Yearly Archives: 2013

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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.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the hatzlocha of all of the women and their families who attended the emotional evening at Kever Mama Rachel this past Wednesday evening. May everyone be zocha to an abundance of bracha and may all of the tefillot be answered for the very best.

What a gift it is to bask in the delight of feeling close to Hashem on Shabbat Kodesh!  Shabbat enables us to connect to all the levels of our soul on high, and therefore, we are able to bond to Hashem Himself.

However, this requires spiritual and physical work.  A person must prepare himself for the holiness that he receives on Shabbat to refine himself in order to create a vessel that can absorb the inner delight he enjoys on Shabbat. By way of preparing and waiting for Shabbat to come, we elevate our possessions – our clothes, food, body, etc. – to hold the light of Shabbat. During the time of the Beit HaMikdash, the Kohanim would be infused with sanctity by delighting in the offerings.  We are granted the same lofty level every Shabbat.

Every time we switch from the mundane to a Shabbat mindset, we renew our wedding vows ‘signed’ at Har Sinai.  We essentially elevate ourselves from our material nature and bond with Hashem in holiness.

Shabbat afternoon in particular is permeated with kedusha.  It is a time of intimacy and silent union with Hashem.  As the Shabbat slowly approaches its end, we may struggle to hold back the inner havoc that we set aside during the earlier part of Shabbat.  Yet let us try to muster up the strength to remain happy for the sake of Shabbat Kodesh and not put a damper on our spirits so that we may share as much joy with Hashem as possible.

This becomes our sign to Hashem that we are in love with Him since we are willing to hold back our sadness for the sake of not making Him sad.  When we make a conscious effort to overlook our pain so not to cause Hashem pain so to speak, we become the recipients of His never-ending love!

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated the refuah shleimah of Chana Leah bat Sara a young bride due to marry any day. She suddenly collapsed in shul due to a brain aneurism.  So much pain and sorrow, may there be no more b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

Rav Yechezkel Levenstein ztk’l writes in his book Ohr Yechezkel that it appears to the human eye as though there is a natural law of cause and effect.  Yet, we must internalize that it is all from Hashem. There is no material existence.  Everything is rooted in the spiritual world.  This is the amazing wonder of HaKadosh Baruch Hu.  We are made to feel as though our reality is a product of natural means.  However, this is just an illusion.

Once again, it is important to reiterate that everything was and is Hashem.  All occurrences, from start to finish, are a product of Hashem’s will for it to be.  It is important to internalize this not only in our minds but of course to bring it down to our hearts.

The task in life is to have our hearts surrender to what our intellect has already adopted.  It is not sufficient for our minds to be aware that nature is but a ‘mask’ of Hashem.  We must live our lives with this heartfelt emotion.

What is the difference between a natural occurrence and a miraculous occurrence?  After all, both are products of Hashem’s will.  The difference is that Hashem created a system which appears to run in a limited and specific order.  Nature presents us with a cause-and-effect relationship which guides the world. At times, Hashem ‘decides’ to ‘break the borders’ of the structure in which nature appears to be, and this is termed a miracle.

Nature is a way of life to which we are accustomed.  When a person is used to a certain experience, it becomes natural to him.  However, when something new happens which is out of the ordinary walks of life, we call it a miracle, though when we explore deeper into the concepts, we shall see that nature is also a miracle only we are used to it, while the miracle we are not.

Please feel free to send a thought, comment or question in the comments section after reading the daily emuna lessons.   Share them with your friends!

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated the refuah shleimah of Doron ben Dalya. He was told by the doctors that he has only a few more days to live… oy, please Hashem!  Our hearts are broken.  Hashem we trust in You that all is love, please show us revealed good b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

A request to our readers list; I am in need of editing video clips every so often that we video tape, such as creating a montage of videos, pictures, etc together with music.  Can anyone volunteer their time to do so for the Daily Dose of Emuna?  Tizku’ l’mitzvot, it is a very big zechut.  Thank you.

The first commandment is “Anochi Hashem Elokecha asher Hotzeteecha m’eretz mitzrayim.”  Why begin with this statement?  Hashem was sending B’nai Yisrael two messages: first believe in Me and second love Me since I have redeemed you from Mitzrayim.   Why?

Following all of the plagues of mitzrayim the world would learn that there is a higher authority running the world.  B’nai Yisrael were slaves in mitzrayim and were freed from their physical enslavement in order to serve Hashem and elevate them spiritually.  This was the reason teaches the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh that we are reminded of yitziat Mitzrayim when discussing belief in Hashem’s existence. In order that we may remember that it was Hashem who released us and controls the world and we should subjugate ourselves to fulfilling His will.

The RamBam ztk’l strengthens this point by writing in his book Yesodei HaTorah that the founding principle and pillar of wisdom is to know that Hashem is the first and only One. All is from Him and nothing exists without Him.  There is no other truthful existence but the reality of Hashem.

The RamChal ztk’l delves even further in his book Derech Hashem and writes that every man in Israel must have emuna that Hashem is eternal and is the only creator in the universe.  Hashem does not lack anything, He is perfect and complete.

Rav Tzadok HaCohen m’Lublin ztk’l in his book Pri Tzaddik teaches that Matan Torah on Har Sinai infused every Jewish neshama with a point of emuna that is found deep within the recesses of each of our hearts. This can never be taken away from us. Ever!

Please feel free to send a thought, comment or question in the comments section after reading the daily emuna lessons.   Share emuna with your friends!

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated in the zechut of Mama Rachel on her yahrtzeit, the 11^th of Cheshvan. We owe so much to Rachel Imeinu ztk’l.  It was in her merit that Hashem annulled the harsh decree to wipe out the Jewish people and guarantee that they would return to their homeland.  She is one of our Mothers and does not cease to cry and cry for her children begging that Hashem continue to forgive us for our transgressions, favorably trusting that we will come back to serve Hashem.  Light a candle in the memory and zechut of Rachel Imeinu and reassure her that we are coming back, we will unite and cease the strife and B’H by doing so her “…children will return to their border”, b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

Today is also the yahrtzeit of Binyomin ben Ya’akov Avinu and Rachel Imeinu ztk’l.  It is a great zechut to give a few coins for tzedaka in the zechut of our tzaddikim.  May their merit protect all of Klal Yisrael, amen!

The question is asked, “How do I keep my emuna alive?”  It is by living in a constant state of awareness of Hashem’s existence and involvement in my life.  Constant daily contemplation, deep reflection and untiring thoughts over the miracles that occurred throughout the history of Am Yisrael and to me individually will awaken any dormant feelings of emuna.

Hashem loves us until no end.  No matter how we behave, we are still called His children.  It is written in the Zohar HaKadosh that when Am Yisrael were being exiled to Bavel, Hashem called his entourage of angels and told them to come along with Him, so to speak, and join Am Yisrael during their time of sorrow.  Yechezkel HaNavi was given the zechut to see what was happening on high.

In the beginning of Sefer Yechezkel, the following words are written:  “Niftechu HaShamayim Va’ereh Mar’to Elokim”.  The first letters of these five words in Hebrew spell EMUNA.  Amazing! Hashem is showing us that even through our darkest and lowest moments, He will never leave us.  All we need is emuna!

After we left Mitzrayim, we were so drenched in love with HaKadosh Baruch Hu that we asked Moshe Rabbeinu to experience this intense connection to Hashem by allowing us to hear the commandments straight from Him.  We were so lovesick that we simply said, “Na’aseh v’Nishmah (We will do and we shall hear).”  We needed no preconditions and had no need to hear the clauses of the contract.  We were mesmerized in love.

Why then did Hashem lift up Har Sinai and tell Am Yisrael that if they do not accept the commandments then they shall be buried right then and there?  This was a message for our generation, the times in which we lack the emuna and love to continue to fulfill Hashem’s will as we should.

The Secret Life of Gershon Burd A”H By Sara Yoheved Rigler

http://www.aish.com/sp/so/The-Secret-Life-of-Gershon-Burd.html
  

This tax-free fund is dedicated to the total support of Gershon’s zt”l,wife and 5 children for the foreseeable future in order to bring her hope and menuchas hanefesh.
To join in this effort, please visit www.bircas.org/donate

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Noah bat Simcha Nechama a four year old girl who was recently diagnosed with cancer.  May Hashem send her a complete healing and an abundance of emuna and strength to her family.  May Ahm Yisrael know of no more sorrow, pain or illness.

Hashem is very much involved in the world. He never left and will never leave.  However, in order to enable us to choose the right path, we must be presented with a fair choice.  Unfortunately, many do not make the correct choices. The path of truth is always available to us, yet we may sometimes not resist this world’s sale of toys and activities to us.

We need emuna!  Our outlook in life must be infused with Hashem’s presence in everything; every dilemma, every event and every moment.  Our neshama suffocates without emuna. It doesn’t know any other way but the path of truth, the way of Hashem.  Without emuna and knowing that Hashem is intimately involved in our lives, our soul starves. Consequently this results in sadness, anxiety and distress.

Belief in Hashem also applies to the belief in ourselves, that we hold within us a spark of G-dliness, a particle of the Borei Olam.  Hashem is with us and, to be more precise, within us.  No matter where we stand today, a spark of greatness resides within us, and we can change in a blink of an eye.   Whenever we decide to make that change, we will be drawn closer to Hashem and feel His loving embrace.

We must see these days as a very intense process of selection whereby Hashem is looking to see who will remain loyal to Him.  We are living in a time where we will witness the annihilation of Amalek, the Jewish people’s main archenemy.  Amalek was the chief cause for the weakening of our emuna.  Up until then, no other nation dared to fight against Ahm Yisrael. Nonetheless, they proved to the rest of the world that there is nothing to fear by fighting against us.  Consequently, Ahm Yisrael began to worry about its survival even until today.

Our steadfast emuna suffered then and continues to be weakened due to the same fear: will Hashem come to our aid?  We are filled with doubts. Amalek has a strong hold on us.  This is not for long, B’H.

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I have a friend of mine who b’mazal tov  gave birth over Shabbat.  She lives in RBS-A.   I am arranging for meals to be prepared for her and her family for the next two weeks.  If you live in RBS  and would like to prepare a meal, please email me.  Tizku’ l’mitzvot.

It is outlined in the Sefer “Lev Eliyahu” what Chazal teaches about Ikveta d’Meshicha (days of Mashiach), the current times in which we live today.  They write that it will be during this time that evil in the world will see its imminent end and will fight back full force in order to try to survive.  By doing so, it will flood the generation with immorality and heresy until no end. Its storage house of ammunition and every one of its soldiers will be enlisted into the war.   We can readily feel this today.

This is the combat of the present day.  A fierce war between good and evil, falsehood and truth, purity and impurity. It is a fight to the very end.  HaKadosh Baruch Hu leaves it to us to decide which camp we choose to side with.  The scores of past history must be settled to serve ultimate justice.  The Shomer Emunim writes that during our times the reincarnation of the previous evil leaders, the erev rav (mixed multitude who left Egypt with B’nai Yisrael) and the souls of Sodom and Gemorra will be living amongst us.

Oy, what has the sitra achra done with us! He has such a pull and is dragging us into the lowest of the lows with his tricky ways.  We are left orphaned without any prophets and feel so confused over the mixed messages we receive from different Rabbeim.  We truly feel that we are living in the days of the verse, “there is no one to lean on aside from Avinu she’baShamayim.”

Surely we have chachamim who guide us. However, they are not given the zechut from Hashem to perform open miracles as was done in the past. The tzaddikim are worthy, but it is us who are not worthy to witness it.  The reason for all this is to make way for the great light of Mashiach, the light of truth, the final and ultimate good to be revealed.  More tomorrow.