Talmudist: The Talking Donkey
00:00 - Intro (Announcement)
You are listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of TORCH in Houston, Texas. This is the Thinking Talmudist podcast.
00:13 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Alright, welcome back everybody to the Thinking Talmudist. Today we are going to continue in the same Gamara that we started several weeks ago, but it's going to be a totally different topic. If you remember, we mentioned that Hashem has a moment of anger where he gets angry, and that moment is fleeting. So the Talmud now is going to say well, you mentioned that previously, let's elaborate a little bit more on that. And this is the Talmud in Avodhisarra 4a, tractator Avodhisarra 4a, on the bottom of the page. So the Gamara continues with a Brisa that speaks of God's anger. T'anur Abon and the rabbis taught in a Brisa El Zoim b'chol, yom. God is angered every day. Vekama Zamo, and how long does the anger last for R'ega? Just a moment, vekamo R'ega. And how long is this moment? This said moment Achas mechomei, shribo v'sloches alofim v'smona meos, ve'arboim v'smona b'sho 153,848, part of an hour. So it's like a millisecond. Zo'i R'ega, that's a moment. Ve'en kolberia, yohol lechav, enoso R'ega. And no creature could precisely compute when this moment occurs. Chuts mebilom harasha, except for bilom, the wicked prophet who was hired by King Bawak to curse the Jews. Remember that, remember that story in the book of Numbers that we spoke about just recently in our complete Bible crash course on Tuesday nights on the book of Numbers, where we have the story of Bilom, who was the most powerful prophet, more powerful, our sages tell us, than Moses. Now, he used his powers in the wrong way, but he had the capability of being even greater than Moses. And our sages tell us, because the nations of the world are going to ask and say if we would have had a prophet like Moses, then we would have chosen the Torah. Hashem says you know what? I'm going to give you a better, a bigger, I'm going to give you a greater prophet than Moses was someone with the abilities that are far superior to Moses, and let's see what he does with it. And sure enough, it has nothing to do with your capabilities. It has to do with your power of will and, if you will, to do something and this is the same thing we know with athletes, it's the same thing we know with every other area of life. It doesn't have anything to do with how much talent you have. It has much more to do with how much will you have. And here this prophet had a will to do evil, wicked things with his power and therefore he wasn't as great as Moses.
03:22
So the Gomorrah now says the Gomorrah adduces a source for the last statement, d'ch'sivbe, for it is written regarding Billam that he was now we're on the top of page forty four B on top Viodea das Elion, as the verse tells us in numbers that he knew the mind of the supreme one. Billam was so powerful a prophet he was able to understand the exact moment, that sliver of time where God is angered, and that's when he wanted to curse the Jewish people and just capitalize on that moment of anger. And then whatever he asks for he'll get. So now the Gomorrah asks D'ch'Sivbe, for it is written, regarding Billam, who did not understand his animal's mind, that he's able to understand God's mind. Remember what happened with Billam? Billam was walking with his donkey, riding on his donkey, and the donkey smashes the donkey, stops and he hits the donkey and the donkey moves to the side, stops again Remember the story right? And he hits the donkey again and then the donkey smashes his leg against the wall, billam's leg and then he starts yelling at the donkey. The donkey responds and speaks to him. So Talmud here is saying one second, you're telling me this brilliant Billam understands God and can capitalize on that moment of God's anger, but he's not good enough to understand the donkey. Give me a break. It's a great question, right? How can you say that he's so powerful that he can understand the donkey, but he cannot understand God, but he cannot understand the donkeys. The Gomorrah explains my dasbihem to la viyadah. What does it mean when it says that he did not know what was on the mind of his animal? Bi'idna dechozuleh dehavi rochevachamre.
05:45
When the Moabah at Emissaries saw that Billam was riding on a donkey, om Rulay, they said to him my time-lower, haftasusay asusya, why did you not ride a horse, om Rulay? He said to them bi'ritiva shedai lay, only I ride a horse. However, today I am riding a donkey for the first time because I put my horses in the marshland to graze. Mi'ad vatomur haasson halo anochya assoncha.
06:19
Immediately in response to this comment, scripture reports that the donkey said to Billam am I not your donkey, om Rulay? Billam answered the donkey leti'ina be'alma, I use you only for carrying burdens, for carrying things, om Rulay. But the donkey responded to Billam saying ashera haftalay, that you have ridden on me, contradicting Billam's contention that she was merely a beast of burden. You ride on me all the time. What are you talking about, om Rulay.
07:00
Billam said back to the donkey a'kraya ba'alma. Only occasionally do I ride you. Ordinarily I would not do so, om Rulay. The donkey responds back to him me'otchah ve'ad hayom azay. Your entire life, till this very day, you used me as your transport. What are you talking about? And he's contradicting Billam's contention that he had never ridden the donkey except on rare occasions, ve'lo'od. And not only that.
07:30
The donkey continues and says elosh a'ni osal l'chah rechivos bayom, and I furnish you with riding by day, ve'ishos ba'la'ilo, and marital acts at night. Okay, he's accusing Billam. What are you talking about? As an occupant, and at night you use me for marital relations. K'siv hochah ha'a'askayn hiskanti. This is the doost, as follows from what is written that the donkey said have I been accustomed, ha'a'askayn hiskanti, to do such a thing to you? Dik'siv hochah ba'a'ilo sochanas. Let her be for him a warmer sochanas. To this retort of the donkey, billam was unable to make any reply. Thus the donkey bested Billam in their verbal sparring, in their disagreement.
08:44
How then could Billam claim to know the mind? Such a lowly Billam, how can he understand the mind of Hashem, the supreme one, that is, to know and manipulate the mind of God to allow him to curse the Jews when it is evident that he was unable to know and manipulate even the mind of an animal? Good question, el-amay v'yodeh adas el-yon Rather. What it means here is that Billam's description of himself as one who knows the mind of the supreme one, what does that mean? Shahoyah yodeh lechavin ososho shakotish borchukho isbo? He didn't understand how God operates. He just was able to trigger that moment, that little millisecond of God's anger, and he was able to utilize that moment to curse the Jewish people. So if Billam cursed someone at that precise moment, the curse would be effective.
09:54
V'hainu de kamer lu'hu navi. And this is what's the meaning of the prophet Micah when he says about, says to Israel Amiz chornom ayyadz bolak beleh muaf. My people remember, please, what Bolak, king of Muaf, plotted Umma ono oso Billam ben-Bor Ben-Beor, what Billam, the son of Beor, answered to him minashitim ve'ad ha-gilgal. Remember the period from the shitim to the Gilgal. Lemah andasitkos Hashem, and that you may realize the benevolences of Hashem. The Gomorrah now shows how this verse is consistent with the interpretation of the phrase. One who knows the mind of the supreme one. Okay, so what happened here? Amah had one ability he wasn't able to understand animals speak and he definitely was not all able to understand the Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, definitely not. What was he able to do? He was able to manipulate the moment of anger of God, and if you would curse someone at that moment, the curse would go into effect.
11:12
Now, if we take a Zoom out of this whole story, let's just be reminded that all of this was not known to Moses. All of this happened without Moses even knowing that it was happening. Moses is writing the from the dictation of Hashem. Hashem is saying Beraishis, boral Akim, in the beginning, god created the heaven and the earth. And Moses is writing as God dictates every single thing.
11:46
Then what happens? And Everything is exactly how Moses remembers. It remembers yeah, this is what happened with the burning bush, and this is what happened with the exodus of Egypt, with each one of the plagues, and this is what happened at Mount Sinai. And this is what happened with the children of Aaron that they brought the offering that was undesired by Hashem, and they were. Their lives were taken. Everything was exactly how Moshe remembered it accurate, perfect, and Everything happened exactly the way the Jewish people remembered it, in perfect accuracy, comes the story of Bill Oman Balak, and they have no, moshe has no idea what God's talking about, because he had no idea that this happened.
12:34
This happened from afar. Right, the Jewish people are there in the desert. They go up on a cliff Bill Oman, balak and they overlook the Jewish people. And Balak says Christie's Jews. Bill Oman says I can't, I can't do it without God's approval this whole story. And Moshe says well, what's going on here? How can this happen that there's an entire narrative that I knew nothing about? And why would we dedicate an entire portion of the Torah to the name of Balak, this wicked king, to remind us a very, very, very crucial part of God's way of running the world, and that is God protects you Without you knowing. How many times were you delayed From a certain situation that could have been catastrophic for you? You never even know you got upset. Why was I late? I missed the meeting. Could have been the worst meeting of your life. I Wanted to share with you an incredible story. I know the person this happened to. I Verified the story.
13:56
A man who lived in Jerusalem was visiting Boston and, on September 11th 2001, had a flight to go from Boston to Los Angeles. And that morning he gets on the plane and he realizes, as they're about to close the door of the plane, he realizes that he forgot his to fill in his phylacteries in the terminal and he goes to the stewardess and says I need to get my to fill in. She says we're about to close the flight. If you get off the plane, you're not getting back on the first. They didn't want to let him off and he's. He says I'm just I'll jump off the plane, I don't care, I need to get my to fill in. I need to get my to fill in and it was a whole thing back and forth and finally they said we're not gonna let you get on this plane again, the plane is gonna leave, you're gonna miss the flight. And this is this whole 45 minute delay. Finally, he says I don't care, I'm going off the plane, I need to get my to fill in.
15:20
Fill in is a very, very precious, powerful mitzvah. It's the mitzvah where we put and tie onto our arms, opposite our heart and Our honor on our head, opposite our mind, that our actions and our thoughts are gonna be committed to God. It's a daily mitzvah. Every single day, aside for Shabbos and Yemtav, we put these to fill in on and I know my to fill and I don't let them be within five feet for me. If it's not in my house, it's with. I never, ever send my to fill in under the plane.
16:00
I was once going on a flight and they said it, or you know, they changed planes. It was a smaller plane. It was like one of those American Eagle planes you know those American Airlines, the Eagle. So it's a really. It's like you'll one seat on each side of the plane. It's like it was really really.
16:17
They said, sorry, we use no room for hand luggage. It's gonna have to go under the plane. I Said that's fine. I opened up my bag, take out my to fill in. My to fill in comes with me, why. Who knows if I'm gonna ever see that hand luggage again.
16:33
And I've heard dozens and dozens of stories of people who left their to fill in inside the luggage. That went under and that bag got lost. It'll be I. To me, my to fill in are so precious. Since I'm 13 years old, wearing those to fill in every single day, I don't let them out of my. So here this rabbi Says I'm getting off this plane, I need to get my to fill in. So they finally let him off the plane and he misses the flight. And that is one of the.
17:04
That was the second plane that went into the World Trade Center, and this wasn't only a miracle for him. This miracle saved thousands of lives, thousands of lives, thousands of lives. Because everyone will tell you that if both planes hit at the same time, Nobody would have had a chance of Evacuating in a timely fashion. But because there was a 45 minute delay between plane one hitting and plane two hitting, thousands of lives were saved from the second tower and the first. How they say that if both of them would have hit at a similar time Not 45 minutes apart the impact would have knocked them both down much quicker.
18:03
We don't understand how things work. We don't understand why God needed this to happen to begin with. What was the lesson for us, for the world? God doesn't do things randomly. There's a reason for it. We don't need to always understand the reason for it. I Want to just share with you something so beautiful that I heard recently. I have to share this.
18:29
We talk a lot about seeing the full picture. You have to see the full picture, but we don't. We're limited. We're limited in our perspective. We come in. We were born 1980. Hopefully we live till 23 year 2300, 120 years later, we return our soul back to the Almighty. Okay, but that's it. We have a sliver of history. What happens to the Thousands of years prior, what happens to, you know, the years beyond our life, don't know. All we get to see is our little perspective on the world. But sometimes we make judgment without seeing a full story, even by the way, challenging things like the Holocaust. Oh, we was God, we were. Was God in Auschwitz and in Birkenau, when they were burning people alive, when they were gassing people, when they were shooting people, where was God? We don't understand the story. We don't understand the full picture. We're gonna have to zoom out a lot To see the full picture, but I want to share with you a verse that we recite three times a day in our prayers, a verse from Psalms 145 in the Ashway.
19:55
So the verse says as follows Show me a shem is called oh Hava fest. Call her a shy Mishmid. Hashem protects all who love him and All the wicked he will destroy. Again, hashem protects all who love him and all the wicked he will destroy. So verse. So the way you properly read this verse is with two parts. There's two halves of this verse. Hashem will protect all who love him comma and All the wicked he will destroy. But what's if I Don't read the whole thing properly? Let's say I read it the following Hashem protects all who love him and all the wicked.
20:46
Let me read it a different way, incorrectly those who love him and all the wicked he will destroy. Does that make sense? That doesn't either make sense. Again, hashem will protect those who love him and the wicked. Those who love him and the wicked he will destroy. Do you understand the problem here? If you leave out part of the verse, it doesn't make any sense. Why would Hashem protect those who love Him and the wicked and why would Hashem destroy those who love Him and the wicked? No, you're not reading it properly. You got to read the whole verse. You got to see the full picture. When you see the full picture, zoom out. Hashem protects all who love Him and the wicked he will destroy. Now it makes sense. You see, sometimes you zoom in too much and you don't see the full verse. You don't see the full picture.
21:52 - Intro (Announcement)
You just see part of it, like that doesn't make any sense. What type of cruel God destroys the wicked and the righteous together? Doesn't make any sense. That's right. That's why our sages tell us this is part of our prayer. You have to see the full story. It's very, very, very rare that we get a glimpse at the full story. Usually we only get a little perspective, a little glimpse into how Hashem operates.
22:34
Billum, the story of Billum and the story of Balak. Moshe had no idea that it even existed until he was writing the Torah as Hashem dictates it. He says Hashem. I don't know if he actually said these words, but when did this happen? I never knew this happened. Hashem could respond oh, this happens to you every day and I protect you. You think the nations of the world don't scheme against the Jewish people every day? You think that behind closed doors, they're not planning another October 7th attack, another Sympa Torah attack. But Hashem protects us and Hashem watches over us. And sometimes Hashem allows things to happen so that we can wake up and that we can be guided on a path of proper conduct. And you see, it's an amazing thing.
23:41
It was a tragic, tragic event that happened on Sympa Torah to. Over 1200 people were murdered, raped, burnt men, women, children, seniors, holocaust survivors. I mean it's just like it's unfathomable Over 200 hostages. We still have 136 hostages in Gaza. This doesn't make any sense to us, but look at how this changed our people. Look at how people are waking up across the globe. People are waking up and saying you know what I need to invest in Nigerianism. People are turning around and saying it's time to start keeping Shabbos. There are programs like keep Shabbos for a soldier. The soldiers are out in the battlefield. They can't observe Shabbos. I'll do it for them. And people are undertaking the observance of Shabbos in the merit of the soldiers. And people are taking on more and more midst of us we ordinarily would not have. There's a complete transformation of our people. Do we know if that's the reason God brought about such a devastating tragedy upon his people? Possibly, we don't know, but we can look back at history.
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If you remember, I shared this before. Actually, in these weeks' total portions, we have the conversation between Moshe and Hashem. When Moshe says, hashem, I want to see your face. Hashem says no, you can only see the back of my head. It says that God shows him the strap of his tomb. Come on, give me a break. God doesn't have a front of his face. God doesn't have the back of his face. What type of head does God have that Moshe is saying I want to see your face. God says, no, you can't see the front of my face, you can only see the back of my face. I say just say that what Moshe was asking was to try to understand how this world operates. That's the future. I want to understand your future, god. How does this play out? How does this make any sense? God says, no, no, no, the face, meaning the future will never be able to see.
26:21
But if you look back, meaning the back of my head, you look at the back, the history, you look back at history and you'll see that it always worked out right. How many times, kai, how many times did you have in your life You're in this jam of like how is this going to play out? Like this doesn't work. We're just locked and only to find that it's the best solution. Comes out of it, you get fired from your job and you're like oh my goodness, how am I going to pay rent this month? And only to get a much better job with better conditions, with better employment, with a better benefit package, with better circumstances, and you were worried how is this going to work out? Does it make any sense to me? Look back at your history, look backward and you'll see that it always worked out. It wasn't good, it was great for you.
27:18
I can tell you dozens and dozens of stories of things that happened to students of ours of here here in Torch, where they tell me the worst thing in the world I don't know what's going to be, only to find that it's opened up new doors, a shem shuttered door, so that he can open a norm. But we don't see that because we don't see a full picture. We don't understand what the future holds for us. So we're worried that there's a verse that we recite every morning in Adon Olam, which is Hashem li below Ibra. When I know that Hashem is with me, I have nothing to fear. You want to know the antidote? Do you want to know the response to all anxiety? Hashem li. Hashem is there for me and therefore I'm nothing to fear. It's like a child. A child is afraid of something, anything till they're in the arms of their parents, in the arms of their parents. They know that parents are going to protect me.
28:29 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
But how are?
28:29 - Intro (Announcement)
they going to protect, they're going to make a difference. I know in my parents' arms they always take care of me. They always took care of me. They'll continue to take care of me when I feel they're in brace. I know that everything will be fine.
28:43
Hashem is that parent and that when we know that we're in Hashem's arms and Hashem gives us a loving embrace, we have nothing to worry about, no anxiety, no panic, no worry, no fear, because Hashem is my Father in Heaven. He's going to take care of me. He always has and he always will. This is something that we can learn from the whole story of Bill and Mbarak, where Moses didn't even know that it existed. Hashem gives him a little window into the world of God, where God protects the Jewish people without them even knowing there was a threat on their neck. The bill on was able to identify the exact moment of God's anger and slip in a curse against the Jewish people. And boom, we're going to effect. God protected the Jewish people and God gives us that glimpse so that we know Hashem is always there to protect us when we see it, and even more so when we don't see it, when we don't know that he was even there that he was even a possibility. Hashem was there to protect us. We continue. The Talmud now says so. Now the Gamal is going to show how this is consistent with the verse Amar Rebelazar says Amar lehena kharishbokhul, israel, the Holy One, blessed.
30:29
As he said to Israel Ami, my nation, youu kamaatsedakos assisi imachem, observe how many acts of kindness, how many benevolences I performed for you, shalol kaasdi alechem kolosonayyemem, that I did not become angry in all of those days of Bilam when he was seeking to curse you. So what did Hashem do? Hashem said to protect the Jewish people and so that Bilam cannot intervene and slip in his curse against the Jewish people. God did not become angry during those days, sh'im kaasdi alechem, because had I become angry with you, lo nishtayem meovde kochavim, isonim shayisrof sredvifalit, no remnant whatsoever would have remained from the idolaters and from the enemies of Israel. Reha'inu de kama ale Bilam lebalak. And this is the meaning of that which Bilam told Balak, the king Ma ekav lo kabo ale uma ezom lo zaam Hashem. How can I curse? God has not cursed. How can I anger? Hashem has not become angry.
31:52
This teaches that throughout all those days, hashem did not become angry. To protect his people, hashem changed the ordinary activities of the world. So now you can ask a question what's God doing with being angry? Don't we know that anger is a negative trait? God is perfect in all traits. You're thinking about that question, right? What is this business God getting angry? We talk on our podcast every week. We talk in the Jewish Inspiration podcast about good character traits, about acting in a kind way, acting in a patient and loving way, acting in the proper, in the proper kind, proper Nibbos. What type of thing is this? Hashem gets angry. Hashem is all perfect. Hashem is all kind. Hashem is all forgiving all compassion. Hashem gets angry. So we have to understand something. This is something so fundamental for us to understand. Every trait has a positive and a negative. Is it appropriate for a parent to act in a way of anger to their child? Well, it depends.
33:25 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
It depends.
33:26 - Intro (Announcement)
I'll tell you a story. There was someone who you know the great rabbis, my grandfather, would have a visiting hours where people can come and ask questions. Grandfather was a big rabbi and every evening at 9 o'clock, or sometimes even a little earlier, his home was open. People would come, wait outside the door and there'd be lines out the building, People waiting to just have a few minutes to ask their question. And one after another, people would come in and ask their question. My grandfather would inquire, give them more details and give them an answer. That's what happens when you're wise, that's what happens when you're righteous People come and seek your advice. So this wasn't only my grandfather's. Today you have many, many holy people and these people come and wait hours and hours to ask them a question.
34:22
You see this with Moses. By the way, this is what Yisra was giving him advice, telling him you can't handle all the questions on your own. You've got to delegate and have the first pyramid scheme where Moses was on top and he had people who were answering the questions for the thousands, questions for the hundreds, questions for the tens, for the individuals, and he assigned different leaders of tribes so that not all million questions got to Moses, the lower ranking prophets were able to answer those questions. So Red Moshe Feinstein was one of the great, great hauachic decisors of the last century and people would come from far and wide to ask him questions. And one time someone was waiting outside and he hears that Red Moshe Feinstein is yelling at the person inside. And one thing that was known to everyone about Red Moshe Feinstein was the kindest, sweetest, gentlest person and for him to be yelling in such a way was just out of character. So when the person left the room, the person who heard these yells walks into Red Moshe Feinstein's office and sees that Red Moshe Feinstein is so calm, so cool, usually takes some time to work down that anger. He asks Red Moshe, weren't you just angry, yelling at this person? He says yelling, yes, angry. He said the person needed to hear something that was forceful, he needed to hear something which was strong. So I needed to give him a show as if I was angry, but need to get angry to lose my composure, heaven forbid. Just to give you an understanding of how the patience of Red Moshe Feinstein was known as a very, very humble person One time right before Shabbos. I've shared the story a hundred times, but it's so beautiful. I love this one of my favorite stories. I'll repeat it I don't know if you've ever said it on the Thinking Talmudis podcast.
36:54
So one of the Rabbi's students was attending in his home picking up the phones, which was early on Friday. And they get a phone call at the Rabbi's house and the student picks up the phone and there was an elderly lady on the other end of the phone and she says hi, rabbi Feinstein there. And he's. To which the student says no, he's not available right now. Can I help you? So she says I just wanted to know what time candle lighting is this Shabbos.
37:27
So the student says, you know, pulls out his torch calendar and says the only candle lighting is at whatever time it was. And then he adds he says you know, you don't need to call Rabbi Feinstein for such a question, and Feinstein is a very busy man. You can just look at any Jewish calendar and see what time candle lighting is. Even after I ask Rabbi Feinstein, and the lady responded I have no idea what you're talking about. I've been calling Rabbi Feinstein for the past 25 years. He never said anything about calendars. Imagine every week this woman would call Rabbi Feinstein and ask him what time is candle lighting? And with all the love, with all the humility, with all of the compassion.
38:22
He gave her the exact time and wished her a good Shabbos, like she was the only person on planet Earth and she probably had no idea who Rabbi Feinstein was. Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. She opened up the yellow pages Rabbi, oh, there's a Rabbi. She called the Rabbi in the yellow pages and she calls him every week what time is candle lighting, and that's it. What does she know about who Rabbi Feinstein is? But that's what greatness is.
38:50
And now you're telling me that God gets angry. God gets angry. So we need to understand that every trait could be used in a good way and in a negative way. Give you an example Kindness. We all know kindness is a great trait, great trade, right. Anything negative about kindness? No kindness. Whatever you need you need a jacket, I'll get you a jacket. You need to drink, I'll give you a drink. Whatever you need, that's kindness. But is there a negative kindness? There could be a negative kindness someone who's so kind it doesn't take care of their own family. They give everything just to other people. That's great that you're kind with everyone, but that's a negative kindness.
39:42
Anger could be used in a negative way. Most of the ways that we're thinking about anger. We're thinking about anger in its negative form. But there's another anger your child runs into the streets. Are you gonna be angry? Why are you gonna be angry? Because you want your child to never do it again and you're gonna be very, very firm with your child so that they know this is a terrible thing. You don't run into the street. Was that a good anger? Perhaps it was to teach them a lesson.
40:19
There are many, many more examples that we can give of Good traits, positive traits that can be used in a negative form and Negative traits that could be used in a positive form. So, god, having anger for that silver of moment, perhaps it's to execute the wicked people and to cast and to give the judgment on those who do wicked things. So it's not a negative trait of God, it's a perfection of God's traits. God is perfect in all the strengths, in all of these traits. To the more, now asks the commas, ammo. And how long does God's anger Last? For more says regga. A moment become a regga. What is that time of a moment? This is from a different tomorrow that we're comparing. The two Alma name are a name. I says the team of Avina, and some say it in the name of Avina regga can memory you now on. The moment is how long is a moment? As long as it takes to say the word Regga. Rega means moment. How long does regga? How long as long as it sounds Regga, that's it. That was the moment. Imagine the only anger God has is how long the moment of anger is, as long as it takes to say the word moment. Is that a millisecond? That's how long God's anger is.
42:03
The Gamora seeks the scriptural source for this. Now Just let's take a step back, because it's your first time in our thinking Talmudist class. I'll tell you why we do the thinking Talmudist to begin with, so this could serve as an introduction to all of our thinking Talmudist classes and give you this little diagram here. Okay, this diagram is the reason why we do the Talmud class. Let me explain. You see, people ask all the time why do we do this, why do we do that, why do we do this, why do we do that? We have all these questions. We need to know that every single thing we have in Judaism is sourced not only in Hawaqa, not only in the old Torah, but in the written Torah. The rabbi has an opinion on something right, you know, you need to ask what's your source. And if the rabbi King give you a source in the written Torah, I question it. The Talmud here is giving us examples of things, giving us reasoning for things.
43:18
The Gamora always says what is your proof? I had someone sitting in this room just this week After one of the classes. The individual says to me you know, I used to be part of the church and I left the church. I said why do you leave the church? What's wrong? Do you not mean Nanju, find a place to serve God? I'm not endorsing it, but why would you leave? He says because I asked my pastor a question that Seem to be a contradiction between what their faith says and what the Bible says. And the pastor said have you no faith? You're asking questions.
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Look in the Talmud. Here the rabbi said something we don't say have you no faith? But rather you say what's the source? What's the source? And now the rabbi needs to bring a source. You can't just say something, you've got to give us a source. So anything you find in the Ram Bam in Hawa Ha, anything you find in the Shukhanah, in the code of Jewish law, needs to be sourced. And it's sourced in the conversations of the Talmud that source all of their conversation in the written Torah. So if you have something that's not sourced, question it, question its authenticity, question its rassity.
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And that's what this Talmud podcast is all about is giving us the opportunity to see that the rabbis are not Allowed, they're not authorized to make up anything. I Know they sell it in many different it's called labels out there that are not Torah observant and they like to throw things. All the rabbis make up these rules. It's just midrash. It's just that. It's very sad how ignorant their statements are. Everything is sourced. I welcome any of those rabbis reform, conservative and otherwise doubt the authenticity of the veracity of the Torah.
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Come learn Talmud with us Friday at noon, central time here at the Torah Center. Come with us, you will see that everything is sourced in the Torah. The rabbis have no authority to make up rules. Your ignorance doesn't make it Just. The rabbis made up rules. Everything needs to be sourced. So from where do we know this? From what's your proof?
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The Gamal asks Dechsef. It stated ki rega be apohain bir tzono. In Psalms it says for his anger in doors for a moment, his favor extends for a lifetime. The ebayis emem mehachah and, if you prefer, say that the length of God's anger is derived from a different, a different verse, and that is Chabi Kimahat rega Adyavor Zan. Hide for a moment until the anger passes, for behold, hashem is going forth From his place to bring punishment. So that's another verse from scripture.
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The Gamora teaches the daily time of God's anger. What's that time, amos, you ask? When is that time that God becomes angry? On my abaya? Abaya says Betalas, show you come. I saw For a moment during the first three hours of the day.
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Key, he borrow Kabbalta, the target, the time, the time ago, when the comb of the rooster pales. When is that? At a certain moment during the first three hours of the day, a rooster is comb, the crest of his head Pales for from its ordinary red color. At that moment is when God's anger occurs, and it's just again. For how long is the moment? As long as it takes to say the word moment, that moment don't pass done, can't Anger's gone. The Gemara asks kol Shatavishato mechvachivra. He says. But we know that at all times the comb of the rooster can pale. The Gemara says kol Shatavishpe surayki sumke. At all other times there are red streaks in it. Some of the original red colors retained in the form of streaks. Haishaito reispe surukasumke. However, at that moment, at the first three hours of the day, the moment of God's anger, there are no red streaks through it. Okay, we're just going to finish off with the story here. The Torah tells us the story, and the story is regarding a sage who is trying to use this indicator to figure out God's moment of anger.
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Rabbi Huda Ben-Levy have mitzai leh hahu minoh b'khoi. Rabbi Yoshua Ben-Levy used to be harassed by a certain heretic regarding scripture's proof that the latter would cite in an effort to prove his sectarian doctrine. Yo mochad one day, n'okatarnagola v'ukme ben kari da arsa. One day, rabbi Yoshua took a rooster and tied it between the feet of a bed the iron bank, and he started, and he steered at it intently Svar kimotahahu haishaito, he thought to himself. When that moment arrives that the rooster is calm, pales, I'll tell you, I'll curse this heretic, for then my curse will be effective. In that way, this heretic will be cursed and goodbye, I won't have to deal with him anymore. Kimotahahu haishaito ninning.
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When that moment came, rabbi Yoshua dosed off Alma. Rabbi Yoshua Derepan said shma minoh lav aurach aralum nebad hachi. One made. Deduce from this from the story that happened to Rabbi Yoshua Malayvi, that it is not proper to try to calculate that moment.
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Verachamav alkol masav ksiv, because there's a verse to back up what Yoshua Malayvi says, and that is from Psalms, that his mercies are upon all his creations. God's mercy is not only on those who do good, it's also on the heretics, riksiv. And it says as well gam eno schlitzandik lotov. And it is written also for the righteous to punish is not good. More on the precise moment of God's anger Tana mishmediradhi meir, there is a bricer that was taught in the name of a mayor beshaw shahamulochim minichin kisrein breshenu mishtachirin lachamal, when the pagan kings placed their crowns on their heads and bowed to the sun in worship, meyadkosakade shbohu. That is the exact moment when the Holy One blessed is. He becomes angry. That's the exact moment, and with that, my dear friends, we are going to conclude today's Thinking Tomethist episode.
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I think it's important for us to remember and to internalize this idea that Hashem is always there, watching over us. He is always there protecting us. Hashem wants our closeness and sometimes Hashem needs to give us a patch. Hashem needs to give us a spanking to wake us up, because sometimes the only potent messenger is pain. Pain is a wake-up call. We doven, we pray to God every day that we not need harsh wake-up calls, and my prayer, my blessing to each and every one of us is that we get the message without the pain. As a people, as a nation, we should pick up on the messages. Hashem should bless us that we not need the painful wake-up calls and we should learn and grow and connect without those harsh messages. Have an amazing Chabas.