TRANSFORM YOUR EMUNAH!

247 - Where Do I Start?

Let's remind ourselves and try to internalize more and more of the steps that we've discussed many times. The steps coming from the Torah commentaries, Hashem's perspective, the only true perspective. Hashem created the world just to give to us. Ultimately, that takes place in the next world. And our focus and purpose in this world is in order to earn our place in the next world. The foremost consideration of how we go about earning our place in the next world is by making our maximum effort to grow in our emunah and bitachon endeavor. And as we've discussed, one of the main ways we can express our emunah and bitachon in Hashem is by having constant communication and talking to Hashem in our own words, something that is available to every single one of us. 
Let's remind ourselves that talking to Hashem is a personal relationship. Although the more one learns about it, one can certainly gain more insight and ideas of how to go about one's personal relationship with Hashem, however, ultimately, let us remind ourselves that our personal relationship with Hashem is exactly that, your personal relationship with Hashem. And one needs no prior training nor information to be able to close one's eyes, go to a quiet spot and talk to Hashem about anything and everything that one might desire to. We've discussed how when one feels motivated, it is much easier then to reach out to Hashem. But when one is not feeling inspired and motivated, it can at times be difficult. And an idea that some of the greats mention is to have a set time every day where we talk to Hashem regardless of how we are feeling and in that way, we have a safety net to always keep up our relationship with Hashem constantly regardless of how we might be feeling. 
But it certainly can motivate us when we read Torah passages about the tremendous importance and greatness of what it means to talk to Hashem and how the greats, right from the beginning of creation all the way up until today throughout the generations, have always resorted to this practice as an ABC of service to Hashem. In Bereishit chapter 18 verse 23, when Hashem decided to destroy the city of Sodom He first revealed this information to Avraham Avinu. The Torah records that Avraham Avinu responded by talking to Hashem in his own words. And he begged and argued with Hashem, trying to convince Him to change course.
Let's remind ourselves that every single one of us have been given this powerful weapon called personal prayer. Just like in the episode of Avraham Avinu and the city of Sodom, similarly, in our lives, when people around us might be suffering, Hashem's desire might be that we argue with His plans of causing other people to suffer. Again, let's remind ourselves that talking to Hashem is a personal relationship and there are many different ways to do it. Whatever we do communicate and whichever way we might be doing it, as long as we are regularly speaking with Hashem, we are fulfilling our purpose in this world. 
And another Torah passage, along similar lines, in Bereishit chapter 24 verse 12 when Avraham Avinu sent his righteous servant Eliezer on a mission to find a wife for his son Yitzchak, Eliezer did not know where to start. Having been educated in the household of Avraham Avinu, however, he realized what he should do. As the verses describe, he began speaking with Hashem in his own words, asking Hashem to send a clear sign to indicate the right bride for Yitzchak. As we've discussed many times, this most potent form of service to Hashem, personal prayer, was common practice amongst individuals already from the time of the creation of the world, throughout the ages, and until this very day today. 
"Thank you so much, Hashem, for giving me the privilege to be able to reach out to You on a day-to-day basis about anything and everything that I might desire. Thank You for making it so easy that I don't even have to pay a cent in order to be able to have this incredible opportunity. And thank You, Hashem, for teaching me from the wisdom of the Torah commentaries that although the ideal might be that I am inspired and am automatically motivated to reach out to You and have that personal relationship, but because of my human limitations, knowing that much of the time I am uninspired and unmotivated, it is a great idea to have a set time every day in order to reach out to You. Thank you so much, Hashem, for the incredible opportunity to have a personal relationship with You."

246 - What's It All About?

We've been discussing how Hashem created the world just to give to us. Ultimately, that takes place in the next world, in Olam Haba, and our job in this world is to earn our place in the next world. And as Torah commentaries teach, the main way that we earn our place in the next world is by making our maximum effort to excel in our emunah and bitachon endeavor in this world. And as we've been discussing, one of the main ways to express our emunah in this world is by talking to Hashem in our own words, something that is available to every single one of us, regardless of our background. 
As we've pointed out many times, although the exercise of talking to Hashem is something which should be a basic equation to us, when we contemplate on the fact that Hashem is in true control of the entire world, and if I understand that Hashem can hear me, that is certainly the main effort that I should make in any endeavor I might be delving into. It is also motivating to see what the many Torah sources write about the greatness of talking to Hashem in our own words. Perhaps sometimes counterintuitive, when one sits down to try study a difficult section of Torah or perhaps perform a difficult mitzvah, one understands that this is something great that I am doing, and even though it is a difficult endeavor, I know that it is worthwhile; however, when it comes to talking to Hashem, sometimes it seems like, can such an easy endeavor be so powerful? 
Again, it's not always so easy to talk to Hashem, especially for longer periods, however, it is something that is available to every single one of us, for free, at any moment, in any place, and one sometimes can feel, is this really something so great? We do not make our conclusions based on our own perspective, which we've discussed many times can certainly be mistaken, but rather we follow the perspective of the Torah, which is the only true perspective, Hashem's perspective. Many Torah sources teach that the greatness of talking to Hashem in one's own words is one of the greatest possible mitzvos that we could tap into in this world. Talking to Hashem in one's own words was something that was practiced throughout history, right from the beginning of creation, throughout the generations of our greats, all the way through till today. It can be inspiring and motivating when we study sources from Torah literature which highlight these concepts. 
In Parashat Bereishit, chapter 2, verse 5, the Torah states that at the creation of the world, Hashem did not let the grass grow. Only once Adam, man, was created, did Hashem cause the grass to grow. And Rashi there explains that this was because Hashem desires our praise, and before Adam was created, there was no one to pray for rain. Once He was created, however, Adam prayed for Hashem to send rain, which Hashem then did and the grass then began to grow. We are learning here how the very first individual, Adam HaRishon, would speak to Hashem, and how the Torah places great emphasis on having this relationship with Hashem to the point that Hashem did not allow the grass to grow until Adam would go ahead and pray for the grass to grow. Because much more important than there being grass in the world, is there being the prayers that people make to Hashem.
In the Zohar Chadash on Noach 34b, it states that after the flood, when Noach left the ark and encountered a desolate world, he began to cry in prayer to Hashem. He argued in personal prayer that even though the people sin severely, it would have been appropriate for Hashem to show His compassion and mercy to humankind. Hashem then rebuked Noach, saying that when He had initially informed him that He was going to destroy the world, that was the time to entreat Him to save humankind. Now, however, after the flood and everything had already been destroyed, His prayers came too late. We are learning here how Noach was reprimanded for neglecting to talk to Hashem. Again, we see the tremendous importance that the Torah places on our personal prayers and something that was practiced already, right from the beginning when the world was created initially. Every single one of us has the constant opportunity to talk to Hashem in our own words, one of the greatest mitzvahs that can exist.

245 - You Can Do It!

Hashem created the world just to give to you. Ultimately, that's going to take place in the next world, and your main purpose in this world is to earn your place in the next world. As many Torah commentaries have taught us, our main method of earning our place in the next world is by making our maximum effort to grow in our emunah and bitachon. We've been discussing how one of the most practical expressions of emunah and bitachon is simply talking to Hashem. Let us remind ourselves of what the Torah commentaries teach about bitachon, that bitachon is completely independent of our spiritual scorecard, and even a wicked individual has the opportunity to have bitachon in Hashem. 
Now, of course, we always must make our maximum effort to do more mitzvos and repent for our transgressions, as there will certainly be consequences in the next world, both for the positive as well as for the negative. However, it is so motivating for us to internalize that the opportunity to have emunah and bitachon, which is the greatest mitzvah, is available to every single one of us, regardless of how we might be doing otherwise in our spiritual pursuits. And remember the principle that many Torah sources have taught us, such as the Vilna Gaon in Even Sheleima chapter 3, that emunah and bitachon are the core of the entire Torah. Our main focus in this world needs to be to grow as much as possible in our emunah and bitachon, and one of the main expressions of emunah and bitachon is simply to talk to Hashem in our own words. 
Sometimes a person feels, "I am not worthy to talk to Hashem." We have discussed many times that conclusions that we make based on our own perspective and logic can very often be mistaken. And this conclusion here, where one feels that they are unworthy to talk to Hashem, would certainly be the case of a mistaken approach. The Torah sources that we have discussed many times teach us that the opportunity to express our emunah and bitachon is completely independent of our mitzvos and transgressions. That means to say that it doesn't matter who we are, we all have the exact same opportunity to reach out to Hashem on a constant basis.
Sometimes a person, especially if one has not been exposed to the concept of talking to Hashem, might feel, "I don't really know how to do this; maybe over time I'll learn about it, etc., but for right now it's not something that I can do." As many of the Torah greats teach, we are so privileged to have such an easy form of connection to Hashem, one of the greatest mitzvos that can exist, that is available to every single one of us right now, without needing further training. Of course the more that we do learn about it, we might gain certain insights, but talking to Hashem is a personal relationship that every single one of us has the opportunity to have with Hashem. It's something that every single one of us, regardless of our training, regardless of our spiritual level, can practice right now, today. 
And again, although many pious people might spend many hours in talking to Hashem on a daily basis, I only need to do my best and whatever my maximum is, is all I am called on to do. Let us remind ourselves that the main purpose of our existence is to grow in our emunah, and emunah specifically means, I believe when I don't see and I don't experience. For the most part, when we reach out to Hashem about something, we don't see an immediate answer, and we don't necessarily feel that our prayers have been accepted. Sometimes we might, but many times we don't. Because again, our purpose in this world is not to know, but it's to believe, specifically, when we don't know. Our job is to build our belief that Hashem is listening to us and can help us, much more than any other effort we might make can do for us. And the more we build this belief, the more we will be motivated on our own accord to reach out to Hashem in our own words and ask Him to help us in our endeavors. 
And as we've discussed previously, it is also a good idea to have a set amount of time every day to talk to Hashem in one's own words. Because although at times we feel moments of inspiration, and one might reach out to Hashem even for long periods when one is feeling inspired and motivated, however much of the time, because of our human limitations, we don't feel that inspiration and we get caught up in the busyness of day-to-day life. And that being the case, it is a good idea to always have a safety net of a certain time of day, every day, where I will make a space to be able to have this relationship and be able to talk with Hashem.

244 - Foremost Consideration

Hashem created the world just to give to us. Ultimately, that takes place in the next world. We are in this world to earn our portion for eternity in the next world. And the main way that we do so in this world is by growing in our emunah and bitachon. It's so important to highlight that Hashem does not expect from us anything more than our maximum potential. There are many levels to what it means to living a life of true emunah and bitachon. And I am not called on to be anything more than I am able to. But I am called on to make my maximum effort to reach my maximum potential. And we all have the constant opportunity to make just a little bit more growth every single day.
We've discussed the many benefits that a life of emunah and bitachon lead to. Most importantly, that we are thereby fulfilling our purpose in this world, which we will take with us to the next world for eternity. And additionally, in this world itself there are so many benefits, where a life of emunah and bitachon are the greatest anti-anxiety medication, lead to a life of true happiness and many many other things that we've discussed many times. Let's discuss practically what we can do to build our emunah and bitachon more and more each day, every one of us in our own way. One idea mentioned by Torah Commentaries, which is what we are doing right now, is constant inspiration and repetition of the ideas about emunah and bitachon. Because although sometimes I might learn some new information, and that is certainly a worthwhile endeavor, however much of the time, contemplating on the same information again and again, allows me the space to take that information to heart and truly internalize it and apply it to my life.
As we've discussed many times, one of the most potent expressions of emunah and bitachon is when we talk to Hashem in our own words. Because again, if I believe that Hashem exists, He created the world and continues to guide every single moment in every one of our lives, down to the most intricate detail; if I believe that if I do talk to Hashem, He hears what I say and can help me, and even if I don't believe that entirely, but I am aspiring to live according to this thought process, I certainly will make my maximum effort to talk to Hashem as much as possible. And as many Torah sources teach, the value in talking to Hashem is one of the greatest things we could do in terms of fulfilling our purpose in this world. 
Let us remind ourselves of what the Chofetz Chaim writes in his Sefer Machaneh Yisrael part 3 chapter 2: 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. If we are sincere in our belief and regularly reflect on the knowledge that every detail that transpires in our lives is orchestrated by Hashem and is always for our best, our reward in the future will be exceedingly great, filled with goodness. And similarly, the Vilna Gaon in Even Sheleima chapter 3 part 2 writes: one who commits severe transgressions but nevertheless excels in bitachon is better than one who does not transgress but does not have bitachon. 
And there are many more sources that we have been discussing on this daily inspiration that outline the tremendous importance that we are to place on our emunah and bitachon endeavor. And again, one of the highest ways we can express that emunah and bitachon is by doing something that is available to every single one of us, regardless of our spiritual level. Sometimes people feel that they only have a license to talk to Hashem during the Shemoneh Esrei. This is a tremendous mistake. If we take to heart that Hashem is present throughout every moment of our day, it will then be a basic equation to us that we are able to reach out to Him throughout every moment. 
Let us remind ourselves of what the Chofetz Chaim writes in Likutei Amarim chapter 11. He writes: Whilst alone, a person must pour out his heart in prayer to Hashem from the depths of his soul. Because one is accustomed to the daily recital of the Shemoneh Esrei, one does not say these prayers with absolute sincerity. Whereas 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. The bottom line is that a basic equation is if I believe in Hashem, or at least if I am aspiring to believe in Hashem and grow more in that belief in Hashem, I certainly will talk to Hashem.

243 - The Keys!

Very briefly, let's go through the steps again of why Hashem created the world. Hashem created the world just to give to me. Ultimately, that takes place in the next world, and what I'm doing in this world is earning my portion for the next world. And as Torah authorities outlined to us, the main way that we earn our eternal portion in the next world is by growing in our emunah in this world. We discussed how a life of true emunah will lead to one making their maximum effort to fulfilling the mitzvos and all the intricacies in the best way possible. We discussed further what the Torah commentaries teach, how emunah is considered the tree and bitachon is considered the fruits of the tree and in many ways, emunah is more of a theoretical exercise where one knows that Hashem is in control and bitachon is taking that theory and applying it in a practical way. 
Let us remind ourselves of what many Torah commentaries write that we've discussed many times, that although it might seem counterintuitive, bitachon is completely independent of our actions. And again, one serious about their purpose in this world will constantly be remembering the fact that their ultimate destination is the next world for eternity and as we are taught, there are consequences both for the mitzvos that we do as well as for the transgressions that we commit and one should certainly therefore make their maximum effort to do the right thing in this world. However, what is so important to remember is that regardless of what one has achieved and regardless of what one has transgressed, we are taught that bitachon is a completely independent entity to our mitzvos and our transgressions. And in the words of the Midrash, even a rasha - a truly wicked individual who stops and relies on Hashem, Hashem will come through for that individual. And as some of the Torah commentaries discuss, even if a thief who is on his way currently to commit a crime stops and asks Hashem to help him out, Hashem will come through for him. Because again, bitachon is a reality that Hashem created in the world that works regardless of how we might be doing in our spiritual endeavor. 
There are many things that a life of true emunah and bitachon will lead to. Most importantly, we are achieving our ultimate purpose in this world, earning our maximum potential for the next world. Additionally, in this world itself, the more one grows in bitachon each day, the calmer one will feel throughout any and every situation. Because again, the reason we are triggered by anxiety-provoking situations is only because we are scared of something. Whereas when a person truly internalizes that Hashem is in absolute control every single moment, and Hashem only created me just because He wants to give me of His best, eternal pleasure, and one is in the safest hands, much safer than any individual could ever provide for me, even the person who loves me the most, or I truly see as my security, but again, people are always limited by human capacity and limitations. Whereas Hashem Himself is not, He is the Creator of the world. The more I internalize that belief, the more I will feel completely calm throughout my life.
And similarly, everybody is searching for true happiness and fulfillment in one's life. When one is living together with Hashem in their life, there can be no happier feeling than that. Rav David Ashear, in his fantastic book, Living Emunah, tells the story of a little girl who was flying on an airplane. Suddenly there was tremendous turbulence on the airplane, and many of the passengers felt scared and anxious. One passenger noticed that this girl looked completely calm throughout the whole ordeal, and he went over to her and said, "Little girl, how come you are not nervous like many of the other passengers who are aboard this flight?" And the girl responded, "Oh, there's nothing for me to worry about, because my father is the pilot of this plane, and I know he will only do the best thing for me." And she was completely calm because she knew she was in the best hands. And in the same way, when we take to heart that every single happening in our lives is orchestrated exclusively by Hashem, without the interference from any other individual or circumstance, we are able to feel completely happy. We are so privileged to be able to have access to this treasure, the keys of how to live a truly meaningful life.

242 - The Next Step

We've been discussing the Torah's perspecive, the only true perspective, of exactly what our purpose is in this world. Firstly, why did Hashem create the world in the first place? As the Torah sources teach us - only to give to us. Where ultimatelty do we receive and experience Hashem's goodness? In Olam Haba - in the next world. Why then did Hashem place me in this world? And as discussed, just because He wanted to give us an opportunity to be able to earn our eternal portion for ourselves. And by having the constant opportunity to choose good and stay away for bad in this world, we are thereby able to earn our eternal portion for ourselves. And as many Torah commentaries discuss, if we are to summarise into one world, what exactly our purpose is in this world - how exactly do we earn our eternal portion in the next world? The answer to that is: emunah.
We've been discussing what exactly it means to have emunah and how important constant repetition of these concepts, even if one might have heard them many times before, is. Because again, as many Torah sources teach, it's one thing to learn the information. But our main purpose in this world is not just learning the information, but rather truly internalizing that information in how we live our lives. And one of the greatest things we can do in our endeavor to do so, is by constant repetition of these concepts. And the more we grow in our emunah journey, the more we will be able to apply the concepts that we are learning to our own lives, everybody in their own way.
As we've been talking about, one expression of emunah that many Torah commentaries discuss is the performance of mitzvos. Because again, if I believe in Hashem, then I will certainly be motivated to follow His laws exactly as He has prescribed whether I understand or not. Because I'm not doing so based on my understanding, but rather because of my belief in Hashem. We've discussed many times, many Torah sources, such as the Zohar HaKadosh, the Vilna Gaon in numerous places, as well as many others, who state that the purpose of all the mitzvos is ultimately for the sake of emunah. In today's day and age, we are so privileged to have so many platforms available to us to learn about all of the mitzvahs. And again, seeing as this is one of the most basic and most potent expressions of emunah, to practice Hashem's mitzvos, one should certainly make their maximum effort to study as much as possible about all of the laws and intricacies of all the mitzvos to be able to practice them in the best way possible.
For our purposes right now, we are going to focus on an additional and most potent and core aspect of what it means to live a life of emunah. The Ramban and many others contrast emunah and bitachon and explain that having emunah is like the tree, whereas having bitachon is like the fruit from the tree. It's possible to have emunah without applying the bitachon, whereas it's impossible to have bitachon if one does not have the emunah. So ultimately, one of the main ways we achieve our purpose in this world, which again, is ultimately leading us to our place in Olam Haba for eternity, is by growing more and more in our belief that we have in Hashem. 
And as we've learned many times, the more emunah that one has, the more calm one might feel throughout all circumstances, knowing that Hashem is in complete control. When there is a potential to feel feelings of anger, the more emunah that one might have, the less feelings of anger I will feel because I will internalize that it is not this other individual who is causing this to happen to me, but rather, Hashem pulling all the strings, causing everything to happen. Because Ein Od Milvado, there is only Hashem in the world, and every single happening that happens in the world is exclusively orchestrated by Hashem. Let us remember what the Rambam writes in the 13 Principles of Faith, that 'vehu lavdo' - Hashem exclusively, without the help of any other individual or circumstance, orchestrates every single detail of our lives. The more we are able to take these concepts to heart, the more we will be able to apply them in a practical way, by exercising our bitachon in Hashem.

241 - Why Should I Listen?

We've been discussing one of the most fundamental questions. Why would Hashem, a perfect being who doesn't need anything outside of His perfect self, create the world in the first place? And we discussed that the only place we want to look is Hashem's perspective, the Torah perspective, which can be the only unmistakable perspective. And many Torah sources teach us that the only objective Hashem had in mind in creating the world was because He wanted to give to us. And without a recipient, obviously, there's nobody to give to. And He therefore created us to be able to receive His goodness. 
We discussed, however, that there seems to be an apparent contradiction to that by the fact that we all undergo suffering and challenges throughout our lives. And if Hashem created me just because He wants to give to me, why at times do I have to suffer? And we discussed what the Torah sources teach, that Hashem ultimately intended for us to receive His goodness in the next world, in Olam Haba. And the only reason that we were first placed in this world was to give us an opportunity to earn our eternal reward for ourselves because in Hashem's great wisdom, He understood that if we are given the opportunity to earn our eternal reward for ourselves, the level of pleasure that we will experience by doing so will be much greater than if it was just given to us as a free gift.
And this really brings us to the final point of this discussion. Seeing as Hashem placed me in this world just to give me the opportunity to earn my eternal place in the next world, what exactly am I supposed to be doing in this world? How exactly do I fulfill my purpose in this world, in the most efficient and ideal manner? And again, although there is much Torah literature about this, and throughout one's life one can certainly learn more and more and digest the concepts more and more. But simply speaking, the Torah commentary is right that the answer to this question can be summed up in one word. Emunah.
Let us remind ourselves that if we are studying this information for the first time, it is certainly very beneficial because we can now take this information and move towards the next steps of trying to truly internalize this information. But even if one has been exposed to this information many times previously, let us remind ourselves what the Torah commentaries teach, that our whole purpose in this world is to truly internalize the concepts of emunah, not just to know the information, but more and more each day to internalize the information and live our lives according to their values. And as we hear this information again and again, one has the opportunity to contemplate on the information and try to apply it in a practical way to one's life more and more each time.
What exactly does it mean to live a life of emunah? Again, seeing as this is our life's work and main purpose in this world, it can be easy to understand that it's not going to take a three-minute discussion to summarize how to fulfill our purpose in this world. But again, we are not called on to do that. We are just called on to make our maximum effort to try our best to grow more and more each day in internalizing these concepts. One very important and fundamental branch of emunah which many Torah commentaries discuss is the fulfillment of mitzvos. 
Seeing as Hashem is the Creator of the world and designed the whole pattern of what we are doing here, namely to be in this world to earn our eternal portion in eternity where we are able to experience Hashem's goodness, Hashem is also the one who knows best how we are able to go about earning our best place in Olam Haba. Hashem has given us many mitzvos, things that we are supposed to do and things that we are supposed to stay away from. Some of them are easier to understand and perhaps more logical, whereas many of them we have little or no understanding of. In our journey towards the life of emunah, we are called on to fulfill all of Hashem's mitzvos as best as we can regardless of our understanding. Because again, if Hashem created the world and He is the one in charge of everything that happens, I certainly ought to listen to His instructions based on His perspective.
Although certain mitzvos might be more appealing and more logical, but a true life of emunah would dictate that every single one of the mitzvos should be dealt with highest priority including all of the intricate details because if this is what the Torah sources coming from Hashem's perspective dictate for us to do, then I can and should trust that this is certainly what I should do. The more emunah that we have or that we might be aspiring to achieve in our day-to-day growth, the more that will direct us to treat each of the mitzvos and all the intricacies with paramount importance.

240 - Reap the Revenue

We've been going over one of the most fundamental questions that can exist. Why did Hashem decide to create the world in the first place, when He is a being who is completely perfect and does not have any needs or desires outside of His perfect self? We discussed that the only place that we can find a truly undistorted answer for this question is the Torah, which is ultimately Hashem's perspective Himself. And as many Torah sources teach, the only reason Hashem created the world is to give to us. 
But the question that then needs clarification is that if Hashem does truly just desire to give to me, why is it that so many people do suffer in this world and don't just experience Hashem's sweet goodness on a constant basis? And as the Torah commentaries taught us, that ultimately Hashem had in mind for us to make our way to the next world after our small excursion in this world. Although 120 years might seem like a long time, but again, in contrast to the analogy that Torah commentaries offer us, imagine the largest stadium that you've ever seen filled up to the top with sand and every million years a bird would go and take out just one grain of sand. The amount of time that it would take to empty out the stadium would be so great that 120 years would not even be like a second in comparison to that amount of time.
And again, that is still not eternity, because eternity is literally forever, even longer than it would take to empty that stadium. And Hashem's plan for us was to make our way to a world called Olam Haba, the next world, where we literally live eternally, basking in Hashem's goodness. But then the question that needs to be dealt with is that if Hashem's vision was for me to make my way to the next world and there bask in His light and experience His goodness, why do I need to be in this world at all in the first place where we do undergo many challenges and much suffering? And again, the Torah commentaries, Hashem's perspective, provide the answer to this question. The only reason that Hashem decided to first send us for an excursion in this world was because Hashem wants to give us the ultimate pleasure. And in Hashem's great wisdom, He understands that if we are given the opportunity to earn our eternal reward for ourselves rather than it just being given to us as a present, that pleasure that we will be able to experience again for eternity will be much greater than if it was just given to us for free. 
Some Torah commentaries illustrate this with the following. If I were to give you a million dollars today, yes, you'd be happy because now you have that money available for whatever you need to do. However, when a person starts their own business and thereafter cuts a deal for a million dollars because of their own efforts, they feel so much more accomplished by having worked and achieved their success. In a similar vein, if I am very hungry and I go get some takeouts from the restaurant, again, that makes me happy because now that food is able to take care of my hunger. But perhaps a person might feel much more fulfilled when I am hungry and I go pull out all the ingredients that I need from my own kitchen and spend a certain amount of time making the food myself. When I sit down to eat that food, I'll appreciate it a lot more because I spent time and energy and effort making this myself. 
And in a similar vein, although we can't fully grasp Hashem's ways by any means, but the analogy that Torah commentaries do offer us is that although Hashem's vision in creating the world was for the exclusive purpose of giving to us and that experience will ultimately take place in the next world, in Olam Haba, however, the reason that we are here for our excursion in this world is to have the opportunity to earn that reward for ourselves for eternity in the next world. And again, by having the opportunity to choose good and stay away from bad in this world and making our maximum effort to follow the instructions and guidance of Hashem as laid out to us in the Torah and b'ezrat Hashem being successful in that endeavor, we will thereby be able to earn our place in Olam Haba and there bask in Hashem's light and goodness for eternity.

239 - Promising Future

We've been discussing one of the most fundamental questions that can exist. Hashem, a perfect being, who doesn't need anything outside of His perfect self, why then would He go ahead and create the world? And as we discussed, the only place we want to look for the answer is the Torah, which is Hashem's true perspective. Because any other perspective is always susceptible to be mistaken. And we discussed how countless Torah sources teach that the only reason Hashem decided to create the world was because He had a desire to give. And without a recipient, there'd be nobody to give to. So this answers the question, why did Hashem decide to create you and I and everything else that is encompassed within our universe? Just because He desired to give to us.
Let us remind ourselves again that we are not trying to study information to be able to pass the test and graduate from this information and move to the next subject. As the Torah greats have taught us, the purpose of emunah is not just to learn the information, although that is the starting point, but our life's work is to take that information and to truly internalize it. And via constant repetition of the concepts, b'ezrat Hashem we will be able to take the information more and more each day and apply them to our personal lives. So from Hashem's vantage point, He created the world just because He had a desire to give to each one of us. But then the question that begs to be answered is, most of us experience challenges throughout our lives, and if Hashem decided to create me just because He wants to give to me, why does He sometimes send challenges and bitter experiences my way? Let's discuss how the Torah sources, Hashem's perspective, the only true perspective, answer this question.
If Hashem decided to create the world just to give to me, why do I need to suffer at times? And as many, many Torah sources teach, a fundamental belief to Judaism and the Torah is that the world that we live in is certainly not our final destination. But rather the next world, Olam Haba, is where we are destined to receive Hashem's goodness. When Hashem created the world, He did so having in mind that one day we will depart from our lives in this world and make our way to our final destination in the next world, and there truly to bask in Hashem's light in His true goodness for eternity. Although we certainly can't grasp a full understanding of what it means to go to the next world, because that is one of the things that is hidden from the eyes of human beings, however there certainly is very much Torah information about this concept, and again one who would like to investigate this topic further has much Torah literature available about the concept of Olam Haba and what it means to live in the next world, however for our purposes right now, let us just relate an analogy offered by many Torah commentaries to shed just a little bit of an appreciation of what it means to live in Olam Haba. 
Imagine the largest stadium that you've ever seen. This stadium gets filled up to the top with sand. Every one million years, a little bird comes and takes one grain of sand out from the stadium. Let's try calculate how long it will take for the stadium to be emptied. Of course nobody can work out this number, it is so big. Sometimes when people are asked how long it will take for the stadium to be emptied, people answer "forever". However the truth of the matter is that that is still not considered eternity, because after a certain huge amount of time, the stadium will be emptied. Whereas we are taught from Torah sources that Olam Haba, life in the next world, is literally for eternity. So just to appreciate, when Hashem created us in the first place, His vision is that after our small excursion of a maximum of 120 years in this world, we will thereby make our way to our true final destination in the next world. And there we will bask in His light for eternity.

238 - Great News!

We've been discussing one of the most fundamental questions. Why would Hashem, a completely perfect being, who is not lacking anything, and certainly does not need anything from us, have decided to create the world in the first place? We've also been discussing that the only way to answer this question with absolute truth, with no risk of making a mistake, is if Hashem Himself gives us the answer. Because when we use our own logic and minds to try to find the solution, we are all susceptible to mistakes. And even though we might be well-meaning, even the smartest person in the world is still limited by their human capacity. And when dealing with such a most fundamental question, any individual who is seriously seeking meaning and finding the purpose of their lives which will ultimately be based on finding the answer to this question, will not suffice with just assuming the answer based on their own logic, which one knows could have mistakes and lead to incorrect conclusions. 
And as we discussed, we are so privileged to have Hashem's Torah, where Hashem has given us a vast amount of information in both the written Torah as well as the oral Torah which was transmitted down from generation to generation. And therefore all of Torah literature which we have today is ultimately the same word of Hashem, as if I'd be hearing Hashem's voice directly speaking to me, relaying this information. So what does the Torah say? What is Hashem's perspective about this question? Why did you, Hashem, decide to create the world, seeing as you are perfect and you don't need anything else? 
And as we've discussed many times and again, learning this information for the first time is certainly a huge accomplishment. But even if I've heard this information many times previously, digesting this information and trying to internalize it into my day-to-day life more and more each day is ultimately our objective because again, Emunah is not just about knowing the information but taking the information that we've learnt and trying to internalize that information more and more each day to be able to live our lives according to the true values of Emunah.
Sometimes we find some level of Torah controversy within Torah sources with regards to how to answer certain questions. When it comes to this question, however, it is unanimously clear from countless Torah sources that there is only one reason that Hashem decided to create the world in the first place. Again, He did not need it for Himself. Hashem is a perfect being that could very well manage without a world having been created. And as all the Torah sources outline, Hashem had a desire to give and without a recipient being created, there is nobody to give to. So the only reason that Hashem decided to create the entire universe and everything that is encompassed within it is just to be able to give to the recipients that He would create.
Now again, one might ask, but why did Hashem have a desire to give? There might be Torah information where one is able to understand this question further, but that is not our focus right now. For our purposes right now, we are told by countless Torah sources that Hashem had a desire to give and the only way for Hashem to be able to give would be if He would create recipients who would have needs and wants. And by Hashem being able to fulfill those needs and wants, He would be fulfilling His desire to give. So again, let's digest this information. Information from Hashem's perspective, the only true perspective. The only reason Hashem, who is a being who does not need anything else except for His own perfect existence, decided to create the world in the first place is because He had a desire to give.
Let us try to internalize and take to heart that as we advance on our emunah journey, whatever we might be experiencing and going through, let's make an effort to internalize the truth of what's actually happening. That although at times it might be difficult to reconcile why Hashem is dealing with us in a certain manner, but if we are able to remember and internalize the starting point of why Hashem, who didn't need to create us in the first place, nevertheless decided to go ahead and create this world and everything that is encompassed within it, including you and I, when we follow that thought process, we will quickly realize that everything in the world that Hashem does is ultimately for our best. And by doing so, we will thereby be able to move more and more towards living a truly meaningful life.