Podcasts about baruch hashem

For a 10% discount on Rabbi David Ashear's new book LIVING EMUNAH VOL 8 click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422644645.html The pasuk says at the beginning of this week's parasha that Balak saw all that Yisrael did to the Emorim and he became afraid. Rav Moshe Sternbuch asked, why did Balak become afraid specifically from the Jew beating the Emorim ? They had done much greater things before this which should have caused Balak to become afraid of them, like obliterating the Mitzrim or Kriyat Yam Suf . The Rabbi quoted from the Kli Yakar who answered, what Yirsrael did to the Emorim is referring to a different episode, namely when Yaakov Avinu, whose name is also Yisrael, defeated the Emorim with his tefilot back in parashat Vayechi , before Yetziat Mitzrayim . Balak said to himself, if the Jews can take down an entire nation using their prayers, how are we going to stand up to them? This is why he hired Bilaam, who also had powers with his mouth. Later on in the parasha , when Bilaam blessed the Jewish People, he was in awe of how they wake up every morning like lions to grab mitzvot , putting on tallit and tefillin and reciting keriyat shema . These are our greatest treasures. The more we use the power of our mouths for good, the more blessing will come down from Hashem. Rabbi Elimelech Biderman related a story that a rabbi from New York told him. The rabbi said this past year around Hanukah time, he read an amazing story about an older boy who was having a lot of difficulty finding his zivug. Baruch Hashem, this year, that boy got engaged on Thursday night, the 11 th of Kislev. At his engagement, his younger ten year old brother showed him a piece of paper which had written on it, Today the 21 st of Cheshvan, year 5781, Saturday night, I, so and so, accept upon myself to say kriyat shema looking inside the siddur and having kavana in each word in the merit that my brother gets engaged by the 11 th of Kislev . And that's exactly what happened. He said shema every night the way he's supposed to and his brother got engaged on the 11 th of Kislev. The rabbi in New York got so excited after reading this story, he related it to his own family at the Shabbat table that week. He also had an older son not married and he also has a ten year old son. When his ten year old heard that story, he accepted upon himself on Rosh Chodesh Shevat the same kabbala . He wrote on a piece of paper, For 30 days, I will say kriyat shema al hamita from a siddur the right way in the zechut that my brother gets engaged. On the 30 th night, that young boy fell asleep without saying shema . The next morning, when he realized what happened, he started to cry. He told his father that he took on this kabbala and did it for 29 days in a row but then missed it last night. His father told him not to worry, it didn't hurt his kabbala . He said, "You accepted 30 days and you did 29 of them." The father then told his son to do the last day that night and it will still count. Amazingly, the very next day, on the 2 nd of Adar, 31 days from the time this boy made his kabbala , which was also the day he finished his 30 days, his brother got engaged. We have tremendous powers with our mouths. We can say kind words to others, we can read Tehillim , we can learn Torah, we can pray to Hashem. These are our strengths. This is what Balak feared, and this is what Bilaam knew was our secret. Let us utilize these precious gifts that Hashem gave us and do them all the right way.

A young man was diagnosed with leukemia, Lo Aleinu. Baruch Hashem, he is now responding well to treatment. One day, his rabbi noticed that he was praying the Amidah with deep concentration and asked what inspired such intense kavanah. The young man replied that his doctor had recently explained to him how cancer begins. He said, "If even one single cell in the body mutates and begins to do the wrong thing, and then multiplies, it can become cancer." The young man continued, "I learned that the human body has more than 37 trillion cells, and all it takes is for just one to go off track." This struck him deeply. He began to think about the 37 trillion cells in his body that were doing exactly what they were supposed to, every moment. He realized how much he owed Hashem and felt an urge to say thank you for each and every one. So he did the math: if he wanted to say thank you for each cell, and it took just two seconds per "thank you" with real kavanah, and he did it nonstop 24 hours a day, how long would it take? His calculation came out to nearly 2.5 million years . That's what inspired him to say the Amidah with more heart and awareness—because he realized how Hashem is sustaining him with countless daily miracles. Each microscopic cell in our body is like a miniature city, with roads, factories, and workers. Cells contain tiny "machines" that produce energy, repair damage, send signals, and make proteins. Red blood cells deliver oxygen to every part of the body, completing a round trip in just one minute. There are about 25 trillion red blood cells alone. The cells send chemical messages to each other that instruct them to grow, heal, or repair. The brain, meanwhile, has 86 billion neurons firing electrical signals at lightning speed. Inside each cell lies a copy of a person's DNA, a blueprint so compact that if stretched out, it would measure six feet long—but it's packed inside something invisible to the eye. Even as we sleep, these trillions of cells continue to work— repairing damage, rebuilding muscles, cleaning waste and growing new tissues. —without pause. We could never fully thank Hashem for all He does for us. But we do get an opportunity each time we say "Asher Yatzar" to acknowledge and appreciate the intricate wonders of our body. We conclude that berachah by saying: רופא כל בשר ומפליא לעשות — "Healer of all flesh and Performer of wonders." Those wonders include our immune system, our blood cells, our nerve cells, our brain cells, our skin, our organs—and everything else that keeps functioning perfectly without our even noticing. Rebbetzin Silverstein recently shared a remarkable story. A mother had a child who could not control his bladder or bowels, and because of it, he was unable to attend school. Doctors could not help, and the parents were devastated. Then, the mother learned about the segulah of saying Asher Yatzar slowly, with kavanah, standing still, and reading it from a printed card. She began doing this every single time. Just a few weeks later, her son was miraculously healed. The doctors were stunned. The mother also said that recently, while shopping, she needed to use the restroom but couldn't find her Asher Yatzar card. She felt torn—not wanting to lose her kavanah. Just then, as if sent from Heaven, a man walked in and hung up an Asher Yatzar card on the wall. She was overwhelmed with gratitude. Hashem had answered her need at the perfect moment. We could thank Hashem every minute of our lives and still not come close to what He deserves. But the thanks we do give—if offered with heart and focus—can be incredibly powerful. Let us treasure every breath, every heartbeat, and every functioning cell—and use our moments of awareness to thank the One who never stops giving. If anyone would like to read a short write-up on specific kavanot to have during Asher Yatzar, click on the link at the bottom of today's transcript. To receive the email, you can sign up at livingemunah.com or send a request to livingemunah123@gmail.com . https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pyh95lif97je64ncdavei/Asher-yatzar-booklet-inside.pdf?rlkey=ypna9iig1pfqhrmif6bzpktqt&st=1ti1iv74&dl=0

Given 7/9/2025 by Rabbi Mendel Kessin Weekly Hashkafa Shiur #181 torahthinking.org   Baruch Hashem! After 2 years of hard work, countless hours, and incredible teamwork, Rabbi Kessin's book is finally published! It's now available for sale on Feldheim's website, and will be hitting bookstores across the US and Israel soon — as well as Amazon. We're so grateful for everyone's support along the way. May this sefer bring much inspiration and zechus to Klal Yisrael!

Rabbi Vann

It is so calming to know how involved Hashem is in every detail of our lives. He cares deeply about everything we do, and He is constantly with us, guiding us every step of the way. A woman shared that she had just moved into a new home and needed to buy curtains. One night, she planned to browse online, and in her excitement, she hurried through cleaning up dinner—but forgot to say borei nefashot . She sat down with her husband, opened their laptop, and began typing the word "curtains." After typing the first four letters—C-U-R-T—she looked at the screen and froze. The language bar was still set to Hebrew from when her husband had last used it. On a Hebrew keyboard, typing those four letters spells out: בורא ( boreh ). At that moment, she remembered she had forgotten to say borei nefashot . She said she usually typed without looking at the keyboard, and had she done so now, she would have realized on the first letter that the keyboard was in Hebrew. But this time, Hashem made her look down—just so she would type the word boreh and be reminded of the berachah she had missed. Another story was shared by a man who was looking for a good chavruta to learn with his son at night. He mentioned it to his wife, and she suggested a specific nephew who would be perfect. The problem was that his son was in high school, while the nephew was already learning full-time in a beit midrash with a chavruta his own age. It seemed unlikely that he would want to learn with a high school student. Still, the man had hope. At 11 o'clock that night—perhaps too late to call—he decided to send a text asking if it was a good time. The nephew replied that he was still in yeshiva talking to his chavruta, and that he would call shortly. When he called, the uncle asked if he'd consider learning with his son. The nephew's response left him speechless: "That's exactly what I was just talking about with my chavruta," he said. "I've been thinking I want to start learning at night with a high school boy." Amazing! Hashem had planted the idea in the nephew's mind just before his uncle reached out. Hashem knows the future and arranges everything in advance to help us. A woman who works in an office building said that one morning, her regular parking spot was taken, so she had to park somewhere else. That day, she especially needed to leave quickly after work. When she returned to the lot, she saw three Hatzalah vehicles completely blocking her usual spot. But the place where she had parked was totally clear. She immediately thanked Hashem for arranging in advance that she wouldn't be blocked when time was so tight. Another woman recalled something that happened 15 years ago. She had read an article about children who suddenly developed extreme OCD-like behaviors or severe emotional swings. The article explained that these behaviors could often be traced to untreated strep or Lyme disease—and once treated, the children returned to normal. For some reason, she was drawn to the article and even clipped it out, along with letters from parents describing what their children went through. Thirteen years later, her own child suddenly changed. Her behavior became extremely negative. Therapy didn't help, and she couldn't attend school. No one could figure out what was wrong. Every day, this mother prayed to Hashem to open her eyes and show her the solution. Then one day, she suddenly remembered that article. She found it, reread it, and had her daughter tested for strep and Lyme. Baruch Hashem , they found the cause. With proper treatment, her daughter returned to her normal self within weeks. She thanks Hashem for planting the interest in that article so many years earlier. It turned out to be the key that helped save her daughter. Hashem is with us every second of the day—guiding us, helping us, preparing everything in advance. We need to recognize His hand in our lives and constantly thank Him.

FRUIT LOOPS This week is a review of our mini-series of Walking on Water as a prophecy of the Greater Exodus. Walking on Water has been a mini-series full of encouragement and hope. It grew from this verse in the Song of Songs: "Awake, O north wind, And come, wind of the south; Make my garden breathe out fragrance, Let its spices be wafted abroad. May my beloved come into his garden And eat its choice fruits!” (4:16) To wrap up our series, let's review some key points. First, the walk through the Reed Sea is connected to the separation and gathering of waters at the Creation in Genesis One as well as the Tree of Life and the River of Life in Revelation. That's quite a swim, so Baruch HaShem we can walk on water! What those Creation and Revelation bookends have in common is fruit trees along the water. This fruit symbolism appears in natural cycles, which reflect fruit cycles in their spiritual cycles. The natural world is merely the parable of the spiritual world, but by studying the creation, we can see the spiritual fruit cycles to which we will be in perfect tune in the millennial kingdom of Yeshua. This is one reason it is so important to study and practice the feasts of Scripture, which are themed around agricultural themes. Israel works the fields to produce natural fruits which are offered as tithes, firstfruits, and offerings. The natural is elevated to the spiritual realm where it is perfected, just as those resurrected from the dead will be planted mortal, yet raised immortal, fully equipped to function in either the natural or spiritual world. The feasts of Adonai loop year after year, offering believers an opportunity to be nourished by His fruit loops. No artificial dyes, added sugar, or whatever else it is that makes Froot Loops bad for you. This is fruit for those entering the Kingdom as little children, needing nourishment for maturity when they emerge from the water: Bahya writes. When they were walking in the sea and their children cried, the mother took an apple or a pomegranate and gave it to the child. There were apple trees and other fruit in the sea. The Holy One made them grow quickly and had fruits in the sea. *Bahya, Exodus, 14:22. [Tze'enah Ure'enah, Beshalach] *The Bahya text is a reference to Midrash Rabbah to Shemot 21§10 (Exodus 14:21-22) The trip over the water-and-earth-bridge of the sea provided a taste of Eden. Not a complete transition to the Garden, but a brief experience, like their everwear clothes and sandals, food, and water. What did the water bridge provide? It lifted their feet from the natural earth, supplying a cushion of purifying water for the swift journey. Things that ascend to the Garden in a physical body must pass through fire or water to purify them for holy use. “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” If we sanctify ourselves on earth, Adonai sanctifies and perfects us in heaven. It is our duty, and it allows the world to be enticed by our odor of holiness instead of despairing that a holy walk is impossible or not even a fruitful one. We die to the sin slavery of the natural body, yet we live according the resurrection spirit of Yeshua. We have available the washing of water by the Word. This might explain Yeshua's washing of the disciples' feet...they would experience the supernatural, like Philip's rapid translation after he witnessed to the Ethiopian.  Our immersion in the water of the Word in the Torah cycles and feasts is like walking in Fruit Loops. As the mothers of Israel took fruits from the walls of water in the Reed Sea on the journey, so we enjoy the fruits of the Ruach when we enter the Kingdom as a little child. As we mature, we also bear fruit to give to others who are maturing by the River of Life, for we are a part of the Tree of Life. The crossing of the Reed Sea recalled the Creation, yet according to the Song of the Sea,

The Gemara in Masechet Avodah Zarah tells a remarkable story about Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who was afflicted with severe intestinal pain. As a remedy, he required a particular apple cider that was produced only by idolaters. To ensure its kashrut—that it contained no wine—it needed to have been stored for seventy years. Naturally, Rabbi Yehuda was not in a position to wait that long. His attendants searched until they discovered a man who had an entire storeroom filled with seventy-year-old bottles of this cider. Rabbi Yehuda drank the cider and was cured. In response, he proclaimed: "Baruch HaMakom SheMasar Olamo LeShomrim" —Blessed is Hashem who entrusts His world to guardians. He praised Hashem for planting the idea in someone's mind to store that cider decades earlier, so that it would be ready at just the right moment. This story has a striking parallel in modern times. Recently, the American Air Force deployed fourteen bunker-buster bombs to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities that posed a threat to Israel. These were said to be the only bombs in the world that could penetrate the depths necessary to destroy the underground nuclear facility. These highly specialized bombs had never before been used in warfare. Developed about fifteen years ago, each bomb costs millions of dollars, and the aircraft capable of delivering them costs over $2 billion. These powerful weapons, designed and built long ago, had been waiting for the exact moment they would be used to protect Am Yisrael. Baruch HaMakom SheMasar Olamo LeShomrim. In the past week alone, we have witnessed numerous miracles—clear signs of Hashem's hand in our lives. A missile struck Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva, hitting the exact location of the internal medicine department. Yet miraculously, just the day before, the staff had worked with incredible urgency to evacuate all patients to an underground facility that had never before been used as a regular hospital unit. Only after everyone was safely relocated did the missile hit. What caused that sudden urgency? It was Hashem guiding their hearts. In Haifa, a Belzer family lived in an old building with no safe rooms and no bomb shelter. Sirens didn't sound in their area, but when they received a phone warning, they ran to the dining room and huddled under their table. Minutes later, their apartment took a direct hit. Half of it collapsed—but every family member, including small children, was rescued without a scratch. So many other miracles continue to emerge. Over 1,000 drones and more than 400 ballistic missiles were launched at Israel, and yet we were protected time and again. So many potential escalations could have taken place—Russia could have gotten involved, but Hashem kept them occupied with another war. China could have entered the conflict, but Hashem held them back. Baruch HaShem , the war has ended. May we always be zocher to recognize the loving hand of Hashem shielding His people from harm and orchestrating every detail of salvation—even decades in advance.

In a world filled with potential dangers, it's only natural for parents to worry about their children when they leave the house. Some are overwhelmed by fear, constantly imagining the worst, and this robs them of peace of mind. But a parent must recognize a fundamental truth: even when a child is physically near them, it is not the parent who provides protection—it is Hashem. He watches over us, and He watches over our children. And if, chas v'shalom , harm ever does befall a child, we believe with emunah sheleimah that it would have happened regardless of where the child was or who was with them. It is never the circumstances themselves that bring about outcomes. Everything happens only through the word and will of Hashem. Every day, there are countless unseen miracles where Hashem protects children—sometimes found in naïvely dangerous situations, yet guarded from harm. Knowing this should bring us calm: wherever our children are, Hashem is with them. As it says in Tehillim: " הנה לא ינום ולא יישן שומר ישראל " —Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. A Rebbe in a yeshivah shared a remarkable story. He had a student with a severe allergy to milk products. The Rebbe admitted that it was impossible to personally guarantee that not even a crumb of dairy would reach this child—but he did his best and placed his trust in Hashem, the true Guardian. Still, the Rebbe took every precaution. Any student sitting near the allergic boy during lunch was required to notify him if they brought dairy. Most of the time, those nearby were considerate and only brought parve food. However, mistakes do happen. One day, a boy who sat next to him noticed he had dairy and immediately informed the Rebbe . The Rebbe called the allergic boy over to sit beside him instead. When the boy opened his lunch, the Rebbe noticed what looked like an American cheese sandwich. The boy was about to take a bite when the Rebbe quickly stopped him. The boy insisted, "It must be parve. My parents know not to send me dairy." But the Rebbe , not taking any chances, called the boy's home. The mother was alarmed. She said there may have been a terrible mistake—her other son had requested a cheese sandwich that morning, and it was possible the lunch bags had been switched. Sure enough, the sandwich contained real cheese. Baruch Hashem , on the very day the allergic boy accidentally brought a cheese sandwich, his friend also "accidentaly" brought dairy and reported it, triggering the Rebbe to call the allergic boy over—averting a potentially life-threatening situation. It was clearly the hand of Hashem. Hashem is our constant protector. He knows every danger and precisely how to guard us from it. Another story illustrates this beautifully. A woman shared that one evening, about a half hour before sunset, she and her husband decided to go for a walk in a forest near their home. While walking, they encountered three little boys who approached them, asking how to get back to the road. After speaking with them, the couple realized these were three six-year-old boys who were completely lost and had no idea how to exit the forest. They escorted them safely back and then called one of the mothers to let her know her children were with them. The mother was deeply grateful. She had been driving around searching for them in a panic. It was min hashamayim that this couple had decided—at that exact moment—to go for a walk. Hashem had arranged for His messengers to find those boys and lead them to safety. As it says: " כי מלאכיו יצוה לך לשמרך בכל דרכיך " —For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. It is not our job to live in constant fear. Our responsibility is to pray, to trust in Hashem, and to remember that no matter where our children—and we—are, we are always under His watchful care.

When a person recognizes Hashem's involvement in his life, he has a mitzvah not only to thank Hashem, but to also sing His praises. The pasuk says: " שִׁירוּ לוֹ זַמְּרוּ לוֹ שִׂיחוּ בְּכָל נִפְלְאוֹתָיו " — "Sing to Him, make music to Him, speak of all His wonders." (Divrei HaYamim I 16:9) We are meant to speak joyfully about the wondrous things Hashem does for us. Baruch Hashem, I have the zechut to hear so many stories of how people felt Hashem's hand in their lives. There's an email address where people send in their stories( livingemunah123@gmail.com ). I would like to share just a few that I recently received. What's so beautiful about some of these stories is how Hashem is involved even in the most mundane of tasks — something as simple as pressing a button. A woman who is an English teacher related that she had been working for years on developing an app to help students drill their English vocabulary. It was a long and exhausting process, and she hoped to secure a government tender that would allow her to sell the app to schools across Israel, helping her cover the high costs. But she hit a roadblock — the Ministry of Education wouldn't provide vendors with a list of schools and contact information. How could she sell her product without spending all her time manually searching for schools? Recently, while trying to look up a phone number on her computer — for the purpose of suggesting a shidduch — she accidentally pressed the wrong button. A file suddenly downloaded onto her computer. Curious, she opened it. To her shock, it was an Excel sheet with over 1,500 religious schools in Israel, complete with all their contact information. She had never even heard of such a list. But she didn't need to — Hashem had guided her fingers to press the exact button she needed. Another woman shared a story from a recent trip to Spain in late April. A nationwide power outage struck in the early afternoon, right as she and her husband were getting ready to catch a train to their next destination. The night before, she had purchased what she thought were train tickets via the railway app. But when she opened the app to confirm the departure time, she realized she had mistakenly bought bus tickets instead. She didn't even know that buses could be booked through the app! As it turned out, the train system had completely shut down due to the power outage, leaving passengers stuck for hours in the heat. Meanwhile, she and her husband boarded a comfortable, air-conditioned bus and arrived on time with no difficulties. Once again, Hashem had guided someone to press exactly the right button. A man submitted a powerful story about a fire that broke out a few weeks ago in fields near Beit Shemesh. He sent in a picture showing completely blackened, burnt fields surrounding a single patch of lush green. That green patch belonged to Moshav Matityahu — a religious moshav who keep Shemitah. The field manager was there as the flames approached. The trees — etrogim and rimonim — were in serious danger. But then, miraculously, the flames veered, forming a half-circle around this field, and moved on to burn the next one. Not a single tree of theirs was singed. It was clearly a bracha earned in the merit of keeping Shemitah. Tragically, the surrounding fields — which were not observing Shemitah — were all burned. Hashem can and does bless us in countless ways, sometimes in very visible miracles. One final story. A man had a specialist appointment last year. The waiting room had televisions playing on all sides, the volume blasting, and the content was extremely inappropriate. He tried his best not to look, but some of the images caught his eye and became lodged in his mind. He prayed deeply for Hashem to remove those images from his thoughts. A week later, he had a follow-up appointment at the same office. This time, before going, he poured out his heart to Hashem, asking not to be exposed to those same sights again. Miraculously, when he arrived, every screen was malfunctioning. The same clean advertisement played on a loop for the entire thirty minutes he was there. Other patients were complaining, but the staff could not fix it. Only he knew that it was an answer to his tefillah. Hashem is helping us constantly. It's our job to recognize His involvement, thank Him, and tell others about it. The more we speak of His wonders, the more aware we become of His presence in our lives — and the more reasons we find to sing His praises.

So much to unpack—stick with me as we break it all down. Idan Alexander is free—Baruch Hashem—but now we're seeing deeply troubling signals from President Trump that has many people worried that he is empowering our enemies, and no longer supportive of Israel doing what needs to be done for a victory over our Islamonazi enemies. Do not miss hearing the big picture that is hardly being told about what is really going on.=========================Join Our WhatsApp Channel: https://chat.whatsapp.com/G1QViHXaqEk...Follow us on Twitter: https://x.com/AviAbelowJoin our Telegram Channel: https://t.me/aviabelowpulseFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pulse_of_is...Pulse of Israel on Facebook:   / israelvideonetwork  =========================Visit Our Website - PulseofIsrael.comWatch the 2024 Pulse of Israel Conference: https://pulseofisrael.com/next-steps-...Donate to Pulse of Israel: https://pulseofisrael.com/boost-this-... =========================

When our plans are suddenly canceled or unexpected mistakes arise, they often appear to be nothing more than unfortunate coincidences. In such moments, it's natural to feel disappointment or confusion about why things didn't go as expected. However, someone with emunah —faith in Hashem—understands that there is no such thing as a mistake. Everything unfolds precisely as it is meant to, even if the reasons are hidden from us. Most of the time, we're not privileged to see the full picture. We don't always understand why certain events deviate from our carefully laid plans. Yet sometimes, Hashem offers a glimpse behind the scenes, revealing how what seemed like a disruption was actually a necessary step in a greater design. A woman shared her experience from this past Simchat Torah . She had been eagerly preparing for a joyous Yom Tov, anticipating a full house with all her children and grandchildren. She cooked in advance, excited to host the entire family. But on Chol HaMoed , her three teenage sons expressed a strong desire to return to their out-of-town yeshivot for Simchat Torah . Though disappointed, she graciously agreed, recognizing how meaningful it would be for them. Then, on Hoshana Rabbah night, her married son informed her that he had missed his flight home from his in-laws. As a result, he, his wife, and their three children would be spending Yom Tov elsewhere. The vibrant family gathering she had envisioned quickly diminished, leaving her and her husband with unexpected quiet. On a whim, they decided to go to her husband's former yeshiva—where two of their sons would be spending the holiday. A room near the yeshiva became available that night, and they took it. They packed up the food she had lovingly prepared and made the spontaneous trip. Though out of character for them, the experience turned out to be profoundly uplifting. During the Yom Tov, two different people independently suggested a shidduch for their daughter—an alumnus of the very yeshiva they were visiting who was also there for Yom Tov . They followed up on the recommendation, and Baruch Hashem , their daughter is now engaged to that young man. A missed flight, a change of plans, and a last-minute decision to travel—all seemingly minor and natural occurrences—were, in truth, Hashem's orchestration to bring this family to the exact place where their daughter would find her zivug . In another touching story, a man shared how his 10-year-old daughter asked for a special siddur with her name engraved on it. He told her that was a gift he had planned for her bat mitzvah, over a year away. Not wanting to wait, she asked again. He gently explained that it was an expensive item and not something he could give her "just because," but he encouraged her to ask Hashem for it instead. He used the moment to teach her the power of heartfelt tefillah . Inspired, the young girl began praying earnestly each day for that personalized siddur . One day a few months later, her principal called her to her office. While she was there, the principal pulled out a beautiful sidur with her name engraved on it. She explained she bought it for her granddaughter but it was the wrong nusach. Being that the store wouldn't exchange it because the name was already engraved upon it, she was stuck with it. Then she thought of this girl in her school with the exact same name as her granddaughter and offered the sidur to her. And just like that, this 10-year-old girl received the sidur she wanted so badly. It looked like a mistake but we know there are no mistakes. Hashem wanted this girl to have that sidur and this is how He accomplished it. Her sincerity was moving—and a powerful reminder that no prayer is too small or insignificant in Hashem's eyes. Everything that happens is me'et Hashem and if we're able to internalize that, we'll have a much easier time dealing with the unexpected.

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of The Chai on Life Podcast. I'm Alex Segal, and today, I am so happy to be back! Baruch Hashem, it was a beautiful Pesach holiday filled with a lot of great quality family time, cooking, decluttering, all the things we talk about on here and now it feels good to be back to the podcast!Coming off of Pesach, we just spend time looking inward, thinking about the excess chametz we want to get rid of in our own lives, the fluff that gets in the way of who we really are, what things maybe we want to free ourselves from and be free to do. This episode is all about self-awareness, going beneath the surface, getting more to the root of who you are and it's a beautiful continuation of that work we can bring into this new time period on the Jewish calendar. Dvora Henner, our guest this week, is the founder of MAXIMIZE, a home organization and life coaching business dedicated to helping women make the most of their space and time. She is passionate about self-awareness and personal growth as the foundation for stronger, healthier relationships.In the episode, we speak about:-Her journey from being a full-time stay at home mother to re-entering the out of the house work and finding what she wants to do-The importance of self-awareness, how we learn more about it throughout life as different triggers come up-How this is really the key to solving a lot of our relationship issues we may have with those close to us-What's going on inside of us when our emotions are challenged in a new way-How to use the information to have a deeper, more vulnerable conversation with a loved one-How to improve our shalom bayit-What a woman's needs are compared with a man's needs and how that plays into all of this-How we can practice more self-acceptance...and SO much more!This episode sounds simple on the surface but it is really so deep and thought-provoking and the perfect thing to listen to as we move through this next period.If you'd like to get in touch with Dvora, she can be reached at dvorahenner123@gmail.com.

We begin the Seder with the Ha Lachma Anya , which speaks about the matzah and ends with the words, "Now we are still in Galut. We hope to be in Eretz Yisrael with the Beit HaMikdash before next year's Seder." Rabbi Ronen Sharabani gave a beautiful explanation in his new Haggada Me'afar Kumi about why we begin with this. Chazal tell us that the final ge'ula will take place in the month of Nisan. So, when the month begins, all of Klal Yisrael is hoping to be in Yerushalayim with the Korban Pesach by the night of the Seder. However, if Lel HaSeder arrives and once again Mashiach has not come, it could cause a person to enter the Seder with feelings of despair, thinking: "We've made this request of L'shanah Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim every year of our entire lives—and it still hasn't happened. What's going to give us chizuk to think that things will ever change?" For this, the Rabbis tell us to begin the Seder speaking about the matza. The Seforno writes on the pasuk describing Yosef Hatzaddik being rushed out of prison that this is the way of all salvations that Hashem brings—they come in an instant. Even when it looks like there's no hope in sight, things can suddenly change. And this is what happened in Mitzrayim. The pasuk says they were rushed out of Egypt without enough time for their dough to rise. Matza is the symbol of an instant salvation. And so it says about the future geula : פתאום יבוא אל היכלו —Mashiach is going to come suddenly. When we internalize that the salvations of Hashem come in an instant, we will never despair, because we know everything can change in a moment's notice. What we see today has nothing to do with tomorrow—and the same applies to the difficulties people are currently experiencing. No matter how long it's been, no matter how dismal it seems, salvation can always come in an instant. A woman told me she got married about twenty years ago and was looking forward to a joyful home filled with children. After seven long years of waiting for their miracle, they were blessed with a precious daughter who indeed filled their hearts with the joy they had hoped for. For years after that, they tried every possible method to have another child, but it wasn't working. They delved deeply into learning and practicing emunah , and then, with the advice of their rabbi, they decided to take a pause from all their efforts and instead focus on enjoying the life they had. Especially since they were making so many efforts, they risked attributing success or failure to their own actions rather than to Hashem. They spent a year focusing more on spirituality, adopting a healthier lifestyle, eating better, exercising regularly, and appreciating everything Hashem had already given them. Then they went back to the doctor to try another treatment. Everything was looking good. They were awaiting results from a certain test, and when the results came back positive, they were thrilled. Even the doctor was elated. He told them they needed to repeat the test two more times. The second time, the numbers were even better. But on the third test, the results took a turn the other way. After eight long years of waiting for their second child, it appeared that once again they were going to be let down. That night, they called a hotline for emunah , and amazingly, there was a story shared about a childless couple who had been told by their doctor that they would never have children. The husband went for a drive afterward to clear his mind, and when he returned home, he found that his wife had set the table with their finest china. She told him, "We're going to celebrate all we have, despite the sorrowful news." The next morning, at 5 a.m., they received a phone call from the fertility clinic saying it had been a mistake—and that she actually was going to have a child after all. This woman and her husband took that story as a direct message from Hashem. They picked themselves up and enjoyed that Shabbat more than ever. They sang with their 8-year-old miracle girl. They expressed gratitude and celebrated all the blessings that Hashem had given them. That Motzaei Shabbat , they went for another test, and amazingly, everything changed for the better. Baruch Hashem , that year, they were blessed with their second miracle baby. The salvations of Hashem always come in an instant. This is the chizuk we give ourselves at the beginning of the Seder, and this is something we must always keep in mind. B'ezrat Hashem , we should see the Geula Shelema and celebrate this holiday in Yerushalayim with the Korban Pesach. But even if that doesn't happen— even then —it doesn't mean the geula can't come a second later. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach.

If, lo alenu, a tragedy occurs and everyone who hears about it thinks "How could such a thing happen? The people affected are so righteous. How could they be suffering like this now? Isn't Hashem merciful? How could all of this suffering be considered mercy?" This is one of the most difficult questions in emunah to deal with. Emunah means to believe, even though we don't comprehend. We never change our emunah because of something that appears to contradict it. The Rambam wrote, in his Igeret Mussar, to his son, "כאשר תמצאו כתוב עמוק ומאמר נבוך – if you ever come upon something written that is very deep and obscure, whether it's something in the Torah, Nevi'im or Sifreh Chachamim – אשר לא תבינוהו – which is not understandable – ונראה כסותר פינות התורה – and it appears to be contradicting fundamental principles of Torah – אל תזוז מאמונתכם – do not budge from your emunah – עמדו בחזקתכם – hold on to what you have been accustomed to believe – והפחיתות ההוא חשבוהו בכם – and the fact that you don't understand what it's saying is just a result of your human deficiency – הניחוהו בקרן זוית – put it on the side for now and don't change your emunah because of a question." This is how we are supposed to think. If something happens in the world that doesn't seem to conform to what we know about Hashem. In the future, Hashem is going to give a big class on everything that ever took place in this world and, at that time, everything will make perfect sense, and we will see clearly how merciful and righteous Hashem always was. Now is when we have the opportunity to believe even if we can't see it. There is so much out there that we can't comprehend – Gan Eden, Olam Haba. When a tzaddik leaves the world, he has the most wonderful experience moving on to a much better place. We don't see what's going on on the other side. A Rabbi was once speaking to an audience about tragedy and he spoke about the real purpose of life and this world, namely to earn the merit to enjoy with Hashem for all of eternity. After the class, a young widow approached and said, "I believe everything you said, Rabbi, and I know my husband couldn't be happier now where he is in the Olam HaEmet. But what about me? How am I supposed to go on, raising little children by myself? The pain I'm going through is too great to bear. I can't imagine being able to live another day like this." The Rabbi felt this young woman's pain and tried to empathize. He then said he knows a man personally who experienced a similar tragedy and lost his young wife suddenly. He was left with little children to take care of all by himself. At that time he was saying the same words: He can't imagine to go on in the position he's in. How could he continue with the pain? How could he possibly raise those children without his wife? About a year later, this man got up to speak in front of hundreds of people at an Azkara for his wife. He said there, he wants to publically give hakarat hatov to Hashem for the help He has provided him with during that first difficult year. He said although he was not able to work that much because he was tending to his children, he had one of the best years financially that he ever had. He thought that the day to day life was going to be impossible, but he said Hashem gave him strength to persevere. Baruch Hashem his children are happy and well taken care of. And he has received an outpouring of love from so many friends and relatives. Even during the darkest times, when it is so hard to see Hashem, He is there holding a person's hand every step of the way, kavayachol saying, "I wish you could understand why this had to happen. One day you will, but for now, don't worry, I will be here for you. I will give you the strength that you never thought you could have." In this world, our emunah is tested, but if we hold on tight and trust in Hashem we will reap the greatest rewards.

We say everyday in Pesukei DeZimra , " אהללה ה' בחיי . The Ketav Sofer explains that this means we should praise Hashem simply for the gift of life itself. " אזמרה לאלוקי בעודי "—I will sing to Hashem for all the extras He gives me. When we truly recognize our blessings, we will not only praise Hashem, but we will sing to Him with joy. There are so many potential dangers in the world, and Hashem, who is the Shomer Yisrael, is constantly watching over us. We have no idea about how much Hashem protects us, but we do know that He does, and we must thank Him for that, too. A rabbi shared how his wife went for a routine checkup. Since she was over 50, the doctor recommended a colonoscopy. She delayed the appointment several times until, one day, she received a message asking if she wanted a Cologuard test kit, which allows for an at-home screening. She agreed, and days later, two kits arrived instead of one—an apparent mistake. Since they had an extra, she told her husband to take one as well. They both sent in their samples, and the doctor informed her husband that his results were positive, requiring further examination. Although he had no plans to undergo a colonoscopy, he now had no choice. During the procedure, they removed polyps and discovered additional growths requiring surgery. Everything moved quickly from that point. They were able to get appointments due to last-minute cancellations. On the day of the surgery, the doctor informed him that if the growth was too close to the rectum, they would not be able to reconnect it, and he would have to wear a bag for the rest of his life. Baruch Hashem , the surgery was a success. It took an hour and a half longer than expected, but they removed everything, and he would not need a bag. The rabbi sang the praises of Hashem. He had no idea how much danger he was in, yet Hashem sent him exactly what he needed—through the mail—to save his life. Only Hashem knows the dangers people face and He has infinite ways of protecting them. Rabbi Binyamin Pruzansky shared a powerful story that took place last year on Erev Pesach in the Geula neighborhood of Yerushalayim. Rabbi Zev, a talmid chacham , went to Shacharit after spending nearly the entire night preparing for Pesach . He was scheduled to make a siyum for the firstborns at his shul . After tefilla , everyone gathered for the siyum . He was finishing Massechet Baba Kama. He went to the sefarim shelf to pull off a Hebrew Artscroll gemara to finish the masechet with. This masechet is divided up into three volumes in the Artscroll Shas. He opened the Gemara and began reading out loud. It was then that he realized he pulled out the wrong volume. The waiting men shifted impatiently as the rabbi went back to the sefarim shelf and pulled out a different volume. When he turned to the end of that massechet, he saw again it was the wrong volume. How could I make such a fool of myself twice? He silently rebuked himself. I must be much more tired than I even realized. Finally, on the third attempt, Rabbi Zev got it right. He read the last few lines and made the siyum. As the men began eating the celebratory cake, the door of the shul suddenly burst open. A man ran inside, announcing that there had just been a terror attack. Two terrorists had driven down the street trying to ram pedestrians. When they saw no one outside, they got out of their car and began shooting. Miraculously, their gun jammed, and no one was harmed. The people in the Beit Midrash realized that had Rabbi Zev pulled out the correct Gemara on his first attempt, they would have finished earlier and been outside at the very moment of the attack. We have no idea how much Hashem protects us every single day. It is our responsibility to thank and praise Him for the life that He gives us.

During this month of Adar , we are meant to increase our happiness—a joy that stems from true emunah in Hashem. By studying the miracles of Purim and Pesach , we gain chizuk and learn to appreciate how fortunate we are to have Hashem guiding us at all times. When salvation came in both instances, it arrived כהרף עין —in the blink of an eye. ונהפוך הוא —in Purim the Jewish people went from mourning to celebration on the very same day. Yetzias Mitzrayim was done b'chipazon —they were rushed out of Mitzrayim , triumphantly marching to freedom. Both salvations were planned years in advance. In Purim , Hashem was מקדים רפואה למכה —He prepared the salvation even before the decree was issued. And in Mitzrayim , the night of Yetzias Mitzrayim is called ליל שמורים —a night Hashem had planned and anticipated for years. Whatever challenge a person finds himself in, he must recognize that salvation is already there—he is simply asking Hashem to reveal it to him. A woman shared that this past September, her husband started losing his hair due to alopecia. At first, they had no idea what was happening as patches of hair were randomly falling out. After seeing multiple doctors and doing extensive blood work, they were told that he had a severe case of alopecia—and there was little they could do to stop it. Her husband was a young man with a full head of hair—his identity, in a way. The diagnosis was devastating, and they struggled to cope. Soon after, he developed an inflammation, and the hair loss became even more extreme. There was one medicine that might have worked, but it would have compromised his immune system and made him highly susceptible to illnesses. After consulting with rabbanim, they decided it was too dangerous to take. The doctors prescribed a cream for his face, which they doubted would work, but they suggested he try growing a beard with it. "Please don't get your hopes up," they cautioned. From that day on, he and his wife grew in many areas of avodat Hashem , strengthening their commitment to Torah and mitzvot . Baruch Hashem , a few months later, he grew a full beard. Overjoyed, his wife told their rebbetzin about the miracle and asked what she could do to express her gratitude to Hashem. She suggested doing the mitzva of covering her hair. After much internal debate, she made the decision to do it. When they returned to the doctor, he was stunned. "Never in my career have I seen such improvement and recovery without any real medication," he told them. He then put her husband on a very light medication and said he expected a full regrowth within three to six months, b'ezrat Hashem . They went from hearing "there's no chance" to "we have never seen such a recovery." That is Yeshuat Hashem k'heref ayin . A rabbi shared another story: His daughter and son-in-law recently bought a home, using every last dollar they had to purchase it. It was a bargain they couldn't pass up, but it left them struggling with daily expenses. They knew they would be able to get back on their feet, but it would take at least a month until their next paychecks arrived. That Friday, their car broke down. They had no idea how they would afford the repairs. When the mechanic called, he said the car was ready and everything was fine—the total cost was just $100. As she opened the car door, she noticed an envelope on the passenger seat with the words Chag Sameach—Love, Dad written on it. She opened it and found $500 in cash. Confused, she called her father to ask about it. He replied, "There's no chag now—I didn't leave that envelope there." Then he recalled that he had given her an envelope last Pesach . She must have misplaced it in the car, where it had ended up in the glove compartment. The mechanic, while fixing the car, had emptied the glove compartment and unknowingly placed the envelope where she would find it. Hashem had set aside that money for her a year before—waiting for the moment she would need it most. When the time was right, Hashem caused the car to break down so the money would be revealed. Hashem has what we need waiting for us. We just need to pray to Him to expose it.

At the beginning of this week's parasha , Titzaveh , Bneh Yisrael were commanded to bring שמן זית זך —pure olive oil—to light the menorah . Only the very first droplets from each olive were permitted for this purpose. Chazal tell us that although only 12 hours' worth of oil was placed in the lamps, the flames miraculously burned for a full 24 hours—demonstrating Hashem's presence among the Jewish people. The menorah represented the light of Torah. The Gemara states that whoever wishes to attain wisdom in Torah should face slightly southward while reciting the Amida , because the menorah , which symbolizes Torah wisdom, stood in the southern part of the Beit HaMikdash . The power of Torah is far beyond our comprehension. The Midrash tells us that Shlomo HaMelech constructed ten menorot for the Beit HaMikdash , each with seven lamps, totaling 70 flames—corresponding to the 70 facets of Torah. Chazal further teach that as long as those flames were burning, the 70 nations of the world remained subservient to Am Yisrael . But from the day those flames were extinguished, those nations gained power over us. All of our strength comes from Torah. The Sefer Sas Be'Imratecha records a powerful story about Rabbi Moshe Chevroni, the former Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Chevron . At one point, he wasn't feeling well and went to the doctor for an evaluation. After running tests, the doctor informed him that he had been diagnosed with a serious illness and had only three months left to live. His family and talmidim were devastated. But instead of falling into despair, the Rosh Yeshivah made a firm decision—he would dedicate these final months to learning Torah without interruption , stopping only for the most basic necessities. And so he did. He immersed himself in Torah study, and Baruch Hashem , instead of living for just three more months, he lived for another 20 years. The Steipler Gaon , upon hearing this, remarked in amazement, "Hashem gave him a blow, but instead of breaking from it, he elevated himself—and the merit of his Torah added 20 years to his life." What was even more astonishing was that throughout those two decades, he never required treatments that would prevent him from learning. He continued delivering his regular shiurim and prayed with the yeshiva minyan every single day. The Chozeh of Lublin once had a long line of people waiting to see him for berachot and advice. Suddenly, in the middle of his appointments, he asked everyone to step out of the room for a few moments. Once the room was empty, he locked the door. One of his chasidim , eager to learn from the Rebbe , hid inside the room to see what he was going to do. To his astonishment, he saw the Rebbe take out a Mishnayot and begin learning a perek . Unable to contain his curiosity, the chasid revealed himself and asked, "Rebbe, why did you send everyone out just to learn a perek of Mishnayot?" The Chozeh replied, "The last few people who came to me shared their suffering and begged for salvation. I felt that in order to give them a proper beracha, I needed the strength of Torah within me—so I paused to learn first." All of our great rabbanim who had the power to give berachot drew that strength from their Torah learning and purity of character. We must treasure the Torah we have and use our time wisely to learn it in depth. It provides us with the spiritual energy we need to succeed in this world. Shabbat Shalom.

Living Emunah 2717 In the Blink of an Eye Believing in Hashem's ability to bring salvation in the blink of an eye is an invaluable avoda . It is also something that is expected of every Jew to fully internalize. This is not always easy—especially after years of hoping and waiting without seeing salvation. A year ago, I met a rabbi who told me that he was davening for his 34-year-old daughter, who was still waiting to find her zivug . Recently, I met this man again, and this time he told me, "Mazal Tov!" His daughter, now 35, had just gotten married a few weeks earlier, and they couldn't be happier with the shidduch . We must never give up hope, no matter how long it takes. At the recent A Time Shasathon , a family shared their painful yet inspiring journey through infertility. A man explained that when his daughter was 14 years old, doctors discovered that she did not have a uterus. Naturally, this meant she would face a very difficult road ahead. Wanting to protect her, the family chose not to tell her right away. However, when she was 18 and in seminary , she found out. She understood the enormous challenge she was facing, and of course, she was distraught. Then, when it came time to begin shidduchim , the question loomed: How could she possibly get married under such circumstances? It was during COVID, and she met someone over Zoom. Their conversations went well, and they continued meeting virtually several more times. After about a month, she felt it was time to tell him everything. She explained her medical condition, and the young man immediately grasped the gravity of what she was saying. But at that moment, something remarkable happened—he thought of his grandfather. His grandfather had been engaged when he was told that his kallah was ill and had only six months to live. Instead of walking away, his grandfather said, "I believe in Hashem. Only He determines a person's time in this world." He went ahead with the marriage, and in the end, his wife lived for 22 more years. They had three beautiful children and many grandchildren—including this young man. Hashem had already trained him with the emunah and perspective he would need to marry this girl. He consulted with rabbanim and expressed his desire to stand by her side through life's journey. He received their beracha , and the wedding took place. Later, the couple began exploring the possibility of a uterus transplant. After extensive research, they were approved for a program at a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. They had to move there indefinitely and wait for a match. Every day there felt like an eternity. They were alone in a foreign place, unable to travel for Shabbat or Yom Tov , since they had to remain on-call at all times, but they knew Hashem was with them. Then, on Shabbat Parashat Lech Lecha , while her husband was in shul , the hospital left a message—their match had arrived. Early Monday morning, she underwent surgery. It was during the week of Parashat Vayera , the very parasha that contains the words: " וה' פקד את שרה " —Hashem granted Sarah a uterus at an advanced age so she could conceive. That week, this woman was also given a uterus, and b'ezrat Hashem , she would one day be able to have children. In that same parasha , we read the words: " היפלא מה' דבר ?" —Is anything beyond Hashem's power? This was the beginning of the miraculous road that Hashem paved for them. Baruch Hashem , this past year, they were blessed with their first child. Everything is possible with emunah . The Rishonim discuss why there is a mitzvah to eat on Erev Yom Kippur . Many say that it is to provide strength for the fast the next day. This raises a question: If someone is ill and unable to fast, does he still have the mitzva to eat on Erev Yom Kippur ? The Sdeh Chemed writes that he absolutely does. Why? Because Hashem can heal a person in an instant, and by the time Yom Kippur arrives, he may very well be able to fast. The Sdeh Chemed uses the phrases: " ישועת ה' כהרף עין " and " היפלא מה' דבר ?" —principles that are so fundamental they even influence halacha . It is up to us to develop our emunah to the point that no matter what we are going through, we know—Hashem can always help us in an instant.

A man recently reached out to me for chizuk after receiving the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with a serious illness. That very same day, I had heard two incredible stories about people who had faced life-threatening illnesses and experienced miraculous recoveries. I immediately recalled yet another story that a rabbi had shared years ago. This rabbi had a student who had come to him seeking chizuk for two separate challenges—one regarding his struggling business and the other concerning his child's health. That same day, the rabbi happened to hear two stories addressing those exact concerns. He shared them with his student, along with the kabbalot those individuals had taken upon themselves as a merit for their yeshuot . Inspired by these stories, the student took on the same kabbalot . Baruch Hashem , he later experienced miraculous salvation in both areas of his life. So I told the man who had reached out to me, "I would like to share with you two stories I just heard. While the circumstances may not be exactly the same, the message is the same." The first story was from a rabbi who shared that when his child was born 15 years ago, doctors told him the baby had mental retardation. They also said he would have very limited mobility and would never be able to hear properly. The condition, they explained, was a result of an illness the mother had contracted during pregnancy. For the first seven months of the baby's life, he did not move at all and was unable to hear. Desperate for yeshua , the rabbi flew to Israel to seek a beracha from Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l . Rav Chaim told him, "If his mother prays three times a day, Shacharit, Mincha and Arbit, the baby will be fine." With complete emunat chachamim , the rabbi immediately called his wife and relayed the message. She happily accepted the commitment upon herself. Fifteen years later, as I was speaking to this rabbi, he called over that very child and introduced him to me. Baruch Hashem , he is completely healthy, with no sign of the condition he was once diagnosed with. In fact, he had become a gifted learner, having completed Masechet Tamid over 250 times. It was nothing short of an open miracle. The second story came from another rabbi whose baby would vomit everything it ate and cry throughout the night. This went on for months, and the parents were completely beside themselves. Doctors had no solution. This rabbi also went to Rav Chaim for a beracha . Rav Chaim advised him, "Dress the child modestly, and the problem will go away." The rabbi, surprised, responded , "But she's an infant." Rav Chaim acknowledged that, according to halacha , there was no requirement for an infant to dress modestly. "However," he explained , "doing something to enhance kedushah always brings yeshuot." The rabbi listened and followed the advice. Within a week, both issues disappeared. The baby was eating properly and sleeping peacefully through the night. I then told the man I was speaking to that we may not have someone today who can tell us exactly what Hashem wants from us. But when we face challenges like these, we know that improving in an area that needs strengthening is always a powerful zechut." Hashem loves us and wants us to reach our fullest potential. Sometimes, a person needs a gentle tap on the shoulder to remind them of what truly matters in life. Be'ezrat Hashem , when we answer that call, the challenges we face often disappear. We have seen countless stories proving beyond a doubt that Hashem is in full control of our health—and that He can take away an illness in the blink of an eye. This should inspire us to pray harder, strengthen our actions, and believe that our salvation comes solely from Hashem.

Trying to get into yeshiva or seminary can be very stressful. There are many applicants and only limited spots and, unfortunately, people have to get rejected. One of the ways in which a person can give himself an edge is by working on his bitachon in Hashem. The pasuk tells us, someone who is bote'ach b'Hashem is surrounded by Hashem's kindness. It is an enormous zechut which Hashem rewards in this world as well. A man told me, six years ago his son was applying to yeshiva high school and he sent in an application to four different yeshivot . The father made sure his son reviewed his Gemara over and over so that he would be able to do well when those yeshivot would test him on it. One day, his son's 8 th grade rabbi called him and told him he is not doing enough to get his son into a good yeshiva. He told him various things that other parents were doing, including making connections or being more persistent, to give their children an edge. This man told the rabbi he was doing the normal hishtadlut and he fully believed that Hashem was in charge of which yeshiva his son would get into. He went on to speak very strong words of bitachon . The rebbe heard him and praised him for the great level that he reached. To see the extent of how powerful his words of bitachon were, the next day a principal from another yeshiva called him to tell him that he heard some of the lines of bitachon he told that other rebbe the previous day and he wanted to hear them for himself. His son began the interviews with some of the yeshivot that he applied to, but then he told his father his dream was to go to a certain yeshiva which was considered one of the top yeshivot in all of America. It was known to be extremely difficult to get into. But this father happily encouraged his son to "go for the gold" and so they applied there as well. He told his son, "Hashem is in charge and if this is a good yeshiva for you, He'll help you get into it." A couple of weeks later, his son was going on a Shabbaton and the boys were asked to prepare a devar Torah to say at the meals. The boy was learning Masechet Kiddushin and his father remembered a davar Torah that his friend told him from the Mishnat Kesef when he was 16 years old that connected what he was learning in Masechet Kiddushin to parashat Mishpatim . He told his son the devar Torah and then told him not to take anyone else's place if they wanted to speak. He should only volunteer when no one else wanted to. For the leil Shabbat meal, there were three volunteers. For the Shabbat day meal, another three and for Seudah Shlishit another three. But finally, at the Melave Malka , nobody volunteered so this boy raised his hand and offered to give the devar Torah. Since it was after Shabbat he was able to speak into a microphone. Right before he began speaking, His Rosh Yeshiva who was there received a phone call from the administrators at that top yeshiva asking for information about this boy who applied to their yeshiva. The Rosh Yeshiva told them he was about to give a devar Torah and they asked to listen in, so he put the phone by the boy and they listened to the entire devar Torah. It was extremely impressive and they decided on the spot they wanted this boy in their yeshiva. Baruch Hashem, the boy spent the next four years growing tremendously in that yeshiva. It was perfect for him in every way. The odds of him getting into that yeshiva were very slim, but with Hashem, odds don't matter. They had full bitachon in Hashem and, in that merit, Hashem helped them get in in an amazing way, timing that phone call from the administrators to the exact second this boy was speaking. The best hishtadlut we can make is always improving our bitachon in Hashem.

When we show compassion to others and go out of our way to help people, it awakens Hashem's mercy upon us. While our motivation for helping others should never be for the reward, like all mitzvot, Hashem rewards every effort we make in doing His will. Often, we don't realize how a small act of chesed can have a profound impact on someone's life. A 21-year-old woman shared her story: She struggled socially throughout high school. Being extremely shy, she had no close friends. Last year, she mustered the emotional strength and courage to attend the wedding of a classmate—someone she would occasionally speak to when that classmate wasn't with her usual group of friends. She entered the wedding hall, silently asking Hashem to help her maintain her dignity. As she walked in, she noticed a group of girls sitting near the entrance. To her surprise, one of the girls—together with her friends—called her name and greeted her warmly, as if she was their closest friend whom they had been waiting all night to see. She recalled: "I'm crying as I write this. They all smiled at me and invited me to sit in the one empty seat left at their table. We spoke as if we were old friends. It was the first time I had ever been treated this way. It was truly something special." She concluded that although she wasn't on the level to understand Hashem's hashgacha, she did notice something remarkable—the three girls who made her feel special that night all got married this same year, in that exact month, two of them in the very same wedding hall. Another young woman shared her experience: One night this past year, a younger friend gave her a ride home from a weekly class they both attended. During the drive, her friend confided that she felt bad about forgetting to pray daily and truly wanted to grow religiously. Without thinking much of it, the young woman offered, "Would you like me to send you a text message every morning to remind you to pray?" In her mind, she assumed this would last for about a week. Her friend responded, "If it wouldn't be a burden for you, I would love that." The next morning, she sent the first message: "Don't forget to pray today. Hashem loves you." Her friend replied with an enthusiastic, "Thank you!" This continued for months. Even on her off days, she set an alarm to ensure she would be up in time to send the text. No matter where her friend traveled—including different time zones like Alaska—she remained committed to sending the daily reminder. There were times when she received no response for weeks. Feeling foolish, she debated whether she should stop. But just as she had those thoughts, Hashem made it that her friend would reply with something like, "Oh, this is so helpful! Love you." At the end of the summer, she was still faithfully sending the reminders. Then, Baruch Hashem, she got engaged. She called her friend to share the news. To her amazement, her friend replied, "Wow! I can't believe it—I also just got engaged!" Then her friend said, "I was praying for you every single day to get married. I'm so happy for you!" The young woman reflected, "I thought I was doing her a favor by pushing myself to send those reminders every day. But in reality, I was simply reminding her to pray for me." Baruch Hashem, her friend got married, and now her husband reminds her to pray every day. She concluded, "I had the zechut to bring one of Hashem's children closer to Him, and in turn, Hashem blessed me with the zivug I had been waiting for." When we have compassion for others, Hashem shows extra compassion for us.

People often say, "Baruch Hashem, we're able to get by with our daily expenses, but we don't have enough to afford moving into a house." Some people have lived in small apartments with large families for years, dreaming of the day they can move into a more spacious home. Hashem has countless ways to provide a person with a home. He can lead them to find something at a very low price. He can inspire others to pitch in and help raise the necessary funds. He can bless the family with increased income to afford a home. The possibilities are endless. At the same time, it is possible that a larger home is not destined for someone. However, as we know, prayer and good deeds can change any decree. When a person is in need of a yeshua , it is always a good idea to focus on improving their prayers and committing to perform mitzvot properly. One man shared his experience when he needed 150,000 shekels to complete the down payment on a new home. The weight of it consumed his thoughts day and night. He had no natural way to obtain such a large sum and feared losing the opportunity to buy the house his family had longed for. He had already informed his current landlord they were moving out, and the family had started packing their belongings. His primary hishtadlut was heartfelt tefilla . One Friday afternoon, he called a chizuk hotline, and the rabbi on the line spoke about the immense power of keeping Shabbat properly. The rabbi explained that thinking about business or money on Shabbat is foolish. "Shabbat is the source of all monetary blessing," he said. "Someone who keeps Shabbat with the mindset that all of their affairs are complete and lets go of financial concerns, even in their thoughts, taps into the special blessings of Shabbat." Hearing these words, the man immediately resolved that, for the upcoming Shabbat, he would feel as though he was already wealthy and had all the money he needed. He committed to enjoying Shabbat without a single financial worry. After Shabbat ended, he prayed to Hashem to make this mindset a reality. Amazingly, the next day, he received 50,000 shekels from a completely unexpected source. The following Shabbat, he strengthened himself once again to banish financial concerns from his mind. He enjoyed Shabbat immensely, observing it in the best way he could. That Motzaei Shabbat, he prayed again with all his heart, and once more, Hashem sent him an incredible yeshua : that Monday, he received 75,000 shekels from another unexpected source. Throughout the week, he attempted to secure the remaining balance from other potential sources, but nothing materialized. Then came another Shabbat, and now, just two days remained before the balance was due. If he didn't have the money in time, he would lose the house. Strengthening himself like a lion, he resolved once more not to think about his financial struggles for even a moment. He focused his mind on feeling as though the money had already been provided. With that, he experienced yet another beautiful Shabbat. After Shabbat, he prayed with more intensity than ever before. Baruch Hashem , in the two days that followed, Hashem sent him the exact amount he needed—not a shekel more, not a shekel less. Hashem can provide for all our needs. Heartfelt tefilla and sincere good deeds are the greatest hishtadlut we can do.

One of the reasons we don't fully appreciate Hashem as much as we should is because, even when we receive clear blessings, we tend to attribute them to the people who gave them to us directly. We often fail to internalize that these people are merely Hashem's messengers. The Chovot HaLevavot , in Sha'ar HaBitachon , writes that Hashem has more love and mercy for us than anyone else in the world. Any compassion shown to a person ultimately stems from Hashem's compassion. When we receive something from others, it is because Hashem placed compassion into their hearts, enabling them to provide us with what He wants us to have. Of course, we must have hakarat hatov to those who help us, as Hashem deemed them worthy of fulfilling the chesed . But we cannot overlook the fact that everything we receive ultimately comes from Hashem. Likewise, when something is taken from us, it is Hashem acting through His messengers. Sometimes, we ourselves are His messengers, performing His will for others. A man, whom we will call Yosef, shared an incredible story. He lives in Har Nof and traveled abroad for a family wedding. On the return trip, his flight had a stopover in Holland. Due to a delay in the first flight, Yosef and his wife missed their connecting flight to Israel. It was already Friday, and there was no way to catch another flight in time for Shabbat. At the airport, a friendly Jew recommended they drive to the Jewish community in Antwerp, where they would surely find warm hospitality for Shabbat. When they arrived in Antwerp, however, Yosef and his wife felt hesitant about relying on others. Instead, they planned to buy some food and stay in a hotel. As they drove near the shul, they saw a man walking and asked where they could buy food. The man told them that all the Jewish stores were already closed for Shabbat but offered to guide them to the nearest grocery store. Yosef and his wife accepted his offer, and the man got into the back seat of their car. During the ride, they struck up a conversation and learned that this man was 36 years old and still unmarried. He shared that one day he had walked into a bet midrash and noticed a Gemara Masechet Sotah open to the page that states: "Forty days before a person is even conceived, Hashem determines who they will marry." Ever since, his daily prayer had been: "Ribbono shel Olam, You wrote in Your Torah that I have a zivug, and I believe with emunah shelemah that You will help me find her. Please let it happen soon." Yosef's wife listened intently and felt strongly that she wanted to help this man find his zivug . The man guided them to the shul where Shabbat guests were welcomed. Yosef and his wife went there and experienced the most heartwarming Shabbat, surrounded by people filled with ahavat Yisrael . They later said it was worth missing their connecting flight just to witness the kindness of the Antwerp community. During Shabbat, they met other guests, including a family from France whose daughter was searching for a shidduch . Yosef's wife immediately thought of the man who had helped them and suggested him as a match. Baruch Hashem , they turned out to be a perfect match, and shortly thereafter, the couple became engaged and then married. Yosef and his wife saw clearly how Hashem used them as His messengers to bring this couple together. They understood why they missed their connecting flight, why the man at the airport directed them to Antwerp, and why they met the 36-year-old near the shul. They even understood why he got into their car to show them where the grocery store was and instead brought them to the shul for guests. Everything that happens to us is guided by the ratzon Hashem . Sometimes Hashem gives to us through His messengers. Sometimes He takes through His messengers. And sometimes, He makes us His messengers.

In the biggest news of the week, Baruch Hashem, three more hostages have now been returned to Israel as the new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has taken effect, and as we look forward to the next "swap" which will include four more hostages to take place on Shabbos. In the US, the absolute biggest event was the inauguration of President Trump. It's looking a lot different this time around, and we cover that as well as all of the controversies that were generated by Team Trump on just day one!   Get the Colel Chabad Pushka and give tzedaka anywhere, any time! https://pushkapp.cc/kc   ** BONUS CONTENT AVAILABLE NOW BY PHONE! ** Subscribe At: 605-417-0303   Get official KC swag and show your support to the world! https://kiddushclubmerch.com   Subscribe now to keep us going and access bonus content! https://buymeacoffee.com/kiddushclub/membership   We have a call-in number where you can hear the cast! Tell your friends and family who may not have internet access! 605-417-0303 To Call In From Israel: +053-243-3287   Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiddushclubpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kiddushclubcast Join our WhatsApp chat: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HTWhnT1WiVFCioXjatEFi6 Send us you thoughts comments and suggestions via email: hock@kiddushclubpodcast.com

Sometimes in order for a person to receive a yeshua , he first has to go through a period of kapara and then, from that difficulty, Hashem sends the salvation. If a person knows that perhaps the difficulty he is going through is preparing him to receive a blessing, it will be easier to handle. In fact, the Gemara says in Masechet Taanit , daf 20, if someone accepts his difficulties with joy, it brings salvation to the entire world. A man told, he has a child who suffers from kidney problems. He needs constant medication and various treatments. One of the side effects of this illness is severe lack of appetite and vomiting. At one point, the child stopped eating completely, agreeing only to drink water. He then needed to be hooked up to a feeding tube, but even with that, he continued vomiting. If he would ever be tempted to taste anything, he would later vomit whatever entered his body in the previous few hours. This past year, his wife was with the child in the hospital because he got pneumonia. On the day they were being discharged, as they were walking in the hallway, the child suddenly began vomiting. Generally, when this child is vomiting, there is nothing to do. They have to just wait until he finishes and then they clean him up and change his clothing. So he vomited and vomited and his mother simply stood there, waiting for him to finish. Among the people sitting in the waiting room nearby was a woman who made it clear to everyone that she was appalled by this site. This woman saw a little child vomiting who seemed to be in pain and his mother just standing idly by, not knowing that this was standard procedure. She got up in front of everyone and yelled, "What a neglectful mother you are. Why don't you help your son?" The woman wanted to bury herself in shame, but then she remembered hearing when a person gets shamed, it's a huge kapara . The person becomes purified and has a great power of tefila . So, she utilized the opportunity and asked Hashem to bring healing to her son. That Sunday, this boy asked to eat and hours passed without him vomiting. He ate again later that day and again did not vomit. This was a major breakthrough for them. Although the child still has kidney issues, he is able to eat and keep the food down. Instead of lashing back at that woman or feeling sorry for herself, this woman chose to utilize the difficulty to bring salvation closer. Recently, another boy had been practicing for his bar mitzvah parasha for months and he got an appendicitis a few days before he was supposed to read. The appendicitis happened on a Wednesday and he was scheduled to read the Torah that Shabbat. They were also going to have a big seuda to celebrate afterward. But instead, the boy had to be in the hospital and he missed the reading and the seuda . They notified all the guests on Friday not to attend the celebration. It was a somber time. After the doctors studied the appendix, they found a cancerous tumor growing inside of it. Baruch Hashem, it did not spread and the boy is totally fine now. He needed a big yeshua that he didn't even know about. Hashem brought about a very difficult situation that perhaps was the kapara that they needed to receive this yeshua . Hashem is always helping us, whether it seems that way or not. Our best response is to always thank Hashem for what happens and continue living life happily, knowing that we are always in His hands.

Hashem speaks to us all the time. We need to be aware and keep our eyes and ears open for His messages. Sometimes a person needs a yeshuah and seeks something to improve on as a zechut . It's possible that Hashem will convey what he needs to work on in a subtle way, but he must be vigilant and on the lookout for the message. A 7th-grade rebbe shared a story about a student in his class who struggled to grasp even the basics. The more the rebbe tried to explain, the less it seemed the student understood. After Pesach last year, the class began learning a new masechet , and suddenly, the boy started understanding everything. Not only that, he retained all that he learned and quickly became one of the top students in the class. The change was astonishing, happening in such a short time. The rebbe's amazement did not go unnoticed, and the boy explained what had led to the transformation. He said, "A few weeks ago, rebbe told us about the holy tanna Matyah ben Charash, who faced a great test in guarding his eyes. He was even willing to lose his eyesight to avoid sinning. Hashem performed a miracle for him and restored his sight. "I thought to myself, I also need to safeguard my eyes. Across from the bus stop where I wait every morning is a public school, and I usually watch the students, including the girls who dress immodestly. After rebbe mentioned Matyah ben Charash, I decided to guard my eyes. Every day when they arrive, I look down and pray to Hashem to enlighten my eyes in His Torah and help me remember what I learn. Hashem answered my request. Since then, I've been able to understand and remember everything." This boy needed help with his learning, and Hashem subtly hinted to him what he needed to do to merit it—through the rebbe's words about shemirat enayim . The boy understood the message and experienced an incredible yeshuah . Sometimes Hashem gives us exactly the chizuk we need. A man shared that he became very involved in encouraging others and giving chizuk . Baruch Hashem, he was good at it and helped many people. However, recently, he began to have second thoughts. The work was consuming so much of his time, sometimes keeping him on the phone with people for over half an hour. He wondered if he should scale back and focus more on other areas of avodat Hashem , including his own learning. That very day, as he was grappling with these thoughts, he came across a piece in a book on emunah that spoke directly to his dilemma. The book quoted the Chafetz Chaim, who emphasized how much Hashem values those who bring chizuk to others. The Chafetz Chaim compared it to a father whose children are sad, saying that such a father would feel immense hakarat hatov toward anyone who brings joy to his children. The man felt reassured that he was on the right path. That night, as part of his routine, he read two halachot from the Sefer Chafetz Chaim and a paragraph of mussar from the back of the sefer . To his amazement, the very same idea he had read earlier in the book on emunah appeared in the mussar section of the Sefer Chafetz Chaim that night. It was Hashem who was showing him the same chizuk twice in one day to reinforce the message. The encouragement he needed to continue his avodat hakodesh was delivered clearly and powerfully. Hashem speaks to us all the time. If we're on the lookout, we will catch His messages.

If someone has been making hishtadlut in a certain area for a long time but hasn't seen success, there is a segula attributed to Rav Chaim Palachi that can work wonders. Whether the hishtadlut pertains to shidduchim , parnasa , health, or any other matter, strengthening one's bitachon in the following way can bring great siyata dishmaya . The practice involves saying the first paragraph of Alenu l'Shabe'ach with intense kavana . Then, go back to the words הוא אלוקינו ואין עוד אחר —"He is our G-d, and there is none other"—and deeply internalize that no one else in the world can help besides Hakadosh Baruch Hu. With this mindset, proceed to the second paragraph, על כן נקוה לך ה' אלוקינו , and focus on the specific issue causing distress. As you recite it, think: "Hashem, I am placing all my bitachon in You." A man who learned of this segula for the first time shared it with his niece in Argentina, who was struggling with shidduchim . She asked if it was enough to perform the segula once a day when reciting Alenu , as she only prayed once daily. Her uncle assured her that this was sufficient, and he committed to having her in mind as he performed the segula three times a day. Remarkably, within a month, she found her shidduch . This segula is not new; it is simply another method to instill the principle of אין עוד מלבדו . A woman once told me about her longstanding eye condition. Her eyes were persistently watery and produced mucus, and none of the medications she tried brought relief. A few years ago, she turned to the Rebbetzin whose class she attended weekly for advice. The Rebbetzin encouraged her to work on internalizing that only Hashem could help her. Then, she suggested a practical step: "Chanuka is coming up this week. Each night, stand by the candles for 15 minutes and pray to Hashem, fully believing that only He can help." The woman followed the Rebbetzin's advice and even stopped relying on the ineffective medications. Each night of Chanuka, she stood before the candles, praying with all her heart and focusing on her emunah that only Hashem could heal her. Amazingly, her condition improved with each passing day. By the end of Chanukah, her eyes were completely healed. Baruch Hashem, it has now been two years, and the issue has not returned. There is no substitute for genuine belief in Hashem's power. It cannot be faked, as Hashem perceives the true feelings within a person's heart. When one fully believes in אין עוד מלבדו , it becomes a wondrous segula that brings an outpouring of siyata dishmaya .

Rabbi Vann

Chazal tell us the Yevanim made the Jewish People write on the horn of an ox "אין לנו חלק באלוקי ישראל - We have no share in the G-d of Israel." The Sefat Emet asked, this phrase is seemingly self- contradictory. On the one hand they were told to write that they have no share, but they were also saying that Hashem is the G-d of Israel. The Sefat Emet explained, the Yevanim admitted that indeed Hashem was the G-d of Israel, but they wanted to destroy the emunah of the Jewish People that their actions matter. They wanted the Jews to think that their actions don't make any impressions in Heaven. And that's why one of the mitzvot which they tried to abolish was Rosh Chodesh, because that's a mitzvah which shows how we determine the calendar. They wanted us to think our actions are meaningless. But we know our deeds carry so much weight in Shamayim , and whatever we do is so precious to Hashem. The sefer Vaveh Amudim told a story which took place 35 years ago on one of the nights of Chanukah. In the beit midrash of the Admor , the Bet Yisrael , all of his chassidim wanted to be close to watch as the Rebbe lit the Menorah . They had a system where whoever was close up one night had to go to the back the next night in order to give everybody a chance to be close. A young man there decided to defy the rules and went up close even though he was already close on the previous night. The gabai politely told him to go back, but he defiantly refused. He told the gabai , according to the rules he also should move back, why should he get to be close every night? After the gabai repeatedly tried to get this boy to move, the boy kept becoming more and more brazen. It got to a point where the gabai took his hand and smacked the boy across the face. Everyone there watched in shock, and the boy ran out of the bet midrash humiliated. Thirty seconds later, the Beit Yisrael came in to light. After the lighting, the gabai regretted his actions and sent a messenger to go find the boy to ask his forgiveness, but the boy refused saying he would never forgive him for what he did. On Thursday of parshat Miketz , the Bet Yisrae l asked for this boy to come to his office. He was told about what happened and wanted to bring about peace. He told the boy to go read the Zohar of that day's Chok L'Yisrael, and that would help him figure out what to do. The boy went to the beit midrash and opened the Zohar . There was a story of Rabbi Abba who was sitting by the entry to the city of Lod, and he watched as a man went to lie down under a protrusion of rock which came out of a large mountain. Soon afterward, a snake was making its way toward that man to bite him when, all of a sudden, a heavy branch came off a tree and killed the snake. The man woke up and saw the snake and left the place where he had been lying down. A few seconds later that protrusion became dislodged and came crashing down right in the spot that man had just been lying in. When Rabbi Abba witnessed this man having two miracles performed for him, he went over to him to ask him about his deeds which warranted this type of special treatment. The man replied, "If anyone does something bad to me, I immediately forgive him, and if I'm not able to, I will not go to sleep that night until I forgive him. And when I forgive, I totally put out of my mind the evil that the person did to me. Furthermore, I make sure to go out of my way to do something nice for him." Rabbi Abba later said about this man that in this aspect he was even greater than Yosef HaTzaddik, because Yosef was able to forgive what his brothers did to him but, after all, they were his brothers. This man was able to forgive complete strangers. When the boy finished reading this Zohar , he understood what he needed to do. He went to the gabai's house and told him that he wholeheartedly forgives him. That same night, the boy was learning in his bed, and he brought the shamash candle close to use its light. Eventually, he dozed off but the candle fell on his bed and a fire started. Baruch Hashem , the boy woke up in time and managed to get out. His tzitzit was completely burnt, but the fire didn't touch him. That is when he realized he also had a miracle done for him to save his life because of his great deed of forgiving. Our deeds matter very much. Everything we do to serve Hashem is so precious to Him.

This week's parashah begins with the words " ויהי מקץ שנתיים ימים - and it was at the end of two years." Twoyears since what? The Midrash explains- because Yosef asked the sarhamashkim to mention his name to Pharaoh and get him out of jail, Hashemadded an extra two years to his sentence. Not only did Yosef not gain by askingfor help. He even lost. The mefarshim are bothered. What did Yosef do wrongby requesting that help? After all, aren't we supposed to make a hishtadlut to try and help ourselves? All he did was make a simple effort to try and get himself out of jail. Some explain, in the words of Rashi we can find the answer.Rashi writes " מפני שתלה בו יוסף לזכרו הוזקק להיות אסורעוד שתי שנים ". To understand these words we need to understand the answer toanother question first. Rabbi Dessler asked, when Yosef interpreted Pharaoh'sdreams, he then added his own advice on how Pharaoh should proceed. Seemingly,this was Yosef making a hishtadlut to show Pharaoh how wise he was, sohe would get appointed as an advisor. Didn't Yosef learn his lesson afterstaying in jail for two extra years? How could he make this hishtadlut right when he got out? Rabbi Dessler answered, based on the words of RabbenuBachya, who explains how bitachon works together with hishtadlut. The pasuk says in Mishleh , " בטחאל ה' בכל לבך ואל בינתך אל תשען ." We are commanded to rely on Hashem andnot our strengths. A person should not feel because he is smart he'll besuccessful. As the pasuk says, " משיב חכמים אחור,ודעתם יסכל ". Hashem can easily remove any good idea from a person'sthoughts. Hashem is in charge of success. A person should not thinkbecause he has money it is due to his skills, because Hashem is the one incharge of money. He should think I have money because Hashem gave it to me, andthe way I made it just happened to be one of the millions of ways that Hashemcould have given it to me. Although we have an obligation of hishtadlut, we'renot allowed to think that anything resulted because of the hishtadlut .That having been said, there was nothing wrong with Yosef asking the sarhamashkim to mention his name to Pharaoh. The problem was he was " תולה בטחונו בו ". He thought that would be the causeof him getting out. It made so much sense. He did this man a favor. He showedhim how talented he was. It seemed like it was sure to bring success, and Yosefbelieved that. During the next two years in jail Yosef corrected that. Herecognized causes don't matter, only Hashem does. Therefore, when he stood infront of Pharaoh and Pharaoh said, "I heard that you know how to interpretdreams," Yosef immediately corrected him saying, "I don't know how to doanything. Only Hashem does." Once that was clear there was no problem of him offeringadvice to Pharaoh. In fact, it's recommended to make a hishtadlut, aslong as a person realizes the hishtadlut will not be the cause ofsuccess. The lesson for us is obvious. The act of making an effortis necessary, but we always have to make sure to have our mindset in the rightplace. How much importance are we putting on the effort. If the effort is notthe real cause we should have just as much, if not more, focus on our prayersand especially on our bitachon in Hashem. Rabbi Mughrabi told a story that one time the Chazon Ishasked a student of his to travel to America to try and raise funds for animportant cause. The student went happily and he spent two full weeks theretrying to raise money, only to come up practically empty handed. He wasembarrassed to tell the Chazon Ish what happened. A week after he returned theChazon Ish called for him. The student came in with shame. The Chazon Ish toldhim, "Thank you so much. You helped me a lot. Baruch Hashem all the money camein. You really did me a favor." The student then asked, "Where did the moneycome from? I didn't really collect anything." The Chazon Ish said, "Ijust got a big check from a donor in France." "So what does that have to dowith me?" asked the student. The Rabbi explained, "We are commanded to make a hishtadlut to take care of our needs. Our hishtadlut doesn't tell Hashem how tohelp us. It just fulfills our responsibility. Once we did our part, Hashem willsend from where He sees fit. You spent two weeks traveling to doing your utmostto help. That was the hishtadlut . Hashem then decided to help us throughthis wealthy man in France. He gave him a large order from which he gave us the ma'aser." This is the emmet. Hishtadlut has nothing todo with results. It's a responsibility in action only, but our mindset shouldalways be only on Hashem. Shabbat Shalom

We have been taught how valuable it is to forgive or overlook when someone wrongs us, but sometimes that is extremely difficult to do, especially when our feelings have been hurt. Our Rabbis have taught us that if we aren't able to get the hurt out of our hearts, we're encouraged to tell the person who hurt us that we feel hurt, and of course we have to do that in a nice way. Just telling the person our feelings will relieve so much of the pain, and that will enable us to forgive. But sometimes that's not an option, and then we'll need to dig deep down and overcome our hurt feelings to do what Hashem wants. The rewards for that are unimaginable. Sometimes Hashem wants to give a person a present or a salvation, but in their current state it wouldn't be good for them to get. However, if they would overcome an enormous test that Hashem would give them, that would make them fit for the blessing. We should use these thoughts as a motivation to do what's right and overcome the difficult tests that are sent our way. I was recently reminded of a story we told last year about a young man who was learning in yeshiva and had just begun shidduchim. One day his father received a call from a shadchan who proposed an excellent match for him. After doing their research, they gave the go-ahead to proceed. However, a few days later the shadchan called them back saying the girl's family had declined. Although they heard great things, the girl had her heart set on marrying someone who was on a higher level in his learning. When the boy heard that, his pride became shattered. He knew he wasn't the top learner, but he did work very hard to be the best he could be. The feeling of insult was very hard for him to get over and there was really nothing he could do besides work on himself and move on. Less than a week later, he felt better and was able to do something amazing. His chavruta was an outstanding learner and he felt he was the type of boy this girl's family was looking for. So with superhuman strength, he told the shadchan to try to set up his chavruta with the girl that rejected him. Several days later, the shadchan called the boy's family back with a response they would have never imagined. When the girl heard about what he had done, she said, "A boy who was able to overcome insult and try to help me and his chavruta is somebody with incredible midot tovot. That's exactly what I'm looking for." The shidduch was made and Baruch Hashem, they got engaged. Being able to be mevater is an enormous zechut which brings about great blessings. Sometimes a person needs to be mevater kaveyachol to Hashem for the hurt feelings that he feels. People do things in the area of Torah and mitzvot and at times it seems like they lose out from it and they wonder why Hashem would do that to them. They may experience negative feelings towards Hashem or towards the good deeds that they did. Being able to overcome that and understand that a person never loses out from doing what Hashem wants will also earn a person great merits. A man told me one day he was flooded with phone calls from various people who needed his help. While speaking to one individual, he saw the phone lighting up from his investment broker, but he couldn't interrupt this individual who was pouring out his heart to him. That day he got so busy helping all those people he completely forgot to call back the broker. The next day when he went to the bank, the investment broker told him he could have earned him so much money but because he wasn't able to speak to him he missed a golden opportunity. The man immediately replied with unwavering emunah saying he was involved in doing chesed and a person never loses from doing a mitzva. He didn't feel bad at all missing any opportunity. Nine days later he earned an unexpected sum of money and told his investment broker about it. The broker said, "Wow that is definitely more than you would have earned with what I was going to do." Overlooking when we feel that we may have been wronged or treated unfairly is a very precious avodah. Sometimes Hashem gives a person the opportunity to do that just so He can give him the blessing He wants to give.

Have you ever felt irked by the overuse of religious phrases in everyday conversation? Our guest shares their journey through the Shaduchim process, revealing how hearing words like "Baruch HaShem" became a profound learning opportunity. Initially, these expressions seemed a distraction, but a new appreciation for the power of spiritual language emerged through self-reflection and studying Rashi's interpretation of Joseph's story. This episode promises to uncover how integrating spirituality into daily life can pave the way for personal growth and success.Join us as we explore the transformative potential of language with our guest, who candidly discusses the lessons learned from the traditional Jewish matchmaking journey. Discover how acknowledging the divine in everyday exchanges can enhance your personal and relational fulfillment, much like Joseph's success through his consistent invocation of God's name. Whether navigating Shaduchim or seeking to enrich your spiritual practice, this conversation offers valuable insights into how your words can reflect and shape your inner world.Support the showJoin The Motivation Congregation WhatsApp community for daily motivational Torah content!Elevate your impact by becoming a TMC Emerald Donor! Your much-needed backing is crucial for our mission of disseminating the wisdom of the Torah. Join today for just $18.00 per month. (Use your maaser money!) https://buy.stripe.com/00g8xl5IT8dFcKc5ky---------------- SUBSCRIBE to The Weekly Parsha for an insightful weekly talk on the week's Parsha. Listen on Spotify or 24six! Access all Torah talks and listen to featured episodes on our website, themotivationcongregation.org ----------------Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com

Send us a textThe Outpost In Oklahoma: Rabbi Yehuda & Etel WegExciting news! This is Episode 50 of Lamplighters. Amazing! But we won't celebrate that milestone for too long. There are about 5,000 Chabad emissary families in more than 100 countries. So, 50 episodes down, only 4,950 to go! To keep our series going strong, please consider dedicating one! Email us at podcast@lubavitch.com to explore dedication opportunities.Did you enjoy listening to this episode? Leave us a five-star review on the podcast platform and/or email us at Podcast@Lubavitch.com - we truly value your feedback!"I don't know what Tulsa is going to look like in 10 or 20 years from now, but I will be here and I will serve the needs of the community as they change." - Rabbi Yehuda Weg“Mashiach isn't here. It's not the end of the story. We have work to do. Baruch Hashem, we're given a lot of opportunities." - Rebbetzin Etel WegProduced by: Gary Waleik & Shneur Brook for Lubavitch International/Lubavitch.com - A Project of Machne IsraelAvailable on all major podcast platforms - and online at Lubavitch.com/podcastSupport the show

Every situation we find ourselves in provides us with unique opportunities to serve Hashem. If a person goes through a period of financial struggle, that is a special opportunity to serve Hashem in a unique way. If a person experiences difficulties with shidduchim, health, or having children, each of those circumstances provides the person with unique opportunities. The key in life is to be able to do the right job in every circumstance that Hashem places us in. Some tests last for months, some for years, and some for just days. Having the proper emunah and acting accordingly will define how successful a person is in this world. One of the great tests of life is how a person acts when Hashem blesses him with wealth. The natural inclination is for the person to feel that he doesn't need Hashem because he is self-sufficient. A wealthy family may feel that they don't have to pray for shidduchim for their children. Since they have money and the ability to buy their children homes and cars and support them, they feel they can get any shidduch they want. If they have a health issue, they may not feel the need to pray as much because they have connections with the top doctors in all fields. One of the big tests of wealthy people is to feel like they have nothing and need Hashem for everything. The Arizal writes that before we say the Amida in Shacharit, we recite the words, ' עוזר דלים ,' Hashem helps the impoverished, and we should feel as if we are impoverished in every area. When a person gets to the beracha of Barech Alenu , no matter how much money he has, he should feel like he has nothing and needs Hashem for every last dollar. When he says Refa'enu , he should feel that all of his connections to doctors are meaningless. Hashem is the only One in the world with the ability to heal him. The same is true with every beracha in the Amida. The greatest genius must feel as though he has no brainpower without Hashem and must beg Hashem during Atah Chonen to grant him the ability to understand. Let us learn this lesson from the way Avraham Avinu acted in the situations that Hashem placed him in. Avraham was the wealthiest man of his generation. How did he act when he needed to buy a burial plot? Imagine today if an extremely wealthy man walked into the offices of the Chevra Kadisha to buy burial plots. He might choose the most prestigious plots, and if told they weren't available, he might say: "Tell me what it costs; I'll pay anything, and I'm not taking no for an answer."He might speak with the attitude that his money can get him whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Avraham Avinu, however, spoke to the B'nei Chet with great humility, saying: I am only a גר ותושב -foreigner and a stranger - among you. The B'nei Chet couldn't believe the way he was talking. They told him, "No, you are our master, you can have whatever you want." The Midrash says, Abraham replied, "Only HaShem is the master." Every time they tried to honor him, he minimized it. And he wasn't just speaking words, he truly believed he didn't deserve any honor. When Avraham sent Eliezer to find a shiddukh for Yitzchak, he did not rely on his wealth. He told Eliezer: " ה' אֱלֹקֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׁלַח מַלְאָכוֹ לְפָנֶיךָ ." - Hashem, the God of the Heavens, will send His angel before you. And when Avraham experienced success, he immediately bowed to Hashem in gratitude—unlike the natural inclination of a wealthy man to think he accomplished everything. Baruch Hashem, today, many wealthy individuals emulate Avraham. Despite their wealth, they exhibit tremendous humility. They are true inspirations, overcoming the test of wealth, and they will be eternally rewarded for it. The pasuk says about Yitzchak Avinu: " וַיִּגְדַּל הָאִישׁ, וַיֵּלֶךְ הָלוֹךְ וְגָדֵל, עַד כִּי גָדַל מְאֹד ." The Tiferet Shmuel explains that the pasuk repeatedly uses the word גדול to highlight how a person who overcomes the test of wealth can become a גדול . By acting humbly and perfecting his middot despite his wealth, he achieves greatness. Every stage of life presents a different set of tests. Our success will be determined by how we deal with each circumstance as it arises.

A man we'll call Ralph shared with me that he hadn't been learning much recently. One night, he pushed himself to attend a class, even though it was very difficult for him to get there. Afterward, he was so glad he went. When he returned to his car, he discovered that it was damaged, and no one had left a note. He felt upset and frustrated. The next day, Ralph took the car to a body shop, where the repairs cost him $400. He couldn't help but think that this only happened because he had gone to the class. "If I had stayed home," he thought, "my car wouldn't have been there, and this wouldn't have happened." Anger welled up in him, and he told Hashem that this made him not want to attend classes anymore. The following day, while driving, another car hit Ralph from behind. The driver got out, visibly apologetic for not being more careful. He looked at Ralph's car and saw that it looked like it had just minor damage. He said to Ralph, "How much do you want? $200? $300? Here, take $400." Ralph inspected his car and realized there wasn't even a scratch. He thanked the man for the $400 and they parted ways. Ralph said he saw this as a clear sign that Hashem had returned the money to him, and he apologized for questioning Him the day before. Ralph realized that Hashem was showing him that he hadn't lost anything by going to the class. Baruch Hashem, Ralph is once again excited to continue attending. However, we must understand that we can never fully grasp the ways of Hashem, even in a situation like Ralph's which seems straightforward. Another possible interpretation is that because Ralph pushed himself to learn Torah that night, Hashem deemed him worthy to get a relatively small kapara in the form of a $400 repair bill—sparing him from something worse. However, after Ralph displayed anger towards Hashem and then threatened to stop learning Torah, he may have lost that zechut and so the next day he was given the money back. There are countless other possibilities that we can't even think of. What we do know is that no one ever truly loses from doing a mitzva. When it appears otherwise, it's merely a test. When Avraham passed the supreme test of Akedat Yitzhak, he received the devastating news that his wife had passed away. It could have appeared as though her death was a direct result of the mitzva he had just performed. Yet, Avraham knew that Sara was destined to live precisely as long as she did, and that any connection between her passing and the Akedah was merely a test. Similarly, Hashem gives us opportunities to strengthen our emunah because He loves us and wants to grant us more zechuyot. If a person is meant to lose money, it will happen one way or another. If Hashem makes it appear that he lost it because of a mitzva, that is an opportunity to recognize that Hashem is just testing him because He loves him, just like He did with Avraham Avinu. He should think the loss was going to happen regardless, but now by having emunah he will be able to soar to the greatest heights and reap eternal rewards. Baruch Hashem, Ralph has since been learning emunah, and he now sees Hashem's hand in every aspect of his life. He loves going to class, and he knows that he will never truly lose from it. We may not pass every test we face, but if we learn and grow from them, even our failures can become catalysts for growth and they will be added to the side of our merits. Every experience in life can be transformed into avodat Hashem. We shouldn't be overly harsh on ourselves for past mistakes. Instead, we should use feelings of regret to catapult ourselves to want to become better and better.

There are many singles who are having a very hard time in shidduchim. It is so difficult for girls to watch the days pass by with no prospects in sight. They wait week after week, month after month, and year after year, wondering if they will ever get married. The same is true of a boy who is getting on in years and can't seem to find the right one. It is also so hard for the parents and family members of these individuals to watch their loved ones hurting so much. They wish they could help them, but it's just not working out. It is important for these singles to understand that although they aren't married yet, there is still so much they could accomplish in their current situation. Our main purpose in life is to serve Hashem to the best of our ability in any situation we find ourselves in. We do not take the attitude that "If I'm not married, then nothing else matters." To the contrary, everything else matters. We must use every day of life to its fullest, and that is the determinant of our success in this world. At the same time, we also know that Hashem has already chosen a marriage partner for every single person. The difficulty is just finding them. There can be many factors determining why a person has to wait a long time to get married, but we know prayer and good deeds can always help speed up the process. An act of self-sacrifice carries a tremendous amount of weight in Shamayim. If someone has such an opportunity, he should do his best to capitalize on it. The Be'er HaParasha told a story that happened recently. Two sisters over the age of thirty were still not married. They were the only children in their family, and they were taking care of their father who was ill. Finally, it seemed like the perfect shidduch came along for the younger of the two. Everything was progressing nicely, and they were all looking forward to hearing good news. The day came when they thought the shidduch was going to be finalized. However, when the younger sister came home that day, she looked completely shattered. The older sister asked her what happened. She said the shidduch was broken off because of monetary issues. She told the other side that her father is ill and doesn't have money. She herself had a life savings of a hundred and fifty thousand shekels, but that was not nearly enough for what the other side was anticipating. Of course, we know that money comes from Hashem, and the main focus of a shidduch is the person, not their financial status. Money comes and goes. Many people have had money when they got married and subsequently lost it, and many have gotten married without money and have been blessed ever since. Be it as it may, in this particular case, the shidduch was broken off. The older sister felt so bad for her younger sister. She knew how excited she was to finally get married, and she was not going to let money get in the way. She had five hundred thousand shekels in savings and told her sister she was going to give it all to her. The younger sister refused that most generous offer, but the older sister wouldn't take no for an answer. The younger sister then went and told the other side about the money, and the shidduch was back on. The chatan was so moved by the selfless act of this older sister. He called a friend of his who lived in America to tell him about his engagement, and he also told him about the amazing act of self-sacrifice that his future sister-in-law had made. This friend was blown away. He told a friend of his who was single and about the same age as this girl, about what she did. This friend happened to be very wealthy, and he was also deeply touched by the selfless act. He felt it was worth it for him to fly to Israel to go out with her. Baruch Hashem, that shidduch progressed very quickly, and they got engaged. The wedding of that couple just took place now in the month of Cheshvan. Both of these girls seemed so distant from getting married, and then כהרף עין , both of them found their zivug. Sometimes all we need is one great zechut to be blessed with finding the right one.

It may happen that when a person sets out to do a mitzva, he runs into obstacles. He then continues trying to do the mitzva, but the obstacles get harder to overcome. He may think to himself, I don't understand, I'm trying to do something for Hashem. Why would He keep trying to stop me? Does He not want me to do the mitzva? The answer is, for sure He wants you to do the mitzva, but He wants you to get the most out of it. The harder a person tries to do a mitzva, the greater the mitzva becomes. If it gets extremely difficult to do, and the person continues to persevere, his rewards for that mitzva will be unimaginable. The Sefer Sas V'Imratecha tells the following story, which took place a number of years ago. Two great Rebbes, who were brothers, arranged a tish on Tu B'shvat, and suddenly, at around midnight, one said to the other that they hadn't done the mitzva of Birkat HaLevana yet. This was the last night to do it, and there were only a few hours left to get it done. The problem was that it was overcast with thick clouds, and there was a very slim chance that the moon would appear in the next few hours. At that time, they were in the Zichron Moshe shul in Yerushalayim. They decided to travel towards Yericho, and hopefully spot the moon there. They figured that the eastern part of Israel was hotter, and maybe had less clouds. They were approaching Yericho, and were stopped at a checkpoint. The sky there was filled with clouds as well. They asked one of the soldiers if they could put out a message asking soldiers in other locations if anyone could see the moon from where they were stationed. The soldier was dumbfounded by the request, and asked the Rebbe why he wanted to know such information. The Rebbe told him about the mitzva of Birkat HaLevana, and how there were only a few hours left to do it. The soldier put out the request, and almost every reply was negative, except for one, who said he was near Me'arat HaMachpela, and he was able to see the moon. The Rebbes became so excited, and urged their driver to go there immediately. The soldier told them by the time they got there, the moon would probably be gone, but they didn't pay any attention to him, and they hurried there at once. When they finally arrived, it was two o'clock in the morning. Baruch Hashem, the moon was still visible, and they recited Birkat HaLevana with great jubilation. Even though it was very late, and they were extremely tired, they wanted to take advantage of the fact that they just did a mitzva with great self-sacrifice. One of the Rebbe's sons was with them, who was married for twenty years without children. They decided to go to Kever Rachel to pray, and there they prayed from the depths of their hearts, and miraculously, that year, the Rebbe's son was zocheh to have his first child. The value of a mitzva done with great difficulty is enormous. If we ever set out to do a mitzva and we run into obstacles, it's a gift from Hashem to enable us to get a much bigger mitzva for the very same deed, but it requires effort and perseverance. Hashem never wants to stop us from getting a mitzva. He only wants to make it better for us.

There are people who have been hurt in the past by others and were never able to get over it. They carry the pain with them and hold a deep-rooted grudge towards the individuals that hurt them. Holding on to pain and carrying around negative energy is very detrimental. It is a very big test to be able to forgive and move on, but the person must know that by doing it, he will be the one who gains the most. We believe, be'munah shelema, that people do not have the ability to harm us. They are only messengers carrying out the will of Hashem. With that emunah, it becomes easier to forgive. Rabbi Braverman told that after a class he gave, a thirty-year-old woman came over to him and was bemoaning the fact that she hadn't even gone on one date in the past ten years. She told the rabbi the reason was because at age nineteen, half a week before her wedding, her chatan called it off. He had already called the hall to cancel a full week before that, but she didn't know about it yet. Other people knew that her wedding was canceled even before she did. It was so humiliating. She would never forgive him for it. The rabbi told her she was missing some details in this story. The woman was taken aback and asked the rabbi if he suspected her of lying about it. The rabbi said, "No, but the way you should tell the story is as follows." "Ten years ago, Hashem saved me from marrying someone who would have been terrible for me. He did a miracle and made the guy back out for no good reason, just to save me." The rabbi continued, for the past ten years, instead of thanking Hashem for saving you from a bitter marriage, you have been punishing yourself instead. The woman never considered looking at it that way. This new perspective enabled her to let go of all the anger she was holding onto. Shortly after that meeting with the rabbi, she met the person that became her husband. By holding onto grudges, we are the ones who lose the most. Rabbi Goel El-Karif told a similar story of a couple that couldn't have children for six years. When the doctor gave them the devastating news that there was no hope, that is when the rosh kollel of the boy told the couple he might know the problem that is preventing them from conceiving. He told the boy, you broke off an engagement, but you never got forgiven from the girl. The boy felt that he was justified in breaking it off and never thought that he needed to ask forgiveness for it. The rosh kollel went to speak to the family of that girl and saw how bitter she was about it. She herself had never gotten married and felt the reason was partly because she was humiliated by having her engagement called off. They then did everything in their power to get forgiven and after a lot of hard effort, the girl finally forgave him. Within that year, the girl got engaged. Her chatan was everything she could have ever wanted. She saw so clearly that Hashem gave her the salvation she had been anticipating for years. But she also saw that the couple she forgave was still not blessed with children. That is when she really worked much harder to truly forgive to the point that she herself was praying for them to have children. Baruch Hashem, a few months later, the good news came. The couple was expecting. Again, we see that the grudge this woman was holding onto was preventing her from moving forward. Hashem runs the world. Nobody could affect another individual if it's not what Hashem wants. If someone understands this, it will make it easier to forgive. And by forgiving, we are helping ourselves the most.

So many people have said they can't believe how much learning Emunah has changed their lives for the better. They feel bad that they didn't start learning about it earlier. They now live every day of life together with Hashem and there is so much more meaning behind everything they do. A young woman recently shared with me how she discovered Emunah and how her life has improved in so many ways because of it. About five months ago, she met a girl who she is now proud to call her good friend. They met at work and over many long and deep conversations, they forged a strong bond. She has an elderly grandfather who is very sick and she is watching as her beloved grandfather turned from a sweet little man who woke up at five every morning to pray and learn to a shriveled old man confined to his bed with an oxygen machine. She has been praying and crying so much. Her grandfather barely speaks but whenever she comes, he does, and the only thing he tells her about is that he wants to meet her chatan and dance at her wedding. She is currently 20 years old and has been in shiduchim for two years. She's enjoying her days as a single girl and not feeling at all pressured to get married. However, every time she steps foot through her grandfather's door, things suddenly shift and she feels desperate to get engaged. She really wants to fulfill the wishes of her grandfather to meet her chatan and come to her wedding. Every time she goes to him, he looks at her beseechingly as though begging her and blessing her all at the same time. And every time she leaves, she feels so bad, crying herself to sleep. One night, she described all of this to her new friend. She had been to her grandfather that day and he didn't look so good. He motioned to all the machinery he was hooked up to and he rasped, "You've got to hurry up." She left and cried for hours. She wanted to give her grandfather what he was asking for, but it wasn't in her control. So when she cried to her friend that night, the friend came up with a great idea. Since they both know everything is only in Hashem's control, they should work on strengthening their Emunah. They decided to start learning a book on Emunah every night. The first night, the friend read while she continued to cry. She didn't even have the book yet. The next day, she went to get the book with anticipation of the inspiration that it was going to bring. They read together two lessons each day and although they were from such different backgrounds, the timeless words connected them in a way they can't describe. They grew very quickly and she no longer felt that helplessness when she went to her grandfather. She felt much more confident and secure knowing that everything was in Hashem's hands. Her prayers took on a new dimension. She prayed with newfound energy and fervor knowing who the real Boss is. As they approached the end of the first book, they agreed to continue with the second volume. On October 30th, just a few weeks ago, they read the final chapter of the first book. The very next day, she got engaged. Baruch Hashem, her grandfather is alive and breathing, and with Hashem's help, was able to meet her chatan. The l'chaim was celebrated at her grandfather's house with just a few people. She watched as her dream came true, as her grandfather drank l'chaim and blessed them both. Emunah has changed her life in every way. She's so much happier, calmer and most importantly, more connected to Hashem. Everyone can experience these same feelings with Emunah. It is very doable and available to all.

The pasuk says in this week's parasha, Lech Lecha , ויוצא אותו החוצה . Avraham Avinu, who knew how to read the stars, told Hashem that he saw he was not going to have children. Hashem told him to go outside of his astrology, because אין מזל לישראל . It doesn't matter what the stars say, because we are above the stars, and things can always change. These words have given so much hope to people who have been told throughout the generations that in the natural way of the world they would be unable to have children, or unable to accomplish something they hoped to accomplish. Our tefillot and our emunah can transcend nature. Sometimes people get their hopes up and pray hard, but then they get let down, and they want to give up. The emunah that a person portrays after a letdown is such a great zechut. It could be that the entire letdown was created just for the person to have emunah at that time, because that emunah can be the catalyst for his ultimate yeshua. We never know which tefila or which avoda will change a mazal. Every one of them is valuable, and we should never underestimate any of them. A young man who learns in kollel told me he had been married for two years without children and things were not looking good for them. Last year before Sukkot, they felt uneasy about spending time with their families, with all of their other siblings already having children, and perhaps pitying them for not having. They had wanted to go for a long time to Eretz Yisrael, to pray by the kotel, and pray by kivrei tzaddikim and get berachot from gedolim. They decided this would be the perfect time to go. It was expensive, and they didn't have that much money, but they knew they needed a lot of רחמי שמים , and heartfelt tefilot in מקומות הקדושים was a great way of getting it. The first couple of days there, they went to the Kotel, kever Rachel, Ma'arat Hamachpela, and prayed for a long time at each place. They went to a couple of more places during chol ha-moed, and they had their main full schedule planned for after the holiday. But then came Shemini Atzeret, October 7th, and the tragic news began to spread. Their prayers changed from focusing on themselves to focusing on Klal Yisrael. Their plans were canceled. They spent the rest of the time there, indoors, including a few bomb shelters. Of course, their hearts were with all of those people who were suffering so much, but they couldn't help but also feel that their chance of having children was also getting ruined. This was their one chance in Eretz Yisrael to get the yeshua they had been desperately seeking. They decided to strengthen their emunah and accept that now Hashem wanted them to pray for others rather than themselves. They fully accepted the situation Hashem put them in and were happy with it. The very next night, at the house of the people they were staying by, their child who has Down syndrome turned to this couple and said, "You're going to have a baby." They were awestruck. Baruch Hashem, just two weeks later, they discovered that they were indeed expecting a child. There were many scares during the pregnancy, but Baruch Hashem, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Things don't always happen the way we want or plan or hope, but our job is to always embrace the will of Hashem and do the job that He wants us to do. We never know what Avodah will bring our yeshua, but we do know that no matter what, we can always be helped, and we need to hope and pray with that attitude. Shabbat Shalom.

Chazal have taught us a wondrous segula to have our tefillot accepted faster. Namely, if someone is in need of a yeshua and knows of someone else with that same need and prays for that person to be helped. With this statement, the chazal are also teaching us how important it is to pray for others. The Be'er Mayim Chayim explains, when we pray for others, we are showing that we care about the pain of the Shechina, kaviyachol. The pasuk says, when a Jew is in pain, Hashem is in pain, and Hashem's pain is equal for every single Jew that is hurting. So when we pray for others to be relieved from their suffering, we are also praying for some of the pain of the Shechina to be relieved. Rav Moshe Feinstein zt"l writes in the Igerot Moshe (YD 4:51), about how much every single person's tefila makes an impact, even if the person has done many averot. Then he writes, if someone was asked to pray for someone else, he should feel the responsibility of that request. Nobody knows whose prayers will have the most impact. By praying for someone else, the person is doing the ultimate chesed and also fulfilling the great mitzvah of ואהבת לרעך כמוך . Then he concludes by saying, since it's an absolute obligation to pray for our friends and give them berachot, even if we're not asked to pray for someone, if we know they're in need, we should pray for them anyway. The Chida writes in his Sefer Nachal Kedumim, when praying for others, we must really have pure intentions that they should be helped and not just pray as a ploy to get the help that we are looking for. If we are able to pray with pure intentions for others, then the segula works. If someone has been doing it and hasn't been answered yet, he should not cast doubt upon the segula of the chazal, but rather attribute it to his own shortcomings. The Shulchan Aruch writes that washing netilat yadayim for bread with a lot of water is a segula to become wealthy. The Mishna Berura writes there, if someone is careful to always wash with a lot of water but hasn't been blessed with wealth yet, it's because he has a deed which is blocking the parnasa from coming at the moment. Chazal's words are emmet. Sometimes Hashem shows us clearly how segulot do work. A rabbi told me he knows of a couple that was married for nearly eight years without children. They became friendly with another couple who was married for a few years without children. They accepted upon themselves to truly pray for one another to be helped. This past year, Baruch Hashem, one of those couples had a baby. And then, on the very same day, the woman from the other couple went into labor more than six weeks early and had a baby on the same calendar date. They were in awe of the hashgacha of Hashem, both for blessing them with children and also for showing them how their prayers for each other is what brought about their yeshua. Tefila is always special. When we have a true desire for other people to be helped and we pray with that kavana, it makes the tefila even more special.

We say in Ashrei that Hashem is משביע לכל חי רצון . The Seforno explains this to mean that Hashem gives everyone chesed because that is His desire. This should give us a lot of chizuk knowing that Hashem's desire is to give every one of us chesed all day long. Everyone has different needs and Hashem gives everyone what they need when it's good for them. A young man who will call Zevulun told me that there's an older man who we'll call Yosef who eats by one of his relatives every Shabbat lunch. If those relatives are ever away for Shabbat, they inform Yosef in advance so he can make other plans. A couple of weeks ago, those relatives went away and totally forgot to tell Yosef. That Shabbat morning, Zevulun was walking to shul as usual. This time, for some inexplicable reason, he decided to cross the large highway-like street much earlier than he normally does on his way to shul. A minute after that, for the first time ever on that walk, he bumped into Yosef. He asked Yosef where he was eating that day and Yosef mentioned the name of the relative that he always goes to. Zevulun then told him that they were away, but it would be his honor if he would come to him for lunch and he happily accepted. Zevulun said he saw openly how Hashem was so concerned about where Yosef would eat his Shabbat lunch that day that He orchestrated that highly unlikely meeting. A few years ago, a young orphan asked Zevulun to get him a candy/toy bag from the minyan he attends on Simchat Torah. They both pray in the same shul, but Zevulun's minyan gives out much better bags. Zevulun was unable to get him a bag that day and he felt very bad about it. He has since moved to a different shul. This year, a couple of days before Simchat Torah, he bumped into the man who was in charge of giving out the bags at that other minyan. He asked him if he could please set aside a bag for the orphan who prays in a different minyan in that shul and find him to give him one. That Simchat Torah, this man searched the building for the young orphan, but he wasn't there. As he was giving out the bags to the rest of the children there, someone came over and asked him for an extra one for someone else. That was against the rules, so he immediately said no. And then he thought about it and asked that person who the bag was for. The person mentioned the name of that young orphan. The man couldn't believe it and happily gave him a bag. Hashem made sure to give this orphan the toy and candy bag that he wanted so badly. He caused Zevulun to meet the man who gave them out. And even though the orphan wasn't even in the shul that day, He sent a messenger to get one for him. Another man told me his mother had a brain operation scheduled for 9am one day, but they had to reschedule it for 1pm. It was a two hour surgery and Baruch Hashem it was a success. While her family was in the waiting room, they saw another family saying Tehillim. Then the doctor called that family and they all huddled around to hear what he had to say. Baruch Hashem, their father was doing well after they successfully removed a tumor in a 10 hour brain surgery. The doctor said during the surgery they found a major issue. There was a very dangerous aneurysm behind the tumor. They only found it because of the tumor. The doctor operating on him was not an aneurysm specialist and wasn't able to do the surgery on it. But they needed to take care of it immediately. The doctor in the very next room who just finished operating on this other family's mother was considered a top neurologist whose expertise was in aneurysms. He went right in and saved that man's life. He was only there at that time because the surgery was postponed for that woman for over four hours. Hashem takes care of every single person's needs, billions of people, all at the same time. Whether it's finding someone a place to eat Shabbat lunch, or bringing joy to a young orphan, or saving someone's life, He is always taking care of us. This knowledge should bring us so much serenity and joy.

One of the greatest tools that we have to give us chizuk for difficult times are the real life stories that other people share. We are able to see the Yad Hashem very clearly and it helps us have hope even when things are looking very bleak. A woman sent me some details of what took place during her last pregnancy which will give us a tremendous amount of chizuk. She said when she was nine weeks pregnant she began to bleed and the doctor told her she needed to take it easy but most probably would miscarry. She quit her job and was confined to bed rest. At around sixteen weeks, the baby tested positive for down syndrome and spina bifida. The baby was also reading two weeks behind in development. The doctor said not to worry about all the problems because she was going to miscarry anyway. Confused and broken, she didn't know where to turn. She stood in the parking lot of the hospital and began strengthening her emunah that it was all in Hashem's hands and it was all for the best. She received a text from a Rebbetzin of hers asking how things were going. She then called the Rebbetzin and told her what was going on. The Rebbetzin connected her to Dr. Rebarber who confirmed her worst fears. He said the baby's spine was completely curved. The fetus was head to toe. The foot was backwards and would need surgery right after birth. It had heart issues that required them to get a fetal echo twice a week. It was so bad that the doctor told her, "I don't know what you would consider a worst case scenario, having the child or miscarrying." When Chanukkah came around she forced herself to pray by the candles for a completely healthy baby, although that did not seem at all possible. For the time being she was still seeing her doctor in New Jersey. The baby turned 20 weeks and she asked him a question. She forgot the question but will never forget his response. "I can't save your baby until 24 weeks, so do whatever you want." Those words hit her very hard. She had a moment of complete Emunah in Hashem. She said to herself about this doctor, you were never the one saving my baby. She left and never went back. She finally started praying the right way to the Doctor of all Doctors. In the meantime things were getting worse and worse, more appointments, more complications. She felt her prayers were making an impact, but each sonogram seemed to say otherwise. They were told to terminate the pregnancy once again but she encouraged her husband not to listen and to rather continue with the pregnancy and that's what they did. At 29 weeks the baby was only 22 weeks developed. It failed a breathing test. She was hospitalized because the placenta was failing. Things looked the worst they could possibly get. She knew she was in Hashem's hands and only He had the final say on what was going to happen. The NICU team told them a bunch of horrific scenarios, and at the end of their gruesome speech they said not to worry about any of this, because the baby is too small for the ventilator so it won't live anyway. They did a c-section and announced it's a girl. She was praying the entire time asking Hashem to let the baby live. Baruch Hashem the baby came out crying which meant it was breathing. Each team at the NICU slowly came up with their findings. Cardiology said, "I don't know what they were talking about with the heart issues. There are no holes. The heart is perfect." This woman kept a google docs sheet with every issue the baby was supposed to have. The ortho team came and said her foot and spine are perfect. Each team was astonished with their findings. Dr. Rebarber called to say he couldn't believe the baby was alive and healthy. The baby did need to be in the NICU for 188 days and did need to come home with a feeding tube but now she is turning three, completely healthy, Baruch Hashem, and going to school like everyone else. From every issue they were told the baby had, she had none of them. Hashem showed everyone that He is in charge and once again gave chizuk to all of us to know we can always hope to Him for the best results, no matter how bleak a situation seems to be.

One of the names that the Torah gives the holiday of Sukkot is Chag Ha'asif, the holiday of gathering. Seemingly, gathering describes the time period in which the holiday falls out in, being that this is the time of year that landowners would gather their crops from their fields. If that's the case, why would a description of the time period become so significant to become one of the names of the holiday? Obviously, there is more to it. The Be'er HaParasha quoted the Rashbam on the pasuk, למען ידעו דורותיכם כי בסוכות הושבתי , who says, by remembering how Hashem took care of all the Jewish people's needs for 40 years in the desert, they would continue thanking Him when they settled the land with beautiful homes filled with bounty. Then they would not think that it was their strength that enabled them to settle the land, and it was their craftsmanship that built their homes. This pasuk, which commands us to sit in the sukkah, is alluding to the fact that we have to remember that everything we have is only because Hashem gives it to us. This message is so important specifically at this time of year, when the landowner sees how much yield his fields produced, at a time when he is susceptible to feeling haughty over what he accomplished. The Torah reminds him that all of his blessing only comes from Hashem. This is one of the reasons why Sukkot is called the Chag HaAsif. It is not just describing the time period, but is rather helping us stay humble and appreciate Hashem during this time of gathering. It is obvious that Hashem gives us everything we have, but the Yetzer Hara makes it not so obvious. Something could be staring a person right in the face, but he doesn't realize it because he gets sidetracked. The Be'er HaParasha gave him a mashal to explain. There was a wealthy man transporting dirt over the border from a neighboring country. When the border patrol asked him about it, he said he was building a new home and needed dirt for it. They told him there was plenty of dirt in his country and didn't need dirt from a different country. He said that this dirt was much better. They didn't believe him. They thought he was smuggling valuables like gold and silver under the dirt and trying to avoid the taxes. So they ordered their inspectors to sift through all of the dirt. In the end they didn't find anything and let the truck load through. This repeated itself every single day for months. Every day he would transport dirt and every day the inspectors would search and find nothing. Finally the wealthy man said his house was completed and wasn't going to need any more dirt. The head of the border patrol asked this man what he was hiding for all these months. It couldn't be that he just needed dirt. The wealthy man told him, if you sign a letter saying I'll never have to pay tax for it, then I'll tell you. He signed the letter, and the wealthy man told him he was transporting brand new trucks every day but he sidetracked them with the dirt. So too, we work hard and we earn money and the Yeser Harah tells us it was our hard work that produced the money. But we must not get fooled. It's only Hashem. Baruch Hashem, another one of our enemies has been eliminated. It happened accidentally and reportedly accomplished by soldiers that were trainees. This is Hashem reminding us that He is in charge and when He decides an enemy will be eliminated, that's when it will happen. We pray that Hashem will decide to end the fighting with all of our enemies being eradicated and allow us to celebrate the coming of the Mashiach. Amen. Chag Sameach.

Teshuvah, tefila, and tzedaka are able to take away any harsh decrees. This time of year is the greatest for tefillah. As well, any kind of teshuvah is accepted at this time. And we have to go out of our way to give extra tzedaka. When someone is approached for money or some other type of request, the person may feel like he is being bothered again and quickly wants to dismiss the request. However, we should know when Hashem sends a person a chesed opportunity, it's for his own good. It may not seem that way because it has to be a test. In the end, the giver always gains more than the receiver. A man told, just as he started eating dinner one Thursday evening, there was a knock at the door. He figured it was a collector and kept eating. But as the knocking persisted, he fought himself and he got up to answer the knock. It was the neighbor's child. He was asking if his family could borrow fifty shekels. They often needed to borrow and he was happy to lend them. He went to the shelf on the bottom of the cabinet to get the money from a certain envelope, but the envelope wasn't there. He apologized to the boy saying he didn't have any money at the moment. Then he realized his problem was much bigger than his neighbor's. That envelope had a very large sum of money in it, as well as important documents. He searched high and low for it, and then came to the conclusion that it must have gotten thrown out. He prayed, pledged tzedaka, and then went outside to the garbage bins. He was embarrassed to go through his garbage with so many people walking by. At that moment, Hashem sent him a neighbor who was leaving the building. He told him of his problem and the neighbor said he would help and they would split the embarrassment. At the end of a long and unpleasant experience, Baruch Hashem, he found the envelope with the money and all of the documents. He especially felt a deep sense of hakarat hatov to Hashem, being that the garbage pickup came just 15 minutes later. Hashem sent him the chesed opportunity just in time. And just by getting up to answer the door, he was able to gain so much. Our attitude in giving should always be that we want to give. And if we don't have the ability to give, we should wish that we were able to give. If someone wants to give badly enough, hopefully Hashem will give him the ability to do so. A woman told me that her son was collecting for needy families in need of yeshiva tuition assistance. He asked his family members to contribute. The woman was only able to give him a small sum, but told him that she wished she could give more. That night she said to Hashem, "If You give me the money, I will give it all to help these needy families." Three days later, she saw a friend of hers at a gathering. The friend told her she had some good news. She just sold the pocket book that she had given her to sell. The woman then recalled, she gave her a pocket book to try and sell three years ago. She had assumed that she was never able to sell it and just gave it away to charity. Her friend said, I never lowered the price and just yesterday someone bought it for about a thousand dollars. The woman couldn't believe it. This was found money. She took the money and gave every single dollar to the needy families that her son was collecting for. She told Hashem, if He gives it to her, she would give it away. And she saw so clearly that Hashem was the One who gave her this money. Something that wasn't selling for three years suddenly got sold. When we give, we get. Especially at this time of year, tzedaka has an enormous power.

At this time, we are supposed to feel that our judgment is pending, and it is in our hands to get the best of everything. We need to utilize these days of Aseret Yemei Teshuva , to accept upon ourselves to become better, to make teshuva for what we have done wrong in the past, and to pray with all of our heart and soul. If there is anything we want, now is the greatest time for prayer. A person who has been waiting for so long to get married has to feel that he can get his salvation right now. A rosh yeshiva from Israel told me that in his yeshiva, they auction off the zechut of dedicating the יהא שמיה רבה of each Kaddish on the Yamim Noraim to the one who purchases it. This means that when the yeshiva boys answer אמן יהא שמיה רבה ..., praising the name of Hashem, they also have in mind a salvation for that person in need. Last year, a boy aged thirty, who had been trying very hard with Shidduchim for almost ten years, had almost decided to give up. Nothing ever went his way, and he wanted to just put it out of his mind, rather than continuing with the misery he was experiencing. Someone then told him of the miraculous salvation people have had by purchasing the zechut of the יהא שמיה רבה in that particular yeshiva in Israel. They convinced him to fly to Israel for Yom Kippur to get the zechut for himself. And that's what he did. Baruch Hashem, this year, he was zocheh to get married to a girl two years older than him. Until now, he never would have considered dating someone older than him. But in the zechut of that יהא שמיה רבה , Hashem did something to make it click in his head to try, and now he couldn't be happier. As an aside, sometimes people feel they have certain conditions they need to get married, but in reality, the zivug that Hashem has for them may not fulfill those conditions. We must be open to everything and give Hashem the "ability" to bring a person the zivug that He has had waiting for him since before they were born. I read a story in a Shalom Bayit book authored by Rabbi Nachum Diamant. A man went out with a girl and had a great time, but there was something about her looks that bothered him. She was cross-eyed. It was something that he didn't feel he could look past, but he discussed it with his rabbi first, and his rabbi encouraged him to go out a second time. The second date was even better than the first. Their personalities really clicked, but this problem was still weighing him down. He decided to continue, and then on one of the dates, he told the girl that he really wanted to marry her, but he didn't know if he could get past this issue. He mentioned there was a surgery she could do to fix it. Many girls in that situation may have gotten insulted and ended it on the spot, but Hashem guided this girl to say that she would agree to do the surgery. They got married relatively quickly before she actually got the surgery, and then she found out she was expecting, and they had to delay the surgery until after she gave birth. Finally, after she had the baby, she brought up the topic, saying she was ready for the surgery. He then said, "I think you are perfect just the way you are. Now I feel that your cross-eyes are part of your charm." When someone gets to know another person for who they are, suddenly the things they thought that would really bother them really don't. Part of getting a yeshuah in Shidduchim is being open when suggestions are made. No matter how long it has been, salvation can always come in the blink of an eye, and now is the time to pray with all of our might for yeshuot in all areas.

Every year on Rosh Hashanah, Hashem reveals His kingship when He judges each person and determines his fate for the upcoming year. The Gemara says, אמר רבי יצחק: כל שנה שרשה בתחילתה מתעשרת בסופה - Any year when a person feels humbled like a beggar at the beginning of the year, it brings about blessing for the upcoming year. We are supposed to feel as if we have nothing coming to us. Whatever Hashem has given us until now was a complete undeserved gift, and we are hoping that He is going to continue bestowing His chesed upon us. We need to feel so overcome with gratitude for everything that Hashem has given us so far. People may look around and see what others have and feel that they are treated unfairly. "Why can't they have what the other one has?" they think. This causes them to completely overlook all of the wonderful blessings that they have in their lives. I once saw a parable of a man who had acres of fruit and vegetable fields that earned him a very bountiful income. One day, someone showed him an enormous diamond and said, "This one diamond is worth more than all your fields combined." He said he's in the wrong business. He should instead look to go into diamonds. The man was convinced and he sold all his fields and took the proceeds in search of diamonds. However, he was not able to find any diamonds remotely close to the one he was shown. He became depressed over it and was bitter about his life. Meanwhile, the man who bought his fields was walking through a stream that went through one of them. He stumbled upon something, picked it up, and it appeared to be a diamond. He took it to be appraised, and indeed, it was one of the most exquisite diamonds in the entire world. The man discovered that the stream was filled with these kinds of diamonds, and he lived happily ever after. The lesson is, the first person was sitting on diamonds, but he didn't know it. He had everything he could ever want right under his nose, he just didn't realize it. The same is true with everyone. Hashem gives each person his own field of diamonds. If we ignore the evil inclination telling us to look around at everybody else, we would enjoy our diamonds so much. Part of crowning Hashem King on Rosh Hashanah is feeling happy to be part of His Kingdom, to feel happy with the way that He deals with us. We may have things that we still want, but there's a way to approach it. The Midrash Raba in parashat Vayikra gives a mashal of two sharecroppers, each of whose fields were not doing so well, and they were in desperate need of more money from their landowner to keep the fields going. The first sharecropper put on nice clothing, and he went to the landowner with a smile. He said, "Baruch Hashem, everything is great, but if I can get an extra ten dinarim , I'll be able to help your field do much better." The landowner told the sharecropper, "Here, take twenty dinarim and go and produce a bountiful crop." The second sharecropper went to his landowner with a worried look on his face, saying the field's in trouble, he wished he'd never invested in it to begin with. He needed an emergency ten dinarim or the field would become totally ruined. The landowner told him he's fired and got someone else to run the land instead. Both of these sharecroppers were in the exact same situation. Both of their fields needed a lot of help, but the wiser one spoke with hope and anticipation, while the foolish one spoke with worry and depression. We are supposed to come to Hashem happily, with appreciation for everything He has given us. He knows there's things that we still need, but if we have the right attitude, He'll give us double. The Gemara says the angels once asked Hashem why He shows favoritism to the Jewish people. After all, it says in the Torah that Hashem doesn't show favoritism. Hashem answered, "It also says in the Torah, ואכלת ושבעת וברכת - that a person only has to say birkat hamazon when he's completely full. But the Jewish people say it, even for just a k'zayit of bread, even when they're not full." Look how much Hashem appreciates when we show hakarat hatov , even if we didn't get everything we wanted. Let us appreciate Hashem and show Him how happy we are to be in His Kingdom. B'ezrat Hashem, everybody should have a כתיבה וחתימה טובה. תזכו לשנים רבות

The goal of every parent is to train their children to want to do the will of Hashem on their own without having to be told to. One of the greatest tools we can give them for this is to teach them about who they are serving, to tell them how much Hashem loves them and is interested in helping them, to teach them how Hashem controls everything that happens in the world every second of the day, and how good it is for them to follow Torah and mitzvot. Emunah is a great tool for chinuch and can be taught at a very young age. A woman related how much her life has changed for the better since learning emunah. She used to worry about finances, but not anymore, because she knows her parnasa comes from Hashem. She used to be intimidated by her boss, but not anymore because she knows Hashem is the only One in charge. Getting her children into schools, getting job interviews are all done without worry because either way the results are up to Hashem. Whenever she feels uncertain about anything, she picks up a Tehillim and then asks Hashem for help. Her dream is that her children acquire the same type of emunah that she has and they become even better than her. Recently, she felt so good seeing how her little children were absorbing the emunah that she has been portraying. She stayed by her parents for the summer and one morning she asked her two little children if they wanted to go for a walk. Then she remembered that the double stroller was kept outside and the sprinklers go on around four times a week at night. She told her children she had to go outside to see if the stroller was dry because sometimes it gets wet from the sprinklers. So they all went out to check and it was dry. "Baruch Hashem," she said. Then her five-year-old daughter said, "Look, Hashem wanted us to be able to go for a walk so He made sure that the sprinklers didn't go on last night." The woman was so happy hearing those words from her five-year-old. She added, if the stroller would have been wet, she would have taught them Gam zu l'tova and said, "We'll find something better to do." On another occasion, her children were playing on the swing set towards the end of the summer and her five-year-old wondered out loud, "If it's still summer, how come the leaves are falling off the trees?" Her three year old answered, "Because Hashem wants the leaves to fall now. That's why they're falling." It was that simple. Even her three-year-old was picking up on emunah at such a young age. The children can absorb so much, but it's up to us to be their teachers. Children love hearing stories, and so when we hear a nice story that shows Hashem's hashgacha , we should relate it to them. I just read a story that recently took place. A young man named Chaim Dov, lo alenu, is losing sight in his eyes, and he already had a few surgeries and has a couple of more scheduled. The last surgery was beginning early in the morning, and his father woke him up late. There was no time for Chaim Dov to pray, as they had to leave for the surgery right away. Being a chassid of Karlin, Chaim Dov prayed his tefila each morning leading up to the Amidah in a very loud voice with a lot of heart. He couldn't go to the surgery without praying first. His father suggested that he pray up until the Amidah in the taxi, as they had a very long ride to the hospital. Chaim Dov agreed, but then his father said he wouldn't be able to pray loudly as usual, being that they would be in a very small taxi, and the driver would probably throw them out if they bothered him like that. Amazingly, when the driver pulled up, he motioned to them to write down where they wanted to go, as he was hard of hearing. The father said, in all of his life, he never took a taxi with a driver who was hard of hearing. This one time that his son wanted to pray loudly, Hashem sent them a special driver to enable him to do so. Hashem controls everything and always wants to help us. This is the message we must teach by example and have our children learn from.

Hashem decides who marries who and exactly when the wedding should take place. When the time is right, He puts everything in order so that His will will come to fruition and the couple that's destined for each other will get married. A man told me his good friend who we'll call David was trying to get married for about ten years. During the first couple of years, he went out a few times with a girl who we'll call Sarah. He decided they weren't a match, and he moved on. A year later, he went out with a girl who we'll call Esther. They went out many times, and he decided she was the right one. However, to his dismay, she ended it, and he was left heartbroken. Many years went by after that with nothing to show for it. Then, one day the shadchan called and said that Sarah was interested in trying again since it's been so many years since they had gone out, maybe things have changed. David agreed to try it again. About an hour later, a different shadchan called and said that Esther was willing to try again and wanted to know if he was interested. This was the girl he wanted to marry who he was never able to get over. He quickly called back the first shadchan and asked if he was in contact with the other side yet. The shadchan said he didn't have a chance to call them but was planning on calling soon. David asked him to please put it on hold, and he would let him know if anything changed. He then said yes to the second shadchan and once again went out with Esther. This time, after just one date, he saw clearly that she was not for him. He then went out with Sarah and saw that she was for him, and Baruch Hashem, they got married. David said he was never able to give any other girls a fair chance because he always wanted to marry Esther. Once he saw that Esther wasn't for him, he was able to give Sarah a fair chance. When the time came for Sarah and David to get married, Hashem made sure that David's mind would be clear, so He caused Esther to want to try a second time. When it comes to anything in life, we can make all the hishtadlut we want, but ultimately only what Hashem wants is going to happen, and we see this time and time again when it comes to Shidduchim. A wealthy man who was a student of Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev asked his Rebbe to pick out a good girl for his son. The Rebbe said he knew of a modest girl with yirat shamayim and told the wealthy man to come to Berditchev for the holidays, and he would set up a meeting with him and the girl's father. In Berditchev, there was a poor man whose profession was binding books. He had in his possession one very valuable book that he was hoping to sell but never found a buyer for. He was told that this wealthy man was coming to town, and he should ask him to buy it. When the wealthy man came, the poor man was too embarrassed to ask him to buy the book, so he sent his daughter there to ask him for him. When the girl came to where the wealthy man was staying, he thought this was the girl that the Rebbe was telling him about, and in order not to embarrass her, they told her to bring a book but she was really there to see if he wanted her for his son. The wealthy man inquired about her and heard great things and then asked for her for a shidduch for his son. She was very pleased with the shidduch, and it was finalized. When Rebbe Levi Yitzchak heard what happened, he said, "Once again, we see how Hashem determines who is going to marry who and nobody can say otherwise. I had a different girl in mind for this wealthy man's son but Hashem made the shidduch with who He knew was the right one." Hashem is always the מזווג זיווגים , and when the time is right, things fall into place.

There are times when people seem to be doing everything right, but everything seems to be going wrong for them. During those times it is natural to feel discouraged and ask oneself, why should I continue on this path when it doesn't seem like Hashem is appreciating what I do anyway? Sometimes a person learns about a good practice to take on that is supposed to produce a result that he is waiting for, but then when he tries it, just the opposite happens and he's left wondering, what went wrong here? Someone once told me, whenever I thank Hashem, I feel like whatever I'm thanking Him for suddenly gets taken away. This has led this woman to be fearful to thank Hashem. She wants to be appreciative, but she is afraid of doing it because she doesn't want to lose as a result. What is the proper outlook to have in these circumstances? We must ingrain in our minds the midrash in parashat Re'eh which says, "אמר הקב"ה, אין אדם שומע לי ומפסיד – Hashem Himself tells us, nobody will ever lose by listening to Me." Which means, when it seems like things are going wrong because of our good deeds, it's just the yetzer hara trying to throw us off, or it is a test that Hashem is giving us so we can earn even more rewards for persevering. Hashem might make it appear as though we are losing as a result of the good that we are doing, but in reality we are not losing. Of course that woman should continue thanking Hashem with confidence. She'll be rewarded more for her efforts because of the test that she is being put though. And without a question, she will only gain from each time she appreciates what Hashem does for her. Chazal teach us, שלוחי מצוה אינם ניזוקין– people involved in the performance of a mitzvah will not get harmed. What happens when we see a person involved in a mitzvah and he does seem to get harmed? That is when we say, we don't understand, but for sure he was not harmed. What appears to us to be harm is in actuality a blessing for him in disguise. A man told me he got married 13 years ago and had a very lively wedding with all of his friends there. During the dancing, one of his good friends fell hard and shattered his knee. That friend was so upset about what occurred and it bothered him for years. He was involved in a mitzvah called simchat chatan , he was dancing to gladden the groom, how could he get damaged through the performance of that mitzvah? Seven years later, this man was diagnosed with cancer in the knee area. At that time, there was an experimental treatment that was only being given to select people. After running many tests on him, his doctor said to him because he was in such great shape, he qualified for the experimental treatment. Then the doctor asked him how he was in such top shape? The man replied because of what happened to his knee seven years before, he went through a lot of therapy and, seeing the benefits of all that exercise, he continued with it even after he was completely healed. Baruch Hashem, that experimental treatment turned out to be perfect for him, and he was totally cured from his sickness. What seemed to be damage at that wedding was actually paving the way for him to, b'ezrat Hashem, live a long and healthy life. We never lose by doing good. It might appear that way sometimes, but it is only a test. If we continue doing the right things despite those obstacles, we'll just be rewarded even more. And one day, we will see how everything that transpired was always the greatest benefit for us.