Living with Emunah (Part 352)

Okay, good morning. Good morning. Bokeer to bo in Israel and around the world. Our series is generously sponsored by Dr. Zavian Morgan in memory of Rabb Dr. Brian Galbet and in memory of her mother Dr. Ellen Chanzer. We're grateful to the uh Morgans for their incredible generosity and support and friendship and sponsored of course for a shmeira for all the Israeli soldiers and may the hostages come home. Simone Shir is also sponsored by Jenny Schwarz in honor of her father for Father's Day. her mother for her birthday. Both of whom exemplify what it means to lead a life of amuna. And anonymously in honor of her birthday in the year of her great-grandfather of Liba and anyone else searching for their zig may it be an easy process where they find easily. Thank you for your flexibility traveling for this week. That's why we had to move the shar to today. But I'm very grateful that you've joined with me in person or virtually online. Please forgive the sounds of construction. It's the sound of building Torah. It's a beautiful sound, albeit a little bit interruption and a little bit could be a little bit annoying as uh as well. Um, okay. So obviously there's a lot going on in the world and it's hard not to feel amun not only our brothers and sisters who are running in bomb shelters who of course are are feeling it but the miracles of this past weekend the miracles of I've been thinking a lot about there's a a couple of books a series of books that's called what if and what if talks about anomalies of history the whatifs of history what if the world the foremost historians imagine what might have been turning points of history right uh Gettysburg in 1863, Berlin 1945, all these moments that if they didn't happen the way they did, what if? What if? And as I was thinking as President Trump courageously made the decision to defend the world from the tyranny and a nuclear Iran, you know, what if he hadn't turned his head at the last minute? What if he had won the election in 2020 and he wasn't in place since October 7th after Hezbollah, Hamas, and now Iran? What if? What if he and BB didn't mend their ways after he was annoyed that BB wished a a congratulations to B? There's so many whatifs of the last few years. The what-ifs that could have gone differently and could have gone wrong and could have led to a a nuclear Iran. And life is filled with a lot of those the what-ifs, the whatifs of history that are so incredibly incredibly powerful. So, I want to just I want to share with you I want to open with an Amuna email. It's not an Amuna email. It wasn't written to me. When I I first saw this video, somebody sent it to me yesterday, I thought for sure this was AI, artificial intelligence. AI is able to make all kinds of videos. And as much as I admire, as much as I'm blown away, as much as I appreciate that Prime Minister Netanyahu went to the Kotel hours before launching the attack against Iran 10 days ago, and went to the cottel after America joined in eliminating, obliterating, to quote the president, Iran's nuclear capability. But I wasn't sure about these comments and maybe I'll post it in the uh the video in our Amuna WhatsApp group because here um Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke in Hebrew. This wasn't a press conference that he was giving in English. It was a press conference he gave in English in Hebrew rather. And he said the following. This is a translation. Israel has no intention of being dragged into prolonged war. We're close to completing the two objectives of operation. Okay. At the start of his remarks, Prime Minister said the following quote. When I first took office, I participated in the march of living at Ashvitz. I felt a strong need to wrap myself in a talis and say 10 days ago, just hours before launching the historic mission against the evil regime of Iran, I visited the cotel and again felt a strong urge to wrap myself in a talis. I prayed for the success of our heroic pilots, our soldiers and commanders, for the security of our nation, for the peace of our people. I placed a note in the kot that readum, "A people rises like a lion and lifts itself like a lion." Today, 10 days later, I returned to the Koto with my family. Again, I wrapped myself in a talis and offered a prayer of thanksgiving and a request for continued success, gratitude for the incredible bravery of the IDF and Mossad, for the resilience of our people on the home front, for the unprecedented partnership with my close friend, President Trump. We've taken our teamwork and cooperation to historic heights. As President Trump said so clearly, there's never been such coordination between two leaders. Then later on, he said the following. I said it from the depth of my heart and belief. The most important party in the Knesset. The most important party in the Knesset is Siata Deshmaya. We witnessed incredible courage from our fighters and citizens and intense help from our allies. But above all, we had the help of the Rebono Shalam. And for that, I give thanks on behalf of generations of Jews who longed to establish our state and hoped we would protect our future. That's exactly what we are doing. It's unbelievable. You have the political leader, commander-in-chief of Israel's army and air force who after these successful operations and in cooperation collaboration with America says the most important party in the Knesset is the siata desaya most important in Knesset is desmaya is the hand of Hashem the guiding hand of Hashem. So essentially he wrote a big amuna email for the whole world to hear for the Knesset all of Israel and the whole world to go to the kotal before to go to the kotal after to want to wrap himself in the talus and to feel the embrace the hug literally the hug who couldn't feel the hug from hashem who couldn't feel the hug from hashem these miraculous things are happening greater than the six day war ravak of emden raakdon writes in a I've quoted this before I didn't discover it others shared it the great Ravakov of a couple hundred years ago writes in the sitter that the miracle of Jewish survival the miracle of the Jewish people the miracle of the Jewish people thriving today with the Jewish people have had to persevere and overcome and navigate over the last 2,000 years of exile are greater the miracles are greater he writes than the 10 plagues and the splitting of the sea you're so impressed you say we have a whole holiday called we commemorate we think about writes of the miracle of our surv survival. The miracle of our perseverance, the miracle of our resilience, the miracle of our existence is greater is far greater between the beer episode kamas and now the head the head of the octopus Iran what Israel was able to accomplish that we don't even begin to know what what military experts will study for generations and generations to come and we merit and we're privileged and we're seeing it. So all those who say, "I would believe. If I saw miracles, if I saw miracles, I would believe in Hashem. If I saw miracles, I'd be more observant. I'd make changes to my life. I'd have a relationship. I would talk to him if I felt if I heard him talking to me." All you have to do to hear him talking to you is turn on the news. He's talking to all of us. The world events are unfolding in such a way that Hashem is talking to all of us in the most extraordinary ways. So I wanted to open up with this Amuna so to say Amuna email from the prime minister of Israel who stood in front of the Knesset and talked about going to the Kotto before and after and talked about the most important party is Hashem is the most important party and with gratitude boundless and endless gratitude. You know when you express gratitude to someone they're more likely to want to continue to do favors for you. And if you seem ungrateful and you take for granted and you don't say thank you person says why am I doing nice things what's the point forget about it so the more that we're grateful to shalom to this most important party the greater the likelihood that he will that he will continue that he will continue I got this email just this morning it's been too long we met aliyah in December it was a life dream and we felt it was time not simple moving with tweenage kids I was listening to I'm going to share last week. It was a I need it. I want to share what I wrote to some of our friends this morning. Light life lately from the mad from the bomb shelter. I'm writing this after leaving the mammad for the second time in 12 hours. Jerusalem is relatively quiet though we still hear the booms. This post isn't for the kids so I can be a little more raw. This is hard. Reminds me of the early days of co. Long unstructured days that blur together. But this time with more fear, more missiles, fewer certainties. It's like living in a casino. We've lost track of time of rhythm of what comes next. Yes, we see miracles. The Iron Dome lights up the sky. The IDF works relentlessly. The orange flashes above us remind us of protection. We can't fully understand. We feel the the sense of community. We try to be part of it. And then there's the other side. We're tired. Our sleep is restless and broken. The kids don't want to go outside. And when I finally convince them to go to the park, we end up in a public mlat. Yes, people are kind there. It's beautiful. But it's also crazy what's going to the park look like. Now, we're still new here. We don't have a wide social circle yet. Zoom schools in Hebrew. We don't even try. Few private gimm we can enjoy. We build Lego. Move on to painting. We have dance party, board games, too much screen time, and a lot of aimless a lot of aimless waiting. There's a strange duality to it all. Holding both gratitude and grief in the same breath. Trying to create a sense of safety and routine while internally wondering what safety even means right now. Laughing one minute, crying the next, answering questions I don't always know how to explain. The Chabas was beautiful. We had guests. We walked to very local friends. All these adults trying in our own quiet ways to pretend this is normal for the kids for ourselves. We're supposed to go on an adventure next week, a vacation. We still hope to go. We have perspective. It's not a big deal if it doesn't happen. But we needed this. The kids needed this. They're hearing about their friends heading off to overnight camp in the States. And this trip was their summer. There's something to look forward to. And honestly, we need a break from aliyah, a pause, a shift in energy, even just a little reset. People can keep asking what they can do. If you have a relationship with my kids, send a message, a meme, a silly voice note. If you have some hidden talent you could teach over Zoom, magic truth, painting jokes, let me know. You can entertain for 20 minutes. and keep doing for us, for Israel, for the world. We're deeply grateful to be here, to be living history, not watching from the sidelines, but that doesn't make it simple. We feel the weight of this moment and the hope in it, too. So beautifully articulated, so well said. Really capturing what they're going through. My sister who lives in Israel forwarded me a meme that was circulated among her friends that says what they're experiencing, what they're feeling right now, it's like, she said, it's like COVID and October 7th had a baby. like co even October 7th had a baby. The worst of CO of being shut down and locked in and online and the worst of October 7th had its missiles falling and its uh and its enemies fighting. It's like co and October 7th had a baby which is what's happening now. So we dive and we've seen miracles, we should continue to see miracles. And every time you turn on the news and military experts are talking about I was flying back last night and as I was working I was watching a network I don't normally or have access to to hear what they had to say. Sometimes you want to hear what you think is the other side. And even their military experts were saying that the low every loss of life is the loss of an entire world. An entire world. But the relatively lost in military terms casualty count in Israel from hundreds and hundreds of ballistic missiles is miraculous, defies logic, makes no sense, is the hand of Hashem. Is the hand of Hashem. We should continue to see it unfold. And the biggest miracle I want to say the biggest miracle right now is not the Iron Dome and the Arrow Sling and David whatever they're called, the anti-missile. It's not only the IDF and Israel Air Force and what they're pulling off. The biggest miracle right now are the Jewish people themselves, their perseverance and their resilience, how they're living and how they're navigating. I got an email from someone I know, family I love, whose son is supposed to get married in Israel in a couple weeks, but who's here in Bokeh in America. Dear Rabbi, thank you for the Torah, the inspiration. Reaching out honestly this week's Munishir. Our family is not giving up trying to get to our son's wedding in Israel. I know in my heart that truthfully this is in Hashem's hands, but it's challenging nonetheless. We're trying our best. Whatever the outcome, the wedding will go on in Israel. Half of our kids are Israel living there. Kal sister, married brother in Israel. He still have their family there. I'm preparing as if we'll be there only if Hashem wants. But to protect my heart, I must know that whatever happens is in Hashem's hands. These are not regular times. He writes on with more more personal details. We want to be there. My son says, "Mom, I know it's in Hashem's hand. I can't hear that. You cannot come right now. It's too hard." But this is the Jewish people. To embrace your place and to know you are where you're meant to be is one thing when you're stuck at a red light or your flight slightly delayed. It's another you could miss your child's wedding. Please God, hopefully they'll have one wedding in their life. And to be on Zoom, to watch it from a distance, from afar. But I want to say to our holy brothers and sisters, whoever is listening, and I know it's it's many because the emails I get blow me away. It's so easy for me to sit and speak. It's so easy for us to come together with slushies and coffee and pastries in bokeh under palm trees with the sound of construction outside. But what's happening in Israel, we're so grossly inadequate to even be hosting or sharing. But I want to say to those who are listening from there, you are the miracle. You are the biggest miracle. your person, your perseverance and your tenacity and your resolve and your amuna and your bet and your faith and your hope and your optimism and your determination for our people and every one of them. This is a contribution to this war. History will look back when we defeat not if but when we defeat our enemies and say it was the pilots of the air force, it was Prime Minister Netanyahu who pressed go. It was President Trump who had the courage to help finish the job. But you know what? but also the family who missed their child's wedding. That was their contribution to the war effort. And the people who had young children whose gan was closed was closed and had to navigate working from home with little kids around and in and out of a bomb shelter and no sleep, that was their contribution to the war effort. Certainly the soldiers on the front line get the biggest credit. But everything that everyone does, every sacrifice that's made, it means something. It makes a difference. It matters to Hashem. He sees it. We as children are fighting for his name, for him is anyone who hates the Jewish people hates God. We're fighting his war, his name, his mission. And therefore, he sees us and every sacrifice that's made, big or small, every risk that's taken, every compromise that's offered, every loss of not being there, every child who can't spend their summer, they were supposed to go to camp in Israel, every kid in Israel who was supposed to go on vacation out of Israel, every plan that's canceled, it's all is counting it all. He's got a big spreadsheet and he sees it all. Every person who wakes up in the middle of the night, every trip to and from a bomb shelter, every person whose plans were altered or cancelled. Everything Hashem sees, it matters. It means something. It makes a difference. And it is, they are all contributions. Counts it all towards this war effort. It makes a difference. It makes a difference. Dear gober, I want to share a recent experience profoundly reinforced our faith. My daughter had booked a flight to Israel Shabbus, eager to arrive in time for Yubover. Her flight was delayed almost four hours. After much deliberation, she decided to disembark, understanding she might not make it in time. While it was initially a difficult and frustrating decision, we soon realized it was all part of Hashem's greater plan. At the time, my father-in-law was unwell and hospitalized. Because of the delay, my daughter was able to spend precious moments with him, providing comfort and connection during his final days. Just a few days later, he passed away, and the time she spent with him became an invaluable gift we will always cherish. While my husband and his siblings spent Shivus with the father in the hospital, my daughter and I spent most of yont with my mother-in-law. That too proved to be a deeply meaningful and special time because my mother-in-law passed away suddenly during the Shiva for my father-in-law and the memories of our time together over Yontiff have since taken on an even greater significance. The experience helped us realize through the Shirim that we truly are where we're meant to be. What initially seemed like a series of setbacks was in reality Hashem guiding us to the exact place we needed to be during these challenging moments. So at first, what do you mean the flight's delay? What do you mean it's canceled? What do you mean I'm not going to get where I'm meant to go? No, you are where you're meant to be. You're never stuck. Thank you for the shish. Continue. Help us recognize blah blah blah. Thank you for the kind words. They are greatly appreciated. Greetings from kibbutz such and such. In Wednesday's little mush, you read an email from someone talking about how the warnings are not only time to prepare ourselves physically and mentally, but also spiritually. Inspired by that, we all chose a perk of tilum that we put on the wall in the mad above the spot where we sleep. And when the warning went off today, we all ran in and said the perk, our peric, our five-year-old said schma, thank you for the ongoing inspiration. Looking at the highlight of the week, I'm here's a picture over the uh over where they sleep in their mama. They each hung their peric of so with the siren. And when they run in, they don't just get in bed and try to fall back to sleep. First, they use it as an opportunity. The warning, the 10-minute warning and then the 90 second warning is an opportunity to still daven not just get in a bomb shelter, but the ultimate shelter, the ultimate ta, you know, Noah, when the world when there's a mabble, when the world is flooding and raging and storming around him, he builds and he enters and he survives in a TVA. Teava means an arc, but also means a word, the TVA, the TVA of Tahillum. When the storm is raging, when the world around us it's a wild storm, ballistic missiles are falling, drones are launched in the air, you run into the shelter, the tava, but you also run into the tava of Tahillim, the words of Tahillim. And this is this is the Jewish people. This is the Jewish people. These are crazy times. And the Jewish people are crazy not normal. The times are not normal and the Jewish people are not normal. There's one people, one nation in the land. We are one people and it's incredible. So to take those 90 seconds not only to run into the shelter, but to say I have 90 seconds to still davenin that these missiles get blown out of the air that they not land in a populated place that we're all safe and secure and protected. Jewish people are amazing. I'll read one last letter and this one's a little bit lighter. This is not from Israel. Something that happened yesterday. Dear by Goldberg, my name is such and such. I just had the incredible of bumping into you earlier at seasons in Scarsdale. I'm a huge fan and follower. I listen to so many of the podcasts partial perspective living with Amuna. Constantly reading and watching the articles and videos I many times print out the letters to share at the Shabas table, learning with friends and family. I was honestly struck when I saw you and Moscow and couldn't get the words out to tell you how much I appreciate the Torah inspirational message. Among all the unbelievable ideas and life perspectives you shared, one that stuck struck with me tremendously was something I had first heard at the eritda event in Jerusalem theater shortly after October 7th. You stressed the importance of amisaw striving for unity not uniformity and those powerful words have stayed with me since. I was in seasons because I was picking up a list of items for my wife so she could make a meal for a person in the community who recently had a baby. To be honest, when I left Shul after this morning, I was tempted to come home, stay with the kids so she could go out and run the errand. But I knew she'd appreciate if I ran it for her. And wow did Hashem reward me with the opportunity to get to meet you in Moscow face to face. Sorry we don't have a better cafe or coffee to sit down breakfast. Hope you enjoyed the food. Enjoy the wedding you are here for. Should hear only bestovos. Hope to see you again soon. That's his side of the story. My side of the story. Mascot and I flew to New York yesterday. We had a beautiful wedding. Flew back last night and uh when we landed and we went, we were looking for a place to get us a coffee, a Danish, a little something to eat. And uh we couldn't find a place. So we found Seasons. There's a supermarket, a kosher, beautiful supermarket. And so we went there. We we thought of going here. We maybe stopped there. We were two indecisive, pathetic grown men who couldn't figure out after waking up really early in the morning and terribly overt tired where to go. So we settled on seasons. Then we walked around seasons. So what are we going to eat? And I'm a little bit embarrassed, but also slightly proud to tell you on a Sunday morning, you know what we settled on? We bought kickle crackers and two things of herring and went to Starbucks and got coffee and sat outside and made a little kittish on a Sunday morning. That's hamish. That's not hamish. I don't know what is. So those who say BRS and it's rabbis aren't hamish. Sunday morning of all things we could eat. We passed up the muffin, the bagel. We went right for the flat kick kick crackers and honey mustard and everything bagel herring, which was wonderful. So that's why we ended up in seasons where we met him. It was so sweet. He walked over to Moscow. It's was very sweet. So he decided to go shopping instead of his wife. We decided to at seasons and then you meet people and you are where you're meant to be. Embrace the place. Never random. A Jew is never stuck as we say each and every week. Okay, let's get back to our learning together. We're on page of the great saddic in the north of Israel in Nahar. And we've been learning the perk said that Hashem does the of our will. Our will the effort the initiative that we take. We have to take initiative and effort. That's the way Hashem designed and created the world. We have to take initiative and effort. We can't sit back and wait. Hashem says, "I want you to fly your B2s. I want you to drop 30,000lb bombs. I want you to blow up the nuclear sites. Don't just sit back and do it and think they're going to implode on their own. Hashem can make anything happen. But we don't rely on miracles in We have initiative. Our initiative is called the IDF, the Israel Air Force. Our initiative is called Our initiative is called lobbying America. And I hope everyone's spending a lot of time sending emails and helping support the campaigns of the elected leaders who are standing by protecting the free world in Israel. And I hope we hold accountable. And I hope we elect the opponents of those who are critical, who are against, embarrassingly so, some of them Jewish, pathetically so, shamefully so, some of them Jewish. So we have initiative and there everyone has to figure out their initiative. The heroes on the front lines taking the greatest, most heroic initiative and the initiative that we have to take and can take supporting them behind the scenes. But how do we do it in a toadic way? How do we do it? Not in a way that swells our ego and our arrogance. It's my effort, my initiative, my ingenuity, my creativity, my strength, my power. I I don't do you understand the time in which we're living that prime minister Netanyahu gave that speech that we started with, but also the president of the United States of America who doesn't seem to lead his life in a particularly religious way. Let's just say that in his address to the nation from the White House, flanked by his secretary of state and secretary of the defense and vice president, not only thanked Israel and the IDF and the prime minister for what they did to open the skies for America to do what it needed to do, but he thanked God Almighty. And then the only part which itself is perhaps a miracle that he adlibd of the speech said, "We love you God. We love you, God. That was an Amuna email and message to the world like the president was overcome with emotion. This worked. We sent unprecedented first time B2s flew 30 something hours straight. Their back refueled in the air, went in undetected, blew up three places. the coordination, what had to happen, the deception. And the president of the United States of America addressing millions, maybe billions around the world was so overcome in that moment. He didn't just say, "And we thank God Almighty." He said, "We love you, God." He couldn't help it. We love you, God. That's the way a Jewish should wake up every day, every morning. We love you. Wow. I feel your hug. Prime Minister Netanyahu just wanted to wrap himself in a talis. I want to just tell you, I feel Hashem is hugging me. He's hugging me. The prime minister feels Hashem is hugging him. And the president, we love you, God. Thank you, God Almighty. So, with all the surveys and all the polls that show that most Americans, many Americans, more Americans than ever, don't see God in their life, with all the crisis of faith that's going on in the world, we are living in a time that the president of the United States declared his love for God and thanked God. And the prime minister told the Kness that the most important party in government is desaya the hand of hem. You can't write this up. If I would tell you something's going to happen next week where the prime minister is going to go to the coel twice. He's going to wrap himself in a talis. He's going to say schma. He's going to thank God. President Trump's going to talk about loving God and thanking God. You'd look at me and you'd say, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Rabbi, what are you drinking before the Amunachir? What's going on over here? It's incredible times the balance of initiative and effort but also recognizing its success comes from above. This par this chapter on page on the left hand column on the bottom this chapter has been focusing on that balance between initiative and effort and faith in the area of the area of livelihood. A person shouldn't look around and shouldn't be drawn to to forbidden images, inappropriate, immodest, idolatrous. This is from the some quoted from the base twice. Twice we have ashray in organized by the olive first it's chapter 84 of so we really towards the end of we have what we call ash but when they organized the sitter they tacked on the sentence of ash to David. So much so we call it ashray. Did you say ashray? Up to ash. Don't forget to say ashray. There's ash before then ashray at the end of ding. Ashray three times a day. But it's not really ash. It begins with and they tacked on ashray before ashim. And then we have what was in yesterday's or two days ago. If you divide by 30 days, it's a beautiful way. Many many many many many many years ago when I first came to the bookeron Kolo I saw the ro ko at the time of Mosha Miller who remains a mentor teacher of mine he used to say to him every day if you break tail into 30 days it takes a few minutes each day and every month you complete safer and it's nice to have extra conversation with Hashem it's nice to offer something you're not obligated not just the words of the sitter little every day and in that taleum you could have your list who needs who needs of go through each of your children, your grandchildren, your family members, your parents, the people you're blessed to have in your life and it doesn't take long and you feel accomplished. You know the way life works, why does work? Because you make a and then you make a that's why any system that you make a that you feel you complete something it motivates it drives. So if you could finish every month, it motivates you. I finished and now I'm starting to get familiar. Oh, it's towards the end of the month which follows the ash the alf which is the long one. Kufuess is the longest perkin in tahillum. So you get you get a rhythm of what you're up to in the month and you get a rhythm of David's life and you get a rhythm and a familiarity with everything you're saying in it's a beautiful thing. If you're looking to take something new on saying all of is a lot. Dividing into seven and finishing it once a week is a lot. But finishing tumm every day is a few minutes. A few minutes. So two days ago first half of two days ago also as a so this is a teaching from the and as well from the ofublin that twice we have the word ash. What does the word ash mean? fortunate, blessed, praiseworthy are you ash once ash those who sit in your home and that we say with with and the second but one time with each letter and the second time is with eight olives. If you look at you follows the alf and for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet it is apeskum that start with that letter alfpukum that start with it b ape that start with it gimmel apuk that start with it that's why anytime sometimes they have it mat an unveiling sometimes they have it at yurt site you come to the cav you come to the grave and one of the ways to say to him at a grave site is to say to him that spell out the name of the person who's buried there so how do you do that you go to chapter 119 of and there you have eight verses. So you say all of let's say whatever the person's name all of all of a sukim. So the first time we have the word ashray it's one pock following the alipes one one pik for alf one pik for b one puk for gimmel the second time we have the word ashray in kofas it's apes for ashray apes apes for alf apes for bay and so on and both wondered is why why does it appear this way because the first time we use the word ash we're praising the customer sits in his home and finds God there. But now the second time we use the word ash. So the first a is praiseworthy, fortunate is the person who sits in his home. If you sit in your home and you're protected in the environment of your home and you see Hashem and you feel Hashem and you talk to Hashem and you hear Hashem talking to you, it's beautiful. But the second time we use the word ash, it's describing the ash for whom not the one who's but rather the one who's ash who's now going out on the road, who's now leaving his home, going to work, going to the supermarket, going to the gym, who's traveling. And that person doesn't have the luxury of being in the protected environment. Isn't able to sit at home and be that same consistent person. Now they've got to navigate the world. What does it mean a person who is pure because they weren't on the path? It means that traveling and this is something to keep in mind particularly this time of year that people do travel and they do go on vacation. So we keep this in mind that traveling is fraught with danger. Did you find dominion? Did you dab with kavana? Did you consistently eat kosher? Did you go to places where you saw the right things or the wrong things? You know when you go on the road now spiritually when you're in your your habitat so you created a habitat and habits in your habitat that protect you. Wake up. I go to DAFF, I go to minion, I go to Kobo Boker, I say to him, I meet these friends, I go to Amunashir, I've got my routine. Routine protects you. A routine is a very protective thing. If you have a good routine, positive routine, a proper routine. If you have a bad routine, then you're in a bad way, in a bad place. But if you can set up a good routine, a positive routine, a healthy routine, you're in good shape. You're in good shape. You're a creature of habit. You make a habitat and you have a good routine. You're on your way. You're on your way. What happens when you break routine? You learn a lot about somebody when you when they break their routine. I know people, they're such creatures of habit and they need and they thrive on their routine. If you break their routine, it's a crisis. What do you mean I don't know where I'm going to d what do you mean? When am I going to have time for dyom? Will I learn? Is there a base maj? What's going to happen? What do you mean we're going there? We're going here. My routine. I need my routine. I go to bed at this time. I wake up at this time. I eat this for breakfast, for lunch, and for dinner. This is when I have my snack. This is when I do my sit-ups, my push-ups. This is when I call my mother. This is when I speak to my kids. This what are you doing in my routine? There are people who implode. They have a crisis. They dissolve. You take away their routine. They have no idea what to do. You learn a lot about somebody if they can remain consistent. Can they live their life even without their routine? So is the ash of your routine. When you're protected by your routine, when you have your habit and your habitat is when you're on the road. Now that you're on the road, you're broken from your routine. What does life look life look like? Did you still set time for learning? Did you still present yourself modestly? Did you still eat only kosher make before and after? Did you still d with did you still make an effort to find dominion? people can often lose their spirituality when they go on the road. It's so easy when you break your habit, when you break your routine, it's easy to take a big step backwards. So the first thing is to be aware, to be mindful, to be conscientious. I've broken my routine. I'm set. We're traveling. We're doing, we're going. How will I incorporate into my new routine, my temporary routine, my travel routine? How do I ensure that what I say are my core values I care about? What I look at, what I speak, how I dress, how I present, where I go, what I do, that I don't lose or compromise. What do I do? When it comes to the ashray of routine, the ashray of staying in your habitat, the ashray of being home, then we end. My mouth speaks the praise of hem. keep your routine even when you break your routine. Still try to wake up at the same time. Try to set a tie time for learning. Try to dab them from the same sitter at the same pace in the same way. Try to try to maintain that routine. And even when you break your routine and you're out on the path, on the way on a journey, still be careful what you look at, what you say, how you dress, where you go, how you think, what you do. And then we'll say about you ash, fortunate, blessed, praiseworthy is the person who breaks their routine, but still continues to go in the path of Hashem. We don't leave the Torah back home. When we break our routine, we don't say that's for when I'm home. When I'm home, I dion. When I'm home, I dab in slowly. When I'm home, I keep kosher. When I'm home, I wear that. When I'm home, I But when I'm on the road, you know what happens on the road? Stays on the road. That's not a Jewish idea. We don't believe that. last week's that we are always consumed with and consumed by the Torah of Hashem. It's part of our core identity. It's who we are. It's what I am. I'll give you an example. God forbid when a person breaks their routine, they have to travel. They're not home because they have a business trip or they're going somewhere. They don't say, "When I'm home, I'm married, but when I'm on the road, I'm single again." God forbid. There are people who do make that mistake because the road is fraught with danger. When you break your routine, it is fraught and threatening and inviting with opportunity, with temptation. It's very dangerous. But we know the proper way to live is to say, "Whether I'm on the road or home, I'm a married moral man or woman. Whether on the road or home, I'm a parent who feels responsible and cares about and thinks about and checks in on my children. Just because I'm relocated, just because I've broken my routine, I'm on the road, doesn't impact my core identity and who I am and the core covenant and commitments that I've made. And if that's true in marriage, we don't say, "I'm only married at home. I'm single when I go on the road." Then that's true in our marriage with Hashem and his sacred Torah and mitzvos. We take it with us. It's not just when I'm home, but when we're on the road, when we're journeying, we take it with us as well, wherever we go. Wherever we go. We'll pick up next time with uh with page me. But I think that's what you're seeing from our heroes. We're talking about the incredible miracle that is the Jewish people. With all the other miracles, the biggest and greatest miracle is the Jewish people. And I think the biggest challenge that they're going through in this experience that is the ugly child of Corona and October 7th is their lack of routine. I know my siblings, my children, it's a challenge in and out of bomb shelter. You never know when you're going to sleep, how long you'll stay asleep, if you sleep, where you should go to sleep, should you go out, should you shop, do you go to the playground, will you make it home, where would you go, what happens if something happens? It's the ultimate break of routine. It's the ultimate And they're passing this test with flying colors because it's not compromising their faith, hope, and optimism. It's strengthening it. It's not causing them to give up. It's causing them to lean in. And they are our hot spot that we are riding and connecting through. Read and listen and learn and check in on loved ones there. And they are absolutely extraordinary and amazing and inspiring and uplifting. And we should all continue to care, to check in, to love, and to help in every which way that we can. Yeshua, a Jew is never stuck. Wherever we are, in our routine or out of it, we have to embrace our place and know it's where we're meant to be, which I understand and know is easier to set here than elsewhere. But it's what gets us through whatever is happening in our lives. And it's not easy. As I alluded to, there are those who right now their whole summer their plans are not yet. Is the trip going to happen to Israel? Is the camp going to go? Are they doing it here instead? Where? What? How? Will the counselors make it in? What's going to be? There's an aura of uncertainty. They're in the cone of uncertainty. South Floridaians know the cone of uncertainty. We're heading into that season. Maybe we're in it. I don't even want to say the words but from hurricanes the cone of uncertainty is this cone of uncertainty what will be where when all of us don't know will we make the simka will that trip will that vacation will that mission will they come here can we go there what's going to be all the plans all the plans what's going to happen but in that cone of uncertainty there's one certainty and that is Hashem in that cone of uncertainty there is one thing that there is no doubt and that is that nothing is coincidence a champ chance chance it's all from above. And wherever everyone's meant to spend their summer, whether the trip will work out or not, whether they'll make it, will make it, where we'll end up, none of it is random or chance, it's all from above. And instead of proceverating, getting anxious, worrying, feeling angst, lean in and know that whatever happens, it's all from above. It's all what's meant to be. And whatever sacrifice, whatever is made, it's all contributing to this war effort. It's all from it's all from Hashem and it matters and it means something and he counts it all. As we do, we're going to turn off our stream and a recording. We're going to stay for questions and answers and conversation till next time and we hear only good news. Okay, any questions? Any conversation? Certainly people want to continue from last week.