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.

00:12 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Now, my dear friends, we're on Day 87. We're about to conclude the Gate of Envy. Amar HaKadosh Baruch Hu, the Almighty, said K'anei li be envious on my behalf, for if not for envy, the world would not exist and man would not plant a vineyard or marry a woman or build a house. She'ilmali ha'kina eina olam omeit eina adam notei ha'kerem ve'ein adam nosei isha ve'ein adam bonne bais this is the Medrash says this. These things come when a person is jealous. A person is jealous. Look at my friend. He has a wife, he has children, he's settled. I'm also going to get a wife and have children and be settled. I'm also going to get a wife and have children and be settled. When a person establishes a home, someone else will see and say I want to do the same Same thing with getting married. Someone is jealous. Oh, look at him. He's so happy with his wife, I'm also going to get married. It brings the desire for others to find matrimony. Since the world exists from jealousy, a person should be very careful that all jealousy should be for the sake of heaven. You're building a house. When did you get that desire to build a house? Jealousy, make a special room in the house for the study of Torah. That will keep the house alive. That will keep the house alive. V'shiyeh yeheh beis obeis fadlachachomim. Make your home a place for all righteous people to gather in U'lahachnis bo'orchimim, to bring guests into your home. It means you're going to build the house. Utilize it for good causes.

02:22
I know people sadly, because their house is so fancy, they don't want anybody in the house. No visitors, no guests. We don't want you ruining the floors, not the carpets. We don't want that. People who used to have open homes I remember this very, very clearly. When I grew up, people used to have open home, friendly people, and they built a new house. Suddenly, the kids couldn't bring friends anymore Because they don't want you ruining their new house. You couldn't borrow their stuff anymore because we don't want you destroying our property, our possessions.

03:02 - Intro (Announcement)
I'm just borrowing it.

03:03 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
No, not anymore. Terrible thing. What do you need to do? You're jealous of others. You're building a fancy house, use it for the right reasons, and then you're only adding goodness to it. The last is do kindness with the things that you have.

03:21
You know what you buy a fancy, schmancy car. Who owns it? Do you own the car or does the car own you? You know a good test, a good barometer. Someone asks you to borrow the car. Will you lend it to them? If it owns you, you're like no, it's not the type. I don't want it to get scratched. I'm afraid you're going to get into an accident. I have insurance. You have all the excuses in the world. All the excuses in the world. You want to do something. All the excuses in the world are thrown. Want to do something. All the excuses in the world are thrown out and you do it.

03:58
Bechein Amru Ilulei shekine, avram lo haye, koine sh'mayim v'oritz, if Abraham was not envious, he wouldn't have attained such greatness. Ve'eimosei kine. When was he jealous? Kish'amu lo'ki tzedek? When he said to mal'ki tzedek how did you get out of the ark Keitzad yotzasam inateva? How did you get out of the ark Amal'o itzdaka shahayinu osimsham? Because of all the kindness that we did, amal'o Amar Lo, who was Malachi Tzedek, that was Shem. Shem was one of the children of Noach. So he says what did you do, amar Lo? B'chi mat tzedaka hayo lachem lasos patevo. What tzedaka, what kindness, what charity did you do inside the ark? B'chi ani yimayu sham. Were there poor people there that you were giving charity to? B'chi ani yimayu sham? You were giving charity to. The only people that were there was Noach and his sons and daughters-in-law. Who did you do? Kindness? You're saying you survived the great flood only because of your kindness. He said to him you want to know what kindness we did? Because of the animals, because of the birds, because of the insects, we didn't sleep. We were feeding them all day and all night.

05:36
Abraham, our patriarch, as soon as he heard this, he said. He said, he says look at these people, noach and his children. The only reason they survived was because they fed the animals. The animals, he says. He says that they are made mankind, who's made in the image of God. Halachas kama v'kama. Even more so that I will be rewarded and I will survive. Oso shova yita eshel, be'er sheva.

06:23
At that moment, abraham established his home in Be'er Sheva Rosh eteibos, achilo shtio leviyah. And we know that. What did he do, eshel? He established his home to be a place that people could come eat and drink and he would escort them. He'd make them feel good. He was jealous. Look at them. They survived because of their good deeds. Abraham says I myself need to do good deeds as well, because this is something that, if I see that their survival was based because of this, so too mine can.

07:03
A person should also be zealous against sinners and evildoers, to reprimand them and to chastise them and to oppose them. As our sages have told us, the one who cohabits with an Aramean woman, zealots may strike him down. Moshe was zealous against the Egyptians, as it's written, and he smote the Egyptians. Moshe kinei es ha-Mitzri, shenemar v'yak es ha-Mitzri. We see the same with Elijah, and we know that Elijah, the prophet, was given great reward because he stood up for Hashem. In Nenu Nosen Lo is B'risi Shalom. I'm making an eternal covenant with Elijah.

08:22
As the verse states be afraid of any man. Anybody who is truly God-fearing will give his life for God. When Moshe asked who is for Hashem, come to me. And what happened? The sons of Levi gathered themselves together to Moshe. And what happened? The sons of Levi gathered themselves together to Moshe. What happened as a result? What happened? Pinchas, the son of Elazer, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw that there was terrible things going on in the camp and he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand. So we see that he stood up for the word of Hashem, stood up for what was right.

09:16
Behova al kol yirei shamayim. It is incumbent upon every God-fearing Jew ashu hu tahor leif, who is pure of heart, leho yir kino al kiyireh vihine y is pure of heart. On behalf of Hashem, we should be zealous. The hands of the princes and rulers in crime we should stand up against them. The Omra we should stand up against them. It says that any breach which is not made by the great is not a breach. So if someone is concerned with the honor of Hashem, they're going to stand up and do what is required to make sure that the will of Hashem is not overrun by people, even if they're greatly powerful people.

10:27
So when we conclude here the gate of envy, we have to realize that envy is a very, very powerful internal, negative trait. Why is it internal? It comes from external things that we see. But it's an internal dissatisfaction, perhaps from within. I don't feel pleased Within, I'm not comfortable. Therefore, I look out and then I see and I think that that is going to fill me. The truth is it doesn't fill us. External things don't fill us, only internal things fill us. We have to realize this is so important fill us. External things don't fill us, only internal things fill us. We have to realize this is so important for us to ensure that we don't look out, look in, look at how much we do have.

11:23
You know, in our morning prayers we have a prayer podcast. You know we're working on every week Tomorrow morning we'll have class here at 10.30 in the morning prayers. We have a prayer podcast we're working on every week Tomorrow morning we'll have class here at 10.30 in the morning. But in this podcast we are working hard to understand the morning blessing, the importance of appreciating what it is that you do have.

11:46
We have so many incredible gifts the ability to have a beautiful sunrise and sunset, to have a clock on our hands, a watch on our hands that tells times, so that we know what time is day, what time is night, what time is midday. It's something to be grateful for that Hashem made you the way you are, that Hashem gave you a way you are. That Hashem gave you a soul, a lofty soul Gives us a body that functions properly. These are all incredible gifts. When we look inside, we realize how precious our life is.

12:21
My dear friends, let's go out there and earn a great life by looking in, not by looking out. Don't look what other people have, but if you do see, even an evil person has a good trait. Be jealous of the good trait. Acquire that good trait, make it part of you. If there is something that you're jealous of, make sure it's something good that you're jealous of, not something futile, not money, not something material, something spiritual, something that will help you become closer to God. My dear friends, have a magnificent evening and I look forward to continuing next week with more teachings from the Orchis Tzaddikim.

13:10
You've been listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe on a podcast produced by TORCH, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston. Please help sponsor an episode so we can continue to produce more quality Jewish content for our listeners around the globe. Please visit torchweb.org to donate and partner with us on this incredible endeavor.