THE DANGEROUS TRAP OF THE SATAN

0:53...went to the garbage, and I can't get myself back. I can't get myself back to be the little baby that I thought I was. What do I do? How do I get back? It wasn't normal for me to act this way because I changed already, but apparently not enough. So what do I do to get back? I went to the garbage, and I can't get myself back. I can't get myself back to being the little baby that I thought I was. What do I do? How do I get back? It wasn't normal for me to act this way because I had changed already, but apparently not enough. So, what do I do to get back? Sometimes the Satan waits for a person around the corner and lets him or her build themselves for a while without bothering them. "That's what you want to do? Go, kapara, go ahead. What do you want to do? You want to read? Go, go read. I'll give you the Chumash; I'll pay for it." All of a sudden, money shows up in your account—40 bucks, ArtScroll Chumash. "Where did I get this money from? I didn't have any money." "Okay, so I guess at the end, I'll buy it from Amazon."

2:15All of a sudden, you've got these books, this, that; you want to read. All of a sudden, you don't need to sleep at night anymore. All of a sudden, you can do all these mitzvot. You know what, Rabbi? You have a tzitzit? Okay, I'll put a tzitzit on. Oh, tzitzit, this, that. All of a sudden, it's good. Satan's looking, he's like, ah, it's cute. This kid's cute. Look at him. He's reading the Chumash. Look at this cutie. He's reading the Chumash. Look at that. He's coming to the shiur. He's watching the shiur. Two hours a day he watches the shiur. Rebbi, Rebbi, yeah, yeah, yeah, Rebbi. He's on the WhatsApp group. Look at that. Look at that, look, Malachi, look at this kid; look at how he brings all of his students. The Satan brings us too, and he says, "Look at this kid, he's looking at his Chumash." He's a bomb now, this guy. He tells everybody, just like his Rabbi. Yeah, he's like his Rabbi. Look at this kid. He brings all of the demons the kid created, brings them all. He goes, "No, can we get him?" "No, no, don't touch him." So they say, "Don't touch him." "Why not?" "Wait, wait, leave him alone, don't touch him." But why? "Oh, he used to be with us. Don't worry, he's still with us. He's still with us, don't worry. Let him build."

3:35Let him build. Let him read the Chumash. Let him learn Mussar. Let him do it. Let him think he is Baba Sali. Give him six months free. Give him a year free. Hashem Yishmor, give him five years free. Let him think he's good. Until he puts his guard down. And then, they take everything. Satan shows up with all of those unfixed sins and attacks, making the person act like a worse animal than he was before. He waits around the corner, letting him build, because when you're committing sins, that's Satan's parnasa. But it's like parnasa, like collecting loose change. It's a dollar, it's ten dollars, it's a hundred dollars, it's fifty, it's a thousand. It's that kind of money. It's not like you're getting rich off of it. But the Satan wants something big.

4:44I want a building. How could I get a building? This guy's homeless all day. Okay, wait, see. I'm tired of it already. No, give me something else. Okay, so he's a little sick. He's used to your sins already. He says, "I need something else. I need a building from this guy. I'm gonna get a building from this guy. How can I get a building from this woman? Ah, let them build on kedusha. Let them start learning. Let them start doing mitzvot. Let them start becoming a little tzadik and tzadeket, and then I'll take it all from them." Why? Because the kedusha (holiness) is worth billions more than the tumah (impurity) that a person creates. And that's the explanation for anyone who ever asked the question, how could it be that in history we've had a few people, not many, Baruch Hashem, a few people that were Gedolei Olam. Gedolei Olam, a Kohen Gadol for 80 years. A Kohen Gadol for 80 years went off the derech (strayed from the path). Many people always ask, "How could it be? This guy knew a lot of Torah. How could it be?" There are a few others, though not many, but there are a few others. Why? Because sometimes the Satan waits for people around the corner, especially those who have a lot of potential, and he doesn't bother them.

6:09And he waits for them to put their guard down, to think that they're fine, to think that they're good, and then he goes for the whole bank. Because the amount of parnassah that he gets during that one day is enough to feed several lifetimes. This is one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a person who does not keep their guard up at all times. You are always at war with the Satan. Always. And I know a lady that, from the day I met her, she always says that's the one thing she's always scared of. She says, "I'm gonna build, build, build, build, build. But one day, I'm gonna forget what I'm doing, and the Satan's gonna get me." I said, "Okay, if you keep building and keep reminding yourself of this, you're gonna be okay." It's very scary. Why? Because you see sometimes, even in the recent past, a few big rabbis who were doing a lot of really good things… One day someone may start acting unusually, doing strange things, and engaging in activities that go against Elokim, the Torah, and actions contrary to Hashem's will. It's baffling, leading us to question where these behaviors originate from and how such a situation could arise. This phenomenon is one of the tactics the Satan employs infrequently, yet when he does, it is indeed baffling and challenging for those around who are unaware of the reasons behind it. But there's also guidance in the Torah.

7:28We're very excited to offer you the new Be'ezrat Hashem app 3.0. It's a newer, faster app full of Torah and lots of Kedusha through the shiurim that we provide. Myself, Rav Ephraim, Rav Chaim, where you'll have also newer features where you'll be able to use the app while you're 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 Koach Torah and all the Torah work that we're doing. And 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, b'hatzlacha.