Emuna Beams

Motivation and Direction in Life

Motivation is desire, and desire is strength. When we're aware of our own strengths, we become so much more effective. Direction means that we know where we're going. Nevertheless, we to know where we're going, we must first know where we are. “Where we are” means that we recognize our strengths and our weaknesses. Once we do, even our weaknesses are an asset. Today's edition of "Lunchbreak Series" will put you on the path to greatness.

The Missing Piece

Our path to inner peace has three segments. The first segment is making peace with the Creator, which we learned in the previous two Emuna Hour lessons. The second segment is making peace with our fellow human, which we learn today. When we're at peace with others, we do ourselves a favor. The third segment of our path is making peace with ourselves, so stick with us!

Believe in Yourself

This is the first of our new "Lunchbreak Series", thirty minutes of self-empowerment. Today we learn how to believe in ourselves. The principles we learn in this lesson are the difference between success and failure, happiness and depression. Enjoy this, and go forward with a smile on your face.

The Divine Mirror

"ATFAT" is the abbreviation of "A turn for a turn". In other words, The Almighty treats us in the same fashion that we treat others. It's like a Divine mirror which we call, "The ATFAT principle." Like the other magnificent methods that The Almighty uses to run the world, this phenomenon is evident both in the laws of physics and in the laws of metaphysics. Simply stated, you'll find ATFAT both in the material world and in the spiritual world. This is the root of Newton's third law of motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Applying this knowledge is the key practical key for staying out of trouble's way..

The Unlocked Door

Confinement in a jail with an unlocked door is senseless. Yet, people confine themselves to a prison of needless inner turbulence every day. A substantial amount of our suffering in life is self-induced. Therefore, once a person realizes that certain actions induce trouble in life, and learns to refrain from those actions, the trouble disappears. No law says that you have to suffer so much! You can terminate a good portion of the anguish in your life with the ease of walking away from an unlocked jail. Let's learn how:

Backpack on the Bus

So many people suffer from stress and anxiety because of overload. Who says that life must be that way, so seemingly cruel and unfair? What law says that you must carry the weight of the world on your shoulders? Here are two minutes of encouragement.

GPS Recalculating

Life's obstacles and difficulties are not punishments from Above. They're part of the Divine GPS that's designed to guide us along a better route that we might not have initiated or even considered on our own.

The Veggie Vendor of Baghdad

Today's 8-minute podcast is a 4-in-1:
1. It's a preparation for Succoth, telling about the significance of the Four Species;
2. It tells a traditional story, well known to Iraqi Jewry;
3. It's an ethics lesson, and -
4. It has a special message about rescinding the harsh decree of the Corona-virus pandemic.
Enjoy it, and feel free to share and download it at no charge, thanks to our wonderful supporters.

The Last Minute

Today's podcast is entitled, "The Last Minute", and it's an emergency message designed to rescue all of us in the last moments before Rosh Hashanah. Many people don't even know where to begin in rectifying themselves. Oftentimes, they fall into despair and just do nothing. There's good news, though. Here's an effective, last-minute way to grab the train of penitence, to be absolved of wrongdoing and to be inscribed in the Book of Life for  a fantastic New Year.

Tears and Treasures

There are forms of Divine abundance that no money in the world can pay for. Divine abundance has a price tag, but it's spiritual. If a person prays profusely and does good deeds, he or she generates spiritual revenue that pays for a portion of the Divine abundance. Even though we must think that everything is a free gift from the Almighty, it's like a line of credit. What we use and don't pay for, we pay in the next world. What we use and do pay for, the credit remains for the next world.
Prayer generates Divine abundance. But sometimes it's not enough. Suffering, tribulation and disparagement – when accepted with emuna – are the tears that bring phenomenal treasures that we would not have attained under any other circumstance.

The Spiritual Couch Potato

Modern society is so preoccupied with body that most people don't even know that they have a soul. When people think that life is only body and the physical, they become candidates for depression. Why? For them, each day is a day closer to the cemetery. Is that all one has to look forward to in life? Thank goodness, no!
Champion athletes are highly aware of their bodies. A marathon runner feels what's going on in each muscle of his legs and feet. Yet, an overweight person who never engages in physical activity and barely gets out of the sofa is utterly out of touch with his body. By the same token, one who never engages in spiritual activity loses touch with his soul. Spiritual awareness - awareness of the soul and its Creator - is a prerequisite for happiness and inner peace.
Here's the good news: the soul is a tiny spark of the Creator. Just as the Creator is eternal, so is the soul. A person who prioritizes soul over body lives forever.

Gisel's Story

Gisel, in her early 30's, suffered from obesity, terrible eczema and feet so swollen that she couldn't get out of bed. She lost her job. The doctors told her she'd need to go on a kidney machine. Then, a friend told her to contact Rabbi Lazer Brody. Here's her testimony, which she shares with the participants of Rabbi Lazer's weekly Zoom class.