Part 45: Finding Hashem in Highs and Lows

okay Booker to of everyone it's coffee over there it's good to see you very happy y it's a day of Miracles it's really the most maybe one of the most appropriate days on the calendar to be studying about amuna because the other days of the year we sit and sometimes have doubt uncertainty and one can be confused about is there a god is there not but y really is for Our Generation the day of divine revelation where hasem really showed his Providence showed his hand person doesn't have to be the greatest believer the most spiritual person and you all you just have to read simple accounts of what happened on this day and you can't help but be overwhelmed and Blown Away by the hand of the almighty clearly guiding and directing the events as they unfold and see the love theba the affection of the rebon to we as children and to we as people so it's a very very special day today for us to tap into that energy of amuna of having confidence in the presence and the Hand of Theon and to feel it not only collectively in the form of what he did for our people but to feel it for our individual selves as well okay our learning as always is Shand and this week's class in particular was sponsored as well in memory of my grandmother whose 25th year site is this week y my beloved Bubby whose Nama should have an Aliyah for whom our oldest daughter raeli is named y ra we skipped the yenta for some so sorry Mom if you're listening but uh we went right for the R so but she was my Bubby was a very very special woman of great amuna her her favorite PK in all of tum all T was when at the end of her life she suffered illnesses and she was in and out of the hospital but she would always say taste and you will see that Hashem is good when you're far away and you're judging it from a distance you can say Where's God why God how God but if you just taste it if you get a taste of living with then then you see that Hashem is good you got to get a taste I once spoke about or I wrote about or I said it here I don't remember I think I said it here about our trip to the Coke Museum the Coke Factory in Atlanta the history of Coca-Cola my kids love the end of it where you got to Taste Unlimited amount of caffeine but I enjoyed the uh I enjoyed the the tour when coke first began it didn't come out as a soda it came out as a syrup yeah and it was sold in pharmacies yes and you would take a little bit and you would dilute it with water and you would drink it and and they were not selling it first so they decided they would give it away for free they would give tastes and for us this is normal you go to Costco you go to super you go they are offering tastes of different foods with the hope that oh that was good I'll buy you know Costco's case you know case I'll buy a case of a palad of a million of those but um but Coke was really the first one to introduce that they gave a taste because they were confident if you took a little taste you'd fall in love you'd become addicted you'd want to drink it more and more that's taste taste the life of amuna tap into amuna in the hard moments of Life learn to flex the amuna muscle learn to live with and you'll see that Shem is good that was my Bubby's favorite and our learning is we're on the bottom of page five the last paragraph the bottom of the left hand column so if you remember we last left off we're talking about amuna not only being in the NAA moments not only on your way out of Yumer when you've gone 25 hours without food or drink when you could care less about what you look like what you smell like what your breath smells like not only when you are a soul without a body not only when you're spiritual on a high if you're following online today or you have family who's there who's making you feel bad by sending you countless videos and pictures you see who's not on a spiritual high in y today the whole world has descended on the cotel The Old City the concerts the speeches the events the ceremonies the songs unbelievable who's not on incredible High who today inesh doesn't feel the it's easy to feel amuna when all is well when you're spiritual when you get the good news from the doctor it was a false aot who doesn't feel amuna then but what about when you're feeling low what about when you're feeling depressed what about when you're feeling distanced what about when you're feeling bad about yourself what about when you feel you failed the almighty you're far away from him how could he love you when you failed him so badly so that's what we spoke about last time one can find Hashem from the depths as well one sees Hashem from the Dark Places and the low moments why because if you view it as a king if you view it as a president if you fail your king your ruler your mon Mar when you're in a bad place he's not showing you love you're on the outs you have good reason to fear you have good reason to feel rejected but what about your mother or your father your parent loves you unconditionally so even when you have failed your parent even when you disappoint your parent but you can never be totally rejected by a by a normal healthy parent there are exceptions to that rule there are unfortunately tragic circumstances of those who have been rewarded with Parenthood who are not deserving of being parents but I'm talking now in the normal course of parenting the normal course of parenting a parent loves a child unconditionally and no matter how far the child has fallen the parent desperately still wants to pick them up and be there K is our father if you prefer he's our mother and we're never too distant we're never too far even in a lowly State even when we have fallen it doesn't change the reality that we're God's child we are a prince we're the child of royalty God blessed are you God of the Jewish people our father what does that mean blessed you got our father May from the world the to the world what is that which worlds what what two [Music] points so maybe from this world to the next World you carry us and accompany it through the whole life through the whole world from this world to the next world but saying means that you're our God in whatever world we currently find ourselves I'm on the world of being a spiritual High I'm the lowly world of feeling a failure of feeling a reject in adequate no matter what world I'm in God you are there and our relationship is the same and you're waiting with open arms I'm your child you're my father and you'll always be there whether we're sitting and learning ding with great doing high you're there God I feel you or whether the opposite when God said when God first declared you are my eldest son you the Jewish people are my eldest child what did God mean Ben is what do you mean you're my eldest child there's a special quality of Love towards the elest child we love all of our children equally let's go on record saying we love all of our children absolutely love all of our children equally our firstborn made us a parent they gave us something that the other children contributed added on to our parenting but the first one transformed us into being parents the oldest also naturally often against their will or their preference but the oldest is usually tasked with a responsibility of assisting the parents because they're the oldest help with bedtime help with bath time help with dinner can you watch the kids we have another s we have to go out to another event the oldest whether whether they've agreed to or not the the plays the role of assisting of helping the parents so God tasks and Taps the Jewish people and says b is you're not just I have a lot of children all of humanity are my children says God I love them all but you are my Bor what it means to be is you're the role model the learn from your example you're to assist me in the mission of raising and inspiring the rest of the world so when did God tap us with that status when did God gave us give us that sacred charge yeah it was before the giving of the Torah he gave it to us when we were in the lowest State when we were in the 49th level of Tuma coming out of Egypt when we were lowly inadequate undeserving that's when he said I have the special role for you so why because God wanted to show us in perpetuity in Forever that no matter how low we would go no matter how inadequate we would be we would always be he's our father we're his children he loves us he's waiting for us with open arms we've never strayed too far we've never gone in a way that we can't come back we should never be too down to feel that God is not there sometimes one finds the Reon da in the lowly Place sometimes you could be on such a high you forget about the rebon sometimes Z when you're low and you feel dejected and rejected sometimes that's when specifically you could find him it says says all who pursued her found her between the Straits B we call the period of the three weeks I know we're not even at sh yet but we call the period of the three weeks which between the two ofas and Tish but it's based on this so we reinterpret or another level of interpretation is to say not all who chased her meaning when they were in Pursuit our enemies were in pursuit of us they caught us in this time between the in the three weeks whoever is chasing Hashem sometimes you could find Hashem in the lowly place it's when you can't fall any further it's when you hit rock bottom it's when you're in the most difficult place it's when you feel like the biggest failure that that you have the greatest Awakening of the relationship the moments that you lost the wasted time and opportunity that's when the relationship I've seen this in in relationship counseling countless times often a relationship is on the Rocks a relationship is struggling and despite many attempts at intervention by the couple themselves or those around him or therapist or the rabbi it's hard to break out of it they're not ready to make the changes in order to break through and Sometimes some crisis happens some real breach of trust some crisis the relationship looks like it either could end or it's a moment of truth and it's in that moment it's in that lowly lack of trust violated distant moment that when the decision is there that a reality sets in about one feels accountable for what they did to get there and they're prepared to change it that's where breakthrough can happen sometimes breakthrough happens not in the highest spot but in the lowest spot and that's what the is emphasizing here to us today is that one should never mistakenly think that auna is for when you're on a high when all is well and good when everything works out when you feel Hashem in your life when you're feeling spiritual when you're on your best behavior oh that's when there's auna amuna moments and amuna opportunities are also or maybe especially when you're on alow to always know Hashem loves us no matter what I'll tell you I heard a beautiful Insight schwein quoted from a safer that I then got the safer I forgot the name of the author of The safer but he's talking about um when we make mistakes when we come up short when we fail so it's very easy to get caught up in thinking that you can never come back you are a failure and uh and you are unworthy so how do you go on and how do you repair so he says the answer is at the end of ashre Hallelujah so when is it when is it God we're praising you our life is dedicated to you when we live a life of from now going forward I'm not going to get stuck in the past I'm not going to assume that just because I made mistake yesterday or even earlier today that just because I didn't pass the test that therefore I'm unworthy that therefore you don't love me that therefore I dare not even TR anymore no our attitude is you draw a line on the card you start again it's a new day it's a new opportunity it's from here going forward and that's also what we say in remove the Satan from before me that I understand Temptation desire opportunity seduction take it all away from me from before me but what is remove the Satan from from behind if it's behind me how is he the Satan what's he doing so now you understand the is the fact that when we make mistakes we we think they haunt us we can't break out we think that defines us and therefore we're incapable we're unworthy why bother trying we don't deserve goodness those are the that haunt us after the fact we have to realize hem loves us he calls us this title when we're in the lowest level he's waiting for us with open arms no matter how distant we feel no matter what bottom we've hit There's an opportunity to come close okay we're up to O giml page six P says one who trusts in God surrounded by what is the connection you trust in God you're surrounded by kindness what does one thing have to do with the other the idea is that you Merit to remove judgment and to be worthy of kindness let me explain says how could mean that you conclusively and firmly believe God will save you I mean maybe God doesn't think you deserve to be saved in that moment maybe that's not the best thing in the world for you so isn't it actually a violation of to think that God will conform to what you want so I need a Yeshua right now a person needs medically healthwise financially whatever a relationship wise so they have will bring me the yes maybe it's not God's will there are many opinions to this question says the will explain it based on the opinions of our great rabbis from the words of our rabbis that appears means unworth no who are you you think God should intervene on your behalf to make a miracle God should intervene on your behalf to bring some salvation who says you're worthy who are you what kind of arrogance so what the are saying is if you exercise that in itself is the Yeshua in other words trusting in God doesn't mean that everything will work out the way you want but trusting in God means that you'll be able to endure no matter how things work out and that in itself is a Yeshua isn't that similar to the last uh the second last and the last P ining that I live a long life and I never saw the children of a wanting right yeah some it's the idea that God gives that God gives us the strength yeah so in other words life of don't mean and it's a it would be a terrible terrible disservice if someone told you it did or if you thought it did mean as long as you live with a everything's okay everyone will be healthy you'll have money everything will work out you have children you have you all you need is everything works out that's and it gets under my skin those speakers who talk that way oh why did Hashem give you these hardships because you don't have a and if you have a everything will work out perfect Shalom everything is good it's not true it's just not true do we not think gives you the Peace of Mind did the who were killed in the Holocaust not have do we not know great people who suffer challenges and shortcomings and obstacles so it's clearly not what it means what it means is when we exercise and grow in the Yeshua is that we have the ability to get through whatever it is that we're facing that in itself is a Salvation you know you hear people all time we're going through a hard time and they say I don't know how I'm going to get through this I just don't know I just don't know where I'll find the strength I just don't know how I'm going to get through this are the The energy they are the the the nourishment to be able to get through it there was someone a guest who came to the city of the king and slept outside the guards of the king found him they began to beat him what do you beating me up for I'm from the house of the king they waited till the morning and they schle the guy to before the king so the guy said to the king king do you recognize me King said no how are you familiar with my house you don't know me you don't recogniz me I'm not from your house but I trusted in your kindness I believe in you when he shows that level of loyalty that level of trust so the king turns to his guards and says leave him be says the same thing God I trust in you without embarrassment to shame and because I trust in you I put my faith in you I Rely and depend on you let that be enough for you to be there for me we can express our trust in God even when we are unworthy yes and only in the Merit of having the will the Yeshua come so the SL here is saying that sometimes even when you're unworthy you can get a Yeshua ah if God opens your file and sees your behav Behavior your conduct your lifestyle over the last day week month year he'll say one second you're unworthy why should I but if you say because forget the last day or week or month or year look at me right now I'm putting my trust in you I'm loyal to you I'm devoted to you I believe in you I'm relying on you that that act of bet will create the sense of worthiness enough to earn the Yeshua in the Merit of in the Merit of a person can feel all in the Merit of rather a person can feel all types of I just had a text correspondence with somebody who went through a horrible illness in their family one of their children and B have turned the corner and please God have a clean bill and should continue to a clean bill of health and the person texted me you can't imagine the that we saw from hasem and from others through this ordeal the things we've learned the experience the BR that we have as a result of all this I don't wish it I didn't want it but this has been the greatest our families ever had you can go through an illness of your child and if you do it with a deep and profound sense of you will see all around you all around you the kids hooked up to machines having poison put in their body suffering terribly that's so if you don't have all you see are the machines the pain the cries you can't get through it if you believe that everything is for a reason there's a purpose there's meaning and order to the universe that nothing is random or chance that though we don't understand it there's some greater master plan if you're capable of looking at life that way which is not easy but if you're able to dig deep and you have the support of others and you could look at life that wayen you'll find all kinds of little of things that worked out that didn't need to work out that happened away that didn't have to work out you'll see the of other people all around you it's in the attitude that we bring whoever puts the trust in God God is our cover he protects Us in this world and the next when a person puts their trust in hem they have nothing to fear about getting bad news whatever news you get you'll be able to deal with it now why is it why is it that you have nothing to fear from getting bad news because the bad news you're Invincible you have some force field around you you have and that bad news can impact you no the bad news could be bad news but the reason you have nothing to fear is because God's holding your hand as you go through it your child needs to get the shot at the doctor you say squeeze my hand it's still going to hurt but it hurts a lot less because I'm standing next to you and you're squeezing my hand and therefore it hurts a lot less Dr pelovitz loves to quote the study that literally researchers can measure the pain people feel based on whether they're alone or they have companionship the more companionship they have and the companionship for the people who they believe love them it literally eliminates the pain they feel less pain right that's why when you sit with your child you know if you leave the room and the nurse locks the door and the kids alone with the doctor and they get a shot the Pain by the way it's it's true as adults you have somebody with you you're not alone you're able to endure more pain so that's the attitude and that that if has is with you if one can always feel Hashem is with you you're never alone then even when you're physically alone you're not alone you could grab hashem's hand Hashem is with you at that moment and therefore La laa doesn't mean it's not going to hurt but it's going to hurt a whole lot less though doesn't mean it necessarily all will be good but it means whatever it will be you'll be able to get through it that the P says in first trust in God say to and then do good shouldn't it say do good earn the merits of doing good and once you earn the merits of doing good then you can afford to trust in God says the ramban no it specifically says trust in God before you even have any merits that tell us that even if you don't earn merits even if you're unworthy you can still afford to trust in God he's there for us he's a parent right so a child has been neglecting ignoring the parent disrespecting disobeying the parent disappointing the parent and now they need the parent they come to the parent they say look I've made some mistakes but I'm putting my trust in you Mom Dad ABA imma I need you I need you now I'm trusting you please be there for me does the parent say look I'll tell you what spend a week let me see you be respectful let me see you be kind let me see you not disappoint me and if you earn it I'll be there the child is sincere and Earnest in that moment if they're authentic and they need you and they're putting their trust in you then you as the parents say I hope you'll turn your life around but you can count on me I'm here so therefore it's says theem says I'm your father you can count on me I'm here for you and then afterwards do the things that will bring that will bring the Merit so no matter where we are in life no matter how far we've we've strayed we can feel we should know with confidence that hem is there and that if we can continue to grow the amuna muscle and live with him ma then we know then we know that um then we know that whatever it is we have to face hasem will be able to walk us through it so today on y on this day of great Revelation when Hashem revealed his hand in a way that we can continue to draw from the days and weeks to come study The Six Day War hear the stories see the Miracles and know that Hashem was in our lives on that day and he's in our lives every day and from those moments of Revelation that we can tap into them and draw the strength each and every day going forward have a great day and