Transcript
Good morning and Boker Tov. Welcome back to Living with Emuna where we come together to try to increase not only our awareness of Hashem's role in our lives but to nurture that love, to nurture that relationship, to make that time and to have that communication and to feel His presence. I want to thank Dr. Zavi and Bella Morgan who generously sponsored the Emuna series for the year in memory of Rabbi Dr. Brian Gabbitt, ברוך צבי בן ראובן נתן. Also a special thanks to Leo and Lucy Dee of Ephrat who've been sponsoring the last several classes in memory of Leo's great-grandfather, Rabbi Yehuda Halevi. And this morning we're going to finish up what we've been learning together, the piece by the Bilvavi, Rav Itamar Schwartz, a long essay, it's taken us several months to learn through it together, all about how Emuna is not a muscle we work out, Emuna is not a choice in the moment, Emuna is an attitude, it's a filter, it is the LASIK surgery through which we view the world. So first of all you probably can't see, let me tell you to begin with first of all, there was a terrible storm yesterday, so the internet is out and cell coverage is spotty, so if I lose you, I'm recording it audio also, it will be online, but hopefully Hashem will be kind to us and we will be able to remain connected virtually throughout the shiur number one. Number two, you likely can't see them, but sitting behind me are two deer, just sitting on the grass, and I can't help but feel like they pulled up to learn together this morning. Magnificent, beautiful creatures of Hashem, so elegant and so swift and so beautiful, two Bambis just sitting there learning, joining with us together today. Okay, so we're going to finish this piece, we're on the very last page, a couple paragraphs left, and again to review the theme, to review the theme of Rav Schwartz is the idea that we can live our lives battling the impediments, the obstacles that are before us from when we wake up in the morning to we fall asleep thinking that there are so many challenges we have to overcome or we can see the world operating in harmony. We can see everything coming together for a reason, for a purpose, by design. There is the external sense of selves that we live and it's true and it's real, it's not counterfeit, it's very authentic, it's very real. The reality is there are challenges, there are challenges. I tell you, Yocheved and I feel beyond blessed, thank you for those wishing Mazel Tov this morning, we had the wedding of our daughter Atara last night to Kalev and the challenges we had, we would take out of a pile out of a million opportunities a million times. There are people with real challenges, so what I'm about to describe is not a challenge at all, we know it was for a simcha and we would do it a billion times again before some of the real challenges that some of you and some people that we know and love have to go through. But you talk about obstacles and impediments, I will tell you that I pulled up to the place we were supposed to have the wedding, which was consistent with the law and what was right, in a tent outdoors, but because of the tropical storm that hit New Jersey, of course it didn't hit Florida where we didn't make the wedding, but came and followed us up to New Jersey that sent the tent 100 feet in the air and crashed and collapsed and destroyed. And if I showed you a picture of this tent you would understand why we're just grateful nobody was hurt. So okay, there was no tent, the tent option was taken away from us. Calm, everybody happy, calm, we'll figure it out. About 20 minutes later, there went the power in the hall. Okay, no power, no food, no air conditioning, no video, and most significantly no hair and makeup, which was disastrous. So they had to go find somebody who had power to do hair and makeup elsewhere rather than the hall. It was exciting, it was exciting. If not for the Emuna shiurim that we've been doing together the last weeks and months, and I'm not going to take the time now, I mentioned it on the chuppah actually, a list of what went into this wedding, all the things that could have and sort of challenged us making it really, really challenging. But Hashem came through in the end and there was always a master plan. And I'm proud, if it weren't for this Emuna shiur, each time we took a deep breath. The chassan and kallah most of all inspired us with rolling with the punches, it'll be what it'll be. We got a chuppah, we got a chassan and a kallah, and if we have no power and if we have no guests and if we have no food, they will still be happily married the next day, and that's all that matters. And if you keep your eye on the ball in life and you focus on what matters, you focus on what's there and not what's missing, then you're prepared for the worst, you can get through nearly, nearly anything. It's a philosophy, it's an attitude, Emuna. This is by design, this is the way it was meant to be. There was this question about outdoors and the weather and the wind and what would be, and one of the hair and makeup people told us the night before they had been at a wedding that was outdoors, a gust of wind threw a glass that broke, a shard went in someone's eye. There was dangerous to hosting weddings outdoors, indoors, and Hashem took the decision out of our hands and Hashem paskened, Hashem decided for us. So sometimes you can look at the challenges you have and you can say why me, other times you can say thank you Hashem, you're giving clear direction, you're taking the choices away and you're leaving fewer options, narrowing the options, and that in itself can be viewed as a as a gift. The list could go on and on. I had many people commented to me that there's enough emuna material for the emuna shiur for months and months and months. And like I say, these aren't challenges, people have real challenges, we're grateful these are our challenges, and we feel blessed beyond possible, possible words. And I hope Esty Lupin is on. Esty was godsend in helping us organize and plan and execute what was a wonderful, wonderful simcha in the end. Why am I sharing this with you? And by the way, the sheitel is still missing. So if anyone has any contacts at FedEx, that story does not yet have the happy ending. But you know what? Some of us have learned to live without hair, so she'll have to learn to live without hair too. It's okay. It's not so terrible. It's not so terrible. She'll get it someday. So not every emuna story do I tell you has the happy ending. Sometimes things are lost in space and who knows if you'll ever find them. So why do I share this with you? Because this is the hisnagdus, this is the opposition, the challenges, the obstacles. You wake up in the morning and you think it's going to be a day of kulo simcha, and you don't know the tropical storm followed you and the tent imploded and the power went out and this went wrong and the other thing went wrong and who knows what's going to be. Hakadosh Baruch Hu has a way. Focus on what you have, not what's missing. Focus on the gift of narrowing options and taking away choices which are impossible decisions to make. Focus on what you have in the world operating in harmony by design, feeling the hand of Hashem because things are just too crazy to have happened by chance. It must be by the design of of Hashem. So the external sense of self wants to lose your cool. My mother was sitting with me in the lobby of this place as the power was out and we didn't know what would be and she said, "Thank God for those emuna shiurim." And we laughed and we were calm and we were all good because if you develop that filter, that perspective, that vision, if you look at life in that way, then you don't need to reach deep to find it when you need it when it might be too late and it may not be there to help you. If you live your life in the everyday, the minutiae, the small, the unimportant, the negligent, then when the big issues come up you will have trained yourself, trained yourself that no matter the hisnagdus, no matter the opposition on the outside you're able to live with harmony and peace and trust and faith on the inside. הגישה המוכרחה לגלות לפחות כח של בטחון אמת באדם התעסקות עם שורש עצם כח הביטחון שבנפש. The first thing to do is to realize the sense of faith that we have. We mentioned this last week. Our internal sense of self has the ability to trust. We have the ability to trust. We trust PSE&G, we trust the lawyer, the doctor, the bandleader, the photographer, we trust the doctor, we trust the insurance broker, we trust the traffic light, we trust the pharmacy, we trust the food we picked up from the store. We innately live with a sense of trust a million times a day in all that we do. We know we have trust. We know we have faith. Now normally we put that הגישה זו עבודה המתרחשת בבניין הכרה שכל פעולה שאדם פועל הכח האמיתי בתוכו כחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא יתברך שמו. We have trust as we talked about making a cup of coffee, lifting it to our lips successfully. We have trust we're going to dance and not break our leg. We have trust and faith in the decisions we're making all the time. But we make the mistake of thinking it's an inner trust, it's an inner self-confidence, it's an inner self-assuredness. And we have to realize הכח האמיתי הפועל בתוכו, that the true force, the true energy, the true skill, the true talents that are within us הוא כחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא יתברך שמו. It all comes from Hashem, it all comes from Hashem. Whatever your gift, whatever your gift that you have, whatever your talents, whatever your blessings, whatever your skill sets, they are on loan, they're not part of your permanent collection. You have them today and they could absolutely be gone tomorrow. תחילה הכרה בדעת לאחר מכן העמקת הכרה עד לתפיסה חושית ברורה. First you have to work on awareness, self-awareness, awareness of where we're trusting, awareness of where we put faith, awareness that we know we have that power within us. עד כמה שאין לאדם הכרה כזו בנפשו אלא הוא סבור וחשוב פועל מכחו של בעצמו הרי שהוא חשוף להתנגדויות. So the more that we think it's up to us, the more we think it's our talents and skill sets, the more we think we own it, it's not on loan, the more we think that really it's in the people and it's our choices to choose those people, then, then the more we see opposition, the more we see obstacles, the more we see challenges around us. What do you mean the power went out? What do you mean the tent imploded? We micromanaged every detail of this amazing day. What do you mean there are things around me I can't control that are trying to compromise or sabotage what I planned? I'm in charge, I'm in control, I micromanaged, I power my way through. What do you mean? But the more you realize that I make my best effort, I take my initiative, and I do everything I can, whether it's my health and the health of my family, whether it's in a job, in shidduchim, whether it's in having children, in any area of life, I can only do my best, and even that which I do my best, the power to do my best comes from Hashem, and afterwards I let go and I let God. Chashuf lehisnagduyos. So when you think that it's all about you, you see obstacles and challenges, you see opposition, you see people, things, and nature that's not cooperating with you all around. around you. But the more you realize it's not up to me to begin with, I do my best, I do all I can, and after that I let go and I let God, after that it's up to Hashem, then you see no opposition. This is all part of his plan. It's all part of his plan. You know, as we traced and tracked the tropical storm that Baruch Hashem missed our beloved Florida, instead decided to follow us up here, so the forecasters can drive you nut, forecasters could put you in a mental hospital, the forecasters could absolutely rob you of your serenity, your peace, your happiness. It's their job. They have to scare you enough to make sure you take action so people are safe. That's their job. Wish they were a little better at their job, but that's their job. It's not their fault. That's the one thing, the, you know, the Mishnah tells us, Hakadosh Baruch Hu handed the keys to the whole world to us. Said, go conquer my world, go study it, go understand it, go build it, go manipulate it, go control it. Three keys Hashem held onto, say our rabbis. The key of the weather, rain, the key of fertility, life, and the key to the resurrection of the dead to bring someone back from. Now we know that God has the key to bringing people back from the dead. There are many people who are long gone or short gone and we wish they were back, we miss them terribly. But that's up to Hashem, we can't control it. We have not yet learned how to resurrect the dead. But we sometimes forget that Hashem tells us he holds the keys to the other two: fertility. People trying desperately to have children, doctors, fertility specialists mixing the ingredients in the laboratory, but ultimately whether they take root or not is up to, exclusively up to Hashem. And the key to the rain or the weather, and every time there is a weather incident, I am reminded of our rabbinic insight of 2,000 years ago. We have satellites that can connect to my GPS to tell me where the police are and where the traffic is and reroute me. We have technology that is beyond belief, and we still can't figure out where the stinking hurricane or tropical storm is going. We can't even narrow it down. We don't know its timeline, we don't know its destination. That's how little we have control. Hakadosh Baruch Hu holds the key. That's Gevurah. That's why we begin our Amidah in the three blessings of praise, we begin our Amidah, the Berachah of Gevurah of God's might is what? Is משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם, he controls the rain, and Techiyas Hameisim, life. All three keys he holds, by the way, really are one. They're all about life. The rain is the sustenance and nourishes, it sustains life, and fertility is life, and to bring life back, the resurrection of the dead is, is of course life. So all of them really are about, are about life. Hakadosh Baruch Hu holds the keys to life. We have a lot of keys, we operate in the world, we try to manipulate and control the world to the best of our ability the way he wants us to, but ultimately we have to, we have to submit and we have to confess that it's up to him. He holds these keys. That's the Gevurah, that's how we begin our Amidah. Hashem, I have a bunch of things to ask you, but before we get up to my asks, let me admit you are categorically different than I am. I know I think I just planned that whole event, I know I think that I control whatever area of my life, I know I think I'm in charge, but before I ask you for help and the list of things I need, let me make a Berachah, a blessing of praise, let me acknowledge you've got those keys, not me. That's why I'm here, that's why I'm asking you, that's why I need you. It's an admission, it's a confession. Hashem, I'm nothing without you, I'm nothing without you. Without you all I see is opposition and obstacles, Hisnagdus in the world, and with you there's nothing that stands in my way. Not when I'm waiting for the return of a corona test, and not when I'm following the forecast of a storm, and not while I'm waiting to find out whether the power comes back on. There is no Hisnagdus, there's nothing opposite, there is no force, there is nothing opposite. You hear that, dear? There's nothing opposite us. It's all there, it's all there for us. So it's our choice. Do you want the peace and the serenity and the harmony? Do you want to be able to make it and weather through whatever life is throwing at you, or do you want to lose your cool, you want to lose your sleep, you want to lose your peace, you want to lose your health over things you can't control in the end of the day anyway, nonetheless? The things you can't control nonetheless. So yesterday as I was following that forecast and trying not to internalize it and just watching, and watching the track and the speed and the timeline and would any guests show up, could they make it through this weather, what would be, could we be outdoors, could we follow what was the health guideline and the law and so on. So yesterday's Tehillim, Tehillim can be broken up into 30 parts and you say several Perakim each day and you finish all of Tehillim once a month. I've been doing it for many, many years as a complement to the Davening that we do and I find it very powerful to think of specific people, things to be Davening for. So yesterday's Tehillim included the Pasuk, it's in Perek Ayin Gimmel, it's in chapter 73 verse 28 of Tehillim. Dovid HaMelech says, Va'ani, as for me, קרבת אלקים לי טוב, just drawing close to Hashem is for me good. קרבת אלקים לי טוב. Va'ani, when it comes to me, I like a good steak and a scotch, a good cigar. When it comes to me, I'd like a good vacation. When it comes to me, I want a good, I want a good Geshmahk Shiur. Va'ani, when it comes to me, there's a lot of things I want. But says Dovid HaMelech, you know what I want most? Va'ani, when it comes to me, pertaining to me, the most important thing, what I really only want, how I get through life, Kirvas Elokim, I just draw close to Hashem, Li Tov. That's the best thing in life. life. It's the most delicious delicacy. It is the greatest. It is tov. It is the tov of my life. It's what I want, kirvas Elokim, to feel close to Him. For 'cause you can't scare me, electric company you can't scare me, plane, airline running on time, you can't scare me. None of it can scare me. קרבת אלקים לי טוב because ani when it comes to me, I just want to feel and when I feel close to you, when I draw close to you, I have the strength and I have the courage and I have the power to endure whatever you throw my way. ההתנגדות לפי העניין והמקום פעמים שהיא נראית רחוקה פעמים שהיא קרובה בבחינת כזאב בין שבעים זאבים. ממילא אין שום ערובה ובטחון להצלחת פעולתו, לעומת זאת אם אדם מכיר הכרה עמוקה בנפשו כי הכוח הפועל בו הוא כוחו של בורא עולם יתברך שמו שזהו כוח שאין לו התנגדות כלל, ממילא כיוון שאין מי שיוכל להתנגד לפעולתו שייך לבטוח בטחון אמת. What is bitachon? It's confidence. It's surety. It's calmness. Bitachon is I know this is going to work out. Who are you, you arrogant pompous fool, that you know everything's going to work out? You think everything will always be in your favor? What are you, an arrogant pompous person? You think you can micromanage and power and control everything? The answer's you're right. If you think the reason it'll always work out is because you're in charge and you're in control, then you are nothing but pompous and arrogant. But if the reason you have that betach, the bitachon, the confidence, the reason you're so sure, the reason you know with certainty that everything will always work in your favor is not because you think it's up to you, but because you know there's a Him, you know He's in charge, then that's not arrogance. That is exactly what bitachon, that is exactly what bitachon is. Sheyuchal lehisnaged, there's nothing that could stand in my way. There's nothing. Because this is how it's meant to be. This is how it was designed from above. אדם שישב ובוטח בהקב"ה שישלח לו פרנסתו עד אליו או שיעזור לו להצליח להפיק את רצונו לפועל אינו מסתייע ישירות משורש כוח הביטחון שבנפש. Person who sits and has bitachon in Hashem that He'll send his parnasa until He'll help you, is not really acting with true bitachon. אלא רק עם תולדותיו ופירותיו. So what does that mean? It means that a person who doesn't have parnasa chas v'shalom who's worried how they're going to pay their next bill, how they're going to put food on the table, how they're going to keep a roof over their head, so they say to themselves, I have bitachon, I have, I have faith that Hashem will provide. I have faith that Hashem will provide. So that's a corollary of faith. We're not knocking it. We're not rejecting it. It's a corollary to be able to turn to Him and trust in Him and ask of Him and be grateful to Him. It's a corollary of bitachon, but it's not true bitachon. It's not actual bitachon. Why is it not actual bitachon? Because the answer's not I trust that Hashem will provide my parnasa. The answer is I have trust that however this turns out is the way it's meant to be. However it turns out is the way it's meant to be. It's an extra level. It's an extra layer. It's the attitude that we're meant to have. I can be sure and I can be confident that however it turns out is how it was meant to be. But if my confidence is that however it turns out is the way I want it to be, then I'm not really trusting or having faith in Hashem. Really very narcissistically, all I'm asking Hashem to do is to conform to my agenda and my priorities and my view of the way the world should be. הנגיעה בעצם כוח הביטחון הוא הכרה הברורה שהכוח הפועל בו אינו כוחו שלו אלא כוחו של השם יתברך. הנגיעה בעצם כוח הביטחון is the hakara berura is the, the clear recognition that the koach, that the force that's working is not mine but it's Hashem. Whatever He wants. Whatever He wants. Whatever He wants. So that's our mission, that's our effort. The night before the wedding I went with a chassan to the Rimnitzer Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer cemetery in Monsey, it was apparently open all night long and young children are brought there in the middle of the night as I saw, and to go daven at the kever of the great Rimnitzer Rebbe and Rabbi Eliezer Geldzahler and other, other. But during that day I went with my future son-in-law, now my son-in-law Kalev, to the ohel of the Rebbe, because we were following the forecast, so we went to these tzadikim. You know, if you have to come before the judge, you're coming before a judge and you know somebody who you know is best friends with the judge, would you not go to them and say, could you help me out? Put in a good word. Could you tell me exactly what I need to know in order before I come to the judge? So if you're turning to the judge for help in whatever area, large or small, and we have access to tzadikim alive and in the next world who are super close with the judge, that's why we daven at kivrei tzadikim. We go. We go to the kivrei tzadikim in order to be able to, in order to be able to learn from them. So I went to the ohel of the Rebbe and we were driving back, a long drive to Monsey, and we had a whole discussion about why daven? What's the point of, what were we davening for? What were he and I davening for at the ohel of the Rebbe? So at first blush you'd say, what do you mean? I'm davening for this storm dissipate or blow out to sea. He said, how do you know that's what you should daven for? How do you know that's what's for our best? Maybe in fact what's for our best is for the storm to come and whatever the consequence of that, maybe that's for the best. And if you're davening for the other thing, then maybe you're actually ruining, you're sabotaging. and your happiness success, you're sabotaging what's best for us. This is a classic age-old question about why daven. Why are we davening if it's a clash between my will and my want and the will and want of the infinite omnipotent one, shouldn't we defer and submit to him? So the answer is, the answer is it's a very good question. And the answer is there are many perspectives, but the one I find most compelling and most meaningful and most moving is that either implicit in every tefillah we offer or explicit that we should utter to accompany and introduce every prayer that we say is Hashem, here's my view of the world. And if it happens to conform to what you think is best, it'd be really nice if you make it happen. But if it's not, let's go with you. If it's not, let's do it your way. So I don't know much. I don't know much about tropical storms and forecasts and their patterns. I can't see the future and know the consequences of it comes, if it misses us, what will be. All I know is what seems from my little finite perch, my little perspective, is it'd be really complicated and annoying if it comes our way. So if that for you also you agree, let's get it out of here. But if you disagree and for whatever reason you sent it as a gift to us, then keep things going the way they were. So tefillah is not Hashem I want you to conform to my vision and view of the world, do things the way I see them, the way I want them, because that's not faith in Hashem at all, that again is faith and service and worship of ourselves. Real genuine faith is Hashem, I defer and submit to you. And in any tension or conflict between the two, let's go with you, let's go with you. You're omnipotent, you're infinite, you see far in the future, you know why things have to happen the way they do, that's the way. V'ani when it comes to me kirvas Elokim, all I want is to feel close to you. And when I'm close to you, no forecast can put fear in me because I have the fear of God. And when I'm close to you, no imploded tent, and when I'm close to you, no waiting for the return of a medical test, and when I'm close to you V'ani, as when it comes to me, you know what li tov, you know what's good for me? What's good to me is not what I think is good to me. What's good for me is kirvas Elokim when I'm close to you. And if I'm close to you, then whatever happens is by definition good for me. So here Hashem I think, you know what would be li tov, you know what would be good for me, make things happen all the way I want. But that's not really good for me. In the end, for many people what they want ends up being terribly, devastatingly terrible for them. If they got what they wanted, they'd be in a disastrous situation. Hashem knew better. He re-routed their lives, he re-routes their lives. So therefore I say Hashem, I don't know what's good or bad for me. I don't know what's meant to be. I don't know what's designed. I don't know what's right, I don't know its outcome, I don't have a crystal ball. I don't know what's tov. So all I know that's tov, that's li tov, that's good for me is V'ani when it comes to me kirvas Elokim. If I'm close to you, if I see the world that you're operating behind it, that you're directing, choreographing, that you're curating all of it, then li tov, that's the good that I need and then I know that everything and all the way it happens is by definition good. I have no obstacles, I have no impediments, there is no hisnagdus. הנגיעה בעצם כח הביטחון הוא ההכרה הברורה שהכח הפועל אינו כחו שלו אלא כחו של השם יתברך. בנין הכרה זו נכון לכל פעולה שאדם ניגש לפעול, וודאי שבפעולות המורכבות שהסיכון להיכשל בהם גבוה, אך גם בפעולות הקלות והפשוטות ביותר שלכאורה אין שום חשש לעיכוב. This perspective, this attitude, this view, this vision for life is necessary and critically important, says Rav Schwartz, in all matters, big or small, from when I lift the cup of coffee to my lips. Hashem, I think that it's my strength, it's my tremendous cooking acumen to have made this cup of coffee, I think that it's my wonderful coordination that enables me to take that sip. It's not up to me. Who gave all that to me? You did. And as quickly as you gave it, you could chas v'shalom take it away. We have to train ourselves from the small things like the cup of coffee to the large enormous things like our health and well-being and our family to realize that I'm going to go through my effort, take my initiative, but at the end of the day, any sense of faith or confidence I have in anything is really there as a symbol or a signal to remind me of the of the faith and confidence I'm capable of having in you. כי הוא עשה עושה ויעשה לכל המעשים. He was, he is and he will be. He is the driving force and the power behind absolutely everything. בין הגדולים בין הקטנים כל המעשים כולם, between the great, the big and the small, all actions, everything. ביחס לדוגמא בהגשת היד והרמת ספל השתייה, גם הפעולה קלה ופשוטה כעין זו, צריך לגשת מתוך הכרה חושה שהכח הפועל כאן הוא כחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא. Hakadosh Baruch Hu right before we began and I was losing internet on and off, you might have tried to log in and the Zoom started and stopped and start, you turn and you say not to the internet company, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, just let it work, I want to teach your Torah. If it's meant to be and you want and you to agree, let me not just be talking to two deer sitting behind me, but let me be connecting with my beloved brothers and sisters elsewhere. I'm turning to You. And I have to tell you, I was growing frustrated when it wasn't working, and I couldn't believe it because I have to tell you, it wasn't so easy to wake up this morning. And I couldn't believe it wasn't working. And then I reminded myself, you fool, it will be the way Hashem wants it to be. If the connection, if He wants it to work and there's a message to share, it'll work. And if He doesn't, and it's not meant to be, then it won't work. It is the greatest gift. What I'm trying to tell you is that this is not like some mussar shmooze. It's not something we should have to work on ourselves. It's not something that you have to give up. If I were here telling you, give up carbs and sugar, give up the things you like to look at or the great juicy gossip you slander you want to share, give up the things that are really delicious and it's hard to give up, then I would understand it's hard to give up. But giving up that, that selfish, narcissistic, arrogant attitude that it's all up to me, it shouldn't be hard to give up. Because I can tell you firsthand over the last several months, I don't know how we get through life without it. I don't know how. It's delicious. It, in fact, is delicious. It's the most amazing thing. Instead of panicking and saying, I just promoted and put on the Zoom WhatsApp that we're having the shiur and now people can't get on and I'll look terrible, and I want to teach and I woke up early, instead of panicking and instead of getting frustrated, instead of losing your mental, emotional, and physical health, you say, ha, I wonder how it'll turn out. I wonder whether the internet will work at the moment I'm supposed to teach because it's all up to Him. Life becomes like the most amazing reality show. We are living in our own reality shows. We don't get the script beforehand. And we get to find out. I'm so curious how the wedding will all work out. I'm so curious, I don't know the end of the story for the sheitel. Will it get delivered? Will it be found? Where is it? I don't know. So curious. Isn't it amazing? What a great show. I can't wait to get to the finale. I can't wait to find out how it turns out. Spoiler, I can't wait to see what's going to be. It's a totally different view and perspective of life, but it's one that replenishes our mental, emotional, and physical health and well-being. From big to small, כאילו הדבר סבור שכוחו עצמי הוא מה שמעוור את השכל, הרבה שלוחים יש למקום לבטל את האדם. Hakadosh Baruch Hu has many, many shluchim, many agents He can send to remind us we're not in charge. A little branch on a little power line can knock out the power. You think you're in control? You're not in charge. You're not in charge. Harbei shluchim lamakom, אבל אם השם יתברך הוא שעושה שמניע את היד, הרי יד גבורתו של הקדוש ברוך הוא וודאי שמישהו יוכל להתנגד לו. See and feel the hand of Hashem in every area of your life. Live life, put on that pair of glasses, wear or get that LASIK surgery. Don't just tap into emuna in the moment, but live with emuna in every moment and realize it's all up to Him. Instead of getting furious, get curious. Get curious to see how is this going to turn out? I wonder. I wonder what Hashem's plan is for this. That doesn't mean that you should become passive. It doesn't mean you should become fatalistic. We have to take control of our own destiny. We have to take our initiative. We have to do our part. But once we do, once we do, it's time to let go and let God. So I give you the beracha, we should all be zoche, va'ani, as when it comes to us, קרבת אלוקים לי טוב, that just drawing close to Him is good. Defining good and bad, we're not even going to try. We know what we'll daven for, but ultimately we will submit to Him. Kirvas Elokim, I just want to be close to You. I just want to know that You have our back. I just want to stick with You, devekus, devek like glue, I want to stick with You to know that I'm so curious to see how this turns out because really it's always, always, all up to You, always all up to You. So wishing everyone we should have good health and happiness, that what Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants for us should be with the best of what we want for us. That's why we always say, you know, the beracha we wish each other, Hakadosh Baruch Hu should answer כל משאלות לבנו לטובה. Why don't we just say kol mishalos libeinu? He should answer all of the requests of our heart. kol mishalos libeinu. Hashem, answer everything we're asking for from our heart. Answer kol mishalos libeinu. We don't ask for kol mishalos libeinu. We say כל משאלות לבנו לטובה, for good. Why? Because sometimes the things we want for ourselves are really the worst for ourselves and we have no idea. And we have no idea. A person wants that shidduch, they think that that's the best for them. If only they knew, if only they would have asked Hashem to break them up and not have them follow through. Or the opposite. כל משאלות לבנו, not just that Hashem fulfill what's in our heart, but letova, it should be for the good. And if it's not letova, then Hashem, I defer to You. Va'ani when it comes to me, קרבת אלוקים לי טוב, I just want to grow close. That's it. We should have health and happiness and holiness. Wishing everyone the greatest day. I just want to draw close. That's it. Wish you health and happiness and holiness. Wishing everyone the greatest day.
