Subtle Rebukes in Parashat Devarim

Moshe Rabbeinu reminds us of a few different locations. He tells us that our parents our parents were religious. But that didn't help them. When they become became accustomed to simple freedom of doing whatever they want and thinking that God is with them no matter what. This idea this ideology that God loves you no matter what is a heretical idea and it's not destructive idea that in fact anyone that thinks that God loves him no matter what is bound to be a criminal. Because that means that you are giving yourself permission to do whatever you want because in so many words God will love you no matter what. This is the ideology of the enemies of Judaism. Not Judaism. And Moshe Rabbeinu is reminding us never to think that. Never to think like some people like some nations like some leaders want us to think. Because these types of things are destructive. And he gives us examples. He first tells us after he starts to rebuke where he says we angered Hashem. Right at the time of Yam Suf. Literally we're crossing the ocean. Hashem split the ocean into 12 and while we're crossing the ocean we are angering God. How could that possibly be? The Midrash Rabbah says that's because some of those people were crossing the ocean saying, 'Zeh Eli Ve'Anvehu, this is my God, and I will glorify him.' But are not referring to God that's opening up the heavens and and doing everything, but rather they're pointing to the idol that they brought with them from Egypt." Now, of course, the generation today says, "Oh, that's crazy. These people are bad." It's no different than the behavior today. Where somebody says, "I am religious. I observe the Shabbat. I observe the mitzvot. I keep the holidays. I don't EAT PIG." BUT YET, WHEN YOU ask him to attend a shiur Torah, when you ask him to learn 2 to 3 hours a day of Torah, when you ask him to give at least 10% of their income towards SUPPORTING TORAH, ALL OF A SUDDEN they don't have time. All of a sudden they don't have the ability. They're too busy with work. They're too busy accumulating more stuff. They're too busy buying another house or a bigger house or another car or another $30,000 watch. Or perhaps a vacation or a vacation house. Nobody has any time for God. As if he's not the one that gave you the blessing. We have literally a whole group of our brothers and sisters that are religious. But just on the exterior end. What makes you religious is not your exterior. What makes you religious is how observant you are of Torah. But if you don't learn Torah, how do you know you're observant of it? Just because you don't kill people doesn't make you religious. Just because you don't steal doesn't make you religious. A person must learn Torah. In fact, the Gemara says that a person that does not learn Torah does not have a share of the world to come. Many times people not understand how important Torah is to their life. And they get so consumed with their business, so consumed with their hobbies, so consumed with their materialism, that they forget what makes them Jewish. And here our holy Torah is telling us that some of the people saw the miracles, but still clicked onto the physicality. Further, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave them the blessing, he gave them the mana, they made fun of it. Didn't like it. It wasn't good enough. Hashem gave you your Jewish neighborhood. You have a yeshiva over there. You have a bet knesset, bet midrash, but you want to move to a different city, even though there's no bet midrash there. Even though there's no bet knesset there, or the bet knesset that's there is not exactly on the upper echelon, let's just say that as far as religiosity is concerned. But you want to move there anyway, because there are nicer houses there. You want to move there anyway, because it's a good investment. You're not happy with the mana that Hashem gave you. You want something else. How many of us have seen, have been, have known such mentalities? In Chatzerot, we angered Hakadosh Baruch Hu regarding the meat. Once again, Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us many things, but we started becoming specific. We started becoming specific. We not only wanted more, we wanted something specific. You tell a young woman, "Listen, you are 20 years old. It's time to get married." No, no, but I want to build my career first. Wait, are you in this world to build a career or to build a family? Because a man cannot build a family without the wife. No, I know. I know you can't build a family without the wife, but I want to build my career so that way I could be financially settled. Wait, you think you make yourself financially settled or Akadosh Baruchu makes you financially settled? If you think Akadosh Baruchu makes you financially settled, then why don't you get married? But if you think that you make yourself financially settled, then why do you have a mezuzah on the door? Because you're a heretic. You're an idol worshiper with that mentality. If Akadosh Baruchu wants you to be financially settled, that means he's going to give you the blessings that he wrote in the Torah, which means there's more blessings coming with every child. Your children are going to stop you from being financially settled. In fact, it's the opposite. But people want to BE SPECIFIC. I'M GOING TO GET married when I have more money. I'm going to have get married when I have my degree. I'm going to get married when I find the perfect husband where he looks a certain way and his face is a certain way and his tradition is a certain way and HE'S JUST THE RIGHT COMPLEXION AND HE'S JUST the right family and he's just the right weight and he's just the right financial statement and he's just the right profession and everything is just right. You, my dear friend, are no different than what Moshe Rabbenu is screaming about right now. You're asking for meat. An entire generation was destroyed because of being specific. And the Gamorah in Masekes Moed Katan tells us never be specific with your request to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. As one of the Tana'im came to a Bet Knesset and saw that one of the Bachurim there was crying. And he asked the Bachur, "Why are you crying, young man?" And he said to him, "I'm crying because I saw a girl and she's the best one and she's the beautiful one and I want to marry her." He says, "So, why are you crying?" He says, "Because she doesn't want to marry me." So, the Chacham told him, "Don't ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu in your prayer to give her to you as a wife. You don't ask Hashem for specific things. You ask him for salvation. You ask him to help you in the best way possible." When you ask him for specifics, you are limiting him and in fact, you are assuming you know better than him. A year later, the same Chacham came back to that Bet Knesset and he saw the young man crying again. And he says to him, "Why are you crying, young man?" And he says, "I'm crying over the girl." He says, "The same GIRL? YOU'RE STILL CRYING over a year later because she won't marry you?" He says, "No, Chacham, no. I'm crying because she did marry me." I'm crying because she did marry me and she's torturing me and she's terrible. And the Gamorah says from here you learn you don't ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu for specifics. Don't ask him for a specific amount of money. Don't ask him for a specific guy or a specific girl. He gives you a blessing, you say thank you. You stop boxing with God. Finished. Don't ask for specifics. This is not a menu. Hashem is not a restaurant. He gives you a blessing, that's because it's the best possible thing in the world. Any lackings is only in your mind. But when a person is so specific, what ends up is a life of misery. And that's what Mosha Rabbeinu was warning us of it. Don't give a Kadosh Baruchu, the King of King conditions. You have an obligation in the world. Fulfill that obligation. Not your desires. If you fulfill the obligations, trust me when I tell you in the name of the Torah, any desire that's a normal, healthy desire will certainly be fulfilled. >> [music] [music]