Emuna Hour

Our souls are tiny sparks of the Creator. We call Him "Father in Heaven" because we all inherit His spiritual DNA. Each of us has the potential of greatness and righteousness. Snuffing out a human soul is tantamount to destroying an entire universe. It's as if the murderer extinguishes a spark of Godliness, Heaven forbid.

Maybe you're thinking that this commandment is superfluous. A decent person asks himself, "Who in his right mind would blaspheme? Who could possibly be so blatantly insolent that they'd curse the Almighty?" You'd be surprised...

Since emuna and idolatry are mutually exclusive, the first Noahide Law that prohibits idolatry is actually a law that obligates emuna. Without emuna, a person is vulnerable to all types of idolatry, some in very subtle forms. In spirituality, there is no vacuum; where there's no emuna, idolatry fills the void.

Today's lesson teaches how emuna deeply permeates each of the 7 Noahide Laws. Were it not for emuna, the pure and complete belief in the Almighty, one's observance of the Noahide Laws would be ever so weak, vulnerable to persuasion and political correctness.

An automobile company's new-car warranty is only valid if the owner cares for car as stipulated in the owner's manual. But if the owner never reads the manual, how can he or she know how to care for the car? For sure, they can expect problems. The same goes for the soul, which is much more intricate than an automobile. Today's lesson introduces us to the Seven Noahide Laws, the owner's manual for the maintenance of a smooth-running soul.

Imagine the tragedy of throwing away a rare vintage acoustical guitar simply because it's out of tune. Even more tragic is disposing of a soulmate because the relationship is out of tune. Here's a time-tested way to return the harmony to a marriage. And, if there never was a harmonious relationship, we learn here how to build one.

Proper, positive and successful speech communication is critically important in building a bond of emuna. There cannot be a viable and lasting relationship without it.

How do two soulmates merge? What holds them together? Today's lesson provides a deep insight into the soul itself and the way it connects with its mate.

In Kabbalistic teachings, we learn that a man receives his income by virtue of the illumination of his wife's soul. He must act like the sun and shine brightly on her. She is identical to the moon. Even her bodily rhythm is lunar. And like the moon, she does great things with the light she gets from the sun. Today's lesson provides a much deeper understanding of the marital relationship.

"Beholden" is a synonym for "grateful". The Oxford Dictionary defines beholden as, "Owing thanks or having a duty to someone in return for help or a service." The sample sentence the dictionary uses is, "I don't like to be beholden to anybody." An attitude like that in a relationship is devastating, whether it's a relationship with the Almighty or with your spouse. Grateful people are never bitter but bitter people are never grateful.

Since Abraham, the first monotheist, the war against emuna has been never-ending. There are times in history when the vast majority of Jews succumbed to political correctness and assimilation at the expense of their faith. One such time was nearly 2300 years ago, when the Seleucid monarch Antiochus IV tried to Hellenize all of Judea. He nearly succeeded, but the Maccabees foiled his plan. Today's Emuna Hour scans the War of Emuna and tells the story of Chanukah. This story continues to this day.

True love is a bond of emuna, an unbreakable lasting connection between two souls. Whereas infatuation is bodily and physical, true love and friendship are spiritual. We learn all about building a successful marital relationship from the dove...