Shlomo Carlebach video topics notes

You are invited to add comments below, and to suggest corrections, after watching the relevant video ........

Reb Shlomo videos: Topics

Suggestion/ request: for all you out there: help create transcripts of the videos, provide links to background material, notes etc.

I often attend the Sunday brunch 'Carlebach yeshiva' screening of videos of R Shlomo's teachings, given here at the shul on Sundays, and since R Shlomo often wanders far and wide during the talk but ties it all up together at the end, it would be very helpful to viewers to have a brief synopsis of the overall point, and of the sub-topics and how they tie in; this would be useful both before viewing and as a review afterwards. And then after this is done, one can collectively create something like a non-verbatim transcript, perhaps with notes & comments, and links to relevant references to backgroundmaterial.

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The notes below are not meant as a transcript, or summary; rather, they are topic-headings, intended to make it easier to understand what's being said in the video, and to keep sight of the common thread tying together the various pieces and stories.

·         Washing hands & Mikva

·         Tzedaka

·      'Garments'

·         Honoring parents

·         Chanukah 

·         TOPICS IN REB SHLOMO VIDEO ABOUT SHVAT, TU B'SHVAT

·         Purim 

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Cleansing via Water: Washing Hands “Netilas Yadayim” & Mikva:

1.The cleansing of our souls at night, waking pure and washing hands upon rising

The chumash tells us that “Lovon got up early”. Why does the torah tell us this?

Answer: (A chasidishe play on words): ‘lavan’ in Hebrew means white, we awake clean, and so it means to tell us that even the biggest rosho like lovon was pure in the morning.

One’s soul is regenerated at night, as soon as we get up soul it is purest, ‘white’ = lovon. If we do one bad thing, it is less pure, and so on.

White vs (other) colors: white is not like a color. “People paint themselves colors” , (they paint themselves as though they are something but they are not: I am good, I am bad, I am this or that).  

When waking, Lovon could have been cohen godol but then he returned to his bad nature.

First thing in morning, wash hands, (cohanim, bet hamikdash): halachos re first brachos after waking

About asher yatzar: big rebbe visited the sanzer heard him say the asher yatzar, and said it was worth his whole trip..

Wash hands of something = absolve of responsibility, are innocent. When wash hands in morning, think/pray to be taking responsibility during day for whatever should be.

So we wash in morning. Like cohanim in Bhamikdosh they used a keli.

Wash three times because after wash hands some water on hands remians which is tomeh, so we wash that off...

find body near city, wash hands that are innocent of his blood, didn’t shirk reponsilbitliy to help him, to prevent whatever led to that death. When we wash our hands we want in morning that all day our hands will be clean of shirking responsibility to our brothers.

 (“Light energy from neshama”?)

When you make self too big, what god gave you is too small

2. Washing hands before bread: One washes hands to clean off the notion that what got us the bread is our hands rather than God (AR:“Kochi veotzem yodi”), which is a pagan notion. In contrast, the most non pagan idea, the utmost fixing of everything, is to see that God is everything, everything is a miracle not natural, nor the work of our hands.

3. [So we wash our hands also before lighting (AR: chanuka?).]?

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4. Mikva: A rabbi came to “the Sochachover” (rebbe) and told him an original idea. The S rebbe had a negative reaction to the idea, and asked the rabbi when it was that he had thought of the idea. The rabbi told the rebbe, and it turned out that it was before washing his hands (that's why the idea was impure; the S rebbe was able to know the idea told to him was impure).

Chasidim went to the Amshinover about his son in law, the ‘tiferes yosef’, saying that he doesn’t go to mikva every day. The Amshinover said (that’s ok because?) 'it is a miracle he emerges alive from the mikva, he gives his whole life in thiere?'

The Tsanzer comes to a city (in the winter), to the river for mikva, cuts a hole in the ice, and goes in, but the chosid stays on the side, and he’s yelling “i'm dying from the cold”, so the rebbe says don’t be an idiot standing out there, come into the mikva!

X knew the secret of warming the mikva, and gave it over to the Sanzer.

Moshiach could have come in the time of Napoleon, but didn’t , in order to allow time for all Jews to become Baalei Teshuva (then he told story of a ‘hippaleh’ with long hair, a cohen, Reb shlomo told him to duchen, a member complained) …..

A peasant sees the baal shem tov in mikva half hour, makes him a fire and leaves. One day B’shem comes out early to see him, and blesses him: either to have children or long life or not be a poor shlepper, even though all three were heavenly decrees; so the peasant says give me all three. (He says give me a clue to know when I have to leave the world?). The Rishinover was running from prison to sustria? He passed that village after B’sh died, and the peasant sees him and starts to cry. You don’t have to be clever like a Jew, instead be clever like a peasant, if the door is open ask for everything.

December 28? 2014 sunday

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Money & Tzedaka

The emptiness that results from chasing after money, and the fulfillment of giving it away (subtopic: ‘Headquarters’, tree of knowledge and tree of life)

o      If you judge others, in heaven they begin to judge you: suddenly what you need doesn’t just flow, according to what you need without regard to what you deserve, but rather now it begins to come from a different ‘headquarters’, from judging - they first need to see if you deserve it.

o      Tzedaka draws from headquarters of love, break all walls; if you give tzedaka you get not just what you need.

o      Bad talk etc gets in the way of the flow from God to you.

o      Story of new rebbe and driver: the driver says he knows a real rebbe from noting whether they give him by reaching into pocket and giving whatever is there, without looking to see what they are giving, and not asking for change.(This is like getting from the headquarters of love rather than judging; giving tzedaka (especially in this way) connects you to this headquarters)

o      R Nachman, giving tzedaka is the only way to cool off the taiyva, the ‘heat’, for money. When you give tzedaka it becomes clear that the reason you need money is to help others you’re your relationship to money changes, so you become happy with whatever you have. A rich man (who doesn’t give tzedaka) is not happy with what he has.

 Sub-topic: Giving tzedoko, the non-worship of money: “Tree of knowledge vs tree of life”

“This is the deepest”: Adam/Eve: (AR: they were in paradise and had it all, but were not satisfied, wanted also to eat form the tree of Knowldege)

The tree of knowledge is “I want”, ”I want it all”. The “I” is in the center. I like the apple, I know what is right and wrong.

Tree of life: God is the center (not ‘I”). The poor man I meet is the center. Curse of the Tree of Knowledge is that even when I get what I chased after, I’m not happy. The Tree of Knowledge is you have so much, but the end result is empty feeling.

The B Sh Tov said: the Tree of Knowledge shows you a closed hand and says ‘I have what you want’. So you chase it, then it opens its hand, it is empty. The Tree of life has so much more than what you wanted.

 In the ‘Ktores’, the chelbona makes others smell good even though alone it smells bad. Tzedaka makes running after money smell good.

R Nachman: run after money is idol worship. most people are pagan. There are idol worshippers, but worshiping money is worshiping all the idols of the wold

[Witicism, maybe deeper?: The Kotsker re Moshe Rabbenu seeking judges who hate money etc, K said; for money you can find that too’.]

 What is Bet HaMikdash about? Place where there’s only god. If break the pagan money-worship, then one’s insides become Beit HaMikdash, the place where is only god.

Lonely = I don’t believe God is watching me. If it is clear the God is taking care all the time, I’m not lonely.

Rosh Hashanah: heaven decrees what you will have - it’s not dependent on what do (how much you work, run after whatever)

Zohar: ‘anpi heora’/’anpi chashoochah’, face full o f light/darkness, people work so much to get extra money, face is dark.

If receive the money with face full of light, you are connected to the unlimited funds in heaven. If I know it is not me who got the money, I work but God gave the money to me, my face is shining; God wants to be with the people who have joy, 'anpi nehora', God wants to be with you.

(On topic of everything is form GodJ Zohar says the 'mon' is still coming down we just don’t see it.

When l've taken from dead money, my face is dead.

The level of one's joy depends on where get your money, living money vs dead money; depending on how one obtained one’s money, the face of the person seems living or dead.

how extract self from this?  need to change the headquarters of where get the money from

Makat choshech: darkness is when don’t see anyone else.

Deepest test in life: to know I have to work, but God has already decreed what I will get from my work. Whatever I get, I need to see as the manna from heaven.

The Heilige Reb Tzvi Elimelech told a man to keep account of what he spent that year. In the end it turned out that the man found he had spent much more than he had received; the Rebbe said it was because he had spent so much for shabbos. Sshabbos gives it back, but invisibly, not ‘on the books’.

When you walk on Broadway, if you have good eyes, you can see it is shabbos, if not, don’t see it is shabbos.

Sunday December 6: cont of tzedaka/money? leading to chanuka?

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Sunday Feb 1 2015

Have to fulfil the needs of anyone who is in front of you. (AR: ie That's why you are both in the same place). But this doesn’t apply to shnorrers who go from house to house (AR: ie they ate not there by chance, they go to everyone).

Reb Shlomo told a story of after the Germans took over Vienna, a girl was stealing from their house, Reb Shlomo’s mother had compassion, and that girl ended up saving Shlomo’’s sister.. If you have compassion on someone it will come back to you.

Reb Shlomo quoting some source: says have to give tzedaka even to a non shomer shabbos Jew (at that time being non shomer shabbos was a sign that maybe you were not a trustworthy person). After that it says also to a non-Jew. So why juxtapose the two? To indicate that you cannot make that excuse about non-trustworthiness in order to not give to a Jewish non shomer shabbos, because even to nonJews one has to give, so why is this non shomer shabbos Jew worse than that?

Don't need to give tzedaka to smeone doing aveiros to show he doesnt care (AR: 'lehachis,').

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When you think of doing something that is good, the right thing to do, you have to do it quickly, right away, because along with the idea comes the energy to actually do it (and then it will quickly pass..)(AR: again, this is ‘zrizus’).

Pride? More about Tzedaka

not that leah ugly, but needed lots of time to see her beauty, as opposed to rachel, right away.

Leah is mother of BT, Rachel of tzadik.

yehuda from leah, moshiach, hidden, need time to see past the irst.

stupid talk arrogance and loshon hara ... keep you away from geting what want, tzedaka gets you there.

r boruch koritzer, 8yrs old, son of tzanzer: even i know what people were in their previous lifetimes. a real rebber needs to see that in everyone.

Shinover says of person who broke tzanzer’s foot broken forever. tznaer story of shiddach and mrror, and also other version: 5 sons all extraordinary.

horse neshama gilgul to work for debt, as soon as the B”Sh took the debt note, the horse died.

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r nachman told chasidim that after they die and are being assigned a task, to consult him in heaven before tkaing on themselves a task. reg ilgul etc.

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Garments

world is god's garment.

in gan eden we had ability to receive the light, didnt need garments.

what are good garment 's, they fit so well they become part of you..

need money for food and garment, so coneciton betwen moey and garment .relationship to the garment of the word can be on diff level if your garment is high. r nacman says need to watch your garment to have panoso. gan eden didnt have garments.

easy to wash garment. to judge people by their garment is idoltry.

one gives honor accg to the garment, bec honor is also a garment. the most heavenly garment to give someone is honor, it surrounds them with light. shaming someone is tearing off the garment, the heavenly light surrounding them. (AR: I guess this refers to “vayitboshashu” in Eden after eating of the Tree of Knowledge, when they ‘realized’ they were naked.)

MR used miracles at first because Bnei Yisrael didnt have the garment for getting the torah, the vessels, miracles are just a garment, so could be done, …

The “pachad yitschok” said: garment has to be your size. God is pride, if we have that pride it is arrogance. Arrogance is the worst. Arrogance wears garments much better than they themselves are. shabbos though...what is shabbos? God gives light from beyond, holiness of shabos is God stops measuring, all lev gates are open, everything is holy, but some garments are not measured, talis is not measured, talis both ma dn not measured, it is approx,

tzitzis are biggest fixing of wrong measuring?

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Eretz Yisrael (ey) is the 50th gate, torah is 49. EY brings tshuva, thats why '67 had that effectv

long ago people said america not n har sinai! L rebbe when came to america said not only is it..but one day more torah here than anywhere else

The Lubavitcher rebbe wrote 'my children' about shlomo and brother. Payis, outside ok, now inside (mother said? Like tzigalach”) (AR: = goats)

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Honoring parents, and Respecting one’s Children!

Table of contents (not transcript or notes)

Opens with: Attitudes towards parents in various cultures today and in the past

 Respect your children: a few stories:

·       R Shlomo’s flight delay because of his child;

·       Alexander rebbe: asking for miracles

·       Majdnek German kids: unwanted children

 “A must torah”: respect parents because for one minute they were partners with God.

 Treat time like you treat parents: R Nachman: what is “arichus yamim”. Sfas emes. Tzanzer mikva- going.(AR: ‘zrizus’). R Pinchas Koretzer.

 ·       Gmoro: Rebbe to children before his death

·       Ishbitzer brief torah re Yosef visiting his father Yaakov

·       Learning some halachos about respect to parents in extreme situations

·       Making peace between 2 arguing Jews

·       Respect for: 1. father’s new wife (even if mother is alive) 2. older brother who is not good; 3. honor in-laws  [AR: when don’t need to give respect it doesn’t mean can disrespect him, just that one need not give the vast respect the Torah mandates in the general case]

·       “Oshbitziner” the Aushwitz rebbe 150 years ago: what to teach your kids to justify bringing them to a world of pain (why honor parents for bringing me here): need to tell children re shabbos, next world is all shabbos, we need to fix it).

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video is time-stamped: feb 12 1993

overall topic: Ten commandments,

sub-topic: honor parents      mesh with older notes

history, tradition, passed down to children from parents, what we know of the past has to do with the repsect we have for what they tell us about the past(?)

people who disrespect parents via calling them by their first name.

parents who dont trust their children bec they dont trust the educaiton they gave themn.

if i dont listen to them, they dont pay attention to their own words.

topic: So many people are broken bec say their parents didnt want them.

reb nachman: what do you think why children are born, it's not a coca coal machine, put something in and a child comes out, esav says it is no pmiracle it is a natural phenomenon, yakov says it is a miracle.

alexander rebbe (see older notes).. child needs to know: I am a mircale and I was born bec of my parents prayers.  

jewish kids consoled german kids in majdanek! Reb S spoke to them later, many said their parents hadnt wanted them.

deepest relationship between parents and children is when they know how much their parents prayed to have them.

respect parents bec they were for one minutre partners with God, ie in creating YOU.

Sunday November 16, 2014: carlebach shul yeshiva

Video central topic: Honoring parents:

Opens with: Attitudes towards parents in various cultures today and in the past

Respect your children: a few stories:

·      R Shlomo’s flight delay bec of his child;

·      Alexander rebbe: asking for miracles

·      Majdnek German kids: unwanted children

“A must torah”: respect parents because for one minute they were partners with God.

Treat time like you treat parents: R Nachman: what is “arichus yamim”. Sfas emes. Tzanzer mikva going.(AR: zrizus’). R Pinchas Koretzer.

·      Gmoro: Rebbe to children before his death

·      Ishbitzer brief torah re yosef visiting Yaakov

·      Learning some halachos about respect to parents in extreme situations

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topic: TIME (yaarichun yamecha)

deepest depths: yaarichun yomecha, nnot just a reward. londg days = to do many good things

sfas emes, gerrer rebbe, nobody had arichus yamim like my father, died at 52, not arichus shonim, he took peoples kvitels of request didnt have imte to read it but he knew what they needed

sanzer 18 times a day to mikveh, means each was so quick, so effectively the day was long.

If treat time like you treat your parents the day is long. I stand in awe in front of my life, i dont waste time.

leibel koretzer: moshiach will come when to waste a minute will be like murder.

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Topic: reading shukchan oruch? se'if tes?​​

chayiv lecahbdo afilu acharei mosiso: deep: ie my honoring reaches them after they die (in olam haba).

Until death children need their parent, after death reversed.

why yosef not go see yakov? ishbitzer: to avoid y having to give honor to him.

after 12 months say zichronom livrocho, before is too early bec on trial there.

if both parents want water, give to father first, after divorce the have same priority, bec during marriage if father wants water then wife should give him so she is also mechuyov so father has priority but if divorced she is not required so they are the same.

 Making peace between 2 arguing jews: when two people are fighting say both are right. after moshiach, say both are wrong bec nothing is worth fighting about.

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Topics: 1. Tu B'SHvat; 2. the Month of Shvat as a whole