Emuna Daily

Achievement always comes to the person who is looking for it, but not to the person who is just waiting for it.

One should limit one’s weekday expenditures in order to save money to honor the Shabbat.  Let no one say, “How am I ever going to save anything?”

On the contrary, the more one spends for Shabbat, the more one will have. ~ Tur, Orach Chaim 242

Tip: Wherever possible, make your purchases Lekavod Shabbos!

Achievement always comes to the person who is looking for it but not to the person who is just waiting for it.

An integral part of faith includes one’s verbal statement – “I shall do this, God willing,” as one is about to execute anything, whether it be big or small. ~ Shelah HaKadosh

A person should never say “I am so unclean because of my transgressions and impure thoughts, how can I study Torah and defile its glorious beauty? I will wait until I purify myself and then I will study Torah with pure motivations.”

This is not proper.  A person needs to study Torah in order to overcome his evil inclination.  By studying Torah in a state you are in, you will elevate yourself. ~ R’ Chaim of Volozhin zt”l

In order to remember Torah ideas, it is important to write down the key points to be reminded of the entire thought. ~ The Vilna Goan

How often do we hear a great Torah thought only to forget it within a few days or weeks?   As I have suggested before, consider keeping a notebook next to your bed and write down a quick Torah thought that you heard that day.  I started doing this a few years ago and absolutely love it.  You will too!

After singing the prescribed zemiros each Friday night, the Skulener Rebbe was wont to sing just the niggun of the zemer without saying the words.

He explained that when you sing the words of a zemer, you are limited by the fixed text.  But singing a wordless melody is on a higher level – on the wings of a niggun, unencumbered by specific words, your feelings soar to the loftiest spheres. ~Hashabbos Noam Haneshamos as quoted by R’ Dovid Meisels

Yisro told Moshe that he shouldn’t be the sole judge for the entire nation. There should be other judges helping him. The sefarim teach that Yisro’s point was valid. It was indeed impossible, according to the rules of nature, for Moshe to judge the nation alone. Yet, before Yisro asked that question, Moshe was able to judge the nation alone, because Hashem gives people strengths – beyond the rules of nature – when they want to do His will.

However, after Yisro asked his question, he brought the matter down to the realm of nature, and then it became impossible for Moshe to judge them alone. Now he needed aid. Therefore, Moshe sent Yisro home; his questions were weakening his strength. ~ R’ Elimelech Biderman Shlita

“Educate a child according to his way, so that even when he becomes old he will never leave it” (Mishlei 22:6)

The Vilna Gaon zt’l explains, “Train the child to perform the mitzvos according to his [individual] nature, because then, even when he will become old, he will not leave them. But if you train him against his nature, he will only listen to you now, because he is afraid of you. But when he reaches independence, when he will not have to listen to you anymore, he will not be able to go against his true nature.”

The Vilna Gaon then quotes the Gemara (Shabbos) which states, “Someone who was born under the mazal maadim, with a nature for shedding blood, should become either a mohel, or a shochet, or a doctor.”

Don’t go against his or her nature.  Instead, try to understand his or her tendencies and channel them for avodas Hashem.

Why are we sad?  Because we always walk around thinking that things are wrong.  Why do I think that things are wrong?  Because I have a feeling that I am running the world.  And since things are not the way I think they should be, that means they’re wrong.

But let’s face it, I’m not the master of the world.  If it is clear to you that there is one God Who takes care of everything…what are you kvetching [complaining] about? ~ R’ Shlomo Carlebach zt”l