Rabbeinu b’Chayei writes, “When one has bitachon, it is like Hashem promised him.”
When he has bitachon, he can feel confident that Hashem will help him. He can view it as though Hashem told him everything will be good.
And as the Divrei Yisrael reveals to us, he can be even more confident, because emunah and bitachon are the strongest guarantees that everything will be good.
~ R’ Elimelech Biderman
Every blatt Gemara is a missile.
Every Tosfos is a rocket.
Every kapitel Tehillim is a bomb.
~ R’ Noach Isaac Oelbaum
One thing we learned over the past few weeks; the world doesn’t care about us as much as we thought, and we care about each other a lot more than we realized.
When you tell someone, “Don’t be afraid,” you are saying, “There is reason to be afraid, but be strong, and don’t let yourself fall into panic and fear.”
But when you ask someone, “Why are you afraid?” you are saying there is nothing to fear.
Dovid HaMelech says (Tehillim 27:1) “Hashem is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? Hashem is my life’s strength; whom shall I dread?”
He said this as a question because there is absolutely no reason to be afraid. There is nothing to fear because we are in Hashem’s caring hands, and everything is from Him.
~ R’ Elimelech Biderman
The Gemara (Shabbos 118a) states the following:
Anyone who fulfills the obligation to eat three meals on Shabbos is spared from three misfortunes:
(1) From the pangs of Moshiach (the suffering that precedes the advent of Moshiach);
(2) from the judgment of Gehinom; and
(3) from the war of Gog and Magog (before the Final Redemption, Gog, King of Magog, will lead the nations in a cataclysmic war against the Jews in Eretz Yisrael, as described in Ezekiel 38-39).
If you haven’t been careful to have a third meal on Shabbos until now, you might want to start.
When you look at the world, and the episodes that are painful and hard for us, you should look at the outcome, and you will see a great wonder.
Many things happen to us that we don’t want, but in the end, it turns out to be good for us.
~ Chovos HaLevavos (Bechinah 5)
We must believe that everything is for the good and that everything is from Hashem.
The belief itself has the potential to turn everything around and cause the good to occur.
Sifsei Tzaddik writes, “When one believes in nature, matters generally don’t change, but when one believes in Hashem, things can change in a moment.”
~ R’ Elimelech Biderman
When Jewish lives are endangered, one does not ask the opinion of others.
~ The Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l
In Devarim Rabbah, it is noted that even though Achav’s generation worshiped idols, they remarkably emerged victorious in every war due to their avoidance of lashon hara. Conversely, the Yerushalmi (Peah 1) highlights that Dovid’s generation was filled with righteousness, but they experienced defeat in every battle due to their tendency to engage in lashon hara.
Reflecting on this powerful insight, let us take this lesson to heart and make a commitment to refrain from engaging in lashon hara. By doing so, we may never fully comprehend the countless lives we can potentially save through the profound power of our words.
Click the following link and be inspired by the commitments people have made to help Klal Yisrael during this time: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bHZEYFGP0_cS7gG-WSyM3aw1za5wHqvIsTon8HMooKo/edit?usp=sharing
I’ll highlight a few below:
Saying Tehillim, learning it, and saying it slowly.
Saying Nishmas, Parshas Haketores, and Kriat Shema al Hamitah.
Some people have committed to wearing tzitzis, tefillin and kashering their kitchen.
All types of chesed and tzedakah were mentioned.
Many people are working on Ahavas Yisrael, being more patient with people and judging them favorably.
People have committed to not speaking lashon hara in general or even for an hour a day.
Some people are now davening shachris/mincha/maariv and with more kavanah.
Others are lighting shabbos candles early and ending it late.
Many men are guarding their eyes and many women are dressing more tznius.
People are learning more Torah, doing Shnayim Mikra, and some have signed up for a new chavrusa (go to Partners in Torah).
More people are now going to minyan, and people who had been going are getting there earlier.
I’ll just end with this. A friend told me that he joined a WhatsApp Group where each person has committed to putting tefillin on each day and then taking a picture of their arm and sending it to the group. The group is currently full with 1026 members and he literally receives 1000s of pictures each day. Incredible!
We each have different starting points, but can all commit to doing something extra. Hatzolocha on whatever it is you have chosen to do and may it be a z’chus for Am Yisroel!
Emuna Daily 