Parshat Toldot: You're My Source of Blessing - Rabbi David Kaplan

okay so we started Parsons told us and we started right with it's like a terrific ax now let's go let's take a look at the deposit something very strange right off the bed a little is just like been our problem emelita see it's like yesterday we spoke about the idea of the connection of a generation it's like Val he it's like when our boy Jonah the cathodes rifki bats with Scylla I mean we've had on a rum echoes love an hour me Lily J take drift kill the sister of loved one as a wife now Plus like tough I love fourth line for throwing from the top this is where were that where the difficulties began but yeah targets like la chemin no coffee snow Kia quarry it's like davon the tush em opposite his wife because she was barren via us our Lord shot Michelle responded to him the tire-riffic a show she becomes pregnant now first of all the word vote yet tired comes from the Hebrew word attire at our is a spade and the meddra says white is the prayer of the righteous compared to a spade why is the prayer of the righteous compared to a spade so the chorus of the measure says the same way might even be a gumar I think it's like Omar says it the same way a spade takes and it turns something over from side to side the prayer of its attic thank you very much can turn meet us had din to meet us around him the prayer of exotic turns God's strict judgment the Israeli that's how powerful that's how powerful at Fela is okay now yes like the oven says white no one answer question do you see anything a bit peculiar in the structure of their puzzle it's like Davin - I'm opposite his life because she was barren and I Shem responded to him and she became pregnant anything you find particularly strange in the in the structure of their puzzle opposite of wiping they stood opposite corners there's certain Court I mean alongside his wife but not you know they're really they stood they stood together opposite each other and and you know they they prayed simultaneously what'd he say shinhwa's himself talking about God Shem allowed himself to be entreated yeah yeah but yes or lunchtime that's only because it's only because they don't have a great English translation for the verb form of a prayer of fight right Hashem was pray or fight right there's a yell Salah havisham responded to his prayer that's oh I would have translated as I have a yellow sham sham responded his prayer but it's a very awkward important it to a certain extent non-existent form of the translation that we would want if we were translated probably and into the English so that doesn't work so what so that's why the article translates away it is so let me ask you a question what what is the subject of the story here yes very good yo Rebecca was barren so if you were writing this post what would you how would you have written it if you're submitting an essay excellent excellent perfect perfect this subject is the Austrian which is a result of her being pregnant after she was barren there happens to be one side point here that the way she hate at the officer just like parade and it's that ya understand so the answer is we've got a completely misunderstood take and prayer yes your average guy in the street what spray or for what when most people say what sprayer for what to get stuff you need something you pray you know you got it you don't pray you know I need a Mercedes I pray got the Mercedes find something else I need I need my neighbor not to have a Mercedes right okay good so so I'll pray for that you understand you know the standard take on people I need something I prayed on something on Oprah we're gonna believe that got waste my time Domini right the answer is that we're making a mistake here that's not the purpose of Tila other verbs that's the purpose of Tila and pay attention gives is a massive subject the purpose of prayer is to draw closer goatish world that's a purpose of prayer and there are different means that a court could resort to in she draws closer now you've heard the statement that God desires the prayer of the righteous I could have told me ability lush insulted thinking did you ever hear that idea the Gemara says why was it you find an interesting coincidence Avram and Sara then they have children you click in Rivka did they have children yakko's favorite white Rahel didn't they have children Leigh I had children right away but even she was barren she was originally an academic so do you know why she had children right away because the rumor monger said well love one has two daughters and it's like yes two sons Lovins older daughter Leia will marry ace of Lovins younger daughter Oh Homer marry Yaakov well when R'lyeh heard the rumors and everybody was talking about how she's destined to marry ace of it says Animesh she cried that's why her eyes are described as being soft they were they were softened through constant tears now what does it mean she cried let me some little Sally saucer you know you know just sitting in the corner crying you know crying for no reason I mean she cried her eyes out in prayer oh you've already achieved whatever is meant to be achieved through prayer you've achieved it already you've done your dirty luck so you could have children right away Sarah rifki Rock Hall they were all barren because they have to be brought to prayer and their husbands have to be brought to prayer for them now what does that mean so the example I always just like to use is the Navy SEALs the Navy SEALs you everybody's heard about them now because they killed what's-his-name with the beard with the tit hole and the beard what's his name bin Laden bin Laden I guess everybody heard about the Navy SEALs I had read about I was in I had read up on the Navy SEALs already years ago it was a potential career choice and the yeah that in a helicopter rescue pilot yeah yeah those were my career choices yeah yeah said the what he called the end a bungee jumping instructor yeah so the I have absolutely no qualities necessary to be a Navy SEAL there's not one quality that I have to be a navy I'm a coward I do not like inconveniences I I'm afraid of everything you know I would just not know that have made it so the Navy SEALs starts like this I'm gonna give you an example an example is not far from their actual training if anything is under under exaggerated let's say they start out with a group of 500 a unit of 500 guys who already have proven themselves he has crack Marines right so you talk about the biggest the strong is the most rugged of all they start out with a group of 500 guys and by the way they will sometimes start and go into training and not one of the 500 qualifies it will have units that there that not one person passes they're qualified to be a Navy SEAL alright so these start out with 500 guys the first week is sleep deprivation week get to sleep you know 20 minutes a night for an entire week by the third or fourth day 500 guys 200 guys are going out of their minds right they drop out of the program by the third or fourth week they drop out of right they take them put them into our room a nice meal a bed go to sleep you're out of the program you go to the second week 300 guys go to what's called ice water submersion on an office of Mergent ice water for 12 hours a day by the middle of the week another 200 eyes in a way you know that we're out of this they drop out of the program put them in a warm room bad a meal you're out of the program the third hundred guys last hundred guys they go off to the last week which is being dangled upside down by one foot for about nine hours a day on and off by the middle of the week another 70 guys drop out 30 guys finish the program there's an ATM you see okay now imagine an outsider somebody from the outside watching went just took place and that is makes sense they failed the first week so they got a bed in food and they went onto ice water they failed they got a bed and where they get to be dangled upside I'm gonna make any sense so I guess the answer is oh it's like you took your focus off the goal comes with the goal is you want to become a Navy SEAL it's gonna cost you to get that honor you're gonna have to invest it's gonna cost you to get that honor same thing for professions of life you want to be a doctor you're gonna have to work like crazy I have a friend as a doctor I used to ask him what his daily schedule was he'd when he was a medical he told me he got up at 6:30 in the morning started studying studied straight till 10:30 at night took off 20 minutes to play ping pong to let out his aggressions and then back to the books day after day after day he's a doctor now he's out earning the guys who are our accountants you might have be in accountants you go to school for four years yeah you want to be a gonna be a phys ed major like I was you know so you go to school for even less yeah you want to be a rabbi no school at all okay so depends what you want to do depends what you want to do what you want to earn but they're often in times were to get the privilege how do you think they'll let anybody wants gonna be a brain surgeon you gotta pass 6 years of medical school training you finally become a brain sir do you know that you know that involves so the rule is that in life to earn a certain privilege you're gonna have to you're gonna go through you fail you're out you know they are the guys go to football training camp you know football training kids are trying to make a football team they're jumping through tires and you're pushing what do you call it that you're taking hits and you do everything if I'm about it you're not on the team we're cutting you right now once you cut you go off gonna have a meal go to whatever you are right and these guys are gonna go get punished by a 300 foot line lineman now you know go go see how many hits he could take from both linemen at the same time right well he's going off to a restaurant eat falafel I understand what do you he's getting a reward they're being punished oh no no they're still trying to achieve a goal when it comes to prayer the goal of prayer is to create a bond with AI coders world that's the goal of prayer prayer is not to get stuff it works to get stuff it works but it's not the purpose of Prayer the purpose of Fela is to create a bond and achieve a closeness with our colors world that's the purpose afraid so what are the colors Roja do those what makes a candidate so they avril lavigne oh you've made yourself into a great person you've earned the privilege that means you passed the original course you have made the cutoff you have made that you are one of the chosen few who is now made it and you're going into Navy SEALs training because you made it it's gonna be difficult training but you've made it you pissed the other guys failed they're out of here avril lavigne oh you've made yourself as a such a great person I'm gonna give you an opportunity to draw even closer to me God is the source of all good the greatest connection the closer more you are connected to God the greater the greater the the privilege of greater the pleasure I'm gonna you know you're gonna do it I'm gonna withhold something that you want very much that's gonna force a level of prayer out of you which I'm not going to get out of you any other way and therefore I'm gonna draw you close with that prayer that's what of course world does that's what it means God desires the prayers of the righteous so he with holds specifically the thing they want most because they've earned the privilege of them coming closer it's painful grueling it's an ordeal but you've earned it okay now you have to be careful here because things could be withheld for different reasons things could be withheld because God wants to draw you closer so that seems withholds it because the punishment for it sometimes he being withhold something because just that good for you you know you don't you'll you'll hurt yourself if I give this to you and so on and so forth but the idea that's one of the you know there's a there's a story guy Rebecca I need chu'lak this is the head of the laser Museum laser materials a medical relief organization in Israel Luca 9eh Oleg is the head of a zermatt Co so he was at the Kotel with a very wealthy man guys it's courting this guy cuz he needs a donation for his for his his medical organs one of the biggest medical organizations in Israel so they're standing there at the Kotel and he sees a Jew is standing there crying his eyes out she was crying his eyes out sort of charlyk says this wealthy man look if this guy about just crying the guy guys that guy's weeping like crazy it could only be one of two things right either there's a medical problem in the family in which case I'll take responsibility I'll help the guy out I'll ask the guy can I help you up you know whatever I can put my resources at his disposal if it's a financial thing which is the second alternative you do it that wealthy people like challenges you know there's a boring to just give money away say you know okay I like that you know the tree so a troll that goes over it says my dear sir name is coming eh Oh like if you or any of your family members are ill you know I'll have medical doctors referral services anything we can help you with - well says no question we're all basically healthy you know one or two ingrown toenails there you know Jewish stuff but but but but every other than that other than that we're basically okay for some reason you know Italians don't get being drug toenails you never hear about it you know it's very Jewish thing there it's much more percentage in Bnei Brak than it is in the South Bronx you know they die no for whatever reason okay they said no we're all okay so Chola goes to the wealthy man and says okay you're up at walks over puts his arm around the shoulder he says hi just name the price I'll fill it in it's a blank check whatever you need guy says no thank you very much Rick sure okay yeah we'll have a lot but we're okay so charlyk says - are you crying he says I'll tell you I have 12 children every time have to make worry about one of my children it should do comand in laws and money and in laws in the band and in laws you know everything that goes around with the up so it's a difficult process so every time I've needed to marry off one of my children I've come to the Kotel I've Davin responded we married them off last night we married off our 12th and final child I just came down here to say thank you there's going to say thank you that goes well now what that means is that if you pour out your heart and sincere thanks so then you could sometimes achieve what you would have achieved that he withheld something and then nothing needs to be without there's an the benefit you could actually go and Davin thank your quarters for ho for giving me health thank you our quarters Oracle for giving me parents they go girl for enlightening me to see the truth to come to our semantics thank your code is welcome for giving me pardon oh so thank you guys wrote we're not making me a White Sox fan thank you I've got a rule that I'm not from Cleveland Thank You Irish were cool you know for all the various things and life all the brothers in life that a person can have we think I caught it welcome now if you really do that in that since the whole purpose of Fela is to get close I caught his work well there's no need to withhold anything from you because the point of withholding sometimes is to draw you closer so per se supporters heart save pill ports heart out sincerely in thanks and gratitude that go to achieve a tremendous amount that way did you a tremendous amount that way you with all of our gripes all of our problems and all of our complaints in life but if you dive and he'd say thank you that Kurdish world that's a very powerful Tila it's a very potent Fela so the Torah says Vienna it's like la chemin ok it's like Dobbins opposite his wife you know why he dove in you know sorry why did it's like the subject this story is not children the subject of the story is happening and why did he dive in kita Cora he side point cuz she was barren headed night for that but yeah I think it's like what a davon because he had a heart condition it's like what a David because he was financially now well the whole point to the story is that happening davin II is the subject not a a detail everything else is a detail that sort of person has to get used to when it comes to to you Fela is the is that the means Fela is the ants the means is what a person needs the means is whatever it's a means to get us to dive in at the absolute the world sees at the opposite edge okay but sometimes I go to immoral person is missing something can be something bigger something little and of course raw food options we gave you a person that's a way of getting you to Devon without that why would we ever love it absolutely absolutely now they're the words that show the person should davon already even if you're not looking to your marriage should be diving to get married you have and they have a good wife even now even as you're down for a good wife and even after you're married you should obviously remains a good wife and after you're married in India should be a good husband always diving for everything you know that you can't down for it's impossible can't die for something possible I should have a good mother-in-law they end up anything it would require a miracle you kids have important right but but there but the dime for everything down for every life situation here we make a hundred brothels a day make a hundred brothels a day now and once made of it did a little exercise do you enjoy a show I did I did a very interesting exercise what what is burrow Hitoshi I mean what does bruja Tasha blessed are You Hashem you may we're giving her my blessing is a source of blessing the problem is that considered the Citarum generally Terrence Layton some pathetic manner like blessed art Oh Lord you know you know we don't need to bless I co destroyed it either Pleasant created us right we are making a declaration Baruch Hashem is like saying I took a dose we say that I thought what do you say uh Kadosh what is it what are you saying you are holy what happens when you make it that close you do our holy book who does that make who does that benefit of course yes we had an idea of who it is that I'm speaking to a talker - I said I was holy nakai amazed if you bring the deadline anything declaration I make a card or puts him in perspective for me so that I can serve him better Baruch Hashem is so fundamental we're making you you know there's the word blessed he has another form which also does agree blessed means you are inherently blessed you are the source of blessing you are blessed we get it from you that's what we're really saying as opposed to I give you a bra because I'm such it's otic right there's a that's awkward we're blessed art though he doesn't eat our bra we're making a declaration that he is the source of all blessing now mine is a question what is it just imagine you say to your mother ten times a day when you're home you say she serves you a good mom you are the source of my blessing in life thank you for that supper later I'm you are to source my blessing thanks for folding the towels thanks for putting the socks at night okay now if you do it sincerely no one will ever be tired of it if you do it over and over again people I just just stop already that's the idea of a brothel about all commands and a man saying to his wife mr. Fogel and again you and I it's science fiction we both know that a man says to his wife you are the source of my joy in life thank you for the delicious supper you are the source of the joy in my life thank you for folding up putting away my clothing you are the source of the joy my thank you for being so quiet tonight you are the source you are you are the source of the joy in my life thank you for not taking the credit card you are the source of joy by now by the attendant happens you'll have a different relationship with her because you keep reminding yourself everybody she's a source of your joy so if you say that about fruit now I'm picturing Bravo you are the source of all blessing yeah thank you for giving me the sample well that helps you with the relationship with God you are the source of all blessing figures ever helping me to relieve myself normally make that broker does a few times a day you are the source of all blessing a chef who has done this that or the other so you said it now how many brothers listen to this is remarkably mind-boggling how many brothers he make a day did you have to make a day a hundred minimum of a hundred brothers let's say we do and let's say we'd been doing it since our Bar Mitzvah so hundred brothers a day comes up to seven hundred brothers a week two thousand eight hundred brothers a month well call it three thousand and multiply it by ten instead of going into the twelves three thousand brothers runs is thirty thousand broca's a year remember we're under counting but let's keep you call it that thirty thousand brothers a year in ten years three hundred thousand grahas in thirty years you've made a million brothers in 30 years a guy started in his Bar Mitzvah by the age of six in sixty years by the time he's 75 he's made two to two and a half million brothers in his lifetime now imagine after 120 years this guy comes up to heaven the heavenly court says okay Yankel did you did you die venereal oh my gosh is older than I but I always stop it oh yeah do you make Brussels all brothers I my brother's my middle name that and flossing my favorite thing you know yeah there yeah all did I make brothers yeah how many all right I'd say about two and a half three million no kid that's great what is Brook Latasha I mean blessed art Thou O Lord why were you bless him I created you O hmm interesting you mean you did something three million times and of course the life that you never thought about it you said it three Billy's I've never thought about it I thought chef you are the source of all blessings Oracle if you say that a hundred times a day by the end of the day of a different relationship with a con is horrible you say it a hundred seven hundred times a week you have a different relationship with a God is horrible who's the if it were to benefit him benefits for us why same thing with davon ting three times a day why do you them three times a day and I told you davon he never comes at a good time in the morning I'm tired at night I'm hungry and that medica I'm tired and hungry right never comes at a good time ever have the die right in the middle of day I get up in the morning I got things to do I got to check my emails and I got first they just check in with our code or Oracle he send you some emails also right at night before I go to sleep yeah I might tired right just say goodbye for the evening in the middle of a workday you're in the middle you're on Wall Street you're in Manhattan in the middle work day is that manian in the office every girl every film office as a minion there's a actually a non-jewish guy once off so with one of these from guys he says I know why you from guys are so good why you Jews are so good at business yeah why I says I see you every day about 10:15 here you stand there over in the corner for a few minutes thinking about business over there yeah he doesn't know right he is so many one is one so I'd say so many once said if you ever want to try to remember who owes you money Davin's run astray you'll remember yeah I never have to travel anywhere in the world I've been there and I've been everywhere I've been everywhere in the world well you know I dive in three times a day so you see if you do it properly in the middle of the date you reminding yourself your mind needs of hey you know I gotta make contact over here you know three times a day I once went my are my wife's from Columbus Ohio told you it's not my fault but she is so so I went to a what they they have a shot and Steen's department store there you know the Talmud Bavli Schottenstein czar their their their that's their that's their home turf is Columbus Ohio so I walked in I had to go speak to my brother-in-law keywords and accountants and what a shot and scenes apartment stores so I go in and there's a young lady they're obviously not Jewish and a lot of that met a lot whole lot of Jews in Columbus from Jews certainly and I walk over there I'd say excuse me do you know where mr. Cohen is usually goes he's in mini on I said what where she could have said what you know imagine imagine Elvis somebody who and Elvis Presley Elvis where he's still alive telling you well he's in minyan I said uh he's where she goes mignon I said weird where is this here minion she couldn't all be what I thought she goes well walked into second office in the back at the arias I could office on the right okay I walk back there sure enough ten guys from all over the stores they're there to dive demon I think one was intermarried one was secular one was it no but I did I really am in the middle of the day to this day she has no idea what minionese I think she believes minion is a small town in the suburbs of Columbus hyoni's days and Minya she has no idea of any oh yeah the idea no matter what you're doing is stopping you make contact that said you have to Fela that's why it says way out there first okay that's ideal if they do it okay now I want to show you a Rashi over here in postage in the same posture towards the end of the passage it says VA hacer lo Hashem Hashem responded to him of a rifka each day you see that in both of her face so Rashi says we're at she says over here via US air loads a say it's the left column five lines from the top left column five lines from the top via uh sir lo says Rashi lo the Lola see that five lines to the top left column Hashem responded to him to him and not to her why she ain't doumitt felis Sadiq been Russia you can't compare the Fela of its attic the son of a Russia let's felis Sadiq been Sadiq rifka was it Sudeikis who was her father the soul the Russia brother brother yeah Yitzhak is its addict who's his father I've Roma you know you can't compare her feel it is Fela Lathika lo the Lola their first response to him and not to her what bothers you about that Alex go ahead bring it go ahead Rashi says like this the Torah says they were both diverting and then the Torah says Hashem responded to you look so Rashi points out well he responded to you it's like in not terrific oh that's what it's all I because you can't compare that side the prayer of its attic like rifki who's the daughter of a Russia her prayer is not the same potency as Yitzhak who's the son of Avraham Avinu he's its attic the son of its attic hurts fathers of Russia his father's its attic an evil person she's it's attic so the Torah says Yahweh can't compare her to his because his father was at attic also what's your reaction go ahead say it yeah perfectly very good very good you know and that's not fair I mean look at what she did look what he did look what she didn't look what he did right what's the answer so certainly there's that element there's certainly a mother in other words we're not talking about fair or not fair we're talking others that there's an inherent over here what can I tell you know I want to make the basketball team and and in in the Marcus Marcus Jordan also wants to make the basketball team right well I'm trying harder as hard as him or even harder there's only something that there's just something there's only one factor here there are certain genes right there's certain genes my five foot six inch father did not bequeath upon me the same basketball genes is Marcus Jordans 6 foot 6 inch father bequeathed upon stem so there's just an adherent reality over in the spiritual realm it's the same thing there's yes it your father was like okay that's one element that that's the one we want that's as well we want it deathless answer your question your question hey but it's that fair okay so why did I tell you guys remember I once gave you this example you walk into a show right two men are diving remember the example and I tell you two men are Dava T one of them is diving like this so you that it's like you guys having like this yeah okay and I tell you one of them is about Shiva and ones in FFP and you have to guess which one which one which one would you say Gil yeah it's that's a no-brainer it's a no-brainer right why is that why is that there's a certain excitement that the Bulge of a heads which gives them an advantage for an ffb to dive in like that ball sugar doesn't mean all FF B's diving like that if give it a choice ones that FP ones about Shiva it's a no-brainer but if you see two people diving like that they're both doubting and I don't say that you should be doing this during that you know I don't say she'll be I mean baseball signals during during during doubt but if two people are diving with tremendous enthusiasm who he had to work harder to get to that level of enthusiasm in many cases the better the FFP the ball trooper goes from zero to sixty by that by debt by nature of his choice if I'm gonna be about Juba I didn't join up I gave up a career I didn't give up a career two kits all around if I gave up a career and I'd cut off my family and made a life change and me went through difficulty I didn't do it so that I could be texting during the Avenue and FF II I've been in theirs from day school I've been I've been I've been texting since I was in second grade when my Rebbe also texted during diving you know I know what do you want for me so the Rebbe is about the FFP he has to pull here so reach back it takes more for the FFP than things are about you though if he it's like a drift car dominant potency yes she comes from that sort of background but anyone from that Beck you know in Russia in Russia there were Russian Jews to go into hidden cellars and daven and make minions right under the noses of the communists that if he got found if you got caught you went to the KGB area went out Siberia right how much talking do you think there was during diving in those shoals how much how much discuss injury caused or such also is there about sports and politics right zilch you know why because I'm good I'm not going to Siberia for the stock market I'll go to Siberia for brutality's principles in other words you almost get a it's almost a bizarre it's a bizarre it's almost a a strange advantage you have by being disadvantaged you have a strange advantage being disadvantaged oh yes look you're diving then you can't compare to prayer then he can't compare the prayers because if you're both Davi with that it means that the Yitzhak raised by Avram you know he had to reach back further than a rifki did who's got a natural purple something propelling her naturally because of her background out as it may seem there's a third explanation by the way third explanation is that remember we mentioned Sadek been static sometimes refers to your previous incarnation your it's attic the son of it's attic could be that means you were its attic in your previous incarnation in in this incarnation you're its attic as well where you have another person who was a Russia in his previous incarnation and he was its attic he worked how to made himself what's out of here but it's not the same it's not the same thing but that is it's something you find like you know that the Russian ship of the mirror you shiver of doesn't see finkles itself you know and he had advanced Parkinson's you know that he built up the mirrors ship at the 7000 when he came to mirror heard about there but you know 600 700 students he built the mirror up into the Empire it is he had Parkinson's he's have traveled the world with Parkinson's fundraising I mean he once went to a wealthy man he had in front with his vice I saw him I went it's a shear of his it was unbelievable he walked into the shear when he sat down in his home he gave a home assure on Fridays he would sit down and he would immediately cross his hands over and grab either side of the cherry of the big chair because he was shaking and so he held the thing and sometimes it was shaking so much his yarmulke would fall off the guy had to follow and back and forth of the microphone as he is he was shaking it was it was a very very disconcerting when I saw it he raised a tremendous amount of money he once went to a wealthy man and he said well then we need a certain amount of money for the marry Shiva with a project the wealthy man said it's it's very hard for me and of the since he just looked at her while he shaves us it's hard for me to write yeah you know it played that card he played the cover he was that card see his disadvantage gave him a tremendous advantage his disadvantage gave him an advantage because you're not gonna say no they got parkinsonism in about for your office at Manhattan who had a who had to be taken by three people on a plane to get to you they asked you for money understand so so it when it comes to dialing your background that could also be a factor that's what the diversity get a little better Alex yes yeah that gives you at least a logical angle but the other is a factor also as far as the spiritual genetics that's not the answer we wanna hear because then we walk away say well that's not fair well my father wasn't shouting his father was inside exist that's not fair give me a give me an ally in it well you have an event you have the advantage over him here you you think he's got the advantages father was it's out of you've got the advantage can you give her a more difficult background there for your fillers who are prize more potent oh that I can understand that i can understand okay so rifki gets pregnant who gets pregnant and then the next process could go into yeah cause our will leave Yaakov in a so for tomorrow okay either the birth of the acumen ISA okay