Emuna Hour

There are two distinct and seemingly contradictory approaches to what constitutes bitachon, complete trust in G-d. Approach A says that that bitachon is the confidence that Hashem will do for a person whatever he or she needs. Approach B say that bitachon has nothing to do with what an individual needs or desires. Indeed, it is the calm acceptance of whatever Hashem does, no matter how uncomfortable it might be. Which approach is right?

When a person knows that Hashem is omniscient and all-powerful, he or she readily leans on Hashem. Total reliance on Hashem in leads to true tranquility of the soul. That's happiness and that's bitachon, the power of trusting in Hashem, the subject of our new series.

The 13th Principle of Emuna is our belief that death as we know it today is a passing stage. It is definitely not terminal, for we believe in the resurrection of the dead. This principle is so very important that we allude to it six times in the initial three-benediction section of the Amidah prayer, which we recite every single day, weekdays, Sabbath and festivals…

Hashem grants mankind the free will to do good or evil, for there can be no concept of reward and punishment outside the context of free choice. Therefore, there cannot be the slightest coercion in either direction. Simply speaking, it's your choice.

This is the belief in Hashem's omniscience. Since His Divine Direction determines everything, no thought, utterance or occurrence in the universe is unknown to Him. Learn all about the Divine GPS...

Hashem fashioned the entire universe and everything in it from the greatest macro to the tiniest micro in accordance to His Torah. Therefore, if the Torah would be rescinded or replaced, the world would cease to exist. Not only the blueprint of creation, the Torah is the sustenance of creation as well.

The 7th and 8th Principles of Emuna are closely related. Whereas the 7th is our belief in the prophecy of Moses, our 8th is the belief that the Torah we have today is the same one that the Almighty gave to Moses atop Mount Sinai.

The Creator defies time and space. He is infinite and eternal, preceding the beginning of time and existing forever even after the end of time. Learning this vital principle of emuna is conducive to inner peace and longevity.

Ein Od Milvado - there is no one but Him. Hashem is everything. We need not look anywhere else for anything we need in material or spiritual abundance and salvation. For anyone who yearns for inner peace, Hashem is your one-stop shopping address. Today's lesson teaches us the first of the 13 Principles of Emuna.

Why bother learning emuna? Why bother searching for truth at all? What difference does either make? Modern society says, "Let me enjoy my life and don't bother me with the details." The problem with that type of attitude is that a life oriented toward appetite – fulfillment and material enjoyment - never attains what it seeks, let alone lasting happiness and fulfillment.

No other creation in the universe has the attribute of free choice, for no other creation has a Divine soul, a human soul and an animal soul. By learning the anatomy of free choice, we see how the human can rise higher than an angel or lower than a beast of burden.

Only seven short weeks prior, the People of Israel were still slaves in Egypt. But now, they willingly accepted a different type of servitude, accepting the yoke of the Torah and its commandments. They had no idea of what to expect. Three Hebrew words changed the course of history. The greatest sound and light show that the universe ever saw was about to begin…