Tomer Devorah with Rabbi Avigdor Miller's Commentary 17 Chapter 8 Yichbosh Avonoteinu God Will C

Shalom. We are learning Tom Devor and now we are in chapter eight. This is the next quality of mercy of Hashem. And this is called Hashem will conceal our iniquities. Hashem will hide our sins. What does this mean? Um, Rabbi Miller says an introduction, the punishment for sin is limited. When a person makes a mistake, yes, Hashem is patient and he gives us a chance to do tou and if person doesn't, he receives a punishment. The punishment for sin is limited. In most cases, the judgment of the wicked in ginam is for 12 months. Sometimes it is less. The maximum that a normal person might spend in ginam in purgatory is 12 months. Some people 11 months, some 10, five, one, a minute, a few seconds. We hope that we can avoid gam entirely. But for that, we need to be uh perfect at least to do before we go to sleep. As soon as a person [clears throat] makes a mistake, he should do toua because we never know when we might have to leave this world. And therefore we should always be clean. And even if a person didn't have a chance to do to do teshua a complete tishuva and he will have to go through ginam the punishment for sin is limited the maximum of 12 months. But you have to keep in mind that the opposite is not the same. If a person does a mitzvah, the reward for a mitzvah is not limited. After a person who sinned goes to gay and is cleansed of all the stains on his nishama, the retribution comes to an end and then he goes to Ganedan where he is rewarded forever and ever. So the reward is going to be much greater than the punishment. The punishment is shortlived. The reward is eternal. That's what we say in Shamar. Blessed is Hashem who gives a good reward for those who fear him. The question is for how long? And it says in blessed is he who lives forever and exists for all eternity. And that means how long can Hashem continue paying us for the good that we did? Since Hashem is forever, he will keep on paying reward to us forever and ever. The reward never stops. Why? Because Hashem's power never stops. Hashem's ability to give never stops. We are limited and therefore we can only focus on so many things. If someone did a favor to us, we say thank you and we forget about it. We continue our life because I have to do shopping. I have to make phone calls. I have to talk to other people. So I get distracted from the person who did me a favor and I say that's it. I said thank you. How long can I stay there and say thank you? I I have to live my life. So a person gives reward pays back for the good a little bit and it stops. Number one because I'm limited on time. Number two because I cannot do so many things at one time. So if I have to interact with others, I cannot continue saying thank you to this person. Number three, because my resources are limited. If I have to uh send let's say a gift to someone who did me a favor, I send him $100. Thank you very much for all your help. The next day, I'm not going to send him another $100 because how many times can I send $100? Soon I'm going to be out of money. God forbid. If I send him $100 every day, that's a lot of money. So sooner or later my reward towards him is going to stop. And the fourth reason is because eventually we all die. And if I'm not around, I cannot continue giving reward to the person who did me a favor. And number five, the person himself who I'm thankful to will die as well. And once he dies, I cannot thank him anymore. With Hashem, it's not the same. Hashem is not limited on what he can do. He can do trillion and quadrillion things at one time. He doesn't forget. He has all the money and resources and he can continue giving you reward forever and ever and he's not going to uh run out of money. He is forever. He will never stop. And the nama, the spiritual essence of a person is also forever. And therefore the reward for the mitzvah that the person did will continue forever and ever. There is no stinginess in front of God. Every little thing you do that's good is guaranteed to give you dividends and reward for eternity. And one more reason is that for us once something passed it's in the past. Someone helped me a lot but it was a long time ago. That's it. It's as if it never happened because the memory becomes more and more faint. But for Hashem, he lives in the past, present, and future. For Hashem, there is no difference between what was, what is, and what will be. For Hashem, the past is going on now because it's still in front of him. He has the entire timeline in front of him. And therefore he is looking at Abraham and Abraham is still sacrificing his hak and God still sees it. It's recorded on the video and he sees the entire video of beginning of creation till the end in front of him. You did something good. It's in front of God constantly and forever. And therefore, Hashem continues to give you reward because in his frame of reference, you are still doing it. Your spiritual essence is still there. You are spiritually everywhere you ever were and everywhere you ever will be. And that is why tshuva works. We cannot go back into the past physically but spiritually we can because our nishama is unlimited just like God is and therefore we spiritually are connected to our childhood to five years ago to yesterday and today and even the future it's all one and therefore I can go back in my mind to the past and it's going to be considered as if I'm there and I can replay oh this person did this to me and I became angry but I'm going to go back and I'm going to imagine how this person is hurting me and I'm going to stay calm and I'm going to choose a different response. This person screamed at me. This person put me down and I became angry and I answered back and I screamed at them. Now I'm going to go back and I'm going to change my response. I'm going to stay calm, peaceful, smart. And now having learned the proper response, I'm going to go back and answer with respect, dignity to calm everything down and make friends out of enemies. And it's going to be considered that we fixed the past. That is the proper tishua. Why? Because we are still connected spiritually to everything that ever happened to us. So, Hashem is forever and therefore he will keep on paying reward forever and ever. A mitzvah is the most important thing you can do because you catch one mitzvah in this world and you caught eternity. Now you opened a door and a channel was formed that will supply you with blessing. Not for a thousand years, not for a million years, not for a billion years, but for eternity. You will receive constant flow of good. That's why the sharim states there is no danger as great as losing a mitzvah. Someone who did a sin, he'll pay for it. But someone who didn't do a mitzvah, there's no money in the world that can buy it again because the lost mitzvah is lost infinity. There is no danger as great as losing a mitzvah. What about the danger of a sin? If a person sins, he can achieve atonement through suffering, whether in this world or the next. But the loss of a mitzvah is irreparable. A mitzvah's reward is forever and ever. And the loss of the mitzvah is likewise forever and ever. Just like we should run after mitzvah with elacrity, enthusiasm and grab as much as possible. Similarly, we should be careful not to lose any mitzvah. That's the foundation of the next mida. Now, just one simple example, a small example. We know that for men at night we don't have a mitzvah of wearing the under shirts because the mitzvah of is during the day and therefore many men when they go to sleep they take off that. However, some people say that it's proper to go to sleep with sit for two reasons. Number one, it serves as your spiritual protection, the shield against mazikim, against dangerous uh evil spirits. So even though you're sleeping in the comfort of your bed, but there are mazikim, there are destructive angels all around and which is a mitzvah protects you. Not so much because is a bulletproof vest as much as because you are doing a mitzvah at that time. However, there's a second reason for it and that is since very early in the morning around 5:00 the first light appears and as soon as the first light appears and you can already see a little bit you have a mitzvah of tits. You're not obligated to wake up and put on sit. If you're sleeping, enjoy until you wake up. But if you are wearing sit while you're sleeping because you never took it off, then you will start getting a mitzvah while you are sleeping. And that's the best. It's called residual income. While I am sleeping, while I'm not involved in business, I am getting reward. I'm getting a payment. That's the best kind of business where you don't have to be actively involved. I'm getting paid for just living my life. So this is an example that a person who loves mitzvot it might be for a little bit selfish reason because he knows he's going to get reward in the next world but he's also doing it because God said we should wear sit during the day and I want to catch those few hours to fulfill God's mitzvah and it becomes lishma even though when I put on my sit I'm not obligated but I know that early in the morning 5:00 in the morning the mitzvah will start and I am preparing now and therefore I will get the reward even while I am sleeping this is an example for someone who recognizes that the reward for mitzvah is forever and ever and therefore he doesn't want to lose given a mitzvah that he is not obligated. He wants to create a a a an opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah uh despite it not being obligated. Besides that, the entire mitzvah of that we fulfill now is self-made because you're only obligated to where sits it. the four uh uh strings on four corners. If you are wearing a garment that has four corners, what if you have a garment that doesn't have any corners like a t-shirt? It's all sewn together. It's round. There is no sharp corners. Then you're not obligated to put on sit on your shirt, t-shirt. And uh even a t-shirt, it only has two corners on the bottom. The rest the the top it's it's not 90° corner. It might be rounded. It might be a sharp corner. Doesn't need to. And therefore we say, "Hashem, I want to fulfill the mitzvah of it. And therefore, I'm going to go out and buy a special wool garment that is funny shaped square or rectangle, four 90° corners, and I'm going to obligate myself voluntarily in the mitzvah from the Torah because we recognize that a mitzvah is so great. Therefore, we run to do mitzvah. Similarly, we don't say, "Okay, when I get around to it." No, as soon as we wake up in the morning, we go and put on. Why? Because it's a great mitzvah. Why should I lose out on eternal reward? Now, that's the foundation of the next character trait of Hashem. And we said that is called Hashem behaves toward the Jewish people with this trait and this is the secret of suppressing the sin. The author states this is a secret because we don't understand it clearly. It's a principle learned from Cababala. Why? It's called that Hashem causes a sin to remain below. Hashem suppresses our sins. A mitzvah goes all the way up to Hashem, but he doesn't permit sin to approach him. Because a mitzvah is like a tree that blossoms and grows higher and higher until it reaches [clears throat] divine presence. There is no end to high to how high a mitzvah may rise and it can enter before Hashem. It goes all the way up in the language of Cababala and finally comes before Hashem. And Hashem is happy and proud of your mitzvot and he loves to see them. But thankfully, good for us, he does not like to see our sins. So he doesn't allow them to appear before him. That is one of the ways Hashem shows his mercy to us. He says, "I don't even want to see bad in you. If I know that bad is approaching, I'm going to push it away and I'm going to suppress it. It's not allowed to come in front of me." However, sins a have no entrance before Hashem and it's good for us that they cannot approach him. Hashem suppresses them and conceals them and doesn't let them come before him. As it is written, evil cannot dwell together with you. Which means where Hashem is, the evil or sin cannot come. This is a good quality because Hashem so to speak doesn't concentrate his awareness on the sin. However, he does concentrate all of his thoughts on a mitzvah because that's what he wants of us. He put us in the world to accomplish wholesomeness. perfection and to accomplish mitzvot. And therefore, when a mitzvah ascends before him, he looks at it favorably. This doesn't mean that Hashem forgets or ignores a sin. Hashem doesn't forget or ignore anything. But it means that unlike a mitzvah which is so tall that it extends all the way up to Hashem for him to see and enjoy, God doesn't allow a sin to come up before him. This is not merely a form of speech. It means something very important that the author will soon explain. And it's important to recognize that it's not because we did a sin in the privacy of our own room under the blankets in a in a locked door. No, Hashem can see through darkness, through shades, through the blanket, through doors. Nothing is hidden from him. We cannot hide our sins, but God can. The sins are revealed to him, but he chooses to suppress them. Now, Rabbi Cord continues, "Therefore, the sin cannot enter inside where Hashem's most powerful. And for this reason there is no payment for a mitzvah in this world. What does it mean? We say that the main place where we receive reward for mitzvah is in the next world which is infinite. Just like we said, there is no limit for the reward for one mitzvah. And this world is limited, which means we're going to continue receiving reward after we die forever and ever. This doesn't mean a person will not receive benefits in this world from doing mitzvot. The Torah is full of promises of benefits for doing mitzvot such as the second paragraph of Schma which says, "And it shall be if you listen well to my commandments that I command you today, I shall give you the rain of your land in its time, and you'll have plenty of food to give your animals, and you will be able to eat yourself, and you will be satisfied. And then it says you will live for a long time in your own land. Rambam explains that is not payment. All these good things, rain, plenty, animals, food, health, long life. It's not a payment for the mitzvot, but it's merely encouragement to be able to do more mitzvot. Just like a good worker, you tell him, I see you are working so hard and you're bringing so much business to the to me. I'm going to give you a car so that you can drive to more places and bring even more business to me. The car that I'm giving you for free is not a reward. It's an opportunity to do even more business. So too, Hashem says, "I'm going to give you wealth." Why? So that you can do more mitzvot. I'm going to give you health. Why? So that you can learn Torah and run around helping to make the world a better place. I'm going to give you long life so that you can accomplish more in life. Therefore, wealth, health, and long life are not a reward for mitzvot. It's an opportunity to do more mitzvot. Where will we get the reward? In the next world because there is actually no way of paying for a mitzvah in this world. A mitzvah is so great that the entire world is not big enough to pay it off because the reward for mitzvah is infinite and the world is finite. You cannot pay for something infinite with finite resources. Now Rab Cord continues because the mitzvot are all the way up and they stand before Hashem. How can Hashem give from something that's not so great to pay for something that stands in front of him in a spiritual world and is infinite? Hashem cannot use the currency of the physical world to pay for something spiritual. How can Hashem give from something that's so great that it reaches all the way up in front of him? any kind of real reward for such spiritual achievement in this low physical world. This physical world is unable to pay for the greatness of a mitzvah. The whole world cannot equal even one mitzvah and the pleasure that it gives to Hashem. Why does Hashem give us great infinite pleasure? Because he receives great pleasure from us listening to him, communicating with him, having a relationship with him. That's a remarkable statement. One mitzvah is so great that it's more important than the entire universe. Hashem created the entire universe. Why? to have beings that can think and that can have a relationship with him. The entire world full of galaxies, planets and mountains and rivers and animals and birds and clouds. All that is not the purpose. The purpose is to have one human being with whom to communicate and therefore a human being that fulfills God's will that's what we call a mitzvah a commandment is more important than the entire universe. It will take a long time for us to absorb that idea. We don't believe it. We think we're small, insignificant, but it's the opposite. The entire world is too small for one commandment. For this reason, Hashem will not take the bribery to pay off sins. This is an amazing idea. You might say, you know what? I did five sins today. I'm gonna go and give sodaka to five people. I stole from someone. I'm gonna separate my and give to a poor person. Hashem says no such thing. I'm giving reward for mit separately and you're getting punishment for a separately. Don't think that your mits are going to pay for a cannot be. Why? Because a mitzvah is so great and a sin is not so big. You giving is so amazing that you will receive a reward forever and ever. And the punishment for your sin is waiting for you. just wait until you receive it. God forbid if you don't do tishuva and therefore don't ask me to cancel out your sins because of your mitzvot. It's not in your favor. Rather do tou for your sins. Don't do any more sins and save all your mitzvot. Givea, give more, keep Shabbat, keep kosher, keep all the mitzvot and treasure precious mitzvot because each one is worth more than the entire universe. All the money that all the countries in the world unitedly have, one mitzvah is worth more. The gar states that even though a person does mitzvah, they will not atone for his sins because a mitzvah is something too great to exchange for something small. A sins have a limited punishment but mitzvot are eternal. Therefore, Hashem will not say since you did mitzvot I will deduct your sins from the mitzvot. and bazatashem. Next time the we will uh read about some examples to explain this. In the meantime, thank you for joining. Have a good month. Have a good week. Jewish people should be protected. The land of Israel should be protected and we should dance and we should celebrate coming of the Messiah and rebuilding of Jerusalem. Amen. Have a great day.