Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro - Achieving Greatness One Step at a Time (Zoom)

opportunity. I want to thank those who made it possible. Of course, Chazak and Emes. Uh Hashem should give both organizations, both Chazak and Emes, the koach, the gezunt, the chochma to be able to continue their tremendous, tremendous work on behalf of Klal Yisrael. Uh to Chazak and to Emes, continue to flourish, continue to do great things to change the face of Klal Yisrael one yid at a time, one neshama at a time, and we should be able to see the nachas from each other in the best of health. I'm so appreciative and grateful that I can speak tonight, especially Rosh Chodesh, I could wish everyone a guten chodesh, a gebentshte gezunte chodesh. It should be a month for all of Klal Yisrael around the globe. We should have simcha and nachas, gezunt, not only from each other, but be'ezras Hashem together with each other. I certainly wish everyone a gebentshte gezunte chodesh, as tonight is the first night of the two days of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz. And finally, I want to thank a dear friend of mine, Robbie Avraham, for giving me this opportunity. Robbie is someone I had a chance to meet a number of months ago when I spoke on behalf of Chazak and on behalf of Emes, and to meet him is such a wonderful experience, somebody who's so caring and giving, and really believes in the heart of Klal Yisrael. So, I want to single out and thank from the bottom of my heart Robbie Avraham for giving me this opportunity. And hopefully, over the next little bit, we'll get chizuk from each other. We just read on Shabbos the parsha of Shlach, the parsha of the miraglim, the spies. And many are aware of the fact that our current golus, the current exile, is still a result, of course, because of our own aveiros, our own sins, but it starts and it's predicated that the chet of the miraglim, that of the spies. And of course, we know that the sin of the spies was that of loshon hora, and speaking about Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel. But since we just read the chet of the miraglim yesterday, and since we know that it was and is still something that we suffer from in this funereal golus because of the sin of the miraglim, I'd like to dedicate tonight's talk, as you know the title, Achieving Greatness, One Step at a Time. I'd like to perhaps give another understanding and way of viewing the chet of the miraglim, the sin of the spies. Of course, it was based on loshon hora, but I'd like to analyze what we might call another chet of the miraglim, if you will, or at the very least, something that we have to learn from to remove the golus and replace it with the geulah shleimah. I realize we're starting with a very well-known shot. The pasuk tells us that when the miraglim were giving back their report, the miraglim said, and I quote from the pasuk, right before perek Yud Daled, the last pasuk of Yud Gimmel tells us, V'neehi, v'einenu k'chagavim, v'chein hayinu b'eineihem. Literally, that means that we commented we were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes. And of course, many of the meforshim in the commentaries asked the obvious question, shouldn't the order be just the opposite? Shouldn't we have commented, they viewed us as grasshoppers and so we felt like grasshoppers. Yet the possuk says, "Vanihi v'eineinu k'chakhavim." We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, "V'chein hayinu v'eineihem." Shouldn't it be that they made us feel like grasshoppers and that's indeed how we felt? And the sworm tell us such a powerful explanation. The reason that they viewed us and perceived us as grasshoppers is precisely BECAUSE THE POSSUK IS TELLING US, "VANIHI V'EINEINU K'CHAKHAVIM." WE PERCEIVED OURSELVES as grasshoppers. In other words, IF IT'S A PERSON DOESN'T HAVE a healthy self-esteem, a healthy self-confidence AND SELF-WORTH, WHEN YOU PERCEIVE YOURSELF as only grasshoppers, the possuk says, "V'CHEIN HAYINU V'EINEIHEM." THAT'S THE WAY THEY PERCEIVED US. THEY PERCEIVED US THE WAY WE PERCEIVED OURSELVES. IF A person does not have a healthy self-esteem, and of course we're talking about a self-confidence that's appropriate, when a PERSON DOESN'T HAVE THEY LACK THAT, and they perceive themselves as something LOW, THEY CAN'T ACCOMPLISH, THAT'S THE WAY OTHERS VIEW US. THAT'S THE WAY others perceive us. And so the order of the possuk, unfortunately, is exactly correct. And so perhaps, as some of the sworm tell us, this was also understood as a chet, a sin of the spies. THEY WERE PERCEIVED THAT WAY by the people IN ERETZ YISRAEL BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY THEY PERCEIVE THEMSELVES. IN FACT, if one takes a look, Rashi actually says that according to one interpretation, Shamanu imrim zela ze we heard one giant say to the other, "Nemolim about us, we're only ants." And you have to wonder, who said anything about being a nemel, about being an ant? But according to our explanation, it's a beautiful shot. When you perceive yourself as only chagovim, THEN IT SPIRALS OUT OF CONTROL. IT spirals downward, and they perceive US AS EVEN LESS than we perceive ourselves. Step number one to achieving greatness is we have to have that very healthy self-worth. That self-confidence and self-esteem. WE CAN DO IT. THAT'S THE FIRST STEP. WHEN WE ENTITLED TONIGHT'S TALK, ONE STEP AT A TIME, STEP number one is to remove that syndrome of "ze vani he ve a nemenu ke chagovim." Believe in ourselves. BELIEVE WE CAN ACCOMPLISH. If we take a look, according to many understanding, of course, everything is from the ribono shel oilam, but according to many, the explanation of how the COVID-19 started was in Wuhan, in China, there was a man who ate a sick bat, and as a result, we know what happened AS A RESULT. EVERYTHING AS WE UNDERSTOOD THE WORLD CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT. UNPRECEDENTED. ALL FROM ONE PERSON. If one person could accomplish that in the negative, kal vachomer ben ben yishai, kal vachomer, how much more so one person in THE POSITIVE TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS, STEP NUMBER ONE IS TO BELIEVE IN OURSELVES. THE CHET OF THE MIRAGLIM may very well have been since their perception of themselves was kacha govim, that's the way others will perceive us. And so, step number one to achieving greatness is believing the inherent greatness. Men, WOMEN, CHILDREN, EVERYONE IN KLAL YISRAEL, YES, we can. Perhaps the next step in achieving greatness is found a bit earlier in the parsha. The pasuk tells us vayavo ad Chevron. Now, right before that, the pasuk tells us in the plural, vayavoyu ad nachal Eshkol. That means I apologize, before those words it says vayalu vanegiv, they went up. And right after the plural, automatically it says vayavo ad Chevron, he. And of course, Rashi points out, why does the pasuk switch from the plural to the singular? From vayalu to only vayavo he. And of course, Rashi tells us the well-known shot, Caleb levado. It was CALEB HIMSELF that went to Chevron. Why Caleb? He went to Chevron to davin and pray at the kivrei avos, of course, in Machpelah, where Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, Sarah, and Rivka, and Leah are buried. And Rashi tells us that after davening at kivrei tzaddikim, after davening in Machpelah in Chevron, that's why it says vayavo he, because it was Caleb himself. And of course, we know that after davening there at Ma'arat Hamachpelah, when he left, he had such chizzuk, such strength and fortitude that he was able to face that negative report about the Anokim, the giants. Of course, we know that 10 of the Meraglim indeed gave the negative report, whereas Calev and Yehoshua were able to say, "WE CAN. WE WILL. WE'LL ACCOMPLISH. WE CAN ACHIEVE GREATNESS." The simple understanding of the Rashi we just quoted is that what gave Calev the chizzuk and the FORTITUDE TO FACE THE ANOKIM, THE GIANTS, WAS DAVENING. When we daven, we connect with Avinu Shebashamayim, our father in heaven, and that in and of itself gives us incredible chizzuk and strength to face the vicissitudes, trials, and tribulations of life. But open up your hearts tonight on Rosh Chodesh to a beautiful p'shat, another explanation as to what IT WAS THAT GAVE CALEV THE CHIZZUK AFTER DAVENING AT THE kever of Avraham Avinu in Ma'arat Hamachpelah. Additional to the davening, what gave him the chizzuk, the strength and fortitude to go up against the giants for the report of the Meraglim. I heard this p'shat in the name of the previous Novominsker Rebbe. Just a few months ago, Klal Yisrael Klal Yisrael suffered the loss of the Novominsker Rebbe, Zechuso Yagen Aleinu. I heard this p'shat in the name of his father, the Novominsker Rebbe, Zechuso Yagen Aleinu, used to say. We can imagine that as Calev was beginning to daven in the kever of Avrohom Avinu in Machpelah in Chevron. Says the previous Novominsk Rebbe, "Stop for a moment." He hears outside that there are reports of Anakim of giants. A report about Anakim giants can make anyone fearful, anyone have trepidation. AND AS HE'S ABOUT TO START DAVENING, HE STOPS AND COLEL REMINDS HIMSELF, "CHAZAL, our Rabbis teach us about Avrohom Avinu, the possuk. Chazal tell us about Avrohom Avinu a description. Ha Adam Ha Gadol Sheba Anakim Zeh Avrohom Avinu. In English, that means Ha Adam Ha Gadol Sheba Anakim, THE GIANT OF ALL GIANTS, the greatest of all giants, and of course it means it in a spiritual sense, is Avrohom Avinu." Said the previous Novominsk Rebbe, "As Colel is about to start davening at the cave of Avrohom Avinu, as he knows outside there are reports of ANAKIM OF GIANTS, BEFORE HE STARTS TO DAVEN, HE SAYS TO HIMSELF, 'STOP! I'M AT THE CAVE OF AVROHOM AVINU. AND ABOUT AVROHOM AVINU, Chazal tell us Ha Adam Ha Gadol Sheba Anakim Zeh Avrohom Avinu, the greatest giant, THE ULTIMATE GIANT, is Avrohom Avinu. He's my Zayde. HE'S MY GRANDFATHER. I COME AND STEM FROM the lineage of Avrohom Avinu directly. And if our Rabbis tell us about Avrohom Avinu, Ha Adam Ha Gadol Sheba Anakim, that he's the ultimate, THE GREATEST GIANT OF ALL, AND I'M HIS DIRECT DESCENDANT. I'M HIS BLOOD RELATIVE. I'M HIS LINEAGE. THAT MUST MEAN THAT PART OF THAT GIANT, PART OF THAT GREATNESS, IS IN ME. IT'S BEEN INSTILLED, INJECTED, and inculcated into my DNA. And so, if I am about to dive in at the Cave of Avraham Avinu, why am I afraid of sight that there are reports ABOUT GIANTS ANAKIM? LOOK AT ME. I STEM FROM AVRAHAM AVINU, ADAM HAGADOL SHEB'ANAKIM, THE GREATEST OF ALL GIANTS. That was injected into my DNA. If that's who my grandfather was, then I, Caleb, must be part giant. I, Caleb, must be part of that Anak, that giant. Why should I be fearful OF A REPORT OF GIANTS WHEN I'M A GIANT? I COME FROM THE ULTIMATE GIANT. THERE'S nothing to be afraid of. Says the previous Novominsker Rebbe, "Yagel Aleinu, that is something that also gave Caleb the chizuk to carry on, and to walk outside into Chevron AND SAY, 'WE CAN AND WE WILL. DON'T BELIEVE THE REPORT OF THE GIANTS. After all, I am part giant. I have that greatness within me.'" And that's the second step to achieving greatness. After we mention that it begins with step number one, a healthy self-esteem, A SELF-CONFIDENCE. Step number two, LOOK WHO WE COME FROM. OUR PARENTS, OUR GRANDPARENTS, our Avraham, our teachers. Certainly now we take a look at the last number of months as for all that time there was self-isolation and quarantine our avayam our morays our TEACHERS DID SUCH AN INCREDIBLE AND SPECTACULAR BEYOND IMAGINABLE JOB KEEPING THE lessons alive teaching with an excitement with a vivaciousness with an enthusiasm with a creativity. THIS IS WHO WE COME FROM. AND IF THESE are teachers and these are PARENTS AND WE WE EVERYONE IS LISTENING TONIGHT WE come from Avraham Yitzchak YAAKOV SARAH RIVKA RACHEL LEAH. WE'RE A GIANT. WE'RE GREAT. THERE'S nothing to be afraid of. That is step number two. The understanding and the comprehension of who we come from, where we come from, and understanding that that inherent greatness is in our very fabric in our DNA. It's been injected INTO OUR PHYSICALITY. AND SO indeed step by step we can achieve greatness together. I'd like to comment on the third step. If one takes a look once again in the parsha we read yesterday the possuk says part of the report of the miraglim was eretz ocheles yoshveha It's a land that devours its inhabitants. And I once heard such an incredible explanation. Please open up your hearts to this third step by step in our quest to achieve greatness. We could also read the words eretz ocheles yoshveha to mean eretz ocheles when will a land devour a person? Yoshveha from the word yoshev if he just sits if he remains the SAME IF HE STAGNATES WITH NO GROWTH AT ALL, WHEN WILL A LAND DEVOUR AND consume a person? When we're only a yoi shave, when we don't grow at all. But yoi shave when we remain the same, no better today than yesterday, no better tomorrow than today. A land can consume us. When all we do is remain a yoi shave. tell us regarding the word vayaishev. Vayaishev means he sat and he dwelled. tell us Vayaishev is a loshon tzar. A loshon of agony, woe, pain, and angst. One has to wonder, pray tell, what's wrong with the word vayaishev? What does it mean that vayaishev is an expression of tzar? Of angst and woe, vai, vai, vai, why? But according to our explanation, it's so beautiful. Vayaishev means a person remains the same. A person doesn't take that step. A person does not believe they come from Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah, from their parents, their grandparents, their teachers. When a person doesn't believe, when a person doesn't have the healthy self-esteem and self-confidence, but when a person says, "In my eyes, I'm nothing more than a grasshopper." When a person IS A YOI SHAVE, IT'S A loshon of tzar. IT'S A PAINFUL EXPRESSION. IT'S A PAINFUL EXPRESSION OF FEELING OF AGONY. When a person vayaishev just remains the same, no better today than yesterday, no better tomorrow than today. That's step number three. Eretz Yisrael is when does the land consume a person? Yishuveiha, when all we do is have no aspiration, NO SHIYEFA, TO ACHIEVE AND ASPIRE FOR A GREATNESS. In fact, I'd like to share with you a thought I I thought of a number of years ago. Rashi tells us that when Yosef was born, Yosef was the nemesis of Esau. How does one understand that Yosef is the nemesis of Esau? Perhaps the explanation is that Esau is from the word asui. Asui means made and complete. We We know when he was born, he came out complete. Esau is a life existence of asui, made complete, vayeshev. But Yosef IS FROM THE WORD LEHOSIF. WHAT DOES LEHOSIF MEAN? TO GROW, TO BE BETTER, TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS. Every day in life we ask ourselves, are we Esau or are we Yosef? Esau is a concept. Esau is asui, I'm made, I'M COMPLETE. DON'T BOTHER ME. I DON'T NEED TO TAKE any steps to become better. I'm fine as is. Please, please. Esau, asui, vayeshev, lashon tzara. Oy va voy. But the nemesis of Esau is Yosef. Yosef is from THE WORD LEHOSIF. TO ADD, TO GROW, TO TAKE STEP BY STEP BY STEP AND achieve greatness. So, Rabbosai, I ask all those that are listening tonight, Rosh Chodesh, is it going to be a life of Eisav or a life of Yosef? A life of I don't need to grow, no greatness for me, or yes, I can lehosif. I thought perhaps that's the way we could read the words in Hallel. In Hallel, we will say the words yosef Hashem aleichem. Now, literally, yosef Hashem aleichem means may Hashem add on to you. In other words, may a person's family grow. But perhaps in light of our explanation that every day we're faced with that challenge, Eisav, Yosef, Eisav, Yosef, what'll it be? Maybe in Hallel tomorrow we should have in mind these words, yosef. If you're willing to grow, LEHOSIF, YOSEF, IF YOU'RE WILLING TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, HASHEM ALEICHEM. Hashem says, "I'm there with you, AND I'LL ALWAYS BE THERE WITH YOU. MAYBE TOMORROW THAT'S THE KAVANA WE SHOULD HAVE IN HALLEL, YOSEF. If we're willing lehosif to take the step, to have a healthy self-confidence, to look back and see who we come from, to remove the viation, YOSEF LEHOSIF, TO ADD, THEN THE brocha is Hashem aleichem. Hashem will always be with us b'ezras Hashem. That's what it means to achieve greatness step-by-step-by-step. Number one, that healthy self-worth and self-confidence, to remove that grasshopper perception that we have of ourselves. Number two, to realize like Caleb did, I COME FROM ADAM GODOL SHABANOKIM. The giant is within me. MY PARENTS, MY GRANDPARENTS, MY RABBEIM. I come from Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah. And so yes, I can. Step number three, to remove the yeish save, to remove the eisav, and to replace it with lo hosif. I think today I could be better than yesterday and tomorrow even better than today. Klal Yisrael indeed has people who have always been the trailblazers to pave the path of achieving greatness step by step by step. A number of times I've had the privilege of mentioning a very powerful explanation. A very powerful story that happened about 12 years ago in the year 2008. In a particular Yeshiva in the tri-state area, the Yeshiva had to make a very difficult rule that anyone who was behind in tuition, the parent had to keep the child home. The point of the story is not not to hold the infantory of the Yeshiva, that's not the point. But the Yeshiva had to make that rule. They felt if they make any exceptions, the whole Yeshiva would close up. And so if a child was behind in tuition, the parent was behind, the child went home, was asked to stay home until a proper and adequate payment plan was made. A little boy in third grade, we'll call him Eli. He was sent home. He had no father. His father passed away. His mother was a young almona widow and she was raising Ellie by herself on her own. And please again, don't focus on what the Yeshiva did. They felt that it needed to be done and to make an exception, just the whole Yeshiva would fall apart. Ellie comes home and the mother wonders, "Why are you home?" And she reads the note from the menahel where the note explained, "We're sorry, but Ellie has to stay home. You're over a year behind in tuition and we must work out a payment plan. And when we work out some type of payment plan, even a minimal, a nominal amount of payment, then Ellie can come back to Yeshiva. I hope you understand." This was the note from the menahel to the young widow. The almona takes Ellie's lunch bag and she goes into her bedroom and she spends a few moments in the bedroom and then she takes the lunch bag and hands it back to Ellie and says, "Now go back to Yeshiva." Ellie very dutifully goes back to Yeshiva and he sits down in his seat in his classroom and the rebbe's quite exasperated. He had to stop teaching when Ellie left and now Ellie's back and the menahel, the principal's going to make him leave again and he felt, "I can't teach with all these interruptions." And lovingly, the rebbe went over to Ellie to ask him, "Please leave." And when he leaned over by mistake, his elbow knocked the lunch bag onto the floor. And as a result of the force of the lunch bag hitting the floor, all of a sudden the contents of the lunch bag fell out onto the floor and out onto the floor came a beautiful diamond bracelet, A PLAIN GOLD WEDDING BAND, and a one-line note from the almona, Ellie's mother, to the menahel. TIVELY TAITAS BECHA, MAY OUT THEY ZAHA VA'CHESSEF. KEEP THE JEWELRY, KEEP THE DIAMONDS, KEEP THE GOLD WEDDING BAND, BUT TIVELY TAITAS BECHA, DON'T stop my Ellie from learning. You don't need me to remind you besides the beautiful diamond bracelet, her gold wedding band was her last link to her husband. I've said this story in many places around the world and rabbonim and gedolim have beseeched me. Don't leave out the most important line. It didn't happen 100 years ago in Vilna or 150 years ago in Krakow or Prague. IT HAPPENED 12 YEARS AGO IN THE TRI-STATE AREA. THERE IS A WOMAN that understood achieving greatness. NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE TESTED LIKE THAT. BUT YET THIS YOUNG ALMANA SAID, KEEP THE DIAMOND BRACELET, keep the plain GOLD WEDDING BAND, BUT DON'T STOP MY ELLIE FROM LEARNING. TIVELY TAITAS BECHA, MAY OUT THEY ZAHA VA'CHESSEF. KLAL YISRAEL HAS GIANTS. KLAL YISRAEL HAS WOMEN, PEOPLE THAT COME FROM SARA, RIVKA, RACHEL, LEAH. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACHIEVE THAT GREATNESS STEP BY STEP BY STEP. Klal Yisrael is made up of giants. Great, great people. I'd like to tell you about a wonderful mishpacha that was part of our shul. He passed away a number of years ago. And for the last many years he was one of the most wonderful mishpachas in our shul in North Miami Beach, Mr. Izzy Gibber. Zichrono l'vracha, beautiful, beautiful human being. And I'd like to share with you an incredible story about Mr. Izzy Gibber, of course, growing up and spending decades in Monticello. The Gibber mishpacha. Izzy Gibber did not have a chance when he was growing up to learn in the Yeshiva, to have a formal Yeshiva proper Gemara education. And so at the age of 80 at THE AGE OF 80 IZZY Gibber decided to start learning Daf Yomi. And I want to tell you a place I am I saw it countless times. There was nothing that could separate Izzy Gibber from his Daf Gemara. He'd spend a number of hours a day beautifully and lovingly learning from his art scroll Gemara. MANY HOURS A DAY, YOU COULDN'T INTERRUPT IZZY GIBBER. IT WAS HIM AND HIS DAF. Starting at the age of 80. We know that to finish a 2,711 pages of Daf Yomi takes a bit more than 7 and 1/2 years. MY DEAR BOYS, I MY LISTENERS, the listeners at THE AGE OF 88 in NEW YORK SURROUNDED BY A COUPLE HUNDRED CHILDREN, AIN'T GOT THE SENTENCE relatives Mr. Izzy Gibber made HIS FIRST SIYUM HASHAS. WE HAVE GIANTS. WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ACHIEVE GREATNESS STEP BY STEP BY STEP. AND AT 88 he made his first Siyum Hashas. I'd like to share with you a story about a friend of mine, a dear friend of mine from Chicago. A few years ago, his son, at that time, his son Michael was 11 years old. And one day, this beautiful Michael, the 11-year-old, the son of a dear friend of mine in Chicago, he comes home and he tells his parents, "Tonight's PTA, you're going to be in school, and I'm certainly so excited. You'll be able to meet my teachers, and I'm just thrilled." And Michael told his parents, "As you shall see, you'll hear good reports, and I cleaned up my desk." And he was so excited that his parents would be going to his school that night. And then he said, "On top of my desk, I left a note. It's a note about how I'm doing, and some surprises in the note." And then he turns to his mother, and he says, "Ma, I want you to know I want you to know the note just says, 'Dear Tati.' It doesn't say 'and Mommy,' but Ma, I want you to know that the note is for you as well. It only says, 'Dear Tati,' but it's for you as well. But I'll tell you why I didn't write 'and Mommy.' Because in the desk next to mine is a classmate, a wonderful boy, and earlier this year, his mother passed away. AND I WAS AFRAID THAT IF HE WOULD READ A NOTE THAT SAYS, 'DEAR TATI AND MOMMY,' he'd feel that pain again. He would feel the loss of his mother again. SO, EVEN THOUGH IT'S FOR YOU, I REMOVED THE WORDS 'AND MOMMY' so that if that classmate who had lost his mother sees the note, he won't feel THAT PAIN AGAIN. THAT'S A GIANT. THAT'S AN 11-YEAR-OLD GIANT. AND SO, YES, AS THE THREE STORIES INDICATE, THERE ARE WOMEN IN KLAL YISRAEL, MEN IN KLAL YISRAEL, CHILDREN IN KLAL YISRAEL WHO ACHIEVE GREATNESS step by step by step. And so can all of us achieve that greatness. The last pasuk in parshas Yisro tells us, "V'lo saleh v'ma'alot al mizb'chi." When ascending the mizbei'ach, you can't have steps, rather a ramp, as my hand is indicating. And Rashi explains why it couldn't be a step, for if the kohein would take a step with his legs that was too wide, the stone of the mizbei'ach would see the uh uh space between the legs. And so, Rashi explains, we have a ramp instead. My father, Harav Mordechai Shapiro, zatzal, used to give a beautiful explanation why one needed a ramp and not steps. Ascending the mizbei'ach is not something only the kohein does. Ascending the mizbei'ach represents tonight's topic, achieving greatness. Everyone can go up and aspire to ascend their own personal mizbei'ach. And the pasuk is telling us, when striving to achieve greatness, when wanting to ascend your personal mizbei'ach, don't do it in the fashion of a physical step. Watching my hands, one knows that a step has a part where you go up, a part where you go down, but then there's the platform. The platform represents "vayeishev." The platform represents "asev asui." The platform represents no growth, the antithesis of Yea Safe. The platform represents a person stalling. WHEN A PERSON ASPIRES TO GO UP THEIR PERSONAL MISBAYACH, IT HAS TO BE LIKE A RAMP. A RAMP represents small steps, gradual, incremental, BUT AN INCLINE. THE WAY FOR EVERY PERSON TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS, the way for every man, woman, and child to go up their personal misbayach, your personal misbayach is like a ramp. A ramp represents step by step by step by step, small, gradual, incremental, but that's the way to achieve greatness. A number of years ago, our oldest at that time was 5 years old, and on a Shabbos afternoon, I was walking with our 5-year-old daughter to shul. The weather conditions were almost hurricane-esque in nature, if you will. 35-40 mile-an-hour winds, garbage cans were rolling down the street, twigs were breaking. Perhaps I should not have taken our 5-year-old, but I took her. We were going I was going to have the zchus of delivering a shiur Shabbos afternoon. And as I was walking to shul holding the hand of our 5-year-old, I turned to her, and I was very very emotional, and I said, "Where are we GOING NOW? WE'RE NOT GOING TO A PLACE of entertainment, we're not GOING SHOPPING, WE'RE GOING TO LEARN THE WORDS OF HASHEM." AND I TURNED TO OUR DAUGHTER, OUR AND I SAID, "I IMAGINE IN SHAMAYIM THAT EVERY STEP WE TAKE, WE'RE GETTING ANOTHER MITZVAH." I could almost hear the heavenly angels saying, "One step, a mitzvah. Another step, A MITZVAH. ANOTHER STEP, A MITZVAH." I ALMOST IMAGINED EVERY STEP STEP MITZVAH step mitzvah. AND I WAS SO EMOTIONAL with that thought, and my 5-year-old turned to me and said, "Tati, do you really believe that?" And I said, "YES, I REALLY BELIEVE EVERY STEP IS A MITZVAH." AND SO, SHE LOOKED at me and said, "So, Tati, why don't we start taking smaller steps? If every step is a mitzvah, let's start taking smaller steps." I don't know if that would get us more mitzvahs, BUT SHE'S RIGHT. THE WAY TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS IS SMALL STEPS. THE SMALL STEPS IS THE WAY FOR THE MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN to achieve that inherent greatness. May it be the will of the Ribono shel Olam. Tonight, we mentioned some critical steps to have a healthy self-confidence and self-esteem. Not to perceive ourselves with that feeling of being a grasshopper, KNOWING WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH, THE GREAT MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN. Step number two, remember like Calev that Kivrei Avos by Avraham Avinu, where we come from. Part of that GIANT IS WITHIN US. WE ARE PART GIANT. IT'S BEEN injected into the very fabric of our DNA. Step number three, to remember we can't be a yoishev. We can't be someone who's ace of just remains. That's a loshon of tzar. Oichelus yishveihi. But rather, to be better today than yesterday and tomorrow than today. That's step number three. That's spiritual growth. And of course, number four, the final step. As my father mentioned so beautifully, to go up our personal misbayach. THOSE DREAMS, THE ASPIRATION, like a ramp. Gradual, step-by-step. As my daughter said, let's start taking small steps. LET'S TAKE THE SMALL STEPS TOGETHER. LET'S ASPIRE FOR GREATNESS. LET'S ASPIRE TO ACHIEVE OUR BECOMING A GIANT. BUT, small steps. Gradual, positive, incremental. That's the way to emulate, to strive, to achieve greatness on our personal misbayach. May we indeed have the success the siyata dishmaya beezras Hashem step-by-step-by-step-by-step to achieve greatness. I wish everyone a good chodesh, a gebentshte gezunte chodesh, and hatslocha rabba