TRANSFORM YOUR EMUNAH!

498 - Torah Study (Part-4)

Human nature is to appreciate things that we understand to have value and be important, much more than things we are just told to believe are important, but are sometimes difficult to relate to and difficult to see their true value and importance. After one performs the tremendous mitzvah of visiting a sick person, and the sick person thereafter tells you, “you just made my day, I didn't feel like living on anymore, but since you came, you put such a deep smile on my face, that you've given me a new drive for life.” After performing such a mitzvah, one usually feels quite accomplished and good about themselves because we've done something truly meaningful. Whereas, when one listens to a shiur, or one sits down to learn a piece of Torah, many times one does not feel that same sense of accomplishment. And again, the reason for that is because we don't see the value of our Torah learning. We are supposed to believe, to have emunah, that our Torah learning is so vitally important, to the point that the Mishnah tells us the value of Torah learning equals the value of all 613 mitzvahs put together.
 
One of the things that helps us to build our emunah is when we see different Torah sources that outline to us what exactly Hashem's perspective is. The Gemara tells us that when a person is undergoing some form of suffering, the first mode of response should be to introspect and think about if there has been something perhaps that we have done wrong, that maybe because of that, Hashem is sending us a reminder to correct our ways. The Gemara then continues and says, if a person did introspect and didn't find anything in particular that they feel Hashem might be communicating to them about, to try to mend their ways in that particular area, the next step is to attribute the reason for Hashem sending us this suffering because of the sin of bittul Torah, of wasting time and not learning Torah when we could have.
 
The sin of bittul Torah is clearly placed very high on the scale of Hashem's perspective of what is important to the point that the Gemara is teaching us: if you don't see any other particular area for Hashem talking to you, it is probably because we have not been as careful as we could with the mitzvah of learning Torah. The Gemara elsewhere also tells us that one of the first questions we will be asked when we meet our Creator after 120 years is, did you set aside time for Torah learning? This passage reveals to us a fundamental concept of how Hashem's perspective works. When we meet our Creator one day, He will not ask us, why weren't you the greatest sage of the generation? However, He will ask us, did you set aside time to learn Torah to your maximum capacity? Both in quantity and quality, we will be asked if we made our maximum effort.
 
So, if somebody has not had the privilege to have many years of Torah background to be able to learn Torah independently, of course one is not then expected to learn passages in Torah which one needs to be an independent learner for. And when one meets Hashem after 120 years, that will not be part of the equation. And in the same way, someone whose path to life is that Hashem has given them numerous hours a day available to learn Torah, when they meet their Creator one day, their question will be based on how many hours were available to them. But someone who had a very minimal amount of time available and really made their maximum effort to learn Torah every day, even if it's one passage and that's all they were able to achieve, but that was their maximum, they will receive a hundred percent on their score on this question. Torah learning is one of the cornerstones of Judaism. It is not about how much we learn or how successful we are being in what other people might define as success. Hashem's true question is going to be, did you do your best?

497 - Torah Study (Part-3)

The Code of Jewish Law outlines that all people, men, women and children, are obligated in the pursuit of Torah learning. Women have a mitzvah to learn and master all the areas of Torah that are related to the practical fulfilment of the mitzvos, as well as areas that focus on the development and improvement of our character traits, as well as the areas of Torah that talk about how to bring us closer to Hashem, how to derive inspiration, to fear and love Hashem more, how to live with more emunah, faith, on a constant basis.
 
Men, of course, are obligated in the same way as women to learn about the performance of the practical mitzvos and make efforts in character development to seek inspiration, our fear of Hashem, our love of Hashem, and of course growth in our emunah and our personal relationship with Hashem, whilst at the same time there is an additional mitzvah, commandment, for men to constantly be involved in Torah, meaning to say, at any given opportunity where there is an extra moment, there is a commandment for a man to delve into Torah, even if in theory he knows the entire Torah already.
 
We've discussed many times that the Torah commentaries teach us that the purpose of our existence is to have emunah, to believe, specifically to believe when we don't see, we don't know, we don't understand. We read a mishnah every morning as part of the morning prayers that says that the value of Torah learning is equal to all 613 mitzvahs put together. When one sits down and learns Torah to the best of their abilities, it doesn't always feel as inspiring as if one has given a huge sum of money to charity or performed some other act of kindness. However, the Torah is teaching us the true perspective. Torah learning is so powerful, even when we don't feel inspired from it, that it is equal to all 613 mitzvahs put together.
 
Our job is to internalize that belief. One might ask, seeing as Torah learning is so great, perhaps one should not spend their time on any other mitzvos and just learn Torah the entire day. In theory, that would make sense. As mentioned, we have a mitzvah to learn Torah at any available opportunity, and seeing as the value of Torah learning is equal to all 613 mitzvahs put together, it would make sense that the most ideal course would be for me to be involved in Torah learning as much as possible, even at the expense of missing out on doing other mitzvahs. Again, there are always different ways to look at anything, it all depends on perspective, but when we want the truth, the only place to look is the Torah.
 
The code of Jewish law, the Shulchan Aruch, outlines exactly what to do. When there is a mitzvah that can be taken care of by someone else, then the law is that it would be better for me to continue my Torah learning and not interrupt in order to go fulfill that mitzvah. So, let's say I'm currently learning Torah and I notice from the corner of my eye that there's somebody who is feeling very upset. We know one of the greatest mitzvos is to cheer somebody up. Now let's say I see that next to this person who is feeling down, a very good friend of his is sitting there, and if I continue to learn Torah, that very good friend will go and cheer up the individual who's feeling sad. If that would be the case, I would be exempt from that mitzvah, and the right thing to do would be to continue to learn Torah and not interrupt to perform that mitzvah. However, let's say that that individual that is feeling down has a special close bond with me, and I know that I am the only one who is in a position to cheer him up, then the Torah commands us that we are obligated to stop learning Torah and go perform that mitzvah, because this is now a mitzvah that cannot be performed by anyone else. Again, whether we understand the perspective or not, if we are following the guidance of the Torah, we are for sure on the right track. We are so privileged to have been given Hashem's perspective, the Torah.

496 - Torah Study (Part-2)

We are so privileged to have received the Torah from Hashem, the only perspective that can be absolute truth. We know from many Torah sources that the Torah itself is considered the sweetest item in the world. But what am I supposed to do if I just don't feel the sweetness of Torah? I might believe the fact that if the Torah and Hashem's perspective tells me that the Torah is greater than anything else in the world, and sweeter than anything else in the world, that that is of course true. However, what if I don't experience Torah that way? When I open up a book, I fall asleep, I'm not so interested in hearing a lecture. So, what does one do? As we've discussed many times, the solution to all problems, always, step number one. If I believe that Hashem exists in the world, and I believe that He can hear my voice, and He is interested in what I have to say and, in my life, the most basic expression of our belief in Hashem and His existence is to talk to Him.
 
“Master of the universe, Hashem my Father, I know that you have taught us that Torah is the sweetest possible item in the world. Hashem, I want to believe that with my full heart. But the truth of the matter is that when I learn Torah, I don't feel that excitement. In fact, a lot of the time, I find many areas of the Torah to be quite boring, and when I have to make a choice between learning Torah or spending some extra time doing something on my phone or something else, much of the time, I choose to do the other option rather than learn Torah because it's hard for me to learn Torah. Hashem my Father, I know that the truth of the matter is that if you teach me in so many Torah sources that Torah is the sweetest item in the world, and this is the most important area where we should be investing our time and energy. Please Hashem, I'm asking you with all my heart, please, can you make the Torah sweet in my heart. Please Hashem, can you help me that I should find the Torah exciting and not boring? Hashem, I know you can help me in a second. I know that sometimes I've experienced certain areas of Torah which have excited me and I have been very interested in and I have found to be sweet, whereas other areas of Torah I have found to be boring. How do I know, Hashem, to find the right areas which will speak to me and excite me the most?
 
Please Hashem, guide me to those areas of Torah. Guide me to hear lectures or to find the right books of those particular areas that I will find to be sweet and meaningful for me. And Master of the Universe, you know that a lot of the time learning Torah is not easy for me. I might not have had a background in Torah education, or even if I have, many areas of Torah might be difficult. Please, Master of the Universe, you are the one, Hashem, who created the Torah. Please, Hashem, can you help me to feel that sweetness and to be so successful in my Torah learning? Thank you, Hashem, for the gift of the Torah.”

495 - Torah Study (Part-1)

One of the traditions of the festival of Shavuos is that we eat honey. The Torah commentaries explain that the reason for this custom is because the verse compares the sweetness of Torah to honey, which is so sweet. The Torah, the mitzvahs, and everything that is encompassed within the Torah is the sweetest thing in the world.
I once heard a beautiful idea based on a famous verse which states that Torah is so great that it is better to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. The verse specifically mentions the items in this order. Torah is so great that it is greater to me than gold first and thereafter than silver second.
Now, we all know what is worth more, gold or silver? Of course, gold. So if the verse already compared the value of Torah and told us that it is greater than gold, why thereafter does it also say, and it is also greater than silver? If the verse has already stated that Torah is greater than gold, of course it is greater than silver, because gold is greater than silver. And it seems superfluous for the verse to go out its way to thereafter tell us that Torah is also greater than silver.
And this most beautiful explanation sheds some light on what our perspective should be in the way we relate to Torah in our appreciation to this amazing gift that Hashem has given us. Torah is such a great gift, so much greater than any money in the world, than any gold in the world, than any silver in the world, that when we compare Torah to gold and silver, it is so far removed from them that gold and silver kind of look like the same thing. Everybody knows that $2 is more than $1.
So if I say $10 is more than $2, which is more than $1, that would make sense. However, if we're comparing $10 billion to $2 and to $1, we wouldn't anymore find it necessary to say $10 billion is the greater of the three, then comes $2 and then comes $1. We would rather register that $10 million is so much greater than both $2 as well as $1, that they can't be compared to one another.
And we would just say $10 million is in a different league to those smaller amounts. In the same way, when we compare Torah to gold or to silver or to any amount of money in the world, Torah is so much greater than any amount of money, be it $1, $10, a million dollars or $10 billion. It is so insignificant in comparison to the value of our true gift, the gift of Torah, that we just group the items together, gold, silver, it doesn't matter.
It's so insignificant in comparison to the Torah. And that's why the verse lists the items seemingly out of order, first saying Torah is greater than gold and thereafter saying Torah is greater than silver, even though it seems superfluous to say so, because gold and silver are so insignificant in comparison to the Torah that one doesn't accord any more value to any one of the two when comparing to Torah. Torah is the sweetest item in the world.
With Torah, we remain with the true perspective of what Hashem wants from us in the world of how to live a meaningful life. We are so privileged to have been given the Torah directly from Hashem

494 - Chanukah (Part-8)

As the festival of Chanukah comes to its culmination, let us remind ourselves of what the Ramban writes about open miracles, that although usually the world operates under the veil of nature, however when Hashem performs open miracles, one of the main objectives is to give us the opportunity to derive inspiration and motivate us to living lives according to the values of emunah and bitachon - that ultimately every single moment of our lives, although they might appear to be moving according to the laws of nature, are actually being orchestrated directly and personally from Hashem Himself. 
We discussed of what Rav Yosef Albo in the Sefer Ha'ikarim writes, that the opportunity to rely on Hashem and reach out to Hashem for help, as opposed to going to a different address, is part of the laws of nature of how Hashem made the world operate. If one chooses to rely on Hashem, Hashem will come through, and in the words of Rav Yosef Albo, just like we know the sun is expected to rise tomorrow, to the same extent if I rely on Hashem, I can expect that He will come through for me. Although on the one hand, when we take to heart the miracles of Chanukah, it can be inspiring and motivating to live our lives according to the values of emunah and bitachon, however on the other hand, it can sometimes be disheartening when we bring to mind those miracles, because after all is said and done, most of us in today's day and age do not experience such outright miracles. Does that mean, perhaps, that the opportunity to have emunah and bitachon is only available to super-righteous individuals, and maybe it's not applicable to me? 
There could be many reasons why in general Hashem wants the world to work under the veil of nature. One reason that many commentaries mention is to give us the opportunity to have emunah and bitachon, and believe, specifically when we aren't able to understand why He is doing what He is doing. But as discussed, there are times where Hashem decides to come through in a more apparent way, sometimes in an outright miraculous manner, such as in the episode of Chanukah, and at other times perhaps more relevant to each one of us, although it might not be in an absolute outright miraculous manner, but there are times where we might make a prayer and see Hashem come through for us in the way we requested, and the like. 
One might say, "okay, I understand, Hashem certainly does exist and runs every detail of the world, and certainly He can do miracles and break the laws of nature, because ultimately He created nature and runs every detail of the world. But that's very nice for people who have reached a high level of righteousness. But what about me? How is this applicable to me? Why would Hashem come through for me in my life? Perhaps I've even committed many sins." Let us remind ourselves of one of the most fundamental, but sometimes most misunderstood principles when it comes to bitachon. The opportunity to have bitachon and rely on Hashem is completely independent of our actions. As the Ramban in his sefer Emunah Bitachon, explains, the verse states, Betach b'Hashem va'aseh tov, trust in Hashem and do good. The Ramban points out that the verse specifically states, "trust in Hashem" first, to teach us that one is able to trust in Hashem independent of our actions.
And this idea that anyone, regardless of our spiritual scorecard, is able to trust in Hashem is brought down by countless Torah sources, from the Midrash to the Rishonim such as Ramban and Rabbeinu Yonah, all the way down to the later authorities such as the Chofetz Chaim in Nefutzos Yisrael, chapter 8, who state that even if a person does not have merits and might even be classified as a rasha, an evil individual, just like the sun rises in the morning, the opportunity to have bitachon is available to every one of us. And if we practice our reliance on Hashem, Hashem will come through for us. 
"Hashem, my Father, as we come to the culmination of Chanukah, these holy days that You've granted us, please will You bless me and help me not to fall into the trap of those that trust and rely on other individuals, because as we learn from the Chovos HaLevavos, when one does so, I actually become under their auspices. Whereas, when I choose to rely on You, You will come through for me, and it is completely independent of my spiritual level. This act of relying on You will be the greatest asset that I can have, both in this world as well as for my eternal reward in the next world."

493 - Chanukah (Part-7)

We've been discussing how Chanukah is a tremendous opportunity to springboard a boost in our emunah and bitachon endeavor. Although most of us are not on the level to experience outright open miracles like we experienced during Chanukah, however, when we fulfill the mitzvos of Chanukah and give ourselves an opportunity to contemplate on the reason why we're lighting the Chanukah candles, that we're commemorating the outright miracles Hashem performed for us, be it the oil that burned for much longer than any of the laws of nature would dictate, or be it the unprecedented victory of just a handful of people against a large army - one of the main take-homes of these episodes, and one of our focuses during Chanukah, should be the basic conclusion that many Torah sources teach: bitachon works. It is not something that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. When one relies on Hashem, it works. 
In the words of one of the Rishonim, Rav Yosef Albo, in his Sefer Haikarim, he writes that just like we are sure that the sun will rise tomorrow, to the same extent one can be sure that if you rely on Hashem, He will come through for you. The only qualification to this rule is like the verse in Ashrei teaches, that Hashem is close to all who call out to Him, as long as they call out sincerely. One level of having bitachon is to say, "of course I rely on Hashem and He is my address to go to, however, I have a back-up plan in case Hashem doesn't come through for me." Although it is commendable that one is including Hashem in the picture, however, this is certainly far from the ultimate bitachon. As the Chovos Halevavos writes to the introduction of his Sefer, that when a person places their trust in another individual or circumstance, Hashem actually removes His own providence from that individual and places them in the hands of whoever they are relying on, or whatever circumstance they might think they are bound by. 
This is a frighteningly powerful statement. On the one hand, it is clear from countless Torah sources, that when one truly places their trust in Hashem, Hashem will come through for them. And as Rav Yosef Albo in the Sefer Haikkarim taught us, this is a basic equation: Just like Hashem placed it in the laws of nature for the sun to rise in the morning, so too, if one relies on Hashem, Hashem will come through for them. However, on the other side of the spectrum, the Chovos Halevavos is teaching us another principle of how Hashem operates in this world - that if one does choose to rely on another individual or circumstance, then Hashem removes Himself from the situation, and I become bound to the control of this individual or situation that I am relying on. 
And of course, there are many levels between these two extremes. Sometimes we rely on Hashem, but at the back of our mind, we have a backup plan in case Hashem doesn't really come through for us. And although that is commendable that we are relying on Hashem to some degree, however, because we are not doing so to its full degree, we then become in the hands of other individuals or circumstances to some degree. The tremendous miracles of Chanukah are teaching us that yes, although we have a mitzvah to make our effort to do our hishtadlus in the world, however, a step before that is to take to heart, without a shadow of a doubt, that Hashem exclusively is orchestrating every single detail in my life. And the more I will choose to rely on Hashem, the more He will come through for me, and the less I will choose to rely on other people and circumstances, the less I will be bound by their auspices.
"Hashem, my Father, as we approach this final day of Chanukah, please can You help me to truly place my trust in You, to the extent that I really internalize that anything and everything that happens in my life is completely from You, and I have the constant opportunity to reach out to You exclusively and rely on You. And Hashem, You've taught me in Your Torah sources that if I rely on You exclusively, that is the time specifically that You will come through for me. Hashem, it's difficult in this world, because the way the natural world looks, it seems like I'm dependent on people and circumstances. But the scary thing is, that when I do depend on them, You actually put me in their hands, as the Chovos Halevavos has taught us. Please Hashem, help me to not rely on anyone nor anything except for You exclusively."

492 - Chanukah (Part-6)

The incredible miracles of Chanukah serve to inspire us throughout our lives, that just like Hashem performed miracles against all the laws of nature, such as causing oil to burn for much longer than anything nature would allow, as well as causing a handful of people to win a war completely against any and all of the laws that nature can dictate, when we make an effort to internalize these miracles, it can serve as a tremendous springboard to inspire us throughout our lives and remind ourselves of what we've learned countless times from so many Torah sources: Our purpose in this world is to excel in our emunah endeavor. And what it means to have emunah is specifically to believe when I don't see and I am not able to understand the reason why things are happening. Throughout my life, usually, things play according to the laws of nature. But our job is to constantly make an effort to find Hashem through the natural occurrences and taking to heart the miracles of Chanukah can serve as a tremendous springboard to be able to live our lives according to those values. 
Just like Hashem has blessed us with these holy days that serve to inspire us throughout the rest of our lives, that all of nature in essence is an outright miracle, and the same Hashem who caused the mann, the miraculous food that fell from the heavens for the Jewish people during their journey in the desert, is the exact same Hashem who provides for our paranosah today; and the same Hashem who split the sea for the Jewish people when they were surrounded by danger from all their sides and had nowhere to escape, is the same Hashem who has saved us in our personal lives so many times in so many ways. There are people that die daily in car accidents. How many times have I been in a car without having an accident? If we open our eyes, we will see that our life is full of constant miracles of how Hashem comes through for us, but again, our job is to find Hashem in the course of nature. 
Without the emunah mindset, one's thought process might be, "yes, although I didn't have a car accident today, however, most people in the world do not die daily in car accidents. Although it does happen to some people sometimes, however, why should I expect that that should be something that could transpire to me, and therefore why should I necessarily be appreciative about that fact?" Whereas when we are able to look past the veil of nature and realize that just like Hashem was the One who so apparently and obviously was our Savior when we were surrounded by danger from all sides and split the sea in a way that there was no question that Hashem was the only One who could do that, and there was no nature to attribute that miracle to, similarly, when we go through a day without a car accident, or the other million miracles that we experience on a daily basis, our job is to link those happenings to Hashem's doing as opposed to just assuming that that is the course of nature, God forbid, excluding Hashem from our lives. 
Many people have experienced Hashem coming through for them in their lives in one way or another. Although usually in our times this is not in an apparently obvious and miraculous manner, however countless people have told their experiences of having seen Hashem come through for them in their lives. When a person prays to Hashem for a new business opportunity and it just so happens that a couple days or perhaps even hours later one receives a call from another individual with a new opportunity, or perhaps one is just looking for a parking spot, and just as one makes that prayer and asks Hashem to help them, it just so happens that someone is leaving just then, making the spot available. If we are just to open our eyes, we will quickly see that Hashem is everywhere and we can constantly witness Him under the veil of nature on a moment-to-moment basis. Our job is to open our eyes and through these days of Chanukah we have a special power and energy to internalize that ultimately every single moment of our lives is an outright miracle.

491 - Chanukah (Part-5)

We are so privileged to be able to experience another one of these holy days of Chanukah. Besides the miracle of the oil, which we commemorate with the lighting of the Chanukah candles, where the amount of oil which was only supposed to last for one day, against all the laws of nature, lasted for eight days, again clearly showing that although usually the world seems to run according to the laws and course of nature, however, as the Ramban at the end of Parashat Bo, that we've discussed many times, points out that the reason Hashem performs these outright miracles is in order to inspire and motivate us for the times when Hashem is hidden under the veil of nature, to teach us that there's no such thing ultimately as nature, that ein od milvado, there is nothing else in the world that exists except for Hashem - there is no force or power or individual or circumstance that can dictate even slightly what will occur in my life, except for Hashem exclusively, and as outlined in the Rambam's principles of faith, "vehu levado" - Hashem exclusively, meaning without the help of any individual runs every single detail of nature.
And as we've discussed previously, although we do have a mitzvah to make our own efforts throughout life, however, it is so important to never fall into the trap of believing even slightly that my efforts are what cause my successes, because as we've discussed, that could borderline on the tremendously grave sin of idol worship, where I believe that there is some power outside of Hashem, God forbid, and the tremendous miracle of Hanukkah is coming to teach us that just like Hashem is able to come and take oil and make it miraculously burn much longer than it is supposed to according to the laws of nature, so too any and every occurrence throughout our lives are ultimately miracles that Hashem is orchestrating every single moment. 
Besides the miracle of the oil on Chanukah, the other tremendous miracle that we commemorate is the war that transpired, which according to the laws of nature, logic and statistics would make anybody laugh at the absurdity of such an attempt. We are taught that it was only a handful of people that decided to take on an entire huge and powerful army. Just imagine in our times, ten people would get together and say, "we are now going to take on this mission to go and destroy our enemy and the entire army of thousands and thousands of people." Besides the fact that we are completely, absurdly outnumbered, we also have very little military training, whereas they, on the other hand, are elite soldiers. If one were to try to take on such a task today, this would be seen as a complete absurdity, and although we do have a mitzvah to not rely on outright miracles, and we are certainly not permitted to put ourselves in dangerous situations, however, we are also to be so careful to never ever fall to the side of Avodah Zarah, believing that the world can only work according to the laws of nature.
Because let us remind ourselves, this is the purpose of the world, to test us in emunah, in our belief, where the world is going to appear like it runs according to the laws of nature, but in truth, there is only Hashem pulling every single string. And when we look at the Chanukah candles and remind ourselves of the miracles that took place on Chanukah, and we meditate on the fact that there was only a few people who decided that they were going to rely on Hashem to such a degree that He would help them in a complete unnatural manner, because they had no other choice, and He would help the handful of them to wipe out an entire army, something completely against all the laws of nature, logic, and statistics, when we take this to heart, this can be a tremendous springboard for motivation and inspiration throughout any endeavor we might be dealing with in our lives, to remind ourselves that ein od milvado, that although usually Hashem does opt to work through the laws of nature, however, in truth, there is nothing whatsoever in the world except for Hashem.

490 - Chanukah (Part-4)

What an incredible opportunity to wake up to another one of these holy days of Chanukah. Besides the tremendous mitzvah we have to light the Chanukah candles, one of the core focuses of Chanukah is "Lehodos Ulehallel" - to express our gratitude and praise to Hashem. And as Torah Commentaries outline, it is a tremendously opportune time and place if one is able to do so specifically by the Chanukah candles.
"Hashem, thank You so much during the year for giving me the opportunity to believe in You. And as You've taught us from many Torah sources, that believing means specifically taking that leap of faith when I am not able to see and understand Your ways. Because although the Torah is replete with passages along the lines of "Ein Od Milvado" - that You, Hashem, exclusively orchestrate every single detail in my life and in everyone's lives, and there is no such thing as the course of nature and the normal way of the world, however, at the same time, usually throughout the year, You want me to live in a world where You are hidden behind the veil of nature, and my job is to try my best to find You through everything I'm doing. Because again, the point of my existence and my ultimate ticket to eternal pleasure in the next world, as outlined by many Torah sources, is to excel to my maximum degree in my Emunah and Bitachon endeavor, and specifically to believe when I don't understand. Whilst at the same time, thank You so much, Hashem, for giving us those opportunities where we do see You loud and clear in our lives. Because when that occurs, it gives me tremendous inspiration and motivation to be able to see through the veil of nature, throughout the year, when You are hidden. 
Hashem, I'd like to just take a few moments now, whilst I have the opportunity, standing by these holy Chanukah candles, to look into my own personal life and appreciate and thank You for all the tremendous ways You've come through for me. Thank You, Hashem, so much for the gift of my health, the ability to breathe without struggle, the fact that I can see, and the fact that so much of the time I experience life without physical pain and suffering. Hashem, thank You so much for the gift to be able to have family, as well as the friends that You've given me, and the opportunity to share experiences together. Thank You so much, Hashem, for providing me from day one of my life, right up until today. Although there might have been times of struggle, and again, that You did for me also for good reasons, to help me grow in my endeavor of emunah and bitachon, however, at the end of the day, You have provided for me since day one, right up until today. 
Thank You so much, Hashem, for the opportunity to be involved in a life where I am aware that my main purpose is to develop my emunah and bitachon. Thank You so much, Hashem, for sharing with us Your incredible Torah sources that allow us to grow in this tremendous endeavor. Hashem, I want to thank You deeply for all those times of challenge in my life, because I know that You love me and You created me just to give me good. And if You're sending me a challenge, it's only because You're giving me an opportunity to be able to believe that everything that You do is for the best. When I'm struggling with the pain and suffering of this illness that You've sent me, after contemplating on the fact a little bit, I've realized, Hashem, that You would only send me this out of Your love, because again, that's the only reason that You created the world, to share Your goodness with me. 
And although there can be many reasons which are beyond my understanding, but one reason which I know is certainly applicable to me and objectively applicable to all of us, is that by sending me these times of darkness and suffering, You are thereby giving me a chance to practice my emunah and bitachon, that everything that happens is directly orchestrated from You, and You would only send me what is best for me. And similarly, thank You so much, Hashem, for all those times in my life that although I might not have experienced outright miracles, similar to the splitting of the sea or the miracle of the oil on Chanukah, however, I have certainly at times noticed Your divine providence in my life, and those times are certainly springboards of motivation and inspiration for me to live my life according to the values of emunah and bitachon. Thank You so much, Hashem, for these holy and incredible days of Chanukah."

489 - Chanukah (Part-3)

What a tremendous privilege to be able to experience another day of these tremendous holy days of Chanukah. As the well-known Ramban at the end of Parashat Bo mentions: although usually Hashem decides to operate according to the laws of nature, however, at times Hashem decides to break the laws of nature in order to teach us and inspire us that ultimately, the laws of nature are Hashem Himself hiding behind the normal way of the world, giving us the opportunity to believe that Hashem is truly pulling all the strings, and therefore, although in times of old the world was also operating according to the regular laws of nature, however, when it came to the time of the exodus from Egypt, Hashem decided to break all of the laws, turning water into blood, as well as all the other miraculous plagues in Egypt, and culminating with the miraculous event of the splitting of the sea. 
And as the Midrashim teach, not only did the waters of the sea split, but in fact, all water at all parts of the world split. Can you imagine for a moment: somebody's having a glass of water, and in an apparently obvious miraculous manner, the water in my cup splits. And when I find out that that happened to everyone in the world, and it was a clear miraculous occurrence, there is then no way to deny the fact that Hashem caused that miracle to occur. And in a sense, although witnessing such an experience is truly awesome, seeing the workings of Hashem so vividly clear, and not having the test of having to try to find Hashem through the veil of nature, however, in a sense, there is no opportunity to believe when one experiences such a miraculous occurrence, because I can see the workings of Hashem loud and clear, and that will certainly motivate me to follow the course of Emunah and Bitachon, and reach out to Hashem about anything and everything, follow His mitzvos with all their intricacies, whether I understand or not, and everything else that a life of Emunah and Bitachon leads to. 
Because after witnessing such a miracle, I am living now on the inspiration that it is absolutely clear that Hashem runs every detail in the world. However, as mentioned many times, the Ramban in the same passage at the end of Parashat Bo writes that our ultimate focus and purpose in this world is Emunah, and in fact, there is no other reason that Hashem created the world in the first place, except for giving us the opportunity to express our Emunah. And as the Vilna Goan and many others that we've discussed mention, the purpose of all the mitzvos is to come to having Emunah in Hashem. And that being the case, usually Hashem wants the world to operate in a manner that He is hidden under the veil of nature, and if we do not make an active effort trying to find Him, we will just see nature, and we will not see Hashem. But Hashem in His great wisdom also understood that at certain times, in order to give us motivation and inspiration, He needed to reveal Himself in a more obvious, apparent way, so that thereafter when He goes back into hiding, we can live off the inspiration and motivation that we gained through those moments.
One of the main purposes behind lighting the Chanukah candles is in order to publicize the miracle that Hashem broke the laws of nature and caused the amount of oil which usually burns for only one day, to burn for all eight days. Most of the days that we live throughout our lives are not outright miracle days, however much of the fuel that we are able to gain to drive our lives according to the values of Emunah and Bitachon, can and should be derived from these above-nature experiences. What a tremendous opportunity we all have to fulfill the incredible mitzvah of lighting the Chanukah candles. And similarly, what a tremendous opportunity we all have to perhaps spend a little bit of time talking to Hashem around the Chanukah candles, digesting and appreciating the tremendous miracles that Hashem brought about for us during these holy days. And b'ezrat Hashem by doing so, that can be a tremendous springboard for us to take leaps in our journey of Emunah and Bitachon.