Category Archives: Daily Dose Of Emuna

BS’D

How can we gain access of our true higher self?  It happens through progression, like peeling the layers away from an onion to get to the core.  Most of us only perceive our bodily personality and therefore struggle with self-acceptance and self-love.  We are only in touch with our outer layers and have not begun to reveal the inner us.

It is critical to get to know ourselves, who we truly are as this carves the path of self-acceptance and emuna in Hashem.  When we love and cherish ourselves, we can love and appreciate Hashem’s goodness.

The soul, also called the Ultimate Consciousness, will remain with us forever.  That is who we truly are, not that which we perceive as our personality in terms of materialistic drives.  Most of our responses and reactions are directed towards the external as this is the language of the body.

The only passageway to get to our deeper core is by muting outer disturbances and engaging in personal, secluded, one-on-one prayer which focuses within. Talking to Hashem openly about our feelings, slipups, and needs connects us to a higher purpose and provides insight and guidance.  This contributes to our overall sense of peace and appreciation and encourages us to act with compassion and care to ourselves and others.

Today’s Daily Dose of Emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Faiga Lonnie bat Gittel who is suffering from cancer of the blood. May she merit a complete healing b’riut hanefesh v’b’riut haguf amongst all those in Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

BS’D

Getting to know your soul doesn’t mean that you will turn saintly overnight and never experience further breakdowns.  The advantage to getting to know your true inner self though, is that you have befriended your cheerleader who will lovingly boost you back in place.

Our greatest difficulty when we incur a meltdown is rising back up.  There is such a strong negative force holding us down creating a sense of unworthiness and confusion, that we need a strong column to lift us back up.  This pillar is our loving, kind essence that resides within; the spark of G-dliness, our soul.

While the body wants, takes and demands, the soul is humble, altruistic and appreciative.  Many times we are blindly led by the body’s set of priorities resulting in pain and disappointment.  The majority of the world does not even realize the power of bodily existence.  Yet there is another way to live.

The body does not want us to recognize any other existence but it, since this robs it of attention.  Thus the entire conflict of body and soul is in their attempt to gain recognition and value of their own agenda.  Ultimately pain and suffering will originate from one of these sides when each gains momentum over the other.

The difference though is that the soul holds infinite wisdom and with training can spot the body’s negative attributes and elevate them to become more G-dly.  The key is in catching and interpreting where our thoughts and reactions come from.  When we recognize that it is a reaction of the body, we must counteract its response before it creeps in and takes over.

One such negative attribute is the all-encompassing feeling of worthlessness after we stumble.  However, when we recognize where it is coming from, we can respond accordingly and not allow it to overwhelm us.

Today’s Daily Dose of Emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Chaya Sorah bat Chana Devorah, a 39 year old mother who just recently had a heart attack. May she merit a complete healing b’riut hanefesh v’b’riut haguf amongst all those in Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

BS’D

Today, 5th of Shevat, is the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter ztk’l (1847-1905), leader of the Ger chassidic dynasty. Rabbi Alter is better known as the “Sfas Emes,” the title of his book of insights into the Bible, Jewish thought and holidays. He built up Ger as the largest chassidic group in Poland prior to the Holocaust, numbering 250,000. The son of Sfas Emes escaped the Nazis, and came to Israel, where he oversaw the rebuilding of the Ger community, which remains vibrant till today (Aish.com) May his zechut protect us, Amen!

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By observing the wondrous creation and admiring the infinite wisdom in every aspect of this world,  one can reach a level of love, praise and appreciation towards Hashem. At the same time, this leads a person to feel a sense of smallness as Dovid HaMelech ztk’l writes in tehillim (144:3), “Hashem, what is man that You should know him, the son of man, that You should consider him?” Within the vast greatness of Hashem’s being, He still ‘knows’ us on a very intimate level through careful observation and closeness.  The idea that I am so important to Hashem and merit His personal attention certainly causes an influx of love.

The Rambam ztk’l teaches us that we cannot love an object if we are unaware of it.  Meaning, that one’s love for someone is in direct proportion to how much knowledge he has of him.  In order to increase our love of Hashem, much of our time should be invested in learning the purpose of our soul’s existence and our mission in the scheme of creation. This too creates immense love for Hashem when we realize what an important task we hold.

Fear of Hashem comes as a result of learning practical wisdom.  After we beseech Hashem’s help and are enveloped in His love and care, we feel immense gratitude as we realize how much we are dependent on Him.  A wise man values his yirah since he recognizes that trusting in Hashem is vital to his existence.  Without a trembling awareness that life has consequences and benefits beyond this world, we cannot embrace the entire picture of Hashem’s awesomeness.

Ahavah is created through the study and recognition of all of the good that Hashem does for us.  Yet yirah stems from a place of understanding that there is an accounting of every move, down to the minute detail, and all will be taken into consideration in the realm of the World to Come.

We need both.  Hashem is our loving Father who wants only for our best but is nonetheless just and exact in His intervention and guidance.

Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Yaakov Akiva ben Feiga.  He is a young father of three boys in the hospital. Please daven for Yaakov Akiva ben Feiga that he merit a complete recovery amongst all those in Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!