Emuna Beams

Rebbe Nachman is showing us in his classic tale the importance of connecting to a righteous spiritual guide. We see that the road to accomplishing any true goal is strewn with obstacles.

The 13th Principle of Emuna is our belief that death as we know it today is a passing stage. It is definitely not terminal, for we believe in the resurrection of the dead. This principle is so very important that we allude to it six times in the initial three-benediction section of the Amidah prayer, which we recite every single day, weekdays, Sabbath and festivals…

Here's a simple plan that anyone can do to dramatically improve health and well-being. It addresses the needs of both body and soul.

The king and queen were childless and they yearned for a son. They summoned a secret tzaddik to pray for them. The tzaddik promised that they would have a son, made exclusively of rare jewels. We are all looking forward to seeing this prince...

Even though Moshiach (the Messiah) has not yet come, we eagerly anticipate his arrival. The advent of the Messianic era includes the Geula, the full redemption of our people, the ingathering of the exiles to our holy homeland of Israel and the rebuilding of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem. We believe that this can happen at any moment…

Did you ever wonder why people are willing to exert themselves so much to climb mountains? Your soul wants to do the same thing, but you don't need a Mount Everest to gain a magnificent view of the world and of yourself. In Elul, Hashem is especially close to you...

This tale is the key to understanding our own lives. Rebbe Nachman shows us our Divine souls, "the King's son", which is none other than a metaphor for that very part of us that is a spark of the Almighty. Why are we not aware of this? "The son of the maidservant," the body, gets in the way. Who is that midwife who exchanged the children at birth? Look in the mirror…

Hashem grants mankind the free will to do good or evil, for there can be no concept of reward and punishment outside the context of free choice. Therefore, there cannot be the slightest coercion in either direction. Simply speaking, it's your choice.

The Torah tells us that Sarah lived to the age of 127 (Genesis 23:1). Rashi, our foremost biblical commentator explains that they were all equally good years. How could that be true? Few women in history had a more difficult and apparently miserable life that our Matriarch Sarah. Her life was a never-ending saga of trials and tribulations...

Let's not be fooled when we see ourselves surrounded by injustice and falsehood. This is none other than a correction of the world and our souls in particular. Ultimately, truth always prevails so don't despair. This tale is the key to understanding our own lives.  Today's lesson reviews part 1 and presents the completion of the story. 

This is the belief in Hashem's omniscience. Since His Divine Direction determines everything, no thought, utterance or occurrence in the universe is unknown to Him. Learn all about the Divine GPS...

Hashem fashioned the entire universe and everything in it from the greatest macro to the tiniest micro in accordance to His Torah. Therefore, if the Torah would be rescinded or replaced, the world would cease to exist. Not only the blueprint of creation, the Torah is the sustenance of creation as well.

The midwife switched the babies at birth. The king's son grew up as the son of the servant, and the servant's son grew up as the son of a king. The result is a story of suspense, confusion and the key to understanding our own lives.

The 7th and 8th Principles of Emuna are closely related. Whereas the 7th is our belief in the prophecy of Moses, our 8th is the belief that the Torah we have today is the same one that the Almighty gave to Moses atop Mount Sinai.

Some interpret this intriguing tale as Rebbe Nachman's autobiography. In any event, it portrays the battle of good against evil and the international war against the revelation of righteousness.

Our 6th of the 13 Principles of Emuna is our belief in the message of the true prophets. Why is it so critically important to know that the words of the prophets are true?

After reviewing Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4, we conclude Rebbe Nachman's classic tale, which hints at the ingathering of the exiles and the imminent coming of Moshiach.

This principle is the foundation of monotheism, forbidding idolatry and false gods, thereby precluding worship or submission to anyone or anything else other than the Creator.

After reviewing Parts 1, 2 and 3, we continue with Rebbe Nachman's classic tale, which hints at the frustrating efforts of the true Messiah to reveal himself. But in the end, it will all be good.

The Creator defies time and space. He is infinite and eternal, preceding the beginning of time and existing forever even after the end of time. Learning this vital principle of emuna is conducive to inner peace and longevity.

What would you think a man or woman's worst evil inclination is? You'll be surprised, just like the women of the "Nishmas" group I spoke to last week were...

After reviewing Parts 1 and 2, we continue with Rebbe Nachman's classic tale, which hints at the painful, seemingly endless exile of the Divine Presence. Even more painful are the frustrating efforts of the true Messiah to reveal himself. But in the end, it will all be good.

The Creator defies any description, nor can a mortal understand Him or His workings in any way. Kabbalistic terminology refers to Hashem as Ein Sof, "The Infinite," for there is nothing tangible or finite about Hashem. Since the human intellect is both tangible and finite, it can neither grasp Hashem nor comprehend His incorporeality. Why is this concept so difficult for people to accept?

King David spoke from the soul. As the Almighty's anointed, his soul contained the sparks of all of our souls. His exquisite words are the protocols of his intimate discourse with the Almighty. These words illuminated his soul in the darkness that he faced his entire life. Therefore, when we say them too, they also glow and illuminate our souls in the midst of today's darkness that stands between us and happiness. The Book of Psalms in Spoken English is now available online at Amazon in 3 distinct formats: hardcover, paperback and ebook. Let King David's glowing words brighten your soul. The feeling is somewhere between exquisite and sublime, somewhere lofty in the realm of inspiration where everything glows.

After reviewing Part 1, we continue with Rebbe Nachman's classic tale, which hints at the painful, seemingly endless exile of the Divine Presence. Even more painful are the frustrating efforts of the true Messiah to reveal himself. He too must suffer exile and tribulations. This is poignant portrait of dedication shows the national characteristics that will surely hasten Moshiach.

Some of history's most brilliant minds have misconstrued the concept of "One perfect, infinite and inseparable whole…perfectly unified." We are talking about the very core of monotheism. The principle of Divine Unity is therefore universal, not just Jewish. The reason that great minds and intellectuals so frequently fail to understand the notion of Divine Unity is because it defies intellect. Emuna in general and the principle of Divine Unity in particular only begin where intellect leaves off...

Here's how to save lives (including your own) in 90 seconds:

In one of Rebbe Nachman's most cryptic allegories, he encapsulates the historical cycle of exile and redemption. This is a beautiful portrait of dedication, simplicity and purity, the national characteristics that hasten Moshiach.

Ein Od Milvado - there is no one but Him. Hashem is everything. We need not look anywhere else for anything we need in material or spiritual abundance and salvation. For anyone who yearns for inner peace, Hashem is your one-stop shopping address. Today's lesson teaches us the first of the 13 Principles of Emuna.

After we review parts 1 and 2, we see the completion of the dramatic turnaround. The Simple One becomes a wise and successful national leader who rises to the pinnacle of success. The Clever One falls into ignominy and finds himself neck-deep in the evil-angel's swamp...

Why bother learning emuna? Why bother searching for truth at all? What difference does either make? Modern society says, "Let me enjoy my life and don't bother me with the details." The problem with that type of attitude is that a life oriented toward appetite – fulfillment and material enjoyment - never attains what it seeks, let alone lasting happiness and fulfillment.

Guide for the perplexed: Rabbi Lazer Brody explains why Israel had no other alternative than making an immediate preemptive strike against Iran, its military infrastructure and its nuclear facilities. This is a current-events report with an emuna orientation.

An inherent law in creation is that the Creator lowers the haughty to ground-level zero but uplifts the humble above the clouds. No one should ever disdain another human being, for often, there's a turnaround, as Rebbe Nachman shows us in Part 2 of "The Clever One and the Simple One."

Rebbe Nachman's classic tale inspired me to compose this melody. Not only is this my favorite story, but the "Simple One" is my favorite character. It's the story of the underdog. Wherever he goes, people are smarter, stronger and more talented than he is. He's the brunt of endless ridicule and disparagement. He has one major virtue - simple emuna. Rebbe Nachman shows us where that takes him. See the lyrics below in English and in Hebrew. Credits: Guitar, arrangement: Guy Tzvi Mintz Violin: Daniel Ahaviel Melody, Lyric, native Israeli flutes: Rabbi Lazer Brody English I'll tell you a story from old, about a simple person with a plain mind. Despite that fact that people ridiculed him, by virtue of his innocence and integrity, he became the Viceroy of the kingdom. People call me simpleton But that just suits me fine I don't look at other folks I'm happy with what's mine So what if they have a high IQ And I'm not very smart They complain all the time But I'm happy with my part.   Everyone makes fun of me But I really do not care It's better to be a simple guy Than some high-brow debonair.   עברית אספר לכם סיפור מימים ימימה, על איש תם עם שיכל פשוט. למרות שכולם לעגו לו, בסופו של דבר, בזכות תמימותו וישרותו, נהיה משנה למלך. זה מעשה שלו וזה מעשה שלי למה לנו לסתכל ולדבר על אחרים אז מה אם כולם חכמים ואני תמים לרוב הם תמיד מתלוננים ולי תמיד טוב...   כל העולם צוחק עלי בלב כה רם אך טוב יותר להיות תמים ולא להיות חכם!    החכם אוכל אומצת בקר ואני אוכל פרוסה הוא רודף תענוגים ולי אין שום תאוה הוא אף פעם לא מרוצה ולי יש הסתפקות החכם תמיד מדוכא אך אני תמיד מבסוט!   כל העולם צוחק עלי בלב כה רם אך טוב יותר להיות תמים ולא להיות חכם! 

No other creation in the universe has the attribute of free choice, for no other creation has a Divine soul, a human soul and an animal soul. By learning the anatomy of free choice, we see how the human can rise higher than an angel or lower than a beast of burden.

Like all of Rebbe Nachman's tales, "The Clever One and the Simple One" is a kaleidoscope. Superficially, it's a guide to success and happiness. On a deeper level, it signifies the battle between simple emuna and intellectual sophistication. Today's lesson introduces us to our two protagonists.

Who doesn't yearn for a stress-free life? Is it possible? As we see today, when one border becomes quiet, another border flares up. Even if someone tries to avoid the war in Israel, they'll encounter antisemitism in France, the UK, Canada and the USA. There's no escaping. But we can cope, even be happy. We only need to learn a bit of spiritual anatomy…

This amazing 2-minute message reflects the simple conclusion of an IDF infantry soldier in Gaza. The question, "Do we know what we're fighting for" helps us reassess our priorites in life.

Despite the cryptic inferences in this story as in all of Rebbe Nachman's tales, we can understand on a personal level. This tale maps our individual journey of searching and finding Hashem.

Only seven short weeks prior, the People of Israel were still slaves in Egypt. But now, they willingly accepted a different type of servitude, accepting the yoke of the Torah and its commandments. They had no idea of what to expect. Three Hebrew words changed the course of history. The greatest sound and light show that the universe ever saw was about to begin…

How can a Jew possibly survive a world full of tyrant kings, inquisitions, pogroms and worse? Rebbe Nachman's tale provides the unexpected answer, which is also a template of world events, past and present…

In our fourth and concluding lesson in the Book of Ruth, we see the roundabout measures that Hashem takes, within the apparent framework of nature, to fool the Evil Inclination and bring Moshiach.

The discovery of vaccines shows that there's no discrepancy between science and Torah. Since the Torah is the Almighty's blueprint for creating the world, all the true scientific knowledge is in the Torah. Many of our sages, such as the Gaon of Vilna, the Shatzer Rov of London and the Chazon Ish were mathematical and scientific geniuses...

Let's see how the Lost Princess describes our own journey in life. If we look carefully, each of us can see ourselves and our particular challenge in life mirrored in this story...

Who would believe that a chance encounter between one of ancient Israel's most esteemed noblemen and an impoverished foreign convert would change the course of history? Welcome to Chapter Two of The Book of Ruth…

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev tells a series of deep, thought-provoking tales, the first of which is the "Lost Princess." This tale unlocks the secret of both the general redemption and of our innermost selves.

Chapter One of The Book of Ruth is a lesson in Hashem's precision Divine Direction of the world, all its creations and each of us in particular. Elimelech, the richest man in ancient Isreal, thought that he could outsmart the Almighty. He learned the hard way that his efforts were in vain. Yet, Hashem uses his free will to bring Moshiach…

In one of his most encouraging teachings, Rebbe Nachman shows how a person can attain eternal life. A person who hears this lesson is no longer afraid of death. Don't let this world confuse you.

We don't need Hollywood or Netflix. If you want to enjoy a poignant love story, open the Book of Ruth. You'll also encounter a deep moral and social message that you'll never find in Hollywood.

We have no idea what we're accomplishing on Seder night. Our sages tell us that it's Hashem's favorite night of the year. The entire Passover Seder is about gratitude. There's an individual message for everyone in the family as well as our guests. No one is left out.

The most important of Rebbe Nachman's teachings is about hitbodedut, personal prayer, one's intimate private conversations with the Creator. Discourse 25 of Part II deals with this vital subject. We learn that each of us has the priceless birthright of our own personal relationship with Him. This is an asset greater than anything, which only a fortunate few take advantage of.