I Will Appoint A King Over Myself - Parashat Shoftim

0:01... says this is the meaning. This is the meaning of "You shall appoint a king over you." The Gemara in Masechet Gittin, page 62a, says that the rabbis are considered like kings. So now, one of the talmidim, or students, of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk is clarifying his own teacher's teachings. He's saying that you're not going to have Rebbe Elimelech as your rabbi anymore; he's gone. He's already in Olam Ha'emet enjoying the Shekhinah with all the other Tzadikim. You need somebody that's living. But this very same sun that came to the world, this very same bright sun called Rebbe Elimelech, who came to the world, left us his teachings. And he told us, you can have your own Rebbe Elimelech in your life. You can have your own bright sunshine in your life. How? You have to first look for someone who is not looking to bring all types of leniencies because that's what's going to make him more popular. He's not looking for scriptural leniencies, Rabbinic leniencies. And you see that sometimes in kehilot where you see the rabbi is trying to customize the Torah in order to fit his community. You have to first look for someone who's not seeking to bring all types of leniencies because that's what's going to make him more popular. He's not looking for scriptural leniencies or Rabbinic leniencies. And you see that sometimes in kehillot where you notice the rabbi is trying to customize the Torah in order to fit his community.

1:24Unfortunately, today with videos, you see that sometimes in videos, Rabbis make videos about topics they know nothing about, and they go against the greatest sages in the world who spoke about this topic, and they contradict them. Rav Ovadia Yosef, who can claim to even speak in the same sentence as Rav Ovadia Yosef? But they go, "No, no, we don't agree with Rav Ovadia Yosef. He was, uh, too stringent on these wigs." We, we, uh, we go in the opposite way. Now, even if you want to say you want to disagree with Rav Ovadia Yosef, you actually have the audacity to say that publicly, like it actually comes out of your mouth. In your head, maybe. Foolish, but maybe you could do it in your head. But people go out there and they think, "Oh, let's disagree with the great sages." Why? Why do they do that? Why do they, all of a sudden, care about the topic of wigs, or concern themselves with various unusual matters being discussed out there? Because they're trying to get views.

2:30They're trying to become more popular. They're trying to find all types of leniencies to kasher the pig. Even though we all know there's no way to eat a kosher pig. There is no kosher pig. So, the first thing the Torah tells us is to look for someone who is not just seeking leniencies. However, it's not about finding someone who is the most strict either. There are some people that all they say is everything's not allowed. A chamor can also say everything's not allowed. We're not looking for someone to say everything's not allowed. We're looking for someone who stays true to the Torah and is not looking to veer right or left and doesn't consider himself smarter than he truly is. Furthermore, if his heart burns with the flames of spiritual unification and his thoughts are reflected in his actions, you should choose him. Meaning, it's not enough that he's knowledgeable. It's not enough that if you ask him a question, he can give you an answer. You also have to see how he lives his life. What's he all about? Is he constantly looking to get closer and closer to HaKadosh Baruch Hu? Is he learning more Torah? Is he dedicating more of his life to the Torah, more of his life to help Am Yisrael?

3:38Is he constantly looking to get closer and closer to HaKadosh Baruch Hu? Is he learning more Torah? Is he dedicating more of his life to the Torah, more of his life to help Am Yisrael? What is he doing with all of this? And that's why the one common denominator you will find about every single Tzadik, every single Chacham, is that they're always, always dedicated to learning Torah and helping Am Yisrael. Those are the two priorities in their life. And in essence, in their mind, it's all one and the same. It's one and the same. And further, says the Gemara, what does this have to do with the verse that we just read about making yourself a king, "You shall appoint yourself a king"? Says this is the meaning. This is the meaning of "You shall appoint a king over you." For the Gemara in Masechet Gittin page 62a says that the rabbis are considered like kings.

4:44In the segment it says, "Whom the Lord your God shall choose." In other words, this is saying whom should you choose as your rabbi and teacher? And when it says he shall write for himself two copies of this Torah, according to Rashi, the king carried one of these Torah scrolls with him throughout the day while the other he stored in the treasury. Meaning that the fire of the Torah burns with love and fear inside a Tzadik's heart. That's his treasury. And in his thoughts are manifested as actions throughout the day. Meaning that the fire of the Torah burns with love and fear inside a Tzadik's heart. That's his treasury. And in his thoughts, this is manifested as actions throughout the day. So here we see the fruits of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk's labor. How his talmid clarified the words of his Rebbe and how we can learn from that. Now, as I said, Rebbe Elimelech is telling us this Tzetel Katan is something that we have to constantly review and translate to our own language, whether your first language is English, Russian, Hebrew, or Indonesian.

5:57Whatever it is, doesn't make a difference. You have to make sure you understand. Why? Because the oral Torah, which encompasses the Talmud, the Shulchan Aruch, all of the Sifrei Halachah, the Rambam, and the Sifrei Chasidut, everything aside from the five books of Moses is considered oral Torah. Because the oral Torah, which encompasses the Talmud, the Shulchan Aruch, all of the Sifrei Halachah, the Rambam, and Sifrei Chasidut, includes everything aside from the Five Books of Moses, it is considered oral Torah. And the priority with the Oral Torah in studying is to understand what it says. And that's why it's foolish sometimes for people that, you know, insist on reading the Oral Torah in a language they don't understand. Now, if you're a young kid and you want to learn a language, you want to learn Aramaic, you want to learn German, you want to learn French because you want to read ancient Rashi script, fine. No problem. Rashi spoke French. In fact, he uncovered for people today over 3,000 ancient French words that were lost in French, but you could read them in his commentary. So you want to learn? Fine. You want to read Rashi's, uh, words in, uh, French? By all means. You want, you wanna learn in Arabic? ב'y all means.

6:58By all means. You want to learn in Aramaic? By all means. But as long as you understand it. Don't read it if you don't understand anything or you understand three words and don't understand ninety. Because the key to the Oral Torah is to understand what you're reading. The same thing with having a rabbi. The key to having a rabbi is for you to go and ask the rabbi questions and have the patience to wait for the answers. When the answer comes, that's it; that's final. There's no debate. "I don't agree. Let me ask another rabbi." This is one of the things that creates a lot of frustration in people's lives when they get different answers from different rabbis. They don't realize they did it to themselves. Who said you should go to multiple rabbis? You ask one rabbi. If that's your rabbi, that's it, finished. "Oh, but I don't have a rabbi." So make yourself a rabbi. If that's your rabbi, that's it, finished. "Oh, but I don't have a rabbi." So, make yourself a rabbi. It's a Mishnah in Masechet Avot. So, one of the things that the Tana'im have helped us with is to try to clear our minds. Clear our minds from all of the things that cloud them, whether it be the troubles that a person deals with, heretical thoughts, or all the different things that go through a person's mind.