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The Shechina Rests on YisroelPart I.TheShechinaFinds a HomeTHE MISHKAN IN A NUTSHELLWhen Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave the command to erect aMishkan, the firstBeis Hamikdash, so He stated, \u05d5\u05e2\u05e9\u05d5 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05de\u05e7\u05d3\u05e9 \u2013 \u201cAnd they shall make for Me a place of holiness, an especial place for Me, \u05d5\u05e9\u05db\u05e0\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05db\u05dd, and I will dwell in their midst\u201d (Terumah 25:8) Now these words are of the utmost importance because we are learning in a nutshell what is meant by theMishkan, and later theBeis Hamikdash\u2013 that it\u2019s the place of thehashra\u2019ashashechinah\u2013 the place where the Presenceof Hashem comes down to reside. TheMishkanwasn\u2019t a place of prayer and service; it was that too, but actually it was much more than that. It wasthe dwelling place of Hashem.This we must know, that there is such a concept, a fact, that although Hashem is everywhere, there is such a thing as Hashem concentrating HisShechinahin a certain place. \u05d5\u05e9\u05db\u05e0\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05db\u05dd \u2013 \u201cAnd I will reside among them,\u201d He told us. Hashem chose that He should rest His Presence by theAm Yisroel. It\u2019s an especial afflatus, that Hakodosh Boruch Hu comes to rest in theMishkan, among His people, in an especial way that is not found anywhere else.A NEW NEIGHBOR FOR THE JEWSNow among all the statements found in the Torah, none could be as breathtaking as that one: \u201cI will dwell among My people!\u201d The Creator of the Universe, the \u05de\u05dc\u05d0 \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3\u05d5, the One Whose Presence fills the remote distances of space, is coming down to live among us?! Yes, that\u2019s exactly what the Torah states, \u201cMake Me a home, and I shall dwell in their midst. I have chosen theAm Yisroelas that place where I will take up residence.\u201d Hashem forsakes the high heavens and moves into the encampment of the Am Yisroel!It\u2019s a new \u201cneighbor\u201d for the Jewish people!You know, we don\u2019t really think too much when we read thechumash, so we gloss over these words without too much thought, but actually it was an enormouschiddushwhen the Creator of the Universe declared that His Presence would reside in an edifice erected by men. What could be more stunning, more astonishing, than the thought that the Creator of the Universe, whose glory fills the endless remoteness of space, should choose to live in a tabernacle of wood and cloth?! Because what was theMishkanafter all? It wasn\u2019t even a royal palace; it was a portable house made of boards, bars and sockets. Could Hashem reside in such a place? Hashem is infinite and not physical, and His reality transcends any space measurement. He can\u2019t live in a home; it defies all logic.STUNNING MOSHE RABBEINUAnd that\u2019s exactly what Moshe Rabeinu said when he heard these words of Hakodosh Boruch Hu: \u05d4\u05ea\u05d7\u05d9\u05dc \u05de\u05ea\u05de\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d5\u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05e8 \u2013 \u201cMoshe was stupefied and he said, \u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3\u05d5 \u05e9\u05dc \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9 \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05da \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05de\u05dc\u05d0 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05ea\u05d7\u05ea\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05e8 \u05e2\u05e9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05de\u05e9\u05db\u05df \u2013 The glory of Hashem fills the upper and lower worlds, and yet He says, \u201cMake for Me a place to live?!\u201d It didn\u2019t make any sense to Moshe Rabeinu. \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9 \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05da \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05dc\u05d0 \u05db\u05e9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d0\u05ea\u05d4 \u05e1\u05d5\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d0\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e1\u05d5\u05d1\u05e8 \u2013 So Hakodosh Boruch Hu said to Moshe, \u201cNot as you think, do I think, \u05d0\u05dc\u05d0 \u05e2\u05e9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05e7\u05e8\u05e9 \u05d1\u05e6\u05e4\u05d5\u05df \u05d5\u05e2\u05e9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d3\u05e8\u05d5\u05dd \u05d5\u05e9\u05de\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05de\u05e2\u05e8\u05d1 \u2013 \u201cJust make for Me twenty planks on the north side, twenty on the south, eight on the west side, and that\u2019s enough for Me\u201d (Shemos Rabbah: 34)Now if these words so stunned Moshe Rabeinu that Hakodosh Boruch Hu had to tell him, \u201cMoshe, My servant, You and I think differently,\u201d so we would be well-served if we spent some time studying this stupendous concept that Hashem rested His Presence among theAm Yisroel.What\u2019s so important about an especial building erected for theShechinah? Why is it so important that theShechinahshould come there more than anywhere else? Of course, like I said before, it\u2019s such a vast concept that it can\u2019t be explained in a couple of sentences, but whatever it was, it was an enormous demonstration that Hashem was making: \u201cMy Presence will dwell inMachaneh Yisroel,in the encampment of the Jewish Nation in a way that cannot be found anywhere else.\u201d Such a stupendous idea, it pays for us to understand at least superficially.WILDERNESS TOURS LTD.Imagine we are standing on a hill, we\u2019re visiting in themidbar. Let\u2019s say we came from Moav or from Edom as visitors. And one of theBnei Yisroelis standing with us and he\u2019s pointing out to us the sights. So you\u2019re looking out into the distance at theMachaneh Yisroel, the camp of the people. Thousands of tents, all arranged in an orderly fashion. There were roads between the tents, and theshevatimwere all encamped surrounding themachaneh levi\u2019im, the place where thelevi\u2019imlived. And in the middle, in the center of the camp, was themachaneh shechinahwhere a large wooden hut was standing. That\u2019s what you saw as you stood on this hill looking out at theAm Yisroel.So your Jewish tour guide says, \u201cYou see there, over there, that\u2019sReuvenin that corner. All those thousands of tents, that\u2019sShevet Reuven.And over there, on the other side, that\u2019s therivevosEfraim. And look on that side, over there, you can see thealfeiMenasheh.\u201d And then he says \u2013 he tells you to look through the binoculars, \u201cYou see that tent over there, that\u2019s where Betzalel lives. And over there on the left, that\u2019s where Aharon Hakohen resides. And that tent, that\u2019s where Moshe Rabeinu is right now teaching Torah to thezekeinim.\u201dTHE EDOMITE LAMDANAnd then, the guide who is showing you the sights, points with his finger, and says, \u201cAnd there, you see that tent in the middle, that\u2019s where Hakodosh Boruch Hu, the Creator of the World, lives.\u201d So you gasp; you weren\u2019t expecting to hearthat! You\u2019re only a visitor after all. So you look at your guide incredulously, \u201cWhat do you mean Helivesthere?\u201d So he tells you matter of factly, \u201cYes, that\u2019s His address. That\u2019s where the Creator of the world lives!\u201dSo let\u2019s say you\u2019re a bit of alamdan. Imagine such a thing, alamdanfromEdom. So you ask, \u201cDoesn\u2019t it say (Yeshaya 66:1): \u05db\u05d4 \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d4\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05db\u05e1\u05d0\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cHashem says, \u2018The heavens is My throne,\u2019 \u05d5\u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d4\u05d3\u05d5\u05dd \u05e8\u05d2\u05dc\u05d5 \u2013 and the earth is just a resting stool for My feet.\u2019\u201d The heaven is nothing but a throne for Hashem, and the earth is where He rests His feet. \u05d0\u05d9\u05d6\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05ea\u05d1\u05e0\u05d5 \u05dc\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cWhat kind of house could you build for Me?\u201d So you have akasha, it\u2019s a very goodkashayou asked. But the guide stubbornly tells you, \u201cLook, you can quote all thepesukimyou wish, but this is what Hashem told us. He forsook the high heavens; He has left all of space, the billions of space miles, and He has come down and He has chosenthis placeto dwell. He lives there, among the people.\u201d Now if you were not from theBnei Yisroel,if you were a visitor from some other nation, so you might shrug your shoulders. It\u2019s an interesting thought, but it doesn\u2019t mean much for you. But you\u2019d still be impressed by the conviction and sincerity of the Jewish people.THE MEN OF PERFECTIONBut let\u2019s understand not what a tourist fromEdomor fromAramwould see. What wouldthe Bnei Yisroel themselvessee? When theBnei Yisroellooked at the various tents of the distinguished ones of theAm Yisroel,it wasn\u2019t merely as a person seeing the sights; for them it was a great pride and encouragement. Because these were very great men who lived among us, men of great stature, men of perfection. And our nation was inordinately proud that these great men lived among them. It was such a happiness to pass by the tent of Betzalel and to know that we possess a Betzalel, the man of unmatched artistic abilities who built themishkan\u2013 that Betzalel was ours, was a great pride. We were so lucky to have such a rare personality among us.And they were even more proud when they could point to Aharon Hakohen. Aharon is unequaled in history.Aharon k\u2019dosh Hashem, Aharon the holy man of Hashem. Aharon was cited as the apotheosis, the summit of kindliness. \u05d1\u05e9\u05dc\u05d5\u05dd \u05d5\u05d1\u05de\u05d9\u05e9\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d4\u05dc\u05da \u05e2\u05de\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d5\u05e8\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05e9\u05d9\u05d1 \u05de\u05e2\u05d5\u05d5\u05df. (Malachi 2:6) Aharon was anoheiv shalomand arodef shalom, a man who loved peace. But not in the sense we understand it. Everyone loves peace. But Aharon loved peace with every fiber of his being. He was a man who pursued peace, which means he did everything possible to cause peace, tranquility and happiness between human beings. His life was devoted to that. \u05d0\u05d5\u05d4\u05d1 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea, He loved people, \u05d5\u05de\u05e7\u05e8\u05d1\u05df \u05dc\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4, and he brought them close to Torah too. And therefore when they pointed to his tent and they said, \u201cThis is the residence ofAharonk\u2019dosh Hashem,\u201d they said it with an inspiration and a pride.SMELLY NEIGHBORSSuppose somebody would be able to point out, \u201cIn my neighborhood there lives, let\u2019s say \u2013 now I\u2019m sorry I have to use such a comparison; I want to wash my mouth when I get through, but let\u2019s say someone would say, \u201cYou see down the block; Beethoven lives over there!\u201d Beethoven! The rents would go up in all the apartments in the neighborhood; the price of real estate would skyrocket. Now really it should plummet! Everybody should move out as quickly as possible. Because wherever these big musical geniuses lived, if you had an especial ability to smell, you would have to hold your nose. Because musical ability and purity of character by no means have to go together. And often they don\u2019t. Like somebody gave me a clipping this week; the great musician Leopold Stokowski, the conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, acclaimed the world over as a musical genius. So he boasted, he himself boasted to his musician friends, that he utilized the wives of the members of his orchestra. You understand now, that\u2019s the bravado, the boasting heroics from one musician to another. So I\u2019m sorry that we have to sink to such depths in order to appreciate this subject. But it\u2019s important for us to understand the subject at hand.Now if Stokowski lived on this block I\u2019m afraid people would not hold their noses. I\u2019m afraid they would vie with each other to try to move in. And they\u2019d like to be somewhere on the block when pictures are being snapped of him. At least they could point someday and say, \u201cYou see that little dot way out in in the background? That\u2019s me!\u201d And it would be such a pride that they\u2019d show it to their grandchildren. That\u2019s because people today lost their sense of smell altogether.VISITING PARSHANDASA\u2019S HOMEBoruch Hashem, we don\u2019t have to take pride in Stokowskis. We can take pride in those who are truly great men. If we could visit the sanctuary where Rashi Hakodosh spent his years! It\u2019s in a little town in Germany, in Worms, Vermeiseh. It\u2019s kept as a museum today, but that means nothing to us. If we would walk into that place, we\u2019d walk in on tip-toe; it\u2019sadmas kodesh. You\u2019re walking into a place that is the heart of the Jewish people, thekodesh kodoshimof our nation. The place where Rashi sat and studied the Torah, and the room where he wrote his commentaries on the entireTalmud Bavliand the entireTanach. Rashi is the teacher of the wholeAm Yisroel.Every word in Rashi is sweet as honey. If you\u2019re an expert inlanguageyou could appreciate how Rashi made hard things soft, he made the difficult things unravel. Rashi was a master expert in explaining. He\u2019s calledParshan Dasa,that\u2019s the nickname he was given. It means \u201cThe one who explains the Torah.\u201dAnd so if you walk into that holy of holies, to Rashi\u2019s study in his Beis Hamedrash, it\u2019s the greatest of privileges. You can feel thekedushahof these ancient walls permeating your personality, entering the marrow of your bones. You\u2019re not the same person once you visited Rashi\u2019sbeis hamedrash. Of course, I\u2019m talking about someone who knows what it\u2019s all about. Rashi is the beloved teacher of theAm Yisroel.You have to appreciate the great personality who once lived here and expressed his soul here, in his writings. Only that it\u2019s pity that it\u2019s there in Europe. Had that place been inEretz Yisroelit would have become a shrine. No question people would come there in the hundreds of thousands and pour out their hearts to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. And with thezechusof Rashi their prayers would go up to Hashem. Only that it\u2019s in the accursed land of Germany, in the uncleangolus. And even there, it\u2019skodesh kodoshim.TENT OF INTOXICATIONAnd so now we come back to theMachaneh Yisroelin theMidbar. We could point to the tent of Moshe Rabeinu, the place where Moshe Rabeinu resided. The tent of Moshe Rabeinu! The intense emotion of pride that such a thing caused is indescribable! \u201cI\u2019m living in the neighborhood of Moshe!\u201d It was a great happiness, a great pride, to know that Moshe lived among us.But to be able to point out the tent of Moshe Rabeinu was nothing at all when compared to being able to point at the tent of Hakodosh Boruch Hu! No concept could be more astonishing than the thought that the Creator of the Universe, Whose glory fills the endless remoteness of space, would choose to dwell in a tabernacle. We can picture the intoxication of ecstatic excitement that seized upon Moshe and the people at this announcement. The knowledge, more than knowledge \u2013 the sight \u2013 of the residence of Hashem in the midst of the camp was a vivid reminder for the people that they were chosen by the Creator of the Universe forever. We shouldn\u2019t overlook the effect of theMishkanupon the tent-homes of the Am Yisroel. TheMishkanwas of course a larger tent, but because it stood among the tents of the camp it had an unfailing effect on every tent in the camp. And the most outstanding effect was the demonstration that Hashem had chosen us from all the nations. We are the center of the Universe, for Hashem here declared \u05d5\u05e9\u05db\u05e0\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05db\u05dd \u2013 \u201cI will dwell in your midst.\u201d Because even more than a demonstration of His presence, even more than the constant reminder that we were standing before Hashem, was the pride that theMishkangenerated in the people: \u201cHashem chose us; He chose to dwell among us!\u201dNow there\u2019s no question that the nation gained many blessings by having the Presence of theShechinahamong them. I\u2019m not capable of telling you everything that was gained but there\u2019s no doubt that every individual gained a great deal of perfection of soul; the mind of every man, woman and child was filled with an Awareness that would have been otherwise impossible to achieve. But of all the blessings, of all the achievements, most important was the knowledge that Hashem chose to live among us forever. The fact that there was a special abode, a house where the King of the Universe residedamong us,was so impressive that all of theBnei Yisroel,even those who never had the chance to come visit that house, were entirely transformed because of that. It made such a deep impression that it lasted with them all throughout their lives and it accompanied them into the world to come.THE SIMPLE FACTNow when theBnei Yisroelsaw the house of Hakodosh Boruch Hu \u2013 and they saw it every day \u2013 so they certainly became accustomed to it. There\u2019s no question that seeing the same thing every day is going to make you hardened and you\u2019re not going to be excited anymore. But that\u2019s what Hakodosh Boruch Hu wanted, that they should become so accustomed to the thought that Hashem dwells in their midst that it should be beyond any doubt in their minds. It became a simple matter of fact that Hakodosh Boruch Hu resides among us.And for forty years theBnei Yisroelin themidbarwere able to point out to their children, \u201cMy son, over there, that\u2019s the tent of Aharon Hakohen. And there\u2019s the tent of Moshe Rabeinu. And over there, that\u2019s the Mishkan, the tent of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. And it became a phlegmatic matter of fact, it became part of their world outlook that Hashem theBorei Kol Ha\u2019olamos, the One who had created all the worlds, had forsaken the infinity of all the universes, all the remoteness of space, and He now dwellsb\u2019soch Bnei Yisroel. It went into the marrow of their bones.Now this is what you should be thinking about always. The Torah is full ofpesukimdedicated to this idea, and it\u2019s a shame to let it go to waste. And even though we have never seen theMishkan,but thepesukimwe have read hundreds of times, and it pays to think into it a bit. That the Creator of the Universe, the One who fills the whole universe with His presence, \u05de\u05dc\u05d0 \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05db\u05d1\u05d5\u05d3\u05d5, He created the stars in the remotest distances of space; He is the ruler of millions of star worlds, and nevertheless He has forsaken everything and He has chosen to reside on our people. Now no matter how difficult that concept is, that\u2019s the fundamental teaching of the Torah. You can\u2019t be a Jew unless you understand the teaching that Hashem is with us forever. Not just that He will help us forever, no, it\u2019s much more than that.He dwells among us forever. The Presence of Hashem \u2013 His actual Presence \u2013 is upon our nation forever.PART II.Pride of YisroelCRASH COURSE IN BRACHOSAnd it\u2019s something we thank Hashem for every day. Every day we say it, only we don\u2019t realize what we\u2019re thanking for. And that\u2019s a tragedy, because it\u2019s such an important attitude that we should be living with, that it pays to make use of every opportunity to impress it upon our minds. Every day inshemoneh esreiwe say thebracha\u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05da \u05d0\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d0-\u05dc \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9. Now all thebrachos, you know,are blessings of gratitude.Boruchmeans we\u2019rethankingHim. InMagen Avraham, we thank Hashem; He\u2019s the shield of Avraham, it means He\u2019s the shield of our nation; He protects us because of Avraham.\u05de\u05d7\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05de\u05ea\u05d9\u05dd, the secondbracha, we thank Hashem for giving us food, and for healing the sick and for giving us rain; all the good things enumerated there. And one day He\u2019ll revive the dead, and we thank Him for that too. And then there\u2019s \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05da \u05d0\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d7\u05d5\u05e0\u05df \u05d4\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea \u2013 You, Hashem bestow sanity! You\u2019re thanking Hashem that you\u2019re not in an insane asylum, that you\u2019re not depressed. You\u2019re full of gratitude that you\u2019re not crazy, that you\u2019re not paranoid or psychotic. You don\u2019t think about that, do you? So you\u2019re notdaveningproperly. And when you look, you\u2019ll see that everybrachais abrachaof gratitude.But there\u2019s onebrachathat\u2019s difficult to understand: \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05da \u05d0\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d0-\u05dc \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9 \u2013 We thank You Hashem that You are the holy G-d. We\u2019re thanking Him because He\u2019s holy?! What gratitude is required because He is Holy? I want you to hear the question. On everything inshemonah esreithere is a benefit for which we are thanking.Boruchmeans that we are grateful, and we bend our knees to You in gratitude. But when we come to thebrachaof \u05d4\u05d0-\u05dc \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9 we find that the entire bracha speaks of no kindliness at all \u2013 all we do is speak about the holiness, the perfection of Hashem. So what are we thanking Him for? What gratitude is it that we\u2019re supposed to be feeling?ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR BOSS?So listen now and you\u2019ll learn what you\u2019re thanking Hashem for when you say \u05d4\u05d0-\u05dc \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9. Tonight when you davenmaariv, for the first time in your life you\u2019ll be able to thank Hashem for being the \u05d0-\u05dc \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9, the Perfect G-d. And if you forget to have it mind, there\u2019sshacharistomorrow, andminchatoo. Don\u2019t squander the opportunities. So we\u2019ll explain it like this. Let\u2019s say you have a boss over you.The boss himself is an underling, a nobody, but he\u2019s your boss, what can you do. There\u2019s no great pride there. You won\u2019t pride yourself that you work for the colored man in the warehouse. Nothing wrong with working for a colored man, but it\u2019s no great pride.But let\u2019s say somebody is an assistant to the president, so he feels important already. And if he\u2019s an assistant let\u2019s say toDovid Melech Yisroel,lehavdil, sohe\u2019s surely important.It\u2019s like a man who was elevated by the king.The king chose a certain man, let\u2019s call him Wilfred, and made him a duke. So instead of being a commoner, now he\u2019s Duke of Worchester. Instead of being Wilfred, now he\u2019s nobility; connected to the royal family. And he walks the streets of England with pride: \u201cI was chosen by the king!\u201dWE\u2019RE ECSTATIC WITH OUR LOT!Now, if we\u2019re assistants to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, if He choseusand He considersusHis beloved ones and His entire interest is only in us, as we\u2019re going to seebli neder,so that\u2019s our pride in this world; we\u2019re happy \u2013 not happy, we\u2019re ecstatic \u2013 that we have such a G-d.That\u2019s what it says \u05dc\u05d4\u05d5\u05d3\u05d5\u05ea \u05dc\u05e9\u05dd \u05e7\u05d3\u05e9\u05d9\u05da \u05dc\u05d4\u05e9\u05ea\u05d1\u05d7 \u05d1\u05ea\u05d4\u05dc\u05ea\u05da \u2013 \u201c\u201cWe give thanks to Your holy name, and we commend ourselves, we praise ourselves, by Your praise\u201d (Tehillim 106:47). According to the holiness, the perfection, of Hashem, so much greater is the honor, pride and security of the nation He chose to rest His Presence on.And that\u2019s why we say thank you to Hashem for being so perfect. BecauseHisperfection isourglory. We boast in the praise of Hashem because that\u2019s our honor and glory. The Holy One, the Perfect G-d, that\u2019s our G-d.And we thank Him because of that, we say, \u201cThank You Hashem for being \u05d4\u05d0-\u05dc \u05d4\u05e7\u05d3\u05d5\u05e9 , for being so great. We take pride that we have such a G-d, \u05e9\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05db\u05de\u05d5\u05d4\u05d5, and it\u2019s our happiness.He chose us; we are His people and that\u2019s an unequaled pride. \u201cThank You Hashem for being so perfect that it\u2019s a glory for me to be connected to You.\u201dAnd so we begin to see what it means when people say it\u2019s not easy to be a Jew.A person said once that:s\u2019iz shver tzu zein a Yid, it\u2019s difficult to be a Jew. But he didn\u2019t understand what it meant. What it means is that there is a great responsibility in being part of the nation upon which Hashem actually rests His Presence. A Jew has to have in mind a great deal of meditation, a great deal of reflection, in order to appreciate his position in this world.He must constantly be aware of the greatness of his history.The reason that you find Jewish people who are ashamed of their Jewishness is because they\u2019re ignorant of their past.If you learnChumashproperly, if you learnTanachproperly, you\u2019ll begin to understand what a great privilege it is to belong to theAm Yisroel.\u05d0\u05e9\u05e8\u05d9\u05db\u05dd \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc, how fortunate you are Yisrael, \u05de\u05d9 \u05db\u05de\u05d5\u05da, who is like you?\u201d Moshe Rabeinu said that. Who is like you?! Nobody! \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e2\u05dd \u05e9\u05db\u05db\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d5, how fortunate is the nation that thus is his lot.And what is that lot that makes us so fortunate? \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e2\u05dd \u05e9\u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05e7\u05d9\u05d5, because Hashem chose you.And therefore at all times we sing \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05de\u05d4 \u05d8\u05d5\u05d1 \u05d7\u05dc\u05e7\u05e0\u05d5, how fortunate we are.A Jew has to sing at all times! At least in his heart he should always be singing in happiness because of the great honor that he possesses.His heart should sing within him because Hakadosh Baruch Hu has elevated him. A proud Jew, a Jew who understands that Hashem resides among us always, walks the streets, whatever street it may be, he\u2019s walking on air. He\u2019s happy always!HASHEM SAYS SHEMA TOONow in ourtefillinit\u2019s written,Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokeinu \u2013\u201cListen all of you, Hashem isourG-d.\u201d He doesn\u2019t belong to the Polish people, or to the Mexicans or the Israelis. He\u2019s ours.Hashem Echad \u2013He\u2019s One. What does that mean, \u201cHe\u2019s One\u201d? It means a lot of things but we\u2019ll say now one of the importantpeirushimthat you should think about always. And that is that He is The Only One in all of our thoughts and deeds. He is the one purpose of our lives, and we must love Him and serve Him with all of our strength \u2013 everything we do should be for Him. That\u2019s not such an easy task, but that\u2019s what you\u2019re saying every day, so it\u2019s a good idea to get busy thinking about how to do that.So that\u2019s ourtefillin. But thegemara(Brachos 6a) says Hakadosh Baruch Hu puts ontefillintoo. That\u2019s a remarkable statement: Hakodosh Boruch Hu wearstefillinon His head. And why shouldn\u2019t He?Tefillinis a sign of royalty, so He surely deserves to weartefillin. Now what\u2019s written in Histefillin, thegemaraasks? What\u2019s written in Hisparshiyos?So thegemarasays in Histefillinis thepossuk,\u05de\u05d9 \u05db\u05e2\u05de\u05da \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05d2\u05d5\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05d1\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u2013 \u201cWho is like you My nation Yisroel; You are the one nation on earth.Goyechaaaaadddddd. The one and only nation in the world! That\u2019s how Hashem says it.Only He says it longer than we do.We get tired but Hashem doesn\u2019t get tired:Echaaaaaaaaadddddddd!He says it forever and ever, \u201cThey\u2019re My One nation in the world. That\u2019s all I care about.Echad\u2013 \u201cThey are Myoneconcern. Everything is done for you, My children.\u201d Now when Hashem chooses us, it means much more than we could imagine, but what it surely means is that we are the center of His thoughts, and that everything He does \u2013 and He doeseverything\u2013 is for us.JEWS REALLY DO CONTROL THE WORLDThat\u2019s what it says, \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05e7\u05e0\u05d5, He is ours, \u05d1\u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05de\u05e9\u05e4\u05d8\u05d9\u05d5 \u2013 In all the world are His judgments (Tehillim 105:7) Whatever happens in the world, we shouldn\u2019t make any mistake, it\u2019smishpatav, it\u2019sHisjudgements; Hashem is pulling the strings. But the preface to that is:Hu Hashem Elokeinu, He is Hashem our King, and therefore anything that happens in the world is donebecause of us.Everything that happensb\u2019chol ha\u2019aretz,in the whole world, are His judgements. And how does He do the judgments? In the role ofHashem Elokeinu, of beingourG-d!And so if you hear that there is a lack of rain in a certain state and people are suffering, Hashem is doing itbecause of us.Now how that works, that\u2019s a question.It\u2019s a good question.But it\u2019s because of us. If gold was discovered in a certain state, it\u2019s because of us.If there\u2019s a hurricane, it\u2019s because of us.There\u2019s no question about that.Because it\u2019s made by Hashem; and who is Hashem?\u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05e7\u05e0\u05d5, He is our G-d, and \u05d1\u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05de\u05e9\u05e4\u05d8\u05d9\u05d5, His judgments throughout the world are all being done as \u201cour G-d\u201d.Now I know that most people don\u2019t think this way.They think likegoyim; even thefrumJews think likegoyim. But you have to study what is written in thekisvei hakodeshand you have to attune your mind to this truth of the Torah.IT\u2019S A RACHMANUS ON THEIR PRIDENow, if that\u2019s the case so we begin to see what an obligation there is upon the Am Yisrael to be proud.Ga\u2019avah! Now that doesn\u2019t mean the Jewish pride you find outside in the street. For a Jew just to be proud that he\u2019s a Jew, that doesn\u2019t mean much. Because we\u2019re not talking about the pride like the African-Americans say, \u201cWe\u2019re proud that we\u2019re black.\u201d They\u2019re not proud anyhow. They\u2019re doing their bestnotto be black.You see they go to beauty parlors and they spend millions of dollars on lotions in order to lighten their complexion.Thousands and thousands of dollars on creams to cause their hair to straighten out. Some put on wigs that you shouldn\u2019t see their kinky hair.They do everything to look like whites. They would give their souls if they could turn white.What could they donebach,so they say \u201cWe\u2019re proud to be black.\u201d And it\u2019s the same with every nation. Every Puerto Rican says the same thing, \u201cI\u2019m proud to be a Puerto Rican.\u201d He waves a little flag, he eats Puerto Rican food; that\u2019s his pride. And the Israeli is proud to be Israeli. Every nation, they\u2019re proud to be what they are.Alright, let them be proud.It\u2019s arachmanuson them.But that\u2019s not what we mean! When we say we\u2019re proud, we have to understand that we\u2019re saying it becauseHakadosh Baruch Hu said that to us. Hashem told us we\u2019re great. And if He said it, we believe it. It\u2019s not our fault, we didn\u2019t do it ourselves. Hashem said it and we won\u2019t argue with Him. \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea\u05dd, \u201cYou are My children of Mine !\u201d Hashem said. If He says we\u2019re His children, are we going to argue with Him?!And so we look up to what we possess, we look up to theShechinahthat isshorehby us, and we have to know that He is our greatness \u2013 our greatness in this world and our greatness in the World to Come. You have to study that; you have to take the time to ponder and understand what it means to believe implicitly that Hakodosh Boruch Hu chooses a certain place, a certain people, on whom He is concentrating the Presence of HisShechinah. And that it is a covenant that He has made forever and ever with our nation. \u201cFor the mountains may depart and the hills may be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says Hashem who loves you\u201d (Yeshayah 54:10).DON\u2019T BE A DEMOCRAT!When you get analiyahto the Torah you say \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d1\u05d7\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e0\u05d5.What is it?Just a formula to knock off, just to beyotzei? No, it\u2019s our duty to impress onto our minds that Hashem was\u05d1\u05d7\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e0\u05d5 \u05de\u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05e2\u05de\u05d9\u05dd, that Hashem chose us from all the nations. You can\u2019t just say the words \u2013 you have to live with that thought! As you walk in the street you must think you\u2019re a prince. And thatga\u2019avasan shel Yisroel,that pride of being a true Torah Jew, knowing that Hashem lives only among us, should make us look down on everything outside of our world. Because we know that there isabsolutely nothingto look for among the nations of the world.Ga\u2019avasan shel Yisroel,the pride that we\u2019re speaking about here, is anikar ha\u2019emunah; it\u2019s a fundamental attitude that a Jew must have. Without it you\u2019re missing the fundamental of Judaism. You must hammer that into your head because to be proud that you\u2019re aYisroelmeans that you believe in one of the most important cardinal principles of the Torah. And it\u2019s so stupendous of a concept that when we say it today, even among Orthodox Jews, it\u2019s not well received. With the spirit of democracy and western ideals it\u2019s not easy to convince people about this great principle. I\u2019m not talking now about asking themactually feel it, that I\u2019m not even speaking about. But even to convince them that it\u2019s a true principle is not easy. And that is the principle that the world was created for the Jewish people. Don\u2019t say, \u201cEverybody is the people of Hashem.\u201dDon\u2019t be a democrat! You have no right to give away what doesn\u2019t belong to you.You have no right to hand out honors to the other nations of the world.JEWISH CHUTZPAHNow that\u2019s not easy for us Orthodox Jews to accept. Do we have the nerve, do we have a boldness, to be so conceited and praise ourselves? And the answer is absolutely!And if we don\u2019t, then we are backsliding, we\u2019re being remiss in our duties as Jews. And let that sink in! It\u2019s going to hurt. You\u2019re going to rebel, you\u2019re going to kick when you hear that. So take a deep breath, pay attention, and hold on tight.All of Mankind is considered nothing compared to theAm Yisroel! I\u2019ll say it again to make sure you hear me: All the nations of the world are nothing in the eyes of Hashem when compared to us. So you\u2019ll ask me, \u201cRabbi Miller, where do you get the audacity to make such a statement?\u201d Look in thechumash! The Torah was given to us for the purpose of letting us know the great principles that otherwise we would not know. What is the Torah after all if not the thoughts of Hashem? And in the thoughts of Hashem you see that the histories of theumos haolamare ignored completely. Now if there was a lot of Torahs in the world, a Polish Torah that Hashem gave, all right.In the Polish Torah He would talk about the Polish.If there would be an African Torah, so He talks about Africa in the African Torah.But there\u2019s only one Torah however, and even the Polish say that there\u2019s only one Torah.They don\u2019t say there are two Torahs.They agree that there was only one Torah. And the Africans agree with the Polish.All the Christians and Mohammedans says there\u2019s only Torah. Only that Mohammed came along and wrote something later; but they agree that the Jews received the Torah.And what was written in the Jewish Torah?It\u2019s written that Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose us \u2013 forever.HASHEM NEVER SPOKE TO PATRICKAnd so, anybody who feels he wants to be ananav, he wants to feel meek and humble and not be superior to anybody else, then that person is akofer b\u2019chol hatorah kulah, fromBereishis barauntill\u2019einei chol Yisroel, the last words in the Torah. What does the Torah talk about? There\u2019s a Torah after all; what\u2019s it all about? Isn\u2019t that a queer question? Now pay attention. The entire Torah talks only about two subjects.The Torah is about two subjects and nothing more.One subject is Hashem, that\u2019s the main subject of the Torah. But it talks about something more than just Hashem.It also talks about theAmYisroel. The whole Torah is nothing but the Jewish Nation. The whole Torah is \u05d5\u05d9\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc \u05de\u05e9\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d0\u05de\u05e8. The whole thing! Look through every page and you won\u2019t find even onceVa\u2019yidabeir Hashem el Patrick leimor!The Torah is filled with nothing but the Jewish nation. Wherever you look, it\u2019s only our people, our people. Nothing is said about Irishmen, about Polish people, nothing. Only Jews! From beginning to end, the entireTanachdeals only with our people.So what do we see?That\u2019s the importance of theAm Yisroeliskol hatorah kulah.And therefore we have to say that the pride in being a Jew is just as fundamental as believing inkol hatorah kulah.And anyone who doesn\u2019t understand this concept in its fullness, so he doesn\u2019t really understand the Torah. Actually he\u2019s akofer b\u2019ikar; he\u2019s rebelling against the wholeTanach. It\u2019s as open as could be that this is the chief function of all the writings in theTanach, to tell us first that there is a Creator, and number two that He has a chosen nation.WE DON\u2019T CARE WHAT THEY SAYNow, today this second principle is frequently overlooked. Pious Jews will say, \u201cYes, certainly; we\u2019re chosen to do commandments. But you have to look at everyone else tolerantly. They\u2019re like us. They also have ways of living, they also are nations and they also have cultures.\u201d Now I know that some people here read newspapers, they watch television and they listen to goyim talking on the radio. So their minds are brainwashed- not brainwashed, dirt washed, bilge-water washed, and therefore it hurts them to hear the words I\u2019m saying here. But what could I do? After all, it\u2019s an elementary principle of the Torah that we are Hashem\u2019s chosen people. And if you don\u2019t believe that, then goodbye! You don\u2019t belong. If you don\u2019t believe we are His people, then you don\u2019t belong to us.We don\u2019t care what the world says. We believe implicitly in these two cardinal principles \u2013 we believe in Hashem and we believe we are His people. No matter what the world says. They wouldn\u2019t like to hear that, but we don\u2019t care, we still know thatweare His people. That\u2019s the Torah! That\u2019s the purpose of the Torah, to tell us who we are.SOME THINGS NEED TO STAY A SECRETNow, of course you shouldn\u2019t despise anybody.You shouldn\u2019t show contempt for anybody,The public disrespect that is evident among some of our fellow Jews is not prudent. Not at all. It\u2019s silly and it\u2019s not ak\u2019vod shamayim. However, in your heart there\u2019s no question what you should think. Because there is no question that when you know that you\u2019re superior, then definitely you consider the other one inferior. It\u2019s unavoidable!Now, that doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re going to go around shouting from the rooftops that someone else is inferior. It doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re going to have to upset the gentile nations. We\u2019re not looking to start up with nations of the world today; they have their own religions and they\u2019ll become angry at us. But amongst ourselves, when we speak to each other, of course we say the truth. Among ourselves we speak about the truthall the time.We must spread the good news among our families and among our friends, of course. Absolutely we must do that. No doubt about it! Only that one has to be wise enough and respectful enough to not let our gentile neighbors know what we are thinking.THE GREAT TEST OF OPPOSITIONNow the truth is that nobody is capable of appreciating what this means, but at least to a certain extent a Jew must understand that he is an aristocrat, the chosen of Hashem. However, there\u2019s a great test, a very great test, because of the opposition of theumos haolam,the constant hammering away of the anti-Semites and also the Jewish anti-Semites today who are constantly belittling thefrumJews, all the time.And now we begin to understand what thenisayonof life is.We\u2019re being tested all the time.Because if we were the majority, it would be easy for us to be superior.We would easily fulfill thisemunahthat we are the chosen people.We\u2019re the bosses, we dominate the world, so what\u2019s the question?! Only that if you\u2019re a minority and you walk in the street and a WASP driving by in a car calls you \u201cKike\u201d or a boy riding by on a bike says \u201cGet out of my way, Jew,\u201d there\u2019s a tendency to feel a little bit inferior.If you see all around you people who look down on you; some of them are nice enough not to say it, but in their hearts you know what they\u2019re thinking. They despise you.They hate you.There\u2019s no question about it.And don\u2019t tell me not; I know the gentiles much better than you. And the truth is that today we have so many Jews who hate us; we have a double test.Once upon a time onlygoyimhated us.Today Jews hate us and the majority of Jews hatefrumJews. It\u2019s a constant barrage, a greatnisayon,and that\u2019s why we\u2019re in this world, to overcome theshekerof the world and to never lose sight of the great principle that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has taught us: that we are His people, His only people forever and ever.BANG ON THE TABLE!That\u2019s what Moshe Rabeinu said when he came to Pharaoh. He hammered on the table and said: \u05db\u05d4 \u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d1\u05db\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc, like it or not, this is what Hashem said: \u201cTheAmYisroelis My firstborn, My favorite.\u201d And that\u2019s what we have to be telling ourselves always. We have to hear it though. We have to bang on the table and say it to ourselves again and again, and remind ourselves who we are at all times. We are the \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d0-\u05dc \u05d7\u05d9, we are the children of the living G-d. \u05d1\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea\u05dd \u05dc\u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d9\u05db\u05dd, we are children to Hashem. And we have to walk with our heads high, always cognizant of the great pride that Hakadosh Baruch Hu bestowed on us, no matter what the world says. Don\u2019t believe in democracy; don\u2019t believe in pluralism. He chose us, and that\u2019s it!I always tell the same stories so you heard this already. But I\u2019ll tell it again. Reb Moshe Montefiore was the Lord Mayor of England. And he was also a baron. He was knighted by the king. That\u2019s why he was Sir Montefiore. When he heard that in Russia they were persecuting the Jews, he decided to go to Russia and intervene with the Czar on behalf of his fellow Jews. So he travelled all the way across Russia with his own chariots. His own horsemen and a fancy carriage. The horsemen sat in the front, driving. And he was in the back. And on the side of the carriage were like private guards who could protect him if needed. And he was riding through Poland. He was riding through the streets of Warsaw. In Warsaw, in Poland of old, they were all anti-Semites. They hated the Jews. And here they saw a Jew riding in a carriage. A Jew who\u2019s a big k\u2019nocker. So there was a goy who couldn\u2019t contain himself. A boy, a shaygetz, came running after him and he shouted, \u201cZhid!\u201d Zhid means Jew in Polish. It was a derogatory way of referring to a Jew. So Reb Moshe Montefiore stopped the carriage and told his footmen to go run and catch the goy. They caught the goy and he was trembling because he knew that this Jew was a powerful Jew. They brought him to Reb Moshe and his hands and feet were trembling. So Reb Moshe Montefiore said, \u201cLook here. In London they call me the Lord Mayor of London. The Sheriff of this and this district. Baron and Sir and so on and so on. But the biggest, the most important title, is the one you called me.Zhid! There\u2019s nothing greater than that in the world.\u201d And Reb Moshe Montefiore gave the boy a quid \u2013 a half pound \u2013 and he sent him away. He thanked him and sent him away.THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSEOh, how important it is for the Jew to recognize his greatness. A Jew must always remember how important he is, and never lose sight of our distinctiveness as the central feature of the universe. That\u2019s why the universe exists, for the sake of theAm Yisroel,and you should be proud and arrogant, and therefore you know that you have to always strive for perfection and not be satisfied to remain mediocre. TheAm Yisroelmust always remind themselves that they are superior and that they should never lower themselves to the level of the nations.And what ourparshais teaching us is that one of the most important lessons of theMishkanwas this lesson of the pride of theAm Yisroel.It was the symbol of our glory.\u05d5\u05e9\u05db\u05e0\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d1\u05ea\u05d5\u05db\u05dd. Hashem lives with us! Those two words are a stunning declaration of the principle that Hashem\u2019s interest is not in the vast distances of space and in the millions of star-worlds, but in Man alone. And of all men, Hashem chose the Am Yisroel and made them the center of the universe by bringing His Presence to rest among them.GETTING DIZZY FROM THE MISHKAN\u201cBehold, the Lord your God possesses the heavens, and the heavens above them, and the earth and all therein, but in your fathers alone did He delight to love them, and He chose their seed after them,you,above all the nation, even to this day\u201d (Dvarim 10:14-15). This stupendous but abstract concept was now concretized in a visible form. \u201cThey shall make for Me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them\u201d (Shemos 25:8). Thenceforth, the multitude of Israel, whenever they saw the Mishkan, pointed to it as the dwelling place of the Master of the Universe. And in this tangible form, this dizzyingly sublime idea was hammered constantly into the mind of theAm Yisroel.Now the nations of the world will never yield to that thesis. But the time will come however when \u05d9\u05d5\u05e9\u05d1 \u05d1\u05e9\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d9\u05e9\u05d7\u05e7, the One who dwells in the heavens will laugh at them, \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d9\u05dc\u05e2\u05d2 \u05dc\u05de\u05d5, Hashem will mock them. And theAm Yisroelwill then open its mouth in happy laughter as well, as the glory of ours that we were always well aware of, now becomes visible to all. And when Hashem laughs at the nations of the world, we too will indulge in laughter to our hearts content. We will laugh and laugh in proud happiness about the glory that was always ours!\u05d0\u05d6 \u05d9\u05de\u05dc\u05d0 \u05e9\u05d7\u05d5\u05e7 \u05e4\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5, then our mouths will be full of laughter. And we will laugh forever and ever rejoicing in the fact that in this world and in the next world theShechinarests only on theAm Hashem. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.