Torah is Good... but not Easy - Rabbi Zev Leff

[Music] I recently came across a young woman who is extremely talented in giving over the very Torah and in Kirov and she applied to aq Louvre organization and she was rejected because she's divorced and the person who's in charge of that Kirov operation said we want to present a picture that people who are some Rotolo mitzvahs live idyllic lives and you don't seem to point that out because you're divorced so you give a bad impression of being a sober totalmix list and therefore we don't feel you are a good the Kirov person if you think that that is proper then staying listen to what I have to say if you understand that that is improper then you don't have to hear what I have to say you're already of the verify ocean what do we want to present to people who are not yet for them as what living a total life involves do we want to tell people that if you'll just be my cobble Tyrus Amish waha we guarantee you'll have children do you know that there are people who keep Tara Smith Sparkle the home bruh that I condos who don't have children we want to tell you that you will just be a showman a total Mitzvahs you'll have solemn bias you know that there are people who are so many total mistress who don't have seldom bangs we want to tell you that if you will just keep Shabbos you will have a fine part awesome do you know the people who keep Chavez who don't have pronounce so what is the message we want to give people about be coming from that they'll live an idyllic life not true Tory never promised anyone an idyllic life if they keep tolerant mitzvahs I the Torah says and bucco cites a label and a whole thing of that's if I will of cloud yes well we'll keep the mitzvahs this theory shown them say that's where your most emotion doesn't apply to any single person that they have any guarantees in this world let me give you a broader view of this Indian what exactly it is that we can promise people or want to give examples to people if they'll become so more thorough missus the harm by the Seder asks more for a those to have who came behind this birthday might receive our symbol okay Noah said what are all these mitzvahs says the even Ezra what's the intention of the harm only have to keep seven relatively easy mitzvahs and if they keep them properly they'll get a share in the world to come so TK almost sorrow them I see they almost saw them have a hey look at all them happen and we have to keep relatively difficult mitzvahs to get a share of the world to come what did we do wrong that God laid this yoke on us and nobody else that's his question what's the answer evolved him he know the fire of them is right says the benezia let's look at God's track record he took us out of Egypt for our sake or for his sake obviously varsity took us through the desert for 40 years and took care of all of our needs for our sake or his sake obviously for our sake he gave us Eretz Israel for our sake or his sake obviously for our sake if that's the case then we see the pattern face a vein was called a hukum or angle the toe Vlad no if he gave us all these mitzvahs it's not for his sake it's not a yoke that he put on us but the toe of lonna which were are good he's giving us a present he's giving us an opportunity Makai yo se lo que yo misere and that is what remission on Yvonne akasha said ruff Sokka this boricuas are kosis Israel the Republic shall Allah wanted to merit the Jewish people that's one meaning of the sockos but there's another meaning of the sockos to purify the loss of Z ho the Ravana wanted to purify the Jewish people meaning the robe of love saw that we have the Samos that have the potential to have the most intimate close relationship with him for eternity no other nation no other individual who's not part of cloud Israel or didn't join cloud Israel as a Gary hazard me someone like that yeah gaudium can have a say look at Oldham haba but they're all them ha but their relationship to our canoes Buraku is extremely different than the relationship that we can have because of potential of our new Samos but the rabona shall know that the only way that our new Samos could bring out that full potential is by being purified by Turin Mitsos so rough Socrates vertical the psychosis is really that a bomb - Oliver wanted to married us by giving us the ability to purify our Natomas and bring out its full potential and therefore here below him Toto misses and that is the meaning of the following plastic which makes absolutely no sense if you don't understand this idea that Torah and mitzvot are an opportunity they're a present they're not a liability they're not a yoke after 40 years in the desert most of my baby turns to cloud yourself and he says the I toid you Sorrell Morris a mother can trust roiled me mom what does God want from you already key aim only you would think that what would follow is only a few measly things Northy under that plastic is Kiev the hero sociable of capital the apple solidago bubble FSB cultural hub little Corvo miss Rosa wish was there only a million things make any sense what does God want from you already only a million things the answer is the last two words of the pursuit make it make sense the tove law it's all for your good God doesn't want anything from you he wants to give you an opportunity he wants to give you a present it's all the tove law wash em so anymore but it's got one from you zero he wants to give you a benefit wants to give you a present hiya lass so then why do we get punished if we don't want the present because the Reba Muslim loves us so much and he understands how much that present is beneficial to us and how much will kick work ourselves after 120 years if we reject that present that he won't let us reject it because he knows ultimately even will recognize how important that present is and therefore if we in our stupidity rejected the revulsion does everything in his power to see to it that we're at home for and that will given the incentive to want to accept it very nice the Torah is a tremendous benefit it's a present it's a [Music] opportunity all true could be that's why the didn't get the Torah and we got it God offered the tolerance of the nations of the world so they said what's in it told them it says today so he said it can't they said murder we have a problem with that we have a Braja from Utah Covino Lao harbour at IKEA we live by the sword half way of the tourist that you can't murder God left them went to Bnei you smile do you want the toilet what's in it says you can't steal can't steal we have a brother from Amala and y'all go back old vehicle bow our hands and everybody's pocket their hands in our pocket I could ever towards this game steal God left them came to cloud Israel and we said massive initial we got the total but always bothered me the guy you didn't say no they said we have a problem why didn't the Robo know some explain to them why there's no problem and then see if they wanted or not should have told the nee a sub there's no conflict between nots not murdering and living by the sword living by the sword means you're gonna be mercenaries soldiers of fortune people are gonna pay you to fight their backers that's worth time it's not murder it's okay you want the Torah or not why did God abruptly leave them same thing with you smile y'all go back all the odd Kobo doesn't mean you have a license to pickpocket it means as the targum says you will need the whole world for your basic needs and the world will need you today we understand that the world needs the arrows for their oil so now there's no conflict between not stealing and y'all go by call the Yacht Club all do you want the total or not why did God leave them I think one possible answer is the following if I had come here today and said to you I hate to do this but I need a favor can you do me a favor the only response you could have no matter how generous and benevolent you were is what do you want because maybe I want something that you can't do maybe I want a million dollar interest-free loan for the next 100 years maybe you can't do that if you can see me after this year maybe you can't do that maybe I want somebody to carry my car home so I can save gas maybe can't do that she'd have to ask me what do you want and then I would tell you and then you could decide if you could do it or not but if I came here today with a beautifully gift-wrapped package and I said I've been here every year and she was sober Thomas and have the horse of being able to address such a I won't make the same mistake such a July audience not in August audience cuz not August yet in any case so I want to show you my appreciation so I am giving you this present would anybody here raise their hand and say what is it now what do you care what is the present take it when I turn my back you look fast to see what it is when the Drobo Muslim offered the Torah to the nations of the world they understood he wanted a favour from them keep my total please they said what's in it we don't know if we can do it a favor God said maybe they're just curious so you told them something difficult they said you know we have a problem we don't know if you could do is a favor because it conflicts with Sbrocco we have God said if you think I'm asking you to do me a favor by taking the tower is not to talk about when you offered it to the Jewish people we understood as a present the present give it massive an instrument they say a joke I'm a god I offered the Torah to the nations of the world they asked what's in it when he offered it to the Jewish people they said how much does it cost and the DiBona some said it's free free will take ten that's how we got the service of Deborah's it's not so it's not so far from the truth we understood the Rebellion's that was giving us a present it's giving us an opportunity okay I think I've convinced you the torah's of presence it's an opportunity it's not a liability but Rashi doesn't agree with me Rashi in a few places in shots where the gomorrah brings down the union of mitzvahs la vela Henderson it no niches are not considered physical pleasure so Rashi says mitches live the henna snip no they weren't given as physical pleasure lraa she says the all our Savile Raynald they're a yoke around our neck now that doesn't sound like a present an opportunity a tremendous merit it sounds like a yoke around our neck so rashly seems to say the Torah's a yoke around our necks who's right me Rashi I'm telling you the story as a present it's an opportunity and rash is telling me that's a yoke around our neck have another question similar on the one hand the Torah says in the hukou site a lake Oh sheee you are mailing bitola one of the conditions to remain in Eretz Israel and not to go into godless is a mingle spat over you have to put effort into Tobin on the other hand in Paris he Tsavo it says typhus I shall go I've added to us our seminal capital the Sigma called the Thule Bob that's why you're going to call us so which is it supposed to put effort into Torah are you supposed to keep the Torah with joy and a good heart I don't seem to go together the answer is very simple there's no contradiction at all between them give me an example somebody gives you a treasure map and he directs you with that treasure map to find millions of dollars worth of precious gems except they're buried 100 feet deep in a mountain in the Andes somewhere and only you have the treasure map you can get there find those gems you're a millionaire costs a lot of money to get to the Andes you buy the ticket you get there you find out that there's no way of getting to this mountain except on a donkey then you have to climb up the mountain then you get to the top of the mountain you find that there are no electrical outlets and you have to dig with a pick and an axe and a shovel and it takes you months maybe years to go through solid rock 100 feet down to get the treasure at the end you get the treasure the who gave you the map gave you a liability or an opportunity obviously an opportunity did it involve a tremendous amount of investment of effort of sacrifice yes was it worth it yes that's total total is not easy Torah is involves investment time effort money is vavle sacrifice is it worth it is it a present is it as course yes is it easy no that's what Tobler is there's no difference there's no contradiction between the r-mo but who kosai see you are mailing by torah at the same time the symbol of the to labor because the Emmaus you're putting in is for your sake you're the one who in the end is benefiting from it Torah does not guarantee or promise an easy life the opposite Torah says I demand from you and a lot of effort a lot of sacrifice Scarlet's for bhai out miletto the rewards of Torah are not in this world there are perks for total in this world we'll get to in a second but the reward for mistresses in the next world and everything that happens in this world is in light of what's good for a person in the next world and that's not always but we would consider a nice life in this world the Rambam says that either total promises all these good things that seems to be reward and it seems to be this world reward says the round of that's not reward but if you show that you're interested in Turin that that's what gives you seamless 'hi then I will give you the ideal circumstances and the ideal environment as he'll be able to keep more toga but that's not always the case the Rebbe initial knows a person's level of schmira so Mitzvahs he knows what's important to him he knows what's going to be good for him he gives him a lot of money it may not be conducive for him to keep Torah he may be more conducive to keep thoroughly sport so that the rabbinical olam gives to a person in this world what is most conducive to him to be able to get Olam haba sometimes that's riches sometimes that's poverty that's not the person the house only says be taught them is not that I am sure that God will give me what I want and what I consider good in this world but I have faith that God will give me what's best for me in light of eternity that's become but they have be talking that God's gonna give me what I want the kind of life that I think is good for me that's not me talking that's foolishness everything is in light of eternity but a person gets in this world and what kind of good life he gets and what the Rapunzel wants him to get because that is the source the merit of eternity depends on what's good for a person for eternity there's no guarantees you're going to get the kind of life that you think is good for you because there's a bonus from those better what's really good for you eternally unfortunately we live in a generation you'll forgive me for pointing the finger at your generation because I'm from a different generation we live in a generation where this idea is foreign not recognized I saw once an interview in the muhammadiya newspaper they interviewed the head of the orange growers association in Eretz Israel and he told them a secret there's a few years ago he said that they had invested millions of dollars to produce a genetically engineered new orange that's going to come on the market he said in short amount of time I'm sure on the market so the interviewer asked a very simple question what was wrong with the old orange that you had to invest millions of dollars to create a new orange so they said people today want things fast and easy we have to produce an orange that was fast appeal because it has a very thin skin and easy to eat because it has no piece otherwise people wouldn't buy oranges because they don't want to eat oranges that are not easy to eat and not fast appeal when it comes to oranges that may be okay but that is the philosophy and everything including totally Mitzvahs people don't want Towe remits lists if they're hard and they're not easy they want everything to be simple fast easy and therefore we have become in the place of being an MC gula we have become an armed shell schoolís nobody wants mixes anymore they want schoolís right they want it fast and easy just do this give money and 23r a bottom will say to heal them for you standing on their head by everybody's kever and you are guaranteed you show us that if loves right it's absurd how good Dolan and awesome could all then permit themselves to do this I don't understand it but no I don't understand a lot of things in this world I assume and that's what I heard that they even though they know that is absurd but people need the money so badly they're willing to sacrifice their reputation in order the people should be able to benefit fine someday maybe I'll be on that level I'll understand that I don't understand it but that's what we want tell you a few years ago I saw the people of my moshav right before arrowverse called thus even emailing each other to make sure that they download that Fela such a law have called this to be said Aeropostale deceive on that your children should be Binet Torah and Binoche told beautiful Stila composed by a very very harsh of the year DeSalvo Hakodesh what could be better but I saw these people thought that if they just say this trailer they're guaranteeing their children to be Binet Torah but now stolen so I sent them an email and said anyone who thinks that saying it's feeler no matter how great it is no matter how great the author is once a year will guarantee your children to be Benito and Bunnell story has to have their head examined it's not so easy schoolers are like the icing on the cake if you put in the time and the effort and the expense of making a cake and then you put icing on the top the icing enhances the taste of the cake but if you don't have a cake all you have is icing and you're more than three years old the icing is very unappetizing schoolís are icing on the cake moon if you don't have the cake and all you have the school that's ridiculous the next year was even worse the next year I heard on the radio a certain charitable institution said it's very difficult to say that feel of the shallow it's a long to feel a who has time to say it and also the words are difficult if you'll send us $18 we'll say the trailer for you that will surely guarantee your children to be the NATO and the no stone but that's what people want they want schoolís they don't want to invest in a Mitzvah they don't want to put in effort they don't want things that take time no we want it fast and easy and it doesn't work like that I heard on the radio once in the name of a goggle and I'm sure this God have never said that or whatever he said they misunderstood them because no one could have said what they said he said and be a god will be Israel because anybody who said what they said he said is an idiot what did they claim this goggle said this was an institution that took care of handicapped children and they said that this goggle guarantees that if you donate to our institution you will never have a handicapped child here this god doesn't guarantee that with all that side the Gosar's and I could have Oracle my times in the world no one can ever guarantee such a thing so I'm sure the Gosselin never said it he said something they misunderstood it completely and distorted it for their purposes but this is what people want guarantees that's all you just have to do this send us a donation and we guarantee you an idyllic life and sometimes let's what we give over to our children too I sometimes sit with my grandchildren and we watch uncle Moishe you're familiar with uncle Moishe it's a nice man I know him personally nothing not trying to criticize uncle my she's a very good person and he does a lot for to his children but sometimes I think the message is not a good message because uncle my she tells these children it is fun to be a mitzvah boy and a mitzvah girl and they march around the room with so much fun and joy of being able to be a mitzvah boy and amidst niches are such fun you can believe that till you're about three years old because when you're three years old you say to your mother I want an ice cream cone and mother says you can't have an ice cream cone how you just had a flavor Camille you're gonna have to wait an hour or six hours before I give you the ice cream cone this is wait a second uncle my she said Torah and missus are fun it's not fun to wait an hour or six hours for ice cream come what Connor I've been fooled now I'll tell you a secret there are a lot of things in Torah that are a lot less fun than waiting an hour for an ice cream cone believe me a lot less fun so what is it stole reform not fun what are you supposed to tell our children let me tell you something that remotion Feinstein's said that seems to contradict this idea but we'll understand what he meant to see is no contradiction promotion says there was a whole generation of people who were lost to Shabbos from parents that sacrificed for Shabbos he said doesn't seem fair to her parents sacrifice for Shabbos and their children became a holiday shoppers and hermosa explained what he was talking about people came to America in the early 1900's expecting to find gold of the street the golden of Athena not only couldn't they find gold in the street they couldn't find a job and when they finally found the job in the sweatshops and eked out a bare minimum of a living they found another surprise that if they didn't show up on Shabbos they didn't have a job on Monday and they had a look for another job and jobs were not that much available and many people could not withstand the tests and from people people that were basically celebratory ended up working on Shabbos leaves they have early mignon them special so they could be on time to work they felt it was because nefesh they couldn't put food on the table but there were individuals who overcame this terribleness saw him and they refused to work on Shabbos and every week they had a look for a job and many weeks went by where they didn't have food to put on the table there were most of nefesh for Shabbos and many of their children became a holiday Shabbos says for Moshe how could that be so Moshe said I'll tell you why because these people used to come home Friday night and sit at the Shabbos table and moan and groan and complain Oh a Shabbos is so hard so difficult not to have money to put food on the table it's so difficult to look for a job every week and one of their children here Shabbos is a monster our parents are out of their mind why in the world that they want to have this they're on their soldiers but we're not crazy when we grow up we're gonna throw this monster of shabbos off our shoulders and they became a holiday shoppers now let me ask you what do you think were most of fines demented what should these parents have said well Shabbos is so much fun we can't imagine anything more exhilarating looking at for a job every week it's so exhilarating and who wants food on the table anyways nice to diet it's so much fun to fast and not to have food right it's very healthy that's what they should have told their kids Oh Shabbos is so much fun we love to look for jobs every week we love not to eat that's what they should have said that sort of motion of man they said the truth it's hard what did we Moshe mean what should these parents have said tell you what they should have said when the Torah was given it was so overwhelming that poor longish muscled the people actually died and they had to be resurrected so the Republican brought down the towel of tear summation and he resurrected them always bothered me how could his baroque will know the Torah was going to be so overwhelming and they're gonna die and he's gonna have to resurrect them why didn't we do a smaller NACE give them the power not to die instead of letting them die and then resurrecting them to a smaller neighs give them the power not to die the Kurdish birth wanted to teach us a lesson Torah demands sacrifice sometimes a sacrifice is money sometimes it's time effort and sometimes Jews are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice and sacrifice their lives but you know what the same Jews who sacrificed their lives the tile of tear summation you know the tile of Tears summation is satola this Gomorrah says over there tourists I said to me mama Shiva's not this that is the tile called me see a shovel or Torah or Torah mattiyahu that is the elixir that makes the eternal resurrection of the dead so God wanted to tell us the father way you have to sacrifice for children but no matter what you sacrifice even the ultimate sacrifice and you sacrifice your life in this world the Torah will give you back eternal life so what your sacrifice imagine a lottery when the lottery ticket cost five thousand dollars but you can make win five hundred million dollars and you sacrifice and put in a lot of effort to buy that $5,000 ticket but it's a really unique latterly there's only one ticket if you buy the ticket you can trade it in for the 500 million on the spot is any idiot going to complain about the tremendous sacrifice he made a buying the $5,000 no it's totally overshadowed by the benefit that's totally totally involve sacrifice yet it's not easy you have to put in effort sometimes even if sacrifice your life but you know what it's worth it because what the Torah gives you in place eternal life is so much greater than anything you could have sacrificed that's what the Republic that's what the Perry should have said yes Shabbos is not easy it's difficult to look for work every week it's hard not to have food on the table you know what Shabbos is so important and so so sweet that it's worth all the sacrifice that's what the children should have heard not that it's easy and not that it's fun it's not fun and it's not easy but it's worth it that's the message that's what we're supposed to tell people if you accept the Torah life we can't promise you that all your problems will be solved because this is a world of problems and the rebel Muslim knows what's best for a person and you can't guarantee anyone that if they live a Torah life they're not going to get divorced and they're not going to not have part they're not going to not have children because people who are Siddiqui have these problems to age-old problems a beeper Allah but the ultimate answer is that the rabona some judges things according to their eternal view not according to way seems to us now and what's best for a person eternally is not always what we consider best for us right now so there are no guarantees and it's not a bunch of fog and it's not an idyllic life you know what the Torah gives you it gives you meaning it gives you the ability to deal with those situations in life that are not fun and not easy and that to make meaning out of them that they're not hefter it's not just a world without rhyme and reason but everything is orchestrated by the master orchestra leader who's the rabona solo that's what Torah has to offer that is the what it means caste darkish al-tohra you want to be on the delicate aura past Menelik note TOCOM i am the majority step our orange tea shun only eat bread and salt and only measured water and sleep on the floor and live a life of predation the total ml and if you can put the effort and live a total life a shred of the toe floss you're fortunate and it's good for you the fortune in this world's good feel the next world understanding that literally is very difficult first of all if that's the only way you can be but Erica told us to live a life like that then I don't know anybody who's been there a photographer because even the COS old in my nose will have slept in days I don't know anybody who slept on the floor except an old aunt I had to add back trouble she used to sleep on the floor so she's probably the only person I ever knew was but Erica thought beyond that I understand that if you live a life like that it may be good for you in the next world how's that good for you in this world the odd that it's redundant a shred for the tove law and then it says ashraf a bowl of Oz ever just tell right away I stretchable of myself at Oklahoma what I think it means is the father one you can live a life and each stake drinks champagne sleep on a Sealy mattress and still be Bezerra Fotolia however what would be if you would not have those creature comforts how would you feel and you can still be involved and and and busy and total if under those circumstances you would feel a shred of a tove law in mataró second if you'd be able to live a life of privation and still feel a shred for the table then acceptable the must have at oklahoma bar then you'll be there a hotel because then those creature comforts aren't the IKAR of your life the EQ of your life is totally we'll put in this world to be able to get the world to come and if you have to do it in a way that is not fun and not easy it's worth it then you'll be there a Satomi but if you don't have those creature comforts even though you're able to occupy yourself and taller you'd feel miserable that means that the Iker of your life are those creature comforts and not the TOA then you're not with Erica Tora that's the litmus test that's what we tell people Torah gives meaning to life and even if you have problems and even if it's not fun but at least you know that the sort of bungler shallow them there's a rhyme and reason to it there's a reason for it there's a meaning to it there's a greater reality than what we can see in front of us that's what totally gives a person it doesn't give you a guarantee to an easy life of fun where all your problems will be solved and to give that impression is given Avis dance because somebody who becomes from thinking that the Torah is going to solve all his problems is going to find out that he was fooled and he's gonna have to wait sometimes six hours for his ice cream so this idea of not hiring a divorcee because she's not a good example of what key roof should be is not only absurd it is totally not Madera khatola and whoever runs that Kirov organization I don't know what they're being the kind of the people - it's not taller that's for sure but something that looks like tourist nose like Toto sounds like Dogra but it surely ain't told her so near session if you're going to be going into Kirov understand what it is that you have to offer people be honest with them or for them the real thing we're totally really is and that's what you'll be successful and will bring back many many Jewish hearts to their heritage and when Claudius will come back to the Torah the robe understood will come back to cloudy's realm and we won't have to fast not on she was sober tombos and not on tisha Bob and these days will turn we may sauce on the symbol of the young and told him behave of your men [Music] you