Pinchas - Gratitude - 12 Year Anniversary!

you're listening to the weekly partial podcast with Ari Gold Wegg recorded with a chums never-ending assistance in Roma emissions girl 57 79 2019 this week's freshest parsha spin class and hoots lawrence and whenever we get too precious baller can pin cos pin house was the first parsha when I started consistently every week 12 years ago putting out partial podcast and Bullock is the completion of the of the the Tyra for me it's my sin cos Tyra so I wanted to let all of you know and remind myself cars have told that I have to a coach mark who intends gratitude that I've been able to do this consistently every single week for 12 years and I'd like to share with you a devour that has to do with the idea of gratitude has to do with the idea of thankfulness it's a hot topic for me this week I'm listening to she room as always of my receiver my pair about gratitude he's talking in the concept of be talking but he and a whole extensive DVAR Torah that had to do with gratitude I'd like to share with you something related to our partial that has to do with gratitude and the beginning of our partial participant class which is connected obviously to the end of last week's partial partial bollock is how as a result of the advice of bilham Hacha bilham Arush has said to to Bullock the king of mob if you want to do something to cause damage to the Jewish people there's only one way to do that the way to do that is to get them to do something which is evil in God's eyes get them to have like centrist behavior let get them to serve idolatry get them to do things that make the God of Israel upset get them to sin and then you'll you know they'll be easy prey and indeed that's what happened 24,000 Jews died at that time and the reason was because they submitted to the High Desert's in idolatry to lie centrist behavior with the benign smedium with the daughters of median people nice my of pin husband Eleazar and ironic onion pin cuz the grandson of Aaron a kind of Aaron the priest I have Shauna Ryder Shalom how did he find peace he was in an unusual way he went out with a Rhema Giada with a spear in his hand and he stopped the Magatha single-handedly stopped the plague by thrusting through one of the main people was a leader who is encouraging people to be involved in this great sin and as a result shouldn't gave him a celebrity shaman now it's interesting is that in our partial partial spin class so the Torah describes the fact that as soon as my hehaha Rama Gifu this is chapter 26 verse 1 and it was after the plague now it's interesting here is there's a pay in the middle of a sentence which is unusual that we have a close of the previous topic beginning of a new topic in the middle of a verse by mr chalamaiah new topic God says to Moshe the other laws are better I can learn more oh Sh Khalid that's been a swell count all of the Jewish people you've been an assumption of a model of the base noisome from 20 years and up according to their families now it's interesting here is why does it do that in fact why does it say and it was after the plague stop new topic count the Jewish people what is the idea here what is the connection clearly there is some reason there's some connection between the Jewish people being counted and the plague that occurred and Rashi tells us right away of course because that is Raj's job what's the explanation by yeah hurray I gave up a guy man who says to be shot him we're for sure gonna discuss the first one but it's it's worth hearing about the second one as well two different explanation Marshall Aurelia to understand what the pus ik is saying here to understand why the verse is telling us that there was a command to count the Jewish people so we need to have an analogy excuse me to a Roya to a shepherd shinshin equal Suzy AV litter if a driver Hogman that wolves came into the flock and started to kill many of the Sheep whom I know some later lay the minion honey sorry it's interesting he counts them in order to see how many are left okay I saw brought down a fortune some of the commentators point out why did we count the ones that are left why don't we count the amount that were that were killed and we'll know how many are there so that's an important thing to to point out as our topic why is he why is he focusing on those that are left well you wanna know how many you have but you can figure that out can you just figure out how many how many died okay so that's the first first explanation something bad goes on so we want to count and see how many are left there was a plague Deborah Kerr the second explanation gives shiatsu me mitzraim my name's ruler Moshe so Moshe Rabbeinu is about to exit the stage this is right before the Jewish people are about to enter the land of Israel for the first time and as a nation and Moshe Rubino is going to step off the stage Yoshio is going to take over as the next leader Moshe Rabbeinu received the Jewish people under his care right so he was the right he was the shepherd he was the faithful shepherd of the Jewish people now he's about to have it pass on that leadership role to yoshua be known to Joshua alright so the way that it works is because she asked me miss reminisce with my name's to love a minion when the they were given over into the hands of the shepherd so to speak so there was a counting that went on so you when you give over to your Shepherd there is a certain amount to see if you want to make sure that you get back the mentorship that you gave him right so you can't the beginning and then you count at the end after should Cartman Lumos now he's coming closer to his death well Hofstra time I'm a CEO a minyan so there's a returning we get back when he gives back the Sheep so to speak to God or he hands them over to the next Shepherd there's a counting that goes on again it's very interesting and it's also interesting because it doesn't really completely explain as I'm unfortunate point out on Rashi how it's connected to by here hurry might be fun what does have to do with the plague but they try to explain because it's the time right before that this whole thing happened as a rat to enter the land of Israel etcetera okay so we're not gonna get into the second shot so much but I'd like to understand the idea here the first shot and I want to understand what was the sin what was the aver that the Jewish people committed how did they end up with the daughters of Midian what was so terrible let's even say was so terrible that they had they there were 24,000 people that died in that plague what was so amazing and important about what Syd and how are we to understand the counting of the Jewish people afterwards what is what is the idea here besides for the Prashad that Rashi gave us which is an important sign we'll see how it helps us to understand the depth of what's going on here but we need to understand indeed what is the idea behind the counting of the Jewish people and I was thinking about it as I said I've been thinking about the idea of gratitude and I mentioned a few I think a few months ago already that a story about this person who he didn't have any problems why didn't he have any problems because his approach to his prayer with God wasn't so much requests but rather was gratitude was consistently expressing gratitude thank you right whatever I focus on as the line goes in one of my songs I said what I focus on I strengthen with my gaze if I'm focused on positivity if I'm focused on gratitude if I'm focused on thanks so an amazing things happen because those things that I have become even stronger and greater if I'm focused on negativity if I'm focused on complaining victimhood all these things just cause the negative things that are in my life to get stronger to become greater just look around in the world you can look at nations that are this way that they play the role of the victim and they remain victims look at the Jewish people who despite the fact that we have been victims for thousands of years we never play the role of a victim there's one day we talk about all the things that have happened bad that's dish above but throughout time we've always been focused on building focused on returning focus on Tyrel focus on spirituality the focus wasn't on negativity and that's one of the amazing powers of the Jewish people is the focus on positivity on life not on negativity death victimhood all those things that some other nations indeed do focus on but you can look around in your life and see the people who are optimistic positive grateful those are the people that have amazing success and just as an example I mentioned you guys last week about the crowdfunding that I did what an amazing opportunity what an amazing thing to see how many people stepped up over 200 people stepped up to be part of it now I've sold already of exactly what the numbers are but a few hundred and where does it come from it comes from really might be talking my faith an agenda he's going to semi par NASA it's gonna send me that my livelihood my optimism that I can do something about that my optimism that I have something to offer to the world I'm not here really to toot my horn just as an example it's real life example something I just experienced you know the positivity I can produce something I can give you something we can form a partnership and together we can bring something into the world what an amazing thing it's just it's so special that positivity I was listening to my Russia she would speak he had a whole Shir the whole she revived he went on for at least 20 minutes listening all the things in his life that he's grateful for the fact that he's a grandfather a great-grandfather the fact that he has so many things in his life that he had troubles and a collage for deemed him from those troubles he had a certain sickness I could who took it away he had a certain problem with his pinky toe and I realize that there was something sticking out on the shoe and he cut it out and after that his pinky toe got better all the little things that we need to notice in life we listened and as I was listening to this I felt so good it feels so nice to hear somebody say thank you to feel grateful you hear someone else feeling grateful you can't help but feel grateful actually he had an experience that night as I as the night that I had listened to the first part of the Shearer so each night not every single night but many nights I tell my kids a story my six year old and my four year old a new story every night it's not easy but I made up a story about this little girl who had to have some kind of minor surgery and she was in the hospital and she was feeling really bad about herself and this clown came in to to to make the kids happy and at the end so he said there's one more trick that I can't do that only you can do and he told the kids that the trick is to think of something good in your life because all the kids had some kind of something wrong going on in their lives and each kid something said something nice and then this girl who was the main character of the story she ended up writing a list of the things that were good in her life she felt happy that she had a baby in her family she felt happy that she had loving parents she felt happy all these different things and as I was saying this list of this girl is made of girl I was feeling happy I was feeling grateful and it's an amazing thing when you hear somebody expressing gratitude you feel gratitude you feel good it's an amazing awesome thing it's an amazing tool now this is the thought that I had in regards to our parsha what happened to the Jewish people think about it the Jewish people they were given this amazing blessing by bilam and the blessing expressed through the word Matteo Eliyahu Michigan Lisa R oh how wonderful the tents of the Jewish people as Rashi explains there the tents their openings didn't face each other you couldn't see from 110 to another that was the level of sneeze level of modesty that they had they weren't looking at each other the tyre tells us you know don't be jealous of your neighbor's wife etc we were happy with what we had we're happy with what we had Billo knew that the way to destroy the Jewish people was to offer them something that would entice them like centrist behavior the daughters of minyan I'm sure that they were very beautiful sure they were very enticing and that one one push led to Anna push let to shove and they ended up being I mean sorry the idolatry of the Midianites what did they need that for they had a shame Nana Shem himself it's an unbelievable thing what's going on here what is the idea what is bilham understanding so that we can understand the incredible power of evil that was involved and 24,000 people lost their lives because of this an amazing thing you know a kid walks into a house this happens all the time in my house kid walks into the house eating a candy now ten minutes before everyone was happy everyone was satisfied everyone was having a good time playing whatever games they were playing kid walks into a house with a candy all of a sudden everyone's complaining hey I want a candy I want a candy everyone was happy before all of a sudden they need that thing human nature [Music] gratitude I'm so grateful for what I have I have I could have a relationship with God unbelievable Shem has done miracles for me 40 years in the wilderness every single day the mud is falling the amazing bread that could taste like whatever you imagined contained all tastes over and over again all castle America - Burcu what happens these are Anika nauseate Sahara Nicholas rushed us a spirit of foolishness comes into the person oh I wish I had that thing it passes by in front of a person something that he wishes that he had Wow a Ferrari you know I don't need no Ferrari I got a really nice I'm have a very nice car and you know Ferrari but wow the Ferrari passes by I'm using a clean muscle yeah and and the person thinks wow I wish I could have that thing you were happy before what happened that's human nature billon knows bilham understands the way to destroy us is to get us to not be happy with what we have to get us to want something that's not for us it's an amazing thing what does gratitude mean gratitude means that I understand that every single thing I could achieve or who has put in my life is specifically for me exactly what I have my kids my job my life my parents are my livelihood this amount of understanding this amount of wisdom the this level of looks high whatever it is every single thing that's in my life is specifically tailored for me every single thing that happens so that's the it's art its art wants us to look at other people to look at that person oh wow they're more successful than me oh wow their thing is doing better than my thing oh wow they have a better life car house whatever it is right that's the Sahara that's Bill of my rushes ASA send those girls down to lure the Jewish people away from their sense of satisfaction lure them away from their relationship with Hashem and then you got it made we'll take care of them Emma's gonna get angry at them that's what Bill I'm understood that's what we need to understand because it's true in every one of our lives as well that was the sin that brought to a terrible destruction in Kleist about twenty four thousand people died interesting about I'm not gonna discuss it at all because I haven't thought about it but 24,000 students the Rebbe Akiva 24,000 Jews died here as well it's significant in some form you have to write how come I don't know the connection but think about it they lost what they had because they weren't happy they didn't have gratitude for what they had they lost their what they had and they lost their lives pin HUS Ben allows American Pincus is a Kunin he's the priest he's the one who understands how he central is that relationship with Hashem the connection that we have between ourselves and God how wonderful it is how special it is that's the kind he's the one who connects us to I could borrow who he's the one who's who serves on our behalf brings the carbines brings his sacrifices he's the east shore I'm the one who brings peace between man and between a Shem and and people and he's the one who of course takes that rhyme out takes that spear in his hand and thrust them through at the point of connection between male and female right because he's the one who says that's false that's a false connection that's an unsatisfied connection because you're not happy with what you have because you don't recognize that what you have is the best thing Wow we don't need midnight girls we have the most beautiful Jewish women we don't need anything else besides for what we have for Hashem we have the the most special spiritual dignified human beings that we can relate to we don't need to look anywhere else Pinkus understood that the jewish people had lost that perspective for a moment so he comes in and hidden in nice lines briefs he showed him he's the one who brings about peace between the Jewish people in God by he a hariyama Gifu then we get to that point after they read it you know step back step back and see what happened what what was going on there how did we have such a great loss in the Jewish people how did this occur I'm not sure emotional loss of an iron a kernel a Moorish color that's a start counting the Jewish people we don't count what we lost we can what we have but as beautiful it's mamas so gorgeous and Rashi laid that minion and iSeries we want to know what's left when something goes wrong what do I focus on do I focus on my victimhood this is what we lost 24,000 people is that what I focus on we mentioned that but then we go for sukham sukham so many soaping describing exactly how many were in each tribe how many Jews we have look at the amazing value of every single year of every single Israelite see how awesome it is each and every individual each and every tribe has its special place a special role in the Jewish people Meena and Han nicer let us count up exactly what we have let's focus on the positivity let's focus on what's left yes we lost something we lost an incredible 24,000 people it's nothing that's that's it's a terrible plague it's a terrible loss but what do we focus on we focus on what we have it's a message of Chris Rock who's giving a message by here money for step back why did we have this plague it was because we were focused looking at something else that we think that we need that we don't really need take that focus sick stop make a cut between the plague and the correct focus which is focus on what we have focus on the advantages focus on how precious every single Jew is every single person has a special place in a Shems plan in the Jewish people I want to bless you I ask you to bless me for who should help us to be able to focus on positivity on gratitude before I give the blessing I want to just mention one more thing gratitude I don't remember if I mentioned it but when I'm I'm pretty sure I did when I mentioned when I read that story about this guy who has only good things going on in his life because he's focused on gratitude so I started you know one of my challenges is that I have trouble focusing on the dominie we see it every single day we pray three times a day it's hard to focus on the words even though I know the meaning very well but I've been able consistently every single to feel it for a few months now to get the entire first praha which without the first brother or not yo say we haven't fulfilled our obligation Baruch Hashem God thank you for being the source of all blessing a God who wants to bestow blessings alakay new thank you for being a God who is our God who I have a personal experience of okay I was saying thank you for giving me a Miss or a-- you know the god of our fathers thank you for giving me a tradition from my father his father down through the ages of who you are Thank You Hashem for being a god okay Abraham who manifests through human beings in the world thank you for being a God and so on through the Braja perhaps one time well you know go through the whole Braja but it's an amazing it's amazing ice Manish I'm saying I'm telling you it's an ace it's a miracle focusing on gratitude changes the way a person's mind works something that for me was extremely difficult to focus on amazingly consistently you know it's not just a week later it's a few months later gratitude has the power to transform our minds puts us in a better place puts us in a better mood focusing on the positive and it's not easy but it's worth it it's worth taking on the challenge focusing on the positive so again I want to bless you and I ask you to bless me some should help us to appreciate what we have to appreciate all the blessings in our lives not get distracted or pulled into the eights of billa my Russia to try to the things that pass by us and we should want to have those things as some should help us to appreciate and to value framework value what we have and in such a way value our connection dakota shebar who value the Yiddish guide the Judaism that coach Bo who has given us as an amazing gift and all the amazing gifts that we have in our lives thank you so much for listening wonderful Shabbos this podcast was made possible through the gracious donations of listeners like you for more podcasts like this please visit www.gfi.com/webmonitor [Music] you