Am I Ever Going To Like Doing Mitzvot? (8 Minutes)

1:32and Hashem Himself in His Torah, that you're going to start doing things even if you don't understand them, as long as it's written. As long as it's not some baba telling you, "Listen, you have to walk up the stairs six times, down the stairs three times, twiddle a little right, twiddle a little left, put a red string on your head, and give me some tzedakah and you're going to have a kid next year." You know, all this crazy stuff. As long as it's written, you have a source, you have a book, you have a sage, you have Torah, you have a verse in the Torah, you have something that says it, okay, fine. But the people that make up all these extra stringencies are mamash destroying the religion, and they're destroying people's lives because people get so confused and so overwhelmed with this nonsense that the religion looks like a cult. It looks like it was made in India. You know, it's like every day there's a new minhag, every day there's a new string. First of all, by the way, anyone that has these red strings, they're not allowed. It's not only that it's not a mitzvah, it's not allowed. It's actually a ma'aseh goyim. It's something that is written in the Gemara, that the goyim used to use the red strings for idol worship. This is how far we are from the truth. If people go to, I don't know, different places in Israel, to the kevarim, to the graves, they believe they need these red strings for protection or blessings.

2:49And they give, it's like $10, $50, $100 to this guy who sells you a string that doesn't even cost a penny. Look, and the guy wears it all year. No, no, I haven't taken it off since I went to Yerushalayim two years ago, even taking a shower with it and everything. It's like, oh, do you realize every single second you're sinning? The rasha who sold it to you, he's just making money. He doesn't care about the truth. He doesn't care about Hashem. He has a beard. Osama Bin Laden also had a beard. It doesn't mean anything. A beard is free. Well, he puts a kippah on, so what? He puts a kippah on, but that's why you have to look into it. You must take the initiative and look for sources. Don't just start doing things for no reason. Don't be a robot. And that's one of the things we have to understand. So, regarding some of the mitzvot, there are plenty of benefits to them. I'll take your question in a second. But also know that the real reason, and it's important that you know this, the real reason.

3:50For all of the mitzvot, not one, not two, not three, all of them, the reason we do them is because Hashem said so. That's the reason. That's really the only reason. The other things are just a benefit. It's like eating a sandwich because you need to survive. Whether it's tasty or not, whether it has a tomato in it or a cucumber or not, it doesn't make a difference. Because if you were in a desert and you haven't eaten in a few days, you're not going to ask if it has cucumbers or not. Same thing with our mitzvot. Our neshamah, every time our neshamah exists without performing a mitzvah, it's suffering. Because a mitzvah is food for the soul. The soul needs to constantly "eat". So, it doesn't really matter why you're doing the mitzvot; Hashem said so because that's the only way you're going to survive. Now, if you ignore your neshamah for an extended period, little by little, it withers. Then, it becomes very difficult for you to accept the truth, even when it's right in front of you.

4:50And just like the Rambam says in Shemoneh Perakim, in the book we talked about a week or two ago, where he says that when someone is physically sick, the things that usually taste good to normal people, whether it's sugar or something sweet, do not taste good to them. Suddenly, they like something salty. Suddenly, they like the opposite. All of a sudden, the medicine tastes good to them. When they're healthy, the medicine is disgusting. Which is, by the way, as a side note, it's amazing to me. With all the technology we have today, we still can't figure out medicine that tastes good? You can't put some sugar in the NyQuil? So anyway, on the other hand, when we're healthy, we know what to taste. Our taste buds know what's right and what's left. It's the same thing with a sick soul. A sick soul that's so far away from Hashem and hasn't done a mitzvah in who knows how long. Doesn't know what Shabbat is, doesn't know what kosher is, you know, he has no clue. You start telling him, "Listen, by the way, this Mishnah says this and this." Even if it makes all the sense in the world, even if that's the one thing he needs to hear, it's hard for him to get it. Why? Because his neshama is so sick that it's taking the sweetness as bitterness.

6:13And the bitterness all of a sudden becomes sweet, meaning the sins, going to the club, eating non-kosher, you know, intermarriage, all types of things, that becomes the sweet stuff. No, no, let me sin today, because maybe we're going to die tomorrow. Live for the day. The mentality that says, "let us sin today because tomorrow we're going to die," is reflected in the Torah. This mindset has persisted even 3,300 years later. People say, "Oh, let me go to the club, let me go play some cards, let me go play this, let me do this, let me bet the house. Let me do all these things. One more shot, put it all on black." Because who knows what's going to happen tomorrow? "You only live once," they say. "You only live once." They make it sound even exciting. The problem is that as soon as that bet's over and you lost the house, you cry. Why? Because you realize you're not only going to win, but you're going to live tomorrow also. 매트 유럽 Leyton so let's understand this correctly: it's not only about the thrill of the moment; there's a life that's ongoing, responsibilities that need to be met, and a world of depth within the Torah that offers more than temporary excitement. So, you have bills tomorrow, and you just used the money to pay the bills for the gambling. It's important for us to understand that the Torah is sweet. The fact that you don't taste it is not a deficiency in the Torah; it's a deficiency in us. The best favor you can do for yourself or for anyone that is rejecting the Torah you're trying to teach them is to keep going. Don't give up.

7:34A little bit more. Another five minutes. Another ten minutes. Another day. Another week. I promise you, it's going to become so sweet, you're going to become addicted to it. How do I know? I did it. I was the most skeptical person you could find. It took nine months' worth of proofs. You guys are smart—four hours' worth of proofs already. For me, it was nine months. Nine months' worth of proofs. You watch nine months of videos, nine months of conversations, seven hours. It's not even about convincing me. Nine hours and then two years, yes, okay. So he's, I found somebody like me, but it makes me feel better. He probably took only two days; it just makes me feel better. But listen, it's a, you make so many sins, it's very hard to see the truth. You've just experienced another Torah class brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.