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)
And now, my dear friends, we're going to continue on the bottom of page 500 in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchis Adikim, with a continuation in the chapter of Envy. Ach yei shterecha cheres keroivohaske ve'lohovin eich ha'kino ve'achem da'mekalkolos ba'odam. There's a very easy way, a clear way of knowing and understanding how envy and lust ruin a person. Gehu al derech, shomer shlomo. This is what King Solomon teaches us. Al yekanei libcho bachatoim im b'yiras Hashem kol yom. Let your heart not envy sinners, but be in fear of Hashem all day. Kisho odem yikanei b'chotim viro ha'asor oshrom batlocha. So when a person is jealous of sinners and he's jealous of their wealth, he's jealous of their success, he's jealous of their success and he sees righteous people who are struggling. They're suffering with poverty and other afflictions, and he sees righteous people who are struggling and he sees righteous people who are struggling and he sees righteous people who are struggling and he sees righteous people who are struggling and he sees righteous people who are struggling and he sees righteous people who are. And his soul despises fear of Hashem, his judgment and his statutes, and he despises those who observe the Torah, actually, from Maya of Torah. So what? Your words have been strong against me, says Hashem. Yet you say what have we spoken against you? What is he saying here? You have said it is vain to serve Hashem. And what does it profit us that we have kept His charge and have walked submissively before Hashem of hosts? And now we call the sinners happy? They who perform wickedness are built up. Even they who test Hashem escape. So there's a short-term vision problem. That happens with people who are jealous. There's a short-term vision. There's a short-term vision. What's the short-term vision problem? They only think of the now. They don't see a big picture Right now. I want that. So what's standing in my way? Oh God, so God must be terrible.

03:02
And people jump to such a conclusion. They're like look at all the wicked people in the world. They look like they're doing pretty well. Look at the wicked people they're successful. Look at the righteous they're impoverished, they're poor, they're struggling. This attitude brings foolishness into man's mind and turns their hearts backwards when they see the wicked prospering and the righteous being afflicted. This is a backwards word. This is a backwards word. So now what do they do? They're like I have to be like the wicked because look at them, they're successful. They're driving nice cars, etc. Etc.

03:56
Look at those sinners. They're doing terrible things. They cheat, they steal. Look, they have what seems to be externally a beautiful life. We'll do the same, we'll use the same recipe and we'll be successful. We'll get the good life Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die.

04:17
Right, it's all about what we have here, and if we have in this world, we have what it is that we want, then we've come, we're fulfilled, we succeeded, we succeeded. That's not true. And the same things that happen to them we see their success same thing will happen to us. And all of this comes from jealousy. She mekane v'rishoyim v'chomed as oshram v'shavosam, because they're jealous of their wealth and they're jealous of their tranquility, lefichoch porkem alem olamitzvus, and therefore they let go of godliness and God's commands because they're running after the momentary, fleeting world, not the eternal world. This is my friend. This is going down to the real core of what it is that we're living for.

05:24
What is it that we're living for? Are we living for now? If we're living for now, then maybe you're right. But if this is a three-dimensional world, where we're not only living for here, we're living for the world to come and we're investing in a much greater cause, a much greater world, a world because it doesn't make sense. We all know that we have a soul, a lofty holy neshama. Right, we have a very, very holy neshama. Let me ask you we have a holy neshama. Why do we die? Because we have to give that neshama back One thing we should live forever. If we're living for here, we should live forever. But we don't live forever. We all know that nobody lives forever. Why don't we live forever? Because this place, this world filled with challenge, filled with temptation, is a workshop in earning our keep for the world to come. That's what this world is about, and the righteous see that they say you know what? I have a little bit of an inconvenience here, struggling, quote-unquote, financially, having a little bit more difficulty, but look at the world, look at how beautiful my life is. Not now always.

06:53
Aval atzadikim einam mekanim berishoyim be'enam chodnim lo b'monim lo b'shavasam hi yachshavu she'osham shamur lehem lo ra'osam b'shavasam la'abidam mi'rov tuv atz. It's because they consider their wealth is stored up for them only. We know that for us, our reward is not meant to be here. Our reward is meant to be in the world, to come where it's eternal, where it's everlasting, where it's real. Our sages tell us that all of the pleasures of this world combined, imagine all the pleasure you have in your life, but not only of you, of all of mankind combined. All of that pleasure combined does not equal one moment of pleasure in the world to come Right. Imagine that. Imagine the wealth people over here in this world that we're living in today, this modern culture, everything's about money, everything's about money. Imagine that you have, you amass, all of the wealth of what every single human being has, not not only the money that you made your whole life is still in your bank account, but everything that everybody has ever made, since Adam and Eve till today. You have, you have that money. Imagine that that's a lot of money. That's not even a penny in the world to come Not even a penny.

08:42
So the righteous they're not jealous of anyone. The only thing that a righteous person should be jealous of is the good deeds of another person. You see someone learning more. You see someone growing more, praying better. That's something to be jealous of. I want to excel. Oh, that gives us a motivation. Hopefully, anybody who sees that.

09:09
The righteous why don't the righteous? Do you think the righteous can't make money? I think they're not smart enough. They're brilliant in Torah, they're brilliant in everything else. They can't make money, they can't do business, they can't be the richest man on earth. They can, but they're putting everything aside so that they can invest in the world. Lo yachmed v'leikane leikane. So therefore, they're not jealous of anybody else, because they know if I start getting distracted and focusing on amassing wealth in this world, it's just going to pull me away from the next world. But rather they become happy, they rejoice when they see the tranquility of the wicked.

10:16
What do the righteous say? They say if this is the reward that someone who angers Hashem gets, imagine someone who angers Hashem gets. Imagine someone who goes against Hashem. You know, yesterday was the Grammys. There's nothing good to say about it. From what I hear, it was a repulsive, disgusting event. The way people dressed, it was just repulsive. Let me ask you a question. Those are the people who are wealthy, those are the people who are successful, those are the people who have money and they have the women and they have access and they have. You know, seemingly these are the happy people of the world. But what do we know? If this is the way the low lives get rewarded in this world? Imagine those who are righteous. What reward they're going to get. Imagine the reward that is waiting for those who are righteous, those who preserve their holiness, those who preserve their holiness, those who preserve their dignity. Sorry, we skipped a little.

11:45
Jealousy stems from a deficiency of the soul. When you don't feel internally pleased, you're jealous. Someone is jealous of the beauty of another person. What does it say about you? You're not comfortable with your. It's a basic psychology right. When you are looking out, you're not looking in. You don't appreciate what you have in In be'gvuraso, in be'oshro, you're not looking in. You're jealous about someone else's money, someone else's good looks, someone's house, someone's car, someone's family, because you're not looking at what you have. Hare Eno Chafetz, b'mashe Gezer HaBoriz Borach. You're not pleased by what Hashem has declared for you.

12:29
Hashem gave me this life. Hashem gave them that life. I'm not comfortable with what Hashem decreed here. I want to appeal this judgment by the Almighty. Why did he give them this and not me? V'zeh doma le'evet. She'esht l'lunos alma asadonav. And this is like a servant who has only complaints about his master. Such a servant is not considered to be ein zeh eved ne'mon. V'kol shekein. She'en le'hisraim al habori servant is not considered to be. Definitely, this is someone who's considered disloyal. It goes without saying that one should not rail against Hashem, all of whose deeds are just and right and whose justice should not be questioned. We know that Hashem is called the God of justice. God doesn't give somebody something that they don't deserve. If someone got a reward, whether it be money, whether it be a beautiful wife, a beautiful children, a beautiful home, won the lottery of $2 billion, you know?

13:55
why they did Because Hashem gifted it to them. Hashem said this is the time, this is the place, this is the individual that deserves this. When Hashem gifted it to them, hashem said this is the time, this is the place, this is the individual that deserves this. When Hashem doesn't, we have to accept that lovingly, that Hashem says this is not for you and not now, and perhaps another time. It is for you, but now it isn't. A person does not acquire a penny worth of anything if Hashem doesn't decree it.

14:28
I've shared a story in the past of a baker in the old Jerusalem community of Masharim. He had a bakery and one of his workers that he had trained for years and years to run his shop, to run his bakery, taught him all the recipes, taught him everything the guy's like. Why should I work for? You know, mr Goldstein, let me open up my own bakery right across the street. And so he did. He went right across the street and opened up his own bakery. Competition to Mr Gold, to Mr Goldberg. Mr Goldberg went over to him, put his hand over his shoulder and said here, I want to help you. I'll tell you where to buy flour from. I'll tell you where to buy the machines from. I'll tell you where to buy all the goods, all the. You know everything that you need to make the delicious pastries.

15:22
The family was so, so upset. Why is he? Why is he giving? He's his competition. He's taking away his livelihood. What's wrong with you? Who would do that? Only someone righteous, you know why, says back to his family.

15:38
He says it was decreed on Rosh Hashanah. What I'm going to earn this year, this individual can't take anything away from me. Hashem already decreed what I'm going to make. I'm going to make that it's more. If it's less than what I made last year is irrelevant. What Hashem decreed we have to understand. There's a big picture here. There's a beautiful big picture here. Hashem gives us exactly what he decides is right for us, and that's what we have to learn to be happy with.

16:20
You know what comes from jealousy Dispute. You know what comes from jealousy dispute. You know who was jealous and then started a major dispute in the book of numbers Korach. He was jealous of the honor that someone got. What happened was, as a result, was lost, along with his entire assembly. Even the suckling infants were killed with Korach. The 250 people that were killed with Korach Hakina levne, adam kecholei haguf.

17:12
Jealousy brings about, it's like physical illness to a person. It's a terrible, terrible thing. V'hi meviah shachephes. It brings terrible disease to a person. When someone is jealous, like your insides are eating you up.

17:34
People who are looking at other people. Why did their children come out like that? Why were they accepted to that school? Why did they marry their children to such nice families? People can be jealous of so many different things. Why did they have a nicer car than me? Go back to that. People are always looking.

17:57
I remember my father. His favorite car, favorite favorite car was a Lincoln Town Car. Remember the Lincoln Town Car, the big cars. My father wanted to buy a Lincoln Town Car. His whole life Never bought one. You know why? What will the neighbors say? Not in the way we think it, but my father would say if I bought that car, my neighbor the next day will have to go and buy the same car. Walby has a Lincoln Town car. I have to upgrade to a Lincoln Town car as well.

18:33
It was a statement car. Those of you who don't know it's like today buying maybe like a Cybertruck. It's like it's a statement car. You buy a Ferrari. It's like your neighbor starts thinking maybe I should buy something a little bit better than a Toyota Camry, but that's what my father bought. Instead, he bought a Toyota Camry.

18:56
Nobody's looking at a Toyota Camry and saying I'm jealous of that, good car, great car, drives you from place tory. Nobody's looking at a Toyota Camry and saying I'm jealous of that Good car, great car, drives you from place to place. It's reliable, it's dependable, best-selling car. You know 20 out of the last 30 years in the United States. It's a good car. It's a reliable, dependable car. But nobody is jealous. Nobody's saying, ooh, I have to go out and get my next Camry. It's something which is expensive and that's the reason my father never got it. He never got the Lincoln Town Car. Why? No need to poke out the eyes of your neighbor, and that's a responsibility that every person should feel, that they're responsible to ensure that their neighbor isn't jealous from them. Don't poke out their eyes.

19:42
Not everyone is learning what we're learning here in the Orchid Siddiquim and knows of the terrible pitfalls of jealousy. Illness comes from jealousy. It's a result. It leads a person that eats up their insides To result. It leads a person that eats up their insides. Omar HaKhokham Levno.

20:03
King Solomon Told His son. He shamar l'cho min hakinah. Be very, very careful, guard yourself From envy. Ki hi nikeris b'cho she ponecho mish'tanim mi ro'ah leiv. He says listen to this. It is detected on a person. There's a change of appearance.

20:33
You become bitter when you're jealous and the man whom you envy rejoices in your heart's pain. Don't do it to yourself. Why should you cause your foe to rejoice and by doing so, take revenge on on you? You're giving them all the cards. It's a very important thing for us to realize here.

21:07
Jealousy does terrible, terrible damage to us. We become bitter people, we, our own appearance starts to change. We become miserable people because we're looking at others and we're jealous of what they have and we want it, and we're getting angry and we're getting mad. Why didn't God give it to me To recognize that everything we have is a gift from Hashem? The good, the bad, the ugly, what appears to be ugly to us, but it's not really the greatest gift? How many times did I hear from people cannot believe God did this to me, to then open their eyes and see that this was the greatest gift, whether it was them losing their job, whether it was losing their home, whatever it was, it was only to open new doors that they would never have opened had that door not been shut in front of them for them not be viciously thrown out. They would stay there comfortable, why not? And it throws them out that they now open new doors, my dear friends. This concludes day number 84.

22:23 - Intro (Announcement)
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