Day 9 - Having the Right Tools (Orchos Tzadikim)
00:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
All right, welcome back to day number nine. We are still in the introduction, the final introduction of the Orchis Sadikim, and we're on page 41. Zas, sefer Nikos, sefer Amidus. This book that we're about to learn together is called the Book of Traits, the Book of Character Hu nichta v'nechta mitabas hachochma. It is written and sealed with the signet ring of wisdom to teach a man how to live life, to teach men wisdom, For every person to have the tools in their hand to correct and to perfect their character traits, because the tradesman, any tradesman, any profession who has the proper tools for their trade will be able to do his labor, his work.
01:02
Like we've mentioned numerous times, a dentist who doesn't have dentistry equipment can't do his work. If he only has plumbing equipment, he can't do any dentistry and vice versa. If a plumber only has electrical work equipment, he can't do his work in plumbing. When a person doesn't have the right tools, he won't be able to do his work. My son, listen carefully to these words. Take your proper tools to correct your traits. Hello Tira, you will see.
01:44
Mi shi yesh lo harbe mine, matbeos, ketanos, agdos, ve'en yodea, arkon v'shavion. It's like someone who has a variety or a collection of valuable coins but doesn't understand their value. Lo yeda maliknos b'chol echas. He won't know what you use a dime for, what you use a quarter for, what you use a quarter for, what you use a nickel for, what you use a dollar for. He doesn't know because he doesn't know their values. At sheyeda erech shol kol matbea. Till he knows what each coin is valued at then he knows what he can buy with each one. Ve'gam tzeruch leida eiza matbea pos al ha-melch. Ve'gozer aleo shol leila hits.
02:24
You also have to know what is contraband, and there are certain things. For example, there's a story that's told about the great Levi Yitzchak from Berditchev just a quick side story where on the night of the Seder he asked his people, his followers. He says before we start the Seder, I need you to find me some snuff. Now snuff was illegal back then in Russia. Snuff you can only get from Turkey. And he didn't. It was impossible to get it, it was contraband.
02:59
So they went around and they finally found some snuff and they brought it to the Rebbe. Then the Rebbe said I want you to go and find me a Persian rug. They said you can't, it's illegal, it's contraband. You can't find any, nobody has that. He says please go find it. And they went, knocked door to door and sure enough, also this, even though it was contraband people had a rug, and then or a scarf, and and then or a scarf. And then he said I want you to go around to every house in our community and find chametz. I said chametz, it's Pesach. He says I want you to go find chametz. And sure enough, they went to every single home and they couldn't find even one single speck of chametz.
03:43
So he turns to heaven and he says God, look at your children, what they have contraband from the Russian government. That you're not allowed to have scarves or certain garments that are made in Persia. That they have, even though it's their life that's at risk. They have that Snuff they also have. But your commandment in your Torah not to have chametz on Pesach, not to have one little speck of leavened bread, your commandment in your Torah, which has no death penalty attached to it, that they fear God, they have fear of Hashem. So we have to understand that there are things that Hashem says. There are certain things that are contraband. There are certain things like arrogance. Arrogance is contraband. God says do not act in your life with arrogance. And if the king has a coin, he says this is a private coin, a private collection. Nobody should ever expose this to the eyes of the public or you'll be punished severely. So we all know that there's contraband, all types of contraband. If you use it, you'll get punished. So we know no one would ever use contraband if he was going to get punished.
05:05
נאים צו שזה האיש מגיע בכו מדבי ומדבי טובה ולשמחה, אבל הטיפה ששלא יש כבלו יריך ויוציא מה שפוס על המלך. אין סופק שיגיע לו הסוכל להזק גדול. So we know that if someone uses that contraband openly, they'll be punished. It's like you're driving an unregistered car, you're using an unlicensed object. We know that you'd be punished by the government. So too, he says if we have traits and he's going to read this out in a minute that if we have traits, that the Almighty says don't live your life with that trait. And we live with that trait, like we mentioned arrogance, jealousy. And we'll go through many of these traits throughout the journey of this book.
05:53
Kach ha'moshla zeh ha'nim shal al rov, midos shebcho, midos gdolos and midos ketanos. Whether they're big traits or small traits Ve'tishko kol mido mido bepeles chochmoscho we have to evaluate with a level each one of these traits At she teida eroch kol mido v'mido, to know the significance of each trait. Ve'teida ha'midos, ha'shapos ha'l me. Significance of each trait. So too, we have to make sure that certain traits, whether they're visible or not visible, whether they're in our heart or they're on display in the way we act, we have to be careful. If the Almighty God, creator of Heaven and and Earth, says that we should not be acting in our day-to-day lives with these traits, we have to be very, very careful not to have these in our possession and if they are being used, these negative traits, only in a place where they're positive and used in the right way. Through such conduct, through such paying attention, we will get to a point of Shlemos, of perfection. You'll be a tradesman who has the right tools for your trade, has the right tools for your trade. Now we're going to go out into the journey of these traits.
07:24
We're concluding now the introduction of the Orchis Sadikim. Our goal is to unravel the traits and the nature of each person and we're asking assistance from the Almighty. That the Almighty guide us, that he guide us to the right path of how to conduct our lives and the path of justice to teach the Jewish people, the nation of kindness, to go in the proper way. And one more piece here before he begins the first trait, which is the trait of arrogance, where we talk about the negative elements of arrogance, hashar HaRishon.
08:26
This first chapter that we're about to embark on, we're going to talk about arrogance, about haughtiness, and it's appropriate that it comes before all the other traits, because it is so critically important for every person to extract himself and remove himself completely from this negative trait, because this is the opening for many, many negative aspects of our life, many negative results in our life. And we haven't seen such terrible, awful impact on a person like the trait of arrogance. Someone who's arrogant, as we'll see in the coming episodes, in the coming chapter, it's very, very difficult for someone who's arrogant to become close to Hashem and our goal and our journey in life is to be as close has to be wise and clever, to properly conduct his life without this negative trait of arrogance. And when it is required and it is proscribed that this is the right place to use it, then to use it with great caution. My dear friends, I look forward to the next episode where we will journey on into the trait of arrogance and haughtiness with Hashem's help. Thank you so much and have a magnificent day.
