Emuna Daily

Your thoughts have the ability to elevate your body.  The physical effect of thoughts on the body is so great that one will actually not be able to move the body in a way that would be inconsistent with those thoughts.  When one is not immersed in thinking, however, the body is free and can do whatever the heart desires.

For this reason, we repeat Shema Yisrael twice each day.  We need to review the elevated concepts of Shema consistently in order for them to be the guiding focus in our lives.

Our goal in life is to have our thoughts become so powerful that our bodies will be totally under their influence.  Use all of your strength to build up the power of your thoughts.~ R’ Yeruchem Levovitz zt”l

We all have faults and yet we manage to love ourselves despite them.  But when it comes to others, we tend to be more critical.  We must looked past those faults and look for the good in every person. 

R’ Pinchas of Kortiz zt”l taught, “In every Yid, there is something precious and holy that no one else in the world has.”  Plus, each person serves Hashem in their own special and unique way.  Consider this and you will love and honor your fellow Jews. 

Unlike in the morning, at night, after Shema we say אמת וֶאֱמוּנָה – We discuss emuna (faith and trust in Hashem) at night. That is because the primary emuna is to believe that even when everything is dark, and there are hardships, that even then, everything is from Hashem and for our good. ~ Sfas Emes

When I was young, I went to Manhattan to see the Empire State Building. I was amazed at the allure of the streets, the splendid cars, the well-dressed people, the elegant stores. Then, we went up to the tower, and eventually reached the lookout, peering down from the 102^nd floor.

From that vantage point, those well-heeled people suddenly looked so small, the cars like little toys: it wasn’t as impressive anymore.

A ben Aliyah, someone who lives on the higher floors, who is looking for something more elevated, suddenly sees how the glimmer of this world fades.

From up there, things below aren’t as alluring anymore.  ~ R’ Eliezer Herzka

Jealousy makes a person lose more than any other negative trait.  Jealousy is not just a negative trait, it is a serious and dangerous disease.

Examine all the stories of the Torah and you will see that all failures can be attributed to jealousy, envy and honors.

~ R’ Leib Hassman

In Crown Heights, there was a Jew, Yankel, who owned a bakery. He survived the camps. He once said…

“You know why it is that I’m alive today? I was a kid, just a teenager at the time. We were on the train, in a boxcar, being taken to Auschwitz. Night came and it was freezing, deathly cold, in that boxcar. The Germans would leave the cars on the side of the tracks overnight, sometimes for days on end without any food, and of course, no blankets to keep us warm,” he said.

“Sitting next to me was an older Jew – this beloved elderly Jew – from my hometown I recognized, but I had never seen him like this. He was shivering from head to toe and looked terrible. So I wrapped my arms around him and began rubbing him, to warm him up. I rubbed his arms, his legs, his face, his neck. I begged him to hang on. All night long; I kept the man warm this way. I was tired, I was freezing cold myself, my fingers were numb, but I didn’t stop rubbing the heat onto this man’s body. Hours and hours went by this way. Finally, the night passed, morning came, and the sun began to shine. There was some warmth in the cabin, and then I looked around the car to see some of the other Jews in the car. To my horror, all I could see were frozen bodies, and all I could hear was a deathly silence.

Nobody else in that cabin made it through the night – they died from the frost. Only two people survived: the old man and me… The old man survived because somebody kept him warm; I survived because I was warming somebody else…”

The secret of Judaism: When you warm other people’s hearts, you remain warm yourself. When you seek to support, encourage and inspire others; then you discover support, encouragement and inspiration in your own life as well. That, my friends, is “Judaism 101”.

R’ Pinchas ben Yair famously states that the study of Torah leads to watchfulness. Watchfulness leads to an energetic performance of the commandments, which in turn leads to spiritual purity, etc. – a ladder for us to embark upon.

However, the question arises, being that Torah is first on the list, how does one get to Torah?

The answer is that there are no steps that lead up to Torah.  You just take a sefer and begin learning.  It is that simple!  Some people wait for “something” to happen, that will bring them closer to the Torah, but there is nothing to wait for. You can begin now.  ~ R’ Elimelech Biderman

The Medrash Taplios, according to the version of the Chida, states that Yaakov’s  son, Asher, will stand by the doors of Gehinnom and not let anyone who regularly studies Mishnayos in.  Not only that, but the Arizal adds that Asher will also bring such a person to Gan Eden.   

Today we begin the newest cycle of Mishna Yomis – a program in memory of the one million children who perished in the Holocaust, who were unfortuantely never able to learn mishnayos.  By learning just two mishnayos each day, you will complete all of Shas in less than 6 years, a phenomenal accomplishment. 

I pitched this idea here back in April of 2016 and Baruch Hashem made a siyum today.  I have to say that of all the yomi programs (Daf Yomi, Nach Yomi, Mishna Berurah Yomi etc.), this was by far the easiest, as it literally takes less than a few minutes.  And today, there are so many more fabulous resources such as the incredible All Mishnah app which launched today and can be found here: https://allmishnah.org/landing.   The All Mishnah app and website provides so many options including a quick 3 minute a day shiur on the 2 mishnayos.   It makes it so interesting and easy.  

Another great free app that includes the entire Mishna with Kehati can be found in the links below.

Android – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nocker.kehati&hl=en

IPhone – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kehati/id1059791961?mt=8

I learned the mishnayos right before I took off my tefillin each day. You can do this!  Take it one day at a time.  Learn the first 2 mishanyos of Berachos now and see how easy this could be.  Then share this with someone else who you think might give this a try.  I wish you all the best and hope to celebrate another cycle together in less than 6 years from now.  Hatzlochah Rabbah!  

Whoever says Birkas Hamazon with kavanah (concentration) will have abundant sustenance all his life.

~ Chinuch, mitzvah 430

Consider this: Even if you bench really slowly, it will probably still take you less than 3 minutes to complete Birkas Hamazon. It’s not that long and the benefits to you are immense. Let’s try to slow it down, focus, and get this amazing bracha.

Have a good shabbos!

Those who make their Torah their main purpose in life and their worldly occupation secondary will succeed in both. ~ Berachos 35b