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 we continue with day 101, in the middle of page 597 in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchis Zedikim. In the Ways of the Righteous Hazachira yimala el yonah. Remembrance is an exalted trait. It is a vessel that contains in it all of the mitzvahs and all of the Torah. Why, but Tzitzit them are? Regarding where we talk about Tzitzit in the Torah, the strings that are on all four-cornered garments. It says you shall remember all of the mitzvot of Hashem and perform them. You shall remember to do all of the mitzvot and you shall fulfill all of my mitzvos. Vasisim es kom mitzvosai and you shall fulfill all of my mitzvos.

01:06
There's actually a great book, which I believe we have here in our magnificent Levitt Family Library, which is called the Six Constant Mitzvos. The Six Constant Mitzvos what an excellent book. Right, it's from the teachings of our sages, but this is actually compiled from a set of lectures from my rabbi, rabbi Yitzhak Berkowitz. He talks about the six constant mitzvahs, six constant mitzvahs that a person can perform every minute of your life. And what are they? Number one to remember these at all times. To have faith in Hashem, not to believe in other gods, to understand that Hashem is one, to love Hashem, to fear Hashem and not to stray after the thoughts of our heart and the sight of our eyes. These are six mitzvahs that one can perform. It's called the six remembrances, to remember them. Every single day, every minute of our day, we can perform these special mitzvahs. You can pass them around so everyone else can see them, but the six constant mitzvahs. It's an opportunity. Imagine you fulfill six mitzvahs every single minute of every single day. It's a special thing. But fill in.

02:26
What does it say? That's when we talk about tzitzis. But what's about tefillin, our phylacteries? It says that about tefillin in the book of Numbers. It says it should be as a sign on your hand and a remembrance between your eyes that the Torah of Hashem be on your lips at all times. What else does it say about it? You should remember that you were a servant in Egypt and you should heed and follow these laws.

03:19
And since everything is dependent upon Zahira, upon remembrance, I have 30 things to tell you. This is what the author writes 30 things relating to remembrance that you should remember them twice a day and put them deep into your heart and into your thoughts. Don't just utter them as words, but rather write it on your heart. You ready for these 30 things? And when you remember these 30 things twice a day, have a consciousness of it twice a day, you'll always have your service before Hashem. Accepted, desired v'tisachein, v'chesed lefanav. You'll always find favor in the eyes of Hashem. Are you ready for the 30 things? Ready to write them down?

04:24
Remembrance number one Shetizko. Remember Eichotziach ha'abori, yisborach mi'ayin liyesh. Remember how Hashem made you from nothing. Ha Hashem made you from nothing. U'zachar ha'tova sha'osa imar imcha me'otcha adayom hazeh. Remember the kindness that Hashem bestowed upon you from when you were a nothing to what you are today, and how Hashem raised and uplifted you above all creatures. You're a human being. You know how special you are. You're a human being. You're a human being. You know how special you are. You're a human being. Bechol zeh asa locha lo mipnei. Shahayah chayav, lasos loch.

05:08
And all of this Hashem did for you. Why Not because he had to. He did it for free. He didn't owe you anything. He did it for free and out of Hashem's goodness, of his heart, out of his kindness, he did for you all of this. And just for this you need to give thanks to Hashem.

05:43
And who is Hashem? He's the one who created everything, and there's no creator other than Hashem. All right, that's the first remembrance. Remember how precious your life is, that Hashem gave you life from nothing. What does the Mishnah say in Ethics of Our Fathers? Remember where you come from, but from a putrid drop. A putrid drop, what's that? It's a nothing. And that creates a human being, and not only a human being. A human being that can talk and can walk and can eat and can drink and can smell and can see and can hear and can enjoy the greatest pleasures of this world and can communicate with God. All of these tremendous gifts. For what Did Hashem need to do it for you? No, he could have made you a firefly, and instead he decided to make you the highest of all creatures, a human being. Ah, what a joy. Remember that every day.

06:52
Remembrance number two she yisgur chazdei, Hashem yisbarach imo. Remember all of the kindness that Hashem has done towards you, that you are healthy in all of your limbs. Imagine you had an injury and a doctor saved your life. You'd be forever indebted to that doctor. Thank you for saving my life. Thank you for saving my vision. Thank you for saving my hearing. Thank you for saving my heart. Whatever it is, we'd be so indebted. Imagine the Almighty that gives you life. How indebted we should be that Hashem gives us health.

07:40
I was trying to remember where this was today, just today. I was trying to remember where I was. I didn't even remember where I was. Oh, I remember. I remember where I was today. So I was. I'm not going to say where it was, but it was at my friend's office. It's a big office that he has. And as I'm walking in the hallway so the guy says to me, sees me, I guess I look like a rabbi, maybe, I don't know, you know. So he like sort of like says hey, how are you?

08:13
I said to him a line that one of my friends once said to me. I said, you know, I don't think it can possibly be any better. And he is like, did you mean it can't get any worse? I said no, I don't think it can be any better. I think things are amazing. I said the greatest moment of your life is right now. You have now. I said you have now. That's the greatest thing. And that was on my way out of the office and he followed me out to my car. He was like in total shock. In total shock about this. He says you know, I didn't think about that, but you're right. Like you know, you're right, it's like we're living now. This is the greatest moment we'll ever live.

08:57
And the truth is is that if we realize, yeah, you know what we can have. Oh, I have a little ache here, I have a little ache there and my this is hurting, my dad is hurting. You know, I know I'm getting old. I know you guys are all young spring chickens. You guys don't know, but you know, sometimes you get some rusty parts. You know you got a WD-40 it, you got it. You know get, get, you got to. You know you got to get your act together.

09:18
So, all the good days that we have, and even the not good days, would we prefer being dead? I don't think so. I think we prefer being alive. We love our life. Shouldn't we give a thanks to the Almighty for giving us life, kava Chomer, even more than if a doctor saved your life? God gave you life to begin with for free. You didn't have to pay for it. He didn't owe you anything. How much more so do we have to give thanks to God when we have a healthy body, when we're feeling good when we have that beautiful day that we're able to sit outside and enjoy beautiful Houston weather and you're able to enjoy a beautiful view and you're able to look at the trees and hear the birds chirping. What a great gift.

10:14
The third remembrance Remember Hashem's kindness in giving you wisdom and knowledge. Imagine if you were slightly not well in your mind and you'd be tearing your clothes or not healthy in the way you are, and you weren't able to have clear thoughts. Imagine the gift that we're able to think clear thoughts. If a doctor would kill you and give you the medication that would make you be able to think clearly, how much would you thank that doctor that would make you be able to think clearly? Kamazah Nirpah Hayah. Hayav L'shabach L'reofah. How much would you thank that doctor who saved your life and made you be able to think clearly? Kavachom R'lefnei Yotzarkol. How much, even more so, in front of the creator of heaven and earth, shehu R'ofechinom. Hashem is a free doctor, is a free doctor. It doesn't cost you anything. You don't have to pay. You don't have to have insurance and deductibles and co-pays.

11:32
A reviz, what's the fourth remembrance? Imagine we should make a list of this. Someone should write this down, one at a time. Write them down so we can share this with our listeners and viewers online, hopefully after class A. Reviz the fourth remembrance, remembrance that a person should remember the goodness that Hashem has provided, that Hashem gave us a Torah to guide us, a manual for living the Roch of HaYishoram. That we should see the ways of Hashem, his just ways. That we should see the ways of Hashem, his just ways.

12:09
Kidei la'agia el malos la'avod avodas ha'el yisborach. Give us the path of serving Hashem. Yisrata bo'el el ha'odon ha'elyon u'bah ya'agia le'or be'or ha'chayim le'honos miziv ha'shchina. And through it, through this Torah, you're able to live a life that is filled and enriched with light and enjoying the closeness with Hashem. So the first four things, I think, are really, really powerful. Number one thank you, hashem, for giving me life. You didn't need to give me life, but you did anyway. Number two you gave me a healthy body. Number three you gave me a functioning mind. Number four you gave me the Torah that guides me, that is my manual for living. This concludes, my dear friends.

13:07 - Intro (Announcement)
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