Yesterday we said a pshat (plain meaning) from the Rambam, the Ramban, and the Ran. Ah, no, it was in the middle. It was a beautiful pshat from the Ran; I loved it. The Ran was Rabbeinu Nissim Girondi, from Girone. Rabbeinu Nissim Gaon was a friend of Rabbeinu Chananel, who was from Kairouan. Is Kairouan in Tunis? It is about 100 km from the capital. Tov (good), so we covered the difference between gemurah (complete) and not gemurah.
Gimmel (third letter). Kol hamitvadeh (Everyone who confesses), kol hamitvadeh bidvarim (Everyone who confesses in words). There was a chiluk (distinction) between Rabbeinu Yonah and the Rambam regarding vidui (confession). According to Rabbeinu Yonah, vidui is part of the process of teshuvah (repentance). According to the Rambam, vidui is the conclusion of teshuvah. That means you first have to do teshuvah and then vidui; you do vidui when you have finished teshuvah. Look, he said it here, and this is very interesting because lich'orah (seemingly), that's not what we do. We do vidui every day, whether we did teshuvah or not. And that shouldn't be; maybe it's a prayer or whatever, but it shouldn't be working. On Friday night, I gave a pshat why.
If before Rosh Hashanah we can't be honest, imagine after. The Satan (adversary) is smart. He tells you exercise, but you skip every— Huh? But you don't feel that it's Yetzer Hara (evil inclination)? What was it, yetzer hara? Cuz if you do every night exercise, I try. No, then you could skip one night. It's fine. Why, are you running every night? What are you doing? No. Pickleball, hockey? Once a week. I try twice, three times. If you don't do every night, then you should substitute the nights. So I think it's yetzer hara. Mussar (ethical instruction), he is good to listen to mussar on Elul.
I don't find no new way. Every person is responsible for themselves. If they are okay with themselves, no problem. After 120, they'll have to talk about this with somebody else, not with me. Mah ichpat li (what do I care)? You're on the bed. You're dying. “I make teshuvah, I didn't come...” That's not my problem either. My job is to give quality shiurim (lesson). You enjoy it? Good. I'm not a policeman. I'm not the babysitter. People are adults. If I would be taking care of kids, then I would work in a school. I refuse to do that because I want to take care of adults.
Why people get tired of the same gym and they look for a new gym? They have a kosher gym now across the street from Torat Emet. But seriously, it's a problem of life. All companies need to renew. If people are the same thing with the Torah, it's a problem. I'm not in that business. I don't care.
Can I tell you a hashgachah pratit (divine providence) that happened today? They called today Hatzalah on the radio. Well, not to my son. They said, “Somebody speak Spanish?” because a guy on the radio needed somebody who spoke Spanish. My son never answered that call, but said, “Okay, I answer.” He answered, and a Cuban guy said, “Hey, you have to move the van.” He asked, “Which van?” “What van? Where are you?” “192nd and Collins.” He told him, “You have to move it. It’s your van. I know it’s your van.” I said, “Put FaceTime. I want to see what’s going on.” He put FaceTime. It was my van, Nutime van. The driver put a sticker with the phone number, but the Cuban guy only saw the Hatzalah sticker. He called Hatzalah. My son answered and said, “Okay, I’m going to move it right now.” He called me, and I called the guy. What are the chances this happens?
Kol hamitvadeh bidvarim velo gamar belibo la'azov, harei zeh domeh letovel vesheretz beyado (Everyone who confesses in words but has not resolved to abandon the sin is like one immersing while holding a creeping creature). If somebody does vidui without having already abandoned the sin, or at least made up his mind not to do it again, that vidui is worthless. It's as if he's jumping into the mikveh (ritual bath) while holding a sheretz (creeping creature). Ligarticha beyado. She'ein hatvilah mo'elet ad sheyashlich hasheretz (The immersion is ineffective until he casts away the creeping creature). Vechen hu omer, “Umodeh ve'ozev yerucham” (And so it says: One who confesses and forsakes will be shown mercy). Modeh ve'ozev (One who confesses and forsakes): you have to let go. Vetzarich lifrot et hachet. You have to be detailed in the chet (sin). You have to be specific.
Vetzarich lifrot et hachet. So, if somebody committed a chet, for example, if somebody stopped coming to the Semichat Chaver program, chas veshalom, somebody like Danny Weizman, when he does Tachanun this afternoon, he has to say, “Ashamnu, bagadnu, gazalnu” (We have been guilty, betrayed, and stolen), “dibarnu dofi velashon hara” (We have spoken perversely and spoken evil speech), and “Hifsakti lavo leSemichat Chaver” (I stopped coming to Semichat Chaver). He has to detail the chet. What we say is alef-bet-gimel-dalet (the Hebrew alphabet). That's nice, but you have to say it in the Amidah of Kippur too. The most important part of the vidui is that.
The standard reading came much later. At the time of the Rambam, there was no “Ashamnu, bagadnu, gazalnu.” They had, “Ana Hashem, chatati, aviti, ufashati, vechach vechach asiti, veharei nichamti” (Please, Hashem, I have sinned, acted wrongly, and rebelled; I did such and such, and behold, I have regretted it). Everybody would mitvadeh al atzmo (confess for himself). “Velo bati leSemichat Chaver” (I did not come to Semichat Chaver). “Lo bati leSemichat Chaver” or “Hifsakti lavo.” “Lo bati” means “I never came.” This is worse! It's much worse! A guy never tasted limud Torah (Torah study). Here, “Hifsakti lavo” means, “I used to come, and I actively and consciously...”
He gave a dvar Torah (Torah thought) yesterday. He refuted the idea that it is not written in the Torah, the Shulchan Aruch, or anywhere else. “A seudat hodayah (thanksgiving meal) is not written in the Shulchan Aruch?” They brought some sources: Pele Yoetz and Kaf Hachaim. The Ben Ish Chai is older, but...
I heard yesterday some some chidush (new insight). From the rabbanit too. Rav anit. Rav, banit. Banit. The woman, she build the husband. Rav banit. Mah attah omer al zeh (what do you say about this)? Mah zeh rabbanit (what is a rabbanit)? Hi bantah rav (she built a rabbi). Rav banit. Asit mimenu rav (you made him into a rabbi).