Emuna Daily

You should never feel that Judaism is an all or nothing religion.  It simply isn’t. Even if and when you commit a sin, do teshuvah, put it behind you and realize that the sin did not cancel out the mitzvos you performed.  And the reward for each mitzvah is unfathomable, so just grab as many as you could!

When misfortune happens to you, do not worsen the situation by needlessly adding to your suffering by repeating to yourself how awful it is.  ~ Cheshbon Hanefesh

The most elementary level of gratitude is for a person to realize that he should express gratitude – even if only with a few words – to a person who has done work for him or gone to trouble on his behalf. ~ R’ Eliyahu Dessler zt”l

After finishing a meal, focus for a moment on how grateful you are for having the food that you have just eaten and then recite Birchas Hamazon (the blessing after a meal). ~ Chinuch V’edun Hahergeshim as quoted by R’ Zelig Pliskin

The Beis Yosef explains that the 24,000 students of Reb Akiva stopped dying on Lag B’Omer, hence Lag B’Omer is a day of Celebrating.  But the Pri Chadash points out that the reason the students stopped dying was mostly because there were almost none left!  Only five remained!

Reb Akiva, however, did not give up and immediately began teaching Torah to those five students.  And from those five students, Torah went forth to the world and continues until today.

That is certainly a reason to celebrate!

~ Adapted from R’ Elimelech Biderman Shlita

When you do what you want – your will – you do it willingly and eagerly.  This is how you should do God’s will as well.  Do not differentiate between God’s will and your own; make them one and the same.  In other words, whatever you do, do in a manner that will be pleasing before God. ~ Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerrondi on Pirkei Avos 2:4

To forgive is divine.  We all know it because it’s true.  But not to give up is even more divine.  Not to give up on G-d is not so hard.  We all trust and believe in G-d.  But not to give up on people and the world, given the way life can sometimes treat us, and not to give up on ourselves; that is really hard.  But it’s the most dive thing a person can do. ~ R’ Shlomo Carlebach zt”l

It is equally wrong for a wealthy person to feel superior and speak condescendingly to others because of his wealth as it is wrong for a poor person to feel inferior and speak submissively because of a lack of money.  Both wealth and poverty are circumstances that provide tests and are not reflections of a person’s value. ~ R’ Simcha Zissel – Daas Chochmah  Umussar vol. 1, page 54

HaRav Ovadiah Yosef zt”l once told me, “Do you know why a Jewish woman is referred to as a ‘bat yisrael’ (lit. daughter of Israel)? ‘Bat’ in Hebrew refers to the pupil of the eye, as in bat ayin. A Jewish woman is the apple of Hashem’s eye. There is nothing more precious to Him than His beloved daughters.” ~ Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi

On that note, I want to wish a mazel tov to a special Bat Yisrael and Bat Torah, my dear daughter, Keren Esther, on her Bat Mitzvah this Shabbos IYH.  May Hashem bless you with everything good, both physical and spiritual and may you continue to bring us all so much nachas.