Rabbi David Ashear — Living Emunah on Tefillah

[music] Welcome to Inside Arts Scroll, where the books that we read and the people that write them come to life. It's a zoot and a pleasure to welcome to Arts Girl Scroll Studios one of Cla's legendary authors, Rabenu David Ashir. Thank you so much for joining us >> and thank you for having me. I'm sure and everyone knows that uh your claim to fame is living amuna and that's a pretty good claim to fame just generally. Um and Bian you've already written eight living amunas correct >> and we're here to discuss I think two new projects number one is a new book for children so important obviously to talk about amuna with our kids and number two living amuna antila okay so before we understand a little bit more about these two books which is really what we're going to focus on just a little bit share with us when did your living amuna journey start or when did you start living with ammuna Um, the first time I think I was really exposed to Amuna was uh I'll never forget I got a set of CDs in the mail from the Kafetim Heritage Foundation. >> Do we have to explain what CDs are or we're okay? Yeah, CDs, you know, from the olden days. And uh it was a series of classes from Rabbi Ary Waxman on the topic of the and uh at that time I have never learned it before. I was about 21 years old and uh started listening in the car and I just fell in love with it. It was just like a every line was like a a breath of fresh air. I felt like any anxiety that I had would just disappear. I felt like like a carefree and it was really really amazing. I just kept listening and listening and listening. I I wrote down everything that the rabbi said and it literally changed my life. And from that time I I I just kept delving in more and more because I was so enthralled by the topic and uh from there you know everybody that I shared it with had the same reaction. They never understood am like this before and from there. >> And at what at what point in this journey did you decide that you want to write a book? So we never really decided to write a book but during the journey the people from the shul in my community they asked they said we have what's called every day they get a email uh with a audio and written they said no we need maybe you can give us an amii I said what do you want me to do they said you know record something 3 minutes give us uh and I said okay I'll try and started with that giving a few minutes a day three four five minutes of and after a couple of years when it became popular I was to be the of Rabbi David Sutton who's a prominent member here of the art scroll team he's no stranger to our >> no stranger to your studio and uh he he wanted to introduce me to his father-in-law and to the art scroll team and and see what they thought of these daily talks which uh perhaps can be used in a in an art scroll book and uh they loved it and hashem >> did you have any idea that so many people would buy the book and so many people would be inspired? >> I knew that it was it was definitely an inspiring subject. It was an inspiring topic that uh it was just I was just excited to share it with other people. I had no idea who's going to buy, who's not going to buy. Wasn't really, you know, thinking about it too much, but it was just the more we're able to spread it, the the better the better off we're going to be. >> Can I see a funny question? I don't know if anyone ever asked you this. How come you called the living Amuna, not called living? Um, that's a good question. I wanted to save room for Rabbi Sutton to come in later with his bet, >> but uh um honestly we didn't put too much thought into it. Now we know the difference between and like the says am is learning all the principles. You have to learn about Hashem, who Hashem is, how he loves us and all these. And I always tell everybody, everyone without even studying can get a 100 on an Em test. You don't need to be great to get it. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows Hashem created the world. He loves us. But is the way you practice it is the way it comes out of you. When you feel it and this really when you read living am enough you will automatically be a because you have to see the same lessons from many angles. You have to get it from this from that. Like the great Rabbi Leven once said, he said that the distance between the brain and the heart is about 50 cmters. But to take a thought from the brain and apply it to the heart could take 50 years. So you want to be a bak by Hashem, it doesn't just come. You have to learn again and again and again the principles from this way, from that way, with this story, with that story. And after you're filled up with then you're able to start practicing One of the things about your that I love and I think my children love, my whole family loves is that there's so many stories to bolster the lessons like so my question is where do you get all these stories from? Okay, I understand you could put together one book but you're up to number nine, right? And and then just get better. Do people just send them to you? Do you research? Where do they come from? Um, I do find that bringing a lesson home with a story is a it's a gamecher. It's much different than when you just hear the lesson. Some people asked me after reading the first couple of books, they said, "I don't understand. How do you always get a story that fits your lesson?" I told them, "It doesn't work that way. I first get the story and then I see the lesson the story brings out and I work on the lesson because yes some in today's day and age especially people like a good story they like a you know a lesson that comes out of a story. So I think a story is very important. That being said I try my hardest on my daily lessons to come up with a story. We do have many people emailing stories. I have people on the street telling me stories. Everyone has stories. If I There's so many people I've seen in different communities. Oh, I have a story for you. I said, "Wow, if I never saw you, I never went on." But everyone's filled with hundreds and hundreds of stories. So, but from the fact that we started telling the stories, I became more of an address for stories. So, now people say, "Oh, I have a good story. Let me tell Rabbi Asher. Let me tell Raash." They'll send me stories and uh if on a day I don't have a story sometimes, you know, if I don't have a story, I'll think of a lesson and I will search I'll search the I'll search different places for stories. There's so many uh pamphlets in the world today behind the story and uh if I get one it'll be in the daily lesson. If not, sometimes there's going to be lessons without a story, but hashem there's plenty of stories to go around and I'm happy that I became an address for them. >> So you're still doing that daily four or five minute. >> Yes. >> So how long how many years is it? >> So it's been since you know before the first book came out. It's been a couple of years. So >> more than five years. >> No, the first book came out about 2013 2014. So we're talking about now 12 13 years. >> That means you must have you have thousands and thousands of lessons about living amuna. Do you have a repeat or you you're literally going original content every single day? >> I'm sure that the the concepts are repeated. Um it's it's impossible not to but usually every day is something new. How do you come up with is it a pressure on you to come up with new every single day? >> It definitely is a pressure. Um but I set aside few hours a day for it. >> Wow. >> It's not just you know let me sit down for an hour and write something up. It's really it's a seda. It's a separate seda that I have set designated a day you know whatever time it is 1 to 4 where now I'm going to work on the daily lesson. >> Wow. So a person doesn't realize they get a two minute, three minute sound bite, but behind that was hours of investment of time. >> Yes. >> That's very special. I think that's your not just, you know, anyone could write something down, but you're like you're pounding it. >> Is always from Hashem. >> Yes, for sure. >> Um, in your newest book, I'm sure there's a lot of great stories. Um, and I would love to hear one of them. But before we get to that, so what's the what's the the synthesis of Anduna? Of course, your is meaningless if you don't believe in Hashem. But can we use as a vehicle to strengthen our amuna? Absolutely. Tila is probably the closest, you know, we get in this world of being with Hashem. He's right opposite you. If someone has real focus and understands what he's doing when he's when he's dvening. >> So, it's a different world. praying as I say um but it's a different world knowing who you're standing in front of knowing he's listening knowing he's right there you could become so close to Hashem in this world if you know how to do it properly so yes it's a the more amuna you have the better your is going to be and you could still continue to gain more amuna through your >> what would you say to a person who says Yes, I I I agree it. I buy it. But like I'm saying the same thing every single day over and over. Could I still feel that connection the 10,000th time that I say that exact same paragraph that I said since I'm eight? Every day of your life, you are not the same as you were yesterday. The experiences you go through on a daily day. Today when you're asking for wisdom, you're not asking for wisdom like you asked yesterday. Today you have many different circumstances. And I often tell people also I said even if you would ever hear a repeat lesson or a repeat story, it's hitting you different today. You didn't have all these issues that you had then. So every is not even even three times a day is not enough because from what happens from the morning till the afternoon so many things and then to the night I need hashem is for you need hashem now for my night said you have to ask for wisdom before night said you have to ask for different everything changes on a constant basis and if you can't find something new in your that means you're just not thinking beautiful now let's take a moment and segue to children. Do you think that children are capable of understanding that about I know that book the the the the new book that's coming out is the fourth volume for of living amuna for children. It's not living am you know daving and tila might but just >> how do we how do we get our children to really appreciate davining and understand that if they pray properly that that they're going to start living with more amuna. You'd be surprised how much children understand and know. So many of the parents have told me that their children are setting the, you know, the the the amuna level in the house. They listen to the daily recordings and their children are just there and they're in the background and they're listening and they're they're reminding the parents. They're saying that have amuna. Hashem is for the best. You know, Hashem did that. The parents saying, "I can't believe it. I'm so impressed." So anything that we can grasp they grasp they understand obviously not in the same level but they understand and yes children you see in you know even going through the motions I'm I have a little a little uh granddaughter and >> you have a granddaughter >> Hashem. >> Wow. Did you get married when you were 10? [laughter] >> I actually got married when I was 21. >> Okay. And uh you know I saw her im imitating her mother and she's sitting here with the sidur like this going like she's she's praying she knows you know they they they watch us very carefully and they copy us and but obviously yes children could understand children could understand Hashem Hashem you're talking to Hashem there's even stories in the adult book about children and things that they asked for and an amazing Yeshua that in their mind you know they got and they're talking to Hashem and they want their truck and they want their goggles and amazingly the parents like wow you know my kid my son went and he asked Hashem the next day amazing I have a few stories like that where the parents are blown away about this simple belief that their children had much more than them and it was obvious of course I asked Hashem and the way that they got what they asked for is amazing but yes 100% is for everyone children included I'll tell say something funny. This just happened to me yesterday, two days yesterday. Two days ago. So, I'm driving with my my child and my eight-year-old, he's in the car with me and I live in Lakewood. So, there's like the Jewish radio stations. So, there like one of the Jewish radio stations has like Shirim all the time and there's a sheer going from Rabbi Rah Milstein who was a beautiful, beautiful um Torah teacher and like I got home and I was going to turn it off, you know, I wanted to go home. He's like, "No, no, no, wait. We're middle like I want to hear what he has to say." And Kami gave me pause like shouldn't that be me? Shouldn't that be me? >> That's great. That's great. >> And now that you're bringing this up like it's it's really you're you're driving you're really driving it home. Okay, Rabbi, we have you here in the studio. Share with us an amazing story. Whatever comes to mind. First story. Well, I happen to be uh e editing the the uh some things now that I'm going through and uh one story that the one of the editors of the book said that she loves the most. I'll tell you the story that she said she loves the most in the new book. >> Okay. >> She said that uh the story was as follows. a rabbi from Israel. And again, all the stories really that that their reader is going to see, it's obvious that the tilot brought their stories to fruition. It's you can't deny it. So this particular story a rabbi from Israel told he said that he was married seven years without children and it was few days before pes and him and his wife they said it's the hardest time of the year >> holidays with everybody all the children we got to tell that holiday >> even even more even harder. >> Yeah. and he had friends also that didn't have children and he said you know let's do something to give our circle some he called up a rabbi it was two days before pass said could you give us a sh give us to all the childless couples about how to approach the sed the rabbi say you know how busy time please the rabbi said okay and he was going to do the sh after that's how late it was 11:00 in Benbra. And the rabbi, he called all of his friends. It was about nine childless couples. And he remembered there was one from a different city that uh he couldn't get in touch with. He said, "H he's married for 20 years without children. I must come to the sh." He drove, he said, all the way to this man's house to tell him about the sh. And he dragged him there and they went and uh he said, "The rabbi gave us tremendous. It's a Unbelievable sh we were all fired up and at the end of the sh he told us the famous khazal whoever prays for his friend is answered first and he paired us all up. It was 10 couples total. You ding for him and him. And I got my friend who was married for 20 years without children. And he said, "Fast forward 30 years." He's telling the story now a couple years ago. Fast forward 30 years. He said, "I was my myself, my wife, we had six children. And my friend that I dragged that night was to have two children. And he said 30 years later, the same night my daughter became engaged to his son. Wow. And he said, "We thought at that time where we're just dinging, you know, just for little did we know how far our Lord are going to go." And to have a sim like this, he says, is beyond. But the sometimes tifilah transcends the generations travels 30 years you don't know the ripple effects of one tilah but uh that's the amazing kak that we have. Why do you think it is that in today's generation like we we've opened up so much to amuna you know the bakan number one bestselling art scroll bookish amuna you're amazing of living amuna I'm probably a drop older than you but not much we didn't they didn't talk about ammuna so much when we were children and a little bit of course and now it's just like kids talk about it people talk about it it's become part of the conversation what changed in cla >> I'll tell you interesting story about what you're saying. I was sitting one day few years ago in the B midrash of our and a rabbi from Burrow Park walks in. He might be in his mid70s and he says, "Are you raashir?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "I want to thank you." I said, "For what?" He said, "I've learning my whole life." He said, "I learned I learned I learned Nav'i, but I never learned about Hashem. No one ever taught me about Hashem. The first time now I'm learning who Hashem is." I said, "Wow, that's something special." Why? I don't know exactly why it wasn't stressed, but I do know that say that the took place in the zoot of the am that the Jewish people had and it says that our future that should happen today is going to be in the of our so that is so uh vital to the end of days. Just like Hashem has a plan and everything in the world, when it comes more, the more we need it, the more it comes. But at this stage of history, when we're preparing for the Mashiach, we need more of a dose of it. And that possibly is why Hashem is bringing it into the world more. >> That gives a lot of that gives a lot of strength. That means we're almost there. >> We just got we got to hang on. Can I jump in for a second and try to understand when you write a book because I've written a few books as well. Um when you write a book do you sit down and write the book is it taken from your sh like how do how does how does a book come to how do any of your your books come to life? So most of the book comes from the shim that I have given the shim the daily shim. Um if it'll be just a regular living ama you know number five number six like that it'll be all general and if it's a book like this so then I'll have to work a little harder to make sure that every every lesson is on and uh you know as I know it's coming I'm going to start doing more lessons on I'm going to you know focus more on that topic. But yes, most of the stories I don't just sit down and start writing a book. But those three, four, three, four hours that I spend a day coming up with the lesson eventually becomes a lesson in a book. >> So when a person holds your new book in their hand, they're not just holding a book, they're holding countless hours of learning. Beautiful. Do you explain in the book um any of the any of the actual prayers themselves? So it's not really a book on explanation. It's a book on becoming empowered in being wanting to d to pray, wanting to being excited for it, understanding the value of it. But there are in, you know, inevitably you're going to have pieces where there's going to be a section on today. Hakarat has also become very very widespread in a good way, in a great way. So there's going to be a section in mim on hakarat to in general some of the words of modim will be explained there and uh other parts here and there are explained but the focus of the book is not a word for word explanation but rather an empowerment in uh in getting us ready to want to pray three times a day and beyond and be excited for it and be into it and have the right focus. There's going to be lessons on focus and things like that. >> Is there that we say to ask Hashem to help us with our amuna? >> Many rabbis have written to Lot. Yes. Know there's they're all the same idea, but I don't have one that I know by heart right now to share it with you. But there are lot that people have written up about everything >> right >> you need I have in the book on special that people wrote for children of the dead and had to add that into uh and you know special for all different kinds of things. It always struck me as like almost like a paradox like we say, "Oh, Hashem, help me d like what do you mean dav to him and then you'll d with amuna with amuna." What do you mean hashem help me have amuna? Have amuna and then and you'll have amuna. But obviously it doesn't work like that. The is a powerful thing and you if you ask hashem's going to help, >> right? A person has to go into the amid knowing you can't even open your mouth without him. That's how much you need. Hashem is I can't even move my lips right now unless I have your help. That's one of the also will be discussed in the book. One of the main ideas that we're supposed to gain from our is the recognition of I can't do anything without you. You give it to me. I can't I don't have nothing without you. also a a a gain in amuna that we have when we pray properly understanding the words knowing I need you for this I need you for that >> that's why a person should use an article sitter so this way they know what they're saying >> absolutely [laughter] >> is there some kind of offer that if you buy your book you get a discount on an archival sitter maybe people will be more motivated we should speak to the marketing >> okay what's the next big thing okay you're working on these two books and will give you What's the next thing? You know, I uh I like to live one day at a time. Actually, I didn't know six months ago that we're going to be putting out a book on. Somebody mentioned it as a side. I was, you know, eating somewhere and they said, "We need living amilah." I said, "That's a great idea. We do." And from there, you know, it just things started rolling. So, >> and then they sponsored it, right? [laughter] >> But but you know, there's always more that needs needs to be learned. And to me, it's remarkable that you have thousands and thousands and thousands of ideas or concepts just on one topic. You know, you've been involved in Islam as well with and like you wonder how many times could they tell you you should be careful with before someone's going to say the same thing twice. But it seems like as long as we have the need, Hashem is going to continue to inspire and to give. It just seems like it's unbelievable. >> 100%. The more exactly what the way you said it. The more we have a need, the more Hashem provides. And at this juncture in history, we need ama more than ever. We needed just to, you know, to get through your regular day. Raenu I I think to myself that if what's going to bring the gula is amuno you have a very big hand in it. So Hashem should continue to give you strength uh insight. >> Amen. >> The daily the daily knowledge to be able to pump something out. >> Amen. >> And uh the health and all the things that are necessary to continue impacting am. Thank you very much. This has been a beautiful conversation. >> Thank you so much. Hashem should bless you a thousandfold >> in the uh amazing work that you do. You should have and everything. >> Amen. [music]