Just One Word Tisha B'Av 2013

project Inspire is greatly indebted to our generous sponsors who have made this year's Tish presentation possible May the sh reward them for the of all the Cure ofum activity that will take place as a result of this presentation this presentation is Le dedicated by a vision whose memory of the Reba is May the and action of this presentation a man responsible of changing the lives of thousands a special Deb of to our special partners and sponsors Gourmet glat funding resource mortgage Corporation 718 Insurance dedicated by naalii and Leia Solomon shal for to yudis Bas Lea Josh and Aviva bro dedicated shal Forma Rael Salomon home for nursing and rehabilitation tikva security may this project Inspire Feature Presentation also be as Shala for schlomo elzar Ben SAR [Music] we're here again in another tishu year after year we tell ourselves when it's over there won't be a Tish next year there's no way we're going to go another year and have to come back and sit on the floor and remember that we couldn't bring Gula Tish above is not about we can't Tish above is not about we're terrible it's not about what we've done wrong Tish abov is what we could have done right Tish is realizing that we don't appreciate who we are Tish is the feeling of I could have we could have not we didn't the question is how and there are a lot of ways but I believe the most powerful way is by accessing our most powerful resource the resource that separates us from the animals the resource that the K himself articulates as his power of creation the resource that we see and that kazal have been telling us from the beginning of time can change can build or destroy the resource that we all have in an unlimited capacity the resource of words speech we have speech speech is the power this film shows you stories of people whose lives have been changed forever because of a few words stories of individuals that were stuck at moments of Despair and a few years back somebody said a couple of words that he held on to for support stories of people whose life was headed one way and then made a total left turn to Torah and mitzvos because of a few words come with us as we take the journey learn about words and see the challenge I had the opportunity years ago to spend a few hours with Noah Weinberg and with Noah Weinberg once told me a great story he said imagine if you will man on the top of a huge Tower in Wall Street Midtown sitting on the top floor huge conference room and in the conference room are all these papers because they're signing a deal in which this man is about to make $10 million it's middle of the night he comes downstairs and as he goes outside he sees that there's a man literally a homeless guy literally sitting there sleeping with that like you know like like the shopping cart with all the chachkas in it and the and the bottles and the lamp and whatever he's carried and he's hovered in the corner and he's all dark and he's he's he's dirty and he's got the hair that has never been and the man comes down and he's feeling so good about himself and he's a religious guy he believes in God and he looks at this individual and goes you know I just made 10 million do I know about tithing my money and he pulls out his checkbook and he writes a million dollar check and he sticks it in the man's shopping cart and he goes off feeling good about himself a few hours later the guy gets up shakes off the dust goes to his shopping cart and just continues his day never once putting his hand to the bottom of the shopping cart to find more money than all the bottles that he's collecting combined all that he's going to do for the rest of the year doesn't even touch an iota of what's already in in the basket and if no says that's how we work in life sometimes we're running and doing and running and doing collecting and collecting and doing and doing collecting and collecting and most of us never once reach into what we have inside us already that has more power and more potential and more greatness than all the stuff that we're trying to collect to find it has and that is the power of our soul many of us walk around all day body body and soul and that soul is worth everything that soul is a piece of the infinite everything that we want God is all powerful all knowing all everything in the world every trait we're looking for is he not we are created in His image we are created with a meaning that what's inside us is a piece even if it's brought a piece of the infinite and so we walk around collecting and not collecting collecting and not collecting and at the end of the day what we never do is tap into that shopping cart that has the million dooll check waiting on the bottom of it so how do we do it because if we can figure out how to tap into that box if we can figure out how to tap into that it's game over for us it's game over for how we live our lives we walk out of here not tomorrow not 100 years from now right now with a way to dig to the bottom and pull out that check with a way to tap into our soul way to tap into our power and way that we couldn't otherwise so I believe the answer as every answer is is found in the book K gave us a Torah and in that Torah is everything we want in life there's nothing that we want in the world that isn't found in the Torah so if you look at the Torah you'll see something mindboggling Hebrew has words for creating things there are words like Assa AIA or Y there are words for forming and creating and if God creates a world what the Torah should have done God's not a person he doesn't have hands so if I if the Torah is reporting an account of God creating something the words they should have used were words that we use in our vocabulary for creating something I made something I use the verb Assa or if I formed something I use the word of but it doesn't do that when The KES when the Torah speaks about KES creating the world what verb does it use Amar B what God didn't speak he's not a person he just it just created it's God he's infinite he's spiritual v v v v vom poof we have a world how's that why would they use that word why would the Torah use the word Amar when it really should have used a different verb and the answer is that maybe kurish BR was trying to teach us something that the power of creation comes not when we do something that according to the ne is the power of execution there's a step before that it's a step that we miss and that's a step of speech I want to tell you guys a great story we went to California with these two amazing guys one guy's name is Danny danger and he has a great story how he decided to become more more connected to Judaism more religious and we sat with him and he has an amazing tale basically he was invited on a television station to be one of the hosts and he had already gone and started to get connected to Judaism a little bit he was on his journey a little bit but not connected and on his journey he decided that he was going to try to keep chabas and he made a commitment that he was going to keep chabas he wasn't really learning but he he had gone to Israel but he was sort of wavering I get a phone call call and uh it's this woman she's like hi Danny my name is Molly from Next Great Baker it was a TV show we wanted to put you on the show I said yeah sure uh she's like good because I've been trying to get a hold of you for a couple weeks now this was actually my last phone call uh because I couldn't get a hold of you I was in Israel my phone was off she's all like great we want you to come out to Jersey you're on the show I'm like this is amazing they're interviewing me we're having a great time we're laughing and they're like so Danny you said you were a koser chef right tell us a little bit about that they started asking me a little bit more about it I said yeah and we don't work on Friday and Saturday so I see them looking at each other like after I say this turn off the camera they're like hey Danny that was a great interview thank you very much but um that was uh that was all for the camera right the Friday Saturday you're just saying that I'm like no that's that's really what I've been doing for the past two years so they walk into the back room they come out 10 minutes later thank you very much but pretty much get out of here we we don't want you anymore I'm feeling all down I'm down but also like energized you know like you don't want me fine you know I'm I'm Danny dangor I am who I am you know this is who I am if you don't want me that's fine he had just given up the job of his life because he believed in something you'd think that you'd give to Hashem hash would give back to you no and here he is thrown out on the street standing in Middle New Jersey doesn't know where he's going doesn't know how he's going to get anywhere and it starts to rain and he remembered something that someone told him years ago I remember something that my cousin said to me he's like we were walking one time I was very upset about something he's like you know hashem's got your back right he's like hashem's got your back and as soon as like I realized wow Hashem wanted me here that that phrase came into my head hashem's got your back and so every challenge after that I just like something bad happened hashem's got my back hashem's got my back actually to this day he doesn't even know that I still remember that but I actually like every time something bad happens I say that here's Danny and one of the most trying moments that he's had in his life to the point really this is his chance and he lost it and he's feeling distant from Hashem but he holds on to a statement in times that are tough Hashem has your back and he composes himself and he steps out and it hits him so now you're in you're in New Jersey right and lo and behold we are completing the entire talmud together in a football stadium in New Jersey how do you find out about it I knew the C masas was around that time I just went on my phone I'm like how funny would it be if it was today I knew that they were doing one in La they were doing one in like New York so I'm like well I'm in Jersey I'm not far from New York I'm actually on the border I said let me uh you know so I'm on my phone and I'm figuring out I'm like oh it's actually in Jersey I'm like it's at the MetLife Stadium I'm like I wonder how much a cab would be to like get there I'm like wonder if it look Jersey's huge so I find out it's a train ride away so I get to Met Life Stadium and then I mean it was the funniest thing I mean like maybe like 12 cops came and swarmed like around me like what are you doing here I have my long hair at this time you know I have like a black T-shirt on my backpack they what are you doing here they grab my backpack immediately they're like let me see some ID they take my ID they're doing background check on me they're like what what are you doing here I'm like I'm here for the Sim they're like where's your ticket like I don't have one they're like well leave they're sold out you're not going to find a ticket and now it's starting to sink in because I'm on a high I'm like yeah like dude all of this maybe this was the reason I was supposed to come out to New York you know and they keep on saying it they finally finish the background check they're like all right you're not going to find a ticket we don't want you lering around here you know Middle Eastern looking guy bunch of religious people around I'm literally about to like quit and uh two religious people are like we have an extra ticket anyone want a free extra ticket and I'm like I look at the guy and I'm like I'm going in so I get the ticket not only do I get the ticket it's like third row back from like where like you know from the from the center of where they're doing the St shots and I'm like I can't believe I'm here and I just I sat down and you know it was like a couple it was like about an hour before everyone started getting there and I was there what's going on in your mind as you're sitting there going I just went from television secular Career Success to talud with more black and white than I can ever see in my life and me sitting there I thought Hashem wanted me here I was meant to be on this TV show I I don't get it like at every single step of the way hashem's hand was saying you're going to be on this TV show and I'm like how is how is this wrong and then I I'm sitting at the C now this is the question that you asked what's going on my mind and I'm sitting there I played back the last two hours I said this really is where I'm supposed to be right now he was so inspired that he flew back to LA and he said next I wish I could start the cycle with everybody else and he says this an email pops up one of the guys in our community is like we're going to be doing doomi and I'm like great this guy was inspired to wants to be part of the group so he's doing a doomi class he's like get here 6:30 in the morning and as he goes to the class A man is walking out a man named near jacobe near is a story to himself what was your connection to Judaism as you grew up nothing I was I I went to public high school here in in Los Angeles I went to Taft High School went to college uh I went to work then I was all over the world trying to find what is life about and I went to Morocco I went to France I went to Spain I was I I've done it all and I'm 28 years old now and I have no idea what Judaism about I owe it to myself to go and find out so I went for two weeks to isra what's amazing about his life story is that along the way he kept on not being able to take like the step and then he somebody turned to him at one point and says there's a class why don't you come to a class learning gamarra he's like okay I show up at 6:30 nobody's there okay it's a sign from God God does not want me in the class clearly right I came I did my my effort God wants me to do the effort I did my effort it's not there it's not happening yeah I'm about to walk into the building and this guy is like uh he's like hey uh can I help you with something I'm like yeah I'm going to this class right now is and he's like is the the doomi class it's unbelievable he's showing up for a class of shots this guy is this guy could use a class you know first on on on many other things goes I'm here for the D fomi I'm like oh yeah it was canceled you know game over and I'm like man like starting today like that was my plan my plan was to do that like now I don't have a plan anymore so I'm thinking I say to the guy I'm like do you want to study so first of all I thought it myself this is insane you know know I for I'm not a teacher I'm not a rabbi clearly I'm the wrong person maybe I should find him a different place to go study and also it's totally the wrong material for this dude I mean he's just starting with this stff yomi start it's totally it's the wrong time it's the wrong person it's the wrong place everything is wrong but I said yes got off subject King Solomon King Dei died remember King Dei died and then his son Solomon said that uh even give us a little more about your relationship with here where does it go beyond just Tom so the I remember the first time that our relationship went from like teacher like student was he's like come over for Shabbat I saw like this guy has like an ideal family for me and when I have like a bunch of little kids and you know and so I started hanging around his family a lot more and yeah so what is it about him that inspires you he's uh he's got a family he's everything that like I hope to get one day the two of them have been learning ever since he's gone to his house babis's multiple times he knows his kids and his connection to yish kite now we are 9 months later and you've already finished two track dates how does that feel to you you know after the first one I'm like I can't believe it I felt so accomplished like you know I'm like I I did it you started your journey searching for truth what has Danny given you on your journey to get closer to God Danny doesn't give up it it doesn't let up if he doesn't understand something it doesn't matter how many times we can read it we don't move forward unless we really understand it and we have done uh Bros we've done shabas we're almost done with the ruin and every time it got a little bit more difficult but every time I said God we can figure it out make it happen and he's making it happen what is it that excites you to share with somebody else there are so many lost souls out there that I can reach out to and and really help out if God can only help me and if you peel back these stories there a lot of action I'm not minimizing the effort I'm not minimizing the time I'm not minimizing the execution of our Creations but what's amazing about these stories is that they're so simple we think like to make a difference in someone's life you have to be like so articulate or so ingenious you have to say like the line that's going to blow people away I would totally do it but like I'm not that person I'm a regular person I'm not like going to come up with something that's going to talk to someone they be like you changed my life we think there's so much drama involved in changing someone's life it's completely untrue in fact most of the time people that whose lives are changed by words it's not dramatic it's simple it's it's even intuitive and it's so simple and intuitive that just saying it sometimes registers in their mind that happens maybe once twice maybe 10 15 times they think of it before they take any action sometimes it's 10 years later sometimes it's inviting them to a class sometimes it's just saying hello sometimes it's walking up to somebody and just saying a word that they hold on to and without you even knowing years later they draw on inspiration when they're stuck in New Jersey in the rain to keep them going each and every one of us are sitting on a power plant each and every one of us are created by Hashem with the power to create the power to change our lives the power to change the people around us and we don't because we don't think we even have it not me I'm a nobody I'm not some big huge sadic I'm not sitting around and going through cavanas I'm not sitting around and holding in ways so I'm not taking my language seriously not me if I would hand you right now a credit card that had unlimited funds unlimited it's all yours it'll never run out what would you do what would I do pay for some stuff take care of your family buy the things you always wanted to buy but after a while how much stuff can you collect how much stuff can we actually buy it's some some point like more stuff what would we do with it we probably take the credit card see what's going on in the world see the pain see the need walk into your shivas walk into homes walk into wherever it is swipe the card and buy house swipe the card swipe the card H people out we would literally all of us will we not will we not walk around and see people in need swipe and give swipe and give if it's unlimited why wouldn't we do that but here's the problem we have that credit card most most the times of course people need things but most of the things that you need past basic security and shelter and health most of the times most people they're struggling with things that are not solved with more stuff gifts don't solve real issues what solves issues sometimes is not what we buy it's what we say in fact God Gave Us anlimited credit card and said it's on the if you're on this Earth you can speak unlimited and we look at a world of people that need encouragement ideas invitations moments where you give them a little bit ofik look around the world forget the world look around your life and ask yourself how many people do I know that one phone call would enhance or maybe even change change their day if I had a credit card I would spend all day would we not spend all day doing this why don't we it's because we don't appreciate our power the biggest problem I believe we have is not that we're we're incapable it's that we don't appreciate how capable we are we don't appreciate our greatness we're looking for the world to find the bottle to give us the money when there's a million dollars inside we went to Toronto we met this Rabbi his name is rain and was blown away by this one R and and you have to see the story he was living in Toronto and he was time he was moving out of his apartment and he was moving into a bigger home and so he reached out and he got a real estate broker that was showing him houses he found out along the way that the broker secular guy amazing guy he wasn't connected to Judaism at all he never had the opportunity a little bit here a little bit there but he never really had that opportunity one of your first sales was a very uh life-changing one so tell us a little bit about that one so at the time I was working with u a partner and uh in in a firm and we were in the training branch of this firm and the deal was you couldn't graduate to a normal real estate office until you had had made two sales and and got a listing so uh this partner of mine had met a couple a very Orthodox religious couple at an open house and uh heard what they needed she was busy with other business and said you handle them you you can handle them when Jack came into the picture so um he's a very sweet young man he told me he was he was 20 years old he was like a really a kid and uh I I was you I was very impressed with his um self-confidence and he really wanted to make that sale and uh I listen I thought that you know he wants to make a sale and I and I want to buy too so what's your first feeling you walk into room and you see an extremely Orthodox looking couple in front of you um what's your first reaction as a young 20-year-old eager to make this sale yeah I mean I thought this is really different uh you know um these people look different they sound different but you know there are a couple they need they need a house and I'm going to um I'm going to do my best to to get it for them uh but kids had funny names I'd never heard before like really religious sounding names and they had an infant okay they had this baby uh and I asked what's the baby's name and they said pesak oh born in April born in the spring and they said no he was born now so I asked them then why didn't you name him tishu like I'd never heard of a kid named after a Jewish holiday before and they looked at me Tish so we had a lot of those moments where right they would say things or do things that um that I that went right by me and I think likewise you know so uh but we proceeded to negotiate and finally it was uh it was Era chabis and it was there was I think about an hour hour and a half before chabas and we're holding by the end and they gave back an offer which was you know it was acceptable to my wife and myself um but we just didn't feel under pressure of having to get ready for shabas that we were ready to sign so Jack said look don't worry you sign I'll help you clean fish obas I'll help you get ready and he said my wife and I have decided that um we're going to take it we're going to buy this house well I was thrilled like I thought finally I said okay but just you know wait a moment I'll be right back so I went to the other room and I took out a piece of paper and I brought out my own contract and he pulled out of his pocket a sheet of paper which had been prepared with my name on it and he said um he read it I I and I thought it was it was it was cute it was a joke I wrote down that that I Jack Samuels um in return uh or something of making this deal uh something in the house I commit myself to come to RAB for one chabas meal and uh two Jeet classes so I brought the my contract out to him and I said look and I'm willing to sign your contract if you're willing to sign mine so he looked at it it didn't take that long it took 20 seconds and I really wanted to make that deal he's anxious to make that deal she said sure okay why not what does he have to lose did he think that it's going to change his life so he um he signed and I signed and we shook hands and he stayed for the the next half an hour or so to help clean the house and get ready for shabas I bought the house but he sold his Nisha and barash that the rest is just history that one contract without the rabbi even realizing it set along a journey of this one man studying returning living a completely from lifestyle I took six weeks off and I I learn I went to M to or and man and I spent some time there that was interesting that was a fascinating experience for me Mony New York was when I got there and and I was taken to the vision community on a Friday night in my I couldn't believe that in the 20th century this was this existed in the United States um or anywhere but I came back to a very supportive Jewish Community here I met uh or connected with a a woman that I'd known before who subsequently became my wife and and uh she came from a religious background and then later we we had children and um just to to uh round out the story RAB RAB taught a few of my kids two my sons uh went to a he was their grade six RBI I had his children two sons in my class and I was over excited about having uh the opportunity to be another Link in the chain and um he was their teacher he's a great teacher and one of my kids was uh not not a greatest student he was not the most uh he was not the easiest kid to raise and uh RAB sent on he said you know I I have a big in your being here and uh I think that resonated with my kid and uh he behaved a lot better you know he was he was a good student for for the rest of the year what was it like sitting back behind a teacher's desk and looking over at a kid who was in your class because of a move that you made you years ago yeah it was a beautiful feeling wonderful feeling yeah it's like you might say he was my child a couple of words the power of creation a couple of words changes a life and not a life he's married he's got children he's got great healthy wonderful family generation Generation generation each of us are sitting here and we can walk out of this we can walk out of this room and literally walk around and create we use the power that Hashem gave us to become more like him mahu a and we tap into that million dooll Soul billion dollar soul to become and to live the life that is as great as We Know it should be thank you very much who in your life right now is there a break in the relationship is there a break in the Friendship where is there hban we ask of you today to make that call to use those words can you imagine if on Tish above thousands of people took one minute out and built one relationship can you imagine if today that coworker or friend or family member that you for so long have been wanting to share your feeling about yish kite but for some reason you feel embarrassed to say something can you imagine if today you invited them to a class if today you shared with them a video If today you spoke to them and just reached out and invited them for shavis can you imagine if thousands of people did that join us take The Challenge and share it with us because you doing it and and sharing with other people gives us let today be the day where we all see each other building the next bdes so that this will be the last Tish above we ever have to experience [Music] for [Music] fore [Music] oh fore [Music]