Overcoming Materialism For the New Year & Rosh Hashana that Falls on Shabbos

You're listening to Talk Line with Zev Brener. America's premier Jewish broadcast on the air since 1981. >> And now [music] here's your host. >> And we're back. It's always an honor or privilege to have Rabbi Daniel J. Gladson with us. A prolific writer, author. He's written so many different books since and really innovative and he's a popular lecturer. And when I heard people say, "Oh, you have Rabbi Glatson on tonight." Said, "Oh, we're excited. Happy to hear him." and he's uh uh one his book on Rashashan and the high holiday seasons called the mystery and the m majesty came out a number of years ago from art scroll he's also magia publishing and the rabbi in cedhurst New York thank you for joining us goodv >> good thanks for having me how are you >> thank you so what I wanted to focus on was with the Jewish new year with Russashana coming people always wondering how to better themselves one of the problems we as a society face is the growing materialism And that affects our religious service. I know that the the thinking is when you say the schma, you say that prayer, you say that you're supposed to serve God with all your wealth. But I think the villagan says even if you have money, you still got to serve God. Question is, how do we get over the materialism, the consumerism that we have and make this a more effective and spiritual new year for all of us? >> Okay. Uh good question. And that's in a way the question of the day, the challenge of the generation, the challenge of materialism. Um, if you were to ask most people what's a bigger test, poverty or wealth, most people would say they would always take the test of wealth. You know, bring it on. that uh looking back at history during generations where people had deprivation, they didn't have food to eat, they couldn't feed their children, a test like that is uh so challenging and so difficult. But the test of wealth, we don't necessarily even consider it a challenge or a test. But yet if you look in most the aladesh writes about this in many places that the challenge of wealth is far greater than the challenge of poverty and it's more difficult to serve God out of affluence and success than it is to serve him out of deprivation and hardship. Um actually in a way that's something that we have going for us. You know the writes, I think last time uh you had me on to speak about the work see peace Yeshua awaiting the coming of Messiah and writes that in his time when there was so much poverty and deprivation and yet Jews were still serving God that that is such a great merit uh that will surely expedite the coming of the Messiah. But actually in light of what we're mentioning now that the challenge of wealth and affluence is a far greater challenge than the fact that we serve God uh in our times is actually more impressive than the fact that they served him 100 years ago. So uh it is quite challenging whether it's um financial success whether it's materialism it brings to a certain degree of entitlement and immersion in the physical world. You know, Raay teaches that it's impossible to be dedicated and to be immersed and to be driven and drawn after spirituality and physicality. In other words, you can't you can't be driven by both and you have to make a decision. You have to make a choice. So, that's certainly a challenge of our time. Um the the way we deal with it would would have to be to uh uh increase our devotion and dedication to the study of Tyra because when uh when the Jewish soul appreciates Torah study and in other words if we're focused on it and we don't allow uh ourselves to be distracted then a focused Torah study will allow a person to begin to uh to savor and to taste what stu what true spiritual delight is. And then the two don't don't really compare. Um, anybody who's ever been given a taste of the beauty of of Torah study, the majesty of Torah study, uh, is now better equipped to make the choice in life, uh, which what to pursue and what to value and what to hold in high esteem. But here's the problem, Robert Glasson, is that a lot of people have affluence and consumerism and they go to shul and they'll make them blow out kittish and they'll do go to most exotic places around the world. But there is a creeping materialism that I think it affects fact who we honor in some of our shs are people who have big contributors and there's nothing wrong with doing that. But it sets the message that what we respect most is money. Yeah, that's it is a problem. Um, it's something that that society at large is uh is very steeped in and there's no simple solution. But in terms of for an individual um to have a fighting chance to to steer themselves on the right path, one would have to make a very valiant attempt to to try to immerse themsel in true spiritual pursuit. Whether that I'll give you a few examples whether that's prayer. Now you know one thing that's rampant in our time is people are not experiencing true prayer. First of all they're coming into the shul with uh with their phones. So even if they have the good decency to put it on vibrate or to turn it off they're still tethered to it. So they haven't even begun to let go and to give uh sincere prayer a chance. So the first step would be okay it's uh two weeks before rashash shana actually we're starting we started a movement called the amino um we produced a video over 125,000 people saw it so far and we have um over a hundred people who have committed themselves not to bring a phone in a shul you know if you ask most people what is prayer most people don't know they don't have no idea what it is they think it's a way of beseeching God to get their requests answered They're got they're coming to pray for money or for success or for health. That's not actually even one of one of the objectives of prayer teaches. Prayer is a an expression an expression of the yearning of the soul to connect with Hashem. B expressing gratitude to God. see uh recognizing God's uh elevated greatness and our uh unworthiness. Most people don't even aren't even aware that that's they're they're trying to accomplish these tasks in in their so the first thing is to disconnect to say okay I'm giving myself now a certain amount of time for my shakus I'm I'm dedicating now myself now to to express my nishama's yearning for the creator to show gratitude to him to feel his greatness to feel my uh loneliness and once a person begins to to experience spirituality then they realize a certain emptiness of the physical pursuit. I mean this applies by all manners of Judaism. You know, I ask people, "What's shabas?" I don't know. Shabas is a day that to sleep. That's, you know, that's a very uh unfortunately a very juvenile perception of what shabas is. You know, if you ask somebody how was the restaurant? So, if somebody's unsophisticated consumer, they would say uh either good, bad, or mediocre. But the sophisticated connoisseur would would ask, "What do you mean how is the restaurant? You mean the ambiance? Do you mean the uh the aud? Yeah. Someone who's a little bit more sophisticated could break it down further. So someone who is more sophisticated uh spiritually will be able to discern there's a certain type of sanctity for Friday night. There's a certain type of sanctity for Shabas morning for Shabas by Mina Friday night. The focus of of Shabas is on, you know, there are three historic Shabas in our in our history. There's the Shabas that God rested from creation. And that's why Friday night we have a special uh where we talk about how after creating the world in six days, Hashem rested on the seventh day. And that's why this mirror of Friday night are are focused on uh Hashem resting from creating the world. Shabas morning is a commemoration of Shabas Matra when Hashem gave the Torah to the Jewish people. All the added fel of Shabas morning are focused on God giving the Torah to the Jewish people. The ziro that we see Shabas morning are focused on God giving the Torah to the Jewish people. Shabas by um Mina is uh commemorating Shabas of the future of Alam Haba and it re all aspects of Judaism um require great study and great analysis. So look I always uh like to say that the biggest danger in our society is what we call cultural Judaism. Cultural Judaism is when things are devoid of any spiritual content and it's just a matter of the culinary aspect of of the holidays or of the shabas or or just practicing what was without any understanding. So that's it's an empty shell. It has no meaning and it's not going to be something that will be successfully passed down to the next generation. uh one has to have not cultural Judaism but inspired and educated Judaism. So you know it's not a wonder why there's immersion in the physical world because there's no if without appreciation for spirituality then uh there aren't there aren't it isn't even uh an even playing field. So it really the most important thing is uh education and all aspects of Judaism need constant you know in any career whether you're a doctor you're a lawyer you're an accountant whatever you are you need continuing continual education even somebody who went to medical school for for a decade needs continuing education and same thing in Judaism all aspects of yahadus have to be constantly uh studied and uh we have to elevate our our understanding and appreciation and level of educa of education. So uh you know that that's something important to think about for the upcoming year. You know that this year there's this uh special >> well there's this year there's no show for blowing at Shabas the first no show for blowing. You know that historically all the best years for the Jewish people were always when uh Rashashana came out on Shabas like when we uh God forgave us for the Mishkan or when we for the Aal or when we built the Mishkan or when we entered the land of Israel. These were all years that Rashashana came out on Chabas. On the other hand, the worst years in our history were when Rashashana came out on Chabas. Both the first temple and the second temple were destroyed on years that Rashashana came out on Shabas. 9 um October 7th Rashashana came out on Shabas and this is an observation that the Ara famously makes. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. >> So when was when was the best of times when it came out in Shabas? You gave us some of the worst >> when we built the Mishkan. The year that we built the Mishkan. the year we entered the holy land when God brought us into Israel that year uh we have a a record that year rash shan came out on chabas recently rabbi Daniel Jay Gladstein he's a prolific writer he is the rabbi of kahila steris morai his book on rashashan and the and the high holiday seasons called the mystery and the majesty from art scroll and we're going to be right back don't go away stay tuned if you'd like to participate in our conversation our phone numbers 212769-1925 email wonderful way to get your questions answered zevatalkline network.com zevatalkline network.com and we're going to be right back don't go away and coming up in a little while Susan Rosenbull the editor of the Jewish voice and opinion on Jewish blurred vision all upcoming one week from tonight Congressman Mike Larler of Rockland County will be joining us as well we'll be right back. >> Hello everyone. This is Rabbi Masha Yagid. 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So Zev Yashikov, may you go from strength to strength and keep keep informing us and educating us and keep fighting for Jewish values. >> Hold on tight. We are in the overdrive. >> This is your number one station. You're listening to Talk Line with Zev Brener. America's premier Jewish broadcast on the air since 1981. >> And now here's your host. [music] >> And we're back. Rabbi Daniel J. Glassy Prolific author, writer, lecturer Ravilus Deferis Morai Arilus Morai in Cedarhurst, New York. And we'll take some we'll take one or two phone call. Let's go to Arya in Flamp. You have a question for our guest. Go ahead. Yes. You know, the problem is is that we we have a when we address a problem, we have a head in the clouds and I think that's the way uh it was when you explained this the test of wealth. I think the and the alik are talking about two different situations. Uh one is practical and one is uh the exception of of where a rich man uh his sublime service is interfered with by his wealth. I mean that does not is not the test of wealth. The real test of wealth is if you're happy with what you have. Now, a wealthy person does not have too much difficulty being happy with what he has. And a poor person has no choice but to be happy with what he has. It's the person in the middle who can acquire more wealth instead of spirituality. That's the one who's faced with the test. And that's what we have in society today with people in the middle seeking to get money at all costs. talking about the stock market on Chabis, charging outrageous rents for for basement apartments so Gidden can't even live in society anymore. Pure greed on people who want to acquire more money. It's not the wealthy that are failing this test and it's not the poor, it's the people, it's the middle class which comprise most of us and the rabbis are not addressing that. >> Rabbi Gling will address it. Go ahead, Rabbi Glass. Okay. So just I'll take exception with one [clears throat] point that uh when you mention that it's the middle class that has the hard time being happy what they have but the wealthy the wealthy they don't they're not challenged to be happy with the with what they had. But actually the human condition is not like that. The human condition is that no matter how much we have we're not satisfied. And actually usually the way it works is the more a person has the more they feel they're missing. I mean our sages teach us if you have a 100 you want 200. If you have 200 you want an additional 200. So actually the one who has 200 is more needy than the one who only has 100. So you the human condition is such that if you have uh seemingly every pleasure in the world, you're more needy and more lacking and more wanting and more desirous and feeling more empty than someone in the middle. So uh you know that's >> go ahead recognize >> I I that again is very theoretical because that is the human condition but uh a great many people and perhaps even the majority in any segment of society any given segment of society might be able to overcome that because in the end it's only the human condition and we're supposed to be able to rise above it with the Torah. But you know what really negates what you said? >> I'll allude to fiddler on the roof. Tevia when he's when he when he appeals when he beseeches Hashem and says would it hurt to have a little wealth just to be a little have a little money. Do you think coming from his poverty that if Hashem blessed him with wealth that all of a sudden he would succumb he would fall into that bottomless pit of greed? I don't think so. >> I don't think human condition applies to to to real to real ever sticky hidden. I don't think so. >> It appi it's a uh it's a reality of existence. Uh actually it applies to everybody. Uh the only person who we know definitely was able to rise above that challenge was Abrahamu himself where the Torah says he died happy and satisfied. And Ramban explains that that was a big um that as a poe in contra distinction to the rest of mankind who who taught us about the sages they just teach us no one has ever died having even half of what they want. So a it's a human condition and b it's a universal condition. We try as best as we can to overcome. But uh >> okay, it's not it's not only Abra with the sages as well. We we learned that the sages the Tanaya only worked a certain amount of hours until they had enough food to survive and then they stopped. That is perhaps the best example of overcoming the misan of wealth. If they had a business to actually shut the business to learn Torah because you made enough money for the day. So it's not only Abrahamu. I mean he maybe he set the example for a lot of people in in in down through the ages but I think it's a legacy that we didn't have the kayak to do that and I think that >> we certainly have >> we certainly have the kayak but >> we have people that retire people retire goel and they learn they in other words they work up to a certain point and they and they look forward to doing this they said I'm going to retire at a certain age and they don't they don't seek like unlimited unbridled wealth Anyway, you raised some very good points uh Rabbi Glatsina. That's I want to take one or two more questions, but uh really good points and it's something we have to grapple. I think there's a growing materialism, consumerism. They've been rabbis speaking out about it. Uh and on the one hand, you know, good to see people are able to afford to do with the finest love, but taking extreme look at some of the kiddish clubs. Look at some what's going on there where they have the most expensive wines and and whiskey, etc., etc. So we've been bound by that and we respect money too much in some communities and that's because of growing affluence. So it's something which we have to deal with and be dealt with. But you raised some good points. Thank you. >> That's the point. That's the point. Thank you. >> Thank you. In the time we have a minute I just wanted to focus in your book and I enjoyed it very much. say for the mystery and the majesty say for Agata right about the fact that in Russia Shana it's it's nor time is not linear every year around Russashana time again the same battles where you have the angels and you have the people saying that don't create man and God says I'm going to create man and don't look at the mayas anos look at what a was describe what goes on every year in Russia shana according to the mystical sources That's that's an important concept that you know we address in many of the books that the Jewish calendar is a living calendar. Living calendar means that those phenomenon that we commemorate we're not merely commemorating them but those occurrences are reoccurring and uh one of the the events that seared rashashana and created what takes place on rashashana is the creation of man. Man was created on rashashana the first day of tish. It was the day that God created Adam. On that day, Adam ate from the Hadas and he was judged and he was acquitted. And that judgment uh takes place every year. But before God created man, the angels said why are you create why are you creating him? This is not a good not a good decision. This is not a good choice. So every year annually on rashash the angels again convene and this is something we read about in Job in the first chapter the sixth verse where it says it was the day Rashi says the day is the angels came to congregate and to convene and to say God you know every year annually you recreate man and you show him special distinction bad decision, bad choice. Don't create him. Don't show him that favoritism. Don't give him dominance and sovereignty over all of creation. So every year on Rashashana, we're sort of the cards are stacked against us and the angels are convening and they're saying to God, don't recreate man. Don't give man that distinction. And by the way, besides that, on an individual level, there's a concept that every year on Rashashana, the nations of the world are in trial because we know that by the generation of the dispersal, God uh gave the 70 angels uh a particular nation and God selected us. You know, we're God's number one draft pick. God selects the Jew with the first pick of the draft. The Almighty selects the Jewish people and that draft takes place every year that God selects us to be his beloved people, his children. And every year the angels say, "Well, maybe you want to reconsider that. Maybe this year you want to select the North Koreans or the Iranians. Maybe you want them to be your selected nation and they're your children. And you know, it's interesting. Our custom is that we take haircuts before Rashashana and we dawn our finest. The tour says because we're confident that we're going to uh be victorious in judgment, which is a little bizarre. What do you mean we're confident we're going to be victorious in judgment? No individual knows what the outcome of the judgment will be. No. The garra says one of the one of the seven things hidden from human consciousness is uh the depth the profoundity of judgment. Nobody knows what the new year has in store. So what exactly are we so confident about? Why are we wearing our finest? And why are we taking a haircut as if we know what the outcome is going to be? We have no idea what the outcome is going to be. >> Wasn't there a ritual with the candle if it blew out or something that somebody knew that it wouldn't survive? >> Yeah. you know, um, good. The the Gumar and Harice tells us that if somebody wants to know whether they're going to survive the new year, they should, uh, light a candle in a room without any any wind. And if it's going to if it continuously blows, that's a sim. That's a sign that they'll survive the year. But what we are confident is that on a national level, God will once again select the Jewish people to be his beloved nation and to be his chosen people. So on a national level, we do have an we do have a certain confidence, but that distinction is theoretically up for grabs, but it's it's a judgment that we're confident in the outcome of. We're not confident in our own personal outcome. We know God's our loving father and he's going to shower us with kindness, but we we're we can't be confident what the new year has in store. But on a national level, we have confidence that God will once again choose us. >> Before I let you go, something you said before, you said that the years when Shabas and the Rashashana coincide, the first day of Rashan is on Chabas, you said sometimes is good and sometimes is bad. It seemed from what you said except for one and maybe you can clarify that it seems it's been more bad than good. Are there any other case aside from that one example that you cited where it was a good year? >> Yeah. So besides entering the land of Israel also we built the Mishkan and uh we were forgiven for the sin of the golden calf. But I want to point out something very important. The Gomorrah says in Russash that any year that we do not blow in the beginning of the year will be a bad year in the end. And Tyus there explains even if a person was unwell >> and they're extenduating circumstances and they couldn't blow okay they may they may be excused but it won't be a good year it will be a bad year but says that does not apply if rash comes out on chabas so the commentaries discuss this in great depth why would somebody be liable if they didn't blow sheer because they were sick they were unwell it's not it's not their fault we know there's a concept one is not liable one is not guilty if they didn't fulfill mitzvah under under arrest because of extenduating circumstances and the reason given is that even if it's not their fault that they didn't blow the chaur is literally the instrument that silences the satan the satan so it would be like somebody who the doctor prescribed medicine and due to extenduating circumstances the person didn't take their medicine So it's not their fault. We're not going to blame them, but they're not going to get better because at the end of the day, they didn't take their medicine. Although it's albeit to no fault of their own. Same >> year when you can't blow the chauffeur because the shab is so we can blow the show. But the fact is the chauffeur is still not blown. >> Oh, so excellent question. So all the ask, well then why why does Tyra say that if it's Shabas, we'll we'll still be protected. We'll still be okay. Shouldn't we, you know, be up the creek without a paddle? So there are various approaches given but uh the approach I want to just share with you now is that if uh when Rashana comes in on Shabas although we may not have the advocacy of the chaar we'll have the advocacy of Shabas >> Shabas is our beloved wife. So the the analogy, the parable that that's given is if the king gets upset with one of his officers and the officer is scared for his life, but if he has a good wife and he knows the king likes the wife and the wife's a good smooth talker, he'll bring the wife into court and she'll bail him out. The problem though is if the wife is wounded on her face and on her arms and the king says, "Well, you know what happened to your wife?" And if the jury said, "What happened to the wife? He beats his wife." Then the wife not only will not be a good advocate, the wife will cause greater prosecution. So it's the same thing with Shabas. On a year we don't have the chauffeur, Shabas is the advocate, but what it's going to depend on is do we treat her well or do we abuse her. So in a year that Rashana comes in on Shabas, it's of utmost important that we show honor to Shabas to our wife and we treat her well. So when she comes in the courtroom, she's looking good so that she could advocate and she doesn't anger the king more. So whether it's a good year or not will depend on how we treat the shabas. So that's uh one of the important ideas and uh it's something very [clears throat] important to bear in mind uh this year in particular. And before I let you go, what's your next book going to be about? >> The next book um I'm I'm working on connecting each para to the particular time of the year that we read the para. Some some of them are well known, you know, let's say the paras we read khan time or puram time. But to be able to analyze each para the how do the paras that we read in the month of connect to the month of how do the paras that we read shuis time connect to shivis how do the paras we read during the three weeks connect to that time I think it's a really a landmark uh work and I'm very excited uh hopefully will be available this coming year >> Rabbi Daniel Jay Glass thank you for joining us look forward to having you back to you and your family a good kventure a kiva Tova >> to you as well.