Part 63: Daily Invitations From Hashem to Talk

okay good morning ladies morning and happy KH on the final day of Kana our learning this morning will be and his Isen okay we are back in Shalom we spent a lot of time on trying to Define exactly what this term what it means to cling to Hashem to cleave to Hashem again amuna is knowing about God in the abst TR that there is a creator of the universe is seeing Hashem in our daily lives andus is clinging to Hashem to realize that we have to stick with him even in trying times and difficult situations even when we are in a dark tunnel to see the light at the end of that tunnel khaka is especially a time that is auspicious for us to be working on these character traits when we gaze at the lights I know that we've now lit the final candles last night but we still are basking in the light of these candles on this eth day when we light the candles and we look at the light we should see within the light Redemption see within the light the light at the end of the tunnel see within the light the clarity to know that whatever we're going through is not random or chance but it's for a purpose it's for a reason and it's orchestrated from above we're in the bottom right page s any more copies anyone else need copies there's some copies over here says based on this if you understand that the essence of life is to connect to cling to cleave to hem that we are to interpret and see the world through a pair of glasses called Deus that whatever is happening in our lives from the minor seemingly insignificant annoying struggles to the bigger picture things to realize that everything is from hem everything is for a reason and to wear those glasses then then if one lives life with that attitude you realize I the T mitzah the 613 Mitzvah really represent 613 opportunities to cling to Hashem so total paradigm shift in an attitude towards Mitzvah instead of Mitzvah being burdens instead of Mitzvah being constraints that are restrictive that are eliminating our ability to do what we want I really want to go to the beach on Saturday I really want to be able to eat in every restaurant in the world I really want to be able to share that juicy gossip I really want to be able to a b and c gr this chair here if you need I really want to be able to do all these things but the Torah comes along in the 613 Mitzvah and it's so restrictive and it restrains me and it constrains me and it's so burdensome so that's a terrible attitude obviously it's an attitude that many people have and tragically it's an attitude that filters down to children and grandchildren and it's no wonder that many want to walk or run away because we grew up in a time where even if Mitzvah felt like a burden challenging restrictive okay but that's what you do and there was an inhibition that kept you within the system who had the courage to run away the consequence of running away was so great socially and familywise that people stayed with it even if they felt it today a child feels it's a burden it's difficult it's annoying so they said why would I do anything that's not we live in a world that constantly is broadcasting the message if you don't enjoy it don't do it do what works for you do what feels good do what's pleasure if you don't enjoy it why would you do it that's the message of today's world in relationships in life at work it has to feel good do what makes you feel good what makes you happy so there's an incredible risk today in children sensing that it's a burden we have to teach the joy the happiness first of all we have to try to teach children that not everything in life needs to make you feel good doesn't make you feel good to brush your teeth or to clean your room or to do the laundry doesn't make you feel good always to wake up and go to work there are things do because you have to do them the things you do because they're right to do and that not everything you do has to conform to what you want to do we all do things every day in life we don't want to be doing but you have to do because it's part of life and that whole message I think is a core message that has to be communicated to children that's number one but number two is to show that Torah and mitz are something you want to be doing and that's what the is saying here 613 not burdens 613 incredible opportunities 613 invitations to cl to cling to Hashem to be close to him to feel his presence in your life to feel Joy the 613 Mitzvah are 613 opportunities every time you do a Mitzvah you have come closer to God you're clinging to him now here's the thing coming closer to God or clinging to him is synonymous with joy and happiness and feeling good we're learning mam now on one Mornings in the cup of joe so literally two minutes ago I just came from there and that's the very opening in the very first chapter the says you know what the essence of life is it's very counterintuitive I don't know I was raised not by my parents but Judaism raised me with this notion that life is about sacrifice and service and giving for hasem but that's not what says you know what says the goal and purpose of life is what's the root of the word is what's on Joy pleasure happiness on shabas come to my on on is eating sugary candy food and CH late at night and that's on so what's the purpose of life says the ramal in pwa Italy five centuries ago the purpose of life is to get high on God don't get high on pot don't get high on alcohol don't get high on shopping don't get high on gambling don't get high on going to work get high on God and how do you get high on God so Klan explains very powerfully that the greatest joy that a human being is designed to feel the way we were programmed is when we give Nas to someone whose approval means something to us it feels incredibly good it doesn't matter what age you are the nas you give your parent is unbelievable by the way that's in this week's Parish I didn't mention this at the cup of joe I saved it for you but the uh also cup of Joe was like 8 minutes long but the the this week's para we have the the reunion of ysep and his father Yakov and if you look in the para I don't know the language in front of me because I wasn't planning on speaking on this but Yosef can't wait to be seen by his father the language of the p is he wants to be seen by his father when you think he would want to see his father what does it mean he wants to be seen from his father when he reveals himself to his father to his brothers what does he say we spoke about this yesterday in the para class this what what kazal considered the harshest rebuke in the world what kazal described is what we will face when we come to the world of Truth all he says is yesterday we talked about three or four explanations how is that crazy rebuke I'm ysf is my father's still alive that sounds like the most gentle sentence I ever heard in my life how is that the harshest most painful traumatic rebuke the brothers had to ever feel you could listen online to the class but notice what does yoseph say he doesn't say is you your father still alive and he doesn't say is our father what does he say father is my father why because he's desperate to know that his father loves him that his father has been waiting for him longing for him yearning for him looking for him he wants to know the father who I left 22 years ago and the book is open to the page we left off on he sends him the wagons which is a hint to the EG arua the book is literally still open to the page we were learning when we went to aam together yov and ysf he said says is my father and so later he doesn't want to desperately see his father what does he want what is he desperate for to be seen by his father because says not about this but in general the human being the human psyche we are programmed that among the greatest feelings of joy is to give Nas I think we experienced it even as an adult when you give Nas to your parent it feels great when you give Nas to your boss at work study after study shows that among the motivators for employees is not a bonus or more money of course it is but a a not a major or or great bonus talking about something small you know what would do more for the employee if you gave a $25 gift card to Starbucks or you give a compliment study after study after study shows a compliment having the approval of the compliment the admiration some affection from the person who is a position authority over you is the greatest joy you can feel so whether it's giving Nas to your spouse you admire whether it's it's giving Nas to your parent whether it's giving Nas to your boss whether it's giving Nas to your rebi so who is the source of everything of all that exists so therefore there's no Greater Joy than giving to him and Begins the book by talking about the goal of life is to get high on God and he ends the book with the words literally the very end of M is he says that our mission is to give to we don't use the terminology because we think God doesn't need he's not a human being he doesn't have emotions he doesn't get Nas but the answer is yeah the same way We crave NAS from our children and the same way we get the greatest joy by giving Nas to our parents K is our father in Heaven he created us and all he wants from us is to give him some Nas when we make the right choices and the right decisions and we have the right behavior and most of all when we check in with him right is there a greater Nas to a parent then you know this everyone knows the terrible joke about the Jewish mother with son calls and she says I haven't eaten in 5 days and I'm starving and why haven't you eaten I didn't want anything in my mouth lest you called and and in the whole right terrible old Jewish joke so but you know all parents want right when your child reaches out to you your heart skips a beat when you get a text or a FaceTime or a phone call from your children or your grandchildren is there any Greater Joy no not when it's I need money or I need you to bail me out or I need you to get me out of trouble or I need you to give me a ride or I need you when they call for no reason at all but just to fill you in on on their day or to tell you how it's going aana you'll get there but when you get the call from Israel KH just experience the kot the Shook and this when tell you about this class I just went to like wow your heart fills it fills K wants his heart to fill too and he gets the greatest when we check in with him so when we live withas when we cling to him when whatever we go through we go through and we say what am I meant yesterday I was driving back from visiting somebody in hospice to make it in time for M and I was rear ended so okay it's okay everyone relax I'm okay it's okay bumper of the car is not but I'm okay so you sitting there you call the police and you go through and you say this is so annoying this so ridiculous and I'm missing m in my schedule I was supposed to go to this event and not to mention my head hurts and my neck hurts and and then you say you know what it's vas I'm like I'm teaching this every Wednesday morning I have to have stories to tell you and I have to be living it so that's clearly why Hashem keeps you know sending these things so so so you sit there while you're waiting for the police and you say okay hasm this was meant to be at first I started to get really annoyed at hasm and then I said maybe this was better than maybe it was meant to be a horrible car accident and this was a little this was a little rear end this was a little nothing but but other than that you just say okay every opportunity every moment every Challenge and every joy every success every breakthrough are all moments they're windows that challenge us are you going to call your father and tell him about it right when someone loses a loved one when I hear from we have this Cottage club we once a month meet and learn with people who are in their year of mourning a very pervasive feeling of people in the year of mourning is that something happens in their life and they reach for the phone because they want to tell their parent and that's the biggest pain the most profound pain the horrible reminder of the loss is every time something happens where they have this urge this this innate temptation to reach for the phone to call and tell them only they're not there so we have this ability that whatever happens in our life reach for the phone so you just rear ended talk to Hashem you got a speeding ticket talk to Hashem something happened with your child in school talk to Hashem something great happened with your child at school they came home with something to hang on the refrigerator talk to Hashem check in whatever is going on confide in lean on get the support of your father give him a call tell him what's going on that's what creates the closeness that's the life of so what the what the SLB is saying is that life has all those invitations we get invitations left and right from Hashem every day it's an invitation called a car accident it's an invitation called waking up in the morning is an invitation call me tell me what's going on tell me what you're upset about tell me what you're protesting tell me what you're grateful for andus is living a life where we tell him but aside from life itself because sometimes we get so caught up in life we forget so he also threw at us 6 1 mitzvos so now this is the part where Hashem as our father whatsapps us 613 times a day and says don't forget to do this for me can you do this for me and can you do that for me and can you do the other thing for me and why is he saying that not because he's being an annoying parent who's giving you a list of things to do for him why is he saying it what is he really saying when he says don't forget these 613 things what is he really saying don't forget don't forget me don't forget me so 613 times a day that's an exaggeration or depending on the day maybe an underestimate but many times a day Hashem sends a text and he says don't forget me DAV shakas don't forget me light the candles don't forget me cook for chabas don't forget me it's time for don't forget me when you're getting dressed whatever area of Life hi don't forget me not don't forget me because I need it Hashem is perfect he doesn't need it don't forget me because your life will be so much better if you don't forget me because your life will be enriched if you're connected to me so that's what theb is saying we got through a whole whopping sentence here that MIT are not 613 burdens 613 obligations 613 pains in the neck it's 613 opportunities 613 invitations 613 calls from Our Father who saying don't forget me what's going on how's your day I'm checking in what can I do for you what do you need what can I give you we find with the that it corresponds with all of Torah so we have two things which are rabbis in order to emphasize to us how valuable they are they say that these two mitzah really as if correspond with the totality of Torah and what are they the study of Torah T Torah and observing shabas the keeping of what is unique or distinct about these two mitz that emphasize about them that they are as great as if you kept all the Mitzvah combined studying Torah and observing shabas what is the common denominator of the two that makes them equal and opposite to observing all Mitzvah now to be clear it doesn't mean therefore that if you keep shabas you can neglect the other mitzvah nor does it mean that if you learn the you can neglect the other mitz all are trying to do is tell us that it's they're so great that their reward their value is equal and opposite to observing all the Mitzvah what do they have in common suggest the Reb what they have in common is that the essence of both of them is they are vehicles and instruments to achieve Deus when you study Torah you are reading God's diary can you connect to anyone is there anything more personal than reading their diary Hashem says to the Jewish people here's my diary by the way way does he say it to all of humanity the whole world no a non-jew is are forbidden from learning Torah we're not allowed to teach Torah to the non-jew Torah is reserved for his children for the Jew now there's a distinction here between the written Torah and the oral Torah T the written Tor that's for everyone that's why it's in the draw of every hotel room because it's for everyone everyone deserves access to it it's translated into all these languages and Judaism believes that our Torah is a guide for the world read the Bible it's for all of us it's a light for the world the instruction manual for the world but the Torah sh the oral Torah was in fact preserved orally and forbidden to be written down why because it's our secret code it's our private book it's not to be accessed by the world so it was handed person to person rebi to student it was Community a family transmitted parent to child later when reasi was nervous in the second century living in Israel the North of Israel that it was being lost it was being distorted it needed to be written down a he made a very courageous decision probably was putting for it he made a very courageous decision better write it down it's going to be lost it's going to be distorted but really it was meant to be preserved and transmitted orally why because it's just for us it's not for everyone because the Torah is hashem's Diary it's his description for the world it's our understanding of his description for the world so when we study Torah when you open that page of gamar when you're learning Shalom when you open the when you're opening tanak whatever you're doing you're reading hashem's diary you're getting access to his Essence that's you can cling to him do you ever feel closer than when you read someone's diary similarly when you keep shabas shabas is all about amuna andus not going to work I'm not doing things I need to do I simply at peace with nature and with the world I'm accepting hashem's dominion and Providence over the world and I'm at peace with him so the essence of these mitzah is so study of Torah the Z tells us that hem is Torah and the Jewish people are all one t what is the glue that binds us to hem the study of his Torah that is the glue that's what connects us that's what gives us access when we read his diary how after all we're physical beings we live in the physical world we have physical Temptations and desires we have physical needs how can we connect to AEM who is the opposite of physical he is the most purely spiritual that exists so how do you connect oil and water don't mix I was telling my kids the other night after lighting one of the reasons we light with oil or it's preferable with oil is because oil and water don't mix and which one always comes out on top when you put the salad dressing in the fridge before you shake it up again to put it on the which one's on on top oil is the Jewish people how is oil produced you step on the olives you squish them you squeeze out the Jewish people through our history have been persecuted and oppressed we've been squeezed over and over but you know what happens when you squeeze you get fine oil and the oil when it mixes with the water which comes out on top we're squeezed throughout our history but we come out on top and you light that candle and you see the oil on top of the on top of the water so oil and water don't mix the physical and the spiritual they're opposites it's like oil and water you could shake up that salad dressing but how much you going to shake up our lives so how do you mix this is a very idea says this is really the essence of T he says when you study Torah you learn how to transform your body from something that's only physical into the vehicle for the spiritual so that your body that needs food in order to live without Torah you're eating as a glutton without Torah you're eating you know as a you're indulging in Delicacies and you're eating as a as a form of Hedonism but with Torah your eating is transformed from Simply indulging in the pleasure of the body to your eating becoming an act of spirituality understands means that we're mades ourselves where do we find holiness you learn a lot about someone by the way they eat are they shoveling it in are they a glutton do they eat excessively do they eat unhealthy do they rush to eat do they not Express gratitude to the person who made the food you know it says the mck the source for benching the biblical obligation to bench the only that's biblical biblical obligation to recite the blessing after you eat it says you ate you were satisfied you ate enough it was good now it's time to say thank you to whom so the to R I think it is learns from that word s it could have just said in the why did has have the extra word s Laos balas should say Bal balasabas Laos balasabas that when you ate and you were satisfied and you said Thank you don't forget to thank the hostess you learn a lot about somebody by the way they ate did they say thank you before they even ate certainly did they say thank you after they ate did they say you thank you to the person who went shopping and cooked and served and were clean do you think the one who produced the food Hashem Above So eating can either be an act of Hedonism eating can be a physical act or with the study of Torah and understanding who we are and that our our our body is a vehicle for the soul the very Act of eating when you make a Braha beforehand and a Braha afterwards and you make sure what you're eating is kosher and you eat in a healthy way you've transformed and you use the act of eating to host guests you've transformed the act of eating so Torah is the vehicle that binds the body and the soul that gives we humans who are animal likee access to hasem who's purely spiritual when you do something spiritual with your body you haven't just accessed your spirit you've transformed your very body as it says T when you study Torah it is absorbed into your bloodstream when you eat food it's absorbed into your bloodstream is it not you take a blood test does it not tell you what you've been eating what's your cholesterol what's your A1C what's your glucose level what's your you go to the doctor and he takes a blood test and he'll tell you everything about the way you ate for the last three months he knows whether you've been a good girl or a bad girl he knows how you've been how many lkas and did you dive into your blood your blood reveals what you've been eating so tell us that your blood also reveals whether you've been learning Torah the blood test because it's it's absorbed into our Essence we don't only transform the spirit we transform the body because which says that aor is not literally boor here is both in the Hebrew and the English b o o ainor which translates to a boor you're a boor you can't be you're not God-fearing and if you're an ignoramus you can't be righteous writes when a person lacks wisdom they're called when you lack wisdom you're called of the land of the Earth because the body which comes from the earth that houses wisdom cannot compare to the body which comes from the earth which lacks any wisdom it's a beautiful Insight the mar explains why if you're ignorant are you called anat it's a big insult in Judaism you say to somebody you're that's amarus an you're part ofat what do you mean you're from the land it means that if you don't have wisdom in your head your body is just a physical body you're just part of the land but if you have wisdom if you studied Torah you've elevated your your body to not just be a product of the Earth but now you're connected to the heavens where do those words come from anyone recognize them they come from nishas on shabas morning we say nishas when we express our gratitude toas the soul of every living thing God calls out to you the whole world the whole nature the world is singing your praise hem and what do we say within that all of my bones call out God who's like you so my whole body and all of my energy it's all my Essence is to cling to you through the Torah we can Merit to connect to God as it says in the we say in the every day that our mission is to love hm with all of our heart how do you express love to the r is very clear about this says the B when a person sits and studies Torah how do you connect to God by getting to know him can you connect to someone you barely know it's very hard to connect to somebody you haven't met and you don't know even if you want to know them my niece is getting married in a few weeks please God we're all going very excited I never met her Guru her so I love him I love him because my niece loves him I love him because he's going to be a member of the family it's more like I can't wait to love him but I don't know him so you could want to and claim to love and Love by extension because people you love love but if you don't know how could you really love so I'm excited to spend time with him whatever time we'll get with him he's officer in the Israeli Army one of the modern macbes so he doesn't have a lot of time I think he has barely has time to get married and then go back back into the army so so the same is true with Hashem you could claim to want to love Hashem you could love Hashem because people you know who know Hashem love him and you love them so you want to love Hashem but how could you love him if you don't know him and how can you know him if you don't study his Torah how could you know what his vision is for us what are his values what are his priorities why did he design the world what what is who is Hashem how could you love Hashem if you don't know him so how do you love God to love God is to know God to love him is to know him or to know him is to love him so again the theb is trying to drive into us the essence of life is to cling to hhm the greatest pleasure available to us is to get high on God to feel him in life I'm telling you again each one of us could go around the room and tell stories but you're not the ones who get to speak I am so I tell you I tell you so I end up telling you I end up telling you my stories so not because they're unusual and not because you don't have them not because I'm different but I'm saying take yesterday without Hashem I'd be freaking out I'm late it's miserable I have my car I got to go to the shop now it's so annoying what a pain right right by the way it had to happen right at the route that the entire Hill day school and yiva high school drive home when they let out so that was you that was me so about 50 people you okay everything okay people texting me my kid wanted to know if the rabbi got a ticket I was great so it was lovely it was one person I saw had his camera I was taking a picture of it was lovely so mcus was with me he was in the passenger seat yamaka went flying into the back seat yeah anyway so so um I haven't heard from him yet today I hope he's okay the bottom line is so it was annoying it's annoying it's annoying I got to get the bumper fixed and you have a headache and will the person pay for it and the hual thinks that I speed okay it's annoying fine so without vus without vus so I'd be really annoyed I'd be B out of shape and I I promise you I'm not exaggerating and again not because I'm special I'm just giving you an example based on what we're learning I haven't thought about it it hasn't it hasn't shook me at all okay got to bring the car into the shop I'll get paid for it is what it is it was for a reason the things don't happen randomly I mean the funny part is that R mcus and I were visiting somebody who's in hospice and when we were coming back they're in Sinai so you could come back you know take the boo r or take lions with the traffic right he said make a ride on lions you're going to get traffic I said nah no I like going boar Rio so it really was meant to be either I caused it or forced it or it was meant to be right could have gone a different way I should have listened lessen moral of the story listen to RAB MC so my point is that living life of deus is not cuz Hashem somehow is better off because we're clinging to him we're better off we have the tools to be able to get through whatever annoying thing happens in the day when you understand and interpret that there happened for a reason it wasn't random okay there's a reason it happened for a reason I'll take care of it no big deal it's an invitation and by the way I reached out and called hm I was waiting for the cops I sitting there I had a conver I had a con we had a conversation I had something to share with we had a conversation I reached out why' this happen what's going on please make this simple and easy and fixable and let it go away and whatever reason let it have been the reason let it have been the kapara who knows whatever so things happen because they're invitations to us to have a conversation call out hasem that's whatas means living a life ofus and I'll end by telling you on this eth day of KH I sent it out as my amuna message today says that during the time of the story ofah we were not allowed to observe suus right one of the things that the Syrian Greeks prevented us from doing was keep Jewish holidays so we couldn't keep suus that year suus is seven days and right after suus comes another holiday which is a regular it's a holiday on its own called says when we were victorious when we triumphed and we were able to establish Kana they dka established it for how long 8 days to make up and compensate for the eight days we weren't able to keep ofus if that's true the eth day of khek today Z KH corresponds with what is the theme of says don't go don't leave we've had seven incredible days together it's been intense it's been wonderful don't leave don't go stay one more day stay one more day right what grandparents tell children about their grandchildren it's been amazing just stay one or sometimes leave one leave one day early that all depends on the experience you know do you do you really have to stay one more day hopefully it's hopefully it's please stay one more day so hasem says don't go stay one more day and that's the theme and essence of Z khaka the eth day of Kaneka also stay one more day it's been filled with such light we've dispelled the darkness there's such warmth it's so amazing we have such Clarity we see what's right in front of us what's right under our nose don't go stay one more day just stay one more day the last day OFA is our holding on for one more day to take the light last night was the brightest night all eight candles and to take the brightness all that light to be able to go into the winter we're going deeper into the winter which again literally or figuratively deeper into the winter but it's the winter of Darkness the days are short there's very little light so we need to dispel that Darkness the little light we bring greater light by dragging the Kan candles the manura that light with us as we go forward of Bon so RAB Mur I heard say the other day a beautiful idea he said that the name is the word for a Jew is has the letters Alin inside them has the letters H because inside a Jew you have to have a fire burning to be a Jew is to be on fire it's to have a fire in your belly don't live life half asleep don't be asleep even while you're awake don't be dead even while you're alive be passionate be enthusiastic have energy have a fire raging in your belly and here's the nice idea I'm not a gatria guy but that said so Y in gatria is 541 if you subtract the H if you remove the fire which is 301 you're left with 240 what's 240 a Malik why why what did a Malik try to do to us we were walking away from Hari we walked away from Hari we were on fire the greatest revelation we felt hm's presence in our life we were determined to live life the way he wanted to give him and what happened what did Amal come and do they splashed cold water is core cold water they poured cold water on our fire they said what are you so on fire about who says there's a God there's cynicism there's sarcasm they introduce chance and Randomness they said who says there's a God they splashed cold water and they put out our fire if you remove the is from is you get a mik in gatria if you take the fire out of your belly you're not a Jew then you're living the life of a Malik to be a Jew is to be on fire to be passionate to be alive so that's our mission on this Z KH on this eth day to take the light to take the candles don't when you put away the manura this afternoon or tonight I was going to put it away this morning I said you know what stilla wait till tomorrow wait till tomorrow don't don't clean up from Kaneka so fast we don't clean up we drag Kaneka with us believe me in 3 months your cholesterol T will show the kanuka impact is still still uh still still with you so M we have that fire in our belly we live the life ofas we answer the many invitations a day from Hashem answer the FaceTime call talk to him tell him what's going on in life and admm will feel the pleasure of a life ofas have a great day