Living With Emunah (Part 286) - The Gerrer Rebbe's Message During the Gulf War

good morning BTO may it be a good morning may it be a b y a good day for yesu should hear sweeping Victory and wonderful salvation from ER Israel want to thank our generous amuna Ser sponsors for the year Avia Bella Morgan who have sponsored again in memory of Rabbi Dr Brian gabin in memory of Bella's mother Dr Ellen shanzer we're very grateful to them this morning she was also sponsored by Sher Levant in commemoration of the first year side of her beloved father Sydney Bal the sh should have and Aliyah thank you Sher thank you to levans for that generous sponsorship um once again we're going to stay afterwards to complete all of SE if 30 people stay it'll take literally a few minutes to finish all of in honor of our precious Soldiers the least we can do is spend a few more moments and these Israeli car flags they're available in the lobby we're asking everyone to make a donation but those who come to the Amun take one for free so go outside in the lobby wow you never got got so excited in your life $5 cuz I told you he saved five the $5 by the way go to the soldier so if you want you can still give it for five doll we ordered also American flags our cars you'll notice if you see the proas pro Palestinian rallies across this world you never see an American flag ever you know why because they hate the values of America we at every pro-israel rally you see Israeli flags and American flags so we also ordered American flags or cars wherever you're parking whatever parking lot whatever Supermarket whatever gym whatever workplace everyone should know oh that car their proud patriotic Americans who love Israel those two go together and hopefully that'll be the impact we have so if you go to the amuna Shar you could take a living with amuna cup I got to see the G Risha the other night drink a tea from a caffeinate with cavana cup I wanted to get a picture but it didn't feel right but you get the free cups and you get uh the flag for your like flag for your car so um we're we're going to learn a piece this morning from the G rashash who we merited to have here the other night his father who was the previous GBA the P we're gonna learn a m a piece that he said when he was rashash before he was the rebba the P and he said it during the Persian Gulf War another time when those in Israel were in the face the target threatened by Rockets living in fear those who remember maybe some of you were in Israel during that Persian Gulf War in retrospect we look back and we realize there were no chemical weapons chemical Warheads those gas masks were all for nothing men shaved their beards people couldn't fit them on my I had a first I a first cousin my first cousin got married the night of the first scud missile attack the pictures from his wedding they're dancing everybody with the gas mask on their arm and that night was the first sirm was the first missile and so he spent his wedding night with the whole wedding in a sealed in a sealed room in a sealed room so there was a tremendous fear they didn't know today we know that there were no chemical weapons and there were no direct strikes I think there was one casualty the whole Persian Gulf War and it was from a heart attack not from the the missile strike I think I think I could be wrong so we'll learn this piece in a moment but first to catch up on some emails and then we'll dive into living with amuna so I don't know if she's here this morning if she is she'll tell me I won't use her name unless but she sent me an email yesterday I've regularly attended the amuna she since I moved to boka just a few weeks ago tomorrow beem I plan to bring my grandmother a survivor of the Holocaust who traveled to boka to see her great-grandson receive his first you here oh oh sh welcome when I think of amuna it's okay I'm reading it go okay when I think of amuna I am continuously inspired by my grandmother who despite despite seasons of adversity and pain in her lifetime holds on to a deeply embedded unshakable Faith she published her Memoir a candle in the heart we have a copy for everyone who goes to the Amun here I don't know published her Memoir candle in the heart referencing the memories of her mother's shabus candles which she carries in her heart until today while we Face these dark and difficult days I lean on our belief in Hashem to carry us through much like my grandmother did as she watched her parents and siblings taken to asit for someone who was orphaned at the age of five and survived the message of Faith over fear and hope in the face of hate is as clear today as it was then this is the resolve of the Jewish people what better way to prove our commitment to Jewish continuity than to celebrate the transmission of Torah throughout the generations it's very dusty in here it is the key to our survival it is the key to our survival and the moments that we value especially during these times so thank you thank you for being here thank you for visiting mazeltov on the Kish play or party on the first Kish should be a source of tremendous Nas and that that's the piece we're going to learn that's the P what gets us through what gives us the resilience the resolve if we didn't think that our story matter mattered it's been a fun ride for the Jewish people let's just give it up let's go to Uganda let's blend in and Paris and London and bokeh let's hand it over and say fine you want the country you want no Jews but what gives us the resolve the tenacity and if you've been to Israel and please God we'll all go back very soon you see in the eyes of everyone the soldiers those who are at home the network of cassad everybody citizen civilians simple people that Focus that fearlessness that faith that mission that purpose that that's what got us through that's what got us through an inquisition and Crusades and Exiles and expulsions that's what got us through the Holocaust and that's what gets us from a holocaust to a Kish party the Kish party the vision the image of the Kish party is what gets us through a holocaust and will get us through this so I'd love to read a candle on the heart I'm happy to buy my copy but I'd love to read the candle in the heart and thank you for being here and thank you for sharing that big welcome to to Stephanie we're happy you're in our community next email story about we've had several times where people R randomly put on Spotify or I always saw people listen on Apple podcasts or my website but it turns out it's Spotify here's the story about choosing the right living with amuna episode there was no new class last week this goes back a few weeks so I asked Siri to play the podcast and she picked number 67 I didn't know I have to I have to pay Siri it was about purum and here's what struck me it's really hard now to have uplifted hopes for the future of the current mat the war is expected to be long and costly anti-Semitism is reaching terrifying levels people are using terms like World War I and mashia in class number 67 this is class number I don't know what so it's a lot past that you mentioned the of that was a class I guess around per time and we were learning if you read the Milla out of order if you read the Milla backwards you're not yot that one who thinks the type of hidden miracles the Milla only happened in the past misses the point of pum if you read the Milla retroactively backwards out of order you didn't fulfill the Mitzvah because don't see it as being something that's in the past it really gave me a brighter View and reminded me even with a dire situation potential for Calamity where we can't see how we could be a way out Hashem really can have a solution beyond our greatest dreams all we can do is our part of we've already forgotten our fears at the beginning of the Gulf War who would have imagined that with hundreds of scuds fired the fear of chemical weapons in the end one Israeli was killed although the situation now is far more serious Hashem can totally turn it around in an instant so this uh email writer invoked the Persian Gulf War which is exactly what we are going to learn together today so you should have in front of you if you'd like to follow or you could simply listen this is a mimer of the P who was the p p was the last the previous GES he was a rash before he became succeeded as the the gbba his son is now the G rashash who was RA alter who we had here the other night whose Torah we quote often who is extraordinary so this was the Persian Gulf War aim that then the rashash said and you have it here in front of you we'll learn it together and we'll translate we'll go through and the strength that they drew at that time the message that he said to a not only a but he said to a country to anyone who would listen the message that he said then is true now and unfortunately is true often too often the Jewish people are sitting in fear in anxiousness we are attached to the news I I struggle to give shum because it means for these 40 45 minutes I can't check Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post and I24 and every other rotation of I'm sure you all have also every app every website every Everything maybe something has someone new maybe there's something different the family WhatsApp group my nephews we're we're obsessed consumed and to certain ways appropriately so it reflects and it reveals how connected we feel but also it's very debilitating it's very paralyzing it's causing us to not function it's putting our life on hold it's spiking all kinds of mental illness and and and struggles in some ways it's very unhealthy you have to be connected maybe you saw yesterday image the face was blurred out but a soldier in his uniform who was appearing before the Bas in in Israel who gas whose conversion was accelerated because he's serving in the IDF and he said if something goes wrong I want to die as a Jew so they accelerated they fast forwarded his conversion so I shared it with arbas for conversion to which the great rabbi lug replied we should ask candidates right now the candidates who are in our system in the process how often are you checking the news on Israel are you bothered by what's going on in Israel you want a litus test of how connected you are to the Jewish people you want a litus test about whether really like the great convert like the great convert that we think of R your people are my people check are you checking the news are you connected or have you moved on with your life and I don't mean if you check too much it's unhealthy I'm not asking are you consumed and unhealthy have you made yourself sick over it that's not the question we shouldn't be sick but but if a person says yeah I heard something about something going on in Israel I heard there's something then then then we need to check the candidacy if you want to be part of this people means The Good the Bad and the Ugly it means that that these times as well so it's an amazing image if you saw it I'll try to post it in our amuna WhatsApp group for extra bonus things like that join the amuna whats group for these kinds of great things should post regularly she has on her status all kinds of amazing amuna things going on right now in Israel but you see you see this Soldier who's wearing the olive uniform of the IDF who says I'm fighting for Israel if something were to go wrong I want to die as a Jew and the Bas and said come we got to do this he also has to know and be prepared to follow it but but whatever timeline there is just got accelerated and it's so this is a Time said the said we're we're all assumed we're we're tied to this news in some ways a beautiful reflection of how connected we are to our people in some ways too much we have to pull back we have to regulate ourselves we can't be sick over it we see to our great pain and shagrin and challenge difficult times and we see and we feel helpless we feel helpless our soldiers are fighting the fight we can do things for them things are happening we just put on the calendar for tomorrow night s Benjamin Anthony is bringing us someone else whose family was killed and someone whose child whose family is being held hostage they're going to speak tomorrow night we'll release it soon Mo shabas and Sunday night 8 to 10 both Saturday night and Sunday night we're having titas tying we committed to tie 2,000 pairs of titas there are soldiers in the field desperate to wear Titus they need the Titus that can form with the army uniform we took on to tie 2,000 pairs so Mo shabas and Sunday night letter writing in TI there are things that we can do but we're not we're not taking a gun we're not putting on a parachute right the rally there's a rally here Sunday qu corner of pometto and pometto there's a rally in Washington next Tuesday many of us are going we're still exploring other ways to bring more people there are things we can do but none of them include going into Gaza to take care of what we need to take care of none of them include that none of them include that we want to be back in there we want to be on that front line we want to be defending our people and in that way we feel we feel we feel helpless on our family WhatsApp group this morning somebody posted a picture of a soldier in holding the sign we're back in gush so I forwarded that picture to did our amazing hero yya who family were first evacuated from yamit and told to go settle gush katif they settled gush katif they were told to evacuate gush katif and go settle schom they settled schit and they lost four members on October 7th defending schlomit so you did you please God is going to come for our jnf weekend with when we have Brett Stevens in December hopefully it'll work out he'll be allowed to come he's hopefully going to come so I sent you did you the picture because I thought of him gush he lived in gush you're back you bring tears to my eyes that's that's his home that he was forced out of and now we're back we want to be in Gaza we want to be a gush katif told them they should put the flag future home of batone synagogue East gush katif we should we're on the water we're we're a beach beach properties we come from Florida we go from coast to coast from coast to coast the future home of BS East in Gaza but we feel we feel that we're helpless how do we protect ourselves how do we protect our people how do we protect our fear we never had this fear we never worried college campus you had to walk with fear there's conversations somebody asked me question I never heard I'm going with my spouse to New York my wife says I have to wear a baseball cap she's very afraid to walk around with my yamaka I want to wear my Y what should I do shom did a Jew think inin 2023 these were the questions that a rabbi would be asked is a conflict in my marriage in my family she s I wear a baseball cap I want to wear my yamaka said the it's important in these moments you know what the news's job is the news's job is not everyone relax the next segment we're all going to take deep breaths together we're going to spend a few moments saying to each other everything's going to be okay that's not the news the news is panic be afraid it's terrible it's going to be terrible listen to the latest terrible thing that's because the news is in the business of getting eyeballs to watch it so it can sell ads but that's not our job our job right the gbba pivoted US he repositioned us he's recalibrating us he's giving us an anchor whoa one second turn that off take a few deep breaths the word Nish Anda as we've said a million times in this year Nish our soul we restore our soul our Nish when we take some deep nishima nishima means breath Nish means Soul we originally received our soul through the breath of Hashem and we restore our soul through those breaths so when you feel yourself tightening up and anxious and you're and your blood pressure is going up and your breathing is shallow just whatever you're do disconnect turn it off go on airplane mode and take a few deep breaths restore your so p is helping us do that he's talking again to Jews in the Persian Gulf War and he said you're all having to make sealed rooms you're all using you remember those days right the plastic and the Scotch tape and the duct tape and the tape and and you're making sealed rooms we lived it differently there was no social media there was no WhatsApp we didn't see it in real time your cousin who you spoke to at $400 a minute told you we're Scotch tap up the room we didn't see it it was a very different world was a different world but the country was panicked millions of Jews were worried does it fit do I shave my beard do is there one for my kid does the crib have a covering remember those days said there's fear fear fear anxiety levels are through the roof everyone take a deep breath let's remember who we are and where we come from let's remember what we've survived let's remember our mission and purpose let's remember who we serve let's remember where this all comes from let's remember how we get through things he said it to them but he's telling it to us now it's the same message it's the same Mission it's the same challenge we're speaking now in the past we relied on the security we listened to our righteous leaders they gave us a perspective they gave us a vision and we lean on the hope of the Jewish people the one who saves us be SAR said GB in the Persian Gulf War here in our Holy Land there will not be an a TR there will not be a decimation there will not be a destruction of like our enemies want PP we stand here with uncompromised unyielding perfect Faith with no in our armor with no doubt in our mind with no hesitation in our heart we have a faith that as much as we grieve and we cry and we mourn whom we've lost as much as we legitimately worry about what we Face we also stand with complete confidence that if we've made it 2,000 years in Exile if we've made it nearly 3600 years or 5,784 years Hashem has a plan El but as much as we have complete confidence and Faith as much as we know we have a bright future as much as we know he's gotten us to here and he'll get us through this moment we're still in a war none of us is the insurance agent none of us can guarantee anyone's safety during this time of war and this time of difficulty so it's a challenge someone asked me last night a lot of people are taking advantage of the Second Amendment rights and purchasing weapons want to know can I carry it on chabas can I carry my gun on chabas so are you part of the volunteer security team that you've gone through extensive training that you're being relied on and you're positioned in the community that you needed no just have a gun and I'm worried can I carry it on chabas it's m gun is M on chabas can carry it on chabas so you have reason to believe is there statistic IAL evidence that we're in such danger are events occurring are you even confident you know what to do or how to or how to use it if you're at the point that you can't walk to sh and chabas on Montoya Circle without a gun then pack up and leave which it's time to do anyway but but pack up and then pack up and we had a whole conversation a whole debate so in this time that all the images and ideas and all the enemies waving their Flags en chanting their chance and I'm grateful that Congress is voting hopefully to rebuke du one who called for the death of all Jews in Congress yeah including by the way our congressman who I want to acknowledge Jared moscowitz a Democrat who's been unbelievably outspoken our community next week those who are flying to the rally were first meeting with him in his office before we go to the rally BRS is meeting with him he voted to censure very few Democrats crossed the line to vote to censure I don't even want to say her name m i don't want to say her name and uh the enem so so when when elected members of Congress Can chant a chant that means death to Jews it's natural to live with fear nobody's guaranteed so so how do we get through this time the horse is ready for the day of War meaning the Army the military is ready for war the weapons are ready the Chariots are ready but is the Salvation got to have the weapons you got to send over the tactical gear you have to arm you have to have military superiority get the Chariot ready get the Army ready get the tanks and the Cavalry get it all ready get the artillery and the paratroopers and the intelligence get it all ready get it all but the PK doesn't end there it doesn't say a Jew a Jewish Army a Jewish Nation arm yourselves and get ready that's not where the P ends the P continues get ready Hashem wants us to take our initiative make our effort and celebrate our heroic soldiers DAV for them pray for them think about them so another campaign in our community Stewie wax is working on which is to get a picture of each Soldier and each child in every school Davin for a specific Soldier have them in mind their name and their image and Dav for that Soldier that's our job we have to do it they have to do their job they protect us we protect them we have to do our job buta in the end of the day we realize that with all of that that's our effort any more than the surgeon's going to do the surgery you search out the best surgeon you look at the diploma on their did they actually finish medical school you check out their rating online did they do a pretty good job you investigate use all your connections you do everything you can to have the best surgeon but don't be a fool in the end of the day the surgeon is a is an agent of Hashem the surger is going to be successful the greatest surgeon in the world because Hashem guided their hand and if it's not meant to be successful they could have the greatest training they could be the greatest surgeon but it's not what's meant to be throughout our history we have confronted and faced this anxiousness this worry this fear this reality that that anti-semites are just waiting for the opportunity boy did they organize quickly just waiting for that opportunity to rear their ugly heads because they're out there there's a power there's a might there's a legitimate fear that we shouldn't could have on my copy I underlined that line the the great G was turning to am during the Persian Gulf War and saying being afraid is natural and is nothing to be ashamed of it's important to hear that because people mistakenly think I guess I don't have amuna I guess I failed the amuna test I guess I should drop out of the amuna shear because I'm a little nervous and if I I really believed in hm I wouldn't be nervous I'm here the great P the greatb is turning to and saying it's natural don't be ashamed and don't be embarrassed by it there's a famous say taught his students students may your May the fear of Heaven be upon you like the fear of like the way you fear human beings so the simple understanding is means your fear for your own life your fear you're confronting your own mortality or maybe kabas ofam you're afraid of Hamas you're afraid of terrorists you're afraid of enemies you're afraid of Thieves and burglar you're afraid of strong people that fear so way of understanding this what was teaching his students is you're afraid that's good good bottle that sense take that fear and now redirect it Channel it let it manifest in the right way way of understanding is that every human emotion that we have the entire range and spectrum of human emotion that we feel it's all wonderful and it's beautiful take it and figure out how to express it in the healthiest way we've studied this in the past together also the stubbornness is stubborn good or bad yes stubbornness is bad when you refuse to apologize or hear the other perspective stubbornness is bad when you don't want to give in stubbornness is great when you stubbornly cling to being a Jew and Jewish values and standing with Israel and Jewish Pride stubbornness is fantastic it's a virtue it's a virtue take every human quality good or bad it all depends how it's channeled it all depends how it's used two exceptions to that rule we've studied a lot what are the two exceptions to the rule anger has no place don't ever Channel anger you can act angry but don't ever be angry feel anger and arrogance you have to be exceedingly humble and exceedingly calm don't ever get arrogant don't ever get angry but every other quality jealousy is Envy good or bad yes if you're jealous of your neighbor's car or wife or children you think I should have it not them then it's a very bad quality if you're consumed by jealousy and envy you can't be happy with what you have you've robbed yourself of your whole life of all Serenity Peace of Mind of any quality of life but if you say you know that that neighbor of mine they do such I I want to do you know they're so connected in this moment to the Jewish people to hasem I wantan I want to get a little bit of what they have I want a little more of what they're doing and you're driven You're motivated you're inspired by them then that's fantastic so the says every emotion love fear Envy stubbornness it's all a question of how you Channel it and the same is true about worry you're feeling a little anxiety a little anxiousness a little worry a healthy a little dose of fear take that fear and redirect it don't be afraid of Hamas don't be afraid of the Palestinian down the block don't be afraid of the lab result don't be afraid of whatever is the source of your fear rechannel it and redirect it to the one in whom if we have fear it relieves and resolves every other fear if you Channel and direct that fear inem you run the world this is your world you're in charge you're the Creator you're control you're intimately involved in my life I'm going to take my initiative I'm going to do everything I can and everything I should and at the end of it you know what I'm going to do I'm going to let go and let God and a person who can Channel and redirect Their Fear and their worry to conversation with Hashem one who can get to the place of I can let go and let God and put myself and surrender and be in hashem's hands if you can change all that fear I mentioned earlier in the sh earlier Sal taught this because he was approached by psychiatrist in his community in Boston he came to him and said this is quoted in ALA in the in the book a collection of Sal on repentance and the psychiatrist said to Sal what are we doing I spent my whole career trying to get people to overcome their fears we spend all this money and all this time and all this therapy and all this medicine all to overcome fear and then what do you do you get together and you Hashem make us afraid give us fear what are you ding for fear make us tremble make us afraid make us fear he says what's going on we got a whole industry psych mental health psychology Psychiatry shouldn't we be ding to not be afraid s Sal right that he told him you don't get it you're right your career your your area of expertise it's critically important helping people overcome their fears fear of height fear of planes fear of public speaking fear of public crowds fear of of Kamas fear of a carjacking fear of getting sick a fear of an earthquake a fear of a hurricane a fear of a tsunami you afraid yet give me some more fears come up let's come up with some more fears fear of getting old fear of children disappointing you fear of small places anything else any other fears we didn't cover yet Heights mice lizards SP spiders whatever fear so the RV turned to the psychiatrist and said all those fears you're right you're doing good work that's your career get rid of those fears he said here's the thing there's one fear that if you can replace any of those fears with this fear gets rid of every other fear if you live that this is hashem's World he's in control he's in charge I do what I need to do and then I let go and I let God now you have nothing to be afraid of about the plane or the height or the spider or the crowd or the public speaking or the lizard there's one Fe that if you can Channel and direct all your fear into fear of him you can relieve and let go of every other fear let go and let God that's says the that's what was teaching his students take whatever fear you have of mere mortals and redirect it Channel it into conversation with Hashem and then you let go and let God and then you say yes my nephews my cousins in some cases my husband my son my grandson is putting on a gunun and a uniform and going into Gaza and I can't sleep and I can't think and I can't eat and I can't do it's legitimate there's nothing to be ashamed of it's totally understandable but take all that angst and all that worry take all of that nausea and sleeplessness and channel it into a conversation with Hashem Hashem I know you're in charge I know you're in control I know you're in control and there are Miracles happening now there are 31 I think the number is 31 there's 31 worlds that have been destroyed 31 families that will forever not be the same there 31 bright Souls that have been extinguished 31 soldiers have lost their lives since the ground operation it's unimaginable the pain it's 31 is way too many but I read this morning that one of the retired generals who talked about the danger of going in said before we went the ground operation said taking Gaza City alone just surrounding Gaza City is going to cost 700 lives that's what he had said and and but the article was that there are Miracles that are happening Miracles coupled with The Bravery courage Brilliance of the IDF and the American Navy Seals who are helping American intelligence that shouldn't be lost on us how America has stood with us bringing in bringing in ships and nuclear submarines and the president's support and the combination but there are Miracles so you could look at the number 31 and your heart is and should be broken and say why and where are you and how could you and those are all legitimate questions but you could read the article it said it'll likely cost at least 700 lives just to surround Gaza City if we go into Gaza and say there are Miracles there are unbelievable Miracles that are happening so the fear and the unknown and the uncertainty let go and let God I'm going to channel every fear of everything in this picture I'm not going to paint about what could go wrong and there's endless amounts of things to worry and fear of what could go wrong in Israel and for soldiers but instead of thinking about what if this and what if that and that other thing could happen and this one's happened that could happen and imagine if that happened take all those fears and say Hashem I'm putting it in you I'm placing it on you I'm directing it towards you I'm Letting Go and I'm letting God I'm Letting Go and I'm letting God we're going to continue this mimr in one second because then he talks about in a moment apum where he says we're really facing two enemies in this war we're facing Kamas and Hezbollah and Iran and and Harvard and Yale and and Colombia and and Rashid andan Omar and AOC and the Starbucks Union but not the Starbucks and the thing and the whatever we're facing enemies we're facing enemies but there's another enemy that the P brilliantly points out that we're facing and you know what that other enemy that we're facing is our own fear we're facing this we're facing this enemy within ourselves that is paralyzing us and debilitating us and robbing us of Our Lives putting our lives on hold putting us on edge dividing us creating an impatience and and infighting with our own family or people around us so there's the enemy without and there's no shortage of them right now some we already knew before this happened before a month ago on October 6th we already knew about Kamas hasb and Iran but since October 8th we've also come to learn about Harvard and Yale and Colombia and Cooper Union and Cornell and so much more the enemies from without we know but we need to be thinking about the Enemy Within the enemy of Our Own doing the enemy that we are creating okay we'll continue just the next paragraph he says the that we've taken as the title for this m is a from cap 64 Ros it teaches an enormous amount this is the name of this mimer the title of this of this essay from Fear of the enemy give me a life save my life fashion my life in this in plenty of is beseeching the almighty save me from the enemy spare me from the enemy but not in this p in this P he's not saying spare me and save me from the enemy what is he saying spare me and save me from losing and forfeiting my life in fear of the enemy there's two fronts we fight on there's two enemies we have to overcome there's the external external physical enemy and there's the enemy of fear the enemy of the unknown the enemy of hopelessness the enemy of Despair the enemy of despondency the enemy of this Darkness there's that enemy which one is the bigger enemy which is more worried about had a father-in-law who wanted to kill him a son who wanted to kill him an entire people who wanted to kill him D had a difficult life we think about oh he had a palace and wealth he was D forever we think about the warrior and the poet he had lots of wives he lived in fear D had a tough life and which fear was he which enemy was he more afraid of which was he more worried about he said the enemy hasm is going to make me overcome I could defeat the enemy whatever hashem's plan is for this enemy that's going to be his plan I'm worried about the enemy but I'm not nearly as worried about the enemy as I am worried about my worry about the enemy I don't want to lose my life in thinking about the enemy in being debilitated and sabotaging my own life because I'm focused on this enemy so this is a says I chose it as the title of this essay because it's so instructive it's so enlightening we have to know that we Face two enemies Kamas Iran but the enemy within ourselves about this fear uncertainty obsessing over news in a way that's not showing how connected I am to am Isel but that's robbing me of my sanity and my mental health there's that enemy we on suus onos Raba we walk around with the Aros and we davana Hashem save me from my soul from Panic save me from a life in which I am panicked which I'm panicked we know people like that that's basically the whole world actually like like that before Corona anxiety levels were through the roof before Corona with Corona anxiety levels burst through the roof take the general Spike of mental illness do probably to social media and Technology couple it with Corona couple it with clausel now in a war of its life and and who doesn't who's not who's not feeling this anxiousness this anxiety we D for that it's not new that phenomenon hasem if I don't have Serenity and peace of mind and happiness then I have nothing you could have your physical health you could have wealth you could have family but if you so anxious and suffering from such panic and so debilitated then what do you have all of it doesn't add up to a life so we DAV not that person with mental illness in the corner not that weirdo that outlier that exception we all DAV because we're all the weirdo we're all the outlier they're inliers not outliers it is legitimate every one of us feel validated right now that you wake up at 3: and 4 in the morning and you look at the news that you can't concentrate and you can't focus because you're filled with anxiousness that you're worried and you're so Uber connected and that's what we're doing not now it's not a new that was composed in 2023 because there's a war we're going back to hos Raba for the last 2,000 years hasem save me from from being so scattered and fragmented from living with panic and fear hasm saved me from the anxiety because it's understandable because we all suffer from it because it's relatable so I want to end by reading to you something else we'll we'll continue with this piece next week week we'll continue with this piece next week next Wednesday next Tuesday is the rally in Washington here's my that the rally will still be on to celebrate the miraculous Victory and that the war is over please God we'll have a million people rally in Washington next week to say thank you the hostages are home thank you the soldiers are home thank you we want a sweeping Victory and the and we'll have double the amount of people who were going to come for the great Victory Parade and then we'll meet next Wednesday morning for the next Amir and we'll pick it up from here but I want to read one last thing because it comes from an unlikely place this is a true story from the Yeshiva in Ramat Gan that hung on the Bolton Board of the Yeshiva in Ramat Gan someone sent it to me I said I don't like to share things unless they're confirmed he said he knows first it's confirmed the you say the the GB didn't put on a uniform the P didn't strap himself with a gun the p in the Persian GF War wasn't on the front line although if you remember the Persian Gulf War nobody was there we weren't fighting the war there was this is also the story of the Jewish people there was a war somewhere else and they said you know how we'll get let's go kill all the Jews Jew said what what what do we have to do with it leave us out we're not involved in this but Sadam said if you come get me I'm G to kill your friends the Jews and that is the story of our history so the Persian go of War we weren't fighting we weren't involved in fact America said please stay out but nevertheless millions of people had to build sealed rooms and get fitted for gas masks by the time we went to col for two years in Israel we were still getting gas masks they were in boxes and collected dust barem but we had to wait online could tourists get could tourists not get there was a whole question if you remember we got we got fitted for gas masks still by the time that we went that we went so this is what's so the say so it's easy for him it's easy for him to talk about don't be panicked don't be anxious Don't Be Afraid fight the Panic from within he's not going in it's all Hashem you have to know where it comes from transfer every fear into surrendering to hasem let go let God don't be afraid of you say it's easy for the so I want to read it to you from another source Shalom someone wrote on the Bolton board in and said yesterday I got a phone call from one of the members of our Yeshiva who's serving in GI and he said the following he said last night we were fighting we were prepared to go in to fight and the M officer came over to me and told me the following I have a job for you I have a request of you I have something I need you to do excuse me if I'm mispronouncing the modern Hebrew this officer turned to the soldier and said you're religious right in Kip you're wearing a kipa you're religious right please right now go and pray I said excuse Meely I said excuse me come again what' you say he said I'm talking about my officer my higher ranking with God Meade my M who lives in Tel Aviv with his partner who listen to what I'm telling you right now this is a time of prayer this non-religious maybe on October 6th anti-religious Meade from Tel Aviv turned to his religious Soldier and said I have a I need you to do something for me for us please go pray right now because we are in a very difficult circumstance we're right now in the field in the sh in an impossible you could read this article I think it was on Times of Israel I think it's again whoever the Publishers of Times of Israel never heard of because there's a whole article about how the war is going better than expected B Hara and it was about how all the Army experts American and isra said to do a ground operation in Gaza and to be a week two weeks into it let's not even finish the sentence what they need to do the Guerilla Warfare there is no more densely Capital populated capital of terrorism in the history of the world than in Gaza American Military are saying that what America faced in Iraq and Afghanistan is Child's Play compared to what Israel is trying to get done in Gaza City and in in Gaza and in Gaza so said this me what could beop what could be is a catastrophe something terrible could happen we could be taken hostage it could be a catastrophe you need to go pray it took me time to digest what he said and I still can't make sense of it but but I left my told me not get your gun come run with us here's the job he said I need you to go and pray right now I still don't understand it but I went I went to go privately pray I told hasem these are his children I said I'm not coming asking you for a favor these are your children they're your children you know if somebody hypothetically were to send me a text and say Rabbi I'm worried about your son I saw him scootering in the parking lot right so he he's I won't say fine I'll do you a favor I'll tell him to be careful it's say it's it's a favor for me it's my son thank you so this Soldier said in mybus in my private prayer to Hashem I said Hashem don't do me a favor these are your sons these are your sons and every Soldier that's lost is after a quarter of an hour I came back I went back to my unit I I rejoined this Mission and the came to me all with his face with light you don't understand what is happen a moment after you walked away to turn to hem to pray we basically we were successful in each advance in each operation with everything we needed to do and it's going right you're not coming in the ground operation you religious member of our unit your job is not to come in with us your job is to stay here we need you right now to come pray and that's what was hung on the Bolton Board of the Yesa in Ramadan because one of the students of Ramadan in his unit called back to the Yesa to say listen to this story The who doesn't put on a uniform can say turn to hasem this is a moment we have to direct all the fear TM Channel all of it TM and then let go and let God but some previously anti-religious me from T Aviv says to this Soldier have you're religious I have a job for you you're not coming in I need you to stay right here and I need you to pray to Hashem these are the stories that should Inspire and motivate these are the stories that drive each and every one of us it should be a good day for cl and we'll see you all Tuesday we'll see you all tomorrow night for the program we're going to run we'll see you all mo shabas and Sunday night tius and write letters we'll see you Sunday at a rally and we'll see you Tuesday at the Victory Parade MIT please stay for tillum now please stay for tillum