Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - Rav Gav (Guest)
That was a big. Uh, that was a big. You want to start over? No, you sure I just realized what's going on. What are you going to go with this audio? What are you going to go with? We can start over Action.

00:16 - Intro (Announcement)
From the Torch Studio in Houston, texas, featuring leaders and personalities from Jewish communities around the globe. This is the Sunday special edition of the Jewish Inspiration Podcast with Rabbi Ari Abole.

00:37 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
All right, welcome back everybody. Welcome back to the Jewish Inspiration Podcast. We have a Sunday special like none other. We have my dear friend Rav Gav from Jerusalem. We're friends for many years. I don't even know where we met at first.

00:50 - Rav Gav (Guest)
I think originally Torch. I think you brought groups to Israel.

00:53 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
That is correct. I remember that, oh, in.

00:56 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Dallas. Were you in Dallas when Shabbos was? I was. That's right, you didn't have your gun with you. I don't know.

01:09 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I feel naked without my gun. My dear friends, I hope, my hope and prayer is that we continue to be inspired and we learn from Rav Gav something new, something that's incredible. From his story, from his life, I hope there's something that we're able to take to instill into our daily lives. So, Rav Gav, tell me a little bit about your life, yeah.

01:24 - Rav Gav (Guest)
I'm going to tell you when you come from. Oh, I'm going to tell you where I go, we'll see. I just want to first tell you that you fall down. You get back up We've heard the expression before. They sing it in a song or whatever it is. We go through life, we do things and we fail, and then maybe you give up or whatever it is. My friends, this is take two. We recorded eight minutes and they realized it's not recording, but at least they noticed it then and we're going vital, we're pulling it again.

01:52
I've done this a few times where somebody I'm not going to say I have to be careful how I say this there was a person somewhere in the world that wanted to do a podcast I'm going to get to where I'm from and they said, okay, let's do it, let's do it, push me, push me, push me. Finally, okay, we did it first, 20 minutes. Nothing was going on, it's messed up, whatever. It took a full year until they put out the podcast and they did it. We did audio visual the whole thing and it was only audio and I was like we could have done this on the phone, like what. You know, he paid me the same. He's paying that. You're paying me. Now I'm gonna say, yes, it was a great price and all uh. Which is I mean, if anyone here, you could even probably pay triple and still afford it. But uh, anyway, you fall down, you get back up keep pushing, keep pushing.

02:39 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I actually just mentioned that in my class a few minutes ago yeah, I mentioned cheva Yipol Tzadik HaKam, that a person you know it says that the righteous fall seven times. I said what does that really mean, at least in my understanding, is that the state I mean seven is the number of nature. The nature of someone who is growing is that you fall. But do you know what else of a righteous person? They come, you get up Every time, it doesn't make any difference that you fell. Many people focus on the fall, focus on getting back up. That's right. So we're back up, that's right.

03:12 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Well, I mean going along with that theme, which I'm sure you mentioned either here or in the past Yipol is future. It's not seven fell, you fell seven times Yipol times Yippo. You're going to fall, thank you, that's very encouraging. By the way, kid, you go out there in life, you're going to fail. Hatzlacha, good luck. So what does that mean? The answer is yeah, like you said, it's a unit, it's a constant, it's going to happen. I think there's a Huttner, maybe, said maybe it's a Leishman. I think there's a H person, is not that the righteous guy doesn't fall, but he gets back up, he continues on. So, yes, this is take two and this is a great take two. I am originally from Woodmere. We're going to run through this. I was born in Manhattan, lived in Brooklyn, moved to Maryland, then to Passaic, new Jersey, then to Woodmere at the age of nine, just by the like why did I?

04:04
Because my parents did and I went along with them. They didn't really give me a choice on this one. I guess it was jobs. I'm assuming that's what it was. You know, my father was working here, there, everywhere, until finally we ended up in the everywhere. What did your father do?

04:23 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
He's a fundraiserad.

04:24 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Ezra Vashulamit, which is a service Many, many, many many people that are lacking in funds to be able to live their lives. So, yeah, he's a fundraiser at Parks and Lands, which is why I know all the tips and tricks of all the fundraisers, whatever they call me. They say I want to thank you, Without you, we wouldn't be able to do this. And I say, listen, we cut to the chase. How much money do you want? You know, this is the bottom line. Like I got it, you will see, my father wrote that script.

04:50
Yeah, I just got a call from someone. They go, this organization, you will save this boy. And I can hear like papers it goes David. So I said can you do me a favor, hold on a second? When's his birthday? When's Dov's birthday? They're like I don't know. I'm like I thought you know, like are you talking? They're like no, I'm like alright, how much money do you want? It was like tacos, you know anyway. So they move, they get to work and whatever it is, they'll finally Woodmere at the age of standard protocol after high school. Go to Eretz, Yisrael, go for yeshiva for a few years.

05:24
Get married gap year, whatever it is. I ended up going and I'm on my 25th year and I went there and I stayed there, but I started off as an orish. I am OJ, then in OJ, it's like I like to call it you know O and J. No one really does that but me. But anyway, which I haven't come up with anything yet, I guess Tomo, you know, and then I got married in the meantime, then Eshatorah, that is the basic rundown, yeah.

05:50 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
And at what point did you decide that you want to go into Jewish education?

05:55 - Rav Gav (Guest)
So there was never really a thought process of going into Jewish education as a youngster growing up in the 90s. My goal was to make money. That was my goal. Make cash money, that was my goal. Make cash money, that's what it's all about. Then I went to a camp called NCSY. Colel was just a mix of those coming from secular backgrounds, religious backgrounds, and I drank some serious Kool-Aid, which I don't think most people even know what that means anymore, that phrase. But anyway, the point is that I got in.

06:25 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I'll tell you who knows the mothers know the mothers exactly.

06:26 - Rav Gav (Guest)
They don't want their kids drinking that Kool-Aid, do they? Yeah, my mother knew, yeah, yeah, so anyway, I went to camp and it really did a real turnaround to my mentality about what's valuable and this is what I call. It was a great place. We played basketball all day, we learned a little bit, hung out with guys that are older and cooler and you know, know everything about life.

06:42 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
You know, being three or four years old, what was that one switch that flipped in your head that said like, oh, okay, this is the right thing for me to dedicate my life to. This is what I you know I want to be doing Living for 25 years in Israel, raising a family there and being a rabbi in one of the most prominent Jewish institutions in the world, eish Hatorah, right across from the Western Wall.

07:06 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Yeah, there's no one particular thing. It's like ding, you know? Aha, that was it. There's a reality, I think. When people ask, how do you know what you're supposed to do in life, how do you know what your purpose is and whatever, I can't say that I know exactly, detailed down to whatever, but I feel fairly confident that I'm in the right. I don't know what the word to use.

07:28 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Right place I was going to say vocation?

07:29 - Intro (Announcement)
I don't think it's the right word.

07:30 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
It is what God wants you to do.

07:31 - Rav Gav (Guest)
I think this is what the Lord Almighty wants. I think this is along the lines I just thought of something funny, but yeah, it's something you told me a bunch of years ago. Anyway, gosh, remember the story you told me about you went out to lunch with the priest and about the questions and we don't do that that's a murderous story. I've said that story over many times. No, no, we don't ask questions because it's going to unravel everything. Okay, I know none of you. The inside discussion you'll explain later.

08:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
But the point is that— I'll tell you, I'll say later, but the point is that I'll tell you. I'll tell you the story. Tell the story. I was supposed to do the invocation for a Yad Vashem or something.

08:07
No, the Holocaust Museum. It was a big event and they said, okay, you're going to do it. It's going to be a multi Joint. Yeah, yeah, exactly Either way. It was going to be a priest or a minister or a pastor and a rabbi, and it's like the beginning of a good joke, Either way. So they said we want you to meet in advance and coordinate what you're going to say.

08:30 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Rabbi to peace. Walking into a Holocaust museum that's a great joke.

08:33 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
So we actually met at Starbucks and we're talking. We're just getting to know each other and getting to plan out what it is that we're going to talk, what are we going to say in our invocation? So we had a few agreements. The first one is that we're not going to say God or he's not going to say other names of gods, and we're just going to. You know, we can say God as a general, but that's it. You know, that was it. It was going to be very short, brief things, but they wanted us to plan it out Either way. In the process of getting to know each other, he asked me as a typical spiritual leader. See, he says where are you a rabbi? I said I'm. Actually. I'm not a rabbi of a congregation. I do education and I teach in many different congregations. That's what Torch does. We teach everywhere. So he said what?

09:19 - Intro (Announcement)
are you?

09:19 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
teaching right now. I said right now we're in the middle of a question and answer series and we're going from congregation to congregation. People can ask any question. Open your mic and just ask whatever you want. And I asked him, in total innocence. I asked him like do you ever do that in your congregation? Give people an opportunity to ask any question? So he pauses and he looks at me and he says you don't realize who you're talking to. He says in our religion there are no questions. And I was like a dumbfounded. I was like how is that possible? Like you know, in Judaism everything's about asking questions and you know, you look at the Talmud. You don't see a single line in the Talmud that doesn't have a question.

09:57 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Everything's about questions.

09:59 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
And you're constantly countering, you know, because he says you know we have to take a leap of faith because once you start asking questions, like it all falls apart. And I was like that moment of honesty was just, like you know, accidental almost. It was like like it was like I was shocked, like how, how is he actually saying that? But that that's the truth is like. I love it. When you pursue truth, it's all like questions doesn't intimidate us. On the contrary, it strengthens us. That's the truth is like. When you pursue truth. It's all like questions doesn't intimidate us. On the contrary, it strengthens us. That's right that's.

10:28 - Rav Gav (Guest)
I've used that many times. I've said this story over you shed as me a bunch of years ago and, and I said over in terms of I'm not scared to not have an answer. Like you know, if I don't know an answer, I'm not always going to get it, but I'm scared for you if you don't have a question, if you're not even thinking, you're not asking. You've got to ask, you've got to know what's going on. Be bothered, have a kasha. You could have at least a question, and even a challenge doesn't make any sense. That's fine. It's fine to have a question.

10:55 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I have a class that I teach every Sunday morning. It's called Everyday Judaism. We learn Jewish law, how to live as a Jew, and it is a very steep fee. Those of you online you're welcome to join us Everyday Judaism, sunday mornings at 11 o'clock. So what's the fee? Live online or in person, but there's a very steep fee and the fee is $199 per class, unless you come with a question. If you come with a question, it's free. You get a $199 rebate right and we don't mail it back to you.

11:31 - Rav Gav (Guest)
I would love to see the guy paying. Come on.

11:33 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
There's nobody who pays. Shockingly, there's nobody who pays, because all we want is really and the real purpose of it is not only that we learn halacha, that we learn that, as Jewish people, we need to ask questions. You need to have a rabbi that you go to, that you ask questions to, because if you don't ask, you're not seeking truth, you're not taking your education, you're learning to the next level. You have to always be bothered by something. What's going on over here? Yeah, yeah.

12:00 - Rav Gav (Guest)
So, going back to the original question of what was the turning point, the thing that made me know to think it's more of a, when you plug in to the wall and the electricity turns on, it's not a. So how do you know the electricity is working? Because the light's on. What do you mean? That's how I know. When I started teaching, it was not at all that. I saw that, because I first started with younger kids that they weren't interested and I was like if I would have taken that as my example of what I'm doing, I would have never taught the rest of my life. Then, by a series of events, I ended up teaching older you know, those that are interested it could be younger too, but that are interested and holy moly, the feeling of satisfaction and just of like the, the things came together. It's uh, it's more like it just the light turned on. So the light turned on, it's like, okay, this just makes sense. Now it's something I've been doing my whole life. That's the thing that you don't notice. That I, let me say. I didn't notice per se, but I enjoy giving over, I enjoy teaching, enjoy, you know, helping. Um, yeah, so so that it was. It was a series of processes that occurred and then just but the question of like the click to go in that direction, of living a life of not money but of other things.

13:14
I don't remember the conversations, don't remember them. I remember having conversations. I imagine the conversations were like the following I had a conversation with someone yesterday actually I don't know if I'm allowed to say his name, so I'll say it Healy. He picked me up at the airport and I probably shouldn't say his whole name, birnbaum and he said to me you know, a lot of people are chasing after money but aren't stopping to think what are you going to do when you get the money Now? What?

13:42 - Intro (Announcement)
So there you have it.

13:43 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Now what You're going to, you know, are you going to buy something? You're going to buy something else. You're going to buy something else, like, what are you going to do with the money? And I was like oh right, true. So I imagine that's where the conversations were when I was like 15, 16. Like, okay, you want to make that money. If you're smart with like little younger kids, you won't fight with them, you just let it play it out with them. Yeah, great, okay, what do you want to do with that? Yeah, well, I'll have the money. Then what? Like, then I'll buy stuff right you know.

14:10
So what? I imagine that's where it was, don't know for sure. And then it was just an awakening of like, okay, so then you're right. What is the then? What then? What do I have to do with my life? What's meaningful, what's purposeful? How can I feel that every day it's valuable and not that I'm doing something? For then it's going to be something, but now, yeah, right now, I tell you so. And now, what does Hashem want from you, just at this moment? Not about the future, not what's going to be in the Ulam Abba, even though we have the Mishnayas, the different teachings about the Ulam Abba. This world is just a corridor for the next world and all that jazz. It's all true, but it's also ahora, en el mundo, aquí. What are we going to do at this moment? So I can't even tell you. It was this conversation, it was that conversation. I think it was a series of being brainwashed, educated, of direction. Did I edit that? No, that's fine.

15:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Let's just go straight, people can handle it. Question how does it feel To me? It's like I remember when I learned in Aish, when I started my rabbinical ordination, training right. I started with Rabbi Berkowitz in Aish and then we moved out and he started the Jerusalem Kolol and then we moved to a different location. But I remember that period of time that I was coming to the old city, being by the Western Wall every single day. Does it ever get old? Does it ever feel? Do you ever feel numb to just like the awe of being in the greatest place on earth?

15:40 - Rav Gav (Guest)
So my daughter asked me recently how often do you go to the Kotel, to the Western Wall, which is, I exaggerate, not from where I quote unquote work to get there will take, with walking traffic, two minutes. I see it every day.

16:00 - Intro (Announcement)
It's right there.

16:02 - Rav Gav (Guest)
She said when's the last time? How often do you go? I said I don't know. I think the last time I was like 10 years ago. She's like what? She's like I would go every day, don't you think? Whatever the answer is, I can't speak for anyone else but me. Yeah, totally loses it. I'm so, I see it every single day. It's like so background. And I was like what do you mean the holiness? Okay, but what do you want from me?

16:30
When I moved from Passaic to Woodmere I remember this I was nine years old. I just turned nine. In June was my birthday, june 6th. We moved July 29th. I remember this as if it was as many years ago as it was and we moved. And Passaic, new Jersey, is not like Elizabeth, which is close to, let's say, newark Airport. We weren't close to an airport. Relatively speaking, it's not far. It's like half an hour or whatever.

16:58
I grew up in Woodmere, a 10-minute drive from JFK. There were planes going over my house every two minutes, every two minutes, like you know. It was loud, whatever, and two blocks away from a train station. I remember the first couple of weeks in Windmere. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't hear myself. It was insane. You know, it's like every couple of minutes it's like and I was like, ah, I could lose my mind. And then after a while I didn't hear it at all and it got to a point where I didn't even know there's a plane, unless I couldn't hear you talking to me anymore If you'd be standing in front of me. We're outside talking and I couldn't hear you. I'm like, why can't I hear you anymore? Oh right, because there's a plane going over.

17:37
Right, you get used to things in life. It could be loud as anything. How it is anything the loudest thing of an airplane that's literally 100 feet above your head. We used to try to throw basketballs at it, whatever it was before. There were a lot of cameras, so no one came for us, but we used to try to whatever. You get used to it. So you come to a place like the well, you'd never be able to get used to the wailing wall and it says, okay, call me, whatever you'd like.

18:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I did, I got used to it. So the question is is that a good thing or not?

18:13 - Rav Gav (Guest)
That we become numb to things. I think it's okay. Now, my initial thought would be that it's not a good thing. I think it is the reality. I'm saying good, bad, right, wrong. It is a reality of life. When you get used to things, you get used to things. Now, sometimes that could be used in positive, in terms of when a person wants to grow and something's very hard for them.

18:29 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I have two stories I want to share. First is Reb Chaim Shmulevitz, the great Rosh Hashiva of the Mir Yeshiva. They say that when he would go to the Western Wall he would go to the Western Wall, give it a kiss and leave, because he didn't want to become numb to the awe of the place. That's story number one. Story number two is that my grandfather I asked my grandfather, you know.

18:49 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Who's your?

18:49 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
grandfather, rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, my legendary grandfather and he was. I asked him when was the last time you went to the Western Wall? He said, oh, 25 years ago. So I said to him maybe we go, I would love to go with you. So he said I need some time to prepare. And for three or four weeks he still felt unready to go and then finally we went together. I took him um and it was. It was, but he needed four weeks to prepare himself to be in such a holy place. And we went and maybe we were there for five minutes and left because, like you're saying, it's like it's very easy to become numb and it's like this is the famous asks.

19:39
King David.

19:40 - Rav Gav (Guest)
King David wrote a book called Pesams and for those who know to read. It's Pesams and he writes in one of the chapters there he says I think it's chapter 131, is it 23? We'll go with that.

19:55 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
He writes oh, in second it's yeah.

19:58 - Rav Gav (Guest)
The David.

19:59 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I think so 23? No, I think it's 130, I think you're right. No, it can't be 130.30.

20:04 - Rav Gav (Guest)
It's Kuflam, oh, kuflam. Anyway, yeah, call in with what psalm it is. So King David writes I would like to sit in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. But then it says that I would like to be a visitor, to be a guest. So I do want to sit there, as in, like you, live there, I do want to be a guest.

20:27
The answer that I have heard many a time from my father is that maybe it's called in Bessalivia, I don't know, I'm not sure, but he says that both I want to be there all the time, but with the appreciation and the recognition of the sanctity and the holiness of the place. People say would you walk in the car? You're standing on the couch, would you do that in your house? The answer is yes, I'd do it in my house. I wouldn't do it in someone else's house, but of course I'd do it in my house because I'm so used to it. So, to be in a place which is so awe-inspiring and reverence, to be there often, but not that we should lose that level. Okay, so that's what you say. Is it a good thing or a bad thing? The answer is I think it's just a reality when it's a good thing is.

21:09
What I was starting to say is when it comes to an area where a person says it's hard for me to grow or do something, the answer is yeah, but like anything in life, it becomes second nature. If it always stayed as difficult as it was the first time, then it would be very hard to continue. Kol eschol eschosh all beginnings are difficult, but if you're willing to push beyond that, so then it gets easy, because you get used to it. Well then you get used to it. No, but then you're doing it. It's like an area Dieting, exercise all the beginnings are difficult, but once you push past that, then you can do routine and keep going. That's where it's a I used to always a bad thing. Rachman Alibaba he wants our heart, he wants us to be connected. It's not just doing stuff, it's like I want your heart, I want you to be connected with it. And that's where it's difficult to be able to do something and be connected with it.

21:52 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I think that's probably the biggest challenge, you know, because it's something that comes up very frequently in our classes, where you know people who are coming to Judaism at a later stage of life.

22:03
They're like, oh rabbi, if we only grew up like you, grew up in a religious home, everything would be so much better. I'm like you don't understand, and I bring the example of my two-year-old daughter, who we say Shema, together and she says every night before she goes to sleep, and she says Shema every time she goes to school in the morning, and by the time she'll be obligated to recite the Shema at the age of 12, she will have said it probably 10,000 times by that time. She is so numb to the words she's saying she has no idea what it is she's saying. It's like it becomes second nature, it becomes habit, and then you don't feel it. But when someone comes at a later age which is not, you know, everyone has its virtues and but it's very easy for anyone to fall into a situation it's one of the biggest lines I heard from the Momentum trips, jjrp, laurie Palanik's trips.

22:55 - Rav Gav (Guest)
She brings women to Israel and it's like Rabbi, if we had a rabbi like you when we were kids, then our lives would be very different. I always said me too, if I had a rabbi like me, I would also be very different. But it seems not true. Like I said, today I spoke in one of the schools and I spoke to the rabbis and I said guys, I want to just give you a bracha, I'll give you a blessing that you should be able to see strong, even though these kids look like they're totally not interested, simply because they're totally not interested. But you should be able to push through.

23:31
Is I can come in here and interest them because I'm I'm fresh mate, I'm fresh blood. You know like I'm coming in the first time. Give me a couple days here. They won't care. Like students at age, they go like you know they don't listen. Guys, they listen to me in texas. Listen, I'm worth it. You know we get used to things. It's, it's a challenge, it's a hard thing, but again they have that positive to be able to push through.

23:46 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Yeah, very good. If there's something that you can bring back from your childhood, what would it be?

23:56 - Rav Gav (Guest)
It's a funny question the way you worded it. I would bring back the innocence of not being involved in technology. That's what I would bring back. In other words, what I would change is not get involved with it. In other words, in particular, the world of the smartphone. I think it's the most destructive thing since the smartphone. It is incredibly destructive. But what do you mean? It does good things, I hear you it does. It does good things. It does if you use it for those things, but if you don't, then no. And now that's in terms of negative.

24:33
But then we also just have power of how much of my time has been sapped and taken away from my life because of the fact that I had such a thing. And the funny thing for me is it wasn't even for my youth. I got one much later in life. I got it only when I was just for scheduling, and it has a filter and it has the things whatever. It just takes away from one's life, oh, but we're doing something now a podcast, a thing and these things. Okay, I'm not saying not to be involved in any technology. You're allowed to have a toilet. It's great technology, all right.

25:04
What I mean to say is what I personally would change and, by the way, incidentally, it's one of my classes I'm big on now like talking about I'm not saying I never will, I don't know what's going to be, but that's why I have yet to use and I do not plan on using chat GPT, for the exact reason you just asked. What would I bring back? The answer is I wish I would have gone a certain direction and not fallen to something and I hear it is happening again in front of me an opportunity to jump into something that I feel like if I do that, I'm going to get sucked into that and it's going to take me like asking ridiculous questions. Who knows what? What knows who? You know what? It's okay, I could be lacking a little bit. Lose convenience in order to have meaning. That's my personal feeling. Lose convenience in order to have meaning. Yeah, I mean, what is technology? Technology is convenience. It's not about meaning and purpose.

25:48 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
It's primarily about convenience, right? See, I just want to share with you. I started using AI. Very interestingly, I use it for my podcast because, you know, after I'm done editing a podcast, what I do is I drop it into AI and it does a transcription and it does, you know, notes, class notes, you know, and it really is.

26:09
It's an amazing technology because there are times that it gives a summary of the hour-long class that in a million years I wouldn't be able to come up with such such accuracy and such creativity of how to like package what I just said. It really is like I'm dumbfounded by the brilliance that's in it. Like it listened to a 60-minute class or a 90-minute class. In three minutes it gave me every word, the entire summary of everything that was said. It gives you options of time. It's just absolutely brilliant. So I think it's a great use of the human mind to try to create such an uh, you know, artificial intelligence. But, um, there's definitely great, but, like everything in this world, there needs to be. So I'll tell you one of the one of the big challenges that I've heard many people because I talk about filters all the time. I talk about having a safety net, um, to ensure that we don't um, that we don't fall from it.

27:10
I have, by the way, on my phone a setting that on every app that I'm on, it'll pop up every five minutes how long I've used it for. So there's a constant reminder, and I keep on working on making it less and less, lowering that number, like even yesterday, late in the day, it said that on a certain app it was only on it for 15 minutes, which is like. It's an app that I need and I use regularly to communicate, but I want it to be as minimal as possible. I don't want to be dependent on it. But one of the things that I've been asked many times, like okay, so, rabbi, you're going to tell me now that your children, you're going to try to keep them away from a smartphone. You're trying to keep them away, like, aren't you limiting them, aren't you, you know, taking away their ability, right? My answer to that is well, I also try to keep them away from cocaine, you know, yeah.

28:01 - Rav Gav (Guest)
We share the exact answer. Oh, perfect. I ask kids in the class. I say at what age do you plan on giving your kids cocaine? That's exactly the question. So you always have these kids that are like oh, it's 16. Okay, the answer is, well, no, that's different. That's the classic response. So my response is like okay, well, what's different?

28:17 - Intro (Announcement)
about it.

28:18 - Rav Gav (Guest)
And it's just a back and forth of just understanding values and what's important to you and whatever it is. Of course I'm limiting myself and I'm not going certain places. That's keeping me pure, and of course I'm limiting myself. Everything we do is a limitation. Everything we do is quote unquote brainwashing for our kids not to run into the street, brainwash them, not to have drugs, brainwash them, whatever. Yeah, because you understand the value system. Be careful with that.

28:48
But again, this is the type of hot topic like when I speak to students, because I also do teach 18-year-olds a lot of them now but I teach them only once a week. So I teach them once a week so they're able to handle it. Still, it's the hottest topic in the world to understand the fact that and again I'm guilty, I have it, do you understand? So I'm trying to wean myself off. Whatever it is, I just think it can be used, it can be a good tool, but again, everything is a question of convenience. So let's go back to when we were a little bit younger and you didn't have apps. They didn't exist.

29:19
And you didn't have smartphones and you didn't have cell phones and you didn't have whatever. So what did you do if you had to go to the bank? You had to find a parking space to go in. You can deal with the people. You have to get the income back home. Let's say the whole thing took 45 minutes. Let's say. Let's even say that's the case, it's usually less traffic. It depends which city you're living in. Let's think 45 minutes, okay, no problem. So you're like, if I would have had the app, I could have got that done in 12 seconds. I agree. Now my question for you is just just go into your settings and look at your what do you call it? The screen time, and look how you spent six hours on everything else. You lost an hour by not having a smartphone. You gained five by not having a smartphone. So just do the math. Some people say, no, it's considered valuable. I'm not here to tell anyone what to do. Do whatever you want, make. Do the math. Some people say, no, what's considered valuable? I'm not here to tell anyone what to do. Do whatever you want. Make your own choices.

30:16
I had a student come up to me and said wow, your mom has changed my life. You helped me in a way. I said don't blame me for your success, but also don't blame me for your failure. You understand it's all on you. You succeeded, it's on you. You failed, it's on you, or the Verlovsky he said it another way, but you know whatever he's going to take us there, so we'll come back. So if you decide to go ahead and make a choice, you disagree with me. Do whatever you want. I don't care out a concept. Of course I care about every person. You guys are so special. Everyone's a kid. But I mean to say is you make your own choices, but at least be honest about it. Just be real. Make it this Be real. The reality is am I gaining from this or losing from this? And that's why I said before you are losing convenience and you are gaining meaning. Let me say it differently I am losing convenience and I am gaining meaning when I'm not beholden to it.

31:14
Somebody asked me once and this threw me off. I'm sure you have students ask this. This was college students asked this question. I gave a whole class it was some, a whole group of college students from all over the US, in Israel Some sort of fellowship, something or other. It wasn't even an age, it was J internship. I don't even know what it was, and a girl asked I was giving a class on a course like gratitude, it had nothing to do with anything. This girl asked what's your favorite mitzvah? I was like what? I'd never been asked that question, I'd never thought about it. I mean, after a moment I realized maybe it's like chalitza or something like that, whatever that means.

31:53 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Anyway, the point is Can I tell you what your favorite mitzvah is? I can tell you right away what's my favorite To love Hashem, your God. Because every mitzvah. Why do you put on tefillin? Why do you have a mezuzah in your door?

32:04 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Why do we learn Torah Personally? You're assuming that I do all that but yes, I'm making a wild assumption.

32:09
I do take a break every weekend. I'm put on the film at least once a week. I'm just letting you know that That'll be Shabbos. Yeah, it's because the love in the Lord, your God. It could be because of fearing the Lord, your God. It could be because of Mrs Anashimili Muda. You're right, I understand. Not going to buy it, I'm going to push back on it. That's fine. But let's say it's true, but it's certainly not consciously true.

32:41
My favorite means of consciously is Shabbos, and the reason is because I do not have technology. That is the main reason. My happiest moment of the week and the saddest moment of the week is exactly the same moment. It is when we say the words V'hu rachum at the beginning of the evening service, when Shabbat is about to leave, because it's 25 hours removed from this silliness of technology, of computers and of phones and whatever. So I'm the furthest away which gives me the furthest freedom, but I'm the furthest away which gives me the furthest freedom, but I'm minutes away from falling right back in.

33:12
And then somebody goes well, then don't do it. I'm like don't do cocaine. I open the jug so you say you can go back and, whatever the wording was, take with you something, or the way I look at it is bring it back, make your life great again, whatever slogan you want to use. He says I'd like to bring back the lack of addiction. I don't know. I think I don't do drugs. I don't have addiction to drugs. Anyone who started a drug knows that challenge that they have to deal with.

33:41 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Or alcohol is a challenge or whatever it is. You know what my children. Every once in a while, once in a blue moon, they'll ask me. They'll bring me the tablet and they'll say can we watch something? Can we watch the baseball game? And I always tell them until I don't see sweat dripping down from your forehead. I said you get nothing. I said go outside, you're a healthy 11-year-old boy. They say ride a bike. Ride a bike, get out your baseball, get out your gloves.

34:07 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Listen, everything has to be done and, like you said, everything has to be.

34:14
We have to figure out what's going on. So I think there's a difference between a kid, let's say, having their own device where they're just open to anything, or where they can have time to, let's say, watch a game or whatever it is. I I personally this is a very anyone who's actually listening to this in its entirety to the following sentence, which I know people would like to cut out certain things. Listen to the entirety. Everything depends on the kid and the place and the situation and all that jazz. But I'm pointing out is that I do believe that there is a concept of outlets and I do believe that for some kids living in some places, going through some things that can be very good, I'd rather you watch a basketball game than have another outlet, right, in which case, yeah, go play ball, go ride a bike or whatever, but yeah, you want to watch a soccer thing or a basketball thing, whatever, it is okay, we'll work it out. That's how you take over your life. It can't be that. This is the Icker. I was just talking with one of my kids. This was amazing. I don't know if you have a script that was perfect.

35:12
So I'll tell you that I was walking with my children the other day, and this is last week. I was walking home, walking to shul with my son, he asked me if he could join a certain soccer league. How old is he? 11 years old, this boy's 11. And he said can I join a soccer league? So I said he has a friend who plays in a thing. Can I join? So I said who, what, where, when, why and how, like who, who are the kids? Who's the coach? Where's the place? Like what? Give me information. He's like I don't know. Like you know, oh, that's very informative. Uh, well, in that case, you know, I mean, let me know. So he said why do you want it? Why do you want to know? Why do you want, like what? What does it matter? Who it is? So I said to him listen, why are we here? This is like an 11-year-old kid. They're like what are we doing? So I said why are we here? As you would say again in Houston ¿Por qué nosotros aquí en el mundo? Cuál es el punto? What is the point? The Lord Almighty created us and here we are. And the question is for what? So he said, I guess, like to you know, whatever the classic mitzvahs, torah Hashem, whatever I said, listen, we are here for one purpose. There's a game called tofeset in Hebrew. In English it's called tag. The goal of our life is tag. That's why we're here.

36:29
Torah avodah and Gimel HaChasadim. That is the only reason. The studying of Torah, the service of praying, speaking to God and interacting with others in a positive light, which opens up ben olatah, ben olachavir, ben olamakum, different areas of relationship between me and God, me and others, me and self. This is a morala in the beginning. So one, two Shemana Tzaddik, torah voted. Gimel Chassadim. He's like, wow, that's so cool.

36:57
I said, yes, our goal is to play tag, that's why we're here. I'm sorry, we are here to play tag. He said okay. I said so. Obviously that means you can't use the bathroom, right? Because where does that fit? Is that study of Torah? Is that praying? Is that?

37:13
Gemilas chasadim kind acts. He's like, yeah, but that's like the misharet, that's like the thing that serves those things. I was like, yeah, right, right, right, that's correct. Those things are there that serve those things he goes. So I'm like, okay, right, right, right, that's correct. Those things are there that serve those things. He goes. So I'm like okay, so then what about eating? Are you allowed to eat? Are you allowed to sleep? Are you allowed to walk? Can you go for a walk? Can you play soccer? Are you allowed to do all these things? Where does it fit in tag? The goal is if you're out of the box, then you're of the reason you exist. So he said okay, but sometimes you need to be able to relax in order to be able to focus. And he's 11. And it's not like I said 100%, that's 100% correct. So do you have a desire to do drugs? He goes. I told this to one of my students. I said to my students my students are like you. Said it to an 11-year-old.

38:09
I said to my students my students are like you. Said it to an 11-year-old. I said well, what age should I say it? What age? So someone's like 15.

38:14
I was like 16. I was like 17. I was like 18. I'm like you see, there's no answer, right? The answer is do you think the kid can handle the conversation? Right? You have to have a conversation. Why wait until they're have the strength to be able to overcome it? He said no. I said you understand that once you pop, you can't stop. That's a good old Pringles. Once you pop, you can't stop. It's very hard, once you start something, to stop it.

38:44
I said what about if no one? You didn't really want to do it, but all your friends were doing it. I said you think you would do it. He said well, lachatz chevati. I said yeah, it's like peer pressure, peer pressure. We live in Israel, by the way, so that's the half Hebrew going on, lachatz chevati. So he said so you mean you could fall to do something, even though you don't have a desire to do it? He said, yeah, I guess. I said, and that could be something which will take you away from tag, correct? He said well, yeah, I guess I said.

39:12
That's why I just want to know who's the coach, who are the players? Where are you going If it ends up being that these are people that are on board. They're going the right direction. Also, not only am I okay with you playing, I encourage you to play, I'll bring you there, I'll buy you cleats, I'll pay for the whatever membership and I'll get the ball and I'll cheer you on. I'm a big fan of it. I think it's great.

39:31
Like you're saying sweat, go out, run, have a good time, but don't forget what the point is. And that's safe. Be careful. Who are you hanging out with? What are you hanging out with? I call this in one of my classes totally the noun that built you, or the noun or kill you. Who's the person, place or thing? Who's the person? They better watch out. Stay away from them. Where's the place? Stay away from it. What's the thing? Stay away. And let's flip it the other way who's the person, place or thing Get close to? So you have to be careful with these things. You know that's it Of GBT and AI is. If I have any sort of power to do that, I'm not saying at all. And if my wife wants to use it, go ahead. And if someone wants to use it, go ahead. I'm just saying for me, 100%.

40:14 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Based on your question. It's funny because I've declared in my class. I told my students they know this that I made a commitment to never go to Las Vegas. So they're like what's the problem with Las Vegas? I'm like any place that calls itself Sin City, I don't want to be there. Wow, I just don't want to be there. You could have called so many things, like you could do, gambling City. You call yourself Sin City, I'm out, okay, I just don't want to be there. It doesn't mean that someone who goes there is a sinner. It doesn't mean that there are great people who live there. I know actually rabbis who live there, friends who live there, who live there. You know, I know actually rabbis who live there, friends who live there, and they do great things right, but for me personally, that's not where I want to be. So, like you're saying, person place and thing.

41:02 - Rav Gav (Guest)
you know that's big, right, that's big. You know it's amazing. It all depends on the listener. You know, what do people hear?

41:07 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
That was big for me. I wonder, my dear friends, my dear friends, listeners, please share with us what you think. Like some people might think we're crazy, like what's wrong with these people, like you know limitations they're putting on their lives. So I wanted to ask you a question. You know we talked offline before Take One we talked about. You went to Poland last week, yeah, and you visited this. Oh, that's right. Just a couple days ago, prior to coming to Houston, you were in Poland and you know the Holocaust. We just had Yom HaShoah. Every day is Yom HaShoah, basically for the Jewish people.

41:42 - Rav Gav (Guest)
It's like it wasn't currently with what's going on.

41:45 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Yeah exactly, yeah, definitely what do you feel is the most important lesson that we need to have learned from the Holocaust?

41:57 - Rav Gav (Guest)
This is like no holds barred. Take the gloves off. Stick gloves shirt. This is unbelievable.

42:03 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I'll tell you, I'm a grandchild of survivors. Three of my grandparents were in the ghettos, my grandmother was in the Covenant ghetto and I had my two maternal grandparents who were in Auschwitz. It's a reality that is being forgotten. Unfortunately, our children don't. They're not as cognizant of it as we were. But the question is it's another thing of whether or not we should be telling it to our children, in reminding them. Today, unfortunately, there are plenty of reminders on our college campuses. All over the world. There's too many reminders of that hate and that you know.

42:51 - Rav Gav (Guest)
So this is big, this is a very big topic which I'm going to err on the side of caution. This is a conversation that I would have for the 199ers. You know in person, I don't know about online, but the 199 Club, the way that I, what I, the direction that I take when I go to Europe and we go to the various locations this time we were in a few places in Prague and in Warsaw, and you know and Auschwitz, Birkenau.

43:26
And all the different Tchaplinka. I didn't go to Tchaplinka, I went to Majdanek. Wow, there were 44,000 camps we didn't go to. I'm about my.

43:33 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Donick and wow, there are 44,000 camps. We didn't hit all of them. Yeah, we didn't hit all of them maybe four of them anyway, it's a question of what?

43:41 - Rav Gav (Guest)
now? That's the way that I always take it. I do find sometimes it can be a misunderstanding of someone goes to the camp, you cry and whatever. For me it's like what are you going to take from this, which is your question. So what? In other words, now what?

43:56
Everything that we go through in our life is there for a reason. So to ask why did someone go through the Holocaust 80 years ago? Is this, is I have to be so careful how I word this. People are very sensitive. I'm also sensitive, just less sensitive than others in this area, and other areas may be more sensitive.

44:15
In any event, to ask the question of why the Holocaust and all that kind of stuff, what can I learn from what? Not that it had nothing to do with me, it did. My grandmother was, one of my grandparents was, uh, was, was it was important. Poland went through and poland, her father, my great-grandfather, uh, three other grandparents are americans, which is like it's amazing, like american, how far they go back. But anyway, um gosh, how do I answer this? Like, directly? Is this is like a very difficult thing to say because people won't like me.

44:49
Just take from your life what are you meant to learn from your life? I don't know what's about the Holocaust per se. It's a matter of every circumstance somebody finds themselves in. They have to ask what am I meant to learn from this and how do I grow from this? I just saw a clip from a Rav I don't know, it was a part of maybe a Tori Anytime Daily Dose or something about Rabbi Yerachmiel Milstein was giving a talk somewhere and a kid asked why did God make my life so hard? If he loves me, you're saying God loves him. Why did he make my life so hard? And he wanted to describe. This kid went through a lot of painful experiences through his childhood from his mother and then he was foster home and then back in his parents and like really was sounding like very challenging.

45:32
So he said why did God? Why, if you really loved me, why would you do that? And he said the lotion of the rub. Who's saying this over? So he looked at the show and he said I need your help on this. Like how do I? It's just in front of like tons of people and this boy's name was Yoshi, so he said. He said, just imagine the following scene You're driving down the road and it's a hot day, so you decide to stop at a Barnes and Nobles. Does that still exist?

46:05
Yep, a few of them Barnes and Nobles, which is like a bookstore that people can read and get coffee. Apparently I don't really know much about it, but Barnes and Nobles, and you just stop there. Get yourself an iced coffee, which is different than Israel, by the way. Israel, an iced coffee is ice cream.

46:18
Anyway but here it's just like coffee with ice, and get yourself an iced coffee and read some books. And you get there and you see that there's one table in the middle that's glowing, that's like the main attraction, and you go up to see what is it? This is the main thing. And when you look at the title, it says the Story of Yoshi's Life From abused child to successful. Whatever it is.

46:44 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Entrepreneur.

46:45 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Yeah, and it's the story of his life. And he goes through and says everything in there is for you to be able to grow from it and to take from it and to learn. And how can I go forward from this? I'll give you one lesson. It should be really interesting. My great aunt just passed away. Her name is Esther. You'll know who it is, esther Waxman If you remember the name Nachshon Waxman, the soldier.

47:12 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
So Esther W the soldier. So esther waxman was my great aunt she just passed away and uh, she used to say, and I said no waxman's mother.

47:15 - Rav Gav (Guest)
What's that? It was his mother noxian waxman's mother. Noxian waxman's yeah, noxian waxman, mother's esther waxman.

47:19 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Well, it's my grandmother's I talked about noxian waxman a couple of times.

47:21 - Rav Gav (Guest)
I remember, I remember that vividly, that whole wow, I'm not gonna be magala, but I imagine he was your age exactly. It could be he was maybe two years older than you.

47:33 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Yeah.

47:36 - Rav Gav (Guest)
So I'll leave blank what that means. But the point is that he's my first cousin once removed, but much closer in age to me than my mother. She's seven years older than me and he was a soldier. He was kidnapped, he was killed. This is.

47:53
Hamas. This is 30 years ago, this isn't like now. And Esther Waxman, a great aunt who just passed away, she said she used this quote Rav Shamshon of Al-Harsh who would say in Kapitul Chafbe's chapter 22, in Psalms written by King David, really written originally by Esther Hamalka, this one chapter 22.

48:12 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Queen.

48:13 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Esther, queen Esther, who writes God. Why have you forsaken me? Whatever the storyline is, she uses that type of wording. Why have you forsaken me? And Rav Shamshim of Fall Hirsch, the great rabbinical sage living in Germany 1808, 1888, 1800s, came and he said no, you don't read it lama you read it lema.

48:38
In Hebrew, you could always the vowels, change everything. A couple lines and dots. Lama is Y. Lema means for what? Same letters, different pronunciation, not lama. Not why did you forsake me? But for what? In other words, what am I meant to learn from here and grow from here? So you say do we learn about the Holocaust? Should we not learn about the Holocaust? What's the thing? My question for whoever's asking the question is why do you want to teach about the Holocaust? What's your goal? What are you trying to accomplish? To show them that we went through Gehenna I don't even know what, I'm allowed to say Went through heck. They went through painful experiences. That's the reason. Why would you do that? We're going to show videos on October 7th. What's the point? Why are you showing them that? To show them that they hate us? We know that full well. You don't need to see the video in order to know. Am I the only one that does that? No, it's fine. Am I the only one that does that? No, it's fine, okay.

49:28
You don't need to see the videos in order to know these things. We know that there are people out there that want to kill us, whatever it is, so why do you want them to know? Never forget, never forget, never forget.

49:39
What do you want me not to forget? What should I not forget? That we went through the most terrible. If anyone knows what happened in the Holocaust or October 7th, it is horrific. You want me to think about that, what? I should go to sleep with that in my mind, like what's the point? For what, le ma? For what? What do you want me to do that for? So if you're telling me there's something I can learn from it, maybe there's a reason it happened, maybe there's some way I could behave differently, maybe there's something I can do it happen, maybe there's some way I could behave differently. Maybe there's something I can do. Okay, now we're talking, but that's where the conversation gets very hot and that has to be done, I think, more one-on-one than in a, than in a forum like this no, no 100.

50:19 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
I totally agree. That's why I have my pin for the for the hostages is to not forget one of them and to to remember that every time I teach a class, I dedicate every single class. Look in the description of these. It's to the soldiers and to the hostages. And they can't learn the Torah that we're learning, they can't do the mitzvahs that we're doing. They're locked up someplace in a dungeon and we're doing it in their honor so that they can hopefully get out of there safely.

50:47 - Rav Gav (Guest)
But I will respond to that and say that from some of the stories that we've heard, from those who have survived and kept alive Unbelievable stories.

50:55
They are doing a lot more than I'm doing. They are so, he said, like they can't be doing what we're doing. The answer is you're right, we can't even touch what they're doing. They're way. If anything they should have at the bottom of their thing, you know, for an Eloi of the Neshama, of, like, those who are not in captivity. I mean it's just unbelievable. It's really amazing.

51:16
The one story I saw of Sapir Cohen you know, sapir, she was Hashem. She was let out after 55 days in captivity. She was one of the first deals in the beginning. Sapir Cohen, look it up and watch her interview on your non-technology that you don't have anymore after this podcast. And it is amazing. She writes in there how. I mean there's so much to talk about with what she said. But one of the questions she was asked is how did you survive and deal with this situation? And she goes listen, you know she was in the tunnels and she said being in the tunnels is like it's very it's dark, it's hard to breathe, there's not air, we have nothing to eat.

51:58
But this one thing is that I believe in God and I said God never told me that I'm going to get everything that I want. God never told me I'm always going to be happy, but the one thing I do know is that everything God does has purpose. So I understood that if I'm here, there's a purpose, there's something I'm meant to do with it, which I think goes back to what you said about the Holocaust idea. It's just an amazing concept. No matter where we are in our life, there's a purpose, there's a meaning. There's somebody driving slow in front of you. There's a reason for that. You go to three banks to try to take out money and it doesn't work, like happened to me today. There's a meaning for that. It could be because I have no money in the account. Maybe I should just give it up. The point is there's a reason and what do I take from this? The reason and what do I take from this? And that's why I say for what? What is the? What is the goal of what we're trying to accomplish over here? Yeah, which I think is a life mission. For what Not lama Lama is a child question.

53:04
Why, why, why? There's no answer to a why question. It's just because, in the same Hebrew, lama, kacha, kacha lama. Why, because, because, why? You didn't say anything, lema. Oh, now there's. Let's formulate that let's work that out, let's try to think Amazing.

53:16
What can I do with that? Amazing, yeah, so you mentioned I must say this has been great. I'm enjoying this because I Not just I like it, it's not linear. Yeah, I like the nonlinear fashion.

53:31 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Great. You mentioned before that your favorite and most dreaded time is the end of Shabbos. So I think, and I'm sure you'll agree with me, that the most important mitzvah that anchors a Jew is Shabbos, and we're coming close to Shabbos in just four hours to Shabbos in just four hours. So one of the things that I love to ask the people who join us on our Sunday special is what perspective can they share with us meaning our listeners me and our listeners to enhance our Shabbos, to enhance our Shabbos Meaning. If I'm talking to somebody whose ordinary weekend means going to the beach on Shabbos, going to run errands on Shabbos, picking up my cleaners, going to a movie, things like that. It's not per se for some, the observance of Shabbos where I lock down for 25 hours, but rather it's something else. What would you tell such a person of why they should try a Shabbos? Here you're talking to the audience. You say, okay, look at the camera and say this is why you should try Shabbos. This is why God gave us Shabbos.

54:53 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Okay, which camera should I look at this one? Shabbos, the way that the great sages explain the Holy Torah. The description of Shabbos is that means it's a small piece of heaven in everyone's heart. Glorious gift from above. This is an incredible gift.

55:22
Come Shabbos, comes a state of rest, a state of relaxation and really of recharging. That's the way that, anyway, urachai Makoto, shabbat, shabbat, shabbat. A great sage of the 1700s comes and explains that Shabbos is like the battery. It's the matzber, it's the modern Hebrew bataria, I think it's also Italian or also Espanol. It's the battery. It recharges us.

55:48
Now it's important to understand, because I understand the question that someone would ask is well, for me, recharging is playing PlayStation or driving, taking a nice drive. Okay, I definitely hear that I enjoy a good PlayStation and a good drive. There's no question about it. But it's important to understand that this is not solely the physical. This is a connection of physical and metaphysical. These are the type of ideas that a person would have to actually experience to fully appreciate, and the reason why you'd want to try to do it is because of the minukha that would come from it. We're all looking for a sense of meaning, a purpose, contentment, the ultimate relationship that we can have in this world with the creator of the world, which is everything, is on Shabbos, so it's something which I think has to be tried.

56:36
It's like asking somebody you know what's a sunset, you know and what is whale watching? Not in that tank where they keep them in, like California, but I mean you go out to the ocean and you watch the whales out there. What's it like? I can't describe it to you. It's being on my bar. It's the top of the top. But the only way to really feel that is to go all in. If a person doesn't go all in, it's commensurate. The more that you give is the more you're going to get, and that's why every little thing we do is valuable and worthwhile. Going in that direction, trying it out, the closer we get to the goal and when we hit that top, that's what we say is me'en ol'aba, I do have a little joke to make, which is not a joke, so you'll decide to edit this or not.

57:14
I probably shouldn't say this, so therefore I'll say it For those who feel like Shabbos is like again, I don't know what word I'm to say it, but heck, it's like Gehenem Dread. Well, it's important to use this word because if it feels like that, that's because it's me'en olamava. It's giving you a small taste of what your next world's going to be like. So if it feels miserable, just understand what the next world's going to feel like. The lesson of the Gemara is the words of the Gemara. Are that misha mechin, be'er of shabbos, tocha b'shabas? Is that right? Is that close? Those who prepare on how do you say it? Yochal b'shabas, yochal b'shabas, those who who prepare on friday will have what to eat on saturday. The shabbos is, like we said, the next world. And now I'm past my pitch and I don't know if I did a good 60 second elevator pitch but, but, but, uh.

58:06
But the next world is called yom shekulo shabbos, the day which is all shabbos. There's nothing more to do, you can't prepare anymore. So whatever you repair is what you have. So the example I like to give is if you go camping right, if you're going on a trip somewhere, whatever you pack is what you have when you get to the campsite and you say, oh, I wish I had more of something. Sorry, you don't have it. Whatever you have, whatever you bring with you, is what you have.

58:32
So did you prepare on Friday in order to be able to have on Shabbos? Because you can't cook, you can't clean, you can't work, you can't whatever? And that's just a small little analogy of the next world. What did you put your time in in this world If you never lived that? The contrast of I don't do anything on Shabbos, that for six days I prepare and on the seventh I rest completely then we're going to have a hard time understanding what it means in the next world and then our whole life will be a life where we're not really focused on actually getting anything. So therefore, we do a practice run every single week, where we go, we prepare.

59:09
Come Friday sunset, stop, drop and roll. That's if you're on fire, but if you're not on fire, then you just stop. Stop everything you're doing and then we just go into Shabbos. I can't do anymore. A little bit of a reminder oh wait, my whole life Once the clock stops ticking. Whatever I took with me is what I have, and I believe it was David Amalek who said it Ki lo'o b'mosol yikach ha'akol, king David Lo'o ye'erach harav k'vodo, that when a person dies, you're not taking with you your honor, whatever. The only thing you're taking with you is tag Torah, the Torah that you learned, the service of prayer and the idea of kind acts that we do with other people. If you never stop, then you never notice that. I think there was an article in the New York Times years ago that said studies have shown it's a good idea to take off one day a week. Yeah, that's a study called the.

01:00:05 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Torah. Yeah, that's a study called the.

01:00:06
Torah yeah that's a good idea. You know, it's funny that you say that because we say in our Shabbos morning prayer we say Yismach, moshe, ve'matnas, chalko, right, what is that referring to? Our sages say that Moshe told Pharaoh he negotiated with Pharaoh one day off for the Jewish people when they were enslaved in Egypt, and it turned out that the day that he took off was the Shabbos and that every week they had a Shabbos. He was so elated that he was able to align his spiritual connection of the day of Shabbos with the actual day that it was. And it's such a powerful thing to recognize that our batteries need to shut off. Our batteries of creative labor, of productivity, needs to stop and you need to just be for a day.

01:01:01 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Listen, there's two different areas of how you answer a question. You can be intellectual, you can be emotional. I think it's much more effective emotional.

01:01:10 - Intro (Announcement)
I agree, but.

01:01:11 - Rav Gav (Guest)
I think it's important to speak of the intellectual. The intellectual is that there is a thing called, there is something called God, and God created the world and God created me, and God is a manufacturer, and God said this is the ultimate best for you. And, as a matter of fact, this is where things get a little hot and heavy. But God is also the king. He's a vino. He loves us deeply. He's also the king, which means the king tells us to do something. Even if I don't understand it, I understand the fact that you're the king, I'm your. Long live the king. I come and I serve the king. So I think most will connect more with an emotional approach, including myself, but I do think it's important to be aware it's not just a nice thing.

01:01:53 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Oh, but that could be said about every myth from the Torah as well. 100% 100%.

01:01:56 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Rav Hirsch writes that in Horeb, on page 331, at the end of his whole essay on Koshus and laws of kosher, and he says all these are meditations and speculations that perhaps flow from the lack of insight into the deeper nature of things, giving examples of why it would be kosher or not kosher. However that may be, one thing is eternal and immutable. Those are the laws of God himself. I'm paraphrasing, but basically, at the end of the day, you can never say the reason why I'm doing something is an emotional reason, because if the reason you're doing something is an emotional reason, then when you don't feel like it, you don't do it. The reason we do something is because get ready for it, get ready for the truth bomb, because it's the truth. We are meant to do the right thing. Even if I don't feel like it, I'm still meant to do the right thing and if God tells me to do something, that by definition means it's the right thing. Now we can get into what we call ta'amem. It's the reasons or the taste to be able to feel connected with it on an emotional level, which is super important. Our Shem wants our heart, like we said, but it can't be that. The reason I keep Shabbos is because I just love being with my family. And what happens when you're not with your family? You don't keep it. And the reason why I go out and eat kosher is because it feels like I'm gliding on ice when the zamboni just came off. What happens when it's rough came off. What happens when it's rough and the reason why so?

01:03:27
The bottom line is the reason I do something, because this is the ms, this is the truth, and I'm looking to live a life of truth, which is why we take it back to what much earlier in the, in the discussion about what would I change, whatever it is, I said everyone, you want to have technology. You don't want to. You want to do this. Do whatever you want, but at least be honest with yourself, be real and understand that it could be that I'm doing something which is a bad idea right now, but I want to. Okay, but be honest. Say like I am doing the wrong thing and I'm giving into my base physical desires. Okay, at least you're being real and I can decide whether you want to do it or you don't want to do it.

01:03:59
So what's my elevator pitch for Shabbos? It's the same elevator pitch for all of Judaism. It's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help me, god. It's all from Hashem. So, therefore, why do I do what I do? The answer is because the baseline reason why I do it and I believe some say it's all about the base, the baseline reason why I do something is because it's the truth. And then I try to go ahead and connect myself to those ideas and sometimes the rabbis will help me with certain ideas that will give us ideas. We have the Sefer Achinuch, a really good book which goes through different explanations. I'm sure there's many English translations that go through stuff and, as I think Robert was once saying, I remember hearing the Hila Gerebbe saying imagine you've mentioned his name once or twice on this podcast that he said you can find any reason for a mitzvah if it's going to help you do it. You just don't let it be that that's the only thing you're doing. It's just if that's going to enhance your doing it okay.

01:04:58
Sean go for it.

01:04:59 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
We actually just had an episode in one of our podcasts about l'shma. What does it mean? To do things altruistically, which means the essence, the core reason why we do any mitzvah is because God commanded. That's the reason. Now it happens to be that I feel an emotional connection to that mitzvah. That's great, but that's not why you do it.

01:05:20 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Right. So the one thing that I'm adding to it which I imagine you said this but I'm just repeating is for me to say because God said so, we all have that aversion, that kickback. But it's not just because God said so, it's because it's the truth. God's saying it makes it the truth. So now it's just working in there Because God said so. So what if God said so and it's just, oh, because that's the truth.

01:05:45
Well, I don't want to do the truth. You're never going to be happy not living the truth. We are hardwired to live truth. Nobody feels good living a lie. We maybe feel a rush and a dopamine adrenaline, whatever it is, from doing something. It's like did I get away with something, whatever. But it's never long term, it's a very quick and even then there's always a feeling of guilt or whatever. The question is whether we realize it or we've buried our emotions so deeply that I'm willing to see that. But everybody wants to live truth.

01:06:10
You look at a child. They're uncomfortable to tell a lie. It's uncomfortable for them. It's only once they learn how to get used to it. But it's like you tell them something isn't true. They point it out to you. I remember I told my kid a joke once. You know it wasn't really a joke, it was probably a mean thing to do. But we were outside and my kid was looking up at the moon. I said you like it? He said yeah. I said you want it, he goes. Yeah, I said just jump, jump, he goes. Just jump, he starts jumping. I went inside. I come back like 20 minutes later he's out of breath jumping. I's like at the moon. I said well, you're still jumping for the moon, he goes yeah.

01:06:47
I said, oh, I was just joking. He said what does that mean? Why'd you lie to me? I said, no, no, no, I didn't lie, it's a joke. He said what's a joke? I said, well, it's like a lie, but a funny one. You know like what's a joke. I said, well, it's like a lie, but a funny one. You know like what's a joke. I'm not kidding, it was.

01:07:10
A few days later he comes home and he's like he was in school, kindergarten, gone. He comes back, he goes. Today somebody died. I said what? He goes, I'm just joking. I said, no, you're not allowed to do that. He goes, why not? I'm like I'm not sure, but that's against the rules.

01:07:27
So we teach our kids to lie. They're bothered, hurt by it. Until then they get used to it, and then we cover it over. Everybody understands what truth is. We don't feel right. We look over our shoulders. It's whatever.

01:07:37
It's an uncomfortable thing. What kind of life is it living? A life, you see, the truth will set you free. What does that mean? I'm not stuck by anything. I'm not bound by anything. I feel totally at ease. I don't feel locked up. I'm free. The truth will set you free. So why do I keep Shabbos, it's just because it's the truth. Oh, it's also, by the way, it ain't only my bar, it's also going to give you a taste of the world to all that kind of jazz. But if those don't work, it doesn't matter. I'm still keeping Shabbos, and it's to that level that some people can't even fathom. If you grew up religious, you'll understand this. If someone didn't, they may not understand this idea. There's an old story, they say, about Keevy Bernhard. You know the story with Keevy Bernhard? No, yes, very nice person, nice person. And this guy, keevy Bernard, he's a speaker and he wrote a book called Lepidology. You know what I'm telling you?

01:08:31
Oh, the plane Very famous so this is a rush through the story. The point is that he was invited to speak for Microsoft as a speaker and they have this every two years of this big gathering and they said to him you know, can you do it? And he went to the secretary and they made a mistake and they booked it. Then afterwards he looked and he saw it was on Friday night and it was with a microphone and it's in a place and like he wouldn't be able to do it because it's Shabbos, he can't be on the microphone and the thing and the whatever, and it was going to be a lot of things. You're not going to be able to do it on Friday night. Do you want to do it on Sunday? Do you want to do it on Saturday? Any?

01:09:06
other night, Exactly Saturday night, Any other time, but from Friday till Saturday Sunday, I can't do it. They thought he was playing a tactic. They said okay, we'll double it, We'll double your fee. And his fee was steep. Yeah, he had whatever I don't know, $25,000, something like that. It was for Microsoft, whatever. So he goes, we'll double it. And he's like I really can't do it. Okay, we'll triple it. He's like okay, can you move it to Saturday night and triple it?

01:09:36 - Intro (Announcement)
You know, it was like I can't.

01:09:38 - Rav Gav (Guest)
So this goes on and they keep going up. Finally, the VP of Microsoft calls him up, says what are you doing? Like you know we need this thing? He's like I'm really sorry, I can't do it. So he's like were you really playing hardball with us? He's like I'm not playing hardball, I just can't do it. It's Saturday, friday night's a Saturday night. I can't. It's my Sabbath, he can't. He says I'm really sorry, I can't do it. His secretary, who's not Jewish, said are you sure? Just this time, keevy, you can't do it. You know, this is a lot of money, he says. And he spoke on another day, I don't know. I think it was probably for the original fee, probably even less because I got upset at him.

01:10:26 - Intro (Announcement)
I don't know how it worked out.

01:10:27 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Okay, this story. The VP then ended up on a plane with Bill Gates and Bill Gates wasn't there for it, but he had heard this and he says well, I never met a person who doesn't have a price. This Shabbat thing must be pretty special. That's the story. I could have said that slower and more emotional and more whatever, but I'm nauseated by the story. I'll tell you why. Any religious Jew would do exactly. There's nothing inspirational about that. There's something like what are you talking?

01:10:57 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
about. Wow, he gave up $5,000.

01:11:00 - Rav Gav (Guest)
$50,000, $100,000 for Shabbos. Let me tell you right now, if someone offered me $1 billion, I wouldn't break Shabbos. Let me tell you right now, If someone offered me $1 billion, I wouldn't break Shabbos. But he said it. You wouldn't even like well.

01:11:10 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
No, it's not even a thought.

01:11:12 - Rav Gav (Guest)
And I said this to my students and they're like what are you talking about? And it makes no sense. I said, ok, ok, what's your price for killing your mother? He was like what I said? A billion. She's like I would never, I'm like even for a billion, you know. And it's just like because in your value system obviously these are different cases. My point is that in your value system you'd never do that. So a religious Jew would never break Shabbos, even for a billion dollars.

01:11:35
I'm sure there are people that make mistakes and do wrong things all the time. That's not what've got to do and that's it, nothing to talk about. And, by the way, other things also. I'm sorry, I've never done anything wrong. I've done things wrong. And, yes, there's temptations and there's Yitzhara's, but also, like we, my whole life keeping Shabbos. That's a big help. You know the fact that I don't have that as my point of choice, of my challenge. Other people may have that as a challenge in their life, but something that's not challenging for them is challenging for me, right? But it's also just being aware, being aware of it.

01:12:16
There's a girl who came into my class one time. She's in the back and she says raise your hand a religious girl. She said I have a hard time with speaking negatively about other people. La Shon Hara, evil speech, speaking not nicely about people. So they said what do I do? So I said I'll tell you what. I'll make you a deal. I take out of my bag. I had with me money. I'll give you $20 right now to speak. La Shon Hara, speak bad about someone, go ahead. Here's $20. She's like what?

01:12:45 - Intro (Announcement)
No.

01:12:46 - Rav Gav (Guest)
I said, okay, I hear what you're doing, I see what you're doing. I have to get 40, then 60, then 80, then 100. That's all I had. I said that's, my bank Won't give me anything. I said I got $100. And I said, just speak La Shin Hara in the back, he's like I'll do it. I'm like you would have done it for free, brother. So she's like, no, I'm like why not? You just told me you struggle with it. She goes, yeah, but now when I'm thinking about it, I said exactly, so start thinking about it. It's not about fighting. It was like just be aware of what we're doing. Be aware. Okay, so my one it's the truth, do it. Thanks for joining us. Cut. Are you recording? Did we record this one?

01:13:32 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
all right, so, um, okay, so I will just. I have. I have a couple more questions, but we're ready right along, all right.

01:13:39
So yeah, that's right there are a lot of amazing things that come to the surface when the Jewish people are facing a challenge.

01:13:49
We faced an enormous challenge 570 days ago with the events that happened on October 7th on Simchas Torah. A lot of things that come out of the Jewish people that make us really really proud, a lot of things that come out of the Jewish people that make us really really proud, and there are a lot of things that make us really, really, really concerned. What are those things for you? What are those things that make you look at you like, wow, mikam Klius are the most special people in the world, and sometimes you say to yourself I cannot believe it. This is what we're fighting about. So what are those things that you look at when you see? I'll tell you for me personally, to me, to see the brotherhood, the friendship, the love, because what happened right before October 7th was a terribly devastating polarization of Jews all across the country, all across the nation, and then how that came back to bridge us together was really, really exceptional. And again we become numb to it and it just goes back to the normal.

01:15:02 - Rav Gav (Guest)
I wouldn't answer this on such a global scale of the entire Jewish people and whatever it is, although, of course, me compre you. So who is, like the Jewish people, unbelievable? This nation, that we're so tight, we're so close. It's a good sibling rivalry. That's what it is. You know, we fight with each other. My brother, my older brother, would beat me up all the time, but if someone else tried to start with me ooh, not a chance he would take him out. We spoke recently about this, about a couple of incidents in elementary school that kids that started with me took care of them. But you beat me up. What are you doing? It's because I love you. You know what I'm saying, but I love you to death. You know that's what it is. But the point is that we're there. I'm going to look at it from a different angle of your question, that's why I want to hear it.

01:15:42
Of what speaks to me. I was asked to give. This was right before Pesach and there's an organization that called me. The organization is called Kenefayim and they called me Wings, and they asked if I can give a talk for a group of women. They're located all over the world. Maybe they mean branches, but they're located everywhere all over the world. Maybe they mean branches, but they're located everywhere.

01:16:07
I wanted to give a talk to give chizik, to give strength, to give words of strength for these women that have been through miscarriages, that have been through stillborns, have been through all these different type of birthing trauma and things of the sort. And when they called me and they're asking me if I'd speak to these women about this, I was just thinking I couldn't get in my head one thing I'm like who started this organization, Like an organization that's there to support people that have gone through this particular nuanced thing. Right, and also from sure I'm sure you're a member who would speak often about the gemachan that exists like the gamach is a free loan society, literally, but but it just means an act of kindness, because some of the things, like you know, just it's not even a loan, just take it you know, three o'clock in the morning in israel and your baby's crying and you need a pacifier.

01:17:02
there's an organization that will give you a pacifier. Who has that, you know? So this organization called me and then there was another one called Sister to Sister for women that have gone through divorce and I was asked to speak at that and I was like, who set this up? Like this is just amazing. Obviously, people go through things and then they do, but the greatness for me is not that someone went through it, but that they actually did something about it, because there's so many things like I should really do this and it isn't done. That, to me, is an amazing thing and I think you can open up the just my head's, a newcomer's guide.

01:17:37 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
but you know I always mention that the Israeli newcomer's guide Yellow pages. Yellow pages for Chesed.

01:17:46 - Rav Gav (Guest)
It's amazing and you go through the alphabetical order of, just like I need help filling out my consular report of birth abroad, no problem, call this number. You know what I mean. It's like what. There's a number for that and it's just amazing.

01:18:01
I was recently going through family stuff and medical stuff and we were in the hospital and there's this guy. This guy I mean to get through to him you have to find a way and whatever, some Hasidic guy, fisher or Fear, no, his name is Chesky. This guy, chesky, has this organization Yad Avram, I think it is or leave, leave something. Anyway, he was so incredibly helpful and the guy is just like he was so incredibly helpful. And the guy is just like it was crazy. There's some sort of neurological thing. I ended up at some doctor and I was buying this doctor in his home because I got through to someone else, someone else, and he said to me well, what's the medication? I said I don't remember and I played out a message of somebody talking. He goes who is that? I said that's Chesky. He goes who is that? I said that's Chesky. He goes. Ah, I know, I recognized it. I'm like what do you mean? He says yeah, he calls me in my house all the time. This is just a Chesedish guy, not a doctor, not a whatever he calls the doctor's answer. He calls him at home and he's just like he's soos.

01:19:06
That, for me, is a whole discussion. I have what to say about that. But the concept of who are the Jewish people? Who's like the Jewish people? No one's like the Jewish people. There is no one who has a diaper rash cream organization. You know what I mean. Like the Jewish people. It's just mind-boggling and like you go into, the more religious, the more religious you get, the more organizations there are and it's just, it's just astounding. So that to me is is a real, a personal me completely solve what I went through recently. This random guy and this thing, whatever it is, it's just astounding, yeah.

01:19:41 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Yeah, okay, one more thing. I know that you are a participant in the Rosh Chodesh project. Yeah, tell me about it. Tell our listeners about it.

01:19:55 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Okay, the Rosh Chodesh project. I mean, I feel bad for many of you.

01:19:59 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
No, you're right. Can I just give a quick introduction? Sure, so when I told my children that Rav Gav is coming to Houston and that he's going to hopefully be staying at our house, they were ecstatic. Why, like, that's Rav Gav from the Reshkodesh Project. Apparently, somebody thought it was a great idea to have an organization.

01:20:19 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Yeah, so this is a guy named Yossi Weiss. He's originally from Muncie in Florida. He's going to be very upset that I'm saying his name, so that's why Yossi Weiss. Anyway, so he's I mean, it's so Jewish You're not going to find him. You know a guy who grew up in like a mansion and he's in the mirror and he's learning his Torah and Eretz Yisrael for many years and he felt that maybe it'd be good for kids to get a good boost in the areas of emunah and bitachon, which will loosely translate as faith and trust, in other words, ideas of God's existence, and not just from a cerebral understanding but of an emotional connection to these ideas that there's Hashem, there's a God and he's involved in your life.

01:21:01
So we started making these films hour films. Oh, it's an hour long each one Hour long each one of them. Yeah, some are 40 minutes, some are an hour and 20 minutes, you know, and it's a full on theatrical performance. I'm not saying it's not to be reckoned with, it's a big deal. And the goal was to get it into high schools, which was impossible. It's really hard to get into high schools. They're a very tight curriculum. We ended up getting into elementary schools, those who are interested in doing it. It's a video that comes once a month, but that's why I say feel bad for the listeners, because you can't see. There are two online that you can see, which you'll be blown away by on Tor, anytime you can find it. By Tor, anytime. Look up RCP on Tor, anytime You'll find it.

01:21:42 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Rosh Chodesh.

01:21:42 - Intro (Announcement)
Project Rosh.

01:21:43 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Chodesh Project, just because it's every month. That's the reason why it was a way to slip it into the school's curriculum, you know. So, as a school curriculum, it gives you questions and answers and the teacher's supposed to be with the students and guide them, etc. But the point is it goes through different topics of, like I said, gemuna and B'tachon, and I'm not allowed to spill the beans about this coming one, but it could be. It's the Asher Yatzer and maybe I just said it. But anyway, the point is, you know about the most amazing part of the human body and God's relationship with us and how much he loves us, and Hakkar Zatov and gratitude. And we have one called Mikam Ch'Yisrael which is all about the war which is on that one. You can see it's dot com, rcp, whatever it is, mi kam chah Yisroel. If you could spell that, just phonetically, spell that out Mi kam chah Yisroel, in any event, started off with one school, two schools, and now we're in over 400 schools all over the world, in, obviously, the United States, canada, north America, South America which North America is?

01:22:41
The United States, canada, but South America, and also in England. Let's go with continents Europe, australia, africa, yeah, africa, yeah, the southern part generally, not usually in western Africa, but the point is all over the world. Over 400 schools, over 30,000 kids are involved with this. So you're looking at the one of the biggest Rosh Hashanahs in the world is me.

01:23:04
Yeah, 30,000 kids. And when I walked into the shul yesterday when I came, I was accosted by 30 kids coming RSTP. I was like oh my goodness, I was like wow, that's a welcome. You know, it's like nice if a guy says hey, welcome to.

01:23:17
Houston. It's a different thing when you have like 30 kids going. I know you. So that's what. It is a very powerful thing and it brings it into a deep. It brings it in not just from the mind, but it's the full name is V'yadat V'yashivos. Bring it into your heart, bring it to your heart, not just to know it, but to feel it, to live it amazing.

01:23:37 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Alright, thank you, thank you. How can people find with your Torah study, with your Torah teachings?

01:23:45 - Rav Gav (Guest)
Yeah, just search Rav Gav, R-A-V-G-A-V. Or my Clark Kent name is Gavriel Friedman. If you do a search for that, you'll find a lot many on Torah anytime. I know I'm saying quickly, but pause it and look it back. Hidabrotcom H-I-D-A-B-R-O-T O-O-T.

01:24:01
Yeah, O-T yeah, o-t, o-o-t. It's on YouTube, spelled with a Y, also YouTube, and I have a website, ravgavcom, but I haven't done anything within like seven years, so you'll go for like two minutes. You'll see some videos and you can leave old ones. Yeah, they're good, though they're grainy. No, no, no, I don't believe. I have those I have those videos from like 20 years ago, but this is yeah, yeah, yeah, that's where you can find me. Yeah, rob.

01:24:29 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Gunn, amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much this is a real privilege. Thank you, welcome to Houston. We're looking forward to a great Shabbos together.

01:24:36 - Rav Gav (Guest)
If we can make it by Shabbos, it's going to be good.

01:24:39 - Intro (Announcement)
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