How To Prepare For Rosh HaShana

0:06now we have Rosh Hashanah coming up. Rosh Hashanah is a time that everyone is supposed to do teshuvah before Rosh Hashanah. In past generations, they looked for more ways to connect to Hashem. In the current generation, if you are not already glued to Hashem, then it's very likely that you are more connected to the crowd that is not looking to get closer to Hashem, but rather is looking to get closer to leniency in order to sin, without it being really a sin because somebody said it. In the past, we looked for closeness; today, we look for leniencies. Do I have to keep second Yom Tov? You know, I live right on the border of Israel. I'm going there for a vacation. At the time of Rosh Hashanah, a person needs to know that it's not a time to look for leniencies. It's not a time...

1:09without it being really a sin because somebody said it. In the past, we looked for closeness; today, we look for leniencies. Do I have to keep the second Yom Tov? You know, I live right on the border of Israel. I'm going there for a vacation. At the time of Rosh Hashanah, a person needs to know that it's not a time to look for leniencies. It's not a time to look for a way out. It's not a time to learn less or do less. It's time to do more. So when we arrive at the trial, we look better. Even if Hashem knows that the whole year we were not exactly good. But at least we're showing some effort that we're changed people. to look for a way out. It's not a time to learn less or do less. It's time to do more. So when we arrive at the trial, we look better. Even if Hashem knows that the whole year we were not exactly good. But at least we're showing some effort that we've changed people. We tried a week, two weeks before Rosh Hashanah. I learned every day. The whole year, I didn't learn every day. In fact, I learned more in the last two weeks than I did the whole year. But at least I show up to the trial showing that I've changed a little bit and I commit to continuing it. The reason why I tell you that is because if you show up to Rosh Hashanah and you have no intention whatsoever to change,

2:29you're in very serious trouble. Because there's a Mishnah in Avot, and also in Masechet Yoma, that says, "And Yom Kippur does not even help him." Someone that says, "I'm going to sin, and then do teshuva. I'm going to sin, and then do teshuva." meaning he knows it's a sin, but he'll think he'll get away with it. How many fasts for wasting seed, Rabbi? 84. How much is that? Oh, 420 bucks? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Okay, I got it. All right, the other guys, let's go. You know he's going to sin, but now he'll do it tomorrow, Rabbi. A person that comes to Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah with an intention to change, the Mishnah says, someone like that has a punishment—a unique punishment different than everybody else. What's that punishment? Hashem says, "You're not going to do teshuvah." Hashem decides for them not to do teshuvah. That's the punishment. Why? Because you made fun of My Torah.

3:45And guess what? Yom Kippur doesn't help them. They can cry every single song in a Sephardi style or Ashkenazi nusach. It won't make a difference. They could fast for 10 days, not one day, 10. 10 straight, like the Baba Sali. It won't help them. Why? You are not looking to change. You're just looking for more leniencies. You're looking for more ways out. You're not looking for closeness to Hashem. So the greatest advice that a person can give himself is to start now getting closer to Hashem. Why? So by the time you arrive at the judgment day, you look a little different. You look a little different than you did the whole year. But have that in mind that this is the way it has to stay. Because G-d knows your heart. Because what happens is, Rabotai, is that during times like this is when some of the most difficult judgments are made. The Gemara in Masechet Rosh Hashanah says that HaKadosh Baruch Hu decides

4:58The judgment of every single person individually, and every single person is like a sheep walking on a tightrope, a tiny hill on a mountain where it can only fit one sheep at a time. Where HaKadosh Baruch Hu measures and evaluates every single one of us individually. This is not the time for you to rely on your grandfather's Torah. This is not the time for you to rely on your ancestor's sefarim. This is not the time you should rely on some tzedakah you gave 30 years ago. This is the time where every single person is evaluated on what he did and how she did it. Now, the Gemara says that every single person is judged on how much money they're going to make, whether they'll get married or get divorced, whether they're going to have kids or stay without one, whether they'll be orphans or stay with parents. Lots of things are decided, Rabotai, including whether a person will live or die, including harsh decrees that you may never know, b'ezrat Hashem.

6:12But Sefer Yechezkel gives us a clear warning about one of these decrees. Because in Shir HaShirim, we have a very famous statement that is said during the month of Elul: "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li" — I am for my beloved, and my beloved is for me. Symbolic of us, we are for Hashem, and Hashem is for us. But the Song of Songs only follows that verse after in chapter five, verse number four. Hashem says, in anger at my recalcitrance, "my beloved sent forth his hand from the portal in wrath, and my intestines churned with longing for him." You see, that I'm for my beloved, and my beloved is for me, it didn't come by itself. It only came in chapter 6, but that's only because in chapter 5, we learn about how when Hashem came and called us, we weren't there, so Hashem's wrath came instead. Hashem's wrath came instead. And that wrath made us do teshuvah. Now, sometimes a person can ignore everything I just said. So to try to encourage you not to ignore it and take it to heart, Sefer Yechezkel, chapter 24, verse 13. HaKadosh Baruch Hu says, because I tried to cleanse you, but you wouldn't be cleansed.

7:36And that wrath made us do teshuva. Now, sometimes a person can ignore everything I just said. So, to try to encourage you not to ignore it and take it to heart, Sefer Yechezkel, chapter 24, verse 13. HaKadosh Baruch Hu says, "Because I tried to cleanse you, but you wouldn't be cleansed." Because of that, you will not again be cleansed of your Tumah until I place My wrath upon you. The Malbim comments on that verse, saying that when a person is addicted to different types of sins like immorality, it creates Tumah, it creates impurity. And his impurity and his immorality

8:38is mentioned in this verse as the reason why a person is not doing teshuva, is not being cleansed, when Hashem gave him a chance. And that's why Hashem says, since you weren't cleansed when I gave you a chance to be cleansed, since you didn't do teshuva when I gave you a chance, I gave you a warning. I gave you corona. I gave you a financial crisis. I gave you a rabbi's scary speech. I gave you all types of messages from your friends. I gave you a CD. I gave you a flyer. I gave you a USB. I gave you a kiruv package. I gave you a slap. I gave you all types of different things. And you still didn't do teshuva. You know why? That's because you're addicted to your sins. But that's not going to help you. Because since a person gets to such a level, Hashem says, if you're addicted to your sins, and you don't get cleansed when you have a chance, that means that you will not get cleansed until I put my wrath on you. Meaning, you will not be able to do teshuva until Hashem hurts you. Hashem yishmor. You know how I know this? I lived it.

9:54If you hear people telling you that they did teshuvah after bad things happened, you should admire it. Why? They live to say it. Many people don't live to say it. Many people are ashamed of it, but it's the opposite. I met somebody recently who told me that he went through some serious surgeries and agony and pain. And Both of us are happy for it. Not for the agony and pain. That we can live. We can live after the wrath. After the wrath of Hashem. But you see, Rabotai, you don't have to live through that. You can just listen to the story, learn from it, do teshuva, and skip that whole wrath part. Unless you're just suicidal. But that's what Hashem says. Yes, I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me. But that's only after wrath. Why would there be wrath? Because you didn't want to do teshuva. You didn't want to change. You wanted to continue staying arrogant. You wanted to continue staying against Hashem. And a Jew is not going to be allowed to simply throw himself into Gehenom without Hashem trying to save him.

11:19Hashem will do everything possible to save every single person from decreeing themselves to judgment. As far as how much pain we have to endure, that's all based on us. The beauty of Rabotai Yekarim is that we have all of this in writing, which means that we can follow these instructions and avoid all pain. we could simply skip that part by learning more Torah, doing more chesed, working on our character traits, working on helping other people, and doing as much as possible to simply fulfill what Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkanus said: Torah and gemilut chasadim. We don't know if our Torah is enough. We don't know if our chesed is enough. But at the very least, We do know if we're trying our best, if we're giving our best. Everyone knows if they're giving their best. If you're giving your best, that's all that Hashem wants from you. Hashem wants your heart, meaning He wants your best. When you work for a company, the company is not going to ask you to do something that you can't do.

12:44They're going to ask you to do your best. And if your best is not good enough, they'll probably fire you. The good news is that Hashem doesn't fire anybody. He doesn't fire you if you're doing your best. But He does get upset if you're not doing your best. If you do your best when you're on Wall Street, but not when you're in a synagogue. You do your best when you're working for a company, but not when you're working for Hashem. That's upsetting. Why? It's not fair. It's not fair that you're treating the hand that feeds you as if it's some stranger. So hopefully, b'ezrat Hashem, this, aside from scaring us, will scare us into teshuva. This is really the goal. Scare us into teshuva, scare us to encourage other people to do teshuva, whether it's learning more, doing more, saying more, but also scare us from listening to all of these shepherds that are keeping us... at neutral for so many years. You have to simply understand that it's not a coincidence that Rav Wasserman spent the biggest part of this book talking against shepherds. It's not an incident that it's in the prophet Yechezkel. It's not an incident that it's in the book of... It's all over the Torah.

14:07Meaning that we have to be responsible for ourselves, but we also have to be responsible for where we get our information from. Many people are getting their information from the wrong sources, and thereby it causes them to become confused. They don't know what's right and what's left, and they end up on a mistaken road. This is not one of those times when you should make mistakes because those mistakes are expensive. i don't want to suffer. I don't want you to suffer. I want, obviously, everybody to be well and to do well, but obviously, that's going to require a little bit more work. where you'll also have newer features where you're able to use the app while using other applications on your phone. You'll be able to share the lectures directly from the app. You'll be able to donate online and support our kehillah and our Torah work that we're doing.

15:11And the most exciting feature is that you'll be able to actually ask questions directly on the app and get answers from the rabbis directly from the app. This is something unprecedented, and Baruch Hashem, we will be able to offer it. Thank you again for all of your support. Check it out. Make sure you have the kosher Torah that will re-energize your neshama each and every single day. Kol tuv u'b'hatzlacha.