R’ Yaakov Kamenetsy zt”l

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Emuna Daily

Once, R’ Yaakov was to meet someone at Manhattan’s Penn Station at 7:00 A.M. for a trip out of town.  R’ Yaakov arrived at the station looking exhausted, having spent a sleepless night.  He explained to his companion that when he had gone to set his alarm clock before retiring for the night, he remembered that his gentile neighbor worked the night shift and would have just gone to sleep at the time that the alarm clock was set to go off.  It was a hot summer night when everyone slept with their windows open and the neighbor would quite possibly be awakened by the alarm.  Therefore, R’ Yaakov did not set the clock; instead, he stayed up all night learning to make sure that he would be on time for his early departure. ~ 5 Great Lives

Posted in Stories of Tzaddikim | Leave a comment

How the Arizal became the Arizal

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Emuna Daily

All of my lofty spiritual achievements were attained through joy in the performance of a mitzvah. ~ The Arizal

Posted in Happiness, Spirituality | 1 Comment

The Head of a Pin

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Emuna Daily

When two people love one another, they can stand together on the head of a pin.  When two people hate one another, the whole world is not wide enough for them to coexist. ~ R’ Shlomo Ibn Gabirol zt”l

Posted in Mussar | Leave a comment

Ahavat Yisrael

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Emuna Daily

The mitzva of ahavat yisrael extends to anyone born into the people of Israel, even if you have never met him.

How much more so does it extend to every member – man or woman of the Jewish community where you live, who belongs to your own community. ~ R’ Schneur Zalman of Liadi zt”l

Posted in Mussar | Leave a comment

Distancing Youself

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Emuna Daily

Distance yourself from all that is ugly and unseemly, from lust and from anything that will lead people to be suspicious of you, and you will find favor in the eyes of God and man. ~ R’ Menachem Mendel Leffin zt”l

Posted in Mussar | Leave a comment

Coffee

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Emuna Daily

A person wakes up in the morning, makes himself a cup of coffee.

He puts the bitter coffee in a mug, adds to it the sweet sugar, pours in the boiling water and adds some cold milk. A cup full of contrasts; hot, cold, bitter, sweet.

Then he says, “Ribono shel Olam, I don’t know how my day will be… bitter, sweet, hot, cold,but one thing I know for sure, it will be “shehakol  n’hiyeh b’dvaro — as You say it will be.”

And that is how a Jew should start his/her morning, knowing that HaShem will pick just what’s right for him out of the sea of contrasts.

Posted in Emuna | 1 Comment

Loving one’s Neighbor as Oneself

Posted on February 7, 2016 by Emuna Daily

Upon consideration, we find that the fulfillment of the obligation to judge people favorably and the obligation to guard one’s tongue, are dependent upon the mitzvah of “loving one’s neighbor as oneself.”  If one truly loves his neighbor, he will surely refrain from speaking lashon hora about him and he will do his utmost to find grounds to judge him favorably. ~ The Choftez Chayim zt”l

Posted in Shmiras Haloshon | Leave a comment

Interrupt with Zmiros

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Emuna Daily

The Chofetz Chayim’s son wrote that whenever the Chofetz Chayim saw that someone was beginning to speak loshon hora at the Shabbos table, he would announce that it was time to sing zmiros (Shabbos songs) so as to interrupt them. ~ Michtevai Chofetz Chayim – Dugmah Midarkai Avi as quoted by R’ Zelig Pliskin

Posted in Shmiras Haloshon, Stories of Tzaddikim | Leave a comment

In a World of Emuna

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Emuna Daily

War and strife among nations are impossible in a world of emuna, for each nation would realize that it has its own specific task in the global scheme of things.  Just as a carpenter doesn’t compete with a butcher – on the contrary, each requires the services of the other – the nations of the world would cooperate in peace rather than bicker in constant conflict. ~ The Garden of Emuna

Posted in Emuna | Leave a comment

Compassion

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Emuna Daily

When a child’s toy breaks, he feels as bad as an adult would feel if his factory were destroyed.  ~ R’ Yisroel Salanter zt”l

Something to consider…

Posted in Mussar | Leave a comment