R' Avi Slansky -Tefillah, Redefining Prayer, Connection & Purpose - Project Inspire Convention 2025

Good morning. Good morning everyone. I know in general a project inspire convention is a late late night. Losing an hour last night I'm sure did not help anyone. So those who stayed and still are eager to hear a little bit more, a little bit more inspiration, a little bit more asy just announced it's time to recharge the batteries one more time is incredible. Is incredible. And I hope I hope it's I know everyone I'm sure already has you know notebooks in their minds full of all the incredible knowledge inspiration to take forwards and I hope I hope to add on a few nuggets but in particular what I'm hoping for is it's Sunday Purim is Friday it's the week of Purim we just finished par we just finished par inaugurating the kaleim so I hope we're gonna end with a few practical nuggets and the plan is going to be we have five days now Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, five days and hopefully we can have a very short plan five days to go into Purim may be a completely different mindset and as we'll end we'll see from the words of Rav Hudner that what happens on Purim hopefully hopefully will stay with us for the whole year. So in as much as the title today is redefining is not just three times a day but as we'll see this is intrinsically connected to Purim and hopefully it will allow us to really really tap into something special. So to start I had a conversation no we we'll keep the conversation for two more moments but let's let's start with understanding why has anything to do with purim and then we'll go into par we'll d a little bit about the kim and then hopefully it will all connect as we're starting to realize what really we're living and has to do with purim is Esther Morai what does the ram teach us is the whole creation of purim The whole creation of Purim says the Rambam is to know that for all generations we should know. We trust in the weem. You call out to Hashem, Hashem answers you. The entirety of Purim really is we're remembering and we're going to get to in a moment really what's at the depth of that. remembering that Hashem answers our Morai and Esther everything seemed terrible everything seemed lost and yet Hashem answered their so in reality Purim is all about of course we it'd be remiss if we don't quote the famous whoever sticks out their hand we know anyone who comes to you supposed to give him says you stick out your handm can't say no to it on Purim and that's the incredible the entire creation of Purim was for so on purim is an incredible time of and it's not just on Purim itself really we know you could really be reading the migill already from yalif this is the whole gimm so it's really Tuesday it's Wednesday it's Thursday and then culminating with Friday and this is an idea which is powerful it's an idea that really hones in that as much as purum is 25 powers, we should utilize it. And of course the and all that is critically important and the suda and the yin but and that's very important but in reality it really goes much deeper. It's not really just about the 25 hours of pur and it's not really just about the at all. And that's what we're going to try to explain here this morning. I had a conversation this past week. It was a very difficult conversation. It was a child who's struggling, a teenager, and he was explaining how, you know, unfortunately he hasn't put on for some time and Shabas, you know, in public he keeps Shabas, but, you know, he's not he's not he's not shame Shabas, unfortunately. And unfortunately, he's he's going through real struggles. And we were talking about it and trying to figure out and shabas to him is very difficult. And I asked him, why is Shabas so difficult? He didn't really have an answer. I said to him, let me let me paint you a picture. Imagine you're going to go away for 25 hours similar to a project inspired convention. You're going to go to a hotel with your friends. Everything is catered perfect. There's no real you even need to do. would shabas be such a burden to you? And he says, I can't just do shabas. I said again, choose, script it, take whatever friends you want, we'll send you on a plane, you'll go to an exotic island, you'll take over the hotel, we'll get the best caterer, you're going to show up Friday afternoon, you're going to leave late Saturday night, and it's going to be quote unquote shabas. Now, it's true. It It's not really shabas, unfortunately. But is there something that I can't do it? I just can't do it. And then I tried a third time. him. I said, "What? What is it? What is it? What's the problem? Your friends are all there. You're hanging out with your friends. What more do you need?" And he said, "My phone." Said, "Okay, your phone." I said, "What do you need your phone for? Your friends are all there with you. What do you need it for? Who who you texting? Who you WhatsAppapping? They're they're sitting there with you. You'll get the Arab Shabas selfie. Okay. You need another and a third. What What is it?" And he said, "I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't." I said, Why? What's the problem? Everything is there. It's food. It's kishmak. It's it's wonderful. And finally, what he said was, I can't be cut off from the world for 25 hours. A very painful statement. Obviously, a boy who's in deep, deep pain. I can't be cut off from the world. And as much as he has everything in front of him, I'm going to script it. Take 20 friends. Take 30 friends. Take 50 friends. I wanted him to realize what he was saying. And he said, I just can't. I can't be quote unquote cut off from the world. In the very depth, what is this teenager saying to us is what does he really need? He's craving the connection that he thinks he has with his phone and the world. He's craving connecting. And as much as he's sitting with people, that's the greatest connection. We're we're sitting here, we're connecting. No, it needs to connect. That can't be cut off. Because really at the core of our very being, what we really all want, we really all want to be connected. We really all want to feel a deep connection. Now, he's obviously channeling this very inappropriately and he's in a very difficult place and hopefully he'll get where he needs to get to. But we realize that there's a place in us that we just need connection. So much so that you can have everything but feel like you're missing it all. Now, that connection is really what we're going to try to find here this morning because that connection could really come in a very different way. And what's incredible is sometimes you could have people that they Yes, they do davin three times a day. They do their dinging, they do their learning, they do their and if you talk to them on a deep level, they'll tell you they're yeah, they they feel like they're missing something. They feel like they're just not connected. They feel like they feel a void. What's the void? You just came from shul. You had a kusa. You checked off your daff. You went and you helped a friend. What are you missing? But they're missing. They're missing a connection. They're missing something. What is that something that they're missing? And how how perhaps could we tap into it? So let's for a few moments let's understand really what's going on on Purim. What's really the malik? What really is happening? And I think with that understanding we'll be able to realize where we could truly connect and more importantly take our felis from being peruncturery three times a day endeavors into being hopefully a life full of hopefully as a shiminkis concludes his monumental safer and he says you know what the very tenant the basics the foundation is not only three times a day. He tells someone you went to hear and feel. Yeah. What do you say? Don't diamond three times a day. It's not about the Well, you know what? At some level that might actually be true. It's really not about the three a day. It's an actual foundational plan to the life that we lives as yidden and we're going to try to come to figure out what that is and how we could fill that connection and then hopefully those three a day. Yeah, keep on ding those three a day. Keep on doing those of and checking that box and learning and doing all that. But maybe, just maybe, we could find something a little bit deeper that will allow all these actions to connect which will ignite and spark and make that void slowly close up. So when we understand what's going on with a malik for a few quick moments, what do we say? Remember what happened to Malik. So what are we remembering? What are we remembering? We're taking once a year. We're just remembering this terrible action to Malik. What are we doing? So we look back in the parish. Why did come says Rashi? Because the said is there God with us? Is he hashem with us? In answering that question comes. Now that question is asked by people that just left mitim. They just witness all the nissim. They're on the highest of levels. And what are they asking? I don't see God. I don't feel him. So if we feel bad maybe amongst ourselves that when we say, "Yeah, we dive in and we learn and we're not feeling Hashem." We're missing that connection. Don't worry. None less than the Yidden themselves that left Mitim said that precise line. Is there a god amongst us? Now the answer unfortunately was a malik and it's exactly what we're trying not to go back to. But the question is a real one. It's a feeling. It's an emotion. It's something that we really struggle with if we actually think about it for a moment. Yeah, we believe God created the world of course and yes, Hashem runs the world of but down to I I don't I don't really see him right here. I don't really feel him right here. Do Do we really feel Hashem holding your hand like we're supposed to all day? Or maybe are we closer to theu is Hashem really amongst us. Where where would we put ourselves? Where would we put ourselves on a daily continuum? Not of course while we're davening of while we're dabing. We know there's a God and while we're learning, but where are we the rest of the day? Where are we? Maybe when we walk into the office or maybe when we're hanging out with the kids or maybe when we're just going out to eat. At that moment, are we still at the point of, "Yeah, of course, Hashem's right here with me." or are we closer to the and in truth what was happening at's party. So I think we all grew up with the perm story and if we didn't we should all listen to it because it's wonderful and what was going on and they portray all the midrashim which are gavaldic and of course all the wonderful wines corresponding to your age and everything catered to each and every person and maybe even perfectly kasher but in reality the says something else happened. It's true. It was kosher. It's true. Everything was perfectly fine. But what was celebrating? What was he celebrating himself? I took over the world. I took out the says of this party wasn't just a lewd crazy party which maybe it was and other go down that route and that's very critically important as well to realize the opulence the wealth the parties and the evils that there are but we're not talking about that today goes a completely different route and he says you know what was going on was celebrating his was celebrating how he controlled the world. And by the yidden going, they were agreeing to the principle that yeah, our actions define our course in history. That yeah, our brains will determine if I get a good job. That yeah, if I get the best doctor, then true, I'll get healed. They were celebrating a lack of they were celebrating that it's the almighty eye and by showing up to that party and participating in's incredible feast. They were walking around saying it's not is God with us? Nah. It all has to do with uh you know who gets a better business tip, who gets a better job, who has a better connection, who could uh get a better shad and who could get a better doctor. That's what it's all about. So what happens when you feel that way? What happens when you walk around saying, "Oh, is there Hashem amongst us?" Comes Hmon comes Hmon comes Hmon to the party and all the suddenly is going to be destroyed because they're walking around with a lack of and what was the answer? The answer was Esther was Morai. The answer was as we spoke about that it's an incredible day of but now we're starting to realize is it just is that really what the answer was what are we coming to fight against we're not coming to fight a lack of it's not that oh they didn't dive in three times a day maybe they did I could only imagine that's party there was a minion outside probably and I'm sure they were ding I for sure everything was kosher I'm sure They were. But then what were they doing the moment later? They were walking in and saying, "Oh, yeah. It's it's it's us. It's not Hashem." That was the detail says of that was the problem. Again, let's just hone in on this detail because I think our vision of the PM party of was a little bit different and that's a different medish. But I is teaching us again it could have been a very civilized environment and of course it's the whole story and she's coming out undressed and her own party. Let's not ruin our mindset. But says the problem here was that was celebrating himself was celebrating how he conquered the world and by the yidden subscribing to that. Yes, maybe they ded and yes, maybe they even did their well there was no daff but maybe yes they even did their learning and their and maybe they walked out and they packed up a bag to bring home for their neighbor. They did said, but what was the problem? The problem was that they were missing here. That's what they were missing, which is a detail which is so difficult for us to really internalize because it's really true. Yes, I can make a bra. Yes, I could dive in chakras and at the exact same moment be totally ignorant, totally forgetful of the fact that is really running the world. At the same moment that I'm saying as I walk, I could then think, oh wait, if I oh shoot, I missed the doctor's call. Oh, all hope is lost. What? What? You you what? Oh, I have to take the call. Oh, I'm going to miss the business meeting. I'm middle of wait who who makes the outcome? We maybe know intellectually the answers. But do we live that way by showing up to's party? They were subscribing to they were subscribing to they were subscribing to the fact that yeah, things just happen on their own. It's not God that makes it happen. No. makes it happen. So the answer to that yes was yes was Esther yes was Mori but it was a much deeper level of it's what we're going to try to determine I think we're starting to paint the picture in our minds it's called the life of it's those words of pinkism to live life on this world with Hashem and if your mind is thinking Wait, this sounds very similar to Isn't this what is? Well, of of course the two are actually one and the same. What does it mean to have? It means yes, Hashem is not all the way up there only. He's also right here holding my hand. And what does it mean to davin? What does it mean to live? It means to realize, be cognizant at every single moment that yes, Hashem is holding my hand. So when we're trying to figure out that connection that we're craving and maybe we're wondering I'm doing everything right. Well maybe it's because everything is staying it in its own little box. Yeah we ded. Yeah we learned. Yeah we did. But do we do it with the recognition of I need to do that because I'm in control because I make the shots. I have a job and I have to show up on time because if I don't show up on time I'm going to have a problem. This is all issues of now of course I'm not I'm not espousely that people should be reckless and just you know dive in crazy hours and learn crazy hours and show up late to jobs and miss business meetings. Obviously not. But on the very depth when we dig deep into our nishama and we ask ourselves what are we really doing and in reality the daytoday could look exactly the same and that's why this is so so tricky. The same person could wake up early and dav and wake up early and learn and go to the business and go to the doctor's appointment and come home late for and then go to sleep. The same person and one of them could do it with the recognition of Hashem and one of it could do it that this is just the way I do it. And the answer usually is at those critical moments like we said you said that of Tim and you missed the doctor's call. How do you feel at that moment? Do you feel oh I'm never going to be able to get through to him again? All hope is lost. Well, if you feel that way, then we have a problem. If you feel, oh, I had a meeting and oh, the person came late, came early, I came late, I came early, got stuck in traffic, something unavoidable, and up, all hope is lost. Well, that means that we're missing something very, very basic. Now, I want to go a drop deeper for a moment or two. There's an incredible, and this is really going to allow us to tie this all together with really what's going to be happening with Purim. And then we're going to hopefully end with an incredible practical piece of advice from Paris from the Madri of the Vik something so incredible I don't know why it's not more famous and when I reread it again this parabas in a book that came out with his of his vadm of faith over fear it hit me like a lightning bolt and that's what I want to share with you in a few moments but before we get there we're talking about davening we're talking about connecting we're just finished para zakar this past week's para there was another detail in the para that I want to bring into this conversation and it's the detail of what goes on in the b mikdash there's something called ara there's something called kyas and every single day there were a few avoid that happened in the ba mdash there was a carbon of course there was the cleaning out of the manra lighting the minra is when they did it in the morning and in the afternoon then there was the kirus in the morning and in the afternoon and minra you light something light you burn something but what's really kyus it's the it's the wonderful fragrance of the kyus the minra brings out and talks about this in one place and this really talks about this at length let's think about for a moment together what is the minra and what is the karis minra is light sight the sense of sight to see I can't see in the room unless I turn on the lights that's the is a sense of smell says Misha Feinstein each one is extremely important often our sense of smell comes to help us when our sense of sight can't simple example you open up a bottle of milk it looks perfectly fine right everything's And sometimes you're like, I don't even want to smell it. I got a little nervous, you know, so I'm just going to pour it in the coffee. And sometimes it talks to you as you're pouring it in. You're like, okay, there went that cup of coffee. How did that happen? Says Mosha, the sense of smell is a key, is a reminder. Is there as a warning something smells off? It's a terminology that we even use when it's not really a smell. Well, a businessman could analyze a deal. Something smells off. Smells off. I think the paper smells. What do you No, no. It's it's that it's that it's that sense that just a little bit off. That's the sense of smell. Cesar Misha. The sense of smell is there to remind us and to be a warning sign sometimes about look a little bit deeper. Don't just judge what meets your eye. It all looks perfect. It's great. Smell it. Smell a little bit deeper. talks about and we know what's the sense of smell. We know about Shabas, right? We just did ADA. We had a and we have bisamim. What's the bisim? We know bam is a very holy sense. What is bis is the sense of smell connects to your nishama. You're losing your nish. You see, you want to reawaken inside of you. The sense of smell connects you to your nishama. We can actually understand this. Something smells off. Something a little bit deeper is not adding up. something is just not the way it appears. That's a little bit deeper. That's internal. That's your nishama talking to you. And yeah, it can even be in business. And it could be in everything. There's that extra sense is that we don't live just 2D lives. What's in front of us? What we see is what we get. No, no, no. Go a little bit deeper. Smell it. Smell it. Go a little bit deeper. What is it? Now, these two things start off every single day in the Ba Mdash and end every single day. Every single day. And if you look at the Pik M, we don't have time right now. The Pik links the minra and the kyas together. If we think about this for a moment, this is a charge to every day of our life. We have to be careful of our sight and of our smell. What does that mean? We have to be careful. How does it look what we're doing? The look, the sight, that's what's fake. I'm sorry. That's the 2D. That's the checkboxes of life. Did you din? Did you learn? Did you do? Were you nice to someone? It's very important. You lit them in. You illuminated. You turned on the lights. Very important. But there's something a drop deeper that maybe no one in the world could see aside for yourself. Does it smell right? You did it all. You davened. Did Did you davin? No. No. You put on your fill and you said you did. Did Did your nama davin I said the word? No. No. One second. One second thing. Did it smell right? Did your fa smell right? What do you mean? Did it smell right? Again, let's go back to that business deal. You analyze the whole thing. You sense something is off. It smells off. What does it mean it smells off? It means there's something deeper that is lacking. Yeah, I ded I sent my I did my daff. Wait, did my nish connect to what I'm doing? Did it go deep inside me? I'm supposed to walk out of it feeling connected. I'm supposed to leave Adafura feeling connected. I'm supposed to walk out of the hospital feeling like I did something. And it's not about the feeling. It's not that if you don't feel it, it's not real. But there's something deep within. There's this sense of smell explains this fast MS. The sense of smell that is there to remind us don't live perunctuary checkbox lives. Don't just go through you're going to's party and you're at the outside. What are you doing? You check the box. Okay. Really? You dive in chakras as you put it down and you walk inside. Oh, you look at the walls. Beautiful. Everything's kasher. Wonderful. What are you going to do? You're going to celebrate. What are you doing? Does it smell right? Is your nishama where you are? Are you performing the now? There's an incredible detail about the no one knows. Theirus was brought on the inner misbehini says the gars if you did not have a misbeh I don't know well what happens if you didn't have a minra well you don't have a minra you can't light the minra right so you don't have a misbeak you can't bring the says the garra says the garra I would like to quote the daf okay I will not like to quote the daf I think it's ness says says the gar if you don't have the misbehas how you bring it on the mak says the garra explains the mafarim if we're starting to realize that is the rayak is the smell is what's a little bit deeper is what's more than meets the eye is the depth is the connection oh now it makes a lot of sense I don't even need the misbeak I don't even need any kali to connect to Hashem. I don't even need a shina x-ray. I don't even need a dkamura perhaps. I don't need anything. The katyas is the connection itself. The connection that could be done right there on the floor of the basdash. It does not need anything else. What we're craving, what we're looking for when we want to connect does not need any vehicles. It's the most amazing and beautiful thing. which of course also makes it the most difficult because it's not can't be scripted like a it can't be purchased like a new gamarra and it can't be checkboxed like I did my or my it doesn't need the misbay that's the kyus that is the connection that we're craving it just brought right there that is the rayak that is the scent when we're coming to counteract amalik When we're trying to understand and ask ourselves a very difficult question, do we walk around feeling a little bit missing, a little bit lacking, we're doing everything right, just we don't feel it. We're learning maybe even about we don't feel Hashem's holding our hand. It's because what we're lacking is we're lacking the we're lacking the lacking the sand. We're lacking bringing the we're looking everywhere. We're lacking that depth and we're lacking that connection. And what's beautiful and what's incredible is that really built into our daily lives, there are ways to find this. All we need to do is just turn on our brains a little bit. And I'm going to I'm going to utilize a famous story with Zeb Ginsburg. I think everyone knows he almost died in COVID unfortunately. He was in a coma for I think I think it was 30 days. I don't remember the exact number. And eventually he bar Hashem got out of the hospital and there was a picture that went viral which was him getting out of the being wheeled out of the hospital in a stretcher and he was sitting there holding a safer and it happened to have been the safer I'm holding right now which is a Rambam not the safer but happened to have been a safer I'm holding right now but no one knew in the picture in the video the clip that went viral you saw him coming out he's in a stretcher he's holding a safer and they wheel him into his house and subsequently everyone was wondering and I'll be honest I was wondering himself, what's he learning right now? What what what's going on here? And he says over in his own words how he had his balatim asking him, "Oh, you catching up on the dafi, you were doing shay mikra, what were you doing?" Now, what's incredible is at this point he did not yet know what was going on in the world. They didn't tell him anything. He did not know he was in a coma for 30 days. He knew he went to the hospital and I think he thought he was there for two and a half weeks. He did not know anything else. and they're bringing him home and once he was home and once he was acclimated then of course they started the difficult process of letting him know what happened and you know bringing him back to reality. So he said, "I was in the ambulance and I'm on the way home and I knew I was in the hospital for a few weeks." Didn't realize he was in a coma for 30 days. Didn't realize that the entire Claius Israel was doubting for him. And he told his wife, I you know, she said to come home. What do you want? He said, "I don't want a whole, you know, I don't, you know, he's a rough, he's right, he's everything. I don't want a whole fanfare. I'll come home. Family and friends." Okay. So he's sitting in the ambulance and they're driving him home. And as he driving home, he said, I was thinking, says Ginsburg. I was thinking, what am I supposed to think when I come home? When I make it, I'm alive. What what am I what am I supposed to do? And he said at that moment, he remembered Rashwab said over that when we walk by a muza, there's a muza. And he didn't recall it precisely. So he called his son, Cesar Gizer. I called my son and I said to him, "Go to my study." I showed him where the Rambam was and bring me the Rambam. I want to look at it because he remember that Rashuab says something incredible about Muza and he wanted as he's being wheeled into his house and he crosses that threshold of the muza to have that thought in his mind and he said he was looking at the Rambam and what happened was is whoever took him out of the ambulance didn't ask him if he was ready. So he didn't get a chance. He had to put down the Rambam. So he was trying to look up and I'm going to read the words he was looking and all of a sudden the door is open. They wheel him out and there is Rabbi Ginsburg staring at the Rambam unbeknownst to have any clue what's going on. And now all the stories start what exactly was Rabbi Ginsburg learning but he said you know what I was doing I was looking at this now it's an easy to remember it's 613 chapter 6 chapter got to be careful excuse me whenever you go in and out of a house and you meet this you should be thinking You should think about the oneness of Hashem and remember Hashem loves me and he wakens me from my sleep and I don't get caught up in all the all the craziness of the world. There's nothing in this whole world and then of course you'll have a good day. You go on your way. Cesar begins. I'm coming home. I'm p passing by a muza for the first time. I wanted to have this in my mind. I wanted to be cognizant and remember the love Hashem has for me. The fact that Hashem is watching me at every moment. And that's what he was looking at. Incredible story. But I think there's something so deep here that we're all missing. We walk by Ms. Many kiss it and we move on. So much so it's it's literally it's a reflex. We could train a dog to do the same thing. We could train dogs to walk by and kiss something. It's a reflex. What are we really supposed to be doing? And it's it's actually fascinating. It's actually the brings it down. The writes it that there's actually a pulse you're supposed to say when you touch the Hashem, help me, guard me. What is a misuza? Muza protects the house. Protects the house from the elements. When I come home, when I go out, when I come home, I say, "Thank you, Hashem. You allowed me to come home. When I go out, I ask Hashem to accompany me on my way." The muza, it's a reminder. Unfortunately, it comes a reflex as everything does as we do them day in and day out. It becomes part of that checkbox. It becomes the outside of Akash's party. So much so, I heard from someone a terrible story. He was sitting with a teen who was struggling. No yarmaka, no anything. And he was saying how he's totally gone. He was trying to explain to this rabbi that he's finished. And on his way out of the room, he went like this. And the said, "What are you doing?" He's like, "Nothing." It just happens. It's beautiful. It is. And it's built into our life. It's so amazing. But is it really so amazing taught Rabbi Ginsburg to the whole world that we're supposed to have a cognizant, a recognition that Hashem is guarding my house. Hashem allowed me to come home. We don't know, God forbid, how many people leave their houses and for whatever reason don't come home. So, we have these built in. I'm going to give a few more examples before I end with Rab Perah's incredible. A few more examples that we don't even realize. We go to the bathroom. We says, we says, anyone who's ever been in the hospital ever, whether it's for good reasons, whether it's for bad reasons, everyone knows one of those check boxes is before you leave the hospital, you got to have a bowel movement. We'll say it appropriately. And yet, we use the bathroom because we do it so many times a day. And we come out, we mumble ours, and we move on our daily life. Ridiculous. totally unfathomable. So much so that there's many many stories and actually recently my brother was a child in the story mahuva could be you heard the name he went to cycle this past and he asked he asked him what could I do as for my son doesn't talk he took out a piece of paper and he wrote he wrote that you should say from the text that's what he said to him to do and there's been many many stories we don't have time now for all the stories I'm sure you heard enough stories out speak and maybe I'll add one or two when we finish. But many many stories that yeah saying and it's it's it's a wild thing and I'm I'm going to be perfectly honest. So my brother said this to me. I said, "Okay, I'm going to start." I'm like, "Yeah, it's so simple, right? The whole thing is four four lines. It takes 20 seconds. What's the big deal?" Right? So you come out of the bathroom and you get the text and you stop and like almost instinctively like you have to walk away before you finish. Like you're getting to a hold on, you know, and you know, wiping your hands. No, you have to. You're ready. We're already taking out our phone. We're already checking what are we doing? Even when we're trying, it's just so difficult. But that is a built-in connection. So yeah, maybe we see a I don't know, I'm not going to ask everyone their bathroom habits, but I don't know, four, five, six, seven times a day. But do any of those times we actually connect? Do we ever pause for a moment and say oh my oh my and then say the 20 seconds is not the difficult part. If we actually stop and are cognizant of what happened and ask anyone when they come out of a surgery and when they can't use the bathroom and then they start right afterwards oh do they say unfortunately life takes over and they lose that. But for trying to reconnect and we're trying to bring Hashem back, not just from floating up there, not fromu, but bring him back into us. We have to utilize the check marks that are built into the day. We travel, we travel nowadays, travel all over the world. We say shilas. When do I say it? Where do I say it? There's one thing for sure. When you say it, where you say it, it's good. Shilas, but when you say it, what are you dabbing for? the amount of unlimited accidents and things that could really happen when a person is traveling and yet it's a sh which is beautiful people ask should I say it here should I say it here and then it's okay what what are we doing and yes I I'm pointing out that we should say the words properly but I'm really pointing out something a little bit deeper than even that because people actually do say the words properly sometimes because we're growing people barem and people try and maybe people even say it from the text the question is are we cognizant of what of what we are doing or are we just lighting the minra we're turning on the lights but are we smelling the katarus does it smell right are we proud of those actions that we're doing I'll give one more example and then I'm going to conclude with the eight of last example last example is medicine we take medicine there's actually a you're supposed to say before you take medicine people have no clue what it is it's a Mr. Bur brings down the kids of the and I often try to point out so you don't know what the is and it's actually cute nowadays the little kids our world has gone very from it's wonderful the kids in third fourth fifth grade in school the girls they make these cute little bookmarks hang it on the fridge with the sign excellent whether we know the or not but what's the purpose of the ratsen we're not going to remember the ratsen that's okay but what we could remember is before I pop those Advil for the terrible headache before I take the antibiotics for the flu that came back the 17th time before I give the kid the medicine as you know the next kid's sick the next kid is sick welcome to the winter this year before we do that do we pause and say we know medicine doesn't work well it doesn't work but we know that medicine is not what make things work we know that we know that in our minds we know that it's Hashem that either allows the medicine to work or not we all know this I'm not saying any as says what's right in front of us we know it but then we're just too busy we pop the three advils and we continue working hoping it's going to kick in so I can continue working. We're so silly. Pause for a moment. Stop. Hashem, please allow this medicine to work. I could have a clear mind and I continue working. Like I mention, that's all it is. That's a And that is the most powerful that is more powerful perhaps than any we say. And as Shaminka says this in his safer he says one could be on the way to work and maybe he ded this morning maybe he didn't and he's sitting in traffic and at that moment of traffic if he pauses and he says hey I'm going to miss the meeting what do we do we get all aggravated we everything we start trying to figure it out says according to every opinion in the world at that moment you have a you have a biblical obligation to turn to Hashem and ask for help Rambam Rambam. Yes, the rice and not the everyone agrees. Sor what does sor mean? Sor doesn't have to mean the world's blowing up. S means you need something. You're in a moment of need. You're in a moment of need. Everyone agrees. You have to dive into Hashem. And that's the precise moment that we don't dive into Hashem. That's the precise moment that we walk into the we start figuring out I'm going to outbeat ways. I'm going to figure out another back row that's going to make it work. And if I can't do that, I'll finagle a white lie to send an email to call a client that I was there. I wasn't there. They made a mistake with the meeting. It was supposed to be 20 minutes later. It wasn't supposed to happen. I walk in with the whole show. Oh, no. Wait. Oh, yeah. Okay. Let's just get going. It's all good. We just davened Shakras in the of outside of his party. We walked in. It's time that we try to figure out a way to connect all the wonderful things that we're doing to ignite the nishama within. This is all very difficult. The reason why this is very difficult because these are all things that we do every day and maybe we even say all these felo and we're maybe wondering how could we actually connect it has incredible book faith of a fear which is based on his vadim he writes the following and I'm going to read it's not his words it's a transcription but uh it captures a little bit of the way the himself would speak and he talks about brais that's the one area I didn't mention I spoke about I spoke about saying before you take medicine I spoke about how many should operative word we make a day how many unlimited we eat crazy amounts not just at a convention always we eat we eat we eat we eat and it happens to be no in your home you can make one and it's for the whole thing it's true I agree but still what I know Oh. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I benched yesterday. No. And then we work on benching. Okay. And what about what about Brenda Fes? Brand F. You had a cup of coffee. Brenda Fes. Wh why why don't we It's a good question. It's a question that you know I hang out a lot with teenagers. It's question always bothered me. Like we do so many things but like have like so listen to the words of Rabbi Perisatal. It is difficult to have kavana when making brahis. Do you know why you do not have kavana when you say because you do not have kavana when you eat? That is why you are not in the bra. If you would only appreciate and pay attention to the pleasure of the act of eating, the attention to the braha would automatically follow. A man tries to be meticulous about his kavana by shuckling and firing his brow. I say instead, enjoy the apple. Anticipate taking a big juicy bite that dribbles down your chin and bask in it. That alone will do wonders for your kavana. Right? Per is telling us something very simple but yet very deep. He's giving us an advice how could really get control of our life. And actually in one place says you want to work on just work on the name of and how many times a day do we say it but maybe just maybe and we know we try to say may a day and we know created to counteract the mifa the plague but again it's not just checking that box I got through a 100 brais many stories of sadikim that they ask for the fruit and they say rebel Why do you want a banana? Cuz I need to make a bra. I didn't finish my may. But again, even deeper than that, not just checking that box, but connecting with the what does it mean when we say so is teaching us an we're not talking now about whether we should be spending money on food or not. We're not talking now about what maybe other speakers have spoken about and other sheer talk about, you know, the opulence that we live in and the fanciness and the wealth. We're not going down that road. We're there right now. So, let's just deal with where we are right now. So, you're in that fancy steakhouse and you're about to take a bite of that $100 steak that you're not going to enjoy because you're going to have to pay the bill. But maybe the client is paying the bill, so maybe you will enjoy it. Whatever it is, you're about to take that bite per you make a and we do no pause for a moment. If we're actually live present, and this is in a piece he calls piso, he says we're so scattered. We're not present anywhere. He says you talk to people and they can't for a moment even look you in the eye and converse with you. Sorry for the fact that they're checking the phone and everything else, but just the fact that our minds are in so many different places. He says the basics of is realizing I'm here now, nothing else. This is what I am doing. And he channels this into a when I take that bite on the apple. If you pause for a moment and think about it, this is I know very rever Mill Miller style, but it works. You're about to take a bite of that steak and you pause for a moment and you realize, "Wow, this is going to be good. Wow, I'm really hungry. Wow, this is amazing. You know what? Let me thank Hashem for it." It comes almost automatically now that when you make your shahak, you're more grounded. You're more steady. This is a diet trick. People say, don't just pound the food, you know, pause for a moment, realize what you're eating is true. But in a similar vein, it's a trick to have kavana in your braha because if you just quickly eat the food, then your brah will be even that much quicker. Right? I think they say from a victor miller, how long does it take to make a shall the amount of time to take from your hand to your mouth? That's how long the whole braha takes, which is true. But maybe if we pause with the food in our hand, if we pause with the food in our forks, if we pause there and we think for a moment, wow, this is going to be amazing. I'm I get on a plane. I'm about to board a trip before I say to enjoy the moment. Take it in for a minute. Live life. Live. Pause. Turn everything off for a minute. You're on the plane. What am I doing? Where am I going? How am I doing it? Be present in the moment. If you're present in the moment, then the braha will come that much easier. And more than it coming easier, it's going to actually be real. because when you make the shahak you're cognizant of what you are doing and we're really out of time I'm just going to conclude with one short story and then I'm going to read the words of the nephim the short story the short story is cycle says it's over I wanted to choose a story of someone alive that if you really wanted to you could go and check it with him good luck getting in if you know how to get in I like a like a passel says over that there's a rv in I think the place is called Tunis Tunis and he's attacked by Arabs. He was with a bunch of Tamidim and the Tamidim were trying to help and the Rav finally told the Tamidim, "Save your life. They want to kill me. You get out of here." So the Tamidim ran away and they look from a distance as these bunch of Arabs take this Rav and they're about to kill him. Before they kill him, they ask the Rav, "Would you like you know, respectful people? Last will. What would you like? You know, tell me what what would you like as your last wishes?" Said, "I'd like a cup of water." Handed him a cup of water. He pauses and he makes with all his might. He takes a sip of water and obviously miraculously but not miraculously as we're going to conclude with the words of the nephesim another group of Arabs pass by ask him what are you doing this and that he leaves the r lives his life and that's how we know the story because when we really make a jah when we really connect what are we doing what are we doing and this really opens up the Pandora box of life that we don't really have time right now but the famously says we all live we sing it we plaster it it's on our cars It's everywhere. It's on our WhatsApp stickers. But what does mean says it's an Allah everything that no bad could come upon you. When a person is no strength in the world, all the worlds could do anything to him because he's completely connected at that moment. Now, getting to that place that the Arabs have the gun to your head, that you could sit there making a shahakle, thinking about one thing and one thing only, how Hashem runs the world, and if he wants me to die, great. And if he doesn't want me to die, something else is going to happen. is a very high and lofty goal. But I do believe at some level we could at least live on the very smallest level connected to Hashem. We can live a little bit a little bit and every little bit is removing one little bit of evil that could come upon us. And how do we live one little bit of mad and what this will conclude and wrap it up? Yes, darn. Yes, do all those things. But I think the line that we have to keep in our mind is let's not deny outside of's party. We're going into pur and we have another five days perhaps just perhaps is for the next five days we focus a little bit on the bra once a day you're about to eat something. Pause. Let's use pair's advice. Let's pause and let's think what am I about to do? I'm about to have a cup of coffee. I'm about to have a wonderful lunch. I'm about to have a bite of steak. And with that moment living in the moment in the present for an instant then make the then say and then savor the bite and realize wow everything comes into this world everything is from Hashem there's nothing on this world aside from nothing nothing perhaps just perhaps if we do that we'll start living life a little bit not just lighting the mana which we're very good at We're very good at the actions. We're incredibly good at the check boxes. I think we could all finish our days full of books and books of all the boxes that we checked wonderfully and we're not belittling it. But we need to connect those boxes. We want to close up that hole. We don't want to be like that struggling teen that wants his phone. Why? I need to connect. What are you connecting to? It's all in front of you. What are we looking for connection? What are we looking to fill our void? It's all in front of us. We're doing it all. Maybe it's because we need to have a little bit of katyus. We have to have a little bit of smell in our life. Even without a misbehed on the floor and then hopefully just hopefully when we walk into purim pur is what the day we put on a mask. There's nothing is to do with sight anymore doesn't make a difference what anyone sees. All the that we do on purum is nothing public. No one knows who you are. You're wearing a mask. What's pum all about? The panemiest inside and the wine goes in aside whether you drink, whether you don't. We're not getting involved in that right now. But pum is all about the nish. what's going to come out of us from the depth of our depths. Maybe just maybe for five days we focus a little bit on those depths on that figuring out a way to light that then on then hopefully on the days like on an one who prepares an what's maybe just maybe if we all start connecting a little bit and for five days then we'll get to Purim then we'll put on the mask we'll get rid of the we'll get rid of the lights we'll dive a little bit deeper and then as says nod and purim you know why because we want purim to be taken with us for the rest of the year we want to be at that place of able to make from the depths of our hopefully will continue doing the incredible actions that we do each and every day and now hopefully with this we'll be able to connect them a little bit deeper, filling up the hole. And you know who will benefit the most? We'll all benefit the most cuz we'll be living a life a little bit more grounded, a little bit more serene, a little bit more, and a lot more connected. Thank you all for listening. Have a wonderful day.