On October 7, 2023, we were tested in ways we could never have imagined. But through our pain, we discovered the boundless power of Emuna—faith that cannot be shaken.
Our ancestors endured, and so do we, for the light of Hashem never dims, even in the darkest hour.
One year later, we stand taller, stronger, and more united.
Let this day remind us that even in the face of great trials, our spirit is unbreakable, our faith unwavering, and our future is bright!
Am Yisrael Chai!
Giving tzedakah on erev Rosh Hashana is a great mitzvah. In fact, it opens the Heavenly Gates of Mercy wide open, for just as we take pity on the poor, Hashem takes pity on us. ~ Ohr Hachayim
On that note, here is your annual reminder to set yourself up with one or both of these wonderful organizations before Rosh Hashana to ensure that a day doesn’t go by the entire year without giving tzedakah.
Daily Giving – https://dailygiving.org/
Sign up to donate $1 per day to charity, which they will distribute to various wonderful charities that serve the greater Jewish community, most of which you are probably familiar with. I encourage you all to check out their website. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity!
Keren Hashana – https://www.lubavitch.com/donate/keren-hashana/
Many years ago, the Lubavitcher Rebbe established “Keren Hashana,” a fund that will also disburse your tzedaka to worthy causes, daily, giving you the benefit of this mitzvah every day of the year!
You can give as little as 5 cents per day ($17.75 for the year) for you, and if you want, each of your family members, which will ensure that you and your family don’t go a day without giving tzedaka.
Don’t wait! These organizations are a lifesaver and now is the time to take care of this.
Lastly, don’t forget that “causing others to give tzedakah is greater than giving tzedakah yourself” (Bava Basra 9). Therefore, pass this on! By forwarding this to friends and family, who knows how many people will sign up for this great mitzvah and how much of an effect it will have on your neshama going into Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
I wasn’t in Heaven, and I don’t know the beis din’s verdicts. However, I will know what was decided in the Divine Court when the year passes.
~ R’ Eliyahu Dessler zt”l
Imagine standing in court, awaiting sentencing for a crime you’ve committed.
Fear grips you—until you look up and see that the judge is your own father. Relief and hope flood your heart, for you know he loves you and will show you mercy.
This is the experience we have on Rosh Hashanah.
As the Beis Aharon said, “We have a compassionate Father. When we do teshuvah, Hashem forgives us. You need not fear.”
On this holy day, we stand before our Father, not with fear, but with trust in His boundless love and mercy.
I have sat in rehabilitation centers and heard the experts tell parents: Please, make sure your child believes that you will never give up on him or her. Maybe they will relapse, but you, the parents, can never give up, and your child needs to feel that.
We’ve fallen, Klal Yisrael has struggled over the years, but Hashem has never given up on us. He is waiting for us, and He refuses to give up. He won’t stop believing in us and loving us.
If we know that He won’t give up on us, then we won’t give up on ourselves.
~ R’ Zechaira Wallerstein zt”l
Rabbi Natan says that every time we thank God, we get additional awareness.
Every time we complain, we lose our awareness.
The best way to turn our problems into opportunities is to thank God for them.
Don’t let your emotions and rational mind keep you stuck.
~ Gedale Fenster
Don’t be afraid of discovering that the “real you” may be different than the “current you.”
~ R’ Noach Weinberg
Our job is to grab inspiration and hold onto it, to bring it to life. That’s your neshamah.
We are not a religion that says “physicality here” and “spirituality here.” We say it’s all one, we take an apple and make a berachah…We take the physical, infuse it with spirituality, and elevate it.
Then the next window opens and the window after that.
Hashem sends us moments of inspiration and we have to capture them and move forward, elevating every moment, every opportunity, every gift we’re being given.
~ R’ David Liberman
If you find yourself wondering where Hashem is during a difficult time in your life, remind yourself that as long as you rely on Him, He is focused on you.
~ R’ David Sutton
When you do a business deal, work out the details, complete the transaction, and sign on the dotted line, it’s nice, but that’s not when the joy comes. It’s great, but it’s not the ultimate.
The happiest part of the deal is later, when you see the profit and take off maaser or more, decide how you’re going to give it out and who you’re going to share it with—that’s when happiness comes.
The greatest moment of all is when you give away the money you worked so hard for, to support something real and lasting, because that’s what it’s all for!
~ Kalman Wolchok
Emuna Daily 