Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

In Chodesh Elul, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe reflects on Moshe’s ascent of Mount Sinai and his plea for forgiveness after the sin of the Golden Calf. Rather than demanding guarantees or questioning the Jewish people’s record, Hashem responds to Moshe’s request with forgiveness. The lesson is simple but profound: our responsibility is to ask. In prayer, as in life, when we never ask, we greatly reduce the possibility of receiving.

Children naturally understand this. They ask repeatedly, confidently, and without concluding that a delayed answer means they are unloved. Rabbi Wolbe illustrates this through the humorous story of his daughter repeatedly requesting coloring pages. When told to wait, she changes tactics, asks for a “hug-it-out candy,” embraces her father—and immediately returns to her original request. Her persistence reflects the trust of a child who knows that her father loves her and wants to give to her.

Elul invites us to bring that same childlike trust into our relationship with Hashem. We should not pray once, hear “not now,” and give up. We return and say, “Hashem, I need help.” We strengthen the relationship through mitzvahs, continue asking, and trust that Hashem never tires of hearing from His children. Persistent prayer is not a lack of faith; it is an expression of closeness, dependence, and confidence in Hashem’s love.
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This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by Peter & Becky Botvin
This Episode is dedicated in Honor of Dan & Elisheva Kullman!

Recorded at TORCH Centre in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on August 18, 2023, in Houston, Texas.
Released as Podcast on August 21, 2023
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About the Host:
Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life.  To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org
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Keywords:
#JewishInspiration, #Mussar, #MasterClass, #Elul, #RoshHashanah, #YomKippur, #HighHolidays, #Teshuvah, #Shofar, #40days
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What is Jewish Inspiration Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe?

This Jewish Inspiration Podcast is dedicated to learning, understanding and enhancing our relationship with Hashem by working on improving our G-d given soul traits and aspiring to reflect His holy name each and every day. The goal is for each listener to hear something inspirational with each episode that will enhance their life.

You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.

What happened on the first day of the month of Elul? Moshe ascends the mountain, goes up to the heavens for a second time. The first time was on the holiday of Shavuot, it was the revelation at Mount Sinai. Moshe ascends the mountain, comes back 40 days later with a golden calf. He sees a golden calf. He takes the tablets, the divine tablets, and breaks them.
He has to clean up house, you know, get rid of the sinners. He has to get the people to start repenting, to feel bad for what they've done. And Moses goes up again on the first day of Elul, today, 3,334 years ago. Moshe ascends the mountain again, and Moshe asks Hashem for forgiveness. What is Hashem's answer? What does Hashem answer? Hashem doesn't say, well, where's my guarantee? What's your credit score, Moshe? How do I know that you will fulfill the words that you're saying?
Because the record is not so good. The Jewish people complaining when they left Egypt, they were complaining here, they're building a golden calf. What's your credit? How do I know that you're good for your word? And what does Moshe say? He says, please, Hashem, forgive us. Please forgive your people. What does Hashem answer? Vayomer Hashem salachti kidvarecha. Hashem says, I forgive you because you asked. You asked. Our job is to ask. That's it. Ask.
The rule, the general rule in the world, if you don't ask, you don't get. You ask for the raise, you have a likelihood of getting it. You don't ask for the raise, it's unlikely. We have to ask. Children ask all the time. Can I have a lollipop? No. Can I have a lollipop? No. Can I have a lollipop? No. Can I have a lollipop? No. Okay, now can I have a lollipop? Right?
And they continue to ask and ask and ask and ask. We need to learn from children how to ask. And by the way, if we approach the Almighty the way a child approaches a parent, a child once, my daughter this morning, she said to me, Abba, can you please print out for me coloring papers? I want to color. She wants to color. She loves coloring. Can you print out coloring papers? I said, I'm trying to finish something.
If you give me two minutes, I'll be done and I'll be able to print it for you. Okay, now can we? I said, I said, I said, I just need two minutes, just two minutes. Let me just finish this project. I'm done. I'm done. Two more minutes. Okay, now can we? And this went on. And I tried to explain to her in the most loving, patient way that she needs to be, give me two minutes. I'm going to finish this.
So then I have a thing. We started this, I think it was COVID time that we started this, uh, this, uh, tradition in our home. We have hug it out candies, hug it out candies. Now you think I'm nuts, right? Yeah. We have candies and they can only get those candies after they hug it out. All right. It's called a hug it out candies. So my daughter is sitting there by my desk and I keep it on the top shelf. The kids can reach it.
It's fine. But I keep it on the top shelf. And my daughter, after asking me multiple times if she can have this coloring papers and I said, just give me those two more minutes. She changes gears and she's like, can I have hug it out candies? Now I'm going to say no. She wants to hug her father. I'm going to say no. I said, of course you can have hug it out candies. Okay. Now can we do the coloring papers? It's amazing.
It's amazing. That's a good fundraiser. Relentless doesn't stop till she gets what she wants. We need to learn from our children how to ask from the almighty. Hashem, I need help. Hashem says not now. I need help. Hashem, I need help. I said not now. Give me a few minutes. I'm going to finish a project. I'm dealing with someone else right now. Hashem has enough time. Hashem can deal with all of us simultaneously. Hashem, I need help. Hashem, I need help. Hashem, look, I'm doing mitzvahs. Okay, that's the hug it out candy. You distract Hashem. Hashem, I need help. All right, I'll give it to you.

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