How To Achieve Greatness - Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser

Uh, is there schools? What a great privilege it is that the rough Schlita, the rough Gala is our rabbi, Moreno Arab. The Satmar Arab, the great rabbi of Satmar, once was approached by a young man. He just had his first child, first baby. Comes to the Satmar Arab and says, "Listen, I have a great grandfather that was a very nice person, a very good person. I was thinking about possibly naming the new son after my grandfather, great grandfather." Satmar Arab said, "It's a good idea." Then he went on and said, "But my wife, she also has a great grandfather, and he was a very good person, and his name is Ruvein." The Satmar Arab said, "That's a good idea." He said, "However, there is another person in the family, and I really like his name." And he's going on and on. And the Gabba got very upset. "Why you bothering this great rabbi with a question about naming and going back and forth and telling him one name and another?" So the Satmar Rebbe answered the following. In the home, back in Europe, one had to be a rabbi for the streets and the father, a Tata, at home. Here in America, a person has to be a rabbi for their home and a Tata, a father, for the streets, for all the people. West Hempstead, they lucked out. They have a rabbi who's not only an outstanding scholar, not only an outstanding his issue youth, the personality, the Torah personality, not only the middos, not only all that he brings, but he's also a tata. It should be nanna ates of soshea, drink up every word and every moment that you can from the Rav shlita. This evening, within the time that we have, I would like to outline four ways of getting to greatness. I would just like to mention, so much can be said about Toby, alav shalom, zichrona livracha. So much, it is almost uh it's endless. All the good things, all the different ways that she impacted, all the various things that she was involved in. It was like that she was insatiable to do chesed. And it's a fascinating thing that we read in Yigdal, gomel ish chesed kemi falo. Nosen l'rosho ra, k'risho so. Gomel ish chesed, we bestow, Hashem bestows to the ish chesed, the person loves to do chesed, kemi falo, according to their actions, according to what they accomplish. Nosen l'rosho ra, to the evil, k'risho so, according to that person's evil. The Etz Yosef says why is there a difference between both? And he says the most interesting answer. He says because by the ish chesed, by the woman that does chesed, the woman impacts. So, she does one chesed. There's somebody here this evening that Toby took under her wings, that helped her and brought her to the chuppah and continued afterwards. Gomel ish chesed kemi falo, yes, she made the shidduch. Yes, she helped her down to the huppah, but all the things that will continue to go on far after she has left this world. Can we follow? It keeps on growing. It keeps going and going the pyramid. Why? Because that is the result. That is the benefit of a person that cares to do chesed. Without going into it, Reb Nosson Tzvi Finkel says, "Why is it that Avraham Avinu, when you read about those parshiyos, we don't read about all of the special miracles. We don't read about walking into the fiery furnace. We don't read about breaking down the idols in his father's house." All of these things that we learn only we learn from madrish, but in the pasuk, what does it say? Avraham Avinu waited outside. He wanted to archem. He wanted to bring them in. He wanted to help them. Avraham Avinu wanted to wash their feet. He wanted to prepare them the best meal. Avraham Avinu cared about being mekariv, about bringing others in. That was the main thing that Reb Nosson Tzvi Finkel says is in the Jew's life. Not the great miracles, not all the stories that you hear, the simple chesed that a woman lived in this community and others and touched everybody and was a symbol for us, was a dugmas chaim, was a living example of what everybody should do, what Hashem wants from us, what Hashem requires from us, that we should be our best. That is growth. That is development. That's power. The entire mishpacha, the whole family, I I feel like it's my family. It's like Baruch family. They're They're incredible people. Each Each and every one of the members, they're they're unreal. Their warmth, their understanding. Robbie, I mean, he's like my boss. Whatever he tells me, I got to listen to. He's amazing. He only cares about the cloud. If you want to know a yoresh, if you want to know one who inherited, I would say it's Robbie. Of course, each member of the family, but Robbie, he doesn't stop night and day. He's He's one time he came into a sheer. We had a sheer in Queens somewhere. So, I said, "Robbie, why are you getting your coat on? We just started." He says, "Cuz I have to check on five other places." And he goes from place to place to organize activities on the same night. It was so shana raba. It's It's an amazing thing. I believe that the seeds that were planted during the years, the very fruitful years of Toby's life, are still blossoming, yielding payrus year after year. And to her, l'havdil ben chaim l'chaim, to her dear husband, Charles, my yedid, he's my my good friend. He walked the other week, I don't know how long in order to come to a sheer, and always comes and gives me chizuk, gives me a He's a backup. He gives me encouragement. But can you imagine butach b'lev bayla, the tremendous encouragement that a husband has to give to a wife who spends her time for the community, who gives up his personal time, who doesn't care, who sends her out to continue to do the greatness that she does in the community. It's a zchus. What a beauty. Her daughter, her son, and the whole family. It's It's incredible. Should continue on. She was somebody who left her mark in this world and continues. She did not leave this world. Sadikim b'misason k'ruyim chayim. The people even after they go from this world, they're called living. Called living even more than during the times that they lived. Her life is with us. The fact that she touched everybody, the fact that she gave us the example and things are happening now because of her, she is with us. I I could talk all night, but I just want to end with dover tov. There was a great tzaddik, Reb Chaim Tayeb. Great, great tzaddik. Great. Mekubal. He was great in Talmud and one day he died. Great tzaddik. Whoever wrote the matzeva, they wrote the monument, they put Chaim Tayeb and then wrote another word, then it said mace, died, and they put the year. That was it. Wrote the matzeva, put the matzeva, erected it on the kever. That night, the one the matzeva creator, the one that wrote out the matzeva, had a dream. Reb Chaim Tayeb came to him in the dream and said, "Why did you put there the word died?" The person had the dream was shaking. He didn't know what it was. He said, "Sadikim b'misason k'ruyim chayim. We continue on. Someone that lives a good life, someone who lives a life faithful to Hashem and does and has a a mark on the community and changes the community for the better, they continue to live on. I want you to take out that name." In the dream, he answered back, "The one that wrote the matzeva, how could I put Mace?" He wrote, "Put right above it, in between, lo Mace, did not die." The man woke up early in the morning. He's shaking. Immediately, he set out. He went to the matzeva. He added the word, "lo Mace, did not die." Toby Geshwin, lo Mace. She's with us. This evening, the first that I would like to begin with is we just we're speaking about Yakov Avinu. Yakov Avinu, 22 years Avel Kaved, difficult mourning, mourning over Yosef HaTzadik, his favorite, Ben Zekunim, the one that he favored, the one he gave the sonus pasin, that he cared so much about. He heard that Yosef HaTzadik finally was still living after all the years that he was in Sair, that the Shekinah, that the divine presence departed from him. And after he saw the agalot, after he saw the wagons that were sent for him by Yosef, he realized that he is alive and he was filled with simcha. So, there the pasuk says, "Vayomi Yisrael, rav od Yosef, how great my son Yosef is still living, beni chai, el chovev ranu betarem amut." I will go and I'll see him before he dies, before Yakov Avinu dies. The Medrash asks the question, "What does it mean rav od Yosef?" What does it mean rav od Yosef? And the Medrash answers, the answer is so fantastic, rav od Yosef, apela, rav hu kocho Shel Yosef, the koach of Yosef was even greater, greater than my own, Yakov Avinu, the bechira of all of us, the choices of all the forefathers, says that Yosef was greater than me. Shekama tzaros, he went through so many troubled times, he went through so many challenges, rough and rocky roads, vadayin hu omed, betzidko, and he still stands in his righteousness. Yakov Avinu said, "Right now I know Yosef passed me. He's much further than I am. He got to a higher madrega." All the meforshim, all the commentaries say, "How is it possible?" Perhaps he was greater in this idea that he still held on. He was implacable. He was somebody like the Israeli army, it doesn't matter who comes at them from anywhere, all the different armies, everybody's afraid to fight. Not Israel, they should stop fighting right away, it should only be peace for everybody, and we should be menatzeach. But it's unbelievable. You think about it for a moment. Yosef Hatzadik was like that. He didn't care. It didn't matter to him. He went through the mechira, didn't care. He begged his brothers, he went down, he fell at the feet of all the shvatim, "Ulay yerachem, have mercy, have mercy." They wouldn't have mercy on him. His own brothers turned away. They put him in the pit, nachash ve'akravim, there's snakes and scorpions, he didn't care. He came out. Then they sold him to the orchot Ishmaelim. How could you do that? How could you sell any Jew? Let alone your own brother, ki achinu basarenu, they said, "He's our flesh and blood." HOW DID THEY SELL HIM? And sell him to them, who were we won't even talk about it the low level down to mitzrayim sold as a lowly slave Yosef at Sadiq sold as a slave Ashes Potiphar frames him libel and then he sits in prison 22 years all of that time he was both there by Hashem Yaakov Avinu said I was bitzar this because I was upset Shekinah departed from me Yosef at Sadiq he was happy Yosef at Sadiq he didn't care he was able to last it out it didn't matter to him Shekinah was always together with him says the Avnei Nezer the great Sadiq the Avnei Nezer the mere fact that Yosef retained his Simcha his Simcha Sakhain his Emunah his bitachon his faith in Hashem and didn't care what life had to throw at him he didn't care the curveballs that he received in life he didn't care how many times he got a clap how many times he was knocked out how many times his brothers turned their back on him he didn't care he didn't care about any of that because he stood strong with Hashem says the Avnei Nezer that was greater than all the things that Yaakov Avinu was able to do in prison he didn't have in one time with a minyan in prison how many mitzvahs he was able to do how many mitzvahs he was not able to do because he was confined yet the mailer of bitachon and Emunah that knowing that everything that happens happens for a reason although we cannot see the back end that we don't know everything that's going on. We have a moon and be talking. Everything that goes on in life is for us. Eventually, we will be able to see it. Call the oven Rachman and the tab of it. Everything that Hashem does is for the best. And sometimes we will not know it for years. We pray that we'll be able to see it quickly and that we'll know Hashem's plan for everything. But the truth is that all that happens a person has strong and moon during the good days and during not so good days. We should only have the best days in the world. Everybody here. It's such a beloved Kahila. Uh I have to tell you I've been here a couple of times. Just the conversations I've had privately and with the people and just the the tsibbur in a a general way, it's a blessed tsibbur. It's a community that is so strong, always growing. The best middos. It's It's unbelievable. What does a person do? They begin to understand that all the things that happen, we accept. The moon and shall lay them. We accept with pure faith. I just was contacted by a very great tsaddik, Reb Yerucham Rivlin. He lost two sons, lo aleinu, two sons October 7th. Sons, one a soldier, one not 100% from He happened to be at the festival. I had Reb Yerucham in my house twice. And he just called me up. And he says, "Rebbe, I just got the biggest nachum in my life." I said, "Yerucham, what what nachum?" He says, "We are writing a safer Torah for the two boys, his two sons." I'm just telling you right now, you'll give my word you'll give me your word that you're going to come when the safer Torah is completed. I said, "You will come. You got it. Be my biggest my biggest success to be together with you." That's Sidkus. That's knowing he lost two sons. Two smart talented meters nice exact. He was a Mekubal. Shortly afterwards, he was in my house and we ate together and we had a long talk. We're able to understand the way to look at the events of the world through the eyes of Torah. There was an older man a Yid living in Morocco, Binyamin Cohen. Binyamin Cohen. Binyamin Cohen he had one thing that he did all the time, all the time. He always tried to help anybody with doing a chessed, anybody he could in the town of Meknes in Morocco. He had one dream to go to Eretz Israel. He wanted to be there. It's a lifelong dream. Didn't make it. Even towards the last days that he lived, he still wasn't able to do it and unfortunately he passed on. His son lives in France. His son thought to himself, "I could be mechaber my father. I got money. I could do it." They made the Levaya already in Morocco. However, his son said "We'll make a Pinoy Ames. We'll get the Aron. We'll take it out and I'm going to pay to get to Eretz Israel. So finally, he will have his dream. At least he will be there in Eretz Israel. The son spent a whole rub, a lot a lot of money, paid, got all of the permits, all the licenses, all the arrangements that had to be made, thousands and thousands of dollars, secured a place in Har Hazetim, a beautiful place on Makom Menucha for his father, arranged the whole of I and it was unreal. They went, they took the aron from Morocco to Eretz Israel to Har Hazetim. People heard about it that the son had arranged that the aron should come to fulfill the father's dream of finally being in Eretz Israel. People came from all over. You know people, you know Achim Bnei Israel, they come out. They come out in the good times, they come out in the not so good times. And they all came to Levaya. The chief rabbis, Sephardic and Ashkenaz, both came to show honor on that day. On that day. The Levaya was finished, everything was done, and of course the son was quite satisfied with what he did. Few months later, happened to be someone from France met the son. And he said, "You know, I just came back from a tiyul in Morocco. We went to the Kever Tzadikim in Morocco, all the different Tzadikim. We were in Meknes. And in fact, I prayed by your father's grave. I was by his Kever." He said, "No, I'm sorry, you're mistaken. My father was taken to Eretz Israel." He said, "No, no, I'm telling you I was praying by his grave. I was by the Kever." He said, "I don't know what you're telling me." The son of Binyamin Cohen. He was moved. He's not there. I promise you. I was very clear. It's not a dream. I was there standing by the caver and I put in a tfilla for you. The son couldn't understand what went on. So, the son said I better investigate. He goes to Morocco, goes to Meknes, checks out exactly what it is. Sure enough, he goes to the caver and sees that the caver is intact, that everything is there. There isn't a question. It was never touched. His father is there. He calls the Chevra Kadisha, begins screaming. He couldn't help himself. What's going on? I paid a lot of money. We got the all the permits. There was a tremendous levaya. If my father is here, then who did you take? Chevra Kadisha made investigation and they found out that there was another Yid in that Beis HaChaim with the name Benjamin Cohen. They took that Yid and they were the father of the meis and they moved him to Eretz Yisrael. The son decided what could he do? He had the money. He arranged now that they should make a pinui ha meis for the real father, Benjamin Cohen, and got all the permits a second time and made all the arrangements and had to do everything. And finally, it was on the day. This time, it was a levaya tzanua. Quiet. It was more modest. No fanfare. Everything happened as it should. They took him. They made the kallah, and everything was okay. Everything happened. However, the son wanted to know what was going on here. Why was it that such a mistake that is highly unusual to make? How come it happened? Why didn't his father go? And why did that other man end up in Har Hazaytim soil? What was revealed is something that the momin bashem, the believer can take and add to their animamin more kavana every single day. There was a Binyamin Cohen who lived in Morocco. Binyamin Cohen was a person that was moser nefesh for one mitzvah. He self-sacrificed for the mitzvah of misameach chasan the kallah. Whenever there was a wedding, he came. He was misameach. He danced. He did somersaults. He stood up. He walked on his head. He would bring things in. Whatever he could do, he always raised the level of simcha at the chasan. People looked forward to him. He wasn't married. Didn't get married. But that mitzvah he held onto his whole life. Chafetz Chaim said, "Take one mitzvah and make it yours. Take one mitzvah and specialize in it." That was his mitzvah. When a chasan and kallah would want to pay him, or they'd want to thank him, he would say, "No. I don't want that you should thank me at all. I just ask one thing. It's written, kol hamisameach chasan vekallah, whoever makes a chasan and a kallah rejoice, they are zocheh ke'ilu bana achas mechurbos Yerushalayim. It's It's they build up one of the ruins of Yerushalayim. After 120 years, he says, "I want to be zoche to be in Har Hazeisim, to be in that cemetery, so that I can see the churban Yerushalayim that I built. Give me a bracha." He would ask the chosson and kallah, "It's your special day. Give me a bracha. That's all I want for pay." And they would give him a bracha. He wasn't ever discouraged. He always had great bitachon in the Borei Olam. When his family would say, "Stop. We are so poor. We could never afford to go. We couldn't afford Har Hazeisim. Are you kidding me?" They would tell him, "Why don't you stop already?" He said, "Because I have bitachon. I have trust in the Borei Olam and Hashem." Hashem will stand for me because he knows I was always self-sacrificing for the chosson and kallah. Now, chuts mi'derech hateva, outside, unnatural, outside the laws of teva, it was that Binyamin Cohen ended up in Har Hazeisim, his lifelong dream. When a person understands that all that happens in the world, whether we understand it immediately or whether it takes us some time, and they have emunah and bitachon, they say, "Hashem, you're my father. I trust you. Hashem, doesn't matter whether today there was a mess up. It doesn't matter whether today there was a little bit of a difficulty in my life. I know that in some way it was good." Called the Ovad Rachmana d'Tava Veid, whatever Hashem does is good. And believe me, in many, many different ways, we are able to see the actual good that happens. A second area, emunah and bitachon, a second area, which is so important to grow is the power of mechila. When a person will be able to be mochel, a person can forgive the next individual, not to hold anything against another person. There was an incident in the Talmud. It's in Yuma page Zion. Rav had a complaint against a certain butcher. The butcher insulted him. We are not allowed to insult anybody. We have to be very careful about an insult. Any type of onas dvarim, calling somebody a name that they don't appreciate, even a nickname, a name that the person may not appreciate. Maybe they liked it when they were younger, but when they grew older, they didn't like it. I had a good friend. He's a big Talmud chacham. His name is Zisha, and he went to learn in Eretz Yisrael, and he became a Rosh Kollel there, but he was a great ball player, very great ball player, and they used to call him because he always would slide in to make the baseball. He'd slide into the plate. They used to call him Slider. So, you know, it's good when you're younger they call him Slider. I went to Eretz Yisrael, so I visited him not last trip, the trip before. And there is in the Kollel, you know, Rosh Kollel and all the guys were there. So, I came, and one guy came from the old days, from our Yeshiva days. He wanted to come along with me. I should have never taken the guy. He I took him with me. So, all the Kollel guys are standing around. They want to hear like we're going to be mefalpel in Torah. We're going to start telling like, you know, a deep shiur to each other. All of a sudden, the Rosh Kollel comes in. All the guys are standing around, and my OLD FRIEND SAYS, "SLIDER, HOW YOU DOING?" ANYHOW, so what happened was uh Rob had a complaint. He insulted him. The butcher didn't come to apologize. If we insult somebody, so we have to know it's hard to do it. I must tell you this, I have to do it no matter how hard it is. I have to humble myself, not by text, not group text. Are you mocking me in front of 2,000 people? You don't have to bother. I'm sure you are. No. You have to be machnia to go to the person, say I'm sorry. I have a fault. I am wrong. I will tonight say that I'm sorry to you. Please forgive me. Find it in your heart. However, he didn't come. He never came. The great Rob, and he never came, never worried about asking mechila. That's like an open account. It has got to be settled. Mechila we don't leave open between Yidden. I tell you the saddest thing. I was walking in Flatbush in Brooklyn on Avenue N. It was shortly before uh Yom Kippur. I was walking down there's a very nice woman, uh a member of the Young Israel on Ocean Avenue. She doesn't walk there anymore, but she used to come from her house and she sees me. "Rebbetzin Goldwasser, Rebbetzin Goldwasser, how are you?" I said, "Very good. Uh how are you doing?" She said, uh "Excellent. But you know what always bothered me. It's like before Yom Kippur and my brother and I, we didn't speak for 7 years." I was very surprised because this woman is very proper lady. I said, "7 years you didn't talk?" Yeah. Well, he didn't call me. I said, "Well, did you not want to call him?" He is the one. He is the reason why we are not talking. I said to her, "You know, I have a lot of respect for you. I look up to you. You're one of the people original people in the community. Why don't you call him?" You think I should? I said, "Yes, before Yom Kippur. Maybe the whole reason that I bumped into you was just that we should have this conversation. Call him up. He's your dear brother. Doesn't matter if he did this or you did that. It all doesn't matter. It's all mice or whatever." She said, "Okay." Must be that she called him up that night. I get a call on the telephone. Rav, I can't thank you enough. You have no idea. I called my brother. He is leaving now making aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. I don't think we will see each other another time. However, he's going to come over to my house tomorrow. I thought to myself, what if she wouldn't have made the call? So, Rav went and he started to go to the butcher because he wanted that the butcher should have a chance to ask him mechila. He wanted to present himself to maybe that it would be that the butcher would say, uh, "Will you be my whole mate?" So, he started to walk around. Unfortunately, the butcher was sitting there and he was, uh, doing his work with a certain animal. The butcher raised his eyes and he saw him. He said to him, "Are you Abba?" Abba means like, a could be like, a older person or rabbi. "Go away. I have nothing to say to you." While he was doing his work, there was an accident that happened and all of a sudden, one of the bones flew, hit him in the head, and killed him. Rebbetzin Petroburger, the Kochav Ohr, asked a question. "Okay, so the butcher didn't ask me for chila, but what did he do so bad that he deserved that he didn't live anymore?" Rebbetzin said, "When someone reaches out and makes it easy for us to do chuvah, makes it easy for us to ask me chila, makes it easy for us to reinstate the friendship, makes it easy for us for brother and sister to come together, father and son, mother and daughter, and then chos v'sholom, they denied the opportunity, then the ones is compounded. Then the punishment is compounded because we had the chance. It was presented to us. In the same way, it's difficult to do chuvah. But, Hashem sometimes makes it easy for us." Incredible incident happened by one of the kiruv organizations in Queens. There was a group, Hasidim, that went off off the derech. It affects every community. Hasidim went off. And happened to be it was Yom Kippur, erev Yom Kippur. And they were looking for a hotel to stay at. Whatever they were doing, a group looking for hotel to stay at. All the hotels, there was a convention in town, all the hotels were taken. There was one hotel that wasn't taken that had availabilities. That was by the Jewish Heritage, I believe, Foundation in Queens that does a Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur program. They came in. The rabbi in charge saw them and said, "Good erev yom tov. Wow. Gemar tov. It's good to see everybody." All these people that came that were off the derech, so-called off the derech, they stayed for Yom Kippur. They came to Kol Nidre. They heard the davening. Some participated. Some sang some of the nigunim. Some sat down and talked to some of the rabbis. So, you could say it's random. They just happened to be in that part of the country or they just happened to be that there was a convention at that time and during the convention they were took up several hotels. No. Hashem Yisborach provided them with the opportunity to to be able to do chuvah. That was what was most important. And so, in our own way, the way that we show our power is that we taking advantage. We take advantage. The shul offers a shiur. Chaperone. Go. We take advantage. There's a tillim group. Go. A chalabait. Go. All of these things are meant for all of us to be able to grow ourselves. Every opportunity is not by random just happened to be happenstance that we got the opportunity. It was earmarked for us that we should notice, that we should take advantage of it and develop. There was a avrech, a young man in the Bnei Brak. Unfortunately, he wasn't matzliach. He wasn't too successful. And he really didn't have a place to stay anymore. He outgrew the yeshiva. There was a very fine baal habus, a very fine man that decided to keep him. He said you can stay by my house. I have an extra room. By all means. The man came. He said you could also you want to eat by us? Eat. S'chulah in the flaw to be machnis orech. S'chulah for many, many things aside from a mitzvah that is greater than we can ever ever imagine. Mitzvah of hachnasas orchim. Taking a person in, giving a person a sleep, a place to sleep, person a hot shower, give a person food, even hachnasas orchim in your car, you bring somebody in, you give them a little bit food. Hachnasas orchim anywhere. It is huge. Huge is the s'chulah. I saw written by Rav Shimon. Somebody came to him and they needed a refuah for something. We should all be well and strong, 120 years. Rav Shimon said, "So tell me, why don't you be machnis orech?" It's a big, big s'chulah. So this man, he took in this unfortunate avrech, this young man, and he had him stay by his house, and he ate there, and he gave him a room like off to the side. One day the avrech woke up, as I say, on the wrong side of the bed. He gets up and he says something not nice to his host, the one that took him in, the one that came for free, the one that gives him the food, the one that cares about him. And he says to him something not nice. The host couldn't hold himself back. He answered him. He put him in his place. He didn't mean to, but after all, he's doing this every day for him and now you're going to go and rebel against the one who helps you. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. The guy heard this, the avreich couldn't take it. He's sensitive. Look what he's going through. Look at the nisyoynos, the challenges he has in life. You see some of the people you think that they're tough. They're not so tough. You see somebody collecting outside and you think you can just go past them and you know, sometimes a person could say something not so nice to them. How do you know? You think they want to stand there? You think they want to sit and and they collect from people? It's not simple. It's a hard thing. They never have to do it because that's just what they're they're doing. They're not meshuge maybe to go to work 9:00 to 5:00. Maybe they're just a victim of circumstances. So when this young man heard that the balabos put him in place, he said, "I'm out of here." He left quietly. He never came back. It's one thing when a person has words, but if you don't see the individual again, that hurts. When you know that the person left because of you, how do you ever come to grips with it? How do you ever say it's okay? Naturally, the man felt very bad. He scared him away. Person that he doesn't know where he's at, where he'll get his next meal, where he'll sleep that evening. He felt very, very bad. However, on the other hand, he wasn't the one that started up with him. It's that young man that said something to a person older, something that was not nice, something that he didn't have to say. So now, why did he do it? It was his fault. Balabus, the one who was the owner of the home, he thought, "Okay, what can I do? You can't uh you know, you can't please everyone." As they say, only clowns please everyone. And he let it go. He had a daughter that was not red a shidduch in a long time. To red a shidduch is the biggest mitzvah in the entire world. The Chasam Sofer said, "If a person is looking for a skhus, a necessary you made teshuvah, they want a big skhus, the easiest way is to go into red a shidduch." Red a shidduch. Put people together. Follow in Toby's ways. Get people. Try whatever you can do. Make a shidduch. It's the most important thing in the world. A lot of people are waiting and they want Believe me, I made a shidduch and I it was a mistake and I made a shidduch. Pure mistake. I made a shidduch. I'd be happy to share it with you afterwards. If I could make a mistake and make a shidduch, anybody could. I I really made it. It was such a a major mistake. It was unbelievable. You can't tell. It's hard. I once made a shidduch. I had a talmid I made a shidduch and the guy came to the shul. He was unbelievable. This a wonderful man. Something happened between them. It was on the telephone and I thought it was going to be like the greatest shidduch. The man came to me and he said, "Rebby, I know you try to do good things. This was not one of them." Yeah, this is not a shidduch. I couldn't understand what happened and I couldn't get to the bottom of exactly who said what. One year later, one year later, I decided Sheva Yipol Tzaddik Bekom. You knock it down seven times. Don't worry. I went over to the young woman and I said, "Listen, would you mind if I try this thing again?" She said, "You could try, but I don't think he's going to say yes." So, I went to the guy. I'm going to tell you just tonight since it's a close crowd here. Uh I said it was my fault. The whole miscommunication was my fault. I want you should be mochel me. She had nothing to do with it. It was on me. Alive al tzaar baalei chai. Forgive me. He said, "Okay." I said, "You want to show that you really forgive me?" He says, "Yes, Rebby, how you going go out with her?" Believe it or not, they went out. The shidduch was so good that Maaseh Shehaya. That the father said, "We would like to pay out of pocket." But the father said, "We like to pay double because not only was the shidduch good between the couple, but the mechutanim get along so good, they feel it's also a shidduch." I don't like to argue price, you know, but but uh fantastic. Everyone be ossik in shidduchim. Anyhow, he has an older daughter, this baal habos, and she's not getting married. People try. People try to know what maybe could be an equal. Not that we know, not that we can always find out, but sometimes a person can start to delve into it. The wife, the Aishes Chayil says to him, "Maybe maybe you insulted him. Maybe he couldn't take it. Even he started up with you, maybe he couldn't take it. Maybe it was too much for him. He couldn't hear it. It's a rachmanus on the guy altogether. It's a shame. Look what he's doing. Look what he has to do from day to day. He knows he can't afford to eat. He knows he has no place to sleep. He would be on the park bench. Why don't you find out where he's at? The man found out after a lot of checking. He got to the bottom of where he's at. He got him on the phone. One half hour before Kol Nidre, one half hour. The avreich picks up the telephone. The man says to him, "I want to apologize. May umka d'liba, from the depths of my heart, I was dead wrong, and I want you to know I didn't have a moment's peace, and before Yom Kippur, I hope you could find it in your heart to forgive me." The avreich hears it, and he says, "You're calling me? You're calling me? I never thought you'd want to talk to me again in my life. You're calling me on Erev Yom Kippur? Insignificant me? And you're such a good person? I'm mochel you b'lev shalem. They both talked to each other. He said, "Perhaps on Chol HaMoed Sukkos, I'm going to come back to Bnei Brak. I'll pay you a visit if I can." They both wished each other a good Yom Tov, a Gmar Tov, a Shana Tova um Sukkot. They got off the phone. Yom Kippur? That man cried. The baal bos cried. He waited that long to ask mechila. He went and told someone who's unfortunate words that hurt and were unkind. And he saw how humble that young man answered him back. He cried. Ben Adam l'Chavero. He did a few extra al chets that day. Mi Yodea who knows what tips the camel. Mi Yodea what swings the pendulum. Mi Yodea what makes the balance of mitzvahs and zechuyos outweigh averos and chovos. Motzei Yom Kippur the phone rang in the house of this man. Something happened that didn't happen not 1 year but more than 1 years. Nobody called up for the daughter. A shadchan was on the phone. I have a suggestion for your daughter. I'm not sure but it sounds to me very good. Immediately Mitzvah ba li yadcha al tuchal don't wait. Don't wait. You have a chance to do a mitzvah, take it right away. The young woman went out right after Yom Kippur in those special days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot. It already looked good. It was progressing. He gets a knock on the door. The average shows up. They hug each other. The average phenomenal said that when he came back to Bene Brak and he went to Davin in the letterman show where the great Sarah Torah were of kind used to Davin every day. He went there. A man walked over to him and asked him are you still available? Are you single? And he said yes. So he says I may have a suggestion for you. A person can never tell. A says who's to be Michael. Even you think you got every good reason not to be Michael. I have the reasons. I got my reasons. I'm not going to forgive and I have a reason and that's all and I don't have to ask anybody. Ask the road. Ask the road. It's a Shila. It's as big as Shila as if you can eat the meat by certain place. It's as big as Shila as are you allowed to take something that was sent to you by accident? Can you keep it? Can you not keep it? It's a bigger Shila. Michael in the ear is motion of the great gone Ruby motion Feinstein. There was a person that asked a Shila in Michael. He would have to spend $20,000 to gain forgiveness to get Michael and they asked the great gone should they do it? And Ruby motion said you're getting off easy by paying the $20,000 and it tells the entire story in the Chula in the responsa of what happened. But we have a few minutes. Okay. Uh one more part. Uh one more part for everybody and uh there's a lot of limudim. I wish we could uh go on and on, but we'll make it quick. Ach ba'shem al timrodu. But don't rebel against Hashem. Don't Don't rebel against Hashem. Why? Bnei Yisrael, what did they do? They were afraid Anaqim, the giants. Remember? They went out and there were giants and they were afraid to go to the holy land because they saw all these things happening and there were leviathans lo aleinu, all different things happening. So, they didn't want to go. They were They had a pachad. So, there al timrodu, don't rebel against Hashem. Rabbeinu Bachya asks the question. Just because a person is afraid, I mean, we're allowed to be afraid. Uh some people have a little bit pachad. Some people have eimah. We work it out, but just because a person is afraid, does that mean that they are morid? Are they rebelling? Are they rebelling against Hashem? Certainly not. I could be afraid. Says Rabbeinu Bachya, an unbelievable p'shat. He says the following. Charada she'ha'adam charad mibasar vadam, if a person is afraid of a flesh and blood, goremes Baruch Hu, it will cause them to forget Borei Olam. They will forget Hashem. We know that there is a passuk in Mishlei. The passuk is charedas adam yitein mokesh. Charedas adam, a a person who's afraid I'm afraid of this I'm afraid of that person I'm afraid from God I'm afraid what they're going to say it's a snare it's a trap that a person fear sets up a trap. However, the person that trusts in a sham that person will be protected by a sham Barack. In the all explain what is it mean that they give a more cash that they set themselves up and they ensnare themselves here does Adam has all tell us is because when a person starts to be afraid cabalistically they are they weaken they weaken their muscle in a certain way here a person strong and they go in with them in and they go with me talking they can face anything. But when they start to be too afraid they could show them wear down their good muscle wear down their protection. When a person has a moon and be talking and they believe strongly that individual has the power to be all made me inside and to stand through all of life's challenges they don't got to worry about nothing because they know that a sham is right there with me the worst place in the world. It says in Gehenna in Gehenna Yalkut Shimoni who did they find in Gehenna they found a sham walking in Gehenna. A sham walking around in Gehenna. A sham says I will be anywhere. A sham says the following words ain't Lityash, a Jew never despairs doesn't matter what it is in what area, shiduchim in health, in parnassa, in life, in relations, in shalom bayis, it doesn't matter. Bain binyan haguf, bain binyan hanefesh, doesn't matter. Af al pi hanishtakel makom shenishtaka, even the person sunk to the lowest steps, and they did the aveira that the chazal say she'ein shuva mo'ila, that teshuvah doesn't help, chas v'shalom, they should know that there is no ye'ush, there is no giving up at all. Dil'ola Hashem Yisbarach yachol la'azor. Hashem can help anybody. There is no such a thing as giving up on life. Hashem can help us and take us no matter where an individual is. And there is an entire two paragraphs Rav Chaim Berlin speaks about, it's worthwhile to see it. We don't have the time tonight. I'll be mesayem b'dovro to. The person that wants to be powerful, the person that wants to work on themselves, work on emunah, work on bitachon. Emunah u'bitachon. If somebody did something, I'm going to get angry at that guy, going to get angry at that lady. They did it. They cheated me out of some money. Okay, lo nora, I'll get other money. People take it hard. The guy in Cedarhurst told me I can't get over because these guys that took me for the money and he's upset. True, it is very upsetting. However, emunah u'bitachon help us greatly. Emunah u'bitachon ashrei hamamain, the one that believes, they know they're going to be able to get past the storm. They know that they're going to walk tall. They know that Hashem has their back. And if something did go on, and they did lose a little bit, if somebody wasn't kind to them, they spared them a bigger onesh, a bigger punishment. Ashrei amamin, I believe that Hashem is working for me and for you at every moment. The great Reb Hutner, the Pachad Yitzchok, used to say, "Ruba de ruba, mainly Hashem conducts the world, mainly." Meaning all the time. I'll just be mesayem b'dvar tov, end with a small idea. Was a young girl a girl neshama shekonios have strong power. A young girl, young teen, and she was escaping from the Holocaust. Escaping from the Holocaust, they told her, "Run. You stay here, you're going to run." Maybe you could escape, maybe you could reach the forest, maybe you could get somewhere. So, she ran. And she ran as fast as she could. She couldn't go any further. She had run so long, and she was not used to it. She wasn't mesugal to run. All of a sudden, she sees a big house, and there is lights on in the house. She needed to get some water. She needed to be able to rest. She didn't want to stay and be discovered in the street. So, she went and began to knock on the door. All of a sudden, she begins to scream, "I'm a Jewish girl. Could you please have rachmanus? Could you please have mercy on me?" All of a sudden, the door opens, and she sees there a Nazi commandant with the boots. He said to her with a glare in his eyes, You saved me a lot of work. You came straight to me. You came straight right here into my re shoes, into my hands. She realizes it. She fell back. There was a wall. She fell back on the wall. Then he said, "But wait a minute. How did you get down that whole path? How was it possible? The dogs didn't tear you apart? I have vicious dogs all guarding it. How did you get past them?" She didn't know. She didn't see any dogs. She would didn't have a presence of mind to see the dogs. But they did not approach her. The Nazi said, "I don't know what you are. I don't know what kind of a a magician you are. But I'm going to tell you something. Tonight, you're going to stay here this evening in my house, and you're going to stay here on the floor. Tomorrow morning, when I'm going to be able to witness it, you are going to walk down that whole path with all of the vicious dogs. You're going to walk down that path. If you walk past all of those animals, and you're able to survive the walk, and you live, I take responsibility for you. You will live till the end of the war. I guarantee your safety. He leaves her. She's on the ground in the hallway. She's crying and crying and crying. She realizes she has one thing left. Tefillah. Davida Malach and Nissi Sila Hashem Yisbarach we always have tefillah. A person can daven no matter what. She spent the rest of the night saying any Tehillim that she knew, any song she knew by heart off by heart. She said it all. In the morning the Nazi came down. Get up. She gets up. Opens the door. Take your walk. He pushes her out from the door. She begins to walk down the path carefully trying not to take her mind off of Hashem ain od milvado. Walks past all of the vicious dogs. Not one dog came after her. Not one dog barked. Not one dog moved. They stood in their place. She made it. The Nazi for whatever reason kept his word. Put her in an orphanage until the war was over. The girl grew up to be a great Rebbetzin. The Rebbetzin of Rabbi Yechezkel Sarna. The great Sadiq and Mashgiach. A A person that lives with Emunah and Bitachon has a power. Has greatness. You and I have that greatness inside of us. You and I have the power to be able to stand strong. To go through life. To be Marbeh Kavod Shamayim. We should all have many many Simchas Simchas in the Kehilla. Mechayel Echoyel. Big Besuros Tovos. Good news for everybody. And Beshashem we should already hear that all of the hostages be freed, come home safe and sound. Take off from Yiad. And all of the Chayalim Chayalot. All the Tzadikim. They should all be protected, strong and healthy, and come back, and all of us will be together. Young Israel will have a beautiful building Yerushalayim. And I hope they'll invite me still over there. Good evening everybody. Hatzlacha and Bracha.