Emuna Hour

If you've ever heard of Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, you've likely heard of hitbodedut, or secluded personal prayer. It sounds like a wonderful idea, but where does one begin? This lesson shows how you can have a private audience with the Almighty and pour your heart out to Him, anywhere, anytime.

The Zohar teaches that where there is a lack of compassion, stern judgment takes over and spills the blood of Moshiach. When the Israelites entered the Land of Israel after 210 years of slavery in Egypt and another forty years of wandering in the desert, they were preoccupied with establishing their own estates. They forgot about compassion, one of Torah's principal requirements of them. Ruth's mission on earth was to bring Chesed, or compassion, back to Israel, and with it to bring Moshiach. Therefore, Ruth is not only the great-grandmother of Moshiach but the key to the rectification of the entire world.

A person with strong emuna can virtually override natural laws through prayer. This is the language of emuna that equals prophecy and can even shape reality. The Torah is full of examples, as we are about to see.

Since the Creator alone does, does, and will do everything, then why pray? If everything is predetermined, then what difference do my prayers make? Let's get some answers...

How valuable is a word of prayer? Imagine also that 2-karat diamonds are scattered all over the pavement of a downtown sidewalk. There are so many of these gemstones that people treat them with the same indifference as they would pebbles. This is no exaggeration; it might even be the understatement of the decade...

The Seder night is when we tell the story of our Exodus from Egypt. This is one of the Torah's 613 commandments that one can fulfill only once a year on the first night of Passover. The Zohar and the Gemara laud the amazing attributes of this mitzvah. It strengthens emuna and solidifies the family. In addition, it enhances one's inner joy, especially when we tell of the Exodus as if we were there...

The account of the four sons in the Passover Haggadah is like a kaleidoscope where we see many different images. We see how four general types of people relate to emuna. What's more, we learn about four facets that are in each of us. As such, the Passover Seder and the story of the Exodus are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.

When Moses delivered Hashem's message of "Let My people go" to Pharaoh, the Egyptian king retorted, "Who is Hashem that I should listen to Him? Besides, I've never heard of Hashem before" (Exodus 5:2). With such unprecedented arrogance, Pharaoh was inviting punishment.

Passover is a story of emuna. Many things we are about to say sound like outright exaggerations to the logical 21st-century ear. Yet, emuna is beyond logic. Our entire history defies logic.

Gravity and natural ability are very similar. Both are strong limiting forces. But pull us down. Yet, we can overcome by applying a sustained upward force that is greater than their downward pull…

Did you ever wonder how a little 105-pound Korean Karate specialist can break a whole stack of bricks? We can utilize his same technique to obliterate any obstacles that stand in the way of our goal, but we won't need a fist...

Don't let anyone in the world discourage you from pursuing your goal. Putting your own dreams and aspirations aside while bending to the will of others is a formula for frustration and bitterness. People-pleasers are never happy, nor do they rise above mediocrity…