Why Some People Are Like MOLDY CAKES

0:31Because I think that, just like I learned—and it's not my own chiddush—but if a person is going to learn Mussar on a regular basis, then he, or she, is going to, little by little, improve their character traits and soften their character, which will make them a better vessel to learn Torah. But if they don't improve their character traits, then whatever Torah they do learn is going to be spoiled anyway. What is that like? It's like if a person learns Torah along with Mussar, then he's going to put all the beautiful ingredients on the cake, and he's going to put the sugar exactly how much and, you know, all the different things, right? If he doesn't learn Mussar, the way he's going to do it is he's going to use a foundation. You know, he's going to use a foundation that has mold in it because that's the best price. But he's going to put toppings on it, and candy on it, and different Torah Chidushim on it, so on the outside, it looks good, like the guy knows Torah, but the real foundation is rotten. Where do you see that in real life? Many times, you see people who look religious, sometimes even go to yeshiva, or have gone to yeshiva, doing things that are the worst things in the world, things even secular people won't do.

1:51...know, make fun of rabbis, make fun of God, go with their shtreimel, with their hats, to a casino or a club. Hashem, what do I mean by that? They go to all types of places that even civilized, regular people who are not religious don't go to because they know it's a bad place. But you see them acting that way. Why? Because what they have is a rotten foundation... foundation with some nice, beautiful seasoning. Or sometimes, you'll see a so-called religious person, sometimes even a rabbi, who knows Torah, but will do horribly evil things. You know, there are some prominent figures out there who have been caught doing terribly evil things. There's one well-known rabbi in London who was caught with one of his own students that was married to someone else, and this is a grave issue. The rabbi of Dekilah went with somebody else's wife—craziest thing in the world. And he's still a rabbi, this guy. And this woman is still being encouraged to stay with her husband, which is forbidden by the Torah. It's forbidden by the Torah for her to stay with her husband. But why? Because he's rotten, she's rotten, and all the other people over there are rotten too. All of them have this rotten foundation.

3:14And that's unfortunately what's happening in the world today. There are a lot of rotten foundations. You have people who are rabbis, but they're doing things that are not normal. It's not acceptable, and we've reached a Sodom and Gomorrah generation. People need to know that the Torah has Mussar. Mussar, in essence, is a 'check yourself' system. This is what you're supposed to do, and you have to compare that to what you are doing. You are supposed to be kind. You're not supposed to be kind because you expect something in return; that's not kindness, that's business. You are meant to be kind for the sake of kindness, not because you're expecting something in return. If giving is only to receive in return, that's not kindness, that's politics and business. You can call it the barter system. You can call it an exchange. You can call it a lot of different things. But it's definitely not kindness. You want to be kind? Kindness is a free gift with no expectation whatsoever. What does it mean, no expectation? No expectation of even kavod, of even a thank you. If you're expecting a thank you, that's already too much.

4:31Why? Kindness, real kindness, is simply a free gift. Who gives free gifts all day? HaKadosh Baruch Hu. And we're supposed to emulate Him, and so on and so forth. So Mussar is going to teach you what is true kindness, what is true cleanliness, what is true righteousness, what is true zealousness. Are you really zealous, or are you arrogant? The line between them is very thin. Because many people think that they're zealous, but in reality, they're just arrogant fools. They think that they're being zealous in the name of God, but in reality, these are the worst people on planet Earth. How do you know? You have to check yourself. Where am I? Where is the Torah? Now, if you're deciding what the Torah is, for sure you're not in a good place. Why? You have to have a rabbi whom you obey like he's God. He says this, you don't ask a question. Why? That's what the Torah says. You have to be afraid of him like you're afraid of Hashem. Almost every single person finds this to be the most difficult mitzvah. Why? No one wants to subject themselves to anybody. Because everyone thinks that they're better than their rabbi. Everyone believes that they're just as good, at least. Everyone thinks that they can understand it without him. People think a little too highly of themselves, and it's very difficult for them.

5:45So this requires a destruction of your ego, which takes time. That's what Mussar does. It reminds you of your flaws. And if you're a real person, you're a serious person, you're going to learn it, and that's going to make you a better vessel for Torah. On the other hand, if a person simply skips Mussar, he'll become a Talmid Chacham Le'tzarah. Meaning, he'll know Torah, but he's going to be a Rasha Merusha. He'll finish Masechet Shabbat, he'll finish Masechet Ta'anit, he'll finish Masechet this or Masechet that, he'll read Midrashim, he'll read a lot of different things, but his wife is going to divorce him, his kids are going to hate him, the entire Kehillah can't wait until he dies, and no one's going to show up to his funeral. Why? He's just a despicable human being. Despicable. How do you know? Look at what people are saying about you. Not the haters, regular people are supposed to be your lovers. If your lovers are constantly complaining about you, there's something wrong. Surely, a few people are going to dislike you, there's no question about that. But if the people that are supposed to like you are constantly complaining, if your wife is crying every week, there's something wrong with you, it's not just her. If your kids can't wait until you go to work, there's something wrong with you.

7:01There’s something wrong with you. If your kids can't wait until you go away, there's something wrong with you. If your wife asks you, "Honey, are you going on a trip this week?" and when you say no, she replies with a disappointed, "Oh, okay, alright," there's something wrong with you. If your loved ones can't wait to see you, there's something wrong with you, not with them. Surely there could be something wrong with them also, but for sure it's you as well. That's the thing, if the world around you is complaining and you just simply assume everyone is wrong, you think you are Mr. Mashiach or Mrs. Mashiach. You're always right and everyone else is always wrong. We're very excited to offer you the new B'ezrat Hashem app 3.0. It's a newer, faster app, filled with Torah, and lots of kedusha through the shiurim that we provide, myself, Rabbi Ephraim, and Rabbi Chaim. You'll also find newer features that enhance your ability to use the app.

8:03While you're using other applications on your phone, you'll be able to share the shiurim directly from the app. You'll be able to donate online and support our kehilla and our 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, and make sure you have access to the Kosher Torah that will re-energize your neshama each and every single day. Call for more information at your convenience.