Welcome to the daily huizook. One of the benefits of hearing stories of Hashem's salvation is that they expand our understanding of what is possible. Sometimes we hear about a Yeshua that seems almost unbelievable. We wonder if such things could really happen. The answer is of course they can and that is exactly why we need to hear them. The more we recognize that Hashem's abilities are unlimited, the easier it will become for us to put our trust in him and pray with real hope. We stop limiting Hashem's possibilities from what seems to us as realistic and we understand that Hashem is never bound by nature or statistics. A Talmud HaKham who spends his days learning Torah related of what happened when his two children became engaged one after the other. He had no idea of how he would pay for two weddings but rather than focusing on the people he worked on strengthening his bitachon and Hashem. He prayed that Hashem should help him not even think of any specific person would be his source of salvation. He asked that his eyes be directed only toward Hashem. Whenever the thought entered his mind of where will I get the money he immediately replaced it with the conviction that Hashem would provide it. His entire avodah was to remain calm and continue trusting and continue praying. One day an Avrech came over to him after Menchah and told him that a generous donor wanted to help him. He was asked to prepare a detailed list of every expense for the first wedding including everything he could think of. A few days later the Avrech came back and handed him an envelope containing the entire amount in cash. His family gathered together and set Nishmat to thank Hashem for this amazing salvation but as this as the shopping continued they realized they had forgotten many important expenses but instead of becoming anxious they strengthened themselves even more believing that this was also orchestrated by Hashem so they would continue relying only upon him. Soon afterward a different Avrech knocked on his door and handed him an envelope with 15,000 shekels inside saying it was from a donor who wanted to help with his wedding expenses. This amount covered all the additional expenses and while they were still in such joy over those miracles the first Avrech came back with another envelope this one containing the full amount needed for the second wedding as well. Every expense for both weddings was covered with dignity and generosity. Most people would say this story is not to be believed but it really happened and that is why we need to hear it. Hashem wants us to know there's no limit to the ways he can help to those who put their trust in him. Another man told me that he was struggling through an extremely difficult period with his business. He accumulated a lot of debt and spent every day crying to Hashem for a Yeshua. Finally he received a large order from a major online retailer for 16,000 units of one of his products. That order enabled him to pay back part of his debt and gave him a little bit of breathing room. He thanked Hashem and continued praying, please Hashem you showed me so clearly you could help please send me another order. The very next day he noticed that the retailer's website was selling his product for far below the price that he had sold it to them for. There was clearly some kind of pricing error in their system incredibly because of that mistake every one of the 16,000 units sold out in one day. A couple of days later the company called him back saying their inventory was completely had completely disappeared and they needed another shipment. They placed the exact same order again and within days Hashem had doubled his Yeshua. He is now able to pay off all of his debts and he still has money left over. Who could have imagined that a computer glitch would become the vehicle for his salvation? This is why we need to hear stories of Hashem's kindness. They teach us never to put limits on his abilities. Our minds naturally think within the framework of what seems possible but Hashem's possibilities are infinite. A salvation can come in any way and most of the time it comes in ways we could never foresee. Our job is not to figure out how Hashem will help us. Our job is just to know that he can. Every day that we pray we should remember no situation is beyond Hashem's ability to change and no request is beyond his ability to fulfill. We need to pray with real hope and anticipate great salvations and believe with complete pittachon that Hashem could give us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it in ways far greater than we could ever imagine. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily hizouk. One of the inspiring aspects of Hashem's HaShkaha is seeing how he could use anyone at any time to be the messenger we need to give us exactly what we need. Very often we imagine that our salvation has to come through a certain person or a certain circumstance, but we have to know Hashem has endless messengers that he could use. He can put us in the most unexpected situations and have someone we would never have dreamed become the one to give us what we need. A young man who spends the year learning Torah always takes a summer job to help support himself. This year the job he normally took wasn't available and he started looking for something else. A summer camp offered him a great position. It was a prestigious job with very good pay and it seemed like the kind of opportunity that would continue for many summers to come. But there was one aspect to the job that had a question regarding Siniut. He asked his Rabbi and his Rabbi said it's not for you. Although he needed the money and it was a great opportunity he listened to the Rabbi and turned the job down. A couple of weeks later while still looking for a job right after the summer already started he heard that a friend's home was struck by lightning and he went there to help. He went back the next day and continued helping while they were there. They noticed a man in the basement fixing all the electrical outlets. This young man loves electrical work although he didn't yet receive his license. He asked the electrician what he was exactly doing. The electrician explained he normally works only on large commercial projects and never takes small residential jobs but because he knows the homeowner and no one else was available to come help he came to help. The young man asked if he needed his assistance. The electrician said you know what you're doing. He said yeah and the electrician invited him to come help. The electrician was very impressed before leaving. The young man asked him if he knew of any job opportunities. He said actually yes and he found them an outstanding position that included on the job training towards getting his license. Not only was the salary much higher than he would have gotten at the camp but now he's able to remain in his hometown rather than have to travel to an out-of-town camp. He said afterward look at the messenger Hashem sent me. I went to do a chesed for my friend and there I meet a commercial electrician who's never in private homes yet he became the messenger Hashem used to give me exactly what I needed. Another man said five years ago he left his job. When he and his employer parted ways there was still a lot of money that was owed to him. The employer made a small payment but it wasn't even a tenth of what was owed. This man tried many times to collect the balance considered going to bed team but it never happened. Eventually he just wrote it off and accepted he was never going to see the money. Now five years later he noticed he had a missed phone call. It was his former employer's business partner. Since he hadn't spoken to him in years he sent him a text asking did you mean to call me? Is this about the unpaid balance that I'm still owed? The partner responded actually I did not mean to call you it was a mistake and I don't know anything about an unpaid balance but let's talk later. That night the former employer himself called. What unpaid balance are you talking about? He asked. The man explained what happened when he left the company five years earlier. The employer looked into it and said if I still owe you the money I'm going to pay you. And he did. He gave him the entire balance. Five years later the money suddenly arrived and how? Because his former employer's partner accidentally called him. That mistaken phone call was the messenger that Hashem used to give him his Yeshua. We spend a lot of time trying to figure out who is going to help us and how the salvation's going to come. But we have to know Hashem as countless messengers. It's not our job to figure out who. We have to trust in the one who sends them. When we know Hashem has unlimited ways to help us. We can be calm knowing that Yeshua could always come in the blink of an eye and that it can always come through someone or something we never would have expected. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily Hizouk. There is no one who doesn't need Hizouk in Amunah from the greatest rabbis to the common laymen. No exceptions. Gidolah ad-Dod of yesteryear have testified about themselves that on days they did not work on their Amunah, it was automatically weaker. We see things take place in this world which threaten to damage our Amunah. Sadikim experiencing hardships and tragedies. The best girls having so many struggles in Sheduchim. There are so many things we don't understand and it leads people to doubt their Amunah. We must constantly strengthen ourselves by filling our minds with what Hazal teaches us and what the Torah says about Hashem. The pasuk says Umaha Hashem Elohim dem Aame al-Kolpanim. In the future Hashem is going to come and personally wipe away the tears of all those people who had sorrow in their lives. At that time Hashem is going to give a class and explain to everyone how everything they ever experienced was only resulting from Hashem's complete love and mercy upon them. Things that made no sense will suddenly make perfect sense. Questions which people carried around for years will no longer be questions. Everything will be so clear and then will be able to live in complete bliss. But until then we have a great opportunity to believe in Hashem's goodness although it's not always clear. The pasuk says about Hashem. He is your friend and the friend of your fathers. Hashem is our greatest friend in the world. There is no one who loves us more than Him. There is no one who cares about us as much as Him. There is no one who takes care of us as much as Him. Just like when a parent buys a present for his child he is so excited to give it to him and see that smile on his face. Every time Hashem gives us a blessing it says he gives it to us with a shining countenance Kaviyahol. So excited for us to be happy. And just like when a child is in pain the parent feels that pain so too whenever a Jew is in pain Hashem feels the same pain like it says if a person had even one child who was suffering. It would consume the parents minds at all times of the day. They would not be able to enjoy anything while their child is suffering. Hashem has millions of children and lo alano many of them are suffering tremendously. Hashem doesn't just feel the pain of one child. He feels the suffering of every single child. Every ache and pain of a Jew who is sick. Every bit of shame of someone who got embarrassed. Every rejection. Every loss of money. Every longing for a child. Every longing for a Shiduch. Every mourner's pain and the list goes on. So why doesn't Hashem just take everyone out of their pain if he has to bear it all? The answer is because he loves us so much and knows what we need to fulfill our purpose here. He's willing to take all that pain just so that we'll be happy for all eternity. We will never fathom the love that Hashem has for us but the more we contemplate it the easier it'll be for us to go through life. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily Hizuq. The Pasuk says in this week's parashara'a, asair te asair, which the Gemara'a explains to mean, give 10% of your earnings to charity, and you will become wealthy. Although the Pasuk is speaking to a landowner, giving 10% of his crops to charity, Tosafur bring from the Sifr that the same applies to a businessman giving 10% of his earnings. The Tud writes, in Yore de'a siman reshmem zayin, it has been tried and tested. When a person gives Siddhaka, he does not lose, rather the opposite happens. He gains wealth and honor from it. Furthermore, it nullifies harsh decrees and saves the person from death. The Rama is posseq that giving Siddhaka brings a person wealth and this is the only area in which a person is allowed to talashem. He is waiting to see the fruits of his labor. The Hafez khayyim in his sefir avat chesed writes, the halacha is like this Rama. As with all mitzvot, there are exact details on how to perform them and in order to reap their full rewards, they must be done correctly and therefore, a person must learn all of the halachot of giving Ma'asid to ensure that he is doing it correctly to reap its benefits. A woman once sent a question to the Imre Ahmed regarding Ma'asid. She wrote, my husband makes a minimal Parnasa and he is still careful to separate Ma'asid. That Ma'asid, however, comes at the expense of us being able to buy shoes and clothing for our children. Is my husband still obligated to give Ma'asid under those circumstances? The Rebi replied, when one gives Ma'asid, he must give it with an open heart and when he knows that the money going to Siddhaka is not really his, it's much easier to give it with joy. Strictly speaking, you are not obligated to give but there is a sigula, if you give with an open and happy heart with a true desire to give, then you fulfill what it says in the Pasukh, let your heart not feel bad when you give and that Pasukh continues and says, because of that type of giving Hashem will bless you in all your deeds and in every undertaking. We see from here one of the requirements to merit the blessing is to give with a happy heart. Moreover, if we do find somebody giving Ma'asid and not becoming wealthy there is for sure a great reason that we are not capable of understanding at this point but for sure, we must trust that Hashem is doing it for the absolute best for the person giving. A wealthy man who started becoming careful in giving Ma'asid began losing his wealth at the same time. He went to revel Yashav Zatsal, asking how such a thing could happen. The rabbi replied, it seems that some of your money was earned in a non-kosher way. So long as you were not giving Ma'asid, you did not have the zikhu to become cleansed from that severe sin but now that you began giving, you have become worthy. Hashem is now giving you kapara for all the dishonesty you had in business and that is the greatest chesed he could possibly do for you. Giving Siddha Ka is wondrous. It benefits us in both worlds. Let us not only give but give with a happy heart. Shabbat Shalom.

Welcome to the daily hizouk, someone who internalizes the principles of emunah and lives his life accordingly, will find so much of the worry and stress that plagues people, slowly dissipating. He knows every moment of his life is so carefully planned by Hashem. He knows whatever is meant for him to have, he will get. He knows no one could take anything from him or harm him. If it's not the will of Hashem and he knows everything that Hashem decides for him is always the best possible outcome that could happen. A woman who has been working on her emunah for the past couple of years told me how much strength it has given her. She said very often, we find ourselves in situations which are shared by many people, and we feel like we are part of a global crisis. We tend to succumb to the situation by reasoning that we are just a victim of the crisis, whether it be a Shidur crisis or a housing crisis or a getting accepted to Yeshiva crisis and so on. We need to remember that each and every person is an only child to Hashem who has a different plan for every single person. Recently, she started falling prey to the conventional thinking as her family became one of the thousands in the housing crisis, unable to find a decent living quarters for an affordable price. They prayed and hoped to find a suitable place to live in that they could afford, despite real estate agents telling them that they were being very unrealistic. Baruch Hashem, they are blessed with a large family and live in a highly sought after neighborhood for a number of years. One day, their landlord said he needed them to vacate as soon as they could because he wanted the apartment for his own family. Moving to another neighborhood was not an option due to family obligations and work considerations. Then, one Monday morning, she saw an ad for an apartment that sounded just right. After speaking to the owner, her optimism increased. The location, the size and the price were just what they were looking for. Her and her husband's schedules were completely booked for the next few days and so she figured she would call back to schedule a viewing later in the week. But the next day, the ad was gone and she had misplaced the phone number of the landlord. It appeared that someone else beat them to that apartment. They consoled themselves with the thoughts that no one could ever take something from them if they were destined to have it. And if they didn't get it, it was for sure for their best. For the next two months, they were unable to find anything suitable. Then, one day, she received a call from a friend who said someone in a class that she goes to mentioned that she has an apartment she's looking to rent out. The description sounded exactly what they were looking for. And the address rang a bell. She took the phone number and set up a meeting to see it. The apartment was perfect and they agreed to take it on the spot. After signing the lease, they couldn't help but ask the owner if this was in fact the same apartment that was advertised in the local paper a couple of months before that. The owner said indeed it was. People came to see it then but were turned off by the condition of the apartment. He decided to remove the ad and do renovations before showing it again, just as they were completing the renovations. His wife told her close friends only about it because they wanted people with close references. And that is how they got this apartment. The woman said, we thought that the perfect apartment slipped out of our hands. Little did we know Hashem was not only holding it for us. He was fixing it up and making it ready for us to move in without us having to do anything. The struggles of life can get stressful but the more a person acquires, the better he will be able to perform as he goes through them. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily Heizouk, the Shomer Emonim writes in his Ma'amar on HaShqa HaPerateed Perek Vav, any suffering that a person bears in this world, especially if he believes that it's coming from Hashem and doesn't question him, then it will cleanse him from endless potential suffering in the next world, and if a person was able to see what he was gaining through each suffering in this world, he would dance amidst the greatest joy, realizing the unbelievable kindness that Hashem is bestowing upon him. The greatest gains from any affliction come about if the person accepts them with love. Fortunate is the person who accepts his suffering with love, besides for the tremendous benefit it brings him. The Gemaranta Anid says, it is so powerful, it brings about salvation to the entire world. The Shomer Emonim writes further, if a person gets even a small affliction, and instead of attributing it to happenstance, he recognizes it was from Hashem, and he says, I deserve that, because of my sins, and he asked Hashem to be forgiven, that would bring him forgiveness for all of the blemishes he created in the upper worlds, and all the judgments would then become sweetened for him, and it will be considered as if he received much more suffering than he actually did. The angel that used to learn Torah with Abed Yosef told him on one occasion, the reason why his wife wasn't having children, it had something to do with her Nishamaah having a male element to it, but then he was told, because she went through certain sufferings, and she accepted them happily. That made her soul so pure, and through that, she was a kid to have children. A man once came to the stapler Rebbe Anid of Hezouk due to all the problems he was experiencing. The stapler told him not to dwell too much on the problems of this world. He went on to tell that man about all the problems he had. He said if he would have paid attention to all of his suffering, he would have remained in Amh'ah, it's not learning even one page of Gemara. He mentioned some of his problems were so great they could have been distributed to a hundred people, and there would have been enough for all of them. Yet because of his emunah, he knew all of his problems were sent by his loving father Hashem for his benefit, and that enabled him to move on each time with happiness. He grew in Torah amidst the suffering until he became the Gadol Hador. If people keep saying they're waiting for this problem to end, or for that issue to become easier, they will be forfeiting their greatest opportunities for spiritual growth We do hope the problems will become easier and go away, but in the meantime, if we persevere and continue fulfilling our roles as of De Hashem happily, we can reach the greatest heights. There are also great sigulot involved in a person accepting what is happening to him with love. It brings about heavenly mercy. He makes a person more fit for salvation, and most importantly, it purifies him and brings him to great spiritual levels. Khazal tell us if Iov wouldn't have complained about his suffering, he would have risen to the level of our Holy Avod, Avraham Yitzhak and Yaakov. This is the awesome value of not complaining, but rather accepting that whatever is happening because of Hashem, and it's for our best. If when a person is going through troubles, he is able to continue on living happily and serving Hashem to the best of his ability, his rewards will be endless. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily hizouk, with many struggling in business at this time, people are asking what they could do spiritually to improve their financial status. We know the Seferahinukh writes in Mitzvah Taflamid that whoever is careful to say Birkat Amazon properly will have his sustenance given to him in a dignified manner for his entire life. The Sefer Ta'ameha min ha'gim um kore ha-deenim writes that saying Birkat Amazon out loud with joy is a sigula for wealth. A rabbi from Yerushalayim related that this past year he has had a lot of struggles in Parnasa and Baruch Hashem, his daughter got engaged which meant a lot more expenses. His friend encouraged him to start eating bread every single day and utilize the wondrous sigula of saying Birkat Amazon with kavana. The rabbi told this friend that his diet only allowed him to eat bread one day a week on Shabbat, but the friend insisted that the sigula has been tried and tested and told him to eat just the bare minimum necessary to say Birkat Amazon on a daily basis. Later that day, the rabbi went to the courtel to pray Arbid and there he saw a Hashgaha peratid newsletter and on the first page was a write-up from Rabbi Pincha Sefer about a man who was struggling with Parnasa who began saying Birkat Amazon with kavana and saw amazing Yishuot. The rabbi was convinced and he and his Rebidzin both accepted upon themselves to start eating bread every single day. The first thing the rabbi said was how much he enjoyed saying Birkat Amazon and truly concentrating when thanking Hashem. Less than two weeks since they started a wealthy friend of his came over to him one day and said, I want to help with the upcoming wedding of your daughter. And then he handed him an envelope with 10,000 shekel inside. The rabbi became emotional seeing how Hashem had just helped him in such an open way. That Friday he told all of his children of the recent development and asked them to each begin saying Birkat Amazon with kavana from the Sidur. He also told them that we don't do mitzvot just for a sigula and proceeded to tell them what a zikhur it was to thank Hashem properly for all of his goodness and hasid, especially during the mitzvot aser Birkat Amazon. At Shabbat they were all inspired to say Birkat Amazon the right way and during that upcoming week, the Rebidzin who had been unemployed found an easy and pleasant job. The rabbi who learned during the day and had a job at night seeing all of the heavenly help with Paranasa decided to ask for a raise at his job. The very next day he was told that the raise was approved. Furthermore one of his children needed a new pair of shoes and went to the store to buy one. When he picked out the shoes he wanted the salesman said those are free. He explained someone returned them after wearing them for an hour. He told that customer they couldn't take them back after they were worn and so the person said no problem just give them to someone who needs them. He put a mark on the box and that was the pair that this boy picked out. Another one of the rabbi's children needed a new suit and he heard there was a sale at a popular store. The regular price of his suit is about a thousand shekel. On the outside of the store it said some suits were as much as 50% off but when he saw the selection he did not like any of those suits. The suit that he did like he took to the register and there he was told that on that suit there were two sales and the price came out to only 360 shekel. Those are the stories that happened to them in just the last two months. The rabbi said the greatest gift he got from all of this is a new appreciation for saying berkatim azon and thanking Hashem in general. We could all benefit from saying berkatim azon the right way and truly thanking Hashem the way we are supposed to. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily Hizuq. The Torah says about the Mitzvah of Teshubah according to the Ramban. Kikarob elecha hadavar meod beficha ubilba bekhala asoto. Teshubah is very close to us. It's in our mouths and it's in our hearts. When it comes to sins between us and Hashem, this is understandable. But what about when it comes to sins between man and man? If someone took money from someone else but can't find them to return it, how will he achieve Teshubah just with his heart and his mouth? Or what if he wronged another person who refuses to forgive him? How will he achieve Teshubah with his heart and his mouth? When Ravzalman of Al-Ajjan was trying to find somebody that he insulted in his youth, he couldn't locate him and he began to cry, thinking about that he wasn't going to get forgiven. The Vilni Ghaon found out about it and told him, when a person does all that he can to fix a sin, Hashem will send him help from above to fix it, even if that sin is ben-adam l-khavero. The Hovot Levavot writes in the Shara Teshubah, if someone stole money but he honestly feels remorse and wants to pay it back, but he doesn't have the money to pay. Hashem will give him the money just so he could achieve Teshubah. The Hovot Levavot writes as well, if a person wronged another, but he has a real desire to make Teshubah, Hashem will put feelings of mercy in the other person's heart to forgive him. As long as we have a real Datsun in our hearts, Hashem will help us make the Teshubah we need to be forgiven. Rabbi Shemuel Travitz told a personal story which took place about 20 years ago. An older man in his 90s named Mr. Laib prayed in his shul. Mr. Laib moved to his area, Rishon Litzion 15 years prior, and he came to his shul every day. One day, Mr. Laib asked the rabbi if he could speak to him in private. He told the rabbi he wasn't always religious. Growing up in Russia was very difficult for him. He had gone into business selling leather with his brother, but the taxes were extremely high. They formed a corporation of 10 people which exempted them from the taxes, but under that corporation they did some shady things and one of the men there was extreme in his corruptness. The brothers had to fire him, but in an act of revenge, this man told the KGB about their shady practices. They were punished mercilessly for their crimes. They then took revenge on this man and told the KGB about what he did while he was with their company. They came down very hard on this man and took a lot of money away from him. Mr. Laib then told the rabbi, I can't live with myself. I informed on another Jew in an act of revenge and I never got forgiveness from him. Please rabbi, help me. I'll do whatever it takes. I just need to be forgiven. The rabbi asked Mr. Laib if he knew anything about that man or his family. Mr. Laib replied he had heard the man passed away over 10 years ago. The rabbi then said technically he could ask forgiveness from the man by his grave with a minyan, but he would need to find the man's heirs to pay back the money for the loss that he caused him. Mr. Laib then began to cry and said he would do anything to make to get forgiven. The rabbi told him he would discuss the matter with other rabbis and that Mr. Laib should come back to him the following week on a Wednesday. That next week Mr. Laib came back to the rabbi on Tuesday and his face was glowing. He told the rabbi he didn't need any rulings. His issue was solved and he explained on Sunday night he felt feverish and decided to go to the doctor on Monday morning. He prayed in the first minyan as usual and went right afterward to the doctor. The doctor's office was still closed as it was very early in the morning. Mr. Laib was waiting outside and saw another man waiting by the bus stop next door. They made conversation with each other. Turned out this man was from the old neighborhood that Mr. Laib was from in Russia. Not only that he discovered that this man's wife was the daughter of the man he was trying to get forgiveness from. He then went back with this man to his home and told his wife all that happened. She said she remembered the episode and exactly how much money the KGB took from her father. She then told him she had three siblings back in Russia, three brothers who were her father's heirs and she gave him their contact information. Mr. Laib had a bank account in Russia with money that he was not able to bring over with him but was able to transfer it to people in Russia. It had just the amount he needed to make full restitution to those heirs. He contacted them and made the bank transfer dividing up the money three ways. Later on, they each sent him a receipt to show that he paid. The man, Mr. Laib came to the rabbi and showed him the receipts. He said here, this is my proof that I have received Tishuvah and he asked the rabbi when the time came he wanted to be buried with those receipts. This man had a strong desire to make Tishuvah and he even shed tears to show it. Hashem gave him the siyata-dashmaya he needed to find the people he was looking for. Tishuvah is very close to us. It's in our hearts and our mouths. All we need is a strong desire to do it. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily Hizouk. Hazal tell us that on Rosh Hashanah Hashem judges every individual based on what he did every second of every day over the past year. Of course with this knowledge we should be doing everything in our power to make tishuvah and improve our ways especially now in this month of Elul where Hashem has an outpouring of mercy towards us. But is there something we can do in addition that will make the judgment easier? The Baalaturim writes on the pasuk tamim tihiyye ima shem elokhecha that whoever fulfills this command is considered as if he fulfill the as if he fulfill the entire Torah from alif to taf. That means someone who does not worry about the future but rather trust that Hashem is leading him on the perfect path and he accepts the way that Hashem deals with him wholeheartedly and doesn't have questions or complaints it's considered like he followed the whole Torah. Rabbi Menasha Reisman asked doesn't it say in the Gemara that it's forbidden for a person to say that Hashem is a Vatran which means that he just overlooks our wrongdoings doesn't it say that one of the fundamentals of Emuna is that Hashem will reward from its vat and punish for Averot. So how could it be if someone accepts the way that Hashem deals with him but still has Averot that he'll be considered like he followed the whole Torah. The Rabbi then said it's not just the Baalaturimus as this it's actually Pesukim in the Torah it says in Parashat Baalak. We read these Pesukim in the Malchuyot section of the Amida of the Musaaf Amida Avrosa Shana and Rashi explains the Pesukim to be saying that Hashem is not precise with a person regarding his sins even when he does things to anger Hashem. Why? Because they don't concern themselves with trying to find out the future because they fully trust in Hashem. Rashi says because of this they become worthy of blessing. What's the explanation? There are two ways that a person can go through life. One is always questioning. Why is life the way it is? Asking things like why does he have so much blessing and I don't? Why does he have such good children and I don't? Why does everyone else always get the good positions and I don't? Why is it so easy for his daughters to get married while for mine it's so difficult? If someone chooses this path which is the natural path without working on oneself then Hashem follows the same system and investigates into each and every deed that a person commits. He can ask questions like how come you don't concentrate on the words when you pray? Why don't you have the right intentions when you make perachot? However if a person doesn't question the way that Hashem deals with him he doesn't ask why or how is this fair but rather he trusts that everything Hashem does is fair and upright and is the best possible thing for him. This despite the fact that from our vantage point it may look like Hashem is doing quote-unquote wrong with us then Hashem says you don't question my quote-unquote wrongdoings then I won't question yours so even though it is forbidden for us to say that Hashem just overlooks our iniquities this is not considered overlooking this is something deserved we have to do to earn this relationship. If we are Tamimim Hashem Elokecha then Hashem is Tamim with us. This is a wondrous sigula but it's easier said than done. The nature of a person is always to compare himself to others to feel lacking to want to complain especially when things seem to be so unfair. People try to improve but don't get the salvation they're hoping for. People pray with all of their emotion but don't always see the answers. People think they have so much pitahon but they're let down. Everyone has things that they would naturally want to question. But if we can go above that nature and completely trust in Hashem's will for us and really feel that whatever is happening is absolutely the best for us then we will become a new category of person. Someone who is Tamimim Hashem Elokecha and that comes with the most amazing benefits. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily huizook, the pasuk says in Sheer Hashireem, about Hashem that he is mashgiah min ahalo not, mesit min aharakim. He watches over us through the windows and peers through the cracks. The sefer, Sheerat Shalamu, explained this pasuk with a mashal, of a father who heard that his son became sick with a sickness that put him into a coma. The father quickly traveled to the hospital in which his son was in, and he never left his bedside until he became healed. When his son finally opened his eyes, he was so surprised to see his father there and asked him how he got there so quickly. His father replied, I didn't just get here, I have been by your side the entire time that you were here. The same is true of us and Hashem, during this long, almost 2,000 year exile, we have lost our ability to see Hashem Kavi Ahol. And when it suddenly comes to an end, and Hashem reveals himself, we are going to be in amazement at seeing the presence of the sheikhina. And we are going to ask Hashem how he came so suddenly. Hashem is going to say then, that he was always with us. He never left our side for a moment. Even though now we are unable to see Hashem openly, we are definitely able to feel his presence and pick up on the signals that he sends us all the time. A person may say that he hears about how Hashem is involved in so many other people's lives, but he never gets to see it in his own life. We must know how Hashem is involved in everyone's lives without exception. He speaks to all of us all the time, but it's up to us to see it. And that depends on the way we train our minds to think. A young lady sent me the following story about herself, which will help us understand this point better. She said she had been taking the city bus to work for the last year. The beginning of the ride was pleasant. But then when the bus stopped at a certain transit center, a lot of homeless people get on and the bus fills up with a terrible odor of alcohol and drugs. Each day she would feel so down at that moment. She would sometimes think, Yosef Hassadik's wagon was filled with sweet spices on his way down to Mitsrayim, and that is how he knew that Hashem was with him. Why is my commute to work accompanied by the most unpleasant odors? Then one day at the transit center, she was struck with a completely different feeling. The bus was filling up and it reached its capacity and the smell became very strong. But suddenly it hit her. All of those people were taking things that harmed themselves just to feel happier. Thank you, Hashem, that despite the fact that I am in Sheduchim and it is rough and my friends are all married and I'm bored and lonely, I have enough meaning and purpose and reason in my life to be grateful that I don't have to resort to doing those things. Haudu La Hashem Kitov, she said. From that moment on, her entire perspective changed every day. She would anticipate the time that the bus would reach that transit center so she could once again be reminded of how much beracha she has in her life and how good Hashem is to her. Recently, Baruch Hashem, she got engaged and will be moving to a new neighborhood and will no longer need public transportation regularly. She is so excited about how she was able to change her attitude and really feel Hashem with her. But she is now going to miss that moment of daily connection on the bus. But she knows she will find it in other ways. This young lady is teaching us a great lesson. She thought that Hashem abandoned her and she was left to suffer from foul orders every day on the bus. But little did she know that's precisely where she was going to find Hashem and connect to him in ways that she could have never dreamed of. Hashem is with us all the time but we have to use our minds the right way to feel his presence. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily Hizuq. We say every day in Maudim, Nodelecha un saper tihilatecha. The Maharal explains, Nodelecha Tameen. That we thank Hashem, that we are His. That He does everything for us. With those words, we are declaring that we recognize we are powerless to do anything on our own. And therefore, nisaper tihilatecha. We constantly relate the praises of Hashem, attributing all our successes to Him. And that is our greatest praise, like the Pasuk says in Yidmiyya perektet, Pasukavbet. The more a person is able to take himself out of the picture and put Hashem in the picture, the greater success he will have. A student once asked his rabbi for guidance on how to bring Hashem more into his business life. The rabbi sent him to a different student of his who was a very successful banker. He said to this student to go and observe the banker and then ask him for advice. The student listened and went to observe the banker dealing with his customers with an unbelievable display of bitachon. After the workday was finished, the banker invited the student into his office and pulled out the hovot alevavot from his drawer. He said, every day I learned the shahra bitachon, and afterward I turned to Hashem and say, ribonoshel olam. I know that from the day I started this job, I never accomplished anything without you. I never worry about tomorrow, how I will repay loans or debts. I trust you with all my heart, and I know you could help me fulfill every request. Please be with me always and help me fulfill my obligation, my obligations. He then told the student this was his secret to his success and source of strength. Another man who had just started out fundraising for a yeshiva went to his rabbi for advice and asked him how to succeed with that. The rabbi told him, whenever you speak to someone about the yeshiva's need for funds, have in mind that you are really talking directly taqadosh baruchu. In your mind, feel like you are talking to Hashem, and he is like you are asking your loving father for help with the yeshiva. Don't focus on the person sitting in front of you. You are talking to Hashem, and he is listening. The man took the advice and he practiced it on his first fundraising trip. Since this was his first time, he didn't even know what was considered a successful trip, so when he told the yeshiva how much he raised, they replied that he had been amazingly successful. Some of the philanthropists who were asked for contributions gave in the thousands, and the lowest was not less than a hundred dollars. Some time later, he was told by a relative of his that one of the wealthiest men in the country used to be hosted by his grandfather when he was a young man. For a period of time, he even slept there, so his relatives suggested that he go and see him and ask for a donation. He took the advice and when he arrived at the wealthy man's home, the wealthy man greeted him warmly. They reminisced about their family lives and the conversation was going great. He was sure he was going to get an enormous donation for the yeshiva. After their long conversation, he told the wealthy man why he came to see him. The wealthy man then pulled out some money from his pocket and said he would be happy to contribute. However, it was a low sum. The man said, I learned a great lesson that day. It was such a shame that I spoke to the wealthy man that entire time when I could have been speaking to HaKadosh Baruch Hu instead. The more we recognize that Hashem controls everything and take ourselves and people out of the picture, the more successful have. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily hizook. Imagine a young man did a crime that warranted a life sentence in jail. Everything he did was caught on camera. There was nothing he could possibly say or do that would absolve him of his fate. He was also told that the judge is very strict and it was a guarantee that he would get the full term. There was no lawyer or advocates that could possibly help him. Furthermore, when he was to go in for the trial, he would have to go alone with no support from family or friends. Here he was just starting out in life, looking forward to a bright future and now it was abruptly coming to a halt. The trial was scheduled to take place in a few weeks. This young man would most likely experience extreme anxiety each day leading up to the trial. He would have trouble falling asleep. He would have trouble eating. He would have trouble focusing on anything other than the dismal life he was about to enter. But then, on the night before the trial, he receives a phone call. He picks it up and it's none other than the judge himself. The young man's heart started racing a mile a minute. The judge then tells him with a very warm and soothing tone, he would like him to come over to his house to talk. The young man goes and when he arrives, the judge greets him with the biggest smile. He says the rules in court are very strict. There is no leeway to take away any of the jail time. However, before the trial starts, there's a completely different set of rules. I am the most merciful and loving judge that you could possibly imagine. I want you to live a long and happy life. I want you to get married and have children and grandchildren. If you will tell me now that you feel remorse for your crime and that you'll never do it again, I'll call off the trial and consider it like the crime never took place. The young man wouldn't believe what he was hearing if that happened. He would immediately apologize to the judge for the crime and express true remorse and tell him he would never do it again. He would then go home and celebrate with his family, looking forward to a happy life ahead. This scenario seems far-fetched but in actuality we are all presented with the exact same opportunity. The Shomaid-e-Muneem in Perek-alif of his Ma'amar-e-Nashka Ha-peratid describes the terrible judgments that a person can potentially receive after he leaves this world and they are far worse than a life sentence in prison here. It also says in the Gemara that although Hashem is so merciful, he does not overlook even one sin that a person did in this world. In the next world everything operates according to strict justice and even the lightest of transgressions will have to be accounted for. The judgment is very scary. There is no moral support from family or friends and everything the person did is so to speak court on camera. However the Midrash-e-Hileem is more you'd zayin on the words Milifanecha mishpatiyetse tells us. Amar ha-kadoosh paruchul Yisrael. Hashem tells us. B'nai Ad sheshahare tefila petohim asu tefila utshuva. My precious children while the gates of tefila are still open. Make repentance and pray to me for forgiveness. Sha'ani notel shohad ba'olama zeh because I take bribery in this world. Ava mishani yoshev ba'deen la'olama ba'ani notel shohad. However once I sit in judgment in the upper world I can no longer be bribed. Making tishuva is considered bribery because instead of receiving endless punishments for our sins we could just feel remorse and tell Hashem we won't do them anymore and with those feelings and words we could completely absolve ourselves of all judgments in the next world. Hashem is the most merciful judge that we could imagine. He invites everyone to see him kaviachol before the trial so that he could dismiss the entire case and give everyone the greatest life of eternal bliss. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily hizuk. The process of Sheduchim can be very difficult. There could be long periods of waiting, suggestions that seem to go nowhere, and times when a person wonders how the right Sheduch will ever come about. But there is something very comforting to always remember. The Yad Hashem is so prevalent when it comes to Sheduchim. Hashem is involved not only in bringing the right people together, but also in making sure that it happens at exactly the right time. A young man got married at the age of 30 to a girl in her 20s. They came from completely different backgrounds to the point that one would have never imagined such a match being made. Yet when they finally met, it progressed very quickly, and Baruch Hashem, they got married and are very happy together. It turned out this same Sheduch was suggested two years earlier, and at that time the boy's mother was so taken aback by the difference in backgrounds that she immediately said no. A year after the wedding, the young man was sitting together with his wife and mother when the subject came up. He said, Ma, why did you say no two years ago? You caused me two extra years of agony. We could have been married that entire time. His wife immediately interjected. No, you don't understand, she said. If this would have been suggested to me two years ago, I never would have agreed to it. So many things happened to me during the last two years that completely changed my perspective. Only when the Sheduch was suggested now was I ready to consider someone from such a different background. What appeared to be a missed opportunity was actually Hashem's perfect timing. The Sheduch was there all along, but it had to wait until the perfect moment when both sides were ready for it. Hashem has endless ways of bringing two people together. Even people whose paths would seemingly never cross. There's a rabbi in a girl's school who started exercising a couple of years ago because his doctor said he needed to stay in shape. Somebody helping the rabbi got him a trainer, and this trainer sometimes works together with two people at once. And for more than a year, the rabbi regularly trained alongside a certain young man. Over that time, he had an opportunity to see this boy up close. He saw his fine-me-dot, his character, and that he was a true Ben Torah. Eventually, when one of the girls from his school was ready for Sheduchim, the rabbi thought of this boy. Based on their different backgrounds and circles, it was a match that ordinarily would never have been suggested. But because Hashem arranged for this rabbi to do his exercise alongside this young man for more than a year, he knew who the boy really was. He suggested the Sheduch and Baruch Hashem the two are perfect for each other and are now happily married. Sometimes Hashem will even use a mistake to bring couples together. A boy was suggested to a girl who was just starting out in Sheduchim. She found out the boy was a few months younger and was hesitant to proceed. She wanted someone older and more mature but she was encouraged not to reject such a good suggestion over a couple of months so she agreed to go out and Baruch Hashem, they saw, they were perfect for each other and eventually they got engaged. But only afterward did the family discover something amazing. The boy wasn't a few months younger, he was almost a full year younger. How did everyone get the age wrong? The Shad Khan who suggested it was Israeli and the date of the boy's birthday was misunderstood by the Shad Khan because dates are written differently in Israel and America. For example, imagine the girl's birthday was December 15th, 2002 and the boy's was December 3rd, 2003 in Israel, his birthday would be written 31203, meaning December 3rd but in America that same date means March 12th, 2003. Instead of thinking, instead of knowing that this boy was almost a year younger, the Shad Khan said that the boy was just less than 3 months younger. By the time they discovered this mistake the girl already knew that this boy was perfect for her and the concerns that she had were not concerns at all. Hashem made it that the Shad Khan for this particular couple had to be Israeli because he knew how to bring the Shiduch about. When it comes to Shiduchim we never have to figure out how it's going to happen. We don't have to worry, maybe the right person won't be suggested or maybe an opportunity will be missed. Hashem knows exactly how to bring people together. He knows when to bring them together and when the time is right he makes it happen. And if a person needs to wait that's also Yad Hashem. But knowing that Hashem is involved in every single detail should give us a calmer feeling even though the process may be difficult. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily hizook. Some communities have a minhag to blow the shofar every day in Ilul. The idea is to instill fear that the awesome day of Rosh Hashanah is approaching. There's also a minhag to read them as Mawrentah-e-Hileem, Lidavid-Ori. And there it says, We have nothing to fear. If an invading army comes to attack, we will not fear because we have Hashem. Rabbi Menasha Reisman asked, It seems like a contradiction. On one hand, we're trying to instill fear. But then we talk about how there's nothing to fear. Similarly, towards the end of Parashat Shofetim, it says when we go out to war against our enemy, we're commanded not to be afraid even if they appear to be larger and stronger than us because we have Hashem on our side and no one has any power other than Him. Yet, right afterward, the Shotrim would tell the people that there are some that are exempt from the war like a person who just built a home or just got engaged, lest they die in battle and someone else be the first to live in their house or get married to their wife. This also sounds like a contradiction. First, the Pasuk told us there's nothing to fear because we have Hashem and then it says the people might die in battle. How do we understand this? Rabbi Reisman used the Chovot-e-Levavot in the Shad-e-Bitachon-Peregim-Al-Te-Anser. There, in his fourth requirement to having Shru Bitachon in Hashem, he says that a person must do his utmost to fulfill the responsibilities that Hashem gave him to do in this world. We have a lot of requests that we make of Hashem, but we also have to know that he has requests from us and in order to feel confident when we ask Hashem for help with our requests, we have to first be doing what he requests of us. Of course, Hashem is only making his request for our benefit, but nonetheless, it is his will that we follow the Torah and Mitzvot that he gave us. And even though Rabinul Yonah writes that even at Hashem, he has Bitachon in Hashem, will be surrounded with Chesed, that's not a contradiction. He's talking about someone who's sinned a lot to the point where he's called at Hashem, but now he wants to become closer to Hashem. Even if he would just say that he wants to be better, he can confidently have full Bitachon in Hashem and be surrounded by his Chesed. But if a person doesn't care at all about Hashem's will, that means he doesn't truly understand who Hashem is and therefore it's impossible for him to have true Bitachon. Sometimes Hashem has to make things uncomfortable for a person to wake up in life in order that he fulfill the purpose that he came here to do. With this in mind, we can understand the answers to the questions we asked. It is true that if a person internalizes an Aud Milivador in battle, he will not be touched. But first, he has to be someone who knows who Hashem is, someone who knows that he has a will and cares to do it. In order for that to happen, the Shorterim had to scare the people. They had to tell them war is dangerous, death is possible in battle. If they were able to have the right kind of fear that would motivate them to truly want to get closer to Hashem, and then they would be able to have true Bitachon in him and then they would be protected. It is true what it says, There is nothing to fear, but that's only after we fear and trust in Hashem. Then we have the protection for someone to truly connect with Hashem. He has to be someone who really understands who he is. Hashem's love and mercy is unending. All he wants is our success, but we need to push ourselves and first recognize how much we need him and how connected we really want to be to him. Therefore, first we blow the shofar to wake us up and then after we're inspired to want to be closer to Hashem, it will motivate us to have true Bitachon in him and then there will truly be nothing to fear. Have a great day!

Welcome to the daily hizouk. This week's Parasha Kitavo begins with the Mitzvah of Bikurim, where a landowner brings a basket of fruits from the seven species to the Kohen, and recites certain pisukim. The Mishnah describes the bringing of the Bikurim as a very elaborate process. There were crowds of people waiting to greet the landowners in Yerushalayim with music playing in the background. It is noteworthy to point out that the landowner only had to bring one fruit from each of the species. The Sefer, my peak Margaliot writes, we see from here the unbelievable value that the Torah places on the littlest deeds that we do. Imagine a farmer with orchards full of fig trees or date trees and thousands of fruits that are going to grow upon them. And he takes just one to do the Mitzvah Bikurim, and the Torah makes such a big deal over it. When he walks with the basket, everyone who sees him stands up in honor of the Mitzvah he's doing. To the onlooker, it may have seemed that a king or president had just arrived, but it was just a man holding a basket of fruit. To us, it looks like something simple, but the Torah knows how valuable it really is. Sometimes the evil inclination tells a person, you're going to learn Torah now? It's not worth it. You're going to be late. You're not going to understand what's being taught. It's going to take you at least 10 minutes just to find parking. Or if a person wants to go to Shul to pray, the evil inclination tells him, how much are you going to concentrate anyway? Most of the tifila you space out, it's not worth the efforts. Let us make a simple kalvahomid. If for one fruit that is worth less than a penny to the farmer, the Torah gives him endless honor. How much more so if a person would wake up early in the morning and push himself out of bed to go to Shul at a time that he wished he could sleep just a little longer? He fights himself and he goes anyway. How many worlds is he building in Shamayim for those efforts? Or after a long day's work, a person comes home and is so tired, he just wants to relax, but instead he strengthens himself and goes back out to learn, sometimes in the freezing cold, searching for parking. Every word of Torah gives endless rewards, how much more so when they are learned with difficulty? Every deed that we do is worth so much and we can never underestimate even the smallest things that we do. A woman related, she heard a short class about giving hizuk to others. The rabbi specifically mentioned that if someone is going through a difficulty and that person has ever gotten hizuk that has helped him, then he should use that hizuk to give someone else he knows who is going through the same difficulty. The woman told this to her son, who was having a very hard time in Shiduchim. He took the advice and called someone that he knew was struggling in the same area. He gave him all the lines that have helped him in the past. The other boy thanked him for the kind words and then said, You know, I have someone that I think would be great for you. PS, a couple of weeks ago, they were celebrating their engagement. Every deed accomplishes worlds in Shamayim. We don't necessarily get to see their effects down here, but rest assured, every deed we do is immeasurable. Shabbat Shalom.

Welcome to the daily Hizouk, a man related that a family member of his betrayed him in business and he is completely destroyed from it. The financial loss alone is hard to deal with, but being hurt by a family member makes it so much harder. He wants to know, was it from Hashem, or did this person do an Avera and harm him with his own free will? I told him there's no question that it came from Hashem. Yes, if the person did a wrong doing, he will be held accountable for it, but as far as we are concerned, it was meant for us and it had to happen. Although it is very hard to deal with, we know Hashem only does what's absolutely best for us. That means that for reasons we can't understand, the loss of money as well as the pain from the betrayal were the best things that could have possibly happened to this person or else Hashem would not have done it. We have no idea what Yisurim in this world save us from here as well as in the next world, but Hashem does and he is the only one who knows what we truly need to experience for our own good. On the surface level, Yosef Hassadik was quote-unquote betrayed by his own brothers. The pain of what he went through must have been extremely difficult, although more so because it came at the hands of his own flesh and blood. But Yosef heroically overcame the challenge and said the most beautiful words to them years later. It wasn't you who did that to me, it was Hashem and we see now that he did it for the greatest reasons. A person may not strictly, a person may not be holochically obligated to forgive someone who hurt him and doesn't feel remorse, but if he is able to overcome his natural feelings of hatred and replace them with feelings of emunah and bring shalom, that is considered a heroic act. As the Gemara says, when someone overlooks the wrongdoings that others do to him, Hashem forgives that person for all of his sins. What better time to utilize an opportunity to be forgiven for sin than now as we approach the awesome day of Rosh Hashanah. It may require superhuman strength, but we have that ability. The person could say, Hashem, I know you want peace in the family and so for your sake I am going to keep it. Yosef Hasadik completely forgave his brothers for what they did to him and for that he is remembered eternally in the Torah. But the Torah does not just write stories for us to know them. But rather for us to learn and emulate. Yosef was able to hug the same people that tried to kill him and eventually sold him to a foreign land. There are times when we ask Hashem for certain blessings that we most definitely are unworthy of. But Hashem in his infinite kindness may give the person a situation where he has an opportunity to perform a heroic act. That heroic act may be the deed that Hashem is giving him to earn the blessing he is seeking. Bringing about shalom and harmony at a time where it's so difficult is definitely a heroic act which can bring down a tremendous amount of beracha. If the person could say that perhaps Hashem is giving me an opportunity to perform a heroic deed now so I am going to do it that can give him another motivation. We can never lose out by going over and above. It may be uncomfortable and it may even hurt but the rewards will definitely be worth the efforts. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily Heizouk. Emuna gives a person the strength to go through life feeling that he is always being cared for. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we know Hashem is right there with us. He knows exactly what we need. He hears every tifila and he has unlimited ways of helping us. A woman recently shared a beautiful example. She wrote, it was difficult for her to see the families around her as well as her co-workers packing up and going away on vacation this past summer while she knew that her family couldn't even afford some of the basics. She knew that in the natural way of the world they were not going to be able to get away at all that summer. One morning on her way to work she began praying and crying to Hashem as she would speak to her own father. She said, Tati, I really want to go away for Shabbat next week from Thursday to Sunday to a beautiful place that will work for our family without us having to pay for it. She prayed a little more and then continued on to work. That day she received a phone call from a relative inviting her family to join them at a place they rented upstate during the coming week. She thanked them for the offer but explained unfortunately those days wouldn't work for her family. She then added what she would really love would be to go away the following Shabbat because that would work much better for their schedule. A few minutes later the relative called back. They had arranged for her family to have the place they were staying in from Thursday until Sunday exactly what she just asked Hashem for. They had even gone directly to the owner and got a great rate without having to pay the usual third-party fees and they said they would be more than happy to take care of all the costs. That morning the woman cried out Hashem asking for something that seemed completely beyond her reach. She didn't know anyone was planning to offer a vacation. She didn't have the money to arrange one herself. All she knew was that she had a father in Shammayim who could give her exactly what she wanted and within hours what she had asked for she had gotten. She said further right now I don't know where we're going to get the money to even pay for gas and food for this trip but I do know that I have a loving caring father who listens to my tiffy Lord and loves me and I know he will provide us with everything we need. This is what one experience of Hashem could do for a person. Hashem doesn't only give us what we need at the moment. Sometimes he'll give us an experience that will strengthen our emunah for the future. At first this woman didn't know how she was going to afford a vacation. Then she didn't know how she's going to afford the gas and the food for the vacation but she's looking at that problem much differently than she looked at her previous problem because she saw firsthand how Hashem could give her something that seemed completely out of her reach. We don't always have to know in advance how Hashem is going to take care of us. Our job is to know who is taking care of us. When we live with the feeling that Hashem is our loving father and we could speak to him openly and ask him for whatever we want, then and know that he has unlimited of ways of providing exactly what we need. That can give us the feeling of confidence and love that we need to go through anything in this world. As an aside, somebody heard about this episode with this woman and he asked if he could make a contribution that would enable this family to enjoy their vacation that weekend. And so it was. They got all the money they needed and had a beautiful family getaway. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily chizuk. After Qayyim killed Havel, Hashem gave him very severe punishments. The land would no longer produce for him as it did before, and he would become a wanderer and separated from Hashem's immediate presence. Qayyim then said to Hashem that as he wandered the earth, whoever found him would kill him. Immediately afterward, Hashem told Qayyim that he would protect him and he even gave him a sign for it. What changed? Hashem had just decreed such harsh punishments upon Qayyim and now suddenly he was going to protect him? The Ora Hayim Akadosh there explains that when Qayyim said whoever found him would kill him he was recognizing that without Hashem's protection he would not be able to survive. Qayyim understood that his safety was completely dependent upon Hashem and in the zikhud of that recognition, Hashem had extra mercy upon him. This is a very powerful idea. We're talking about Qayyim immediately after he committed one of the worst avedah. Furthermore, we're talking about someone who spoke directly to Hashem yet after he recognized how much he needed Hashem to protect him that recognition alone was so precious to Hashem that he showed Qayyim an outpouring of love. How much more so if a person today who doesn't see Hashem openly would recognize that he needs Hashem for everything. We have opportunities all day long to strengthen our Emonah in this area. Before a person leaves his house he could think, Hashem, I need you to protect me every step that I take. Before he goes to work he could say, Hashem, I need you every step of my day for success. Before making any important decision a person could say, Hashem, I need you to guide me. When his children leave the house he could say, Hashem, only you could truly watch over them. Every time we sincerely think, Hashem, I can't do this without you. We are implementing this beautiful fundamental in Emonah. How fortunate we are. The one we need is our loving Father who controls everything and always does what's best for us. Sometimes different circumstances bring us to truly internalize this truth. Rabbi Benyamin Prusansky told a story about a man named Rabbi Shia Erps, the director of Camp Khol-Simcha. On one occasion he became trapped inside a large industrial freezer. The heavy door had slammed shut and there was no handle on the inside and despite being very handy and physically strong, nothing he tried worked to get him out. The tools he had with him couldn't get the door open. His radio had no reception to be able to call anyone and nobody could hear his cries for help. After nearly an hour in the freezing cold, he finally stopped trying everything and turned to Hashem and said, Hashem, my tools, my strength, my radio have all failed me. I understand now that without you I have nothing. You are the only one who can save me. Please, Daddy, open the door for me. He then went over to the door one more time and pushed gently at it and the heavy door swung open wide. He later reflected he had never felt such a complete lack of control. He had been so sure that somehow his own abilities would save him, but only when he truly recognized that everything depended only on Hashem did the door finally open. If just recognizing his need for Hashem brought protection, even to Qayin, at such a low point in his life, we could only imagine how precious it is when we go through our day recognizing again and again, Hashem, I need you. I know that everything I have comes from you and I know that only you can give me what I need. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily khizook. The more a person learns about emunah and bita'khun, the more strength and courage he will have to live life the way Hashem wants him to live it. Learning emunah is learning about who Hashem is, how he runs the world, and what he expects from us. When we know that Hashem is the one providing our paranasa, and that our hishtalut is just the means through which he sends it, we're able to make decisions with a confidence that otherwise we may not have had. A man related that his wife works as a substitute preschool teacher for a group of preschools in another neighborhood. Almost every day the principal tells her where she needs to be the following morning. One of the biggest difficulties is the travel. It takes her at least 20 minutes to get to work, which means she has to leave early and miss the crucial hour of getting their own children off to school. Every morning requires new arrangements, and as their family is growing this situation became very difficult. For years they just accepted it. They felt this was their hishtalut for paranasa and part of the difficulties that come along with earning a living. Eventually his wife worked up the courage to ask the principal if she could become the permanent substitute in the preschools in their own neighborhood. He immediately told her there were no available positions there, and she had to stay with what she was doing. And so they continued on as before. Recently however, the husband began learning the shahra bitahon in the chovot al-lavavot every day with the chavruta. They were learning about the benefits of having bitahon, and one of them is, while people may have to travel great distances to earn a livelihood, the ba'al bitahon knows Hashem could provide his paranasa right near his home without all the difficulties of traveling. Those words changed his perspective. Until then he felt his wife's job, if his wife's job required her to travel every day, they had no other choice. But now he was learning what it means to truly know that paranasa only comes from Hashem. The principal was not the one providing for them. The job was not the one providing for them. It was Hashem who was providing them and for them, and that knowledge gave him tremendous strength. He came home and told his wife, That's it. You're not traveling to the other neighborhood anymore. Just tell the principal you're only able to work in the preschools nearby. This was very difficult for her to do. They didn't know what the principal would say or what would happen with her job. But after learning the sha'ab bitahon, it gave him so much courage to live according to what he was learning, and he inspired his wife as well. His wife told the principal she would no longer be able to travel to the other neighborhood. A few hours later, the secretary called her back and said, It's not a problem. There's another substitute who works in the preschools in your neighborhood, but lives near the ones where you've been working. She also just asked if she could stop traveling, so we'll just switch the two of you. They were thrilled, but then came the most amazing part, who was the other substitute teacher? She was the man's chavrutah's wife. The two men had been sitting together every day learning sha'ab bitahon and internalizing its lessons. Without either one knowing what the other one was doing, they both came away with the strength to make a change regarding their wife's work schedules. This is the power of learning emunah bitahon. It teaches us what life is supposed to look like. It teaches us who is controlling everything, who is protecting us, who is determining the determining the outcome of everything we do. The more we internalize those truths, the less we will have to live with fear and uncertainty. When a person learns more about who Hashem is and lives according to that knowledge, he will have tremendous strength. He will never feel trapped by a circumstance or frightened about what will happen if he does what's right. He knows that Hashem is always taking care of him and he only wants to do what Hashem wants him to do. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily hizouk, the Muammar Mordechai writes at the beginning of Parashat Nitzavim, that we always read Nitzavim before Rosh Hashanah to teach us that at this time of year, we are supposed to be praying on behalf of our friends every single day. The Perach Shoshan explains a beautiful hint in the words, Atem Nitzavim hayom. The word Nitzavim means standing, and Chazal tell us that standing is a reference to Tifila. Atem Nitzavim hayom. We're all standing together in Tifila at this special time before Rosh Hashanah. Then he quotes the bayet etev who brings down in halacha, that during this month, when a person writes a letter to his friend, he should bless him, that he should be inscribed and sealed for a good year. Thus, we should be praying for our friends as well, at this time, we are supposed to be giving out blessings to others, wishing good things upon them, and praying that they receive them. This is a time when we all need extra love and unity. We are all going to come together to proclaim Hashem the Melech, and we should do it together as one. The Baalaturim writes on the words, Atem Nitzavim, just as the Jewish people stood together in unity at Harasinai, so too they stood together then, and so too must we stand together now. We should be thinking about each other, caring about each other, and praying on behalf of each other, and there's a great zikhut when we do that. A man told me, last year he and his friend were working together in the same company. Things there were getting worse and worse until eventually they weren't making any money. They finally decided together they were going to leave. They had no idea where they were going to go or what they would do next, but they decided they were going to learn the Shahr Habbitachon together every single day. They learned as Chavrutot, and grew together in Bitachon and Emuna. They also made up that each one would pray for the other to find a good job. After some time, someone reached out to one of the men with a job opportunity. He went for an interview and liked what he heard. While they were still going back and forth, he heard about a second opportunity. He looked into that one as well and felt it would be much better for him. The first company told him there was no urgency, and if he wanted to pursue the other opportunity, it wouldn't be a problem. He should just let them know. In the end, he was hired by the second company. That very same day, the first company called him and asked what he decided. He told them he just accepted another position, but then he added, I have a friend who was also looking for a job. That friend immediately went down for an interview and they hired him on the spot. The two friends who had left their jobs together, learned Shahr Habbitachon together and prayed for each other. Every single day, we're both hired exactly three months after leaving their previous jobs, and they were both hired on the exact same day. This is a beautiful example of what Atem Nitzavim can look like in our own lives. Two people growing together, strengthening each other, and each one sincerely praying for the other one's success. And then Hashem looked down upon them and answered both of their Tiffi Law together. As Rosh Hashanak approaches, we all have so much that we need and so much that we're praying for, but we should also utilize this special time to think about what others need. We should pray for our friends, bless them, and genuinely want Hashem to give them everything that they need. When Hashem sees all of his children standing together with love and unity, each one wanting the best for the other, that is a great zikhut. May we all wish good upon each other and pray for each other, and in that zikhut, may Hashem bless everyone with a wonderful and beautiful new year. Shabbat Shalom.

Welcome to the daily hizouk. Chazal tells us that the world was created for the mitzvah of Bikurim. This is an astonishing madrash. We know that a person comes into this world with a mission to serve Hashem from the circumstances that he has given. And through that, he earns the ability to enjoy the delights of the world to come for all eternity. How can Chazal say the world was created for the mitzvah of Bikurim? Perhaps the answer is, Bikurim teaches us how Hashem wants us to fulfill our mission. Imagine someone hiring a worker who comes to work every day with a sour face. He does whatever he has to do, but he can't wait to leave. The employer doesn't want to ask him to do anything because he feels like he's burdening him. And what about if a worker comes enthusiastically but all he cares about is himself and how much he can get out of the company? He's also not the ideal worker. The best worker is someone who loves the company and loves the boss. He comes in excited, wanting to contribute and wanting to do more. That's how Hashem wants us to serve him. He wants us to be excited to do the mitzvah. But how do we reach a level where we really want to do more for Hashem? One of the greatest motivations is to recognize how much Hashem has already done for us. When someone gives and keeps giving, we naturally want to reciprocate. If we understand how much Hashem gives us every second of the day, we'd be running to serve him. The problem is, we don't fully recognize what we have been given and what we continue to be given. The chovot to levavot gives a mashaal to explain. Imagine Loa Aleno, parents pass away leaving behind two children, a baby and a 16-year-old. A nice family takes both children into their home, supports them, pays for everything they need, and eventually marries them off. Which child should have more hakara tatov? Obviously, the baby. That child was supported for nearly 20 years while the other child was supported for only a few. But most likely, it is the 16-year-old that will feel much more gratitude. She understood what was happening when she entered that home. She knew what it meant to have nowhere to go and then have a family open up their home to her. The baby, however, grew up receiving everything from the beginning. By the time she was old enough to understand, everything already felt natural. The same is true of us in this world. We came into the world receiving from the first moment of our lives Hashem has been giving and giving. Our health, our eyesight, our ability to think, to eat, to walk, to enjoy everything in this world. We have been given these gifts for so long that they feel natural to us. And in the natural way of the world, these gifts unfortunately aren't appreciated unless Loa Aleno, one of them is taken away. But Bikurim comes to correct that. It teaches us to appreciate while we have. The landowner, who works so hard in his field, plowing and planting, finally sees beautiful fruits growing. It would be so easy for him to say, look what I did. But the Torah tells him, take those fruits, bring them to the beta-Miktash, and declare they came from the land Hashem that you gave me. These other fruits that you gave me, everything I have, you gave me. And that recognition changes the way that we serve Hashem. Someone once did me a favor that saved me over three hours of time. Later he said to me, I know you're busy, but my children could use some chizuk. Could you please give them 15 minutes? My immediate thought was, of course, you just saved me more than three hours. How could I not give you 15 minutes? That's the way we're supposed to look at Avodat Hashem. Hashem gives us 24 hours of life every single day. Then he asks us to use some of that time to pray and learn. How could we feel that we're giving up of our time? How could a person say, I'm so busy with my business or with my family? Doesn't he know his entire business was given to him by Hashem? His family was given to him by Hashem and the same Hashem wants him to dedicate some of his time to learn and to pray. Hashem gives a person every dollar he has and then asks him to give some of it to Sidaka. When we understand that we don't feel a burden of giving Sidaka, we feel that we're able to express some kind of Haqqara Tatov. Perhaps this is why Chazal say the world was created for Bikurim. Bikurim teaches us the attitude we're supposed to have, serving Hashem our entire lives, recognizing everything we have as a gift from him and then serving him with that Haqqara Tatov. As Rosh Hashanah approaches, this is so important to keep in mind. We are living in a world in which Hashem is constantly giving us. Everything we do for him is just a drop in the bucket compared to everything he does for us. When we truly recognize that, serving Hashem takes on a different feeling. We could wake up in the morning excited to pray, excited to learn, excited to give, excited to improve. Every extra effort becomes another opportunity to say, Hashem, I know how much you give me. I want to show you how much Haqqara Tatov I have. This is the lesson of Bikurim and perhaps that is why the entire world was created for it. Have a great day.

Welcome to the daily huizuk on Rosh Hashanah. One of our main jobs is to be Mamlich Hashem, to crown Hashem as our King. Part of that avodah is to feel happy that we are in Hashem's Kingdom. Nechem Ya told the Jewish people on Rosh Hashanah, kichedvat Hashem he ma'uzechem. The joy of Hashem is your strength. What a zichud it is to be able to serve Hashem. How fortunate we are to be His children. How fortunate we are that He is our King. Hashem gives us so many blessings, but very often we focus specifically on the one thing we don't have. Someone is waiting for a Shidduch. Someone is waiting for a baby. Someone is struggling with Pardasah. When we focus on what's missing, a person may begin to feel Hashem. Why aren't you giving this to me already? Everyone else seems to have it. And those feelings could take away from the joy the person is supposed to have in his heart, in being part of Hashem's Kingdom. Part of our avodah is to know that if we don't have something right now, then right now not having it is the absolute best thing for us. That may be extremely difficult to understand, but if we knew exactly what our purpose was in this world, we would say, Hashem, thank you even for this Chesed. I hope that tomorrow it will be best for me to receive what I'm asking for. But now if you didn't give it to me yet, I know there was nothing better for me. We never want to doubt Hashem's Chesed because of what it appears to be. Because one day Hashem is going to reveal himself and show us how every single thing that took place in our lives was the best possible thing for us. Everything that seemed impossible to understand will be so clear. We'll look back and say, I can't believe I thought that way. I thought this was so bad and now I see how good it really was. Now in this world we just don't have all the information. Someone shared with me a story that he read which illustrates this beautifully. It was a quiet Sunday morning on a New York subway. The passengers were reading, resting and enjoying a few peaceful moments. At one stop a man got onto a train with his children and within seconds the atmosphere completely changed. The children were loud and unruly. They ran through the train shouting at one another, disturbing the passengers and even grabbing the people's newspapers. Their father just sat down, closed his eyes, and seemed completely unaware of what was happening. As the frustration on the train grew, one passenger finally leaned over and said to him, Sir, your children are disturbing everyone. Please, what are you going to do about your children? The man slowly opened his eyes and said, you're right. What am I going to do about my children? We just came from the hospital. Their mother passed away an hour ago. I don't know what I'm going to do about my children. In that one instant nothing changed but everything changed. The children were still making noise. The father was still sitting there silently but nobody on that subway saw an irresponsible father anymore. They saw a grieving husband and children whose world had just fallen apart. All they received was one piece of information and suddenly the exact same scene looked completely different. That is how it's going to be when Hashem turns on the lights. We will be given the information we're missing now and suddenly everything will look different. We'll say, Hashem, now I understand you were righteous the entire time. You were doing chesed with me the entire time. I just couldn't see it. Our job is to know this truth even before Hashem turns the lights on. We could be happy with what he gives us and trust him when he doesn't give us knowing that everything he does is for our good. We are supposed to feel a genuine joy to be part of Hashem's kingdom. Our King loves us. He knows exactly what we need. He is always doing what's absolutely best for us when we truly believe that we will feel so fortunate and happy to be in Hashem's kingdom no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in. Have a great day!