Emuna Daily

Even if you do indeed accomplish tomorrow what you pushed off doing today, you are still missing out on the good deeds you could have done today.  Each day is a separate entity, and by meeting your responsibilities of tomorrow, you still have not met your responsibilities of today. ~ R’ Chayim of Volozhin zt”l

View each day as if it were your last (see Shabbos 153a).  This is an excellent technique for overcoming laziness.

Imagine that this is the only day you have to accomplish anything, and the page you need to study is the only page there is.  Do the same the next day, and with the next page.  This will enable you to overcome the tendency to push things off. ~ R’ Simcha Zissel Ziv zt”l

A person is much better off in life if he chooses a small degree of wealth with peace than a large amount with quarrels.  We find in the Torah (Bereishis 13:12) that Avraham chose to live peacefully by taking land that had less grazing area for his cattle, rather than taking more with a quarrel.  This is what the verse states in Mishle (17:1): “Better a morsel of dry bread and tranquility with it, than a house full of feasting with strife.  ~ Ralbag

You know friends, many people think that on Chanukah we are commemorating the miracle that Hashem did for our forefathers thousands of years ago.  The Chassidic masters teach that this simply isn’t the case.

Chanukah isn’t a commemoration of a historic miracle; it is the yearly re-experiencing of the very same spiritual revelation that produced the original Chanukah miracle (see Kedushas Levi, Kedushos L’Chanukah 1 and Meor Einyaim, Yisro, “isah”). ~ Yaakov Klein

A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another. And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other. You are such a light. ~ Moshe Davis

Think of the entire world as being held in balance, and this one deed of yours as the one to tip the scales. ~ Maimonides

Just one more light can change everything! ~ R’ Tzvi Freeman

We aren’t obligated to have a seudah on Chanukah.  Shulchan Aruch (670:2) states, “Some say that there is a little bit of a mitzvah to have large meals…” But it certainly isn’t an obligation. Why is Chanukah different than all other holidays?

The Chidushei HaRim zt’l answered with a mashal: A simple farmer married the king’s daughter. Does anyone need to tell him to celebrate with a seudah? He will certainly do so on his own. His heart is full of joy, and he will host big feasts and invite all his friends. On Chanukah the Shechinah comes down to us, lower than ten tefachim [which It does not do the rest of the year]. We don’t need to be told to have a seudah. We are so happy, we will do so on our own! ~ R’ Elimelech Biderman Shlita

“May the Merciful One perform for us miracles just like He did for our fathers, in those days, in this time.” (Harachaman in Birchas Hamazon if forget Al Hanisim).

Many question why we could say this Harachaman and pray for a miracle considering miracles generally deplete a person’s merits.  However, the Yeshuos Yaakov explains that when a miracle has publicity and creates a kiddush Hashem, like the nes of Chanukah, not only is it permitted, but it is a mitzvah to ask for such a miracle!

When Hashem performs open, revealed miracles, it generates awareness that even when matters seem natural, it’s Hashem’s hashgachah (see Ramban end of parashas Bo). Based on this, the Kedushas Levi (Chanukah, Kedushah 5) explains that we light Chanukah candles to contemplate the miracles, and to acknowledge that everything that happens is hashgachah pratis. ~ R’ Elimelech Biderman Shlita