Ba’alei Ha’Mussar Stories On Bitachon

1:33lo akseptam ein shamayim ein shamayim ein shamayim ein shamayim ein shamayim ein shamayim ein shamayim ein shamayim ein shamayim va'et teshuva, konvestatian finisht, Saba MiSlabodka gad off the next station, went to the other side of the terminal, waited for the station, went back all the way home, all the way back home, sold all of his business, all of his lumber, all of his wealth, opened 30 yeshivot, and spent the rest of his life, teaching Torah, teaching mussar, European Jewry, American Jewry, all of it started with, Saba MiSlabodka. zeh lemi sheze mezorer kshe'anti mussar b'mahalchim hazeh. Lama? Ki im ein mussar, ein yeshivot. Kol hayeshivot she'attem chayavtem b'mahalach hayom, nimtzu mezhorer mezhorer mezhorer mezhorer mezhorer mezhorer mezhorer mezhorer mezhorer mezhorer.

2:50I said, listen, my Rebbe, Rebbe Yisrael Salanter, I heard, not just good middos, over on the way to the kollel, the talmidim said to cover the rav, I said okay, I will never let the, I go, oh yeah, wow, on the way to the kollel in the morning, I said at 8 o'clock in the morning, I heard all night, I heard in the morning, I saw that I heard the roof... For me, neighbor, a doorpiece making noise. I figured, you know what, this is probably, you know, making them awake at night. It's making noise, it's flapping, it's banging away. So I got my ladder, I climbed up, and I fixed it. And I fixed my neighbor's roof. I never expected that fixing my neighbor's roof would also fix the tension between us, but it did. It was a small act of kindness that went a long way in our relationship. I cared so much about the next Yid, the next Jew, losing a little bit of sleep because the roof is making some noise, mattered to him to such an extent. He says, "You know what, this is worth it for me to be late to go learn Torah." Now, the same Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, who constantly exemplified fantastic middot (character traits).

4:09where he worried about every Jew, where he cared about every Jew, where he cared about the Torah HaKedosha, but he constantly proved it through his actions in his connection with HaKadosh Baruch Hu. One time there was a debate between Rabbi Israel Salanter and his students. Now his students were malachei asheret, weren't regular people. Each one was gadol hador. אז הם חושבים, זה כמו חושבים רבי עקיבא, רבי שמעון בר יוחאי, רבי מריוואנס, ענקים של הדור, הם כולם חושבים. זה כמו שיש להם אוזני רוחניות לשמיים. אז עכשיו הם חושבים, מה זה חושבים? על ביטחון. על ביטחון. רבי שמאי סלנדור אומר, אתה צריך להיות בטוח ב-100% על כל דבר גדול ועל כל דבר קטן. עד כדי כך, to the extent that if you believe something's going to happen right now, Hashem will make it happen. Chachmei Yisrael (Sages of Israel) affirm this, like the Rav, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך, עד כדי כך.

5:37But now you say you believe, but you believe be'emet, he'll do it. Just because you believe in him. And they had a debate back and forth, this proof, that proof, this proof, that proof. And he says, here, I'll prove it to you all, right now. How? I believe I am going to get a gold watch today. Now in those days, 150 years ago, to have anything gold was a sign of wealth; well, you were already considered rich. If you look at the biographies of that generation, chas ve'shalom, a lot of the book is about the poverty they overcame. Hashem yerachem, I was reading this weekend, the biography of Rav Elchonon Wasserman. It talks about the poverty they went through, Hashem yerachem. If you put yourself in their shoes, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean. Derosh Yeshiva Rav Wasserman, Rav Wasserman alav hashalom, he did not know his own chevruta, his children, except for the hours of the yeshiva, 400-500 themselves, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit.

6:59Yeah, it's a lot easier to feed five or six people than four or five hundred, so let us eat at least, we'll survive. No, if they're not eating, we're not eating. Unbelievable. Now, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter says, I believe I'm going to get a gold watch today. And the witnesses were all there, all thinking the rabbi took it a little too far. As soon as he's finished the sentence, as soon as he's finished, like a movie. כאילו מוביל, חושבים רוסים יצאו לצעירים, יצאו לצעירים הכולל, בית המדרש. אנשים מזכירים, מה שקורה, אולי חושבים רוסים יצאו לצעירים, אולי זו לא דעה טובה. המנהיג שלהם אומר, מי הוא המנהיג פה? מי הוא הכי גדול? מי הוא הכי חכם פה? ברוסים. אף אחד לא ידע. מה הם הולכים לעשות? למה? רבי ישראל מסלנט. The rabbi reported an okay message, ahhhhhhh, ahhhhhhh...

8:27My buddy, my best friend, died at work, but before he died, before I got sick and died, I gave my watch. I told him, listen, this is my dying wish, give this watch to the biggest chacham in the yeshiva, for yeshivish people. That's my dying wish, I died. I said, I am gonna deliver on a promise, I do, I deliver on a promise. d'kriu zehn orten in shamayim, Rabi Yisrael Mi Salant decided it's gonna be the vessel. The gold watch was already decided above, and the guy died, a month before, a week before, a year before, whenever it happened. Meaning, there was a gold watch going somewhere. כשרבי ישראל מסלנט אמר, "אני מגלה לבחורים כי אני חושב שהקדוש ברוך הוא יגיד לי לבחור גולד, בגלל שאני מגלה להם ביטחון בהשם." הוא גידל את הבחורים. לא בגלל שהוא רק אמר את זה, אלא בגלל שהוא באמת חשב את זה. אז אם זה מה שהרבי חשב, אתם יכולים להבהיר את זה לילדים.

9:41אז סבא מסלובודקה, הסטודנט, הוא רוצה להיות רבי. מי לא רוצה להיות רבי? סבא מסלובודקה אומר, אני חייב לבחון את עצמי. אז אני אמרתי לכם את הסיפור הזה, אולי פעם, שהוא הולך לתחנת הרכבת. And he's sitting in a train station, and at this point, some other Jew is sitting next to him and goes, Hey, Kvod HaRav, how are you? Stop talking. He says, where are you going? I'm going where this train is going. Where are you going? I'm going to the same place. Oh, okay. You know, it's in a few minutes. Yeah, yeah. Where's your ticket, Kvod HaRav? You have a ticket? He goes, no. עוד ערב, עוד ערב, עוד ערב, עוד ערב, עוד ערב, עוד ערב.

10:42So the guy can't live with himself. The rabbi, he's an honorable person, is sitting here with no ticket, and he's about to miss the train. Five minutes, four minutes, three minutes, two minutes, one minute—he can't take it. There's one minute before the train, and he's going to miss it. I'm sure he's going to some important place. The guy couldn't take it any longer: he runs to the teller, buys the ticket, and gives it to the rabbi. "Here's the ticket, but next time, don't be so crazy." וסבא מסלבודקא סֶס טָהַם, I told you בעזרת השם, just next time, בעזרת השם is going to come to somebody else. הַשֵּׁם הוא סיימי לְתִקֵן סמאדר פלוס, meaning, the whole thing was him training himself. He didn't say בעזרת השם. אולי, אולי, אולי, אולי, אולי, אולי, אולי, אולי, אולי.

12:04We're saying b'ezrat Hashem, but we're rushing the Shabbat. We're saying b'ezrat Hashem, but we're rushing with every woman that rises. We're saying b'ezrat Hashem, but we're rushing our tzedakah. We're saying b'ezrat Hashem, but when it comes down to the mitzvah of tzedakah, we don't rush with tzedakah. We always have money when we see all of our rich friends. We always say, "I just got the car," and someone responds, "You got the car also? I got the car also." Oh, I just ordered. I'm on the backorder. I'm on the front order. Everybody's comparing houses, comparing cars, comparing watches. Oh, is yours real? "Yeah, 35,000. I got it, I got it." But the guy comes with the car and says, "Ah, yeah, you know, times are rough. Hold on, let me see if I have a five on me." Hold on a second, hold on a second. "Hey, you know what? I'll give you 20." Gives the guy 20 like he just did it. "Listen, remember me in Olam HaBa," like he just bought him a... Atem medabrim al korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard dolar ve'od korot milliard.

13:14That's like a wife telling her husband, "I love you," but she never ever makes any food for him. She never cleans the house. She never does anything that he wants. All of a sudden, any time he wants something to eat, she makes exactly the opposite. Like in the Gemara, there's actually a story like that. One of the Tana'im had an evil wife. She would consistently make the opposite of whatever he wanted. So his son called out to him. איזה אבא? איזה אבא? איזה אבא? איזה אבא? איזה אבא? איזה אבא? איזה אבא? He says, you know, Abba, your Ima really strengthens me; she does teshuvah (repentance) circles. No, no, Abba, it doesn't matter. And he tells them the whole thing; he says, really, I call them, everything she does, I do for them the post, just like she does for you. He says, oh, I try what you're doing, but the holy Torah says, "Mi'dvar sheker tirchak" (distance yourself from falsehood). Mi'dvar sheker tirchak. Mi'dvar sheker tirchak. Mi'dvar sheker tirchak. Mi'dvar sheker tirchak. Mi'dvar sheker tirchak. Mi'dvar sheker tirchak. Mi'dvar sheker tirchak.

14:34כי אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, ואין. לדעת בקבים שלי, במיוחד של המזרחים, כי אני חושב עם פול אמונה וביטחון, ושהשם יגדיל לי את הביטחון. אני חושב. לא בעזרת השם, אולי זה יגדל. אולי המען יגדל, במיוחד כשאני מנסה לדעת את המזרחים. לא, לא, לא, לא. אני חושב שאני אעבור את כל מה שאני מנסה. If we need it, we buy it. Yeah, but how are you going to pay for it? If we need it, Hashem will provide. That was his mentality. He went to the woods, 100% certain that Hashem will provide him light. How did he show that he's 100% certain? He brought sefarim, he didn't tell anybody where he's going, and he went to the woods. Now, if you go into the middle of the woods, already it's dangerous. With no light,

15:58Mai izo ule do Kedishin Yosef. Why? Ki kol ha'anmulim yagiyu aleihem. Hu yagia le'bein, hu magia lada'at, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef, ha'rav Kedishin Yosef. אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין, אין. Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash? Eizeh Mikdash?