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0:00 Dear friends, welcome to this week's virtual. 0:02 We have the incredible privilege and begins with a very simple a very simple statement all of you are standing here before who your god and then says who's everyone every member of and then gets granular everyone's here the water carriers, 0:32 the tree choppers, the women, the children, the converts, the judges, the enforcers, everyone is here. 0:39 Why? [clears throat] Because ultimately says we have to reestablish, conquer, re-energize our bond with a bond was made 40 years earlier by revelation. 0:55 But this is a new generation and a new group going into and says before I take leave of you, it is my job to make sure that you are committed to because I know that is committed to you. 1:09 We're going to go ahead and review and reconcile that beautiful covenant between and what's interesting to note is the word or the phrase that uses to introduce this the word. 1:29 Now on the most basic level Rashi points out means you're here you are all present. 1:36 The interesting part is if that's what Mosha wanted to convey to us, there's a simpler word. 1:44 You're all standing before Hashem, your God. 1:47 Just leave it at that. 1:47 You're standing before God. 1:49 Why? Why a more complicated word of and says something beautiful explains that means you are standing here [snorts] and you are prepared and you are prepared and it's almost as if what Mosha was telling colleagues on this one word of 2:10 is that the road ahead is not going to be easy the road ahead is not going to be smooth and straight It's going to be difficult. 2:21 There going to be twists and turns, ups and downs, peaks and valleys. 2:25 There are going to be challenges. 2:26 And some of them are going to be quite acute. 2:30 And sometimes in those times, a person feels so overwhelmed by their circumstances that they just want to throw their hands up in the air and give up. 2:38 I I I can't do anymore. 2:40 Right? I don't have any more says. 2:44 Just understand As you all stand here today before God at the end of the day, you're ready. 2:55 You got this. You're prepared. 2:59 Whatever life is going to throw your way as a nation, as individuals tells us, you've got this. 3:10 And what a beautiful message of But you know, sometimes, you know, we all have this in life like someone gives me, right? 3:16 I'm having a difficult time. 3:17 Something gives me, you know, you're strong, you're powerful, you this, that, you got this. 3:22 And I think we often think to ourselves like, I want to believe that. 3:25 I want to believe it. 3:27 But I don't necessarily feel it like inside. 3:31 How do I take this promise of Moshenu and actually begin to actualize it, to live it, to feel it? 3:39 And I'll tell you why this is incredibly important. 3:42 You know, we stand just a few days away from Sh. 3:45 And the truth is we believe with all of our heart that is going to give us a year of you know we don't just say it should be a good year. 3:54 It's always a good year. 3:56 It's always a good year because whatever does everything is for good. 4:04 But that's not what we ask for. 4:06 It's not what we wish each other. 4:07 What do we ask for? 4:11 I don't just want it to be good. 4:12 Everything is good. Even the pain is good. 4:14 Even the suffering is good. 4:15 Even the difficulty is good. 4:17 I want it to be good, but I want it to be sweet. 4:20 I want it to be beautiful. 4:22 I want it I want it to be easy. 4:24 I want it to be easy. 4:26 But there's a piece of us that knows deep down that as beautiful of of an aspirational idea as it is. 4:32 And as much as I want it to be tova or msuga, there will be moments of mikos, there'll be moments of sweetness, but inevitably there's going to be moments of hardship. 4:41 That's the way the human condition works. 4:43 And it's for all of us. 4:43 And by the way, this is not me being a downer. 4:46 Those of you who know me know that like I'm really an optimist, always hopeful. 4:49 The cup is not just half full. 4:51 The cup is always overflowing with opportunity and beautiful braha. 4:55 But even even optimists also have to be realists and realists understanding that the year ahead will absolutely have beautiful sweet but also have hardship. 5:07 And whispers in our ear and he says, You're not. 5:16 You are. As the says, we're prepared. 5:24 We got this. We got this. 5:27 But how do we actualize that? 5:29 How do we go ahead and really make sure that whatever life throws our way, we really got this? 5:37 How do we become who are for anything that life may bring our way. 5:46 And perhaps perhaps the is in the very [clears throat] next word. 5:53 How do you become a Jew who is who is prepared to deal with anything in life? 5:59 Perhaps the answer is maybe the essence is the maximization of the day. 6:11 Make the day put the totality of yourself into the day. 6:18 Put the totality. Take the put all of you into it and live each and every day before Hashem your God. 6:28 What do I mean by this? 6:30 You know, especially this time of year, young no, everything becomes about the plan as it should be. 6:36 What's the plan? Right? 6:38 What what are my goals? 6:39 What are my dreams? 6:40 What am I aspiration? 6:40 What what do I want to accomplish? 6:41 And and that's what we're supposed to do. 6:43 You know, dear friends, it's important to understand that when we when we speak about doing chuva, only part of cha is retrospective. 6:52 Only part of chuva is about you know ashamnu gazanu or that that is only part of it. 6:59 Only part of chova is only part of chuva is being retrospective and trying to figure out what went wrong and why did it go wrong. 7:05 But a big part of chuva a big part to the process of return isala the future. 7:12 What do I want for my future? 7:14 What do I want for myself? 7:16 But it is important that while we plan for the future, we also create strategies for maximization of the present, for maximization of the day. 7:29 How do I maximize my day? 7:33 Because at the end of the day, my future is not just like some big amorphous, you know, clump of time. 7:40 My future is made up of individual days. 7:44 And all too often in life we focus on like the big vision, the big plan, but we forget that successful living is about the maximization of each and every day. 7:59 When I wake up in the morning, there should be a sense of excitement says get up in the morning, right? 8:07 Get up in the morning like a lion. 8:08 Okay, besides the fact that I eventually none of us like just jump out of bed. 8:11 I I don't know how a line gets up but I would imagine that the line get I guess gets up with the start. 8:16 So I don't know I don't know any of us get but when you get up in the morning do you feel but you know when when the slumber wears off a little bit do you feel like wow there is this day 8:25 in front of me with untold possibilities with untold potential with limitless opportunities granted I can't take advantage of all them because there's also a lot I have to do during the day but an excitement about what the day can be 8:41 or is it unfortunately I just got to get through today Because shabas is almost here. 8:47 You know, sometimes when we say shabas is almost here, understand that's a dereliction of duty. 8:54 Shabas is reserved for those who maximize their week. 9:00 Shabas is where you come not to escape the week, but Shabas is where you go to reflect on seven days, six days well-lived. 9:13 For a ye who works hard, I don't just mean putting in a lot of hours at the office, but working hard in life from Sunday to Friday, you get a chabas. 9:24 If it's just about I don't feel like working anymore. 9:26 I just want to take a nap and eat chalent. 9:28 That's nice. Also there is there is a mitzvah on that also. 9:31 But that's not the essence of Shabas. 9:33 The essence of Shabas is reflecting on a life on days well-lived. 9:40 If we want to be able to face the challenges in life, if we want to be able not just to be but to be to be prepared. 9:49 Life preparation comes from the actualization and activation of the gift of every day. 9:57 If if I put the totality of myself into maximizing the day and each and every day I am living every day trying to figure out how could I be before God, how could I live before God, how could I maximize 10:15 this relationship? If each and every day I'm trying to figure out how do I actualize my potential? 10:22 How do I do more? 10:23 How do I be more? 10:26 That is a profoundly holy life. 10:29 And that is a life which will gird you with the strength to deal with whatever comes your way. 10:36 Those who maximize the day can deal with anything which comes their way. 10:44 That's what Moshe is teaching us. 10:47 Maximize the day and you will be able to withstand and you will be able to go ahead and be successful no matter what life throws your way. 10:56 You have to have the grand plan. 10:58 Of course, you have to have the vision, but never let the long-term vision come at the expense of daily dynamic activity. 11:06 Those who maximize the day can deal with anything which comes their way. 11:12 That's what is teaching us a profound and overwhelming lesson. 11:16 You know yesterday I had the call to attend the was a very special from our from our kila Rabkovski who passed away and here in Baltimore the of the nift was talking about and he made such an amazing made such 11:37 an amazing observation and he said that lived through multiple different periods. 11:43 He was a Yet who was born in pre-war Europe. 11:46 He was with his family in Siberia during the war. 11:50 His mother died in Siberia. 11:52 Came to America to San Francisco. 11:54 That was a spiritual wasteland. 11:56 Came to Baltimore really his father moved to Baltimore so he could so his children could attend Yeshivas. 12:02 And he saw like so many different iterations of the world and of Cloud Israel. 12:09 And somehow someway he managed to thrive at every stage. 12:15 And I wondered, you know, as I was listening to this, I'm wondering like how how does a person do that? 12:21 How do you see all of this upheaval? 12:23 How do how do you live again? 12:25 And and you know, the the Rev was saying that his life in the in pre-war was actually really good. 12:30 It was a good life. 12:31 Was a good life. 12:32 You go from a life with everything to losing everything to then rebuilding with nothing. 12:38 And again, at every single stage, there's something else. 12:41 But yet somehow someway you keep your connection to you keep your connection to Torah. 12:47 You keep your your optimism, your hope, you build. 12:51 And I think the answer is what was telling us that's what he was describing. 12:59 He had he was prepared. 13:02 How was he prepared? 13:05 come. Put the totality of yourself into maximizing the day. 13:10 You know, sometimes sometimes it's not about tomorrow and it's not about the long term and it's not about the long game. 13:19 Sometimes it's just about hay. 13:21 And if you become a Jew who has a mindset, a hay mindset, let me maximize the day that over time gives me the strength to deal with whatever comes my way. 13:32 I think that was the secret of this special and it's not new to him whispered it in our collective year in our collective heart thousands of years ago and as we enter into this new year 5786 at the end of 13:51 the day we have to hope for a sha sweet new year but yet we go into this year filled with optimism but also We would be dishonest if we weren't also filled with heartbreak. 14:06 We gained so much this past year and we lost so much this past year. 14:14 Our brothers and sisters still languish in captivity. 14:16 The war is not over. 14:20 And every day it feels like there's another twist and turn. 14:23 And we know there's going to be shalom. 14:24 We know there's going to be victory, but we don't know when. 14:26 We don't know how. 14:28 So all I want more than anything is a shaat tova. 14:33 But I know that there will be days where I will have to content myself with just the shaat tova. 14:38 I know it and I want to be ready for it. 14:42 I don't want life to break me. 14:45 I don't want circumstances to break me and I don't want pain to break me and I don't want to content myself with just keeping my head above water. 14:54 I want to be successful all the time, every day throughout my Sha tova. 14:59 And when those moments of mikos of sweetness come, I will grab them and rejoice them. 15:03 But when they're not musk, when it's not sweet and it's just I know that it's still good even when it hurts, I want to be ready. 15:08 Emotion says, "You got this. 15:12 You got this. You got this. 15:16 We've had it for thousands of years. 15:18 We just have to remember that it really all comes down to one thing. 15:21 Make your long-term plan. 15:23 But never forget that if you want to be want to be prepared for life, excuse me, then puts a totality into maximizing the day. 15:40 Always remember that you are in the presence of and you got this. 15:45 It'll be great. And those days will string together and form together to form a beautiful beautiful future and destiny. 15:53 And may we be merit to embrace it together. 15:56 Best wishes for a good narrative of Shabas, a beautiful Shabas kesh and eximata.
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