Category Archives: Daily Dose Of Emuna

BS’D

Many of us misunderstand the reason we do mitzvot; for certain it is not because they ‘make sense’ or we feel how valuable they are to life. The true basis for keeping mitzvot is because Hashem wills us to do so, no further explanation.

The RamBam ztk’l writes the ultimate knowledge is to recognize we have little or no knowledge; the greater the Torah scholar the more unanswered questions he has rather than thinking he knows and understands it all.

For certain we want to connect through our logical minds yet a mitzvah in and of itself is a connector – mitzvah from the word tzavta, team ship. The yetzer hara works hard at robbing us of joy while doing mitzvot if we cannot connect to them rationally. However joy should stem from knowing we are one with Hashem while doing any mitzvah, whether we grasp it’s inner depth or not.

This may be unattractive to the modern thinking person. Yet it should be seen as admirable since it is only the humble who can do mitzvot and recognize the boundaries of human mind. Ahava and Yirah are two components of serving Hashem. Ahava is a result of immediate closeness to Hashem.  However yirah is formed through a sense of distance – you cannot see anything clearly when put directly in front of the eyes.

Emuna is a certain inner knowing, the ability to see Hashem in everything; which is beyond the human mind.  Joy is a result of doing mitzvot injected with emuna!

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated l’iluy nishmat Ariella Rivka bat Avraham z’l. May her neshama bask in the Divine light of the Shechinah HaKedosha among all the tzaddikim who have departed from this world, Amen.

BS’D

The world contradicts emuna thinking and living. We are instructed to work and do hishtadlut and get personally involved in our daily routine. It is a challenge not to worship our efforts.

Hashem is the only true reality. The RamBam ztk’l teaches, “Hu Levado emet: Hashem is the only truthful reality”, everything else is an allusion and a phantom of the yetzer hara. Hashem’s eyes are always looking at us. It takes tremendous strength to resist the world’s call to “kochi v’otzem yadi”. It is natural for us to ignore and forget that we are limited.  From here we learn that one of the greatest barriers to emuna living is arrogance and one of the most beloved and important virtues is humility.

Submission to Hashem and appreciation of His ongoing goodness is the key to strengthening our emuna and cleaving to Hashem.  Were it not for Hashem who gives us life, koach, wisdom and everything else we have… we would not have anything.  The strength to do and not to do, the strength to learn and not to learn, the strength to succeed or not is rooted in Hashem’s giving. When we don’t succeed materially or spiritually that too is Hashem’s way of telling us, “You see, you can’t do anything without me!”

We should awaken ourselves from the deep slumber of self-worship and recognize our total dependence of Hashem.  How different life would be if we absorbed this truth in our hearts; our emuna would climb to the greatest heights.

BS’D

Making the transition to emuna living entails three essential steps:

• Awareness: Hashem is all powerful, all knowing and in absolute control
• Appreciation: Hashem desires our welfare and directs everything from a point of endless compassion for us
• Acceptance: We are limited and cannot grasp Divine understanding

Anxiety levels are greatly reduced when we live with the keen awareness that we are in Hashem’s hands and no one else.  His infinite love outlines His sovereignty.   How can we possibly fathom such selfless love showered to us constantly without condition?

When these three points are deeply internalized fear withdraws, our heart gladdens, we feel secure and Tefillah flows freely.  Talking to Hashem comes naturally when we don’t resent the circumstances of our lives and ‘judge Hashem in favor.’

Emuna requires constant practice and internalizing; it’s reward absolute clarity.  To the measure that we strive to overcome our ‘natural way of thinking’ and logical interpretations of life’s circumstances, so too will Hashem shower yeshuot in the most ‘unnatural’ and marvelous way.

BS’D

The body is made of mud so to speak; the soul is the breath of G-d within. Our soul is a life force passed over to us; a perfect spark of G-dliness implanted in an imperfect me.

Divine reality doesn’t fit into our logic. Hashem is beyond the ‘either’ and ‘or’ – what we think we understand will completely be turned around after ‘120’. Since we cannot see both realities at the same time this world becomes a journey to grow, develop and attach ourselves to the Divine. Our task is to ‘let Hashem’ in the process. Hashem ‘invested’ Himself in this world for us to participate in a process of becoming One with Him.

We become restless when we want something outside the Divine master plan. Yet we must be happy within the journey of self-discovery, including the struggles since they develop strength and character.

The greatest perfection about this world – is that it is perfect for growth, to develop and build, learn and do. The soul comes to this world to climb to perfection. As we accept this we will learn to be happy in our unhappiness and learn to be at peace in our restlessness.