How to turn a Breakdown into a Breakthrough (Numerology of the 3 Weeks)

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Aaron L Raskin’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

The other day I was standing outside the Brooklyn bar and I met someone. I said, "Could you tell me the difference between ignorance and empathy?" And he responded, "I don't know and I don't care." We're here today because we do know and we do care about the the parashah of the week, which is Pinchas. God tells Pinchas in the opening verses of the parashah, "I will give you briti shalom, a covenant of peace." And furthermore, I will give you the brit kehunat olam, the covenant of the eternal priesthood that you and your children and grandchildren for all generations to come will be kohanim will be priests in the holy temple. What is the idea of briti shalom? So, Rashi tells us that it's like someone who says, "Thank you for doing me a favor." And therefore, I show you my goodness and graciousness. And similarly, God told Pinchas, "Thank you for bringing an end to this terrible plague that was wrought upon the Jewish people." But Pinchas falls out every year during the three weeks. The three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz when the walls of Jerusalem were breached and led up to the seven the ninth of the month of Av, Tisha B'Av when the first and second holy temples were destroyed. So, these three weeks are known as bein hametzarim. To understand this on pshat, remez, drash, sod, and chassidus. What is the simple interpretation that these three weeks are called the bein hametzarim? It is actually based on a verse in Eicha, the book of Lamentations. And there it says "Ben Hamitzraim" in chapter 1. It says that it was a time that her

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1. 0:00The other day I was standing outside the Brooklyn bar and I met someone. I said,…
2. 2:05pursuers overtook her in narrow straits. So, the word "Ben Hamitzraim" means between narrow straits, which…
3. 4:09darkness. It's through the darkness itself that creates this greater light. And so when there's a…
4. 6:45And so these three weeks are an opportunity to call out to God from the constraints…
5. 8:48and the next moment we become rich and significant and valuable. And the same is true…
6. 11:22and you participate, therefore there's a greater value to that participation. And so it's not enough…
7. 13:25these secrets and these potential powers, God can do something else. God is a God is…
8. 15:30and then there's humankind. Number five represents becoming one, that we are totally one with God,…
9. 18:06hametzarim of these three weeks. It is not only three weeks of challenge and three weeks…
10. 20:10And immediately he sees on the ceiling the words "Zecher l'Churban". A remembrance to the destruction…

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