We've been discussing one of the most important components of what it means to live a life of Torah, the true perspective of Hashem. And as discussed, having a daily commitment of a certain amount of time where I can focus on and contemplate all the things that I perceive as good, just to appreciate them and be grateful for them, is something very conducive to living a life of gratitude, which will ultimately lead to a life of joy and simcha. And in addition to that, it would be wise to also devote a certain amount of time to try to contemplate the things that I might perceive as negative and as bad, but nevertheless communicate with Hashem that we trust that whatever He does is for our best, because He only does what is best for us. As mentioned, this concept is codified in the Shulchan Aruch where it states that a person is obligated to bless and thank Hashem for both the things that we perceive as good as well as the things that we perceive as bad, because ultimately nothing in the world is bad. Everything that Hashem does can only be for our best. Remember what all the Torah commentaries teach us as to the most vital question of why Hashem decided to create the world in the first place, and what they all unanimously state is that ultimately, Hashem did not need to create anyone nor anything, but He did so just because He wants to share His goodness with us. That is the starting point to never forget that anything and everything that ever transpires can only be for a positive effect that Hashem is bringing about, because that is the only reason He created the world in the first place. It happens to be that for our ultimate benefit, there needs to be negativity in the world. There needs to be the potential to sin, to break our relationship with Hashem, and there needs to be tragedy and challenges that transpire. However, ultimately it is only for one purpose. It is ultimately just so that Hashem can give to us in the highest, most potent and powerful way which only He understands, the exact course that will bring about this desired result in the most effective way. There is a story of the two famous and pious brothers, Rav Zusha and Rav Elimelech. It happened one time that because of the antisemitism, these two great tzaddikim were imprisoned. Not having committed any form of transgression, but just because of the antisemitism, some pretext was found against them. And whilst in prison, one of the brothers started crying, and the other brother said to him, why are you crying? We know Hashem runs the world exclusively. Are you worried? Are you scared? What are you worried about? Just like Hashem put us in here, He could take us out at any moment. And if He wants us to remain here, then of course that is for the best. So why are you crying? And the brother retorted back, you think I'm crying about that? I'm not scared. I know that everything happens only for the best. And if Hashem wants us to be here right now, that is for sure for the best. And if He wants to take us out, He can do so at any moment, because He runs the world exclusively. You know why I'm crying? Because I see the sun is about to set, and the mincha prayer which I have not yet recited needs to be said before the sun has set. However, one is also forbidden to pray if there is a foul odor nearby oneself. And we here are locked in this small room, and right there in the middle of the room, there is a garbage can with a foul odor emanating from it. And therefore, I am unable to pray the mincha services now. And the sun is about to set. I have never missed the mincha prayer before. And now, for the first time in my life, I am going to miss this prayer. This is the reason I am crying. And the brother retorted back, what is the reason you usually daven mincha? Is it not because Hashem commanded you to daven mincha? Well, if Hashem put you in this situation right now, where you are locked in a room and are unable to daven mincha, then just like Hashem is the one who usually commands you to daven mincha, today Hashem is the one commanding you not to daven mincha. And the two brothers began to dance around the garbage can, celebrating that this was their best way to serve Hashem now, because everything Hashem does is for the best. It happened to be that as an anecdote to the story, the prison warden came and saw that there was such tremendous joy about this garbage can that they were dancing around, and because of his hatred for the Jews not wanting them to have any joy, he removed the garbage can, thinking that this was some form of ritual and the brothers were of course now free to continue with their services.  Sometimes, when we choose to focus on the good, to be appreciative and grateful, and to be full of joy, that itself is the catalyst to removing the heartache and challenges that are presented to us. But perhaps an even deeper message is to contemplate on the fact that anything and everything that happens throughout our lives is always exclusively orchestrated directly from Hashem and therefore can only be for our best.

We've been discussing one of the most important and fundamental components to Judaism and Torah. As mentioned, the only animal offering that will remain in the future is the offering of the Todah, because although we might reach such a high spiritual level in the future that we will not need the other offerings, however, the offering that is brought in light of our gratitude to Hashem remains forever. And that is because gratitude is such a fundamental and important component to who and what we are.  In the same vein, we are taught that all songs will cease to exist in the future. And again, because of the level that we will climb to, we will be beyond what songs can communicate and express. But the one song that will remain is Mizmor L'soda - is the song of gratitude, because thanking Hashem is something that is with us forever. We also learnt the Gemara which is codified in the Shulchan Aruch that states that a person is obligated to bless and thank Hashem for the good things that transpire in our lives as well as the bad things that transpire in our lives. And as pointed out, sometimes one might feel like a certain practice is saved for some super pious and righteous individuals, however, this is a law codified in the Shulchan Aruch which is applicable to every single one of us.  In addition to having a daily commitment of a certain amount of time where one thanks Hashem for all of the good things in our lives, it could be very advisable to also dedicate a certain amount of time where I try contemplate on things which are seemingly bad and difficult and tragedies that I might be experiencing, and nevertheless find it within me to say, "Hashem, I know that this can only be for the best, because if You are sending this to me, there is no question that You will only do what is best for me." Let's say I am looking after another family member who is elderly and unwell, and being a good person, I make my maximum effort to look after them. I consult doctors, I try get the right guidance to give them their best treatment. I wake up one morning to the sad news that this family member has passed away. And it's also currently going all over the news that only just recently a certain medication was discovered that has a 99% success rate to treat this illness, and for whatever reason I did not see that information on the news.  The wrong approach would be to say, "if only I knew about this news information, I would have saved my family member's life, I regret so much that I didn't look around more on the news and I didn't talk to more people, because maybe, who knows, I would have found the solution." If a person is responsible and made a reasonable amount of effort to look after their family member, an emunah approach would teach, the fact that I did not see that information on the news is just because Hashem did not want my family member to live more. For whatever reason, it was the best thing that they should be taken from us now, because everything that happens in the world can only be for the best.  "Thank you Hashem for teaching me this golden information, the true perspective, your perspective, that anything and everything that transpires throughout my life is directly orchestrated by You, and therefore, whether I perceive it as good or if I perceive it as bad is only my perception, but ultimately, anything and everything that happens is always directly orchestrated from You and always only what is absolutely best for me."

We've been discussing how one of the most important fundamentals of living a happy life is being able to notice all the blessings we receive on a daily basis, which will thereby lead us to expressing gratitude to Hashem for the many blessings He constantly gives us. Expressing our feelings of gratitude to Hashem is clearly one of the fundamentals and most basic principles of the Torah. As we've learned many times, there is a Torah passage which outlines many curses which could befall the Jewish people just because they did not serve Hashem with simcha. When we neglect living lives of gratitude and joy, although one might be performing the mitzvahs in a practical way, one is missing one of the most important components of what it means to live life as a Jew.  We are taught that in the future, all of the animal offerings which were brought in the temple will be discontinued except for one, the toda offering, because the toda offering is to say thank you. Although all of the offerings might be extremely elated and holy beyond anything we can imagine, however, the level that we will rise to in the future will be even greater than that and therefore the offerings will be unnecessary and won't have a place anymore. However, the offering of thank you will always remain because to be grateful is such a fundamental component of what it means to be a Jew that will remain with us forever regardless of our spiritual levels that we climb to.  One component of expressing our gratitude is contemplating on all the amazing gifts and blessings that Hashem has blessed us with and as discussed, dedicating a certain amount of time every day to make efforts in thanking Hashem for all of these things will certainly be very conducive to living a life of gratitude. In addition to all the things that we perceive as gifts from Hashem, be it food, health, family, money, relationships or whatever else it might be, the halacha outlines that just like we are called on to bless Hashem and thank Him for all the things that we perceive as good, we are also called on to bless Hashem and thank Him for the things that we perceive as bad. This is a teaching from the Gemara which is also codified in the Shulchan Aruch as the law. It should not be viewed as a pious act for some righteous individual on a very high level, but rather applicable to every Jew that we should internalize that we need to thank Hashem for everything, both what we perceive as good as well as what we perceive as bad.  As we know, there are blessings that are outlined for an individual to recite when tragedy strikes such as death, loss of large amount of money and other things. And the reason for that is because if we truly trust Hashem, we will understand that anything that happens is ultimately for our best, even when it might seem like there is no possible way for this to be good. But if we are able to humble ourselves to realize that we have no idea what's truly going on in the bigger picture of things in Hashem's books, but rather we live our lives with a trust that everything that He does is for sure for our best, then we will be able to trust and appreciate and be grateful for anything that happens.  Of course, we are allowed to feel feelings of pain because we are human beings, and the halacha itself even dictates certain periods such as the mourning period for losing a relative and other similar things. At the same time, we are called on to feel feelings of appreciation and gratitude for everything that Hashem does because if Hashem decided to do something, there is no question that it is for my best. "Thank you Hashem for teaching me that everything that happens in my life is a gift from You and always going to be for my best."

We've been discussing how when we adopt an approach to life, of seeing everything that we receive from Hashem as a gift, rather than assuming that it's something owed to us, that will lead us to feeling constant feelings of appreciation and gratitude to Hashem, which will ultimately also lead to being joyful and besimcha, and of course, having a constant close relationship with Hashem.  Of course, it is not easy to remain with that mode of thought all the time, because most of the messages of the world around us are conducive to exactly the opposite. So what are we to do, seeing as it is a difficult ordeal, living lives with constant gratitude? As always, the solution to all problems, step number one, is talk to Hashem.  "Hashem my Father, I want to be grateful. I want to see all the blessings that You give me and take nothing for granted. But Hashem, the messages in the world are conducive to exactly the opposite and it's difficult for me to remain with that mode of thought. Please Hashem, help me to notice all the things that You give me, from the smallest to the biggest on a daily basis. And in return, maybe something I can do from my part, Hashem, is commit to a certain amount of time that I will contemplate on some of the gifts that You bless me with on a daily basis and thank You for those things." For some people, maybe to write these things down would be beneficial, and then perhaps to take the things one's written down and dedicate a certain amount of time to talking to Hashem about those things and thanking Hashem for them.  "Thank you so much Hashem for the gift to be able to talk. Imagine what my life would be if I was not able to communicate with those around me. I know that whatever I say to you Hashem is only going to be a drop in the ocean, but I know that You only expect of me to tell You a drop in the ocean, because I am just a human being and therefore I will just do my best."  Making a daily commitment and having a safety net of a certain amount of time that I will talk to Hashem and express my gratitude for as many things that I can think of would be very conducive to remaining in the space of being grateful rather than living a life where I might feel that everything is owed to me. Remember, our relationship with Hashem is not something that is objectively the same to all of us, rather each one of us has our personal relationship with Hashem. Some of the points that are being mentioned here are just some ideas to help one perhaps get started or motivate ourselves to continue to move towards the right direction and living a life of appreciation, of gratitude and of joy and simcha. But ultimately, the way we do so will depend from individual to individual. For some, maybe just to recite the bracha Asher Yatzar with real meaning and intention will bring about feelings of appreciation and gratitude. For others, after reciting the bracha, to talk in their own words and say, "Hashem, thank You so much for the gift of being able to use the bathroom and not have to experience any pain. There were times that I did experience pain, and I know how painful it can be. And something so basic, like using the bathroom, which I might need multiple times a day, if I experience pain, or perhaps even excruciating pain, I would be completely dysfunctional and everything else in my life would become unimportant because I wouldn't manage. Thank You so much, Hashem, for the gift to be able to use the bathroom once again without pain."  There are so many things, and life tries to distract us to forget to live a life of gratitude, to forget to have a personal relationship with Hashem. "Thank You, Hashem, for teaching us what life is truly about."

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

The Gemara in one place teaches us that since the time of the destruction of the base Hamikdash, the gates of prayer have been locked. The Gemara elsewhere, however, teaches that even were there to be such a strong separation, such as an iron wall dividing us away from Hashem, nevertheless we would never be separated from Hashem, and our prayers always have the potential to make their way up to Hashem. And one of the classic commentators, the Maharsha, writes that in order to resolve this contradiction, that when it comes to prayers of gratitude, then there is no barrier whatsoever between Hashem and ourselves in terms of our prayers, whereas when it comes to other forms of prayer, requests and the like, then since the time of the destruction of the base Hamikdash, it is more difficult for our prayers to make their way up to Hashem.  I read an amazing story in the book, Just One Word Emunah, by Esther Stern, that drives this point home. There was a couple who got married in the year 1979. For ten years they were unable to have children, and of course throughout that process and time they made their efforts to try and enable them to have children, be it seeing doctors or spiritual endeavors. Another ten years passed, now twenty years in total, with still no sign of any child or possibility of having children in sight. This of course was a point of tremendous heartache in this couple's life. Nevertheless, being God-fearing Jews, they went to receive blessings from some great people, and the woman in the story recounts that their situation was so impossible to have children, when they went to certain great people, they were encouraged to accept their situation that they weren't meant to have children. However, this woman says that she had learned that there is never a space to give up, and even when all odds are against an individual, one can always pray for things to turn into their favor.  The woman in the story reports that she and her husband, during this period of being unable to have children, and of course having this at the forefront of their minds all the time, visited Kever Rachel, the holy place of the tomb of Rachel, every morning for two years reciting the entire book of Tehillim. Now for most of us, that would be a very big spiritual effort. Nevertheless, they did not see a sign of children. After 31 years of being unable to have children, says the woman in the story, she was speaking to a friend who had learned about the concept of thanking Hashem both for the times that we understand as good, as well as for the unpleasant times, because although we don't see the good in those situations, we believe that Hashem will only send our way what is good for us.  And after learning about this concept, she and her husband decided to change course completely, and instead of requesting from Hashem to have a child, they began thanking Hashem for 32 years of being unable to have children, firstly, thanking Hashem for their emunah in their lives, being able to believe that if Hashem has sent them a certain challenge, of course it will be for their best, and perhaps also finding other reasons why Hashem's decree could be for their good, such as for 32 years they have had the opportunity to live with a certain level of humility and connection to Hashem, and dependency of Hashem praying to Him so much in perhaps a way that many others could not do.  And she says that this became their mode of thinking in all areas of their life. When something broke in their house, although one's instinctive response is to be frustrated or complain, they got into a mode where they said, "thank you Hashem that the washing machine just broke; thank you Hashem that the fridge now needs repair", and believe it or not, after 32 years, this woman and her husband merited to have a child. And she passionately describes how more potent than any form of prayer or spiritual endeavor, to just thank Hashem is the highest of the high because again, if we believe that Hashem can do and only does good for us, we will thank Him for everything.

There is a fascinating teaching that helps us to digest emunah and the way that we pray in a powerful way. Rabbeinu Bechaye and other Torah commentaries write that before every single neshama descends into this world, each soul is given the opportunity to outline and choose all the details of what will transpire throughout their lives. And each one of us goes and chooses exactly what type of being we will be, what our characteristics will be, how much money we will have, who our family and friends will be, what our health will look like, if we will have children and how many, and all the other many details that transpire throughout our lives. If we remember and internalize with our emunah these words of Rabbeinu Bechaye, that we ourselves have pre-chosen every single nuance and detail that will transpire in our lives, it can help us tremendously in our endeavor of emunah and bitachon. Before we came into this world, when we were not limited by our body and human limitations, we have the opportunity and ability to see through the lens of absolute truth, through the full picture. And therefore, our neshamas choose exactly what is best for us before we come into the world, because our neshamas can see everything there, why it is good for us. And in this world, as discussed many times, we do not see, we have to believe. But if we remember that we've already chosen all the details to our own lives, ourselves, it can be tremendously inspiring to accept all situations with love and happiness.  We've discussed many times that the highest and most potent prayer that we can opt to pray is the prayer of thank you. And it is worth highlighting two sides of the coin when it comes to thanking Hashem. The first and most obvious is thanking Hashem for what we did experience when He came through for us, and investing time and energy into verbalizing and expressing those feelings to Hashem. "Thank you so much, Hashem, for the gift to be able to keep Shabbos and all its tremendous blessing every single week. Thank you so much, Hashem, for the opportunity to be able to have eyes and be able to see. Thank you, Hashem, for the gift to be able to breathe. Thank you, Hashem, for the incredible family that you've given me. Thank you, Hashem, for all the paranassah and food that you've given me throughout my life." And the more we thank Hashem, the better, because in a sense, we are then appreciating more. And as we've discussed, when Hashem hears our thank you's to Him, He then brings about more blessing in all areas of our life. And the other side of the coin when it comes to thank you is thanking Hashem for those things that we do not understand and see the good in, but we believe that Hashem can and will only send us good. Remember, we ourselves, before we came down into this world, chose all the details precisely of what would transpire throughout our lives, not because we were forced to, but because we chose that that will be the best for us. And with that perspective and understanding, it is easy to thank Hashem for anything and everything which might transpire. "Thank you so much, Hashem, for the fact that I broke my toe, because, of course, I don't know all your calculations why that is good for me, but I know for sure that that is good for me. And in fact, I might myself even be able to think of reasons why that may be good for me. Thank you, Hashem, for breaking my toe, because the truth of the matter is that I get quite busy with my life, with the many obligations that I have to take care of, and I don't usually appreciate the fact that I can walk around without this constant pain bragging at me. Thank you, Hashem, for now breaking my toe and giving me the opportunity to appreciate all those other times. And thank you, Hashem, for the fact that I didn't break my other toe, my arm, my legs, and all the other incredible things that you've given me in the health of my body. And the truth of the matter is, Hashem, there are many deeper reasons why you might have caused me to break my toe. Perhaps there might have been some form of consequence waiting for me in the next world for some act or sin that I might have committed, and you, in your loving kindness, would rather me clean that slate by stabbing my toe in this world. Thank you, Hashem, for all the incredible gifts that you've given me, both those that I do understand as well as those that I don't understand, but just believe that are for sure for my best."

We've discussed that the Torah commentaries outline that there are many chambers in the heavenly realms and sometimes a specific prayer can only make its way up if certain criteria are met, perhaps related to our righteousness, to our commitment and performance of the mitzvahs, to how sincere we were in verbalizing that prayer and many other factors. We've also discussed that Torah authorities outline to us that there is one chamber in the heavenly realms where no angels have any jurisdiction, the chamber of our prayers of gratitude. And that being the case, even when our merits do not dictate for our prayer to be answered, Hashem overlooks the situations many times, bringing about what we have desired, even when we shouldn't have deserved so. The potency and power of thanking Hashem and the responsibility and opportunity for each one of us to do so is portrayed to us in the laws of davening. There are three prescribed prayers and the main part of the prayer is where everybody stands and prays the prescribed prayer quietly. After the quiet Shemona Esrei, the leader of the davening repeats the Shemona Esrei for the basic reason that if somebody does not know how to pray, this prayer can now be counted for all the individuals who do not know how to pray as if they prayed themselves. This law was much more relevant in times of old where used to pray without any siddurim and it was common for people to come to a synagogue and not know how to pray. However, even though we do have siddurim today, this law nevertheless still stands for various reasons.  It is worthwhile to point out that although one is able to fulfill their obligation of prayer by listening to the words and recitation of the Chazan, nevertheless, when we reach the paragraph of Modim which deals with thanking Hashem for the many blessings that He has given us, there there is a special paragraph that we all have to recite ourselves and commentaries explain because although all prayers are important but in a sense the most important prayer is the prayer of thank you and therefore when we reach the section of thank you in the repetition of the Shemona Esrei, it does not suffice for us to just hear the words of the Chazan and fulfill our obligation in that way; rather, we need to verbalize the thank you in our own words every single one of us. The gift of saying thank you to Hashem is available to every single one of us at every opportunity. Thank you Hashem for the privilege of waking up to another day and all the opportunities that you have presented me in my life. "Thank you Hashem for the incredible opportunity to recite brachos today over everything I'm going to eat and drink and every time I use the bathroom. Thank you Hashem for the ability to go to the bathroom without pain so many times. Thank you my loving Father for the opportunity to be learning Torah, to be trying to and to have a personal relationship with you. Thank you Hashem for giving me a mouth and teaching me how to talk and giving me the opportunity to pray to you about anything and everything I might need and in particular thank you Hashem for the opportunity to thank you for all the gifts that you bestow on me in so many different ways. Thank you Hashem for all the gifts that you have given me."

HaShem knows all of our thoughts and all of our needs, and the question then arises, why should I pray for anything? Because if HaShem knows exactly what I need and will come through for me in exactly the way that I need according to what's best for me, why should I pray for anything to be different? Although this might be a good question, as discussed many times, if we use our own perspective, there could be many different answers, sometimes right, sometimes wrong, however, we always opt to follow HaShem's guidance, HaShem's perspective, which is portrayed in the Torah and throughout all the Torah commentaries.  It is very clear from the Torah that we have a mitzvah to pray for our needs, whether we understand it or whether we don't. We find throughout Torah literature many personalities that were unable to have children, and although they could have just accepted their situation, they nevertheless chose to pray to HaShem to send them their desired request, to have a child. And there are many examples for this in the Torah, that it is a mitzvah to pray for the things that we desire to have. However, it is also important not to forget the fundamental starting point, that HaShem does know everything that we need, because sometimes we might feel anxious, did I express my prayer in the most perfect way?  We do have a mitzvah to make our maximum effort to pray in the right way, and in fact, Torah sources do teach that we are to make our highest effort in verbalizing and outlining all the details to what we are requesting from HaShem. However, at the same time, to realize that HaShem only expects of us to make our maximum effort, and at the same time, we are to humble ourselves and realize that even if we make our maximum effort, we can still not do it in the perfect way, because we are imperfect beings. When we ask HaShem for something, we might leave out many of the details that are actually of paramount importance just because of our limited nature, maybe we forgot, or maybe we didn't realize the importance to ask about other details. Again, our expectation is not to bring about any desired result. Our expectation is to make our maximum effort in doing so.  And in the same vein, when we live with this fundamental principle, realizing and internalizing that HaShem of course knows everything that we might need even before we have verbalized, so we are able to also focus our energies on the highest form of prayer. The Torah commentaries teach that there are many chambers in the heavenly worlds, and depending on what our prayer consists of, our prayer is directed to a specific chamber in the heavenly worlds. We are taught that there are angels appointed over each of the chambers, and sometimes they can be strict in their judgment of why a certain prayer of ours should be prevented from making its way into a certain chamber. However, there is one chamber which the angels have absolutely no jurisdiction to, and this chamber is exclusively managed by HaShem Himself without any opportunity for the angels to get involved whatsoever.  And we are taught that this is the chamber of gratitude, when we express our gratitude to HaShem for the areas He has come through for us, that itself is a catalyst for HaShem to thereafter answer our prayers that we might not even have verbalized, because HaShem now sees our appreciation and says, Oh, you think that was a gift? I'll show you what a real gift is. And through our thanking HaShem, we bring about all of our needs, even the ones that have not been verbalized. Of course, the ultimate reason we thank HaShem should not be to bring about the fringe benefits of the other things that we need. However, it is inspiring and motivating to realize that when we do thank HaShem, that merit extends to even unrelated areas to what I am thanking HaShem about and brings about HaShem answering our prayers, sending our salvations and our success.

Imagine you are up to write an important exam, and all the students are informed that if you would like, you are welcome to come over and see the exact questions that will be asked on this exam. Not only that, but we will also show you the correct answers to the questions that will be asked. Of course only a fool would skip such an opportunity, because after seeing the questions and knowing the right answers, we can be guaranteed to succeed in our exam. Much more important than any exam that can exist in this materialistic world that we live in, is the exam we will have at the time that we pass on from this world. The Gemara in Shabbos 31a states that there will be six questions asked of us at the exam we will have to face on the day of our passing. Of course there is much Torah literature about these six questions available for one who is interested in further study. But for our purposes right now we will go through these six questions very briefly, so that b'ezrat Hashem, each one of us, can make an effort to be mindful of these questions and be prepared for that exam when the time arrives. Question number one the gemara says, is nasata v'nasata beemunah - did you conduct your business affairs in an honest manner? That is the simple meaning. And on a deeper level, as the commentaries teach, is - did you live your life according to the values of Emunah? And in truth, these two explanations are really one and the same, because one who is living according to the values of Emunah will also certainly conduct their business affairs in an honest manner, because if Hashem is truly in charge, I have no need to cheat anybody.  The second question is kavata itim latorah - did you set aside time to study the Torah? And as the Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh Deah chapter 246 states - every single Jew is obligated in the mitzvah of Torah study, whether poor or rich, whether healthy or unhealthy, whether one has family responsibilities or other responsibilities, under all circumstances one is obligated to set aside time to learn Torah. In our day and age we are so privileged to have so many forms of Torah learning available in all languages and in all mediums, such as books, online lectures and the like. Let us remind ourselves that this is the second question that will be asked in our final examination. It is also worthwhile to mention that the Halacha states that although women do not have the same level of obligation in terms of Torah learning as of men, by helping others such as her husband and children to learn Torah, she bears the fruits of a full out partnership in their Torah learning. Question number three is asakta bepirya ureviyah - was one involved in making an effort to try procreate and make a family? The emphasis on try, because if we believe Hashem is in true control, then Hashem exclusively decides if and what type of family we might have; but our effort needs to be to try and pray to make a family and be able to procreate. Question number four is Tzipisa Liyeshua - did you hope for the arrival of Mashiach? We have a mitzvah every single day to hope for the coming of Mashiach that we should merit in our days. Questions five and six are also related to Torah study, where the questions surround some of the more deeper and technical aspects of how exactly we went about our Torah study. And again, highlighting and seeing the great emphasis that Hashem places on Torah study.  And the gemara ends off by saying that a prerequisite even to all six questions that will be asked in our final examination is did we have Yiras Hashem - fear of Hashem. Of course there are many levels in understanding these six questions, but at least revising a brief understanding of these six questions for preparation of our exam can certainly go a long way. May we all merit to be successful in all our endeavours in this world, but most importantly may we all merit to pass our final examination with flying colours.

There are different approaches taken on by Torah leaders, where some focus more on the fact that Hashem is a loving, forgiving Father always looking out for our best, and others focus more on the fact that there are severe and serious consequences for our actions. It is very clear from many Torah sources that both of these aspects are true. On the one hand, Hashem created the world just out of love to be able to give us pleasure eternally. And on the other hand, the system that was created in this world, where we are given the opportunity to earn our eternity, gives space for choosing good and earning our reward, and also the opposite, where there are very serious and severe consequences for our transgressions.  It is important to note that both of these approaches are true perspectives of the Torah, and one should certainly expose oneself to both of them to some degree. However, for many people, focusing on one of them is more beneficial. Some people are very inspired and motivated when they understand the extreme seriousness and severity of the consequences for their actions in the next world. Whereas for many people, that idea may be very overwhelming, and although one certainly should be exposed to it to some degree, because as we've learned previously, many Torah commentaries write that the only way to come to real love of Hashem is by first coming to fearing Hashem, and the most basic level of fearing Hashem is understanding that there are severe consequences for our actions in the next world, however, at the same time, one with this type of nature and approach could expose themselves mainly to the more positive areas, such as what is waiting for us in Gan Eden and the like. There is much written about all of these topics, and if one would like to investigate it further, perhaps a place to start are the Midrashic collections on these topics, called Meseches Chibut Hakever, Meseches Gehinnom, and Meseches Gan Eden. Every one of us has our own journey, and different people connect with different things. But one thing is for sure, to just ignore the fact that reality is one day going to hit, and not expose oneself whatsoever to the concept of Olam Haba, is certainly not in line with what all the commentaries do. Throughout Torah literature, right from the early classics such as the Talmud all the way through to the later Torah commentaries, the concept of Olam Haba and the consequences that we've been discussing is on the front pages of every topic. Because let us remind ourselves, this world is a world of Emunah, although everything around us might seemingly dictate that the important things are getting evolved in the materialistic things of this world, however, our purpose in this world is to practice and excel in our belief, our Emunah, in what we are taught from Hashem's perspective, the only true perspective. "Hashem, my Father, I am so grateful that You have chosen me as Your child to teach me this true information of Your perspective that teaches us the truth of what reality is. Because Hashem, although You created this world, that many people are involved in this world for its own sake - Of course I can't understand Your real calculations - but as Torah commentaries teach, one of the reasons that many people exist in this world is just because of me. Because as the Gemara states, I am obligated to believe that the entire world was created just for me, and although there might be many people who seemingly do not understand that there is another world and just get involved in day-to-day materialistic activities in this world, however, Hashem, as You've taught me from Your Torah commentaries, many of those people were created just to test me. Because although they might appear to be successful in their endeavors, I am now called on to believe that those pursuits of the materialistic world and the successes they might be seeing is not reality. Although it might appear to the naked eye that that will lead to happiness and the like, however, a person who is truly connected will quickly realize what true reality is."

How do I know if I'm doing well in terms of my spiritual scorecard? The truthful answer is that I don't know. But that's okay. I'm not meant to know because I'm not the judge. Hashem's job is to take an accounting of all our actions in order to reward us appropriately and fairly in the next world, B'ezrat Hashem, whereas our job in this world is never to know exactly how we are doing, but rather always to strive higher and higher.  The Gemara in Berachos 28b states that when Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, one of the greatest sages, was passing away, his students asked him why he was crying. And he mentioned, because there are two roads after a person dies, that of Gan Eden, heaven, and that of Gehinnom, hell - and I don't know which path they are leading me onto. Now one might feel if Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai wasn't sure where he was going, what chance do I have? But again, as the Rambam says, every single individual is able to become as great as Moshe Rabbeinu. And as the commentaries explain, of course it doesn't mean that we are able to actually reach the same spiritual state as Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest human being ever to live. But rather that just like he achieved his maximum potential, we are able to achieve our maximum potential.  Hashem will certainly not make an unfair challenge that is impossible for us to pass, but rather the opposite. Let us remind ourselves, why did Hashem create the world in the first place? Only to give to us. Of course He does want us to have a challenge, and we are taught that one of the most basic fundamentals of Judaism is that we do have free choice, and we are able to exercise our choice in whether we are going to choose good or bad, whilst at the same time, the whole purpose of Hashem giving us that opportunity is only so that we should have the ability to earn a greater place for ourselves in the next world. On the one hand, of course we must remember that Hashem is never trying to catch us out, and He is an absolutely loving Father, whilst on the other hand, we should remember that just like Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai was worried that perhaps he would have to go through the terrible tortures of Gehinnom, so too each one of us should have that at the forefront of our mind, because by doing so, that could be a tremendous motivator to doing more good and staying away from bad.  The Gemara in Bava Basra 10b tells of the son of Rabbi Yeshua ben Levi, who had a near-death experience, which as we know, means he went to the next world for a few moments, and then came back to this world. When he recovered, his father asked him what he saw in the next world. And he said, "I saw an upside-down world, because many people that were considered noble and respected in this world were the real poor people in the next world, and many of the paupers in this world were the ones that were of highest royalty in the next world." And his father said back to him, "you saw the real world; this world that we live in is the upside-down world, where many people are honoured for their material successes, whereas people who have truly achieved what counts in the real world, much of the time are ignored." The Torah commentaries teach us that in the next world, there is no beating around the bush. Everything is absolutely clear, and there are no excuses.  The Chofetz Chaim in his Sefer Shem Olam, chapter 4, writes that the poorest of people in this world still have a way out, because they can really rely on the kindness that others might show them, such as by hosting them, giving them food and accommodation, and the like. However, says the Chofetz Chaim, there is no such thing in the next world. If one does not have a place in what he calls the Machaneh of the Shechina, the place where Hashem manifests Himself, he is then stuck in the outer chambers. And the Chofetz Chaim then brings a Midrash, which says that friends cannot save one another in the next world, to the extent that even a father cannot invite his own son into his place in the heavenly chambers - If you have not earned that place, you have no license to be able to go there on someone else's account. Every single one of us has the tremendous opportunity to be able to gain eternal Olam Abba and bask in Hashem's light forever. But with that comes the opportunity to choose each moment of our lives - how exactly are we going to make use of those moments.

We've discussed some of the concepts that the Torah authorities outline to us, with regards to the world to come - Olam Haba. However, as many of them mention, ultimately, we don't know exactly what is going to transpire, until we actually get there and see for ourselves. However, one thing that is clear according to all opinions, is that in the next world, there is no more opportunity. Olam Haba, the next world, is the world of reward, where we reap the benefits of everything that we did in this world, whereas this world, the world where we have to believe, and many things don't make sense - the world of emunah, is the world of opportunity.  It is known about the Vilna Gaon, that when he was passing onto the next world, his students saw him crying. And when he was asked why he was crying, he said that he was now leaving a world, where for a small act, for a very small price, one can perform mitzvos that earn you eternal reward, greater than anything that this world can buy. A story in Tanach brings this point out in a very powerful way. The infamous king, Nevuchadnezzar, before he became king, used to be the secretary of another king who had dealings with the king of Israel. Once, when Nevuchadnezzar the secretary was away, the Gentile king wrote a letter where he addressed it to the king of Israel and the God of Israel, first referring to the human king of Israel and only thereafter addressing the God of Israel. When Nevuchadnezzar the secretary arrived back and noticed that the king was about to dispatch this letter, he suggested to the king that it would be more appropriate to first address the God of Israel and only thereafter the human king of Israel. The Gentile king followed his secretary, Nevuchadnezzar's advice, and it says that Nevuchadnezzar took four steps in order to implement this change. Because Nevuchadnezzar was such an evil man on every other front, Hashem did not want him to have a place in the world to come. But Hashem will never skip over any good deed that anyone performs, even the most wicked of individuals, and Hashem wanted to reward Nevuchadnezzar for standing up for the honor of God in this one act that he committed. And because of the four steps that he took in his effort to stand up for the honor of Hashem, he was rewarded with becoming the most powerful man and human ruler over the entire world. How many times do I take a hundred steps, or maybe drive in a car for ten minutes in order to go to Shul, visit a sick person, or any other mitzvah? We are taught that the reward that awaits us is so great that it cannot even fit in this world. Let us just digest that concept. That the reward that awaits us in the next world for just one single mitzvah is greater than being rewarded with becoming the ruler over the entire world.  "Hashem, my Father, thank you so much for teaching me the truth of what real reality is. I know that ultimately this world is a distraction from true reality because everything in this world operates in a way where we seem to experience things exactly as they are, at face value. But the truth of the matter, as you've taught us so many times in your Torah, is that we are called unto believe in the information that you've given us in the Torah. Although much of the world are making the main pursuit of their lives to amass as much money as they can, or perhaps to try to find forms of happiness that speak to them in this world, however, Hashem, you have taught us that this world is so short in comparison to what eternity is, and the opportunity that we have each moment to perform mitzvos in this world will gain us reward beyond anything that we can even begin to imagine in this world. Please Hashem, help me to use my time wisely in this world and not get distracted by the normal way of the world and direction that people follow, but rather to use every moment that I can in service to you. And as you've taught us in your Torah sources, that even if I've fallen and committed transgressions, it's never ever the wrong time to pick myself up and say, Hashem, from now on, I'm going to do my best and capitalize on each opportunity to pick up another mitzvah and, b'ezrat Hashem, move to an even higher place in Olam Haba, for eternity."

We've been discussing about the components that the Torah commentaries outline to us of what will transpire in the next world, after we pass on from this world. We know that there are two seemingly paradoxical forms of serving Hashem. One is when we employ the side of fear and the consequences for our actions, and the other is motivation out of our absolute love for Hashem. Many commentaries teach that in order to come to the higher level of absolute love for Hashem, we first need to start with the motivation of fear of Hashem. And as we've been discussing, it's so important for us to internalize the truth of what is in store for us, because by doing so we are able to then take our lives much more seriously and thereby b'ezrat Hashem and our maximum potential in the world to come for eternity. As we've discussed many times, Hashem created the world just to give to us, and our job in this world is to have the opportunity to be able to earn our place for eternity. It's so important when we do relate to topics of fear of heaven and the negative consequences in the world to come, that we always keep at the forefront of our mind the initial reason why Hashem decided to create the world. Hashem is not out to get us. Hashem only decided to create the world because He wants to give us unlimited pleasure for eternity. And the only reason that we have this opportunity to choose between good and bad is because He wants to make the good even better by giving us the free choice and opportunity to choose good.  But again, because this is the way the world has been designed, there is an opportunity to choose evil, both on a large scale as well as even the smallest of actions, every one of us in our own way. With the fast-paced world that we live in, it's not always easy to catch ourselves for the sins we might be committing and the missed opportunities we might have been able to grab onto. As we've discussed many times in this daily inspiration, we know that the Torah commentary is write, that if you want to summarize our job in this world into one word, that word is emunah. And as we've talked about many times previously, one of the most basic expressions of emunah is when we talk to Hashem, because if I believe Hashem exists, can hear what I'm saying and can help me more than anyone else, I will certainly reach out to Him about whatever endeavor I might be dealing with. And no less should we be reaching out to Hashem with regards to our spiritual endeavors than more practical areas in our lives.  "Hashem, my dear Father, thank You so much for teaching me the truth of why I exist. Thank You so much, Abba, for deciding to create this world for one objective. You don't need this world; You are perfect in Your core, but You just wanted to create us to be able to give to us. That's the only reason that You created us for. Thank You so much, Hashem, for giving us the opportunity not only to bask in Your light and pleasure for eternity, but You in Your great kindness willed it that we should be able to also live in this world, to be able to earn an even greater place for the next world. And Hashem, You have taught us that the more mitzvos that we do, and the more we listen to Your instructions from the Torah, the higher place we will earn in eternity. Please, Hashem, can You help me to work out in my personal life which are the areas that I can do better in. Hashem, I'm going to take a certain amount of time right now to try to really think about where I might have some missed mitzvah opportunities, and where, even slightly, I might be committing transgressions. Please, Hashem, help me to find the truth and be able to just become better and better each day.  And Hashem, You have also given us one of the most incredible gifts, to be able to do teshuva and repent for anything and everything I might have committed in the past. Please, Hashem, accept my repentance for all my transgressions. And as we've learned from the Gemara, please help me to do my teshuva with sincerity and out of love for You, and to turn those transgressions of mine into mitzvos. Hashem, I know that the more that I have olam haba, the next world, which is ultimately our final destination for eternity, at the forefront of my mind, the more I am able to remain in the right place of what real reality is. Please, Hashem, help me to be successful in my endeavour to internalize more and more each day of what true reality is. Olam Haba."

The Mishna in Pirkei Avos, chapter 4, mishna 17 teaches, that this world is like a corridor before Olam Haba. And therefore the mishna advises: prepare yourself in the corridor, in order that you may enter the palace. If I like a certain type of food, and I don't restrain myself from overeating, altough I might enjoy those moments indulging in that food, however if I am irresponsible, I will pay the consequences thereafter with a stomach ache, or other areas of my health. The verse in Koheles, chapter 2, verse 14, states, "Hechacham Einav Berosho", and as some commentaries explain, a wise person is always considering the future consequences of their actions.  Although we certainly do need to pay attention to the consequences of our actions in this world, because we live in this world and we need to function in our day-to-day lives, however, much more important than that is to think ahead of what's going to be in the future when we leave this world, because as we've been discussing, our time span in this world is so short in comparison to what eternity has in store for us. And therefore, the mindset of someone who is truly in reality, mindful of the real future in store for us, will make an effort to not get too caught up in indulging in this world and being distracted from our spiritual pursuits, but rather, making our highest priority to serve Hashem and earn our place for eternity in the world to come.  Let us remind ourselves that the main purpose that Hashem placed us in this world and didn't directly place us in the next world, was so that we should have an opportunity to be able to earn our place in the world to come. And in order to do so, of course, we have to lay out the opportunity to be able to choose good and earn our reward, whilst at the same time, also have the choice to do the opposite. And let us also remind ourselves of what the Torah commentaries teach us, that this world is the world of emunah, the world where we are required to believe. Because if a person does not have the next world at the forefront of their mind, for the most part, we don't see consequences for our actions in this world. And that being the case, it is very hard to remain constantly motivated and inspired to choose good and stay away from bad. Because let's say, I did commit a sin, as we all do every day, because we are limited by our human capacity, but because usually nothing happens in this world as a direct consequence of our sins, but rather we are called in to believe of the effect, if that belief is not so strong, it is difficult to be motivated to constantly make our maximum effort to do the right thing. And again, as discussed many times, that's why the Torah commentaries teach us that our purpose in this world can be summarized in one word, emunah, to believe, because we don't see, we have to believe it.  If I'm standing with my family or a few friends, and I have a really good joke to make about a certain individual that will really make everyone laugh, but it happens to be that this statement qualifies as lashon hara, which as we are taught in Torah literature, is one of the most severe sins. Now again, one might say, "listen, I don't really mean bad, I'm just trying to be a bit funny and create a good atmosphere. It's not so bad, right?" And if one is to go ahead and tell the joke, usually one doesn't get struck by a bolt of lightning, and one does not have to pay any direct consequence. Imagine for a moment that if I go ahead and say those words of lashon hara, that immediately that would cause a bolt of lightning to strike me and paralyze me for life, with excruciating pain. If that happened to the guy next to me, and I clearly saw that it happened as a result of his speaking lashon hara, most of us would certainly think twice before saying the lashon hara, even though it might be super funny and socially appropriate. We are taught that the effect of what will happen in the next world from our actions is much stronger than a bolt of lightning striking us and paralyzing us. And conversely, the positive effect of our actions is much stronger than anything we might even begin to imagine. The more we work towards believing in the real impact of our actions that do not take place in this world and we cannot see in this world, but rather we have to believe that will really and very literally take place in the next world, the more we will be successful in our endeavor for eternity.

We've been discussing the tremendous importance that there is to try to build our belief in the next world, in Olam Haba. Although, a believing Jew understands that this world is certainly not our final destination, and we are all going to another place called Olam Haba, however, there are many levels in what it means to believe so. The first thing that we might do in trying to internalize this belief is learning about the information offered by Torah commentaries about the process of what is in store for us.  As discussed, once our neshamah departs from our body, after it is cleansed if necessary via the process known as chibbut hakever, the neshamah makes its way up to what is called the olam haneshamas. And it is there that we have much Torah literature about what happens, such as in Gan Eden, Gehinnom, and the like. We discussed that at some point, when Hashem decides it's right, Mashiach will come to the physical world that we live in, and only those who are alive at the time will merit His arrival. And as the Rambam says, we should not get caught up too much as to the exact details of what's going to happen when Mashiach comes, because we don't really know until it's going to actually happen.  Nevertheless, one thing is for sure, it's going to be the most incredible thing in the world, in many ways, beyond anything we might be able to comprehend. For thousands of years, every day, the Jews have been waiting for this great day, and we have a daily mitzvah to yearn for this great day to arrive. So we can certainly understand how this is something very important in Hashem's eyes. And again, our job is not to try to understand exactly what's going to play out then, because that's Hashem's business. Our job is to believe that if Hashem says this is extremely important and amazing, then we should certainly go ahead and yearn for that day to arrive. Obviously, our main motive should be that if that is Hashem's will, for the world to operate in the messianic state, that should be our main motive. However, it is certainly also acceptable and praiseworthy to want to be alive at that time, to be able to experience Mashiach with our very own eyes.  There are different opinions amongst the Torah commentaries as to exactly how many years will transpire after the arrival of Mashiach. But at some point after that happens, there will be the next part of the process, which is called techiyas hameisim, the resurrection of the dead, where all people who have passed on, who merit this part of the process, will be resurrected back to life. According to the most accepted view of the Ramban and the Kabbalists and most Torah commentaries, once the stage of the resurrection of the dead occurs, our body and soul will then move into a new existence called Olam Haba, where although we will still have a body together with our soul, we will then move into a new existence with complete holiness, where we will not need to eat, drink, nor use our bodily functions.  The Gemara in Berachos 34b states some amazing things with regards to the coming of Mashiach. But thereafter, the Gemara states that when it comes to what's going to transpire in the time of Olam Haba, our minds cannot even begin to comprehend the greatness of such a thing. Just to put it into perspective, if you stop for a moment and try to imagine a world where time doesn't exist - our minds cannot comprehend such a thing, because in our existence, it is impossible to exist in a world where time doesn't exist. And in a similar vein, our minds cannot even begin to comprehend the forms of pleasure that will exist in the next world, because the greatest forms of pleasure that exist within our imagination in this world do not even compare to one moment of the slightest pleasure in the next world.  There is much Torah literature about all of these concepts, and one interested in pursuing these topics further will certainly be able to find very valuable information easily accessible. However, let us remind ourselves that our main purpose in this world is to earn our place in the next world. Meaning, our job in this world is not to try work out what is going to transpire and how it's going to be then, because that is up to Hashem, and our experience will be B'ezrat Hashem when that time arrives. Our purpose in learning these topics is to motivate us to come to more Yiras Shamayim, fear of heaven, and Ahavas Hashem, love of Hashem. Because when we're able to internalize that the concepts of Olam Haba are not just fairy tales, but rather a real destination for our real future, we are then, B'ezrat Hashem, able to be motivated to use our time in this world in the most efficient manner, when we realize that each moment that we have in this world is an opportunity to gain eternity for eternity. What a tremendous opportunity we all have to be learning about Olam Haba and making an effort to Bezrat Hashem internalize that the next world is our true, final destination.

We've been discussing how there are many concepts that are often thrown out such as Moshiach, Olam Haba, Gehinnnom, Gan Eden, and the like. And it is worthwhile to break down each of the segments to understand better what is in store for us. As we've discussed, when our neshamah leaves our body, if it is necessary, there is a process called chibut hakever, where a person has to undergo suffering in its burial place. Thereafter, the soul, our neshamah, makes its way up to what is called by the Ramban, the Kabbalists, and the most accepted view by the Torah authorities, the olam haneshamos, the world of the souls.  According to the Ramban, the Kabbalists, and most Torah authorities, Olam Haba, our eternal address, is a different place to olam haneshamos, the world of souls. The world of souls is almost like a waiting room for the next part of the story to happen. And in the world of souls is where we have both Gehinnom and Gan Eden, sometimes called hell and heaven. Let's continue the breakdown of the process as discussed by Torah authorities. At some point, when Hashem decides it's right, either because the Jewish people who will be alive at the time will earn it, or just because Hashem decides that this is the right time, we will merit the coming of Moshiach. The coming of Moshiach will be an experience for all those people that will be alive in the world at that time. As opposed to if one has already passed on and is now in the waiting room, in the world of souls, then they will not experience the coming of Moshiach.  There is a discussion in the Gemara which is brought down by many Torah authorities, such as the Rambam, in Hilchos Melachim Umilchamos, chapter 12, as to what exactly is going to transpire at Moshiach's arrival. Some hold that the world will then operate in a completely supernatural manner, such as that we will have the Beis Hamikdash falling down from heaven, and many other similar miracles. Whereas other opinions hold that the world will then function in a similar manner to how it does today, such as we will have to go ourselves and build the Beis Hamikdash, using the same building techniques that we do today. However, there will be two major differences. One will be that all the nations of the world will be subjugated to the Jewish people, and there will be absolute peace in the world. And secondly, that all the people of the time will have a tremendous desire to just do mitzvahs and serve Hashem as much as possible, as opposed to today, where we have a tremendous evil inclination to transgress, even though we might know what is right.  If one is interested in studying about the Messianic era, there is much Torah literature available to be able to investigate the topic further. However, as the Rambam writes, even if one were to find seeming contradictions between different statements in Torah passages about exactly what is going to transpire in the times of Moshiach, one shouldn't pay too much attention to that, because at the end of the day, we don't know exactly how it's going to play out, until it actually plays out. There are people who work on finding codes in the Talmud and Torah in general to try to find hints to when exactly Moshiach is going to come. It would seem from the Rambam that he was not particularly in favor of doing so, because in a sense, it's wasting one's time, because only Hashem knows when Moshiach is going to come, and that is not our job nor business to get involved in.  What is our job, however, is to fulfill the mitzvah that is one of the 13 principles of faith, to instill the belief in ourselves that Moshiach can come at any single moment, and even if he'll delay and he didn't come yesterday, nor for the last thousand years, today might just be the day. And as we've learned, those neshamas that have already passed on will not merit to be present for the coming of Moshiach, because the coming of Moshiach is something that happens in this world for the people who will be alive then. The concept of techias hameisim, the resurrection of the dead, is something that occurs at a later stage, and we'll discuss that further in future, Bezrat Hashem. So how much more so then, should we all daven, "ani maamin beeumah sheleimah bevias hamashiach v'af al pi sheismahamea im kol ze achakeh lo bechol yom sheyavo."

We've been discussing the process of what the Torah authorities outline to us happens after we leave this world. As discussed, after one dies and departs from this world, one needs to go through a cleansing process called chibbut hakever, where there is some form of suffering that one needs to experience in one's burial place. And as the Torah authorities outline to us, there are many levels of what that pain and suffering might be, dependent on the severity and extent of our sins. Again, let us remind ourselves that the only reason Hashem created the world in the first place is just to give us pleasure, and God forbid, never was there an objective in mind to punish us, just for the sake of punishing us. But if we have committed sins, we do need to be cleansed. And depending on the severity and magnitude of our sins will be the extent of how hard we will need to be scrubbed to be cleansed. But again, let us remind ourselves, this is not a fairy tale for children that one can make jokes about. The Torah commentaries discuss that one moment of suffering after we die is much greater than any atrocity that we might have experienced or even heard about, and imagine that terrible act, continuing for 120 years without a break; one moment of suffering after we depart from this world is much worse than that.  But we are so privileged to have been given such a tremendous gift from Hashem, called teshuva, that as we are taught, it doesn't matter what one has already committed, there is the possibility to repent for anything and everything. And let us remind ourselves of what the Gemara says, that if we truly repent out of love for Hashem, for even the greatest of sins that we might have committed, not only are those sins erased from our record, but they actually change to become mitzvos, and we now get points for those aveiros that we might have committed, because Hashem in His great kindness is so proud of us for repenting for those sins that He actually changes them to be considered mitzvos.  Of course, there are many levels of what it means to do teshuva. One might repent for 10 seconds and one might spend 3 hours repenting about a certain act, and the more serious we might feel that we have committed a certain act, the more time we might be required to fully repent. But let us remind ourselves of what many Torah commentaries teach, that although there are many levels for repentance, but it is certainly invaluable beyond any words that we could be able to describe, to even take a few moments to just contemplate on an avarice that we might have committed. The basic steps of teshuva are to take a few moments and acknowledge the transgression that I committed, and express to Hashem my regret for having done so. And if there is something practical to do right now to rectify what has been done, such as if I have stolen money and the like, then certainly to go ahead and return that money. And thereafter, to say to Hashem that I am going to try my best in the future not to commit this transgression again, and of course to do one's best in the future.  Sometimes, some transgressions are so difficult for us to stay away from that we almost feel insincere to do teshuva and repent for these things. As we are taught from the Torah commentaries, this is very much the wrong approach, because Hashem understands that we are limited by our human nature, and the fact that we are not able to repent in a way that we are sure that we will never come back to this sin is no reason for us not to repent, God forbid. But exactly the opposite. We are able to say, "Hashem, please help me that I shouldn't commit this sin again. But the truth of the matter is that, Hashem, I know I'm going to come back to speaking Lashon Horah probably tomorrow again. And although I want to repent for this act, I'm concerned that I'm being insincere. Please Hashem, help me that I shouldn't speak badly about other people tomorrow, and my repentance should be considered sincere in Your eyes." And again, if this is the best that I can do, even though I know I might even probably commit this transgression tomorrow, but the fact that I have even asked Hashem to help me is a tremendous, tremendous level.  And similarly, if a woman got dressed in an immodest manner, and perhaps was looked at inappropriately by others, she might say, "Hashem, I'm really sorry for not following Your commandments and dressing immodestly. I regret what I did, and I'm going to try my best from tomorrow to dress in a much more modest manner, the best that I can. But at the same time, Hashem, You know that it is really hard for me, from the way I have been brought up and the way I'm accustomed to dress in a certain way. Please, can You help me to be able to dress in the way that Your Torah prescribes." And again, even though I know that I might not be able to live up to the standard, but if I am doing the best that I can, and just asking Hashem to help me, that is certainly extremely valuable in Hashem's eyes, and will work wonders for us, for our eternal place in Olam Haba.

Many people have heard terms such as Mashiach, resurrection of the dead, hell, Gan Eden, Olam Haba, and the like. It is helpful to understand what the Torah commentaries teach us about the exact process and direction of what is supposed to happen. So let's break it down, b'ezrat Hashem. Every one of us is comprised of both soul and body. At some point, our souls depart from this world, also known as death. And as we are taught from the Torah commentaries, there is something called chibut hakever, which is a certain form of punishment which takes place in one's burial place. Now on the one hand, we are to remind ourselves that the only reason Hashem created the world in the first place is certainly not to punish us, but rather to give us the greatest pleasure that can exist for eternity. But again, let us remind ourselves that the reason we have to make our excursion into this world is in order to give us the opportunity to earn our place in the next world. And in order for there to be that possibility, Hashem created a system where there are consequences, and if we do go against His word and neglect doing our best to follow His commandments, then we do need to suffer consequences. And as the Torah commentaries teach, one of the main purposes of those consequences is to cleanse ourselves to be able to then move on forward in a renewed state that is then able to appreciate and bask in Hashem's pleasure eternally.  However, it is also important for us to remember what the Torah commentaries write about the tremendous suffering that can be experienced with the extent of the suffering dependent on the severity of our sins. And again, the purpose of internalizing this is, God forbid, not to bring us down, but rather to help us focus on our purpose and mission in this world. Because when we are able to internalize the potential that there is for such a tremendous magnitude of suffering, that can help to deter us from committing those sins that cause that suffering. Many Torah commentaries teach that on the positive side, the reward that is in store for us in the future, for our good deeds, is greater than any possible thing that can exist in this world.  And similarly, with regards to the consequences for our sins, Torah commentaries teach that although it is a difficult idea for us to relate to because we are not familiar with what happens after we die, if one were to think of the worst atrocity that one has ever experienced or heard of, as painful as it is to talk about the terrible atrocities of the Holocaust, October 7th, or whatever else it might be, as Torah commentaries teach, if one is to imagine that form of suffering transpiring for an entire lifespan without pause, that is still not on par with one moment of suffering after we die.  And again, one might argue, let's not focus and talk about such topics because it's quite scary, it causes me anxiety, etc. As we've discussed previously, the only reason that one might be led to that mode of thought is because one doesn't truly believe what the Torah commentaries outline to us is coming in the future after we die. It is so important to build this belief and truly internalize that the concept of the world to come, both for the positive as well as the consequences for the negative, are very real. And by doing so, we can really make our maximum effort to focus on the right things in this world and stay away from the wrong things. "Hashem, my dear Father, in Your great kindness, You have given me the wisdom of the Torah which teaches me Your true perspective and the ability to understand, to the best of my capacity, what is coming once I leave this world. Hashem, it is so hard to truly believe and internalize what we are taught about the tremendous consequences, both in terms of the positive outcome that can be for our eternity, as well as, God forbid, the tremendous suffering that is beyond anything we can even begin to comprehend. And it's so hard to internalize this, Hashem, because at the end of the day, we live in this world and we don't see what's happening in the next world. And because for the most part, You do not send us direct and immediate consequences for our actions in this world that we are able to witness and experience, it ultimately all boils down to how much emunah, belief, we have in what the Torah commentaries teach us about the next world. Please, Hashem, help me to truly internalize what the Torah commentaries teach us, that in truth, our life only begins after we die. And in that way, please Hashem, help me to make my maximum effort, to use every moment in my life to its maximum, and earn my highest possible place for eternity."

The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos, chapter 4, mishnah 17, states, "This world is like a hallway in comparison to the future world. Prepare yourself in the hallway so that you may enter into the banquet hall." Although this is a well-known mishnah that one might have heard many times previously, again there are many levels as to what it means to believe in the world to come. We are taught that this world is just a place of preparation, similar to a corridor or hallway before a banquet hall. Of course, one doesn't spend much time, focus and energy in getting too comfortable in the corridor before the banquet hall because it is only the corridor where one is supposed to walk in order to make their way to their real destination. And similarly and very literally is this world in comparison to the next world.  There is a famous analogy offered by many Torah commentaries. Imagine the largest stadium that you've ever seen filled to the top with sand. Every thousand years a little bird would come and take just one grain of sand out of that stadium. How long will it take to empty out the stadium? Of course, that number is so huge that one might say forever. But the truth is that even that is not forever. Because after whatever huge amount of years, the stadium will be emptied. Whereas true eternity is literally forever. When one puts that into perspective, one quickly realizes that a maximum of 120 years in this world is so small in comparison to true eternity. So although we do need to make an effort in this world to get somewhat comfortable so that we can be the best we can in our lives in order to earn our place in the next world, but unnecessary comfort or focusing on things just for the sake of this world, besides for perhaps being wrong, can also perhaps be classified as silly. Another example to illustrate this concept. Imagine you're waiting at a bus stop and because the bus is taking a few minutes to arrive, you take a seat to relax for a few minutes. And as you sit down, you notice that there's a slight bump on the seat that you're sitting on, which makes it a little bit uncomfortable. Now most people would not go ahead and call the bus company who are in charge of the seats at the bus stop and complain that when you had sat down to sit for five minutes, you were slightly uncomfortable and they should come and fix that little bump on the chair. And the reason for that is because of the 24 hours in the day that we are all busy with so many things, that little gap of five minutes that one takes a seat on the bus stop is so insignificant in comparison to the next many hours of the day, and usually one doesn't even have time to care about focusing on that little discomfort that one experienced, but rather one would usually choose to ignore it. Whereas if you've just contracted a company to build a house for you and you now make arrangements to meet them on premises to see their progress, and as you arrive you see that they've built the bathroom in the middle of the living room, of course for that you'd complain because this is a house that you intend to live in for many years and most people do not want the bathroom to be right in the middle of the living room. When we are sincere with ourselves and take to heart the true belief of what the Torah sources teach us that this world is in comparison to the next world, the amount of time that elapses in this world compared to eternity cannot even be compared to five minutes of the day at a bus stop. Because again, eternity is forever, so what is 120 years in that picture?  As we've discussed here previously, when the Torah authorities outlined to us that every mitzvah that we perform in this world is literally making spiritual worlds much bigger and greater than anything that exists in this world; just for one seemingly insignificant mitzvah, we are building worlds much greater than anything we can even begin to fathom. And similarly, God forbid, when one performs a sin, even what seems to be the most insignificant of sins, there are tremendous consequences in the next world. Imagine for a moment that one knew that the small sin that I'm about to commit will cause an atomic bomb in another country. Most of us will think twice before doing so. But again, although we are taught that the consequences in the next world are much greater than an atomic bomb falling on another country, the reason that it is so difficult for us to internalize this is because as we've discussed many times that the Torah commentaries teach that our purpose in this world is not to know, but rather to believe. Emunah.

We've been discussing the topic of Olam Haba, the next world where we are all destined, b'ezrat Hashem, to make our way towards. And as mentioned, we don't know exactly how it's going to be and we cannot see and understand the information for ourselves, and therefore we are called on to practice our Emunah, our belief in what we are taught from the Torah sources and commentaries. Let's try and appreciate just how worthwhile it is to talk about and try and make effort to internalize the concept of Olam Haba. Imagine for a moment that you see your child running towards a busy street with cars driving at a very fast speed. In only a few moments this child is going to take a leap into this main street. Of course the appropriate response would be to grab the child and pull them out the road even if doing so would be painful for the child for a few moments. And perhaps if one is not within reach of the child, one might begin to scream in a way that would frighten the child and make them freeze in their footsteps to prevent a tragedy. One who is witnessing this situation does not need to believe that if the responsible parent would not have gone ahead to pull the child out the street or began to scream in a hysterical manner, that the result would have been a catastrophe. This is not something that needs to be believed because anyone witnessing this episode on the ground can see and understand it for themselves. The more we develop our belief that the next world is coming and there certainly are very real consequences both for the positive and for the negative, the more that belief will become a reality. Just like in the example of the child who is about to get run over on the busy street where it would certainly be appropriate to act in a dramatic manner, in a similar vein, the more we learn about the topic of the next world and the way that our actions in this world impact our destination in the next world, if we ourselves or perhaps others that we witness might be performing acts that could be leading us to a very dangerous street in the spiritual worlds, it certainly should be our instinctive desire for ourselves and for those around us to make a stern warning that there are serious consequences for this act, both for ourselves and for others. Of course, when one is dealing with other people, it is very important to be super sensitive in the way one gives the information over and it is not always our place to do so, and perhaps that can be discussed at another time. But what we are focusing on right now is that much of the time, because the concept of Olam Haba is not as real to us as that dangerous street, because we are not able to see that street in the spiritual worlds, but rather we have to work on our emunah, our belief, the next world is very real, and what we are taught in the Torah that there are consequences for, both for the positive as well as for the negative, are very real.  Imagine you see your best friend going on a date with a very good-looking individual on the outside. However, you happen to know that this individual is very nasty on the inside. Although usually throughout one's life it is important to make efforts to be kind and focus on the positive, however, when something of such great measure is at stake, of course a good friend must stand up for the truth, as painful as it might be. When one shies away from talking about what's going to happen after one dies, much of the time it comes from the fact that we don't truly believe what is coming after we die. It is so important to study the information and try to take that information and internalize it, to realize we are headed to another world, and everything that is written in Torah literature with reference to the next world is very true. Let us remind ourselves that Hashem created the world in the first place just because He desired to give to us, but again, He wanted us to have the greatest opportunity for that pleasure, and in order to do so, He gave us the ability to make choices in this world. Simply speaking, the more we follow His commandments, the greater our portion for the good in the next world. And the more we fall on the side of sin, the greater the consequences on the negative side in the next world. What a privilege we all have to be learning about, making efforts to internalize this information, and b'ezrat Hashem, preparing in the best way that we can for our place in eternity.

We've been discussing the topic of Olam Haba, the next world, and the tremendous importance there is to learn about this topic and contemplate on the fact that as the Torah commentaries teach us, ultimately Hashem created the entire world in the first place just in order to share His goodness with us and give us pleasure. And ultimately that is going to take place in the next world. The only reason that we are in this world is in order to earn our place in the next world for eternity. And as discussed many times, the core of the entire Torah and mitzvos is Emunah. When I know something, I have no need to believe because I am able to see it, understand it, and there is no reason for me to therefore take that necessary step to believe in something that might at first glance be difficult to understand. We've discussed many times throughout this daily inspiration how this applies to many areas of our lives in this world and how the benefits of both Emunah and Bitachon can affect the quality of our lives in many ways.  It's important to also build our Emunah, our belief, in the next world. Again, just like we've discussed many times that the levels of Emunah in Hashem, in the Torah, in the mitzvos and the like are immeasurable and there are countless levels that one can strive more and more each day to move towards, in the same vein, there are many levels in what it means to believe in Olam Haba. Of course if one is not yet privy to know the information that there is a next world, then that is certainly the first step. But assuming that one does know that there is a next world, there are many levels of what it means to believe so and to internalize that information. And again, although part of our job is to learn about the topic of Olam Haba and know the information in a theoretical manner, but perhaps a much bigger part of our job is to internalize that information just a little bit more each day to truly believe in Olam Haba. We discussed previously how sometimes people are afraid to discuss the topic of death, which b'ezrat Hashem ultimately leads to Olam Haba, and how truthfully, although we are human beings and it is certainly valid and acceptable to feel anxious about the topic of death for one who does, however the first thing to keep in mind is that much of the time when we feel anxiety and stress about the unknown, that is exactly because of that fact - that it is unknown and we have no idea what's coming. And in a sense the more we learn about it, the less anxious and stressed we might feel about the topic. And a second point to bear in mind is that regardless of our feelings towards the topic, to just hide behind the door and ignore what's on the other side would be a very silly approach. Imagine you are employed in a certain company and you are now given the instruction that in a year's time from now, you are going to need to relocate to another country. Now you are fully committed to this company and there is no other option to go elsewhere, so you know that in a year's time from now, you will for sure be relocating. Now in this new country that I am relocating to, I need to find an area to live, a house, a community, perhaps schooling for my children and many other things. So a very silly approach would be to say, let me just enjoy myself for the remainder of this year where I currently am and I guess at the end of the year, when the time comes, I'll just get on the plane, arrive at my new destination and find my way from there, not having a clue about how anything works there and being completely unprepared for what's coming.  We can all easily understand how that would be a very silly approach. Whereas the smart thing to do, would be to investigate the new location and with good preparation, we'll find the right house, community, schools and the like and we'll certainly be much more well prepared than if we just wake up at the last minute because we were too scared to face the reality initially. We are taught loud and clear from countless Torah sources that this world that we exist in is not by any means the final destination. So let's make an effort to begin to try and understand and internalize where we are actually headed towards. Olam Haba.

We've discussed that the Torah commentaries outline to us what Hashem's perspective is. The only absolutely unmistakable perspective with regards to what we are doing in this world. Step number one. Although Hashem doesn't need anything outside of Himself, He nevertheless decided to go ahead and create this world. And the only reason He decided to do so was because He desired to share His goodness with us and give us the ultimate pleasure. Step number two. The ultimate place where we are destined to experience that goodness and pleasure is in the next world, in Olam Haba, and not in this world. And step number three, that being the case, what are we doing here exactly? Why didn't Hashem just place us directly in the next world? And as the commentaries explain, Hashem wanted to give us the opportunity to be able to reap the greatest form of pleasure, and in His great wisdom, He understood that when we are given the opportunity to earn that eternal reward for ourselves, that then will be the highest form of pleasure which b'ezrat Hashem we will reap in the next world.  And step number four. As we've discussed many times, the Torah commentaries mention that although there are many branches to the tree of Judaism, such as the great mitzvah of learning Torah; or the many mitzvos that we have; the efforts we are supposed to make on character development and the like, nevertheless, the trunk of the tree and core of the entire Torah and all the mitzvos can be summarized in one word - Emunah. We've spoken a lot about Emunah in this daily inspiration and b'ezrat Hashem we will continue to do so. Because as discussed many times, although the concepts and theory of Emunah can be learned in a relatively short amount of time, but our ultimate purpose in this world is not just to know the information, but rather to take that information and make just a little bit more effort each day to internalize the concepts and try to live by their values with more and more sincerity.  We've been discussing how seeing as the ultimate destination that b'ezrat Hashem we are all due to make our way to is Olam Haba, the next world, it is certainly worth our while to try gain an appreciation and understanding of where we are going, seeing as this is our final destination for eternity. Some people don't like to talk about death, but the truth of the matter is that death is something that is inevitable to every single one of us. And although we should certainly make an effort to remove negative thoughts and connotations of some ideas we might have heard about death, and as always, it is much more beneficial to move in a positive direction, however, just to ignore the topic because one is afraid of what's coming might be comparable to any area of our lives which there is potential to cause us stress. Let's say I have an important exam in three weeks time from now and I am extremely stressed and perhaps nervous about what the outcome is going to be. Of course the wrong and perhaps the silly approach would be just to forget about the whole thing and focus on other areas of my life and just ignore the fact that I have this exam in three weeks. Because at the end of the day, although during this three-week period, if I forget about the fact that I have an exam, I might be able to relieve the stress from myself, but when that day comes and I now have to face the fact that there is an exam taking place and there will be consequences for the fact that I am unprepared, I will then have to deal with a lot more stress at the sudden shock of being unprepared for the exam than I would have been throughout the three weeks of preparation.  And although we might compare what's coming to all of us - death which ultimately leads to the next world - Olama Haba, to an upcoming exam, however the truth of the matter is that our preparation for what's coming in Olam Haba for all of us, needs to be treated with much higher priority than an exam or anything else in our lives, because ultimately everything in our lives is temporary and it will always come to an end, whereas our destination, where we are due to go after this world, is our final destination forever.  There is a parable offered by Turk commentaries where there are twins inside the stomach of their mother. And as the mother gives birth to the firstborn of the twins, the one who is still in the stomach yet to be born begins to cry and starts to mourn over the fact that his sibling has just died. Because again, in his vision of what he sees of the world, his entire world exists just of his mother's stomach. And the fact that his sibling is now gone, to him means that his sibling has died. But in reality, his sibling has just been born to a vast world, much bigger than the small space of one's mother's stomach. And similarly, when people die in this world, of course we are supposed to follow the halacha as the Torah prescribes, to mourn over the individual. However, without learning about the topic, we might feel like this individual is now gone, but the truth of the matter is that death is just the beginning of life.

We've discussed many times, with regards to the most fundamental question of why Hashem decided to create the world in the first place. As mentioned, seeing as Hashem is a completely perfect being and could have certainly existed without creating the world and everything contained within it, why then did Hashem decide to go ahead and create the world? And as we've discussed, when we answer any question, and especially such an important question, because ultimately this will lead us to being able to find what our purpose is in this world, there can be many perspectives. And how can one be absolutely certain that one's perspective is without fault, even though one might be well-meaning and even well-educated, but because of our human limitations, we are always at risk of making a mistake.  And as we've discussed many times, we are so privileged to have the only absolutely truthful and unmistakable perspective, Hashem's opinion Himself, which He voices to us throughout the words of all of Torah literature. We have learned many times that countless Torah sources teach that there is only one reason Hashem ultimately decided to create this world, and that is in order to give to the recipients that He would create. The only reason Hashem created this world is in order to give to all of us.  This answer as to why Hashem created the world that countless Torah authorities bring, at first glance, seems difficult to digest, because although we might be privy of some amazing and pleasant experiences throughout our lives, that perhaps we might consider those times to be experiences of pleasure that Hashem is sending to us. However, much of the time, we all experience hardships and difficult times throughout our lives, and that being the case, the question that begs to be asked is, if Hashem created the world only to give to me, why do I have to go through suffering and difficult times? And although there are many different angles to address this question from that the Torah authorities discuss, and one can certainly gain insight by studying the different perspectives, however, the most simple and direct answer was that when Hashem intended to create recipients to be able to receive His goodness and be able to bask in His pleasure, He intended that to take place in the next world, in Olam Haba, and not in this world, where we are currently existing. And again, the question that then begs to be asked is, if Hashem desired to give to me, and that will ultimately take place in the next world, in Olam Haba, why did Hashem then decide to put me in this world, if this is not the place that He intended to share His goodness with me, ultimately? And again, the answer that many Torah commentaries offer that we've discussed many times is that Hashem in His great wisdom understood that in order to give us the opportunity for the ultimate pleasure, we need to have an opportunity to be able to earn that reward for ourselves, and that is the ultimate reason for our existence in this world. Not for the pleasures that we might happen to experience in this world, but rather to be able to have the opportunity to earn our place for eternity in the next world.  Seeing as Olam Haba is our eternal address, it is certainly worthwhile to try and learn a little bit about where we are going, and to gain an appreciation of what we are working for. Because although there is a vast amount of information in Torah literature about the next world, it is certainly not an easy pursuit to truly internalize that this world is far from our final destination, and all of us are actually going to make our way to another place. And again, just like we've learned countless times with regards to the pursuit of Emunah, that although there is much information, that we're able to learn about it, and that is certainly a great starting point, however our main focus and endeavor is to truly internalize that information. And in a similar vein, b'ezrat Hashem, let's begin to explore from the Torah's perspective what exactly it means to go to the next world, bearing the same principle in mind that not only is our objective to learn the information, but much more than that perhaps, to truly internalize our belief in Olam Haba.

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'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."

If we are to ask ourselves, what is the greatest gift that we could give to another individual? We might come up with different answers based on our perspectives and preferences. The Gemara tells that Hashem approached Moshe Rabbeinu and told him, I have a great gift And this great gift that is full of goodness is called Shabbos. Although we might have some understanding about the great gift and opportunity that we have each week as Shabbos approaches, it is motivating and inspiring to highlight that of all the things in the world, Hashem specifically chose Shabbos to be termed the great gift. There are many ideas behind the holiness and greatness of the tremendous gift of Shabbos that we have the opportunity to embrace every week. As always, with every mitzvah, our approach should not be based on our understanding and agreement to Hashem's command, but rather we should perform Hashem's mitzvahs based on the belief that we trust Him, that if He said, this is what is good for us, this is the greatest gift in the world, whether we understand or we don't, we treat the mitzvah in the way that Hashem has presented it. And in this case, Shabbos, we believe, is the greatest gift. Just to highlight with one example what the Kabbalists teach about the potency of Shabbos, The effect of Torah learning during a regular weekday, we know, is equal to the potency of all the mitzvahs put together. And we are taught that on Shabbos, the potency of every single moment of Torah is multiplied by a thousand. There are many reasons and explanations for the incredible gift of Shabbos and the holiness that comes with it. The Gemara states that a person who takes large steps loses one five hundredth of their eyesight by taking those large steps. And the Gemara thereafter says, well, what if one already took those large steps, how do they rectify their eyesight? And the Gemara says that the way to rectify one's eyesight is on Shabbos at the time of Kiddush. There are many explanations to what the exact meaning behind this Gemara is. I once saw a beautiful explanation when the Gemara says that a person who takes large steps loses their eyesight. This means to say that during the week when we are busy, distracted by our many commitments and endeavors, in a sense we lose our eyesight and vision about what is important. But as Shabbos comes and now I am unable to be involved with those distractions, I now have the space to focus on the true important things in life. Why do I exist? What is my purpose in this world? If I were to leave this world, am I happy where I am holding? Many of these questions are not things we usually think about whilst busy with our day-to-day activities. But as Shabbos comes and we turn off the distractions, we have the opportunity to focus on the real important matters that will make a difference for us eternally. We are also privileged to have the opportunity and gift of Shabbos every single week, and everything that Shabbos and its holiness comes with. May we all merit to use the gift of Shabbos to further our spiritual endeavors, our Torah learning, our mitzvah performance, and our personal relationship with Hashem. Hashem, thank You so much for this incredible gift of Shabbos. Thank You for this sacred time that You have given me to be able to turn off the distractions and focus on the real things that truly matter for my eternal life. "Thank You Hashem for the incredible gift of Shabbos."

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 how one of the most basic expressions of emunah and bitachon, our ultimate purpose and focus in this world, is simply talking to Hashem. If I believe Hashem exists, can hear me, and can help me, a basic equation is that I will talk to Him about anything and everything. And the more I believe, and even if I don't yet, but the more I'm aspiring to believe, the more I will make an effort to talk more and more with Hashem as much as possible. Talking to Hashem is available to every single one of us regardless of our level. And yes, at times it can be difficult to talk to Hashem because we have to practice our emunah, our belief that He is listening. It's much easier to talk to another person where you can see their response and you don't feel like what you're doing is futile, whereas when it comes to talking to Hashem, it is completely an exercise of emunah, of belief, because I don't see Hashem, I don't hear Hashem responding to me, and I nevertheless am called on to make my maximum effort to have a relationship with Hashem, which again, is our test in this world, to grow in our emunah. The Midrash Rabbah, to Toldos, section 63, part 5, states that our ancestress Rivka was barren, and when her husband Yitzhak Avinu learned of this, how did he respond? Of course, it was with personal prayer to Hashem. The Midrash teaches that he prayed extensively for his wife Rivka. We need to internalize that talking to Hashem in our own words was, is, and always will be an ABC of serving Hashem. The reason that we sometimes might forget to talk to Hashem is that we don't fully believe that He is listening. But we need to constantly contemplate on the fact that Hashem is listening to every single word that we say. Hashem is constantly waiting to hear from us and treats our prayers with highest priority. In Bereishit chapter 32, verse 12, in the episode when Eisav and his men advanced against Yaakov Avinu, Yaakov knew what to do. He might have been much weaker physically than his brother Eisav, and he might have had much fewer warriors, but that did not matter. He had one resource that is greater and stronger than anything else – tefillah. Let's remind ourselves that just like Yaakov Avinu, our forefather, prayed to Hashem in his times of trouble, so too, every single one of us has the constant opportunity to do so. Just like Yaakov Avinu spoke to Hashem in his own words, so does every single one of us have the constant opportunity to reach out to Hashem at any moment about anything and everything.  The Midrash Rabbah to parashas Lech Lecha section 41 states that when our ancestress Sara Imeinu was abducted by king Avimelech, it was obviously an extremely stressful and traumatic event. Instead of panicking through her predicament however, which would have been futile, she used her time wisely. Throughout the entire night, she was immersed in personal prayer to Hashem, beseeching Him to send her salvation. Let us take to heart and learn from the example of our holy ancestors, who were much more connected to Hashem than we are today. Through any and every situation, they were always speaking to Hashem.  And along similar lines, in Bereishit chapter 30, verse 22, the verse states that our ancestress Rachel Imeinu also practiced communion with Hashem in personal prayer. When she realized that she was barren, she prayed to Hashem in her own sincere words, asking Him for salvation. And the verse in Yirmiyahu chapter 31, verse 14 states further that even after the death of Rachel Imeinu, she continues to pray for her children, for every single one of us. Let us not forget that every single one of us has the same opportunity that was given to our holy matriarch, Rachel Imeinu. Besides for the prescribed daily tefillos, Shacharis, Mincha and Maariv, that we all have the tremendous opportunity to connect to, we also all have the constant opportunity to talk with Hashem in our very own words, every single day.

Let's remind ourselves and try to internalize more and more of the steps that we've discussed many times. The steps coming from the Torah commentaries, Hashem's perspective, the only true perspective. Hashem created the world just to give to us. Ultimately, that takes place in the next world. And our focus and purpose in this world is in order to earn our place in the next world. The foremost consideration of how we go about earning our place in the next world is by making our maximum effort to grow in our emunah and bitachon endeavor. And as we've discussed, one of the main ways we can express our emunah and bitachon in Hashem is by having constant communication and talking to Hashem in our own words, something that is available to every single one of us.  Let's remind ourselves that talking to Hashem is a personal relationship. Although the more one learns about it, one can certainly gain more insight and ideas of how to go about one's personal relationship with Hashem, however, ultimately, let us remind ourselves that our personal relationship with Hashem is exactly that, your personal relationship with Hashem. And one needs no prior training nor information to be able to close one's eyes, go to a quiet spot and talk to Hashem about anything and everything that one might desire to. We've discussed how when one feels motivated, it is much easier then to reach out to Hashem. But when one is not feeling inspired and motivated, it can at times be difficult. And an idea that some of the greats mention is to have a set time every day where we talk to Hashem regardless of how we are feeling and in that way, we have a safety net to always keep up our relationship with Hashem constantly regardless of how we might be feeling.  But it certainly can motivate us when we read Torah passages about the tremendous importance and greatness of what it means to talk to Hashem and how the greats, right from the beginning of creation all the way up until today throughout the generations, have always resorted to this practice as an ABC of service to Hashem. In Bereishit chapter 18 verse 23, when Hashem decided to destroy the city of Sodom He first revealed this information to Avraham Avinu. The Torah records that Avraham Avinu responded by talking to Hashem in his own words. And he begged and argued with Hashem, trying to convince Him to change course. Let's remind ourselves that every single one of us have been given this powerful weapon called personal prayer. Just like in the episode of Avraham Avinu and the city of Sodom, similarly, in our lives, when people around us might be suffering, Hashem's desire might be that we argue with His plans of causing other people to suffer. Again, let's remind ourselves that talking to Hashem is a personal relationship and there are many different ways to do it. Whatever we do communicate and whichever way we might be doing it, as long as we are regularly speaking with Hashem, we are fulfilling our purpose in this world.  And another Torah passage, along similar lines, in Bereishit chapter 24 verse 12 when Avraham Avinu sent his righteous servant Eliezer on a mission to find a wife for his son Yitzchak, Eliezer did not know where to start. Having been educated in the household of Avraham Avinu, however, he realized what he should do. As the verses describe, he began speaking with Hashem in his own words, asking Hashem to send a clear sign to indicate the right bride for Yitzchak. As we've discussed many times, this most potent form of service to Hashem, personal prayer, was common practice amongst individuals already from the time of the creation of the world, throughout the ages, and until this very day today.  "Thank you so much, Hashem, for giving me the privilege to be able to reach out to You on a day-to-day basis about anything and everything that I might desire. Thank You for making it so easy that I don't even have to pay a cent in order to be able to have this incredible opportunity. And thank You, Hashem, for teaching me from the wisdom of the Torah commentaries that although the ideal might be that I am inspired and am automatically motivated to reach out to You and have that personal relationship, but because of my human limitations, knowing that much of the time I am uninspired and unmotivated, it is a great idea to have a set time every day in order to reach out to You. Thank you so much, Hashem, for the incredible opportunity to have a personal relationship with You."

We've been discussing how Hashem created the world just to give to us. Ultimately, that takes place in the next world, in Olam Haba, and our job in this world is to earn our place in the next world. And as Torah commentaries teach, the main way that we earn our place in the next world is by making our maximum effort to excel in our emunah and bitachon endeavor in this world. And as we've been discussing, one of the main ways to express our emunah in this world is by talking to Hashem in our own words, something that is available to every single one of us, regardless of our background.  As we've pointed out many times, although the exercise of talking to Hashem is something which should be a basic equation to us, when we contemplate on the fact that Hashem is in true control of the entire world, and if I understand that Hashem can hear me, that is certainly the main effort that I should make in any endeavor I might be delving into. It is also motivating to see what the many Torah sources write about the greatness of talking to Hashem in our own words. Perhaps sometimes counterintuitive, when one sits down to try study a difficult section of Torah or perhaps perform a difficult mitzvah, one understands that this is something great that I am doing, and even though it is a difficult endeavor, I know that it is worthwhile; however, when it comes to talking to Hashem, sometimes it seems like, can such an easy endeavor be so powerful?  Again, it's not always so easy to talk to Hashem, especially for longer periods, however, it is something that is available to every single one of us, for free, at any moment, in any place, and one sometimes can feel, is this really something so great? We do not make our conclusions based on our own perspective, which we've discussed many times can certainly be mistaken, but rather we follow the perspective of the Torah, which is the only true perspective, Hashem's perspective. Many Torah sources teach that the greatness of talking to Hashem in one's own words is one of the greatest possible mitzvos that we could tap into in this world. Talking to Hashem in one's own words was something that was practiced throughout history, right from the beginning of creation, throughout the generations of our greats, all the way through till today. It can be inspiring and motivating when we study sources from Torah literature which highlight these concepts.  In Parashat Bereishit, chapter 2, verse 5, the Torah states that at the creation of the world, Hashem did not let the grass grow. Only once Adam, man, was created, did Hashem cause the grass to grow. And Rashi there explains that this was because Hashem desires our praise, and before Adam was created, there was no one to pray for rain. Once He was created, however, Adam prayed for Hashem to send rain, which Hashem then did and the grass then began to grow. We are learning here how the very first individual, Adam HaRishon, would speak to Hashem, and how the Torah places great emphasis on having this relationship with Hashem to the point that Hashem did not allow the grass to grow until Adam would go ahead and pray for the grass to grow. Because much more important than there being grass in the world, is there being the prayers that people make to Hashem. In the Zohar Chadash on Noach 34b, it states that after the flood, when Noach left the ark and encountered a desolate world, he began to cry in prayer to Hashem. He argued in personal prayer that even though the people sin severely, it would have been appropriate for Hashem to show His compassion and mercy to humankind. Hashem then rebuked Noach, saying that when He had initially informed him that He was going to destroy the world, that was the time to entreat Him to save humankind. Now, however, after the flood and everything had already been destroyed, His prayers came too late. We are learning here how Noach was reprimanded for neglecting to talk to Hashem. Again, we see the tremendous importance that the Torah places on our personal prayers and something that was practiced already, right from the beginning when the world was created initially. Every single one of us has the constant opportunity to talk to Hashem in our own words, one of the greatest mitzvahs that can exist.

Hashem created the world just to give to you. Ultimately, that's going to take place in the next world, and your main purpose in this world is to earn your place in the next world. As many Torah commentaries have taught us, our main method of earning our place in the next world is by making our maximum effort to grow in our emunah and bitachon. We've been discussing how one of the most practical expressions of emunah and bitachon is simply talking to Hashem. Let us remind ourselves of what the Torah commentaries teach about bitachon, that bitachon is completely independent of our spiritual scorecard, and even a wicked individual has the opportunity to have bitachon in Hashem.  Now, of course, we always must make our maximum effort to do more mitzvos and repent for our transgressions, as there will certainly be consequences in the next world, both for the positive as well as for the negative. However, it is so motivating for us to internalize that the opportunity to have emunah and bitachon, which is the greatest mitzvah, is available to every single one of us, regardless of how we might be doing otherwise in our spiritual pursuits. And remember the principle that many Torah sources have taught us, such as the Vilna Gaon in Even Sheleima chapter 3, that emunah and bitachon are the core of the entire Torah. Our main focus in this world needs to be to grow as much as possible in our emunah and bitachon, and one of the main expressions of emunah and bitachon is simply to talk to Hashem in our own words.  Sometimes a person feels, "I am not worthy to talk to Hashem." We have discussed many times that conclusions that we make based on our own perspective and logic can very often be mistaken. And this conclusion here, where one feels that they are unworthy to talk to Hashem, would certainly be the case of a mistaken approach. The Torah sources that we have discussed many times teach us that the opportunity to express our emunah and bitachon is completely independent of our mitzvos and transgressions. That means to say that it doesn't matter who we are, we all have the exact same opportunity to reach out to Hashem on a constant basis. Sometimes a person, especially if one has not been exposed to the concept of talking to Hashem, might feel, "I don't really know how to do this; maybe over time I'll learn about it, etc., but for right now it's not something that I can do." As many of the Torah greats teach, we are so privileged to have such an easy form of connection to Hashem, one of the greatest mitzvos that can exist, that is available to every single one of us right now, without needing further training. Of course the more that we do learn about it, we might gain certain insights, but talking to Hashem is a personal relationship that every single one of us has the opportunity to have with Hashem. It's something that every single one of us, regardless of our training, regardless of our spiritual level, can practice right now, today.  And again, although many pious people might spend many hours in talking to Hashem on a daily basis, I only need to do my best and whatever my maximum is, is all I am called on to do. Let us remind ourselves that the main purpose of our existence is to grow in our emunah, and emunah specifically means, I believe when I don't see and I don't experience. For the most part, when we reach out to Hashem about something, we don't see an immediate answer, and we don't necessarily feel that our prayers have been accepted. Sometimes we might, but many times we don't. Because again, our purpose in this world is not to know, but it's to believe, specifically, when we don't know. Our job is to build our belief that Hashem is listening to us and can help us, much more than any other effort we might make can do for us. And the more we build this belief, the more we will be motivated on our own accord to reach out to Hashem in our own words and ask Him to help us in our endeavors.  And as we've discussed previously, it is also a good idea to have a set amount of time every day to talk to Hashem in one's own words. Because although at times we feel moments of inspiration, and one might reach out to Hashem even for long periods when one is feeling inspired and motivated, however much of the time, because of our human limitations, we don't feel that inspiration and we get caught up in the busyness of day-to-day life. And that being the case, it is a good idea to always have a safety net of a certain time of day, every day, where I will make a space to be able to have this relationship and be able to talk with Hashem.

Hashem created the world just to give to us. Ultimately, that takes place in the next world. We are in this world to earn our portion for eternity in the next world. And the main way that we do so in this world is by growing in our emunah and bitachon. It's so important to highlight that Hashem does not expect from us anything more than our maximum potential. There are many levels to what it means to living a life of true emunah and bitachon. And I am not called on to be anything more than I am able to. But I am called on to make my maximum effort to reach my maximum potential. And we all have the constant opportunity to make just a little bit more growth every single day. We've discussed the many benefits that a life of emunah and bitachon lead to. Most importantly, that we are thereby fulfilling our purpose in this world, which we will take with us to the next world for eternity. And additionally, in this world itself there are so many benefits, where a life of emunah and bitachon are the greatest anti-anxiety medication, lead to a life of true happiness and many many other things that we've discussed many times. Let's discuss practically what we can do to build our emunah and bitachon more and more each day, every one of us in our own way. One idea mentioned by Torah Commentaries, which is what we are doing right now, is constant inspiration and repetition of the ideas about emunah and bitachon. Because although sometimes I might learn some new information, and that is certainly a worthwhile endeavor, however much of the time, contemplating on the same information again and again, allows me the space to take that information to heart and truly internalize it and apply it to my life. As we've discussed many times, one of the most potent expressions of emunah and bitachon is when we talk to Hashem in our own words. Because again, if I believe that Hashem exists, He created the world and continues to guide every single moment in every one of our lives, down to the most intricate detail; if I believe that if I do talk to Hashem, He hears what I say and can help me, and even if I don't believe that entirely, but I am aspiring to live according to this thought process, I certainly will make my maximum effort to talk to Hashem as much as possible. And as many Torah sources teach, the value in talking to Hashem is one of the greatest things we could do in terms of fulfilling our purpose in this world.  Let us remind ourselves of what the Chofetz Chaim writes in his Sefer Machaneh Yisrael part 3 chapter 2: that the foremost consideration of how much reward we will receive in the time of redemption is based on how much emunah we lived with. If we are sincere in our belief and regularly reflect on the knowledge that every detail that transpires in our lives is orchestrated by Hashem and is always for our best, our reward in the future will be exceedingly great, filled with goodness. And similarly, the Vilna Gaon in Even Sheleima chapter 3 part 2 writes: one who commits severe transgressions but nevertheless excels in bitachon is better than one who does not transgress but does not have bitachon.  And there are many more sources that we have been discussing on this daily inspiration that outline the tremendous importance that we are to place on our emunah and bitachon endeavor. And again, one of the highest ways we can express that emunah and bitachon is by doing something that is available to every single one of us, regardless of our spiritual level. Sometimes people feel that they only have a license to talk to Hashem during the Shemoneh Esrei. This is a tremendous mistake. If we take to heart that Hashem is present throughout every moment of our day, it will then be a basic equation to us that we are able to reach out to Him throughout every moment.  Let us remind ourselves of what the Chofetz Chaim writes in Likutei Amarim chapter 11. He writes: Whilst alone, a person must pour out his heart in prayer to Hashem from the depths of his soul. Because one is accustomed to the daily recital of the Shemoneh Esrei, one does not say these prayers with absolute sincerity. Whereas 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. The bottom line is that a basic equation is if I believe in Hashem, or at least if I am aspiring to believe in Hashem and grow more in that belief in Hashem, I certainly will talk to Hashem.

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? A nd that being the case, even though we might feel like we see things clearly in these areas, we are also people and limited by our human limitations, just like many of those people - clever people, were limited and blinded in many ways. So, what therefore are we to do when we ask ourselves, why exactly do I exist? What is my purpose in the world? How can I make sure that before I leave this world, I have fulfilled the real purpose of why Hashem decided to create me? In order to answer that, let us break down these points in a clear way. And again, even if we've heard this information many times before, try to take this information, to understand it and to apply it, everyone in our own way, to our own lives, and each day more and more, be able to thereby, be able to thereby, be able to thereby, and live according to the values of true emunah.

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 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."