TRANSFORM YOUR EMUNAH!

169 - Appreciating Our Gifts

We've been discussing how one of the most important foundations in our service to Hashem is following Hashem's commandments and in general, living our lives with a feeling of joy and simcha. When we have the right perspective, it is much easier to live our lives in a mode of joy and simcha. However, sometimes we get used to receiving so many of our needs and gifts beyond our needs that we begin to expect these things on a daily basis. 
The fact that yesterday I might have eaten breakfast, lunch and supper, as well as the day before that, as well as as long as I can remember, I have always had the opportunity to eat food when I am hungry, because that is what we are accustomed to, it sometimes might feel like Hashem owes us those things. Imagine today I don't have food, I am hungry and I am thirsty, and either because I don't have money, or even if I do have the money, there could be a drought, a famine, or whatever other reason. 
When something is taken away from us, it is much easier to begin to appreciate the things that are given to us. If we are able to just contemplate on the fact that Hashem ultimately doesn't owe us anything, then when we look around, we will see just how many gifts Hashem is giving us every single moment. If we were to stop breathing for a few moments and then suddenly that gift to be able to breathe was returned to us, we would feel much more appreciation. 
When we internalize that Hashem doesn't owe us anything, but rather every moment He is giving us so many gifts, that will lead us, ultimately, to living lives of joy and simcha. Because if we feel that a whole list of items might be due to us—food, money, love, relationships, health, or whatever else it might be—when we don't receive those things, we become disappointed. Whereas if we feel we are owed nothing, every single time we receive even the smallest thing, we will be led to feelings of appreciation, of joy, of gratitude, of simcha. 
I happened to be sitting in a room recently when the weather was particularly hot. Usually this room has a nice air conditioning system, which makes it very comfortable to be there even when the weather is uncomfortably and unpleasantly hot. When at a particular time the air conditioner was not working and it became unbearably hot in that room, it struck me how something so small would make such a difference to my life if it was not there. If air conditioners did not exist and I would have to sweat in this uncomfortable heat on a daily basis, what a difference it would make. And the truth of the matter is that, until the air conditioner stopped, it was difficult for me to appreciate the tremendous gift that I have on a daily basis to sit in nice, comfortable weather indoors even when it might be excruciatingly hot and uncomfortable outdoors.
"Hashem, my Father, thank You so much for the gift of this air conditioning that You have given me. You know that I am a human being, and although I might want to feel and express feelings of gratitude and appreciation to You, I am limited by my human nature, and the fact that You give me things on a daily basis, so many things, leads me to be unappreciative. However, Hashem, I ask You, please don't take things away from me to teach me the lesson that I should be appreciative, which will ultimately lead me to feel feelings of joy. But rather, Hashem, help me on my own accord to start appreciating things, even the smallest of things. 
Please, Hashem, help me to devote at least five minutes every day just to thanking You for anything and everything that I might think of. Although this might be a drop in the ocean compared to all the gifts that You give me, Hashem, however, I do want to express to You, to do my little part. Thank You, Hashem, for this incredible air conditioner that You have gifted me every day. If I didn't have this air conditioner, I would be so uncomfortable. Perhaps the heat would cause me to have headaches, and I would be in a constant state of discomfort. Thank You so much, Hashem, for this tremendous gift that You have given me, and this is just a drop in the ocean.
Hashem, thank You for all the gifts in the world. And Hashem, I ask You, please can You help me to live a life of thanking You every day, perhaps at least five minutes a day, or perhaps more if I'm able to, because I know that when I'm in a state of gratitude, that will automatically lead me to live a life of joy and simcha."

168 - Simchas Torah

As we come towards the end of the festival of Sukkos, a time dedicated to celebrating and our feelings of joy, it is relatively easy to gravitate towards those feelings of joy when we internalize just how much Hashem loves us and wants to be close with us. This is the King of the world, the Creator of the world. He cares about you personally. Not only does He care, but He wants to be close and intimate with you. The Zohar HaKadosh teaches that if we would know just how much Hashem loves us and wants to be with us, we would run so fast with the audacity and passion of a lion because we would be so in love and motivated to move towards Hashem. 
There is a heartwarming teaching about the law of the Sukkah. We know that the basic requirement in order to have a kosher Sukkah requires one to build two complete walls as well as a third wall which can be a smaller wall. If you stretch out your arm and then bend your elbow at 90 degrees and then bend your hand again at 90 degrees, you will see you have a shape of a Sukkah with two full walls and one smaller wall, the same shape that you give somebody a hug. When we sit in the Sukkah, we are receiving a hug and a kiss from Hashem.
And as always, our job in this world is to believe. If Hashem would come in a way that we were able to actually witness His hug and kiss, we would have no more free choice anymore. All of us would stop doing any form of sin and just run to Hashem with all of our might. But Hashem desires that in this world we should have free choice, and therefore we have to believe what we are taught. When we sit in a Sukkah, sometimes we might feel that motivation and inspiration, and sometimes we might feel very strong and close feelings of love and intimacy with Hashem. 
But other times, we might feel unmotivated. But as always, we should not fulfill our mitzvahs and live our lives just based on what we feel, because as human beings, we have ups and downs. But rather, our job in this world is to live lives of emunah, of belief. Whether we feel or we don't, we are walking into a Sukkah now and receiving a giant hug and kiss from Hashem.
Sukkos being the time of Zman Simchaseinu, the Gemara says that anybody who didn't see the celebration that would take place during the days of Sukkos has never truly witnessed Simcha in their lives, because there was so much joy and celebration and happiness, singing and dancing, and all forms of celebrating, ultimately, all due to the feelings of love that the Jewish people would express to Hashem. 
Let us remember the famous teaching of the Arizal, that a mitzvah that is performed with Simcha is completely different to that same mitzvah that is performed without Simcha. And as he testified himself, that although his service to Hashem in many forms was beyond anything we could begin to imagine, from his dedication to learning, to his pious practices and many other things, nevertheless, as the Arizal testified himself, the reason he achieved his greatness was due to his simple joy and happiness that he would express when performing mitzvahs, something that is available to every single one of us. Let us remember the Torah passage that outlines the curses that might befall the Jewish people. And as the Torah states, all due to the fact because we didn't serve Hashem with Simcha.
"Hashem, as we move now towards the end of the Chag of Sukkos, and in Your great kindness You gifted us with a new Chag, the festival of Shemini Atzeret and Simchas Torah, You have taught me that one of the most important foundations of all of the mitzvos is to perform the mitzvahs with enthusiasm and joy and gratitude. Thank You for all these incredible days of Sukkos that facilitated me an opportunity to be joyful. And thank You, Hashem, for the festival of Simchas Torah, where You have specifically prescribed that the way we celebrate the Torah is by singing and dancing throughout the festival. Thank You, Hashem, for all of the wonderful festivals that You have gifted us with, and ultimately for the opportunity to have a close and intimate relationship with You."

167 - Forever United

We know that there are two types of mitzvos. One between Adam l'Makom, the ones that are between us and HaShem, and the other between Adam l'Chaveiro, the mitzvos that are between man and his fellow. We were commanded to fulfill both of these types of mitzvos, and therefore it is easy to understand how they are both of paramount importance. The halacha dictates that on Sukkot we are required to take the four species, and the way we perform this mitzvah is specifically by taking the four species and joining them together. 
And the midrash teaches that the four species refer to the four types of Jews. The esrog, which has both a pleasant fragrance as well as a pleasant taste, refers to those types of Jews who have been privy to both Torah knowledge as well as the performance of mitzvos. The lulav, which has a pleasant taste but does not have a particularly pleasant fragrance, refers to those Jews who are privy to be involved in the learning of Torah but not in the performance of mitzvos. The hadass of the four species, which has a pleasant fragrance but does not have a particularly pleasant taste, refers to those types of Jews who have been privy to perform mitzvos but have not been privy to be involved in the learning of Torah. And the fourth species, the arava, which has neither fragrance nor taste, refers to the type of Jew who has not been privy to the learning of Torah nor to the performance of mitzvos.
And as the midrash points out, just like the four species are required to be taken all together and one cannot perform the mitzvah without all four of them, in the same way we the Jewish people are one entity. We need one another and we are incomplete without every single person playing their part. Some might have been privy to Torah wisdom, others might have been privy to the performance of mitzvos, and some might be so lost, perhaps because they've never had the opportunity to be exposed to Torah wisdom and the performance of mitzvos, or perhaps because they have chosen a different path for whatever reason.
We are called on to remember that ultimately we are one, and as we say in the festival prayers, that we pray that we will all become one bundle, all united together, Let us take this opportunity to remind ourselves that every single Jew is of paramount importance. And when we relate to somebody else, to always do so out of love. How would we like to be treated if we were in their shoes? Each one of us has our role to play to reach our maximum potential, and each one of us is responsible to do our best to play our part. And at the same time, when we look to others, let us make our maximum effort to see the good in them, to realize that we are one, and to encourage and help one another to succeed in all our endeavors. 
"Hashem my Father, on this sukkah I am asking you to please help me. Although I know the importance of trying to love my fellow Jew, it is not always so easy. Many times there are things I dislike about another individual, and not always am I looking out to help and encourage those around me. Please Hashem I ask you to help me to love every single Jew, and make my maximum effort to be friendly and welcome all those around me, and realize and internalize that we are all united, ultimately we are all one and the same."

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."