Monthly Archives: January 2016

BS’D

As a result of inner anger and the disappointment we feel in Hashem we tend to fall into a state of sadness; we begin to study Torah and perform mitzvot with a lack of joy. The AriZal makes a strong statement regarding this broken state and teaches that happiness is the central point of Torah living.

Living with discontent causes us to perform mitzvot with a heavy heart; as though it is a great burden and sacrifice.  The Torah teaches that Hashem wants our heart; our emotional bond and intent.   We cannot bury our true feelings of resentment since Hashem knows our innards; all is known before Him.  In addition there is a deep Kabbalistic teaching that brings down that distance causes Hashem’s blessings to come down in the form of din since we are not properly aligned with Hashem’s will and cannot receive His bountiful goodness in its correct form.

Children are naturally happy as they feel secure and taken care over by their parents.  If we could adapt this ‘childish’ viewpoint and constantly remind ourselves that Hashem has never and will never abandon us, we will find genuine lasting happiness. Nonetheless, we are emotional beings and do experience various ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ in life which causes fluctuations of the spirit. Therefore it is vital not to ‘ignore’ Hashem. Marital peace is not achieved by overlooking one another and refusing to talk about our painful feelings. Hashem endlessly takes care of us.  The path to internal healing and spiritual perfection is internalizing the message of Hashem’s love and care day in and day out.

As negative feelings mount the distance to Hashem widens.  Hashem is our shadow. As we respond to Him He in turn reacts back.  Hence, it is essential to be true with ourselves, talk with honesty to Hashem and use the mode of communication called Tefillah as an opportunity to ‘clear the air’ and make peace with our Creator.  This is a fundamental stepping stone to emuna and Tefillah.

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BS’D

As is written in Tehillim (109:4) “…and I am Tefillah”; tefillah should be at the core of our entire being. Awareness of Hashem’s presence becomes real when we communicate with Him through tefillah.  Communication through tefillah strengthens our recognition that we cannot do anything in life without Him.  On the surface it may appear that we don’t need to talk to Hashem since we are intimately connected, yet every successful relationship is built on continuous communication.

As we pray we should feel we are ‘face to face’ with Hashem.  As written in Sefer Shemot, “Wherever I will (allow you) to mention My name, I will come to you and bless you.” Just the mention of Hashem’s name sharpens awareness of His presence. Therefore we don’t need to talk loudly when we pray, since He is very near. We should talk to Him about our most intimate thoughts and concerns; even the most trivial.  In fact the more it appears to be insignificant, the more we instill emuna in Hashem’s Divine Providence over every detail in life.

When we speak to Hashem softly from our heart, the words melt on the flesh of our heart; a mitzvah which boosts our emuna in a special way. However we cannot find a serene place within to talk to Hashem unless we are whole in our relationship with Him.  Feelings of anger or emotionally feeling mistreated significantly diminishes our desire to talk with Hashem.

In order to better understand why we feel separated we need to go back to the sin of Adam Harishon; to get a clearer picture on why he was banished from Gan Eden.  Principally speaking, after he transgressed he could not handle living with Hashem’s intense connection. For his own benefit he needed to remain distant and slowly rebuild his pathway back to a close relationship once again.

This is the essence of tefillah. A corrective journey we sculpt for ourselves to return to Gan Eden; to feel closeness to Hashem.

Please share your comments, thoughts and questions in the comment section.  Would love to hear from you.

BS’D

To conclude the lessons on the three levels of emuna let us briefly explore the loftiest level of emuna called emuna of the organs.  This exalted level particularly pertains to the righteous. As B’nai Yisrael stood in front of Yam Suf, the courageous Nachshon ben Aminadav walked into the sea; his legs ‘naturally’ marched forward.  What enabled him to ignore the great danger he faced? Nachshon knew that Hashem had promised B’nai Yisrael they would enter Eretz HaKodesh.  After surpassing the levels of intellectual and sensory emuna he attained emuna of the organs; his legs directly responded to the emuna of his mind and heart; they acted in complete faithfulness.

Another example of emunat ha’ayvarim can be learned through Akeidat Yitzchak. Avraham Avinu, the epitome of kindness woke up early in the morning to bind Yitzchak on the altar.  From where did he attain such strength to go against his ideals and values?  His legs were filled with emuna and walked without hesitation to fulfill his G-dly mission.

The Levi tribe merited to sing in the Beit HaMikdash.  Rebbe Nachman ztk’l teaches music is the highest connection to Hashem.  Song fills the soul and brings vitality to our organs.  Moshe Rabbeinu (a Levi) lifted his hands in prayer and thus filled his organs with emuna shleimah.  Every thought, feeling and experience brings spirituality and increased emuna into our bodies.  This is the level called d’veikut, where the soul takes full control of the body and the body is directed by the soul’s desire.

When we look at a Jew who has acquired emuna of the organs; we can see Hashem through him.  The light of his soul radiates so strongly due to it being bound to the soul’s Heavenly root that it inspires others to have thoughts of teshuva and draw closer to Hashem.  It is akin to see the ‘illuminated face’ of the Shechinah HaKedosha.

Cultivating emuna is a lifelong mission for the Jew.  Understanding this profound level will B’H help us realize the extent of G-dliness we strive to reach throughout our lifetime.

Please share your comments, thoughts and questions in the comment section.  Would love to hear from you.

BS’D

The first step in working towards ‘feeling’ our emuna is recognizing that it requires work.  We need to continuously fight to hold emuna in our hearts. The Torah instructs that emuna is already present in our hearts as written in Sefer Shemot, “v’Aseetem  Li Mikdash v’Shachanti be’tocham (And they shall make for me a sanctuary and I will dwell amongst them).” However we need to focus on living a life of holiness in order to sense Hashem’s presence.

From here we understand that Hashem can be felt within when we increase our kedusha.  This stage in emuna development requires deep introspection and accountability; here we must be truthful with ourselves. Do we genuinely pursue spirituality in life or do we make significant concessions? Ask yourself, “How important is Torah living to me?” and “Am I willing to surrender to my Rav (after properly ensuring that he is righteous and G-d fearing) and Torah scholar’s guidance?”

When we empty our hearts from egocentric desires, arrogance and untrue feelings that Hashem doesn’t care for us, we will begin to sense His ongoing existence; we begin to touch our G-dly spark a.k.a. our neshama. Here lies the key to heartfelt emuna; penetrate the body’s exterior and delve into the soul.

One simple and practical way is to talk to your soul; feed her the nourishment she craves by talking to her in a language she can understand. The following is an example of the way to talk to your soul, “Hashem, Ribbono Shel Olam, You are My Aba.   I love You and I know You love me.  But I am lost; I can’t live without You anymore. Please help me… “

Another simple piece of advice to touch our soul is to adapt or expand an attitude of gratitude.  See Hashem in everything from the trees to your working car; from your children to your ability to walk. Life is a gift, one we didn’t earn by performing any special deed. We are in debt to our Creator from the first breath we inhale.

Let’s expand our horizons and the way we see life; it’s time to develop emuna vision. Remember that Hashem is looking out for our ultimate good.  Just as money put into savings requires us to limit current spending habits for future benefit, so too does Hashem control and guide our current life’s path for our eternal benefit. Appreciate the personal attentive care Hashem invests in each of us.

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Bina Ita bat Sora Rachel.  May Hashem send her a complete healing among all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.

Please share your comments, thoughts and questions in the comment section.  Would love to hear from you.