A man told me he believes Hashem runs the world, but sometimes he has a problem fully internalizing it. It's especially challenging when he sees what appears to his mind to be a direct contradiction to that belief. He then told me about an incident that he once experienced. He owns an apartment building and at one time he was having difficulty with…

In this week's parasha , Yitro exclaimed, " Now I see how great Hashem is, ' כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם '" Rashi explains that Yitro recognized how Hashem made the Egyptians suffer in the very same way they had tormented the Jewish people. He knew that the Egyptians had drowned Jewish babies, and now, at the miracle of Kriyat Yam Suf , they perished thr…

After theeighth makah , Pharaoh told Moshe that the Jewish People could go,but they had to leave back their animals. Moshe replied they were going to goand take everything with them, because לא נדע מה נעבוד את ה' עד בואנו שמה– hesaid we will not know what we need to serve Hashem until we get there. Someexplain this pasuk homiletically as saying, we…

Living Emunah 2712 The Depth of Hashgacha Everything that happens in this world is precisely calculated and orchestrated by Hashem. Even the simplest interactions in our daily lives—those that seem to follow the natural course of events—are, in reality, entirely governed by hashgachat Hashem . There is nothing "natural" about what happens in our li…

A man recently reached out to me for chizuk after receiving the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with a serious illness. That very same day, I had heard two incredible stories about people who had faced life-threatening illnesses and experienced miraculous recoveries. I immediately recalled yet another story that a rabbi had shared years…

Learning emunah means learning about who Hashem is and how He interacts with us. If we truly want to understand Hashem, we must also learn what His will is. Often, we make assumptions about what Hashem wants, but in most cases, His will is not something we can determine on our own—it must be taught to us. For example, a person might think that givi…

In this week's parasha , B'shalach , we read about monumental events, including Kriyat Yam Suf and the battle against Amalek. Yet this Shabbat is called Shabbat Shira —the Shabbat of Song—named after the song of gratitude that Bnei Yisrael sang upon being saved from the Egyptians. This highlights the immense power of expressing sincere gratitude to…

Trying to get into yeshiva or seminary can be very stressful. There are many applicants and only limited spots and, unfortunately, people have to get rejected. One of the ways in which a person can give himself an edge is by working on his bitachon in Hashem. The pasuk tells us, someone who is bote'ach b'Hashem is surrounded by Hashem's kindness. I…

Last week, we discussed how Hashem can provide a home for someone even if they lack the financial means to afford it. We shared a story about a man who accepted upon himself to completely remove business matters from his mind on Shabbat, and miraculously, he received all the money he needed from various sources. Since then, I was told an incredible…

If we had the ability to see what every mitzva accomplishes, we would want to do nothing else but mitzvot . To preserve our free will, Hashem does not reveal the full impact of our mitzvot in this world. The true reward is reserved for the World to Come. However, there are times when Hashem allows us to see dividends of our mitzvot in this world as…

When we show compassion to others and go out of our way to help people, it awakens Hashem's mercy upon us. While our motivation for helping others should never be for the reward, like all mitzvot, Hashem rewards every effort we make in doing His will. Often, we don't realize how a small act of chesed can have a profound impact on someone's life. A …

In this week's parasha , the Torah, in two different places, mentions the fact that when the Jewish people were leaving Egypt, Hashem gave them חן in the eyes of the Mitzrim , and the Mitzrim gave them their gold and silver and clothing. In parashat Shemot as well, the Torah repeats the same thing. Why was this such an important fact that the Torah…

The Chovot HaLevavot , in Sha'ar Cheshbon HaNefesh (Chapter 3), teaches that no one in this world can give us anything unless Hashem wills it. Even if a person was the only one in the world, he would not possess a single thing more than what Hashem decreed for him. And even if the world's population doubled, he would not have one possession less th…

People often say, "Baruch Hashem, we're able to get by with our daily expenses, but we don't have enough to afford moving into a house." Some people have lived in small apartments with large families for years, dreaming of the day they can move into a more spacious home. Hashem has countless ways to provide a person with a home. He can lead them to…

One of the reasons we don't fully appreciate Hashem as much as we should is because, even when we receive clear blessings, we tend to attribute them to the people who gave them to us directly. We often fail to internalize that these people are merely Hashem's messengers. The Chovot HaLevavot , in Sha'ar HaBitachon , writes that Hashem has more love…

Those who understand that hishtadlut is merely a way of camouflaging Hashem's involvement—and that He alone brings results—make Hashem's will their top priority when deciding what hishtadlut to undertake. The Sefer Sas B'Imratecha shares the story of a man in desperate need of a $6,000 loan. He made an appointment at a gemach that was open only one…

In this week's parasha , Va'era , we read about the makot that Hashem sent upon the Egyptians. These upcoming parshiyot describing Yetziat Mitzrayim form the foundation of our emunah in Hashem. It is here that Hashem demonstrated to the world that He is actively involved in every aspect of life. On Pesach, we drink four cups of wine corresponding t…

The Midrash in parashat V'Etchanan says a person should be happier with his yissurin – afflictions – more than when he receives open good because yissurin cleanses a person and gets rid of his averot . The Yalkut Shimoni in Tehillim says a person should thank Hashem when yissurin befall him because yissurin bring a person much closer to Hashem. At …

Sometimes in order for a person to receive a yeshua , he first has to go through a period of kapara and then, from that difficulty, Hashem sends the salvation. If a person knows that perhaps the difficulty he is going through is preparing him to receive a blessing, it will be easier to handle. In fact, the Gemara says in Masechet Taanit , daf 20, i…

The Gemara in Masechet Berachot teaches that whoever recites Tehilla L'David (Ashreh) three times a day, praising Hashem, is a ben Olam Haba . Yet the same Gemara states that one who recites Hallel daily is considered a blasphemer. We know Hallel is one of the greatest praises, so how can this be understood? The Meshech Chochmah in Parashat Bechuko…

After Moshe was placed in a basket in the Nile River, the pasuk states: ותתצב אחתו מרחק לדעה מה־יעשה לו "His sister stood from afar to see what would happen to him." The Midrash explains that the entire pasuk uses language referring to the Shechina , as if to say that it was Hashem Himself who was standing from afar, watching over Moshe. What is th…

The pasuk says in this week's Parasha, Shemot, that Pharaoh decreed all the Jewish baby boys should be thrown into the Yeor . But the Torah testifies that the Jewish midwives feared Hashem and did not listen to Pharaoh, but rather they kept the babies alive. The Chafetz Chayim asked, the words, "ותחיינה את הילדים," that they kept the babies alive, …

Hashem speaks to us all the time. We need to be aware and keep our eyes and ears open for His messages. Sometimes a person needs a yeshuah and seeks something to improve on as a zechut . It's possible that Hashem will convey what he needs to work on in a subtle way, but he must be vigilant and on the lookout for the message. A 7th-grade rebbe share…

If someone has been making hishtadlut in a certain area for a long time but hasn't seen success, there is a segula attributed to Rav Chaim Palachi that can work wonders. Whether the hishtadlut pertains to shidduchim , parnasa , health, or any other matter, strengthening one's bitachon in the following way can bring great siyata dishmaya . The pract…

If a person gets taken advantage of or is wronged by another individual or business and then the person sees how much that other individual or business is flourishing as a result, he may begin to feel that it pays to do the wrong thing because those who do, get away with it and enjoy from it. But there could be nothing further from the truth. The M…