Subtle Rebukes in Parashat Devarim

0:03My dear talmidim, we are privileged tonight to delve into the words of our great teacher, Moshe Rabbeinu, zichrono livracha. He, who saw HaShem "face to face," left us teachings that are ever-relevant, especially in our times when so many spiritual dangers lurk. Moshe Rabbeinu reminds us of a few different points. He tells us that even our parents – our dor ha'midbar, the generation of the desert – though they witnessed miracles and received the Torah, that didn't help them when they became accustomed to an unrestrained freedom, doing whatever they wanted and thinking that HaShem is with them no matter what. This idea, this ideology that HaShem loves you no matter what, is a truly heretical and destructive idea. It suggests a permission to disregard mitzvot and abandon yiras Shamayim. It entirely misrepresents HaShem's boundless love, which, in its truest form, desires for us to cling to Him through careful observance of His holy Torah. When one believes HaShem will love them no matter what, irrespective of their actions, they inevitably stray from the path of righteousness and true avodas HaShem. This, my friends, is a fundamental misunderstanding of our covenant with the Ribbono shel Olam. Moshe Rabbeinu warns us against such thinking, for it is a heretical and destructive idea that, in fact, anyone who thinks that HaShem loves him no matter what is bound to become a criminal. Because that means you are giving yourself permission to do whatever you want, reasoning that, in so many words, HaShem will love you no matter what. This destructive mindset is precisely what Moshe Rabbeinu cautions us against, reminding us of the true path of Torah and mitzvot.

0:58And what was this destructive outlook, this yetzer hara that Moshe Rabbeinu was so vehemently warning against? It was precisely this: this is the ideology of the enemies of Yiddishkeit, not Yiddishkeit itself. And Moshe Rabbeinu is reminding us never to think that way. Never to think like some people, like some nations, like some leaders want us to think, because these types of ideas are destructive. And he gives us examples that illustrate this point clearly, examples that serve as powerful lessons for all generations. My dear _talmidim_, the _Gemara_ in _Maseches Sotah_ brings down a powerful _Midrash_ regarding the events at _Krias Yam Suf_. The _pasuk_ itself in _Tehillim_ states, "Then they believed in His words; they sang His praise." But on the other hand, the Torah also tells us about their complaints. And then, our Sages ask, how could it be that immediately after such an open miracle, _Klal Yisrael_ could still be found wanting? Indeed, the Torah, when recounting these events, challenges our understanding, for he first tells us, after he starts to rebuke, where he says, "We angered Hashem," right at the time of Yam Suf. Literally, we were crossing the Yam Suf. Hashem split the Yam Suf into twelve. And while we were crossing the Yam Suf, we were angering Hakadosh Baruch Hu. How could that possibly be? This question, my friends, is a fundamental one that begs for an answer, and the _Midrash_ provides a shocking insight into the hearts and minds of some individuals even in that miraculous moment.

1:54Brothers, sisters, we must delve deeper into the spirit of true emunah, true faith. It's not just about outward show. Consider the very moment of Kriat Yam Suf, the splitting of the Red Sea. You would think that after witnessing such an open miracle, everyone would be completely dedicated to Hashem. But, tragically, that was not the case for everyone. In fact, a Midrash tells us that some of those very individuals, even as they were crossing the Sea, were saying, 'This is my G-d, and I will glorify Him,' but they were not referring to the G-d who was opening up the heavens and performing all these wonders. Rather, they were pointing to the idol that they had brought with them from Egypt. Can you imagine the audacity? To witness the salvation of Hashem with your own eyes, and yet still cling to the idols of Mitzrayim, failing to recognize the true Source of all blessing and deliverance. This, my dear students, is a profound lesson in the nature of genuine commitment to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and the dangers of a superficial observance. My dear friends, we often look back at certain periods in history, or even at specific individuals, and shake our heads in disbelief at their apparent lack of spiritual commitment. We might hear stories of people who were ostensibly part of our community, yet strayed from the straight path of Torah and mitzvos, falling prey to the distractions of the material world. We are quick to judge, saying things like, "How could they have been so blind?!" Now, of course, the generation today says, "Oh, that's crazy! These people are bad!" But is it really so different from the behavior we see today? Where someone says, "I am religious; I observe the Shabbat; I observe the mitzvos; I keep the holidays; I don't eat treif." And yet, when you ask them to attend a shiur Torah, when you ask them to learn two to three hours a day of Torah, when you ask them to give at least ten percent of their income towards supporting Torah – all of a sudden, they don't have time. All of a sudden, they don't have the ability. They're too busy with work. They're too busy accumulating more stuff. They're too busy buying another house, or a bigger house. Or another car. Or another thirty-thousand dollar watch. Or perhaps a vacation or vacation house. Nobody has any time for God, as if He's not the One that gave you the blessing. We literally have a...

2:50My dear talmidim, we gather here to delve into the depths of Torah, to nourish our souls. We often speak about true commitment, about Yiras Shamayim – the fear of Heaven – and what it truly entails. It means dedicating ourselves, our very being, to the service of Hashem, blessed be He. But observe, my dear students, how some of our brethren conduct themselves. There are those who appear outwardly pious, performing mitzvos with great zeal, yet when it comes to the true chizuk and furtherance of Torah – whether through personal study or financially aiding those who dedicate their lives to it – all of a sudden, they don't have time. All of a sudden, they don't have the ability. They're too busy with work; they're too busy accumulating more stuff; they're too busy buying another house – or a bigger house – another car, another thirty-thousand-dollar watch, or perhaps a vacation or vacation house. Nobody has any time for God, as if He's not the One who gave you the blessing! We have literally a whole group of our brothers and sisters who are religious, but merely on the exterior. What truly makes you religious is not your outward appearance, but how observant you are of Torah. If you don't learn Torah, how can you even know how to be observant of it? Merely refraining from killing people, for instance, does not in itself make one truly religious in the eyes of Heaven. And sadly, many misunderstand that true Yiddishkeit goes beyond outward appearances or basic morality. There is a whole group of our brothers and sisters who are religious, but merely on the exterior. What truly makes one religious is not their external display; rather, what makes one religious is how observant they are of Torah. But if one does not learn Torah, how can they truly know how to be observant of it? Just because you don't kill people doesn't make you religious. Such actions are fundamental to any decent society, but they do not, by themselves, define a Jew's connection to Hakadosh Baruch Hu through His sacred Torah. This is why Chazal emphasize again and again the criticality of limud Torah.

3:39My dear friends, we often make a fundamental mistake in understanding what it truly means to be a religious Jew. We might think that merely refraining from certain sins is enough. Just because one doesn't steal doesn't make one truly religious. A person must learn Torah. In fact, the Gemara states explicitly that a person who does not learn Torah does not have a share in Olam Haba. Many times, people do not understand how vitally important Torah is to their life. And they get so consumed with their business, so consumed with their hobbies, so consumed with their materialism, that they forget what makes them Jewish. They forget that the very essence of our being, our unique connection to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, is through the holy Torah itself. And this brings us to a crucial point often overlooked... ...And this brings us to a crucial point often overlooked: the human tendency to prioritize the material over the spiritual, even when surrounded by divine providence. We see this tragically exemplified with Bnei Yisrael themselves, in the Midbar (wilderness), and here our holy Torah is telling us that some of the people saw the miracles, but still clung to the physicality. Furthermore, when HaKadosh Baruch Hu gave them the blessing, the manna, they made fun of it; they didn't like it, and they felt it wasn't good enough. Hashem gave you everything you needed – physical sustenance directly from Heaven! – yet they still complained and yearned for the fleshpots of Mitzrayim (Egypt)! This attitude, unfortunately, is not exclusive to the Midbar generation. We see it manifesting in our own lives, in our own choices, even today. How many times do we, too, take for granted the spiritual blessings bestowed upon us? We complain, we seek 'nicer' things, not realizing the true value of what we already possess. We are blessed with so much; we have so many spiritual gifts and opportunities, yet we sometimes overlook them, focusing instead on fleeting desires.

4:38We often find ourselves in situations where we are given spiritual abundance, yet we crave something material, something external. Sometimes we simply don't appreciate the blessings we have right in front of us. Imagine a scenario like this: your Jewish neighborhood, where you have a yeshiva, a Beit Knessetet, a Beit Midrash. But you want to move to a different city, even though there's no Beit Midrash there, or perhaps no Beit Knessetet at all. Or maybe the Beit Knessetet that's there is not exactly on the upper echelon, as far as religiosity is concerned, let's just say. But you want to move there anyway, simply because there are nicer houses there. This is the very essence of chitzoniyus, of seeking external gratification over true spiritual growth. It's an attitude that unfortunately persists in every generation, reflecting a lack of contentment with what Hashem has provided. When we prioritize material gain over our spiritual well-being, we stray from the path of true emunah and bitachon. We see this pattern again and again. Perhaps one feels they must pursue a different path, thinking, "I don't want to live here; I want to move somewhere else, perhaps because it's a good investment." You're not happy with the manna that Hashem gave you. You want something else. How many of us have seen, have been, have known such mentalities? In Chatserot, the Bnei Yisrael angered HaKadosh Baruch Hu regarding the meat. Once again, HaKadosh Baruch Hu gave us what we demanded, but did it truly bring them ultimate satisfaction? No. It only highlighted the underlying dissatisfaction with His Divine providence. We must learn to appreciate the blessings Hashem bestows upon us, rather than constantly seeking what we perceive as 'better'.

5:37At first, we were asking for many things, but then we started becoming specific. We not only wanted more, we wanted something specific. You tell a young woman, "Listen, you're 20 years old, it's time to get married!" She says, "No, no, but I want to build my career first." Wait, are you in this world to build a career or to build a family? Is that truly our primary purpose here in Olam HaZeh? To prioritize transient worldly ambitions over our eternal mission? We all know that And this is what we hear so often, especially from our young men today. When you ask them, 'Why are you delaying shidduchim? Why are you not actively looking to establish your home and family?' they'll often tell you something along these lines: 'Rabbi, I understand, of course, that a man cannot build a family without a wife. No, I know, I know he can't build a family without a wife, but I want to build my career so that I could be financially settled.' But my dear talmidim, this entire approach, this entire hashkafah, is fundamentally flawed. It demonstrates a profound lack of emunah, a misunderstanding of who truly provides our parnassah. My dear friends, we often hear people talk about planning for the future, about making sure everything is 'just so' before taking big steps in life, particularly when it comes to marriage and building a family. But let's pause for a moment and truly examine our underlying assumptions, our emunah. It forces us to ask a very direct question: wait, you think you make yourself financially settled? Or HaKadosh Baruch Hu makes you financially settled? If you think HaKadosh Baruch Hu makes you financially settled, then why don't you get married? But if you think that you make yourself financially settled, then why do you have a mezuzah on the door? Because you're a heretic. You're an idol worshiper with that mentality. Such a mindset fundamentally undermines the very foundations of our Yiddishkeit. A true Yid understands that all blessing, all parnasah, comes from HaKadosh Baruch Hu alone.

6:36My dear friends, often we hear people declare their intentions conditional upon financial security. They say, "I will do this, or I will get married, only once I am financially settled." This misguided thinking often delays the fulfillment of fundamental mitzvos, such as building a family. We must internalize a profound truth of our faith: if HaKadosh Baruch Hu wants you to be financially settled, that means He is going to give you the blessings that He wrote in the Torah, which means there are more blessings coming with every child. Your children are not going to stop you from being financially settled. In fact, it is the opposite. Each child is a unique blessing from HaKadosh Baruch Hu, carrying with them their own mazal and their own parnassah. We see this truth echoed throughout Chazal and in the lives of countless righteous individuals throughout our history. So let us strengthen our emunah and bittachon. We learn from Chazal and the great Gedolim that being overly specific in our requests can lead to unforeseen consequences, as we saw with Klal Yisrael in the desert. Moshe Rabbeinu himself pleaded with them! The Gemara teaches us clearly, "Never be specific with your request to HaKadosh Baruch Hu." Yet, sadly, we see this tendency even in our own lives today, especially when it comes to the most sacred of endeavors, like building a bayis ne'eman b'Yisrael. People want to be specific: "I'm going to get married when I have more money," "I'm going to get married when I have my degree," "I'm going to get married when I find the perfect husband where he looks a certain way, and his face is a certain way, and his mesorah is a certain way, and he's just the right complexion, and he's just the right family, and he's just the right weight, and he's just the right financial statement, and he's just the right yichus." This mentality, my dear friends, is precisely what the Gemara warns us against. We must learn to trust HaKadosh Baruch Hu's plan and pray for what is good, not for a checklist of desires that may not be what is truly best for us. May we all merit to find our bashert and build truly kosher homes, filled with Torah, mitzvos, and Yiras Shamayim, b'ezras Hashem.

7:24My dear talmidim, we continue our discussion on the power and proper approach to tefillah. We've just heard the story of the bahur who was advised by the hacham not to be specific in his prayer regarding a shidduch. This profound counsel is rooted in a fundamental principle, one that Chazal constantly remind us of. Even if your heart tells you that this is the perfect path, and everything seems just right, you, my dear friend, are no different than the generation Moshe Rabbeinu lamented about, who, by specifically asking for meat, brought about their destruction. Indeed, an entire generation was destroyed because of being specific. The Gemara tells us: never be specific with your requests to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. This applies not only to shidduchim but to all our needs. We must daven with emunah and bitachon, knowing that HaKadosh Baruch Hu knows what is truly best for us, far better than we ourselves. We ask for hashgacha pratit and for Him to grant us all our needs in a way that is truly good for us, for our spiritual and physical well-being. This is the path of true wisdom in avodas Hashem. Good evening, everyone. Tonight's shiur will focus on the power of Tefillah and the proper way to approach HaKadosh Baruch Hu in our prayers. It's a fundamental principle that we must always remember Hashem's infinite wisdom and our own limited understanding. There's a well-known story that beautifully illustrates this point, brought down in our holy Sefarim. One of the Tannaim came to a Beit Knesset and saw that one of the Bachurim there was crying. He asked him, "Why are you crying, young man?" The young man said to him, "I'm crying because I saw a girl, and she's the best one, and she's the most beautiful one, and I want to marry her!" The Tanna asked, "So why are you crying?" The young man replied, "Because she doesn't want to marry me!" So the Chacham told him, "Don't ask HaKadosh Baruch Hu in your prayer to give her to you as a wife. You see, my dear friends, we don't ask Hashem for specific things. We ask Him for salvation. We ask Him to help us in the best way possible. When you ask Him for specifics, you are limiting Him. And in fact, you are assuming you know better than Him. We must always pray for Siyata d'Shmaya, for Hashem to open the path that is truly good for us, for what is min HaShamayim (from Heaven). He knows what is best, even if we don't understand it at the moment. May we all be granted the wisdom to daven with full emunah and bitachon. Amen."

8:18We must always remember, my dear students, that our prayers to Hashem should be filled with emunah and bitachon. We are not to dictate to the Ribbono Shel Olam what we think is best for us. This applies even to something as personal and vital as finding a spouse, for example, asking for a particular individual to be granted to you as a wife. You don't ask Hashem for specific things. You ask Him for salvation. You ask Him to help you in the best way possible. When you ask Him for specifics, you are limiting Him. And in fact, you are assuming you know better than Him. A year later, the same Chacham came back to that Beis Knesses and he saw the young man crying again. And he asked him, 'Why are you crying, young man?' The young man, with tears in his eyes, confessed that he was indeed crying over the girl – the very one he had so fervently prayed for, and who had, in fact, married him. But instead of bringing him nachas, she was causing him immense tza'ar, making his life unbearable. This tragic outcome serves as a powerful reminder, my dear chaverim, of why we must always surrender to Hashem's infinite wisdom and not limit Him with our own narrow understanding. My dear talmidim, we learn from this a fundamental principle in our relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We must never ask Him for specifics, especially when it comes to something as vital as a spouse. We pray for good, for what is truly beneficial for us, but we leave the details to Him, for He knows what is best. Otherwise, we might find ourselves in the situation of a man who once came to his Rebbe, utterly heartbroken; he says, "I'm crying over the girl!" He says, "The same girl? You're still crying over her a year later because she won't marry you?" He says, "No, no, I'm crying because she did marry me! I'm crying because she did marry me, and she's torturing me, and she's terrible!" You see, my friends? He cried for a specific girl. He got her. And it turned out to be the source of his greatest anguish. This is why we say, "Do not ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu for specifics." We trust in His infinite wisdom and kindness that whatever blessing He bestows upon us is truly for our good, even if our limited understanding cannot grasp it immediately. We simply say, "Thank You, Hashem." Baruch Hashem, that's enough. He's the ba'al ha'bayis, the Master of the house, and He knows what is best for His children.

9:08We learn a fundamental principle from the warnings of our Sages, echoing Moshe Rabbeinu's wisdom, about the grave error of setting conditions for HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Our role is not to dictate, but to accept with emunah pashuta, simple faith and profound bitachon. It says from here that we learn one does not ask HaKadosh Baruch Hu for specifics. Don't ask Him for a specific amount of money. Don't ask Him for a specific guy or a specific girl. He gives you a blessing, and you say, 'Thank you.' He's the Ba'al HaOlam, gamur! Don't ask for specifics. This is not a menu; Hashem is not a restaurant. He gives you a blessing. That's because it's the best possible thing in the world; any perceived shortcomings are only in your mind. This is precisely what Moshe Rabbeinu warns us against: giving HaKadosh Baruch Hu, the King of Kings, conditions. Such an approach inevitably leads to a life of misery, for we are obligated to fulfill our duties in this world, not to pursue our narrow desires, but to trust implicitly in His infinite wisdom and boundless kindness. My dear friends, we often make a fundamental mistake in our approach to avodas Hashem, to our service of God. We come to the Ribbono shel Olam with our own preconceived notions, our own specific requests, and often, our own conditions. We dictate how we think things should be, how our lives should unfold, how our parnassah should come, or what kind of family we should have. This is a dangerous path, a path fraught with disappointment and frustration. When we try to micromanage divine providence, when we insist on a particular outcome or a very narrow vision of what our blessing should look like, we are setting ourselves up for distress, but when a person is so specific, what results is a life of misery. And that's what Moshe Rabbeinu is warning us about it. Don't give HaKadosh Baruch Hu, the King of Kings, conditions. You have an obligation in the world. Fulfill that obligation, not your desires. As we learn from our holy Sages, our task is not to control the outcome, but to perform our part with emunah and bitachon. Our job is to embrace our responsibilities, to dedicate ourselves to the mitzvos and to living a life of Torah and yiras Shamayim. When we do this, when we genuinely commit to our divine purpose without imposing our own narrow terms, then we open ourselves up to true blessing. HaKadosh Baruch Hu knows what is best for us, infinitely more than we do. Our task is to trust Him completely, to fulfill our part, and allow Him to deliver His boundless chesed in the way that is truly for our ultimate good.

10:01My dear talmidim, we learn from our holy sefarim that Hashem Yisbarach has given us a clear path for avodas Hashem. When we dedicate ourselves to His mitzvot, with kavanah and yiras Shamayim, we activate a powerful spiritual conduit. The Gemara in Maseches Shabbos teaches us the incredible schar for those who truly invest in their spiritual growth. Chazal assure us of the following eternal promise: if you fulfill the obligations, trust me when I tell you in the name of the Torah, any desire that's a normal, healthy desire will certainly be fulfilled. This isn't merely a segulah; it's a fundamental principle of hashgachah pratis and emunah. Ribono Shel Olam created us with needs and aspirations, and when we align our will with His, by diligently serving Him and learning His holy Torah, He guarantees that He will provide. So, my dear friends, strengthen your bitachon, keep striving in your avodas Hashem, and you will merit to see all your righteous hopes come to fruition, b'ezras Hashem.