We've been discussing one of the six constant mitzvahs, the mitzvah to love Hashem, which on the one hand is such an important fundamental mitzvah, whilst at the same time can be so difficult, because Hashem is not something tangible, not something we can see nor hear, and therefore how does one bring oneself to this place of being able to truly love Hashem?  We mentioned the Rambam who says that by noticing Hashem's creations and admiring them, that is one conduit that brings feelings of love towards Hashem. We also mentioned that when one views life through the correct perspective, that everything that I receive is actually a gift from Hashem, nothing that He owes me, then when I take note of all the tremendous gifts that He is constantly blessing me with, that will automatically bring me to a tremendous love of Hashem. The verse states that at a certain point in history of the Jewish people, they became well-to-do and thereafter kicked back at Hashem. The natural tendency of a poor person is to appreciate everything they receive because they have nothing, and what you give them is so appreciated because they're in so much in need of it, whereas sometimes someone who is very well-off and doesn't necessarily need anything may have a harder time to appreciate the gift that is given to them because they don't really need that gift. And as this verse points out, when the Jewish people became overly well-to-do and spoiled, they kicked back at Hashem and did not take Him as seriously. The Zohar states that if we were to realize just how much Hashem loves us, we would run so fast with the passion of a lion towards Hashem because of the strong burning love we would have back. Hashem just wants to shower all the blessings in the world upon us. Hashem loves us more than we can even begin to imagine. But at the same time, much of the time when Hashem gives us too much, that can lead us, God forbid, to becoming spoiled and kicking back at Hashem, which would be so bad for us in the bigger picture, because now instead of being able to reciprocate our love back and build a close relationship with Hashem, one gets accustomed to not needing anything and therefore not appreciating anything, finding it much harder to love Hashem.  Hashem wants to give to us, and as the verse states, when we experience pain, He experiences that pain together with us. And in fact the commentaries explain that when we experience pain, the Shechina experiences much more pain from the fact that we're experiencing pain, than the pain that we ourselves are experiencing. Hashem just wants to give us unlimited gifts, but if He sees that it will be bad for us because we will begin to kick back and stop appreciating and ruin our relationship, then He sees that in the bigger picture it is better not to give to us. It would be wise to make every effort that we can to try to appreciate everything that Hashem gives us, from the smallest to the biggest things, thereby building our love with Hashem, whatever we are experiencing, whilst at the same time giving Hashem reason to give us more, because ultimately Hashem just wants to give us. But if it will be detrimental to us, then it is better that He doesn't give us. "Thank you Hashem for loving me so much and for giving me so many gifts. I love you. Hashem, I want you to know that even though I am limited by my human limitations and sometimes it's hard for me to express this with absolute sincerity, but just know that the true feeling inside me is, Hashem, I love you."

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."

As mentioned, the Holy Sages, through divine inspiration, authored the prescribed prayers. And as part of the daily thanks that appears in the prescribed prayers three times a day, we say, "thank you Hashem for the miracles that we experience on a daily basis." As part of our journey and endeavor to grow in our emunah - our belief, we ought to internalize that every single one of us is experiencing miracles every single day. But again, our job is to try and find those miracles and thereafter express our gratitude to Hashem for them.  We are taught that when the Jewish people were traveling through the desert, their sustenance came in the form of a food called mann that used to fall from heaven. Now most of us today, if we would experience such a thing, would again be quite surprised and perhaps moved by such an experience. We are taught that the mann was a type of food that was the tastiest thing in the world. It would taste like whatever you wanted it to taste like. Now imagine we would experience that. Not only a food falling from the heaven, but a food which is unheard of that actually tastes like whatever you want it to.  Now for the Jewish people in the desert, it was actually the other way around. They became accustomed to receiving their food, the mann, that would fall from heaven every day. And therefore, when their journey in the desert concluded and they now arrived in Eretz Yisrael and were given the command to go and work the fields and produce wheat, which will eventually turn into bread and food, some commentaries write that there was a tremendous sense of surprise, for those people who had now come from the desert had been accustomed to the normal way of food being delivered to me is by falling down from the heavens. And when suddenly the ground can produce wheat and that can turn into food, that seems like an outright miracle. What we see today as the norm for the Jewish people in the desert was an outright miracle. And what they experienced by the mann falling from heaven would be an outright miracle for us today.  By internalizing the words of the Anshei Knesset Sagedoila, that we are called on to thank Hashem for the miracles that He is performing for us every day, we will quickly realize that life is one big miracle. When one studies the anatomy of the eye, of how complicated the so many things that need to function in a perfect way in order to provide for us a constant camera that is able to shift its lens for different distances, as well as automatically adjust to different light settings, as well as automatically clean itself on a constant basis without usually needing repair, the fact that we have eyes to see is certainly no less of a miracle than the mann falling from the heaven and the splitting of the sea.  And in the same way, if we look at the digestive system, when we ingest foods and somehow the body is able to take the nutritious parts of those foods and deliver them to specifically the parts of my body that needs those nutrients, whilst at the same time get rid of the waste that is unnecessary and actually detrimental for my body and all the other many complications that happens throughout this process, is that any short of a miracle of splitting the sea?  Just because we are used to this incredible miracle that Hashem gave us today, yesterday, and the day before, does not mean it's a smaller miracle than something we are not used to. Our job is to make our maximum effort, and every one of us has the constant opportunity to try, find, and thank Hashem for all the miracles that He sends us.

Everybody who is alive needs sustenance. And although for many people, receiving one's sustenance might be a constant struggle throughout life, nevertheless, one way or another, people do recive their sustenance, some through easier means and some through more difficult means. The gemara states that the miracle of recieving one's sutenance, is on par to the miracle of the splitting of the sea. For most of us, if we were to actually witness the sea itself splitting in a dramatic way, and as the Midrashim point out, all the waters of the world, even the water that I might be drinking in my cup, would split, many of us would be extremely shaken from such a crazy event that has taken place. Yet, we are taught that on par with that miracle, is the miracle that each one of us receives the sustenance that we need.  And in the same way, if one pays attention at the birth of a child, one will quickly realize that this is one of the greatest miracles in the world. All the tremendous complications of how the body of the child functions in its mother's stomach, in order for it to come out safely and healthily, biologically, so many things have to happen.  In the daily prayers, in the paragraph of Modim, we thank Hashem, "al nisecha shebechol yom imanu" - "for Your miracles that we experience every day." The holy sages who composed this prayer, the Anshei Knesses Hagedolah, composed it with divine inspiration, and they certainly did not mean these words as some form of exaggeration. Every single day, every single one of us experiences miracles. Our job is to make an effort to notice the miracles in our lives. There's no question that they are there. Just because Hashem has blessed us to experience the same miracle day after day, a miracle no less than the splitting of the sea, this should not give us a license to ignore the incredible miracle of receiving our sustenance every day. Were Hashem to send us our salvation in the form of actually splitting the sea, we would certainly be so grateful for a long time, with sincerity. Part of our work in our journey of emunah - to believe, is to internalize that the gift of having food to eat today, is the same extent of a miracle as if Hashem would have split the sea for us. And in the same way, as the Anshei Knesses Haggadolah - the holy sages, through divine inspiration are teaching us, we are constantly surrounded by Hashem's miracles. But again, our job in this world is to have to try and work hard to find the truth which does not easily meet the eye. When we look around, it might just look like a regular day, but when we stop and sincerely think about it, we will find those miracles.  "Thank You, Hashem, for all the incredible miracles that You provide for me every single day. If I was struggling to breathe, and suddenly some medication were to be discovered that would allow me to breathe easily, I would be so grateful for such a situation. But Hashem, in Your great kindness, You have given me the gift to be able to breathe without complications. All the things in my body that biologically need to function in a perfect way in order to provide me with a system that can give me the ability to breathe, and all the other many things that You do for me in so many ways every single day. Thank You, Hashem, for all of the miracles that You have gifted me with in my life."

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."

One who doesn't believe in HaShem, God forbid, would of course not reach out to HaShem about anything. One who is privileged to be able to know the truth and believe in HaShem and know that He can help me and I have the opportunity to talk to Him about anything and everything, which would be a greater effort than doing anything else, much of the time does go ahead and talk to HaShem about my needs.  Sometimes however, even with Emunah, we view HaShem as a vending machine, meaning just like if I go to the machine and I would like a Coke, I give it instructions and I expect the Coke bottle to come out of the vending machine. Sometimes our approach towards HaShem is, "I know you are there and that you can help me and therefore I am talking to you and expect you to give me what I need or want." Although one is talking to HaShem, which is certainly a commendable act, nevertheless, this is certainly a mistaken approach to see HaShem as our servant or vending machine, serving us in the way we would like.  We need to internalize the verse from Divrei Hayamim that we've been discussing, which teaches us the true perspective, that HaShem does not owe us anything. In fact, everything in the world that HaShem gives us is not due to us. We don't deserve it, but rather HaShem decided to give it to us as a gift. When one is led to believe that the blessings HaShem sends them are just some form of payment or duty like a servant would do for his master, as opposed to the correct approach where one understands that HaShem owes me absolutely nothing and everything is a gift, depending on which approach one is living with will make a big difference in how one goes about many areas of their life. Let's say I have a certain amount of money, and yes, I do believe in HaShem and His mitzvahs, and therefore if He commanded me that it's a mitzvah to give charity, my belief is strong enough to know to go ahead and make my maximum endeavor to give charity. However, how much tzedakah I will choose to give will depend on which perspective one is living with. If I believe that the money is really mine, and any money I am giving towards charity is my gift towards HaShem, then whatever I give, even if it's a minimal amount, not on par with the financial situation that HaShem has blessed me with, but a lower amount of charity than He would have expected me to give, if I believe that the money that I have does come from HaShem, because my emunah teaches me that, but at the same time I kind of feel like He owes me that money, then my approach might be to give a minimal amount of money to tzedakah, to charity, not congruent with my financial situation that HaShem has blessed me, and within the expectation of what He would expect me to give. Because any amount that I give, even a minimal, small amount, I feel like I've done a favor for HaShem from the start, because this is my money, and I'm doing something for Him.  Whereas if I have the correct perspective, and I realize that every single cent in my bank account is a gift from HaShem, nothing that He owes me, so now I actually owe Him all the money back, because it's a gift that He gave me, so when I am trying to decide how much money to part with, to give away to charity, if my perspective is that this is a gift from HaShem, I certainly will be motivated to try my best to fulfill HaShem's mitzvah in the best way possible, within my maximum capacity, and give the best amount that I can, because ideally I should actually give everything back, at least I should give back my maximum that I can.  And similarly, when I do give charity, one who's living with the wrong perspective might feel anxious about having given one's own money away, whereas with the correct perspective, one will actually feel better by having given money to charity, because one always feels indebted to someone who has given you a gift, and if we internalize that this is HaShem's gift to us, so anything we are actually giving back will make us feel happy, fulfilled, and good that we are doing our best to give back to HaShem.

When making a commitment to Hashem of how much time we are planning to commit to be our sacred time, just you and me Hashem, it is motivating to internalize what the verse states in Divrei Hayamim. The verse states, "For everything is from you, Hashem, and from your hand we have given back to you." Hashem created the world and Hashem created us. Every single moment of the 24 hours of the day is a gift Hashem has given to us. Hashem does not owe us anything.  Unfortunately sometimes we fall into a mistaken thought process, thinking as if Hashem owes us the things that we might be lacking. So when things are going well, I have food on the table, I have the money I need, and the like, I might be happy. But if I don't have food today for whatever reason, or I am struggling financially, a mistaken perspective would be to start getting upset with Hashem, saying, "Hashem, why didn't you give me the money that I need? Can you not see how my family is struggling so much now?" Part of where such a response comes from is because one might feel - Hashem owes me; He gave me food yesterday; He gave me money yesterday, why is He suddenly taking it away? And the truth of the matter is that Hashem owes us nothing. Hashem created us, and that itself is a gift, because if He didn't choose to create us, we wouldn't exist. So anything and everything that we receive is actually a gift from Hashem, not something that He owes us.  And if we take this perspective to heart, we will be able to internalize what this verse in Divrei Hayamim means. "Because everything is from you, Hashem, and from your hand we have given back to you." Anything we do throughout our day, throughout our lives, success in our endeavors, and even spiritual success and achievements in endeavors towards serving Hashem, all of our successes and achievements is actually just giving back to Him from the gift that He gave us in the first place. So with this perspective in mind, today Hashem has gifted me with 24 hours. He does not owe me one hour, one minute, nor one second. It is all a gift. Each moment is a gift. So of those 24 hours that Hashem has given me as a free gift, how much makes sense for me to give back to Him in striving to build our personal relationship? Of course we are human beings and limited, and nobody can commit to 24 hours on a daily basis of personal conversation and connection with Hashem. Nevertheless, we ought to think about the 24 hours that Hashem is giving us when striving to make a commitment of how much we are going to try to talk to Hashem on a daily basis for. If I am committing to one minute a day, for many people that would certainly not be respecting Hashem in the right manner. Imagine for a moment a father gives a child a gift of $1 million, and when the time comes for the child to reciprocate and give some sort of gift to the father, the child is stingy and is only prepared to use $1 or $2 to reciprocate. That would obviously be grossly ungrateful. And in the same way, when we internalize that the 24 hours of the day are a complete gift from Hashem in the first place, then for many, committing to a small amount of time might be comparable to that child giving $1 or $2 back. "Hashem, my Father, even though I want to believe that everything You give me is an absolute outright gift, and anything I give back to You is never going to be on par with what You gave to me, nevertheless, Hashem, as usual, emunah is difficult and I have to grow in my belief, because I don't see this, I don't see You. Please help me to internalize that You don't owe me anything, and everything I have in my life is an absolute free gift from You. And therefore, help me, Hashem, to commit to giving You back, whatever I am able to, to my maximum capacity."

We've been discussing how when it comes to talking to Hashem, a basic practical application of emunah, although we might understand logically how it is so obvious and vital for us to talk to Hashem, because if we believe in Him, obviously we should have a personal relationship with Him, and although we might have also had the opportunity to learn what many Torah passages write about how vital and important it is for us to talk to Hashem and build that personal relationship, nevertheless, one of the main deterrents for many people is not because I don't believe Hashem is there, but rather because it is actually very difficult to talk to something I can't see and can't hear, and although in theory I do believe He is there, my belief might not necessarily take me to a place that my experience is as if Hashem is there, and therefore it is difficult for me to talk with sincerity, motivation, and for long periods.  It is a worthwhile thing to do, to make a daily commitment of a certain amount of time that one feels reasonable to having undisturbed time, just Hashem and me together. The reason for this is because when we are motivated, then we might naturally talk to Hashem with sincerity and for longer periods, but we as human beings sometimes go through long periods where we feel unmotivated, and if we do not have a commitment of quality time to be alone with Hashem, when we are not feeling that motivation, we could G-d forbid miss out on the tremendous opportunity to have a constant personal and close relationship with Hashem. Hashem understands that we are human beings and does not expect us to constantly feel motivated, but He also does expect from us to play our part of what we can do, and many people do have the capacity to make commitments in many areas, and one of those certainly could be to make a commitment to talk to Hashem.  For some people it might work to have a set time and place every day where they are undisturbed for a certain amount of time alone with Hashem. For others it might work differently, perhaps different times and different places on a daily basis. What is important to point out is that as a starting point, we need to stop and think about what we know. We've learnt Hashem's perspective - we were created ultimately in order to enjoy the next world, and the way to do so is ultimately by growing in our emunah in this world, and a most basic fundamental of practicing emunah is talking to Hashem. And besides for that, the truth of the matter is that the real conduit to success in whatever endeavor we might be dealing with, with more chance of success than anything else, is to go to the source of all, the Creator of the world, who is constantly involved with regards to every single detail that transpires to every single being, every single moment.  And therefore when choosing to make a commitment, we ought to stop and be sincere with ourselves. Do I sincerely believe that to give Hashem back 5 minutes of my day in personal conversation is sufficient? 20 minutes? 30 minutes? 2 hours? The answer to these questions will obviously vary from individual to individual. If I were to meet an important individual, or perhaps have a first meeting with my potentially future spouse, would I take a phone call during such a session, or would I turn my phone off to make sure I am undisturbed? And when it comes to our commitment to talking to Hashem, we ought to stop and think about what we are committing to. It would make sense for the most part, wherever we are able to, to respect the time that we are committing to, with highest priority.  "Hashem, Creator of the world, please can you help me to be able to commit the maximum amount of time I am able to in personal prayer to you on a daily basis. Please help me to treat this time so respectfully, to make every effort to be undisturbed and talk to you with absolute sincerity. But after all is said and done, Hashem, even if I am not feeling that motivation, I want to have a commitment that always saves me a space to be together, just you and me."

We've been discussing how one of the highest forms of expressing our emunah, belief in HaShem, in a practical way, is to talk to HaShem in our own personal words. And at the same time, how do we deal with the reality that it can be difficult to talk to HaShem, because HaShem is not seen nor heard. And ultimately it comes down to growing more in our emunah, because the more we believe He is there, the more real and obvious it will become to us to take our talking to Him seriously.  On the other hand, the more we talk to HaShem, the more we are able to grow in our emunah, because again, the solution to all problems is reaching out to the source of all, to our Creator. So on the one hand, if we believe more, we will talk more, because we know He is there, and we know He is the only one who can help us. And it's actually absurd to explore other avenues over and above our Creator. But to sincerely internalize this belief is our life's work, and has countless levels. And at the same time, the solution to all problems, always, is to ask HaShem for help. And in this particular area, the problem might be, "I would like to ideally believe more, that HaShem is listening, and sincerely feel the emunah more. However, I don't." So how do I deal with this problem? As mentioned many times, there might be other things we can also do. We can certainly seek inspiration, and perhaps other things that might help us grow in our emunah. But ultimately, over and above everything else, the solution to all problems is to go to the Creator Himself and ask Him to help me in this challenge.  "HaShem, my Father, thank you so much for guiding me towards living a life where I am trying my best to follow the path of emunah. It is such a gift to be able to explore your true perspective, what the Torah teaches us about how to live a true life, and not a life of an imaginary, fake world. This is the real world, the world of emunah. I am trying so hard to grow in my emunah, be it by seeking inspiration, by learning books about emunah, or whatever else. And of course, this being my life's work, HaShem, it is sometimes difficult. I might sometimes have good days in my emunah, and sometimes I drop. And that's okay, because you made me a human being, and you don't expect me to be more than my maximum capacity. And I've also learned about the importance of speaking to you. And in fact, it is so obvious that if you are there, you would want me to have a personal relationship with you, and what an opportunity I have to be able to have a personal relationship with you. Nevertheless, when my emunah is strong, HaShem, then I am able to reach out to you and talk with sincerity, and perhaps even for longer periods, without difficulty, because I actually know that you're listening to me. But when my emunah is feeling shaky, the truth is that it's so difficult to talk to you, HaShem, because I'm struggling to believe that you're there listening to me, even if in theory I know it, I don't really feel it and it's difficult to do something you only know in theory, with passion, meaning, and for a long time. And therefore, I'm asking you, HaShem, help me, please, to grow more in my emunah, to believe that you are listening to me. And perhaps in return, what I could do for you is make a commitment, because although I might not feel the constant inspiration to want to talk to you with dedication and motivation and for long periods, something I can do is to make a commitment of a certain amount of time that I will talk to you every single day, regardless of how I feel. Because I know that if you see me making a commitment from my side, even when I'm feeling uninspired, you from your side could in turn build my emunah and help me to be motivated to what the basic and simple truth is. Thank you, HaShem, for teaching me that you are listening to me and for the gift to talk to you about anything and everything, whenever and wherever I choose to."

We've discussed many times that the Torah commentaries write, that the ultimate way for us to gain our place in the next world is by making our maximum effort to grow in our emunah. We've also mentioned how one of the highest expressions of emunah, belief in Hashem, is to place high focus in our dedication to talking to Hashem in our own words. We've mentioned previously how the Chofetz Chaim writes that the reason tragedies were befalling the people of his time was because although people were accustomed to praying the three prescribed prayers, Shacharis, Mincha and Maariv, nevertheless he was calling on people to also talk to Hashem in their own words multiple times a day, because, as he says, the prescribed prayers are said daily and therefore for many people sometimes become monotonous and lack the real meaning and intention of what a prayer should look like. We've also mentioned what the Sefer Chareidim and the Shelah Hakadosh write, that the effect of this deep connection in the form of secluding oneself away from other people and communing with Hashem alone, talking to Hashem in one's personal words, the effect that this has on one's soul is seven times greater than the effect that Torah study has on one's soul. Anyone who is somewhat familiar with Torah literature will have read many passages about the great value of Torah study. The one that we recite every morning that many are familiar with is that Talmud Torah, the learning of Torah, is equated to all of the mitzvahs put together. Yet we are taught here that the effect of personal prayer, talking to Hashem with sincerity in one's own words, is seven times greater than even that. And there are many other Torah passages throughout Torah literature and Torah commentaries that Bezrat Hashem over time we will have the opportunity to explore together, highlighting the importance of personal prayer with Hashem.  For many people, talking to Hashem in one's own words, especially for longer periods, can be difficult. Of course, the more one grows in one's emunah, the easier that becomes, because one doesn't anymore feel like one is talking to a wall. It can be very difficult to talk to Hashem when one doesn't really believe and feel that He is listening. And our sincerity, dedication, and motivation to talk to Hashem will very much depend on the degree of our belief; not only that He exists and is running the show, but that He is actually listening to every word that I utter, even though I do not hear any response. As we grow in our emunah journey and we try to internalize the belief that Hashem is present and listening to every single thing that I utter, if we stop for a moment and internalize that thought, it will quickly become apparently obvious that we should, ideally, be dedicating a lot of time to talking to Hashem, because why would we go to an alternative address? Nevertheless, after all is said and done, talking to Hashem can be a difficult endeavor, because even though we might be trying to believe that He is listening to us, we nevertheless don't hear a response, and much of the time, perhaps, don't see nor experience any fruits to the prayers we might have made, and therefore it can be very difficult to be motivated to talk to Hashem in our own words.  "Hashem, I know that You are listening to me, but it's also so difficult to be motivated to talk to You in a serious and sincere manner, for longer periods especially, because I don't hear Your responses, and You are not like another human being where I can see You and hear You. I do believe, and I want to believe more, that You are listening to me, but it is also difficult to internalize that belief. Hashem, I'm asking You to guide me to the things that will motivate me to not only grow in my emunah and belief in You, but also take it to the next level, to apply that belief in a practical way, and be sincerely dedicated in talking to You in a serious and sincere way."

Hashem runs the world exclusively, He does not need my help. Nevertheless, I have a commandment to perform the mitzvah of Hishtadlus, to make my own personal effort, although this might seem like an apparent contradiction. As discussed many times, if this is what Hashem commanded us, this is what we do. And the best advice of how to find out what our personal requirement should be, in terms of how much Hishtadlus we ought to make, is to talk to Hashem in our own personal words and ask Him for clarity and guidance. There is a well-known story told about Rav Chaim Volazhinne, the main student of the Vilna Gaon. In times of old, it was a form of medicine and healing to place leeches over one's body. Rav Chaim Volazhinne was once seen with leeches placed over his body, and whilst wearing the leeches, he attended a Torah class by the Vilna Gaon, where one of the concepts that was discussed was how Hashem exclusively runs the world and if one internalizes this emunah, that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in the world and doesn't need our help and Hishtadlus, then sometimes, if we have truly internalized this belief, we might be absolved from our obligation to perform Hishtadlus. And Rav Chaim Volazhinne was so inspired by hearing these words, that although he actually needed these leeches on his body for his health, he then and there decided to remove the leeches from his body, because he now felt no need to show a display of what might seem to be helping Hashem, because he had internalized with absolute clarity that Hashem exclusively is the one controlling every single detail about our health and He doesn't actually need our Hishtadlus. And at that point, because his emunah was so strong, he was now absolved of his obligation to make efforts about his health in this way. And later on, during the same day, Rav Chaim Volazhinne was seen wearing the leeches again and when asked, "didn't you mention earlier that you don't need those leeches anymore, because it was so clear and vivid to you that Hashem runs the world exclusively after we heard those words from the Vilna Gaon? So why are you wearing the leeches again?" And Rav Chaim replied, "earlier on, I was feeling so inspired by the words of the Vilna Gaon that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in the world, it actually felt like a super absurdity for me to try and make any effort in an endeavor and pursuit of my health. However, now, a few hours later, I do not feel that same inspiration and clarity and although, of course, I know that Hashem runs the world exclusively, I nevertheless do not have that same level of absolute clarity of Ein Od Milvado that I achieved earlier today. And right now, I feel that I am not absolved of the mitzvah of Hishtadlus."  To find the exact line in all the areas of our lives is so difficult. We are so privileged to be able to reach out to the One who created us. "Hashem, You are my personal Father, and You can give me my correct perspective. Please Hashem, show me the exact path that would be the ideal course for me to follow in my life."

We've been discussing that truly internalizing emunah, that Hashem exclusively runs the world, can and perhaps should lead to us sometimes being uncomfortable about having to make our own efforts in our endeavors, otherwise known as hishtadlus. There is no black and white law in Torah literature which outlines subjectively how much hishtadlus each and every one of us is required to make and therefore, as discussed previously, what we ought to do is of course learn any Torah literature that might be available, as well as consult Torah leaders - otherwise known as da'as Torah, and ultimately, after everything is said and done, we ought to talk to Hashem with sincerity and ask him to guide us to get it right.  The verse in Tehillim teaches us, Hashem Tzilcha - Hashem is your shadow, and as the commentaries explain, just like the shadow one sees reflects the actual item being portrayed, so if one puts out five fingers, the shadow that reflects will be of five fingers, whereas if one puts out only one finger, the reflecting shadow will be of only one finger. And in the same way, the more emunah and bitachon we opt to live with, the more Hashem comes through for us. So in a sense, the more I grow in my emunah and bitachon endeavor, the less hishtadlus I might be required to make. I saw a nice analogy that helps illustrate this concept. There was once a beggar who did not have enough provisions even for his basic necessities and he would go from door to door asking people for donations. Usually people would donate relatively small amounts. He once approached a well-known wealthy individual and nevertheless received only a small sum. Then there was a second beggar who decided that he was not going to go from door to door asking for money, but rather he went straight to the wealthy individual's house. And upon arrival, he begged him, saying, "I'd really appreciate it and be grateful to you. And if you don't, I may starve and who knows what will become of me. Please help me." And the wealthy individual felt a tremendous responsibility to help the poor man and in the end gave a substantial sum to help him out. The reason the first poor man did not receive the substantial sum like the second poor man is because the wealthy individual realized that this poor man was going to many addresses and in the end, after much effort, although he was receiving small sums from everybody, he might make ends meet after collecting all of his small donations. Whereas the second poor individual made it very clear that he is not going anywhere else and therefore the wealthy individual felt responsible to help out significantly.  And in the same way, Hashem Tzilchah - Hashem is your shadow. When we approach Hashem for help, but in a sense have many backup plans and alternative addresses should Hashem not come through for us, we might be comparable to that first poor individual. And as taught, the way Hashem comes through for us is like a shadow; because we have not relied upon Him exclusively, He might not come through for us in a way where we are able to witness clearly the hand of divine providence. Whereas when we approach HaShem with sincerity, as if He is our only address, then HaShem, so to speak, responds like the wealthy individual who feels completely responsible, because this is the only address. "Hashem, Hishtadlus, is not an easy area to find the right balance. And I ask you to help me out to fulfill this mitzvah in the right way. At the same time, I ask you to help me in my endeavor to grow with sincere emunah and believe in you and live my life in a way that you are my only go-to address."

We've been discussing the seemingly absurd mitzvah of Hishtadlus, because again, if Hashem runs every detail of the world exclusively as Emunah teaches us, my job is actually seemingly to do the opposite, to internalize that I don't need to help Hashem. So why then, Hashem, did You command me to make my own effort to perform Hishtadlus, to try to succeed in my endeavors? We've discussed that the basic reason we perform Hishtadlus is not because of our understanding of the mitzvah, but rather just because He said so. We believe in Hashem, and although it might seem like an apparent contradiction that on the one hand we are called on to believe Hashem exclusively runs every detail and internalize that belief, and on the other hand we are called on to make our maximum effort to do what seemingly seems like we are helping Hashem, which sometimes could appear to be the antithesis of Emunah. We've mentioned previously that some Torah commentaries nevertheless do offer some reason as to why Hashem would have commanded us in this seemingly absurd mitzvah, and they explain that by Hashem commanding us to perform the mitzvah of Hishtadlus, He is actually providing us with an opportunity to grow more in our Emunah. Because by us performing an act which seems to contradict everything we know about Emunah - it seems to be like I am making it happen now and it's not HaShem - I nevertheless now have a chance to overcome what seemingly meets the eye. Although it might appear like Hashem is not orchestrating the details to my life, nevertheless the truth of the matter is that yes, we might have a mitzvah to perform the Hishtadlus, but we also have a mitzvah to internalize that our Hishtadlus is completely disconnected from the results we might think we are achieving, because only Hashem sends us our results. The money I make, the recovery from illness, finding one's soulmate, resolving a relationship issue or whatever other area one might be dealing with, only Hashem exclusively pulls every single string. The difficult question becomes how much Hishtadlus should I contribute to the situation, and as discussed previously, if I make too little Hishtadlus, that is just being lazy, forgoing my obligation and mitzvah to perform Hishtadlus, which is certainly wrong, and if I do too much Hishtadlus, that can borderline idol worship many a time, as discussed. So how much Hishtadlus am I required to make? Some Torah commentaries explain that the litmus test to help us determine how much Hishtadlus we might be required to make depends on what makes us feel comfortable in the situation that we are not relying on an outright open miracle. So for example, if I am looking for a marriage partner, and I decide I'm not going to make any personal effort whatsoever, I'm just going to continue with my own endeavors without making any active effort in finding a spouse, and let's say one day somehow my destined spouse would arrive at the door of my house without me having made any effort, and after witnessing that situation, I would get the shock of my life and talk about this open miracle for the rest of my life, that would be an indication that I have not done enough Hishtadlus in this particular situation. Whereas let's say that I have made only one phone call in my endeavor to find my respective spouse, and although others might suggest that I ought to make more phone calls because having made just one phone call is not enough of a Hishtadlus - of an effort, for some people that Hishtadlus could be enough, because if one would see success in finding their spouse from that situation, it won't now be considered in their eyes as an absolute open miracle.  Ultimately of course, seeing as Emunah is our life's work, and getting the right balance of Hishtadlus is perhaps one of the most difficult mitzvahs. As discussed, the wisest thing to do is to ask Hashem for clarity. "Hashem, please guide me in the right direction of how much Hishtadlus to make, not too much, not too little, but just exactly what you require of me."

Seeing as our life's work is to internalize the meaning of the words Ein Od Milvado - there is nothing else in the world except for Hashem - not just to know Emunah in our heads, but to truly grow in internalizing the Emunah in our hearts and in the very core of our beings, it is worth revisiting a question we've discussed previously.  If Hashem runs the world exclusively, why do I need to try make any effort in what looks like I am trying to help Him, otherwise known as Hishtadlus? Whether trying to contribute and help Hashem in order to make money, or perhaps for a sick person who is trying to get better, where one might make an effort to go to a doctor or take medication, or whatever other area one might be dealing with, if Hashem runs the world exclusively, why am I called on to make any effort whatsoever?  It is important to ask this question and perhaps even be slightly disturbed by this question, because again, the more that we internalize the Emunah that we learn, the more we sincerely try to live by its values. It's not just a theoretical subject of something interesting that we learn about and then move on with our lives the way we might be used to living them. Growth in Emunah is about taking the concepts that we have learned and making our own efforts to grow in our personal lives in a practical way. So if Hashem runs the world exclusively, why do I need to do Hishtadlus? Why do I need to try make an effort to help Hashem out? I am trying to grow in my belief that Hashem exclusively is running the show, so it is difficult for me to understand why I should be needed to do anything.  As mentioned previously, the simple answer to this question is just because Hashem told us to do the mitzvah of Hishtadlus. Whether we understand it or not does not change our commitment to Hashem's mitzvahs. Although Hashem has commanded us to believe in Him and grow in our Emunah and Bitachon and treat our pursuit of sincere Emunah with highest priority, nevertheless He has also commanded us to perform the mitzvah of Hishtadlus. And therefore, if I am sick and I take medication, I am not going against Hashem's will by doing so. Rather, I am fulfilling the mitzvah that He has commanded me to make an effort, whilst of course at the same time remembering what the Torah commentaries teach us about Hishtadlus, that the Hishtadlus that we make is completely disconnected from the final result that we achieve, meaning to say, the medicine that I am taking is not the conduit to making me better. The only thing that can make me better is Hashem, and at the same time, I have a mitzvah to live with a contradiction that I am nevertheless required to make an effort. So the simple and most core reason for us fulfilling the mitzvah of Hishtadlus is just because Hashem told us to.  The more we explore what the Torah sources and great sages have said about and how they related to Hishtadlus, the more we will be able to bridge the gap of being able to live a life of absolute emunah, whilst at the same time being able to fulfill the seeming contradiction of the mitzvah to perform Hishtadlus. "Hashem, I am asking You to please guide us to have clarity in how to reconcile these concepts. I have made it a priority in my life to try my best to internalize the concepts of emunah, and I know that if I relate to Hishtadlus in the wrong way, it can certainly be detrimental to my emunah, because I might be led to think that You are not exclusively running the show, God forbid. Please Hashem, help us to gain insight and Your true perspective."

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."

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

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