What Can I Do for You?

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Emuna Daily

“The Chofetz Chaim was once overheard making an accounting with God, as it were.  He said ‘Dear God, what have You done for me, and what have I done for You?  You have given me the privilege of writing the Mishneh Berurah, Chofetz Chaim, Shemiras HaLashon, Likutei Halachos, and many other sefarim.  What have I done for You?  Nothing!  Please dear God, give me an opportunity to do something for You.’ 

To the Chofetz Chaim, whatever he did was only to be expected, and was undeserving of any reward for himself.” ~ The Pirkei Avos Treasury 

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We Were as Dreamers

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Emuna Daily

“We say in Shir Ha-ma’alot (psalms 126) [before bentching on Shabbos], ‘When God returned the captivity of Zion we were as dreamers.’  The evil we experienced in the long night of galut, and which we thought at the time so real and so fearsome, will turn out to have been nothing but a bad dream.  The reality, as we shall then see, is and always was nothing but goodness and love.  ~ R’ Eliayahu Dessler

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A Higher Expectation

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Emuna Daily

“Just as we expect more from those who are blessed with materialistic wealth, so do we expect more from those rich in knowledge.  Whereas the spiritually poor do mitzvos simply, those who are enriched with ruchnius are expected to perform the same mitzvos precisely, and with extra prudence.” ~ Chafetz Chaim as quoted in Torah Tavlin

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Don’t Compare Your Holiness to Others

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Emuna Daily

“Rabbi Avraham Pam explains: If a Jew looks around him and sees a world of immorality, deceit, and fraud, if he often encounters underhandedness and an insatiable pursuit of material goals, he can easily rationalize to himself and say, “With the performance of even one mitzvah, I have already achieved a much greater status than those in the secular world.”  He might even become smug with the feeling that he has achieved a degree of holiness far beyond those who do no mitzvos at all.  Therefore, God says, “You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your God, am holy (Leviticus 19.2).  Don’t compare your holiness to the holiness of others; you are children of God and are answerable to a higher standard.  Be holy, for I am holy.  Use me, not the nations of the world, as a barometer, and then you will know what is expected of you.”  ~ The Pirkei Avos Treasury

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No Such Thing as Defeat

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Emuna Daily

There’s no such thing as defeat.

There’s always another chance. To believe in defeat is to believe that there is something, a certain point in time that did not come from Above.

Know that G‑d doesn’t have failures. If things appear to worsen, it is only as part of them getting better. We fall down only in order to bounce back even higher. ~ R’ Tzvi Freeman

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G-d Open my Lips

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Emuna Daily

Rav Yonason Eibschitz explains why we say ‘Hashem sefosai tiftach – G-d open my lips’ right before shemona esrei.  He explains that when man stands before the Master of the Universe, one’s vocal cords should freeze in paralysis, out of fear. We therefore offer a special prayer that G-d should grant us the fortitude to open our lips in prayer.  ~ Praying with Fire

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Keep it Sealed

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Emuna Daily

“A secret is very much like a balloon.  If tightly knotted, it will contain all the air blown into it.  However, the slightest pinhole will allow everything to escape.  A secret revealed to one person is as good as revealed to the whole world.  A wise man once said ‘If someone tells you a secret with the warning not to tell anybody, you should never entrust him with anything you want to remain a secret.’” ~ The Pirkei Avos Treasury   

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Glatt Yosher

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Emuna Daily

“It is more important, in my opinion, for a Jew to be ‘Glatt Yosher’ (straight and upright) in one’s dealings with other people, than to be ‘Glatt Kosher’ in what he eats!” ~ R’ Joseph Breuer zt”l (Torah Tavlin)

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Our Path in Life has been Predetermined

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Emuna Daily

“To attain the level of emuna that everything is for the best, we must learn that our path in life has been predetermined by Hashem.

We come to this world to perform a mission and to achieve a tikkun.  The fact that every occurrence in our lives is the result of Divine Providence – Hashem’s personal intervention and guidance – we can always be happy with our lot, whether things go smoothly or otherwise.” ~ The Garden of Emuna

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A Walking Miracle

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Emuna Daily

“Any Jew alive on the face of this planet today is a walking miracle. Our mere existence today is wondrous, plucked from the fire at the last moment again and again, with no natural explanation that will suffice.

Each of us alive today is a child of martyrs and miracles.” ~ R’ Tzvi Freeman

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