The Beginning of Wisdom

But unfortunately not everybody wants the truth and therefore doesn't give them the truth. He gives them the lie that they want. He gives them the lie that they want. Now how do you know if you have a lie? When your source of information is lacking one of the prerequisites for Torah teachings. Meaning says that a person that has wisdom that's wisdom is synonymous to Torah. Person that has Torah, that Torah has to be coupled with fear of Hashem. Has to be coupled with why? If it's just knowledge itself it's not worth very much. The Torah has a story in Megillah page 28B where there was a person that was a very smart person knew an extraordinary amount of information and he died. And they asked one of the Rav Nachman to do an expat on him. Say some things on him. He died. He learned the wise whole life. Say something. So Rav Nachman says why should I say something? So well, you mean he learned a lot of Torah. Rav Nachman says I'm not going to say on this expat on a basket full of books. Why a basket full of books? Because that's what he was. He learned a lot of books. But he never had shemoosh with he never had a rabbi that he verified if what he's thinking is correct. A rabbi to rebuke him when necessary. He never had other talmidei chakhamim question what his thoughts are. He never had any of that. He was just a bookworm. A bookworm in the Torah world is worth nothing. It's worth literally not very much more than the worm. Somebody like that, Rav Nachman says, "I'm not going to give him an hesped." Why? I don't want you guys to mistake that he wasn't a talmid chakham because he wasn't a talmid chakham. He just knew a lot of books. He just knew a lot of books. If he had applied those books into his life, then he would become a talmid chakham. But since he did not have a rabbi, he did not have shimmush, he did not do every anything possible, everything possible to apply the teachings of these books to his life, does not deserve an hesped. Rabbotai Yekarim, the Chazon Ish says a famous line here. He says, "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem." This comes from Tehillim. This comes from David Hamelech, "Reishit Chokhmah Yirat Hashem." The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Hashem. The son of David Hamelech, Hamelech, elaborates further in Proverbs chapter 1 verse number 7. "Yirat Adonai reishit da'at." The fear of the Almighty is the first sign of knowledge. Meaning, it's not you may mistake that the beginning of wisdom is fear of Hashem, that you need to have fear of Hashem in order to have wisdom. But Hamelech elaborates, goes, no, no. It's not that you need to have fear of Hashem in order to have wisdom. IT'S THAT THE FIRST SIGN OF WISDOM, the first sign that you even have wisdom at all, is when you're first scared of Hakadosh Baruch Hu." You're scared of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Why is being scared of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, scared of punishment, scared of his awe, scared of the Almighty, scared of all the different things in this world and the next? Why? Why is it scary, scary, scary constantly? Because if you're scared of the Almighty, then it shows an indication that you know what you're dealing with. Whereas if you're not scared of the Almighty, then it shows that you have no idea who you're dealing with. That's why Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to Avraham Avinu, out of all the things that he can say to him, after he brought his son in last week's parashah, parashat Vayeira, Avraham Avinu has overcome major obstacles no human being on Earth could ever do. He overcame obstacles that are simply beyond beyond human measure. And he takes his son, Yitzchak, and brings him as a sacrifice, because that's what Hashem told him to do. Without questioning it, without asking for explanation, without anything. He ties his son, as the Gemara in Masechet Shabbat says, in a unique tie called Akedah. What is Akedah? The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat says, "If you have a animal, and you don't want the animal to run away, you have to tie the animal like a uh Akedah." So, he says, "Wait, but if you tie it like an Akedah, then it'll be torture." Why will it be torture? Because if you tie the animal like the Akedah, that means that you're tying all four of its legs. You're tying all four of its legs, it's not going to be able to move, the animal is going to be tortured. So, don't tie it like an Akedah. So, how can you tie it then? Tie it almost like an Akedah. Tie three legs, and then leave one uh loose, so it could still move around, but he can't run away. So, here we learn what the Akedah was like, that Avraham Avinu tied Yitzchak with his arms and his legs back connected to each other and the neck sticking out. Imagine the scene. Imagine the scene every time we pray on Rosh Hashanah and we go over the song and the whole prayer of the Akedat Yitzchak almost breaks my heart. When you understand what you're saying, it breaks your heart. The whole scenery. Yitzchak Avinu is there and he's telling Avraham, "Abba, please make sure you do it a good a good korban. I don't want to be terefah, but also tell Imma that I love her. Make sure that you're there to to to to mourn with her because she doesn't have anybody else." So, you see they have real feelings. It's not like some, you know, they're so removed from reality. When I actually hear the whole thing of what's happening, you start crying. You start crying hysterically. And Avraham Avinu goes through this major difficulty, to say the least, to the biggest understatement of the year. He brings his son, he's about to chop his head off practically, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to him, "No, no, no. Don't touch him. Atah yada'ati ki yare Elohim atah. Now I know that you fear shame. Now I know you FEAR ME." WHY DIDN'T HE SAY, "Now I know you love me. Now I know you're my best friend. Now I know you need me. Now I know I need you." Now how come he says, "Now I know you fear me." Why? Because now I know that you understand who you're dealing with. When I say something, you do it, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. NOW I KNOW YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH. Because if you have questions for Hakadosh Baruch Hu, "Why did you do this? Why did YOU DO THAT? HOW come you're doing this to me? WHY IS GOD PUNISHING ME? Why is God doing this to me? You, my friend, don't know who you're dealing with. Why? There's no questions for God. It's only questions for us. Something bad is happening in your life? Question yourself. What did I DO? YEAH, HOW COME I DON'T SAY HOW WHAT DID GOD DO? NO, NO. WHAT did you do? What did I do? Why? Because we are in the wrong all the time. God is never wrong. >> [music]