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The hero’s journey commonly begins with an average individual leading an average life. At some point the hero confronts a challenge that threatens to throw his world into disarray. The hero must now decide to either confront the challenge or retreat and surrender. The hero discovers a mentor who inspires and empowers him with the tools to advance. The mentor now steps back and allows the hero to proceed and conquer.
Every day we are authoring the inspirational story of our lives. With Emunah we meet life’s challenges head on and dig deep to reveal the hero within. For the last week I have been learning alongside a holy Jew. Except for the cordial good morning we have kept to ourselves. Yesterday our chavrusas didn’t arrive. We started up a warm and lively conversation and as expected, we found that we have more in common than not. We are both going through similar challenges and striving to forge a deeper connection with Hashem. We need to actively work at breaking the barriers that separate us and form real and meaningful connections with other Yidden, with more love and less judgement, in eager anticipation for the Geulah Shelaima.
Do something today to make our world a better a place. A heartfelt prayer, a random act of kindness, a spontaneous call to a friend or family member, a few words of holy Torah or simply pause to breath deep and reconnect with your inner self. Illuminate the darkness and bring hope and chizuk to yourself and others. We are surrounded by so much darkness and the hester panim is almost unbearable, however through our thoughts, words and actions we can reveal the G-dly spark concealed in even the darkest places and in that way live a true meaningful life.
Dance, smile and rejoice in the knowledge that you are the precious and beloved child of Hashem. He loves you unconditionally and despite your weaknesses. He believes in you more that you believe in you. He guides and supports you even when you feel abandoned. He picks you up when you have fallen and embraces you when you need it most. He waits for your return and cherishes the moments you turn to Him in prayer. The Kotzker Rebbe said that Hashem is wherever we let Him in. So, open your heart, let Him in and become One.
Hashem we humbly accept that You know what is best for us. And although we have often tried to convince You that You should run the world the way that we believe it should be run, ultimately, we surrender our will to Yours and accept with love and faith that which is beyond our limited understanding. Three times a day we engage You in a holy debate, offering 13 requests during our silent Amidah, and then, when we are done, we bow our heads, accept Your will and thank You for all the blessings in our lives.
Most of us are happy to remain in our comfort zones. However, each of us has a נשמה קדושה that is so powerful and awesome, capable of illuminating the world and bringing it closer to its ultimate תיקון. Hashem and the entire humanity is waiting for you to bring that potential into reality. It has been said that we are more afraid of our light than we are of our darkness. Our light beckons us forward towards greatness and we need to have faith in ourselves and Hashem who sent us here with all the spiritual and physical resources to accomplish our unique mission.
You have the choice in every moment to decide to respond with positivity or negativity. When we choose negativity we end up complaining, despondent and often despair. However when we adopt a positive bias, our minds and hearts are filled with gratitude and joy as we recognize the many blessings in our lives. There is a huge movement of Yidden who are being more intentional in thanking Hashem and together building a world-wide community of connection and positivity (thankyouhashem.com).
As we transition from galus to Geula, Yidden are seeking a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Hashem and finding joy and gratitude...the perfect medium. One of the most important things you can do for your children is be a positive role model. Realizing the influence of my actions, I have begun talking less and simply modelling the מידות and lifestyle choices I want my children to embrace. Watching me learn Torah, seeing me select healthy foods and exercising, observing the way I interact with others gives my children a real example of how to live. I am attempting to follow the path of אברהם אבינו who was loved by Hashem for the way he educated his family as with acts of virtue rather than with words spoken.
Hashem I just want You to know how much I love You. I want you to know that even though there are days that it does not appear that way I love You deeply. It’s just that sometimes I am distracted, and sometimes I don’t have כח and sometimes I am frustrated, and sometimes I don’t feel worthy... but I always feel encouraged by Your belief in me and inspired by Your love for me. I hope that through my struggles, in my never ending search for You, You see my true רצון to be One with You בלב ובנפש.
After struggling with extreme fatigue recently my doctor prescribed exercise. It seemed paradoxical...here I am complaining that I am exhausted and he tells me to exert more energy and exercise. I took his advice and last night went on my first run...ok jog...ok ok a walk and some jogging. I pushed through the initial resistance and pain with the kavana that through this exercise I am serving Hashem as the Rambam writes, ‘vigorous exercise preserves the body.’ There are simple steps that we can take to ensure that we remain both physically and emotionally healthy...we just need to do it.
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