As we've discussed many times, the cornerstone and foundation of the whole Torah and of what it means to be a Jew, is emunah. And as many Torah commentaries discuss, that a kind of synonym with emunah and certainly one of the main focuses that a life of emunah should lead to is prayer - tefillah. When it comes to isolated mitzvos, which are all of paramount importance, usually there is a set of laws that outline to us exactly how to perform this particular mitzvah. When it comes to emunah, because it is such a foundation and ultimately everything we are doing boils down to it, there are so many details in what it means to have emunah that in a sense one can continue to learn more and more about it throughout one's life.  And in a similar vein, when it comes to tefillah, there's so much Torah literature available about it that again, it is a lifetime's work. The Midrash Rabbah to Parshas Beshalach section 21 states that the angel appointed over the prayers of the Jewish people collects the prayers, makes crowns out of them, and then places them on Hashem's head. Let us appreciate that whenever we talk to Hashem, even about the most mundane matters, we are actually sending Him a gift that makes up the crown that He wears. Each word of prayer that we utter is really the holy of holies and therefore Hashem chooses to wear these prayers on His head constantly. This is one of many tremendously motivating Torah sources that help us to treat prayer with highest priority. The Talmud Yerushalmi in Brochas chapter 9 states that Hashem is close to us and attentive to our prayers. The Gemara goes on to compare the manner in which Hashem hears us to one who speaks into the ear of another individual. Just like the individual hears us loud and clear, so too does Hashem hear every word loud and clear. There are many levels to what it means to have emunah. For many of us who believe that Hashem is there, we believe that He listens when we talk to Him. However, there are many levels to what it means to believe that Hashem is truly listening to me. This passage is teaching us that Hashem listens to every single word we are saying just like you would be whispering into the ear of another individual, to that extent and more because He is not limited by human capacity.  Taking Torah passages like this to heart will motivate us to treat our personal prayer with Hashem with maximum importance. The Zohar HaKadosh to Parashat Vayishlach page 169a states that we should make effort to express our prayers to Hashem clearly to the best of our abilities. We should not assume that Hashem understands what we mean without the need for us to express our requests adequately; but rather, we should imagine that we are talking to another individual who needs us to explain all the details of what we are saying. Of course Hashem understands what we are going to say even before we say it, and were we to be in a situation such as having an inability to talk, we certainly could be rest assured that Hashem knows exactly what we mean even without us having expressed ourselves adequately. However, this Torah passage is teaching us that Hashem's desire is that we do make our maximum effort in expressing ourselves in our prayers with all the precise details.  "Thank you Hashem for teaching me that when I pray to you it is so important to you that you take those prayers and actually put them on the crown that is on your head. Thank you also Hashem for teaching me that you are listening so closely to everything I have to say as if I am talking directly into your ear. And thank you Hashem also for outlining to me that the right way to pray is to make my maximum effort to adequately express myself even though in truth you don't need me to because you know everything, this is your desire and this is the mitzvah of what it means to pray to you. Thank you Hashem for the gift of tefillah."

We discussed the law which is stated in the shulchan aruch, Yoreh Deah section 335, where we learned that in order to fulfil the mitzvah of visiting a sick person - bikur cholim - according to halacha, one is required to visit the individual, help them out with whatever they need and also pray for their welfare. And the halacha taught us that if one neglects their obligation to pray on behalf of the sick individual, one forfeits the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim. We can learn many things from this law. One important point is to internalize that we are always to follow halacha exactly as Hashem dictates, regardless of our own understanding. Because although sometimes logic may dictate to us differently, nevertheless, we ought to humble ourselves that we cannot understand Hashem's calculations and therefore, the wisest thing to do would be just to follow exactly what He told us, whether we understand or we don't. And another important point we learn from this law is the tremendous potency the Torah places on prayer. Although our logic would seem to dictate that fulfilling a mitzvah where you help another individual is of utmost importance, which again, according to the Torah, it is; however, our logic would also dictate that prayer is not as important because we don't see the immediate effect that prayer has. Whereas when you help another individual, such as you visit a sick person and you help them out, you do see the immediate effect. But again, the Torah sources, which is the only true real perspective that we have, teach us otherwise - that even when we don't experience what we think to be meaningful, we are called on to do exactly what Hashem tells us to do. We've also mentioned previously the Gemara in Brachos 12b which states that if one knows of another individual who is experiencing some form of hardship or trouble and one does not daven for that individual, the Gemara says one is called a sinner. And Rav Moshe Feinstein explains further that even if an individual sees themselves as a not particularly righteous individual or perhaps even as a non-observant individual, we are obligated to pray on their behalf because one never knows the heavenly calculations of whose prayers will be accepted and therefore, even if one sees themselves as an unimportant individual, every single one of us is obligated to pray for one another.  The Gemara in Bava Kamma 92a states that when we pray on behalf of another individual, and in actual fact we are also in need of the item we are requesting for the other individual, we will actually be answered first. Now, of course, when we pray for another individual, the right motivation should be to pray because we really care about them and as a fringe benefit, the Gemara tells us that we will be answered for what we need. However, it is motivating to know this fact, that ultimately when we care about others, in return, Hashem will care about us and give us what we need.  "Thank You, Hashem, for giving us the tremendous opportunity to be able to speak to You, even though we might not have any background in Torah education, and even if we do have a tremendous background in Torah education, thank You for teaching me that this is one of the greatest mitzvos that can exist, and it's available to all of us in an easy form, where we can just open up our heart and talk to You. Hashem, thank You also for giving me the tremendous opportunity to pray on behalf of others, and teaching me the tremendous potency that my prayers can make, that I might just be the only person who can make a real difference in this situation. Sometimes it might be that I'm supposed to make the difference in a practical way, but much of the time, the main difference I will make is by praying to You. Thank You, Hashem, for the gift of tefillah."

One of the great mitzvos that Hashem has given us the opportunity to take part in is the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim. When someone is sick we have a mitzvah to go and visit them. However, what is sometimes not as well known is that the halacha in Yoreh Deah chapter 335 states that just like by all mitzvos we find that there are certain technicalities one needs to follow in order to fulfill the mitzvah in the correct way, in the same way when it comes to the mitzvah of visiting the sick, besides actually going and visiting the sick person and of course asking them if there is anything we could help with which is part of the mitzvah, the halacha also stipulates that one is obligated to pray on behalf of the sick person for their recovery, to the point that the Ramah in the name of the Ramban states the halacha that if one visited a sick person and neglected their obligation to pray on their behalf, one has not fulfilled the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim.  One might argue, although it might have been the ideal course to follow the halacha perfectly and pray for this individual, but come on I spent many hours visiting the individual trying to help them out, surely I kind of did the mitzvah almost perfectly even if I didn't pray for their recovery? The reason this is a very wrong approach is because firstly as mentioned many times, Hashem is the only one who knows the details of why every mitzvah needs to be done in the precise way that He has designed. And if He has said that these are the specifications of how this mitzvah works, we need to make sure to listen to exactly how He has outlined the law.  As we've discussed previously, Torah authorities teach us that although sometimes we might be given some of the reasons as to why we perform the mitzvos, however for the most part the real reasons behind the mitzvahs we have no idea as to their true essence. And therefore, just because to us it might seem like the main component of visiting a sick person is in order to make them feel better and to help them out with anything they might need, however if we might be missing the component of praying on their behalf, we might be missing one of the main, most important parts of the mitzvah; again to the point that the halacha stipulates that if we visit a sick person and one neglects to pray for their welfare, one does not fulfill the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim.  And another reason this would be a very mistaken approach is because again, everything always boils down to emunah. It is much easier to appreciate when somebody goes ahead to visit a sick individual and takes the time to go and help them out practically, and of course this mitzvah should not be undermined whatsoever because it is a tremendous mitzvah to take of one's time and energy to help another Jew and especially to visit a sick individual and help them out in whatever way one can. However it is much more difficult to relate to the potency of the prayer that I might make for them because again, when I might be visiting them or helping them out in a practical way, I don't need to believe anything. I can see that I'm helping them out and I can see that they feel better by me being there. But thereafter when I go and make a prayer for this individual, I don't see any effect of my prayer and the only thing I have is to believe, to have emunah that my prayer is making a difference.  The bottom line is that it is difficult to relate to the effectiveness and the potency that prayer has because in this world we are not allowed to see the effect that prayers have on a situation. However we are taught from the only true perspective that can exist regardless of what our own logic might dictate, which again could of course be mistaken at times, that the power of prayer is so important. Our prayers make a big difference if we would be able to see what the Torah sources teach us that every time we utter a word of prayer we are creating worlds in the spiritual realms to degrees that we can't even imagine, it would be impossible to stop praying but in this world we are not allowed to see because the purpose of our existence is specifically to believe when we don't see; emunah.

We've been discussing the tremendous opportunity we have to communicate with Hashem in both the form of our personal prayers, every single one of us in our own way, with our own words, at our own time, in our own place, as well as the tremendous opportunity we have to recite the prescribed prayers which were authored by the great sages of times of old through divine inspiration, and how each letter is imbued with tremendous holiness beyond anything we could imagine. In both of these forms of communication with Hashem, our job is to build our emunah - our belief.  When I talk to Hashem in my own words, He is really listening to every word. And as we pointed out from the Torah sources, the Sefer Chareidim and the Shelah cite the masters of Kabbalah, that when I speak to Hashem in my own words, the potency of that has seven times more effect than even that of Torah learning, and we know the great value of Torah learning, where the Mishnah teaches us that the value of Torah learning equals all of the mitzvos put together, yet, talking to Hashem has more of an effect on the neshama than even that; and at the same time to build our emunah, that when we recite the prescribed blessings throughout the day, to have more intention and meaning, and perhaps recite them slower, to be able to truly focus on what we are saying, and not miss out on the opportunity of tapping into the tremendous power of these prescribed words by the holy sages.  We spoke about how in the times of the future, although all of the animal offerings will cease to exist, nevertheless, we are taught that the korban toda - the animal offering of thanks, will always exist, because the prayer of thanks is something so important and fundamental to us, that although we will climb to such spiritual heights in the future not needing the other forms of animal offerings, nevertheless, we will always need the animal offerings of thanks. And in the same vein, we are taught by Torah sources that all songs will cease to exist in the future, because again, we will be beyond what songs can achieve for us, but the one song that will remain is mizmor lesodah, is the song of thanking Hashem, because when we thank Hashem, that is ultimately the highest expression of our emunah, because if we truly believe that Hashem would only do what is best for us, then ultimately we'll just sing to Him and thank Him and praise Him for everything He does for us all day long.  Although ideally we are called on to make every effort to say all of the prescribed prayers and blessings with the best intention and meaning that we can, and as we spoke about when it comes to the verses of psukei dezimra, which were initially designed to be songs for Hashem, the ideal course would be to say all of those prayers in form of song, praising and thanking Hashem, however, in particular, when it comes to the paragraph of mizmor lesodah, the Shulchan Aruch in section 51 outlines that we are called on to sing the chapter of mizmor lesodah, which is the song of gratitude, because again, expressing our gratitude to Hashem is such a fundamental principle.  There is a fascinating observation of the Maharsha to the Gemara in Brachos 32b, where the Gemara states that since the time of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, prayers are not as readily received by Hashem. However, there seems to be an apparent contradiction from the Gemara elsewhere, where the Gemara in Pesachim 85b states that even were there to be an iron wall separating us from Hashem, our prayers would always make their way up to Hashem. And the Maharsha resolves the contradiction as follows. He says that the first Gemara refers to when we make requests from Hashem. When doing so, yes, sometimes we need to pray again and again and again until our prayer will make the desired effect. Whereas the second Gemara we spoke about, says the Maharsha, is referring to prayers of praise and gratitude.  What a tremendous privilege we have to reach out to Hashem about anything and everything, in all forms of prayer, both the prescribed prayers as well as our personal prayers, both in terms of requesting from Hashem as well as prayers of praise and gratitude. Let us capitalize on the opportunity to pray to Hashem in all areas, and perhaps in particular, to make prayers of praise and gratitude to Hashem, which is the highest type of prayer that can exist.

We've been discussing the tremendous opportunity that every single one of us has to talk to Hashem in our own words on a constant basis. Besides for talking to Hashem in our own words, we all also have the tremendous opportunity to pray the prescribed prayers on a daily basis. We know that the prescribed prayers were authored by the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah through divine inspiration and every single letter that is uttered has tremendous holiness and potency. Everything in this world is about emunah, belief. When I read the prescribed prayers, maybe some days I might feel motivated and inspired for whatever reason, but perhaps much of the time, especially that it's a repetitive exercise that the same words are recited every day, it can become monotonous. We are called on to make every effort to build our belief that every word that we utter of the prescribed prayers that were authored by the Holy Anshei Knesset HaGedolah through divine inspiration, is making a tremendous effect in the spiritual worlds.  We should make every effort when we recite brachas throughout the day as well as throughout the prescribed prayers to say the words with meaning, concentration and intention. Although life is busy and everybody is in a rush, the more we believe in the potency and power of these words, the more we will be inspired to say them slowly and with concentration and meaning. After we say the morning brachos in the shacharis prayers, the next section of the davening is the psukei dezimra, which means the verses of song. This whole section is ultimately many songs of praise that we are called on to sing to Hashem and in an ideal world where there was more time, we would spend perhaps many hours just singing and singing these songs to Hashem. Again, just like there are many levels to emunah, there are also many levels to what it means to believe in the words of prayer. Perhaps the highest level would be to spend many hours singing these songs that David HaMelech and others composed towards praising Hashem. But again, we are not expected to be what we can't and to reach levels that are beyond us, but what Hashem does expect from us is to make our maximum effort to grow as much as we can. Perhaps when we say psukei dezimra, we could choose one paragraph which we say with more song and enthusiasm and concentration, and that itself is already a tremendous effort in growth in our belief in the potency of the words of the sages. And in the same vein, when we say bracha throughout the day, perhaps we could choose one bracha that we will say it slightly slower, trying to think about the meaning of the words.  We've mentioned before that in the future there will be no more animal offerings, except for one, and the reason for that is because we will have reached such a level in terms of our spirituality that the animal offerings in general will not anymore be needed in order to enhance our service to Hashem. However, the Torah sources teach us that the korban toda, the animal offering of thanks, will always be active even in times of the future, and the reason for that is because it is such a fundamental cornerstone of our essence to express our gratitude to Hashem that even in the times of the future when we will reach such tremendous spiritual heights, we will nevertheless always need that form of service to Hashem. And similarly we are taught that in the times of the future, all songs will cease to exist except for one, and that is the song of thank you, because thanking Hashem is such a tremendous foundation of what it means to be a Jew and to live by the values of the Torah.  Every single one of us has the constant opportunity to thank Hashem for things that are obvious that we should thank Him for. The gift of eyesight, the ability to hear, the fact that I can walk today, the fact that I might have had some food available to eat today, the fact that I might have family, friends, a job, the fact that I have the opportunity to learn Torah, to be exposed to emunah - to be exposed to the real reason that I exist and be given Hashem's perspective about what my life is truly about, and so many other things that we can all think about in our own personal lives. "Thank you, Hashem, for the gift to be able to praise You and thank You for all the tremendous things that You do for me."

We've been discussing one of the greatest opportunities that we have, to constantly converse with Hashem about anything and everything, and of course, it is not easy to keep up the practice on a constant basis, because as Rav Pinkus points out, many people struggle to talk to Hashem because they don't truly believe Hashem is listening to them; whereas the more one builds their emunah, that Hashem is truly there, and every single word that I utter, as the Midrash says, it's as if I'm telling it to Hashem directly in His ear, the more one is motivated by the truth of what is truly going on, that Hashem is listening to every single utterance that I make, the more motivated I will be to prioritize the time that I speak to Hashem about any area of my life.  When I need anything, certainly my first address will be to reach out to Hashem, and the discussion we've been focusing on is emunah in general, being our main purpose and focus in this world, is something that does not come easy, and is our life's work. And one of the main efforts that we can make towards growing in our emunah endeavor is to reach out to Hashem Himself and ask Him for help. Every single one of us has the opportunity to talk to Hashem in our own words, asking Him to be successful in our emunah, in our bitachon, and in anything else that we see as a priority in our lives.  We mentioned that many Torah commentaries refer to personal conversations with Hashem as hisbodedus, which simply means secluding oneself away from other people and other distractions, and talking to Hashem in one's own words. And we mentioned the rare expression used by the Mesillas Yesharim in chapter 15, where he says "hisbodedus is more precious than anything else." We also spoke about the statement of the Masters of Kabbalah, which are cited by both the Sefer Chareidim in chapter 65, as well as the Shelah Hakadosh, in Yoma, ner Mitzvah, Beis, that "the effect that hisbodedus has on the soul is seven times greater than the effect of learning Torah." This is a very potent statement because there are countless Torah sources that highlight the tremendous value that Torah learning has, and as we recite every morning the first Mishnah in Peah which says that the value of Torah learning equals all of the other mitzvahs put together; yet here we learn that the effect of talking to Hashem is so potent that it has a seven times greater effect than even that of Torah learning. The Chofetz Chaim in Likutei Amarim, chapter 11, writes, "The reason that we do not merit salvation from all the hard times that befall us is that we do not pray and cry out to Hashem enough." He continues, "It is not sufficient to daven Shmoneh Esrei three times a day, rather, several times a day whilst alone, a person must pour out his heart in prayer to Hashem from the depths of his soul. Since one is accustomed to the daily recital of the Shmoneh Esrei, one does not say these prayers with absolute sincerity. On the other hand, when it comes to speaking to Hashem with our own words, in our own way, this type of prayer emanates from the depths of one's soul with true sincerity, and this type of prayer will without question not be denied by Hashem."  Much has been written about His bodedness and one's personal relationship with Hashem, and one who'd like to research this topic further will be able to easily do so by the many fantastic sefarim and online resources that are available to us in today's day and age. Ultimately, however, no external resource can give over the precise details of what it means to have a personal relationship with Hashem. Just like one cannot be robotically directed as to what to discuss or when, where and how often to connect with one's spouse or best friend, in the same way, when it comes to our relationship with Hashem, ultimately it is your personal relationship with Hashem. One does not need to be a scholar or have a diploma in order to enter into a relationship. Hisbodedus is a relationship. It's your own personal relationship with Hashem.

We've been discussing the tremendous opportunity that every single one of us has available to us at every single moment - to talk to Hashem in our own words. If I believe that Hashem exists and is able to hear any word that I utter, then certainly the more I believe, the more I will reach out. Both when it comes to times of struggle in my life, the true address I will reach out to more than any other address, more than any other human being, or any other effort that I might be required to make, my main effort will be to reach out to Hashem Himself and ask Him for help. And when it comes to our life's work, when we realize and internalize how our main focus in this world is to grow in our belief in Hashem, to feel calm when anxiety-provoking situations arise, and all the other many things that a life of true emunah and bitachon leads to, we will certainly make our maximum effort to talk to Hashem as much as possible, to help us to be successful in our endeavor.  Although talking to Hashem is a very obvious equation for one who believes in Hashem, however as always, much more important than what our own logic dictates, is what the Torah sources teach us, because that is truly Hashem's perspective, the only unmistakable perspective. We mentioned the Mesillas Yesharim in chapter 15, who writes that the early pious sages would practice Hisbodedus and bond with Hashem in seclusion; and he writes that David HaMelech spoke approvingly about the practice of Hisbodedus, and that the prophets Eliyahu and Elisha would spend large amounts of time secluded in the mountains practicing Hisbodedus with Hashem. And to quote this very rare expression used by the Mesillas Yesharim, which highlights the tremendous power and effectiveness of Hisbodedus, "Hisbodedus is more precious than anything else." The Sefer Chareidim in chapter 65, as well as the Shlah HaKadosh in Yoma, Ner Mitzvah 2, both cite the masters of Kabbalah that write, "the effect that Hisbodedus has on the soul is seven times greater than the effect of learning Torah." Now let us just take these words to heart. Every morning we recite a Mishna which states that the value of Torah learning is so profound that it equals that of all the mitzvos put together. Yet the Sefer Chareidim and Shlah HaKadosh teach us over here that the effect of Hisbodedus on the soul is seven times greater than even that of Torah learning.  "Hashem, my Father, thank You so much for giving me the tremendous opportunity to know what life is truly all about. Thank You, Hashem, for teaching me that my ultimate focus in this world needs to be to grow as much as possible in my emunah and bitach and endeavor. And at the same time, thank You, Hashem, for teaching me via your Torah sources the only absolutely true perspective, that one of the greatest endeavors that we could involve ourselves in is to practice Hisbodedus, is to be alone with You and talk to You about anything and everything that we might desire.  Thank You, Hashem, for making it so easy that we don't even have to pay any amount of money to be able to have the opportunity to talk to You, and that there's no limitation in what we're allowed to say. We're allowed to talk to You about anything and everything at any moment. Thank You, Hashem, for teaching me that I am never alone, because whatever I'm experiencing throughout my life, I always have the opportunity to reach out to You, to ask You for help, and there is no greater address to go to.  Yes, although in this world sometimes people see it as a weird thing to do, to talk to something you can't see and something that doesn't give you a response, but ultimately that's because this whole world's purpose is to test us in our emunah. I do not see You, Hashem, and it's difficult, because I wish I could hear a response from You. But again, my purpose in this world, as You've taught us loud and clear from countless Torah sources, is to believe in You. And believing in You means that I cannot know that You're there, and I cannot necessarily experience that You're there, but I do believe that You're there. Thank You so much, Hashem, for the constant opportunity to have a personal relationship with You."

We've learned countless Torah sources, emphasizing the tremendous focus the Torah places in directing us to make our maximum effort to excel in our emunah and bitachon. And as we've discussed previously, one of the greatest efforts that we can make is to talk to Hashem Himself and ask Him for help, because again if we believe that Hashem exists and listens to every single word that we are saying, we can talk to Him about anything.  And just like we can and should talk to Hashem about any and all of the happenings in our lives, because certainly there is no greater address than going to Hashem Himself, the Creator of the world and the One who orchestrates every detail in every single one of our lives, but perhaps one of the most important areas that we ought to make our maximum effort to constantly communicate to Hashem about, is to help us succeed in our emunah endeavor.  If we take to heart what we've learned from countless Torah sources, that emunah and bitachon is the most important thing that we ought to focus on in this world, then certainly we should internalize how important it is to treat personal prayer to Hashem, specifically in the area of growing in our emunah and bitachon, with utmost importance. Because just like Hashem created the world, constantly runs every detail in everybody's lives and is ultimately the One who calls every single shot, so too certainly He is the One who can help me in my life to grow in my emunah and bitachon. And as many Torah sources teach, Hashem does not require from us anything more than our maximum potential. How successful we might be on an objective scorecard depends on many factors that are often beyond our capabilities. If Hashem did not make me particularly smart or motivated, or perhaps I didn't have a background in Jewish education, or whatever other reason, I might not be able to objectively be on a higher level than an individual who does have those things. However, Hashem does not care about the objective results.  Hashem has tailor-made my life to achieve my maximum potential. In this world, it is me against me. There is no comparison to one another. We all have completely different lives, completely different makeups, with many intricate details that only Hashem knows. Hashem only desires that we make our maximum effort in truly trying to excel and succeed in the areas that are important. And as we've learned by countless Torah authorities, there is nothing more important than emunah and bitachon. Certainly then, we are all called on to make our maximum effort to grow in our emunah and bitachon.  Although many Torah authorities outline how talking to Hashem in our own words, which by many is referred to as hisbodedus, is one of the greatest efforts that we can make towards growth in our emunah and bitachon, and b'ezrat Hashem, as we'll continue to discuss, we find many powerful statements throughout Torah literature about the tremendous potency of our personal conversations with Hashem, it is noteworthy to highlight that just like emunah with Hashem has many levels, and our life's work is to grow and climb the ladder of emunah as much as possible, in a similar vein, if one of the most basic expressions of emunah is talking to Hashem because I believe he exists, there are obviously many levels of what it means to talk to Hashem and have a personal relationship with Hashem. We are not expected to climb the ladder in one day, nor necessarily get to the top. But we are expected to make our maximum effort. It is noteworthy to point out that the opportunity to talk to Hashem is available to every single one of us, regardless of our backgrounds or what we've been exposed to. Because just like we all are able to talk to another individual, Hashem has given us this tremendous privilege to be able to talk to Him about anything and everything, including asking Him for help to succeed in our endeavor to grow in our emunah and our bitachon.

We've been discussing how although many Torah commentaries point out to us that our sole mission and purpose in our life is to make our maximum effort to grow and excel in our emunah and bitachon, but seeing as emunah means to believe, and what we see in front of us on a day-to-day basis, much of the time presents values exactly the opposite to what the Torah teaches about emunah and bitachon, there are many different paths of how people come to believing in Hashem and by extension to believing in His Torah and the Torah sources as being His word.  Some people perhaps were brought up with Torah education. Others might have been motivated by a certain moment of inspiration. Some others might have had the opportunity to explore sources outlining the validity and reason why one should believe that the Torah is an extension of Hashem's word. But taking for granted that one does believe in Hashem and one does believe that all the Torah sources that we have are an extension of Hashem's word Himself; we are taught loud and clear that our ultimate purpose and focus in this world is to make efforts to believe in Hashem. We've discussed that one thing we can do is to constantly expose ourselves to Torah teachings about emunah, which is available to all of us in many forms, regardless of our level, in today's day and age. We've also been talking about that perhaps one of the highest expressions of true belief in Hashem is acknowledging that if He does exist and He listens to everything that I'm saying, it is a simple equation that I should be in constant communication with my Creator. Even if I don't need anything in particular, if I believe Hashem exists and is there, I should be communicating with Him, and certainly if I am currently experiencing some hardship or challenge, my address to find a solution should not be to turn to another individual or circumstance, but rather to Hashem Himself.  The more one believes in Hashem, the more one will make an effort to talk to Hashem. The challenge with communication with Hashem, in contrast with communication with another individual, is that when I talk to someone else, usually I hear a response, and therefore that will motivate me to continue talking to them. Whereas as we discussed, when I talk to a wall, it is quite boring, because I don't feel like the wall is listening. But again, if I send somebody a voice message, although I know that they're only going to listen to this message in a few hours' time, and I might not even receive a response, because maybe they'll decide not to respond, or for whatever other reason, nevertheless, when I'm dictating my voice note to them, the reason I will send it is because I believe that they will receive my message, even though I'm not experiencing any communication. And we can compare that type of communication to the way we speak to Hashem. For whatever reason, Hashem does not openly reveal Himself in this world. But if we have emunah, we believe that He is absolutely listening to every single word that we utter. And just like we would send a voice note to someone else who we believe they will receive our message, so too when we speak to Hashem, we believe that He will listen to us. A basic equation of simple emunah - If I believe Hashem exists, if I believe that Hashem is listening to every word that I am saying, certainly I will talk to Him. And seeing as emunah is the challenge, is the test of my life, because as mentioned countless times, this is the main way that we earn our place in the next world, so obviously it's not going to be an easy task. Although we've discussed that exposing ourselves to constant inspiration from Torah sources and the like is certainly conducive to helping us remain in the mindset of constant emunah and bitachon, but perhaps even more powerful than that is to reach out to Hashem Himself and ask Hashem to help us to be successful with our emunah.

Once we have internalized that our sole mission and purpose in life is to make maximum efforts to strive to excel in emunah, how are we to practically go about daily living with simple and sincere emunah? Of course, there are many different forms of serving Hashem, such as the performance of mitzvos, Torah study, making effort to improve one's character traits, and the like. All forms of service to Hashem are important and are ultimately based on having emunah in Hashem.  We shall now explore one of the most potent forms of applying and living emunah in a practical way, perhaps the strongest course in developing our personal relationship with Hashem. When I talk to a friend, I do so because I know that he will listen. Talking to a wall is dispiriting because it is futile. On the other hand, when I send a message to someone, I communicate as if that person is in front of me, even though he may currently be on the other side of the globe, offline and unresponsive. Why? Because I believe that he will hear my words, even though we are not currently together.  If I sincerely believe in the existence of Hashem, talking to him is like leaving a voice message for a friend. Most of us do not experience direct revelations from Hashem. We do not experience His presence in the tangible way that we experience communication with another human being. But if we believe that God permeates the entire world and that He is listening to every word that we utter, we should certainly communicate with Him, at the very least, in the same way that we communicate with another human being. Talking to Hashem in one's own words and thereby developing a personal relationship with Him is often referred to in Torah sources as Hisbodedus. The Mesillas Yesharim in chapter 15 writes that the early pious sages would practice Hisbodedus and bond with Hashem in seclusion. He writes that as early a luminary as David HaMelech spoke approvingly about the practice of Hisbodedus and that the prophets Eliyahu and Elisha would spend large amounts of time secluded in the mountains practicing Hisbiodedus with Hashem. To quote the Mesillas Yisharim, "Hisbodedus is more precious than anything else." The Mesillas Yesharim is explaining to us that by isolating ourselves from society and practicing Hisbodedus with Hashem, we clear our mind and heart of mundane matters, thereby creating room for success in our spiritual endeavors. Our lives involve serving Hashem in many ways, expressing our submission to and love for Him. We observe many mitzvos with all their intricacies. We have chesed, we have Torah study. All of these are extremely important. It is fascinating however to note this potent and rare expression used by the Mesillas Yesharim which highlights the power and effectiveness of Hisbodedus, as he stated, "Hisbodedus is more precious than anything else."  We've seen many Torah sources who have highlighted to us that ultimately the fundamental core of the entire Torah and mitzvos and our main focus in this world is to grow in our emunah. And as we've pointed out, there are many levels to what it means to live a life of emunah. We learnt in the Gemara that if we've only got enough food just for today but have no idea what we're going to do about tomorrow, it is possible to reach such a level of emunah that I feel completely calm knowing that Hashem will take care of me.  As we've discussed previously, the Mesillas Yesharim and many others point out that life is meant to be a test, to give us the opportunity to pass and succeed in something that there was also a potential to fail. Every day we all experience many tests that Hashem is giving us the opportunity to pass and succeed, thereby earning our highest place in the next world, Bezrat Hashem, and we are called on to place our highest focus on our endeavour to pass the test of emunah and bitachon, where everything around us in this world that we live in seems to dictate the exact opposite of the values of emunah and bitachon that we are taught from the Torah. But again, this is an opportunity that we have, and the more that we choose to invest in our endeavour to grow in our emunah and bitachon, the more of a success story we will be in the true world, in Olam Haba.

Very briefly, let's go through the steps again of why Hashem created the world. Hashem created the world just to give to me. Ultimately, that takes place in the next world, and what I'm doing in this world is earning my portion for the next world. And as Torah authorities outlined to us, the main way that we earn our eternal portion in the next world is by growing in our emunah in this world. We discussed how a life of true emunah will lead to one making their maximum effort to fulfilling the mitzvos and all the intricacies in the best way possible. We discussed further what the Torah commentaries teach, how emunah is considered the tree and bitachon is considered the fruits of the tree and in many ways, emunah is more of a theoretical exercise where one knows that Hashem is in control and bitachon is taking that theory and applying it in a practical way.  Let us remind ourselves of what many Torah commentaries write that we've discussed many times, that although it might seem counterintuitive, bitachon is completely independent of our actions. And again, one serious about their purpose in this world will constantly be remembering the fact that their ultimate destination is the next world for eternity and as we are taught, there are consequences both for the mitzvos that we do as well as for the transgressions that we commit and one should certainly therefore make their maximum effort to do the right thing in this world. However, what is so important to remember is that regardless of what one has achieved and regardless of what one has transgressed, we are taught that bitachon is a completely independent entity to our mitzvos and our transgressions. And in the words of the Midrash, even a rasha - a truly wicked individual who stops and relies on Hashem, Hashem will come through for that individual. And as some of the Torah commentaries discuss, even if a thief who is on his way currently to commit a crime stops and asks Hashem to help him out, Hashem will come through for him. Because again, bitachon is a reality that Hashem created in the world that works regardless of how we might be doing in our spiritual endeavor.  There are many things that a life of true emunah and bitachon will lead to. Most importantly, we are achieving our ultimate purpose in this world, earning our maximum potential for the next world. Additionally, in this world itself, the more one grows in bitachon each day, the calmer one will feel throughout any and every situation. Because again, the reason we are triggered by anxiety-provoking situations is only because we are scared of something. Whereas when a person truly internalizes that Hashem is in absolute control every single moment, and Hashem only created me just because He wants to give me of His best, eternal pleasure, and one is in the safest hands, much safer than any individual could ever provide for me, even the person who loves me the most, or I truly see as my security, but again, people are always limited by human capacity and limitations. Whereas Hashem Himself is not, He is the Creator of the world. The more I internalize that belief, the more I will feel completely calm throughout my life. And similarly, everybody is searching for true happiness and fulfillment in one's life. When one is living together with Hashem in their life, there can be no happier feeling than that. Rav David Ashear, in his fantastic book, Living Emunah, tells the story of a little girl who was flying on an airplane. Suddenly there was tremendous turbulence on the airplane, and many of the passengers felt scared and anxious. One passenger noticed that this girl looked completely calm throughout the whole ordeal, and he went over to her and said, "Little girl, how come you are not nervous like many of the other passengers who are aboard this flight?" And the girl responded, "Oh, there's nothing for me to worry about, because my father is the pilot of this plane, and I know he will only do the best thing for me." And she was completely calm because she knew she was in the best hands. And in the same way, when we take to heart that every single happening in our lives is orchestrated exclusively by Hashem, without the interference from any other individual or circumstance, we are able to feel completely happy. We are so privileged to be able to have access to this treasure, the keys of how to live a truly meaningful life.

We've been discussing the Torah's perspecive, the only true perspective, of exactly what our purpose is in this world. Firstly, why did Hashem create the world in the first place? As the Torah sources teach us - only to give to us. Where ultimatelty do we receive and experience Hashem's goodness? In Olam Haba - in the next world. Why then did Hashem place me in this world? And as discussed, just because He wanted to give us an opportunity to be able to earn our eternal portion for ourselves. And by having the constant opportunity to choose good and stay away for bad in this world, we are thereby able to earn our eternal portion for ourselves. And as many Torah commentaries discuss, if we are to summarise into one world, what exactly our purpose is in this world - how exactly do we earn our eternal portion in the next world? The answer to that is: emunah. We've been discussing what exactly it means to have emunah and how important constant repetition of these concepts, even if one might have heard them many times before, is. Because again, as many Torah sources teach, it's one thing to learn the information. But our main purpose in this world is not just learning the information, but rather truly internalizing that information in how we live our lives. And one of the greatest things we can do in our endeavor to do so, is by constant repetition of these concepts. And the more we grow in our emunah journey, the more we will be able to apply the concepts that we are learning to our own lives, everybody in their own way. As we've been talking about, one expression of emunah that many Torah commentaries discuss is the performance of mitzvos. Because again, if I believe in Hashem, then I will certainly be motivated to follow His laws exactly as He has prescribed whether I understand or not. Because I'm not doing so based on my understanding, but rather because of my belief in Hashem. We've discussed many times, many Torah sources, such as the Zohar HaKadosh, the Vilna Gaon in numerous places, as well as many others, who state that the purpose of all the mitzvos is ultimately for the sake of emunah. In today's day and age, we are so privileged to have so many platforms available to us to learn about all of the mitzvahs. And again, seeing as this is one of the most basic and most potent expressions of emunah, to practice Hashem's mitzvos, one should certainly make their maximum effort to study as much as possible about all of the laws and intricacies of all the mitzvos to be able to practice them in the best way possible. For our purposes right now, we are going to focus on an additional and most potent and core aspect of what it means to live a life of emunah. The Ramban and many others contrast emunah and bitachon and explain that having emunah is like the tree, whereas having bitachon is like the fruit from the tree. It's possible to have emunah without applying the bitachon, whereas it's impossible to have bitachon if one does not have the emunah. So ultimately, one of the main ways we achieve our purpose in this world, which again, is ultimately leading us to our place in Olam Haba for eternity, is by growing more and more in our belief that we have in Hashem.  And as we've learned many times, the more emunah that one has, the more calm one might feel throughout all circumstances, knowing that Hashem is in complete control. When there is a potential to feel feelings of anger, the more emunah that one might have, the less feelings of anger I will feel because I will internalize that it is not this other individual who is causing this to happen to me, but rather, Hashem pulling all the strings, causing everything to happen. Because Ein Od Milvado, there is only Hashem in the world, and every single happening that happens in the world is exclusively orchestrated by Hashem. Let us remember what the Rambam writes in the 13 Principles of Faith, that 'vehu lavdo' - Hashem exclusively, without the help of any other individual or circumstance, orchestrates every single detail of our lives. The more we are able to take these concepts to heart, the more we will be able to apply them in a practical way, by exercising our bitachon in Hashem.

We've been discussing one of the most fundamental questions. Why would Hashem, a perfect being who doesn't need anything outside of His perfect self, create the world in the first place? And we discussed that the only place we want to look is Hashem's perspective, the Torah perspective, which can be the only unmistakable perspective. And many Torah sources teach us that the only objective Hashem had in mind in creating the world was because He wanted to give to us. And without a recipient, obviously, there's nobody to give to. And He therefore created us to be able to receive His goodness.  We discussed, however, that there seems to be an apparent contradiction to that by the fact that we all undergo suffering and challenges throughout our lives. And if Hashem created me just because He wants to give to me, why at times do I have to suffer? And we discussed what the Torah sources teach, that Hashem ultimately intended for us to receive His goodness in the next world, in Olam Haba. And the only reason that we were first placed in this world was to give us an opportunity to earn our eternal reward for ourselves because in Hashem's great wisdom, He understood that if we are given the opportunity to earn our eternal reward for ourselves, the level of pleasure that we will experience by doing so will be much greater than if it was just given to us as a free gift. And this really brings us to the final point of this discussion. Seeing as Hashem placed me in this world just to give me the opportunity to earn my eternal place in the next world, what exactly am I supposed to be doing in this world? How exactly do I fulfill my purpose in this world, in the most efficient and ideal manner? And again, although there is much Torah literature about this, and throughout one's life one can certainly learn more and more and digest the concepts more and more. But simply speaking, the Torah commentary is right that the answer to this question can be summed up in one word. Emunah. Let us remind ourselves that if we are studying this information for the first time, it is certainly very beneficial because we can now take this information and move towards the next steps of trying to truly internalize this information. But even if one has been exposed to this information many times previously, let us remind ourselves what the Torah commentaries teach, that our whole purpose in this world is to truly internalize the concepts of emunah, not just to know the information, but more and more each day to internalize the information and live our lives according to their values. And as we hear this information again and again, one has the opportunity to contemplate on the information and try to apply it in a practical way to one's life more and more each time. What exactly does it mean to live a life of emunah? Again, seeing as this is our life's work and main purpose in this world, it can be easy to understand that it's not going to take a three-minute discussion to summarize how to fulfill our purpose in this world. But again, we are not called on to do that. We are just called on to make our maximum effort to try our best to grow more and more each day in internalizing these concepts. One very important and fundamental branch of emunah which many Torah commentaries discuss is the fulfillment of mitzvos.  Seeing as Hashem is the Creator of the world and designed the whole pattern of what we are doing here, namely to be in this world to earn our eternal portion in eternity where we are able to experience Hashem's goodness, Hashem is also the one who knows best how we are able to go about earning our best place in Olam Haba. Hashem has given us many mitzvos, things that we are supposed to do and things that we are supposed to stay away from. Some of them are easier to understand and perhaps more logical, whereas many of them we have little or no understanding of. In our journey towards the life of emunah, we are called on to fulfill all of Hashem's mitzvos as best as we can regardless of our understanding. Because again, if Hashem created the world and He is the one in charge of everything that happens, I certainly ought to listen to His instructions based on His perspective. Although certain mitzvos might be more appealing and more logical, but a true life of emunah would dictate that every single one of the mitzvos should be dealt with highest priority including all of the intricate details because if this is what the Torah sources coming from Hashem's perspective dictate for us to do, then I can and should trust that this is certainly what I should do. The more emunah that we have or that we might be aspiring to achieve in our day-to-day growth, the more that will direct us to treat each of the mitzvos and all the intricacies with paramount importance.

We've been going over one of the most fundamental questions that can exist. Why did Hashem decide to create the world in the first place, when He is a being who is completely perfect and does not have any needs or desires outside of His perfect self? We discussed that the only place that we can find a truly undistorted answer for this question is the Torah, which is ultimately Hashem's perspective Himself. And as many Torah sources teach, the only reason Hashem created the world is to give to us.  But the question that then needs clarification is that if Hashem does truly just desire to give to me, why is it that so many people do suffer in this world and don't just experience Hashem's sweet goodness on a constant basis? And as the Torah commentaries taught us, that ultimately Hashem had in mind for us to make our way to the next world after our small excursion in this world. Although 120 years might seem like a long time, but again, in contrast to the analogy that Torah commentaries offer us, imagine the largest stadium that you've ever seen filled up to the top with sand and every million years a bird would go and take out just one grain of sand. The amount of time that it would take to empty out the stadium would be so great that 120 years would not even be like a second in comparison to that amount of time. And again, that is still not eternity, because eternity is literally forever, even longer than it would take to empty that stadium. And Hashem's plan for us was to make our way to a world called Olam Haba, the next world, where we literally live eternally, basking in Hashem's goodness. But then the question that needs to be dealt with is that if Hashem's vision was for me to make my way to the next world and there bask in His light and experience His goodness, why do I need to be in this world at all in the first place where we do undergo many challenges and much suffering? And again, the Torah commentaries, Hashem's perspective, provide the answer to this question. The only reason that Hashem decided to first send us for an excursion in this world was because Hashem wants to give us the ultimate pleasure. And in Hashem's great wisdom, He understands that if we are given the opportunity to earn our eternal reward for ourselves rather than it just being given to us as a present, that pleasure that we will be able to experience again for eternity will be much greater than if it was just given to us for free.  Some Torah commentaries illustrate this with the following. If I were to give you a million dollars today, yes, you'd be happy because now you have that money available for whatever you need to do. However, when a person starts their own business and thereafter cuts a deal for a million dollars because of their own efforts, they feel so much more accomplished by having worked and achieved their success. In a similar vein, if I am very hungry and I go get some takeouts from the restaurant, again, that makes me happy because now that food is able to take care of my hunger. But perhaps a person might feel much more fulfilled when I am hungry and I go pull out all the ingredients that I need from my own kitchen and spend a certain amount of time making the food myself. When I sit down to eat that food, I'll appreciate it a lot more because I spent time and energy and effort making this myself.  And in a similar vein, although we can't fully grasp Hashem's ways by any means, but the analogy that Torah commentaries do offer us is that although Hashem's vision in creating the world was for the exclusive purpose of giving to us and that experience will ultimately take place in the next world, in Olam Haba, however, the reason that we are here for our excursion in this world is to have the opportunity to earn that reward for ourselves for eternity in the next world. And again, by having the opportunity to choose good and stay away from bad in this world and making our maximum effort to follow the instructions and guidance of Hashem as laid out to us in the Torah and b'ezrat Hashem being successful in that endeavor, we will thereby be able to earn our place in Olam Haba and there bask in Hashem's light and goodness for eternity.

We've been discussing one of the most fundamental questions that can exist. Hashem, a perfect being, who doesn't need anything outside of His perfect self, why then would He go ahead and create the world? And as we discussed, the only place we want to look for the answer is the Torah, which is Hashem's true perspective. Because any other perspective is always susceptible to be mistaken. And we discussed how countless Torah sources teach that the only reason Hashem decided to create the world was because He had a desire to give. And without a recipient, there'd be nobody to give to. So this answers the question, why did Hashem decide to create you and I and everything else that is encompassed within our universe? Just because He desired to give to us. Let us remind ourselves again that we are not trying to study information to be able to pass the test and graduate from this information and move to the next subject. As the Torah greats have taught us, the purpose of emunah is not just to learn the information, although that is the starting point, but our life's work is to take that information and to truly internalize it. And via constant repetition of the concepts, b'ezrat Hashem we will be able to take the information more and more each day and apply them to our personal lives. So from Hashem's vantage point, He created the world just because He had a desire to give to each one of us. But then the question that begs to be answered is, most of us experience challenges throughout our lives, and if Hashem decided to create me just because He wants to give to me, why does He sometimes send challenges and bitter experiences my way? Let's discuss how the Torah sources, Hashem's perspective, the only true perspective, answer this question. If Hashem decided to create the world just to give to me, why do I need to suffer at times? And as many, many Torah sources teach, a fundamental belief to Judaism and the Torah is that the world that we live in is certainly not our final destination. But rather the next world, Olam Haba, is where we are destined to receive Hashem's goodness. When Hashem created the world, He did so having in mind that one day we will depart from our lives in this world and make our way to our final destination in the next world, and there truly to bask in Hashem's light in His true goodness for eternity. Although we certainly can't grasp a full understanding of what it means to go to the next world, because that is one of the things that is hidden from the eyes of human beings, however there certainly is very much Torah information about this concept, and again one who would like to investigate this topic further has much Torah literature available about the concept of Olam Haba and what it means to live in the next world, however for our purposes right now, let us just relate an analogy offered by many Torah commentaries to shed just a little bit of an appreciation of what it means to live in Olam Haba.  Imagine the largest stadium that you've ever seen. This stadium gets filled up to the top with sand. Every one million years, a little bird comes and takes one grain of sand out from the stadium. Let's try calculate how long it will take for the stadium to be emptied. Of course nobody can work out this number, it is so big. Sometimes when people are asked how long it will take for the stadium to be emptied, people answer "forever". However the truth of the matter is that that is still not considered eternity, because after a certain huge amount of time, the stadium will be emptied. Whereas we are taught from Torah sources that Olam Haba, life in the next world, is literally for eternity. So just to appreciate, when Hashem created us in the first place, His vision is that after our small excursion of a maximum of 120 years in this world, we will thereby make our way to our true final destination in the next world. And there we will bask in His light for eternity.

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

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

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

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

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

We've discussed previously with regards to the famous verse that states ein od milvado - there is nothing else in the world except for Hashem exclusively - and we've discussed that there are many levels to what it means to truly understand and internalize this verse. Simply speaking, if someone were to ask me, "do you believe that Hashem runs the world?" and I am to answer in the affirmative, that certainly is a milestone in having understood to some degree what the verse ein od milvado means. However, as discussed many times, Torah commentaries point out that the distance between knowing Emunah in our heads, meaning knowing the information, that yes, Hashem does run the world, as opposed to truly internalizing it in our hearts, which will translate into the way we live our lives with real life Emunah, that distance is greater than the distance between heaven and earth, meaning that there are many levels to what it means to have Emunah. Our life's work is of course initially to grow in our knowledge about Emunah, because without knowing what we are trying to internalize, we can't really move forward. But after one has already understood in one's head that our main purpose in this world is in order to grow in our Emunah, the next step is to try internalize that Emunah more and more into the core of our beings, to the point that Emunah does not just remain an abstract concept or subject, but rather translates into the very core of our beings and the way we live our lives. There is much information available to us about many Torah concepts, from the study of the Chumash itself, Tanach, the Talmud, Halacha, Kabbalistic material, inspiration for character development, and much more. They are all important, and we are certainly encouraged to strive to explore as many areas of Torah as possible. Different people are attracted to different areas of Torah, and although we are all called on to learn all areas of Torah to our best ability, and we should certainly strive to do so, it is nevertheless motivating to remind ourselves about what many Torah commentaries write, that ultimately all the branches of Torah are super important, and again, we should make our maximum effort to explore all the branches of Torah. However, as pointed out by many Torah commentaries, Emunah is not one of the branches, Emunah is the trunk of the tree itself, because when one has Emunah, it automatically leads to all of the branches of the Torah. So whilst it is so vital to explore all the branches of Torah, it is also important to highlight and remind ourselves that the trunk of the tree itself should never be forgotten about, and our highest focus should be placed in not only knowing the concepts of Emunah, but also making our maximum effort in trying to internalize the Emunah in our bones, in a way that it translates to the way that we live our lives.  "Thank you, Hashem, for the incredible privilege to be able to know about Emunah, and to be able to learn about Emunah, and to have the ability to try make an effort to truly internalize the concepts of Emunah. Hashem, please help me from this moment on to grow more and more in not only knowing the concepts of Emunah, but also truly internalizing and changing the way that I live, to living a life of sincere Emunah."

The passage in Tanach from Shoftim chapter 16 verse 28 tells how the Prophet Shimshon was blessed with supernatural strength, which made him immune to his enemies. Eventually, however, his enemies, the plishtim, discovered his secret and stripped him of his supernatural strength. Using his own words, Shimshon requested that Hashem please give him the supernatural strength just one final time to take revenge against the plishtim in order to sanctify Hashem's name just one more time. And as the passage tells, Hashem answered Shimshon in His personal prayer.  There is a well-known Torah teaching which states that ma'aseh avos siman labanim - the narratives recounted in the Torah, are not just mere history lessons, but rather each event has valuable lessons to teach each one of us that we can apply to our lives in a practical way. One obvious take-home from the above account in the episode of Shimshon and the Pelishtim is to regularly reach out to Hashem using our own words. The same Hashem who was present and available to hear and come through for Shimshon in his challenging situation, is the same Hashem who is present today and waiting to hear from every single one of us.  The Gemara in Yoma 29a states that with regards to prayer, the more one prays, the more effective one's prayers become. It's important to take to heart this teaching of the Gemara, because as we know, tefillah can be disheartening at times, especially when we do not seem to receive what we had prayed for. Sometimes Hashem withholds blessing from us specifically in order to give us reason to keep on praying. Eventually, however, all our prayers come together and will be much more potent and effective than if we had been answered in the first place. Again, our purpose in this world is to have emunah. I don't know, I don't understand. Emunah means, I believe. The Midrash elsewhere teaches that some prayers take years before they are answered; some prayers take months; some days, and some prayers are answered instantaneously. And the question is, why? And the simple response is, we cannot know Hashem's calculations in this world specifically because we are called on to believe - to have emunah - not to understand and know Hashem's workings. But the one thing is for sure, that no prayer ever goes to waste. And just like we learned from the Gemara above, the more one prays, the more effective one's prayers become, and if I prayed for something, and not only didn't I get answered, but things even seemed to get worse, although logic and a mistaken perspective would dictate, "you see, Hashem is not really listening", however, the emunah perspective would dictate - "even if I don't see Hashem coming through for me, I have no doubt in the world that that prayer that I just made is making a huge impact, and even if the results are not experienced right now, it could be that for whatever reason, Hashem is holding back right now, but in the future, there is no question that this prayer will come through for something of tremendous value." The book of Yonah relates the fascinating episode when Yonah was swallowed by a large fish and remained inside it for three days and three nights. Whilst inside the fish, Yonah reminded himself that the only thing that could help him out of his predicament was tefillah. He was therefore able to pray to Hashem with true sincerity, even inside the innards of a fish. As mentioned many times, personal prayer was the consistent practice of all of our ancestors. The opportunity of prayer is always accessible and available to every single one of us at any time and at any place. "Thank you so much Hashem for the constant opportunity to be able to reach out to you and have my personal relationship with you."

We've been discussing how practising our emunah and bitachon, our core purpose and focus in this world, is expressed in one of its highest ways when we talk to Hashem in our own words. Again, for many of us, if we are asked if we believe in Hashem, we would answer in the affirmative. However, when push comes to shove and adversity strikes, there are many levels of how one can respond. The ultimate would be feelings of complete calm and turning to Hashem in prayer to help out. And on the opposite extreme would be someone who doesn't even think about Hashem, but rather just runs around trying to find their own solutions. There are millions of levels in between, and all we are required to do is grow each day to make a little bit more effort to when something does happen, rather than initially running around to try to find our own solutions, first reaching out to Hashem and asking Him to help us in our endeavour to find a solution.  The Midrash Rabbah in Vezos HaBerachah section 11 states that after it was decreed that Moshe Rabbeinu would not be permitted to enter Eretz Israel, he prayed no fewer than 515 times, beseeching Hashem to annul the decree. And as the verse states, after the 515th prayer, Hashem actually asked Moshe Rabbeinu to stop praying about this matter. And this is because had Moshe Rabbeinu prayed just one more time, Hashem would have been required to fulfill His request.  Many people would ask, but doesn't Hashem run the world? Hashem calls the shots, and if Hashem desired that Moshe Rabbeinu should not enter Eretz Israel, regardless of how many times he prayed, He would not have entered. And the answer to this question is that Hashem created the world with a rule: Tefillah works. Just like Hashem created the nature of our world, that if you are hungry and you eat food, it satiates the hunger, and if one is tired and sleeps, one feels rejuvenated thereafter, similarly, Hashem created nature in the spiritual worlds, and one segment of how the natural order in the spiritual worlds work, is that emunah, bitachon, and prayer work, to the point that Hashem had to ask Moshe Rabbeinu, "please do not pray again, because if you do, although I do not want you to make your way to Eretz Israel, I will be required to take you in because of your prayers." Nobody is on the level of Moshe Rabbeinu, and for many people to daven 515 times would be an achievement beyond our maximum capacity, but again, one day when we meet our Creator, we are not going to be asked, how did you do in comparison to Moshe Rabbeinu? We are going to be asked, how did you do in comparison to what you could have become? Every single one of us has the constant opportunity to pray. If we are to internalize the truth of the words, ein od milvado - that Hashem truly orchestrates every single detail in every one of our lives, we will quickly realize that we don't call any of the shots to anything that happens in our lives or in anyone else's lives. Everything is exclusively orchestrated by Hashem. The only thing that truthfully is within our capacity, is our ability to pray and ask Hashem to make things turn out the way we would like, and of course thereafter, to make our maximum effort to make it happen.  Many individuals have expressed their desire to live in the land of Israel. It is not our time and place now to discuss the benefits of what it means to live in the land of Israel from a halachic or Torah perspective, but assuming that one has decided that ideally they would like to live in the land of Israel, for many people, much of the time it can seem like an absolute impossibility on many fronts, be it because of financial circumstances, family dynamics and many other things. Now again, assuming that one's perspective after investigating the topic is that the right thing ultimately is to be in the land of Israel; One day, when we are to meet our Creator, He is not going to ask us, did you live in the land of Israel? Because again, if I believe ein od milvado - I will quickly realize that I will only live in the country that Hashem will place me in, and I actually have no say in the matter.  But the question that will be asked is, did you pray to live in the land of Israel? And therefore, for the many people that would like to live in the land of Israel, but see it as an impossibility, the wisest thing that one can do is make it part of one's daily personal prayers to beg Hashem to give one the opportunity to come to live in the land of Israel. And again, even if one sees it as an impossibility, when one takes to heart that Hashem is the Creator and controls every detail of the world and can do absolutely anything, then I will quickly realize that I too can pray for absolutely anything.

We've been discussing how one of the most basic expressions of emunah and bitachon is to talk to Hashem, and how the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Hashem and talk to Hashem is available to every single one of us, regardless of our levels. Although it might be such a basic fundamental of emunah, that if I believe in Hashem, I know He is there, He can hear me, He can help me, why would I go and make other efforts in place of talking to Hashem? Again, we do have a mitzvah of Hishtadlus, to make our own efforts, and we can talk about that at another opportunity. But regardless of our own efforts, a person with an emunah mindset will certainly devote the majority part of their energy and effort to their relationship with Hashem, to talking to Hashem, because if He is the Creator of the world and He is the One that makes everything happen every moment, is it not logical to reach out to Him to help me, because He can and He just wants me to talk to Him before He sends me the help?  As opposed to trying to make my own plans and forgetting to reach out to the Creator, which upon contemplation, one will quickly realize is an absolute absurdity. However, it's also important to remind ourselves that because of our human limitations, we often don't feel that inspiration and motivation, and even though we might know the information about emunah, that Hashem is there and does listen, when push comes to shove and we try to talk to Hashem, we feel like we are talking to a wall. And again, that is the whole objective of our existence in this world, to give us a test in our emunah and have the constant struggle every single day, regardless of what I might have learned. Today, I just don't feel it; I'm uninspired, I'm unmotivated. So what then do I do?  What we've discussed many times is that the answer to all questions always is the opportunity to reach out to Hashem, even about this topic itself. I don't feel inspired about my emunah, my bitachon and my relationship with Hashem. Whatever I am able to say, I should. Perhaps, "Hashem, I really am not feeling that inspiration anymore, for whatever reason. Please can You help me, Hashem, that I should be able to talk to You with true sincerity and mean what I say. And Hashem, even if I'm not feeling it today, I'm asking You, please can You come through for me in the areas that I'm asking You, not just so that I should achieve what I'm trying to achieve, but more importantly, that I can see how You do listen to me and how You do come through for me, because there's been times in my life, Hashem, where I did talk to You, and You came through for me and You answered me, and when that happens, it's a tremendous motivator and inspiration for me to continue to build my relationship with You."  There are many levels of emunah, and there are many levels of talking to Hashem. Every single one of us has the constant opportunity. All we are called on to do, is to do our best. Rabbeinu Bechaya to Bereshit chapter 46 verse 32 writes that many of our ancestors were shepherds. Hevel, the son of the first man - Adam, was a shepherd; and so were Moshe Rabbeinu, the prophet Shmuel, King Shaul, King David, as well as many others of our righteous ancestors. Rabbeinu Bechaya writes that they specifically chose shepherding as their profession because shepherds spend much of the day in the fields with their flocks, away from other people. And this is conducive to focusing on one's connection and relationship with Hashem, without distraction. Because of the fast-paced world that we live in, we are all at risk of forgetting to prioritize our relationship with Hashem. Rabbeinu Bechaya here is teaching us that the secret to many of our ancestors' success was that they would seclude themselves at regular intervals. Again, there are many levels. Perhaps for some of our great ancestors, they might have secluded themselves away from other people to be able to just focus on their personal relationship with Hashem for a two-week uninterrupted period or longer. For many of us, that is not something attainable, but certainly, every single day, every one of us has the opportunity to build a personal relationship with Hashem. Every one of us according to our own level. The more we make an effort to build our emunah, the more we will be motivated and inspired to treat our relationship with Hashem and talking to Hashem with highest priority.

We've been discussing how one of the most basic expressions of applying and practicing our emunah and bitachon, which is our main purpose and focus in this world, as the Torah commentaries outline to us, is the opportunity of talking to Hashem in our own words. We've been discussing some Torah sources, seeing how throughout the ages, right from the beginning all the way through until today, this was always a fundamental practice of the Torah's perspective, the only true perspective, Hashem's perspective. The objective of studying sources such as these is to encourage and motivate ourselves that we too have the exact same opportunity.  Although on the one hand, many of our ancestors were much greater than anything we could even begin to imagine in comparison to our level, and perhaps many of them were able to spend many hours on a daily basis in real close connection throughout their conversations with Hashem, many of us might not be expected to reach such a level of closeness with Hashem, but certainly we are expected and should capitalize on the opportunity to make our maximum effort within our maximum capacity. Every single one of us can talk to Hashem in our own words, both through good times when things are good thanking Hashem for all the amazing things that He blesses us with, as well as in treating Hashem and asking Him to help us throughout the difficult times that we experience. The Gemara in Bava Basra 123a states that the first of the twelve tribes was supposed to be born to Rachel Imeinu. However, because of the extended and sincere prayers of Leah, she was privileged to give birth first. The Gemara explains why Leah was able to pray in such a heartfelt and sincere way: It was common in those times for members of extended families to marry one another. Now in the extended family of Avraham Avinu, there were two sisters and two brothers. Yaakov was the younger child, as was Rachel, whereas Eisav was the older one, as was Leah. Everyone was saying that Leah, the older sister, was therefore destined to marry Esav, the older brother. When Leah learned that Eisav was an evil man, she cried and prayed to Hashem that this destiny of hers not come to fruition. Because of this, she was able to pray so sincerely. When we experience adversity and suffering, much of the time we just can't wait for the next chapter of our life to begin and just want to move out of the space of challenge and suffering. However, when we are able to have the right perspective, it can help us to cope with our challenges in a much better way, as well as capitalize on the opportunity for growth through that ordeal. Adversity is often a vehicle for us to put our full heart and soul into our prayers. Of course we don't ask to experience adversity and suffering, but when it does come, let us capitalize on the opportunity to pray with more sincerity.  In a similar vein, in Shemos chapter 2, verse 23, the verse depicts the response of the Jewish people when they were subjected to the atrocious treatment of the Egyptians. And as the verse states, "they cried out to Hashem in prayer and their cries ascended to Hashem." Let us remind ourselves that one of the major obstacles that prevents us from calling out to Hashem, which is really such a basic equation if we believe in Hashem, is the lack of sincerity in our belief that Hashem is really listening. As Rav Pincus points out, it is very difficult to talk to a wall for a long period because you know that the wall is not listening. Whereas when we make our maximum effort to try and internalize more and more each day, that when we talk to Hashem, we are not talking to a wall, then it becomes so much easier to talk to Hashem.  And again, one might feel, but it is hard for me to talk to Hashem. Does that mean that I am on a very low level, that talking to Hashem is not for me? God forbid. Let us remind ourselves that even with regards to a wicked person, we are taught that the opportunity for emunah and bitachon is available to every single human being. If our maximum capacity is to say, "Hashem, I want to believe in You, but I actually feel like I am kind of talking to a wall, please can You help me to see how You come through for me in my life, Hashem. Please show me how really it is You who is always orchestrating all the details of my life. And please can You send me some of those moments where I am inspired and motivated because I see how You are coming through for me in my life, and how the prayers that I make are actually making a difference. Thank You, Hashem, for the tremendous opportunity to have a personal relationship with You and be able to talk with You every single day."

One of the six constant mitzvahs is the mitzvah to love HaShem. It is difficult sometimes to fulfill this mitzvah of loving HaShem because I don't see HaShem, I don't hear HaShem and in many ways it's hard for me to relate to HaShem - this abstract figure. How do I come to loving HaShem?  The Rambam writes that the way we come to loving HaShem is by taking note of the things that He has created and admiring them and doing so will bring us to loving the Creator, the One who created all those things. As we've previously discussed, when one's approach towards HaShem is one of "You owe me", then of course we do not particularly feel grateful for the blessings that He sends us and why should we feel reason to love Him. Whereas when one lives the emunah approach and one internalizes, HaShem doesn't owe me anything and if I take note at the countless blessings in my life and internalize that each one of them is actually a gift from HaShem. When someone gives you a gift, you appreciate it and when they give you enough gifts just for no reason at all, just because they love you, that certainly is an incentive to love them back.  "Thank you HaShem for all the tremendous gifts that You've given me. Let's start with my eyes, because we've just learned that one of the ways that I can come to love You is by taking note, appreciating and admiring Your creations. By having given me eyes, HaShem, You have now enabled me to be able to see and take note and appreciate and admire Your incredible creations. Be it a beautiful sunset, the countless stars in the sky, the many animals that You've created with such great wisdom, all the many miracles that exist in a human being, which I see so many of. Thank you HaShem for these incredible eyes to be able to see Your incredible creations and thereby come to love You. HaShem, thank You so much for all the incredible gifts that You've given me. The fact that I can hear is not something You owe me. What a gift to be able to hear with these ears that You've given me and thereby be able to have a conversation and a relationship with another human being. You know HaShem, I would like to imagine for myself for a moment that I cannot hear, and I experienced many years being deaf, and suddenly You come and offer me a gift where I will be able to hear. In that situation, if I was able to, I would come and hug and kiss You for such a tremendous gift. The truth of the matter is that You've given me a greater gift than that, because You created me that right from the time I was born I didn't even have to suffer one day without hearing. HaShem, You have taught us Your perspective in many Torah sources that one of the most severe transgressions is to talk loshan hara and gossip about other people. And just as severe as it is to talk lashon hara is the transgression of listening to somebody else talk lashon hara. Now if You wanted to, You could have created a world where loshan hara didn't exist. But in Your great kindness, You gave me the opportunity to earn my place in the next world to enjoy Your goodness eternally. Thank You HaShem for giving me ears where I do have the ability to potentially listen to lashon hara, and I now have the choice to opt not to listen to the lashon hara that is being spoken, whereby I would be performing one of the greatest mitzvahs that can exist. And if I didn't have ears and the ability to hear, I would not be able to perform this mitzvah. Please HaShem help me not to be ungrateful, but rather to notice all the tremendous gifts that You give me, and thereby sincerely be able to say to You, I love You HaShem."

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

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

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

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

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

Torah authorities explain that emunah can be divided into three different segments. The first one is to build our emunah and bitachon in Hashem, which is the main focus of this daily inspiration that we've been discussing every day. The second type of emunah that the Torah authorities discuss is emunas chachamim, to believe in the words of the sages. The Midrash teaches that we are supposed to reach such a high level of belief in the words of the sages that even if they would tell us that the right is the left or the left is the right, something completely counterintuitive to our understanding, we should believe their words.  Now of course, to reach such a level of faith in the words of the sages needs to be based on understanding why I should do so, and also it needs to be defined who is considered part of the sages. Let's discuss the Ramban at the end of Parashas Bo, who explains the following: In times of old, there were three types of idolaters. Some of them denied Hashem's existence at all, whereas others admitted that Hashem does exist but assumed that He doesn't know what's going on in the world. And a third category of people admitted that Hashem does exist and knows what's going on in the world, but according to their mistaken approach, Hashem doesn't care about what goes on in the world. And all these approaches are types of avodah zarah, of idol worship.  And as the Ramban there explains, because Hashem wanted to give people the opportunity to move away from these forms of idol worship and rather move towards a real meaningful life according to the values of Emunah, Hashem changed the laws of nature when He performed the miracles at the exodus from Egypt, such as the plagues and the splitting of the sea. And the Ramban explains that after this happened, people now had the opportunity to clearly believe that Hashem runs the show and the world does not just operate according to the laws of nature, but rather Hashem is orchestrating every single moment. However, Ramban adds an additional point which was gained through this episode, in that Moshe Rabbeinu, the leader of the Jewish people, predicted the miracles before they transpired at the exodus from Egypt. And therefore, after the miracles happened, not only did the people gain a belief in Hashem, but they also gained a belief that this Moshe Rabbeinu had a particularly close relationship with Hashem and his advice must be heeded. So just like the people were able to acknowledge Hashem's existence after this experience, similarly they were able to acknowledge Moshe Rabbeinu's role as a leader of the Jewish people. It is well known that the Torah was given to Moshe Rabbeinu in two forms, one is the written Torah and secondly, he was given many teachings orally. The Mishnayos in Pirkei Avos discuss how from generation to generation, those laws that were transmitted from Hashem to Moshe Rabbeinu directly, were passed down from generation to generation via specific leaders who were chosen to be the leaders of those generations. And the Rambam, in the introduction to the Mishnah, outlines all the leaders, even in times much closer to ours, that their chain of tradition can be traced all the way back to Moshe Rabbeinu, who received it directly from Hashem. May we all merit to excel in all the different forms of Emunah that the Torah commentaries teach us ultimately stem from Emunah in Hashem. Of course in our Emunah and Bitachon endeavour itself, to grow in our belief and reliance on Hashem, but also by extension, to believe in the words of the sages. For whatever reason, usually in today's day and age, Hashem does not reveal Himself to us in an openly revealed manner, but rather, the way He communicates to us is via the information that He relays to us in His Torah, both in the written Torah as well as in the oral Torah.  Let us then appreciate that all parts of the Torah, both the written Torah, as well as the entirety of the oral Torah, including all of the words of the sages, are ultimately the words of Hashem. And just like we are called on to build our belief in Hashem Himself, let us also make our maximum effort to build our belief in the words of the sages - Emunas Chachamim.

Precisely when we don't see and we don't understand, there we have an opportunity to practice our belief, our emunah. I am not able to see Hashem, but I nevertheless have the constant opportunity to grow in my emunah and believe more and more that He is actually there, and when I talk to Him, He is listening to every word. And not only that, but as we've learned previously, the prayers that we make are so precious to Him that as the Midrash teaches, our prayers are taken and used to make up the crown of Hashem.  And again, there are many levels to what it means to have emunah and bitachon in Hashem. A basic level, but certainly a significant level of accomplishment is when we internalize that Hashem certainly exists and can hear what we are saying. And therefore when I am experiencing a challenge in my life, I of course reach out to Hashem as my first address. But again, depending on how strong my belief is, will make all the difference of how motivated I am to continue those prayers to Hashem. A basic level would be to make a short prayer, but one with more belief will devote much more time and energy and passion to their prayers. Because again, this is our objective in this world, specifically to have the challenge of emunah and need to practice our belief when we don't see. If we are currently in the presence of another individual who can help us, it will certainly then be much easier to talk to that individual and request what we need with sincerity and passion. And if they can truly help us, we won't be in a rush to go elsewhere, but rather will be happy to take however much time is necessary to express ourselves adequately. We cannot see Hashem and the only type of relationship that we have is based on belief. The more that we believe, the more that we will take that relationship and opportunity seriously.  And just to remind ourselves of the idea that we've discussed many times, that many many Torah commentaries bring, that the only reason Hashem decided to create the world in the first place was because He desired to share His goodness with us. And this point is so important to remember throughout our lives and throughout our emunah endevour because when we remember that Hashem only created the world just to give to us, then it is easy to understand how the image that is sometimes portrayed of God as this old man with a stick waiting to catch us out, is a terribly mistaken approach and perspective of what Hashem is.  We are so privileged to have the only absolute true perspective. Hashem created us just to share His goodness with us, and that being the case, although it certainly is going to be a challenge for us to grow in our emunah endeavor, nevertheless Hashem would not give us an impossible task. He is not trying to catch us out, God forbid. He's giving us an opportunity in this world to earn our maximum potential for eternal reward in the next world. This world is a world of opportunity where Hashem wants us to choose right, and thereby after us having achieved our maximum potential in this world, we will be able to enjoy His tremendous goodness that is completely beyond anything we can even begin to imagine that this world has to offer - in the next world eternally. So it's important to remind ourselves that when it comes to our emunah endeavor, although we certainly have to make a constant effort to grow just a little bit more each day - every one of us in our own way, however Hashem is not going to judge us in an overly strict manner - anything that is beyond our maximum capacity. All that Hashem requires of us is to internalize that the reason we exist is to build and transform our emunah as much as we can.

Hashem created this world in a way that most things that transpire can be difficult for us to understand much of the time. Because again, we are taught that the only reason that Hashem created the world was because He desired to share His goodness with us. And although we are taught that ultimately that goodness will be experienced in the next world, we might have many questions such as, "if Hashem truly desired to give us of His best, why then did He not send us directly to the next world where we are taught that there the pleasure is so great that it is completely incomparable to anything in this world?"  And although we do have certain answers within Torah literature, however for the most part the main answer is that this world is not a place of understanding. B'ezrat Hashem, in the future when we get to the next world, we are taught that then everything is understood and exactly why things had to transpire with their precise details as they did in our lives in this world makes complete sense; but in this world our job is to believe, specifically when we don't understand.  In Judaism and Torah we are not short of mitzvos that Hashem has commanded us to practice. And for the most part, mitzvos are comprised of many intricacies and details that to the objective, logical mind, who is not coming from a Torah perspective, much of the time does not make sense. Although some of the mitzvos, such as the mitzvah of Chesed - to practice kindness to others, or giving tzedakah - charity, or perhaps the mitzvah to honor one's father and mother, where perhaps by those mitzvos it is easier to understand them, even according to our logical minds, however, when it comes to many mitzvos, such as for example many of the intricacies of the laws of Shabbos, one might argue, "is not the main purpose of Shabbos to be able to contemplate on the purpose of my life and have more free time to also build my relationship with Hashem?"  And that being the case, if I find it more conducive to this, to observe Shabbos in a certain manner, perhaps not exactly in line with what the halacha dictates, I might argue that that should be the ideal course. However, we are taught that this is not the case. Adherence to halacha and following Hashem's instructions, even when that would seem to contradict the reason for the mitzvah based on our logical understanding, we are taught that we are absolutely obligated to follow the mitzvahs exactly as Hashem has commanded us. And again, as always, everything in life ultimately boils down to emunah - to believing in Hashem. Because this world is not a place where we are permitted to understand Hashem's workings and calculations. Our ultimate purpose in this world is to develop our emunah, our belief. Believing specifically when we don't understand.  Whether it comes to the performance of mitzvos that might at times be more difficult for us to relate to based on our logical understanding. Or perhaps when it comes to the opportunity for us to rely on Hashem and try eliminate feelings of anxiety and worry from circumstances that surround us. And also perhaps when it comes to the opportunity of reaching out to Hashem and talking to Him in our own words. In these areas and many others, everything boils down to emunah. And as we've mentioned many times, by constant repetition of the Torah's teachings on Hashem's true perspective, b'ezrat Hashem, that can be a tremendous motivator for us to inculcate these concepts of emunah into our day-to-day lives. "Thank you Hashem for teaching me this golden information of what my true purpose is in this world and giving me the opportunity to be able to grow on a day-to-day basis more and more in fulfilling my purpose in this world."

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

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

What is the greatest miracle in the world? Out of all the answers we might give, the truth of the matter is that the greatest miracle in the world is the creation of the world itself, because every other miracle that might exist is encompassed within the creation of the world itself.  The Sfas Emes points out that there are about 30 verses in the Torah devoted to relating the story of the creation of the world, whereas when it comes to the Mishkan, the special tabernacle where Hashem's Shechinah was known to rest on and be much more potent than anywhere else, the Torah then dedicates a few hundred verses outlining that episode. And the Sfas Emes comments that we see from here that the Mishkan was actually greater than the creation of the whole world itself, because if Hashem in the Torah decided to dedicate about 30 verses to the creation of the world, but when it comes to the Mishkan He decided to dedicate a few hundred verses, Hashem seems to clearly be indicating to us that the Mishkan is more important than even the world itself, and perhaps because of the tremendous holiness that one can experience and tap into in the Mishkan, in one's connection to Hashem, so many verses are dedicated to describing its details in the Torah. But there's something even greater than the Mishkan, says the Sfas Emes, and that is, we are taught that there was a command to build the Mishkan on every day of a regular weekday. But when it came to Shabbos, the building of the Mishkan had to stop, because Shabbos is more important than the building of the Mishkan. So first we have the miracle of the creation of the world itself, thereafter even greater than that is the Mishkan, which has more verses devoted to it, and even greater than the Mishkan is Shabbos, where one is not permitted to build a Mishkan on Shabbos. And to remember this easily, says the Sfas Emes, one can find these three concepts in an acronym of the three letters of the word Shema - Shin Mem Ayin, the Ayin stands for Olam, the world, the Mem stands for Mishkan, and the Shin stands for Shabbos. But it doesn't stop there. There is something even greater than Shabbos. The law is that if the life of a Jew is in danger, then we have an obligation to do whatever it takes to try to save or prolong his or her life. And says the Sfas Emes, you can see this in the words Shema Yisrael, as we explained the three letters of the word Shema, Ayin, which stands for Olam, the world, Mem, which stands for Mishkan, and Shin, which stands for Shabbos, signify some of the greatest and most important creations that Hashem created in His world. Firstly, the greatest miracle of all, the creation of the world itself. And something that's greater than that is the Mishkan, and something that's even greater than that is Shabbos.  But something that's even greater than all those three things is Yisrael. The life of a Jew is so great. "Hashem, my King, there are many things in my life that I need, and I do reach out to You about those things. Sometimes I experience things as sweet and sometimes as bitter, of course ultimately knowing that You always do do only what's best for me. However, we are taught that we are supposed to doven for what will be sweet in our eyes. Hashem, I do want to take a moment just to reflect and realize that the greatest gift of all is the gift of life itself. And even if I have experienced and am experiencing hardships, the fact that You have gifted me with another day of life is the greatest gift in the world. Thank you, Hashem, for the gift of another day and another moment in my life."

Tisha B'Av. We pray today in a way where we try to cry and join the pain of the Shechinah because of the lack of the Beis Hamikdash. We are taught in the verse that any time we suffer, Hashem suffers with us. And much more than the pain that we feel, Hashem feels. And therefore all the suffering and pain, although, of course, we understand that Hashem is pulling all the strings and is also the one to have caused that to happen for reasons beyond our understanding, nevertheless, once that pain is there, the Shechinah feels the pain much more than we can even fathom.  Torah sources teach that one of the messages of the month of Av, and certainly at its climax, Tisha B'Av, is the name of the month itself. Why is it that this sad month, which connotes tears and a broken heart, is called Av, which also means father? Sometimes we relate to Hashem as a king where we show more respect and honor, but a king does not have the same relationship that a father does with a child. In this month, we specifically highlight Hashem is our Av, Hashem is our father. We cry today because of all the suffering the world over and so much pain that is taking place and that we've experienced throughout the years. But ultimately the deepest reason that we are crying for today is not for our pain as an individual nor as a nation. We are crying out of love because this is my father and his house has been destroyed. The Shechinah has been exiled from within our midst. Perhaps one message that we could take to heart today is that besides for my struggles and our nation's struggles, let me turn that off for a while and think just about my real true father, Hashem, who has been exiled for all these years, who feels more pain than we can imagine; any time we feel pain, any time we sin, any time we are distanced from one another. “Hashem, my dear father, I love you with all my heart. And even though this day is full of sorrow and crying, ultimately it is only because of our deep love that we experience this pain together today. Hashem, I am limited by my human nature, as you know, and most of the time I am caught up with my needs. And even in my prayers to you, most of the time might be invested in what I need and we need. But I want you to know, Hashem, my father, I love you. And although I might feel like I can't give you anything, because who am I compared to the Creator, nevertheless, you have taught me via your Torah and Torah commentaries that what I do makes a huge difference and I can give to you. I am going to try my best, even when things are going well and smoothly in my life, to not forget about you, not only to reach out to you when I need you, but also when in a sense I feel like I don't really need you. Because it's not about me, it's about you. Hashem, I want you to know I love you so deeply and I care about you and I beg you, please rebuild your Beis Hamikdash; please forgive us for our sins. In whatever areas that you and I know I can improve, please Hashem, can you help me to improve in these areas, because I know that when I sin, that causes you more pain, and when I do the right thing, that delights you. Hashem, I believe with my full heart that Mashiach can come, even today, if we just want it enough, as we are taught. Please, Hashem, I beg you with all my heart, help me to say these words, to sing them over and to really internalize them: Ani Maamin Beeumunah Sheleimah bevias Hamashiach; Veaf al pi sheyeshmahameha im kol zeh achakeh lo bechol yom sheyavo.”

Although the ideal course would be to be constantly mindful throughout the year about the lack of our Besamikdash, and as we are taught by Torah commentaries, the pain that the Shekhinah feels at not having a dwelling place in our midst, nevertheless, even throughout the year, there are practices that the Halacha outlines for us in order to help us connect to the exile that we are in, and to the fact that the Shekhinah is in pain with the destruction of the Besamikdash. The Shulchan Aruch outlines that when we build a house, it is appropriate to leave a measurement of about half a meter by half a meter, which we don't paint and complete. And the reason for that is to show that our happiness is not complete. And in the same way, when a bride and groom get married, although it is a tremendously happy occasion, we break a glass to show that we are not completely happy. And there are many other laws outlined in the Shulchan Aruch, such as the prohibition to listen to music. In fact, according to the simple reading of the Shulchan Aruch, listening to music throughout the year is very questionable, unless done in certain specific situations. Although throughout the year many of us follow the more lenient opinions with regards to listening to music, we are certainly called on during these days to minimize our enjoyment of listening to music for the sake of feeling Hashem's pain, the Shekhinah's pain. And as always, we have the most incredible gift of prayer, that we can ask Hashem to help us to feel the pain. Because again, the reason that we don't feel the gap in the world is ultimately because we don't really know what we're missing. And sometimes we might even feel like everything in our life is okay in a certain sense. In a way, who needs the Besamikdash? I'm quite okay without it in my life. Even though we don't always speak in that way, sometimes that is the way that subconsciously we're thinking. Whereas the correct approach, the approach of Emunah, whether I understand or I don't understand what it would be like with the Besamikdash, I believe in the Torah teachings that a life with the Besamikdash is where we are supposed to be. And I believe, whether I understand or I don't understand, that the Shekhinah is in pain without the Besamikdash. I am not here just to care about my own life, but also to care about the Shekhinah. And if I am taught that the Shekhinah is in pain, I certainly want to do whatever I can to take the Shekhinah out of that pain. Hashem, my Father, even though it is hard for me to relate to the fact that your Shekhinah could be in pain, I nevertheless believe the words of the Torah who teach me so. And therefore, Hashem, I beg you, please rebuild the Besamikdash and bring Moshiach. Although I am taught that sick people will be healed and people who have difficulty will receive their salvations and many other amazing things when the time of Moshiach's arrival comes, nevertheless, my Father, the real reason that I want Moshiach to come is not because of my own vested interest, but rather because you are in pain. Hashem, please bring us the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Besamikdash as soon as possible and in a way of revealed blessing speedily in our days.

One of the foundations to Torah and Judaism is the belief in the coming of Mashiach. In the Thirteen Principles of Faith outlined by the Rambam, we declare, I believe with complete emunah in the coming of Mashiach, and even though he may seem to be delaying his arrival, I nevertheless will eagerly await and anticipate his arrival every day. We've discussed many times that our job in this world ultimately is to have emunah, to believe specifically when we don't see and we don't understand. And here we find another area where we are called on to practice our emunah, our belief. It's been thousands of years that we as a nation have existed and Mashiach has not come yet. So logically, why should we think that today should be different to yesterday? If he did not come yet, who knows when he will come? Nevertheless, we are called on to build our belief that Mashiach can arrive at every single moment. It is told of the saintly Chofetz Chaim that he would constantly have a bag ready and packed with clothes and the things he would need if Mashiach would arrive, so that he would be able to leave immediately at every single moment. And similarly, it is told about the great Rav Moshe Feinstein that it was his practice when he needed to carry something around on Shabbos, he would keep it in his hands rather than putting it in his pockets. And the reason for that was because he was concerned that he would encounter a situation where he would mistakenly walk on Shabbos with something in his pockets in an area without an Eruv, which is prohibited. So in order to avoid that, he would never place items in his pockets on Shabbos. And in his elderly years, when he was not able to leave his house because of his health, it once happened that people saw he was carrying something around in his hands on Shabbos and not putting it in his pockets. And when he was asked why he was doing so, because he was clearly not able to leave his house anymore because of the state of his health and his elderly age. So there was no concern anymore that he would mistakenly forget and walk in an area outside of an Eruv on Shabbos. And he responded, Mashiach can come at any given moment. And when Mashiach does come, all the sickly people will be made better. I am waiting for Mashiach to come in the next few moments. And if that does happen, I will get better. And then I will want to keep up my practice of not walking outside on Shabbos with anything in my pockets. Throughout the year, it is not always easy to be constantly mindful of the absence of our Besamikdash. Of course, even throughout the year, we should make our maximum effort to remember Hashem's house, the Besamikdash that has been destroyed, and hope for Mashiach and the rebuilding of the Besamikdash. It is worthwhile to take to heart that as part of the prescribed prayer of Birkas Hamazon, Grace After Meals, there is a preliminary chapter of Tehillim that we say, one during the week, Al-Naharus Bavel, and on Shabbos, Shir Amalos. And both of those chapters ultimately were enacted to be said whenever we eat bread, which is something quite common, in order to remind us of Yerushalayim and the destruction of the Besamikdash. Although we might not be on the level of the Chofetz Chaim or of Moshe Feinstein or the many great other people who were able to hope in a very real, vivid way for the coming of Mashiach at every given moment, whatever we are able to hope for, everyone in their own way, is a tremendous mitzvah. Whether we are able to commit to saying the Animamin of the Rambam, which is our affirmation in the belief of the coming of Mashiach, or whether we are able to commit to saying the preliminary prayer to the Birkas Hamazon both on Shabbos as well as during the week, which is the appropriate thing to do as outlined by the halachic authorities, every small act that we do to remember the destruction of the Besamikdash is saying to Hashem, Hashem, I care about You, and I care about the fact that Your house was destroyed.

One of the many mitzvos that we have is the mitzvah to pay a worker on time for their services. Simply speaking, when somebody does a job for me and the usual expectation is to be paid on the same day, then unless stated otherwise, one is obligated to complete the payment without delay.  The Chofetz Chaim in his Sefer Ahavas Chesed writes that the reason many people do not fulfill the mitzvah of paying a worker on time is because many people are just not aware of the laws. It is important to remind ourselves that a basic extension of living a life of emunah and bitachon is making our maximum effort to follow every detail of halacha. Following halacha is applying emunah in a practical way. If a sick individual in dire need of help were to find a single expert doctor to help them with their case, if I choose to visit this doctor, I am choosing to believe in this doctor, and by making my way to the doctor's office for my appointment, I am expressing my belief in this doctor. Applying that belief in a more practical way will be when the doctor tells me exactly which medications and procedures to follow, that I listen carefully and make sure to treat the information that he is giving me with utmost importance. It would be absurd for me to pay a huge amount of money to get an appointment with this highly sought after doctor, and after his assessment of the situation, upon giving me instructions, I pay no attention and leave the appointment without following any of the guidelines he has given me. In the same vein, as we've learned many times, we are called on to believe in Hashem, and as the commentaries write, our ultimate purpose of being alive in this world is to express our emunah and bitachon. It is important to remind ourselves that one of the highest ways we can express this emunah and bitachon is when we follow the guidelines and instructions Hashem has commanded us.  But as the Chofetz Chaim teaches us, we cannot fulfill the mitzvahs appropriately if we have not learned how to do so. With regards to many mitzvahs, it might be easier for us to fulfill their intricacies because these mitzvahs are more famous and we have been exposed to its details for many years. However, it is important to make every effort to learn halacha with regards to all mitzvahs, both those that are well-known as well as those that are less well-known, so that we can fulfill all of Hashem's instructions in the appropriate way.  "Hashem, my Father, thank you so much for the opportunity to be learning about emunah and bitachon on a daily basis and trying my best to grow in this endeavor, which is ultimately my main purpose and focus whilst I am alive in this world, as you have taught us many times in your Torah sources. Thank you also, Hashem, for teaching me that one of the most basic extensions of practically applying the emunah and bitachon that I have learned is by making my maximum effort to fulfill all of your instructions that you have commanded me, including all of their intricacies, both when I might understand some of the reasons behind the mitzvahs and also with regards to mitzvahs that I have absolutely no understanding. Because obviously, if I believe and trust in you, then included in that would be to follow all your instructions.  But Hashem, you know that some mitzvahs are so difficult for me to fulfill, and I take this opportunity to ask you, please Hashem, help me, that I should do my best to fulfill the mitzvahs with all their details and intricacies. And in the same vein, please help me to internalize the importance of learning all areas of halacha, even the areas which might be less well-known, because obviously, I cannot fulfill your mitzvahs in the best way if I have not learned how to do so. Thank you, Hashem, for the incredible opportunity to talk to you on a daily basis about anything and everything."

There are countless Torah passages which outline the tremendously great value of Torah learning, and the emphasis Hashem places on this great mitzvah. The most famous one, perhaps, is the Mishnah we recite every day in the morning prayers, where the Mishnah says that the value of Torah learning is equal to all of the other mitzvahs put together. So if one thinks of the tremendously great impact that we are taught each mitzvah provides - giving tzedakah; lighting Shabbos candles; putting on tefillin; listening to the shofar; shaking a lulav; and all of the other mitzvahs that we have. We are taught here that the value of Torah learning is on par with all of those mitzvahs put together.  We are also taught in countless Torah passages about the incredibly great value of tefillah, prayer, and many Torah passages seem to indicate that the power and potency of the value of prayer is even greater than the power and potency of Torah learning, such as the teaching of the Sefer Chareidim and the Shelah Hakadosh, which we have quoted numerous times, where they state that the value of secluding oneself and connecting to Hashem with personal prayer is seven times stronger than that of Torah study. Whilst at the same time there are many Torah passages which seem to indicate the exact opposite, that the value of Torah study is in fact greater than the value of tefillah. There is no question that the potency and power of both Torah study and tefillah is beyond anything we can imagine. But at the end of the day, there seems to be a contradiction in many Torah passages. Which is it? Is Torah study greater, or is prayer greater?  Some commentaries resolve the contradiction in the following way. We know that the ultimate purpose of Torah study is "al menas laasos", in order to take the concepts from the Torah study that we learn and use them in a practical way throughout our lives. Although Torah study inherently is tremendously valuable itself, nevertheless, we are taught that the ultimate purpose of Torah study is "al menas laasos", in order to use the Torah study that we have learned in a practical way throughout our lives. And therefore, the commentaries explain that because Torah study is so potent inherently, when one does study Torah, that action automatically brings us closer to Hashem, builds our emunah and bitachon, sometimes even on autopilot without us knowing it, and also improves our character, which is part of the reason we exist in this world.  And therefore, when I am praying, certainly if the prayer is with regards to unimportant matters, such as, "Hashem, I would really like a new car, please can You help me to be able to get this specific car that I would like." Although it is commendable that one is reaching out to Hashem about their interests, and that is certainly some level of emunah, Torah study is certainly considered higher than a prayer of this sort. But even a very necessary prayer, such as if a family member is sick, or one is struggling to find a soulmate, or one might be struggling financially and says, "Hashem, please can You send me more parnassah, so that I can be able to fulfill the mitzvah of tzedakah, and just so that I can provide my family with their needs and have more time to devote my life to You." Although this is certainly a very high level of tefillah, nevertheless we are taught that Torah study still precedes such prayer because ultimately, we are praying to have health, find a soulmate, or have more parnassah, in order to be able to do the ideal, which would be coming closer to Hashem, by having more time to devote to our spiritual pursuits, whereas Torah study itself is the spiritual pursuit itself.  However, the commentaries explain that when our prayer is of the highest form, and we are asking Hashem, "Hashem, please will You send me more emunah, that I should live a life of absolute emunah and bitachon, connected to You, please bring me closer to You, please Hashem, will You correct my character traits, and help me to become the righteous individual that You'd like me to become." When our prayer is of this sort, then the commentaries explain that this prayer is so great and high, that it can even be above the great mitzvah of Torah study. The bottom line is that both Torah study, as well as prayer, are both tremendously powerful conduits of how to connect to Hashem and fulfill our mission and purpose in this world. "Thank you, Hashem, for giving me the opportunity to connect to You and fulfill my mission in this world, both via the incredible and potent mitzvah of Torah study, as well as via the incredible and potent mitzvah of prayer."

We learned a very fundamental and important concept from the Gemara, which teaches us that it is actually considered a sin to be fearful of circumstance and individuals. The more we internalize ein od milvado, that there is no other power in the world outside of Hashem, and v'hu levado asa veoseh veyaaseh l'chol hamaasim - He Hashem exclusively orchestrates every happening down to the most minor detail throughout all of our lives, the more we internalize these concepts, the more we will get closer to living lives free of fear. In the above-quoted episode from the Talmud, where the sage reprimanded the student for being fearful and told him off that that is considered a sin by quoting a verse which dictates so, the student responded back, quoting a different verse which seems to imply that it is actually a commendable thing to do, to feel feelings of fear. The sage then responded back to the student, explaining how to reconcile these two verses. The one verse which states clearly that it is a sin to be fearful is referring to the idea that we've been discussing, that we are to make every effort in growing in our emunah and bitachon, and by doing so, we will be led to living lives free of fear and worry, because it will be clear to us, both intellectually and beezrat Hashem also, on a deeper level emotionally, that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail, and there is no reason to fear anything else. And the other verse which does clearly indicate that it is a good thing to be fearful, explained the sage, is referring to matters of the Torah and mitzvahs. Certainly, we should be very fearful of transgressing any of Hashem's commandments and all the repercussions that we are taught that that entails. And when we have already committed a transgression, it is also appropriate to now be fearful about the consequences in store for us, and by doing so, that can actually be a springboard to motivate me to repent for the transgression. And as the Gemara teaches, that if one repents sincerely and out of love for Hashem, that transgression actually turns into a mitzvah to our credit in our eternal bank account.  The same piece in the Talmud then goes on to say that there was another individual who was groaning and complaining about a certain situation, and this individual was told off by the sages for groaning and complaining. And in fact, the Gemara says that when one groans and complains, that itself is the catalyst that brings suffering upon oneself. "Thank you, Hashem, for teaching me that I need not fear anyone nor anything because You are exclusively running every single detail in my life. And at the same time, thank you, Hashem, for teaching me that it is appropriate and commendable to fear sin and its consequences. And thank you, Hashem, also for teaching me that not only is groaning and complaining about my situation that You've presented me, a lack of my emunah and bitachon, trusting that You would only send me what is best for me, but groaning and complaining itself is the catalyst that will bring me more suffering to my life. Hashem, You and I know exactly what I'm going through, and I'm already struggling in this situation, but at the same time, please help me to be inspired, to internalize that You can and will only always do what is good for me, and there is never ever reason for me to complain. Please help me to internalize, Hashem, that You are with me every single moment of my life."

We've been discussing that one of the automatic extensions of having bitachon in Hashem is that it leads to a life without fear. I don't fear any individuals nor any circumstances because I know that Hashem is exclusively running the show.  We learnt the Gemara which teaches us that it is actually classified as a sin to be fearful. And although initially such a concept might be difficult to digest, upon reflection it is actually very easy to understand. Because if our mission in life is to have emunah and bitachon, as discussed many times, and simple emunah and bitachon means I internalize that Hashem is in absolute control and I also internalize that Hashem only wants to do good for me, then when I begin to fear the repercussions of a certain circumstance or the power of a certain individual, I am in a sense acknowledging a force outside of Hashem. Basic emunah and bitachon would teach us that the most powerful individual in the world cannot even but lift a finger if Hashem does not will so. We are completely under the auspices and guidance of Hashem exclusively.  For anyone serious about emunah and bitachon and our life's mission, this concept that the ideal course that we should be aiming for is a life without any fear whatsoever, should be relatively easy to understand intellectually. However, as Torah commentaries teach, the real work of emunah is not the intellectual understanding but rather to bridge the gap between what we understand intellectually and what we truly internalize on a deeper emotional level. Our job is to make our maximum effort to truly internalize these concepts and eventually be'ezrat Hashem lead to a life of true bitachon, free of fear, in all areas of our lives.  David HaMelech in Tehillim compares the way we should relate to Hashem like that of a baby nursing from its mother. When the baby is hungry, the baby screams and shouts. And suddenly, when the mother brings the baby to nurse, the baby calms down because now it has all the food that it needs. And because of the simplicity of the baby not having a complex mind to worry about what will be for the future, right now when it has its food, it is completely calm without a worry or care in the world. And David HaMelech teaches us in Tehillim, that is the way that we are called on to rely on Hashem, to be completely calm, 24-7. That is a high level, but at least we should know where we are aiming for.  I read a story in one of the fantastic books, Living Emunah, by Rabbi David Ashear. There was a young girl on a flight, sitting all by herself, without a parent or adult accompanying her on the flight. Suddenly, there was tremendous turbulence that even the adult passengers were grabbing onto their seats out of anxiety and fear. One of the passengers noticed that this girl was completely calm. Surprised, he went over to her and asked, "I am feeling tremendously anxious about this turbulence and so are all the many other passengers on this flight. How is it that you are so calm?" And the girl responded simply, "my father is the pilot and I trust him with my life." Hashem is the pilot to our lives and the more we internalize that, the more we will be able to live lives of peace, calm and tranquility.

The Gemara in Brachos page 60a, relates that when one of the sages encountered that one of his students was fearful about something, the sage reprimanded the student, quoting a verse that states that it is a sin to be fearful. The reason for this is because when we internalize that Hashem exclusively orchestrates every happening throughout our lives down to the most minor detail, then when we fear another individual or some circumstance, it's as if we're acknowledging that there is another force outside of Hashem, because if we are to internalize that Hashem is in absolute control, why should we fear anyone or anything? And the sage was therefore teaching the student, if you are fearful, you are committing an actual sin.  We need to internalize and believe these words. When it comes to other sins that are perhaps more logical and easier for us to understand, it is easier to relate to them as a sin, such as to steal or to commit murder, to talk Lashon Hara, and the many other transgressions that exist. Those are much more relatable to us as sins. But one might argue, how can it be classified as a sin just because I am feeling fearful feelings about someone or something? But we learn differently from this gemara, from the only true perspective, Hashem's perspective, that when we build our emunah and our bitachon, we can reach a place where we only fear Hashem because we truly internalize that ein od milvado, there is absolutely no other force whatsoever in the world except for Hashem, and therefore there is no reason to fear anyone or anything outside of Hashem. We must remember the gemara which states, hakol bidei shamayim, everything is in the hands of Hashem. Hashem runs every single detail of the world exclusively. And in the same vein, one of the 13 principles of faith that the Rambam outlines is ve'hu levado asa ve'oseh ve'yaseh lechol hamaasim - and He, Hashem, alone did everything in the past, currently does everything in the present, and will orchestrate every single happening in the future.  It's important to remember that emunah and bitachon, and everything encompassed within them, is our life's work, as we've learnt many times. This is our ultimate purpose of being alive in this world, the main way that we earn our place in the next world, as outlined by the Ramban, the Vilna Gaon, and many many others, and therefore we should take to heart that it is not a one day's journey to excel in emunah and bitachon. Yes, we do need to know where to aim, and therefore it is important to learn the Torah sources such as this Gemara which teaches us that it is actually considered a sin to fear anyone or anything, and ultimately, b'ezrat Hashem, we can all grow more and more to get closer to living our lives in such a way.  Nevertheless, it is important to internalize that every small step that we make is greater than anything we can imagine in Hashem's books. Hashem does not expect us to climb leaps of emunah and bitachon in small periods of time. As taught by many Torah sources, Hashem places much more emphasis and importance on our effort and endeavor to grow in emunah and bitachon than the actual result that we achieve. "Thank you Hashem for teaching me that every single small step that I make in fulfilling my life's mission of growing in emunah and bitachon is greater to you than anything I can imagine."

We've discussed the many Torah sources which teach very clearly that it is Hashem's will for us to pray to Him. According to our own logic and common sense, one might have thought that if one has true bitachon and emunah in Hashem, then if Hashem orchestrates our lives in a way that presents challenges for us, perhaps we might think that the ideal course should be for us to keep quiet and learn to be happy with what Hashem has given us. The bottom line is that it is absolutely clear from many Torah sources that Hashem's will is for us to pray for what we desire. Even if we can't understand this concept fully, as always, we don't follow our understanding and logic, but rather what the Torah sources teach us is Hashem's perspective, which is the only unmistakable perspective.  We are taught many passages of our ancestors, such as Moshe Rabbeinu, who did not stop pleading Hashem on a constant basis to please allow him to enter the land of Israel, which he had been denied entry to. And in the same way, when it comes to our matriarchs, who were initially denied the ability to have children, although one might have expected that they should just accept their destiny to be barren, as Hashem's will, and live their lives happily ever after as such, we are taught that they continued to pray day after day for what they desired, children. And we learn from here a most important principle, that Hashem's true desire in the way He created this world, is that He does want us to talk to Him for what we would like.  Nevertheless, as pointed out previously, we learn from the Gemara about Choni Hameagel, that we are not to be overly brazen and vehement in our requests from Hashem. Although we are to consistently continue to pray for our needs in the way we would like, nevertheless, we are not to outline certain requirements from Hashem in an overly stubborn way. "Hashem, my daughter, currently, is extremely sick. I've been to many doctors, but it is clear that they cannot help her. I know that in truth, the only one that can help her is You, and in one second, You can send her a complete recovery, whilst at the same time, currently, the situation is very serious and dire, and I don't know what to do. Hashem, I have decided that today, I am going to spend the entire day reciting Tehillim for many hours. By the end of the day, I am hoping and begging You that my daughter should be completely healed. In fact, Hashem, I am making a condition right now that I will not stop reciting Tehillim, even for a short moment, to take a break, such as something to eat, to sleep, or anything else I might need, until my daughter is completely recovered, and if You decide not to heal her, well, I will not eat, I will not sleep, and I will not do anything else." Although a prayer of this sort is certainly praiseworthy in many ways in that one is believing in Hashem and davening to Hashem and truly exercising their emunah and bitachon, nevertheless, being so adamant with an outright stubborn condition, the Gemara teaches us, is out of place and wrong. Rather, what could be said is, "Hashem, You know that my daughter is severely sick. I am taking on right now to devote many hours of reciting Tehillim on her behalf, and I beg You with all my heart, Hashem, please heal her. I know that in one second, You could send her complete recovery, and Hashem, if You decide not to send her recovery today, I will continue to serve You, and I will still pray with all my might tomorrow, whatever I can do, but I beg You, Hashem, please come through for her as soon as possible, ideally today. Thank You, Hashem, for giving us these most powerful weapons, emunah, bitachon, and tefillah."

We've been discussing the powerful statement of the Ramban, which teaches us that the opportunity to apply bitachon is completely independent of our actions. Of course, we always have to try to do our best - more mitzvos and less aveiros, whilst at the same time to internalize that the many statements that we are taught from Torah sources about the power of bitachon, that when we trust in Hashem exclusively, He comes through for us and delivers, that applies to any individual who is choosing to place their reliance and trust on Hashem independent of their actions. We also discussed how many Torah sources teach that emunah, bitachon and tefillah are all synonyms, and the famous example from the verse in the Torah which states that Moshe Rabbeinu's hands were emunah, are translated by the Targum Unklus, as "he spread his hands in tefillah." Because again, the more one believes, trusts and relies on Hashem, the more one will pray to Hashem.  We also mentioned the well-known episode in the Gemara of Choni Hameagel, where there was a drought in the land of Israel, and he, being a tremendously pious and righteous individual, was called on to pray on behalf of the people. And as the Gemara recounts, he was extremely stubborn and vehement in making sure that Hashem listens to his prayer, drawing a circle around himself and swearing that he will not leave that circle until Hashem comes through and sends rain in the form of blessing that will benefit the people. Although we do learn the tremendous power of tefillah from this episode, how Choni literally changed the course of nature, where there was a clear drought, and suddenly abundant rain began to fall, completely denying all the laws of nature, nevertheless, the Talmud goes on to criticize Choni for being so stubborn and vehement in the way he talked to Hashem. Although none of us can compare ourselves to the spiritual level of the tremendously righteous and pious Choni Hameagel, nevertheless, one take-home from this Gemara is that when we do daven to Hashem, we should not be overly brazen and vehement to get what we want.  And the question is, how do we reconcile this with other passages in the Torah, such as the episode where Moshe Rabbeinu was denied entry to Eretz Yisrael and he prayed no less than 515 times, constantly begging and begging Hashem to allow him entry. Perhaps he should have stopped earlier? Why pray so much when it is clear that Hashem did not want that? And we find many similar type of episodes recounted throughout Torah literature, such as by the matriarchs who were barren and constantly prayed to Hashem to be able to have children. And again, perhaps we could ask, if Hashem made them barren, and after making a few prayers they were not answered, maybe they should have stopped praying, trying to change Hashem's plans and course? The bottom line take-home that we gain from these sources and many others is that it is Hashem's will that we never stop praying for what we desire. We are to pray and hope and have faith, emunah and bitachon that Hashem will come through for us, and if He didn't today, we are not to give up, but rather to hope and pray for tomorrow. However, we must also remember the passage about Choni Hameagel, that although we are called on to never stop hoping and praying, however, it is important to remember not to be overly brazen, stipulating certain conditions to Hashem that we require Him to meet for us. "Thank you Hashem for teaching me that to pray in a stubborn way, making my own conditions for you to fulfill, is not necessarily what you'd like, whilst at the same time, to give up and stop praying is certainly not what you'd want. Thank you Hashem for the constant opportunity of tefillah."

We discussed the verse which says, "trust in HaShem and do good." And we mentioned the Ramban who explains that the reason this verse is written precisely in this way, firstly stating, "trust in HaShem" and only thereafter stating "and do good," is to teach us that the action of bitachon, the action of trusting in HaShem, within HaShem's perspective, is viewed independently of our deeds.  Of course, as taught by countless Torah sources, we ought to do our best to score as best as we can on our scorecard in HaShem's books. And there will always be consequences, both for our mitzvos as well as for our aveiros. Nevertheless, the powerful opportunity of bitachon that HaShem has given us is completely independent of our actions. And as the Ramban writes in his own words, even a completely wicked individual who chooses to exercise his bitachon will be able to access and reap the many wonderful benefits that we are taught about one who trusts and places their bitachon in HaShem. Many Torah sources outline that emunah, bitachon and tefillah are like synonyms. The more one believes in HaShem and chooses to rely on HaShem, the more one will talk to HaShem. One example of this is the verse in the Torah which states about Moshe Rabbeinu, "vayehi yadav emunah" - "and his hands were emunah." And the famous translation, the Targum Unklos, translates this as, "and his hands were spread out in prayer," translating the word emunah as prayer. Because again, the more my belief in HaShem is sincere, the more I will want to rely on HaShem in all my endeavors. And of course, one of the main ways of expressing that belief and reliance is by praying to HaShem, communicating and talking about anything and everything. There is a well-known story recounted in the Gemara about a holy and pious individual known as Choni HaMe'agel, Choni the Circle Maker. And the Gemara explains how this name came about. One time there was a severe drought in the land of Eretz Yisrael, and it appeared as if HaShem was not paying attention to the people's prayers because no rain was anywhere near to be seen. And the people decided to approach the holy and righteous Choni to pray on their behalf. Choni prayed, but still no rain was to be seen. Because of Choni's tremendous sensitivity to the people around him who were experiencing so much suffering from the drought, he felt a tremendous responsibility to make sure that it would rain. So as the Gemara recounts, Choni took a twig and drew a circle on the floor around him and stood within that circle. Within the confines of the circle he had drawn, he prayed to HaShem that it should rain. Eventually, a small drizzle started to rain down. But Choni said, "HaShem, that is not the rain that I requested for." And soon after that, a tremendous downpour of too much unpleasant rain began to fall. And Choni again turned to HaShem and said, "HaShem, that is also not what I requested for." And after that, eventually, a steady stable rain began to fall, relieving the people from the drought.  There is much to learn from this story, but a most powerful take home is the power of tefillah. Emunah, bitachon, and tefillah are mechanisms that HaShem created in our world that work independent of our actions. "Thank you, HaShem, for teaching me that even though I might have committed certain transgressions, nevertheless, I always have the opportunity to grow in my emunah and my bitachon, and by extension, pray to you for anything and everything."

The verse states, "Betach bashem va'asei tov" - trust in Hashem and do good. The Ramban points out in his Sefer Emunah Ubitachon, that the verse is precisely written in this order. First the verse states, "trust in Hashem", and thereafter the verse says, "and do good." And the reason for this, says the Ramban, is because one might think that they are only worthy of trusting in Hashem and exercising their Bitachon where Hashem will come through for them, only under circumstances where we have done good and we are in the category of a righteous individual - in Hashem's good books. However, the Ramban points out that although this might be counterintuitive, as always we don't follow our own intuition and what seems logical to our limited minds, but rather we are privileged to have the Torah which outlines to us the only true perspective, the perspective of Hashem. Hashem is teaching us in this verse, says the Ramban, that the opportunity to be able to exercise the powerful weapon of Bitachon is completely independent of our good deeds and our level of righteousness. And as the Ramban writes, even a rasha, even a wicked individual who chooses to exercise their Bitachon and rely on Hashem, the sole act of relying on Hashem will be the catalyst for Hashem coming through for that individual, even though they have many sins to their record.  Now of course, it is important to highlight that although Bitachon is independent of our actions, the Gemara teaches us that although Hashem is our loving, caring Father and all He wants for us is the best and the only reason He ultimately created this world is so that we can earn our eternal reward full of pleasure in the next world, nevertheless, the system that Hashem did create in this world consists of consequences, and every transgression down to the most minor detail will certainly be accounted for with consequences extremely serious for our transgressions. So on the one hand, it is very clear that there is absolutely consequences for every single act that we perform in this world, both positively and negatively, whilst at the same time, we learn from this verse and the commentary of Ramban that it is also very clear that although one might have transgressed even the most severe transgressions, nevertheless, the way that Hashem operates in this world with regards to Bitachon is that Bitachon is completely independent of our actions.  Although we certainly ought to try our best to perform good deeds and repent for any transgressions we might have committed, because the consequences will always be there unless we correct them, nevertheless, it is extremely empowering to internalize that Bitachon is completely independent of our actions. When we choose to rely on Hashem and exercise our Bitachon through whatever situation we might currently be experiencing, rather than turning to the opposites of Bitachon, such as fear, anxiety, anger, lack of serenity, and the like; when we choose, rather, to live a life of Bitachon, regardless of our scorecard, the power of Bitachon itself will be the catalyst for Hashem to come through for us.  "Thank you Hashem for giving us the amazing opportunity to rely on you under any and all circumstances. Please Hashem help us to internalize your true perspective and transform our Bitachon."

On the one hand, the Torah teaches that we are supposed to love our friend just as much as we love ourselves. This mitzvah teaches us the importance of caring for other people, how we are to go out our way to make our maximum effort to helping out another individual, sometimes in the form of charity, sometimes in the form of putting a smile on our friend's face, or whatever else may be relevant. And on the other hand, the Gemara says that every individual is obligated to believe that bishvili nivra haolam, the entire world was created just for me, it's all about me. So which is it? Am I supposed to be looking out always about the people around me, or am I supposed to be focused on myself? And the answer is that no question, I am supposed to be focused on myself. Life is about me. The mitzvah to love another individual is actually about me, because it's my mitzvah relevant to all the people that have to do with me. I have a mitzvah to be kind to them, to love them as much as I love myself. But ultimately, it's all got to do with the starting point, about me.  One might ask, how can the entire world be created just for me? If I'm supposed to say that, and you're also supposed to say that, was it just for me, or just for you? In our limited mind, we can ask that question, but in Hashem's unlimited ways, He is able to create a world that was created just for me, and also just for you. Exclusively just for me, and exclusively just for you. Again, whether we understand or we don't, which in this case, we can't really understand, doesn't matter, because if this is what the Torah teaches us should be our mode of thought, then the perspective of Emunah teaches us to follow that thought process, whether we understand or not. So Hashem created the world just for me. That means to say that everything in the world is an opportunity just for me, and everything in the world is also my responsibility. If I have the chance to make a difference in whatever area may be relevant, I am obligated to fill my responsibility and role in that situation. If I have a chance to daven for somebody in need, remember, the whole world was created just for me, meaning to say I am responsible for this situation. Many times throughout our ventures, our minds and our eyes look around to see what is relevant and happening in other people's lives. And of course the result of that many times is negative, because that can lead to feelings of jealousy, viewing inappropriate things, and even if not an outright sin, just removing the spotlight from one's own life, inquisitively, being interested in another's life - is a waste of time. Again, if I have something of value to offer them, or perhaps something to learn from them, then that certainly is something relevant. But if I'm just looking because I'm interested in seeing other people's lives, not necessarily to learn nor to help, then we need to remind ourselves of this approach of bishvili nivra haolam, the whole entire world was created just for me. That is the mindset Hashem wants us to have. I came across a recording that illustrates this point. A father came home to his children and said, "I finally saw it." And they said, "what did you finally see?" And he says, "I was at the stop street and I finally saw the giraffe standing in the middle of the road waving at me." And the kids are in disbelief. And thereafter, he explained, "of course, I didn't see such a sight. What I was trying to explain to you is that throughout our lives, many times we're looking to the sides, almost waiting to see when that unexpected, incredible event is going to happen. But really, that incredible event is not on the sides. It's you, because we are obligated to believe bishvili nivra haolam.