Monthly Archives: October 2013

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Baruch Aryeh Leib ben Hadassah who has a rapid growing tumor in his brain.  The doctors cannot believe and are giving him a very grim forecast, c”v.  Please he has small children and is under 30 years old.  Please pass the name around and do something special for him today.  May HaKadosh Baruch Hu in the zechut of our care and love for another yid send Baruch Aryeh Leib ben Hadassah a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

**  For the ladies in the Tri-State area who wish to meet with me for private consultation, I am making myself available this coming Monday, B’H, Nov. 4th to meet in Manhattan anytime from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm.  I do not think I will have any more free days to personally meet with anyone, other than phone call sessions.  Please let me know asap if you wish to set up an appt.  Looking forward.

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From the well-known incident which occurred between Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa ztk’l and his daughter, we can develop many teachings.

It was erev Shabbat just before candle lighting, and the daughter of R’ Chanina was saddened since she had poured vinegar instead of oil into the candle holders.  When she realized that oil was not available, her father replied, “My daughter, The One who gave permission for the oil to light can tell the vinegar to light” and so it was.  R’ Chanina did not pray to Hashem that it shall be so.  He simply made a statement of emuna peshuta (simple words of emuna), and as a result of his emuna, the vinegar served as a lighting source for the Shabbat candles.

For R’ Chanina, there was no miracle in that a candle can be lit with vinegar since using oil was just as miraculous in his eyes. This message is strengthened by the words quoted in Masechet Makot, “In the way that man wishes to go, they guide him.” The forces in life are meant to test us.  Hashem allows for these conflicting powers to persist in order to provide us with free will. Nonetheless, we must remember that they are all tests of faith to challenge us to see Hashem, not nature or cause-and-effect.

A question which may arise from the case of R’ Chanina could be why didn’t Hashem bring about a smaller miracle by providing him with oil to light the candles as opposed to a grander miracle of enabling the vinegar to be lite?  The answer – for R’ Chanina the usage of oil or any other substance is a revealed miracle.  The term nature simply did not exist in his mind.   Therefore, Hashem ‘responded’ to him measure for measure in a miraculous way.

From here, we learn that if we work towards experiencing Hashem in every aspect of our lives, we will surely merit finding Him, whether in ‘natural’ circumstances or ‘supernatural’ events.

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Baruch Dayan HaEmet with sorrow Eliezer ben Feivel (Sima) has passed away, yesterday’s dedication.  May the family know of no more sorrow.

Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah Yisrael Yehuda ben Elka who fell and banged his head.  May he merit a complete healing among all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karovb’rachamim, Amen.

I would like to encourage our wonderful readers to partner with me on the Daily Dose of Emuna’s project of publishing its first book: 180 Degree in 180 Days.  Please take a moment to contribute to spreading the light of Torah and emuna to Klal Yisrael.  A minimal donation goes a long way.

We need your support. Be part of it!

We were given a promise from Hashem.  If we perform our task faithfully and with emuna, Hashem will shine His blessings upon us.  Even if we cannot see it, we are being cared for.

When a person has complete emuna in Hashem, he merits the gift of being shown Hashem’s personal involvement in his life. There are two reasons for being granted such a gift – one is as a reward for his trust and the second is in order to not disappoint him.  You see, when we place our wholehearted trust in the Borei Olam and do not merit a yeshua, it could c”v leave us with such anguish and possibly lead to a chillul Hashem. Hashem does not ‘want’ to dishearten those of us who genuinely place our trust in Him and so He reveals His presence. The key word though is to those who one hundred percent trust Him.

Sefer Michtav m’Eliyahu writes that Hashem decreed on the Jewish people to make an exerted effort in all endeavors of life in order to mask the idea of miraculous happenings. We cannot rely on miracles and therefore must involve ourselves in the natural order of the world.  Borei Olam, though, is ‘hiding’ inside the day-to-day routine of life.

From this, we can derive a valuable lesson.  When our emuna is strong, we need to invest minimal effort yet we will still be shown Hashem’s loving kindness in the outcome.  For the person who lives with emuna shleimah, there is no difference between nature and miracle.  For him, it is one and the same.

Sefer Kedushat HaLevi teaches that if we believe in natural cause-and-effect, then Hashem will bring about the chain of events through those means and further hide His involvement.  By contrast, for the one who wishes to expose Hashem’s presence and seeks Hashem’s doing within every event, Hashem will reveal to him that nature is but a lie and has no significance whatsoever.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Eliezer ben Sima who is in critical condition. May he merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

The underlying point of emuna is not that I believe that Hashem will answer my requests, but that I will accept whatever Hashem has in store for me.  No matter what, it is all good.  The notion for us to grasp is that we must cast away our thoughts and feel in our hearts that Hashem takes care of us without a doubt.

We should heed the message of Dovid HaMelech when he writes in Tehillim: “Nafshi k’gamul alei Imo k’gamul alei nafshi”. The Vilna HaGaon ztk’l explains that just as a baby after nursing from his mother doesn’t concern himself with whether there will be milk for him the next time he is hungry, so should we not worry what lies in the future.

If one finds it hard to let go of his worries, he should imagine to himself how carefree he would feel if he knew for sure that someone would help him.  What if this ‘someone’ had connections in high places such as a minister or another influential figure?  This would surely calm his thoughts.  In the same vein, he should feel for certain that Hashem will take care of him.

We cannot grasp Hashem’s will and never will.  We are instructed to trust in the Borei Olam.  That alone should envelop us with tranquility since we are in good hands.  This requires constant reminding and reassuring of oneself, but it can be achieved.  Our task in this long and dark exile is to strengthen our emuna and remember these words of truth.

It should not make any difference whether we can physically see a light at the end of tunnel or fathom how the salvation will come.  Hashem is the Doer of it all and even if His ways are hidden, all is good and just.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Yosef ben Esther.  May he merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

Correction:  on Monday the daily dose was dedicated to the refuah of Bracha Miram Tova bat Rochel.  I accidently wrote that she is battling breast cancer when in fact it is cancer in another part of her body.  I apologize.  Please continue to daven for her complete healing and ease of struggle. Tizku’ l’mitzvot.

Sefer Chovot Halevavot writes in the gate of bitachon that when falls ill he must seek to be healed as is dictated by the way of the world.  Yet at the same time he must realize that refuah is brought to a person solely from Hashem.  There is not a single human being on the face of this earth who can bring about a yeshua on his own without Hashem’s intervention.

A person can achieve a very high level of d’veikut (bonding) with Hashem by the act of trusting in Him.  The ideal level of trust that we should strive to reach is one where we barely need to make any effort in life still we will receive everything that we need.  Certainly this is ideal but we must know where we wish to be in order to travel on the right path to get there.

Tehillim (32:10) states this in the most clearest of terms, “…haboteach b’Hashem chesed yesoveveno (…but as for him who trusts in Hashem, kindness will encompass him).  Trust in Hashem is so potent that it practically guarantees results.

This doesn’t mean to simply hope that Hashem will help and maybe mix that hope with a bit of doubt as to whether it will in fact come to fruition.  It implies a trust that does not bring to mind any questions but is the unwavering knowledge that Hashem will send the yeshua.

Once again, this is a difficult notion to intellectually grasp let alone implement in our daily lives.  Nevertheless, we should not lose emuna in ourselves that we can attain this lofty level since if it is commanded of us, we can reach the highest heights.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Eliyahu ben Chava.  May he merit a complete healing amongst all of KlalYisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

In the sefer Michtav M’Eliyahu it is written that being that one’s livelihood is determined in Shamayim from Rosh Hashanah to Rosh Hashanah, why are we commanded to make an exerted effort to ‘earn’ a living?  Why do we need to put in our hishtadlut (time and effort)? We are taught that the reason is so that man will spiritually grow in his emuna through this test.

Life’s illusion is that we work and therefore earn our pay.  We are in control of how much or little we have – the key word being ‘illusion.’ The way of the world is such that we ‘need’ to work in order to make a living which instills in us the mindset that we are getting paid because we are working.  This is where the deception lies since it is not our work that brings us the income.  It is Hashem who hides the blessing of our livelihood through the act of working.

This is one of life’s hardest tests, and it is here where man’s gadlut (greatness) can be found.  Certainly, we must work and be involved in the mundane act of working.  However, it is simply because we are commanded to do so and nothing more.  If we were not instructed to labor, we would not have to and would receive our sustenance directly from Hashem as B’nai Yisrael did in the desert after Yitziat Mizrayim.

How do we hold on to our emuna in spite of our inclination to believe that we control how much we earn? The answer lies in the powerful act of mind over matter.  It is vital to continuously remind oneself that he is working in order fulfill Hashem’s commandment, yet his involvement has absolutely no effect on how much money he earns.

The concept of worry when it comes to our sustenance is precisely linked to a lack of emuna since it is not a matter of how much we work or where we work or who we work for that influences our income.  The most influential act that we can involve ourselves in to increase our sustenance is simply to trust in Hashem that He provided, provides and will provide us with whatever we need.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Yaakov Yechiel Michel ben Yechet who recently had a stroke.  May he merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

Rabbeinu Yonah ztk’l writes that we cannot reach a level of bitachon without first acquiring emuna in Hashem’s intimate hashgocha (Divine providence).  This requires first recognizing and internalizing that everything is in Hashem’s hands and He is not limited in any which way.  Borei Olam can and does alter natural law and changes ones mazal as He sees fit.

‘In a blink of an eye’ the yeshua can come and we must believe and hope that it will, yet accept that wherever we are today is the best place for us to be in.  To sum it up in one sentence: ‘Accept today but pray for a better tomorrow.’

The passuk in Yeshayahu (26:4) reads, “Put your trust in Hashem always,” meaning Hashem created this world and the next and everything is in His hands, therefore He has the ability to help always. What is the test on where we stand regarding our trust in Hashem?  We quickly find out when a nisayon appears as we either become drenched in anguish or lift our eyes high and grasp that it is all from Hashem.

The RamBan ztk’l teaches that when we worry we fail to keep the positive mitzvah of “Tamim t’eyeh im Hashem Elokecha (You shall be tamim with Hashem) as is written in Parshat Shoftim.  We are instructed to be tamim, complete or whole in our avodat Hashem. Certainly we are human and tend to worry however we must try hard to weaken its control as much as possible.

Chovot Halevavot brings down that the more we know Hashem and trust is His compassion the less anxiety will invade us.  This is something that we know intellectually nevertheless must work to practice in reality.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Bracha Miriam Tova bat Rochel who is struggling with breast cancer.  The suffering is so great, and these times are so uncertain.  We just don’t know what will be at any given moment.  However, we must stay strong.  Hashem is with us and will not leave until every one of His children is redeemed emotionally and physically.  May it come soon b’rachamim, Amen.

Ein OD Milvado (there is no other than Hashem) is commonly said in the circles of Jewish people.  How close are we to understanding its deep meaning?  Upon further examination, we will find that this is the founding principle of emuna and thus very important to explore.

The brachot and tefillot are but tools to ingrain the fact that even when a leaf falls off a tree it was decreed that it fall and none other.  The main theme of emuna is to dismiss any possibility of coincidence or that intervention by another was the cause of an event. This is what is termed the mitzvah of emunat hayichud (the belief in One).

The Ramchal ztk’l illuminates this idea.  He writes that we must believe that Hashem is in full control and that natural law is dependent on His will.  Hashem is not forced to act in sync with nature, the law that He instituted, unless He chooses to do so.

Hashem responds according to our deeds.  To clarify, if we place our full-blown trust in Hashem, not just partially, then Hashem will fully safeguard us.  As a shadow reflects the person’s movement, so does Hashem, so to speak, reflect our actions.

In our current generation, it is essential to strengthen ourselves with emuna.  Hashem is with us and will never leave us for we are His children.  Without this train of thought, we could not possibly go through the anguish we are experiencing in our times.  There is no other reality but one:  All is directed by the Borei Olam.  Rabbi Chaim m’Volozhin ztk’l teaches that by continuously reminding ourselves of this truth, we shield ourselves and the decrees are sweetened.

The purpose of creation is to reveal Hashem’s presence, the belief that Hashem is the One and only One.  With each nisayon, we inch closer to the time when a new reality will set in for all to see as we say in the tefilla of Aleinu: “…v’Haya Hashem l’Melech al kol ha’aretz bayom hahu yihiyeh Hashem echad u’Shmo echad.”

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to Mirel Perel bat Rachel an eleven year old just recently diagnosed with cancer.   May Hashem send her a quick and complete healing and may there be no more suffering in Klal Yisrael, Amen.

There are many lessons that can be derived from the laughter of Sara Imeinu over the news that she would  in fact have a child.  One that pertains to emuna is that it was expected from her that although she was ninety years old and no longer had a menstrual cycle she was still expected to trust in Hashem that anything is possible, no matter how much it appears to oppose natural law.

Hashem is in full control over every event.  Due to our limited understanding we cannot say whether something can be or whether a yeshua can happen.  What differentiates the Jewish people from the rest of the world is that nothing is natural; everything is a miracle!  Borei Olam is intimately involved with every aspect of our lives and nothing is beyond His capability.

The acute awareness that Hashem performed and continues to perform miracles for Ahm Yisrael enables us to believe in the concept of hidden miracles as well as is written in Shmoneh Esrei, “Your miracles you bring to us every day and at every moment.” The miracles referred to here are those of the body. Although we have become used to the fact that the body performs its duty it is nothing less than an astonishing system.

For example contemplate for a moment the idea of sleep.  How is it that a person goes to rest and wakes up refreshed?  Rav Yechezchel Levenstein ztk’l writes that it should not be viewed as a natural event.  Hashem ‘hides’ the miracle within nature and we should continuously be aware that Hashem is behind it all and it is all miraculous.

The Shomer Emunim writes something even deeper.  It is written in Nishmat Kol Chai, “… we still could not thank You sufficiently….” regarding the never-ending daily miracles that Hashem does for us and go by unnoticed.  There is no possibility to acknowledge the day-to-day miracles and wonders that are hidden from our minds, hearts, ears and eyes.

Nothing is ‘natural’; our existence is phenomenal and nothing short of a miracle.