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Hearing Hashem\u2019s MessagesYISRO LEARNS SOMETHING NEWOurparshahthis week begins with the story of Yisro leaving the comfort of his hometown to travel out into the dangerous wilderness to visit the encampment of theAm Yisroel. And for what reason did he undertake such a journey? Why would a man like Yisro, a man of nobility in Midian, forsake his home to go to themidbar? So the Torah tells us, \u05d5\u05d9\u05e9\u05de\u05e2 \u05d9\u05ea\u05e8\u05d5 \u2013 Because he heard something that stirred his mind. When Yisro was informed of what had happened inMitzrayimand at theYam Suf, there was some great ideal that was triggered in his mind. And it was that ideal that caused him to make that fateful decision to come out to the wilderness to join his son-in-law and theAm Yisroelin their happiness.Now when he arrived we know that he made abrachahon theneisthat happened to the people of Hashem: \u05d1\u05e8\u05d5\u05da \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e6\u05d9\u05dc \u05d0\u05ea\u05db\u05dd \u05de\u05d9\u05d3 \u05de\u05e6\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05de\u05d9\u05d3 \u05e4\u05e8\u05e2\u05d4 \u2013 \u201cHashem should be blessed for having rescued you from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians\u201d (Yisro 18:10). And in the climax of his praises of Hashem, Yisro added apeirush, some details about theneisofKriyas Yam Sufthat we should consider carefully. \u05e2\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cNow I know,\u201d said Yisro, \u05db\u05d9 \u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05de\u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05d4\u05d9\u05dd, \u201cthat Hashem is greater than all gods.\u201d \u201cI recognized Him in the past,\u201d explains Rashi, \u201cbut now I know Him even more.\u201d And that\u2019s a remarkable statement because Yisro had already known ofHashem Elokei Yisroelthrough his own reasoning, as well by the traditions of his own family of Midian, who was the son of Avraham (Bereishis 25:2), and he had surely heard from Moshe Rabeinu as well. He knew very much about Hakodosh Boruch Hu, more than many of us sitting here. \u201cBut now,\u201d said Yisro, \u201cNow I know Hashem even more, with an Awareness, an understanding, that I didn\u2019t have before.\u201d And so we should be very interested in this \u2013 what exactly was it that Yisro saw; what was it that led him to say, \u05e2\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea\u05d9, \u201cNowI know.\u201d Because that\u2019s something that we should be striving for all the time; more and moreda\u2019as Hashem; greater heights in knowing Hashem. If we could say, \u201cNowI know,\u201d like Yisro did, then we\u2019ve already accomplished something great with our lives.WHY DIDN\u2019T PHARAOH GET ALZHEIMER\u2019S?And so we look to Yisro\u2019s own words for an explanation: \u05e2\u05ea\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d3\u05e2\u05ea\u05d9\u2026 \u05db\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d6\u05d3\u05d5 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd \u2013 \u201cInowknow about Hashem\u2026because in the thing in which \u05d6\u05d3\u05d5, in which the Egyptians have dealt wickedly, \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd, it came upon them\u201d (Yisro 18:10). Yisro had watched from the sidelines for many years as the Egyptians tried to wreak havoc on theAm Yisroel; and now it was many years later and Yisro was studying the great catastrophe that had befallen theMitzri\u2019im. And Yisro thought about what he saw \u2013 he didn\u2019t just let it go by. \u201cWhy were they drowned in water?\u201d he thought. \u201cWhat was the purpose of such a great destruction? Did Hashem drown the Egyptiansjust to save the Am Hashem?\u201d If that was true, Hashem could have saved His people in a much simpler fashion. Pharaoh could have just made up his mind that he had enough. The tenmakkosshould have been the end of his futile escapades with the children of Hashem. What does he need moretzarosfor; to start up again withHashem Elokei Yisroel? And so, once he let them out of his land he should have saidbaruch shepatrani, \u201cI\u2019m glad I got rid of them and now I\u2019m done!\u201dAnd even if he lost his head and wanted to chase after theBnei Yisroel,Hakadosh Baruch Hu could have saved us in a much less complicated way.He should have made Pharaoh catch the flu or maybe He could have made him get Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Everything could have happened in a natural way, and Pharaoh wouldn\u2019t have pursued theAm Yisroelaltogether. But instead, Pharaoh changed his mind \u2013 and actually we\u2019ll say more correctly that it wasHashem who changed Pharaoh\u2019s mind\u2013 and he pursued them. He didn\u2019t have enough; he was looking for more. And he got it!HASHEM DOES THINGS FOR A PURPOSE!And if you\u2019ll say \u2013 and you\u2019re right to say so \u2013 that Hashem wanted to show His might to theAm Yisroel,to give them the gift of moreemunah, and that\u2019s why this whole charade had to play out; OK, but what\u2019s this whole business with the water? Why didn\u2019t some conflagration come upon them like it came, let\u2019s say, on the camp ofSancheriv? A terrible fire could have came upon them when they set out to pursue the Am Yisroel and the Egyptian army would have become ash. Or a pestilence could have destroyed them, like it came upon other enemies of theAm Hashem.All this was going through the mind of Yisro. Why did it happen in this case that they were drowned?\u201cIt just happened that way,\u201d you\u2019ll say. But for people like Yisro that\u2019snotthe way to think. Because he understood that there\u2019s a principle in the dealings of Hashem, the principle that Hakodosh Baruch Hu does everything with a purpose. \u201cAnd as much as I can,\u201d reasoned Yisro, \u201cI should aim to study events and their purposes as much as possible.\u201d That\u2019s how Yisro was thinking: \u201cHakadosh Baruch Hu always does things for a purpose.\u201dSo Yisro looked back at what had happened inMitzrayim. The decree, \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05d1\u05df \u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05dc\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05ea\u05e9\u05dc\u05d9\u05db\u05d5\u05d4\u05d5, that every newborn son should be cast into the water to drown, had happened a very long time ago; it was eighty years already. But Yisro, when he saw the the final chapter of the career of Pharaoh and his Egyptians, he began to think. When he considered the fate of theMitzri\u2019imwho were drowned in the water, he was wise enough to think that Hashem does everything with a purpose, and he looked back to discover for what crime the Egyptians were being punished. And he came to the conclusion that it was for the crime of casting Jewish children into the Nile that they themselves were now being drowned. Yisro said, \u201cI see something here that I\u2019m not going to ignore. I see a remarkable poetic justice here. Pharaoh and the Egyptians who had drowned little Jewish boys in water, are now themselves laying dead at the bottom of the Yam Suf because that\u2019s what they did to the children of theAm Yisroel.\u201dTHE PRIMITIVE ANCIENTS KNEW BETTER THAN THE SCIENTISTSNow, we would be wise to think along with Yisro, and to achieve some of the perfection that he achieved on that day in themidbar, but first we must understand the principle which underlies Yisro\u2019s words. And that is theemunahthat there are no accidents in the world. The very first lesson that a Jew has to learn is thatHashem Echad,that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is in charge of everything.HashemEchadmeans He is the only One who controls all the affairs of the universe; whatever happens comes directly from Him. And if that\u2019s the case, everything has a purpose.Now what that means for us is that when a person attributes some happening merely to natural causes, what it really is is a sublimated form of atheism. Of course Hakadosh Baruch Hu acts through causes, absolutely. You know, the textbooks try to ridicule the old generations; they deride the ancient ideas of attributing epidemics to acts of G-d. The scientists think that they\u2019re smarter because they know that there are bacteria; because they have the tools today to see microorganisms so they think they know much more. But that\u2019s because they don\u2019t understand how the ancients thought. Everybody in the ancient world understood just fine that Hakadosh Baruch Hu acts through agents. What the agents are, that\u2019s a different story. But they believed in agents then too. Only that because the scientist today can see the agents better, he can study them, analyze them, and write scholarly papers about them, so what happens? This educated fool begins to believe in the agents themselves, that\u2019s all. But all that is just a wicked mix of education, hubris and ignorance that leads him on the path toward foolishness; because there\u2019s no question that you can be an up-to-date scientist and still understand that all the natural causes are agents of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. And therefore, the wise person, the one who lives withemunahin Hashem, is prepared to look at all the events in this world,even the small and seemingly unimportant mishaps in his own life,as messages from Hashem.TAKE THE DIRECTIONS!This however requires some explanation if we expect to apply it to our lives in its most practical form. And those of you who come here know that this is our goal, to break things down to its most simplest form so that we can best apply it in our lives. So we\u2019ll start the explanation with thegemarain Makkos (10b). Thegemaracomments on the possuk \u05d9\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05d7\u05d8\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d3\u05e8\u05da \u2013 \u201cHashem shows the sinners the way; He teaches the sinners the way back to Him\u201d (Tehillim 25:8). And thegemarasays there, \u05d0\u05dd \u05d7\u05d8\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d9\u05d5\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e6\u05d3\u05d9\u05e7\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d0 \u05db\u05dc \u05e9\u05db\u05df \u2013 \u201cIf Hashem is kindly to the sinners, to those persistent rebels against the Torah, and nevertheless Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives them messages, then surely He is kind to His loyal servants.\u201d He gives them messages too. Why would Hashem ignore His loyal ones?What that means is that in this life, everybody is getting constant direction from Hashem. Hakodosh Boruch Hu doesn\u2019t forsake mankind and therefore when a person embarks on a wrong course in life, it could be a minor thing or a big thing, in any case, Hakodosh Boruch Hu does not neglect the opportunities to teach him. From time to time, He guides us by giving instruction and direction. And therefore everybody has opportunities to improve their ways and go on the right path. That\u2019s a fundamental principle in how Hashem directs the life of man, that He\u2019s teaching the sinners the way back to Him. And nobody therefore can claim exemption; everyone is going to be held responsible for ignoring the messages from Hashem. And if a man willfully closes his eyes to the directions of Hashem, so not only will he continue to go lost, but he\u2019s simply a fool. Let\u2019s say a man is driving to Cleveland and he loses his way; so if he has any sense, he stops at the gasoline station and asks for directions. Now suppose he ignores them; he doesn\u2019t pay heed to the directions and he\u2019s still lost. So he stops at a payphone to call his cousin for directions, and he ignores those instructions as well! So not only will he be lost forever, but there\u2019s no bigger fool than he!THE NEXT WORLD IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CLEVELANDAnd the road of life, the road to the Next World, is much more important than a road trip to Cleveland. And it\u2019s also much easier to make wrong turns on the road of life. And therefore, it\u2019s most important to understand the mishaps of life in the sense of them being directions from Hashem. They\u2019re not natural, and they\u2019re not accidents \u2013 they are instructions being sent to us for the purpose of helping us find our way back onto the highway toOlam Habah. And if you\u2019ll listen to Hashem\u2019s voice, if you\u2019ll study His messages and understand them, so you\u2019ll know in what way you have to improve, and how to better walk the road of life.The question is, when a misfortune happens to a person how should he know for which wrongs this punishment is being sent? So what we\u2019re going to study now is that Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives a clue. And that\u2019s the famous principle ofmidah k\u2019neged midah. He sends the misfortune in such a way that it gives you a clue as to what it came for. And that\u2019s the discovery that Yisro made when he studied the hand of Hashem against theMitzri\u2019iminMitzrayimand at theYam Suf.It was at this momentous occasion in history that Yisro discovered the way of Hashem that we callmidah k\u2019neged midah. \u05db\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d6\u05d3\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cIn that which theMitzri\u2019imschemed against the Jewish people, \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd \u2013 it came right back on their heads.\u201dHASHEM INSTRUCTS THE SNAKESAnd he discovered it forourbenefit. Because if Yisro was able to come toda\u2019as Hashem\u2013 after all, he said \u201cNowI know,\u201d \u2013 because of his study of this way of Hashem in this world, so we should consider it an obligation upon ourselves to do the same. Hakodosh Boruch Hu wrote thatpossukin the Torah because He wants us to recognize as much as we can that this is one of thedarkei Hashem, one of the ways that Hashem manages things in this world. And it\u2019s an important principle that is constantly reiterated in theTorah, Neviim, Kesuvim,and in thegemaraeverywhere \u2013 and if we would look into our own history, we\u2019d see it as well.So the principle we are discussing here is that Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives us clues \u2013 when something happens, it\u2019s not merely a misfortune, it\u2019s a clue. So if you want to know why something is happening, look at thewayit happened. We\u2019ll take apossukin Koheles (10:8) as an example. \u05d7\u05d5\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d2\u05d5\u05de\u05e5 \u2013 \u201cIf a man digs a pit in the ground, \u05d1\u05d5 \u05d9\u05e4\u05d5\u05dc, into it he will fall.\u201d If somebody wants to cause a pitfall to somebody else, and he digs a hole in the ground, sohe\u2019sgoing to fall into a hole in the ground \u2013 sometimes in the same hole that he made, \u05d5\u05e4\u05d5\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d2\u05d3\u05e8 \u2013 \u201cAnd he who breaks down a fence \u2013 a malicious man is trying to break down your fence, so \u05d9\u05e9\u05db\u05e0\u05d5 \u05e0\u05d7\u05e9, a snake will come out from the wall that he\u2019s banging on, and it will bite him.\u201d Now, a snake could come from somewhere else and bite him. But Hakodosh Boruch Hu tells all the snakes, \u201cStay out of this! I only want the snakesfrom this wall!\u201d Because they have a very important job over here, a lesson has to be taught! And that\u2019s the lesson ofmidah k\u2019neged midah.And the truth is that it\u2019s a principle of such overwhelming importance that it becomes one of the most significant actors in men\u2019s lives.SHIMSHON HAD BEAUTIFUL EYESThegemara(Sotah 8b) says it like this: \u05d1\u05de\u05d3\u05d4 \u05e9\u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05de\u05d5\u05d3\u05d3 \u05de\u05d5\u05d3\u05d3\u05d9\u05df \u05dc\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cIn the way a man measures out to others, so too is it measured out to him.\u201d What does that mean? It\u2019s telling us that the punishment that a man gets in this world in some way resembles the thing that he\u2019s done wrong. Now you all remember when Shimshon wanted to convert thePlishtiwoman,Delilah, and marry her. His parents weren\u2019t so excited; they argued with him about it. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you take abas Yisrael?Aren\u2019tthere enough girls from your own people to choose from?! What\u2019s so good about a gentile woman that you have to choosedavkahher? But Shimshon was adamant about his choice. He said \u201cTake her for me \u05db\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9, because she is good in my eyes\u201d (Shoftim 14:3).Now of course you have to know that Shimshon converted her. There\u2019s no question about that. To marry Shimshon, any woman would be willing to be a convert; who wouldn\u2019t fall for such a handsome and strong young man? And so she willingly became agiyores.Now I\u2019m not going to tell you that it was such a high-class conversion, but she was converted, and you can be sure she kept the laws of the Torah.You must also know that Shimshon Hatzadik had beautiful eyes, the eyes of atzadik, and if he said that Delilah is \u201cgood in my eyes,\u201d he knew what he was talking about. Why Shimshon took aPlishtiwife is because he wanted to mingle with thePlishtimas one of them; he became amechutannow. By this excuse he was able to mix with them, and to know their business and to intimidate them. He looked for excuses to humiliate them.TERRORIZING THE PHILISTINESAnd it was a strategy that worked; that\u2019s how he kept them quiet so that they shouldn\u2019t harm theAm Yisroel.Shimshon was able to harass them, and to terrorize them so much that he kept them quiet. Although they had power to molest theAm Yisroel, they were afraid to do so because of Shimshon. And Shimshon achieved all this by means of thisPlishtiwoman he married. By means of her relatives he got his way into the company of thePlishtipeople, and he succeeded. Because of Shimshon it was a quiet time for theAm Yisroel.And yet, it was still a very grave error. Because Hakodosh Boruch Hu didn\u2019t agree with Shimshon\u2019s strategy. \u201cThat\u2019syourplan, but I don\u2019t like it. I don\u2019t like plans that involve your eyes looking at gentile girls.\u201d Because no matter how much of al\u2019sheim shamayimthere was, still there was some element there of \u201cshe is pleasing in my eyes.\u201d And this, Hakadosh Baruch Hu didn\u2019t like. For a man like Shimshon to say \u201cShe\u2019s pleasing in my eyes,\u201d Hakadosh Baruch Hu didn\u2019t like that business. \u201cShe\u2019s good in your eyes?! What about My eyes?!\u201dTHECHACHOMIMSTUDY HISTORYYou all know the story of how Shimshon lost his eyes. He was captured by thePlishtimand they poked out his eyes with forks. Just before he died they brutally took out his eyes. So here was the once powerful Shimshon, and now he weakened and blind, standing there with his hands bound, in the presence of thePlishtiaudience who were jeering at him and mocking him. Shimshon was about to die, and so instead of being tormented to death by thePlishtim, he asked Hakodosh Boruch Hu, \u201cPlease restore my strength to me for one last moment so that I can do one more heroic deed for my people.\u201d And he pushed heavily on the pillars upon which the roof was supported, and he knocked them over and the roof came crashing down. And he killed a great number of the notables of thePlishtim. He threw down the building on their heads and he perished together with thousands of their great men. They had such amapalahon that day because of Shimshon \u2013 he squashed so manyPlishtinotables and dignitaries under that roof that thePlishtimwere quiet for twenty years after that. If one Jew could do that to them, they weren\u2019t interested in the wholegesheft.That\u2019s a remarkable story; even young children love this story. But there\u2019s a much more important element to that story than just the revenge that Shimshon wrought on thePlishtim\u2013 and it\u2019s an element that often goes unnoticed. Because why was Shimshon given such an end that he should lose his eyes? It\u2019s amishnah: \u05e9\u05de\u05e9\u05d5\u05df \u05d4\u05dc\u05da \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8 \u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05d5 \u05dc\u05e4\u05d9\u05db\u05da \u05e0\u05e7\u05e8\u05d5 \u05e4\u05dc\u05e9\u05ea\u05d9\u05dd \u05d0\u05ea \u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05d5 \u201cBecause Shimshon followed after his eyes, that\u2019s why he lost his eyes\u201d (Sotah 1:8, 9b). Now we don\u2019t know exactly what these words mean because Shimshon had very good eyes. But at least we have to learn these words very well \u2013 that Shimshon \u201cfollowed his eyes,\u201d and \u201cthat\u2019s why thePlishtimtook out his eyes.\u201dNow it doesn\u2019t say that in the book ofShoftim, that this is the reason why his eyes were taken out. But thechachomimstudied history through the lens of the Torah and they came to this conclusion. Why did it happen that he lost his eyes, that his eyes were taken out? It can\u2019t be that it wasb\u2019mikreh, just an accident of fate. So they searched and they found thepossuk,\u05db\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9, \u201cShe is goodin my eyes.\u201dTHE MIGHTY MAN STUDIES PARSHAS YISRONow don\u2019t think that thechachomimwere wise enough to figure this out, but Shimshon wasn\u2019t. I\u2019ll tell you what was going on in the great head of Shimshon in the moments before he died. It\u2019s important for us to know what he was thinking. He said, \u201cRibono Shel Olam, what happened to me that I am blind now? I, who was the great hero \u2013 all the enemies feared me \u2013 and now I\u2019m a blind captive. Who made me blind, thePlishtim?! I\u2019m not going to be such a fool and say that!\u201dSo you can be certain that Shimshon was making use of the great principle ofmidah k\u2019neged midahin the moments before he died. Shimshon was following that principle, absolutely. And therefore he began to think, \u201cWhy were my eyes poked out? Maybe I misused my eyes.\u201d In his last moments, he remembered the great lesson of theTorah. Shimshon also learnedParshasYisro, and he learned it better than we learn it here. And he remembered that he had once said: \u05e7\u05d7\u05e0\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05db\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e2\u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u2013 \u201cTake her for me because she is good in my eyes.\u201d \u201cAhhh,\u201d said Shimshon, \u05d1\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d6\u05d3\u05d5, in that whichIsinned, \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd, it came uponme. I shouldn\u2019t have said, \u2018She\u2019s right in my eyes.\u2019 What aboutb\u2019einei Hashem,in the eyes of Hashem? Did I think about His eyes?!\u201dSo Shimshon struck his chest and said, \u201cI sinned before You Hashem; please forgive me and restore my strength to me so that I can make amends, so that I can do one more deed of service to You.\u201d And that\u2019s how Shimshon left the world. \u05ea\u05de\u05d5\u05ea \u05e0\u05e4\u05e9\u05d9 \u05e2\u05dd \u05e4\u05dc\u05d9\u05e9\u05ea\u05d9\u05dd, he perished with thePlishtim, after recognizing the way of Hashem in this world, and making himself better because of it.HASHEM TRIES SPEAKING TO THE FOOLAnd that\u2019s what thegemara(Brachos 5a) says: \u05d0\u05dd \u05e8\u05d5\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05e9\u05d9\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5, \u201cIf a man sees misfortune coming on him\u201d, \u05d9\u05e4\u05e9\u05e4\u05e9 \u05d1\u05de\u05e2\u05e9\u05d9\u05d5, \u201clet him examine his deeds\u201d. Chazal are telling us that whenever something happens to a man, he should utilize it as an occasion to become better. Now this doesn\u2019t mean that some big catastrophe has to happen to him. Because, of course, if a man is dealt a big misfortune, he\u2019s drowning in the Yam Suf let\u2019s say, or his eyes were poked out by the gentiles, so he\u2019d better wake up and get busy recognizing the messages of Hashem because there might not be too much time left for him. Nobody would be such a fool as to ignore the big messages.So if you\u2019re laying on the operating table, there\u2019s no question at all that it\u2019s a very big message from Hashem. And let\u2019s say he\u2019s being strapped down and they\u2019re putting the mask over his face, and even then he\u2019s thinking. \u201cIt just happened this way; it just turned out that I have a weak heart or whatever it is.\u201d He\u2019s an Orthodox Jew but he doesn\u2019t connect it with Hakodosh Boruch Hu at all! Hashem is showing him open signs, He\u2019s being spoken to by Hashem, but he ignores Him. There\u2019s no bigger failure than that!DOES SUFFERING HAVE A LIMIT?But we\u2019re not even talking about that now; we\u2019re talking about the better ones, the ones whowouldreact to big signs. We\u2019re talking about intelligent servants of Hashem who want to spare themselves the rough treatment, the big messages. They prefer to hear Hashem speaking to them with smaller messages. What type of signs shouldtheyinterpret as messages from Hashem, as Hashem in His mercy trying to guide them in the right way?So for that we\u2019ll look at agemarainArachin(16b). The question is raised there: \u05e2\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d9\u05db\u05df \u05ea\u05db\u05dc\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u2013 \u201cUntil how far is the limit of suffering?\u201d Now at first glance, we should be bothered \u2013 what kind of question is that? There\u2019s no limit to suffering; people suffer in all types of ways, all forms ofyissurim. But what thegemarameans is this: How small can a misfortune be and still be called suffering that you should take it as a hint from Hashem? What thegemarais searching for are examples of visitations from Hashem, punishments or warnings,but in its most minimum form.THE TRAGEDY OF HAVING TOO MUCH MONEY IN YOUR POCKET\u05d0\u05de\u05e8 \u05e8\u05d1\u05d9 \u05d0\u05dc\u05e2\u05d6\u05e8, Rebbe Elazar says, \u05db\u05dc \u05e9\u05d0\u05e8\u05d2\u05d5 \u05dc\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d2\u05d3 \u05dc\u05dc\u05d1\u05d5\u05e9 \u05d5\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05de\u05ea\u05e7\u05d1\u05dc \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5, \u201cIf they wove for him a new garment, they made him a new shirt, but he\u2019s not satisfied with it\u201d. The shirt is able to keep him covered and warm, and it fits him too, but it just doesn\u2019t satisfy him. Eventhatis called suffering, that\u2019s calledyissurim. So Rav Z\u2019eirah asked on that: Does it have to be such abig misfortunelike that to be calledyissurim? \u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05de\u05d6\u05d5 \u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05d5 \u2013 even a biggerchiddushwas said by thechachomim: \u201cEven if he wanted his wine to be mixed with warm water and by error they mixed it with cold water. Or his intention was to mix it with cold water and by accident he put in warm water, even that is calledyissurim.\u201d Even that is a misfortune! This man who wants his wine one way and gets it another way has already suffered, \u05d5\u05d0\u05ea \u05d0\u05de\u05e8\u05ea \u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d9 \u201cand you\u2019re discussing such a big misfortune like a garment that doesn\u2019t please you?\u201d After all a garment you don\u2019t make every day. And now when you finally get it, it doesn\u2019t please you. That\u2019s your idea of a small misfortune?! Something like that, everyone should understand that it\u2019s a visitation by Hashem. So you see that we\u2019re looking here for the smallest possible thing that can be called a misfortune.And thegemarakeeps searching: \u05de\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d3\u05e8\u05d1\u05d9\u05e0\u05d0 \u05d0\u05de\u05e8, Mar the son of Ravina said the following, \u05d0\u05e4\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5 \u05e0\u05d4\u05e4\u05da \u05dc\u05d5 \u05d7\u05dc\u05d5\u05e7\u05d5 \u2013 \u201cIf he\u2019s putting on his undershirt, and he accidentally put it on upside down.\u201d So now he has to take it off and put it on again. That\u2019s called a misfortune that should stir your mind! And just so you should know how small of a bother something could be and you\u2019re still expected to learn from it, thegemarathere brings one more example of suffering that should bring a man to change his ways: \u05d0\u05e4\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d5\u05e9\u05d9\u05d8 \u05d9\u05d3\u05d5 \u05dc\u05db\u05d9\u05e1 \u05dc\u05d9\u05d8\u05d5\u05dc \u05e9\u05dc\u05e9 \u2013 \u201cHe put his hand in his pocket to take out a three dollar bill, and there came out a two dollar bill,\u201d That\u2019s a misfortune and it means that you\u2019re being called on by Hashem to begin investigating your ways. Now, this man has both in his pocket, he has enough money, it\u2019s just that the wrong bill came out. And he\u2019ll put his hand back in and take out the right bill. But no matter, that was already a call from Hashem.THE TROLLEY OPERATOR GETS SUEDSo we\u2019re not talking here about some big mishap that might occur on the city bus. Suffering doesn\u2019t mean that if you get on a bus \u2013 this is a true story by the way; it happened to a relative of mine \u2013 when he got on the bus, it was the trolley in those days, and he couldn\u2019t find any money, so he got nervous and he lost his head. He didn\u2019t know what to do so he said to the conductor, \u201cI\u2019ll write you a check.\u201d The conductor didn\u2019t think it was funny though. He took him by his neck and threw him off. Now to be thrown off the trolley onto the street in public, that even we understand is a misfortune. He landed on his backside and he was very embarrassed. The truth is that it happened that there was a lawyer on the trolley. So the lawyer got off the trolley and told my relative, \u201cI\u2019ll take your case.\u201d And the lawyer collected good money from the city for him. So it turned out that even in this misfortune he found a pot of gold.But we\u2019re talking now about things much smaller than that, tiny things that often go unnoticed. And the pot of gold that we\u2019re looking foris not a check from the city \u2013 I\u2019m not saying that you shouldn\u2019t take a payout from the city, but we\u2019re looking for something much better than that; we\u2019re looking to make something out of ourselves in this world. And so the principle is that a man must always keep his eyes wide open, all the time, to find that pot of gold. Because these small messages are being missed all the time by most of us. And the most valuable wealth you can achieve is when you learn to take a hint from Hakadosh Baruch Hu.THE BUS DRIVER AND THE TAILORSo suppose you get on the bus and you have money. You have the thirty-five cents to pay for the trip, only that you forgot in which pocket you placed it. So you\u2019re standing on the bus and the driver is waiting for you because there are people behind you. And you put your hand into the wrong pocket and you\u2019re rummaging around trying to find it. Or maybe it\u2019s the right pocket and you happen to take out a different coin. So you have to reach in again, and you\u2019re somewhat embarrassed \u2013 people are pushing. So when you finally sit down, you have to think it over. Why did that happen? It\u2019s a messagemin hashamayim! That\u2019s how an intelligent servant of Hashem should react to even a small misfortune like that. ThegemarainArachinis teaching us thateven thatis called suffering. And why does thegemaratell us that? For what purpose? So that we should notchas v\u2019shalomregard these small mishaps as accidents!It\u2019s extreme? It\u2019s too much to expect? Nothing is too much to expect if we accept the true principle ofyoreh chatoim baderech, that Hashem shows the sinners the way. And even those of us who aretzaddikim, Hashem is trying to teach us too, thegemarasays. He\u2019s trying to teach us the time. So although you might be a bigtzadik, but let\u2019s say something like that happened to you \u2013 you bought a new suit, and you took it home after the alterations and it doesn\u2019t please you \u2013 that\u2019s a message. Even a dumbbell has to react to that! That\u2019s whyRav Z\u2019eirahmade sure to stress that that isnotan example of asmallmisfortune; becauseanybodyshould notice that!What we\u2019re learning here is that this is one of thedarkei Hashem; that in so many cases when He visits small misfortunes on people, He\u2019s trying to guide you. And what Yisro taught us is that it always pays to study the misfortune because very often Hashem is using His way ofmidah k\u2019neged midahto teach you.THE DENTIST DOES NOT SERVE ICE CREAMSo it happens sometimes; Hashem might send troubles. And that\u2019s His way of letting us know that something is wrong, that we\u2019re going on the wrong path. \u05d0\u05dd \u05e8\u05d5\u05d0\u05d4 \u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05e9\u05d9\u05e1\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05d0\u05d9\u05df \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5,\u201cWhen you see trouble coming,\u201d \u2013 a toothache! That\u2019s enough trouble; so \u05d9\u05e4\u05e9\u05e4\u05e9 \u05d1\u05de\u05e2\u05e9\u05d9\u05d5, \u201clet him look into his deeds\u201d. It\u2019s an important principle; it\u2019s a callminhashamayim: \u201cLook into your deeds!\u201dOften you\u2019re able to discern the reason why it came. If you\u2019re lying on an operating table, so before they administer anesthesia, you should be thinking, \u201cWhat happened that I came to this?\u201d And not only on the operating table \u2013 in the dentist chair too. If you suffer in your teeth, you\u2019d better get busy discovering, maybe you misused your teeth. And if you\u2019re suffering in your stomach, maybe you misused your stomach. So you can use the way of Hashem,midah k\u2019neged midaheven in the bathroom when you\u2019re constipated. And in the kitchen too. You got a little cut on your finger? Start thinking! You lost some money? You have a cold? You banged your toe? You have to do some investigating. Whatever it is \u2013 I\u2019m not capable of interpreting everything \u2013 but you should most definitely use this way of Hashem in this world to become a better person.So let\u2019s say you\u2019re sitting in the dentist chair and he says, \u201cOpen wide!\u201d And he doesn\u2019t put a spoonful of ice-cream into your mouth. No, he puts his drill in there and he begins to drill away. So you should be sitting there and thinking, \u201cWhy did he tell me that I have to open my mouth to admit the drill? Maybe because I opened my mouth recently when I should have kept it closed.\u201d That\u2019s how you\u2019re supposed to think. So you\u2019ll be a smart aleck and say, \u201cOh no, that\u2019s not it. In the course of time teeth tend to deteriorate.\u201d That\u2019s not smart at all \u2013 that\u2019s thinking like animals think! You know a horse also sits in a dentist chair. It\u2019s a different type of chair but a veterinarian also has to drill a horse\u2019s teeth sometimes. And the horse is not thinking about anything. But that\u2019s not the way a Jew is supposed to sit. When a Jew sits in the chair and the drill is going down and it hurts; whether it hurts much or it hurts a little, it\u2019s in order that he shouldn\u2019t waste his life.ALWAYS BRUSH YOUR TEETH!People have to think that Hakodosh Boruch Hu is giving them a tip, some inside information. Start examining yourself. \u201cChaim, maybe you were too careless with your tongue.\u201d Of course we understand that whatever happens can have two reasons. Because naturally somebody will say, \u201cWell, he probably didn\u2019t brush his teeth. He ate candy before he went to sleep, and all that sweet stuff was settling around his teeth during the night and rotting it away.\u201d And the truth is that youshouldbrush your teeth every night. Everybody, boys and girls, men and women, should brush their teeth at least once before going to bed. No question that it\u2019s beneficial. But I know a relative of mine who hasn\u2019t brushed his teeth since he was born. I\u2019m not recommending it, but this relative of mine has never gone to the dentist and he doesn\u2019t have a cavity. Now it could happen that he was born with an especial kind of mouth. Could be. But we have to get into our heads theemunahthat besides for the material reason, there\u2019s no question that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is at the controls. Hakadosh Baruch Hu doesn\u2019t yield control of the universe to bacterias. He\u2019s the boss over them too. And therefore whatever happens is a result of His decree.And when a Jew understands that and he takes the message directly from Hakadosh Baruch Hu to his heart, so a whole new vista ofavodas Hashemopens up before his eyes. And he utilizes it! So as he leaves the dentist\u2019s office, he\u2019s not only leaving with his cavity filled but also his mind is filled with a new resolve to change his ways. And that\u2019s the biggest achievement in life! Much more precious than the fillings in his teeth.YOU DESERVE A PARSHA NAMED AFTER YOUNow if we\u2019ll study this principle more, we\u2019ll see that it\u2019s everywhere. The examples are so many that we need days and days just to list them; and certainly to discuss them it will take an entire lifetime. In our lives, if something happens to us, even a little thing, it pays to investigate, \u201cWhy did this happen?\u201d And if we look back, maybe we\u2019ll discover something that was done that caused this thing to happen. Because even a little recognition of Hashem\u2019s messages, and even a small resolve to change, is very precious. Even if the first hour he\u2019ll keep his mind on his mouth, just for one hour after leaving the dentist\u2019s office he won\u2019t talk, he won\u2019t talk, period, for an hour, he\u2019s already a fortunate man. It\u2019s worth having a cruel fellow put a drill into your mouth and to mine into your teeth just to remind you that for the next hour you shouldn\u2019t talk. And if you will be careful with what you say for the next two hours, or the next two days, that\u2019s a tremendous achievement \u2013 you deserve to have aparshanamed after you like Yisro had!And therefore as we go through life you have to keep your eyes open for the messages from Hashem. I recall once, I had just learned this, and somebody told me there\u2019s a telephone call for me. So I was running and the telephone booth was very low. I banged my head against the top of the door, and I actually saw stars. Once in my life I realized what it meant to see stars. I saw lights. But I was still fresh off ofmussar seder. I ran out in the middle ofmussarseder. And so I had the presence of mind to think, \u201cThat\u2019s what I got for running out of themussarseder. Ahh! You got what you deserved. That\u2019s what you deserved!\u201d Once in my life I was smart enough to take a hint. It just happened because I was in the midst of studying this subject so I was reminded about it, but that\u2019s how we should be all our lives, and life will be one steady procession oftikun,of growth and improvement.GIVE THE BEGGAR A RAISE!If a man was put to shame in public then he has to consider that he has done that to other people. It doesn\u2019t mean that it happened five minutes ago; maybe you have to think back longer than that. Begin looking; you\u2019ll find. \u05d9\u05d2\u05e2\u05ea \u05de\u05e6\u05d0\u05ea \u2013 If he looks, he\u2019ll find; because there\u2019s a lot to find. And if a man lost money, let\u2019s say you had a hold-up. Or if you stick your hand in your pocket and you find instead of those few quarters you had there, you find a hole in the lining. So don\u2019t be hard-hearted, don\u2019t be like agoyand think that it justhappened. \u201cI should have taken care of the lining in my pocket when I noticed it last week!\u201d Youshouldtake care of your lining; certainly you shouldn\u2019t walk around with a frayed pocket. But now that the quarters are gone, you have to think, \u201cMaybe I was stingy when the poor man came to me in shul. Why did I give him a measly quarter? What\u2019s a quarter nowadays?! Everything has gone up and I\u2019m still giving a quarter? It\u2019s time to give him a raise. And now Hakodosh Boruch Hu is collecting from me. That\u2019s why the quarters left my pocket. Who found it now? Probably some bum found my money; what a waste! What am getting out of it now?!The truth is that if you think these thoughts then you\u2019re getting a lot out of those missing quarters! You just turned seventy-five cents into a pot of gold! Because Rabeinu Yonah says that if as a result of a misfortune a man improves then he should always look back to that mishap with the greatest joy as if he had actually become wealthy as a result. Because improving yourself in this world is a pot of gold. There\u2019s no greater stroke of good luck than if a misfortune happens and because of that you stop a bad habit, you change a bad trait, or makes yourself better in some way. Because that\u2019s the greatest success a man can have in life.WHAT IF I\u2019M WRONG?So if while you\u2019re eating you give a good bite on your tongue, instead of cussing, give a thought. What\u2019s your tongue to blame? Could it be that something is wrong with your tongue? Why not? You\u2019re notsucha tzadik after all. Maybe you should have bitten your tongue earlier in the day when you wanted to say something wrong. \u05e0\u05e6\u05d5\u05e8 \u05dc\u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05da \u05de\u05e8\u05e2, guard your tongue against saying what you shouldn\u2019t. If you studymidah k\u2019neged midahsomething is bound to turn up. It\u2019s one of the systems by which Hashem lets us know what He wants us to discover, and therefore it\u2019s one of the principles by which a Jew should live his life.\u201cOh it\u2019s so silly,\u201d somebody will say. A \u201cchochom\u201dwill say, \u201cAm I going to waste my life thinking about the things that happened, imputing them to sins which I don\u2019t know about; saying that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is sending them upon me for this or that imaginary reason? Maybe it\u2019s not because of that. It could be it\u2019s not because of anything wrong for all I know.\u201d The answer is that it pays to be silly. If you\u2019ll discover a pot of gold, it pays to be silly. And there\u2019s no question you\u2019ll discover it. If you look very hard, you\u2019re going to discover.THERE\u2019S A LOT OF TRUTH IN FRUM JOKESAnd let\u2019s say a person searched and he didn\u2019t find \u2013 now that\u2019s improbable. What it means is that he wasn\u2019t searching. But let\u2019s say he did, and he didn\u2019t find. So the gemara says:yitlehb\u2019bitul Torah\u2013 let him attribute it to neglect of Torah study, insufficient study of Torah. Torah study! You can always attribute it to that. And some say apeirush; if a man searches and he can\u2019t find any sins,yitleh, he has to say, \u201dWhat\u2019s the reason I can\u2019t find any sins? Because ofbitulTorah. It\u2019s because I didn\u2019t study enough Torah, so I think I\u2019m a pretty good fellow. If I would study more I would know what\u2019s expected of me and I would discover a lot!\u201d That\u2019s only a joke \u2013 afrumjoke, but there is a lot of truth infrumjokes.And the truth is that if a person is going to search in himself and findanything, so whatever he finds is a success. It\u2019s none of your business why Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent it. Your duty as a Jew is to attribute it to your own faults, and the result will be that you\u2019ll become improved. That\u2019s what counts.Let\u2019s say he made a mistake, and really that\u2019s not exactly why he is being punished. So what of it? Let\u2019s say I sent you into the next room to look for a ten dollar bill. And so you\u2019re looking around in that room, and instead of the ten dollars you find a big box of golden coins. So will you be disappointed? Will you be displeased that I sent you searching?If you\u2019ll make use of the opportunity, even if you won\u2019t guess the real reason, you still struck gold! Let\u2019s say you\u2019ll blame yourself for something else that wasn\u2019t the real reason \u2013 but at least in that one thing you\u2019ll improve. And that\u2019s already a greathatzlacha. Rabeinu Yonah says inSha\u2019arei Teshuvah: \u05db\u05d0\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d9\u05e7\u05d1\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u05d3\u05dd \u05de\u05d5\u05e1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd, \u201cIf a man accepts the instruction of Hashem, \u05d5\u05d9\u05d9\u05d8\u05d9\u05d1 \u05d3\u05e8\u05db\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05de\u05e2\u05dc\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5, and he\u2019ll improve his ways or his deeds, \u05e8\u05d0\u05d5\u05d9 \u05dc\u05d5 \u05dc\u05e9\u05de\u05d5\u05d7 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4\u05dd, he shouldrejoice on his misfortunes, on his sufferings, \u05db\u05e2\u05dc \u05d4\u05e6\u05dc\u05d7\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05d2\u05d3\u05d5\u05dc\u05d5\u05ea, as he would rejoice upon the great successes of life\u201d. Because there\u2019s no better fortune in life than to discover something wrong and to have the opportunity to fix things up while you\u2019re still here.DID YOU HAVE A COLD IN NOVEMBER?Before we end our discussion I want to point out to you a very important lesson ofmidah k\u2019neged midahthat often goes lost from our lives \u2013 it\u2019s something that most people never think about, and yet it\u2019s the most basic lesson that Hashem wants us to learn. Let\u2019s take a little incident that happens in our daily lives. You picked up your keys from the table to put them in your pocket, but you fumbled and they fell on the floor. So you have to bend over. Now let\u2019s say you\u2019re past forty; when people are past forty they try to avoid bending over as much as they can. And now you have to bend over to pick them up. The first thing that should flash in your mind is, \u201cWhy did this happen? It didn\u2019t happen yesterday or the day before. Usually I successfully hold on to the keys and put them in my pocket. Today I fumbled!Yoreh chatoim baderech\u2013 Hashem is teaching me something. What is he teaching me?So the first \u201csin\u201d you should consider is this: Why isn\u2019t it that you didn\u2019t think when the keys fell down, \u201cLook at that! It\u2019s the first time in months that the keys fell down \u2013 they don\u2019t fall down every day.\u201d There are people whose hands tremble and most of the time when they pick up the keys, the keys fall out of their hands. But with you, most of the time they don\u2019t fall out of your hands! That\u2019s the first thing you should think about. Look, the keys fell out of my handsthistime. It\u2019s the first time it happened in months, maybe years. If that\u2019s the case, what\u2019s the firstteshuvaI have to do? The firstteshuvais to remind myself how lucky I am; how fortunate Hashem has made me. He has blessed me that such a thing happened to me only once in years!And that is an aspect ofmidah k\u2019negedmidahthat we can apply to our lives always. You caught a cold in the middle of the winter? Why did Hakodosh Boruch Hu do that to you? Your head is pounding, your nose is running, you can\u2019t eat, you can\u2019t sleep. What did you do already to deserve this? So the man who knows how to think, will think as follows: Did I remember to thank Hashem back in the beginning of the winter, after that first week in November, when I didn\u2019t catch a cold? And when the second week in November ended and I was still cold-free, did I take even one minute to say thank you to Hashem? And the next week, and the week after, and all of December? Winter is already almost finished and I never spent two minutes thanking Hakodosh Boruch Hu for keeping me safe from the flu and other illnesses?! Maybethat\u2019swhy I caught a cold.\u201d That\u2019s how to applymidah k\u2019neged midahto our lives.LET\u2019S PUT YISRO\u2019S LESSON INTO PRACTICEBecause it\u2019s not enough to see this way of Hashem in the big catastrophes of life likeKriyas Yam Suf. And it\u2019s surely not enough to seemidah k\u2019neged midahonly in the lives of others, like Yisro did when he heard about theMitzri\u2019imwho were gargling as they drowned in the depths of the waters. This discovery of Yisro of one of the ways of Hashem is given to us as a model to emulate and it\u2019s inour own liveswhere we can find the most success by applying the lesson.Because even if we understand everything we spoke about now, if we don\u2019t begin putting it into practice, then it\u2019s worth very little. It\u2019s vital that we take the principle of Hashem beingyoreh chato\u2019im baderechby means ofmidah k\u2019neged midah,and begin applying it to our own private lives. Even if a person will choose only one thing a day, one small misfortune, one little mishap every day to stir his mind, then he is already a head taller than everyone else. Because he\u2019s taking the great lesson that Hakodosh Boruch Hu taught us in this week\u2019sparshah, and applying it to his own life as he prepares himself for his glory in the Next World by listening to the messages of Hashem in this world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.