Rabbi Shlomo Farhi -From Inspiration to Action - Project Inspire Convention 2025

ladies and gentlemen this has been a spectacular weekend I believe from beginning to end really and more and more important and more special than all the presenters and speakers and there were so many of them and so many amazing presentations were all of you who came out to spend the time to be here even on a Sunday morning when life was supposed to get back to things to hear to continue the inspiration of course the activation to become active without further do he's been here before at the project Inspire convention he's an inspiration to us all he himself is involved as the rabbi of the saffra synagogue in Manhattan has been involved in so many projects Outreach projects around the world it's a great honor to invite once again to reinvite to the project Inspire convention Rabbi schlomo [Applause] fari ladies and gentlemen it's an honor to be here um and after hearing from yusi what you guys have been able to accomplish and hear and feel over this past Shabbat I'm uh I'm truly jealous sometimes I'm not sure what I want to say and sometimes I have so much that I want to say that I kind of wish my sh let me get out for Shabbat more so I could have been here here to speak to you at least a couple of times but I'm going to try and squeeze it all in to the time that they've given me today um before you wheel the food out into your van I'm just I had this feeling y see the reason the guy was Wheeling the food out because he felt he didn't get enough food over Shabbat that was how he was getting his money worth that was the that was the feeling over there we always have to judge people favorably so that's what's going out in my mind same feeling why people have when they take soaps and shampoos from hotels to then bring home and never open in your own bathroom to then take more when you go to the hotel and you tell your wife why we didn't open the ones that we had just in case thinking of creating a mashiach suitcase just filled with tiny tubes of toothpaste let's begin when we think about puim often times we think about the salvation the save how things were fixed and what's interesting to me is that as someone who's been doing this for a minute and a half I know Charlie probably feels the same way one of my very closest friends you know a lot of times you feel when you're sitting with somebody I wish that you came to ask me this question before you were in the problem I wish we weren't solving this issue instead we were avoiding it to begin with so ino in understanding the story of puim so much time goes into uh an effort and focus goes into understanding the save but I don't know if enough time goes into understanding how we could have avoided the problem to begin with I'll start with the gar the gar says they came toim and they asked him why did the Jews deserve that they should have ham stand up against them and wipe them out I mean thank God we're saved in the in the 90th minute but why why did we get to that place when we were facing Amal we know it was from their hands had become weak they'd lowered their standards in Tora and but what did the Jews do that allowed amalik to come knocking what happened andon answers because they enjoyed the of now I don't know about you but to me that doesn't sound like it's worth a national K what was wrong with the sud some opinions hold that the food was even kosher was it the find that hard to believe According to some opinions as well it wasn't even that they got Mas to pour the wine so what could have been the problem and if the problem was eating or drinking it should have said that they ate or they drank the key is in understanding that it says shin that they enjoyed it and why was Hashem denying them that enjoyment what was so wrong about their enjoyment of that suda my friends I think there's something here that's unbelievable and the answer is actually very simple we are told that at the they had the vessels of the BET mikdash one might think therefore the punishment was because they were being Mo it was they were using the vessels of the temple no that's not it then it should have said that they were Mo in the vessels of the temple the BET mikdash doesn't say that my friends there's something here that was taking out the vessels of the temple because he thought he understood from Haman that the 70 years of galut were over and God's promise that he would redeem the Jewish people and bring them back to Ed rebuild the mikdash mashia all of that it was not true it was never going to happen and if it was never going to happen we may as well use the the temple theim mimim so brings them out but when the Jews came instead of seeing that they would not be redeemed instead of seeing that they wouldn't be the Jewish people anymore they rejoiced it's like that famous joke Jewish person meets with Hashem and he says Hashem is it true with the chosen people Hashem says yes and he says o could you choose someone else for a while the anti-Semitism the the the attacks for being Jewish people could you choose someone else Holocaust pams kaks my friends I'm Israel in the throws of galut they felt if we're not being redeemed if hashem's not taking us back if maybe he's left us alone there was a certain Han that they had that they were not going home that they were not the Jews anymore my friends I want to share with you what I believe is the source of that almost Holocaust you know if you're judged by people's social media profiles or some articles that you find online one could be forgiven for thinking that the most important thing that a person has to do for parasa is put a key in a Kala I'm not here to tell you that you should not put keys in kalas one here I wanted to put an entire key ring into my but I just feel that that's probably something that you do on top ofun and Hashem I think like if you're an atheist but b and a ke does that work I think comes before probably prayer comes before in probably are we are we on the same page but my friends there's something that I believe is even more Elemental than that more Elemental than doing and we say it every single day the eyes of every living being they turn to you God right to give them in order they should have you open up your hand and you give every living being what they need what does it take to get God to give you everything you need in this life ratson whatever you want what does it take it doesn't say it doesn't say it doesn't say what does it say the only thing you need in order to get sustenance from God is what braa from God is what you just need to be alive my friends dogs dogs get food from Hashem mosquitoes Buffet I wish I hated as much as I hate mosquitoes but Hashem provides for every living being how come every living being doesn't need a job and only the smartest of all living beings need a job right you ever saw a gold fish right who's doing taxes no somehow he manages you ever saw right you ever saw a giraffe in your life you ever saw a giraffe decide to take on part-time Uber his head out the sunroof you ever saw that you never saw you ever saw a dog go be a l okay sorry why is it that the only being that needs to get a job for parasa is the top of the food chain the smartest of all the animals and the answer my friends is beautiful the answer is because you know why God gives every everybody in this world what they need because they are doing their job what is a dog a dog is a dog is a dog is a dog he's doing his job perfectly Hashem provides him his parasa whatever he needs what is a goldfish doing that is his job I just imagine little goldfish sitting with their parents parents are very nervous they're sitting in the principal's office he just doesn't get it we keep showing him there's books on for goldfish it's just one page I don't understand a goldfish only has one job it does it well only the smartest of human beings could not know how to do their job and if you're doing your job you have a purpose in this world Hashem he's got you but the minute you're trying to be something other than what you're supposed to be what happens the source of your your maal your life force itself is cut because the only reason why you're here the only reason why you're here is to do what Hashem wants from you and if you're not doing that there's no reason reason for you to be here you guys remember the PPP loans during Co imagine a guy is working for a law firm and the only thing he does is PPP loans after Co there's no reason for them to keep him because the thing he's doing there's no parasa in the thing if you know there don't have a job my friends that's the the Jewish people for a minute said oh you know something we don't have to be Jews we'll just be Persians to be clear I'm not referring the Persian Jews I don't need death threats from your community in Great Neck relax we'll just be like everybody else but if you're everybody else and you're not you you have no and then every man woman and child is not killed but they have no reason to be able to live that's the power those are the keys that we handed to Haman let me show you how this plays out in the Miga and then you'll know why I'm ranting about this this morning Esther goes into the palace she's very afraid she doesn't know what's going on morai tells her what's going on she feels terrible he says you need to go into the king she says I can't I haven't been called you know that that means a death sentence says beautiful language don't think that you're safe to escape to the Palace from all the Jews if you remain quiet in this time the Jewish people will be saved another way and you and your father's house will be destroyed who knows if for a time like this is not the reason why you came to this position my friends I'm looking at this and it makes for a second it makes he gives you Goosebumps what is Esther saying what is she saying to her uncle or maybe according to another opinion to her husband someone who sat outside the door every single day M loves Esther he raised her Esther says I'm afraid he's going to kill me I don't know what you would say if your daughter said this to you but I know I wouldn't say to her well if you don't go you're just going to die everyone your whole family who who talks like that what is morai saying where's his compassion where's his empathy the answer is Mori is telling Esther out of love out of love and concern what is a good from Jewish girl why was she kidnapped why was she taken why would she put in the palace we didn't know until now but now we know why you are where you are and Esther if you hide in your house and you don't do what you're supposed to do your whole existence will be cut short because we get our in this life from doing what we are uniquely supposed to do and is it ever been more obvious in the history of the world what you were supposed to do in this moment than Esther in the Palace of the king with a decree in the life of the Jews hanging in the balance my friends theim in his opening line says something incredible he says that a person needs to know and it needs to be clear to them what is his responsibility in his world now in English we could have said it different the Vaga says that there's not one single extra word everything is exactly as it's supposed to be you know what that means means what is your responsibility in your world not just what the responsibility of a Jew but what is your responsibility in your world my friends when I saw the uh six different options that they prepared on the walls I understood what the MIM was talking about what is your job in your world if God put Esther in the palace it's because she's supposed to use the palace and your job with your world finally someone has done what project Inspire is doing they've made you your without you ever needing to leave your world and that my friends is the source of all of your it's asking you what do you have to give to this great Mission your brothers and sisters are dying my friends if anyone here saw theat of the malbim it would shake you to your very Bones the malim says that there are two different points there's a decree that goes out and Mori is going out alone crying in the streets how come all the other Jews aren't crying and fetching how come only Mori he gets to the Palace Esther's like what's going on how did she not know was she not on the WhatsApp status of the Jewish people what how did she not know what was going on says the malim did were two decrees one decree was sealed for the 13th day of Adar don't open it until then the second decree only said one line it said everybody in every country be prepared for the 13th day of Adar be prepared for war but it didn't say against who unbelievable K of the malim mor because he knew he knew he goes out tells everybody what's going on but without Mori they would have gotten to that day everyone would have been taken by surprise Esther therefore doesn't know my friends I started shaking when I saw this because the Malin reminds me of October 6th where we're all sitting and celebrating and so happy in our homes Suk getting ready unbelievable so much joy not knowing what was about to take place the asson that was heading our way the sadness the pain the destruction the death we had no idea it was coming there was a gizer it was sealed it was signed it was delivered and we had no idea the Jews had no idea until Mor told them my friends not only October 6th but March 9th there is a war out there trying to destroy all of the Jewish people selling them liberal attitudes selling them anything but Judaism and people are being robbed had a young man in my house this Friday night at the Shabbat table he's very inspired he has no ideas he takes that his phone at the Shabbat table and he says this is amazing could you recommend some books I could read about you know getting more connected to Judaism he wants to write them down on his phone I said start with the 39 mot I did not say that I did not say that although whoever made that book that was made for children should just know that they use that book with all of the pictures in every Co that's learning Shabbat by the way because the job that they did on that seph the 39 with the drawing with the deas and the and the notes in the back is imperative for clarity in the SEC good it's unbelievable my friends he's starving for it but he doesn't know cuz someone took it from him a war has been declared but they haven't said against who you have the opportunity you think to yourself you know what I don't know let the guy go on an H program let him go on AI program I have a secret for you programs are not Mev Jews people are Mev Jews I don't know what to say to the guy I didn't study you know theology Christianity I don't know what to say by the way every fir person thinks that when a Jewish person comes to their house they need to know how to disprove Christianity I have news for you that's not the struggle it's not that or this it's Instagram or Judaism it's J Street or Judaism it's Wall Street or Judaism so if you think you need to argue with them kiru is not about arguments it's about Connections you never learned how to talk D okay gotcha did you learn how to make kala you know how many Jews came back to Judaism because of Kala I want to share with you a beautiful line the PUK says by Abraham ainu he didn't just believe in he brought people in he had them for meals he sat them underneath this tree he served them like they were royalty he didn't judge them for the aod they bought into his house someone asked me the G of phone I was like I have eyes and I said I made a he said what's the I said the is that it says by wash off your feet from the that's why he was telling him to wash off his feet he said what's the this from guy I said to him all the Pas in it says an iPhone is equal to AAR so if he brought in his iPhone which according to the science is a he brought it into my home then I have a lesson to learn from Abraham ainu who still welcom them into his home I want to share with you the most beautiful in what Abraham ainu was doing now I have to ask you was the midah of Abraham ainu K what do we know his mid was you've been waiting with that answer for a very long time I can see that just like popped out there's certain answers if you teach them long enough there's certain things that people have heard long enough many many times so they're like waiting for the thing they're like you know so it's not thing it's not physical they're like it's spiritual but that means that is thing out of you beautiful AB was not a MV but he was also the biggest MV he believed in Hashem so much his desire to smash Idols was so great and by the way growing up in the Yeshiva World is that not an expression of our frite that we want to smash sheer that we want to say that this is silly and what we have is true if you you feel that inside your bones and you believe in it like abrah ainu you know what you have to do you must share it because how could you see someone who's literally dying in front of you he doesn't know there's a gazer on him he's not sure he doesn't understand he's cutting off his children his children's children how could you not intervene Abraham ainu says come into my house I'm going to get you some bread enjoy a and then leave I always was bothered by this you ever do that come come for Shabbat lunch and then at 12:00 leave you could be honest you want to do that had an uncle who would shut shut the lights whenever he wanted guests to leave oh look at that the lights went off I saw you turn them off obviously not talking about Shabbat here potato potato what is AB saying he's the bigest ever why is he telling them to leave and I saw the most beautiful because what we know is that he would give them food to eat and then when they had the food to eat what would he tell them to do abrahamu told his guests before they signed on the dotted line you want to come to chatau AB come eat drink and then don't do anything else don't enroll in Yeshiva don't keep Shabbat don't wear don't put on TI just leave I'm happy to just have you in order to do with you that's what Judaism is about you don't have the answers your Shabbat table is an answer you don't have the answers your boardroom is an answer my friends when Abraham does that he doesn't make an argument with them even though he knows how to argue because he's gone through Theon himself when he first became from what does Aram say come on over we have delicious meat and fantastic ugot with even a a little bit of mustard my friends I want to end by saying this cuz the hour is late do I how long do I have till Yi I don't know what that means do we have a chart for immigration you could put right over there some people got it okay whatever you win some you lose some the midash tells us that when you have a coal and the coal is about to go out I don't know if any of you done this before you have a call it's a fire it's burned low all you need to do is you lean in and you just go and what happens to the coal instantly you see it come back to life it's amazing the tiniest breath from someone when a coal is dying is enough to be able to bring it back to a roaring fire what people don't believe in their heart of hearts is that actually this person sitting in front of me we think he really doesn't want to be connected to Judaism what can I do to convince him to join my craziness that's what people think remember hearing from by Cooper Smith when he would tell people that he used to play hockey they're like why did you from Jews would ask him like why would you become from Jews well don't you know what you have that should not be surprising it should be surprising that someone doesn't want it or doesn't have it if you believe that this person is dying to learn more then you're very happy to share right well what if you could think that they're dying to no more before they tell you that they're dying to no more because that's the real emit then you'd share then you'd be confident then you'd be giving all you have to do is just blow the tiniest bit on the coal and it Springs back to life immediately my friends we know that is called but really his name says the was Danielle and why was he called instead of Danielle says they cut him down from his G and the question is why was Danielle cut down from his gah different opinions a simple shot is that you know what demoted him he used to be an adviser to the king and now all he was was a helper to EST there that's the simple straightforward shot more a little more complicated is people say that am they we cut him down from his greatness and I want to share with you the of the the M says why was Danielle considered so great in the eyes of the Jewish people everybody knows one thing about Danielle M right it depends on if you're in the Lion's Den in the Lion's pit why was Danielle thrown in the Lion's pit anyone know because in the time of Dar yaves they made a decree and the decree was that for 30 days no one was allowed to ask for anything from human or God Only The King Daves they wanted to solidify his position as king so they said anyone who prays you know what we're going to do to that person we're going to throw him in the Lion's Den and what happened Danielle prayed three times a day they threw him in the Lions then Danielle was great says the M but Now esther is going to ask every one of the Jews to fast for three days to not have food past their lips not until the night three straight days if you think you quetch after a Tanis they don't make K times three starving three days no food no water ding from the the depth of their souls you know what they saw when they were able to do that they saw that it wasn't just Danielle who could do it I could do it I could DAV like that I could risk my life to pray to Hashem I havea like that ladies and gentlemen heu we've reached that point we are in the generation of H panim like we have never seen H panim before for 500 Days have we not wondered where is Hashem we're living in h pan so the answer is look back toim and see how did we solve the problem in a time where God's name is eliminated from the from the Miga it comes to me and to you to stand up to do what Hashem wants us to do and my friends there is nothing that Hashem wants us to do more in a time of go get them let them fast for three days and do let them call out to God and know who they're calling out to my friends I want to share with you an example of this that will touch you hopefully and drive you to each one of these beautiful initiatives because project Inspire has prepared six but there's not only six there's 600 there's not only 600 there's 6,000 there's not only 6,000 there's 600,000 ways like the 600,000 Souls of the Jews where every single Jew has their own way and therefore every single Jew has their own heart to offer there was a young boy and I'll end with this a young boy who's a bit of a troublemaker you and I both know that not every kid was cut out for school unfortunately some kids they were born for homeschool we all know a kid like that and the only reason why they're not in homeschool even though they're only cut out for homeschool is cuz I was not cut out to give homeschool if I want to make sure that I don't un myself my friends this young boy he's struggling and struggling and struggling in school he doesn't know what to do he can't help himself he's running around he's a troublemaker and then one day his mamid walks into the midash of the Yesa and he can smell something interesting shall we say in the midash walking around smelling trying to find the source of this wonderful smell can't figure it out they start the T finally they open up to Aron KES for uh for the prayers for the take out the Tora and all of a sudden out of Theon KES jumps a goat I know that some of you think that that happens in spartic shools it doesn't racists opens a goat jumps out and everyone is flipping out and the rebi looks around and of course he sees his uh Troublemaker extraordinaire right over there in the corner laughing his head off immediately he tells a boy get out you're expelled the boy says thank you one of the biggest challenges that teachers uh struggle with is that they don't know how to punish children in a way where the kid thinks that it's also a punishment so the kid's like home that is fantastic so he leaves about a week later The Boy comes back and he walks into the isba and the rebi says what are you doing here he says I'm back he says no no I don't think you understand expelled not suspended not vacation expelled you're not welcome in the Yeshiva the boy turns to the rebi and he says you can't do that you can't throw me out you have to ask a RV you have to get aak you can't just decide to throw me out cuz it's too much trouble to have me anyway the rebi can't believe he's arguing with this kid now there's all the other kids are around him and everyone's getting swept into it they're arguing back forth the re says you know something I'm going to go to the r I'll explain what this is he's going to sorry with me anyway and this little unbelievable group starts walking through the streets of this Village okay in Europe and everyone's following all the kids are following and the rebi and the guy and they're still arguing and they're coming and I just imagine by the way I'm a rabbi and I'm imagining the rabbi is looking out the window and he sees the rebi and he sees the biggest troubl making kid in town and he sees all the kids surrounding them and he's thinking to him yourself what every Rabbi is thinking in that moment why did I become a rabbi if you think this every once in a while don't worry that's healthy if you think it every day get another job anyway they walk in the office and the Rabbi says you know what can I do for you and the the rabbi explains and the kid and the kid is saying well you know I felt bad and I didn't really I'm a troublemaker but I didn't mean to do it and the re's like he put a goat a goat in thees with the who knows what's going on in there from the smell I have some guesses how can we have someone don't disrespects the Torah Who and the rees's the r is nodding noding you know and the boy sees this is not going his way so he mutters under his breath like only troublemaking kids do he mutters under his breath his breath as the rabbi starts he says well did you ask them and the r says ask them ask who I'm the r and the boy with tears in his eyes he says did you ask my children did you ask my grandchildren I'm a troublemaker but do my kids not deserve that their father should have had a Jewish Education do my grandkids not deserve to marry other Jews cuzz I did this cuz I made this mistake did you ask them before you give your ruling and the r is Shook and he tells the Reby maybe give him two more weeks see if he turns it around I can bet those message are is he done yet is he almost finished is he I'm in the car I have the entire lunch buffet let's make a clean getaway that was that level of intensity notification level it's unbelievable Yi go stop them we all need to eat by the way every Instinct I have as a speaker is like don't interrupt your narrative don't interrupt your narrative don't interrupt your narrative and then the trouble kid that would have put a goat in the AR kodish is like go for it the r says given two more weeks most of thater was wiped out in the war and this man whose children became Benet T whose grandchildren studied in yes became Rabon and rabim themselves who was given that chance was given that chance because he was able to express clearly to the r what about my kids what about my grandkids should they suffer from my mistakes when you see a Jewish person in front of you you have an opportunity to invite him for a Shabbat meal you have an opportunity to sign up for a one-on-one learning you have an opportunity to uh introduce them or Mentor them on a m on a uh on a uh professional level you're not sitting with one person you're sitting with all future generations of that child Esther also was not a cur of professional nobody else was like Danielle but on that day we all became Daniels my friends you cannot leave this building we have locked the doors until you say h I'm here I got it sign me up if not for one for two if not for two for three but it cannot be don't think that you will be able to escape because you grew up in a from house you're in the bet because maybe God put you in the bet not not for you but for him and all of his children God doesn't give you strength Co personality money education he loans them to you for all of am Israel so this thing if you try and keep it for yourself get out there in a time of we are all Esters we are all Daniel's we are all ab ainu and even if we have nothing to say to them come come to my house my friends they've done all of the work all you have to say is I'm in repeat after me I'm in that was the worst ever repeat after me I want 25% off this weekend I just want to gauge one more time I'm in in that's AB H that's m h and today that's every single one of us thank you so much