Shavua Tov!

I am starting to get my koach for writing stuff back again, BH.

Here’s some more translated comments from the Rav, who is apparently having a break somewhere at the moment, so hasn’t been at the prayers since Monday.

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Excerpt of a shiur from Wednesday, Parshat Balak, 5785

He [R’ Yehuda HaNassi] had bags of gold. It’s written in 10b, that there was mamash a tunnel.

And he [Antoninus, the Roman Caesar] used to come each day to learn Torah. He really converted, he learned with Rebbi 12 hours, used to make him an omelette, used to make him a a salad, soup.

He served him all of his food, he brought all of his food, and he would lie down on the floor [and say] tread on me!

How can I step on Putin, on Biden, on Trump, who rules over the whole world?!

He conquered the whole world.

How can I?!

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Now, Rebbi wanted to climb up on to his bed.

The beds were high, once upon a time, there were high beds. It’s written that if under the bed there were 10 tefachim, it was considered to be it’s own autonomous area, if you needed to search for chametz underneath the bed back then.

So, he said to him climb up on me, tread on me.

Like Rabbi Tarfon used to lie down so his mother could climb up on her bed. He used to lie down [and say] climb up upon me!

Something like this had never been seen in the world.

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He said climb up on me! – the Caesar to Rebbi, when Rebbi wanted to go up to his bed, he would crouch down on the floor and say climb up on me! Go up on me!

He said, I can’t step on the Caesar of the world!

He said, who will give me a stake in the world to come? Halavai, that I should merit to be the dust under your feet, in the next world! Your word, that I should get to the world to come?

[Rebbi replied] Yes.

[But Antoninus asked him] It’s written that ‘there will not be a remnant of the House of Esav’?

[This applies to those who] commit the deeds of ‘Esav’, but Antoninus was a true ger (convert), and he circumcised himself.

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Like Heleni HaMalka – she converted.

There was Monbaz, Monbaz distributed everything to tzedakah, he didn’t keep back a single grush (penny). It’s forbidden for a person to have a single grush in his house, he needs to give everything to charity.

So Monbaz distributed everything to tzedakah, Monbaz – he gave everything to charity.

They said to him, how can you give everything to charity?! Your forefathers accumulated it and you are wasting it all!

He said my forefathers hoarded in this world, and I am hoarding above.

Whatever a person gives away to tzedakah, that’s his real money, this is what will remain for him. Just that which he gives away to charity.

A person needs to give charity day and night.

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Translated from Shivivei Or, 418.

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UPDATE: I made a mistake yesterday, and wrote ‘Antiochus’ instead of Antoninus.

Thanks to the commentators for catching it, I’ve amended the piece now.

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Talking of Esav and ‘Caesars’, I came across this:

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It’s a video of Trump, being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey back in 1988 about what he’d do if he became President of the USA….

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From what the Rav said above about Antoninus, it seems that the real tov she be Esav actually converts to Judaism.

I guess, because the ‘good in Esav’ can’t remain ‘in Esav’ and remain ‘good’.

Really praying that ‘Yaakov’ starts to rise to the top, big time, already.

And that the good, the revealed good, finally starts to shine out in the world.

Especially, our bit of it.