moment of his greatest humility why is Moshe chosen to be the leader of the Jewish people because he was and now, of me, call Adam

28:19he was the most humble person to never walk the face of the earth what expresses Moshe's humility does anyone know he will show up whatever might be the biggest nope, that's good but that's not the biggest and I've ever nope, nope nope a little bit yes, but not the most humble because I've said that there are three humble, the most humble people that have ever lived Abraham, David, and Moshe Abraham says I know he a far, far ever I am dust and ash David, I'm not a man I'm a worm and not a man okay but what does Moshe say I am nothing I am nothing so dust and ash is pretty low worm is also pretty low

29:19but nothing is less than either so Moshe is the most humble because he says so the greatness of Moshe where is the greatness of Moshe ma what, nothing I always love this why says the Khatam so far the Pasuk says the man Moshe was anav exceedingly Abraham, David, and Moshe Adam from all over Adam as we've said many times before stands for Abraham, David, and Moshe so he was more than anav Abraham and David where do you see that? because he was anav what's the order? Moshe Abraham

30:19David, Moshe says nothing what's less a worm or dust dust so the order is Moshe Moses, Abraham, David Michael Adam out of the Adam he was anav but it doesn't stop there Moshe the most humble the fact that he is ma the Gematria of ma is 45 the Gematria of Adam is 45 the Gematria of Meod is 45 what allowed Moshe to rise to the highest level is the fact that greatness is not withheld from any Adam Adam mankind who accrued Me came all it takes is a desire to come close I always think to myself

31:19that when we start the silicoat throughout the month of Elul how do we start the silicoat for the Safaradim Adam Al-Hani Adam Kumkera Betachanoni Ben Adam why do we use that term Kumkera get up stop sleeping Ben Adam even if you don't feel like you're so special you have enough mitzvoto Torah Ben Adam Ben Adam your son of Adam what is the Pasuch say about Adam it's for anybody I need to share one idea one more idea from the Kliakar to bring this idea full circle the Kliakar says on the Gematria the Gematria says

32:19why is it that the sons of Tamedekha Khameen are not themselves Tamedekha Khameen Kemalah Nedarim Page 81 why is Tamedekha Khameen that set me Tamedekha Khameen how come it should be that all of the students the children of Tamedekha are Tamedekha Khameen what's going on the Kemalah answers because they did not make the Berakhah the Berkatah Torah the Khilah before they studied all the commentators want to know what does this mean which Tamedekha Khameen doesn't make Berkatah Torah first everybody does and if they don't are they really Tamedekha Khameen my father-in-law Shimon Abiksir loves saying this Torah says the Kliakar

33:19means if a person is a Torah scholar and they sacrificed so much and they have no money and no funds and no savings they have Torah they have mitzvot now they give birth to children they bless their children but they bless their children from a place of suffering, of lacking so what's the first Berkatah they give to their children and they never go hungry right what does the Pasuch say nah ahiti ve Gamza Kanti ve law laiti Sadik naeezav ve zardome vakesh lachem I never met a Sadik naeezav and his children are asking for bread because that Sadik naeezav sometimes asks for his children for bread so what's the first Berkatah this person gave this child child, she never go hungry, she always have food, she always have pineapple, and then he

34:20gives him a belakai, she grew up to be a big tamikhakan. My friend says the clear car, you know which belakai gets fulfilled, stronger, the first one that you say, the first one that you say is the one that you want the most. So says the gemara, the penesh, you love berguba, Torah, Trila, didn't give a belakai first. So the Torah, first they said, has eat, there's no money here, let him have enough money so that he should be able to sit and learn. Which one did you say first? Which one did you say second? First you should say, he should sit and learn, he should go to be big tamikhakan. And second he should have enough pineapple to do so. I always think to myself, the thing that we say the first, the thing that we emphasize the first, that's what the kids here, that's what the kids understand. My friends, never was something more true than Moshe Rebeno, never was something more

35:27true than the clear car, they're living in a lap of luxury, but the minute they can sense the calling, they go, they run. That was the most important thing for them. Says the Pasooc, Adam, he accrued me came, what is so important for you that closeness to it becomes your primary goal, that becomes the definition of what you are, that becomes your ma, what am I? Hashim should bless us, and really today's class is about priorities. Now I remember back in the days when I was teaching in England, so I would take the kids on a Yashiva and Seminary trip, the boys would go check out the Yashiva, they were going to go look at, so they had a taste for it, the girls would go to the seminaries, so they could see if they liked it, they don't sign up and then find out when they get there

36:28that's not the style that they like, and there was something that I noticed that they put on all Yashiva and Sem forms. Once I noticed that there I started noticing it everywhere, they put it on camp forms, they put it on school forms, they write, we cannot guarantee your roommates, but please put down three people you would like to room with, number one, number two, number three, now if you're not going to get all three, they're going to try and give you which one first, your first choice first, first choice always comes first, second choice will always play second fiddle to first choice, says the Kliakar as Shilober Huba Toratachida, in order to become the person that he became, what happens?

37:30He runs away to a city, he hides his brilliance, nobody's allowed to know who he is, he becomes known by his wife's job, Rabbi Efraim Kasha, but ultimately none of the sacrifices matter to him, because what came first, when we know what comes first in our life, the sacrifices don't feel like sacrifices, they feel like investments, you know when something feels like a sacrifice, when the thing you're sacrificing is number one on your list, and the thing you're getting is number two, when I invest in a business, when I invest in a stock to make money, does anyone call that a sacrifice, that's an investment, so if I feel like I'm sacrificing

38:32in my life, for Torah and its vor Judaism, understand maybe what that says about your hierarchy of needs, sorry Masla, understand what that means about your priorities, so for a husband, for your children, for yourself, for a wife, what is number one? And the irony is that the definition of what kind of man or woman you are, I believe boils down to the order in which your priorities are laid out. Greenlight helps kids learn about money by actually using it, it's a debit card and money app that teaches kids to earn, save, and spend in real life, not just swipe and hope for the best, learning happens naturally, in the moment, parents can set limits,

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