No Harm no Foul?

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Emuna Daily

Even if no harm was caused by one’s lashon hara – such as if his audience did not believe it – he still transgressed a prohibition, and requires atonement. ~ Chofetz Chaim zt”l

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I’m so sorry that the previous email went out over shabbos. I thought I had it scheduled to go out after shabbos, but WordPress was having issues when I scheduled it.  Sorry again.

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Beracha for our Sons

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Emuna Daily

One of his Chasidim asked the Kotzker Rebbe for a beracha that he merit that his sons study Torah with devotion.  The Rebbe replied that the Chassid himself had the key to ensure that this blessing could materialize.  The Rebbe pointed out to this father that he should learn Torah with devotion, and then he could anticipate that his sons would follow his example. “For if not,” the Rebbe warned, “your sons will come with the same request – that their sons should study with devotion while they occupy themselves with other matters.”

Torah can only be fulfilled when we are willing to exert ourselves directly and personally in its ways.  We must demonstrate the importance of Torah learning by setting an example that others might follow.  By merely stating ideals, these goals will not be reached.  ~ Daf Digest

[Sorry, I thought I had this scheduled on go out after shabbos.]

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Source of Blessings for the Upcoming Week

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Emuna Daily

Shabbos is the wellspring of all blessings – both material and spiritual – for the upcoming week.  We must therefore accord much more honor to Shabbos than to the weekdays.  Since the mitzvah of Shabbos is the source of blessing for the upcoming week, we should sanctify it in the best possible manner with the most delectable food and drink. ~ Divrei Menachem

The way we preapre the special Shabbos dishes – from shopping to baking to tasting the food – is a clear indication of how we honor Shabbos. ~ R’ Dovid Meisels

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Complex Hedge Maze

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Emuna Daily

Life is like a complex hedge maze common in the gardens of royalty, planted for amusement, the challenge being to reach a gazebo in its center…

Seeking guidance from someone who has already mastered the labyrinth, who stands on the elevated gazebo and advises the correct path to take, is the best way to avoid confusion and reach the designated point. ~ The Ramchal

Hedge maze

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Giving

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Emuna Daily
Love is a consequence of giving.  When a person gives, it is as if he is giving part of himself.  He therefore loves the recipient because he finds in him something of himself.  If his giving assumes great proportions and he lavishes loving-kindness on his neighbor with abundance, he will find himself included entirely in the other.  Then he can love his neighbor as himself – completely as himself – without any distinction. ~ R’ Eliyahu Dessler zt”l
R’ Dessler goes on to explain that this is why parents love their children so much – because they give so much to them.  He further explains that this is the recipe for a good marriage. Each spouse should focus on giving to the other because the more one gives, the more one loves.
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Who will find Divine Mercy?

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Emuna Daily

Only he who has the courage to face up to his own wrongdoing and determines to change his ways will find divine mercy. ~ R’ Shlomo Zalman Breuer zt”l

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Don’t Look Elsewhere

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Emuna Daily
Sometimes, the motivation to grown spiritually comes from our respect for someone else, a Tzaddik, a Talmid Chacham… But this is a mistake.
We don’t need to look elsewhere to find the means to improve ourselves. Everything we need is right at home.  Every day, from morning to night, we encounter challenges that are meant just for us.  If we can accept them with faith and humility, and struggle with them as best we can, we will be blessed in this world and the next.  We don’t have to look for things about which we were not commanded, only to accept with love that which is already ours, for in this lies the path of perfection that God has intended for our souls. ~ R’ Yaakov Meir Shechter
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Not Impossible

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Emuna Daily

The Torah understands the depths of our nature, and reveals to us that we are indeed capable of guarding our tongues. ~ Chaftez Chaim

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15 Years!

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Emuna Daily

For fifteen years, R’ Yisroel Salanter was heard confessing: “My sin is before my eyes always” for having once forgotten to check his pockets before Shabbos, and for having once forgotten to check for chometz before Pesach in the place where salt was kept. ~ Sparks of Mussar

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Every Step of the Way

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Emuna Daily

Once the process of your teshuvah is under way, it is as though Hashem is leading you by the hand. ~ R’ Simcha H. Benyosef

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The answer to yesterday’s “Identify that Prayer” is: The Prayer for the Well-Being of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) which is recited in many shuls on Shabbos morning.

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