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The Gemara says that tefillah is something that stands at the height of the world—meaning it reaches the highest places in Shamayim—yet people treat it lightly and do not give it the proper respect that it deserves. It is not uncommon to hear people say, "I tried tefillah and it didn't work, so I stopped," or, "It doesn't seem like Hashem is answering my tefillot anyway, so why should I invest so much time and effort into them?" While that might sound like a logical deduction, it belittles the true value of what tefillah really is. The source of tefillah in the Torah comes from the words ״וּלְעָבְדוֹ בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם״ —"to serve Hashem with all of one's heart." First and foremost, tefillah is called an avodah , a service to Hashem. We must understand that through the act of tefillah, we are fulfilling a great mitzvah. How does one serve Hashem with his heart? We come and stand before the Melech with all of our wants and needs and desires, fully understanding that everything we have—and everything we want and need—comes from Him and only Him. No human being has any power whatsoever to give us anything unless it is Hashem's will. Our complete nullification before Hashem, and our recognition of His absolute control to the point where we feel it in our hearts, is considered a great avodah to Hashem. Tefillah is not merely a means to get things from Hashem; it is a wondrous avodah that raises us to the highest spiritual levels. Rav Chaim HaLevi writes that one of the main and most basic kavanot a person must have when he gets up to pray is to know with clarity that he is standing right in front of the Melech Malchei HaMelachim HaKadosh Baruch Hu. He must imagine that he is literally being elevated to the highest places in Shamayim and being brought into a private room with just him and Hashem. And for as long as he is in the Amidah, that is how long that private meeting lasts. Hashem is right there, listening to every single word. The Alei Shur writes that if someone is able to perform the mitzvah of tefillah properly each time—truly imagining that private meeting with Hashem—he will never need any proofs about Hashem. He will never have questions in emunah. The more he practices recognizing that he is actually standing before Hashem, the more he will genuinely feel that he is standing before Hashem. A private meeting with the Creator of the world—telling Him what we want and need, with the recognition that only He can give it—is a very holy endeavor. And that is besides what we accomplish spiritually by just saying the holy words of the Amidah. Rav Chaim Volozhiner writes that our understanding of the words of the Amidah, written by the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah, is not even a drop in the ocean compared to the true depth of their meaning. Every time a person says the words of the Amidah—even with just their basic meaning—he is making tikkunim in all of the worlds, both the upper and the lower. And every time we pray, we create brand new tikkunim. From the time people began saying the Amidah until Mashiach comes, there has never been—and never will be—two identical tefillot. Each person accomplishes different spiritual rectifications in his own way with every single tefillah. We have no idea how much we accomplish with even one sincere tefillah. The greatest thing we can do for ourselves is to invest more time, more energy, and more thought into our tefillot—so that they become the avodah they are meant to be. Yes, it is true that Hashem also gives us our needs through tefillah—that is a bonus—but the main part of tefillah is the part that comes from us. It is a mitzvah like no other, and the more kavod we treat it with, the greater the avodah will be.
Every time we see the hand of Hashem in our daily lives, it strengthens us to internalize that He is constantly orchestrating every event that takes place. A woman told me her family lives in an out-of-town community. Last year, during winter break, a few boys went away for Shabbat to their neighborhood. They originally planned to stay on a different side of town, but at the last moment, those plans fell through, so they ended up coming to her side of town for Shabbat. The problem was, they had nowhere to eat. Her father was asked if he could host two of the boys for Shabbat lunch. Normally, he does not like having boys over when his teenage daughters are home. But that Shabbat, something extremely uncommon happened — all his daughters were away. So he happily invited the boys in. They immediately took a strong liking to one of them, a thoughtful and refined boy whose family lives in Switzerland and who was learning in Lakewood. After Shabbat, they learned more about him, and this year, baruch Hashem, he married their daughter. How were they going to find the right match for her? Hashem brought the boy from across the world, directly into their home. The yad Hashem was unmistakable. A man told me another remarkable story. He received a phone call from an acquaintance in Israel asking for help. This acquaintance explained that his young son had a rare illness called PKU, where the body cannot break down protein. To get the necessary nutrition, the child needs a special formula called phenyl-free. But recently, the manufacturer had stopped producing it in Israel, leaving the three hundred people who rely on it scrambling to find it elsewhere. The father said he didn't know anyone in the United States. This man was the only person he could think of. He told him that he and his wife had been trying to figure out who to call, but nothing came to mind. Then the mother went to pray on Rachel Imenu's yohrzeit at Kever Rachel in Beit Lechem, pouring out her heart for her child's needs. That night, suddenly, this man's name came to mind. He told him, don't worry, I'll help you. He searched online and found the formula on a website. It was expensive, and there were sixteen cases available. He immediately asked friends if they wanted to participate in the mitzvah of helping these families. Baruch Hashem, together they bought all sixteen cases. The order was set to arrive at his home, and he knew someone flying to Israel that week. At first, the delivery date said it would take several days, which meant the traveler would miss it. But later that night, the shipping estimate suddenly changed, and the delivery was scheduled for the very next day. When this man saw where the formula was being shipped from, he nearly fell off his chair. The cases were coming from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The mother had gone to pray in Beit Lechem by Kever Rachel, begging for Hashem's help with this exact formula. And the very next day, the formula was shipped from Bethlehem. Hashem showed that He was listening in the most precise, unmistakable way. They received so many cases that they were able to distribute them to other families in Israel who desperately needed them. The yad Hashem was so clear. Every detail, every timing, every connection — all orchestrated with exact precision. And when we pay attention, we realize He is sending us messages like these all the time.
More Trust - Less Efforts
For a 10% discount on Rabbi David Ashear's new book LIVING EMUNAH ON THE PARASHAH 2 click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/ Books/9781422645581.html After one of the angels, appearing in the form of a person, told Avraham that Sarah would have a baby, the pasuk says that Sarah laughed, wondering how she could possibly have a child at such an advanced age. The Chizkuni writes that Sarah did not laugh at the moment she heard the news. The angel had said she would have a baby the following year at the same time they were currently in, which was Pesach. Initially, Sarah believed this would happen. She was filled with emunah that the words of the malach would come true. But when Tishre came around six months later and she was still not pregnant, that is when she began to lose hope. Only six months remained until Pesach, and nothing at all had changed in all that time. She looked at her situation, at her age, at the natural limitations, and it suddenly seemed impossible. It was then that Hashem asked Avraham, "Why did Sarah laugh?" and said, hayi paleh meHashem davar — is anything beyond Hashem? Even though she was so old, and even though only a six-month window remained for pregnancy and childbirth, Hashem still wanted her to believe it could happen. She believed for so long, but the moment it seemed too unlikely, she despaired. Of course, the rebuke was only on her exalted level, but the lesson is deeply applicable to all of us. There are times when we get our hopes up and truly believe in Hashem's salvation. We hold on tightly, convinced that what we want can happen. But as the months and years go by, keeping up that hope becomes harder. Sometimes the situation looks so bleak, so unlikely, that even imagining salvation feels unrealistic. It is precisely for those moments that we must remind ourselves, hayi paleh meHashem davar? Is anything beyond Hashem? It doesn't matter how long it has been. It doesn't matter how unlikely the outcome appears. Hashem can do anything, at any moment, and He wants us to believe that with all our hearts. I once read a story from the days of the Gold Rush. A man bought a plot of land and dug for months. He invested enormous time, money, and energy, but he found nothing. Exhausted and discouraged, he finally gave up and sold the land for pennies. The very next morning, the new owner dug just three feet deeper and struck one of the richest diamond pockets ever discovered. Three feet was the difference between despair and fortune. It is often the final moments before the yeshuah that feel the darkest. Hashem is ready to give; He just wants us to hold on a little longer. I once heard a mashal of a man trapped in a room that was completely dark, with no windows. He tried to chisel his way out through thick cinder blocks. Day after day he worked, but the room remained just as dark as when he started. He saw no progress at all. But what he didn't know was that he had almost reached the outside. A few more chisels would have broken through the wall and flooded the room with brilliant daylight. We can be the same. We pray so much, we put in effort, we do everything we can, and yet nothing appears to change. We don't realize that our tefillot and efforts may already have brought us to the very edge of breakthrough. We must never stop. The hope itself is a tremendous mitzvah. We are in this world to fulfill a spiritual mission, and every bit of hope, every tefillah, every moment we strengthen ourselves, brings us success in Hashem's eyes. The harder it is to keep hoping, the greater the avodah becomes. And if salvation comes, it will be because of those very tefillot and efforts we invested during the struggle. Hashem asks only that we continue hoping, continue believing, even when it seems bleak. If we do that, we have done our part, and we will be considered successful by Hashem.
Previously we spoke about the רמב"ם that says that אהבה and יראה comes simultaneously by looking into creation. The רמב"ם actually mentions אהבה first. Interesting to note the חובות הלבבות in the tenth gate, the gate of אהבת השם, clearly states that אהבה is all at the end of the totem pole, it's his final gate. And he says that quite often the Torah mentions fear of Hashem before love. Like it says, ואתה ישראל, דברים 10:12, מה השם אלוקיך שואל מעמך? What does God want from you? כי אם ליראה to fear ולאהבה and to love. דברים 10:20, את השם אלוקיך תירא ובו תדבק. Fear Hashem and cleave to him. Cleaving refers to loving him. And he says, חייב להקדים היראה על האהבה באלוקים. You have to start with fear. Because if you don't have fear, he says, you can't come to love. Again he says, אי אפשר שיגיע אדם אליו, you can't reach it, אלא אחר שתקדם יראתו ופחדו. First you have to have fear and פחדו and and trembling from your God. Interestingly enough, as the source for why we need to look into creation, the חובות הלבבות quotes a פסוק in קהלת 3:14, והאלוקים עשה, God created the world, שייראו מלפניו that we fear him. So the חובות הלבבות is consistent with his reasoning that I have to start looking into creation to fear him, to realize how great he is, that I shouldn't sin in front of him, to stand in front of him with awe and trepidation. Love will come later. That's the tenth gate. Got some time for that.And now let's discuss this פסוק והאלוקים עשה שייראו מלפניו. God created the world to fear him. The גמרא מסכת ברכות in two places quotes this פסוק. One time, רבי יוחנן says this refers to a bad dream. The purpose of a bad dream is that you should be afraid. What does that mean that bad dreams were created for people to fear Hashem? The גמרא מסכת ברכות says that a bad dream is actually a good sign. Because you have the bad dream, in the dream you were whatever the in a car accident, and you're all shaken up. Well, hey, you got scared from the dream, you got all shaken up. You say, oh no, these things could happen. I gotta get closer to Hashem. And by having the bad dream, the bad event didn't happen. So the bad dream accomplished what it was supposed to do, to instill a little fear in your heart. Based on this, the Steipler says in one of his letters that one of the reasons why people חס ושלום have to go for a medical testing, and they have to wait for a week till they get the results, and then ברוך השם you say, ah, the results came out good. That's really, he says, the same message as a bad dream. You needed to have some fear in your life, you needed some trepidation, and that fear healed you. God does things in this world to cause fear of him. That's one example of the of the reason why of what an example of that is. Another place in ברכות אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי. You know why God created thunder? To smooth out the crookedness of one's heart. As it says, והאלוקים עשה שייראו מלפניו. God did things to make us fear him. When you hear, says the מהרש"א, thunder, which is very scary and seemingly there's no real purpose of it, the purpose was to instill fear into you, and that will cause you to repent because you're afraid. But there's a beautiful point over here. The חובות הלבבות is telling us you can get fear through a bad dream, you can get fear from thunder, but you know what? You could get fear from looking at the apple and the orange, by seeing Hashem in creation. He's always watching me, he's always with me. And therefore, the smoothest way, the easiest way, the most painless way of fear, is by us finding God in creation and that gives us a level of יראת שמיים. So that's what we're going to be doing over here. Either the רמב"ם we're doing love and fear, or the חובות הלבבות doing fear alone, but regardless, we're involved in a very important activity of finding Hashem in creation. שער הבחינה, finding Hashem, testing, probing, being able to discern God in creation. Interesting, the first ברכה in ברכות השחר, הנותן לשכוי בינה. God gave the שכוי, which could mean the rooster or the human. being, בינה understanding, להבחין to discern between day and night. That's the ability to be critical, to be a critical thinker, to be able to discern and see and find. That's the להבחין, בחינה, שער הבחינה. And we will
For a 10% discount on Rabbi David Ashear's new book LIVING EMUNAH ON THE PARASHAH 2 click the link below https://www.artscroll.com/ Books/9781422645581.html Although Sara Imenu was nearly ninety years old and physically incapable of having children, Hashem still expected her to believe with full conviction that she could. The words Hashem used to describe His boundless abilities were, הֲיִפָּלֵא מֵיְ־הוָה דָּבָר — is there anything beyond Hashem? These are words that we must live by. It is true that the Gemara teaches that a person should not pray for something that requires Hashem to overturn nature. But our rabbis tell us that there are many exceptions to this principle. Rav Sadok Hakohen explained that having children is considered part of the natural order, and therefore no matter what any doctor says, a person is always encouraged to pray for children. Furthermore, if a person is facing a fatal illness, lo aleinu, the Orchot Rabbeinu writes that we must continue praying for refuah shelemah, and this is not what Chazal meant when they said not to pray for miracles. Even if doctors insist the illness is incurable, Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l said that there may be a medication in the world that we simply have not discovered yet. That is not a miracle; that is part of the natural world which Hashem controls completely. It is not our job to tell Hashem how to save us. It is our job to pray. Hashem can do anything—and it can all happen within the natural order. A woman — we will call her Sarah — told me the following story. She went to the doctor for a routine check. After the initial tests, she returned to the waiting room. A short time later, they called her name and told her the doctor wanted more imaging. She knew these weren't scheduled, and her heart dropped. She went in for the additional scans. As the technicians studied the images, she overheard them speaking in alarming tones: "Oh no… what are we going to tell the doctor?" "Let's try again…" Each time they repeated the scan, the tone got worse. Sarah panicked. Should she call her husband? Should she spare him the worry until she knew more? A flood of thoughts raced through her mind. She truly felt that her time in this world might be very short. But then she realized: at this moment, she didn't know anything for sure. This was the best time to pray. She wondered what words to use. Should she ask Hashem to remove whatever mass they were seeing — would that be asking for an open miracle? Should she ask that it be harmless — when the technicians' reactions indicated otherwise? Should she pray that surgery would be quick and successful? Each option seemed like she was dictating to Hashem how the salvation should come. So she said: it is not my job to tell Hashem how to help me. My job is simply to pray. With that clarity, she poured out her heart: "Hashem, please grant me many more healthy years of life so I can continue doing Your avodah." When the scans were finished, she returned to the waiting area and continued praying intensely. Finally her name was called. She braced herself. But the doctor smiled and said, "Everything looks great. You're good to go." She was stunned. She had heard the technicians' panic. She knew they had seen something. So she asked, "What about the retesting?" The doctor replied, "Oh, that wasn't for you. There's another Sarah. She has a known mass and we wanted updated imaging." The technicians were confused because they couldn't find the mass anymore and thought they were making mistakes. Her heart skipped a beat. While she was praying for life, convinced they had seen something terrible on her brain, she had no idea they were scanning the wrong Sarah. Never in her wildest imagination could she have predicted this scenario. But Hashem doesn't need us to figure out how salvation will come. He only asks us to trust and to pray. הֲיִפָּלֵא מֵיְ־הוָה דָּבָר — is anything ever beyond Hashem? Shabbat Shalom.
Welcome to daily בטחון on our daily dose of gratitude series where we're talking about finding Hashem in creation. רב וולבה in his ספר עלי שור, volume 2, page 59, quotes from רבינו יונה in שערי תשובה, the third gate, the 17th piece. Where he's talking about מצוות עשה that we have to know about, that we need to do. And he says you should know that some of the most highly lofty levels are actually given to us as commands. We're commanded to love Hashem. We're commanded to cleave to him. These are commandments, but they're also high levels. We have to work on them. And one of the things that he lists is מעלות התבונן בגדולת השם. The quality of delving and looking into the greatness of God. And he brings two sources. Number one, וידעת היום והשבות אל לבבך כי השם הוא האלקים. Now, how do you do that? How do you realize השם הוא האלקים? By looking into creation. דוד המלך said in תהלים 14:2, השם משמים השקיף על בני אדם. God's looking down from heavens. And we know the term השקיף, רש״י tells us in פרשת כי תבוא, is usually negative. And what's God looking down at us in this negative way? לראות היש משכיל, is there someone that's using his intellect, דורש את אלקים, searching for God, looking for God in creation?רבינו יונה ends off and says, we were created for these to reach these qualities. As it says in ישעיהו 43:7, כל הנקרא בשמי, whoever calls, is called by my name, ולכבודי בראתיו, and is here for my honor, I created him. I created him to call my name and to bring my honor out to the world. And therefore, he says, if that's the case, what is man's hope if he doesn't put his עמל נפשו, his hard work, עיקר עסקו, and his main business בדברים שנברא בעבורם, for those things he was created for? So, what we're doing now in שער הבחינה is dedicating ourselves to this responsibility. רב וולבה further quotes from the חפץ חיים in his ספר שמירת הלשון volume 2 at the end of the ספר, chapter two, where he talks about the מצוה ואהבת את השם. And he says, I want to arouse you on an important point. The גמרא ברכות 14A tells us in the name of עולא, whoever says קריאת שמע not wearing תפילין is as if he's saying false testimony on himself. Why? Because he says and tie תפילין and you're not. So you're testifying falsely. And he says, the same is true when you say ואהבת את השם אלקיך. When you say and love Hashem your God, you can't have false testimony. And therefore, you have to put into your heart to love Hashem.And how do you do that? And again he quotes the חובות הלבבות in שער אהבת השם, chapter three, which as we mentioned yesterday, the חובות הלבבות does not deny that you get love of Hashem through looking into creation. Just he says we start with fear of God and then we get to love of God. And what should you do? Look into the greatness of God and his loftiness and that he keeps all the worlds going and look at how small you are and look at with the greatness of God and the smallness of you, look at all the goodness he gives to you consistently from the day you are on the earth, not because you're deserving, hides your sins from people and has patience with you. That's what you're supposed to think about and say, wow, look how much what Hashem's doing for me. And he says if it's difficult to think all this when you're saying קריאת שמע, do it sometime during the day. Interesting, I once heard from רב וולבה that's why we have the ברכות of יוצר המאורות in our in our תפלה before we say קריאת שמע. And he says, because it's a constant מצוה that's not time dependent, does that mean it should be less than anything else? And he says, ideally, do it right after you pray before you eat. Before you have your your your breakfast. Why? Like any מצוה, like לולב, like אתרוג, like תפילין, like מגילת אסתר on the night of פורים after a fast day, we don't eat until we fulfill the מצוה. So how could you eat before you fulfill the מצוה ואהבת את השם? And how do you do that? By looking into creation. You could actually do that as you walk to the breakfast table and look at the beautiful kiwis with all those little seeds in the middle and how beautiful and tasty it is. And so on and so forth. And then say, wow, look at this. Hashem made this beautiful feast for me, even though I don't deserve it. And as great as he is, he looks at little me and makes sure I have breakfast.
Many people are feeling uneasy about the results of the election for Mayor of New York. Just hours after the results were announced, there were already several anti-Semitic incidents. Rahmana li'slan. In moments like these, we must remember a fundamental truth: no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, Hashem is always our loving Father. He is controlling every detail that happens every second of every day. Our King does not get elected. Our King does not change every four years. He was, He is, and He always will be the One and only power directing the fate of every individual and every nation. Shlomo HaMelech says in Mishle, פַּלְגֵי־מַיִם לֵב־מֶלֶךְ בְּיַד־יְהוָה עַל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ יַטֶּנּוּ . "The heart of a king is like streams of water in the hand of Hashem—wherever He desires, He directs it." The Midrash explains: just like water in a bowl can be tilted effortlessly in any direction, so too the heart of every leader is in the hands of Hashem, and He tilts it exactly as He wills. Whatever Hashem wants to happen, He brings about through the leader. The Malbim there adds a deeper insight: ordinary people are given free will, but a ruler—who has power over multitudes—cannot be allowed unrestricted free will, or he could cause great harm(in general no one can use their free will to affect another person unless Hashem wills it). Therefore, once someone ascends to leadership, Hashem limits his free will and uses him as an instrument to carry out His plan. That is why throughout history, there were leaders believed to be lovers of the Jewish people who suddenly acted with cruelty. And there were others who were assumed to be our enemies, who turned out to be our greatest allies. Once they come into power, they are governed entirely by Hashem's plan. Whatever He wants for Am Yisrael—that is exactly what will unfold. It does not matter who the leader is. Everything depends on our actions. The Gemara teaches that when Achashverosh gave his ring to Haman, that act brought about more teshuvah among the Jewish people than all the Nevi'im throughout history combined. Sometimes Hashem places a leader over us to awaken us, to push us toward teshuvah, to strengthen our emunah, or to remind us that only He controls the world. So the real question is: Are we going to trust in Hashem, or in the headlines? Are we going to believe that Hashem determines our destiny, or that our lives are in the hands of politicians? Yes, Jewish history contains painful chapters. But none of those harsh events ever came because of what a leader wanted. They were all expressions of Hashem's will—and even the difficult decrees came from His love. Like a doctor who administers a painful injection to heal the patient, Hashem sometimes gives us challenges for our ultimate benefit. Everything He does is the absolute best for us. Always. We have been under Hashem's watch, we are under His watch, and we will forever remain under His loving watch. The best thing we can do is strengthen our belief that there is nothing in the world besides Him, and strive to be the best servants of Hashem we can be. It is always our deeds and our tefillot that determine how Hashem guides the world. Baruch Hashem, we have a loving Father watching over us at every moment. That knowledge alone should give us the greatest sense of peace and strength.
A man who owns a store in the lobby of a hotel once approached a Gadol in Eretz Yisrael with a question. His store wasn't doing so well, and he wondered if perhaps opening a second store in a different location would bring more blessing. The rabbi told him, "You already opened a pipeline for Hashem to send you berachah. Do you think you need another one?" Then he added a mysterious line: "The Melech Malcheh HaMelachim can send a melech at any moment." The man left confused. The King of Kings can send a king? What does that even mean? But a few weeks later, the meaning became crystal clear. The king of Morocco came to town—and stayed in the very hotel where this man had his store. At one point during his visit, the king walked into the store with his entire entourage and bought two million dollars' worth of merchandise. The man developed a relationship with the king, and they continued doing business afterward as well. In an instant, his financial situation transformed dramatically. We must do something to open a pipeline—but once we do, Hashem can send every penny He wants us to have through that single pipeline. We often become so wrapped up in our hishtadlut that it consumes our lives. We forget what truly matters—because we are too busy worrying about parnasah. A man who learned Torah full-time began dabbling in the stock market. Very quickly, it took over his life. He couldn't concentrate on his learning because he was constantly worried—would the stock go up? Would it go down? Should he sell? Should he buy? He started coming late to shiurim, leaving in the middle, checking his phone in between. Finally, he caught himself. He realized this wasn't living. He pulled out of the volatile investments and moved into something far safer, something that wouldn't take over his mind and heart. Yes, we must open a pipeline—but no, we must not be consumed by it. A powerful segulah for blessing is to know with full certainty that Hashem alone sends parnasah. People, products, markets—they are merely tools, not sources. A man from Israel came to New York to collect money to pay off heavy debts. He heard about a very generous wealthy man and did everything he could to secure a meeting with him. He traveled to one city, only to be told the man spends his summers in another. He chased him there, only to be told that the wealthy man gives his sedaka through a gabbai. He met the gabbai, but the assistance he received was much smaller than he hoped. He still wanted to speak to the wealthy man personally. He went to the shul where the man prayed—but that day he wasn't there. Someone told him he was attending a berit milah at another shul. The man was about to order a car service to rush over when suddenly he stopped himself. He said, "Why am I chasing this one person as if he is the only one who can help me? I've done more than enough hishtadlut with him. I don't want to go beyond what I'm supposed to." At that exact moment, someone pointed out a different wealthy man who happened to be in the same shul—someone this fundraiser knew very well from years earlier. He had no idea that this acquaintance had become wealthy. He approached him, explained his situation, and to his amazement, this man gave him far more than he ever expected—even more than he had hoped to receive from the wealthy man he had been pursuing endlessly. We never need any specific hishtadlut or any specific individual to help us. Hashem can send salvation through anyone, at any moment, through messengers we would never imagine. Our main hishtadlut is always with Him—and Him alone.
Welcome to daily ביטחון . We are now focusing on finding God in creation and realizing his kindness, which is the fundamentals of reliance.Now when we're doing this, what exactly are we doing when we're finding God in creation? What should our intent be? We know there's a rule מצוות צריכות כוונה . Our מצוות need to have proper intent. What is the intent? The רמב"ם , in his ספר יד החזקה on the foundations of תורה chapter 2, tells us that we have a מצווה to love and fear השם . And he quotes a פסוק to back up each one of these. And interestingly enough, the same way, the same path to love is the same path as fear. And he says as follows: when a person delves into God's wondrous acts and creations, and he sees from them his wisdom that has no end and no comparison, immediately, he loves him, he praises him, and he has a great desire to know that great creator. As דוד המלך says, צמאה נפשי לאלוקים . I yearn, my soul yearns for God, לאל חי , to the living God.So that's the first reaction. Wow, look at the beauty of the Swiss Alps. Look at the oceans, look at the view. And as he continues to think about those very same items, immediately, both times the רמב"ם says immediately, he is jolted backwards and begins to fear and realize, hold on, I am a small, little, lowly darkened creature standing with my limited understanding in front of the perfect one. As דוד המלך said, כי אראה שמיך מעשה אצבעותיך, מה אנוש כי תזכרנו . What is man that you even mention him?So this is very interesting. We don't realize that when I'm looking at the apple, the orange, or the pear and seeing God's wonders, I am on my way to love and fear השם . That's what we're doing. The ספר מצוות הקצר , another one of the ראשונים that lists the מצוות , when he talks about loving השם in his third מצווה , he says the more you understand God, the more you love God. If it's a little bit, a little bit. If it's a lot, it's a lot. And therefore he says every person has to set aside time to delve into the wonders of creation that through that you will get the honor of God, depending on your abilities. So there's endless things that you can do. And understand when you're doing them, it's not a science lesson, it's a lesson in the wonders of God.Now, there's endless things that you could talk about. This one hit me recently. We'll change the clock now, maybe not sleeping as well, maybe get older you're not sleeping as well. So I got myself one of these watches that measures how much deep sleep you have. I want to know how much I was sleeping at night, tossing and turning. And one of the the factors on this watch is something called REM, how much rapid eye movement did you have? I'm a curious guy, I said, what what exactly, why is rapid eye movement important? And does a lot of things, rapid eye movement. That means that's the time you're asleep when your eyes move back and forth. What is the purpose of this REM sleep? It's when you're dreaming and you're going through your day and processing things. People that don't have this stage of sleep, they can develop anxiety, irritability, even hallucinations, difficulty concentrating, appetite may increase. A lot of things going on. Now I don't want to get into that right now. To me the most fascinating thing about this rapid eye movement sleep is that when a person is in this stage, there's something that happened called rapid eye movement atonia. What does that mean? It's, it means when you're in this stage and you're having your dreams, so in a dream you might be jumping out of a building or running away from a fire or anyone else has their dreams, we're not going to share our dreams now. But the body becomes temporarily paralyzed because it protects the body from acting out the dreams. And that way you can process the emotional experiences, and at the same time not be in danger for what you're dreaming about actually acting out, and that's why you stay in your bed. People that are sleepwalking are obviously missing out on this aspect. But how this developed, you could sit and read about it if you'd like. That's not the important point, but the amount of chemicals and the electrical waves and who knows what's going on. Anyway, this is just a small example of this kind of בחינה , looking for God in creation that you could find with anything as simple as getting yourself a new Fitbit.
One of the malachim who came to visit Avraham Avinu brought the most beautiful news: "Ka'eit chayah u'lSarah ben" —"At this time next year, Sarah will have a son." But hidden in those words was a second message. The angel wasn't only telling Avraham that he and Sarah would finally have a child. He was also assuring them: Ka'eit chayah —At this time next year, you will both be alive and well to hold that child in your arms. This promise carried an eternal truth. The malach was a messenger of Hashem, and only Hashem can guarantee life. When a person is meant to live, no human, no illness, and no circumstance can shorten that time. Hashem alone is the Guardian of life, watching every one of His children with infinite love and precision. A rabbi related a story that happened at the beginning of the school year. His three-year-old child boarded the van as usual to go to school in the morning. When his wife arrived to pick the child up at 2:30 p.m., the teacher said, "Your child wasn't in school today." Panic. A mother's worst nightmare. They began to search frantically—and to their shock, they found the little boy still inside the van that had brought him that morning. The van had been sitting in the parking lot for hours. The weather that week had been brutally hot. But on that one day , the temperature dropped dramatically, and rain fell steadily. The child was perfectly fine. Hashem had arranged the weather so that this child would be spared. The time of his life had not yet come to an end—so Hashem changed nature itself to preserve it. A few days later, a man from the rabbi's shul approached him. He had heard the story and wanted to sponsor the Shabbat breakfast as a seudat hodah , a thanksgiving meal to Hashem for the rabbi's miracle. The rabbi thanked him but asked that no names be mentioned. "Let it be," he said, "a general hakarat ha'tov to Hashem for always protecting us." The man agreed and called the shul to sponsor the Shabbat kiddush in gratitude to Hashem "for watching over all our children and grandchildren." That evening, when he came home, his wife told him something startling. She had been babysitting a few grandchildren earlier that day. While she prepared something in the kitchen, she left them to play in the den. When she returned, she froze in horror—a toddler was holding a pen and poking it toward the eye of the baby sitting in an infant chair. She rushed to stop him, but there was already blood. Terrified, she called Hatzalah . After thorough testing, the doctors confirmed that, baruch Hashem , the baby's eye was completely unharmed. The poke had missed the pupil entirely. Her husband asked, "What time did that happen?" She said, "Around 4:30." The man was stunned. "That's exactly when I called the shul to sponsor the kiddush thanking Hashem for protecting our grandchildren—just minutes before this happened!" Hashem watches over every life with divine timing and infinite compassion. There are times when a soul's mission in this world is complete and it returns to its home in Gan Eden . But as long as a person is meant to live, no harm can touch him. Ka'eit chayah —Hashem decides the measure of every moment, and His protection never falters.
Natural Miracles
Welcome to daily ביטחון . We're going to make a little bit of a switch in our series, which we've done many times over our history. Our focus is ביטחון . ביטחון doesn't just start with ביטחון . Interesting to note, the חובות הלבבות wrote ten gates. שער הביטחון is the fourth gate, which is the fourth floor. To get to the fourth floor, you usually have to walk through the lobby, the first, the second, the third, until you can get to the fourth floor. You can't just jump right onto the fourth floor. And therefore, it's necessary to walk up the ladder of the חובות הלבבות . The first gate is called שער היחוד , which is a little philosophical, and the חובות הלבבות himself says the best way to recognize God as one is through his chapter two, which is called שער הבחינה , which is looking for God and searching for God in creation and seeing him and seeing his goodness.Now what's also very interesting is that when the חובות הלבבות wants to prove his point that God is good for everybody, and we have to look for it and find it, that's our job, but he is good for everybody. He says the following. He says, the first thing I want to tell you is that God's goodnesses upon his creations includes everybody. כוללות את כולם . He doesn't say that it includes most people, it includes everybody. How do I know? The only way I know things is from a פסוק . The פסוק says, טוב ה' לכל . God is good to everybody. And even though that's true, we don't always recognize it, which is the goal of this unit of the חובות הלבבות , his second gate to explain that. Now this is extremely important for ביטחון because the חובות הלבבות in his שער הביטחון chapter two tells us that in order to rely on somebody, you need to go through a seven-step checklist. And even after you get through all six, the final checklist, number seven is, that the person that you're relying on, you know is has the ultimate of generosity and the ultimate of kindness, whether you deserve it or not. And his generosity is consistent and his kindness never ends and never stops and goes on forever. Because if you don't have that understanding, well, I'm not worthy, or maybe the kindness ran out, or maybe the generosity is no longer. How can I rely on him? And no human being has those qualities. Like we say, אל תבטחו בנדיבים . Don't rely on the generous. Their generosity doesn't last forever. God's generosity and kindness lasts forever.And he goes on to say, it includes everybody. How do I know? The answer is, the same פסוק that he tells us in שער הבחינה is what he says you need for שער הביטחון . טוב ה' לכל . God is good for everybody. He's good to everybody. He is merciful on all of his creations. And that's why we can't rely on him unless we first went through שער הבחינה and really believe in our gut that God only does good.The חובות הלבבות in in in שער הביטחון , in the chapter seven when he talks about what people are missing and why they don't rely on him, one of the reasons is because they don't realize how kind he is. And he says, I want to tell you a general rule about ביטחון . What makes people have more ביטחון and less ביטחון , it all depends on how much you know about how God treats you. You have to believe that he's constantly protecting you and you have to believe that he's supervising and making sure that whatever happens to you is good for you.That's really everything, because what stops us? Things are not going right, God's not taking care of me, this is no good. How can I rely on him if all the things happening are no good? Well, but once you really get into your mind and your psyche, this principle of טוב ה' לכל , then everything changes. And that's the goal of שער הבחינה , to drill into one's head this important concept of טוב ה' לכל . God is good to everybody. And that's what we're going to be start doing now in our. daily בטחון series. You can switch the name if you'd like to daily בחינה , which means daily finding God in creation. Or you could call it daily dose of gratitude. However you want to refer to it, that's up to you. But the main point is to have this attitude of keeping your eyes open to find Go
The Sefer Emunash Shalema quotes the Sefer Mitzvot Zemaniyot , who teaches that it is incumbent upon us to thank Hashem for everything He created for our benefit—and that this form of service is the most powerful of all the mitzvot. The Midrash on Mishlei says that even though Hashem has millions of malachim singing His praises, all He truly desires are the praises of His children. The Kedushat Levi writes that one of the intentions of David HaMelech in composing Tehillim with such magnificent praises of Hashem was his awareness that thanksgiving and praise have the power to nullify all harsh decrees and transform them into mercy and kindness. Recently, I attended a Pidyon HaBen for the eldest of twin boys. During the seudah, the grandfather of the newborns shared the remarkable story that led to this joyous occasion. He explained that his daughter and son-in-law had been childless for nearly six years, with little reason to hope. Doctors could not agree on what the problem was; there were conflicting diagnoses, and they found themselves at a painful standstill. Then, last year, while living in Eretz Yisrael, the couple was taken to a certain rabbi for a berachah . When they arrived, the rabbi advised them to become people who constantly thank Hashem for everything. He acknowledged how hard it was for them to be happy in their situation, yet he told them how wondrous it is to express gratitude even when it feels impossible. He urged them to spend time every single day thanking Hashem for all their blessings—and even to thank Him for not yet having children. He gave them a sefer on the subject of hakarat ha-tov , and said, "In the merit of your thanking Hashem, you should be blessed with children." At first, it was difficult for them to feel genuine appreciation in their circumstances. But they persevered, practicing gratitude each day until their hearts began to change. Soon they truly felt grateful for everything Hashem had given them. A few months later, the woman called her father in America, her voice bursting with excitement. "It's a miracle!" she exclaimed. "Baruch Hashem, we're expecting!" The family rejoiced, celebrating with tears of happiness. But only three days later, tragedy struck—the pregnancy was lost. The joy turned to heartbreak. Yet in the midst of their pain, the husband gently told his wife, "Maybe this is our test—to see if we'll still be thankful after disappointment. Let's rise to the challenge and keep thanking Hashem, even for this." They continued their daily words of thanks with renewed faith. A few months later, another miracle occurred: she was expecting again. This time, it was double joy—they were told it was twins. Nine months later, she gave birth naturally to two healthy boys, and the family celebrated two berit milot and a Pidyon HaBen . (The earlier miscarriage did not affect the pidyon , since it had occurred very early on.) Thanking Hashem is one of the greatest acts we can perform—especially when it's hard to do. Each of us has so much to appreciate. And when we cultivate hakarat ha-tov , we draw down mercy, kindness, and blessing upon ourselves and the entire world.
This small and powerful booklet gives step-by-step instructions and perspectives on how to reach tangible levels of Emuna and Bitachon in our lives.
The Highest Level of Reliance ( Bitachon ) Welcome to our daily thought on Bitachon (Reliance on God), focusing today on a verse from Tehillim (Psalms) Chapter 40: " אשרי הגבר אשר שם ה׳ מבטחו, ולא פנה אל רהבים, ושטי כזב ." "Praiseworthy is the man who has made God his trust, and turned not to the arrogant, nor to the strayers after falsehood." The commentary Tefillot David explains what it means to truly place one's reliance in God ( שם ה׳ מבטחו ): Relying on the Means vs. Relying on the Source There are different levels of bitachon : Lower Level: A person relies on God to save them, but only through natural means . They count on God, but their mental focus is on a tangible item—their business, a specific person, a deal—that God will use to bring the help. This means God is not the item of their reliance; the means are. Higher Level: The praiseworthy person does not focus on the means. They are confident that God will help them directly, without speculating on how it will happen. The verse emphasizes this by stating the praiseworthy man "turned not to the arrogant, nor to the strayers after falsehood." "The Arrogant" ( רהבים ): This refers not necessarily to arrogant people, but to people and things in general that, by acting as if they are the source of power, are arrogant in relation to God. "Falsehood" ( כזב ): This refers to things that are temporary or fleeting—things that don't last. The only thing one can truly rely on is God Himself. Yaakov Avinu's Lesson on Pure Bitachon The Beis HaLevi, commenting on Genesis 28:12, uses this concept to explain a Midrash regarding Yaakov Avinu. Yaakov was contemplating the immense difference between his grandfather Avraham's servant, Eliezer, who traveled to find Rivka (Rebecca) with ten camel-loads of wealth, and his own current situation. He had been stripped of everything by Eliphaz and was traveling with nothing. Initially, Yaakov thought: " אשא עיני אל ההרים, מאין יבוא עזרי ? (I raise my eyes upon the mountains, whence will come my help?)" At first glance, this thought— Where will my help come from? —seems harmless. After all, Yaakov certainly believed help would come from God. However, the Midrash reveals a deeper level of self-demand from Yaakov: Human nature is to rely on God but still get caught up in speculating on the method : Will my uncle bail me out? Will I win the lottery? While believing the help comes from God, the heart is busy generating ideas for how God will deliver. Yaakov realized this was a lower level of bitachon . He elevated his thought to: " עזרי מעם ה׳ עושה שמים וארץ . (My help is from God, Maker of heaven and earth.)" Yaakov demanded a higher level of trust: He must stop giving God suggestions or "ideas" on how to bring about the salvation. His reliance must be direct with "the Boss." This is the essence of the ideal bitachon in Tehillim 40: The praiseworthy person deals directly with God, turning neither to the arrogance of temporary means nor the falsehood of fleeting helpers.
An introduction to the Gate of Trust
In this week's Parasha, Lech Lecha, we begin once again to learn lessons from the lives of Avraham and Sarah. They were both great nivi'im and understood the ways of Heaven. When Sarah saw that she was not meriting to have children, she began to think of what she could do as a special zechut to change her mazal. Chazal tell us that Sarah was not physically capable of bearing children, as she did not even have a womb. She realized that for such a salvation, she would need an enormous zechut. So what did she do? The pasuk tells us: Sarah gave her maidservant Hagar to Avraham as a wife, saying, "Perhaps I will be built through her." What was so great about giving Hagar to Avraham? Sarah knew that Avraham had a mitzvah to have children, but perhaps she was the one preventing him from fulfilling that mitzvah. With tremendous selflessness, she gave another woman to her own husband, solely so that he could fulfill Hashem's will. Moreover, Sarah could have suggested that Hagar be taken as a pilegesh instead of a full wife. But she was concerned for the kavod of Avraham. He was like a prince, and it was not fitting for him to have less than a true wife. We know that the natural longing of a woman is for the attention of her husband. In fact, the Gemara calls a co-wife a tzarah — a rival — because it becomes a rivalry for their husband's attention. For Sarah to voluntarily offer her husband a different wife so he could fulfill the mitzvah was an act of extraordinary mesirut nefesh. Sarah understood that self-sacrifice brings great berachah and yeshuah. And indeed, later in the Parashah, Hashem changed her name from Sarai to Sarah, and announced that she would be blessed with a child — the child who would become the future of Klal Yisrael. The Kli Yakar explains that Hashem removed the Yud from "Sarai" because the letter Yud is masculine, symbolizing that she had been created like a male in that she was unable to bear children. He replaced it with the letter Hei , which is feminine, signifying that she would now be able to bear children in the normal way of a female. But numerically, there was a loss — Yud equals ten, Hei equals five. To restore balance, Hashem created another Hei (five) and attached it to the name of Avram, turning him into Avraham. The mekubalim explain that the letter Hei is associated with reproduction. The Kli Yakar writes that it was Sarah's zechut — the selflessness with which she gave her maidservant to Avraham — that enabled not only herself, but also Avram, who until then was unable to father children, to now have children. The Hei that was added to Avraham's name came from Sarah, because it was in her merit that he gained this ability. From here we see the enormous power of a mitzvah done with mesirut nefesh. Sarah's selflessness was the catalyst that enabled both her and Avraham to have children — and through it, Yitzchak Avinu came into the world. Every extra zechut that a person gains is of immeasurable value. Our Rabbis tell us that when a mitzvah is performed, it creates an et ratzon — a time of Divine favor. The greater the mitzvah, the greater the et ratzon . And tefillot offered at such a time rise even higher. May we all merit, be'ezrat Hashem , to gain the right zichuyot that will bring about yeshuot for all who need them. Shabbat Shalom
Welcome to daily בטחון . As we know, one of the sources are אמונה and בטחון is שבת . And as we mentioned last week, since next year ראש השנה is going to be on a שבת , we need our שבת of this year to be on our best behavior. So, בלי נדר , every Friday's class will be something about שבת with השם 's help. I'd like to share with you something very interesting that I just learned this week. We all know that we stand up Friday night by קידוש, ספרדי custom, and we sit שבת morning. Now, what is the reason for the difference?So there's three different reasons brought down as to why we stand Friday night by קידוש . The more popular one, which I was aware of, is because you're staying testimony. When you say קידוש , you're testifying that God created the world in six days and rests on the seventh. And witnesses stand when they say testimony. That is Friday night קידוש , as we're making the testimony as we go into שבת . שבת day קידוש does not talk about, doesn't say ויכלו השמים והארץ , we just say מזמור לדוד . We don't talk about creation. As an aside, the חיד"א says that it's brought down that on Friday night your sins are forgiven as you walk home from שול . And he says the reason is, I'm about to testify, witnesses has to be כשר witnesses to testify, so therefore, in order to allow the Jewish people to testify, God forgives their sins.Reason number two is a fascinating reason the של"ה הקדוש brings down, which is that at a wedding, we stand up under the חופה out of respect for the bride. And since שבת is a bride, בואי כלה , enter bride, we stand out of respect for the bride, as we do by the חופה . Those that are under the חופה stand in Israel, many have the custom, at least in the ספרדי world, that everyone's standing, anyone at the ceremony. Some say that in חוץ לארץ , where our weddings are on a platform and we stand up, that's considered its own domain and therefore one is not considered part of the חופה necessarily. But if you're under the חופה , you have to stand out of respect for the bride. And so too Friday night, as the bride is entering, as the as the as the marriage is happening, we stand by קידוש .Again, beautiful thoughts to realize you're at a wedding Friday night. Reason number three is שבת , God is the king. And out of respect for the king we stand. That's why we bring God in when we are standing up, out of respect for the king. Three fascinating reasons to appreciate Friday night when you're standing, why you're standing.Another important thing to understand about קידוש is it says that when you make קידוש , you're considered a partner with God in creation. Question is, how do you become a partner in God with creation? What are you doing to partner up? You didn't create the world. Rabbi עדס explains with a beautiful משל that I've said in the past. We have four brothers that run a business. One of them flies to China and he is going to the Canton Fair, spending two weeks there working on production. The other brother works in the showroom as a salesman to sell the products. The other brother works in the back office to make sure that all the billing is coming in properly. And finally, our fourth brother, he works on advertising, social media, billboards, getting the word out all over for his product. And they make, the first year they make a million, two, three, four, now they're really doing great. And one of the brothers says to the other two, "Hey, the fourth brother, he's doing advertising. Why is he getting an equal share? He's not going to China. He's not going to... He's not selling. He's not even in the back office. Why should he deserve any money?" And they say, "You know what? Let's cut his salary." Okay? They all vote, three to one, they cut his salary. And lo and behold, the sales go down. What's going on? And they realize we really need advertising. He is an equal partner and he starts getting a portion again.So too says Rabbi עדס , we are partners in creation. There's one thing that God needs us for, and that is marketing. That's advertising. We do that. Our job is to market. So that means just like there's all different ways to advertise, we can have airplanes flying with banners, we can have advertisements in your Uber, and there's endless advertising platforms. The way newspapers and periodicals make money is advertising. The way Google makes money is from advertising. There are these trucks that pull these large, enormous 10-by-10 digital screens advertising. Well, you know what? All of us are walking on שבת with a digital screen on our chest saying, I am a Jew and I believe that God created the world in six days and rests on the seventh. As we go to שול , as we walk in the street in our שבת clothing, we are announcing. this unbelievable testimony. And therefore, we are partners in creation and we have a share in this huge business, this multi-billion dollar business that we inherited this partnership going back to אברהם אבינו who was the one that announced to the world that God created the world, and שרה אמנו . And what's שרה אמנו known for? She lit the candles Friday night. So both the husband when he says קידוש and the wife when she lights candles are involved in the advertising. And now for the final beautiful thought. When someone's a partner, they have a say in the business. And therefore, on Friday night, we have a say in the business. We are part of the business and we have a right for an opinion. That's why there's a story of a great צדיק that they came for a blessing and he said you should have come to me at קידוש time. That's when I'm a partner. Similarly, when a lady lights candles, she makes requests because she's a partner. So appreciate the power of קידוש . Again, we stand for one of three reasons: we're testifying, respect for the bride, respect for the king, and when we say קידוש , we are partners with God in creation.
Every hashgachah peratit story that we hear is meant to strengthen our emunah that Hashem is intimately involved in every detail of our lives. He knows exactly what we need and can provide it in the blink of an eye. Our responsibility is to recognize this, and to pray with the deep belief that Hashem is always with us. The rabbi from yesterday's story shared his own powerful experience. A few years ago, he needed a critical medical procedure that could only be done in the United States. The cost: forty thousand dollars out of pocket. He had nowhere near that kind of money, and the procedure was essential. He reached out to a chesed organization for help, and then, without much of a plan, boarded a plane from Israel to New York. When he landed, he called his mother for advice. With only $250 in his pocket and no idea where to turn, he was desperate. His mother suggested he try a very wealthy man who was known for generosity and who lived in Monsey during the summer. She urged him to knock on his door and ask for help. So he took $100 — almost half of the little money he had — and paid for a taxi to the man's house. He knocked repeatedly, but no one answered. The house seemed empty. Frustrated, he called his mother back. She had no more ideas. Now he was stuck in Monsey, drained of money, no plan, no connections — and the hot sun beating down on him. Then he became very thirsty. Spotting a shul, he went inside to look for water. Inside the hallway was one man, pacing back and forth, engrossed in a phone call. The moment he saw the rabbi, he stopped and asked who he was. When the rabbi told him his name, the man's face changed. "I know who you are," he said. "You're here trying to get a medical procedure, and you need $40,000." The rabbi was stunned. He had never seen this man before. How could he know so much? The man began interrogating him, demanding to know who had told him to come to this shul. The rabbi insisted that no one told him — he had simply come in because he was thirsty. The man explained: "I raise millions of dollars every year for people in need. But the demand is so great that I sometimes have to hide out in different places just to breathe. Today, I picked this shul, where I was sure no one would disturb me." At that very moment, he was on the phone with the very chesed organization the rabbi had contacted, discussing the rabbi's case. They had asked him to take on raising the $40,000, and he had flatly refused, saying he already had too many obligations. But now, staring at the rabbi who had just "randomly" walked into the building, he realized this was not random at all. "Now I see that Hashem Himself sent you here," he said. "And because of that, I will raise the money for you." And so it was. The rabbi received the full $40,000 for his medical procedure. Think about it. He stepped off a plane into a city of millions of people and millions of buildings. Hashem led him straight to the one building, at the one moment, where the exact person who was destined to be his messenger was waiting. Hashem can do the same for each of us. The more we strengthen our belief and pour our hearts into tefillah, the more clearly we will see His hashgachah in our lives.
Refuge vs. Guarantee: Two Levels of Trust Today we focus on a verse from Mishlei (Proverbs) : " בִּירְאַת ה׳ מִבְטַח עֹז, וּבָנָיו יִהְיֶה מַחְסֶה ." "In the fear of God is a powerful stronghold, and for his children, it will be a shelter." The Vilna Gaon explains this by contrasting two concepts of reliance, drawn from Tehillim 118:9 " טוֹב לַחְסוֹת בַּה', מִבְטֹחַ בַּנְּדִיבִים " (It is better to seek refuge in God than to rely on nobles). Defining Bituach vs. Chassayon (Reliance vs. Refuge) The Gaon distinguishes between two forms of seeking help: Bituach (Reliance/Guarantee): This stems from an Havtacha (a guarantee). If someone tells you, "I guarantee I will pay your mortgage," you are relying on their explicit promise. This is a spoken commitment. Chassayon (Refuge/Shelter): This is seeking shelter without a prior conversation or guarantee, like running under a rock when it starts raining ( " צוּר חֶסְיוֹנוֹ " —the rock in which one seeks refuge). You don't need to speak to the rock; you just need shelter. The teaching is that it is always better to seek refuge ( Chassayon ) in God than to rely on the guarantee ( Bituach ) of a human being . Applying the Concepts to the Verse The Gaon connects this distinction directly to the verse from Mishlei: " בִּירְאַת ה׳ מִבטַח עֹז " (In the fear of God is a powerful stronghold): A person who possesses fear of God merits that God will provide a guarantee ( Bituach ) for him to do good. This happened with Avraham Avinu after the Akeidah (Binding of Isaac). God guaranteed him: " כִּי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי יְרֵא אֱלֹקִים אַתָּה " (Now I know you fear God), followed immediately by " כִּי בָרֹךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ " (Because I will surely bless you). Avraham is the example of this powerful, guaranteed stronghold ( mafte'ach oz ). " וּבָנָיו יִהְיֶה מַחְסֶה " (And for his children, it will be a shelter): His descendants (us) were never directly spoken to by God, so we don't have that personal guarantee. However, because of the merit ( Zechut ) of the Forefather (Avraham) , we merit the ability to seek refuge ( Machaseh ) in God . The Power of Zechut Avot (Ancestral Merit) This is a powerful concept for those who wonder, "How do I know God cares for me if He never guaranteed it?" The answer is that God guaranteed it to your great-grandfather Avraham . We benefit from that historical connection. Rashi confirms this interpretation, emphasizing the word " בְּצֵל זְכוּתֹו " (in the shadow of his merit) . A shadow offers shelter without needing a conversation with the tree that casts it—you simply enter the shade. Rav Nosson Wachtfogel further illustrates this idea using the concept of the Sukkah: The Sukkah is called the "shadow of faith" (Tzel Ne'emanut). After the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), when we are uncertain of our judgment, we run into the Sukkah, which serves as God's shade (Tzel). This echoes the incident with Rebbi (in Bava Metzia 85a ), where a calf about to be slaughtered sought shelter under Rebbi's coat. The Heavenly court ruled against Rebbi for his lack of mercy because the calf sought refuge under his wing . The concept is that when someone seeks shelter in you due to reliance, the Middat HaRachamim (Attribute of Mercy) demands you protect them. This is similar to Lot , who told the Sodomites: " כִּי עַל כֵּן בָּאוּ בְּצֵל קֹרָתִי " (Because they came under the shadow of my roof) —they relied on his protection, obligating him to defend them. Thus, Rashi's precise wording— "shadow of His merit" —teaches that we have an inherent right to seek refuge in that divine shadow, regardless of direct communication.
A person can plan, prepare, and work as hard as possible, but without Hashem's help, nothing will succeed. We make the efforts, but the outcome is never in our hands. From the simplest tasks of daily life to the greatest undertakings, we are dependent every moment on the blessing of Hashem. Be'ezrat Hashem , Living Emunah on the Parashah Volume 2 is about to be released. During the summer, I received a phone call from one of the sponsors who was going to help bring this project to fruition. He explained that he had fallen on hard times and was not going to be able to fulfill his pledge. I wished this man berachah v'hatzlachah , and then I turned to Hashem and asked Him to please send a different messenger to help. The very next morning, I overslept and missed my alarm. That small mishap caused me to pray in a shul I did not normally attend. After tefilah, as I stood in the lobby, a man recognized me and asked if I had time to hear a nice hashgachah peratit story. I told him most definitely, and he began. He told me about his associate, whom we'll call Yehuda, who was in the nursing home business. For nearly three years, Yehuda had been trying to secure a meeting with a very influential man in the industry. At last, the meeting was scheduled — Thursday night in a Manhattan restaurant. But Yehuda gave a shiur every Thursday night in Lakewood, and he never missed it under any circumstances. Now he was torn. This was the opportunity he had waited for, yet it would mean skipping his shiur. He tried to reschedule, but was turned down. Finally, with great strength, he told the man he could not attend and canceled the meeting. At first, he felt terrible. Three years of waiting, and he had given it up. But then he told himself: A person never loses by doing the will of Hashem. That Thursday, he prayed Minchah in Lakewood, as usual, being that he didn't have to travel to Manhattan. In that very minyan, he met a man who was even more prominent in the nursing home business than the one he had originally been scheduled to meet. He introduced himself, arranged a meeting, and ended up with a deal far greater than he could have imagined. Yehuda was overjoyed. By holding onto his shiur, he saw Hashem's blessing so clearly. When the man finished his story, I thanked him — and then asked if he might know someone who would be interested in sponsoring Living Emunah on the Parashah Volume 2 . His eyes lit up. "What? Living Emunah on the Parashah? I'm the number one fan of that book! I've given out over forty copies of the first volume. It has brought so many people closer to religion. It would be my greatest honor and pleasure to help sponsor the new volume." And just like that, the missing sponsor was replaced. It was then that I understood why I had overslept that morning. Hashem guided me to the shul where the very person I needed was waiting. Everything gets accomplished only with siyata diShmaya. While we were talking, a rabbi visiting from Israel overheard part of the conversation. He walked over and asked, "Are you sharing hashgachah peratit stories?" When we said yes, he told us he had one of the greatest stories that ever happened — and it happened to him personally. With Hashem's help, I will share that story tomorrow.
There are times when a person looks back and thinks, If only I had taken that opportunity. Perhaps it was a business deal that turned out to be very lucrative, or another chance that could have brought success. Naturally, he wonders what he could have had, imagining how life might look if only he had acted differently. But someone who has been learning Emunah knows better. He understands that he already has everything he is meant to have. If Hashem wants him to have more, He will send it in another way, from another source. Hashem is in charge not only of what we receive, but also how we receive it. We should never feel that we "could have" or "should have" had more. Sometimes Hashem's Hand is so obvious that we can't miss it. Michael Cohen, founder of the Mitzvah Man organization, related that he once received a call from a family with eight children who could not afford a car. They asked if he could help. He explained that his organization did not give away cars, but if he heard of something, he would let them know. That very week, he got an email from Eshel Shabbat announcing a Chinese auction with a car as one of the prizes. Michael bought a ticket, publicly committing that if he won, he would give the car to that family He then put a public notice on his webpage that he commits to giving the car away if he wins. He also told his daughter to make sure he doesn't renege in a moment of weakness if he wins. His daughter told him not to worry, as there were thousands of tickets in the raffle and he wasn't going to win anyway. Two days later, the organization called saying he won the car. He was so happy. He gave the car to that family and told them not to thank him. It was a gift from Hashem. A couple of years later, he received another call from a family with a lot of children who couldn't afford a car. He told them as well that he didn't have cars to give away, but if something came along, he would let them know. A few weeks later, he got a text message on his phone from Eshel Shabbat saying, Last chance for the car raffle. He once again bought a ticket and said if he wins, he would donate the car to this family in need. Amazingly, two days later, he got a phone call from them saying that he won the car raffle again—and once again, he gave away the car. It is obvious that Hashem decides who wins raffles and who gets cars. A man told me he was in Israel for Sukkot and on Shabbat Chol HaMoed, in the shul he attended, they were bidding for the aliyot. He bought one aliyah for his brother-in-law and then purchased aliyah Levi for himself. At first, the gabbai said he couldn't buy two, but when he explained the first was a gift, they agreed. Yet when the time came, they gave aliyah Levi to someone else. His first instinct was to protest, but then he remembered the Gemara which says that everybody gets exactly what's coming to them, and no one could take even a hair's breadth of what's yours. He even said he was still going to pay for that aliyah. After the aliyah, the gabbai approached him apologizing, saying it was an oversight. That afternoon, he was invited by a rabbi to eat seudah shlishit at his house. The rabbi told him minchah at his shul was going to be at 6:15. But later on that day, this man realized the rabbi must have been mistaken on the time, as sunset was 6:25. So he went to the shul at 5:30, and when he was almost there, he saw the rabbi standing outside the shul looking for someone. When he got closer, the rabbi called out to him, saying to come quickly. He wanted to give him aliyat Levi and he was hoping he was going to come. The moment he walked into the shul, he went right up to the Torah and got aliyat Levi. He said afterward, If Hashem doesn't want you to get an aliyah, you could be in the shul a few feet away from the Torah, having already bought the aliyah, and still not get it. And if Hashem wants you to get an aliyah, you could be very far away, and the rabbi will stop everything and wait for you to come to get the aliyah. Whatever we get is decided by Hashem. He knows how and when to give us what He wants us to have, and therefore we should never second-guess a decision we made or feel bad about passing up on any opportunity.
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Nothing is Impossible
Nothing is Impossible
Parshas Noach: Understanding Bitachon
The pasuk says that Hashem smelled the pleasing aroma of Noach's korban and then declared that He would never again destroy the world as He had done with the Mabul. The Midrash explains that Hashem not only smelled the aroma of Noach's korban, but also the aroma of the fiery furnace into which Avraham Avinu was willing to be thrown. He smelled the aroma of the furnace that Hananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah were cast into, and He smelled the aroma of all of His precious children throughout history who were willing to sacrifice their very lives for Him. We are commanded to love Hashem with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our money. That means being willing to give up even the most precious things to us in order to show our love for Him. Every form of sacrifice is precious to Hashem. Sometimes it means enduring embarrassment. Sometimes it means giving up comforts. Sometimes it means changing our plans. Whatever it may be, Hashem cherishes every effort we make for His sake. Sometimes Hashem even makes it clear just how much He treasures those sacrifices. A Rosh Yeshivah from B'nei B'rak told me a remarkable story. When Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zatzal, was niftar, he was asked to travel to France to deliver a hesped in a shul where his father had once been the rabbi. The Rosh Yeshivah agreed — but on one condition: he never missed his daily shiur at 12:30 in the yeshivah under any circumstance. If the organizers could arrange the trip in such a way that he would not miss his shiur, he would go. They arranged a flight on Thursday afternoon, allowing him to give the hesped Thursday night and return Friday morning — since there was no shiur on Fridays, it would work. But then, another shul in France, a six-hour train ride away, called with the same request. It was a shul where his father-in-law had once been the rabbi. They asked if he could stay for Shabbat, deliver the hesped motza'ei Shabbat, and fly back Sunday morning on a 7:00 a.m. flight. He made the calculation and realized that flight would not land in Israel until around 12:30 — too late for his shiur. So he politely declined. He flew to France that Thursday without even bringing luggage, expecting to return the next morning. But then the second shul called again. This time they had worked out a plan: if he would speak motza'ei Shabbat, then drive six hours overnight to Switzerland, he could catch a 6:00 a.m. flight that would land in Israel around 11:00 a.m., giving him time to reach the yeshivah by 12:30. This would mean spending Shabbat there with no belongings, traveling six hours by train, then another six hours by car through the night — to save one hour in flight time, just so he would not miss giving one shiur. He asked his wife for permission, and she gave her blessing. Heroically, the Rosh Yeshivah delivered both hespeidim with great inspiration. When he arrived for the early flight, it was delayed by half an hour. They landed in Israel at 11:30, and by the time he reached passport control it was 11:50. He was in the foreign passport line with about 50 people ahead of him. After all his sacrifice, it seemed that he would miss the shiur after all. But then, as if an angel was sent from Shamayim, an officer approached him, asked for his passport, stamped it immediately, and told him to pass through without waiting. Such a thing had never happened to him before. Next came the mandatory COVID test. The lines were long and crowded — except for one line that was practically empty. He quickly got his test and continued on his way, arriving at his shiur at exactly 12:30. When a Jew is willing to sacrifice for Hashem, Hashem shows him just how much that sacrifice is cherished. Avraham Avinu never knew how much he was accomplishing by walking into the furnace or by being ready to sacrifice Yitzchak. Hananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah never knew how much their loyalty would inspire generations. And every one of us, in our own way, when we give up something for Hashem, is adding to that eternal "pleasing aroma" that rises to Shamayim. The more we are willing to sacrifice to do Hashem's will, the more love we show Him — and the more Hashem shows His love for us.
The Torah testifies that Noach was a צדיק תמים-completely righteous. He was a Navi who communicated directly with Hashem. He spent 120 years building the teva despite being ridiculed by everyone around him. He found חן-favor in the eyes of Hashem. Yet, despite all of this greatness, when the mabul began, it says that Noach did not immediately go into the teva. Chazal tell us it was because he had a small deficiency in his emunah. Even great people could have a lapse in emunah. It is an area that we have to constantly strengthen ourselves in because so many times it is tested. If a circumstance arises and we don't respond the way we think we should have, we shouldn't get depressed about it. Rather, we should think we're trying . It's a long process. Emunah is not easy, but b'ezrat Hashem, it's only going to get better. To have a rough day with emunah is very normal. The key is to grow from it, to come back later even stronger. Hashem is always with us, even when it doesn't seem that way. If we could remind ourselves, when we're going through the difficulty, and say, "Even this is from Hashem, and even this is for my good," it will help a lot. The sefer Ki Ata Imadi told a story about a man who we'll call Raphael who was on his way, with his son, to spend Shabbat with his rabbi in Yerushalayim . On Friday, they got on a bus anticipating a one hour drive. All of the seats on that bus were taken except for one. The man told his son he was going to take the seat, but then, the little boy who was sitting next to that open spot said he's saving it for his father who's getting on at the next stop. Raphael then became noticeably upset. He told the driver, "This is not right. There should be more buses and no saving seats." He got off the bus with his son, and he had to wait for the next one. The man who told over the story was on that bus. He said he knew Raphael as a man who always remained calm no matter what was going on. He never raised his voice. He was always able to accept everything b'emunah. Seeing him make that little outburst disturbed him. When this first bus was approaching Bet Shemesh, it broke down. Everyone on the bus had to get off and stand outside in the heat for a long time to wait for a new one. While they were standing there outside, they saw the next bus that Raphael got onto zoom right by them. The man telling the story said, "I saw Raphael and his son through one of the windows sitting peacefully on it." The second bus finally came and picked them up, and this man, who was telling the story, arrived very late in Yerushalayim . He quickly got ready for Shabbat and went to shul. When he walked into the shul he was surprised to see Raphael there, sipping tea and learning with his son. He immediately went over to him and said, "Look how much Hashem loves you. I was on that first bus. I saw what happened. I saw you get off. I just arrived now. We had to stand outside for a long time in the heat waiting for a new bus because ours broke down. You got on the right bus. You arrived with enough time to sit and learn with your son before Shabbat. Hashem helped you. He loves you." While he was saying this, he noticed a tear welling up in Raphael's eye. He wondered what he said that made Raphael so emotional. Then Raphael spoke up and said, "I want to tell you something. For many weeks now, I have been out of a job. My house is practically on empty. Whatever I try to do, I'm unsuccessful with. I feel like everyone is against me and whatever could go wrong always does. I decided maybe I needed to improve spiritually, so I asked my wife if I can go and spend Shabbat with my rabbi in Yerushalayim to get chizuk . I felt like I was finally doing something good and then, when I got on the bus to go, there wasn't even a seat for me. I felt like I was being turned away again. Even when I'm trying to do good I get pushed away? Even Hashem doesn't want me? That is when I got upset. I didn't want to think like that. I knew Hashem loved me. It just didn't seem that way. A short while ago, I turned to Hashem and I said, 'Hashem, please, if I'm wrong and You really do love me, please show me that You love me.' And now, you walk in and you say, 'Look how much Hashem loves you.' You can't believe how much you just helped me. Now I know I'm going to get through this with emunah. Thank you for the chizuk ." Hashem loves all of us. If we could recognize it during the trying times, we'll be able to stay strong in our emunah. And if we are ever weak in emunah, don't get down. Recover and get back up. Emunah is a long process and b'ezrat Hashem, we'll become great at it.
A woman once related that her daughter had been married for a few years without being zoche to have a baby. It was a stuggle that she herself could not fully relate to, yet she suffered deeply through it together with her daughter. It was painful to watch other family members and friends have babies so easily, one after another, while her daughter remained empty-handed. After several visits to their regular doctor, they turned to a specialist who identified the issue and devised a treatment plan. The process, however, included invasive and painful testing that needed to be performed at precise times of the month. Because of the upcoming holidays, they were forced to postpone the treatments, which was disheartening. She tried to remain positive, encouraging her daughter to stay optimistic and reminding her to trust in Hashem. Of course, they prayed together constantly for the best outcome at the best time. Then, out of nowhere, her daughter required emergency surgery related to the same issue. The surgery delayed things even further. She was devastated. She didn't want to be sitting in a hospital beside her daughter recovering from surgery—she wanted to be there with her daughter in the delivery room, holding her newborn baby. The frustration was mounting, and her emunah was wavering. Her daughter came home to recuperate, but seeing her in pain only deepened her struggle. Anticipating long months of testing and treatment ahead, she didn't know how she could continue. In her desperation, she sought the advice of a respected rebbetzin. She poured out her heart, explaining how hard it was to keep her faith strong and to support her grown daughter through such a difficult challenge. The rebbetzin listened, then offered advice that seemed almost outrageous. She said firmly, "You must thank Hashem for the surgery." That was all she said—no elaboration, no explanation. The woman was stunned. Thank Hashem for surgery? For delays? For pain? She thought to herself: I want to thank Hashem for blessings, not for setbacks and suffering. Still, she decided to follow the advice. Every day, as she prayed, she began to thank Hashem—not only for the good, but for the surgery, the delays, and the process itself. At first it felt strange, even forced. But gradually it became easier. It reminded her of the lesson her children had once learned—that true emunah means accepting Hashem's will as one's own, even when it doesn't align with our plans. Slowly, her heart shifted. She began to sincerely and wholeheartedly accept Hashem's will, thanking Him again and again. And then, the miracle came. Just one month later—without a single test, without a single medication—her daughter was expecting. They were stunned. Overjoyed. Beyond words. Not only had Hashem granted them the child they so longed for, but He had spared them the agonizing process of IVF. A few months later, she attended a shiur and heard a line from Pirkei Avot that resonated with her to the core: "When you accept Hashem's will, He will make your will His will." In that moment, she realized the truth of what had happened. Once she truly thanked Hashem and embraced His will, Hashem embraced hers. Today, Baruch Hashem, they have their miracle baby. Every single day they treasure her presence and appreciate the blessing she brings to their family. The lesson was clear and life-changing: thanking Hashem even for the difficulties, and accepting His will even when life doesn't go as we hoped, is among the most powerful forms of avodah. The more heartfelt and sincere the thank-yous are, the more transformative they become. At the very moment a person experiences difficulty, that challenge is truly the best possible thing for them. However, that does not mean that going forward it won't be best to get what he is hoping for. Thanking Hashem for whatever happens has the power to turn hardships into salvations and to open the gates for wondrous outcomes.
The Chafez Haim writes that one of the main determinants of the greatness of a person in this world is the way he responds to how Hashem deals with him. In our generation, we have people who have become truly great through the emunah that they have learned and applied in their lives. One woman, who has been in shidduchim for about fifteen years, shared how much strength and courage emunah has given her. What inspires her most are not only stories of miraculous endings, but the journeys of ordinary people who still don't know how things will turn out — and yet, again and again, they choose the path of emunah over despair. Some face major crises, others the struggles of daily life, but they all summon the courage, often with superhuman effort, to choose emunah no matter what. She explained that the endings are secondary. It is the journey and the choices made before the yeshua that give her strength. The emunah that she has learned over the years has not only enabled her to get through each day, but to grow, and even soar, through her nisyonot because of the lessons she has absorbed. She knows that throughout the experience she is accomplishing something every day in her avodat Hashem. While in shidduchim, she feels that the world pushes hard against her to make her despair, but her emunah has saved her emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. It has preserved her self-esteem and allowed her to face what can sometimes be a humiliating process with dignity and grace. She always reminds herself that she is loved by Hashem, that she is a special neshamah, and that her perfect zivug is waiting to be revealed at the right time. She related a very difficult conversation with a rabbi who had suggested a shidduch for her. After one date, she felt absolute clarity that the boy was not for her, and she declined to continue. Her decision was thoughtful and sincere, not frivolous. The rabbi, who truly cared about her, spent an hour and a half urging her to reconsider, questioning her entire approach to dating. He told her that the pool was extremely limited at her age. He explained that despite his best efforts, he could not convince certain boys to go out with her, and he warned her that while emunah and bitachon are central, she must be careful not to be — quote unquote — "foolish." Hearing those words was very painful. Her heart sank many times during the conversation. But the staunch emunah she had built over the last decade enabled her to listen calmly and respond with respect and conviction. She respectfully told the rabbi that she would not allow fear to push her into marrying or dating someone whom she knew was not right for her. She told him that a limited pool means nothing to Hashem. Statistics mean nothing to Hashem. "I only need one zivug," she said. "I am too special to need boys to be convinced to go out with me. If someone doesn't want to date me, that is Hashem's way of saying he is not my match." She told him, "I don't feel my emunah is "foolish", because I know with one hundred percent certainty that Hashem will bring my zivug, and he will be perfect for me, even if he does not look like the package I envisioned. Hashem has been gently guiding my heart and opening my mind for years so that when I do meet him, I will not feel I compromised, but that Hashem has brought two neshamot together at exactly the right time, when we were ready for each other." That night she could not sleep. She cried the entire night. She was confused after hearing such words from a rabbi, but she also felt a closeness to Hashem that she had never experienced before. She almost felt a direct line from her heart to the Kisei HaKavod. She said, "I felt Hashem's presence holding me. I respect the rabbi deeply, but he is not Hashem. Only Hashem is Hashem. To Him, no pool is limited. He could bring my zivug from anywhere, in ways I cannot imagine, because His creativity and solutions are endless. I continue each day to strengthen myself with words of emunah, knowing that my yeshua will come at the right time." Her words are so beautiful. We hope she finds her zivug very soon, but in the meantime she is rising to the highest levels in her avodat Hashem with her unwavering emunah.
After Hashem formed Adam, the pasuk says that Hashem blew into him a spirit of life. The Zohar HaKadosh teaches that this spirit of life is the nishamah—a part of Hashem Himself. This means that every Jew, who is also given a nishamah, has a piece of Hashem inside of him. We don't need to search far to discover Hashem, because He is already within us. Some of the hostages who were completely unaffiliated described how much they felt Hashem's presence with them in captivity. When their physicality was broken down, they were able to tap into the spirituality that was always there inside of them. One of the hostages related that he was in a very small cell, deep underground. He wasn't even able to stand up straight in it, nor was he able to spread out his hands to either side. He was living in complete darkness and could not see a thing. He said that it was precisely in that thick darkness that he was able to discover Hashem. He felt a light that was indescribable. He was motivated to pray to Hashem every single day. He developed such an appreciation for everything he had, to the point that he was thanking Hashem for the very air he was breathing. He thanked Hashem for the small piece of bread that he received each day. He thanked Hashem for what he had—and he even thanked Him for what he did not have. Then he said something astonishing: if there was one thing that he misses from being in captivity, it was that feeling of closeness to Hashem. It was such a good feeling that it brought a smile to his face in the midst of the worst darkness. He told the crowd, "How is it possible to be happy with nothing, trapped in a dungeon?" The answer: it was only kirvat Hashem —the closeness to Hashem. Another hostage said that while he was there, he became so close to Hashem that when his captors showed him a video of another hostage being released, and he saw a stage filled with hundreds of Hamas militants, all he wanted to do at that point was to get on that stage and shout with all of his strength שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד - that Hashem—and only Hashem—is in charge. Another hostage related that the terrorists offered to give him better conditions and better food if he would convert to Islam. He told them: "I am a Jew and I will never abandon my faith." He admitted that before captivity, he never imagined those words would come out of his mouth. But in the darkness of that dungeon, he found Hashem, and he knew he would never let Him go. When he was freed, he gave chizuk to the crowd listening to him. He said: "I want all of you to understand that you are Jews, and you need to do more mitzvot. A Jew must know that he comes from greatness and he is not like everybody else." We must know that wherever we are, Hashem is always with us—and the darker it gets, the more light of Hashem we can experience. One hostage shared that after he was released, he was with his father on a phone call with the Yanuka. The Yanuka told him about how he had advised his father to learn the story of Yosef being taken down to Mitzrayim and then reunited with his father. He said to study it every single day, and in that zechut, his son would also one day be reunited with him. When the hostage heard that, he was stunned. He said, "I can't believe what you're telling me. I never learned that story before, but while I was in captivity, the terrorists showed me a video of the story of Yosef and his brothers in Mitzrayim, and I know every single detail from it." The father was studying that story, and the son was watching that story. What are the odds that Hamas militants would show this Jewish boy, of all things, the story of Yosef and his brothers? Another manifestation of Hashem's presence, shining in the darkest times. We are never alone, no matter how dark it seems. In fact, the darker it gets, the more we are able to experience the light of Hashem.
Trust the God of Jacob
Trust the God of Jacob
There are times when a person may feel that he is being treated, quote-unquote, "unfairly" by Hashem. He tries so hard to do good, but it seems like everything keeps getting thrown back in his face. The natural inclination in those moments is to want to turn away, to give up. But if he does, he will lose out on the greatest possible gain. When Hashem puts a person through these kinds of challenges, they are golden opportunities—doorways that can bring him to unimaginable heights. If instead of turning away, a person continues to serve Hashem with even more love and more passion, he earns merits beyond comprehension. Avraham Avinu spent his life teaching the world about Hashem. His deepest longing was to have a child who would take over that mission and continue spreading Hashem's light. But for decades, it seemed impossible. Avraham and Sarah could not have children. One night, Hashem lifted Avraham above the stars and told him: " הבט נא השמימה וספור הכוכבים… כה יהיה זרעך " ( בראשית ט״ו:ה ). Chazal explain that Hashem was showing him that the Jewish people are above the mazalot—beyond the dictates of nature. Even if something appears impossible, Hashem can change it in an instant. Hashem then promised Avraham that he would indeed have a child who would carry on his mission. Avraham waited patiently, nearly thirty years, for that promise to be fulfilled. Finally, he and Sarah were blessed with Yitzchak. They poured their lives into raising him, nurturing him to become the great tzaddik he was destined to be. And then one day, Hashem issued a command that defied all logic: " קח נא את בנך את יחידך אשר אהבת את יצחק והעלהו שם לעולה " ( בראשית כ״ב:ב )-to bring Yitzchak as a sacrifice. From a human perspective, Avraham could have cried out: "This was my life's mission! This was the child I was promised! Now it's all being taken away?" That would have been understandable. But Avraham took a different path. He rose very early the next morning, eager to fulfill Hashem's will. He even saddled his own donkey—though he had countless servants—because he wanted to show his zealous love for Hashem. He went with passion, not despair. And that single act created merits that still protect us thousands of years later. When the Jewish people were in the desert, Balak and Balaam plotted to destroy them. The Chatam Sofer says this was one of the most dangerous moments in our history. Balaam tried to use the power of zealousness to sway Hashem. He, too, arose early and saddled his donkey to curse the Jewish people. But Hashem replied: "You wicked man, My beloved Avraham has already preceded you! He rose early and saddled his donkey to serve Me out of love. In his merit, you will never harm his children." Avraham had no idea at the time how much he was accomplishing. By serving Hashem with joy even in the face of what seemed like betrayal, he laid down eternal protection for his descendants. We see this pattern again with Yosef HaTzaddik. He was living a holy life, learning Torah every day with his father, Yaakov. Suddenly, his life was turned upside down. He was sold into slavery, torn from his family, and thrust into the moral depravity of Egypt. And then, when he was at his lowest, Yosef faced one of the most difficult challenges in history—the test of Potiphar's wife. He could have said: "This is my reward for living so purely? Why should I keep trying?" But instead, Yosef resisted with all his might. Centuries later, when the Jewish people stood trapped at the Yam Suf with the Egyptians pursuing them, it was Yosef's bones that were carried to the water. In his merit of running away from sin, the sea split. Yosef had no idea that his private moment of self-control, when faced with so many difficulties, would one day save millions of lives. This is what is at stake when we feel tested, when life seems unfair. We cannot imagine what our Emunah and perseverance will bring. If instead of complaining or questioning, we rise to the challenge and serve Hashem with more love, we are not only helping ourselves—we are bringing blessing to our children, grandchildren, and all of Klal Yisrael.
Living Emunah 2830 Bereshit-Never Losing Out by Giving The pasuk says in this week's parashah, " זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדוֹת אָדָם " (Bereshit 5:1). Chazal tell us that from this pasuk we learn that HaKadosh Baruch Hu showed Adam HaRishon all of the future generations, every single person who would eventually be born. Among the neshamot Adam saw was that of David HaMelech. Adam saw what a lofty neshamah David had, and also that it was destined to leave this world just three hours after entering it. Adam knew he himself had been granted a lifespan of one thousand years. Out of compassion, he decided to donate seventy years of his own life to David HaMelech. Hashem told him to sign on this pledge, and Adam did so. The Shelah HaKadosh writes in his siddur Sha'ar HaShamayim that when Adam was approaching the age of 930, Hashem told him that his time was near. At that moment Adam wanted to retract his pledge, but Hashem told him it was too late — he had already signed. Adam felt he still had more to accomplish in this world, but his time had come, and there was nothing he could do to extend it. On the surface it might appear that Adam lost out by giving away seventy years of his life. However, the Sefer Sas Bimratecha quotes the Zohar, which explains that Adam's main concern was to repair the damage caused by his sin, which had brought such destruction to the world. He had already fasted for 130 years to make a tikkun for it. David HaMelech, too, spent many years of his life immersed in teshuvah for the episode with Batsheva. The Gemara explains that David did not actually commit an aveirah — it only appeared as if he had. Nevertheless, he dedicated his life to teshuvah. All of David's teshuvah went towards rectifying Adam's sin, for David was only alive because of Adam's gift. Had David lived another thirty years, he would have completely rectified Adam's sin and the ge'ulah would have arrived in his time. Even so, the majority of the sin was corrected, and Adam ultimately gained far more from David than he ever could have accomplished with those seventy years himself. The lesson is clear: a person never loses out by giving. So often we use our time or money to help others, and then a thought crosses our mind that we could have done more for ourselves with those resources. But in truth, we never lose out from helping. Whatever we were meant to accomplish for ourselves is accomplished through the very act of chesed — and even more blessing comes in its place. Every neshamah is sent to this world with a mission, and Hashem knows exactly what each soul needs. He gives us the precise opportunities we require in order to fulfill our purpose. A rabbi recently shared a story. A community member called him from the hospital, where he sat at his father's bedside with his siblings. Their father's blood pressure had dropped dangerously low, and the doctor said he was expected to pass away at any moment. The rabbi explained that he had two shiurim to give back-to-back and absolutely could not miss them, but he promised to come as soon as he finished. After his first class, he called to check in. "Status quo," the man replied. After the second class, the same answer. The rabbi then drove forty minutes to the hospital, and still — unbelievably — nothing had changed. The blood pressure remained dangerously low, but the man was still alive. The rabbi told the family they should recite from the siddur the vidduyim and tefillot that are said before a person's passing. They all began reading together. They completed every last word, and the moment they finished, the machine began to beep. Their father's neshamah departed from this world at that precise instant. The rabbi later reflected: it was as if the neshamah was waiting for that final tikkun to be completed, holding on until it was done. Only then was it ready to leave. Each neshamah has its unique mission. As we begin Parashat Bereshit and embark on a new year, we must focus on utilizing every opportunity Hashem sends us to grow and become the people we are meant to be. Shabbat Shalom.
After the Yamim Nora'im have concluded and our judgments for the upcoming year have been finalized, it is natural for a person to feel that his deeds and tefillot will no longer have such an effect on his life. After all, whatever will happen this year has already been determined. Yet, the Gemara teaches us otherwise. It says that although the total amount of rain for the year has already been decreed, if the people do teshuvah afterward, Hashem will ensure that every drop falls at the right time, in the right place, and not a single drop will go to waste. The Sfas Emet (Sukkot 5649) writes similarly regarding parnassah. Even though a person's income has already been determined on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, if he has bitachon in Hashem, that same income will be filled with blessing. Furthermore, Hashem can minimize the losses decreed for him. Instead of spending money on a dentist or repairing a leaky roof, those expenses may never arise at all. Someone told me that he was bracing himself for an astronomical tax bill. Yet when the final notice came, it was inexplicably only half of what he expected. Just like that, he saved a fortune. This is how Hashem blesses people — even after outcomes seem to have been decided. And when it comes to tefillah, it is even clearer. We need heartfelt tefillah just to receive what was already decreed for us. Rashi in Parashat Bereishit explains that although Hashem decreed that vegetation would sprout, He held it back until Adam HaRishon prayed. Only after Adam's tefillah did the rains come and bring forth the growth. So too with us: Hashem may decree blessing, but our tefillot are the key to bring it down into reality. Rav Shimshon Pincus pointed out a similar message from Rashi in Parashas Miketz. When Yaakov sent his sons back to Mitzrayim with Binyomin to buy more food, he gave them gifts — the money that had been returned to them, plus new money — and he told them he had made every possible preparation. And then he said, "Now you are not missing anything except prayer. I will pray on your behalf." Yaakov was teaching that everything could be perfectly in place, but without tefillah, nothing works. The same applies to our lives. Hashem may have decreed that the shidduch is ready this year, or the parnassah, the refuah, or the baby. But the only ingredient missing is our tefillah. Furthermore, the Passuk says כַּה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ בְּכָל־קָרְאֵנוּ אֵלָיו-How fortunate we are to have Hashem who answers whenever we call to Him! The Gemara teaches, based on this passuk, that when a person prays with a minyan, he can even change an existing decree. And therefore, our deeds and our tefillos are always of paramount importance. Every word of tefillah and every little deed carries tremendous weight in Shamayim. Now, as we begin anew, is the time to strengthen our tefillot and strengthen our deeds as much as we can.
The Desired Path
A travel agent called his rabbi the other day, asking if hewas allowed to book a flight that was scheduled to leave on Shabbat for anotherJew. The rabbi told him, although it would not violate the negative commandmentof לפני עיור, because this potential customer could easily book the same flightelsewhere, however, there would be an issur d'rabanan of helpingsomebody else commit an avera . Yet, there are acharonim who holdthat this prohibition does not apply to people who don't care about keeping themitzvah. And therefore the rabbi concluded there is what to rely upon if hewanted to book that ticket, but he would recommend not to. The travel agent then said, "You mean, it would belike a Kiddush Hashem if I don't? I want to make sure I do everything inmy business the way Hashem wants. The rabbi replied, "Yes, it would be a KiddushHashem, and don't worry, you'll never lose out on business by being carefulto follow Halacha the best way. In fact, another man just called me a half anhour ago and told me a personal story." The rabbi continued, "He is a contractor, and toldthat he found a great home that he wanted to renovate and resell. It was asuper deal. The real estate agent gave him her word that it was his for$675,000. The papers were finally in order, and the contract was ready to sign,but it was Chol Hamoed Sukkot . The contractor did not want to dobusiness on Chol Hamoed. He told the real estate agent he wanted to waituntil after the holiday to sign it. She replied that if he didn't sign rightthen and there, she would put it back in the market and surely the price wouldgo up. 'This is a דבר האבד,' she added. 'It's a loss if you don'tdo it now. And therefore it's permissible to purchase, even on Chol Hamoed. "The contractor told her he wanted to honor Hashem, and be strict, especiallysince Chol Hamoed is treated lightly these days. She then told him,'Okay, it's your loss.' And she put the house back on the market. Sure enough,the price did go up as a bidding war ensued, until it finally reached $810,000.After the holiday, she called the contractor and asked him if he wanted to beatthat price or let it go. She added, 'You see if you would have listened to meand signed on Chol Hamoed , you would have gotten it for $675,000.' Hetold her, 'It's okay, let the other person take it for 810.' 'The real estate agent then told the owner of the homeabout all of the events, which transpired. The owner himself is a religiousJew. When he heard that the contractor refused to sign because of CholHamoed, he said, 'I'm very impressed with him. And I want him to have thehouse.' The real estate agent told him, 'That would mean you're foregoing$135,000.' The owner said, 'There are things that are more important thanmoney. Nobody should lose for being strict on Halacha.' And with that, thecontractor got the home for $675,000." He told the rabbi afterward, "I see this all the time.Nobody can take what's yours. If Hashem wants you to have something, you'll getit. And of course you'll never lose by following His will." When the rabbitold this story to the travel agent, the travel agent replied, "Thank you,Rabbi. That's just what I needed to hear. That story couldn't have come at abetter time." This is the absolute truth. Hashemis in charge of our parnasa . If we do our best to go over and above todo His will, we'll only gain from it."
Hashem sends us "love notes", kavayachol , from time to time to show us He's with us and how much He cares about us. Everything that happens is from Hashem, but when He makes it extra clear that He is involved, it gives us a lot of chizuk. A woman emailed that she had to bring her 3-week-old newborn to the hospital for testing and a procedure, and it was very stressful for them. While her and her husband were in the waiting room, her husband told her not to forget her siddur, as he pointed to it on the other side of the room. She knew she didn't bring her siddur to the hospital, but when she went over to check, she saw her name on it. They figured out her husband must have brought it when she was giving birth three weeks earlier. Now it was in the waiting room of the Nephrology Unit. That meant, Hashem took her siddur that had been floating around the hospital for three weeks and put it exactly where their baby was going to be when undergoing this procedure. They felt Hashem was giving them a kiss, kavayachol , and that made their experience much less stressful. Baruch Hashem, everything worked out okay. A man told me his son is older and not married. Last year, he was lighting the Chanukah candles in his dormitory feeling sad that all of his friends were in their own homes with their wives and children, lighting, and he was still in a dormitory. That night, he poured out his heart to Hashem and concluded by saying, "Please, Hashem, can You give me the merit of being able to light the Chanukah candles next year married in my own apartment? Baruch Hashem, this boy just got engaged and his future in-laws scheduled the wedding for the night before Chanukah. When he heard the date, he cried tears of joy, seeing how Hashem gave him exactly what he asked for. Another man told me, as a side job, he builds sukkot for people. He created his own sukkah which usually takes him days to build. This year, a new young couple moved into the second apartment in the two-family house he lives in. He told this couple that they would be able to use his sukkah any time. They were so happy because they didn't have a sukkah of their own. The night after Yom Kippur, this man had to take his baby to the hospital, and the hospital said they wanted to keep him there until he was completely healed. That meant that this man and his wife had to take turns staying with the baby there. Baruch Hashem, it looked like the baby was going to be fine, but throughout his time there this man was concerned he would not have time to build his sukkah this year. What were they going to do? The hospital didn't release the baby until late Thursday night with Sukkot being the next night. The man was hoping that somehow, because he builds other people's sukkot , this year Hashem would take care of his. Friday morning, he saw in his driveway a whole bunch of new sukkah panels. What were they doing there? He wondered. He asked his new neighbors about them and the man replied his parents had extra panels and asked him if he needed them. Since he didn't see any sukkah being put up in the driveway, he said yes, he did. It was a huge 12x20 sukkah , but there was no schach or wooden beams. The man said to him, "I have the schach and I have the wooden beams." It was a very easy sukkah to construct and, baruch Hashem, they had the nicest sukkah they ever had. The man told me, the feeling was amazing. Every year it takes him days to build his own sukkah . This year, when he wasn't able to, Hashem sent him a sukkah right to his doorstep on Erev Sukkot. Feeling the Yad Hashem is exhilarating. He sends everyone subtle messages from time to time. If we take them to heart, it will give us so much chizuk .
The beginning of Parashat Ha'azinu speaks about the kindnesses that Hashem did for Am Yisrael after they left Mitzrayim. He surrounded them with His Clouds of Glory in the desert. He then brought them into Eretz Yisrael and gave them the most delicious fruits to eat. Hashem took care of them physically in every way. But then the pasuk rebukes the people for not showing the proper gratitude. Instead of becoming more devoted to Hashem, they became worse. The best way to serve Hashem is with feelings of gratitude. We must feel gratitude even for the smallest blessings—how much more so for the countless blessings that Hashem gives us every single day. Even if a person received only a small gift, he is obligated to feel hakarat hatov. Rabbi Menashe Reizman told a story that was related by Rabbi Naftali Halberstam, which happened to him personally. In 1947, while he was learning in a yeshiva in Israel, there was a draft for the army. One day a military jeep pulled up and soldiers demanded their ID cards. Rabbi Naftali and two of his friends did not have any documents of exemption and were arrested. Eventually, they were brought to trial. When the names of the boys were called out before the judge, they announced, "Naftali Halberstam." The judge trembled, turned angrily toward the police, and shouted, "You brought this lunatic here? Send him and his friends away immediately!" Just like that, the boys received their release papers. Years later, Rabbi Naftali was walking down the street and suddenly recognized that judge. He reminded him of what he had done years before and asked his name so he could show proper hakarat hatov. The judge said, "You think you know about gratitude? I'll tell you what gratitude is." He then recalled a story about his father, whom we'll call Yehuda. Yehuda had moved to Israel but was not fond of the charedim. One day a great rebbe came to town and everyone went to get a blessing. Yehuda had no interest, but his friends persuaded him to come along. When it was his turn, the gabbai told him to write down a request and leave a small donation. Yehuda put down two small coins and said he had no requests. The rebbe blessed him, and he left. That year, the rebbe passed away. A few months later, Yehuda saw the rebbe in a dream. The rebbe said, "You showed me kindness by giving me two coins. I have come back to repay you by telling you that both your Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin are pasul." At first, Yehuda dismissed the dream, but his friends convinced him it couldn't hurt to check. He did, and found that indeed both pairs of tefillin were completely pasul. Yehuda later said, "Years have passed, but that dream saved me from being someone who never wore kosher tefillin." The judge concluded, "That was my father's story. When I heard your name in court, 'Halberstam,' I immediately remembered that rebbe, Rabbi Halberstam of Shinova. I trembled, and I released you at once, pretending you were a lunatic. It was part of the chain of gratitude from the rebbe, who I knew would want you released." If Hashem allowed a rabbi to appear in a dream to repay gratitude for two small coins, imagine how much hakarat hatov we owe Hashem for everything He gives us. Hashem showers us with infinite kindness, and thoughtful people recognize it. Rabbi Avigdor Miller was a master of hakarat hatov. He opened our eyes to see the endless chasadim that Hashem does for us. One of his famous examples was the peel of an apple. Once the peel is removed, the apple rots quickly. Hashem created the peel to keep the apple fresh longer than any man-made container. The apple is full of liquid, and to keep the juices from seeping out, Hashem designed the peel with a slight layer of oil. The peel also prevents rainwater from soaking into the fruit while it is still on the tree. The peel acts as a sign of readiness: its colors shift—red, green, yellow—to signal when the fruit is sweet and edible. Unlike people, whose outward garments often conceal what lies within, the peel truthfully reveals the fruit's state. Hashem even made the peel attractive and fragrant to make the apple more appealing. How does all that sweetness enter the fruit? Through the thin brown stem at the top. From mud and rain below and sunshine absorbed by the leaves, everything passes through that tiny channel into the fruit. No human could design such a delicate conduit. Yet Hashem uses it to bring forth nourishment and delight. Inside, the juice is distributed evenly, refreshing without spilling. The apple can be sliced neatly without mess. When one finishes eating, there is a "coupon" inside for countless more apples—the seeds. It's like a chocolate bar that comes with a voucher for another bar and another, endlessly. Each apple contains the potential for thousands more. Hashem arranged that the flesh around the seeds be tough and inedible, so they would be preserved. Each seed lies in its own perfectly designed chamber, ready to grow into a new tree. This is just part of the kindness contained in one apple. Hashem designed the entire world for our benefit. It is incumbent upon us to recognize this, and to serve Him happily with gratitude, showing that we are capable of being the people He created us to be. Shabbat Shalom.
In His great love for us—Hashem shared with us what is going on in the heavens at this critical time of year so that we can succeed. The entire world was judged on Rosh Hashanah, but most of them didn't even know it. They went about their regular business, while we had the zechut to be in shul praying to Hashem. We were given the perfect words to say in the Amidah. We knew exactly what we needed to do: accept the kingship of Hashem upon us, internalize that there is purpose in life, that we are rewarded and punished for everything that we do, and blow the shofar. And now Hashem is prepared to remove our sins on the day that our judgment is finalized, and He told us what to do to make it happen. Yom Kippur is a day when we can become so close to Hashem. All we need to do is repent for the averot that we have done. On this final day of judgment, Hashem removes the satan so that nobody can prosecute us. He wants us to succeed. He wants to give us the best of everything. It is up to us to do our part. The plan of Hashem is for us to enjoy eternal bliss in the World to Come, but for that to happen we must do our jobs properly in this world. Yom Kippur is a time to focus on what's really important in life. All year long the yetzer hara tries to make us forget. He tricks us into sinning, but now, when we are the most focused, it's time to wake up. It's time to feel bad about what we have done and accept upon ourselves to leave those bad ways. Our souls yearn to be close to Hashem. That is the way we will be the happiest. A man told me that on a regular night there are an average of 10,000 Jews at the Kotel. Out of the 10,000, there are an average of 300 completely unaffiliated Jews, and out of those 300, at least 30 of them become ba'alei teshuvah just from the Selichot. From what? From putting their hands on the Kotel and saying out loud שמע ישראל ה׳ אלקינו ה׳ אחד . Their souls become aroused to become closer to Hashem. All of our happiness comes from being close to Hashem, but that requires us to overcome our evil inclination and do what Hashem wants. Everybody has things they know they can improve in. The yetzer hara tries to convince a person to push it off, saying eventually he'll change, just not yet. On Yom Kippur, when we are thinking clearly, we must accept upon ourselves to be the people we know we are capable of being. Sometimes it's extremely hard, but we have the ability to do it. Let us not let this opportunity go by without utilizing it properly. Somebody told me he has been in a bitter dispute with someone else. They both feel that they have been wronged, and neither of them would even consider apologizing to the other. Over the course of time, the hatred they had toward each other only grew worse. Many Yom Kippurs went by, and they continued carrying the weight of this machloket on their shoulders. Recently this man asked me for chizuk, words that would make him want to make peace. He reiterated that he didn't think it was possible to even talk to the other individual, let alone apologize. I told him there is something very important he must realize. He is viewing this as something between him and the other person, but he is forgetting the most important part of the picture: it is Hashem who commanded us not to hate. It is Hashem who commanded us not to have machloket. The same way we have a mitzvah to put on tefillin and sit in the sukkah, we have a mitzvah to have peaceful relationships with people. When a mitzvah is extremely hard to do, we dig deep down and we are moser nefesh to do what Hashem wants. I told this man to talk to Hashem and say: "Although it is extremely difficult to apologize to someone who I feel wronged me, I'm doing it for You, Hashem." With that act, he will bring so much kedushah into himself. He will connect to Hashem in amazing ways and rid himself of the terrible sin of hatred and machloket. When he does that, he will feel so much better. It will remove so much negative energy from his body and cause his soul to soar to the greatest heights. Now is the time to make teshuvah. Hashem wants to bless us in every way, and that is what He told us to do. It is up to us to push ourselves and accept to live up to our potential, and with Hashem's help, we should all have a gmar chatimah tovah.
As we get closer to Yom Kippur, the feelings of awe and trembling intensify. We are trying harder and harder to be better, to make teshuvah , but the list of averot is long—many we don't even remember we did. Bittul Torah, Lashon Hara, Onat Devarim —and the list goes on. We are afraid to be judged for our actions, just as we say in Tehillim : אִם־עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמָר־קהּ ה' מִי יַעֲמֹד "Hashem, if You will take all of our sins into account, who will be able to stand before You?" The pasuk in Mishlei (17:23) says: שֹׁחַד מֵחֵק רָשָׁע יִקָּח לְהַטּוֹת אָרְחוֹת מִשְׁפָּט Rashi explains that this means Hashem, so to speak, accepts "bribery" from the rasha and changes his judgment from bad to good. Similarly, the Midrash Shocher Tov on Tehillim (17) says: Hashem tells us, "My children, while the gates of tefillah are open, do teshuvah , because in this world I will accept bribery. But once I sit in judgment in the future, I will no longer accept it." The Midrash concludes that the time Hashem accepts shochad is right now—during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah. It sounds like from the Midrash that the bribery Hashem accepts is teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah. Whereas in an earthly court, if the person on trial says he's sorry, it doesn't change anything—if he's guilty, he's guilty. But in Hashem's court, if the person says, "I'm sorry," then Hashem lets him off. However, the Chafetz Chaim explains, based on Chazal, that it goes much further than this. The Tomer Devorah says similarly: when a person has mercy on others, even though he was wronged by them, that brings the mercy of Hashem upon him, even though he did wrong to Hashem. When we overcome our evil inclination to take revenge, to bear a grudge, or to hate an individual that harmed us—even though he may deserve it—but instead we forgive, that is the bribery Hashem accepts. He will then give us mercy and blessing, even though we don't deserve it. During the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah we say: המלך המשפט . The Mareh Yechezkel asks seemingly, it would be better for us to say the usual: מלך אוהב צדקה ומשפט . Why would we switch now and only speak about Hashem being the King of mishpat, which is strict justice? The rabbi answered: all year long, we say that Hashem loves both tzedakah and mishpat. He loves giving us tzedakah, but He also loves justice being carried out, and we don't know which one He loves more. Now, during these days, we declare המלך המשפט —Hashem is the King over mishpat. He is the only ruler and decider about how the rules of mishpat will be carried out, and we are hoping that He will override the regular rules and use His power as King to pardon us. But that will depend on whether we give Him, so to speak, the ability to do so. And He told us how: we must overlook and forgive those who wronged us. A couple of hundred years ago in Lithuania, there was a family blessed with four boys who all became outstanding talmidei chachamim, each one a gadol b'Yisrael. The most famous of them was Rabbi Yechiel Michal Heller z"l, author of the sefer Amudei Or. He was a tremendous gaon. Each one of his brothers also wrote sefarim and served as rabbis leading massive congregations. Rabbi Yechiel used to sign his name " העלוב יעקב מיכל בן ר' אהרן "—"the downtrodden or humiliated one, Yechiel the son of Aaron." One of the rabbi's grandchildren related why he signed his name that way. Rabbi Yechiel's grandfather was an extremely wealthy man who traveled from city to city doing business, leaving his daughter in charge of his store. Many unscrupulous people were jealous of his wealth and spread a false rumor that his daughter had committed a terrible sin. When the time came for shidduchim, nobody in the community would marry her. She grew older, and nothing changed. Her father was distraught. They knew the truth—that she had done nothing wrong—but nothing they said could change people's minds. The father couldn't bear to watch his daughter grow older with no hope of a shidduch. He decided to inquire about a young man named Aharon Shmeisser, the son of a wagon driver. Aharon would sit near his father, and when the man who whipped the horse grew tired, Aharon was the backup. He knew no Torah and worked the lowest of jobs. But the wealthy man could not allow his daughter to continue suffering. He told his daughter his plan, and with no better alternative, she agreed. The wealthy man asked the wagon driver if he would allow his son to marry his daughter. At first he hesitated, but after some thought, he agreed, and after just one meeting the wedding date was set. On the day of the wedding, the bride whispered a tefillah to Hashem: "You know the truth that I am completely innocent. I believe this was all orchestrated by You, that this man is my zivug, and that there was no other way my father would have ever agreed to let him marry me. Therefore, I don't hold anyone accountable for this. I will not hate anyone or hold a grudge against them. But please, Hashem, give me children who will be outstanding talmidei chachamim ." Her prayer was answered. She merited to have four sons who became among the greatest chachamim of their time. She overlooked the wrong done to her and believed it was all from Hashem, and that opened the heavens to shower blessing upon her. This is why her son signed his name העלוב —for his mother, the aluvah. It was in her merit that all of his Torah came to be. The power of overlooking and forgiving is wondrous.
The Rambam writes in Hilchot Teshuvah that every person should consider himself a benoni — a person exactly in the middle. This means that if he does even one more mitzvah, that single deed can tilt his own scales of judgment in his favor. But not only that — it can tilt the scale of the entire world and bring merit to all of humanity. One good deed has the power to bring salvation to the entire world at large. Therefore, especially during these days when the judgments are pending, it is incumbent upon us to increase our acts of tzedakah, to do more good deeds, to pray with greater concentration, and of course, to make teshuvah. אַשְׁרֵיכֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל — how fortunate are the Jewish people! Our people are so good; they can't wait to do acts of kindness, of chesed, of helping others at every opportunity. Michael Cohen from the Mitzvah Man organization told me that before the summer, he put out a request on behalf of a woman who had a special-needs child. She couldn't afford to send him to camp, but she hoped perhaps a volunteer might come and learn with him during an afternoon. Michael sent out the message, and right away, one person responded and pledged to go every Monday afternoon. When he told the woman, she was overjoyed. Then someone else called and said he would go every Tuesday. Then a third person offered Thursday afternoons — even though he would need to drive more than twenty minutes each way. The woman was deeply touched. And then, a fourth person called and asked: "How much is the camp tuition?" When he was told the amount, he immediately said he would cover the entire cost. Just like that, this woman's burden was lifted beyond anything she could have imagined. Hashem treasures every act of chesed and tzedakah that we do. And sometimes He shows us that appreciation very clearly. A man told me that one morning in shul, a collector — we'll call him Yehudah — came asking for help. This man not only gave him some money, but he felt bad for Yehudah, who was new in town and had nowhere to eat. He invited him for Shabbat. When Yehudah came, the host noticed his sweater had a very large rip in it. After a beautiful Shabbat meal, just before Yehudah was going to leave, the host remembered a brand-new sweater he had recently bought for three hundred dollars. Wanting to help, he told Yehudah: "Wait a moment." He went upstairs, brought it down, and asked Yehudah to try it on. It fit perfectly. The host said, "Since it's Shabbat, I can't give you a gift today — but you can wear it now, and after Shabbat it will be yours." Yehudah left so happy with his new sweater. And the host was even happier — not only for helping, but because his children had witnessed this act of generosity and learned through his example. That very afternoon, the host's wife went to visit her sister-in-law nearby. Normally, she would return home before Shabbat ended, but that day she stayed much longer. After Shabbat, just as she was leaving, her brother walked in from shul and said, "Perfect timing! I just bought a sweater that turned out a bit too big for me. I think it would be great for your husband. Please take it for him." When she came home minutes later, again in front of their entire family, she handed her husband a brand-new sweater. She told him: "Hashem was so impressed with what you did today, giving away your sweater, that He wanted you to see His appreciation right away. He arranged to send you another brand new sweater the very same day." Our deeds are so precious. Every act counts, especially during these days. Let us utilize them to their fullest. With Hashem's help, may we all be sealed in the Book of Life with a חתימה טובה .
My Portion in the Land of the Living II
In this eye-opening conversation, therapist Rachel Tuchman dives deep into the way we talk about food, body image, and health in the frum community — and why it matters more than we think. From Yom Tov tables filled with diet talk to the surge of GLP-1 weight-loss injections, Rachel explores how these messages shape our children's self-image, strain our relationships, and fuel anxiety. She challenges the obsession with quick fixes and encourages a shift toward true health — meaningful connection, joy around food, and emotional well-being. A must-listen for anyone who wants to build a healthier, happier family culture. This episode was made possible thanks to our sponsors: ►Blooms Kosher Bring you the best Kosher products worldwide. https://bloomskosher.com ______________________________________ ► FastAid Fasting can be tough — headaches, nausea, and fatigue can drain your energy. That's why so many rely on FastAid by Kollel Toronto, a slow-release capsule you take before the fast so it helps when you need it most. Created under the guidance of Rav Shlomo Miller and Rav Yaakov Hirschman, FastAid comes in versions with caffeine, Tylenol, Advil, or electrolytes. It's halachically approved, easy to take, and just $12 a pack. Available at most kosher supermarkets, Judaica stores, pharmacies, mikva geshefts, and online at www.Kollel.com. Support Torah learning and make fasting easier — take FastAid and feel the difference. ______________________________________ ► Shaar This is a Timeless Honor, timely opportunity. Each site will have unique design and amenities including ample walkways, beit hesped, onsite shiva room, and parking. A Sha'ar representative will be onsite to help navigate and facilitate the funeral. Both Sha'ar HaZeitim and Sha'ar HaMenuchot combines the holiness of burial in Yerushalayim with the serenity reserved for the most exclusive private cemeteries. Brokers Wanted: Help families worldwide purchase cemetery plots in Israel. Contact: sales@shaar.com Over 275 Plots sold and 300 currently in Contract. ______________________________________ ► Keren Hashana Imagine the opportunity to partner daily with the Lubavitcher Rebbe in giving Tzedakah You donate in amounts the number of days in the coming year–this year 354–and Keren Hashana disburses the Tzedakah on your behalf -- twice every day! Once before Shachris and once before Mincha. This guarantees that you will give Tzedaka every day of the year. It's not important how much you give, the idea is to give Tzedaka every day! MyKerenHashana.com ______________________________________ ► Dream Raffle Win a brand new and fully furnished $1,200,000 apartment in Yerushalayim! Use Promo code MPP for $10 off and to receive double tickets! https://thedreamraffle.com/ ______________________________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App - The easiest way to give Tzedaka https://pushka.cc/meaningful _______________________________________ ► Sprinkles Pick up your copy in your local supermarket! If your supermarket doesn't have Sprinkles, ask them for it and we will be happy to supply your local store! _______________________________________ ► Lalechet We're a team of kosher travel experts, here to carry you off to your dream destination swiftly, safely, and seamlessly in an experience you will forever cherish. https://www.lalechet.com ___________________________________________ ►Rothenberg Law Firm Personal Injury Law Firm For 50+ years! Reach out Today for Free Case Evaluation https://shorturl.at/JFKHH ____________________________________ ► Town Appliance - Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp https://www.townappliance.com https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp ______________________________________ ► Meaningful Minute Plus Meaningful Minute is releasing its first-ever feature film: Homeless — a powerful story about exile, identity, and return. https://plus.meaningfulminute.org/ ______________________________________ ► Faith It Till You Make It Join Rabbi Ari Bensoussan's course on Bitachon sponsored by Censible Marketing! Your guide to keeping your faith in today's complicated world! www.Meaningfulminute.org/censible ____________________________________________________ ► Subscribe to our Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. https://apple.co/2WALuE2 https://spoti.fi/39bNGnO Or wherever Podcasts are available!
The Rambam writes that although teshuvah and tefillah are powerful all year long, during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah they are even more potent and accepted immediately. As the pasuk says: דִּרְשׁוּ ה׳ בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ, קְרָאֻהוּ בִּהְיוֹתוֹ קָרוֹב — seek out Hashem when He is closest, which is right now, in these days leading up to Yom Kippur. The mitzvah of this time is repentance: feeling regret for the sins we have done and sincerely accepting upon ourselves to improve going forward. Hashem desires our teshuvah even more than we do. He is called haRotzeh b'teshuvah — the One Who longs for repentance. There are many people we know whom we wish would be more observant. We try to encourage them, but they aren't interested. Yet tefillah can help bring them back to Torah and mitzvot. When we pray for others to make teshuvah , they receive more heavenly assistance to return. And if at this time of year our prayers are more readily accepted than any other time, we must seize the chance not only to pray for ourselves but also to pray for others to come closer to Hashem. Hashem has countless ways to awaken someone. In one simple act of hashgachah peratit , a person's life can change forever. A man named Reuven related the following story. Every summer, he and his family go up to the mountains for two months. They rent a truck to bring up their belongings, then drop it off at a return location and take a taxi back to their bungalow. One year, the return point was in a far-off place, completely devoid of Jews. Reuven arranged with a friend who was also returning his truck that day to share the same taxi. He returned his truck and waited. But his friend called to say he was delayed. As Reuven stood there waiting, a car pulled up. The driver asked if he knew of any shuls nearby. Reuven answered, "There are no Jews in this area. What brings you here?" The man explained that he had driven over four hours from his hometown to see the house his grandmother had lived in 85 years ago. Recently, he had been introduced to Torah and mitzvot and had begun putting on tefillin every day. But he hadn't yet put them on that day and was hoping to find a shul. Reuven immediately realized: This is hashgachah peratit. He told the man, "I should have been gone twenty minutes ago, but due to an unexpected delay I'm still here. Hashem wanted us to meet." He directed the man toward his bungalow colony, where thousands of Jews lived. Just then, Reuven's friend arrived in the taxi. Reuven excitedly told him what had happened. The friend replied, "I was so annoyed by the delay — but now I understand why it happened." He explained that when he went to return his truck, the clerk overcharged him. He argued for a long time until the clerk admitted it was a mistake. That delay was exactly what allowed Reuven to meet the searching Jew. Even a clerk's mistake is from Hashem. When they returned to the bungalow, they saw the man again and brought him to their rabbi. A relationship was formed, and over time this man became fully observant, now living a life of Torah and mitzvot. Hashem can give people extra help to return to Him. Especially now, we must pray for it. The Arizal said that one who has a child or relative off the derech should add at the end of the berachah Hashivenu Avinu l'Toratecha , before concluding, the following yehi ratzon : יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ וֵאלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתַּחְתֹּר חֲתִירָה מִתַּחַת כִּסֵּא כְבוֹדֶךָ לְהַחֲזִיר בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה לְפָנֶיךָ כָּל פּוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבִכְלָלָם תַּחֲזִיר אֶת בְּנִי ______ בֶּן ______ בִּתְשׁוּבָה לְפָנֶיךָ, כִּי יְמִינְךָ פְּשׁוּטָה לְקַבֵּל שָׁבִים . Then conclude: " בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ הָרוֹצֶה בִּתְשׁוּבָה ." May Hashem help us return to Him fully, and may He help all those who are distant to come back as well.
Chazal tell us that on Rosh Hashanah, Sarah, Rachel, and Chana were remembered and decreed to have children. Rashi explains that on Rosh Hashanah, Hashem decreed for them that in the upcoming year they would each give birth. The Gemara also teaches that on Rosh Hashanah, Yosef was decreed to be released from the Egyptian prison where he had been locked away for twelve years. We already know that every person is judged on Rosh Hashanah, and whatever will happen in the coming year is decided on that day. So what is unique about these great tzaddikim being judged favorably on Rosh Hashanah? Some explain that the Gemara is teaching us the extent of what can happen on Rosh Hashanah. It was physically impossible for Sarah, Rachel, and Chana to conceive — and yet that changed on Rosh Hashanah. It was a foregone conclusion that Yosef would never leave prison. No one close to him even knew where he was. Tehillim describes his soul as bound in chains. And yet, on Rosh Hashanah, everything changed. The world itself undergoes a rebirth on Rosh Hashanah. Everything starts fresh. What was impossible before can suddenly become possible. This should fill us with chizuk . Rosh Hashanah brings with it so much opportunity in every area of life. What was true last year has no bearing on this year. No matter how long a person has been waiting for a yeshuah , no matter how stuck his situation seems, he should feel that on Rosh Hashanah everything can change in an instant. This past year, I heard of a woman in her upper 60s who got married for the very first time. After so many years, it would seem unthinkable. She could have said, "If I didn't find anyone in the last fifty years, why should I find someone now?" But last Rosh Hashanah, Hashem decreed that the time had come, and she celebrated the most joyous wedding with her friends and family. A man told me about his own miracle. He and his wife had struggled for years to conceive. Eventually, all the doctors told them the same heartbreaking verdict: It is impossible. They recommended a surrogate, which would cost $130,000 — money the couple simply did not have, after already draining their savings on unsuccessful treatments. They tried in every possible way to raise the funds, but every attempt was blocked. And then, suddenly, the woman discovered she was expecting. The doctors were shocked. The couple went from despair to the greatest joy. They told me: We never lost our faith in Hashem, no matter what the doctors said. This is the power of Rosh Hashanah. People who are sick can be decreed for refuah. People searching for their zivug can be decreed to find them. The Melech Malchei HaMelachim , the King of Kings, comes to be with us during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, beginning on Rosh Hashanah night. We must seize this glorious opportunity. Let us accept upon ourselves to strengthen in Torah and mitzvot, to refine our ways, and to pray with all our hearts. And in that merit, may we be blessed with a year of berachah and hatzlachah in every area of our lives.
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