How Should You Use Your Talent?

0:45And I know that my job is forbidden. So what do I do? How do I make money? The Rav looked at him and said, "You're clearly gifted. Hashem gave you the gift of being an artist. So use that gift and create art for kedusha. Learn the Gemara, learn the Mishnayot." But he became one of the most well-respected and successful Jewish artists in the world, still today. The same thing with Gadi Pollack. Gadi Pollack also was a very well-known and established artist in the secular world. But once he did teshuva, he got the same idea, whether it be by his Rav, or siyata dishmaya, or a combination thereof.

2:07Decided to utilize this special gift that he has of art in order to sanctify Hashem's name. Today, he is perhaps the most sought-after artist in the Jewish world. To get him to do the art for your book, you need to first know how to find him, which is practically impossible. He's like in hiding, but every so often, you see another masterpiece come out, and it takes your breath away. Because his art is not like secular art, where you just draw something that you're trying to get people to understand what it is. His art is that he's drawing what the Midrash says. He makes you see what the Torah says, which means that it's not about just being an artist; rather, you have to be a Talmid Chacham first. You have to know what the Midrash says, what the Gemara says, and what all the commentaries are saying. in order to see how this art is perfect, and aside from that, beautiful. So, see what gift Hashem gave you, and find out how you can utilize it to make a living, by sanctifying Hashem's name. And this, Rabotai, is another example of how Hashem says that I gave you the Torah to live by it, and not to die by it.

3:28Meaning that Hashem gave you different talents, different skills, and you can utilize them in order to do good things. You don't have to necessarily change careers all the time, unless your career by default is not kosher, like there is no way to kosherize your career. But for the most part, most things that are ethical and legal, you can find a way to do it in a kosher way. And also, you can find a way to do it in a non-kosher way. I can tell you what my father said long before I became religious. He said to me, in any business in the world, you can do it in two ways. You can do it the right way or the wrong way. The wrong way, you'll make a lot of money in a short period of time, but you won't survive; eventually, it'll end. The right way is much harder and will take you a lot longer. But you'll not only survive; eventually, you become successful. And that's the type of ideology that I was raised with, and that's what we followed. We always did things straight—not because we were religious, but rather because we received good teachings of ethics.

4:45Now it made my life more difficult than perhaps what it looked like others were doing, but in the end, one after another, you always see that in the end, the right way always wins. So you can do whatever business that you're doing in the right way, and more importantly in the Torah way, and just utilize your gift, whatever gift Hashem gave you. If He gave you a gift of the ability to speak, ability to draw, ability to see certain things in a certain way, creativity, salesmanship, whatever it is that He gave you. Patience, which is a very, very rare talent of its own, or ability of its own. Whatever it is, people have different things that you can utilize and do great things with them. Chaval, next question. and more importantly in the Torah way, and just utilize your gift, whatever gift Hashem gave you. If He gave you a gift of the ability to speak, the ability to draw, the ability to see certain things in a certain way, creativity, salesmanship, whatever it is that He gave you. Patience, which is a very, very rare talent of its own, or ability of its own. Whatever it is, people have different things that you can utilize and do great things with them. Chaviva, next question. Thank you for joining today's shiur Torah. Let us delve into the teachings of the Rambam, whose full name is Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides. In his Sefer Mishneh Torah, he offers profound insight into Jewish law. As we explore his wisdom, we will also touch upon the commentary of the Chafetz Chaim, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, who provides a unique perspective on these laws. Remember, when studying the words of our sages, we aim to bridge the teachings with our daily lives, ensuring that their timeless lessons resonate within us. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

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