TRANSFORM YOUR EMUNAH!

166 - Chol Hamoed (Part-2)

We've discussed how following Hashem's mitzvos in this world is one of the potent ways we earn our share in the next world. We also have discussed that one who believes in Hashem and His mitzvos truthfully will make their maximum effort to perform the mitzvos with their intricate details exactly as Hashem has prescribed, because if this is what He says to do, this is what we ought to do. 
We have this tremendous opportunity during Chol Moed to fulfill the mitzvos as Hashem has prescribed. We discussed the Mishnah which mentions that one who does not honour Chol Moed in the right way, they forfeit their portion in the next world. And as the Torah commentaries explained, that refers to one who does forbidden forms of work during Chol Moed, or alternatively, one who does not eat and drink in a similar way to how one would honour Shabbos and Yom Tov with Shabbos and Yom Tov meals. 
Now again, one may say, well I haven't yet learnt all of the laws of Chol Moed, so does that mean I don't have a portion in the next world? God forbid. Hashem does not expect us to do anything beyond our maximum capacity. If we have not yet had the opportunity to learn the laws of Chol Moed, or even if we have, but we make a mistake, remember, Hashem created us only to give to us, He is not there to catch us out. Our job is to make our maximum effort to do our best in learning the laws of Chol Moed and do our best in fulfilling the mitzvahs, doing what we are supposed to do and not doing what we are not supposed to do. But if we try our best and still get it wrong, either because we made a mistake or because we haven't yet had the opportunity to learn all of the intricate details, Hashem sees our efforts and that's what will count. 
In terms of the mitzvah of Chol Moed itself, the Gemara says further that one who disgraces the festivals is comparable to an idol worshipper. And again, the commentaries explain that this refers to one who performs forbidden forms of work during the days of Chol Moed, they're comparable to an idol worshipper. Why? What is so bad? I still believe in Hashem, I'm performing many other mitzvahs, I'm just maybe not treating Chol Moed as I am supposed to. Why is the Mishna and the Gemara, which is Hashem's voice, seemingly being so strict with us if we don't treat Chol Moed in the right way, to tell us that we may forfeit our portion in the next world as well as being compared to an idol worshipper? These are very strong words. 
And the answer to this question, why the consequences of Chol Moed are so strict, is as the Gemara tells us, that the reason for the days of Chol Moed ultimately are to give us the opportunity to celebrate the festival together with Hashem by having festive meals, by not doing forbidden forms of labor, thereby giving us an opportunity to have more time to learn Torah, to connect with Hashem, to have more time in our personal relationship with Hashem.
As the Maharal explains, if Hashem's whole intention in giving us the days of Chol Moed is in order to give us an opportunity to forge a close relationship with Him, if God forbid somebody is to ignore this precious time and become busy with other things instead of focusing on building their relationship with Hashem, that is similar to slapping Hashem in the face and saying, "You're not my God, I don't want a personal relationship with You." And that is why the Gemara is so strict and says that if one disgraces the days of Chol Moed, they are comparable to an idol worshipper, and the Mishnah teaches us that if one disgraces the days of Chol Moed, not according to its due honor, they forfeit their portion in the world to come. 
May we all capitalize on the opportunity of these tremendous days to build a close relationship with Hashem by having festive meals, by using the extra time that we have to learn Torah, to build our personal relationship with Hashem by talking to Him, perhaps with the extra time that we have, more than usual. May we all merit a Chag Sameach!

165 - Chol Hamoed (Part-1)

Let us not forget that the only reason Hashem created us is in order to share His goodness with us. We will ultimately experience that goodness in the next world, and the way to earn that goodness in the next world is by the things we do in this world. We've discussed that the most potent thing we can focus on in this world, as discussed by the Torah commentaries, is to build our emunah and bitachon.
One very potent way of expressing our belief in Hashem, our emunah and bitachon in Hashem, is by following His mitzvot. When we follow Hashem's mitzvot, we're showing that we believe that He exists, we believe that what He commanded us is the ideal way when we perform Hashem's mitzvot. We are thereby expressing our emunah, our belief in Hashem, that Hashem exists and Hashem is the one who commanded us to do these things, and that being the case, we will do so.
And in the same way, the details, and sometimes very intricate details, that are involved in the performance of each of the mitzvot, if that is the way the Torah authorities have prescribed the mitzvot to be followed, that is ultimately the way Hashem wants us to fulfill the mitzvot, and the more we believe in Him, the more we will be careful to fulfill the mitzvot exactly as Hashem has prescribed us to do in all the intricate details. 
We have right now the most incredible opportunity to be celebrating the days of Chol HaMoed. All of the mitzvot are important, and as the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos teaches, one can never know which mitzvah is bigger than another. And therefore, we are to treat all the mitzvot with tremendous importance and do our best to fulfill them all in all the intricate details, thereby expressing our belief, our emunah in Hashem. Although all of the mitzvot are of paramount importance, one sometimes gets a feeling of a certain importance that Hashem shines upon certain mitzvot.
Let's explore the mitzvah of Chol HaMoed to try and appreciate the tremendous opportunity we have during these days. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos says that one who disgraces the festivals, even if he possesses the merit of Torah and good deeds, he does not receive a portion in the world to come. The commentaries explain that this Mishnah refers to somebody who disgraces the days of Chol HaMoed by doing one of two things, either by doing forbidden forms of work during these days, or alternatively, by eating and drinking as if it's a regular weekday as opposed to a more lavish, respectable meal similar to Shabbos and Yom Tov.
These are very strong words. All of the mitzvahs are important, but when the Torah is teaching us that somebody who does not treat Chol HaMoed in the right way, they forfeit their portion in the next world, that gives us an indication that the days of Chol HaMoed are extremely important in Hashem's eyes. We will explore, b'ezrat Hashem, perhaps some of the reasons why these days may be so important.
But again, the bottom line is, if Hashem says that these days are important to the point that if we don't treat them in the right way, we could, God forbid, forfeit our portion in Olam HaBa. If we believe in Hashem, we take those words seriously and make our maximum effort to treat Chol HaMoed in the right way. So based on this Mishnah, step number one is to do our best to learn about the laws of Chol HaMoed and to try to follow them as best as we can. And secondly, to make an effort to eat and drink during these days in a similar way to how we do on Shabbos and Yom Tov, to show that we are celebrating the days of Chol HaMoed together with Hashem.

164 - Sukkos

We mentioned that the halacha outlines that when we sit in a sukkah on sukkos, we are supposed to recall the miracle of the exodus of Egypt and also the miracle of the clouds of glory that accompanied us throughout our journey in the desert. It's important to internalize that fulfilling the mitzvahs in their proper form, including all of their intricacies, makes all the difference. 
If we are to see two people sitting in the sukkah, the one might just be sitting there because it happens to be comfortable and that's where everybody else happens to be, whereas the other person might be making an active effort to recall the miracles of the exodus of Egypt and the clouds of glory. These two people are fulfilling two completely different mitzvos. There is a concept in halacha called mitzvos tzrichos kavana, which means that when one performs a mitzvah, one is obligated to have the required intention as outlined by halacha. Sometimes one does not even fulfill the mitzvah if one does not have the required intention.
What's important for us to internalize is that it's easier to relate to the practical application of intricacies that might be required by halacha. But when it comes to requirements that are just based on our intention, it is more difficult to relate to. This leads us back to the starting point of what we've learned many times, that our main focus in this world and ultimately the foundation of the whole Torah and the reason for all of the mitzvahs is emunah, is to believe. We need to believe that if Hashem told us to have a certain intention and only by doing so can we fulfill the mitzvah in the right way, then having that intention is of paramount importance. 
As we are about to move into Zman Simchaseinu, the festival of joy, and we have the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of being in a sukkah, let us remember that in Torah literature, the sukkah is called Tzila Dimeheimenusa, the shade of emunah. Throughout the year, we are always trying to make great efforts to grow in our emunah because again, as we've learned many times, this is ultimately our main focus whilst alive in this world. However, obviously we can understand that it's not going to be an easy endeavor to grow with sincere emunah. And although one can learn the concepts of emunah as a logical system relatively easily, our life's work is to internalize those concepts, not just knowing them, but sincerely feeling, meaning, and internalizing them. And that, being our life's work, can sometimes be quite a difficult ordeal.
We are so privileged to have these days now of sukkos, where as we enter the sukkah, we are actually entering into a place of emunah. Every moment we spend in the sukkah is considered a mitzvah, and let us take to heart that every moment we remain in the sukkah throughout the days of sukkos is another spiritual dose of emunah for our souls. 
"Master of the universe, thank you so much for bringing me to the opportunity of another sukkos in my life. Thank you for teaching me that this is a particular time of joy where we are called on to rejoice together with you. Thank you, Hashem, for teaching me that fulfilling your mitzvahs with all the intricacies is of paramount importance, and not only when there are intricacies of practical form, but also the intention that we have and the thoughts that we have when we fulfill the mitzvah. Please, Hashem, help me this sukkos, when I sit in a sukkah, to remember that by doing so I am commemorating the exodus of Egypt and also the clouds of glory that accompanied the Jewish people throughout their travels.
Hashem, throughout the year I am really making an effort to try and grow in emunah, but as you know, it's not always so easy. Thank you, Hashem, for gifting us with this tremendous mitzvah of sukkah, the tzila dimeheimenusa, the shade of your emunah, where every moment that I dwell in the sukkah, I am fulfilling a mitzvah that will be with me eternally. Thank you, Hashem, also for gifting me with the tremendous opportunity to have a boost of emunah with each moment that I dwell in the sukkah." 
Wishing everybody a Chag Sameach!

163 - In The Clouds

The festival of Sukkos in Torah literature is called Zman Simchaseinu, the time of our rejoicing. After we have been through the spiritual detox of the holy day of Yom Kippur and we have removed many of the barriers that were separating us from having a close and intimate relationship with Hashem, we now move to days of rejoicing where our focus is to display feelings of appreciation, gratitude, happiness and joy for all the gifts and blessings that we have.
Hashem has gifted us with the tremendous opportunity of fulfilling the great and holy mitzvah of sitting in a sukkah throughout the days of Sukkos. And as Halacha outlines, when we sit in a sukkah we are meant to recall two miracles that Hashem did for us in previous generations. Firstly, we are to remember that we used to be slaves in Egypt and Hashem took us out of the Egyptian slavery with tremendous miracles. And secondly, we are to recall that after the exodus from Egypt, whilst we were traveling in the desert, we were constantly surrounded by the Anenei Hakavod, the clouds of glory. Wherever we would travel, we would have seven clouds protecting us from the dangers and discomforts such as when it would be too hot, too cold, the rain, dangerous animals and creatures, and ditches and other things in the road that could pose a danger to us, these miraculous clouds of glory would constantly accompany us in an obvious, miraculous manner.
And when we sit in a sukkah, one of our main focuses is to recall the miracle of the clouds of glory and to remember that although we experienced many difficult times throughout the Egyptian slavery, and many times it appeared as if Hashem was not there, however in the end Hashem took us out of the Egyptian slavery and did so specifically in a miraculous manner with many miracles, one of them being the great miracle of the clouds of glory which would surround us and protect us and make sure that we were comfortable. 
Rav Desler and many others point out that the Jewish calendar is not a series of events that we celebrate or recall because of our tradition, but rather it's as if the Jewish calendar is a circuit and we travel through the calendar every year. So when the time of sukkahs comes, although we don't see and experience the clouds of glory like they used to have in times of old, by us sitting in the sukkah and remembering this miracle, we have the opportunity to tap into this energy.
Imagine for a moment traveling and having miraculous clouds around you, guiding you, protecting you, making you comfortable, and knowing that that is all Hashem is doing. That would certainly build intimate feelings of love for Hashem. And although we don't actually witness those clouds of glory today, but as we are taught, when we go through that time zone in the Jewish calendar, we have the opportunity to tap into that energy.
"Thank you Hashem for the incredible opportunity to have the holy days of sukkahs to celebrate together with you and tap into this tremendous energy of closeness in our intimate relationship."

162 - Kindest Calendar

As we've discussed many times, Hashem's sole intention of creating us was for us to earn our place in the next world, where there we will receive our due reward beyond anything that we can ever imagine for eternity. Hashem designed this world in a way where we have the opportunity to choose either good and earn points for ourselves, or alternatively the opposite, to choose bad and dirty our scorecard. 
Hashem knows that we are only human beings and that we are programmed in a way that we will mess up. However, in His great kindness, He gave us the gift of teshuva, which as Torah sources teach us, when one does teshuva, one can firstly remove the stains and dirt from their scorecard, and not only that, but as the Gemara teaches, the aveiros can actually turn into mitzvos when one does teshuva in the ideal way. 
Of course we are not always motivated to even think about trying to rectify what we've done wrong, but in Hashem's great kindness, He programmed our calendar in a way that is conducive for us to constantly be coming closer, starting from the beginning of the month of Elul, where the shofar is blown every day after the morning services, selichos are recited, as well as other additional prayers and practices. And after this month of focus on our teshuva and coming closer to Hashem, it finally culminates with the great holy day of Rosh Hashanah, where we focus on truly declaring Hashem as the King, as the only power in the world, as the true Ein Od Milvado, that there is no circumstance or individual that can in any way contribute to the goings-on in my life, but rather, Hashem exclusively runs every detail to my life.
And after Rosh Hashanah we move to the Asseres Yemei Teshuvah, where again the focus is very concentrated on teshuva, on coming closer to Hashem, and eventually culminating with the holy day of Yom Kippur. And as we are taught, after the day of Yom Kippur, we are cleansed from our sins. 
These days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot are considered days of simcha. One of the reasons is because we are all walking around now, cleansed of our sins. Although we have a constant opportunity to do teshuva, and one is always encouraged to make efforts in doing teshuva and coming closer to Hashem, nevertheless, we are taught from Torah sources that the day of Yom Kippur itself is so powerful in the spiritual realms that there is a certain power that will cleanse our sins just by the holiness of the day itself. Of course we are commanded to make our maximum effort in doing teshuva ourselves, but there is no question that the power of Yom Kippur is beyond anything that we can imagine.
"Thank you, Hashem, for all the incredible holy days that You have gifted us with in the Jewish calendar. If it were left up to me, much of the time I am not inspired not to do teshuva, not to make a particular effort to come closer to You, nor any of the other efforts that I am supposed to make and that are conducive to my eternity. Thank you, Hashem, for all the special days that You have gifted us with. And thank you, Hashem, for the gift of every single day of life."

161 - The Very First Question

The Gemara states that the first question we are asked when we arrive in the heavenly court is, "did you give and take with faith?" The simple understanding of this passage as explained by the commentaries is that it refers to one's business dealings. Throughout one's life, did one perform their business dealings with absolute honesty? We are taught that in the next world, there is no concept of untruth. Everything is seen very clearly and therefore every action is scrutinized in terms of our honesty levels.
The commentaries also explain this passage in the following way - "did you go about your life with emunah?" It is not surprising that the first question we will be asked according to this explanation is, "did you live your life by the values of emunah", because as we've seen many times, the Ramban writes the only reason that we exist in this world is in order to have emunah and he says there is no other reason for us being in this world. And the Vilna Gaon writes that the reason for every mitzvah that we fulfill is in order to come to have emunah and that is the cornerstone behind the whole entire Torah. We devote our lives to the learning of Torah and fulfilling of the mitzvahs, ultimately as we are taught, it is all in order to come to have emunah. And therefore it's easy to understand why the very first question would be, "did you live your life according to the values of emunah." 
Remember Torah commentaries teach that although internalizing the values of emunah intellectually is itself a major achievement and definitely the first step, nevertheless our major life's work is taking the intellectual information and transforming it into our emotions and sincerely living practically according to the values of emunah and bitachon. It's important to emphasize that this is the first question that we will be asked and both of the explanations that were cited are ultimately one and the same. 
The first explanation which is that we will be asked and scrutinized about our honesty in business dealings. Now of course we can all understand that one should never steal or be dishonest with anybody, but why does this transgression of being dishonest have so much weight that it is the very first question that is asked in the heavenly courts? And the answer is because when one is dishonest in business what they are really saying is the following: "Hashem does not exist, I run my business and I need to make money and because I'm now running into an issue where it seems like I'm going to be short of money. I need to do some sort of trickery and use my cunning to be able to gain more money, therefore let me cheat this individual and be dishonest in order to be able to have my parnassah."" 
Whereas when somebody is living by the values of emunah and bitachon one is not enticed, God forbid, to steal or be dishonest even in the slightest way because one knows that every single cent that I will receive today was already ordained by Hashem on Rosh Hashanah and no circumstance or individual can even slightly alter Hashem's plans and Hashem Himself has commanded me as a great mitzvah to be completely honest at all times and certainly not to steal and therefore there is absolutely no need for me to even think about being dishonest in the slightest way.
"Thank you Hashem for teaching me to prepare myself to be able to answer the very first question that I will be asked when I arrive in the heavenly courts. B'ezrat Hashem I will be able to answer affirmatively and say, yes I was successful in living a life of true emunah."

160 - Yom Kippur

"Master of the Universe, thank you so much for bringing me to this most incredible day, Erev Yom Kippur. Today is a tremendously happy day because I am about to be cleansed from any and all of my sins, b'ezrat Hashem, and that is a tremendous cause for celebration. The way you have designed this world, Hashem, is that when I do transgress, those sins cause a barrier in our relationship. And therefore it's such a joyful time, the happiest day of the year, where we're going to come back to be so close and intimate together, the greatest pleasure that can exist, both in this world and also the reward that will be received for this in the next world. 
Hashem, please help me to internalize the emunah of what the Gemara says, that there is a mitzvah to eat and drink today, and by doing so, it's as if I've fasted today in addition to tomorrow, Yom Kippur. I'm eating the food now today, as you've instructed us by your halacha, so that I should have the energy to be able to fast over Yom Kippur. And you have also taught us via your Torah commentaries that we are eating now because we are delighted, celebrating that we are coming to this tremendously holy day where you forgive us for our sins and therefore the eating and drinking today is in place of the festive meal that would have been eaten on Yom Kippur itself, the happiest day of the year. 
However, Master of the Universe, a huge part of the forgiveness that is granted over Yom Kippur includes us playing our role in doing sincere teshuva, begging you for forgiveness for our sins and doing our best to commit about the future. And I am concerned, Hashem, I don't know how much concentration I am going to be able to have, especially because I'm going to be fasting and sometimes the prayers take quite a long time and it's difficult for me to focus on the words and mean what I'm saying. Please, Hashem, I'm asking you now to help me to do a sincere teshuva. Help me, Hashem, to be able to perform the mitzvah of teshuva with tremendous simcha, with tremendous joy, just like all your other mitzvahs that I'm supposed to perform with joy, so too the mitzvah of repentance, it is your will that I repent with tremendous joy and enthusiasm. 
Hashem, I'm so sorry for all the times that I was jealous of other individuals. Hashem, I'm so sorry for all the times that I caused another individual pain, willingly or even unwillingly sometimes."
Immediately after Yom Kippur, after we dance Leshana Habaa Birushalayim, we immediately start with the prayer of Maariv, which starts with the words Vehu Rachum Yechaper Avon - may Hashem forgive our sins. And as famously asked, what sins do we have? We've just been forgiven for all of our sins. And as famously answered, the sin that we have just committed that we are now asking to be forgiven for is that we didn't fully believe that we were forgiven for our sins. That is a sin. If Hashem teaches us in His Torah sources that we are forgiven completely on Yom Kippur for our averes, we need to internalize that belief and we come out with a clean slate.
"Master of the Universe, please help me to internalize the truth of this holy day that You sincerely are forgiving me for anything I might have done against Your will. I am going to do my best and I'm asking You to help me to please do my best to repent in the right way, to make new commitments about the future, that I can be better, that I can do less averes and more mitzvahs, and I will do my best to specify to You how I can improve. Please Hashem, help me to be able to connect with You through this Yom Kippur.
Please help me, Hashem, to internalize and remember that there is always a space for anyone and everyone to repent. It doesn't matter what has been done and it is never ever too late to remember the greatest transgression of all is when we don't allow ourselves a space to repent, but we think that all is lost. There is never a place where repentance cannot help. mMay we all merit a Gemar Chassima Tova and be written and sealed for a happy and healthy year with all the blessings in the world. Leshana Habaa Birushalayim."

159 - Teshuvah

As we approach the great day of atonement and we prepare ourselves to be completely cleansed, now is the time to do some serious introspection and think deeply where we might have gone wrong and how we're going to go about rectifying that. Hashem understands that we're human beings limited by our human capacities with evil inclinations to sin. Hashem does not expect us to be sin-free and therefore He has gifted us with this tremendous gift of teshuvah where we have the opportunity to think what we have done wrong and do our best to rectify it by doing our best and committing to improve for the future. When an outright transgression is in question, which is relevant to all of us, of course the first step is rectifying the transgression itself. 
"Hashem, I'm so sorry for using these eyes that you've given me such an incredible gift sometimes in an inappropriate manner. There were times that I viewed inappropriate things which are prohibited. Please forgive me for committing this transgression and please help me in the future, Hashem, to be able to appreciate that these eyes are a tremendous gift from you and never to use them to go against your will, God forbid, ever again. From my side, I'm going to make an extra effort to follow the halacha as the Gemara says that when I have two different roads to take to get to a certain destination and on the one road there is inappropriate material to potentially be viewed and the one there is not, even though it might be longer, I am required to take the longer route to avoid potentially coming to sin. In the future, Hashem, I'm going to try to be more careful even if it means taking longer to do my best to avoid sin. But Hashem, you know how hard this area is for me, so I'm begging you, please can you help me."
Another very important area where teshuva can be applicable and we can do our best to make change is that when it comes to all mitzvos, of course the performance of the mitzvah in the ideal way following the intricate details as prescribed by halacha is of paramount importance and definitely step number one. However, sometimes the second aspect of mitzvos is forgotten. The Arizal teaches that a mitzvah that is fulfilled with simcha, with joy and happiness compared to the same mitzvah that is fulfilled without joy and happiness are two different mitzvahs completely worlds apart. Let us take a few moments now to try be mindful to perhaps choose one mitzvah that we will do with utmost simcha, joy and enthusiasm. 
"Hashem, please help me to internalize this belief that even though I don't experience the difference in a mitzvah done with simcha as opposed to a mitzvah done without simcha, help me to believe that they are completely worlds apart. Please Hashem, forgive me for all the times I did perform your mitzvahs, but I did so without enthusiasm. When I performed the mitzvah of washing my hands upon waking up in the morning, davening the prescribed prayers, giving charity, honoring my father and mother, I'm so sorry Hashem that most of the time when I did fulfill those mitzvahs, I usually performed them more out of rote and certainly not with a lot of enthusiasm and joy. Hashem, when I perform the mitzvah of washing my hands in the morning from tomorrow, bli neder, I'm going to try my best to just take a moment to reflect before I do so and try my best to do so with tremendous joy and enthusiasm. Thank you Hashem for all your incredible mitzvahs and the gift to be able to perform your mitzvahs with simcha."

158 - Stepping It Up

As we approach the holy day of Yom Kippur, the day that we are taught can completely clear our slate, a day where we can come out of it considered to be complete tzaddikim, one might not always be motivated to devote hours of prayer with concentration and fervor and also now in the days before, making every effort to rectify our transgressions. But as always, when we follow the path of Emunah, whether we are motivated or not is not the engine of why we do things, but rather because we believe in the information that Hashem has given us through His Torah, that is the motivating factor for us to act in the right way and to make the most of the moment. 
One of the basic purposes for our need to do teshuvah is because as we've learned many times, the ultimate purpose that Hashem created the world, which He didn't need to do in the first place, was in order that we bask in His light and derive pleasure in an unimaginable way, much greater than anything we can even begin to comprehend. And as discussed many times, that pleasure is experienced in the next world. By doing teshuvah in this world now, we are making way for ourselves to earn the best place that we can for eternity. 
Just to gain slightly more appreciation of what the reward awaiting for us in the next world might entail, it's encouraging to discuss the following teaching. There is a story in Tanach about the very wicked man, Nevuchadnetzar. Initially, Nevuchadnetzar was the secretary of another king who had communication with the king of Israel. 
One time, this king was writing a letter to the king of Israel about a particular matter. And the way he addressed the letter was as follows: "To the king of Israel and to the God of Israel", first listing the king of Israel and thereafter the God of Israel. The secretary, Nevuchadnetzar, happened to be away at the time that this letter was written. But he happened to arrive back just as the letter was being taken to be delivered. And when the secretary, Nevuchadnetzar, saw the way the letter was written, he turned around to the king and said, this is incorrect. The way you should have addressed the letter should have been, "To the God of Israel and to the king of Israel", first listing the name of their God and only thereafter the name of their human king. And the king said to his secretary, Nevuchadnetzar, "you're right, go and make that change and thereafter deliver the letter in its changed form."
Nevuchadnetzar took four steps to go get the letter and make the change. And as a reward for taking four steps to save the glory of Hashem, he was rewarded with leadership over the entire world, as we know, one of the most powerful kings of all time. Because Nevuchadnetzar was so tremendously wicked, Hashem did not want him to have any place in the next world, and therefore, he needed to receive his complete reward in this world. Because every good deed that we commit is noticed by Hashem and accounted for, without exception. No less than authority and leadership over the entire world was the reward of a man taking just four steps for the glory of Hashem.
Can you imagine when a person takes a hundred steps to go do a mitzvah, or alternatively the performance of the mitzvah itself? We have no concept of how great the reward awaiting for us in the next world is. But of course, in this world, we need to just believe that. "Please, Hashem, help me to truly repent for anything I might have done against Your will, so that, Be'ezrat Hashem, when I come to the next world, I can enjoy the full measure of reward and pleasure that You have in store for me."

157 - Every Second Counts

We have been discussing how the greatest gift, greater than any and all miracles in the world, is the gift of life itself. And as we learned from the Sfas Emes, greater than the miracle of the creation of the world itself is the Mishkan, and even greater than that is the mitzvah of Shabbos, and even greater than Shabbos is the gift of life, because as we know, all the laws of Shabbos fall aside when the life of a Jew is in question.
Just to view this from a different angle, to appreciate exactly how blessed we are to have another day of life, and Bezrat Hashem turn those feelings of appreciation into expressing our gratitude to Hashem. We know that when it comes to the three cardinal sins, idol worship, immorality, and murder, we are obligated to stop at nothing to prevent ourselves from committing those most severe transgressions, even if it means losing our lives by doing so. Besides for the three cardinal sins, when it comes to other sins that Hashem has commanded us not to commit, the Halacha in Shulchan Aruch states that a person is obligated to give up all of their money if that can prevent one from committing a sin.
So imagine for a moment a situation where the only way I can prevent myself from not needing to desecrate the Shabbos is by giving away every single cent in my bank account. And imagine I might be a wealthy philanthropist where I have hundreds of millions of dollars in my bank account, and many, many organizations are dependent on my funding. And here I have a situation where I need to desecrate Shabbos in the slightest way, one little desecration. But hypothetically in this situation, if I give away every single cent that I own and become a pauper, and of course am now unable to help any organization or individual, the Halacha is that I am obligated to give away every cent that I own in order to prevent myself from breaking the law. 
Now just to digest that, all the money in the world that I might own is not as great as not desecrating one of the laws of Shabbos. Yet we are taught that when it comes to the life of a Jew, the life of a Jew is so holy that if we might be able to add even one second to a Jew's life, we break every law in order to do so. So imagine a 110 year old man who is sick in hospital on every machine. It is absolutely clear that this man will not live longer than one more hour. But if I desecrate Shabbos, I might, not even for sure, I might be able to add one second more to this man's life. The law is that in such a case, I am absolutely obligated to desecrate any law of Shabbos in order that there might be a possibility to add one second to this man's life. 
"Thank you Hashem for the gift of just being alive. I know that I can't fully internalize to appreciate what it means, the value of being alive, but I believe Hashem in what you are teaching me in your Torah, that although you have given us the opportunity to perform your mitzvahs, which their value is immeasurably great beyond anything we can imagine, with incredible reward in store for us for the future, however as we learn in your Torah, nothing in the world whatsoever can be greater than the gift of life itself. Thank you Hashem for the incredible gift of life that you've given me."