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New Age Expo Lecture/ Reb Shlomo Carlebach speaking:
	 OK, Shalom again my beautiful friends.  I don't know why butjust when Sheila asked me, "What are you going to talk about?"  soI guess I was thinking of Emuna at that moment, so I said, "Let'stalk about the month."  I'm sure most of you know that we Jewishpeople count our calendar, depends on the moon.  Not the sun.  Thewhole world thinks that the sun is the most important.  But who amI to tell, but we say, the moon is more important.  You know,according to Kabbalistic tradition, the sun reflects only theoutside light of G-d.  But the moon is the inside.  Inside.  Ah,that's something else.  
	I want to tell you I'm very madly in love with this girl,let's call her Rochela.  So you know what we do?  We stand exactlytwelve o'clock and we look at the sun.  How does it sound.  Weboth need a therapist.  You know why not?  Because the sun doesn'tshow you anything which is deep, right.  The sun shows you theskin.  Why do business people have their meetings always duringthe day?  They can't stand the moon.  Inside light is not forthem.  Outside light.  Counting dollar bills.  Power.  
	Ah... the moon people.  When you love somebody very much, youwant to meet them when the moon is shining, at night.  Ah, themoon, the light is so deep.  
	Let me tell you something else.  During the day, I have tomeet people.  I can't stand them, you know.  But I still meetthem.  Doen't hurt me so much.  But imagine I would have to meetsomebody, late at night, somebody I can't stand.  I could vomit,right.  You know why?  Because at night, our insides...  You know,according to our holy tradition, the sun people sleep at night orjust having a good stupid shallow time.  The moon people are upall night.  The real people know that the light of the night is somuch deeper, so much deeper. 
	 So I want you to know that... something else, withoutputting my religion on you.  For us the months begins with thefirst ray of the moon.  You hear friends, when G-d created theworld, the sun and the moon had the same light, according to ourtradition.  Then the moon came before G-d and says to G-d, just itisn't fair.  Two kings have the same power, so G-d says to themoon. "OK, make yourself smaller."  So the way the world, the sunpeople, they say, "Ah, G-d is punishing the moon for the chutspa,for the audacity.  G-d created you this way, so stick there,forget it.  But the real people... because the moon is right.  Youkow, there cannot be two cooks in a kitchen, and how much less,the same light in the world.  I want you to open your hearts.  Youknow what the moon was saying to G-d?  Is this all you can givethe world?  The light of the sun?  Where you see only the outside. Isn't there a deeper light available?  Something so much deeper.  
	"Ah", G-d says, "You are the one who will do it."  What's thefirst sign of a real inside person.  You know the outside people?  They are always the same.  Or they love you or they hate you. When they love you, they always like, "Hi, how are you love?" youknow, so stupid, so meaningless.  They moon people... change allthe time.  One day I love you, one day I can't stand you.  One dayI'm full, one day I'm not shining at all.  You see, the more realit is, the more I have to decide every second.  
	I want you to know, I had a great Rabbi, my teacher.  He saysto me that if you ever want to be anything in the world, it has tobe clear to you that whatever you knew yesterday is meaninglesstoday.  
	You know friends, I'm sure it's clear to you, G-d is not ayenta.  You know what a yenta is?  Someone who says the same thing100 times.  And the way the yenta is saying it, it could be a heor a she, the way they say it is like the first time they aresaying it.  I heard you, right.  G-d cannot stand the same thingtwice.  Can't.  The sun is always the same.  
	The moon... You know, everyday, everyday, a different lightis coming down from heaven.  Everyday, G-d needs different thingsfrom us.  You know, one of the great Rabbis passed away, theHeilage Strelisker and his children came to the Holy Rizhiner..I'm just throwing names at you.  And he says to them, what was themost important thing for your father?  So they said, for ourfather?  The most important thing is what to do right now.  Youknow most people have those general ideas, they know what to doforever.  But when it comes to the moment, they have no idea whatto do.  I know every week is Shabbos, I know every year is RoshHoshana, I know every year is Yom Kippur.  Good, but what are youdoing right now.  And usually they always do the wrong thingbecause they are not in tune with the moment.  Special privilege. 
	You know something, you can be the greatest scholar in theworld, and not to know.  You know sometimes a person asks you aquestion, and what they need right now, you'll never know.  Youknow, it's so deep to know.  What are you supposed to do rightthis minute? 
	 You know, let me tell you friends, I want to tell you alittle succah story.  Next week begins our holiday, Succos.  Wemove out from our house.  You know why after Yom Kippur I realize,I don't want to go back to the same house.  I don't want to goback to the same house where I make all the mistakes. Can you makeme a new little house?  You know according to our Kabbalistictradition, Succos is G-d's summer house.  Like a little spa.  Myneshama, my soul, needs a little different environment, adifferent house.  And you know, I mentioned to you I have thispalace on Fifth Avenue, seven thousand servants, five indoorswimming pools, and seven saunas.  I need something else.  I needsomething else.  What I really need... You know in the succah,God's light is shining.   So deep, so awesome.  
	So everybody knows on Succos, it would take too long to gointo it, but just inhale it.  We have those four species that weneed for the services.  One of them is an esrog, it's like alemon.  It doesn't grow in Russia; it's grown in Morocco, inItaly, or in Israel.  This story took place two hundred years ago. If all those little villages had one esrog, they'd blow theirmind, because it was so expensive.  So one of the greatest pupilsof the Holy Baal Shem, and again the Holy Baal Shem lived twohundred fifty years ago.  He was one of the greatest, greatest,greatest beacon of lights in our tradition.  And one of hisgreatest pupils was Reb Nachum.  Reb Nachum was poor like I don'tknow what.  He had five children, they had nothing to eat. Butwhen the Holy Baal Shem Tov passed away, he left for him histefillin. Phylacteries, used when we pray in the morning.  Andsomeone offered him a thousand rubles for it.  In those years, athousand rubles when people live on fifty kopekas a week, it'salot of money.  Anyway this rich man says to Reb Nachum, give methe tefillin, I'll give you a thousand rubles.  And his wife isbegging him, we have nothing to eat.  Have compassion with yourchildren.  How can I sell the tefillin?  Here comes Succos andthere's absolutely no esrog available in Russia.  The morning ofSuccos suddenly, this esrog dealer comes.  He says I have an esrogfor a thousand rubles.  Hey, Reb Nachum jumps, gevaldt!  He goesand sells his tefillin, gets the thousand rubles and buys theesrog.  He comes home and he's so happy, gevaldt.  He walks in andhe says, "Can you imagine, nobody has an esrog, and me, Nachum,the greatest shlepper in the world, I have an esrog.  His wifesays, "How did you get the esrog? (It's a fruit which looks like alemon and it smells very good.)  He says very simply. "I sold thetefillin, got myself a thousand rubles, and I bought the esrog."
	Here you have to open your hearts.  She got so angry.  Andyou know something, she was right.  She says, "What's going onthere?  I'm begging you for years to sell the tefillin so we canfeed our children.  An esrog, that you need for one week... Shegot so angry, she took the esrog and she smashed it.  
	Now you have to open your hearts even more.  You see, if shewouldn't have smashed the esrog, he could have given the esrogback, get the thousand rubles.  Smashing the esrog.  Open yourhearts.  Can you imagine how she felt, after she did it.  Really. Open your hearts, friends.  You know what Reb Nachum did?  He saidto his wife, "Faigala, let me tell you our life story.  Once wehad tefillin, we don't have them anymore.  One time we had anesrog, we don't have that anymore.  But you know what we have?  Wejust have each other.  We just have each other.  Let there bepeace between us, and we'll have such a good Yom Tov, such agevaldt holiday. 
	 I want you to know, I heard the story from the BoboverRebbe.  And he added.  Do you think Reb Nachum got angry at hiswife?  And he said, no I'm not permitted to get angry, suppresshis anger.  No!  For him, every split second, he was thinking,what am I supposed to do now?  And when she smashed the esrog, itwas clear to him, this is not the time to yell at her.  She'sbroken enough.  Now is the time to give her strength. 
	 I want you to know, this is the end of the story that someof you maybe know.  Forgive me for putting so much of my traditionon you. According to our tradition, our father Abraham and ourmother Sarah come to the Succah.  Reb Nachum and his wife neverhad the privilege of seeing them before.  That night, Abraham andSarah come to vist them.  You know Abraham and Sarah?  The firstcouple that got it together.  Adam and Eve somehow never got theiract together.  Beyond laughter, it's the deepest.  So you knowfriends, do you know what it means to be in touch with the moment. And I don't mean you have a paperback book, what to do right now. This is not what I mean.  I mean so much deeper, so much deeper. You know what it is?  I have my principles!  Do you know what thegreatest principle in the world is?  Not to have principles!  Doyou know why there is no justice in the world?  Because of all the principles!  All the principles don't mean an onion.  Do you knowsomething?  A poor man will come and I'll tell him, right now Icannot help you because it's the weekend and we are closed untilMonday.  Because we have a principle.  Stupid!
	Do you know what the  moon is all about?  The moon- so muchdeeper.  One more very, very important thing.  The sun, the lightis so big, right.  You know when for us the month begins?  Whenthere is just one little ray of the moon.  You know what it is,from ourselves, we expect nothing.  From somebody else, if theyare not shining like the sun, they don't count.  It has to be theother way around.  Of myself, I have to ask everything.  Somebodyelse, one little ray of light.  So proud of you, so proud of you. 	You know, imagine if in the schools, instead of giving youmarks when you are bad..  It's clear to me that when the Messiahis coming, they will close all the schools.  If you are teacher,try to get a job right now, somewhere else, right.  Because you'llbe out of a job, one hundred per cent.  Do you know who else won'thave a job?  Funeral directors, right.  
	You know, imagine, here's this boy or this girl, they reallyhave a hard time in school, right.  Give them bad marks. But if Ibe a "moon" teacher, I look at them... It takes so much out ofthem, the little that they are doing.  I would tell them, "Youknow something, your little ray of light means more to me than thelight of the sun.  You never know, right. Maybe some people canrun ten thousand miles and one has trouble to take one step.  Onestep.  
	So you hear my beautiful friends, one more thing which isvery important.  You know some of us, the sun people, are fullwith themselves.  So proud, so arrogant.  Do you know what themoon is all about?  The moment the moon is full, the moon says toG-d, "I can't stand myself anymore.  I'm full with me. Disgusting, I don't want to look in the mirror.  Master of theWorld, give me deeper light.  You know according to our tradition,the moon is not the same moon from last month.  It's a new moon. If someone knows a little bit of our tradition, after the seventhday when the moon is more full, we go out and we greet the newmoon.  It's a new moon.  I want you to know something verybeautiful, when we greet the new moon, it's a custom that we do ittogether with our friends, and then we say to each other, "Shalom 
Aleichem, who are you, we've never seen  you before."  What's thefirst sign that you are a new person?  When everybody looks new toyou, right.  Ah, mamash.  You are so beautiful, how come I didn'tnotice it before, right.  
	One more thing is very important.  You know, this is a joke. Two Chelm people were talking to each other.  One says, "Tell me,what's more important.  The sun or the moon?"  "Ha," he says,"What a stupid question.  The sun is shining when it's daylightanyway.  The moon is shining when it's dark."  You know, twoChelmers are talking to each other, and they say, "How can a Jewever grow?  The yamulka won't let them, you know."  
	Anyway. listen to me friends.  You know what the moon is allabout?  He doesn't take away the darkness, it's still dark.  Andit's also light.  I want to share something awesome deep with you. Have you ever seen, you have friends, some friends; they startasking you questions.  And they squeeze out every littleinformation which you would like to keep private.  They cut yourheart into ten thousand pieces.  And then they say(?), "It's clearto me like sunlight."  The sun people kill each other.  You knowwhat the moon is?  Every ray of light, every little bit ofinformation, thank you so much.  Thank you for trusting me.
	  You know what a secret is according to Kabbalistictradition?  It's not something that you don't know and I know, andthen I'll tell you.  It wasn't a secret, you just didn't know. And now you know, right.  It's not a secret.  You know what asecret is?  Even after you know, you still don't know.  You stilldon't know.  
	You know when I love somebody, not so much, I tell them, youknow, I love you, like the sunlight.  Now it's clear to you that Ilove you, right.  When I love somebody the most, it's like themoon.  Yes, I do know.  I still don't know.  
	Why do we say everyday that G-d is One?  G-d should say,listen you are getting on my nerves.  You told it to me yesterday. Stupid.  Ah, it's getting deeper, deeper.  
	Or let's put it this way.  I love this girl very much andlet's say it's now two thirty, I tell her, "I love you so much." At two forty, I tell her, "You know, I love you so much."  Then atthree o'clock, I say, "I love you so much."  There are tworeactions.  I told her two thirty, right and then I tell her againat two forty.  She says, "You just told it to me."  How does itsound to you?  Unbelievable relationship, right.  The other side. I told her two thirty.  Then I tell her again at two forty.  Shesays to me, "Why did you wait ten minutes?"  Because... every timeI said it, it's deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper.  There'sno such thing as I told you before.  What I told you ten minutesago, now it's about one hundred miles deeper. Ten thousand  milesdeeper.  
	You know what the greatest privilege in the world is?  Thegreatest privilege in the world is when you love somebody verymuch and it's clear to you that you don't them.  Just a privilegeto love you.  Just to know you a little bit.  Really to knowsomebody.. Who dares saying I know you.  According to our holytradition, when people get married, and there are two beautifulcouples that just got married.  And Mazel Tov, we bless you witheverything.  One holy couple here, one holy couple over there. Can you rise maybe, we all want to bless you.  Can you just standup?  They are the sweetest, they are the best.  I should be angrythat you didn't invite me to the wedding, but I guess  you didn'thave my card yet.   
	(second side of tape)...obviously I like your face, otherwiseI wouldn't marry you, hopefully, so why do I cover it?  Do youknow why the groom is telling the bride?  What's the beginning ofall relationships.  Do you know what the groom is telling thebride.  I swear to you, it's clear to me that I don't know you. It's clear to me.  And I hope everyday G-d will reveal to me howlittle I know you.  
	You know the good parents are not those who say I know mychild.  When I see a father or mother telling me I know my child,I'm ready to adopt those kids, poor kids.  You know why there isno peace in the world?  Because some people want to bring peace tothe world.  They say all about you, you're bad.  I know all aboutyou, you are disgusting, but I'll make peace.  It doesn't go thisway.  You know how the moon says?  The little I know about you ismaybe bad, but who knows how much you have there which I don'tknow yet.  
	And you know something, after we bless the new moon, we walkaroung saying, "Peace unto you, unto you peace.  And I say to themoon, "Thank you so much, giving me a little bit inside light,deeper than the outside."  You know, I'm sure your skin isbeautiful, but I would like to know the inside of your inside.  
	Maybe you know according to our tradition, on Rosh Hoshana,Yom Kippur, two books are open, the Book of Life, and the otherbook.  Do you know what the Book of Life is, or G-d forbid theother book.  The other book is not G-d forbid; you get up and youdie. No.  The Book of Death is when you are shallow.  Shallow,nothing.  The Book of Life is inside, inside, inside, inside.  
	You know when two friends meet, it's like New Year's.  It's a beginning, right.  In heaven, they open a book, for theirfriendship.  You can write it in the Book of Life or the otherbook.  You can write it in the book, not G-d forbid, I just wantto know your number, your address, and I know who you are, whatyou are, right.  I'd love to know where you keep your money,things like this, you know.  
	I don't want to say anything bad but sometimes singles askeach other, what do you do?  All those sun questions and sometimesyou are privileged that moon people meet each other.  Ah that's sodeep, so deep.  The deepest.
	I want you to know, according to our holy tradition, theBible, the Torah is written on parchment, but basically theletters occupy very little space.  The empty parchment, the emptyparchment is so deep.
	There were two great Kabbalists that were corresponding foryears, years, years.  They would write on top, "To my holy friendAvraham," signed, "Baruch".  And he would write, "To my holyfriend Baruch", signed "Avraham."  They would correspond for tenyears.  Someone would say to him, "What kind of correspondence isthis?"  He says when you write with your hands, you have to put ina lot of words.  When you write with your soul, you send justempty space.  
	Anyway friends, I bless you, you should have friends, whosend you long letters on blank paper... I bless you and me and allof us, we should see to it that the people that hate each othersuddenly, suddenly send  other, here's a blank piece of paper, andG-d should bless you and me, we should have different eyes, different eyes, not to see what is, but to see that which youcannot see.  You know, there's certain things you can see justwhen you can look, but there's certain things that unless you havetears in your eyes.. I don't mean tears of sadness, but tearsbecause it touches you so much.  Can't even see it.  
	Bless you with a good year, inscribed in the Book of Life,all of us.  I said to somebody this morning, not only do I want tobe inscribed in the Book of Life, I want to be on the same page asall the people I love so much.  I bless you the same.  Thank you.
	  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

