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The Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection is the one-stop shop for the Torah inspiration shared by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe in one simple feed. The Jewish Inspiration Podcast, Parsha Review Podcast, Thinking Talmudist Podcast, Living Jewishly Podcast and Unboxing Judaism Podcast all in one convenient place. Enjoy!
00:01 - Intro (Announcement)
You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.
00:11 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
All right, good evening everybody, welcome back. I wanted to share a little thought that might sound really, really, really odd, really odd. As many of you may have heard, 180 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel today from Iran, and I want to say thank you to Iran. I want to give a big, huge thank you. And let me explain. I know it sounds odd, right? What are you saying? Thank you? They're trying to kill us and you're saying thank you. So let me explain.
00:48
Once upon a time, last Rosh Hashanah and last Yom Kippur, the Jewish people in the land of Israel could not have been more polarized. They could not have, I mean, the politics that were going on in Israel, the, the disrespect that was going on between different communities. We heard of a lot of craziness that was going on. Women were walking into services on Yom Kippur, dressed immodestly, walking around in religious synagogues, just demonstrating their dissatisfaction, the total disrespect for one another. It was really getting to a point that was terrible. And I personally have heard people say well, october 7th came a few days after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and all of that going on and all of the infighting and the almost civil war that was going on in Israel. So last Rosh, hashanah and Yom Kippur was pretty awful for all of us as a Jewish people, and I was thinking today how amazing is Hashem, how beautiful is Hashem, how great is our Father in Heaven that he loves us so much. He wants to bring us together. I think we had a very, very, very potent lesson this year when Hashem says that's not the way I want my children to behave, that's not the way you're going to act. So we've been going through a year, a full year, of struggle. This coming Monday is going to be October 7th. It's going to be a full year since the greatest tragedy of our generation and we've seen unbelievable smiles from Hashem throughout the entire year, smile after smile, day after day. Hashem is giving us a kiss over here and Hashem is giving us a kiss over there. We see the stories that are going on, the miracles that every day are happening in Gaza with our troops, the miracles that are happening every day around the world for the Jewish people. Last week, two weeks ago, we heard about the beepers. We heard about the radios. We heard about others commanders and chiefs, and then the chief nutcase of Hezbollah. I mean it's unbelievable the things that are going on. This is Hashem smiling to us and saying I love you, I want you close.
03:58
So the question I was getting today is why is Hashem doing this right before Rosh Hashanah? To me, it makes all the sense in the world. Hashem is doing this because Hashem doing this right before Rosh Hashanah. To me, it makes all the sense in the world. Hashem is doing this because Hashem wants us unified. Right now, in the land of Israel, there is no religious and irreligious, secular, right, left. There's a total unity. I listened to Israeli radio today. You have people from every spectrum of politics and they're all sitting at the table together agreeing with each other. When did you ever see that in the history of the Jewish people, that everyone agreed, that everyone is unified, that everybody is writing the same comments on their social media the right, the left, in the coalition, outside the coalition, the opposition. It's unbelievable. Hashem brought us back to where we need to be.
05:04
And who's the wonderful messenger? Iran. Thank messenger Iran. Thank you, iran. Thank you. These 180. What's the most common number used in shul, the entire Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when they're auctioning off this and auctioning off that? 180. Ten times high. It's the most magnificent revelation.
05:36
We talked about this back on April 14th, when over 300 missiles and UAVs were sent to Israel, and we said then that this was the modern day splitting of the Red Sea, where the Almighty displayed miracles in front of our eyes, where people are sitting there with their cameras and videoing miracles. Imagine what was going on when they left Egypt. They're like can we get a picture of this? The splitting of the sea? Imagine this, the same thing. It's unbelievable and it's right in front of our eyes. It's right in front of our eyes. Hashem is showing us. I'm right here. Look, you have all of these messengers. They call it David's sling and you can call it the Iron Dome. That's fine, that's great, it's a gift from Hashem.
06:34
But Hashem is just flicking these ballistic missiles, these gigantic ballistic missiles. Hashem is trying to get our attention. He's trying to say I'm right here. I'm right here. I mean this should be the easiest Rosh Hashanah of our lifetimes. This should be the easiest Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, where we come to shul and start crying and thanking Hashem For the incredible Care he's taken of our people, the land of Israel. Do you know what one of these ballistic missiles can do? One of these? We should never know the tragedy that can unfold, god forbid. But Hashem is there, flicking away these things like they're toys. Hashem will fight for us and all we have to do is plug away and serve Him. That's it. Hashem will do it. Yeah, he'll give the miracles to our soldiers, to the Air Force, to the Mossad, to all of the incredible messengers of Hashem.
08:00
But we can't forget for a moment the big picture, the big picture. Hashem wants us to be in peace and unity with one another. That's the key to closeness to Hashem, because if we have separation among our fellow man, hashem says don't come to me. Don't come to me and ask me, like we're best friends, make peace down on earth. We can't have isolation, we can't have separation, we can't have the polarization of our people. We can't talk to each other because we're in different political parties, because we're going to vote differently, because we're different religiously observantly, that's not the way we act. We need to ensure that we take every single minute that we have left in this amazing year that we've experienced the most incredible miracles every day.
09:03
I don't know about you, but I'm glued to what's going on in Israel. Every day, and every day, there's another miracle, and another miracle, and another miracle. Why does Hashem do this for us? Because he loves us and he wants us close to him. Hashem doesn't like when his children fight. Hashem doesn't like when his children don't get along. We have such a magnificent opportunity to Rosh Hashanah in less than 24 hours.
09:36
Take a few minutes, write down something that you're grateful for. Thank Hashem. So when you're standing in synagogue and you're hearing that shofar blow, I say this. I try to say this every year before we blow the shofar. Think a thought, think a prayer before we blow the shofar, and let that be the clicking of the send button. That shofar projects it up to the heavens.
10:11
But let's include a prayer. Let's talk to Hashem, let's thank Hashem and let's make peace with one another. Let's find someone who we are maybe not on the best terms with, call them up and say you know what? If the people in Israel can make peace with one another, if the different political parties can sit at the same table and make a unity government, we can make peace between ourselves as well. If the right and the left and the religious and the non-religious can all come together and become one unified people, we can't work through our issues. I think it's an obligation for each and every one of us Find a way to make peace Hashem is telling us. To me it's the clearest message in the world.
11:07
Look at the last Rosh Hashanah, yom Kippur, and look at this one. The difference could not be clearer. Hashem wants us to be close with one another. Hashem wants us to make an effort we mentioned this morning. It's really terrifying when you're standing in front of a judge, but when the judge is your father, it's a lot calmer, it's a lot easier. We have to remember the judge is our father in heaven. He wants us close to him. He wants to bless us. All we have to do is step up to the plate and ask for it and thank Hashem for the incredible kindness he's bestowed upon us.
11:58
Just a little thought on today's situation before we continue our regular studies. My dear friends have a really incredible Rosh Hashanah. Hashem should bless us all with a sweet new year, a healthy new year, one where we don't have the threats from other nations which, by the way, it would be a beautiful thing if there was peace with other nations. If we had a hundred more Abraham Accords with a hundred more nations, I think that would be an incredible thing. There is a time where peace is going to be in the world, but by that time it's going to be too late to change. Now is the time that we can make our own change. My dear friends, shanah Tova U'metukah, it should be a sweet new, beautiful year for each and every one of us. Thank you and have a sweet new year.
12:57 - Intro (Announcement)
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