TRANSFORM YOUR EMUNAH!

238 - Great News!

We've been discussing one of the most fundamental questions. Why would Hashem, a completely perfect being, who is not lacking anything, and certainly does not need anything from us, have decided to create the world in the first place? We've also been discussing that the only way to answer this question with absolute truth, with no risk of making a mistake, is if Hashem Himself gives us the answer. Because when we use our own logic and minds to try to find the solution, we are all susceptible to mistakes. And even though we might be well-meaning, even the smartest person in the world is still limited by their human capacity. And when dealing with such a most fundamental question, any individual who is seriously seeking meaning and finding the purpose of their lives which will ultimately be based on finding the answer to this question, will not suffice with just assuming the answer based on their own logic, which one knows could have mistakes and lead to incorrect conclusions. 
And as we discussed, we are so privileged to have Hashem's Torah, where Hashem has given us a vast amount of information in both the written Torah as well as the oral Torah which was transmitted down from generation to generation. And therefore all of Torah literature which we have today is ultimately the same word of Hashem, as if I'd be hearing Hashem's voice directly speaking to me, relaying this information. So what does the Torah say? What is Hashem's perspective about this question? Why did you, Hashem, decide to create the world, seeing as you are perfect and you don't need anything else? 
And as we've discussed many times and again, learning this information for the first time is certainly a huge accomplishment. But even if I've heard this information many times previously, digesting this information and trying to internalize it into my day-to-day life more and more each day is ultimately our objective because again, Emunah is not just about knowing the information but taking the information that we've learnt and trying to internalize that information more and more each day to be able to live our lives according to the true values of Emunah.
Sometimes we find some level of Torah controversy within Torah sources with regards to how to answer certain questions. When it comes to this question, however, it is unanimously clear from countless Torah sources that there is only one reason that Hashem decided to create the world in the first place. Again, He did not need it for Himself. Hashem is a perfect being that could very well manage without a world having been created. And as all the Torah sources outline, Hashem had a desire to give and without a recipient being created, there is nobody to give to. So the only reason that Hashem decided to create the entire universe and everything that is encompassed within it is just to be able to give to the recipients that He would create.
Now again, one might ask, but why did Hashem have a desire to give? There might be Torah information where one is able to understand this question further, but that is not our focus right now. For our purposes right now, we are told by countless Torah sources that Hashem had a desire to give and the only way for Hashem to be able to give would be if He would create recipients who would have needs and wants. And by Hashem being able to fulfill those needs and wants, He would be fulfilling His desire to give. So again, let's digest this information. Information from Hashem's perspective, the only true perspective. The only reason Hashem, who is a being who does not need anything else except for His own perfect existence, decided to create the world in the first place is because He had a desire to give.
Let us try to internalize and take to heart that as we advance on our emunah journey, whatever we might be experiencing and going through, let's make an effort to internalize the truth of what's actually happening. That although at times it might be difficult to reconcile why Hashem is dealing with us in a certain manner, but if we are able to remember and internalize the starting point of why Hashem, who didn't need to create us in the first place, nevertheless decided to go ahead and create this world and everything that is encompassed within it, including you and I, when we follow that thought process, we will quickly realize that everything in the world that Hashem does is ultimately for our best. And by doing so, we will thereby be able to move more and more towards living a truly meaningful life.

237 - How Do You Know?

We've been discussing perhaps the most important question that we might attempt to answer. Why did Hashem decide to create the world in the first place? Seeing as Hashem is a completely perfect being, completely independent of needing from any external force, as opposed to us human beings who have many needs, physically, emotionally, psychologically and the like, why would Hashem decide to create the world in the first place? And again, answering this question is certainly very beneficial to be able to know exactly what my purpose is in this world. And even if I have heard this information many times previously, as discussed many times, repetition of these principles is of paramount importance, because it's not just about knowing this information, but it's about taking this information and truly internalizing it, and each day living our lives more and more according to their values. 
We discussed that we need to ascertain what would be the appropriate method to attempt to answer this question. Because if we just try to use our own brains and logic, we are certainly susceptible to making a mistake. Although we might be super well-meaning, but just like very clever people in many areas of life could be so misled by talented orators such as Hitler, or perhaps in today's time, misleading but sometimes very compelling presentation of information on the media can very easily and quickly turn well-meaning and well-educated people to see things from the wrong perspective and thereby reach gravely mistaken conclusions, seeing as Hashem is the only perfect being that exists in our universe, the only way to find an absolute truthful answer to this question of why did Hashem decide to create this world in the first place, which seems illogical to us because He doesn't need anything, would be to ask Hashem Himself for the answer to this question. 
As we've discussed many times, in today's times, Hashem does not reveal Himself to us in an open way. And for the most part, we do not have a phone line where we could literally hear Hashem's voice on the other side telling us answers to these questions. But for our purposes right now, the way Hashem does communicate with us in this world is via the information that He has given us in His Torah. And although there is much information for one interested in studying this subject more extensively, very briefly for our purposes now: many years ago when Hashem decided to give the Torah to the Jewish people, He did so by making a public revelation to three million people. And as opposed to some of the other religions where the claim began from one individual, where the starting point of one's entire trust and reliance is based on the episode or story that was related by that individual, whereas with the Jewish people, there was a public revelation. 
For one individual who might be talented, it is possible to fabricate a good story that many people might follow. Whereas for three million people to fabricate a story and pass that information down from generation to generation, it is easy to understand how it's an absolutely impossible feat. It is well known that when Hashem made that public revelation, it was there that He handed down two Torah's to Moshe Rabbeinu on behalf of the Jewish people. One is the written Torah, the same text that we have today. And the second is the oral Torah, which was much information told directly by Hashem to Moshe Rabbeinu. And as we are taught, that information was then passed to the leader of the next generation, and following that, passed down to the leader of the following generation, creating a chain of tradition all the way back from Hashem to Moshe Rabbeinu, through the leaders of all the generations, and right down through to our day and age today. 
There is much Torah literature available to be able to investigate this topic further. However, for our purposes here, we are taking it for granted that I believe that the written book of the Torah, as well as much information which was transmitted orally, was given directly from Hashem to Moshe Rabbeinu, passed down from generation to generation via specific leaders, and is that same written and oral Torah that we have today. And that being the case, we now have an address to go to, to answer our initial question. Why did Hashem decide to create this world in the first place, seeing as He doesn't need anything? So let's look into the Torah and discuss, why would Hashem decide to create this world.

236 - Smart & Stupid

We've been discussing how although the principles and fundamentals of what it means to live a life of emunah and truly fulfill our purpose in this world, in a sense does have limited information and after spending time studying the topic, one might have mastered the information, however, as discussed, our purpose in this world is not just to know the information, but rather to take that information and truly internalize it and b'ezrat Hashem transform our lives to be able to live according to the values of true emunah. 
The first and most fundamental question that needs to be discussed is why did Hashem, a being who does not have any needs and who is completely perfect in His core, decide to create this universe and everything that is encompassed within it. Usually when one creates something or embarks on any sort of venture, the reason I would do so is because I need or want something, such as more money, that could help me live more comfortably by embarking on this business venture. Whereas if there'd be no financial gain nor personal fulfillment by getting involved in this business venture, I certainly wouldn't embark on this project. Hashem does not need anything in this world because He's completely perfect in His core. So why did He decide to create this world? 
And as we've discussed previously many times, before answering this question or in fact any question, we need to ask ourselves what method we're going to use to try to answer this question. If I just use my head to try find the answer, I need to ask myself, have I ever made a mistake before? And of course anyone real with themselves will quickly realize that we all make many mistakes all the time. And that being the case, how can I be comfortable to assume that the answer I might think of for this most important question of why Hashem decided to create the world in the first place, which will ultimately lead to what exactly is my purpose on a moment-to-moment basis, to assume that the answer that I might think of with my limited brain, which is very susceptible to constant mistakes. But what else are we supposed to do, if not for using my head to try find a solution? What other possible solution is there? 
As we've discussed previously, just to illustrate this concept in a more tangible way, when one looks at the current war between Israel and its enemies, most of us can easily understand that the truth is with Israel and the cruelty is with the enemies. However, it's fascinating to point out that most of the world does not believe so. And when you look around at the people that have sided with the enemies of Israel, many of them might be smarter people than you and I. And that being the case, one feels like screaming and saying, how can you not see the truth? If you are such a clever individual in many other ways, why are you making such a terrible mistake in this area? 
And similarly, when one looks at the Holocaust, many people who followed Hitler, Yemach Shemo and his atrocious policies, in many areas of life they might be smarter than you and I. And again, seeing as that's the case, and we are not dealing with just plain silly individuals who cannot understand anything, but rather many of them smart individuals, how could they make such a grave mistake which seems so apparently obvious to us and it would be such a basic logical conclusion to all of us that Hitler and his policies are completely gravely mistaken and untruthful, whereas again, many of the people, clever people, did not see it that way? A
nd that being the case, even though we might feel like we see things clearly in these areas, we are also people and limited by our human limitations, just like many of those people - clever people, were limited and blinded in many ways. So, what therefore are we to do when we ask ourselves, why exactly do I exist? What is my purpose in the world? How can I make sure that before I leave this world, I have fulfilled the real purpose of why Hashem decided to create me? In order to answer that, let us break down these points in a clear way. And again, even if we've heard this information many times before, try to take this information, to understand it and to apply it, everyone in our own way, to our own lives, and each day more and more, be able to thereby, be able to thereby, be able to thereby, and live according to the values of true emunah.

235 - Need Something?

We've been discussing how constant repetition about the principles of Emunah and Bitachon is of paramount importance. In the world that we live in, for the most part, it is much easier to relate to things that are physical and tangible, and I am able to see the accomplishment of my efforts. So, usually when I study a subject, once I have completed learning and perhaps remembering the information that I have studied, I am now able to move on to the next subject. Whereas when it comes to Emunah, our core purpose in this world, although certainly we do have to learn the information as a starting point, but by no means does it end there. The real work of Emunah is taking the information that we might have learned many many times previously and trying to truly internalize that information to be able to live according to their values. 
So let's go ahead now and discuss some of the concepts that we've discussed many times previously with the objective of not only reminding ourselves about this information, although that too is a worthwhile endeavor, but perhaps to make an extra effort to take whatever information and growth that we might have made whilst being exposed to Emunah and Bitachon and to try and apply it to areas of our own lives, everyone in their own way. So the very first question that needs to be discussed is if I believe that there is a God, a Creator, a Being who is certainly not limited by needs such as the ones we have, the question is why did Hashem decide to create this world in the first place? Anyone who has studied any Torah information about God understands that Hashem is completely independent of anything else that exists in the entire universe and in existence in general. And that being the case, why did Hashem decide to create the entire universe, with all the spiritual worlds as well as the physical world that we live in? 
Just as an aside, the question that we are discussing here is certainly the most important question for anybody that accepts that there is a Creator. There are many ways that people arrive at this conclusion, that there is a Hashem overseeing our world, and our discussion here does not revolve around proof for the existence of Hashem, although that is certainly a worthwhile discussion in its own right and there is much information available for a person who is sincerely seeking, but has many questions about the existence of Hashem in general. But assuming that one has accepted that there is a God in the world, that Hashem does exist, then the most important question that needs to be delved into becomes, why did Hashem, a being who does not lack anything, decide to create the world? It almost seems superfluous to do such a thing. Imagine for a moment the wealthiest person in the world, a multi-billionaire, who has everything financially available to him. Would it make sense for this individual to be involved in a project that would only produce him one dollar? Of course, it is easy to understand why he would not do so, seeing as he has all the money in the world available to him. And similarly, why would Hashem decide to create a world when He does not lack anything and does not need anything? 
And although we are trying to illustrate this point with this analogy of the billionaire, however truthfully this does not portray the concept of how Hashem does not need anything. Because since we are human beings, by definition, we have needs, and although a billionaire might not need another dollar, but the extra dollar might nevertheless bring a slight smile to his face and the like, whereas when it comes to Hashem, He is completely perfect and does not need this world in the least. So that being the case, why did Hashem create this world? And again, although we might have explored this topic many times previously, it is so worthwhile to go over it again and again, to digest the concept, not just to know the information, but to truly internalize the information and b'ezrat Hashem, thereby be able to truly internalize the information, live according to their values, and transform your life.

234 - Let's Move On

Usually, when one is trying to study a subject, after a certain amount of time of delving into the content of the subject matter, one will be able to master that subject and move on to a different topic. We've discussed many times about what the Torah's sources teach us is our purpose in this world - to make efforts to build and internalize our emunah and bitachon - our faith and reliance on Hashem more and more each day.
And in a sense, one might ask, "I've learnt about this topic so many times, so why do I need to continue to delve into the topic of emunah each day? Is it not perhaps time to move on to something else?" It is so important to remind ourselves of what many of the Torah greats teach, that although in a sense one is able to graduate from knowing the information about emunah and bitachon, because after continuous study, one will certainly gain much information from the Torah about what it means to live a life of emunah and bitachon, but as many of the Torah greats point out, when we are taught that our ultimate purpose in this world is emunah and bitachon, it certainly does not just mean knowing the information of emunah and bitachon, but rather, as they teach, the distance between just knowing emunah in one's head, as opposed to truly internalizing it in one's heart, is greater than the distance between heaven and earth. 
Just like we can clearly understand that there are miles and miles apart between the highest heavens and the earth that we live on, in a similar vein, when it comes to emunah, although it is certainly a tremendous accomplishment to be making an effort to learn the information of what it means to have emunah, because without knowing the information we certainly can't move forward to try to internalize that information, but it's also so important to highlight that ultimately our purpose in this world is not just to know the emunah in theory, but rather, our purpose in this world is to take that information and truly transform the way that we live to be according to the values of emunah and bitachon.
And as we've discussed many times, it's an obvious equation that it's not going to be an easy task that can be mastered overnight. Because as many commentaries that we've discussed, such as the Ramban at the end of Parashas Bo bring to our attention that our main focus and job and purpose in this world is to grow in our bitachon. And as we've pointed out many times from many many Torah sources, that ultimately the purpose of all the mitzvos, of Torah learning and everything we do in our lives is in order to build our emunah. Emunah is the core of everything we do in our lives. So seeing as this is the ultimate purpose for our existence and our focus of what we're supposed to be doing in this world, it's obvious that it's not going to be a simple task that can be mastered overnight, but rather, a lifetime of constant effort in order to grow in this area as much as possible. 
And therefore, constant repetition of the same concepts that one might have studied many times before is highly recommended. Because in the world that we live in, most of our experiences are surrounded by things which could be potential deterrents from living a life of emunah. And understandably so - it's supposed to be that way, because again, our purpose in this world is to try find the emunah, and if it wasn't a challenge, then what is our purpose of being here? Without making a conscious effort to be mindful to live according to the values of emunah, one will certainly fall to the normal way of the world, which is certainly not a life according to the values of emunah. And because we are constantly surrounded by things which might attempt to deter us from a life of emunah, we are certainly called on to constantly revise the concepts of emunah and how we are able to apply them in our own lives in a practical way and b'ezrat Hashem, each day, we will thereby be able to be living lives truly according to the values of emunah.

233 - Ripple Effect

We've been discussing the idea that Torah commentaries bring, that an extension of emunah - believing in Hashem, is to believe in ourselves. If Hashem believes in me, not only do I have the license to believe in myself, but I am obligated to believe in myself, because if I neglect to do so, I am in a sense denying Hashem's will. True humility does not mean to deny the truth. If Hashem made me a good businessman and I am doing my best to use my talents in service of Hashem, really trying to work hard and use the money for good causes, if I am complimented that I am a good businessman and trying to be humble, I deny that fact - that is not humility - that is just speaking words of untruth. And in a similar vein, if you know yourself to be a kind and warm individual, and when complimented on how nice it is to see someone so warm and kind, one denies that fact, again that is not humility, that is just speaking words of untruth.
Some commentaries explain that true humility means, when I am able to write about myself, "I am the humblest of all men." What exactly does this mean? We know that a verse in the Torah which Moshe Rabbeinu wrote himself states, "I, Moshe Rabbeinu, am the humblest of all men." And when Hashem told him to write so, he did not argue with Hashem and say, Hashem let's leave this line out of the Torah. And the commentaries explain, because Moshe Rabbeinu was a man of truth, he knew that he was the humblest man that will ever exist and therefore he was able to write that verse down. But at the same time, he was able to attribute his successes, talents and abilities, not to his own doing, but completely relating it to the gifts that Hashem has given him. If I am able to realize that any talent I might have is a gift from Hashem, and not because of my own cunning and doing, I am then able to acknowledge my talents and gifts that Hashem has given me, and believe in myself and use them to the highest degree, whilst at the same time never falling to arrogance, believing that it is only because of my cunning and doing that I am successful in these areas, God forbid, but only because Hashem has given me these gifts. 
Let us remind ourselves that any and every deed that we might perform has ripple effects beyond anything we can imagine. Firstly, in this world, we do not see the spiritual effects of our actions and if we do a mitzvah, from the smallest to the biggest mitzvah, perhaps giving one coin to charity, giving somebody a smile, learning Torah for 30 seconds, saying a short prayer, to doing these mitzvos in their ideal manner, such as giving a large amount of tzedakah, or learning Torah for a long period, or making a long prayer; if we are able to humble ourselves to believe that we do not understand and we do not see in this world the impact of our actions, and when we perform a mitzvah there are spiritual worlds being affected to degrees way beyond anything in this world can be affected, then we will certainly be motivated to realize that we should believe in ourselves and we can make a huge difference. 
Sometimes Hashem does decide to show us a little bit of inspiration, again to motivate us. Let's say a person decides to give a relatively small amount to charity. I decide to give $18 for a certain cause because this is what I can afford in this particular situation. But in passing, when I tell somebody else about this cause and how I donated to it, they decide that they are going to donate $1,800 to this cause on a monthly basis. I might never find out that the ripple effect of me giving my little one-time tzedakah affected many thousands of dollars being donated to this cause. Sometimes we do experience where an individual will approach one and tell them how the effect of their mitzvah had a tremendous ripple effect on them. "Thank you Hashem for teaching me that my main purpose in this world is to develop my emunah, ultimately trusting in You, and by extension, in the words of the sages, and extending it one step further, to believe in myself."

232 - Terrorist Attack

We've been discussing how Torah commentaries bring that one of the extensions of what it means to have emunah in Hashem is to believe in myself. If Hashem believes in me to the extent that He blessed me with certain abilities and talents, so certainly following the path of emunah and believing in Hashem, I am called on to always in any endeavor reach out to Hashem and ask Him to bring me success, and thereafter believe in myself that I can do it.
Let us remind ourselves that the whole purpose of this world is emunah, specifically to believe when I don't see. Just like I can't see Hashem, but I am called on to live a life where everything revolves around Hashem, even though I can't see Him, again based on emunah, based on belief, similarly, when it comes to my actions, I am not allowed to see the true effect of those actions in this world, because again if I was able to see the true spiritual impact of my actions, that would not be emunah anymore. 
When I give a coin to charity, I don't see any particular change in the world. When I give somebody a smile, learn a word of Torah, make a prayer, or any one of the many mitzvos that we have, much of the time we might not even feel any inspiration or change whatsoever, and that being the case, without building our faith in Hashem, our faith in ourselves that we are making a difference, a huge difference, bigger than anything we can imagine in this world, we will not be motivated to the correct degree. Many Torah commentaries outline this idea as a basic fundamental principle to the Torah. 
One of many stories that some of the Torah greats tell is the following. There was an individual who passed away, and when he came to the heavenly court, as we know, there is a heavenly accounting, and of course these are spiritual ideas, but to put it in terms that we can understand, a whole lot of white angels appeared corresponding to the mitzvos that this person fulfilled. And thereafter he saw some black angels coming, corresponding to the sins committed in this world. And slowly but surely, the side of the scale with the black angels started to get heavier and heavier, and eventually outweighed the white angels. And the man was panicking, because when the scorecard is such that there are more black angels than white, that means trouble. 
And suddenly, from far, again in our terms, just to give us a little bit of an understanding within the vocabulary we use, the man noticed that a huge bus was approaching, and soon the bus joined the white angels on their side of the scale. And the scale completely tipped in favor of the white angels - of the mitzvos. And the man was ecstatic, and when he asked for an explanation, he was told that this huge bus was filled with white angels. And even though he could not see how these mitzvos were related to him, they explained to him that there was just one time in his life where he had an opportunity to view something inappropriate, and because he fulfilled the tremendous mitzvah of guarding his eyes, as opposed to committing the sin of viewing something inappropriate, in the merit of that, Hashem decreed that a certain terrorist attack that was supposed to take place in another city, against an entire bus full of Jewish people, was saved due to His one action. And therefore, the merit of all the mitzvos that these people did throughout their lives came to help Him to outweigh the aveira on His scorecard. 
We have no concept of what it means to do a mitzvah, and likewise to do an aveira. We are taught that when a person does a mitzvah, we create spiritual worlds beyond anything we can even imagine can be encompassed within this world, and likewise with regards to the negative effect of our aveiros. What a privilege we have to view the world from the true lens of Emunah, not based on our understanding, which so much of the time can be misleading and mistaken, but rather from the true perspective, Hashem's perspective, which as discussed many times, is portrayed to us throughout the vast amount of information that we have through the Torah commentaries and leaders that Hashem has given us - Emunah.

231 - Bulletproof Confidence

We've been discussing the three types of emunah that the Torah commentaries bring. The first one, our life's work that we are most familiar with - making our maximum effort to take the emunah and bitachon that we've learnt about and trying to transform that to truly living our lives according to their values. The second type that we discussed was emunas chachamim - believing in the words of the sages, not just based on our understanding, but also appreciating that because of their holiness and closeness in their relationship to Hashem, Hashem has commanded us to follow their guidance. And again, just like when it comes to emunah and Hashem Himself, we don't do so because we understand, but rather we follow Hashem based on our emunah - our belief, similarly, when it comes to emunas chachamim, we are called on to build our emunah in the words of the sages. 
When we read a section of the Torah, of the Gemara, of the Shulchan Aruch and the like, our job is to build our emunah, that just like we would be so inspired and motivated if Hashem would tell us that information Himself, in a sense this is the same thing when we read these passages, because the oral tradition was given to Moshe Rabbeinu by Hashem, and just like at the giving of the Torah, we know that Hashem Himself revealed Himself to the Jewish people for the first two of the Ten Commandments, but because the experience was so overwhelming, the Jewish people requested that the rest should be transmitted only to Moshe Rabbeinu, who would then relay the information to them. Perhaps this is one reason why Hashem doesn't reveal Himself to every one of us in an obviously revealed manner the same way that He did to Moshe Rabbeinu, and there may be many other reasons, but the bottom line is that the words of the sages come directly from Hashem, and our job is to build our emunah chachamim.
And the third type of emunah that the Torah commentaries bring is emunah in oneself - belief in oneself. And as we discussed, self-confidence can come from two different places. When self-confidence comes from the place of, "I am able to do this", and I forget to bring Hashem into the picture, although if I have certain strategies, I might be able to portray or feel what people usually refer to as self-confidence, however in truth, this is certainly not something that we should aim at. The true self-confidence - emunah in ourselves, that we should be aiming at, is again an extension of emunah in Hashem. If I believe in Hashem, and Hashem believes in me, then certainly I should believe in myself. And therefore whatever opportunities Hashem has presented me in my life, whatever abilities He might have given me, after praying to Hashem and asking Him to help me in my endeavor, I should certainly feel confident that I can do it. 
"Hashem my Father, thank You so much for teaching me this incredible Torah teaching about how important it is to believe in myself. Because the truth is, Hashem, that if You believe in me, I have no right not to believe in myself. Hashem, sometimes I say to myself, what is my Torah learning even worth? I barely have a background in Torah learning. I struggle so much with basic Torah learning, whereas there are so many people that have had so much more exposure than me, and their Torah learning is at a level much higher than mine. Hashem, please help me to remove these terrible thoughts from my heart and mind. 
Because Hashem, if You believe in me, and You've told me that there is a mitzvah to learn Torah, and that's applicable to everyone, just like I believe in You whether I understand it or not, I also believe that if You commanded me to learn Torah, regardless of how much value I might feel that may have, I don't want to do things because of my understanding; I want to do it because of emunah. Please Hashem, help me to believe in myself, that even if I am able to read just a few passages from Torah literature in English on a daily basis, that I should treat that time with absolute highest priority, and realize that like the Gemara teaches, "bishvili nivra haolam" - the entire world was created just for me. And when I go ahead and learn Torah in those few moments, that is the core reason that You created the entire world for, including everything encompassed within it. 
Hashem, at times it is difficult for me to feel confident to go ahead with the ideas that I have in myself, of what I believe I can contribute to the world. Please Hashem, help me always, first and foremostly, to reach out to You and not fall in the trap of looking at other addresses to try to find my self-confidence, but rather always coming to You and begging You for help and success. And after I have done so, Hashem, please help me to be so confident, because if You believe in me, I have every reason in the world to believe in myself."

230 - Believe In Yourself

We've been discussing how the Torah commentaries break down emunah into three parts. The first one, simple emunah and bitachon, placing our trust and reliance on Hashem, as we've discussed much about. The second one, emunas chachamim, where we extend our belief in Hashem to belief in the words of Moshe Rabbeinu, and by extension, the sages, where the tradition was passed down early to, from generation to generation. And the third category of emunah that Torah commentaries outline is having emunah in yourself. Rav Tzadok HaKoen, as well as many other Torah commentaries, discuss this idea. 
When we wake up in the morning, the first line we are supposed to say is "modeh ani", which ends with the words "rabba emunasecha". One interpretation of these words is, "Hashem, your emunah in me is very great." We are declaring that Hashem has a lot of faith in me. Hashem created me in the first place, and He decided that today I should wake up again for a new day. If there was no purpose for me in the world today, and I believe that Hashem orchestrates every single detail in the world, then why would He have given me another day of life? There is no question in the world that if I woke up today, I have a very specific purpose that nobody else in the world can fulfill. 
And in the words of the Gemara, every person is obligated to believe, "bishvili nivra haolam" - that the entire world was created just for me. Let's just take those words to heart. All the people in the world, all the investments, all the projects, the sun, moon, and stars, and we can go on. It was all created for one purpose; just for me. Digesting that idea should help motivate me what a tremendous opportunity I have in this world. But not only that, what a tremendous responsibility I have in this world. Because in Hashem's greatness, He is able to create everything exclusively just for you, and He is able to do that with regards to everyone. Now if Hashem decided to create this entire world, including everything comprised within it, just for you, there is no question He believes in you, and you have a purpose in this world that nobody else can fulfill. 
If Hashem believes in you, and you decide not to believe in yourself, in a sense one is denying Hashem. Hashem is saying X, and I am saying Y. By the fact that Hashem gave me the abilities in what I have to contribute to the world, from the smallest of the smallest ways, to the biggest of the biggest ways; if I have the ability to give somebody a smile, which is one of the greatest mitzvos, or perhaps I am in a position to give charity, or perhaps I am able to learn Torah, or perhaps I am able to pray, talking to Hashem in my own words, and the list goes on and is tailor-made for every individual - every single one of us has our unique talents and abilities, and we are therefore called on to believe in ourselves. When a person commits a sin, one might feel, maybe I am not worthy anymore, but again, if I woke up today, Hashem believes in me. Even if it was the worst of sins, Hashem believes in me, that there is potential for me to do teshuvah and rectify what I did wrong and become great.
Just like when it comes to emunah, one can never tell the true level of somebody else's emunah. Sometimes, two people who are presented with a potentially anxiety-provoking situation may respond in a similar manner. They both might be very calm. It could be that the one individual's natural tendency is just to be calm, even though they might have barely worked on their emunah and bitachon. And certainly this is barely an achievement, because this is just the way Hashem made them. It could be the other individual naturally leans towards feelings of anxiety, and because of this individual's growth in emunah and bitachon, is now able to feel calm.
And in a similar vein, when it comes to people who appear to be self-confident, it can come in one of two different ways. Sometimes that self-confidence can come from a place completely contrary to the values of emunah. Sometimes people believe in themselves because they believe they are the master to their own destiny, and because they have been successful in some areas of their life, that leads them to arrogance and sometimes can be viewed as self-confidence. Whereas another individual who is on the path of true emunah and bitachon might be led to a place of true self-confidence, not because of arrogance, God forbid, but rather because if Hashem believes in me, I can certainly believe in myself.

229 - Choosing Your Rabbi

We've been discussing what the Torah commentaries divide into three types of emunah, and whilst our main focus is always revolving around the core of everything - emunah and bitochen in Hashem, it is certainly worthwhile to also delve into the other areas that the Torah commentaries discuss. We spoke about the second type of emunah - emunas chachamim, where we are called on to believe in the words of our sages, starting from Moshe Rabbeinu who received the oral tradition directly from Hashem and was passed down from generation to generation. 
And as we spoke about, the Midrash brings down that we are supposed to reach such a level of emunas chachamim, of belief in the words of the sages, that with regards to the Sanhedrin, the great beis din of times of old, even if they were to tell us the right is the left, or the left is the right, we are supposed to aim to reach such a high level of belief in their words, that we will listen regardless of our understanding. Jjust like we do not understand Hashem's doings and we are called on to believe and place our trust in Him, by extension, we are called on to believe in the words of the holy sages who have a special close relationship with Hashem, and Hashem has designated to be guides for us in our lives. 
As mentioned, the Rambam outlines that the oral tradition that was given to Moshe Rabbeinu directly from Hashem was passed down from generation to generation to specific individuals. The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos teaches, that one is supposed to make for themselves a rabbi. Part of the purpose of doing so is that when a question arises in halacha that I am not able to investigate and find the answer to myself, I am now able to seek the guidance of an authentic talmid chacham who is well-versed in all areas of Torah and is able to guide us when it comes to halacha. 
Another fundamental principle is the concept of da'as torah - that when a person needs to make a decision - of course much of the time I am able to find the answer myself, but with regards to certain areas of my life where I have a question mark, besides doing research and as discussed many times, talking to Hashem and asking Him for clarity, we are called on to seek guidance from Torah leaders who are authentic talmid chachamim and tzaddikim who are able to guide us in the right direction.
In times of old, the concept of a personal rabbi was very different to how it is today. Because the oral Torah was not written down, most of the Torah information I received was from the Torah teaching of my rabbi. And that being the case, there were very many serious laws with regards to the respect of one's Torah teacher. One example, as brought in Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah section 242, is that anybody who argues with his rabbi - and again this is a rabbi in times of old who one is learning all the Torah information from, and there was no Torah literature available in books - it's as if he's arguing with the shechina. 
And there are many other similar statements. There is a lot of Torah literature available about emunas chachamim, and one is certainly encouraged to pursue this topic further. For our purposes right now, it is worthwhile to mention that Torah commentaries bring that one of the extensions of having emunah in Hashem is building our belief in the words of the sages - emunas chachamim, which of course starts with Moshe Rabbeinu and was passed down from generation to generation all the way through to the sages of the Gemara. 
In today's times, where it is not always as clear as to who exactly that chain was passed down to. In order to fulfill this advice of the mission in Pirkei Avos which says one ought to make for oneself a rabbi, one of the greatest things we can do in trying to make an effort to find them is ask Hashem and say, "Hashem, please can you help me to fulfill the mitzvah of emunas chachamim - of belief in the words in the sages, to the highest degree, and even in our day and age today, Hashem, please can you guide me and help me to find the rabbi, talmid chacham, and tzaddik, who could be most suited for my situation and guide me in the most ideal way for my life."