Podcasts about Emunah

Hashem sends us "love notes", kavayachol , from time to time to show us He's with us and how much He cares about us. Everything that happens is from Hashem, but when He makes it extra clear that He is involved, it gives us a lot of chizuk. A woman emailed that she had to bring her 3-week-old newborn to the hospital for testing and a procedure, and it was very stressful for them. While her and her husband were in the waiting room, her husband told her not to forget her siddur, as he pointed to it on the other side of the room. She knew she didn't bring her siddur to the hospital, but when she went over to check, she saw her name on it. They figured out her husband must have brought it when she was giving birth three weeks earlier. Now it was in the waiting room of the Nephrology Unit. That meant, Hashem took her siddur that had been floating around the hospital for three weeks and put it exactly where their baby was going to be when undergoing this procedure. They felt Hashem was giving them a kiss, kavayachol , and that made their experience much less stressful. Baruch Hashem, everything worked out okay. A man told me his son is older and not married. Last year, he was lighting the Chanukah candles in his dormitory feeling sad that all of his friends were in their own homes with their wives and children, lighting, and he was still in a dormitory. That night, he poured out his heart to Hashem and concluded by saying, "Please, Hashem, can You give me the merit of being able to light the Chanukah candles next year married in my own apartment? Baruch Hashem, this boy just got engaged and his future in-laws scheduled the wedding for the night before Chanukah. When he heard the date, he cried tears of joy, seeing how Hashem gave him exactly what he asked for. Another man told me, as a side job, he builds sukkot for people. He created his own sukkah which usually takes him days to build. This year, a new young couple moved into the second apartment in the two-family house he lives in. He told this couple that they would be able to use his sukkah any time. They were so happy because they didn't have a sukkah of their own. The night after Yom Kippur, this man had to take his baby to the hospital, and the hospital said they wanted to keep him there until he was completely healed. That meant that this man and his wife had to take turns staying with the baby there. Baruch Hashem, it looked like the baby was going to be fine, but throughout his time there this man was concerned he would not have time to build his sukkah this year. What were they going to do? The hospital didn't release the baby until late Thursday night with Sukkot being the next night. The man was hoping that somehow, because he builds other people's sukkot , this year Hashem would take care of his. Friday morning, he saw in his driveway a whole bunch of new sukkah panels. What were they doing there? He wondered. He asked his new neighbors about them and the man replied his parents had extra panels and asked him if he needed them. Since he didn't see any sukkah being put up in the driveway, he said yes, he did. It was a huge 12x20 sukkah , but there was no schach or wooden beams. The man said to him, "I have the schach and I have the wooden beams." It was a very easy sukkah to construct and, baruch Hashem, they had the nicest sukkah they ever had. The man told me, the feeling was amazing. Every year it takes him days to build his own sukkah . This year, when he wasn't able to, Hashem sent him a sukkah right to his doorstep on Erev Sukkot. Feeling the Yad Hashem is exhilarating. He sends everyone subtle messages from time to time. If we take them to heart, it will give us so much chizuk .

The beginning of Parashat Ha'azinu speaks about the kindnesses that Hashem did for Am Yisrael after they left Mitzrayim. He surrounded them with His Clouds of Glory in the desert. He then brought them into Eretz Yisrael and gave them the most delicious fruits to eat. Hashem took care of them physically in every way. But then the pasuk rebukes the people for not showing the proper gratitude. Instead of becoming more devoted to Hashem, they became worse. The best way to serve Hashem is with feelings of gratitude. We must feel gratitude even for the smallest blessings—how much more so for the countless blessings that Hashem gives us every single day. Even if a person received only a small gift, he is obligated to feel hakarat hatov. Rabbi Menashe Reizman told a story that was related by Rabbi Naftali Halberstam, which happened to him personally. In 1947, while he was learning in a yeshiva in Israel, there was a draft for the army. One day a military jeep pulled up and soldiers demanded their ID cards. Rabbi Naftali and two of his friends did not have any documents of exemption and were arrested. Eventually, they were brought to trial. When the names of the boys were called out before the judge, they announced, "Naftali Halberstam." The judge trembled, turned angrily toward the police, and shouted, "You brought this lunatic here? Send him and his friends away immediately!" Just like that, the boys received their release papers. Years later, Rabbi Naftali was walking down the street and suddenly recognized that judge. He reminded him of what he had done years before and asked his name so he could show proper hakarat hatov. The judge said, "You think you know about gratitude? I'll tell you what gratitude is." He then recalled a story about his father, whom we'll call Yehuda. Yehuda had moved to Israel but was not fond of the charedim. One day a great rebbe came to town and everyone went to get a blessing. Yehuda had no interest, but his friends persuaded him to come along. When it was his turn, the gabbai told him to write down a request and leave a small donation. Yehuda put down two small coins and said he had no requests. The rebbe blessed him, and he left. That year, the rebbe passed away. A few months later, Yehuda saw the rebbe in a dream. The rebbe said, "You showed me kindness by giving me two coins. I have come back to repay you by telling you that both your Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin are pasul." At first, Yehuda dismissed the dream, but his friends convinced him it couldn't hurt to check. He did, and found that indeed both pairs of tefillin were completely pasul. Yehuda later said, "Years have passed, but that dream saved me from being someone who never wore kosher tefillin." The judge concluded, "That was my father's story. When I heard your name in court, 'Halberstam,' I immediately remembered that rebbe, Rabbi Halberstam of Shinova. I trembled, and I released you at once, pretending you were a lunatic. It was part of the chain of gratitude from the rebbe, who I knew would want you released." If Hashem allowed a rabbi to appear in a dream to repay gratitude for two small coins, imagine how much hakarat hatov we owe Hashem for everything He gives us. Hashem showers us with infinite kindness, and thoughtful people recognize it. Rabbi Avigdor Miller was a master of hakarat hatov. He opened our eyes to see the endless chasadim that Hashem does for us. One of his famous examples was the peel of an apple. Once the peel is removed, the apple rots quickly. Hashem created the peel to keep the apple fresh longer than any man-made container. The apple is full of liquid, and to keep the juices from seeping out, Hashem designed the peel with a slight layer of oil. The peel also prevents rainwater from soaking into the fruit while it is still on the tree. The peel acts as a sign of readiness: its colors shift—red, green, yellow—to signal when the fruit is sweet and edible. Unlike people, whose outward garments often conceal what lies within, the peel truthfully reveals the fruit's state. Hashem even made the peel attractive and fragrant to make the apple more appealing. How does all that sweetness enter the fruit? Through the thin brown stem at the top. From mud and rain below and sunshine absorbed by the leaves, everything passes through that tiny channel into the fruit. No human could design such a delicate conduit. Yet Hashem uses it to bring forth nourishment and delight. Inside, the juice is distributed evenly, refreshing without spilling. The apple can be sliced neatly without mess. When one finishes eating, there is a "coupon" inside for countless more apples—the seeds. It's like a chocolate bar that comes with a voucher for another bar and another, endlessly. Each apple contains the potential for thousands more. Hashem arranged that the flesh around the seeds be tough and inedible, so they would be preserved. Each seed lies in its own perfectly designed chamber, ready to grow into a new tree. This is just part of the kindness contained in one apple. Hashem designed the entire world for our benefit. It is incumbent upon us to recognize this, and to serve Him happily with gratitude, showing that we are capable of being the people He created us to be. Shabbat Shalom.

In His great love for us—Hashem shared with us what is going on in the heavens at this critical time of year so that we can succeed. The entire world was judged on Rosh Hashanah, but most of them didn't even know it. They went about their regular business, while we had the zechut to be in shul praying to Hashem. We were given the perfect words to say in the Amidah. We knew exactly what we needed to do: accept the kingship of Hashem upon us, internalize that there is purpose in life, that we are rewarded and punished for everything that we do, and blow the shofar. And now Hashem is prepared to remove our sins on the day that our judgment is finalized, and He told us what to do to make it happen. Yom Kippur is a day when we can become so close to Hashem. All we need to do is repent for the averot that we have done. On this final day of judgment, Hashem removes the satan so that nobody can prosecute us. He wants us to succeed. He wants to give us the best of everything. It is up to us to do our part. The plan of Hashem is for us to enjoy eternal bliss in the World to Come, but for that to happen we must do our jobs properly in this world. Yom Kippur is a time to focus on what's really important in life. All year long the yetzer hara tries to make us forget. He tricks us into sinning, but now, when we are the most focused, it's time to wake up. It's time to feel bad about what we have done and accept upon ourselves to leave those bad ways. Our souls yearn to be close to Hashem. That is the way we will be the happiest. A man told me that on a regular night there are an average of 10,000 Jews at the Kotel. Out of the 10,000, there are an average of 300 completely unaffiliated Jews, and out of those 300, at least 30 of them become ba'alei teshuvah just from the Selichot. From what? From putting their hands on the Kotel and saying out loud שמע ישראל ה׳ אלקינו ה׳ אחד . Their souls become aroused to become closer to Hashem. All of our happiness comes from being close to Hashem, but that requires us to overcome our evil inclination and do what Hashem wants. Everybody has things they know they can improve in. The yetzer hara tries to convince a person to push it off, saying eventually he'll change, just not yet. On Yom Kippur, when we are thinking clearly, we must accept upon ourselves to be the people we know we are capable of being. Sometimes it's extremely hard, but we have the ability to do it. Let us not let this opportunity go by without utilizing it properly. Somebody told me he has been in a bitter dispute with someone else. They both feel that they have been wronged, and neither of them would even consider apologizing to the other. Over the course of time, the hatred they had toward each other only grew worse. Many Yom Kippurs went by, and they continued carrying the weight of this machloket on their shoulders. Recently this man asked me for chizuk, words that would make him want to make peace. He reiterated that he didn't think it was possible to even talk to the other individual, let alone apologize. I told him there is something very important he must realize. He is viewing this as something between him and the other person, but he is forgetting the most important part of the picture: it is Hashem who commanded us not to hate. It is Hashem who commanded us not to have machloket. The same way we have a mitzvah to put on tefillin and sit in the sukkah, we have a mitzvah to have peaceful relationships with people. When a mitzvah is extremely hard to do, we dig deep down and we are moser nefesh to do what Hashem wants. I told this man to talk to Hashem and say: "Although it is extremely difficult to apologize to someone who I feel wronged me, I'm doing it for You, Hashem." With that act, he will bring so much kedushah into himself. He will connect to Hashem in amazing ways and rid himself of the terrible sin of hatred and machloket. When he does that, he will feel so much better. It will remove so much negative energy from his body and cause his soul to soar to the greatest heights. Now is the time to make teshuvah. Hashem wants to bless us in every way, and that is what He told us to do. It is up to us to push ourselves and accept to live up to our potential, and with Hashem's help, we should all have a gmar chatimah tovah.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-360-anger-at-hashem Wed, 01 Oct 2025 14:29:07 +0000 7126 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

As we get closer to Yom Kippur, the feelings of awe and trembling intensify. We are trying harder and harder to be better, to make teshuvah , but the list of averot is long—many we don't even remember we did. Bittul Torah, Lashon Hara, Onat Devarim —and the list goes on. We are afraid to be judged for our actions, just as we say in Tehillim : אִם־עֲו‍ֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמָר־קהּ ה' מִי יַעֲמֹד "Hashem, if You will take all of our sins into account, who will be able to stand before You?" The pasuk in Mishlei (17:23) says: שֹׁחַד מֵחֵק רָשָׁע יִקָּח לְהַטּוֹת אָרְחוֹת מִשְׁפָּט Rashi explains that this means Hashem, so to speak, accepts "bribery" from the rasha and changes his judgment from bad to good. Similarly, the Midrash Shocher Tov on Tehillim (17) says: Hashem tells us, "My children, while the gates of tefillah are open, do teshuvah , because in this world I will accept bribery. But once I sit in judgment in the future, I will no longer accept it." The Midrash concludes that the time Hashem accepts shochad is right now—during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah. It sounds like from the Midrash that the bribery Hashem accepts is teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah. Whereas in an earthly court, if the person on trial says he's sorry, it doesn't change anything—if he's guilty, he's guilty. But in Hashem's court, if the person says, "I'm sorry," then Hashem lets him off. However, the Chafetz Chaim explains, based on Chazal, that it goes much further than this. The Tomer Devorah says similarly: when a person has mercy on others, even though he was wronged by them, that brings the mercy of Hashem upon him, even though he did wrong to Hashem. When we overcome our evil inclination to take revenge, to bear a grudge, or to hate an individual that harmed us—even though he may deserve it—but instead we forgive, that is the bribery Hashem accepts. He will then give us mercy and blessing, even though we don't deserve it. During the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah we say: המלך המשפט . The Mareh Yechezkel asks seemingly, it would be better for us to say the usual: מלך אוהב צדקה ומשפט . Why would we switch now and only speak about Hashem being the King of mishpat, which is strict justice? The rabbi answered: all year long, we say that Hashem loves both tzedakah and mishpat. He loves giving us tzedakah, but He also loves justice being carried out, and we don't know which one He loves more. Now, during these days, we declare המלך המשפט —Hashem is the King over mishpat. He is the only ruler and decider about how the rules of mishpat will be carried out, and we are hoping that He will override the regular rules and use His power as King to pardon us. But that will depend on whether we give Him, so to speak, the ability to do so. And He told us how: we must overlook and forgive those who wronged us. A couple of hundred years ago in Lithuania, there was a family blessed with four boys who all became outstanding talmidei chachamim, each one a gadol b'Yisrael. The most famous of them was Rabbi Yechiel Michal Heller z"l, author of the sefer Amudei Or. He was a tremendous gaon. Each one of his brothers also wrote sefarim and served as rabbis leading massive congregations. Rabbi Yechiel used to sign his name " העלוב יעקב מיכל בן ר' אהרן "—"the downtrodden or humiliated one, Yechiel the son of Aaron." One of the rabbi's grandchildren related why he signed his name that way. Rabbi Yechiel's grandfather was an extremely wealthy man who traveled from city to city doing business, leaving his daughter in charge of his store. Many unscrupulous people were jealous of his wealth and spread a false rumor that his daughter had committed a terrible sin. When the time came for shidduchim, nobody in the community would marry her. She grew older, and nothing changed. Her father was distraught. They knew the truth—that she had done nothing wrong—but nothing they said could change people's minds. The father couldn't bear to watch his daughter grow older with no hope of a shidduch. He decided to inquire about a young man named Aharon Shmeisser, the son of a wagon driver. Aharon would sit near his father, and when the man who whipped the horse grew tired, Aharon was the backup. He knew no Torah and worked the lowest of jobs. But the wealthy man could not allow his daughter to continue suffering. He told his daughter his plan, and with no better alternative, she agreed. The wealthy man asked the wagon driver if he would allow his son to marry his daughter. At first he hesitated, but after some thought, he agreed, and after just one meeting the wedding date was set. On the day of the wedding, the bride whispered a tefillah to Hashem: "You know the truth that I am completely innocent. I believe this was all orchestrated by You, that this man is my zivug, and that there was no other way my father would have ever agreed to let him marry me. Therefore, I don't hold anyone accountable for this. I will not hate anyone or hold a grudge against them. But please, Hashem, give me children who will be outstanding talmidei chachamim ." Her prayer was answered. She merited to have four sons who became among the greatest chachamim of their time. She overlooked the wrong done to her and believed it was all from Hashem, and that opened the heavens to shower blessing upon her. This is why her son signed his name העלוב —for his mother, the aluvah. It was in her merit that all of his Torah came to be. The power of overlooking and forgiving is wondrous.

The Rambam writes in Hilchot Teshuvah that every person should consider himself a benoni — a person exactly in the middle. This means that if he does even one more mitzvah, that single deed can tilt his own scales of judgment in his favor. But not only that — it can tilt the scale of the entire world and bring merit to all of humanity. One good deed has the power to bring salvation to the entire world at large. Therefore, especially during these days when the judgments are pending, it is incumbent upon us to increase our acts of tzedakah, to do more good deeds, to pray with greater concentration, and of course, to make teshuvah. אַשְׁרֵיכֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל — how fortunate are the Jewish people! Our people are so good; they can't wait to do acts of kindness, of chesed, of helping others at every opportunity. Michael Cohen from the Mitzvah Man organization told me that before the summer, he put out a request on behalf of a woman who had a special-needs child. She couldn't afford to send him to camp, but she hoped perhaps a volunteer might come and learn with him during an afternoon. Michael sent out the message, and right away, one person responded and pledged to go every Monday afternoon. When he told the woman, she was overjoyed. Then someone else called and said he would go every Tuesday. Then a third person offered Thursday afternoons — even though he would need to drive more than twenty minutes each way. The woman was deeply touched. And then, a fourth person called and asked: "How much is the camp tuition?" When he was told the amount, he immediately said he would cover the entire cost. Just like that, this woman's burden was lifted beyond anything she could have imagined. Hashem treasures every act of chesed and tzedakah that we do. And sometimes He shows us that appreciation very clearly. A man told me that one morning in shul, a collector — we'll call him Yehudah — came asking for help. This man not only gave him some money, but he felt bad for Yehudah, who was new in town and had nowhere to eat. He invited him for Shabbat. When Yehudah came, the host noticed his sweater had a very large rip in it. After a beautiful Shabbat meal, just before Yehudah was going to leave, the host remembered a brand-new sweater he had recently bought for three hundred dollars. Wanting to help, he told Yehudah: "Wait a moment." He went upstairs, brought it down, and asked Yehudah to try it on. It fit perfectly. The host said, "Since it's Shabbat, I can't give you a gift today — but you can wear it now, and after Shabbat it will be yours." Yehudah left so happy with his new sweater. And the host was even happier — not only for helping, but because his children had witnessed this act of generosity and learned through his example. That very afternoon, the host's wife went to visit her sister-in-law nearby. Normally, she would return home before Shabbat ended, but that day she stayed much longer. After Shabbat, just as she was leaving, her brother walked in from shul and said, "Perfect timing! I just bought a sweater that turned out a bit too big for me. I think it would be great for your husband. Please take it for him." When she came home minutes later, again in front of their entire family, she handed her husband a brand-new sweater. She told him: "Hashem was so impressed with what you did today, giving away your sweater, that He wanted you to see His appreciation right away. He arranged to send you another brand new sweater the very same day." Our deeds are so precious. Every act counts, especially during these days. Let us utilize them to their fullest. With Hashem's help, may we all be sealed in the Book of Life with a חתימה טובה .

Emunah education and how to do teshuva effectively

The Rambam writes that although teshuvah and tefillah are powerful all year long, during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah they are even more potent and accepted immediately. As the pasuk says: דִּרְשׁוּ ה׳ בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ, קְרָאֻהוּ בִּהְיוֹתוֹ קָרוֹב — seek out Hashem when He is closest, which is right now, in these days leading up to Yom Kippur. The mitzvah of this time is repentance: feeling regret for the sins we have done and sincerely accepting upon ourselves to improve going forward. Hashem desires our teshuvah even more than we do. He is called haRotzeh b'teshuvah — the One Who longs for repentance. There are many people we know whom we wish would be more observant. We try to encourage them, but they aren't interested. Yet tefillah can help bring them back to Torah and mitzvot. When we pray for others to make teshuvah , they receive more heavenly assistance to return. And if at this time of year our prayers are more readily accepted than any other time, we must seize the chance not only to pray for ourselves but also to pray for others to come closer to Hashem. Hashem has countless ways to awaken someone. In one simple act of hashgachah peratit , a person's life can change forever. A man named Reuven related the following story. Every summer, he and his family go up to the mountains for two months. They rent a truck to bring up their belongings, then drop it off at a return location and take a taxi back to their bungalow. One year, the return point was in a far-off place, completely devoid of Jews. Reuven arranged with a friend who was also returning his truck that day to share the same taxi. He returned his truck and waited. But his friend called to say he was delayed. As Reuven stood there waiting, a car pulled up. The driver asked if he knew of any shuls nearby. Reuven answered, "There are no Jews in this area. What brings you here?" The man explained that he had driven over four hours from his hometown to see the house his grandmother had lived in 85 years ago. Recently, he had been introduced to Torah and mitzvot and had begun putting on tefillin every day. But he hadn't yet put them on that day and was hoping to find a shul. Reuven immediately realized: This is hashgachah peratit. He told the man, "I should have been gone twenty minutes ago, but due to an unexpected delay I'm still here. Hashem wanted us to meet." He directed the man toward his bungalow colony, where thousands of Jews lived. Just then, Reuven's friend arrived in the taxi. Reuven excitedly told him what had happened. The friend replied, "I was so annoyed by the delay — but now I understand why it happened." He explained that when he went to return his truck, the clerk overcharged him. He argued for a long time until the clerk admitted it was a mistake. That delay was exactly what allowed Reuven to meet the searching Jew. Even a clerk's mistake is from Hashem. When they returned to the bungalow, they saw the man again and brought him to their rabbi. A relationship was formed, and over time this man became fully observant, now living a life of Torah and mitzvot. Hashem can give people extra help to return to Him. Especially now, we must pray for it. The Arizal said that one who has a child or relative off the derech should add at the end of the berachah Hashivenu Avinu l'Toratecha , before concluding, the following yehi ratzon : יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ וֵאלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתַּחְתֹּר חֲתִירָה מִתַּחַת כִּסֵּא כְבוֹדֶךָ לְהַחֲזִיר בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה לְפָנֶיךָ כָּל פּוֹשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבִכְלָלָם תַּחֲזִיר אֶת בְּנִי ______ בֶּן ______ בִּתְשׁוּבָה לְפָנֶיךָ, כִּי יְמִינְךָ פְּשׁוּטָה לְקַבֵּל שָׁבִים . Then conclude: " בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ הָרוֹצֶה בִּתְשׁוּבָה ." May Hashem help us return to Him fully, and may He help all those who are distant to come back as well.

Understanding what is going on

Chazal tell us that on Rosh Hashanah, Sarah, Rachel, and Chana were remembered and decreed to have children. Rashi explains that on Rosh Hashanah, Hashem decreed for them that in the upcoming year they would each give birth. The Gemara also teaches that on Rosh Hashanah, Yosef was decreed to be released from the Egyptian prison where he had been locked away for twelve years. We already know that every person is judged on Rosh Hashanah, and whatever will happen in the coming year is decided on that day. So what is unique about these great tzaddikim being judged favorably on Rosh Hashanah? Some explain that the Gemara is teaching us the extent of what can happen on Rosh Hashanah. It was physically impossible for Sarah, Rachel, and Chana to conceive — and yet that changed on Rosh Hashanah. It was a foregone conclusion that Yosef would never leave prison. No one close to him even knew where he was. Tehillim describes his soul as bound in chains. And yet, on Rosh Hashanah, everything changed. The world itself undergoes a rebirth on Rosh Hashanah. Everything starts fresh. What was impossible before can suddenly become possible. This should fill us with chizuk . Rosh Hashanah brings with it so much opportunity in every area of life. What was true last year has no bearing on this year. No matter how long a person has been waiting for a yeshuah , no matter how stuck his situation seems, he should feel that on Rosh Hashanah everything can change in an instant. This past year, I heard of a woman in her upper 60s who got married for the very first time. After so many years, it would seem unthinkable. She could have said, "If I didn't find anyone in the last fifty years, why should I find someone now?" But last Rosh Hashanah, Hashem decreed that the time had come, and she celebrated the most joyous wedding with her friends and family. A man told me about his own miracle. He and his wife had struggled for years to conceive. Eventually, all the doctors told them the same heartbreaking verdict: It is impossible. They recommended a surrogate, which would cost $130,000 — money the couple simply did not have, after already draining their savings on unsuccessful treatments. They tried in every possible way to raise the funds, but every attempt was blocked. And then, suddenly, the woman discovered she was expecting. The doctors were shocked. The couple went from despair to the greatest joy. They told me: We never lost our faith in Hashem, no matter what the doctors said. This is the power of Rosh Hashanah. People who are sick can be decreed for refuah. People searching for their zivug can be decreed to find them. The Melech Malchei HaMelachim , the King of Kings, comes to be with us during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, beginning on Rosh Hashanah night. We must seize this glorious opportunity. Let us accept upon ourselves to strengthen in Torah and mitzvot, to refine our ways, and to pray with all our hearts. And in that merit, may we be blessed with a year of berachah and hatzlachah in every area of our lives.

At the end of Parashat Nitzavim, the Torah tells us: " הַחַיִּים וְהַטּוֹב נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ… וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים " — Hashem places life and goodness before us, and it is our job to choose life. Choosing life means choosing to follow Hashem's will, which always leads to blessing and good. At times, it may feel very difficult to do what's right. Sometimes it even seems as if we are losing by following the Torah. But that is only the way the test looks on the surface. In truth, when a person does Hashem's will, he never loses. Rabbi Yaakov Galinsky z"l gave a beautiful insight regarding a famous episode in the Torah. Chazal teach us that our Imahot were prophetesses. When Leah became pregnant with her seventh child, she saw through Ruach HaKodesh that it would be a boy. That meant that Rachel would end up with fewer shevatim than even Bilhah and Zilpah. After Leah already had four sons, Rashi tells us she had cried out to Hashem for another because she yearned to have more shevatim — but now she realized what this meant for her sister. If she were to have seven sons, it would have been a tremendous zechut. But Leah thought: How can I take so much for myself while my sister has so little? So she prayed that the child within her be changed from a boy to a girl. She gave up the neshama of Yosef HaTzaddik — one of the greatest figures in our history, considered on the level of the Avot HaKedoshim themselves — so that Rachel could merit having him instead. And Hashem answered her prayer. Leah gave birth to Dinah, and Rachel merited to bear Yosef. Think about what Leah gave up. She saw in her Ruach HaKodesh the greatness of Yosef, and she longed for the zechut of bringing him into the world. Yet she willingly sacrificed that privilege so her sister would not suffer. Nobody else knew of her prayer — it was a private act between her and Hashem. But Leah knew that if she acted for the Ratzon Hashem, she would never lose. And indeed, what happened? Dinah later gave birth to Asenat, who became Yosef's wife. Together they had Menasheh and Ephraim. In the end, Leah and Rachel became mechutanim — Rachel as the mother of the chatan, Yosef, and Leah as the grandmother of the kallah, Asenat. From both of them came two additional shevatim, as the pasuk says: " אפרים ומנשה כראובן ושמעון יהיו לי " (Bereishit 48:5). Leah had wanted another shevet, and in the end she received two of them — along with the merit of her selflessness toward her sister. Who could have imagined that Dinah's daughter would marry Yosef? Yosef was in Egypt, Yaakov's family was in Eretz Kena'an, hundreds of miles away. How would Dinah's child ever arrive there? The only answer is the miracles of Hashem. The lesson is clear: no one ever loses from following Hashem's will. The Torah promises that obeying Hashem leads only to life and goodness. As we stand just days before Rosh Hashanah, we must commit ourselves to becoming better in our observance of the mitzvot, and to do them with excitement — knowing that by doing so, we are choosing life, and choosing Hashem's path for us.

The Sefer She'erit Menachem quotes the Gemara in Bava Metzia which teaches an illuminating halachah. If a man borrows a thousand dollars and leaves a collateral with the lender worth far more than the loan, saying that if he does not pay back on time the lender may keep the collateral — the halachah is that the lender may not keep it. Why? Because it is obvious the borrower never really intended to give up an item worth so much more than what he owed. However, the Gemara qualifies: if a few days before the loan was due, the borrower was knocking on doors, desperately trying to come up with the money, then clearly he still wanted to redeem his collateral. The lender cannot keep it. But if a few days before the due date he was out drinking with his friends, showing no concern for repayment, then we assume he didn't really care, and the lender may indeed keep the collateral. The She'erit Menachem uses this halachah as a mashal for us during these days leading up to Rosh Hashanah. All year long, Hashem has been lending us life, children, sustenance, and countless blessings — all on condition that we use them to become the people we are meant to be. Now, as Rosh Hashanah approaches, the loan is coming due. Who can honestly say that he has "paid back in full," that he has fully utilized every gift Hashem has given him for avodat Hashem? But if, in these final days, we are sincerely trying — striving to improve, to recognize the gifts Hashem gives, and to use them properly — then Hashem grants us an extension. What we must not do is "drink beer with our friends," wasting these precious days in spiritual carelessness. Now is the time to reflect, to notice where we are lacking, to take concrete steps to grow, and if it feels overwhelming — to beg Hashem for His help. A man shared his personal story. He has been struggling in business for a year and a disaster struck: his pipes burst, and the entire sidewalk and driveway had to be dug up and replaced. The bill was thirty thousand dollars — money he simply did not have. Yet somehow he managed to come up with the full amount and pay it. It was then that thoughts of teshuvah entered his mind. He realized that since his business troubles began, he had stopped paying his tzedakah pledges. By now, he owed close to thirty thousand dollars. He thought to himself: If I could find a way to pay thirty thousand for pipes, shouldn't I treat my pledges to Hashem's causes with the same urgency? He resolved to try. With great effort, he managed to pay fifteen thousand, but after that he was stuck. He simply could not come up with more. So he did what a Jew does when he reaches his limit: he poured out his heart in tefillah. Three times a day he asked Hashem for help to pay off his full tzedakah obligations before Rosh Hashanah. Now, there was one man who owed him a large sum of money from a business deal. For months he had asked this man daily for repayment, until finally, six months earlier, they had come to an agreement: the man guaranteed that he would pay in full, but only when he was comfortable, and on condition that he would not be pressured again. He had not asked since. As Rosh Hashanah was draing near, he debated with himself: perhaps he should ask the man for fifteen thousand, just enough to cover the rest of his pledge? But then he told himself, an agreement is an agreement. He even thought, maybe this man has funds in his JCF account he could use to pay tzedakah on my behalf, but still he held back. He kept praying. Then, one day, he went to shul for Minchah, and there, unexpectedly, was that man. After tefillah, the man approached him and said: "Someone who owes me money asked if I had any unpaid tzedakah pledges that he could pay on my behalf. I thought of you — I'd like to let him pay fifteen thousand dollars toward your pledges through his JCF fund." The man could not believe his ears. That was exactly what he had been asking Hashem for. Exactly the amount he needed. Exactly the salvation he had been praying for. At that moment he felt how close Hashem was to him, how lovingly Hashem answered him. The message was clear: Hashem wants to help us. But first, we must show that we want to improve, that we sincerely want to pay back our "loan." When we do, and we turn to Hashem for help, He opens doors we never dreamed of.

Chazal teach that on Rosh Hashanah, Hashem judges every individual based on what he did every second of every day over the past year. With this knowledge, we should be doing everything in our power to make teshuvah and improve our ways. Especially now, in the month of Elul, when Hashem reveals an outpouring of mercy towards us, we must take advantage of this opportunity. But is there something we can do, in addition, that will make the judgment easier? The Ba'al HaTurim, commenting on the pasuk " תמים תהיה עם ה' אלקיך " , writes that whoever fulfills this mitzvah is considered as if he fulfilled the entire Torah, from aleph to tav. What does this mean? It means that one who does not worry about the future, but trusts that Hashem is leading him on the perfect path, and accepts wholeheartedly the way Hashem deals with him—without questions or complaints—is credited as if he has kept the entire Torah. Rabbi Menashe Reizman asked: Doesn't the Gemara say that it is forbidden to think that Hashem is a vatran —that He simply overlooks our wrongdoings? One of the fundamentals of emunah is that Hashem rewards mitzvot and punishes averot. If so, how can it be that someone who trusts Hashem's dealings with him, but still has sins, should be considered as if he fulfilled the entire Torah? Rabbi Reizman explained: It's not only the Ba'al HaTurim who says this. It is explicit in the pesukim themselves. In Parashat Balak, it says, " לֹא הִבִּיט אָוֶן בְּיַעֲקֹב וְלֹא רָאָה עָמָל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, ה' אֱלֹקָיו עִמּוֹ וּתְרוּעַת מֶלֶךְ בּוֹ ". These words are read in the Malchuyot section of the Musaf Amidah of Rosh Hashanah. Rashi explains this pasuk to mean that Hashem is not exacting with a person for his sins—even when he angers Him. Why? Because such people do not preoccupy themselves with trying to figure out the future. Instead, they place their full trust in Hashem. And because of this, Rashi says, they become worthy of blessing. What is the explanation? There are two ways a person can go through life. One way is with constant questioning: Why is my life the way it is? Why does he have so much blessing while I don't? Why does he have such good children and I struggle? Why does everyone else seem to get the good positions and I don't? Why are his daughters married off so easily, while mine are waiting so long? This is the natural human way—always comparing, always doubting, always feeling that life is unfair. If someone chooses this path, then Hashem treats him with the same precision. Hashem will look into his deeds with equal scrutiny: Why don't you concentrate on the words of tefillah? Why don't you have proper kavanah when you say berachot? But if a person does not question Hashem, if he refuses to ask "why" or "is this fair," and instead accepts that everything Hashem does is absolutely fair, upright, and the very best possible outcome—even when, from our limited perspective, it looks as if Hashem is doing "wrong" with us—then Hashem responds measure for measure: You don't question My actions, I won't question yours. This is not considered Hashem overlooking our sins. It is not a case of Hashem being a vatran . On the contrary—it is deserved. We have earned this special relationship. If we are tamim im Hashem Elokecha , then Hashem is tamim with us. This is a wondrous principle. But it is far easier said than done. The nature of man is to compare himself to others, to feel lacking, to complain—especially when things seem unfair. People try to improve, but the salvation they hope for does not always come. People pray with all their hearts, but do not always see their prayers answered. People think they have so much bitachon, but then they feel let down. Everyone has reasons they would naturally want to question. But if we can rise above that nature, if we can truly trust Hashem's will for us and believe with all our hearts that whatever is happening is absolutely the best thing for us, then we will enter a new category of human being: one who is tamim im Hashem Elokecha . And that comes with the most amazing benefits.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-359-what-are-you-meant-to-do-next Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:10:13 +0000 7117 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

5th shiur - R' Moshe Mark Likutei Moharan Torah 61.Subscribe to our WhatsApp status for exclusive updates, short clips and more. We are also available on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. Download the English pamphlet hereDownload the hebrew pamphlet with Likutei Halachos here

6th shiur - R' Moshe Mark Likutei Moharan Torah 61.Subscribe to our WhatsApp status for exclusive updates, short clips and more. We are also available on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. Download the English pamphlet hereDownload the hebrew pamphlet with Likutei Halachos here

4th shiur - R' Moshe Mark Likutei Moharan Torah 61.Subscribe to our WhatsApp status for exclusive updates, short clips and more. We are also available on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. Download the English pamphlet hereDownload the hebrew pamphlet with Likutei Halachos here

One of the Torah readings on Rosh Hashanah is the story of the Akedat Yitzchak. To this day, we continue to benefit from the eternal merits Avraham Avinu gained by his willingness to sacrifice his son at Hashem's command. But there was another profound accomplishment that day. The Torah commands, " תמים תהיה עם ה' אלקיך " — Tamim Tehiyeh Im Hashem Elokecha (Devarim 18:13). Rashi explains that this means: do not concern yourself with what the future holds. Rather, accept that Hashem is leading you exactly to the places and circumstances you are meant to be. Trust that whatever will happen will be for the best, and therefore there is no need to worry. The Passuk says in Tehillim, " ואני בתמי אלך " . Chazal teach that this pasuk was said regarding Avraham going to the Akedah. He walked with wholehearted trust in Hashem. The B'nei Yissaschar explains the depth of this trust: Avraham already had a prophecy from Hashem that his future offspring would come through Yitzchak. And yet, now he was being commanded to bring him as a korban ola — a direct contradiction to the earlier prophecy! It is forbidden to disbelieve a prophecy. That meant Avraham was required, all the way to Har HaMoriah, to continue believing both truths at once — that he must sacrifice Yitzchak, and yet that his children would still come through him. To human logic, it was an impossibility. But Avraham went betumo — with complete Emunah. He did not wrestle with the contradiction. He did not calculate or analyze. He placed everything in Hashem's hands and told himself: It's not my job to figure out how the future will work out. It's my job to trust that Hashem is in charge of the future. In the end, we see the perfection of Hashem's plan. Precisely because Yitzchak was placed on the Mizbeach, he became able to father children. The Or HaChayim HaKadosh explains: Yitzchak was born with the neshama of a female, and for the first 37 years of his life he had no zivug — because every couple is one neshama, half male and half female. Yitzchak's neshama had come down alone. At the moment of the Akedah, as his soul left him, Hashem gave him a new neshama — a complete male neshama. And at that very moment, Rivka, the other half of his soul, was born. What seemed the greatest contradiction turned out to be the greatest answer. This is the lesson for us. In our lives we also face contradictions, situations that make no sense, questions that seem unanswerable. Our avodah is to walk with Hashem with complete emunah, to trust that He will reveal the answers in the perfect time. A man shared his story: At eighteen, he began working in his father's retail stores. By the time he was twenty-eight, married with children, those stores collapsed. From a comfortable lifestyle, he suddenly could not pay even for basic expenses. With no business skills beyond retail, he felt lost. He clung to his learning, spending hours each day in Torah, though even concentrating became difficult. Then, one day, his father asked a real estate friend to involve him in handling their empty stores. The young man took on the project and showed surprising ability. Eventually, that friend called and invited him to partner with his son-in-law in a new real estate company. The business flourished, and the man today enjoys both a solid livelihood and more time for Torah and mitzvot. At first, he had asked: Why did Hashem take away the only work I knew? But in truth, the "problem" was the answer. Losing his old job was the key to discovering his true path in life — one far better than he ever imagined. So it is with all of us. The answers may not be immediate, but they are always the greatest possible answers. Those who walk with Hashem in trust will see blessing — in this world and the next.

Every neshama that comes down into this world is given a mission: to serve HaShem from the exact circumstances in which He places it. To do that, a person must learn Torah and mitzvot, so that he will know exactly what HaShem wants him to do in every situation he finds himself in. Everything we do for HaShem only benefits us, for HaShem Himself does not need anything from us. And an integral part of our avodah is to do it with happiness. HaShem wants us to be excited about mitzvot and to feel that they are our greatest honor and privilege. He knows the nature of people is to feel joy in doing something for those who do for them. And so, HaShem not only gives us everything we have — He makes sure we know that it all comes from Him, so that we will be more excited to serve Him. In Parashat Ki Tavo, regarding the mitzvah of bikkurim (first fruits), the Torah says: וְהָיָה כִּי תָבוֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ "It shall be when you come into the land that HaShem your G-d gives you " Later it says: וּלְקַחְתָּ מֵרֵאשִׁית כָּל פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹקיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ "You shall take from the first of every fruit of the ground t hat HaShem your G-d gives you" . And again: וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה הֵבֵאתִי אֶת רֵאשִׁית פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּה לִּי ה ' "And now behold, I have brought the first of the fruits of the land that You, HaShem, have given me" . The Torah repeats again and again: "that HaShem your G-d has given you." Because if we truly recognized how much HaShem gives us, we would be overflowing with excitement to serve Him. The challenge is that we don't see Him making the fruit grow. We don't see Him writing the check, healing our illness, or bringing us our shidduch. Sometimes HaShem delays the gifts He has prepared for us, so that when they finally come, we will know exactly where they are from. A person struggling with parnasah, who prays with all his heart and then sees success, appreciates HaShem's blessing more than ever. From the very beginning, HaShem set this system in place. When Adam HaRishon was created, the Torah says the vegetation had not yet sprouted, כי לא המטיר ה' אלקים על הארץ —"for HaShem God had not yet sent rain upon the earth". Why? So that Adam would recognize the need to pray, and ask HaShem for rain. The more we recognize HaShem's Hand in giving us everything, the more joy we will feel in following Torah and mitzvot. Often HaShem makes His hashgachah peratit so clear that it cannot be missed. But even then, we must keep our eyes open. A man told me about an amazing story of hashgachah. His shul was writing a new Sefer Torah. The rabbi inspired everyone by speaking of the greatness of the mitzvah, and how it is even a segulah to have children. The man's son had recently married, and so he decided to sponsor Parashat Tazria, which begins with the laws of a woman giving birth to a baby boy. He did this in the hope that his son would be blessed with children. A few months later, to his amazement, his own wife became pregnant — after nearly six years since their last child. Baruch HaShem, the pregnancy was smooth, and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy on the very Shabbat when Parashat Tazria was read in shul. Incredible hashgachah! He had sponsored the writing of Parashat Tazria, which begins with the birth of a boy, and that very year, he himself was blessed with a son, born on Parashat Tazria. But here's the wonder: because he had donated the parashah in honor of his son, he completely forgot that he had even sponsored it. The miracle HaShem gave him slipped by unnoticed. Until later that week, his daughter dropped something in the car. As she reached under the seat to retrieve it, she pulled out a certificate. It was the certificate given to him by the shul, acknowledging that he had sponsored Parashat Tazria in the new Sefer Torah. When he saw it, he was stunned. He told me: "I didn't even realize what HaShem had done for me. But He loves me so much, He didn't want me to miss it. He made sure my daughter found that certificate, so that I would recognize His kindness." HaShem gives and gives and gives. The more we recognize it, the happier we will be to serve Him.

The pasuk says in this week's Parasha, Ki Tavo , ושמחת בכל הטוב – we are to rejoice with all of the good that Hashem gives us. In this world, when a person appreciates what others do for him, those people are happy to give him more. But when a person denies the good, it makes others turn away from giving him. At the end of the year, when we are going to request of Hashem to give us a new year of blessing, the best thing we could do is to first appreciate how much He has given us already. One of the reasons people don't appreciate is because they feel that everyone else has more than them and everyone else is happier than them. But they are very mistaken. The sefer Orchot HaYeshiva tells the story of a young man who went to see Rav Shach, zatzal , and lamented that it seemed to him that his friend, who had gotten engaged at the same time as he did, seemed to be happier than him. He was asking the Rabbi if he should perhaps break off his engagement. Rav Shach replied, "The boy you are talking about was here before and he had the exact same complaint. He thought that you seemed happier than him." This is the nature of man, to always think that others are happier than he, but in actuality, Hashem gives each person exactly what he needs to be happy, to do his job. If we could only focus on what we do have rather than on what everyone else seems to have, we would be so much happier. Just saying the Birkot HaShachar in the morning with kavana can bring a person such an appreciation for Hashem. The Chochma U'Musar writes, before we say each beracha , we should think about what exactly we are about to thank Hashem for and then appreciate it to the fullest. For example, he said, one of the berachot is פוקח עיוורים – that Hashem gives eyesight to the blind. Simply, we are saying when we go to sleep we can't see and each day when we wake up, Hashem gives up the ability to see once again. We are supposed to imagine the feelings of a blind man, lo alenu , and then imagine that all of a sudden, a doctor came up with a medication that could cure the blind. How much joy would a blind man have finally being able to see? That is the amount of appreciation that we are supposed to show Hashem every single day because nothing is a given and just because a person has something today doesn't necessarily mean he'll have it tomorrow. It is only because of the chesed of Hashem that we are able to enjoy the blessings He gives us each and every day. We also have to feel so fortunate that we have the zechut to serve the Melech Malchei HaMelachim HaKadosh Baruch Hu . The sefer Mizmor L'Asaf writes, when a person enters the shul in the morning, he should be overcome with hakarat hatov that Hashem gave him the privilege of entering His home to come and speak to Him. The more we appreciate, the better our avodat Hashem will be, the happier we will be and the happier Hashem will be to give us even more.

The Anshei Knesset HaGedolah placed Aleinu LeShabe'ach into the Musaf Amidah of Rosh HaShanah, the very day when we crown HaShem as our King. There, it serves as the prelude to Malchuyot . As well, our Sages gave us the privilege of saying Aleinu at the end of every single tefillah, three times a day. If we would truly understand the treasure we have, being able to say Aleinu daily, we would approach it with tremendous joy and excitement. The Mishnah Berurah writes that one should recite Aleinu with awe and trepidation, because the malachim in shamayim listen as we say it, and the Shechinah is among them. When they hear us declaring Aleinu , they respond with the words אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לוֹ, אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם שֶׁה' אֱלֹקָיו . The Chida, in the name of Rav Hai Gaon, writes that one should recite Aleinu with the utmost kavannah, for it contains exalted and wondrous praises of HaShem. He adds that it should be said standing, even with a tallit over one's head. The Arizal teaches that Aleinu has the power to remove the negative angels who seek to block a person's prayers from ascending before HaShem. It begins with the words Aleinu le'shabe'ach la'Adon hakol —with those words we affirm that it is incumbent upon us to praise HaShem. Why specifically at the end of tefillah should we feel even more inclined to praise Him? Some explain: because HaShem has just given us the greatest gift. He allowed us to ask for all our needs, and He did so in a way that spares us from feeling like takers. In tefillah, we are credited with a mitzvah simply for fulfilling HaShem's command to pray. Even if no material blessing came from our prayers, the spiritual reward alone would be boundless. And yet, HaShem responds by providing our needs, as if we are somehow doing Him a "favor" by praying. Of course, He needs nothing from us. In truth, He is giving us everything, yet He makes us feel as if we are the ones giving to Him. For this, we should be overflowing with gratitude and praise. Then we declare: לתת גדולה ליוצר בראשית —"to give greatness to the Creator of the beginning." The Sefat Emet explains that Yotser Bereshit refers not only to HaShem as the Creator of the world, but as the One who continually pumps life and energy into all of creation. Every heartbeat, every breath, every moment of vitality flows from Him alone. Our task is to recognize this and live with that awareness. As we say during the Yamim Nora'im: וידע כל פעול כי אתה פעלתו —"And every being will know that You are its Maker." One of the reasons HaShem obligates us to make hishtadlut for our needs is to test whether we will believe that we are accomplishing with our own efforts, or whether we recognize that we are simply going through the motions while HaShem is doing everything. If we think that we actually change outcomes with our actions, then we have not yet passed the test. But if we believe that we are putting in effort only because HaShem commanded us to, and that the results will be whatever He wants, regardless of what we do, then we are succeeding. It appears to us that our hishtadlut causes results, and that is why it is so difficult to believe otherwise. If HaShem had not required us to make hishtadlut , it would be far easier to believe fully in His power and control. But now that we must make efforts, the challenge is great. We must not place too much emphasis on what doctors say, but only that we have fulfilled our obligation by going to them. We should not put too much emphasis on what kind of hishtadlut we do to earn parnasah, but simply that we did what was required for HaShem to send His blessing. HaShem is the Yotser Bereshit . He not only created the world, but He constantly pumps life and energy into everything, including us. For that, once again, we owe HaShem endless gratitude and praise. Let us learn the words of Aleinu properly and utilize the treasure that our rabbis gave us. If we can internalize its messages, we will walk out of every tefillah stronger in emunah, fortified with the clarity to recognize HaShem in everything that takes place.

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The Chatam Sofer writes that tefillah is more readily accepted during the days of Elul and Aseret Yemei Teshuvah. This period is called Yerach Ha'etaním , which has the same numerical value as siach — to pour out our hearts in prayer. The Midrash in Parashat Ki Tavo says that Moshe Rabbenu, through ruach ha'kodesh , foresaw that the Bet HaMikdash would one day be destroyed and the mitzvah of bringing bikkurim would cease. Therefore, he established that there should be three tefillot every day. These tefillot, the Midrash teaches, would be more beloved to HaShem than all of a person's good deeds and even more than all of the korbanot combined. Rav Yechezkel Levenstein explained that it is always befitting for a person to improve, even slightly, in the way he prays — especially in his kavanah — because that effort can uplift his entire avodat HaShem . Tefillah is wondrous, especially when a person prays with awareness of Who he is speaking to. A man told me about an incident that happened recently while he and his entire family were on vacation. There was a mix-up with the keys for their apartment, and as Shabbat approached, they still had not been able to get inside. Finally, the hotel informed them that a worker named Alfonso was bringing the keys. But when a family member mistakenly approached a different hotel worker in a golf cart, the man wrongly assumed there was an attempt to harm him. He called the police and pressed charges for assault. Soon, sheriff's deputies arrived. They interrogated the family member and even detained him while waiting for a detective. The officers indicated there was a real possibility of arrest that very evening, just minutes before Shabbat. Frantically, urgent attempts were made to reach a top lawyer who was also a close friend. With only five minutes before candle lighting, they finally succeeded in contacting him, and he immediately spoke to the deputy. Shabbat began with tremendous uncertainty. Before Kiddush, surrounded by children and grandchildren, the family spoke about how during Kiddush we partner with HaShem in creation. They encouraged everyone to use that holy moment to silently pray for a yeshuah. They reminded one another that no one has any control other than HaShem — not the police, not the hotel worker, and not even the top lawyer. With those thoughts in mind, they made Kiddush. At around 9:45, while they were eating their meal, a police vehicle pulled up with their family member inside. Three officers explained that while the matter was not finished and would be referred to the state attorney's office, they had decided not to arrest him. They admitted it could have easily gone the other way. Then, the sergeant quietly asked one of the family members: "Did you pray to G-d for his release?" When he answered yes, the sergeant said: "It must have been your prayers, because he really should have been arrested." Here was a police sergeant telling them that their tefillot had brought salvation. Later that night, after the joyous meal, the children asked for a bedtime story from the sefer they had been reading together. The story they were up to told about a Jew who was wrongly accused and nearly jailed by three police officers. The children's eyes widened. It was exactly what had just happened to them. It was as if HaShem was sending them a direct message: I am here with you, guiding your lives. The entire Shabbat became one long conversation about the power of tefillah, especially when one recognizes the truth of ein od milvado — there is nothing but Him.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-358-emunah-even-or-also-when-the-story-has-a-sad-ending Wed, 10 Sep 2025 14:20:12 +0000 7109 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

Many communities have the minhag to blow the shofar every day in Elul. The purpose is to awaken us, to instill fear and trembling as the awesome day of Rosh HaShanah approaches. There is also the minhag to read the mizmor L'David Hashem Ori v'yishi . And in that mizmor, David HaMelech says: " מִמִּי אִירָא… אִם־תַּחֲנֶה עָלַי מַחֲנֶה לֹא־יִירָא לִבִּי ". "Whom shall I fear? … Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear" (Tehillim 27:1–3). At first glance, this seems like a contradiction. On one hand, we sound the shofar to create fear. On the other hand, we recite words of Tehillim telling us there is nothing to fear. Rabbi Menashe Reizman pointed out another similar contradiction. In Parashat Shoftim, the Torah commands: " כִּי־תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־אֹיְבֶיךָ… לֹא תִירָא מֵהֶם כִּי ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ עִמָּךְ " "When you go out to war against your enemy… you shall not fear them, for HaShem your G-d is with you" (Devarim 20:1). Even if they appear greater and stronger, we are told not to be afraid, because we have HaShem on our side and no one else has power. Yet immediately afterwards, the shoterim announce exemptions from battle: " מִי־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־בָּנָה בַיִת־חָדָשׁ וְלֹא חֲנָכוֹ… מִי־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־אֵרַשׂ אִשָּׁה וְלֹא לְקָחָהּ… פֶּן־יָמוּת בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְאִישׁ אַחֵר יַחְנְכֶנּוּ " "Who is the man who has built a new house and not inaugurated it… who is the man who has betrothed a woman and not taken her… lest he die in battle and another man take her" (Devarim 20:5–7). Again, it seems inconsistent. First we are told there is nothing to fear, and then the Torah acknowledges the possibility of death in battle. Rabbi Reizman brought the Chovot HaLevavot (Sha'ar HaBitachon, fourth condition), who explains that true bitachon requires a person to be fulfilling the responsibilities HaShem has placed upon him. We often ask HaShem to grant our requests, but at the same time, He too has requests from us — that we live according to the Torah and mitzvot. When we strive to do His will, then we can confidently place our trust in Him to help with our needs. If someone ignores HaShem's will completely, it shows he doesn't truly know who HaShem is — and without that recognition, he cannot have genuine bitachon . Rabbeinu Yonah does write that even a rasha who trusts in HaShem will be surrounded with chesed. But that refers to a sinner who now wants to improve, who expresses a desire to return. Even that thought of change allows him to rely on HaShem's kindness. But someone who has no care for HaShem's will cannot say he trusts Him, because he doesn't truly know Him. Sometimes, HaShem must make life uncomfortable to wake a person up, to bring him to fulfill the mission for which he was created. Now we can resolve the contradictions. It is true that one who goes to battle with full awareness of ein od milvado will not be harmed. But to reach that state of bitachon , he must first experience the right kind of fear — the fear that motivates him to return to HaShem and strengthen his connection. That is why the shoterim warned the soldiers: war is dangerous, people may die. These words were meant to shake them into teshuvah, to awaken them to HaShem. Once that awakening leads to closeness and true trust, then indeed there is nothing to fear. So too in Elul. First we blow the shofar — to arouse fear and awareness that Rosh HaShanah is coming. Then, after we are inspired to draw near to HaShem and commit to doing His will, we can place genuine bitachon in Him. At that stage, there is truly nothing to fear, for HaShem Himself is our salvation.

Our job during these days of Elul is to figure out how we can improve inour avodat Hashem and then make concrete commitments on what exactly weare going to do about it. This is one of the ways in which we prepare for theawesome days of judgment ahead. When the evil inclination tries to dissuade usby saying "This is too difficult for you," or "People will laugh at you." Wemust remember, by improving in our avodat Hashem, weare only helping ourselves. Everyone has many needs that they ask of Hashem.Very often, the way He gives us what we need is through the mitzvahopportunities that He sends our way. If we become inspired to take on somethingnew, that inspiration is also m'et Hashem ת and we should not let it go without doingsomething about it first. A man, who we'll call Yehuda, told a story about what happened when hewas 27 years old. He was having a very hard time with shidduchim andcould have easily fallen into despair many times. One day, he traveled fromYerushalaim where he lived to Bne i Brak toattend the wedding of a friend who was younger than him. At 10:00, after he dancedwith the chatan, he left the wedding hall and headed for the closest bus stopto return home. He bumped into a high school friend who was coming out of abuilding nearby. They spoke for a few minutes at the entrance of that building.Turned out, this friend was there to attend a sheva berachot . As they were talking, someone came out of the building and told hisfriend to please go upstairs because they didn't even have 10 men for the sheva berachot yet and the mood was very blah. It was close to 10:15 and theyonly had six. The person then asked Yehuda if he would do a chesed andcome up as well. Although it was late and he had a long ride home, he felt badfor the chatan and kallah and he went up. The scene he saw lookedpathetic. It was a chatan and kallah sitting there with their mechutanim ,one grandfather and two boys in an uncomfortable silence. Eventually they didget a minyan . The boy who invited Yehuda up asked him to please startsinging. Again, feeling bad for the chatan and kallah , he startedsinging some songs and only a couple of people joined in with him. Then he wasasked to get up and speak. Yehuda said he never saw this chatan in hislife, how could he speak by his sheva berachot ? The other boytold him a few things about the chatan and then told Yehuda he would bedoing a great mitzvah. Yehuda was a good public speaker and, after a littlemore prodding, he agreed to speak. He delivered a beautiful devar Torah and spoke so nicely about the chatan , as if he knew him for years. Afterthe speech, the chatan was so moved, he got up and gave Yehuda a hug andkiss, thanking him for his kind words. Nobody else spoke that night besidesYehuda. During dessert, the man sitting next to Yehuda asked him some questionsabout himself and when that man discovered that Yehuda had no connection toeither the chatan or the kallah , he was so impressed with the chesed he just did. That man also came as a chesed , not knowing the chatan or the kallah . He suggested his niece as a shidduch and, a fewmonths later, Yehuda became engaged to her. He is now happily married withthree children. Hashem presented Yehuda with a big chesed opportunity. Evenagreeing to go up was difficult, but then being the only singer and speaker atan unknown place must have been extremely uncomfortable. That is where Hashemhad the path to his shidduch awaiting. The avodah at times may behard but, as always, according to the efforts are the rewards.

In this world, there is so much more than meets the eye. Things may appear to be one way, when in fact they are completely the opposite. Nothing should be taken at face value. Hashem is very deep, the Torah is very deep, and we are charged to use all our wisdom to see through the surface and try to understand on deeper levels. In this week's parashah Ki Tetzeh , the Torah teaches us about the mitzvah of shiluach hakan — sending away the mother bird before taking the eggs. The Torah promises a reward: lema'an yitav lach veha'arachta yamim — "that it will be good for you and you will have long life." Yet the Gemara tells of a boy who listened to his father — a mitzvah that also promises long life — and went to perform shiluach hakan . Tragically, he fell off the ladder and died. Where was the long life that the Torah promised? Our rabbis teach that "long life" in these pesukim is not to be taken at face value. It refers to life in the World to Come. One day, Hashem will send the Mashiach to redeem us. At that time, techiyat hametim will begin. The righteous who passed away throughout the generations will come back to life to enjoy the world of Mashiach. This resurrection will take place over many years, and those who rise earlier will live longer lives in that future time. Beyond that, Hashem will create a new world — Olam Haba — where the pleasure will be eternal and unlimited. That is the true world that is kulo aruch — everlasting — and there the rewards for mitzvot will be paid in full. Every experience we encounter in this world can be viewed from different perspectives. We must train ourselves to view everything with an emunah perspective, trusting that Hashem is always doing the greatest kindness for us. A man from Bnei Brak told how his widowed aunt called him late one Friday afternoon. All her power had gone out. No lights, no hot plate, no air conditioning. She begged him to come quickly. After asking a few questions, he figured it was a blown fuse, but she had no idea where to find the fuse box. He told her he would be right over. He thanked Hashem that his family had the habit of being ready early for Shabbat. Since everything was prepared, he had time to leave and help. By then there were no taxis available, so he grabbed one of his children's bicycles and pedaled as fast as he could through the intense summer heat of Bnei Brak. He fixed the fuse, and all the electricity came back on. By the time he got home, there was no time to shower, though he was dripping in sweat. Shul was starting, so he went directly as he was. Entering Shabbat that way was unpleasant, but he accepted it as Hashem's will. Towards the end of that Shabbat, during seudah shelishit , the power in his own home suddenly went out. After Shabbat, he checked the panel and saw that water had seeped in and damaged the main fuse — the one controlling the oven, stove, fridge, and air conditioning. At that moment, he could have asked: "Where is the justice? I went out of my way to help a poor widow with her fuse box, and then my fuse box gets ruined?" But instead, he used his emunah perspective. He said: "Hashem, You are so kind. Really, this Shabbat we were meant to sit in the dark with no food and no air conditioning. But in Your mercy, You gave me the chance first to do a big chesed for someone else, and in that merit, You delayed our blackout until the very end of Shabbat." Everything that happens to us is chesed Hashem . It may not always seem that way, but with emunah , we can always view it that way. Shabbat Shalom.

We've said it before and we'll say it again. People sometimes ask why we share so many stories with happy endings and miraculous yeshu'ot. "It's not real life," they argue. "So many stories don't end with that glamorous ending. Why only highlight the miraculous?" Some even feel disheartened that others are receiving salvations while they themselves are still waiting. It is true — not every story ends the way we want. But every story does end the exact way it is supposed to. Knowing that HaShem is the One in charge of all outcomes should give us chizuk. Everything is always going according to plan. Nothing ever happens haphazardly. And when we do see HaShem's wondrous hand in someone else's story, it strengthens our emunah that He is running the world. Furthermore, one of the questions a person will be asked after 120 is: "Did you anticipate My salvation?" The simple meaning is whether we anticipated the coming of Mashiaḥ. But the Bet HaLevi explains there is also a personal dimension: did we anticipate HaShem's salvation in our own struggles? When a person sees story after story of HaShem bringing yeshu'ot in extraordinary ways, it should strengthen him to believe that he too can be helped. It should give him hope, and motivate him to pray harder, realizing that salvation is a reality. Believing in HaShem's abilities and control is a great avodah. It is incumbent upon us to do whatever we can to strengthen that belief. Hearing real-life stories of others who experienced salvation is one of the best ways to build that hope. And even if we don't receive the miraculous yeshu'ah we were hoping for, knowing that HaShem is with us every step of the way can itself give us tremendous chizuk. A man related that he woke up in the middle of the night, consumed with worry over his financial situation. Unable to sleep, he went downstairs to think. His wife runs a small daycare center, but the government had canceled the subsidies for the families who sent their children there. Most parents couldn't afford the full tuition, meaning she would lose a significant amount of income that year. On top of that, his father-in-law, who had been paying their mortgage until then, had fallen into debt and could no longer help. The pressure was crushing. Sitting at the kitchen table in the early hours of the morning, he noticed a Hashgachah Peratit pamphlet that had arrived four months earlier. He hadn't read it, but in that moment, desperate for chizuk, he opened it. The first story he read was about a man who owed 20,000 shekels to the electric company and how HaShem helped him pay it. That was the exact amount he himself owed. The story gave him such encouragement — if HaShem could help that man, He could surely help him too. The second story he read was about a sofer. He himself was a sofer by profession, and that too gave him strength. Then he came across a third story that stunned him. It was about a man whose father-in-law fell into debt and could no longer support him — and how HaShem had helped him through it. At that point, nothing in his bank account had changed. The bills were all still waiting. But suddenly, he felt as though a heavy stone had been lifted from his chest. In just half an hour of reading, he became a new person. His family didn't know it yet, but they had just received a different husband and father — happy, smiling, and unburdened. HaShem had given him exactly the chizuk he needed. Stories of hashgachah and yeshu'ot are not just inspiring — they are powerful tools to strengthen our emunah. They remind us that HaShem is always involved, that He can help us in an instant, and that even if the yeshu'ah doesn't come right away, it is without question for the best.

In the secular world, there's a saying: "Nice guys finish last." It means that in a competitive society, those who are kind, generous, and honest get taken advantage of, while the shrewd and aggressive people come out on top. But we do not live in a competitive world. We live in HaShem's world. And in His world, the "nice guys" finish first. We may not see how right away, but without a doubt, every act of kindness, every ounce of integrity, every moment of self-restraint is noticed, cherished, and rewarded by HaShem. A businessman once shared that he lost out on a very big deal because he refused to use dishonest tactics that were considered "standard practice" in his industry. His competitors laughed at him, saying, "See? Nice guys finish last." But years later, those very same competitors went bankrupt, tangled in endless lawsuits over their shady dealings. He, on the other hand, was blessed with steady success, peace of mind, and the respect of all who dealt with him. Looking back, he said: "The minute I walked away from dishonesty, I didn't lose a deal. I gained HaShem's partnership." HaShem's accounting is not like ours. Sometimes it looks like we're losing, but in truth we are setting ourselves up for blessings far greater than what we could have ever imagined. If someone chooses to be the "nice guy" — if he holds back his anger, forgives, lets another person go first, or does the right thing even though it costs him money — he becomes more beloved to HaShem and will surely gain from that. And HaShem's dividends in this world are not always in money. They can come as health, family harmony, or yeshu'ot in ways we could never anticipate. A man once told me he was listening to a class about someone who forgave a person who had wronged him — and immediately after, a relative of his was healed from a long illness. This listener thought of his own father, who was in the hospital and in desperate need of a yeshu'ah. He himself had been wronged and lost a tremendous amount of money, and he carried that resentment for many years. But in that moment, inspired by the story, he decided to let go. He picked up the phone, called the man who had wronged him, and made peace. He said it was one of the hardest things he ever did — but just a half hour later, his father woke up! Another man told me that a tenant of his left something valuable behind in the apartment he had rented. The next tenants found it, but when the previous tenants came to pick it up, they couldn't locate it — it seemed to have gone missing. The previous tenant told the landlord, "That's considered negligence, and they (the new tenants) should compensate me." Wanting to avoid machloket, the landlord called the current tenant and said he would personally pay the previous tenant and tell him it was from him. The current tenant replied, "No — I want to pay," and they actually went back and forth over who would have the zechut to pay in order to avoid machloket. Minutes later, someone called to say they had accidentally taken the item from the house and were already on their way to bring it back. The landlord said, "In the zechut of us trying to go over and above to avoid machloket, HaShem brought the item back." Another story: A man used to buy cars at auctions and resell them. Once, at an auction, there was an incredible deal. His friend and competitor was there too. Out of generosity, he offered the deal to his competitor. The competitor declined and insisted that he should take it. He bought the car, sold it for a major profit — and then, amazingly, the buyer sold it back to him at a lower price. He resold it again for an even larger profit. He said: "There was so much blessing in that car because I offered it to my competitor first." It is not always this obvious. In this world, it might look like the aggressive person wins. But such victories are fleeting. Wealth, power, and influence can vanish in an instant. What lasts forever are mitzvot, acts of kindness, and the emunah we show in HaShem. In HaShem's world, the "nice guys" don't just finish first — they never finish at all. Their reward lives on forever.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-357-what-is-your-mission-in-your-matzav Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:06:10 +0000 7100 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

When a person faces a challenge — whether in health, parnasah, shidduchim, or family — of course tefillah is the first response. But sometimes, along with tefillah , a person needs additional zechuyot to open the gates of blessing. After all, the purpose of life is to reach our spiritual potential, and many times it is precisely life's challenges that bring us there. A man we'll call Avraham related that his business was extremely demanding. He was on the phone all day and constantly traveling. Slowly, he stopped praying daily with a minyan . At first, it was only Mincha that he prayed alone. Then it became Arbit as well. Finally, even Shaharit he was praying by himself. In the beginning he felt bad about it, but then he got used to it, and it became his new way of life. One day he closed on a huge business deal. He purchased an office building and paid for it with a mortgage-like loan. His plan was to rent out the offices, cover the mortgage from the rent, and keep the rest as profit. However, he was only able to rent out a few offices. Most of the building remained vacant, and the mortgage payments began draining his personal account. He was losing money every month and sinking into financial trouble. He prayed hard for Hashem's help, but no one responded to any of the advertisements he placed. Around this time, he met a friend who could see the pressure he was under. After hearing all the details, the friend told him he had an idea. He said: "In the sefer Ma'or VaShemesh there is a promise that whoever prays three times a day with a minyan will merit bountiful parnasah . Strengthen yourself in this area, and you will see a yeshu'ah ." Avraham replied that this was not simple for him. His schedule was already set, and it would be extremely difficult to change it around. He did try, but even with the knowledge that it would bring parnasah , he was unable to maintain it. Several months passed, and one summer day in July his friend reminded him that the yahrzeit of the Ma'or VaShemesh was approaching, and asked if he wanted to join him on a trip to Krakow to visit the kever . Avraham needed a salvation badly, so he agreed. He knew his friend would try to convince him to commit to praying with a minyan on the trip — and that's exactly what happened. Throughout the journey, his friend spoke only about this. At the end he told Avraham: "The parnasah will just be a side bonus. The real gain will be the serenity of tefillah , the connection with Hashem, and the constant reminder of your purpose in this world." By the time they arrived, Avraham was convinced. At the kever of the tzaddik, he accepted upon himself to pray all three tefillot every day with a minyan . He also prayed with great intensity that Hashem bless him with abundant parnasah . What happened next was astonishing. Before Avraham even left the cemetery, he received a phone call from a representative of a major company in the country. They were interested in renting out every available office in his building — for the next ten years!. A contract was drawn up and signed soon thereafter.. Avraham had made the best investment of his life: three tefillot a day with minyan . The financial salvation that followed was only the bonus. The true reward was that he reconnected with Hashem and grew immensely in his spiritual life. That, indeed, was the greatest deal he ever made.

Every good deed and every effort we make is recognized and cherished by Hashem. Sometimes He even shows us this so clearly that we cannot miss it. A story began over a year ago with two single girls who undertook to learn a sefer on emunah every night together as a zechut to get engaged. They finished the book, but nothing seemed to change. Instead of giving up, they began the next volume. This time, on the fortieth day of their reading, one of the girls started dating the boy who would eventually become her husband. On the very day they became engaged, the title of the lesson they were up to in the emunah book was "Yirmiyahu's Blessing." Amazingly, her c hatan's name was Yirmiyahu. They continued their nightly emunah learning even after the first girl was married. Recently, a year later, the second girl also got engaged. Incredibly, the night before her engagement, the lesson they learned mentioned a shul by name — "Yeshu'at Yaakov." The very next day she got engaged to a boy whose name was Yaakov Yeshu'a. Hashem made it so obvious to them that He valued their nightly learning. The salvation did not come immediately, but they persisted. Of course, the greatest gift they received was not only the engagement itself, but the emunah they gained through their dedication. Another story was told to me by a man named David. Last year, when it appeared that his father, Raymond, had only a few days to live, David wanted to bring him some joy. Since Raymond loved music, David arranged for a friend to bring an instrument to play for him. They could not find a singer, so the friend suggested playing recordings of Chazzan Moshe Dwek, whose voice matched beautifully with his instrument. Raymond enjoyed the music immensely. Sadly, he passed away a few days later. Afterward, someone pointed out an astonishing detail: years earlier, when Moshe Dwek himself was ill in the hospital, Raymond had been at his side, lifting his spirits and giving him c hizuk . Now, even after Moshe Dwek had passed away, Hashem arranged that his recordings would soothe Raymond in his final days — a beautiful circle of kindness repaid. There was also a man, Yehuda, who shared a remarkable story about someone in his community, whom we'll call Reuven. Reuven was in need of a yeshu'ah and was advised by a rabbi to make sure he always invited guests for Shabbat and Yom Tov meals. From that point on, he worked hard to ensure he always had guests. That year, just two days before Pesah, Yehuda received a call asking if he knew of anyone who could host new neighbors for the Seder. These neighbors were not religious and lived close by — if the host lived far, they might end up driving, which would be a tragedy on Yom Tov. Yehuda immediately thought of Reuven and called him. Reuven was thrilled — for the first time since he had started hosting, he had not been able to find guests. This was his chance. Even more remarkable, when Yehuda asked where he lived in relation to the new neighbors, Reuven answered that he was just two houses away. Hashem had arranged the perfect match: Reuven's desire to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim was met by the need of the new neighbors. Every act, every mitzvah, every ounce of effort we put forth is treasured by Hashem. Sometimes He shows us directly just how much He values it — reminding us that nothing we do for Him ever goes unnoticed.

Elul is all about a relationship. After a safari trip over bein hazmanim to South Africa, Rabbi Stark has an entirely new pshat on how the animal within helps one build that relationship with Hashem.

Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, Mashgiach Ruchani at DRS High School, eloquently explores the transformative role of emunah in the dating journey, drawing on profound insights to inspire and elevate the entire process. Hosted by Anna Krausz.

https://rabbiefremgoldberg.org/living-with-emunah-part-356-what-is-your-mission-in-this-moment Wed, 27 Aug 2025 13:59:22 +0000 7093 Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Living with Emunah - podcast no

The Pasuk says in Parashat Re'eh: "וברכך ה' אלוקיך בכל אשר תעשה"-Hashem your G-d will bless you in everything you do. Our Rabbis learn from here our obligation to put in our Hishtadlut, our effort, to accomplish what we want. Along with this obligation comes a very big test that everyone faces on a daily basis- to be able to put in the effort, yet realize the whole time that Hashem is really the One getting everything done. Hashem wants the world to run בדרך הטבע , through nature, so in order to camouflage His presence, He makes it look like we are the ones accomplishing. But in truth, it is all Hashem. The Mesilat Yesharim calls our Hishtadlut a tax to pay. Once we have fulfilled the quota, Hashem sends His blessing down. Shlomo Hamelech summed it up in a Pasuk in Mishle: "סוס מוכן ליום מלחמה" We have to get the horse ready to go out and fight in battle. An army cannot go out to war expecting a miracle. Rabbenu Bachya says that if they do, they will lose. They have to make all of the necessary preparations to fight. But the Pasuk concludes: "לה' התשועה" The victory of the war is entirely in the hands of Hashem. The'בוטח בה- one who trusts in Hashem, knows that once he puts in his effort he can feel comfortable with the knowledge that he did his part. Then, whatever happens is the will of Hashem for his best. A person should never feel that his efforts were wasted , even if he didn't see his desired results. For example, a man worked on a sale for six weeks, and then it all fell through. His time was not wasted, he paid six weeks' worth of tax, and that opened the pipeline for Hashem to send blessing when He sees fit. If a person went to three doctors and didn't yet come up with a solution for his health issue, he didn't waste his time. He did his Hishtadlut, he paid his tax, and now he should feel great knowing that he did his part. If there is ever a situation where a reasonable Hishtadlut is not possible, then the person becomes exempt from Hishtadlut, and he can totally rely on Hashem. For example, if a person had an ailment, and tried one method to cure it, yet it didn't work, and then tried another, and a third, and still no results, and the doctors say that there is nothing else to try. At that moment, the person becomes exempt from Hishtadlut, and he can totally rely on Hashem for a cure. Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky, זכר צדיק לברכה, used to tell over the following story which happened to him. He was taken to Siberia against his will along with a group of people. They were told to remove their shoes, their jackets and their shirts. They had to walk on snow and ice for miles. The Rabbi had a condition from a very young age that he was very sensitive to the cold, and he would frequently get sick from being exposed to even moderately cold temperatures. His mother, he recalls, used to send him to school in many layers of clothing to protect him. He still had this condition now, and he knew that many people had died in Siberia from being exposed to the frigid temperatures. On his first walk on the ice, he turned to Hashem and said, "The Gemara tells us: '-הכל בידי שמים חוץ מצינים ופחים"Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for cold and hot," which means that if a person goes outside in the winter without a jacket and gets sick, he brought that upon himself. Hashem commanded us to guard our health; we are not allowed to act recklessly. The Rabbi continued. "When I had extra layers and jackets I put them on to protect myself. But now, I don't have that ability, so I am exempt from that obligation. All that is left is the בידי שמים part. Now Hashem, it is only in Your hands. Please, save me from getting cold here." The Rabbi testified, that for over a year and a half in Siberia, he never felt cold even once. It is not the clothing that warms us up, it is Hashem. When we have the ability to help ourselves, we are obligated to. But when there is nothing for us to do, we can totally rely on Hashem. Those who are able to see through nature and recognize that everything is really Hashem, will not only pass this very big test, but they will reap the rewards both in this world and in the next.

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The Torah is the beginning of parashat Ekev promises the most beautiful rewards to those who adhere to the mitzvot . Rashi writes there that the Torah is speaking about the mitzvot that people trample upon and don't give enough respect to. Every mitzvah is such a treasure and, unfortunately, sometimes we take them for granted and don't treat them with the respect that is befitting them. Recently, a student of mine told me that he had allocated money for tzedaka and asked me if I could recommend a few people to give to. I thought of a friend of mine who is a mashgiach in a yeshiva in Israel and has a very large family. I knew he needed the help. I called to tell him of the money he was going to receive and he said, very excitedly, "Baruch Hashem, there's more to this story," which he proceeded to share with me. He said, like many others he is struggling with parnasa and on Shabbat Parashat Ekev , he read a story about a man who was also struggling with parnasa and he took upon himself to say Birkat HaMazon with kavana and very quickly his fortunes changed. My friend said to himself after reading that story, he had not been treating Birkat HaMazon the way it should be treated. He generally looks to avoid eating hamotzi and prefers mezonot instead. He felt like that was an insult to Birkat HaMazon . So from that day forward, he accepted upon himself not only to have more kavana when saying it, but to make sure to eat bread for breakfast every single day and have the zechut to say Birkat HaMazon . His wife is an excellent school teacher, but hasn't been able to find a job for the last three years, partly because schools generally want teachers there by 8:00 am, but because he has to be in yeshiva early, she has to send the little children off to school and can't start work until 9:00. Eight days after his kabbala , his wife received a phone call from a school asking if she would be willing to be their 5 th grade teacher for this year. This was on September 1, just days before school was starting. She told them she would love to but she wouldn't be able to get there until 9:00. Because they needed her so badly, they accepted her anyway. And just like that, after three long years, she had a great job. A few days after that is when I called him and told him out of nowhere he was getting thousands of dollars. That's when he told me about his kabbala to say Birkat HaMazon with kavana and to stop trampling on it and give it the respect it deserves. He added that last week his wife went to a resume specialist to see if she could somehow improve hers. The specialist told her she did it all wrong and would never get a job with that resume. She didn't even get a chance to fix it yet and, with the poor resume, she still got that job. Our mitzvot are wondrous. The more respect we treat them with, the more blessing we get in return.

Eshet Chayil 71

How Do We Feel?RavAvigdorMiller4Life Is Starting a New Topic! Emunah and Bitachon!Listen Today On The Podcast!

Michael Cohen, who would later go on to found the well-known organization Mitzvah Man , once set a personal goal to do at least one act of chesed every single day. But one day—years before his organization ever existed—he found himself struggling to fulfill that mission. He drove around like a salesman searching for a client, only he was looking for a mitzvah. Maybe someone needed a ride. Maybe a pauper was waiting for tzedakah. Maybe someone just needed a helping hand. But nothing came his way. Still determined, he turned to Hashem and prayed: Please send me a mitzvah. I want to do something for You. Toward the end of the day, he passed a food pantry gemach and decided to walk in. "Is there anything I could do to help?" he asked. The person behind the desk looked relieved. "Actually, yes—perfect timing. We have a huge amount of garbage piled up in the back. Would you mind helping us get rid of it?" At first, Michael was taken aback. Garbage? he thought. After sincerely wanting to do a mitzvah, this was what he got? This was his big mission? But then he caught himself. If I'm a true eved Hashem, I should be happy to do whatever job Hashem gives me. I asked for a mitzvah, and this is what He sent. That means this is exactly what I'm supposed to do. He rolled up his sleeves and did the job with a full heart—because when a person serves Hashem with emunah, no act is beneath him. If Hashem sent it, it's a privilege. שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד - The pasuk teaches that in every situation in life, even when something doesn't look glamorous or meaningful, we must remember: I'm standing before Hashem. This is the mission He's giving me right now. Real emunah means living with Hashem every moment. When we truly feel that everything in front of us was given to us by Hashem for a reason—whether it's giving a shiur or dragging garbage bags—it all becomes avodat Hashem , if done with the right mindset. Rav Yerucham Levovitz used to speak about the greatness of kavod Shamayim . He told the story of a man who cleaned the area in front of the Aron Kodesh with his own beard—just to give more honor to Hashem. What others might have seen as lowly or extreme, he saw as an exalted expression of love and reverence for the Melech Malchei HaMelachim, HaKadosh Baruch Hu . A Rosh Yeshiva once shared a story about a young boy in yeshivah who was not known for his brilliance, but was consistent, sincere, and always willing to help. One Erev Shabbat, while the rest of the boys were busy preparing for Shabbat, someone accidentally knocked over a large pot of soup in the kitchen. It spilled everywhere—steaming hot liquid all over the floor. Most of the boys quickly moved on, not wanting to get involved. But this one boy quietly got down on his hands and knees and started cleaning, without being asked. That Shabbat, the Rosh Yeshiva commented during his drashah: "Sometimes Hashem looks at how a person reacts in the quiet moments. You're not being tested on a big stage—just with a dirty floor. But your decision in that moment can lift you to greatness." We don't always know which moment or mitzvah will shape our future. Sometimes it's the most unexpected acts—the so-called small ones that we almost turn down—that open doors we never imagined. Maybe it was Michael Cohen's sincere willingness to take out garbage for the sake of kavod Shamayim that earned him the heavenly assistance to later build a world-renowned chesed organization. What matters most is that we're willing—to accept whatever mission Hashem puts in front of us, and to do it with joy. Because whether we're giving someone a ride, giving tzedakah, or just taking out the garbage—if we do it l'shem Shamayim , we become partners in Hashem's plan. May we all merit to embrace every opportunity Hashem gives us with emunah, humility, and joy. Be'ezrat Hashem , we hope to release Living Emunah on the Parashah , Volume Two, sometime next month. There are a few opportunities for dedications If anyone would like the zechut of dedicating part of the book, please email: livingemunah123@gmail.com

The Midrash Rabbah on Megillat Ruth, quoting Rabbi Yehoshua, teaches: יֹתֵר מִמָּה שֶׁבַּעַל הַבַּיִת עוֹשֶׂה עִם הֶעָנִי, הֶעָנִי עוֹשֶׂה עִם בַּעַל הַבָּיִת — More than the homeowner does for the poor person, the poor person does for the homeowner. One application of this Midrash is in how we view the time we invest in helping others. People often think — especially when life is busy and responsibilities pile up — I'd love to do more chesed… I'd love to learn more Torah… I'd love to do more mitzvot… but I just don't have the time. It sounds logical: every minute we spend doing Hashem's work is a minute we could have spent on ourselves. But Hashem's accounting works very differently. When we give our time for His mitzvot, we don't lose time — we gain it. And it's not simply returned; it comes back with blessing. The more we give, the more we are given. Often, this isn't obvious, but sometimes we see it clearly in our own lives. A man who had recently moved into a new apartment discovered that one of his neighbors was an elderly, broken Jew who lived alone with no family or support. He decided to offer a small kindness: a hot meal. That small act quickly turned into a daily delivery. His family joined in, and it became part of their routine. But over time, the chesed became harder. The neighbor began requesting more specific meals — vegetables chopped finely, fruit salad prepared fresh. At first, the man complied, but eventually, the demands wore on him. He decided to stop chopping and simply sent whole vegetables and fruit, reasoning, He knows how to cut them himself. Around that same time, his healthy baby — who had always eaten well — suddenly refused to drink formula. The baby cried through feedings, turned his head away, spit out whatever he managed to drink, and each feeding became a stressful, time-consuming ordeal. The man didn't connect the two events — until a friend who also knew the elderly neighbor praised him for his kindness. "You have no idea what kind of mitzvah you're doing," the friend said. Then he added, "If you could please send the food nicely, prepared fresh the way he likes it, it's a very big part of the mitzvah." Those words struck a chord. The very next day, the man went back to preparing the food exactly as the neighbor preferred. That same day, his baby ate without crying, spitting, or resisting. The connection was crystal clear. When he tried to save time by doing less chesed, he ended up losing time in another area. We never lose by giving — we only gain. The time we "lose" on a mitzvah is never truly lost; it's invested. Hashem repays us with smoother days, calmer outcomes, and, yes, even babies who cooperate. But when we guard all our time for ourselves, we often find that it slips away anyway — tasks take longer, frustrations mount, and things don't flow. So the next time the yetzer hara whispers, You don't have time for this mitzvah, for Torah learning, or for chesed, whisper back: I don't have time not to.

In this week's parasha, V'etchanan, we have, arguably, the most well-known pasuk in the entire Torah: "שמע ישראל ה' אלוקינו ה' אחד" This pasuk is the root of all of our emunah that Hashem is our G-d and He is the only One in control. The Gemara says in Masechet Sukkah (p. 42) that when a child is first able to speak, his father should teach him this line Shema Yisrael. With this, we are training our children and imbuing them with emunah from the earliest age. Something of such vital importance can't wait until the child is 5 or 6 years old, it must begin from the moment he/she can speak. We should not underestimate how much emunah our children can absorb. Emunah should be spoken about in the home and children should be trained from very young ages in it. I recently received an email which said, "Ever since I started listening to the Daily Emunah messages, it's as if I entered a whole new world. Growing up I was religious, but I never thought about Hashem too deeply or how He plays a role in our lives, but in the last two years, since I began listening, I became a whole new person. I'm so much happier and calmer and accepting and so grateful for the inspiring emunah lessons. I am a preschool teacher and one day, as my students walked into class, Hashem put a thought into my mind. I decided I was going to repeat a chizuk message in emunah to them in an age appropriate manner. I saw how they drank up every word with so much enthusiasm. I noticed how hungry their souls were for a connection to Hashem, even though they all came from religious backgrounds. From then on, every single day, I started repeating another chizuk lesson to them in a kid friendly way. It didn't take too long and I started noticing changes in my students' behavior. For example, little Esther told little Channah, 'I lost the snack that my mommy gave me this morning, but I am not upset because I know Hashem did it out of love and one day I'll find out why.' Channah replied, 'Did you make sure to thank Hashem for your lost snack?' This kind of talk has become the norm in my classroom, from just a little emunah message every day." I received a different email from a woman who says she speaks about emunah in her house all the time. It has changed the way her entire household thinks, and they are so much happier as a result. A few weeks ago, she was visiting her in-laws with her five year old son on Shabbat and, while he was playing outside, something banged into his eye very hard. There was no ice there so she took her son back to her house which was not too far away. While they were walking, she said out loud, "Baruch Hashem, I just remembered, I bought margarine right before Shabbat. That's the best thing to put on your eye." The little boy said in response, "Mommy, Hashem knew I was going to get a bump, so He told you to buy the margarine. He didn't tell you I was going to get the bump because then you wouldn't let it happen." The proud mother was so grateful for her little boy's response. His immediate thought that Hashem put it in her brain to buy the margarine just for him was so beautiful. He's only five. Emunah is for the very, very young as well. As a note of advice, if a very young child gets a bump and we tell him it was from Hashem for his best, he might not take it the right way, he might even come to resent Hashem because, at that time, the child is in pain. The key is to teach the child the lessons beforehand so that the child, on his own, will say it's from Hashem for his best. And when the child does that, we should make him feel so special and tell him how proud Hashem is of him for having that emunah. Shabbat Shalom.

In today's generation, we've grown used to instant results. We place an order and expect it at our doorstep within hours. We start a job and want to see immediate success. And this mindset has quietly crept into our spiritual lives as well. We invest our time, our energy, and our hearts into our avodat Hashem , but when we don't see immediate results, the yetzer hara whispers in our ears: "Why bother? You've tried and tried—what do you have to show for it?" This struggle applies to so many areas of life: our tefillot , our limud haTorah , our efforts in helping others, or supporting a cause we care about. In the world of Torah and mitzvos, the fruits of our labor are often hidden—sometimes for years, sometimes for decades. But one thing is certain: no effort in avodat Hashem ever goes to waste. There's a powerful mashal that illustrates this: A man plants a seed deep in the soil and faithfully waters it every day. Weeks go by, and not even a sprout breaks through the ground. Discouraged, he stops watering, convinced his efforts were in vain. What he didn't know was that beneath the surface, the seed had already begun to take root. Strong roots were forming deep underground—out of sight, but full of life. Had he waited just a little longer, he would have seen a beautiful tree begin to grow. It's the same with us. The growth is there—we just don't always see it. If it's hard for us to continue, that only makes the reward sweeter. Every moment of hishtadlut —every heartfelt tefillah , every struggle to hold back a sharp word, every time we try to improve—is being collected and counted by Hashem. A person can work on their middot for years and not feel much change. They may still get angry, still feel overwhelmed, still struggle to maintain joy—but then, one day, in a moment they never imagined they could handle, they respond with calm and with strength. And in that moment, they realize: the change was always growing—it just took time to bloom. A woman once said that she had worked on her shalom bayit for years. She gave in. She stayed quiet. She chose peace over winning. But she felt like none of it made a difference. Then, during a difficult moment in their marriage, her husband said to her with tears in his eyes: "You don't know what kind of strength you've been for me all these years." The fruit had been growing all along. It just needed time to ripen. When we keep going—even when we don't see results—that is the ultimate expression of emunah . We believe that Hashem values every step. This world is the world of action. The world of reward is coming. So many of our greatest leaders didn't live to see the full impact of their work. But they kept pushing—and that's what made them great. Rav Aharon Kotler zt"l came to America in the early 1940s, at a time when the country was spiritually barren—especially when it came to yeshiva learning. In 1943, he opened a small yeshiva in Lakewood, New Jersey, with just 14 students. Few believed it would last. But Rav Aharon taught with fire. He poured his soul into building Torah in a land that seemed inhospitable to it. He led the yeshiva for 19 years, 7 months, and 1 day—until his passing. By then, the yeshiva had grown to about 160 talmidim. Modest numbers for nearly two decades of work. But the Rabbanim who remained said: Rav Aharon infused the yeshiva with kedushah . His efforts were l'shem Shamayim , and they would not go to waste. His son, Rav Shneur Kotler zt"l, took over—and remarkably, passed away exactly 19 years, 7 months, and 1 day from when he began. In that time, the yeshiva grew to over 900 boys. Still, the true explosion of growth came afterward. Today, BMG in Lakewood is home to over 10,000 talmidim—arguably the largest yeshiva in the world. Rav Aharon never saw it. But today, in the radiance of the Shechinah , he is surely reaping the reward. He planted the seeds. He watered them with sweat, with mesirut nefesh , and with unwavering bitachon . And Hashem made them grow. So if you're struggling… if you've been trying to grow in your avodat Hashem but don't see the fruits yet—don't stop. Don't listen to that voice that says it's not worth it. Every drop of effort counts. And one day, those seeds will sprout in ways you never imagined. Because the tree always takes time to grow. But the reward… is eternal.

Hashem doesn't just hear every word we say — He knows every thought that passes through our minds. Last Friday, I was shopping for Shabbat and noticed that the prices were unusually high. I picked up an item and began debating whether or not to put it back. Just then, a man came over to me and asked, "Is it true that anything we spend for Shabbat doesn't come out of the yearly income Hashem allots for us?" I replied, "Absolutely. It's an explicit Gemara." As soon as I answered, I realized Hashem had sent this man to remind me of that truth. I smiled, thanked Hashem for the immediate correction, and bought the item I had been second-guessing. Hashem is intimately involved in our lives — not just every day, but every second. Just over a month ago, a mother was looking to take her children on outings to keep them entertained before camp started. She tried two different places, but both were completely booked. The children were disappointed, and the mother, trying to soften the letdown, took them for ice cream instead. It was an extremely hot day. As they left the ice cream shop, the children ran ahead and mistakenly opened the door of a car that looked like their own. To their shock, there was a four-month-old baby alone in the back seat. The baby had been forgotten. They ran into various stores searching for the baby's mother. When she saw them holding her child, she burst into tears. "I always double-check!" she cried. "I just forgot this time…" On a hot summer day, R"l, it only takes 10–15 minutes for a tragedy to occur in a car. At that moment, it became clear to the mother and children why their plans had been canceled earlier. Hashem had rerouted them, put the idea of ice cream in their minds, and guided them to open the wrong car door — just in time to save that baby's life. Another remarkable story was shared by Rabbi David Ozeri. Last Thursday night, he received a call from a panicked father — a Rav in Eretz Yisrael. His 17-year-old daughter had landed in Newark on a stopover from Israel, and her connecting flight had been canceled due to weather. She didn't speak English, she was alone in a foreign airport, and it was already 11:00 p.m. Rabbi Ozeri immediately contacted a baal chessed in his community, who answered the phone right away. "Of course she's welcome to stay with us," the man said. "I'll even send an Uber for her." But the father was too nervous to place his daughter in an Uber alone at night. Rabbi Ozeri then thought of a woman in Brooklyn who drove children to school each morning. She was divorced and may have needed some extra income. He called her and asked if she would be willing to drive from Brooklyn to Newark to pick up the girl, bring her all the way to Deal, New Jersey, and then return home. The woman answered immediately, "It would be my pleasure to do the chessed," and added that she didn't want to be paid. But Rabbi Ozeri went to the host's home and gave him an envelope with $450, asking him to give it to the driver when she dropped off the girl. The next morning, the woman texted Rabbi Ozeri thanking him for the opportunity to do the chessed — and for the money. What she shared afterward was incredible. She said it was her turn to host her children for Shabbat, but when she checked her bank account, she had only ten dollars left. She didn't know how she would buy food for her large family. At that moment, she saw a request for tzedakah for a worthy cause. With great Emunah, she donated her last $10 and prayed that in the zechut of that mitzvah, Hashem would help her provide for Shabbat. The very next night, at 11:00 p.m., she received the call from Rabbi Ozeri — and ended up earning more than enough to buy everything she needed. We don't fully understand the ways of Hashem, but it seems like one of the reasons the girl's flight was canceled was so this woman could have the parnassah she had so desperately prayed for. When people heard her story, they were so moved that they voluntarily donated more — and she ended up receiving a total of $6,000. Hashem is involved in every moment of every person's life. He orchestrates everything with precision and purpose. Our job is to build our connection with Him — through our tefillot , through our mitzvot , and through our emunah.

Chazal tell us, ישראל מפרנסין לאביהם שבשמים —Yisrael "support" their Father in Heaven. This means that the satisfaction Hashem derives from our good deeds is, so to speak, how we "support" Him. In earlier generations, that support came from the deeds of great tzaddikim—people whose entire lives were devoted to serving Hashem with purity and holiness. Their Torah learning was filled with clarity, their prayers pierced the heavens, and their mitzvot were performed with incredible precision and joy. In those times, Hashem, k'viyachol (so to speak), was being "supported" in abundance. But today, we no longer have such towering tzaddikim. We live in a time when it is very difficult to remain spiritual. Confusion and distraction are everywhere. Temptations are stronger than ever, and spiritual clarity is at an all-time low. So how do we compensate for all the support that has been lost? Hashem has darkened the world spiritually so that even the simplest mitzvah today requires mesirut nefesh —self-sacrifice. In this way, our deeds become incredibly valuable, and we are able to give Hashem the same nachat ruach —the same pleasure—as the tzaddikim of past generations. It is so hard today to stay focused during prayer, yet we come back day after day and try our hardest to concentrate, even if we can manage only a bit of kavanah . It's more difficult than ever to stay pure in thought, speech, and action—and yet we keep trying. We guard our eyes, watch our mouths, and avoid negative influences. It's harder than ever to live with emunah , especially when we don't see the results we're hoping for—but we still believe in Hashem's unending mercy and love. A man said that he doesn't understand why he now struggles with tests that were never an issue earlier in his life. Temptations that never appealed to him before suddenly became major challenges. One possible explanation is that he now needs his deeds to carry more weight—and that weight can only come through intense struggle. A teenager today feels pulled in every direction. It is incredibly difficult to maintain his religious standards. Once upon a time, praying, learning, and guarding oneself from sin were considered routine. Today, they are acts of heroism. Simple deeds done with effort in our generation are more beloved to Hashem than hundreds of effortless mitzvot done in generations past. A mother running a busy household barely has a moment to breathe, yet she still manages to pray, say Tehillim , avoid lashon hara in a group conversation, and faithfully care for her children and husband. These small acts are, k'viyachol , supporting Hashem in the world more than we can possibly imagine. And of course, we are the ultimate beneficiaries of this support. We just passed Tishah B'Av. Hashem is still homeless, and He is begging us to bring Him back home. Soon, He will reveal Himself to the world and reward those who remained loyal to Him. For now, He is still asking for our help. Let us take advantage of the opportunity while we still have it. The challenges in serving Hashem are actually for our benefit. We may not be on the level of the tzaddikim of the past, but we can accomplish the same—perhaps even more. Hashem will never abandon us. The difficulties we face today are His way of drawing even closer to us. Let us strengthen ourselves and recognize the immense value of everything we do. It is well worth the fight. Never say, "It's just one mitzvah," or "It's just one aveirah." Every mitzvah we perform is precious. Every aveirah we avoid is beyond measure.

A man told me that his wife had been a little negligent about something he had asked her to do multiple times. Unfortunately, as a result, their children were placed in a potentially dangerous situation. Baruch Hashem, everything worked out in the end, but he was extremely upset. He felt his wife had put their children in danger unnecessarily, and he had every reason to be shaken. Later that same day, while at home, he decided to learn a bit. The only sefer easily available was an ArtScroll volume of Masechet Shabbat. He randomly opened it to daf 32 ( ל״ב ), where the Gemara discusses how serious it is to place oneself in a dangerous situation. Reading it made him feel validated in how upset he was with his wife. But then, just a few lines later, he read something that shook him to the core: the Gemara says that someone who neglects learning Torah causes danger to their children. He read the line again and again. Suddenly, it hit him — he himself had been negligent in learning. He had never truly committed to a regular seder, always coming up with excuses, telling himself it wasn't realistic right now. And then he remembered something else. Just the day before, he had randomly chosen to listen to a shiur from a rabbi he had never heard before — a class recorded over ten years ago, out of thousands he could have selected. It was on the topic of Elul and Teshuvah, even though we're now in the month of Av. And incredibly, that rabbi spoke directly to the exact excuse this man had been telling himself for years. The rabbi explained why that excuse doesn't hold up, and how important it is for every Jew to carve out time to learn — even in a busy life. Now, in the span of 24 hours, Hashem had sent him three clear messages: His wife's mistake led to a danger that got him very worked up. The Gemara he "happened" to open addressed his exact situation showing him he was more guilty than his wife. The shiur he "randomly" chose directly called out his long-held excuse. He said, "I couldn't believe the hashgachah pratit. It was all connected. Hashem was clearly sending me a message, and this time, I didn't want to miss it." He picked up the phone, called his rabbi, and said, "It's time. Please help me start a serious learning schedule." Hashem speaks to us in different ways, at different moments. But it's up to us to open our hearts and pay attention to the message. Another man shared with me that from the time he graduated high school until the age of 35, he didn't put on Tefillin even once. He had drifted far from the path he was capable of being on. He loved his children dearly and would do anything for them. One day, his wife gently said, "Would you mind putting on Tefillin just for a few minutes each day — not for yourself, but so the kids can see their father wearing Tefillin?" That comment hit him like a ton of bricks. He realized how far he had gone — so far that his wife had to ask him to put on Tefillin, not even for Hashem, not even for himself, but just as an example for the kids. The very next day, he put on his Tefillin. He said he felt something special — something he hadn't felt in years. Slowly, one small step at a time, he began to come back. He started attending shul. He began learning Torah. Today, that same man has children learning full time, and he himself is growing stronger and stronger in his Avodat Hashem every single day. He is grateful beyond words for that moment that woke him up — that small comment that sparked something great. Every person is given opportunities for inspiration. Some are subtle, some are loud. Hashem wants all of His children close to Him, and He lovingly sends each one the exact kind of message they need. But it's our decision whether or not we act on it. We are getting closer and closer to the time of Yemei HaMashiach, when Hashem will fully reveal Himself to the world. Then, the tests we face now — the quiet, hidden tests of Emunah and consistency — will no longer exist. There will be no more confusion, no more doubt. But also, no more chance to grow through struggle. Now is the time. Now is the chance to grow in Torah, to grow in mitzvot, to become the people we are meant to become. Let's take the messages from Hashem and let them move us forward. Even one step today can change our entire life. And that one step can affect generations.

Chazal teach us that the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam—baseless hatred. And our Rabbis have explained that, in truth, almost all hatred is baseless , because we know that whatever another person does to us is ultimately coming directly from Hashem. Even though people have free will, person A cannot use that free will to harm person B unless Hashem allows it—and that only happens if it's meant to be. If someone is able to cause us pain, it's only because Hashem decreed it for our benefit. It may have saved us from something far worse. Instead of resentment, we should feel joy that Hashem is taking care of us in the way He knows is best. When we overcome our natural reactions and respond with emunah, our relationships become more peaceful and loving. That inner peace brings happiness—but more than that, it is Avodat Hashem of the highest level, and it opens the gates of blessing. Chazal say, "The only vessel that can hold blessing is peace." A person can have a spouse, children, multiple homes, cars, and all the wealth in the world—but if there is no peace, none of it can be enjoyed. It's worthless. One of the greatest pieces of advice for someone who wants more happiness and more blessing in life is to make peace with those they are at odds with. A man told me a story that began about ten years ago. His father had a bitter falling-out with a longtime business partner, and the partnership ended with deep resentment. The partner left, and the father continued running the business with his son. But after the split, the company began to struggle. The atmosphere at work became heavy, and nothing was going right. There was tension everywhere. Seven years later, out of nowhere, the former partner walked back in and asked for a job. Surprisingly, they agreed—and gave him a high-level position. From that day on, the business began to grow and flourish. Today, it's more successful than it ever was. The son couldn't understand how this man just showed up again. When he asked his father, the answer became clear: "That machloket was bothering me for years," his father said. "One day I decided to call him, apologize, and make peace. I felt such relief afterward, and I guess he felt comfortable enough to return and ask for a job." There's no doubt: the success came from the act of shalom. When peace is made, everyone feels better—and even more importantly, we bring tremendous nachat ruach to Hashem, who wants nothing more than to see His children getting along. People may hurt us, but it's our job to fulfill Hashem's will and love them anyway. It's not always easy. But with a little chizuk, we can do it. A woman shared with me that she and her husband weren't invited to a certain wedding. They knew the reason and were okay with it. But on the day of the wedding, they kept getting phone calls from others: "What time are you going?" "Want me to save you a seat at the reception?" "Are you bringing the kids?"—all assuming they were invited. Each call felt like another dagger. By the time the wedding started, they were fuming. The woman wanted to forgive, but it felt too painful. The very next morning, she opened a daily email on emunah that she hadn't opened in over a week. The title? "When You Aren't Invited to a Wedding." She couldn't believe it. She read it again and again until the message sank in. It reminded her that everything comes from Hashem—that even this was tailor-made for her benefit. With that perspective, she found the strength to truly forgive. And afterward? She felt so free. Holding on to anger and hurt only poisons us. But when we let go, when we forgive—even when it's hard—and believe that everything is from Hashem, we feel lighter, more joyful, and we open our lives to blessing. If we can do that, B'ezrat Hashem we'll merit the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash. Amen.