Living With Emunah (Part 142): Nothing Can Stand In Your Way

all right good morning thank you your patience or a minute I'm waiting for the youtubes to come online and here we are okay Boker Tov good morning thank you for being with us again to learn Torah on this Wednesday morning if I seem a little frazzled it's because I am we started a moment late because we were just zoom bombed again I share that with you not to upset you or disturb you although I hope you didn't have to see what I had to say I shared that with you because there are enemies adversaries who continue to want to undermine us with images that are horrific graphic and anti-semitic but light will succeed over dark good over evil and we will persevere and continue to study and learn nonetheless particularly our study of emunah I want to thank our sponsors of the series for the year dr. Xavi I'm Ellen Morgan so generously sponsored the whole year in memory of our dear friend a model and paradigm of living with Emunah a model and paradigm of leaving this world with Emunah rabbi dr. Brian Gabbard Berkeley been revena son also this morning's particular class is sponsored generously anonyme gratitude for the positive impact the Emunah serum have had on these trying times I hope they will continue being part of a kabura a network a group working together to improve and grow our Emunah to be able to the Sham and strength in him during this time is something particularly important it's actually our topic we're going to get into a little bit and talk about which is that we're very focused like you Chris they turned to the news hoping for some update when you're gonna reopen when are we gonna react what are the real statistics and data antibodies and and vaccines and plasma treatments and medical breakthroughs and what's happening and what will happen and when will it happen conversation about quarantine and social distancing about the rules and regulations is or might people in the minions but in ten feet apart and when will it change here an apt conversation understand the we don't expect the media to talk about faith of the media to talk about the role of God but that's our that's our job is to insert the question of where does Hashem fit into this picture where does our trust in him where does our turning to him where does our midst of this with him come into this chair and that's our topic with that we were learning by revita marsh warts the author of the bill Vavi Ethne biscone aha no your be tahoe no your trust no your faith in Hashem long before Pesach when we took our break we were going through this essay this beautiful piece they were towards the end of it now in which he defines meat ah home the word baton doesn't mean trust God will do what I want him to trust make sure they'll never be a zoom bomber again I trust God enabled me to always have my thumb without any problem I trust that God is going to make everything work out exactly the way I want and actually the way I need that's not be tahoe to say that I liked everything conform to the way I want the way I need that's not people that is a false photographer that's not trust in ourselves in a sham that is simply trust in in ourselves we'll be tough on means that whatever it does whatever the outcome is however this turns out I know it's by design I mean I know it's for the best I want a person lives that mentality when we approach life in that way and there's nothing that can stand in our way it means we have to confront realities and challenges and from financial crises were less crises like wanting to kill our children when their school wanted to kill one another there are all kinds of crises facing each and every day significant real ones or what I like to call the man you cry sees first world crises that the truth are not crises at all but if you live a life with a mindfulness a conscientious life if you live life that I Shem is by your side and over your shoulder and you know that everything is by design and everything is way it's meant to be then we do what we need make our initiative and the rest of the way we're able to sit back and let him run the show knowing the disorder meaning and purpose but he's doing witness or Schwartz get this from if you recall the word be tough on him from betta Shimon on lady when they entered the city um they did so they entered the city the town betta with confidence with shorty stack the deck in their favor they knew they had arranged things that they would come out the victor and that we to live our lives better we can walk into every situation on Finn's with an absolute ledge with a surety that it's gonna work out how can we afford to walk in situation that way how come but that's the truth simple because God is on our side and lastly this notion there's the internal self and the external self the external self lives the external superficial reality an external superficial reality in place where we are confronting in fact that there's health crises there are people there are obstacles there are just this friction there's tension outside ourselves there are all kinds of challenges outside ourselves there are all kinds of there are all kinds of obstacle Yanis a place in tune with bad the place that is in tune with spirituality and Selam aleykum knows that there is no obstacle and they standing does not block us from what Hashem wants for us so let's elaborate let's take this even further I'm reading to you from the text of his essay does Pinnacle net Bitcoin account Itamar if you're on the Wednesday Emunah sheer group I posted the source sheets otherwise please listen and follow online nina sara has beer half liter yellow so maka Matisse's never shamed by maksim how can we get to that place where I'm living so soulfully I'm so spiritually alive Brent and active that as I encounter and engage my life there is no external obstacle everything is not meant to be but I don't grow frustrated by the things that seem to stand in my way I exert myself I take the initiative to overcome I go around or go oh go under or when necessary trying to go through and if it stands there it remains there blocking me nonetheless then I sit back and I know Oh God how do I get to a place Shane by Macklin where there are no obstacles and there is no friction no tension and there is nothing that can bring me down how do I get to a place of kind peace and serenity that living with a muna provides that place of a knowledge that everything is the way it's meant to be and therefore once I've done everything I can do and need to do I let go and I let God I recommend to use social adoption of mock them ma'am Akiba he talked our meets our hostess a commercial goof oh my gosh me all reality combat system reality is so obstacles and impediments down here low honest there's the food I'm tempted T and know is not good for me there is the Wi-Fi which is slow and I'm trying to stream classes that I'm giving there are people who are not behaving or conforming to how I want them to behave to make my life go easy but that were operated good on the promise of the government alone simulus whatever the obstacle or challenge our world is filled and surrounded by them there's the the light which is read what I wanted it to be green Derek micrometers Binet Artemis Aviva miss like Demi love I don't like a double my crush on shamrock you me my I come out looking him let me am now there are physical manifestations of obstacles tensions and frictions there are spiritual ones I want my Davin to flow but I don't understand the words not coming when they're Shula thousand goes are to quicker slower the people are talking even in the world of spirituality one can feel there are obstacles and tensions there are that are blocking or holding us back Hakone iacoboni shlush african lucullus negating love who there's only one horse there's only one presence only one existence which there is no resistance there's no tension there's no obstacle and that is a cottage borrow who lavada the almighty the master of the universe our creator the source of all he is everything he is everything and there's nothing that tensed his will there's nothing that can hold him back or slow him down there's nothing that can order reroute his pen God is everything he created everything he sustains everything he wills everything and therefore not nature not a virus not a hurricane or not a tornado not a person not a plan not a stock market nada there is nothing and opposed there is nothing that can change Pratt labora all of muhammad's is but the brochure usually mr. nagged him but I didn't other than God everyone and everything has obstacles and tensions from the MOE wake in the morning until the moment I fall at night sleep at night and by the way those two moments for many people the older we get are also fraught with tickles and tensions how many struggled to wake up in the morning exhausted I want to stay in bed I don't want to wake up how many have trouble falling asleep at night insomnia fall asleep two hours later think it's the morning and it turns out it's only two o'clock in the morning pretensions and frictions and obstacles literally from when we wake up and until we fall asleep at night and almost every moment wean with what to say and what to eat and where to go and who to think and how to act and no not cooperating with me so how can I stay calm and how can i how can I have a sense of peace and how can I have a sense of tranquility and how can I have a sense of confidence and calm and comfort despite having to battle through the day battle everyone everyone's battling even the Clarion Scottish philosopher one of my favorite quotes of all time said be kind to MU meat for everyone is battling something you know nothing about and I can tell you as a rabbi you a greater insight into people animals it's clearly not an entirely insight into everyone or everything in their lives but I sometimes interact with someone who's battling Hurley battling addiction battling anxiety battling mental illness battling a day or addling who knows what and nobody knows it and you think you know somebody was frustrated that that individual were with them in the supermarket or actual if they only knew what this person is battling everyone's battling something that others know nothing about which is a reason to be kind to everybody and to give the benefit of the doubt because we never know what others are battling our lives are then characterized by battling from when we wake up till we fall asleep maybe their first world battles first of all batters is should I wear this outfit or that outfit should I buy home this so should I go on that vacation or this vacation they're our first war medals and then there are the battles of the highest order will my loved one make it through the day will they get off this ventilator will they survive my life look like financially if I can't recover there are those in everything in between ha Doris I'll be tough on a bus this is up shoot up i'm karis Nicole Shawna Bolton de bourree olam is the definition of be Tohono I trust you a Shem a duckling from the morning to the night but I trust you you're my general you're my sergeant you're Mike ender and I'm going into battle and I know that you are you have my back I trust you Zoe hug Darin Deshon about me - Erica - brother who call yo Alice or pal behind on a boat in bozo your whole Ashley my name is Coe Castroneves a no-loss up a code sorry I know he can he can be on the side of every situation he can save the day in any moment he does we should recognize it and thank him and their crazy doesn't it's because he's chosen not to and it's not what's meant to be for uh he's capable of all so there is nothing that God can't stop there's no hurricane there's no tornado there's no virus thing there's no pandemic he can if he choose there is a reason what's that reason yesterday was Yama show ah we talked about the questions that have no answers and we heard from the band's extraordinary survivors who said that instead of searching for the answers have the question be the blessing in your life shame and focus on what is not what then someone you have not what's missing focus on where you see it where he seems it's a mindset it's a mentality it's an attitude it's a choice that we every day a chilly o cohabit han-shan about commissioner corruption the whole is like a deal of zama Tejon what is Vita home it is the trust it is the confidence it is sticking with the one for whom there aren't Stickles it is the one for whom is no distance where even though the world doesn't conform a cooperate the way we want by definition for him it does somebody talk on App anemias beneficent Yana konista thesis almost like Deus clown stem is be talking I want to describe to you what it is being is entering a world it stirring up this entering a mindset it's a pair of glasses that enable me to look out at the world through the godly vision enabling me to look at a world where I only see Hashem everywhere where things don't not make sense and they're not scattered and fragmented and inconsistent everything comes be unified by the existence of Hashem it's all his will and ordinance and therefore I do everything I can I as hard as I can and yet when it's over I realized it's all up to a Shem I've been going on a lot of walks we've had a lot of young TIFF and Shabbos and we're confined to our homes but we're allowed to go for walks and each of my walk I got different my children and at the lake near our home the lake at the center of our community I don't know if it's a function of payments but there are several mother ducks with lots of little baby ducks it's amazes the divination of life and birth is one mother with 19 little ducks little cute kids you know order the mother duck and you watch them swim in the lake and I've been showing my children the duck above the surface it's calm the duck look it's gliding along the surface of the lake but just underneath this lake that duck is paddling like a madman like I mean you can't see it their pattern crazy under the lake but over the lake they look like they're gliding and that's a paradigm of a life of Bataan and I'm unna under the under this list we're paddle we're fighting were battling but we have to be gliding with a sense of faith and muninn busting our sham I want to tell you something very person is a pandemic and virus I've struck very close to home family my first husband's husband my first cousins husband Zama l0 Allah varaha at Stanley tomahawk I'm a father of 12 children an incredible person modest humble soft-spoken a brother a scholar off published this virus in a very short time life my first cousin was a wonderful woman Truman a hunt ova what one saw in interacting with her was something extraordinary through the very few strategically literally only a few days from when he contracted the illness until it took his life she was fighting like crazy an incredible advocate an amazing life doctors nurses advocating means she could fighting fighting fighting organizing davender hilum learning everything in his merit fighting fighting making no from an answer from a sham objecting and protesting he physical world and the spiritual world doing everything she could to fight and the moment his life was taken and through this process of Shiva and of mourning entire mindset switched and it went from a place of initiative and effort and advocacy to a place acceptance this is her Shems plan I can't imagine life without without my husband the father of 12 children grandfather I can't imagine I didn't understand why but I accept this as Hashem he had some he had so many more moments to experience with his family I don't understand and understand yeah aiex this is his will this is the plan and to me she's that full of what we're learning about literally put into practice to paddle under the water to take that into an to work to protest to object and yet to then Google like peace and the tranquility to say might be painful but I understand it's all from him isn't everything comes from someplace is that Mike and I thank you for allowing me to share something personal tragically we learned this from her own mother my aunt my aunt Malky are the chronal of Rafah who herself was bedridden struggling with cancer for many years when her husband my uncle Rob i'il others are passed away suddenly out of nowhere of a heart attack in a moment on arizuka several years ago so my cousin saw her mother recover from the sudden loss of her house experienced it with her father and my aunt was the same way to be able to transition from a place of disbelief down to a place of acceptance and car and quility and the choice of the recognition to see hm my friends I don't mean to suggest that this is easy I don't mean to suggest that it's so expected of all of us it's a level that we aspire to but these are example of what we're capable of that it is possible and that if we do our lives are enriched in the process not lost it's not that if you choose to live with a moon of cheetah you are somehow more superficial you're somehow less sophisticated you're somehow inferior or pathetic it's the opposite when you choose to live them Batak them when you enter the give your life so to say like Shimon or Lady better when you enter with a confidence that you know what I don't understand it and it's painful to adjust to it but I accept that it's the will of Hashem and I'm confident it's meant to be that one day it will all make sense one day I will understand it that's our mission that's our challenge that's what a life of Beto home is all about take my initiative do what I need to do but then submit to a college boom and that yields a life of peace and calm and tranquility the people we know of the greatest a moon they even lost the most in their vibes Poisson burger Abba exclusi argan Elena who lost 11 children in the Holocaust but rebuilt the casinos and their countless members like him and other heroes every single survivor who lost all they knew and yet found the strength and the will and the capacity go on they are role models of living this life for us they sure to have the confidence that there is a God and He has a plan and therefore to put one foot in front of the other if we want to achieve that god bless that greatness builds that peace and that tranquility the calm that we so desperately want and need then God needs to be part of the equation can't just be talking about quarantining and socially distant gloves and masks and washing and testing and and antibodies and vaccines and plasma treatments we have to do all that that's the paddling under the water we have to do all of that that's how we're battling the external self but the inner voice has to be expressed we have to turn that volume up where we say there's a rabona Shah aalam and there's plan and there's a reason that yes we're going through a crisis but it's also presenting an opportunity what have we about ourselves how have we grown ourselves what have we improved about ourselves what have we discovered that we can now continue to build upon when please God this is over how can we maintain our calm and our serenity by bringing down into this equation by inserting them to be part of this conversation about what is his role and where do we learn and where do we go and what can we gain from this we said in how well so many times over young tough recently had mantequilla de barre see they should ever say agree uh huh Monte how do you become a moment how do you grow in your Emunah have Monte Kia da bear you grow in a moon because we speak about emunah have mantequilla de bear who talk of them if we put him in the conversation with our spouses with our children Emily how many times have we talked about dashka how practice whatsapp group and emotional Yaakov's a courage Minh that we actually keep a journal of where we see our Shem in our daily lives Shen that worked out I never thought it would Hashem let me count all the Bracco's Hashem let me express all the things I'm grateful Shemin numerate the things that seemed coincidental but clearly were designed from you Hashem let me enumerate all the times I feel your presence your gun and your supporting arm in my life every day the mock journal but we record in the moment we share that had Manteca da bear if I speak about Ceylon IFIF I'm looking for you I'll find you I'll find a lake in the ducts in the iguana's and the storks in the tree I'll find you in the fact that I walked outside this morning and it was 67 degrees with me and that we have changed already by now but in uh in almost may you had been a cool unexpected breeze you giving me a hug breeze against my cheek that relief on a hot day that was you to see count hand Manteca a bear the more we speak about him the more we'll find him more we'll see him the more we'll discover him like my cousin Tova like my aunt maki to paddle and to fightin to object in to protest to take every initial can or ten manteca Dadar where do I see when there was a line of 30 people to bury the cemetery said they wouldn't be able to do it for days they were able to do the funeral right away Wow but to be together to mourn and grieve in such a fashion Wow certain things worked exactly as they needed to when it seemed that they were never going to even in that moment to come with a sense of confidence that this is for a reason I see a chef whose hand even here we have an incredible press incredible role model for this am I talking about the great Moshe Rabbeinu our master and teacher Navarro Oppenheimer Cazale chadar show a solution of Micra moshe each elokim reading of course about motion on the Torah and Moshe is described as an ish elokim moshe is a man of what is it to be an issue Kim a man a woman human of God what does it mean to be gap I'll tell you what it means to not be godly to not be godliest or not God anywhere it's cynical and sarcastic happy godless to think of his random enchanting coincidence to not be godly is to be like a mullick Nick rrah everything is happenstance core you pour cold water and try to extinguish people's fire their passion their excitement there at their enthusiasm the neutrality that's what it means to not be godly what does it mean to be godly what does it mean that moshe is in a shell Oh Kim that's Earlham Allah Allah so cuz I'll say it means his half and above is God is half from below his man what in the world does that mean isn't that against what we believe theologically god forbid only suggestions son of god half God that's not part of religion where does that come from what am i a meat I'm Irish warts explains the bill Vavi course a part of our religion we're not suggesting that Moshe is the son of God apart God any more than more and dr. Shalini Don Bowen Waskom Ketchum Oh Kim Bru show showed over she meets at Ponemah is an effort sure being a high bow so long Shane bow it's like duos it means just then we describe the world as broken up into two stories there is the part of the world which is filled with obstacles and battle friction with having to overcome things that stand in our way and then there's Hashem Hashem there is no go and there is no battle Hashem the whole world conforms to his will those two pounds of the world there's the whole world as we know it filled with challenges and obstacles in battle and then there's God from everything is smooth sailing peace calm tranquil easy nothing no force that can oppose him what it means that motion is a Nisha elokim that half of him is like God it means that moat was in touch with and able to channel the God in him he was able to live an experience and attitude and mentality things everything is by design and way it's meant to be and everything somehow is hooded but what do you mean look around that's the part of Moshe that is Amata katsumata senator Schwartz Latonia Senator Schumer most revengeance couple of minutes like do yes what do you mean Moshe be a realist with my free around perro ich misery thus theorem million are two men erev RAV amnon like adam armando of secon oak the enjoy we're gonna get provided by the adolescence of the drupal and any courage of a miserable complaining and changed moshe rabbeinu i mean there's no opposition what do you mean there's no this tension in your life moshe smyth babbling babbling in the palace paddling outside commas battle to be the leader battling for the people battling with the people we just listed his litany of battleships he is cassio LaMotta ish yet though lamar look him moshe was able to superficially extern if you're a historian studying motions life if you're a student hook trying to summarize motions expiry its characterized by by struggle by challenge but if you're looking at most the essence if you were to ask moshe by oh my if you know what he would tell you i never struggled with anything my whole life I had I should tell Matt my back for everything what do you mean moshe dustin of iran I'm on ammo of Mako's the people what are you talking about he'd say oh those things that's just what to do the battles and those weren't obstacles it's all part of the master plan it was a great statement that some say if you love what you do you never day in your life say the person you love what you do you never work a day in your life what are you talking you go to work every single day and you doesn't end at 5:00 p.m. you're mine working all right no but if you love what you do you're never working you don't call that you don't think of letters work and the same thing is true here that's what it means we like Moshe have a petiole Amala and Weaver Hachiya LaMotta the better of our the transcendent sense of ourselves godly sense of ourselves has the ability that no matter what the lower half of ourselves is battling or facing or struggling with to live to live with peace to live with tranquility to see a Shem everywhere and to know everything is for a plan to know everything so my dear friends it's a choice that you have and that I have it's a choice that we have to make how are we going or external sobs or our internal selves our best selves or our worst selves are godly selves or our animal physical materials are we going to approach a world of tension or friction obstacle or are we going to approach a world that says it's all his will it's all from a yes I have to overcome yes I have to fight yes I have to battle yes I have to take an issue I'm pulling like a crazy person but I'm gonna glide it in the water and coast in my life with the absolute knowledge and confidence income that I Shem has my back that there is a plan that it will work out that any way it's meant to be will work out the way will work out because by definition however it happens is the way God willed and that very mission hey Monty Kedah how do I have a Munna Bhai talking about him whether it's coronis whether it's a market economy whether it's personal life or whether it's homeschooling whether it's whatever battle or challenge I'm facing beard as I the equation talked about him so we insert his name do we ask what he wants for us to give him nachos are we grateful to him try to learn from it listen Finn hey Monty how do we grow in a moon kid bear similarly in the situation we feel confined and restricted we're quarantined keep in Horsham with so simple we go out you can get out of that confined restricted place of life we just finally suck sir he is me now mates are classic our butts ryeom the word myth strong comes from mates are an arrow players when I feel fist caving it's the planache am I got a guy out of my house already I better mic drive name their friends they're desperate to get out of the house the ceiling walls they're closing in on me I can't take it economy will be with the beachside what's gonna change what screaming the same grieving losses being the loss of what was what will be living we're living in goo for where everything is singing in feel getting that for an hour Minna mates are Rasika from mates are from its line from this narrow place I'm calling out calling out to you I should so gem says you know I take you out of that now released I take you out of that Mitzrayim I take you out where it's closing in how because when you believe in us why shem takes us down with a moon a key down but cam on a DAB there can we see a share when we trust and feel them when we know that he's right next to us and he's guiding us and supporting us and he's encouraging there's a plan for us the plan for this world and there will be another end there will be another side that we will come out there will be a will continue then we're able to overcome that myth shyam who were taking out him it's time we just celebrated Pesach and these 49 days is we're counting down two shifts we're working on taking miss Ryan out of us God took us out of it I am in nine days Ernie taking him a triumph oz to not feel that we're collapsing to not feel the world's like world the walls are caving in but to realize that he has a and that were capable that similar to be ha Biba simcha with what's happening in the world the answer is a genes to always be a person has to attain their joy for life their happiness their simplifying because you have a ruby a American the breath in your lungs this morning your food on your table keep this simply say on the way to get out of that narrow place the way to get out of the walls caving in way to get not only to get out of me trying from a charm T of us keep his simplicity with the sense of sip with a sense of joy with a sense of happiness that there is a Shem snake I am alone ok I misspoke Allah - had there were 4 Moshe the upper half from the lower half the external existence and the internal existence the godly perspective fully human perspective promotion these two halves exist which and everyone of us cachaça maracas have missed me you southern physician is mass Cola maracas athlete Sonja's Masada's autistic IMS is like videos we have the choice to make and living turned off a calm and tranquility in my life I coast along the surface of the water or am i living myself am i seeing all the obstacles am i living with the tension and the battling my paddling like a mare and then I'll never have a peaceful day in my life the choice is up to us I hope we'll make the right one and when we do simcha Saha keep this a tell you and that simcha that joy will take us out of that narrow place and Monti CAD a bear that we will behave our because we can by Hashem and when we do we'll be able to endure my oven tenacity like my cousin like my aunt and like so many other heroes do all that we need to but in the end submit and accept and let go and let God with better then we can gain the that we all wave and desire wishing everyone a wonderful