Emuna originates from the heavenly sphere where the upper lights and creative forces originate. Our soul was carved from this lofty place and directly experienced immense G-dly light. The desire to connect back to this light is the only wish known to the soul; it is the purpose of her existence.
The neshama ‘remembers’ the delight she once knew. However when the soul enters the body her yearning gets mixed up with the body’s lowly desires and gets misplaced and overridden by the body’s needs. It is so easy to forget since the voice of the soul is distant and quiet and the sound of the body is loud and overpowering. Yet it is vital to connect the two and have them work in sync to fulfill their joint mission.
Emuna is that bridge that connects body and soul; it is the knowledge that worldly physical experiences are rooted in Heaven and intended to build the soul. Seeing worldly happenings through the eyes of the soul, through emuna eyes, creates an entirely new reality, a new pair of lenses.
If we were to see the spiritual core in every living thing physical reality would appear as nothingness. The physical world’s existence is maintained by spiritual forces and exists as a result of them. The ultimate reward awaits the soul that bounds herself to Hashem through thought, speech and action by breaking the walls of physicality and illusion and bringing her back to her days of old before she left the Heavenly realms.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish the community of the Daily Dose of Emuna and Klal Yisrael an amazing Chag Samaech. We will stand at Har Sinai and receive the Torah as though for the first time. May Hashem stir our hearts and flood our minds with emuna, clarity, simcha and acceptance of all life’s circumstances no matter what we currently face.
My emuna pathway is continuously paved with the teachings of our Chassidic Masters; at the forefront the Holy Ba’al Shem Tov HaKadosh ztk’l. In honor and memory of his upcoming yahrtzeit, the first day of Shavuot together with Dovid HaMelech ztk’l, today’s daily dose brings to light a most profound teaching on the elevation and repair of our thoughts.
From the Baal Shem Tov:
“Someone who engages in Torah and prayer without love and awe will not soar heavenward” (Tikkunei Zohar 10). How much more so if he has “strange” thoughts, which are called kedoshim pesulim (unusable holy things) and are handed over to the outside forces! But when he returns in teshuva, then he raises the holy sparks that have been handed over to the outside forces. So when he stands in prayer or engages in Torah study, then the strange thoughts rise up to confuse his Torah study or prayer, for these strange thoughts are his sins, and they stand before him as in war – but their true intent is that he correct them and bring them out from the depths of their profane coverings.
The Baal Shem Tov taught us extraneous thoughts are a gift. Hashem sends to some of us ‘strange’ thoughts while studying Torah or praying; He trust that they have the power to fix them. These thoughts have been waiting thousands of years to be elevated and corrected. But to the person on the receiving end it seems like a fall; as though he has spiritually drifted away.
This idea is infinitely grand and complex – beyond the scope of what can be taught here. A person is always tested in a way that attempts to break him. One thought takes hold of him, he gets entangled in it, and then it becomes his whole reality – despair. He tries to ‘run away’ and feels he cannot succeed.
Emuna, our loyalty, to Hashem is tested when difficulty arises. When challenges occur we are faced with the questions: ‘Do I believe Hashem loves me now?’ and ‘Can I see the goodness here?’
During a test our power of reasoning decreases and our emotions begin to swell with negativity. Our Chassidic Masters call this katnut d’mochin (a shrinking of our intellect) as our mind takes back seat to the overflow of emotions. Here we experience tremendous smallness, a loss of control and extremely vulnerable to hurt. The question posted now on a huge banner of lights once again is: “Do you think I (Hashem) love you now?”
The key thing to remember while enduring a test of faithfulness and loyalty (a test of emuna) is that Hashem is lifting us up and empowering our soul to a greater level of G-dliness. Hidden in the word Nisayon is the word Nes which means a flag – an honorary note of distinction which one earns due to facing a nisayon.
An Adam Gadol, a great man (or woman) is in the works while enduring a challenge. Let’s strengthen our emuna by remembering the question and memorizing the answer.
There is a big obstacle that stands in our way of experiencing Hashems great love for us. Through Rashi’s commentary on Parshat Devarim over the incident of the Jewish people claiming Hashems hate for them, we learn an important insight into human behavior.
Human nature is such – what we feel towards another we assume the other feels towards us. The Jewish people could not feel Hashem’s love in the desert since they were overtaken by their disappointment in Hashem; they felt their needs were not taken care of. An emotion dependent on circumstance is not genuine and will not last. They felt let down and therefore assumed Hashem didn’t care for them.
Our love towards Hashem and to others for that matter should be based on trust and acceptance under all circumstances. Although it may appear there is no logical reason for the sorrow we go through and more so no justification to endure hardship, emuna is most needed at that given moment of doubt. We should remind ourselves and trust that Hashem only has our best interests in mind.
When feeling bitter as though life is unjust, we assume Hashem doesn’t love us; yet that is only what we are feeling towards Him. If we changed the pattern of thought and remembered the countless times Hashem has proven his profound love of us and the Jewish People that would suffice to remove the boulder that stands in between us.
I am super excited to introduce my Mentor, Teacher, and Friend Mrs. Orit Esther Riter. She is a dynamic Speaker and Educator who has undergone a major personal transformation in her life. Going from a secular life to one that is spiritually rich, Orit has cracked the code on how to use one’s Emuna to transform ANY of life’s WORST adversities into stepping stones for personal growth!!
Orit has reprogrammed her outlook on life in order to achieve the life she always dreamed of having but wasn’t sure how to attain.
Through her own personal and spiritual growth in Torah, Orit discovered the method that SHE now uses every day to enhance self-growth and strengthen her mental and physical well-being while continuing to face life’s ongoing challenges.
One of Orit’s goals is to share her “Emuna Transformation Toolkit” with everyone! Orit believes that any person can transform their entire life, no matter how challenging their circumstances may be, and no matter where they are spiritually. Orit has learned this firsthand by doing it and living it!
Orit has gone through many of life’s most difficult tests being a child of divorce, having suffered emotional traumas, overcoming business and personal bankruptcy, being diagnosed with MS and relocating her family to Israel to name a few. She has been confronted with uncertainty time and time again, but with the Emuna toolkit Orit incorporated into her life, she continues to land on her own two feet. Orit can’t hold back any longer and feels that she must share her powerful “Emuna Transformation Toolkit” with YOU!!
Orit Esther Riter is available to speak at your next conference, convention, school, community, organization or special event. Empower yourself and learn the methods Orit has discovered to take control of your life, and achieve the peace and harmony that awaits you…
Orit’s bio and achievements are on her website www.dailydoseofemuna.com
Orit offers:
Inspirational speaking topics that may include:
“Emuna Transformation Toolkit” – Triple E Formula – Emuna, Emotions & Energy
“Turning Emuna into Action” – Where everything begins
“Forget Regret, learn to Apologize & Forgive” – Detox with Emuna
“Experience your Emotions through the Weekly Torah Portion & Holidays”
Other opportunities:
Challah Baking – For 40 ladies or more, turn this Mitzvah into a transformational experience
Tefilla trip to Kevarim/Holy Burial Sites – A powerful experience to connect with our Ancestors and Holy Sages (many people have done this L’iluy nishmat, in memory of a loved one or Refuah Shleimah, healing for someone in need)
Guest Host for Shabbaton
Private Torah Therapy & Energy Session – Orit offers one-on-one Torah Therapy a comprehensive therapy that addresses mind, body & soul as one unit. It includes but is not limited to Guided imagery exercises, energy medicine, analysis based on body ailments, color therapy, and deep soul talk.
Please note, Orit will be in the US from August 3-16, otherwise, she can work international travel into her schedule.
You may contact me or Orit through her website. To invite Orit to your community please contact Devorah at myinternetbuzz@gmail.com.
Emuna is an inborn inner energy planted in our souls at Har Sinai on Shavuot. An outpouring of certainty and assurance showers all doubts as we hold strong to our emuna.
Life’s challenges weigh hard on us because we do not have a complete understanding of their meaning. If we were to take the time to ‘search for the diamond (meaning) within the mud’ emuna would surface and shine onto the difficulty and reveal its goodness. Emuna needs to be dug up. How? Trust there is more than meets the eyes and peel away at the surface to find what is hiding underneath the illusion.
When we left Mitzrayim we didn’t quite know where we were heading. The 10 plagues were 10 phenomenal opportunities to feel Hashem’s love. We walked through the sea, saw the Egyptians wash away and reached a remarkable level of emuna through the experience – embraced by Hashem’s protection and guidance.
We sensed firsthand there is only one reality; all is from Hashem and all is good. The recognition that Hashem is always taking care of us and nourishing our every move was planted into our consciousness then and continues to guide us until the final redemption.
Do we really believe the geulah is coming? Trust is an unwavering belief; solid without a shmutz of doubt. When doubt enters trust, it becomes eroded and optimism diluted.
4 possible reasons why trust is painted in doubt:
Our trust in only surface deep. When our surroundings present us with an opposing reality our trust changes positions and favors our external senses and leaves behind our inner gut senses.
Pain overpowers our trust. Intellect loses strength when emotions are strong. We cannot rationally imagine that a solution is possible and will occur. This is a state of despair.
We cannot wait – we become impatient and do not want to hold ground throughout the process. It’s been too long and we do not have the discipline to wait any longer for our troubles to be resolved.
Unwillingness to internalize and reflect what’s lying under the difficulty. There is a message and we need to do a self-accounting of what it is.
These are some of the obstacles that lead to doubt and damper our emuna and bitachon. Think about which one you relate to most often. Remove the doubt and watch your emuna and bitachon blossom.
One of the most exhilarating moments in life is when you set yourself to make a change and actually do it. At that moment you feel empowered; you feel great!
Denial leads to inaction. Change begins by admitting I need to improve; be honest and say I need to change. So now what? According to the measure of willpower so too will you succeed – strengthen your resolve and make it your mission.
It begins with one step, the hardest step – to make the decision to change. Why is it the hardest? Since it is most bitter to say “I need to change”; not my neighbor, not my Mother, not my spouse – but me!
That inner sense that something has got to change and that something is me is a powerful feeling that puts us to action. It generally follows a feeling of discomfort; maybe even a touch inner ‘yuckiness’. Yet from bitterness comes sweetness.
Let’s not confuse bitterness with sadness. It is a sense of uneasiness that gives birth to change – it propels us to leave our current place and move elsewhere. If bitterness is left unaddressed it turns into heaviness, guilt and feelings of inadequacy; a feeling of closure and isolation.
Recognize it and use it to your benefit; set yourself into new motion and feel great about it!
Hashem created the world almost complete; but left out a part that needs to be improved. Mankind lives in this minuscule space of improvement constantly seeking perfection. Freedom is the expression of movement and choice and our ability to create, grow and develop ourselves within this space.
Each one of us is destined to be great. Unfortunately if we do not tune into this potential we feel imprisoned, lost and confused; this is the idea behind slavery – feeling held back and unable to reach one’s potential.
Thus leaving Mitzrayim is shedding away the layers of restrictions, notions and behaviors – leaving Pharaoh behind. Pharaoh is the discouraging nagging inner voice that whispers (or sometimes yells) “You can’t do it!” The last plague the Egyptians experienced was darkness = sadness = despair = the inability to see what was latent in front of them.
Not being able to see your place in life emotionally challenges your self-confidence; that is the plague so many of us are currently experiencing before redemption. A hardened shell of nothingness holding inner layers of fear and sadness. How do we exit? Through the great power of ratzon; an intense desire that breaks the walls of hiddenness and opens new frontiers for growth.
Saying the simple words, “I want to get out. Hashem take me out of Mitzrayim” leads you to the door; your gateway to freedom to actualize your greatness.
The soul goes through many struggles while striving to attach to Hashem. As she ascends from level to level in her attempt to complete her mission, she will experience downfalls. There is no need to despair; this is part of her refinement process.
Principally speaking, these spiritual falls are intended to drive us to come closer to Hashem. As part of our effort to regain closeness, we begin doing teshuva and go through a process of self-accounting. Rebbe Nachman ztk’l therefore teaches that descent is for the purpose of an ascent.
This lowly world provides our soul with the perfect environment it needs to battle, overcome and B’H elevate herself. This world is like a ‘boot camp’ for the soul where we experience countless ups and downs to increase our ratzon (intense desire) to attach ourselves to higher and higher spiritual levels.
Knowing that life sends us periodical ‘wake-up’ calls enables us to prepare and appreciate these challenges; they are intended to keep us focused on life’s purpose. We need constant reminders in order that our thoughts stay focused and differentiate what’s important from what’s not.
