The Trust Factor
A daily lesson that focuses on achieving unparalleled success in life using ancient wisdom in modern times.
We will be discussing critical concepts as they are laid out in the book Sha'ar Habitachon - The Gate of Trust. Written 1000 years ago, the author reminds us of the values and wisdom that have allowed humanity to thrive throughout history.
The concept of trusting in a higher power that exists purely for our benefit, puts us in the drivers seat with absolute confidence to achieve greatness.
Eliminate: Fear, Hatred, Anxiety, Depression, Jealousy, Greed...forever!
* Note that some terminology will be in the original Hebrew or Aramaic which I will always follow with the English translation.
The Trust Factor
Episode 149 - Don't Wait for January 1st: Your Life Changes Today
The sacred rhythm of Jewish holidays offers far more than just religious observance—it provides divinely appointed windows of opportunity for personal transformation. As Rosh Hashanah approaches, we explore the profound concept that during specific calendar periods, God infuses creation with additional assistance tailored to each holiday's spiritual theme.
When we recite the blessing over wine during holidays, we acknowledge God "who sanctifies Israel and the times." This curious phrase reveals a powerful truth: certain seasons receive divine designation as particularly auspicious for specific types of growth. During Passover, we receive extra heavenly support to break free from modern enslavement—whether to technology, wealth pursuit, substances, or destructive relationships. Similarly, Rosh Hashanah offers divine assistance for new beginnings and personal reinvention.
Unlike secular New Year's resolutions that typically fade by March (when gyms suddenly empty after January's crowds), Jewish tradition recognizes that meaningful change requires more than annual commitment. We're called to daily self-examination: Where have I been? Where am I now? Where am I going? The approaching Jewish New Year provides an especially potent opportunity to make real commitments, but only if we verbalize them—"If it's in your mind, it's not real. Say it out loud, make it real." Our free will operates solely in choosing good or evil, making these decisions profoundly consequential amid global turmoil that reminds us time is fleeting. What commitment will you make during this divine window of opportunity? Don't wait for tomorrow—the perfect moment for transformation is now, especially during these sanctified times when heaven reaches down to help you succeed.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Trust Factor, the podcast that guarantees your success when you implement its divine, age-old teachings. My friends, we are a week away. We are a week away from Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It is coming up fast and it's probably a good idea. Even though some of you may have heard me talk about this before, especially if you've been in some of my Torah classes at synagogue or certain events, I've given this idea over a few times because it's important, especially around the holidays. I'm sure many of you haven't heard it, so it's worth sharing. And here's how it goes when we celebrate Jewish holidays by the kiddush, by the meal, when we make our blessing over the wine before we actually eat, there is a common thread throughout our holidays in the prayer that we say, the blessing that we say, we say Mevarech Yisrael ve'hazamanim. Blessed is the God, who sanctifies, israel and the times. What does that mean? What are the times? Israel, I can understand. Okay, he sanctifies, he makes holy, the nation of Israel Got it. But what's with the times? What does that mean? The times? Is it the time of the year? What does that mean? It means that around the time of our holidays, usually the time leading up to the holidays and sometimes even a little bit after. In certain scenarios you have a lot after, in certain scenarios you have a lot after. But generally speaking, around the times of our holidays, whatever the theme of the holiday is, god in creation put additional assistance. He made those times auspicious times during which you have additional help from the heavens to be able to improve, to be able to be successful. He will do for you more in these times leading up to and around our holidays, that whatever you pray for, whatever you try and improve upon, he will help you give you extra strength from the heavens. So let's think about that for a second.
Speaker 0:The holiday of Passover what does that represent? The main theme of Passover is freedom. We were released from slavery during the time of Passover. It was the exodus from Egypt. That is what we commemorate when we have a Passover Seder, and so what does that mean with regards to blessing and sanctifying the times? It means that around the time of Passover certainly throughout the holiday itself, but also in and around that calendar time there is extra what's called siyata di shmaya extra assistance from the heavens to help you break free from slavery.
Speaker 0:Now you may say what are you talking about? I'm not a slave. Slavery was abolished a long time ago. Well, the answer is we are all slaves. We're slaves to our vices. Some of us are slaves. Most of us are slaves to our technology, to our phones, to our computers. Most of us are slaves to the desire or the need for money and the things that we will do to be able to attain it and how important we think it is. We are slaves God forbid to substances, alcohol, drugs. Everybody has their vices relations. There are so many things that people chase after in this life that overtake their ability to reason and to ration. That's why they call them a vice and people become enslaved to whatever these things are, and oftentimes they ruin the individual's life. So during the time of Passover, in and around that holiday, and certainly throughout it, if somebody says God, I want to disconnect from the technology, god, I want to put limits on technology, god, I want to break away from substances, I want to become clean again and he really makes an effort, then during that time he has extra assistance from the heavens to be able to be successful. His odds are greatly improved to be able to be successful in that area of their lives. Now, how do we apply that to Rosh Hashanah? Why am I telling you this? Because we're coming up on it, guys, right now. We're in that zone. We're in that zone. What's the zone of Rosh Hashanah?
Speaker 0:New Year? Obvious. It happens by all the nations. Every time there's a new year, we have, or they have, new Year's resolutions. It's a new start. It's something fresh. It's another opportunity. New start, it's something fresh. It's another opportunity. It's an opportunity to reinvent yourself or to make commitments, to be able to do things that you haven't been able to do. They're called New Year's resolutions by the other nations.
Speaker 0:It's once a year. They wait for January the 1st. That's day one, and we all know that if you have a gym membership, you stay away from the gym January and February, because January and February are packed. Everybody's made their resolution and you'll find them in the gym. The problem is that by the time March rolls around that's when you want to buy your membership, because that's when you can use any machine Nobody's there. Everybody's given up on their New Year's resolution and so everything is available to you as Jews and in general.
Speaker 0:It's not enough once a year. It's not enough to be able to pick yourself up, to be able to attempt to be better, to be able to build yourself up. It's not enough once a year. It has to be done every single day that we are alive. We have to take an inventory of our lives. We have to see where we've been, we have to see where we are and we need to know where we're going. We have to contemplate these things every single day and if we've fallen off, if we've gotten sidetracked, then we need to address it right away.
Speaker 0:We don't wait for January 1st. We address it right away. Because the don't wait for January 1st, we address it right away because the clock is ticking, time is passing by, it waits for nobody. My friends, You're not guaranteed next year, you're not guaranteed January 1st. You are here today and therefore, make those changes today. Now we're coming up on it.
Speaker 0:So if you have those resolutions in your mind, coming up on it, so if you have those resolutions in your mind which, by the way, just a wink, wink, nudge, nudge we've been talking about for the last 150 days, we've been talking about all these different wonderful ways that you can up your game, that you can make a resolution to be able to step up and build your relationship with your creator. We've been talking about that, so you're not out of ideas, my friends. You've got plenty to choose from. You can go back and listen to the podcast again. Figure out where you want to be with your relationship with your creator. Figure out where you're strong and figure out where you're weak. Figure out where you've been, where you are today in that relationship and where you want that relationship to be. Figure out where you've been, where you are today in that relationship and where you want that relationship to be, and then make a commitment. Make a commitment to yourself and make a commitment to your creator.
Speaker 0:Use your words, Say them out loud, make it real. If it's in your mind it's not real, say it out loud, make it real. Commit to it and start to put mechanisms in place to be able to build it. It's not going to happen by itself. Remember, we've said we have this thing called choice. It's not free, but we have choice. But even the choice that we have is just in one area of our lives. Are we going to do his will or not? Are we going to do good? Are we going to do bad? That's the only thing we choose.
Speaker 0:You know there's this conundrum, there's a riddle. Is God able to make a stone so big and so heavy that even he can't lift it? You hear the question. It's a riddle Can he make a stone so big and so heavy that even he can't lift it? And everybody thinks to themselves what do you mean? Obviously, god can lift it, right. God is not bound by anything. He's all capable, right? But the answer is yes, there can be a stone that he creates that's too heavy for him to lift. Why and when and how? And the answer is if he commits to it. If he says I'm not going to be able to lift it, then you can take it to the bank All the power and all the perfection and all the divinity.
Speaker 0:When God limits himself, he sticks to his commitment. He's not like us frail humans where we make a commitment one day and we flip flop the next. When God commits to something, it's done, it's set in stone, and so if God says I'm going to make a rock I can't lift, then you better believe there's going to be a rock there he won't be able to lift. Why do I tell you this? Because the only thing that he cannot do by giving us free choice is. He cannot force us to do his will. He just can't right, because that's not the way that he created this world. He didn't create it to have robots. We've said if he wanted robots, he would have made robots.
Speaker 0:The only thing he's putting back in your hands, my friends, is to step up and make the decision to make your life exponentially better. We see what's going on in the world. We see the craziness, we see the mayhem. It's just more indications for you, guys that time is ticking. It's time to up your game. It's time to succeed. It's time to thrive. It's time to live a life of meaning and purpose. Now's the time to do it. You've gotten so much information and you have been set on the right path, but you have to take the steps, my friends, that sums it up for today. I hope you enjoyed. We'll chat more tomorrow, hopefully from the book. Have a great day.
