Emuna Beams

Israel is now in a situation where no viable solution is in sight. Any massive attack on Hamas central command endangers the hostages, whom the terrorists use as a human shield. Negotiating with Hamas simply perpetuates their power. What do you do in such a situation? This is the same exact predicament that Israel was in at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. See how the Torah is the blueprint for current events, especially this week.

Here's a miraculous story about a geriatric nurse in the south of Israel. By a few seconds, she avoided the swarm of Hamas terrorists that invaded her town of Ofakim on the infamous day of October 7, 2023. A paper cup saved her life...

Emuna is above nature. Prayer is also above nature and defies nature. Emuna and prayer are one entity. Miracles too are above nature. So, with emuna and prayer, miracles are natural.

When an infantry squad is pinned down from massive enemy fire, it calls in air or artillery support. When an emergency in life pins us down, we can do even better and follow King David's advice. We call out for Divine support…

The Principles of Emuna guarantee free choice for each one of us. Without free choice, there can be no context for reward and punishment. With that in mind, how could the Almighty strip Pharoah of his free choice? Also, what would have happened if the Ten Plagues and the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh were current events? How would Biden, Blinken and the rest of the world react?

We say over one hundred blessings every day. There's a blessing for waking up in the morning. We recite another blessing before going to sleep at night. Everything we eat and drink requires a blessing. Then, there are additional blessings when we finish eating. After answering the call of nature, there is a required blessing. We haven't yet scratched the surface. What's the purpose of so many blessings? 

In our concluding lesson of Torah 2, we learn the connection between the purity of speech and personal happiness. Both are connected to the Sabbath and to the notion of gratitude. We also learn how to attain all four levels of upright speech.

King David had one main preparation for battle – Psalm 18. And, when the battle was over, he had one mode of debriefing – Psalm 18. In fact, Psalm 18 was his secret weapon. It worked for King David and it can work for all of us.

Gratitude is one of the most vital - if not the most vital - character trait a person could have. It's the key to happiness and to faith. So much so, that the Almighty personally taught Moses how very profound gratitude is. We see this lesson in this week's Torah portion, Va'era.

When we say the "Shema" prayer - our declaration of faith in Hashem, we cover our eyes. But why? What's the significance? Since we're not robots, we should understand what we're doing and why. Let's therefore get some answers...

Expressing gratitude reveals the light of truth, for gratitude is truth. Going a step further, Rebbe Nachman teaches us that truth perfects our speech. In that respect, gratitude leads to perfect speech.

What do you do when your heart is breaking? How do you cope when you feel all alone and no one understands what you're up against? Pick up King David's Psalms. King David dealt with the same challenges you deal with now. He has the right words for you, especially in Psalms 14 – 17.