CHAZAQ | Rabbi Naftali Horowitz | A Torah Path to a Life of Success

foreign [Music] Horowitz joining us I want to give a big thanks to our host uh Yeshiva yoshaku has always opened their doors for us to do a shiram it's a pleasure to be able to do this year kazak along with Torah life we've done a lot of joint programming together and it's always supposed to work with tour life and David and all the great work that they do this evening we're sponsored actually by tour life it helped put together the event and of the the books that were given away for free at the beginning were due to tour and to our life and all their amazing work and we actually have some more books in the back if you were if you weren't able to get one at the beginning we're going to be selling some in the back after this year for uh it's going to cost just 20 for today which is less than what you will get in a tour in a store so if you have a chance at the end you can go to the back to get a book it's a big honor uh to be here like I said kazak does share them throughout the the year many different places throughout the the state and Beyond and a lot of people know them for their serum but the real backbone of kazak is actually their after-school programs their cure programs for kids where we have programming all the way from elementary school to high school after school for Amazon Sunday and and Beyond and different Fellowship programs and the the big thing is they have a division called Public School tier Shiva where they've Hashem sent over 1400 kids from public school into the yeshivas to help you know enhance their Jewish learning and their their knowledge of their Heritage um with uh without further Ado I want to actually introduce before naftali Horowitz who come up who's uh you know amazing speaker and macarth and author um want to invite David peturo app who's the founder of toy life to say some words foreign [Applause] thank you everyone from for coming it was uh really a special time together together because it's been a long time since we've been in this room with our organization um seven months to be precise I've been a little bit busy myself I actually got married three months ago that's pretty much why I've been uh I was actually um thank you yeah so it's been it's been a hectic time but Baruch Hashem are back and they say when you get married the the true you actually gets revealed so let's see without Hashem will be able to carry on from our previous energy and and hopefully come back to it with uh with ten times over so as many of you sitting here know and have been with us throughout the journey this organization started because um uh some visit I can say not disasters or lost that happened in the family and that's what motivated us to start an organization and promote Torah online and in person but really in person because I'm told to use the mic it's the ongoing issue that I have I don't really use mics because it limits me to the place but um we we make these events because you realize that there's so much Torah on the internet WhatsApp YouTube tour anytime you know tour anytime is the gold standard obviously but nothing that compares to in person so that's why you bring out the room now an artist isn't an artist without a concert an audience so because that's sitting together let's enjoy the experience because the knowledge that Natalie Horowitz has to give is not just a Torah lecture that people can take away with uh sources but also applies to our everyday lives through our finances so let's pay attention Hashem like a pick up a book in the end and uh stay tuned for more events to come thank you without further Ado enough Telly Horowitz so thank you all for coming the good news is I'm not a rabbi a matter of and therefore you don't have to listen to what I say you don't have to go home feeling guilty and because I'm Unworthy of talking about such a uh serious topic such as l but the truth of the matter is is that when people ask me to speak during L it's actually a tremendous opportunity for me because it forces me to reflect on the time of the year and the Seattle has always been astounding to me that each year when I speak during l akota opens up new vistas of understanding of this amazing time of year so I'm just going to share with you some of the thoughts and some of the things that were revealed to me in the last couple of days as I sat down to prepare my my words yeah so since I was a child this was a time of year that I absolutely dreaded I mean the reality is nobody likes to be scrutinized nobody likes to be audited you know on Wall Street you know when The Regulators show up it's the worst week of the year everybody's running around the banking Regulators are there the SEC is there internal compliance is looking over everything that we're doing and it kind of makes me feel reminiscent of the ways to think about Elle and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kipper and the Sarah I'd get this pit in my stomach that oh my gosh this is serious this is stressful and so on and who doesn't feel or breathe a sigh of relief when that final Cottage of Nila is recited and um we go like phew we made it it's almost like The Regulators went into the oil went into the elevator and they're on the way down but the reality is is that it is an amazing thing that once a year we force ourselves to look in the mirror and to take stock and to spend time reflecting on what we did the last 12 months how much we grew and how much perhaps we didn't and any Corporation or any Bank on Wall Street wouldn't be where it was if there were no regulators and there were no Auditors and there wasn't somebody coming to look over what you're doing because it essentially forces you to be your best I could tell you that when the regularities do come to my firm we know exactly what they want we know what they're going to be looking for we get an email and it tells us exactly what paperwork needs to be in order what our desks need to look like what needs to be filed where what answers they're going what questions they're going to be asking and what answers they're going to be expecting and I thought about it and I said do we really know do we really know how to prepare for this audit what are going to be those questions what are they going to be looking at what does that cutter Sparkle want to see from us we have a month to do this we start blowing the shofar the ashkenazym at least we start saying to tell us you have 30 days 30 days to prepare so what is it the gemara tells us in Rosh Hashanah very cryptic very interesting very beautiful Gamora which I think in it if you study it and delve into it a little bit gives us the answers to exactly what hakodesh Broku is going to be wanting to see the Gomorrah tells us it's a mishna mishna in Rosh Hashanah it's a mission that we say or we we relate to in the Nissan attack of Prayer foreign says according to the tanakama that the definition of moroin give neymarain are sheep sheep in a flock the gemara is telling us what hakarish park who's going to be judging us based on he's going to be judging us based on how we performed this past year in the category of marine gives us three definitions of the word marine the tanakama says like sheep in a flock which is the definition or the translation that we use in our prayer rishlockish says like Steps leading up to a mountain in Israel called Marine I don't believe it's there are those that say it is but there are those that say it isn't Rashi tells us it was a very steep Mountain there was a stairs a set of stairs that went up and Rashi says specifically there was only room on each step for one person so it was an extraordinarily narrow staircase the third definition like soldiers going out to fight a war who belong to the army of King David so it is a beautiful marao marao in khadushe agadas explains this Kamara as follows and we're going to use this morale to try to delve into what are those aspects that we need to prepare for the morale says that the literal translation of marine means sheep and that nobody debates that and that's why that's the way it's written in the nasana type of Prayer he says that rishlockishmuel are adding new elements because the gemara used the mission to use the very cryptic turn Mission should have said we're sheep since Marine alludes to other things as well the mission meant to allude to other aspects of the being a staircase a narrow one and soldiers so let's delve into this for a second so in preparation for this I did some research on sheep well if the first thing we're going to be judged on is whether or not we're good little sheep right what does that mean right really you say this prayer every single year [Applause] karasem we go by and we go man staying there with this stick what what's what is what's the analogy here really what is it so I did some research because if I'm going to be scrutinized as a sheep well I need to know what it takes to be a good sheep right so I did a lot of research turns out that people are very passionate about their sheep I read from Shepherds in Australia New Zealand the United States and they all write about their sheep and I try to call the overlap of where everybody agrees the key characteristics of sheep are and I came up with two things the first thing I'm going to read you directly is flocking instincts sheep have an instinct to flock together they feel safer when they're gathered sheep need other sheep to feel safe and separating one sheep out of a herd creates a tremendous stress for both the sheep that left and those that remain quote whenever one of my sheep is on its own it's very sad and cranky when the shepherd finds a sheep and brings it back to the herd both the Sheep that's returned and the sheep of the herd are become extraordinarily content that's beautiful what does it have to do with us well ladies and gentlemen how many sheep left our flock this year how many sheep thought that maybe it's better to join another flock or maybe no flock at all I think we're going to be examined first and foremost and what in anything we did about that were we stressed did we perhaps contribute to them leaving did we seek them out did we let them know that the flock's not the same without them or did we label them the black sheep amongst us I believe that akadashbark who is going to look at us as a herd and say are you missing those that are no longer amongst you how many sheep inside the flock are struggling how many lost the spouse this year how many lost a child how many lost the job did we lose any sleep over it or do we just shrug off these things and go about our ways did we reach out to somebody and say is there anything I can do for you let's just have a cup of coffee anything at all ladies and gentlemen everybody is struggling today inside the flock outside the flock and in some way everybody can help somebody else that's struggling because each of us are struggling in different ways we all know somebody that we can reach out to but we're so insulated and we forget that first and foremost clay Israel is a flock and a flock is only happy and only content and only secure when its members are content and secure amongst the flock and this I believe is first and foremost what we have to have in mind in a sanity we are sheep and we are part of a flock I read an unbelievable story recently which I want to share with you stories of Ron Palms there was a man who dabbing with him in shul and one day he noticed that he's not there anymore and he called up his son and his son said that my father is very sick and he's in the hospital so if Pam asked his son if he can come to his office he wants to send something to him and he wrote this man a letter a note on a simple piece of paper and he said dear so and so I want you to know that I miss you and shul it's not the same without you love your friend of rompom and he gave this letter to his son and his son took the letter to his father two weeks later the Man passed away he went to pay Shiva call and the son took out the letter and showed a tour of Palm and he said Rob I want you to know but for the last two weeks of my father's life every single person that came to visit him he showed this letter and he said look I'm friends with rubber from Palm left the Shiva and immediately sat down on the steps and started to cry his grandson who told the story asked his grandfather he said zaidi why are you crying that was such a beautiful thing that you did he said it was but how many more letters like that could I have written I'll tell you a story that just happened to me I'm that River of rompom I'm just a regular under the mill guy I was speaking in a certain community and afterwards a lot of people came up to me to ask me questions and one of the people came up to me and he said tells me his name and he says do you remember me I said no I'm sorry I meet a lot of people he goes you spent 51 minutes and 17 seconds with me on a call two years ago I said I did that's a very long time he goes I can prove it and took out his phone and he showed me a screenshot and he held it up for everybody and I asked him not to because then everybody knew my cell phone number and it showed my number and it closed at 51 minutes and 17 seconds this guy's been walking around for two years proud of the fact that me Mr Ronald guy spent 51 minutes and 17 seconds with him right how many times did we do this and we didn't even realize it we thought yeah big deal another phone call I'm telling you every single person in this room without exception has something to offer somebody out there that is struggling we cannot get wrapped up in our own little myopic lives we have to find ways to be mikhazic the Sheep around us Hashem is sending us a loud and clear message you need each other you need each other more than you know I will make it so difficult until you appreciate that actus and caring for one another is first and foremost on a college board whose mind when he looks at us on Rosh Hashanah and you keep her the second thing I found about sheep is that they always follow a leader leadership in a flock comes from two places a shepherd and there's always one shepsila who is more dominant than the others and even though this if the shepherd knows who that sheep is he gets that cheap to do what he needs to do and then all the other sheep follow suit I think the second aspect of sheep is whether or not we are followers and whether or not we are leaders thousands of people have come to my door in the years past with all kinds of issues and the ones that fall into the category of I got myself into a really bad mess by doing X Y or Z I always ask the same question who is your Das Tyra who is your rough who mentors you business marriage self-growth and literally I have never gotten an answer it's always I don't have one because those people don't come to me the people that have Robin and the people that have mentors the people that have people to look up to generally do not get into those types of issues we need every one of us needs to be a follower we all must have Das Tyra there's no exception you cannot walk out the door today you cannot know what's right and what's wrong we are so Twisted so confused from up and down right and left that if we don't have somebody who we turn to and say yes or no and listen to them unequivocally it's impossible for us to reach our intended destination on the flip side we all must be leaders every single person is being looked at the fact that you're in this room the fact that you keep Shabbos the fact that you even know what Russia entails puts you into a small percentage of even the Jewish population and you have to appreciate that every single one of us has an aspect of leadership in US and this is not a time for false anivas I'm a kid I'm a housewife call me whatever you want this is where they ate Sahara gets us and says oh you're not such a great person but the reality is is that every single person who went to Yeshiva obesity or keep Shabbos knows how to read apostlemish comes to a share and walks away with something has something to offer the vast majority of the world that they are dying for and it's not just true for Jews it's true for non-jews look what's going on out there I speak on this thing called volume which is and I got hundreds of emails from non-jews who are watching smyrus A9 videos and they say this has changed in my life thousands of people buy my book that are not Jewish why because Tori is true because we have MS you have MS and when you have MS you are a born leader and don't forget that so we have to accept leadership and we have to become leaders this I believe is inherent in the definition of sheep as wishlockish another element the staircase tells us the morale Rashi emphasizes that there's only room on each step for one person to tell us that just as we're going to be judged as a flock we're also going to be judged as individuals because in the words of the morale every person is a world unto themselves the eight Sahara has a very good way of either deflating us or building us up with false ego he deflates us because we look up at the ladder and we say look what those people are and look where I am I'll never be that I'll never be him I'll never be her I can't compete so if I can't compete what's the point I give up this is all I hear all day self-esteem I give up I'm burnt out not from 40 year olds from 22 year olds 24 year olds they look around them they think this is a big rat race I wonder where they get that idea from and they give up tells us rich luckish there's room for one person on each step and all that matters at the end of the year is where were you last year and where were you this year and don't fool yourself into thinking that you're better than somebody else because their way down there and I'm way up here no they climbed two steps you didn't budge and that's all that matters if you were born into a great family and you were taught Torah as a child you were born somewhere up the ladder you get zero credit for that all you get credit for is what did you make of yourself the last 12 months and in that regard it's 100 about you not the flock the pie assets the rebbe writes that there are people who look back at their lives if the 40 50 60 years and they have nothing to show for it other than the fact that they got older they have the same me Dot if they were angry they're still angry if they're vindicative they're still vindicative they were stingy they're still stingy that was selfish that's still selfish and he says there's nothing more tragic than that people just don't think it's possible we hear about how hard it is to change amida how difficult it is to climb growth is so arduous and ramachman tells us from nakam tells us that when people hear about growth about greatness about climbing they right away think I don't they don't mean me or knockman says this he speaks to you and he says as I'm writing these words you are surely thinking I don't mean you I mean somebody else tells us your mahmin no I mean you and I'm reading I'm going but he doesn't know who I am because obviously it doesn't matter who you are it does not matter who you are is telling us that all that matters to you is the wrong that you are on and the wrong in which a college bowl who placed you with your earnest highness with your upbringing and if only I had better parents and if only had a better Yeshiva and if only this and if only that and only all that then because I'm looking up the ladder or I say I'm okay because look down there look at other people like I told my karusa today I should just get up and tell people we're all good because I bet nobody in this room killed anybody today right so we're all okay where a desler tells us that every person is going to be judged based on their point of free will we have to walk into our system keeper knowing what is my challenge what does that coach Markle want from me and only me members of King David's Army sheep are more or less alike soldiers are highly specialized if everybody decides to be a paratrooper or even an F-16 fighter pilot no Army wins a war everybody goes out and everybody has their tasket reviewed is telling us that we're going to be judged based on how we leveraged or utilized our uniqueness Hashem is likened to a palace where a king has people that do all kinds of things for him there's a guy who Maps the floor there's a guy who gets to bring the king his his wine there's somebody who polishes the crown and does anybody look at what everybody else is doing do anybody does anybody think that the guy who Maps the floor I want to be like him I want to be the body polishes the crown but the king is telling you this is your job and he says that if everybody Embraces their skills and uniqueness that gave them then all of the tasks of the palace get done individuality is an incredible thing but it's something that sometimes we bury because we want to fit in and fitting in has its advantages in some areas but in other areas it stifles Who We Are and it robs us of free will because we are adapting other people's will and in doing so we're living a life that's not true to Who We Are how many times do I hear from people who are in a profession or in some other situation where they are burnt out they're disenchanted they're sick of their lives and inevitably if you trace back they're not living their life they're living somebody else's life they think that this is what is expected of them and this is what it is and somebody once said to me well the Torah gives us rules absolutely government also gives us rules but within the rules of the Torah look at the incredible amount of individuality that we have amongst us look at the people that have changed the world using their individuality their talents their skill sets because that's the only way a person can thrive is if they are being who they are and who intended them to be we should not give away our free will we should realize that a college book who wants each of us to be exactly the way he created us and not try to be anybody else other than that we look to other people as role models but when that carbon copies of anybody and we should never try to be I think the second aspect of this I'll share with you emit Civ IC in his voracious says an unbelievable thing I said this over on Tish above and people called me up and they said this native literally changed their lives the native writes that the book of voracious is called safer isharim we find many many references to that say foreign refers to the obvious activation the words of of bilam and he wants to know what is the word ishara mean what does it mean to be a yashar ayasha means somebody who's straight with what what's the definition of Yasha and what's the opposite of yahshah and why is voracious called Safeway isharam tells us the native States the words Thomas nachi moist isharam no matter how I live my life I want to die a yashar referring to avraham yitsukanyakov what is the definition of yahshua tells us in its if somebody who is aligned with the cottage Barkus intention for creation which is the continuation and the success of all mankind we find that abramovino davins festoim even though stoim was the exact opposite of everything he stood for gabino tries to make peace with abimelechov even after all those years they part on good terms and he says because the office understood that a college book who created a world in balance and that each of us needs each other Jew and anju his words are because [Applause] we can learn so much from the other side to see what we can learn so that the world can continue to exist billum was the opposite of that billum wanted to uproot an entire nation helium wanted to kill and destroy a nation this is the opposite of yahshua is telling us that when one person thinks thoughts about somebody else thoughts of arrogance thoughts of gaiva I'm better than them for whatever reason because I'll tell us that when Cayenne killed hevel he didn't realize that he killed Heaven you have to realize nobody had ever been killed before right can you kill a table no you can't kill a table how do you know that because somebody tried tables don't die who said people die who said well somebody tried it and they realized people die because I'll tell us that when Cayenne killed hevel he just wanted to inflict damage to him because he was so jealous of him and he hated him so much and he whatever he did heavil fell to the ground and kind began to cry and he kept saying heavily wake up my brother wake up because I'll tell us he did this for three days he kept thinking that maybe have a will wake up maybe he's in his sleep maybe he's hurt he had no idea and after three days he realized that Evil's not coming back and he cried and cried and cried because I'll tell us that the heavens and the Earth cried with him because Cain was the first person to take the world out of its equilibrium who created a cayenne and a heavil he created a son who works the sheep and the flocks and the one who works the ground and there's a balance and with one there isn't the other and with the other there isn't the other and when that went out of balance the world went out of balance yahshua means that if a college broke who created this person this nation this individual he is bringing this world into balance who's to say who's important just because you're a power trooper and he's a foot soldier there is no paratroopers if there are no foot soldiers there is no generals if there are no lieutenants we have so much period amongst us now so much so much divisiveness you Commandments cry it's unbelievable what's going on at you throw what's going on in America somebody's a little bit different he wears a different yamako he doesn't wear a yamaka and right away the thoughts start going why do we need such people for we'd be better off without them and it's not just about Jews it's not Jews too they're also divided is this a life of yesharim is this what a coach boy is this what the office wanted is this what billum wanted to die for but we can't worry about the world we can only worry about what's in here what's in here when they go out as an army when a team takes the field baseball football I don't care what it is right their success depends on their teamwork and if one guy thinks he's the cool dude on the team well nobody wants to play with this guy because that destroys a team and the world of humanity is a team and we are going to be judged based on we our Outlook and the way we think about others this is what means yes we're different yes we're in different positions yes we're on different wrongs but that doesn't give us the right to think less of anybody else so let's recap one we care about the flock every member that it's comprised of every single person should accept upon themselves [Applause] to do for others in any way shape or form there's no better Merit on Russia as to be one who is a Matchstick as Haram somebody who is needed by others the great rabbi who lived to be almost 100 once told me every year I am keeper he would say look how many people need me if you take me away how many people will suffer make yourself extraordinarily crucial to other people to the flock it's the best strategy for rosh hashaniam Kipper we have to each accept a shepherd and we have to become Shepherds ourselves we can all be role models and we must accept that role right here and right now remember no matter how old or young you are the nachman tells us it's possible it's possible to grow it's possible to look back 12 months from now and say I climbed or wrong on the ladder embrace your individuality utilize it to make the world around you a better place and remember that the world needs every one of us and none of us is more vital than anyone else thank you for listening foreign