Hi, good morning Rabbos, Shalom Aleichem. It's it's very good to see everyone, if only in if only in in the virtual format. But there's a lot of chizuk that that I think we can derive even even from from this format. The Gemara tells us in in in Brochos, the din is that if a person is omed b'mizrach, if a person is to the east of Yerushalayim, to the east of Har Habayis, to the east of the Beis Hamikdash, his machzir panav l'ma'arav, so he faces west when he davens. If he's b'ma'arav, his machzir panav l'mizrach. If he's in the west, so then he turns and and faces the east. B'darom, if he's to the south, machzir panav l'tzafon. So then he turns his face to the north. B'tzafon, if a person is north of Yerushalayim, north of Har Habayis, etcetera, machzir panav l'darom. So then he turns to the south. נמצאו נמצאו כל ישראל מכוונים את ליבם למקום אחד. And the effect of of this halacha is that kol Yisrael despite the fact that they're scattered throughout the daled ruchos are all focused on on a single point. In in addition to the specific, the particular halacha in hilchos tefillah, which is expressed here, there's also a very very important yesod. Even though in many contexts obviously we look to and and we should and we need to when possible create a tzibbur by having a tzibbur under the same roof in the same place, there is also a dimension of tzibbur which exists, which exists in a very real and powerful way when there's a unifying focal point. When there's a common commitment, when there's a common goal, when there's a synchronized effort and endeavor, one is also part of a tzibbur. It's a tzibbur that without the benefit of technology one doesn't see the way we experience being part of a tzibbur in more normal times, in more normal venues, but one is very much part of a tzibbur for all the implications that that has. One of the reasons that אם ירצה השם בלי נדר we'll try to begin seder together for a few minutes at 9 o'clock each morning בלי נדר אם ירצה השם is to have this visual reminder of the fact that even though we are scattered across different time zones I assume, not just different zip codes but even different time zones, but a reminder that we are very much part of a tzibbur. A tzibbur which isn't defined by by spatial proximity, but a tzibbur that's defined by מכוונים את ליבם למקום אחד, by a common goal, a common commitment, a common effort, in in very specific terms, to to master as much of Maseches Pesachim and its inyanim as we can. And that common goal, that common effort, that common commitment and and even synchronized in terms of the hours that that we apply ourselves towards it also creates a very real dimension and creates a reality of tzibbur as well, and and these few minutes that that אם ירצה השם בלי נדר we'll will spend together at the beginning of Seder hopefully will serve as a reminder of that reality. We'll begin in Shaarei Teshuva with Shaar HaSheni. Hashaar Hasheni Rabbeinu Yona tells us is Lehoros Hadrachim, to teach, to instruct. Teaching or instruction involves illumination. Presumably Lehoros is related to the shoresh of ohr as well. That's what teaching is, that's what giving instruction is, that the teaching, the instruction illuminates. להורות הדרכים שיעורר האדם בהם לשוב אל השם. Da, says Rabbeinu Yona. It's interesting, Rav Soloveitchik has a famous description in Uvikashtem Misham of the experience, his experience of Talmud Torah, of this intergenerational dialogue and massa umattan. He describes, I'm sure this is probably the most celebrated passage in Uvikashtem Misham, he describes how when he sits down to learn and he opens the Gemara, so at the table, sitting with him at the table is Rashi, is Rabbeinu Tam, is the Rambam and the Ravad and the Shach and the Taz and Rabbi Akiva Eiger and Rav Chaim. I didn't just take attendance, there were a few more chairs and there were a few more chairs at his table as well and he describes it as this intergenerational interaction, massa umattan, milchamta shel Torah. So Rabbeinu Yona, this Shaarei Teshuva obviously isn't the transcript of an oral address that Rabbeinu Yona gave. Rabbeinu Yona wrote. So not only was he writing and not personally interacting even with his contemporaries, he certainly intended Shaarei Teshuva למען יעמוד ימים רבים. He intended Shaarei Teshuva for us as well, not to be so self-centered to say only for us, but for us as well. Shaarei Teshuva was written for us as well. And that's the significance of the da. Right? When Rabbeinu Yona says da, know, so it means from a gap of Rabbeinu Yona was in the 13th century. So we're holding in the 21st century, so approximately I don't know the exact date, I'm sure it is known, but I don't know offhand the exact date when Shaarei Teshuva is written, but it's almost 800 years. A little less. Almost 800 years. And bridging that seemingly unbridgeable gap in time, so Rabbeinu Yona addresses us. We learn from Rabbeinu Yona. Not just that we learn the sefer, but that a person learns from Rabbeinu Yona. And that's what Rabbeinu Yona clearly envisioned and clearly intended. Hence the... it's not just a literary style. It represents a metzius as well. Da, know, when Rabbeinu Yona says know in the second person, so it means that he's addressing each of us personally and individually. Ki darchei hateshuva, the ability to we want because we need hadracha. And there's so much hadracha that we can, even individually. Again which is not to say that in any generation learning seforim substitutes for live interaction. It doesn't substitute for that, but we should recognize that it's part of it. It's part of those relationships we're looking for, they also can be forged with the Rambam, with Rabbeinu Yonah. Again, not to the exclusion of our forming relationships with our own rebbeim who share our time in Olam Hazeh with us, not to the exclusion of that, but we should recognize that this is part of the same part of that same effort of asei lecha rav. I think the Baal HaTanya writes in the hakdoma to Likkutay Amorim that he has a remarkable hakdoma. He writes that the reason, what motivated him to write is that more Chassidim than there were hours in the day to accommodate wanted to come talk to him and to get hadracha in avodas Hashem. And the Baal HaTanya says it's just impossible, it's mathematically, you do the equation, there aren't enough hours in the day to be able to guide that many people. And then he says something remarkable. He says, if you learn this sefer, he says, not only will you find klolim, he says, not only will you find general principles, but you'll find individualized hadracha. And again the Baal HaTanya says it in the context of his sefer, but kemidomeh that Rabbeinu Yonah and others intended to say and would clearly echo those ideas. And again, none of which is to minimize the importance or the centrality in our lives of relationships that we have literally in a physical sense and literally ponim el ponim. דרכי דרכי הסיבה שיתעורר אדם בהם לשוב מדרכיו הרעים ששה הם.
There are six sort of sets of circumstances that can serve as a catalyst for a person to do teshuva. How does Rabbeinu Yonah, and with this we'll conclude for this morning, how does Rabbeinu Yonah describe teshuva? Yashuv midarkov hara'im. Clearly taking his cue from the pasuk that we know from the haftorah on a ta'anis of ya'azov rasha darko. So teshuva is being depicted here as not simply repenting for discrete chata'im, but for a derech. Ya'azov rasha darko. We all have a derech in life. A derech in life which reflects an approach to life, which has some kind of practical hierarchy in terms of what we're invested in, what we're not invested in, what we're devoting time to, what we're not devoting time to. And ultimately teshuva doesn't only sort of address details, but the details really, again, they manifest themselves in all kinds of different ways and shapes and forms and contexts, but there's an underlying derech in terms of who I am, what I am, and ultimately the definition of teshuva is not just for me to correct ma'asim A, B, C, and D that are wrong, or diburim A, B, C, and D that are wrong, but to try to identify in terms of my derech hachayim what needs to be corrected. Corrected, what needs to be improved, what needs to be changed. Okay, so בלי נדר אם ירצה השם we'll pick up here in terms of the Sha'arei Teshuvah tomorrow morning at 9:00. Hopefully, בלי נדר אם ירצה השם that will be the kevi'us. We'll begin Pesachim today at 1:00 בלי נדר אם ירצה השם. If there's anyone, if you know anyone in the shiur who's not here now who thinks it's 1:30, if you could send them a message to that effect, but בלי נדר אם ירצה השם at 1:00. And the best hakdamah, this is just about always the case, but it's certainly the case in Masechet Pesachim. The main central inyanim, the inyanim that one would talk about as a hakdamah, come up right away in the first mishnah. So if you try to see the mishnah with the Rashi, with the Tosfos, if you have time beyond that, you'll see the very, very yesodistik first Ran as well. Okay rabosai, אם ירצה השם בלי נדר we'll reconvene at 1:00. Everyone should have a good productive morning. Be well, be safe.