Transcript
An enormous zechus that we have, a tremendous privilege we have this morning to welcome the Rav, Rav Schorr Shlita to our community. He’s been giving shiurim. This is now the second year im yirtzeh Hashem. We’ll learn together in Yerushalayim soon, but if not he can continue to come im yirtzeh Hashem to inspire us. The Rav, Rav Schorr’s Torah every week I quote, we share in so many different contexts. It opens our eyes and it warms our heart and it touches the depths of our soul. And there are people that you feel that you live on the same planet, you occupy the same space and the same globe, but you’re living in two totally different worlds. Some are living in the physical world and the here and now, and some are living on another plane altogether, and yet they open our eyes and invite us to live there with them a little bit. And Rav Schorr Shlita is such a person, such a giant whose sefarim and Torah as I say, open our eyes. The Rebbe is running to the airport, but has so grateful, has generously agreed to share a few minutes with us to speak on inyanei emunah, on topics of emunah. As soon as he has to run to the airport we’ll continue with our usual emunah shiur with our letters. I was sharing with the Rav so many of the letters that come in, the inspiration that it provides, and back to the sefer that we’re learning together. But before we begin, what an enormous zechus and privilege it is for us to welcome, to welcome Mori VeRabbi Rav Schorr Shlita. רשות הרב מרא דאתרא. Emunah. The fulfillment of emunah, which is bitachon. Emunah brings to bitachon. But emunah is not something that is achieved easily. The pasuk tells us he’emanti ki adaber, I believe because I talk. In other words, the pasuk teaches us that to achieve emunah you have to talk about emunah. What does it mean talking about emunah? Bringing Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Hashem into our lives. The more we talk about emunah, meaning, I realize that only with the help of Hashem, only with the help of God could I do something, which we use the words b’ezras Hashem. And when we thank God for something that happens, that’s he’emanti ki adaber, I believe because I talk. Even though when I say thank you Hashem or Baruch Hashem or b’ezras Hashem, it’s not a hundred percent by me clear that it’s only Hashem that did it, but by saying it and by talking it, it automatically influences the person to become a true ma’amin. Emunah has stages. You can’t achieve the highest stage and jump to the highest stage. When you went up to do the avodah, the job of a kohen, a priest, in Beis Hamikdash, and he went up to the mizbei'ach, to the altar, he didn’t go up with steps, he went up with a plank. Why? Our sages teach us, steps you could skip a step, step you could step over a step. In a plank you have to take step by step by step, if not you’ll fall or slip back. Judaism you can’t jump steps. You have to take baby steps, one at a time and you achieve. Emunah is something that there are so many different stages in emunah, so many different stages where a person can reach with emunah. We can’t think that we can reach the highest stage just in a day or just by ten minutes a day or whatever. It takes day after day after day and a person grows. He goes up the ladder one rung at a time. Bitachon is the fulfillment of emunah. Bitachon is harder. Bitachon means living emunah, not only being a person that believes, now living. Meaning there's a smallest a lowest stage of Bitachon, a higher stage of Bitachon, another stage of Bitachon. Bitachon is something that you also have to grow in. The Emunah brings you to Bitachon. More Emunah brings you to more Bitachon. But it's something that comes from talking Emunah. Yirmiyahu Hanavi says in the prophet Yirmiyahu Mussar to Klal Yisrael. He says אבדה אמונה נכרתה מפיהם because it's cut from their mouth. In other words, the Pasuk teaches you in the Nevuah, you know why you lost the Nevuah? You know why you lost your Emunah? Because you don't talk Emunah. You don't have the Ribono Shel Olam enough in your life. Thank you Hashem is a very nice statement, but sometimes it's an empty statement. It's a language that we learned. We have to learn to talk more about Hashem in a clearer way, to realize that Hashem is the one who does everything, to realize all that we have is only because Hashem gave it to us, to realize we can't take anything alone in this world. We'll end with a story. There was a Tzaddik called Rav Nachum of Chernobyl. He lived in Ukraine. He's buried in this town Chernobyl which all of you know about such a town. And he was an orphan and he was brought up by a stepmother. The stepmother gave the children bread with butter. Him they gave she gave bread. Because she was a stepmother and there wasn't any money around. So the children she gave a little bit of butter, him not. He was a three-year-old. A three-year-old, he wanted to have butter. So under the steps there was a pail with plaster. Plaster looks to the eye of a child of two, three years old as butter. And he buttered his bread with plaster. And of course when he ate it, he realized that this is not what they were eating. And he said he learned then at the age of three: you don't take anything alone in this world. There's no such thing as taking alone. You only take what is given. And everything is given by Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We have to realize that and we have to repeat that, and we repeat that again until we reach one stage of Emunah, another stage of Emunah, and another stage of Emunah. There are a lot of stages in Emunah. One time Emunah is one hundred and two. Two times Emunah is two hundred and four is already a Tzaddik. Three times Emunah is every woman here should know. You have to have already three times Emunah. Isha is the numerical value of three times Emunah. It goes up and up and up. Everything, every time of Emunah, you gain another stage. You could go up all the way and see how Emunah you achieve, you achieve more Emunah, you achieve more Emunah. The basic Emunah that we all have to have are three Emunois: Haya, hoveh, ve-yihyeh. Past, Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world. Present, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is the one who runs everything in the present world. Future, there'll come a time when the whole world will know and see for their eyes that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is one, and we should be Zocha to see it, we should have the ability to be there when the future is clear for us. But three times Emunah is the numerical value of an Isha. It's also the numerical value of Devash because a life of Emunah is as sweet as could be, is as pleasant as could be, without worries, without anything to bother you, and you could be Zocha, you could achieve that Emunah by talking Emunah, by repeating Emunah, and by living with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Okay. Wow. Wow. Wow. Yes. Okay. First, I don't necessarily, unless you know Rav Schorr, you don't necessarily know what a privilege that is. He's one of the giants of our generation, one of the most brilliant minds and character and hearts and souls. His father, Rav Gedalia Schorr, the Ohr Gedaliahu, was Rosh Yeshiva in Torah Vodaas. He today is the Nezach Gedaliahu, he has a shul and Lekach Vehalibuv, his many, many, many tens of Sfarim that he puts out on every single topic, and his wisdom, advice, and blessings are sought from around the world. And he's a very, very special person. It's the second time he's come. He can't hear me, I hope. If you'd see his eyes, his deep blue eyes, you feel like they can go through the back of your head and could make you light up on fire. So, but this is the second year that he's come. The many Shiurim, I think he got here Sunday night, it's now Wednesday morning he's leaving, I think he gave maybe 30 Shiurim around South Florida in the time that he was here. But the most precious thing is to see not the Shiurim that he's giving in front of large audiences and sophisticated mature adults, but is to see the teenagers who when he sits in our backyard line up one by one and there are boys who are struggling, boys who are off, who weren't keeping Shabbos, weren't putting on Tefillin, and they sit with Rav Schorr who looks into their soul and believes in them, and I found out that since last year some of these teenage boys that he met with have been speaking to him on the phone daily, check in, he checks in with them, they check in with him, he keeps talking about how much he believes in them and he brings out a lot in them. It's a very, very special, and as I said, and I only said it partially, mostly because I'm incredibly afraid of him, but I said in front of him that there are people that make no mistake, we feel like we all live on Earth and we all have to eat and we all sleep and we all are human beings and we're all on the same globe, but there are other people where in the physical world, they're in the metaphysical world. We see what's in front of us, they see an energy and a metaphysics and a world and a truth. The Gematria he alluded to, the numerical value that he could have gone all, that's his specialty. If you look every week his what he puts out, the Divrei Torah, so I've sat with him and I asked him, like you sit with a calculator, I have to, you know, Aleph is one plus the thing and Emunah, Mem is 40, does that work out? He sees, he sees, now he'll talk to you, say your name, he'll say, oh, that's this Pasuk. He sees the numbers, they come together, they work out, the world, the matrix and the illusion that we're living in, we see the illusion and he sees the matrix. He sees the numbers. He sees they're all. Anyway, it's a big, big Zchus and his few words is a lot more that he could elaborate on and Ani Hakaton, I feel humbled and small to continue, but I continue with you and back on what we do and the letters that we got. And so I'm glad that we had this special opportunity. Our Emunah series is always sponsored by Dr. Avi and Bella Morgan in memory of Rabbi Dr. Brian Galbut, in memory of Bella's mother, Dr. Ellen Schanzer, and Shmira for the Israeli soldiers and hostages, and we are incredibly grateful for the Morgans for their continued generosity. This morning is also sponsored by Joyce Muller in memory of her beloved parents Robert and Freda Segal, whose Yahrtzeit are the 19th and 22nd of Adar, the Neshama should have an Aliyah. And also in honor of and we all Daven from the bottom of our hearts for Refuah Shelaima of a young baby ארדנה ליבא בת שרה פנינה should have a complete, speedy, full Refuah Shelaima, bounce back to give a tremendous Nachas to her parents and grandparents and this baby Im Yirtzeh Hashem should be well and we should hear Besoros Tovos. Also anonymously in gratitude to BRS, all the Torah, and by Alan Fischer in honor of the 17th Yahrtzeit Pesach Zev HaLevi Paul Rosenberg, his Neshama should have an Aliyah, in memory of Israel Margolies whose Yahrtzeit was the 11th of Adar, our beloved Israel Margolies, our beloved community member and friend, by his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his Neshama should have an Aliyah, by Marnina and Meyer Stimmel in memory of their daughter Michal on her third Yahrtzeit, they should find strength and comfort and her Neshama should have an Aliyah as well. Baby steps. That's what Rav Schorr said. Baby steps. The plank, the ramp, one by one. Don't jump, don't skip, don't feel pressure to live more than you are or beyond where you're holding. Baby steps, baby steps. So that's what we're working on. That's what we're working on. So our big theme, our big motto, I did get the stickers that came in for the back of the phone. We will sell them or distribute them. Embrace your place, you're exactly where you're meant to be. So when you sit, turn your phone over, you see that sticker. So wherever you are, whatever's happening, however frustrated you are. So I want to share with you and I got an email from a listener Chaim Hirsch who shared with me this insight. Beautiful, beautiful insight. Rav Melech Biderman. Rav Melech says the following this week. This week is Purim, in case you didn't notice. It wasn't on your calendar. But tomorrow night I believe it is. Yeah, wah. Not nearly ready. But tomorrow night is Purim. So Rav Melech says the following. The Gemara Megillah on daf yud tes says that פרוז בן יומו קרוי פרוז. A person who lives in Yerushalayim but on Purim is in a city that celebrates Purim on the 14th of Adar must keep Purim on the 14th. It's an interesting halacha. We know that a walled city, ir mukaf choma, a city that's walled, has a different day of Purim than an unwalled city. So we will all observe Purim on the 14th of Adar and Yerushalayim, a walled city like Shushan was, a walled city observes Purim not the 14th, when? The 15th of Adar, the next day, what we call Shushan Purim. And why is that? We don't have, yes, in chutz la'aretz we keep two days of yom tov and Eretz Yisrael they keep one day. But the idea that the whole holiday is on a different day depending on your zip code, your address, where you live, we don't have that. Why is that specific or unique to Purim is a topic for another time. How does it work this year? This year's what's called a Purim meshulash. And if you live in Yerushalayim, there are aspects of Purim on Friday, Shabbos, and the real Purim or the seudah, the mishte, the l'chaims are on Sunday. We're going to have Purim here Friday. I happen to be flying to Eretz Yisrael on Motzei Shabbos. I have a wedding next week. I'll be back next Wednesday morning but not in time I think for the shiur so we'll have to... I'm giving the emunah shiur actually in Yerushalayim on Monday. So we'll put it out from there from Monday, but I leave Tuesday night. So I land Sunday at 4:00, 4:30. I'm going to try to get to Yerushalayim and catch the end of Purim. So it's gevaldig. Purim in Boca Friday, Purim Yerushalayim Sunday. It's going to be amazing. I'm looking forward. Unfortunately the time I get to Yerushalayim it might be the worst part of Purim which is the cleanup from Purim. So we'll see what's happening before I get there. So the the Gemara says a person who lives in Yerushalayim but you're in Beit Shemesh, you're in Modi'in, you're in Ra'anana, you're in Netanya, you're in Tzfat, you're not in Yerushalayim. When do you observe Purim? So the Gemara says a person who lives in Yerushalayim but is on Purim located in a city that celebrates on the 14th Friday must keep Purim on the 14th. His status is determined by his present location not by his permanent residence. He gets his mail in Yerushalayim, he fills out the form his address is Yerushalayim, but he happens to be visiting the Gladstones in Ra'anana on on the 14th. So when does he when does he observe Ra'anana, is that where you're going back to? Netanya, Ra'anana, Netanya. He's in Netanya with the Gladstones. So he's going on the 14th. So he you don't follow the permanent residence, you follow where you are temporarily. Why? It's in contrast with most yamim tovim. For example, when someone and this is a little controversial, everybody relax, but I follow my rebbi, Rav Schechter who followed his rebbi, the Rav, that when a person from America visits Israel for Pesach, how many days yom tov do they keep? Two. So I don't say my permanent residence is Boca so if I'm in Israel for Pesach I keep two days because my residence is Boca. But when someone from Yerushalayim is in Netanya, they keep Purim on the 14th, not the 15th. That's a different conclusion. Why? Why? Why is Purim different? So the answer says Rav Melech Biderman, you ready? This is why Chaim Hirsch sent this to me in an email. The answer is that Purim teaches us emunah in hashgacha pratis. The whole story of Purim is Hashem's name does not appear in the Megillah explicitly. It does every time you see the word Hamelach. Some Megillahs every column begins the word Hamelach. The Megillah's written so that every column begins with the word Hamelach. And whenever it says the word Hamelach, the King, it doesn't mean the physical king, Achashveirosh. It is a reference said the Gra, the Vilna Gaon, Hamelach, the King of kings, the Almighty who was pulling the strings, who was behind the scenes. So when the Megillah of the last year and a half since October 7th will be written, the newest book of Tanakh will be so to say added, it will tell you a story that won't have God's name. It'll talk about beepers, it'll talk about ballistic missiles from Iran, it'll talk about explosions on buses where no one was hurt. It'll be a Megillah, it'll tell a story, God's name won't appear. He didn't come gather us around the mountain and talk to us directly. He didn't reveal himself with a revelation that was unprecedented. So the whole Megillah will talk about beepers, ballistic missiles, and buses. The three Bs. It'll be a whole Megillah, the BBB Megillah. Beepers, buses, ballistic missiles. God's name will be absent. But if we're living now, we look and we see, we read between the lines and we see Hamelach, we see Hashem is everywhere. He's everywhere. Hashem is pulling the strings everywhere. Everywhere. And that's the holiday of Purim. Hashem's name doesn't appear in the Megillah, but he appears everywhere in the Megillah. Adar, I love to quote the Sfat Emet, not when we enter the calendar day of Adar, Mishenichnas Adar, when Adar enters us, marbim besimcha. Rav Schorr just spoke about if you live with emuna bitachon, when a Jew feels nothing's random, nothing's chance, nothing's by accident, but embrace your place, you are exactly where you're meant to be. When you go through life with that confidence and that clarity and that calmness and that physical, spiritual, mental health that emuna bitachon provide, then marbim besimcha. I'm not worried. Are you keeping me waiting? The doctor canceled the appointment I've been waiting for? How come I'm not bent out of shape? Because I'm where I'm meant to be. This is the way it's meant to go. This is what's supposed to happen. Nothing frazzles me or rouses me because I'm just where I'm meant to be, it's all from Hashem. So Mishenichnas Adar, Aleph, the aleph, Alupho shel Olam, Hashem, Mishenichnas, when Hashem enters us, marbim besimcha. When we live with emuna and we therefore don't get frustrated or angry or resentful, we don't get envious or arrogant or anxious, then we're marbim besimcha. It's the natural consequence. It's the result. It's the skip in your step. You see somebody who gets back a positive, I mean a positive, a good lab report, somebody who just turns in the winning lottery ticket, somebody's child calls him to say 'I have amazing news for you, I'm expecting, I'm getting engaged', that person is, they don't have to be told 'it says here I'm supposed to be happy now'. Says here, somebody once met with me and said 'I don't feel the emotions other people seem to feel, I don't feel emotion at all and what do I do?'. And that's a condition, that's a form of being psychotic, it's a challenge, it's an illness. A person feels emotion, natural emotions. So if you hear good news, fantastic news, you don't have to say 'oh, I read in a book that I'm supposed to be happy when that happens'. You're happy. So when a person is Mishenichnas Adar, Alupho shel Olam, Dar, when you give Hashem a dira betachtonim, when you give Him a dwelling place here on earth, when you let Him enter us, marbim besimcha, you can't help but feel enormous joy. That's the whole story of Purim. What's the, what's it called the Megillah we're going to hear tomorrow night and Friday morning? Not a trick question people, what's it called? Megillat Esther, the Scroll of Esther. Not a trick question. The word Megilla, the word Megilla means a scroll but the word Megilla, to be megaleh is giluy is to reveal. Esther comes from the language of hester, the hiddenness. We read the Megilla to reveal what's hidden. We don't hear, we know the story, what do I have to hear the story for the billionth time? We know the story, we had the whole story, I got the story, we're hungry, can't we eat? What why, we know the story. But we're not listening to review a story that we already know. We're doing it as an exercise, it's an exercise. Here's the challenge, there should be a clap on the bima, we're about to hear the Megilla, reveal the hidden. Find Hashem's name between the lines. Read the story of the beepers, buses, ballistic missiles that Hashem's name is not mentioned and find Hashem in the story. That's Megillat Esther. It should be easier for us than ever to experience Purim because the last year and a half, though there's been tragedy and challenge and loss and it's hard to see Hashem in so many of those places, but there's also been miracles, miracles where we can read Hashem's name between the lines. So back to the question, why is it if you go to Israel for Pesach but you live in Boca Raton you have to keep two days, but if you live in Yerushalayim and you go to Raanana on Purim you observe Raanana's Purim? Why is that? It's not the normal rule. Says the Rav Elimelech, the answer is that Purim teaches us emuna in Hashem's providence. Part of this emuna is the awareness, you ready? That wherever a person is located at any given time, it was basherte that he be there. So his status on Purim is based on where he is on Purim. When it comes to Pesach your status is where you're from. But Purim the whole holiday is Hashem's providence. Purim the whole essence and theme is I am where I'm meant to be. So if I'm in Netanya on Purim, forget that I get my mail in Yerushalayim, this is where I'm meant to be, Purim I'm meant to observe. The whole holiday of Purim is, if you have to summarize what's Purim? Embrace your place. You are where you're meant to be. That's the holiday of Purim. Megalleh et hahester, reveal what is hidden. Mishenichnas Adar, let Adar enter you and marbim besimcha. You know how you'll go through life if you know, 'yeah, we'll see how it turns out, it's an adventure, I don't know what will be'. I'm not envious of what other people have because I have what I'm meant to have. And I'm not worried about a future because Hashem is in charge, He's in control, the future will bring whatever the future is supposed to bring. I take my initiative, I make my effort, I do whatever's under my power and my control and then I let go and I let God and I'm filled with simcha, with joy, with serenity and tranquility, with peace of mind, with clarity, with confidence, with calmness because Mishenichnas Adar when I let Hashem in. So we made the decal for the car, we made the sticker, we got the luggage tag, we got it all, we'll figure out how to get it out. Last week on *Zayin Adar*, every *Zayin Adar* I meet members of our *chevra kadisha* in one of the cemeteries where we do the *taharas* of the people who are buried there. So I made up as always to meet a group there. And the person leading the group who was in a car, we had made up a certain time to meet, and she sent me a text. What's your ETA? I said I'm here. We're running late. And then, I didn't answer, even though I was standing there a little bit frustrated, not at her, but at the circumstance that I got down there, she was late. She sends me a text of the picture of the decal on her windshield. Sorry we're a few minutes late, embrace your place. So this whole thing is coming back to haunt me in a big way. My daughter with the car, your car is where it's meant to be, me with my daughter, your bagel is where it's meant to be, and now the head of our *chevra kadisha* telling the rabbi, just relax rabbi, we're running late, but embrace your place. Here's a picture of your decal, you are where you are meant to be. Okay, we're already deep into the *shiur* so I'll just read one or two more emails before we get back into our text, but I love this one because it's from a young girl. Dear Rabbi Goldberg and all the Living with Emuna listeners, this is the first email I have that was addressed to you, our listeners. Thank you so much for the Living with Emuna *shiurim*, they really inspire and strengthen me. I wrote this letter because I want to share with you and with the Living with Emuna listeners what I learned from listening to this podcast. Also, I want to share something that happened to me today. I've been *davening* for it to happen and to go successfully. I live in *Yerushalayim* *baruch Hashem* I'm very thankful. I'm 12 and a half and seventh grade. Today I went to my first interview for high school. The school sounds like a good fit for me and very high level learning which I want. My family and I have been *davening* that I will get an interview, that it will go well, that I'll get accepted. During the interview the principal asked me, what is the big value you have? I answered her, *emuna* in *Hashem*. Even if something doesn't go the way I want it to go, it's from *Hashem*. For example, for example, it's a *nes* that I was invited for this interview, this 12 and a half year old tells the interviewer. The same way as everything else is a *nes*. Although I don't know for sure if I'll be accepted, and the bad is all from God, the bad is also for our good, even if we don't know what is good about... I can imagine this interviewer is interviewing this 12 and a half year old girl who gives her an *emuna* *shiur* about it's a miracle that I'm here, and however it will go it's from *Hashem*, and *emuna* is my value. I do hope the interview went well, I'll get accepted to the high school, I think it went pretty well. I hope to write again soon with the good news I got accepted and the school will be the right fit for me, thank you so much again. And under the email's a little PS from the mother. I want you to know that right after the interview, she said I have something to do, I have to write to Rabbi Goldberg. She wrote this letter the same day, and I told her I would send it to you, I'm embarrassed it took me this long, although obviously today's exactly the right day to finally take care of it and get the letter to whom it was addressed, thank you for the continuous inspiration, blah blah blah, warm so on and so forth. I didn't get the postscript yet, but she already knows because she already said, whichever way it goes is the right thing for her. You know how many people did not get in where they wanted to go, a door closed and where they were redirected was the right place for them, was the right place for them. *Hakadosh Baruch Hu* sometimes closes doors, he opens others, but he brings us where we're meant to be, where we're wanted, where we're needed, where we find out who we're supposed to be and what life is supposed to be, what life is supposed to be about. Ay ay ay. Okay, one more quick one. Dear Rabbi Goldberg, listening to the *emuna* *shiur* for six months, it's really made me reframe my viewpoint and see *Hashem* in my daily life. I want to share an experience that happened to my family. Several years ago, my relative who I was close with died suddenly in a fire. I received an inheritance. It had always been a dream of mine to build a beautiful *sukka* that would be easy for my husband to put up. We used a significant part of the money to build a new deck with a pergola that attracts to easily install walls. *Sukkos* is my favorite *chag*, and this family member always enjoyed spending the holidays with us so it seemed fitting. Two weeks ago on *Motzei Shabbos* I was standing in the kitchen when a huge tree fell down in our yard. The tree landed on the pergola which slowed it. Although it hit the house above the kitchen, the pergola took the brunt of the damage. The house received minor damage but the roof did not cave in, no one inside was hurt. I can't describe the fear at seeing the tree fall, how thankful I was that no one was hurt and there were no live wires or myriad of other things that could have happened. Although I'm sad looking at the broken pergola I realize the huge hug that came from *Hashem* and from this relative. I do not know why that tree had to fall but clearly *Hashem* was looking out for us. I'm not sure that prior listening to the *shiur* I would have connected all of the dots. I probably would have just been upset about the situation. I see the plan of *Hashem* that he was looking out for us. One of my friends even pointed out it is *Pesach* that is coming not *Sukkos* and we'll God willing have our *sukka* fixed and beautiful by then, thank you for the inspiration. So some emails, there are a lot more, I thank everyone who sent. Back to our text, we're learning *Emuna u'Bitachon* and we are on page *lamed bais*. We said רמז לדבר אברהם אבינו. We last left off and we're talking about, I also again, you want to talk *hashgacha*, I didn't tell Rav Schorr... that we've been talking about hemanti ki adaber, bezras Hashem, im yirtzeh Hashem, thank you Hashem. But he sat down and what did he start talking about? I said, could you give ten minutes of emuna for the emuna shiur. But of course, he picked up where we left off because Hashem is in charge. So I didn't have to tell him what we were talking about. Hashem controls and orchestrates and curates everything. Mind-boggling, it's extraordinary, it's amazing. How'd everyone do with their homework? Doing well with the homework? Please God, thank God, God willing, God help, im yirtzeh Hashem, bezras Hashem, chasdei Hashem, hemanti ki adaber. We take those baby steps by talking about Hashem. At first you'll feel weird. What am I, some kind of evangelical proselytizing? Who am I? I'm preaching now? And the answer is yes, be a preacher. In your home, to your friends, not indoctrinating them but simply nuance, subtly talking about it. Don't indoctrinate, don't hit them over the head with a hammer, just live it. Several have spoken to me, men about their wives, women about their husbands, we're not necessarily on the same page. I can't get them to listen to the emuna shiur. I can't get them into what I'm into. We're not living the same plane, we're not doing the same thing. We spoke about this last week too. The answer is don't hit them over the head. Don't indoctrinate, don't preach, don't force, just be you. And when they see how healthy, how happy you are, who wouldn't want that too? When there's a situation they panic, but you're calm. They're angry, and you're patient. They're frustrated, and you're good to go. And they understand where's that coming from, emuna? Because I've been living with emuna and look how it's changed my life, our relationship, my parenting, my professional life. Who wouldn't want that too? So don't indoctrinate and don't preach, just be and live hemanti ki adaber. Other people will believe because you speak subtly. That was Yosef. שם שמים שגור בפיו. Yosef always talked about Hashem and by the time he's done with Paroh, this pagan idolater all of a sudden is talking about God. Yosef didn't say, could we go over the Bible codes? Yosef didn't say, come to the discovery seminar. Yosef didn't say, shegetz, how do you not believe? Yosef simply didn't stop talking about God and the result and consequence were Paroh himself starts talking about God. Hemanti ki adaber, we have to speak about Hashem. So it was hashgacha, it was the hand of Hashem that Rav Schorr picked up where we left off. Everything is Hashem. I wrote an article this week, I'll post it in the group and the opening of it was Chaim, my friend Chaim. I called him when the campaign finished. I want to thank all those who contributed and gave, it means the world to me from the bottom of my heart. I'm only bringing up the campaign again not to ask for more, though we're not done yet. We're not done. Unlike the Mishkan, we're not done, we'll never be done. We need more, but the campaign was a success, a smashing success because so many of you gave or made pages or teams and helped us collect and it meant the absolute world to me, to us. Thank you for building and inspiring Torah, it's incredible. So I called Chaim and I said, Chaim, you're going to get to Shamayim after a hundred and twenty and Hashem is going to say to you, Chaim, good job, you gave almost seven million dollars to Boca Raton Synagogue community to grow Torah. And he's going to say, excuse me, what? Where? I made what commitment? Quickly he's going to run to the charity.com/brs page to check, did it list you for seven million dollars? And it doesn't. But how does it mean? We had hit a wall and we were frustrated. We weren't sure how to proceed and where to go and how to get this done and what would be. And frankly, I was a little bit, I'm embarrassed to tell you, the magid shiur of the emuna shiur, I was a little down in the dumps. And Chaim came from New York to meet with me about something totally different and when we sat down before we started he said, what's the deal with this campus thing? I see this dirt outside but there's no energy. Unlike everything BRS does, there's no energy, there's no excitement, I don't see anything about it. What's going on? I said, we hit this wall, I don't know what it's going to be, I don't know how to go, I don't know how to proceed, we have some challenges. He said, you've got to do a matching campaign. And in sixty seconds he told me why and how and I'm telling you it'll work and you've got to do it. And I spent sixty seconds telling him why he's wrong and that won't work with us and our people don't do that and it'll never happen. But the rest of the day I couldn't stop thinking about it, couldn't stop thinking about it. And the rest is history because literally on a crazy short timeline, a few weeks later, we put together and we executed a campaign that Baruch Hashem is closing in on seven million dollars. Wow. So I said, the hashgacha that he was visiting from New York that day, the hashgacha that he brought up the topic, the hashgacha that he gave an example he had just done, the hashgacha, all of it was, nothing is coincidence. He gave seven million dollars because had he not done that, I'd still be sitting here with my hands in the air not knowing what to do. Hashem is orchestrating. So just pick up the signal and look for it and thank him so much each time he does. It's all coming from him. It's all coming from him. Baruch Hashem, bezras Hashem, chasdei Hashem, im yirtzeh Hashem, it's all coming from him. And that was the letter He, the letter He was added. to Avram's name, because the letter hey, you spell hey, hey yud or hey hey or hey aleph, and we know it spells Im Yirtzeh Hashem. That's how Avram began to live, and that's when Avram instilled in us וזו האות נוספה לשמו של אברם אבינו כשרצה להשלים נפשו לבוראו ללמד כי העצה היעוצה להגיע להשגת השלמות turn to page Lamed Gimmel 33 that the advice and the path, the formula to a life of Hashem באמצעות האמונה וההכרה הברורה is a life of submit, surrender to God, let go and let God, see his guiding hand, understand he's in charge, he's in control. Destroy the Amalek. That's also Purim. Amalek is not just Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, people like Colombia, the Jewish members of Congress who are more concerned with reinstating the visa of terrorists who want to kill Jews. That's not the only Amalek. Amalek is the voice inside our head of doubt, of uncertainty. That's Amalek. Amalek is Sufek. Amalek is Gematria Sufek. What's Sufek? Oh, Rav Schorr would be proud. What's Sufek? Doubt. Amalek is the same numerical value as the word Sufek, doubt. Why? Because you know what Amalek likes to do? Instill a little doubt. You have all this confidence it's from Hashem, there's a reason, there's a purpose, this is my meaning, this is what I'm meant to do, this is where I'm meant to be, and then that little voice that creeps in and says, are you sure? Are you positive? Eh, he may not even exist. Who knows if he's even here? And who knows if he's even in charge? And who knows if he even cares about what's going on in your life? Are you sure? Are you sure you're ready to let go and let God? That little voice of doubt, that's Amalek. That's Amalek. What Rav Hutner calls Amalek is what Rav Hutner calls Koach HaChillul. Chillul is M'lashon Challal, a vacuum, a hole, an emptiness. Amalek pushes Hashem out. There's no God here. There's just a big vacuum, just random and chance and happenstance and coincidence. That's the voice of Amalek. Amalek is the voice of eh, nothing impresses me, nothing's awesome. The word awesome that we've diluted and destroyed, that word awesome, but it really means something, it's an awesome word, awesome. It means worthy of awe. That's awesome, worthy of awe. We should be in awe. But we live in a time there's no awe, nothing impresses us. Instead of awe, we live in the generation of eh. Awe is wow, did you see that building, that painting, that sculpture, that literary work? Did you see that giant you were just in the presence? I'm in awe, I'm in awe of a Tzaddik, a Tzedekes. We once were a people that felt awe, now we're so looking at our phone, eh. We see something, eh. I saw something more impressive on the internet, someone sent me a video something even better, eh. Food, eh. How was the concert? Eh. How was the shiur, the Rabbi? Eh. Everything's eh. That's Amalek. Amalek is Koach HaChillul. Amalek is the Koach of eh, eh. And what's a Yid, a Jew? Is the Koach HaHillul. Hillul is M'lashon Hallel. Chillul is everything's eh. Lashon HaHillul, Hillul is everything's awe, wow, that's awesome. That's awesome. Yocheved and I were at a concert Sunday, the great Hatzalah concert was beautiful, we were walking out and she stopped. She said, look at that sunset. That's awesome. I don't know how many people saw it, it happened to be everybody was facing the stage and the sunset was behind them. I'm not blaming them, but they were looking at the concert, which was amazing, and behind them Hashem was putting on his own show. There was an amazing show on stage and behind everyone Hashem was putting on his own show, which he does every day, which is called a sunset. And the sky was every kind of red and orange and the hues and it was amazing, it was beautiful. And Amalek would say, keep walking, eh, nothing to see here. What's the big deal? It's a sunset. It rises every day, it sets every day, keep walking, nothing to see here. But the Koach of a Yid is not to listen to Amalek Koach HaChillul, it's the Koach HaHillul, is to stop and pause and say, wow, that's awesome. Did you hear that new song? It's awesome. Not like a sixties hippie, awesome dude, but it's awesome, like it's awesome, it's worthy of awe. It's worthy of awe. Did you see that sunset? It's awesome. It's awesome. That recipe's awesome, that person's awesome, that idea, that story, that impact, that visit, they're awesome. That's how we destroy Amalek. We gotta get rid of the Amalek. Amalek are the physical Amalek who threaten us with their violence, with annihilation, with elimination. That's Amalek and we gotta get rid of them and our brave soldiers, our heroic soldiers, we daven for, they're getting rid of the Amalek. But there's an Amalek in our hearts and in our heads. There's the Amalek the voice of doubt, the voice of uncertainty, the voice of eh, of being unimpressed with anything, and it has to be replaced with the voice of awe, the voice of seeing Hashem everywhere. Everywhere, the voice of Hashem's in charge, Hashem's in control. I have no doubt, I have no uncertainty, I have calm and I have confidence. Last year when Rav Shore was here, he suffers, he should have a refuah sheleimah, challenges in his spine, you see it's hard for him to walk, sleep, move. And I asked him one morning, staying at our house, how is the Rav feeling? And he paused and he looked at me, he said, exactly how Hashem wants me to feel. What I loved about that answer is, he didn't give some Shanah Aleph, I'm not knocking the Shanah Aleph, but he didn't give some Baruch Hashem, I'm in pain like Hashem wants me to, Baruch Hashem I feel great. He didn't give some fake answer. He's in pain. But that's how Hashem wants me to feel, so I feel the way Hashem wants me to feel. I don't know anyone else would answer that. Hashem wasn't part of that question. How do you feel? I had a good night, I had a bad night, it hurts, I'm feeling better. Where does Hashem fit into that question or that answer? But for a Rav Shore, he's part of every question. He's the answer to every question. How do I feel? The way Hashem wants me to feel. I'm working to feel better, I hope to feel better, I'm not denying that I'm in pain because that's foolish. Hashem doesn't want that from us. If we're in pain, if we're grieving, if we've suffered loss, if we're sad, He doesn't want us denying real feelings, just to understand and embrace and accept that that too is all part of coming from Hashem, that's all part of our story, it's where we're meant to be in this moment, even if we're trying to break out of it. It's all Koach ha-Hillel, says Rav Hutner. Not Koach ha-Hillul of an Amalek. Avraham Avinu is the letter Heh and for all of us, היא אם ירצה השם our life will change. Mishenichnas Adar, when we don't just enter the month of Adar, but when Adar enters us. Adar, the Aleph dar, when we give Hashem a dwelling in our life by Hamanti ki adaber, we talk about him always, then we'll see Marbin beSimcha. We'll be beSimcha. This is what's meant to be, this is how it's meant to happen. This decal, I can tell you several times has had an impact on me. I'm frustrated, I'm angry, I'm resentful, who's keeping me waiting in the car? Who's still stuck at this red light? Why is this traffic happening making me late? And you just embrace that moment and you realize no, no, no, it's wasted energy. Who has time? You have enough energy to waste some? I don't. You have enough emotional bandwidth to waste some? I don't. So preserve it, save it, direct it where it's meant to be and don't waste it on things we can't control and the way to be able to do that is embrace your place, to recognize we are where we're meant to be, to let go and let God, to live with emuna, to live with Hashem, to take those baby steps on that ramp and to realize, it won't change anything, it won't make it go faster, it won't necessarily resolve that problem that's out of my control and out of my hands. What do I need to do and how do I live with Koach ha-Hillel? See Hashem everywhere and that Heh. הכרה ברורה כי לכל דבר נצרך סיעתא דשמיא. Everything needs Divine Providence. Everything needs Hashem's help. Will the challos, will they be killer challos or will they flop? Will the hamantashen come out or will they explode and the jelly will go everywhere and they won't be the neat corners? I like it when they don't go right, because when I sneak in the kitchen and try to take some, I won't say who but I'm told, no, no, take the ones that don't look right. Not saying who. I have a Koach ha-Hillel, I say these hamantashen, they're awesome. This is the nicest hamantashen I ever saw. And the person who made those hamantashen happens to be celebrating a birthday today and I don't want to say who they are and embarrass them. I'm not saying who, but I wouldn't be where I am, and I said as I said to them this morning privately, but I'll say publicly, because I was born before they were, that the day they were born was the best thing that ever happened in my life because even though I wouldn't find that other half to be whole for several years, but Hashem declared already in heaven that our halves were meant to be a whole so Baruch Hashem it's my birthday too, you should give me a present. No, I'm just joking. But a very happy birthday, in good health and for many years to come and continue to bake killer hamantashen with just a few not turning out exactly right so I can sneak them in the kitchen. They're awesome. Koach ha-Hillel. They and you are awesome. So, but to live with an Avraham, the letter Heh is im yirtzeh Hashem שזכינו לסיוע מן השמים. How'd I get on that? Because the challah, the hamantashen, the kugel, the carpool, the meeting at work, the client, the customer, the campaign that you're running, the drasha you have to give, everything needs Siyata d'Shemaya. Will the technology work to stream Rav Shore, will it work for Rav Shore, can you sit, will the camera pick up, will he be heard? Everything needs Siyata d'Shemaya. Everything needs it. We spoke last week, you start your day, what's on tap today? Look in your schedule, Hashem, I need Siyata d'Shemaya for this, this, the other thing, oh don't forget that, and also... It's all coming from Hashem ויגיע למדרגה הגבוהה להיות נקרא אב המון גויים and to get to this Avram. How did Avram become the father of all nations? The father of monotheism, ethical monotheism, preaching and teaching and changing and transforming the world? Because he saw and he taught Hashem everywhere. Everywhere. This has been my calling for the last several years. I grew up in a world and in a system which I learned and gained and made me who I am, but largely was absentist, with no criticism of those who came before, maybe it was a different generation, they didn't need it. But my education did not talk about Hashem. We memorized Lamed Tes Melachos and we memorized and we gained skills and vocabulary in Gemara. And we memorized and we learned what the holidays were about or the Halacha how to observe them. And we learned beautiful Divrei Torah on the Parsha. But a constant conversation, awareness, consciousness, invoking Hashem's name, it wasn't there. And we need it now more than ever. And the educators, which all parents and grandparents are, are the principal educators. We need it. We desperately need it. We need it for ourselves. We can't talk it, we can't speak it with any authority or any authenticity if we don't live it. Children can see right through. They know who's fake. They know who's faking it. So it has to be authentic and we have to grow and learn it. And this is my calling, I feel like, the last few years. And I'll say that of all the shiurim I give, of all the shiurim I give, I would say the Living with Emunah, I won't tell you the numbers that apparently, and the many, the community of Living with Emunah that we are around the world that I'm so grateful, beyond grateful and humbled and proud. But the numbers tell me that this is what's needed and the most implemented as well, more. So we need this, the world needs this, we desperately need this. And we used to not have it because I think we thought, you know, that's for simple people. They talk about Hashem as their Hashem is everywhere. That's simple people. Im Yirtzeh Hashem, Hashem up the parking lot, get us this parking space. Thank Hashem for the food, Hashem, you know, but if you're sophisticated and highfalutin and you have a fancy vocabulary and you know big terms, then you know, that's not what you talk about. But it's wrong, it's wrong. The smarter, the fancier you are, the more sophisticated you are, the more we should be talking about Hashem. The more we need to talk about Hashem. The more, the more, the more. So I want to wish everyone a Freilichen Purim. First of all, thank you again for the help with the campaign. And thank you Hashem for the zchus of Rav Shore. Thank you Hashem for sending Chaim to give the idea of the campaign. Thank you Hashem for forming this community. I want to wish everyone a Freilichen Purim. You know Purim, the miracle of Purim happened where? Shushan. Where was Shushan? Persia. Where's Persia? Iran. We need modern-day miracles ליהודים היתה אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר Hashem should bring this Purim and even yet before, miracles, miracles, miracles. Hostages should be home, our soldiers should be safe. Next week, the Emunah shiur is from Yerushalayim on Monday at 10 a.m. We'll stream it. You will likely be sleeping. Maybe you'll wake up early, 4 o'clock in the morning, if you want to wake up early, feel free to join or you can watch it later. And we'll pick up the week after. Have a Freilichen Freilichen Purim. Safe travels, Rabbi Shore.
