Episode 104 - What If Everything You Hide Gets Played Back To You

We walk through a piercing teaching from Pirkei Avot: consider three things and you can avoid falling into sin. Remember where you came from. Remember where you’re going. Remember before Whom you’ll give a final accounting. It’s not feel-good spirituality. It’s Jewish ethics as a practical guide to decision-making, self-control, and real Emunah. We talk about how temptation is often brief while guilt can linger for years, why modern culture feeds ego and endless wanting, and how mortality can be a sober gift that restores perspective and purpose. 

Then we shift into medicine and healing. If you’re a doctor, nurse, or anyone in health care, this part is for you: your work is lofty, but arrogance can quietly poison it. We dig into the “God complex,” the need for prayer and humility, and why bedside manner and genuine compassion are not extras but part of effective care. I also speak plainly about the strain patients feel, including long specialist waits in Canada, and what it looks like to treat people like humans again. 

If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the line that hit you the hardest.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:10

The trust factor is your ticket to a better life. The trust factor shows you how to get through the life.

unknown 0:21

Trust factor.

Three Reminders That Stop Sin

Ego, Mortality, And Perspective

Final Accounting And The Shame Of Exposure

Doctors As Emissaries Of Healing

Arrogance, Bedside Manner, And Canada Waits

Closing Message And Share Request

SPEAKER_00 0:22

The world is louder and more chaotic than ever. That's why clarity and truth have never been more important. Welcome to the Trust Factor Podcast. Good morning, everybody. Welcome. Happy Sunday. This is the Trust Factor Podcast, and I'm really glad that you could join us. Just preparing, looking at what I'm going to talk about with regards to Pierre Kevot, The Ethics of the Fathers, and our Unbelievable Guide, the Garden of Amuna book. It looks like it's got potential to be a heavy episode today, but that's okay. You know, this is probably the first time where I find myself stopping and reading and thinking, is the generation strong enough to absorb this kind of information? How sad is that that we've fallen so far away that we've created this generation that some have referred to as the snowflake generation, where people don't have thick skin anymore. They barely have any skin. Everything bothers them, and everybody feels that they have the right to not be offended. It's unbelievable. And not only that, but the definition of what's offensive and what's not is trying to be regulated. We're living in a world that's upside down, bottom line. But I figured let's go for it anyways, because it's in here, it's real life. It may not be feel good kind of stuff, but you know what? It's real life. And if you're avoiding it, then you're just avoiding the inevitable. So let's get into it, my friends, and see what Pirkeavot teaches us. It says, Akiva, the son of Mahalel said, Consider three things, and you will not come into the grip of sin. In other words, if you're haughty, if you've got an ego, if you're diluting yourself to think that you'll get away with whatever it is that's pushing you or pulling at you, if you think that nobody will notice, all of these different reasons that we find ourselves oftentimes trying to justify doing a sin. Nobody will notice it's a quick one or whatever it is, nobody will see. Consider these three things. They will stop you from doing the sin. Because oftentimes you know what happens. After the sin, that's when the guilt comes in. It's never as good as the thought was, is it? When you're done. Usually these sins we're talking about here take minutes. Maximum minutes. What are we talking about? Eating something or having a relation with somebody or or stealing from somebody, putting your hand in a pot. It can take a split second most of the time, or a few minutes. And then afterwards, what ends up happening? It gnaws away at you. It's in the back of your head and it never lets go of you. And the more severe it is, the longer you will hold on to it. And that's why oftentimes people have these really thin skins, because they they're holding a lot. They've got a lot of baggage, they've got a lot of skeletons in the closet, and they're concerned that somebody's gonna make them out eventually. So is it really worth it? And the answer is no. But how do we stop ourselves? So he says three things. Number one, know where you came from, and know where you're going to. And finally, know before who you will give your final justification and accounting. Let's go through them, even though it's not pretty. Know where you came from. We all came from the same place, and we're all going to the same place. We all came from a tiny little drop of fluid. Tell that to the six foot five, four hundred pound gorilla who thinks nobody can destroy him. Tell that to the richest man in the world. Tell that to all these people, your bosses, the tyrants, everybody running around thinking that they're better than you. Tell that to them, and you will see that it will put things in perspective. We came from the same place. Just because you're six foot five, four hundred pounds, and I'm five foot seven, 180 pounds, doesn't make you any better than me. Just because you're worth a few billion dollars and I'm worth a few hundred thousand dollars doesn't make you any better than me. We came from the same place. And more than that, we're going to the exact same place. That plot in the ground, six foot deep, maybe six foot tall, two and a half feet wild, that's your condo for eternity, my friends. And your condo ain't gonna be any nicer than mine is. So whatever you do in this intermediary period where you're here and you're developed and you're not yet putting that hole in the ground, be very careful with yourself. Be cognizant and recognize that you're no better than anybody else, and that your job is to bring goodness into this world. That is a sobering realization for anybody. So many people in this generation walk around, in the past few generations, walk around thinking that they're going to live forever. When until when? Until usually well into their 60s, when things really start to begin falling apart, 60s and 70s and 80s, suddenly it comes on the realization, and you recognize that the clock's winding down. But until you get there, you're spending the vast majority of your life being told by secularism and Hollywood and media that you're going to live forever. So build forever. Make sure you're worth hundreds of billions, because only then will you have enough to last you and satisfy you. You know, it's never about being content with what you have, it's never about utilizing what you have. You're so busy amassing more that you're not appreciating and enjoying what it is that you've already amassed. That's the nature of the society that we live in. And so when you stop and give your head a shake and remind yourself of where you came from and where you're going, it's really, really sobering for people. It's a powerful tool. And finally it says, know who you're going to stand in front of to give final judgment. You're not getting away from it. It doesn't matter. Nobody gets a pass. After 120 years, we all have to give an accounting. You've heard me say this before many, many times. It's the crux of Amuna. To know that at the end, after 120 years, when we come up to the pearly gates, every single one of us is going to be asked the same questions, and our answers are going to determine how long our eternity is, if it is indeed an eternity or not, and whether or not we've got to come back down. That's how this whole thing works. And so don't think that you're ever going to get away with it. It says, Softa varha kolnishmah. At the end, when it's all over, everything is heard. What you think nobody knows today will be exposed in the end. Everything is heard. Softavar Kol Nishma et Haloimira. Make sure that you fear and are in awe of your creator. Do his commandments. Because that is the purpose of every individual. To be able to have a relationship of awe and love and fear with our Creator. Read His instruction manual. Do the instructions, follow them, because that is your entire purpose. At the end, everything is heard, my friends. It's like a movie. You get up to the pearly gates and they show you a highlight reel of your life. Every single stage of your life and every decision that you ever made, good, bad, and otherwise. And that oftentimes, just as an aside, and we'll finish with this with Pierre Vot, a lot of people refer to hell as demons with horns and pitchforks and roasting barbecues. There is an idea that the heat, the fire of hell is the embarrassment, the shame. That when we see this video, when we see the choices that we made, when we see what would have happened when we took a left instead of a right at that fork in the road, and we made a choice that wasn't correct, and suddenly we have clarity on it, it's that heat, you know, the embarrassment, the shame, where your face starts to get red and flush, and suddenly there's nowhere for you to hide because the embarrassment is such an easy decision, and yet I was fooled so easily, and now because of that I have to pay such a heavy price, I've got to go back. That shame is the heat of hell, so to speak. That's again, like I said in the beginning, a bit of a heavier one today. But this is life, my friends. There's no escaping it. And the more you try to escape it, the harder it's going to hit when it lands. We now get back into the book. What are we talking about? We're talking about doctors. We're talking about healing. We're talking about what happens when we get sick, right? And it says that anyone in the medical field must know that he or she performs a lofty task in this world. Doctors typically will get into the business of medicine because they're compassionate and they want to heal people. There's nothing loftier than that. To be able to give somebody an extended life, another day, another hour, another minute to be able to do a mitzvah in this world, to be able to reconcile things in this world. There are very few things loftier than that, my friends. The only thing I can think of that's loftier than that is being able to heal somebody's soul. Means if you walk around this life and you've got your physical health, but you don't have your emotional and spiritual health, sometimes it's not even worth being here. It says those who choose a career in medicine are people of compassion. The characteristics of mercy and compassion, combined with a desire to aid humanity, are wonderful incentives to learn medicine. And that's what people, by and large, get into medicine for. Obviously, there are people who get into it for the money and for the fame and the prestige because their parents want them to become doctors so that the parents can show off. But by and large, if they're pushing through and they're coming out the other end, it's generally because they're compassionate people. They want to help. Nevertheless, it says physicians must avoid the pitfall of arrogance and remember that they are only messengers of healing. This goes out to all the doctors who are listening. Anybody in the medical field, know your place, know who you are. Forget that idea called the God complex, which unfortunately exists in the world of medicine as well as other industries. For the creator alone decides who will live and who will die. Remember that. Put that into your head when you're going into the office next day, when you're going into work at the hospital. Remember every time you go in, before you pull the door to get in, that God decides who lives and who dies. You just make your best efforts. He also decides how much a person will suffer and whether or not he or she will be cured. That doesn't mean you don't make an effort. You have to give 100%. This model applies throughout life in all areas of our lives. Just because we are not responsible for outcomes does not absolve us from the requirement to make an effort. It says, Lo alecha melechaligmor, it's not in your hands to finish the job. But you're also not free to absolve yourself of the obligation. You have an obligation to give 100%. The outcome is still not in your hands. So what does a doctor need to do? A physician needs to pray daily before he begins his day's work that the creator will help him to be a worthy emissary, because that's all you are. You are a go-between. Don't think too highly of yourself. Remember, if you let God work through you, he will. If you don't, then he won't, and you will end up in a very bad position. His prayers should also include a special request that he merit being an agent of healing and not an agent of death. God forbid. The slightest mistake or misjudgment can have tragic and fatal results that will have ripple effects that will affect so many people. That's why medical professionals need to always plead to the Creator for divine assistance in everything that they do. They should also ask for patience, understanding, and sensitivity with their patients, helping them to instill hope and strength in anyone who seeks their assistance. How critical is it to have bedside manners? One day I'll tell you the story that rocked my life and my wife's life and our entire family because of a doctor who was overzealous, young and out to prove herself, and she caused so much trauma unnecessary to our family because she lacked all bedside manners and made all kinds of hypotheses based on a quick x-ray. It was shocking and it was terribly handled. And because of that, we had to suffer some trauma that nobody wants to relive. The point is that if we are a doctor, if we're in the medical world, know that our job is critical and it is at the pinnacle of life that we are here to either save lives or, God forbid, take lives. Why do you think doctors have the Hippocratic oath? They all have to take a Hippocratic oath. Why? Because they know that there is this thing called the God complex. That if you feel like you're saving your patients' lives, that you're the be-all end-all, that you're the smartest and the most capable doctor in your field. And without you, people would die en masse, then it's natural for you to develop a God complex, or it's very easy to if you're not actively working on yourself to recognize where the healing is coming from. That's why they have the Hippocratic Oath, which says that a doctor is swearing to not cause intentional harm to a patient. Why? We just finished saying that they're compassionate. They get into the business because they're compassionate. And the answer is because they are human. Eventually they will corrupt themselves into thinking that they are God or God like and attribute too much power to themselves. And then what ends up happening? What we just finished saying. No bedside manners. You owe me, you should be grateful that I'm sitting with you. You should be grateful that I've made room for you in my schedule book. You know, in Canada, it's ridiculous the way times for specialists that when you see them, it's like, what are you guys, God? That I can't have to wait six months to come and sit before you? And then, God forbid I didn't do something right or bring the right information. I need to reschedule. It's months out. Meanwhile, people's illnesses are progressing by the second that living with chronic illness and pain and suffering or a death diagnosis, and you're pushing them out months in Canada, that's the standard. But when you get there, it's the arrogance that's oozing off of them, them and everybody that works for them, to say, be grateful that we gave you an opportunity to come in here and speak with us. It's the wrong approach to medicine. The human component of medicine, where you have a relationship with your patient who can see in your eyes and understand that you are with them emotionally and spiritually, that is what breeds confidence in your abilities from your patients and will likely contribute to a better outcome. Only if it's legit, though. If it really comes from your heart and you really care and you're really compassionate, and you're able to maintain perspective on who runs the show, then you come with modesty and humility. And your patient understands that, that becomes a team effort in healing, and your odds of success are that much better. Until tomorrow, my friends, have an amazing rest of your weekend. Thank you for spending time with us on the Trust Factor Podcast. If you've heard something today that moved you, save this episode and share it with someone who might need to hear it. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss upcoming conversations that challenge, empower, and uplift. And if you're on social media, connect with us. Leave your thoughts, drop a quote that resonated with you. Hashtag the TrustFactor Podcast. Until next time, keep growing in your trust and keep living with purpose. I'm Jesse Revivo, and this has been the Trust Factor Podcast. Thanks for listening.