TRANSFORM YOUR EMUNAH!

327 - Yissurim (Part-6)

Everybody understands that the ultimate destination of life is death. It is absolutely vital, therefore, to remind ourselves exactly what our purpose is on a moment-to-moment basis in this world. As discussed, many times, when dealing with any question, the way we will answer it depends on the perspective we take. And in the same way, the way we answer this question of why do I exist? What exactly am I supposed to be doing on a moment-to-moment basis in my life, a life which I know will ultimately lead to death at a maximum of 120 years? What is the absolute true perspective of the purpose of my life on a moment-to-moment basis? 
And as we've discussed many times, the Torah commentaries explain that Hashem created the world for one objective. He wanted to share His goodness with us. That is the only reason that Hashem decided to create the world - all of humankind and everything else that is contained within our universe. It is so important for us to remember Hashem's thought process in why He chose to create the world in the first place, because when we are experiencing an ordeal, to be able to have that perspective in mind, that Hashem only created me in the first place just because He wants to share His goodness with me, could help one to deal with their ordeal in a much healthier and more positive way. Of course, things can be painful regardless of our perspective, however, when we are able to keep the right perspective of why Hashem did create us, to share His goodness with us, it becomes so much easier to use the challenges that Hashem sends us as a ladder in order to climb higher in our emunah endeavor. 
Because when an individual is experiencing a challenge that has been sent to them by Hashem, one can either respond in a way that distances oneself further from Hashem, complaining, saying, “Hashem, why are You sending me this suffering? I've been trying for so long to find a marriage partner. Hashem, can You not see that I've been trying to do so many mitzvos? Why is it that so many of my friends are getting married and I seem to be the one being unable to find my marriage partner? It feels like You don't love me. How could You do this to me, Hashem? Why are You ignoring me?” Many times, the challenges that Hashem sends us can lead to bitter feelings which distance oneself from Hashem. But in truth, if we can keep the right perspective - Hashem did not need to create us; the only reason He created us is in order to share His goodness with us. And therefore, if He is sending us suffering and challenges, that is only because He wants to share more of His goodness with us. That is the only reason He created us. 
And if we are able to maintain this perspective, we are able to say, “Hashem, my loving Father, I know You love me and I love You too. I know that the only reason that You created me is because You want to share Your goodness with me. Thank You so much, my Father, for loving me and giving me the opportunity to experience Your goodness and kindness. Master of the universe, I am currently in tremendous pain. Many of my friends have already advanced on to being able to find their marriage partner. And as you know, I am struggling so much unsuccessfully. Hashem, I am in pain, and it's okay for me to feel pain because You made me a human being which does feel pain. At the same time, Hashem, I have emunah and believe that if You are sending me some form of suffering, it can only be for the good. And I trust You. Hashem, please send me my marriage partner. Thank You so much for sending me the suffering because I know that everything You do is only for my best.”

326 - Yissurim (Part-5)

We discussed the verse that teaches us one of the foundational ideas from the Torah, that we are to internalize that anything and everything that we might accomplish is always a gift in itself from Hashem in the first place, to have been given that opportunity to be able to accomplish. One of the reasons that we experience challenges where sometimes Hashem takes our ability away from being able to perform a certain act or achieve a certain accomplishment is because Hashem is reminding us how to have the true and correct perspective. When a person is accomplishing, I'm succeeding in my endeavor to give charity and help other people out. I'm trying my best to make those around me happy and smile. I'm successful in my Torah learning. I have an impeccable record of being super honest in all of my business endeavors and all situations where a person can consider themselves to be succeeding in their spiritual endeavors. Oftentimes one might be led to believe that due to their own efforts they have found such tremendous success. This can lead to feelings of arrogance and self-pride, which is one of the most serious transgressions in the Torah. 
The reason for that being is because when a person believes that they themselves are the source of their own blessing and successes, in a sense they are denying the existence of Hashem. We need to remember the many Torah sources that teach us that a person cannot lift a finger without Hashem first decreeing that to happen. So many times one of the reasons Hashem sends challenges and suffering to an individual in the form of that individual losing their ability to perform their acts of kindness and succeed spiritually in the way that they were previously able to, many times the reason for that is because Hashem is reminding us that the only reason we were able to perform those acts in the first place is because He sent us that blessing. Let's take for example a world-class piano player which is world famous for their ability to play the piano in a way almost nobody else can.
To remain humble in their situation is not an easy ordeal. Imagine for a second that this piano player would break a bone in their hand which would now prevent them from being able to play the piano anymore. Of course, we cannot claim to know Hashem's exact intentions in why He sends people what He does because Hashem is so much greater than us that we can never know His workings and reasons why He does things. But the commentaries do explain that sometimes one of the reasons Hashem might do such a thing is to humble the piano player, to remind him, “now you cannot play the piano.” And as a result of that the piano player can internalize that any time he did have the ability to be able to play the piano was always as a result of Hashem's blessing to him. And in one instant if Hashem takes away that blessing, one can no longer succeed in their endeavors.
It is so important to remind ourselves about the message of this verse. Anything and everything that we accomplish is always a gift that Hashem has given us that we are now giving back to Him. Of course, it is very commendable to use our successes and our blessings and opportunities in life to serve Hashem and use them meaningfully to perform mitzvos with the blessings Hashem has given us. However, another very fundamental principle to remember and internalize is that the only reason we are talented in whatever area we may be excelling in is because it is exclusively a gift from Hashem.

325 - Yissurim (Part-4)

The verse in Divrei Hayamim states, “Ki Mimcha Hakol umiyadecha natanu lach” - everything we have is from Hashem, and from your hand, Hashem, have we given back to you. This verse teaches us an incredible fundamental principle about our lives and all of our accomplishments. Hashem put us into a world where we are meant to make an effort and try to succeed in our endeavors and accomplishments. However, it is so vital to remember the advice and guidance from Hashem expressed in this verse, which states that anything and everything that we give back to Hashem is in actuality returning a gift that Hashem gave to us in the first place. So, let's say a person has been blessed with wealth, and they would like to use this blessing in service of Hashem, and they decide to perform many acts of charity, helping many people in a tremendous way. One in such a position might be led to feelings of pride at times.
This verse reminds us that if one has been given the blessing of wealth and is now using it to perform charity, of course that is a very commendable act, and they're passing the test of having been given wealth, because again, somebody could choose to use their wealth just for self-gratification and not to perform acts of charity. But this verse reminds us that even if somebody is performing acts of charity with their blessing, with their wealth, they nevertheless should remember at every moment, that the only reason they can perform this mitzvah is because Hashem gave them this blessing in the first place. And therefore, we ought to sing Hashem's praises in gratitude for allowing us to perform this mitzvah.
And in the same way, take an individual who's currently feeling very down, and I have the type of relationship with this individual that I might be able to help them feel more upbeat. The Gemara teaches us that it is a tremendous mitzvah to make other people happy. Let's say I'm successful in my endeavor, and I succeed in bringing a tremendous amount of light into this individual's life. Of course, that is an incredibly elevated and commendable act, because one could have chosen to ignore that individual and not taken responsibility to help out. However, at times, after helping someone else out, one might be led to feel feelings of self-pride, perhaps arrogance. And this verse is reminding us anything in the world that we are able to do is only because Hashem has blessed us with that blessing in the first place.
Let us take the opportunity every moment of our lives to capitalize on the opportunities that Hashem does send us with our blessings, to use them in the right ways in performance of our service of Hashem in helping other people in acts of kindness. And at the same time, let us internalize that any act of kindness that we are ever able to perform is in itself always a gift from Hashem in the first place. “Thank you, Hashem, for all the tremendous blessings that you've given me.”

324 - Yissurim (Part-3)

One of the main expressions of having emunah is to believe in life after death. It is well known in Torah teachings that after we depart from this world, there is an evaluation process in the next world which scrutinizes all of our actions and deeds from this world. Anything good that we did is recorded and recounted as well as anything bad that we did is recorded and recounted. We don't see this process taking place because it doesn't happen in this world. It is a process that takes place in the next world. So, without emunah, in a sense, one could be led to deny that such a thing takes place. But again, if we are living according to the principles of emunah, belief in Hashem, one of the basic expressions of emunah is to believe in the world to come, in the process that transpires after we depart from this world. 
The following story sheds some light on what it means to live with real emunah and how that can really affect our lives in this world in a positive way. There was an individual who passed on from this world. When they came to the next world, all of their mitzvos were put on the one side of the scale and there were many, many mitzvos. However, thereafter, the individual's sins from his life were also recounted and brought to the scale. And suddenly, the scale was tipping towards the side of sin. So, it was obvious to this individual that he was in trouble. However, suddenly, after first having counted the mitzvos and thereafter the sins, there were items that looked like mitzvos, going towards the side of mitzvos. And the man asked, what are those? I can see they are being grouped together with the mitzvos, however, I can also see that they're not mitzvos. He was told, those are yissurin. Those are the suffering that you endured during your life. 
Suffering and doing our best to respond with emunah through the suffering is parallel to the reward for mitzvos and sometimes even much more. When everything was placed on the scale, all in all, the side of sin had just one more than the other side. So unfortunately for this individual, his result was going to be negative. And he started shouting, please, more yissurin, send me more suffering. In the next world, everything is very clear. We would even wish for more suffering to transpire through our lives if we knew the true reward and result for that in the future. It's all about our perspective. When we remember to view life, suffering, challenges and whatever we may be going through through the eyes and lens of emunah, of faith, of believing sincerely that Hashem only does everything for the best, we will truly transform our experience of life.

323 - Yissurim (Part-2)

Many Torah sources teach the potent results that we obtain when Hashem sends us suffering and we respond in the right way. So, although we usually don't wish suffering upon ourselves or those around us, when suffering does come about, it is actually an opportunity Hashem is sending us to earn more points towards the next world - Olam Haba. On the one hand, many Torah sources highlight the great value of Yissurin - of suffering, to the point that sometimes only through suffering can we attain certain high levels in our spirituality, in our relationship with Hashem. As much as we strive to grow, sometimes only through the suffering can we get there. On the other hand, the Talmud elsewhere reports that some of the great sages in the times of the Talmud who were undergoing illness and suffering were asked the question, are you happy that you're going through the suffering or would you prefer to not have to go through the suffering and also miss out on the reward you will get for enduring the suffering and still living with Emunah? And the response by numerous Torah sages was, I would rather not have to suffer even though I'll miss out on the reward which is due for the suffering in the future. 
This Torah passage at first glance is seemingly difficult to understand because there are many Torah sources which highlight the tremendous value suffering has, sometimes greater than any mitzvah, any form of Torah learning, any form of prayer. Sometimes the suffering that a person endures and still responds with Emunah is greater and can bring us to a greater spiritual level with more reward due in the next world than anything else. Why then did these Torah sages respond that they would prefer to live without any challenges and they were even happy to forgo their due reward in the next world? These were not ordinary people. It was very real to them, the concept of the world to come, so it's difficult to understand why they would so easily give up something so powerful to earn them more points for their place in the next world. 
And the Maharal gives a beautiful answer on this Talmudic passage that sheds light on how we are to view the concept of suffering in this world. The Maharal explains that there is no question that experiencing Yissurin - suffering and nevertheless responding with Emunah, believing that it is all for the best, this approach is higher than any other form of service to Hashem. The reason these Rabbis in this Talmudic passage responded that they did not want the suffering was for the following reason: The Rabbis were expressing the point that when it comes to suffering, if one does not respond with Emunah, then sometimes one can actually be worse off than if they didn't suffer, because if one does not respond with Emunah, connecting to Hashem, believing that everything is for the best, then sometimes the suffering that we experience can actually move us further away from Hashem.
And therefore the Rabbis were expressing, we'd rather not have the challenge of Yissurin, of going through difficult times and challenges, even if we have to forego the potential benefit that one can gain for the next world, because we're worried we will not respond in the right way. Maybe we will be challenged and not respond with Emunah. We do not choose whether we should be challenged and which challenges will be presented to us. And perhaps one can pray that they shouldn't be challenged from Hashem, because we don't want to fail the test. However, when a person is already undergoing a challenge, the challenge is already there. I am currently experiencing Yesurin in whatever way that may be, we ought to remember that there is a tremendous opportunity. If we respond to the challenge with Emunah, this form of service to Hashem is higher than anything else.

322 - Yissurim (Part-1)

Life is full of challenges. Torah sources teach that usually a person's life has more challenges and difficult times than pleasant experiences. Challenges, also known as Yisurin in Torah literature, are clearly a fundamental aspect of HaShem's plan for our lives. Without Emunah there are no answers. With Emunah there are no questions. When a person is able to let go and rely on HaShem absolutely and sincerely, all the questions about all the hardships and difficult times I, people close to me and our nation as a whole have had to experience, all those questions in a sense fall away because I know my purpose in this world is not to know. My purpose in this world is specifically to believe when I don't know. So if I believe and trust and rely on HaShem, I have no questions. As dire as a situation may appear to be, if I am relying on HaShem in His hands. I can still live with absolute calm, happiness and really sail through the challenges successfully.
Why does HaShem send us Yisurin - challenges? There are many reasons, but ultimately the most correct answer is: I don't fully know, but I believe it's for the good. Again, basic, simple Emunah. With that Emunah I have no questions. However, there are Torah sources that shed some light on the concept of Yisurin, sometimes to help us seek inspiration to manage the challenges that arise through our lives. The Talmud recounts a story of four students, great rabbis unto themselves, who came to visit their rabbi who was ill and suffering. Each student offered words of encouragement to their rabbi. One student expressed, “rabbi, you're even greater than the sun.” Now the sun is something quite vital for this world. And he explained, because the sun helps us in this world, but you rabbi, you help us in this world and for the next world, so you're much greater. And the rabbi was not encouraged much by these words of his student. 
The next two students continued along similar lines of words of encouragement to their rabbi, and their rabbi similarly was not particularly encouraged by their words. However, when the one student, Rabbi Akiva, offered his words of encouragement, he said: Rabbi, there is nothing greater than suffering - Yisurin are precious. And with these words, the rabbi was comforted. The rabbi of Rabbi Akiva understood that although we don't wish suffering upon ourselves, when Hashem sends it to us, there is no greater gift in the world, because Hashem only does what is best for us. Remember, Hashem created us only to give to us, and therefore, when He decrees that we should suffer, there is no question that that will only bring good to us.

321 - Tests & Decisions (Part-8)

We've discussed that when facing decisions that we might have to make, one of the wisest things to do is to talk to Hashem and ask Him for guidance as to which way to turn in this situation, because as discussed many times, if I'm not able to humble myself, to realize that I am limited - I am susceptible to mistakes; I have vested interests; I have spiritual contamination - and it is very possible that even if it seems like this is the correct decision to make, I might very well be making a mistake. And therefore, it would be so advisable to ask Hashem for guidance. We all have the constant opportunity to talk to Hashem at every given moment in our own words, asking Him to guide us in the right way.
As mentioned, after having talked to Hashem and having asked Him to guide us in the right way, we now have to make a practical decision. In times of old, we might have had a prophet telling us with absolute certainty what Hashem's will was. Today, most of the time, we have to make a decision still in the dark. I do not know, ultimately, if I have made the right decision, but that is not my business. Hashem is the one who is in charge of that. My job is to make my maximum effort to do my best in making the correct decision.
We've mentioned before a powerful analogy which helps illustrate this concept. Imagine an emergency ward where there are numerous doctors, usually on call. One particular time, these doctors need to go away for a certain important meeting and are not able to be on call. And they bring in an alternative doctor and leave him with the instructions of how to look after the patients. But they warn the doctor in a staunch way, "while you are on call, things might be calm. If that is the case, then continue the evening as usual. However, if things do get dramatic and intense, please call for help, because if you don't, the situation will be too much for you, and even if you try your best, you might not be able to handle it." As the doctor approaches his shift, he feels motivated to have a successful evening. And as he starts the evening, things are calm. But as the evening progresses, one patient requires help, thereafter another patient requires some help, and soon there is turmoil and he is not managing so well on his own. But perhaps because of his arrogance, he does not opt to call for help, but he works super hard throughout the night. In fact, because of him, numerous patients' lives might have been saved, but unfortunately at the end of the evening, one patient died. And upon the regular doctors' return, they accuse the stand-in doctor of being a murderer. And although he tried his best - he worked super hard throughout his shift, nevertheless, he did not call for help when he needed to; because he was limited, his maximum capacity was not enough to take care of the situation. 
We need to humble ourselves that we, with our maximum capacities, are limited and prone to mistake and making the wrong decisions, and therefore, Hashem calls on us to talk to Him and ask Him for help. "Thank you Hashem for the constant opportunity to ask you for guidance in how to make decisions in my life."

320 - Tests & Decisions (Part-7)

When trying to make a decision and pass the tests that Hashem presents us, we've discussed that one of the most advisable things to do is to talk to Hashem and ask Him for guidance as to what would be the right perspective and response to this circumstance and situation. 
One might ask, even if I have davened to Hashem, asking for clarity, how do I know that after I have done so, I will be making the right decision? In times of old, we had prophets where one was able to go and seek guidance and know, as a matter of fact, that the conclusion that they would tell us and the guidance they would give us, was for sure Hashem's perspective and the right thing to do, even if it was counterintuitive. But seeing as we don't have prophecy anymore and we don't hear Hashem's voice in a vivid, apparent way, how can I be so certain, even after prayer, that this is truly what Hashem wants me to do? 
It is important to emphasize that the more we believe, the more we will pray, because there is quite a big difference between somebody who is choosing to invest 30 seconds into personal prayer, as opposed to another individual who might be investing 30 minutes into personal prayer, and somebody else who might be investing three hours into personal prayer. The more one is motivated to invest in terms of their time they are committing to praying to Hashem, because they are internalizing the belief that Hashem does exist and is listening to me, and therefore, rather than running around sometimes like a chicken without a head, trying to make the right decision, it would be much more advisable to go to the source of all, to Hashem, and ask Him, “show me the right direction.” 
Sometimes, when facing a decision, we could spend many hours thinking about it, researching the topic and speaking to other people, and coming out more confused, even after having invested many hours trying to find our solution. And other times, we seem to find clarity quite easily. Why is that? The true answer is not because we have amazing brains which are able to view the situation in the correct way and come up with the right answer. If we really internalize that ein od milvado – Hashem exclusively runs every minor detail in this world down to the last degree, we understand that Hashem is the one who puts the thoughts in our minds and gives us the feeling and intuition in our hearts. And therefore, the more we believe that Hashem is there running the show exclusively, the more time we will invest into our prayers before making decisions, and the more sincere we will be when making those prayers, even if we are not there today. It is very valid and commendable to say, “Hashem, I want to believe that You are completely running the show, but I just don't feel that emunah yet. Please, Hashem, can You help me reach a situation where I am able to see and feel the truth that rather than running around like a chicken without a head sometimes, I will rather choose to spend more time asking You for clarity and guidance.” 
And after having prayed to Hashem within our maximum capacity, doing the best that we can, how do I know that thereafter what I will choose to do will be the right decision? And the answer is, I do not know. I cannot know in this world. The whole point of this world is to experience different circumstances and situations and have the opportunity to make a choice, sometimes the right choice, sometimes the wrong choice, and very often, perhaps most of the time, we do not even know if we are choosing right. In the next world, we will see if we have chosen right. But in this world, that is not our job; that is Hashem's job. Our job is to make our maximum effort, to try our best. 
Different perspectives will define what it means to try one's best in different ways. We want to follow Hashem's perspective. And what can be greater than asking Hashem Himself with true sincerity to guide me. “Hashem, please guide me to make my decision in the correct way based on Your perspective.”

319 - Tests & Decisions (Part-6)

We've been talking about the fundamental idea discussed by many Torah authorities that Hashem created this world ultimately in order to test us, to give us the opportunity to pass the tests that He presents us, thereby earning our place in the world to come. We've discussed many times that if we make decisions just based on our logic, we are susceptible to making the wrong decisions because of our limitations and ability to make mistakes. In addition to the way we are limited, such as mistakes that we might make in our calculations, or a vested interest that we might have that will lead us to a certain mode of thought and direction, it is also important for us to internalize and humble ourselves to what the Torah teaches us about the concept of timtum haleiv.
Timtum haleiv means the spiritual contamination of one's heart. And the more we are spiritually contaminated from the effect of certain sins that we might have committed, the less we are able to view the world out of Hashem's lens. When we make decisions, if we are using our own mode of thought and logic, even if we are sure we are not doing so out of vested interests, and we are 100% sure that we are absolutely unmistaken, we might have some timtum haleiv, some spiritual contamination to our soul where we are now not able to view the situation out of the correct lens.
So just going ahead and making the decision without talking to Hashem, asking Him for His clarity and guidance, could lead us, God forbid, to make that decision from a place of spiritual contamination. We are so privileged to have the opportunity to talk to Hashem every single day, at every single moment, for no fee. We have the opportunity to ask Hashem for clarity, to guide us based on His perspective, the only absolute correct perspective which is completely uncontaminated spiritually.
Our job is to internalize more and more the belief that Hashem is listening to what we are saying, and when we talk to Him, it makes a difference. It is interesting to note that sometimes an idea just pops into our head, sometimes it is apparent that it was a sudden flash of light, but at other times we just changed mode of thought and course of action and we almost can't explain what inspired us to change our thought process and now move forward in a different direction than we previously intended to. An emunah approach teaches us that Hashem is Ein Od Milvado, there is nothing else in the world except for Hashem, and any thought that I have is because Hashem is putting that thought into my brain. When I talk to Hashem and I ask Him to guide me to the right mode of thought, then those thoughts that He will send me will be the ones that are Hashem's perspective. 
“Hashem, my Father, I am trying so much to grow in my emunah, my belief that You are absolutely and completely involved in every single detail of my life. I really want to believe sincerely that You hear every word that I say, and the thoughts that I have are only as a result of You deciding to put those thoughts into my head, and therefore Hashem, I ask You, please will You help me to internalize the emunah, the belief that there is nothing more in the world that can help me than You exclusively, and the wisest thing for me to do when making my decisions would be to talk to You and ask You to guide me and thereafter I know and trust that You will direct me in the right direction.
At the same time, Hashem, the normal way of the world is not to work in this way. People usually rely on their own cunning and logic to make decisions, and everything around me seems to dictate to do so, and in fact it is quite difficult to believe that talking to You and asking You to help me is a wise course, because I don't see You and I don't hear You, and very often even after I do talk to You, I still don't have clarity as to what to do. But Hashem, please help me to follow the Torah's perspective and grow in my belief that You exclusively are the One who has always guided me, who is guiding me, and always will guide me in the right direction.”

318 - Tests & Decisions (Part-5)

Let's consider the following case again. I currently have a respectable job, however my family does struggle financially. I am offered an alternative job opportunity where I would now receive double the salary and be relieved of my financial pressure, but I would be required to work one month from home and one month overseas, away from my family. Would it be right for me to pursue this opportunity? There is no objectively right answer. For some individuals, it would be absolutely right to take this job opportunity, and for other individuals, it would be absolutely wrong to take this job opportunity. How do I make my decision? What's important to realize when making this decision is, is it coming from the right place? 
Let's say I really dislike traveling and being away from my home environment. It could be that the right thing for me to do would be to take this job opportunity, but because of my discomfort of being away from home, my logic starts to dictate to me why it would be better to not take this job opportunity and why it is wrong to be away from my family every second month. And conversely, let's say I love traveling and therefore the idea of traveling every second month excites me tremendously. It very well could be that in my situation and for my family circumstances, to be away from home for long periods might be detrimental to my family and outweigh the financial gain and the removal of financial pressure, but because of my excitement to travel, my logic starts to dictate why it is the right thing for me to take this opportunity and it would be wrong for me to turn it down.
Sometimes our logic is correct and in line with Hashem's approach, but many a time we have vested interests and because of the powerful brains that Hashem has given us, we can convince ourselves of many things even when they are not the ideal course that Hashem would have wanted us to choose. And therefore, the most advisable thing to do before making any decision, especially bigger decisions that will impact our lives significantly depending on what we choose, is to take the advice of what the Torah teaches us in many places, to talk to Hashem and ask Him what is the right thing to do. 
“Hashem, thank You so much for sending me this new job opportunity where potentially I could be relieved of my financial stress. I don't know if the right thing here is for me to take this opportunity that You've given me as a gift, maybe just to relieve me and my family from the financial stress that we are going through. However, it also could very well be, Hashem, that You are sending me a test because I know that the whole point of this world is to be tested. And it might be that although it is enticing to take this job opportunity which would relieve the financial pressure tremendously, nevertheless, being away from my family for long periods could bring about new complications, and I don't know if this is right for me. Hashem, You know the ins and outs of how I work and how my family works, and all other things I don't even know how to mention because they are so complex. And therefore, Hashem, I ask You with all my heart, please guide me to make the right decision.”
The more we believe in Hashem, the more we will invest in talking to Him. If we sincerely believe He is listening, we might not settle on 30 seconds of a small conversation with Hashem, but rather devote 30 minutes or perhaps longer in asking Hashem for clarity and guidance in this situation. Many times, the reason that we are not particularly motivated to talk to Hashem, especially for longer periods, is because we don't hear Hashem, nor see Hashem, and therefore, it is hard to believe that He is actually listening to what I am saying. But we who are working on internalizing our life's mission, emunah, internalizing the belief that Hashem does exist, does listen to me, can help me, wants to help me, the more we grow in our belief that Hashem is there, the more we will be dedicated in talking to Him and asking Him to guide us in making what will truly be for our best.