Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:03 - Intro (Announcement)
You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of Torch in Houston, Texas. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.

00:08 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Now, my dear friends, on day 102, we are on page 604 in the treasure for life edition of the orchis sedicum, the ways of the righteous. In middle of the gate of remembrance, and we're in middle of listing off 30 things for a person to remember daily to really maximize our joy and happiness every single day of life. Hachamishis, what's the fifth thing that we need to remember? Remember the mercy that Hashem has for you. She'richem olav los es Torah, so ha'tahorah biyodoh, that Hashem gave you His Torah in your hand. Bi'ilu melech, b'osav adam. That Hashem gave you his Torah in your hand.

00:57
Imagine if a king sent you a scroll for you to read and there was something that you didn't understand in it. You're like you're coming back to the king. It's like what did you mean when you wrote this? What did you mean when you wrote that? Yet Hashem's Torah is Is that where we don't know something? We can ask and we can study, and we review, study and we review it and we learn more, and we learn more and we try to understand it, and we don't understand it, and we try even harder and we keep on trying and keep on trying, because Hashem is not like a king of flesh and blood, a king of flesh and blood. If he sent you a letter and you send it back, please explain what you mean in paragraph number three. He'll be like what's wrong with this guy? Maybe I should kill him. You're kidding, you're making a mockery of the king. That's not the way. The Almighty is Creator of heaven and earth, who gave us a beautiful Torah. He wants us to have discourse in his Torah, he wants us to disagree. He wants us to search for truth, for understanding. In Judaism we have questions, we ask those questions and for every question there are a thousand answers, because we're on a pursuit of truth. What a gift.

02:40
What is the sixth remembrance? Ha-shi-shi-shi She-yi-skor im-yei-sh-bo-shum-e-ver-sho-o-var-bo-al-ma-sh-et-zi-va-. What is the sixth remembrance? Hashishis Sheyizkor im yeshbo shum evir sho'avar bo'al ma'ash etziva yotzerot, that one must remember to see if there is in him any limb which transgressed his creator's command, and he must review in his mind that everything that Hashem created he created for His honor and that all things that he created fulfill His command. V'yachshov alzeh for his honor and that all things that he created fulfill his command.

03:10
It says look at Hashem's creation, look how all of Hashem's creation follows exactly how Hashem set them up to be. Look at the donkey he carries his burdens, he carries his packages. Look at the horse, look at the ox. They're all doing what they're supposed to do Every single day, without fail.

04:02
You ever see a cat say I'm not in the mood today. I'm going to read the paper, I need a break. You ever see a dog say, no, I'm not in the mood today? No such thing, right. You ever see the sun say I need a coffee break. Guys, I've been shining for you for 5,785 years, since the creation of Adam and Eve. Give me a 10-minute break, okay, a lunch break? No such thing. Why? Because Hashem created them for a purpose, so they're here to fulfill their purpose. That's its job. What's about the waves of the water? Oh, may I yom Im ho you ovri magvul shunas alamakum.

04:47
It says that Hashem created sand by the sea so that be the border of how far the water can go. The water knows you're not allowed to pass this way. Not allowed to pass. Yes, there are exceptions. You have a tsunami, you have things that happen, but that's a one-off event. But imagine if the water didn't obey its command. It would overflow every night. The whole world would be in chaos If the sun turned off one day for like 20 minutes, just power off right. Imagine the world would end. It would cease to exist. We'd freeze to death, we wouldn't be able to exist. There'd be total chaos.

05:31
I remember when we had the solar eclipse, I remember I was in the exact point in the United States where it was a perfect eclipse. What was it called? Someplace in Tennessee, someplace in Tennessee. It was exactly perfect. And I remember it was the middle of the day, it was probably 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I was with my children. I think it was Athens, tennessee, I think it was. I think that was the name of the afternoon. I was with my children. I think it was Athens, athens, tennessee, I think it was. I think that was the name of the city. And we were. Of course, you don't look directly. We had those special glasses and we're looking and it's amazing.

06:10
And suddenly, in the middle of the day, it turns night. In the middle of the day, it turns night and you know what started happening. You started hearing all the crickets. I kid you not, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon you started hearing all the crickets. It was the most incredible thing because it was to them. It's nighttime, now it's nighttime. It was unbelievable. And then a few minutes later it passes, and then suddenly the crickets stop. It's the most magnificent thing in the world, but imagine if the sun was completely turned off 20 minutes just for that coffee break. Guys, I'm running into Starbucks, I'll be right out.

06:57
We know that there would be total chaos in the world if we'd even be able to survive. So says the author here Ve'atarei shekol ha'davarim osim shlichuso. See that every one of these creations of God fulfills its purpose. Why did it come to this world? Why did God give it this world, this life that it's in? Oh, ima, adam didn't give its produce. You planted plants, you put the seeds in and nothing grew. The whole world would die, we'd all die. He says Listen to this way.

07:46
Number six, the sixth tool to remember every day Look how Hashem created His world. All of Hashem's creation fulfill their function. And I'm just going to sit there on a beach chair and lazy around and I'm going to allow my organs of my body that were created to serve God, to bring godliness into this world. I'm going to let them do sinful things. My eyes that are meant to look at the words of the Torah, my eyes that are meant to see the glory of Hashem in the world, are going to look at things that are inappropriate. My mouth, that's meant to see the glory of Hashem in the world, are going to look at things that are inappropriate. My mouth, that's meant to speak words of Torah, are going to speak words of Hashem, speak slander Right. So this is a remembrance that the author tells us here To remember. Every single day. You were given a gift. You need to maximize that gift because Hashem's creations that's what they do. They come to this world for a purpose and they fulfill their purpose. You need to do the same Day number seven, no, not day number seven. Opportunity number seven to remember.

09:14
He says imagine a servant whose master takes care of him, he feeds him, he gives him everything he needs. What do you think that servant will do? That servant would ensure to do everything he can to satisfy his master. I want my master to not throw me out because he takes such good care of me. I'm grateful. He says even more so Mankind, who we are supposed to be, a servant to the Almighty and God is so good to us. He should be like a servant that is humbled in front of his master. V'al yar'e be'atzmo shum shror v'gava. And a person like that should not be haughty or arrogant and rebel against the Almighty. That means to have a humility. Realize I'm a servant of Hashem. Hashem put me here, the Almighty put me in this world to serve Him. And now I'm going to be arrogant like I have accomplished something. I'm on a job, I'm here, I'm on a mission. Hashem, give me my task, I'll do it. And that needs to be something that we need to remember. And this concludes day number 102.

10:38 - Intro (Announcement)
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