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.

00:12 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Host)
Now we begin day number 82, on page 486 in the Treasure for Life edition of the Orchio Tzadikim, the Ways of the Righteous, and here in the Gate of Acceptance, the last few words of the author. Here on the gate of acceptance, he says If someone really wants to become pious and become close to God, you know what you need. The only person who can really connect with God is someone who is wise, understanding of a willing temperament, meaning like what we're talking about tonight accepting. Accepting, willing to hear, and someone who doesn't have anger. Anger is such a terrible trait. We spoke about this last week. Anger is such a terrible trait.

01:12
About such a person, it is written and now children, listen to me, and happy are those who heed my ways. The Almighty said to the Jewish people All I'm asking is that you hear what I'm telling. You, Hear my message, listen to me, and I will make sure that all the promises that were promised to the prophets will be fulfilled. And what was it? If you are willing to accept and to listen, then you will eat the good of the land. Happy is the man who listens to me. Therefore, a person should set his mind. Happy is the man who listens to me L'chein yosim datol asis ritzon ha-bori yisborach. Therefore, a person should set his mind, his heart, to follow the will of Hashem Ve'lo yivat b'rabosav, u'mi shigado meno. A person should not fight or deviate from the teachings of his teachers, his masters, u'mi shigado meno, someone who's greater than him in wisdom, in experience. So it says in the Torah You'll come to the Kohen, go to the scholars, Go to the priests, go to the Levites who were the scholars, to the judges, and listen. They will tell you how to live life and you will follow what they say. This is in the Torah, this is in our Torah, in Deuteronomy, chapter 17. And don't deviate, right or left. Go as they say. Go as they say. Person who goes away. What's going to happen? They're going to remove themselves from being part of the Jewish people. They're going to extricate themselves.

03:33
Terrible thing, you see, that people who distance themselves from the Torah distance themselves from the Jewish people. So, a Jewish person who is not willing to accept, not willing to learn, I'm going to do my own thing. I'm going to live out on an island and I'm going to do my own thing. What happens? It's just a matter of a generation into marriage. It's just a matter of a generation, until not only that they rebel against the Torah, but they're then repulsed by the Torah, as the Torah states already in Deuteronomy.

04:07
What happens? Step number one is to not accept. Step number two is that I get more and more and more distance. Then what happens? A little bit further, a little bit further, a little bit further. And now I look at those, look at those crazy people, look at what they're doing. They're keeping Shabbos, are they crazy? And then we mock the people, we laugh at them. Look at them keeping kosher. Why can't you enjoy a shrimp? Why can't you enjoy this? Why can't you enjoy that? They start mocking those who do observe. Again, this is our Torah. And then they extract themselves from the Jewish people. They're killing themselves off from being part of the Jewish people.

04:43
We call Eleneda Ashermida Sarotso Mido Tova Ugdola Asherkola Torah Klulaba. The entire Torah is encompassed in this one beautiful, magnificent trait, this one trait of accepting, being willing to open our heart and accept. Afilu omru lo chachamim al yamin shu yimin al yamin shu usmo hisratze lehem usivat el datcha ur etzoncha. Listen to this beautiful the Gemara says. The Gemara says that when you have a teacher, you have to accept what the teacher says you hear this, ira. The teacher says you hear this, ira. You have a teacher. The teacher says right is left. You have to say I agree, right is left. What? How is that possible? The teacher is not crazy. I'm not crazy.

05:29
I know they taught me what right is. They taught me what left is. So how can it be? The teacher tells me right and left and that now it's left and right. And I'm wrong. And I'm supposed to listen to them, and I'm supposed to. What does it mean? Let me ask you a question, ira. Can you stand right over there? Can you stand right over there? Stand right there. Okay, put out your hands Right and left, like this Right and left, what's right, what's left, what's? If I tell you now, pick up your left, that's right, right, why? Because it's, it's my right. Meaning, meaning what happens here.

06:08
You're, you have the wrong perspective, you had the wrong perspective. And when you have the wrong perspective, you need to understand. When the rabbi is saying right is left and left is right, he's not trying to confuse you. He knows what the right hand is, what left is saying. You're looking at it backwards, you're looking at it through a mirror, so you're not seeing it properly. You have to know how to see things and that's what the Torah is telling us Al yamin smoh, al smoh shu yamin tisratz, aleh mu-sevat al datcho ritzoncho k'dei lasus. Therefore, a person has to know.

06:49
A Torah scholar obviously has to fulfill what they learned. It's not enough to just learn and to teach. You have to fulfill it. You can't preach about Shabbos and not observe Shabbos. You can't preach about kosher and not observe kosher. A person has to be truthful. You can't talk about modesty and be immodest. It's a contradiction, it's hypocrisy. You have to be what you teach. When someone comes to learn from a rabbi, from a scholar, from a sage, from a pious person, you have to be able to be willing to cling to their wisdom.

07:32
I'll tell you that I just last week you know I've shared on this class that I talked to my rabbi. I have the privilege of talking to him for 15 minutes every week. I call Israel. I catch him exactly at a certain minute. I'm able to catch him. He comes home from synagogue and he's there for 15 minutes and then he's got to go to his next meeting and it's a great privilege. I've asked him over the last 13 years. I've been doing this for 20 years, but I started writing notes 13 years ago. I have notes for 13 years. It's probably over 100 pages of notes of question answer.

08:11
Question answer. Question answer. Question answer that I've been asking my rabbi and there are times that I'm absolutely shocked by the answer. And I ask further Rebbe, how does that make sense? Last time you told me this and now you tell me that Before you told me it was right. Now you're telling me, left what's going on. And you hear the brilliance of what Hora? You hear the brilliance.

08:37
He's someone who wakes up, sleeps for two and a half hours a night. That's it, two and a half hours a night. That's it Two and a half hours a night. He goes to sleep at 11 o'clock. He's up at 1.30. Every single night I asked him. I said Rebbe, when are you going to sleep? Smiles, he has a smile that's the size of the universe and he says when I die I'll have so much time to sleep. Right, but he says that that's the only time that nobody bothers him 1.30 in the morning, nobody's calling him for questions, nobody's calling him for advice. That 1.30 in the morning is his time for his own personal growth. So until 6, 7 am.

09:15
He's sitting and learning with no interruptions, which is why he reviewed the Talmud time and again. He reviewed the Mishnah time and again. He reviewed the Midrash time and again, and all of Halacha and the Rambam and the Shulchan Aruch and the Mishnah Brewer you name it At his fingertips. How does he know it? Someone said, oh wow, you're so talented because you have a great memory. Not true, he works. Not true. He works hard, he's dedicated, he's committed, a righteous person.

09:45
When he tells you right is left, you ask which right, which left? Tell me, teach me more, I want to know more, because such a person is going to share, he's going to going to elevate you to a much higher level. And I'll be honest with you in our generation people think the rabbi's a little lunatic, a little crazy, doesn't have a mind of his own right? Those of you who know me know that I'm quite opinionated, right? Those of you who know I try to fill myself with my own Torah wisdom, not only accepting oh Rabbi, you said this, you say jump. I ask how high. That's true. We're going to ask, we're going to inquire, we're going to be inquisitive as to why and to take it to the next step to understand how the rabbi is thinking. Not because I'm questioning his authority, but because I want to learn and I want to grow and I want to connect more His bonane.

10:41
Realize that in our prayer, every single day, what do we say? May the service of Israel, your people, always be to your will. That's what we want Always the will of Hashem. All of our actions need to be connected to the will of Hashem. What is the will of Hashem? Does Hashem want me to eat there or does Hashem not want me to eat there? Does Hashem want me to eat there or does Hashem not want me to eat there? Does Hashem want me to go there or does Hashem not want me to go there? What does Hashem want? Not what I want. I give my will to the will of Hashem.

11:36
If a person puts his own will in front of the will of Hashem and he does the things that Hashem says not to do because he can't control his own desires and temptations, how should Hashem reward such a person? How should Hashem desire to accept such a person? איך ירצה ויחפץ באיש אשר אינו רעות זה וחווית בו? How should Hashem desire to accept such a person who doesn't accept Him? ולאולם לא יהה אדם סרון נגד הבורי יסברך. A person should be careful to never rebel against Hashem ונגד חבר ונת רבבל אגן של אור השם, כי בכך נשתבך חוכם איכות מיום. הי לא עברתי על דס. חברי, יודע אני בעצמי שאיני כהן ואים אומרו לי חברי עלי לדוכן אי סיולה.

12:32
There's a story with Rabiosi that he would say I never transgressed the will of my colleagues. I know that I am not a Kohen and yet if my colleagues would tell me go up to the pulpit for the intoning of the priestly blessings, I would go up. This is the Talmud in Tractate Shabbat 118b, tractate Shabbat 118 B. It is not necessary to elaborate more about this trait because it is included within the traits of love and joy. So now he concludes with the final closing remarks on this chapter. He says there is nothing in this world that is better for a person than to be accepting. Accepting meaning open yourself up, don't be so vulnerable, don't be so uptight, listen to what other people say, take it in. Maybe someone can infuse inspiration into me. Maybe someone can infuse inspiration into me, maybe someone can help guide me, maybe someone can change me a little bit. There's nothing better in this world than someone who's accepting. Therefore, our sages tell us.

13:46
He says If a man falls from a roof and breaks his limbs, he needs a compress and bandages for each of his limbs and for each of his bones. But the sinner who sins with all his bones, with all his bones, with all his limbs, is written from the sole of his foot until the head. There is no sound spot. That's referring to a sinner. It's like he needs to be bandaged everywhere.

14:28
Imagine spiritually bandaging a person V'hi ne'a shem yisbaruch mer'ape kol evar v'berti achas. Imagine spiritually bandaging a person. But you know what? Someone who sinned, like he fell off a second story. Now all his bones are broken. He's like oh, what am I going to do now? I want to serve Hashem.

14:47
In a metaphor, hashem forgives and heals. A person just like that open, be willing to listen, be willing to accept. If a person is just willing to open up themselves, to accepting, to this trait of acceptance, that is the healer of everything. And the verse that concludes here incline your ears and go to me. And the verse that concludes here Atu oznachem u'lechu elai shimu tochi nafshachem. Incline your ears and go to me. The verse states in Isaiah 55, verse 3, listen and your souls will live. My dear friends, such an incredibly powerful teaching we learned today the power of being willing to accept, being willing to listen, being willing to open ourselves up to criticism, even if it's someone who's not worthy of giving us criticism. Be willing to hear. Maybe I can be a little bit better, maybe I can change, Maybe maybe I was off the path and now I can connect directly to God and do His will. My dear friends, have a magnificent evening. Thank you so much for joining us.

16:08 - Intro (Announcement)
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