Emuna Beams

The evil inclination with its three layers resembles an almond. On the outside, there's a course shell. Once you break through that, there's a thin husk that clings to the meat of the nut. Yet on the inside, there's a fine biochemical – glycoside – that's dangerous, because the body breaks it down into cyanide. That's a metaphorical insight into the angelic evil inclination that wants us to do premature things that ultimately cause damage. They must be mitigated and purified.

Imagine that a rich man is cruising on his yacht. He's a billionaire with every amenity in life. Yet, he's always complaining. That's the "whine-o", addicted to whining and the biggest ingrate imaginable. On a national level, such behavior is catastrophic…

As a person moves up the ladder of spiritual awareness, his or her evil inclination is no longer down at the level of coarse lust and animal-urge temptation. People on high levels of emuna and observance of Torah rise to a level where their evil inclination is a holy angel. On a very high level, we find lofty type of angel that fought with Jacob. A similar angel pounced on King David, in the episode of BatSheva.

King David reviews the magnificent miracles that Hashem did for the Jewish Nation since the dawn of its history. Psalm 105 is also the certificate of birthright that Hashem grants His chosen people – the deed to the Land of Israel.

There are times when a person suddenly contemplates a desire to get closer to Hashem. At that cherished moment, he becomes an upright individual. Don't ignore such a magnificent gift from Above.

Today's Psalms are a cure for body and soul and especially cogent for healing the sick. A mere superficial look at the beauty of the Almighty's creations is sufficient to gratify the soul. A closer look makes the soul break out in joyous song. Let's take a moment to contemplate Hashem's glory and pay attention to the remarkable favors He does for each of us, just like King David did all day long.

The body is responsible for natural functions whereas the soul is responsible for spiritual functions. Both fight for control of the emotions as we'll soon see. When the soul prevails, emotions gravitate to the right side of the heart but when the body prevails, the soul gravitates to the left. Wholeheartedness is perfect harmony between body and soul. The special day of Shmini Atzeret is conducive for just that.

Hashem is always with us, wherever we are. But there's a chance - once a year during Succoth - to be with Him. What's the difference? It's tremendously different when Hashem is with us in our domain than when we're with Him in His domain...

Forgiveness brings up some sticky questions: "How can I forgive someone who’s done me wrong when part of me doesn’t want to forgive?" When you don't forgive, the wound of whatever damage someone did to you festers, and turns into negativity that ruins your day, or even your life. Don't go there, for your own benefit...

The thought of Yom Kippur doesn't usually bring joy to people's hearts. Why? They see it as a day of torture, deprived of drinking, eating and fun. They're right. It is a day of torture, for the evil inclination...

The call of the shofar is the hallmark of the most important events in Jewish history, from our ancient past to the future. Happy is the nation that knows the call of the shofar. Today's lesson explains the significance of blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashana. We also see a dramatic repeat of ancient history unravelling this very day.

Once a person attains more emuna, he or she must be careful. They have succeeded in learning more Torah or purified the way they conduct their business affairs or both. Now, they have more Divine illumination. Just as ants in the kitchen are attracted to sugary substances, the dark-side forces will try to attach themselves to, feed off of and hijack our emuna. We therefore must guard our emuna like the royal guard in Buckingham Palace guards the Hope Diamond.