When Something is Missing: I want to share something very deep with you. The most important things in Avodas Hashem, in serving G-d are always the things you don’t have to do, you can get by without them. The truth is some of the most important things in life are the things which we don’t really have to do. The most important things between my wife, my children and I are always the things I don’t have to do. If I don’t, it’s also okay, but gevalt are they important, gevalt are they important.

I want you to know, when Moshe Rabbeinu says ‘Ribbono Shel Olam, I have to go into Eretz Yisrael’ Moshe Rabbeinu brought down a new teaching from heaven. Moshe Rabbeinu is showing yidden that it’s not only about what you have to do, it’s what my neshama mamesh wants… deep deep inside. And deep deep inside, every yid knows I have to go into Eretz Yisrael.

Rashi says that Eikev is talking about Mitzvos Kalos She’adam Dash Be’akeivav. You know what that means? We are talking about mitzvahs you step on, mitzvahs which I don’t have to do. Let me ask you something. I see a poor man and I give him ten dollars, do I have to smile at him? I don’t have to. Let me ask you something else.

When I say good Shabbos to a yid, where does it say that I have to say it besimcha? It doesn’t say it anywhere.

You know something, the truth is that mide’oraysa, from the Torah you don’t have to wear a yarmulke. That means that a person can say ‘I’m very strict on everything the Torah says, and I don’t have to wear a yarmulke. Yes it’s a minhag, it’s a custom, I’m not into customs. I have enough from what the Torah says’. You know what? Maybe I’ll go to heaven, maybe I will sit next to Avraham Avinu without a yarmulke, but gevalt something is missing… something so deep is mamesh missing.