Parashat Toldot - 11/25/2003

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
This Torah class is brought to you by torahanytime.com.

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (0:05)
Pashas told us, there's so much to speak about, but before we go into Pashas told us, I want to tell you a story that happened to me this week.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:13)
For a change.

**SPEAKER_4** (0:14)
David, do you have a chair? Get him in his seat.

**SPEAKER_5** (0:17)
I wish to do a haim first.

**SPEAKER_6** (0:19)
Do a haim in the middle first, whatever you want, no problem.

**SPEAKER_7** (0:25)
Haim, haim.

**SPEAKER_8** (0:28)
Okay.

**SPEAKER_7** (0:35)
So, I haven't been able, I really didn't think about finding it this week's parasha.

**SPEAKER_5** (0:40)
But just something that everyone has to hear. So I was having a discussion with a girl this week, and she asked me straight out, Rabbi, you know, the Shemini Giyah bit, what's up with the Shemini Giyah bit? Like, who does it hurt?

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (0:55)
Bottom line, I'm not married, and the guy that I'm not Shemini Giyah with, he's also not married. So who are we hurting? Like, why do you think God made this rule, Rabbi? Like, I'm having a good time, he's having a good time, nobody's getting hurt. So like, why do you have to be Shemini Giyah for?

**SPEAKER_5** (1:10)
Like, why do you think the ship came up with this rule? Plus, I don't know why a ship came up with the rules that he came up with.

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (1:17)
So I told her the following story, which I think is important for all of us.

**SPEAKER_7** (1:24)
So there was this young guy, and he went to work in Manhattan every day.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:29)
And on his way to work, he passed a very fancy restaurant.

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (1:34)
And when he passed this restaurant, in the window, he liked wine, and he enjoyed a good glass of wine. And in the window was a 1919 French Bordeaux. And he looked at this bottle every single day, and finally he worked up the nerve to walk in to the restaurant to find out how much they want for this bottle of wine.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:53)
So he goes to the side, and he goes to the maitre d'un, he goes, you know that 1919 French Bordeaux in the window, how much is that bottle?

**SPEAKER_3** (2:00)
And he looks at this little creature, this guy didn't look like he was any big player, and he says, Hugh, it's not for you.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:06)
He goes, well, just, I mean, half of it's for me, how much is it?

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (2:09)
It's $500, $500.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:13)
Okay, but you know, we all dream.

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (2:16)
And he worked for five years, and every time he walked by, he would look at it and say, if I ever have $500, if I ever get $500 that I could save after my rent, and my car, my insurance, that bottle, that was his dream.

**SPEAKER_9** (2:27)
That was his fantasy.

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (2:28)
And he could see himself with that bottle, and having it in the glass, and like, get the color, and the smell.

**SPEAKER_10** (2:34)
Hey, forget it, he was in the bottle.

**SPEAKER_11** (2:36)
He was in the bottle already.

**SPEAKER_6** (2:37)
Like, what's in $500 if you get in that bottle? So he's dreaming about this bottle.

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (2:42)
Anyway, one day after five years working for this company, believe it or not, he comes in and they tell him, you know what, you're doing so well, we decided to give you a bonus.

**SPEAKER_12** (2:52)
And they hand him an envelope, and his hands are shaking.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:55)
He's already thinking about the wine.

**SPEAKER_3** (2:56)
That's how, that's how he was into the wine so much.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:57)
His hands are shaking, he's going, maybe $500. He just, he's focused on this bottle of wine.

**SPEAKER_5** (3:02)
And of course, as the story goes, he opens the envelope and guess, lo and behold, five $100 bills.

**SPEAKER_8** (3:10)
Forget about it.

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (3:11)
He's sitting there, he got the bonus at about two o'clock, and he's watching the clock, because he leaves at five. And he's sitting there, only two hours left in the bottle, only an hour left in the bottle, only 45 minutes in the bottle.

**SPEAKER_10** (3:21)
He's ready, he's eating up what it smells like, he always takes like, ah, he's flying, forget about it.

**Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein** (3:27)
Anyway, boom, five o'clock, takes off down the elevator, down the, everyone's like, whoa, what kind of great movie is it today? What's going on?

**SPEAKER_8** (3:33)
Flies out, runs up to the restaurant.