Let's continue our Bitachon journey. Okay, so we're dividing this up into 15 parts, just in terms of explaining the questions to give us a bit of a direction of where we're going to be heading, not only to gain the daily inspiration about Bitachon, but also to give us clarity and direction. Again, this is a journey.   It's not going to take one day, but we're going to get there, B’ezrat Hashem. Before even exploring the Torah sources, as mentioned, I'd like to first go through the questions in an orderly, organized way to give us clarity and direction, B’ezrat Hashem, in our Bitachon journey.   So we mentioned part number one, we're going to be discussing what exactly is Bitachon. Part number two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part number three, how important exactly is Bitachon? Is it just another regular mitzvah? Is it a super mitzvah, or is it ultimately the point of all the mitzvos and all of Torah? Part four, does Bitachon always work? Can I be confident Hashem will come through for me in the way I desire and the way I see it? Or is it just that I know Hashem can do anything, but not necessarily will He come through for me in the way I desire?   Part five, why must Hashem come through for me. If it's true that I can rely on Hashem to such an extent that He will for sure come through for me in the way that I desire, why does He owe me that, that He must come through for me? Who says there's no other considerations, that maybe He shouldn't come through for me? And again, B’ezrat Hashem will elaborate on these points further as we move forward into the Torah sources of each of these sections. But for now, we're just going through the contents to again, give us clarity and direction and raise some of the questions before we explore the Torah sources.   Part number six, does Bitachon have a prerequisite to be effective? And as we mentioned, this is so important, and one of the reasons that perhaps this is not so widely taught, where one relies on Hashem to such an extent that He will come through for me in the way that I need, in the way that I desire, is because an absolute prerequisite for this to happen is that one's Bitachon has to be 100% sincere, and this is a very high level to achieve. Now, as we'll discuss, it's not even about getting there. It could be that we will get there in certain aspects of our lives, and certain times we may be able to tap into this form of Bitachon and even receive the things that we are relying on Hashem for in the exact way that we desire. But not necessarily is that even the goal. It's just about taking a step forward to the right direction. There are many levels in Judaism, and it's not about getting there, not in one day and not even in 100 years. It's about just taking the steps forward to moving in the right direction. So yes, to get to a level of 100% sincere reliance on Hashem is not an easy endeavor. But at the same time, to aim to get to that level and just to climb higher in our sincere reliance, even just a little bit higher, that is ultimately our goal, just to grow in Bitachon.   What does it mean to be sincerely reliant on Hashem? So let's use an example just to illustrate this. Imagine you have an uncle who is so extremely wealthy. He's a billionaire beyond. But not only that, he's a very good-hearted person, and he wants to help people. But not only that, he is particularly fond of you. And he calls you up one day and he says to you, As you know, I am extremely wealthy, and giving out money is very easy for me. And in fact, I like to give out money. But not only that, he says to you, you're the one person that I particularly want to help in any and every area I can. And he says to you, if at any point you need money, please come over to me.   Now one time it happens, you need money, you go over to him, and he so willingly and gladly helps you out exactly with what you need. And he says to you, please, if you ever need this again, come over immediately. And it happens again that you need money, and you go over to him, and he helps you graciously with everything that you need. And you do this 10 times, and each time he helps you graciously and tells you to please come back any time you need.   It happens one night, you're speaking to a friend, and you're currently in a situation where you need money. Now you know that tomorrow you're going to pick up the phone and you're going to call your uncle. Are you pretty confident that he is going to give you exactly what you need? Or are you feeling doubtful about it? Meaning are you saying to your friend, listen, I'm going to call my uncle, and I think he'll help me, but you know, if he won't, then this is the other avenue that I have. Now although there is some reliance on one's uncle, but that won't be classified as 100% sincere reliance, whereas if one says, after these 10 times that he's helped me, I have no doubt about it that he is going to help me, that can just give us a little bit of an indication of what it would mean to rely on Hashem with 100% sincerity. I have no doubt about it, He'll come through for me. So let's continue to discuss and explore these most fascinating topics about bitachon.

I can't stop expressing the tremendous excitement I have for sharing this tremendous information about Bitachon. I'm just so excited about the topic because again, it is just the keys to life. We already know from Emunah, a life without Emunah and a life of Emunah are literally completely different worlds. And again, a life with true Bitachon and a life without Bitachon are completely different worlds. And while we can maybe call Emunah level one, we're now moving to B’ezrat Hashem, Emunah level two, which is really the practical application even more so of turning Emunah into Bitachon.   So B’ezrat Hashem, let's continue the outline we've been giving to give a bit of an overview and direction of where we're going to be heading and many of the questions that will arise and that B’ezrat Hashem is going to deal with in an organized and structured way in each section dealing with the Torah sources that deal with those questions and thereby B’ezrat Hashem coming out with clarity, not only in terms of daily inspiration, but in terms of gaining clarity and direction about these questions.   Of the 15 sections we're going to be discussing, B’ezrat Hashem, we've outlined so far. Question one, what exactly is Bitachon? Part two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part three, how important is Bitachon? Part four, does Bitachon always work? Is it that Hashem can come through for me, but not necessarily will He come through for me in the way I desire, or can I rely on Hashem to such an extent that I am confident He will come through for me in the way that I desire? Part five, if the latter is true, that I can rely on Hashem for whatever I need and whatever I might desire, why must Hashem come through for me? Who says that's good for me? Who says Hashem owes me that? Who says that's going to happen? Why must Hashem come through for me? And part six, which we left off in the previous session, does Bitachon have a prerequisite to be effective?   So I'd like to elaborate on this a little bit further because this is one of the most fundamental components of Bitachon. As we're going to explore, one of the highest types of Bitachon is to be able to rely on Hashem to such an extent that I am sure He's going to come through for me in the way that I desire. Now as we're going to learn inside and as we get to those sections, we're not just going to talk theoretically about this concept, but rather we'll learn the actual Torah sources inside. But just for now, to give a bit of a direction, we're going to see that according to many, many, many, many Torah sources, not only can one rely on Hashem to an absolute extent that Hashem will come through for me in the way that I need and in the way that I desire, but it is commendable to do such a thing. Not just commendable, but it is actually what true Bitachon is all about, to rely on Hashem to come through for me for my needs in the way that I need, in the way that I see it, in the way that I desire.   But what is most vital to remember and internalize is that a prerequisite and precondition for this type of Bitachon to be effective is to be 100% sincere in one's reliance on Hashem. Now as we've repeatedly mentioned, many of these questions intertwine and one might say, how do I get to such a stage? We'll get there, B'ezrat Hashem. But for now we're just honing in on this point, that this type of Bitachon, where one is so confident that Hashem will come through for them in the way that they need, in the way that they desire, has a prerequisite.   Not a prerequisite in terms of one's reward. Any little step that one makes in terms of their efforts to grow in emunah, to grow in bitochen, is immensely rewarded for and has tremendous benefits for eternity and also in this world. But in terms of this form of bitochen, of relying on Hashem, for Hashem to come through for us in the way that we would like, we're going to see that a most important prerequisite to this happening is that one's bitochen needs to be 100% sincere.   Let's explore this further as we continue in the next session with B'ezrat Hashem.

I'm so excited to continue our Bitachon journey. So let's revise. We divided the sections into 15 parts. So far we discussed, in terms of the headlines of the sections we're going to be discussing, Bezrat Hashem. Part one, what is Bitachon exactly? Part two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part three, how important exactly is Bitachon? Part four, does Bitachon always work? Is the correct perspective that Hashem can do anything but not necessarily will He do it in the way that I need and desire? Or is the correct perspective that I can have reliance on Hashem to come through for me in the way that I need and the way I desire? Part five, if the latter is the case, that I can rely on Hashem to the extent that I need and I desire, why must Hashem come through for me? Hashem has many reasons and considerations why it might not be good for me if He comes through for me in the way that I desire. And therefore, why must He come through for me?   Let's move on now to discuss part number six. Does Bitachon have a prerequisite to be effective? Now this is so important to elaborate a little bit on what this means. As I'm sure you self-understood from the way I've presented the questions, we're going to see that there is a type of Bitachon that one can be so confident in Hashem that one will for sure receive exactly what they desire. This is honestly one of the greatest and most exciting keys to our life. And after I had the opportunity to learn this topic, I wondered to myself and also had the privilege to discuss it with some great Torah authorities, what is the reason that this type of Bitachon, which is such a powerful weapon that we have available, why have I never heard of this concept before in all the many Torah lectures that I've explored over the years? Why have I not come across this topic? Again, if it was just like a side topic for someone who's very learned, who's exploring intricate topics beyond the scope of what usually people explore, then I'd understand. But if, as we're going to learn, it is the most basic foundation to all of Torah and to all of mitzvos, and we're going to see how not only is this a possible type of Bitachon that we are allowed to tap into, but it's actually one of the higher levels of Bitachon that we should aspire to arrive at, B’ezrat Hashem.   But one of the reasons one doesn't usually come across this topic, and rightly so, is because if this prerequisite and precondition is not met, then of course one's absolute reliance on Hashem is not going to work. So let's clarify what we're trying to say. If somebody is looking for a marriage partner and has Bitachon to Hashem, and again we need to define exactly what does it mean to have Bitachon in Hashem, but let's assume somebody reaches out to Hashem and reaches a space of full reliance on Hashem that they're going to find their marriage partner in the near future. As we're going to learn, there has to be such a sincere reliance on Hashem that one has absolutely no doubt that Hashem will come through for them. Now again, many questions are going to arise as we learn these topics because so many of them are intertwined.   One might ask, if I am so reliant on Hashem, why should I do any Hishtadlus? Why should I make any of my own efforts to make anything happen? Because if I know Hashem is going to take care of it, then why should I make any of my own efforts? And if I am making any of my own efforts, does that mean that I don't have true, sincere reliance? Again, B’ezrat Hashem, we're going to get to this section of Hishtadlus as we proceed to discuss these topics. And another question that will arise is, okay that's very nice. If one has such sincere reliance on Hashem that they're 100% sure Hashem will come through for them, then Hashem will come through for them in exactly the way they desire. But as we're going to see, that's quite a high level. So does that mean that bitachon is only for the elite? Because I don't even know if I can ever get to such a level. And again, as we're going to discuss in the coming sections, what is the true reward for bitachon? Is it just receiving what I'd like? Or even if I'm not able to have the full sincerity in bitachon, do I reap tremendous benefits in both the spiritual worlds as well as this physical world? B’ezrat Hashem, let's continue to explore these topics and transform our bitachon.

We continue our Bitachon journey and as discussed, so many of these concepts are intertwined and it's so beneficial therefore to have a bit of a direction of where we're going to be heading to explore the topic of Bitachon, not just to get the daily inspiration of the Emunah and Bitachon, but more now to get a clear and focused direction of exactly how Bitachon works and thereby be able to answer the many questions which arise and have clarity to feel confident in the Bitachon that we're going to take.   It's also worth pointing out that even though we haven't yet quoted even one Torah source, but just going through the questions is already a building block for Bitachon because it already opens up a bit of a direction of where we're heading, of what there is to ask, what there is to discuss, and it just expands our mind a little bit before we even explore what the Torah sources are going to teach us. So let's revise.   Of the 15 parts we're going to be exploring, b'ezrat Hashem, we've so far discussed part number one, what is Bitachon, a bit of an introduction. Part number two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part number three, how important exactly is Bitachon? Part number four, does Bitachon always work in the way that I need and in the way that I desire? And part five, if Bitachon does work in the way that I need and I desire, why must Hashem come through for me?   And as we discussed in the previous session, there could be many reasons why Hashem might not want to come through for us, not because He doesn't want to share His goodness with us. Remember, we've discussed many times the only reason Hashem created the world is to share His goodness with us. So He does want to share His goodness with us, but as we know, there are often many considerations, some of them within our understanding and some way beyond our understanding that might be a reason for Hashem not wanting to come through for us in the way that we desire.   So let's say, for example, a person is an overly confident person because of the tremendous wealth that Hashem has blessed them with, and let's say Hashem has decided that for the benefit of this person, for their eternity in the next world, which is much more important than their life in this world, He wants to give them an opportunity to humble themselves and therefore He takes away this person's money. Now by this person losing their wealth, Hashem understands they're going to be humbled and they're going to have an opportunity to come back to Hashem and build a relationship which is much more important than all the money in the world. So let's say this person would apply Bitachon and they ask Hashem and they rely on Hashem, please Hashem, give me all the wealth back. Let's say we're going to learn that Bitachon has this magical power, that whatever you have true Bitachon for will come about, but who says that's going to be good for me? Perhaps having Bitachon will be a bad thing if I'm going to make it happen because as we can see in this situation, this guy should not get his wealth back because if he does, he's not going to have the humility that he should have and he's going to continue to be an overly confident person. So how is all that going to work out?   Again, I'm elaborating on each of these points because as one can see, there's so much to talk about in each of these points and yes, as we go more extensively into each of these sections and begin to explore the Torah sources, we will see the way the true perspective of Hashem, the Torah sources teach us how all these questions come together and b’ezrat Hashem in that way build for ourselves a real path to Bitachon.   I want to just emphasize again, I'm feeling so tremendously passionate to be able to share this Torah information. I'm so excited because again, without knowing this information of what true Bitachon really is, of course one is not able to take the next necessary steps to be able to truly apply this information sincerely in our lives and live by the values of Bitachon. We have spent a lot of time learning about Emunah and getting the daily inspiration about Emunah which is tremendously important because it's just about bringing Hashem into our lives and making Hashem real into our lives and realizing we can and should talk to Hashem about anything and everything and all the many other things that Emunah leads to. But at the same time, Bitachon is a whole another world which we're just beginning to explore and I'm so excited to be sharing this with you because to me it's literally like a gift of $10 billion and the truth is much more than that because all the money in the world cannot buy the gift of what true Bitachon is, the ability to truly rely on Hashem. So let's continue b’ezrat Hashem with our journey in Bitachon.

Again, I can't express enough how excited I am to be sharing this Torah information. Something that is such an incredible discovery for myself. Firstly, when I found Emunah, it was completely life-changing just to realize every single one of us can have this most incredible personal relationship with Hashem, the One Being that truly counts, that can do anything and everything for us.   And Baruch Hashem, we had the privilege to spend much time on our daily inspiration about Emunah, but now I'm so excited to continue our journey in what we've called Transform Your Bitachon, in our Bitachon journey. And as we discussed, it's so important always to come from the real Torah sources that provide us with the real perspective, the only truthful, undistorted perspective. Many people can have different ways of looking at things, but ultimately it boils down to who's better at arguing the point and presenting the point.   Even if one might be completely mistaken, if one is talented in arguing a certain point, either to others or even to oneself, we might be convinced of many untruths. So B'ezrat Hashem, let's continue with the contents of the way we're going to break up Bitachon to provide us with a clear direction of where we're going to be heading in this journey of Bitachon. As mentioned, we're going to be breaking this up into 15 parts.   Part 1 is what is Bitachon? A bit of an introduction. Part 2, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part 3, how important exactly is Bitachon? Part 4 we began to discuss, does Bitachon always work? The two sides of the coin are as follows. A. I know Hashem can do anything, but not necessarily will He do it for me in the way that I desire. He has many considerations. Or B. I know Hashem can do anything and what I need and what I desire, not only can He do it for me, but He will do it for me and I'm going to rely on Him and have Bitachon that He's going to come through for me in the way that I need and in the way that I desire.   Let's move now to part number 5. As I'm sure you've picked up already from the way that I've illustrated the questions, you can understand that there's going to be a type of Bitachon that we're going to be exploring, that we can be so confident in our requests, in our reliance on Hashem, that not only do we know that He has the capability to come through for us, but we have such confident Bitachon in Him that we are sure that He will come through for us in the way that we desire.   And therefore in part 5, we will explore, B'ezrat Hashem, why must Hashem come through for me? Does Hashem not have many considerations? Who says Hashem owes me anything? And therefore if I am asking Hashem and relying on Him for something, who says that He must come through for me? He doesn't owe me anything, why must He come through for me? And by extension, again we could add, who says it's going to be good for me? And therefore that might be the reason that Hashem does not come through for me. Because as we know, there are many considerations beyond our understanding. And if I'm asking for something that might not play out to be good for me in the bigger picture of things, why would Hashem give it to me? And if He would give it to me, is that even a good thing? Should I even desire that? So this B'ezrat Hashem will be our discussion in part number 5, why must Hashem come through for me?   And again, as we discussed in our gratitude course in our Emunah series, one of the things that prevent us from feeding gratitude to Hashem is having the mistaken perspective that Hashem owes us things. For example, if a person becomes sick and his perspective is that Hashem owes him good health, then when one becomes sick, one might be led to complaints and the like. Whereas if one's starting point is, Hashem doesn't owe me anything, Hashem didn't even need to create me in the first place, and the whole reason that He did it, as we learned many times, is because He just wanted to share His goodness with me in this world. And that being the case, He doesn't owe me anything.   So if somebody is then ill, they don't have a reason to complain. Anytime they're healthy, they have a reason just to share their feelings of gratitude with Hashem for the amazing health that He's blessed them with, but never to complain because He doesn't owe me anything. And that being the case, if I have Bitachon in Hashem, that He will make me better when I am sick, why must He make me better? Did we not learn that He doesn't owe me anything? Let's continue to explore, b'ezrat Hashem, the journey we're going to be making and the direction we're going to be taking in our Bitachon journey.

I'm really excited to be sharing this incredible information with all of you. Any bit of Torah is exciting to be able to share because it's Hashem's will and ultimately much greater than any other information we're going to learn in this world. But the reason I'm so passionate and excited about this is because this has been a discovery for myself to truly get a clear direction from early to contemporary Torah sources about what exactly bitachon is.   And many of these concepts are counterintuitive in some ways and not so popularly taught for certain reasons that we'll discuss. But once one is able to access these keys, we literally are able to access chambers and gates in terms of our relationship with Hashem that we certainly could not have previously accessed.   We discussed in the previous session part number one of a rundown of 15 parts which we're going to be going through. Again, just to give a bit of clarity of direction of where we're going to be heading because again so many of these concepts are intertwined and when one question comes up one thinks of many other aspects. So just to get a bit of direction in terms of how we're going to be exploring the topic of bitachon. We discussed in the previous session part number one, what exactly is bitachon? A little bit of an introduction to bitachon.   Part number two, what is the source for the mitzvah of bitachon? Part number three, how important exactly is bitachon? And where we left off in the previous session was part four, does bitachon always work? And again, to elaborate on this a little bit more, just in terms of the question, we again haven't explored any Torah sources yet. It's so important to emphasize one can say whatever they want in terms of anything and if one is a better lawyer than someone else you will win the argument. But the only true perspective is Hashem's perspective. So we want to come from the Torah sources, the true perspective of what is the absolute truth. Does bitachon always work? Again, let's try to illustrate this in a clear way.   I'm currently short of money, I need an extra thousand dollars. And again, we're not going now into the mitzvah of hishtadlus, which is a component we're going to get to later. As you can already see, that already is a concept which is intertwined. But forgetting hishtadlus for a moment. One qualifies to be able to have bitachon, to receive their thousand dollars. And one reaches out to Hashem to please give them their thousand dollars and one relies on Hashem to give them a thousand dollars. Because again, we'll discuss, B'ezrat Hashem, each of these concepts: What does it mean exactly to have bitachon? How do I practically apply bitachon? Do I have to be qualified to be able to have bitachon? We'll get to everything, B'ezrat Hashem. As I'm mentioning, everything is quite intertwined. But that's why it's so important to try to get a bit of a direction.   So is my approach, if I have asked Hashem and I'm relying on Him to give me a thousand dollars, that of course He can give it to me, even if all circumstances seem to point against me. Of course Hashem is not limited to those circumstances. That is basic emunah that is according to every opinion. One has to know that Hashem is Ein Od Milvado. In one second, He can turn all nature upside down and He can make it look like it's not going against the laws of nature and He can certainly in one moment give me the thousand dollars that I need.   But at the same time, Hashem has many considerations as we know. Maybe I don't deserve this, maybe I've sinned, maybe a previous reincarnation would dictate that it's not good for me to receive the thousand dollars now, or many other millions of factors that might be beyond our human understanding. So as is usually understood, not necessarily will Hashem come through for me. Of course He can come through for me, but not necessarily will He come through for me in the way that I desire. In other words, maybe I will ask for something and He will say no, because it is better for me. That is one way of viewing it.   Another way of viewing this, again without yet going into the answer, but again just presenting the question in a clear format so that we can just get a better understanding of where we're heading. Those thousand dollars that I currently need and I'm relying on Hashem to give me, and again I've applied practical bitachon which we'll discuss. Not only do I know that Hashem can give it to me, but I've reached such an extent of trust that I know and I rely that Hashem will for sure give me the thousand dollars.   Now again, if that would be the case, then many might ask, but how do I know it's good for me? And why would Hashem necessarily give it to me? And who says I deserve it? And even if I do, again, doesn't Hashem have many considerations? And how do I know that I shouldn't even be asking for anything and having bitachon in Hashem for the things that I desire; isn't it wiser to just rely on Hashem that He should call the shots for me? B’ezrat Hashem, we will continue in the next session in our journey of bitachon.

Okay guys, here we go. I am so excited to be embarking on this journey. As mentioned, I'm holding here in my hands a collection of many Torah sources, 75 to be exact, that B’ezrat Hashem we're going to be exploring in a very focused direction of what exactly Bitachon is.   As mentioned, and I'm sure as many are aware, there are literally countless Torah sources about Emunah and Bitachon, and while it is certainly very beneficial to receive daily inspiration about our Emunah, our Bitachon, our relationship with Hashem, to talk to Hashem in our own words and the like, at the same time I've found that it can be quite confusing many of the questions that are asked, and without having a clear direction in an organized way, many of the concepts about Emunah and specifically about Bitachon can be in the air and not so clear to understand. So B’ezrat Hashem, I ask Hashem should help us on this incredible journey.   So what I'm going to do now is read the table of contents of what we're going to be exploring, just to get a little bit of an idea and a glimpse of the direction of what needs to be clarified. And of course, each of these things will branch out to many more aspects. But just to give a little bit of an idea of where we are B’ezrat Hashem heading, and also to just put it out there, as it's easy to understand, many of these concepts are intertwined, and as we learn about one, we will have questions about the other. But that's why I'd like to just give a rundown of the table of contents of how we're going to be exploring it, so that B’ezrat Hashem, we can hopefully come out in a clear way, not only to know the information, but again, to be able to feel qualified and confident to be able to apply these incredible gifts into our lives.   So we're going to be dividing this into 15 parts. Part number one, what is Bitachon? Just a bit of an introduction to what exactly Bitachon is, the difference between Bitachon and Emunah, coming from the actual factual Torah sources, as opposed to just information that we might just have heard, but again, sometimes in an unorganized way that leaves a lot of questions and room for grey areas.   Part number two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Is it actually a mitzvah? Is it an obligation? Are we dealing with a mitzvah from the Torah, from the rabbis, etc? Part number three, how important exactly is Bitachon? B’ezrat Hashem, we're going to explore some amazingly powerful passages, Torah sources, from early Torah sources to contemporary Torah sources, that discuss just how important Bitachon is, being the foundation of the entire Torah, all the mitzvos, and ultimately everything we are aiming to do as a Jew.   Part number four gets very interesting. Does Bitachon always work? Much of the time when we explore the topics of Emunah, and by extension Bitachon, the way it's usually understood is, of course, Hashem can do anything, and can even save me and send my salvation and whatever I might need, in a miraculous manner, because Hashem is in absolute complete control of the world.   As we discussed previously, that is basic Emunah – ein od milvado - there's nothing else in the world except for Hashem. Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in every single one of our lives. So that being the case, of course Hashem can do anything. But does that mean Hashem will do anything?   If we have Bitachon for a certain situation, such as I need money and I'm applying Bitachon that Hashem will give me that money, or perhaps a person is sick and they want to have Bitachon, that they will have a full recovery, or perhaps somebody wants to find a marriage partner or the many other things that encompass the details of all our lives. If I have Bitachon that it will work out in a certain way, does that mean that I can have Bitachon to the extent that Hashem must come through for me in the way that I desire and in the way that I am having Bitachon for? Or is it only that I must internalize that Hashem can send me absolutely anything at the blink of an eye, whilst at the same time not necessarily will it be in the way that I might expect?   I guarantee you that the information that we're going to be learning might be one of the most interesting topics that one has ever come across, both in a theoretical way in terms of the concept of how Bitachon works, but much more importantly, once one is able to take these theoretical concepts to heart and B’ezrat Hashem sincerely apply them, life can be a completely different life. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward and continue to explore these topics together in the next session.

Before we begin our Bitachon journey, I would like to just give an overly simplified summary about what Emunah is. Again, if anyone would like to refer to our previous audio inspiration, the place to look is transformyouremunah.com and there you can find the archives of the last two years of daily inspiration, as well as all the courses and more. But for our purposes right now, B'ezrat Hashem, in just one slot, to give an overview of what exactly is Emunah, so that B'ezrat Hashem we can continue from there in our Transform Your Bitachon journey.   As we will learn, it is very clear that in order to have Bitachon, one has to have Emunah. It is impossible to have Bitachon without having Emunah, but as the Torah commentaries teach, it is very possible to have Emunah whilst not necessarily having Bitachon. So therefore, in order to be able to embark on our Bitachon journey, we have to first clarify and remind ourselves what exactly is Emunah.   So while there is a lot of information, simply speaking, Emunah means digesting the words Ein Od Milvado, sincerely. The words from the verse in the Torah – Ein Ad Milvado – really mean that there is nothing else in the world except for Hashem. That means that anything that transpires throughout our lives, although much of the time it might seem like other people in our lives and other circumstances are the engines driving those forces of the things happening to us in our lives, however, truly digesting Ein Od Milvado means that there is nothing else in the world except for Hashem. That means that every single detail, down to the last degree, is orchestrated exclusively by Hashem in every single one of our lives.   In the 13 principles of faith, based on the Rambam, that are printed at the back of many siddurim, we read the words, “I believe with my full heart and with full sincerity, that Hashem creates and manages the details of every single one of His creations, and He alone arranged everything that happened in the past, currently arranges everything that happens in the present, and is the only one exclusively who takes care of everything in the future.” Now why this is such an important foundation to Bitachon is because, as we will see, there are so many different details about how we are able to apply Bitachon to our lives. But a basic and most important foundation to any and all of those applications is to work on internalizing more and more each day that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in every single one of our lives.   And that being the case, as we've discussed so many times in our daily inspiration, that Hashem exclusively orchestrates every single detail to every single one of our lives, and without a doubt can hear every single one of our words that we say to Him, it is one of the most basic extensions of Emunah, to talk to Hashem. The more one builds the belief in Hashem, the more one automatically won't have so many questions about how much should I talk to Hashem, is it okay if I just talk during davening and the like, but rather it will be an obvious go-to that I want to talk to Hashem and I need to talk to Hashem, because it is obvious that that is the greatest effort that we can make in terms of solving our problems, trying to find the right direction in our lives, and anything and everything else, because Hashem runs every single detail in every single one of our lives. So let us make an effort to remember this most important information. The ABC of all of Judaism, and certainly a prerequisite before exploring Bitachon, is to truly digest Emunah.   Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in every single one of our lives, nobody can contradict Hashem's will. And therefore the most obvious and logical thing to do is to always reach out to Hashem about anything and everything to the best of our degree. B'ezrat Hashem, in the next session let us begin our journey in Bitachon.

So before we begin exploring the giant world of Bitachon, which I'm so passionate and excited to be sharing, there is just so much incredible information – some of it we might be familiar with in some ways, but some of it we may have never heard before. And these are the real keys to the success of our lives in this world, and of course also for eternity.   I'm holding in my hand a collection of 75 Torah sources, which I've been working on for a long time. Don't think by any means that Bitachon is limited to 75 Torah sources. If there's anything we learnt in our Emunah journey, we know that the whole point of all Torah and all mitzvos is ultimately for the sake of Emunah and Bitachon, as so many Torah commentaries taught us. And as we open our eyes, we'll just see that it's literally left, right and center. everywhere we look is just full of Emunah and Bitachon. But this particular collection of Torah sources that I'm holding in my hand is so dear and precious to me, because it's ultimately been a journey of trying to clarify for myself, which I'm so excited and passionate to now be sharing with you, a more organized journey through what exactly Bitachon is.   When I've encountered some people and I've shown them this collection of Torah sources, I've said, honestly, this looks like a little pamphlet with a little bit of writing on it that might be worth just a couple of dollars. But honestly, to me, this is worth at least 10 billion dollars. As we learn this information, we will see that the more we learn about and truly digest what true Bitachon is, the more we will realize that we have the true keys to life way greater than winning the lottery or any other security we might feel for ourselves.   Before we move forward to learning about Bitachon, which we can maybe call Emunah level 2, let's just give a summary about what we've learned so many times about what Emunah, simply speaking, is. So, B’ezrat Hashem, we're going to use the next session to give an overview about what we've learned so many times about what exactly Emunah is and how to practically apply that. And then, Bezrat Hashem, after that, we're going to move into Bitachon and begin our journey in the world of Bitachon.   Success is a word that is relatively subjective to what an individual considers to be successful. But we know that in Hashem's undistorted eyes, there is a truthful perspective to what true success is. And therefore, as we discussed so many times, one of the most powerful things that we can do is a basic extension of Emunah, just to simply speaking, ask Hashem that we should be successful in our endeavors. And specifically now, as we're about to embark on this amazing journey, I want to use this opportunity once again to ask Hashem in my own words, and I encourage every single one of you to ask Hashem in your own words, as we embark on this journey, this most incredible and exciting journey, because as you will see, as we proceed on this journey, you will receive the keys to many gates that you either thought never existed or might have thought that those gates will always be locked to you.   “Hashem, we're about to begin our Transform Your Bitachon journey. I'm so excited that you've shared this Torah information with me, and I'm so excited to be sharing it with others. Please Hashem, help every single one of us, me from my part, to give over the information in a truthful and clear way. And at the same time, anyone who might be listening, to b’ezrat Hashem, receive the information in the right way, but not only to learn the information as a theoretical subject, but to truly b’ezrat Hashem, be able to sincerely apply this information in our lives. Thank you so much Hashem for the incredible gift of Emunah, and the incredible gift of Bitachon.”

Hey everyone, I'm so excited to share with you, we're about to embark on our new journey, our new project, Transform Your Bitachon. We've been working on our daily inspiration about Emunah for about two years, and I hope, B’ezrat Hashem, that we've all gained even just a little bit of growth in our Emunah journey. As we've discussed many times, Emunah is not something we ever graduate from truly because, as so many commentaries teach us, Emunah is ultimately our life's work, and there are countless levels, and it's not just about knowing the information about Emunah, but it's about truly digesting that information and incorporating it into our lives as best as we can.   Just like Emunah is a whole world unto itself, Bitachon is a whole incredible world, and while it might seem to many of us that since we have been learning about Emunah, Bitachon is almost an extension of that, on the one hand, that is certainly true; on the other hand, Bitachon is a huge world unto itself, and I'm so excited, B’ezrat Hashem, to share this with you all. Just before we do begin our journey on Bitachon, I would just like to mention a couple of things. For anyone who's interested in referring back to the daily inspiration that we've been sharing over the last two years, the place to look is transformyouremunah.com, and one can find there the archives to all the shiurim that have been posted via the podcast platforms that are listed there. Our series of courses related to Emunah that we've been posting on our daily inspiration can also be found on our website transformyouremunah.com.   I would also like to mention that we had the privilege to release a sefer called Transform Your Emunah in just 60 seconds a day, a sefer which is really a collection of more than 300 Torah sources about inspiration about Emunah. If you'd like to get a copy of the sefer for yourself and you haven't yet done so, you can get it on all the classical platforms such as Amazon, Feldheim, or your local bookstore, and all these links can also be found on our website transformyouremunah.com.   May Hashem help every single one of us to grow in our Emunah and our Bitachon journeys, not only transforming our future for eternity, which is ultimately the most important thing, but at the same time, may we all merit to truly transform our lives, even in this world, the world that we live in.   I'd like to use this opportunity to thank every single one of you for the opportunity to be able to share the Torah wisdom that Hashem has given us about Emunah and Bittachon, and I hope and pray that just like I have grown tremendously throughout this journey, that Hashem should bless every single one of you to grow tremendously in your Emunah and Bittachon endeavors.   And as we've discussed extensively in our Emunah daily inspiration over the past two years, that one of the most basic expressions of Emunah is to talk to Hashem in our own personal words and develop a personal relationship with Hashem, I'd like to use this opportunity to make a small prayer to Hashem in my own words, and I encourage every single one of you, just before we commence on this most exciting and incredible project, to make a small tefillah of your own to Hashem for success in this endeavor, and by extension, in all our endeavors of Emunah and Bitachon and everything else that is truly important in our lives. “Hashem, my dear Father, thank You so much for the past two years of the most incredible Torah information and inspiration that we've gained from, and we're about to embark on this most exciting journey, Transform Your Bittachon, which as You know is the most incredible and exciting world unto itself. I beg You, Hashem, please guide every single one of us in our individual capacity to be able to take the information, digest it, and incorporate it into our lives as might be applicable to each and every one of us, and thereby, b'ezrat Hashem, not only transform our lives in this world to the most meaningful lives of tremendous value, but most importantly, to fulfill our life's purpose, which is ultimately to earn eternity for ourselves, and as we've learned so many times, the ultimate and most important way to do so is by making our maximum efforts to excel in Emunah and Bittachon. Please Hashem, help every single one of us on this incredible journey to be able to truly transform our Emunah and our Bitachon.”

We know that there are two days that Purim is celebrated. The first of the two is usually referred to as Purim, while the second is usually referred to as Shushan Purim. Whilst most places in the world observe Purim on the first of the two days, Yerushalayim and some other places observe Purim on Shushan Purim. However, it is important to highlight that the Megillah states that the miracles and celebration of Purim was enacted as Yemei Mishteh V'simcha, days of celebration. Meaning to say, that although the main celebration for most of the world applies on the first of the two days, whereas in Yerushalayim it applies on Shushan Purim, however, ultimately, we all have a mitzvah to celebrate and rejoice on both of the two days. Halachically speaking, although one performs the main mitzvos of the day, such as the reading of the Megillah, Mishloach Manot, Matanot L'evyonim and the like, in most of the world only on the first of the two days, and in Yerushalayim on Shushan Purim, however, there is a mitzvah for everyone to increase their festivities on both days by having a meal with meat and wine and the like, and singing songs and words of praise and gratitude to Hashem.   We've discussed many times what so many Torah commentaries teach us, that our ultimate job in this world is to develop our emunah, our belief in Hashem. And although there are many things that a life of emunah will lead to, as we've been discussing on this daily inspiration, however, ultimately, perhaps the highest form of true emunah is when one reaches a state of complete joy and happiness. Although it is certainly a tremendous accomplishment when one has a difficult time in their life to reach out to Hashem and pray for things to change, and that is certainly a value which an emunah will lead to. However, perhaps even higher than that is when I stop thinking about my own life and needs and I'm just grateful for the fact that I have been chosen to have a personal relationship with Hashem. I have the opportunity every single day to learn Torah, which if we've learned any Torah sources about, one will understand very quickly, is the holiest of the holy. To fulfill Hashem's mitzvos, words cannot describe the tremendous opportunity that we have. And every single moment we have the opportunity to reach out to Hashem in our own words.   "Thank you Hashem for these tremendous days of Purim that You've given us the opportunity to experience. Days that all the gates of heaven are open, and we are able to reach the highest heights. Please Hashem, help me to take the energy of Purim with me to the rest of the year, to truly be able to internalize what a tremendous gift I have, that I have been chosen to serve You and tap into the holiness of what it means to have a personal relationship with You. Thank You so much, my Father, for the tremendous gift to be able to perform all Your mitzvos. Hashem, there are many things that I can take with me from Purim to the rest of the year, but perhaps one thing that I ask You in particular to help me, is Hashem, I know that the ultimate expression of emunah is to just be happy, because I trust that You will always only do what is best for me. And therefore Hashem, I ask You, please help me to be so grateful for the opportunity to have been chosen to perform this mitzvah, which as we've been taught, is more potent than anything in this world that I can even begin to imagine. Of course, I'm only going to be able to witness that in the next world, because this is the world of emunah, of belief. But help me, Hashem, to internalize that true emunah, that true belief.   And similarly, Hashem, in general in my life, even when I'm not actively performing a mitzvah, please help me to constantly be in a state of true joy and simcha, because if I trust that I am in Your hands, the Creator of the world, the One who has planned my life from beginning to end, already from the time of creation, and who has power over anything and everything, and is watching over every single step. I have so much reason to just sing and dance, even when things do not look rosy in my situation, because I do not live my life by what I see. I know that as the Gemara teaches, this world is an upside-down world. What we see is upside-down to what true reality is. But we are so privileged to have been given the gift of emunah, to trust and believe, that Hashem, everything that You do will always only be for my best."

What a tremendous opportunity we have today to be experiencing the holiest day of the year, a time where all the gates of heaven are open. Let us make use of these 24 hours in the most potent way. Let us remind ourselves that Purim is a day that will never cease to exist because this is a day on par with the holiness of the future, a day so holy beyond even Yom Kippur and all the other tremendous festivals that we have in the Jewish calendar.   "Thank you Hashem for the tremendous privilege you've given me to be chosen to perform your mitzvos, so many mitzvos every single day, and in particular right now the tremendous mitzvos of Purim. But not only to perform them with the intricate details exactly as you've prescribed to us in your halacha, but also to do my best to perform them with true enthusiasm and joy and simcha. What a tremendous opportunity I have to be a Jew. Thank you Hashem for the tremendous opportunity to fulfill your mitzvos."   And the climax of Purim, as we've discussed, is that a person is obligated to get so happy and elated on Purim to the point that we don't know the difference anymore between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai. And a beautiful idea that the Nesivos Shalom brings from the Maharal is that there are three types of relationships. One type is our relationship with Hashem. The second type is our relationship with other people. And the third type is our relationship with ourselves. And on Purim, we are obligated to reach such a state of happiness where we don't know the difference anymore between the cursed is Haman times and the blessed is Mordechai times.   And as the Nesivos Shalom explains so beautifully, when it comes to our relationship with Hashem, sometimes Hashem sends us beautiful rosy times. Those are the times that are signified by blessed is Mordechai. And at other times, we endure tremendous suffering and hardships. And those times are signified by the cursed is Haman times. On Purim, we reach a state of such happiness and closeness to Hashem that it doesn't matter anymore, Hashem, whether You send me the greatest gifts in the world or the greatest suffering in the world. I love You so much, Hashem, with all my heart, because I know that You created this world just to give to me. And I trust, even when I can't see with my own eyes, that You will only do what is best for me. Thank You so much, Hashem. I love You so much. Thank You for all those times that You gave me all the money I needed. And thank You for all those times that I was so short of money. Thank You, Hashem, for all those amazing times with tremendous health. And thank You for all those times that I suffered from tremendous illness, because although I cannot see why that is good for me, but I trust that You will only do what is best for me.   And on Purim, we are also obligated to get so Livesumei that we don't know the difference between the blessed is Mordechai times and cursed is Haman times, with regards to our relationship with other people. Some people are in the category of blessed is Mordechai. You're such a good friend; You always do good for me. I love You so much. Whereas some people might be in the category of cursed is Haman. I really don't like You; I have many reasons why I don't feel good feelings towards You. On Purim, we are obligated just to be so happy and friendly to everybody around us, to not know the difference anymore whether someone is truly the closest friend or perhaps an enemy, because I just love everybody. I have a mitzvah of Ahavas Yisrael; I have a mitzvah to love all those around me. I love everybody to the highest degree; everybody is my best friend.   And thirdly, when it comes to my relationship with myself, there are times of blessed is Mordechai when things are going so well and I'm succeeding spiritually. I woke up today on time, I davened beautifully; I learned Torah; I gave charity; I dressed in a modest way, and I'm truly succeeding spiritually and I feel great at the end of the day that I'm so close to Hashem. And then there are other times of cursed is Haman where I didn't wake up on time; I missed davening; my Torah learning didn't exist today; I didn't dress in an ideal manner, and I might have committed other sins. And on Purim we reach a state of happiness that regardless of what we've done, of course usually if we have transgressed, we make our maximum effort to repent and for going forward, we do our best to only do mitzvos and stay away from aveiros, whilst at the same time on Purim we reach such a state of simcha that regardless of whether I'm feeling inspired and upbeat from how I've been succeeding spiritually, it's not about what I see and experience about myself but rather what I believe Hashem has taught me - that I am His precious child regardless of my actions, regardless of anything. This close relationship with Hashem can never be tainted.   "Hashem, my dear Father, please help me to internalize Your true perspective that although I am to make my maximum effort to do Your mitzvos and to do my best in the best way, whilst at the same time my personal relationship with You, the relationship of a parent and a child, can never be broken. And on this day, Purim, Hashem, help me to reach the true state of just being b'simcha and singing and dancing for the fact that I have a personal relationship with You and help me to love everyone around me and help me to love myself and Im Yirtzeh Hashem, Hashem, help me to take this energy not only for Purim but throughout the year. Thank you Hashem for the most incredible opportunity to be a Jew. Thank you Hashem for the most incredible opportunity to have the great and holy day of Purim." A Freilige Purim to everyone!

What a tremendous privilege and opportunity each one of us has, that shortly we will be moving into a spiritual time period of the future. As we've been discussing, Torah commentaries teach that Purim is the holiest day of the year, to the point that all the other festivals will cease to exist in the future, because the holiness of the future will be so great that the holiness of the festivals will be diluted. Whereas Purim will be with us forever, because right now as we are about to move into this holy period of Purim, this is a time period of holiness on par of the holiness of the future. What a tremendous privilege each one of us has.   And as we've been discussing, seeing as our purpose in this world is to practice emunah, specifically belief, whether we understand or not, whether we connect or not, our starting point should always be to make our maximum effort to fulfill Hashem's commandments exactly as prescribed by Halacha. And in addition to that, to make our maximum effort to perform the mitzvos with true simcha and joy, appreciating the fact that we have been chosen to perform the holiest work in the true real world. After having read the Megillah and performing all the mitzvos of the day, Matanot L'evyonim, Mishloach Manot, and the like, we reach the Purim Seudah. And as we are taught by Torah commentaries, the climax of the Purim Seudah is the mitzvah of Livesumei.   We are taught by many Torah sources that to get drunk throughout the year is a tremendous sin because we are always supposed to be in control of ourselves to be able to serve Hashem to the best degree that we can. However, on Purim there is a specific mitzvah, Livesumei Bepuraya, to get drunk in the holiness of Purim itself. It is not the time and place now to discuss the laws of drinking on Purim, but rather we will be discussing now the real message and idea behind what it means Livesumei Bepuraya, and as the Gemara states, to the point that we are so ecstatic that we don't even know the difference anymore between Cursed is Haman and Blessed is Mordechai. What some Torah commentaries explain, Cursed is Haman refers to the times of our lives that are dark, that in a sense we curse them away because we wish they wouldn't have existed because of the pain and suffering, whereas the Blessed is Mordechai times in our lives refers to those happy and joyful times of bright lights and success.   On Purim we are obligated to reach a state of such closeness to Hashem that we begin to praise Hashem to the point that we cannot distinguish anymore between the times of Blessed is Mordechai and Cursed is Haman, meaning to say, whether things are smooth and happy in our lives, or whether things are the darkest times that we might begin to imagine, on Purim we are aiming to reach such an elated state that it makes no difference to us anymore whether we are experiencing bright times or dark times because we have emunah in Hashem. We trust that Hashem will always do what's best for us and even when times appear to be so dark, so painful, we trust that Hashem would only do that for our best.   Now throughout the year it is not always easy to remain with this perspective because when things are very difficult and we are undergoing sometimes tremendous forms of suffering, it is a real challenge to remember and remind ourselves that Hashem is truly in control and only created the world just to give to us and would only do what is best for us. But there is a special energy that we are all privy to experience on the holy day of Purim, where combined by the gift of the holiness of the Purim day itself, as well as our own efforts to truly connect with the holiness of Purim, we can reach the state of truly thanking and praising Hashem just for the fact that I am a Jew and I have the privilege to perform your mitzvos and have a personal relationship with Hashem.

What a privilege we have that very soon each one of us will have the opportunity to tap into the holiness of the day of Purim. And as we learnt, Torah commentaries teach that Purim is the holiest day of the year, to the point that Yom Kippur is called Yom k-purim, a day almost as holy as Purim. And to the point that just like the halacha states by when someone asks us for charity that we are entitled to investigate the matter, however, when it comes to Purim as the halacha states, when one asks for charity, we do not ask questions, but rather give generously. And similarly, when we make requests of Hashem on Purim, the heavenly courts do not ask questions, but rather give generously.   And we learnt further a fascinating midrash which teaches that in the time of the future, all the Jewish holidays will cease to exist, because the holiness of the future will be so great that there will be no need for the holiness of the Jewish festivals. Whereas as the midrash teaches, the only exception to this is the festival of Purim, which as we are taught, will never cease to exist, because right now, today, the holiness that we are able to experience on Purim is on par to the holiness of the time of the future. So seeing as we have this short period of 24 hours of a tremendous holiness beyond imagination, let us make our maximum effort to prepare ourselves in advance, so that when we begin this 24-hour period, b'ezrat Hashem, we can use every moment to its fullest, and reap its maximum benefits.   So what exactly are we to focus on during Purim? Of course, as always, the first thing is to follow Hashem's guidelines as He is prescribed to us by halacha, because again, whether we understand or not, whether we connect and feel inspired by the mitzvos we might be performing or not, I perform Hashem's mitzvos in exactly the way that He has prescribed, with all of the intricate details involved in each of the mitzvos. So step number one to focus on during Purim is to make our maximum effort to fulfill all the mitzvos of the day, exactly as prescribed by halacha, such as the mitzvah of reading the Megillah, Mishloach Manos, Matanos L'evyonim, eating the seudah according to the details prescribed by halacha, and the like.   Besides actually performing the mitzvos with the intricate details, which again is certainly step number one, we should certainly make our maximum effort during Purim to perform the mitzvos with tremendous simcha, joy and happiness. Many Torah commentaries teach that performing a mitzvah exactly as prescribed by halacha with all its intricate details, but doing so without a feeling of simcha and joy, cannot even begin to be compared to performing that same mitzvah with true simcha and joy. And of course throughout the year, every mitzvah we perform, ideally we should aim to perform with tremendous simcha and joy.   However, especially when we come to Purim, the holiest day of the year, let us remind ourselves about the Torah passage which deals with the curses that might befall the Jewish people. And the Torah passage states that the reason that might happen is because we did not serve Hashem with simcha, meaning to say, even if we might have performed all of the mitzvos exactly as prescribed by halacha, with all the intricate details, but we forgot the element of simcha, then God forbid we could be susceptible to those terrible curses. And similarly the great and holy Arizal testified about himself that the reason that he reached such great spiritual heights was not due to his Torah learning, fasting, or any other forms of dedication to Hashem, but rather due to his tremendous simcha that he felt whilst performing the mitzvos.   "Hashem my dear Father, throughout the year I often get distracted by the fast-paced world that we live in, and forget to truly appreciate what a tremendous privilege I have to be a Jew, to be able to be chosen to perform your mitzvos. Please Hashem help me, as we approach Purim, and especially on Purim itself, and B'ezrat Hashem to extend this message to the rest of the year too, to begin to appreciate what it means to be able to perform a mitzvah. Thank you so much Hashem for the mitzvah of mishloach manot. Thank you so much Hashem for giving me the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of giving tzedakah. Thank you so much Hashem for giving me the opportunity to say berachos throughout the day; to wash my hands in the morning upon awakening; to learn Torah; to light Shabbos candles; to have the privilege to listen to the megillah; and Hashem I could spend the whole day here thanking you. Hashem please help me that before I perform your beautiful mitzvos, to stop and be mindful of what a tremendous privilege I have. Thank you Hashem for the tremendous opportunity and privilege to be able to fulfill your mitzvos."

We are all so privileged that in just a few days, B'ezrat Hashem, we will experience the holiest day of the year. As mentioned, the Arizal teaches that although Yom Kippur is ordinarily viewed as the holiest day of the year, and in a sense easy to relate to why that is, however, Yom Kippur in the Torah is referred to as Yom Kippurim - Yom k-purim - it is a day like Purim, meaning to say that although Yom Kippur is tremendously holy, it is almost as holy as Purim, because the holiness of Purim surpasses all other days of the Jewish calendar.   And similarly we discussed that throughout the year, when one requests charity, we are certainly entitled to investigate where the money is going to and if this is truly a worthy cause. Whereas on Purim, the halacha states that whoever stretches out their arm, we should just give freely, rather than investigating and asking questions. And as the Torah commentaries teach, Hashem abides by this halacha too, meaning to say that throughout the year, when we make requests, many a time the heavenly courts will investigate the matter to determine whether we are truly worthy to receive what we have requested. Whereas on Purim, Hashem too abides by the halacha that states that when one stretches out their hand to ask, we just give without asking questions. What a tremendous privilege we have in this 24-hour period of the holy Purim day, that all the gates of heaven are open, and it is certainly worth our while to try to prepare ourselves in advance for this holy day to make maximum use of this 24-hour dynamite period.   There is a fascinating midrash which teaches that in time to come, all of the Jewish holidays will cease to exist, except for one - Purim. Meaning to say, there will be no more Pesach, no more Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur. Although each of the Jewish holidays are imbued with tremendous holiness, however when it comes to the tremendous holiness that B'ezrat Hashem we are due to experience when this world terminates and we move to the future, the holiness of the Jewish festivals are considered insignificant in comparison to the tremendous holiness that will be prevalent in the time of the future, and therefore there is no need for them to exist. Whereas when it comes to Purim, as the midrash teaches, the day of Purim will never cease to exist. And again, the reason for that is because although we will be experiencing such tremendous holiness in the time of the future, however the holiness of the day of Purim is on par with the holiness of the time of the future.   We are so privileged that in just a few days time, B'ezrat Hashem, we are going to experience such a holy day that is on par with the time of the future beyond the holiness of any and all other Jewish festivals that we have. There are many sources that highlight and explain the intense and incredible kedushah that we are able to attain during this 24-hour period of Purim. Suffice it to say that we certainly want to use these 24 hours in the most efficient way. 24 hours that are a true semblance of the next world, completely beyond our world.   "Hashem my dear Father, in just a few days, B'ezrat Hashem, I will have the privilege to experience the holiest day of the year, a time which is imbued with the same holiness of that of the future. Hashem although this is certainly beyond my understanding, because as we go through Purim, the way You have prescribed, does not always connote feelings as if we are experiencing the holiest day of the year; I might have expected to be saying tehillim, learning Torah all day, fasting and the like. But again Hashem, my job in this world is not to understand, but rather to believe. And as You have taught us via Your many Torah commentaries, that Purim is the holiest day of the year. Please Hashem help me to truly be able to tap into the power of the day and make use of this tremendously powerful 24-hour dynamite period in the most efficient way according to Your Torah guidelines. Thank you Hashem for the tremendous privilege that You have given me to be able to be a Jew, to be able to follow the guidelines of Your Torah which is Your true perspective, the only true perspective, and to be able to experience the holiest day of the year."

We are so privileged that every single one of us will have the opportunity b'ezrat Hashem in just a few days, to experience the holiest day of the year. A well-known Torah teaching that many Torah commentaries bring down in the name of the Arizal is that although we are accustomed to referring to Yom Kippur as the holiest day of the year, and in a sense it's easy to relate to that fact when we are all trying to be at our top form, repenting, and making our maximum effort to surround ourselves in holiness through our fasting, prayers, and the many other mitzvos of the day, however, when it comes to the day of Purim, the first thought that might come to our minds in connotation of this day is wine, feasting, and the like. However, as the Arizal famously teaches, that in the Torah, Yom Kippur is referred to as Yom Kippurim, which can also be read as Yom k-purim; it is a day like Purim. Meaning to say, Yom Kippur is an extremely holy day - so holy it is that it is almost as holy as Purim. But it does not match the holiness of Purim, because Purim is the holiest day of the year which surpasses every other day of our Jewish calendar.   Throughout the year when one is approached for charity, especially if it's a significant sum, one is certainly entitled and sometimes encouraged by halacha to investigate if this is a legitimate and worthy cause. When it comes to Purim, however, the halacha dictates that when one stretches out their hand asking for charity, we don't ask questions; we just give. Of course, that does not mean that we are obligated to give millions of dollars to the entire world, but rather the principle that is being taught is that although throughout the year one is entitled to ask questions, on the day of Purim one's attitude should be that of complete generosity, and within one's budget of what one intends to give to charity, one should just give freely to those who are requesting, rather than investigating by asking the person questions to see if this is truly a worthy cause.   And many Torah commentaries extend the idea behind this law to our relationship with Hashem. Every single one of us is considered like a very poor person standing before Hashem. Throughout the year, when we ask Hashem for things, many a time the heavenly court begins to investigate the matter to see if we are truly worthy. There are many considerations and do we truly deserve what we are requesting. Whereas on Purim, Torah commentaries explain that the heavenly courts do not ask questions whether we are worthy or not, but rather this is the most opportune time to receive what we might be requesting.   Now, of course, this does not mean that whatever we do ask for on Purim we will for sure receive, because there are many considerations beyond our understanding. Sometimes when we ask for something, Hashem knows that in the bigger picture it will be detrimental for us, and therefore the reason He will not give us what we have requested is not because our prayer did not make its way up, but rather because Hashem understands that this will not be good for us. There could be many other considerations, such as if a person is asked for health or wealth and the like, there are many ways to measure what true health or true wealth is. For a person who was supposed to suffer from tremendous illness, if they now after their prayers will be blessed to only experience mild illness, that could certainly be considered healthy in comparison to what was supposed to be. And similarly when it comes to wealth, if a person has requested that Hashem bless them with financial success, there are many levels as to what is considered to be financially wealthy.   As we've discussed many times, our job in this world is not to understand things, but rather to believe, to have emunah. And what we are being taught here, loud and clear, from many Torah commentaries, is that Purim is a tremendously holy day, to the point that if any time is going to be the opportune time for our prayers to be answered, Purim is the day. What a tremendous privilege each one of us has that in just a few days' time, we will experience the great and holy day of Purim.

We've been discussing the tremendous opportunity that every single one of us has to perform the great mitzvah of giving somebody a smile. And as the Gemara in Kesubos, page 111b states, that a person who smiles at his fellow is better than one who gives him milk, and as mentioned, although we certainly are encouraged to invest both in terms of our time, energy and money to perform all of the mitzvos, because what is anything worth in this world compared to the eternal value of a mitzvah, however, some mitzvos are so easy to fulfill both in terms of our time, energy and financial investment that they are available to us constantly throughout the day, every day.   Smiling at another individual is a huge mitzvah that is available to us constantly. Many a time, just giving a smile to somebody else can turn around their day from feelings of hopelessness and anxiety to just that little bit more upbeat. One of the reasons that it is such a big mitzvah to smile and bring happiness to another individual is because as Torah commentaries teach, when one is in a happy state, we are much, much more productive and able to excel in our endeavors, both with regards to the day-to-day activities that we might need to perform, and in particular with regards to excelling in our spiritual endeavors. When one is not feeling upbeat and happy, it is much more difficult to reach out to Hashem and talk to Him, to learn Torah, to perform an act of kindness and the like, whereas when one is feeling happy and in a good space, much of the time there is much more feeling of motivation to do good. With just a little bit of an effort to give somebody a sincere smile, one can change the day and the life of an individual who is experiencing loneliness, depression, anxiety from whatever challenges they might be going through.   The Gemara in Taanis 22a records the following episode and states, Rabbi Beroka often spent time in the marketplace and Elijah the prophet - Eliyahu Hanavi, would appear to him. Once Rabbi Beroka said to Eliyahu Hanavi, "Of all the people who come here, is there anyone worthy of the world to come?" And as the commentary of the Torah Chaim to Sanhedrin 88b explains, that although the overwhelming majority of people do have a portion in the world to come, however for many people there is first a need for suffering in this world and to experience some suffering in Gehinnom in the next world to first cleanse their soul. And what Rabbi Beroka was asking Eliyahu Hanavi was, "is there anybody in this marketplace that is on such a high level that they are immediately worthy right now of the world to come without needing prior suffering neither in this world nor in the next world before earning their eternal share?" And the Gemara continues that Eliyahu Hanavi pointed to two individuals and said to Rabbi Beroka, "These two individuals are currently worthy of the world to come." Rabbi Beroka then went over to them and inquired, "What is your occupation?" They said to him, "We are jesters and we cheer up the depressed."   Let us internalize what Hashem's perspective, the only true perspective is. Although at times it might not seem like such a super mitzvah to make an effort to make other people happy, however in this Gemara we are learning that out of all the people in the marketplace, many of whom may have been involved in great and holy endeavors, there were only two who were on such a high level that they were ready for the next world without a need for any cleansing. And these were two people who were constantly involved in cheering people up, in making people happy. Each one of us is presented with many opportunities in different forms to help others and bring happiness into other people's lives. Let us internalize that whatever efforts we might be able to do to bring happiness to those around us is a huge mitzvah.

We've been discussing what the Torah commentaries teach with regards to the tremendous benefit of living a life of happiness. And as pointed out by the Vilna Gaon to Mishlei, chapter 18, verse 14, as well as other Torah commentaries, when one is in a happy state, even when illness strikes, God forbid, one will come out of that illness due to the state of one's happiness.   And as we've been discussing, much of the time, feeling feelings of happiness as opposed to anxiety is an extension of living a life of emunah and bitachon. Because the more I believe that I am in Hashem's hands exclusively and there is nothing to worry about because He is in absolute control and He only does what is best for me, the more I will feel feelings of calm, serenity, peace and tranquility. Because if I am learning about emunah, although I might know that in truth I am immune to circumstance and other individuals, but to truly internalize that knowledge is our life's work, as we've discussed many times. And as mentioned, we are only called on to make a little bit more effort each day to try and grow more and more to living a life of true emunah and bitachon, which will lead to a life of true happiness.   The Gemara in Kesubos, page 111b, states that a person who smiles at his fellow is better than one who gives him milk. Imagine for a moment that someone were to go around giving people free milk every day. That would certainly be a notably commendable act. Whereas when someone walks around just smiling at those around them, instinctively it doesn't appear to us like such a commendable act. From Hashem's vantage point, smiling at people is considered even greater than going around and giving people milk.   We've discussed previously how to internalize the concept of what it means to go to the next world, to Olam Haba, in comparison to this world. There's a famous analogy offered by Torah commentaries. Imagine you have a large stadium filled to the top with sand, and every 1,000 years a little bird comes and removes just one grain of sand. Let us try conceptualize how long it will take to empty out the stadium. This is not a number that can fit on the calculator, it is so big. When we compare 120 years of living in this world to what it means to live for eternity, our lives in this world is not even like one grain of sand in that stadium.   Certainly then, when it comes to the opportunity to performing a mitzvah, even though we might have to invest financially in terms of our time or in other areas, in order to be able to perform this mitzvah, one with the right perspective will certainly be prepared to do so, because again, what is the point of all the money or all the time in this world compared to the eternal reward and blessing of one mitzvah in the next world? However, after all is said and done, we do have to choose into where we're going to invest, both in terms of our time, our money, and the like, because as human beings we are limited. For many mitzvos, there might be a great time investment, as well as it might cost a lot of money to have the opportunity to perform them. And although we are certainly encouraged to do so, as mentioned, we are limited and won't be able to do that on a constant basis.   Whereas there are some mitzvos, such as giving somebody a smile, which is so easy, doesn't cost anything, and nevertheless the Gemara is teaching us that giving somebody a smile is more of a mitzvah than giving him milk, taking the time and investing the money to bring him his supplies. We are certainly encouraged to help out in all areas, even when we do have to invest time and financially. However, it is motivating to internalize that each one of us has the constant opportunity to perform a huge mitzvah many times a day, just by giving somebody a smile.

We've been discussing how Emunah and Bitachon is something available to every single one of us. It's tremendously encouraging to take to heart what the many Torah sources teach us, that Emunah and Bitachon are completely independent of our actions. And although we are certainly called on to do our best to avoid sin and do as many mitzvos as we can, nevertheless the opportunity to have Bitachon and rely on Hashem is completely independent of our scorecard.   Sometimes the evil inclination makes us feel that only when we are thriving spiritually, then we have a license to talk to Hashem to help us succeed in all areas of our lives. But as we've learned many times, that is not the case. The opportunity to rely on Hashem is available to every single one of us, regardless of our actions. And as the Ramban, Rabbeinu Yona, Rav Tzaddok HaKohen, and other Torah commentaries point out, that even a thief who certainly knows he's doing the wrong thing by making an effort to go and steal from another individual, if he stops for a moment and chooses to rely on Hashem to some degree, Hashem will help him in his endeavors.  The power of Emunah and Bitachon is beyond imagination, and it is so important to realize that it is available to every single one of us. And therefore, we all are called on to make use of this tremendous gift that Hashem has given us.   We've been discussing how the more Emunah and Bitachon we bring into our lives, the more feelings of calm, serenity, and happiness we will feel. Torah commentaries teach that at face value, there are more times of challenge and difficulty that we all experience throughout our lives than times of calm, peace, and tranquility. And without an attitude and perspective of Emunah and Bitachon, much of the time we will instinctively fall into feelings of depression, anxiety, and worry. And again, although we are certainly not to feel feelings of guilt for having these emotions, because we are human and Hashem created us, seeing the right perspective helps us to aim in the right direction.   If I am currently looking for a marriage partner, and the years are passing, and for whatever reason Hashem has not yet blessed me to find my marriage partner, without making a concentrated effort to moving towards living a life of true Emunah and Bitachon, which will lead to feelings of happiness and serenity, instinctively, this situation will cause feelings of anxiety, depression, and the like. Just taking one step towards a life of more Emunah and Bitachon can transform our lives to degrees beyond our imagination.   "Hashem, Master of the Universe, thank You so much for giving me the opportunity to talk to You. I know that truthfully, the only thing that can help me in my situation to feel more feelings of calm and less feelings of anxiety, is if I reach out to You. Because although I've learnt Your perspective and the real truth of the situation, that You Hashem are completely exclusively running the show, and if I have not yet found my marriage partner, that is because You have not yet sent him, and regardless of what efforts I might make, if You choose to not send him to me, there is no way I can find him, and at the same time, when You decide it is the time for me to find my marriage partner, there is no question that I will find my husband without even a second delay after the time that You have decreed, and if I am able to take this to heart, Hashem, there is no question that I will feel much less anxious about each moment that passes without finding my marriage partner.   At the same time, Hashem, much of the time, I am feeling tremendous feelings of anxiety and it is tremendously painful. Please Hashem, help me that You do send me my marriage partner as soon as possible. And additionally, Hashem, please help me that in the interim, until You do send me my marriage partner, that I remain in a place of true emunah and bitachon, and each day I grow more and more to living by Your perspective, that You are exclusively running the show, and thereby, Hashem, please help me each day to move more towards living a life of true happiness."

We've been discussing how when one lives a life of true emunah and bitachon, there are tremendous benefits to the quality of our lives. When circumstances present themselves that might instinctively lead towards feelings of anxiety and depression, the more we move towards a life of true reliance on Hashem, internalizing that no individual nor circumstance can contribute anything towards my life, because I have learned in the verse that ein od milvado - there is nothing else except for Hashem, and ultimately everything that transpires throughout my life and to the world at large is completely an expression of Hashem Himself personally orchestrating every single detail, and that being the case, knowing that Hashem only wants the best for mem and there is no individual nor circumstance that can even slightly impinge upon Hashem's plans, there is nothing to feel anxious and upset about.   It is so important to highlight that when we learn these Torah passages, the objective is to realize that emunah is our life's work, and it's so important to encourage ourselves that even the slightest step that I might take is a true success story. Hashem expects from us to take the inspiration that we are learning and just become a little bit better each day. So if I am currently employed and financially comfortable, but my contract expires in a year's time from now, and I might have feelings of tremendous anxiety, perhaps sometimes having sleepless nights, or perhaps at other times going into long periods of depression and worry, I may not be expected to climb to such a level of emunah and bitachon, where I feel no feelings of anxiety; but perhaps if I am able to just take a few minutes to myself to try and contemplate on the fact that Hashem was the one who gave me this job opportunity in the first place, and just like before I found this opportunity, I had no idea what my future course was going to be and even though it appeared like I suddenly received this opportunity due to luck or due to my connections, I know that in truth, Hashem was pulling all of those strings, and He was the one who made the situation present itself as it did, and just like He provided for me then, He will not abandon me in a year's time.   "Hashem, I am feeling tremendously anxious. I know that You are the one who has run my life up until now, and You are the one who gave me my current job opportunity. And even though in truth, Hashem, I am trying to work towards a place of internalizing, that You will always come through for me, and in a year's time when my contract expires, You will help me and provide for me with the next opportunity that You will send me, however, I am feeling tremendously anxious. Hashem, please help me to internalize that it is You exclusively who runs my life, and just like You came through for me previously, You will come through for me again."   And although I am now called on to make a practical effort to try to find a new opportunity for the coming year, however, when I am able to internalize that my efforts are not what is going to provide me my opportunity, and even if I feel like I might have not found the right solution to my problem, but if I am able to internalize that only Hashem exclusively is the one who is able to find a solution to my problem, I might then be able to move towards a slightly less anxious life. As we have learned many times from Torah sources, emunah and bitachon is available to every single one of us. Hashem created us and has tailor-made all the details to my life to be best suited exactly for me. And regardless of my spiritual level, I have the constant opportunity to reach out to Hashem to help me for more emunah, for more bitachon, and for more simcha.

We've been discussing one of the tremendous fringe benefits of living a life of emunah and bitachon, that not only do we thereby gain the highest place that we can for ourselves in the next world, which is ultimately the purpose of being alive, but additionally, the quality of our lives can be transformed completely when we choose to live a life of true emunah and true bitachon. Because again, if I believe that I am slave to my circumstances or people around me that might be more powerful - perhaps I might be dependent on them in one way or another, then, when my situation seems to be quite dire, and this individual, who has always been the one to help me, might have had a change of heart, or perhaps the army, that I might have always relied on to be unshakable and unbreakable, had a huge breach in an unthinkable way, if I forget to bring Hashem into the picture, it is very easy to fall into feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and depression.   And similarly, if I have been married for numerous years and always dreamed, hoped, and prayed for the opportunity to be able to mother a family, but for whatever reason, Hashem has not blessed me with children, of course we are allowed to feel our feelings of pain. And in fact, the halacha is that when a close family member dies, we are supposed to mourn. However, the halacha also dictates that after the period of mourning, we are supposed to make our maximum effort to continue with the happy and vibrant lives that we have the opportunity to live, and if I as a mother have not been blessed with children, if I do not have it loud and clear in my heart and mind that Hashem is absolutely in control of every intricate detail in every single one of our lives, it might be quite easy to fall into a depression and feelings of hopelessness. It seems unfair. Why is it that so many around me, with barely any effort, perhaps they didn't even pray for it, but they had the privilege of mothering many children, and me, after many hours of prayer, it seems to be that Hashem is not listening to me. Does that seem fair?   As we've discussed many times, there are many levels to what it means to live a life of emunah and bitachon. And of course, the highest levels would dictate that a person is happy to the point of singing and dancing throughout their lives, regardless of what might be transpiring, because they are so clear that everything that is happening during their lives is completely and exclusively ordained by Hashem. However, we are not expected to be more than we can be. All Hashem does expect from us is to make our maximum effort to be the best that we can. And every day we have the opportunity to grow a little bit more, in relying a little bit more on Hashem, and moving more towards the direction of feelings of calm and happiness, regardless of my circumstances.   "Hashem, my Father, I am reaching out to You because of this terminal illness that You have diagnosed upon me. My instinctive response, Hashem, is to feel feelings of panic and anxiety. Hashem, please help me not to panic, and to truly internalize that I am not dependent on the doctors nor on the medication. Hashem, just like You brought this illness upon me, in a flash You could take it away, even if statistics have predicted otherwise. Because I know, Hashem, that You are not bound by the normal laws of nature, but rather You are the one who creates nature every single moment. And if You would decide to make me better, You could do so in an instant. And therefore, Hashem, I am begging You, please will You heal me.   However, perhaps even more importantly, Hashem, I am begging You to help me to remain in a state of true emunah and bitachon, that regardless of what I am going through, please, Hashem, help me to truly internalize that it is exclusively coming from You. Although You have given me a mitzvah to make a practical effort at times to see doctors and medication, however, please, Hashem, help me not to fall into the trap of believing that that is what is helping me. Thank You, Hashem, for giving me the opportunity to work towards a life of true happiness."

Although the main benefit of living a life of Emunah and Bitachon is that we thereby are fulfilling our purpose in this world, which is ultimately for the sake of our reward in the next world, however, as discussed many times, one who lives with Emunah and Bitachon gains tremendous fringe benefits in terms of the quality of one's life in this world itself. Many Torah commentaries, such as the Vilna Gaon to Mishlei, chapter 18 verse 14, as well as the Metzudas David to Mishlei, chapter 17 verse 22, write that when an individual is always in a happy state, even when illness strikes, God forbid, that individual will come out of the sickness due to his state of happiness. Happiness is a cure for the body, whereas low spirits cause illness.   Many Torah commentaries bring this idea on similar lines - that when we keep in a state of happiness, not only does that prevent us from falling to illness, but even if one is currently ill, being in a happy state might be one of the greatest medications that we might try and seek out. And again, when one is living a life without Bitachon, there is so much reason to feel feelings of fear, anxiety, and depression for many of the things that are transpiring. When one takes a look at the news and sees the tremendous suffering that so many are experiencing, without an attitude of Bitachon, one realizes how there is actually so much reason to feel anxious, depressed, and other bitter feelings.   And similarly, with regards to my own life, if I don't have it loud and clear in my heart and mind that Hashem is running every minute detail in my life, there is so much reason to fall to depression and anxiety much of the time. Whereas, when I truly internalize that Hashem is exclusively pulling every single string in my life, and I internalize that Hashem is incomparably greater than any other being that exists in our human world, regardless of how much power they might seem to have, I am then able to move towards a life of complete calm and serenity and happiness. The more emunah and bitachon that we build in our lives, the more serene, calm, and happy we will feel.   And as discussed, perhaps two of the main factors that can contribute to our growth in emunah and bitachon is firstly, to constantly expose ourselves to Torah study, and perhaps in particular, Torah inspiration about emunah and bitachon, because when doing so, we then learn Hashem's perspective and are able to contemplate on those ideas throughout our day; and secondly, we have the tremendous gift to reach out to Hashem about anything. And always, the solution to all problems that is available to every single one of us is the opportunity to ask Hashem, the Creator of the world and the One who guides each moment of our lives and everybody's lives, to help us in what we are trying to succeed in.   "Hashem, please, can You help me to succeed in living a true life of emunah and bitachon. I know that this is ultimately the real reason that You created me for - to be close with You and experience my true reward in the next world. And as You've taught us by many Torah sources, the main way to do so is by me making efforts in growing in my emunah and bittachon. Hashem, please, can You help me to really grow and be sincere in living a life of reliance on You, and not relying on anybody else, nor anything else.   And at the same time, Hashem, You've taught us that when one does live a life of emunah and bitachon, that will then lead to a life of true happiness. Because why should I worry about anything when I know that You are completely running every single moment and every single detail to my life, so what is there to worry about? Even if at times it might seem like the situation might be dire, however, I know, Hashem, that You exclusively are running the show and You will only do what is best for me. Please, Hashem, help me to truly internalize the values of emunah and bitachon, and thereby live a life of true happiness."

The main reason that we are striving to grow in our emunah endeavor, is because Hashem has commanded us to do so and has told us that by doing so, this will be the main way that we will earn our place in eternity. However, it is motivating to highlight that there are many fringe benefits to living a life of emunah. A life without emunah leads to anxiety, anger, and blaming others, whereas a life with emunah leads to calm, happiness, and situations where we don't try to blame other people for our challenges.   Let's take the following example. I have a critical appointment scheduled in one hour from now. I intend to get on the next bus, which is scheduled to arrive in the next five minutes and will be a 40-minute drive, and therefore I will arrive 15 minutes early at this critical appointment, which is perfect. When the bus arrives, I get on and take a seat. After about 15 minutes of being on the road, I notice that we are not moving, and I look out the window and see that the traffic is at a completely unusual, absolute standstill. I start panicking. I know that I've got a critical appointment coming up very soon that it now looks like I am going to miss. I start feeling angry, perhaps at Hashem for making this happen, and perhaps at the driver for taking this route. I might even blurt out and say, "why did you take this route? There's another very perfect route that has no standstill traffic currently on. You know that I have a critical appointment today, and because of you choosing to take this route, I am going to miss it." An absolutely absurd response, but sometimes what anxiety and panic can lead to would be for me to try and push the seat in front of me forward as if that's going to make the bus go faster, which would of course be ridiculous.   Whereas the approach of Emunah would say, "I'm on the bus now. There is a standstill traffic jam. Okay, this is obviously what Hashem willed." If I am able to do something practical such as there is a side road that I can catch a cab, which would get me there quicker, there is certainly nothing wrong with doing that. Let's say that is not an alternative solution. I can say to myself, you know, although this is a critical appointment, I was not irresponsible in the time that I left; I even gave myself an extra 15 minutes, and there is almost never traffic like this on this main road. It is clearly Hashem sending me this challenge. And if I am going to miss this critical appointment, as detrimental as the ramifications might seem to be, this is obviously what is best for me.   And let's say the driver even did mistakenly take the wrong route. If I have an approach of Emunah, I will not go up to the bus driver and scream at him for taking the wrong route and now delaying me, because I will realize that the bus driver is just a puppet of Hashem, and if he took this route today, it is only because Hashem planted that idea in his head. Of course, I am always entitled and it is recommended to make an effort in advance. For example, if I know that a certain road might have a lot of traffic today, before we leave on the journey, it is certainly permitted and recommended to go up to the bus driver and say, "you know there is traffic on a certain road today, let's not go that route." But once all has already happened, what is the point of getting angry?   Anger leads to bitter feelings. One can ruin someone else's day, someone else's life. And the truth is that when one gets angry, one ruins one's own day, one's own life. "Thank you Hashem for giving me the gift of Emunah, not only to fulfill my purpose in this world, which is the ultimate reason for doing so, but also the amazing benefits of being able to live a calm life, a life where I don't get angry at other people, and a life full of happiness."

We've discussed many times that when a person lives with sincere emunah and bitachon, that automatically leads to a life of joy, happiness, calm, and serenity, because I know that I'm not in control of the circumstances that will transpire through my life, and therefore I'm able to let go, relax, enjoy, and live calmly, because I know that Hashem, the all-powerful Master of the universe, is running every single detail and occurrence that will transpire in my life. We know from numerous Torah sources that the more we grow in our emunah and bitachon, the more we will feel calm and happy knowing that we're in Hashem's hands. We have many mitzvos that Hashem has given us. Hashem commanded us to keep Shabbos, to keep kosher, to shake a lulav, to eat matzah, to light Chanukah candles etc.   We have many mitzvos. The question is, why is there no commandment to be happy? If being happy is such a fundamental principle in Judaism, to the point that the Torah outlines that although we may have performed all the mitzvos perfectly, if we don't do so with joy and happiness, there are numerous awful curses that could befall us, so it's clear that happiness and joy is something very fundamental for our service to Hashem. If having happiness and joy is such a fundamental principle to Torah and being a Jew, why do we not have an explicit commandment in the Torah, commanding us, you are obligated to be happy?   And in the same way, we could ask if the sole reason that we exist in this world is to have and grow in our emunah in Hashem, as taught by the Torah commentaries - some Torah commentaries understand that the obligation to have emunah is actually the first of the Ten Commandments, so important is it to have emunah that it starts right at the beginning, the first of the Ten Commandments. However, other commentaries understand that there is no mitzvah in the Torah to have emunah. The first commandment refers to something else. Now let's not make a mistake; according to everybody, even those who learn and understand that to have emunah is not a commandment in the Torah, they nevertheless agree that the only reason we exist in this world and the purpose and reason for all of the mitzvos and anything we do in our service to Hashem is for the sake of our emunah and bitachon. Why then, according to many commentaries, is there no mitzvah in the Torah to have emunah?   And the answer is, as the commentaries explain, that emunah is such a fundamental cornerstone and foundation of Judaism to the point that the whole Torah in a sense, can't apply unless it is built on top of the foundation of emunah. So, it's not that emunah is not important enough to be a mitzvah, it's exactly the opposite. It's because emunah is so important, it can't even be a mitzvah because nothing can apply if we don't have emunah. So again, why is there no explicit commandment obligating us to serve Hashem with happiness? And why is there no explicit commandment, according to many Torah commentaries, to have emunah in Hashem?   And the answer is - not because it's less important to work on becoming happy, joyful, and live a life of emunah - but exactly the opposite - because emunah and simcha are the foundations to the whole Torah, and in a sense, the entire Torah is stated thereafter, taking for granted that obviously emunah and simcha and the like are the foundations of Judaism and are of even higher priority than the entire Torah. So, because having emunah and simcha are so important and a foundation to the entire Torah, that is why there is no outright command to practice them. The foundation to being a Jew is living a life of simcha and emunah.

As we've discussed, one who lives with sincere emunah and reliance on Hashem will be happy, calm, serene, because they're not anxious about the curveballs that life throws at them, because I know that Hashem is in control of every single most tiny detail in my life, and Hashem is bigger and stronger than any curveball. So besides fulfilling our reason for being alive - as many Torah commentaries discuss, the main way to earn our olam haba, our reward in the next world, is by practicing and growing in our emunah and bitachon, additionally, there are many Torah sources that highlight that when one lives with emunah and bitachon, that will lead to happiness. When one is anxious, unhappy, much of the time that could be due to the fact that I'm not sincerely relying on Hashem, that He is taking care of me, because if I know I have His insurance through any and every situation, it would certainly make me feel a lot calmer through all of life's tests.   Being unhappy when we're able to be happy is a sin to the point that the Torah actually mentions numerous curses that could befall the Jewish people, and the Torah says that the reason these curses could befall the Jewish people is because we did not serve Hashem with happiness. We may have performed all of the mitzvos in the most perfect way; we may have learned Torah; we may have davened and even succeeded and excelled in our personal relationship with Hashem through personal prayer; but if we serve Hashem without enthusiasm, happiness and joy, the Torah warns that numerous very serious and severe curses could befall us just because of our lack of simcha, of joy, of happiness. Why is it so important to serve Hashem with simcha? Maybe today we just don't feel the happiness, but at least we're performing everything in the way that Hashem said.   It is certainly absolutely vital to perform the mitzvos in exactly the way that Hashem prescribed, because if that's what He said, it must be that is the best way to connect. However, we need to remind ourselves that the Torah specifically highlights curses that could befall us even if we do everything right on paper. But if we're missing the ingredient of joy and happiness in our service to Hashem, we are missing one of the main components of serving Hashem, and that is because our purpose in this world, as mentioned many times by many Torah commentaries, is ultimately to express our belief - our emunah in Hashem, and by being calm and relaxed, that is a result of our true reliance on Hashem, because if we know that He is in absolute control, we will be the happiest people in the world.

The most important question that we can ask ourselves is, why do I exist? Why am I alive? We've discussed the Torah's viewpoint to this question, that Hashem created us only to give to us, and ultimately that reward we will receive in the next world; we're in this world just to earn our place in the next world, and ultimately our most potent method of earning the next world is by practicing and building our Emunah and Bitachon.   Although our ultimate purpose of being alive is exclusively to have Emunah and Bitachon, nevertheless, as we've discussed, an amazing fringe benefit, even in this world, of living a life of sincere Emunah and Bitachon, is that one lives with happiness, serenity and calm. The reason for that is because when we feel that the destiny to our lives belongs in our own hands, that feeling can potentially lead to tremendous anxiety, because if it's all up to me, I've got to be super careful that I don't mess up, and if I do make a mistake, maybe everything is going to go downhill going forward. Whereas, when one is able to acknowledge and accept that everything in my life is personally orchestrated by Hashem, down to the most minor detail, one is then able to live with serenity and calm because I know that the all-powerful Master of the universe is personally orchestrating my life and only does what is good for me.   Therefore, when one lives with Emunah and Bitachon, automatically one feels a tremendous sense of serenity, of peace, of calm, of happiness, because my happiness is now not related to circumstance. There can be many challenging circumstances that one may have to face, but my happiness is not based on my circumstances. Even if I am experiencing challenges, my feeling of calm comes from the fact that I know I am in the safest place that can possibly be.   The verse in Tehillim compares our reliance on Hashem to the reliance a young baby who is still nursing has on its mother. A young baby who experiences any form of stress, maybe it's cold, it's hungry; as soon as the baby begins to feed from its mother, it automatically feels a tremendous sense of calm because the baby knows that this is its safest place in the world. The mother is always the one who has been there for the baby to sustain it and feed it and give it everything it needs. The Vilna Gaon based on this verse in Tehillim compares this to the Jewish people's Emunah that we have for Hashem. Just like a baby who relies on its mother feels a tremendous sense of peace, calm and tranquility, so too when we rely on Hashem, we feel happy, calm, peaceful, but not to the same extent that a baby feels towards its mother - a billion times stronger. Because as loving as a mother is, a mother is a human being and limited. Even though she may have the most well-meaning heart, nevertheless, she is still limited by her human limitations, whereas Hashem is completely unlimited, independent of anything and everything else. When we choose to rely on Hashem, we will live a life of happiness, calm and serenity.

We've spoken about the fact that when one practices emunah and bitachon and makes this the central focal point of their life, making every effort to grow and grow in our emunah and our bitachon, besides the fact that we're fulfilling our life's mission in being created, as the Ramban and many others say - the only reason that we were created is to have emunah and bitachon - besides for fulfilling our life's mission, emunah and bitachon leads to a life of bliss, a life of happiness. As recounted by many Torah sources, one who is living by the values of emunah and bitachon will live a happy life, an anxious free life, a life full of serenity.   Now, a person may say, “well, that's very nice, but I'm not there. I have many downtimes in my life. Does that mean emunah and bitachon is not for me, perhaps? And the answer is, God forbid. Our life's work is not to succeed in emunah and bitachon and everything that that comes with. Our life's work is to make an effort - to try our best to succeed and excel in emunah and bitachon. We do not determine the results in any area of our lives, including how successful we will be in our emunah and our bitachon. But what we do have the capacity to do is to make our maximum effort to grow each day, each moment. So if I'm not a hundred percent happy in my life, but I'm growing, and a certain situation that could have triggered me to be 10 out of 10 anxious or 10 out of 10 angry, and now because of my efforts in striving to grow in my emunah, learning about emunah, trying to seek inspiration about emunah and bitachon, and today that same situation presents itself and I'm only anxious 9 out of 10. Still very anxious or still very angry, but only 9 out of 10. This is one of the greatest success stories that there can be. It's not about achieving what people usually see as success. It's about growing each moment. So again, our effort needs to be to grow in emunah and bitachon, which ultimately leads to simcha, to happiness.   I once came across a fantastic analogy from Rav Shalom Arush that explains this concept beautifully. He said that there was a child in a certain family who was absolutely adamant that he had to be the driver of the car, and every time they would get in the car he would go to the driver's seat, and they'd have to move him out, and every time they'd move him out he'd scream and shout. So what they did one day, they installed a fake steering wheel in the passenger seat, and this child was placed in the passenger seat, and as they were driving he was steering his wheel thinking that he was driving the car. We all understand that the child was actually doing nothing. The adult in the driver's seat is driving the car.   In the same way, when we feel that we're the boss of our own lives, when we feel that we're orchestrating and navigating the details to our own lives, that is one of the greatest causes for anxiety, for lack of serenity, for lack of peace, because there are so many dangers, so much evil, so many things that could catch us out, people, situations etc, and therefore sometimes we act like that little child, as if we're steering the wheel, and sometimes we have momentary fake happiness, thinking, “oh wow, look how well I'm steering the wheel of life, look how well I'm running my life.” However, when we realize that we're not actually driving the car, or when we have an accident, and then it really hits us how we had no control, all that happiness fades away, and one realizes that it wasn't true happiness.   When one lets go to the real driver and acknowledges and internalizes everything in my life from A to Z is orchestrated exclusively by Hashem - I might have an obligation to make an effort but my efforts do not affect the way the car drives - the way my life will navigate; It is exclusively, only up to Hashem. When I live that way, there can be no greater simcha in the world, and that's why the Torah recounts so many times in many Torah sources that one who lives with true emunah will be serene, will be happy, because I know that the most powerful being, Hashem, is exclusively leading my life.

If we were to ask many people as to what the purpose of their existence is, why do they live on a moment-to-moment basis? Many people, well-meaning people, but perhaps who haven't learnt the topic and sources from a perspective beyond our own - which can be mistaken. Many people would tend to answer that the reason we are alive is to be happy, to seek happiness. And in fact, many people try to find ways throughout their lives to fulfil this need and want to be happy. Now again, we've learnt before that we are privileged to have the view of Hashem, to see from His viewpoint, the view of the Torah, the undistorted, absolute perfect perspective that only Hashem can have as to why we exist. Very briefly, we broke it down into four steps from the Torah sources.   Number one, Hashem created us only to give to us. That's the only reason. He had a desire to give to us. He needed a recipient in order to receive that goodness, and therefore He created us. Number two, we said that goodness truthfully takes place in Olam Haba - in the next world, not in this world. Although sometimes we may have pleasant experiences in this world, ultimately the real true goodness that we are to receive is not due in this world. It's due in Olam Haba, in the next world, which as the Gemara says, our brains cannot even begin to comprehend the level of pleasure and goodness that we are due to receive there, it is so great. Step number three, that being the case, why did Hashem put us in this world at all? We all know that there are many challenges in this world, so why put us here? Just send us straight to the true intended address, to the next world, to bask in Your great light. And we answered that again from the Torah sources, that we're in this world for one purpose, in order to earn the next world. Hashem in His great wisdom understood that if we have the opportunity to earn something and we're successful in that endeavor, our pleasure in the next world will be much greater than if He just gave it to us as a complete gift.   Step number four, how does one earn the next world on a moment-to-moment basis? What do we do to go about earning the next world in the most efficient way? And as we've discussed many times, the answer is one word, emunah, faith in Hashem. So again, backtracking, although many people believe that the ultimate purpose of their life is to find happiness, we know from a much deeper place, from Hashem's point of view, that the ultimate purpose is actually not necessarily happiness. The ultimate purpose is to practice emunah, bitachon, and everything that that stands for, and ultimately one day bask in Hashem's goodness and there truthfully be happy in Olam Haba.   However, many, many verses and other Torah sources from other Torah literature, which B’ezrat Hashem, in the future, we will go through more intricately, many Torah sources explain that somebody who has emunah and bitachon, somebody who's living their life according to the values of emunah and bitachon, will be happy, even in Olam Hazeh, even in this world. So again, we're not ultimately seeking happiness if we're serious about being alive and fulfilling our purpose, but if we're doing what we're supposed to, striving to live and grow by the values of emunah and bitachon, ultimately, not only are we achieving our purpose in this world, but we will also actually achieve happiness. The goal that many people see as the purpose of their life, somebody who lives with emunah and bitachon will be the happiest person to their maximum potential.   Let's explain this a little bit further. It's fascinating to point out that the Torah recounts many curses that could befall the Jewish people, and the Torah says that ultimately, the reason those curses could befall us is because we did not serve Hashem with simcha, with happiness. How can there be such severe consequences for somebody who's not being happy? Maybe they just don't feel it today? How can the Torah proclaim that many curses will befall the Jewish people? For which sin? For one sin - Because you didn't serve Hashem with Simcha. Maybe we fulfilled all the commandments perfectly, but if we didn't do it with simcha, with happiness, we are potentially, chas v'shalom, susceptible to those curses. How can the Torah be so strict with us and require us to be happy?   And the simple answer is that somebody who's living with sincere emunah and bitachon feels completely calm and relaxed because they know that Hashem is running their life. The most powerful being in the world, who has control and power over anything and everything else, is intimately involved in my life, orchestrating each detail. What greater happiness could there be? Sit back, relax, and enjoy, because I'm in the greatest possible hands, hands that cannot fail, hands that are wiser and more powerful than anything and everyone else, and care about me more than I could care about myself. So, when we perform the mitzvos and live our life according to the right practices, but we don't do so with simcha, with happiness, in a sense we're ignoring Hashem. We feel like we're doing something, we're in control, and therefore we come to anxiety, we come to a lack of happiness. Whereas when we truly include Hashem in our lives, we will be the happiest people that can possibly be.

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

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

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

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

HaShem created the world in order that we have the opportunity to pass the tests that He presents us, and by doing so, earning our place in the next world. We've discussed that sometimes, when making decisions, it would be appropriate to look at Torah literature that is relevant to our circumstance, if that is applicable in this situation. And at the same time, many times, taking Daas Torah, seeking guidance from Torah sages, is one of the basic foundations of the Torah's perspective in making decisions. If we are to ask an individual who has not particularly thought about this question, how do you expect to find the right course of action in your life? Many would answer, HaShem has given me a brain, and I am expected to use that brain to make the right decisions.   Although ultimately, after everything is said and done, that might be what we are supposed to do, it is worthwhile to point out that throughout the stories of the Torah, we find many cases of individuals that were completely righteous and nevertheless committed some of the most grave form of sins. One example is the episode of Korach in the Torah, who as taught by many Torah sources, was known to have been one of the most righteous individuals of the generation, and as taught by the sages, following his thought process, thinking he was making the right decisions sincerely for the sake of HaShem. Nevertheless, we see that in the end, his decision was completely mistaken and wrong, and had very dramatically negative consequences. And in the same vein, we find throughout Tanach many characters who were on a level of righteousness that we could only imagine and dream about, but nevertheless, at the end of the story, they landed up in places that we wouldn't even fathom about doing such sinful and evil acts.   One example is a very great Torah sage and personality in the times of Shlomo HaMelech, Yeravam ben Nevat, who initially was a Torah sage of highest caliber, accompanied by his righteousness to levels that again we could only dream about, and at the end of the story, he managed to convince thousands and thousands of people to serve idols in the form of golden calves. Even though we have a well-known episode in the Torah itself outlining to us explicitly what a serious prohibition that is, but based on clever and logical reasoning that he explained why what he was doing was really the will of HaShem, he was led down this mistaken and sinful path. And again, we find many examples throughout the Torah and Tanach and throughout Jewish history of people who were sincerely trying to do the right thing, living lives of righteousness beyond anything we can imagine, and nevertheless were led astray based on following their own logic and thought process and ideas of their own which eventually brought them to places of tremendous sin and gravely severe consequences.   So that being the case, how can I be confident that I am not making a mistake in what seems logical to me and my thought process, knowing that I am certainly not as righteous as many of those characters that made mistakes throughout Torah literature? It would seem very worthwhile to humble ourselves, to realize that I am limited by my human nature and my human limitations, and we should also remind ourselves that it very well could be that the reason my mind and heart are guiding me to take a certain course of action and make this particular decision is because I have a vested interest in doing so, and not necessarily because this would ideally be the will of HaShem. Again, if it would be something obvious as to what would be the right course of action, for many of us, we would make the right decision, but much of the time it is not obvious as to what HaShem would want from us. So how are we to find HaShem's perspective, the only absolutely true perspective?

Hashem created us in this world to have the opportunity to be tested ansd to make the right decisions; to pass the tests that he presents us and earn our place in the next world. It is not always clear to know where Hashem is testing us and what He wants from us in this particular situation. The identical situation that two individuals experience, for one, the test could be to say no, and for the other, the test could be to say yes, so many factors will make up one's Nekudas Habechira, the exact point within my free choice where I have the capacity to pass this test.   We'll mention four things that one can do to make our maximum effort to pass the tests that Hashem presents us successfully. Number one, depending on the situation under consideration, if there is any Torah literature available directly related to my circumstance in question, the wisest thing to do would certainly be to learn and explore those Torah passages in order to gain Hashem's perspective of the situation. Step number two, in many situations, we are advised to consult with da'as Torah, Torah sages who are well-versed in Torah, as well as striving to be the most righteous individuals they can be. Not only do such individuals possess the vast Torah knowledge of Hashem's perspective, the Torah's perspective, in ways I might not have, but we are also taught that when somebody is immersed in Torah in a potent way, there is a certain holiness and sixth sense that will come out of the advice of da'as Torah because of the holiness of the Torah.   These two steps, both researching any Torah literature that might be available and relevant to my circumstance, as well as consulting da'as Torah, may be relevant much of the time. However, many a time, neither of these may be relevant. It could be that there is no Torah literature available about my particular situation, and although it is highly recommendable to consult da'as Torah, especially about bigger decisions, however, one can understand that it is not possible, nor necessarily recommended, to consult a Torah sage about every question that arises throughout my day.   So, what, then, am I to do to make my maximum effort to pass the test and succeed in choosing what Hashem truly wants me to choose? We all understand that we, as human beings, are susceptible to making mistakes. All of us will quickly realize that throughout our lives, there have been times that we have made mistakes. So, both when making small decisions, and especially big decisions that could impact our lives dramatically depending on which side of the coin we choose, how can we feel confident when making our decisions that we are following Hashem's perspective?   Using my own mind and logic, what makes sense to me, might be ultimately what I have to do just to try my best to make the best decision within my limited capability and capacity that Hashem has given me. But it is important to highlight that we are human beings that are susceptible to mistakes. And many times, we follow certain decisions not because they are necessarily objectively correct, but rather because we have a certain preference for why we would like things to move in that direction. The only perspective that can be the absolute correct perspective is Hashem's perspective.

As discussed, one of the most fundamental principles from the Torah is that Hashem created this world in order to test us. Not because, God forbid, He wants to catch us out, but rather because He wants to give us an opportunity to pass the test. And as explained by Torah sources, when we do so, the pleasure that we will experience in the next world will be so much greater than if Hashem had just given that to us, without us having earned it ourselves. How does one go about making their maximum effort to pass the tests that Hashem sends them?   We've discussed previously that although it is much easier to find sheker, untruth, and the distorted approach to life, because that is usually what is presented by the masses around us. Nevertheless, Hashem would never give us an impossible task, something which would be completely unfair. The truth and correct perspective can be found, but again, if this is our purpose in the world, it makes sense that it's not necessarily going to be something easy to find. Let's use an example to illustrate this concept.   Let's say that I have a job where the salary I receive is respectable, but my family does have to struggle because the funds are a little bit short, and I receive a job opportunity with double the pay that would now relieve my family from all of our financial stress. However, the job offer outlines that in order to be accepted for this job, I would need to work on a Saturday - on Shabbos. Many of us would understand that this is a test where failing the test would be to take the job, work on Shabbos, and receive the double salary, and passing the test would be not taking up the new job opportunity, continuing to struggle financially, but continuing to keep Shabbos. For somebody who is seriously committed to the keeping of Shabbos, this would not be much of a test, because I understand that keeping Shabbos is of paramount importance and I am absolutely prohibited from compromising on that, even for all the money in the world.   But there could be many other examples where sometimes it can be tricky to work out what Hashem wants from me. For example, what if I currently have a job where although we are struggling financially, however, I do have the privilege to return home every evening and spend time with my family. I now receive a job opportunity that again has doubled the pay, but I am now required to travel overseas every alternate month for the duration of that entire month, which means one month I will see my family and the next month I will have to be away from my family. For some people, that might be the right thing to do. For other people, that might be the wrong thing to do. How am I supposed to work out what Hashem would want from me in this situation? Ultimately, after everything is said and done, the answer is just to try your best. But again, trying my best can mean different things to different people when we're looking from different perspectives. The only perspective that we want to follow is the perspective of the Torah, which is the perspective of Hashem.

The classic Sefer, Messilas Yesharim, brings down the well-known idea brought by many Torah authorities that all of the happenings in our lives in this world are ultimately in order to test us. As we've learned many times, Hashem ultimately created this world in order to give us an opportunity to earn for ourselves our future in the next world. And by giving us opportunities where we are able to either pass or fail a test, we now have a chance to earn our place in the next world. Of course, our aim should be to try to pass the test initially, but in Hashem's great He has also given us the opportunity of teshuvah, to rectify mistakes or even transgressions that we committed on purpose, where we have an opportunity to rectify what we have done wrong, and by doing so that would be passing the test.   The areas that we are tested in will vary from individual to individual, and just like one cannot know the level of emunah of another individual because ultimately that depends on my personal relationship with Hashem and many factors which other people will not be aware of, including my personality, sensitivities, the way I was brought up, and many other factors. And in the same way, the areas that Hashem may give me an opportunity to be tested and hopefully succeed in passing that test, will vary from individual to individual.   Rav Dessler talks of the nekudas ha-bechira, which means the point of free choice. That point of free choice will vary from individual to individual, and even within oneself may vary from day to day, or even from moment to moment on a given day. So, for many individuals, when I walk into a supermarket and I do not steal items from the supermarket, I have not performed a particularly great mitzvah because under my nekudas ha-bechira, where my free will lies, I don't even have an evil inclination to steal. It's not something that I think of to do. Whereas, when I'm about to have a drink of water, many times I'm in a hurry and I rush the saying of the bracha before and after drinking the water. My test would be, am I going to rush another bracha, or am I going to slow down and say it with meaning and intention?   And take another individual who has struggled with crime and stealing, and perhaps has even sat in prison for periods of time. For this individual, walking into a supermarket and not stealing might be a huge test that could be comparable to me having said every blessing today with ideal intention and meaning. One never knows where someone else's point of bechira, free choice, and the opportunity to pass the test lies. And even for myself, very often it is not clear exactly where the point of my test might be. However, what we are to remember is that in this world, we were created to be given tests. Not because Hashem wants to catch us out, but because each moment is and can be an opportunity to gain our place in the next world.

We've learnt many times that Hashem is exclusively running every single detail in all of our lives. And with regards to our sustenance, there is no exception to this rule. As the Rambam states in the 13 principles of faith, "v'hu levado" - "and He exclusively orchestrates every detail to my life." And as we learnt from the Mesillas Yesharim, when we approach the topic of hishtadlus - of making our own efforts, we have to emphasize and make it loud and clear to ourselves that our efforts have zero effect on what we are trying to achieve, which sometimes can seem irrational and unrealistic to one not coming from a Torah perspective. Because can't you see? You make an effort and you get what you're trying to achieve; You don't make an effort, you don't get it. The mann clearly doesn't fall from the heavens anymore.   Many people therefore mistakenly might be led to assume that Hashem used to be with us in the past, but He does not provide for us anymore. God forbid! Such an approach to hishtadlus is certainly borderlining on avodah zarah, on idol worship, believing that I am the one who dictates my destiny. And as we know, idol worship is the most severe sin that we have in the Torah, to the point that for real idol worship, one is obligated to even give up their life rather than succumb to it. So when we approach hishtadlus, we certainly don't want to go anywhere near anything that might even borderline slightly on the concept of idol worship.   We've also mentioned previously the Sefer HaChinuch, which is quoted in the Biur Halacha in chapter 1 of the Shulchan Aruch, where he states that if somebody does believe in Hashem but believes that there is also some other power that can contribute in addition to Hashem's power, that is idol worship. It is so important when approaching the subject of hishtadlus to internalize the words of the Mesillas Yesharim in 21, that the efforts that we make are just a tax, which means that our efforts have no correlation to the result and income that we bring in.   The Gemara in Pesachim 118a teaches that Hashem's task in providing one's sustenance is equal to the task of splitting the sea, is more difficult than the task of bringing the ultimate redemption, and is twice as hard as the task of childbirth. Now of course, Hashem has access to all the money in the world. So when the Gemara here is teaching us that the task of Hashem providing for us is equal to the task of Him splitting the sea, more difficult than bringing about the ultimate redemption, and twice as hard as the task of childbirth, we are learning here that it is a big gift for one to receive one's sustenance. Although Hashem can do anything, He nevertheless desired that the way the world should work should be in a way that usually we have to struggle to some degree to receive our sustenance.   We all are currently alive and have received sustenance in some form or another till this very day. Imagine for a moment we would have the opportunity to experience Hashem splitting the sea for us in order that we make our way through to safety. Most of us would talk about that and be inspired from that event for a long time. What about the ultimate redemption that we're all praying for to come speedily in our days? And anyone sincerely looking who has witnessed the tremendous miracle of childbirth can see clearly what a tremendous miracle that is. However, this Gemara is teaching us that the miracle of Hashem coming through for us and giving us our sustenance is so big that it is comparable to the sea splitting and greater than the miracle of childbirth and the ultimate redemption. "Thank You so much Hashem for providing for me every single day of my life in one form or another that until this very point in my life Hashem, You have always given me my sustenance. Thank You Hashem for being my exclusive provider."

It's worthwhile to constantly remind ourselves of this passage of the Mesillat Yesharim in chapter 21, where he writes that our efforts that we have a mitzvah to make - hishtadlus, is a tax payment and has no connection whatsoever to success in the endeavor that we are trying to achieve. Ein Od Milvado teaches us that Hashem exclusively runs the world and He does not need our help, nor do our efforts even slightly contribute to the results that He sends us.   The Mishnah right at the end of the Gemara Kiddushin 82b states the following: Rabbi Shimon Ben Elazar says, I never saw a deer work as one who dries figs, nor a lion work as a porter, nor a fox work as a storekeeper, and yet, they earn their livelihood without toil. But all these creatures were created only to serve Me. I, however, a human being, was created to serve the One who formed Me. If these animals, who were created only to serve Me, can earn their livelihood without toil, then is it not logical that I, who was created to serve the One who formed Me, should earn My livelihood without toil? But us humans have committed evil actions and have therefore lost our livelihood.   This is another Torah passage where we learn Hashem's perspective loud and clear. Our sustenance comes directly and exclusively from Hashem. If not for the fact that we had committed a sin and are now under the effects of the curse that requires us to make our own efforts, we would then receive all of our sustenance without having to make any effort and be free to devote our time and energy in complete service to Hashem. Whereas because of the curse, we are now obligated to fulfill that curse and make efforts towards our parnassah. But again, just because we have a mitzvah to make an effort does not mean we have a license to borderline avoda zara - idol worship, God forbid, where one would be led to believe that their efforts are even slightly contributing to their successes. It is so important to internalize that yes, we have a mitzvah to make an effort, but God forbid to make any correlation between that effort and the sustenance that I receive. Hashem is our exclusive and sole provider.   It is important to remind ourselves of what our purpose is in this world. Perhaps a worthwhile question would be: if Hashem would remove this curse and thereby not require us to make efforts to receive our sustenance, but rather would just send us our sustenance as He did in times of old, what then would I be doing with my time? The verse states that man was created to toil. The purpose of life is not to reach a place of retirement and pleasure. Rather, man whilst alive is meant to work and as the midrash teaches, if he merits, he will toil in the world of Torah and mitzvos, and if not, he will have to toil in other areas. Ideally, our lives should be devoted as much as possible to talking to Hashem, which as we've learnt many times is a huge mitzvah in its own right, to the learning of Torah, performance of mitzvos, and the many other spiritual areas which are the true reason for our existence.   The Midrash Rabbah to Kohellet chapter 1 states the following: Money does not satisfy. When one has ten, he desires twenty. And were a person to have a thousand, he would desire two thousand. As this midrash and many other Torah sources also point out, the nature of money is that we always desire for more. Even were a person to be the wealthiest person in the world, much of the time, if they do not have the proper Torah perspective, their desire will be to be twice as wealthy. We sometimes believe that were we to have a certain amount of money, all our problems would disappear. But as we've learnt many times, that is certainly not the case. The only true source of comfort is emunah in Hashem, because with belief in Hashem, we are always safe and content with our allotted portion.   We need money to live, but our purpose in this world is to serve Hashem, and the only reason we have this mitzvah of hishtadlus which has no correlation to the sustenance we receive is because of the curse that Hashem placed on mankind. And as we learnt from the midrash, we were made to work, and the more we make efforts to dedicate our lives towards serving Hashem, the less we might be required to fulfill this curse. "Thank you Hashem for teaching me your true perspective."

We've discussed the daily mitzvah to recite the parashas hamann and how the Torah commentaries teach that the main purpose behind reciting that Torah passage is to imbue in us Hashem's true perspective, which is apparently different to what meets the eye. In our eyes, we see a direct correlation between our efforts to make money and the money that we receive. However, as we learnt in the Mesillas Yesharim chapter 21, sustenance comes exclusively from Hashem and the only reason we need to work is to live out the curse that was decreed on mankind when Adam disobeyed Hashem's command and ate from the tree. And as the Mesillas Yesharim taught us, we are to constantly be mindful that our efforts are a tax that have no correlation to the results that they might seem to produce.   As we've discussed many times, there are many levels to what it means to have emunah and bitachon, and this certainly applies to the area of parnassah - of sustenance. Although the highest level might be to internalize to such a degree that my efforts have absolutely nothing to do with the sustenance that Hashem sends me, however, as always, the reason we are learning these passages is to teach us where we are to aim, and Hashem is very proud of us and happy with us if we are just doing the best that we can.   "Hashem, my Father, thank You for teaching me that You are my sole provider, to the point that You don't need me to make any personal efforts whatsoever. Hashem, please help me to internalize the truth of Your perspective, that my parnassah - my sustenance, comes exclusively from You, and the exact amount that You want me to have, in the exact form that You want me to receive it, is determined exclusively by You. The extent of Your involvement in sending me my sustenance today is no different to how it was when You would send people man from the heavens. The only difference, Hashem, is that because of the curse that You placed on mankind, we are obligated to make our own efforts, and it now seems like if we don't make an effort, we will not receive our sustenance.   And granted, Hashem, that I am therefore obligated to fulfill this mitzvah of making an effort, but please, Hashem, help me to take to heart the words of the Mesillas Yesharim and other Torah commentaries that we've learned, that the efforts that I make have absolutely nothing to do with the sustenance that I receive. And Hashem, I know You don't expect me to be more than I can be, and it is very hard to go to work and imagine that the work that I'm doing is actually not helping me to bring in my sustenance, but rather I'm just going to work to fulfill the mitzvah of performing hishtadlus. Hashem, I'm asking You to help me grow more and more each day, to live with more sincerity by the values of emunah, that You exclusively are my provider, and it is not me. God forbid, Hashem, I don't want to fall into the trap of idol worship in our day and age, where I might be led to believe that it is not You exclusively who provides for me, but rather my efforts help me bring in my sustenance.   And just like in times of old, the forms of idol worship that were available to people was a real challenge, because people were able to go practice a certain magical procedure, and by doing so, would receive the sustenance or other needs that they might have needed. And similarly, in today's times, it makes it quite challenging that You have commanded us to fulfill the mitzvah to make our own efforts - to perform hishtadlus, because it is so difficult to divorce my efforts from the sustenance that I receive, when it seems so apparently obvious that if I don't go to work, You have no way to provide for me. Of course, I am obligated to fulfill the mitzvah and go to work, but if I might be sick, or when I might not be able to perform my hishtadlus for whatever other reason, please Hashem help me to then feel completely calm, that I am not worse off whatsoever, because You, Hashem, are my exclusive provider."

We discussed how although there is a mitzvah to recite the Torah portion of the mann, however the Torah commentaries point out that the main purpose behind this is for us to contemplate on the message of the mann, that just like in those times it was apparently obvious that Hashem was our exclusive provider because the mann fell in an obviously miraculous way from the heavens, and it was absolutely clear that our efforts had nothing to do with bringing in our provisions, so too in today's times, although Hashem doesn't operate in an obviously miraculous manner, the same Hashem who was the sole exclusive provider then is the same Hashem who is our sole and exclusive provider today.   And as discussed, if Hashem is our sole provider, how does it make any sense that we have a mitzvah to do hishtadlus, to make our own efforts? And we mentioned the Mesillas Yesharim in chapter 21, who explains very clearly that although Hashem provides for us exclusively, there is a separate mitzvah completely unrelated to the concept of Hashem sending us our sustenance, where we have an obligation to make our own efforts. And as mentioned, the Mesillas Yesharim compares the need to work to the payment of tax. Just like when I pay tax, it does not help me one iota to bring in more sustenance, it is just an obligation that I have to take care of. In the same vein, my efforts, my hishtadlus, is an obligation that I have to take care of as a result of the curse that was decreed on mankind when Adam initially disobeyed Hashem's command and ate from the tree.   Although we have an obligation and mitzvah to perform hishtadlus and make our own efforts, it is also important to highlight the dangers of hishtadlus, of making an effort, if one does not have the correct perspective. Many Torah sources teach us how in times of old, one of the strongest yetzer hora's, or desire for sin, was in the area of Avodah Zarah, of idol worship. And although, as the Gemara explains, that particular evil inclination was taken away and we today cannot understand the true extent of what it means to have a real, strong desire to serve idols, however, it seems very difficult to conceptualize why is it that the Torah makes such a strong emphasis to say shema twice a day, that there is only one God. For most of us, that is quite an obvious equation, that there is only one God.   Some Torah commentaries explain that the way it would work was that there were certain magical procedures that one was able to practice, and by doing so, one would actually receive what they needed. That makes it a lot easier to understand why the Torah would place such an emphasis to not go after those practices, but rather exclusively rely on Hashem. Because imagine, I need money, I know that if I perform a certain practice, be it with a stone or some other form, I will receive exactly what I need. That's one option. Or, I go pray, and maybe Hashem will send me what I need, or maybe He won't. What do I choose?   In today's day and age, as pointed out by Torah authorities, we have a different type of idol worship. When somebody goes to work, the apparent result of that is I receive sustenance from that particular endeavor. And although we are called on to perform the hishtadlus, it is so important to highlight that if one is led to God-forbid believe that that is providing me with my sustenance, and therefore I am turning to that, even slightly, instead of turning to Hashem, that could be a comparable form of idol worship in our times. Let us take the words of the mesillat yesharim to heart, that the only reason we are commanded to work for a living is because we have to live out the curse that was decreed on mankind. Working for a living is a payment of tax that has absolutely no connection whatsoever to how we will receive our sustenance. Our sustenance comes exclusively from Hashem.

We discussed how although there is a mitzvah, according to many Torah commentaries, to recite the Torah passage of the mann every day, however, as the Mishna Berura and others point out, the main purpose behind the recital of the parashat hamann is to internalize the message that just like Hashem was our sole provider in those times where the food would fall directly from the heavens, so too today Hashem is our exclusive sole provider. And although it might appear like an apparent contradiction: if Hashem really does do everything exclusively, why does He need me to work and make my own efforts? And the answer, as explained by the Torah commentaries, is that Hashem does not need me to work. The mitzvah to perform hishtadlus - our own efforts, is just that, a mitzvah, an obligation, that has absolutely nothing to do with bringing about the sustenance that we require.   The Mesillas Yesharim in chapter 21 writes the following: "The need to work for a living is a curse that was decreed on mankind when Adam disobeyed God's command and ate from the tree. In truth, sustenance comes exclusively from Hashem. The need to work is only a fulfillment of this curse whereby one is required to make a hishtadlus - our own efforts." The Mesillas Yesharim then goes on to compare the requirement for us having to work to the payment of tax. Everyone knows that paying tax does not help me even slightly to bring in more profit. Paying tax is just an obligation that I have to live with. The Mesillas Yesharim is teaching us that our sustenance comes exclusively from Hashem. There is a separate mitzvah to endure the curse of hishtadlus and therefore make practical efforts for our sustenance.   It is not our place to question or ponder on why Hashem decided in times of old to run the world in the way that it ran then, where people were not required to make their own practical efforts and their sustenance came in an obvious, clear fashion directly from Hashem, whereas today Hashem's desire is that our sustenance should come to us in a way that appears to be as if we have earned it ourselves. There are different ideas offered by the Torah commentaries. The bottom line is Hashem in His great wisdom understood that the best thing to do then was as it was then, in an obvious, miraculous manner, whereas today it should not be like that.   One of the advantages of living in times of old, where the miracle was apparent and obvious, was that the struggle to attribute one's parnassa to one's own doing did not exist because it was absolutely clear that Hashem was raining down the food every single day without my having to make any effort. We today, however, have a tremendous opportunity, perhaps even more than those who lived in times of old had, because on the one hand we are learning from all the Torah sources that Hashem provides for us exclusively. Hashem does not need me to make an effort. And the same Hashem who provided exclusively in times of old is the same Hashem who provides for me exclusively today.   Nevertheless, this additional mitzvah, to make a hishtadlus - our own efforts, provides us with an opportunity to truly grow in our emunah - our belief, that Hashem is the one who is exclusively providing for us. Because if there were open miracles that Hashem was providing for us, in a sense that's not belief anymore; tt is just clearly seeing Hashem as our sole provider. Whereas today, as explained by the Torah commentaries, one of the main reasons behind the obligation to perform the mitzvah of hishtadlus is to give ourselves the opportunity to make an effort, work hard, and make it seem like I am the one contributing towards my financial success, whereas the truth is that Hashem is exclusively providing for me and does not need my efforts. Just like when I make a tax payment, I know that that does not help me even slightly to bring in more revenue. It is just an obligation that I have to fulfill. In the same way, when I make my own efforts, it does not help me even slightly to bring in more paranasa because Hashem exclusively is my sole provider.

A fundamental belief in the history of the Jewish people is that after the exodus from Egypt, when the Jewish people encamped in the desert, the way that they received their sustenance was by HaShem raining down the special heavenly food, the mann. When the Jewish people were in the desert, it was absolutely clear to them that their sole provider was HaShem. According to many Torah commentaries, there is a daily mitzvah to recite the Torah portion which describes how the mann fell daily for the Jewish people. And as the Mishna Berura in the first chapter of the Shulchan Aruch explains, that the reason for this is to instill in us the belief that it is not our own efforts that bring us our provisions, rather it is HaShem who provides for us exclusively.   Although HaShem has decided that in our day and age we do not have this open miracle of our food falling down from the heaven, however it is important for us to take the message of the mann to heart; just like HaShem was the one who provided for the Jewish people in an openly miraculous way by bringing down the mann from the heavens for them during their journey in the desert, so too, HaShem is our exclusive provider. Although the form that He gives us our food in, in today's day and age, appears to be different, where in the past it was apparently obvious that HaShem was giving us the food, whereas today HaShem gives us our food in a roundabout way, such as a person going to work, earning a salary and then using that money to go to the store and buy their provisions, although to us it seems like a whole different process and for whatever reason in HaShem's calculations, this is the right way for the world to operate - it is the same HaShem that provides for us today to the same degree that HaShem provided for us then, with the mann that fell from the heavens.   We can therefore understand why it is a mitzvah to recite the Torah portion about the mann, and as the Mishna Berura points out, although reciting the passage itself is a mitzvah, the main purpose behind reciting the passage is internalizing the message that HaShem is our sole provider. It is not our wisdom; it is not the boss; it is not the business; it is not our efforts. Although we might have a mitzvah to do hishtadlus - to make our own efforts, it is so important for us to remember what the Mesillas Yesharim and many others teach - that our efforts do not affect the amount of sustenance we will have even slightly. One might feel, if I work harder, then I will make more money. Yes, in terms of the obligation to fulfill the mitzvah of hishtadlus, one is obligated to work hard, and there are many levels to this which we are not going to go into right now.   One who is interested in pursuing this topic further is invited to see our eight-part course on hishtadlus. However, for our purposes, what is so vital to remember is that whatever efforts we might be making has absolutely no connection to the results we are trying to achieve and to the provisions we are trying to bring in. Again, if Hashem runs the world exclusively, can He not bring me my sustenance without me having to make an effort? And the answer is, of course He can. One of the reasons that Hashem instructs us to make our own efforts - to perform hishtadlus, is to give us the opportunity to believe, where on the one hand, we have a mitzvah to make our own practical efforts to do whatever we can to be successful, but on the other hand, to be constantly vigilant that our thoughts never take us to a place that we believe we are our sole providers.   Even if we are to believe that Hashem helps us 90%, but it is just our little bit that helps Hashem on to give us what we need, that is completely incorrect, because - ein od milvado - means that Hashem runs my life exclusively and provides for me 100%, not 99.9%. And as we read in the principles of faith of the Rambam, "v'hu levado", that Hashem alone, exclusively, pulled every string of my life in the past, is currently orchestrating every detail of my life in the present, and is the One who will dictate the exact and precise course of my life in the future.

One of the great classic works, the Sefer HaChinuch, writes that anyone who recites the Birkas Hamazon, the grace after meals, with concentration will not lack in their sustenance. As we've discussed many times, an extension of our belief in Hashem is to believe in the Torah and what the Torah commentaries teach us, which is really an extension of Hashem's word. Of course, the main reason that we should perform the mitzvah of Birkas Hamazon is because Hashem commanded us to do so and we thank Him for the food that He's provided us. However, the Sefer HaChinuch is teaching us that somebody who recites Birkas Hamazon with intention and meaning and concentration will not lack in their sustenance. One of the great halachic commentaries, the Bach, brings down a Torah teaching that if we look at the entire text of the Birkas Hamazon, we will not find even a single time the letter Pei Soifis, the final Pei. And the reason for that, he brings, is because somebody who is careful with the mitzvah of Birkas Hamazon will never be able to be at the hands of the destructive angels known as Af and other names which end in the Pei Sofit letter.   Reciting the Birkas Hamazon with intention has many benefits. Foremostly, we are fulfilling Hashem's commandment. We are thanking Hashem for the food that He has given us. And fulfilling this mitzvah with extra intention is particularly conducive to financial success. And in the same way, the destructive angels which sometimes have the power to bring suffering on us will have no jurisdiction over us and our happenings. There is a famous story recounted about Rav Meir Shapiro, the founder of the Daf Yomi, who once came to a group of students and taught them this teaching that anybody who recites the Birkas Hamazon with concentration will never be under the jurisdiction of the destructive forces and will also have financial success. One of the students who heard this teaching really took it to heart with real sincerity and decided that from this moment on, he was going to recite the Grace After Meals with tremendous concentration every single time.   When the times of the Holocaust struck, it just so happened that this individual was placed to be the cook in his camp. And he already realized the bracha that Hashem was sending him even during these trying times. Hashem was showing that he was always going to have his sustenance by his side because of his devotion to this mitzvah of Birkas Hamazon. It once happened that one of the Nazi officials, Yemach Shemam, came over and noticed that this Jew was in very good shape because he always had food accessible to him. And because of his hatred to the Jewish people, he chased him out of the kitchen and he said you will no longer be the cook here. And in fact, he threatened him and said, I give you four hours to dig me a pit of a huge size, which was an impossible feat. And if you don't do so, he threatened him, I will kill you at the end of the four hours. And then the Nazi officer stormed away. During these hours, the individual turned up to Hashem and he said, “Hashem, you know that I've always been careful with my mitzvah. Please will you come through for me in one way or another?”   And at some point there was a truck of soldiers who passed by. And because they noticed that he was a Jew, they all took out pieces of fruit and threw them at him. And soon after that, a different truck approached. But this time it was full of officers who were so particularly hungry. And because this individual was surrounded by a whole lot of fruit, they assumed that he must be a soldier and wasn't a Jew. And because these soldiers were so hungry, they asked him if they could have some of the fruit around him. And he said, I will give you all of the fruit as long as you come out with your equipment and dig me a pit. And within those four hours, he had his pit dug. When the Nazi officer returned, he said, you Jews always have a way to somehow come through. We do not understand Hashem's ways. But if Hashem has taught us that the mitzvah of Birkas HaMazon is extremely important and reciting it with devotion will bring about abundant blessing, it is certainly worth our while to believe Him.

The Shulchan Aruch codifies a statement from the Gemara which says that if one performs the mitzvah of netilas yadayim, washing one's hands for bread in the correct manner according to the prescribed laws, as well as being extra generous to use water in an abundant way when they wash their hands, one will be blessed with wealth. And in another law, the Shulchan Aruch codifies that if somebody undermines and degrades the mitzvah of washing for bread, they will receive serious punishment and consequences for their actions, namely that they will a) Considered to have been excommunicated, b) They will come to poverty, and c) They will be uprooted from the world.   Now, according to our basic human logic and intuition, one would not have considered the mitzvah of netilas yadayim, washing for bread, to have been so important in our own eyes. Of course, if Hashem says I should perform it, I will, but one would never have expected without having learnt the statements made by the sages about washing for bread that have such tremendous consequences, both for the negative as well as for the positive. Again, our approach when performing mitzvos needs to be we do them because we believe Hashem has instructed us to do so. If we follow our own logic and understanding, we might consider this to be a minor mitzvah and therefore may not be as serious in the way we deal with all its intricacies and details, whereas if we perform this mitzvah for the sole reason that Hashem commanded us to and we believe Him that if He said this is important we will do so, we will have a whole different perspective in our commitment to this mitzvah.   It is so important when it comes to all mitzvos for us to perform them just because Hashem said so and not because of our understanding. The Rambam writes that when it comes to Torah learning, we have a mitzvah to try to understand as much as we can. That is the mitzvah that Hashem wants us to try our best to understand. However, after all is said and done, we have to realize and internalize that we ultimately have no understanding whatsoever in Hashem's calculations for His mitzvos. It very well could be that something which seems like an insignificant and small detail to a certain mitzvah could be one of the highest and most potent and sensitive cords in our spiritual connection to Hashem or in the connection of the spiritual worlds to this world. We are so privileged that Hashem has blessed us to be able to have a guideline, a book which outlines His perspective to all of these principles.   And besides for the fact that we are supposed to treat the mitzvah of washing our hands for bread with paramount importance, we are also being taught that as a fringe benefit, one who performs this mitzvah in the right way with all its intricacies and pours water in a generous manner to make sure that they've done the mitzvah in the most perfect way will be blessed with wealth. Now again, one might say, “I made sure to learn the laws perfectly and I performed the mitzvah in the most impeccable way, and at the same time, I'm still suffering from poverty. How can that be?” With Emunah, I have no need for questions. Without Emunah, there are no answers. If Hashem tells me that this mitzvah is conducive to financial success, there is no doubt about that. The fact that in certain situations a person may have performed the mitzvah and nevertheless not experienced financial success, the commentaries point out that could be because of ulterior reasons such as a person sinned in a different area, and because of that sin, this wealth and financial success is now prevented from coming to fruition, or many other reasons that could be beyond our human understanding. What a privilege we have to perform so many mitzvos on a constant basis and thereby follow Hashem's guidelines to how to live our lives.

The level of our belief in Hashem and His Torah and the guidelines that follow will make a big difference in how serious we are when it comes to following the advice that is given to us. Torah literature outlines numerous ideas that are conducive to financial success. We know that one of the fringe benefits of giving charity is that that act itself is conducive to one's own financial success on a spiritual level. If the Torah tells us that giving charity is going to be conducive to the success of our financial endeavors, there is no question in the world that that is the truth. Whether we see it or we don't, whether we understand it or we don't, we believe Hashem's perspective.   If one is trying to catch out Hashem, it is very easy to find an excuse to do so. There could be many reasons why a person who gave charity nevertheless does not experience wealth. One never knows the heavenly calculations. Maybe this individual was destined to go into tremendous poverty and now they are not in tremendous poverty but they don't have tremendous wealth. For their situation, this is actually considered tremendously wealthy. There could be many other reasons that are beyond our understanding but are of course calculated with absolute precision in Hashem's books. This fundamental principle is applicable to the performance of all of the mitzvos that we do and all forms of our service to Hashem. If we are humble enough to realize that Hashem is so much greater than anything that we can imagine, completely incomparable to anything that we are and anything that our minds can comprehend, we certainly will be wise enough to stay out of Hashem's calculations of why certain things happen and rather perform our mitzvos and service to Hashem based on the fact that we believe we have emunah in Hashem.   Another endeavor which is conducive to our financial success, as outlined by the Torah commentaries in the name of the Gemara Yerushalmi, is for a person to recite the Torah passage about the man every day. The passage about the man discusses the episode in times of old where food would fall from heaven to the Jewish people. The Torah commentaries point out that the main idea behind the recitation of the parashas hamann is not the recitation itself, even though that is also important. But the main idea is internalizing the message of what one is reading. The message of the man is very clear. Hashem exclusively provided food for the Jewish people. It might be that in today's day and age we don't witness the man falling from heaven at our doorstep. However, the Torah commentaries are highlighting to us that the principle is the same, even though we might have to go to work and we might experience the way we receive our sustenance in a different way, however, in essence, our sustenance comes exclusively from Hashem, and when one is able to internalize that mode of thought, that itself is conducive for financial success. Be it giving tzedakah or be it reciting the section of the mann. Ultimately, all of these ideas branch out from the underlying foundation of emunah. If I believe in Hashem, I will certainly choose to follow His guidelines and His advice.

We've learned many times that only through the eyes of Hashem's perspective can we be successful in living a life to achieve our maximum potential, because most things in the world, at face value, very often are deterrents to a life of emunah, to a life of truth, to a life of real service to Hashem. It is so important to seek constant inspiration to be able to live a life of emunah, a life of the real true perspective of Hashem, because with the wrong perspective one can, God forbid, be led to make some grave mistakes in the way that they live their lives. Without real emunah, although one might acknowledge the fact that there is a Creator, Hashem, one might nevertheless feel like Hashem owes me something.   When I am sick and it's difficult for me to breathe, one who is not privy to be living by the values of emunah and bitachon might be led to complain and say, “Hashem, why are you making it so difficult for me to breathe? What did I do so wrong that you're punishing me in this way?” And in the same way, when I speak to those around me and I am asked, how are you doing, my response could be, terrible, what could be worse? My life is miserable. This all, ultimately, is a result of one's perspective being, Hashem owes me the ability to breathe well, and if He is not giving that to me, then I have a right to complain. With the perspective of emunah and bitachon, however, one realizes that Hashem does not owe me anything. In fact, the fact that He created me at all was just a gift of His in the first place, and therefore, when something goes wrong, I certainly have no right to complain.   When this individual is experiencing a difficult time breathing, they might say, “Hashem, thank You so much for all the times in my life that You've given me the privilege to be able to breathe so seamlessly and effortlessly. Thank You, Hashem, also right now that You've taken away that ability, because I know that anything that You do can only be for my best. Not only that, You might be teaching me a lesson to appreciate all the times that You have given me the ability to breathe so effortlessly by taking it away momentarily, right now. Thank You, Hashem.”   There's a story that I came across of a 95-year-old man who became ill with Covid. He had to go into a ventilator in the hospital for a number of weeks. He eventually recovered, and as he was about to be discharged, the hospital presented him with a very large bill, and those around him suddenly saw that this man burst into tears. And trying to comfort him, they came and said, “Listen, don't worry, we will help you to raise the money. Thank God you're better. You could have died or have been left with serious consequences from this illness, the way it affected you. Thank God you're better. Let's not worry about the fact that you have this bill to cover now.”    And the elderly man turned around to them and said, You think I'm crying about this bill? We'll make a plan one way or another. At the end of the day, thank God I am alive. And that is the most important factor here that cannot compare even slightly to this issue of the bill. I am not crying over this bill in the least. I am crying in appreciation to every other day of my life that I have had the opportunity and ability to breathe for 95 years of my life in the most incredible, effortless, seamless way without the need for any ventilators. Not only that, every single day I had 24 hours of fresh breath without having to pay a penny. And here I am in a hospital, just for a number of weeks, breathing with much difficulty via a ventilator, and here is a bill for an exorbitant amount of money. I have an obligation to thank Hashem for all these years He has given me to breathe. “Thank you Hashem for the incredible gift to be able to breathe in such an effortless way every single day at every single moment.”

Hashem created us with the sole objective to be able to share His goodness with us. We are taught that the main destination where we are to receive and experience Hashem's goodness is not this world, but rather the next world - Olam HaBa. Of course, there are many times where we do experience Hashem's kindness and goodness, even in this world. However, it is so important to remember what the Torah commentaries teach us, that this world is not the ultimate destination for experiencing Hashem's goodness and kindness. This perspective makes it a lot easier to deal with challenges and ordeals that Hashem sends our way. Because if we're expecting to experience the goodness and kindness all the time in this world, we all know that as a matter of fact, there are many times that we experience bitter and challenging episodes in this world.   In fact, some Torah commentaries write that an individual experiences more pain and difficult times throughout their excursion in this world, than happy and pleasant times. So, keeping this perspective that the ultimate destination where we are to receive Hashem's real goodness is not this world, but rather the next world, Olam HaBa, is of paramount importance. We've discussed many times that the Torah commentaries teach that the main reason we're in this world is to earn our share in the next world, because Hashem in His great wisdom understands that if we earn our place in the next world, it will be so much more enjoyable and pleasurable than if we were just given that experience of His goodness as a free gift. We've also discussed many times that the Torah commentaries write that if we are to summarize our job in this world of how we earn the next world into one word, the word is Emunah. So ultimately, the Torah's perspective, which is the only true perspective, is that we are alive in this world in order to express our Emunah to Hashem.   Emunah, being the tree and core of our entire life's mission, leads to the many branches which offshoot from Emunah. When we live a life of Emunah, we do our best to perform all of Hashem's commandments, because if we believe in Him, obviously we choose to follow His guidelines and instructions. In the same way, we would choose to learn His guidebook to life, otherwise known as the Torah, and everything encompassed within that, including performing acts of kindness, working on our character, and many other things. We've also discussed many times that one of the most basic expressions of Emunah is talking to Hashem, because if I believe that Hashem exists, can help me more than anyone or anything else, and is listening to every word I utter, I certainly will choose to talk to Him and have a personal relationship with Him.   And therefore, ultimately, in order to fulfill the reason that we exist in this world, Emunah, we need to focus on all the branches, performing the mitzvos, learning the Torah, working on character development, acts of kindness, and everything else. Whilst at the same time, it is so important not to forget the trunk of the tree itself, which is believing that Hashem exists Himself. And again, one of the main ways we express that is when we talk to Hashem. “Thank you, Hashem, my Father, for the opportunity to talk to You on a moment-to-moment basis. You, Hashem, could have made it that I have to pay $100 every time I would want to open up my mouth to speak to You, but in Your great kindness, Hashem, You gave me the opportunity to talk to You at any given moment, wherever I may be. Thank you so much, Hashem, for the opportunity to have a personal relationship with You.”

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

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