HalfTime for Torah with Rabbi Yoel Gold, Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson & Rabbi Eytan Feiner

ah [Music] what game best describes the story of your life for my kids it's Candyland they just love candy but for so many people it's more like playing twister struggling through the twists and turns of everyday life stretching themselves beyond their limitations and bending over backwards just to make ends meet in their busy and hectic schedules they try to be everywhere at the same time maybe for you it's like Shoots and Ladders constantly subject to the ups and downs the highs and lows of life every every time you manage to climb the ladder of success you fall down a shoot to the bottom again for some life is like a game of Monopoly they'll do anything and everything to try and make money as long as they can stay out of jail how about the game of sorry feeling guilty because you're not a good enough parent spouse or friend you always find yourself apologizing to others and feeling sorry for yourself and then there's Tetris anything good you ever do is easily forgotten disappears while your mistakes keep on piling up and are remembered forever or maybe it's all just a game of cards the hands you're dealt is fate how you play is up to you but no matter which game you feel your life is like I want to share with you five things all games in life have in common goal action manual enjoy and success goal every game has a goal not just soccer there's an objective a mission and a purpose you're aiming for something whether it's capturing a flag scoring the most points or being the first one to make it across the board there's always a specific challenge you're trying to overcome welcome to life the Torah tells us God created man from soil and blew into him a soul of Life the difference between soil and soul is the I and the you the goal of life to let go of the eye and embrace the you you see from the moment we're born It's All About Me Myself and I ever noticed how a baby has no consideration for others it's only concerned with its own needs feed me bathe me change me and hold me or else I'll blast your ears out but as we get older we learn how to take care of ourselves and as we mature we learn to take care and think of other people the challenge of life is overcoming our natural tendencies towards selfishness and learning to become more considerate more compassionate and more giving to others and like every game you must make a move and take the necessary actions towards achieving your goal in life too we need to be bold and brave we must take action and do whatever it takes make tough choices and take chances to create the necessary changes so how do I know what to do no problem every game comes with a manual a piece of paper or a booklet written by the Creator and inventor of the game giving you instructions guidelines rules and regulations on how to play the game Life 2 comes with a manual teaching us the ins and outs of The Game of Life how to play offense and how to play defense and it was written of course by the creator of Life himself it's not easy in fact setting goals taking action and playing by the rules can be a lot of work and sometimes very hard but so is winning a championship the most important thing to remember is enjoy the process appreciate the opportunity to be on the court and be grateful for the chance to play and finally in the end we all want to succeed in our Miss and win the game Life is the same way we all want to look back and be proud of the choices we made and the people we've become so remember Play Hard Play smart and don't forget to enjoy yourself along the way [Music] see here we are Super Bowl 53 Los Angeles Rams taking on the New England Patriots not coincidentally we didn't have Paris all that long ago M Matra so let's turn to a famous Rashi at the very last offered the Torah to Every Other Nation before he offered it to he offered it to is and says nations of the world here you are here's the greatest gift in the history of the world it's yours for the taking says I can't I can't go and receive the it's not for me ask the if all the nations of the world were tested then what indeed was the test for after all so you can't have the you can't have it all the so wherein was tested where was yes got a test what was repeated several times in the context of when it came to there b is stood at the p m of and through mosha says keep warning the nation I do not cross this boundary I do not go beyond the G I don't want anybody climbing up the mountain that's the test forel and the test for C Isel is what is it you'd want you want to make it to the top you want to climb upwards and you always want to strike and you want to reach the Apex the Pinnacle and you want to get close to God you want to get to the top of the mountain say is what you got to hold back and restrain that urge for now for right now MOS is at the top and you have to stay standing at the bottom but what does it mean to be a the insatiable appetite The unquenchable Thirst the constant yearning it says I want to grow higher the famous if ising in if you're not always going up and about against your W you're going down and you always have to be growing always have to be Shing I there are a lot of lessons now to take out of a Super Bowl a yes 16 Game season New England Patriots 11 and five Lis Angeles Rams a 13 and three the Rams got the better record but who's got the better quarterback who's got the better Coach who's got the better owner and he got a Robert cff he got a bill bellich he got a Tom Brady and he got a 41y old quarterback and look at the experience five Super Bowls and four time Super Bowl MVP and the guy's 41 but he still won Al Al ofis he's still striking he's still growing he's still pushing adabella 66 years old and he's still going at it and one of the best coaches perhaps the best coach ever the best quarterback when he say and the best football player ever and he's 41 IAS he's Mish over the hill and he's still pushing and he's still pushing the limits and you look around in a Super Bowl and this is when it all comes down a whole 16 game NFL season and then the playoffs all balls down to this who wants and more who's staging more who's being moish more who's pushing more the Patriots you can imagine in such an environment in the cult climate they know what it means to push and you've seen the greatest football Dynasty ever five Super Bowls now in their six Super Bowl number 53 who wants and more that's what it's going to come down to who's pushing the limits uh perhaps there's yet another important lesson for us to take out yes the sofa that we've discussed many there's so much to learn look they're running what are they running for for for sports for throwing a piece of pig skin a piece of leather touchdowns field goals and the in the larger scheme of things what do this matter but look look at how much time and effort and money and resources and look at how much we have to learn from that how we have to glean that all important message if the go I'm putting so much time and so much energy and excitement enthusiasm to a sports game and to a Super Bowl I look at all the buffalo wings and all the frankfurters and all the hamers and chips and everybody's consuming H do we celebrate a c Tyra the same way do we dance as leic with the same do we dance as when we turn another page in the do we jump for joy do we do our figurative way are we jumping up and dancing Gore we for for how barely do we want it are we constantly Shing do we really want to get to the top the most decorated Olympian athlete ever Michael Phelps 28 medals 23 gold medals more medals than anybody historically and far more gold medals in anybody historically a Michael Phelps was once asked in the course of an interview are you that much a better swimmer than all of your peers and all of your contemporaries what really is that nuda that aspect that distinguishes you and separates you from everybody else in the competition I says you know what it means he says so many of my races it comes down to 2 Ines comes down to a couple of centimeters even less than one second so what's the key the key ingredient explains Michael Phelps is I want it more I want it more badly I want to get to the top I want that gold medal I want to stand on top of the podium I would that gold medal adorning my neck I want it more badly than all my peers and all my contemporaries the ones who want get to the top web that inable appetite those are the most successful in life wants to get to the top of the mountain and you got to be most sish but again there's a time in a place wasem says I know you want to get to the top right now are you going to restrain that why because it's a I want you to hold yourself in check but a when it comes the time and the place you got to let go and you want to climb to the top and you want to make it to the top not only learning in all your respective Fields you did I look at the Nobel prizes out there I look at Robert Krab success owner the Patriots that's who wants it the most who wants it the most B who's willing to be most inish for it who's willing to put in the time and the effort and the energy and the resources to show that you wanted more B yes Los Angeles Rams and you got to want it but do you want it as bely as a bill bich as a Tom Brady and the guy's pushing 42 already and he still wants it B why because you never stop in life and you have to keep warning you have to keep pushing but you got to push yourself to the limits the says how much are you most M toen allow me to close with the following true story I was run up in M magazine a couple of years ago I heard it from somebody often times was in the house of and he told me the there was a I came to visit number of years ago and he walks into and he sits next to the r and he writes a check and he says R has a check $500,000 half a million dollars or Shea whatever you want any cause it's yours whatever the rash wants to do with it tonight I want to be sitting near and I want to be sitting near the rashash in G sh so Mar doesn't blink I says hold on one second and he turns to one of his gab he says I want you to put in a cult to so and so overseas all the different yeshivas throughout the city of benra says I want you to put in a call I want you to find out how much money is necessary to cover all the outstanding debts and to pay all the salaries and cover all the bills for all the yeshivas for the rest of the year so he does hisis calls him back a couple minutes later they can need a little more than $3 million okay returns to this G now again there are plenty of wealthy affluent Jews out there this particular already knew him they had a they had a relationship and turns to him and he says rid if you write out this check for $3 million then you could Mish be near me in the and G $3 million says oh I give you half a million half a million is not going to count it $3 million he's willing to do it and the g looks and he thinks and he says I'm sorry I can't do it says please [Applause] leave I go by turns toy says what was that all about he says I know that gav a half a million dollars that's gal it's beautiful what we all wish and we had half a million dollars to write over as a check to give to and say here allocate it as you wish so what was the V says I knew him and I knew where he's holding but if he wants to sit near me and G sh that the common denominator is what are you moish for he says I spent my whole life being moish for Ty you want to sit near me you could be in proximity to me and proximity to the Al that what it's un condition I want to see that and this one can put and this about the common thread the common denominator is you giving it m all for whatever area and whatever area you decide to focus on whatever your talents and aptitudes are but are you giving it to M you're pushing the Li limits said I know this year for this year to be most Ines for him to give me that $3 million chick he would have had to sell his house I sell his car I sell a lot of his possessions moved out to so come to some small apartment changed his entire lifestyle for him to come up with a three mon I don't know about you but I would have done it I'm Way Beyond Tom Brady's 41 years old time and I'll do it in a second of had the $3 million in the end of the day what was he telling him I want to see you push in the limits are you pushing all your to the max are you really putting everything on the line a Super Bowl gives us a moment gives us a day to say look are these players their mom is putting their lives on the line how many people the accidents the tragedies tackle football we all know the research and they're putting the lives in the for what to get a trophy to get a Vince Lombardi trophy yes they're getting a lot of money too our life's not about the trophies it's not about the awards it's not about the money I the fame look at the C that they're getting the superl if for these they're being m is putting the lives in the line and they're going all out giving every ounce of their energy are we doing the same thing are we going into our Ty mid someome Ty are we being most INE we pushing ourselves to the limits a CL you Soul it's time to wake up he every day by us is a super day is a Super Bowl day every every day the a is demanding it doesn't matter whether you're 41 whether you're bellich 66 whether your Robert Craft doesn't matter how old you can be in your 70s and 80s and 90s are you pushing yourself to the limits the do you have the desire and you have the yearning and the Longing To Say I want to get to the top I want to make it to the top I want to be the biggest ever the biggest the biggest Sonic the biggest the biggest whichever area in F on give I'm going take that area and be most neish and give it your all and say I want to make it to the top Tom Brady could have sat back and he could have said one Super Bowl I got a ring already and he did two three four five six now and he's still pushing how many more records is the guy going to break on the end of the day you want to be the Rams you want to try okay they haven't won a Super Bowl in years but now Jared go talk early you got players they got talent how badly do they want it K Tyro gal let's learn from the RS let's take that desire that yearning hey we don't want it for sports and we don't want to for Super Bowls we'll take the time perhaps but by us it's only to learn the all important lessons and we want to take that drive and that yearning and we want to apply to get to the top of our Mountain our keep we are the real winners the real heroes keeping from since 2006 kazak has inspired thousands of people via its numerous lifechanging programs from little children to teenagers from men to women from yiva students to Young rabbis and everyone in between hak touches them all educating inspiring and guiding thousands throughout the year [Music] friends life is a football game you're giv the ball either as a receiver or a running back don't let go of it you run with it you advance it towards that end zone the Hebrew name for bull is kadur it's the word that Torah uses for our planet kadur our world is called a ball each one of us is given a piece of the world in order to advance it to bring it closer to its goal to elevate it to increase goodness in the world to bring more meaning purpose Holiness power energy and Advance our world towards its ultimate destination and its ultimate purpose when you're given that ball don't drop it look ahead and run with it and you know even if you can't bring it to the end zone don't dispear get it 10 yards down the field and even if you can't get it 10 yards just Advance it there will be another down there will be another play or as our sages put it you don't have to finish the job but don't exempt yourself from your part in the mission you're going to be tackled in life you are going to be tackled and sometimes tackled to the ground don't give up it's supposed to be that way when you're being tackled from within or from without when you're experiencing voices of Despair toxicity guilt trauma anger sadness addiction depression or you're being tackled from without it does not mean you're not doing well it means you're part of the game on the contrary if you're being tackled it means you have the ball in your hand you're doing something right that's why you're being tackled imagine a football player who's being tackled and he says wow I'm such a loser I'm such a failure I'm quitting to the contrary because you have the ball in your hand you're being tackled don't dispear don't give up and even when you're tackled and that ball is taken from you or you drop it sometimes we drop the ball sometimes we're beaten sometimes we're tackled to the ground you don't quit the game you stand up and you continue playing remember you don't take the ball by yourself there's a quarterback whom we sometimes call a field General the master of the world throws that bull to you or gives that ball into you we don't always choose the time and the position but wherever you are you were placed there and the quarterback has chosen you and given you that ball that means you have all the power and the energy and his faith and confidence that you can take that ball and Advance it it don't doubt your potential trust it the quarterback after all is a good leader he knows you he knows his team and he has entrusted you with that ball trust it and run with it remember in the game of football every player has his own unique position and your position is indispensable never compare yourself to somebody else try to take over somebody else's position the position where you are in the world is unique and it's indispensable you make a contribution to humanity into the world that nobody else in the past or in the future in the present can make sometimes you got to play offense and sometimes you have to play play defense sometimes in life at the moment I can't play offense what I have to do is I have to play defense I have to protect my soul protect my territory protect my field protect my Integrity protect my goal protect my spiritual territory protect my conscience protect my body protect my mind protect my soul I may look at it and say this is valueless this is insignificant I want to play offense but as We Know often the best offense you could play is defense don't delegitimize its value and its impact at every game there are fans and there are players what's the difference the fan is involved the fan is passionate the fan is screaming the fan is hollering the fan is enjoying the game but what happens when the fan sees that his team is not doing well his team is losing well at that point he may get drunk a little more may eat another three hot dogs another two fries some more chicken nuggets some more potato chips or popcorn down another few cans of Coke or Twigs of beer and if it gets really bad he may just stand up and go home the player never stops playing the player remains in the game till the end in life you can be a fan or you can be a player you can be a spectator observing enjoying but always on the outside don't be a fan be a player make it yours get involved put your soul into it sometimes you win sometimes you lose but it's your game treat it as your game friends play well it's time to win [Music] he [Music]