Category Archives: Daily Dose Of Emuna

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When we act in trust towards Hashem it is even more powerful than tefilla.  We learn this from the incident of when B’nai Yisrael were standing in front of Yam Suf with the Egyptians behind them and Moshe Rabbeinu not knowing what to do turned to Hashem.  Hashem’s response, “Mah Titzak E’laiy (Why are you yelling to Me?)”, meaning now is not the time for tefilla.

Hashem wants us to trust in Him and therefore His response proceeding response was, “Daber el B’nai Yisrael v’yeesa’u (Speak to B’nai Yisrael and let them proceed forward).”  As B’nai Yisrael stood at an ocean filled with water the required response was to proceed forward and not to pray to Hashem for help.

Move forth in life with emuna and bitachon and you shall see great miracles just as Nachshon ben Aminadav did when he entered the Yam Suf. The tribe of Yehuda entered the water and the water ascended to their thighs; yet they continued.  The tribe of Binyomin followed and the water reached their stomachs; still not discouraged they proceeded.  The water then went to their mouths and they announced as written in Tehillim (69:2), “Save me Hashem for water has come up to my soul” and then the sea split.

They did as Hashem commanded; proceed and I will save you.  Don’t have any doubt I will always be there for you.  The Shomer Emunim teaches in the section of Divine Providence in the name of the Holy Baal Shem Tov ztk’l that if a person c”v finds himself in a place of distress he should strengthen his heart to trust in Hashem and he will surely be saved.

The lesson here; there is a time for tefilla and there a time to simply do and trust.

Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Menachem Mendel ben Chaya Mushka a 23 month old baby who is undergoing testing.  May he merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

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My  apologies for the sporadic  emailing of the Daily Dose of Emuna during the speaking tour.  I appreciate your patience and understanding.
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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Raphael Elisha Meir ben Devorah a six year old boy in need of our tefillot.  If you can take challah today and/or next Shabbat in the zechut of his refuah please email: cdparkoffcoaching@gmail.com.  Please pass the word along to others.  May he merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

The AriZal teaches us that from around mid-Friday we should strive to distance ourselves from physical pleasure.  The reason for this being that we must make room for the immense spiritual light that will illuminate the world on Shabbat.  Often we mistakenly fill the voids in life by immersing ourselves in material lusts all the while misinterpreting the spiritual emptiness as a physical one.  Yet we cannot give the soul physical toys to play with; she simply cannot relate.

The theme of Shabbat is to distance and separate ourselves from this world and zoom into the world to come.  It is of great value to practice this in our everyday lives, otherwise our ability to bond with Borei Olam and experience His presence diminishes.  This life exercise is not so difficult when we contemplate the reward we shall receive when exerting the proper effort.

The delight derived as we are enveloped in Shabbat Kodesh is an intense thrill for the soul.  It can reach the point where we desire only to return to Hashem and want to permanently re-unite with Him on high.  It is more exhilarating than any physical pleasure this world has to offer.  In fact such was the feeling of B’nai Yisrael when they were standing at Har Sinai when they were personally spoken to by Hashem.  They no longer wanted to be ‘trapped’ in their physicality and yearned only to merge with the One and Only truth.

The worst punishment a person may experience is loneliness which leads to feelings of abandonment and unworthiness.  It is a profound fear that all of us have consciously or embedded deep within.  Cleaving to Hashem requires continuous daily effort.  This investment of thought must be practiced often throughout the day in order to prepare ourselves for the light of Shabbat and increase our knowledge that we are never alone and always have Hashem near.

We may then build our workweek on the precious lingering bond built on Shabbat which will continue to hold us until the following Shabbat.  It will be easier to find our way back even if c”v we may have drifted off into ‘playing’ with this worlds toys.  This is the ongoing impact Shabbat has on our lives.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Raphael Elisha Meir ben Devorah a six year old boy with cancer.  If anyone can offer leads and/or advice for recurrent medulla blastoma brain cancer (non-systemic chemo) please contact devorahc@gmail.com in a private message. May he merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

Attaining high spiritual levels is not easy to come by in our current generation.  We have become insensitive to the fire of Hashem’s love that envelops us.  The AriZal would many times teach of the importance to express lovesickness towards Hashem particularly on Shabbat; to aspire to reach a point where we are ecstatically in love with Borei Olam.

The absence of such a feeling, the AriZal would say, is because we do not adequately prepare ourselves for Shabbat Kodesh all week long.  This planning entails the revival of one important emotion; the intense yearning for Shabbat.  All week long we go about our mundane routine without more than a passing thought for Shabbat.  Yet, in order to truly surround ourselves with the delight of Shabbat we must awaken our love for it and for Hashem.

How do I ignite that deep craving for Shabbat to arrive?  From the flame that still lingers within from the previous Shabbat.  In other words, I must draw from the holiness of Shabbat and store it within myself so that I may use it as a source of flame for the upcoming Shabbat.

The AriZal teaches that there are three faculties which we should tap into in order to sufficiently prepare ourselves for Shabbat. First of which is to arrange our thoughts and contemplate the high spiritual gift that we receive every Shabbat.  Second is in speech by reading the Torah portion and learning parsha insights.  Lastly is by mode of action, the physical act of getting ready for Shabbat.

Through these three avenues we can experience the light of creation, the ohr haganuz (the hidden light of creation).  This light is available to those who seek it and who rise to the space where this light illuminates.  The gift awaits us however in order to receive it we must prepare for its arrival.

I would like to encourage our wonderful readers to partner with me on the Daily Dose of Emuna’s project of publishing its first book: 180 Degree in 180 Days.  Please take a moment to contribute to spreading the light of Torah and emuna to Klal Yisrael. Thank you so much for those who have already shown their loyalty by contributing.
To learn more visit the ‘Book sponsorship info page’ on our website: www.dailydoseofemuna.com.
To support the Daily Dose of Emuna’s multiple activities visit the ‘Contributions’ page on our website. You know the difference that the Daily Dose Of Emuna has made to your life and to those around you. We need your support, be part of it!

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Baruch Aryeh Leib ben Hadassah who has a rapid growing tumor in his brain.  The doctors cannot believe and are giving him a very grim forecast, c”v.  Please he has small children and is under 30 years old.  Please pass the name around and do something special for him today.  May HaKadosh Baruch Hu in the zechut of our care and love for another yid send Baruch Aryeh Leib ben Hadassah a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen!

**  For the ladies in the Tri-State area who wish to meet with me for private consultation, I am making myself available this coming Monday, B’H, Nov. 4th to meet in Manhattan anytime from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm.  I do not think I will have any more free days to personally meet with anyone, other than phone call sessions.  Please let me know asap if you wish to set up an appt.  Looking forward.

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From the well-known incident which occurred between Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa ztk’l and his daughter, we can develop many teachings.

It was erev Shabbat just before candle lighting, and the daughter of R’ Chanina was saddened since she had poured vinegar instead of oil into the candle holders.  When she realized that oil was not available, her father replied, “My daughter, The One who gave permission for the oil to light can tell the vinegar to light” and so it was.  R’ Chanina did not pray to Hashem that it shall be so.  He simply made a statement of emuna peshuta (simple words of emuna), and as a result of his emuna, the vinegar served as a lighting source for the Shabbat candles.

For R’ Chanina, there was no miracle in that a candle can be lit with vinegar since using oil was just as miraculous in his eyes. This message is strengthened by the words quoted in Masechet Makot, “In the way that man wishes to go, they guide him.” The forces in life are meant to test us.  Hashem allows for these conflicting powers to persist in order to provide us with free will. Nonetheless, we must remember that they are all tests of faith to challenge us to see Hashem, not nature or cause-and-effect.

A question which may arise from the case of R’ Chanina could be why didn’t Hashem bring about a smaller miracle by providing him with oil to light the candles as opposed to a grander miracle of enabling the vinegar to be lite?  The answer – for R’ Chanina the usage of oil or any other substance is a revealed miracle.  The term nature simply did not exist in his mind.   Therefore, Hashem ‘responded’ to him measure for measure in a miraculous way.

From here, we learn that if we work towards experiencing Hashem in every aspect of our lives, we will surely merit finding Him, whether in ‘natural’ circumstances or ‘supernatural’ events.

I would like to encourage our wonderful readers to partner with me on the Daily Dose of Emuna’s project of publishing its first book: 180 Degree in 180 Days.  Please take a moment to contribute to spreading the light of Torah and emuna to Klal Yisrael.  A minimal donation goes a long way.

To learn more visit the ‘Book sponsorship info page’ on our website: www.dailydoseofemuna.com.

We need your support, be part of it!

Don’t keep the daily dose to yourself… share it with your friends.
Please share your thoughts and questions in the ‘comments’ section of the post.
‘Like us’ on our website and on our facebook page!

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Baruch Dayan HaEmet with sorrow Eliezer ben Feivel (Sima) has passed away, yesterday’s dedication.  May the family know of no more sorrow.

Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah Yisrael Yehuda ben Elka who fell and banged his head.  May he merit a complete healing among all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karovb’rachamim, Amen.

I would like to encourage our wonderful readers to partner with me on the Daily Dose of Emuna’s project of publishing its first book: 180 Degree in 180 Days.  Please take a moment to contribute to spreading the light of Torah and emuna to Klal Yisrael.  A minimal donation goes a long way.

We need your support. Be part of it!

We were given a promise from Hashem.  If we perform our task faithfully and with emuna, Hashem will shine His blessings upon us.  Even if we cannot see it, we are being cared for.

When a person has complete emuna in Hashem, he merits the gift of being shown Hashem’s personal involvement in his life. There are two reasons for being granted such a gift – one is as a reward for his trust and the second is in order to not disappoint him.  You see, when we place our wholehearted trust in the Borei Olam and do not merit a yeshua, it could c”v leave us with such anguish and possibly lead to a chillul Hashem. Hashem does not ‘want’ to dishearten those of us who genuinely place our trust in Him and so He reveals His presence. The key word though is to those who one hundred percent trust Him.

Sefer Michtav m’Eliyahu writes that Hashem decreed on the Jewish people to make an exerted effort in all endeavors of life in order to mask the idea of miraculous happenings. We cannot rely on miracles and therefore must involve ourselves in the natural order of the world.  Borei Olam, though, is ‘hiding’ inside the day-to-day routine of life.

From this, we can derive a valuable lesson.  When our emuna is strong, we need to invest minimal effort yet we will still be shown Hashem’s loving kindness in the outcome.  For the person who lives with emuna shleimah, there is no difference between nature and miracle.  For him, it is one and the same.

Sefer Kedushat HaLevi teaches that if we believe in natural cause-and-effect, then Hashem will bring about the chain of events through those means and further hide His involvement.  By contrast, for the one who wishes to expose Hashem’s presence and seeks Hashem’s doing within every event, Hashem will reveal to him that nature is but a lie and has no significance whatsoever.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Eliezer ben Sima who is in critical condition. May he merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

The underlying point of emuna is not that I believe that Hashem will answer my requests, but that I will accept whatever Hashem has in store for me.  No matter what, it is all good.  The notion for us to grasp is that we must cast away our thoughts and feel in our hearts that Hashem takes care of us without a doubt.

We should heed the message of Dovid HaMelech when he writes in Tehillim: “Nafshi k’gamul alei Imo k’gamul alei nafshi”. The Vilna HaGaon ztk’l explains that just as a baby after nursing from his mother doesn’t concern himself with whether there will be milk for him the next time he is hungry, so should we not worry what lies in the future.

If one finds it hard to let go of his worries, he should imagine to himself how carefree he would feel if he knew for sure that someone would help him.  What if this ‘someone’ had connections in high places such as a minister or another influential figure?  This would surely calm his thoughts.  In the same vein, he should feel for certain that Hashem will take care of him.

We cannot grasp Hashem’s will and never will.  We are instructed to trust in the Borei Olam.  That alone should envelop us with tranquility since we are in good hands.  This requires constant reminding and reassuring of oneself, but it can be achieved.  Our task in this long and dark exile is to strengthen our emuna and remember these words of truth.

It should not make any difference whether we can physically see a light at the end of tunnel or fathom how the salvation will come.  Hashem is the Doer of it all and even if His ways are hidden, all is good and just.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Yosef ben Esther.  May he merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

Correction:  on Monday the daily dose was dedicated to the refuah of Bracha Miram Tova bat Rochel.  I accidently wrote that she is battling breast cancer when in fact it is cancer in another part of her body.  I apologize.  Please continue to daven for her complete healing and ease of struggle. Tizku’ l’mitzvot.

Sefer Chovot Halevavot writes in the gate of bitachon that when falls ill he must seek to be healed as is dictated by the way of the world.  Yet at the same time he must realize that refuah is brought to a person solely from Hashem.  There is not a single human being on the face of this earth who can bring about a yeshua on his own without Hashem’s intervention.

A person can achieve a very high level of d’veikut (bonding) with Hashem by the act of trusting in Him.  The ideal level of trust that we should strive to reach is one where we barely need to make any effort in life still we will receive everything that we need.  Certainly this is ideal but we must know where we wish to be in order to travel on the right path to get there.

Tehillim (32:10) states this in the most clearest of terms, “…haboteach b’Hashem chesed yesoveveno (…but as for him who trusts in Hashem, kindness will encompass him).  Trust in Hashem is so potent that it practically guarantees results.

This doesn’t mean to simply hope that Hashem will help and maybe mix that hope with a bit of doubt as to whether it will in fact come to fruition.  It implies a trust that does not bring to mind any questions but is the unwavering knowledge that Hashem will send the yeshua.

Once again, this is a difficult notion to intellectually grasp let alone implement in our daily lives.  Nevertheless, we should not lose emuna in ourselves that we can attain this lofty level since if it is commanded of us, we can reach the highest heights.

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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Eliyahu ben Chava.  May he merit a complete healing amongst all of KlalYisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

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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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Yaakov Yechiel Michel ben Yechet who recently had a stroke.  May he merit a complete healing amongst all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov b’rachamim, Amen.

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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Today’s daily dose is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Bracha Miriam Tova bat Rochel who is struggling with breast cancer.  The suffering is so great, and these times are so uncertain.  We just don’t know what will be at any given moment.  However, we must stay strong.  Hashem is with us and will not leave until every one of His children is redeemed emotionally and physically.  May it come soon b’rachamim, Amen.

Ein OD Milvado (there is no other than Hashem) is commonly said in the circles of Jewish people.  How close are we to understanding its deep meaning?  Upon further examination, we will find that this is the founding principle of emuna and thus very important to explore.

The brachot and tefillot are but tools to ingrain the fact that even when a leaf falls off a tree it was decreed that it fall and none other.  The main theme of emuna is to dismiss any possibility of coincidence or that intervention by another was the cause of an event. This is what is termed the mitzvah of emunat hayichud (the belief in One).

The Ramchal ztk’l illuminates this idea.  He writes that we must believe that Hashem is in full control and that natural law is dependent on His will.  Hashem is not forced to act in sync with nature, the law that He instituted, unless He chooses to do so.

Hashem responds according to our deeds.  To clarify, if we place our full-blown trust in Hashem, not just partially, then Hashem will fully safeguard us.  As a shadow reflects the person’s movement, so does Hashem, so to speak, reflect our actions.

In our current generation, it is essential to strengthen ourselves with emuna.  Hashem is with us and will never leave us for we are His children.  Without this train of thought, we could not possibly go through the anguish we are experiencing in our times.  There is no other reality but one:  All is directed by the Borei Olam.  Rabbi Chaim m’Volozhin ztk’l teaches that by continuously reminding ourselves of this truth, we shield ourselves and the decrees are sweetened.

The purpose of creation is to reveal Hashem’s presence, the belief that Hashem is the One and only One.  With each nisayon, we inch closer to the time when a new reality will set in for all to see as we say in the tefilla of Aleinu: “…v’Haya Hashem l’Melech al kol ha’aretz bayom hahu yihiyeh Hashem echad u’Shmo echad.”