Emuna Beams

No one can say they don't have a private place to speak to Hashem. Not only can you speak to Him in the subway or aboard a crowded flight, but you can even scream out to Him in a way that no one will hear…

"It was only a joke!" These are the famous last words of the malicious individuals who laugh and joke at the expense of others. Hashem reads a person's heart and knows exactly what his or her intent was. While exploring Rebbe Nachman's famous tale, "The Humble King," we learn an important lesson about Elul and self-evaluation as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah.

What determines whether life is heaven on earth or a jungle? How do we create a livable environment? It all depends on how we live our lives...

A person desires to get close to Hashem. All of a sudden, he or she sees barriers in life that they never had to deal with before. They often lose hope, as if Hashem is pushing them away. Could that be?

This exciting story is a translation and adaptation of an old Chassidic parable, first told by Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev some 250 years ago. Last year, the Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a retold in the original Yiddish at his Shabbat table. Hidden within the parable are the secrets of the shofar, Elul, and Rosh Hashanah.

Nations and the media accuse us of disproportionate responses. Hashem runs the world measure for measure. Could it be that we unjustly accuse Him of the same? Here is an important message for the upcoming month of Elul.

Rebbe Nachman teaches that a person must always remember that he or she is Hashem's beloved child. We can take advantage of this status and speak to Him whenever we like. Such a privilege is the product of His unconditional love for each of us.

Joy is a person's primary remedy in life. We find joy beyond our intellect, in the realm of emuna. There, we discover that Hashem loves each of us unconditionally. His love knows no limits, and there are no boundaries to his compassion, mercy, and loving-kindness.

When it's stormy outside, or under fire when the bombs are falling, in other words, when life is a rocky road, a person learns very quickly who his or her true friends are. That's not the case when you're on top of the world. Then, all the fair-weather friends pop up like mushrooms after the rain...

Rebbe Nachman says that worldly pleasures are like sunbeams in a dark room. They may actually seem solid, but he who tries to grab the dust motes from the sunbeam finds nothing in his hand. The same is true of all worldly desires…

The Almighty gave us eyes, not only for physical eyesight, but to observe and pay attention to what we see.

I don't know how to express my concern for my beloved country that is now the victim of unprecedented intramural hate and discord, so I invented Old Charlie. He's the type of leader we need, especially now.