Ten Minutes of Meaning (Part 106): Run From Honor, Not to It - Mesillas Yesharim

good morning BTO welcome back to our 10 minutes of meaning Where We Gather weekly toil the great words of the who challenges each and every one of us to become the very best versions of ourselves to follow the steps that are outlined by quotes from the gar who teaches us how to perfect ourselves beginning with z a living a life of mindfulness of conscientiousness of being present and aware of all of our thoughts and all of our actions and of our Deeds to be entirely present in everything we do then zus once we've mastered we've learned or at least improved our sense of mindfulness of Consciousness are being present then we can move to zus aity and Zeal and going and trying to conquer the world and then we've moved over to nikus which trying to identify what's the Kryptonite in our life how can we eliminate how can we purge that draw that Temptation that desire so we can form the right habits and we can live our best lives I want to thank our generous sponsors KH and Len grin in memory of her beloved father Mr Aaron Tambour Aon Ben y who's alah thank you so much our dear friends the grinstein for your generosities okay we have been learning within the mid of Nikas we have been identifying all kinds of pernicious and negative and and really corrupting contaminating character traits people who eat in unhealthy ways people who speak with profanity people who are filled with lust and with anger and we've most recently been talking about how to purge and how to overcome that instinct towards Envy when you see what someone some else has and you're drawn to want it not only in addition to them but you want it instead of them why do they deserve it why do they have it I deserve it I should have that happiness so how do we overcome that sense of Envy at the root of most Envy said is the drive and the draw to Money Money makes the world go round people crave money there's an insatable appetite for money oh if you love money you can never have enough if you love things you can never have enough and that's the question and the challenge is how to overcome that instinct and that pull because it has corrupted so many it has clouded Judgment of so many it has caused so many people to actually compromise relationships happiness health and so much more money the insatiable appetite for things for material possessions for more it creates a danger and it makes a person filled with worry and anxiety and concern and uncertainty even after you have a lot even after you're successful what is the point at which the person can exhale or breathe what is the person at which point at which a person is satisfied that I have enough hisus stop stop I have enough when I have a little but the feeling of I have enough when I have a lot does anyone really feel I have enough even when they have a lot our rabbis teach us in that the more things you have the more things you worry about now you might say bring it on I'll worry I'll take that challenge but we should do so at least with our eyes open that the more things you have the more possessions the more that you have to care for the more you have to ensure the more that can break down the more that has to be replaced the more that you already will be stolen the more that you could be sued for the more things the more you have Mara the more distraction the more worries the more simplified your life the more you could focus on that which matters and the more complicated your life in many ways it's a if you have many homes and many cars and many portfolios and many bank accounts and many things it's a huge BR money can solve 90% of the world's problems but the 10% that can't be solved with money are the worst problems that man can have and one wouldn't change them for anything in this situation because a person has that insatable appetite for things for money for more it often leads a person to violate the mitzah of the Torah we end up cutting Corners we end up justifying or not being entirely honest and it also causes us to violate the Norms of Common Sense a person who has such Envy such jealousy such an insatiable appetite for money and for more won't always act in the most logical sensical way it could cause a person even to violate common sense worse is a person's desire for Honor so we went from Envy to um Envy to love of money to now the insatiable appetite for Honor for respect you see there are people who are able to conquer they can they can be disciplined and regulate their desire and their drive for money and for things and for all the too they can be on a diet when it comes to food and a healthy diet when it comes to money and it comes to consumerism and it comes to life however when it comes to honor the pursuit of Honor I need friends I need followers I need reposts I want to be honored I want people to acknowledge I want people to notice I want people to defer their person who say I'm not willing to blend in I don't want to be seen or perceived or feel inferior or less than others I don't want to be seated in worse seat I don't want to be invited less times I don't want to be honor and over this over honor over that need to be acknowledged over that need to be uh honored over that need to be elevated how many people have faltered have perished how many people have lost and compromised their own happiness their own health is going to bring us several examples from our sacred Torah of individuals that's what the Torah was teaching by recording these episodes about these people is how how absolutely how absolutely corrupting The Pursuit Of Honor is it consumes us it distracts us it clouds us was barred from the world to come because of Honor Rabbi said inan he grabbed he grabbed them by the lapels he grabbed them by the and he screamed at him he said repent have a get rid of your ego have some humility and then you and I and benesi will walk into the Garden of Eden together there's not enough room in the world for all of us if you're going to be filled with honor if your life is driven by your ego your honor your need for everyone to defer to you your need for power and there's not enough room in the world for all of us as God but if you can suppress if you can surrender if you can of course pursue your self-interest but do so with a sense of humility then will walk hand in hand together into the Garden of Eden so he turns and what's the response says to God okay we'll walk together me you and Dav King David who's going first King David's first that's the case if King David goes first I'm out I'm not interested what do you mean I'm not first what do you mean I don't sit in the preferred seat what do you mean I don't get the upgrade what do you mean I haven't been acknowledged what do you mean mentioned my name if a person is driven by their need for ego and honor and somehow their sense of self gets inflated by the uh amount of mentions by the other then they can't find happiness ever you run after honor honor runs away from you similarly the great biblical story about K kak who caused korak and all those who aligned themselves with him to perish korak was bothered by the need for Honor he said what do you mean my cousin Moshe what do you mean Aon why are they in the ones in positions of Distinction why are they the ones who get to speak publicly why are the the ones who get the veto vote why are the ones in leadership who made him the president of the sh who made her in charge of The Sisterhood who made this one in charge of that who made it the whole Genesis the whole background of the story is benia was chosen as the leader of their tribe so Kor said why is he the leader what is he doing as president I want to be president I'm smarter I'm better I'm more eloquent I'm more charismatic I'm more handsome it should be me it should be me so instead of the ability to find happiness for the other we think that it has to be us that was the downfall of korak and there's a little korak a little in all of us and some there's a lot and others there's a little but for all it clouds our judgment when we have to pursue honor and we are driven by the how elevated and how bright our name appears in lights then we make mistakes who this was also the downfall of the spies the biblical story of the spies who went to investigate the land God says no problem gonna Usher you in and it's going to be amazing and they come back and say no there's Giants that we can never conquer it and we'll never succeed what was the problem the problem is that in the desert Journey they were in charge and they knew that once they transitioned into the land of Israel they would be replaced there'd be a transition of power and they didn't want to give up the power that honor that power That Glory they didn't want to give it up and therefore they did not uh submit to the will of God to the plan of God they insisted on their own and that was the downfall 40 years wandering in the desert all because they behaved that way why did fight with his sonin the whole background of the Sha lost the kingship the monarchy he lost any sense of a potential Dynasty because he put honor first he didn't succeed he didn't exceed to God's Will and so on so all of these show we'll start with this next time the you call itos the desire for honor is what grips a person's heart more than all the worldly wants and desires we may not realize it we think we want money we want the pleasures of this world but really so many people are driven by Honor you see this in the whole social media World followers friends posts reposts everyone's elbowing and angling to say something that everyone will notice and will repeat because somehow their name gets inflated somebody dies everybody posts a picture from the one time they met them even though it wasn't a real relationship people post pictures or connections to celebrities who shouldn't even be admiring why somehow their value goes up if they can be connected or associated with others of real value or of no value at all but it's all driven by Honor all that behavior is driven by Honor and ultimately it can corrupt it contaminates it hurts us emotionally spiritually physically and most of all hurts our relationships we'll pick up with this next time stay happy stay healthy stay holy 8:45 we continue with living with amuna and tonight 900m we're going behind the Bea with the great Malcolm hon line of the conference of presidents he in our generation nobody has more connections to presidents Prime Ministers dignitaries diplomats than Malcolm Hine looking forward to speaking to him tonight at 900m and Hope you join us have a great day