Lazer Beams

Choosing the Emuna option

We all have seemingly insurmountable problems. Many of them have no logical solution. Here's a typical example:

John earns $65,000 annually. His minimal living expenses total $70,000. He already owes $40,000, and he foresees his debt increasing by $5000 per year, even before considering the interest he'll have to pay. According to logic, John has no hope; if he views his own situation from "logical" eyes, then he's a candidate for despair, depression, and even worse. He may come to the point where he won't even be able to earn his $65,000 any more, and then his situation will become much worse.

John is undergoing a spiritual test: He now has the option of succumbing to negative thoughts of hopelessness; in such a situation, his life becomes imbearable. On the other hand, he has the option of believing that The Almighty runs the universe, and that there is no situation in the world that warrants despair. Why? The Almighty can send John, or anyone else, a myriad of solutions, which we call a "personal salvation" - financial or otherwise - at any given moment, via an untold number of messengers or circumstances that a human imagination can't even fathom. Nothing is beyond G-d's capabilities.

In a seemingly no-win situation, our job is to strengthen ourselves in emuna. Here's what we need to tell ourselves: "Hashem has put me in a difficult situation because He loves me, and He wants me to call out to Him in prayer. He wants me to trust Him, and not to trust my boss, the bank manager, my own feeble mind, or anyone else. He wants me to strengthen my faith in Him, and believe that He will surely help me." As soon as we choose the faith option, a miraculous personal salvation is close by. For The Almighty, miracles are natural.

The emuna option turns defeat into victory, and despair into joy. Try it. No-win situations are the story of our people. King Solomon promises that we'll have the last laugh, vatischak leyom acharon...

Have a sweet, worry-free weekend.

Emuna and Gratitude in Every Limb

Today's video replay of our weekly emuna lesson at the Chut Shel Chesed Yeshiva in Jerusalem elaborates on the "Nishmat" prayer, on Likutei Moharan Torah 91 (first section), and on the reason an Ammonite and Moabite can never be accepted as converts. Our 45-minute lesson is entitled Emuna and Gratitude in Every Limb. Enjoy it!

The Story of King Chizkiyahu

Hashem wants to redeem us, just as He rescued Chizkiyahu from the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem, as told in the the Book of Kings II, Chapter 19 (also Isaiah, Chapter 37), to teach us what it means to trust in Hashem:

Habakuk the Prophet

As part of our "Land of Israel" series, we go north to the Galilee to visit the holy gravesite of Habakuk the Prophet, who said: "The tzaddik shall live by his emuna."

Rabbenu Bachiya: Duties of the Heart

Now that it's Elul and only 4 weeks from Rosh Hashana, we take you on a trip to the Upper Galilee to see what we can learn from the holy gravesite of Rabbenu Bachiya, author of the classic "Chovot HaLevavot" (Duties of the Heart):

Here's wishing you a wonderful Shabbat Shoftim!

Taking Stock

Breslev Israel is delighted to introduce website #5, our new German-language Breslev Israel web magazine. Rav Shalom Arush says that this is a giant step toward Geula and wiping out Amalek. Happy is the fortunate individual that will have the privilege of helping to spread emuna around the world in five languages - Hebrew, English, Spanish, French, and German - with our new site in Russian almost completed as well. Rav Shalom told me today that nothing has the power of mitigating stern judgments like spreading emuna in the world. We here at the Beams send special blessings to Rabbi Yosef Nechama, General Director of Breslev Israel, and to Rabbi David Kraus, Breslev Israel's German-language editor, for big success in the new web magazine.

This weeks' emuna lesson is Taking Stock, a vital lesson for Elul and for preparing for Rosh Hashana.

Where is Moshiach?

Where is Moshiach? That and a few more important questions are answered in the following 9-minute clip: