Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back to day number seven, and we're now on page 36 in the Orchis Sadikim he's boning Contemplate Ki ha'odam b'rov, midosav zu mishunamizu. In most of our traits, most of our traits are very different from one another and they conflict with one another sometimes. V'chol mido, mido toref estasa odom. And each one of our traits has the ability to pull at us in a different direction. This one pulls him this way, this one pulls him that way, and our evil inclination Tries to help in each of our negative traits and positive traits, each of our negative traits and positive traits, and tries to always confuse a person and pull him to do a negative with each of his traits and to use them for the worst possible way. It's like someone who's walking in the desert and in the desert. That this person is walking in the desert ופוגם בו דובים וערעיוס ונמירים וזהיבים. And in the desert that this person is walking in. Tigers and lions and bears and wolves attack him. ועוד הרבה מינים, המשחיסים and many other animals are there to attack him. הו איש הזה צריך לפקוח אינו ולהילוך אם עם כל איכות. And many other animals are there to attack him. He has to be careful to fight each one properly the bear and the tiger and the lion and the wolf and all the other animals, the snakes or whatever else, attacks him, and if he ignores one of those animals one time, all of these animals will obliterate him and eat him up.

01:49
So too with our traits, like going after our urges, uncontrollable desires and temptations, our hatred for others and our anger, and many, many of our other traits, which are always in a person's purview. They're always possible to awaken within a person. And if a person doesn't pay attention to them and doesn't correct them and doesn't have the ability or the focus to correct them, ya'akor me'libu or ha'emes v'yomesh choshech V'al zeh ne'mar shivisi Hashem l'negdi samid If a person doesn't correct these traits, these negative traits, then all of the light of truth and closeness to Hashem will disappear. And this is what the verse tells us in Psalms in Tehillim. I shall always place Hashem before me at all times, at the moment that a person was born.

03:03
He is weaker at the time of birth than any other animal. He is weaker at the time of birth than any other animal, all the other animals, when they're born. As soon as they're born, they are able to walk and they're able to eat and they're able to protect themselves and help themselves. But mankind, when we are born, it takes a lot of effort to raise that child and to give them the ability to eat on their own and to walk on their own and to talk on their own and to do all the things that are necessary. And just as a person needs a big tikkun, a big correction in his body to be able and training of the body in order to be able to be self-sufficient, so to our soul, which is a reflection of our body or parallel to our body, our soul needs that kind of cure to perfect it and to bring it to its ability to be able to protect itself, for it to understand wisdom and to understand, to protect its wisdom, to perfect its wisdom and to understand the proper ways. Because man in his beginning, on his onset, will act like an animal. But our soul is like a fresh board, a fresh whiteboard, a fresh piece of paper that we can write anything on it. Piece of paper that we can write anything on it. If this pen and paper goes to the hand of a silly, you'll just color on it and draw on it and, you know, make, make markings on it until the whole paper will be filled with scribbles and there'll be no value to the paper. But a wise person has that same blank sheet of paper. That same paper can become a newspaper. That same paper can become a newspaper. That same paper can become a math algorithm. It can become. A lot of great things can come from that little paper if you use proper wisdom.

05:38
Two people have the same potential. They have the paper, they have the pen. But one is using his wisdom to build the future airline, to send a rocket up to space, to perfect his traits, maybe even create a livelihood for him and his family. Another person is just doodling around. So too with a person's heart. A silly person takes his pure soul, his pure heart, his neshama, his capabilities of his body and his soul and just wastes it and he fills his heart with nonsense and silliness. And those who are wise, and he fills his heart with nonsense and silliness, and those who are wise, they will write. Those who are wise will use that same potential, that same opportunity, and fill it with the will of Hashem, which is the foundation of all Torah and mitzvahs and all wisdom in Judaism and all of the good character traits of mankind. Ad asher, yizharu, nafshosam, kizor, harekia, until all of his thoughts, emotions and actions will be conducted within the framework of a Torah philosophy, until their souls shine with the brightness of the firmament, so clear. And this is what King Solomon tells us, what Shlomo Amalekh tells us in Mishle, in Proverbs Tie them to your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart. So I want to just share with you a quick story.

07:32
Many years ago, I was teaching a course on Midos. It was an ongoing series and one of the participants after class we concluded the class she said you know what's the topic next week? I said the topic next week is patience. So she says you know what, rabbi, I really appreciate it, but I'm such a patient person I don't think I need to come to that class. I don't need to learn anything about patience. I'm really a patient person. I said well, you may not know what the definition of patience is. So she said okay, you know what, maybe I'll come Either way. She came to the class the following week and we patients and we learned through Hazal about what it means to be a someone who's patient. And at the end of class she announced she says you know last week. I said at the end of class. Maybe I don't need to come because I was patient, she said. But then I realized sorry, there's the week later that she said, after learning about patients, she realized how impatient she was. She was pulling out after that class of patience. The following week she said she was honking at the car in front of her. Let's go move it, let's go merge into traffic already, let's go. She realized how impatient she was.

08:44
Many times a person doesn't realize the traits that we possess, the positive and negative traits, which is why it's important for us to learn through this forum, which we're going to do together, hopefully through the journey of Orchis Tzaddikim, where we're going to learn through each and every trait and understand first, what is this trait, what is this trait? And once we understand what it really is, we can start internalizing one second do I actually possess this trait, positive and or negative and see whether or not it's something that we hold perfection in or something that maybe, perhaps, we need to attain perfection in as well. Hashem should bless us all. We should continue to grow and I'm looking forward to day eight tomorrow, our learning together.