No one can say they don't have a private place to speak to Hashem. Not only can you speak to Him in the subway or aboard a crowded flight, but you can even scream out to Him in a way that no one will hear…

"It was only a joke!" These are the famous last words of the malicious individuals who laugh and joke at the expense of others. Hashem reads a person's heart and knows exactly what his or her intent was. While exploring Rebbe Nachman's famous tale, "The Humble King," we learn an important lesson about Elul and self-evaluation as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah.

What determines whether life is heaven on earth or a jungle? How do we create a livable environment? It all depends on how we live our lives...

Joy is a person's primary remedy in life. We find joy beyond our intellect, in the realm of emuna. There, we discover that Hashem loves each of us unconditionally. His love knows no limits, and there are no boundaries to his compassion, mercy, and loving-kindness.

The Almighty gave us eyes, not only for physical eyesight, but to observe and pay attention to what we see.

The Jewish People's turbulent history is one continuous story of Divine Direction. It transcends all logic, military and otherwise. It's beyond nature to the extent that experts in military history and strategy understand everything but Jewish history. That's exactly what Hashem's personal Divine Direction is, constantly defying nature and logic.

This lesson asks a basic question that truth-seekers ask when learning about this vital concept. If Hashem, in His Divine Direction, determines everything, then what's left for our free will?

Hashem loves you – always – much more than you love yourself. His love is the best thing in the world, for it's love with no strings attached. This is an important part of emuna: believing in Hashem means believing that He loves you unconditionally. That's the type of emuna that will always give you happiness and peace of mind.

The highest level of emuna is unshakable emuna in Divine Direction. The highest level of emuna in Divine Direction is the equal and loving acceptance of the good and the seemingly bad, just as Joseph ultimately discovered…

Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760) was the saintly and pious miracle worker who founded the Chassidic movement. He revolutionized Jewish thought and taught that every creation functioned according to the Almighty's personal Divine Direction. In other words, the Almighty personally directs every event of the universe.

The more we believe in the Almighty, the easier it becomes to develop a personal relationship with Him. As that relationship grows, our emuna also strengthens. It's a beautiful upward cycle…

In wartime, we all need special protection. Imagine that a person travels the world in search of a solution to his troubles, spends an arm and a leg, and comes home empty-handed. A guardian angel reveals himself and tells the person, "All your problems would evaporate if you only learned to say 'amen' whenever you hear a blessing"...