Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back to day number 16. We're on page 75, and we continue here. The author says Even if you go in the ways of modesty, humility, and you're going to stand there and pray a long prayer, and you're going to stand there and pray a long prayer and you're going to learn regular learning, ye'ifat ha'ayetz ali, his ghost, the yetz ha'ara, the evil inclination, will try to come and get you to be arrogant. V'yomer l'cha ata haroim, he says. Now, those who see oscha b'nei adam v'yach shavucha v'yichabducha avur derachecha tovim, they're going to try to honor you and they're going to try to acknowledge your good deeds that you've done here, that you're sitting and learning and you're doing incredible things. And there is a result in great benefit, because now they look up to you and they're like, wow, a righteous person here. And potentially, because now they see that you're a good person, you're a righteous person, they'll accept. When you reprimand them, when you correct their ways, he says the Yetzahara is trying to get to yourimand them. When you correct their ways, Kol zehevel, he says the Yetzahara is trying to get to you. This is nonsense. Don't take the bait. The Yetzahara is trying to persuade you To do acts of arrogance, so that all these calculations. Oh, then Then you know. If they knew how great I was, then I'll have greater influence. He says this is nonsense.

01:44
Ki ba'asoscha ma'aseh tov. When you do a good deed, ta'asehu l'shem aborei boruchu levado. You know why you do good deeds Because the Almighty said so, period. That's why you do it for Him. That's it. Nobody else. U'bedivrei tochachtecho yiskablu bifneha olam. He says. And even if they don't know your good deeds and your good ways, they will accept your words because you're doing it, because it's the will of Hashem, because you really care about them when you're following what the halacha tells us is the best way to reprimand your fellow, to give criticism us is the best way to reprimand your fellow to give criticism. Ki ein kabalas atochacha tluya b'machshavosecha. Don't think that the way to inspire, influence others is because of what you think. It means we get caught up in thinking oh, if I do this, then I'll be able to influence people in a greater way. No, it has to do with your commitment and how you serve Hashem. And after you leave this way of thinking now, the Yetzir is going to come with another argument. We said he's going to come to you till death. The Yetzir, hara, is going to try to attack you, to tell you be arrogant. Take pride in your work, he says. He says it's impossible for you to do your work with a full heart, with a complete heart, till you completely remove yourself from arrogance.

03:24
כגון שתחס המעשה חטובים להרץ הופוך ממה שהיה כבר בליבך. תספע על קצר וכשתרצה ללמיד שום חכמה תסייחת ולא ידע שום עודם זולה סבורי ברוך הוא, ולא תראה בכה שום, he says. I use it. Opposite tactic he says you know something. You know how people will accept your status and how you'll really be a righteous person if you hide everything from everybody. Don't pray a long prayer like a righteous person. Say every word carefully. No, no, no. Make it very short, very short, right, don't, don't. Don't. Say every word carefully, no, no, no. Make it very short, very short, right, don't, don't. Don't.

04:08
When you want to teach something, no, no, no. Go into a room alone and learn your Torah. Nobody should know the Torah that you know. Don't share it with anyone. So, no, you shouldn't be arrogant. So he's telling you to go the opposite extreme we. He says nobody needs to know what Torah you know. Nobody needs to know what Torah you know. Nobody needs to know what. You don't need to teach it to anybody else. You shouldn't. Nobody should know that you're God-fearing. You're going to fill in. He says just be like a regular person. He says you don't have to learn appropriately, you don't have to fulfill your mitzvahs appropriately, just be one of the people. Just be one of them.

05:29
Again, what's the Yetzirah's tactic here? Opposite extreme, extreme Run away from everything so that way people will just think that you're a regular guy and that's going to be so. You have to hide everything and, in a way, really trying to persuade him to leave the proper way of observance of connection. To Hashem Kol zeh mi'inyonei ha'yetzer. Lilkod b'nei adam b'rishto. He says this is another tactic of the Yetzahara, trying to get us to just run away from all of our good deeds so that nobody ever know that we were ever good. Run away from it so that nobody will know Ve'aoseh inyon zeh l'shem mitzvah. He Run away from it so that nobody will know Someone who does this mistakenly for the purpose of running away from arrogance. He says his loss is thousands of times more than his benefit. It's like running away from a small little bonfire into a big, big, massive. You know fire, you know a big wildfire, he says. But what's the proper way. What's the right way for a person to conduct his life? Pray appropriately. You take the time that you need. You're talking to God. There's no need to rush. Say every word appropriately. He should command himself to the ways of goodness and warn himself and others from the ways of evil, of the wicked, and do the right thing. Whether it's revealed or not revealed, do the right thing. If people praise you for the good things that you do, you're not losing out. So what? So they praised you. Did you do it for that intention? No, people noticed you did a nice thing, so they're praising you.

07:36
I remember once, after I was in the former Soviet Union and I ran many, many programs there, I was very, very excited with the incredible opportunities I had to be with these children and influence them In the former Soviet Union. It was 1996, 97, 98, 99. And it was like it was really special. It was a special time and I was very, very dedicated. I remember I went to my grandfather once and I said to my grandfather I asked him this question.

08:07
I said is it arrogance that people praise me for the things I'm doing? I'm doing, thank God, hashem has blessed me to be able to do good things, but people are praising me for it and it makes me feel good. It makes me feel good that people, when people acknowledge it, is that arrogance. So my grandfather asked me this question. He said are you doing it for that? I said no. He says that's not a problem. So they're noticing your good actions, your good deeds, and they're acknowledging it.

08:34
That doesn't mean you're arrogant. But if you put a big banner on your chest I'm the greatest in the world, I'm the best pitcher, I'm the best hitter, I'm the best quarterback, I'm the best Me, me, me, me, then that would be arrogance. But if other people praise, you did it for that. You didn't do it for that. You did it to do the right thing, you did it to do the will of Hashem. In that case you would not be considered arrogant. L'chein.

09:00
Therefore, be'eisa shetasa, ma'aseh tov, when you do a good deed, tavchin be'atzmecha mimmi atamekaveh agvul. He says evaluate in your mind. Who are you expecting a reward from? Who are you expecting honor? From who are you expecting to be praised by? If you only want Hashem's praise, that's a perfect deed, perfect, perfect deed. The only thing is, I want Hashem to be happy, avol imacher. But if you're only doing it so that other people acknowledge. Oh, that people will like on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok. People will like what I'm doing. People will acknowledge people, people, people, people. That is impure and that is something that a person should be concerned about. V'gam tavchin, I will tell you, I know somebody who opened up an institution and I asked him when you opened up the institution, what were you thinking?

10:01
He says I only want to fulfill the will of Hashem. I want this to be a place that is Hashlem Zehabin and it should be a perfection of this edifice that I'm creating, that it should be one that brings Hashem's glory into this world. That's what I want it to be. I said if that's what you want, I guarantee you it's going to succeed, because sometimes you have institutions that fall apart because of politics. They fall apart because of all of this different right. Why? Because maybe it wasn't founded on the right principles, on the right intention. Maybe they wanted so that their neighbors will say, wow, wow, they're doing such a nice thing, or so that people can find favor. They can find favor in people's eyes.

10:47
She says Also evaluate. He says a person has to evaluate if this action that you're doing right now, if nobody was here and you were all alone in a room, will you do the same action? If you would, if indeed you would do the same thing if nobody was here. To me, this is a great example. Okay, so what happens if the class that I teach doesn't have as many people as it normally should have, or as many as I expect or as many as I would like? Would I teach the same way, with the same passion, with the same focus, with the same intention as if? Same focus, with the same intention as if there was a whole bunch of people? That means nothing should change why? Because you're teaching the word of Hashem. So what does it make a difference if it's one person or if it's 100 people? It shouldn't make a difference. It's the word of Hashem. It shouldn't make any difference.

11:53
All that we mentioned from the evil inclination. It's not even one drop of the ocean that you have to be cautious of the Yetzirah, because he's so sly and he's so cruel. The Yetzirah is constantly trying to snatch us and to get us to break away from our path of goodness. Ki b'chol dover, b'chol maser, b'chol midah, bo hayetzel, eshachis olakalkel. In every trait, in every action, he's always coming to destroy and to ruin. Ach b' be potachnu petach lo hodia inin ayetze l'mi shlo yoda tchila astrochav. We only over here the author is saying. I only brought a few examples just so that you understand to what extent the Yetzirah he says. But continue to learn on your own, because it's not so simple. The Yetzirah doesn't just shy away. V'hechocham yavin v'yimair l'salkehu mitocho v'tohor yadayim Yosef ometz. He says the clean-handed man will increase strength. And this is from Job 17, verse 9. And this concludes day number 16.