Count your Change - Rabbi Akiva Fox

the kumara has an interesting question you tomorrow says what is considered eucerin what are considered punishments how does a person know that something is considered a punishment from a Shem and the gamarra says if a person needs to find a quarter and he's got change in his pocket wants to pay a parking meter I know I haven't been in America for a while I don't know how much parking meters cost any more in my day there was 10 5 and 25 and you know what I know I may not look so old not a day over 70 but in those days when you use the payphone it was a quarter for a phone call it's hard to believe anyway he's looking for a quarter and instead of a quarter he pulls out a nickel or a dime says big Amara that's your sewer that's a punishment because if he wouldn't be punished if God would give him or make it easy for him to pull out exactly what he needs that would be considered a gift from usha the point that i'd like to extract from this gamarra sometimes we don't even realize the gifts that we are receiving from God are in the small things for example you want to pull out a quarter you got change in your pocket and you pull out a quarter how often do we take that for granted without realizing wow God made that easy for you how often do we catch a bus at the last second and we're like I run so fast it's the shot of steroids that I took this morning it's that energy bar it's the milkshake that I had the nutrients the corn flakes that made me the champion no my friend God wanted you to catch the bus and if you miss it God wanted you to miss it it's important for us to look at the small things small miracles that happen in our day-to-day lives and realize sometimes if we are not able to see that they are the absolute hand of a Shem then if we would look on the opposite side of the spectrum meaning the withdrawal from them not getting them and how difficult that would make things we would realize wow if it's so difficult when I don't have it and it's so easy and beneficial when i do then just like when i don't i would get upset so when i do have it i have to be things when you miss a bus by the last second you are so upset and this happens to everybody I shouldn't say the word you I say it about myself to you throw your briefcase down Hashem God why'd you make me miss that bus I was this close I could have made this shot I could have made the investment we are so upset at a chef-y Hashem but when he does give it to you like it see you what about a thank you what about recognition this is from God just like it was from God when you saw that it didn't come it's from God when it did this interesting thing a rabbi told me fascinating thought he said people spend years praying for something years you pray that your business should be successful you pray that you should have good children you pray there are people that never had children and they pray here day after day year after year finally after 17 years have a child how long do they thanked God for a day to a whole week they make a kiddush in shul and make a celebration they have a bris a brit milah everything and then it's normal the same amount of time you spend praying for something and asking a Shem for it that's how much you should spend thanking God for it 17 years that's right 17 years I want to tell you what muscle a parable there's a guy Manhattan Brooklyn know Manhattan a New Yorker New York is spelled any wyo RK but if you're a New Yorker you don't pronounce the all you say New Yorker so there's a New Yorker very rich very wealthy he has a penthouse in Manhattan and he's in his office and he decides to go out for a cigarette break in on his up on his porch on the balcony and as he does so the door locks behind him it was locked now he finishes the cigarette tries to open the door it's locked looks inside Secretary's gone nobody's left what's he gonna do starting to get cold again this is New York sometimes it's freezing sometimes it's blizzards it's cold so he looks down below the balcony and he sees there's a bunch of people walking in the streets so he starts screaming egg hello hello can you hear me trying to get somebody to come up to his office and open the door frame from inside he's screaming hello can you hear me this is New York my friend nobody hears nothing we don't listen to people with deaf nobody's listening well he's getting cold it's getting late he's got to do something how's he gonna get somebody's attention so he sees he has his fancy Rolex watch from Switzerland $20,000 not the guys on the street that sell it for fifteen dollars and they promise you it's real no he's got a real one it's like I don't have a choice I freezing I gotta get inside takes off his watch and he says you know I'm gonna throw it down on somebody I'll get his attention I'll thump to come up and open the door he throws it down and the guy he's walking another typical new yorker in italiano and he's walking guess what what's my lucky day a Rolex watch right in front of me comes down from heaven huh see you later and he walks off with it this rich man is like oh my gosh so pulls out of his pocket a wad of bills hundreds wraps him up in a rubber band he says I'll throw this and he throws it down and another typical new yorker man is my lucky day a roll of hundreds right in front of me landing from heaven and he walks off now the guys like were my gonna do I got to get back inside she sees a brick on the porch some small wrote some small rocks stones boulders so that it's all I got and he picks it up he throws it down now a typical new yorker she's a brick almost hit him on the head and he look something like what are you trying to kill me and of course the man says please I need your help come up to the office and help me get in my office you know what the muscle is the parable it's got a very important point sometimes a Shem wants us to look at him he wants us to let him in his house open the door for me I want to go back to my base HaMikdash to my sanctuary in Jerusalem and in the hearts of every man so he throws money down and he throws goodness and kindness and everything wonderful and all the blessings and we take it and we walk off we don't even look up and God says just like the man on the porch I threw it so you would look up at me I want you to hear me I want you to look at me I want you to hear me calling you and we ignore it we take it that's my lucky day we put it away and then God sometimes takes a rock or a brick and he throws it that's called punishments and when we turn them we say what was that that's how shem says I wanted you to look I wanted you to turn to me I want you to hear me cuz you you can let me back in my house you have the key I'm locked out for the past two thousand years God has been locked out of his house out of the base of mcdouche out of the sanctuary in yerushalayim and the only one with the key the only one who can open it up he's me and you and God sometimes times are great all the blessings are pouring down from heaven everything's bliss and we ignore it take it for granted we go on and then sometimes things happen racks come pouring down from heaven tragedies Sarus difficult things mishaps and it's at that point that we're supposed to turn our eyes heavenward and say Hashem I hear you calling Hashem I hear your voice that's what they're there for they're there to call us to talk to us and to help us here Hashem begging us please let me back home you