Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:01 - Intro (Announcement)
You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.

00:11 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Welcome back, my dear friends, to day number 70. We're on page 411 in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchah Tzaddikim Ways of the Righteous. This is the final class on the gate of happiness. I think we've done 10 or 12 already. He says one should be exuberant, excited and delighted when he sees the joy, the happiness of the sinners and he sees them enjoying life. He says if this is the reward for those who go against Hashem, imagine the reward for those who go, do in favor of Hashem and do the right thing. And this is what King David stated. You gave joy in my heart With the increase of their corn and wine and wine. It's like a king who invited his guests and when they came to the gates, to the palace, gates of the king. So, upon arriving at the palace, what did they see? They see the dogs are eating geese and fowl. They rejoiced, they were very happy. Why? They said if this is what the dogs are getting to eat, imagine what we're going to eat. Right? They invited us to dine with the king. If the dogs are eating geese and fowl, I can imagine that we're going to eat pretty well tonight. If we see that the sinners get such great reward. We can be very happy that, doing the will of Hashem, hopefully we will merit to far greater reward.

02:23
The aimless mach al-tuv hav le'olam hazeh. A person should not rejoice in the goodness of the vanities of this world. Ki ha'makir olam zeh lo yismach b'tov aso ve'lo yismach b'shum inyun, because one who recognizes this world will not rejoice in its good or in anything other than what brings him close to the service of hashem. Ella bedabra mvila. So yeah, it's great to have wonderful technology and incredible gifts in our generation. It's good to appreciate it, but we have to recognize is it bringing us closer to Hashem or is it going to distance us from Hashem? Tzarich adam li'zor me'od shelo l'smach al davar shuhu tov lo v'yesh potzakol ala acher. A person must take great care not to rejoice in something which is good for him but a potential mishap for others. Ki gaon adam shi'eshal t'vos. If someone has, for example, a tremendous amount of grain, he should not rejoice in costliness. I'm making a lot of money. Why Lo yismach im yeh yoker v'ro'av? Imagine what that is doing for other people. You're making a lot of money, but how about the people in the community that can't afford it and now are going to be hungry. Ki b'shvil tova. So lo yismach b'takol asa olam. Just because it's good for you, it doesn't mean you should rejoice at the downfall of others.

04:05
I remember I used to give a class once a week on the 55th floor of one of the buildings downtown. That was the top floor. It was a trading firm and there were three Jewish traders on the floor and they were trading oil, futures and things like that. So I'd come there and I'd give classes and one day I asked them so how are things going here? So the guy said, well, it's actually fabulous. It's really terrific. We're making a hand over a fist. We're making so much money because price of oil is up. So another one of the people there said and I thought it was so beautiful he said it could be, we're making money, but it's not good. I said what do you mean? It's not good, we're making a ton of money. He says, yeah, but it's hurting the people. The people have to pay more at the pump. The people, it's costing them more to drive their children to school and to pick up groceries. I thought it was a very special perspective. Yeah, it could be, it's enriching me, but it's hurting them. So this is what the Orch HaSiddiquim is teaching us. Orch HaSiddiquim is teaching us to be very, very cautious. It could be good for you, but there's no need to be so happy at the expense of others.

05:34
Gam lo yisbach b'misas adam Af al pi shetilo yurushomi menu o sha'ar tovos. A person shouldn't either be glad and this would be ruthless that someone else dies oh, I'm going to get an inheritance or I'm going to get you know. Even if there's a benefit to you, someone else died, you're going to be happy. Sov dover Lo y. Even if there's a benefit to you, someone else died, you're going to be happy. Sofdavar Allah yismak bitakal shum adam bishvil hana'aso.

06:02
In summary, one must not rejoice in any man's misfortune for the sake of his own pleasure, and this is what the Torah teaches us in Leviticus 19.18,. And you should love your fellow man as yourself. V'yargil es li'bo li'o samech kish yesh l'acher im tovos. V'yosi yismach b'ro'os o b'nei odam ha-michazrin al ha-mitzvos lasos v'tzon ha-bori yisbarach.

06:33
It says you know what should bring you joy when other people have good fortune, when other people have happy times, when other people are celebrating. That's what you should be happy with. You should be happy with their happiness, and even more so if someone comes closer to Hashem, someone changes the way they're observing their life. You see, that should make you the happiest in the world, because another one for Tim Hashem, another person coming closer to God, is the greatest joy in the world. And a person should be very careful not to be completely filled with joy and laughter for, as we know, after the destruction of the Temple, all joy has decreased, which is why Ki Achshav Orvo Kol HaSimcha. We know, even at a wedding, what's the greatest celebration we have? You go to a wedding. Wow, the joy, the celebration. Perhaps some people might have alcohol. Right, people are really joyous, people are celebrating, even at such a special occasion. You know what we do we break a glass to remember. No celebration is complete, no celebration is complete when we don't have a temple.

08:05
Because on the day that Rabbeinu, rabbi Yehuda Nassi, laughed, divine punishment came to the world. As the Talmud says Nadaram 50b V'chein Ad kan hevi. Rebbe Yirmiah, rebbe Zerah, lidei Gichuch V'lo Gichech. Rebbe Yirmiah went to all these lengths to get Rebbe Zerah to laugh, but he did not laugh Means there should be a certain temperament, a certain seriousness, a frame of mind of responsibility, not laughing things off, not mocking and making things, light things that should be serious.

08:48
V'mos ha'yesh, l'smeach v'l'sacheg. And when is the right time to rejoice and laugh in full measure? When the presence of Hashem returns to Jerusalem. That will be the greatest joy. Listen to these beautiful words. The day will come Then. In those days, our mouths will be filled with laughter and our tongues with song. Then it will be said among the nations, hashem has done great things with these. Who are these? The Jewish people, his children. Imagine how close we are. The nations of the world are waking up and they're seeing.

09:45
It's a really stupid thing to go against the Jewish people. Really bad idea. I don't know if you saw the head of the UN, gutierrez, I think his name is. He said I think, really bad idea. I don't know if you saw the head of the UN, gutierrez, I think his name is. He said I think this is after Iran sent their 180 ballistic missiles. I think we should quiet down the temptation for war. It's like the audacity. Either way, it's ironic. My dear friends, this concludes day number 70, and this is the final class in the gate of happiness. God willing, tomorrow we will do Shar HaDa'aga, the gate of worry, which we know. The Torah tells us that we shouldn't worry, because as long as we are firm in our trust in Hashem, we have nothing to worry about. But this concludes the magnificent chapter of Simcha of happiness, and I look forward to God willing, continue this journey together Of the Orchis Tzaddikim.

10:53 - Intro (Announcement)
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