Transcript
Automatic transcript; may contain mistakes, especially in Hebrew.
This week's question, how does one work on finding Halacha to be less of a burden? For example, I have a hard time with not singing in front of men, especially when it comes to the Shabbos table and we have male guests or relatives, and I want to join an Anzamiros. I get frustrated and feel limited by this and want to make peace with it. It's such an important question because it's not only that you feel like Halacha is a burden. You feel like I want to serve Hakadosh Baruch Hu. At this time we have to clarify who we are serving and what does that service look like? What happens very often is that we get excited by our Judaism. There is nothing more beautiful than closing your eyes, sitting at a Shabbos table on a Friday night, and really getting into the Shabbos. And that's why we have to clarify who we are serving and what we are serving.
Ademarishon felt stifled. He had so much creativity. He was the first man ever. All of the creativity, of all of the thousands of generations of the world, rested within him. And he wanted so badly to use that creativity to serve God. But the mitzvah that he was given was a los'ezeh. Do not eat from the ezadas. He was truly serving God and not serving Himself. And other Maryishon couldn't do that. He needed to use his creativity to serve God. But it's like that book, The Five Languages of Love. We have unique languages in which we love. For some people it's gifts, for other people it's acts of service, for other people it's kind words. So we often give what we would want, but we don't necessarily think about what the other person needs. Think about what the other person needs. And it's also true when it comes to Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
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We want to serve God the way we want to serve God with our unique creativity. But that's not necessarily what God wants from us. What God wants from us is us. And that means serving Him the way He wants to be served. So you're sitting at a Shabbos table. And the Shabbos table is beautiful. And your avodah, the best avodah, the passionate avodah is to sit quietly. And while that can be very difficult, it means you're truly serving God. There's a beautiful story told about the Rebbe of Meilach and the Rebbe of Zusho that they ended up in jail. And the Rebbe of Meilach started crying when he was in jail because there was a corner of the cell that had excrement and it did not allow Rebbe of Meilach to daven. And he went to, and in Zusho his brother went to him and said, Rebbe, Meilach, why are you crying?
He said, I can't daven. Sir Rav Zuche said to Rav Maylach, He said, Yebo, why are you crying? If Hakadosh Baruch Hu wanted us to daven, the pale of excrement would not be there. And Rav Maylach said, wow, that's amazing. I should serve Hakadosh Baruch Hu today by not davening. And they started to dance. Well, when Tutsa Deekim started to dance, everybody joins along. So even all the goyim in the jail started to dance along with Rav Maylach and Rav Zuche. And the jailer came over and he said, what's going on over here? And they said, Rav Maylach and Rav Zuche Tovah started to dance and the warden came and the warden said why are you dancing? And they said because there's a pail of excrement in the corner and the warden said if that's why you're dancing I'm taking away the pail of excrement and then Rav Maylach was able to daven. We have to ask ourselves are we serving our kadosh baruch Hu or are we serving ourselves?
We have to serve our kadosh baruch Hu with joy even if it sometimes means serving him In a way that's deeply uncomfortable for us, that asks us to stifle our creativity, of course It goes without saying that if you have the opportunity to sing later, to sing in a place That will be tzannuah, grab the opportunity. But in that moment, the best service that you Can have avakadosh Baruch Hu is saying god, what I want to do most is sing, and the only Reason I'm not is because I'm serving you. That's what it means to be in a relationship With God.
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