Emuna Daily

“Suppose that the ticket agent at the airport informs us that our flight has been overbooked, and that we must wait until the next flight.  We ask ‘ Why me – can’t you bump one of the other three hundred people on the list?’  The ticket agent doesn’t budge; he doesn’t bother listening to what we have to say.  We react with anger; our heart beats faster, we clench our fists and feel the blood rushing to our cheeks.  Stressed and bewildered, we don’t know whether to call our lawyer, bang on the counter, or create a scene.

Hold on a second!  Suppose the flight took off – without us – and developed engine trouble, crashing in to the sea with no survivors.  Would we still be angry that we missed the flight? Of course not!  With hindsight, we’d understand that Hashem did something that seemed harsh at the time, for our ultimate good – to save our life!

Emuna turns hindsight, as in the above example, into foresighted knowledge that Hashem is leading each of us on the very best path.  With emuna, we roll with life’s punches, knowing that difficulties – even failure – are loving expressions of Divine Providence to help us attain the perfection of our individual souls.” – The Garden of Emuna

“When we accept life’s difficulties with emuna – calmly and happily, knowing that Hashem is doing everything to help us achieve the loftiest of aspirations – we become candidates for eternal happiness and inner peace, in this world and in the next.” – The Garden of Emuna

“Our task is to develop our spiritual antennae and to discern – by correctly processing Hashem’s personal messages to us – what Hashem wants from each of us.” – The Garden of Emuna

“Hashem closes those doors that aren’t beneficial to our souls, yet opens the doors that lead to what’s best for each of us, to keep us on a focused and directed path in life.  Without His Divine guidance, we’d be totally lost.” – The Garden of Emuna

“Even extreme handicaps are for a person’s own good.  Hashem alone knows what a soul must correct, and thereby places each soul in a circumstance that is conducive for its necessary tikkun or soul correction.” – The Garden of Emuna

“Rebbe Nachman of Breslev teaches…that Hashem immediately calls out to a person that strays from the proper path, beckoning that individual to return.  Hashem summons each person in a tailor made fashion and in accordance with that person’s needs.  For some, Hashem’s call may be a subtle hint for one person yet a vocal reprimand for others.  A ‘louder’ call might assume the form of physical punishment; in the jargon of our sages (Midrash Mishli, 22) ‘A whisper suffices for the wise, but a fool needs flagellation.'”               – The Garden of Emuna