Consistent Persistence | Rabbi Moshe Malka

One of the boys in the high school came over to me one day and said, Rebbi, I'm a new man. I'm changed. I said: What happened? He said: I went to a Drasha on the matters of holiness and the rabbi said I could become like Yosef Hatzaddik if I watch myself. And he gave us the best inspirational speech I ever heard in my life. A few days later, I ask him, How have you been? How are you doing? He says: Rebbi, it's not what I thought. It's impossible. And on that day we learned that no one changes from the inspiration. Hashem Himself gave the most inspiring, greatest speech in the world on Mount Sinai and said: I am Hashem, you shall not have [the gods of others]. And not less than 40 days later, they made a golden calf. So what's the secret? Well, the Torah tells us by Yosef Hatzaddik, Now it came about when she spoke to Yosef day in and day out, and he did not obey her. Every day. Every day, she badgered him and Yosef said no. It's not the inspiration that makes the change. It's the next day. What do you do afterwards? And Yosef held himself every day. No, no, no. And finally, when the big day came, the big challenge, that's when he was able to pass. Because if you build up muscle and you're able to say no every day, every day, like the water dripping on the rock of Rabbi Akiva. Water itself is nothing. Inspiration is nice. It doesn't do the job. It's the consistent and persistent every day, that's how you knock out the resistant. The Yetzer Hara is always resisting to you. And if you do it every day with strength, that's how you push it away when the big day comes. In 1998, there was a great basketball team called the Utah Jazz. They were looking to win their first championship ever. They were facing Chicago Bulls and it's at Game 6. Now there’s 20 seconds to the game. The entire Utah is on their feet. They’re about to win this stunning championship. And all of a sudden, they are up by one point, 85:84, and comes along the greatest basketball player ever, Michael Yarden. Yes, you know it. Michael Jordan. And with lightning speed, comes from around, steals the ball and now it’s 10 seconds left. The Bulls are down by one. Eight, seven, six. Does a fantastic maneuver, a crossover, fakes to the left, goes to the right, with a split second, hits the shot, and the Bulls take the championship. And the next day on the news, they interviewed him, and they said: Michael, how did you do that? Are you a magician? He said: You think I won that shot on the court? I practiced that shot 5,000 times. While everybody was sleeping in the morning, or out in Disney, I was there, practicing that crossover, until I had it, not just in my head, but it penetrated right here, and I had it right in my hands, and I was able to do it. You see, with consistent and persistent, he was able to knock out the resistant. And so, too, when you're inspired, what do you do the next day? Keep practicing. Keep turning your head. No, no. I'm not going to look, I'm not going to look. Practice it 5,000 times. And when the great challenge comes, you'll be able to knock out that Yetzer Hara. You ever feel dead inside? Just do CPR. Because with consistence and persistence, you will knock out the resistance.