Emuna Daily

When I was in prison in Russia, I was surrounded by men who’d given up hope, who were despondent and broken. I always tried to be upbeat, and one of them asked me how I could be happy in such a miserable place.

I answered that before he’d been taken to prison, he had been a respectful banker, with a prominent position and an upscale lifestyle. Then, they took him away from his life, ripped him away from his position and material good, and threw him into jail where he had nothing. Of course he was devastated. He had lost himself.

But I had one identity before being arrested: I was a chassid, intent on serving my Maker. In prison as well, I had that very same goal: trying to serve Hashem. My material situation was far more difficult, but the overall goal hadn’t changed, even if the circumstances had, so why not be happy?

I was chassid before, and I was still a chassid! ~ R’ Mendel Futerfas

There is nothing that awakens the heart as much as songs do. ~ The Chinuch – mitzvah 384

People can easily deceive themselves into thinking that they are doing an act of kindness for the sake of kindness, when in fact this is not the case.

The way to test your motivation is to see if you are equally willing to go out of your way to help someone who will be totally ungrateful.

When you don’t derive any personal benefit from your act of kindness and you still help others, it is a sign that your goal is to help others for their sake and not for your own. 

~ R’ Yeruchem Levovitz zt”l

“Young man,” the rebbe of Peshischa demanded, “Where can one find G‑d?”

“Everywhere,” answered his disciple, who was to become the rebbe of Kotzk. “His glory fills the universe.”

“Young man,” the Peshischer repeated, “I asked you: where could one find G-d?

The Kotzker was quiet. “Well, if I don’t know, then please tell me,” he requested.

The Peshischer then said, “Listen, young man. G‑d can be found only where you let Him in.”

Instilling the ga’avah d’kedushah, pride in our holiness, in our children is hard, but so was it hard to hide in a basement and not make a sound when running from the Nazis.

We fought Eisav as “Eisav” and can fight him as “achi,” my brother.  We fought him as a clear and obvious enemy, and we can fight him when he comes as brother.

Sometimes, in our history, they’ve come at us with blood in their eyes, and we’ve had to find a way to hide, and sometimes, they’ve come with acceptance and friendship, with the call of, “Share our values, share the freedom, taste life as we know it.”

When that happens, we have to work no less hard to hide.  ~ R’ Elya Brudny

No one likes to say, “I don’t want to do it.” Instead, the yetzer hara makes us say, “I have no time.”

When we say, “I’d like to do it and one day I will.” The yetzer hara gives a chuckle. 

He got us.

Yeah, we think, it would be nice to review the sedrah twice each week, like the halachah says, but I have no time. When I retire, I’ll sit under a palm tree in Florida and do it, for sure. 

Guess what? When you have time, you might not be able to see as well, or concentrate, whatever it is. The yetzer hara has won.

Chazal tell us, “Ein ve’atah elah lashon teshuvah – the term ‘now’ is a reference to teshuvah.” Because when a person learns to say, “I’ll do it right now,” he’s on the way home.~ R’ Moshe Meir Weiss

Again, the new cycle of Mishna Berurah Yomi has just begun.  Don’t give a reason to make the yetzer hara chuckle.  Let’s do this!  Here is a link to the series.  https://outorah.org/series/3762/

If you are reading this, you obviously want to serve Hashem.  The question is, are you doing it properly?  We can’t serve Hashem properly without knowing how. The best way to do so is by learning halacha.

Today marks the very first day of a just under 7 year cycle of learning a page of Mishnah Brurah daily, Sunday – Thursdays.  I posted this idea 7 years ago, and Baruch Hashem, I just completed the cycle, which I enjoyed tremendously and benefited so much from it.  I did it by listening to the 15-20 minute podcast or online shiur delivered by Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, which included Dirshu footnotes from contemporary poskim for up to date halachic issues. 

You can also listen to it on the OU Torah app and you can follow along in the car, train, before or after davening, or at any convenient time either on your phone or on your computer.  The shiur is always under 20 minutes and can be listened to at a faster speed.  The 5 days a week makes it much easier than daf yomi which is 7 days a week.  Imagine completing the entire Mishna Brurah in less than 7 years by setting aside a total of about an hour a week. 

Here is a link to the series.  https://outorah.org/series/3762/

The gemara (Talmud Niddah 73a) states that one who studies Halachos daily is guaranteed a portion in Olam Haba, the world to come.  Let’s take that guarantee, become a “Ben Olam Haba” and not let this opportunity pass us by.

HaShem makes no mistakes, and deliberately places every precious neshama with the parents who are perfectly suited to nurture that neshama to its potential.

~ R’ Adam Englander based on a shiur from R’ Moshe Weinberger

It is there inside. Everything is there inside. But the ‘I’ stands firmly at the gate. ~ R’ Tzvi Freeman

Put yourself in the frame of mind of someone who has received a gift from an authority figure he greatly respects and is now thanking him for that gift.  ~ R’ Simcha Zissel Ziv zt”l