Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection

00:03 - Intro (Announcement)
You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of Torch in Houston, Texas. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.

00:12 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
And now, my dear friends, we resume Day 94, in the middle of page 553 in the Orch HaSiddik and Ways of the Righteous in the Treasure for Life edition. V'amar HaChacham the wise man. Who's the wise man? King Solomon, the wise man, who's the wise man? King Solomon? King Solomon said the wise man said the laziest of men is he who is lax in acquiring as close friends men who are wise and who fear Hashem. And there is one even lazier than this, one who has had such friends and lost them. Right, you had the opportunity in your hands. Hakadosh, baruch Hu Bara, brio Chalosha HaUgeres, lachma V'torach, hasalma HaCholah. Right, you had the opportunity in your hands.

01:26
Hashem created a frail creature that stores up its food and exerts itself for its food in order to make the lazy man wise. You know what that animal is the little, little ant, the little ant. What does the frail ant do? King Solomon says go to the ant, you lazy one. Go, look at the ant, see her ways and grow wise. Why? You know that an ant, in its lifetime, gathers over a thousand kernels of food. A thousand kernels of food. Do you know how many kernels it needs to live its entire lifetime? Not even one, not even one. It doesn't even eat one kernel in its entire life. Yet it collects over a thousand kernels. Why? Because an ant can't help himself. You ever see an ant sitting back on a beach chair with his sunglasses reading the New York Times? I don't think so. You don't see an ant doing that. Why not? Because the nature of the ant it's called a nemala comes from the word amel, which is toiling. It's constantly toiling. That's toiling. It's constantly toiling. That's its nature. It's constantly toiling. King Solomon tells us you're struggling with toiling, with working, with being busy constantly. You're always lazy. I don't know, man. There's a lion in the street. There's so many accidents. There's planes falling out of the sky. I don't know right.

03:09
Go, stand by an ant. Go look how busy it is. It doesn't stop for a second, doesn't stop for a second, collects a thousand kernels in its lifetime. It doesn't even need one Because it needs to be busy. It doesn't even need one Because it needs to be busy. Look at this little frail ant. You're not embarrassed. Look at this ant. He has alacrity. He's eager, he's running to his next. I found another kernel. I'm going to take this kernel that's 14 times my size and I'm going to schlep it back to there. He's not even going to eat it ever, but he's got to be busy. He's got to be busy and you'll learn. You will learn to live with alacrity, to live with an eagerness, with an inspiration. Go do it, get it done, and you will save your soul from the abyss.

04:19
There is a laziness which is good, like we've mentioned many, many times in all of the traits that we've discussed. There has to be a balance. There has to be a balance. There has to be a balance. We can't be extremists here. We can't be extremists here.

04:32
Even in kindness, we said, there's a negative kindness. Kindness is always good. No, it's not always good when you give away your own lunch or your children's dinner. That's not kind, that's cruelty. Lunch or your children's dinner, that's not kind, that's cruelty. You have to take care of your own self, your own family, your own city first, before you start taking care of other countries or other people. So, too, with laziness. There is a form of laziness which is beneficial. One who is lazy is a form of laziness which is beneficial. Yigona Yoshev, who was atzalassos, rose. One who is lazy to do evil or to pursue his desires. Amru aladom, they said about a man, shiratza ha-melch shochol amokam sakana. V'lo aval alechas. The king sent him on a dangerous mission and he refused to go and the king cursed him and he said he said to the king he says it's better for you to curse me and I be alive than for you to pray for me and I be dead.

05:48
V'alzeh eni namar, rabbi seynon, our sages said just about this matter Yeish zoriv v'niskar, v'yeish zoriz v'nifsad. There is an eager and an alacritous man who is rewarded, and there is also an eager man, someone who has tremendous alacrity who loses is rewarded. And there is also an eager man, someone who has tremendous alacrity, who loses. There is a lazy man who is rewarded and there is a lazy man who loses. Someone who is eager and is rewarded, one who works the whole week but he doesn't work on Erev Shabbos to prepare for Shabbos. Such a person will miss out. He worked the whole week, right. He'll lose out.

06:38
Otzel v'Niskar, someone who is lazy and is rewarded. She'einu oseh maloch ha'kol ha'shavoh ve'einu oseh v'Erev Shabb. An eager man who loses is one who works the whole week and also, sorry, an eager man who loses is one who works the whole week and also works on the eve of Shabbos. The lazy man who is rewarded is one who does not work the whole week and also does not work on the eve of Shabbos, which I think he's referring to working on Shabbos. He refrains from working on Shabbos. And a lazy man who loses is one who does not work the whole week and works on the eve of Shabbos. And then there's obviously someone who's lazy and is rewarded. That's someone who works the whole week that was the first one and does not work on Shabbos. Re'eh eichel u'chachamim bil'vavam she'yeh z'vizus she'yitovah, ve'yeh z'vizus she'yirah. You know what Someone could say Shabbos yeah, shabbos is a great recommendation by God.

07:51
Yeah, shabbos is a great recommendation by God. It's a recommendation. But you know, god also tells us to work hard. I'm going to work seven days, no, no, no. There has to be a balance to this. There has to be a balance. Six days, six days a week, not five day work week. Six days Sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday work Shabbos is a week, not five-day work week. Six days Sunday, monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday work Shabbos that's a day for you to be lazy as. Sit back and eat and enjoy and pray and sing and dance. No work, no labor, no toil. That's what you're supposed to do. Someone who says you know, I'm going to work all seven days? That's a form of alacrity. That's not good.

08:40
See how the sages postulated that there is a positive and a negative eagerness. And so, with laziness, v'chein ba'atzlus yishatzlus shi tov, v'yishatzlus shi ro, there's a good laziness, and there's a good laziness and there's a bad laziness. Therefore, you have to be cautious and be deliberate, that you do good things with all of your limbs and with all of your limbs and with all of your actions, and select in each of your limbs some lightness and some heaviness. It's like they say when you work out in the gym you have some cardio days, you have some cardio days. You should have some days which are leg days and some days that are weight days. You got to have a variety. You can't do all of them every day. What are you going to do? You're going to hurt yourself.

09:47
He's saying over here. You need to have a balance. He says you should find a way, a lightness, an eagerness, to sit with friends who gather together for Torah, for mitzvahs, for good deeds, people who are good. And don't be eager, be lazy about sitting with people who are not good, who are not a good influence. Be light in your eyes to see justice, judgment and opportunities for mitzvot, and heavy to see justice, judgment and opportunities for mitzvot, and heavy to see vain deeds. And to gaze at idols and at women, meaning desires and urges. A person shouldn't be eager and excited. You know, here's my theory and my philosophy on this. My theory and philosophy on this matter is that we all have things that we're very excited about and we all have things that we would prefer a root canal than doing them, whatever that thing is Doing the paperwork, filing our taxes. We all have the things that we love doing. We have the things that we really hate doing. So I think that underlying what our sages are telling us here when we talk about laziness is to find a way to trick your laziness.

11:38
I'll give you an example. My grandfather was very, extremely motivated, very motivated, with regards to the study of Musa. My grandfather loved the study of Musa and his rabbi would teach. His rabbi would teach great discourses in Musar, great lectures, and my grandfather was very, very, very excited about writing them down and clearly understanding every word that the rabbi said. But do you know what else my grandfather was learning in yeshiva he was learning Talmud. Talmud he also enjoyed, but a lot less. Do you know what he did? He said I'm only going to write the thoughts of Musser and the discourses I heard from my rabbi after I finish writing the Talmud class.

12:36
It means use your motivation, that you have to do the thing you want to do. I want to check the news. You know what I'll do that after I do my exercise, because the exercise I don't want to do my exercise. You know what? I'm on a diet and I'm supposed to stay away from certain foods, but I'm going to give myself a little treat after I finish my healthy salad.

12:59
The idea that we need to be, we need to be understanding that we have these limitations and in having these limitations, in having these limitations, it doesn't make us a bad person. We all have limitations. We have to learn to manipulate so that we're able to accomplish the things that we don't want to accomplish. We got to trick ourselves into it so that we can do it and we can, we can do it. I can tell you many, many, many stories of this, but you're all smart. You all know the stories, you know the examples, you know you have a project you need to get done. But you know you have, we all have again, we all have things that we love to do and we have things that we love to do and we have things that we dislike doing. You know what Schedule them, that you do the fun thing after you do the thing that's not so fun for you. How many people are always ready to watch another movie? Right, always ready to watch another movie, or always ready to watch another show, or always ready to go on another vacation, but they're not ready to get the things that they need done. Like contemplating a certain trait, a negative trait. It's not fun, it's not fun, but it'll help me become a better person. So maybe I'll treat myself to that ice cream, I'll treat myself to that vacation after I accomplish this great thing.

14:54
Okay, it should be light with your ears to hear reproof, chastisement and words of Torah, and heavy to hear profanity and idle talk. V'tehikavit be'oznecha l'shmo'a nivul peh v'dvoram betelim. V'tehikavit be'apcho Torah. And heavy to hear profanity and idle talk. It should be light with your wrath. Be light with your wrath to be angry with the wicked when you see evil. Be angry and heavy to be angry with the righteous. And B it should be difficult for you, it should be heavy for you, lazy for you, with your mouth and tongue in quarrels, liesity and slander. That don't rush, but rush in torah chastisement and instructing others to do good. Now chastisement. I don't want to be misunderstood.

16:09
There's a mitzvahah in the Torah to reprimand your fellow. We discussed this many, many times. There's a mitzvah in the Torah to reprimand your fellow. You see someone doing wrong. You have an obligation in the Torah to inform them, to bring it to their attention. Now what's the obligation? The obligation is if you know that they're going to accept. If you know that they're not going to accept, you're obligated not to say a word. Okay, you heard that before. Right, we've said this before. How do I know if they're going to accept or not? Well, you got to get to know them better. You don't know. You have no business reprimanding your neighbor who you don't know anything about.

16:59
Them, like in israel. If you want to know how to raise your child, just bring them to the park. The whole neighborhood is going to teach you how to raise your child. They'll tell you what you're doing. The whole neighborhood is going to teach you how to raise your child. They'll tell you what you're doing, right? You're feeding them this. What are you doing? Why are you letting them? Everyone? It's almost like it takes a village right to raise a child In Israel. It's like everyone is very ready.

17:23
I was once trying to explain and we talked about this as well previously why Israelis are always on edge. You know why Israelis are always on edge. Well, yeah, imagine, how many rockets do you have facing your home here in Meyerland? None, they have thousands and thousands of ballistic missiles, rockets you name it aiming at their doorstep. You'd also go a little nuts, okay. So they're a little bit less patient, a little bit impatient. They're a little bit less.

17:54
You know, complimentary, that's fine, but a person has to be willing to accept instruction from other and willing to give it properly. And it should be difficult for you, heavy for you, to raise your hand on another person or, in closing your hand to the poor, meaning not to give to the poor, that should be difficult for you, very difficult for you. It should be very easy for you to give charity and to do your business with honesty. It should be difficult for you to waste time with going to where evildoers go or to going to the bars and to go to the party halls or going on trips to the tavern, excursions, that should be a little bit more difficult, b'teikal b'rag l'cha, but it should be easy for you. But to go to synagogue, to go to study hall, come to torch, of course, to go and to visit the sick, to escort the dead, to go to the house of mourners, to do any mitzvah, that should be easy on you to do, to do any mitzvah. And it should be difficult for you, meaning it should be heavy.

19:40
You should be lazy about this, about thinking negative thoughts, bad thoughts, evil thoughts, Envy, lazy about this, about thinking negative thoughts, bad thoughts, hir Hurim Rahim, evil thoughts, likina, envy, lissina, hatred. These are things that should be difficult for you. V'tehei kal b'levavcha. And it should be difficult for you, oh sorry, it should be easy for you, lachshav Hir Hurimv. But to think words of Torah and to contemplate godly ideas, that should be easy for you Again, because we all make things that are easy for us and difficult for us. Oh, it's so difficult for me to do this, so difficult for me to do that, that I can do no problem, you know, he's giving us here a whole list of things.

20:26
These are the virtues. These are the qualities. These are things you should be light to accomplish. You should be ready, charged to go accomplish. These are things that you should make difficult for yourself. Yeah, you know, hanging around the bad kids on the block Make it difficult. Lazy around, don't do it. L'hasig malos avos Hashem, yisboroch v'yirah ha-tehorah. Lazy around, don't do it.

20:54
He says all of these things, be light. Be light to think thoughts of Torah and attain the levels of love of Hashem and pure fear of Hashem. Doing so will be light and quick in your heart levels of love of Hashem and pure fear of Hashem. Doing so will be light and quick in your heart to cleave to the heavenly light. So what we're trying to accomplish here, what we're trying to attain, is a level where we know what's right and what's wrong, where we're living with a clarity.

21:23
I know this is the right thing to do. I know this is the wrong thing to do. I know this is the wrong thing to do. This is something I should try to and aspire to get closer to. This is something I should distance myself from and in doing so, god willing, hashem will bless us all. Hashem will bless us to always see right from wrong, but also have the strength to run after the things that are right and the laziness to stay away from the things that are not. Yeah, you know what? I'll just stay in bed. So I don't go to that party where people are going to drag me away from what's important, from what's good, or people are going to say things that are inappropriate, people are going to do things that are inappropriate, that I don't want to see, that I'll be lazy about and I'll make it difficult, I'll put barriers in front of me so that I don't fall into that trap. So, my dear friends, this concludes the gate of laziness, and I just want to say that laziness is something that we do have the power to change, that we do have the power to change.

22:26
If a person notices that they have laziness, sometimes they get worried. It's better for me not to even look. I don't want to see it. I don't want to see it, I'll be blind to it. No, better to see it, to know it's there, even if it's going to be difficult to overcome it, Because once you know it's there, you'll now start thinking ah, you know why I don't want to go there, not because I don't want to go and I have all these excuses. I don't want to go because I'm lazy. So now we have to evaluate Is it a good thing for me to go, not a good thing for me to go, it's a good thing I'm going to go? How many times does someone called and said you know, and it's an inconvenient time? It's always inconvenient. People call and they say can I borrow this? I need your help with that, like now, really Now it's always at the inconvenient time. A person has to train themselves for good things. Always say yes.

23:27
And I can share with you one quick story. I've shared it in the past so I apologize if I'm repeating something that you've heard before, but I remember once it was at about 11 o'clock at night I get a phone call from a friend of mine here in Houston. He tells me he is about to board a plane in St Louis. He says the plane was delayed. He was supposed to arrive several hours earlier and they put him on a different flight. It got delayed again.

23:52
He says we're about to board the plane now, going to be landing in two and a half hours in Houston at 1.30 in the morning. He said so sorry, this was before Uber and all that he's like would you be able to come pick me up? I said, yeah, sure, no problem, I'll pick you up. I didn't even think about what time it was. I didn't even notice what time it was About 1.30 in the morning.

24:14
I suddenly my wife says to me are you out of your mind? You said yes to that. You're gonna go pick him up. I said of, if he needs help, I'm going to do it. And I felt like Hashem was testing me. Hashem was just testing my willingness. Are you going to do it or not? Ten minutes later with no regret, by the way, no regret Ten minutes later, he calls me back. He said just boarded the plane. I see there's another person in the community that's on my flight and he has a car in the airport. He's going to give me a ride back. Never mind, but thank you so much. And I'm like why did Hashem need to do that? It was a test. Hashem tests us all the time. Are you willing? Do you want to? Whether or not you actually have to do it is a secondary, but you want to. You pass the test. You pass the test. You pass the test. And I can say, sadly, that I haven't always passed the test. I try to, but I haven't always passed the test.

25:18
The yetzahara will always test that laziness. You know, if it's something exciting, I'm very excited to do it, but it's not so exciting, I don't know. We have all the excuses in the book. My dear friends, hashem should bless us all to have the strength to do the things that he wants us to do, things that are good, the things that are not good. We could be lazy about that and say, no, I can't get out tonight. You know I'm a little bit tired. And you can give those excuses to things that you know are not good, things that you shouldn't be going to anyway. That's a good thing, a good usage of that laziness. So till next week.

25:58
Musser Masterclass on Monday night. My dear friends, I look forward to getting together again next week. Don't forget tomorrow morning we have the Parsha podcast. We have the prayer podcast at 10.30 am, same place. Be there, be square. I can't wait to see everybody. And please, if you're watching this video, if you're listening to this podcast online, please like it, give a review so we can trick the algorithm and maybe more people will see it and more people will see it and more people learn Torah. My dear friends have a terrific evening. Thank you so much.

26:29 - Intro (Announcement)
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