Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection

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

Day number 118 and we're about to finish off the Gate of Silence on page 675 in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orches Hasidicum of the Ways of the Righteous. Day number 118. The third form of mockery, there's one who mocks things and activities without intending to shame those associated with them, but rejects things that should not be rejected and rejects activities that
are potentially fruitful. He pushes away things, he mocks things that really shouldn't be mocked. That there's benefit that could come out of it and you're just mocking it. Such a mockerer is in their own eyes very, very self-righteous and very wise. He thinks because of his arrogance, if I didn't do it, it's because it's just nonsense. It's silliness. Such activity will lead a person to heresy. Because then he's going to also mock the mitzvot.
As the verse states, willful sinners have mocked me exceedingly, yet I have not turned away from your Torah. Meaning is that mocking can lead a person to go away from the ways of the Torah. And the person who mocks others does not accept reprimand. As the verse states, don't reprimand the mocker lest he hate you. As the verse further states, he who reprimands the mocker takes shame for himself. Why? Because the mocker is just going to throw it back at you.
Because he is wise in his own eyes, he mocks the deeds of others. And such a person has no hope. No hope. Have you seen a wise man in his own eyes? There is more hope for the fool than for him. This is the fourth kind of mockery that is tragic. He says, one who gears himself always for idle talk and vain matters, such as the corner dwellers who exert themselves to the utmost to find subjects for mockery. They always have something to laugh about.
They always have something to laugh at. They don't have anything to keep themselves occupied with. They have nothing else to occupy their time with aside from sitting and mocking other people and poking fun at their deeds. There are two casualties from this. Because we see that anyone who increases in words brings upon themselves sin. They neglect themselves from the study of Torah. This will also lead a person down the path of death. There is a path of death. What is that path of death?
Our sages tell us that not only that you did a terrible deed, but there is a productivity loss. You could have done good things and yet you lost that also, meaning not only you did something which is negative, you also could have done something positive and you also lost that is a productivity loss factor as well. And then finally, and that's again, people who talk about others instead of saying positive things, they say negative. Instead of learning Torah, using their words of learning Torah and doing mitzvahs, doing
positive things, they instead used it for negative. So they did a terrible thing and they didn't do positive as well. And then finally, the fifth tragedy of one who mocks others. One who mocks a deed or thing, not because he scorns the thing that he mocks, but mocking in the manner of the jester and the joker. Like we said, the late night shows. He mocks a deed or thing that he scorns, but mocking in the manner of the jester and the joker.
They just need a good joke. They just need a laugh. And then what does that lead to? It leads to drinking. They're just laughing and they just, you know, make things light. Wine is a mocker. Strong drink makes you cry out for more. A person shouldn't make mockery part of their daily activities. Because what happens is mockery will push away any type of inspiration. It'll push away any type of clarity of mind, of true connection.
What will happen is, therefore, a person must accept upon himself the punishments of affliction, measure for measure, as it is written. And now do not mock, lest your affliction be worse. Meaning a person who will be talking negatively about others will be harmed as well by those same words in the same way. Our sages warned their students, don't become mockers. Don't become people who laugh at other people. Even through a roundabout way, don't, you know, many people, it's very easy to stumble
and fall into this pattern of laughing at other people. Those who mock, those who perform the ways of Hashem, learn His Torah and perform His mitzvot, this leads a person to heresy. Because then you'll stop believing in mitzvot, you'll stop believing in the commandments of Hashem, in His Torah. And it's like mocking the command of a king. Does he have a life if he does so? We know that the king will eliminate such a person who mocks his laws.
Not only that, the person who mocks others will lead others to sin. Right? Because now they just laugh, they just laugh everything off. There's nothing serious anymore. One who does a mitzvah, he will be now weakened from the mitzvah because someone laughed at him. So now he's going to think twice before he does a mitzvah. Before he goes to learn Torah, someone mocks him, he's maybe not going to go as excitedly to do that mitzvah.
And now other people say, wow, if I do that, then people are going to mock me and therefore maybe I should stay away from that. Because they don't want to be mocked. It's the only thing that is a mitzvah to mock is those who are idolaters. Those types of sins is a good thing to mock because that keeps people away from doing that silliness. You can mock those who do sins because that will keep others away from doing sins. Because no one wants to be mocked.
And then a person can actually merit the world to come because he's keeping others away from terrible sin of idolatry and other terrible things. So we see that there is a terrible challenge when someone doesn't use silence in the proper way and they talk and talk and laugh and mock and they want attention from others and they want other people to adore them for their mockery of others and it can cause terrible damage. My dear friends, this concludes day number 118 and next week, God willing, we will begin
a new chapter, the chapter of falsehood, gate number 22 in the Yeruch Hasidicim. Until next week, my dear friends, have an amazing week and I look forward to learning with you again next week.

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