Podcasts about Emunah

Hashem wants us to learn about Him from the way He revealed Himself at Yetziat Mitzrayim. The pesukim tell us again and again how we are meant to see that Hashem is the only One who controls everything that happens in this world. There are people who believe that everything that happens to them is from Hashem, yet when they go through prolonged difficulties, they have complaints, feeling that they are being dealt with unfairly. To know that Hashem controls everything is not enough. We also need to know how loving and merciful He is. When Moshe Rabbeinu asked Hashem, "Why are You dealing so harshly with the Jewish people?" Hashem answered him that He is Hashem. The Targum Yonatan explains that Hashem told him, "I am the Hashem who appeared to you at the burning bush." How do we understand this response? How does this explain why He was dealing with the Jewish people so harshly? The Maharal writes that there are different levels of love between people. When it comes to true friends, each one will participate in the happy occasions of the other. But the greatest expression of love is when one friend is in pain because the other one is hurting. It is much easier to celebrate with a friend than to feel hurt when he is hurt. When a person is in pain because his friend is in pain, that shows that his life is not a life without his friend. He cannot enjoy his own life knowing that his friend is in trouble. When Hashem appeared to Moshe at the burning bush, one of the reasons He came to him in a thorn bush was to show Moshe that He was in pain because of the pain that the Jewish people were experiencing. The Midrash says, look at how much Hashem loves us. He calls us His daughter and His sister and His mother. The Maharal says, if it didn't say it, we wouldn't be allowed to say it ourselves. But everyone knows that a child cannot exist without first having a mother. Although Hashem does not need anyone or anything, He calls us His mother to tell us that because of His great love for us, He makes Himself feel as if He needs us to exist. This love is shown most clearly by Hashem feeling the pain of every single Jew when he is in pain. So when Moshe Rabbeinu asked Hashem, "Why are You treating the Jewish people so harshly in Mitzrayim?" Hashem replied to him by reminding him immediately about the vision he had at the burning bush. If a doctor were operating on a patient and causing the patient pain, a relative of that patient might question the doctor and ask why he was operating in such a painful way when perhaps there was a less painful method. But if the doctor were operating on his own child, no one would ask any questions, because they would know that he is doing the surgery in the best possible way. Hashem was telling Moshe that the question of "Why am I hurting My nation?" is invalid, because I am their loving Father. I am treating them in the best possible way for them. When they are hurting, I am hurting. We must understand how much Hashem loves us. The Midrash asks, why did Hashem appear to Moshe in a thorn bush? One of the answers it gives is because a thorn bush is the lowest of all trees in terms of humility. There is no apparent purpose to it. It does not seem to provide any benefit. So too, that is how the Jewish nation looked in Mitzrayim, like people with nothing going for them. They had fallen almost to the forty-ninth level of tumah. They were idol worshippers. They had no zechuyot to be redeemed. Yet Hashem came and showed Moshe that if He could rest His presence in a thorn bush, He could redeem a nation that looked like a thorn bush. Because Hashem's love for us does not depend on our deeds. He loves us more than a parent could ever love a child. Even though Hashem gave us the mitzvah of Milah and Pesach before we left Mitzrayim, that was after He had already performed nine makkot and had everything set for the geulah. He did not first require us to have zechuyot to be saved. He saved us because He loves us. The Shem mishmuel said on the words "raoh raeety" that Hashem told Moshe, even though I see them after Matan Torah worshipping the Eigel, I am still going to redeem them. Hashem's love for us is unfathomable. If a person asks, "Why is Hashem doing bad to me?" it just means that he has not yet comprehended the love that Hashem has for him. Hashem feels his pain more than he does. He is only doing the best possible thing for him. If we could feel even a small part of the true love that Hashem has for us, we would be able to live more happily no matter what we are going through.

If a person is going through a difficult time, it is very easy for him to blame other people and circumstances for it. It may seem that someone was directly responsible for causing the difficulty. It may seem that if certain things were done differently, it could have been avoided. And so the person thinks about all the "what if's" and how things should have been different. It is during these times that a person has a big opportunity to shine, to see through what meets the eye and recognize that it was Hashem who was behind it all. Although what happened might not seem to be fair, it's up to the person to say, "It must be for my best, I will not blame anyone. I will accept that this is from Hashem. I will do my best to maintain loving and peaceful relationships with all of those around me." This avodah is extremely valuable. It could very well be that one of the reasons the difficulty occurred was specifically to give the person the opportunity to go through it with emunah which will then open the door for Hashem to shower him with blessing. I read a story in the Machon Shaar HaBitachon that a man, who we'll call Shimon, related about how he became extremely wealthy. He said he is the youngest in a large family. His father worked hard to provide for them and managed to marry off all of them. All of his brothers got apartments, but when it was his turn, his father had already gotten sick and a short while later he passed away. After the shiva, his brothers sat together to discuss how to divide up the estate. Shimon was sure he was going to get his father's apartment since he was the only one who didn't get one. But not everybody felt the same way and being that there were a total of ten brothers, there were many different opinions. The majority consensus was to sell the apartment and divide the proceeds equally, but that was going to take time. In the meantime, Shimon had to rent his own apartment with no financial help. He was so upset, he went to his rabbi and asked if he could halachically demand the apartment for himself, after all, everyone else got their own apartment and his father was going to get him one too. The rabbi said, "You have a great case, but I have a piece of advice for you that will gain you much more: Shalom is worth millions. Don't fight with them. Accept your lot in order to gain peace and you'll see you'll only gain from it." Shimon took the rabbi's advice. It was not easy, being that his family was growing and he really needed the money. From then on, each time he passed his childhood home he would think of his brothers, living peacefully in their own homes while he had to work day and night to cover his rent. He wished he was able to accept this inwardly with more happiness, but he wasn't on the level yet. Nonetheless, outwardly he was able to maintain shalom and that avodah elevated him greatly. He decided to learn a profession and started advertising a service that he could provide. In the beginning, the customers came in a slight trickle, but after a while they were coming in droves. He had to hire more workers and open more branches and after a few years he was earning millions. Hashem sent His blessing in a way he could never have imagined. At one point, one of his brothers who had been opposed to giving him that apartment, needed a medical procedure that cost a half a million dollars that he couldn't afford. Shimon heroically stepped up and paid for the entire procedure out of his own pocket. He did not take revenge or bear a grudge. And he testified that after that episode, his business success began to hit new levels. His ability to rise above the difficult circumstance he was put in opened the door for Hashem's blessings to come pouring in. While going through any difficulty, it's very hard to do it with emunah. But with a little chizuk, everyone can find within themselves the strength to persevere.

In this week's parashah, Bo, we learn about the final three makkot. Chazal tell us that a large number of Jews passed away during the makkah of Choshech. Rav Shlomo Kluger writes that the people who died in Choshech were those who did not have enough emunah to follow Hashem into the desert. They wanted the others to first go and conquer the land, and only then would they be willing to follow later. The Rav adds that all of those neshamot were destined to come back into the world in the final generation before Mashiach, and their job would be to overcome very difficult tests in the area of emunah. If they succeed, they will make their tikkun and live on for all eternity. One of the most difficult parts of emunah is when a person is harmed by another individual. The natural reaction is to think that the other person used his free will to do wrong and that it was not from Hashem, chas v'shalom. The Sefer HaChinuch, in the mitzvah of lo tikom v'lo titor, as well as other sources, teach us that even though the person who caused the harm did use his free will and is fully accountable for his actions, it was only able to happen because it was the will of Hashem for the person to be affected that way. Nothing can ever happen to a person through a baal bechirah unless Hashem wants it to happen to him first, and always for his best. The Yitev Lev writes that one of the lessons we learn from Yetziat Mitzrayim is that when a person causes harm to another, the one who received the harm must take to heart that it was Hashem who was giving life to the one who harmed him, and that person was only His messenger. The Maggid of Mezritch writes that when a person is causing harm to another and the one who is being harmed fully believes that it is only coming from Hashem and that it is for his absolute best, that belief nullifies all the judgments against him. The Passu says כִּי הִנֵּה אֹיְבֶיךָ ה', כִּי הִנֵּה אֹיְבֶיךָ יֹאבֵדוּ. The Yitev Lev explains that when a person knows that his enemies are being sent by Hashem כִּי הִנֵּה אֹיְבֶיךָ-- ה, then הִנֵּה אֹיְבֶיךָ יֹאבֵדוּ, those enemies will stop bothering him. All of the stress and heartache caused by other people is simply Hashem giving a person what he needs in order to fulfill his mission in this world. When a person fully believes that it is really Hashem and not the one who appears to be doing it, that itself can accomplish the tikkun that he needs. It is extremely hard to take the person out of the picture and honestly feel that he is not responsible for the harm. When Yosef HaTzaddik revealed himself to his brothers, he said to them, "I am Yosef, your brother, whom you sold to Egypt." The Or HaChaim HaKadosh explains that Yosef was telling them that even while they were selling him, he still felt close to them like a brother. How could Yosef possibly have felt that way? Because when Shimon and Levi were lowering him into the pit with snakes and scorpions, all he saw was Hashem in control. As he later said, "It was not you who sent me here, but only Hashem." With the proper outlook, we too can live our lives with this emunah, seeing only Hashem in everything that happens. Rabbi Menashe Reizman said to imagine how the newspaper articles would read if the Chafetz Chaim were writing them. Of course, HaKadosh Baruch Hu would be in every headline. It would say: Hashem made it that this person was attacked. Hashem made it that this person was arrested. Hashem made it that this person won the lottery. We hope that we are living in the generation of Mashiach, and if our tikkun is to pass the test of emunah, we must take this message to heart and understand that people cannot harm us or give us anything. Everything happens only by the word of Hashem, and it is always for our best. Shabbat Shalom.

A quiet “thank you” in Tzfas sparked a movement. From that simple beginning, "Thank You Hashem" evolved into a chorus of songs, hoodies, and heartbeats that you see on street corners and in shul hallways alike. We approached with curiosity and caution—questioning whether catchy slogans and lively concerts can genuinely convey Emunah—or if, amid all the hype, we risk reducing God from Master of the universe to a mascot on a sweatshirt.Our journey takes a pivotal turn with the Ramban on Parshas Bo. He explains why miracles occur, why mitzvos exist, and what they point to every day: living evidence that God exists, knows, and cares. The Ramban's bold statement shifts everything—the core intention of all mitzvos is to believe in God and acknowledge that He formed us. If the world's purpose is human recognition and gratitude, then public reminders can support private devotion—provided they inspire intention and avoid shortcuts.We discuss origins with the Bloomstein brothers, how music and merchandise spread the message, and the critiques: commercialization, pop aesthetics, and concerns about spiritual fast food. Then we find harmony. Gratitude isn't just a feeling; it's a form of service. A hoodie isn't holiness, but it can serve as a nudge toward it. When songs motivate us to say “I see You” more often—in joy, in struggle, in the everyday—they become tools, not toys. The true test is whether our practices deepen awareness, humility, and thankfulness.Join us as we shift from skepticism to a stronger embrace of radical gratitude. If you're wrestling with faith in a noisy world, this conversation offers both caution and encouragement: maintain reverence, hold onto thought, and let reminders draw you back to the purpose of creation. If this resonated, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review sharing where you stand on TYH and the work of gratitude.Support the showJoin The Motivation Congregation WhatsApp community for daily motivational Torah content!------------------Check out our other Torah Podcasts and content! SUBSCRIBE to The Motivation Congregation Podcast for daily motivational Mussar! Listen on Spotify or 24six! Find all Torah talks and listen to featured episodes on our website, themotivationcongregation.org Questions or Comments? Please email me @ michaelbrooke97@gmail.com

A rabbi was once trying to give chizuk to his student to be mevater regarding an argument he was having with someone else. The student said, "But Rabbi, I'm right on this one." The rabbi answered him, "Vatranut is not when you're ninety-nine percent right and the other person is one percent right. Vatranut is when you're one hundred percent right — and you still give in." Rav Steinman zt"l used to say, "My whole life, I never saw anyone give in and lose as a result." When a person does give in and it appears that he lost, he must know that he has a golden opportunity to capitalize on. When a person maintains his emunah in Hashem at a time when things seem so off, he can rise to great levels and earn endless reward. We need chizuk to be able to hold on and continue trusting in Hashem, especially when it seems that the good person loses while the one who did wrong is gaining. But if we are able to do it, we will gain so much. A man named Yaakov told me that about five years ago, his wife told him it was time for them and their six children to move from an apartment into a house. In the area where they lived, houses were very expensive. He called a real estate agent and said he could afford a total of $1.8 million. If he found something that needed fixing, he would pay $1.2 million and use $600,000 to renovate. Yaakov mentioned to people that he was looking, and one man he knew told him he was planning to sell his home, which was close to where Yaakov was living. Yaakov knew that house well. It was a house he wished he could afford, but he knew it would be far beyond his budget. The man invited him to come see it anyway. The house was spectacular, and the owner told Yaakov that whoever offered closest to three million dollars would get it. Yaakov discussed it with his wife, and they thought of a plan that would enable them to offer more than they originally thought they could afford. He offered $2.675 million, and the man accepted. They closed the deal, signed the contract, and Yaakov made the first payment and placed it in escrow. All that was left was for the lawyer to release the money to the owner. Yaakov assumed he would be moving in very shortly. But when he called the owner to discuss it, he did not answer. Yaakov called every day for four days, with no response. Finally, he received a voicemail from the owner saying that he realized he could get much more for the house and wanted Yaakov to pay $300,000 more. Yaakov called him back and said the deal was already closed. The owner refused to back down, and they ended up in beit din. In Yaakov's mind, it was an open-and-shut case. But the owner's lawyer told Yaakov's lawyer that he knew how to avoid reaching a conclusion in beit din and would never let them win. Yaakov was shocked. He called his rabbi, who said that under those circumstances they would be allowed to go to secular court. As they moved to the next stage of the dispute, Yaakov's wife told him that she no longer wanted that house. She said she did not want to live in a house that came through machloket, even though it was their dream home and even though she desperately wanted to move. Yaakov called his rabbi again, and the rabbi told him that he would definitely see blessing by giving in and avoiding machloket. Yaakov then called the owner, dropped the case, and asked only for his money back. He expected that in the next few weeks the heavens would open and shower him with blessing. But nothing happened. A year and a half went by, and they were still living in the same apartment. One day, a real estate agent called and offered him that same house which was now selling for $3.5 million. Eventually, it sold for $3.8 million. Yaakov called his rabbi again, asking where the blessing was. The man who had backed out had made more than a million dollars, and he was still stuck in his apartment. The rabbi told him, "No Jew was ever mevater and regretted it. You will see blessing." Another year and a half went by. Then a real estate agent called him to see a very nice house for sale. When Yaakov heard which house it was, he immediately said it would be far beyond his budget. The agent encouraged him to look anyway. The house was beyond anything he had ever imagined. He recognized the owner as a cousin of his, and after touring the house, they spoke together. Because they were family, the owner made him a generous offer. The house was selling for five million dollars, but he told Yaakov he would sell it to him for $3.8 million, and allow him to pay the remaining $1.2 million in eighteen months with no interest. They shook hands, overwhelmed with gratitude to Hashem. A few hours later, Yaakov received a call from the owner of the house, who quoted to him a line from the Gemara that when someone gives another person a present, he is obligated to inform him of it. He explained that he had originally been dealing with someone else who wanted to buy the house, but that person wanted to move in before Pesach, and he himself did not want to leave until after Pesach. That buyer had just called back and said he was willing to wait until after Pesach and was now offering six million dollars upfront. The owner told that man, "It looks like Hashem doesn't want you to have this house, because He just sent me someone else a couple of hours ago." Then he said to Yaakov, "The house is yours, because I already agreed to sell it to you, and I will not back out. If you want, you could flip it right now, sell it for six million dollars, and make a profit." Yaakov was floored. He stood there frozen, not believing the words he had just heard. When he told his wife, she had the same reaction. Here Hashem showed him so clearly how giving in was being rewarded. He received the house of his dreams in a wondrous way, and today he is living there happily, Baruch Hashem. In the end, that first house he had been going to buy is still having problems, and the sale was never even completed. A person who is mevater will never regret it. It may take years to see the blessing, but eventually it will come.

Chazal tell us, "Ein adam shome'a leey u'mafsid" — no one ever listens to Hashem and loses. When a person acts according to the will of Hashem, he always gains. He may not see the gain immediately. He may not see any result right away. But in the end, he always wins. Sometimes Hashem gives a person a very difficult test. If he acts honestly, he may lose money. If he speaks truthfully, he may lose an opportunity. If he refuses to cut corners, he may lose a deal, a job, or a position. And then the thought creeps in, "If I had just been a little less careful, I would have gained so much." But that thought is a mistake. It may look like he lost in the short term, but in the end he will only gain from doing what was right. Rarely do we see the reward immediately. Most of the time, the benefit comes later, in a way we never could have imagined. But when we do merit to see the reward right away, it gives us tremendous chizuk. An avreich from New York told the following story. His parents live in London, and from time to time he travels there with his family to visit them. One winter day, he traveled with his wife and children — five people altogether. There were many delays at the airport. When boarding finally began, he realized there were only a few minutes left to pray Mincha. As soon as he started the Amidah, an announcement was made: the flight was overbooked, and they were looking for volunteers to get off the plane. Anyone who agreed would receive a ticket for the next day and compensation of one thousand dollars. A thought flashed through his mind. Five people. Five thousand dollars. Money he could certainly use. He was about to raise his hand, but then he stopped himself. He was standing before Melech Malchei HaMelachim. It is forbidden to interrupt the Amidah, even with a gesture. The yetzer hara whispered, "You already lost your concentration. Make the sign quickly, and then you'll go back to praying properly." But he strengthened himself and said, "If this money is meant for me, Hashem will give it to me without my doing something forbidden." He continued praying with all his heart. A few moments after he finished, another announcement was made. Since no volunteers had come forward, the compensation was now raised to two thousand five hundred dollars per passenger. He went to the counter and accepted the offer. Later, he calculated. Five thousand dollars for changing the flight. And seven thousand five hundred dollars for not interrupting his prayer. Another woman told me her story. Her family had grown, several children were already married, and she no longer had room to host them. She and her husband were looking to buy a bigger home, but they did not want to leave their neighborhood. One day, a real estate agent called with an unbelievable opportunity. A huge lot with a small house in the exact area they wanted, at a price that almost never exists. They could buy it cheaply and use the extra money to build their dream home. Then they discovered that buying this property would seriously harm someone else. Without hesitation, she said no. People told them they were foolish. "Opportunities like this don't come twice," they said. But she refused. Less than two weeks later, the agent called again. Just one block away, an even better property was about to go on the market. Same size lot, similar house — and one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars cheaper. They bought it, built exactly what they needed, and saw clearly how Hashem had rewarded them for doing what was right. Most of the time, we do not see immediately how much we gain by choosing Hashem. But the rule never changes. No one ever lost by doing the will of Hashem. No one ever sacrificed for Hashem and came out the loser. In the end — always — the one who chooses what is right is the one who wins.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-373-there-is-no-no Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:14:28 +0000 7228 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

There are times when a person is faced with illness, and suddenly the entire world seems to revolve around doctors, tests, scans, diagnoses, and treatments. The more complicated the condition, the more the person tends to feel that everything is dependent on the doctor's words and the medications that he prescribes. If a person believes that the power to heal is in the hands of flesh and blood, then when the doctors say, "There is nothing more we can do," his hopes will collapse. Fortunately for us, we know the truth. The pasuk says,אני ה' רפאך- "I am Hashem, your Healer." Not the doctor is your healer, and not the medication is your healer. Rather, Hashem — and only Hashem — is our Healer. The more a person believes that, the more zechuyot he will gain, and the more likely it will be that he will be healed. Hashem is called the Borei Refuot, the One who creates the medications that we use to heal ourselves. Sometimes He creates a cure before we need it, and sometimes He creates a cure precisely when we need it. How many times has it happened that it seemed there was no hope, and suddenly a new treatment was discovered, a new approach was tried, and a recovery took place just in time. The treatment was discovered not because the medical world suddenly became wiser, but because Hashem decided that the time of healing had arrived. There is no illness for which Hashem lacks a cure. There is no condition for which He cannot create a new path of healing. The limitation is never in Hashem. It all depends on how much we are ready to trust in Him. We must go to doctors, and we must take medication, but we cannot put too much emphasis on them. We can never feel that without a specific doctor we cannot be healed, or without a certain medication we cannot be cured. A man told how he was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. It was recommended that he go to the biggest expert in the country in that particular field. The doctor, however, did not take insurance, and he needed to fill out forms to try to get approval for financial coverage. They refused his request, saying they had their own doctors who dealt with his issue. He tried every possible way to get approval — going to special committees, appealing to managers, explaining that it was a matter of life and death — but nothing helped. So he went to a doctor who was not recommended. That doctor told him that for his specific illness there was no standard medication, but this doctor knew something that others did not. At that very time, a new medication was being developed for precisely this type of sickness. That doctor was part of the development team, and when they reached the stage of trying the medication on patients, he included him in the trial — even though, according to the rules, he should not have been eligible. Baruch Hashem, he received the medication, and his life was saved. Six months later, the medication was approved for public use — but by then it would have been too late for him. Hashem led this man to the exact messenger through whom He wanted to give him the cure that He Himself had created. We are always in Hashem's hands. The more we know that, the more we trust that only He can heal, and the more heavenly help we will receive.

As we know, the miracles that Hashem performed at Yetziat Mitzrayim were not only to take revenge on the Egyptians. They were also to teach us lessons that we would need for all generations. Rabbi Menashe Reizman quoted Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel, who explained one of those lessons. The Egyptians believed in numerous gods, and every one of them was connected to their source of parnassah. They worshipped the sheep that gave them parnassah. They worshipped the Nile River that gave them parnassah. They worshipped Pharaoh, who they believed gave them parnassah. And Hashem made a mockery of all those gods, including the Baal Tzafon. Baal Tzafon was the place where Yosef hid all of the treasures that he accumulated during the years of famine. As long as Baal Tzafon stood, the Egyptians felt secure. It was their insurance policy. Even if the Nile failed, even if their livestock died, even if everything else collapsed, they still had mountains of gold hidden away there. Pharaoh emptied that treasure house and gave everything to the Egyptians in order to convince them to chase the Jews into the Yam Suf. That is what caused them to ultimately drown there, and that is how all of that wealth was transferred to Am Yisrael. Hashem was showing us that all of the things the Egyptians believed in were nothing. It was only Him who controlled everything. Sometimes a person becomes so wrapped up in his parnassah that he begins to trust in it. And if there is an issue with the product, or the customer, or the boss, he begins to tremble in fear that his parnassah is in jeopardy. Believing in the cause of parnassah is very similar to believing in the Egyptian deities. The Gemara says that whoever is somech geulah l'tefillah, no harm will befall him that day. Rabbeinu Yonah explains that if a person truly absorbs the message of the geulah from Mitzrayim, he will nullify all other imagined sources of help and rely fully on HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Only then can he truly pray. So long as a person believes that his refuah is in the hands of the doctor, and his future is in the hands of a diagnosis, how can he truly mean the words כי אל רופא רחמן ונאמן אתה that he says in tefilah? The more emotional involvement a person has in his hishtadlut, the weaker his emunah becomes. When it comes to parnassah, when a person truly believes that only Hashem is giving it to him, that only Hashem is marrying off his children, and that only Hashem is giving each person the house he needs to live in, then his kavanah in prayer becomes deep and real. First a person must nullify all other sources of support in the berachah of Ga'al Yisrael, and only then can he begin the Amidah properly. The Arugat HaBosem explains that the main essence of every berachah in the amidah is in its conclusion: כי אל גואל חזק אתה כי אל טוב וסלח אתה כי אל טוב ומטיב אתה Even though we must make hishtadlut, the Chazon Ish warns that we must not have emotional attachment to it. We must not lose our composure when hearing bad news about the industry we work in. Rather, we should remain calm, with the serenity of one who trusts that the same Hashem who helped him yesterday in one way can help him today in another way. The Gemara says that someone whose mind is preoccupied with worry in the performance of a mitzvah can be exempt from Keriat Shema. Then the Gemara asks: what about someone whose mind is preoccupied with worry because his merchandise sank at sea? Should he also be exempt? The Gemara answers no. He must remove the worry from his heart, because Hashem can provide his livelihood from somewhere else instantly. In fact, sometimes it is precisely through the sinking of the ship that his livelihood will come. Like the story of Rav Huna, who had four hundred barrels of wine turn sour into vinegar. One opinion in the Gemara says that afterward the emperor's daughter became ill and needed vinegar for healing. Suddenly vinegar was in great demand, and Rav Huna sold all of his vinegar at a great profit. He did not need wine in order to succeed. Hashem gave him even greater blessing through vinegar. Part of the purpose of Yetziat Mitzrayim is to bring us to one clear conclusion: כי אין כמוני בכל הארץ-there is no one like Hashem. Everything we could ever want or need comes only from Him. And the more deeply we believe that, the greater our tefillot and our avodat Hashem will become.

Join Rabbi Joey Rosenfeld as he guides us through the world and major works of Kabbalah, Hasidic masters, and Jewish philosophy, shedding light on the inner life of the soul. To learn more, visit InwardTorah.org

In this week's parasha, Va'era , we read about seven of the makot which Hashem brought upon the Mitzrim . The Ramban says one of the lessons we are supposed to learn from the makot is that in the same way it was obvious that Hashem was behind those open miracles, it's also supposed to be obvious that Hashem is controlling the world through nature as well. If a person's roof is leaking, it is Hashem who caused it to happen. If a person's car got dented, it was Hashem who made it happen. If a person made money through a business deal, it was Hashem who made the deal for him. And whenever a person receives any type of help from another individual, it was Hashem who brought it about. Each time a person experiences any situation in life and he attributes what happens to the workings of Hashem, that is included in the mitzvah of אנכי ה' אלוקיך אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים. A woman told, she was going through a lot of hardships. When Chanukah came, she managed to put them out of her mind and was looking forward to spending one of the evenings at her parents' house who were hosting a Chanukah party. That night when her son came home from school, he was very upset about his basketball practice. He made everyone in the house miserable because of it and, in the end, things got so bad, they didn't end up going to her parents' party. This made matters much worse. The next day, she did not want to talk to anyone, especially her son. That evening, her husband reminded her they had a Bar Mitzvah to attend. She wasn't feeling well, she was in a terrible mood and did not want to go, but she forced herself to go because it was the Bar Mitzvah of a close friend of theirs. She sat at a table there feeling sorry for herself, not wanting to talk to anyone. But then, a friend came over to say hello and that friend began talking to her about how difficult it has been raising her children. And then she mentioned, her eldest son, who was a senior in high school, just spent the whole night crying because his basketball team lost the game and it has been a strain on the house. This woman couldn't believe the hashgacha that was taking place. Here, she felt her son's attitude which ruined the previous night was so silly and now a friend, who she hadn't spoken to in a very long time, comes over to tell her the same thing happened in her house. This gave the woman so much chizuk . She felt Hashem talking to her and was able to move on happily, despite all the problems she was having. Her belief that it was Hashem who orchestrated that, and sent that friend to talk to her, is a mitzvah in its own right. So in addition to all of the other benefits that she received from that meeting, she also got a spiritual elevation by fulfilling a mitzvah. A relative of mine told me that for whatever reason, she hadn't made chulent in the past three months. This past Shabbat, she prepared it and, as usual, was planning to plug in the crock pot right before she lit the candles, but it completely slipped her mind. Her housekeeper had polished the tray that her candles are set upon this past week and therefore the tray was a little out of place so she moved the tray back into place and, all of a sudden, a small folded yellow piece of paper came out from underneath and fell right into her hands. She opened the paper and it had just one word on it. " Chulent ." She had written that note three months before to remind herself not to forget to plug in the crock pot. And on this day, it "accidentally" fell into her hands. She was so excited seeing how Hashem reminded her to plug in her crock pot. Although one could look at this and say, "Yeah, that just happened to be," she is fulfilling a mitzvah by believing it was all done by hashgacha peratit . The more we accustom ourselves to seeing the yad Hashem in everything that happens, the more we will be fulfilling the main purposes of Hashem's performances of the makot in Mitzrayim . Shabbat Shalom.

Our parnasa is only b'yad Hashem, nobody can take away money that Hashem wants us to have. הרבה שלוחים למקום – Hashem has many ways of giving us parnasa . Our job is to deal in business the way Hashem wants us to – honestly, keeping our word, and being upright. He decides how much we make and where it comes from and we do our part by doing business according to halacha . A man we'll call Yosef told me, he started listening to emunah classes a couple of years ago and he has become a completely different person when it comes to money. He knows now, he only works for Hashem and his main concern is doing what Hashem wants him to do. This past year, he did a job for a customer and the customer began nitpicking every step of the way. The customer mentioned to him that someone stole a lot of money from him and, when the job was completed, the customer said he was not paying the balance due - $30,000. He seemed to think that because someone wronged him, he was allowed to wrong someone else to get his money back. Yosef told him that he did everything he was supposed and deserved to be paid, but the customer was adamant about not paying. They went to a rabbi for advice to resolve the matter and the rabbi told the customer, "You owe the $30,000." The customer nodded his head, but later on refused to pay. Yosef said to himself, I worked honestly, I did my hishtadlut, Hashem is my boss, He will pay me the way He wants to . He mentioned that he sits next to that customer in the same shul, his children play with his children, but he did not tell anybody about what happened. He doesn't hold a grudge against that man and he would never speak lashon hara about him. The day after he decided to let the money go and not cause a machloket over it, he received a phone call for a very easy job that earned him $75,000. He works for Hashem and Hashem is the only One who matters to him. What an inspiring attitude to live by! It is so clear that our parnasa comes only from Hashem. A Rabbi told me, he was once learning with a very wealthy man and, after they finished, another man walked up to them and he told the wealthy man he had a tip on a stock and told him to buy it right away. On the spot, the wealthy man called his broker to place the order. It was a cheap stock and he told the broker to buy one million shares. A few days later, once again while the wealthy man was learning with the rabbi, the other man came over to them and apologized that the stock went down. The wealthy man said, "What do you mean went down? I made millions on it, thank you!" "Are we talking about the same stock?" said the other man. They looked into it and saw that the wealthy man accidentally told the broker the wrong symbol of the stock. The stock he bought went up while the other one went down. In fact, he said, the president of that company called him asking him why he bought so many shares. He thanked him because he was the cause of the stock rising. If Hashem wants someone to make money, that person's going to make the money. He is the only One we need to impress and He wants honesty and integrity. When people see us acting the way Hashem wants us to act, it also brings about a great kiddush Hashem.

Do I Understand?

Nihilo is a rare creative agency in beverage that treats branding as a business discipline, not a design exercise.In this sponsored episode of Business of Drinks, co-founders Margaret Kerr-Jarrett and Emunah Winer join us to unpack their newly released 2026 New Rules Report and what it reveals about how the most effective drinks brands are actually being built right now.The New Rules Report is the centerpiece of this conversation. Based on deep discussions with founders, operators, and investors across beverage alcohol and non-alc, it offers a practical framework for understanding how brand, distribution, fundraising, and operating choices intersect. This isn't a list of trends or a lookbook. It's an operating lens for founders navigating saturation, slower capital, and changing consumer behavior.In the episode, Margaret and Emunah explain why “looking good” is now table stakes, not a growth strategy — and why clarity of perspective matters more than polish. They share why many brands are intentionally simplifying their stories instead of over-educating consumers, how packaging and distribution choices function as brand strategy, and why real-world, IRL activation is once again becoming a primary growth lever.They also break down several of the core “rules” from the 2026 report, including why one strong idea beats a complicated narrative, how contrarian positioning can unlock whitespace when categories crowd, and why profitability, production decisions, and funding paths quietly shape brand meaning just as much as marketing does.If you're a drinks founder, operator, or investor trying to understand how brands are winning in a noisy, capital-constrained environment — and how to apply those lessons to your own business — this episode offers a grounded, strategic playbook.To access the 2026 New Rules Report, visit www.newrulesbev.com.For the latest updates, follow us:Business of Drinks:YouTubeLinkedInInstagram @bizofdrinksErica Duecy, co-host: Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry's most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.LinkedInInstagram @ericaduecyScott Rosenbaum, co-host: Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.LinkedInCaroline Lamb, contributor: Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.LinkedInInstagram @borkalineIf you enjoyed today's conversation, follow Business of Drinks wherever you're listening, and don't forget to rate and review us. Your support helps us reach new listeners passionate about the drinks industry. Thank you!

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-372-grib-loosely Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:57:35 +0000 7219 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

Chof-Vov Teves (25:44)

The pasuk says in this week's parashat Shemot, וַתֵּתַצַּב אֲחֹתוֹ מֵרָחֹק לְדֵעָה מַה־יֵּעָשֶׂה -לוֹ Simply, this refers to Miriam, Moshe's older sister, who was standing by watching what would happen to him when he was put into the Nile River. Rabbi Menashe Reizman quoted the Midrash which explains that this pasuk is referring to the Shechinah, standing there watching from afar. The Midrash proves from other pesukim how every word in that pasuk is a reference to the Shechinah. The Maharsha, Masechet Sotah, explains the Midrash is teaching us that although Moshe being thrown into the river seemed like an act of destruction, the ways of Hashem are very far from us. Miriam had a prophecy that the savior was going to be born, and this looked like a nullification of that prophecy. However, this was actually the way in which the prophecy became fulfilled. It was through this that Moshe was raised safely in the palace by the daughter of Pharoah. It also teaches us that although this took place when the harshest slavery began, it appeared that Hashem was so distant, but He was right there standing with them. During their darkest time, Hashem was making the greatest miracles—causing the daughter of Pharoah to go down to the Nile at the exact time Moshe was placed there, and then making the miracle of her arm stretching out to reach him. Rabbi Reizman pointed out that the Torah only devotes six pesukim to discussing all of the slavery in Mitzrayim. Right after that, begins the story of the redemption—how Moshe was born and how he became the go'el. Even the pesukim that speak about the throwing of the babies into the Nile mention Miryam and Yocheved, the mother and sister of the go'el. Perhaps one explanation of this is that we are not meant to dwell too much on the difficulties that we are given. It is hard for us to comprehend how pain and suffering could possibly be good for us, and therefore it is incumbent upon us not to analyze the details too deeply, but rather to trust in Hashem. When Hashem called to Moshe from the burning bush, the pasuk says that Moshe was afraid to look. Hashem appeared to Moshe in a thorn bush, symbolizing עִמּוֹ אָנֹכִי בְצָרָה -He was with us during that hard time. Moshe did not see all the harsh slave labor because he was in Midyan. The Mefarshim explain that here Hashem began showing Moshe the suffering that the Jewish people were going through, but Moshe was afraid to look because he did not want to lower his level of emunah and potentially have questions on the way Hashem was dealing with them. One of the harshest decrees was that Pharoah was killing 150 babies every morning and another 150 every evening, bathing in their blood because he had tzara'at. When Moshe heard about this, along with the fact that Jewish babies were being built into the walls as bricks, he asked Hashem what they did to deserve this. Hashem told Moshe that all of those babies were from previous generations and were receiving their tikkun. It was all chesed, meant to purify them. Hashem told Moshe that if he really wanted, he could save one—and Moshe did. That one baby-Micha- brought about the worst destruction. He was the one who took the Shem Hashem that Moshe used to bring Yosef's aron out of the sea, threw it into the fire when the Jews were waiting for Moshe to come down from Har Sinai, and caused the Egel(golden calf) to emerge alive. Until today, we are still suffering from the effects of the Egel. He later made an idol when they entered Eretz Yisrael, causing countless tragedies to befall the Jewish people. He was also known as Nevat, the father of Yeravam, who caused the exile of the Ten Tribes. That destruction came from just one of those babies. The Lev Aryeh writes that all those who perished in Mitzrayim were neshamot from earlier generations that returned for a tikkun—the generations of the Mabul, Dor HaPelagah, and the people of Sedom. The Mishnah says in Pirkei Avot, אַל תִּסְתַּכֵּל בַּקַּנְקָן אֶלָּא בְּמַה שֶּׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ (Avot 4:20) The Lev Aryeh explains homiletically that this also refers to the tragedies in Mitzrayim. The word קן has the numerical value of 150. Do not look at what happened to the 150 babies in the morning and the 150 babies in the evening; rather, look at who those people really were—resha'im who needed a tikkun. Hashem is always standing near us, but He appears to be afar because His ways are so far beyond our understanding. Everything He does is chesed. We do not have the ability to comprehend His ways in this world, but we do have the ability to trust in Him. We should not dwell excessively on the difficulties; rather, we should believe that everything is chesed done out of love. And if we have that emunah, then we will be considered people who are truly loyal. Shabbat Shalom

Besides for the eternal merits that mitzvot give us, there are also segulot within them that bring blessing in this world as well. When someone is in need of a yeshua, one of the greatest approaches is to become extra careful with a specific mitzvah to increase his merits through it. The Chovot HaLevavot, in Shaar Ahavat Hashem, writes that when a person helps others grow in Torah and mitzvot, his merits become endless, because they are multiplied according to the merits of all those he helped. Rabbi Yisrael Brog shared a powerful story that reveals the value in Shamayim of being mezakeh the rabim. Rabbi Pinchas Peretz is a rabbi in Ofakim. Every day, his wife would take their daughter to playgroup. One day, she asked him to do it instead, because she had something important to attend to. Rabbi Peretz put his daughter into the car and then drove to his print shop, as he did every day. At one o'clock in the afternoon, his wife called to remind him to pick up their daughter. The playgroup was not far from his shop, so he walked there calmly. When he arrived, he was told that his wife had never brought their daughter that day. In an instant, he froze. He realized that since eight o'clock that morning, his daughter had been left in the car on a blazing hot day. He began screaming and running frantically back to his car, fearing the worst. As he ran, he called Hatzalah. When he reached the car, he saw his daughter, her face beet red, but unbelievably, she was still alive. She was breathing heavily and appeared to be in a deep sleep. Emergency responders arrived immediately, administered treatment, and stabilized her. They told Rabbi Peretz that she was literally minutes away from tragedy. She was rushed to the hospital, given IV fluids, and treated extensively. The doctors could not believe that a child who had been in a hot car for five hours was still alive. That night, Rabbi Peretz saw in a dream that he was standing before the Heavenly Court. A decree had been issued that his daughter would pass away. Suddenly, Chacham Ovadia Yosef appeared and pleaded on her behalf, saying that in the merit of her father being mezakeh the rabim, she should live. Rabbi Peretz prints Torah messages in his print shop and distributes them free of charge to the public. So many people grow closer to Hashem through those words of Torah. When he woke up, he understood the magnitude of the miracle that had taken place. Rabbi Brog also shared another story. There was a man who would hang signs in his neighborhood every Wednesday, reminding people of candle lighting times and when Shabbat begins. When someone asked him why he does it, he answered that he wanted to help people be more careful with the honor of Shabbat. Another individual, already in his forties and still not married, decided to take on a merit for the public. He became a central contact point where people could send resumes, and he would forward them to those who could help with shidduchim. Baruch Hashem, not long afterward, he himself got married. There is no shortage of mitzvot through which a person can help others. Some strengthen shemirat halashon by sharing daily halachot through phone lines or printed sheets in shuls. Some help others with modesty, others with shemirat ha'einayim, and the list goes on. Every mitzvah carries immense merit, but when a person helps others perform mitzvot, the merit becomes endless.

Ever feel like you're fighting battles that aren't truly yours? You probably are. Emunah Love just explained in Get Yourself Optimized that most of us carry cellular imprints from ancestors, past lives, and childhood trauma that create invisible ceilings—and we don't even know they're there. Traditional therapy helps you manage these patterns. Emunah clears them at the root. Her journey started with profound trauma. Father was killed by the police at age 8. Emotionally unavailable mother. A world that felt fundamentally unsafe. But she had this unwavering faith that kept her searching for "more." During a trip to Israel, she met a stranger named Emunah (Hebrew for "faith"). Her body lit up like firecrackers. She instantly knew: That's my real name. That's who I am. Fast forward 30 years of healing work, and she's now channeling high-vibration beings to help leaders transmute energetic blocks in single sessions. Her clients report shifts that years of traditional approaches couldn't touch. She intentionally creates outcomes BEFORE they happen. Before traveling, she visualizes smooth flights, amazing conversations, and perfect timing. Before seeing family, she surrounds everyone in love and sees a joyful connection. Then she shows up fully present to experience what her intention created. It works. Every. Single. Time. If you're ready to see what's been running in the background and finally break free, this episode is essential. Listen now! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at getyourselfoptimized.com/547.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-371-daven-on-hashem Wed, 07 Jan 2026 15:03:57 +0000 7212 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

There are moments in a person's life when Hashem is calling upon him to elevate himself to true greatness. At times, Hashem will give a person an extremely difficult test, one that requires him to summon every ounce of inner strength to withstand it. Some people fail the test and never realize the tremendous potential that lay within them. Others seize the moment, rise to the challenge, and are catapulted to heights they could never have reached otherwise. The sefer Even Sapir brings a powerful story that illustrates this idea. There was a young man, seventeen years old, named Shalom, from Teiman. He was already a budding Torah scholar and was exceptionally handsome. To earn a living, he worked as a spice merchant, going door to door selling his goods. One day, a non-Jewish woman called out to him and asked him to bring in some spices so she could look at them. Shalom stepped just slightly inside, making sure to leave the door wide open. Suddenly, the woman shut the door and told him that her husband was the head of the city. She threatened him that if he did not sin with her immediately, she would have him put to death. In that moment, Shalom was faced with a test similar to that of Yosef HaTzaddik. He asked the woman if he could use the restroom, and she showed him where it was. The apartment was on the third floor of the building. Inside the bathroom, Shalom noticed an open window. He turned to Hashem and said that he would rather jump out of the window than commit the aveirah. He vowed that if he survived, he would make aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. He jumped. Miraculously, he landed on his feet, unharmed, and immediately began running. From there, his journey took him through India, Baghdad, and Damascus, until he finally arrived in Yerushalayim. Once there, he went to Rav Gedaliah Chayon, the head of Yeshivat Beit El, the great yeshivah for Kabbalah, and asked if he could serve as the caretaker. He asked for nothing in return other than a roof over his head and food to eat. His thirst for Torah was so great that he wanted nothing more than to hear the holy words of Torah spoken by the great chachamim of the yeshivah. As he cleaned the bet midrash and served the rabbis, he listened carefully to the shiurim and absorbed every word. One day, the rosh yeshivah posed an exceptionally difficult question. None of the rabbis in the beit midrash could answer it. There were scholars there in their sixties and seventies who had devoted their lives to Torah, yet no one could offer a satisfactory response. That night, before the rabbis returned to learn at chatzot, Shalom, the caretaker, took out a pen and began writing a detailed teshuvah to answer the rosh yeshivah's question. He quoted numerous sources and wrote a masterful explanation. He quietly placed the paper inside the rosh yeshivah's sefer and returned to his work. When the rosh yeshivah opened his sefer to begin his shiur, he was astonished. After reading the teshuvah, he asked who among them had written it. No one answered. He said that such writing could only have come from a sage of earlier generations—perhaps even from Eliyahu HaNavi. A week later, the same thing happened again. Another brilliant teshuvah appeared. Again, no one claimed authorship. The entire yeshivah buzzed with speculation about the mysterious Torah giant in their midst. The rosh yeshivah lived across from the yeshivah, and his daughter, aware of her father's deep curiosity, began watching the bet midrash late at night. One evening, she saw Shalom, the caretaker, writing a teshuvah. She told her father what she had seen. Rav Gedaliah approached Shalom and demanded the truth. Shalom admitted that he was the one writing the teshuvot. The rosh yeshivah was stunned that someone so young possessed such mastery, especially in the hidden wisdom of Torah. Although Shalom tried to conceal his greatness, it was now revealed. He eventually married the rosh yeshivah's daughter, and when Rav Gedaliah passed away, he appointed Shalom as the new rosh yeshivah—at the age of twenty-seven. This Shalom was none other than Rav Shalom Sharabi, known as the Rashash, one of the greatest mekubalim who ever lived. Rav Chaim Palachi wrote that the Rashash possessed the neshamah of the Arizal. Rav Yitzchak Kaduri said that one who has not learned the writings of the Rashash has not yet entered the true realm of Kabbalah. When Rav Shalom Sharabi was later asked about the source of his extraordinary greatness in Torah, he attributed it to that moment of test with the woman. After overcoming it, he said, his mind opened, and Torah began to flow from him like a wellspring. When Hashem sends a person an especially difficult test, it may very well be His way of calling that person to greatness. The test may feel overwhelming, but if a person perseveres and follows Hashem, he will reap rewards that last for all eternity.

In this illuminating Inside ArtScroll episode, Rabbi Shlomo Landau sits down with Rabbi Nosson Sherman to explore Rabbi Yehuda Heimowitz's masterful new elucidation of the Chazon Ish's Emunah U'Bitachon — a Torah classic that has shaped generations. Rabbi Sherman discusses the Chazon Ish's unique approach to emunah, rooted in deep reason and spiritual clarity, and shows how genuine bitachon becomes a source of deep inner strength, inspiring unwavering commitment to mitzvos. With warmth and insight, he shares why this beloved sefer remains a guiding light for anyone seeking serenity, purpose, and a richer relationship with Hashem. Together, Rabbi Landau and Rabbi Sherman delve into the Chazon Ish's penetrating teachings: the link between middos refinement and true tranquility, the role of halachah as a foundation for spiritual security, and the subtle, poetic expressions that have long challenged readers. Rabbi Sherman describes how the faithful yet accessible elucidation unlocks these timeless ideas, opening the Chazon Ish's world to today's learners. Inspiring and uplifting, this conversation invites viewers to rediscover a sefer that continues to illuminate the path to a meaningful, elevated life.

Shlucha Mrs. Shternie Althaus shared with us her experience surviving the Bondi Beach Chanukah Massacre and her experience in finding strength and Emunah in hard times.

When a person has been waiting for a shidduch, or for parnassah, or for refu'ah shelema, the hardest part is not the difficulty itself, but the fear that maybe it will never come. Years have passed, doors seem to be closed, and the person begins to think: if nothing has happened yet, who says it ever will? That way of thinking might make sense if Hashem needed time to gradually bring a salvation. But we know that Hashem brings the yeshu'ah כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן , in the blink of an eye. An older single may think, I am doing everything right. I am praying, working on myself, improving in so many areas, yet it feels like nothing is moving, like I am never going to get married. But every single thing that this person has done has made a real impact. When everything comes together and the moment of salvation arrives, it will come so quickly that the person will not believe how fast it happened. Many people who waited ten, fifteen, twenty years, or even longer, will tell you the same thing. For years, nothing was happening. It felt like things would never change. And then suddenly, a name was mentioned casually, a phone call came from an unexpected source, something nobody could have predicted—and the yeshu'ah arrived. A man called me, overflowing with gratitude to Hashem. He told me that shidduchim had been so painful for his daughter over the past five years that he honestly thought she would never get married. The pain and agony they endured were indescribable. And then, literally כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן , a new name surfaced. A boy younger than her, someone they never would have thought of on their own. Today, they are preparing for her wedding. It is the perfect shidduch—the kind of boy she had always hoped for, from the type of family she had always wanted. In one moment, they went from the depths of despair to the greatest heights of joy. The same pattern exists with parnassah. People can struggle for years to earn a living, and then suddenly one opportunity opens. One deal, one connection, one idea. The same mouth that once said, "I don't see how I will ever manage," now says, "I can't believe this didn't happen earlier." Someone told me about his friend who had to borrow money from his in-laws just to cover basic expenses, and less than a year later, he became a multimillionaire. It didn't make sense—but it didn't have to. The moment Hashem decides to give, it happens in the way He chooses. A man told me that for many years he dreamed of opening a store selling a certain type of merchandise. He had customers and demand, but he could never afford the rent. Renting a store required first month's rent, a security deposit, and key money—tens of thousands of dollars he simply didn't have. So for years, he sold everything from his home. Recently, he attended an event, and someone casually asked him if he knew anyone looking to rent a store. He asked for details. It turned out to be on the exact block he had always wanted. The owner was desperate to rent the space and said he was willing to waive the security deposit and the key money. Just like that, the man finally got the store he had dreamed of for years. For so long, it seemed like it would never happen. But the moment Hashem said it was time, He sent the right person directly to him with the opportunity. Yeshuat Hashem is always כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן . Our job is to continue praying, to continue growing, and to never give up hope—even when nothing seems to be moving. Because when the moment arrives, everything changes at once.

In this shiur, delivered in Midreshet HaRova, Rav Burg explains how the story of Klal Yisrael in Mitzrayim is the story of rectifying the sin of Adam and Chava. The staff of Moshe Rabbeinu holds the secret of Emunah and defeating Pharaoh.

This week's parashah, Vayechi, is known as a parashah setumah —a closed parashah—because there is no space in the Torah between the end of Vayigash and the beginning of Vayechi. Rashi explains that one reason for this is that the eyes and hearts of the Jewish people became "closed" when Yaakov Avinu passed away, from the pain and pressure of the bondage. The mefarshim ask a powerful question. Rashi himself writes elsewhere that the actual slavery in Mitzrayim did not begin until after the last of the Shevatim passed away. If so, how can Rashi say that immediately after Yaakov's passing their hearts became closed because of the slavery? The Be'er HaParashah, citing the Ma'agalei Tzedek, explains this beautifully. We know from other pesukim that the Shevatim originally came down to Mitzrayim only because of the famine. Once Yaakov passed away, and they went back to Eretz Yisrael to bury him in the Me'arat HaMachpelah, the famine was already long over. Logically, they should have stayed in Eretz Yisrael. Yaakov himself had been commanded to go down to Mitzrayim, but his children had not been given such a command. So why did they return to Mitzrayim? The answer must be that Hashem closed their eyes and hearts from even considering the possibility of staying in Eretz Yisrael. Hashem wanted the decree of slavery to unfold, and therefore He guided them back to Mitzrayim in a way that felt natural and unquestioned. It didn't have to make sense to them, because it was Hashem leading them where they needed to be. This, explains the Ma'agalei Tzedek, is what Rashi means when he says that their eyes and hearts became closed. Not that they were already enslaved, but that Hashem closed off certain lines of thought so that the process He willed could move forward. This is a lesson that repeats itself constantly in our lives. Many times, years later, a person looks back and asks himself: Why did I choose that path? From where I stand now, I never would have made that decision. The answer is often that Hashem wanted him led in that direction. Hashem guides us not only through clear signs, but through closed doors, missed opportunities, delays, and distractions. What looks like nature is pure hashgacha. Rabbi Elimelech Biderman shared a remarkable story that illustrates this idea in a very tangible way. In Brooklyn, there is a man named Rabbi Yosef who learns regularly with another Jew who, until about a year ago, was very far from Judaism. They learn together by phone several times a week, and slowly, with siyata d'Shmaya, this man has been growing in his observance. A few weeks ago, on Erev Chanukah, Rabbi Yosef discovered that his learning partner had put on tefillin only once in his entire life. Rabbi Yosef spoke to him about the importance of the mitzvah and encouraged him to start wearing tefillin daily. The man replied that he didn't own his own tefillin. He only had an inherited pair—small tefillin of Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam, as was his family custom to wear both together. But the straps had faded from black to white. Rabbi Yosef immediately understood that the tefillin were almost certainly pasul. At the same time, he knew that this man was not yet ready to hear that he needed to spend a large sum of money on new tefillin. So Rabbi Yosef decided, quietly, that he would try to raise the money himself and buy him proper tefillin according to his custom. The very next day, Rabbi Yosef woke up early, as usual, and learned with a different chavruta by phone at six in the morning. After that, however, a series of unusual delays began. One thing after another went wrong, and he missed his regular minyan. He went to a different shul on the same block, but again encountered obstacles and could not pray with that minyan either. Finally, he walked to another shul a block away, where the minyan was much later than the time he normally prays. As soon as he entered the shul, his eyes were drawn to a small tefillin bag. Attached to it was a sign that read: "Anyone who needs this may take it." He opened the bag and could hardly believe what he saw. Inside were two small pairs of tefillin—Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam. He sent them to a sofer to be checked, and they were found to be completely kosher. At that moment, everything became clear. All the delays, all the missed minyanim, all the frustrations of that morning were not accidents. They were Hashem closing one door after another in order to lead Rabbi Yosef precisely to the place where those tefillin were waiting. Finding tefillin left for the taking is rare enough. Finding two small, kosher pairs of Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam was nothing short of astonishing. It was as if Hashem had prepared them in advance, custom-made for this man, and simply needed Rabbi Yosef to arrive at the right place at the right time. This is the message of the parashah. Hashem is constantly leading us—sometimes by opening our eyes, and sometimes by closing them. Our job is not always to understand in the moment, but to trust that every delay, every detour, and every missed plan is part of a precise Divine guidance. Shabbat Shalom.

One of the ways we bring down all the segulot that come from Birkat HaMazon is by saying it with true feelings of hakarat tov. When a person feels genuine appreciation, the power of his words becomes infinitely greater. When Rabbi Aharon of Belz was younger, he used to stay by a certain butcher. The butcher took such good care of the Rabbi, fulfilling his every request with great joy. Years later, the butcher's daughter suddenly became gravely ill, and the doctors were losing hope. Messages were sent to Gedolim to pray for her, and the butcher specifically asked that a message be sent to Rabbi Aharon of Belz. The messenger arrived by Rabbi Aharon on Erev Yom Tov, when there was already a long line of people waiting to see him. Because the matter was urgent, the messenger was allowed to enter immediately. When the Rabbi heard the news, he was just about to place a cube of sugar into his tea. He stopped, paused what he was doing, and began repeating over and over how much that butcher had taken care of him. He spoke at length about the kindness, the warmth, and the generosity he had experienced. Only when he felt a deep, intense sense of hakarat tov did he give the girl a beracha and pray for her refuah shelema. After Yom Tov, the messenger returned with extraordinary news. The girl had made a complete recovery. He added that they later discovered that at the exact moment the Rabbi had given his beracha, the girl appeared to be in her final moments. But then she related that she had seen, in what seemed like a dream, the Rabbi giving her a piece of sugar to eat while blessing her with the most heartfelt beracha. At that moment, everything changed. Baruch Hashem, she recovered fully. Words said with real hakarat tov are unbelievably powerful. In the first beracha of Birkat HaMazon, we acknowledge that Hashem is the One who gives us our parnasah. We need to understand what that truly means. The Gemara speaks about a Hallel called Hallel HaGadol, the Great Hallel. This is the chapter of Tehillim in which we say "Ki l'olam chasdo" twenty-six times. The Gemara asks why it is called Hallel HaGadol. Rabbi Yochanan answers that it is because it includes the words that Hashem gives food to all of His creations. Hashem, who is exalted beyond all comprehension, who resides in the highest heights, personally comes down and takes care of every single one of His creations, ensuring that they always have what to eat. Hashem does not delegate this responsibility to a messenger. He does it Himself, because He loves us so much. The question is asked: this Hallel mentions so many miracles—creating heaven and earth, the sun and the moon, taking us out of Mitzrayim, splitting the sea, leading us through the desert, defeating Sichon and Og. How can it be that of all these miracles, Hashem giving us food is considered the greatest? The sefer Birkat HaMazon BeKavanah explains that all the other miracles were one-time events. But the miracle of feeding every person and every animal is something Hashem performs every second of every day, from the beginning of time until today and beyond. Hashem is "concerned" that all of His billions and trillions of creations have what they need to live. It is a constant miracle that never stops. They say in the name of the Chafetz Chaim that if a person forgot Al HaNissim in the Amidah, the tefillah still counts. But if he did not say in Modim ועל ניסך שבכל יום…שבכל עת , the Amidah does not count. Missing a miracle that happened once can be excused, but failing to recognize the miracles that occur every single day cannot. Hashem is personally taking care of us at every moment. That is why we emphasize in Birkat HaMazon that Hashem has never made us lacking and will never make us lacking. Once we truly recognize this, only then are we ready to say נודה לך -thank You. Only then can our words of gratitude come from the heart. And the more sincerely we feel that thank You, the more powerful it becomes—and the more blessing it draws down into our lives.

If a person is going through difficulties, the natural reaction is to ask, "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" He then feels bad about the situation and remains in that state until it goes away. However, if he reacts that way, he is losing out on a golden opportunity. The purpose of this world is to utilize every circumstance that Hashem places a person into to its fullest, and thereby gain eternal life. The Chafetz Chaim writes that the main goodness a person will receive in the future depends on how he reacts to the ways Hashem dealt with him here. If he internalizes that Hashem is always doing the absolute best for him, even though it does not appear that way, he will rise to the greatest levels, and his table in the future will be overflowing with good. The Orchot Tzaddikim writes that if a person performs a mitzvah with joy, his reward is a thousand times greater than if he were to do it as a chore. That joy will give him the merit to have success in his endeavors and to rise in levels of spirituality, to the point that Hashem will reveal secrets to him from above. The joy a person experiences while doing a mitzvah is itself a mitzvah. If a person is experiencing difficulty, he has a mitzvah to accept that Hashem is doing this for his benefit, as stated in the Shulchan Aruch. If he fulfills that mitzvah with joy, it will earn him a thousand times more reward and elevate him tremendously. The Baal Shem Tov writes that when a person is in a state of joy and happiness, he can bring about great salvations. Being depressed and complaining accomplishes nothing, whereas being accepting and joyful can give a person everything. Rabbeinu Yonah writes in Mishlei (perek gimel, pasuk yud alef) that if a person gives much charity and is exceedingly careful in the performance of all the mitzvot, yet is unsuccessful in business and has great difficulty earning parnassah, or experiences other forms of suffering despite being so good, he must strengthen himself in bitachon and accept the way Hashem is dealing with him with love. He must understand that what is happening to him is truly for the best. He says, what the person is experiencing in his life is better than all the wealth, tranquility, and success this world has to offer, because all of that passes in a fleeting moment. This world is so temporary in comparison to the next world, and one moment of pleasure there is better than all the pleasure that can ever be experienced in this world combined. A person does not know what is truly good for him; only Hashem does. Sometimes tranquility is good, and sometimes difficulty is good. Therefore, a person should never be upset with Hashem. Rabbeinu Yonah adds that this attitude is a wondrous level to reach in bitachon, and the reward for it is incomprehensible. I once read a story of a man who was diagnosed with a serious illness. He went through years of treatments, hospital visits, pain, and uncertainty. His livelihood was affected and all of his plans were dissolved, yet no one could believe the attitude he maintained throughout the experience. When people visited him, they expected frustration and anger, but instead they were met with a smile and words of emunah. One day a friend could not hold back any longer and asked him directly, "How do you keep saying Baruch Hashem? You are in so much pain, you have lost so much—don't you feel broken?" He answered, "Yes, it hurts. But pain does not mean Hashem does not love me. It means He trusts me." The doctors and nurses were in awe of his demeanor, and he made a tremendous Kiddush Hashem. Baruch Hashem, he recovered and continues to live his life with joy and emunah. The levels he reached through his acceptance during those few years are levels people often do not reach in decades when everything is going smoothly. We do not ask for difficulties, but if they ever come, we do not want to waste the opportunity. The greatest thing we can do is accept them with love and emunah.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-370-don-t-miss-your-chance Wed, 31 Dec 2025 15:09:05 +0000 7202 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

On Asarah B'Tevet Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Yerushalayim, the beginning of the process that eventually led to the destruction of the First Beit HaMikdash. On this fast day, part of our avodah is introspection—looking inward and correcting the very issues that caused that destruction in the first place. The Gemara in Masechet Yoma teaches that the First Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because the people were steeped in the three cardinal aveirot. Yet the Gemara in Masechet Nedarim tells us something deeper. The Nevi'im and the Chachamim could not understand the root cause of the churban until Hashem Himself revealed it: the people had "left His Torah." And the Gemara explains that this means they did not say the berachot on the Torah before learning it. The mefarshim explain that this was not a technical oversight. If they had viewed Torah learning the way it is meant to be viewed, as something that truly warrants a berachah, then the Torah itself would have elevated them. It would have refined them spiritually and protected them from sinking to the point of committing those terrible aveirot. The Bach, in siman מז in Orach Chaim, explains the matter with great depth. Hashem's intention in commanding us to delve into Torah study is that our neshamot should become one with Him in this world. The Torah contains within it the kedushah of the One who created it. When we learn Torah with the proper intention, we become a place where Hashem can rest His Shechinah. Hashem desires to be down here with us, as close as possible. It is up to us to make ourselves into a vessel that can receive His Presence. That vessel is formed specifically through deep, sincere engagement with the holy words of Torah. But in the generation of the First Beit HaMikdash, Torah was being learned for other reasons. Some learned because it was enjoyable. Some learned only to know the halachot they needed. Some learned to demonstrate their intellectual ability. But they were not learning in order to absorb the kedushah of Hashem, to become a מקום להשראת השכינה , a place where the Shechinah could rest. Without that inner מקום , the connection to HaKadosh Baruch Hu weakened. And if there is no inner dwelling place for Hashem within the people, there is no reason for a physical dwelling place to remain standing either. The Bach concludes that when a person prepares to learn Torah and recites Birkat HaTorah, he should have in mind deep gratitude: that Hashem chose us to share His holy Torah with , and that through it He enables us to attach ourselves to Him. How fortunate we are that Hashem wants to be close to us. Because we are physical beings, it is difficult to attach ourselves to the spiritual. So Hashem gave us the Torah, which is spiritual, and through it we ourselves become elevated and spiritual, capable of clinging to Him. The deeper we immerse ourselves in Torah, the more kedushah it brings into us. But only if it is learned with the right intentions. When a person is truly connected to Hashem, he gains tremendous strength. He can overcome the tests that the yetzer hara places before him. The spiritual light of Torah provides the energy, motivation, and excitement to live a life of Torah and mitzvot. On Asarah B'Tevet, we are fasting not only for a siege that took place long ago, but for the loss of that inner connection. We are reminded that the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed not because Torah was absent, but because Torah was no longer serving its true purpose. Let us appreciate the gift of Torah and learn it as much as we can, with the intention of drawing closer to Hashem through it, and making ourselves worthy vessels for His Presence once again.

If a man is betrayed by someone he trusted, the pain can be overwhelming. Imagine he is told about a great business opportunity, and with complete trust he invests most of his life savings. Later, he discovers that it was all a lie. He was cheated. The money is gone, with no way to recover it. Beyond the financial loss, the deeper pain sets in. How could such injustice take place? It seems as if the thieves live happily ever after, while the innocent, unassuming person is left to suffer for nothing. But we know this is never the full story. Hashem is always in charge. No one can take a single dollar from a person unless it was meant for him to lose it, and no one can keep a dollar unless it was meant for him to have it. Hashem is the perfect Judge. No one ever gets away with anything in this world. It may look like evil prospers, but that appearance itself is part of the test. Every single action a person does is accounted for. Nothing slips through the cracks. When Titus HaRasha stabbed the parochet at the time of the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and blood appeared to flow from it, he believed he had overpowered Hashem. It looked like evil had triumphed. But in the end, Hashem sent the smallest creature—a gnat—to eat away at Titus's brain until he died. Justice was exact, measured, and unavoidable. The Mitzrim seemed to have their way with the Jewish people in Mitzrayim for generations. It appeared as if cruelty and oppression ruled unchecked. Yet when the time for retribution came, every Mitzri received exactly what he deserved. Even those who drowned in the Yam Suf did not all die the same way. Some sank like lead, some like stone, and some like straw. Each death was calibrated precisely according to what that person deserved. Hashem's justice is exact down to the smallest detail. Every single thing that happens to a person, every minute of the day, is calculated with perfect precision based on his deeds. It is almost never obvious that something is happening because of what a person did. We label events as "natural," but those who understand know there is nothing natural about life. Everything is Hashem. The Yerushalmi relates that one Leil Shabbat, Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa was eating his Shabbat seudah when suddenly his table collapsed. He did not ask if a screw was loose or if the wood had weakened. Instead, he asked his Rebbetzin what might have caused this spiritually. She then remembered that she had borrowed spices from a neighbor and forgot to take off ma'aser. Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa immediately did what was necessary according to halacha to rectify it, and the table fixed itself on the spot. He knew that even if there was a physical reason, that was never the true cause. The cause was always Hashem. When Yosef's brothers were treated harshly by the viceroy of Mitzrayim, they did not say, "Look at this antisemitism." They said, "We are guilty because of what we did to Yosef." They understood that a viceroy has no power of his own. It was Hashem giving them kaparah. And notice how exact that kaparah was. Shimon, who wanted Yosef killed, was the only brother taken to prison. Levi, who was next in suggesting harm, was the one who found his money in his sack and had to endure additional agony. Yehudah, who suggested selling Yosef, suffered the torment of thinking Binyamin would not return and that he would be held responsible. Every detail was measured. Hashem is exacting. It may take days, months, or even years, but everyone always gets exactly what he deserves. Sometimes events happen to correct something from a previous lifetime. We don't know the calculations, but we know they are perfect. Hashem arranges everything so we can fulfill our mission in this world and live eternally with true bliss. The Shomer Emunim teaches that when something happens that appears to be a kaparah, a person should tell Hashem that he accepts it fully and knows he deserves it. That avodah elevates a person tremendously and can spare him from additional yesurim. We never need to worry about what others do or whether they are getting away with anything. That is Hashem's department—and He is the most righteous and perfect Judge.

A baal emunah is able to stay calm and composed no matter what type of adversity he is facing. The reason is because he knows for a fact that Hashem was the cause of it, and it is for his best. This attitude is much harder to have when it appears that he is in the difficult position due to other people. There, the yetzer hara tries to convince him that if it wasn't for that other person, he would not be in the position that he is in now. Yosef HaTzaddik, who was a master ma'amin, exemplified the great mida of this type of emunah, when he finally revealed himself to his brothers in this week's parasha, Vayigash . His brothers had planned to kill him, then sold him as a slave, taking him away from his father for years. He had been through so much hardship. And then he told his brothers not to feel bad about any of it because it was Hashem who used them as His messenger to bring him to the place He wanted him to be in. Yosef then hugged and kissed every one of his brothers. This is a tremendous level to reach. There are people who are able to accept the difficulties caused to them by others, but only after they see the benefits that came about as a result of them. The greatest rewards are reserved for those who are able to be calm and accepting even during the darkness when there are no benefits apparent. Rabbi Zilberstein told a story that he witnessed first-hand when he took his father to a clinic for a small procedure. There was a lot of commotion going on in one particular area and everyone realized it. When Rabbi Zilberstein inquired about it, he was told what happened. A man was there to get a couple of his teeth pulled. During the procedure, the doctor accidentally knocked one of his teeth and it went to the back of the man's throat. It was a sharp tooth which could have caused considerable damage to his lungs. The man's children, who accompanied him there, were horrified at what was happening. Specialists were called in and, eventually, they got the tooth out. Afterward, they did an x-ray on that area to make sure there was no damage and they found in the x-ray a very small, cancerous growth which was in its infant stages. They immediately took it out. The doctor said that type of growth is extremely dangerous and doesn't take too long to start doing damage. The fact that they caught it then saved this man's life. After we see the good in that doctor's "mistake" it's very easy to have emunah that it was Hashem who caused that tooth to be knocked out. But who would be able to stay calm and have full emunah that Hashem was the one behind it during the dark time, before they found the growth, when it looked like the patient was going to be negatively affected to no fault of his own? It's not good enough to believe it was Hashem only after the fact. We have to work on ourselves to believe it's Hashem the entire time. In the future, Hashem is going to show us why every single event that happened to every single individual was only because of Him for the best reasons possible. But then it will be too late to have emunah. Then it will be called ידיעה – not faith but knowledge. Now is our time to shine. We are never in any particular circumstance because of what somebody else did. We are only there because of Hashem. The more we are able to internalize this, the more peace of mind we'll have and the greater heights we'll reach. Shabbat Shalom.

There was a man who prided himself on being extremely careful with a particular stringency in halachah. One morning, he realized that in order to keep that stringency exactly the way he wanted, he would have to compromise in another area of halachah. At first, he hesitated. Something didn't sit right. But then he reassured himself that what he was doing was correct and well-intentioned. Later that day, he related what he had done to a rabbi. The rabbi listened carefully and then asked him a simple question: "Who were you trying to please by doing that stringency?" The man was taken aback. He paused and then answered, "Hashem, of course." The rabbi then asked him, "Do you really believe that the same Hashem who commanded you not to compromise that halachah is happier with you because you were extra careful somewhere else? Do you think Hashem says, 'I'm glad you ignored Me here because you were stricter there'?" The man immediately understood. He thanked the rabbi for setting him straight. The rabbi then continued, "Hashem does not want us to choose which parts of the Torah to protect and which parts to bend. If a stringency requires a person to trample another halachah, it is no longer a stringency. It may make the person feel more religious, but he is no longer serving Hashem. He is serving his own sense of what feels right." Sometimes a person becomes so focused on what he is accustomed to doing that he forgets who he is doing it for. This mistake often comes from good intentions. A person wants to grow. He wants to feel more connected. But somewhere along the way, the focus subtly shifts from What does Hashem want? to What do I feel is more meaningful? And once that happens, a person may feel very spiritual while actually drifting away from the true ratzon Hashem. A person may feel that it is so important to give large amounts of tzedakah that he justifies not paying back people he owes money to so that he can fulfill his tzedakah goals. Another person may feel that it is so important to keep a certain chumrah that he compromises on patience, derech eretz, or sensitivity along the way. Others may feel that mitzvot between man and Hashem are more important than mitzvot between man and man—forgetting that all 613 mitzvot were given by the same Hashem, who wants them all fulfilled properly. When a person compromises one halachah to enhance another, he may unknowingly be serving his ego rather than Hashem. The stringency may make him feel elevated, disciplined, or distinct, while the compromised halachah feels less visible or less emotionally rewarding. But Hashem is not impressed by how we feel about a mitzvah. Hashem is pleased when we submit ourselves to His will—even when it doesn't feel dramatic or special. Growth in Torah and mitzvot does not come from choosing which mitzvah shines brighter in our eyes, but from humbly accepting that every single halachah matters, because each one is an expression of Hashem's will. When we remember who we are serving, everything changes. The question we must constantly ask ourselves is: What does Hashem want from me? And very often, that question is not simple to answer. That is why it is so important to have a rabbi to ask. If we truly want to serve Hashem, we will never hesitate to ask questions—even if we are afraid the answer may not align with what we were hoping to do. We always want to do what the Boss wants us to do. When that mindset guides us, and we sincerely seek da'at Torah, we can be confident that we are truly serving Hashem—and that is real success.

When a person is in need of a yeshuah, whether big or small, he must remember one simple truth: Hashem can bring it in an instant, and He has unlimited ways of doing so. Our job is not to pressure the messengers, argue with the intermediaries, or become consumed with how it will happen. Our job is to speak to the Sender. Very often, it is our spiritual hishtadlut that opens doors that once seemed firmly locked. A man related that he was part of a kollel with several learning tracks. Each track had a different style and focus. Once someone committed to a particular track, it was extremely difficult to switch before a certain amount of time passed. This individual chose a track that he soon realized was not right for him. When he discovered another track that felt perfectly suited to his abilities and learning style, he strongly wanted to transfer. He approached the person in charge, but was denied and reminded of the rules. So he continued learning every day, accepting that Hashem had placed him in this situation. He understood that the test was to continue learning Torah even when it was difficult, even when it wasn't in the style that fulfilled his heart's desire. One day, he shared his struggle with a friend. The friend asked him a simple question: "Did you pray to switch?" He realized that he hadn't. Immediately, he began to pray. In addition to mentioning it in his regular tefillot, he began saying Tehillim every day, specifically asking Hashem to help him switch tracks to the one he wanted. Some time later, several people were allowed to switch into that very track. Encouraged, he went back to the person in charge and asked again. Once more, he was denied. This time, instead of becoming frustrated or pleading with the administrator, he made a quiet decision: I'm not going to argue with messengers. I'm going to keep speaking to the One truly in charge. Not long after, one morning on his way to kollel, a man pulled up beside him and offered him a ride. During the conversation, the topic of kollel came up, and he mentioned his desire to switch tracks. When he said the name of the person in charge, the driver replied that he knew him very well and would try to help. Within a few days, the switch was approved. This man didn't waste his energy fighting the messengers. He spoke directly to the Boss, and Hashem sent him exactly the messenger he needed. Another man, an electrician, related that he sat at home for two full days with no work at all. He and his wife sat together, trying to strengthen their emunah, when he received an email from someone asking for help with hachnasat kallah. They spoke it over and decided that tzedakah would be their hishtadlut. They donated $250, in addition to the $118 they had given someone else just an hour earlier. They said that the $368 they had just given would count as the ma'aser for the parnassah that Hashem would send them. The very next day, he received several job calls and earned a total of $3,675—almost exactly the amount that would require the ma'aser they had already given the day before. Hashem can bring the right messengers in a moment. A rabbi told me that a student flew him in from Eretz Yisrael to serve as the mesader kiddushin at his wedding. When the rabbi arrived at the airport, he briefly left his belongings to use the restroom. When he returned, he noticed his hat was gone. He searched everywhere, but it had vanished. The wedding was only hours away, and the city he was in had no stores that sold hats. On the way to the wedding hall, he called a relative who lived in that city and asked what he should do. The relative told him to come to his house immediately. When he arrived, the relative handed him a brand-new hat, still in its box. It was almost identical to the one he had lost and fit him perfectly. The relative explained that seven months earlier, his son had bought a hat in New York and gone straight to the airport afterward. When he got home, he realized the wrong hat had been placed in the box. It didn't fit him, and they had no idea what to do with it. The hat sat unused in their home for months. Now, at the exact moment this rabbi needed a hat, it was waiting for him. Hashem uses His messengers at all times, in all places, often long before we even realize we'll need them. Our main hishtadlut is always with Him.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-369-emunah-before-davening Wed, 24 Dec 2025 14:47:33 +0000 7195 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

Rabbi Menashe Reizman shared a beautiful idea from the Or HaChaim that we can take with us as the days of Chanukah come to an end. One of the central components of lighting the Nerot Chanukah is pirsumei nisa—publicizing the miracle. But this raises a question. The miracle that the oil lasted for eight days is common knowledge among Jews. Why, then, is there such an emphasis on publicizing it? Usually, the need to publicize something is when the message is not yet well known. The Ramban, at the end of Parashat Bo, explains that when Hashem performs open miracles, the purpose is not only the miracle itself, but what we are meant to learn from it. We are meant to internalize that just as Hashem performs revealed miracles, He is equally behind all the hidden miracles that take place every second of our lives. That is the true message we are meant to publicize. Not merely that oil burned for eight days, but that Hashem is behind everything that happens in this world, at every moment. In this week's Parashah, Vayigash, when Yaakov Avinu hears that Yosef is still alive, the pasuk says וַיָּפָג לִבּוֹ כִּי לֹא הֶאֱמִין - that his heart did not believe them. Rashi explains that although Yaakov physically heard the words, his heart was not yet ready to internalize the reality. This happens to us very often. With our mouths, we say that we believe Hashem is in charge of everything that happens in the world. But when we look honestly at the way we live, it becomes clear that our hearts have not fully internalized that belief. If we truly believed that only Hashem runs everything, why do we get so angry when things don't go our way? Why do we become upset at people when they hurt us? Why don't we invest more effort into tefillah? Why are we late to tefillah? If Hashem is the only One in control, then He is the only One we need to impress. If HaKadosh Baruch Hu alone decides our parnassah, then why do we feel pressured to run out of davening for a business meeting? The Nerot Chanukah are there to remind us that Hashem's presence fills every detail of life. Hashem decided that a small amount of oil would burn for eight days. Oil does not burn on its own—it burns only because Hashem wills it to burn. He also made a small group of Jews defeat the mighty Greek army. The Greeks wanted us to believe that the world runs on autopilot, that everything happens naturally. Unfortunately, this belief still exists today. People see weather patterns and global warming, but they don't see Hashem behind every raindrop, every gust of wind, and every change in temperature. When someone loses a business deal, he sees the person who took it away, not Hashem. When someone gains a good opportunity, he credits the person who gave it, not Hashem. We must know with absolute clarity that no human being has any power to help or harm us. No one can use their free will to affect our lives unless Hashem decrees it. But because we are constantly involved in hishtadlut—searching for the best doctor, the best shadchan, the best deal—we easily become absorbed in the effort itself. We begin to believe that success comes from our actions or from the people we rely on, and we forget Who is truly running everything. The message of the Nerot Chanukah is that Hashem alone is behind it all. Someone who has not yet married off his children may still believe that shidduchim depend on shadchanim and networking. But someone who has already married off his children knows with absolute clarity and without the slightest doubt that HaKadosh Baruch Hu alone does everything. There are people who send their children to one yeshivah instead of another out of fear that it might, quote-unquote, "damage shidduchim." But what does that really mean? Hashem brings the shidduch, and He would never want us to do something that is not truly beneficial for our child. One of the clearest indicators of whether we truly believe in Hashem's control is the way we engage in hishtadlut. May we be zocheh to take the light of the Nerot Chanukah with us throughout the year—to move our emunah from our lips into our hearts—and to live with a deep, internalized belief in Hashem's absolute control over everything that happens.

Living Emunah 2867 The Perfect Measure of Hishtadlut The Midrash at the beginning of this week's parashah says: אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר שָׂם ה' מִבְטַחוֹ "Fortunate is the man who places his trust in Hashem." This refers to Yosef, who wholeheartedly trusted in Hashem. The Midrash continues: וְלֹא פָנָה אֶל רְהָבִים — "and he did not turn to the arrogant," which also refers to Yosef, who did not rely on the Sar HaMashkim for help when he was in jail. Yet it also says that because Yosef told the Sar HaMashkim, זְכַרְתַּנִי — "remember me," נִתוֹסַף לוֹ שְׁתֵּי שָׁנִים — two more years were added to his sentence. The mefarshim ask: the Midrash seems to contradict itself. On one hand, it praises Yosef for relying only on Hashem and not on the Sar HaMashkim; on the other hand, it says he was punished for asking the Sar HaMashkim to remember him. Furthermore, the word נִתוֹסַף sounds positive — like תּוֹסֶפֶת כְּתֻבָּה — as if staying longer in prison was somehow beneficial. Rav Leib Diskin explained the following. There is a pasuk in Mishlei: בְּטַח אֶל ה' בְּכָל לִבֶּךָ וְאֶל בִּינָתְךָ אַל־תִּשָּׁעֵן "Trust in Hashem with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding." (Mishlei 3:5) The Gaon explains that this pasuk refers to the highest form of bitachon — when a person needs no hishtadlut at all, like Chizkiyahu HaMelekh, when Hashem wiped out 185,000 soldiers while Chizkiyahu slept in his bed. But there is another pasuk: וּבֵרַכְתִּיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה "I will bless you in all that you do." (Devarim 15:18) From here we learn that we must act , and then Hashem will bless our efforts. This sounds like full hishtadlut is always required, contradicting the pasuk in Mishlei. Then there is a third pasuk in Tehillim that reconciles the two: גּוֹל אֶל־ה' דַּרְכֶּךָ וּבְטַח עָלָיו וְהוּא יַעֲשֶׂה "Roll your way upon Hashem, and trust in Him, and He will do." (Tehillim 37:5) The word גּוֹל — roll — is the key.: משל למה הדבר דומה ? If someone wants to roll a barrel down a hill, all he must do is give it the initial push — and then it rolls on its own. This is how our hishtadlut must be viewed. We give the minimal beginning effort, showing that we know Hashem is the One accomplishing everything afterward. But if a person keeps checking every second to ensure the barrel rolls exactly as he wants, then he believes that his push is what makes everything happen, and he thinks he must constantly control the outcome. Proper hishtadlut means giving an effort that demonstrates that we recognize that Hashem is the One accomplishing.. That was Yosef's level. It was clear hashgachah that the Sar HaMashkim was placed with Yosef in jail, that Hashem gave him a dream, and that Yosef could interpret it. Yosef did not feel on the level of Chizkiyahu to do nothing, but he also did not want to engage in full hishtadlut. Therefore, he did not plead with the Sar HaMashkim. Instead, he minimally said כי אם זְכַרְתַּנִי — "If you happen to remember this episode, then mention me to Par'oh." He remained calm, composed, and made the smallest gesture that showed he believed his role was merely to begin the process — and Hashem would handle the rest. The Maharil Diskin says: Had Yosef done too much hishtadlut — pushing, begging, strategizing — he might have been released immediately. And perhaps he would have returned to his family. But then Ya'akov and the Shevatim would have had to come to Mitzrayim in chains. Because Yosef made the correct hishtadlut, Hashem allowed him to remain the extra two years — until Par'oh would have the dream that would elevate Yosef to become the viceroy of Egypt. Thus, the Midrash fully praises Yosef for the quality of his hishtadlut. The lesson for us is clear. We must be careful never to overdo our hishtadlut in ways that make us believe we control outcomes. If someone pleads for help in a desperate, panicked tone, he is showing that he thinks the results depend on him. If someone constantly emails a buyer until he gets a response, he thinks it is his pressure that will determine the sale. He may indeed get the response — but had he simply begun the process in the right way, he would have gotten the same outcome without the excess hishtadlut that is against Hashem's will. May Hashem help us realize always that He is the One who accomplishes everything, enabling us to make only the hishtadlut that He desires from us. Shabbat Shalom.

In Parashat Vayera, the angels told Lot, מַשְׁחִיתִים אֲנַחְנוּ אֶת הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה — "We are going to destroy this city." And then in the very same pasuk they said, וַיְשַׁלְּחֵנוּ ה' לְשַׁחֲתָהּ — "Hashem sent us to destroy it." At first glance it sounds repetitive. Rabbeinu Bachya explains that the angels initially made a serious mistake. They were supposed to say that Hashem was destroying the city, but instead they said they were going to do it. They were taking credit for something that was not theirs. Immediately afterward, they corrected themselves and said that Hashem was doing it, not them. Rabbeinu Bachya adds that these angels were punished for this error. They did not receive another assignment from Hashem for 138 years, until they descended on the ladder in Yaakov's dream to escort him. Rabbeinu Bachya concludes: from here we see how severe it is for a person to take the honor that rightfully belongs to Hashem and use it for himself. The world was created to bring glory to Hashem, and it is incumbent upon us to do whatever we can to increase His honor. Whenever we accomplish something and later tell people about it, that moment becomes a tremendous opportunity to bring kavod to Hashem. We can tell them the truth — that it was Hashem who accomplished it. But if instead we say that we did it, not only are we saying something false, we are stealing Hashem's honor and using it for ourselves. How many times do people make this mistake without even realizing it? When someone says, "I negotiated a great deal," he is stealing Hashem's honor. When someone says, "My dieting and discipline improved my health," he is stealing Hashem's honor. When someone says, "I recovered because of the treatment that I chose," he is stealing Hashem's honor. When someone says, "The project succeeded because of my strategies," he is stealing Hashem's honor. Even with Torah knowledge, we are not allowed to attribute success to ourselves. When Moshe Rabbeinu told the people about the new judicial system, he said that the difficult cases could be brought to him and he would give the rulings. Because he said that, and implied that the answers came from him, Hashem took away his knowledge when he was asked the question of the daughters of Tzelofhad regarding their father's inheritance. Moshe was meant to say, "Bring me the difficult cases and Hashem will answer them." This is something we must keep in mind always. Our purpose in this world is to bring glory to our King. Every time it appears that we accomplished something and then speak about it afterward, we are standing at a crossroads. We can give credit where credit is truly due and elevate Hashem's name in people's eyes, or we can elevate our own name and diminish His glory. In this week's Parashat Miketz, Pharaoh was disturbed by his dreams, and none of his advisors were able to help him. Finally, the Sar HaMashkim remembered Yosef and told Pharaoh about him. Suddenly, Yosef was rushed out of prison and found himself standing before the king of the most powerful nation in the world. This was his chance to impress the king, his chance for honor and glory, and his opportunity to finally escape prison. Pharaoh said to him, "I heard that you know how to interpret dreams." Yosef, at that very moment, seized the golden opportunity to bring glory to Hashem instead of himself. He replied, בִּלְעָדָי, אֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶה אֶת שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה — "It is not from me; Hashem will answer the welfare of Pharaoh." "It is not I. Hashem interprets dreams." With complete heroism, Yosef refused to take any credit for himself and gave it all to Hashem. And in the end, Hashem rewarded him with an honor greater than anything he could have imagined, elevating him to become the viceroy of Egypt. Our mission in this world is to bring glory and honor to our King. And we are given opportunities to do so all day long.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-368-seeing-the-extraordinary-in-the-ordinary Wed, 17 Dec 2025 15:03:54 +0000 7189 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

When the Chashmonaim entered the Beit HaMikdash, they had every reason to despair. It was in shambles, and it seemed like all of the oil had already been defiled. And then, one moment of extra effort changed history. They discovered one jug of pure oil. That single moment of discovery brought about eight days of light, which in turn produced thousands of years of spiritual illumination for Am Yisrael. Furthermore, they knew they had only enough oil for one day. They could have easily said, what is the point? Anyway, they were going to be without oil for another seven days until they produced more pure oil. However, they understood the value of every effort when it comes to mitzvot. We never say, why bother? Every bit of effort is precious to Hashem. When a person acts l'shem shamayim, Hashem generally blesses his efforts, allowing them to reach far beyond anything he could have imagined. A man whom we will call Joe told me that six years ago, when he was about sixty, his job forced him to relocate to a new city. He had lived his entire life completely devoid of Torah and mitzvot. But with hashgachah pratit, the new city he moved to had a large population of religious Jews. One morning, everything seemed to be going wrong, and he felt he needed to clear his head, so he went out for a bike ride. After riding four miles, a large, magnificent building caught his eye — a recently built shul. He felt it might make him feel better to go inside, so he walked in and decided to sit for a while. When he entered, he saw a minyan in progress and sat quietly in the back, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, simply observing the tefillah. His attire and the fact that he was an out-of-towner drew some attention, but most people continued naturally with their tefillah. Afterward, one man approached him with a warm smile and said hello. He then asked Joe if he would like to put on tefillin. At first, Joe resisted, but then he accepted. It was the first time he had put on tefillin since his bar mitzvah nearly fifty years earlier. He described feeling something incredibly powerful — indescribable — and he began to cry. The man then asked him if he would return the next day to put on tefillin again, and Joe agreed. Without telling him, the man went and purchased a pair of tefillin for Joe. Joe came back the next day, put them on, and once again felt uplifted. The man then introduced him to a website, itorah.com , where thousands of shiurim are available for people on all levels. Joe thanked him and said he would listen. A few weeks later, that same man saw Joe riding his bicycle, this time wearing a kippah and listening to a Torah class. It was an astonishing sight — someone who had never lived a religious life was now proudly wearing a kippah in public. Since then, Joe has learned and completed five masechtot of Gemara, and today he learns every morning for about three hours in a local yeshivah. His wife also became religious, and he says he has never been happier. He now recognizes how much his neshamah was starving for Torah and mitzvot. He sees clearly how the hashgachah of Hashem guided every step: the forced relocation to a religious city, the difficult morning that led him to ride his bike, the inexplicable pull to enter a shul despite his attire, and finally, the one individual who made a small extra effort to say hello and invite him to put on tefillin. He often wonders how different his life would have been without that moment. A little extra effort goes a very long way, especially when we are acting l'shem shamayim.

As we mourn the tragic loss of sixteen pure neshamot who were killed in Sydney, Australia, we are reminded once again that in every generation they rise up against us. We are reminded that we are still in galut, yearning for the coming of the Mashiach, when we will no longer experience terror or sadness. Those who were murdered al kidush Hashem are now in the highest realms of Gan Eden, basking in the radiance of the Shechinah. Their friends and families, however, are left reeling from the tragedy, struggling to understand how their loved ones could be taken in such a horrific way. As we begin the holiday of Chanukah, we must internalize that although it is impossible for us to comprehend the ways of Hashem in this world, we know this is yet another part of His master plan. Hashem is the One who takes lives, and He is the One who will restore them. He has always protected us throughout the generations, though at times we needed to experience forms of affliction beforehand. He is the One who obliterated the Egyptians after they enslaved us for centuries. He saved us from Amalek when we were caught off guard. He saved us from Balak and Bil'am whcen we did not even know how much danger we were in. He saved us from Sanheriv's army, killing 185,000 soldiers in a single night without us lifting a finger. He saved us from the hands of Haman and Ahashverosh. The mighty Greeks issued decrees to tear us away from our Torah. They, like all the other nations, were jealous of our connection to Hashem and sought to destroy it. And once again, Hashem sent heavenly assistance to His people to defeat the strongest empire in the world. The celebration of Chanukah was not that we were physically saved. The celebration was that the light of our Torah and mitzvot was going to continue shining brightly. To make it clear that it is our Torah and mitzvot that are the most precious things we have in this world, Hashem made an additional miracle and kept the flames of the menorah burning for eight days and nights. Our nation is eternal. Our adherence to Torah and mitzvot are the keys to our success. Our response to tragedy must be to redouble our efforts in the performance of mitzvot. A small amount of light can push away a large amount of darkness. Right now, a thick cloud of darkness hovers over us. We ache for our brothers and sisters who are deeply affected by this devastating event. A time of joy has turned into one of grief. We must empathize with those in pain, pray for the injured, and beseech Hashem to console the mourners. We must also use this moment as a personal calling to come closer to Hashem. It will be our collective efforts that bring about the greatest day in history—the day of Bila HaMavet LaNetsach, Umachah Hashem Dima Me'al Kol Panim. The day when there will be no more death, and Hashem Himself will wipe away the tears of all who have suffered. For now, we are still in the dark. But the candles we light on Chanukah will pierce that darkness. Every mitzvah we perform and every word of Torah we learn adds more light to the world. Let us linger a bit longer by the nerot Chanukah, praying for those who are suffering. Let us devote more time to our families, offering chizuk and inspiration to help them grow in the ways of Hashem. Our Torah and mitzvot are our greatest tools. May we be zocheh to witness the greatest light of all—the Or of the Mashiah. Then all the nations of the world will recognize the glory of Hashem and understand that we are His treasured children.

In this episode, we explore a big idea at the intersection of Torah and modern physics: Torah is the blueprint of creation, and as science advances, it often ends up catching up to truths Torah has pointed to all along. Joined by physicist Dr. Berel Epstein, we work through listener-submitted questions from the Shema Podcast WhatsApp community on the universe having a beginning, fine-tuning, the limits of what physics can explain, and what concepts like quantum entanglement and observation suggest about interconnectedness, perception, and responsibility. We also discuss artificial intelligence and why it pushes the conversation toward the deeper question of what a human being actually is, beyond information, productivity, and even intellect.By the end, you'll walk away with a clear framework for how Torah and science relate: where they genuinely align, where science reaches its limits, and how to use scientific language as a tool without confusing it for the source of truth.Order the book, “Emunah and Physics”, on Amazon by click hereWhat happens when a theoretical physicist takes on the deepest questions challenging Jewish belief? Emunah and Physics is a bold, brilliant response to centuries of skepticism and a framework for reclaiming faith.  Join the Conversation! Be part of our growing community—join the Shema Podcast for the Perplexed WhatsApp group to share feedback, discuss episodes, and suggest future topics. Click here to sign up.

Mikess: Hishtadlut & Emunah by Rabbi Avi Harari

Mikess: Hishtadlut & Emunah by Rabbi Avi Harari

There are times when Hashem wants to bestow a blessing upon a person, but in order to do so, the person first needs to acquire extra merits. Therefore, Hashem sends him a test in the very area in which He wants to bless him. By overcoming that test, the person earns far more than anything he would gain by failing it and taking the immediate, fleeting benefit. A rabbi told me that one of his congregants recently received a paycheck that was two thousand dollars more than it was supposed to be. At first, he hoped it was a bonus or a raise, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that if it were something extra, his boss would have told him beforehand. Then came an internal struggle: Should he mention it or quietly deposit it? After a sincere inner battle, he did the right thing and asked the woman who writes the checks about the extra amount. She told him she had made a mistake and had accidentally added the next person's pay to his check. She was so grateful that he came forward, sparing her from serious trouble. She issued a corrected check, and the man walked away having forfeited a potential extra $2,000. Just an hour later, he received a call from a wealthy man asking him to stop by his home on his way home from work. When he arrived, the man thanked him for helping his son and handed him an envelope. Inside was a check for $10,000—five times the amount he had just returned. He had helped that man's son long before, but Hashem placed it in the father's mind to contact him precisely at that moment, right after he passed his test with honesty. Rabbi Ayal Amrami from Israel told another remarkable story. A man, struggling terribly with parnassah, was supposed to receive 600,000 shekel from an inheritance after his father-in-law passed away. His brothers-in-law maneuvered him out of it, and he received nothing. Devastated and furious, he vowed never to speak to them again. Sometime later, he attended one of Rabbi Amrami's classes, where the topic was being mevater—forgiving others even when we are right—and how powerful that is in Shamayim. The man received tremendous chizuk. He decided to forgive his brothers-in-law completely and restore peace in the family. A few weeks later, he went to thank the rabbi for the chizuk and to share the incredible yeshuah that followed. He had just earned three times the inheritance he lost—1.8 million shekels. The rabbi, knowing he learned full-time, asked how he could have possibly made such a sum. The man explained that someone approached him asking to buy the rights above the roof of his apartment in Beit Shemesh. He had never even known he owned such rights. The buyer said he would make a generous, nonnegotiable offer. The man expected a few thousand shekels—until the offer came: 1.8 million shekels. Overcoming nisyanot brings endless reward in the next world, but very often Hashem gifts people with blessings even in this world—using their heroic efforts as the very channel through which those blessings flow.

As we know, shidduchim are from Hashem. Even what appear to be mistakes are all part of the Master Plan. Someone told me that their friend, who is six foot two, became engaged to a girl who is four feet eleven. When the question of her height came up, the initial response was, "almost five feet." Somehow, on the other side, this was heard as five foot three. And based on that, they said yes. Clearly, this was Hashem setting things up so that the meeting would take place and the proper match could come to be. It reminds us that even when details seem unclear or inaccurate, Hashem is orchestrating the outcome. It is important to remember that even when things don't work out, even when the process feels slow, confusing, or painful, it is also from Hashem—and it is for our benefit. A man told me that just before Shavuot, a boy was suggested for his daughter. However, she was scheduled to be out of town until after Shavuot. Then the boy went away. After that, she was leaving for Eretz Yisrael for the summer. The other side initially sounded willing to wait. But when the girl returned in September, they discovered that the boy had already begun dating someone else. A few weeks later, they found out that he was getting engaged to a family friend. The girl's mother was crushed. She felt sure that this boy was perfect for her daughter, and it didn't seem that there were any other options. The father asked their rav to speak to his wife and give her chizuk. The rav told her that in Shamayim, not only is each person's match decided, but there are also several suggestions that a person must hear along the way. Before meeting the right one, a person often has to pass by others who are not meant to be. This process itself brings a person closer to their true zivug. The woman felt comforted and they moved forward. Baruch Hashem, a few months later, another boy was suggested, and this time the shidduch moved quickly to an engagement. The mother later said, "Now that I see the boy she actually got engaged to compared to the previous one, it's so clear that this match is far more compatible for her." We don't know what's truly good for us. Only Hashem does. And therefore, the only logical response is to accept His decisions with trust and happiness. Rabbi Reuven Elbaz shared a powerful story about a young man who had been offered an outstanding shidduch. The girl had wonderful qualities and came from an aristocratic family. After three meetings, however, the girl ended it. The young man was deeply hurt, and because his middot were not refined, he decided to take revenge. He approached a friend he didn't like and suggested this girl to him. The friend took it seriously, looked into her, and reported back that he was interested. The young man then told him that he arranged a meeting for the next night at seven o'clock and gave him the girl's address—without ever asking the girl or her family. The next night, the friend knocked on the door asking for the girl, and the father had no idea what he was talking about. The young man was mortified. The father, realizing something wasn't right, asked who had sent him. When the boy mentioned the young man's name, the father understood immediately what had happened. Rather than sending him away, the father invited the boy to sit for a few minutes to ease his embarrassment. In the course of that short conversation, the father was extremely impressed with him. After looking into him properly, he decided that this young man was suitable for his daughter. Baruch Hashem, they eventually got married. There are no mistakes. Everything is biyad Hashem. And everything He does is for our very best.

The greatest segulot are found in the 613 mitzvot that Hashem gave us. Of course, the true reward for mitzvot is paid in the next world, but they also come with side benefits in this world as well. One man told me that from the time he started saying Birkat HaMazon properly, with understanding and focus, he was able to break through with four new customers in his business. Another man told me that he suddenly received two unexpected payments totaling $25,000. Another man shared something even more striking. He had a fever for nine straight days—the longest he had ever been sick in his life. Just a few days after the fever finally broke, he became ill again, this time with another high fever. He went to the doctor, who ran a series of blood tests. The results were very troubling. His numbers were completely out of range, and his white blood cell count was extremely high, indicating a serious infection. The doctor told him further testing would be needed and that he would have to return for a chest X-ray, as pneumonia was a real concern. Meanwhile, over the previous six weeks, many unusual things had been happening to this man's children. He felt that something wasn't right and decided it was time to have his mezuzot checked. The very same day the doctor gave him the alarming news about his blood work, a sofer arrived at his home to check his mezuzot. After examining them, the sofer told him that thirteen mezuzot were invalid. The man was stunned. He begged the sofer to replace them immediately. The sofer said he would return the next day with new mezuzot. The following day, the man went to the imaging center for his chest X-ray, only to be told that he couldn't have it done without a prescription. Since his doctor's office was located in the same building, he went upstairs to get one. The doctor looked at him and said that he appeared a bit better than before and asked if he could recheck his bloodwork. Just minutes before entering the doctor's office, the sofer had called to inform him that all thirteen mezuzot had been replaced with beautiful, high-quality, kosher mezuzot. When the new blood test results came back, the doctor was astonished. Every number had returned to normal. He told the man, "Everything looks completely fine. I've never seen anything like this in my life." The very next day, the man felt one hundred percent better and resumed his normal routine. Hashem gives us mitzvot for our benefit. He doesn't need anything from us. He only wants to give to us. And the way He gives us is through the performance of mitzvot—but they must be done properly. Birkat HaMazon has extraordinary segulot, but it needs to be said with true appreciation and understanding of the words. Mezuzot protect us, but only when they are written and affixed according to halachah. It was a tremendous act of kindness from Hashem to alert this man that his mezuzot were invalid. Because the primary reason we keep mitzvot is not for the segulot. It is because they are the will of Hashem and a fulfillment of His Torah. When mitzvot are deficient, a person is missing part of his tikkun in this world. Our mission in life is to become complete in the fulfillment of mitzvot. In Hashem's great love for us, along the way, He gives us encouragement, bonuses, and gentle reminders—so that we can succeed in the purpose for which we were created.

In the beginning of this week's Parashat Vayishlach, Ya'akov Avinu is preparing to confront Esav, who wanted to kill him. Rashi tells us that Ya'akov prepared himself in three ways: sending gifts, praying, and strategizing for a potential battle. Why did Rashi list them in this order—placing tefillah second, between sending gifts and preparing for war? The Be'era Parashah explains that Rashi is teaching a fundamental principle about tefillah. Hashem built into the nature of the world that prayer works. And just as giving gifts and preparing for war are normal hishtadlut that people do, so too tefillah operates within the natural order. It is not considered miraculous to have prayers answered. For this reason, the Maharsha writes that although the Gemara teaches that a miracle performed for a person can deduct from his merits, anything attained through tefillah—even the greatest salvations—does not take away any merits, because tefillah is never considered a miracle. This understanding should give us tremendous chizuk. The answering of tefillah is part of how the world was created to function. Tefillot are so powerful that they can change decrees no matter how impossible the odds may appear. Chazal tell us that in Shamayim it had been decreed that Esav would marry Le'ah and Ya'akov would marry Rachel—"the older for the older, and the younger for the younger." The Alshich adds that Le'ah had four overwhelming hurdles preventing her from marrying Ya'akov. First, the heavenly decree had designated her for Esav. Second, the Pasuk testifies to Rachel's beauty. Third, the Pasuk tells us that Ya'akov loved Rachel. And fourth, Ya'akov worked for seven years for Rachel and took great precautions not to be deceived by Lavan. Yet Le'ah prayed so intensely, so persistently, with so many tears that her eyes became tender. And through those tefillot, she overturned the decree and all the natural odds. Chazal say that the greatness of tefillah is such that not only did Le'ah avoid marrying Esav, she even preceded Rachel to marry Ya'akov. And because of those same tefillot, she gave birth to six of the twelve Shevatim—the Bechor, the Kehunah, the Levi'im, the Meluchah, and the lineage of Mashiah—all emerging from her prayers. The Pasuk in Parashat Vayera says that the angels were sent to destroy Sedom while Avraham was still standing before Hashem. The next Pasuk tells us that Avraham prayed for Sedom to be spared. The Seforno explains: even though the decree had already been issued and the angels had already arrived in Sedom, Avraham still prayed, because he understood the ways of Hashem. As Chazal tell us Even if a sharp sword is already touching a person's neck, he should still pray, because tefillah can work no matter how desperate the situation seems. This past year, a woman received the difficult news that she had a tumor, lo 'alenu. At that time, she strengthened herself in guarding her speech and devoted herself to encouraging others to do the same. She was told that she would need the strongest form of chemotherapy. The doctors warned her of every side effect—especially that it was absolutely guaranteed she would lose all her hair. She asked them if there was anything at all she could do to avoid this. Their answer was clear: with the dosage she required, there was a one-hundred-percent certainty she would lose every strand. But she strengthened herself with the knowledge that with Hashem, nothing is fixed. She poured her heart into tefillah—not only for a full recovery, but also that she should not lose any of her hair. Today, Baruch Hashem the tumor has been completely removed. And amazingly, she did not lose even one strand of hair throughout the entire process. The doctors had no explanation. But the explanation is clear. She prayed to the Creator of the world—the One Who decides whether hair falls out or remains. Tefillah is wondrous, and Hashem created it to work as part of the natural order of the world. The more a person recognizes Hashem's power and involvement in every aspect of his life, the deeper, stronger, and more effective his tefillah becomes. Shabbat shalom.

It is not uncommon for a person to feel down about himself when he looks around and notices other people's strengths and talents. He sees that his friends give more charity than he does. He sees that they pray with more concentration. They understand the learning more quickly, and everything seems to come easier for them. And he begins to wonder, "What is my life worth? I have nothing that I excel in." A young man once wrote a painful letter to Rav Shlomo Wolbe about his struggle in yeshivah. He felt everyone else understood the Gemara and shiurim right away, while he worked so hard just to grasp the basics. Others remembered what they learned, while he forgot. He felt he was accomplishing nothing, and it was breaking him. Rav Wolbe wrote back that he was suffering from a bad case of jealousy and explained- Seeing other people's strengths can make a person feel like he has nothing. But if he would only realize what priceless gifts Hashem has given him, his whole outlook would change. A person must know that when it comes to our avodat Hashem, if we use the strengths and weaknesses we were given to serve Hashem, we can reach the highest levels of kedushah. A person's strengths were not given randomly. And his weaknesses were not an accident. They are the exact tools he is meant to have to serve Hashem with. If a person truly knew that Hashem gave him a very specific job and that this is all Hashem wants from him, he would never care what anyone else has. He has a mission that nobody else could ever fulfill. No one else could do his job in this world. We are never measured against what other people do. In fact, if a person was blessed with outstanding talents, that only means he carries greater responsibility. And if he does not use those gifts properly, he will be held more accountable for them. Sometimes the very people we envy are the ones who will face harsher judgment if they fail to live up to their potential. A person should be happy learning the way he knows best. He should be happy praying the way he can. He should be happy giving the amount of tzedakah he is capable of giving. If he fulfills his maximum potential with his own tools, he can reach the same greatness as the greatest people of his generation. But if someone constantly thinks, "Why can't I understand like him?" or "Why can't I remember like him?" he can destroy his entire mission in this world. Shelomo Hamelech taught us that jealousy causes rotting of the bones. It decays a person from the inside. It takes all the beautiful gifts Hashem gave him and makes them rot, because he feels worthless compared to others and stops using them. Instead of building, jealousy paralyzes. Instead of growing, it shrivels. We are in this world for one reason: to serve Hashem. Everything else is secondary. Hashem did not ask us to be someone else. He only asked us to be who He created us to be. And what He gave us is exactly what we need to succeed. If we had what others had, we would be wasting our life. This applies to middot as well. If a person is naturally anxious, it is because that is the area he must refine. If someone is short-tempered, it is because that is the battlefield Hashem gave his neshamah. If someone struggles with motivation or patience or trust, that is not a flaw in the system — it is the system. Hashem is the only One who knows our mission. And He built each of us perfectly to accomplish it. There never was and never will be another person with your exact combination of talents, fears, urges, childhood experiences, temperament, and circumstances. Every detail was planned by our loving Creator who wants us to succeed in the mission that we were sent here to fulfill. Instead of focusing on what everyone else has, we should be thanking Hashem for who we are-because that is the only way we can be successful in this world

Sometimes we hear stories of shidduchim that sound unbelievable — a match suggested by mistake, a name mentioned in passing, a resume being sent after being told "no" again and again, two people from completely different worlds coming together in ways no one could have ever predicted. These stories remind us that Hashem is actively involved in every shidduch that takes place. Not only are the meetings from Hashem — even the responses are from Hashem. Who says yes and who says no. Who returns a call and who doesn't. Who suddenly becomes interested and who loses interest. Who delays and who decides quickly. It is all guided by Hashem. If a shidduch fails, it is not because of something that was said or done. It is because it was not meant to be. And if a shidduch is meant to be, Hashem has millions of ways of making it happen. We never have to worry about how we will meet the one Hashem intended for us. He already arranged it. Rabbi Reuven Elbaz told of a baal teshuvah who joined his yeshivah. The man was already older and still had not married. The rabbi gently encouraged him to begin dating, and after much hesitation, he finally agreed. Some time later, a match was proposed and a meeting was arranged at a hotel. The young man arrived on time — but the girl never showed. He waited. And waited. While sitting in the lobby, he noticed another young woman who also seemed to be waiting for someone. Curious, he gently asked her who she was waiting for. She replied that she was supposed to meet a man, but he apparently had not shown up. The man then told her what had happened to him and asked if perhaps they would agree to meet and see if there might be compatibility between them. She hesitated — but then agreed. That "chance" meeting turned out to be the right one. After making all the proper inquiries, they discovered they were perfect for each other. Baruch Hashem, he eventually became a serious talmid chacham, and to this day he thanks Hashem for sending him the best wife possible in the most unexpected way. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Friedman, author of the popular Gilyon Noam Siach , related another remarkable story. Last summer, he attended the engagement party of one of the members of his kehillah. When he arrived, the father of the chatan hurried over and said, "Rabbi, I want to tell you how this shidduch happened." A few weeks earlier, the man had attended the engagement party of the rabbi's daughter. When he arrived at the hall, there was a line of people waiting to give their wishes. When it was his turn, the rabbi warmly greeted him and then, unexpectedly, said, "Please sit for a little while — over there, near my sons and sons-in-law." The man was puzzled. No one else had been asked to sit. He had never planned on sitting. But because the rabbi asked, he went and sat. Just before that evening, a shidduch had been suggested for his son Pinchas, but this father had not felt drawn to it. Now, while sitting among the rabbi's family, he began speaking with one of the rabbi's sons-in-law. When the son-in-law mentioned where he lived, the father realized he lived in the same neighborhood as the girl's family. So he asked him about them. The son-in-law spoke glowingly about the family. By the end of that one conversation, the father's heart had changed. And now — Baruch Hashem — they were celebrating the engagement. Hashem knows how to place people in the right location, at the right time, with the right words and the right mood — in ways none of us could ever design. A person should never fall into despair wondering, "Maybe I ruined it. Maybe I said something wrong." If a shidduch is meant to be, nothing in the world can stop it. And if it is not meant to be, then it was never truly yours — no matter how promising it looked. When the Steipler Rebbe went to meet the sister of the Chazon Ish, he knew the trip involved a four-hour train ride. Planning to sleep during the ride, he learned intensely for nearly two days straight without rest. But upon boarding, he worried that the seats might contain sha'atnez — so he stood the entire trip. By the time he arrived, he was utterly exhausted. During the meeting, he fell asleep multiple times. He also had a hearing problem and struggled to hear much of what was said. And still — she said yes. Because when Hashem wants the shidduch, nothing can stop it. Hashem is the Master Shadchan. He brings people together in ways that defy logic, timelines, and expectations. And when we truly absorb this, shidduchim become less frightening, less pressured — and far more peaceful. We learn to trust. We learn to wait. We learn that when it is time — it will happen.