Shabbat - The Eternal Covenant (Rav Yosef Mizrachi / Rav Nissim Yagen zt"l / Rav Yaron Reuven)

0:40Twelve times in our Torah, God wrote the importance of keeping the Sabbath. It's an eternal covenant between me and the nation of Israel. For those of us who make Kiddush on Friday night and on Shabbos morning, we say a few words, but we do not always pay attention to what we say. We say, "The nation of Israel observed the Sabbath." To make the Sabbath for generations an eternal covenant between Me and the nation of Israel. It's a sign for eternity. To know that I, God, created the world in six days and on the seventh day, I rested. The Torah says it twelve times in different places, more than anything else besides loving the converts. Every other topic is not mentioned so many times.

1:43The reward for the Sabbath is tremendous. The punishment is impossible to understand. How can it be so bad? Even worse than someone who committed a murder, which indicates that to the Creator of the world, the covenant of the Sabbath is even more important than anything else, including "you shall not kill." This is a covenant. Not that many mitzvot use the word covenant. This is the foundation of Judaism. According to the law, if a Jew does not keep the law of the Sabbath, he cuts himself out of Judaism. Many Jews, of course, don't know it. How important is the Sabbath? Because we grew up in a generation with an environment where everyone basically drives and violates Shabbat, and it became a normal thing to do. But that's the truth. He opened Shulchan Aruch, the book of law. In seven different places in the book of laws, the Jewish law, it says it. Mechalel Shabbat, someone who violates the Sabbath, excludes himself from any holy ceremony of Judaism. Excludes himself from Judaism. And many other horrible things that I don't even want to mention. My question to each one of us is, if you're honest with yourself,

2:59On a 1% chance there's poison in a cup, you wouldn't drink. But you have to agree with me that there's much more than a 1% chance that the Torah is divine. Much more. Everyone agrees, even those who criticize the Torah all day and all night. A 1% chance, for sure you have. Why do you drive on the Sabbath? Why do you light cigarettes? Why do you turn on electric appliances? Why do you do all the things that the Torah says you cannot do on the Sabbath? because you don't even have 1% knowledge or belief in the Torah. Nothing. There's no other way to explain it. Knowing if there's 20% or 30% or 50% or 90%, like most people say, 99% faith. Knowing that, G-d forbid, you exclude yourself from the life of eternity. The damage is tremendous, and you're still doing it. For what? To go to the mall, to buy something, to drive to the game. the same day that G-d gave us the Torah 3,320 years ago, until this moment, and until the end of this creation, the rule will never change, the truth will never change. G-d is the same G-d, the Torah is the same Torah, the obligation is the same obligation. We should know that according to the Jewish book of law, the Shulchan Aruch,

4:14which concludes the entire written and oral Torah process of 3,000 years. It was written 500 years ago. And that's what it says in seven different chapters and places there in the book of law. It says that a Jew who chooses to violate the Shabbat and not keep it excludes himself completely from Judaism. Since God made a covenant between Him and the nation of Israel, the Torah says, "You are My children, I chose you from all the nations to be Mine." You cannot marry the Gentiles, you cannot behave like them, you cannot use their names. Many you should not. And how did I make you holy? Starting with this covenant of the Shabbat. Shabbat, you must keep it strongly. A person drives on Shabbat, hello, he's not a Jew almost. Almost. Why? Shulchan Aruch, yes, Shulchan Aruch here. Shulchan Aruch says if somebody drives on Shabbat, you're not allowed to give him an Aliyah Torah to go to the Torah on Shabbat. That's it. That's it. He's not allowed. It doesn't count. You cannot count. Shabbat, you must keep it strongly. A person who drives on Shabbat, hello, he's almost not a Jew. Almost. Why? Shulchan Aruch, yes, Shulchan Aruch here. Shulchan Aruch says if somebody drives on Shabbat, you're not allowed to give him an Aliyah to the Torah on Shabbat. That's it. That's it. He's not allowed. It doesn't count. You cannot count.

5:24or Kaddish like a goy. If somebody drives on Shabbat, it touches the battle line, becomes treif like a goy. You have to put the garbage. See what Shabbat is. I want to tell you, what's worse, to kill a Jew or to drive on Shabbat? What's worse, you think? To drive on Shabbat is worse. I am a Rabbi. I'll prove it to you. Who knows we have 10 commandments? You know we have 10 commandments? 10 commandments. What's the sixth commandment? Sixth one, what's the sixth one? Don't kill. Don't kill. What's one? Four? That's six. Don't drive on Shabbat. My God, there is no difference, honey. A Nazi slaughtered a Jew or driving on Shabbat? The same commandments. Don't fool yourself. So, you're not allowed to put the fire out. Even now, you scream, "Rabbi, forget about the house. Take the house donation. 700 million. Here, I sign. Here, two witnesses. The house belongs to the yeshiva. Take it."

6:34sell it, give it to all the kids who cannot go to yeshiva, all the kids who are in public school. Many of them will marry non-Jewish women, and their children will not be Jewish, and all these problems. Take my house, save a thousand people with the money, save ten thousand people with my money donation. Don't let the house get burned. We're going to save 10,000 neshamot, 10,000 souls. Why? Because Hashem wants 10,000 souls to be saved. Big deal. You put the fire out for one second. The answer: not allowed. Shabbat, you know, people don't understand what Shabbat is. Shabbat is holier than the holiness of life. Many people make mistakes because they think somebody is sick or somebody got injured and his life is in danger. You are allowed to take him to the hospital on Shabbat. Why? Because the Torah says the mitzvah of Shabbat should not make you die. So if your life is at risk,

7:37you're allowed to break Shabbat to save a person. Once the person is out of danger, then you must continue to keep Shabbat. Now, if your wife has to give birth and she's in the ninth month and there's no ambulance, you take the car and drive her to the hospital. However, when you get to the hospital, you're not allowed to close the door because it will turn off the light. There's no more risk once you arrive there and open the door. The risk at that second is over. If you close the door, you've broken Shabbat. What is the punishment in the Torah for a Jew who breaks Shabbat? Did you know? How many times is it written in the Torah? Twelve times. What does it say in the Torah? Chas v'shalom, God forbid, a million times, lo aleinu, lo aleichem, Hashem will cut that soul off from the next world for eternity. God forbid people don't know this. A lot of the good, hard-working Jews, like Yosef from the story, when you don't, you never read the Torah and you don't learn, and you hear it from the rabbi. Not only that, they don't listen; sometimes they get angry. What is this fanatic, extreme?

8:51Too much. What do you mean extreme? Did the rabbi make it up? It's like you're saying to the doctor, why are you so extreme? The doctor says to you, this pill can kill you. Be careful, don't take it. Once a week only. No, no, I want to take it three times a day. No, it's for blood pressure. You're going to die for sure. No, no, you're too extreme, doctor. You're fanatic. You're fanatic. My doctor allows it. I'll go to him. I won't come to you. It doesn't work that way. There's one truth, and that's it. That's the law of medicine. That's the law of life and death. That's the law of the Torah. Every person that reads the Torah, it's 12 times in the Torah. The rabbis did not write the Torah. It's the Creator of the world that gave us the Torah in front of millions of people. What do you think, it's a joke? So some people say, wait a minute, rabbis. Of course, we believe in the Torah. Why do we come to the synagogue on Shabbat? But what do you want? You want me to walk now... Half an hour in the heat, all the way to the shul. I'm not a young man. I drive with a car. Five minutes, I'm there. I'm sure Hashem would understand me. I don't go to the beach. I come to the synagogue with my children. I want them to hear Torah, no? What do you think? It's a good point or no?

10:11If it was a good point, thank you. If it was a good point, then Hashem would write it in the Torah. Thank you. If... The only way to pray together would be by breaking Shabbat. I allow you, but it doesn't say that. Only life risk, I allow you. Anything else, I do not allow you. But I will never see the synagogue in 70 years. I live all the way in the mountains over there. How am I going to come to the synagogue? I must come with a car. Don't come to the synagogue one day in your life, then one time you start the car on Shabbat. That's the law. That's the truth. I did not make it up. I promise you, I didn't make it up. This is exactly what the Torah says. Now, if you don't like it, fine, I understand you. A lot of people, when they hear it for the first time, they don't like it. But I didn't write it. You have a question. You have a problem. Next time when you go to Jerusalem, go to the Kotel, write a note. "Dear God..." A lot of people, when they hear it for the first time, don't like it. But I didn't write it. You have a question? You have a problem? Next time when you go to Jerusalem, go to the Western Wall, write a note: "Dear God..."

11:20I don't accept this. I'm very disappointed. I just found out that I cannot come to the synagogue with a car. I'm very upset. I disagree with you. Fine, take it up with him. But don't come and say, no, that's not what the Torah says. Be honest. Be honest. When the doctor told you your situation, don't say the doctor is crazy. Say, I have a problem. Don't say the doctor is crazy because you'll be dead anyway. It's not going to help you. Say, unfortunately, today I found out I have a problem. Now let's see how I'm fixing my problem because I don't want to pay the price. Life compared to the real life is zero. You hear? Now, what's the purpose of these few seconds in this world? To accomplish mitzvot. This is the only thing you take with you to Olam Haba. You don't take your car with you, your wife with you, your house with you. You take nothing, only mitzvot. Only. Now, in that world, after you die, can you do mitzvot or not? You cannot.

12:26Or there, it's too late. You didn't do it here; finish. The level you live in this world, that level you stay with forever. Now, we should remember this concept. We should know, digest this idea that you're going to die and leave this world. You're going to come to a world where you cannot do anything. No more results. Hashem wants to give you a day, one day, all day, once in seven days, in a rolling life, to remember this: Shabbat. create a new thing. Why? Because the Gemara says Shabbat simulates a sample of Olam HaBa. Chazal say, the Gemara says, Shabbat, it's a piece of

13:45He's not kidding around, I promise you. He says in last week's parasha, chapter 31, verse 12, Hashem says to Moshe, "Now you speak to the children of Israel, saying, 'However, you must observe the Shabbatot (plural)'. It says Shabbatot, why is Shabbatot in the plural? You have to tell people what HaKadosh Baruch Hu says, you have to keep my Shabbatot, meaning every Shabbat with no exceptions." who says in last week's parasha, chapter 31, verse 12, Hashem says to Moshe, "Now you speak to the children of Israel, saying, however, you must observe the Shabbatot." It says "Shabbatot." Why is Shabbatot in the plural? You have to tell people what HaKadosh Baruch Hu says: you have to keep my Shabbatot, meaning every Shabbat, no exceptions. You have to keep my Shabbat, for it is a sign, a covenant between Me and you, for your generations to know that I am Hashem who makes you holy. You shall observe the Shabbat, for it is holy to you. Its desecrators shall be put to death. It's really death upon death. Mot Yumat means death upon death—death in this world and also in the world to come. This is Din Karet. He says, whoever does work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among its people.

15:06on it, that soul shall be cut off from among its people, is from the word karet. What's the karet part? The karet part, Rabotai HaYekarim, means that a person who does not keep Shabbat is not considered a Jew. He's considered, in the eyes of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, as 100% an idol worshiper. That's what the Rambam writes in Hilchot Shabbat, chapter 30, last halacha. That's what the Shulchan Aruch says in several places. That's what the Zohar HaKadosh says. That's what the Gemara in Masechet Shabbat, Masechet Sanhedrin, and many other places say. We have a rule in the Torah where HaKadosh Baruch Hu says you have to keep Shabbat; that's the rule, that's the covenant. If you don't keep Shabbat, not only are you losing in this world, where a person can die before the age of 60, a person can have a Shem Yishmor, his children die—that's Karet.

16:16this world, but also you could lose the Olam HaBa (World to Come). Even if you somehow magically kept all of the other mitzvot and gave a million dollars a day in tzedakah, if you don't keep Shabbat, Hashem will give you the reward in this world. Not only that, you are also considered a mumar, meaning that we cannot count you as a Jew as part of a minyan. As part of a Jewish ceremony. Yeah, but I was only with my friends. Okay, you'll be with your friends in a hot place too. Why is this rule so critical to HaKadosh Baruch Hu? Because He says clearly, so you know that I am Hashem who makes you holy. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is saying to us clearly, when you keep Shabbat, you are saying to Me that you believe in God. You believe in Me, He says. When you do not keep Shabbat, for whatever reason, when you do not keep Shabbat, you're in essence saying to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, I'm an atheist. As you would have it, many of our great Talmidei Chachamim were also big Kiruv rabbis.

17:31One of them, his name was Chafetz Chaim. You guys heard of Chafetz Chaim, right? Chafetz Chaim, heard of him. Recognizable name. Chafetz Chaim was not only the Baal Mishnah Berurah, and also the Chafetz Chaim, but he was also an enormous Kiruv rabbi. Literally, he was willing to go door to door, knocking on people's doors, trying to help them do teshuvah. Old man, 100 years old, please, just somebody take me door to door, I'll help them do teshuvah. He met one guy one time that was a big donor. But he was Mechalel Shabbat. And the guy came to the Rav to shake his hand. The Chafetz Chaim shook his hand but didn't let go. And you know, the guy is holding a holy hand. Okay, don't let go. Only problem is he started seeing that the Chafetz Chaim started to cry. Tears, mamash, tears. I said, Kufa d'ara, did I do something wrong? What happened? You okay?

18:33It's so bad, it's so terrible. I can't believe it, it's so horrible, so awful. And he starts crying, "Somebody's dying! What happened? For the love of anything I could do, why? Why? No more money or... No. It's so bad, so terrible. It's so terrible that this wonderful, generous hand is going to be burned in Gehinnom forever. It's so horrible. Such a generous hand, and it's so awful how this generous hand is going to be burned in Gehinnom forever. What can we do?" It's so horrible, so terrible. He's crying, like he's mamash. He sees his hand burning on fire. Okay, okay, Kavod HaRav, fine, fine. I'll keep Shabbat. Just give me like five, six weeks to set up my businesses. And then I'll start keeping Shabbat, Kavod HaRav. It's for you. Chafetz Chaim starts crying even more. No way, Kavod HaRav. No, it's not good. Last two weeks, three weeks. He goes, wait, you think it's my Shabbat? It's my Shabbat. If it was my Shabbat, how do you do what you want? It's not my Shabbat. It's HaKadosh Baruch Hu's Shabbat. It's so terrible, it's so awful, that this generous hand, wonderful heart attached to it, is going to be burned in Gehinom forever. You see the Gadol HaDor, almost 100 years old, starts crying, you do teshuva. This is Kavod HaRav, this Shabbat I'm keeping. Now I keep Shabbat.

19:54Shabbat in Hebrew has three letters: Shin, Bet, and Tav. These three letters, if you look at them, are an abbreviation of three different mitzvot, three different commandments. Shin stands for Shabbat, Bet stands for Brit, circumcision, and Tav stands for Tefillin, which are put on the arm and the head every day. Those three commandments have something in common from the 613 laws that God gave the Jews to keep. The Gentiles have only seven to keep, and if they keep them, they earn a ticket to the next life. Even though it's a very limited reward because the test was very easy, the Jews have a much harder job in this life, but the reward is tremendous. It's much higher than the Gentiles. But the most important thing that we have to understand is that those three commandments have something in common. The Torah uses the word "ot." "Ot" means a sign, an agreement. The Gentiles have only seven to keep, and if they keep them, they earn a ticket to the next life. Even though it's very limited as far as the reward, because the test was very easy. The Jews have a much harder job in this life, but the reward is tremendous. It's much higher than the Gentiles. But the most important thing that we have to understand is that those three commandments have something in common. The Torah uses the word Ot. Ot means a sign, an agreement.

20:56For agreements, you need two sides. One side is God. The second side is us. And God reaches out to us. And what are we doing sometimes? We turn it down. We're not interested. We'd rather go to the mall on Shabbat or smoke cigarettes or do very foolish things sometimes. If a person would only know... How much is he losing by violating these special holy days to G-d? He would never dare to do it in a million years, not even once. But the problem is that ignorance plays such a role here that Jews never read the Torah probably once in their life in this generation, most of them. They don't know what the Sabbath is. They don't believe that it's so critical. but the truth, as I said, is the same truth. If you are not educated, you are hurting yourself. Come and learn before it is, God forbid, too late. So those three commandments: the Sabbath, the circumcision, and the tefillin that we tie on our hand and head every day, those are the three covenants. And a Jew, in order for him to belong to the Jewish nation, the nation of God, the nation of the book, needs every day to have...

22:13two covenants apply to him, which means every day during the week we have the circumcision plus we put the tefillin on the hand and the head. Those are the two signs. On the Sabbath, we don't put the tefillin on; we keep the Sabbath. So we have circumcision and the Sabbath, so together we always make sure we have two covenants on us. And if, God forbid, we will turn it down and not keep our share in the agreement... The price is hard to bear. The Torah says that if the Jews would only know the reward that they are expected to receive for every little commandment that they keep, they would run after it every second of their lives. And I would like to conclude with one important statement that the Torah says. The Torah says that if you take all the pleasure of all the people of all the generations of this entire physical world, of all the people combined, it will not be equal to the reward of one individual Jew in the next life. If you take all the pleasure of all the people of all the generations of this entire physical world, of all the people combined, it will not be equal to the reward of one individual Jew in the next life.

23:26The original language, this is how it sounds: One hour of pleasure in the next life to the Jew is equal to more than all this entire planet, this entire world combined of all the people together. Money, women, sports, vacation, pleasure, art, whatever you can think of, of all the people, billions, of thousands of years, will not be equal to your reward if you're only going to do the right thing. And if you have doubts about what I say, I'm willing to challenge each one of you. ...is equal to more than this entire planet, this entire world combined, of all the people together. Money, women, sports, vacations, pleasure, art—whatever you can think of, of all the people, billions, over thousands of years—will not be equal to your reward if you're only going to do the right thing. And if you have doubts about what I say, I'm willing to challenge each one of you. each one of you contact me in person in the lectures, going to my website, and check if it's possible to prove or not. Nobody could write such a book besides the Creator of the world.