The Patience of HaShem

0:15So, there are a couple of ways that we learn that silence is praiseworthy. A few things. Number one, Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon says in the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot, this is the son of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, that all of his life he was next to wise men. meaning he listened to wise men, and he learned that the most valuable trait is to be silent. Why? Number one, when you're silent, you're able to learn more. You're able to learn from others, from the chachamim. Number two, when you're silent, people don't really know anything about you. So if you're really a fool, as long as you remain silent, you don't look like a fool.

1:33So silence, in essence, is also an indication of wisdom. Because you can learn more, and if you are really a fool, no one would know. That's one thing. The other thing is that silence also represents patience. That's, in essence, the attribute of Hashem because no matter what we do, Hashem does not react right away most of the time. Hashem has patience that's insurmountable. It's something beyond our comprehension where there are certain people that literally curse Hashem on a regular basis, and Hashem doesn't react. He lets them work. He lets them live. He continues giving them oxygen. He continues giving them food. He gives them a house. He gives them a wife. He gives them kids. He gives them, you know, all types of things. And they're going against Him on a regular basis. Their whole career, their whole livelihood, their whole life is dafka against Hashem. I'm not just talking about somebody who just violates Shabbat. I'm talking about somebody whose whole life is spent going against Hashem, and Hashem just sits there silently, allowing them to continue.

2:41Chachamim say that's extremely praiseworthy. Why is it so praiseworthy? Because it shows that HaKadosh Baruch Hu is very different from us. Very different from us in such a way that He doesn't have a lack of control like we do. himself like we do. He doesn't have emotions like we do. He is just sitting there, and He knows that at some point, this person may do teshuva; this person may be exposed to a possibility of doing teshuva. There's no need to react to the things that he's doing because even the things that he's doing, Hashem is going to utilize them for good in some way or another. And many times, people actually end up doing teshuva as a result of bad things that happen in the world. Obviously, everybody knows my story. I got sick as a result of mistakes that I made, but also in the practical aspect of the world, the doctors made mistakes.

3:48Doctors made very, very serious mistakes that I'm only going to know the details of once I get to Olam Haba. Hashem is going to show me what really happened in that surgery room. But the point being is that a bunch of people made a lot of mistakes, one after another. The doctors, the lawyers, the insurance companies—everything that could go wrong went wrong. But all of the bad and the stealing and the cheating and so on that was happening, Hashem utilized it for good in order to navigate me onto a unique road that, Baruch Hashem, we are on today. So, in essence, Hashem's patience is very different than what we have because we're thinking, oh, you just crossed me? Okay, I'm going to pretend like I don't care; I'm going to stay here quietly and wait until I get you. And you wait, and you wait until you get them. There's actually a story I heard from Rav Meir Eliyahu. He's an enormous Talmid Chacham. And he says that there was one time a young girl that said something that her father didn't like. I think it was in New York or Florida. And her father gave her a nice tzapcha (slap).

5:04gave her a stern talking-to to make sure she was back in order. But as things happen in today's world, she called the cops. She called the cops on her father. The cops showed up and arrested her father. After everything was done, he finally got back home, and he hadn't done anything wrong. He hadn't done anything, he hadn't hit her, and he continued as if nothing had happened. Then, two years passed. Two years passed, and one day, she asked her father, "Hey Dad, can I go visit the family in Venezuela?" And he said, "Sure, you know what, I'll go with you. It’s a good idea, let's go to Venezuela." "Oh, you're the best, Dad! Yay! Yay!" Right? So he buys a ticket, and they go on a plane. They land in Venezuela at the airport. As soon as they're in the airport, he beats the living sense out of her. In Venezuela, it's allowed, first of all, recommended even. But while he's beating her senseless, it got to the news, that's how bad it was, it got to the news. While he's beating her senseless, he's saying, you make me go to jail? You make me go to jail? When? For two years, he's been sitting on this.

6:32Two years he's pretending everything's okay. Two years. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is not like us. HaKadosh Baruch Hu has a different way of thinking, a different thought process. He's not angry the whole time. He's not looking to take revenge. He's looking to help us do teshuva. But unfortunately, if we run out of time, if we run out of this, then HaKadosh Baruch Hu has to punish us. We're very excited to offer you the new Be'ezrat Hashem app 3.0. It's a newer, faster app, full of Torah, and full of Kedusha through the shiurim that we provide. Myself, Rabbi Freim, Rabbi Chaim... where you'll have newer features that enable you to use the app while operating other applications on your phone. You'll be able to share the shiurim directly from the app. You'll be able to donate online to support our kehilla and 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 through 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. B'hatzlacha!