Emuna Beams

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…

Draft the Haredim? Don't draft the Haredim? The debate is meaningless until Israel decides what type of army they want. An army like Gideon's adheres to one set of rules only, and they're neither conventional nor politically correct. And, only the best are fit for service...

It doesn't matter whether there are wars, lockdowns and layoffs. Today's podcast is the key to an easy and adequate income.
Get your free PDF download of Parshat Haman here.

A beautiful story in the Gemara tells of a young man who valiantly saved a lass from drowning in a well. This story teaches that breaking a promise is a severe transgression of Torah that triggers extreme difficulties in life. These difficulties frequently manifest themselves in a measure-for-measure manner. That way, a person with spiritual awareness can recognize what he or she did wrong and atone accordingly.

The digger had every reason to be deeply disappointed. Nevertheless, he maintained the smile on his face at all costs. Hashem then gave him a real reason to smile. Rebbe Nachman's lesson about happiness…

In our formative years, different people stuck all types of labels on us. Even worse, they stuck the labels on a bottle and put us inside. As children, we subconsciously thought that our parents, teachers, and peers knew what they were talking about. They most likely did not.
The acute problem is that most people spend their lives stuck inside that same bottle. It's time to break out...

Rebbe Nachman reveals the template of Jewish history in this allegorical tale of treachery and innocence. In every generation our enemies rise up against us, but the Holy One rescues us from their hands...

The Creator has already packed our backpacks for us. He has given us the tools we each need for our journey in life and to reach our individual destinations. Our job is to become acquainted with those tools, refine and cultivate them, and utilize them properly.

Menachem Herman and I got together for an evening of song and inspiration in Netanya last night. As a soul correction of our past, we've taken quite a few melodies and uplifted them with an emuna slant and lyrics. This is one of our favorites, which we originally did in 2008, when the UN and Obama were threatening to split Jerusalem:
 
Sweet Home Jerusalem
Based on the original song "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1974
Guitar, adaptation by Menachem Herman
Lyrics by Rabbi Lazer Brody 
 
Eagles' wings keep on flying
Carry me home to see The King
Singing songs about my City
Jerusalem you're in my dreams
And I'm gonna sing, yes
 
Well I heard the UN talk about her
But a Jewish boy won't drink this brew
Uncle Sam please remember, that
"Jerusalem, won't be split in two!"
 
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
L-rd I'm coming home to you
 
We're all waiting for Moshiach
You can bet he's coming soon
We'll all be dancing in Jerusalem
And we'll all be singing the same tune
Now that's the truth
 
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
L-rd I'm coming home to you
 
The wise men of the Holy City
They've been known to pick a song or two
They help my soul when I'm hurting
They give me joy when I'm feeling blue
Now how about you?
 
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
L-rd I'm coming home to you
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
L-rd I'm coming home to you

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.

To keep the fish in our aquarium happy and healthy, we must follow specific guidelines, otherwise the fish will suffer. Are we any less important that the fish?

Rebbe Nachman’s classic short fable tells about a simple yet greedy villager who didn't believe in the forces of the dark side. These demons, the evil-spirit agents of the Evil Inclination, decided to have some fun with him...