MindFlex The Journey of a Reiki Master Rabbi Yitzchak Fanger

[music] Thank you very much. Uh Yosia project inspire for me. It's a very big hoot. I'm a little bit a little bit nervous. Okay. I'm Israeli so my English is not so good, you know. Have mercy on me. And I'm supposed to tell you my personal story. Okay. So, um I will start with with a question. Who is the worst enemy of the person? Himself. Okay. Yeah. Of course, he's supposed to tell me the evil inclination. But I didn't met the inclination. Even inclination fun. How are you? Nice to meet you. So the person himself, he's the worst enemy of himself. It was a young guy was walking on the street. He saw a sign above a clinic and the sign said, "I can cure every every disease that you have. If I will cure you, you will have to pay me 50 shekels. If I won't be able to cure you, I will give you a 100 shekels. This guy said I can make money here. He came to the doctor, how doctor, how are you? Please help me. I have I have no sense of taste. I have no sense of taste. The doctor say don't have any sense of taste. I can help you. Assistant draw number 24. Small bottle three drops on his tongue. The assistant is opening the number 24 drawer. Small bottle three drops on his tongue. AND THIS GUY, DOCTOR, THIS IS FUEL. DOCTOR SAY, "YEAH, your sense of taste came back. Please pay me $50." 50 shekels. The guy said, "Oh, you know, he took for me 50 shekels. I will come back tomorrow and give take it back." After that, he's coming. Hi, doctor. How are you? Please help me my memory. I don't remember anything. Who are you? Who am I? I don't remember anything. Doctor say, "You don't remember anything? I have something for you." Assistant, draw number 24. Small bottle. Three drops on it. Strong. This guy. No, no, no. Doctor, it's fuel. No. And remember, he came back. Please pay me $50. Yo, he took for me $100. Tomorrow I will bring the money back. He came after that. Doctor, where are you? I cannot see you. Where are you? Yeah. Doctor said, you don't have an eyesight. I I don't I don't I cannot help you. Please, you take 100 shekel build. After a minute, he came back. Doctor, this is 20 shekel build. Hey, your eyesight came back. Please pay me 50 shekels. So, of course, he did it to himself. So the person is the worst enemy of himself but he also can be the the savior of himself and I will tell you my story my journey and uh I don't I tell you I'll tell the truth I don't love personal stories okay because okay something happened to him okay so he need to become about whatever but I don't I didn't fail anything hashem did not reveal himself to me so you know I can stay as I am so I will tell you my story the main thing I think that change is possible. Okay, I'm coming from a very very very secular family here in Israel. Um just I will tell you a story, a little story that you understand how far I was from Judaism. Um my second my family is very secular. I was raised in Israel but uh I I wasn't in the Besset in the Shul only two times in my life. when I was 13 bzitzvah and the second time when I came back from the far east I will tell you why and I came back to far east I I was like 25 years old I decided to go to the shul it was Friday 3:00 in the afternoon I was raised in her you know there is so not there the other side okay in Hebrew it's called okay so I came to the sh very far away from my home because in Israel it's not something Cool. Whoa, fer, you wearing the shoe. Woo. Yeah, we love you. So, I went to a very far place. So, nobody will recognize me. I came to the sho. It was Friday, 3:00 in the afternoon. And I'm knocking. I'm knocking on the door. Nobody is opening the door. I'm opening to myself and I'm getting myself inside. I saw an old person preparing the seafra to the ring tomorrow. So, I'm coming to him. HI, THIS IS SH HERE. OF COURSE, WHAT do you think? The beach here because I came with a bathing suit. So we said, "Of course, THIS IS SHUL HERE. What do you want?" I said, "Okay, I came here. Let's start. What you What are you doing here?" He said, "We are doubling here. We're learning Torah. But you came early 3:00 in the afternoon. There's nothing to do now. Please go come back after 4 hours 7:00 in the night. It was kabal Shabbat. Very holy thing." Then he asked me, "Have you been in the mikvah yet?" I said, "What? Have you been in the mikvah?" "No, before Shabbat, something holy." Said, "I I don't know what mikvah is." He said, "No problem. I'll give you money and go there." He gave me 20 shekel belt and they called somebody Moshe take him to the mikvah. This mosha guy took me to the mikv mikv it was nice like small jacuzzi nice but my parents taught me if somebody is giving you money today give it back day after that so you won't forget you want you don't want to come in reincarnation okay so he l gave me the money Friday day after that Friday Shabbat okay small detail I opened my eyes at 10 o'clock in the morning and I remembered I didn't give the money back so where can I find the this religious person in the synagogue going in the sh okay this is the reservation of the religious people so I went there of course doesn't matter how I get there I parked the car very far and I came 10:30 it was in the middle of the Torah you have to imagine it 80 people in the middle of the Torah wow okay and I'm coming in the sh they put me like a white yak white yak white kipai know I was very shining and this guy saw me hi how are you see the come near to the seat said to me you know there is light from the letters I came to see where the lights here I don't see any lights okay then you know I waited between the people that put my hands in my pocket put out the 20 shekel and set him high this is the money from yesterday where to put it he's an old person okay he doesn't use to think like that in the sho he SHOUTED [screaming] OKAY, I looked back. Who's Mis? Okay, I thought maybe it's a dog or something. But when he shouted, you have to understand all the people in this, you know, staring at me, waving with 20 shekel build. They start to shout me, leave it. DON'T TOUCH IT. I'M NOT TOUCHING ANYBODY. OKAY, [laughter] I didn't understand. There is something in my hand. OKAY, IT'S A PAPER. OKAY, JUST A PAPER. SO, one of the people there grabbed my hand, said, "Live it. Leave it. leave my hand and let's go outside you know so for me it was a shock it's a miracle I I stayed reddish after that but this is almost the end of the story my story began in the army here in Israel when you are 18 you have to go to the army and I went to the tanks I became a commander of a tank I was a year and a half from my beginning of the in the army and my best friend my best friend he's in with me in the tank in the tank Thank you. You have you we have you have you have four people commander and three soldiers and he's one of my soldiers. I I I I begged to go come back to my platoon to be with him because when I'm a commander I can choose whatever you I want. So I asked please bring me back because I we was raised together. He's my neighbor. I was from the kindergarten with him. So they agreed and I came back to my platoon and we we served in Lebanon. We served in Lebanon. Maybe you don't know but every day there is a war. It's not only, you know, Lebanon or Gaza. Each day, each night, there is a war on the border. So, the tanks are sitting on the on the border and we're looking inside Lebanon to to see if there is terrorists that want to come into Israel. It was 4:00 in the morning. It's the started to do tunnels for us. We didn't know that at the beginning. Then, um they did one tunnel and they popped up inside our tent, inside our camp. It was five soldiers, five terrorists of the And we're sitting in the tank and we are laughing and we are happy and you know life is good. Life is good. Everything everything is in order. And I'm sitting with him above the tongue. The the commander and my soldier we were sitting above the tank. Our head is above the tank. And at 4:00 in the morning, 4:30, the start to shooting us. Bullets are flying next to your ear like that. And one of the bullets hit my friend. The bullet hit his his head. He fell on me and I'm grabbing him. And for me, you have to understand it's a moment that it's a war. Okay. You have to give commands. You are the commander. They are showing me in the in the air. Commander, what to do? What to do? I have to fight to shoot back maybe to to go back to to run away or whatever. What? What? I to go to to call to get back up. I didn't know what to do. And my friends, my hand in my hand. And for me the world stopped. I looked in in his eyes and and and he looked in at mine and his last sentence was funer live also for me. Have a life also for me. And he died. From that moment my life changed. Okay. I took the the the tank. I run over on the terrorist. I start to shoot all over the place. Somebody they thought I maybe I was crazy. For me I I I have to revenge my my my my friend death. All the five parents died but for me I cannot go back now. My life changes. I understood that nobody has a life insurance. And you know we we talked 5 minutes ago. We were laughing. We were planning what to do after the army go to go abroad whatever and with five minutes everything was finished. For me this was very hard. They came back home and my mother saw me and she said to me, this is my name, my name then. She said to me, you were grown up 20 years in five minutes. My life changed. I decided to dedicate my life to do something with my life because I have an obligation. I'm living also from for me and also for him. So in secular world, I decided to do a first degree in psychology here in Israel. I started in psychology. was very nice but I don't want to offend anybody who was learning psychology but it's a lot OF TALKING okay and I wanted to help I wanted to help so I decided to combine with the psychology I'm working that today in psychology so it's not nice that I'm saying that but uh I decided to combine with the psychology alternative alternative medicine was very practical I can start to work and I started learn Chinese medicine four years in here in Israel after three years a woman that practiced Raiki came to Israel from upstate New York. You know what's Reiki is? Raiki, it's it's a healing practice that they believe it's coming from the Tibetan Buddhism. They believe that if you put your hands on a patient, energy will flow through your head, through your hands to the body of the patient. Very powerful, very helpful over all the the world they're using that. So the woman came here, the teacher came here to Israel to teach Raiki. Raiki has three degrees. first degree, second degree, and the masters. Okay, I'm going to the first degree, second degree. And then this woman told me, "Funger, you got you got a present from above. All the patient that went through you said to me, this funer guy, his hands are working very good." So she said to me, okay, so she said to me, I want to invest in you. Come with me to a trip abroad. Everything I know, I will teach you. You will come back to Israel after two or three years. You'll be number one. Okay. Okay, for me it's a very big opportunity. I was then 23 years old. She's very wealthy. Trip abroad. Why not? Okay. So, um I started to go, she's older than me, 25 years. Okay, be relaxed. So, [laughter] you see his face is here. Uh okay. So, it's a career opportunity. Okay. It's a career opportunity. So I decided to go with her and we started in Europe, Switzerland, France, Italy. Then we arrived at the to the states, the upstate New York. And then I I become a Raiki master. Okay, I'm making a lot of money. It's very nice, but I'm a little bit extreme. If you know me, if I'm doing something, I have to do it all the way. If I'm going to be a Raiki master, I want to be the best Raiki master that there is. Okay, the woman told me, the my teacher told me, I taught you everything I know. If you really want to know more, you have to go to the far east because the the source of the raiki is from the Buddha Tibetan Buddhism. So all go to Tibet or to India or to Japan and learn more in depth the the Raiki things. So Japan was very expensive and um Tibet was a little bit dangerous then. So I found myself going to India, joining the monastery of the Daly Lama uh becoming a Buddhist monk for a year and a half. Yeah. making meditation all the days and trying to become the best raiki master that I can be. After almost a year then the dilemma called me and said to me fun you know you you you were here enough time now you have to go and practice what you have learned you are going to a solid mon monastery up in Rishikesh more I was in Dharmasala up up north in India so you go to Rishiesh very small monastery with 15 people you have two spiritual works the first thing you have to be in silent for half a here. Don't talk to anybody. Okay? This is the reason I become a speaker. Okay? All my frustration. I'm putting it out on you now. Sorry that you are my victims. I need to talk. Okay. So, uh half a year you shouldn't talk. They believe if you want to be a healer, if you want to use your energy, you have to absorb your energy, not to use it, not to waste it. If you are talking even just to somebody else or just listening to somebody else, you can think you can feel that he's drawing your energy. Okay. Or on the on the phone. Okay. So of course personally it's it's powerful more more powerful. So being silent for half a year. And the second thing practice yoga. I was a yoga teacher here in Israel. So I have to practice yoga to bring my body to a perfection of I don't know impir to be pure or something like that. Okay. And um and then I will become the best Raiki master there is. Okay, I'm leaving Dharm Masala calling my parents and telling them mommy for the next half year there is nobody to talk with. My mother is telling me son we love you can do that okay we trust you go for it and can we are behind you do it okay yeah I'm telling that because half year after that when I tell I will tell my maybe more than half year when I will tell my mother mommy I'm going to yes do you think the reaction will be the same son we love you go for it no and we will see the differences and it won't be hard okay so but In that time I'm not thinking even this this direction. So I'm coming to the monastery. Very beautiful place. It's in the middle of the jungle. We have 15 people. I'm the only Israeli there. And it's in the middle of the jungle. It's a real jungle. Not a sh. Okay. Not to offend the kilov. Okay. It's a jungle. So I'm in the middle there. There is monkeys and beautiful things. Okay. And I'm starting my silent retreat. I don't know if you tried it for uh the first month. It's easy. Not easy, but you can do that. Okay. The second month it's start to be hard. Very hard. Three months it's like a volcano. Okay. But inside like and it's here. Here I need to talk. Okay. So, but you know I'm supposed to be very tough with with myself. Okay. I was in the army. I'm supposed to be very tough. So, uh funer don't talk. Okay. IT'S JUST DON'T TALK. WE didn't ask you nothing. Just don't talk. What's the problem? Okay. What's the problem? Try it. Three and a half months and one day I felt I cannot anymore. I'm dreaming that I'm talking. Okay. It's it's something bad. So, uh and I'm talking to myself. You I think my mother forgot how to to speak. So, I was in the monastery. There was a river. You have to understand it's it's a real jungle. There is no hot water. There is a river like 100 meters from the monastery. On that river, we are drinking. We're taking showers. There is no grocery shop. Okay. I want Coca-Cola. No, you're the hell. You have nothing. Okay. What you are planting in the ground, this is what you're eating. YOU'RE LIKE A GOAT. GOAT. OKAY. AND BE HAPPY. What's Why not? What? What's bad? You know. Okay. So, uh I was really into it. Okay. So, don't laugh. Um three and a half months and it's very very hard. And I decided one morning I'm opening my mouth. Okay, I'm opening my mouth. Whatever will go out will go out. And you have to It's like a volcano. It's like, "Okay, let's think what to say now." No, he's like ta da da. Okay. So, I went down to the river. No, no, nobody was there. Only myself. And decided to open my mouth. And when I opened my mouth, you have to it's it's for me it's like aha moment because it's like I don't think what I'm supposed to say. just I'm just letting it out and it start like and I'm opening my mouth and the only things that went out of my mouth were verses for my ha OKAY 12 YEARS AGO LIKE GUN MACHINE WITH THE SONGS OKAY LIKE I'M QUIET [screaming] FOR SOMETHING happened to you you know you okay three and a half months not a dog versus my ha my bar mitzvah Ah no my memory is not my best part in my head. Okay. I left it to my wife. [clears throat] Maybe the other women in the world. You will get married. You will know. You said something 10 years ago to your wife. You remember 10 years ago when we are in there. YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU TOLD ME? I wasn't there. I don't remember. She remember everything. Okay. Be nice to her. Okay. So for me, I'm talking from experience. Okay. 25 years of marriage. Okay. It's harder than the army. Stop. [laughter] Not nice. You are young. Be optimistic. It's beautiful. You know, a guy before he's married is not whole. After he's married, he's finished. Everything will be okay. You will be different. I hope so. Yeah. So, uh, so my memory is not my best part. Okay. I cannot remember something that for me was not so relevant 12 years ago but because of that I will become Balua of course no so verses went out of MY MOUTH SO WHAT you know I calm myself down maybe you miss Israel maybe your Torah teacher whatever but don't become Bouva what has to do with that okay it's not the case people can see the best facts but to change it's very hard the best facts But there's proofs. It's very hard to change. There was a guy who was working in the New York Times. He working on the streets. He went to see something that he can write on. He saw a person standing in front of the of an office office office building with a cigarette. Smoking cigarette after a cigarette. Cigarette after cigarette. So the journalist came to him, asked him, "How much do you smoke a day?" Said, "Me? Three packs a day." Three packs a days. Since when? Since I was 16. How old are you now? 56. The general's taking a calculation calculate and said to okay you are smoking three packs a day is $30 in general uh times the 365 days a YEAR TIMES 40 YEARS LOOK HOW MUCH MONEY YOU ARE SPENDING ON YOUR CIGARETTES. He said to him IF YOU WEREN'T SMOKING YOU CAN BUY YOU CAN BUY A BUILDING LIKE THAT. THE GUY WITH the with the cigarette asked the journalist do you smoke? SO OF COURSE NOT. NO. Do you have a building like that? He said no. You see, you see I'm smoking. This is also my building. Not nice. Okay, HE SHOWED YOU FACTS. OKAY, you're wasting your money. Okay, you're right. Okay, I'm wasting my money. Okay, but it's hard. Okay, it's hard. So to become a bad cha because few verses went out of my mouth. Of course not. I'm continuing with my life. I broke my silent. I'm supposed to start again half year. I won't do that. Be calm. H. But after 3 days I I'm in in my room. So it's not a room. Okay, it's not a room. It's few blocks on each other. But I'm alone. All the monks are going to sleep very early because there is no lights. So you know sunset they're all going to sleep. They are waking up in the morning very very early. But I'm more in night type. I love the night. It's quiet. It's beautiful. All the monks are asleep. So I'm practicing my meditation at night. It was around 11 11:00 in the night. I'm alone and I decide to go to sleep. I have candles. I close my candle and I want to go to sleep. I have my mattress and a sleeping bag. As I closed my candle, I have an odd feeling. There is somebody in my room. I'm lighting up the candle and start to do a patrol. There is nobody there. Okay. But you know if if you're in the army, you're supposed to try to develop like a six sense to feel that if somebody's watching you and from where it's supposed to save your life. So I I'm feeling that there is somebody in the room and with a candle okay where is he maybe the Indian guy okay watching me they are bored but there is was nobody there but it's a very strong feeling I cannot go to sleep and I want to go to sleep. I'm sleeping sleeping every night. It's not a problem for me. So I decided change place, change luck. I will go to sleep outside. Okay. I put in one of the candles to see the way out. Holding with one hand my mattress and the other hand the head of the sleeping bag. As I took the head of the sleeping bag, I pull it up the head of the sleeping bag. And when I pulled it up, a yellow scorpion fell from the head of my sleeping bag. And you have to understand if I was supposed to go to sleep like every night, I supposed to put put my hand exactly on him. M to put your head on a yellow scorpion especially there he will bite you and after 3 hours you can say goodbye to everybody and to join your grandpa in the world to come for the for the first time in my life I had a very but very strong feeling there is somebody up there that protects me I don't know who it is I don't know what's his name if I would put in my calculator my computer okay the creator of the world or the almighty I will I will get no results I I I don't believe in that. I don't feel that. I don't know that. But it's a very very powerful feeling that there is somebody with me, somebody up there that protects me. Of course, I won't become a baluva because of that because if he want to protect me, why not feel free to do that if he is and is not asking for protection? So, he can protect me. So, I'm not becoming bacha because of that. About two days after that, my story finished. After two days, I ran off candles. You have to say it's the middle of the jungle. So there is no uh trans transport station. There is one in two weeks that coming from the city with donkeys like pilgrims that we're asking from them to bring us things that we're ordering like toilet paper things that you need and things like that food. So the I ran off candles and I really need you know candles. So I ordered candles supposed to come supposed to come tomorrow. So I have one day left. I I search in my my bag in one of my pockets in my bag I found one candle. But next to the candle there was like a like a paper when I started my journey with the the teacher in Bengalan airport there is kabad place there and the kabad I putting fine on people okay they're very nice but I f in the night so there was not fill in so they gave me like a paper with the blessing of the day of the way film and from the other side and they told me take it it will protect you I asked how much does it cost said it's for free said okay give me two I sell the tourist So I took it and I put it in my bag and I forgot it totally and that night I found it and I looked at this paper and I thought to myself funer you broke you silent you're supposed to start half year again before you are starting try to do meditation not with words of the raiki the raiki is based on four words in Japanese like mantras okay they believe that the words are like keys to open your energy or the others so you broke your silence so You can now practice meditation with the words in Hebrew. Take whatever you want, one of the words or a sentence, a verse and try to do meditation with it. When you are practicing meditation, there's a lot of ways of to do meditations, but one of them is verbal meditation. I will take one words or one sentence and I will repeat it loudly again and again. So I decided to take from this paper, one of the verses. I didn't know what I know the Hebrew but I don't understand what it means. So I took the headline. I called it the headline. the it was like with two big letters. So for me it was the headline. So I decided to do meditation with the headline. For the first time in my life I was sitting like that in my room. It's late at night. Everybody's asleep. I'm sitting with one candle seeing this paper and for the first time in my life I'm saying the Israel. I'm saying like that is all my BODY START TO TREMBLE. I'M SAY IT AGAIN. OH, my skin start like goosebumps and I'm shivering. I don't understand what I've said. I know the words, but I here in Israel, this bag they call it's tested in Torah. I copied everything. Okay, I don't know anything. For the first time in my life, I said and I I'm I'm breaking I'm breaking myself down. Like I don't understand what I've said. I have here a volcano. I have here like a like a bomb. I I'm practicing meditations for years. Nothing let me felt like this thing. What is this verse? I want somebody to explain to me what the words I'm says. What what the meaning of the word? I don't think the my fellows here in the monastery can help me. And uh I don't want kabad also. I love them. But I want the dangerous people from me. Yeah. They know what they are saying. Okay. I want them. Okay. go all the way. So I I decided I have to understand what it is. For me it was a really revelation. You have to understand I practicing meditations meditation for years. I really love that. But I want to understand what it is. I I took all my things uh I took them with me. I didn't say goodbye to anybody. The day after that the donkeys come are coming from the city. I took one of the donkeys went back to the city. Maybe till today they are waiting for me there. Okay. I was see wanted Israeli guy was here 25 years ago and he was banished. Okay. So I come I came back to the city called my parents and told them mommy father I'm coming back. They asked me what happened. Are you okay? You know it's it's not a half a year now. I said them everything is okay. Don't ask them just want to come come home. You have to understand the the story I'm telling you now. It's not like I have a story. I will tell my parents. It was my own experience. I didn't think I will tell somebody that. I came back to Israel. I have a place near small place in front of my place my my my home. I have a bulletin board and it was very big advertisement there. lecture life after death mystic Judas Judism mysticism and I said to myself funer you were all over the world almost you know uh Buddhism by heart Christianity because okay no don't ask but uh Judaism okay it's your religion you don't know anything you have your lecture entrance free you love it so go to to hear mysticism okay it's nice it's very interesting so I went for the first time alive to a lecture about life after death. I came a little bit late. So the only place that was opened was first row. I was sitting in front of the speaker and he started the lecture near-death experience and he's looking at me. Did you understand? Say yeah understood. He continued reincarnation. Did you understand? Say yeah understood. I look back maybe I'm alone here. No the place was full. But he took me like a project. Okay. Project inspire. So uh he continued the lecture seance. Did you understand? Yeah, I understood. This was all the lecture. Did you understand? Yeah, I understood. Do you understand? Yeah, understood. Then he finished the lecture. He said, "Okay, I finished. Do you have somebody have questions?" I raised my hand. Say yeah. Do you have a question? Said no. I just want to tell you I understood. No. Okay. No, I have a question. I said to him, I have a question. Don't be offended. I just want to ask. Now you proved us that there is life after death. Okay. Okay, very powerful. I cannot argue with facts. It was beautiful. But excuse me that I'm asking for me all the religions are the same. If of course there is life after death. Okay. I I nothing to say about it. I you know for me if I will come to a Christian priest he will say to me of course there's death after death. Come with me you will be in heaven. If you won't come with me you'll be at hell. I I will come to a Muslim kadi. He will said of course there's death. If you will come with me you'll be in heaven. If you won't come with me you'll be in in hell. And he was saying the same thing. Okay. So there is life after death. But what I have to do with your titis and your yarmaka keep on. He said to me, whoa, you asking a very good question. Then he said to me something that for me then it was very hard to grasp. But he said to me, of course now I believe in that. I believe like that. He said to me, you have to understand that Judaism is the only religious on earth that can prove you facts that there is Hashem is the Almighty and that he gave the Torah. So everything that is written in the Torah according to this world in the other world this is the truth. If you want to know there's a seminar for in four days now in Ashkalon for academic people coming here what Jim had Jud had TO OFFER. ARE YOU COMING? Say yeah I'm coming. Say you're not afraid said no I was sure who will give lectures there rabbis. Yeah I love them but you know I'm coming from the academic world. Okay they don't know much. I will come there and I will make them secular. Okay, just to calm down my conscious that I've been there also. I went to the seminar. It was a mistake. Shalom. Of course not. I came to the seminar and for me it was a shock. It was a culture shock. Okay. For four days I'm hearing lecture after lecture, lecture after lecture and I I'm battle on my life, you know. I I I didn't go to sleep. I I grabbed the the speakers. I want answers because for me or you are taking off your yarmaka or I'm putting yarmaka it's or is you are you are right or or I am right. There is no between and if you convince me that you are right I'm going to be like you. After four days the seminar is finished there's like a simple zone like a ending ending of the seminar everybody's standing on the stage and if somebody want to say something I'm going up to the stage and I'm saying to them what I have learned here now for four days I didn't learn in my 25 years of living today I wrote everything that you have said today I understand that there is Hashem there is the almighty I understand that he gave the Torah I wrote all the facts I'm going back tomorrow to my university I going to check what you have said but if it's true I want to become a bal chuva everybody stood on the feet like wow okay I was sure that moment you know red carpet and motorc more disciples will join me to get home when I reached home and my mother discovered that HER SON HER SON WAS in was in seminary of Judaism she was with RPG no My father with tanks in the garden YOU KNOW MY MOTHER SAID TO ME YOU KNOW IT'S WHO'S BECOME BALA CRIMINALS CRIMINALS YOU'RE A GOOD KID OKAY YOU DON'T NEED THIS RELIGIOUS things but I said to her you know mommy I'm just I didn't say anything I just want to hear I just want to listen this was the first time I went to the shul okay it was the second shock and uh I started to become a little bit balua but I'm a raiki master not just a raiki master I'm here in Israel supposed to be the the raiki master. So all over Israel heard that funer come came back from the far east. He's very good in raiki and things like that in meditation, yoga. So all the schools here in Israel of alternative medicine send there those students there students to learn from me. So I'm becoming a raiki master. I'm doing a lot of money. Two days seminar raiki course. I'm taking $300 and I'm not opening the course. At least I have 50 people. So 50 people, $300. It's nice. Okay. It's day after day after two days after two days, two days after two days. After like two months, three months, I make a lot of money. And then uh two women came to my my class and said to me, you know, it's it's wonderful. You have to let it out to the octo people, okay? They will love it. I I told her no problem, you know, organized them. I will come. They organized like 250 uh oculus women and I came to give them a lecture. My mother is my secretary. Okay. This is her bliss. Okay. So uh I giving it an introduction talk and all the women was so moved. It's amazing we have to learn that. Okay. So they registered and my mother is written them down and she said to me it's sick. You're a millionaire because you are full booked from now year and a half from now. Okay. Every day courses it's more than that. There's treatments and things like that. But you know you're a millionaire. You're full booked from now year and a half ahead. butt and it has to be like a butt like that. One of the women came to me and said to me, "Hi, excuse me. I'm asking are the raikies kosher? Is the raikis kosher?" I said, "We're not eating anything. We're not drinking. You can bring your food from home. You know, there's not some there's no problem supposed to be." So, she said, "No, you know, it's coming from the far east and you know, you're a little bit secular. Sorry, I'm certain I'm telling you that. So, we have we have to need rabbis that will tell us if it's kosher or not." I said to them, you know, I don't know rabbis. I'm just in the beginning my way. Okay. But send me to a rabbi and I will ask him. She sent me to the the son of love. And I came to him. I came to him and I said him, "Hi Rabby, I'm practicing Raiki. Is it kosher?" He said to me, "What's Raiki is?" I'm starting to explain to him four words in Japanese. I'm doing initiations. I'm working with energy. After 20 minutes, I'm making him a raiki master. And then I'm asking him, "Is it kosher?" He's hearing. And he said to me, "No." I said, "Why not?" Think it over. Okay. We'll change your mind maybe. No. I didn't say that. Of course. uh is start to explain to me that you know the words it's a it's Japanese words come from the Tibetan Buddhism it's like aldoy maybe we don't know but effect so you know you shouldn't use it you you cannot imagine how I felt it's not all my life I will exaggerate if I say all my life but it's it's not it's more than career okay it's something I really loved and I I invested that five years of my life and after he said that for me, you know, like I like I built like a building of glass and with one sentence [snorts] everything was blowing up in my face. I came back home. I was a little bit devastated. I have to admit I was sitting in my salon alone and I started to cry. Start to cry and I said to to me to myself, you know, funer, you have two choices or you know you can do whatever you want, you know. Okay. He said no. So what? Okay, maybe you'll find another Rebi. But if you are true with yourself and you have to understand, I think as a baluva, I didn't left all my life just to, you know, to cheat or to do whatever I want. If this is the truth, if this is the way of the truth, I'm going all the way. If there is heaven up there, I want to be in the front row. Not back up and back there. Yeah, I'm with a flag. I'm here also. No, I want to be in the front row. So if it's not kosher, so it's not kosher for me. So I called my mother. I I closed my eyes before that. I closed my eyes and I spoke to to Hashem and I said to him, "Hashem, it's me from the [laughter] but I said, Hashem, you know, uh, for me, I just met you, you know. I I didn't know that you exist before that. And now you are challenging me with a very but very hard challenge. But in the short time that I became a baluva, I have learned two things. First thing that you are not challenging a person with a challenge that he cannot handle. So if you are challenging me with such a hard thing, I have to believe that I have the strength to go through that. And the second thing I have learned if somebody's sacrificed in Hebrew it's you're making closer to you. So Hashem I'm not asking for money. I'm not asking for a career. I'm not asking for honor. I'm just asking for me one thing. Hashem, please don't leave me. Don't leave me because I'm going to leave everything. I called my mother and said to her, "Mommy, cancel everything. The Reiki is not kosher." Silent behind the line. After a moment of a silent, my mother start TO SHOUT, "IT IS KOSHER. [screaming] YOUR MOM IS TELLING YOU THAT LEAVE THE REB INSIDE." I TOLD HER, "You know, mommy, it's not a pastel. It's not a game. I cannot play with that." The rabbi said, "It's not cautious for me. It's not cancel everything. all the courses, all the treatments, I'm stopping using the Reiki. For me, it was it was so hard. I didn't know what to do. Maybe I will go back to the university, become a psychologist. I go back to the Chinese medicine. Somebody told me, "Go to Kanefki." Ask him what to do. I came to this holy person. It's it's amazing to to meet face to face with somebody like him. I sit in front of him. I said Rebi, I was in a Buddhist monastery. I was abroad. Uh I was practicu now everything is gone. What to do? Then he said to me, you know, you have been in the monastery for almost a year and plus. Can you go to Yeshiva? Go to yeshiva. Not for a year, for three months, just three months. Go to yeshiva and then decide whatever you want. Said okay, I can do that. For three months, I went to Yeshiva. After three months I discovered a world that I didn't know that ex is existed to okay for me it was very big revelation to learn to learn hum to learn for me it was such amazing thing that I decided to dedicate my life to to to learning and teaching and um now after more than 25 years um now I'm really millionaire okay but millionaire I don't think it's something has a lot of money because um I think a millionaire is somebody who knows his per purpose in life. He has answers to his questions. He know the the the meaning of all all the world what Jud Judism is telling us. So for me now [snorts] I'm in another world. Today I'm living in Kirat it's called Modin Elite. It's a Orthodox place only orthodox price. It's hard. Okay. I need a little bit you know. Okay. My wife, she's a righteous woman. She's a FFB, right? Room for birth. She made a mistake and marry me. Yeah, [laughter] I think she's sorry for that. But you know, Hashem, Hashem is ruining the world. I have seven beautiful kids. Um, and today I just came here to tell you that you have a treasure. You know, Judaism is a treasure for me. And the treasure you don't have to go far away for that. maybe to Israel but not so far and uh my pleasure is just to reveal that and because there is a saying in in Hebrew that and balan saw somebody who had had a miracle he doesn't understand that he has a miracle you can see with your eyes maybe you do appreciate that but somebody didn't saw for a lot of years and then doctor opened his eyes so you also you know maybe you're coming to to to know Judaism so just understand that you have really a a a treasure in your hands. Don't waste it. Go and learn that. Become close to Hashem. It's the the most beautiful thing that you can do to yourself. Not that it easy. My life is not when I was a secular person. I have I have no life and I was very, you know, poor and and now I'm happy. It's not like that. But of course, if you know the way, of course, there is challenges, but it's worth it. Okay, I will finish with one story and then I will give you time to for questions if you want. Um, I will finish with one story because when I became a balua, I want to learn Tawa. I really want to learn Tawa. I I I have a feeling that I I missed a lot of a lot of a lot of good years and I wanted to dedicate my life to to learning Torah. So for for 10 years I wasn't a I was only learning Torah and after 10 years my brother became also about Chuva. Okay, it's a contagious no question and he became bacha and then he brought all his friends and you you know my brother talk with my friends and you have to talk with them convince them and then I started to become a speaker and you know it's it's coming on the time of the learning Torah. So I didn't know what to do to go to be a speaker or to learn Torah. Of course I I can combine them but you know it's in the same time I can learn Torah. I'm not when I'm speaking I cannot learn Torah. So I went to my rabbi the one who ruined my world world okay he now is dedicating my he's is helping me to to to manage my life now so I came to him and asked him I I don't know what to do what should I do to give lectures not to stay in my home to go to the shival all day and he said I'm not giving you an answer for all the people I'm give you for you the answer and each one of of you will take it for personally to think what it's telling you he said to me there is a Holocaust survivor that coming to me every year he said and every year in the same date and he's crying and crying and crying and the rebi asked him why are you coming the same date every year so he told him that he lost all all his family in the holocaust except of one brother his brother and him he was in the same camp in the holocaust and uh the Nazis in Mashim they they did like order in 6:00 in the morning everybody was supposed to stand and they checked if somebody's you know, can can work or not. And you have to be in this this line because if you won't be in this line, they will kill you. And we worked all night. We had only like an hour to go to sleep. My brother was very tired. So he said to me, I'm I'm going to sleep and I was afraid I won't get up in the morning early. So I I stayed awake and my brother asked me, "Please wake me up. Wake me up before the line." So I said, "No, no problem. I will I will I will wake you up." And you know I was wandering in around the camp and a Nazi officer saw me and called me come here and start war and from the pressure I forgot the the line the order I I forgot that my brother I forgot everybody and I and 6:00 I saw everybody standing there and I'm looking for my brother I didn't see him I ran into the camp went to the bed of my brother and I saw him lying on the bed with a bullet in his head and he said to Rabi Rebi I cannot FORGIVE MYSELF WHY DIDN'T I WAKE I MY BROTHER WHY DIDN'T I WAKE I MY BROTHER soil said to me fa maybe after 120 years in the world to come the the souls of your brothers your sisters that walking now on the street your sister now in the street your brother in the street maybe he will ask you WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP YOU WOKE up nice not to see that but it's your brother it's your sister why didn't you wake your brothers. So you have to do something. So one can be a speaker, one can do to to dedicate maybe in this project inspire to to to bring a family into his home, a friend here to the Shiva, come and learn somebody's in the co you can speak with him. You can you know be nice to person ask him you want to learn with him you want to sit with him want to what Shaba says just invite him you cannot you never know who's walking the street so wake up your brother so I think first of all we have to wake ourselves and then we will try to wake our our brothers and I think Hashem will appreciate that because as a father I'm I'm telling you the most important thing in your life is your kids if somebody will help your kid you will give everything for this person so we are in the memorial day of the vineberg zar and he made a revolution in the world. So for me it's a very very big honor to be a little part of that and uh thank you for listening me and I hope it will do good things in our life. [applause] [music]