R' Benzion Shafier Pre Rosh Hashanah Teshuva Shmuz

testing 1 two 3 ladies and gentlemen welcome to the bedo Community Center you can walk right in here foral Al from the before we begin tonight's event and lecture just a few quick announcements every night for the men there's a men's learning program upstairs Sunday to Thursday classes in English Hebrew and Russian uh amazing lecture you can tell this second English Hebrew in Russian don't miss sad ladies tell your husbands your brothers your fathers to come uh upcoming events tomorrow night R had Fresh Meadow sh Biden preparing FR Sunday three events of RAB at the of fire Stills RAB M May at the youngers of briwood and RAB Ari in russan ined M Shabbat and Sunday Saturday night and Sunday kazak will be having a pre Rush suit ycq um you know suits sold in stores for $495 up to $995 we're only selling for $150 or S hats for $150 suit jackets W dress pants proceeds go to the organization check it out Saturday night and Sunday Last announcement actually two quick announce two other announcements uh September 9th is our annual dinner Terrace in the park common spread word to allert man we're going to be having as well gu from Israel should be very very very very nice reservations are still available it's a week from tonight and you could also do an ad in the journal all right M congratulations to any of the H through the organization or advertise your business last announcement is that kak will be uh joining the once again on September 20th Sunday night in between at the Young Israel of Ard Hills please come and spread it to all let's get every let's get everyone over there to me inspiring uh don't miss it actually the day after September 21st we're going to be having Rabbi G SU uh along with Rabbi denil Travis also the young of Aral all during the SAR cha so please save the DAT you'll see the the events on the par papers you'll see the fers all around the community you'll hear about it uh just try to come and uh and once again spread the word bring a friend along with you without further Ado it is my honor my privilege my uh my uh my my cover to call upon my very good friend founder of Theo a man that inspires thousands of people on consistent basis ra sh [Applause] pleas the males looks down on the Jewish people on shipper and these are the highest level of MIM highest level of angs and they watch theing they watching and the gar tells us that they have a question why is it that the Jewish Nation doesn't say Hal on rash on there's something missing from the there's shakas there's mus there's a tremendously long ding but there's a part of the Domin it's missing why is it that the Jew Jewish Nation doesn't say h and hasm answers them's answer is the books of life and the books of death that're open in front of them they're going to sing it's inappropriate they're being judged for their life whether they're going to live whe they're going to die is being weighed and measured it's inappropriate for them to sing how it's inappropriate for them to sing and that's and if you think about this gamar I believe it's very difficult to understand and I'll share with you why I am a human being made of flesh and blood with very very limited sight I can see something 2 in in front of my nose if you ask me what's going to be tomorrow I don't have a clue and if you think you know just watch the stock market and go tell me the prediction that China is going to tank their economy is going to go down and the stock market's going to lose a th000 points in a day we human beings don't have a clue so I understand why I might ask such a question but here's the problem the group that asks this question of hem are MIM Angels without physicality without a body pure absolute intellect pure pure understanding and he are the highest level of MIM they're not just MIM the most pure Most Holy most intelligent MIM and they asked a question that sounds like a kutash it sounds like a foolish question obviously the Jewish people shouldn't be singing they shouldn't be dancing H doesn't belong in daving because just like hasem said their life is being decided whether they live whether they die how could they possibly say h isn't it obvious what was the M's question why didm have to answer them and I'd like to see if we can understand what in fact the were asking and why in fact this is a legitimate question and to understand this I think we need to focus on what I call the issues of the day if you'd like to understand what happens on rashash if you'd like to understand the issues that are judged all you have to understand is what the mission in rashash tells us call every occupant of the planet every human being old or young great or small wealthy or poor every single human being is judged on rashash but it's not just human beings the entire planet the cosmos physicality themselves tremble because whether the world continues to exist or does not continue to exist is a question is something that Hashem judges on Russia sh and if you'd like to know the extent of the Judgment all you have to know is that every issue that affects humanity is weighed measured and decided which countries go to war which will suffer famine which new technologies will be brought to the market which new cures will be discovered which diseases will suddenly appear on the scene that no one ever heard of before which dictators will be toppled which countries have grand success if you'd like to know what's the Cider on rashash all you have to know is that the headlines of the New York Times are written on rashishana but it's not the headlines of that day the headlines of the entire year are written on rashash but it's not just the headlines it's the international section the national it's a local it's the global all of the issues that affect mankind the New York Times used to brag about having 265 full-time reporters 40 full-time photographers because there are so many issues that affect this globe that's occupied by 7 billion people that they had a whole Army to cover it a Tor has about 500,000 words in it a Sunday edition of The New York Times has about 2 million words in it if you try to read the Times out loud from cover to cover the Sunday edition it would take you 20 hours because there's such a vast amount of things that are going on on this planet and if you imagine Hashem as the Chau fate as the judge looking at the multi-tier chessboard putting this point into its position this bishop into its position arranging humankind's fate arranging the future of humanity that is an eye Glimpse as to what happens and if you think about all of the issues it boggles the human mind it's well beyond the human capacity to even Invision or imagine but hasem sits there as a Chate and hasem judges everything that happens and the Bal mus give us a little inkling if you read the words of they're very eye openening it's written oner it's sealed how many will pass and how many will be born but you see there's a sequence over there before any individual is judged the entire Cosmos is judged in the United States of America last year approximately 2.5 million people died approximately 600,000 by cancer approximately 500,000 heart disease and you could go down various diseases and find them decreasing in numbers but that's not the way Hashem judges the world Hashem comes out with an exact number exactly these many people will pass this year exactly these many babies will be born and after Hashem has these large Global numbers then Hashem fills in the slots it's you and it's you it's you and it's you filling in the different slots but it's first from the global then down to to the local know we the Jewish people have a unique relationship with Hashem we are with servants we're also B with children to hem and on rash duringer there should be a very real sense within the heart of a Jew of this is astonishing finally I get to experience hasem as Hashem really is you see during the course of the year it's very difficult to feel Hashem it's very difficult to experience AEM one minute I'll be dominaing speaking to my Creator next minute my mind is gone and I'm 3,000 miles away and are different we change the language in we no longer say we say and the explains why refers to as the god hidden behind the scenes behind the heavy veil of this world where you can't see him but if you refer to during as a you didn't fulfill your obligation do you know why we refer to Hashem as hem manifests himself in this world during the course of the Year Hashem is hidden behind the scenes you can't see him but from rer as explains Hashem shows his Dominion Hashem shows his majesty and you could feel it the reason why we say is because that's waym is manifesting himself then no longer is a god hidden behind the scenes but the Mel the King sitting on the throne of D and you could experience it you could feel it it's palpable the pites gives a mush he says imagine that your eyes are closed and a man holds a candle right here now you can't see the flame because your eyelids are blocking but you you sense the light that's hashem's presence on r during I could feelm I could relate to hem and I could relate to Concepts that during the course of the year I normally can't I could sit back and see Hashem as the chaui as the judge on the throne judging humanity and that should bring a Jew to a very interesting experience when I walk into sh on rashash and I think about that when I contemplate that it should bring me a tremendous sense of joy is finally showing himself as the Mel I can experience's presence is finally showing himself as the Chate and there should be a tremendous sim a tremendous joy in a Jew's heart because on during on you could experience AEM in a way you can't during the rest of the year and that should bring a Jew to a tremendous sense of joy of jubilation chass the of used to say that oner if it weren't for the it weren't for the fear of being judged he would dance a he'd be in the a dancing a jig because you could feel things on rash that you can't feel during the rest of the year and it brings a Jew to such joy to such happiness and I believe that's what the M were asking why isn't Hollow part of the ding why AR the Jews singing out praising hem with tremendous joy in their heart they should be experiencing hem they should be feeling such Joy why aren't they saying Hollow and nevertheless Hashem answers them and I believe hashem's answer is you're correct there should be such a feeling in the heart of a Jew tremendous Joy tempered held in check with a very real understanding you see globally it's one F think about hm as the Chau as the Mel over the world it's magnificent but as hem judges humanity and I recognize that I too am a human there's a certain reality that begins Dawning upon me and that is that my life is being weighed measured and decided it's wonderful to think ofm as the global King and that's exciting and it's joyful but I also have to realize that my fate is being decided my fate the fate of my family the fate of my community and so there should be joy in the heart of a person tempered with an understanding of the gravity of the issues of the day tempered by an understanding of the things that are being weighed measured and decided but both herg gation both feelings should be there I should walk into Sho with a tremendous sense of Joy Of Happiness tempered held in check because of the reality that there are many many serious issues being weighed measured and decided but both feelings should be there tremendous joy and a sense of awe because I recognize the seriousness the gravity of the day so with that as a background I'd like to ask what I consider an obvious question we're all M we're all believers we get it I get it Hashem is going to determine my future Hashem will determine how much money I make I'm will determine my health my well I get it all and I also know the power of we're told by the we're told by the we're told by the over and over that many timesm waits for many times just waits for a prayer prayer affects things so here's the question if I understand that I'm being judged and I understand the power of doing of wouldn't you imagine that I'd be in sh hour after hour begging beseeching imploring tears running down my face Hashem please please please and while it's true that rashash doming is different than the doming during the rest of the year for many of us I don't think that hour after hour of begging imploring beseeching tears running down my cheeks is exactly a description of the T so here's the question if I get it if I know that Hashem judges my future and I know the power of prayer to affect that future how is it possible that I don't sit there dominating and doming asking with tremendous outpouring of emotion and that's the question I think that we all need to ask ourselves and I'd like to share with you what I believe is the answer to that question I believe the answer is that there are two reasons why it is very difficult for us to doin the first has to do with our generation we live in unique times never in the course of history had there been this much wealth this much abundance this much opulence if you look at Kings from 300 years ago they did not live in the homes that we live in they didn't wear the clothing that we wear they didn't eat the food that we wear the average taxpaying citizen in our society is far wealthier than kings ever could imagin being 500 years ago and the reality is that we have such wealth that it's astonishing and that is a br a tremendous bro but it also comes to a the cost my friend's father was a ro in New York City during the Depression era 1929 and he described to his son that he doesn't remember a single rashes Bening not a single rashes benching does he remember that he didn't hear women from the other side of M break down openly and cry when they got to Theos when they got to the part about hasem give us Bening he would hear women every break down openly cry why because in those days if you couldn't pay the rent a landlord evicted you and he put your goods whatever you had on the sidewalk and that's where you slept that night and there's no social net to Bear you out no one who would take care of you if you couldn't pay your bills you didn't eat you went hungry your children went hungry and it was no one who would bail you out when you don't know how you're going to pay your bills you stand in in front of your creator with a very real sense of dependence and you say the words Hashem I can't do it Hashem I depend on you Hashem it's not within my capacity it's not within my control please help and when you lack when you want you stand in front of Hashem and you recognize your dependence you recognize your relationship and it's very easy to D was one of the is and it was in the war of independence 1948 when bombs were dropping in yam all over the place and people were living in panic and fear was calm and his at a certain point said R how do you how do you have such equinity such calm such a dangerous situation and he said to them as follows I grew up in yam in the 1920s I don't know what it meant as a boy to go to bed not being hungry when you grow up with suffering things don't rattle you as much well folks I'd like to share with you I don't know a person my age or younger who ever went to bed hungry and not hungry oh my meatloaf again I mean hungry because there's no food we don't know what that means we have such wealth that it's frightening our issues are how we going to pay our credit card bills how we going to finance things but by and large we have so much wealth so much opulence and it's very difficult for us to stand in front of hm and say hm I can't do itm I don't have food to eat I don't have clothing on my back and it's a tremendous BR but it comes with a cost and that cost is when you don't lack when you don't want there's a sense of Independence a sense of I don't really need Hashem and then it's very difficult to Domin and I believe that's the first reason why it's difficult for us to Domin in our day and age because we don't lack we don't want and so it's difficult to stand in front of a and feel that we dependent and the first problem I believe is easily solvable if you'd like to deal with this issue I have a very simple solution pre World War II night was once approached by a BAL one of his balab came over them and said R how could I say these words in we say the words we bang on your door as poor impoverished men how could I say those words I'm a rich industrialist I have 500 men in my employee how could I lie how could I say to I'm poor when I'm so wealthy the Gat turned to this man and said you're making one mistake you're assuming that because last rashash you had a decree that you're going to keep your wealth you assume that you're going to have the same decree this year but if you knew that that was an open question if you realize that that question is being weighed measured and decided and there aren't no guarantees because you're wealthy last year and the year before and the year before is nice but that doesn't guarantee that that's the decree you're going to get this year and if you understood that that's an open question and there are no status quo there are no guarantees you'd recognize you are a poor man because you have no control over that and I think the grat shares with us a tremendous concept W Street lives with this principle previous performance is no guarantee of future results and if you think about every issue of your life and you realize that every one of them is being weighed measured and decided and there are no guarantees health I'm a young healthy person I don't going to worry about that well you know you find out that some young healthy people go diving and they hit their head on a rock snap the neck back spinal C cord gets severed and they spend the rest of their life in a wheelchair one loone microbe in bads a person's body and slone kering is the next address that he visits and you find that young healthy people sometimes end up not being so young and healthy wellos I don't have to worry about I'm doing very very well and then you hear about people who are doing very very well and their business goes under and you hear about a cardiologist I mean a doctor cardiologist a specialist he can't have a financial problem until you find out that the HM aren't paying what they used to medical malpractice is skyrocketing he has to sell his practice to the hospital not only is he now an employee but he's making onethird of what he was once making and when you begin studying The Human Condition what you find is things change healthy young people become not so healthy and young people have a lot of issues a lot of things they didn't expect and if you understood that every one of these issues is an open question and there are no status quo because last year I was given it doesn't mean I'll be given it this year you understood that every one of these questions has no guarantee to it I think it'd be a lot easier to Domin if you would like to make your rashash dominant meaningful I'll give you a little muser exercise open the newspaper to the obituary section now I used to have to tell people what the obituary section of the newspaper was now I have to explain to people what a newspaper is okay if you don't know what a newspaper is it's one of those tabloid thing you know all go online find the obituary section online okay do this little muser exerise and I guarantee you Dominic is going to be different study the people in the orbitary section look at the pictures read the paragraphs and study them and you'll find something very very interesting amongst them are a lot of older people but there are plenty of young people amongst them are a lot of people who are ill but amongst them are plenty of people who are healthy and well amongst them are a lot of people who are brilliant and amongst them a lot of people are dumb a lot of people are tall a lot of people are short a lot of people fat a lot of people skinny a lot of people young a lot of people old you'll find every sort of human being there and you'll find only one single common denominator there's only one feature that they all have in common they used to be alive and they are no longer but other than that there is no other common denominator and when you study that and then you reach that brilliant conclusion I get it I'm a human being yeah and all human beings eventually are no longer hopefully a long time from now but there will come a time not maybe there'll be a time with absolute V complete Clarity understanding and I have to recognize there will be a time when I will no longer be here I won't be here I won't be alive my body be in the ground and I'll answer to Hashem for what I did and when you think about that concept I believe it changes your dominant radically why because you know that that question is being decided will I live this coming year or will I not will I be healthy or will I not will my children have great success or will they not you know I know a man who told me he didn't know what a shom bias prop was he didn't know what he never fought with his wife he didn't even know what the issue was he never heard of the issue he lost his job he changed she changed six month later he was divorced things happen strange things happen to people and when you look back over the year and you see all these things that occurred to other people and you realize that you too are a people and you realize that every issue of your future is being weighed measured and decided and there are are no guarantees you walk into sh and you say to Hashem I can't do it one world wide depression and we're all out of a job one pandemic one epidemic and we're all toast Hashem I can't control my future and if you don't hear this I'll give you one more mustard exercise if you're feeling very very confident and you're feeling it's hard for me to Domin it's hard for me to walk into rash and really get moving use my little muser exercise and I think it may affect you tonight tonight as you lay your head down on the pillow say the following words I I hereby will it to be that tomorrow morning I shall wake up say the words I hereby will it to be that tomorrow morning I will wake up and as you say those words recognize the Folly of of that statement it is not within my control I sure hope it happens it's happened every day of my life every day every day day after day I've opened my eyes but I do not control that I walk across 108 Street and hopefully I don't get hit by a bus I get into the elevator and hopefully there's a cab there and not an open Elevator Shaft I hope that when I put my head down on the pillow tonight I open my eyes eyes in the morning but I don't control it whether I exist or not is not within my control not within my dominion and when you recognize that you stand in front of your Creator and you say the words Hashem I get it you're in charge you're the boss you determine the future Hashem I depend on you I rely on you please help and you dve him in a very different way so the first reason why it's difficult for us to Davin is because we don't like we don't want I believe the gut's answer is we all lack we all want because every issue of my life is an open question and there are no guarantees but I believe there's a second reason why it's difficult for us to Dom and the second reason is because the Judgment that we're going to stand in uh less than two weeks week and a half is very different than any judgment that exists on this planet he see all judgments that we live through that we experience have a time of fact finding time of deliberation and a verdict is read let me explain to what I mean it was about 20 years ago and uh Nicole sson was found dead OJ Simpson her husband was found racing down the highway the wrong way and when the police finally stopped him after a long Chase they found blood in his Jeep they found Blood on the gloves that he weared they found a mask they found money and to anyone looking even a cursory manner it was obvious that he killed his wife and it didn't take a rocket scientist to understand this but OJ Simpson was a high-profile person quite wealthy and he was going to put the US judicial system on trial he was going to prove whether in fact money can buy Freedom so he hir self the Dream Team including Alan dtz and they defended the man and there was a mockery of justice that went on it was a little bit of a circus that went on for months in the United States of America well it happens to be that the verdict was going to be read right around Russia sh and I said to myself I have to be there I have to see this scene and you have to imagine this OJ Simpson is sitting at the bench he's gripping that bench he's white as a ghost you see whether he's going to be a caged animal for the rest of his life or if he's going to walk free is going to be read to him right now the jury Foreman opens the envelope she pulls out the slip of paper and she says we find the defendant not guilty wow joy happiness man's face lit up that's judgment in our world it's fact finding deliberation and then the verdict is read but when the verdict is read the defendant hears it the judge hears it everyone in the courtroom hears it and everyone knows what the verdict isem we're going to stand in judgment and there will be fact finding there will be deliberation and there will be a verdict but we don't hear the verdict we don't know what the verdict is we walk out of night and we wish each other we're happy with joyful we go home we dip the apple and the honey but we don't know what the verdict is and it's very difficult to Davin when you don't know what the verdict is you don't hear it being read the styleon was the G of the about 30 years ago when he was in his mid 80s he was constantly involved in learning and it was rare for him to look up he would look down in a safer in the afternoons people come into his apartment and his apartment was always filled people will ask they'd ask advice rare it was that he would look up he would address the people very quickly they give them a br or an answer whatever it may be and person after person would would pass he'd be looking down one afternoon Styler is looking down the apartment is filled with people a man walks into the apartment and the Stifler looks up and he stops and he points and in us she screams out Russia Wicked one Wicked one get out get out of here get out of here and the man who had walked in turned white turned red turned on his heels and ran out the door a few hours later another man comes in and says r with all the respect the man that the styler called a Russia was not such a Russia that man got into a car that car very shortly after we got into a severe accident everyone else in the car was killed that man alone was saved obviously he's not such a wicked person the sty turned to this man and said don't you understand when he walked in the door the Mal walked in with him the only way I could save him if you embarrass a man publicly say you killed him it was the only way I could save him there was once a time when we had people like the stier who could see the Mal walked in with a person but we don't see we wear yum of clothing M says we're supposed to be supposed to trust in hm's Mercy and we dip that apple in the honey but we don't know but I'd like to share with you an observation if you Domin in a Sho if you Domin ailo that's large enough I guarantee that there'll be many beautiful decrees written this rashash a man who for years couldn't earn a living his business turns around and suddenly flourishes an older woman who couldn't find T she couldn't find the person this year she's going to find a couple who for 10 years couldn't have children this is the year they're going to have children there will be many beautiful decrees signed and sealed but I also guarantee that if you Domin a large enough kahila there'll be some decrees that aren't so sweet for people people that lose their jobs people lose their homes people lose their health and I guarantee if you Domin a large enough Kila there'll be at least one or two ex's at least one or two people who will not be with us the next rash and if you look around the room and you try to tabulate if you try to figure out who is it going to be who gets that X I guarantee you'll fool yourself why cuz go back to the obituary section and see the pictures of the old people the young people the sick people the healthy people the people you never expected who would ever expect a person of his age to be dead but it happens all the time and if you think about it we're a little bit asleep you know I was a high school Reby for many years and we were we lived in Rochester for 12 years my parents Shalom used to live in kugon Hills and often we'd make the trip from Rochester to kugon Hills was about 7our drive and often we'd leave about 5:00 p.m. we'd put my daughter in the car seat she was 3 then we'd strap her in and I used to play this little game with my daughter she was three and I'd say who should drive should ABA Drive should you drive anyway one February day it's about 5:00 we leave kugon Hills I strap my daughter in my wife gets into the passenger seat and I get behind the wheel and I start driving we hit 81 North 81 north is a two-lane Trucking Highway and when we hit that when we got on the highway it started snowing but not snow sheets and sheets I couldn't see what looked like 10 15 ft in front of me but here was a problem 81 North has no shoulder to that road so I couldn't even pull over so the only thing I could do is took my foot up the gas hoping to slow down but as I start slowing down somehow the car veers off I try to turn the other way and it does a full Revolution and there's nothing I can do to stop it it turns around once and it's turning around a second time and as we're turning the second time I look back and I see it an 18 wheeel wheeler truck coming directly here my car is going this way this truck is going this way and there's nothing I can do to stop it somehow we ended up on the embankment the truck missed us and passed by and I just lived through the most harrowing moment in my life and I look back and my 3-year-old was sound asleep in the car seat the only thing missing from the scene was for her to wake up and say ah but you want me to drive would you like to know what I mean we sit there on rashash and every issue of our life is being decided and we're a little bit like that kid in the car seat sound to sleep oh man how long is this Domin oh the rabbi is going to drone on and on I hope my wife may hes cuz I'm really hungry and I really do enjoy it and if you think about the fact that every issue of my wife's life my children's life my community and everything that I'm going to be involved in is being weighed and measured and I'm sound asleep like a child in the car seat and I think one of the things that we have to do is wake up and the pelo gives us a piece of advice if you'd like to wake up don't do he says what most people do most people walk into Shu rash and say oh my goodness a lot of things I got to think about earn a living do well in school my children to get a sh my child to get in this class there's so many issues in my life oh my goodness I better get to work in Davin says Pelle you're going to B it backwards don't do that don't do that at all what you should do is look back at this previous year review all of those strange events that happened you just happened to be here you met this person and he said do this and suddenly something came out of that a few weeks later you were here you tripped and you broke your leg and something else came out of that review all the strange events of your past year and maybe the year before that and the year before that then say to yourself these words every one of those issues was decided on the previous rashash that I should meet this person or not that I should get this client or not that I should get this job or not was decided on the previous rashash and when you do that when you review your life and you realize that every one of those issues was decided on the previous rash you begin to get it the din is now real and I have a little muser exercise if you want to change your doing take two index cards start tonight on one index card and write down all the strange things that happened to you this year those strange coincidences that when they happen you say it's it's AEM write them down and on the next index card write down all the issues of your life life the things that you need whether it's earning a living whether it's on bias whether it's Health whatever they are write them down and walk into Sho with both index cards in your hand look at this one and say every one of these it happened to me and was written on the last Rashana and every one of these on this card that I need is decided on this Rashana and then the din is real then you recognize that hasem really is in charge I think this kazal shared with was a tremendous concept the MIM had a question they looked down globally on the Jewish people and they said part of the Dominic is missing why is it that the Jewish Nation aren't singing Hal why aren't they singing praises why did they ask that because the Jew should experience joy happiness in his heart on an experience that he can't experience during the rest of the year he can experience hashem's presence you could recognize things you could think about things you can understand things Hashem is much more accessible and that should bring you a sense of Joy Of Happiness however Hashem answers you don't say Hal why because the books of life and the books of death are open it's inappropriate but you should have joy tempered with that understanding held in check with the understanding of the gravity of the day but both experiences should be there if it's hard to Domin because we don't lack the gr's answer is we do lack because every every issue of my life is an open question and everyone is being decided and if it's hard to experience A din because we don't hear the verdict all you have to do is look back on the past few years and realize every one of those events was written on a previous ver sh by the way one of the best things you could ever do for your own growth is write your own biography you see an autobiography every Jew has a story every Jew Jew has a story how he ended up here how she ended up here everyone has strange events that happened in her life and if you look back over the previous years and you realize that one after another after another after another is hashem's involvement but every one of those was written on our previous rashash suddenly begin realizing things in a different sense in a different way I want to close the story and then I'll take questions this story is especially especially um precious to me because it happened to a good friend of mine every part of the story is exactly doesn't happened except for one detail he asked me to change his name other than that this is how it happened Goldstein was living in ugens his brother-in-law was living in farest Hills and both families were going to be by's House of shabas K's wife Thursday night Cooks she's about finish cooking and she gets a call from the sister listen my husband came home late and we decided we're not coming for shabas we're going to stay home wife said what do you mean I cooked the whole shabas you can't not come do come don't come back and forth back and forth's wife say listen I cook Shas already anyway let's do this instead of both couples being over here I'll pack up all the food and will everybody be by you so that's what they made up instead of everybody being by's house they all made up they were going to be by his brother-in-law okay describes that he walked into his brother-in-law's house and on the coffee table with a book who by fire now if you haven't read this book it's well worth meeting it's a story of a young woman living inim she's in her apartment and suddenly the apartment bursts into flame she runs out into the hallway and she's safe and then she realizes that her children are still in the apartment she runs in grabs one child runs in grabs a second grabs the third in the end she saved all of the children but she also suffered burns on 85% of her body the title of the book who by fire it's a powerful example of a woman's of her but it's also a harrowing read Because you see what it means to be burnt alive in any case described that when he walked into his br's apartment on the table with a book and he was magnetized he was mesmerized by he picked it up and he couldn't put it down he was a big mid nor he didn't open a g he couldn't put this book down he read it cover to cover he didn't know what to make of it whatever shabas afternoon He Walks intoa from as he walks in to the base she gets a sitter he goes to his place he looks up and he realizes that everyone's looking at him my suit my time where every staring at me doesn't know what to make of it he di necessary takes three three steps back looks up and again sees it everyone's staring at him everybody look at me doesn't know what to make of it finally after Dominic he goes over to one of his friend Friends and says why is he already staring at me his friend said you didn't hear says here here what his friend says well sorry want to tell you this but last night your house burnt down 2: a.m. the furnace exploded the entire building was in engulfed in flamed his wife his kids weren't there they were at the BR LA but the pivotal moment of Kim's life was not that previous Thursday night discussion do come don't come uh-uh the pivotal moment of K's life was the previous Russia Shana and was being shown read the book there was a there was a judgment it's not just who will live and will die but exactly the method and was said told read the book there was a judgment for whatever which reason you were decided decided you should be saved read the details and understand Ming you know what that means the says hasem is the m we say o means saves me but it kind of looks like Hashem helps me but it's sort of like me Mia is when I'm in the pit and I can't get out what's Ming what does it mean Shield you know what Shield means I used to run wasn't that many years ago and my my daughter convinced me to run again she's running High Lifeline marathons I'm joining her again in Miami January 24th I hope to be there anyway four years ago I'm running in Muny and when I run I'm very intense I'm very focused and I'm not paying attention to anything other than what I'm thinking about about and I'm running very fast and it's a rainy wet night and as I'm running here for some reason a car comes way too close to the curve hits a puddle splashes me and breaks my straw like I like I stop and then I continue and a few steps later I put my foot down on the curb and as I put my foot onto the street a car comes the other way and I feel the the wind of the car and then I did the math what if that first car didn't come too close and didn't Splash me my stride would not have been broken and instead of putting my foot down into the street 1 second later it would have been there one second earlier car body very very bad ending mugging means Hashem is my shield Hashem protects me even when I don't know it even when I'm unaware Hashem is with me 24/7 365 and that's when hasm is a mugging and that's something you have to understand you have to think about we beg AEM we ask AEM for Mercy We Trust in hm's Mercy we trust in the power ofm grant us a good sweet year and everything good and now questions yes oh yeah right so there definitely are I mean really is praises to hem so we sing praise Hal is the one F that's considered all um like it's a special level of singing praises to Hashem it's done on a joyous occasion in other words meaning yamu we celebrate because with Hal when hasem saves us we is a special F of joy of Jubilation of of Joy filled that isn't part of you're right we say parts of we say that that sings prais to but that special of we don't say and again that was A's question it should be there because by All rights we're experiencing something on rash Kipper that should fill us with tremendous joy and again it it does but it's tempered with the understanding that I'm being judged yeah I have two questions the first question is this um I remember learning at some point I'm not sure right that like we are judged on but we still have a chance until I don't know if that's really the case so that's one part of my question second part of my question is while we are again judged we are still praying during the year to help us with any issues or anything that we really want so are we really judged 100% or there's open St how far are we good okay I'm going to deal more with the second one but but I think it'll answer the first one also okay here we go guys you ready for this one watch this it's R I'm in ding ding away beautiful cavana suddenly I hear a boss call Heavenly voice sh yeah yeah I was sent from my what what what I was sent to tell you this year you'll make $10 million waa 10 million bucks is amazing I W at a Sho happy as a l I quit my day job don't even look at the newspapers I know exactly what it's going to be I don't do anything cuz I heard the the BX I'm going to make $10 million that year what do you think's going to happen you're going to get lazy I'm going to get hungry that year why because when Hashem decrees that I'm going to make a certain amount of money Hashem doesn't take away free will Hashem says this is accessible this is available but you have to do your part to earn a living you get a job to stay healthy youat right you exercise to get married you have to go out if I decide you know what this going out it's too expensive the pay a neck I'm not going out well guess what if you decide you're not going to get married it's very well within your capacity not to get married but but Bashar doesn't everybody have a Bashar bash means it's accessible it's available but you got to do your part if you decide you don't want to work well bets are off you don't want to get married that's your choice Hashem doesn't hand shackle a person to a particular fate Hashem makes it accessible it's available the decree is assuming you do your part your part is you have to go in the ways of the world as you have to earn a living by getting a job soit to the other things that you has to do one of those things is Ding and very often Hashem will make your decree dependent on you doing certain things namely getting a job and also Ding and if you do one without the other well tough luck because it's part of the it's part of what you have to do so if you want to know what why we doubt and there are a number of reasons one reason is because often time that's exactly what's needed and if you don't do it you're not going to make that money or have the health or your children's success or whatever it may be there are other reasons a little complicated but the point being that even though the decree is set we still have to do our which includes the way of Nature and also includes doming as part of what we have to do as Jews because often will wait until we Domin so we can understand so we could so we can get it questions thoughts observations yes one more question M we really what you said in terms of theity I'm just questioning for like I don't know how I able toal okay that's a good question and I remember very clearly when I was in Yeshiva that how could you how could you eat a meal oh my goodness Y how could you eat a meal but but that's a great question you hear that's a great question if you asking the question that's great now there's an answer to the question but the question is better than any answer you see the answer to that question is We Trust in hashem's Mercy we trust that hashm wants our success we trust that hasem loves us but the question means that you're beginning to get it like oh my goodness it's real it's a big deal there's like a lot of stuff being decided and I better get to work so again the answer is that we trust hashem's mercy and we trust that hm wants us to do well and succeed so but but the question is much better than the answer you know Remember by that but again in in the good old days when I was in Yeshiva that was a real feeling that I would often have you know doming ended late in the day and the meal I don't know what the meal was anyway but the point was it was like all right yeah what I understood from the a chance that you should like really pray because a lot of things are being discussed or open for discussion but at the same time I learned that on you're not allowed to pray for anything supposed accept God as the king and that's the whole prayer service and so are you supposed to for excent question okay the main aod the main job of a Jew on R is to be m to understand that Hashem is the king now I want to explain to you what's easy about that and what's hard about that to sit back wow Hashem judges South Africa Afghanistan India Pakistan wow that's great hashem's the king over everything that's Easy's a king over me I don't know King over me how about a comfortable with that idea you mean it's just my boss like I don't know that's not so you see the main way to be m is to be M over me for me to get it well guess what when I realize that my prosa is really dependent on hem My Success is really dependent on hem my strong bias is really dependent onm that's when I get it that God is in charge God is the king but until I ask until I beg until I go through that process I don't get it it's not real it's very easy hashem's the king over there but understanding that it's real that when I walk down the street whether I get hit by a car or not whether I make it home or not is in hashem's power and Hashem runs the world not in Theory 13 billion light years up there but right here that's really being mem and you only get that when you beg when you beseech when you ask Hashem for things that important to you so it's not a contradiction it's the B mus explain that by asking for your personal requests that's how you begin to really understand that hashm is in charge yeah something that what you was saying if I may comment I heard something from another Rabbi says the whole purpose of the sud is a wants to see us happy in general whether it's the yeah we're getting judged but at the same time when a person's sad inside mentally it makes them feel more depressed inside when a person's happy inside they're you got a better right so it actually favors you when you're better judgment than when you're sad and depress and 100% your is not depressing day that's both feelings rash is a day of mixed emotions two seemingly conflicting emotions but they're not tremendous Joy wow what a day but it's a serious day you know both of the you know what I'm saying it's like I don't know it's like it's like getting a job interview you know it's a serious day but but like looking forward to it or better yet you're prepared for the marathon you work four months four and you're going to let's go you have trip am I going to make it am I going to am I but let's go I worked it's both feelings are there it's like tremendous Joy but also the serious you know so both feelings so right you're supposed to enjoy the meal and you're supposed to be happy again it's Hal we ask a question that I can't be happy because I'm so afraid because usually we're so spaced out with like that that child in the car seat so but again if you find yourself too much Fu with Dread you have to focus on the fact again has Mercy andm loves wants our success okay folks before I end let me just mention one point this is a Shmo all Sho are available on sho.com if you have a smartphone don't get a smartphone they're not smart they're dumb if you happen to have one get the Sho app it's available for the Android as well as the iPhone go to the Google Play or the App Store you can download this all free and the 250 schim and you can even cheat this with scho number what what sh was this tonight no next there a sh number last huh last no no nobody knows here you guys this is TR number two sorry guys this TR number two look on the app the number two issues of the day I cheated I repeat you don't listen to them anymore used to know them so I couldn't repeat now I can repeat but the chish mes on September 20 is a new M that one you won't know even if you listen all right thank you very much good [Applause] you [Music]