Emuna Daily

One should be involved in avodas Hashem constantly. If you don’t have strength to concentrate on Torah right now, you can still say Tehillim. And if you don’t have strength for Tehillim either, you should give tzedakah…” but always be active and do something in Hashem’s service. ~ R’ Elimelech Biderman

When baking matzah, one is either kneading the dough, baking it, or perforating holes into it. The dough is constantly being processed. Whereas, chametz is made by allowing the dough to sit idle to rise. The Satmar Rebbe zt’l said that this implies that one should always be active, not passive, in avodas Hashem.

Some Chassidic rebbes would take a stroll in the quiet streets on the Seder night, and listen to the Sedarim of the simple townsfolk coming through the open windows. The Bnei Yissaschar zt’l was once taking such a walk together with a few of his followers, and heard someone chant by the section of the four sons, “echad chacham, viechad rasha, viechad tam…  But with each “Echad” the simple man stretched it out in the same manner as people say “Echad” in Krias Shema. The Bnei Yissaschar went inside to ask the man why he said it that way.

The man replied, “My father told me that one should stretch “Echad” by Shema, so I thought why should “Echad” in the Haggadah be different?”

The Bnei Yissacher turned to his followers, “This Yid has turned the four children of the Haggadah into the same concept as Shema.”

When people told Rebbe Yehoshua of Belz about how the Bnei Yissaschar heard the simpleton say “Echad” in the mode of Shema and that he said that the concept of the four children and saying Shema were related, he became very excited and happy about it, though he didn’t explain why. His son, Rebbe Yissacher Dov of Belz explained why his father was so happy: Chazal say that wealth and wisdom, and several other things are a matter of mazal, dependent on the mazal each person was born with. What should a person do if he was born with a mazal to be poor or foolish? Must he remain that way his entire life?

The sefarim tell that when one says “Echad” by Shema, he can change his mazal. When Rebbe Yehoshua of Belz heard that the four sons of the Haggadah also applies to the “Echad” of Shema, he understood that on this night, one has the potential to change his mazal. Even if he was born with a negative mazal, it can be improved, as he attains awareness that “Hashem Echad”- Hashem is One.

On Seder night, we seek to imbibe our children with belief in Hashem and awareness of “Hashem Echad.” ~ R’ Elimelech Biderman

Chag Samaeach!

It is known just how important it is to honor parents. Honoring them is compared to honoring Hashem. To disgrace them is a grave sin….Therefore, dear children of Bnei Yisrael, honor Hashem, and be careful to honor your father and mother. Listen to everything they say….

Each mitzvah has its mazal. People spend a lot of money to have the merit to open up the aron kodesh or to be a sandak, and the like, but these aren’t mitzvos from the Torah or mitzvos of the rabbanan. They are chibuv mitzvah (a gesture, showing love for the mitzvos). Ashreihem Yisrael (they are fortunate)! However, each time one obeys his father or his mother he is doing a mitzvah from the Torah! But the fools transgress and they are punished.” ~ The Pele Yoetz

Before surgery, doctors tell patients not to eat anything, so the body will be clean for the operation. Pesach can be compared to a great surgery, because our bad will be extracted, and in its place we will be imbued with holiness. For that, we clean our homes from chametz before Pesach. ~ Rebbe Ahron Leib of Premishlan zt”l as quoted by R’ Elimelech Biderman

Ruminating about the past will get you nowhere. So go ahead and learn from the past whatever you can, and then put it behind you.  Remember, there is nothing you can do to change it, but you can use its lessons to improve your future.  ~ R’ Dr. Avraham J. Twerski zt”l

Remember this rule for every brachah: When you say “Baruch Atah” (Bless are You) picture that Hashem is before you and you are speaking directly to Him. That is the translation of “Baruch Atah.” Think this every time you speak to Hashem. Don’t say any prayer by rote, chas veshalom. You are speaking directly to Hashem, Whose presence fills the world. ~  The Yesod VeShoresh HaAvodah (HaAshmuros 2)

Anyone who has the potential to fall very low necessarily has the potential to rise very high. ~ R’ Shmuel Weinberg

How many times have we discovered, after the fact, that the difficult experience we just had, the job we lost, the health or financial challenge, was an amazing blessing?

We only realize it later on.

We live in a world that is an illusion, and sometimes we fall into the trap of believing it’s that which is outside of us that is worth chasing, not what’s inside of us. We think that things outside of us define us. It’s the other way around. If something is outside of me, I’ll never really get it, I’ll be chasing it forever.  What’s inside of me is there.

It’s not what you don’t have, but what you already have and haven’t even noticed.

Pay attention to what’s inside, and you’ll find so much blessing. ~ R’ Jonathan Rietti

Do not judge your neighbor before having gone through what he has gone through.  Indeed, we cannot know what he is going through, how difficult it is for him to behave properly, in order not to sin. ~ R’ Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson zt”l