Daily Bitachon

ספר ערבי נחל - פרשת בהר וחיות האדם נחלק לנפש רוח ונשמה חיה יחידה, וביארנו כמה פעמים כי זה הוא מעשה דיבור ומחשבה ושכל והוא נפש רוח נשמה חיות וכל אחד משתלשל מהקודם, ובחינת יחידה הוא רצון פשוט אשר הוא דק ורוחני עוד יותר מבחינת השכל והחכמה והוא מבחינת כתר : ספר ליקוטי תורה - פרשת בלק שבחי' פנימי' נקודת הלב היא בחי' יחידה שאין לה אלא רצון אחד לאביה שבשמים והיא המעלה והמדרגה שאין דוגמתה ולא בערכה נמצא בגשמיות כלל רק לה' לבדו נמצא בבנ"י עם קרובו: Welcome to the Erev Yom Kippur Edition We're quoting from Rabbeinu Yonah in the fourth gate of his Sefer Sha'arei Teshuvah (The Gates of Repentance). In the eighth letter, he explains that a person who has sinned, even after performing Teshuvah (repentance), still requires a final Kapparah (atonement), which arrives with Yom Kippur . Therefore, the entire year should be spent yearning and waiting for this great day. Why? So that we may once again find favor in God's eyes . This divine favor is the ultimate source of life for both the body and the soul—it is the source of everything. As the pasuk (verse) in Tehillim (Psalms) says: "Chaim bi'Rtzono" — Life comes from God's will. The Joy of Atonement: Why We Eat on Erev Yom Kippur Rabbeinu Yonah uses this concept to explain why we are instructed to eat and drink on Erev Yom Kippur (the day before Yom Kippur). The festive meal holds the value of Yom Kippur itself because it is a way to express our happiness over the great atonement that is about to come. He also presents a second, related reason: Every holiday involves a meal or Seudah because the holiday itself is a Mitzvah (commandment). We eat and drink to celebrate the Mitzvah, following the principle that the happier a person is about a Mitzvah, the greater the reward for fulfilling it. Conversely, serving God without joy limits the reward. Since Yom Kippur is the only holiday on which we are commanded not to eat, we shift the celebratory meal—the Simchat HaMitzvah (joy of the Mitzvah) of Yom Kippur—to Erev Yom Kippur . This celebratory meal becomes a testimony to our profound concern and worry over our sins, and our absolute certainty and joy in the coming atonement. Therefore, we should be in a happy mood and celebrate the great day of Yom Kippur and its atonement. The Five Levels of the Soul and the Power of Ne'ilah To add further depth, Rav Wolbe (as do many other holy books) teaches us about the unique nature of this day. We normally have a day with three or four prayers, but never five. This fifth prayer, Ne'ilah , corresponds to the five sections of our soul: Nefesh (Corresponds to the liver) Ruach (Corresponds to the heart) Neshamah (Corresponds to the brain) These first three are the standard parts of the soul within us: Moach, Lev, Kaved (Brain, Heart, Liver). Chayah (Life) - A part of the soul hovering above us. Yechidah (Singular/Unique) - The highest part, rooted in God. Every soul is a "chelek Eloka mi'ma'al" — a piece of God from above . This highest root, the Yechidah , is a point of pure connection where we are simply "plugged in" to God without question, beyond the realm of good and bad or choice. Rav Wolbe explains that each of the five prayers on Yom Kippur ignites one of these parts of the soul. Finally, at Ne'ilah , the highest part of our soul—the Yechidah , which is often dormant all year—is engaged and enlightened. This is the ultimate source of the Kapparah (atonement) that happens during Ne'ilah, granting us an understanding of God's Oneness ( Yichud ). The Meaning of Ne'ilah : Locked In with God The word Yechidah shares the same root as Yichud , which means to be alone. One understanding of why the final prayer is called Ne'ilah , which means to close, is that the gates of mercy are closing . However, a deeper understanding suggests that we are now being locked in a room alone with God . Just as a bride and groom enter a locked room for Yichud to begin their marriage, we are granted the opportunity to be alone with God in a special way. The moment of Yechidah is that moment when we are alone with God and achieve that ultimate clarity. This is also what we look forward to—this is Rtzono , His will and desire to be alone with us in such a special way. Let us therefore look forward to Yom Kippur not with dread, but as a wonderful day to be embraced, taking in every moment of this unique time that will give us life for the whole year: "Chaim bi'Rtzono," life that comes with His will.

The Essential Obligation: Forgiving Others on Yom Kippur This is a beautifully insightful text about the spiritual preparation for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), focusing on the less emphasized but crucial aspect of forgiving others . Here is the edited and cleaned-up version, maintaining the original's tone and rich sourcing: Welcome to a special edition of our Bitachon (Trust in God) class, as it relates to forgiving people on Yom Kippur . We place a major emphasis on asking others for Mechilah (forgiveness). It is critically important to seek forgiveness from anyone you may have wronged before Yom Kippur. However, we often place less stress on the equally vital obligation: that we must remove from our hearts any ill feelings, or what is known as K'peidot—being upset, holding a grudge, or exacting in judgment toward others. Rav Chaim Palaggi , in his work Moed L'kol Chai (Chapter 19), quotes the Zohar which states that if a person does not remove upsetness from their heart, their Tefillos (prayers) are interfered with. He cites his teacher, Rav Eliyahu Cohen of Izmir , who explains that throughout the year the angel will bring up prayers, on Yom Kippur specifically, one must remove these negative feelings. Rav Palaggi reiterates this in Chapter 16, stating: "One who does not remove hatred from his heart on Yom Kippur—his prayer is neither heard nor accepted." Therefore, he concludes, one should be ma'avir al midosav, meaning they should be completely easygoing and overlook the faults of others. This is the intention behind the passage many recite nightly before Kri'at Shema al HaMittah: "Harenini mochel v'sole'ach..." : I hereby forgive and pardon anyone who angered or provoked me—whether it affected my body, my money, or whatever the matter may be, I forgive them. We must ask ourselves: when we say that, do we truly mean it? Chacham Ben Zion Abba Shaul , in Or L'Tzion, actually states: if you don't mean it, you shouldn't say it. But, as Rav Chaim Palaggi emphasizes, during these days we must work on genuinely meaning it. We have to overcome our true upsets and genuinely forgive those who wronged us. Why Forgiveness is Our Shield Why is this internal forgiveness so important? The Sefer Cheshek Shlomo from Rav Shlomo Sirok (brought in a collection of ancient manuscripts by Rav Yaakov Hillel) explains the profound reason: On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur , when we ask God to forgive us, the Satan (accuser) stands up and says: "Hold on! Treat them the way they treat others. If they don't want to forgive others, You shouldn't forgive them either!" This causes a person's sins to be remembered and held against them. Therefore, one should be meticulous in forgiving and being easygoing so that God will treat them the way they treat others. Just as we want God to forgive us, we must forgive others. The Power of Bitachon (Trust in God) The question, however, remains: How? How can one truly forgive when a person has deeply wronged or upset them? This brings us back to the Torah's command not to bear a grudge. It's an enormous ask: "Let bygones be bygones and forget what the person did to you." The Sefer HaChinuch provides the only path to achieve this: having Bitachon (trust in God) and believing that no human being could do anything to you—no human being can impact you in any way—unless God specifically decreed it. The person who wronged you will be punished by God, but that is not your concern. That is between them and God. As for you, if it was going to happen to you, it would have happened regardless of who performed the action. The Sefer HaChinuch brings the famous story of Shimei ben Gera , who cursed King David when David was fleeing from Absalom. David's response was profound: "Hashem said to him, 'Curse!'" David understood that God put the cursing into Shimei's mind. It had nothing to do with Shimei's personal spite; it was part of God's decree. Because of this profound control and understanding, David was elevated to become the fourth "leg" of God's throne (alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). His self-mastery, rooted in the understanding that God ultimately orchestrates everything, earned him this immense spiritual status. The Saving Power of Forgiveness This is not an easy job; it takes hard work. But this is our assignment on Yom Kippur: to arouse that deep-seated Bitachon . We are all familiar with the story involving Rav Chaim Shmulevitz . The Mir Yeshiva was in a bomb shelter during a war, and as people prayed, a bomb struck the shelter. The building shook, but the bomb turned out to be a dud. Rav Shmulevitz later said that people assumed it was the fervent prayers of the young men that protected the Yeshiva. He then related that he was not far from a woman who had been grievously wronged by her husband many years earlier—he had abandoned her, leaving her an agunah (a woman whose husband's whereabouts are unknown). At that precise moment, she simply looked up and said: "Hashem, I forgive him. Please forgive us." Rav Shmulevitz stated he believed those were the words that made the impact and saved the Yeshiva. It is a powerful, saving strength. We must delve deep into the recesses of our soul to find the strength to forgive someone who wronged us and believe that ultimately, they were not the ones who truly made it happen. When we are able to forgive others, God is able to forgive us, and our prayers are heard. May we all merit to engage in this deep spiritual work.

The Essential Theme of Humility in the High Holidays The Bent Shofar: A Symbol of Humility On Rosh Hashanah , we blow the Shofar . The Halacha emphasizes the importance of a bent Shofar. Even if we have a choice between a bent Shofar from a goat and a straight one from a ram ( Ayil ), we choose the bent one. Furthermore, if the choice is between a straight Shofar with a great sound and a bent one with a lesser sound, the bent Shofar is still preferred. Why? The Mishnah Berurah explains that the essential requirement is for the Shofar to be bent, as the Gemara states. The bent shape symbolizes humility ( Anavah ). Rosh Hashanah is a day for humbling ourselves before God, and this principle of "bending" carries through the entire High Holiday period. Ne'ilah and the Essence of Awe This concept of humility extends directly to Yom Kippur , specifically during the concluding Ne'ilah prayer. The Gemara teaches that the core of the Ne'ilah service lies in the words: "Mah anachnu, mah chayeinu, mah kocheinu, mah gevurateinu" — "What are we? What is our life? What is our strength? What is our power?" We are declaring that we are nothing on our own. Why is this fundamental declaration of powerlessness so central to both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? The Desire to Be the Boss: The Original Sin The answer goes back to the Original Sin . The Serpent ( Nachash ) told Adam and Eve, "The reason God commanded you not to eat from that tree is because He ate from it and it made Him a boss. He doesn't want you to be a boss, too." We bought into the lie and ate. This event reveals a fundamental human flaw: a person's deep-seated desire to be in charge , to be the boss, and to reject the authority of anyone else. The "Curse" as a Correction ( Tikun ) To fix this innate arrogance, God instituted what is commonly called a "curse," but which the Nefesh HaChaim interprets as a correction ( Tikun ). God told man, "B'zeat apecha tochal lechem"—"By the sweat of your brow you will eat bread." And to the woman, "B'etzev teldi banim"—"In pain you will give birth to children." Why these two specific things? Because when is a person closest to feeling like a creator? When a man plants a seed in the ground and out comes a tree. When a woman conceives a seed in her womb and out comes a baby. In these moments, one is most likely to exclaim, " I'm the boss! Look what I just did! " God's wisdom ensures that precisely in these areas—your business and your family—where you feel most in control, a curveball will appear: a setback in your work or a difficulty in raising your children. The purpose ( Tachlit ) is to force us to cry out to God and declare, "I realize I'm not in charge; You are in charge." This is the meaning of the Tikun —the correction. The entire season of the High Holidays, symbolized by the bent Shofar , is designed to help us internalize this essential truth of humility and dependence on God.

Shabbat Shuvah A close connection exists between the observance of Shabbat and the experience of teshuvah . This connection can be discerned already in the word שבת , which relates to the verb שוב , the root of the word תשובה . This connection also emerges from the following story told in the Midrash ( Vayikra Rabbah 10:5) about a meeting that took place between Kayin, after he repented for his sin, and his father, Adam: כיון שיצא פגע בו אדם הראשון אמר לו מה נעשה בדינך אמר לו עשיתי תשובה ונתפשרתי כיון ששמע אדם הראשון כך התחיל טופח על פניו אמר לו כל כך היא כחה של תשובה ולא הייתי יודע באותה שעה אמר אדם הראשון מזמור שיר ליום השבת. Adam asked Kayin what happened to him as a result of his sin, and Kayin replied that he repented and was thus given a light sentence. At that moment, the Midrash tells, Adam began slapping himself in frustration. "If I had realized that teshuvah was so powerful," he cried, "I would have performed teshuvah after my sin!" The Midrash concludes that Adam then proceeded to compose the Psalm of מזמור שיר ליום השבת , the special song for Shabbat. This clearly indicates that Shabbat somehow closely relates to the concept of teshuvah . Another indication to this effect can be found in a Midrashic passage cited by the Orchot Tzadikim( Shaar haTeshuvah) . The Midrash tells that when Moshe ascended to the heavens to receive the Torah, he found angels with a Sefer Torah open in each of the seven levels of heaven. At each level, the angels were learning about the corresponding day of creation: the angels at the first level were learning about the first day of creation, at the second level they were learning about the second day, and so on, until the seventh level, where the angels learned about Shabbat. Additionally, the angels at each level were discussing and praising G-d for a certain concept. At the first level, they spoke about the Torah; on the second, the Torah and the Jewish People; on the third, the city of Jerusalem; the fourth, Moshiach ; the fifth, the suffering of Gehinom ; on the sixth level, they spoke of Gan Eden and prayed that G-d grant the Jewish People a portion in Gan Eden . On the seventh level, which corresponds to Shabbat, Moshe Rabbenu held onto the Throne of Glory, which is situated on that level, and he saw all kinds of angels assembled discussing teshuvah . They praised the power of teshuvah , which reaches all the way to the Throne of Glory, as alluded to in the pasuk , שובה ישראל עד ה' אלקיך . This, too, points to a close connection between Shabbat and teshuvah . The seventh level of the heavens, which is situated near the Throne of Glory, corresponds to Shabbat, because Shabbat is associated with teshuvah , which rises directly to the Throne. The basis of this connection is the concept of return. Rav Wolbe noted that teshuvah does not actually mean "repentance," but rather "return." Teshuvah is about returning to Hashem, and Shabbat is the time when all of creation returns to its source. The concept of the seven different layers of the heaven is discussed by the Gemara, in Masechet Chagigah(12b). The Gemara there gives the names of these seven layers – וילון, רקיע, שחקים, זבול, מעון, מכון, ערבות . At the seventh level, the Gemara describes, there is "righteous, justice and charity," as well as "treasuries of life, treasuries of peace, and treasuries of blessing." (This, too, is connected to Shabbat, as it is the מקור הברכה – the source of all blessing – and thus G-d's "treasuries of blessing" are found on the seventh level of the heaven, which corresponds to Shabbat.) This level also contains the souls of the righteous, the souls of those who have not yet been born, and the טל תחיה – the dew with which G-d will one day resurrect the dead. Our Rabbis explain that the Gemara refers here not only to the literal resurrection, when the deceased will actually come back to life, but also the figurative "resurrection" – namely, teshuvah . A sinner is considered spiritually "dead," and the process of teshuvah enables him to regain his "life." The "dew" which enables us to "resurrect" ourselves after sin is found there, in the seventh level of the heaven, the level of Shabbat, because on Shabbat we are given the unique ability to grow and negate the harmful effects of sin. This unique power is given to us every Shabbat, but especially on Shabbat Shuvah, when Hashem calls to us, שובה עד ה' אלקיך – to return to Him, promising that our repentance will go straight to His Throne in the highest levels of the heavens. Shabbat Shuvah is so significant that the Tur ( Orach Chaim 612) records an opinion among the poskim permitting the recitation of Selichot on this Shabbat, despite the fact that Selichot is normally forbidden on Shabbat as it is inconsonant with the festive spirit of the day. The Bais Yosef explains that according to this view, the period of the Aseret Ymei Teshuvah is a time of danger, as we are being judged, and this unique situation allows us to recite Selichot and beseech Hashem for forgiveness. Although we do not follow this opinion, it demonstrates the special status of this Shabbat and how this is a most propitious time for teshuvah . Let us, then, take advantage of the unique opportunity offered by this special Shabbat, and thereby ensure that our teshuvah and efforts to grow and draw closer to Hashem will rise directly to His Throne, so we will be worthy of His kindness and grace throughout the coming year, אמן .

Welcome to a special edition in honor of Tzom Gedaliah ( צוםגדליה ), the Fast of Gedaliah. This day is a potent reminder of a tragedy that occurred following the destruction of the First Temple. Today, we commemorate the assassination of the righteous leader, Gedaliah ben Ahikam ( גדליהבןאחיקם ). His death was the final blow to the remaining Jewish community in the Land of Israel ( ארץישראל ), forcing them into exile and marking the end of the last vestiges of Jewish life there. The Dangers of Habit: Lessons from Gedaliah In his book on the Days of Awe ( ימיםנוראים ), Rabbi Nosson Wachtfogel brings forth a powerful concept: Rosh Hashanah ( ראשהשנה ) is not just about shedding bad habits; it's about renewing ourselves, even in our good deeds. The greatest pitfall, he argues, is continuing a positive behavior simply out of habit. This, Rabbi Wachtfogel explains, was Gedaliah's tragic mistake. He was warned of a plot to assassinate him but dismissed the warning, relying on his ingrained practice of never accepting slander ( לשוןהרע ). He failed to re-evaluate the situation and realize that this specific instance of gossip ( רכילות ) was permitted for a greater, life-saving reason. This rigid adherence to a pre-existing, even positive, behavior—without re-analysis—led to his death and the further exile of the Jewish people. This teaches us a crucial lesson: Don't remain stuck in old habits. Habit is the opposite of the essence of Rosh Hashanah, which demands we become a new creation ( בריהחדשה ). When Routine Becomes Rote This idea is beautifully illustrated by a story about the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum. At a Chasidic wedding, a gifted jester ( בדחן ) who was known for his imitations asked the Rebbe for permission to mimic him. The Rebbe, with a smile, granted the request. The jester then proceeded to impersonate the Rebbe's unique way of shaking the lulav and etrog ( לולבואתרוג ). Everyone laughed, but in the middle of the performance, the Rebbe burst into tears. The jester's face turned pale as he rushed over to beg forgiveness, terrified that he had caused offense. "No, no," the Rebbe assured him. "You did nothing wrong." "Then why are you crying?" the jester asked. "I said to myself," the Rebbe explained, "'If you can copy the Satmar Rebbe, well, maybe I'm just copying the Satmar Rebbe, too.'" The Rebbe feared that his own prayer movements, once filled with sincere intention, had become nothing more than a mechanical imitation of the way he had prayed in his youth—a rote performance rather than an act of genuine connection. This is the danger of מצוותאנשיםמלומדה , or doing mitzvot by rote. Breaking Free of the Elephant's Rope Another powerful story highlights this point. A man once observed a group of huge circus elephants restrained only by a small rope tied to their front legs. Puzzled, he asked the trainer how it was possible that such powerful creatures didn't break free. The trainer explained, "When the elephants are small, we tie them with these same ropes, which are strong enough to hold them at that age. As they grow, they are conditioned to believe the rope can still hold them back. They never even try to break free." We, too, must break free from our "elephant rope." We may be conditioned to act a certain way, but we must constantly reassess our actions and not get stuck in the mindset of "that's just the way I do things." A Call to Action Therefore, as Rabbi Wachtfogel teaches, after Rosh Hashanah, there must be a tangible change in our lives—in our prayers, our learning, and our interactions with others. This requires a profound re-analysis of our daily routines to ensure our actions are driven by genuine renewal, not simply by old habits. A practical takeaway for this day of Tzom Gedaliah is to set aside some time to evaluate your own habits. Which routines are serving you well, and which ones could use improvement? Have a wonderful rest of your day.

An Immigrant in This World Welcome to our special Elul series of Cheshbon HaNefesh (Soul-Searching). We've now completed our 30th reflection, which prompts us to view ourselves as immigrants in this world. This is a celebration of our journey through these 30 spiritual units. Imagine a transient immigrant arriving in a foreign land. He knows no one, and no one knows him. But a compassionate, powerful person takes him in, provides his daily food, and gives him a set of instructions to follow, with clear consequences for disobedience. This guide tells him how to act and that he will eventually leave this land, though the time of departure is unknown. How should this immigrant act? Lessons from the Immigrant Humility: He should be humble, shedding all pride and arrogance. He is a sojourner, not a judge of others, as Lot was told: " One came to sojourn, and he would now judge? " Readiness: He must be ready to leave at a moment's notice and should not become too comfortable. As God says in Vayikra , " The land is Mine, for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. " Understanding the Laws: He must diligently learn the laws and statutes of the land and his obligations. King David expressed this perfectly in Tehillim : " I am a foreigner in the land; do not hide Your commandments from me. " Love for Others: As an immigrant, he should feel a special bond with other foreigners and help them. The Torah commands us, " Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. " Another verse in Vayikra says, " The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself. " The Ramban suggests that this command, " Love him as yourself, " is even stronger than the general command to love one's neighbor, as we ourselves are immigrants. Clinging to the Guide: He must dedicate himself to the service of the one who is guiding him, as this is the only person who will truly have compassion for him and come to his aid. Like King David, who said, " I looked to my right and I saw that no one was with me; refuge was lost to me; no one cared for my soul. " Unlike the Shunammite woman who felt secure among her own people, we are truly alone but for our Creator. Contentment: He should be content with the minimal necessities provided—food, shelter, and clothing. He should not put excessive effort into accumulating possessions, as he must be ready to travel at any time. The smallest gift should bring him great joy, and he should never stop giving thanks. Tolerance: He should tolerate difficulties and not complain about simple discomforts like a lack of air conditioning, because he is grateful just to be in the country. Our True State My friends, we must accept these conditions of being an alien, because we truly are strangers here. We might think we have friends and allies, but this is an illusion. The proof is how we came into this world. No one was there to help you develop in your mother's womb. No one but God could make your limbs grow and your heart beat. And just as you were alone in the womb, you are alone in this world. No person can truly help you without God. No one can add to your life or take days away from it. As the author asks, " What relationship do you truly have with other people? " You are an immigrant in this world, and you are neither helped by the many nor harmed by the few. You are an isolated individual whose only true ally is your Creator. No one has compassion for you but Him. There may be many distractions in the world, but ultimately there is only one force to focus on. Therefore, dedicate yourself to His service, just as He dedicates Himself to creating, guiding, and sustaining you in life and in death. Keep His Torah before your eyes, hope for His reward, and fear His punishment. By accepting your alien state in this world, you will truly enjoy the delights of the world to come. This powerful message is especially fitting for Erev Rosh Hashanah , as this is what the day is all about—our special one-on-one connection with God. As God says, " I am the Lord, your God " in the singular. We must deal with Him directly, for no one else can truly affect us. This is our final reflection.

The Value of the Soul Over the Body Welcome to the Chovot HaLevavot series. We are on Cheshbon 29 , a deep introspection that prompts us to consider the value of our soul over our body. This idea helps us understand why some people hold more weight than others, not in a physical sense, but in their spiritual and moral worth. The Gemara says that a certain person is as valuable as a thousand people. For instance, Moshe Rabbeinu was considered to be worth 600,000 people. This wasn't because he was physically strong, but because of his immense spiritual stature. The Chovot HaLevavot author proves this point by quoting a verse from Shmuel II , chapter 18, verse 3. When King David was going to war, his people insisted he stay behind, saying, " You are worth ten thousand of us ." Targum Yonatan explains this was because David would pray for them. This shows that King David's true value was in his spiritual strength, not his physical might. The Importance of Inner Beauty The same principle applies to a beautiful woman. Her true quality isn't just her physical beauty. If a person is physically beautiful but lacks intellect or has poor character traits, they ultimately aren't attractive. The author quotes a verse from Mishlei (Proverbs): " A gold ring in a swine's snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. " This verse, "Isha yafah v'sarat ta'am," means her beauty is worthless because she is "missing her flavor"—her proper character traits and actions. Another verse from Mishlei, "Sheker ha-chein v'hevel ha-yofi," teaches that charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting. Physical beauty, which is tied to the body, only has true value when it is accompanied by a beautiful soul. Once we realize this, we understand that our true value is our spiritual worth. You Are Not Your Body To illustrate this point, consider the story of actor Christopher Reeve, who played Superman. After a horse-riding accident left him paralyzed, he fell into a deep depression. For a year, he withdrew from the public eye. When he finally re-emerged, he was asked what gave him the strength to do so. His answer was profound: " I realized I'm not my body. " This is a powerful statement we should all internalize. Our true qualities are spiritual. When we understand this, we realize the importance of prioritizing our soul over our body. When God looks at us, He sees the merits and blemishes of our souls. He looks at our midot tovot (good character traits), and our choices to follow either our good or evil inclinations. What makes us special is what's inside, not what's outside. A Spiritual Spa As we prepare for the High Holidays, our focus must be on our spiritual well-being. Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz once said, " Elul is a spa. " The month of Elul and especially the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (Ten Days of Repentance) are like going to a spa. Just as a physical spa uses massages, salts, and minerals to make the body stronger and healthier, these 40 days are a spiritual spa. They give us the ability to enhance and improve everything about ourselves. We must tend to our soul more than our body, knowing that it is easier to cure our body from a grave disease than to heal our soul from the sickness of sin and the yetzer hara (evil inclination). Another verse from Mishlei, "Ru'ach ish y'chalkeil machaleihu, v'ru'ach n'ka'ah mi yisa'ena," translates to: " A person's spirit can endure a physical ailment, but who can bear a crushed spirit? " This teaches us that a spiritual ailment is far more difficult to bear than a physical one. This is why another verse in Mishlei says, "Mi-kol mishmar, netzor libecha," —" Guard your heart above all else. " We put fences, gates, and security around our homes, our money, and other valuables. But the most precious commodity we have is our heart and spirit. It needs the most guarding and protection of all.

What Happens When Trust Is Tested? This text is a discussion of the 28th cheshbon (reckoning) from Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh (Gate of Introspection), focusing on a high level of bitachon (trust in God) and what happens when that trust is tested. The highest level of bitachon isn't just relying on God to get what you want. It's about complete self-surrender—giving your life, your money, and your children to God, trusting that He knows what's best. The true test of this trust comes when things don't go the way you expected, and God gives you something you didn't bargain for. To explain this, the text uses a parable: imagine a man gives his nephew a house and a field as an outright gift. The nephew then decides to tear down the house and rebuild it. If the uncle returns years later and finds his gift unrecognizable, does he have a right to be upset? Of course not, because he gave it away completely. It's now the nephews to do with as he pleases. Similarly, if we dedicate our soul and our resources to God, we can't complain or mourn when He does something we don't like. We must trust that He knows what's best, even if it doesn't look that way to us. We should not retract our commitment or show expressions of pain and upset, especially since God has been taking care of us all our lives. The text then references several biblical sources to support this idea: Hosea 11:3-4 : God says, "I trained Ephraim, I took them by My arms, but they didn't know that I healed them." This verse highlights that God is often working behind the scenes to help us, and we are not always aware of His care. Rabbenu Yonah in his commentary to Mishlei (Chapter 3) adds some other sources: Psalm 31:6 : We say nightly, "Into Your hands I commit my spirit." This isn't just a bedtime prayer; it's a declaration of trust, asking God to guide our path because He knows what is best for us. Job 2:10 : When Job's wife tells him to curse God, he replies, "Shall we accept good from God, and not accept evil?" This shows that we must accept all that comes from God, both good and bad, as part of His plan. Proverbs 3:12 : "For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes, just as a father rebukes the son whom he favors." This verse teaches that hardships are not punishments but a sign of God's love and a means for our growth, just as a father disciplines a child he loves. This introspection reminds us that even when life doesn't go as planned, our trust in God should remain unshaken. He is always working for our benefit, even when we don't understand it.

Two Ways to Tolerate Suffering The Chovot HaLevavot emphasizes that there are two ways to endure suffering ( sevel ). The first is to accept the "load" God has given you willingly and with a good heart. This is the positive approach. The second is to carry it against your will, with complaints and anger. The Chovot HaLevavot contrasts these two approaches using two verses from the book of Yeshiah: The positive way: "I am waiting for God, who is hiding His face... and I hope for Him." This verse describes a person who knows God is present, even when He seems hidden, and they remain hopeful. The negative way: "And when he becomes hungry, he gets angry and curses his king and his God." This verse illustrates a person who reacts to hardship with rage and defiance. Abraham's Example and the Desert Generation To further illustrate the difference, the Chovot HaLevavot uses two examples from Jewish tradition: Abraham: He was praised not for simply enduring his ten trials, but because he accepted them willingly and with a good heart ( beratzon uvetov levav ). The verse "You found his heart faithful before You" highlights his faithful mindset. The Desert Generation: Their sin was not simply that they faced difficulties, but that they were "upset and their heart was not with God and with Moses." The verse "their heart was not honest with Him" shows that their negative reaction was what made them guilty. The Purpose of Challenges The Chovot HaLevavot highlights that there are different types of challenges and their purpose may not always be clear. They can be: Tests: To help you grow and earn a greater reward. The speaker emphasizes that these are not necessarily a punishment for wrongdoing. Punishments: To help you atone for your sins and get back on the right path. We will never know which of these purposes a specific challenge serves. It's important to remember that challenges are not always an indication that you've done something wrong. Regardless of the reason, all of God's ways are either kindness ( chesed ) or truth ( emet ), as stated in Psalms: "All the ways of God are kind and true." They are either meant to increase your reward (kindness) or to help you atone and get back on track (truth). The Importance of Mindset The Chovot HaLevavot concludes with a powerful message: "Do not fail to think about this all the time." By consistently reflecting on the idea that challenges are here to help us grow and find atonement, you can: Strengthen your ability to tolerate hardship. Make it easier to weather life's storms. Show that you accept God's will. This understanding brings comfort, as King David said: "Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." It also shows faith ( bitachon ), and strengthens the heart of all who hope in God.

The Fear of Punishment and the Fear of God Welcome to the "Heshbon HaNefesh" (Soul Accounting) series. The 26th reflection asks: What happens when a person in authority gives you a command and you're afraid of being punished if you don't listen? The parallel for us today isn't a king, but a police officer, a mayor, or a governor. Think about driving on the highway and seeing a police car with its lights on in your rearview mirror. Your heart drops in fear of getting a ticket, and then you realize the officer is chasing someone else. That moment of relief can be a powerful trigger for self-reflection. This event is a mashal (parable or analogy) for our relationship with God. Why are we so concerned with the arbitrary rules of society—like a speed limit that can change from 35 mph to 25 mph—and so afraid of their consequences, yet we are not equally concerned with God's commandments? The fear of getting a ticket feels immediate and real, but the fear of God's punishment often feels distant. What's the difference? A human authority figure has limitations. They can't always see you and are often distracted. God, on the other hand, is constantly watching. He is never preoccupied or deterred. This realization should lead to a profound question: Why do I not have a similar fear of God? Lessons from Judgment and the High Holidays This is especially relevant as we approach the High Holidays. There is a story about a great rabbi who would visit a court during the month of Elul (leading up to the High Holidays). He would sit and watch people's fear as they were judged, observing how much time and effort they put into their cases. This, for him, was a living mashal for the coming Day of Judgment. Rabbeinu Yonah , in the second gate of his work Shaarei Teshuva , discusses the Aseret Yemei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance). He uses the example of a person in a real-life court case to inspire repentance. He writes that an intelligent person should feel a certain shame. Here we are, standing before God, whose decrees are everlasting and who is constantly overseeing our actions, yet we go through life without a fear of God or a fear of punishment, continuing to sin while He watches. The Supernatural Disconnect Rav Yitzchak of Petersburg , a student of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter , offered a profound insight: There is an almost supernatural trait in humans that prevents us from fearing God as we fear people. If we truly grasped that God is all-powerful, ever-present, and could punish us at any moment, our free will might disappear. We would be so terrified that we could never sin. God, in His mercy, created this "disconnect" that allows us to ignore this fear and maintain our freedom of choice. This is the deeper meaning behind the famous story of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai telling his students on his deathbed, "May you fear God as you fear a human." When they responded, "Is that all?" he replied, "Would that it were! Fearing a human is a great thing." We are able to be ashamed of our actions in front of others, but we struggle with the same shame before God. Arrogance and Inattentional Blindness So why do we lack this fear? A verse from Psalms (10:4) may provide an answer: "Due to his arrogance, the wicked one does not seek; all his thoughts are, 'There is no God.'" The verse uses the term " bal yidrosh " ("he does not seek"), which is particularly striking when we remember that the Ten Days of Repentance are called "Drashu Hashem Behimatzo" ("Seek God when He is to be found"). The wicked person's arrogance blocks them from seeking God. This is also supported by another verse: "Your heart will become arrogant, and you will forget." Arrogance causes us to forget God. This concept can be understood through "inattentional blindness," a psychological phenomenon where a person fails to notice a fully visible, unexpected object because their attention is focused on something else. We are so focused on our own affairs and our own ego that we fail to see God's presence in the world. Our arrogance creates an interference. It's not just inattention; it's an attentional blindness driven by our desire to see ourselves, not God. Like a clinician who is so hyper-focused on looking for one specific thing on an X-ray that they miss something else, we become so focused on our own lives that we don't see God unless we actively look for Him. Arrogance causes us to not want to see Him. That's why we fear the police officer but not God—our arrogance gets in the way. This leads to the crucial first step of Rosh Hashanah : humility . By humbling ourselves, we can remove the arrogance that blinds us. Only then can we begin to see God and truly turn back to Him.

Welcome to Our Elul Project: The Journey of the Soul Welcome to "Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh," our 30-day Elul project. Today, we're on "cheshbon" number 25. This reflection is for those moments when we realize we're too fixated on this world, giving it more attention than the next one. This is a common human tendency, and as the text says, we have to actively work on strengthening our love for the world to come. How do we do this? By comparing the two. This world is short-lived, while the next is eternal. The Ba'alei Mussar (scholars of ethical teachings) offer a powerful "mashal" (parable) to help us grasp the concept of eternity. Imagine a stadium completely filled with sand. Once every 100 years, a single bird comes and removes just one grain. The time it would take for the entire stadium to be emptied is still not eternity. This helps us understand that forever is a concept our minds can't fully grasp. The Two Worlds: A Painful Conflict Chovot HaLevavot teaches that just as you can't have fire and water in the same pot; similarly, you can't have love for this world and the next world in your heart at the same time. While we all have earthly interests, the key is determining which is the dominant force. The text compares the two worlds to a man with two wives. The Hebrew word for a second wife, "tzarah," literally means "pain" because they're in a painful rivalry for their husband's attention. In this parable, we are the husband, and both worlds are vying for our focus. The Talmud reinforces this idea with a similar story. Two students were learning from their rabbi: one wanted to study Mussar (ethical teachings) and the other Gemara (Talmudic law). The rabbi couldn't satisfy both. He shared a parable about a man in his 40s with both black and white hair, who was married to a young wife and an old wife. The young wife would pluck out his white hairs to make him look younger, while the old wife would pluck out his black hairs to make him look older. In the end, he was left with no hair at all. This illustrates that we can't please both worlds; we must choose one as our primary focus. Caring for Both Body and Soul The text explains that we have both a body and a soul, and both require proper care. To strengthen the soul, we need Mussar (ethical teachings), wisdom, and self-control. To strengthen the body, we need food, drink, and proper health care. While we can't completely ignore either, one must be in charge. We should prioritize the soul, which is everlasting, over the short-lived body. A person who focuses too much on their body will ultimately weaken both their body and soul. We can draw some parallels between the two: Your body needs three meals a day, and your soul needs three prayers a day ( Shacharit, Mincha, and Ma'ariv ). Your body has physical health; your soul has spiritual health. Your body has 248 organs and 365 sinews, and your soul has 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments. Rabbi Wolbe used to say that he made a point to spread out his "meals" of prayer throughout the day, praying Shacharit in the morning, Mincha in the early afternoon, and Ma'ariv in the evening. This ensures that the soul receives consistent nourishment, just as the body does with regular meals. The Middle Path and Your Yearly Check-Up A verse from Kohelet cautions us against extremes: "Don't be overly righteous or overly wise, why destroy yourself? Don't be overly wicked or a fool, why die ahead of your time?" This means we must avoid either extreme, finding a balance where our main focus is the soul, but we also care for the body so it can be a healthy vessel for the soul. The text clarifies that "dying ahead of your time" doesn't mean a physical death, but rather the death of one's soul, which can be drowned in a sea of desire. The phrase "hold on to your destiny" means to stay connected to your spiritual purpose, but "do not detach yourself from this world." We need this world to reach the next one. As the saying goes, "This world is a vestibule to the world to come." We prepare ourselves in this world for the ultimate palace. Rabbi Miller taught that a key to greatness is to spend at least 60 seconds a day thinking about the world to come. This is especially relevant during the High Holidays. Our sages teach us that on Rosh Hashanah , the righteous are sealed for life, the wicked for death, and those in the middle have until Yom Kippur. Tosafot clarifies that this "life and death" doesn't refer to physical existence, but rather our spiritual life in the world to come. Every year, we are judged on the spiritual health of our souls, based on the Torah, mitzvot (commandments), and chesed (kindness) we've performed. The High Holidays are our "yearly spiritual physical." We use this time to get our spiritual lives in shape, just as we work out to improve our physical health. Through these "cheshbonot," or spiritual reckonings, we are performing a 30-point physical to ensure everything is in proper order, securing a more meaningful destiny in the world to come. What's one small step you can take today to focus more on your soul?

Heshbon 24: Re-enlightening Our Learning Welcome to the 24th lesson in our Heshbon HaNefesh (Accounting of the Soul) series. Today's lesson is a continuation of our previous one, but instead of focusing on the physical world, we turn our curious minds inward to the realm of Torah knowledge. This lesson is about re-examining the spiritual concepts we have known since childhood—the stories of the Torah , the words of our Sages, and the liturgy of our prayers. When we are young, we learn these things on a simple, foundational level. As we grow older, our intellectual capacity to understand them deepens, but a new challenge arises: complacency. We become so familiar with these concepts that we stop looking for more. Do you truly understand the stories of the Avot or Adam and Chava in their full depth? We must not be satisfied with the understanding we gained in our youth. Instead, we should approach the Torah and the words of the prophets as if we are reading them for the very first time. Probe the words, analyze the concepts, and seek out their deeper meanings. The Dangers of Arrogance and the Power of Humility The same is true for our prayers. Many of us say our daily prayers without a full understanding of the words. It is crucial to get a Hebrew-English Siddur (prayer book) and strive to understand what you are saying. Don't settle for the level of comprehension you had as a child. Chovot HaLevavot offers a critical piece of advice: "Do not let your arrogance seduce you" ( Al Tasi'acha HaGaavah ). Arrogance is the main obstacle to deeper understanding. It makes us think, "I know this story already; there's nothing new here." We are often too proud to admit that we have been looking at things superficially for years. It's difficult to acknowledge a gap in our knowledge and say, "Wow, I never heard that before. I didn't know that!" For example, a person might hear that Pinchas was not a Kohen when he killed Zimri and only became one afterward. The first reaction might be, "That can't be! No one ever told me that." It is hard to admit such ignorance. But this arrogance is the work of the Yetzer HaRa (Evil Inclination), which tries to prevent us from delving deeper, making us believe we are already full-fledged sages. The Wise Man and the Fool The Book of Proverbs says, "Do you see a person wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." In contrast, "The wise man's eyes are in his head." What does this mean? It means the wise person constantly re-evaluates and strengthens his old ideas. A fool, on the other hand, is like a person traveling a long road in the dark who never looks back. The verse says, "The fool walks in darkness." King Solomon says, "I saw that wisdom is better than folly, as light is better than darkness." The fool walks in darkness, and the only way to turn the lights back on is by delving into the words of Torah , by analyzing them. This is why we pray every day, "Enlighten our eyes in Your Torah ." ( V'Ha'er Eineinu B'Toratecha ). This enlightenment doesn't happen by rote repetition. It happens by pushing ourselves to understand, by breaking away from our preconceived notions, and by allowing the light of Torah to truly illuminate our souls. This is our Heshbon .

Heshbon 23: The Curious Mind Welcome to the 23rd lesson in our special Elul series. Today's heshbon , or accounting, focuses on how we view the world, cultivating what we'll call a "curious mind" or a "learner's approach." This concept is rooted in Shaar HaBechinah , the "Gate of Probing." Bechinah means to examine, to test, to constantly feel and probe everything around you. It's about looking for and trying to understand the smallest creations as well as the largest—from inanimate objects to human beings, from the sun and moon to the wind and rain, from a newborn baby to all the wonders of nature. Each of these creations reveals God's perfect wisdom, His power, His supervision, and His profound mercy over all that exists. Overcoming Apathy: The Constant Miracle So why don't we do this? Chovot HaLevavot warns us not to be seduced by the familiar. We are so used to seeing these things that we lose our sense of awe. The "wow" effect is gone. We may be amazed by something we've never seen before, like a solar eclipse, but we fail to see the daily miracle of the sun and moon, the constant rain, or the regular wind. As the Chazon Ish once said, the only difference between a miracle and nature is that nature is a constant miracle. We don't get amazed by what is constant. We are excited by a strange animal at the zoo but not by the familiar trees on our street. We would be amazed if manna fell from the heavens today, but we are apathetic to the equally miraculous fact that wheat grows from the ground, providing us with bread. The only difference is that one we're used to, and one we're not. The problem is that we got used to these miracles when we were young, before our intellect was fully developed. As we've gotten older, our familiarity has led us to stop thinking, looking, and wondering. Seeing with New Eyes The goal is to look at the world as if you've never seen it before. Try this exercise: on Rosh Hashanah morning, open your eyes and look at the world like a Martian who has just landed. Look at a tree and ask: "What is this hard, wooden thing growing out of the soft dirt? How does it grow? How do the leaves come out of it?" We walk past trees every day, but by looking at them with a child's curiosity, we rediscover their wondrous nature. Chovot HaLevavot suggests that in a sense, we are all "blind" until we open our "mind's eye." The fool, he says, is like the blind person. When he begins to open his mind's eye, he becomes a seeing person. This is what happened when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge. The verse says, "Their eyes were opened" ( Va'Tifkachena Einei Sh'neihem ). They were not physically blind beforehand; rather, they gained intellectual understanding. This idea of a "mind's eye" is also reflected in the Four Species of Sukkot. The three myrtle branches ( hadasim ) represent our eyes. We have two physical eyes, but a third one is for our mind—for our curiosity. This "third eye" also needs to be perfected. Lift Your Eyes to the Heavens Don't ignore this essential part of your soul. Do not continue on the same path you've been on until now. Start opening your eyes. A sage once said, "The heart of the wise has eyes," meaning they see what fools do not. The prophet Isaiah cries out, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning?" He then implores us, "Lift up your eyes on high and see! Who created these?" ( S'u Marom Eineichem U'Reu Mi Bara Eileh ). God brings out the stars by number, calling each by name, "because of His great might and strong power." This is our job: to lift our eyes to the heavens and to all of creation. Interestingly, the first Hebrew letters of S'u Marom Eineichem spell Shema ( Shin , Mem , Ayin ). Before we say the Shema prayer, we are meant to appreciate the very things God created, as mentioned in the blessing of Yotzer HaMe'orot (Who creates the luminaries). It's all there for us to see. Our job is to be curious and to keep our youthful sense of wonder alive.

Uniting for a Shared Burden: An Elul Reflection on Human Interaction Welcome to our special Elul series, a journey through the principles of Shaar HaCheshbon HaNefesh (Gate of the Accounting of the Soul). In this 22nd lesson, we focus on how to approach our interactions with others, whether it's in business, community, or daily life. The core principle to embody is "Love your friend like yourself" ( V'ahavta L're'acha Kamocha ). This means you should desire for others what you desire for yourself, and feel aversion for them regarding what you would not want for yourself. Treat everyone with compassion and mercy, and strive to ensure their well-being. This concept, though applicable year-round, is especially crucial as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, a time when we stand together as one unit to accept God as our King. The Parable of the Travelers Imagine a small group of people traveling to a distant country. The path is steep and difficult, requiring them to spend many nights camping together. Each person has a heavy load, and they must constantly load and unload their animals on their own. If they were to work together, helping one another with the burdens and easing the overall effort, they would surely succeed. But if they are incompatible, unable to agree on a shared plan, and each person only looks out for their own interests, they will all become exhausted. This is a parable for the world we live in today. He states, "The world bears down on its inhabitants" ( Kaved HaOlam Al Yoshvav ). Why is so much effort required? Because everyone focuses on their own portion, wanting more than their due. When people demand what is not theirs, they end up losing even what is rightfully theirs. Think of it like traffic gridlock. If every driver only cared about themselves, trying to squeeze ahead and run a red light, the entire flow of traffic would stop. Nobody would get to their destination smoothly. This is a metaphor for life. Life is a constant gridlock because people lack patience and concern for others. This is why we are so often dissatisfied and complain—we demand too much from the world, and in turn, the world withholds even our essential needs, forcing us to overexert ourselves. The Benefits of a Collective Mindset If people were satisfied with what they have and worked to improve their own well-being alongside everyone else's, they would "conquer their world" ( Hayu Menatzchim Olamam ) and "get even more than they want out of it" ( U'Magi'im El Yoter MiChaftzam Bo ). Instead, not only do people fail to help one another, they often hinder each other, diluting everyone's abilities and preventing anyone from getting what they truly need. This is further illustrated by a parable found in the Siddur HaGra (Prayer Book of the Vilna Gaon): Imagine a town that catches fire. In those days, everyone would run with pails of water to put out the blaze. But what did those who lacked concern for the common good do? They would pour their water directly on their own storefronts. This might stop the fire from spreading to their property, but the fire would still rage and burn down many other buildings. If everyone had gone with their pails to the source of the fire and worked together, the fire would have been extinguished entirely. This is the lesson for Rosh Hashanah and for every day of the year. We must be concerned with God's kingdom, the success of the Jewish people as a whole, and our collective service to God. If we stop looking at our own "storefronts" and instead unite our prayers and energy at the source of the fire—the spiritual "fire" of the world's brokenness—then redemption will come. The Power of Empathy and Good Counsel Therefore, strive to live your life in a way that reflects this mindset. Seek out loyal friends and interact with them in an honest and wholehearted manner. The Book of Proverbs states, "Oil and incense gladden the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend's heartfelt counsel." ( Shemen U'Ktoret Yesamach Lev, U'Metek Rei'ehu Mei'Atzat Nafesh ). Giving someone good counsel is more valuable than any physical gift or comfort. Focus on the betterment of your family, your community, and the world at large. This may seem like an act of selflessness, but as explained, in the end, it is truly an act of enlightened self-interest , because a world that is whole and harmonious benefits everyone.

Elul Introspection: Breaking Through Spiritual Plateaus Welcome to our special Elul series on C hovot HaLevavot**. In this 21st introspection, we'll explore how to overcome spiritual dead ends—those moments when you feel you can't grow or develop beyond your current level. The path to spiritual growth isn't always a smooth upward climb. Sometimes we hit a plateau, a point where our current efforts seem to yield no further progress. The key is to not give up. Here's a powerful framework for breaking through these barriers. The Power of Sincere Desire and Prayer First, you must sincerely desire to grow. As the author explains, the first step is to "yiksof lo bilvav" —to desire in your heart. Let the next step in your spiritual journey be on your "wish list," constantly on your mind. Next, and most importantly, ask God for help . Pray for the ability to understand and to act. When you consistently ask God for assistance, He will eventually fulfill your needs. He will "open up the gates of understanding" and strengthen you to do what was previously beyond your capacity. This concept is rooted in the verse from Isaiah 48:17 : "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you on the path you should take." This verse is the source for the famous statement in the Talmud: "On the path a person wants to go, they are led." If you take the initial step, God will guide you, revealing shortcuts and insights you never knew existed. Incremental Effort, Divine Assistance This principle applies not just to spiritual growth but to all areas of life, from crafts to academic study. A teacher of geometry, for example, starts with practical problems before moving to theory. As the student masters the basics and continues to strive, God reveals the deeper theoretical principles to them. This idea is highlighted by the Gemara in Bava Batra 12b which says, "A wise man is greater than a prophet." The author applies this to all wisdom, explaining that there's a level of "prophecy" in every discipline. When you push your abilities to the maximum, God grants you a deeper, intuitive understanding beyond what you learned. This is the essence of our entire spiritual service. The Chovot HaEivarim (external commandments) are meant to awaken the Chovot HaLevavot (internal commandments). Our physical actions have the power to arouse our hearts. The verse in Devarim 30:14 says, "For the matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it." This means that by doing God's will with our bodies, we will eventually be able to do it with our hearts. Since our natural human desires often create obstacles, it is through our dedicated physical efforts that God opens the gates to spiritual enlightenment. The author uses the analogy of a person planting trees. The farmer's job is to prepare the soil, water the saplings, and fertilize them. He does all he can and then relies on God to bring the fruit. You cannot neglect your responsibilities and expect a miracle. Similarly, in Avodat Hashem (service of God), if you make an earnest effort, God will grant you abilities far beyond your natural capacity. The Ladder of Spiritual Growth This concept also sheds light on the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot 4:9 : "One who fulfills the Torah in poverty will ultimately fulfill it in wealth." While this can mean a person who serves God with limited money will eventually be blessed with wealth, the author offers a deeper interpretation: One who starts with a "poverty of abilities" but makes a sincere effort, will ultimately be given a "wealth of abilities" by God. This is the entire premise of the Mesilat Yesharim's spiritual ladder, which progresses from Torah to Zehirot (diligence), to Zerizut (alacrity), and so on, ultimately reaching the level of prophecy. Each step is a prerequisite for the next, with God providing the help needed to ascend. The key takeaway is clear: God gives us help when we maximize our own abilities. If we ignore what we can do, we cannot expect divine assistance. As Rabbeinu Yonah writes in the beginning of Sha'arei Teshuvah , a person's effort leads to God giving them abilities beyond their natural ones. This is akin to God "circumcising your heart," removing the spiritual impediments that are too difficult for us to remove on our own—but only after we have done everything we can.

Chovot HaLevavot: Introspection on Money Welcome to our introspection series on Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart). We're now on the 20th introspection, which focuses on your relationship with money. Your bank account is the trigger for this powerful exercise. Look at your balance and ask yourself three key questions: How did you earn this money? How do you plan to spend it? Do you use it to fulfill your obligations to God and to other people? Re-evaluating Ownership The core of this introspection is to challenge our fundamental assumption about money. Do you see it as yours , or do you see it as a deposit that God has entrusted to you? This is a difficult concept to grasp. We tend to view our money as our own, safely in our bank account, a result of our own efforts. But the true perspective is that God is the owner, and we are merely the custodians of what He has placed in our care. He can add to it or remove it as He sees fit. This shift in perspective has profound implications. When you understand that the money isn't truly yours, you're no longer paralyzed by the fear of losing it. A bank teller doesn't worry when a customer withdraws money because they know it was never theirs to begin with. Similarly, you can be grateful to God for as long as the money remains with you, and you can accept any changes to your financial status without despair. This perspective also makes it easier to use your money for good. When you view your money as a divine deposit, giving charity becomes less about sacrificing your own funds and more about returning what was always meant for someone else. Money and Humility The Torah portion in Shemot 22:24 says, "If you lend money to My nation, the poor man who is with you." The simple meaning is that you should help the poor in your community. However, there is a deeper interpretation: "The poor man's money is already with you." This suggests that when you give, you're not giving from your own wealth, but rather distributing what God placed with you for the benefit of the needy. Rabbeinu Yonah discusses this in Sha'arei Teshuvah , explaining that a proper attitude toward money is essential for developing good character. He warns against looking down on those who are less fortunate. He quotes Mishlei 17:5 , which says, "He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker." Someone who looks down on the poor reveals a dangerous arrogance. They believe their success is a result of their own power and wisdom, a perspective described in Devarim 8:17 as "My strength and the might of my hand made me this wealth." This person believes they are self-made and therefore scorns those who failed to achieve similar success. In reality, they are cursing God, the true source of all wealth. As Mishlei 22:2 says, "The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all." An individual with a proper understanding of money—viewing it as a deposit from God—will never look down on the poor. This perspective, Chovot HaLevavot concludes, is one of the most powerful causes for cultivating positive character traits and eliminating negative ones. This introspection on money is not just about our finances; it's a vital part of shaping our entire spiritual and ethical being.

חשבון נפש : The Arrogant Soul This 18 th cheshbon focuses on what to do when you feel a sudden onset of arrogance, or as the text calls it, gibhut v'hitgadlut hanefesh (arrogance and a grandiose sense of self). This is that feeling when you start craving more and more worldly things—luxury items, excessive comforts, things you feel entitled to. It's a normal human feeling, but it's a critical moment for self-reflection. The remedy for this feeling is to re-evaluate your place in the world. Consider your own existence in the grand scheme of things—the cosmos, the planets, the stars—and realize how insignificant you are, just a tiny dot in a vast universe. This perspective is a foundation of humility. Yet, despite our physical insignificance, God chose humanity for greatness. We were given the ability to control all living things, from taming lions to training dogs. We can cultivate the earth, grow crops, and even transform raw materials like diamonds. As it says in Tehillim, "You have made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You have put everything under his feet" (Psalms 8:7). This is a testament to the power we've been given. A Crown of Greatness For the Jewish people, this privilege is even greater. God gave us the Torah, which reveals the secrets of the world and what is truly good for us. We were given the ability to praise God, to thank our Creator, and to call out to Him in times of distress. He sent us Moses and performed miracles for us. These are just some of the endless physical and spiritual blessings He has bestowed upon us. When you recognize your immense value and how God elevated you even though He doesn't need you, you can feel truly humbled. Although a beautiful song says, "God needs every Jew," but in truth, we are the ones who need His supervision and guidance. God has crowned us with this incredible gift. The text implores, "Have pity on that great crown!" He gave you a gold crown—don't throw it in the dirt. Instead, appreciate the opportunities He's given you for the World to Come. We do this by cleaving to His service and constantly giving thanks. Don't Let Success Go to Your Head It is a grave mistake to let these gifts make you arrogant, to think that you are entitled to everything you have. Looking at your family, your home, your car, or your religious practice shouldn't breed a sense of entitlement. On the contrary, it should inspire humility. You are a simple servant who has been uplifted by a great Master and placed among ministers. King David exemplified this in his own life. As it says in Tehillim, "For the conductor, by the servant of the Lord, by David." Even after being saved from his enemies, David continued to view himself as a simple servant. His success didn't go to his head; he didn't become arrogant. The text quotes a powerful prayer that a righteous man would say at the end of his prayers: "My God, do not think that I am standing before You now because I am foolish about my level and my value...I know who You are and I know who I am. I know You are high and exalted, and I am a simple creation." He goes on to say, "There is no place for me to praise You and call out to You...You are being praised by all the angels." So where do we fit in? We are able to do this because God lifted us up and commanded us to call out to Him. It's a privilege. Ultimately, the reason we pray is she'argish b'gadel chesronay —so that we feel how lacking we are and how much we rely on God. We pray not to tell God what He forgot, but to express our dependence on Him. As King David said, "I am like a suckling child," meaning a child that has just been weaned and has no idea what it wants to eat. The child says to the mother, "You know what I want." This is the highest level of trust: wanting what God chooses for you more than what you choose for yourself. This is the essence of the 18 th cheshbon hanefesh : thinking about who you are, how you fit into the larger picture, and understanding that the greatest gifts God has given you—the ability to serve Him and speak to Him—should never get to your head.

Cheshbon HaNefesh: The Power of Gratitude Welcome to the 19th installment of our Cheshbon HaNefesh series for Elul. Today, we're focusing on reciprocating kindness by reflecting on all the ways Hashem has saved us from misfortune, afflictions, and diseases. This is an important cheshbon —an accounting—because we often take our health and well-being for granted, only recognizing blessings when something goes wrong. When you see people suffering from illness, hunger, or other misfortunes, you might feel a pang of guilt. Why them and not me? We are all sinners, after all. Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon, in his commentary on Chovot HaLevavot , points out that a major deficiency in our service to God is our lack of gratitude and praise. We don't thank Him enough, and we fail to repent when we should. And yet, despite our shortcomings, Hashem continues to bless us with kindness. This reflection should lead to a sense of profound gratitude. It's an opportunity to thank Hashem for sparing you and to repent for your lack of service. As the Torah tells us, "If you listen carefully to the voice of Hashem your God, and do what is right in His eyes… I will not bring upon you any of the diseases I brought upon the Egyptians" (Exodus 15:26). The Sages teach us that the cause of illness is often spiritual, not just natural. As Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa said, "The snake does not kill, sin kills." We are protected not because of our own merit, but because of God's grace. This is what King David was referring to in Tehillim: "You will tread on the lion and the viper; you will trample the young lion and the serpent" (Psalms 91:13). Why? "Because he yearns for Me, I will deliver him; I will elevate him, for he knows My name" (Psalms 91:14). Our connection to Hashem is what truly protects us. The Seudat Hoda'ah of Nothing A beautiful story illustrates this point. A man was in synagogue and saw a fellow congregant make a Seudat Hoda'ah —a meal of thanksgiving—because he had survived a car accident. A few weeks later, another person made a Seudat Hoda'ah because he had recovered from a serious illness. A week after that, a third person made a Seudat Hoda'ah for no apparent reason. When asked why he was celebrating, he replied, "I see everyone is making parties for the things that happened to them and they were saved. Nothing bad happened to me, and I am celebrating that." This is the highest form of gratitude. It's the recognition that we are constantly being saved from dangers we don't even know exist. This is the definition of the blessing we recite: HaGomel l'chayavim tovot she'gemalani kol tov —"The One who bestows kindness upon the guilty, who has bestowed all good upon me." We are those "guilty" people who are constantly being protected. The plane we took didn't go down. The car trip on the dangerous road was safe. We didn't get sick from the food we ate. Our health is not a given; it's a gift. Today's cheshbon is about remembering that you are being saved every single moment and recognizing that this is not because of your own merit, but because of God's boundless kindness.

The Value of Solitude: Insights from Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh Welcome to a special series from Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh , where we explore 30 introspections over 30 days. Our focus today, on day 17, is inspired by a common social scenario: you're enjoying a get-together with friends and feel the need to pause and reflect. In our current social landscape, there's often a conflict between the excitement of being with people and the benefits of being alone. While certain situations require us to be social—such as fulfilling social norms or building friendships—this introspection addresses what happens when our social interactions become excessive. Drawbacks of Excessive Socializing When a person's soul "leans" toward being with people and finding enjoyment in their company, it can become an all-consuming pursuit. The author of Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh outlines 13 negative consequences that can arise from excessive socializing. Let's explore a few of the key issues: Excessive and Empty Talk: This includes endless chatter, gossip, and babbling. As the verse in Proverbs states, " In a multitude of words, sin will not cease, but one who holds back his lips is wise ." A Breeding Ground for Negative Traits: Social settings can lead to speaking negatively about others, lying, and swearing falsely. They also present opportunities for arrogance, scoffing, insulting, and general levity . This can create a lack of yirat Hashem (fear of God) and an unhealthy pursuit of honor, leading to misrepresenting oneself just to project a certain image. The Responsibility of Rebuke: Being in a group of people comes with the responsibility to offer rebuke when necessary, a mitzvah (commandment) from the Torah: " You must surely rebuke your friend. " The author identifies three forms of rebuke: Physical action: The most extreme form, like the actions of Pinchas. Verbal protest: Using words to protest wrongdoing, as Moshe Rabbeinu did with Daton and Aviram. Protest in your heart: Even if you cannot speak out, you must internally object to the negative behavior. This is a difficult responsibility to fulfill, and by being alone, a person is freed from it. Loss of Good Judgment: When surrounded by people, a person's ability to think clearly and make good decisions can suffer. We can also adopt the negative traits of others, as the verse says, " One who herds with fools will become wicked ." Ultimately, the author asserts that most sins happen among people. It "takes two to tango," whether it's sins of promiscuity, business fraud, or false testimony. The mouth, in particular, often requires a listener. The Power of Solitude The antidote to these negatives is solitude. The author calls it "one of the most powerful things that leads to good midot " (character traits). A wise person once said, "The pillar of a pure heart is the love of seclusion." In our current era of social media, where our self-worth is often tied to external validation—likes, emojis, and reactions, the idea of being alone can feel unnatural. However, as the text emphasizes, solitude is crucial for spiritual and even mental well-being because it helps us develop an inner world. We can see this principle in the lives of our greatest religious figures: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, King David, and Moshe Rabbeinu were all shepherds. They were shepherds precisely because it gave them time alone, a period of isolation essential for personal and spiritual development. Being alone allows us to be in touch with ourselves and foster self-awareness. The Exception: Spending Time with the Wise Does this mean we should avoid all social interaction, even with talmidei chachamim (Torah scholars) and wise people? The author argues that this is a mistake. Being with righteous individuals is not a distraction but a form of "ultimate aloneness." You gain tremendous qualities from them—qualities that can be even more beneficial than being alone. As it says in Proverbs, " One who walks with the wise will become wise. " While some people avoid being with the wise to escape rebuke, the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot instructs us: "Let your house be a gathering place for the wise." This type of interaction is a constructive and valuable use of time. As the verse says, " Then those who feared God spoke to one another, and God listened ."

The Urgency of Acknowledging Mortality The 16 th Heshbon begins by stressing the need to recognize our own mortality, a realization that can strike when we witness the passing of others. The speaker emphasizes that death comes without warning, regardless of age, and uses the example of a recent terrorist attack to highlight its sudden, unpredictable nature. One of the great baalei mussar of the Novardok tradition once asked: How can a person attend a funeral and then return to their life as if nothing has changed? The answer he said, is that people fall into the trap of thinking they are not part of the "Diers' Club." They believe death is something that happens to others, a mistake rooted in the false assumption that they are exempt from this universal truth. Lessons from Parables The Hovot HaLEvavot uses a parable to illustrate the proper perspective on life: The King and His Servant: A king entrusts his servant with a valuable item, warning him that he could ask for it back at any time. The servant must always be ready. Our lives are a similar trust. We must always be prepared to return what has been given to us by living with a constant sense of readiness and purpose. An additional parable comes from the Midrash Kohelet .The Fox and the Vineyard: A fox starves himself to get through a small hole into a vineyard filled with grapes. He eats his fill, gets too fat to leave, and must starve himself again to get out. He entered thin and left thin. The moral is that we come into this world with nothing and leave with nothing. What should the fox have done ? The fox should have used his time to throw grapes over the fence, a metaphor for performing good deeds that will be of benefit in the world to come. The Wisdom of Living a Mindful Life The Hovot HaLevavot quotes several sources to reinforce this idea: The book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) teaches that the wise person's heart is in the house of mourning because it is a place that confronts us with the ultimate destination of all humanity. Chovot HaLevavot explains that the verse "the living person should place this on his heart" refers not just to anyone who is alive, but to someone whose heart is "intellectually alive"—one who truly understands and internalizes this profound truth. We can add: Rabbi Eliezer's famous teaching, "Repent one day before your death," is also mentioned. Since we don't know the day we will die, the only logical conclusion is to live each day as if it were our last, in a state of continuous repentance and spiritual readiness. Ultimately, this contemplation is not about fear but about living a more meaningful life. It's about lowering our expectations for this temporary world and investing our energies in the world to come, which is eternal.

This text is part of a series on the 30 contemplations, or cheshbonot , from the ethical work Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart). This specific contemplation, the 15th, uses a real-life situation to spark a spiritual self-reckoning. The Contemplation: Preparing for the Final Journey The contemplation begins with a familiar scenario: someone stocking their pantry or packing for a trip. We meticulously prepare for temporary physical journeys, ensuring we have enough food, a rental car, and a place to stay, but we often forget to prepare for the most important and certain journey of all—the one to the next world. The author uses an extended metaphor to illustrate this point: The short trip: A vacation or a trip to the store where we are over-prepared with food, provisions, and comfort. The long, guaranteed trip: The journey of the soul after death. Unlike earthly trips, there is no "mechanical failure" or escape from this one. We can use a more modern example we dedicate so much effort to the temporary world, striving for conveniences like TSA Global Entry or a first-class seat, while neglecting the spiritual provisions we need for the permanent world. "We are involved with the evil inclination and have forsaken the service of our Creator." Spiritual Blindness and Divine Light This profound negligence is described as a kind of spiritual blindness or drunkenness. The author quotes from the prophet Isaiah, who states that people's eyes are shut so they cannot see, and their hearts will not understand. The Pele Yoetz , a later ethical work, explains this with an analogy: We live in a world that is inherently dark, and on top of that, our eyes are closed. This creates a double impediment to clarity. However, on Rosh Hashanah, God "turns on the lights," creating an opportunity for us. If we are willing to open our eyes even a crack, we can begin to see the path more clearly and gain a deeper understanding. I would like to end with a powerful anecdote about the great kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri . Even he, a man of immense spiritual stature, was deeply concerned about his final journey. He instructed Rav Yaakov Hillel to distribute money to Torah scholars on the day of his passing, so that the merit of that act would ensure a "smooth journey" for his soul. This story serves as a profound lesson: if even a spiritual giant felt the need to prepare, how much more so should we.

Reflecting on God's Love Welcome to our special Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart) series for the month of Elul. Today, we'll discuss the fourteenth reflection, one of my favorites, and it's inspired by a real-life situation. How do you feel when someone shows you love? Maybe it's a child, a grandchild, a spouse, or a sibling who looks at you with affection, and you feel it instantly. Your natural reaction is to love them back. As King Solomon says in Mishlei (Proverbs) 27:19, " As water reflects the face, so one's heart reflects the other ." When you look in a mirror, it reflects what you show it. The same is true for emotions—the love you give is the love you get back. Now, imagine the person reflecting this love is someone very important—a minister, a prince, or a nobleman. What if they show you a sign of their love, like buying you a flower or performing a great kindness for you, not because they need something in return but simply to help you? You'd likely feel an overwhelming desire to love them back, doing everything in your power to fulfill their will and serve them with all you have—your money, your time, and even your children. If we react this way to another human being, a creation as weak as ourselves, how much more should we react with love to our Creator? God has shown us His love through His prophets. As it says in Devarim , " because of God's love for you ." He constantly shows us signs of His love, both old and new, in every generation. Even during our exile, the Torah assures us that God does not despise us or allow us to be destroyed. Even though we were slaves, He never abandoned us. The Bonds of Friendship and Covenant We know that we should honor the friends of our parents or grandparents. For example, if someone helped your grandfather escape the old country and signed his visa papers, you would remember and honor that kindness. As it says in Mishlei (Proverbs) 27:10, " Do not abandon your friend or your father's friend ." In the Gemara in Masechet Shabbat, the famous line that the whole Torah is summed up by " love your friend as you love yourself " seems to raise a question: what does loving your friend have to do with Shabbat, Tefillin, or Tzitzit? Rashi explains that in this context, "friend" doesn't just mean a fellow human being—it means God. God is our friend and our father's friend. God constantly remembers the covenant He made with our forefathers, the supervision He had over them, as it says in Shemot (Exodus), " and the oath He swore to our ancestors ." God will keep that promise. In our prayers on Rosh Hashanah, specifically in the Zichronot section, we talk all about God remembering this covenant. Our Stiff-Necked Nature After all of this, the Chovot HaLevavot pleads with us, highlighting our lack of reciprocation. He points out five failures on our part: We don't rely on Him. We don't count on His kindness. We aren't naturally moved to love Him. We don't cleave to His service. We don't pour out our hearts to Him in prayer. He asks, "What is wrong with us?" and goes on to explain: "How thick is our nature, how stiff-necked are we?" "How weak is our faith?" "How difficult are we to be dragged after the truth?" He lists all the reasons why we should respond to God's love, yet we fail to do so. We don't remember the love He had for our fathers and grandfathers, nor do we reciprocate His love for us. We don't act because of His promises or listen because of His kindness. We aren't embarrassed by our inaction, despite the fact that He created us and provides for us with good supervision. The Chovot HaLevavot says we do not remember, reciprocate, act, listen, or feel embarrassed. The Spiderweb of the Yetzer Hara "My brother," he says, "wake up from this sleep." Here's the secret: "Remove from your heart the curtain of your Yetzer (evil inclination) that has been cast upon it." There is a curtain, a blinder, a blackout shade between our intellect and our hearts. It blocks the message. It's like a spider weaving a web that blocks the light from entering a house. At first, the web is thin, but with constant repetition, it becomes thicker and thicker until no light can get in. This is how the Yetzer Hara works with us, slowly and surely. He puts layer after layer on top of us, preventing us from seeing these truths. We must rip off that spiderweb to allow the light of our wisdom to pierce our hearts and open our eyes. The Yetzer Hara is so powerful that we often don't feel God's love, despite all the signs. We can fall into the "He loves me, he loves me not" game, like plucking petals off a flower. We don't use flowers, though. We say, "I had a good day in business today—He loves me. I got stuck in traffic—He loves me not." But there's a different way to play this game: "He loves me, He loves me lots." This shifts the question from "if" He loves me to "how much" I am going to recognize and realize His love in my life. What a powerful reflection. The next time a grandchild looks into your eyes and you love them back, ask yourself, "Where is my relationship with God? Where is my reciprocal love for Him?"

Welcome to our special series on Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart). This is our 13th cheshbon , or day of introspection, in a 30-day journey. The purpose of today's practice is to ask ourselves, "How much of the debt we owe for the countless gifts God has given us have we repaid?" These gifts include the talents and abilities we've been granted. Chovot HaLevavot uses a powerful metaphor to illustrate this point. The Parable of the Servant A master gives his servant a field to plant and all the seeds he needs. However, the servant only plants half the field, using the rest of the seeds for his own personal needs—making oatmeal cereal, for example. One day, the master arrives and discovers the field is only half-planted. When confronted, the servant admits his negligence. Together, they calculate the missing seeds and the master demands that the servant not only repay the cost of the seeds but also the lost profit from the unplanted portion of the field. This debt is extremely difficult for the servant to pay back. Applying the Lesson to Our Lives This story serves as a cheshbon ha'nefesh —a reckoning of the soul. We must ask ourselves how this parable applies to us. God has granted us so much: a mind to comprehend Him and His Torah, and talents to fulfill our obligations. Yet, a close look reveals that we haven't properly used all the gifts He's given us. We continue to receive His favors while misusing the resources He has entrusted to us. The time has come to make a change. We cannot squander our lives on worldly luxuries when God has given us the tools we need to accomplish our mission. Any time or talent that we misuse will result in a lack of resources later on. Some people make excuses for their inaction, but we must not rely on "if onlys" or "maybes." We might say, "If only I had more money or more wisdom, I would fulfill my obligations to God." This isn't true, because God gives us exactly what we need right now. A famous story about Rabbi Yisroel Salanter and his student, Rabbi Naftali of Amsterdam, highlights this point. On Purim, Rabbi Naftali, feeling a bit high-spirited, told his teacher, "If I had the mind of the Shaagat Aryeh, the heart of the author of Yesod V'shoresh HaAvodah , and your purified character, then I would be able to serve God properly." Rabbi Yisroel responded simply, "With your mind, your heart, and your character, you can be a true servant of God." God has given us everything we need. You might think you need more money, but Chovot HaLevavot , in Shaar HaBitachon (The Gate of Trust), calls this a mistake. It likens this mindset to a pawn broker who says, "I need to have everything in place before I can start serving God." Don't trust this kind of thinking. You don't need "cash on delivery" before you begin. You Must Repay: King Solomon writes in Proverbs, "No one scorns a thief who steals to feed himself when he is hungry, but he must nonetheless repay when he is caught." We may have excuses for our actions, like "I was hungry," but this does not excuse the misappropriation of our God-given resources. Time Is a Gift: Look at life as a gift of time that you must repay your Creator for daily. Don't leave today's tasks for tomorrow, as it will only become harder to repay your debt. You'll find that at the end of your days, your excuses will be refused and your alibis rejected. Rav Scheinberg once explained the difference between a gold watch and a gold watch case. The case, he said, is always less expensive than the product inside. However, in this world, time is the most precious commodity, and therefore its "case"—the gold we use to protect it—is made of gold. This world is like a marketplace where people gather and then leave. Those who profit rejoice, and those who lose regret ever coming. The book of Kohelet reminds us, " Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of affliction come ." We have resources and qualities. The verse, "Kaved et Hashem me'honecha" ("Honor God with your assets"), from Proverbs 3:9, can be understood in a deeper way. The Tosafot in Kiddushin references a Midrash that suggests the letters hei and chet are interchangeable. This means the verse can also be read as, " Kaved et Hashem m'ma shechanancha " ("Honor God with what He has gifted you"). This applies to any talent you have. If you have a beautiful singing voice, use it for God. If you have artistic abilities, use them. Whatever God has given you—these are your seeds to plant. Our 13th cheshbon is to ask ourselves, "Am I truly using my seeds and my abilities to their fullest potential?

Welcome to our special Elul series on Chovot HaLevavot, Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh (Duties of the Heart, The Gate of Reckoning of the Soul). We're doing one of the 30 calculations for each day of the month. Today, we're on the 12 th Heshbon , which asks a profound question: How should a person feel when they realize they're becoming overly infatuated with worldly matters—focused on production and accomplishment—yet are lacking in their service of God, their ultimate destiny? It's a moment of reflection. We find ourselves asking, "What am I doing?" We get so engrossed in worldly matters, like spending hours meticulously choosing tiles for a swimming pool, but when it comes to buying a mezuzah, we just say, "Hey, whatever they have." When we start to think about this, we see that worldly matters often top our priority lists. Our hopes and expectations are all tied to this world. We're never truly happy; we're always chasing the next thing: the next vacation, the next meal, the next suit, the next pair of shoes. This is because worldly desires can never be satisfied. The author uses a parable: it's like a fire. The more wood you add, the bigger the flame gets; it never dies down. When you look within, you'll see your heart and intentions are drawn to worldly matters day and night. You only consider someone a friend if they can help you with your worldly goals, and you only trust someone if they can help you get ahead. You might find yourself obsessing over when you can get back to your buying and selling season after a summer slump. You'll study market conditions and price fluctuations around the world. You're not deterred by travel, cold, heat, storms, or treacherous sea and desert journeys to reach your goal. You'll fly to China, Bangladesh, and Timbuktu, often without any guarantee of success or profit. You hope for an end to the journey, but there is no end. And after all that hard work, you don't even know if you'll be the one to enjoy the money you've earned. As a verse in Tehillim (Psalms) says, "They leave their wealth to others." King Solomon, in Mishlei (Proverbs), warned us against overdoing it, saying, " Do not strive to be wealthy ." He shows the fleeting nature of wealth: " You set your eyes upon it and it is gone. " In contrast, King David, also in Tehillim , gives us a positive outlook on living a life focused on what you need, not what you want: " Eat from the efforts of your hands—you are fortunate, and you will enjoy goodness. " King Solomon himself said he didn't want too much wealth or too much poverty; he wanted to live a balanced, regular life. Yaakov Avinu (Jacob) said, " Give me bread to eat and clothing to wear. " The author urges us, "Wake up, my brother!" Realize you've been putting too much effort into the wrong area. You've been focusing on your body and its needs, but your body is not your forever friend—only for a while. This body you work so hard for is always in pain. If it eats too much, it gets sick; if it doesn't eat enough, it gets weak. If it wears too much clothing, it's uncomfortable; if it doesn't wear enough, it's in pain. It gets sick, and in the end, you can't control anything. Look at the advantage of your soul over your body, of spirituality over the physical, of something that lasts over something that doesn't. The soul doesn't decay, it isn't ruined. If you realize how much effort you put into your physical world—your exercise, diet, and health—how much more so should you invest in your soul, getting it into spiritual shape? At the end of the day, the only things you truly own are your spiritual accomplishments. In Hebrew, the author says, "Hakinyanim haruchaniyim, hem shelcha. Lo yishlol otam mimcha zulatecha." This means, "The spiritual acquisitions, they are yours. No one else can confiscate them from you." Unlike physical things, spiritual achievements are the only things you truly own. Therefore, the author says, "Don't get involved in the extras and luxuries you don't need in this world, but put the effort into the next." Don't make the excuse that "what comes to a fool will come to me too," because you understand more and know better. The author acknowledges that there's a lot to discuss on this subject and that he's only providing a few hints to think about and delve into. He encourages us to keep our eyes open to how the Torah also addresses these ideas. The more you think about this and focus on it, the more you'll realize what is truly important in this world and what your focus should be ...

Welcome to our special Elul edition of Chovot HaLevavot , Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh —day 11 of our 30-day journey. Today's cheshbon is an accounting of how we've used our lives until now. How have you used your time? Whom are you serving—Hashem or the yetzer hara ? Rabbenu gives a mashal . A king entrusts a servant with funds for a specific purpose: "Use this money to buy candy bags for the children in shul. Don't use it for garbage bags, don't use it for tissues—only for the kids' candy." At year's end there will be an exact accounting—no leeway. Naturally, the servant keeps careful books, reviews spending monthly, and safeguards the remaining funds for their intended use so he won't be blindsided on the day of reckoning. The nimshal: our accounting shouldn't be monthly but daily . Hashem has given us time and talents for specific responsibilities— חובה עליך —and we must ask: Did I do what I'm responsible to do today? A well-known story about Rav Chaim Kanievsky illustrates this. At a child's wedding, he left early. His mechutan worried that Rav Chaim had heavy debts. The next day he learned what Rav Chaim meant by "my chovot ": his daily learning obligations —pages of Bavli and Yerushalmi toward completing the entire Torah each year. Those were his "debts." I recently heard a story from Netzor , a project sharing daily lashon hara clips. A girl awoke from a coma and immediately asked her mother how many days had passed. "Why does it matter?" her mother asked. "Baruch Hashem, you're alive." The girl insisted: she studies two halachot of Chafetz Chaim every day and needed to know how many she had missed. That's a sense of responsibility. If we were negligent, nu —take stock now and don't allow one lapse to cascade into another . We may forget; Hashem doesn't . As the year closes, ask: Hashem gave me gifts— am I using them as intended? There's a powerful introduction to Sha'arei Yosher by Rav Shimon Shkop . The Torah says עשר תעשר , "tithe," and Chazal read: עשר כדי שתתעשר —"tithe so that you become wealthy." Is that a magical segulah ? Rav Shimon says no. Hashem appoints us as gabba'im , trustees of His resources, and tells us how to use them—like the king and his designated candy fund. If the trustee performs well, he's promoted : from candy funds to the main budget. Likewise, if one gives ma'aser faithfully, Hashem entrusts him with more to distribute. It's not magic; it's how a well-run enterprise operates. This applies to everything. A teacher who teaches well is given more teaching . Any talent or position we have is meant for the community at large . Use them well, and you're given more; misuse them, and opportunities shrink. That is cheshbon ha'nefesh . "The days are scrolls —write upon your scroll," he writes; that's what will be remembered. Don't be among those of whom it is said, גם שיבה זרקה בו והוא לא ידע —"gray hairs have sprouted, and he still doesn't know." Life rolls on while they imagine they'll be here forever, never reckoning with how to use their gifts. Elul's call is simple and urgent: keep the books daily . Time and talent are the King's funds—entrusted to you for a purpose. Use them as directed.

This discussion is an exercise in Heshbon HaNefesh (soul-accounting), focusing on the need to approach our service of God with the same seriousness and focus we dedicate to our most important worldly tasks. The central lesson is that all our actions must be performed with our full heart and attention. The Three Categories of Divine Service The Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart) divides our service of God into three categories: Solely of the Heart: This includes internal spiritual duties like love and fear of God, faith, and trust. Both Body and Heart: This category includes mitzvot that involve both physical action and spiritual intention, such as prayer and Torah study. Solely of the Body: These are physical acts that require initial intent but not constant focus throughout the action, such as shaking the Lulav or performing the mitzvah of Sukkah . The Heart of the Matter: The Importance of Intention in Prayer The core of our service, especially prayer, is the heart. The prophet Isaiah delivered a powerful rebuke to the people, saying, "This people honors Me with its lips and with its mouth, but its heart is far from Me." Prayer without intention and focus is likened to a body without a soul—it is essentially dead. The Chovot HaLevavot offers a powerful parable: a servant invites a king to his home, but then disappears to gamble while the king waits alone. Similarly, we invite God into a meeting through prayer, but if our heart is not present, we are not truly there. This is why, as we say at the end of our prayers, "May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable before You." This is a bold request, as we are asking God to accept the thoughts that are often far from holy. To ensure our heart is present, the Chovot HaLevavot advises three mental preparations before we begin to pray: Know to Whom You Speak: Recognize that you are about to address the King of all kings. Understand Your Needs: Be clear on what you want from Him—your life, health, and sustenance. Choose Your Words Carefully: Consider the words you will use to make your requests. The Five Elements of True Prayer The words of our prayer are like the peel of an orange or the body of a person; the essence is the fruit and the soul. While the words are a vital tool, the true purpose is to ignite five fundamental feelings within the heart: Yearning: The soul's desire to connect with God. Humility: Humbly recognizing one's smallness before Him. Awe: Recognizing the greatness of the Creator. Praise: Thanking Him for all His kindness. Reliance: Casting all your burdens upon Him. Our sages created the siddur (prayer book) because they knew our hearts are fickle. The words help us organize and express these concepts. Although technically one can fulfill their obligation with thought alone, our words guide and anchor our thoughts. God has entrusted us with prayer, knowing that only we can truly know the sincerity of our own hearts. To live up to this trust, we must follow the counsel of the great sages, who would spend time before they prayed to clear their minds and prepare their hearts, recognizing that we are about to stand before a King who can read our innermost thoughts.

Welcome to our special edition on חובות הלבבות, שער חשבון הנפש (Duties of the Heart, The Gate of Self-Accounting), where we are discussing the eighth principle. This section of the book acts as a practical application of the concepts discussed in earlier chapters. Here, the author explores two distinct but related concepts of יחוד (Yichud), which means "oneness." The Two Concepts of Oneness The first concept is שער יחוד השם (The Gate of God's Oneness). This refers to the intellectual and emotional understanding that God is one and there is no other. This core belief is so fundamental that it is encapsulated in the first two of the Ten Commandments: "I am Hashem, your God," and "You shall have no other gods besides Me." As Rabbeinu Asher (the Rosh) teaches, for a Jew, belief in God is not a general concept; it must be a belief in the God of the Exodus from Egypt. This means recognizing that God is in complete control, down to the smallest detail of our lives, leaving no room for coincidence or human-attributed causes. This belief in God's oneness also means understanding that He has no physical form, likeness, or limitations. Furthermore, all the titles we attribute to Him—such as merciful, loving, or just—are His exclusively. While we are commanded to emulate these qualities, their true essence belongs only to God. The second concept is שער יחוד המעשה (The Gate of Oneness in Action). This refers to the necessary oneness of our own hearts in our service to God. Our intentions must be singularly focused on serving Him for His sake alone, not for personal gain or to avoid negative consequences in this world or the next. As the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot teaches, we should not serve our Master in order to receive a reward. While a reward will certainly come, it should not be our primary motivation. The Danger of Ulterior Motives The author provides a powerful analogy to illustrate this point. I will expound on it , Imagine a husband gives his wife a fur coat. If she discovers he did it with the hidden agenda of convincing her to move, her joy would turn to disappointment. Similarly, a boss would be offended to find his employee's gift was merely a calculated attempt to get a raise. These examples highlight a critical lesson: even with human relationships, we are hurt by ulterior motives. With God, who sees the innermost secrets of our hearts and has no need for us, our intentions must be pure. We should feel a sense of shame at the thought of serving God for personal gain. This idea is central to the High Holidays, when we crown God as King. The Zohar criticizes those who approach this period with self-serving demands, "barking like dogs" for wealth or children without truly focusing on God Himself. This lesson serves as a call to action—a spiritual reset. We must shift our focus to performing mitzvot for their own sake and studying Torah for its own sake. This is the essence of the eighth principle of self-accounting.

A Servant's Heart: The Seventh Reflection Welcome to the seventh installment of our חשבון נפש series. This reflection explores the profound concept of wholeheartedly accepting the condition of being a servant of God ( עבד השם ). Much of this is drawn from the teachings of the Hovot halevavot in the gate of service to G-d , and this is a brief review of its core ideas. What sparks the feeling of being a servant of God? It's the profound realization of the continuous blessings you receive from Him. This includes daily sustenance, guidance, wisdom, and compassion. King David captures this sentiment when he says, "I am Your servant" ( עבדך אני ), recognizing that God has given him understanding. When a servant truly grasps the constant benefits from his Master—who is always watching, in control, and even tests him to see if he'll make the right choices—he will strive to make those correct decisions. As the חובות הלבבות teaches, when a person thinks this way, God grants them a wonderful gift: a smile. Like a master who smiles upon a good and dedicated servant, God's favor brings "great benefits" ( הטובות הגדולות ) and "great light" ( האורים הגדולים ). This light is referenced in a verse we say on ראש השנה after blowing the שופר : "Fortunate is the nation that knows the message of the שופר ...God, we will walk in the light of Your face" ( אשרי העם יודעי תרועה, השם באור פניך יהלכון ). This is the same light mentioned in the ברכת כהנים prayer: "May God shine His face upon you" ( יאר השם פניו אליך ). This light is the direct result of being a good, dedicated servant. The Mutuality of Dedication The most crucial part of being an עבד השם is dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to His service. This devotion earns you a special status, as reflected in the verse from דברים : "You designated God as special today, and God designated you as special today" ( את השם האמרת היום והשם האמירך היום ). The גמרא in מסכת חגיגה 3 b explains this mutuality: We make God "the one and only" when we declare, " השם אחד " (God is one). God makes us "the one and only" when He says, "Who is like your nation, a unique nation on earth?" ( מי כעמך גוי אחד בארץ ). This special relationship means that the nations of the world will see that "the name of God is called upon us" ( כי שם השם נקרא עליך ) and will fear us. As the חובות הלבבות points out, a servant's reputation is directly tied to the greatness of their master. Since we are the nation of the Holy One, who is revered by all, we too should be revered. This reverence comes from our dedication to God, and our commitment to Him grants us that honor in the eyes of the world. The Path of a Servant In the future, the prophet ישעיהו says, "This one will say, 'I am God's'" ( זה יאמר להשם אני ). This speaks to the high level of closeness to God we can achieve. So, reflect on this. Don't listen to your evil inclination. Don't use your desires and thoughts improperly. Remember that God is looking into your heart. As the verse says, "God knows the thoughts of man" ( השם ידע מחשבות אדם ). He knows if you're truly striving to be His servant. We spend our days serving God, but do we truly have the awareness that He is watching us and looking to see if we are living up to the role of His devoted servants?

For a 10% discount on Rabbi David Sutton's new book A Daily Dose of Preparation for Yamim Noraim click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/Book s/9781422645086.html The Sixth Contemplation: Reclaiming Your Covenant with God This is an exploration of the sixth contemplation from Cheshbon HaNefesh (Accounting of the Soul), part of the Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart). This thought is meant to arise when a person feels the inclination to rebel against God's will. The core question is: How can we possibly break our covenant with God when everything else in creation upholds its own? Look around you. The sun, moon, and stars all follow their precise orbits. They obey God's word, as it says in Psalms, "L'olam Hashem D'varcha Nitzav BaShamayim" ("Forever, O Lord, Your word stands firm in the heavens"). A slight deviation in any of these systems—if the Earth were to shift its orbit or the oceans failed to heed their boundaries—would spell the end of humanity. This is the world we live in, one of perfect, unwavering obedience. Now, consider a more personal example: your own body. What happens when your heart, meant to beat rhythmically, stops? Or when parts of your body, meant to be still, begin to shake uncontrollably, as in Parkinson's? What if your senses—your eyes, ears, or taste buds—suddenly ceased to function? The breakdown of a single system causes profound discomfort and can even threaten your life. Given this, the author asks, how can a person not be embarrassed to break their own deal with God? We have a covenant of 613 mitzvot (commandments), yet we fail to keep our end of the bargain. Meanwhile, the very ground we walk on, the air we breathe, and the organs that sustain our life continue to follow God's commands, acting as "helpers" or "housekeepers" that tend to our every need. The King, the Minister, and the Servants The Chovot HaLevavot provides a powerful analogy to drive this point home. A king commands a group of servants to carry one of his ministers across a dangerous river. The servants are to do their job, while the minister is given a separate task, like waving a flag. The servants obediently perform their duty, risking their lives, but the minister ignores his command and relaxes instead. One of the servants confronts the minister, saying, "Imagine if we treated you the way you're treating the king! We would stop holding you up, and you would drown in this river. Turn around and ask for forgiveness. The king has conditioned our service to you upon your obedience to him." This parable helps us understand a deeper truth about the world. When our bodies or our surroundings seem to fail us, it's not always an external punishment. It's an internal breakdown of a system built on the conditions G-d made with us. Rabbi Miller would sometimes explain physical ailments as a lack of appreciation—"you didn't appreciate your teeth, so now you have a toothache." However, the Chovot HaLevavot suggests a different reason: if you don't serve the King, His servants—the organs of your body—may stop serving you. This concept is built into creation itself. God made a condition with the world: it would serve humanity if humanity, in turn, served Him. This is the essence of the blessings and curses described in the Torah. When the sea split for the Jews and then returned to its normal state, the Torah says, "VaYashav HaYam L'eitano" ("And the sea returned to its strength"). The Sages explain that the word לאיתנו "L'eitano" can be read as לתנאו "L'tnao," meaning "to its condition." The sea returned to the fundamental condition God set with creation—that it would listen to those who serve Him. The Or HaChaim HaKadosh elaborates on this, explaining that this is a built-in law of cause and effect. While God is infinitely patient and waits for us to do teshuvah (repentance), as described in Tomer Devorah , there comes a point when His "servants" will no longer tolerate our defiance. They will stop doing their part, and we will face the consequences. Therefore, let us take this to heart and choose to do teshuvah, returning to our proper place in the divinely-ordered world.

For a 10% discount on Rabbi David Sutton's new book A Daily Dose of Preparation for Yamim Noraim click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/Book s/9781422645086.html On Delayed Understanding This is a deep dive into the fifth contemplation from Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh (Gate of the Soul's Accounting), a powerful and introspective series. Many of these contemplations are triggered by a real-life situation, a simple event that serves as a powerful metaphor. In this accounting the question we're meant to ponder is this: What should you think when you delay and push off understanding the Torah God gave us, and even worse, when you're complacent and it doesn't even bother you? Let's use an everyday example: prayer. We pray every single day, yet do we truly understand the meaning of the words? Does it bother us if we don't? During the season of Selichot (prayers of forgiveness), you might read a prayer you've said for years and suddenly realize you don't know what a certain word means. Maybe you look it up in a Hebrew-English text and discover you've been misunderstanding it all this time. Does that lack of understanding bother you? Compare this to how you react to other important documents in your life. If you receive a letter about a jury summons, your taxes, or a medical report and don't understand it, you're going to put in the effort to figure it out. If you're on vacation in a foreign country and get a parking ticket in a language you don't know, it will certainly bother you. You'll work hard to understand what it means and what action is required. We take the time to understand information from a human being, so how much more effort should we put into understanding God's Torah, which is our very life and our salvation? As the verse says, "Ki Hu Chayecha V'Orech Yamecha" ("For it is your life and the length of your days"). Rabbi Wolbe explains that when we say, "Ki Hem Chayeinu" ("For they are our lives"), it's not just poetry; it is a literal truth. The Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart) uses this analogy to speak directly to us, using the term " Achi " ("my brother"). He asks, "My brother , how could you allow this to happen? How can you ignore this? How can you be content with a superficial understanding and not delve deeper?" {The term "my brother" is a deliberate choice, just as Yacob Avinu used it when rebuking the shepherds who were wasting time at the well. As Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky taught, you have to connect with someone before you can give them rebuke. The Chovot HaLevavot knows this rule and creates a connection before delivering his message.} The prophet Daniel delivers a similar message when he says: "For the gods of silver and gold, copper and steel, wood and stone—that do not see, hear, or understand—you praised. But to God, in whose hand is your very soul and all your paths, you do not give glory?" There is an inherent disgrace in this. A story based on the teachings of the Pele Yoetz illustrates this perfectly: A man's wife bakes his favorite cake, while his daughter-in-law buys a cake from a bakery. The man pushes his wife's cake aside and eats the one from the bakery. When his wife starts crying, he asks what he did wrong. He's insulted her by rejecting her thoughtful gift in favor of something else. In the same way, we insult God when we choose to prioritize other things over His Torah . This is why King David, in Psalms, says of the righteous man, "B'moshav Leitzim Lo Yashav" ("He did not sit with scoffers"), but rather "Ki Im B'Torat Hashem Cheftzo" ("He desired His Torah"). The people who don't learn Torah are called "scoffers" because to "scoff" is to belittle. By sitting and engaging in idle chatter when you have the opportunity to engage with Torah, you are insulting it. We have a responsibility to show respect and importance to religious texts. With the High Holidays approaching, one of the most important texts we will read is the Malkhuyot, Zikhronot, and Shofarot —the central prayers of the Mussaf service—on which we are judged for the entire year. If a person had a court case or a major presentation, they would put in the time to properly prepare and understand what they were saying. Going into Rosh Hashanah without understanding the words of our prayers is like going to war without knowing how to use your weapon. To truly fulfill this contemplation, you must prepare. A great resource to help you is "Daily Dose of Preparation for the Yamim Noraim" from ArtScroll, a day-by-day guide to prepare for the High Holidays. It's a worthwhile book to use as you prepare and fulfill this חשבון . Go to https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422645086.html and place your order.

For a 10% discount on Rabbi David Sutton's new book A Daily Dose of Preparation for Yamim Noraim click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/Book s/9781422645086.html Acknowledging and Appreciating the Torah Welcome to our special Elul series on Hovot HaLevavot, Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh . We're now up to the fourth spiritual accounting, which focuses on appreciating a gift from God that exists outside of ourselves: the Torah . The author of Hovot HaLevavot , Rabbi Bachya ibn Pekudah, explains that the Torah is meant to awaken us, to bring life to us in this world and the next. The Torah is described as "honored and faithful" ( נכבדת נאמנה ). As we say in Tehillim , "The testimony of God is faithful" ( עדות ה' נאמנה ). The Torah's loyalty and trustworthiness serve several crucial purposes: It Removes Our Spiritual Blindness: The Mesillat Yesharim by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto compares a person who goes through life without their spiritual eyes open to a blind man walking on the edge of a cliff. The only thing that can remove this spiritual blindness is the Torah, which "brings us to be enlightened" ( תורה מביא לידי זהירות ). It Burns Away Foolishness: The Torah has the power to burn away a person's foolishness. This concept is illustrated by a story in Navi where a prophet sends foxes with torches through fields to burn them. Similarly, when a person teaches Torah to the masses, they are burning away their foolishness. It Enlightens Our Eyes: Even when we're not blind, darkness can obscure our path. The Torah lights our way, as we say, "Enlighten our eyes with Your Torah" ( והאר עינינו בתורתך ). It Brings Us Closer to God's Will: As we say, "Return us, our Father, to Your Torah" ( השיבנו אבינו לתורתך ), and then, "and bring us close, our King, to Your service" ( וקרבנו מלכנו לעבודתך ). We can't serve God or know what He wants until we learn His Torah. It Reveals God's Truth: God gave us a "Torah of Truth" ( תורת אמת ). Through it, we come to know God's truth and His very existence. It Guides Our Actions: The Torah tells us what we need to do in this world, giving us the tools for success in this life and the next. This is the meaning of the verse in Tehillim , "The Torah of God is perfect; it restores the soul" ( תורת ה' תמימה משיבת נפש ), and "it gladdens the heart" ( משמחי לב ). The Gift of Torah The Hovot HaLevavot then uses a powerful technique of imagining the Torah being taken away from you, only to be returned. We hear stories of people in concentration camps who traded their meager food rations for a single page of Gemara. Imagine how thankful you would be to someone who gave it back to you after you'd lost it. The author emphasizes that we are not talking about a person who gave us back the Torah, but God Himself—the Creator, who not only gave us the Torah but also arouses us to it and helps us understand it. Every day, when we sit down to learn, we don't realize that we say, " He gives the Torah " ( נותן התורה ), as God is continuously giving and teaching us the Torah. This concept is highlighted in a story about Rav Chaim Kanievsky. A convert on his way to conversion expressed second thoughts, telling Rav Chaim that he couldn't grasp the Gemara. He felt that since learning was so fundamental to Judaism, perhaps he wasn't fit to convert. Rav Chaim responded, "It's not your fault, you don't have a good teacher." When the convert protested that he had the best rabbi, Rav Chaim clarified, "A Jewish person has God as a teacher, He gives the Torah . When you convert, you will get that Teacher as well." The least we can do to show our appreciation for this great gift is to cling to the Torah and use it. A person who receives a gift shows appreciation by using it. Similarly, we must learn the Torah and keep its mitzvot (commandments). King David said in a verse, "I hurried and did not delay" ( חשתי ולא התמהמהתי ) in my love for Your Torah. "How sweet Your words are to my palate" ( מה נמלצו לחכי ). This is a fundamental point: we must appreciate the incredible gift God has given us in the Torah. This is why we are commanded to make a blessing every morning over the Torah, acknowledging that "He chose us from all the nations and gave us His Torah" ( שבחר בנו מכל העמים ונתן לנו את תורתו ). We ask that it be "sweet in our mouths" ( והערב נא ). We know the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) was destroyed because the people did not make a blessing on learning the Torah, showing they did not appreciate this great gift. This, then, is the fourth gift we must account for: the Torah.

For a 10% discount on Rabbi David Sutton's new book A Daily Dose of Preparation for Yamim Noraim click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/ Books/9781422645086.html Reflection 3: The Gift of Intellect and Morality Welcome to our special Elul series on Cheshbon HaNefesh , or "internal accounting." This is our third reflection, focusing on the immense gift of intellect and noble character traits that God has bestowed upon us. With this gift, we are elevated above all other living creatures; we are not mere animals, but human beings endowed with the capacity for thought and recognition. To appreciate this gift fully, we must imagine its absence. Consider a person who, while fully aware of it, begins to lose their cognitive abilities—the onset of early dementia, for example. The horror of feeling one's mind slip away is unimaginable. Yet, imagine if a new, experimental drug could restore their cognition completely. This person's entire life would not be enough to thank the doctor who gave them their mind back. If that's the gratitude we'd feel toward a human, how much more should we feel toward God, who gave us our intellect in the first place? Our minds are a gift, as we recognize in the morning prayer, " Atah Chonen La'adam Da'at " ("You grant a person knowledge"). This phrase uses the term chonen , which is the same root as V'etchanan , Moses's plea for a free, unearned gift. Our intellect is a truly free gift. We also acknowledge this in the blessing " HaNoten L'sechvi Bina " ("Who gives the rooster understanding"), which is interpreted as God giving understanding to our own brains. Natural vs. Artificial Intelligence This sense of awe can be heightened by considering the difference between natural and artificial intelligence. We are often impressed by AI—the ability of a computer to process information and provide answers. Yet, as the Chovot HaLevavot teaches, we tend to be impressed by what is new and different, while overlooking the everyday miracles. Artificial intelligence requires vast global networks and immense data to function. Yet, our "natural intelligence" processes an even greater amount of complex information within our small brains. As Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe zt"l used to say, a human brain looks like nothing more than a "bowl of porridge," yet it possesses capabilities that a room-sized computer cannot replicate. While AI struggles with creativity and empathy, the human brain can be compassionate, empathetic, and imaginative. We should take a moment to be impressed by our own minds. The Three Foundational Gifts As we conclude this third reflection, let's recap the first three, which form a foundational unit: the creation and development of man. Existence : The first gift is our very being—the transformation from "nothing" into "something." Physical Form : The second is our physical body—a functioning human being with perfectly developed limbs and organs, not a mere jellyfish. Intellect : The third is our mind—the unique gift of intellect and the ability to think, understand, and possess good character traits. It's not enough to simply say "wow" to these gifts. The next step is to ask: "How can I reciprocate?" Basic gratitude, or Hakarat HaTov , dictates that we should seek ways to show our appreciation to God, who asks nothing in return. This can be through prayer, learning, acts of kindness, or even something as simple as following the laws of kashrut . God asks us to do these things not for His sake, but for ours, and the least we can do is try.

For a 10% discount on Rabbi David Sutton's new book A Daily Dose of Preparation for Yamim Noraim click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422645086.html A Call to Reflection: The Gift of Our Bodies Welcome to our special Cheshbon HaNefesh series for the month of Elul. This is our second reflection, focusing on what God has given us and the reciprocal debt we owe Him. Our last reflection focused on the gift of existence itself; this one considers the remarkable gift of our physical bodies. Consider a person who is bedridden or a paraplegic. While they exist, they lack full use of their body. In contrast, God created us with a perfect, intricate design. He assembled every organ and system—from the cardiovascular to the digestive—in our mothers' wombs, a process beyond human comprehension. A baby is born with tiny toes, perfect toenails, and all the essential organs—a heart, a kidney, a spleen—working in harmony. This is a profound testament to God's handiwork. God also provides the sustenance needed for this development, nourishing us from the moment of conception out of sheer kindness. Now, imagine for a moment what it would be like if you were missing something essential. What if you were blind? Or imagine tying your hands behind your back and trying to get through a single hour of your day. How would you shower? How would you drive? Or what if you couldn't walk? Imagine, after experiencing that struggle, someone could suddenly restore these abilities to you. How much gratitude and praise would you offer that person? How much would you be compelled to follow their every command? This thought exercise offers a glimpse into the gratitude we should feel toward God, who created our limbs and organs perfectly. As the great figures of our tradition understood, we should be drawn to God's will. Iyob tells God, "You formed me like clay, and you will return me to dust." King David says, "You formed my kidneys." And Esther says, "You drew me out from the womb." They all looked back and appreciated what God did for them. The Wisdom of the Greats There's a famous story about the great sage Ibn Ezra, who was extremely poor. His friend, Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, wanted to help him. One day, as Ibn Ezra was walking to synagogue, Rabbi Yehuda planned to throw an envelope of money in his path. Hiding behind a bush, he waited for the perfect moment. As the envelope was about to land, Ibn Ezra suddenly closed his eyes and began tapping his cane, walking right past the money. When asked why he did this, Ibn Ezra explained, "This morning I said the blessing 'Pokeach Ivreem' (He who opens the eyes of the blind). I wanted to imagine what it would be like if I couldn't see, so I closed my eyes." Of course, God intervened at that exact moment, ensuring he didn't see the money, so he would remain in his state of poverty. This story teaches us a valuable lesson: the greats understood that to truly appreciate something, you must first imagine its absence. This is the practice we should adopt during the month of Elul. Take time to reflect on the immense gifts God has given you—starting with the miracle of your own body. Tomorrow marks the second day of our 30-day journey. We'll be doing a double dose on Friday to get in all 30 reflections.

For a 10% discount on Rabbi David Sutton's new book A Daily Dose of Preparation for Yamim Noraim click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/ Books/9781422645086.html The First Step in Cheshbon HaNefesh : Reflecting on Existence Welcome to our Elul series on Cheshbon HaNefesh (Spiritual Accounting), based on Chapter 3 of Chovot HaLevavot . This chapter explores different triggers for introspection, prompting us to consider what we owe God. The first point of reflection is the beginning of our own existence. The author reminds us that we were not always here. God brought us from non-existence into being, a concept described as ma'ayin l'yesh , or "something from nothing," just like the initial creation of the universe. In a personal sense, each of us is a microcosm of this act. We didn't exist, and God brought us into being not because we earned it or because He owed us anything. Rather, our very existence is an act of pure kindness and generosity. This is a fundamental proof that God's ultimate goal is our best interest. He not only brought us into existence but elevated us above the rest of creation. We are not animals, plants, or stones; we are beings of importance and potential. This alone is reason for profound gratitude. We must thank God not just for what He does for us, but for the very fact that we exist and continue to exist. The Parable of the Benefactor Chovot HaLevavot provides a powerful parable to illustrate this point. Imagine a baby abandoned on the road and rescued by a compassionate stranger who raises him to adulthood. How much does this person owe his benefactor? Everything. He would be obligated to do anything asked of him. Earlier in the sefer compares this to a person who was rescued from a pit at age 20. The second person would feel far more gratitude because he was already an independent being before the rescue. The first, rescued as a baby, was raised under the constant benevolence of his benefactor and might have become so accustomed to it that he never truly appreciated the gift of life he was given. This is a mirror of our own experience. We are so used to being in this world that we take our existence for granted. We don't contemplate the sheer grace of simply being here. A Message of Reciprocity and Gratitude Moshe Rabbeinu, in his final address in Parshat Ha'azinu , asks: "Is this how you repay God, O dull and unwise people?" ( הֲלַהשֵּׁם תִּגְמְלוּ־זֹאת עַם נָבָל וְלֹא חָכָם ). The term "naval" refers to a person who is ungrateful. Moshe's words are a direct rebuke, urging us to recognize and appreciate the gift of life and the immense kindness behind it. The author stresses that God's act of creation was "without any preceding merit" ( ללא יתרון שקדם לו ). While a popular song suggests that God "needs every Jew," we must be careful not to fall into the mistaken belief that He truly needs us. As the Zohar explains, God creates the illusion of needing us so that we can earn our reward in the next world and not feel like we are receiving "bread of shame"—a gift we didn't work for. Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz makes a similar point regarding the lighting of the Menorah: God, the source of all light, asks us to light a candle to make us feel like we are a part of the process, but we must never forget the true source of the gift. As we begin this month of Elul , the first step of our spiritual accounting is to contemplate this fundamental truth: God brought us into existence out of pure kindness, and the greatest act of reciprocity is to acknowledge this by living a life of gratitude and spiritual awareness.

Welcome to a new series of lessons on D aily Bitachon , which will take us through the month of Elul. This will be a 30-day program, with lessons on Sundays and a double dose on Fridays. Our goal is to go through the 30 Cheshbonot , or 30 accountings, found in the book Chovot HaLevavot , in the section called "Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh" (the Gate of the Soul's Accounting). What Is a "Cheshbon HaNefesh"? When we typically think of a Cheshbon HaNefesh —an internal accounting—we tend to focus on things like, "How many good things did I do today versus bad things?" But Chovot HaLevavot takes a different approach. The author compares it to a business: you track what's coming in, what's going out, and what you owe. The core question isn't, "How many mistakes did I make?" but rather, "Do I reciprocate for all that I've received from God?" This is the eighth of the ten "gates" in Chovot HaLevavot . The previous gate was on repentance, and the author connects this topic to repentance, explaining that a proper Cheshbon HaNefesh is one of the conditions for true repentance. He brings a verse from Psalms, where King David says, " Chishavti drachai ," "I made an accounting of my ways," and because of that, " Va'ashiva ragli el edotecha ," "my feet returned to Your statutes." The Importance of Cheshbon HaNefesh in Elul The Zohar teaches that every night before you go to sleep, you should do a Cheshbon HaNefesh , a daily accounting. It refers to those who do this as "masters of accounting." Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai ( the Chida ) writes in his book, Avodat HaKodesh , that even if we don't do this all year, we should do it during the month of Elul, which he calls these "awesome days." Understanding Our Debts The concept of Cheshbon HaNefesh is about a person figuring out what they have and what their debts are—what their chovot are. A story is told about Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, who left his son's wedding early. When asked why, he said he had to take care of his chovot . His in-law initially thought he had debts from the wedding, but it turned out that Rabbi Kanievsky was referring to his daily responsibilities of Torah study. For him, those were his debts. The question then becomes, "How do I figure out what my debts are?" The answer depends on your unique life experience. The more God has blessed you or revealed to you, the greater your responsibility is. Grasping What You Can't Yet Do The author of Chovot HaLevavot gives us one more key piece of advice: once you figure out your debts, do what you can. But what about the things you can't do yet? He says, " grasp it with your knowledge and desire it. " He brings a verse from King David that says the words of Torah are " nechmadim mi'zahav u'mifaz rav "—more desirable than precious gold. The author explains this with a beautiful analogy: just as someone might look at a fancy car or a piece of expensive jewelry they can't afford and desire it, so too can we desire higher spiritual levels that we're not ready for yet. A person who acts this way and hopes for higher levels, the author says, " God will judge favorably " because He sees their sincerity and their desire to grow. This is our introduction to "Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh," a 30-unit journey we invite you to take with us. If you are interested in additional resources, check out our book The Daily Dose of Preparation for the Yamim Noraim . It offers 40 lessons to prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. A link to order the book will be included with this class. https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422645086.html

This week's parashah opens with the words: ראה אנכי נתן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה Behold, I am placing before you, blessing and curse. The Gaon of Vilna is bothered by a question: why doesn't the Torah say, " I am placing before you good and bad"? Why does it say " blessing and curse"? He explains that it is not true "good" and "bad." We see tzaddik v'ra lo, rasha v'tov lo — sometimes a righteous person experiences what looks like suffering, and sometimes a wicked person experiences what looks like goodness. Therefore, the Torah makes it clear: what is given is berachah and kelalah . Berachah does not mean that the outcome will immediately be good. It means that in the end, it will lead to good. For example, Yaakov Avinu blessed Ephraim: וידגו לרב בקרב הארץ You shall multiply like fish within the land. But they did not multiply immediately. Only later, when they entered Eretz Yisrael , the did descendants of Yosef said to Yehoshua, " Why did you give us this land? We cannot fill it!" Throughout the counts in Bamidbar , it's never mentioned that the tribe of Yosef was larger. What happened was that the berachah came down, but it was not fulfilled until much later. The Gaon says that in truth, the real reward and punishment are not in this world. As it says, schar mitzvot b'hai alma leika — this is not the world of reward; this is the world of action. What happens in this world is that we are amassing berachah . Similarly, when a person receives a blessing from a tzaddik — " you should be blessed with good children, you should be blessed with success" — what do you walk away with? Not the children or the money per say, but with the berachah . This is an important principle: sometimes we see the berachah fulfilled in this world, and sometimes not. That is why the Torah says clearly: berachah and kelalah . On Shabbat we also say: כי היא מקור הברכה For Shabbat is the source of blessing. Shabbat is the source of all blessings. A person may close his store on Shabbat, and the following week he might not see financial success. Does that mean he was not blessed? No — he did not immediately see the good , but he did receive the berachah . And that berachah might show itself later, in other ways or other forms. As we approach the end of the year, we say: תכלה שנה וקללותיה, תחל שנה וברכותיה Let the year and its curses end; let the year and its blessings begin. We focus on blessing , not on good . Of course, we would like the tovah as well, and perhaps that is why our prayers so often mention both together. For example, in Zachrenu Hashem Elokenu we ask for both זכרנו ה' אלקינו בו לטובה ופקדנו בו לברכה Remember us, Hashem our God, for good , and recall us for blessing . Every day in שים שלום we say: שים שלום, טובה וברכה Grant peace, goodness , and blessing . Interestingly it comes to livelihood, we ask for parnasah tovah . We do not usually say parnasah mevorechet . We want livelihood that is tangibly good. And in Avinu Malkenu we say: אבינו מלכנו חדש עלינו שנה טובה Our Father, our King, renew for us a good yea r. So, if we pay attention, it becomes clear: there is tovah and there is berachah . Of course, we hope for both — but sometimes, even when we don't see the tovah , we still have to believe that we have the berachah .

Welcome to Daily Bitachon . We are continuing with pesukim from Parashat Ekev that contain powerful bitachon lessons. We are now up to: וְיָדַעְתָּ עִם לְבָבֶךָכִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יְיַסֵּר אִישׁ אֶת בְּנו ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ מְיַסְּרֶךָ / Know in your heart that just like a man chastises his son, Hashem your God chastises you This follows the earlier pesukim that spoke about the Manna , about the clothing, and about remembering how God took us through the desert. According to many, this is a positive mitzvah - to remember and know in your heart how God chastises us like a father chastises his son. Rabbenu Yonah includes this in the all-encompassing mitzvah of remembering the forty years in the desert, and this is one aspect of it. The SeMaG ( Sefer Mitzvot Gadol ), Mitzvat Aseh 17, learns from here that there is a positive commandment called Tziduk HaDin /to accept upon ourselves any of God's justice even when it is difficult. He gives an example: Sometimes people do teshuvah , but afterward, things do not go as well as they did beforehand. When this happens a person must tell himself that this is for his own good. Before doing teshuvah , God was paying him off in this world. After doing teshuvah , God is healing him to prepare him for a better Olam Haba. When someone questions God's challenges, the SeMaG cites a pasuk in Hoshea where God says: אֲנִי יִסַּרְתִּי / I was giving them yissurim . חִזַּקְתִּי זְרוֹעוֹתָם /I was strengthening their arms. (This is like when a trainer asks you to lift heavier weights to build your muscles). וְ עָלַי יַחְשְׁבוּ רָע /And they think badly of Me. Rav Ades tells the possibly fictitious story of a man who was a new immigrant to Eretz Yisrael, coming from a poorly developed country. He had severe stomach pains and went to the hospital. They told him he did not have insurance and had to join Kupat Cholim , the public health insurance. Once he became a member they could help him. He joined, came back, got checked, and was told he needed emergency appendix surgery. They operated, and he woke up connected to all kinds of tubes. He said, What kind of corrupt country is this? I join and right away look what they do to me ! They responded, Fool. Now that you are a member, we are taking care of you. So too with HaKadosh Baruch Hu . The Sefer Mitzvot Katan , mitzvah 5, adds, from the chachamim , that when something bad happens one should say: מְעַט מֵחֻבִּי נִגְבִּיתִי /This is only a little of what I owe. Rabbenu Yonah , in Shaare Teshuvah (4th Gate, Letter 13), teaches something similar. When something happens to a person, he should tell himself that this is coming from Hashem's love. He quotes a midrash that says you know how much wrong you have done, and you know that the punishments and suffering are much less than the crime. It is like someone who is sentenced to thirty years in prison but gets off with only six months. The Sefer Mitzvot HaKatan adds that when someone suffers, even if he cannot tolerate it and is kicking and screaming, afterward he should look back, be happy, and not complain. He quotes the Gemara in Berachot : אַגְרָא דִּיסּוּרִין שְׁתִיקוּתָא /The reward for suffering is silence. This ultimately falls under the mitzvah of Bechol Meodecha/ בְּכָל מְאֹדֶךָ/which the Gemara explains to mean בְּכָל מִדָּה וּמִדָּה – With every measure that you are given, accept it wholeheartedly. Rabbenu Bachya , in Shemot 4:22, quotes from the Gaon Rabbenu Chananel a remarkable concept. When Pharaoh is introduced to the Jewish people, God says: בְּנִי בְּכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל – My son, My firstborn, Yisrael. He explains that God is telling Pharaoh, Yes, I gave them over to you to subjugate, that is true. But do not think that is because they are light in My eyes. I had to give them musar . As it says in our pasuk : וְיָדַעְתָּ עִם לְבָבֶךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יְיַסֵּר אִישׁ אֶת בְּנוֹ, I am chastising them like a father chastises his son. Pharaoh, these are My children. You went overboard. I still love them. Do not think you have the right to do what you did to them. A person can constantly fulfill mitzvot with this approach. There is no one without challenges, and if you keep telling yourself at every event that happens that this is from God , it's not a coincidence and you accept it without complaint , you fulfill a tremendous mitzvah . May Hashem give us the strength to fulfill this always.

Welcome to Daily Bitachon. We continue with pesukim in Parashat Ekev that we need to remember every day. As mentioned at the beginning of the week, Rabbenu Yonah tells us that there's a command to remember how Hashem took care of us in the desert. One of the things it says there is: שִׂמְלָתְךָ לֹא בָלְתָה מֵעָלֶיךָ וְרַגְלְךָ לֹא בָצֵקָה זֶה אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה Your clothing did not wear out and your feet did not swell for these 40 years What does " your clothing did not wear out," mean ? Rashi explains that the Clouds of Gory would smooth and iron the clothing, and as the people grew, their clothes grew with them—like a snail's shell grows with the snail. The Maharal in Gur Aryeh asks: Why did Hashem perform this seemingly unnecessary miracle? After all, they could have simply made clothing on their own. Hashem doesn't perform miracles without purpose. The Maharal explains that Hashem wanted to show them that He could care for all their needs directly. Just as their food was Godly food from heaven, so too their clothing would be Godly clothing. He cites a Midrash that says that these were not ordinary garments; they were the same garments the angels clothed the people in at Har Sinai. That is why they never wore out. The Sefer Chizkuni teaches that this miracle is a lesson in overcoming lo tachmod (the prohibition against coveting) . Remembering that Hashem provided for all our needs in the desert—including our clothing—reminds us that He can do so in any situation, even in ordinary life. The Tiferet Yonatan adds a fascinating insight from Devarim 18:4, which discusses giving the kohen the first of the shearings. He explains that middah k'neged middah , since the clouds of glory—given in the merit of Aharon HaKohen—pressed and cleaned our clothing in the desert, we give the first shearings to the kohen as repayment to Aharon's descendants for caring for our clothing in the desert. The Chatam Sofer notes a key difference between the miracle of the manna and the miracle of the clothing. The clothing lasted forever, but the manna came day by day. Hashem could have made food that lasted for forty years—just as He sustained Eliyahu HaNavi for forty days from a single cookie—but instead chose to give the manna daily. Why? The Gemara explains with a mashal of a king with two sons. For the son he wanted a close relationship with, he gave food daily so that the son would come to him regularly. Similarly, Hashem wanted the manna to come each day so we would turn to Him daily, like children turn to their loving father. This explains why Hashem made us independent in one area (clothing) but dependent in another (food). There is actually a debate about whether these were miraculous angelic garments or the original clothing taken from Egypt that lasted forty years. The Baal HaTurim in Shemot 3:22 says they were the garments borrowed from the Egyptians— וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם כְּלֵי־כֶסֶף וּכְלֵי זָהָב וּשְׂמָלֹת —and that those same garments lasted the entire forty years. The Chatam Sofer agrees and explains that this reveals two different ways Hashem interacts with us. When the Jewish people asked : t הֲיֵשׁ ה' בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם אָיִן / Is God with us or not? it referred to two Divine approaches: Yesh mi'yesh – something from something – Hashem works within nature, transforming existing material. Yesh me'ayin – something from nothing Each approach presents its own challenge of faith. Open miracles make every thing clear and obvious, but living with hashgachah pratit within nature requires deeper trust. The spies, for instance, felt safer in the desert, where Hashem's miracles were obvious, rather than in the Land, where His supervision would be more hidden. Each one has its challenges The Chatam Sofer says Hashem wanted to show that He operates in both ways. The manna , "food of angels," was yesh me'ayin —something from nothing , sustained entirely by His word. The clothing was yesh mi'yesh —ordinary garments sustained miraculously through natural means. In both cases, Hashem showed that He can care for us completely—whether through open miracles or through the subtle miracles of everyday life.

Welcome to Daily Bitachon . Yesterday, we discussed pesukim from Parashat Ekev , and quoted from Shaare Teshuvah and others the positive commandment to remember the path we took in Mitzrayim — וזכרת את כל הדרך . We explained this to mean remembering the kindness of Hashem in the desert, and in general. However, the Chida and others offer a different understanding. The next pasuk says: ויענך וירעב ך / God pained you and starved you; ויאכילך את המן , He fed you the manna, that you did not know and your forefathers did not know about — and this teaches us a lesson: כי לא על הלחם לבדו יחיה האדם / man does not live on bread alone; כי על כל מוצא פי השם יחיה האדם /man lives on what emanates from the mouth of God. The Chida , in his sefer Avodat HaKodesh , section Kaf Achat , letter 6, writes that there is a mitzvat aseh to remember the manna every day — that God fed us the manna — and he quotes this pasuk . Many people, therefore, mention Parashat HaManna daily. This is actually in the Shulchan Aruch , first siman , 5th halacha , where it says tov lomar , it is good to say Parashat HaMan every single day. So, it's in the Shulchan Aruch, which says it's a good idea to remember the manna — not just the desert experience in general. People often focus on the segulah of saying Parashat HaMan on the third day of Parashat Beshalach , based on a certain, more recent, chasidic Rebbe, but in truth, the Shulchan Aruch and the Torah, is telling us to do this regularly. In the Sefer Yafeh LaLev , from the son of Rav Chaim Palagi, in the first siman of Shulchan Aruch , letter 24, he suggests that if one cannot recite it daily, he should at least recite it on Friday. The Bet Yosef explains the reason to say Parashat HaMan daily is kedei she'ya'amin /so that one should believe that, kol mezonotav /all his parnassah , comes b'hashgacha /through Hashem's Divine supervision. The Sefer Levush adds that this was exactly what happened with the manna — she'hishgiach Hashem yitbarach / Hashem supervised to give each person precisely one omer per family member . This showed clearly that Hashem knows exactly what goes on in your household. The Shulchan Aruch HaRav further notes that it says there, וימודו בעומר / they measured with the omer measuring bowl And ולא העדיף המרבה והממעיט לא החסיר /the one who gathered more had no extra, and the one who gathered less was not lacking. This demonstrates Hashem's exact hashgacha — you receive exactly what you are meant to receive, and no amount of extra hishtadlut will change it. Rabbenu Bachya , on Shemot 16:16, records a tradition from the sages: Kol ha'omer Parashat HaMan b'chol yom / whoever says Parashat HaMan daily, muvtach lo/ is guaranteed that he will never lack parnassah . This is not a magical formula; the segulah is in the emunah and bitachon that it instills. The Perisha on Orach Chaim Siman 1 quotes this from a Yerushalmi in Berachot , though it is absent from our version. Regardless, Rabbenu Bachya's words suffice to confirm its ancient tradition. *There is a halachic question about whether it should be said before or after prayers. Some rule that one should not request personal needs before tefillah , so it is customary to say it after Alenu L'shabe'ach , which is how it appears in many siddurim . If we wish to go further with segulot , the Sefer Shevet Mussar by Rav Eliyahu HaKohen of Izmir (chapter 40) says it is preferable to say it shnayim mikra ve'echad targum . And we can't let this topic pass without mentioning one of my favorite related stories- about Mr. David Mizrahi, a'h , who kept a glass jar with cotton balls in his office to remind himself of the manna . The prophet Yirmiyahu , when the Jewish people complained about parnassah and not being able to dedicate themselves to Torah, took the tzintzenet ha'man / the jar of manna from the Kodesh HaKodashim that was put there for safekeeping to show them what their forefathers lived on. Mr. Mizrahi keptt his jar as visual reminder to strengthen himself daily. Furthermore, in Ohr HaMeir ( Parashat Beha'alotecha ), it says the purpose is not some magical trick but l'orer libo b'kirbo b'bitachon — to awaken one's heart in reliance on Hashem, and lada'at u'lehavin — to know and understand — she'gam ata lo nifsak ha'man , that the manna has not ceased. Finally, in sefer Bet HaLevi (Artscroll edition, p. 15), he writes that regarding parnasa, mezonotav shel adam , all one's knowledge and hishtadlut lo yo'ilu me'umah — will not help at all to add more than what was decreed — just as with the manna , lo he'edir hamerbeh vehamamit lo hechsir /Whoever took more did not have extra and whoever took less was not lacking and The manna stands as an eternal sign that hishtadlut does not increase what is decreed. And of all this, according to the Chida , falls under the positive commandment mentioned in Parashat Ekev to remember the man na .

Welcome to Daily Bitachon . Today we're going to discuss an important pasuk in Parashat Ekev , which, according to many is a positive commandment, one of the 613. It says in Parashat Ekev , chapter 8, pasuk 2: וזכרת את כל הדרך /remember all the way, the path, אשר הולך השם אלוקיך /that Hashem your God has taken you, זה ארבעים שנה במדבר /these forty years in the desert." Rabbenu Yonah, in Shaare Teshuvah , Gate 3, letter 17, lists certain mitzvot aseh that are very high levels—called maalot . One of these is ma'alat zikaron chasadav , the quality of remembering Hashem's kindnesses . But it is not enough just to remember them— ve'hitbonen bahem —we must also contemplate them, as it says וזכרת את כל הדרך / remember all the way, The Sefer Charedim says that if we are commanded to remember what happened in the desert thousands of years ago, we can learn from this a kal vachomer : if I am required to remember what happened to my forefathers, then surely I must remember what happened to me personally . So we must remember: Not only Hashem's kindnesses to the Jewish people in the desert, but also, throughout history, how we survived all the exiles, the Inquisition, the Crusades, the Holocaust, and so on And finally, all the chassadim He has done for us personally. Chayav kol echad miYisrael lizkor chassadim she'gamal Hashem yitbarach /Eevery Jew is obligated to remember the kindnesses Hashem has bestowed upon him, from the moment he was created in his mother's womb. This should lead him to humility and teshuvah shelemah , as quoted in the name of his Rabbi the chassid Rabbi Yosef Saggis. Rav Yechezkel Levenstein adds that this is not only regarding physical matters, but also for the fact that we are religious Jews who know what we are supposed to do—that too is a kindness. Rav Yitzchak Blazer, a student of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, writes in his Sefer Kochvei Or , Letter 9, that people sometimes feel, " Am I supposed to get excited that Hashem gives me a chocolate bar? That He gives me physical pleasures or wealth? That's like a little kid who likes the candy man in shul —that's not real love of Hashem. " But he says this is a mistake— lo ken ha'davar - It is Hashem's will that we should delve into and appreciate all His kindnesses, thank Him for them, and love Him for them . And he quotes this Rabbenu Yonah. Rabbenu Yonah further quotes the pasuk in which David HaMelech says, ויתבוננו חסדי ה׳ to contemplate Hashem's kindnesses. This is part of a long perek in Tehillim describing the four people who are obligated to say HaGomel . Sephardic communities recite it on Pesach . David HaMelech also says חסדך לנגד עיני /Your kindness is always before my eyes." Rav Yitzchak Blazer then shares an incredible chiddush : We are commanded to love Hashem with all our heart. The Gemara in Masechet Berachot , and the Mishnah there as well, explain this means with both of our inclinations—the yetzer tov and the yetzer hara . The yetzer tov is easy to understand- it loves Hashem through intellectual appreciation of His greatness—this is called ahavat ha'romemut /loving Hashem for who He is, by delving into His Torah and recognizing His greatness. But the yetzer hara also loves Hashem- through physical enjoyment. For example, I love ice cream, and Hashem gives me that ice cream, so I love Him for that. The more I appreciate that Hashem gave it to me—and that He wants me to enjoy it and thank Him for it—the more love I create for Him. This is a good, kosher love. The same is true with prayer. Hashem wants us to pray- not only for lofty spiritual needs but also for the small comforts: the chocolate bar, your shoes and socks, your soft pillow. And He wants us to pray for these things, not just thank Him after receiving them. This is also why we are not allowed to benefit from this world without a berachah . Even though worldly pleasures are, in themselves, nonsense, Hashem made them for us to enjoy—and He wants us to thank Him for them. He says, It is not enough just to rely on Hashem for these things. Bitachon is great, but He wants us to actively pray for them, think about them, and thank Him for them. That's why the system was set up this way—so that we would pray for rain, as Adam HaRishon did, and then appreciate it. And that is the meaning of the pasuk וזכרת את כל הדרך אשר הוליכך ה׳ אלוקיך זה ארבעים שנה —remember those forty years in the desert. It is a mitzvat aseh in our lives today to remember His kindnesses. So next time you sit down to enjoy something, know that the more you relish it and appreciate it, the greater the mitzvah . This is Rabbi Miller 101—but he didn't invent it, it's the good old tradition of yesteryear.

We continue with our message of nechama Every year Parashat Va'etchanan falls out during the same week as Shabbat Nachamu . The rabbis arranged it that way. But what's the connection? If anything, Va'etchanan would seem like a downer—Moshe Rabbeinu prays 515 prayers, and he isn't answered. What happened? One of the things Moshe asked for was evra na ve'ereh et ha'aretz hatovah —"Let me see the good land ." And in a way, that request was granted, as it says later in Devarim 34:4: זֹאת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב לֵאמֹר לְזַרְעֲךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה רְאִיתִיהָ בְעֵינֶיךָ "This is the land… you saw it with your own eyes." So what is the meaning of this " seeing "? Why is it so important? The Sfat Emet says in this week's parasha that Moshe's act of seeing the land left something behind for future generations—even in galut . Through his gaze, Moshe Rabbeinu made something happen. What was that? We say that when one prays, they are supposed to focus on the Bet Kodesh HaKodashim /Holy of Holies . As the pasuk says, derech artzam , prayers pass through the land . Jews around the world face east, and in Israel, they face the Kotel , and so on. The essence of prayer lies in our kavanah /intention—in our mind's eye. It's not tangible. And, says the Sfat Emet , zeh pa'al Moshe Rabbeinu b'tfilato —this is what Moshe accomplished with his prayer: that Eretz Yisrael would forever be the place through which we pray. Furthermore, Rav Wolbe said in the name of Rav Chaim Kreiswirth—his brother-in-law and the chief rabbi of Antwerp—that the midrash says, avirah d'Eretz Yisrael machkim /the air of Eretz Yisrael makes one wise." (For an aside that also brings nechama : Why wasn't Moshe Rabbenu allowed to enter the land? Because if Moshe had entered, he would have built the Bet HaMikdash . And whatever Moshe Rabbenu touches lasts forever. Moshe Rabbenu, one of the seven ro'im /shepherds), is associated with the attribute of netzach /eternity . Had he built the Bet HaMikdash , it would have stood forever, unable to be destroyed. Then, when God's anger would be aroused, it wouldn't be poured out on stone and wood—it would have had to be directed at the people themselves. Therefore, Moshe Rabbenu could not be the one to enter. He built the Mishkan , amd it says the Mishkan was hidden—not destroyed—because it endures forever. But Moshe Rabbenu did touch something in the land. He touched the avir /the air —by looking at it. And through that, he elevated it. That's why to this day, avirah d'Eretz Yisrael machkim /the air of the land of Israel makes one wise. So the message is this: although Moshe Rabbenu's prayer seemed unanswered, it had tremendous impact. It changed reality. His prayer was so powerful that every prayer we pray today is connected to his. All the wisdom that flows from Eretz Yisrael flows from his gaze and his plea. There is added nechama in Moshe's story: Sometimes we feel like our prayers go unanswered, that something is wrong with us, that God is distant etc. We wonder, " Has He abandoned me?" Well, who was greater than Moshe Rabbenu? And yet, Hashem did not answer his prayer— for a reason . So don't get discouraged if we've gone through another Tisha B'Av , another year without the Bet HaMikdash . The sages say that every year that it's not rebuilt, it is as if it was destroyed in that year. That's the feeling of Tisha B'Av . But don't lose hope. Don't lose faith. Take nechama . Shift your perspective. Have a new outlook and understand that the prayers of Moshe Rabbenu, the greatest of men, went unanswered but became the foundation for our prayer. He stayed behind—for a great reason- to save the Jewish people. So even the "unanswered" prayer was answered. Let's give ourselves that hizzuk

Welcome to Daily Bitachon. We are now in the zone of nechama —the time of comfort . As we know, this week's Shabbat is called Shabbat Nachamu , based on the Haftarah , which opens with the words נחמו נחמו עמי / Be comforted, be comforted My nation, יאמר אלקיכם —so your God will say. The Pri Tzadik in this week's parashah is bothered: it shouldn't say יאמר /He will say—but rather אמר /God said. He explains that it's for future generations; whenever we read this Haftarah , God Himself is talking to us and giving us words of comfort. This is not just the first Haftarah , but for the next seven weeks. There are seven weeks of comfort. His words are, מתחדש הנחמה מפי השם ממש —the words of comfort literally come out of God's mouth and are renewed every year— ונכנס ללב —and enter the heart. That's how we get ready for the High Holiday season. It's worthwhile to refresh our memory—what does the word nechama , which we loosely translate as comfort , really mean? We go back to the first time the word nechama shows up in the Torah , where it says וינחם השם כי עשה את האדם בארץ . Simply speaking, Hashem comforted Himself that He made man on earth. ויתעצב אל לבו —and He was u pset. So now, if He's upset, why is He comforting Himself? Rashi says וינחם means נהפכה מחשבתו של מקום —God's thought changed. He changed from the trait of mercy to the trait of justice . Rashi continues and says: וכן כל לשון ניחום שבמקרא — wherever it says the word nichum in the Torah , it means to have a change of mind, as it says: ובן אדם ויתנחם/ Is God like a human being that changes His mind? על עבדיו יתנחם —on His servants He will change His mind. וינחם השם על הרעה —God changes His mind from the bad, and so on . כולם , says Rashi , all of them, לשון מחשבה אחרת —it means a different way of looking at things. So nachamu means not comfort , but: start looking at things differently. Have a different angle on things. Yes, we suffered. Yes, it's difficult. But there's a new perspective to be given. This reminds us of the famous story at the end of Masechet Makkot , where the group of Tannaim were going to Yerushalayim . They reached Mount Scopus, and they tore their clothing. When they reached the Temple Mount, they saw a fox running out from the Kodesh HaKodashim —the Holy of Holies. The rabbis started to cry, and Rabbi Akiva started to laugh. They said to him, "Why are you laughing?" He said, "Why are you crying?" And they replied, " This is a place where it says a non- kohen that enters should die, and now foxes are running there—and we shouldn't cry?" He said, " That's why I'm laughing. Because there are two pesukim . One says there will be negativity, and the good will only come when that negativity is fulfilled. And now that I see the negativity being fulfilled, I know that the positive prophecies will come true." And they said to him, Akiva nichamtanu, Akiva nichamtanu — Rabbi Akiva , you comforted us. Which means: Rabbi Akiva , you gave us a new angle, a new way of looking at things. And that's what our job is for these next weeks. We have three weeks of negative Haftarot , and seven weeks of positive Haftarot . That means Hashem wants us to focus on the flip side— not on the negative. In one of the upcoming Haftarot , Yeshayahu 49:14 , it says: ותאמר ציון עזבני השם — Tzion says: God has forsaken me. ואדני שכחני —and God forgot me. And God says: " You know what? You're doing the same thing Adam HaRishon did. I made a wife to help him, and he complained. Yaakov Avinu —I'm making his son into the king, the viceroy—and he's complaining. And Tzion , you're doing the same thing. I'm busy now getting rid of the other nations of the world. I already got rid of Bavel , I got rid of Madai , I got rid of Yavan —and now I want to get rid of the final wicked kingdom. And you're complaining and you're saying עזבני ?" So we have to look at things in a different light. And that's what we'll be doing, b'ezrat Hashem , this week until this Shabbat—which is Tu B'Av —and then b'ezrat Hashem , after that, we will start a new series to be announced next week.

Welcome to Daily Bitachon. We are now in the pesukim of Eichah , where Yirmiyah gives us words of chizuk (3,27) יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד וְיִדֹּם כִּי נָטַל עָלָיו Let one sit in solitude and be submissive, for He has laid it upon him. " What does this mean? Rashi says we're referring to someone who is going through a difficult challenge and finds himself completely alone — יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד. That's his situation. The difficulty is the loneliness. What do we tell him to do? וְיִדֹּם / wait, wait, wait… and hope for the future. Why? Because Hashem has placed this upon him. This is not happenstance. The comfort offered here is that this isn't something random, it is by Hashem's will. That's how Rashi explains it. In this context, the word וְיִדֹּם means " to wait ." He even brings a source in Shmuel, where the word יִּדֹּם means " to wait." But the Sefer Lechem Dim'ah offers a different explanation: יִּדֹּם means " to be silent." When someone is in a challenging situation, Yeshev Badad , he should remain silent. Like Aharon HaKohen, when, bar minan, he lost his 2 sons , it says , Vayidom Aharon/ And Aharon was silent. He didn't ask questions. And the Midrash says that Aharon was rewarded for his silence. That's how Lechem Dim'ah explains כִּי נָטַל עָלָ י- by quietly and silently accepting the suffering, the individual merits tremendous reward. The reward of accepting Hashem's will, even without understanding, through silence, כִּי נָטַל עָלָיו /he will be greatly rewarded. Another explanation from the Lechem Dim'ah , quoted in the past few days from Shmuel DeUzidah, citing his teacher — either the Arizal or Rav Chaim Vital — sees it differently. He says Yeshev Badad is not the challenge. The challenge is not that the man is sitting alone because he's suffering. Rather, it's the solution, the advice for how to deal with the challenge: יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד sit alone The word בָּדָד is related to hitbodedut / to contemplate , to think, to be in solitude. When a person is alone, the mind is free to think. And when he thinks, he can begin to process what's happening. So that's the advice: sit alone, and reflect. You can almost use the word " meditate ." Think deeply about your situation and how to respond. Rav Yonatan Eybeschutz offers one more explanation — a totally different one: Yoshev Badad is not referring to someone suffering. It's not advice for coping with challenges. It's words of comfort from the Torah, a vision of peace. It's connected to the Torah's words וַיִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּטַח בָּדָד עֵין יַעֲקֹב — "The Jewish people will dwell in safety, alone — like in the times of Yaakov Avinu." Alone, but protected. Not fearing the nations, not fearing wild animals. This is what will happen in the future. So Yeshev Badad is a promise: Don't worry about the past. The time is coming when Hakadosh Baruch Hu will take care of us וַיִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּטַח בָּדָד . Vayidom, wait, its coming., don't despair. נָטַל עָלָיו /and don't worry. We've already carried so much suffering, we've taken more than our share . So wait for that bright future of יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד . Also, in Ha'azinu , it says: ּ / Hashem will lead them alone ה' בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּו In this world, we were separated, mocked, and unaccepted by the nations. But in the future, because of that, we will be set apart —and no other nation will share in the reward that is coming to Am Yisrael. So this is a positive יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד. We will end with a Kabbalistic note, based on this understanding of Badad/being alone — and the verse ה' בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ. We turn to the Ben Ish Chai, in his hakdamah to Parashat Ha'azinu, where he shares something deep: He explains that there are two names of Hashem: שַׁדַּי אֲדֹנָי When Adam HaRishon sinned, the verse uses the words: /The snake seduced me הַנָּחָשׁ הִשִּׁיאַנִי The word הִשִּׁיאַנִי /he'shiani/ seduced contains the words שַׁי and אֲנִי . What does that mean? The שַׁי left from the name שַׁדַּי is — only the ש and the י remain. The name אֲדֹנָי is left with just אֲנִי — the daled is gone from both names, and our Rabbis say that when you rearrange הִשִּׁיאַנִי , it can be read as יֵשׁ and אֲנִי — it's about " I " and what " I have." It becomes self-centered: I exist, I have — no mention of God. The snake made us focus on ourselves, not on Hashem. That's what knocked out the two daleds , and that's what has led to all our suffering. So how do we fix it? The Ben Ish Chai brings the verse: לִשְׁקֹד עַל דַּלְתוֹתַי יוֹם יוֹם "To to hasten to My doors every day." This simply means to rush to the Bet Midrash . The full pasuk in Mishlei 8:34 says: אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם שֹׁמֵעַ לִי, לִשְׁקֹד עַל דַּלְתוֹתַי יוֹם יוֹם, לִשְׁמֹר מְזוּזוֹת פְּתָחָי " Praiseworthy is the one who listens to Me, who rushes to My doors every day, guarding the doorposts of My entranceways." so this man is in shul every day. But the Ben Ish Chai reads this differently: לִשְׁקֹד עַל דַּלְתוֹתַי to constantly restore the daleds. He is consistently working to bring the daleds back. So it won't just be the name of יֵשׁ and אֲנִי . But rather, restoring Hashem's full names. Yesh Badad- the time will come when the two daleds will return to us . וְיִדֹּם — wait and hope for that day כִּי נָטַל עָלָיו — because we've suffered deeply since that first sin, and we are ready for that future, when Hashem will lead us alone / ה' בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ

Welcome to our Daily B itachon . We're in chapter three of Eichah with words of chizuk from Yirmiyah HaNavi, and we are up to pasuk כ"ז: "טוֹב לַגֶּבֶר כִּי יִשָּׂא עוֹל בִּנְעוּרָיו" It is good for a man when he carries a yoke when he is still young. What exactly does that mean? On a simple level, it means start carrying the yoke when you're younger. What yoke are we referring to? The sefer Lechem Dim'ah , which we quoted yesterday from Rabbi Yuzida, says in the name of his teacher—whom we said is either the Arizal or Rabbi Chaim Vital—that yemei ne'urim : the days of our youth, refer to this world , because this is the earlier stage of our life period, the first 120 years. But we're going to live for 120,000 years . So yemei ziknah , the days of old age, refer to Olam HaBa , because they come toward the end. And therefore, it says it's good for a person to carry the yoke. What yoke? The yoke we've been talking about in the past few pesukim , and these are words of chizuk : the yoke of yissurim —the yoke of suffering , the yoke of life's challenges. So the words of chizuk that the Navi tells us is: You're still young. You have a whole life to live. What do you mean, a whole life? I'm 120 years old—is that young? Yes—you have a whole life to live. And it's good to go through this difficult training when you're young, so that way, you'll have a much better meal when you're older. You'll enjoy your old age. Enjoy your golden years. You say, " My golden years?" Yes— your golden years. The golden years start after 120 . So that's what it means: "טוֹב לַגֶּבֶר כִּי יִשָּׂא עוֹל בִּנְעוּרָיו" It is good for a man when he carries a yoke when he is still young. The sefer Kin'at Setarim , from another great rabbi of yesteryear, says: what does it mean, tov la'gever ki yisa ol b'ne'urav ? He reads it as: it's good for a person to carry the yoke of yissurim because of what he did when he was younger . That means, right now, you're in a good place. But the rule is: "אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה טוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטָא" " There is no righteous person on earth who does good and does not sin." You might be on a good track now, but let's go back to when you were 20, 30 and 40. We don't like to remember the things we did when we were younger. And therefore: " טוֹב לַגֶּבֶר כִּי יִשָּׂא עוֹל" It's good to carry the yoke, to cleanse yourself for what you did in your youth. Again, the theme is to give chizuk to the person who's suffering now. The Chatam Sofer explains, similar to our first explanation, why does David HaMelech say (118:21) " אוֹדְךָ כִּי עֲנִיתָנִי" "I praise You for afflicting me." "וַתְּהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה" "And You were to me for salvation ." He explains , I thank You right away when You pain me, because I know in the end, it's going to be salvation. What's the salvation? Our pasuk : It's good to carry the yoke when you're young—in this world—in order to have a happy ending in the next world. One last point on this pasuk from the Yedei Moshe of Rabbi Moshe Almosnino: We've been talking about savlanut / patience , and of yissurim , to tolerate the difficulties and challenges of life. And we said that's a great level—to be able to patiently wait and tolerate the difficulties, and hope for Hashem's yeshuah . But how do you get there? How are you able to have that trait of tolerating and waiting? He says that it starts from when you're young : "טוֹב לַגֶּבֶר כִּי יִשָּׂא עוֹל בִּנְעוּרָיו" You have to start training yourself when you're younger. If a person gets used to always having all his problems taken care of, and instant gratification, and he is never able to tolerate an uncomfortable situation, then he's not going to be able to later in life. It's almost as if he's giving us chinuch advice , to train ourselves, and train our children when they're younger, to tolerate. Tolerate might mean tolerating a little bit of cold. Tolerate a little heat. We want everything to always be just right and just perfect. But that's not good for man. Man needs to build up his resistance , and be able to tolerate uncomfortable situations. That's why we don't love the " helicopter mom ," or the " snowplow mom "— one that hovers above or smooths the road out for her children and doesn't allow them to suffer and tolerate inconveniences. Because in life, Mom is not always going to be there to plow the road for him . Wonderful lessons from this wonderful pasuk : "טוֹב לַגֶּבֶר כִּי יִשָּׂא עוֹל בִּנְעוּרָיו" Either: It's good for you to carry the yoke when you're young in this world , in order to have a good ending in the next world, or It's good to carry the difficulties now to forgive the sins of the youth, or Lastly: start your training and tolerating when you're young.

Welcome to Daily Bitachon . We are now in the pesukim of Eicha that bring us chizuk and we are in perek ג , pasuk כה טוֹב ה' לְקוֹוָיו לְנֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ Hashem is good to those who trust in Him, to the soul that seeks Him." All the commentaries are bothered by the same question. The pasuk starts off in the plural טוֹב ה' לְקוֹוָיו/ Hashem is good to those who trust in Him — but ends off in the singular לְנֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ/ to the soul that seeks Him. Why the contrast? The Chida , in his sefer Nachal Eshkol on Eicha , cites a similar question found in a pasuk in Shemot , Parashat Mishpatim 23:25, which says, " וַעֲבַד ְתֶּם אֵת ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם, וּבֵרַךְ אֶת לַחְמ ְךָ וְאֶת מֵימֶ יךָ " "Serve Hashem your God, and He will bless your bread and your water." Here again, we see a similar pattern. וַעֲבַדְתֶּם is plural but לַחְמְךָ וּמֵימֶיךָ/ your bread and your water is singular. (This contrast is unique to Hebrew, where " your " can appear in both plural and singular forms) And the question here too is, why the change? The Chida answers that when it comes to the service of Hashem (as in the pasuk in Mishpatim ), everyone goes to shul and everyone prays. So the pasuk begins in plural וַעֲבַדְתֶּם But among those are all kinds of people. Some pray with deep kavanah , others may pray with less kavanah — going through the motions without as much heart. So, yes, the community shows up — hence the plural. But because each person's prayer is unique, so too is their reward. That's why the verse shifts to the singular when discussing the blessing of bread and water- because each individual's reward is tailored to their personal service. Similarly, in our pasuk in Eicha regarding bitachon : טוֹב ה' לְקוֹוָיו" Of course, Hashem is good to all who hope in Him. Many people hope to Him, but " לְנֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ To the individual person as he has searched out This is a critical word: תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ . It appears often during the High Holiday season, especially the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah , as it says, דִּרְשׁוּ ה' בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ Search for Hashem when He can be found Am I really searching for Hashem ? Am I truly looking for Him? (The word תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ is connected to the idea of a derashah like mi drash im or a drash , and to be doresh means to delve deeply, to search in depth) Hashem is good to the masses, yes. But when it comes to God's reward, each individual's bitachon is evaluated on its own. It's not a one-size-fits-all system where simply being a Baal bitachon automatically earns you a reward. You're not entered in a " bitachon club" that grants access to a special reward room. No. There is a a general goodness for those who hope טוֹב ה' לְקוֹוָיו But לְנֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּ וּ , the specific measure is based on the personal searching , and the depth of one's bitachon . With this, we can understand the juxtaposition of pesukim in Yirmiyah (who is also the author of Eicha). In perek 17 of Yirmiyah , which happens to be the Haftarah for Parashat Bechukotai , it says: "בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בַּה', וְהָיָה ה' מִבְטַחוֹ" " Blessed is the man who trusts in Hashem, and Hashem will be his security." Right after speaking about bitachon , it says: "עָקֹב הַלֵּב מִכֹּל, וְאָנֻשׁ הוּא — מִי יֵדָעֶנּוּ?" " The heart is more deceitful than anything, and it's fragile — who can know it?" " אֲנִי ה' חוֹקֵר לֵב, בֹּחֵן כְּלָיוֹת, וְלָתֵת לְאִישׁ כִּדְרָכָיו, כְּפִרְי מַעַלְלָיו" "I, Hashem, probe the heart, examine the innermost thoughts, and give to each person according to their ways, according to the fruit of their deeds." Mar"i Kra ( one of the rishonim) explains: What are these " deeds " for which we are rewarded? It is the level of bitachon . Hashem says, The heart is fragile. Only I truly know what a person's bitachon is. So yes, טוֹב ה' לְקוֹוָיו / Hashem is good to all who hope in Him, in general. But the deeper levels of the human heart, only Hashem knows. And the reward for bitachon matches the depth of that bitachon , the נֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ.

Welcome to daily Bitachon. We continue with our lessons of Chizuk from Eicha , 3,25-26 טוֹב יְהוָה לְקוָוֹ לְנֶפֶשׁ תִּדְרְשֶׁנּוּ: Hashem is good to those who hope to Him. To the soul that seeks Him. (כו) טוֹב וְיָחִיל וְדוּמָם לִתְשׁוּעַת יְהוָה: It is good to hope silently for Hashem's salvation. The Sefer Yedei Moshe brings out a beautiful point. He says that after the Navi spoke about all of the hope and hizuk of previous pesukim, as we said, Yet this I bear in mind, therefore I still hope. Hashem's kindness surely has not ended, nor has his mercy exhausted. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Hashem is my portion, says my soul. Therefore, I have hope in him. After all of that, there's a little caveat. And that is, Tov Hashem lekovav./He's good to those that hope to Him, Which means that although Hashem is full of goodness, it comes to the one who hopes to him, to the soul that searches for Him. Like it says in Tehilim 33,18 הִנֵּ֤ה עֵ֣ין יְ֭הֹוָה אֶל־יְרֵאָ֑יו לַֽמְיַחֲלִ֥ים לְחַסְדּֽוֹ׃ / Behold the eye of Hashem is on those who fear Him. Upon those who await His kindness. We need this trait of Yechul This is the term that Yirmiyah keeps on using. זֹ֛את אָשִׁ֥יב אֶל־לִבִּ֖י עַל־כֵּ֥ן אוֹחִֽיל ׃ חֶלְקִ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ אָמְרָ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֔י עַל־כֵּ֖ן אוֹחִ֥יל לֽוֹ׃ So of course Hashem supervises everybody, but His goodness and His bounty comes to one that prepares himself for that goodness by hoping towards Him. And there's another bit of a condition here. The pasuk says ט֤וֹב וְיָחִיל֙ וְדוּמָ֔ם לִתְשׁוּעַ֖ת יְהֹוָֽה׃ Tov V'Yachil V'Dumam . Dumam like domem , as in Vayidom Aharon, means the one that sits silently. This term, Aharon was silent, came after a great tragedy struck, with the passing of his two children bar minan. This means that a person that hopes to Hashem's goodness is also capable of being Sovel yissurim M'Ahava/ tolerating his suffering with love. Because if you're someone that only hopes for the good, and when the bad comes, you kick and you curse, heaven forbid, that is not a person who is on this level of hoping for Hashem's goodness. We need, the dumam , which he says means to be quiet , and not get angry or scream when something Chas ve Shalom goes wrong. This trait of savlanut , to be able to tolerate and carry a load, is necessary, he says, to tolerate a difficult challenge. And adds that a savalan is an Anav , which includes all great traits. Moshe Rabbenu was called Anav mikol adam. And when the term Anav is used, Rashi says it means he's a savalan . When was Moshe called an Anav ? When he was being accused by his brother and sister of not acting properly. He tolerated the insult, so to say. He was a Savlan . And as we said, the Savlan is a humble person. That means understanding that I don't always understand. People often use the term I humbly disagree . Well, when it comes to us and God, we don't humbly disagree . We humbly agree that we have to humble ourselves and agree to how God is dealing with us. So of course, we all hope for the good. But while going through a challenging time, how are we acting? A necessary component, he says, of the hoping for the good is to be a savlan , which means being patient . Savlan means to tolerate and Savlanut means patience . We have to be patient and wait for Hashem's salvation. It's coming. One of the challenges that people have when it comes to bitachon is that we live in an instant gratification society. I want instant answers from God. I don't want to wait. Give it to me now . But no, sorry. Waiting is part of the process. Patience is part of the process. And that's the added condition that the Navi is telling us with these two Pesukim . All the goodness is Le Kovav . But what is the Kovav ? The dumam , the trait of being silent . And sometimes we just have to suffer silently, bar minan, but realizing that with the hope, we will pull out of us. That's the prophet Yirmiyah's message for our Galut in general and for every individual's challenges.

Welcome to Daily Bitachon . We continue with pesukim of chizuk that are given in Megillat Eicha . We're now in Perek ג , Pasuk 24 : חֶלְקִי ה׳ אָמְרָה נַפְשִׁי, עַל־כֵּן אוֹחִיל לוֹ . Hashem is my portion says my soul, therefore I hope in Him. The Sefer Yedei Moshe points out something interesting. In the original words of Yirmiyahu when he speaks of hope, he says: זֹא ת אָשִׁיב אֶל־לִבִּי, עַל־כֵּן אוֹחִיל "Yet this I bear in mind, therefore I still hope." But in our current pasuk it says: עַל־כֵּן אוֹחִיל לוֹ *"Therefore, I hope * to Him." Why the difference? Why does the first phrase say simply "I hope," and the second say, "I hope in Him "? The Yedei Moshe , if you remember, pointed out that the term ochil means not only " I hope for the future, " but also "I hope for a future that actually turns around the past." We gave the mashal of a man whose building was destroyed by a missile, and then the government came and rebuilt it—even better than before. In the original hope mentioned earlier— חַסְדֵי ה׳ כִּי לֹא תָמְנוּ —the Yedei Moshe explains that Yirmiyah was referring to physical hope : hope in the face of physical difficulties and challenges that can be reversed and transformed. But now, in this pasuk , we're talking about spiritual challenges . No matter the negativity that occurred in the past, I can now reconnect to Hashem in a way that restores me—not only to where I was, but to something even greater . That's why this time it says: עַל־כֵּן אוֹחִיל לוֹ " Therefore, I hope in Him ." This expresses my hope that I can reconstruct the relationship I once had with Hashem—only deeper, more complete. And why is that? Because: חֶלְקִי ה ׳ / My portion is Hashem What does that mean? It means my neshama is a chelek Eloka mi-ma'al —a piece of Hashem above. I am inherently connected to Hashem. And because of that deep connection, it's always possible—and even natural—to return. Although it may be hard to imagine how a destroyed home, building, or life can be rebuilt—when it comes to spiritual failure , that spiritual lapse can indeed be reconstructed and rejuvenated . There's a lot of depth to this piece. The sefarim HaKadoshim tell us—particularly the Nefesh HaChaim in his first section—that the neshama has many parts. Some parts are within the body, and others are above us. We have five levels of the soul: Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chaya, and Yechidah. Nefesh – the nefesh habehemit , the animal soul, the instinctual side of us—fight or flight, physical drives. Ruach – located in the heart, representing emotion. Neshama – in the brain, representing intellect. Chaya – soul that's above us, a that constantly feeds us inspiration from beyond. Yechidah – the highest part of the soul, rooted directly in Hashem. At that highest level, there is only One . Yechidah , from the word yachid —one, indivisible. Of course, Hashem is always One, but at that level, we recognize it clearly. There's no illusion, no separation. We're plugged in to absolute truth. And that's the source of all teshuvah —rejuvenation flows from this untouched, pristine connection that is never severed. Rav Wolbe explains that our five tefillot of Yom Kippur correspond to these five levels of the soul: Maariv Shacharit Mussaf Minchah And finally: Ne'ilah At Ne'ilah , we reach that final level— חֶלְקִי ה׳ אָמְרָה נַפְשִׁי /I realize my soul is rooted in HaKadosh Baruch Hu . That's the moment when true teshuvah happens. A place where sin cannot touch. A place where spiritual renewal is not only possible—but inevitable. And that is the deep hope that Yirmiyah speaks of in our pasuk —not just a hope for physical renewal , but a hope for spiritual return . The first time: זֹאת אָשִׁיב אֶל־לִבִּי עַל־כֵּן אוֹחִיל This I bear in mind—therefore I hope. The second time: חֶלְקִי ה׳ אָמְרָה נַפְשִׁי עַל־כֵּן אוֹחִיל לוֹ Hashem is my portion, says my soul—therefore I hope in Him . And the Yedei Moshe ends this beautiful idea by saying: והוא דקדוק נכון – This is a precise and meaningful nuance (between these two pesukim).

Welcome to Daily Bitachon . We're continuing in the pesukim of chizuk from Eicha, chapter 3. We're now up to the pasuk that says: חדשים לבקרים רבה אמונתך / They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. This is the source for the Modeh Ani prayer we say each morning, which ends with the words Rabbah Emunatecha /Great is Your faithfulness. Every morning we get up and we're refreshed. We are, as the pasuk says, chadashim labekarim /new every morning . That's why, when we say Modeh Ani lefanecha , we end with the words Rabbah Emunatecha / Your faithfulness is great, that You gave me back my soul in the morning. But what does this have to do with our story of hope after despair, which has been the theme of the pesukim we've been studying? The sefer Yedei Moshe shares two very beautiful thoughts. The first one is that, Yes, Hashem has tremendous kindness and mercy — that's what we saw in the last pasuk . But there's a problem: A person must prepare himself to receive Hashem's chesed . Hashem has endless ability to give, but what's the value of hope in His kindness if I'm not a kli /a vessel , able to receive it? The Yedei Moshe answers: My emunah in Hashem's kindness is so great that I believe He will also give me what I need to become that vessel! He'll create the vessel if it doesn't already exist. It's like an overly generous person who not only pours you a glass of wine, but also gives you the glass itself. That's what Hashem does. And that's the meaning of: חדשים לבקרים רבה אמונתך Hashem, we understand that You create chadashim labekarim/ something new every single morning, and that's why I hope in You: Because I know that not only will You give me what I need, You'll create the very capacity within me to receive it. That means I myself am the receptacle. I need to become someone who can receive goodness. Rav Wolbe used to say: Everything — even spiritual matters — needs a utensil Just like physical things need utensils, spiritual things do too. Even when you're growing in ruchniyut / spiritual matters , you need the right vessel to hold it. One example of such a utensil is hakarat hatov /gratitude. When someone recognizes Hashem's goodness, that very awareness becomes a vessel to receive even more goodness. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about this often. That's why, in parashat Ki Tavo , Hashem commands us to bring bikkurim , in order to demonstrate gratitude, so that He can give us more. According to this idea, if Hashem wants to give someone a blessing, but that person doesn't yet have the vessel of gratitude, Hashem might first send them to a class in hakarat hatov — to shape them into someone who is gracious. Hashem has no limit in how He prepares us to receive His goodness. That's one point of the pasuk . Another idea the Yedei Moshe shares is that when a human being does kindness, it's something above his essence. He is who he is, and he chooses to act with kindness. The same is true for the recipient — he exists whether or not he receives that act of kindness. So, the kindness is not essential to the giver or the recipient. But HaKadosh Baruch Hu is different. He performs constant chesed . What's His constant chesed ? Every single second, Hashem renews creation. Every second, He renews us . Every morning, we are renewed. It's a daily techiyat hameitim . If Hashem weren't constantly renewing us, we wouldn't exist. Hashem's kindness to us isn't extra; it's essential. It's not an appendage — it's the very essence of our relationship with God. We don't exist without Hashem's continuous chesed . And how do I know that Hashem's kindness never ends? Simple: I'm breathing. I got up this morning.That's the greatest proof. That is why, right after the Navi says "Hashem's kindness never ends" he follows it with the evidence: I woke up today. I said Modeh Ani this morning. That renewal, that chadashim labekarim , is the proof. According to this explanation, rabbah emunatecha means Our faith in You is great. Most interpret rabbah emunatecha as "God's faithfulness is great . But Yedei Moshe suggests it can also mean: Our ability to rely on You is great. Why? Because we have daily proof . Every single day, Hashem demonstrates His kindness. Waking up in the morning is the proof. It's like the famous question: "What have You done for me lately?" Well, what didn't Hashem do for you lately?Are you breathing? Did you wake up this morning? That's the chizuk that the prophet Yirmiyahah gives us in Eicha. You woke up this morning? That's the proof of: חסדי ה׳ כי לא תמנו / The kindness of Hashem never ends.

Welcome to Daily Bitachon . We are now in pesukim from Eicha that give us chizuk . In Perek 3, pasuk 22 it says, / חסדי ה׳ כי לא תמנו Hashem's kindness surely has not ended Nor are His mercies exhausted / כי לא כלו רחמיו This is the simple English translation. Now let's look at Rashi : חסדי ה׳ כי לא תמנ ו simply means, as we just said, that Hashem's kindness has not ended. But Rashi gives another explanation : חסדי ה׳ כי לא תמנו — you know what the kindness of Hashem is ? כי לא תמנו /that we have not perished. We are still here today . That's the chesed — that despite all our sins, Chasdei Hashem says: we're here. We are still surviving. The sefer Yedei Moshe looks back to the words just before Chasdei Hashem . We didn't mention it earlier, but Eicha is written according to the Alef - Bet . Chasdei Hashem ki lo tamnu is in the ח Chet verse. Before that, in zayin , it says: זכור תזכור ותשוח עלי נפשי / My soul remembers well and sinks within me The Yedei Moshe explains that this means he is in a state of despair / ye'ush . He has hit rock bottom. And then he turns around and says: זאת אשיב אל לבי/ This I bear in mind, על כן אוחיל / Therefore, I still have hope So here we are, listening to a Navi expressing on his behalf and on behalf of Klal Yisrael : " We're in a state of despair. What do I do at that point? What do I place upon my heart?" Yesterday, we explained the deeper meaning of zot ashiv el libi . Today, we'll go with the simple meaning: זאת אשיב אל לבי / You know what I'm going to set on my heart to pull me out of despair ?" חסדי ה׳ כי לא תמנו / The kindness of Hashem never ends This means even though I may have no hope, Hashem's chesed might suddenly come upon me in a wondrous way. And He will once again have mercy on me and pull me out of my problem . So what's the answer to despair? Hope for Hashem's kindness. Why? Because this kindness never ends. Why does it never end? כי לא כלו רחמיו / Because Hashem's mercy never ends And when He sees that we've reached such a low point that we have despaired — that's when His mercy kicks in. And from that mercy, the chesed begins again. That's when we remember: Have I hit rock bottom? Am I at my lowest point? Yes — but that's exactly when Hashem's mercy must respond. The Yedei Moshe adds another point. He explains the words of the pasuk : זאת אשיב אל לבי על כן אוחיל / This I bear in mind, therefore I still have hope And he explains: the word אוחיל ochil doesn't only mean "hope for the future." Ochil also means, in his words: tikkun hara'ot ve'hatzarot — that Hashem will fix all the difficulties and challenges. Hashem will bring upon us so much good in place of all those challenges, that everything will be fully repaired and we'll be completely comforted. That's what al ken ochil means: I hope for a complete reversal. I recently heard a story from Israel that illustrates this. A man had already been in contract to sell his apartment building when that the same building was struck by a missile. Baruch Hashem. The seller is happy but the buyer wanted to renege. And then — lo and behold — the government announced that the damage to that building was so severe, that they would rebuild it. Suddenly, this will be a brand-new apartment. Now the seller wants to renege, and the buyer is thrilled. So yes — a tzarah can come upon someone, a real physical tzarah , and the good that comes afterward replaces it with a tikkun and tremendous comfort and it might end up even better than it was before. That's what the Yedei Moshe says the Navi is thinking: Hashem's kindness and mercy are so never-ending — they'll carry me through and turn it all around. And this pasuk is extremely important because every day in Modim we say: הטוב כי לא כלו רחמיך God is good and His mercy never ends המרחם כי לא תמו חסד The Merciful One, because His kindness never ceases The Avudraham , whom we've quoted many times, finds the source for many of our tefillot in pesukim . After all, our tefillot are Torah she'be'al peh , and our pesukim are Torah she'bichtav . The source for this line that we say every single day in Modim is this very pasuk in Eichah : הטוב כי לא כלו רחמיך , המרחם כי לא תמו חסדיך . Chasdei Hashem ki lo tamnu chasdecha, ki lo calu rachamav — The words match up exactly. Hashem's kindness doesn't stop, and His mercy doesn't stop. That's our pasuk . And it beautifully ends with: כי לעולם קווינו לך / For we have hoped to You forever That's the secret of hope in our Modim . The secret of our hope is Hashem's kindness and mercy. Unbelievable — this pasuk of hope in Eicha is inserted right into our daily prayers! Wonder of wonders. As I said, these are the treasures we find when we explore the pesukim .

Welcome to Daily Bitachon . As many of our listeners know, I like delving into pesukim to see the beauty in them. They are full of treasures if you look into them. So, for the next two weeks, we're going to focus on some pesukim in Eicha . Eicha is, of course, a book of lamentations, but there are words of chizuk in chapter 3. We'll start with where it turns around: The prophet Yirmiyahu says זֹאת אָשִׁיב אֶל לִבִּי עַל כֵּן אוֹחִיל /This I bear in mind, therefore I will still hope. " The next pasuk says, חַסְדֵי ה׳ כִּי לֹא תָמְנוּ /Hashem's kindness surely has not ended; כִּי לֹא כָלוּ רַחֲמָיו , nor are His mercies exhausted. Simply speaking, what does the prophet bear in hope? זֹאת אָשִׁיב אֶל לִבִּ . What the next pasuk says: chasdei Hashem ki lo tamnu . And that's how Rashi explains it. So the pasuk , זֹאת אָשִׁיב אֶל לִבִּ is really just an introduction. What am I going to bear in mind that will give me hope? Chasdei Hashem —the kindness of Hashem. The Chida , in his sefer Nachal Eshkol on Eicha , quotes the Zohar , and we'll see in a moment that we don't even need a Zohar ; we can go to the simple Midrash Rabbah for a similar approach. We'll start with the Chida , who says the word זאת refers to the Shechina, as it says: וְאַף גַּם זֹאת בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּאֶרֶץ אֹיְבֵיהֶם —but despite all of this, biheyotam b'eretz oyeveihem / they will in the land of their enemies: לֹא מְאַסְתִּים / I have not been revolted by them; וְלֹא גְעַלְתִּים /nor have I rejected them לְכַלֹּתָם /to utterly obliterate them לְהָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם / to annul My covenant with them. Ki ani Hashem Elokeihem /I am Hashem, their God . So, the word zot here simply means af gam zot /besides all of this, etc., etc. Which means, despite all that we're hearing about— this is the end of the tochachah in Bechukotai —despite all of this, the Shechina will still be with us. And that's why we will not be destroyed. Hashem has not revolted against us. The Shechinah is always with us. In the Chida 's words: ze tokef habitachon shelanu —this is the power of our reliance. Ya'aseh lemaan Shemo —God will do it for His name. Like we say every day in the Amida lemaan Shemo b'ahavah . And therefore, when the Shechina goes out from galut —and surely, eventually, the Shechina will come out of galut —God's name will be revealed. We're going to go out with Him. Imo netzeh min ha'galut . And this is important. We cannot stress this enough: on Rosh Hashanah when we're praying for Hashem's name to be revealed. People often struggle with this, " What about me?" But what we don't understand is—that is you. If God's going to take us out lemaan Shemo —for His name —then if we pray for His name to be revealed, then we're going to go along. We're going to tag along in that revelation. So that's the power of zot . Zot refers to the Shechina . We can point to it. Like ba'avur zeh — zeh is masculine and zot is feminine. Zot is something you can point to. Zeh E-li ve-anveihu —for this, zeh , I'm pointing to the Shechina Zot , I'm pointing to the Shechina . Zot ashev el libi . This— this fact that the Shechina is with me —that's enough. Al kein ochil —that's why I'm going to have hope . I don't even have to go on to the next pasuk of chasdei Hashem . This pasuk in itself is a chizuk . Zot —the fact that the Shechina is with us. Imo anochi b'tzarah —God is with us in our pain. The Midrash Rabbah in Eichah 3:7 says a beautiful mashal on this pasuk : There was a king who married a princess, and he wrote a beautiful ketubah —a marriage contract. And he said, " Such-and-such amount of canopy, I'm going to make for you, such-and-such amount of beautiful drapery I'm going to make for you. " And after all those promises of the beautiful palace and dream home they'd live in—he left and went on a trip overseas. And he delayed. Her friends came and taunted her, saying, " The king has left you. He went off far away. He's never coming back. " And she would cry and groan. She would go into her house, take out the ketuba, and read it—all the promises. And then she would comfort herself. Eventually, the king came and said, " I'm amazed—how did you wait so long, all those years?" And she said, " My master, the king—if not for that ketubah that you wrote me, I would have been long lost from the taunting of my neighbors." And so too, the goyim are taunting us, saying, " God has hidden His face from you. His Shechina has left you. He's not coming back." And we cry, and we groan. But when we go into the shuls and the Bet Midrash , and we read the Torah , and we read what it says there—all those promises—we are comforted. And when the Ge'ulah comes, HaKadosh Baruch Hu will say to us, " My children, I'm amazed—how have you waited so long?" And we will say, " If not for Your Torah that You gave us, we would have been long lost." And that's what it means: zot ashev el libi . You know what keeps me going? This zot . Ve-ein zot ela Torah —and zot refers to the Torah . As they say: vezot haTorah — when the Torah is taken out, we say vezot haTorah . Vezot . Is this Zohar arguing with the Midrash ? Of course not. The Torah and the Shechina are one and the same. Orayta v'Kudsha Brich Hu chad hu —the Torah and HaKadosh Baruch Hu are one. The Torah is the will of God. So what keeps us going is knowing the Shechina is with us. What keeps us going is knowing that the Torah is with us. And as David HaMelech says: lulei Toratecha sha'ashu'ai, az avadeti b'onyi —if not for Your Torah , which was my delight, I would have been lost in my suffering. That's what gives us our hope. That's our first pasuk in Eicha —a pasuk of hope. What's the hope? Just the fact: zot —I have the zot . I have the Torah , I have the Shechinah . I might not see it—but it's here with me. Imo anochi b'tzarah /God is with us in our difficulty . And that's what gives us our Hizzuk.

Welcome to Daily Bitachon Another important Three Weeks concept that comes out of a pasuk that we mentioned in earlier this week: In Tehillim chapter 90 it says, שַׂמְּחֵנוּ כִּימֵות עִנִּיתָנוּ, שְׁנוֹת רָאִינוּ רָעָה . " Make us happy like the days that You pained us, the years we saw evil." What does " the years that we saw evil" mean? Why doesn't it just say " the evil years ? What did we see that was evil? The Imrei Emet teaches us an important principle from this. The Imrei Emet was the Gerrer Rebbe who survived the Holocaust, There was another great Rebbe who also went through the Holocaust, and they were giving each other chizuk . As the story goes, the Imrei Emet quoted the following pasuk that talks about the Chet HaEgel , the sin of the golden calf, which is actually the beginning of the Three Weeks. Moshe Rabbenu says: וָאֵרֶא, וְהִנֵּה חֲטָאתֶם לַה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם; עֲשִׂיתֶם לָכֶם עֵגֶל מַסֵּכָה, סַרְתֶּם מַהֵר מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' וָאֶתְפּוֹשׂ בִּשְׁנֵי הַלֻּחוֹת, וָאַשְׁלִכֵם מֵעַל שְׁתֵּי יָדָי; וָאֲשַׁבְּרֵם לְעֵינֵיכֶם. And I saw you sinned against your God. You made a golden molten calf. You left the path fast that God commanded you. I grabbed the two luchot , and I threw them from my two hands, and I broke them le'eineichem —to your eyes." Why does it say, "I broke them to your eyes "? Why not just, I broke them. Why say "to your eyes"? Simply speaking, it means I broke them in front of you. I wanted you to see me breaking them. But the Imrei Emet explains based on another pasuk that uses the same words: le'eineihem /to their eyes. When Yosef HaTzaddik meets his brothers, of course they don't recognize him; he's incognito. He decides to take Shimon as a captive to ensure they bring back their younger brother. The pasuk says: וַיִּקַּח מֵאִתָּם אֶת שִׁמְעוֹן, וַיֶּאֱסֹר אֹתוֹ לְעֵינֵיהֶם. He took Shimon, and he tied him up le'eineihem /to their eyes." Why did he tie him up to their eyes ? Rashi says there that is says he tied him up in front of their eyes because once they left, he wined and dined him and treated him very nicely. So too, he says, that when Moshe Rabbenu broke the luchot , it was le'eineichem /to your eyes. The luchot didn't really break. The Midrash tells us that when the Jews sinned the sin of the golden calf, the letters of the luchot flew off— otiot parchot ba'avir /the letters flew into the air . There were no luchot anymore. So it looked like he broke the luchot . But the luchot were already gone. They weren't luchot anymore. This is similar to when the Bet HaMikdash that was destroyed. The Gemara says that a heavenly echo came out when an enemy destroyed the Bet HaMikdash and declared: K'macha techina tachanta —"You ground flour that was already ground." You didn't do anything—it was already destroyed. And he says: le'eineihem —to their eyes. When we see things happen in this world, it's to our eyes . Rav Schwab spoke at the Ninth Siyum HaShas , which was held to commemorate the one million children killed in the Holocaust. He told the story of a little boy. He was a good little boy. He was walking with his father to his death. And he asked his father: " Father, I was a good boy. I learned well in school. What's going on here? Why is this happening?" And then the Nazi shoots him, and that's it—he leaves this world. We see that and say: What a tragedy. What a travesty of justice! But he says: If we look on the other side—we see Hashem scooping this little boy into His arms. He says: " Come with Me, little boy. Come to My yeshiva . Sit down in the yeshiva shel ma'alah . I teach the young, pure children. Come join My yeshiva ." To our eyes is one thing. But what's really happening is another thing. So that's why we don't call these years "the evil years," but rather, the years that we saw evil . We're in this world—the world where we don't say hatov v'hametiv on all events. We say Dayan HaEmet . But in the future, we're going to say on everything: hatov v'hametiv . Today, it's not Hashem echad u'shmo echad . It's two different outlooks. Part of our job is to realize the concept that although we can't realize it on a sensual level, we can appreciate it on an intellectual level. We can understand this concept of le'eineihem —to your eyes. As we said, that's the opening of the Three Weeks. The tragedy of the breaking of the luchot , which starts the Three Weeks off, in essence, didn't really happen.The luchot never broke. It just looked like it.