Yohyim Rev. Ibesh Abbas, Parshas Hazinu, Simcha for Life, Sh. 164. Chazal said, Ibrahim Ibsachim Daphnun, it's also G'mon Babasar. Ibrahim says, O'ilum hafuch rahisi, he saw an upside-down world, al-Yohyim l-Matah ve-Tachtayn l-Malah. The upper people were lower and the lower people were higher. And the Svarmakadashim explained that it's not just specifically in different people. It could even be in one person, or it is even referring to one person. When a person's going through a Zaman katnas, a Zaman that he doesn't feel dvekus and he has to push, so he's Tachtaynim, he feels that that's a lower time of his Rukhniyas. That's l-Malah, in Shamaim they consider that much more Khashiv. And the al-Yohyim, the times that the person feels he's on top of the world, he's Baruch Hashem being matzliyach and he has a khashik, that doesn't have the same Khashivis. And the Svarmakadashim explained it, it's a very important khizik for people. A person has to keep pushing his avayda besymcha even if he doesn't feel it and understand that al-Yohyim, al-Matah, sometimes the times that you think are the greatest times are really not so great because it's the Rabbanishlum siyat of the Shmaaya and the times that are very, very difficult, those are the times that are really Khashiv because that's where you have to put in the keikhis.

Welcome to the daily Hizuq. We know in the Medbār Hashem gave the Jewish people three miraculous gifts, the man, the Be'er Shal Miriam, and the Ananiyā Kavod. Yet, we have a Yom Tov that only appreciates the Ananiyā Kavod, the Haliray of Sukkot. Why don't we have a Yom Tov for the man, or for the well? The Mabīd answers, the Jewish people could not survive in the desert without food and water. Hashem, so to speak, had to provide those for them. But the Ananiyā Kavod, the clouds of glory, were different. Technically, they could have survived without them. It would have been difficult. The scorching sun would have beaten down upon them. They would have been exposed to snakes and scorpions, and the terrain would have been extremely difficult to travel through. But they could have survived. These clouds of glory showed us something much more. Hashem didn't just want his children to survive. He wanted them to be comfortable. He wanted the climate to be perfect, the terrain to be smooth, and to protect them from everything around them. And therefore, when we sit in the Sukkot and remember those clouds, Hashem wants us to internalize how much love that he has for us. He doesn't just give us what we need. He gives us so much more. Furthermore, we see an even deeper expression of Hashem's love at the Yamsuf. Rashi tells us in Parashat Yitro, when the Mitzriim were shooting arrows at the Jewish people, the Ananiyā Kavod were absorbing them. Hashem could have protected the Jewish people in countless ways. He could have stopped the Egyptians from shooting the arrows altogether. Why did he specifically have the clouds absorb those arrows? The Tif'edit Shemuel explains, the Ananiyā Kavod represented the sheikhina surrounding the Jewish people. Hashem was telling us, I want to take the arrows for you. Hashem wanted us to understand his extraordinary love that he has for us. When someone truly loves another person, he doesn't only want to give that person, and he is not only willing to take pain for that person, he even wants to take pain for that person. A mother will endure tremendous pain for her child and even feel privileged to do so. The greater the love, the more a person is willing to sacrifice for the one he loves. On Sukkot, Hashem wants us to recognize that this is the love that he has for us. The Ananiyā Kavod didn't just show us that Hashem will provide for us. They showed us that Hashem loves us with an endless love. And when a person truly understands how much Hashem loves him, naturally he will want to reciprocate. Towards the end of his life, the Hafec Ha'im would pray that he should have the opportunity to die on Kiddush Hashem. The tif-edit Shemuel explained, it was not because he was looking for more zikhuyot. He was saying, Hashem, I love you so much. I wish I could show you just how much I love you. I would even give you the most precious thing I have, my life. There was a time when the Hafec Ha'im had to spend an entire Shabbat alone in the field in order to avoid violating Shabbat. He had no food, no comforts, yet afterward he described what a beautiful Shabbat he had. The difficulty itself became an enjoyment for him because he knew he was doing it for Hashem. When we know how much Hashem loves us, our attitude towards serving him can change. Something could be difficult like getting up early to learn and pray or to hold ourselves back from something we want to do or to do a mitzvah under a challenging circumstance. But instead of thinking, why do I have to do this now? We could think, Hashem, I love you. If this is what you want from me now, I'm happy to do it. There are people, even when experiencing suffering, that are able to say, Hashem, I know you love me and I know you want this from me. So not only am I going to accept it, but I'm going to enjoy the pain that you're giving me because it's what you want. This is an extraordinary level of emunah. Suk'ah, Suk'or is our opportunity to sit under this khach and think about what the Ananiyya kavod really showed us that Hashem didn't just keep us alive. He surrounded us with love. He made everything perfect for us and he showed us. He's even happy to take the pain for us. The more we recognize how much Hashem loves us, the more we're going to love him back. And then even when serving him requires sacrifice, instead of feeling pain, we'll feel the privilege and say, Hashem, I love doing this for you. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily chizuk. After Yom Kippur is over and a person's judgment has been sealed, he may find it a little more difficult to pray with the same intensity. He may think whatever is going to happen this year has already been decided. In the past, we've spoken about how even after the judgment has been sealed, Tiffilat is still necessary. Even the berakhot that Hashem has already decreed for a person, require Tiffilat to bring them down. Furthermore, Tiffilat is powerful all year long. Even decrees that have already been made can be changed through Tiffilat. But there's another aspect of Tiffilat that's even more important. Tiffilat is not just a means to get what we need. Tiffilat is a great avodah that elevates us. The Me'iri writes that through deep heartfelt Tiffilat, a person can achieve tahara-talev, purification of his heart. In fact, the Torah describes Tiffilat as an avodah of the heart, ul-ovdo bechole babchem, to serve Hashem with all your heart. Rabbi Menasha Reisman asked, How does asking Hashem for our needs purify our hearts? If I need paranasa and I ask Hashem for it, or I need rifua and I ask Hashem for it, why should that make my heart pure? He brings from the Rishonim that one of the main aspects of the avodah of Tiffilat is coming to the clear recognition that everything we need is completely dependent upon Hashem. I cannot help myself without Hashem and nobody else can help me without Hashem. Whatever I need, my health, my paranasa, my family, my success, my protection, is entirely in his hands. When a person stands before Hashem with that recognition and truly humbles himself, that Tiffilat becomes a tremendous avodah shebalev and that purifies his heart. The Torah tells us regarding the widow and orphan that when they cry out to Hashem, he listens to their cry and that Amban asks, why Hashem specifically hears the cries of the widow and orphan more than others? He answers that the widow and orphan have no reliance upon themselves and they truly turn to Hashem when they pray. Furthermore, when someone is being hurt, he feels perhaps his father is going to help him or another relative will come to his aid, but the widow and orphan know they have no one to turn to and therefore when they cry out to Hashem, it's with complete reliance on him and Hashem says so to speak, that cry I pay very careful attention to. A person doesn't have to be a widow or orphan to pray that way. Everyone can recognize how completely dependent he is upon Hashem. A person may have family, money, connections, intelligence and all different kinds of abilities but none of those things could do anything for him unless Hashem enables them to. David Melch was a king. He had wealth, he had armies, he had power yet he said to Hashem, I am poor and destitute. David Melch understood all of his power went nothing without Hashem. When he stood in Tefilah, he stood like a pauper who had nothing of his own and needed everything from Hashem. That is an avodah that we could perform every single day of the year before Yom Kippur and after Yom Kippur. Every time we stand before Hashem, we have another opportunity to ingrain in our hearts. I need you. I can't do anything without you. Everything I have comes from you and everything I will ever need will only come from you. That kind of Tefilah does much more than just bring us what we're asking for. It brings us closer to Hashem. It humbles us before Hashem. It strengthens our bitachon and it purifies our hearts. Have a great day.

Yaim Rishon Be Shabbos, Parshos Kisaitzai Simcha Falaif, Sh. 156. The Zayar in Vayechi, Daphresh Tezvava Medbez, says an amazing thing regarding Simcha. The notion of the Zayar is, less pulchonode kutshbrychu elam igaykhedva. There is no avayda in front of the rabbi in Islama, lest a person is besimcha. That means the Zayar is telling us that if a person is not in a situation of Simcha, he can't be considered avayda sashem. And the Zayar brings aposic, if do as sashem besimcha. In order to be an ayivah sashem, you have to be besimcha. So it's very important for a person to understand that. You come to adavening, you come to learn, you come to do a chesed. Any form of avayda sashem, Simcha is vital. The Zayar is telling us that a person doesn't have Simcha, he's simply not doing avayda, whatever that means. A person seemingly can do a mitza without Simcha. But real avdas, the Zayar is saying, is only if a person is besimcha.

We are discussing how to view the Asheris of Mitzvahs and it's a very interesting Mishneburi is talking about It comes from the Paiskim how a person should say psuke de Zimra How a person should Da'van talking specifically about psuke de Zimra, but the Paiskim said applies to all parts of Da'vanik The Loshin of the Paiskim is when Mishburi says it it's in Simon and Alice of Kalp and Khaf That a person should say psuke de Zimra ke meinem mois Like you're counting money. He's talking about the speed that a person Da'van's with Person should Da'van with the main as if he's counting money You count money you're very careful to make sure you have every dollar every hundred especially if you counting hundreds So when you say psuke de Zimra, you should can't you should count the word so to speak Say it slowly like you're counting money Now why did they use that term? Why did they use the concept of meinem mois? Why was that the example that they used? To teach you what you're getting when you're Da'vanik You're sitting in same psuke de Zimra. You're saying hundreds of words Your meinem mois you're counting money every word is worth endless hire Now we don't necessarily appreciate it because we say this all the time and we have the opportunity to say it all the time It's a big deal But it's a mistake a person has to understand every time you're Da'vanik every word that you're saying is Meinem mois You're counting money. You're counting something. It's much more precious than money Now you feel okay. If you have so many opportunities, obviously it can't be worth that much. That's a mistake Ilm haba is endless the scar that a person can get is endless and That's how a person should view every word that he says in Tfiloh in Tehillim Anything you say any mitzvah that you do your main emoisse You're counting out hundreds. You're counting out thousands. You're counting out millions Appreciate the opportunities Like we say rotsak ad ishbar khul is a case of sister. I'll be here below. I'm tired mitzvah There a bonus you want to be in the sack of claw you saw there for he increased fast tyrant mitzvah Every word that you say is main emoisse You're counting endless money for yourself for your mishpacha. It only brings you bracha and at slacha

Yohem Rishan Beshabes, Parashas Lachlachah, Simcha for Life, Sh. 168. The importance of Simcha is so basic. Think about if you had someone that you were taking care of and you gave them everything that they needed, you were on top of them, but they weren't happy. It's going to be a smack in the face to you. It's going to be a tremendous lack of understanding and appreciation of what you've done for them. Their Banishlam is the same way. Their Banishlam gives us so much. When we're not Besimcha, we don't demonstrate Simcha. It's a terrible thing. That means we're not appreciating. It means we're not noticing how much our Kadeshbaruchu does for us. So that's why Simcha is so basic and so foundational. It's a demonstration that we feel like we're being taken care of of their Banishlam. The more we're happy, the more we don't get frustrated and upset with things that go on in life. The more we're demonstrating that our Kadeshbaruchu is taking care of us.

Welcome to the daily chizuk, a man related that his entire business is in jeopardy of being shut down and it seems that the final decision is going to be made by one particular individual. The business owner was beside himself with worry. He couldn't sleep at night. He could barely eat. His entire pattern as I was hanging in the balance and he felt that his whole future was in the hands of this one man. He went to his rabbi for chizuk and the rabbi told him, your business is not in that man's hands. He has no power to decide what's going to happen to you. It may look like he has the final say, but he's just a puppet. The only one making the decision is akadosh baruchu. You have to believe in odd milivador. No one in this world has any power other than Hashem. The rabbi continued giving him chizuk, helping him internalize that no human being can take away what Hashem wants him to have. Baruch Hashem, the man calmed down, was able to eat and sleep again. The final decision still hasn't been made yet and he doesn't know what the outcome will be, but he's in a completely different place now. Instead of constantly worrying about what that individual is going to decide, he's focusing on Hashem. He's improving in his own abodat Hashem and he's strengthening his emuna in bitachon, continuing to think en odd milivador. Rabbi Biederman told the story that took place in Romania during the communist regime. A Jew named Rabbi Moshe was involved in business dealings that were considered illegal under the communist government. When the authorities discovered what he was doing, they began searching for him. The danger was so great that he had to go into hiding, constantly moving from place to place, afraid that at any moment he could be caught and thrown into jail. One day, a letter arrived to his home informing him that his application to leave Romania had been approved. When he first found out he was so happy, he would finally be able to escape the country with his family. But then he became suspicious. What if it was all a trap? Maybe the government was trying to lure him out of hiding so they could arrest him when he came to the port to get his travel documents. He didn't know what to do. He went to the to the great Rebbe, the Noam Eliezer of Scullin, and explained his situation. The Rebbe thought about it and said, I don't know what to tell you. Rabbi Moshe started to cry, Rebbe, please help me. My life is in danger. They could catch me at any moment. What should I do? The Rebbe told him, you understand that according to the natural course of events, you have no way of being saved. But if you believed, be'emunah shalema, that only Hashem could save you and you put your vitachon in him, then you could be saved. Rabbi Moshe cried out, I believe with complete emunah. But the Rebbe told him, it's not enough to just say it. You have to believe it deep inside the recesses of your heart. And so in order to help you, we're going to sit together and talk about emunah and vitachon. The Rabbi then sat there with him for an hour, repeating again and again the basic principles of emunah. Haqadosh Baruchu creates and governs every living being. He could do anything, all of nature belongs to him. There is no force in this world that could stand in his way, and only he alone decides what happens. En-od me levador, there's nothing besides Hashem. He said these ideas again and again, and then the Rebbe told him to come back the next day. The next day, once again they sat for an hour, speaking about how Hashem controls everything, and the following day for another hour. They did this for an entire week, day after day, until those words became a reality in his heart. Finally, after a week, the Rebbe told him he could go in peace. When the day of departure arrived, Rabbi Moshe went with his family to the port. The procedure was that everyone who had permission to leave would wait in a large hall until his name was called. Then he would get his papers, present them to the guard, and board the ship. Rabbi Moshe waited an hour past, then two hours. People were being called one after another, but his name was never called. The hall was becoming empty, and the ship was getting ready to leave. His family was terrified. But Rabbi Moshe remained completely calm. He told them, the ship is not going anywhere without us. Everything is being directed, minash shamaim. Finally, at the last moment, an officer walked into the hall and asked him what he was still doing there. Rabbi Moshe explained he was waiting for his papers. The officer went to a cabinet, took out the documents, and handed them over. The family then hurried to the ship. The guard glanced at the papers for a split second, and then waved them through, and they boarded the boat just as it was about to leave. A few days later, when they were safely away from Romania, Rabbi Moshe decided to look more carefully at the papers, and he couldn't believe what he saw. There was a red stamp on the document stating he was absolutely forbidden to leave Romania. The government really did set a trap for him. They wanted him to come out of hiding so they could capture him. But look what Hashem did. His name wasn't called. He was delayed for hours. And because he reached the ship at the last moment, the guard didn't have time to examine his documents. The government thought that it was in control. The officers thought they were setting a trap. But Hashem was controlling every detail, including the exact time Moshe would get his papers, and how long the guard would have to examine them. The scholar, Nerevi, didn't just tell Moshe once that Hashem is in charge and send him away. He sat with him for an hour every day, repeating the words until he really believed them. We have to remind ourselves again and again. Hashem creates everything. He is in control of everything, and he could do anything at any time. And nobody could ever help or hurt us without his will. Whether a person's waiting for a decision about a business, a health concern, a shiduq or anything else, he should never put any emphasis on another person. No one has any control other than Hashem. And the more we believe that, the more we'll see it. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily Hizouk. We recently mentioned the words of the Ramban in Parashat Vayeshev, Ha Gezera Emet Ve Ha Harisud Shaker. Hashem's decree is the truth, and man's efforts can never change it. The Ramban was explaining how Yosef was on his way to find his brothers, and when he couldn't find them, he could have easily turned back and gone home. But Hashem already decreed that the Jewish people were going to go down to Mitsrayim, and Yosef being sold by his brothers at that time was the beginning of that process. So Hashem sent the Malach Gabriel to point Yosef towards his brothers, to teach us that Hashem's plan is going to happen no matter what people decide to do. We find the same idea in many places throughout the Torah. When Sidon was about to be destroyed, the Malach told Lot, Ha Harah Himalat, escape to the mountain. But Lot did not want to go to the mountain. He asked instead to go to a small city named Soar, and the Malach agreed. Lot thought he chose where he was going to live, but the Torah tells us right afterward, Lot became afraid to stay in Soar. So he went up to the mountain with his two daughters and settled in a cave there. That Hashban points out, this was the exact place the Malach had originally told Lot to go to. Lot thought he was making his own decisions about where to live, but Hashem brought him exactly where he wanted to be. And what happened in that cave? Lot's daughters thought that the world got destroyed and they were the only ones left. So they decided to give their father wine and continue the world having children through him. But where did they get wine in a cave in the middle of a mountain from? Rashi tells us Hashem had prepared the wine for them there. There was a much greater plan taking place. From Lot's daughter came Moav, and generations later from Moav came Ruth, the great grandmother of David the Malach from whose descendants Mashiach will come. Lot thought he was choosing where to go, but Hashem was preparing the beginnings of the dynasty of Mashiach. The Torah says regarding Lot's older daughter, vatishkav et aviyah b'laylahu, instead of using the more common phrase b'laylahahu. This unusual expression appears in only two other places in the Torah. The word who can be understood as a hint to hakadosh baruchu, telling us that Hashem himself was there directing the events. The second place is regarding the birth of Yisachar. The Torah tells us that as Yaakov was returning home from the field. The Yaakov was returning home from the field, and the Gemara Mashiach at Nidah explains, at that time Hashem caused Yaakov's donkey to turn towards Lot's tent. See the Gemara there, Lamed Aleph, Amur Aleph with Rashi and the Aruch Laner. And the Torah says the words vayishkav imah b'laylahu. Rashi explains hakadosh baruchu personally assisted in bringing about the birth of Yisachar. Yisachar became the Shevet that was going to produce outstanding Talmideh HaKhamim who were going to be the Mora'a and Klal Yisrael. They were going to be the teachers of Klal Yisrael. What appeared to be an ordinary event was all part of Hashem's plan to bring a Shevet that was going to have such an important role in the future of the Jewish people. The third place is when Yaakov Avina was preparing to meet Esav. Yaakov was afraid and the Rashbam there says he decided to escape by taking a different route. The Torah says vayakom b'laylahu vayav oret maavad yabok. Yaakov got up that night and crossed the Yabok River. The Rashbam explains Yaakov was trying to avoid meeting Esav but Hashem promised Yaakov that he was going to protect him and he wanted Yaakov to see that promise fulfilled. So Hashem sent the Malach to stop him from escaping and look what came out of that encounter. The Malach acknowledged Yaakov's right to the berakhot. Yaakov got the name Yisrael. The name that his descendants would carry for all generations. Yaakov thought he was deciding where to go but Hashem had different plans and sent a Malach that was going to have a major significance for the entire future of Kral Yisrael. In all these places the people involved thought they were making their own decisions but Hashem was directing events the way that he wanted them to come about. We as well make decisions every day. We decide where to go, what opportunities to pursue and which situations to avoid. We make our hishtalud and do what we think is right but we must never think that we are the ones controlling the outcome. Sometimes Hashem does allow us to take the road we chose and sometimes he redirects us to places we never expected to be. We may think something happened because of a decision that we made or a change of circumstances but behind it all is a kadosh baruchu guiding everything and everyone towards the destination he planned. Ha gezerah imet vea harisud shekir Hashem's plan always comes to fruition and therefore we should always feel comfortable knowing we are exactly where we're meant to be. Have a great day.