Emuna Beams

In one of the most dramatic episodes of the Torah, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. At this very moment, Joseph makes a monumental discovery. He suddenly sees the Divine hand of providence involved in every detail of his life. This is a lesson for each one of us, for posterity.
 

Divine Providence is the Almighty's precision constant supervision and intervention over all levels of creation. This is not only on a wide general scale, but down to the tiniest detail in each of our lives in particular. Both in macro and micro, the Almighty decides the fate of the super-galaxies as well which leaf a silkworm in Japan will eat for dinner. As we shall learn, the awareness of Divine Providence takes us to the highest level of emuna.

Yisroel Klein was a young man in one of the Nazi death camps where just as many Jews were dying of hunger and sickness as the ones who were sent to the gas chambers. Yisroel survived the Holocaust by virtue of the story I'm about to share with you, about how one compassionate word of love, care and compassion can literally save a life.

Dara had all the gifts that a girl could dream for. She was attractive, personable, athletic, intelligent and very popular. But, nothing in this world is perfect. Dara became so very involved in herself that she developed a lust for prestige. It wasn't enough to be nice to Dara. She expected everyone to drool over her...
This is a real-life lesson about how hate, jealousy and the lust for prestige are like a fire that destroys life's best blessings.

Nicknames are dangerous. Our name is by far one of our most important assets and determines so much in our life, as we'll learn today.

There were times in our history when the entire future of Torah and the entire future of the Jewish People rested on the shoulders of one woman...

During Chanukah, we recite daily the "Al Hanisim" prayer, which offers our thanks to the Almighty. We say, "And [we thank You] for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds, for the saving acts, and for the wonders which You have wrought for our ancestors in those days, at this time." As we learn today, this prayer alludes to the fact that Chanukah was not a lone miracle that happened 2300 years ago. Chanukah is still with us, every generation and every year.

Noahides are truth-seeking people who have exchanged former beliefs for the purest form of faith. The Seven Noahide Commandments, the first of which is emuna, are their guiding lights.
Enjoying marvelous spiritual status in this world and the next, Noahides sometimes feel alone. Some seek to convert to Judaism. Others think they must have a house of worship to attend. They need neither. I do encourage them, though, to network and to develop support groups.
As we learn in this brief and encouraging message, the goal and beauty of a Noahide is cultivating his or her own intimate personal relationship with the Almighty. Nothing is more gratifying.

A hiker, climber or biker will prepare a backpack with all the tools he or she needs to complete their task and attain their goal. Metaphorically, the backpack is each one of us. The tools are the unique talents, skills and aptitudes that the Creator gives each one of us in order to successfully perform our individual mission on earth. Once we learn this important lesson, we're never again jealous of anyone.

Today's lesson teaches us something that most people never learned - how to be yourself! We learn how to live your own life and not according to anyone else's expectations. We don't have to play other people's games by their rules. Then, we're free to play our own game by our rules, what we know and believe is right. While expressing our true individuality, there's no need to compete with others. Indeed, we to compete with ourselves strive higher. That way, we cultivate our good points to the max and fulfill our personal potential in a way we never dreamed of. Let's learn how:  

Today on "Emuna Hour", we learn how to be at peace with ourselves. Even more important, we learn how to be our own therapist. It's easier than you think and it's ever so gratifying.

So what if the world is round? It means that if you're flying high, don't be arrogant because tomorrow you might not be on top. And, if you're down, don't be depressed because you'll soon be up again.