Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back, my dear friends, to way number 17. We're on page 80. Hagava b'malas hachochmo hi mishubachas. Pride in the quality of one's wisdom is praiseworthy as it is written. But let he who praises himself praise himself for this being wise and knowing me, and he shall add praise to the Creator for having granted him knowledge and understanding and good traits through the prayer for wisdom. Al shachon ano day of haskel v'midostovos v'tfilas hachachma, with a special prayer that we're going to say now. And what is that prayer? Mo dani l'fanecha praise are you Hashem? I praise you, hashem. She samto chelki miyoshu beis hamedrash velo samto chelki miy. You placed my shir among those who study your Torah and not among those who are idling in the alleyways as well. We see, the verse tells us how praiseworthy are we that we have a portion that is so pleasant. His heart became elevated in the ways of Hashem Ki ye'adam yikar ruach u'gval le'v be'iney ha'olam ha'bo Sh'lo yaspik lo be'ma she'izdamen lo be'lo yomer aday be'ma she'timtze yodo me'en Elo yimat be'enov kol ma'asehu visigba nafshu l'malotamit. So he says like this in the pursuit of wisdom and understanding talent. Okay, if we stop for a second and understand talent, god gives every person their talents. Some people are talented writers. Some people are talented readers, like proofreaders. Right, they're very talented people. They're able to pick up nuances, they're able to pick up things. There are people who are talented singers. There are people who are talented orators. Talent, that's gift, a gift, a gift from the Almighty. It's a loan from the Almighty. So what? I shouldn't take any pride in the gift that Hashem gave me. Take pride, but recognize it's a gift. But all of his deeds in this area should constantly aspire upwards and he shall take himself to task for falling short of the service of Hashem Meaning. I'll tell you a quick story. There was once a boy who overheard his parents. This is way, way back. There was a boy that I'll tell you the story the correct way. There was a rabbi who wrote a book and at the celebration of the book he made a very, very big of completing the book he wrote. He made a very big festival, a very big party, invited many people, and people came and he he started speaking and he says I want to, I want you to know that this book, this book you know the source of this book and everybody today knows this book is the one of the most brilliant books in Talmud. He says let me tell you the story of this book.

03:47
He says when I was a little boy, I was what we would call today adolescent ADHD, a little bit troublemaker. He says he overheard his parents talking about him and they said what are we going to do with him? What are we going to do with him? Look at him, he's not learning. We have him a teacher that we hire to tutor him. He doesn't learn. He's not growing, he's not. Let's send him to the shoemaker. At least he'll make good shoes, he'll become a good shoemaker. He heard that. He says what my parents are giving my parents, I don't think I can become a Torah scholar. See, he went and started sitting in what we call Yiddish steiging. He started studying intensely in Yeshiva and learned and learned and learned.

04:35
He says this book is a result of the dream I had that night. He said that night I had a dream. That dream I came to the heavens and the heavens said to me Naftalke, which was his name, naftali Naftalke, where's your book? He says me book. I'm a shoemaker. I'm a shoemaker. What are you talking about? Book? I don't have no book. I'm a simple guy. I made shoes for the father of the bride, so he was able to walk his daughter down the aisle with pride, with joy. Me, I'm a simple guy. Me, I don't write books. He said no, no, no, but I sent you down to that world to write a book on the Talmud. And he says this is that book, this is the book that I'm celebrating, that I just concluded its authorship, I just concluded writing this book. He says this is that book that I was sent to this world for, not the shoes.

05:36
Many times we don't realize Hashem gives us a gift and we're like what? I wrote? Great songs, yeah, but you know what? If you would have spent the right amount of time and the right focus, you could have written another thousand songs that could have inspired many more people. You think about it.

05:51
Think about how much talent there is in the music world I'm talking about the secular, non-jewish music world and they're busy with crack and cocaine and you name all of the terrible things that they're busy with. Imagine if they stayed focused. I have a gift, I have a talent and let me maximize it, not take it for myself, not be arrogant and say look at me, I'm so wealthy because of my successful number one album. No, god gave me such talent and I have to do more. But unfortunately that's not the way people think. But that's the way the Torah tells us. We have to think. You know what? If you're so much smarter, then finish Talmud again, another time and another time. You're so smart, why don't you know all of the Shulchan Aruch, all of the Code of Jewish Law? You're so smart, why don't we know all the five books of Moses inside out with the commentaries? So if we are so smart, that's great, but that only obligates us more.

06:59
V'zo'us ha'gava einu mazekas la'anova. He says, if you are proud, it doesn't. Being proud of your accomplishments does not mean or knowing your skills and your talents does not take away from your humility. I remember I asked my grandfather this question. I think I was about 14-15 years old. I said look, if I know that God gave me a gift of a specific trait, and I acknowledge that gift that Hashem gave me, does that make me arrogant? The answer is unequivocally. No One has nothing to do with the other. The fact that you know the gift that God gave you makes you responsible. You have to know the gift Hashem gave you.

07:45
Ach misayato v'goremes lo lismach b'malos atovos lismach b'chvod chaveirov v'lochus al kvodam. On the contrary, such pride is no impediment to humility, but assists it and causes him to rejoice with good qualities and in the honor of his friends and to be concerned with their honor, because he knows I was gifted with a certain talent. That doesn't mean I shouldn't help somebody else. It doesn't mean I shouldn't encourage somebody else. On the contrary, it doesn't have to all be for me. It's a gift from Hashem. It's one of the big challenges that people have. People are like if I teach them how to throw my pitch, then I'm not going to be relevant anymore, because everybody's going to know how to throw that pitch Right.

08:35
If you look at someone who is humble, someone who understands that it's a gift from Hashem, say go right ahead, please Let me show you. Help other people out, uplift them. Hagava neged harishah mimushubach hasma'od. And now there's a haughtiness against the wicked that is extremely praiseworthy Rebuking, shaming them, not humbling oneself before them. Lahukhicham v'lachlim osam v'lo yikana'al ha'. And he shall warn them and instruct them against their evil, even though the world will see this as being, oh, you think. You're a ruler over them. You're arrogant, you're haughty. Don't worry about what the world will see this as being oh, you think you're a ruler over them. You're arrogant, you're haughty. Don't worry about what the world thinks. You have to do what's right against the wicked Acharei shel libel, hashem sh'mayim, but only when you have confirmed that your intention is really for the sake of heaven. Harei zem eshubach, then it's praiseworthy. V'lo yikona la rish, then it's praiseworthy. Just like Mordechai did not humble himself in front of Haman, he didn't bow. Why? Because he was wicked, he was evil. So too, we don't bow in any place.

10:01
That there is a mitzvah for a person to do the right thing and people are going to mock him should not take notice of it. Don't pay attention. In fact, this is the first halacha in Shulchan Aruch. The first halacha in Jewish law is don't worry about those who will mock you. You know what. You're going to be in an airport and you're going to pray and people are going to laugh at you. You're going to be someplace and you're going to say a blessing before you eat and people are going to say like religion, oh, you think you're better than us. Oh, you think you're better than us. Oh, you're so righteous, oh, you think you're so great. Just do what Hashem asked you to do and don't pay attention to those who try to mock you. But you need some wisdom with this. You don't always have to fight against the evil. Sometimes just leave them alone. Don't pay attention, because if you fight them on one mitzvah, you might lose them for a hundred other mitzvahs that they could have been involved with. I'll give you an example to this in a minute with. I'll give you an example to this in a minute.

11:26
Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness. Don't stoop to their level. Answer a fool according to his foolishness. That's referring only to the wicked and the foolish. Therefore, a person has to introspect and a person has to consider, to calculate each situation independently. There's never a rule that fits every situation. You have to consider it at the moment and there are some things that you cannot ever let it, Some things you can abandon and some things you can never abandon in the service of Hashem, meaning that you can never let someone just walk away with a certain sin publicly without saying something.

12:41
And, for example, there are people today who are pro-Palestinian Jews. I've seen it with my own eyes Palestinian Jews. I've seen it with my own eyes Proud, proud, bubby, pro-palestine. Okay, I'm a Jewish lady. I saw a lady with a t-shirt like that. I'm a proud bubby, right. So what are they saying? They're standing there and saying from the river to the sea, palestine will be free. And they're saying all of this nonsense. What are they saying? They're saying, basically kill my fellow brothers and sisters. That's what they're saying. We're supposed to say no, no, no. That's something we're just not going to comment on. I'm just not going to comment on it, right? No, that's something that we have to stand up. Now.

13:23
There are other nonsense that we don't have to necessarily respond to, we don't have to talk about. We're talking about a world that's becoming crazier and crazier by the minute, where men want to go into women's locker rooms. What's going on Playing women's sports? I don't want to get into it because it's not our topic, but there's certain things that the halacha here, where the author here is telling us don't fight everything, because not everything needs a fight. Some things just leave it alone.

13:52
I'll share with you a story in one second V'chol zeh bidvar mitzvah Aval be'inyin ma'asomatan yikon alefnehem. He says that's regarding a mitzvah that we say that some things you have to stand up for and some things not. He says. But when it comes to business negotiations, that always forego, Just let them have it.

14:13
When it comes to money, just what do you want? Just give it to them, no problem, there's no need to fight about money. You know why? Because the exact amount of money that Hashem promises you you'll get. You'll get. And if they got that money, you're like, oh they stole that money from me, right? They're not going to enjoy that money, right? They'll have a leak in their house and they'll have to pay. Use all that money to pay for the leak, right? And they're not going to benefit from it, right? Money you have nothing to worry about. That's a different story. Okay, so this concludes day 17. Let me just share with you the story.

14:46
So we all know that we're dealing in a generation today that is plagued with a lot of confusion. Confusion, where we're dealing with people who are talking about all the I don't know the alphabet of identity, of, I would say, lifestyle choices that people are making. And I asked my rabbi because I have many people that I've come in contact with who have these lifestyle interests and want me to comment on it, and my rabbi has told me numerous times don't say a word why. I asked my rabbi. I said why? I don't understand. Why shouldn't I say anything? I mean, this is craziness we have to stand up for. You know, you have a federation that's doing a pride event for children. Really, really, this is craziness. Like why should I? Should say something? I should stand on the rooftop and scream and say this is nonsense, this is against the Torah, this is against Judaism, this is against everything.

15:59
The rabbi said don't say a word. Why? This is the answer, exactly what he said here. He said what's your objective in Houston? Your objective is to inspire Jews to come closer to Judaism. He says by standing up, although you're standing up for the truth of the Torah, you're going to push them away from a hundred other mitzvahs and therefore, even though we can be passionate about this to ourselves, to maybe our close circle, but in public, not a word. Why? Because you're going to push away the opportunity for them to come closer with a hundred other mitzvahs, and that we can't afford, my dear friends. That concludes day number 17.