Author Archives: Orit Esther Riter

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A Chassidic vort describes a chassid who came to the Rebbe with the following complaint: “Rebbe, I have foreign thoughts.” “Foreign?” asked the Rebbe. “They aren’t foreign at all. They’re all yours.”

Chassidut teaches that when a particular issue is disturbing you try to “elevate” those foreign thoughts; to “elevate the sparks.” Translate the problem which occupies your thoughts into the language of prayer. Whether you are thinking about business or family or anything else, Hashem is certainly able to help you in solving the problem. Don’t banish the “foreign thought” from your mind; on the contrary – keep it with you, and turn that very thought into a prayer.

To get practical if you are thinking about how to pay your bills, turn it into a tefillah and ask Hashem to help you pay your bills. Cast the thought to Hashem and appeal to Him, “I don’t want to worry about money. I know that it is You that provides for me now and always. Help me cast it to You and focus on my avodah and that which I do have control over.”

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Our moods dramatically fluctuate from moment to moment; joyful now, anxiety stricken the next. Sefer Tehillim offers us an outlet to deal with the ever changing emotions and teaches us the method for handling them. We can draw from the emotional upheaval that Dovid HaMelech ztk’l lived through and seek to learn from the sacred words in Tehillim how to unlock our feelings and use them to connect to HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

Tehillim presents words of wisdom encoded with Ruach HaKadosh, Divine inspiration, so we can be inspired to communicate with Hashem. Through the recitation of Tehillim we connect to Torah, to the infinite wisdom of Hashem, and also to our holy ancestors and their derech. We transcend time and space when we attach ourselves to the ancient words of our forefathers and bridge the past with the present – proclaiming our loyalty to the eternal message of Torah that bears no expiration date.

For example perek lamed in Tehillim is an admixture of emotions. Initially Dovid HaMelech is thankful, then turns to being sad, changing to joyful and ending with a sense of depression. How does Dovid HaMelech cope with his inner turbulence? He rededicates his life (his house) to Hashem.

Rededication is a process of concentrating our strengths into revamping our lives, realigning our thoughts and reorganizing our priorities. Through the process we emerge stronger with a more optimistic outlook on life. This empowerment leads us to broadcast words of praise to Hashem for guiding and leading the way.

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According to the Steipler HaKadosh, one of the main dangers we regularly face in ‘forgetting’ our emuna comes from our ego. The weakening of one’s trust in Hashem that comes in the form of doubts, worries and frustrations most often originate in the negative trait of arrogance.

Rav Hisda in Masechet Sotah 5 says in the famous verse, “Ein Ani v’hu yecholin ladur b’yachad… (Every Man in whom is haughtiness of spirit, Hashem declares, I and he cannot both dwell in the world).” Pride is a destructive force as in another text in the Gemara, Rav Elazar writes, “Over every man in who is haughtiness of spirit the Shechinah laments.” In fact, the bulk of Sotah discusses the sin of conceit in a very harsh manner.

Superiority in many of us may have been part of the molding of our character as children. However, as we mature, we must remove this negative trait as it only leads to our downfall. Once we are able to control and channel our arrogance, we will find ourselves flourishing with emuna and all of our doubts will simply disappear.

This comes as a product of the renewed feeling of not being entitled to anything. If we could only live our lives with the attitude that everything is a gift, to be more precise an undeserved gift that we are given by Hashem solely out of His eternal love for us, we would reach an unbreakable level of emuna.

A key tool in increasing the attribute of humility comes from learning divrei mussar (moral discipline). There is an abundance of CDs, shiurim and books available that help us acquire this noble trait of humbleness. As we develop this praiseworthy quality, our ability to attach ourselves to the Borei Olam with emuna shleimah will become, B’H, second nature.

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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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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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How can Emuna vision change our lives? Here are but three benefits among so many:

1) Emuna living offers clarity, truth and happiness since it means being guided by Hashem’s absolute truth. The amazing part of living a life of emuna is that we don’t need to learn it; it just needs to be revealed and internalized. It was a Shavuos gift given by Hashem to every Jew.

2) Most people strive for change and growth in one area or another. Surrendering our wisdom to Divine wisdom (aka living with emuna) offers relatively quick results in those areas we wish to change. This comes as a result of two important factors. First there is a great flow of Divine blessing upon anyone who strives to do Hashem’s will. Secondly because it is an inborn gift and we already have it, it is quicker to access and apply; as opposed to having to go a far distance to learn it.

3) The act of connecting to Hashem and seeing Him in every aspect of our lives enables us to stop the cycle of self-persecution which is all too common in our generation. We put so much pressure on ourselves to achieve certain goals and things. Yet when we come to realize that Hashem runs the world and the outcome is not dependent on us, we are drawn to tranquility and ease of mind. Accepting does not necessarily mean we logically understand. It means responding positively to the events and people in our lives.

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The process that the soul must go through in this world to attach itself to Hashem is laden with struggles. As the soul ascends from level to level in its attempt to complete its mission, it will experience downfalls. This should be expected and planned for. There is no need to despair since this is part and parcel of its refinement process.

Principally speaking, these spiritual falls are intended to increase our drive to come closer to Hashem and build our relationship. As part of the effort to regain attachment, we begin doing teshuva and take inventory of our spiritual standing. Thus, Rebbe Nachman ztk’l teaches this is a descent for the purpose of an ascent.

From here we conclude a remarkable lesson: this lowly world provides our soul with the precise environment it needs to battle, overcome and B’H elevate itself to those levels that it would not be able to attain if stayed on high. This world is ‘boot camp’ for the soul where we experience countless ups and downs so that we may increase our ratzon (intense desire) and determination to attach ourselves to higher and higher spiritual levels.

Living life with the knowledge that we will periodically receive a ‘wake-up’ call through those challenges so that we do not miss ‘our mark’ is heartening to say the least. The goal is to keep reminding ourselves that this is what life is all about and not to get sidetracked with other thoughts and goals in mind.

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There once was a man who became fatally ill. The doctors lost all hope, yet the man sent for his Rav to advise him of a cure. The Rav advised that he take seven chickens and boil them for seven days to the point where it condenses the liquid to fit into a spoon… As he poured the liquid into the spoon and was about to drink, a spider fell into it rendering it unfit to drink. His family was horror-struck and anticipated his death to come shortly after. Yet, he began to recover and in a few weeks was completely healed.

When he was asked how he recovered he said, “When I realized that I couldn’t drink the liquid and that all means of healing were taken from me, I turned to Hashem and cried from the depths of my heart to send me a complete healing. It is the true Healer Who healed me.” When we remove all faith placed with people, cures and solutions to ease our difficulties and in its place rely purely and simply on Hashem Yitborach, we merit His goodness.

Elevated emuna translates into action; our thoughts, speech and actions are profoundly affected by our emuna. Bitachon is the bridge between that which we know and that which we feel and eventually impacts that which we do. When we remove all faith in ‘natural means’ we essentially unclog the pipeline of Divine goodness and enable it to flow freely into our lives.

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The more our souls are revealed to us the more hakarat hatov, appreciation we feel compelled to express. The less we feel our souls presence, the more inclined we are to feel entitled to the many gifts of life.

The person who has a weakened connection to his soul will often shun away from expressing gratitude. He may come up with ways to reduce his need to ask for favors from others thus avoiding his sense of indebtedness. He may also downplay the significance of the kindness extended to him therefore exempting himself from feeling a sense of appreciation. Yet another hidden method that he may implore is to use money to release himself from feeling obliged to the other.

What a shame that we run away from prime opportunities to celebrate the priceless middah, character trait of humility whenever an occasion arises. Conveying gratitude to another and undoubtedly to Hashem moves us to become more caring and less self-centered individuals.

The teaching of ‘Soneh matanot yichyeh (He who spurns gifts will live)” taught in the Gemara Masechet Chullin (44b) causes many to misinterpret the idea of receiving. We certainly should limit our dependence on others and attempt to carry our own weight in order to also strive to be on the ‘giving’ and not ‘receiving’ side of life. However, if Hashem sends us His emissaries to bestow upon us His kindness, we should not refuse their benevolence because we wish to free ourselves of obligation to express gratitude towards them.

We cannot live in this world without a certain amount of dependency on others; this would break down the social fabric and cause intense separation between us. By design Hashem created such a world to develop our ability to appreciate and love one another and Him of course, by uttering the two simple powerful words, “Thank you.”

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There is a well-known statement attributed to R’ Yisrael Salanter ztk’l.

He once said: “When I was young, I wanted to change the world. Then I realized that I could not change the world. And so I thought, maybe I will change my nation. Then I realized that I could not change my nation. And so I thought, maybe I will change my village. Then I realized that I could not change my village. And so I thought, maybe I will change my family. Then I realized that I could not change my family. And so I thought, maybe I will change myself. Then I realized, if I would change myself, this would change my family. And if I would change my family, this would change my village. And if I would change my village, this would change my nation. And if I would change my nation, I would change the world.”

Torah study is a personalized experience in that it ‘talks’ to every individual differently so that we each hear the wisdom that our soul needs to receive. Torah wisdom conveys to us a custom-made message. Therefore, we are required to elevate our minds and hearts to internalize our specific calling. No two people learn the same Torah just as we learn a ‘different’ Torah at various stages in our lives depending on the message we need to ‘hear’.

We must be prepared to change ourselves rather than erroneously expect that others do. Torah is our physician who gives us each a ‘prescription’ for our individual ‘ailments.’ Change begins with us. Accusations, blame, complaints, denial and excuses are, as R’ Rietti calls them, the ‘ABCDE’s’ of running away from our individual responsibility. We are responsible to change ourselves, not others.

As we learn from R’ Salanter, this is the only way to change the world.