(Part 156): Reach Up for a Hug

bov and good morning welcome back to our living with amuna Series in which We Gather each and every week in order to reinforce the sense of amuna in our lives that life is not random or chance or happen stance there Aon Shalom we have a father in Heaven we are engaged in a loving romantic relationship with Hashem to feel his presence to identify his influence to express our gratitude even to express our objection or protest but whatever it is to see he is there and to develop that closeness and that relationship with Hashem I want to thank our sponsors for the year Dr AI doors Ai and Bella Morgan so grateful to their generosity and sponsorship they sponsored are living with amuna Series in memory of Rabbi Dr Brian galet whose EUR site is today today's the first EUR site of our dear dear friend bar Ru nasan Rabbi Dr Brian gabbit who lived a life that was informed by amuna it was inspired by his relationship with Hashem we spoke last night at a yite gathering you could watch it on uh on our YouTube channel about Brian this week's to do what is right what is just what is correct what hasem wants from us it's this week's para it says that all Torah can be reduced to that one statement always ask yourself what would Hashem want in this moment What's going to give Nas to Hashem what's going to make him proud does he want me to react this way does he want me to take this action does he want me to speak this way what does Hashem Want From Me In This Moment ask ourselves that question it'll take us very far in life Brian's name is ruen is an acronym says you could reduce life to that motto to that mission statement that sad the righteous if you see Hashem if you feel Hashem if you identify hem if you're grateful to Hashem then you're truly alive no matter what you're going through no matter what challenges may lay in your way but if you live a life of denial if you are unsure if you are heretical if you uh deny hashem's existence and influence then a person is dead even while they're alive what kind of quality of life is there and so today on his first year we're so grateful to the Morgans for their sponsorship this class is also sponsored by Leo and Lucy deat in memory of Leo's great- grandfather Yuda Hali as well should have an alyah okay we are towards the end and maybe even we'll finish up today the essay that we've been studying for many many months Schwarz the author of The Who has been defining for us a life of Life of does not mean in the moment we express is not a strategy I got to go to the doctor I got to apply for the job I've got to oh yeah let me also ask Hashem because that's on my checklist B is not a strategy it's not something I check off it's not among the things that I have to do lately my wife and I have daily meetings okay what's the task list what do we have to do what we got the Sim we got to do in our quarantine what I have to do with our kids check check check check check did you do your list did I do my list so it's not like be on the list well we really want everything to work out you got to call the caterer you got to make sure you invite people since we are less than a week before it's probably time to figure out our numbers and invite you got to do this you got to do that oh yeah also don't forget to DAV and ask hasem because that's on our checklist no B is not a checklist is not another thing that I have to do what he's developed for us is that b is a way of life it's a way of looking at at life it's the LX surgery to correct our vision for life to look at the world and not see conflict to not have to battle to not see tension to not face opposition but rather to see the whole world operating in harmony to feel the presence of Hashem guiding us to know that all that happens does for a reason and therefore the Serenity and the peace of mind and the Tranquility that takes over because you take the covid test and you say whichever way it comes back and of course we for for all those who are ill But whichever way it comes back is the way it's meant to be and even if it might present some challenges to the timeline that we're living our lives but if you have if you attach yourself to also this We Like Glue attach ourselves to Hashem ride his coattails he has our back stick with him and he's got us covered glue de is De glue stick with hhm he's got your back he's got his cover just stick with him stick with him like glue and a person who lives that life is not simply checking something off of a checklist person who lives that life is putting on a pair of glasses is having corrective lens corrective lens surgery is looking at the world in an entirely different way say of Schwarz the notion that we have some self-confidence self assurance the notion that we and I will continue to beat this example to death the notion that we're confident that we can pick up a cup of coffee and I thought of all of you the other day I made a cup of coffee I put on a lid I started to walk with it and the cup slipped out of my hand and the lid fell off and it almost spilled all over myself and I laughed and I said it's my fault in this Amun here every week I give the example of making and lifting and sipping a cup of coffee all without incidents and I said until until there's an incident and then you realize you can't take it for granted so the level the fact that implicit without thinking about it without stressing or worrying about it without then being grateful for it I make my cup of coffee all while I'm doing 10 other things I carry it all while I'm doing 10 other things and I drink it till I get to the bottom of it and say what happens to that cup of coffee all mindlessly and while doing 10 other things and at no point that I worry it's going to slip out of my hand it's going to burn my tongue it's going to fall it's going to stain my shirt it'll never work out effectively maybe the coffee is contaminated and poisoned and it's going to kill me we live our lives with a level of trust and a level of faith we have faith in the doctor and faith in the lawyer and faith in the banker and Fai faith in the insurance broker and we have faith we have faith in the pharmacy and we have faith in the supermarket we have faith that the test is accurate we live our lives with faith and it's not misplaced Faith it's an exercise to reinforce our capacity for Faith and now that we know that have that faith faith in others and faith in ourselves now the hard work begins to realize that underlying all of that Faith the foundation of the faith that we show to others and to ourselves is the Reon Shalom is the almighty and that's what he's saying now the faith we have in ourselves the faith that I can get out of bed and walk and I won't F flat on my face the faith in my decision making and my judgment and my capacity to come to to come to positive or safe conclusions that faith in myself is Faith in Theon who is in me it's not in me it's that Hashem is expressing himself in all these things around the World Hashem is in my carig machine hasem is in my oven Hashem is on the car breakes of my car Hashem is in the fact that I discovered this doctor this lawyer this insurance broker Hashem is expressing himself in that world around me and the faith is not in the people and the things the faith ultimately has to be in Hashem the deeper this concept is the clearer it is so when I make the cup of coffee I thoughtlessly and mindlessly make up the cup of coffee I shouldn't do so thoughtlessly I should say to myself the cup of coffee thank you for inventing and growing The Coffee Bean and allowing it to be harvested and allowing it to be transported and allow it to be ground and allowing it to be put in a pod and allowing it to be invented into a carig and allowing it to make it and allowing it to successfully have my brain shoot neurons to my arms and my joints and my muscles to lift it successfully to my lips and to sip it and to be awakened and energized and to feel the emotional connection from a cup of coffee Reon Shalom all the steps of faith that have to go into trusting this cup of coffee it's all you it's all you again it's a silly example and if you don't like the example then blame me not R Schwarz but the principle is that we show faith in ourselves and Faith all around in our judgment our actions our behaviors our speech in the fact that we are willing to let go you know the exercise where you lean back you ever see this an exercise where you lean back and trust that the person behind you is going to catch you then they have a lot of these you know videos where someone does that near a pool and they don't catch you and they fall right in the pool but there's an exercise of trust team exercise team building where someone stands behind you and you lean back and you trust that they're going to catch you and you're not going to fall directly on your back that is what says I want you to lean back and Trust I'm going to catch you not to fail to take initiative of course you have to take your effort take initiative you have to do what's right we all have to do what's right in our lives of course but it means I want you to lean in life on me so when you're leaning on the lawyer the doctor the pharmacy when you're leaning on the car breakes that they're going to work when you're leaning on the food that you take out that it's not going to kill you when you're leaning on these areas around our lives know that we're not only leaning on them we're leaning on Hashem who's found in them and that is be it's truthful that is accurate it's honest that is a faithful expression of faith and through this we can explain and understand the says this is it says I just lost my place Hashem your God will be with you why am I confident and why am I calm and why do I feel capable because Hashem is with me he manifests him self in me and in others with whom I interact I live my life Hashem is with me it's going to work out it's for a reason it's for a purpose it's the way it's meant to be I have the capacity I put the trust I live with the confidence and therefore I feel the calm why because is with mehem is the one at the pharmacy of the doctor's office hasem is the one in the courtroom or in the operating room Hashem is the one in the supermarket the pharmacy hasem is the one who's helping guide my judgment and decision making when you live your life when you feelm is manifesting himself in us and all with whom we interact then then we've carnated God in it Hashem is all around us Hashem is in our car machine or an espresso machine or the oldfashioned Spoonful of a cup of instant coffee is in Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts Hashem is again in my car mechanic or my insurance broker Hashem is All Around Me Hashem if I live my life and I don't say you know there are there are we call these things phobias it's a form of mental illness to have no confidence and therefore to be deprived of calm it's a mental illness to have no peace of mind no Tranquility no Serenity because you're constantly anxious and worried and Afraid is a phobia what if what if the doctor is what if the doctor doesn't know what he's going to do and he's going to misdiagnose and describe me the wrong medicine what if the pharmacy mixes it up and kills me by giving me a medicine that's not for me what if my breakes fail and I roll down the hill and I can't stop what if and what if and what if and what if what if his mental illness person who's robbed of Serenity and peace of mind what if the plane goes down what if the car crashes what if my child gets injured how can I trust and send them off and overseas to the year in Israel or to college how do I know that they're not going to have a terrible conflict in this marriage how can I trust it's going to go well how can I trust that's a phobia that fear is a mental illness and the consequence of that mental illness is it robs one of Serenity Peace of Mind calmness contentment and the antidote the opposite the way to achieve calm confidence and peace of mind is to not look the phobia of what if but to say I meant to be stuck on the side of the highway with a flat tire and there is a plan and if my timeline of aim or of my summer plans or of whatever it is in life is thrown off Hashem it's the way it's meant to be and if I did my due diligence and chose a good lawyer or doctor I'm not saying to live life recklessly you've got to do due diligence we have to take initiative as a theme that we repeat over and over again each and every week we have to do due diligence we have to be responsible but if I did my due diligence and I'm research this doctor this stock broker this lawyer this insurance salesperson I had my car serviced I did all the things I need to do once I have Hashem is with me and hasem is manifesting through my judgment and decisions I should have some self-confidence because a failure to have confidence in myself is a failure to have confidence in God because God is in me every one of us is a spark of godliness every one of us is a elim and a failure to defer and believe in hem is a failure to believe in ourselves is a failure to is with me and therefore I carnate God through the life that I live all around me tells us a story when the Jewish people fought with amalik Moshe went on top of the mountain and when he lifted his hands they were victorious they were triumphant they won and when he lowered his hands they struggled they were weak they were losing and the wers a great song by the London School of Jewish music many many years ago the choir the Jewish choir of the London School of Jewish music on this mishna I will spare you singing it not just because it's the nine days that would probably add to your sense of Sorrow for me to sing for you moshe's hands influence the outcome of War wonders the mishna what a bizarre story The Influence what influences the outcome of war is military strategy and Military might and Military superiority and Military cunning and Military Fitness mosha on top of a mountain raising his hands that's why you were victorious lowering the hands that's why you lose it makes no sense says the mishna you know why moshe's hands mosha didn't have magical hands sure he had lovely soft hands but mosha didn't have magical hands that when he raised them they won and when they lowered them they lost you know what happened when mosha would raise his hands look up the people looked up his hands were pointing towards the heavens and they'd say oh you're right yes you know what we did the training and we have the military equipment and weapons and superiority but you know why we're going to win because we have Hashem on our side and so we've done our DU diligence we've taken our initiative we've done what we need to have and rather than live with a phobia or fear rather rather than be insecure that even with all of that we're going to lose hash look up look up and know there's a God there's a plan the world is operating in harmony what happens is was meant to be and once we've done our part we can lean back and Trust he's going to catch us but mosha lowered his hands and faced the Earth and they looked down at the Earth and they said it's all on us for good and for bad with pride and arrogance or with fear and phobia they said it's all on us that's when they began to lose when the Jewish people think that we are stronger than our enemies so when we live our lives with that arrogance that it's all up to us it's our super superiority it's our might it's our effort it's our Ingenuity it's our entrepreneurship all that success in life is because of us if our hands Point down towards the ground towards us how you know we're going to fall flat on our face you know the Arrogant egomaniac who thinks that there's success materially financially who thinks there's success in life and reputation who thinks there's success in war the person who thinks their success is because of them that arrogance that ego it damages every relationship including or most especially the relationship with Hashem spoke about it in the para class yesterday a PK in our para mosha when he's recounting the story of the giving of the Torah tells the people do you remember Hashem gave the first two Commandments but you were so scared you were afraid and so I had to stand between you and him I had to stand as the intermediary the go between to communicate and transmit his message because you were so so afraid the B the H founder ofus the says you know what this p means you know what stands between us and hem an the sense of ego the sense of ey there are two Anis there's the an there's the Ani where hem says I am the Lord your God who took you out of Egypt the very first word of the first commandment of the Ten Commandments Ani there's the Ani of God and there's the Ani of me and you know what stands between us and God what stands between us and our spouse between us and our friends what stands between us and our colleagues what stands between us and our children is an what stands between us and others is our ego our ID our sense of ey means I is life about I me me my happiness my wants my needs my priorities i i i my pride my honor my glory my name my reputation I I it's a sense of have ey that stands between so when mosha would put his hands up he'd say it's not you yes be proud We have a wonderful military and we've trained hard and we've got a great strategy and we've amassed incredible weapons and be proud of all of that but in the end of the day Moshe put his hands up and said in the end of the day it's him it's him because all that we have is UN loan it's not part of our permanent connect collection all that we have is borrowed it's not something that we'll always have and how are we reminded of that when our hands go towards the heavens but when mosha lowered his hands when they face the Earth and we forgot and we forgot we forgot who's really responsible the harmony of the universe that if we really want to attach ourselves to the only one who faces no tension no battle the obstacle it's the it's the we attach ourselves to hem then we've won to a certain degree we've won no matter the outcome of the war we've won because we've attached ourselves to him my dearest friends that's the choice that we have and how we live our lives like mosha Renu we can literally or figuratively lift our hands and look up or we could lower our hands and look down we could take our effort and initiative do our due diligence and then put our trust and faith in him I trust the doctor the lawyer the judge the insurance salesman I trust the brakes of my car the pilot of the plane I trust I have no phobia no fear I live with common enity I have the that everybody craves because with me I'm not worried when I'm going to the clinic to take the test because whichever the outcome is it's what's meant to be I trust him and I trust the accuracy of his tests I have no fear it's the way it's meant to be we'll change the tire we'll get to where we're meant to be when we get there should I tell you the latest Goldberg story in The Saga every week we got a story for you so one of the big things when when daughter gets married is her sh the wig if she wants a wig so these wigs are not inexpensive even though in I think North Carolina we passed a sign for cheap wigs on the side of the highway that suggestion that maybe we pull over that's where she gets her shael did not go very well that didn't go over very well anyway so there was a sh but we're under quarantine so she couldn't get it washed or I don't even know style to the person who sold the shael so we had to have it FedEx so somebody took it for us and fedexed it with guaranteed delivery and insurance to get to a certain day not Insurance guaranteed delivery to get there a certain day I think that day was this past Friday and today is Wednesday and FedEx it is lost in cyberspace unable to find where the shael is now the is not inexpensive and for a girl who wants to have a sh to wear to her is kind of an important appendage apparently apparently I'm comfortable having no hair but those who want to be able to uh have hair it's very important to have so my amazing family my wife and kids they're fantastic even better than I am in this so they take a deep breath and say FedEx will find it when it's meant to be found it's out there somewhere and it'll come when it's meant to come we'll figure it out in the meantime we'll figure it out in the meantime so you could live with a phobia and fear you can go crazy you could get no sleep at night because you can't track the missing shael or you could take that deep breath restore your life Nish through the nishima Nish your soul through the nishima the Breath of Life you can find the serenity the peace of mind now of course you should hold FedEx accountable call track challenge them ask them what's the point of guaranteed delivery if it's not delivered do all those things but in the end of the day don't lose your calm you're cool your peace of mind Your Serenity your happiness there are no oppositions and there is no tension there is no conflict because it's all from hasem it's all what's meant to be ROV Zinger did I share this recently ROV Zinger who's a amazing personality in Israel the rashash Shiva of the Yeshiva the three boys who were kidnapped and killed this time of year six years ago the Shiva they attended to he was the wonderful rashash Shiva he came to boka this year for a shabas and he is all about mindfulness and meaning he has such Peace of Mind such Z such Serenity he's an amazing amazing using human being amazing human being so when he did a workshop in AR earli this year about amuna and his he talked about when you DAV don't be embarrassed or afraid to put your hands up to sh you put your hands up and you look up while you DAV and one of the beauties of quarantining because there are silver linings even within it is that when you're standing in Minion you're daving with others and you are self-conscious about how you look you're likely not going to be that guy or that gal who puts her hands up to the heavens and starts you know in the middle of Sho looking like you know some fanatic some extremist but when you're diving all alone when you're in quarantine when you're outside on the porch looking at the deer in the backyard and M you nobody's watching you could put your hands up and I have to tell you like the Mish when you put your hands up you're reaching out for a hug from your father in Heaven and it feels that way I'm reaching I'm reaching Another Blessing of quarantine is when you're locked up with your favorite people on the planet so my now N9 or 10-month old grandson is starting to learn to reach Z Z to reach there's no greater thing in the entire world that's it there's nothing better on the entire planet that when your grandson reaches when your grandson reaches so we are reaching for our father we put our hands up while we dve and sayem I'm reaching those who are listening are not getting the visual right now but I'm reaching for you hasm I'm reaching give me a hug take me into your arms Catch Me Hold Me caress me hug me give me a kiss on my cppy tell me it'll all be all right Hashem I'm reaching I'm reaching give me that hug so when you DAV and you put your hands up like mosha did it has this amazing ability to transport us and to feel the sense of of being assured and calmed the peace of mind that one can attain and this is the deeper meaning of the the eternality of the Jewish people is the timelessness of the Jewish people the the Triumph the success of the Jewish people the simple understanding is that our success is guaranteed the success of the Jewish people it's guaranteed that's the simple understanding however that's not so simple Six Day War great happy ending the Yer War not so good our success is not always guaranteed I don't think anyone would characterize the Crusades the Inquisition of the Holocaust as is your success if our success was always so guaranteed why are we sitting on the floor tonight tomorrow morning and why will we live and recount the tragedies and calamities of Jewish history what it means it means that a person who lives with mentality of that the Jewish people the person who lives life hasem hasem is with me Hashem is with me Hashem is with me when I'm getting terrible diagnosis hasem is with me through horrific treatment hasm is with me on a deathbed person who lives that is always with them such a life is a life of Eternity such a life is a life of timelessness such a life is a life of immortality person who lives with a sense that Hashem is always with me has tapped into the world of Eternal truth of immortality our enemies and adversaries the obstacles and the and the impediments that we Face they all come with some self self-confidence self assurance they think it's all about them they think it's all about them we enter War we enter war and it could mean literally entering War entering Gaza you remember the image six years ago when we went in to go get those three boys or avenge their blood and there were images these videos I still watch them once in a while for the it gives when you watch units and battalions of Jewish soldiers who were jumping up and down and singing about Hashem and before going in the Benny fredman song about amuna amazing amazing that image their guns are in a pile and they they're a mash pit of soldiers singing about Amun inem that hem is going to protect them that's a Jewish way that's the Jewish mentality so it could be literally going into war against an enemy in Gaza it could be going against the war the war to eat the corn chips could be going against the war to sleep in going against the war to say the wrong thing could be going to battle my Alter Ego battling in relationships battling in life not to go with self-confidence and self assuredness but rather to go in with a sense of we go into war Hashem is with us you go into the boardroom the operating room the courtroom you go into the supermarket or the gym you go into any Arena of life and thank God please God doesn't matter what language you say it in but we go in with an attitude hashem's name is dripping from our lips we are turning to him this was an Insight I forgot which great Reb said when the says wouldn't it be amazing if we could dve in the whole day long most people don't feel that way but the observe wouldn't it be amazing if you could dve in the whole day says what do you mean ding the whole day I got to go to work I got to cook and clean I have to go to the bathroom I have to sleep what do you mean go to the whole day who could in the whole day he says no you know the you know what it means that a person whatever activity they were doing the whole day began it with daving Hashem let the potato couo come out Hashem let the negotiation go in my favor Hashem let the drha be smooth Hashem let the Bedtime let the kid fall asleep right away whatever activity you're about to do from the mundane to the holy whatever activity excuse me whatever activity we're ding the whole day long that Hashem is what's animating informing inspiring he's with us he's with us lying next to us while we're putting the kid to bed he's with us when we're going into that courtroom he's with us in the boardroom he's with us in the operating room he's with us on the plane or in the car he's with us when we're picking up from the pharmacy that there's a little F that we offer on our way into every activity whether we verbalize it and articulate it out loud or whether we think about it in our heart and our mind but a is always with us is with us we assign all the power and all the success us we stick to and cling to God we lean back and we let him catch us he's with us so what do I have to fear what do I have to be afraid of what do I have to worry about there's nothing I face I can be calm and tranquil and I'm not afraid it's all good it's all good the Peace of Mind the the happiness the joy we will be victorious we will be triumphant the resolve the resiliency we will not only survive but we will Thrive our immortality comes from an attitude and mentality of hasem is with me I take my part I do my due diligence I take my initiative and then hash hasem is with me put my arms up DAV and give me a hug tati take me in your arms Hashem give me a hug take me in your arms because I trust you yes I'll take the initiative I'll do the hard work but I trust in you I trust in you and so I wish everyone here should have a meaningful fast we shouldn't have to fast we should be in for the next Amun year but if we have to fast it should be a meaningful one not an easy one necessarily not hard but most important it should be meaningful we should long to be close to him again it says means all that were pursuing us they quot Us in these times these three weeks but the great said no read it cold Ro those who are chasing Hashem he you can catch him you can catch up to him sometimes in this very low and dark place sometimes from a feeling of alienation and distance you can long to return to Hashem put your hands up for the hug he's waiting even if you feel like you're far away put your hands up and get that hug because that's what he's waiting for mem we should feel his hug and reciprocate and be together have a happy holy and a healthy day