Parrot That Made People do TeShuva REAL STORY (8 Minutes)

1:09There's one parrot that made two people do teshuva already in Israel. One parrot that made two people do teshuva. Do you know the story of the parrot? So I'll tell you the story of the parrot. This parrot belonged to an ish tzaddik, a righteous man, in Israel. And when Shabbat would come in, he would say, "Shabbat Shalom, Shabbat Shalom, Shabbat Shalom, Shabbat Shalom." So one day, somebody stole the parrot. Somebody stole the parrot, but on Monday or Sunday, he came back to the Rav and brought back the parrot. The Rabbi says, "Oh, my parrot, you found him?" He goes, "No, no, Kavod HaRav, I actually want to tell you I stole the parrot. But after I stole the parrot, I had him in my house and Shabbat came in, and he kept saying Shabbat Shalom, Shabbat Shalom, Shabbat Shalom, Shabbat Shalom. I kept thinking to myself, like this parrot knows that it's Shabbat, but I'm smoking a cigarette, and I realize how terrible I am. I decided I'm going to keep the rest of Shabbat, and now I'm starting to do teshuva. I realize, how could I stop my teshuva by being a thief, so I have to return the parrot." He told this story to many people, and a lot of people met the parrot. It's a true story.

2:10knows that it's Shabbat, but I'm smoking a cigarette and I realize how terrible I am, and I decided I'm going to keep the rest of Shabbat. Now I'm starting to do teshuva. I realize, how could I stop my teshuva by being a thief? So, I have to return the parrot. So he told this story to people, and a lot of people met the parrot. It's a real story. And later on, they called the Rav, and they said, "Wow, you still have this parrot?" He goes, "No, you're never going to believe it. The same thing happened again. Another guy stole the parrot, came back a week later doing teshuva. He started keeping Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom, Shabbat Shalom." So the parrot helped them do teshuva. Those people had zechut. A parrot made them do teshuva. Sometimes I make them do teshuva. Sometimes a parrot makes them do teshuva. Who knows? There's a verse in the Torah in parashat Balak. Parashat Balak. It says, Hashem opened the mouth of the aton.

3:11of the donkey, Bilam's donkey. And the donkey gave Mussar to Bilam. He gave him the truth. Bilam didn't like it, much like how our generation sometimes doesn't like the truth. Lehavdil. So, the point is, rabotai, sometimes Hashem is going to send you the truth over and over in different, unusual ways. And the Rambam HaKadosh says that eventually, Hashem's patience ends. And He decides You will not, not you guys, the resha'im, will not do teshuva. He decides that person will not do teshuva. Meaning no matter what, that person will never have the inclination to do teshuva. He decides, I don't want your teshuva anymore. So sometimes these people, so the answer to your question is twofold. Sometimes these people, Hashem decided they will not do teshuva. This is rare, but it happens. This is rare, but it happens. Yes, but what Pharaoh actually did, by the way, is rare, but it does happen. Certain people, Hashem says, "I don't want your teshuva." Sometimes He doesn't want your teshuva this year. Sometimes He doesn't want your teshuva next year or this week. Sometimes He decides, "I don't want your teshuva, period." This, the Rambam says, is the worst punishment in this world, worse than being sick, worse than illness, worse than losing everything you have, becoming homeless, worse than anything. Why? Hashem decides you are finished.

4:38That's the worst, but sometimes the Vilna Gaon says, the Vilna Gaon says, sometimes they've made so many sins in their life that they've built up the klipah, meaning a shell that's made of stone. It's covering their heart, which is flesh and blood. The sins that they've committed have worsened. Why do they get worse? It's not that the sins themselves are necessarily greater in magnitude; often, as one gets older, the sins might seem smaller. However, the klipah (spiritual barrier) intensifies. Why? Because each time you sinned, I provided guidance and the opportunity to do teshuvah (repentance). Yet, each time you failed to do teshuvah, the klipah grew thicker and stronger. Each time you did sins, I gave you the truth, and you still didn't do teshuva. Now it's harder for you to do teshuva. The klipah is even bigger. You've been going to lectures for 25 years, and you're still not modest. How could it be? Because the klipah is so thick, you could build a house inside it.

5:44Why didn't you believe the first time you heard? You weren't like Yitro or Yishmael. You weren't like Avraham Avinu. You didn't want to hear the truth. You've been going to shiurim for 20 years and you still don't want to hear the truth. Why? I get questions. Okay, the Torah has answers, but until then you have to follow what the Torah says. I know you have questions, but there are answers. You don't have to wait for the answers because sometimes the answers take time. You still have to do it. Why? You can't be the only Jew that's not doing it. If everyone else is doing it, and everyone knows it's the rule, you're the only one. The Rambam didn't know what he was talking about. The Steipler Gaon didn't know what he was talking about. The Gaon of Vilna didn't know. Everybody didn't know except you. You came and you gave a chidush to the world. You don't have to be modest. Everybody else has to be modest except you. So people need to understand that each time you hear the truth, Hashem gives you a sign. Hey, this is the truth. Without all the details, you know it's the truth, though. And you still don't do teshuva? It becomes more difficult to do teshuva. The klippah becomes bigger. So sometimes those people you tell them the truth, they're gonna go against. Not because Hashem decided I don't want the teshuva. Because they've made so many mistakes with all the opportunities that He gave them.

7:01becomes much more difficult for them to be receptive because there's still a huge klipa. It's a huge klipa. So just like, for example, you have a wall. If it's sheetrock, like most of these houses, if you shoot a bullet through it, it goes right through, like it's butter. But if it's like the houses in Israel, you shoot through the wall, nothing happens. It just makes a little dent, and then nothing. It can even bounce back because it's cement. If the klipa is sharat, Baruch Hashem, you can do teshuva. If the klipa is cement, Hashem, it's going to be much more difficult to do teshuva. Much more difficult. So they're hostile. Yeah, miskenim. These are people you have to feel bad for.