Having a Positive Mindset During Difficult Times - Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser

I cannot begin without saying a word about my yadid napi rabi. He is inde fatigable. He continues to cl Israel like nobody that I know. He's a yid. He is there's nobody like him. He's got a onetrack mind. He doesn't get off it. I just want to say on him one little praise small praise. Everybody knows comes to bear. We all stand up. Everybody in the show we stand up. The great gonov comesi says why you stand up for what? What's special about the I said ashray? Stand up for ashray. Why? He says something fascinating. A lot of times in different shs they have the collect. So they collect the money. Hashem has all of the ash. The person that goes around the the one that works for the cl that's why we stand up in his honor in her honor the person that does the mitzvah o mitzvah Robbie I tell you from my heart when you walk into a room people should stand. We begin uh as a big topic, very big topic, positivity, keeping the right hashkafa, knowing how to frame things, world events, things that go on. Happened to be by the elder. He came from a distant land. He heard the crying. He heard screaming in the in the city. He didn't know who it was. All of a sudden, Omar, he said, "It's not in my house. I know it. I know for sure." Good morning. Check it out. Omar Olive. Question is asked by several of the mafarim hesim the great rabb of Berlin asked the question how did he know how was he sure it didn't come from his house fascinating answer the reason is is because hill made sure that the people in his house were rogul they were smart they didn't cry they didn't scream They knew that all the different matsim, all the different situations in life, they had to keep it together. They had to make sure that they realize that everything is from when the sun is shining in the time when the sun goes down and it's dark outside. Hashem, we will praise Hashem. Hillel knew that would not be their reaction. Even if the Tara, even if the challenge was in their house, they would not scream. They would not cry. They would davin. They would pray. They would contemplate his bodus. They would be deep in thought, but they would not scream. And so too for all of Cla Israel and especially in the days that we are right now. This is our reaction prayer coming together is reu to be each other. That is the single greatest power that will help init that will help protect the that will help bring back the hostages behing to Hashem. All the things, all the learning in theim, all the things that we do, that's what greatly helps. I have to share with you. I got a call on Shabbat. It was unbelievable. There was a couple that called me. They have a son, two sons in fact, in the army. They called me up in the beginning. Rebi, could you say some tahhilium? Could you keep them in mind? We want to give you their names. I said, okay. They gave me their names. They gave me other names and they said, "Please, I said, I promise you. I promise." Yosi Khan, you have my word. I get a call. He was in the tank. Kobe Kobe, the son of Kana. He was in the tank. The tank was hit. It began to fill up with smoke. They couldn't go because they couldn't get to the hatch to open it up. There was no air. They don't know what to do. All of a sudden, they realized they were being shot at on the top. They could not go out the top of the tank because it was suspic. Another tank joins, fires at the one that was firing at Kobe's tank. was able for a moment to create a diversion. The commander in the tank hurried out, went around, opened the hatch was Mosen Nephesh, saved their lives. The guys inside unfortunately when they were running they got hit shrapnel. So they went to a ruins and they stayed there for a while until they could people from the Saha could come and save them and take them to an ambulance that took them to two different hospitals and they were able successfully to get everything out. One person had some uh in his back. They had to operate. But I got the beautiful news that they're going to say. I said, "You must take you must take a picture of that." They said, "Rabbi, if you tell us to do it, we'll do it, but it's going to be on Shabas." Okay, in that case, you don't have to take it. The unbelievable thing is I get a call this morning. As soon as Kobe can go back in, he's going to go right back exactly where he was from the beginning. They just asked me, could you keep up the tilot? I said, I'll keep it up from my side, but I'm not sure that's exactly what was the uh the deciding factor here. That's positivity. That is looking in the correct lens. Because if a person does not look with the correct lens, they look with their own feeling. They look with their own perception, they could be far off from what is correct. Hashem says just like you and I have to have in all that Hashem says in the Torah in everything that is written in all the anime. So too says each and every one of us we have to believe in ourselves in our own ka it's extremely important that we frame things in the right way that we realize what hashem wishes us to see I could be scared I could be upset however if I say before I go to sleep or when I wake up in the morning Hashem, I trust you. My spirit is in your hands. I'm with you. Hashem is your charge of my life. I have complete complete amuna that whatever is going to happen and it should always be good for all of Cl. I trust it. Simple m everyone. We're going to Aritz is sooner or later. Hopefully sooner. Everybody, we're going right. I want to know if anybody before you go on the plane, it's a big trip. Before you go on the plane, do you interview the pilot? Do you uh ask the pilot for their experience? You get their resume? Do you see where they went to school? How many years they've been flying, what their ability is in uh in air, and if they've ever been trained, you know, did you see them? Did you talk with them? Did you make sure they're up that day? Had a good night's sleep before uh you you intervene. I mean, basically, you're in their hands for how many hours it will take. I went to Australia. It's a long time to be in somebody's hands, right? No, we trust them. The same thing when we come to Hashem in our life. No worries, no upset. of Hashem I put myself in your hands take good care of me everybody we have that amuna we have that bon that hashem is watching in seem way to each and every one of us I know it's an interesting idea a person never knows what their perception is rev galinsky was once walking past an institution an institution people uh never they didn't have it together not bishamus mentally so there were two people in the institution was in Europe and uh to yeden they call rebba rebi come to the fence come come over here they're incarcerated in the institution they are nebak inmates they can't get out so he goes over he says yeah says reb it is the biggest sim that we get to see somebody Jewish there's nobody no one from Israel in the institution nobody at all it's unbelievable sus that we can talk with you. We can hear a Yiddish vort a Jewish word. Oh, he begins to speak to them. And he says, "You should know the reason that we're here is really false reasons. People put us in here. They had us locked up. We are sane. We are perfect like everybody else. It's Rakmonus. There's nobody to talk to. Could you be Mishad on our behalf?" Rev Galinsky said, "I got to help them. They're in the institution." He begins to take down the name and who they are and the address and everything else. And he says, "Okay, I'll be Mishtadella. I'll try." One of them said, "Well, Rabbi, please, you got to hurry up because every minute that I'm in here, you're holding back the gula. You're holding back the redemption." Rabbi Gian says, 'What do you mean? He says, 'Well, I'm the Messiah and you see that as long as I'm in here, I can't save Clusel. Rav Galinsky began to see. All of a sudden, the other guy said, "He is not. I'm telling you, he is not. I know that he isn't. He is not Messiah." Rav Galinsky said, "How do you know he's not Messiah?" "Maybe he is." The guy says because I'm the rebon. Sometimes person has to keep the clear perception. Who am I? Who is Hashem? We have a certain amount of ability. We have great. We all do. Each one of us. But we have to know the way that we utilize it and that we ask everything. We ask Hashem every bit of that we have when we're we know it's Hashem only with Hashem's ruach are we mats a very fascinating idea if you take a look in the para there is something that is uh for me one of the most uh moving parot in the Torah one of the most pass. So what happened? Yehuda asked Yoseph, right? Yehuda said, "Listen, Binyam is a problem. If we're going to take Binyam down here, it's going to be a problem. My father has gone through a lot. Yakovu went through so much. He went through all kinds of things and his the the Yosephadic was taken from him and begins to say please just do a swap let me stay let me stay let me not take please please do a swap so he says the following I took responsibility for I took responsibility I would like to ask everybody body, the unbelievable members of the young Israel, Kashuim, everybody. How's it possible to take Aaras Egypt parro locked up a couple of yeed walking around in the home and he's going to take responsibility no matter what happens going to bring biny how could he take responsibility how could he takeas that's like I would come and I would say takeas uh uh whatever needs to be done right now in the army I I'm going to cover all the expenses Am I going to can't take aas fascinating fascinating the naser says when a person takes a they are given a person that will take responsibility will have more than they could do through natural means just by taking aas You think about it, a lot of things happen where we start to wonder about, could I take a Christ? They need a minion. Uh, can you come to minion? Uh, what time is minion? Seven. I tell you the truth. Uh, sometimes I sleep in. I'm not sure I can give you my word on that. Uh, can you help us out? We want to go. Uh, I don't know if I'm going to be in town that day. I could be. I could call you up. Take a take responsibility. The person that takes responsibility, they will be z to get everything in this world. They will be zak they're going to be successful because they took a you take something like things that we want to help out init Israel who doesn't think constantly about the hostages take a hostage a baby separate that as from her husband she said I'll stay in prison don't separate me don't free me I'll stay right here he said it's tremendous I'll stay here then one letter Rim closenburg said kamas previous closenburg kamas is worse than the Nazis you can take a look at his and I don't have to comment on the rebba's words they wouldn't permit him they would not permit her she is the one that when she came out stared in the face of her capttors and gave them a look that everybody in the entire world saw. She didn't wave goodbye. She didn't smile. She stared straight in their face and gave them a look and that's alone. They should all be freed. So you think, how could I help? I want to help the hostages. I want to help. I want to do my part. The Rav Schlit and I were just talking before about various ways that possibly a person could help but you think but but the hostages but that's the thing quar and this place and the diplomats and all kind of thing. You know what I tell you the truth I would rush the doors. I'd come in. I would love to go to the negotiating meeting. I have a few things I would like to say. They may not want to hear me but I sure would like to say a few things. But what could we do with takeas. We may see it in a different way. Years ago, Nar Zar Nikolai made a decree, took children hostages, put them into the army from a young age, never returned them home. And every once in a while, they would do their wishes. They would do their evil deeds and grab somebody from the street. There was one woman in Ammona Loenu, a widow. She had a little boy and she didn't have money. She was forced to go from door to door to raise money, to get money, to feed, to put clothing on the little boy. And she was walking around. The army came. They had their instructions to bring a number of the boys back. They saw this mother, easy mark, with the boy. They grabbed him out of her hands and that was it. What is she going to do? He's done. He's hostage. A hostage that may never return. So she cried to herself. However, that chabas, the great sadic, Rabbi Isisuel Salanter, the father of the Muslim movement came to town. She don't know who Rabbi Salanter is. She's more of a simple person. But when she saw the Hadras punim, when she saw the shining out of his face, she realized that this is a rabb. And she ran over to him and she said, "Please, Sadik, help me, my child." And she began to tell him what happened. Rabbi Salanter listened to her story and said, "Okay, I will try whatever I can do." When Rabbi Salanter takes Aaras, he takes Aaras. He takes responsibility. It's not words, it's responsibility. Friday night, beautiful davening. Friday night, everybody, they were so enthusiastic ding together with Rabbi Salanter. Nothing bigger than that in the world and everybody was excited. Everybody was singing and was beautiful. Rabbi Salanter didn't say a word. He waited for the right time. Shabas morning. Ah isetos everybody came and everybody wanted to be together with him. Everyone watch him and everyone wanted to get next to him and sit next to him shake his hand. They made a beautiful kdish for him after in one of the big homes and Rabbi Salanter in his honor. Everybody came he made kdish. Everybody heard his kdish. After the kdish he stood up. They realized he wanted to say some words. So he said to them, "You are ganovim." Remember salant never raised his voice. Never said a word that wasn't beautiful, pure, nice, gentle. He said, "You are all ganovim. You are all rotim murderers. Each one of you agones. each one of you a kidnapper. And he began to explain, you're careful. You eat matzah highest level, highest level. It's got to be certain ashk, you won't eat it. Estro mhar, you're looking with the loop like it's a diamond to make sure. Even though 100% it's kosher anyhow, but you'll pass it up 10 times. Oh, you want to be sure. But every don't cause pain that you're not so careful in hiddah that you're not watching so much of and when they kidnap somebody and they sell him and it's found in his hand the guy has the death sentence that you're not so careful about oh other mitzvah you choose and you pick well I want to tell you something Rebel Salant does not remain in a city with kidnappers, with thieves, with ratim. I am leaving Shabas Shabas. He walks out. He leaves the city outside the city. They were in an uproar. You got a guest like Rebel Salanter and he leaves. It's that simple. Somehow they were able to make the right connections and they got the boy back. Only when they went to Terre Yel Salanter outside the city that the boy was back did he agree to come back. When he came back the mother of the boy was waiting for him with the little boy. When Risel Salanter came there, she fell at his feet. Rabisel Salanter asked some ladies, please pick her up. This is not how Rabel Salanter is. Moda, I could help. I can't help. There's a certain amount we could do. There's a certain amount we can't do. A person can do a tremendous amount. We areim of Hashem. We are I can't say another person. Everybody knows we know the you've learned it probably doing more learning than I am. But you learn the right not allowed to say it. But you know what says why I can't say not only because it's not nice because each one of us is aim is the image of God. I'm gonna say lashhara on you. I say lash on the bore. I say lash on Hashem. Every person has a little bit of Hashem inside of us. That is the ka that we have been granted from Hashem. That kak a of positivity of the way to look at others of the way to look at ourselves is what guides us through our entire life. that a person should never allow things to get them down. Never allow themselves to to be mish, never to think in any way that the situation is gone. Hopeless. That boy will never come back. He'll never be a good student. She's off the derek. Forget about it. Don't worry. There's some people stay on the derek. Other people go off the derek. Ah, this person never made a penny in his life. He's aut who says who who who you got the right to say it then correct your oner each one of us has the ability in one moment this marriage I want you to know there's certain marriages it okay but this who says who says ray mahuim beloved friends so beloved friends is on a different level. Everyone is Hashem came to each one of our Hashem blessed us the great when it came to a wedding during the month of Alo he was afraid to look up was under the when they called him for he used to look down he was afraid to look up is there there is nothing that is beyond nothing that is beyond a person's ability in this world. I would like to quote to you for just one moment uh from the messar from the says that no matter where a person is at in life, no matter what an individual is currently going through, whether they are going through a time of great sim, whether they are going through a time of challenge sadness, whether it's a time of riches, whether it's a time of poverty, whether it's a time of upset, Whether somebody is bothering them, whether they have some source of pain in their life, he says there is not a period of time does not matter what it is that a person cannot see the wonders of Hashem if they will open up their eyes. No matter what the time, no matter when it is, no matter what the circumstances are, no matter how bleak, a person merely needs to open up their eyes. I would like to uh comment just about the amuna factor in being positive. Uh a lot a lot of good examples about uh positivity. a lot of examples that are uh important on basically in every area of life. When a person thinks good when an individual knows that is for us the yakman says that the reasons why things happen in our life is that a person should be mispo that we should pray. So sometimes I think maybe this is above prayer. Maybe I'm not that great of a dra. Maybe I don't say all theis like I should. Maybe I'm not the holiest person. I did a few aas few. Not not me personally. Other people do a I don't but just should know that there is no in shayim. A person could do a everybody does. Person could do it. Their domin is their rebellious face said one time if you take a look and you see I don't know in West Hemstead but Coney Island Avenue uh there's a few blocks you go out during a certain hour of the night you got all the carpets out you got rebellious faith says you don't know what their prayers are doing you don't know what their prayers are doing. Imagine theis from Ben Israel from us. A person prays. The dinging that we do is so great. The dinging that we do can make the difference in claw Israel. The dinging we do can make a difference in our own life. A lot of times we say what's my prayers going to help? Maybe I'll go to the rav and I'll ask them. Maybe I'll go to somebody who's great and I'll ask them my what's what's my prayer? We say exactly the opposite. Say a say your own says doesn't matter. Make it up. Say what you want. Talk to Hashem. Go out. Say to Hashem everything that you want and express it. But express it with positivity. Say, "Hashem, I know you're the you can do it. You have the ability. Hashem ticks her. Is the hand of Hashem ever too short? Never. Hashem can make a way out of nowhere. Hashem can help even at the time when we think that it is an impossibility. That's the amuna that we live through life. That's the ability that we have to call upon Hashem in every single circumstance no matter where we're at. Uh interesting shilaseram says what happens if you have a person that doesn't have money a poor man lo everybody should have der a lot a lot lot of money poor person comes over he wants to borrow $1,000 $2,000 so he goes to a person who has means and he says could I borrow $2,000 the guy looks at He he probably doesn't have $10 in his pocket. He wants to borrow $1,000. Someone asked the are you allowed to borrow or you allowed to lend? You allowed to lend a person that money. What happens if he can't pay back? You can't set him up. He can't pay back. He becomes someone that doesn't pay back. We have names for that. But are you allowed to? Says it depends when. But lay a person could. Why? Because there's nothing that says that the person that's today's poor man or poor woman tomorrow they could be very wealthy. Tomorrow they could have tremendous amount of money. Who's to say our amun and our is positive? We take every single thing that happens in life. You have a child. A child grows. We're positive about it. will only say the correct things that will bring him or her to the higher level. It's so important. You know, a little girl showed me her report card. Uh I got to tell you, uh report cards. We could save it from a different time, but standardized testing and standardized grading and you know, it's a schmoo by itself. The little girl came to show me the report card in shul. It was the cutest thing. She I don't know how old she is. She showed me the report card. So instead of the A's and the B's, they put smiley faces. A beautiful thing. Little smiley faces like you get three smiley faces. I I was I wish I got some smiley faces. We won't go into it, but anyhow, she shows it to me. So she says, "I got three smiley faces in that area, but I only got two smiley faces in the other area." I didn't know whether she that it meant that she didn't get the grade that she could have gotten. I didn't say anything. I was quiet. When she went out with the older brother, I asked the father, "Does she understand what it is if you got two or three?" He said, "You know, I was hoping that she didn't and she doesn't positivity. That child does their best. They deserve four. Bring it four. That child, give him five. You mean too your brain you know thinking not everybody's Einstein not everyone's Rubikar not not everyone's rebbiten Kanefski what does it mean when a person's going positive you're going to be great right each person according to their own abilities according to their own situation according to their own matzah that's positivity that's when we look at everybody body and we see their own kos. We see the ability that they have to bring something out in themselves that is great. I would like to say that uh if you take a look at Yosephadic Jacob Aino Jacob Aino greater example in the entire world than both for amuna forum positivity look what happened look where he's at look where he spent his time did he say one word did he say one word in when he was reunited with Jacobino he's living in Mitim. He was put into slavery. He was put into the board. They were going to kill him. He was saved. He was not misugulim. He was not misugul. He was not misugal. Believe me, you don't take a saddic like that out of the base medish and put him into the depth somewhere. Yakovino all the time. Jacob went through bes he just want a few moments peace and tranquility. Hashem, give me a little bit easy time. Give me a little downtime. No. Hashem said it's not meant for you. Look what he went through during his life. Look at this son that he had to be separated with all the years and they came wild animal. have to think about that. That's the thought that's that Jacobu should have all the years. Unbelievable. When finally they were all meeting back together. So you know, you know the story. What happens is Yatski falls on his shoulder. Yakobinu falls on his shoulder. Yseph cries. Jacobu says, question all the ask why at this moment specifically at this moment he had to say kazal tell us that was mabel shalma he had complete faith in whatever happened he said all the 22 years I was inside the 22 years I was burning inside 22 years But now it was revealed that there was a that there was a reason for it. Aik there is no happen stance. There's no just something happened. Coincidence there is no coincidence in the world. Everything is and he said now it was revealed to me that Joseph was a Mishna mel that he's going to save Cla. He's going to save the world. Now I can understand. So that's the reason he said kesishma because when we say kesishma we cover our eyes we realize that we do not know what happens in the world we realize that everything is shalma we realize that we don't have a we don't have a grasp of all that is going on and maybe when we cover our eyes it's also dark amunos darkness we need to have great faith however when he saw all the hashka. That's when he chose to say schma because it all came together. And listen, listen to the words. Hashem, hashem, the divine attribute of strict justice, it's all one. Jacobu said it's all one. That's why he wanted to be Mik Hashem at that very moment. The same in our own lives. Am Israel goes through this now. I had a lady, wonderful lady, I met her in the Rockland Community College. They brought me up for a a special uh series as a a woman and the lady uh very little background, very Jewish, but little background in terms of Jewish education. And she keeps in touch. She is learning little by little. The woman grandmother, she is taken with the war in Israel. She cannot get away. I had told her you cannot cannot be peeled to the device. You can't watch. It's too much. You can't do it. It's every day she's worried about it and she's worried about it. And I try to text back. I'm not great in the texting, but I try to text back to give her some words of however we should know that even the time that we are living through now is a time of greatness. We don't even realize the things that are going on in this world. We don't know how much we are moving closer to the time of we don't know what the Messiah look like right now. We're hearing from every side ms nephesh ms nephesh from every ms nephesh of the of the hostages that are there in the families there no greater families in the world look at cl look at them anyone would crack anyone would be crying and on the floor and they're out being masik other people it's a mas it's an amazing thing so one of the organizations And there are so many that are doing unbelievable work. Uh I saw a picture of Ahri giving out in the uh in the troops as a zaka organization that helps in the times that are not so happy of bringing uh all that is necessary to cover Israel and to ensure the sanctity of anybody that was uh narrashem to make sure that every little bit is uh taken in and there is nothing that belonged to anybody any of the kadoshim that is left behind and it's given the proper covenant and proper dignity. So there was another member of the Zaka organization that was called to kibut to do what they call the removal of all the debris and things that might have any trace of the kiddos. He worked there for days and days and days. came home one night after days of watching seeing the scene that a person should never see in their whole life. He sees it every day. Nightmare replaying every day. Every day. One night he goes to sleep and he has a dream. No one to interpret it. A woman who they brought to cavary Israel that day comes to him and says there are four other people that were narashem and they are there in the same spot where you got me and they are waiting to be brought to Israel. He wakes up cold sweat. Ahu dreams speak falsehoods. It doesn't mean anything after this guy what he saw in his eyes. He shouldn't dream. He's not going to have nightmares. He's not going to have terror at night. Of course, he's going to have it. Went back to sleep. Disregarded it. Next night, didn't tell anybody. Next night, same dream. The woman comes to him and said, "I'm the woman that you brought to Kura. I'm telling you that there are four people in that area. They are waiting in shayim. They are waiting for them. They're waiting for them to come to their he wakes up again. Now I had the dream once. I had going to have the dream a second time." He disregarded it. He disregarded it. The third night it repeated. The third night she came to him and she said, "I am begging you on behalf of the nefos. They have asked me to beg you. Please in shim they are waiting. I will show you where they are buried." In the dream she took him behind the house in the in the courtyard. There was a big stack of leaves and debris and all kinds of objects underneath. Underneath, she points with her finger. Underneath are those people. This time, he couldn't deny it. He get up. He went himself. The area was closed off. It was sealed. It was dangerous. Goes to the officer in charge. The officer said, "You can't go." He said, "I'm Zaka." He said, "You can't go. I don't care who you are. I'm Zaka." He kept saying, "There are people there that we didn't get." He said, "You did all your work that you needed to. You don't need to have any more work. You're not going to go back." He says, "I have to." Finally, he was afraid to tell over the dream. He shouldn't be looked at like somebody who's, you know, needs to go to uh for help. He tells the officer, "I'm telling you, I had a dream. The dream was very clear. The officer said, "You had a dream." I have, too. No, no, no. It's It's bothering me. The officer said, "I tell you what, I don't know if you're crazy or if you had a dream. I'll go with you." The officer came together with him. They went to the courtyard exactly where the lady pointed out there were leaves and debris, and they began to move them and move them and move them away. Underneath there was a wood. Under the wood they found four koshim that were brought to Kura Moda. Who knows the days that we're currently living? Who knows? Yakovina was mabel upon himself. The Shayim when he saw Yoseph he was mabel. He was accepting upon himself that amuno that in life everything that happens no matter what is mayim after all that has gone on within the past months. All the good, all the tits, all the titets that are being worn, the fillain scala had locus. One woman, she was in the kibuts. She looked out the second story. She saw the rashim coming down the street. She realized, "What's going on?" She heard the gun. She heard the fire. She had two little children. She looked out the window. She knew she's finished. Completely not religious, irreligious. She said, "Bore. Save my children. I'm their mother. Save me. I promise you I will light candles for the Shabbat, but save me so I can be a mother to the children. Who knows the power of a cabala? Nobody came into her house. The next week they made a reception for her in the place where they settled her. Over 500 women came to see her light with the Shehanu for the first time in her life. We are a nation that lives with positivity that will get us through the current time. And I got no question that we will be happy and we will be as the days that we were afflicted. Just want to be mim to my good good friend. You are a matriarch, a patriarch all in one. Now continue to lead the family. Continue to do your job. We all look up to you in good health and in happiness. We'll all be reunited in the future. So everybody