Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider on Rav Kook: Finding Your Willpower and Ambition to Succeed

You [music] see your [music] tomorrow. [singing] [music] [music and singing] [singing] All right, good evening to everyone and uh it's a great joy and pleasure to be here with you. Yashka for coming out this evening and a very special thank you to the Yibanet center and to Rabbi Poston for hosting uh for hosting this class. And uh we have the pleasure of learning the writings and the thought of Ravk Aram Cook the first chief rabbi of Israel before the state of Israel. And um what we're going to look at this evening, which we've uh touched on the past number of weeks, is a book that's called Midotaraya. Midotaya Haraya means the character traits of Haraya is uh an acronym for Rafuk's name. And uh there are 18 traits that are highlighted in the book. It's a very special volume which was uh compiled by his son Rasu the Cook based on the teachings of Rufk. So everything that we have in the book itself are the writings of Ravkuk but the compilation of the book that was done by his son and uh he highlights 18 different character traits. So the character trait that we're going to look at this evening is uh one that is really a very fascinating idea very fascinating notion and that is the idea of ratson of will. Ratson will um what do we mean by will? We mean ambition. We mean a drive that a person has to succeed in life. And Rafuk is going to say that thinking about will and how we enrich and how we bring out the will within us, the ambition within us is something that is is critical for a successful Jewish life, spiritual life. [clears throat] You know, we want to observe mitzvot. We want to study Torah. We want to davin. We want to keep all the mitzvot, but there's something that's a little bit deeper. In other words, where is the force? Like what is it within us that's going to bring us to the performance of mitzvot? Like how do we get up in the morning and there's going to be that sense of drive and of energy, ambition to to do that which we want to do and as a Jew to fulfill the mitzvah, to study Torah, to do. So that is the idea that Rafuk is going to um speak about and what we're going to talk about tonight and to uh to think about that idea of ratson again this is that's the uh that's the term that he uses rats will ambition so let's begin with the the following statement that's made by Ravkuk in the book midotaya and I'll read it just it's a sentence one sentence in Hebrew and we'll translate it of course and then we'll see two or three different ways avenue venues, pathways in which Rev Cook speaks about how we enhance, how we enrich and how how we bring out really the best in ourselves in order to fulfill uh the mitzvah of the Torah and fulfill our our mission, our purpose here in this world. So this is RVuk. We read now RVuk. This is again the section of raton the very first uh the very first piece that a person has to enlarge a person has to enrich the ratim in the fullest vigor the fullest strength of ratson. We have to find that ratone within us and how do we enlarge it? How do we enhance that ratone? Because if that will is there, if that ambition is there, then we can do great things. If the ambition isn't there, if the will isn't there, so what are we going to accomplish in life? What kind of success are we going to have if we don't have that sense of drive and ambition? We have to find that will, that ambition, and then we have to move it in a direction of holiness. It's not enough just to have strong will and just to have strong ambition, but we want to take that to a place. We want a pathway in which we're going to take it to a place of of holiness, of doing things that are beneficial, those things that are going to bring us closer to God, those things that we're going to observe the Torah in its fullest sense. the and he says when it comes to education the education says the way that we should do it he says it's very important when it comes to educating and here he says whether it's educating children or educating adults and it's true for little children it's true for all of us as well as adults that we need to be educated in a way we need to be inspired in a that the raton that our will that we're going to bring out that strong ambition in a person. Now that's that's a great thought in terms of a teacher. It's a great thought in terms of a parent of a grandparent. How do we bring out that ambition in the child, in the grandchild, in that student? How do we develop that? Because if that's there, if we can give that person that sense of drive, ambition, self-confidence, then that person, you know, then the then the then the sky's is the limit. So that we are to purify that sense of and that we elevate these ideals, the ideals of ambition and kadush and holiness that we bring both of those ideas together. So this is the this is the opening idea from Ravkok the importance of ratson the importance of will and uh there is a statement that was made by the uh by the famous personality of Theodore Herzel and he what's that famous line that Herzel said >> very nice imu a right if there is now what's the term that he uses and we like this we like this phrase we we know it by right? If a person has that rat, if you have that will the sky's is the limit. It's not a it's not a fairy tale. It's not a story. With that will with that sense of ambition, we can accomplish tremendous things. But the question is how do we how do we tap into that ratone? How do we embellish on that ratone? And the more raton that we have again that drive, that ambition, the more that we can accomplish in life. I was in the supermarket this past week and I saw somebody was wearing a t-shirt. On the front of the t-shirt was uh you had the word Nike or Nike depending on how you pronounce it's a mlo how you pronounce that word. Is it Nike or Nike? Anybody familiar what Nike is? >> You've ever heard of it? >> Okay, good. Sneakers, right? Sneakers. I think the most successful sneaker company in the world. So Nike. So, he had Nike on the front and on the back of the t-shirt, the back of the t-shirt said, um, no skill, no talent, all drive. In other words, it's not about the skill that you have, not necessarily about the talent, but if you are driven, and that's what Nike represents, right? That you can do it. If you wear that pair of sneakers, you know, you can you're gonna jump like Michael Jordan. You're gonna be the most successful athlete. You're going to be the most successful person in the world. So yeah, no skill, no talent. It's all about drive. Sort of Cook is talking about this idea as well, right? A 100 years before Nike put it on a t-shirt, right? Where do we find that rat zone and to recognize how important that rats that sense of drive and ambition is in life? Okay. So where do we find where do we find that uh that ratson? So um [clears throat] I want to share with you three different ways in which Ravkuk speaks about Ratzone and uh I see we have a number of people that were here on Shabas. So we have a little bit of review but we're also going to we're going to add we're going to add to if if if we heard this in the past. So the first thing that RV cooks about is um which is one of the unique aspects of RV cook's teachings is the importance of health the importance of of exercise and I'll just read to you one line from and this is in in in his book otcha in his famous work his classic work about chuva and again thinking about chuva and repentance and how do we improve our lives. So this is the area of ratson we have to think about well how do we how do we energize ourselves how do we bring out that ambition how do we bring out that will right how do we find that ambition that will that you know we want to start that diet that we have the will to do we all know that we want to do it but how do we where how do we tap into that will right we know that we want to we want to learn more we want to we want to do more okay it's like out there but how do we tap into that that ambition that we're that we're going to follow through. So the first idea or one idea that Ruf Cook speaks about is uh the importance of good health. And this is something that is really um unique in Ruf Cook's writings for the most part. I haven't seen it in the writings of of other rabbis. I'm not sure I'm not I'm not saying it doesn't appear anywhere, but it's something that Rufuk comes back to in a number of places. And here he writes the following. I'll read to you one line in the Hebrew from Rufkar. When you see that your will is at a weak point, that will power and again ambition that you don't doesn't it seems to be weaker than you would like it to be. And if you don't have that ambition, so it's going to cause certain imperfections, impediments. In other words, that's that's really again sort of like the key. That's like the fundamental piece. That's the battery that energizes all that we do is to have that sense of ratson. So he says the first thing that we need to think about he says it might be that you're missing something on a gani on a physical level on a health level. Are you sleeping well and are you eating well and are you healthy? That is that he says that's question number one. Other words because if you're again you don't get the sleep that you need, you're not eating what you should be eating. So you're going to be weighed down by that. you're going to feel physically tired. So he says that's something that we need to think about. He says that that we need to correct. That's something that and he says that's this is one of the interesting ideas of Rkook. He says that's part of chuva. The chuva of the goof the repentance. Again I never heard another rabbi talk about repentance of the body. I know there's repentance to get the shul on time and stop speaking lashara and all that repentance that we hear every year. I don't know if you ever heard your rabbi and Rashan Yamy Gipper say it's time for repentance of the body, right? Time to start sleeping better and eating better and uh and taking care of the body and exercising. What's interesting is that today we are very aware of you know the uh how the body has an effect on the spirit and on the mind. I think we're you know we're we're we're very much in touch with that. And by the way, Rifk Cook believes that as time marches forward and as we're moving towards a messianic time, which Rifkuk believe we are invited the Mashiah, they're moving closer to a messianic time. By the way, the Baba Cherebi also felt that way. Interesting. two major personalities the last hundred years are both writing about this concept this notion that we're moving into a messianic period of the Jewish people where we're getting closer and closer to the time of and Rafuk says as we move closer to a messianic time we're going to become aware and more sensitive to ideas that we have not taken note of in the galut and and uh and and in our history as we're moving closer we're going to become more sensitive to certain ideas. And it's interesting that the the world is very aware of this. And uh I think I saw a stat recently that there are more people that belong to gyms than than ever before. I saw a bus today with a big ad for a men's gym here in like the relig in the religious neighborhood. You know that there's uh that that men are going to the gym. Again, something that was that was something that was unheard of in uh in the old days. um a friend of mine who uh good friend of mine, he was divorced a number of years ago and just got remarried in uh about a year ago. And uh he married a very he married a very wealthy woman, which is like a good way, by the way, if you're going to get remarried, it's a good good idea. Find a very find a wealthy woman to remarry. Um his life has changed just with that. So, one of the one of the things that he shared with me, one of the greatest things of living like a a rich lifestyle. What do you think? What's the greatest thing about a a rich lifestyle? He says what? >> Gym members. >> More than that. More than that, a personal trainer. He says he for the first time in his life, he has a personal trainer. Now, who has personal training? You got a money, you know, for personal trainers. But he said, "My life is he he like swears by it." He says, "If you have the money, get a personal trainer." And he says,"I feel so much better than I ever felt. My doveting is better. My learning is better. My mental health is better. My mitzvot are better. I'm getting up in the morning and I will power rut zone. I'm running to shul in the morning. I can concentrate. I'm not falling asleep over my sitter as I'm domining." So this is really a fascinating point the RV cook makes and that is get your body together, right? Get your goof. You have to do a chuva of the goof. So this is I I found that I find this to be very very interesting. Something that I need to take uh take to heart as well and something that I can improve on. But it it's a good lesson again, you know, talk about it as like a source on the page. But for all of us, maybe it's something to to think about, something that we that we uh that we can improve in that area. And if we want that willpower, if we want that rut zone to be a stronger rut zone so we can fulfill mitzvah, we can accomplish what we want to accomplish, let's uh you know, let's get a let's get a healthy healthy body, exercise, good sleep, good eating. Okay, so that is uh that's one idea that uh that Riv cookook speaks about. A second idea to improve willpower. Um and here he talks about really a very beautiful concept of of kind of like the the big dreams that we have in life like all of us have you know dreams of what we can be what we can accomplish and he says sometimes people give up on that you know at some point they say and I think he's really talking more in the spiritual more in the spiritual realm of what a person can accomplish and you say you know that that's not going to be me. R Cook says don't ever give up on that. Don't ever give up on those dreams. Cook is always the uh is always the great the great optimist and he writes the following. This is also from Oro Tatua. He says, and I'll read the uh just a line in the Hebrew, when you have a where you have a picture where you have where you visualize and we all visualize for ourselves, you know, great great things that we can accomplish [snorts] and then we feel that we're, you know, we're distant. We're far from being able to realize those dreams. We should know. He says the soul is in the right place and that soul is yearning for that. And you have to make sure and here he uses the word also the goof. But to make sure that there are o that there aren't other things that are creating hurdles in that are that are that are hurdles in the in that are not allowing you to accomplish those spiritual aspirations that you have in life. And I think Goofani he I think what he's referring to are material materialistic things. And I guess you know for all of us we kind of like think about can we be doing can we be doing more in the spiritual realm and are there certain things that I don't know whether it's again I'm not sure like of the best examples of it you know watching too much you know TV on the internet too much scrolling on our phones too much things that are just you know that are that are not conducive not conducive for for spiritual growth and if we can kind of look at our life and look at the way that we're spending our time. There are things that may be sapping energy, right? Sapping that positive energy that that force that raton that will to kind of you know to make a uh you know to make an analysis and uh abon in that area. Um kind of like a an example just trying to think of you know an example and and a person I guess a personal example. I remember years ago more like a high school student, a college student, you know that on a Sunday which was a day off in America like often it was a day just you know sports is such a like a major part of of life and even like in the Orthodox circles like you can literally you know spend your day watching I don't know football season it's you know it starts at 1:00 and the next game is at 4:00 and the next game is at 8 and here you are from 1:00 in the afternoon till 10:00 at night. I mean, not only have you wasted that time, but I remember that feeling like after sitting there and watching all those games and then just feel like you're there there's no energy left. Now, you would think if you were just sitting on a couch for the last 10 hours, you would be energized, but actually works, you know, just we know it works just just the opposite. So, we have to like think about those things in life that may be, you know, sapping our energy. Those things that uh that they say sometime the goof is getting in the way. The phys our physical um our physical engagements our uh physical life material life may be getting engage of may be getting in uh in the way of uh of accomplishing things in our spiritual the spiritual aspirations that we have and again a weakening of the of the will. Okay. So that is um that is a second idea. A third idea, a third recommendation and RV cook says that we want our will to be enhanced, if we want to enrich will, he says that the Torah, being connected to Torah, being engaged in Torah, Torah and mitzvot is a way in which we enhance our it gives us energy. The Torah that we learn, not only does it direct us, that it gives us direction to do the right thing and the wrong thing and not to do the wrong thing, but it also energizes just the engagement in Torah. That Torah itself has within it and in in a spiritual sense has within it the power to um to enhance the will of a person that when we study Torah, [clears throat] we are we we grow from that. We are energized by that. I'm not sure if we always feel that, but just the engagement itself in Torah that our soul is connecting to something that is spiritual that that is something that that is enhancing. And I was thinking about this on a like kind of making the comparison to to exercise. So there are two things that happen when we exercise, right? One is that exercise that it we know that it has benefits physically that it's good for us, builds muscle, tone, whatever it may be. But there's something what else happens which really science has just discovered recently that I think we're familiar with. Something else is happening in the body when we exercise. Not only physically but what else happens? What they call the endorphins, right? That there's that what >> it's an emotional >> there's an emotional there's a psych that very good there's an emotional psychological uplift right from that experience. So it's not only that the body is engaged in something that is that is uh that's enhancing but on a on a deeper level again on the it happens in the world of of of exercise that that's what's happening within us as well and he's and Riff Cook says that Torah study does that for us as well. Not only are we learning like the facts and ideas but there's something that's going on just in this in the setting in the room right now as we're engaged in Torah. is something that is I don't know if you feel it but something that we are that it's enhancing will right that we're being energized by the word of Torah by the holiness of Torah that's touching our souls that that's that's uplifting that we walk out of here and we're ready to to do something more right not less we're ready to do something more it doesn't weigh us down it it gives us it energizes us whenever we study Torah so that's I'll just read one line that Rkook writes This is the second piece that he has in the uh in the book about he says a very interesting line from the Talmud. The Torah says yes I there is a Yates out there. There are those things that weigh us down but I've created something else which is a tavlin. Now what is a tavlin? Anybody know how do we translate the word is good a spice? There's another translation. It's [clears throat] like a medication. Other words, if you take this or an antidote, other words, yes, that exists. But Torah is also something that's an antidote. Something that when you engage in Torah study that whatever might be there that's unhealthy, it's it's purifying. It's going to it's it's a healer. It's going to heal and it's going to energize. So he says part of that idea when the Talmud says that the Torah is that the Torah is is this is this spice is a is a wondrous spice that it uplifts a person. He says in order for the rat to be purified and to be uplifted he says you need Torah. The Jew needs Torah. That's that's our connection. That's how we plug in to you know we know that we plug in a phone and that's what energizes. We see all of a sudden that it's that it's working, it's energizing, that the battery is getting stronger. That's what happens on a spiritual level. We're plugging in right now to Torah and it's it's happening. If you look at look at the screen on your soul and you see that the battery is now is now increasing. So that's what he writes and he says you really need the Torah the Torah Torah study and Torah engagement of the Torah maybe in every area of mitz as well. that that is the influence that's the very very positive influence of uh of Torah study. So beautiful. So we have these ideas, the idea of the importance of exercise, the importance of Torah study, maybe more Torah study in our lives. We find another way to find another half hour of Torah study that's going to energize us. Maybe it's the kind of Torah study of Muser of of this kind of of talking about thinking about midot, right? Areas of Torah study the Torah itself does it. And then maybe think about you know areas of study that are going to be that are going to enhance uh enhance our will and our um our ambition. Okay. >> Right. >> Please. >> And when you talk about Torah study, it feels like it must be >> more than just studying Torah because you find you find people who are >> okay >> literally after course and I remember They've studied a lot and it hasn't well they they well by the way they maybe they have been enhanced but in other words the will has been enhanced the ratone has been enhanced what they've done with that you know so that so now you have sort of you know you have free choice what to do with that will but it has enhanced the will okay but yeah your question it's a fair question so I think there is a balance right to say that you know um mystically or on the spiritual level that it's going to enhance so that's where I said I think it's a balance We do believe that just the engagement Torah enhance enhances that sense of ambition. It energizes a person. But as I said, maybe it's also thinking about those areas of Torah that uh that are going to enhance your will, your drive, your ambition. And uh actually one of the unique things that Rufuk speaks about, he writes this in a wrote Torah and other places as well. And this he also breaks from the traditional sort of approach of many rabbis where for the most part we were told what we are to study and it's really gamar study mishk said find the area of Torah study that you find to be most inspiring there was and doesn't mean that you drop everything else but maybe you put more time and more energy into those areas where you're energized by those teachings and that's for me personally I've spent a lot of time in Rivkook because I that's where I taking RV cook's advice and this is an area that I find for myself to be very energizing to be very uplifting I want to come back to it again and again right I'm energized when when I study it when I teach it and I come back again and again so that's for all of us also to think about what areas of Torah are areas that when we study it we feel uplifted we feel inspired by it and it brings us we want to come back to it um over and over again. Um one last uh one last verse or a verse to think about in terms of raton and uh it's something that we say in the ashray. So one of we know that it's alphabetical the the ashray when we come up to the letter re what do we say in the letter re now I was just thinking about where do you find this ratson which to me it's a it's a bit amorphous like how do you know it's not like we know what it means to do we know what it means to be humble but to talk about ratson it's like a little bit more challenging like how do you you know how do you define that what is that exactly how do you tap into that and where do we find even that language of ratson of will like Where is that? What verse in the Torah? What Mishna? What gamarra talks about rats? It's it's not that easy to to find that to identify. But I want to point out one. Yeah, I'll take your comment. You want to say >> does use explains that the word raton is based on the word rats. >> Nice. Which >> nice I never thought about that. >> Very nice. Very nice. That's interesting. Yeah. Great. That's great that the word rats and rats are related because rats is is running. Beautiful. Right. And ratson is about right. What is it that gets you get gets you moving right? What are you going to run to and how do you find the energy to run? So rat sound be beautiful. But again it's not a word that it's not you know it's not like it's not a common you know phrase or idea. We know what it means you have to do this mitzvah. We know we have to be an we have to do we have to love like all those things are a little bit more standard the word again raton the idea. So I was like thinking about where do we find that like where do we find a verse? Where do we say something in our daing that's a bad rat zone? So just one example of that is what we say every day in the ashray. The Talmud says by the way if you say ashray three times a day you're guaranteed a place in the world to come. That's the gar save three times a day. If you haven't done that if you don't do it regularly you can start doing it. But those that dav it's two times in shak and it's one time in ma. So if you dav every day it's you got it. Um so it's a very very theal see it as a very very important very fundamental that should be said and something about that that it's so critical the gar itself says because it it's alphabetical and it says has the okay that's like a different discussion but what's the what's the call it out what do we say in the line of of of the rat the will of those that fear God Yah said God will do or God will help. In other words, and this is a beautiful idea, right? If the will that you have, the desire that you have to do something, Hashem will help you with that. And I think that's part of what we should think about when we think about rats, think about ambition. To know that we need God's help, those things that we want to accomplish and to know that Hashem is there with us for those things that we have that ambition and that drive to accomplish. And when we we almost we need to feel that partnership with Hashem, that presence of Hashem, right? The things we want to accomplish in life that Hashem is with me, right? I want to do the dafyomi. I know it's not going to be easy to on my own, but I know Hashem this is I'm fulfilling the will of God, desire of Hashem. Hashem is with me and is going to aid me in this. That Hashem is going to be like we say with the aid of Hashem and to feel Hashem. And if we do that, that's interesting that David is that God will help you with what you're doing. That's not what or your actions. That's not what David says. Hashem wants to see will. And when Hashem sees that will then said those that fear God, those that love Hashem, they're connected to Hashem, Hashem will be there. Okay. So one other very very important idea when it comes to um when it comes to will and bringing out the ambition and will in others in ourselves and others but now we're going to now we're going to uh emphasize how we bring it out in others. Now this is an interesting interesting way of thinking about it. Okay, we we're talking about how to bring out our ambitions, our will. So those were some of the ideas that we just mentioned. Torah study and to feel Hashem's presence. We have to be in good health. That's going to do it for us. But here's another idea from coming from another direction. How do we bring out and we have the opportunity to bring out the will and ambition in others to build ambition in others. So let me read to you the following from from Ravk. Ravuk quotes Gamar Brahos. is and it says the following says better a little bit of remorse or guilt that a person feels for themselves mikot much better than striking a person or hitting a person many times. Now what is that a reference to? It's actually a reference to the way that people would educate. Now, if we go back to the time of the Gomarra 2,000 years ago, one of the ways that people the way that we educated or the way that we parent parented in those years was very good with I grew up with a word patch. Like that everyone, you know what a patch is? >> Well, how do you know what that word? I I don't I don't know any Yiddish. I I have I'm three generations in America. My My grandparents are born in America. I know like three, four words in Yiddish. One of the words is punch. Now, how do I know the word punch? >> Cuz you got one. >> Cuz I got one. Exactly. It would I'll give you a patch. You're going to deserve you're going to get a patch. >> So, we know that that's how we I'm not talking about 2,000 years ago in the Gumar. I'm talking about not that old. I'm talking about 40, 50 years ago as a child, right? Hearing the word patchch and getting a patch. Okay, maybe there is a place for a patchch. But by the way, we we we kind of have moved away from that that way of educating, that way of parenting. And Rafuk writes in this piece, that's what the Gamarra is teaching us. Better that the person, a young person, any person feels a bit of remorse that it should not it shouldn't require a patch malote like m like malos makot. It shouldn't deserve a a hit or a smack. And he says that this is the kazal is they're teaching us that it has to be education has to be done with kindness. It has to be done with compassion, with sympathy, with sensitivity. And that's how we're going to that's how we're going to build up our children. That's how we're going to build up our students. That's how we're going to that's how we're going to have a successful community. That we are compassionate, that we're caring of others. So I think this is this idea in terms of building people up that we have the opportunity to do so that is a way of enhancing ambition and drive in others and you can easily break people and you can break a person's ambition and drive as well. There's a uh there's a well-known rabbi Rabbi Y Jacobson for those that know that name. He lives in Muny. There's a lot of uh great sh if if you haven't heard him, he's he's really worth hearing. One of the most popular rabbis lectures online. And um and he says in one of the talks, and this really stood out for me, he said, "Why is it that we're so stingy when it comes to complimenting others?" He says, "Why is it it's so easy to do? It's free. doesn't cost anything, but somehow we're so stingy when it comes to giving a compliment to somebody else. And he says how important it is to do that. And how important it is and that's a way of building up people and self-esteem and ambition and drive that we have the opportunity to do that for somebody else, right? somebody Davins for the Ammud and afterwards and maybe he got up to Davin and he he wasn't you know that confident about it or he hasn't done it in a while and afterwards everybody comes over and says yes what a beautiful daving it was so nice to hear you such a nice voice right the kabana that you had in davining you just you talk about drive and ambition you think he's ready to go up the next time he's going to be asked to davin you bet yeah absolutely he's going to run up for the you know run up there for that opportunity. But abins over. He goes the kdish and not one person says a kind word. Nobody goes out of their way to say that was really you know that was really a nice daffin and that hap that that that happens. So the opportunity that we have to to build that ambition in others, right, that drive in others is uh I think that's that that's uh that's something that we we need to take advantage of and that's what R Cook speaks about and again in this in this piece as as a comment on on this gamarra that uh that it you know striking somebody the negativity that that that's not going to work and that's again that's there's there's really there's a lot of danger there and interesting I think again in in uh in modern life, in contemporary life, we become more sensitive to this as well, which I think is a very a very healthy thing. Like I mentioned before, Rifk Cook said, as we as we're moving on, as we're getting closer to a mess messianic time, we're becoming uh more sensitive to this. Okay. So, I want to I'll conclude with two uh two anecdotes, two two stories. Um, one is about a a rabbi that uh that I'm sure nobody here knows. He's not a famous rabbi. I don't know his name either. He lived in the 1920s, 1930s here in Shalim. His name was Eleazar Yoseph Lerberg. And he lived here in Shalim. He was a storekeeper. And uh and at some point in his life, as he was, I think around 50 60 years old, he was beginning to have trouble with his eyes. He went to the doctor and the doctor said that we have to operate on your eyes and there is the possibility that you're going to go blind if uh you know if things you know it's like a 50/50 chance with this operation. So he said to the doctor that I'll you know I'll go through with the operation but let me know how much you know and how much time do I have until that operation is needed. He said you have about 6 months. So this is the guy closed up shop and he said I'm going to spend the next six months learning two mak he learned the maf of beta and rashashana which are the smaller ones two small mak about 30 p pages each and he memorized that's what he said I'm going to memorize these two mak and uh if I go blind then for the rest of my life I'll be able to continue to then I'll be able to learn them because I'll have them memorized and that's what he did day after day for those six months he memorized those mto and after the surgery as they unwrapped the bandages he was uh he was able to see so it's interesting is that uh that what he chose to do is to spend the rest of his life on those mto he felt that that there were that that was you know very very special that what he was determined to do the rut zone that he had that he took these six months and said this is what I'm going to accomplish And once he accomplished that as a maybe as a as a way of saying gratitude to Hashem that he said I'm going to come back to these mak again and again and on his this is uh on his tombstone on his ke it has that uh I have it here it says alim it says that 4,000 times that he studied the makto beta and rashana and that's what he asked his family he said when I pass away that's what I want you to put on on my kev on my tombstone and there's actually it's in harmon there's a sign it's there it's written there but it's also there's a sign right next to it that they put up says this is the man that studied the trackctate in in shas or these two trackctates in shas 4,000 times so I just thought of that as a kind of representing rutzone right the will that will that he had knowing that and maybe that's part of tapping into that aspect of you know we're limited time is not uh our time on earth is is is far from being far from being endless and that rutson that ambition that we have to take advantage of of every day of every moment. Okay. So that is that is that and one last uh one last an anecdote and this is from Ravarin Salvich Raar Ran Salvichek who is the brother of Yose Dova Levi Salves also a great Tamakam he was at yeshiva university for a number of years teaching with his along with his brother he was in Chicago as a rashiva and as a young boy he was daving he was David on rashan kipper and he was standing next to his grandfather Rabbelana Eliahu Kana his his grandfather. Now when they got up you know when they open the Aon and you have the Shmaenu and they have all those. So there is one of the that's recited is when we get older when we when we don't have the strength God you should you know you should stay with it you should you should be with us don't allow us just to kind of you know wither away. So that is uh that's that line that we say alashsh it's one of the ones that you say out loud that the whole congregation says as the aron is open. Now, his grandfather noticed that Aaron Salvich, he was about 10 years old at the time, that he was like screaming out that he was, you know, all of the lines. But that line of, you know, when I get older, that God, you should still, you know, you should don't let me just kind of wither away. That that line he didn't say out loud. So, he went over after David, he said, I noticed every every line you're saying with a lot of cabana. You're you're screaming it out, but not that line. So, he said, "You know what? I'm" He said to his grandfather, "I'm 10 years old. I'm like, you know, I'm a little kid. Like, this is all about when you get old that Hashem should still be be with you. So, it doesn't really speak to me. So, his grandfather said that this line is really about rats. It's really about will. It's really about that that that idea of ambition. when our ambition when our ratson weakens >> and he says often that happens with older people as we get older in life okay you know I'm old already I'm 80 years old you know it's you know it's time to hang up hang up the cleats as they you know we're coming to the end but we're praying to Hashem let that not happen right even where ambition begins to Wayne Hashem give us give us the strength we want to we want that drive we want that ambition And his grandfather said that drive, that ambition, a young person needs it as well, right? A young person can can also kind of let that, you know, let that die a bit, let that wither away. So he said, you should you need to say that out loud. It's not only for older people. It's for all of us, right? It's really a prayer to Hashem that Hashem should give us that rutza, that drive that we should wake up in the morning, that every single day, the ambitions that we have, the dreams that we have, right? what we believe that we can accomplish that we should have you know the that we should be energized energized to do so. So that is this uh this this concept or this notion this mida that Rook speaks about of ratson and to think about in our lives how to how to enhance that ratone how important that ratson is in every area of life how important it is in in in mitzvot in our observance in in our vodashem maybe it's tapping into more Torah maybe it's thinking about our lives and the physicality of our lives and to kind of move to a more to enhance our spiritual endeavors is physically something to think about as well. How do we how do we strengthen the body? How do we eat well, sleep well? And uh the other idea which I think is such a such a beautiful such an important idea of how we can enhance the will in others, the ambitions in others, right? To give others that self-esteem to build people up, right? For our children, for our grandchildren, for our friends, right? To be there as as somebody that builds up the uh the other person. And that's that's our, you know, that we that's in our hands, right? We we have the opportunity and we have the to do so. All right. So th those are some ideas. Anybody has any questions or comments? Happy to love to hear. Yeah. [music] >> [singing] >> My [music] name [singing] is [music] he. [music]