Did You Read Parashat Ki Tavo?

0:01If you didn't get it by the first, when there were 49 crazy, insane curses that should scare any human being to be the biggest Tzaddik in history, you didn't get it in, you are a stone. I must hit you harder. If it's a care bear rabbi, you're not allowed to attend even when you're not studying. Why? Because the Care Bear Rabbi is also Amalek. In last week's portion, at the end of the Sh... Hashem said He commanded us; it's a commandment that will last until Mashiach. He says, "You must destroy the memory of Amalek." The memory of Amalek must be obliterated. It is essential for us to understand the deeper meaning behind this mitzvah, as the memory of Amalek represents an existential threat that goes beyond the historical nation itself. Why did he say, "You must destroy Amalek?" Why does he say, "The memory of Amalek?" Because Amalek, the memory of Amalek, is beyond Amalek. It's more than just a people, it's an idea. Amalek, the people, we don't know them. W-we don't know who they are anymore.

1:02We know it's the Nazis, but the Nazis were 70 years ago. We know it's the Romans, but the Romans were 2,000 years ago. We know it's a bunch of different nations, but we don't know for sure. If we knew for sure who Amalek is, we would be obligated to eradicate them. However, we no longer have that clarity. Nonetheless, we must remember Amalek and what they represent. Why? It's anti-Torah. It's anti-Torah. I'll finish this point, then I'll answer your question. It's anti-Torah. It's things that are not necessarily people saying that there is no God. That's not necessarily just anti-Torah; that's stupidity. Anti-Torah means saying things that are just nonsense. Saying that if your wife doesn't feel like going to the mikveh, you can still be with her, like some idiot said, who calls himself a rabbi, is incorrect and a perversion of halacha. Saying that if your wife wants to go to the beach with a bunch of other improperly dressed individuals, you should take her, it's a mitzvah, even if it's on Shabbat, like the same idiot said, is equally false and misleading. Or telling people, "You're all Tzaddikim because you're Jewish," is a gross oversimplification and misinterpretation of what it truly means to be a righteous individual. These statements ignore the fundamental principles and values of Torah observance and Jewish law. You're all great and Hashem loves you because you love the Rebbe, or because you go to Uman, or because you, uh, read, uh, 500 times a day. That does not make you righteous, my friends.

2:14What makes you righteous is following the law. There's a law; follow it. Part of that law is fixing your middot, fixing your character traits. The Gaon of Vilna, in the Igeret HaGra, a letter he wrote to his wife and children when he went to Eretz Yisrael. Now, in those days, not like today, you go on a plane and a few hours later, you're somewhere else. In those days, you may not survive the travel. So he wrote them a letter with instructions on what to do. It's an amazing letter. You should read it at least once a week. Four, five pages, you should read it at least once a week. If you don't have it, I'll send it to you. You can get it online for free, in English, Hebrew, whatever. Igeret HaGra, it's called. The Gaon of Vilna writes to his wife, offering Musar. He says, "My dear wife, if the children curse, and cannot protect their mouth, if they're not watching their mouth, hit them. Hit them." The Gaon of Vilna, advocating to hit kids?

3:28This is the Mussar you're teaching? I need you to tell me to discipline the children in such a harsh manner? Is that what you're advocating? Every mother is aware that if a child misbehaves, you guide them with love and understanding, not with physical reprimand. And maybe at least the previous generation. Today they give them an award. In the previous generation, when I was growing up, if we did something wrong, they would throw a shoe at us, and it would follow you wherever you are in the air. So it's not... you mouth off to Ima, you mouth off to Abba, a shoe is following you around the corner, pop, right on your head. Why? Don't mouth off to Ima and Abba. Don't mouth off to Grandma. Don't, don't talk. Who do you think you are, you little five-year-old peon? You have to behave. You can't curse, you can't scream, you can't act like a zoo animal, unlike today. Today, what do they do? The kids beat up the parents. So in the previous generation, still when I'm a little older than most of you, in that generation, we still got a shoe. Today, you get, uh, a reward. So the Gaon of Vilna says to his wife, "If they can't watch their mouth, hit them." Is this what you have to write there? He doesn't need you to tell him anything.

4:38At the end of the letter, he says, "Some people, if you teach them some Mussar, they listen; it touches their neshama, and they do teshuva." You teach them; you remind them what their neshama already knows. You remind them, like the Ramchal says in the beginning, in the introduction to his famous book, Mesilat Yesharim, Path of the Just. He says, "I'm reminding you of things you already know." All by the way. We don't know anything. But in this generation, maybe they knew. We know nothing. He says, "I'm reminding you of things you know." You say, "Some people, you tell them Mussar, you tell them how to behave, you're reminding them of something they already know, and they do teshuva." Oh, I didn't know I shouldn't be angry. Oh, I didn't know I shouldn't yell. Oh, I didn't know I shouldn't be stingy. Oh, I didn't know that I should do all these things. I didn't know. You remind them. They come to the shiur, they hear it, no problem.

5:40He says, "But some people have made so many sins that the klipah has become a stone around their heart. Their heart has become uncircumcised, like a stone. And the only way you can get the water out of the stone is by hitting it." This is why I told you to hit the kids, because if they're cursing, that means that their hearts are made of stone. The same thing he wrote in, but doubled it up. He doubled the ante. Why? If you didn't get it by the first part - 49 crazy, insane curses that should scare any human being to be the biggest in history, you didn't get it in. You are a stone. I must hit you harder. If you didn't get it by the first part—49 crazy, insane curses that should scare any human being to be the biggest in history—you didn't get it. You are a stone. I must hit you harder.

6:43If the Care Bear Rabbi is not telling you these things, you're not allowed to go. But if you have a rabbi or someone trying to be telling you what Hashem said, it's much more important than you studying by yourself. It doesn't matter if you're studying by yourself. It doesn't matter if you're studying by yourself. It doesn't matter if you're studying anything by yourself. Why? Because at the shul, you get fire. At the shul, you are awakened. Whereas in your personal study, maybe you're going to have the TV in the background, maybe you'll have a little bomba in the background. Because at the shul, you get fire. At the shul, you get woken up. Whereas in your personal study, maybe you're gonna have the TV in the background, maybe you're gonna have a little bamba in the background. Maybe you're going to fall asleep. Maybe you're going to relax. Maybe you're on a couch, maybe you're having a conversation on the side. Maybe you're going to smoke a few cigarettes. It's comfortable, it's home, it's, ah, it's okay, I'm fine. Ah, na- no fire. No fire.

7:49No, you're by yourself with one book. Do you have one book? Whatever book it is, by yourself. You're not doing it by yourself, my friend. You can't do it by yourself. Because this Mishnah says you can't. There's no for you being by yourself. Do you understand? You need to be part of a community, a kehila. You want to do, you come to shiur Torah. Any questions? Yeah. Terrible, terrible things have been happening in Syria, and now they're coming closer to the goal of Eretz Yisrael. Mm-hmm. And obviously, this Putin, the successor to the Eastern Roman Empire, we cannot depend on anything he says. And obviously this Putin, the successor to the Eastern Roman Empire, cannot be depended on for anything he says. And now Trump goes back on all the promises that he made. And really, it begins to seem as if he was not a very good man.

8:49It says in the Prophet Jeremiah, "Someone who trusts a human being is cursed, with a special curse in Shamayim." Why do you receive this special curse? Why do you trust Trump? Why do you trust Putin? I trust. Why do you trust Netanyahu? Don't trust people. No, I'm not saying you. I'm saying in general, anyone that trusts any of these government officials, any man on earth, receives a special curse from heaven. Why? The only one you're allowed to trust is Hashem. All of these things that people are worried about, whether it's Irma or it's Putin, whether it's Korea or it's Trump, whether it's Iran or it's anything. Any time you spend any worry on these people, you have the right amount of worry, but you're worried about the wrong thing. You have the right amount; you should be worried. All of you should be worried. Judgment Day's in two weeks. All of you should be worried. I am worried. I was so worried last night, I couldn't sleep. I'm not joking, not exaggerating.

9:49I slept for an hour last night; I could not sleep. I was reading this. I could not sleep. I continued reading more and more, and I couldn't sleep. Why? Because this continues to happen. This continues to happen. Yeah. If you read this and you could sleep, you, my friend, are stone. Not the hardest stone. You, my son, you are a stone. If you read this and you couldn't sleep, you, my friend, are like a stone. Not the hardest stone. You, my son, you are a stone. You read this, you understand what it says, and you can't sleep. Everything is happening. Everything happened. Everything is probably gonna happen again soon. If you can sleep at night with no worry, you have to get hit a few times. I got hit a few times. Almost a decade full of challenges. A decade full of challenges. I know this is real. So worried? All of you should be worried. I am worried. Everyone watching should be worried. Judgment Day is in two weeks. Hashem is showing you He's close. Everyone watching should be worried. Judgment day is in two weeks. Hashem is showing you He's close. He's not showing you He's close and happy. He's just showing you He's close. You have Irma, you have Houston, you have Amalek, you have Iran, you have Trump, you have every, all the problems in the world somehow culminating right now. He's not showing you he's close and happy. He's just showing you he's close. You got Irma, you got Houston, you got Amalek, you got Iran, you got Trump, you got every, all the problems in the world somehow culminating right now.

10:59Everything is happening. Everyone wants to go to war. The world is about to explode. Why wouldn't you be worried? The problem is we have the right amount of worry, but we're worried about the wrong thing. Worried you should be, but the only thing you should be worried about is your connection and righteousness with Hashem. Why wouldn't you be worried? The problem is we have the right amount of worry, but we're worried about the wrong thing. Worried you should be, but the only thing you should be worried about is your connection and righteousness with Hashem. If you're righteous, you have nothing to worry about. You're doing what it says in the Torah, nothing to worry about. It doesn't matter if you live in America or you live on top of the Kotel, the Western Wall. It doesn't matter if you live in Iran, Afghanistan, or you live somewhere in the middle of battle with Martin, that tzadik, that's doing as we speak, or you live anywhere else. Why? If you have a real connection with Hashem that's full of emunah, full of doing what He says, He'll protect you. Where does he say it? This week's. This week's says to your enemies, "You have nothing to worry about. I'll beat all of them. I'll beat all of them." But if you're not righteous with Hashem, you have a lot of worries.

12:03This week's parsha says to your enemies, "You have nothing to worry about. I'll defeat all of them. I'll defeat all of them." But if you're not righteous with Hashem, you have a lot of worries. I'm sorry, but to proceed I need the text that requires correction. Please provide the text and I'll be happy to assist.