Dvar Torah on Shavuos | Secret To Success

The Torah Podcast with Michael Brooke. Welcome back to this week's special edition of The Torah Podcast. Can you feel it? Standing at the foot of Har Sinai, ready for kaballat HaTorah, ready to accept the Torah, this year on Shavuos. I'm going to tell you a secret. You can't tell anyone, but it's the secret to success. It's what the wealthy tell their kids. It's the secret that all successful people know on the secret of how to be successful, that they convey over to their children. It's the secret that anyone who's closed a multimillion dollar deal, they know, and they know it in their bones, and it's a secret, but we learn it this year on Shavuos, and I'll tell you what it is. You can handle the truth. Can you handle the truth? Well, let us see. 

The Gemara on Shavuos tells us something fascinating. I believe that you've heard the Gemara before. It's on page 88, A-5. A, page five in the ArtScroll. Pechas, amud alef. Amar Rav Elazar. Rav Elazar teaches, the [Hebrew 00:01:25]. At the time that Israel proceeded the Naaseh V'nishma, that we will do to... That we will hear. [Hebrew 00:01:35] A heavenly voice emanated and said to them, [Hebrew 00:01:43]. A heavenly Bas Kol screamed out, "Who revealed to my children, this secret that the ministering angels use?" [Hebrew 00:01:54]. 

We spoke about this on a previous geshmak vort, parshas Behar, last year, about shmita. And here we find the same passuk. Kol Yisroel, when they were offered the Torah, before they asked [Hebrew 00:02:18], "Well, what's written in this Holy book?" They said, "We will do it. And then we'll understand. We're willing to roll up our sleeves and get going before we even know what it's about." Now, it's not really okay. Now, it's inspiring, it's uplifting, but it's the antithesis of what us Jew stand for. 

We stand for clarity of mind, smart decisions, sechel, understanding things. Our beginning, the roots of our nation, come from Avraham avinu, Abraham, our forefather, who discovered Hashem through clearness of mind, through equanimity, through a perfect understanding. Now, what gave us the permission to just accept it without knowing what's entailed? There's even a problem, I think, in Kinyonim, in the laws of business transactions to acquire something, if you don't actually know what's entailed. 

So, how is it that we can do Naaseh V'nishma? How is it that it worked? And a related narrative is broad. And the next step of the Gemara, on that same page, [Hebrew 00:03:29]. There was a sagacy. There was a tzeduki that saw that the great Morah Rava was studying Gemara, [Hebrew 00:03:40]. And Rava? He put his fingers underneath his leg. They call me [Hebrew 00:03:44], and he was learning with such intentness, with such a desire to understand what was happening in the Gemara, that he was crushing his fingers and he didn't even realize. He was so focused on his Gemara that his fingers were being crushed underneath his body. And he didn't even realize. [Hebrew 00:04:05] and his fingers were flowing with blood. They were bleeding. Amar, the sagacy said, [Hebrew 00:04:15]. Oh, impulsive people who put their mouths before their ears are at it again. 

Look at the Gemara as to how Rava responds there. But again, we find, seemingly something inspiring, but doesn't make a whole lot of sense. How is it that Rava could be sitting there with such intentness learning before, thinking about what was happening. And how is it that Kol Yisroel could accept the Torah without knowing what's inside. You want the secret to success? You want the secret to hatzlacha? You want the verse that... It's the idea that the verse talks about [Hebrew 00:04:58], who revealed the secret to Kol Yisroel about success? You want to know what it is? Ask anyone that learns daf yomi, they'll tell you what it is. 

It's just do it. It's what Nike tells us. It's just do it. I'm sorry to bring that into it. But, it's what it is. It's the doing before the understanding. It's the back and forth of the conversation between Moshe Rabbeinu, who went up to heaven to grab the Torah. And the angel said, "What is this yulad isha?" What is this human being doing in heavens, trying to grab the Torah from us? The Torah that was used to create the world. The Torah that is actually very above our level, and we should have no business being involved in it. How is it that, Hashem, you're going to give this to Moshe Rabbeinu. 

And Moshe Rabbeinu, he fought for us. He grabbed the Torah. Hashem agreed to it. And now we have the Torah. The rest is history. But, what is it? Moshe Rabbeinu went up. He fought them. Klal Yisroel screamed [Hebrew 00:05:59]. Hashem, we want it. The secret to success is Hashem... Our sleeves are rolled up. We're going to do it. We don't even know how, or why, or when, but we're going to do it. Naaseh kodem l'nishma. Anyone who's ever closed a multimillion dollar business deal. I don't know much about it. But, a couple people that have, I spoke to one of them. And they told me, "Yeah, of course, a lot of it doesn't really add up in your head before." These are regular human beings. Some of the most famous people in the world are regular human beings, just a kid from somewhere, but they became great because they decided to take that leap and just do it. 

Yes. There were sleepless nights deciding about, Hey, what business do I have in doing this? But, they just do it because they understand what is on the other side. There are many different reasons given for why Rus, Ruth, is read on Shavuos. What business does the Megillas Rus have to do? Or, what business does it have being read on Shavuos? Perhaps, this is why. Because the most famous verse in Rus, arguably, is in perek alef, passukk tes zayin. [Hebrew 00:07:19] And Rus said, when her mother was saying to her two daughters, Rus and Arpa, you guys are Queens here. You are princesses. Ammon and Moabite princesses. What business do you have coming back to Israel and pursuing your Judaism with me? Arpa was convinced and she went back to her princess status. 

But Rus said the words, [Hebrew 00:07:46] Don't leave me. [Hebrew 00:07:50] Don't forsake me. [Hebrew 00:07:51]. Don't make me leave. [Hebrew 00:07:54], wherever you go, alecha, I'm coming. I'm stuck on you like glue. [Hebrew 00:08:01]. Wherever you hang out, all in I'll be. [Hebrew 00:08:03], your nation is my nation. [Hebrew 00:08:04], and your God is my God. [Hebrew 00:08:08]. The only way you're going to get rid of me, maves, is through death. Till death do us part. [Hebrew 00:08:14], the only way. What business did Rus have in being the mother of Mashiach? She was a Moabite princess. We're not even allowed, at this point, to even marry into that nation. She did it. [Hebrew 00:08:32] What's this secret of success? It's the doing, the just do it before the understanding of what you're even doing. Seven years of daf yomi to understand all of the Talmud. Seven years? Yeah. Ask anyone who's learned daf yomi, I bet you they'll tell you. Yeah, it's long, but I just jumped right in. And then, one thing led to the next and I finished all of the Talmud. 

[Hebrew 00:08:56] We're supposed to be learning Chumash every single day, at least one aliyah. We're definitely reading through the psukim at least twice a week. It's a lot to do, but you just start. Stopping lashon hara. The more you think about it, the harder it gets. You just start. That's the secret to success. Just do it. And then, afterwards, think about it. Because Hashem blesses those who try to do His will. This Shavuos make a kaballas HaTorah, a commitment to the Torah. Because those are the words. Kaballah. This Shavuos, let us accept the Torah and jump in, make a splash, and just do it. So Hashem will bless our efforts.