Living With Emunah (Part 323) - Wrestle and Argue with Hashem

Boer to poer to everyone good morning welcome back to living with amuna great to be back together again as always please help yourself to Coffee slushy pastry whatever you like from our food station in the lobby amuna series is generously sponsored by Dr zavi and Bella Morgan and memory of by Dr Brian galit and in memory of Bella's mother Dr Ellen shanza we remain very very grateful to the Morgans for their incredible generosity this morning sheir is also sponsored by Jessica fman and Y glas dear grandfathers B moris yob Ben AB and by Robin fman on the 20 of do Harold de and grandmother and M and Rea and schom bur whose is B and Ali all the thank you so much for the generous sponsorship I want to acknowledge and welcome my sister-in-law Mr sha Goldberg who is in for a few hours to recruit for her Seminary and for some reason is here rather than sleeping in having breakfast or at the mall but it means a lot thank you you should all have heard her amazing sheare last night and follow her amazing articles on Times of Israel including the one she wrote this week sha it's great to see you thank you for coming we are going to return to what we were learning last week um but first I want to share with you a few letters and emails I hope they'll continue to come in I don't get to them all H but every one of them I read and every one of them touches me very deeply and inspires me so if you have that hug or that wink from Hashem if you have that avra moment in this week's paraa where you you are protesting Hashem negotiating with Hashem debating with Hashem I've shared this often and I'll share it again because I think people including me need to hear it in this week's par aam makes a precedent that you're allowed to wrestle with Hashem Hashem debates should I tell a what I'm about to do in stone and we talked about the par why does Hashem hesitate what is he debating whether he should tell a Hashem is perfect and omnipotent he needs to have an internal dialogue he's having this internal he's doing AAL ifs on himself should I tell him should I not tell him this part wants to this part is perfect what's he debating we spoke about that in the par class but he concludes he's going to tell a he tells a the wicked people of sto they've got to go and why do they have to go what we shared with niss and alert they were they were animals in the guise of human beings who had forfeited and purged their Godly soul and all that left as animals Hashem didn't want aam aam the Paragon Paradigm ofed he didn't want aam to give up on humanity and if aam would know there are animals like and and if a would know that he would now doubt his mission he would second guess every person are they worthy of not worthy of are they Kim are they an animal and Hashem hesitated because of that but concluded if aam is going to be the a he needs to know that there are those who are so evil so wicked such brutal barbaric animals they forfeited and Purge their very Godly Soul so he tells aam and nevertheless what does aam do right away okay Hashem Let's Make a Deal Let's Make a Deal they're 50 sikim you can't do item says why do he come to 50 because you need a minimum of 10 righteous people to transform a community and how many cities were there in STO Five Towns the five towns of sto and AA just a te neck boy I'm just a teen boy I'm not commenting kala God forbid but I I'm just saying the number there were five there were five and ab says you need 10 in each and you see from here you see from here that just like a minion of people answering Kadesh and kadha 10 people sanctifying God's name can carry and lift an entire tour but 10 of the wrong people can also destroy so knows you need 10 righteous people so 50 Hashem says no he says okay what if there's only nine in each city nine plus you God that's how we'll get to 10 so nine Time 5 he says 45 45 righteous people 40 30 20 10 can't even find 10 there's not even one city that we can save and Hashem says no but aam doesn't hear the news Hashem says I have a report for you I'm destroying sadom I've got bad news aam doesn't say well I go to the Amun here and I have to just accept whatever hasem says and if you say you have to destroy it because I practice I'm working out my muscle I'm watching through Mya glasses I now have to Just Surrender and submit whatever Hashem says afam doesn't do that he says one second God I'll defer to you in the end but we're going to talk this out because I don't like your conclusion I'm going to protest I'm going to argue I'm going to negotiate I'm gonna push back whatever you say in the end I'll accept but first we're gonna wrestle over this and aam our forefather El Aram aam who is ainu gave us the license and gave us the right to wrestle with God and God sometimes Taps us on the shoulder and he says got some news for you kala God forbid an illness parnasa challenges sh challenges fertility challenges a War soldiers hostages it breaks breaks breaks our heart a new video came out of one of the hostage it's sapir who spoke here on Tish of her boyfriend who's still being held in a new video of him how does it not tear your heart so you see that video today and you shouldn't need to see that video you should just walk by the counter in our lobby that we're pasted Day 400 and you say I'm wrestling with you like aam how could it be how could it be omel must have the merits to bring the hostages home Hashem there must be 10 righteous people in om Israel across the globe to bring these hostages home so like a in the end we have to accept whatever he tells us his conclusion has to be ours we have no choice at which it means to be religious is to surrender is to submit but it doesn't mean we can't wrestle along the way ainu gives us the license he invites us he creates the pressent for us and he says you don't have to just take it lying down Hashem sometimes invites us and wants us to wrestle he wants us to engage he wants us to protest he wants us to debate he wants us to negotiate enough enough how many fronts can this war be fought on and there's some hopefully hints people are being put in place good decisions are being made hopefully we're going to see an end please God Wars will conclude hostages will come home our enemies should fall but until then we continue each and every day in our three times a day and all day in between to wrestle with Hashem to wrestle with Hashem how could it be he gives us that license he gives us that license so when you get that wink or that nod or that hug when things work out perfectly and it just came to be and share it put it in an email and inspires me and through me inspires so many others but even when it doesn't and last week we read emails of people story didn't yet have the happy ending to it we don't know how it turns out but they're also choosing we spoke last week about amuna being a decision and a choice not a feeling they are choosing to live with amuna and to see and interpret everything in their life that way as well so I want to share with you a couple emails and we'll get back into our learning dear Goldberg today I had Ana moment I wanted to share I started jogging a few months ago and today for the first time ever I tripped while running into an intersection nearly falling I caught myself right before I fell I immediately thought wow hasem that could have been bad how lucky am I I finished a mile and decided to get on the local high school track to continue my run one lap around the track I ran by a bench to throw down my sweater and somehow I tripped over the bottom of of the bench I went flying several feet fell hitting my right side I was winded bruised a little scratched up even more so I was embarrassed and disappointed I couldn't finish my run a little bit later I was questioning isn't it strange I just thanked Hashem I didn't fall 10 minutes later I went flying and found myself spoiled on the ground perhaps in the past I would have gone negative but then I took a mental step back and thought maybe today I was meant to fall I don't know why but I guess that was meant for me and wow did Hashem show me such kindness that I fell on the track where i' had only been for three minutes of a 16 minute run and not in a concrete and graveled intersection where I would have been much more injured I suppose I could have been upset about the fall but it's all about perspective yes I fell but wow it could have and almost was much worse thanks for the that really helped shift my perspective all the best again insignificant inconsequential could have been much more significant but it's a choice you could lie there in pain and miserable I give my 10 minutes of the Raman Wednesday morning before this year the platform I won't use the name that we used to stream it it wasn't working the internet was is working the laptop's working and then a little message came on we're having a problem we're trying to fix it I waited I wait okay it wasn't meant to be I recorded it audio the world will survive without the video stream as I began the shear and I said I looked in the mirror this morning and I promise you're not missing anything all you need is the all you need is the audio all you need is the audio and you are good to go I'm sharing it as a small example in my own life where when you choose to live with amuna in the past I would have been frustrated and disappointed and angry and write a nasty email to this platform I pay you every month and it didn't work and the and the world ended because those 10 minutes people didn't learn from the ramban I say Hashem didn't mean I did everything I was meant to do nothing wrong on our end so it wasn't meant to be and the world will survive and when a person lives with that active mindful decision don't wait for the emotion if you wait for the emotion of amuna you going to be waiting a long time there is no OIC amuna shot you can't take the shortcut I'm not criticizing anybody whatsoever that wasn't a judgment that was actually a wish Hali Hali we could produce medicines to take care of other yaras to eliminate other drives and temptations to help us live and see the right perspective and moderation that was not judgment it was a Hali so if you're listening and you run a biotech pharmaceutical company and you could invent a medicine that will eliminate the drive to speak lanara or watch the wrong images or feel Greed for money or struggle to wrestle that you have Amun invent that medicine as well please but it doesn't work that way it will never work that way you can work in Laboratories your whole life you'll never come up with an AM medicine it's a decision it's work it's a decision that when you trip on the on the track you realize it could have been much worse I use the gift of living in the moon air weekly to enrich my life and be able to navigate life's changes I want to share two stories I I don't remember if I read this so you'll stop me if I did or you won't remember either and then we'll just get from it I was in the dollar store when a very of a woman called me to talk she was very distressed her daughter was overdue to give birth she was counting on being there to help her with her children especially over chabas I think I might have read it but here is every shabas still no labor what should she do she needs to be everywhere but she's waiting for her daughter to go into labor so she could drive an hour and a half to help her and it's a of chabas I told her she and her daughter are exactly where they are meant to be Hashem is in charge he will determine when the best timing is for all the BR coming your way she calmed down relaxed and I hung up the phone then a man I never met before came over to me and told me he couldn't help overhear during my conversation he was so impressed with my words he said I listened to Rabbi gober's living with Amun asir and I heard those words before I told him those are Rabbi Goldberg's words we both smiled in recognition of the power of the lessons yesterday my husband had an angiogram wasn't Panic stricken after they took him into surgery I anxiously pulled out my t i recited 50 ofum gave the on when you mention Tora the platform to draw closer to I literally felt the Embrace of hem my shoulders relaxed I was able to get through the end of the procedure Shem literally held my hand through the of it and it all turned out okay so they're not my words this is just simple Torah that I'm quoting and privileged to so it's wonderful that we have a little community of people who find each other and we'll make bumper stickers thank you Carol wal who gave me this this morning which we now set on my desk good morning this is God I will be handling all your problems today I will not need your help so relax and have a great day so I wish I could say we made these but it's great thank you Carol so these messages we just got to put it on your steering wheel and your bathroom mirror and your desk maybe tattoo it on your children's foreheads remember it's all from Hashem whatever don't actually tattoo it but whatever it is these messages they come at us and they remind us and we know and we know okay one other and this may come from an unexpected Place 2016 if you recall the Republican primary for president in 2016 our Senator Marco Rubio was the favorite he was like The Golden Child and he was young bright handsome ambitious and he was supposed to March right to the presidency and the White House and it didn't turn out that way you may recall he was called names on a public debate stage he struggled with dry mouth he went through several things and ultimately he dropped out of the primary and when he dropped out of the primary he gave a speech or I don't remember maybe issued a statement he was dropping out of the primary and I was blown away because and I I've met him several times he's our Senator and he's a man of great faith and in that speech when he dropped out he talked about God didn't have this in store for me this wasn't what was meant I accept whatever is God's will and I'm good I was blown away I was blown away so I wrote him a note telling him that I was really impressed because as a public official elected official using that moment not to blame not to be bitter using that moment to actually Express faith and model for all of us how we should react through disappointment so I wrote him a note so he wrote me back a note this was 2016 I share it with you not to flex that I got a note from our Senator but because yesterday I don't think it was officially announced yet but it was all but announced that Marco Rubio is going to be our next secretary of state which is an extraordinary Choice an amazing choice just so you understand who will be our next secretary of state you have somebody who stands by Israel fights for Israel understands we have to destroy and eliminate Kamas this is somebody who whenever he talks about whenever he talks about parts of Israel he refers to it not as the West Bank but as Judea and Samaria so I once said to him I said Senator you call it Jude in Samaria thank you so much that's so meaningful but why the world calls at the West Bank why you always call Jude in Samaria so he looked at me and he said isn't it rude to call someone something that's not their name it's not the West Bank it's Judea and Samaria I'm calling it its accurate name that's who's going to be the Secretary of State please God please God of the United States of America anyway he wrote me back this note in 2016 Rabbi Goldberg thank you for your kind note my family and I are in perfect peace with the outcome as part of God's Will and we are excited about what he has planned for our future Marco that's what he wrote my family and I are in perfect peace with the outcome as part of God's Will and we're excited about what he has planned for our future now interestingly by the way when he wrote God's will he wrote g- D he's very makir and the shil of sheos of God I don't know who his posek is but he's mmir g-d and we're excited about what he has planned for our future Capital H g-d and Capital H I'm not sure how many from yid get that right Capital H and GD that was his but that's my last letter of living with amuna before we get into the text it wasn't a letter for the amuna wish I could say it was I don't think Mar Rubio listens to it I don't know that he doesn't but I don't know that he does but I thought it was a great example I thought it was a great example of someone who said says I fought hard I worked hard and this was a embarrassing it could have been ashamed embarrassed humiliated I'm at perfect peace with what God has chosen to be the outcome the outcome and I'm excited to see what he has in store next and what he had in stored next please God it's to be Secretary of State and that's a great plan for whatever reason Hashem chose that's not where you belong he closes doors this is where you belong he opens doors and now it took eight years to open the next door again he's been a Senator barem successful but sometimes in our lives Hashem closes a door that we're pushing through and fighting through and we're ramming through and he pushes that door closed because it's not where we belong and we just need to be patient and wait and maybe we'll see maybe it's 8 years or 80 years he'll open another door where we belong what he has planned for our future excited about excited this was right after the public humiliation of withdrawing from the race and he's excited about what God has planned for the future so even when he closes one door for us try to stay excited about what God has planned for our future last week we started the PK said last week we're continuing it because it wasn't about the par class it's Amun here PK says we didn't understand item turns to God considered in him that's so nice of you aam that's so kind that's so nice that's so generous it's so gracious thank you for believing in me that's so nice because you're living with amuna you're demonstrating amuna that's so kind and the ramban was so bothered by it really that's kind are you kidding me the same a who's ready to she his son at the end of our par the same a who undertook and overcame nine other tests with this good news that you're going to have a child right tells AB good news you're going to have a child AB reacts and receives it well and Hashem says oh thank you for your amuna really that's the impressive amuna not not when he's ready to do a not when he's ready to be thrown in the fiery furnace not the other moments so gives another interpretation was that he was going to transmit to his children his faith that's the part that Hashem was grateful for not only have you demonstrated Faith but you're going to live a life where you prioritize transmitting that that Faith to the Next Generation but we started brookly beautiful that's come out the last year or two he gives a different answer there is an enormous difference between knowledge and feeling the farthest difference farthest diff distance in this world is the distance between our head and our heart the longest distance between any points on Earth is the distance between our head and our heart all these things we know upstairs in our head we know we shouldn't eat that we know we shouldn't stay up that late we know we shouldn't react that way we know we shouldn't and yet whatever we know up here for it to filter down to here and to our hands to our actions it's hard a person knows they shouldn't smoke people know that they shouldn't be going over the speed limit they know they shouldn't be texting while driving I don't know anyone if you stop and ask should you text while you drive would say yes nothing wrong with it not dangerous at all everyone will say 100% dangerous could be lethal it's it's not right for you for your children in the back seat for people in other cars when they passed the legislation in Florida to make it illegal to text and drive they did a survey of people and overwhelmingly people said it's dangerous to text while driving and over overwhelmingly people said except for me because I'm good at it overwhelmingly people felt it's dangerous don't do it I'm an exception because I'm good at you know at multitasking I've got it but there's all these things we know up here all these things but to get them to come down we have a knowledge academic it's conceptual it's in principle it's in a book somewhere if a car is coming right at you you're going to jump out of the way you don't say well according to my calculations its velocity and its trajectory and it's headed towards me and maybe you don't start academically calculating trajectory and velocity and what is the likelihood and what is the chance if the car is coming right at you you jump out of the way why because your heart is pounding through your chest because you can't breathe because you're afraid you're not going to survive because every sense in your body tells you you're in danger it's a sensory experience your whole body is reacting it's not just your head your entire sensory experience's somebody goes to the class and they heard an analysis there's the evidence for God's existence I heard all the proofs for God's existence I read by Lawrence kellman's book and I went to ishat tor's Bible codes class and I read all the examines all the evidence all the evidence and I've come to the absolute conclusion that calculating the chances there is a God I have a knowledge I have a yida there is a God there is a DIN and a Dian there is a judge and there are laws he has expectations after carefully examining the evidence I have concluded that God is real the Torah is real he has expectations for [Music] us but if all it is is knowledge if all it is is knowledge it's not experiential you're not demonstrating you're not putting into practice you're not living it you're not feeling it the same way that the car coming at you a person who says Hashem is by my side he's got a hand on my shoulder he is with me always he's with me at the waiting room for the treatment that I need to receive he's with me while I'm waiting to get the lab report he's with me dancing at the Sim of my child he is with me he's watching what I'm choosing to watch on my laptop he's with me listening to my phone call he is by my side always there's not supervision he's not watching me because I'm wearing a digital ankle bracelet I'm on house arrest he's my he's my parole officer he's constantly with me because he's supervising he's not my shadow in school he's with me because he's my twin we spoke about in the S snippet last night a beautiful Torah from MOS Shapiro the PK says Sim made famous and a beautiful song a beautiful song from that's describing our connection to hem and one of the words that we use is we're we're whole we're complete but the I never knew this brings down says don't read it read it hasem says you are my twin you're my twin and the image I have in reading it is you're my cojin twin Our Lives are intertwined our destiny is one we're living it together IM says when you're in misery and in pain and your suffering I am right down there with you with you when Hashem appears to mosha in a bush what kind of a bush does he appear in a thorn bush a lowly thorn bush now your God Almighty creator of the universe and you're appearing before Moshe who is going to March into parro and command let my people go and if you want to make this memorable moment and this iconic image of a bush I'm not holding by Landscaping but I don't know you could choose roses violets bug ailia something a little prettier than a lowly thorn bush why does Hashem appear to mosha in a lowly thorn bush says Rashi there why IMO because I'm with you in this pain I'm God Almighty I'm not a slave to par in Egypt but because our lives are twinned are intertwined are meshed together you're my twin we are co-joined our destiny is shared I'm celebrating I for your I'm with you dancing at your happy occasion and I crying I'm by your side I'm feeling your pain in your sad one we are together don't read it it'si we are twins our destiny is twinned and that's what f is that's why we shared last night in the snippet MOS Shapiro says prayer is the wrong word because prayer prayer is a secular non-jewish word prayer connotes petition what's the whole purpose of prayer to petition here's a list of my things here's what I need I had to go shopping the other day I got the shopping list from the whole family it is a cruel thing to send a shopping list not organized by the sections and aisles of the I just want to say as somebody who is not intricately familiar with the layout maybe as I should be to send arbitrary list that is not organized according to the supermarket is actually a hate crime it's a hate crime and people should be prosecuted should be prosecuted how did I come on to this oh because you have your shopping list so prayer is not a petition that you appear before God with your shopping list well I need good health my kids got to get into the school this one needs a sh I need the thing and the prayer is just this platform to offer petition offer my my my request that's not what prayer is says says you know what prayer is comes from upal is a wick nital is a wick that's intertwined when you have Wicks that are intertwined to a candle Hashem says to I want to be intertwined with you our lives to be intertwined from when you wake up in the morning till you go to sleep at night we're in this together so you say Hashem says okay here it is 26 minutes in Hashem says I'm getting in the ice plunge with you I know you don't want to get in and you set a record today it's down to 44 degrees I'm proud of you Hashem says don't hesitate I'm going in with you and then I'm coming to sh with you and then I'm going to prepare the shiram with you and then I'm gonna be in that meeting with you and then I'm G to be in that aggravating thing or that difficult thing or that joyous thing or that great noise I'm I'm I'm with you I'm with you I'm with you Hashem says I want a twin I want to be a meshed we are like Wicks that are intertwined We're Gonna Shine bright and illuminate this world we are in it together means the B made famous but it preceded him is the idea shave Shi everything I experience equinity I don't I don't get too dramatic in any direction we spoke about this was it last week I guess after the election where I said to be a Jew of faith is to not be too depressed when an election didn't go your way and it's not to be too gleeful when it went the way you thought because none of us know exactly what it's supposed to be so we could be grateful and hopeful and optimistic cautiously optimistic but don't be intoxicated on Glee as if you know the future moderate that's what hisus is hos is equinity what's equinity equinity is it's all equal to me that's the great book by our friend MOS uh RAB mosha it's all equal to me it's all equal to me I don't get too bent out of shape in any direction why because it's all from hem my life is intertwined it's a wick is not prayer is I'm asking you these things Hashem why because we're going to be in it together right I don't know if your kid is God forbid home from school sick one day and has to come with you for that day so what do you do that morning you say okay here's what we have in store today we have to go to work we got to drop this thing off we're going to the dry cleaner we got to go to Publix we have a meeting we've got thing that's what we're doing today why because whoever's going to be with you for the day you say here's what's on top today so Hashem is Hashem here's what's on tap today we got to give the ran got to give the Amun we got a bunch of meetings we got Hashem here's what we have on tap together today that's F it's not please give me what I need what I'm asking you're just a means towards my end we're not using Hashem f is I want to intertwine Our Lives I want to become two Wicks that are forming a candle Shem you are in front of me always I don't go through anything in my life alone you are always by my side when is right by your side you're not going to neglect what you know is his need what is know you know is his ask you're not going to disappoint now we can understand says why did the r count living and having as a positive commandment as what a bizarre Mitzvah the Mitzvah take I understand you don't have to be into it you don't have to be feeling it just go soim and buy and Shake It chauffer buy the chauffer blow the chauffeur kanaka's next holiday set up the manura light the candle I got it but what kind of a Mitzvah is Amun if you're a person who examined all the evidence and you've concluded there's a God you don't need a Mitzvah and if you're a person who says there is no God I don't see him I don't feel him I don't believe in him oh oh oh wait but there's a Mitzvah fine you're not going to subscribe to him because it's a Mitzvah so who does it help if you already believe you don't need a Mitzvah and if you don't believe a Mitzvah is not going to get you to believe so why does the ra count as aah the if you're gonna hone in and better more accurately more precisely Define what is the R's Mitzvah ofuna it's not amuna to know there's a God that examine the evidence you'll know there's a God and if you examine the evidence and you don't believe the is not going to get you to so why do we need a Mitzvah the Mitzvah is not addressing the knowledge the evidence what's the Mitzvah addressing live demonstrate feel filter it down from your head to your heart don't leave it just up there make it experiential make it part of life live it live it live it if there's anything I've tried to drive home to myself I have to tell you living with that I should write my own email to myself and then read it because living with thatuna changed my life from this morning when the platform didn't work to stream to being stuck in traffic to being whatever it just doesn't phase you sh I have a better translation for it's not equinity which you need a dictionary to look up but the better translation is that nothing phases you it doesn't phase you now again you could be phased if Iran launches hundreds of ballistic mixes if you're not phased you should get your head examined there are circumstances in life it's okay to be phased it's okay to be phased but I mean chronic being phased things don't phase you in either direction don't be too gleeful and joyful be grateful and hopeful and optimistic don't be depressed and despondent and negative and pessimistic equinity just don't be phased don't be phased live an unphased life an unfazed life the G Isel that I've had the privilege of interacting with in my life they are unfazed when you spend time with them they they're carrying the world on their shoulders they're big people they're big people but first of all whenever you're with them you have their full attention and they seem unfazed they're just moderate and thoughtful and and unfazed there's not drama in either direction in either direction and that's what a life of Living am not just in your head filter it down to your heart and I think tragically with no criticism of my Educators because I had a magnificent wonderful education and I'm super grateful for it but but it lacked and too many educations till today in Jewish Education lack we teach a lot of Y open thees open the gar open the mishna open the Hal a lot of Y Hashem this Hashem cares how you separate the jelly beans Hashem cares how you make the tea and shabas he cares I want to just make very clear I'm on the team of he cares I'm not minimizing he cares it matters it's important get it right let's grow let's improve in those areas he cares I'm on that team I believe in it I live it I teach I preach it I care he cares he also cares that we don't just have a idea that he exists how does that come down to the heart where's the harasha experiential amuna and you know where that comes from teachers can also give a harasha but their main job is the idea they model the harasha but their main job is the idea where the harasha comes the feeling comes is in the home is in the home when children grow up and hear their parents all the time thank youm or I protest you hasm it's okay for a child to hear a parent screaming at hm crying at Hashem like a in our par with sidom Hashem how could you do this and where are you it's okay it's okay to hear that too because it's engaged with Hashem it's in conversation with Hashem it's living with Hashem what will a child look like who from the age they can be in a car hears their parents say as you pull out of the driveway Hashem get us to our destination unscathed and then they take out their phone and start texting no Hashem Hashem get us to where we're going without traffic and safe how long would it take to utter that half a sentence every day when you pull out of the driveway right let us get let us arrive safely Hashem let us arrive safely that child is not going to be the same as the child who may know sh B who may know all virtues we admire and we encourage but the child who never ever heard their parent talk about Hashem ever ever please Hashem thank you Hashem why are you doing this Hashem where are you all the say the amuna will come when you talk about Hashem when we talk about Hashem it's not only our children who need to hear us doing it we need to hear ourselves doing item come on help me find the parking spot Hashem thank you for that perfect parking spot Hashem please let this go hasm thank you for helping that have gone well Hashem I need you Hashem why is that happening how could you enough the hostages have to come home we have to hear ourselves in practice not just not just in our head so what a the ra counts as a Mitzvah we asked you need a to be a Mitzvah if you don't believe making it a Mitzvah won't make you believe if you do believe you don't need a Mitzvah to believe so what's the purpose of the Mitzvah says the the purpose of the Mitzvah is is y you could do on your own examine the evidence read the books consider y knowledge of God's existence that you have on your own now there's a Mitzvah take that knowledge put it into practice Let It Come Alive with all of your senses all of your senses Let It Come Alive how does the whole the whole code of Jewish law begin interestingly interesting right I don't know if we teach this in school we skip right to the pral Stuff how to separate the jelly beans how to make the tea we skip right to the Practical stuff what happens if you to which Halas do you skip what happens if you forgot again I'm for it it's all important but that's not how when he starts when the Begins the code of Jewish law which is supposed to be all these laws dry Mina detailed laws how does he begin the whole code of Jewish law Jews everywhere for all time here's your law book you ready first law live with God in your life see him everywhere and don't get phased by anything practice walk with hasem feel his guiding hand on your shoulder feel his hug see his wink know that he's with you because all of your movements and all of your sitting at home and all of your activity and all of your occupation is not the same when you're sitting at home alone as when you are walking with the King of Kings you're not GNA tell me that you're gonna look the same speak the same act the same when you're sitting in a private room with nobody watching as when you were in the king's palace with the King by your side no the king is by your side he's walking with you into the doctor's office into the boardroom into the operating room into the Sho into the supermarket into the gym into whatever you're about to watch to relax he is by your side that was what about that what about the jelly beans what about the Tea what about the doll Min what about how to build a Suka don't worry we're gonna get to all that we're gonna get to all that but before we do you need to know the background the backdrop the foundation the platform the stage to build the Su to blow the chauffer to shake the to Delight the candles the stage of life to do all those mitz first is sh know that there's a God and he's not some concept he's not academic he's not in principle he's in your life feel it with all of your senses and the this is it's not enough not enough to know it's not enough to know it's not enough to know there's a Creator there's a first cause it's not enough to know to know it to live it to feel it this is a job for Life you've never arrived you're never done you're never finished we're constantly growing and climbing higher and higher in that feeling in that equinity in thatav in that unphased life unphased life okay there's traffic okay the camera didn't work okay this thing's disappointment okay I have to withdraw from the primary I'm unfazed why why am I unfazed we are perfect peace with the outcome as part of God's will if I have to translate thank you Mar Rubio for the translation we are supposed to meant to live a life that we are in perfect peace with the outcome as part of God's will that's the translation of and that we're excited about what he has planned for our future that's how we're meant to live life and with this we understand we're gonna end with student said they came to visit him at the end of his life on his death bed why are you crying because if I was coming before a king a human King certainly if I came before a king flesh and BL who everything about him and our interaction will be temporary I'd be afraid and I'm coming before God the king of kings and he is omnipotent infin perfect and if he gets angry it's Eternal anger and if he imprisons me it's Eternal and if he kills me it's Eternal death and I can't simply I can't appease him with words and I can't prbe him with money and there are two options I'm either going to ganen or I'm going the other direction and I'm not going to cry so student said give us and what was his may you live with awareness and awe of God as you do of human beings you see that the the greatest he was on his death bed this was the last this was the the final message and what was his final message that a person should live to live a life of be in conversation with hm all day day long all day long Hashem help me Hashem why is this taking so long why isn't this working please make it work it's in conversation with Hashem all day long sometimes it'll be yes sometimes it'll be no after the 7:30 menu when I give that ranir and it wasn't working the technology I said everybody ask Hashem right now to help it work and they did or at least they humored me and made me believe they did and did it fix it no why because whatever reason he said no and that's okay why because I'm at perfect peace with the outcome as part of God's will it wasn't meant to work that should be the hardest thing that I fa this day and all of us ever face should be the hardest worst things but again the reaction to something not going the way you wanted is talk to we're in a conversation means not in with a sitter but wherever we are whatever we're doing we're talking to hasem all day long talking to hm in carpool talking to hm in the supermarket talking to Hashem we're baking the cake we're talking to the go the deal we're talking to Preparing the she we're talking to hm we're talking to hm our whole life is one long conversation with Hashem that was the biggest BR that was the biggest could give his students that's the BR I give you and me bless us all that we have an endless conversation that we see and feel him we don't just know him that we fulfill the Mitzvah by not just being academic but are putting it into practice that we're able to live an unphased life that we're a perfect peace with an outcome because we know it's God's will whatever those outcomes are he should open all the doors but if he closes one get excited to see which door he'll open next we should have please remain as we do every week if everyone stays we could finish all safer him twice in five minutes for the hostages for our precious soldiers have a wonderful Wednesday