Emuna Beams

During the difficult years of the Communist Revolution in Russia, the town's rabbi died. The elders of the town wanted the rabbi's son to inherit the position of town rabbi, whereas the young people of the town wanted a stronger, more forceful individual who understands the challenges of the generation. The arguing sides took their case to the Chofetz Chaim; the holy Chofetz Chaim's answer describes the exact type of leader we need today.

Some people look at themselves in a negative light and think that they're unworthy of serving the Almighty, maybe because they've been in such low places and done such kinky things that they think Hashem doesn't want anything to do with them at all. Or, maybe they were born into an observant family and at some point fell off the path, and they think that the Almighty is angry at them; they fear that their Father in Heaven will reject them. Both groups are utterly wrong, as Rabbi Lazer explains in today's podcast with one of his original parables.

When you feel good about yourself, other people will feel good about you. There are three ways to pursue happiness and to build a healthy self-image: strengthening the body, strengthening the soul, or to understand that body and soul are inseparable and to strengthen both simultaneously. Today's Emuna Beam teaches us how to do that.

Emuna Beams looks at current events from an emuna perspective. King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes that there's nothing new under the sun. How does that possibly corroborate Google Search and other technological nuances? How does King Solomon's nothing new under the sun synch with today's news, both in Israel and abroad, especially the USA? Today's podcast searches for the answers.

Despite all the righteous men in our history, we learn the proper and best way to pray from Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel. Hannah's type of prayer overrides nature. This is encouraging and enlightening...

There isn't a single one of us that doesn't have a problem that hurts. To understand why, we must look at our spiritual health. We are all limbs of the whole body known as the Jewish People. Oftentimes, the pain in a limb is pain that has been radiated from the heart. In that vein, our individual problems are radiated from our national heart, Jerusalem and the Beit Hamikdash.

On Saturday night, Dec. 28, 2019, a masked assailant stormed into Rabbi Rottenberg's synagogue on Forshay Avenue in Monsey during the lighting of Chanukah candles. Wielding a machete, he wounded five people, three of whom are in critical condition. The "Emuna News" division of Emuna Beams gives us a spiritual perspective on the attack.

Emuna Beams is privileged to host the Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a, one of the Jewish world's most highly regarded scholars and the epitome of upright character and holiness, a great grandson of the Baal Shem Tov and son-after-son of the holy and legendary Rebbe Michel'e of Zlatchov. The Melitzer offers some encouraging thoughts for spiritual strengthening, especially during Chanukah.

Today's podcast has a double message, one for parents and one for children, including young adults and married children. Love is not about things, but about togetherness. In parenting, there is never enough love. A child doesn't become spoiled from an excess of love, but from a sense of entitlement, when he or she thinks that they are entitled to whatever they want. We learn what good parenting really is from our Father in Heaven...

For those who don't yet know us, we are delighted to introduce ourselves: Emuna Beams, the daily soul-strength vitamin podcast with Rabbi Lazer Brody.

Before you can make others happy, you have to make yourself happy. That's not egotism, but a requisite to emotional health. Therefore, don't do anything unless you want to and it makes you happy. There is, though, one significant exception to that rule - if someone saved your life, you'd be an ingrate by saying, "I don't feel like doing a small favor for that person." Don't forget gratitude...

There are two ways to wake a slumbering person: either you make a loud noise or you turn on bright lights. On Rosh Hashanah, Hashem awakens his spiritually-sleeping children with a blast of the Shofar, but on Chanukah, He turns on the brightest of lights...