June 3, 2019 · 00:03:37
I hope you’re all doing well today. Welcome to NachDaily. Today we’re learning Mishlei Perek 28. This chapter opens with the profound words of “Nasu v’ein rodeph rasha v’Tzaddikim kichfir yivtach, the wicked flee though no one chases them, but the righteous are confident as a young lion.” Many times, people don't even know from what or to where they are running. In the “rat race,” people are constantly on the move trying to catch up to some elusive goal. They never stop to ask why they are running so hard. What is the purpose of their lives, their mission? What are they meant to accomplish in this world? Rebbe Nachman explains in Sichos Haran that the Yetzer Hara is like a person who pretends to be holding something in his fist. “Look what's in my hand!” People spend their whole lives chasing to find it. Finally, he opens his hand and nothing is in it! So often we chase goals, but in the end we’re left feeling empty and meaningless. We need to think, “What is the purpose of my life and this world?” To settle down and focus on the ultimate purpose, when on the ultimate day Hashem and His name will be One, and we’ll see the Unity behind the creation. The chapter moves on to speak about the value of Torah. True riches and poverty are defined by one's Torah learning, not by how much money one has in the bank. A poor person is one who’s far from wisdom and true Torah knowledge. A person who learns Torah is someone to be reckoned with. On a more subtle point, verse 11 says, “The ri