TRANSFORM YOUR EMUNAH!

202 - Perfect Visit

One of the great mitzvos that Hashem has given us the opportunity to take part in is the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim. When someone is sick we have a mitzvah to go and visit them. However, what is sometimes not as well known is that the halacha in Yoreh Deah chapter 335 states that just like by all mitzvos we find that there are certain technicalities one needs to follow in order to fulfill the mitzvah in the correct way, in the same way when it comes to the mitzvah of visiting the sick, besides actually going and visiting the sick person and of course asking them if there is anything we could help with which is part of the mitzvah, the halacha also stipulates that one is obligated to pray on behalf of the sick person for their recovery, to the point that the Ramah in the name of the Ramban states the halacha that if one visited a sick person and neglected their obligation to pray on their behalf, one has not fulfilled the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim. 
One might argue, although it might have been the ideal course to follow the halacha perfectly and pray for this individual, but come on I spent many hours visiting the individual trying to help them out, surely I kind of did the mitzvah almost perfectly even if I didn't pray for their recovery? The reason this is a very wrong approach is because firstly as mentioned many times, Hashem is the only one who knows the details of why every mitzvah needs to be done in the precise way that He has designed. And if He has said that these are the specifications of how this mitzvah works, we need to make sure to listen to exactly how He has outlined the law. 
As we've discussed previously, Torah authorities teach us that although sometimes we might be given some of the reasons as to why we perform the mitzvos, however for the most part the real reasons behind the mitzvahs we have no idea as to their true essence. And therefore, just because to us it might seem like the main component of visiting a sick person is in order to make them feel better and to help them out with anything they might need, however if we might be missing the component of praying on their behalf, we might be missing one of the main, most important parts of the mitzvah; again to the point that the halacha stipulates that if we visit a sick person and one neglects to pray for their welfare, one does not fulfill the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim. 
And another reason this would be a very mistaken approach is because again, everything always boils down to emunah. It is much easier to appreciate when somebody goes ahead to visit a sick individual and takes the time to go and help them out practically, and of course this mitzvah should not be undermined whatsoever because it is a tremendous mitzvah to take of one's time and energy to help another Jew and especially to visit a sick individual and help them out in whatever way one can. However it is much more difficult to relate to the potency of the prayer that I might make for them because again, when I might be visiting them or helping them out in a practical way, I don't need to believe anything. I can see that I'm helping them out and I can see that they feel better by me being there. But thereafter when I go and make a prayer for this individual, I don't see any effect of my prayer and the only thing I have is to believe, to have emunah that my prayer is making a difference. 
The bottom line is that it is difficult to relate to the effectiveness and the potency that prayer has because in this world we are not allowed to see the effect that prayers have on a situation. However we are taught from the only true perspective that can exist regardless of what our own logic might dictate, which again could of course be mistaken at times, that the power of prayer is so important. Our prayers make a big difference if we would be able to see what the Torah sources teach us that every time we utter a word of prayer we are creating worlds in the spiritual realms to degrees that we can't even imagine, it would be impossible to stop praying but in this world we are not allowed to see because the purpose of our existence is specifically to believe when we don't see; emunah.

201 - Supreme Service

We've been discussing the tremendous opportunity we have to communicate with Hashem in both the form of our personal prayers, every single one of us in our own way, with our own words, at our own time, in our own place, as well as the tremendous opportunity we have to recite the prescribed prayers which were authored by the great sages of times of old through divine inspiration, and how each letter is imbued with tremendous holiness beyond anything we could imagine. In both of these forms of communication with Hashem, our job is to build our emunah - our belief. 
When I talk to Hashem in my own words, He is really listening to every word. And as we pointed out from the Torah sources, the Sefer Chareidim and the Shelah cite the masters of Kabbalah, that when I speak to Hashem in my own words, the potency of that has seven times more effect than even that of Torah learning, and we know the great value of Torah learning, where the Mishnah teaches us that the value of Torah learning equals all of the mitzvos put together, yet, talking to Hashem has more of an effect on the neshama than even that; and at the same time to build our emunah, that when we recite the prescribed blessings throughout the day, to have more intention and meaning, and perhaps recite them slower, to be able to truly focus on what we are saying, and not miss out on the opportunity of tapping into the tremendous power of these prescribed words by the holy sages. 
We spoke about how in the times of the future, although all of the animal offerings will cease to exist, nevertheless, we are taught that the korban toda - the animal offering of thanks, will always exist, because the prayer of thanks is something so important and fundamental to us, that although we will climb to such spiritual heights in the future not needing the other forms of animal offerings, nevertheless, we will always need the animal offerings of thanks. And in the same vein, we are taught by Torah sources that all songs will cease to exist in the future, because again, we will be beyond what songs can achieve for us, but the one song that will remain is mizmor lesodah, is the song of thanking Hashem, because when we thank Hashem, that is ultimately the highest expression of our emunah, because if we truly believe that Hashem would only do what is best for us, then ultimately we'll just sing to Him and thank Him and praise Him for everything He does for us all day long. 
Although ideally we are called on to make every effort to say all of the prescribed prayers and blessings with the best intention and meaning that we can, and as we spoke about when it comes to the verses of psukei dezimra, which were initially designed to be songs for Hashem, the ideal course would be to say all of those prayers in form of song, praising and thanking Hashem, however, in particular, when it comes to the paragraph of mizmor lesodah, the Shulchan Aruch in section 51 outlines that we are called on to sing the chapter of mizmor lesodah, which is the song of gratitude, because again, expressing our gratitude to Hashem is such a fundamental principle. 
There is a fascinating observation of the Maharsha to the Gemara in Brachos 32b, where the Gemara states that since the time of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, prayers are not as readily received by Hashem. However, there seems to be an apparent contradiction from the Gemara elsewhere, where the Gemara in Pesachim 85b states that even were there to be an iron wall separating us from Hashem, our prayers would always make their way up to Hashem. And the Maharsha resolves the contradiction as follows. He says that the first Gemara refers to when we make requests from Hashem. When doing so, yes, sometimes we need to pray again and again and again until our prayer will make the desired effect. Whereas the second Gemara we spoke about, says the Maharsha, is referring to prayers of praise and gratitude. 
What a tremendous privilege we have to reach out to Hashem about anything and everything, in all forms of prayer, both the prescribed prayers as well as our personal prayers, both in terms of requesting from Hashem as well as prayers of praise and gratitude. Let us capitalize on the opportunity to pray to Hashem in all areas, and perhaps in particular, to make prayers of praise and gratitude to Hashem, which is the highest type of prayer that can exist.

200 - Sing It!

We've been discussing the tremendous opportunity that every single one of us has to talk to Hashem in our own words on a constant basis. Besides for talking to Hashem in our own words, we all also have the tremendous opportunity to pray the prescribed prayers on a daily basis. We know that the prescribed prayers were authored by the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah through divine inspiration and every single letter that is uttered has tremendous holiness and potency. Everything in this world is about emunah, belief. When I read the prescribed prayers, maybe some days I might feel motivated and inspired for whatever reason, but perhaps much of the time, especially that it's a repetitive exercise that the same words are recited every day, it can become monotonous. We are called on to make every effort to build our belief that every word that we utter of the prescribed prayers that were authored by the Holy Anshei Knesset HaGedolah through divine inspiration, is making a tremendous effect in the spiritual worlds. 
We should make every effort when we recite brachas throughout the day as well as throughout the prescribed prayers to say the words with meaning, concentration and intention. Although life is busy and everybody is in a rush, the more we believe in the potency and power of these words, the more we will be inspired to say them slowly and with concentration and meaning. After we say the morning brachos in the shacharis prayers, the next section of the davening is the psukei dezimra, which means the verses of song. This whole section is ultimately many songs of praise that we are called on to sing to Hashem and in an ideal world where there was more time, we would spend perhaps many hours just singing and singing these songs to Hashem. Again, just like there are many levels to emunah, there are also many levels to what it means to believe in the words of prayer.
Perhaps the highest level would be to spend many hours singing these songs that David HaMelech and others composed towards praising Hashem. But again, we are not expected to be what we can't and to reach levels that are beyond us, but what Hashem does expect from us is to make our maximum effort to grow as much as we can. Perhaps when we say psukei dezimra, we could choose one paragraph which we say with more song and enthusiasm and concentration, and that itself is already a tremendous effort in growth in our belief in the potency of the words of the sages. And in the same vein, when we say bracha throughout the day, perhaps we could choose one bracha that we will say it slightly slower, trying to think about the meaning of the words. 
We've mentioned before that in the future there will be no more animal offerings, except for one, and the reason for that is because we will have reached such a level in terms of our spirituality that the animal offerings in general will not anymore be needed in order to enhance our service to Hashem. However, the Torah sources teach us that the korban toda, the animal offering of thanks, will always be active even in times of the future, and the reason for that is because it is such a fundamental cornerstone of our essence to express our gratitude to Hashem that even in the times of the future when we will reach such tremendous spiritual heights, we will nevertheless always need that form of service to Hashem. And similarly we are taught that in the times of the future, all songs will cease to exist except for one, and that is the song of thank you, because thanking Hashem is such a tremendous foundation of what it means to be a Jew and to live by the values of the Torah. 
Every single one of us has the constant opportunity to thank Hashem for things that are obvious that we should thank Him for. The gift of eyesight, the ability to hear, the fact that I can walk today, the fact that I might have had some food available to eat today, the fact that I might have family, friends, a job, the fact that I have the opportunity to learn Torah, to be exposed to emunah - to be exposed to the real reason that I exist and be given Hashem's perspective about what my life is truly about, and so many other things that we can all think about in our own personal lives. "Thank you, Hashem, for the gift to be able to praise You and thank You for all the tremendous things that You do for me."

199 - Absolute Sincerity

We've been discussing one of the greatest opportunities that we have, to constantly converse with Hashem about anything and everything, and of course, it is not easy to keep up the practice on a constant basis, because as Rav Pinkus points out, many people struggle to talk to Hashem because they don't truly believe Hashem is listening to them; whereas the more one builds their emunah, that Hashem is truly there, and every single word that I utter, as the Midrash says, it's as if I'm telling it to Hashem directly in His ear, the more one is motivated by the truth of what is truly going on, that Hashem is listening to every single utterance that I make, the more motivated I will be to prioritize the time that I speak to Hashem about any area of my life. 
When I need anything, certainly my first address will be to reach out to Hashem, and the discussion we've been focusing on is emunah in general, being our main purpose and focus in this world, is something that does not come easy, and is our life's work. And one of the main efforts that we can make towards growing in our emunah endeavor is to reach out to Hashem Himself and ask Him for help. Every single one of us has the opportunity to talk to Hashem in our own words, asking Him to be successful in our emunah, in our bitachon, and in anything else that we see as a priority in our lives. 
We mentioned that many Torah commentaries refer to personal conversations with Hashem as hisbodedus, which simply means secluding oneself away from other people and other distractions, and talking to Hashem in one's own words. And we mentioned the rare expression used by the Mesillas Yesharim in chapter 15, where he says "hisbodedus is more precious than anything else." We also spoke about the statement of the Masters of Kabbalah, which are cited by both the Sefer Chareidim in chapter 65, as well as the Shelah Hakadosh, in Yoma, ner Mitzvah, Beis, that "the effect that hisbodedus has on the soul is seven times greater than the effect of learning Torah." This is a very potent statement because there are countless Torah sources that highlight the tremendous value that Torah learning has, and as we recite every morning the first Mishnah in Peah which says that the value of Torah learning equals all of the other mitzvahs put together; yet here we learn that the effect of talking to Hashem is so potent that it has a seven times greater effect than even that of Torah learning.
The Chofetz Chaim in Likutei Amarim, chapter 11, writes, "The reason that we do not merit salvation from all the hard times that befall us is that we do not pray and cry out to Hashem enough." He continues, "It is not sufficient to daven Shmoneh Esrei three times a day, rather, several times a day whilst alone, a person must pour out his heart in prayer to Hashem from the depths of his soul. Since one is accustomed to the daily recital of the Shmoneh Esrei, one does not say these prayers with absolute sincerity. On the other hand, when it comes to speaking to Hashem with our own words, in our own way, this type of prayer emanates from the depths of one's soul with true sincerity, and this type of prayer will without question not be denied by Hashem." 
Much has been written about His bodedness and one's personal relationship with Hashem, and one who'd like to research this topic further will be able to easily do so by the many fantastic sefarim and online resources that are available to us in today's day and age. Ultimately, however, no external resource can give over the precise details of what it means to have a personal relationship with Hashem. Just like one cannot be robotically directed as to what to discuss or when, where and how often to connect with one's spouse or best friend, in the same way, when it comes to our relationship with Hashem, ultimately it is your personal relationship with Hashem. One does not need to be a scholar or have a diploma in order to enter into a relationship. Hisbodedus is a relationship. It's your own personal relationship with Hashem.

198 - Seven Times Greater!

We've been discussing the tremendous opportunity that every single one of us has available to us at every single moment - to talk to Hashem in our own words. If I believe that Hashem exists and is able to hear any word that I utter, then certainly the more I believe, the more I will reach out. Both when it comes to times of struggle in my life, the true address I will reach out to more than any other address, more than any other human being, or any other effort that I might be required to make, my main effort will be to reach out to Hashem Himself and ask Him for help.
And when it comes to our life's work, when we realize and internalize how our main focus in this world is to grow in our belief in Hashem, to feel calm when anxiety-provoking situations arise, and all the other many things that a life of true emunah and bitachon leads to, we will certainly make our maximum effort to talk to Hashem as much as possible, to help us to be successful in our endeavor. 
Although talking to Hashem is a very obvious equation for one who believes in Hashem, however as always, much more important than what our own logic dictates, is what the Torah sources teach us, because that is truly Hashem's perspective, the only unmistakable perspective. We mentioned the Mesillas Yesharim in chapter 15, who writes that the early pious sages would practice Hisbodedus and bond with Hashem in seclusion; and he writes that David HaMelech spoke approvingly about the practice of Hisbodedus, and that the prophets Eliyahu and Elisha would spend large amounts of time secluded in the mountains practicing Hisbodedus with Hashem. And to quote this very rare expression used by the Mesillas Yesharim, which highlights the tremendous power and effectiveness of Hisbodedus, "Hisbodedus is more precious than anything else."
The Sefer Chareidim in chapter 65, as well as the Shlah HaKadosh in Yoma, Ner Mitzvah 2, both cite the masters of Kabbalah that write, "the effect that Hisbodedus has on the soul is seven times greater than the effect of learning Torah." Now let us just take these words to heart. Every morning we recite a Mishna which states that the value of Torah learning is so profound that it equals that of all the mitzvos put together. Yet the Sefer Chareidim and Shlah HaKadosh teach us over here that the effect of Hisbodedus on the soul is seven times greater than even that of Torah learning. 
"Hashem, my Father, thank You so much for giving me the tremendous opportunity to know what life is truly all about. Thank You, Hashem, for teaching me that my ultimate focus in this world needs to be to grow as much as possible in my emunah and bitach and endeavor. And at the same time, thank You, Hashem, for teaching me via your Torah sources the only absolutely true perspective, that one of the greatest endeavors that we could involve ourselves in is to practice Hisbodedus, is to be alone with You and talk to You about anything and everything that we might desire. 
Thank You, Hashem, for making it so easy that we don't even have to pay any amount of money to be able to have the opportunity to talk to You, and that there's no limitation in what we're allowed to say. We're allowed to talk to You about anything and everything at any moment. Thank You, Hashem, for teaching me that I am never alone, because whatever I'm experiencing throughout my life, I always have the opportunity to reach out to You, to ask You for help, and there is no greater address to go to. 
Yes, although in this world sometimes people see it as a weird thing to do, to talk to something you can't see and something that doesn't give you a response, but ultimately that's because this whole world's purpose is to test us in our emunah. I do not see You, Hashem, and it's difficult, because I wish I could hear a response from You. But again, my purpose in this world, as You've taught us loud and clear from countless Torah sources, is to believe in You. And believing in You means that I cannot know that You're there, and I cannot necessarily experience that You're there, but I do believe that You're there. Thank You so much, Hashem, for the constant opportunity to have a personal relationship with You."

197 - Gradual Ascent

We've learned countless Torah sources, emphasizing the tremendous focus the Torah places in directing us to make our maximum effort to excel in our emunah and bitachon. And as we've discussed previously, one of the greatest efforts that we can make is to talk to Hashem Himself and ask Him for help, because again if we believe that Hashem exists and listens to every single word that we are saying, we can talk to Him about anything. 
And just like we can and should talk to Hashem about any and all of the happenings in our lives, because certainly there is no greater address than going to Hashem Himself, the Creator of the world and the One who orchestrates every detail in every single one of our lives, but perhaps one of the most important areas that we ought to make our maximum effort to constantly communicate to Hashem about, is to help us succeed in our emunah endeavor. 
If we take to heart what we've learned from countless Torah sources, that emunah and bitachon is the most important thing that we ought to focus on in this world, then certainly we should internalize how important it is to treat personal prayer to Hashem, specifically in the area of growing in our emunah and bitachon, with utmost importance. Because just like Hashem created the world, constantly runs every detail in everybody's lives and is ultimately the One who calls every single shot, so too certainly He is the One who can help me in my life to grow in my emunah and bitachon.
And as many Torah sources teach, Hashem does not require from us anything more than our maximum potential. How successful we might be on an objective scorecard depends on many factors that are often beyond our capabilities. If Hashem did not make me particularly smart or motivated, or perhaps I didn't have a background in Jewish education, or whatever other reason, I might not be able to objectively be on a higher level than an individual who does have those things. However, Hashem does not care about the objective results. 
Hashem has tailor-made my life to achieve my maximum potential. In this world, it is me against me. There is no comparison to one another. We all have completely different lives, completely different makeups, with many intricate details that only Hashem knows. Hashem only desires that we make our maximum effort in truly trying to excel and succeed in the areas that are important. And as we've learned by countless Torah authorities, there is nothing more important than emunah and bitachon. Certainly then, we are all called on to make our maximum effort to grow in our emunah and bitachon. 
Although many Torah authorities outline how talking to Hashem in our own words, which by many is referred to as hisbodedus, is one of the greatest efforts that we can make towards growth in our emunah and bitachon, and b'ezrat Hashem, as we'll continue to discuss, we find many powerful statements throughout Torah literature about the tremendous potency of our personal conversations with Hashem, it is noteworthy to highlight that just like emunah with Hashem has many levels, and our life's work is to grow and climb the ladder of emunah as much as possible, in a similar vein, if one of the most basic expressions of emunah is talking to Hashem because I believe he exists, there are obviously many levels of what it means to talk to Hashem and have a personal relationship with Hashem.
We are not expected to climb the ladder in one day, nor necessarily get to the top. But we are expected to make our maximum effort. It is noteworthy to point out that the opportunity to talk to Hashem is available to every single one of us, regardless of our backgrounds or what we've been exposed to. Because just like we all are able to talk to another individual, Hashem has given us this tremendous privilege to be able to talk to Him about anything and everything, including asking Him for help to succeed in our endeavor to grow in our emunah and our bitachon.

196 - Success Track

We've been discussing how although many Torah commentaries point out to us that our sole mission and purpose in our life is to make our maximum effort to grow and excel in our emunah and bitachon, but seeing as emunah means to believe, and what we see in front of us on a day-to-day basis, much of the time presents values exactly the opposite to what the Torah teaches about emunah and bitachon, there are many different paths of how people come to believing in Hashem and by extension to believing in His Torah and the Torah sources as being His word. 
Some people perhaps were brought up with Torah education. Others might have been motivated by a certain moment of inspiration. Some others might have had the opportunity to explore sources outlining the validity and reason why one should believe that the Torah is an extension of Hashem's word. But taking for granted that one does believe in Hashem and one does believe that all the Torah sources that we have are an extension of Hashem's word Himself; we are taught loud and clear that our ultimate purpose and focus in this world is to make efforts to believe in Hashem.
We've discussed that one thing we can do is to constantly expose ourselves to Torah teachings about emunah, which is available to all of us in many forms, regardless of our level, in today's day and age. We've also been talking about that perhaps one of the highest expressions of true belief in Hashem is acknowledging that if He does exist and He listens to everything that I'm saying, it is a simple equation that I should be in constant communication with my Creator. Even if I don't need anything in particular, if I believe Hashem exists and is there, I should be communicating with Him, and certainly if I am currently experiencing some hardship or challenge, my address to find a solution should not be to turn to another individual or circumstance, but rather to Hashem Himself. 
The more one believes in Hashem, the more one will make an effort to talk to Hashem. The challenge with communication with Hashem, in contrast with communication with another individual, is that when I talk to someone else, usually I hear a response, and therefore that will motivate me to continue talking to them. Whereas as we discussed, when I talk to a wall, it is quite boring, because I don't feel like the wall is listening. But again, if I send somebody a voice message, although I know that they're only going to listen to this message in a few hours' time, and I might not even receive a response, because maybe they'll decide not to respond, or for whatever other reason, nevertheless, when I'm dictating my voice note to them, the reason I will send it is because I believe that they will receive my message, even though I'm not experiencing any communication.
And we can compare that type of communication to the way we speak to Hashem. For whatever reason, Hashem does not openly reveal Himself in this world. But if we have emunah, we believe that He is absolutely listening to every single word that we utter. And just like we would send a voice note to someone else who we believe they will receive our message, so too when we speak to Hashem, we believe that He will listen to us. A basic equation of simple emunah - If I believe Hashem exists, if I believe that Hashem is listening to every word that I am saying, certainly I will talk to Him.
And seeing as emunah is the challenge, is the test of my life, because as mentioned countless times, this is the main way that we earn our place in the next world, so obviously it's not going to be an easy task. Although we've discussed that exposing ourselves to constant inspiration from Torah sources and the like is certainly conducive to helping us remain in the mindset of constant emunah and bitachon, but perhaps even more powerful than that is to reach out to Hashem Himself and ask Hashem to help us to be successful with our emunah.

195 - Genuinely Thriving

Once we have internalized that our sole mission and purpose in life is to make maximum efforts to strive to excel in emunah, how are we to practically go about daily living with simple and sincere emunah? Of course, there are many different forms of serving Hashem, such as the performance of mitzvos, Torah study, making effort to improve one's character traits, and the like. All forms of service to Hashem are important and are ultimately based on having emunah in Hashem. 
We shall now explore one of the most potent forms of applying and living emunah in a practical way, perhaps the strongest course in developing our personal relationship with Hashem. When I talk to a friend, I do so because I know that he will listen. Talking to a wall is dispiriting because it is futile. On the other hand, when I send a message to someone, I communicate as if that person is in front of me, even though he may currently be on the other side of the globe, offline and unresponsive. Why? Because I believe that he will hear my words, even though we are not currently together. 
If I sincerely believe in the existence of Hashem, talking to him is like leaving a voice message for a friend. Most of us do not experience direct revelations from Hashem. We do not experience His presence in the tangible way that we experience communication with another human being. But if we believe that God permeates the entire world and that He is listening to every word that we utter, we should certainly communicate with Him, at the very least, in the same way that we communicate with another human being. Talking to Hashem in one's own words and thereby developing a personal relationship with Him is often referred to in Torah sources as Hisbodedus.
The Mesillas Yesharim in chapter 15 writes that the early pious sages would practice Hisbodedus and bond with Hashem in seclusion. He writes that as early a luminary as David HaMelech spoke approvingly about the practice of Hisbodedus and that the prophets Eliyahu and Elisha would spend large amounts of time secluded in the mountains practicing Hisbiodedus with Hashem. To quote the Mesillas Yisharim, "Hisbodedus is more precious than anything else."
The Mesillas Yesharim is explaining to us that by isolating ourselves from society and practicing Hisbodedus with Hashem, we clear our mind and heart of mundane matters, thereby creating room for success in our spiritual endeavors. Our lives involve serving Hashem in many ways, expressing our submission to and love for Him. We observe many mitzvos with all their intricacies. We have chesed, we have Torah study. All of these are extremely important. It is fascinating however to note this potent and rare expression used by the Mesillas Yesharim which highlights the power and effectiveness of Hisbodedus, as he stated, "Hisbodedus is more precious than anything else." 
We've seen many Torah sources who have highlighted to us that ultimately the fundamental core of the entire Torah and mitzvos and our main focus in this world is to grow in our emunah. And as we've pointed out, there are many levels to what it means to live a life of emunah. We learnt in the Gemara that if we've only got enough food just for today but have no idea what we're going to do about tomorrow, it is possible to reach such a level of emunah that I feel completely calm knowing that Hashem will take care of me. 
As we've discussed previously, the Mesillas Yesharim and many others point out that life is meant to be a test, to give us the opportunity to pass and succeed in something that there was also a potential to fail. Every day we all experience many tests that Hashem is giving us the opportunity to pass and succeed, thereby earning our highest place in the next world, Bezrat Hashem, and we are called on to place our highest focus on our endeavour to pass the test of emunah and bitachon, where everything around us in this world that we live in seems to dictate the exact opposite of the values of emunah and bitachon that we are taught from the Torah. But again, this is an opportunity that we have, and the more that we choose to invest in our endeavour to grow in our emunah and bitachon, the more of a success story we will be in the true world, in Olam Haba.

194 - Emunah For YOU

We mentioned the Gemara in Sota, which states that a person who has sufficient provisions just for today, yet feels anxious about tomorrow's supplies, is considered a person of little faith. We also mentioned the Chofetz Chaim in Machanei Yisrael, Chapter 3, who writes that the foremost consideration of how much reward we will receive in the time of redemption is based on how much emunah we lived with. 
We furthermore spoke about the Vilna Gaon in Even Shleima, Chapter 3, who writes that emunah and bitachon are the core of the entire Torah, and one who commits severe transgressions but nevertheless excels in bitachon is better than one who does not transgress, but does not have bitachon. And we also spoke about the Ramban at the end of Parashat Bo, that states that the purpose of all the mitzvos, and in fact the only reason for Hashem creating us, is that we come to have emunah in Hashem. 
We spoke about how when we read Torah passages such as these that we've just quoted, it's important to realize that the Torah is teaching us Hashem's perspective, where we are supposed to aim at, but we should never feel disheartened by the fact that we are not holding by these levels, because Hashem does not expect us to be who we are not, but He does expect us to make our maximum effort. Nobody can know the true level of emunah and bitachon about the individual next to them, because we all have different makeups, different backgrounds, and many other factors that contribute to our personality that makes it impossible to see our true emunah and bitachon, and the only one that truly knows is Hashem Himself.
Our only job in this world that Hashem will truly judge us for, is are we making our maximum effort within our capabilities and potential to grow to our highest degree in emunah and bitachon. The Torah authorities make it very clear that emunah and bitachon is available to every single one of us, and when a person has thoughts such as, these ideas are very nice, but I guess relevant to very holy people, or people completely immersed in a life of Torah learning, and the like, those thoughts and ideas are really being planted by the yetzer hara, the evil inclination, because we are taught very clearly that to fulfill our mission in this world, to succeed in our emunah and bitachon, is available to every single one of us, regardless of our capabilities, regardless of our background, and regardless of all the other factors that might contribute to our lives. 
Sometimes when trying to succeed in our emunah endeavor, it can be disheartening, because I might feel like I'm continuing to fail, and feel anxious, even though I would like not to. I ideally would like to rely on Hashem more, but I'm just not able to. And again, let us remind ourselves of what many Torah commentaries teach, that the only reason Hashem decided to create the world in the first place, is just to give us pleasure. Hashem did not create this world to make it an impossible task to succeed. 
The opposite. He did make it a challenge, because as we've explained previously, if there is no challenge, we are not earning anything for ourselves. And Hashem desired that we earn our place for ourselves in the next world, by giving us a challenge with potential for both failure and success, we now have an opportunity to truly succeed, but Hashem is not going to make that task impossible. And the levels that we might be required to climb in order to achieve success will vary from individual to individual. Hashem knows our full makeups, and will certainly give us a fair challenge, only what is within our capabilities.
Every single one of us has the constant opportunity to make an effort to grow more and more in our emunah and bitachon each day. One way we can do so, as we've been discussing, is by constant exposure to the Torah ideas of emunah and bitachon via the many platforms available to us in today's day and age. And by doing so, that will also give us the opportunity to be able to be mindful and aware of these Torah ideas about emunah, to be able to apply them in a practical way throughout our day. When a difficult situation does arise, although my instinctive response might be to feel anxiety, and perhaps even at times to get angry, but the more we constantly expose ourselves to emunah and bitachon, the easier it will be to constantly live by their values.

193 - The Deciding Factor

As we've discussed many times, our ultimate purpose and focus in this world is to make our maximum effort to grow in our emunah and bitachon. We mentioned the Gemara in Sota 48b, which states that a person who only has sufficient provisions for just today is called on to not feel anxious about what's going to happen because just like Hashem has come through for me so many times in the past, so too He'll come through for me tomorrow. 
We need to remind ourselves of the tremendous gifts that Hashem gives us on a constant basis. If one were to be blind for one day and have a prognosis that this is going to continue for the entire next year without being able to see anything for an entire year, how much money would a person be prepared to pay just to be able to regain their eyesight for this year? Everyone I've discussed this question with has replied that they would pay everything that they have, they'd be prepared to sell their house, sell their belongings and anything they might own just to regain their eyesight, even if it's just for a one-year period. Most of us have been given the privilege to be able to see 24 hours a day with an automatic cleaning system, without pain. 
When we are called on to make our maximum effort to apply the values of emunah in a practical way, and a challenge has presented itself, and in our example from this passage in the Gemara, I don't know where I'm going to get my future provisions from; although my instinctive response might be to feel anxious, but if I am able to make an effort to stop and think about all the many things that Hashem has given me; in the countless ways that He's come through for me; how many times did He give me a meal in the past? How many days have I lived with fantastic eyesight? How many times have I been able to go to the bathroom and relieve myself without pain? 
In a sense, the principles of emunah are quite easy and intuitive to internalize when we become more in touch with the world of emunah. We owe the world to Hashem. Hashem comes through for us 24 hours a day in so many areas, and sometimes just because that is the norm that He does for so many people, we fail to acknowledge that this is a gift from Hashem's doing, that He has personally orchestrated to every single one of us. When we make an effort to think about all the areas that Hashem does come through for us in, besides for being appreciative and grateful to Hashem for the many gifts and areas that He's come through for us, which is a mitzvah unto itself, it is also a springboard for inspiration and motivation to be able to have faith that in the future everything is going to work out just perfectly according to Hashem's plans, and there is no reason to feel anxiety, because just like Hashem's come through for me in so many ways in the past, and just like right now He's the one who's helping me to see and to go to the bathroom and the many other million things, so too He will come through for me in this area too. He is the only one who can help me in this predicament that I am experiencing. 
Again, emunah is not something that we can just pick up a book or press a button and suddenly we will be completely transformed. It is our life's work and the more effort that we make to expose ourselves to the Torah concepts and internalize them and think about the Torah ideas, Hashem's perspective, of how to live a life of emunah, the more growth we will achieve, which is ultimately all Hashem expects from us. The Chofetz Chaim in Machaneh Yisrael, part 3, writes, "The foremost consideration of how much reward we will receive in the time of redemption, is based on how much emunah we lived with. If we are sincere in our belief, and regularly reflect on the knowledge, that every detail that transpires in our lives is orchestarted by Hashem and is always for our best, our reward in the future will be exeedengly great, filled with goodness." Here is another Torah passage we are reading from the Chofetz Chaim, one of the greatest Jews ever to live, who is again teaching us that the foremost consideration, how Hashem will judge us in the time of the future, will be based on how much emunah we lived with.