Rabbi Daniel Travis has spoken with Gedolei Torah and gave this shiur
Hisaskus B'Gemilas Chasadim
1. Chazal (Sanhedrim 98b) teach us that what should a person do and be saved from chevlei moshiach? The answer is to be misasek in Torah and Gemilas Chasadim.
2. What is the tikun? Rav Gershon Edelstein shlit"a explained that it is not enough to do chesed we have to have ahavas chesed. This was the mida of Aharon. This is the zechus that we need now. When a person doesn't have ahava he makes chesbonos. When a person has ahavas chesed he does chesed without chesbonos..
3. Rav David Cohen (Rosh Yeshivas Chevron Yeshiva) explained that to be misasek in Gemilas Chasadim means to be completely concerned about other people.
4. When a person is suffering he has two options; he can either become very focused on his own problems and then he will feel intense pain.
5. Alternatively, he can focus on the problems of others. This mechanism has a double benefit: it takes his mind off of his own pain and simultaneously makes him a better more altruistic person.
6. The mitzvah of chesed depends on the need. During these difficult times it is the perfect opportunity to think about what other people need. There are endless chasadim that we can involve ourselves with now:
· Someone says very caustic words to you because they feel lousy or depressed. Just be quiet and let them get this off their chest.
· A friend or neighbor are in desperate need of empathy.
· You are going shopping and there is someone who is sick and can't get out. Offer to help them.
· When you get to the store you could buy up everything on a shelf or just take as much as you need for now so that others will also have.
· There is a couple dating who need a place to hold a shidduch meeting.
· Spouses (who have already gotten married) can take the time to express how much they value and care about each other.
7. Rav Wolbe once told me that a big part of chesed is thinking about what people need and having intention that one is acting for the sake of a mitzvah. When people don't go to shul they could think they are protecting themselves or they could think that maybe I am sick and protecting other people.
8. Hashem wants us now to be completely focused on other people's needs. There is a big yatzer hara now to speak about how many people died from Corona in Italy or Spain etc. This is not what we should be speaking about now. We should be talking about how we can do more and more chesed for Klal Yisrael.
Hisaskus B'Torah
9. Chazal also say that Hisaskus b'Torah spares one from chevlei moshiach. Rav Gershon Edelstein shlit"a The Gemara explains that the Gemara that if you have tzaros you should be memashmesh bmaasev, investigate your actions. If you don't find any problem, you should be assume it comes from bitul Torah. We know that all punishment is midah kenesged midah, measure for measure?
10. Rav Edelstein answered that bitul Torah is keneged kulam, it is paramount to fulfillment of all the mitzvos, so even if we do not find a mida keneged mida we are punished because it is keneged kulam.
11. Many people are home and while this is hard for families, this is the right time for parents and children to get together and study Torah together.
12. Chazal explain that although there was a decree that the entire Jewish people would be slaves, Shevet Levi did not have to work. The Ariazal explains that they fulfilled the decree of slavery through Torah study. Instead of binyan, building, and chomer, cement, they utilized binyan av and kal v'chomer, Talmudic tools of deriving halachos. How does this work?
13. Chazal teach us that if you have pain in your head or any other part of your body or your whole body you should be misasek in Torah and that will remove it. The reason this works is hisaskus b'Torah elevates a person beyond the confines of this world and takes one into an entirely new dimension.
14. Rav Gershon Edelstein shlit"a explained that everyone should have a kevius to learn sifrei mussar. Even if a person has yiras shemayim he should learn more to have more yiras shemayim. This will fill his house with simcha.
Chevlei Moshiach
15. The Maharal explains that chevlei moshiach are the breakdown of this world paving the way for the new world order. One way to get away from the old mehalech is to be crushed to a pulp like the olive oil. This certainly works and has been the fate of the Jewish people throughout their history.
16. An alternative way is to elevate oneself above everything that is going on in the world through intense Chesed and Torah study. When one is completely engrossed in chesed or Torah, although he will certainly be empathetic to what is happening around him, it will not bother him. He has elevated himself above it.
17. For this reason, Rav Issur Zalman Meltzer said that talmide chachamim bring shalom to the world, for they are not bothered by mundane things.
The Future
18. The more olive oil is beaten the more that the pure inner content is removed. Hashem wants us to bring out our true inner potential and is currently in the process of beating us to a pulp in order to make this happen.
19. Nobody knows what the future holds, but one thing we can know. Hashem wants the Geula to take place and He has set the stage for it to happen. Right now the ball is in our court and if we are zocheh and He wills it this could be the Geula.
20. The Gra says that for the Geula comes there needs to be dechak. This means that every stage will get progressively more difficult. The way to succeed in each stage is stay connected to Torah and talmide chachamim. Everyone should have a rav who is guiding them what to do.
21. The Maharal explains that in order for the Geula to come we need to be united as one and then the Shechina will be. In that light it is interesting that Hashem is dividing up Klal Yisrael and putting everyone into isolation. It is as if Hashem is saying in order for everyone to be united you first have to be in isolation to work out your personal issues. Let's use the time to do just that and not waste one moment of these auspicious days.
22. Rav Hillel spoke tonight and said that just like the makos were coming to destroy the gods of Mitzrayim, so too Corona Virus is coming to teach us that all of the entities that we thought had power have no power visa vi Hashem. For this reason, Hashem is bringing this during Nisan to teach us this yesod.
Posted by: S First <keytfilla@gmail.com>
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