Unboxing Judaism · Rabbi Yaakov Nagel & Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

00:01 - Intro (Announcement)
You're listening to Rabbi Yaakov Nagel and Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe from TORCH, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston. This is the Unboxing Judaism Podcast.

00:13 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Welcome back to another episode of the Unboxing Judaism Podcast.

00:17 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
This is Rabbi Yaakov Nagel here.

00:19 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe. It's such a pleasure to be here. Rabbi Nagel, and what mazal tov to you. You're making a chassan in two weeks.

00:25 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
And ma'azel tov to you. You're a great grandfather.

00:29 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Nacham al-baruch Hashem. We should always share nachas and enjoy learning and teaching Torah and hopefully having many, many, many generations of continued k'ir vasalikim.

00:43 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
Right, absolutely continued, continued uh kira vasily kim.

00:44 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Right, absolutely so. The topic I wanted to uh address this week is something which last week was even more potent and more on people's minds. But last week was elections and you had in new york city a I don't know what you call him a democratic socialist or a communist that was elected for mayor of New York City the largest population of Jews outside of Israel, and I think it'll greatly affect them, it'll affect the city of New York.

01:14 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
He's not just. Okay, let's be a little bit more specific. It's not just that he's a Democrat and he's a communist, it's a lot worse than that, really, he's not a Semite. He's straight up about it. He doesn't even deny it.

01:28 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Right. So the Shiloh that I wanted to, the question I wanted to address really was the response that a Jewish person should have towards elections, whether it be in the United States, whether it be back in Poland or in Hungary or in Czechoslovakia, russia, anywhere in the world. Wherever the Jewish people were, we were always at a time where they were confident that they were in the land of peace. The old Jews in Poland used to call it Poland, this is our land. This is our land. This is in Germany. We know, tragically, the reform movement back in the early 1800s. They declared that Germany was their Israel and Berlin was their Jerusalem. I mean to that degree that Jews felt so comfortable.

02:19
They felt that complacent is. It almost shows the negativity of it, but it's like people really felt that this is it, we've reached our pinnacle.

02:31 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
The most loyal German was the German Jew. That's the scariest thing to think about. The most loyal German, the best citizen, the one who bought into the values of Germany, was the German Jew, and that's the Jews. All values of Germany was the Germans, and that's the Jews all over.

02:48 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
That's the irony. That's the irony of it.

02:50 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
No, jews in general, we buy into these things, we want to be so. We really so much want to be a part of a country that we're living in. We double down, try our hardest to be that, and that's the history. It's frightening Until we're kicked out.

03:10 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Historically and my students who listen to my other podcasts have heard this from me multiple times is that the Jewish people always lived next to water and they were always jewelers. They were never involved in real estate like you have. Now in the United States and even around the world, we have Jews heavily invested in real estate. It used to never be that way. It used to be that Jews were peddlers. They had whether it be diamonds, jewelry, things that were small, because they never knew what would come the next day. So they would take it, put it in their bag, in their pocket, and get out with the nearest boat. They were always next to water. You know, maybe that's why Jews are in New York. They can get right on a boat and get out.

03:50 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
That's how they ended up there. But we get so comfortable in a place and especially, like you know, like really in America especially, it's different than all the countries in Europe. That was a monarchy, depends on the king, depends on so many things. Here it's a democracy. There's the freedom of religion.

04:13 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Freedom of speech. Freedom of speech.

04:17 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
There's all these guaranteed freedoms to its citizens and the importance of each person has their own importance and they're protected. All these protections, these civil rights and all these things serve to make the Jew especially comfortable in the land of America and it's scary to think that. Are we seeing the end of that? That's really what's the scary thought, and the scary part is that it's like all of us were thinking it's like so many. It's overwhelmingly Jewish in New York City Millions I don't know the number millions of Jews. They would all vote for their self-interest. There's no way that this mayor could have been elected Impossible.

05:14 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
And there's this cycle where the Jewish people have always gone back to their captors, almost in a way. If you look at throughout history, the Jewish people always wanted back to fall in the graces of their, the people who were uh, you know, controlling their lands and you know, and almost convincing themselves falsely, that salvation will come from that this time.

05:39 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
This time it's different. That's what we say. This time it's different, anyway, that's what he said. This time it's different. Anyway, but the important thing to realize and this is what I think is the most important message that people, after the fact that he won overwhelmingly, people were devastated, and it's very important to recognize is that there's what we need to do in terms of our before the election. Everything in our power that we can is we need to exercise our free will to do what's in our own best interest, but after the fact, we need to remember and that's just sometimes what God sends us this reminder what does happen is what God decides. We need to remember that and we don't always understand why would God make this decision, but we do need to recognize that he knows better than us.

06:42 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
It's almost that. Perhaps the message is that we don better than us. You know, it's almost that, the Jew. Perhaps the message is that we don't know exactly. I mean, even though we look at the teachings of Rabbanach, when he always says that God communicates in a very simple way. You don't have to think too deep.

06:56 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
It's not brain surgery.

06:57 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
It's not brain surgery. It's right there in the open. Perhaps what Hashem is telling us is that we're too comfortable here and it's time to remember that you're in Golis. And it's funny because just a couple of weeks before that, there was an uprising, a huge uprising, an uproar online on the interwebs of all of these right-wing anti-Semites. You have Tucker Carlson and you have Candace Owens and you have all of these other right-wing pundits who have started expressing concerning serious and concerning anti-Semitic rhetoric, and it was very jarring.

07:33
And many of my students I have students baruch Hashem, from the full spectrum, right and left, and extreme right, extreme left and they were very concerned. What's going on here? What's going on? And I said, perhaps it's Hashem waking us up because you know, I remember when Trump's election in 2020 was stolen. Okay, I'm a big believer that it was stolen, but either way. So those of you who don't think so, online it's fine, we can have different opinions, but maybe I'm a little crazy, but either way, when he did not go into office and many people were like how is this possible? How is this possible that someone who did so much good for Israel is being treated like this by the Almighty? Doesn't Hashem repay those who do good for Klal Yisrael. We just said in last week's Torah portion those who bless you will be blessed.

08:21
Those who curse you will be cursed. And here's someone who's only showered blessings on the Jewish people Only. Even left-wing students of mine will always admit they said I can't stand the guy, but he's been an unbelievable blessing for the Jewish people. It's undeniable, undeniable and there's no even comparison. There's no one who's ever gone out of their way like he has for Israel and now we see with the hostages in Trump 47, it's been an unbelievable blessing for the Jewish people. So people were very bothered about it and I had people who were telling me that they're concerned with the way the United States is going. Are we becoming more? More of our liberties are going to be taken away? Are we going to have martial law? All of these? You know things that were going to happen under Biden. And then comes the Messiah. What's the Messiah? Trump 47. And everybody's like, oh, the savior is here. And I'm hearing people say all the time and I think that there's a huge, huge, huge casualty that people feel confidence in our leaders instead of having confidence in the Almighty.

09:29 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
It's such important, and I think that if it was left-wing antisemitism.

09:32 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
look at that, we're used to, but right-wing, that's unheard of.

09:39
That's a whole different story and I think that that's what Hashem is waking us up. Hashem is telling us guys, I'm right here, okay, don't forget me. Don't forget me, not right wing, not left wing. Trump, biden, kamala, whoever it may be, remember that I'm a Kaddish Boruchu. I'm the Almighty. I'm here to protect you. I'm here to and sometimes that message isn't potent enough, so we have to get a much more acute awakening from a candidate like this in New York city. So to me, that was part of what in my mind was like oh it's, it's obvious that this is going to, and you know, you should just know.

10:16
I remember in 2016, I called my father about a week or so before the election and I said I hate to break this to you, but I really think that Hillary is going to win. I said I think Hashem wants her to win, because we're too comfortable in the United States. We need to be woken up and, as a people, perhaps this is the message. Hashem just wants us to wake up. And you know, baruch, hashem Trump did win in 2016 and did amazing things for Israel and the Jewish people, and it's not only the Abraham Accords, and it's not only moving the embassy to Jerusalem. And it's not only the Golan Heights, it's not only all of those other things that are essential for the protection of the land of Israel. And obviously, hashem is our Hashemer, hashem is the one who watches over us, but to have a living president stand up for the rights of Israel and its people is unprecedented.

11:14 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
To that degree. To that degree you know the reason why Jews there's no question that the Jewish people have had friends in the Oval Office, no question. But there's friends and there's friends. That's really what it is, and it's true. It's a different level and something that we need to be makerto, we need to be appreciative, but we can never forget that there's an Almighty. And in all these things, we have to always remember al-tiftuchu b'nediva means do not trust in the generous donors. You never know whether they're going to be in power.

11:51 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Today they're here, tomorrow they're there.

11:53 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
Exactly, and that's all. The only one to trust in is in God himself, and we need to always. And unfortunately, when we remember it ourselves, then we don't need to be reminded. But when we don't remember it ourselves, then we don't need to be reminded.

12:05 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
But when we don't remember it, then these reminders come along and sometimes they can be uncomfortable reminders, yes, so. So the question is like this regarding all I mean I, I know you you addressed it a little bit of what we do before elections and what we do after elections. Before elections, you said we put all of our hishtadlus and we put our efforts forward in what's best for the Jewish people. After the election, we just have to accept that this is a decree from the Almighty and accept it. The question I have is, you know, should people be volunteering, should people be spending money on politicians and on campaigns, and campaigning with I mean is this?

12:50 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
Listen, I have a strong opinion on this. I do believe that there is a place for something like cultivating goodwill amongst politicians. It's pretty well documented that our great leaders in the past have petitioned senators.

13:07 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
I mean we see it in the Talmud Right. They're sending a gift to the Caesar?

13:12 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
Yes, and gifts to the Caesar, and we find how Rabbi Akiva went to Rome and a lot of people all throughout history, our great leaders, recognize the importance of trying to curry favor. But the main thing is, and the very important thing is, to remember that this is all part of what we call Ishtadlos, what we call our effort. God wants us to put in that effort, and that's it. And once you did it, you did it, and more than that not. That effort and that's it. And once you did it, you did it, and more than that not.

13:48
And I, therefore, I personally, I draw the line that you know, like people say, throw money at the politicians. To me, that's like there's so much need for our own institutions. Let the gentile donor feels the same way as you donate to the politicians. People give thousands and millions of dollars to these. I just find it's like thinking I'll tell you what bothers me. I don't think what falls into the category of effort is effort, but when you put that kind of money into something like this, then you actually think that it's you doing it and that's what, and and and that's what we need to remember.

14:38
That's not we can't control, and you know, and it's very important to remember. Like it comes from, I feel like I'm in power and I can. I have all this wealth. I can do with it as I please and control events. And that's, to me, the scary lesson that we need to always bring home we are not in control, as successful as we might be and as God we always have to remember. It's God who showered that success. He gave it to us. He could take it away from us, and it's my success. I use it to us. He could take it away from us, and it's my success. I use it as my power play. It's me. It's me. At some point, you can no longer call it my doing effort. It crosses the lines of I'm looking to control the outcome Almost an aspect of kol chivot samyadi Right.

15:33 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
It's my strength, my power.

15:34 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
That's how I look at it and to me I mean look, there's other ways to look at it. To me that's the line when you're crossing the line past the shtadlus into I control events. I can dictate what's going to happen. My dollars are going to change the results. You're what's going to happen. My dollars are going to change the results. That's you're going to be you're, you're, you're expecting to, you're, you're, you're crossing dangerous territory and and you might, you might, come to some serious disappointment.

16:02 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Right. Well, the disappointment can also be.

16:04 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
They invested in the wrong, in the wrong candidates, I mean people, people invest in both candidates.

16:09 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
I mean, I've seen that too, you know I, I actually, uh, know somebody who was heavily invested in trump 45 and then went with nikki haley and put all his money behind nikki haley and then when trump won, again he was on the outs because he, he, he, bet on the wrong, on the wrong horse.

16:29
And, yeah, someone who was actually very close and to me it was surprising when I heard this. It was very, very surprising because, you know, this person was honored by Trump 45, tremendously, and I thought it was just maybe a lack of a lack of appreciation and gratitude. You know someone who really was a lack of appreciation and gratitude. You know someone who who really supportive, so supportive of you in return. You know some. You know the mission says don't put your faith in politicians because the day after they win they forget your name but here right, not only forget.

17:05 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
I'm sorry. Who are you? Not only forget your name is one thing, but like your persona non grata you know, like anymore. Because what have you done for me lately? That's the. That's really what the mission is saying. It's like they're only interested in more and more and more and now and now and now, and what was is gone, and it's like a bottomless pit.

17:26 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Anyway, it's tragic, yeah. So what's the outcome of all this? What do we have as a result?

17:32 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
Like you say, we need to get comfortable being uncomfortable. We need to get comfortable being uncomfortable in this land. To me, it's like God's giving us that healthy nudge in the right direction, of recognizing that there is a place where we really belong and start planning at least planning to make that a reality. That's how I look at it.

17:59 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
You know there are a couple of things. Number one is that recently in Shar Ha-Emes, in the Gate of Truth, in the Urcha Tzaddikim, I was shocked when I was learning this with our class here at the Torch, the magnificent Torch Center here in Houston, texas, and we got to a point where the author writes that the reason why the Almighty sent us to all four corners of the world in exile is so that we be a light unto the nations where we represent the Almighty, and then they convert to Judaism and then we fulfill our mission in this world of spreading Hashem's name. And to me it's like you know, we don't go out and proselytize, we don't go out and convert. We don't have missionaries. That's not the way we operate as Jewish people. In fact, when someone comes to convert, we push them away, as you know as a member of the Houston Besdan. So it was amazing to see that, because it was telling that we have a job in our exile, that we're in. Some people forget that we're in exile. We are in Golis. We are in exile now and it's almost too comfortable to remember that. We need to remember we have a purpose here. Our purpose is not just to live in peace. Our purpose is to represent the Almighty in this world and to be, when someone looks at us, that the name of the Almighty is represented by you. And you know, to me that's, I think, the number one responsibility that we have.

19:38
And I think, if we may talk about October 7th, you know I have a student in one of my Hebrew classes. He told me he's an October 8th Shomer, shabbos Jew. He says till that day, it never even occurred to him to keep Shabbos jew. He says till that day, he never even occurred to him to keep shop. This is me. I'm a hilloni, I'm, I'm a. I'm a non-religious israeli. Leave me alone. It's not. It's not me. And the morning after october 7th, his wife says to him we're keeping shabbos. He's like what are you talking about keeping shabbos? She says yes, we're keeping shabbos. From then on they've been keeping Shabbos. So it's an unbelievable thing how that has.

20:12 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
It's not a one-off.

20:13 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
It's not a one-off. There's hundreds of thousands. It's amazing.

20:17 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
But this is the reaction I mean. First of all, it's like the line Mi ka'amcha Yisrael applies here. You'd think that a patch like that would be would throw people the other way, but it has the exact opposite result Smack across the face. And we had so much trust in our superior technology, our superior everything which was worthless.

20:44 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
IDF and Mossad and et cetera. Yeah, we know everything.

20:46 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
We're watching everything. We know what's going on. There's no way. It's impossible. They're a bunch of backward idiots. They have no ability to do anything. We're watching everything. We know what's going on. There's no way. It's impossible. They're a bunch of backward idiots. They have no ability to do anything. We're safe and secure with our technology and with our knowledge and with our superior army and everything, baloney. And so you think, wow, what a smack across the face. That was, what a wake up. And yet what is our result? It's like we turn around and we said you know, god, you're right, you're right. We were trusting in ourselves, not in you, and I mean you could listen to the stories. Forget about the other people, but the people, the hostages themselves.

21:31 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
It's amazing Each one, each one.

21:33 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
You could cry from it the motion of how inspirational each one of them are, unbelievable, and miracles you can't even describe that are happening, that happen to them in their survival and they're turning to God in the the dark. Unbelievable, it's unbelievable and this is something we live in unprecedented times and we need to just wake up.

22:02 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
That simple it's like almost where we see by uh, samson, by shimshon it, where it says from the bitter became very sweet. And to me it's like sometimes that potch is inevitable because we're sleeping, we have to wake up and only sweetness comes out of it.

22:24 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
Oh, it's unbelievable. I mean, when you think about it, it's like there's a verse in Tehillim that we say which means your staff and your cane, they're what comfort me. And the staff means the staff that we get beaten from.

22:44 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
We're like the sheep that get beaten with a stick To guide us in what direction to go To guide us, and that's what gives us comfort that we're not letting.

22:52 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
You're not letting us stray too far. You beat us to get back to the right path, and that's exactly what that was. It was a hit to send us back into the right direction. It's an amazing thing and it gives us comfort. That's what it is. That gives us comfort and gives us comfort. That's what it is.

23:10 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
That gives us comfort, and that's really what that is. No, Hashem should help us. We should not need those patch. Those patch in plural, Not one and not any in our lives. The truth is, we've had too many of them throughout our history, whether it be the Jews of Spain, I mean, I have a list here of all of the exiles that the Jewish people experienced.

23:33
I mean it's pages and pages and pages in very small funds and it's only the last thousand years. It's really. There hasn't been 10 years, 10 years in the last thousand years, or 2000 years without a history of a massacre, or 2,000 years without a history of a massacre.

23:56 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
It's shocking, you're like nah, it can't be Right. Look, Documented.

24:00 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
It's unbelievable. So, yeah, so we do have to wake up and we have to realize that Hashem expects more from us. We can do great things.

24:10 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
He believes in us. We can do great things. He believes in us, we can be that light. We can absolutely be that light, be our best selves. Let the nation see how we live and to me, like I said, the fact that we took it and turned it around to become more connected to God, we took it the right way. That's exactly all God wanted. So let's just continue that direction and that's it. Bring us over the finish line.

24:41 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
And what do you say to the Jews of New York who are, nebuch, sadly, dealing with an incumbent mayor? Not incumbent, sorry, a mayor-elect.

24:51 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
Mayor-elect yeah, it's very simple.

24:53 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Moved to Texas. No, no, no, moved to Florida.

24:57 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
No, it's not a matter of moving, it's a matter of you know. Always do the simple thing. Serve God the best way you can, don't get too comfortable where you are and be a light unto the nations in your behavior, your actions, and you'll see the best blessing will come.

25:17
That's the bottom line. It's amazing I heard well, there was somebody who talked about in general, like we're always like afraid that the Gentiles are trying to always harm us, and Hashem also put in the Gentiles something that protects us, so like they're out to get us, but there's catch with something that also protects us. And what is that? That in addition to although it's true that they hate us and would want to do us harm, but they're also extremely lazy and they don't do anything. So it's an amazing thing. But what it means is is that we need to recognize that the danger is there and we got to worry. We got to not worry, but you need to channel ourselves in the right directions. You need to channel ourselves in the right directions really pray to God, really really talk to God on a. You know we have three times a day that we have a private communion with God. Connect to that and absolutely you have another.

26:18 - Intro (Announcement)
and before you know it you know, don't worry about it.

26:21 - Rabbi Yaakov Nagel (Co-host)
God has his ways, he has an amazing sense of humor and things can turn around. It's not the point and maybe the message is to I wouldn't say move to Texas or Florida. I would say Go all the way already.

26:38 - Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe (Co-host)
Go to Yerushalayim. Go to Yerushalayim exactly. I do tell people, though, and my friends in New York, I tell them there's so many people that make Aliyah from Houston. It almost gives me a feeling that Texas is closer to Israel than New York is, even though it's 2000 miles closer. But, um, but just one of the things that you were mentioning that the nations of the world sometimes you know they want it, they want to hate us, but they're not willing to get up to go do it, uh, to go you know, they're lazy also.

27:03
So it reminds me that the, the, the muslims, have a very difficult calendar. Apparently, the only people who know how to figure out their calendar are jews. So they said, even if they kill all the jews, they're gonna have to save one who's able to calculate their calendar, because their whole schedule is too complicated.

27:25
They they have. There's a jew who manages the, the muslim schedule, so that they know when ramadan is and they know when all of their, their holidays are. So it's like they still need to make sure they save one. No, hopefully a lot more than one. We're all in god's hands. Yeah, that's the bottom line okay all right.

27:44
So, my dear friends, thank you so much for joining us. To be continued, we have many, many more exciting episodes, god willing, coming in the future, and we're going to hopefully be more regular in our production of these episodes. If you'd like to ask anything, you're welcome to email us at unboxing at torchweborg. Unboxing at torchweborg. Unboxing at torchweborg. Thank you so much. Rabbein Egel Pleasure. It's been an awesome pleasure. Thank you so much, my dear friends.

28:11 - Intro (Announcement)
Thank you for listening to the Unboxing Judaism podcast. We want your questions. If you'd like your question featured in a future episode, please email us at unboxing at torchweb.org. We look forward to hearing from you.