Fearing HaShem Is For Fools And Children?

0:03The beginning of this parasha, Parashat Acharei Mot, starts with the words "this is after the death of the two sons of Aharon." Okay? And then a verse later, it says Hashem says to Moshe... Tell Aharon not to do what his sons did so he doesn't die. Is that a nice way to talk to Aharon? Aharon is a tzaddik. Aharon is kadosh. Why is Hashem threatening him after He killed his sons? Why? People don't like to believe in a scary God. I had somebody send me a message yesterday complaining about the new rabbi in his town. that says that, uh, to be scared of God is, uh, for fools and, and, and, uh, children. Well, apparently he hasn't read this week's parasha, or pretty much any part of the Torah, because the first verse of the Torah in order for— in this parasha, in order for you to understand it, you have to read commentary, at least by Rashi. So, what does Rashi say? What does Rashi say about why is Hashem...

1:26beginning the parasha with reminding us about the death of the sons of Aharon — Nadav and Avihu — who both were tzadikim. And then, if that's not enough, He warns Aharon by telling Moshe, "Moshe, tell Aharon not to do what his sons did, or else I will punish him." Why? Rashi explains this as an example of... learned from Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya in the Midrash who says there are two doctors: there's a guy that comes to them, and he's deathly ill. The first doctor says to him, "Don't eat cold food or sleep in a damp place," but the second doctor says, "Don't eat cold food, and sleep in a damp place." because if you do, you're gonna die like that other guy who just died from the same thing you have, says the second one is a better doctor. The second one is the better doctor. How do we know? Because we learn from who in this parasha says, you know, after the death of the sons of Aharon.

2:48Moshe, go tell Aharon if he does what they do, he's going to die. That's the warning that Hashem gives. Why? That's a clear warning. That's the warning that's going to get the proper response. If you don't scare, you're not going to get the result. And therefore, Rabotai, Hashem warns Aharon not to repeat what his sons did. in order for him not to have the same end. Now, we like to make connections in every part of the Torah, and one of the sages of the family I believe was Rabbi David Abu Hasira.

3:51Writes: What's the connection between the beginning of the parasha and the end of the parasha? At the beginning of the parasha, we learn that Hashem is threatening Aaron, warning him: Don't repeat what they did so you don't have the same end. What about the end of the parasha, after Hashem warns us not to commit all of the immorality, all the toevah? all of the immodesty in Chapter 18, Hashem completes the warning by saying as follows: "Let not the land disgorge you for having contaminated it, as it disgorged the nation that was before you. For if anyone commits any of these abominations, the people doing so will be cut off from among their people."

4:52You shall safeguard My charge not to do any of the abominable traditions that were done before you and not contaminate yourselves through them. I am Hashem, your God. So, after warning us of the things that we're not allowed to do, Hashem says there's a problem if you do it; the land itself is programmed to vomit you out. Then Hashem ends off the parasha with what seems unusual, where He says, "I am Hashem your God," after He gave us the warnings: not to do this, not to do that, and then states, "this will be the punishment if you do it." Then He finishes off by saying, "I am Hashem your God." Well, of course, You're Hashem our God. If You weren't Hashem our God, we wouldn't have the Torah.

5:53We wouldn't listen to you; you wouldn't be telling us what you're telling us. You are Hashem, our God before the warning, certainly you are Hashem, our God after the warning. Why the need to remind us that you are Hashem, our God again here? As we know, in order for us to understand any word in the Torah, we have to look at the commentary by Rashi. You're not going to understand anything. What does Rashi say? Rashi explained to us the beginning of the parasha and he explains to us the end of the parasha. And he says, why is Hashem saying, "I am Hashem, your God"? Because what Hashem is telling us is, "I am Hashem, your God." But if you contaminate yourselves with these sins, I cannot be your God. You will have cut yourself off from Me. What pleasure can I have from you? What do I need you for? You will deserve annihilation, and therefore, Scripture stresses, "I am Hashem, your God." Here, Rashi HaKadosh addresses multiple questions with one commentary. First and foremost, anyone that thinks that God needs us...

7:19Right here, Rashi says, impossible. Hashem Himself says, I do not need you. What pleasure do I get from you? Secondly, anyone that says, no, you shouldn't scare people, well, apparently that's God's way. And if you want to follow in the footsteps of Hashem, in order to get people to follow the ways of Hashem, they need to know what the consequences are. not spending, and I'm not saying spend all your time talking about punishment non-stop, but to show your child that you love him, you must punish him. How do I know that's what Shlomo, the wisest man of all, said? Proverbs, Chapter 13, Verse 24. One who spares his rod hates his child, but he who loves him disciplines him in his youth. A rod might cause pain, but it is a necessary tool for discipline.

8:39but a person who spares the rod does not want to hit his child, even though the child is doing bad things, and does not want to discipline the child. Why? No, no, no, it’s a… uh, I'm going to try to talk to him, habibi. Sometimes talking is not enough, and the way you talk to him, like he's your friend, is not effective. Sometimes being a friend to your child is detrimental to them. You have to show him that you're his parent, not his friend. a parent that's friends with their kids is not a parent. In fact, the kids that grow up without mussar end up hurting their parents more than everybody else, betraying their parents more than everybody else. Certainly, we're not telling people to beat up their kids to the point where the kids get hurt and they go to the hospital. Never hit your kid out of anger; discipline must be differentiated from anger. There's a difference between appropriate discipline and losing control. Nonetheless, many people in our generation are scared, scared of their kids. "Oh no, if I do that, she's gonna yell; yeah, she's going to yell."

9:50Don't tell you blue in the face—who cares if she yells no, no, no. If she's gonna get upset, if she's 15 years old or if she's eight years old, let her yell. Slap her in the face, and she'll stop yelling. No, no, no, she'll call the police. She'll call the police, let her go live with the police then. She called the police, how did she call the police? Who gave her a phone? Many people don't accept that. People think today, no, no, you have to, uh... Be friends with the kids. The kids discipline the parents. Shlomo HaMelech says, one who spares the rod hates his child. Why? Because sometimes rebuking your kids, punishing your kids, is absolutely necessary for them. But he who loves him disciplines him in his youth. Ve'ohavo.

10:53Someone who loves him gives him mussar, so you see, Rabotai, Rashi here tells us the same thing in different words. Hashem did not write the Torah for us to change it, or for us to pick and choose what we want. The Torah is the Torah of Hashem and does not change. We are meant to be a light unto the nations, not to follow their misguided practices. Remember, every Jew has to remember that he’s a Jew and she’s a Jew. We don’t celebrate non-Jewish holidays, even if they seem harmless. It’s a zilzul, a disrespect to the Torah and can lead to chilul Hashem, desecration of Hashem's name.