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There is a repercussion, a result, a consequence.
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Some people call it reward and punishment.
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I call it consequence.
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There's positive consequences and negative consequences.
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You put your hand in fire, you get burned.
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You drive your car 100 miles an hour into a wall, you die, right?
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Simple.
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They're not punishments.
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You didn't get punished for putting your hand in fire.
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You didn't get punished for driving your car at 100 miles an hour into a brick wall.
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You suffered the consequence of your action.
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You didn't lose$400 because he didn't give it to you.
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You didn't get the$400 because you didn't get up and go to work.
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Those are consequences of the decisions that we make.
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That is this life.
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This whole idea of reward and punishment, I'm not such a big fan.
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The Trust Factor is a ticket to a bad life.
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The Trust Factor shows you how to get through the life.
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Welcome to another episode of the Trust Factor Podcast.
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Thank you for joining.
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It's going to be a late post today because I just finished taking down a neighbor's soukha.
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A lot of them are still up.
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A lot of people get lazy after the holidays.
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Very hot where I am right now, so it's certainly not a one-man job.
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We're about to summarize all the lessons that we just went through, probably over the last few weeks.
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So if you've missed out on a lot of the episodes, this is going to be a quick run through of some of the key lessons.
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I don't know that we're going to be able to get through them all.
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There's only five of them, but there's so much to say for each one without belaboring them.
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We'll go through them one at a time and we'll review these concepts.
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As I said yesterday, the importance of reviewing, of repetition, that's key to success in our learning.
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So, summary of the general principles.
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Rule number one, remember that your true desire is to be a good person, the way that the creator wants you to be.
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If you're watching this podcast, if you're investing the time and the energy in Torah and learning and growing, then odds are you fit into that category.
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The other day we talked about people who are innately evil because they have a sick soul.
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Their soul is dark, it's broken, it's been depleted of all of its nourishment for so, so long that their souls are sick and they're simply not watching podcasts like these.
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So that's the good news.
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The good news is give yourself a pat on the back.
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You're in the category of people who are destined to succeed in this life.
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Whether or not you think you're a failure, whether or not you think that you're capable, doesn't matter.
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The bottom line is that you need to start with the understanding and the acceptance that you are an individual who is generally good, that you want to do good, you want to bring goodness into this world, and you want to avoid the pitfalls.
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You want to avoid all the negativity, you want to avoid the liars and the cheaters and the scammers.
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That's who you are.
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That's who we all are.
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If you're watching this podcast and if you're growing in Torah, that's who you are.
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That's a foundation stone.
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If you've got that booked in your mind, then you know that you've already got a solid foundation upon which you can now build.
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Yeah?
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Watch rule number two.
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Rule number two is one who falls into depression every single time that the inclination, the evil inclination, gets the best of him, lives in a fantasy world.
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It's very simple.
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You think that you are expected to be perfect.
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You think that if you're not as good, at least as good as your neighbor, as your friend, as your community member, as your boss, as your coworker, if you're not at least as good, but ideally better than they are, then you are simply not worthy.
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Then you are simply a failure.
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That's a fantasy world.
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Hashem did not create the world that way, and he certainly didn't create you to be that way.
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No one is all good with no evil.
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It doesn't exist.
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If you're a human being and you're alive, then I don't care how difficult it is for you to keep the mitzvahs, there is simply no person that is all good with no evil.
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Everybody sins.
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Everybody, the biggest Talmud Khacham, the biggest rabbis on planet Earth are sinners.
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You understand?
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If they're sinners, then you should be okay with the knowledge that you're human, that you have an evil inclination, and that you, just like them, are going to sin.
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Obviously, they're going to sin much less often than we are, but they're sinners nonetheless.
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That's the way we were created.
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Don't be surprised that you have animal urges, certain undesirable character traits.
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We have two images to us.
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We have an animalistic image, the body, the material, the physical, and we have that which separates us from the animal kingdom.
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That is our soul, our nishama, the spirit that rests inside of us.
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That's the godly component.
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We have both of those.
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God created us from the dust of the earth.
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That's the material.
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Yeah, that's the stuff that you can touch, feel, weigh, measure.
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But at the same time, he blew into our nostrils the soul of life.
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His a part of him, he blew into us.
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That's the metaphysical, that's the spiritual, that's the thing that you can't measure.
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That's the thing that gives you life.
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That's the thing that separates you from every other thing on planet Earth and in the universe.
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The fact that you have a godly soul inside of you.
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That's the ikara, that's the principle.
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The body, it's just a cover.
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It's just a costume that we wear.
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And every time we come through this life, through this existence, we're given a different body.
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Just like the body wears clothes, we have shirts, we have jackets, we have pants, the skin, the bones, the flesh is a cover for our nishama.
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That's it.
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Somebody who knows that and can operate in a way where they're looking beyond the body, they're looking beyond the physical, they're looking at the individual as a nishama, as a soul.
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That person is operating on a very high level.
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Most of us don't.
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Most of us put somebody into a category or judge them based on appearance first, especially if it's a first impression.
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When you can see beyond that, when automatically you meet another person, and right away you understand I'm speaking to a soul here, not a body.
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The body can be changed.
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Just like I can go out and I can put on different clothes and I can come down looking completely different.
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The same way that Nishama, that soul that's in that individual, can change its body.
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Now, not in this life, but it's been here before.
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Hopefully not again, but every time it comes, it comes with a different garment on, a different body.
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When you understand that, now you understand that that soul is eternal.
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That soul is a part of God.
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It's not something that can be destroyed.
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It's eternal, it lives forever.
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And that Nishama is here to perfect itself.
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It's been here many times before, and the character traits that it has today weren't perfected in those other go-arounds.
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So we're brought back with those same flaws that need to be perfected.
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We've been given another chance.
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So now you understand that there's a mission here, and that soul is pure, and that really what we should be doing is trying to figure out where that soul is lacking and how we can help that soul to achieve its final purpose.
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Rule number three not only do you have an evil inclination, but you can't overcome it.
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So why be sad?
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You hear this?
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This is the law of creation.
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The evil inclination overcomes people.
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We don't overcome our inclination unless we enlist the help of our creator, the creator who also created the evil inclination.
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You understand?
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If the creator doesn't help an individual, they simply can't overcome the evil inclination on their own.
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We can't.
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We're not capable.
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We fail.
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Look, just look at humanity, just look at the level of corruption in the world.
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Just look at the lying and the cheating and the self-serving.
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Just look at how we fail at our tests so easily, man.
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Humanity is so fickle.
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Why?
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Because we don't enlist Hashem in our endeavors.
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The vast majority of the world is secular.
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And the super vast majority of the world is not even Jewish.
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So the people that are operating, even the ones who want to operate in a good way, are not following the proper instruction manual.
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They don't have the right instruction manual.
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Yeah, they're being taught goodness.
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Yeah, they're being taught principles that are derivatives of the original, which is the Old Testament, as they call it, which is the Torah, Hashem's Torah.
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It's the only real Torah, it's the only real Bible.
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Yet they've come up with new renditions, new versions of it, which are spin-offs, derivatives, and take bits and pieces from the Torah and try and build on it.
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But ultimately, it's not divine.
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There's only one divine book, and that's the Torah.
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So the people who are trying to be good, thank God there are many holy Christians and Muslims and Sikhs and Hindus, good people who want to do good things and want to bring goodness into the world, and they're busy learning good and teaching good to themselves, their community, and their children.
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But ultimately their teachings are lacking.
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Why?
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Because it's not Torah.
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They're not reading from the original document.
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We have that document, and so many Jews, the vast majority, are simply secular Jews.
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They're not religious.
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They don't sit and learn Torah.
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And even the religious Jews don't sit and learn as often as they should.
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And even the ones that do sit and learn, they're oftentimes just learning the same thing over and over again.
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There is so much more Torah to be learned.
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But oftentimes in the yeshivas and these kolels, they're just repeating, they're teaching the same thing, the same Gemaras.
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So there's so much that can be taught and focused on and learned.
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So bottom line, we all have an evil inclination.
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The best way to overcome that evil inclination is to sit and learn Torah.
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It says that if somebody's being driven, being brought down by their evil inclination, it doesn't matter what.
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If you can feel that he's actively working on you to go and sin, to go and do something you shouldn't be doing, you should do what?
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Take the evil inclination with you into the Beit Midrash, into the study hall.
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Go and learn Torah.
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You want to kill him?
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That's the only way to do it.
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Go and learn Torah.
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And there's no coincidence that I told you the other day that every single time that I learn Torah, I come out with joy.
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I come out with a spring in my step.
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I have renewed energy, renewed vigor.
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I'm happy.
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Why is that?
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Because it's the opposite of the tool that the evil inclination has.
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His is depression.
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And we said the opposite of that is joy.
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So you think it's a coincidence?
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There's no such thing that when I go and I learn Torah, when I come out of the study hall, I'm on a high, I'm renewed, I'm full of joy.
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That's exactly what it does.
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It instills joy inside of you, instills purpose.
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You come out confident, you come out with clarity.
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And when you're coming out of a Beit Midrash with confidence and clarity, you now know what you didn't know yesterday.
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You now have another tool with which to conquer the world to be able to do amazing things.
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Who can't be happy?
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Who wouldn't be happy coming out like that?
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So that's what happens.
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When we're just going through the motions in this life, the day-to-day, the grind, the daily grind, the work, the distractions, the people who are pulling on you, the anxiety and the stress, all of that tears away at you and it leaves an opening for the evil inclination.
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Why?
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Because the last thing you are is happy.
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You're miserable.
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I'm spending all day long putting out fires.
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I'm spending all day long fixing people's problems.
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All I'm dealing with is problems all day long.
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This person's calling, that person's calling.
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This government agency, that government agency.
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Everybody wants a piece of me.
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I need more money to pay for this, I need more money to pay for that.
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I can barely afford things as they are.
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All of a sudden, new expenses are coming.
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All that does is brings you down.
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It makes you depressed.
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So that's the key.
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That's the opening that the evil inclination wants is for you to be depressed, to be sad, to be anxious.
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And so we get it every day.
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Just go outside, just go to work, just be a human being in this world living by the secular standards.
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And guess what you'll come up with?
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Depression, anxiety, and sadness.
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You want to fix it?
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Take that evil inclination with you into the Beit Midrash.
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Do what you're doing right now.
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Learn Torah, learn the secrets, gain the tools with which to be able to conquer this life.
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You'll walk out with that joy because now you're armed to the teeth and you know exactly what to do and how to win.
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Who's not happy after that?
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Everybody is.
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That's why the Bait Midrash is the place you go with your evil inclination.
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But go it alone.
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Good luck.
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Rule number four: desire is what's left to us.
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We have the free choice to want to improve.
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Even if we don't succeed in doing so, we can always desire.
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That's the key.
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That's the impetus.
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Number one is you have to have the desire.
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But I'm going to say there's even one that comes before that, which is what we just spoke about.
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When you're in the Beit Midrash, when you're learning Torah, when you're understanding what Hashem's expecting of you, when you're given the tools with which to use to make this world a better place, that should come with an inspiration.
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I've just learnt.
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Now I need to want, to desire to do these things.
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It's not enough to just learn them and leave them in the Beit Midrash, like I've said many times.
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Inspiration is nothing without action.
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So you need to desire to do the action.
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I've just learned what I need to do.
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Now I need to desire to go out and do it.
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If I fail, no problem.
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Why?
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Because we just discussed I have an evil inclination.
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That's a wall.
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It's in my way.
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It's impeding my progress.
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And so it makes sense to me.
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I know he's there.
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I tried.
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He won this time.
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Tomorrow I'm going to win because I'm going to try again tomorrow.
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If I don't try tomorrow, then he's automatically won.
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Why wouldn't I try tomorrow?
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Because I got so down and out that I failed today.
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Does that remind you of everything we've been speaking about all week?
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Now I want to go back for a second because it says we have the free choice to want to improve.
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Let's qualify that because it's not necessarily the case.
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We don't have free choice.
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We have choice.
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That choice has a price associated with it.
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This is what my rabbi Rabbi Mizrahi always says.
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We have a price associated with our choices.
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If I choose good, I gain.
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He always gives the example.
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It's just a long time ago I heard this.
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Somebody comes to you and says to you, I have a job for you.
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You want to come and work and make money?
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And you say, Yeah, okay, come tomorrow, 8 a.m.
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I've got a job.
00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:39.279
Come ready to work.
00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:42.480
Now, you set your alarm clock, you have a choice.
00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:44.879
At eight o'clock, that alarm goes off.
00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:46.080
You can choose.
00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:54.720
If you choose to get up and go out and go to work, you're going to earn whatever he's going to pay you,$20,$30,$50 an hour, you're going to come out.
00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:58.960
You work eight hours at$50 an hour, you're coming out with$400.
00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:00.320
Wonderful.
00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:02.320
You just made$400 in a day.
00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:09.039
The alternate choice is to hit the snooze button or to turn it off completely and ignore it because you haven't worked in months.
00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:10.159
What's another few months?
00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:12.320
So you stay home and you don't go to work.
00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:15.039
It's not that there's no repercussion.
00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:19.600
The repercussion is you just lost out on$400.
00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:22.480
You just lost that opportunity.
00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:23.759
That's tremendous.
00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:26.879
So there is a cost to the choices that we make.
00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:27.919
They're not free.
00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:29.440
You're free to make them.
00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:35.279
In other words, we're not computers, we're not robots, we're not AI, we're not programmed in our choices.
00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:39.519
We are given the ability to make the choices, but they're not free.
00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:41.679
They're the only thing that we control.
00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:44.639
Everything else is out of our hands.
00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:51.200
But when we choose to do good or to do bad, to do right or to do wrong, that is what is in our hands.
00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:57.200
We make that choice knowing that there is a repercussion, a result, a consequence.
00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:59.440
Some people call it reward and punishment.
00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:01.200
I call it consequence.
00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:04.320
There's positive consequences and negative consequences.
00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:06.720
You put your hand in fire, you get burned.
00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:10.960
You drive your car 100 miles an hour into a wall, you die, right?
00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:11.679
Simple.
00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:13.279
Those are not punishments.
00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:15.600
You didn't get punished for putting your hand in fire.
00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:20.399
You didn't get punished for driving your car at 100 miles an hour into a brick wall.
00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:22.720
You suffered the consequence of your action.
00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:27.120
You didn't lose$400 because he didn't give it to you.
00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:30.480
You didn't get the$400 because you didn't get up and go to work.
00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:34.000
Those are consequences of the decisions that we make.
00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:35.120
That is this life.
00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:38.879
This whole idea of reward and punishment, I'm not such a big fan.
00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:48.399
So as long as we have the desire, as long as we want to get up and go and do and succeed, that's already half the battle.
00:16:48.639 --> 00:17:03.519
Then you take a step, you initiate, you make the step in the direction that you want to go that you've decided, based on your learning in the Beit Midrash, based on your knowledge that you came out with this tool to be able to conquer the world, based on your knowledge of what's good and what's bad, what's right and what's wrong.
00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:05.039
Now I'm going to do what's good.
00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:06.160
I'm going to do what's right.
00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:11.039
You take that step in that direction, the result is out of your hand.
00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:16.480
Know that as soon as you've made that commitment, the evil inclination is waiting over there because he doesn't want it.
00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:18.400
His job is to shut it down.
00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:19.519
He's the defense.
00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:22.000
He's a defensive line that you need to get through.
00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:23.279
He has to stop you.
00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:23.920
That's his job.
00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:25.119
It's not that he hates you.
00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:25.839
That's his job.
00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:27.279
He was programmed to do his job.
00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:28.240
He's going to do it.
00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:31.920
You have to have a good enough offense to be able to get through him.
00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:34.720
On your own, you're never going to get through him.
00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:36.960
He's going to stop you every single time.
00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:38.400
You want to get through him?
00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:43.920
The best offense in the world is the world's strongest superpower.
00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:54.960
The one who is capable of everything, who owns everything, who's all powerful, who's all knowledgeable, has every resource available and created that evil inclination.
00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:56.799
You want to get through that evil inclination?
00:17:57.039 --> 00:17:57.839
Enlist him.
00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:01.039
Put him at your back, and nothing, my friends, will stop you.
00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:03.519
Tomorrow we'll get back into rule number five.
00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:06.480
We'll finish the summary and we'll continue on from there.
00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:07.440
Have an amazing day.
00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:10.400
Thank you for spending time with us on the Trust Factor Podcast.
00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:15.920
If you've heard something today that moved you, save this episode and share it with someone who might need to hear it.
00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:22.079
Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss upcoming conversations that challenge, empower, and uplift.
00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:24.559
And if you're on social media, connect with us.
00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:25.599
Leave your thoughts.
00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:27.680
Drop a quote that resonated with you.
00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:30.160
Hashtag the TrustFactor Podcast.
00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:34.720
Until next time, keep growing in your trust and keep living with purpose.
00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:39.200
I'm Jesse Revivo, and this has been the Trust Factor Podcast.
00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:40.799
Thanks for listening.
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.040
There is a repercussion, a result, a consequence.
00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:05.120
Some people call it reward and punishment.
00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:06.879
I call it consequence.
00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:09.759
There's positive consequences and negative consequences.
00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:12.240
You put your hand in fire, you get burned.
00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:16.320
You drive your car 100 miles an hour into a wall, you die, right?
00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:16.879
Simple.
00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:18.079
They're not punishments.
00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:20.399
You didn't get punished for putting your hand in fire.
00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:25.039
You didn't get punished for driving your car at 100 miles an hour into a brick wall.
00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:27.280
You suffered the consequence of your action.
00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:30.800
You didn't lose$400 because he didn't give it to you.
00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:34.079
You didn't get the$400 because you didn't get up and go to work.
00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:37.600
Those are consequences of the decisions that we make.
00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:38.719
That is this life.
00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:42.399
This whole idea of reward and punishment, I'm not such a big fan.
00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:47.600
The Trust Factor is a ticket to a bad life.
00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:52.479
The Trust Factor shows you how to get through the life.
00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:56.000
Welcome to another episode of the Trust Factor Podcast.
00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:56.719
Thank you for joining.
00:00:56.799 --> 00:01:01.359
It's going to be a late post today because I just finished taking down a neighbor's soukha.
00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:02.560
A lot of them are still up.
00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:04.560
A lot of people get lazy after the holidays.
00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:08.159
Very hot where I am right now, so it's certainly not a one-man job.
00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:14.000
We're about to summarize all the lessons that we just went through, probably over the last few weeks.
00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:20.480
So if you've missed out on a lot of the episodes, this is going to be a quick run through of some of the key lessons.
00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:22.480
I don't know that we're going to be able to get through them all.
00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:26.640
There's only five of them, but there's so much to say for each one without belaboring them.
00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:29.760
We'll go through them one at a time and we'll review these concepts.
00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:36.959
As I said yesterday, the importance of reviewing, of repetition, that's key to success in our learning.
00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:39.439
So, summary of the general principles.
00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:47.760
Rule number one, remember that your true desire is to be a good person, the way that the creator wants you to be.
00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:58.799
If you're watching this podcast, if you're investing the time and the energy in Torah and learning and growing, then odds are you fit into that category.
00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:05.280
The other day we talked about people who are innately evil because they have a sick soul.
00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:17.759
Their soul is dark, it's broken, it's been depleted of all of its nourishment for so, so long that their souls are sick and they're simply not watching podcasts like these.
00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:19.039
So that's the good news.
00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:21.680
The good news is give yourself a pat on the back.
00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:26.800
You're in the category of people who are destined to succeed in this life.
00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:32.960
Whether or not you think you're a failure, whether or not you think that you're capable, doesn't matter.
00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:47.520
The bottom line is that you need to start with the understanding and the acceptance that you are an individual who is generally good, that you want to do good, you want to bring goodness into this world, and you want to avoid the pitfalls.
00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:53.039
You want to avoid all the negativity, you want to avoid the liars and the cheaters and the scammers.
00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:53.759
That's who you are.
00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:55.039
That's who we all are.
00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:59.039
If you're watching this podcast and if you're growing in Torah, that's who you are.
00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:00.719
That's a foundation stone.
00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:08.479
If you've got that booked in your mind, then you know that you've already got a solid foundation upon which you can now build.
00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:09.120
Yeah?
00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:10.639
Watch rule number two.
00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:20.639
Rule number two is one who falls into depression every single time that the inclination, the evil inclination, gets the best of him, lives in a fantasy world.
00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:21.759
It's very simple.
00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:25.840
You think that you are expected to be perfect.
00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:40.319
You think that if you're not as good, at least as good as your neighbor, as your friend, as your community member, as your boss, as your coworker, if you're not at least as good, but ideally better than they are, then you are simply not worthy.
00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:42.240
Then you are simply a failure.
00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:43.840
That's a fantasy world.
00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:49.439
Hashem did not create the world that way, and he certainly didn't create you to be that way.
00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:52.159
No one is all good with no evil.
00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:53.520
It doesn't exist.
00:03:53.840 --> 00:04:06.080
If you're a human being and you're alive, then I don't care how difficult it is for you to keep the mitzvahs, there is simply no person that is all good with no evil.
00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:07.439
Everybody sins.
00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:13.759
Everybody, the biggest Talmud Khacham, the biggest rabbis on planet Earth are sinners.
00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:14.639
You understand?
00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:24.160
If they're sinners, then you should be okay with the knowledge that you're human, that you have an evil inclination, and that you, just like them, are going to sin.
00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:29.519
Obviously, they're going to sin much less often than we are, but they're sinners nonetheless.
00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:31.439
That's the way we were created.
00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:38.079
Don't be surprised that you have animal urges, certain undesirable character traits.
00:04:38.399 --> 00:04:40.079
We have two images to us.
00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:48.000
We have an animalistic image, the body, the material, the physical, and we have that which separates us from the animal kingdom.
00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:52.480
That is our soul, our nishama, the spirit that rests inside of us.
00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:54.160
That's the godly component.
00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:56.240
We have both of those.
00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:58.639
God created us from the dust of the earth.
00:04:58.720 --> 00:04:59.920
That's the material.
00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:04.319
Yeah, that's the stuff that you can touch, feel, weigh, measure.
00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:09.279
But at the same time, he blew into our nostrils the soul of life.
00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:12.079
His a part of him, he blew into us.
00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:16.800
That's the metaphysical, that's the spiritual, that's the thing that you can't measure.
00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:18.720
That's the thing that gives you life.
00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:24.720
That's the thing that separates you from every other thing on planet Earth and in the universe.
00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:28.319
The fact that you have a godly soul inside of you.
00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:30.959
That's the ikara, that's the principle.
00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:33.360
The body, it's just a cover.
00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:36.800
It's just a costume that we wear.
00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:41.759
And every time we come through this life, through this existence, we're given a different body.
00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:51.040
Just like the body wears clothes, we have shirts, we have jackets, we have pants, the skin, the bones, the flesh is a cover for our nishama.
00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:52.000
That's it.
00:05:52.160 --> 00:06:02.720
Somebody who knows that and can operate in a way where they're looking beyond the body, they're looking beyond the physical, they're looking at the individual as a nishama, as a soul.
00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:05.120
That person is operating on a very high level.
00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:06.160
Most of us don't.
00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:14.639
Most of us put somebody into a category or judge them based on appearance first, especially if it's a first impression.
00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:23.040
When you can see beyond that, when automatically you meet another person, and right away you understand I'm speaking to a soul here, not a body.
00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:24.720
The body can be changed.
00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:30.000
Just like I can go out and I can put on different clothes and I can come down looking completely different.
00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:36.639
The same way that Nishama, that soul that's in that individual, can change its body.
00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:39.519
Now, not in this life, but it's been here before.
00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:45.279
Hopefully not again, but every time it comes, it comes with a different garment on, a different body.
00:06:45.439 --> 00:06:48.639
When you understand that, now you understand that that soul is eternal.
00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:50.240
That soul is a part of God.
00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:52.079
It's not something that can be destroyed.
00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:53.920
It's eternal, it lives forever.
00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:57.680
And that Nishama is here to perfect itself.
00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:04.480
It's been here many times before, and the character traits that it has today weren't perfected in those other go-arounds.
00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:08.560
So we're brought back with those same flaws that need to be perfected.
00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:10.079
We've been given another chance.
00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:22.720
So now you understand that there's a mission here, and that soul is pure, and that really what we should be doing is trying to figure out where that soul is lacking and how we can help that soul to achieve its final purpose.
00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:30.079
Rule number three not only do you have an evil inclination, but you can't overcome it.
00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:31.680
So why be sad?
00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:32.959
You hear this?
00:07:33.199 --> 00:07:34.800
This is the law of creation.
00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:36.959
The evil inclination overcomes people.
00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:47.199
We don't overcome our inclination unless we enlist the help of our creator, the creator who also created the evil inclination.
00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:48.079
You understand?
00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:53.680
If the creator doesn't help an individual, they simply can't overcome the evil inclination on their own.
00:07:53.759 --> 00:07:54.160
We can't.
00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:55.279
We're not capable.
00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:56.000
We fail.
00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:00.160
Look, just look at humanity, just look at the level of corruption in the world.
00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.199
Just look at the lying and the cheating and the self-serving.
00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:06.480
Just look at how we fail at our tests so easily, man.
00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:08.160
Humanity is so fickle.
00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:08.800
Why?
00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:12.720
Because we don't enlist Hashem in our endeavors.
00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:15.279
The vast majority of the world is secular.
00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:18.480
And the super vast majority of the world is not even Jewish.
00:08:18.720 --> 00:08:24.959
So the people that are operating, even the ones who want to operate in a good way, are not following the proper instruction manual.
00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:26.879
They don't have the right instruction manual.
00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:28.480
Yeah, they're being taught goodness.
00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:36.720
Yeah, they're being taught principles that are derivatives of the original, which is the Old Testament, as they call it, which is the Torah, Hashem's Torah.
00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:38.799
It's the only real Torah, it's the only real Bible.
00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:46.720
Yet they've come up with new renditions, new versions of it, which are spin-offs, derivatives, and take bits and pieces from the Torah and try and build on it.
00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:48.399
But ultimately, it's not divine.
00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:50.799
There's only one divine book, and that's the Torah.
00:08:50.960 --> 00:09:05.519
So the people who are trying to be good, thank God there are many holy Christians and Muslims and Sikhs and Hindus, good people who want to do good things and want to bring goodness into the world, and they're busy learning good and teaching good to themselves, their community, and their children.
00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:07.840
But ultimately their teachings are lacking.
00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:08.320
Why?
00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:09.919
Because it's not Torah.
00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:12.480
They're not reading from the original document.
00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:18.080
We have that document, and so many Jews, the vast majority, are simply secular Jews.
00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:18.960
They're not religious.
00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:20.639
They don't sit and learn Torah.
00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:25.519
And even the religious Jews don't sit and learn as often as they should.
00:09:25.679 --> 00:09:31.679
And even the ones that do sit and learn, they're oftentimes just learning the same thing over and over again.
00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:33.840
There is so much more Torah to be learned.
00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:39.519
But oftentimes in the yeshivas and these kolels, they're just repeating, they're teaching the same thing, the same Gemaras.
00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:42.399
So there's so much that can be taught and focused on and learned.
00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:46.080
So bottom line, we all have an evil inclination.
00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:51.360
The best way to overcome that evil inclination is to sit and learn Torah.
00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:56.960
It says that if somebody's being driven, being brought down by their evil inclination, it doesn't matter what.
00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:03.519
If you can feel that he's actively working on you to go and sin, to go and do something you shouldn't be doing, you should do what?
00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:08.639
Take the evil inclination with you into the Beit Midrash, into the study hall.
00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:10.000
Go and learn Torah.
00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:11.120
You want to kill him?
00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:12.399
That's the only way to do it.
00:10:12.559 --> 00:10:13.440
Go and learn Torah.
00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:20.720
And there's no coincidence that I told you the other day that every single time that I learn Torah, I come out with joy.
00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:22.639
I come out with a spring in my step.
00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:24.960
I have renewed energy, renewed vigor.
00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:26.320
I'm happy.
00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:27.679
Why is that?
00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:31.600
Because it's the opposite of the tool that the evil inclination has.
00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:32.720
His is depression.
00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:35.200
And we said the opposite of that is joy.
00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:36.879
So you think it's a coincidence?
00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:46.720
There's no such thing that when I go and I learn Torah, when I come out of the study hall, I'm on a high, I'm renewed, I'm full of joy.
00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:48.480
That's exactly what it does.
00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:51.360
It instills joy inside of you, instills purpose.
00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:53.679
You come out confident, you come out with clarity.
00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:59.440
And when you're coming out of a Beit Midrash with confidence and clarity, you now know what you didn't know yesterday.
00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:04.320
You now have another tool with which to conquer the world to be able to do amazing things.
00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:05.600
Who can't be happy?
00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:07.279
Who wouldn't be happy coming out like that?
00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:08.399
So that's what happens.
00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:22.639
When we're just going through the motions in this life, the day-to-day, the grind, the daily grind, the work, the distractions, the people who are pulling on you, the anxiety and the stress, all of that tears away at you and it leaves an opening for the evil inclination.
00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:22.960
Why?
00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:25.279
Because the last thing you are is happy.
00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:26.240
You're miserable.
00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:28.720
I'm spending all day long putting out fires.
00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:31.279
I'm spending all day long fixing people's problems.
00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:33.759
All I'm dealing with is problems all day long.
00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:35.600
This person's calling, that person's calling.
00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:37.679
This government agency, that government agency.
00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:39.039
Everybody wants a piece of me.
00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:41.519
I need more money to pay for this, I need more money to pay for that.
00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:43.200
I can barely afford things as they are.
00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:45.200
All of a sudden, new expenses are coming.
00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:46.960
All that does is brings you down.
00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:48.080
It makes you depressed.
00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:49.679
So that's the key.
00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:56.080
That's the opening that the evil inclination wants is for you to be depressed, to be sad, to be anxious.
00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:57.759
And so we get it every day.
00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:03.279
Just go outside, just go to work, just be a human being in this world living by the secular standards.
00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:04.799
And guess what you'll come up with?
00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:07.039
Depression, anxiety, and sadness.
00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:08.240
You want to fix it?
00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:11.679
Take that evil inclination with you into the Beit Midrash.
00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:13.120
Do what you're doing right now.
00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:19.679
Learn Torah, learn the secrets, gain the tools with which to be able to conquer this life.
00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:27.279
You'll walk out with that joy because now you're armed to the teeth and you know exactly what to do and how to win.
00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:28.799
Who's not happy after that?
00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:29.679
Everybody is.
00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:33.759
That's why the Bait Midrash is the place you go with your evil inclination.
00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:36.080
But go it alone.
00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:37.120
Good luck.
00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:41.840
Rule number four: desire is what's left to us.
00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:44.960
We have the free choice to want to improve.
00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:49.440
Even if we don't succeed in doing so, we can always desire.
00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:50.720
That's the key.
00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:52.240
That's the impetus.
00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:54.480
Number one is you have to have the desire.
00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:59.679
But I'm going to say there's even one that comes before that, which is what we just spoke about.
00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:11.360
When you're in the Beit Midrash, when you're learning Torah, when you're understanding what Hashem's expecting of you, when you're given the tools with which to use to make this world a better place, that should come with an inspiration.
00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:12.720
I've just learnt.
00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:16.159
Now I need to want, to desire to do these things.
00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:21.039
It's not enough to just learn them and leave them in the Beit Midrash, like I've said many times.
00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:24.480
Inspiration is nothing without action.
00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:27.519
So you need to desire to do the action.
00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:29.279
I've just learned what I need to do.
00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:32.000
Now I need to desire to go out and do it.
00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.240
If I fail, no problem.
00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:34.720
Why?
00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:36.799
Because we just discussed I have an evil inclination.
00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:37.600
That's a wall.
00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:38.960
It's in my way.
00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.360
It's impeding my progress.
00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:43.120
And so it makes sense to me.
00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:44.000
I know he's there.
00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:44.639
I tried.
00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:45.519
He won this time.
00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:49.440
Tomorrow I'm going to win because I'm going to try again tomorrow.
00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:52.399
If I don't try tomorrow, then he's automatically won.
00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:53.759
Why wouldn't I try tomorrow?
00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:57.039
Because I got so down and out that I failed today.
00:13:57.200 --> 00:14:00.240
Does that remind you of everything we've been speaking about all week?
00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:05.440
Now I want to go back for a second because it says we have the free choice to want to improve.
00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:08.720
Let's qualify that because it's not necessarily the case.
00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:10.799
We don't have free choice.
00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:12.159
We have choice.
00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:14.799
That choice has a price associated with it.
00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:17.360
This is what my rabbi Rabbi Mizrahi always says.
00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:21.360
We have a price associated with our choices.
00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:23.919
If I choose good, I gain.
00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:25.360
He always gives the example.
00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:27.200
It's just a long time ago I heard this.
00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:31.120
Somebody comes to you and says to you, I have a job for you.
00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.519
You want to come and work and make money?
00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:36.960
And you say, Yeah, okay, come tomorrow, 8 a.m.
00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:38.000
I've got a job.
00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:39.279
Come ready to work.
00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:42.480
Now, you set your alarm clock, you have a choice.
00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:44.879
At eight o'clock, that alarm goes off.
00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:46.080
You can choose.
00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:54.720
If you choose to get up and go out and go to work, you're going to earn whatever he's going to pay you,$20,$30,$50 an hour, you're going to come out.
00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:58.960
You work eight hours at$50 an hour, you're coming out with$400.
00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:00.320
Wonderful.
00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:02.320
You just made$400 in a day.
00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:09.039
The alternate choice is to hit the snooze button or to turn it off completely and ignore it because you haven't worked in months.
00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:10.159
What's another few months?
00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:12.320
So you stay home and you don't go to work.
00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:15.039
It's not that there's no repercussion.
00:15:15.200 --> 00:15:19.600
The repercussion is you just lost out on$400.
00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:22.480
You just lost that opportunity.
00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:23.759
That's tremendous.
00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:26.879
So there is a cost to the choices that we make.
00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:27.919
They're not free.
00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:29.440
You're free to make them.
00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:35.279
In other words, we're not computers, we're not robots, we're not AI, we're not programmed in our choices.
00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:39.519
We are given the ability to make the choices, but they're not free.
00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:41.679
They're the only thing that we control.
00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:44.639
Everything else is out of our hands.
00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:51.200
But when we choose to do good or to do bad, to do right or to do wrong, that is what is in our hands.
00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:57.200
We make that choice knowing that there is a repercussion, a result, a consequence.
00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:59.440
Some people call it reward and punishment.
00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:01.200
I call it consequence.
00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:04.320
There's positive consequences and negative consequences.
00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:06.720
You put your hand in fire, you get burned.
00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:10.960
You drive your car 100 miles an hour into a wall, you die, right?
00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:11.679
Simple.
00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:13.279
Those are not punishments.
00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:15.600
You didn't get punished for putting your hand in fire.
00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:20.399
You didn't get punished for driving your car at 100 miles an hour into a brick wall.
00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:22.720
You suffered the consequence of your action.
00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:27.120
You didn't lose$400 because he didn't give it to you.
00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:30.480
You didn't get the$400 because you didn't get up and go to work.
00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:34.000
Those are consequences of the decisions that we make.
00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:35.120
That is this life.
00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:38.879
This whole idea of reward and punishment, I'm not such a big fan.
00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:48.399
So as long as we have the desire, as long as we want to get up and go and do and succeed, that's already half the battle.
00:16:48.639 --> 00:17:03.519
Then you take a step, you initiate, you make the step in the direction that you want to go that you've decided, based on your learning in the Beit Midrash, based on your knowledge that you came out with this tool to be able to conquer the world, based on your knowledge of what's good and what's bad, what's right and what's wrong.
00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:05.039
Now I'm going to do what's good.
00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:06.160
I'm going to do what's right.
00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:11.039
You take that step in that direction, the result is out of your hand.
00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:16.480
Know that as soon as you've made that commitment, the evil inclination is waiting over there because he doesn't want it.
00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:18.400
His job is to shut it down.
00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:19.519
He's the defense.
00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:22.000
He's a defensive line that you need to get through.
00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:23.279
He has to stop you.
00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:23.920
That's his job.
00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:25.119
It's not that he hates you.
00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:25.839
That's his job.
00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:27.279
He was programmed to do his job.
00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:28.240
He's going to do it.
00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:31.920
You have to have a good enough offense to be able to get through him.
00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:34.720
On your own, you're never going to get through him.
00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:36.960
He's going to stop you every single time.
00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:38.400
You want to get through him?
00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:43.920
The best offense in the world is the world's strongest superpower.
00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:54.960
The one who is capable of everything, who owns everything, who's all powerful, who's all knowledgeable, has every resource available and created that evil inclination.
00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:56.799
You want to get through that evil inclination?
00:17:57.039 --> 00:17:57.839
Enlist him.
00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:01.039
Put him at your back, and nothing, my friends, will stop you.
00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:03.519
Tomorrow we'll get back into rule number five.
00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:06.480
We'll finish the summary and we'll continue on from there.
00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:07.440
Have an amazing day.
00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:10.400
Thank you for spending time with us on the Trust Factor Podcast.
00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:15.920
If you've heard something today that moved you, save this episode and share it with someone who might need to hear it.
00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:22.079
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00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:24.559
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00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:25.599
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00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:27.680
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00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:30.160
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00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:34.720
Until next time, keep growing in your trust and keep living with purpose.
00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:39.200
I'm Jesse Revivo, and this has been the Trust Factor Podcast.
00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:40.799
Thanks for listening.
