Emuna

Principle 1: I believe with complete belief that the Creator, blessed be His Name, is Creator and Director of all the creations, and He alone did, does and will do every deed.
This is the belief in the existence of the Creator and that He is the life force behind all of creation; nothing can exist without His will, from the mega-galaxies to the tiniest electron. The Creator makes everything happen and nothing can happen or exist against His will or without Him.

We're delighted to share the replay of the Emuna Hour with Rabbi Lazer Brody this past Wednesday, 4 Nov., 2020. It's called "The Search for Truth," a guide to finding joy and purpose in life.

Derech Avot, "The Way of the Forefathers," is the ancient road between Hevron and Jerusalem used to make pilgrimage to our Holy Temple from the south. On the way, there are a series of ritual baths - mikvas - that pilgrims would use to purify themselves. Rabbi Lazer Brody shows the remarkable lesson we learn here, for we're not just talking about a "way" to travel along, but a way to live our lives.

Rabbi Lazer Brody tells the story of the village of Etri in the Judean Hills from the time of the Second Temple and its heroic fall to the Romans in 135 CE; featuring special guest Menachem Herman. "Belief in Hashem, no matter what the adversity, is the greatest freedom there is."

This is our debut of Emuna Hour, our new weekly shiur on Zoom that helps us learn and internalize the principles of emuna. The mp3 is unedited, so you can hear how Nazis and hate-spammers tried to crash the shiur between minutes 17:00 and 18:30.

Ask anyone you like, Jewish or not, if they believe in God. Most people will answer in the affirmative. Now, ask one of the people who told you that they believe in God, what it means to believe in God. Few will give you a clear answer.
G-d willing, our new weekly classes on Zoom, entitled "Emuna Hour", will change all that. Join us on Zoom or own Facebook Live every Wednesday at 8:30 PM Israel Time. Here's your personal invitation:
Topic: Emuna HourTime: Wednesday, Oct 21, 2020 08:30 PM Jerusalem / 1:30 PM NYCJoin Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/86574581688?pwd=aWR0elVBYmF6K2NnV3RrWTBrNEZ5QT09
Meeting ID: 865 7458 1688Passcode: Emuna1
FB live: facebook.com/lazerbrody or facebook.com/groups/22531953392
Join us!

In times of super stress like now, where the pandemic is challenging a person's health, income and state of mind, it's so very important to set aside a weekly hour for the soul.

Our sages all through the Gemara juxtapose Jerusalem and Rome – when one succeeds, the other fails; when one rises, the other falls. This is the same battle between faith and fate, and it's the secret of Rosh Hashanah, when the outcome of our entire coming year is determined, as we see in the current events that manifest themselves, such as Coronavirus.

Sometimes, a body suffers but doesn't know why. Is it a virus, a bacteria, some other destructive organism? In similar manner, the soul suffers too and also doesn't know why, but the person is inexplicably down or depressed for no apparent reason. More times than not, the culprit is jealousy, when a person sees him/herself as less successful than someone else. Jealousy is a lot more rampant than Coronavirus; what's worse, social distancing, masks and washing your hands can't prevent it. But, today's podcast can - hear this and with Hashem's help,  you'll feel much better.

Who doesn't want more love in their lives? Now is the time to get it.

This is the emuna rendition of Elton John's "Candle in the Wind"Arrangement, music and vocal: David DomeLyrics: Rabbi Lazer Brody

This old Jewish parable helps us prepare for a wonderful New Year, with advice that's good for all of us, no matter who we are.