Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection

00:01 - Intro (Announcement)
You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.

00:11 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Hashem should bless and succeed our way. All right, here we go. All right, welcome back everybody. Welcome to the Jewish Inspiration Podcast. Today we're going to focus a little bit on Purim, on the bright light of Purim. What is this great light of Purim, the one that is most difficult to unravel, to understand appropriately? Is Purim difficult to unravel, to understand appropriately is Purim Ki al af shebechitzoni, yosyesh harbe, masim shel mitzvah.

00:50
There are many mitzvahs externally that we perform on Purim. We discussed in our Everyday Judaism podcast. We discussed the four different mitzvahs the reading of the Megillah, the giving of the baskets, the mishloach manas, the gifts and the charity to the baskets, the mishloach manas, the gifts and the charity to the poor, matanas, lev yonim and the seuda, the feast. We know there's many different forms in the observance of the mitzvahs of Purim. We have tremendous joy on this day, however, but it's very difficult to connect. We have tremendous joy on this day, but it's very difficult to connect to the depths of this mitzvah and we know that every single mitzvah that we perform, there is a very deep root to it and we're trying to get to it. The more external it is, the more difficult it is for us to dig in what's really going on here. Like we have Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a time of tremendous power. It's very for us to dig in what's really going on here. Like we have Hanukkah, hanukkah is a time of tremendous power. It was very difficult because we light the menorah, we do so many different things it's hiding behind all of those activities to understand the depths of what's going on.

01:58
V'rabbi Maragishim Achrei, purim Hushas Hef said many people after Purim feel like, oh, it was great, but I didn't get it. I didn't get the holiday that much, I didn't really connect to it. And even those who maximize the day appropriately those who learn Torah and those who prayed and those who said Psalms, and so those who, like we mentioned, anybody opens their hand and asks we give Same thing with our prayers. When we open our prayers to the Almighty, the Almighty delivers, the Almighty gives us. Even those who prayed appropriately, they were focused, it was a day of great accomplishment. Still, they feel like I didn't get it all, I didn't maximize it. It's like you ever go on vacation and then after vacation you feel like I really could have used a couple more days, didn't really get it all, I didn't really enjoy it as much as I should have. I was worried, I was thinking I was this, I was that, whatever it is, I could maximize the days more. How do we maximize the days of Purim more?

03:12
Why is it that so many people feel frustrated after Purim that they didn't maximize this day as much as they could have? Because the neshama feels the great light of this day, in this holy day of Purim, when the soul sees and identifies the great light, but yet it didn't connect to that light. It feels like I missed out. It's like you know some people, some kids, go to a party and one kid was left out. It's like you know some people, some kids, go to a party and one kid was left out. They feel like they missed it, even though they didn't really enjoy the party. Right, and had he gone they wouldn't have enjoyed. But you have this FOMO, this fear of missing out, like I don't know, like the holiday, the soul feels that same frustration of missing out. There's this great light of the holiday and I didn't maximize it.

04:09
So the first thing is we have to understand the internal elements of this holiday. In order to merit to feel that internal light of this holy day, we have to understand clearly its essence To know. It should be clear to us. We should know thoroughly. What does it teach us, this holiday, and what does its effect have on us to understand appropriately. Why are we even happy on Purim? What is this happiness? What is this happiness? We know that we have to give thanks. We all know that we have to give thanks. We all know that we have to give thanks and praise to Hashem on the great miracle that the Jewish people were saved from annihilation.

05:22
Many people have a difficult time being so happy and joyous for something that happened 2,000 years ago. It happened so many years ago. Okay, I'll give you an example. We had a terrible tragedy in the United States 14 years ago. 24 years ago. States 14 years ago. 24 years ago. 24 years ago, we had the terrible devastation of Ground Zero. The Twin Towers were taken down by terrorists. What do our children know about that? Nothing.

06:03
I remember it as clear as day. I remember exactly where I was. I remember I couldn't believe that such a thing happened. I drove to New York City. I could not believe that those towers weren't there. I couldn't believe it. I saw the videos. I saw it on television. I couldn't believe it. I drove up from South Jersey I had to see that they weren't there. I couldn't believe it. I drove up from South Jersey I had to see that they weren't there. I couldn't believe it. You still see the smoke billowing. Well, the whole city was filled with soot and white, this white powder. It was terrible. I couldn't believe it.

06:37
My children, you told us that they were Twin Towers, but like something else there now. And it's like. You told us that they were Twin Towers, but like something else there now, and it's like everything seems fine. They don't remember that. Imagine a Jewish people commemorating an experience that happened 2,000 years ago and we're supposed to feel connected to it. How are we supposed to feel connected to it? And then, by the way, in another month we're going to have another holiday, which is going to be a holiday of Passover, and everyone's going to be sitting at their Seder tables and they're going to be eating the matzah and be like, oh, we were slaves in Egypt. Really, we were slaves. We remember that, we feel that we connect to that Very hard and therefore we have to understand, we have to know what light descends into us when we read the Megillah, when we give to the poor.

07:39
It doesn't say that we give charity. Tzedakah give gifts to the poor. Matanah Slev Yonim we give gifts to the poor. It's a very interesting terminology. It doesn't say give charity, it says gifts to the poor. Shechayov Im Bo B'choles. We're obligated in charity all the time, but now we're not giving charity, we're giving gifts to the poor. What do you mean? It's money. We're giving money to a poor person. It's charity, no Gifts to the poor. There's a different light that comes with it.

08:15
V'kamohen Ma mitvas sef b'mitzvas mishlach manos. What happens to us when we give those gift baskets to our friends? Yoser mi pashtos mitzvahs. Ve'av tov l'archa kamocha. What is different? What is different when we just give our friend a gift and when we give this special gift basket of two foods to our fellow U'befrat l'havin lama, tzarech lishdos ad delo yada?

08:47
We know that there's a mitzvah to get inebriated and to get drunk. Again, disclaimer not for someone who has challenges with alcohol and not for someone who's going to get rowdy, rude, disrespectful, inappropriate. No mitzvah for that. But the Talmud teaches us that a person should be drunk to a point where they don't know the difference between praised is Mordechai and cursed is Haman. What are we supposed to even feel with all of this, isn't it? When we get drunk, we become numb, our emotions become numb, we say whatever we want, right? So what's really going on over here?

09:36
And if a person didn't work to internalize these messages, it's very possible a Jewish person will sit at this festive meal. He will drink, he'll be happy, he'll want to drink, he'll want to be happy, but inside, internally, he feels vacant. What is this joy? What's really going on here? What am I doing? What am I doing? Well, sometimes people drink because they don't want to think about that. I want to run away from it. Feeling of void, a feeling of emptiness.

10:15
When we're able to crystallize what is this great, great day, that this day teaches us about our growth, our connection to Hashem. So the more we invest in this understanding the depths of this day, the more we'll be able to maximize and benefit from it. By working on it and planning a few days before Purim, what we'll do is, hopefully, we'll maximize this day, that when we experience Purim this year and in future years, we'll feel like a new person. We'll feel like a new person, we'll feel like, internally, we've transformed. Then we will merit to a real acquisition. On this day we acquired a whole new closeness with God and we'll benefit from the great light of the holiday in a way that will influence us, and we'll benefit from the great light of the holiday of Purim In a way that will influence us for the rest of the year.

11:33
So the challenge is great how do I maximize this day? What do I do? What do I do? How do I get to a point where my Purim is not just a day? Oh, it's another holiday, it's another. You know and, by the way, we had the same question on Hanukkah we're lighting the menorah and what. What changed in my life? If we don't know what it is that we're lighting up internally, then it's just an external exercise. You still get a mitzvah for it, but we don't want to just do an external exercise. I want to connect with what I'm doing. I'll give you an example.

12:12
I think one of the most boring jobs on planet Earth is being a mailman. You know what's even more boring than that? The guy who doesn't even get out of the USPS of the postal. He is inside there sorting this goes here, this goes here, this goes here, this goes there. Right, really, that's your joy. It can seem very, very insignificant. It can seem very, very unfulfilling. But if a person thinks it's not just a job, it's not just a career, it's not just a pension, I'm able to connect people. Someone's writing a letter to their beloved, someone is sending a package to someone else. That's going to make them happy. You add a little bit of spiritual connection to it and it's going to make them happy. Instead, you add a little bit of spiritual connection to it. It's a different type of job, just a little bit.

13:13
Yeah, plumbing is not a very, very you know it's not up there in the most desired of you know labors. But when you know that you bring joy to a family that now has a working tub, a working toilet, ah, brings great joy that you've accomplished something great. We all understand this. You have to have meaning in what you do. You know it's an amazing thing you think of, like what would be the mission statement of Krispy Kreme. They're selling donuts For, crying out loud, they're selling donuts. You know what their mission statement is Making people smile. One donut at a time. That's their mission. So what happens now? I'm not just making another donut, another 10,000 donuts a day. I'm making 10,000 smiles. People love donuts and people love to bite into that donut Ah, delicious, and they're happy. It gives them something satisfying Of something which is just rudimentary, something which is just a regular part of their day. It elevates it.

14:21
When we observe the holidays, all of our holidays, we have to know what's really going on behind the scenes, beyond just the surface observance of that mitzvah, or ha-poram lahakir bebir she'en od milvadeh. What is the light of Purim? The light that we're connecting to on Purim is to know with absolute clarity that there is nothing other than Hashem Ein od milvado. There's nothing but Hashem, nothing but Hashem. Repeat that, nothing but Hashem. Repeat that, nothing but Hashem. There's nothing other than Hashem. That's what we're trying to connect to on Purim. That's the light. V'hinei m'vur B'Sfar Magdoshim. Our holy sages write in all of our commentaries, in all of our writings She'bechag ha'Purim.

15:16
On the holiday of Purim, hashem is Baruch Megal. You know, hashem is hidden in the Begila. We symbolize this, that it's a holiday of hidden. It's a hidden. Esther is Nistar. It's hidden. We wear masks, but do you know what's revealed More on Purim than any other day? Hashem You're able to see, you're able to reveal Hashem's glory on the day of Purim, more than any other day of the year More than any other holiday. We behirus muchletes with absolute clarity, which will help us soon understand why we get drunk. Because what happens when you get drunk? It takes a veil away. I'll give you an example.

16:05
You know, one of the things that we teach our children is manners. But is that really truthful? Is that really truthful? I'll give you an example. So someone comes to eat in your home. They come with their child and you prepare dinner for them and you ask the child did you enjoy dinner? And they're like no, it was disgusting. And the parent says it's not nice, they worked so hard. So what are we teaching our children? Are we telling our children lie just to make them feel good? Or just be polite and say what are you teaching our children? Are we telling our children lie just to make them feel good? Or just be polite and say you know what are you going to do? Understand, what are you telling your child? You want me not to be truthful, you want me not to be honest. So we, really we create this barrier from what I really feel.

16:58
You know, it's funny when we see in the news. You see people on a debate in a forum on the television set and they're all you know. They're having a discussion, they're on a panel. So what do they say? Let's agree to disagree. You know what they're really saying. I really want to kill you. I hate your opinion, I hate everything about you. But we're on the television and said I can't do that. We're not in Saudi Arabia, we're in Lebanon. You know they throw the table, they start charging after the guy because they disagree. What you're able to do on Purim is you're able to remove that barrier, not to be nasty to people, but the barrier that we have between us and God. We create this barrier, right?

17:51
I don't want to think about my growth in my connection to Hashem. I don't want to focus on my growth in my connection to Hashem. I don't want to focus on it. So I hide it. I hide it by being busy, I hide it by doing things.

18:05
Comes Purim Nekhnas ya'in yatsasod, wine goes in, secrets go out and I suddenly realize, oy, hashem, I've neglected my relationship with you. Hashem, you understand that light suddenly shines, glaring in our eyes. Oh, my goodness, what have I done? Why haven't I been focused the way I should be? Oh, that's the light of the day of Purim. Beyo ma'a kodesh. Hazeh meir, begilu bibiru or. Oh, that's the light of the day of Purim.

18:36
ביום הקדש הזה מיר בגילוי בבירור. The truth shines through with unbelievable clarity שעשם עולקים, that Hashem is our God. אין עוד מלווד. It is nothing but Hashem. ועור הזה מיר גם בתוך העולם הגשמי והחשוך. And also in our physical, dark world, that light shines brightly through.

19:02
It's a day of tremendous revelation, purim, so much so that Yom Kippur is called like Purim. Yom Kippurim. It's like Purim. A day of such incredible revelation. We break those barriers, we remove the mask.

19:27
Imagine you know, sometimes people don't like. There's a show which is called America's Got Talent and one of the judges on the America's Got Talent is brutally honest, the British guy. I don't know his name, but either way. So what happens? People don't like it because, like he's, do you want to hear the truth or not? You know, the truth doesn't really care about your feelings. If it's true, it's true. If it's terrible, it's terrible. Right. Do you want to hear it or not? That's a different question. Whether or not you're able to hear the truth. Do we want the light of truth, of Hashem, or do we want to keep hiding it?

20:13
Purim is the day that we open up and we say Hashem, we want to come close. We see the miracle that you performed to the Jewish people, the entire Jewish people. You saved us from complete and total annihilation. We want to connect more. We don't want to hide Ubo zochim liros.

20:34
On this day day, we merit to see betoch olam ha'maseh zeh. Through this world of action this is a world of action, of deeds, of doing Es yichud ha'sholeim we see Hashem's completeness V'lahakir, v'lahargish ashe Hashem izboruch hu akol. We're able to tangibly feel that Hashem is everything in this world. Kips feel that Hashem is everything in this world. In actuality, we get to see that faith in Hashem is not faith, it's knowledge, it's real, it's not just a concept. Yeah, I have faith, I'm taking that leap. No, it's real. It's not just a concept. Yeah, I have faith, I'm taking that leap. No, it's a reality of my very existence.

21:22
Ki b'neis Purim yizgala, because through the miracle of Purim, it was all revealed Sha' Hashem yizbaruch sholat ba'akol, that Hashem is in charge of everything. We see it through the story. That's what the story of Purim tells us Hashem is involved with everything. You know the coincidence that you can mark through reading, through the Megillah Coincidence. There's no such thing. You see, it's the hand of Hashem. Hashem planted this and Hashem planted that, and then you see it's the hand of Hashem. Hashem planted this and Hashem planted that, and then you see how it blossoms so perfectly. Everything falls into place. Everything falls into place. Ki harei husi veiv b'toch darche ateva esaneis ve'atzola niflo. It looks like it just naturally came to be. It's an interesting turn of events. No, be An interesting turn of events. No, it's not a turn of events. It's all pre-planned by the Almighty. Everything had to be in the right place at the right time. What we are able to experience from reading the Megillah is this idea that every single thing that occurs in the world is the hand of Hashem. Everything is the hand of Hashem.

22:46
I met a guy this morning in synagogue and his industry that he's in got a very unwelcomed competition and he was telling me how angry he was at this competitor that he has. So angry he wants to kill him. So mad, so mad. Can't believe it. He's ruining my industry, he's ruining my business. He's ruining my industry. He's ruining my business. He's ruining my livelihood. I said to him I'm sorry and I know how you feel. I want to just remind you he can't take anything that Hashem decreed for you. I know it's hard to see it. He's opening up a bakery right across the street from you or he's taking your clients from your business. Can't take away anything. Hashem predestined for you, can't? It's impossible.

23:46
Hashem decides on every Rosh Hashanah exactly your livelihood. You're not going to get a penny more by stealing and you're not going to get a penny less by letting someone else win. Exactly what you are supposed to get is what you will get. And that person is Hashem, masquerading saying hey, let me see if you really believe in me, or if you think everything is my strength, my power, my ability, my livelihood, my security, or does Hashem take care of me? This person was so worked up, he was so upset, but that's the truth.

24:30
On Purim, we can see this. On Purim, we can see Hashem glaring through all of creation. We see the hand of Hashem, everything that we have comes through the hand of Hashem. Hashem decided this is what you are going to get. This is what you are going to enjoy this year. This is what you are going to get. This is what you are going to enjoy this year. This is what you're going to experience this year.

24:52
And we, little pawns, we make small decisions in Hashem's world. Hashem gives us a feeling like we're making a decision. Yeah, do we have free will? We absolutely have free will and Hashem already planned what the options are going to be after that free will. Whether you choose the right or the wrong thing, why does he give us another option? He should give us no option. You made the wrong decision, dead end. No, he gives you another option.

25:23
There's always a way to come back. There's always a way to come back. This light comes back every single year on Purim, this bright light of Hashem's oneness, of Hashem, there's nothing but Hashem. This light comes back every single year. That same experience that Mordechai and Esther and the people in that generation experienced, that same light shines today, this year on Purim, in our generation. We get the same exact revelation and the power of this great light.

26:12
Every single Jew can merit to see this light, להסג ולהרגש בכל ליבו, to feel and to attain with their entire heart, בהרגוש ברור מוחלטס, with such clarity שרק השם יסבורך מנגש העולם that only Hashem runs the world and everything that we have is just the hand of Hashem, all of our abilities, the hand of Hashem. Not only that, but also and that only Hashem is real. Everything else it seems real. You know, it's very interesting If you take the news from 10 years ago and put it on your screen as if it was today. The same thing, the same worries. We're worried about maybe a different country, a different struggle, a different election, a different person. Same things, same crisis 20 years ago, same crisis 30 years ago same crisis 50, 100, 200, same struggles.

27:20
There's always going to be confetti flying in the air. There's always going to be things going on. We think that it's like no right now, do or die. This is the most consequential election in the history of America. How many times did they say that? Every single election, the most consequential, the whole Habria, the tale of Hanover, it's all Hashem and all of creation is insignificant before Hashem. I mean, when you compare, it's not comparable, not even close.

27:55
Ha'akara, b'yichud meviyel, esimcha mitis. Once we understand that Hashem is one and there's nothing but Hashem, you know what happens. Then we have absolute joy, true joy. Ah, you know what happens. Then we have absolute joy, true joy. Ah, I feel so confident Because I know that Hashem is taking care of me and I know that Hashem is there for me, for every one of my needs. There's nothing that I can say or do that's going to distance me from God, unless I turn my back to Him. If I turn my back to Hashem, hashem is just going to be waiting. Hashem is going to be waiting. Hashem wants that closeness. He says when someone intellectually understands in their mind and he understands in his heart, when someone lives this truth, that I know that it's all from Hashem. I know that everything that goes on in my life, everything is from Hashem. You know who makes that deal go through or that deal not go through. You know who makes that business acquisition succeed or fail. You know who makes that business acquisition succeed or fail. You know who makes the health or the lack thereof. It's all Hashem V'shum davol oyotsem mishlutasva. Nothing is out of the hand of Hashem. There's nothing that Hashem can't do. Oh, give me a break. You have to negotiate. You have to take care of your own self.

29:24
I remember my father told me that he was once told by someone how to negotiate. He was like you should go to this course. Someone told him go to this course how to negotiate a better deal. They give a whole course how to negotiate a better deal. My father said you mean that there's a deal that you can make that Hashem doesn't want you to have? Can you negotiate a better business deal, better than what Hashem wanted you to have? Oh, I should have said that I should have done this. Exactly what you were supposed to get.

29:58
You got Ki Hashem yisbaruch hu mitziyus hakol. Hashem is the essence of everything. Ve'inod mevado and there's nothing but Hashem. Then a person realizes this Everything is the hand of Hashem. I'm not worried about anything. They know that Hashem is going to take care of me. Hashem is there for everything that I need. Hashem will never, ever, ever misguide me. Hashem will never, ever, ever misguide me. Hashem will never hurt me. What seems to be a pain is my short vision, not understanding Hashem's big picture. Ki hu yodeh, asha kol rak me, meneriz baruch.

30:42
Because we know not, we believe, we know not that we have faith. We know that everything is only from Hashem. וְמֵמֵלָה. כל מה שקור אלוה. Everything that happens to me, therefore, וְכל מה שעובר, אלוה, and everything that transpires in a person's life, כל מה שעקר and everything that will happen. זה הכי טוב שיוך אליוס. It's the absolute best for me and a person who lives like this. He's not sad on what happened, he's not worried on the future, he's happy with everything that happens, he's happy with Hashem. He's happy that his father in heaven, who's big? He's a big, my father's stronger than your father, right? Yes, our father in heaven is the strongest of all powers in the world. Sha'akol u'osah. Hashem does everything. Ve'anu necholim bo'behava, and we're close to Hashem with love. No'gila v'nispach abach. We're happy and we're joyous In you, hashem, because we have our trust in you, because we don't have any anxiety anymore in the world.

32:07
You should sell a pill. You should sell a pill. This will take care of all your anxiety. This will take care of all your stress. Stress reliever. This will take care of all of your fears, all of your worries. Sign up, torchweborg. Get the pill, get the free pill. Okay, sign up. I'm serious. What is it, emunah? When a person believes in Hashem, it's the perfect medication.

32:36
Now, it's tough to let go at times. It's tough to let go. That means that I don't have to worry about it. That means that I don't have to. No, you don't, you don't have to worry about it. That means that I don't have to. No, you don't, you don't have to worry about it. Yeah, but come on, be realistic. I have to pay my bills. I have to make sure that I, you know, I have to.

32:57
Oh, it's the you. It's the you now. So now it's the me. I can do things Really In one millisecond, a things Really In one millisecond. A person cannot be breathing. What are you? In one millisecond, a person can be like oh, slipped disc can't move Right. In one millisecond. What's the me I? I need to.

33:20
We build this big image of ourselves, me, everything is Hashemem, the more we recognize this. That's why we have a hundred blessings a day that we recite with love, with attention, with focus, thanking Hashem for the gifts that he bestows upon us. To not let them, because the minute we start forgetting of the blessings that we have, we're letting other forces come in, the worst forces the me. It's the arrogance, it's the ego, it's the me I. I need to. I need to be healthy. I need to. Yes, we need.

33:59
Hashem gives us the opportunity to choose what foods we eat. Hashem gives us the opportunity to choose to eat healthy, to eat less healthy. That's how we choose a lot. We have the ability to live in a life that is close to Hashem. You know what skyrockets that ability? The magnificent holiday of Purim, where that light is revealed.

34:30
Hashem's name is hidden, but look at his action. You don't need the name. Look at Hashem's actions. Look in the Megillah. You don't need to see Hashem's name, it's all over it. Look how Hashem turns that whole party into a way for Esther to get in, for Mordecai saves the king's life, which later saves, and then Haman and this and that everything that goes on, it's like wow, it's like a perfect puzzle. That's our lives every day, that's our lives. Every day we have to live with awe, it's like wow, this is the most incredible thing ever. And the more we are praiseworthy of Hashem, the more we recognize that every single thing is from Hashem. The layers of anxiety roll off, the layers of worry, the layers of stress no more Break those shackles.

35:28
I can tell you this from my own personal experience. I've shared this story before so I'm not going to get into it. It's a long story of my first job, my first real job that I had before moving to Houston. It was a 10-month hell that I had in a different city. And you know why it was hell? Because I believed that I me, ego self, I am going to succeed. And Hashem whipped me upside my head and said it's not you, it's not you, it's me. Hashem has got it. And it was a rough, painful 10 months Back pain, doctors, surgery, stress, you name it. And I came to Houston with 600,000 more responsibilities. That was my budget 600,000 more responsibilities. Over there, I didn't have to raise a dime, I had a board, I had employees, I didn't have any of that there.

36:44
But I had a new gift in my life, the gift of recognizing I can't do anything. It's all Hashem, and I'm still working on it every single day, reminding myself every single day. But I will tell you one thing Stress, no stress. With all of that, no stress. I keep on reminding myself oh, big deadline, what am I going to do? Ain't no demovado, it's nothing. But you, it's all you. You got this covered. It's your problem. You like what I do. You like I teach Torah? You're going to have to covered. It's your problem. You like what I do. You like I teach Torah? You're going to have to help. It's your problem. I'm your creation. You put me here. I'm your son. You're not going to let me just go astray. You're not going to just let me fail. You're going to lift me up. I believe it and I know it.

37:39
Purim is a day to break through all the barriers. Purim is a day to shatter all the self and bring the Hashem in. This is the holiday of Purim. Hahakara BeYichud MeVil Aday, bitol. What happens when you bring in that recognition of Hashem? There's something called Bitol.

38:01
You know what Bittl means. I'm nothing. I am nothing. I am but nothing in front of you Nothing. You know what we do on Pesach. We do Bittl to our Hametz. What's Hametz? Hametz is representative of our arrogance. You know what we do. We burn it. We say it's nothing anymore. We're of our arrogance. You know what we do. We burn it. We say it's nothing anymore. We're burning the arrogance. The bread the bread is puffy Really. It's just a little matzah. Put in some yeast and it becomes this big bread. Oh, it's big, arrogant bread. That's the yetzahara that comes into us. Really, we're nothing, this arrogant yetzahara that comes into us. We're really, we're nothing. This arrogant yetzahara puts arrogance into us and says oh, you're so big, look at you, you're so great, look at you. They walk around like all chest puffed out. Look at me. Dangerous what we have on Pesach. We burn that arrogance. We burn it at me Dangerous.

39:05
What we have on Pesach. We burn that arrogance, we burn it. Whatever was left over from Purim, we burn on Pesach. When a person realizes this truth, and a person delves into it and thinks about it, and internalizes it and feels it with clarity Eich be'etzem ha'kol chay Rak me'oriz barach and internalizes it and feels it with clarity, everything lives only by the light of Hashem. So then, essentially, there's nothing other than Hashem, nothing other than Hashem, nothing but Hashem, nothing other than Hashem, nothing but Hashem. Then a person will be able to feel everything. It's not just like I know it now, I feel it Now. It's tangible, I see it in front of my eyes. I'm able to feel that everything is from Hashem. Such a clarity, such a feeling gets a person to a place of Bittul, where a person is able to let go. It's not me anymore, it's all Hashem. I'm not here for myself. I'm not here to continue to pump up my ego. I'm not here for myself. I'm not here to continue to pump up my ego Elohu na meisum izbatel betoch or Hashem izbarach but rather I melt in front of Hashem, because Hashem's light is so bright. What happens to a candle? Candle is very, very, very proud. Look at me. I'm so bright. I'm a candle. I light up the dark Comes a big fire. What happens? I light up the dark Comes a big fire. What happens? It's gone, it's all. The wax is all over the floor, nothing right Blown away. Imagine us. We feel so proud. I'm this candle, oh, I have some light. Oh, look at me right, you bring the light of Hashem. What's that? What's that? What are we? We melt. We're nothing compared to the light of Hashem, hashem's light. It's like.

41:06
Imagine my grandfather brings the introduction to his book. He says imagine someone walking through the streets with a candle during broad daylight. Like, show me the light, show me the light. What are you walking with a candle? It's light, it's so much light. What are you walking with a candle? Well, that's us walking around feeling proud. What are you walking with a candle? It's light, it's so much light. What are you walking with a candle? Well, that's us walking around feeling proud. What are you feeling proud? What did you do? Hashem gave you intellect. Hashem gave you health. Hashem gave you everything you have. And you're proud Like you did something.

41:36
You know what my existence really is. It's to capture that light of Hashem that's so bright and clear with the world. So now I reflect Hashem's light. That's the goal is to reflect Hashem's light, to feel this I'm nothing, I'm just a mirror for Hashem. I'm nothing, it's all Hashem's light. I'm just a mirror shining Hashem's light to the world, even if it's just a little bit. You know what pleasure it is that you're able to bring Hashem's light to the world, that you're able to be a vessel for Hashem's glory to be spread out to the world. There are no words to describe it. And with such a thing, a person is in absolute calmness, in an absolute serenity, and such a person, his life is fulfilled both physically and spiritually, without any limitation. Such a person is incredibly gifted because he knows everything is from Hashem. I have nothing to worry about, physically, spiritually, mentally, everything. Hashem's got it all taken care of. What am I worried about? Why am I sticking my everything Hashem's got it all taken care of. What am I worried about? Why am I sticking my nose into Hashem's business? He's got it covered. I want to make sure he takes care of you. Relax, he's going to take care of you. Call mitzvahs hayom, magdiros, es, haor, hazeh.

43:19
If you look at all of the mitzvahs of Purim, you know what they do all of the mitzvahs of Purim. You know what they do? All of the mitzvahs of Purim, they instill this one theme Hashem has got it all covered. That's it. Every part of Purim is telling us that what's the basket that we give to our friends? What's the basket that we give to our friends? What's the gifts that we give to the poor? What's the Megillah? The Megillah is telling us the story. It's telling us it's bringing that light in and now we're exercising it. We're exercising it, we're showing the money I have is not my money, it's Hashem's money. He wants me to create love in this world, to bring that light to others. Give it with that basket. We give the gifts to the poor. We have the feast. What do we do with the feast? We take this food and we elevate it, we drink, we get happy.

44:16
The idea is we're actualizing this mitzvah of bringing godliness in. This is the great power of this holiday of Purim. This is the great power of this holiday of Purim To really every single person can feel and connect with this mitzvah, to derive pleasure from this holiday, to take this light and bring it into his life and to carry it around for an entire year. Our sages tell us that the purpose of every holiday is to help us with that power for the whole next year. We can take this power, harness it on Purim, take it for the whole next year, change our life for the next year.

45:11
The stress-free pill you take once a year, you don't have to take it every day. Take it once a year. Purim, the day of absolute revelation of God's light to the world. Ki Purim, hu azman shebo neftach alev. Purim is the time where the heart opens up. We drink a little bit, our heart gets a little wider, gets a little more open. The Jewish heart opens up.

45:36
Lizkos ve liros es Hashem, yisborach ve es amitoso. See the clarity of Hashem, v'toch ha'briya In action, in creation. V'ech shekol ha'briya Irakli, and we see how the entire creation is just a vessel. L'galos is Orei is Borach To reveal Hashem's light, v'ein lo'akal mitziyus atzmi. And there's no self-identity of that light other than it being Hashem's.

46:15
All these mitzvahs are just to teach us this one thing. That's it. It's to teach us this one thing Hashem's great light is the light of everything, but we're trying to take it in as much as possible. Shenasig, blishum, astar v'bilbul. Hopefully we will attain this without any confusion without any barriers.

46:37
Es mitziyus Hashem izbaruch v'ichuda, the existence, the reality of God's existence and His oneness. At she nizke le'ato areso lodas. Ki Hashem hu olokim you ato you commanded us to know. Ato areso lodas, we have to know ki Hashem olokim, that Hashem is our God, ein od nevado, and there's no one other than Hashem. Ve'im y'di yuzu and there's no one other than Hashem. And with this knowledge not belief, not faith knowledge With this reality, we will live a true life, a life of neshama and a life of joy and happiness and fulfillment.

47:25
My dear friends, we've gone way over time here, but I think it's just so important for us to get into the frame of mind. Get into the frame of mind what Purim is. Purim is such a powerful day. We didn't even link everything yet, all the parts of the Megillah, understanding that revelation. We didn't even link all the different parts of the gifts that we give to our friends, the gifts that we give to the poor. We have to link them all and that will hopefully have another opportunity to do that. But now to take the time, a few days before Purim, read through the book of Esther. We have the podcast released of the complete book of Esther crash course where we talk about, we go through the whole Megillah and some of the lessons of the Megillah for us to really take in that light and then hopefully be a vessel through which that light can shine out to the world. Amen.

48:20 - Intro (Announcement)
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