I am Afraid

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Emuna Daily

Studying Torah late one night in Kovna, R’ Yisroel Salanter overhead the conversation of two paupers who were lodging in a side room.  One asked the other to accompany him to the well, as he was afraid to go out alone so late at night.  The other drowsily mumbled a refusal.  Immediately, Rav Yisroel interrupted his own studies and went to the well to fetch water for the pauper. ~ R’ Zelig Pliskin

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Languages and the 7 Day Week

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Emuna Daily

Here is an excerpt from the Kuzari, which I have been learning lately and love:

The Rabbi: “Have you ever seen or heard of a nation that [abandoned their original language and] invented a new one?”

The Kuzari: “No, I haven’t.  [That would be highly impractical; for example, all books would have to be rewritten.]  No doubt, language came into being at some point in time, before which none of the languages we know of today existed.  I imagine everyone spoke the same language, [Hebrew, the holy tongue that Adam spoke.]”

The Rabbi: “That’s not all.  Have you ever heard of a nation that does not accept the conventional seven-day week that starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday?  Is it conceivable that all nations from the far east to the west should agree on a seven-day week unless one individual instituted it, or a gather of the world reached an agreement on this issue?”

The Kuzari: “You are right.  This could have happened only if all the nations of the world unanimously adopted such a resolution.  That is hard to believe.  We must say that all men are descendants from one person, either Adam or Noach or someone else, in which case all people of the world received the concept of a seven-day week from a common ancestor.”

The Rabbi: “That’s exactly what I was driving at.  But there’s more…

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Our Nation

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Emuna Daily

Our nation is only defined as a nation through her Torah. ~ Rabbeinu Sa’adia Gaon zt”l

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Silence

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Emuna Daily

Through silence a person merits trusting in God. ~ R’ Nachman of Breslov zt”l

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Upright

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Emuna Daily

The Lord created man upright, walking on two, and not on four like a beast, for while the beast sees only the ground, man also sees Heaven.  ~ The Kotzker Rebbe zt”l

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The Key to a Successful Marriage

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Emuna Daily

R’ Eliyahu Dessler used to tell newlyweds that the key to a successful marriage is that each partner should always try to make the other happy.  But when one constantly makes demands of the other, happiness will not be theirs. ~ Michtav MaiEliyahu

Posted in Shalom Bayis | 1 Comment

When Someone Tells You about his Wrongdoings

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Emuna Daily

Generally speaking, if someone tells you about his wrongdoings, you are forbidden to repeat them to others.

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Who are You Faking?

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Emuna Daily

Chassidim in Lubavitch would customarily wear long jackets. One chassid, however, wore a short jacket when he was in Moscow on business, and changed into a long jacket when he returned home to Lubavitch.

Once, before entering into a private audience with the Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch, the chassid deliberated: ‘Why should I wear my long jacket for my private audience with the Rebbe? The Rebbe knows who I am. Why try to fool him? I will be myself!’

Thus, the chassid entered the Rebbe’s study wearing a short jacket.

“Why are you wearing a short jacket?” the Rebbe asked.

The chassid was shocked. He explained honestly, “Rebbe, I did not want to fool you!”

“Fool me?” the Rebbe asked. “Until now I thought you were a chassid trying to fool the business world. Now I see you are a businessman trying to fool the chassidim.” ~ Heard from Rabbi Shloima Zarchi as quoted in Chicken Soup to Warm the Neshama

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Learn from our Failures

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Emuna Daily

G-d told Cain “If you improve, you will be forgiven” Genesis 4:7. Cain’s true failure was that he didn’t learn from G-d’s positive response to Abel, who had offered up the choicest of his animals. Had Cain presented a second offering, this time from the choicest of his crop, G-d would have forgiven him and accepted it. G-d here tried to teach him that if an individual learns from his errors, his slate can be wiped clean. However, Cain refused to admit his error. Convinced of the rightness of his action, he felt that if Abel were eliminated, Cain’s own view would necessarily prevail. Our challenge, as well, is to learn from our failures, rather than to stubbornly refuse to admit them and even rationalize them. By learning from our failures, we can transform every one of them into an impetus for further spiritual growth. ~ Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l

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Shelo Asani Goy

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Emuna Daily

“Baruch Atah……..Shelo Asani Goy ”

Tzadikim said that a person can be B’Simchah the entire day merely from that fact that he is a Jew and is a part of Hashem’s nation. ~ R’ Avrohom Schorr

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