Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back everybody to day 33. We begin the fourth chapter, the chapter of Azus. Azos is difficult to translate exactly, whether it be brazenness or arrogance, like a type of chutzpah. We're going to talk about it and hopefully it'll become more understandable exactly what this trait is referring to. Ha'azos hi midogrua b'rov pu'uloseh. We're on page 175 in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchos Tzaddikim Ways of the Righteous, and this is again chapter number four, the Gate of Arrogance. Ha'azos hi midogrua b'rov pu'uloseh. Vi hi hipoch mimidas ha'busha.

00:43
We spoke previously about the trait of busha, which is having a little bit of shame, a little bit of humility, a little bit of dignity, and this is the opposite of it. It's a certain brazen character where someone has a total disregard, someone who is a Baishon, someone who has shame or a little bit of a self-awareness, is forgiving, is forgetting, is kind, is patient. But someone who is brazen and has this chutzpah, he doesn't have any type of. He's a person who acts in evil ways that have no shame and strengthens himself in evil and hardening himself in transgression. They made their faces harder than rock. They refused to repent. And it states as well in Ezekiel v'habonim, k'sheponim v'chizkeleif children are hard of face and hard of heart. So someone who's just brazen in what he does v'chol ha'malos ha'tovos, v'nemoros ha'labusha and all of the wonderful qualities that we spoke about in the trait of shame is the exact opposite. When we talk here about this trait of arrogance or brazenness or chutzpah, when someone is overcome with this negative trait, people don't respect such a person and he's despised by others. And even if he's wise, someone who has this character trait of azus, of brazenness or, again, chutzpah, is despised by others, even if they have great wisdom and many other terrible things get pulled along with us Because he's with total disregard to others. He's not going to walk away from a good fight, from an argument, he's not going to try to escape an argument, and hatred and envy will be filled in this person. And anyone who is arrogant in this way is denying his own lineage, because the Torah says this is not one of the traits of a Jewish person and you have to be very, very concerned about possessing this negative trait. He will not be respectful for the great or gracious to the aged and in his arrogance, finds it easy to commit all of the transgressions of the Torah. And all of this because of his brazenness.

04:13
The Olov Nemaran about such a person. It says a brazen-faced to Gehenna. This is in Ethics of Our Fathers, chapter 5. Ha'az Nikorash, someone who's brazen like this is considered a rasha, a wicked person. Sh'nemar ha'az ish rasha b'fanov.

04:35
Ve'arishoyim migunim u'mu'usim u'fnei Hashem yisbarach, a wicked, brazen person, is despised and despicable in the eyes of Hashem V'shem harishoyim miguneh. Yedachsiv v'shem rishoyim yirkov. Because we know the name, the very name is despised. Why of such a person? Why Because the name of the wicked will rot, says King Solomon in Proverbs Al-Abbusha Nemar and more about what we said previously about Busha, about shame, someone who has this soft, kind, humility about them, and he will teach the humble his way.

05:24
And about the wicked, arrogant one, about the brazen person, it says and he will twist the way of the wicked One who has this arrogant trait. He does mounds of transgressions and still considers himself righteous because in his brazenness can't see any of his flaws. This is the intent of the formula of confession. We are not so hard-faced and stiff-necked as to tell you, o Hashem, our God and the God of our fathers, that we are righteous and have not sinned. Ein onu azei panimu k'shei orif lomro lefanecha Hashemu lakini v'lakav esenu tzadikam anachav v'lachotanu Aval anachnu chotanu. But we did indeed. We have indeed sinned.

06:25
And this is a sickly trait for one to be wicked and to say I have not sinned. Someone who does something wrong at least should have the temerity, the ability to admit I did something wrong. But someone who's so brazen no, I didn't do anything wrong we've all in our mind can imagine of someone who has this brazen, this chutzpah, and has a total disregard for rule of law, total disregard for dignified people, for holy people, for righteous people, just a disregard for humanity. This is not a Jewish trait, and about such a person, the Almighty judges him without pity. For this is what is, as is written. Behold, I will enter into judgment with you for saying I have not sinned. God has no mercy, no pity, just for saying that you didn't sin, just for saying that you didn't sin. And we know that the verse says he who conceals his sins will not succeed, but he who confesses and forsakes them will be treated mercifully.

08:00
Someone who has this brazenness, this bold-faced arrogance, is very far from the path of repentance and from the way of good. As it is written about the. She hardened her face and spoke to him, meaning she was arrogant. This trait is extremely evil, for it leads one to shame his friend and the poor, as it is written, someone who has no pity, no mercy. Sometimes you see these videos of people who are beating others because they have no compassion. I'm sure you've seen these viral videos.

08:44
Today I don't even go on social media anymore because it's filled with all of this insensitive, unkind, you know, portrayal of the worst of humanity, and we need to be influences for positivity, for good, and and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and and. He says and stiffens his neck and his face against the reprovers in the greatness of his arrogance, then this trait removes him from the world. He should remove it from his soul. It's important for a person to work and recognize that when he has a negative trait like this, it's not a death sentence on them, but it's a tool to change. Death sentence on them, but it's a tool to change. And we should never give up by saying oh well, god gave me such a brazenness, so that's who I am and let's just live with it. No, we have to work on it. But this trait is very commendable when employed in divine service. Right, someone who is able to now overcome challenge because of that brazenness. I'm going to overcome and I'm going to fight for good. I'm going to fight for doing the right thing. Hardening one's face against the wicked, stiffening his neck against those who do not accept, against them, not to accept their counsel, not tolerating their lies and abominations and not flattering them.

10:57
One must harden one's face in the performance of mitzvos, even if people ridicule him. That is a good type of brazenness. Yes, people are going to laugh at me, people are going to mock me for being Jewish, people are going to mock me for my yarmulke and for eating kosher, and I'm going to be, like we're saying here, stiff-necked to do the right thing. Oh, that's a positive. And we know that every one of these traits has a positive and a negative side to it. The negative is what we want to stay away from. The positive is what we want to embrace.

11:30
If a person has this trait, don't use it for negative, use it for positive. If people will mock you and ridicule you for performing mitzvahs, then you have nothing to worry about. This is the exact trait that you need, and you know what else you need brazenness. If you're shy and don't want to ask questions to your rabbi, break through it, don't be shy, do it and don't be embarrassed. And sometimes you'll need a break out of your shell as well to give a constructive criticism to those who are sinners.

12:25
And a person has to control this trait and, when this trait shows up in a negative form, to overcome it and to have the strength to battle it. Because it's very difficult to overcome this trait and because it's going to take a lot of work to overcome this trait, with all of your might, all of your strength, to conquer it and remove it from himself wherever it is uncalled for and to stamp it within him and upon his face wherever being stiff-necked would result in his being rewarded. So stiff-necked would result in his being rewarded. So there is a right time and a right place for everything. And when we hear Day 33 in our journey through the book of Orchah Tzaddikim, teaching us the way of how to live our lives, we conclude now the chapter of this brazenness of Azus. And now we're going to move on to the trait of love on day 34.

13:52
But we have to again reiterate the importance of using every trait in the positive way. If a person has the urge to pick a fight, don't pick a fight with good people. Don't pick a fight and be obnoxious. Pick a fight to fight the evil. Be brazen, be strong to stand up for what you know is right now. How do we know what's right? Hashem tells us what's right, and so we have a Torah. That's the absolute guide for morality and appropriate behavior, as guided by the Torah. My dear friends, this concludes day number 34 and the fourth chapter of Orchos Tzaddikim.