TRANSFORM YOUR EMUNAH!

558 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-7)

We continue our Bitachon journey and as discussed, so many of these concepts are intertwined and it's so beneficial therefore to have a bit of a direction of where we're going to be heading to explore the topic of Bitachon, not just to get the daily inspiration of the Emunah and Bitachon, but more now to get a clear and focused direction of exactly how Bitachon works and thereby be able to answer the many questions which arise and have clarity to feel confident in the Bitachon that we're going to take.
 
It's also worth pointing out that even though we haven't yet quoted even one Torah source, but just going through the questions is already a building block for Bitachon because it already opens up a bit of a direction of where we're heading, of what there is to ask, what there is to discuss, and it just expands our mind a little bit before we even explore what the Torah sources are going to teach us. So let's revise.
 
Of the 15 parts we're going to be exploring, b'ezrat Hashem, we've so far discussed part number one, what is Bitachon, a bit of an introduction. Part number two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part number three, how important exactly is Bitachon? Part number four, does Bitachon always work in the way that I need and in the way that I desire? And part five, if Bitachon does work in the way that I need and I desire, why must Hashem come through for me?
 
And as we discussed in the previous session, there could be many reasons why Hashem might not want to come through for us, not because He doesn't want to share His goodness with us. Remember, we've discussed many times the only reason Hashem created the world is to share His goodness with us. So He does want to share His goodness with us, but as we know, there are often many considerations, some of them within our understanding and some way beyond our understanding that might be a reason for Hashem not wanting to come through for us in the way that we desire.
 
So let's say, for example, a person is an overly confident person because of the tremendous wealth that Hashem has blessed them with, and let's say Hashem has decided that for the benefit of this person, for their eternity in the next world, which is much more important than their life in this world, He wants to give them an opportunity to humble themselves and therefore He takes away this person's money. Now by this person losing their wealth, Hashem understands they're going to be humbled and they're going to have an opportunity to come back to Hashem and build a relationship which is much more important than all the money in the world. So let's say this person would apply Bitachon and they ask Hashem and they rely on Hashem, please Hashem, give me all the wealth back. Let's say we're going to learn that Bitachon has this magical power, that whatever you have true Bitachon for will come about, but who says that's going to be good for me? Perhaps having Bitachon will be a bad thing if I'm going to make it happen because as we can see in this situation, this guy should not get his wealth back because if he does, he's not going to have the humility that he should have and he's going to continue to be an overly confident person. So how is all that going to work out?
 
Again, I'm elaborating on each of these points because as one can see, there's so much to talk about in each of these points and yes, as we go more extensively into each of these sections and begin to explore the Torah sources, we will see the way the true perspective of Hashem, the Torah sources teach us how all these questions come together and b’ezrat Hashem in that way build for ourselves a real path to Bitachon.
 
I want to just emphasize again, I'm feeling so tremendously passionate to be able to share this Torah information. I'm so excited because again, without knowing this information of what true Bitachon really is, of course one is not able to take the next necessary steps to be able to truly apply this information sincerely in our lives and live by the values of Bitachon. We have spent a lot of time learning about Emunah and getting the daily inspiration about Emunah which is tremendously important because it's just about bringing Hashem into our lives and making Hashem real into our lives and realizing we can and should talk to Hashem about anything and everything and all the many other things that Emunah leads to. But at the same time, Bitachon is a whole another world which we're just beginning to explore and I'm so excited to be sharing this with you because to me it's literally like a gift of $10 billion and the truth is much more than that because all the money in the world cannot buy the gift of what true Bitachon is, the ability to truly rely on Hashem. So let's continue b’ezrat Hashem with our journey in Bitachon.

557 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-6)

Again, I can't express enough how excited I am to be sharing this Torah information. Something that is such an incredible discovery for myself. Firstly, when I found Emunah, it was completely life-changing just to realize every single one of us can have this most incredible personal relationship with Hashem, the One Being that truly counts, that can do anything and everything for us.
 
And Baruch Hashem, we had the privilege to spend much time on our daily inspiration about Emunah, but now I'm so excited to continue our journey in what we've called Transform Your Bitachon, in our Bitachon journey. And as we discussed, it's so important always to come from the real Torah sources that provide us with the real perspective, the only truthful, undistorted perspective. Many people can have different ways of looking at things, but ultimately it boils down to who's better at arguing the point and presenting the point.
 
Even if one might be completely mistaken, if one is talented in arguing a certain point, either to others or even to oneself, we might be convinced of many untruths. So B'ezrat Hashem, let's continue with the contents of the way we're going to break up Bitachon to provide us with a clear direction of where we're going to be heading in this journey of Bitachon. As mentioned, we're going to be breaking this up into 15 parts.
 
Part 1 is what is Bitachon? A bit of an introduction. Part 2, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part 3, how important exactly is Bitachon? Part 4 we began to discuss, does Bitachon always work? The two sides of the coin are as follows. A. I know Hashem can do anything, but not necessarily will He do it for me in the way that I desire. He has many considerations. Or B. I know Hashem can do anything and what I need and what I desire, not only can He do it for me, but He will do it for me and I'm going to rely on Him and have Bitachon that He's going to come through for me in the way that I need and in the way that I desire.
 
Let's move now to part number 5. As I'm sure you've picked up already from the way that I've illustrated the questions, you can understand that there's going to be a type of Bitachon that we're going to be exploring, that we can be so confident in our requests, in our reliance on Hashem, that not only do we know that He has the capability to come through for us, but we have such confident Bitachon in Him that we are sure that He will come through for us in the way that we desire.
 
And therefore in part 5, we will explore, B'ezrat Hashem, why must Hashem come through for me? Does Hashem not have many considerations? Who says Hashem owes me anything? And therefore if I am asking Hashem and relying on Him for something, who says that He must come through for me? He doesn't owe me anything, why must He come through for me? And by extension, again we could add, who says it's going to be good for me? And therefore that might be the reason that Hashem does not come through for me. Because as we know, there are many considerations beyond our understanding. And if I'm asking for something that might not play out to be good for me in the bigger picture of things, why would Hashem give it to me? And if He would give it to me, is that even a good thing? Should I even desire that? So this B'ezrat Hashem will be our discussion in part number 5, why must Hashem come through for me?
 
And again, as we discussed in our gratitude course in our Emunah series, one of the things that prevent us from feeding gratitude to Hashem is having the mistaken perspective that Hashem owes us things. For example, if a person becomes sick and his perspective is that Hashem owes him good health, then when one becomes sick, one might be led to complaints and the like. Whereas if one's starting point is, Hashem doesn't owe me anything, Hashem didn't even need to create me in the first place, and the whole reason that He did it, as we learned many times, is because He just wanted to share His goodness with me in this world. And that being the case, He doesn't owe me anything.
 
So if somebody is then ill, they don't have a reason to complain. Anytime they're healthy, they have a reason just to share their feelings of gratitude with Hashem for the amazing health that He's blessed them with, but never to complain because He doesn't owe me anything. And that being the case, if I have Bitachon in Hashem, that He will make me better when I am sick, why must He make me better? Did we not learn that He doesn't owe me anything? Let's continue to explore, b'ezrat Hashem, the journey we're going to be making and the direction we're going to be taking in our Bitachon journey.

556 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-5)

I'm really excited to be sharing this incredible information with all of you. Any bit of Torah is exciting to be able to share because it's Hashem's will and ultimately much greater than any other information we're going to learn in this world. But the reason I'm so passionate and excited about this is because this has been a discovery for myself to truly get a clear direction from early to contemporary Torah sources about what exactly bitachon is.
 
And many of these concepts are counterintuitive in some ways and not so popularly taught for certain reasons that we'll discuss. But once one is able to access these keys, we literally are able to access chambers and gates in terms of our relationship with Hashem that we certainly could not have previously accessed.
 
We discussed in the previous session part number one of a rundown of 15 parts which we're going to be going through. Again, just to give a bit of clarity of direction of where we're going to be heading because again so many of these concepts are intertwined and when one question comes up one thinks of many other aspects. So just to get a bit of direction in terms of how we're going to be exploring the topic of bitachon. We discussed in the previous session part number one, what exactly is bitachon? A little bit of an introduction to bitachon.
 
Part number two, what is the source for the mitzvah of bitachon? Part number three, how important exactly is bitachon? And where we left off in the previous session was part four, does bitachon always work? And again, to elaborate on this a little bit more, just in terms of the question, we again haven't explored any Torah sources yet. It's so important to emphasize one can say whatever they want in terms of anything and if one is a better lawyer than someone else you will win the argument. But the only true perspective is Hashem's perspective. So we want to come from the Torah sources, the true perspective of what is the absolute truth. Does bitachon always work? Again, let's try to illustrate this in a clear way.
 
I'm currently short of money, I need an extra thousand dollars. And again, we're not going now into the mitzvah of hishtadlus, which is a component we're going to get to later. As you can already see, that already is a concept which is intertwined. But forgetting hishtadlus for a moment. One qualifies to be able to have bitachon, to receive their thousand dollars. And one reaches out to Hashem to please give them their thousand dollars and one relies on Hashem to give them a thousand dollars. Because again, we'll discuss, B'ezrat Hashem, each of these concepts: What does it mean exactly to have bitachon? How do I practically apply bitachon? Do I have to be qualified to be able to have bitachon? We'll get to everything, B'ezrat Hashem. As I'm mentioning, everything is quite intertwined. But that's why it's so important to try to get a bit of a direction.
 
So is my approach, if I have asked Hashem and I'm relying on Him to give me a thousand dollars, that of course He can give it to me, even if all circumstances seem to point against me. Of course Hashem is not limited to those circumstances. That is basic emunah that is according to every opinion. One has to know that Hashem is Ein Od Milvado. In one second, He can turn all nature upside down and He can make it look like it's not going against the laws of nature and He can certainly in one moment give me the thousand dollars that I need.
 
But at the same time, Hashem has many considerations as we know. Maybe I don't deserve this, maybe I've sinned, maybe a previous reincarnation would dictate that it's not good for me to receive the thousand dollars now, or many other millions of factors that might be beyond our human understanding. So as is usually understood, not necessarily will Hashem come through for me. Of course He can come through for me, but not necessarily will He come through for me in the way that I desire. In other words, maybe I will ask for something and He will say no, because it is better for me. That is one way of viewing it.
 
Another way of viewing this, again without yet going into the answer, but again just presenting the question in a clear format so that we can just get a better understanding of where we're heading. Those thousand dollars that I currently need and I'm relying on Hashem to give me, and again I've applied practical bitachon which we'll discuss. Not only do I know that Hashem can give it to me, but I've reached such an extent of trust that I know and I rely that Hashem will for sure give me the thousand dollars.
 
Now again, if that would be the case, then many might ask, but how do I know it's good for me? And why would Hashem necessarily give it to me? And who says I deserve it? And even if I do, again, doesn't Hashem have many considerations? And how do I know that I shouldn't even be asking for anything and having bitachon in Hashem for the things that I desire; isn't it wiser to just rely on Hashem that He should call the shots for me? B’ezrat Hashem, we will continue in the next session in our journey of bitachon.

555 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-4)

Okay guys, here we go. I am so excited to be embarking on this journey. As mentioned, I'm holding here in my hands a collection of many Torah sources, 75 to be exact, that B’ezrat Hashem we're going to be exploring in a very focused direction of what exactly Bitachon is.
 
As mentioned, and I'm sure as many are aware, there are literally countless Torah sources about Emunah and Bitachon, and while it is certainly very beneficial to receive daily inspiration about our Emunah, our Bitachon, our relationship with Hashem, to talk to Hashem in our own words and the like, at the same time I've found that it can be quite confusing many of the questions that are asked, and without having a clear direction in an organized way, many of the concepts about Emunah and specifically about Bitachon can be in the air and not so clear to understand. So B’ezrat Hashem, I ask Hashem should help us on this incredible journey.
 
So what I'm going to do now is read the table of contents of what we're going to be exploring, just to get a little bit of an idea and a glimpse of the direction of what needs to be clarified. And of course, each of these things will branch out to many more aspects. But just to give a little bit of an idea of where we are B’ezrat Hashem heading, and also to just put it out there, as it's easy to understand, many of these concepts are intertwined, and as we learn about one, we will have questions about the other. But that's why I'd like to just give a rundown of the table of contents of how we're going to be exploring it, so that B’ezrat Hashem, we can hopefully come out in a clear way, not only to know the information, but again, to be able to feel qualified and confident to be able to apply these incredible gifts into our lives.
 
So we're going to be dividing this into 15 parts. Part number one, what is Bitachon? Just a bit of an introduction to what exactly Bitachon is, the difference between Bitachon and Emunah, coming from the actual factual Torah sources, as opposed to just information that we might just have heard, but again, sometimes in an unorganized way that leaves a lot of questions and room for grey areas.
 
Part number two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Is it actually a mitzvah? Is it an obligation? Are we dealing with a mitzvah from the Torah, from the rabbis, etc? Part number three, how important exactly is Bitachon? B’ezrat Hashem, we're going to explore some amazingly powerful passages, Torah sources, from early Torah sources to contemporary Torah sources, that discuss just how important Bitachon is, being the foundation of the entire Torah, all the mitzvos, and ultimately everything we are aiming to do as a Jew.
 
Part number four gets very interesting. Does Bitachon always work? Much of the time when we explore the topics of Emunah, and by extension Bitachon, the way it's usually understood is, of course, Hashem can do anything, and can even save me and send my salvation and whatever I might need, in a miraculous manner, because Hashem is in absolute complete control of the world.
 
As we discussed previously, that is basic Emunah – ein od milvado - there's nothing else in the world except for Hashem. Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in every single one of our lives. So that being the case, of course Hashem can do anything. But does that mean Hashem will do anything?
 
If we have Bitachon for a certain situation, such as I need money and I'm applying Bitachon that Hashem will give me that money, or perhaps a person is sick and they want to have Bitachon, that they will have a full recovery, or perhaps somebody wants to find a marriage partner or the many other things that encompass the details of all our lives. If I have Bitachon that it will work out in a certain way, does that mean that I can have Bitachon to the extent that Hashem must come through for me in the way that I desire and in the way that I am having Bitachon for? Or is it only that I must internalize that Hashem can send me absolutely anything at the blink of an eye, whilst at the same time not necessarily will it be in the way that I might expect?
 
I guarantee you that the information that we're going to be learning might be one of the most interesting topics that one has ever come across, both in a theoretical way in terms of the concept of how Bitachon works, but much more importantly, once one is able to take these theoretical concepts to heart and B’ezrat Hashem sincerely apply them, life can be a completely different life. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward and continue to explore these topics together in the next session.

554 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-3)

Before we begin our Bitachon journey, I would like to just give an overly simplified summary about what Emunah is. Again, if anyone would like to refer to our previous audio inspiration, the place to look is transformyouremunah.com and there you can find the archives of the last two years of daily inspiration, as well as all the courses and more. But for our purposes right now, B'ezrat Hashem, in just one slot, to give an overview of what exactly is Emunah, so that B'ezrat Hashem we can continue from there in our Transform Your Bitachon journey.
 
As we will learn, it is very clear that in order to have Bitachon, one has to have Emunah. It is impossible to have Bitachon without having Emunah, but as the Torah commentaries teach, it is very possible to have Emunah whilst not necessarily having Bitachon. So therefore, in order to be able to embark on our Bitachon journey, we have to first clarify and remind ourselves what exactly is Emunah.
 
So while there is a lot of information, simply speaking, Emunah means digesting the words Ein Od Milvado, sincerely. The words from the verse in the Torah – Ein Ad Milvado – really mean that there is nothing else in the world except for Hashem. That means that anything that transpires throughout our lives, although much of the time it might seem like other people in our lives and other circumstances are the engines driving those forces of the things happening to us in our lives, however, truly digesting Ein Od Milvado means that there is nothing else in the world except for Hashem. That means that every single detail, down to the last degree, is orchestrated exclusively by Hashem in every single one of our lives.
 
In the 13 principles of faith, based on the Rambam, that are printed at the back of many siddurim, we read the words, “I believe with my full heart and with full sincerity, that Hashem creates and manages the details of every single one of His creations, and He alone arranged everything that happened in the past, currently arranges everything that happens in the present, and is the only one exclusively who takes care of everything in the future.” Now why this is such an important foundation to Bitachon is because, as we will see, there are so many different details about how we are able to apply Bitachon to our lives. But a basic and most important foundation to any and all of those applications is to work on internalizing more and more each day that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in every single one of our lives.
 
And that being the case, as we've discussed so many times in our daily inspiration, that Hashem exclusively orchestrates every single detail to every single one of our lives, and without a doubt can hear every single one of our words that we say to Him, it is one of the most basic extensions of Emunah, to talk to Hashem. The more one builds the belief in Hashem, the more one automatically won't have so many questions about how much should I talk to Hashem, is it okay if I just talk during davening and the like, but rather it will be an obvious go-to that I want to talk to Hashem and I need to talk to Hashem, because it is obvious that that is the greatest effort that we can make in terms of solving our problems, trying to find the right direction in our lives, and anything and everything else, because Hashem runs every single detail in every single one of our lives. So let us make an effort to remember this most important information. The ABC of all of Judaism, and certainly a prerequisite before exploring Bitachon, is to truly digest Emunah.
 
Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in every single one of our lives, nobody can contradict Hashem's will. And therefore the most obvious and logical thing to do is to always reach out to Hashem about anything and everything to the best of our degree. B'ezrat Hashem, in the next session let us begin our journey in Bitachon.

553 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-2)

So before we begin exploring the giant world of Bitachon, which I'm so passionate and excited to be sharing, there is just so much incredible information – some of it we might be familiar with in some ways, but some of it we may have never heard before. And these are the real keys to the success of our lives in this world, and of course also for eternity.
 
I'm holding in my hand a collection of 75 Torah sources, which I've been working on for a long time. Don't think by any means that Bitachon is limited to 75 Torah sources. If there's anything we learnt in our Emunah journey, we know that the whole point of all Torah and all mitzvos is ultimately for the sake of Emunah and Bitachon, as so many Torah commentaries taught us. And as we open our eyes, we'll just see that it's literally left, right and center. everywhere we look is just full of Emunah and Bitachon. But this particular collection of Torah sources that I'm holding in my hand is so dear and precious to me, because it's ultimately been a journey of trying to clarify for myself, which I'm so excited and passionate to now be sharing with you, a more organized journey through what exactly Bitachon is.
 
When I've encountered some people and I've shown them this collection of Torah sources, I've said, honestly, this looks like a little pamphlet with a little bit of writing on it that might be worth just a couple of dollars. But honestly, to me, this is worth at least 10 billion dollars. As we learn this information, we will see that the more we learn about and truly digest what true Bitachon is, the more we will realize that we have the true keys to life way greater than winning the lottery or any other security we might feel for ourselves.
 
Before we move forward to learning about Bitachon, which we can maybe call Emunah level 2, let's just give a summary about what we've learned so many times about what Emunah, simply speaking, is. So, B’ezrat Hashem, we're going to use the next session to give an overview about what we've learned so many times about what exactly Emunah is and how to practically apply that. And then, Bezrat Hashem, after that, we're going to move into Bitachon and begin our journey in the world of Bitachon.
 
Success is a word that is relatively subjective to what an individual considers to be successful. But we know that in Hashem's undistorted eyes, there is a truthful perspective to what true success is. And therefore, as we discussed so many times, one of the most powerful things that we can do is a basic extension of Emunah, just to simply speaking, ask Hashem that we should be successful in our endeavors. And specifically now, as we're about to embark on this amazing journey, I want to use this opportunity once again to ask Hashem in my own words, and I encourage every single one of you to ask Hashem in your own words, as we embark on this journey, this most incredible and exciting journey, because as you will see, as we proceed on this journey, you will receive the keys to many gates that you either thought never existed or might have thought that those gates will always be locked to you.
 
“Hashem, we're about to begin our Transform Your Bitachon journey. I'm so excited that you've shared this Torah information with me, and I'm so excited to be sharing it with others. Please Hashem, help every single one of us, me from my part, to give over the information in a truthful and clear way. And at the same time, anyone who might be listening, to b’ezrat Hashem, receive the information in the right way, but not only to learn the information as a theoretical subject, but to truly b’ezrat Hashem, be able to sincerely apply this information in our lives. Thank you so much Hashem for the incredible gift of Emunah, and the incredible gift of Bitachon.”

552 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-1)

Hey everyone, I'm so excited to share with you, we're about to embark on our new journey, our new project, Transform Your Bitachon. We've been working on our daily inspiration about Emunah for about two years, and I hope, B’ezrat Hashem, that we've all gained even just a little bit of growth in our Emunah journey. As we've discussed many times, Emunah is not something we ever graduate from truly because, as so many commentaries teach us, Emunah is ultimately our life's work, and there are countless levels, and it's not just about knowing the information about Emunah, but it's about truly digesting that information and incorporating it into our lives as best as we can.
 
Just like Emunah is a whole world unto itself, Bitachon is a whole incredible world, and while it might seem to many of us that since we have been learning about Emunah, Bitachon is almost an extension of that, on the one hand, that is certainly true; on the other hand, Bitachon is a huge world unto itself, and I'm so excited, B’ezrat Hashem, to share this with you all. Just before we do begin our journey on Bitachon, I would just like to mention a couple of things. For anyone who's interested in referring back to the daily inspiration that we've been sharing over the last two years, the place to look is transformyouremunah.com, and one can find there the archives to all the shiurim that have been posted via the podcast platforms that are listed there. Our series of courses related to Emunah that we've been posting on our daily inspiration can also be found on our website transformyouremunah.com.
 
I would also like to mention that we had the privilege to release a sefer called Transform Your Emunah in just 60 seconds a day, a sefer which is really a collection of more than 300 Torah sources about inspiration about Emunah. If you'd like to get a copy of the sefer for yourself and you haven't yet done so, you can get it on all the classical platforms such as Amazon, Feldheim, or your local bookstore, and all these links can also be found on our website transformyouremunah.com.
 
May Hashem help every single one of us to grow in our Emunah and our Bitachon journeys, not only transforming our future for eternity, which is ultimately the most important thing, but at the same time, may we all merit to truly transform our lives, even in this world, the world that we live in.
 
I'd like to use this opportunity to thank every single one of you for the opportunity to be able to share the Torah wisdom that Hashem has given us about Emunah and Bittachon, and I hope and pray that just like I have grown tremendously throughout this journey, that Hashem should bless every single one of you to grow tremendously in your Emunah and Bittachon endeavors.
 
And as we've discussed extensively in our Emunah daily inspiration over the past two years, that one of the most basic expressions of Emunah is to talk to Hashem in our own personal words and develop a personal relationship with Hashem, I'd like to use this opportunity to make a small prayer to Hashem in my own words, and I encourage every single one of you, just before we commence on this most exciting and incredible project, to make a small tefillah of your own to Hashem for success in this endeavor, and by extension, in all our endeavors of Emunah and Bitachon and everything else that is truly important in our lives.
“Hashem, my dear Father, thank You so much for the past two years of the most incredible Torah information and inspiration that we've gained from, and we're about to embark on this most exciting journey, Transform Your Bittachon, which as You know is the most incredible and exciting world unto itself. I beg You, Hashem, please guide every single one of us in our individual capacity to be able to take the information, digest it, and incorporate it into our lives as might be applicable to each and every one of us, and thereby, b'ezrat Hashem, not only transform our lives in this world to the most meaningful lives of tremendous value, but most importantly, to fulfill our life's purpose, which is ultimately to earn eternity for ourselves, and as we've learned so many times, the ultimate and most important way to do so is by making our maximum efforts to excel in Emunah and Bittachon. Please Hashem, help every single one of us on this incredible journey to be able to truly transform our Emunah and our Bitachon.”

551 - Shushan Purim

We know that there are two days that Purim is celebrated. The first of the two is usually referred to as Purim, while the second is usually referred to as Shushan Purim. Whilst most places in the world observe Purim on the first of the two days, Yerushalayim and some other places observe Purim on Shushan Purim. However, it is important to highlight that the Megillah states that the miracles and celebration of Purim was enacted as Yemei Mishteh V'simcha, days of celebration. Meaning to say, that although the main celebration for most of the world applies on the first of the two days, whereas in Yerushalayim it applies on Shushan Purim, however, ultimately, we all have a mitzvah to celebrate and rejoice on both of the two days. Halachically speaking, although one performs the main mitzvos of the day, such as the reading of the Megillah, Mishloach Manot, Matanot L'evyonim and the like, in most of the world only on the first of the two days, and in Yerushalayim on Shushan Purim, however, there is a mitzvah for everyone to increase their festivities on both days by having a meal with meat and wine and the like, and singing songs and words of praise and gratitude to Hashem.
 
We've discussed many times what so many Torah commentaries teach us, that our ultimate job in this world is to develop our emunah, our belief in Hashem. And although there are many things that a life of emunah will lead to, as we've been discussing on this daily inspiration, however, ultimately, perhaps the highest form of true emunah is when one reaches a state of complete joy and happiness. Although it is certainly a tremendous accomplishment when one has a difficult time in their life to reach out to Hashem and pray for things to change, and that is certainly a value which an emunah will lead to. However, perhaps even higher than that is when I stop thinking about my own life and needs and I'm just grateful for the fact that I have been chosen to have a personal relationship with Hashem. I have the opportunity every single day to learn Torah, which if we've learned any Torah sources about, one will understand very quickly, is the holiest of the holy. To fulfill Hashem's mitzvos, words cannot describe the tremendous opportunity that we have. And every single moment we have the opportunity to reach out to Hashem in our own words.
 
"Thank you Hashem for these tremendous days of Purim that You've given us the opportunity to experience. Days that all the gates of heaven are open, and we are able to reach the highest heights. Please Hashem, help me to take the energy of Purim with me to the rest of the year, to truly be able to internalize what a tremendous gift I have, that I have been chosen to serve You and tap into the holiness of what it means to have a personal relationship with You. Thank You so much, my Father, for the tremendous gift to be able to perform all Your mitzvos. Hashem, there are many things that I can take with me from Purim to the rest of the year, but perhaps one thing that I ask You in particular to help me, is Hashem, I know that the ultimate expression of emunah is to just be happy, because I trust that You will always only do what is best for me. And therefore Hashem, I ask You, please help me to be so grateful for the opportunity to have been chosen to perform this mitzvah, which as we've been taught, is more potent than anything in this world that I can even begin to imagine. Of course, I'm only going to be able to witness that in the next world, because this is the world of emunah, of belief. But help me, Hashem, to internalize that true emunah, that true belief.
 
And similarly, Hashem, in general in my life, even when I'm not actively performing a mitzvah, please help me to constantly be in a state of true joy and simcha, because if I trust that I am in Your hands, the Creator of the world, the One who has planned my life from beginning to end, already from the time of creation, and who has power over anything and everything, and is watching over every single step. I have so much reason to just sing and dance, even when things do not look rosy in my situation, because I do not live my life by what I see. I know that as the Gemara teaches, this world is an upside-down world. What we see is upside-down to what true reality is. But we are so privileged to have been given the gift of emunah, to trust and believe, that Hashem, everything that You do will always only be for my best."

550 - PURIM!!!

What a tremendous opportunity we have today to be experiencing the holiest day of the year, a time where all the gates of heaven are open. Let us make use of these 24 hours in the most potent way. Let us remind ourselves that Purim is a day that will never cease to exist because this is a day on par with the holiness of the future, a day so holy beyond even Yom Kippur and all the other tremendous festivals that we have in the Jewish calendar.
 
"Thank you Hashem for the tremendous privilege you've given me to be chosen to perform your mitzvos, so many mitzvos every single day, and in particular right now the tremendous mitzvos of Purim. But not only to perform them with the intricate details exactly as you've prescribed to us in your halacha, but also to do my best to perform them with true enthusiasm and joy and simcha. What a tremendous opportunity I have to be a Jew. Thank you Hashem for the tremendous opportunity to fulfill your mitzvos."
 
And the climax of Purim, as we've discussed, is that a person is obligated to get so happy and elated on Purim to the point that we don't know the difference anymore between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai. And a beautiful idea that the Nesivos Shalom brings from the Maharal is that there are three types of relationships. One type is our relationship with Hashem. The second type is our relationship with other people. And the third type is our relationship with ourselves. And on Purim, we are obligated to reach such a state of happiness where we don't know the difference anymore between the cursed is Haman times and the blessed is Mordechai times.
 
And as the Nesivos Shalom explains so beautifully, when it comes to our relationship with Hashem, sometimes Hashem sends us beautiful rosy times. Those are the times that are signified by blessed is Mordechai. And at other times, we endure tremendous suffering and hardships. And those times are signified by the cursed is Haman times. On Purim, we reach a state of such happiness and closeness to Hashem that it doesn't matter anymore, Hashem, whether You send me the greatest gifts in the world or the greatest suffering in the world. I love You so much, Hashem, with all my heart, because I know that You created this world just to give to me. And I trust, even when I can't see with my own eyes, that You will only do what is best for me. Thank You so much, Hashem. I love You so much. Thank You for all those times that You gave me all the money I needed. And thank You for all those times that I was so short of money. Thank You, Hashem, for all those amazing times with tremendous health. And thank You for all those times that I suffered from tremendous illness, because although I cannot see why that is good for me, but I trust that You will only do what is best for me.
 
And on Purim, we are also obligated to get so Livesumei that we don't know the difference between the blessed is Mordechai times and cursed is Haman times, with regards to our relationship with other people. Some people are in the category of blessed is Mordechai. You're such a good friend; You always do good for me. I love You so much. Whereas some people might be in the category of cursed is Haman. I really don't like You; I have many reasons why I don't feel good feelings towards You. On Purim, we are obligated just to be so happy and friendly to everybody around us, to not know the difference anymore whether someone is truly the closest friend or perhaps an enemy, because I just love everybody. I have a mitzvah of Ahavas Yisrael; I have a mitzvah to love all those around me. I love everybody to the highest degree; everybody is my best friend.
 
And thirdly, when it comes to my relationship with myself, there are times of blessed is Mordechai when things are going so well and I'm succeeding spiritually. I woke up today on time, I davened beautifully; I learned Torah; I gave charity; I dressed in a modest way, and I'm truly succeeding spiritually and I feel great at the end of the day that I'm so close to Hashem. And then there are other times of cursed is Haman where I didn't wake up on time; I missed davening; my Torah learning didn't exist today; I didn't dress in an ideal manner, and I might have committed other sins. And on Purim we reach a state of happiness that regardless of what we've done, of course usually if we have transgressed, we make our maximum effort to repent and for going forward, we do our best to only do mitzvos and stay away from aveiros, whilst at the same time on Purim we reach such a state of simcha that regardless of whether I'm feeling inspired and upbeat from how I've been succeeding spiritually, it's not about what I see and experience about myself but rather what I believe Hashem has taught me - that I am His precious child regardless of my actions, regardless of anything. This close relationship with Hashem can never be tainted.
 
"Hashem, my dear Father, please help me to internalize Your true perspective that although I am to make my maximum effort to do Your mitzvos and to do my best in the best way, whilst at the same time my personal relationship with You, the relationship of a parent and a child, can never be broken. And on this day, Purim, Hashem, help me to reach the true state of just being b'simcha and singing and dancing for the fact that I have a personal relationship with You and help me to love everyone around me and help me to love myself and Im Yirtzeh Hashem, Hashem, help me to take this energy not only for Purim but throughout the year. Thank you Hashem for the most incredible opportunity to be a Jew. Thank you Hashem for the most incredible opportunity to have the great and holy day of Purim." A Freilige Purim to everyone!

549 - Purim (Part-4)

What a tremendous privilege and opportunity each one of us has, that shortly we will be moving into a spiritual time period of the future. As we've been discussing, Torah commentaries teach that Purim is the holiest day of the year, to the point that all the other festivals will cease to exist in the future, because the holiness of the future will be so great that the holiness of the festivals will be diluted. Whereas Purim will be with us forever, because right now as we are about to move into this holy period of Purim, this is a time period of holiness on par of the holiness of the future. What a tremendous privilege each one of us has.
 
And as we've been discussing, seeing as our purpose in this world is to practice emunah, specifically belief, whether we understand or not, whether we connect or not, our starting point should always be to make our maximum effort to fulfill Hashem's commandments exactly as prescribed by Halacha. And in addition to that, to make our maximum effort to perform the mitzvos with true simcha and joy, appreciating the fact that we have been chosen to perform the holiest work in the true real world. After having read the Megillah and performing all the mitzvos of the day, Matanot L'evyonim, Mishloach Manot, and the like, we reach the Purim Seudah. And as we are taught by Torah commentaries, the climax of the Purim Seudah is the mitzvah of Livesumei.
 
We are taught by many Torah sources that to get drunk throughout the year is a tremendous sin because we are always supposed to be in control of ourselves to be able to serve Hashem to the best degree that we can. However, on Purim there is a specific mitzvah, Livesumei Bepuraya, to get drunk in the holiness of Purim itself. It is not the time and place now to discuss the laws of drinking on Purim, but rather we will be discussing now the real message and idea behind what it means Livesumei Bepuraya, and as the Gemara states, to the point that we are so ecstatic that we don't even know the difference anymore between Cursed is Haman and Blessed is Mordechai. What some Torah commentaries explain, Cursed is Haman refers to the times of our lives that are dark, that in a sense we curse them away because we wish they wouldn't have existed because of the pain and suffering, whereas the Blessed is Mordechai times in our lives refers to those happy and joyful times of bright lights and success.
 
On Purim we are obligated to reach a state of such closeness to Hashem that we begin to praise Hashem to the point that we cannot distinguish anymore between the times of Blessed is Mordechai and Cursed is Haman, meaning to say, whether things are smooth and happy in our lives, or whether things are the darkest times that we might begin to imagine, on Purim we are aiming to reach such an elated state that it makes no difference to us anymore whether we are experiencing bright times or dark times because we have emunah in Hashem. We trust that Hashem will always do what's best for us and even when times appear to be so dark, so painful, we trust that Hashem would only do that for our best.
 
Now throughout the year it is not always easy to remain with this perspective because when things are very difficult and we are undergoing sometimes tremendous forms of suffering, it is a real challenge to remember and remind ourselves that Hashem is truly in control and only created the world just to give to us and would only do what is best for us. But there is a special energy that we are all privy to experience on the holy day of Purim, where combined by the gift of the holiness of the Purim day itself, as well as our own efforts to truly connect with the holiness of Purim, we can reach the state of truly thanking and praising Hashem just for the fact that I am a Jew and I have the privilege to perform your mitzvos and have a personal relationship with Hashem.