Daily Emunah Podcast - Daily Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

There are times when a person is in desperate need of a yeshuah, but there does not seem to be any way for him to be helped. He begins to panic. Time is of the essence, yet there is no help in sight. He wants to pray, but he can't imagine how he could still possibly be saved. One of the ways that Hashem deals with us is called מקדים רפואה למכה . He prepares the solution even before the problem arises. When we think it has reached the point where it is too late to be saved, it is very possible that Hashem already has the help on the way. A man told me that several years ago, he and his wife were home for Shabbat while their two children were sleeping. They had just begun their seudah when his wife started choking on a piece of fish. At first she was coughing. Her husband asked if everything was okay, and she gave him a thumbs-up. She then walked over to the sink to try to clear her throat, but instead, the fish bone became lodged even deeper. Within moments, she could no longer breathe. He tried everything he could think of to get it out, but nothing was working. At that time, Hatzalah had not yet begun operating in their neighborhood, so he called 911. He knew they were not going to arrive for at least a few minutes, but he couldn't wait that long. They lived in a small building with only four families. He ran into the hallway and started screaming for help, but there was no answer. His wife was turning blue. He realized that none of the other families were home. He screamed even louder, but still nobody answered. Then, all of a sudden, the elevator door opened. One of the neighbors stepped out and immediately ran to the rescue. When the conventional methods didn't work, she did something that is generally not recommended. She reached her finger into the woman's throat, causing her to gag, and Baruch Hashem, the fish bone popped right out. Her life was saved. The neighbor then shared the amazing hashgachah of how she happened to arrive at that exact moment. She admitted that she still had a long way to go in her religious observance. She had not grown up religious and had not yet learned about keeping Shabbat properly. That Friday night, she and her husband had been invited to his parents' home for dinner on the other side of town. Normally, they always traveled together in one car. But this time, for the very first time, she decided to take a separate car because she was afraid her husband would want to stay later than she did. In the end, she decided to leave much earlier than usual. On the drive home, she made every single green light. She had never driven that route so quickly in her life. As the seconds were ticking away and this woman's life hung in the balance, it looked as if there was no one who could save her. What they didn't realize was that Hashem had already sent the messenger long before anyone knew there would be an emergency. He had already arranged for this woman to take a separate car for the first time, to leave earlier than usual, and to arrive at that building at the precise moment she was needed. It appeared as if there was no salvation. There was nobody around to help. But the One Who takes care of us had already set the yeshuah into motion. No matter how bleak or hopeless a situation may appear, salvation is always possible. Very often, Hashem has already prepared it long before we even realize there is a problem. Our job is to cry out to Hashem with emunah, knowing that He can save us in any way He chooses, and that perhaps, at this very moment, the yeshuah is already on its way.

We naturally become frustrated when we encounter delays or when our schedules suddenly change. But someone with emunah knows that what may appear to be an inconvenience is actually the loving hand of Hashem guiding him exactly where he needs to be. The Midrash tells us that a person's legs are his guarantors. They carry him to the places he is meant to be. We may think we are going somewhere for one reason, while Hashem has an entirely different purpose in mind. Sometimes He is protecting us from harm. Sometimes He is arranging an encounter that will help us. Sometimes He is creating opportunities that could never have happened otherwise. Most of the time, we never discover the reason, but we can be certain that every delay and every detour has purpose. A man related that his son recently quit his job with the understanding that he was going to start a new business with a partner. However, after he had already left his job, the partner backed out. The son felt he could still operate the business on his own, but he needed money to get it started. The father told his son he would try to find someone who could help. The very next day, the train he normally took after work to his summer residence was canceled. Instead, he decided to take the subway to his winter residence and spend the night there. It was an inconvenience, but he accepted it happily, knowing it was min haShamayim. After getting off the subway, even though it was only 5:30 in the afternoon, he suddenly decided to pick up dinner on the way home. He passed a restaurant he had never entered before and felt an unusual craving for that type of food. While placing his order, he noticed an old friend sitting alone. He went over to say hello, and the friend invited him to join him. During their conversation, the father mentioned what his son had recently gone through. The friend smiled and said it would be his pleasure to lend the son the money he needed, to be repaid whenever he was able. The father told me it was incredible to see how Hashem had orchestrated everything. From the canceled train, to the decision to stay elsewhere for the night, to the sudden craving that brought him into that restaurant, every step led him to the exact person who could help his son. Another man, whom we'll call Rabbi Shemueli, told me that he works in a day camp together with several other rabbis. During the first few days of camp, the director asked them to remain an extra forty minutes after camp ended to make sure dismissal ran smoothly. Rabbi Shimoni, who was also a Hatzalah member, commented to Rabbi Shemueli that he didn't understand why they needed to stay. Everything seemed to be operating perfectly well without them. Still, he accepted the request and remained there patiently. About five minutes after making that comment, Rabbi Shimoni noticed one of the boys was not wearing his kippah. He walked over to remind him to put it back on. As he approached, he suddenly noticed another boy turning blue from choking. Shockingly, no one else had realized what was happening. The boy could not call for help because a seaweed snack was lodged in his throat. Rabbi Shimoni immediately sprang into action, dislodged the food, and saved the boy's life. Later, he said how clearly Hashem had shown him that we are always exactly where we are meant to be. He could not understand why he needed to remain in camp for those extra forty minutes, but within minutes Hashem revealed one reason. Most of the time we are not privileged to see the reason at all. Here, Hashem allowed him a glimpse behind the curtain. We are always exactly where Hashem wants us to be. When we internalize that truth, we can remain calm and even happy when plans change or delays occur, knowing that every step we take and every place we find ourselves has been carefully arranged by Hashem for a purpose. Sometimes Hashem allows us to see that purpose, but even when He doesn't, we can trust that there is a reason. What appears to us as an inconvenience may actually be one of the most important moments in our journey.

One of the harder challenges in life is dealing with delays and setbacks when we are convinced that something has to happen right now. A father shared the following lesson. His infant son was born with a serious heart defect that required surgery. Although the condition needed to be corrected, the doctors felt it would be better if the baby grew a little before undergoing the operation, increasing the chances of success and long-term benefit. After waiting for months, a surgery date was finally scheduled for just before Pesach. The family arrived at the hospital early in the morning and spent an exhausting day going from one test to another, preparing their baby for the long-awaited procedure that was scheduled for the following day. By the time they finally got home, physically and emotionally drained, they were focused on making all the necessary arrangements before returning to the hospital early the next morning. Then the phone rang. A hospital representative informed them that the surgery had been canceled. Another baby had been born that day with a more urgent condition and needed immediate surgery to save his life. The father couldn't believe it. After all the preparation, anticipation, and emotional build-up, everything suddenly came to a stop. But then he reminded himself that it must be for the best and Hashem knows exactly what He's doing. A new date was scheduled for after Pesach. When that date arrived, shockingly, the exact same thing happened. After another full day of testing and preparation, another cancellation because another child's condition was more urgent. This time it was much harder to accept. Frustrated and disappointed, the father went to his Rebbe for guidance. The Rebbe told him a story about Rav Shlomka of Zvhil. Once, before beginning a fast, Rav Shlomka asked his grandson to prepare a cup of tea. Although the child hurried to do so, everything seemed to go wrong. Water spilled, delays occurred, and by the time the tea was finally ready, sunset had arrived and the fast had already begun. Seeing how upset his grandson was, Rav Shlomka gently told him, "Don't be upset. This is what was meant to be." The Rebbe then repeated those words to the father. "This is what was meant to be." There were no mistakes. It was not poor planning. It was not unfortunate timing. Everything was exactly the way it was supposed to be. Those words penetrated the father's heart. A few days later, a well-known medical askan heard about the repeated cancellations and offered his assistance. He explained that he had connections and could pressure the hospital to ensure that this would never happen again. But to his own surprise, the father declined. "This is how it is meant to be," he said. "Hashem is taking care of my son. The surgery will happen when it's supposed to happen." A few days later, his sister mentioned that her neighbor had given birth to a baby with a life-threatening heart defect and the baby had been rushed into emergency surgery immediately after birth. The father asked when that surgery had taken place. It was on the very day that his own son's surgery had been canceled. Suddenly, everything became clear. He now understood how urgent the other baby's situation had been, and he was genuinely happy that his son's surgery had been postponed in order to save that child's life. Then another thought struck him. If he had used influence and pressure to move his son ahead in line, perhaps the next time a different baby's life would be hanging in the balance. Perhaps that child would be forced to wait because of his intervention. How often do we experience disappointments that seem completely unnecessary? How often do plans fall apart, appointments get canceled, opportunities disappear, and doors close just when we think they should be opening? We are only seeing a tiny fraction of the picture. What appears to us as a frustrating delay may actually be protecting someone, helping someone else, or setting in motion events that we cannot begin to understand. We assume that if something did not happen, then something must have gone wrong. But that is not the way it is. Everything always happens exactly the way it is supposed to happen. We must internalize those powerful words: "This is what is meant to be." When we live with that belief, not only do we spare ourselves so much frustration and disappointment, but we also earn tremendous reward for demonstrating our Emunah in Hashem's perfect plan, even when we cannot yet understand it.

One of the fundamental principles of emunah is recognizing that when Hashem wants to help someone, He has endless ways of doing so. We naturally look for salvation through the avenues that we can see, but Hashem is never limited to those avenues. He can provide exactly what we need in ways we could never anticipate. A man related that his daughter needed a $20,000 loan toward the purchase of an apartment in Eretz Yisrael. His brother, who lived in Florida, generously agreed to lend her the money and planned to send it by wire transfer. This took place shortly before Yom Kippur, and the payment on the apartment was due shortly after Succot. After Yom Kippur, his daughter became concerned that the money still had not been transferred and asked her father to remind his brother. He spoke to him, and the brother assured him that he would take care of it soon. Succot arrived, and still no transfer. The daughter was feeling tremendous pressure. The payment deadline was approaching, and international transfers often take several days to clear. But her father refused to make additional calls during Chol HaMoed. "Hashem has His plans," he told her. "You'll get the money when you need it." Then came Simchat Torah and the tragic events of October 7. A few days later, the brother finally sent the money. The transfer took several days to reach Israel, and the dollars were converted into shekalim at the exchange rate that existed on the day the funds arrived. Before the war, the dollar had been trading at approximately 3.7 shekalim. But after the turmoil that followed, the dollar strengthened dramatically against the shekel. On the exact day the money reached the account, the exchange rate climbed to 4.06 shekalim per dollar, one of the highest rates in many years. As a result, the very same $20,000 produced approximately 7,000 extra shekalim. A week later, the exchange rate began falling again. Since the loan eventually had to be repaid in dollars, and the exchange rate later dropped significantly, she would need far fewer shekalim to repay the same amount. In effect, Hashem ended up giving her tens of thousands of extra shekalim toward her apartment at no cost. Looking back, it became clear that what initially appeared to be an annoying delay was actually part of a carefully orchestrated plan to help her in a way that nobody could have foreseen. A similar lesson can be seen from the following story. A representative traveling on behalf of Keren Olam HaTorah, which is raising money to support the yeshivot in Eretz Yisrael, related that due to government funding cuts and the challenges facing the Torah world, tremendous sums of money are needed to keep the yeshivot functioning. While visiting a certain city, he approached a wealthy individual and asked if he would host a gathering in his home. The man happily agreed. He offered to open his house and pay for all the food and expenses associated with the event. However, he made it clear that he did not intend to contribute any money toward the cause. Several days before the event, the wealthy man happened to be going through some old papers that had belonged to his grandfather, who shared the exact same name as he did. Among the documents, he discovered a decades-old letter from Rav Shlomo Wolbe addressed to his grandfather. Many years earlier, Rav Wolbe had helped arrange his grandfather's shidduch. Out of gratitude, the grandfather had sent Rav Wolbe thirty dollars. Rav Wolbe replied with a heartfelt letter thanking him, but explaining that he did not want to accept payment for helping with the shidduch. Instead, he wrote that there was a pressing need in Eretz Yisrael to support yeshiva students(it also mentioned difficulties with them being drafted to the army) and encouraged him to direct the money toward that cause. He added that if the donor wished to contribute more, it would be a tremendous zechut. The wealthy man sat there stunned. The letter was addressed to his own name. It was as if Rav Wolbe himself was speaking directly to him, urging him to support Torah students in Eretz Yisrael during a time of great need. He viewed it as a clear message from Hashem and proceeded to contribute an extraordinarily large sum. These stories teach us a powerful lesson. We often think that our livelihood, success, or financial assistance depends on specific individuals. We believe that if a certain person says yes, everything will work out, and if he says no, the opportunity has been lost. But that is not how Hashem runs the world. Hashem can make a delayed transfer become worth thousands more than an on-time transfer. He can arrange for a letter written decades ago to inspire a donation that seemed impossible only days earlier. He can provide assistance in ways that we could never imagine. Our job is to make a normal hishtadlut and trust in Him. Very often, when something appears to be delayed, blocked, or unavailable, we assume that help is not coming. In reality, Hashem may already be preparing something far better than what we had in mind. We must remember that the source of our salvation is never a person, a bank, a donor, an employer, or the market. The true Source is always Hashem, and His ability to help us is unlimited. When He decides it is time to send a blessing, it can arrive in ways that leave us standing in awe of His incredible hashgachah.

In this week's parasha , Korach staged a rebellion against Moshe and Aharon, telling them that they took all the good positions in Klal Yisrael for themselves. Chazal tell us, Korach's actions were motivated by jealousy. He saw others around him being promoted to different positions and he didn't get any of them for himself. He convinced himself, and others, that his motives were purely l'shem Shamayim , but deep down it was all about his own honor. Sometimes, people feel bad about their positions in life. They look around at others and see that this person is the president of a shul and that person is the president of a school, this one runs his own business, that one heads his own chesed organization, and the list goes on. A person may feel, what am I worth? I don't do anything big. Nobody knows about me, I'm just an average, regular guy . If that person would instead think, it's okay, I don't need honor or recognition. I don't need to be famous. Then, his job would become very valuable – working on his middot and becoming humble is an extremely precious avodah . But, if his position leads him to feel worthless and all he does is crave honor and is jealous of everyone around him, then his misery will know no end and he will be seriously lacking in his avodat Hashem. What is the attitude he should have? The Dubno Maggid explained with a mashal . There was once a king who gave his slaves different fields of his to work on. To one of his slaves, he gave many fields to plow and to seed, etc. The other slave only got one field to work on. That slave went to the king to complain. He said, "Why do I only get one field while the other slave got so many?" The king replied, "What difference does it make to you how many fields you work on? Are they your fields? Less fields means less work. You both belong to me. You're complaining that you don't have to work as hard as your friend? Must be you're planning on taking things from the fields for yourself so you want more so you could steal more." This, says the Dubno Maggid, is what Moshe told Korach: If your motive in getting positions is to serve Hashem then it wouldn't bother you what you got. What difference would it make to you if that's what Hashem wants from you? Must be you want the position for yourself so you could take honor. This is what we have to internalize. People may feel inferior for not having lofty positions like others they know, but if they could internalize that we are all working for the same boss – He is the One who gives out positions like it says, והמתנשא לכל ראש. What difference does it make what position we get? If we are doing what our Master wants, we'll be considered a perfect worker. If anything, it's just the opposite: The less honor we get the more real our service is to Hashem. Everybody has a special job to do, to serve Hashem to the best of his ability in the circumstances Hashem puts him in. If he does his job with joy and humility, then he'll be rewarded the same as anyone else who did his job, whatever Hashem wanted that person to do. The job doesn't matter as much as doing whatever we are asked of correctly. Shabbat Shalom.

One of the biggest challenges in life is seeing someone else receive the very blessing that we have been praying for for so many years. Naturally, it hurts. A person wonders why Hashem is giving others what he so desperately wants while he still has to wait. A woman who had been in shidduchim for more than twenty years shared the following powerful insight. She had recently completed an entire fourteen-week cycle of Shemirat HaLashon and had been praying throughout for her own yeshuah. One day, she received a phone call from a woman she had known for many years. The woman was calling to ask for information regarding a shidduch prospect. Immediately, her eyes lit up. She thought her yeshuah had finally arrived. But then the woman on the other end of the line asked about her nineteen-year-old niece who had just returned from seminary. The words pierced her heart. It was not only that what she still thought of as her baby niece was already in shidduchim. It was that after waiting more than twenty years herself, she was being asked to help someone who had only just begun the process. She felt deeply hurt. What made it even harder was that she felt the caller was not being sensitive to her situation. At first, she could not understand it. After all of her tefillot, all of her chesed, tzedakah, and spiritual growth, why would Hashem send her such a painful experience? But then she caught herself. This was not about the woman who called. This was Hashem giving her a tremendous opportunity. Would she become upset with the caller? Would she focus on the insensitivity? Or would she recognize that the caller was merely a messenger sent by Hashem to help her fulfill her purpose in life? Suddenly, she began to see the situation in a completely different light. Hashem was giving her an opportunity to be dan l'kaf zechut and give the caller the benefit of the doubt. Hashem was giving her a chance to earn an enormous zechut for herself and for Klal Yisrael. This was her opportunity to rise above her natural feelings and do exactly what Hashem wanted her to do. And that is what she did. Instead of allowing the pain to dictate her response, and instead of saying something hurtful, she did what she knew would make Hashem proud. She gave a glowing report of her niece. She spoke enthusiastically and did everything she could to help the shidduch move forward. Later, she reflected on the experience and felt genuinely grateful that she had been able to rise above the challenge. She harbors no animosity toward the caller and sincerely hopes that her niece finds a wonderful shidduch. We do not understand Hashem's calculations. We do not know why one person receives a yeshuah immediately while another person must wait for years. But we do know that every situation in our lives is tailor-made for us by Hashem and filled with endless opportunities for growth. Sometimes our greatest accomplishments are the ones that nobody sees. The battle takes place entirely within the heart. When a person is hurting and still chooses to act with kindness, generosity, and emunah, that achievement is beyond comprehension. These are the moments that bring the geulah closer. One act of being dan l'kaf zechut while we are hurting, one act of overcoming hurt feelings, one act of recognizing that everything came from Hashem and responding the way He wants us to respond—these are among the greatest accomplishments a person can achieve in this world. It is extremely difficult to overcome hurt feelings, especially when they come through what feels like insensitivity. We hope that this zechut will be the one this woman needs to find her own zivug. But regardless, the zechut she earned will remain with her for all eternity and will bring her untold reward. May Hashem help all of us respond properly to the challenges He sends us and enable us to maintain peaceful and happy relationships with everyone around us. If someone is currently experiencing pain because of an insensitive comment or action, he should recognize the golden opportunity before him. By rising above the hurt and responding the way Hashem wants him to, he earns an eternal accomplishment and frees himself from so much unnecessary anguish. And with Hashem's help, in that zechut, may he see blessings and success. Amen.

One of the greatest gifts Hashem has given us is the ability to speak to Him. A person can turn to Hashem at any moment, from any place, and ask for His help. Sometimes we pray for ourselves, and sometimes we pray for others. When we pray for others, we may never get to see what our tefillot have accomplished. We say a few words, shed a few tears, and then move on with our lives. But we must know how valuable every tefillah is. Sometimes Hashem allows us to see just how powerful one heartfelt tefillah can be. A rabbi related the following story, which he heard directly from the man to whom it happened. One evening at around 7:30 in Bnei Brak, there was a knock at a man's door. Anyone with a large family can imagine what a home looks like at that hour. Children everywhere, the house bustling, everyone busy. He opened the door and saw a man standing there. "Mazal Tov," the visitor said. "I just had a baby girl." "Mazal Tov," the man replied, but he was confused. He barely knew the person standing at his door and couldn't understand why he had come. The visitor then asked if he could come in for a few minutes. After sitting down, he said, "I want to take you back about nine months, to Simchat Torah. "I had been married for eighteen years without children. Most of the time I managed, but Simchat Torah was especially painful for me. Everywhere I looked, fathers were dancing with their children. I felt I couldn't take it anymore. I decided I was not going to pray in my regular shul that day. Instead, I went to a different shul where you happened to be praying. "I was sitting by myself there, and you came over to me and asked why I was sitting. You then told me to gather up my children and go dance with everyone. "I answered you sharply. I told you that I had specifically come to this shul because I couldn't bear watching everybody celebrate with their children when I didn't have any. I felt like you had poured salt on my open wound. "You may not have realized it, but after our conversation, I watched you walk over to the Aron Kodesh. You started crying out to Hashem, saying, 'Ribbono Shel Olam, why did I just say that? Why did I speak that way? What did I do? Please help this man. Please send him a yeshuah.'" The man had no idea that anything had come from that tefillah. The visitor continued, "You didn't know my name. You didn't know my story. You knew nothing about me. You simply stood there and begged Hashem to help me, with tears streaming down your face. "Before Sukkot, we had just received results from a major specialist telling us there was virtually no chance we would ever have children. But from Motzaei Simchat Torah until now, everything changed. "Today, after eighteen years of marriage, my first child, a baby girl, was born. You are the very first person I came to tell. I wanted you to know that your tefillah helped bring this yeshuah." Look at how valuable even a short tefillah can be. A person may think that a few words spoken to Hashem cannot possibly make a difference, but they can. This man wasn't even asked to pray. He didn't know any details. He simply felt the pain of another Jew. And when he realized that he may have added to that pain, he ran to the Aron Kodesh and cried out from the depths of his heart. Nine months later, Hashem showed him what those words accomplished. We never know what one sincere tefillah can accomplish. We never know how much can be achieved when we pray for another person with genuine care. Every tefillah matters. Every tear is counted. And sometimes Hashem allows us a glimpse into the incredible power of our words.

One of the challenges of human nature is that we become accustomed to the blessings that Hashem gives us. Things that once would have filled us with excitement eventually become part of everyday life, and we begin to expect them rather than appreciate them. Very often, we do not recognize the true value of something until it is no longer available. A person may take his health for granted until, lo alenu, he becomes ill. Suddenly, all the things he was once able to do effortlessly become precious. The same is true with all blessings and relationships. One of the purposes of thanking Hashem for our blessings is to train ourselves to appreciate them while we have them, so that we do not need to lose them in order to recognize their value. A man told me that he recently had to move to another city, and now it takes him over an hour to commute to work each day. He said he never appreciated living just five minutes from his office. Looking back, he wishes he had appreciated that convenience while he had it. Sometimes a person spends years praying for something. He dreams of getting married, finding a job, buying a home, or having a child. Then, when Hashem grants him that blessing, it gradually becomes part of his routine, and he no longer feels the same excitement he once did. He moves on to making new requests and may even feel as though Hashem never gives him what he asks for. If only he could remember how desperately he once wanted what he already has. Another benefit of thanking Hashem for our blessings becomes apparent from the following story. A woman related that after she gave birth, she was rushed to the ICU with severe complications. She lost a tremendous amount of blood and required more than ten blood transfusions. She was connected to machines, had a tube down her throat, and her hands and feet were extremely swollen. The doctors expected her to remain in the ICU for at least seven to ten days. At one point, they were not sure if she would survive. They told her husband that her life was hanging by a thread. When she finally became aware of where she was, what was happening, and how serious her condition was, she told her husband that they needed to thank Hashem for the healthy baby He had just given them. Even though she was weak, confused, and frightened, she felt that this was the moment to focus on gratitude. Together they began thanking Hashem for everything they could think of. They thanked Him for the doctors and nurses who were caring for her, for the people bringing them food, for her hands and feet that had not been swollen for all the years before, and for countless other blessings. Then they said Mizmor LeTodah together. At that time, her oxygen level was only 88. The doctors had told them that she would not be allowed to leave the ICU until it reached at least 96. Despite all the medical efforts, the number would not move. As they continued thanking Hashem and saying Mizmor LeTodah, they watched the monitor. Eighty-eight became eighty-nine. Eighty-nine became ninety. They could hardly believe it. They continued thanking Hashem for more and more blessings and recited Mizmor LeTodah again. The numbers kept climbing until, all of a sudden, the oxygen level reached 97 and remained there. After a little more than an hour of focusing on gratitude and thanking Hashem, her oxygen level had risen enough for her to leave the ICU. The doctors were stunned. The next day, while she was still in the hospital, the nurses noticed that her numbers were once again not looking good, and they were concerned that she might need to return to the ICU. She asked for a few minutes alone. Once again, she focused on gratitude to Hashem and recited Mizmor LeTodah. When the nurses returned, they saw that the numbers had gone back to normal. Baruch Hashem, she was eventually discharged fully healed. She said she learned one of the greatest lessons of her life. Gratitude does not change Hashem; it changes us. When we stop focusing on what we are missing and start noticing the blessings that Hashem has already given us, something changes inside. We begin to see His kindness everywhere, and that itself is a tremendous zechut. May we always merit to appreciate Hashem's blessings and thank Him for them constantly.

One of the greatest challenges in tefillah is continuing to believe that Hashem cherishes our prayers even when what we are asking for seems delayed in coming. Many people think that if they have been praying with sincerity and strengthening their emunah, yet still have not received what they are asking for, then their tefillot must not be accomplishing anything. We know that no tefillah is ever lost. Sometimes we do not see the answer for a long time, and sometimes Hashem uses our tefillot for a purpose that we could never have imagined. A woman who lives in Israel shared the following story. This past year, she suffered a miscarriage. It was very difficult for her to deal with, but with the support of family and friends, she was able to get through it. She desperately wanted another child and worked very hard on strengthening her emunah and bitachon. Throughout the day, she constantly reminded herself how much Hashem loves her and how badly He wants to give her what is best. She relied on His abundant love and prayed with all her heart, crying to Hashem constantly. She truly believed that she would soon have another baby. However, as the months passed, she realized she was having difficulty conceiving again. She strengthened herself even more and told herself that now she knew for certain that she would soon be expecting a child because she really had nothing else to rely on. She could not even rely on her emunah and bitachon to bring the yeshuah, because from her perspective, that was not working. All she had was Hashem's love. Yet more time passed, and she still was not expecting a child. As she approached her original due date, the pain became almost unbearable. At that point, she faced a major challenge in her emunah. She could not understand why Hashem was still not showing her His love. She had always read stories of people receiving their yeshuah immediately after strengthening their bitachon, and she genuinely believed that would happen to her as well. She invested tremendous effort in learning about the power of bitachon and tefillah, yet she could not understand why the answer still seemed to be no. Not only that, but as the months passed, things appeared to be getting worse. Her doctor informed her that she would need to see a fertility specialist because some of her test results were concerning. That news shattered her. She began questioning everything. How could Hashem be doing this to her after all the emunah, bitachon, and tefillot she had invested? How could Hashem not be listening? Why did it seem as though things were getting worse rather than better? Were her tefillot, her emunah, and her bitachon accomplishing anything at all? Then came the week she had originally been scheduled to give birth. She dreaded that week. She did not know how she was going to get through it. Instead of preparing to welcome a baby into the world, she was left with indescribable pain. Then her life changed. That very week, her husband was involved in a horrific car accident. He collided with a truck in what should have been a fatal crash. By an open miracle, he survived. He suffered numerous broken bones and other serious injuries, but the doctors said that, with time, he would make a full recovery. It was a clear miracle. And suddenly everything changed. She finally understood. She realized that Hashem had never ignored her tefillot or her bitachon. Rather, He had been saving every one of them for this very week—the week of her original due date—to save her husband's life. She learned the greatest lesson of her life: Hashem is always listening and always acting out of love, even when it feels impossible to believe. He never ignores our efforts. He treasures them. He stores every prayer, every tear, every moment of emunah and bitachon, and uses them in the way that is best for us. Sometimes the answer to our tefillah comes exactly as we requested. Sometimes it comes later than we hoped. And sometimes it comes in a form we never expected. But every tefillah is valuable. Hashem hears every word and counts every tear. It is up to us to continue praying with the same sincerity and emotion, no matter how long we have been waiting, knowing that every tefillah is precious to Hashem and that He will use it in the way that He knows is best.

In this week's parasha , Shelach , the Jewish People were tested in emunah and bitachon and they failed. Kalev tried to give them chizuk , saying, "Hashem wants us to go in, we have nothing to fear." But it didn't help. The pasuk says סלחתי כדבריך ואולם חי אני – Hashem forgave them but they were not going to be allowed into Eretz Yisrael . Most mefarshim explain סלחתי כדבריך to mean Hashem forgave them for the עגל, but not for the meraglim . And that's why they were not allowed into Israel. The reason both sins are mentioned in the same pasuk is because both of them were due to a lack of bitachon . By the עגל, Hashem tested the people by showing them a vision which made it appear that Moshe Rabbenu was not coming back. They knew that the mann was in the merit of Moshe and so they feared without Moshe they would go hungry. Their test was they should have realized Hashem is the One supporting them. It is true that Hashem gives us things in the merit of tzaddikim , but He also gives us new tzaddikim when the ones we had were taken away. The Gemara says that one time the entire world was being sustained in the merit of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa. But what happened when Rab Chanina ben Dosa passed away? There was still sustenance being given. The reason is because it is Hashem who gives sustenance and He is never bound by any one means to give it. The Jewish People received water in the midbar in the merit of Miriam. But when Miriam passed away, Hashem still continued giving them water in the zechut of Moshe. The Clouds of Glory were given in the merit of Aharon, but when Aharon passed away, Hashem brought the clouds back in the merit of Moshe. Then when Moshe passed away, Hashem continued helping His People through Yehoshua. Hashem is always the One who is taking care of us and He wants us to feel that in our hearts. He wants us to internalize that He is unlimited and has infinite ways of helping. When someone had an avenue of parnasa that is no longer producing the same money it used to, this person is being tested with the same type of test. Is he going to believe that it was the means that was supporting him, or that it was Hashem? No matter how good a person thinks he used to have it, Hashem could always make it even better. A man said his wife works as a nurse's aid at people's homes. Before she gave birth, she worked for a nice old lady and they both enjoyed the relationship and the pay was good too. When she gave birth, a substitute was put there instead and when her paid vacation ended, the substitute didn't want to leave. She too had fallen in love with this nice old lady. Instead of making a fuss about it, the man's wife set out to start over from the beginning. She tried several places but nothing was available. Frustrated, she started getting angry at the substitute who took her job. But then she caught herself and worked on her emunah. She managed to remove the anger from her heart and feel at ease, knowing she was in Hashem's Hands. The very same afternoon that she was finally calm, she got a call from an agency with a new offer. The lady she was given to work for was also very sweet like the other lady. This job gave her more hours and more pay and was much closer to her house. She thought she had it good before and would never get the same opportunity, now she has it much better. We are never dependent on one means in any area of life. Hashem is the One who provides the means and He is unlimited. And we are to know that He was, is and always will be there to help us. Shabbat Shalom.

When a person needs something and cannot figure out any way to obtain it, that simply means that from a hishtadlut standpoint, his primary responsibility is to ask Hashem for help. We are only required to make a physical effort when there is a reasonable effort to make. If there is none, then we are exempt from that obligation and can place our full reliance on Hashem. Just because we do not see a solution does not mean one does not exist. It only means that Hashem has not allowed us to see it yet. Hashem has a solution to every problem. When we truly understand that, we are able to pray with genuine emunah. Hashem wants to help us. Hashem is available to help us. But we need to believe that and sincerely ask Him for help. A man told me that he and his wife had been trying to travel to Israel together since before COVID. Every time they made plans, something came up that prevented the trip from happening. In recent years, his income had dropped significantly, and with the rising cost of airfare, the trip had become completely unaffordable. His wife had been patiently waiting for years, and he had told her that by this summer he would do everything possible to make it happen. As the summer approached, he realized it was impossible. Even if his income suddenly improved, any extra money would have to be used to pay off debts that he owed. He saw how much his wife wanted to go, and it pained him that he could not provide it for her. He prayed to Hashem from the depths of his heart. "Hashem," he said, "I have no conventional way of purchasing these tickets. But I know that You can provide them in the blink of an eye. Please help me." A couple of days later, his wife, who works as a shadchanit, told him that a family for whom she had recently arranged a shidduch wanted to give her a gift. In addition to paying her generously, they offered her two airline tickets to Israel to attend the wedding of another child they were marrying off that summer. The tickets appeared completely out of nowhere. Hashem had sent them exactly what they needed. The man told me, "I always read stories like this. Now I am so happy that I get to be part of one." Another man told me that he received a call from his supplier informing him that two pallets of merchandise were about to be delivered in Manhattan and that he needed to be there to accept them. The timing could not have been worse. It was Friday afternoon, and he was preparing to leave early for Shabbat. All of his employees had already left, and there was nobody available to help unload the shipment. When he stepped outside, the truck had just arrived. Miraculously, there was an open spot directly in front of his building. The truck driver asked, "Who is going to unload these pallets?" The man replied that he would try to do it himself. In truth, it was impossible. The job required multiple people, and the truck driver informed him that he only had twenty minutes before he would have to leave. The man looked at the pallets and realized there was absolutely no way he could get the job done. He turned to Hashem and said, "I don't know how this can happen, but I know You can make it happen. Please help me." Less than thirty seconds later, a large, strong man tapped him on the shoulder and asked, "Do you have any work available?" It was as if Hashem had sent a malach. The man immediately got to work, and together they unloaded the entire shipment just in time. Hashem can always help us. Hashem loves helping us. The problem is not that He lacks solutions. The problem is that we often convince ourselves there are no solutions because we cannot see them. When we reach the point where we have exhausted every possibility and can think of no way forward, that is not necessarily a sign that hope is gone. Sometimes it is Hashem inviting us to stop relying on our own understanding and start relying on Him. Very often, the yeshuah is already on its way. We simply have not seen it yet. As Chazal teach, before Hashem creates the problem, He prepares the cure. By the time we discover the challenge, Hashem has already arranged the solution. Our task is to believe that, pray with sincerity, and trust that the One who created the problem certainly knows how to solve it.

If someone has an addiction, it can completely overtake his life. It becomes the only thing that matters. He loses control and may even be willing to sacrifice his family, his career, and everything else that is truly important. The reason is because addiction blinds a person to the damage it is causing. The only way to help him is to wake him up and make him see the destruction taking place before his eyes. Sometimes, people become so consumed with earning a livelihood that it resembles an addiction. Money becomes the only thing that matters, and everything else is pushed aside in its pursuit. Every so often, a person needs a reality check to remind himself that there is far more to life than earning money. When the time comes for a person to leave this world, all of his money becomes meaningless. The countless hours spent accumulating it may become a source of regret if they came at the expense of things that have eternal value. A man told me that he became so involved in his business that he completely abandoned learning Torah for fifteen years. Then one day, someone awakened him to what was happening and encouraged him to return to learning. Today, he says he finally feels alive. His life has meaning again, and he is grateful that someone helped him break free from his obsession with making money. There are people, unfortunately, who spend years involved in bitter disputes over money. In this world, those arguments may seem significant. But in the Next World, it will become clear how insignificant they really were. Imagine the son of a king who got into a fight with a friend when they were five years old. In a moment of anger, the friend broke one of his toys. The prince shouted, "When I become king, I am going to punish you for this!" Forty years later, the prince has become king. The old friend appears at the palace and begs forgiveness for breaking the toy. The king would look at him as if he were crazy. Why would he care about a broken toy now? It is utterly insignificant compared to his current position. When a person reaches the Next World, that is how he will view someone who hurt him financially in this world. It will seem like a broken toy. Yet if he can rise above the hurt now and make peace, he will gain eternal pleasure and reward that have genuine value forever. Someone who spends his entire life building a fortune while neglecting Torah and mitzvot is like a man who reaches old age without ever marrying because he was too busy accumulating wealth. People would look at him and wonder what all that money was worth if he never built the life Hashem wanted him to have. So too, if a person leaves this world without Torah and mitzvot, all of his wealth is worthless. We have heard stories of great and successful people who cried on their deathbeds because they realized they could have done more with their lives. At that moment, they understood that the only things that truly mattered were their Torah and mitzvot. Life in this world is incredibly short compared to eternity. If a person does not stop from time to time and think about that reality, he can easily become caught up in pursuits that have little lasting value while neglecting what matters most. Let us always remain focused on what true wealth is. Those who spend their lives learning Torah and performing mitzvot are building fortunes that will last forever. The more we acquire, the greater our eternal reward will be.

Everyone comes into this world with a unique set of circumstances. Some people are blessed to grow up in homes filled with love, encouragement, and great role models. Others, however, face challenges right from the beginning. They grow up in difficult environments, experience hardships, and lack the opportunities that other people had. It's so easy for a person to look at his background and feel that he was placed at a disadvantage. He may think, "If only I had grown up differently, I would have been able to accomplish so much more." But that is not the way Hashem wants us to view it. Hashem does not judge people based on where they started. He judges them based on what they did with the circumstances He gave them. Every person is sent into the exact situation that he needs to fulfill his mission here. The challenges are not there to prevent him from succeeding. They are there to help him reach a level of greatness that could not have been achieved any other way. Imagine two people climbing a mountain. One begins halfway up while the other starts from the bottom. The one who started lower has a much harder climb. But when he reaches the top, his accomplishment is far greater because he had to overcome so much more to get there. The same is true in our spirituality. Someone who had to struggle against negative influences or painful experiences is not at a disadvantage. It's just the opposite. Every step forward in his life is worth so much more because of what it took to achieve it. So many of the greatest people who ever lived overcame tremendous obstacles. Their greatness was not despite their challenges; it was because of them. The very difficulties that could have been used as excuses became the tools through which they rose to the greatest heights. While it is true that some people begin life with very big disadvantages, our rabbis teach us that our circumstances do not determine our destiny. They merely determine the nature of our test. The Torah tells us about the Megadef, the blasphemer. Chazal explained that he was born into a very difficult situation. His father was an Egyptian and his mother was a yatzanit, someone who would speak to everyone in the marketplace, including men. He was not accepted by society. He never felt that he belonged anywhere. He hoped that at least when he came before Moshe Rabbeinu, he would finally be accepted. However, when the matter was brought before the Beit Din of Moshe, it was ruled that he would not be allowed to camp among Shevet Dan because the tribes followed the father, and his father was a goy. Therefore, he did not have a tribe. He left the Beit Din disappointed and rejected, and from there he deteriorated until eventually he blasphemed Hashem. Looking at his life, a person might say, "How could he not become bitter? Look at what he went through. Nobody wanted him. Nobody accepted him. Under his circumstances, it's understandable." However, perhaps one of the reasons the Torah records this incident is to teach us the opposite lesson. Although his circumstances were difficult, he still had a choice. His background only explained his struggle, but it did not excuse his actions. The Ishbitzer Rebbe contrasted the Megadef with David HaMelech. David also grew up feeling rejected. Chazal tell us that his own family did not recognize him. His father looked at him differently than all his other sons, and his brothers looked down upon him. Even when he rose to greatness, Shaul HaMelech tried to kill him. He was forced to run from place to place. Even after becoming king, his suffering did not end. His own son Avshalom rebelled against him and tried to kill him. David could have spent his life asking, "Hashem, why did You put me in such a world? Why am I facing so much rejection and pain?" But instead, whenever David faced hardship, he turned to Hashem. Whenever he felt alone, he picked up his kinor and sang songs to Hashem. While he was running for his life, he sang to Hashem. When he was betrayed, humiliated, and attacked, he sang to Hashem. Those songs became Sefer Tehillim. The very pain that could have destroyed him became the source of his greatness. The very hardships that could have filled him with bitterness became the inspiration for some of the most beautiful words in all of Tanach. The difference between the Megadef and David HaMelech was not their circumstances. Both experienced rejection. Both experienced pain. Both had reasons to feel hurt by the world around them. The difference was in the choice they made in response. One allowed his hardships to push him away from Hashem, while the other allowed his hardships to bring him closer to Hashem. Every person faces challenges that are unique to him. Some begin life with advantages, while others face obstacles that seem overwhelming. Our greatness will not be determined by where we started. It will be determined by what we did with what we were given. The more difficult the challenge, the greater is the potential for greatness. Someone who overcomes very big obstacles can reach heights that others may never attain. When a person refuses to use his background as an excuse and instead uses it as a springboard for growth, he transforms his struggles into achievements. Nobody chooses the circumstances into which he is born, but everyone can choose how he responds to them. And the choices we make can make all the difference between, chas v'shalom, becoming a Megadef or becoming someone like David HaMelech.

Living Emunah 2951 The Place Meant for You The Gemara tells us that when it came time to choose the seventy elders who would assist Moshe Rabbeinu, six men were selected from each shevet, making a total of seventy-two candidates. A lottery was then held to determine which seventy would be chosen. Seventy slips of paper had the word "Zaken" written on them, while two slips were left blank. Whoever drew a blank slip would not be selected. The Gemara says that Moshe told the two men who drew the blank slips, "HaMakom lo chafetz becha." This is usually translated to mean, "Hashem did not want you." That is difficult to understand. It was painful enough that these two individuals were publicly excluded while everyone else was chosen. Why would they also need to hear that Hashem did not want them? Furthermore, according to some opinions, those two men were Eldad and Medad. Yet immediately afterward, the Torah tells us that they received prophecy. If Hashem did not want them, how could they have merited prophecy? Rabbi Menashe Reizman brings from the Sifrei Kabbalah that the word Makom is one of Hashem's holy Names. It has the same numerical value as the Name of Hashem represented by Yud-Keh-Vav-Keh when each letter is multiplied by itself. This teaches that in every makom—in every place in the world—the Shechinah is present with all of Hashem's mercy. Every person has a unique place from which he is meant to serve Hashem and connect to Him. Hashem already determined where a person would be born, into which family he would be born, how he would look, how intelligent he would be, how strong he would be, and every other detail of his life. Everything was arranged specifically for him to fulfill his mission. Moshe was not telling these men that Hashem did not want them. Hashem wants every one of His children. Rather, he was telling them, "This makom is not where you are meant to be. This is not the place through which you will achieve your greatness and connect to Hashem." When a person desperately wants something and does not receive it, it can be very painful. When the rejection is public, it can even be humiliating. Yet a person can become extraordinarily great when he accepts with love that Hashem's plan for him is different. The sefer Meshivat Nefesh, written by Rabbi Yochanan Luria, the uncle of the Maharshal, explains that when Eldad and Medad realized they had not been chosen, they accepted it with love. Hashem was so pleased with their reaction that He immediately granted them prophecy—prophecy that surpassed that of the other seventy elders. The Midrash tells us that Eldad and Medad received more than the seventy elders in five different ways. When a person rises above disappointment and trusts that Hashem is doing what is best for him and for his purpose in this world, despite how difficult that may be, he elevates himself to remarkable heights. Hashem was similarly proud of the Jewish people when they followed Him into the desert after Yetziat Mitzrayim, not knowing how they would survive. The pasuk says: זָ כַרְתִּי לָךְ חֶסֶד נְעוּרַיִךְ אַהֲבַת כְּלוּלֹתָיִךְ לֶכְתֵּךְ אַחֲרַי בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא זְרוּעָה "I remember for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your bridal days, when you followed Me into the wilderness, into a land that was not sown. ." The Ramban explains that this praise was not limited to the moment they entered the desert. It referred to the entire forty years that they followed the Cloud of Glory wherever Hashem directed them. Sometimes they remained in places they did not want to be for extended periods of time, yet they accepted it. At other times they were settled comfortably in places they liked, only to have the cloud suddenly rise and signal that it was time to move. Once again, they followed with trust. That unwavering acceptance is what made Hashem so proud of them. The same opportunity exists for every one of us. Sometimes Hashem places us in situations that are embarrassing. Sometimes they are painful. Sometimes they seem unfair. But the harder it is to accept, the more precious that acceptance becomes. Eldad and Medad could have become depressed. They could have felt humiliated. No one would have blamed them. But they were not interested in mediocrity. They wanted greatness. By accepting Hashem's decision with happiness, they achieved it. A prophet can only receive prophecy when he is in a state of joy. The very fact that Eldad and Medad received prophecy demonstrated that they remained happy despite their rejection. Every person has a different place that Hashem wants him to be in. That place is not an accident. It is the exact place from which he can best fulfill his mission and connect to Hashem. When we learn to be happy with the places Hashem chooses for us, we too can rise to the greatest heights.

In this week's parasha Beha'alotecha , the Jewish People complained that they wanted meat and Moshe Rabbenu said to Hashem, כי תאמר אלי שאהו בחיקך כאשר ישא האומן את היונק – Moshe was asking Hashem how he was expected to carry the nation like a nursing mother carries her suckling infant. The Maharam Shapira asked, the word אומן usually means a Torah teacher of boys aged five or six. Why would Moshe use that word to describe someone carrying a suckling baby? The Rabbi answered, Moshe was saying, his job was to be the spiritual leader of the Jewish People, to teach them Torah and the ways of Hashem, but now they were asking him to fulfill their base desires, that's like a schoolteacher who teaches Torah being asked to take care of infants, which is something that doesn't fit his bill. With this we could understand the baffling statement that Moshe made right after this. הצאן ובקר ישחט להם ומצא להם? – "could there possibly be enough sheep and cattle that would suffice to satiate them?" The mefarshim ask, astonishingly, it seems like Moshe here was doubting the ability of Hashem to provide enough meat for the Jewish People. The explanation is, Moshe was saying, I know the way for them to be satiated is through Torah and mitzvot. The neshama that Hashem put inside man cannot be satisfied any other way, like it says in Kohelet , והנפש לא תמלא. The reason for the complaining was that they were not spiritually satisfied and they were looking for a quick fix. It is true that physical pleasures can temporarily satisfy a person's empty feelings, but very quickly it will wear off and, again, they will feel empty. So Moshe was saying, all the meat in the world will not get this job done. Hashem told Moshe he was right, but he had to provide the meat anyway to prevent a chilul Hashem. Everybody in this world is looking for happiness. The only real way of having sustained feelings of inner joy and tranquility, as well as satisfaction, is by filling up our neshama with what it craves most – Torah and mitzvot. Hashem provided us with an abundance of ways to fill our neshama . And to help motivate us, He even promised rewards for doing them. Hashem created us and knows what will make us happy. The yetzer hara tries to convince us otherwise, but we must not get fooled by it. When a person learns emunah, he feels more tranquil because his neshama is connecting to Hashem more. A young man told me he started learning emunah about a year ago and his words to me were, "it was as if someone had removed a blindfold from upon my eyes. I had always had some level of emunah, but it was only last year that I began to truly see, in every direction that I turned, the Yad Hashem. A whole new world has opened up before me as Hashem is so much more visible to me now" Our neshama is a piece of Hashem and the more we connect with Him, the more our neshama will be satisfied and in a state of tranquility. Spirituality helps reduce anxiety and other emotional roller coasters. The more we connect with Hashem and the Torah, the happier we will be. Shabbat Shalom.

Shlomo HaMelech said that a person's legs are like guarantors, ensuring he is brought to the places Hashem wants him to be. When a person reflects on the days of his life, he begins to see countless stories of Hashem's hashgachah unfolding in his path. He can recognize how Hashem directed his steps—bringing him to certain places and keeping him away from others. He notices how precise and exacting Hashem's guidance is, how, in mere seconds, the course of events can shift from one possible outcome to a completely different one. He sees how Hashem orchestrated encounters with the people he needed to meet, and prevented encounters with those he was not meant to meet. The more one reflects, the more awe arises, and with that awe comes chizuk in emunah. Sometimes our direction changes suddenly. Sometimes we find ourselves unexpectedly in a different place. Sometimes we meet a person without understanding why, only to see the full purpose revealed years later. And sometimes, it is clear immediately that Hashem was guiding us to be in the exact place we needed at the exact time. A man shared with me this morning how he was at home when his children's bus arrived. Normally, he is never home at that time; his wife usually sends them out on their own. But on this morning, for some inexplicable reason, he felt an urge to go downstairs and watch them onto the bus. He ran down the steps, called out to them, and wished them a nice day. As the children crossed the street toward the bus, he noticed a car speeding and about to ignore the stop sign. He yelled for his children to stop. Seconds later, the car sped past—another moment could have meant tragedy. It was completely reckless to run a stop sign, and in this case Hashem had guided this man's legs to the precise spot to prevent a disaster. Hashem directs us in everything, from the greatest matters to the smallest, because for Him, everything matters. Another man told me his air conditioning unit had broken, and replacing it would cost $5,000—a steep price for someone learning in a kollel. He was given a repairman's number and called him, even knowing the unit could not be repaired. When the repairman arrived, he examined it and said it was in good condition, except for the main part. Then he realized that he had an identical unit on his truck from a previous job, and the part needed was still working. The repairman replaced the part, charging only a small labor fee. Hashem had caused this man to call the exact person who already had the exact part he needed. These are reminders that Hashem's hashgachah is everywhere. The more we look for it, the more we see it. Every step we take, every encounter we have, and every turn in our path is guided with infinite wisdom and care.

One of the greatest challenges we face is controlling our natural reactions. If someone insults us, we naturally want to answer back. If someone hurts us, we want to harbor resentment. If someone embarrasses us, we want to defend ourselves. Those reactions are natural and understandable. But what we may not realize is that at those moments, Hashem may be placing before us a golden opportunity to perform a truly heroic act. A person can spend an entire day serving Hashem, but sometimes one moment of self-control can be worth more than hours of ordinary avodah. The difficulty is that when we are in the middle of the challenge, it is hard to see the opportunity in front of us. We only feel the pain. If we could lift ourselves above our nature and act in a way that would make Hashem proud, we can access tremendous Heavenly favor and thereby bring about great salvations. A man related that his sister had been married for over ten years without children. One Pesach, after spending Yom Tov with her and seeing her pain up close, he was stirred to pray with unusual intensity. On the way home, he begged Hashem, "Please show me what I can do to help bring a yeshuah for my sister." The very next day, while attending a shiur, a disagreement broke out among several people. Suddenly, the speaker mistakenly blamed him and began publicly humiliating him in front of hundreds of listeners. He was completely innocent. Every instinct inside him urged him to respond. He wanted everyone to know that he had done nothing wrong. He wanted to yell back. Yet he remained silent, recalling all the chizuk he had received in this area from a certain Hashgachah Pratit hotline. Afterward, however, he began struggling. Perhaps right now he felt noble for remaining silent, but what would happen tomorrow? What would happen next week? Maybe the pain would intensify. Maybe he would regret his decision not to fight back. Maybe he would become resentful toward the speaker. Looking for chizuk, he called that very same Hashgachah Pratit hotline and listened to the latest story. Amazingly, the story was about a chazzan who had been invited to lead the tefillot in a certain shul on the occasion of a Sheva Berachot. During the tefillah, an elderly man publicly humiliated the chazzan in front of the entire congregation. The man claimed that the chazzan was unfit to lead the prayers and mocked him by saying that since it was Parashat Parah, the chazzan himself was a perfect example of a parah adumah—a red cow. The chazzan was deeply humiliated, but he remained silent. After the tefillah, a young man approached him and asked him to forgive the elderly man and have in mind that the merit should help a relative who had been married for seven years without children. The chazzan forgave the man and gave that relative a beracha. Later, when he returned home and told his wife what had happened, she said, "You should have prayed for one of our relatives who is thirty years old and still not married." "My humiliation was so great," the chazzan replied, "that it can be shared." He prayed for both people. In the end, the couple who had been waiting seven years for children was blessed with a baby, and the woman who had been waiting for a shidduch found her match. When this man heard that story, he felt like Hashem was speaking directly to him. He realized that he too could capitalize on the golden opportunity that had been placed before him. Immediately, he forgave the speaker and began praying from the depths of his heart. First, he prayed for his sister who had been waiting over ten years to have children. Then he prayed for a relative who was waiting for a shidduch. Then he prayed for someone who needed a refuah. Finally, he prayed for himself. He had always dreamed of teaching Torah and inspiring others, and he prayed that Hashem should give him the merit to teach Torah in a yeshivah. Not long afterward, the yeshuot began arriving. The relative who had been waiting for a shidduch found her match. The person who needed a refuah recovered. He was given the opportunity to teach Torah in a yeshivah. And by the end of the year, his sister, after more than ten years of waiting, was blessed with a child. Looking back, he realized that when he asked Hashem what he could do to help bring about a yeshuah for his sister, Hashem had answered him by giving him that opportunity. Very often, people search for great deeds to do in order to bring about yeshuot, not realizing that the opportunities for greatness are sitting right in front of them. A difficult spouse. A difficult child. A difficult coworker. An insult. An embarrassment. A chance to forgive. A chance to make peace. A chance to remain silent. A chance to overcome anger. A chance to let go of a grudge. At those moments, the Yetzer Hara tries to get us to focus on what we would be losing. But Hashem wants us to recognize what we can gain. Every time we rise above our nature and choose to act in a way that would make Hashem proud, instead of acting the way our instincts are telling us to act, we perform an act of greatness. And who knows how many merits and yeshuot can come from that one heroic decision!

One of the most difficult tests a person can face is waiting for a yeshuah that seems to be taking forever. At first, the person is full of enthusiasm. He prays with all of his heart. He takes on extra mitzvot. He strengthens himself in many areas of avodat Hashem. He believes the salvation is going to come at any moment. But as the days turn into months and the months turn into years, it becomes much harder to continue. The tefillot begin to feel repetitive. The new commitments become harder to maintain. The person starts wondering if anything is ever going to change. If he knew exactly when the salvation was going to come, he would be able to manage much more easily, even if it were still a long way off. It is the uncertainty that makes the challenge so difficult. The feeling that perhaps it may never happen can be overwhelming. Yet that is precisely why this person has such a golden opportunity to achieve greatness. The harder it is to continue, the greater the value of the avodah. We are in this world to grow spiritually. In the end, that is the only thing that will truly matter. When a person feels like he is being ignored and his avodah is not being appreciated, every effort becomes infinitely more valuable. We have no idea what goes on in people's lives. We have no idea what struggles they face each day. Only Hashem knows. It is entirely possible that people who appear to be ordinary are, in fact, among the greatest people of the generation because of what they have to overcome in order to produce a heartfelt tefillah, because of what they have to overcome in order to continue growing in their avodat Hashem. They have every reason to turn away, yet they keep pushing themselves forward. That is true greatness. And that greatness is eternal. If a person could see how much he was growing spiritually from one moment to the next, he would run to continue. But in this world, we are not shown the true value of our efforts. And that is exactly what makes them so precious. Sometimes, however, Hashem gives a person a little chizuk to help him keep going, even before the yeshuah arrives. A woman related that all of her friends were married with children, while she had been hoping and praying for years to become a kallah. Over the years, she had taken on many kabbalot. One of her more recent commitments was to read a sefer on emunah every day for forty consecutive days. The book was not specifically about shidduchim. It was simply a source of general chizuk and emunah. Last week, she found herself praying especially hard. She added new areas of growth in her avodat Hashem and invested tremendous effort into her tefillot. Yet nothing seemed to be changing. She became discouraged. One morning, she cried to Hashem from the depths of her heart, longing for the day when she would finally begin building her own family. She told Hashem that she had continued going forward all these years. She had maintained her kabbalot and kept striving to grow. She was not asking for proof that the yeshuah was coming. She only wanted a little chizuk to know that Hashem appreciated her efforts. That night, she opened the emunah book that she had been learning daily. She intended to open directly to the page where her bookmark was located, but accidentally opened to a different page. There, right in front of her, in large letters, was the title of the chapter: "Singles—Don't Give Up." She could hardly believe her eyes. She felt as if Hashem was speaking directly to her. The message gave her tremendous strength. It renewed her enthusiasm and helped her continue moving forward with renewed energy. The truth is that Hashem appreciates every person's efforts far more than we can imagine. Every moment of avodah is precious to Him. Every tefillah. Every act of growth. Every commitment that is maintained despite the difficulty. Especially when it is hard. We hope that everyone receives the yeshuah for which they are waiting. But in the meantime, they should know that the greatest gain they can possibly achieve is the avodah they continue to do each day.

The Gemara says that if a person takes the wrong change out of his pocket, it's from Hashem. If a person stubs his toe, it's from Hashem. All the more so if something more severe happens. The Shomer Emunim writes in his Ma'mar Hashkacha Pratit perek 21 that a person must know, in Shamayim , Hashem is waiting to hear every word that comes out of his mouth in response to the difficulty that he is given. Every word of emunah is valued greatly and accomplishes so much. And thus, a person should train himself to regularly respond with the proper words, even for the most insignificant inconveniences, all the more so for the difficult ones. He should immediately say, “I recognize that this came from you, Hashem, I know I needed it for my best, please let it accomplish the kapara that I need.” The Shomer Emunim writes further, someone who forgets things often and it causes him a lot of anguish must believe that he doesn't forget because of a weakness that he has. Rather, Hashem sends the angel appointed over forgetfulness, each time, to make him forget. And the anguish that it causes is meant to bring him the kapara that he needs. If someone forgot about a meeting he had or forgot to say something that he wanted to say at a meeting, it's because Hashem wanted him to forget it. If someone traveled a long distance and forgot to bring an important document, it was min haShamayim . If someone forgot directions and made a wrong turn, it's min haShamayim . If someone's mind was preoccupied with a different issue and that caused him to forget something, he must know, when Hashem decreed that the issue should take place, included in it was the fact that it would cause the person to forget also. Nothing happens by accident. Hashem decrees how many times a person forgets and what he forgets. And every day there's a new calculation. What happened yesterday has nothing to do with today. Every day of life is judged separately. If a person recognizes each time that he forgets that it's from Hashem and he asks Hashem that it should be the kapara that he needs, then after years and years he will have accumulated endless amounts of kapara . The kapara that he gets will make it that he doesn't need to forget as much. If a person was looking for a certain house and accidentally knocked on the wrong door, he must believe that it was Hashem who brought that about. On one occasion, the Baal Shem Tov accidentally walked into a different room in his house than he planned on going to. He then told his attendant to take down the mezuzah in that room to be checked. The attendant then asked the Rebbe, “Is this the halachah, that if a person walks into the wrong room by accident, he needs to check the mezuzah there?” The Rebbe said no, but he knew for sure that Hashem caused him to go in that room and he thought perhaps it was because he needed to check the mezuzah . The immediate reaction of the Baal Shem Tov to his accidental turn was that it came from Hashem for a reason. The Shomer Emunim told a story that a great tzaddik from an earlier generation related. There was a man who had a very hard life and when he went up to Shamayim for his judgment they found that he had an enormous amount of sin. Then, when a heavenly advocate said to bring out his afflictions to be put on the side of good, it was found that he never attributed any of his afflictions to Hashem. He always felt that it was just his bad luck. In Shamayim they said, if he would have attributed everything to Hashem and said that it was justified in coming, then it would have accomplished what it needed to accomplish and the yisurim would have wiped away all of his sins and allowed him entry to enjoy the delights of Gan Eden . It's never too late for a person to make teshuva . So long as he has life he can correct everything he ever did. A person can say right now, “I'm sorry Hashem for not attributing my difficulties to You. I'm sorry that I did not accept them with love, understanding that I needed them for my best.” With one wholehearted acceptance a person can correct years of the opposite response. Let us accept upon ourselves to respond constantly with emunah and thereby gain the full value of everything that happens to us.

At the end of this week's parasha Naso , the Torah goes into great detail regarding the donations that the Nasi'im brought to inaugurate the Mishkan . And as we know, each Nasi brought the exact same donation and the Torah repeated each one of them, twelve times, one for each Nasi . Many mefarshim offer explanations as to why the Torah has all this repetition. The sefer Darkeh Musar brings from the Saba m'Kelm who explained, the Torah is teaching us here how Hashem relates to the individual. One should not think if a large group gets together to do a mitzvah that Hashem views it as if that group, so to speak, all got a check for their actions. The parasha of the Nasi'im teaches us, Hashem is happy with each individual separately. Although they all brought the same donations and collectively comprised a group of twelve, Hashem took delight in each one of them independently. Each one of them brought Hashem a different type of joy, depending on the person's background and what each of them had accomplished and experienced in their lives prior to this point. Everyone is always treated as if he is the only one in the world. And this does not only apply when a group of people get together to do a mitzvah. This is always the way it is. When something happens to a group of people, Hashem doesn't deal with them as a group, but rather every single person, with his own hashgacha . Whatever happens to him was decided solely based on what was supposed to happen to him. And the way a person reacts when things happen to him will show how much he really believes in Hashem's hashgacha . The Shomer Emunim writes, if we would know how valuable it is to honestly believe that every single thing that takes place in our lives comes directly from Hashem, our hearts would ignite with endless excitement. Furthermore, the pasuk says, ה' צילך – that Hashem is our shadow. And the Baal Shem Tov explained this to mean that Hashem acts towards us corresponding to the way we act towards Him. If a person says each time that something happens that it was from Hashem, then Hashem will deal with him with extra hashgacha pratit . He will be able to feel Hashem's presence more and he will get more Heavenly help. The pasuk says in Tehillim , ה' משמים השקיף על בני-אדם לראות היש משכיל דורש את אלוקים – Hashem is watching to see who is wise enough to seek Him out. The word אלוקים represents טבע which is nature. And as we know, הטבע is the same numerical value as אלוקים . So the pasuk is saying, Hashem is watching to see who will find Him inside of nature, who will attribute what seems to be natural occurrences, to Him. For this, a person must train himself until instinctively, he is able to say about everything, "That was m'et Hashem." When someone becomes a person who is fully ma'amin in Hashem's constant hashgacha , he will never get angry, he will never have animosity towards anyone, he will save himself from countless averot and he will get a mitzvah aseh each time he believes in Hashem's hashgacha , based on the pasuk, אנכי ה' אלוקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים. The Shomer Emunim gives the following words of chizuk to help strengthen us in this area. He writes, fortunate is the person who is constantly strengthening himself in the area of emunah called hashgacha pratit , because the reward for it in this world is that Hashem will show the person ניסים ונפלאות – miracles and wonders. And therefore, our job as religious Jews is to look at every single thing that takes place in our lives, whether it is obvious good or whether it seems to look bad, and attribute it to Hashem and know that it is absolute good and praise and thank Him for it. We constantly needed to be reminded about this great avodah . May Hashem help us to always see His hand in everything that takes place. Shabbat Shalom.

The pasuk says in Tehillim, בְּךָ בָטְחוּ וְלֹא בוֹשׁוּ — "They trusted in You and were not ashamed." Simply understood, this means that our ancestors would speak about the greatness of Hashem and about His ability to save them in every situation. Then, when they needed salvation, they placed their trust in Him and He came through for them. They were never embarrassed for having trusted in Hashem. But what happens if a person truly believes in the power of Hashem, speaks about it openly, strengthens himself with bitachon, and yet does not receive the salvation he hoped for? Does that mean he was "ashamed" because of his bitachon? Rabbi David Sutton explained this pasuk with a powerful story that took place in Eretz Yisrael. A young child, only three years old, was diagnosed with a terrible illness. The doctors treated him, and for a while the child went into remission. But eventually the illness returned, and when the boy was five years old it became extremely aggressive. The doctors finally told the mother that, unfortunately, there was no longer any hope of saving the child. The mother answered firmly, "As religious Jews, we never say there is no hope. Hashem can do anything. I believe my son can still be healed." From that point on, she spent her days in the hospital saying Tehillim and strengthening herself with emunah and bitachon. The secular doctors repeatedly told her not to waste her time. "There is zero percent chance of survival," they insisted. But every day she sat there with Tehillim in her hands, believing that Hashem could still perform a miracle. Eventually, however, the child's condition deteriorated further and it became clear that the end was near. The mother even purchased a burial plot and began making arrangements for what seemed inevitable. But there was one thing that deeply troubled her, and she called her Rebbetzin to discuss it. "I had so much emunah," she cried. "When the doctors told me there was no hope, it did not shake me. I believed completely that Hashem could save my son. But now, when my son passes away, the doctors are going to say, 'You see? We told you so. Your hope was unrealistic.' I can accept that Hashem wants my son back, but I do not want to be ashamed because of my bitachon in Him." The Rebbetzin answered her with tremendous wisdom. "Every moment that you hoped to Hashem for salvation was a mitzvah," she said. "Believing in Hashem's ability to help is a great mitzvah, and you fulfilled it on the highest level. Now you have another mitzvah — to accept the will of Hashem with emunah. If you continue doing what Hashem wants from you, you will never be ashamed from it." These words gave the mother tremendous strength. The next day, the child passed away. The doctors were certain this woman would collapse emotionally after everything she had gone through. They brought in professionals who deal with trauma and psychologists who treat severe depression. But when they spoke to her, they were astonished. She was calm, composed, and spiritually strong. She did not appear broken in the way they expected. The doctors asked her, "How are you so strong after such a painful disappointment?" She answered, "Until now, I had a mitzvah to hope to Hashem, and I tried to do that with all my strength. Now I have a mitzvah to accept the will of Hashem, and I will try to do that with all my strength as well." The doctors were overwhelmed by her words. They began crying from the strength and sincerity of her emunah. Later, the mother said, "My Rebbetzin was right. I was not ashamed because of my bitachon. On the contrary, my bitachon brought even more honor to Hashem." This is the meaning of בְּךָ בָטְחוּ וְלֹא בוֹשׁוּ . A person who places his trust in Hashem is never truly ashamed. Sometimes the salvation comes exactly as he hoped. Sometimes Hashem's plan is different. But if a person does what Hashem wants from him at every stage — first hoping, praying, and believing, and afterward accepting Hashem's will with love — then nothing negative ever comes from his bitachon. Instead, it always brings honor to Hashem's Name.

Many times in life a person forgets something important, overlooks something, or fails to notice a detail that later seems obvious. Naturally, he starts second-guessing himself. "How could I not remember that? Why didn't I realize it earlier? If only I would have thought of that sooner." But a person with emunah understands that if Hashem wanted him to know something earlier, He had endless ways of making that happen. Nothing is dependent solely on our memory or awareness. If Hashem wants a person to discover something, He can orchestrate countless events to bring that information to light at exactly the right moment. Rabbi Yoel from the UK related a story that illustrates this beautifully. One winter, Rabbi Yoel was going through a difficult time financially. Someone owed him money, but the man told him he would only be able to pay him back the following Tuesday. Rabbi Yoel needed the money immediately, so he called a young avreich, Yitzchak, his good friend, and asked if he could borrow five hundred pounds until Tuesday. Yitzchak gladly agreed. When Tuesday came around, the person who owed Rabbi Yoel the money paid him back, but only with a check instead of cash. There was a problem. In the UK, the banks had a rule that limited how much cash could be withdrawn at one time, and Rabbi Yoel was only able to take out three hundred pounds. He called Yitzchak and explained the situation. "I have your money," he said, "but I could only withdraw three hundred pounds today. Do you need me to borrow another two hundred pounds from someone else so I can pay you back right now, or can it wait until tomorrow?" Yitzchak understood the situation and told him, "No problem, you can wait until tomorrow." A few minutes later, however, Yitzchak called him back. "I was thinking," he said, "maybe you could just give me a check for the full amount." "Fine," Rabbi Yoel answered. Then Yitzchak added, "This way I can use it to buy a menorah now." "A menorah?" Rabbi Yoel asked. "What happened to the silver one you received at your wedding?" Yitzchak explained that ever since he moved apartments, all of his silver Judaica had disappeared. The menorah, the kiddush cups, the candlesticks—everything was gone. Suddenly Rabbi Yoel remembered something. He himself had helped move Yitzchak's belongings. At the time, he was nervous that the expensive silver might get damaged or stolen, so he carefully wrapped it up and hid it in a storage space in the apartment. Yitzchak never knew where it had been placed. "I know exactly where your silver is," Rabbi Yoel told him. Yitzchak could not believe it. Following Rabbi Yoel's directions, he climbed up to the hidden storage space, and there, to his amazement, was the entire collection exactly as it had been packed away years earlier. Everything was safe and shining beautifully. Hashem wanted Yitzchak to find his menorah, and He knew exactly how to make that happen. He arranged that Rabbi Yoel would specifically need to borrow money from him. He arranged that the repayment would come back in the form of a check instead of cash. He arranged the banking laws that forced another phone conversation. He arranged that Yitzchak would happen to mention that he needed a menorah. And through all of those perfectly coordinated details, the missing silver was discovered. When Hashem wants us to know something, He has countless ways of telling us. Someone recently told me that he spent a very long time writing important information on his computer. After finishing, he carefully saved the document. But later, when he tried opening the file, it was nowhere to be found. He searched and searched but could not find it. He was certain he remembered exactly what he named the file, but nothing came up under that name. Finally, after becoming frustrated, he spent hours rewriting the entire document from scratch. When he finished redoing all the work, he saved the file under what he thought was a brand-new name. Suddenly, both files appeared on the screen. He realized that the original file had been there all along under the exact name that he had just given the new file. Naturally, a person could feel bad. "Why didn't I think of that earlier?" But the lesson is not to second-guess ourselves. If Hashem wanted him to discover the original file earlier, He had countless ways of making that happen. The fact that it was only discovered later means that later was the exact right time for it to be found. A man once told me that something happened which completely ruined his day. Although he learns emunah and bitachon regularly, at the time he could not see any good in what had happened. He became gloomy and upset, and everyone around him felt it the entire day. A few days later, however, he suddenly realized that what had happened was actually the best possible thing that could have happened. Because of that event, everything else ended up turning out in the most favorable way possible. He told me afterward, "No matter how much emunah a person has, he always needs more chizuk in it." We do not understand why things happen the way they do, but we do know that Hashem is running the world and He is doing it perfectly. If He wants us to know something, He knows exactly how to accomplish that. And if something was hidden from us until later, then later was exactly the right time for it to be revealed. There is no reason to second-guess ourselves. If we accept and trust Hashem, we are performing a great avodah.

One of the great ploys of the Yetzer Hara is to make people forget how powerful tefillah really is. A person prays, but deep down he may already feel trapped by his situation. He says the words, but the fire and confidence are missing. Very often, the yeshuah is already prepared and waiting. The person simply needs to awaken within himself and truly believe in the power of speaking to Hashem. Sometimes Hashem sends a person a reminder — perhaps a memory, a story, or a moment of inspiration — to reignite his belief in tefillah so that he will finally cry out properly from the depths of his heart. In the sefer He'emanti Va'asapera, there is a story about Eliezer, a man whose housewares business was collapsing. Every evening he would lower the shutters on his store feeling crushed by stress and worry. Customers were disappearing, profits were shrinking, and it was becoming painfully clear that his business was nearing its end. One night, as he prepared to close the store, something suddenly stopped him. A memory came flooding back from forty years earlier. As a young man living in London, Eliezer had desperately wanted to learn in Eretz Yisrael, but his family did not have the means to send him. One night he saw his father crying while saying Tehillim. The next day his father explained that he had been begging Hashem to somehow help him pay for his son's expenses so he could go learn Torah in Eretz Yisrael. Then something unbelievable happened. The next morning, completely out of character, his father bought a scratch-off ticket and won exactly the amount they needed. Within days, Eliezer was on his way to yeshivah in Eretz Yisrael. Now, forty years later, sitting alone in his darkened store, Eliezer suddenly understood the message. His father's salvation had come through heartfelt tefillah, and now Hashem was reminding him of that lesson for himself. He realized that sighing was not going to help him. Worrying was not going to save his business. He needed to truly pray from the depths of his heart. He took out a Tehillim and began pouring out his heart to Hashem. It was not a quick tefillah. It was not distracted words, but rather real tefillah. He sat there for over an hour crying, pleading, and speaking honestly to Hashem. Then suddenly there was a knock at the door. A stranger stood outside insisting that he urgently needed to come in. Eliezer almost sent him away, upset that someone was interrupting such a powerful moment of tefillah. But the man pleaded with him to listen. He explained that he managed a brand-new hall that was about to open. He had been planning to meet wholesalers over the coming weeks to buy dishes and silverware, but suddenly he discovered that he urgently had to fly overseas. He needed to purchase everything immediately before leaving. Eliezer showed him the merchandise that he had in his store. The man quickly chose what he wanted and ordered seven hundred complete sets of dishes, cups, and silverware — the largest order Eliezer had ever received in his life. In that one visit, he received an entire year's worth of revenue. The profits from that deal saved his business. Then it all became clear. Why had this customer arrived specifically then? Why didn't he go to another store? Because every other store was closed. Eliezer was only there because he had stayed back to pray. The salvation had already been set into motion. The customer had already been sent. The order was already waiting to be made. But Eliezer needed the reminder from his father's story to awaken him to the power of tefillah so that he would cry out the right way for the yeshuah to reach him. Sometimes people become so busy worrying, calculating, panicking, and searching everywhere else that they forget the greatest power they possess — the ability to stand before מלך מלכי המלכים and pour out their hearts. The Yetzer Hara works overtime to weaken a person's belief in tefillah because once a person truly believes that Hashem is listening, his tefillah takes on an entirely new dimension and becomes an uplifting avodah. The greatest chizuk we can have is knowing that Hashem is here. He is listening. He is arranging. He is preparing. He is orchestrating every detail. Sometimes our salvation is already waiting, and all Hashem wants is for us to remember Who we are speaking to — and to speak the right way.

One of the difficult balances in life is knowing when enough hishtadlut has been done so that a person can place the matter fully into the hands of Hashem. On one hand, we are obligated to make hishtadlut in order to fulfill our needs. But on the other hand, if a person overdoes hishtadlut it is considered an infraction, reflecting an underlying belief that results are dependent upon human effort rather than solely upon Hashem. One of the greatest tests in life is believing that although we are the ones making the efforts, the results themselves have nothing to do with those efforts. Hashem alone decides the outcome. He merely requires enough hishtadlut for the result to appear natural within the normal way of the world. Sometimes Hashem specifically places a person into situations where he feels completely powerless so that he can discover this truth more clearly — that his help was always coming only from Hashem. Once a person has put in a reasonable effort, one of the greatest things he can do afterward is stop chasing people and begin speaking more to Hashem. Rabbi Betzalel Bloy from Bnei Brak related that after investing enormous effort writing, organizing, and preparing the shiurim of his Rabbi for publication, he finally reached the last stage before printing the sefer. Everything was ready. He felt strongly that the sefer would bring tremendous chizuk to many people. There was only one thing missing: Money. He needed thousands of dollars to print the sefer and had no idea where the funds would come from. He worked very hard collecting small donations from various places, but after all the effort, he still managed to gather only one-third of the amount he needed. People advised him to approach a certain wealthy individual who might be interested in supporting the project. Rabbi Bloy gathered his courage and went to speak with him. He explained the greatness of the sefer, the importance of its message, and how many people could potentially benefit from it. The wealthy man listened carefully and then replied: "Go to another wealthy man at this address. Whatever amount he gives you, I will contribute half of it." Rabbi Bloy left the meeting feeling crushed and embarrassed. He did not know whether the man genuinely intended to help or was simply trying to avoid responsibility. More than anything, the entire experience was emotionally painful. The thought of now having to approach another wealthy individual filled him with dread. But he desperately wanted to publish the sefer. Unsure what to do next, he went to ask his father for advice. His father then gave him one sentence that completely changed his perspective. "Don't do anything else," he said. "Just talk to Hashem." His father understood that Rabbi Bloy had already done what was reasonable. Continuing further would only push him emotionally beyond his limits. Hearing those words brought Rabbi Bloy tremendous relief. He now felt permitted to stop chasing people and simply turn to Hashem. That night he poured out his heart in tefillah. The next morning, he did the same during Shacharit. Then, that very afternoon, the second wealthy man suddenly called him. "The first donor told me about your sefer," he said. "We decided that I will cover two-thirds of the remaining amount, and he will cover the other third. We are very happy to participate in your project." Within a short amount of time, the money was paid and the sefer went to print. Rabbi Bloy later reflected that his father's words taught him the true perspective on hishtadlut. A person must make an effort. But once he has done what is reasonable, Hashem does not require more than that. Hashem loves when we ask Him directly for our needs — and for that, we never have to feel embarrassed. The more we recognize Who the true Provider is, the more blessing Hashem places into our hishtadlut.

The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot tells us to be very careful in the performance of even the smallest mitzvot because we do not know the true reward of any mitzvah. The Shem MiShmuel explains that when it comes to reward, Hashem does not only consider the actual deed itself. He also takes into account all of the ripple effects that result from that mitzvah. A person may do something that seems very small, but the effects of that deed can continue spreading for years. A simple smile and a cheerful "good morning" may appear insignificant. But imagine someone was feeling down, discouraged, and burdened. Then he receives a warm greeting and suddenly feels uplifted. His mood changes. His attitude changes. Perhaps he goes home happier and treats his family differently. The ripple effects of one smile could be endless. Or imagine someone donates one sefer to a shul library because that sefer once inspired him. Years later, somebody opens it, reads it, and receives tremendous chizuk. That person changes his avodat Hashem because of it. Who can imagine how many rewards continue flowing from that one deed? And there is another dimension that makes mitzvot even greater. Not only do we not know their ripple effects—we also do not know how much greater hidden deeds can become. The Gemara in Baba Batra tells us that if someone gives tzedakah in private, in certain aspects he is considered greater than even Moshe Rabbenu. Such an astonishing statement teaches us how precious hidden mitzvot are. When a person does something and nobody knows, when there is no honor, no recognition, and no praise, then the deed becomes purely for Hashem. In a book about the life of the Chafetz Chaim, it says that on one occasion his son, Reb Leib, asked him whether people who learned the Mishnah Berurah would ever truly understand how much effort he invested into every single line, making sure everything was perfectly correct according to halachah. The Chafetz Chaim replied, "What difference does it make if people know how much effort I put in? My sole intention is to bring honor to the name of Hashem, and He is the only One Who needs to know." That was the greatness of the Chafetz Chaim. He was not seeking recognition. He only cared about pleasing Hashem. We cannot imagine how much Hashem appreciates every small deed that we do. We may not receive a pat on the back in this world, but that does not mean Hashem does not notice. Every ounce of effort is seen. Every struggle is counted. Every hidden act is treasured. And every deed will be fully repaid in the next world. Sometimes, however, Hashem gives us a glimpse even here of how much He appreciates our efforts. Recently, a woman in Eretz Yisrael passed away. For forty years, every single day, she took upon herself to go to the kever of Shmuel HaNavi and make sure it was clean and properly maintained. She personally cared for it and, while there, would pray each day as well. Amazingly, she passed away on כ״ח אייר —the yahrtzeit of Shmuel HaNavi himself. Not only that, her address was 86 Shmuel HaNavi Street, and she passed away at the age of 86. Every effort she invested in honoring the kever of that great tzaddik was appreciated. Every hidden act mattered. She did not publicize what she did. Only her close family knew. We can never underestimate the value of any mitzvah, because every one is precious, every one creates ripple effects, and every one carries rewards beyond comprehension.

As we know, parnasah comes from Hashem, and the Chovot HaLevavot in Shaar HaBitachon, perek 4, gives us a very important understanding of how Hashem distributes it in the world. He writes that Hashem guarantees enough sustenance for every person as long as he is meant to live in this world. Every person has what he needs to survive because Hashem Himself takes responsibility for all of His creations. But not everyone is given the role of supporting others. Sometimes Hashem chooses certain people to become His messengers. If a man is given enough to support not only himself, but also his wife and children, then Hashem has placed their parnasah into his hands. He put their sustenance into his bank account and appointed him as the messenger to deliver it. This is both a tremendous zechut and a tremendous test. It is a zechut because there are few greater privileges than being entrusted by Hashem to care for His children. But it is also a test: will the person believe that the money is his and that he is generously sharing from his own possessions? Or will he recognize that it was never truly his at all? Hashem simply designated him to distribute what was already meant for them. If a person is blessed with extra, he should feel honored that Hashem chose him for that mission. He should support his family happily, not feeling as if he is carrying a burden, and not expecting recognition or praise. He is merely carrying out the task Hashem assigned him. And a person must know that Hashem never needs him specifically. Hashem has endless ways of supporting every individual. Even one's own family can be supported through channels no one ever imagined. I know of a man who struggles financially while his own young children have far more money than he does. A relative placed large sums of money into trust funds for them. Hashem has countless messengers and countless ways of providing what people need. Of course, we are obligated to make hishtadlut. A person must work and make a normal effort. But he should not feel that if he does not earn what he expected to, the weight of the world is resting on his shoulders. Hashem never intended hishtadlut to become endless pressure and worry. A person does not need to spend his life anxiously calculating how his children will survive years into the future. That burden belongs to Hashem. People who believe all the money Hashem gives them is solely for their own use often make another mistake. They keep chasing and accumulating more and more, imagining that the goal of life is to see how much wealth they can build. But the Chovot HaLevavot explains that there is no such thing as extra hishtadlut creating wealth. If wealth is decreed for a person, he will receive it through his normal efforts. And if it is not decreed, no matter how much harder he works, he will never attain it. The goal of life is not to see how much money a person can make. It is to make what he needs and use the precious extra time Hashem gives him to serve Him through Torah and mitzvot. A woman shared a story that brought out one of these lessons. She was preparing for maternity leave and knew that the government calculated maternity pay based on the average salary from the previous three months. One of those months included Pesach, and because of the Yom Tov days she had worked far fewer hours than usual. She became worried. She tried putting in some extra hours, but there was no way to make up all the missing time. Then she heard a class explaining that parnasah only comes from Hashem and that extra hours do not automatically create extra money. The words gave her tremendous chizuk. She accepted that Hashem knew exactly what she needed and exactly how much she was supposed to receive. Just a few hours later, someone from HR contacted her. They told her that months earlier she had referred an employee to the company but had never received the referral bonus she was owed. Since they had discovered the oversight, they were adding the payment into her next paycheck. The timing was remarkable. It was the second-to-last day of April. And the amount of that bonus was exactly what she had been missing because of the Pesach hours. She felt as if Hashem was speaking directly to her: "I know exactly what you need. I know how to take care of you." When we internalize that parnasah comes from Hashem and understand how He distributes it, life becomes calmer. We stop carrying burdens that were never ours to carry, and we become better equipped to pass the tests that come our way.

There are two ways a person can live his life. One is the conventional way the world operates — through calculations, logic, strategies, and whatever appears to make the most sense naturally. The other way is with the awareness that Hashem is running everything. And therefore, the most important question is not merely, "What works?" but rather, "What does Hashem want from me?" Sometimes even within halachah itself, there is the strict letter of the law and then there is the higher way of acting — a way that reflects deeper emunah, integrity, and trust in Hashem. A person may technically be entitled to something, yet still feel that giving it up would bring more nachat ruach to Hashem. A man from Yerushalayim related the following story about himself. His family owned two cars. One was a small Camry that he used daily, and the other was a minivan for the entire family. Although he knew most people kept multiple copies of their car keys, somehow he had managed for years with only one key to the Camry. Then one day, the key disappeared. The family searched everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found. Since the Camry was locked and unusable, he simply began using the minivan instead. Eventually, after some time passed, he contacted a mechanic. "How much would it cost to make a replacement key?" he asked. "A thousand shekels," the mechanic replied. The man hesitated. A thousand shekels for a tiny piece of metal felt like such a waste of money. He thought to himself that the money could certainly be used for something much more meaningful. So the Camry remained parked outside. Then one evening, while sitting at the dinner table with his family, he suddenly said, "You know what? Instead of spending a thousand shekels on a car key, maybe it would be a much better investment to donate that money to the kollel on our block." Then he asked his family, "Do you believe Hashem can return the key without us paying the mechanic?" His family loved the idea. That very night, immediately after finishing Arbit, he went to the kollel and donated the money. The next day, while he was at work, his children excitedly called him. "Abba! We found the key!" According to the normal way of thinking, the sensible solution was very simple: pay the mechanic and solve the problem naturally. But this man chose to live with a different calculation. He believed that if Hashem wanted him to have the key, He could return it without requiring a thousand-shekel replacement. Instead of investing the money into a new key, he invested it in something that he felt would bring greater nachat ruach to Hashem. And in the end, he received both — the key and the mitzvah. Another man from London related a story illustrating this same principle from a different angle. He worked in real estate and had developed a close relationship over many years with a certain broker. Because of that loyalty, the broker occasionally gave him significant discounts on deals. One time, he arranged several property purchases for an acquaintance through this broker. Since the discounts were only available because of his personal relationship with the broker, he felt it was only fair for him to keep part of the discount for himself. The broker agreed completely. From a conventional perspective, his reasoning seemed perfectly legitimate. Many people would even argue that he deserved compensation for the service he had provided. Everything felt fine until he attended a shiur on business halachah. The rabbi giving the class discussed different forms of ona'ah and questionable financial conduct. Although the man was not certain that he had violated any halachah, something no longer sat right with him. At first, he planned simply to ask a rabbi whether what he was doing was technically permitted. But by the next morning, he was thinking differently. Even if keeping the money might technically have been allowed, he wanted to act in a way that he felt Hashem would be proud of. So he called the broker and explained that he wanted to return the entire amount so the buyer would receive the full discount. Then he reassured himself with a powerful thought: "Hashem has many ways of sending me 2,500 pounds." That very same day, a property he owned — which had remained vacant for months — suddenly got a tenant. But not only that. The tenant voluntarily offered to pay exactly 2,500 pounds above market price and prepaid six months in advance. Hashem showed him immediately that nobody loses by choosing the path of yashrut and emunah. This is one of the great tests of life. The world trains people to think only in terms of calculations, rights, profits, and natural outcomes. But when a Jew truly believes that Hashem controls everything, he begins living a completely different kind of life. Then the question is no longer merely, "What am I allowed to do?" The question becomes: "What does Hashem want from me?" And when a person begins living with that mindset, his entire life changes.

As we get closer to Shavuot, part of our avodah in preparation is to fully appreciate the priceless gift of Torah that Hashem has given us. The Torah existed even before Hashem created the world. Chazal teach that the entire creation was contingent upon Am Yisrael accepting the Torah. It is Hashem's most treasured possession, and He yearns for us to learn it. Imagine a man telling his friend that he worked tirelessly for years writing a book that could guide people through life. He asks his friend, "Please read my book." Then imagine he sees that friend every day busy with countless other activities while the book remains untouched on the shelf. How painful that would be. Now imagine it is not merely a friend, but a father who invested his entire life, pouring all of his energy, wisdom, and heart into writing that book for his son. This father supports his son, cares for all of his needs, and asks for only one thing in return: "Please read the book I wrote for you." How hurtful it would be if the son never opened it. Hashem told us that the entire creation of the world was worthwhile for the Torah. He gives us every breath, every blessing, and every opportunity in life, and He asks us to learn the Torah that He wrote for us. The Gemara says that when a person leaves the Torah closed and occupies himself with other things when he could be learning, Hashem cries in Shamayim over it. On the other hand, imagine the joy and honor a father feels when his son studies his book carefully, lives his life according to its teachings, and tells others how magnificent his father's wisdom is. There is no greater honor. If we want to honor Hashem, we can show appreciation for the Torah He gave us. Every moment spent learning Torah is an expression of kavod Shamayim. If there is a shiur Torah taking place and only a few people attend, it is a dishonor to the Torah. But if someone says, "I know I'm tired and I would rather rest, but I'm going to get up and go learn so there will be more people honoring Hashem's Torah," he should realize that this itself is an extraordinary mitzvah. Honoring Hashem is unimaginably precious. I read a story about a man from Bnei Brak who we will call Aharon who went to a very early minyan on the morning of Sukkot. There was a very small crowd there, and before Keriat HaTorah, the gabbai began auctioning off the aliyot. Nobody was bidding. Aharon felt a sense of pain over the apparent lack of honor being shown to the Torah. So when the gabbai announced the opening price, Aharon raised the bid and purchased the third aliyah. When the next aliyah was auctioned, once again nobody responded, so Aharon raised the bid again and purchased that aliyah as well. When shelishi came around, Aharon took the aliyah for himself, and afterward they asked him whom he wanted to receive revi'i. Aharon looked around the shul and noticed a distinguished-looking man who made a fine impression on him, and he instructed the gabbai to give the aliyah to that individual. After tefillah, Aharon was preparing to leave when he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the man who had received revi'i. The man introduced himself and asked Aharon why he chose him for the aliyah. Aharon replied simply, "You looked like a respectable person with yirat shamayim." The man then explained that he was from London and was extremely wealthy. "People honor me all the time," he said, "but only because of my money. This is the first time someone honored me simply for who I am, without expecting anything in return." Aharon answered that he was happy he had the opportunity to make another Jew feel good, and he began to leave. But the wealthy man stopped him and said, "Because you honored me, I want to repay you." Aharon politely refused, but the man insisted. "Tell me something you need, and I will help you." Aharon hesitated. Then he thought about the many gemachim and loans he would soon need in order to marry off his daughter. He said, "Honestly, anything you could contribute toward my daughter's wedding would help tremendously." The man asked him what the total expected cost would be. Aharon answered, "About one hundred thousand shekel." The man responded immediately, "No problem. Come to my apartment after Yom Tov and I'll give you a check." After Yom Tov, Aharon went to the address he had been given, and the man handed him a check for the entire amount. Aharon made a small monetary gesture simply to honor the Torah, and Hashem paid him back thousands of times over. Everything we do to honor the Torah—especially learning it—goes an extremely long way.

One of the ways in which we can see the yad Hashem in this world is in the area of parnassah. Sometimes we make a hishtadlut in one area, and then the parnassah comes from a completely different source. Sometimes parnassah comes in the least expected ways, and very often it comes exactly when it is needed. Hashem provides for billions of people in wondrous ways. He makes us feel as though we are the ones earning the parnassah, while in actuality He is doing everything. We must believe that only Hashem decides if a buyer will buy our product, and only Hashem decides every opportunity we even get to meet a buyer. I read a story which recently took place that shows how obvious it is that Hashem is controlling parnassah. Yoel Tzvi is a broker of precious stones. In his business, things do not always move quickly. Sometimes there are long stretches with no income at all, and then suddenly one deal could change everything. One day, a dealer named Joe called him saying he had a buyer looking for a large red ruby, and if he could find the seller, he could earn a lot of money. Yoel Tzvi searched and found someone who had exactly the kind of ruby this buyer was looking for. They set up a meeting. The buyer analyzed the stone. It looked promising, but in the end the deal fell through. Time went on, and Yoel Tzvi became very busy preparing for his son's wedding. During that time, he did not make any deals at all. The day of the wedding arrived, and he still did not have the money to pay for it. That morning, he went with his son to receive a berachah from a tzaddik. The tzaddik told him that on the day of the chuppah, pipelines of shefa open from Shamayim. Later that day, just before they were getting ready to leave for the hall, the phone rang. It was Joe. "The buyer reconsidered," he said. "He decided to buy that ruby after all. He wants to do it today. Could you handle it?" Yoel Tzvi sprang into action, set up the meeting, and the deal was finalized. The profit he earned from that sale covered almost all of the wedding expenses. But it was not until a few months later that Yoel Tzvi truly appreciated the hashgachah behind what happened that day. Yoel Tzvi met a different broker, a friend of his, who deals with the same clients. That broker told him that Joe had called him around the time of the wedding, asking him to find a red ruby for a buyer. He found a different seller, and that deal was almost completed, but it fell through. Joe then asked him if he knew of another seller because the buyer desperately wanted to close on a deal. The broker said he could not think of anyone else, and that is when Joe decided to call Yoel Tzvi back to do the deal with the ruby he had originally found. Yoel Tzvi said, "That broker knew my seller very well. It makes no sense that he didn't think of him when Joe asked for another seller. The only explanation is that Hashem wanted me to get the sale to pay for the wedding, and therefore He did not allow that broker to think of my seller." This is the way it always works. Hashem decides who buys and who sells, and He has everything timed for the perfect moment. The more we recognize that Hashem is in charge of our parnassah, the more we will focus on praying to Him and doing His will, and the less we will feel the need to impress His messengers.

The Zohar HaKadosh in Parashat Balak ( דף ר"ד ) tells a remarkable story. When the rabbis heard that Rabbi Yosef of Peki'in had passed away, they went to his home to prepare him for burial. There they saw his young son, only five years old, lying on him and crying out, "Hashem, You already took my mother—please don't take my father." Suddenly, a heavenly voice declared, "Fortunate are you, Rabbi Yosef of Peki'in, that you merited a son whose tefillah has added twenty-two years to your life." The rabbis witnessed תחיית המתים as Rabbi Yosef arose. When they later asked him what he saw in the upper worlds, he shared one detail: they counted the tears of his son—three hundred and seventy—and when he cried out, the heavens shook, and his tefillah brought about revival. From here we learn the incredible power of tefillah that comes from the depths of the heart. A young man—we'll call him Ralph—shared a modern-day example. His infant daughter was diagnosed with West syndrome, a severe condition affecting brain development. She required an urgent medication that cost one hundred thousand dollars. After several weeks, it improved her condition to about eighty percent, but no further. Doctors then suggested another medication—but it was extremely risky. If taken too long, it could cause permanent brain damage. If taken too short, it could be life-threatening. Ralph was overwhelmed and broke down in tears. The next day, he could not focus at work. He called his rabbi in Israel, asking for direction. The rabbi told him this decision was beyond his ability to rule on, but he offered him guidance of a different kind. He said, "When everyone leaves the office today, stay behind. Cry out to Hashem from the depths of your heart. Speak to Him in your own words. Ask Him to guide you." Ralph did exactly that. He cried, he poured out his heart, and then he spoke to Hashem honestly, asking for guidance and for his daughter's complete refuah. Right afterward, on the train home, a man and his son sat across from him. Ralph watched the way the father spoke to his son—with warmth, love, and emotion—and it pierced his heart. Thinking of his own daughter, he said, "I hope one day I'll have that kind of relationship with my child." The man saw his pain and said, "You will." He invited Ralph to sit next to him and asked what was wrong. When Ralph shared the diagnosis, the man was stunned. He said that he himself had suffered from the same condition as an infant. Not only that, he had gone on to research it extensively and eventually became a board member at a major hospital specializing in treating this exact disease. Out of all the people in the world, this was the person who sat directly across from him—right after his tefillah. He became the messenger who guided Ralph and his family through the process, leading to his daughter's full recovery. Next week, be'ezrat Hashem, will mark one year since she was declared completely cured. Ralph is filled with hakarat hatov to Hashem for answering him so quickly and so clearly. Crying out to Hashem from the depths of one's heart is truly wondrous.

The Bneh Yissachar writes that the greatest tzedaka of all tzedakot is providing someone who is poor in the mind with knowledge. If a person is lacking in understanding of what life is all about or who Hashem is, or if he has a problem that is weighing down upon him, if someone will give him the words that he so desperately needs to hear, that is the greatest form of tzedaka . The sefer Divreh Elokim Chaim brings a hint to this concept from a pasuk in parashat Behar , the first of this week's two parashiot . The pasuk says וכי ימוך אחיך – if your brother is impoverished – והחזקת בו – give him chizuk . The simple meaning of the pasuk is talking about someone who is impoverished monetarily, but on a different level, it can also be referring to someone who is impoverished in his mind, a few words of chizuk can benefit him so much. Everybody could use chizuk , and if we are able to give people chizuk , we should. A compliment or just a nice word could accomplish more than we could imagine. Even people that we think don't need to hear compliments, they do. The compliments that we give to people can have an impact on their life decisions. Rabbi Aharon Tusig told over a story, which took place many years ago, which he heard from a prominent Rosh Yeshiva in Israel. The Rosh Yeshiva said, when the yeshiva that hired him asked him to be the Rosh Yeshiva, he told them he would do it on one condition – that he would not be involved in any of the monetary aspects of the yeshiva. He only wanted to be a part of the spiritual part of the yeshiva. They agreed and, baruch Hashem, for years the Rabbi never had to raise any money. But one year, they were struggling a lot and one of the board members asked the Rabbi if he would please make an exception and travel abroad to collect funds that the yeshiva so desperately needed. The Rosh Yeshiva saw the situation was dire so he agreed to go. The Rabbi went and had a driver take him around to potential donors. On one of those trips, the driver asked the Rabbi if he minded if he pulled off the highway to find a convenience store to buy a drink, as he was very thirsty. The Rabbi said, "Sure, no problem. I'm also thirsty. I'll come in with you." When they got off the highway, they saw a kosher restaurant and pulled up in front and went inside. When the Rosh Yeshiva walked in, one of the waiters there asked if he wanted a table. Then, after a brief pause, the waiter said to the Rabbi, "Rosh Yeshiva, do you recognize me? I'm so-and-so. I used to learn in your yeshiva." The Rosh Yeshiva couldn't believe his eyes. He asked in astonishment how he ended up in this place. In the words of the Rosh Yeshiva, "I was sure with your diligence and brain power, you were going to become one of the great Rosh Yeshivas of the next generation." The man replied, "Rabbi, this is the first time I ever heard you say that you think that about me. I didn't know you thought I had that kind of potential." The Rosh Yeshiva replied, "What do you mean? I have your name in my notebooks with questions that you asked when we were learning Masechet Pesachim together. I never showed you that?" "No," replied the young man. The Rosh Yeshiva then said, "You were always so diligent in your studies and you always seemed to be enjoying your learning so much, I guess I didn't think you needed to hear compliments." The young man asked the Rosh Yeshiva if it's too late for him to come back. The Rosh Yeshiva replied, "It's never too late." So the young man said, "Rosh Yeshiva, if you will learn with me one-on-one for two weeks and get me back into the learning, I will come back to the yeshiva and rededicate myself to Torah." And so it happened. The Rosh Yeshiva concluded the story by saying, "Today, that student of mine lives in Ashdod and he is from the greatest talmidei chachamim in that city." He thought he was traveling abroad to collect funds at that time. In reality, the yeshiva got into financial crisis just so the Rosh Yeshiva would go and find that gem of his and bring him back to Torah. We should never underestimate the power of giving somebody chizuk or giving somebody a compliment. It's the greatest form of tzedaka . It will motivate people and it will engender love. Shabbat Shalom.

When a person needs a yeshuah, he is willing to do whatever it takes. People search for ways to speed up the process, especially after waiting for so long. One powerful approach is for a person to rise above his nature and do something heroic for the honor of Hashem. When we go beyond our nature, that can trigger Hashem to respond in kind—acting above the nature of the world and bring a yeshuah in ways we could never expect. A man from Beit Shemesh shared that he and his wife had been waiting a very long time to find a shidduch for their daughter, who was already twenty-eight years old. The pain weighed heavily on them day after day. One morning, after praying Shacharit in a large minyan of about a hundred people, a man approached him and began shouting at him with intense anger over something he disapproved of. The attack was harsh and relentless. He could have explained himself, but the man would not stop. The words were unbearable. He stood there as shame and humiliation filled him from head to toe. He left the shul shaken to his core. But then, with siyata d'Shmaya, he realized that this moment might be a rare opportunity—to rise above his nature and do something extraordinary for Hashem. He turned to Hashem and said, "Ribono Shel Olam, only You know how much humiliation I just went through. I believe that everything comes from You. And even though it is so difficult, I am going to go above my nature and completely forgive this person. Please respond measure for measure—bring me a yeshuah above nature and help my daughter find her zivug." Amazingly, the very next day a promising suggestion came, and within a couple of weeks they were celebrating her engagement. A rabbi once told of a collector who came to him in desperation. His organization was on the verge of bankruptcy, and he needed a major yeshuah. The rabbi told him that tefillah was the answer. The man replied that his siddur was already drenched with tears. The rabbi said, "I want you to start coming to Shacharit fifteen minutes before the minyan." The man answered honestly, "Rabbi, that is above my nature. I struggle just to get there on time." The rabbi told him, "That's exactly why you need to do it. Go above your nature, and your tefillah will carry much more weight." The man accepted the challenge. He pushed himself to arrive early each day, going against his nature. Shortly afterward, the organization began to recover, and eventually it was fully restored. The same rabbi once witnessed another powerful example. One congregant approached another and told him that a device he had just purchased was not appropriate for a ben Torah due to its many pitfalls. The man accepted the rebuke and said he would resell it. His friend pointed out that selling it to another Jew would only place a stumbling block in front of someone else. They lived in a completely Jewish area, so there was no easy solution. The owner explained that the device had cost him four thousand shekel and could not be returned. His friend told him, "Do what you feel is right." With that, the man made a heroic decision. He destroyed the device on the spot, saying he was doing it purely for the honor of Hashem. Immediately afterward, he turned to Hashem in tefillah and asked that his niece, who was suffering from a serious illness, be healed. In a short time, her condition improved, and eventually she was completely healed against all odds. These stories all share one message. When a person stays within his nature, he remains within the natural order. But when he rises above it—forgiving when it is hard, strengthening his tefillah beyond his comfort, or sacrificing for the honor of Hashem—he activates a higher system.

The Mahari"l writes that when a person prays at the kever of a tzadik, since it is a place of holiness and spiritual purity, the tefillot there are more readily accepted. The Mateh Ephraim adds that even a Kohen, who is not permitted to approach the kever, can still connect to that holiness by standing at a distance from where he can see it and pray from there. Tefillah is always powerful, but there are times and places where it has an added strength. The day of the yahrzeit of a tzadik at his kever is especially מסוגל for tefillah. The Midrash says in Parashat Vezot HaBerachah that if we had known the burial place of Moshe Rabbeinu, we would have prevented the destruction of the first Bet HaMikdash through our tefillot there. The Ben Ish Chai explains that when a person goes to a kever of a tzadik, there are two proper ways to pray. He can ask Hashem to help him in the merit of the tzadik, or he can ask that the neshama of the tzadik should pray to Hashem on his behalf. But the tefillah is always directed only to Hashem, because He alone has the power to fulfill our requests. The tzadik is not the source of the yeshuah—he is a מליץ יושר , an advocate. Throughout the generations, people have received incredible yeshuot through their tefillot at kivrei tzadikim. But the foundation of it all is still tefillah—pouring out one's heart to Hashem. I heard a remarkable story from Rabbi Heller, told to his mother by the daughter of the man it happened to. Her father fought in the Yom Kippur War, and at one point it seemed certain that he would not survive. At that moment, he made a neder to Hashem that if his life would be spared, he would move his family to the north of Israel and build up a place of Torah and mitzvot. Miraculously, he survived. After the war, he realized how difficult that commitment would be and went to his rabbi to perform hatarat nedarim. The rabbi told him that perhaps it was in the merit of that very neder that Hashem had saved him, and it would not be proper to undo it. The man accepted this and moved his family—his wife and three daughters—to the north. They settled in an abandoned home on Moshav Meron, high above the kever of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Life there was extremely simple. They bought a cow and lived off its milk, trading it for eggs and other necessities. The man would go often to the kever of Rabbi Shimon and pour out his heart in tefillah. In those days, few people came, and he would spend long periods there alone, feeling a deep connection as he spoke to Hashem in that holy place. One day, his wife became very ill with typhus, and he brought her to a hospital in Tiveria. She remained there for months. The man faced a painful challenge—he wanted to be with his wife, but he also had daughters at home. Travel was extremely difficult, yet every day he made the journey back and forth to be there for both. The hospital staff was amazed at his devotion. One morning, after sending his daughters to school, he went to a phone booth to call the hospital. He sensed something was wrong. The doctor came on the line and told him the truth—his wife was in her final moments. There was no point in rushing, he said, because he would not make it in time. The man hung up the phone and burst into tears. He walked up the road and saw the kever of Rabbi Shimon. He stopped and cried out, "Please, Rabbi Shimon, pray to Hashem to save my wife." He begged and then said, "If there is a harsh decree on our family, please ask Hashem to take our cow instead." With that, he ran to catch transportation to the hospital, but on the way someone stopped him and told him that his cow had just died. The man was elated. When he got to the hospital, the doctor hugged him and said, "It's a miracle—your wife is alive." He then told him something astonishing. At the time of the phone call, his wife had already passed—there was no pulse. They were about to cover her with a sheet, but the nurse said they should wait until he arrived. A couple of minutes later, they heard her coughing, and then she called out for a cup of water. This is a modern-day story of techiyat hametim in the merit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Tefillah is always wondrous and at Kivrei Tzadikim, it's even better.

The Midrash at the beginning of Parashat Emor quotes the pasuk in Tehillim: יוֹם לְיוֹם יַבִּיעַ אֹמֶר וְלַיְלָה לְלַיְלָה יְחַוֶּה דָּעַת . The Midrash explains that in the months of Nisan and Tishrei, the day and night are equal. In the summer, the day borrows hours from the night, and in the winter, the night borrows from the day, until over the course of the year they balance out perfectly. The mefarshim ask: what does this have to do with Parashat Emor, and what is the message of this Midrash? The Tehillot Maharitz explains that every individual in Klal Yisrael has a different role. Although there are many mitzvot that apply only to Kohanim and Levi'im, כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה —we are all responsible for one another. They serve on behalf of us, and we serve on behalf of them. When we understand that we are all one unit, forming Hashem's army of servants, we can truly love one another and remove jealousy from our hearts. The Or HaChaim explains that when Moshe Rabbeinu was told to instruct the Kohanim about their unique mitzvot, one might have thought this would be difficult for him. Originally, Moshe was meant to be the Kohen, but because he hesitated at the burning bush to accept the role of leadership, the kehuna was given to Aharon instead. And we know there was no one who loved mitzvot more than Moshe Rabbeinu. It would seem that hearing about all the additional mitzvot given to the Kohanim could have caused him pain. For this, the Midrash gives its answer. Just as the day and night borrow from each other without resentment, knowing that together they create a perfect balance, so too Klal Yisrael. Some are Kohanim, some Levi'im, some are wealthy, some are poor—but when each person fulfills his role, together we form a perfect nation serving Hashem. Imagine a team competing in a contest, where each correct answer helps the entire team win. If one member answers many questions correctly, his teammates are not jealous—they are thrilled, because his success is their success. That is how we must feel about one another. We are all on the same team, serving the same Hashem. When one person excels, it elevates all of us. The Gemara at the end of Masechet Menachot tells of a tragic case where one brother became jealous of the other for being appointed Kohen Gadol, to the point that he wanted to kill him. Had he understood that they were on the same team, serving the same Hashem, such jealousy could never have existed. Hashem assigns each person a different role, and one who fulfills his mission receives his full reward—just like anyone else who fulfills theirs. It is not a competition. Hashem has enough to give everyone. At Yetziat Mitzrayim, while the Jewish people were busy collecting gold and silver, Moshe Rabbeinu was occupied with bringing the bones of Yosef. On this, the pasuk says: חכם לב יקח מצוות . Moshe was called wise because he chose mitzvot over wealth, and that lesson has inspired generations. All the merit of that inspiration belongs to him. In fact, if Moshe had been a Kohen, he would not have been able to become tameh to carry Yosef's bones. It was specifically this act that led to the great miracle of Keriat Yam Suf. What seemed like a limitation for Moshe became the greatest opportunity. There is never a reason to be jealous of what someone else has, does, or achieves. Hashem gives each person exactly the opportunities needed to fulfill his unique mission. The more we rejoice in another person's success, the more we align ourselves with Hashem's plan and become better servants of Him.

We cannot begin to imagine how great and powerful our tefillot are. It says in the Tanna D'Bei Eliyahu Zutah, Perek Vav, that Hashem told Moshe, "You will not be able to understand My ways, but I will tell you something about Me." When I see a person stand up to pray before Me, say words of praise, and then beg for help—even if that person does not have good deeds, and his parents do not have good deeds, and even his grandparents do not have good deeds—just because he asked Me properly, I will help him. And if a person prays with true kavanah, the tefillah becomes infinitely greater. The Ya'avetz writes that a person must know how his tefillah can find favor in Hashem's eyes. The main focus should be on the Amidah. If a person says it with the simple meaning of the words in mind, it is more pleasing to Hashem than any type of korban. And the more a person's heart is in it, the more powerful the tefillah becomes. He writes further that tefillah with kavanah has the power to silence all of the prosecuting angels. The Shelah HaKadosh explains that having kavanah means not thinking about anything else while we are praying, and to feel happiness that we are connecting to Hashem as we speak to Him. When a person reaches that level, it is considered such a great avodah that it is beyond what we can even describe. And all of this is speaking about tefillah during regular times. A tefillah made during an et ratzon—a special time of favor—is even more powerful. A certain man once came to the holy Rabbi Moshe of Rozvodov, asking for a yeshuah for something he needed very badly. The Rabbi told him to come back on Lag B'omer, because then it would be an et ratzon—a time of great favor before Hashem—and it would be more fitting to receive salvation in the merit of the Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He brought a hint from a pasuk: " לבי ובשרי ירננו אל א-ל חי ." לבי —after thirty-two days, which brings us to the thirty-third day. ובשרי —stands for Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. ירננו —referring to tefillah. אל א-ל חי —to the living Hashem. On this day, the Zohar writes, the heavenly gates are wide open. The Arizal teaches that on this day, judgments are sweetened—din turns into rachamim. It is a day of great divine favor. On this day, the lights in Shamayim begin to shine in preparation for the awesome day of Matan Torah. The Chatam Sofer says that on this day, the Jewish people began eating the mann, the heavenly food that elevated them and prepared them to receive the Torah. One of the reasons we light fires on this day is to show that the lights in Shamayim are beginning to shine—seventeen days( טוב ) before Matan Torah. In the Sefirot, Lag BaOmer is Hod she'b'Hod, which has a connection to the holiness of Yom Kippur. Throughout the generations, people have received great salvations on this day. Tefillah is always powerful, but on days of et ratzon, it is even more powerful. Let us take advantage of this special time and pray with more kavanah, understanding that Hashem is right in front of us, listening to every word. He can help us with any need that we have, and we do not need anyone but Him. Let us feel calm, knowing we are standing before the only One who can help us, and He is giving us His full attention, waiting for us to ask Him for all of our needs.

Part of the mitzvah of honoring Hashem is honoring the people He created in His image. Imagine a man speaking words of praise to a king, while at the same time spitting on a picture of that very king. That is what it is like when a person dishonors others—it is a direct lack of respect toward Hashem Himself. We are currently mourning the deaths of Rabbi Akiva's 24,000 students, and the question is striking: how could such great Torah scholars have lacked proper respect for one another? The Chafetz Chaim makes an eye-opening observation. Rabbi Akiva taught: ואהבת לרעך כמוך זה כלל גדול בתורה —a person must love his fellow as himself. This mitzvah means we must treat others the way we want to be treated. The students of Rabbi Akiva were working on humility. They did not seek honor for themselves, and they minimized physicality. As a result, they did not feel the need to give honor to others either. They misunderstood that true humility does not mean withholding honor—it means elevating others. Rabbi Akiva's teacher, Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, taught: יהי כבוד חברך חביב עליך כשלך —a person should value his friend's honor like his own. But after the tragedy, Rabbi Akiva taught his new students with a deeper emphasis: a person must treat his friend even better than himself. From this came the teaching: יהי כבוד חברך כמורא רבך ומורא רבך כמורא שמים —one should honor his friend as he fears his rabbi, and fear his rabbi as he fears Hashem. This means that honoring another person is, in essence, an expression of honoring Hashem. Rabbi Akiva himself later said: חביב אדם שנברא בצלם —man is beloved because he was created in the image of Hashem. If a person would pass us on the street and we ignored him, and then someone told us that this was the top student of the Gadol Hador, we would likely run back to greet him properly. The truth is, we should feel that way about every person, because each one carries the image of Hashem within him. Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz made a remarkable observation from the following halachah. During Keriat Shema, when we are praising Hashem, we are not allowed to even gesture or signal with our hands—even for the sake of a mitzvah. Imagine a case where someone walks into the shul during Shema selling etrogim, and if we do not signal to him to wait, no one in that shul will have an etrog for Sukkot. Even then, we are not allowed to make a gesture. And yet, if someone greets us and would be offended if we do not respond, we are permitted to answer him. What do we see from here? That honoring another person is so significant that it takes precedence even at a moment when we are directly praising Hashem. It would be a contradiction to honor Hashem while causing embarrassment to one of His creations. When we give kavod to another person, we are giving kavod to Hashem. Pirkei Avot teaches: "Who is honored? One who honors others," and it brings the pasuk: כי מכבדי אכבד —those who honor Me, I will honor them. The connection is clear: when a person honors others, it is considered as if he is honoring Hashem Himself. As we prepare for Matan Torah and the upcoming חג of Shavuot, we remember that the Torah was given when the Jewish people stood in unity. Now is the time to strengthen ourselves in giving honor and respect to others. We must recognize that every person is deserving of dignity. When we honor others, we are honoring Hashem—and in turn, Hashem will honor us.

The Torah tells us again and again that Hashem has separated us from the nations of the world to be His people. We have a different set of guidelines for how to live our lives, and we are meant to remain distinct, not influenced by foreign societies. At the end of Parashat Kedoshim, on the pasuk וָאַבְדִּל אֶתְכֶם מִן הָעַמִּים לִהְיוֹת לִי , Rashi brings from Chazal that Hashem says: when you separate yourselves from the nations, then you are Mine. We must recognize that we are a nation that is self-sufficient— הֶן עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכּוֹן וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּׁב . We do not need anyone's help in this world, because we have the One Who runs the world. Throughout history, we have often found ourselves surrounded by powerful nations, facing challenges that seemed impossible to overcome. Yet, time and again, we have seen that our survival, our success, and our redemption did not come from alliances or from human strength. They came only from Hashem. One of the criteria necessary to receive our final redemption is to know with clarity: אין לנו להישען אלא על אבינו שבשמים . We do not rely on any human being for help—only on Hashem. When a person feels that he needs a certain individual or a certain country to help him, he is lacking in this belief. History has shown us this lesson repeatedly. The Jewish people once lived in Egypt under the leadership of Yosef, who saved the entire country from famine and made it the wealthiest empire in the world. Pharaoh owed everything to him. And yet, the Torah tells us: ויקם מלך חדש אשר לא ידע את יוסף . A new king arose who forgot Yosef, and the slavery began. The same pattern repeated itself in Spain. Initially, the country was struggling, and the Jews helped elevate it with their wisdom and wealth, until that era became known as the Golden Age of Spain. The great Rabbi Yitchak Abarbanel served as Minister of Finance. The Jews were deeply connected and highly respected. Yet suddenly, everything turned. A new leadership arose that did not know Don Isaac Abarbanel, and on Tisha B'Av in 1492, a decree was issued: either renounce Judaism or be exiled. They expelled the Jews and confiscated their wealth. All of their connections did not help them in the slightest. Centuries later, the same thing happened in Germany. Jews were leaders in banking and deeply integrated into society. They felt secure and established—but that did not protect them when everything changed. It is true that Hashem sometimes uses messengers to help us. But we must remember that this is all they are—messengers. If a person feels that he needs a specific individual in order to succeed, then he is placing his reliance in the wrong place. When someone says, "We must accomplish as much as possible while this leader is still in power, or else we will be in trouble," that is placing trust in a human being. Hashem alone takes care of us. He can use whoever He wants as His messenger, or He can accomplish everything without any intermediary. We must never feel dependent on any person. We are a nation unto ourselves. ה׳ אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה , and אֵלֶּה בָרֶכֶב וְאֵלֶּה בַסּוּסִים וַאֲנַחְנוּ בְּשֵׁם ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ נַזְכִּיר . How fortunate we are to have Hashem with us. We are on the winning side. We know the future. We know the glory that awaits us. Our task is to do our part and to feel that we already have everything we need, because we have HaKadosh Baruch Hu. He is our Savior. He is our King. He is our Father. The more we rely on Him, the closer we come to bringing the Geulah.

How fortunate we are to be the children of Hashem. He is there to help us twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and He loves each and every one of us more than a parent could ever love a child. We should feel proud to merit being the ones who follow His Torah. The pasuk says: כִּי הִיא חָכְמַתְכֶם וּבִינַתְכֶם לְעֵינֵי הָעַמִּים . When we live our lives according to the Torah, we are showing the world what true wisdom is. The Torah makes us a nation of kings and queens, and it is our greatest privilege to serve Hashem. Therefore, we should never be embarrassed to follow any mitzvah. If a gentile buyer asks a person to go to a non-kosher establishment, he should not say, "I'm not in the mood for that kind of food right now." Rather, he should say, "I'm sure the food is great, but my religion only permits me to eat in kosher establishments." If an executive asks for a meeting at a time that would cause a person to miss his set time for learning Torah, he should not be embarrassed to say, "I set aside time every day to learn and cannot miss it." All success comes from Hashem, and when we stand up for His honor and follow His Torah, He sends His blessings. The pessukim tell us about Daniel, who was taken as a young man to serve in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar. An official in charge told him he had to eat the finest foods from the royal table—rich meat and wine—so that he would appear strong and refined for service. Daniel said he wanted only grains and water, for kashrut reasons. The official explained that he would get in trouble if Daniel did not look robust like the other servants. Daniel suggested a ten-day test: give him grains and water and compare him to the others. At the end of the ten days, Daniel looked healthier, stronger, and more vibrant than the servants who ate the king's finest delicacies. Health and appearance come from Hashem, and He is the only One who needs to be impressed. Chazal tell us that because Daniel kept kashrut under duress, he merited protection later, even when he was thrown into the lion's den. Anyone who knows who the real Boss is will never compromise any level of Torah for any reason, especially in business. On the contrary, he will keep Torah even more carefully, knowing that success comes only from Hashem. Once a year, the largest retailer in the world, Walmart, holds a massive gathering for its top 1,500 suppliers, including Apple, General Mills, Frito-Lay, Procter & Gamble, and many more. They give awards for the best suppliers in each category, culminating in the Vendor of the Year award. At the last gathering, there were many Jews in attendance but an overwhelming majority of gentiles. The top award went to a religious Jew who keeps all halachot meticulously. On stage were many executives, including women, who normally extend their hands to congratulate winners—but in this case, they were instructed by the executive vice president to respect his religion and not do so. When he spoke, he did not praise his product or his skill. Instead, he said, "I attribute all of our company's success to the One Above." Later, other gentile vendors expressed how impressed they were that he publicly recognized G-d. This man does not own a smartphone. He appeared on that stage with a full Omer beard and does not compromise his Torah learning for work. Over the decades, many people have felt pressure to compromise standards to impress companies like Walmart—but this is unnecessary. Companies will respect Torah principles. In this instance, Walmart was more concerned with respecting his religion than he was with impressing them. All success comes from Hashem. If we are proud to be His people, we should also be proud to follow His Torah. True success comes not from pleasing people, but from standing strong in Hashem's Torah—He will make all things prosper.

The Chovot HaLevavot writes in Shaar HaBitachon, Perek Dalet, that a person must believe that his efforts in earning a parnassah do not in any way enable him to earn even one more penny than Hashem already decreed for him to have. He is only making the effort because that is what Hashem wants, and once he makes a reasonable effort, he has fulfilled that obligation. Therefore, if a person is earning a lot of money through the means that he chose to put his efforts in, it is not proper for him to think that it is the business that is bringing him success. Accordingly, it is incorrect for him to add more effort and more hours simply because he is seeing success in his business. For example, if a person is working a regular eight-hour day and earning a good livelihood, he should not say, "I will add a couple of more hours to my workday so I could earn even more money." That would be an act that shows he believes it is the means that are giving him success and not Hashem. If he already created a pipeline for Hashem to send the parnassah, he does not need to add more time to his regular workday to earn more. If Hashem decreed that he should earn more, He will send it through his existing efforts or from some other channel. And even if the person does put in more effort and sees that he is earning more money from it, that would not disprove anything the Chovot HaLevavot is teaching us. Hashem runs the world in a natural way, and if it makes sense naturally that working extra hours will produce more money, Hashem is not going to stop that. However, the person will still not earn even one more penny than Hashem already decreed for him. He may be taking the money earlier than it was supposed to come, or if it is not meant for him, he will lose it in some other way. A person can never gain by doing something that Hashem does not want him to do. I once heard a question. The Midrash says that when the Jewish people conquered and settled the land, they found all of the hidden treasures of the Emorim in the walls of the homes. How did they find them? If someone had tzaraat on his house, he would have to demolish the house, and then he would find the treasures. The question is: usually tzaraat comes from sin. Does that mean that a person profits by sinning? The answer is that Hashem decreed that those treasures were going to be given to His nation. If people had not sinned, they would have received those treasures in a much nicer way. For example, by simply banging a picture frame into the wall and discovering the jewels behind it. But if someone sinned and his house contracted tzaraat, he would only find the jewels after having to demolish his entire home. That is not a gain. Similarly, says the Chovot HaLevavot, if someone earns more money by doing something wrong, he must know that if it was meant for him, he would have received it in a much nicer way, with blessing attached to it, and his efforts would have brought him benefit in this world and the next. But now, by doing something wrong, he only lost out. He would have received that money anyway, but instead, he committed an aveirah, which will be negative for him. If a person wants to increase his parnassah, it will not come through extra effort beyond what is necessary. Rather, it can come through bitachon—by understanding that Hashem is the One providing. The bitachon that a person has is a tremendous zechut, which can bring him more blessing. We must never be fooled by the way things appear in the natural world. It may look like extra hours bring more money. It may look like doing something wrong brings more profit. But that is part of the test. Emunah means to see beyond what appears to be and to believe that Hashem is running the world. And when we follow His system, that is where all the blessing lies.

The pasuk says in the beginning of the second parashah this week קדושים תהיו , and Rashi writes, most of the body of the Torah is dependent on this commandment. The Mefarshim discuss, what is it about this mitzvah that is so intrinsic to the fulfillment of the Torah? The Imreh Yitzchak explains, the mitzvot were given to elevate and sanctify us, like we say קדשינו במצוותיך. But in order to attain kedusha from the mitzvot, we need to imbue the body of every mitzvah with a neshama and that neshama is the kavana that we put into them. In the words of the Ben Ish Hai in parashat Beha'alotecha , the entire tikun that is supposed to be brought out by each mitzvah cannot take place without us putting the kavanot into it, because a mitzvah without kavana is like a body without a soul. And this, explains the Imreh Yitzhak is one explanation of the words קדושים תהיו – we are supposed to become sanctified through the mitzvot and that requires us to think before we do each one of them, that we are doing them to fulfill the will of Hashem, and thereby connect ourselves to Him. And that is why this is so intrinsic to the fulfillment of the entire Torah. Rabbi Dessler writes, the future rewards of delighting in the radiance of the Shechina will come about through an extremely strong bond of connection to Hashem. Therefore, if one's mitzvot here are done with the desire to connect to Hashem, that is what is going to establish that great level of connection and enable Hashem, kavayachol , to reward the person with a connection that is many thousands of times greater than that. A little thought can elevate a person's Olam Hazeh and Olam Haba to unimaginable levels. Someone once asked Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurbach about the Mishnah which says, רצה הקב"ה לזכות את ישראל לפיכך הרבה להם תורה ומצוות – Hashem wanted to give merits to the Jewish People so He gave them an abundance of Torah and mitzvot. The man's question was, isn't more Torah and mitzvot seemingly more of a burden? The Rabbi answered, "There are so many mitzvot which involve actions that people are doing anyway, such as putting on their shoes in the morning. Hashem, in His infinite kindness, wanted to give us merits by turning all of those actions into mitzvot by attaching commandments to them, telling us to put on our shoes a certain way, right before left, just to give up more reward." Similarly, there are so many other actions that we do anyway. If we simply have in mind that we are performing a mitzvah when doing them, we will be rewarded for them. I received a sefer called Ka'asher Tziva Hashem , translated into English, written by Rabbi Daniel Garfinkel. The Rabbi opens our eyes, in this sefer , to countless mitzvot that we could fulfill just by having the correct thought process while we are doing them, namely because Hashem commanded us. For example, a young man hears the cries of his newborn baby in the middle of the night. He sees his wife is in a deep sleep and doesn't hear the baby. His initial reaction would be to call to his wife and wake her up. But suddenly, he realizes, putting the baby back to sleep would be a mitzvah from the Torah of gemilut chasadim to both his wife and the baby. He then gets up happily and thinks, לשם מצוות חסד כאשר ציווני ה' , and he goes to put the baby back to sleep, acquiring eternity. Washing one's face in the morning fulfills the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem, brushing one's teeth fulfills the mitzvah of ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם , buying something from a fellow Jew fulfills the mitzvah of וכי תמכרו... , paying a worker fulfills the mitzvah of ביומו תתן שכרו . However, in order to get the proper credit and bring about the kedusha and connection that we want from these actions, we need to have the kavana that we are doing them to fulfill the will of Hashem. Someone who goes about his day having these intentions is living with Hashem on a constant basis. He remembers Hashem in everything he does and thereby establishes a very strong bond with Him. We are in this world to elevate ourselves and become kedoshim and connect ourselves with Hashem for all eternity. The more we can train ourselves to have the proper kavanot , the greater our connection will be. Shabbat Shalom.

There are times when a person feels lacking—something he needs that is very important to him. It may seem small in the grand scheme of things, yet at that moment it means everything. And then, in a way he could never have planned, Hashem provides that exact need at the perfect time. When that happens, a person feels more than ever that Hashem is not just running the world at large, but that He is caring for each individual in the most precise and detailed way imaginable. A rabbi related that his daughter was progressing with a shidduch, and what weighed on him most heavily was the immediate expense he would have to pay the shadchan. It may sound trivial, but for someone who does not have the money, it is a very real pressure. Someone shared with him a powerful story about having bitachon in Hashem, and it gave him a great deal of chizuk. His daughter became engaged, and he knew the shadchan would be at the engagement party—but he still did not have the money. He continued strengthening himself in bitachon, knowing that Hashem has infinite ways to provide. That very day, he received a call regarding a boy who learns in the yeshivah where he teaches. The boy's father explained that his son was returning to the dormitory after being ill and asked the rabbi if he could help him settle back in. This rabbi had helped the boy greatly in the past, which is why the father turned to him. He agreed, and on his way to the engagement, he stopped at the yeshivah and helped the boy organize his belongings. While doing so, he noticed an envelope in one of the boy's bags addressed to him. Later, he opened it and found a heartfelt thank-you letter—and inside was two thousand euros. It was enough to pay the shadchan, to buy a Shas for the new chattan, and there was even some left over. The rabbi was awed at how Hashem provided him with exactly what he needed, at the exact moment he needed it. A man told me that he needed a dining room table very badly, but they were far too expensive for him. The cheapest table he could find, one that matched his dining room and met his needs, was two thousand dollars—still beyond what he could afford. He said to himself, Hashem can give us a dining room table without us having to spend so much money. That very day, he heard about someone giving away a dining room table. He inquired and discovered that it was the perfect size—and it matched as well. He told them he would like it if possible. Within twenty minutes, the table was delivered to his home and set up in his dining room. Just like that, he had received a ten-thousand-dollar table completely free of charge. Hashem is concerned with all of our needs, and if something is good for us to have, He will provide it—often in ways we never could have imagined. Another man said that his wife bakes challot every week, and sometimes they have extras that they know they will not use. Usually, they give them to family members. But the week before Pesach, she told her husband to bring them to shul to see if anyone there might need them. That day, he missed his regular minyan and went to a different shul. There, he gave the challot to the rabbi and asked him to see if anyone might need them. Shortly afterward, a man in that shul saw the rabbi carrying challot and asked about them. It turned out that his housekeeper had accidentally thrown out all of their challot from the freezer while cleaning it for Pesach , including those they had prepared for that very Shabbat. He was overjoyed to receive fresh challot. The man who had brought them later reflected: look how Hashem guided me to a different shul, just so I could bring challot to someone who needed them at that exact time. Whether it is money, a dining room table, or challot for Shabbat, every person has different needs at different times. And it is very comforting to know that Hashem is involved in each person's life—down to the smallest details.

The Zohar HaKadosh writes that a bara mehemna —a faithful child—is one who asks Hashem for his sustenance every single day, even when he already has enough food to eat. And when he does this, Hashem blesses him with more. What is it about this behavior that makes a person so special? Why does this earn him the title of a child of emunah ? We know that when Yaakov Avinu was fleeing from Esav, he was robbed by Eliphaz and lost all of his money. The pasuk tells us that Yaakov then asked Hashem for לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבֹּשׁ —bread to eat and clothing to wear. The mefarshim ask: seemingly, the words le'echol and lilbosh are unnecessary. Of course bread is for eating and clothing is for wearing. Why did the Torah phrase it this way? The sefer Birkat Hamazon BeKavana explains that perhaps Yaakov was saying to Hashem: I want to be a faithful son, one who turns to You every single day. Therefore, please give me only enough bread for today—without extras—and just enough clothing to wear—without extras—so that I will always need to come back to You. However, this explanation is difficult, because we know that later Yaakov became extremely wealthy in the house of Lavan. Was Hashem telling him that He no longer wanted to hear from him every day? Of course not. Rather, the sefer Birkat Hamazon BeKavana explains that being a faithful child has nothing to do with how much a person possesses, but with his attitude. If a person feels that he needs Hashem just to be able to eat and to get dressed each day, then he is considered a bara mehemna . He does not rely on what he has. Instead, he turns to Hashem like a poor beggar, understanding that everything he owns is meaningless unless Hashem wills him to have it. This is what the Zohar means. Even if a person already has what to eat, he must still ask Hashem for his food every day. This is how Hashem wants us to feel, like we always need Him. And when we do, we are called children of emunah—and we draw down extra blessing from Shamayim. After the Jewish people experienced one of the greatest miracles in history at Kriyat Yam Suf, they traveled for three days in the desert without finding water. Then they arrived at a place called Marah, where there was water—but it was too bitter to drink. The Ben Ish Chai asks: why would Hashem bring them to such a situation immediately after such an incredible miracle? He answers with a mashal. There was a boy who dreamed that everything he touched turned to gold. Instantly, he became the wealthiest person in the world. But after some time, he became thirsty and went to drink water. When he touched the cup, it turned to gold. When the water touched his lips, it also turned to gold. He panicked, realizing that despite all his wealth, he could not even drink something as simple as water. He begged for this power to be taken away. Then he woke up—and immediately ran to get a drink of water, appreciating it like never before. After crossing the Yam Suf, the Jewish people collected the gold and jewelry that washed ashore. They became extraordinarily wealthy. There was a danger that they might begin to feel self-sufficient. So Hashem brought them to a place with no drinkable water, to teach them a crucial lesson: no matter how much a person has, without Hashem, he cannot even take a single sip of water. This lesson was essential, because Hashem wants us to succeed—and true success depends on relying on Him, not on what we possess. No matter what a person has, he must understand that he needs Hashem for everything. And when he truly feels that way—when he turns to Hashem daily for even the simplest needs—then he becomes a bara mehemna , a faithful child, worthy of abundant blessing.

Sometimes in life, we are called upon to do things that are difficult. Our initial reaction may be to think, why do I need this now? At that moment, we need what is called mesirut nefesh—to dig down deep and give of ourselves for the sake of Hashem, even though it is hard. When we are moser nefesh, Hashem appreciates our efforts tremendously. Very often, what we perceive as a sacrifice ends up becoming the source of a blessing we could have never imagined. When we give of ourselves, even though it is uncomfortable, knowing that we are working for Hashem, it becomes an act of emunah—recognizing that Hashem sees all of our efforts and values every bit of toil we invest in His service. A man—let's call him Ralph—told me that a couple of years ago he met the head of a platoon in the IDF, and they developed a friendship. Recently, this platoon leader called Ralph and explained that his unit was being stationed on the border with Lebanon. Their boots were old, worn out, and completely insufficient for the harsh conditions ahead. The soldiers desperately needed new boots, but they did not have the funds to pay for them. The platoon leader asked Ralph if he might be willing to help. Ralph asked how much was needed. The answer was clear: boots for thirty-two soldiers, at about two hundred dollars per pair—approximately six thousand dollars. Without hesitation, Ralph responded, "No problem. I'll cover two thousand myself, and I'll call a couple of friends for the rest. Together we'll take care of it." Ralph called his first friend and explained the situation, asking if he could contribute two thousand dollars. The friend hesitated and ultimately declined. He then called a second friend, who also said he was unable to help at that time. Now Ralph faced a real test. His initial thought was, if no one else is helping, why should I? That would have been the easy way out. But instead, he paused and said to himself, Hashem gave me enough money to help these people. They need help now, and I can help them—so I am going to. With courage and determination, he called the platoon leader back and said, "I will cover the entire expense. Tell me where to send the check." Ralph later said he felt tremendous joy for overcoming that initial hesitation—the natural resistance that comes when giving, especially such a large amount at once. He felt he had truly been moser nefesh, placing his trust in Hashem and believing that Hashem values every effort done for His sake. Then something remarkable happened. Ralph is a retired war veteran who was injured while serving in Vietnam. For years, he had been receiving government compensation. The previous year, he had requested a reassessment of his benefits, explaining why he believed he was being underpaid—but his request was denied outright. Now, the very next day after he demonstrated such mesirut nefesh to pay for all the boots himself, he received an email from the veterans office. They had decided to reopen his case—without any new request from him. Upon review, they concluded that he was indeed entitled to a higher payment. Not only that, they backdated the increase, and within a few days, he received over twenty thousand dollars of completely unexpected funds. Ralph immediately understood that this was no coincidence. Why would they suddenly reopen a closed case without any prompting? Hashem was showing him clearly: you did not lose anything by giving for My sake. On the contrary, you gained far more than you could have imagined. Whenever we stretch ourselves to do what is right, even when it is difficult, it opens the door for greater berachah to flow down from Shamayim.

The Midrash says at the beginning of Parashat Tazriya, regarding a woman giving birth to a baby boy: give praise to the name of Avraham Avinu, who came from afar, as it says, וַיִּרְא אֶת הַמָּקוֹם מֵרָחֹק . The Mefarshim are bothered: what does Avraham Avinu have to do with this parasha, and why do Chazal refer to him as "the one who came from afar"? The Chidushei Harim explains that starting with the woman who gives birth, the parasha speaks about different individuals who may feel pushed away by Hashem. The woman who gives birth to a boy has a certain form of tum'a. She is not allowed to eat korbanot for forty days, which means if she gave birth before Pesach, she would not be able to bring the korban Pesach—not on Pesach Rishon, nor on Pesach Sheni. She may think to herself: I was involved in performing a great mitzvah, and now I am banned from the Beit HaMikdash. The next parasha speaks about someone who contracts tzara'at. The Gemara says tzara'at is a mizbe'ach kapara—a mizbe'ach that gives the person kapara. Some explain that it is yesurin shel ahava —afflictions of love. Not every case of tzara'at comes as a result of a sin. When a person is suspected of having tzara'at, he must be in quarantine for a week or two. If it is confirmed, he must be isolated away from everyone. He cannot attend shul, pray with a minyan, or answer Kaddish. He may feel: why is Hashem pushing me away like this? Further on, the parasha speaks about other people who become tameh through no fault of their own. They may feel the same sentiments. Imagine a family on their way up to Yerushalayim for one of the shalosh regalim, attempting to bring a korban to Hashem on the Chag, and after their long travels, they arrive at the Beit HaMikdash and discover that the man of the house has become tameh and cannot participate at all. It will definitely feel like Hashem is rejecting him. For those instances, the Midrash tells us to see what Avraham Avinu would do under such circumstances. Avraham spent his entire life teaching the world about Hashem. All he wanted was a child who would continue in the same path. After decades of waiting, he finally received a miracle child at an advanced age. Imagine the love Avraham had for this child. As the child grew, Avraham was able to teach himTorah and the ways of Hashem. Imagine the love Avraham had for Yitzchak at age five—much greater than at his birth. The love he had at age ten was even greater. He invested so much time and energy into Yitzchak, who was to continue his life's mission. Then, when Yitzchak was thirty-seven, in the prime of his life, Hashem told Avraham to slaughter him. In one second, all of Avraham's hopes and dreams were being denied. All of the love he had for his son was about to make this task extraordinarily difficult. He could have felt, "All I am trying to do is promote the name of Hashem in the world, and now He is pushing me away." Yet Avraham said to himself: if this is what Hashem wants me to do, then this is what I want. Instead of feeling rejected, he marched forward with zerizut and did Hashem's will to the best of his ability. This was one of the greatest acts of service of all time. Hashem was not distancing Avraham. He was elevating him. Hashem never distances anyone. A person may feel distanced, but that is only because he does not understand the ways of Hashem. When a person becomes tameh, it is not Hashem saying, "I do not want your korban." It is Hashem saying: "I want a different service from you now. I want you to accept that this is what is best for you, and serve Me from the place I have placed you." For that, a person will gain far more than he would have from bringing the korban. When people feel that Hashem is not interested in their service, yet they still do the best they can, that service elevates them enormously. Hashem may appear to be far from us at times, but He is always close. He always wants our avodah, no matter how it may seem. If we strengthen ourselves during those times and continue to serve Him joyfully, to the best of our ability, we will rise to the greatest levels.

During these days of sefirat ha'omer , we are supposed tobe working hard on improving our mitzvot ben adam l'chavero . Chazal tell us shalom is so great that Hashem allows His sacred Name to be erased justto help bring peace between husband and wife. Bringing peace between people isthe vehicle that is going to bring the Shechina out of it's long exile. Chazal also say there is no vessel that can hold beracha other than shalom. Itis incumbent upon us to be mivakesh shalom. We have to humble ourselvesand forgive people, and humble ourselves and treat people with respect. Shalomopens all the gates of beracha . Rabbi Yaakov Shaish told a story which I most probably have toldonce before because I recognized it when I heard it, but hearing it againinspired me, so it can't hurt to repeat. It began when a representative from acertain yeshiva in Israel came to Montreal to collect. Every year this Rabbimade his regular stops and collected enough for the yeshiva to operate. Oneyear in Montreal at a wealthy man's home, he noticed the man looking verydepressed. He inquired about it and then the man broke down saying, "Lookaround, I have the most beautiful home but it's empty because Hashem did notbless us with children." The Rabbi started telling the man about differentorganizations that help with fertility. And then the man interrupted himsaying, "Rabbi, you don't understand. The doctors told us there is nothingwrong with me and there is nothing wrong with my wife. I'm pretty sure I knowwhy this is happening to us. When I was in yeshiva in Israel one year on Purim,I was a little drunk and I started humiliating one of my friends there. I wenton and on until that boy was too embarrassed, he couldn't even show his facethere. Later on I begged for forgiveness, but he adamantly refused. I have beentrying year after year, but this person, who is now a man, refuses to even talkto me". The Rabbi asked for this person's information and said he would try tobring about shalom between them. When the Rabbi got back to Israel, he went to that man's house.The moment he mentioned the reason for his visit, the man politely asked him toleave his home. The Rabbi said, "Please, this man regrets what he did, he issuffering now. He has no children and he desperately wants you to forgive him." The man said, "I hope he never has children! Please leave." As the Rabbi was walking out, he said "please allow me to tellyou just one more thing. I know that after 120 you are going to face theHeavenly Court and at that time, any humiliation you ever went through willappear totally insignificant, it will not bother you in the slightest bit.Hashem is going to tell you, There was a Jew in Canada who desperatelywanted to have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and he wasbegging you to help him. It was your hakpada that prevented all of thoseneshamot to enter into the world in his family. And when you're there, Iknow you're going to regret not forgiving him. But, it's never too late. Now,you still have a chance to do it." The man was silent and he asked the Rabbi to give him a minuteto think. Fifteen minutes later he said, "Okay, I forgive him." The Rabbi said, "No, that's not enough, you have to tell him.Can I get him on the phone?" He said, "Okay." The Rabbi dialed the number and then told thewealthy man he was there with his friend and he was ready to forgive him. Theman took the phone and he said, "I don't want to talk to you, but I want totell you that I forgive you." The wealthy man from Canada immediately beganapologizing and expressing his remorse again and again. Then he asked if hecould please give him a beracha to have children. At first this man saidno way, but then the wealthy man began crying and begging. Finally the managreed and he said, "May it be Hashem's will that you have children." By the end of that year, this man was holding his first child.There is nothing in the world that can hold blessing like shalom.

The more a person pays attention to the hashgachah of Hashem in his life, the more he will come to appreciate Hashem, and the more he will come to rely upon Him. Rabbi Pinchas Shefer related that a man told him that as Pesach was approaching, he and his wife realized there were many things they needed. They decided to take out two sheets of paper. On the first sheet, they listed everything that Hashem had already given them—family, health, talents, children, a home, jobs, and much more. They continued adding all the different items they owned, their furniture, their belongings—everything they had only because Hashem wanted them to have it. The list kept growing longer and longer. Then they took out a second sheet of paper and began listing all the things they would need for Pesach. That list also became very long. They even included items that were not strictly necessary, but would enhance their simchat Yom Tov. Looking at the two lists strengthened their emunah tremendously. They clearly saw how much bounty Hashem had already given them, and their belief that He would continue to lovingly provide for all of their needs—and even their wants—became very real. And indeed, Hashem did not let them down. As the days and weeks passed, they kept crossing off more and more items from the second list and adding them to the first. Some they were able to purchase, and some they received "incidentally". There were even very expensive items on their list, and by the time Pesach arrived, they somehow had every single one of them. Hashem takes care of our big needs and our small needs—it is up to us to recognize it. A woman living in Eretz Yisrael said that one day she wanted to go for a walk, but she had no pockets to hold her phone and house key, so she wore a jacket. It was a very hot day, and she was uncomfortable wearing it. As she walked, she thought how nice it would be to have a small shoulder purse to carry her things instead. When she returned from her walk, she noticed that someone had left a bag of clothing and accessories near a public bin for anyone who wanted them. As she looked through it, she found exactly what she had wished for—a perfect leather shoulder purse. She felt tremendous joy seeing how Hashem had taken care of even such a small detail in her life. A man—we'll call him Jack—told me that he was recently on a train during allergy season and began sneezing. Usually, he carried tissues in his jacket, but that day, because of the warm weather, he had not worn it. With his nose running and a forty-minute ride ahead of him, it seemed like it would be a very uncomfortable trip. He tried thinking of ways to get a tissue, but nothing worked. He then decided to simply read his daily Tehillim as usual. Just then, someone sat down next to him. As the man sat, a small pack of tissues slipped out of his pocket and landed directly on Jack's lap. Jack picked it up and told the man that he thought it had fallen from him. The man thanked him, and Jack politely asked if he could have one tissue. Of course, the man agreed. Jack was in awe. Hashem had practically placed the tissue directly into his hands at the exact moment he needed it. And he realized something powerful: Just as Hashem can provide for our smallest needs in an instant, He can just as easily take care of our greatest needs in an instant. The more we open our eyes and recognize the constant hashgachah that Hashem has over every moment of our lives, the more at ease we will feel, knowing that we are always in His hands.

A person who lives his life with bitachon in Hashem merits to receive extraordinary heavenly help. The more we believe and trust in Hashem, the more He shows us that He is taking care of us. Having bitachon—recognizing that Hashem is the only One in control, and feeling that He is our loving Father Who is waiting to help us—is an enormous zechut. It brings down abundant blessing from Shamayim. Rabbi Yisrael Brog told an amazing story that took place recently. The rabbi, with Hashem's help, opened many kolelim in Eretz Yisrael this past year. The way he did it was by approaching individuals and asking them if they would be interested in opening a kollel for very chashuv learners. People would often respond that they had never heard of sponsoring an entire kollel on their own. The rabbi would then gently explain: if a person can own multiple homes by himself, he can certainly consider owning a kollel by himself as well. He would describe the tremendous zechut of supporting twenty to thirty scholars who are learning Torah full-time. Baruch Hashem, to date, he successfully established ten different kolelim. For the eighth kollel, the man he approached was convinced and agreed to take it upon himself. He committed to sending tens of thousands of dollars each month, every ערב ראש חודש . The rabbi told him, "You are fortunate to have the zechut to support Torah in such a way." A few weeks later, ערב ראש חודש arrived, and the money had still not come. The rabbi called the man and said, "Shalom Aleichem, Eli." The person on the other end replied, "My name is not Eli. It's Yonasan." The rabbi immediately apologized for dialing the wrong number and then proceeded to call Eli. Eli answered and explained that he felt bad, but the month had not gone as expected financially. He admitted that he had jumped into the commitment too quickly and now wished to withdraw. Instead of pleading with him—even though he was now left with a tremendous financial obligation—the rabbi simply responded, "I am sorry that you do not have the merit to own your own kollel. But I bless you that in the future, you should merit it." The Rebbetzin, who had overheard the conversation, asked her husband what he was planning to do about the large sum of money that was now missing. The rabbi replied with a remarkable display of bitachon: "Do you think Hashem will not take care of me? He has taken care of me my entire life. Why should this be any different?" He then began to think about whom he should call. Perhaps, he thought, Hashem had already prepared the salvation—even before he realized that Eli had backed out—by causing him to dial that wrong number. After all, what are the chances that he would call from Cleveland to New York and mistakenly reach a fellow Jew who introduced himself as Yonasan? The rabbi called that number again. He began, "I just called you a few minutes ago by mistake—" The man quickly interrupted him. "Please stop right there. My rabbi taught me that there is no such thing as a mistake in this world. Everything is מן השמים ." The rabbi smiled and said, "I like your rabbi. What is his name?" The man replied, "Rabbi Yisrael Brog." At that point, Rabbi Brog introduced himself. He then said, "I have no doubt that you are the one Hashem has in mind to open this kollel." Yonasan responded immediately, "I agree with you one hundred percent, Rabbi." The rabbi explained that the cost would be tens of thousands of dollars each month. Yonasan answered calmly, "Yes, I know. That's fine." The rabbi, surprised, asked him, "Do you always have that kind of money available?" Yonasan replied, "Because of you, Rabbi—now I do." He then explained. A few months earlier, he had heard a class given by Rabbi Brog. Someone had asked whether it would be wise to open a second business when he already had one successful business. The rabbi answered with a mashal from the Chafetz Chaim. It is like a person who has a barrel of wine with one spigot. If he opens a second spigot, it will not increase the amount of wine—it will only cause the wine to flow out faster. So too, if a person has a functioning business, Hashem will send him everything that is destined for him through that business. Opening another one will not increase his income; it will only spread his efforts. The rabbi concluded that investing significant time and energy into a second business would be foolish. Yonasan said that he already had a successful family business, and about a year earlier, they had opened a second business that was also doing very well. Not wanting to act foolishly, he shared the class with his brothers, and together they decided that all the profits from the second business would be dedicated solely to supporting Torah. "That," Yonasan concluded, "is why the money is available." He then added, "Hashem used you to prepare the funds that you would eventually need." The yeshuah that the rabbi experienced was truly extraordinary. He trusted that Hashem would take care of him—and Hashem showed him, clearly and openly, that He does.

We are living through a time when the Yad Hashem is being revealed in a very obvious way. Thousands of missiles have been fired toward Eretz Yisrael. Missiles designed to destroy, to devastate, and רחמנא ליצלן cause unimaginable loss of life. And yet, the numbers tell a story that defies all logic. We are witnessing open miracles. Missiles landing in areas that should have been crowded, and somehow they were left completely empty. Buildings taking direct hits with people inside who walk away unscathed. Sirens going off seconds before impact, giving people just enough time to reach safety. A rabbi from Bnei Brak told me that on Pesach, he felt like he was experiencing miracles similar to those of Yetziat Mitzrayim. He felt the ground shaking all around his neighborhood from explosions, and not one of them caused even a single injury. Part of a cluster bomb landed directly on top of a yeshiva, but it never exploded. A man from Bnei Brak said that on one Shabbat, he was sitting in his home, peacefully immersed in the study of Torah. His son's family was staying with them, and the atmosphere was perfectly suited for a calm, beautiful Shabbat afternoon. But at 4:30, suddenly, he was startled by a tremendous explosion. He immediately realized it was not just a distant interception, but rather a direct impact somewhere very close. He opened the door to his room, and to his horror, black smoke immediately rushed in, accompanied by the smell of fire. He was stunned. The missile had hit his home. He managed to reach the hallway near the living room, and there he saw his son, completely white from head to toe, covered in thick dust. Around them was devastation. In a matter of seconds, the entire house had become a pile of ruins. A fear of Hashem overtook them, and in the midst of it, he stood alive next to his son, who was also alive—and then his grandson joined them as well. They looked around and saw that what was once a home had turned into nothing, and they were unable to comprehend the open miracle of how, in the midst of destruction, their lives were spared. They felt the hashgachah peratit crying out from every shard of glass, every piece of concrete, and every fragment of metal. The missile had landed in the very room where his son and grandson had been learning. He discovered afterward that his other children were alive on the balcony. His son-in-law lived in the apartment above, and all ten windows in both of their living rooms had shattered completely, flying apart with tremendous force. The concrete ceiling had broken apart, and huge, terrifying, heavy chunks of concrete hung in the air, supported only by iron rods that managed to hold them. They felt the words of a pasuk in Tehillim: יִפֹּל מִצִּדֶּךָ אֶלֶף וּרְבָבָה מִימִינֶךָ אֵלֶיךָ לֹא יִגָּשׁ -"A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right, but it will not come near you" Everyone survived—including a one-and-a-half-year-old baby who had been sleeping, his daughter-in-law and her newborn, as well as her son and two daughters who were staying with them. Not only did they survive, not even one drop of blood was drawn from them. There were also twenty people caught in the stairwell trying to get to a safe room, and none of them were harmed. It was so clear that Hashem was protecting them. The hashgachah that Hashem has upon His children is truly amazing. A rabbi from Eretz Yisrael told me that this past year there was an avrech who learns full-time in a kollel standing at the checkout line in a grocery store, and the cashier told him he owed 1,500 shekels. The man on line behind him said he wanted to pay it. The avrech thanked him and said he was okay paying himself. The man insisted, and then explained that he works with the Iron Dome. Other countries have asked Israel to help them set up the same system in their countries, and he is very involved in this. However, those countries—such as Azerbaijan—have only about a 50 percent success rate, while in Israel it is over 90 percent. It is the exact same system. There is no rational explanation. He said, "It must be in the zechut of people like you, who are protecting us with your Torah learning. That is why I want to pay your bill." The Yad Hashem is so clear and so obvious. Let us appreciate how much He is always protecting us.

The pasuk says that the Jewish people cried out to Hashem in tefillah during their harsh slavery in Mitzrayim, and Hashem heard their tefillot and remembered the treaty He made with Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and then He redeemed them. Although Chazal tell us many reasons for what brought about the ge'ulah from Mitzrayim—such as the emunah that they had in Hashem, the merit of the righteous women, the fact that they stayed separate in name, language, and dress, that they remained morally pure, and that they did not speak lashon hara—it seems from the pasuk that the final catalyst to bring the ge'ulah was their prayers. It is brought down in the sefer Chafetz Chaim al HaTorah that toward the end of the Chafetz Chaim's life, at a seudah shelishit on Parashat Shemot in front of many gedolim, the Rav said, "that it is known the Jewish people were finally redeemed from Mitzrayim because of their tefillot. And we have a tradition from the Navi Micha that our future redemption will be just like the one from Mitzrayim, as it says: כִּימֵי צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אַרְאֶנּוּ נִפְלָאוֹת In Mitzrayim, everything was ready for the ge'ulah to happen. Moshe Rabbeinu was already born, and everything was in place. Yet it appears from the pesukim that without tefillah, they would not have been redeemed. All Hashem was waiting for was His children to cry out to Him that they wanted to be redeemed. For our ge'ulah, which we hope will come very soon, our tefillot are essential to bring it about. It could be that everything is ready, and all that is necessary is our tefillot to finish it off. Therefore, I am going to travel to the Gadol Hador, Rav Chaim Ozer, and ask him to tell Klal Yisrael to strengthen themselves in prayer for the ge'ulah, and then we will finally be zoche to be redeemed from this long and bitter exile." After seudah shelishit, the Chafetz Chaim told the chazan in the shul to go a little quicker so he could leave to go see Rav Chaim Ozer. In the end, the Chafetz Chaim's family convinced him not to travel due to the life danger it would pose at his advanced age. So the Chafetz Chaim told someone to send a message to Rav Shimon Shkop to tell him to go instead. However, due to technical difficulties, that did not happen either. After the Chafetz Chaim found out that nobody went to Rav Chaim Ozer, he said, "We just missed an opportune time for the ge'ulah." The message of the Chafetz Chaim at that time is actually a Midrash in Shemot Rabbah, which quotes Hashem as saying that when the Jewish people cry out to Me, their salvation will come. That is what happened by the burning bush, that is what happened during the days of Gidon, and that is what will happen for the final ge'ulah to take place. We are still in the month of Nisan, which Chazal tell us is a very opportune time for ge'ulah. There are major things going on in the world at large, with a focus on Eretz Yisrael. Who knows what kind of opportunity we have at this time. It is incumbent upon all of us to strengthen ourselves and pray for the ge'ulah shelemah. We put so much emphasis on praying for things that we need—like parnassah, refuah, and shidduchim. We cry and beg Hashem for salvations, but we must not put any less effort into praying for the ge'ulah shelemah. It is going to be our prayers that will produce the moment that all of Klal Yisrael has been anticipating since the beginning of time. The Mashiach may very well be here and waiting. It is up to us to make it happen. Let us put more focus in the Amidah on the berachot that have to do with the ge'ulah, and be'ezrat Hashem, Hashem will hear His children crying out to Him and give us the Mashiach Tzidkeinu b'karov. Amen

One of the lessons we learn from Yitziat Mitzrayim is never to despair no matter how bad things seem to get. When Moshe Rabbenu first informed the Jewish People that they were going to be redeemed from their torturous slavery, things only got much worse. And even when the makot finally began, the Jewish People still had to wait an entire year to be freed. Sometimes the process of salvation takes time but we must consider the fact that the wheels may already be in motion to salvation and our emunah to keep going and do the best we can in our avodat Hashem will only hasten that process. Sometimes it is precisely our ability to move forward during the hard times that ultimately proves to be our merit to gaining salvation. There was an 8 th grade girl with exceptional middot but had very poor grades. And because her grades were so bad, she had a very hard time getting accepted into a high school. The high school that all her friends were going to rejected her and no matter how hard her parents tried to get the school to change its mind, they were adamant about their decision. When the new school year came around, this girl had nowhere to go. Her parents felt dejected and their spirits were broken, but the girl herself was still in good spirits. On the first day of school, she decided she wanted to be productive and so she volunteered at one of the local hospitals. She spent the day tending to a sick girl, a little younger than her, and was able to lift her spirits a lot. That afternoon when she was about to leave, a woman entered the room and was happily greeted by the patient. The woman was the patient's grandmother. She asked the other girl why she wasn't in school. The girl was a little embarrassed to admit the truth, but she told her it was because she couldn't get into high school. The woman said to her, "As of tomorrow, you will be in school." Turned out, this woman was the principal of the school which all her friends got accepted to. Now, seeing her superlative middot , she changed her decision and she accepted her despite her poor grades. This girl's ability to keep going happily, despite her rejection, was the catalyst to her salvation. On Erev Pesach of 2021, an avrech from Elad, who moved to Israel from France, was given a very large food package as a gift to help him for the holiday. In addition, he was given two pounds of hand made matzot with an excellent hechsher . He was very grateful to the generous donor who gave that to him, but he had already bought all of the matzot that he needed for the holiday and really didn't need these. He asked his friends and neighbors if they needed any and they replied they already had. That afternoon, his wife asked him to pick up something from the store. He was almost sure the store would be closed, being that it was already 1:45 in the afternoon, but he went anyway. When he arrived, he saw the store was closed and got back into his car, but before he pulled away, he noticed another man knocking on the store window, which caught his attention. He got out of his car and asked that man what he needed. The man replied, his boss made him stay at work extra and he didn't get a chance to buy matzot yet for the Seder. He said when he saw the store was closed, he didn't want to give up, he was hoping maybe someone would still be inside and would open the door for him, so he knocked. The avreich told him not to worry, to follow him to his house because he had two pounds of matzot there that he could give him. The avreich was so happy when he gave that man the matzot, he told his Rabbi the story that night in shul. The Rabbi told him, if that man would have just left the store without knocking, you would have never noticed him and you would have left and he wouldn't have gotten matzot. In truth, Hashem had matzot set aside for him in Elad. When he didn't give up, but rather knocked on the door making that extra effort, then he was able to access the gift that Hashem had waiting for him. Our ability to always be hopeful and do our jobs happily, despite going through difficulties will truly make us great. Shabbat Shalom.

We say in the Haggadah that if Hashem did not take us out of Mitzrayim, we would still have been slaves to Pharaoh there. The mefarshim ask: didn't Hashem promise Abraham that He would redeem his children from Mitzrayim after 400 years? So even if we did not leave early at 210 years, Hashem would still have had to redeem us eventually. So how could we say that we would still be slaves there even until today? The Beit HaLevi answers based on the words of the Arizal, who said that if the Jewish people would have remained in Mitzrayim any longer than they did, they would have sunk into the fiftieth level of tumah. At that point, they would have lost their connection to the holy Avot and would no longer be considered the zaro(seed) of Abraham, similar to Esav and Yishmael. In that state, indeed, they would never have been redeemed. Rav Leib Chasman writes that we see from here the awesome power of a moment in time. Instead of being stuck in Mitzrayim on the fiftieth level of tumah, Hashem rushed the Jewish people out of there at the last moment. They then became elevated to be the Am Hashem for all eternity and to receive the Torah at Har Sinai. How quickly things can change in just a single moment. When a person is going through a hard time and it seems like things will never change, he must strengthen his hope and belief that Hashem can change everything in a moment. A man related that he was working in an office with little potential for growth. There were days when he would sit for hours upon hours with nothing to do. His boss kept telling him things were going to change, but they never did. He had no choice but to send his resume to other companies. He was told about a great job opportunity at a wholesale company and quickly sent his resume there. They called him shortly afterward, saying it looked like the position was already being filled. He found himself once again stuck in a job with little potential, and there were not many good options available. One day, he said to himself, "I am exactly where Hashem wants me to be, and therefore I have to do whatever work I have with joy." As he was waiting for instructions from his boss that day, he called a hotline and listened to a few clips on emunah. He became so encouraged. He walked down the hallway of that office building feeling so happy. At that moment, he received a call saying that the other job was available and that they wanted him. It was an amazing offer with a very high salary. He became so strengthened, seeing the hand of Hashem pulling him out of a job he was not happy with to a job that was perfect for him. All it took was one moment. A young woman shared that this past year she began reading a book on emunah to give her strength while going through shidduchim. Recently, she realized she was getting close to the end of the book and was dating a boy very seriously. She was thinking to herself how nice it would be if she could finish the book right as she got engaged. But a couple of days later, they both realized they were not for each other, and it ended. It was obviously very disappointing for her. She then pictured herself having to start the book all over again once she finished, needing the strength to continue on. However, Hashem, in His infinite kindness, sent her the boy that was meant for her literally the next day. Baruch Hashem, they had a very smooth and quick dating experience, and she finished the book just as she got engaged to him. She thought there would be no way for that to happen, as she was nearing the end of the book with nothing to look forward to. And then, all of a sudden, in one moment, Hashem sent her the greatest yeshuah, and she celebrated her engagement shortly afterward. So much can happen in one moment of time. We must never underestimate the ability of Hashem to give us the most glorious salvations in the blink of an eye.