Category Archives: Daily Dose Of Emuna

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Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Moshe Shlomo ben Surah Tobah who was hit by a car in Manhattan and is in critical condition with brain trauma.  May Hashem send him a complete healing among all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.

Emuna thinking raises a big question, “How can we control our thoughts which seem to be uncontrollable?”

Chazal teach that one effective method is to carefully scrutinize the words we speak. Due to the fact that speech is a revelation of what we think, by virtue of watching what we say, we essentially channel our thoughts as well. For example a mechanical response of “life is so hard” when asked “how are you”, must have been preceded by a constant flow of thoughts of how ‘I can’t take it anymore.’ However by consistently responding with words like, “It’s not easy but I know Hashem is helping me every step of the way,” we imprint emuna into our psyche and shift the way we think.

It is crucial to understand that thought, speech and action are three facets of the same component. If we allow ourselves to think negatively under the assumption that ‘no one will ever know’ we are simply deceiving ourselves. Eventually these thoughts will spill into the words we say and actions we take and will no longer remain secret. Therefore a harmless negative thought such as, ‘This child is so annoying’ isn’t really harmless. We eventually will say something and act on this thought.

Therefore based on Chazal’s teaching above, when such a thought comes forth we can use our speech to chase it off with words like, ‘Hashem I see only You. Help me be patient.’ We can speak them softly to ourselves but the words must be spoken to change the thought. The impact of these words echo deep within us and in time radiates to our surroundings.

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Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated l’iluy nishmat Moshe ben Neima z’l. May his neshama bask in the Divine radiance together with all of the righteous who have departed from this world, Amen.

The realm of free will lies in our mind and thoughts.  Chazal teach us that when one contemplates doing a mitzvah yet is unable to do so, Hashem rewards him as though it was fulfilled. In other words, our thoughts are so powerful that they ‘create’ a reality as if it were real.

Such is the power of one’s thoughts. The way we perceive our reality in a real way ‘creates’ our reality.  Hashem appointed the Jewish people to be co-creators in this world.  Hashem tailor designed life’s circumstances, yet gives us the ongoing chance to alter them based on our level of emuna; trusting that He is here with us and guiding our lives for our ultimate best. When we perceive an instance as beneficial even though we don’t understand how, it will appear differently to us.  Therefore every time we choose to think differently about a situation we change the reality of that situation.  This is not the case with a physical deed which is limited to space and time as it ceases when the act is done.

Thinking is rooted in the highest spiritual dimension the world of beriyah, fittingly translated as the world of creation. Thought is so potent since it is not detected to the human eye, only by Hashem.  Our thoughts are what get us to move and react.   The thought process is our free choice.  We may not always be able to control what enters our mind, but we do control the way we respond to each thought.

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Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated for the refuah shleimah of Leah Chana bat Devorah a newborn who is still in NICU and undergoing a procedure today.  May Hashem shower her with a complete healing among all of Ahm Yisrael who are sick and suffering, b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.

In order for us to merit a yeshua there are two basic ‘requirements’.  First is emuna shleimah, a complete trust in Hashem’s ability to better the situation.  Second is a strong ratzon a genuine strong desire to see the yeshua.  The second condition seems awkward upon first look; after all why wouldn’t a person truly want their hardship to be removed?

Yet we see from the events leading to the redemption from Mitzrayim that only 20% of the Jews left Egypt. This is a clear reference to a lack of desire.  They did not desire or perhaps did not trust that Hashem could assist them in leaving Egypt.  If we wish to remain enslaved to our material pursuits or egocentric needs or feel that Hashem is chas v’Shalom limited in His ability to ease our situation, our attitude ‘restricts’ so to speak the Divine flow of bracha from coming down. We seemingly set ourselves up for failure.

In the life of a Jew there is no room for logical calculations and scrutiny.  There is no end to what Hashem can do. We cannot even begin to fathom the yeshua that can/will occur if we faithfully trust in Hashem’s loving kindness.  Measure for measure just as we ‘break away’ from reasonable likelihoods, so too will Hashem shower upon us unimaginable ‘solutions’ to our dilemmas.

Hashem tailor-designs our lives down to the microscopic detail.  Our choice lies in whether we choose to use emuna as our map and guide through life or not.

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Today’s 14th of Sivan is the yahrtzeit of the Nefesh HaChaim, R’ Chaim m’Volozhin ztk’l. As a primary disciple of the Vilna HaGaon ztk’l he emphasized the power of Torah study and fulfillment of mitzvot to bring a Jew close to Hashem. The central importance of Torah study reached its heights in the yeshiva, which became a model for all Lithuanian Yeshivot. May his merit serve as a holy advocate for Klal Yisrael, Amen.

Every day I get emails from women around the world addressing the same idea – I have emuna in my mind, but missing it in my heart. Emuna of the mind a.k.a. intellectual emuna is not strong enough to affect our emotions. In order for emuna to touch our emotions, a.k.a. sensory emuna, it is vital to get in touch with our thoughts which give birth to our emotions. What other benefit does uplifting our thoughts have aside from feeling better about our circumstances?

Thoughts affect our destiny. This may sound extreme however Torah teaches that positive thinking, holy speech and good deeds can change our path. Hashem brings forth all events. Yet it is within the power of every Jew who lives a life of emuna, and who truly believes that Hashem can bring about a change in their situation to merit Heavenly compassion and additional assistance.

When we believe with all of our hearts that Hashem loves us and wants only for our good this wipes away the bitter view and enables us to readily see the good. Emuna deepens our vision and elevates our eyes to spiritually see the good. However it doesn’t stop there. On a more palpable level it actually produces change in the situation for the better. Such is the tremendous power of emuna. We will continue to expand on this teaching in the coming days.

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Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated and sponsored for the refuah Sheleimah for Elisheva Malka bat Sarah Miriam. May HaKadosh Baruch Hu shower her with a complete healing b’riut hanefesh v’b’riut haguf among all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.

If you wish to sponsor a daily dose of emuna please write to OritRiter@gmail.com.

‘Let Go and Let G-d’ has become a famed axiom; however we are creatures of control. Therefore it is a great saying but often hard to implement. We get scared and anxious over what ‘nature’ doesn’t readily show as a logical means of solving our troubles. We automatically assume that if Hashem hasn’t placed reasonable means to solve our issues than it simply won’t happen… and then we panic. What to do?

Relax. Hashem has planned our lives to the ‘T’. Strive to reach the unreachable and talk to Hashem. Cry, plead and beseech His endless rachamim. Wherever Hashem creates a void we are meant to fill with His presence. It’s time to humble ourselves and say, “Hashem I really really need You. I can’t go on without You. If You don’t step into my life I will fall apart!”

When we say, “I can’t take it anymore” it is because we truly can’t. Why? Because we aren’t connecting to Hashem’s presence and therefore it is like trying to breathe when there’s not enough oxygen. We need Hashem’s intimate tangible involvement in our lives – we really really need it!

When we go beyond our natural tendencies and reach beyond our logic by relying only on Hashem, He will ‘so to speak’ do the same. Therefore ‘Let Go and Let G-d’ can only occur when aim high, connect above and invite Hashem in.

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Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of R’ Shmuel Tzvi ben Rachel Leah who will be undergoing treatment for the next 2 months.  May Hashem ease his pain and shower him with a complete recovery b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.

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.