CHAZAQ's Torah Talks #198 Rabbi Avraham Ruby - How to Gain Satisfaction in Learning

If somebody would were to go and find the wheat that came out when said the world should bring out all the growings on the third day of creation we can't imagine the taste we can't fathom what kind of a good taste it is and therefore whatever created in the original creation it can't be measured by anything we have today in this world do we have anything that himself created answer is no but there's something before 74 before the world made the Torah come into existence and this same was given over until our day with no change. Could you imagine how much of a good feel, how much of a satisfaction, how much fulfillment a person can get and how much enjoyment and pleasure one can get from [Music] the welcome to Torah talks program with special guests. We have with us all the way from Rabbi Ruby from Elite. So good to have the rabbi. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for joining us. We're going to be speaking about how to gain satisfaction in learning and it's a very very perfect topic right before Shabot and uh before we get to the topic get a little bit background about the rough. First of all, I want to thank you for inviting me. Thank you for giving me the opportunity 100%. Um being in I was not exposed to Kazak and all the amazing work that you're doing. Just having a bit of a tour before I came up here to this office. It's something that's amazing and it's unfathomable. It shows that you're not stopping. You're reaching and reaching and reaching. And in America they say the sky is the limit for you. It seems that there is no limit. you just have and all that you do and the best that I can give you is really what the says the midwives they were asked to go ahead and kill all the children they didn't listen and says that the biggest gave them was what they wanted to do came into realization they were able they saw khalis growing and the fact they saw growing that was their their their biggest that they were able to have. So I wish to you as well you should just see this unbelievable factory of and of just grow and grow and grow should be able to make more and learning between people and and build up homes and just have further and further. Um I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Originally started off in Barak moved to Kensington. I learned in from there I went on to high school in Bayon. I learned by Bruce and afterwards by very fortunate to have such prominent I think two of the most prominent ever lived in in America biggest and uh afterwards I went and I learned by the famed whenever I say his name my whole body is full of excitement He is the the figure that molded me and gave me the appreciation for and gave me the encouragement as long as together with the yearning of Torah. I I see how how much he has and I see how how much happiness he has in it made me just want to learn and learn and learn. Until then I must admit I wasn't so devoted to but from the day I came into Vang my life changed from there and on everything was about everything was about knowledge of everything about the depth of everything was about knowing more and understanding better that I all owe to my today after he gave me the opportunity to teaching the yeshiva I was uh ru that means afternoon seda in charge of the learning two 300 brim I was able to say shir there I said two shirim a week one sh was just understanding the sugis that were learning some people don't put such an emphasis on bikers in the that's how it was and then one sh is like a once a week take a topic and make a make a out of it um I left yeshiva after seven and a half years of being in this position I decided I want to learn al as well. So I went out I joined Dju they have the program and they had two two programs together. They had one program of learning and then it's it's a 10 year program. So five years and five years right the two programs really um they go down the same the same path. The second program is really a on the first one that's 35% and the other 65% is new topics. I don't feel like I have much time. So I went through both of them together. And so that's that's the background that um that I was able to accomplish. And then afterwards I know my my feeling is teaching. So I was pulled back to yes. I went to brael with all the brim right and I was there for quite a few years at the same time who was a tal of shinburg he was a star tal of shinber and he opened upd and he was teaching dut in ka so I s saw the opportunity and I seized the chance and I went to learn by him ohm I'm learning by married 10 for the last five years I'm dying in his basin invas so that's what I do for a living and the just mentioned a little bit I know a person love I believe 12 and teaching here there and everywhere so continue spreading the light of Torah all of that's the topic we're going to be speaking about of uh of of how to gain satisfaction in learning and uh one might ask why is there always an emphasis about learning Torah learning Torah you have to learn Torah you have to learn Torah the Rabbi always speaks about the always speak about it you have to make sure to have uh set times of learning the Rabi could be more enlighten us on this so first of all if we understand what Torah is then we'll have more appreciation for it and then we'll will understand what it can do for us. I just want to say over a little story. Sure. From a famous goyenky 10 volumes on which is also a revolution at the time. Nobody wrote there are some butski made as he made a a deal about about the story is brought down by in one of his I think it's and it's an amazing story it did a lot for me and I imagine that'll do a lot for you as well when it came to he didn't have a position when he was in in Lut So he was the and then he moved on to London and he became the best. He came to retired no more positions and he would sit in his room and learn all day. At times he would say a cult you know when they ask him to say but basically he was in his room and just buried himself in his learning and one day someone comes in and he sees Ravski learning and Ramsky tells him you don't have a seat. I want to tell you something. says, "I'm here in my room all day and I go through a blat and I review it seven, eight times and then afterwards I learn Rashi. I summarize what comes out of that. Then I open up a Rambam and I open up the Ra and I see if the Rambam is in agreement with Rashi and Tais what I learned till now and there's nobody happier than me. But if there's a difficulty, if there's a conflict between them, so then I'm not uh I'm I'm misplaced. I don't feel I don't feel comfortable and I have to go ahead and see how we could answer this question. Sometimes it could take three days, sometimes three weeks. But when I finally come to the right answer, I come to the right understanding, there's nobody happier than me. Then I take out my pen and I write. Then I take a look outside my window and I see people building villages, people building cities. There's a whole world out there. There's so much going on. And I think look at what they're doing. And I'm just here with my gar. What a contrast. And he says, you know what Abramsky did? He opened up the vote and he sees over there. He measured his he weighed him. He says he has some tomid on one side of the scale and he puts brookness on the other side of the scale outweighs them. But if I take all the together within put them on one side and take and put him on the other side then outweighs everyone. I think to myself what trying to tell us here? They giving marks different say he's better than him are coming to teach us a very fundamental lesson and this is very important for us in life we have a choice between two things there's a lot of quantity out there but quality outweighs quantity and then our brother said I think to myself if I'm looking for quality in this world where can I find quality it's the word It's live. This is quality and this quality outweighs all quantity in the world. That's what he said. But I want to add to that. Sure. Is something very important because people sometimes think that learning sometimes someone who learns all day, he doesn't have all the pleasures and mundane abilities that people who work have. It doesn't say that the have everything. It says they're not missing anything. But maybe it comes at the expense. I don't know what's better. Why should I pick this over that? There's a very interesting. It amazed me and I think I'll be able to give it over in a way where people will be able to appreciate it. He says if we take a look at the way created the world he created the world in six days and after that the world just keeps running and it's reproduction on reproduction right the fields you take seeds from from whatever grew and you plant a new field and so on and so forth the people as well and everything is reproduction. What is the if we we want to weigh the difference between something that was reproduced and something that was on the original creation of obviously has a much greater value. It's much more quality and why we see in say took the salted its flesh but it had defeat you right why do we have to do that the says it's [Music] There is no difference. The world will keep on going when Msiah comes. So if the world is ongoing, we can take a fish and just you know bring them out of the water and we'll have fresh fish. Why then? And the answer is very simple. Because that fish, that quality of fish, you can't get it when it's a reproduction. M. So it's fresh fish, but that original fish much better. Also, there's a great banquet waiting for them. They're going to have wine that's staying in the grapes and it's just getting older and better. And we can't imagine the taste of that. says, "If somebody would were to go and find the wheat that came out, the world should bring out all the growings on the third day of creation." And we have that wheat and we'll be able to make some type of a bakery goods from it. We can't imagine the taste. We can't fathom what kind of a good taste it is. And therefore whatever created in the original creation it can't be measured by anything we have today. Now there's nothing left besides what in this world. Do we have anything? Do we have anything that himself created? Answer is no. But there's something before 974 before the world made the come into existence. And this is the same plays with the it's something so enjoyable. And this same was given over to the and you know the whole until our day with no change. There's only additive. You see this form keep on coming out until it grows and it becomes more explanatory and more able to to reach out and and grasp it. It becomes that much easier with the time and we have the ability to get it. Could you imagine? Could you imagine how much of a good feel, how much of a satisfaction, how much fulfillment a person can get and how much enjoyment and pleasure one can get from the very very very powerful and very very very true. We have a obligation day and night, every single day and every single night. And uh one might say, "Okay, this sounds great, but how do I appreciate the learning? I understand. I open up the books and I, you know, so maybe the rabbi is saying maybe because today so many more are coming out all these different languages and different versions, different explanations. You have to find what you connect with." But what does Rabbi suggest about appreciation? So this already tell us the way to appreciate is by feeling it taste the way you have to taste it. Just like if I were to go and try to explain the taste of wine to someone who never tasted wine he wouldn't be able to understand what it is. I could tell him listen you take this amount of sweetness this amount of sourness and you put it together and it's a bit alcoholic it burns a bit and try to put it together in a person's mind the mind with the tongue they don't they don't connect you have to taste it you want to feel it you want to realize it go ahead feel it and you'll get says amazing says from he was at he wasn't feeling very well and he was sitting in a chair he was very weak and he decided to give a message to the was dancing around it's amazing what's going on it and he wanted to give a message there's nothing like the is coming and saying he's saying the Torah is so beloved says I love it so much so I'm busy with it all day someone who loves something he's busy with it all day there's other things around in the world you know what I'm saying you keep it in mind it's something that you go ahead and and deal with from time to time someone who likes a certain food he's not going to be busy with it all day so he and he got up and he gave such a scream he said is not saying he loves is I how much I love. That's why then there's another idea says it's my personal speech. Sometimes a person thinks, you know, T is nice. I'm willing to give it a try. I heard it's great, but it's not something that he's connected to. It's not mine. somebody else is he says so I'll go I'll listen in gam I'll go I'll try it out I'll listen in but he's not he doesn't feel that it's was talking to him when he gave this title he's talking to you this is yours is unbelievable story everybody knows the last line of the punchline of this of this story but just a bit of a background says that rebi when he went to learn by sham So there was a tal that was abi and this abavi was beloved on his rebi more than anyone else and one day he asked his a question he said somebody who goes and slaughter the carbon and he's thinking that he wants to spray the blood not today but tomorrow does that pass the carbon or not so told him of closure. Okay. He asked him in the morning. He asked him again at noon time. He asked him afternoon. He asked him at night. The first three times he got the same answer at night. He told him kosha. But Rabzar says his face lit up badly. And Rebi told him it seems that you know we're not on the same page until now. I told you what the hak is. Why you so excited? So he told him I heard that there is that holds that it's puzzle and I went to all my friends all the time and nobody else heard this. Mhm. So I'm looking to find and when you told me no you gave me back a lost object. This was something that I was missing. You gave it back to me. So he heard that and he said he made a song out of this is so beloved on you especially loved upon you and then he pulled out this there's many inim and in other that speak about the specialness in the praise of why did he pick this pik Because for someone to go around and look for a certain that's not and nobody else knows of it, give up. No, maybe you know ask again and again and again until I hear, [Music] oh, why is that? This is mine. This belongs to me. I'm missing something. You gave back something I was missing. That's only unbelievable love of could bring a person to such a level. very very powerful rabbi I'm enjoying every single moment in every single gem it's 100% true and as was mentioned we have coming how do we turn shot from a onetime experience one day experience to continue throughout the year and throughout the lifetime first of all the itself of of is very interesting the name means weeks means right that was the the biggest episode since creation of the world and actually the creation of the world depended on on if it wasn't for the Torah we wouldn't have the world right so why is it then that we don't call it why are we calling it so this is connected to what we spoke about before in order to really be able to grow in you have to have that yearning now what is about says And the reason why we count it is a very interesting point because usually if you're counting to a certain day, we have a countdown, right? And we're counting down. Why are we counting up for and the answer is says because if we knew that we're counting up till 49, we wouldn't be able to stand in it. Kali saw so much was for the 49 days we have to count. They wouldn't stand by it. Zaka says let's count up. start with one and he says interestingly that when we get to the midpoint 25 then we should start counting down. M this is true but once we started one way we keep that way to show just to keep it that way but this comes and shows us how much closer was the fact that we're counting counting days when are we getting to this alone shows us how important it is and it really is a buildup inside of us right we're building up we're yearning we want to get to that special day like a slave in a That's the sun is beating on him and he's just yearning for just a bit of shade in order to black out the sun just for a bit of time. This is a day that's unbelievably important to us and we're waiting and counting up till when when are we going to get to this special day. So that's just that's in the name already. We see what it's what what the day is about and what is about. So we go ahead and we take this one night and we stay up learning. We're starting we're starting off on the right foot, right? Why doesn't it continue? I was once in Australia and somebody asked me, he said, "I'm 20 years bel. I go to every sh here in town. I don't feel it. I don't feel it." Why? I don't I can't answer the question. I was a younger man. I think he's an older person. I can't answer the question. I'll tell you a vote that I saw from my already. He says he says if you'll accept if you'll commit yourself to here and on the will be sweet by you all beginnings are difficult. Very interesting a very interesting rash. So he says well let's break it down. First of all, what is why does this have to do with all beginnings? This is that. So you see from there is no difference between and any other beginning. Just like every beginning, it's hard to get into. You find difficulty at at first. The same thing is with it's difficult because it's a beginning. Second of all, after you pass the beginning, you're not a beginner anymore. You're intermediate or maybe advanced. Once you get past the beginning point, it's not just that the hardship fell away, but it becomes sweet. It's true. And he says, "How does somebody become advanced?" Yeah. What is it? What is a beginner and when does he leave that stage? He says it doesn't have to take time. Some people can be 50 years a beginner and some people at the onset they're not a beginner. How is that? So let's take an example of the same he was a robber. He was a very powerful man. He was able to jump from one side of the river to the other and he met and saw him he said wow what power you have. You can learn tyra. These are the kind of guys we need this strength. And he says, "You're talking about my strength. Look at your beauty. Your beauty is for women." He said, "Let's make a deal. I have a sister that's more beautiful than me. I'm willing to give it to you for a wife, but on condition that you accept Yok." Right then and there made a decision and he became Raban's brotherhood. Just to make it clear to the audience, Ra Fluisher is the head of the gangsters and he became uh who became except very powerful Rabbi Ruby. Amazing. I just wanted finish the point. Yeah. Right. On the other side of the of the river, the bank of the river, he had his clothing and he wanted to get back to it. He tried to jump back over the river and he couldn't. Right. Once he accepted the yoke of he couldn't. He wasn't a beginner anymore. Why? because he was committed at the onset from the beginning he said I'm accepting the yoke of I'm committed one who commits he's not a beginner anymore if someone would commit himself to if someone would say I'm going to this year this year is mine no matter what happens not mitzvah not a meeting this hour these two hours this is my learning time this is my this is my there's nothing else in the world at that Yeah. You want to learn says everything's dead. The only thing that's alive is a such a commitment. You're not a you're not a beginner. Once you're not a beginner from here on, it's unbelievable. There's unbelievable satisfaction in very powerful really really powerful. I love every moment of it. And to add to what the rabbi is saying, the holy doesn't have a date for because if it would have a date for people think learning to is only a once a year thing. like you have during and whatever it is by other holidays but the idea is that every single day every single day every single night we have to be learning to the way of life and we have a custom rub on Torah talks is a final message final message I think that people sometimes I'm saying even after everything we said they get the feeling it's a So this y is really for those who devote their life to right what does it have to me how can I also have connection to how can I bring myself to make that commitment says an amazing idea and it's connected to par as well says that we read the the curses of paras before sh why as if to say let's cut off the curses and let's start with with blessings says don't connect the curses to make a barrier so don't read but the the close to is says if that's the case there must be some connection between And what's the connection? He says something amazing. He says wants to tell to count is not a not a it doesn't mean counting. It's a very interesting language that that the picked counting. We find the says later on we find spir minion. These old countings get numbers. What does really mean? Uplift says in paris if you want to accept and gain the number of so then everyone and count it. That's a very roundabout way of saying it, right? Why don't we just say count them? Says when we count clron, we're really uplifting them. Every Yid knows you're a number like everyone else. Hashem's counting every Yid because every counts and every Yid has that ability. And this is especially important before. Someone could think not for me. The guys are learning. The guys are learning. I'm an owner of I keep to my things and says the no counting you should know. I mean you I mean you I want you is saying I want each and every one of you because you're all important to me. You're all part of this unbelievable symphony that's called and gives a great wow amazing Rabbi a rubita such such an inspiration ladies and gentlemen every single one of her heard about it the importance of learning Torah uh getting satisfaction you're learning we want to thank um the rabbi for joining us want to thank uh all the various different platforms that host Kazak Torah talks with emphasis to our friends at to time special thanks to daily giving a dollar a day goes very far way. Dr. Dona, thank you so much. We encourage everyone to be a daily giver. Look into it. Natan behind the camera, entire Kazak team every single Tuesday night, 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to talk. CHZQ.org/live to our life complete redemption our days. Amen. Ruby and thank you for giving me that opportunity. [Music]