The Yanuka - on unity - in a conversation with Rav Katzin of New York's Jewish Syrian community

3:02 - That can also be said. But because the spirit of impurity is very strong, according to what our master Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai wrote in the Zohar, in the Introduction, page 10b, in the Zohar on Vayeishev, page 184b, that is twice, in this Zohar. And this is also the Zohar's only source that one must wash hands with a vessel, because Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai explains that there is a vessel above, an upper vessel, and a lower vessel. The upper vessel serves holiness, and the lower vessel serves the klipah, the husk.

3:33 When one gives the vessel to the upper part, then the water is poured into the vessel that is below, and one must be careful about this. The holy Shelah also wrote, in Derech Chaim, in Chullin, and also in... He also brought it in Sha'arei Teshuvah, in that same siman 1. One must always be careful about washing hands next to the bed, and to wash - this is a very great thing. As the Shulchan HaTahor ruled: not to stand up even the impure form, even while sitting (to wash hands) - not to stand (until one washes), so that a person will be pure.

4:04 And this is 'The first of your dough, you shall set aside as a gift', and this is the first abundance for the whole day. I recommend this to everyone, especially to your community, all the more so since you are in the lands of the nations, where the impurity is still very strong, not like in the Land of Israel. So what you said, one can take into account in the Land of Israel, but in the lands of the nations they should be even more stringent with washing hands next to the bed. - Even if the walk from the bed to the washing is less than four cubits?

4:28 - Yes, even so. If possible - I'm not... only as a matter of piety, I'm not... It is a small, good and easy practice. - One puts it like this, on the bed...? - Next to it, next to it. In a vessel; one covers it, and washes. May you have good abundance. - We want to know from the Rav some... something for life, that they understand that this is the most important thing they need to understand.

5:07 What is the one thing I can tell them that they will take from the Rav - some advice? - The best advice: that they help one another in the community, that they be united, that they help one another, that they follow the way of the Rav. The most important thing is that you have a Rav, and the most important is to listen to him, to go and consult with him, to ask his advice, to accept from him, and to make peace - make peace among yourselves.

5:36 If some know of someone who is in a quarrel, or people - that they should not speak lashon hara, let them make unity, speak with one another, help one another, see if there is someone who is lonely - host him, care for everyone, that not one heart be in sorrow. This is the most important, this is the most important, greater than everything. 'Great is peace', the Rambam says, 'for the whole Torah was given to make peace on earth.'

6:00 And to be careful about mikveh. Mikveh, yes. Mikveh is very important, and especially for chazzanim, if there is someone who goes up as chazzan in the community. - The grandson of the one we mentioned - he is a chazzan. A chazzan, 'the sweet singer of Israel'. Our father built a synagogue, a mikveh, a house of Torah, and a wedding hall.

6:29 All his life he worked for the community. Nice. - We will continue the... - You will continue... and continue to do great things. - His secret is: loving peace and pursuing peace. - It came from Heaven that we spoke like this about the same thing. Tzaddikim. That's it, this is the most important thing: to be in joy, to wash hands next to the bed if possible, whoever can, to help one another, 'Each man helps his fellow, and says to his brother, Be strong', to be careful about love, to make peace between one another, that there be no lashon hara, that there be no quarrel at all between one another, to make peace among everyone, to be careful about the mikveh, whoever can, for it is a very, very great thing, and especially chazzanim.

7:12 Rabbi Yaakov of Marvege, in the responsa Min HaShamayim, siman 3, writes there that the geulah is delayed because of chazzanim who are not careful about the immersion of Ezra. One must make sure that chazzanim are careful about immersion, as much as possible, whoever can. The virtue of the mikveh is that it repairs and helps, to endless levels. Especially for chazzanim, whoever can.

7:38 - The parents are asking, the parents of those who need shidduchim, the girls, the boys, the girls especially. The parents ask what can be done, what they can do that will help the shidduchim of their daughters... - To pray at the Shabbos candles - the parents. And it is better still that the children themselves read the offerings of the Nesi'im, all the offerings of the Nesi'im, from 'This was the dedication of the altar' to the end, and that's it.

8:10 That is for the children. And the woman should read 31, 71. The man should read all the offerings of the Nesi'im, and the woman should read 31, 71. - This is also one of the rabbis of our synagogue, Rabbi Avraham Sithon - Kohanim. - Are you related to Rabbi Chaim Sithon, the author of Eretz HaChaim? - No, no, they are from Tzfas; my family is from Egypt.

8:37 - There was the author... yes, yes, not simple, on the Land of Israel, the laws of the Land of Israel. He too is a Kohen. With us, we do Birkas Kohanim every day, with us, in the United States, yes. - Nice. Okay. Who blesses the Kohanim? The Gemara in Chullin, page 49 - the Gemara says: Who blesses the Kohanim? The Holy One, blessed be He. They bless us, and the Holy One, blessed be He, blesses them.

9:01 'And I will bless them.' Yes. So may the Holy One, blessed be He, continue to bless you, amen, and good abundance, and may you continue to bless the Jewish people with love and joy, and all good abundance, amen. - He too is a chazzan and a Kohen. He was a partner of the... all, all... - May you have great success and a good life.

9:25 - Moshe, my son, has a synagogue. Maybe four months ago he was here with his community. He came to see you here. And he told me that while I'm in the Land of Israel, one hundred percent, the best thing to do in the Land is to visit you here. So I am so happy. I go there at nine o'clock, now it's a day that... a day that...

9:55 Thank you very much. - May the Holy One, blessed be He, give you a complete recovery and length of days, and years of life in good health, amen, and all good abundance, that you succeed in all your deeds, in all your affairs, in everything you do. May Hashem grant you all your heart's wishes, for good and for blessing, and so may it be His will. - Amen, amen. - May you succeed. And may no mishap come... no mishap at all, may no mishap come about, may you have much success and a good life.

10:20 May he have length of days over his kingdom. 'And you shall say thus: To life! Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that is yours', amen. - My father's grandfather was Chacham Yaakov Katzin. - Oh! Chacham Yaakov ben Alanton. He wrote several books. I don't know if the Rav has the books. I heard - they say that he also ate paladur. Yes, that's what they say. We don't know, we didn't check, but that's... I didn't ask him, even though when I was small I was at home with him, I slept in the same room, but I was young; I didn't know to ask him these questions.

10:56 I would have asked him, But that's what they say. He had a memory that was something. But it could be. But he came to the community when he was thirty-two, I think the Rav is also about that age, something like that. The Rav came to our community to be the chief rabbi there, and he told them that he would stay there a year.

11:23 He told us: 'I'll come for a year', and he stayed there until the end of his days. Eighty years he was there, seventy years in the community. And he led the community. And it was a congregation that did not keep Shabbos, and they also didn't know about mikveh, and kashrus too was weak.

11:48 Today it is maybe eighty thousand people of our large community, and they keep Shabbos and mikveh and kashrus and everything. Yes, and maaser - they give charity as they should. It is one of the most giving communities in the whole world. They come to us to give charity. And baruch Hashem, he had the vision, the...

12:17 to understand that one has to go with the congregation slowly, slowly, as needed. Nice. And in the end we have kollels and we have Torah scholars, and baruch Hashem, these are some of the fruits of all the... - Well done, well done to you. - Perhaps the Rav will bless everyone with a blessing. - May the Holy One, blessed be He, bless you with all the blessings and good abundance, and may Hashem, blessed be He, continue to do good to you and to bestow upon you in all matters, that you continue to shine light and do good in the world, to make peace in the world among everyone, between a man and his fellow, among everyone, between the Jews and the non-Jews, that there be no quarrels at all, and only make peace.

12:57 All the best. May you have a good life and good abundance in all matters. A good year, a good life, good abundance - may you succeed. Good abundance. Be happy, be happy, succeed, succeed. Succeed in all matters, succeed. A good life. May the Holy One, blessed be He, grant you success in all matters, a good life and good abundance. 'He will make Torah great and glorious.'

13:49 Shalom aleichem, honored sir, shalom aleichem. What things... your treasure is something amazing, amazing. Honored sir, may your wellsprings spread outward. and joins them all together as one piece, and then [unclear] and the students.

14:40 This is a book that even Chacham Ovadia did not have. [unclear] he has many books. It is a book on the Shulchan Aruch. He distributed three hundred copies in the world. There was the Holocaust; the Nazis came in, in 5704, and he did not manage to distribute the book any more.

15:04 And baruch Hashem, afterwards we took this book, with handwritten notes - from siman 301 there are handwritten notes that the grandson gave me - and we added the handwritten notes. In fact, I discovered that this book was with the Rav, the Kaf HaChaim Sofer. - Really? - Because almost all the disputes here are with the Kaf HaChaim Sofer, for the Kaf HaChaim reached there, to Hungary, within five years, when he was and he wrote this book.

15:32 Once again, this is a book sweeter than honey. There is also the book Tefillah LeDavid, which perhaps the Rav has in its old edition. He was from the beis midrash of the holy Ohr HaChaim. He is buried today on the Mount of Olives; he is the brother-in-law of Rabbi Meyuchas, the author of Pri HaAretz. There are many testimonies here in the name of the Rashash, also in his book.

16:02 This is a book we are making, like 'Asher Yatzar with Kavanah' and 'Birkas HaMazon with Kavanah'. - Nice, very nice. - I would need the Rav to tell me something great, what we can say, how to strengthen the world with Aleinu LeShabei'ach. because this is the foundation of all the... - The Kol Bo, in siman 13 - we have nothing to add to his words. Look in the Kol Bo, siman 13. Ah, you brought it?

16:26 So just bring it to light in big letters that light up the eyes. With Hashem's help. We have nothing more than that. And also a book... wow, wow, there are beautiful words here. I think the Rav will enjoy this book. How beautiful, wow, good - what gifts. - May the Rav bless us that we succeed and continue to publish, because along the way Rav Assis is also with us...

16:55 he is our neighbor in the building - may Hashem marry him off, with Hashem's help. What treasures. [unclear] Knesses HaGedolah... they want to publish it for you. Beis David too, did he say? Beis David, yes. Was it 'Ben David'? No, not good.

17:24 We laid out all the editions and [unclear] on the table. [unclear] like this, up to thirty [unclear]. May all your wellsprings spread outward. May you have help from Heaven and a complete recovery, and robust health, and length of days and years of life in good health, and good abundance, and all good, and from all good. [unclear] a good life and good abundance. Amen. [unclear] Yasher koach, a great yasher koach.

18:08 Yasher koach, good.