Why Honesty Wins Over Flattery [Day 133 - Orchos Tzaddikim | Flattery 7]

Before we begin this episode, I need only 60 seconds of your attention.

This week and this week only we do our only fundraiser of the year, givetorch.net.

What do we do?

We ask our friends, our listeners, our viewers, our participants to partner with us so that

we can continue doing the work we do.

We don't cancel any classes.

We don't make any exceptions for days off so that we can raise money.

No, we want to continue to teach.

We want to continue to influence in every way we can, just so that you know, last year

in 2025, our videos grew 295% in their exposure, in their viewership.

Our podcasts grew, some of them 10%, some of them 30, 40, 50, 60, some of them 200%.

Really unbelievable growth in the listenership of our podcasts.

But not only that, we have in our torch center, we have ongoing classes, we have lunch

and learns, we have evening classes and chavaras and people's homes.

We have our torchwood community, we have torch unify the new young professional division

of torch.

We are guns blazing, doing unbelievable things and we want your partnership.

We need your partnership.

Givetorch.net.

Thank you.

And if you want to hear an extended pitch, you can listen at the end of this podcast,

we have some testimonials from participants and you can hear more about what we do.

My dear friends, thank you and enjoy the episode.

You are listening to Rabbi Arya, will be of torch in Houston, Texas.

This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.

Now my dear friends, welcome back to day number 133 on the top of page 751 in the Gate

of Flattery in the Treasure for Life Edition of the Orchids, Hadeek and the Ways of the

Righteous.

Massive Adam Echad Kasha, there was a story about a certain very virtuous special man, Shahai

Salau Baslahasi and he had a daughter to marry off, and he had two suitable prospects

for his daughter.

As you call, Echad Khaffitz, Lisa Bitoi, each one of them wanted to marry his daughter

and Allah, the Adam Kasha, and Bikesh, the Adam, the Adam Echad.

Lassos Immumrivo, so the father went and asked someone to stir up a quarrel with him,

so as to ask these two suitors to judge between them in order to test them.

Will Obasov, Yikach, Osam, Shnaim, Lodun, Beinehem, Ktelena Sousam, and Osokach, they did

so.

Osam, Shnaim, Echad Mehem, Haya Makhni, Flos Osso, Adam, Kasha, Ktelena Sio, Bito, Haya

Mizzake, Osso, Bechal, the War of, because Nasim, Bito, Osso, Shahai, Mechayev, Osso,

Kiyama, Vada, Ihu, Adam, Toh, Shloh, Hachni, Flee, Velonas, Ali, Panim, so he gets into

a quarrel with this other guy, and then he calls these two men, he says, you two, get over

here.

What do you think?

The guy who says, you know, I'm going to flatter him, and that way he'll give me his

daughter, to give me a random marriage.

So he flatters him, and he says, no, no, no, you're not for my daughter.

The other guy who gave me the honest truth and told me that I was wrong, that's a guy

I know, certainly, he's a good person.

And because he didn't flatter or favor me, he's the chosen one for my daughter.

This is an interest, I don't know if there is an actual story that happened, or it's

just a story that an example that he's giving.

What the idea here is that sometimes, you know, the boss says something, and everyone's

like, oh, everyone's laughing, and it was like, was everyone is trying to flatter.

He's the guy who signs my check, I better be nice to him, I better tell him how funny

he is.

But that's flattery, and a person needs to be very, very cautious of this, therefore,

me, she who partners, oh, Diane, oh, God, by its talk, one who is a, as a community leader,

or a judge, or a disburser of charity, must not be a flatter.

So she'll always come if he, him, you know, partners, the shum Adam, will always go,

last or so, the last or many, or as you call, I call, I call him because then what

happens is the whole community, the whole congregation is going to go in an evil

path.

He called, I call young, my partner, smakhnefloplani.

Look, the one who's the community leader, look who he's kissing up to, and they will

not accept his reproof.

Similarly, if a judge flatters one of the litigants, the other will feel himself muzzelt.

And now when he's coming to argue for himself, he's not going to be able to present himself clearly, because he sees their best friends.

In most cases, the judge will need to recuse himself saying, I can't with good conscience be the judge on such a case where I have a relationship with this litigant.

And as a result, the case will not be the verdict won't come out properly.

The Khayin Gabbat-Staka'amach Nifim, additionally the same holds true with someone who disperses the charity for the community, who flatter and give charity to one who flatters them, or who flatter him and give him charity even though he is not deserving of it.

So, this is also something which is inappropriate.

Neither to flatter others, nor to accept flattery from them.

The Yazar Maud-Kishayyas-Sema-Semtovim, Shlou Yisqavim, Bahaim Lahakhenif, Lahakherim, Elul Hashem, Shemaim Belvaid.

And when someone does a good deed, he shouldn't do it to flatter others, or to make others feel good, or to make others happy, or to impress other people, do it for the sake of heaven alone.

And the worst of all flatteries is the flatter others to cause them to sin.

He has an art dispute with someone, and the case is not going his way.

He flatters others to aid him, and thus confirm him in his wrong, and double down on his wrong, or as in one pursuing transgressions.

Oh, Misha, who rode the Vakhraviras, Kegonz-Nus, Visharos, Buhumah-Nif-Lakhavir, Kadesh-Yasikamo.

See, he tries. He's doing terrible things. He inspires other people to do it here.

It's just a little tax fraud. It's not a big deal. It's just a little bit of illicit relations. It's not a big deal. Come, join me.

Come with me. We're going to go. We're going to have a good time. We'll go here. We'll go there. You'll see. Everything is going to be great.

And he does it in a way of flattery so that he doesn't do it alone.

So he says that Yeruvam Benavak married it becoming the king for not having flattered Shlomo, but having rebuked him for the building of the Milo.

So my dear friends, this concludes day number one, thirty-three, and now we are about to finish the chapter with day number one, thirty-four.

You've been listening to Rave Arya will be on a podcast produced by Torch, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston.

Please help sponsor an episode so we can continue to produce more quality Jewish content for our listeners around the globe.

Please visit torchweb.org to donate and partner with us on this incredible endeavor.

Thank you, Rabbi. I understand there's a fundraiser going on. Why would listeners want to donate to Torch versus other organizations?

So a very, very good question, very valid question. I want to tell you something like this, okay? Torch is here for one reason.

Torch is here to share the word of Torah with the world. Any one of you listeners out there listening on a podcast, listening in a video, last year alone, our videos grew, our video exposure grew 295%.

If I told you that there was an investment in the stock market that is going to grow 295%. Everyone would invest.

I am telling you, my dear listeners, that last year our YouTube videos alone grew 295% by our viewership.

Our podcast, there are many podcasts that grew by well over 200% as well. This is a great investment. I really believe so. I really feel this, my bones.

I know myself that I keep a very meticulous log of all of our videos. Last year in 2025, we published 1092 videos.

I don't know about you, but I think that's a lot of videos. To me, it's an exceptional privilege to be able to teach and learn Torah together with so many amazing people.

Not only you here in the room and those of you on Zoom every day, but also those listening on the podcasts and those of you watching live online or later online, a video on demand.

And we're on all these different platforms. It's all because we have a foundation here in Houston, Texas, where we learn, teach from our torch center and share that Torah with the world.

That's just one component. We have the torch center. We have our torch media. We also have torch wood, which is a torch community with now 15 families robust programming for the men, for the women, for the children.

Every Shabbos, there's over 100 people there for kiddish and for dovening. It's unbelievable. We'll go on over there. And then we have our newest young professional division, our unify.

It's just unbelievable the things that are going on and what we're trying to do is really open up for people one time a year, where we ask everyone to invest in torch.

This is a time getting on the ground floor because the midst of us that we're trying to do, we cannot do without the support of the community. That's the honest truth.

I don't say it as a cliche. Oh, we're partners that I really, we cannot do it. We can keep these lights on. We can't record. We can't have these cameras. We can't do the broadcasting. We can't do any of this without the support of our partners.

And therefore, this one week that you have, you can go to givetorch.net, givetorch.net and contribute every dollar that you contribute is matched by donors.

The entire week, the campaign will be up till we reach our goal because this is our budget for the year. We do everything we can to not stop even a single program to raise money.

We continue all of our classes will be on our Monday lunch and learn will be on our Monday night month, Mr. Mondays will be on our Tuesday morning classes will be on Tuesday night classes Wednesday and everything is on because that's why we're here.

We're here not to raise money. We're here to teach Dora. So if y'all would be so kind and generous and support us, we'll be able to end this campaign just like they did for the temple.

Right? What would happen in the temple? They said enough, enough donations. I'm ready to do the same. Please help us, my dear friends. Givetorch.net. Givetorch.net. Thank you, Mark. I appreciate your question.

Now, I want to talk about giving to torch. Okay. We are so blessed that God has given us. And it's not just for us. It's for the whole world. As a matter of fact, our choice being chosen is to be a light to the nations.

Bring Torra to everyone. Okay. They don't have to all do the commandments. But this is, as you have often said, the owner's manual for living and for those of us who grew up at a time where a good Jewish education was not available to us.

Now, there's a little bit here, a little bit there. I am so grateful that I get to come here four times a week. But more importantly, as a good friend of mine once said, if you could learn everything from a video or a book, there would be no universities.

And here at Torch, not only can you come and participate, but even if you can't come, we take people on Zoom who ask questions. And I don't know any other organization where you can't, you can actually participate long distance with a rabbi.

So studying Torch is like trying to eat an elephant. You do it one bite at a time. How do you learn Torra? One bite at a time. And that's what you give to us. And for all of you out there, not only is this invaluable. You couldn't put a dollar value on it.

But in addition to that, it's always free. And the only way it is always free is if you help provide the funds that we need with the only ask once you go to some places every single week they pass the pot and try to get money out of you.

But here they wait once a year. They don't bother you. They don't send out a give me, give me, give me once a year. That's all we ask give Torch.net. All my friends are my friends from class and my rabbis. They're my friends. That is my solicitation from y'all to please contribute. Give Torch.net. Thank you for letting me speak.

Supporting Torch is one of the best things you could possibly do. It will change your life. Jewish, not Jewish. Being part of Torch will inspire you. We'll teach you life lessons and we'll give you all the tools you need to be successful in life, marriage, family and all areas of your life. Support Torch if you can. We thank you very much.

And if you can please whatever donation amount the smallest the largest it doesn't make a difference I want you as a partner if you can please go to give Torch.net and donate so that you can be a partner in what we're doing. I'd greatly appreciate it and I hope you enjoy this episode.