#43 - Perek Gimel A - Mesilas Yesharim Explained

In two short sessions a week Rabbi Dovid Schoonmaker will elucidate and bring to life the eternal words of the Mesilas Yesharim. Rabbi Dovid Schoonmaker is the Rosh Yeshivah of Shapell's / Yeshivas Darche Noam in Yerushalaim.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

We're up to the third parak of Monsieur Sharm. Let's just remember for a few moments some of the Asodas, some of the fundamental ideas we've learned in the second parak. So in the second parak, Rabainu, the first parak of Zahiris, taught us how Khashiv, how Merkazi, how central, how important, how life-changing, how life-saving it is. To do Keshburn and Nefesh, to evaluate, to be Zayir, to be careful in our actions, and evaluate them and think about them. It's a question no less than Sakana Savadon, as he said a few times. We're talking about risking our lives, our spiritual lives, no less than that. And otherwise, we're like a Summa, we're like a blind man on the edge of the Danube, walking along happily, but easily falling in, Rahman Alisalan, to who knows where. And the Aetzer, and we emphasize this a lot, tries to seduce us and distract us and make us really busy. Today he does more, he doesn't even let us know that it's so important, and it really makes us so, so busy. But even back then, right, makes us incredibly busy, you don't have time for Keshbur and Efish, you don't even know you need Keshvar and Efish. You're busy, right? We spoke a lot about the Darkha Yatzar Hara in general, he's in Ishma Khama, Lambin Bar Mumis, and when a person reads a great Hashgafa, a lot to get over him of such a uh such a peric latsmo, such a sod lotsmo, such a fundamental idea latsmo. And I believe I said this, but I want to say it again to the Yetzahara, Yashik Kayah. Mamish, like I wish I could be as much as him. And what he's done in the last 30 years with technology, if he was doing well beforehand, he's outshined himself recently, you know, creating something which is just so, so distracting and so debilitating. Yes, there are many good uses for technology, and yes, I'm using a uh kosher smartphone to record this, and yes, you're probably listening on a kosher smartphone device, etc. Correct. We all know in ourselves, Libenu, Yodez, Marisnaf Shenu. We know ourselves, we know from our children, our friends, our co-workers, that all the kilkulum at sumum, the the time wasting, the mindlessness, the lack of focus, uh terguyum in a certain way that that come out from it. And the 8 hard did all of it, just getting mankind. I'm sure others saw. I saw recently a uh thing that AI produced on how to uh destroy the world, and it basically said it would do what technology is doing. You can only check it out yourself. You know, it's not funny, right? That's uh I should be laughing, but it's incredible, so it's doing it, right? So Yeshikov to the Itzahar. You see how smart he is, and I hope that we appreciate from there how how smart we have to be to avoid him, how we dead to it. Okay, so well that friends, now we get to him. We said also very importantly, at the end of the paraca, only with the Kudash Burp helping us, we have to put in our effort, but only with Siat Dishmaya can we fully win the battles. That means, of course, a person therefore must always turn to the Bonushalm. If it's dependent on it, if it's just me, nope, so it's just me. But if it's if it's the Bonushalm's, I need his Ezra, I need his Syatish Maya, as Rubino told us and define for us and clarify for us from the Gemorrah Il Moliya Kuroshboko Ozero, Eino Yacholo, three words, eino yacholo. So we always have to turn to Hashem Davan for Atslacha. Of course, I'm speaking to myself. Don't forget about he who gives us who knows Koh Lasodhail, not just in Parnas and Rukhniasul. So we always have to turn to him. And now we see, friends, in the third park, again, an ideal which we'll repeat is the incredible organization of the Mesil Sharm. First we had Zahiris, and now we have Khailke Zahirus, and the fourth park will be Kineas Isahiris, and the fifth park will be Maside Zahirus, right? The Mesil Sharm was incredibly, incredibly organized. And you see that again and again, breaking things down. That's another thing, a side benefit, someone who learns Msilhish Sharm, to learn methodology from him, to learn how to give over ideas, break them down, make them clear. Don't be Marak too much. Is not a very long book. I don't think any of this Ramchal's books, by the way, are very, very long. Um, just on a small personal note, I feel like uh whatever Hatslaqah was okay to a little bit with my Seifer Yitya Satara is partially, and people told me this, uh uh other authors, and uh just someone, uh just a Bacher last night told me that it was easy to take because it's uh small. So think about that. Uh people speak, right? I've rarely heard people say, Oh, I wish that speaker would have spoken a little bit longer. It happens, but uh really what you hear more often is that people are crying the fact the speaker spoke too long. So that's part of the Khahmad Ramchal, you know, his organization and perhaps notably writing something Biksara. I was recently at an event where there were three speakers, uh, myself, my colleague of uh Manning, and my colleague Rabbi Karlinski. Rabbi Karlinski was the moderator, and I and Rabbi uh Manning were allotted 13 minutes each to speak about whatever we were talking about, and then Rabbi Karlinski as the moderator was allotted 11 minutes, and lo and behold, we all stayed within our time limit as Moses Shabbos, and then we had questions and answers. And I turned to the crowd and I said, Um, before the questions and answers period started, right as it was starting, I said, I just want to note that we had three rabbis speak and they all stay within their time limits. I think it's time for us to make a brocha. Shaasa Lanunes, Bamakamaza. We've had a miraculous occurrence in this place. So the Ms. Sharm rode friends with incredible, incredible um organization. Obviously, Chachma. I mean, that's that's that's you know, I'm not even saying Ruha Kodasha, what a higher level chachmah. Um but also bhiksara, and that's part of what makes it nice to go through it and to chhazar. That's why it's a chhazurable book. You know, I'm giving this over. I I suggest to everybody, you know, your whole life you could read Mesilasharm Revolba, I think one that said 55 times. Why not? You know, keep Khazaring it every year, personally Khazar. Incredible. I think they have a monthly Masilh Sharm. Because it'll remind us as he writes in the Hakdam of all things we need to do. Okay, so with no further ado, let's start paragamal. Khelkiasahiris, Hinei, Haroz Lefakea Khalasmo. One who wants to be on top of himself. Pikuach means like uh control, comprolling. In Israeli Khadaram, they have a Menahel who's like in charge of the picture. They have the Mephakeh, who's kind of like the day-to-day watching things. But someone who wants to watch himself lefkochi, nine to like open eye. He has two hashkafot, he needs two outlooks, two perspectives to do. Hahas, shidbone. He has to reflect. We've spoken about that word before, reflect, reflect, not just to go forward. We're not on a train with Torah. We're not in on a Japanese speed train taking in Japan in two hours. No, no, no. Yidbone, reflect, look, and think. Shidbone. Mawa Tobamiti. Reflect doesn't mean just, you know, get a clear go vaiter. I'm emphasizing that. Because the word which Msila Sharm used a lot, we made this point before, I believe. Shidbonen. I have to reflect on it. I have to keep going into it, thinking about it, pondering it. Pondering, turning upward, finding myself, finding it outside. Reflection. Reflect. Shidbonain, Bina. That's how you build things. Bonane, a build building that becomes alive in me, becomes opened up in me. Fukakhami becomes a sugya topic. Shidbonain. Think about that. And so many times when ideas, I know I'll read a book and just go further. What are you doing? You know, take ideas in. They just go gobble up more ideas, gobble up more ideas, gobble up more ideas, gobbling up more shas, let shas talk to you. As the Heliga Katsuka said, someone said to him, I went through Shas. Katsuka said, You went through Shas, but did Shas go through you? Well, what does that mean? You have to let it go through you. What is this for it saying? Not just technical like pushing Kasha Territ's answer. Kasha answer, answer, answer. Bonane. What's it saying? How to be bone of myself from this? Livnos shit bonin. Mawat Tovamiti, what is a true good? We know the answer from Nisil Sharm. Tvekas, connection to him. Love. Shivchobraadam that a person chooses. Vharamiti Sheinusmi Menu. Vashanis. The organization again, friends. First, you have to know what's good and what's bad. Yeah, otherwise, what am I? I have no marker, benchmarker. Vashanis Alamasim Asherhu osa on the actions that he does. I have to know what's good and what's bad. And now I can think about what I'm doing. Is it good or what it's bad? I think when I reflect a little bit on the way I think myself often and others, when we will engage in a little bit of Heshbada and Efish, I think we often jump over the first stop part. And we're not makazing ourselves and reflect in what's the Tovamiti and the Ra miti and get that basis in ourselves stronger. Kirvasabori, Kennectant Hashem, Ratsanashem, Lishma. We know the answers often, right? But all that he said in the first parak in Hakdama, etc. What's the Tovamiti? What's life really all about? Now I want to show you what happens. Especially we're talking to, I think the people listening to this are mostly Bene and Benoissalia. People who are trying, people are trying, people are striving, right? And are working on ourselves so so that's why it's so important for us to focus on what's the Tovamiti and the Ramiti. I'll try to give some examples that when we when we without that, the step second step is gonna be off. Without a picture, what the Tovamiti is and what the Ramiti. I'm a mother. I'm not, by the way, but I'm a mother, but I don't get covered from my family. I'm a fourth grade Rebbe, but I don't get covered from the community. Because I'm not teaching any Shivik Doila or Yeshivtana. I'm only a fourth grade Rebbe. Not even an eighth grade Rebbe. Eighth grade Rebbe is really Gamara. I'm a fourth grade Rebbe. Maybe I need to do something else. So I'm not mother. I'm not getting covered from my family. They don't appreciate a homemaker. You have to change the name, right? You can't say you're you can't say you're a housewife anymore. You're a homemaker. Or you're an executive. I don't know what they call it today. Don't say you're fourth grade Rebbe. Say you're like uh executive, um nine-year-old, developmental, Talmudic. So I gotta do something else. I can't I can't say fourth grade Rebbe anymore. I I have to do something else uh as a mother. Uh I can't stay with this. Right? Wait, wait, what's a Tovamitian life? What's it all about? Right? The mother is raising a cadre of Ovde Hashem, the next generation, and she's doing a good job with it, and her little children, her boys and her girls, are gonna grow up and be Bene and Benoit's Torah with confidence, with Simcha, with happiness. So she doesn't, her family doesn't understand the godless of that, the greatness of that, the teras rosh of that, the Karasabaias of that. He said that when he sees a a young woman with with children, you know, screaming around her, she says she's she's in the highest majrega, she's she's above, she's in a different place. But you're not in touch with the Talvamiti, so then you get distracted. Now, no one should misunderstand me. My wife works, I happen to give people advice that they should look for girls who work today, also, because I think the financial pressure generally is too much unless you're a big entrepreneur or a big businessman or the cardiologist or something, but the average fellow, you know, is gonna want to be an accountant or whatever. It's hard to live in the Jewish world without a wife working a little bit. That's a different question. Someone needs parnassa, etc. A woman needs an outlet. You know, Rvon Lab said that women should work a lot today, women need outlets. I'm not talking about that. That's that that's that's also part of Tovamiti. But I'm talking about I'm just I'm I'm um purposely, you know, just focusing on a theoretical situation. They have enough parnassa and she's happy, but it's that voice, lack of covet that she's getting, which is distracting her. And then she says, What's the Tovamiti? Like, what is life all about? And me as a mother, I'm I'm right there. I mean, my god, I'm waking up with the kids, doing the TLC dying with them, and I'm and I'm putting to sleep with talking about Sadiqim, talking about Avasi Srol, talking about Clay Surrol, talking about about Tamil Hum, Sipurid Sadiqim, whatever it is, uh, vital times. I'm being with Sameh, my children, all the time. You are Akharak, Kashita Tovamiti with these children. So you want to get yourself distracted when you don't need to? Because of those voices. You're a fourth grade rabbi. So for 25 kids, you're making the basis for these children. I knew a big lamdan, I'll say his name, Shlomagolzi, he's a big big lamdan. He wanted to be a fourth grade rabbi. I remember it was so inspiring to me. Because if you not everybody understand something's working ashivas, it's understandable. You know, but most people want to teach on a higher level, higher level, and there's something to that. You need people teaching on a higher level also. But this fellow was a big, big Lamdan, a big time call. Eventually he had a kilo, it was a rabbin ish, maybe still a rabbishu, I don't know. Nicolas track, but that was his rats and I want to be a fourth grade rabbi, fifth grade rabbi. He wanted to teach Yaldi Israel, but nah, don't do that. You're not gonna get covered for that. It's covet. What so now here it is. Here it is. I am going to light up Yiddish and Shamas and give them simcha and confidence and basis. And by the way, if you know the Israeli system, I and I love Chasidim, I love Chasidis, right? But most Rebbe's in the Lithuanian Yeshiva world are all chasidim, which is a little bit odd, right? Because it's good to have a balance, but don't you want people from your you know your own way of thinking? Like kids' whole exposure first through eighth grade and ninth grade is basically usually is often chasid rabbis. Hasidic rabbis are great, don't you misunderstand me? But a little bit of balance of Lithuanian rabbis would be nice. But but let's say the reason is, I'm not gonna, I'm not talking about society now, but let's say this person is thinking himself. He sits to himself, I mean colour x amount of time, and now what I really want to do is I want to teach kids, you know, it speaks to him, it speaks to his nishama. Mamish speaks to him, nah, you can't do it, you're not gonna get covered. You're never gonna wear a frock like that. How are you gonna wear a frock? What's gonna give you two buttons? You know, how are you gonna get the two buttons? A Horbin, it's Mamasha Korbin, Horbin of himself. He might never become a Rebbe on a higher level, or sir, or he might be a Rebbe on a higher level that another 5,000 people could have done that job. And he won't find the same seat book that he personally would have found. Again, it's not me. I don't think I wanted to do it, you know, but but I see people who do it and they're they're good at it, and that's and now, so what's the Tovamiti? Back to that, friends. The Tovamiti is you're doing Mahamashratza and Hashem, and you're you're bringing people close to Hashem, and you're giving these 25 kids that support, and that kid who's in a who's uh who's a Yasim, doesn't have a father, you're gonna you're gonna learn with him on Shavas, and that one whose parents are going through a tough time, you're gonna give them the love and the understanding and and and all the all the new methods or whatever that you have, and you're gonna hold that back because because of that voice. That's a challenge of the Tovamiti. That's why we can't just go into the Heshbina and Efesh without understanding the first Schlab. Because a person could just judge a situation. Let's watch the situation without the Tovamiti, without being connected to the first slab. Okay, here I am. I'm a fourth grade Rebbe. The kids are are the kids are are are are are making a lot of noise, and uh it gets frustrating, and uh I see and sure they don't they don't appreciate it so much. I gotta stop this. It doesn't it doesn't add up, yeah? But then when you think about the Tobamiti, oh boy, does it add up. And then that lets you push away those that call because it's not really what's bothering you. The the the frustration you have sometimes, the little the loudness of the kids, that's not what's frustrating you. It's not what's frustrating you as a mother. It's not the etzum thing, it's it's the voice, it's the shekir, it's the it's a covet that's bothering you. So the more a person, of course, I'm speaking to myself, obviously. You know, I have my own my own challenge in these areas sometimes, but the the the but you have to remember what am I really doing? What is this? How is this Baine Hashem? How is this perceived Baine Hashem? But some people sell themselves too short. Maybe you should be working, right? Maybe you could do a lot more. Maybe you should be a fourth grade. The Yahfolio, that's not the point, but we're talking about the focus, we have the right focus. So that's why, just a little bit of uh harchavah, a little bit of an explanation, what Rabbein is telling us here. That uh the two ashkabas we have to do when we want to engage in our Kashman and Epesh and our evaluation is we always have to stay kusher, bahuk, and connected and thinking about what is life really all about, right? What is really gonna make my connection with Hashem? What does Hashem really want from me? What's gonna be the Kashuism? Adam Lon Nirva Lasani Glash and Lanas Mizivskina. So what's gonna get me there, right? Me being a fourth grade Rabbi is gonna get me Lanasku knows like nothing else. Nothing else, nothing else I could do in my life will get me there. Me being a mother, focused, happy, dedicated, well rested, not stressed out from work is gonna get me there. Another person maybe not. That's not that's a that that's way beyond uh the scope of what I know, of course, uh to know what or what. But but but I know, and you know also, friends, we all know that when it's covered in our head or you know, other people's views of what's important, not truth, so then we get distracted, and then we can make a bad Kashmir Nefish and not do what what we really want to do, or be with who we want to be with and accomplish what we can accomplish in this world.