Waze Knows Traffic… God Knows Life - Rabbi Efrem Goldberg

And she said, "Why are you going this way?" I said, "Ma, it's it's Waze. There's a satellite. It knows traffic. It's telling us." So, she protested by saying, "Waze is not from the neighborhood." >> [laughter] >> Who should surrender to whom? Should I give in to God and do it his way, or should I really be busy protesting, appealing, talking to him, and trying to force him to conform? Who should conform? Hashem is infinitely omnipotent. He's all-knowing and all-seeing. I'm your mortal, and I'm finite. Like, there's someone I sometimes get a ride with, a drive with, who for some reason has this aversion to using Waze or Google Maps. Whenever we go, he says, "I know how to go. I know the shortcut. I know where to get on. I know the express lanes." I say, "You can't see around buildings. You can't see around corners. You can't see 5 mi in advance. You don't know where an accident happened, where traffic built up, or where the police are hiding." Why in the world Why in the world would you follow your limited intuition of how to go instead of the satellite in the sky that sees further and better, more accurately, more precisely, and tells you and knows exactly where to go? Why in the world? And I struggle and I debate and argue with him each and every time. Each and every time. One of my favorite stories. Couple summers ago, my daughter had a baby in New York, and I was going with my mother-in-law to go see and meet this baby. It was at a hospital on the North Shore, and I was following Waze, and it was taking me a different direction she was used to. She kept critic- She's not as used to using Waze. It's not a criticism. Love her with all my heart. And she said, "Why are you going this way?" I said, "Ma, it's it's Waze. There's a satellite. It knows traffic. It's telling us." So, she protested by saying, "Waze is not from the neighborhood." >> [laughter] >> "Waze doesn't know how to go. Waze is not from our neighborhood." Okay, is it little generational thing there. Waze is Waze is from every neighborhood. Waze is from every neighbor. Waze knows how to go. Waze knows how to go. I I'm only slightly exaggerating. Every time I turn the car on, I put on Waze. Almost from my house to shul, I'm exaggerating on the circle, but I'm I'm telling you the truth that if I'm off the circle, when you have to drive carpool, whichever direction you're coming off the circle to drive carpool, put on Waze. You don't know better. Where traffic's built up, where an accident happened, where police are hiding, where a light is out, you don't know. Put it on. It knows better. So, stop this ego game. Stop It takes 3 seconds. Put it on, and it's going to tell you again now I'm going to get emails Google Maps is better than Waze. Waze is better than >> [laughter] >> Uh there's an age-old debate, whichever one you want to use, but use something relying on a satellite in the sky. Why am I ranting about that? Because I have a perspective on life. I have a perspective on when I should get married, and if I should be healthy, and how much money I should make, and what an outcome from an election should be. That's my perspective. Then there's a satellite in the sky known as the Ribono Shel Olam, the Almighty. He's not only from every neighborhood, he created every neighborhood, he runs every neighborhood, he knows everything about every neighborhood. He's in charge, he's in control, and he has another perspective about when I should get married, and if I should be healthy, and how much money I should make, and if I should have children, and who should win which election. And now there's a conflict. His perspective, his determination, his decision, and mine. He's infinite, I'm finite. He's omnipotent, I'm limited. He's perfect, and you have it tells me I'm not. >> [laughter] >> So, who should surrender to whom? Who should surrender to whom? Only cuz we have such an amazing marriage can I make these jokes. Who should surrender to whom? Should I give in to God and do it his way, or should I really be busy protesting, appealing, talking to him, and trying to force him to conform. Who should conform? Who should conform? Should I conform to him or should he conform to me? Isn't it logical and obvious to say he's infinite omnipotent, he's up in the sky and all-knowing, everything he does is good by definition and for the best. So, enough Goldberg, stop davening and asking, stop controlling and manipulating, let go and let God. He's in charge and in control. Close the sitter, close the tail end, close the conversation. Whatever happens, passively accept it's coming from God. That question bothered me when I was younger. That question bothered me. Not like high school younger. Post high school younger. That question bothered me. Why are we davening? What are we asking for? Why am I trying to change God's mind when if it's a choice between his mind or my mind, we should go with his mind every time. Do you ever think about that question? Has that question ever bothered you? Does the question bother you now that we've asked it? Is this thing on? Is anybody listening? Okay, thank you. Thank you. So, the Alshich, others the Akedah, they all have the following. How do you say to pray in Hebrew? Hispalel. What form of the verb is hispalel to daven, to pray? It's hitpael, it's the reflexive form. What am I trying to change when I daven? Am I trying to change God's mind? No. I'm not trying to change God's mind. What I'm trying to change is myself. Why? Because the determination God had for what's best and what's right and what's good was for the me before I davened. But when I daven and I change and I transform myself, what I'm saying is it's a new me. So, let's come up with a new a new what's best for me. So, what you had determined was best for me was true for the old me. You did it maybe to even get my attention. Well, you got it. And here I am. And now, through the exercise in humility and dependence and faith and surrender, through the closeness I've created with you, I'm a new me. And now that I'm a new me, how about you come out with a new decision of what's best for me? Person comes before a judge, and the judge says, "I look at your record, I've examined all the evidence, I'm locking you up. I'm putting you in this program, I'm making you pay this fine, you have to volunteer this service." And the person then says, "Judge, may may I approach the bench? Can I speak from my heart?" And wins over favor with the judge and convinces the judge that the person who stands before him or her is not the person who did all those things. Is not the person who all the evidence points to the crime. They're a different person. I see you've worked on yourself. I three I see through the way that you presented yourself, you're a new you. So, you know what? It's true that that was my decision, that was my judgment, but I hear you. And I hear that you're different, and I see that you're different and transformed, and therefore and therefore, tell you what, this is my new determination. This is my new decision. This is what I'm going to do for you now. I was once in court testifying for someone on their behalf, when that happened. The judge was sentencing, and the judge heard the argument. I happened to speak on that person's behalf, but much more importantly, heard the person himself. And the judge said, said, "I want you to know, Mr. So-and-so, when I walked in this morning, I already made the decision. I was going to sentence you to such and such. But having heard you, I believe you. I find you compelling and persuasive and I hear the people who spoke for you. Unfortunately, I've done this several times for several people and I've never seen that before. Usually, whatever the decision was before they walked in the court was the sentencing that was hand down handed down no matter what was said. But here he heard something. He saw something and he said, "I was going to put you in jail today from this hearing. But instead I've decided such and such." Every time we dive and we're turning to Hashem, his palel hitpael, we're not trying to change his mind. The act and the process, the exercise of prayer is to change ourselves.