Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:00 - 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)
Welcome back to day number 61 in the Orchis Tzaddikim. We're on page 373 on top, and we just mentioned previously that there are eight different components that we need to rely on completely in the hand of Hashem, so that we do not need to be worried and we can be happy that we know Hashem is going to take care of our needs. The first one is we mentioned inyon haguf the body, the health of a person, so a person could worry their entire life about health. Someone just mentioned to me today that they know someone who was young, healthy, strong and got one illness and died Like healthy. The example of good health. It's tragic, it's tragic. The example of good health it's tragic, it's tragic. How many people do we know who smoke, drink, have all the bad habits and they're 105 years old? We've all seen that story. And they eat chocolate and coffee. You wonder, like what's going on? And it's all in the hands of Hashem. A person has to just put surrender himself and give himself up to Hashem's great mercy. He must realize that he is without counsel or conduct, without Hashem's permission and decree. Nothing can happen to you, no car accident can affect you, no broken leg, no illness. God forbid, nothing should ever happen to any of us. But nothing can happen if Hashem doesn't decree it. It won't happen if Hashem doesn't decree it. It won't happen if Hashem doesn't decree it. A person still has to be reasonably responsible for their own limbs, for their own body, for their own health. That doesn't mean that we're the gatekeepers of our health, but we have to do everything we can to eat healthy, to drink healthy, to do physical exercise and stay within what should bring us, hopefully, good health, and only have trust in Hashem, that Hashem is the healer of all and that Hashem is the one who gives us health or lack thereof. And you know what a doctor does health or lack thereof. Ve'harofev arefuos boim lo me'eis Hashem yisbarach. And you know what a doctor does. If a doctor is honest, they'll tell you that they really don't do anything, but they're a vessel through which Hashem can bring healing to a person. That's really the job of a doctor Is to hopefully be a vessel, a conduit through which healing can be brought to a person.

03:29
Don't put your trust in doctors. Doctors don't heal. Hashem heals. By the way, medicine doesn't either heal. Now, does that mean we shouldn't go to a doctor? Does that mean we shouldn't take our medicine? No, hashem gave us doctors and shouldn't go to a doctor. Does that mean we shouldn't take our medicine? No, hashem gave us doctors and gave us medicine to hopefully heal us, but we don't put our trust in our medicine. We don't put our trust in our doctors.

04:09
Don't say well, if everything is in the hand of Hashem, then why should I even care about my health? I can drink anything I want, I can eat anything I want, I can just sit on my couch and do nothing because it's in the hand of Hashem anyway. So you know that's a big mistake as well, because, as we know what happened with King Samuel, he says how can I go If Saul hears he will kill me? And nevertheless he was not considered as lacking in trust. Hashem advised him as a pretense for coming take a heifer with you and say I have come to bring an offering to Hashem. Ve'al hamach nis'atzmo besakono ve'omer ani batuach b'shem yisbaruch olavnem aruch sil mis'a beruboteach.

04:57
And upon the silly person who puts himself in a place of danger and says oh, god will help me, god will save me, such a person is a fool. Don't put yourself in a place of danger. The Torah warned us about this. Don't test Hashem, don't try Him. Someone who puts himself in a place of danger and dies as a result, his punishment is worse than someone who kills others.

05:36
What's the second type of trust that we mentioned the Indian Parnasa. So let's just quickly do a summary. The first thing that a person has to have trust in order to be happy and satisfied in life. You have to yes, you have to do everything you can to maintain your own health. But you put your trust not in your doctors, not in your food, not in your, your exercise, your doctors, not in your food, not in your exercise, your routine, your health. You know your dietician, your health coach. That's not who you put your trust in. You put your trust in the Almighty and we hope and we pray that God will hear our prayers and God will accept our wishes so that we can continue to serve Him properly. But that's something that a person shouldn't think is the hands of my doctor. My doctor is going to heal me, okay.

06:25
Number two is A person's livelihood shouldn't be that he trusts in his skills, in his talents, in his good looks. A person has to put his trust in Hashem, that Hashem will provide needs. He'll give you the food you need accordingly. No-transcript. He says and don't allow something to pull you away.

07:25
You're going to be so busy 24 hours a day. You don't have time to learn Torah, you don't have the time to pray, you don't have time to do anything. Because I got to earn a living, I got to get a job right, I have to provide for my family, and it's endless. What am I time to do anything? Because I got to earn a living, I got to get a job right, I have to provide for my family, and it's endless. What am I going to do? No, no, no, no, no. You got the wrong idea. You have to set some time to work and you have to set time to pray and you have to set time to learn, but you can't do only effort for livelihood and neglect all of your other duties.

07:56
Ach yielo dai b'ma shi yacholim tso b'sham yuchedes ve'asho sanishoris yitrach bohen liknos chayilom abo. Because you have to realize that livelihood is this world. Learning Torah, studying, praying is the world to come. You've got to invest time in both. You can't invest only in this world. You've got to invest in the world to come. You've got to invest time in both. You can't invest only in this world. You've got to invest in the world to come as well. Bechein Amru Tarbe. B'yishiva v'Yismayit b'Eisik. Sit and study Torah a lot, a little bit. Go work Like the Chavetz Chaim.

08:28
We know the famous Chavetz Chaim. He opened up his shop, opened it up as much as he needed to support himself for that week, and that was it. He closed. Probably five minutes after he opened he would close the store because he had enough already, because everyone would be lining up and everyone's like what do you mean? What are you closing? He says go to my competitor, go buy from him. The rest of the time he just wanted to focus on his investment in the world to come.

08:50
The people who are like people, these people don't trust in business. The people who tell you well, when I make all the money, then I'll have time to sit and learn. When I make enough to retire, then I'll sit and learn. When, when, when, then don't, don't. That's not the way we do it. Asei divrei tori ikor vi'iskacha tafel. Make your Torah study your main affair and your business your secondary affair. This is the most difficult one of all the challenges that a person has of having trust it's livelihood, because we feel like if I make more phone calls I'll make more sales. Not necessarily. Not necessarily. It's the preoccupation that people have with this world and making them forget of the world to come.

10:12
Have trust in Hashem that he's going to take care of you. He knows exactly what you need and he's going to take care of you. He knows exactly what you need and he's going to take care of your livelihood. He's going to make sure you have what to feed your family and he will take care. Yes, you have to put forward the effort and send in your resume and go make the follow up phone calls, but don't put your trust.

10:30
I spoke to the HR director. They really liked me. They're going to give me the raise. Don't put your trust in them. I spoke to the HR director. They really liked me. They're going to give me the raise they're going to give me. Don't put your trust in them. Sages, king David tells us in Psalms I think it's 146 or 145, 145, 146. He says Don't put your trust in them, psalm 46. Don't put your trust in your benefactors. Oh, I know he likes this. Guy loves doing business with me. He's going to give me the deal. He's going to give me the contract. Why Guess what One little thing happens to give me the deal. He's going to give me the contract. Why Tetzeruch ha-yashavan maso? Guess what One little thing happens? And he's gone. Can't put your trust in people. Put your trust in Hashem alone, Particularly when it comes to livelihood. That's the greatest, most guaranteed source of income.

11:48 - Intro (Announcement)
My dear friends, that concludes day 61. Around the globe, please visit torchweb.org to donate and partner with us on this incredible endeavor.