More to Gain

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Emuna Daily

When feeling joy, you will be able to gain more from one hour of Torah study than from many hours of studying when sad. ~ R’ Chaim of Volozhin zt”l

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Watchfulness

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Emuna Daily
The following quote is from Mesilas Yesharim, more specifically, the chapter concerning the Divisions of Zehirus (Watchfulness). It is said that the Vilna Gaon would never leave his house before going over this chapter 12 times.
“A man should observe all of his actions and watch over all of his ways so as not to leave himself with a bad habit or a bad trait, let alone a sin or a crime. I see a need for a person to carefully examine his ways and to weigh them daily in the manner of the great merchants who constantly evaluate all of their undertakings so that they do not miscarry. He should set aside definite times and hours for this weighing so that it is not a fortuitous matter, but one which is conducted with the greatest regularity; for yields rich returns.” ~ Ramchal
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Reach for the Stars

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Emuna Daily

When you reach for the stars, you might not catch any, but at least you won’t get your hands stuck in the mud. ~ R’ Zelig Pliskin

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Life is like a Postcard

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Emuna Daily

Life is like a postcard. You begin to write, and you leave a great deal of space between the letters, words and lines. After all, the postcard is large and you don’t have all that much to say. But then, as you come toward the end of the card, you realize that it was smaller than you thought, and that you had more to say than you thought. So you squeeze the words together, and you squash the lines in a mad, last-minute attempt to get everything in. Most of the time, you don’t succeed. Often you leave out your most important thought. Tragically, you sometimes don’t even have room to sign your name. ~ R’ Shlomo Riskin

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R’ Yisroel Yaakov Lubchansky zt”l

Posted on March 18, 2017 by Emuna Daily

During the second world war when Rabbi Yisroel Yaakov Lubchansky was incarcerated in the ghetto, his face constantly shined with joy.  Wherever he went, he spread words of encouragement and hope. Rabbi Ephraim Oshry asked him how he could be so happy when the situation was so grim. Rabbi Lubchansky replied, “By nature I am easily frightened. Why should others have to suffer from my fears? I exert myself to remove any signs of fear so I should not cause anyone else to become afraid.” ~ Hameoros Hagedolim

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The Neshama Yeseirah

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Emuna Daily

With the arrival of Shabbos, we all receive a neshama yeseirah (additional soul), but in some people it is more vibrant than in others.  It all depends on the preparation a person has made; the more enthusiastic his kavanah (intention), the more kedusha comes to rest on him.  ~ Ma’or Vashemesh

Tonight, when you turn around during Lecho Dodi and greet the Shabbos Malka, close your eyes and really focus on accepting the neshama yeseirah.  If you do it right, you will feel it!
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The Real Truth

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Emuna Daily

Even after the desires of one’s heart have persuaded him to accept the false way as true, he still knows in his heart of hearts that the true path is “truer” than the other one.  Every human being thus has the faculty of determining in his own heart where the real truth lies.  ~ R’ Eliyahu Dessler zt”l

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Two Step Process

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Emuna Daily

Two things are necessary for man’s self perfection. One is to arouse and inspire himself. The other, by far the harder, is to carry out his good resolutions and retain the inspiration when it comes down to action. R Naftali Amsterdam zt”l

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Givers

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Emuna Daily

A good Jew is not a taker but a giver. The giver gets much more than the receiver, for the receiver gets only something of limited monetary value, whereas the giver acquires for himself a good and pure heart ~ R Yosef Yozel Hurwitz zt”l

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Every Small Deed Counts

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Emuna Daily

Every little thing a person does counts. A small deed can even decide his eternal fate, as the following parable demonstrates.

A man once set out on a trip to a distant city. But the money he had was enough to buy a ticket only to the last stop before the city. For just a few pennies more, he could have reached his destination. But for lack of those pennies he was cast off the train at the stop before the city. There he stood, on the road penniless and miserable.

The same is true of our deeds. Sometimes because of a small deed that a person neglected, all his good deeds cannot tilt the scales against his bad deeds, and he is left in his misery for all eternity ~ Sparks Musser

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