Why Are These Segulot Not Working For Me?!

0:06Before we tell you about all the actions to take, the little techniques, you're going to encounter this easy one, and that easy one, and so on. There are various segulot, different practices you can engage in to earn tremendous reward in Olam Haba (the World to Come). Some actions are so simple to perform, it's truly regrettable that people don't take advantage of them. It's a complete waste when they don't. You can do certain things to grant yourself an abundance of good.

1:25Once a week, but to constantly read it over and over again. Many of his Chasidim adopted this practice because Sefer Devarim contains an extraordinary amount of Mussar. It is the one book that is actually written by Moshe Rabbeinu, as opposed to the other four books that are written by Hashem Himself. However, Hashem wanted Moshe Rabbeinu to include this fifth book. That's why in the first four books, it says that Hashem spoke to Moshe, whereas in the fifth book, Sefer Devarim, it doesn't say that. It says Moshe talks in the first person. Hashem said to me. Hashem said to me, not Hashem told me. Hashem said to me. This is what I heard, and so on and so forth. So there's a lot of mussar to learn from there. Anyone that actually reads the book of Deuteronomy (Sefer Devarim) with commentary by Rashi, at least Ramban, and actually understands it could do an extraordinary teshuva. The problem is that many people don't understand the actual minhag itself, or grasp what Rav Pinto is actually saying. They think all they need to do is just read it.

2:34Like you read a journal, like you read a newspaper. Just read the words, with or without understanding them. Just read it, read it, read it a million times, and it doesn't do the trick. Why? Because Torah is not one of those things where we just press the button and eventually something's going to work. There's a certain set of instructions, a certain set of instructions on how to do certain things. So many people use this segula, but not much happens. None of the promises actually happen in their life. And they think that there's something wrong with this segula. No, no, there's nothing wrong with this segula. There's something wrong with them. They're just not doing it the right way. It's like, for example, somebody gave you a Formula One car. A Formula One car can drive, I don't know, 250 miles an hour. It won the last race, whatever they're called. The last race could drive 250-300 miles an hour. This thing is a beast, and you go in there thinking, "I'm doing it, I'm doing it," and you start pressing the gas. Nothing happens. Press the gas again. Nothing happens. "This is junk. Nothing." Start hitting the car, kicking the car. Thought they, you know, they cheated you. Start screaming and yelling, causing a scene. "What a piece of junk, it's a lemon!" "Hey, buddy..."

3:54Turn on the ignition. Turn on the ignition. All the gas pedals and the shifts don't work unless you do it right. First, turn on the ignition. Then you can press the buttons and push this and push that. If you do certain things right, it'll work. If you don't, it's a waste of time. So the Chachamim constantly told us what to avoid first. Why? Because even if you do all the good things, all the things right, you press the gas pedal and you turn the wheel and you press this and you press that, if you didn't turn on the ignition, it's all worthless. If you didn't avoid all of the things that pretty much cut you off from the nation, cut your connection off from Hashem Yitbarach, none of this is gonna work. If a person does not keep Shabbat, if a person does not keep the basics, the basics of connection between them and HaKadosh Baruch Hu, this stuff won't work. Why? Because when a person violates major sins, Hashem doesn't put them on a list of all I owe him some good things. Cut you off from the nation. Cut your connection off from Hashem Yitbarach. None of this is going to work if a person does not keep Shabbat, if a person does not keep the basics—the basics of connection between them and Hakadosh Baruch Hu. This stuff won't work. Why? Because when a person violates major sins, Hashem doesn't put them on a list of "I owe him some good things."

5:11Some sins that a person commits, Hashem can say, "I consider him my enemy." Even though he's my son and I love him, right now, he's in the status of being my enemy. We see this at the end of Parashat Va'etchanan. He pays his haters cash to their face, meaning sometimes he'll even give them things that will make them think that they're doing okay, that they actually have a good relationship with Hashem. They have a brand new car, brand new house, brand new wife, brand new this, brand new that; everything looks good. But in reality, behind the scenes, if they only knew that they're actually being punished and... Sometimes, Hashem gives a person a huge windfall of money as a punishment. Why? Because He knows that the money will destroy him. Before he had the money, he was just living a regular life. He was okay—wife, kids, job. Every day he woke up, put on his pants like everybody else, one leg at a time. Everything was going fine. He was happy-go-lucky.

6:19People ask him, "So, how are you doing?" He says, "Thank God." They ask, "Do you keep Shabbat?" He replies, "No, but I thank God anyway." Why? Because he thinks, "What's wrong with thanking God? I love God. I just love God in my own way." So everything seems to be going fine. People say, "Oh, you look happy." He responds, "I am happy. I am happy." Really? Are you really happy? "Yeah, I'm really happy." He's happy in his own way too. Everything seems to be going fine. Everything is going fine. All of a sudden, one day, he gets a deal that changes his life. Equivalent of a lottery win: he signs a deal with Boeing, he signs a deal with one of these Fortune 500 companies that immediately puts an extra 15-20 million dollars in his bank account. Money that he's never seen, such money. He thinks, "Honey, we did it. We did it, honey. We finally made it." 18 months later, he's divorced, his kids hate him, and the clients left him too. Happened, we did it 18 months ago. Yes, but during those 18 months, that windfall of money changed him. He started wanting things that he didn't want before he got the money. All of a sudden, he wanted two wives or three and an occasional girlfriend or two on the side. All of a sudden, he wanted to go to certain places for vacation. All of a sudden, he wanted to do certain things that he didn't even think about wanting before he had the money.

7:42In essence, Hashem gave him a gift, a windfall of money to destroy him. That's why in Yalkut Yosef, it actually says over there, when somebody loses money, they should thank Hashem. But when they make a lot of money, there's a machloket, a debate. Does he thank Hashem saying a special blessing because he's got a windfall of money, or no? I mean to say, don't do anything you want just because you have a lot of money. You got a lot of money in a short period of time? Stay quiet. Don't even say extra. Thank you. Why? Maybe it's a punishment. Maybe it's a punishment. Obviously, if you're a righteous person, then most likely it's not. But how many of us can look in the mirror and say with certainty, "I am righteous"? Well, if Hashem has blessed you, you must reflect on your deeds.