Dvar Torah on Parshas Yisro | Your Neighbor's Tesla

Parshas Yisro. Thou shall not covet the ten commandments.

I had barely unpacked my suitcase when it began to happen. It was the beginning of Elsman. I had just checked into this yeshiva. I just got back from E, and now I was entering the par of Shadu. It was me and 30 other guys in the Habu, a yeshiva where we could learn and also the date at nighttime. And then something quite literally miraculous began to happen. It was Mazeltov [inaudible] engaged, mazeltov Yanks, contended Mazeltov, mazeltov, mazeltov. It was unreal. There was another engagement every single day. It was probably no more than a week or two before almost 20. And of the 30 guys who had a bar, Hashem found their zivug. The Simcha was literally tangible. Every night. The entire Kbu would have a [inaudible] to go to a vat, literally weekly, and of R of [inaudible] and then really added the blue. For the first time in my life, something very odd and strange happened to me. 

Speaker 1: (01:03)

I was standing there at the [inaudible], maybe it was the 15th or 16th one, trying to be happy for my friend, but I was struggling. I couldn't find the simcha. In fact, I was a bit kind of envious with a pit in my stomach. I kind of wanted also to find [inaudible] find [inaudible]. But here I was at a friend's mk. While I was trying to be happy envy was getting in the way. I began to have somewhat of a grudge; God forbid, a hatred, who knows? It was just a very odd moment for me. In the end, I believe many of the bk, almost all, if not all, found their [inaudible], found their [inaudible]. But while at the end of this man, we looked around, but it's maybe two or three of us celebrating in our friend em, but kind of wondering what to do now with Hak of just three guys. 

Speaker 1: (02:03)

In the end, COVID broke out and ravaged the world. So I left and went back home. I still think about that quite frequently, the day, the time that I wanted to bek but envy, but jealousy got in the way. Truly a sickness [inaudible] that doesn't make much sense for being jealous doesn't increase one's own assets. It doesn't give you what you want, it just makes you feel worse about what you don't have. And the ultimate issue is that the end of the 10 Commandments, the last of the Aser Abras, and our parro says Lok mode base rek thou shall, shall not covet the house of your fellow [inaudible]. 

Speaker 1: (02:55)

It's prohibited. It's also Tok to have jealousy enmity. So now we're a little bit at a crossroad or a lot bit at a crossroad for this horrible sickness, this terrible mek, which seems quite uncontrollable for if I feel how I feel, what am I supposed to do? While on the other hand, this is prohibited by terror lotz and iser de rice and not to be jealous. So we must employ certain tools, certain tactics, tricks to help us to fulfill this commandment. In fact, there's a famous, famous Evan Ezra with a very serious question. Upon the mitzvah of Losak mode, ode thou shall not covet Robin Mizvah. Many people are bewildered by this commandment. 

Speaker 1: (03:50)

How could a person not co something that he sees to be good looking, something that he desires, something that he wants. It's a natural feeling. Can you curtail? Can you refrain from feeling the natural, natural way that you feel a famous, famous question from Even Ezra. Now in today's Torah podcast, I'd like to suggest three different paths that the Rishonim and Him an acronym used to answer the Even Ezra

 question as to how it is, or more importantly, how can we overcome the natural feeling of jealousy. Each answer holds a certain insight into human psychology, and a person should try to hopefully take the one that works for them because it's a very tough task to eradicate jealousy. 

Speaker 1: (04:50)

The great [inaudible] is where we begin. He answers that, you know how we can fight back against jealousy to overcome that natural feeling of envy. The tells us how if you read the [inaudible] critically, you will find the answer. It doesn't just say [inaudible] do not covet. It says [inaudible] Don't covet the house. [inaudible] don't covet the spouse, the abdo, the and then all that he hask don't covet. How come it needs to get so case oriented, so specific, just say don't. Covet says they're going to be hobar Finkel because truly, when one is jealous, they're jealous of one specific item. One small little cog in a person's life, one item, but he doesn't understand the whole picture. He doesn't get the full broad perspective of what this person has. And he's coveting something small that if he understood all that came along with it, he wouldn't be jealous of it. 

Speaker 1: (05:58)

Similarly, have a done as [inaudible] [inaudible] The mission tells us a person should judge a person favorably. And my father always taught me it's as [inaudible] all of the men, because to judge a person favorably, you need to know all of the man, but you cannot know all of the man. You don't know everything that's going on in his life. So it doesn't make much sense to be jealous about one small item when that item is part of a larger picture. I remember getting into a fancy car one time with a affluent ballas, and I commented that it was a beautiful dark blue 2022 hybrid Lexus. And I said, wow, I sure like to have one of these one day. And he said, you can actually have mine if you want. You just have to take all that comes along with it. He said this in a quite facetious manner, but it seems to be that this was along the same lines. 

Speaker 1: (06:50)

The second answer, a totally different approach. It comes from the Haga bass Havi. It definitely follows the B brisker line of thinking. He begins with a sea or with a muscle, a certain parable to explain his point. Imagine you're traveling on the way and often a distance you see some briefcase with some cash kind of popping out of the briefcase. It's often the distance. And as you get closer, you notice, yes, it's a briefcase filled with cash. There's only one problem though. The briefcase sits out upon a frozen river. And in order to acquire the briefcase, you must walk out in a very dangerous spot. So you get outta your car, you start to walk on the frozen river, and it gets very, very thin ice. The ice starts to crack, so you quickly run back, you try it again and again. But every time you realize there's just no hope, it's Sao. Your fear trumps your desire for the cash. Eventually a person will say, it's just not worth it. It's no hope. And his desires will give way to his fear of death. Fear acts like a candle in the dark. [inaudible] the ten commandments. thous shall not cobet the even ezra the torah tellls us this weeks parsha is what is this weeks parsha? Parshas yisro

Speaker 1: (08:06)

Fear of heaven like the light in a dark room. Dispels much Tiva lost much jealousy. The tire tells us low sock mode; thou shall not covet. That means that there would be some punishment if thou does. Covet says the be Alvy. When a person clarifies what actually happens when he commits a sin, he understands what's at stake. For even a little bit of fear dispels a lot of lust and enmity. I fear Hashem. I wanna abide by the laws of the Torah. And then that level of fear of heaven will encourage you to forego jealous thoughts. It's really a phenomenal 

Speaker 2: (08:55)

Deep and wonderful psychological analysis of the human brain. How basic fear can prevent so many different negative outcomes. Furthermore, and perhaps most famously, how can a person control his emotions to not covet that which his friends have? Well, the answer is none other than Ezra's answer to his own question. These words are really on a need-to-know basis, and well, we need to know them. [inaudible] says Thera, does a lowly paper boy covet that he should marry the queen? Does he believe it to be possible? It's not something that the paper boy dreams of. It's impossible. He says it's completely infeasible that this should happen. Therefore he does not desire it for something that is out of the question you do not desire. And in one of the greatest examples, or Michelle, I'm ever given famous words, does a person crave every time that he sees a bird fly by that I too wish that my shoulders should grow wings so that I can fly like a bird. 

Speaker 2: (10:16)

No, no. The normal person thinks that. What do you mean? Would it be cool to fly? Yes, but it's totally impossible. And that which is impossible, you do not crave for says the Ezra with [inaudible] and [inaudible] with an understanding that God [inaudible] who gives me what I need and does not give me anything that I don't need. And he gives my friends what they need and doesn't give them anything that they don't need everything [inaudible] exactly. Measured out. Well then, it's totally infeasible that I should have and therefore even want what my friends have the 10th commandment, and the is a mitzvah of [inaudible] trust in God. Hashem gives me what I need. What my friends have has nothing to do with me. My friends knew Tesla like a bird flying. I don't care. My neighbors [inaudible] and bias that has nothing to do with me. I trust in God that he gives me everything that I need and nothing that I don't. 

Speaker 2: (11:26)

Now, nevertheless, y'all know that this is the terror podcast that is based on much of the [inaudible] godless ha Adam approach to life. The understanding of how great we truly are and how great we can become. And this Evan Ezer actually created much controversy inside the base measures of sl. The great Rev Rz actually quotes the rest [inaudible] of [inaudible] Isaac Cher. That ink they didn't take kindly, they didn't fully agree with. There was actually great malo about this. Evan Ezra, they said that it's completely backward. Ezra, you explained that. Should the paper boy covet the princess? Why? That doesn't make any sense. We are no paper boy. Really? We are the king. Flip it around. Does the king covet perhaps a menial surf, perhaps a should let is beneath his status. Someone that isn't of royalty, they agreed to the message that, of course when something is not within your level of [inaudible] of royalty, yes, but it's backward. 

Speaker 2: (12:44)

In [inaudible] they taught that I [inaudible] someone created in the image of God, someone whose potential is immeasurable. Someone who is in Aum from the words aam, I am compared to kh bohu, someone who is in Aum, who is created inside of a world, all of the water, all of the assets of the planet. For one person, for aum, that you see how big a world, even one person needs, someone who is part of a holy nation, someone who is part of the kingdom of priests, that person should be jealous of something that is totally beneath him. [inaudible] 

Speaker 2: (13:33)

They had a tough time with Evan Ezra's Sior. The reason that you shouldn't be jealous that it makes no sense to be jealous is because does a king, does he really want something that's totally beneath him? [inaudible] This isn't proper; it's beneath me. Jealousy is an odd thing. It can sap energy, it can make a person not feel the [inaudible], it could even bring to hatred and it doesn't even accomplish anything productive. In fact, it could even remove a person from this world [inaudible], And Cove tells us, to take one of these approaches either from Elfin and understand that you're not seeing the whole picture. You cannot covet because you don't fully get it. You don't fully comprehend all that that person has. And all that comes along with what you see or follow the Beja advice and reconstitute your fear of heaven so that when you hear the words low sock mode, you say, wow, I really gotta be careful about this. 

Speaker 2: (14:56)

And that fear can dispel all of the emotions of jealousy and enmity or perhaps go with this mitzvah of los sock mode, that it's a mouna and it's [inaudible] that God gives me all that I need and nothing that I don't. And everything that my friend has nothing to do with me. And if I was supposed to have it, then I would have it. And now that I don't have it, I don't want it because it's not for me. Or lastly, as they taught in [inaudible], I don't want what my friends have. I don't want to be jealous of all of those different items. [inaudible] 

Speaker 2: (15:41)

I could care less. I'm a king, and all of that is beneath me. The Shar tells us that jealousy is one of the great catalysts to many, many sins. We are commanded against an emotion in the aser Hads. I laughed to myself when I thought that back when I was 21, I was jealous of everyone else finding their [inaudible] at their first go around. And I was unable to find the [inaudible] to find the answer to combat the jealousy. But when I'm 30, God willing, will I be jealous of my friend's business or his kids? Or when I'm 40, the grandkids, or when I'm 60, what my friends knew Walker or cane, or when I'm 70, who knows Amir Tahan. We should all be well to get there. Add may seem the Eskm until 120, but there is no end to what a person may covet about their friends and what other people have. Grab onto one of this aza, find your special serum for this horrible disease. Internalize one of these approaches towards Losak mode so that at your friend's next sim, you are there in the middle dancing [inaudible] with all of your strength and with all of your vigor because you are so truly excited about their sim. And there is not an ounce of jealousy.