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The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud.
Every week a new, deep, and inspiring piece of brilliance will be selected from the Talmud for discussion by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of TORCH (Houston, Texas).
This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan Marbin
00:03 - Intro (Announcement)
You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of Torch in Houston, Texas. This is the Thinking Talmudist Podcast.
00:12 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
All right, welcome back everybody! Welcome back to the magnificent torch center, welcome back to the amazing thinking talmudist series with the most incredible people here. It's so wonderful to be learning together. I must tell you that I'm a little bit embarrassed because we've already published over 90 episodes of the Thinking Talmudist podcast and we didn't do this piece of Talmud. I was beside myself when I searched this morning whether or not we actually learned this Talmud and we didn't, and I was like how is that possible? How is that possible that we left out this piece of Talmud? So we are going to begin. This is Talmud Brachot 60b.
00:57
On the bottom, the Talmud discusses the attitude that one should have confronting life's difficulties. And we spoke before we went live. We talked about the release of the hostages over the holiday of Sukkot, when we were in recess, and it is really a great, great gift to all of us, to the Jewish people, to anybody who cares about humanity, to see the release of our hostages. And we start wondering well, why did this happen? And it's a question that all of us ask throughout our lifetime. We're entitled to ask why. Why did this happen? Not only are we entitled, we should ask why did this happen to me. But there's a difference between asking why did this happen? Not only were entitled, we should ask why did this happen to me, but there's a difference between asking why did this happen to me versus starting to point fingers, uh, at the almighty god, creator of heaven and earth, that he's not in charge heaven forbid. Or that he doesn't know what's happening with me. No, no, god knows every single detail that you're confronted with, every single situation that you're in. God is the master plan, director of everything that goes on. We have to know that and I want to share with you this amazing story documented in the Talmud here Brachot 6DB, omer Rav Huna, omer Rav Mishum Ravimei Rav Huna said in the name of Rav, who said in the name of Rav, meir V'chein 6DB. And so has a been taught in the name of as well.
02:37
A person should always be accustomed to say whatever the merciful one does, he does for the best. Everything God does you hear this Mark Everything that God does is for the best. Do I understand it? I don't understand it. I'm not the Almighty, I'm not God. I don't understand how it'll work out, but a person has to always be accustomed to say this, practice saying it Everything God does is for the best. Everything Hashem does is for the best. It's in Aramaic Everything the Almighty does is for the best.
03:19
So now the Talmud says the most incredible story about someone who knew how to always say, in every situation, without despair, without you know, without giving up, without you know, just recognizing, be in front of it, bring front of the situation and say I know, I know exactly what's going on, hashem is in charge. You know. The Talmud says, the Torah says. It says in a verse Hashem li, lo ira. When Hashem is with me, when I know, when I know that Hashem is there with me, lo ira, I have nothing to fear. Nothing to fear. I know that he's with me, so.
04:12
So here is an incident involving Rabbi Kiva, for he was once traveling along the road and he reached a certain city. He requested lodging and no one provided him any. Everything the merciful one does is for the good, it's for the best, it's the best. You know why he didn't get that job, mark, it's for the best. And a person has to say it Hashem. I know why it happened. Not because that guy doesn't like Jews or that guy, he's just afraid of his own job. That guy.
04:52
Everyone has excuses. Everyone has reasons, justifications to things, and that's when we're staying on this level playing field. But when we look up we're like, ah, there's a big picture here. God has a big plan for me. He wants something better for me. God does everything not for the good, for the best, god does everything for the best.
05:14
So here's the story. He went into the city and he goes to the hotel Sorry, we're out of rooms. He goes to the person who has a guest house Sorry, can't Ozil. To the person who has a guest house, has a. Sorry, can't See. He went and slept in the field and what did he have with him? He had a rooster, he had a donkey and he had a lamp, a candle. A wind came and blew out his candle, a cat came and ate his rooster and a lion came and ate his donkey. Everything that the merciful does is for the best. He repeated it each time.
06:11
Now, why did he have it? Why did he have the candle? The candle so he can learn. He can learn Torah. Why did he have the rooster? He had the rooster so that he wakes up in the morning, and he had the donkey so that it can schlep all of his possessions. They were all taken from him.
06:30
Imagine how many times have we heard a story that someone was traveling and their wallet was stolen, and now they don't have their ID, and now they don't have their passport, and now they don't have this. They don't have that their credit cards, whatever it may be and we think like, oh, this is the worst thing in the world. Imagine, rebbe Kiva came equipped with everything he needed. What did he need? He needed a way to travel. He had a donkey, he needed a way to wake up, an alarm clock, he had a rooster and he needed a candle so he could learn Torah. And all were taken away from him, one after the other. What did he? And he needed a candle so he could learn Torah. And all were taken away from him, one after the other. What did he say? Hashem has the best plan in the world for me. Hashem is going to take care of me. Hashem has a plan.
07:20
What happened? That very night? An army came and captured the city. Omer luhu, lav, omri luchu. Rev Akiva said to them Did I not tell you, kol ma she'oseh, ha'kodesh boruchu, that everything that the Almighty does, we're now 61a, ha'kol l'to'iva, everything is for the good. Did I not say that Rabbi Kiva asks? Here's why our sages explain. For had the lamp been lit, the soldiers would have discovered him. Likewise, the donkey would have braved and the rooster would have crowed and they would have heard it and they would have captured him.
08:06
He wakes up in the morning. He has no idea why this happened, but he knows that Hashem is taking care of him. You know, there's a phrase in the Torah where Moshe says Hashem, I want to understand your wisdom. God says I'm sorry, you can't see my face, you can't see full clarity, you can only see the back. We've said this numerous times.
08:32
Our sages teach us the face means the future, the back means the history, the past. What was Moshe asking? He says Hashem, I want to see your face. God says nobody can see my face. What does that mean? Hashem doesn't have a face. Hashem doesn't have a face. It says Hashem shows him the knot on the back of his tefillin. Now, we know that Hashem doesn't have a head. Hashem is in a physical form. So how is it possible that Hashem is showing him the tefillin on the back of the head, the knot? What is that telling us? Say, just tell us.
09:09
Moshe was asking to understand the future. How is it all going to play out? Hashem says you can never understand how it's going to play out, but you know what you could see. You can see the past, you can see the back, you can see how it all tied together, the knot where everything ties together. You look back and you're like 20 years ago I was worried about this, oh, it worked out so much better. 30 years ago I was worried about that. Oh, it worked out so much better. You see how it all ties together. You see how everything comes together. When you look back, you're able to realize Hashem always had it in control. Hashem always took care of everything. I had nothing to worry about. I was concerned, I was worried, but I had nothing to worry about Because Hashem took care of everything.
10:01
This is a common thread throughout our entire lives that the more we strengthen ourselves, the more we reinvigorate our commitment to this idea, the more we see the hand of Hashem more openly. Because at first it may be it's hidden. Hashem's hand is hidden. I can't see the future plan. We don't need to see the future plan, we don't need to understand. But when we know that the hand of Hashem is taking care of us. Ah, now I understand why I lost my job. Now I understand why this and this happened.
10:48
And sometimes we try to go into God mode and we try to figure out. I'll tell you why. Why they? Why you know why they lost their job. Because they're just bad person, right? So that's why God is teaching them a lesson. And sometimes we like to become prophets and we like to be the ones who who know why everything happens to everybody else. That's not a good habit. It's not a good habit.
11:10
Our sages teach us that the way in which we judge others is the way in which we will be judged. Sages tell us metaphorically that when we come, or allegor, or allegorically, that when we go to the world to come, god says oh, you're here, I needed you, you're my advisor, can you help me with a court case? Can you help me with a court case? I need someone who has clarity. And we come, joe Schmo shows up to heavenly court and God says here, I'm going to show you the video, show you a video of this guy's life. And you tell me Now, what the person doesn't realize is that it's actually themselves.
11:51
They don't see, but they're really seeing their own life and God shows them their whole life without them noticing that it's them. And then they. The way in which they train themselves to judge others is the way they judge their own self. Meaning if I train myself to see the positive in everybody else, then I'll see the positive in myself when I'm judging myself in the heavenly courts. But if I don't train myself to see the positive in every other person, then when I see myself not knowing, it's me. Which, by the way, in the end of the Amidah there's a custom to recite a verse.
12:38
Right before we say Oseh Shalom and we take the three steps back of our Amidah three times a day, there's a special verse that one is supposed to recite that begins the verse begins with the first letter of your name and the verse ends with the last letter of your name. And our sages tell us I'll just read it to you inside, so you don't think I'm making this up. This is the most incredible thing. Some recite verses pertaining to their names at this point. This is right before we say Osset Shalom. Why is this? The Shulah says an amazing thing. He teaches that it is a source of merit to recite a Torah verse that symbolizes one's name before reciting Yule Ratzon and the Osset Shalom.
13:26
The verse should either contain the person's name or begin and end with the first and last letter of the name. Why? Because our sages teach us that when we pass on from this world, what happens? We forget our name. We don't remember our name. They ask you what's your name? I have no idea. I have no idea, right, and we're just sitting there like by saying this verse, we can get a clue as to what that name was. It starts with an aleph, ends with a hey. Ah, okay, can figure out what my name is.
14:09
It means we lose our you know, you ever seen somebody who has an altered mental status? You ask them their name? They're like it's hard for them to remember. They don't know what happened that's. You know something? When we depart our physical body, departs our, when our spiritual being departs our physical body, we suddenly don't realize the identity. When we look in the mirror, we're like oh, I know I am, but does that soul connect with that person? Well, this is the connector.
14:46
When we're able to recite the verse that begins with the first letter of our Hebrew name and ends with the last letter of our Hebrew name, then we are creating a reminder for ourselves to always be able to remember our name and to remember our identity, so that when we are in that heavenly court and God asks us for our advice, we can sort of get a hint. Maybe this is actually me. I see he's throwing in a verse over there. He's throwing in a verse at the end of his prayer. Maybe that's me, but the understanding that everything that happens, everything that transpires in our lives, is uniquely tailored for us.
15:32
Sometimes we'll be able to understand and see how and why. Sometimes we may not forever, we may not ever know. You know there are people who lost family members on october 7th or in captivity and you wonder like why, why? Why did that need to happen? And sometimes we'll never know the answer, at least not in our lifetime. When messiah comes, perhaps we will know, but we don't always have all the answers. But there is one answer that always promises to deliver, and that is our connection with Hashem. When we realize kol ma do'avid, rachman oletavavid, everything that the Almighty does is always for the best. So when I know that, I'm like, okay, you know what. I may not understand, but I know that he's got a plan.
16:32
There's something beyond and I want to tell you I was so moved to see some of the hostages when they got out, because the last opportunity to do certain mitzvah for the year was the day they got out, like shaking the lulav and esrog. And one of the hostages said, as soon as he got out, he says out Like shaking the lull of a nest rug. And one of the hostages said, as soon as he got out, he says I need to shake the lull of a nest rug the last opportunity for the year and the first thing he wanted to do was to do a mitzvah. Another one said he says you, guys, I'm happy for all the parties, that everyone's. I need a pair of tefillin, I want to put on tefillin every single day. I need a sitter, I need to pray. There's a rebirth that we're seeing from these hostages that are teaching us a tremendous amount about our commitment.
17:25
One of them was saying he was interviewed. He says guys, do you understand why I was in captivity? Because I'm Jewish. They told me that if I convert to Islam then they'll give me favors and they'll treat me nicely. And what did he say? He says no, I'm not giving up on my faith, I'm not giving up on my Judaism.
17:45
So this hostage says to every one of us he says, guys, be proud of your Judaism, Don't shy away from it. Right, and we should take it to heart. We should be very proud of our Judaism. We shouldn't hide it, we shouldn't be embarrassed. Oh, I don't want them to know I'm Jewish, because you know, we're proud, we're my kippah, I have my tzitzit out.
18:09
No, I'm not shy of my Judaism, I'm not running away from it. You know what? I may not be the most observant, but that's fine, I don't need to be. I don't need to be. I need to take my step in my growth. Every person. We don't have to be all or nothing. It shouldn't be all or nothing. Every single individual should take their individual step that is befitting for their status of their growth, and not to jump.
18:40
It's a terrible mistake if we feel like, oh, you're being such a hypocrite. Suddenly, you're not eating shellfish. Suddenly, yeah, you keep kosher all the time. No, it's a step. I'm not going to drive to shul on Shabbos. Who am I kidding? I still eat non-kosher. It's not all or nothing. One step, every person needs to take their own step and to feel proud of your step, to feel like, ah, this is what I'm doing to strengthen my relationship with God, because the more we involve ourselves in the performance of mitzvahs, the more we instill within ourselves that strength of that relationship, and this is an essential key.
19:32
So now that we brought a story that related to the Amorim, which Rebbe Kiva here said to the Amorim, you see, I told you that whatever the Holy One does is for the best. So now they continue to say something else from the Amorim. But Amar Rav Huna, amar Rav Mishum, rabbi Meir Rav Huna said in the name of Rav, who said in the name of Rabbi Meir Le'olam yehei devarav sholadim mu'atim lefnei ha-kadesh baruch hum.
20:04
Let a man's words always be few, short, short words before God. Why? What does that mean? Even what does that mean? A person should be short, you know, always be few words before God. Sh'nemar al teva'al al picha v'lipcha al yimayer lo hotzi dov'al lefnei ha'al alokim ki ha'al lekim ba'shamayim ve'ato al ha'oretz al kain yud v'orecho me'atim. Be not rash with your mouth and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Let your words therefore be few.
20:47
So our sages relate this to a Talmud that was brought previously, that a person shouldn't be complaining in front of God. Don't complain in front of God. What's very interesting is that in our prayers we see that throughout the Talmud we see stories of our sages and how they prayed and how they talked to God. It says that one of the great sages, he, would start prayer on one corner of the synagogue and he would end his prayer on the other corner. He didn't even realize. He was so in his conversation with God. He didn't even realize what was going on. It was another sage who was bitten by a snake while he was praying. He didn't even realize because he was so immersed in his conversation.
21:30
We know when we're focused on something. There was this study. They did. They said, count how many times they bounced the basketball from one side of the court. They said to people, like it was a study, they did count how many times they bounced the basketball from one side of the court to the other side and people were so focused on it they didn't realize that there was a beer walking on the court. They didn't even realize it. Nobody noticed it Because they were so laser focused. They didn't realize.
22:01
When you're laser focused on something, you don't realize the extra things which my grandfather says about when a person goes out into the marketplace. You go to Costco, you go to the mall. There could be immodesty, there could be things that you don't want to see, that are impure for your soul, impure for your eyes, therefore affecting your soul. If you're immersed, if you're immersed in thoughts of holiness, then you don't see it. You can't hide your eyes forever because when you look up you'll see. So what do you have to do? Keep your mind busy. If your mind is not busy, your eyes will wander. And when your eyes wander, things happen, and this is an incredible thing.
22:45
So when we pray, we should pray to great lengths. Pray, pray, talk to Hashem. You know what's very interesting? The Talmud says that one of the great Tanayic sages would daven when he knew that the congregation was waiting for him. Because you wait for the rabbi before you begin the repetition. So the rabbi would pray very, very, very short, very brief. Everyone's going to wait. It's going to be a tircha de tzibura, which is a. It's going to be a tircha. A tircha is a nuisance to the congregation that they're just standing and waiting for the rabbi to finish his prayer. So you would pray extra short so that nobody would wait for him. Because we see the severity in the eyes of our sages of being a nuisance to the community, to the congregation, when 10 people are waiting and you're just, you know, expounding on your prayers. That's great. Do that privately if people are waiting, or tell them not to wait.
23:50
I remember there was a rabbi when we grew up. There was a rabbi, he would pray the Amidah prayer for like 25 minutes, for 25 minutes, and he told the congregation don't wait beyond six minutes. So from when the Amidah began, right, most people finish within four or five minutes of the Amidah. Don't wait more than six, don't wait more. Okay, he'd continue his prayer, prayer, prayer, prayer, prayer as much as you want, but not when it's at the expense. But there's also something special of keeping your words short.
24:31
Hashem, I need your help. Hashem, I need your help. Hashem, I need a job. Hashem, I need a livelihood. Hashem, I need insight. Hashem, I need success. Hashem, help me with my marriage. Hashem, help me with my children. Hashem, help me understand your ways. Hashem, show me a sign.
24:48
I'll tell you an amazing story about one of the hostages. I just saw the story. One of the hostages that was held in the tunnels for over 900 days, relayed the following story. He said that he was in the tunnels and he was done. He was done. He had no more strength left anymore, no more strength, emotional strength, mental strength to just not crack and just not give up. He was at the verge. So what is he going to do? He's in the tunnel and he saw that the guard fell asleep. The guard fell asleep and the guard had a radio. What's he going to do? He's going to try to attack the guard. He's not going to work. He says Hashem, please send me a sign. Send me a sign that I haven't been forgotten. Send me a sign that you didn't forget me, that my family didn't forget me, because one of the things that they were telling these hostages is they would show them the demonstrations that were going on at hostage square. You know, to release them, to not release them, whatever the all, and they would say you see, they don't care about you, they forgot about you. You're done, just give up, you're done. That's what they were trying to persuade these hostages. See, he cries out a prayer, saying Hashem, please show me a sign that you haven't forgotten me.
26:30
The radio. An absolute miracle. The radio picked up Israeli broadcast randomly. Absolute miracle. The radio picked up Israeli broadcast Randomly. And who was being interviewed at that time? His mother. And his mother says to him in his name, saying if the you know and it's funny because I've been listening to Israeli radio since October 7th, almost daily, and they're constantly interviewing families and families of the hostages If your son was listening to the radio right now, what would you tell him?
27:09
And they do this all the time. I'm like come on, they're not listening to radio, listen to this message. She calls his son by his name and she says we haven't forgotten, we're fighting for you, we're gonna do everything we can to release you, we're praying, we're doing everything we can. And this is the message that showed through that radio. He's like ah, they haven't forgotten me. He asked for a sign. Boom, he got his message. They have not forgotten that Sometimes the radio picks up a different frequency, it picks up a different, and that was the message Hashem sent him at that moment.
27:48
He says Hashem, please send me a message. He put the guard to sleep so that he can hear that message. From what? From Israeli radio, picking up from an antenna Through a tunnel there's, hashem is in control.
28:10
It's an amazing thing because I actually just recently was having this conversation there are no Jewish astronauts that ever made it back from space and someone asked me is there a reason for it? And it's funny because I brought a verse very similar to this, where Hashem says I am in the heavens, you're on the earth, hashem, I am, hashem, I am. I put you on earth. You be on earth, let me handle the heavens. You don't come to my heavens. It's also a problem because a Jew really doesn't have an obligation to the mitzvahs outside of earth, earth's atmosphere, okay, so that's another problem. So, either way, it's not, it's you know. It's tragic. Obviously, we all remember Ilan Ramon and there were others who went and didn't come back that were Jewish. It's an interesting thing. This verse is just it's jarring. Almost like you know, hashem says I've got the heavens, you got the earth. Like, just like you handle you, I'll handle me.
29:10
But it's also something important for us to know, especially when we talk about the book of Genesis, that we are just on the beginning. We're commencing the Torah anew and I invite all of our friends online and all of our friends here in the room and all of those on Zoom and those listening on podcast. We released the Bible crash course. Again, we have a Bible crash course that we taught two years ago and we re-released it so that now at the beginning of the Torah, you can get an overview, and then every week's Torah portion in the Parsha Review Podcast, in the Rabbi Ariel Wolbe Podcast Collection, you can also find it there. We re-released all of the Bible Crash Course episodes and it's one for the book of Genesis, for the book of Exodus, for the book of Leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy, for each one, and if it's not more than an hour, I think maybe it's an hour each episode and you get the entire book of each of the five books of the Torah.
30:17
And I think it's an important thing for us to just get a picture, to understand the Torah that God has given us, the beautiful world that Hashem created for us. Hashem gave us the opportunity to connect to Him through this world. It's an amazing thing. Think about this. A second Hashem gave us 613 commandments, of which 365 commandments are prohibitions and 248 are performative. So the performative mitzvahs, we actually have to do so, for example, honoring your father and mother. You have to proactively perform that mitzvah. You can't do that sitting on your chair, unless that's what they asked you to do. But you're right, but you have. It's a performative mitzvah. But there are mitzvahs that are prohibitions 365, and I just it's an amazing, I just realized this.
31:19
You guys, by doing nothing, you're fulfilling 365 commandments. By not being jealous, by not being jealous, you fulfill the mitzvah. By not serving idolatry, you fulfill the mitzvah by not mixing milk and meat. You fulfill three mitzvahs. By not speaking Lashon Arai, you fulfill 17 mitzvahs. By not speaking Lashon Arai, you fulfilled 17 mitzvahs. Imagine the amount of mitzvahs we perform by not doing. Hashem gives us mitzvahs by not doing. Just don't do the sin. You didn't murder. You fulfilled the mitzvah. Beautiful, it's great. You didn't steal. Wow, you didn't bear false witness. You fulfilled the mitzvah by not doing. And then we have proactive, performative mitzvahs. So one keeps us from falling down and one brings us closer in the way in which, for example, the laws of Shabbos there are 39 prohibitions. The laws of Shabbos there are 39 prohibitions.
32:22
But the performance of Shabbos, to enjoy Shabbos, to delight in Shabbos it's a proactive mitzvah. You know that if you go and you buy a really nice piece of meat for Shabbos, and then you enjoy that meat. Ah, what a delight. Hashem, thank you. Get a nice kosher wine, get a nice Israeli wine, something from the Golan Heights or something like that. You enjoy that wine with that meat. You just fulfilled the greatest delight of Shabbos A mitzvah, a performative mitzvah.
32:59
Hashem, I just want to be closer. It's our festival that we're enjoying together, me and you, hashem. That's a proactive mitzvah, and every mitzvah that we perform that's a performative mitzvah. There is a quality aspect to it. There's a quality that needs to be infused. You could do it as a robot. Oh, it's Shabbos. Okay, I have to go buy some challah, or I'm going to bake my own challah, I'm going to make something special, but it's a drag, it's expensive, this and that.
33:35
Do you know that there's a verse in the Prophets that tells us Levu alayva ni porea, borrow on me, you don't have money for Shabbos. Borrow on me, I pay it back. God says I pay it back. Buy the nicer wine, buy the nicer meat, the nicer fish. Hashem says I got you covered. If you do it for the right reason, you're doing it, hashem. I got you covered if you do it for the right reason.
34:02
Hashem, I want to be close. I want to have a romantic date with God. That's what Shabbos is. We have candles. Where does candle lit dinners come from? It comes from our Shabbos table, by the way. That's what the Halacha says. The Halacha says to have a candle. That's why women light candles, so that it adds an atmosphere of romance in the home.
34:26
Go to a nice candlelit dinner for our anniversary, my wife and I. Thank you, hashem. We just celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary on Simchat Torah. We didn't get married on Simchat Torah, but the English anniversary date was on Simchat Torah. So you want, didn't get married on Simchat Torah, but the English birthday, the English anniversary date was then, was on Simchat Torah, right? So you want to go on a nice candlelit dinner. That's Shabbos.
34:47
Shabbos is our romantic dinner with the Almighty, with our family. Hashem says enjoy it with your family, enjoy it with your wife, with your children, with your community Inv. Enjoy it with your wife, with your children, with your community. Invite friends over, invite neighbors over Spend and make the most delicious food. And God says I got the tab, I got it, I got it. I'm going to cover it Dollar for dollar. And you know what? It's actually one of the few things, that you're allowed to test Hashem. You're allowed to test Hashem Regarding the tithe, that God will return it to you. Someone who's meticulous about their tithe will get it back. And Shabbos, the expenses for Shabbos and Yom Tov.
35:36
So performative mitzvahs. Performative mitzvahs. What a treat, what a gift we have that we can do something special. The way in which we do it, you know we, like I, like bringing this example, like lighting the Hanukkah menorah which is, by the way, it's in 60 days. That's it Next holiday, in 60 days.
35:58
You thought we were holidayed out for the month of Tishrei. We had Rosh Hashanah, yom Kippur, sukkot. Guess what? In 60 days, we have Hanukkah again. So we all lit candles. We've all lit candles our whole life, at the menorah or at the window or at the door.
36:14
That's the performative act. But then there's the qualitative act. What's my connection to the mitzvah, what's my joy in performing this mitzvah? And that is unique for each individual, what's my excitement for it, what's my connection to it? And that's something that's internal, that's not a performative, that's an internal connection. I'm connecting with the Almighty here. I want to have the nicest menorah because this represents my love for God. I'm going to get now.
36:47
I'm not going to do candles, I'm going to do oil, because oil is more, is more, is more dignified because it's more prominent. You know, you go to a, you go to the, to the King of England. I'm sure they have some nice oil candles, not just a wax candle, a little bit more prestigious, has a cleaner fire, cleaner burn. You go to some of the homes in River Oaks. They don't have just a light bulb in front of the house, they have a nice, beautiful flame, an actual flame, right, A little bit lighter, something you want to have in your nice home. You built a beautiful home. You're going to have just a light bulb. No, I'm not going to have a light bulb. I'm going to have a nice home. You built a beautiful home. You're going to have just a light bulb. No, I'm not going to have a light bulb, I'm going to have a gas flame.
37:43
Olive oil is the finest for us, but the idea is that it's not just the performance of a mitzvah, it's the way in which we do it. So when someone says you know, I love this mitzvah, I love this mitzvah. I have a friend who loves the mitzvah of praying. He loves it, he just loves to pray. It's not a nuisance, it's not a burden for him. It's like, oh, I got to run to shul now he's so excited for the opportunity. He realizes he's talking to God. He loves it. Everybody has a.
38:23
The Chavetz Chaim what was the mitzvah? He loved Shemira Saloshin, protecting his mouth, not to say negative words. There are sages who lived in the time of the Chavetz Chaim who relayed. He was a very, very talkative person. He loved to schmooze. He wasn't a silent guy, not talking at all. No, the Chavetz Chaim talked, but he was very careful with his words. He was very, very, very careful not to use negative words, not to speak slanderously about another person, not to say something that wasn't true. That means the words, the power that we have to communicate, not to speak slanderously about another person, not to say something that wasn't true. That means the words, the power that we have to communicate with words should be pristine, because we represent God.
39:11
We talked about this previously, that we see many of the sages had different mitzvahs that were very, very precious to them. They connected with it in a very personal level. Why, I don't know. Each one has their own. We have to find what that mitzvah is for us. What's that mitzvah?
39:28
There's a guy in Houston I have to tell you this it's amazing, I mentioned this before Sukkot. He's an individual, a friend of mine in Houston. He loves the mitzvah of Sukkah and he will build the Sukkah for anybody who asks. You call him up and you say, hey, I have a difficulty building a Sukkah, no problem, what's your address, he'll come, he'll do it. How much is it Free? He wants to partake in your mitzvah. To build Sukkah is a big mitzvah. It's a special mitzvah. It's a special mitzvah for him.
40:00
I've heard so many people say, oh, I've got to pull out my sukkah and I've got to put it together. It's such a pain and it's so hot and it's in Houston. Everyone has complaints for whatever it is that they don't like. Or you can have a passion for a mitzvah and we have to take that passion that we do have and try to ignite other mitzvahs. But first identify what it is. What mitzvah do we get excited by? Find that mitzvah that excites you and then try to pass over that excitement to another mitzvah. Just move the flame over to the next mitzvah, to the next mitzvah, to the next mitzvah. Just move the flame over to the next mitzvah, to the next mitzvah, to the next mitzvah, and then we build that passion for other mitzvahs as well. So, my dear friends, this concludes this episode of the Thinking Talmudist podcast. Thank you so much. Have a magnificent Shabbos.
40:54 - Intro (Announcement)
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