Rabbi Shlomo Landau – Flashes of Inspiration

[music] Hello everyone and welcome back to Inside Art Scroll where the books you read and the people who write them come to life. Today I am honored to be joined by Rabbi Schlomma Landau, author of the new book Flashes of Inspiration. Thank you, for allowing me to interview you in honor of this new book. >> It's like déja vu all over again. Yes. Thank you for coming by. >> But this is really your cheer. You've done a masterful job since taking over as the host of Inside Arts Scroll. And again, it's an honor to be here to speak to you. >> Thank you. And I think when I interviewed you for your book, Moments of Greatness, which I kind of feel this is, it's a moment of greatness. >> Um I told you that like I felt like I was jipped on my first book because I didn't have an interview with you. >> So at that point, you said, "You know what? your next book. >> Yes, >> I'll come in. So, thank you for making it on your >> words. I'm I'm happy to be here. And Bar Hashem, you're putting out a new book, I would say, in pretty close succession to your first. It's only about a year or so, right? >> It's a year in. And I I did not think that things would come together so quickly. I to it's to like you said, it's total satis. And I'm sure you experienced this with some of your books, like once you write a book which has some good stories, people want to people want to share their stories with you. Um, and I got an outpouring of beautiful, heartwarming real life stories from people. And I just said, I got to get this out. And I sat down. We all know this. It takes focus and it takes time. And I really, you know, put pen to paper or how do you say it in more modern terms and bar it's it's a book uh with great stories, very inspirational stories. And the cute part is that the last story is kind of like I don't even know how you say that. It's like it's much longer than the rest of them. So, you end off with a story that's off the charts, >> but it a beautiful heartwarming brings tears to your eyes, but it's a journey. It's not just a short story. You got to sit down and really internalize it and when you get up, you're going to be like in a different place. >> Do you find that putting together stories for your second book that you were more selective than you were for your first book? >> 100%. I think the first book was just like I'm not an author. I didn't go to college to learn how to write. No one ever taught me like what a book's supposed to have and I just said a bunch of them I'm going to put down all the stories that mean are meaningful to me and I'll try to put them in a decent order and uh let's see what happens >> and that was my first book and flashes of greatness and but afterwards I think I learned and to give credit to Gdal Zado and the team they definitely gave me constructive criticism in the most beautiful and gentle way you know how work things work at Arts and I took some of it to heart um and I also said you know what I'm not rushed I want to make sure that the stories that come out are the right type of stories and not every single story that I had did I put into the book. >> Mhm. >> So I tried to be a little bit more selective. >> Now remember when we spoke about my book you asked me how I go about writing a book. >> Correct. >> So I'll ask you the same thing. How do you go about writing a book? It's it's a daunting task. It's a lot to undertake to just sit down and write a book. So how do you compile those stories? And also where do you get your material from? >> So both of those are excellent questions. So maybe a good way to explain it is I try every single day besides Shabas obviously and there's exceptions to put out a daily video azik video which people could sign up for a huge distribution. It's usually a story an insight uh a real life piece of you know a boost or something like that. So I'm always looking for content >> and I always I'm looking at and periodicals in Hebrew in English just like I'm always looking for them because I I kind of feel like a certain to the people who kind of many people said I start off my day with this and this really it it transforms my day each day. I feel like I have an responsibility at least in my mind my own head and so I'm always looking. M >> so when you're looking and you're putting in the effort, you know, says, "Okay, you're putting in the effort. We're trying to help you." And a lot of stories come up. Not all the stories that come up do I feel are appropriate for a small little daily video or they're too good, >> right? >> I want to get them in writing. >> I want them that someone could pick it up in 10 years. They're not going to see my video. So, I'll save it for that. >> I'll say also that like I try to do like once a week uh for Torah anytime I do like a para share very practical, you know, more more misa than makava, right? And I always research for that too. So by topic. So I'm always coming up with stories. That's research wise. Um and then people like I said before people really have been telling me stories. It's such a you know I'm I've been working a little bit with vi and people always stop me and tell me vine stories. And more often than not they're not my stories. They're just stories of Jewish greatness of human greatness. So I'm able to share those further. I don't I'm not like you. I'm not as regimented that I sit down and I write You're a much more mislead guy. >> I'm not so sure. >> But I I I go and if I find a story that lights me on fire, I can't get the shabas without putting it down. >> Very smart. >> So, I will make time, even if it's late at night or I got to cram it in some someplace while I'm traveling, whatever it is, I'll make sure that I have that down. Um, so much so that these days I'll just talk the story into my into my phone so I know I have it >> and then I could take it off of that. And with technology, by the way, you can even take text off of off of audio. So at least I have a framework to start with. >> It's funny. I find that the harder part of this whole process, >> yes, >> of collecting the stories and writing the stories are getting the stories. To me, it's the writing part that's invigorating because I'm sitting there and I'm actually bringing the story to life. To me, that became the exciting part, not such a t not such not so much of the tedious part. I find that the tedious part is actually getting the story, verifying the story, speaking to the protagonists when it's possible to do so. I'm just curious to go to your your video for a second. When you record the videos, do you do you have a transcript? Do you use a teleprompter? Do you speak uh extemporaneously? What's your mileage? >> I take my iPhone, I put it on a tripod, >> I put on a microphone and I talk uh once in a while. I I say I maybe I ed if I stumble, I'll edit it out, which takes me five minutes. I just use my phone to do that. >> Um but it's very not professional. >> Um >> I I would I would tend to disagree. I think you do a great job. You're very smooth >> and and you I barely sense any sense any type of uh discomfort or you know uncertainty. You're you're very good at it. >> I'll be vulnerable. This morning I I shared a story, a beautiful story. I It's beyond the scope of this discussion here. Buy book three. It'll be in there. Um and [laughter] and I started say it was a little bit of a complex story. It had many moving pieces. And I started saying it and it didn't go. And I started saying it again and it didn't go. And I started saying it a third time. I could show you on my phone. I have like five takes and I just said a bunch of them like I don't have time today. I'm doing this. I think you know please give me articulate speech. Boom. And it just it flowed. >> And sometimes there's no rhyme or reason. No. >> You could prepare and it doesn't go well. You cannot prepare and sometimes it goes smoothly. You're talking about Vimay. I I recall myself sitting in the Vayan studio recording some of those videos. Sometimes it just goes and sometimes you turn to the videographer and you say, "Okay, we we got to start again." Right? And you never really know. >> And the coolest part is when you record and you don't think you did a good enough job, so you ask if you could re-record and then they end up using the first one. >> Sure. [laughter] Sure. Sure. >> We try. We put an effort. >> Right. Right. Right. There's something about these interviews, for example, where it's not scripted. >> Correct. >> And where it's raw that people like. >> For sure. >> And then you have these videos which really have to be flawless because that's what people are expecting. So it's a different expectation, but you do a fabulous job uh on those videos and we enjoy them very much. >> Can I just double click on something that you said? I also enjoy the writing process. It's tedious. I'm not a great I'm not a great typer. >> I mean, great. I think I'm average. Certain people, they just sit on their computer. I'm sure Spiro types when he sleeps. You know, he just his fingers go on and he's got it. So, it's a little tedious for me. Um, at the same time, there were definitely a few stories that I wrote in this book that by the time I finished writing the story, I mamish had a lump in my throat. the writing process, getting it out, yeah, was emotional. And I said to myself, a bunch of like the people that read it, they should just feel what I felt when I wrote it. And and I realized that when Yakobi was just here, we interviewed him a little while ago. And Yakov said to me, he says the same thing. You know, when he when he records, he records with so much passion. What do you mean you're in a room and you're all by yourself and there's a microphone? He said, "No, if you record with her, with feeling and with passion, when the person listens to that song, they hear that in a subconscious or subtle way, and it's much more impactful." >> So, it's a I think I I agree 100%. I find people comment on writing that they say that a lot. And and I know when when I'm writing with passion that people are going to read that passion. When you write with emotion, people are going to read that emotion. But that's uh >> I feel that with your that comment. Yeah, I feel sometimes like I feel like, "Oh my gosh, he for sure wrote this with her." >> Yeah, I I I find it. I find it. And and like you said, sometimes it goes, sometimes it doesn't. I don't think there's a rhyme or reason. Um you know, the the term writer's block exists for a reason. Sure. It doesn't always go so smoothly. And sometimes you write a story and you scrap it and you start over again. So, but can I know her your book? I I would not be able to I think you're being too humble about your writing. You write beautifully. It flows. It's human. It's not too complex. You don't have to overthink. It just it's it's a really a pleasure to read. U but I want to talk about you for a second because we didn't interview for the last book. Many people know your face. They know your videos. They know your your columns. They know your book now. Now your second book. Um give us a little background into how you you ended up where you are now. You work for Olami, so you're very involved in Kiruv. Um, and you're impacting many people on a daily basis. What was your journey to get where you are now? >> Thanks for the opportunity. No one ever asked me that. [laughter] And like I always I always say when I speak like you know I'm tell I'm going to share with you something personal because I love talking about myself. [laughter] So um grew up in a regular beautiful amazing mishbaha in Cleveland, Ohio. Um our home was the epicenter of it still is in the town like all the leftovers from Simka has just come to my dining room before Shabas. All the leftovers from the bakeries come literally an hour before Shabas. could picture that scene. Our dining room floor full of pastries and kala. It gets sent to the Cleveland poor. My parents are tremendous balas and my grandparents tremendous balas. So I grew into up in a home that loved yadin and loved giving. Um and had a very typical upbringing went to school in those days that was called most. I was the first class in that school. Um although the Hebrew Academy which is the other school is amazing school. That's where my parents decided to send me. Then I went to Tels. In in my days I don't know if you remember this high school started in 8th grade. We were dorming at the age of 12 >> learning sulanis first barking subus in eighth grade >> um and I stayed in tal where my father um went and where we actually lived the first 10 formative years of my life we live by the yeshiva >> on the campus >> we actually lived down the hill which was where the kyo guys lived my father was a professional but he wanted to raise his children in that insular community and it was a beautiful community special community one of the best memories tells for seven plus years um straight through bmedish Um I'm old enough that the entire front of the base medish was all European refus I had to learn >> rev giftg was American but >> to me he was you know he brought the European European [clears throat] correct although his English was something we all dreamed about you know and then I learned with Isaac for two years it was it was >> David Barkin was in >> David Barkin was my rebi larger than life a we really out of smoozen and yiddesh like it was it from a it you know, a world that's no longer here, I think. >> Yeah. >> Um, and just a lot of lot of learning and a lot of Tyra. And just to get a credit, we're tella, we had three hours of secular studies, 8th grade through 12th grade. >> And I really credit learning how to write grammar, vocabulary to those those three three hours. Ref. Gifter would start us off. I don't know if you know this, R. gifted would come into the ma which was a high school base medish right before we went our first day of English and he would give a firestorm how if we have this in your schedule it's not built to and how Rabaka told his own son you must learn the language of the land how we are the ambassadors of Tyra to the world around us and if we're articulate >> and we're able to speak and write the kdesh hashem is immeasurable and it went into my bones and I can't tell you I was the most amazing student but I always liked writing and I liked lit literary things and I really feel that my just being able to write something that's you know something came from >> tal sure so and then you have gift giving those smoo in where you just >> powerful you know you just >> I don't think I ever knew that that gift would give like the octo >> every single year of my high school career >> that is great >> and I think if I'm not mistaken at least in for the first few years there was no such thing as being too too into learning to go you had to go if you were the best like They were sat with me three day three hours a day >> and Tel gave snack first. So you went into there with a little bit of ka some milk and cookies and 4:15 to 7:15 it was learning and they had real teachers and a real curriculum and times have changed obviously but it was it was good. We learned um then I did something really strange after B medish. I uh I went to Panovich which is not at all typical for your typical American buffer. I had European relatives who were the top people there and I was there for two plus years and there was nothing else of an besart though was barely falafel you [laughter] know and that was >> who do you hear she from >> so I heard kabur from pavarski >> but ra was still alive and giving shir kal it was right at the his last you know few years so that itself was a it was so I'll never forget Rashak getting up there with not being able to breathe he had no kayak from being slept from his partner imamish was panting and he would try to get the words of the Mishna out. He couldn't and finally he got it out and within 60 seconds he was roaring >> like a lion cub. It was just I'll never forget these things or Kiper and yeshiva just dominating everything. 7:00 shakras on Shabas morning. >> Wow. >> Punisher says the only mistake in the yeshiva was that um it was formative. It was it was definitely >> but I can't imagine there were many American bakim. Right. >> We had a handful of American bakim and European bakim. But I gained a lot and I also at the same time went to a bunch of kaburas from different people who were more into makava. I went to a like a clandestine for unbelievable in someone's house. No one was not know about it. But I learned from a lot heard from sometimes like these were learning in literally the window of my dormatory faced. Yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah. So you could wake up in the morning and let's I I went from and asked him Shilas like you know it was it was a different time. >> Yeah. >> Um then eventually got married and met my wife and then we moved back and for five years I lived in Israel lisk by remember and share with him. I also got smika um you know yada and the last two years I did something called nerf which is on some iteration is still around which is a curve training thing for for for himite and um and not intending to go into curve just I wanted like all the yada I wanted the knowledge and I wanted whatever they could give you and um I drank the Kool-Aid >> well >> and after two years I I came to Lakewood and the yeshivida had a cure called Toro links amazing organization and I started working for them right away. Um and we lived in liquid for a few years and then we moved to East Brunswick, New Jersey where we lived for almost two decades, built a beautiful care of community alongside a huge satell. I also um at the same time had this of starting to teach high school in the modern orthodox world >> and I taught at a school called Maze and then subsequently a great school called Kushner. Uh love that like that's one of my biggest boys right now is not being in the classroom every day, you know, teaching. Um, and slowly but surely Kush Bar gave me success and people listened. >> Wow. >> And >> but that's interesting. So the the bulk of your years of raising your family was done in a kiru community. >> 100%. >> In East Brunswick. >> In East Brunswick. We didn't move to Lakewood till just a few years ago. Right. >> Yeah. I mean my children, my older children particularly, this was their childhood. A house that was open. Nirva guests in our house. Um, Davening where we announced the pages and sometimes did things in English. Rashanim Kipper initially in a in a gym as you say down it was a slam dunk and you know yes very much and what's fascinating is that on some level it was a little isolating they weren't with their you know necessarily in a typical mainstream yeshivish community uh and we were so excited for them when we moved back that they would have that but there was a big void in their life a meaningful void like >> you're saying you miss some of that now >> I miss it and they missed it too they miss it too >> they missed a Friday night with sudo with with a family that never had chabas in their life and seeing the the joy in their eyes or or the wonderment of a three-year-old say or escala, you know, or chuned for the first time. >> Sure. >> Or Kipper being with people who are so disconnected, but by the time >> Ela comes around, the place is roaring and people are emotionally involved. They're just certain rich experiences that my children >> they miss. I miss too. what what event what ultimately made you make that decision to move back to Lakewood into a regular from community? >> So, I think we we felt that there was a little bit of a void for our children just yet with all the amazing experiences. >> It was it was tough shabas and just not being able to get out of your house and go to to the kids who you're class with and just the basic social part of it was very challenging and >> it was a very difficult decision. Um, Revelia Rodney was really the person that we talked to a lot and credit I credit him for, you know, helping us make that decision. Um, and I miss it a lot. Hashem, when one door closes, another door opens. And's been so kind to us over the last few years. Like, >> um, my job with me is amazing. Um, I'm I'm building a global community of mentors of from men and women, professionals who mentor our non-f students and young professionals. >> And that's your that's your day-to-day responsibility. So, literally bringing Cla together. It's the most inspiring thing to see some of the busiest people who have extremely successful careers, large families, but you you give them the opportunity to to make an impact on someone for half an hour a week and they're thanking you. >> You know, it's so it's so inspiring. CL is so special. And at this point, we have about 2,000 pairs around the world in Latin America, Arrol, Russia, England, United States, and Canada. I wrote a curriculum for that kind of the strategy. So that's very exciting part of my life. And like I said over wonder closes and another or opened and then all of a sudden a kashra was like okay you gave a lot of speeches and classes in east Brunswick let's see what you could do in the broader community >> right >> so I do teach twice a week in two great in in a in a high energy ma 12th grade hashkafa I teach a few times a week in Mayan a wonderful school for girls who are on their own journey and then just bra has just been so kind in terms of opportunities to speak and I read a column a weekly story in a newspaper and this inside art scroll and just like I A lot of good things happening. >> I'm I'm I'm infinitely grateful. I don't deserve it. It's it's a gift. It's mamaish gift. >> But let me ask you, you know, it's interesting. So much of what you do from Alami to your other contributions to Claus involve giving inspiration to others. It's it's a lot of giving. >> Where does someone like you how do you fuel yourself? Where do you get your and inspiration? You know, you you have to fuel yourself in order to give over. you're asking probably the single most important question. Um I'm there's really two strategies. So I just want to say that when I started working in Kir when I was in art um in this k training program I became very close to someone by the name of Rabbi Gersinfeld. He is Rashid Makon Schlommo. He's a his wife Schwab. And I just I felt like when I'm going into Kiev I need someone who understands Kir. And Rabbi Gersinfeld um told me at some point he's like because I was telling I was complaining to him that I'm giving 12 classes a week and I'm teaching every day but I'm for my own growth what do I do and he said to me you have to prepare one in depth kabur a week in or just gar orya and one high level makashir a week this way you're learning on a higher level the the prepare preparation will just be the mak of the obligator But it's really for you to learn through those two suggest. >> So on some level like that's been something I' you know I try to have my own my own learning >> also this is just something personal that >> I try not to share things that aren't meaningful to me. Yeah it's great to put a story in a book but I won't put a story in the book if it's not a flash of inspiration for me. I won't share a video if it's not something that I feel personally. So I try first to think about it myself >> and then share it further. But I'm going to say it's still the, you know, it's a little bit of a take. Like it's it's it's a big challenge to not let other people's inspiration be yours because you could wake up in the morning and be like, "What do you mean? I sent out a video today and there were 10,000 views." Not that I have a way of gauging 100%. I don't really want to know that. But you could say, "Wow, who who inspires 10,000 people a day? I'm good." But then you think to yourself is in in after 120 that's gonna that's not going to fly. It's not going to fly. That's so what did you do today practically? What did you learn? What did you dive in? What was your like? Um what did you do that was that stretched yourself that pushed yourself a little bit further? That's where real growth I think personal growth is. But that's it's a strong question and it's a question that I ask myself all the time and sometimes I have a good answer and sometimes I'm like I need a better answer. on on a practical end as someone like you, you're giving many many classes, speeches, you're reaching out to people, you need you need material. So I've spoken to many Rabonim and I I always ask this question because I'm curious how different people do different things. >> Sure. >> Do you have a catalog at home of topics of stories of inspiration of do you have some kind of uh uh rolodex of of of speeches, drushes, shiurum? How do you actually go about doing that? If I did, I'd be in a much better place. The only thing I have at this point is that when I give a share, when I give a talk somewhere, um, which I prepared for in a substantial way, I I I keep I like write down the Russian notes Russia >> and then I take a picture of it. So I have, uh, an album in my phone called speeches. >> Um, I go back to it, but I really try not to go back to it too much because I feel if Hashem gives me an opportunity to talk to a group of to a girls camp let's just say la mushel which is something I just did uh about um about uh you know what so I could go back and see if I have speeches on Torah anytime where a lot of my student has like almost a thousand speeches on there you know I could go back and look or I could say you know what maybe this is what Hashem wanted me to be thinking about so let me let me really take a deep dive into it let me look at some let me look at some you know some gishmakas that have stories and then also um let me go to where I go to to get you know topic focused things and and try to build it from there but I don't I wish that when I started I was like some of my friends have like color is color >> I was going to mention >> he's he's the guy in this you know just I'm doing great but like go back to what he was before even better um but he's he's the king when it comes to this >> sure >> I'm not as good >> and and he's the master of preparation >> correct correct >> he prepares like crazy I've spoken him about it. It's incredible how much preparation goes into one. >> He's and and you know >> and then I'll keep notes on it and and things of >> that. That's very I I wish I was Rabbi Pesakron. Um I don't put in nearly as much as he does, but I will tell you that when I do put in more more serious time, it's always better. >> Sure. >> I'll give you an example. So I had this just now in Tishab to to do the Kinis at Morishbo. Um and I really spent time preparing >> and two things happened. First of all, you know, Tak, I think that it was it was better than me just winging all those camp, you know, kinists that I knew kind of all those stories and everything. Number two, I really learned a lot about the way that I didn't before and it was a more meaningful tishabove to me. So, >> Agra, you put in the investment, >> the output's going to be >> more intense. Getting back to the book, I give us a little feel for what's in flashes of inspiration, maybe a story or two, something that comes to mind, wet our appetite, because I know that people are going to want to get this book. They're going to want to read it. Bam. Your first book did phenomenally well, so it's not a surprise that this comes so closely on the heels of the first one. Give us a taste. >> So, I want to just first say that I think it's fair to say the vast majority of the stories in the book are current. they happened in the last decade or two or last year or two. Um I just find that people are able to relate to those. With that being said, there are for sure stories of goodman here which need to bring us to the level of you know let's strive for something so much greater something more impactful. There's a bunch of stories from October 7th. I I I thought about doing a whole section October 7th. I decided there shouldn't be something called October 7th, but there should be inspiration having to do with October 7th. I'll share one story. I think it's the first story in the book. Um, it's still on the cutting floor. So, it could be they'd be like, "No, we want it to be the last story in the book." So, you walk away with wanting more, but it's right now the first story in the book and I'll share the backstory to it. >> I was at a Shabas table in London at a wonderful fellow Rabbi Goldwater amazing Macari special huge table, you know. I was there. There was a rabbi from Israel, someone who was rabbi from and a bunch of students, young professionals actually from Latin America, from Israel, from the United States. So there was three different simultaneous languages taking place. And at some point says, I want to share with you guys a story. I'm like, you got you had me at hello, you know. And he said in Hebrew, doesn't speak English. I translated into English. I couldn't translate it into Spanish, but I think they understood English well enough. And he shared with me the most incredible story about October 7th. And I said to him after Shabas, okay, we need this. We don't say the story unless we find who the macar is the source. So he connects me to a good friend of mine in telev. And um it's one of his tummy and he shared the story with me exactly the way they heard it from Na. Na is the the guy in the story. So Na and his friend were at Nova on October 7th. Clearly not shitaru mitzvah. They were grew up in very secular homes as you'll see soon. And six o'clock in the morning ganam breaks out and at some point they're under attack and everyone's running. Those p pictures are heartbreaking to see. Everyone's just running for their life literally. And they're running the two of them, him and his friend and bullets whizzing by their ears. They're hearing be they're hearing the streaks, the cries, seeing people drop. And for some reason, none of those bullets had them as an address. Literally three minutes into running because it was a long run, his friend says to pray. I don't know how to pray. You pray. Typical Israelis, you [laughter] know. He says, "I don't know." Which on some level is heartbreaking that they don't even know how to do. On the other point, what's their gut? That's three minutes into it. Let's dive in. All of a sudden all remembers that when he was a kid his grandfather used to sing to him. Hashem is my shepherd. I shall not lack. And he starts saying it. It's coming back to him. Even as I walk in the valley of the shadow of death there, I won't fear. Let me be pursued by good things, not what's happening right now. And he starts saying mad over and over. And his friend who's Israeli baram catches on and like they say, we said boopin over and over. They ran for almost four hours. Almost four hours as being pursued by death. And they were. And wherever they were, it was always a chance of something else happening. We know there were checkpoints. And they end up at a moshab near. They come to the front of the moshab which is being manned by all the people. By that point, everyone knew you got to protect your family and initially had to identify themselves to make sure that but they realized that these were survivors. And one of the guys says, "We're going to let you in. Go to the first house. My wife is there. My son's a police officer. No fake. I run the Mishar here, the the watch. Go bang. She's in the mama. She's in the secure room, but like she'll let you in and when you share who you are." And they bang and she opens up the door eventually and they she looks at them and they look like they're they came out of ganim. And she breaks them into the mama into the secure room and they both collapsed on the floor. They couldn't move. They've been running on adrenaline for four hours. For a half hour, they couldn't breathe. Basically, they're just lying there panting. And eventually, they were able to sit up. And the whole story comes roaring out. And at some point, she stops them and she says, "What any Jewish mother would say in the situation? You're probably hungry." They said, "Oh my gosh, you're right. We are." You know, they use a lot of energy up. She says, "Listen, this morning, early in the morning before all this craziness happened, I put on the plata, on the chabas, on the hot plate, a pot of rice that I made. It's probably still sitting there. Do you guys want rice?" That's all I can offer you right now. Said, "Yeah, rice will be nice." So, typical Jewish mother opens the mama door, goes out and comes back a minute later with a pot of rice, some plates and forks, and a bottle of wine and a beer, a ketchup cup. And she says, "Okay, seed kit, and then you could have uh the rice." So, now Art turns to his friend and says, "Take." He says, "Take, you say?" [clears throat] She goes, "You guys don't know what kdosh is." Oh okay. She opens the mad again, goes back out and comes back with a little venture for them to be able to say it. For those people that know how to spare them say kesh morning. How does the kid start? Not fish like ashkanaz. And those words that they had been saying beloop him for hours. He sees in print. In his words he spilled all the wine into the rice. But he hopped at that moment that not only was it a miracle that he survived, but Hashem wanted him to know that it was him that was behind that story. And it gave him tremendous tremendous. >> So that's just a taste of one of the stories that's in this book, which is such a beautiful story. >> Wow. >> Um it's a story that's makazak a lot because we all have our own journeys and sometimes we're pursued by a lot of different things in our life. We need to look for the flashes of inspiration or flashes of greatness which was a previous book >> because like it says over here real people >> real choices >> powerful sparks >> it's like what are you going to go with what are you going to take with you >> you know it's interesting the story that you just said not always are we to such an open revelation >> true of the divine hand over here msma ms we have to I just spoke book on tishb and and this is one of the things that I said was this point that we have to be able to identify those moments and hopefully this book will help us realize how these moments are really all around us these flashes of inspiration are all around us but it's up to us to tap into it right there could put it in front of us but unless we take advantage of those flashes of inspiration they'll just go by and then our life will continue >> unchanged it's up to us to take those flashes of inspiration internalize them and help us change. I said this oneshub when I spoke one of the one of the kinus has the word in it a lot like a and point out that koi is a word of so this is how hashem choreographed it to be and if you take a look at the ka it brings different moments of practice so I have no idea if this is true but I said I said why is kai the word that's used forka so maybe just maybe because the gamatri of kai is 25 it's there before 26 hashem puts that inspiration in your lap and then he says to get to me which is 26 shav's name that you need to do. So here I could give you coin moments from today until tomorrow. But you got to take them home and you have to you have to you know internalize them and just point out something really interesting. Not every story in this book has that amazing ending >> because people have pointed out to me we don't all have these amazing hashkah this positive stories right >> so there's a story I'm not going to say the whole story you have to buy the book to see it but there's a story in here with this incredible msira nefes about this family this shami family um in living in a tiny little bedroom to another family that was really not nice to them incredible story nephesh and there's no amazing ending that they got a better apartment which is what they were looking for or that all of a sudden their child got engaged. No, not that. None of that. It's just a moment where a Yadisha family is able to show incredible greatness. And that also should be as inspiring as the as the happy happy ending stories. >> For sure. These messages are are universal. I think your book is something that could be appreciated by men, women, youngsters. It doesn't matter who they are. I encourage everyone to pick up this book. If you enjoyed the first one, there's no doubt you'll enjoy this one. And you should continue to just you're like overflowing with and with tremendous talent that gave you whether in writing or speaking or or your incredible contributions to the world of K. You should continue to use those talents and uh continue bringing us these amazing contributions. >> Thank you. And I'm chasing you here. You wrote the book first. I wrote a book. You you hosted inside oursel. I host it inside school. You keep doing great things and we our pastors keep crossing them >> and again it's an honor to be here back here smoozing with you. We should do this more often as as as often as you put out a book for sure. Maybe even more often. But continue and thank you again for this >> and thank you for coming out. Very much appreciate it. >> My pleasure. Thank you. [music]