Ten Minutes of Meaning (Part 139): Exceed Expectations - Mesillas Yesharim

welcome back to our ten minutes of meaning our weekly study of music the great work of ramos who reminds us how to live our best selves or how to pursue living our best selves i want to thank our generous anonymous sponsor who sponsored our series this year in memory of michilimandavid of shane davas david and a memory of abner ben abram akoen thank you for your generosity and for your leadership if you'd like to sponsor a future share please go on brsonline.org sponsor brsonline.org sponsor we are making our way through the perak of hasidis chapter 19 ramhal the moshe khan luta is describing to us what it means to be a khasid we've built upon the earlier steps the heroes mindfulness vigilance cautiousness consciousness we're not simply creatures of habit we're not allowing the momentum to simply take us but we are focused we're mindful we're present in every decision in every speech in all that we do zuriz is alacrity we are pursuing our goals we're making resolutions we're acting with enthusiasm energy and alacrity we then moved over to the character trait of of nikias how to identify the negative qualities and purge them not to battle them but to move them to the area of conquered territory in our life we then moved over to the category of precious how to live a life of discipline of self-control to not give into our temptation our taiva and our desire we then moved over to how to love the life of purity not only to do the right things but to do them for the right reasons and that brings us to hasidus as we've said so many times this is not about a furry hat or a long payes it's not about a long black coat hasidus is about our attitude is about our personality it's about our drive is for relationships to be meaningful the evidence or the reflection of the quality of the relationship how much we value how much how meaningful it is is how far we go do we only respond do we only do the bare minimum of what's asked of us or do we go above and beyond do we anticipate do we predict do we exceed the expectations of us that's true to be hosted to be pious is true in the area of friendship interpersonally are we friends who only respond begrudgingly hesitantly bare minimum or do we go above and beyond do we anticipate do we go the extra mile do we a little bit more do we exceed the expectations and it's true in our attitude in our relationship with the almighty with the ribonus shalom do we do the bare minimum of mitzvos oh or do we show in our attitude in our relationship that we're willing to go above and beyond so that in chapter 19 has been bringing evidence from countless comments countless insights of our great rabbis our sages throughout the talmud examples where they made a commitment to go above and beyond for example shalom why did you merit why did you achieve longevity why but yeah why did you live a long life he said rasheed because i never made a shortcut of the basement of the shul of the base canesses i never walked above the heads of holy people the students when students were sitting in the basement i never walked by i wasn't arrogant i didn't walk by forcing them to stand up to show me honor i didn't walk by and make a shortcut of the area that they were taking so sacred to sit and to study even though for example in our shul my office i can cut through that main shule in order to get to the shule office to the restrooms other areas if i cut through the actual sanctuary where we daven it would be a shortcut revlon says you know why i married a long life i never made a shortcut i didn't take shortcut my dear friends in life we have the option we're challenged do we take shortcuts or do we go the extra mile do we mail it in do we do the bare minimum or do we go above and beyond and exceed expectations amid those billion code based i can establish these exemplify the virtue of piety regarding both interpersonal relationships and a relationship with god to not make a shortcut out of the shul is to go above and beyond why why should it be wrong if you could get from point a to point b in the straightest path there's a straight line the shortest path is a straight line why not cut through the shull why not take the shortest path the answer is it's disrespectful the area designated for meditation contemplation conversation rendezvous with hashem to make it a shortcut to profane it by making it a shortcut is disrespectful to hashem it's not going the extra mile it's not recognizing and honoring the relationship we have and similarly to cut through the basement an area where people are sitting and studying taking their studies seriously and a person were to cut through and walk by forcing them to rise and to show honor and to interrupt making a shortcut again profaning what is a holy and sacred space is disrespectful interpersonally neither of these are particularly egregious neither of these technically perhaps are even forbidden and yet rebellious says you know why i achieved longevity you know why i merited a long life going above and beyond in life we can take shortcuts or in life we can take the long road which in fact is often much shorter odesham similarly there in the time of dare shalom as rabi prada they asked will be prayed to the same question similarly the students were praying they asked him why did you achieve such a long life why did you make it to such a ripe old age and he said no one ever arrived before me in the basement and i've never led the blessing after a meal when a cone was present and i've never eaten of an animal's priestly gifts offerings had not yet been taken again above and beyond no shortcuts no mailing it in doing it right taking the time showing and reflecting of the commitment the dedication the devotion to do it right and again interpersonal relationship between man and man and between man and god he says nobody ever got there before me in the basement i was the earliest i got there first i was so dedicated i was so devoted i also never took the honor of leading benching when there was a cohen a priest president who deserved that honor i didn't use serp i didn't grab the honor i didn't even take it if it was offered to me and i never ate from an animal whose special gifts whose ties the priestly gifts had not yet been taken the priests deserve and rely on those gifts from that animal i never benefited i never enjoyed i never indulged until they got what they deserved these are examples of piety you can make excuses and rationalize and explain and take a shortcut or you can go above and beyond you could do what's right you could do it straight you could do what is correct it shows honor and respect and dignity interpersonally and between man and god are we the type of person who takes the shortcut do we do the bare minimum or do we get it right od furthermore they said all these sages lived ripe old age lived long lies and they were each asked it's not a coincidence it's not random there is a reason what is the reason my wife's grandfather is the chronological israel nelson brookstein who was a great great man a holocaust survivor he lived to 99 years old and i asked him why did you merit to live a long life he told me an amazing story when he was in the barracks in auschwitz and he was ready to give up his life he couldn't take it he couldn't bear it any longer he'd lost his family he lost his first wife he lost a child he lost everything and everyone and he was ready to give in and give up and the khus torov told him to hold on stayed up with him that whole night crying and he said if you make it through this night and if you pledge and promise to to survive to do all you can not to throw yourself on that barbed wire not to give up or give in then i promise you a long life you will merit children and grandchildren and hitler will be a memory and he looked back on his life and he credited his longevity with that bracha he got from the ghost who stayed up with him all night in order to ensure that he would have the tenacity the resolve that he would have the endurance that he would commit to try to survive so they asked why did you merit longevity says he said the reason is because never have i ever let myself be honored through another person's shame never has the curse of another person arisen on my bed when i saw something there explains what does that mean what does it mean that never i have been honored through another person's shame nor have i ever been associated with the curse of another person so they can either explains expounding on this says the incident of was carrying a shovel on his shoulder when said if you normally carry this where you live you may carry it if not i'm not willing to be honored if it would in turn lead to your denigration don't do something if it's going to take you out of the way don't do something if it's going to denigrate you we see that although the meaning of the term through another shame indicates a person who intentionally embarrasses another in order to increase his own honor the pious by contrast are sometimes adverse to receiving honor even if the other person willfully offers it as when this will lead to embarrassment of the other person so sometimes people don't mind stepping up people climbing on people on their way up as long as they get honor as long as they get attention as long as they get the spotlight they're willing to step on people around them but our great rabbis our great sages are great men and women it's not just that they protected the dignity of the other they would never allow them to be shamed they'd never grow or receive honor through the shame of another even if it's not technically shame they would never take advantage of another they would never let another go out of the way in a way which could denigrate which could be beneath their dignity in a way which others might perceive they're not being honored they're not being shamed outright they're not being embarrassed they're not being insulted but actions or behavior that could be perceived as not being honor not honoring that person they were so so careful and so you see again the definition of a hasid and this is a challenge to each and every one of us do we want what's our brand what's our brand it's a great book called the cultural solution and it talks about that just like every company has a brand so to all people have a brand what's your brand is your brand cutting corners is your brand taking the short coat shortcut is your brand being a fair weather friend and doing the bare minimum in life or is your brand the extra mile is your brand blowing away is your brand wow moments of wow anticipating predicting being ahead of the game we each can choose how we live our lives and how we live our lives becomes our brand it's the way others perceive us this quality a commitment to pairing is creating a brand of the wow factor not the wow factor to get attention but the wow factor of going above and beyond both between us and man and between us and god again to sponsor beerus online.org sponsor brsonline.org sponsor i hope you will consider subscribing to our youtube page you'll be notified in real time every time we go live join us at 8 45 for living with emunah at nine o'clock tonight very special behind the bema with the great hall of famer five-time world series champion mariano rivera the greatest closer of all time the closer of the new york yankees someone who loves israel loves the jewish people and loves god join us tonight for behind the bema