Emuna Beams

Today’s Emuna Hour lesson introduces us to the six main types of verbal abusers: the common fools, the scoffers, the highbrows, the archivists, the investigators and the detractors. We learn to recognize them and how to guard ourselves from them.

Today’s lesson deals with the thorny types of verbal abuse that a person suffers with no prior triggers or misdeeds. Like the sweet prickly pear, these too are sweet fruit concealed in thorns. They are able to atone for a person’s misdeeds and can uplift him or her to a higher spiritual level. They also strengthen character.

Rabbenu Bachiya then explains that Hashem runs the world in a measure-for-measure fashion. One who encounters trouble in life should immediately assess himself. He who does so sincerely will benefit Divine guidance and assistance so that he'll be able to recognize the caustic catalyst that triggered the trouble.

The key to a relationship is communication, particularly speech communication. When it comes to our relationship with God, prayer – especially intimate, private personal prayer – is the best means of communicating. In that respect, personal prayer is the language of emuna. This type of prayer doesn't appear in any prayer book. It is written on the innermost walls of a person's heart. "The Language of Emuna," Rabbi Lazer's inspiring new book, shows how life-enriching personal prayers can be for anyone, no matter what their background might be.

Although the world is rife with suffering and tribulations, few are the fortunate individuals who know how to cope with indignity. They are able to weather insult without losing their composure. This is not a matter of superficial self-control. It's apparent that their soul remains calm. Let's learn their secret...

This is the moving story of Rebbetzin Rachel Sarna, osb"m, who as a teenager survived the Holocaust and a miraculous confrontation with a senior Nazi commander and his pack of killer dogs.

Since Coronavirus has such a predilection for the mouth and throat, oral hygiene is a determining factor in controlling its spread. Health authorities urge us to protect ourselves and those around us by keeping our mouth cleaner and free of harmful microorganisms. They're correct, but only partially. Everything in the physical world has a root in the spiritual world. Let's rephrase the Health authorities' idea from an emuna standpoint: we can protect ourselves and those around us by keeping our mouth cleaner and free of spiritual microorganisms, the viruses of transgressions.

When it comes to fitness, there are many devices out there from fitness watches to heart-rate monitors to sleep and exercise apps. They all tell us that we need them to be fit and to attain maximum potential. Is that really true? Brodie and Brody look for the best answers and the happy medium.

Every word of sincere personal prayer is far more valuable than the Hope Diamond, which weighs 45 carats and is worth some $250-300 million. There will be many robbers and hijackers lying in the lurk to prevent those words of prayer from reaching the Heavenly throne. These evil forces do everything in their power to prevent a person from building an intimate relationship with God. For practical purposes, we refer to them as the enemies of personal prayer, the antagonists whose purpose is to obstruct our efforts to get close to the Almighty. Since these antagonists are so powerful, the rewards for overcoming them are unfathomable.

This message comes from the holy gravesite of King David on Mount Zion. We examine his autobiographical statement in at the end of Psalm 57. King David tells us what his definition of good is. As a result, we see what the King of Israel’s top priority is.