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

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

50 (0 46) We've discussed many times that when a person lives with sincere emunah and bitachon, that automatically leads to a life of joy, happiness, calm, and serenity, because I know that I'm not in control of the circumstances that will transpire through my life, and therefore I'm able to let go, relax, enjoy, and live calmly, because I know that Hashem, the all-powerful Master of the universe, is running every single detail and occurrence that will transpire in my life. We know from numerous Torah sources that the more we grow in our emunah and bitachon, the more we will feel calm and happy knowing that we're in Hashem's hands.  We have many mitzvos that Hashem has given us. Hashem commanded us to keep Shabbos, to keep kosher, to shake a lulav, to eat matzah, to light Chanukah candles. We have many mitzvos. The question is, why is there no commandment to be happy? If being happy is such a fundamental principle in Judaism, to the point that the Torah outlines that although we may have performed all the mitzvos perfectly, if we don't do so with joy and happiness, there are numerous awful curses that could befall us. So it's clear that happiness and joy is something very fundamental for our service to Hashem. If having happiness and joy is such a fundamental principle to Torah and being a Jew, why do we not have an explicit commandment in the Torah, commanding us, you are obligated to be happy?  And in the same way, we could ask if the sole reason that we exist in this world is to have and grow in our emunah in Hashem, as taught by the Torah commentaries. Some Torah commentaries understand that the obligation to have emunah is actually the first of the Ten Commandments. So important is it to have emunah that it starts right at the beginning, the first of the Ten Commandments. However, other commentaries understand that there is no mitzvah in the Torah to have emunah. The first commandment is referring to something else. Now let's not make a mistake. According to everybody, even those who learn and understand that to have emunah is not a commandment in the Torah, they nevertheless agree that the only reason we exist in this world and the purpose and reason for all of the mitzvos and anything we do in our service to Hashem is for the sake of our emunah and bitachon.  Why then, according to many commentaries, is there no mitzvah in the Torah to have emunah? And the answer is, as the commentaries explain, emunah is such a fundamental cornerstone and foundation of Judaism to the point that the whole Torah, in a sense, can't apply unless it is built on top of the foundation of emunah. So it's not that emunah is not important enough to be a mitzvah, it's exactly the opposite. It's because emunah is so important, it can't even be a mitzvah because nothing can apply if we don't have emunah.  So again, why is there no explicit commandment obligating us to serve Hashem with happiness? And why is there no explicit commandment, according to many Torah commentaries, to have emunah in Hashem? And the answer is, not because it's less important to work on becoming happy, joyful, and live a life of emunah, but exactly the opposite. Because emunah and simcha are the foundations to the whole Torah, and in a sense, the entire Torah is stated thereafter, taking for granted that obviously emunah and simcha and the like are the foundations of Judaism and are of even higher priority than the entire Torah. So because having emunah and simcha are so important and a foundation to the entire Torah, that is why there is no outright command to practice them. The foundation to being a Jew is living a life of simcha and emunah.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let us remind ourselves, the only reason Hashem created the world was in order to share His goodness with every single one of us, and therefore anything that ever transpires throughout our lives can only be for our ultimate benefit. And at the same time, let us remind ourselves that we are taught that our main focus in this world, ultimately the foundation of the whole Torah and all the mitzvos, is to practice emunah, belief, specifically when I don't understand, to believe. Hashem designed the world in a way that everything is conducive for an opportunity to believe. So although we are taught from all the Torah sources unanimously that ultimately Hashem created the world only to give to us, only to be good to us, however, Hashem made the world operate in a way that many times it can seem like bad things are happening to us, thereby giving us an opportunity to be able to exercise our emunah, our belief; although I seem to see what appears to be bad, however, I am going to make an effort to believe and have emunah that the only reason Hashem is doing this is in order to give me an opportunity to choose to believe in what He's taught me, in His Torah sources, which is ultimately the only true perspective, Hashem's perspective, that absolutely anything and everything that transpires throughout my life can only be for my good. We ought to constantly remind ourselves about what the Mishnah states, which is ultimately coded in the Shulchan Aruch. חייב אדם לברך על הראה כשם שמברך על הטובה - that a person is obligated to bless Hashem for the seemingly bad times in the same way that one would bless Hashem for the seemingly good times. We know that in halacha there are certain blessings prescribed to the birth of children and in the same way there are certain blessings prescribed to when one experiences the death of a family member. And we also have certain blessings prescribed in halacha when one receives a large amount of money or an item of substantial value and in the same way when one loses a large amount of money there is a blessing outlined. And ultimately as we've learnt many times, this stems from the fact that we ought to believe that everything that transpires throughout our lives is directly orchestrated from Hashem and can only be for our best because that is why He created us. But again our job is to believe that when other factors seem to indicate the opposite. There are many great sages and Torah sources that outline the benefits of fulfilling this law where we bless and thank Hashem for not only the things we perceive as good but also for the things we perceive as challenges and tragedy. The main student of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in his book Likutei Halachot writes the following: "If everyone would constantly give thanks and praise to Hashem whether under good circumstances or not, then surely all the troubles and all the exiles would be completely nullified and the complete redemption would take place." There are many Torah passages outlined by many great sages along similar lines. What we are learning here is that of course by thanking Hashem and being grateful for even the challenges throughout our lives, the ultimate benefit is that we are fulfilling our purpose in this world to have emunah, but an additional fringe benefit is that by choosing to be grateful and thank Hashem for what we perceive as challenges and say, "Hashem you know the fact that I lost all this money it is so hard for me and it hurts me but if that is what you sent me I have no doubt that this is the best thing in the world. Thank you so much Hashem for making me lose one million dollars in this crazy transaction that took place. Although this is such a huge blow to me and I have no idea how I am going to come out of this, I am going to thank you with all my heart because Hashem if you created me and you sent me this situation and I trust that everything you do in the world is only for my best there is no question in the world that this too is for my best. Thank you so much Hashem for making me lose a million dollars." And as we are taught here, by doing so, one of the great fringe benefits is that that itself is the catalyst to turning the tragedy and challenge into a time of revealed blessing, a time where we perceive it as good. May we all merit to thank Hashem for all the things in our lives, for the things we perceive as good as well as the things we perceive as bad. And Im Yirtzeh Hashem, may we all merit to lives where we can perceive the goodness that Hashem is sending us at every moment throughout our lives.

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.