Living Emunah

The Zohar HaKadosh writes that a bara mehemna —a faithful child—is one who asks Hashem for his sustenance every single day, even when he already has enough food to eat. And when he does this, Hashem blesses him with more. What is it about this behavior that makes a person so special? Why does this earn him the title of a child of emunah ? We know that when Yaakov Avinu was fleeing from Esav, he was robbed by Eliphaz and lost all of his money. The pasuk tells us that Yaakov then asked Hashem for לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבֹּשׁ —bread to eat and clothing to wear. The mefarshim ask: seemingly, the words le'echol and lilbosh are unnecessary. Of course bread is for eating and clothing is for wearing. Why did the Torah phrase it this way? The sefer Birkat Hamazon BeKavana explains that perhaps Yaakov was saying to Hashem: I want to be a faithful son, one who turns to You every single day. Therefore, please give me only enough bread for today—without extras—and just enough clothing to wear—without extras—so that I will always need to come back to You. However, this explanation is difficult, because we know that later Yaakov became extremely wealthy in the house of Lavan. Was Hashem telling him that He no longer wanted to hear from him every day? Of course not. Rather, the sefer Birkat Hamazon BeKavana explains that being a faithful child has nothing to do with how much a person possesses, but with his attitude. If a person feels that he needs Hashem just to be able to eat and to get dressed each day, then he is considered a bara mehemna . He does not rely on what he has. Instead, he turns to Hashem like a poor beggar, understanding that everything he owns is meaningless unless Hashem wills him to have it. This is what the Zohar means. Even if a person already has what to eat, he must still ask Hashem for his food every day. This is how Hashem wants us to feel, like we always need Him. And when we do, we are called children of emunah—and we draw down extra blessing from Shamayim. After the Jewish people experienced one of the greatest miracles in history at Kriyat Yam Suf, they traveled for three days in the desert without finding water. Then they arrived at a place called Marah, where there was water—but it was too bitter to drink. The Ben Ish Chai asks: why would Hashem bring them to such a situation immediately after such an incredible miracle? He answers with a mashal. There was a boy who dreamed that everything he touched turned to gold. Instantly, he became the wealthiest person in the world. But after some time, he became thirsty and went to drink water. When he touched the cup, it turned to gold. When the water touched his lips, it also turned to gold. He panicked, realizing that despite all his wealth, he could not even drink something as simple as water. He begged for this power to be taken away. Then he woke up—and immediately ran to get a drink of water, appreciating it like never before. After crossing the Yam Suf, the Jewish people collected the gold and jewelry that washed ashore. They became extraordinarily wealthy. There was a danger that they might begin to feel self-sufficient. So Hashem brought them to a place with no drinkable water, to teach them a crucial lesson: no matter how much a person has, without Hashem, he cannot even take a single sip of water. This lesson was essential, because Hashem wants us to succeed—and true success depends on relying on Him, not on what we possess. No matter what a person has, he must understand that he needs Hashem for everything. And when he truly feels that way—when he turns to Hashem daily for even the simplest needs—then he becomes a bara mehemna , a faithful child, worthy of abundant blessing.

Sometimes in life, we are called upon to do things that are difficult. Our initial reaction may be to think, why do I need this now? At that moment, we need what is called mesirut nefesh—to dig down deep and give of ourselves for the sake of Hashem, even though it is hard. When we are moser nefesh, Hashem appreciates our efforts tremendously. Very often, what we perceive as a sacrifice ends up becoming the source of a blessing we could have never imagined. When we give of ourselves, even though it is uncomfortable, knowing that we are working for Hashem, it becomes an act of emunah—recognizing that Hashem sees all of our efforts and values every bit of toil we invest in His service. A man—let's call him Ralph—told me that a couple of years ago he met the head of a platoon in the IDF, and they developed a friendship. Recently, this platoon leader called Ralph and explained that his unit was being stationed on the border with Lebanon. Their boots were old, worn out, and completely insufficient for the harsh conditions ahead. The soldiers desperately needed new boots, but they did not have the funds to pay for them. The platoon leader asked Ralph if he might be willing to help. Ralph asked how much was needed. The answer was clear: boots for thirty-two soldiers, at about two hundred dollars per pair—approximately six thousand dollars. Without hesitation, Ralph responded, "No problem. I'll cover two thousand myself, and I'll call a couple of friends for the rest. Together we'll take care of it." Ralph called his first friend and explained the situation, asking if he could contribute two thousand dollars. The friend hesitated and ultimately declined. He then called a second friend, who also said he was unable to help at that time. Now Ralph faced a real test. His initial thought was, if no one else is helping, why should I? That would have been the easy way out. But instead, he paused and said to himself, Hashem gave me enough money to help these people. They need help now, and I can help them—so I am going to. With courage and determination, he called the platoon leader back and said, "I will cover the entire expense. Tell me where to send the check." Ralph later said he felt tremendous joy for overcoming that initial hesitation—the natural resistance that comes when giving, especially such a large amount at once. He felt he had truly been moser nefesh, placing his trust in Hashem and believing that Hashem values every effort done for His sake. Then something remarkable happened. Ralph is a retired war veteran who was injured while serving in Vietnam. For years, he had been receiving government compensation. The previous year, he had requested a reassessment of his benefits, explaining why he believed he was being underpaid—but his request was denied outright. Now, the very next day after he demonstrated such mesirut nefesh to pay for all the boots himself, he received an email from the veterans office. They had decided to reopen his case—without any new request from him. Upon review, they concluded that he was indeed entitled to a higher payment. Not only that, they backdated the increase, and within a few days, he received over twenty thousand dollars of completely unexpected funds. Ralph immediately understood that this was no coincidence. Why would they suddenly reopen a closed case without any prompting? Hashem was showing him clearly: you did not lose anything by giving for My sake. On the contrary, you gained far more than you could have imagined. Whenever we stretch ourselves to do what is right, even when it is difficult, it opens the door for greater berachah to flow down from Shamayim.

The Midrash says at the beginning of Parashat Tazriya, regarding a woman giving birth to a baby boy: give praise to the name of Avraham Avinu, who came from afar, as it says, וַיִּרְא אֶת הַמָּקוֹם מֵרָחֹק . The Mefarshim are bothered: what does Avraham Avinu have to do with this parasha, and why do Chazal refer to him as "the one who came from afar"? The Chidushei Harim explains that starting with the woman who gives birth, the parasha speaks about different individuals who may feel pushed away by Hashem. The woman who gives birth to a boy has a certain form of tum'a. She is not allowed to eat korbanot for forty days, which means if she gave birth before Pesach, she would not be able to bring the korban Pesach—not on Pesach Rishon, nor on Pesach Sheni. She may think to herself: I was involved in performing a great mitzvah, and now I am banned from the Beit HaMikdash. The next parasha speaks about someone who contracts tzara'at. The Gemara says tzara'at is a mizbe'ach kapara—a mizbe'ach that gives the person kapara. Some explain that it is yesurin shel ahava —afflictions of love. Not every case of tzara'at comes as a result of a sin. When a person is suspected of having tzara'at, he must be in quarantine for a week or two. If it is confirmed, he must be isolated away from everyone. He cannot attend shul, pray with a minyan, or answer Kaddish. He may feel: why is Hashem pushing me away like this? Further on, the parasha speaks about other people who become tameh through no fault of their own. They may feel the same sentiments. Imagine a family on their way up to Yerushalayim for one of the shalosh regalim, attempting to bring a korban to Hashem on the Chag, and after their long travels, they arrive at the Beit HaMikdash and discover that the man of the house has become tameh and cannot participate at all. It will definitely feel like Hashem is rejecting him. For those instances, the Midrash tells us to see what Avraham Avinu would do under such circumstances. Avraham spent his entire life teaching the world about Hashem. All he wanted was a child who would continue in the same path. After decades of waiting, he finally received a miracle child at an advanced age. Imagine the love Avraham had for this child. As the child grew, Avraham was able to teach himTorah and the ways of Hashem. Imagine the love Avraham had for Yitzchak at age five—much greater than at his birth. The love he had at age ten was even greater. He invested so much time and energy into Yitzchak, who was to continue his life's mission. Then, when Yitzchak was thirty-seven, in the prime of his life, Hashem told Avraham to slaughter him. In one second, all of Avraham's hopes and dreams were being denied. All of the love he had for his son was about to make this task extraordinarily difficult. He could have felt, "All I am trying to do is promote the name of Hashem in the world, and now He is pushing me away." Yet Avraham said to himself: if this is what Hashem wants me to do, then this is what I want. Instead of feeling rejected, he marched forward with zerizut and did Hashem's will to the best of his ability. This was one of the greatest acts of service of all time. Hashem was not distancing Avraham. He was elevating him. Hashem never distances anyone. A person may feel distanced, but that is only because he does not understand the ways of Hashem. When a person becomes tameh, it is not Hashem saying, "I do not want your korban." It is Hashem saying: "I want a different service from you now. I want you to accept that this is what is best for you, and serve Me from the place I have placed you." For that, a person will gain far more than he would have from bringing the korban. When people feel that Hashem is not interested in their service, yet they still do the best they can, that service elevates them enormously. Hashem may appear to be far from us at times, but He is always close. He always wants our avodah, no matter how it may seem. If we strengthen ourselves during those times and continue to serve Him joyfully, to the best of our ability, we will rise to the greatest levels.

During these days of sefirat ha'omer , we are supposed tobe working hard on improving our mitzvot ben adam l'chavero . Chazal tell us shalom is so great that Hashem allows His sacred Name to be erased justto help bring peace between husband and wife. Bringing peace between people isthe vehicle that is going to bring the Shechina out of it's long exile. Chazal also say there is no vessel that can hold beracha other than shalom. Itis incumbent upon us to be mivakesh shalom. We have to humble ourselvesand forgive people, and humble ourselves and treat people with respect. Shalomopens all the gates of beracha . Rabbi Yaakov Shaish told a story which I most probably have toldonce before because I recognized it when I heard it, but hearing it againinspired me, so it can't hurt to repeat. It began when a representative from acertain yeshiva in Israel came to Montreal to collect. Every year this Rabbimade his regular stops and collected enough for the yeshiva to operate. Oneyear in Montreal at a wealthy man's home, he noticed the man looking verydepressed. He inquired about it and then the man broke down saying, "Lookaround, I have the most beautiful home but it's empty because Hashem did notbless us with children." The Rabbi started telling the man about differentorganizations that help with fertility. And then the man interrupted himsaying, "Rabbi, you don't understand. The doctors told us there is nothingwrong with me and there is nothing wrong with my wife. I'm pretty sure I knowwhy this is happening to us. When I was in yeshiva in Israel one year on Purim,I was a little drunk and I started humiliating one of my friends there. I wenton and on until that boy was too embarrassed, he couldn't even show his facethere. Later on I begged for forgiveness, but he adamantly refused. I have beentrying year after year, but this person, who is now a man, refuses to even talkto me". The Rabbi asked for this person's information and said he would try tobring about shalom between them. When the Rabbi got back to Israel, he went to that man's house.The moment he mentioned the reason for his visit, the man politely asked him toleave his home. The Rabbi said, "Please, this man regrets what he did, he issuffering now. He has no children and he desperately wants you to forgive him." The man said, "I hope he never has children! Please leave." As the Rabbi was walking out, he said "please allow me to tellyou just one more thing. I know that after 120 you are going to face theHeavenly Court and at that time, any humiliation you ever went through willappear totally insignificant, it will not bother you in the slightest bit.Hashem is going to tell you, There was a Jew in Canada who desperatelywanted to have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and he wasbegging you to help him. It was your hakpada that prevented all of thoseneshamot to enter into the world in his family. And when you're there, Iknow you're going to regret not forgiving him. But, it's never too late. Now,you still have a chance to do it." The man was silent and he asked the Rabbi to give him a minuteto think. Fifteen minutes later he said, "Okay, I forgive him." The Rabbi said, "No, that's not enough, you have to tell him.Can I get him on the phone?" He said, "Okay." The Rabbi dialed the number and then told thewealthy man he was there with his friend and he was ready to forgive him. Theman took the phone and he said, "I don't want to talk to you, but I want totell you that I forgive you." The wealthy man from Canada immediately beganapologizing and expressing his remorse again and again. Then he asked if hecould please give him a beracha to have children. At first this man saidno way, but then the wealthy man began crying and begging. Finally the managreed and he said, "May it be Hashem's will that you have children." By the end of that year, this man was holding his first child.There is nothing in the world that can hold blessing like shalom.

The more a person pays attention to the hashgachah of Hashem in his life, the more he will come to appreciate Hashem, and the more he will come to rely upon Him. Rabbi Pinchas Shefer related that a man told him that as Pesach was approaching, he and his wife realized there were many things they needed. They decided to take out two sheets of paper. On the first sheet, they listed everything that Hashem had already given them—family, health, talents, children, a home, jobs, and much more. They continued adding all the different items they owned, their furniture, their belongings—everything they had only because Hashem wanted them to have it. The list kept growing longer and longer. Then they took out a second sheet of paper and began listing all the things they would need for Pesach. That list also became very long. They even included items that were not strictly necessary, but would enhance their simchat Yom Tov. Looking at the two lists strengthened their emunah tremendously. They clearly saw how much bounty Hashem had already given them, and their belief that He would continue to lovingly provide for all of their needs—and even their wants—became very real. And indeed, Hashem did not let them down. As the days and weeks passed, they kept crossing off more and more items from the second list and adding them to the first. Some they were able to purchase, and some they received "incidentally". There were even very expensive items on their list, and by the time Pesach arrived, they somehow had every single one of them. Hashem takes care of our big needs and our small needs—it is up to us to recognize it. A woman living in Eretz Yisrael said that one day she wanted to go for a walk, but she had no pockets to hold her phone and house key, so she wore a jacket. It was a very hot day, and she was uncomfortable wearing it. As she walked, she thought how nice it would be to have a small shoulder purse to carry her things instead. When she returned from her walk, she noticed that someone had left a bag of clothing and accessories near a public bin for anyone who wanted them. As she looked through it, she found exactly what she had wished for—a perfect leather shoulder purse. She felt tremendous joy seeing how Hashem had taken care of even such a small detail in her life. A man—we'll call him Jack—told me that he was recently on a train during allergy season and began sneezing. Usually, he carried tissues in his jacket, but that day, because of the warm weather, he had not worn it. With his nose running and a forty-minute ride ahead of him, it seemed like it would be a very uncomfortable trip. He tried thinking of ways to get a tissue, but nothing worked. He then decided to simply read his daily Tehillim as usual. Just then, someone sat down next to him. As the man sat, a small pack of tissues slipped out of his pocket and landed directly on Jack's lap. Jack picked it up and told the man that he thought it had fallen from him. The man thanked him, and Jack politely asked if he could have one tissue. Of course, the man agreed. Jack was in awe. Hashem had practically placed the tissue directly into his hands at the exact moment he needed it. And he realized something powerful: Just as Hashem can provide for our smallest needs in an instant, He can just as easily take care of our greatest needs in an instant. The more we open our eyes and recognize the constant hashgachah that Hashem has over every moment of our lives, the more at ease we will feel, knowing that we are always in His hands.

A person who lives his life with bitachon in Hashem merits to receive extraordinary heavenly help. The more we believe and trust in Hashem, the more He shows us that He is taking care of us. Having bitachon—recognizing that Hashem is the only One in control, and feeling that He is our loving Father Who is waiting to help us—is an enormous zechut. It brings down abundant blessing from Shamayim. Rabbi Yisrael Brog told an amazing story that took place recently. The rabbi, with Hashem's help, opened many kolelim in Eretz Yisrael this past year. The way he did it was by approaching individuals and asking them if they would be interested in opening a kollel for very chashuv learners. People would often respond that they had never heard of sponsoring an entire kollel on their own. The rabbi would then gently explain: if a person can own multiple homes by himself, he can certainly consider owning a kollel by himself as well. He would describe the tremendous zechut of supporting twenty to thirty scholars who are learning Torah full-time. Baruch Hashem, to date, he successfully established ten different kolelim. For the eighth kollel, the man he approached was convinced and agreed to take it upon himself. He committed to sending tens of thousands of dollars each month, every ערב ראש חודש . The rabbi told him, "You are fortunate to have the zechut to support Torah in such a way." A few weeks later, ערב ראש חודש arrived, and the money had still not come. The rabbi called the man and said, "Shalom Aleichem, Eli." The person on the other end replied, "My name is not Eli. It's Yonasan." The rabbi immediately apologized for dialing the wrong number and then proceeded to call Eli. Eli answered and explained that he felt bad, but the month had not gone as expected financially. He admitted that he had jumped into the commitment too quickly and now wished to withdraw. Instead of pleading with him—even though he was now left with a tremendous financial obligation—the rabbi simply responded, "I am sorry that you do not have the merit to own your own kollel. But I bless you that in the future, you should merit it." The Rebbetzin, who had overheard the conversation, asked her husband what he was planning to do about the large sum of money that was now missing. The rabbi replied with a remarkable display of bitachon: "Do you think Hashem will not take care of me? He has taken care of me my entire life. Why should this be any different?" He then began to think about whom he should call. Perhaps, he thought, Hashem had already prepared the salvation—even before he realized that Eli had backed out—by causing him to dial that wrong number. After all, what are the chances that he would call from Cleveland to New York and mistakenly reach a fellow Jew who introduced himself as Yonasan? The rabbi called that number again. He began, "I just called you a few minutes ago by mistake—" The man quickly interrupted him. "Please stop right there. My rabbi taught me that there is no such thing as a mistake in this world. Everything is מן השמים ." The rabbi smiled and said, "I like your rabbi. What is his name?" The man replied, "Rabbi Yisrael Brog." At that point, Rabbi Brog introduced himself. He then said, "I have no doubt that you are the one Hashem has in mind to open this kollel." Yonasan responded immediately, "I agree with you one hundred percent, Rabbi." The rabbi explained that the cost would be tens of thousands of dollars each month. Yonasan answered calmly, "Yes, I know. That's fine." The rabbi, surprised, asked him, "Do you always have that kind of money available?" Yonasan replied, "Because of you, Rabbi—now I do." He then explained. A few months earlier, he had heard a class given by Rabbi Brog. Someone had asked whether it would be wise to open a second business when he already had one successful business. The rabbi answered with a mashal from the Chafetz Chaim. It is like a person who has a barrel of wine with one spigot. If he opens a second spigot, it will not increase the amount of wine—it will only cause the wine to flow out faster. So too, if a person has a functioning business, Hashem will send him everything that is destined for him through that business. Opening another one will not increase his income; it will only spread his efforts. The rabbi concluded that investing significant time and energy into a second business would be foolish. Yonasan said that he already had a successful family business, and about a year earlier, they had opened a second business that was also doing very well. Not wanting to act foolishly, he shared the class with his brothers, and together they decided that all the profits from the second business would be dedicated solely to supporting Torah. "That," Yonasan concluded, "is why the money is available." He then added, "Hashem used you to prepare the funds that you would eventually need." The yeshuah that the rabbi experienced was truly extraordinary. He trusted that Hashem would take care of him—and Hashem showed him, clearly and openly, that He does.

We are living through a time when the Yad Hashem is being revealed in a very obvious way. Thousands of missiles have been fired toward Eretz Yisrael. Missiles designed to destroy, to devastate, and רחמנא ליצלן cause unimaginable loss of life. And yet, the numbers tell a story that defies all logic. We are witnessing open miracles. Missiles landing in areas that should have been crowded, and somehow they were left completely empty. Buildings taking direct hits with people inside who walk away unscathed. Sirens going off seconds before impact, giving people just enough time to reach safety. A rabbi from Bnei Brak told me that on Pesach, he felt like he was experiencing miracles similar to those of Yetziat Mitzrayim. He felt the ground shaking all around his neighborhood from explosions, and not one of them caused even a single injury. Part of a cluster bomb landed directly on top of a yeshiva, but it never exploded. A man from Bnei Brak said that on one Shabbat, he was sitting in his home, peacefully immersed in the study of Torah. His son's family was staying with them, and the atmosphere was perfectly suited for a calm, beautiful Shabbat afternoon. But at 4:30, suddenly, he was startled by a tremendous explosion. He immediately realized it was not just a distant interception, but rather a direct impact somewhere very close. He opened the door to his room, and to his horror, black smoke immediately rushed in, accompanied by the smell of fire. He was stunned. The missile had hit his home. He managed to reach the hallway near the living room, and there he saw his son, completely white from head to toe, covered in thick dust. Around them was devastation. In a matter of seconds, the entire house had become a pile of ruins. A fear of Hashem overtook them, and in the midst of it, he stood alive next to his son, who was also alive—and then his grandson joined them as well. They looked around and saw that what was once a home had turned into nothing, and they were unable to comprehend the open miracle of how, in the midst of destruction, their lives were spared. They felt the hashgachah peratit crying out from every shard of glass, every piece of concrete, and every fragment of metal. The missile had landed in the very room where his son and grandson had been learning. He discovered afterward that his other children were alive on the balcony. His son-in-law lived in the apartment above, and all ten windows in both of their living rooms had shattered completely, flying apart with tremendous force. The concrete ceiling had broken apart, and huge, terrifying, heavy chunks of concrete hung in the air, supported only by iron rods that managed to hold them. They felt the words of a pasuk in Tehillim: יִפֹּל מִצִּדֶּךָ אֶלֶף וּרְבָבָה מִימִינֶךָ אֵלֶיךָ לֹא יִגָּשׁ -"A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right, but it will not come near you" Everyone survived—including a one-and-a-half-year-old baby who had been sleeping, his daughter-in-law and her newborn, as well as her son and two daughters who were staying with them. Not only did they survive, not even one drop of blood was drawn from them. There were also twenty people caught in the stairwell trying to get to a safe room, and none of them were harmed. It was so clear that Hashem was protecting them. The hashgachah that Hashem has upon His children is truly amazing. A rabbi from Eretz Yisrael told me that this past year there was an avrech who learns full-time in a kollel standing at the checkout line in a grocery store, and the cashier told him he owed 1,500 shekels. The man on line behind him said he wanted to pay it. The avrech thanked him and said he was okay paying himself. The man insisted, and then explained that he works with the Iron Dome. Other countries have asked Israel to help them set up the same system in their countries, and he is very involved in this. However, those countries—such as Azerbaijan—have only about a 50 percent success rate, while in Israel it is over 90 percent. It is the exact same system. There is no rational explanation. He said, "It must be in the zechut of people like you, who are protecting us with your Torah learning. That is why I want to pay your bill." The Yad Hashem is so clear and so obvious. Let us appreciate how much He is always protecting us.

The pasuk says that the Jewish people cried out to Hashem in tefillah during their harsh slavery in Mitzrayim, and Hashem heard their tefillot and remembered the treaty He made with Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and then He redeemed them. Although Chazal tell us many reasons for what brought about the ge'ulah from Mitzrayim—such as the emunah that they had in Hashem, the merit of the righteous women, the fact that they stayed separate in name, language, and dress, that they remained morally pure, and that they did not speak lashon hara—it seems from the pasuk that the final catalyst to bring the ge'ulah was their prayers. It is brought down in the sefer Chafetz Chaim al HaTorah that toward the end of the Chafetz Chaim's life, at a seudah shelishit on Parashat Shemot in front of many gedolim, the Rav said, "that it is known the Jewish people were finally redeemed from Mitzrayim because of their tefillot. And we have a tradition from the Navi Micha that our future redemption will be just like the one from Mitzrayim, as it says: כִּימֵי צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם אַרְאֶנּוּ נִפְלָאוֹת In Mitzrayim, everything was ready for the ge'ulah to happen. Moshe Rabbeinu was already born, and everything was in place. Yet it appears from the pesukim that without tefillah, they would not have been redeemed. All Hashem was waiting for was His children to cry out to Him that they wanted to be redeemed. For our ge'ulah, which we hope will come very soon, our tefillot are essential to bring it about. It could be that everything is ready, and all that is necessary is our tefillot to finish it off. Therefore, I am going to travel to the Gadol Hador, Rav Chaim Ozer, and ask him to tell Klal Yisrael to strengthen themselves in prayer for the ge'ulah, and then we will finally be zoche to be redeemed from this long and bitter exile." After seudah shelishit, the Chafetz Chaim told the chazan in the shul to go a little quicker so he could leave to go see Rav Chaim Ozer. In the end, the Chafetz Chaim's family convinced him not to travel due to the life danger it would pose at his advanced age. So the Chafetz Chaim told someone to send a message to Rav Shimon Shkop to tell him to go instead. However, due to technical difficulties, that did not happen either. After the Chafetz Chaim found out that nobody went to Rav Chaim Ozer, he said, "We just missed an opportune time for the ge'ulah." The message of the Chafetz Chaim at that time is actually a Midrash in Shemot Rabbah, which quotes Hashem as saying that when the Jewish people cry out to Me, their salvation will come. That is what happened by the burning bush, that is what happened during the days of Gidon, and that is what will happen for the final ge'ulah to take place. We are still in the month of Nisan, which Chazal tell us is a very opportune time for ge'ulah. There are major things going on in the world at large, with a focus on Eretz Yisrael. Who knows what kind of opportunity we have at this time. It is incumbent upon all of us to strengthen ourselves and pray for the ge'ulah shelemah. We put so much emphasis on praying for things that we need—like parnassah, refuah, and shidduchim. We cry and beg Hashem for salvations, but we must not put any less effort into praying for the ge'ulah shelemah. It is going to be our prayers that will produce the moment that all of Klal Yisrael has been anticipating since the beginning of time. The Mashiach may very well be here and waiting. It is up to us to make it happen. Let us put more focus in the Amidah on the berachot that have to do with the ge'ulah, and be'ezrat Hashem, Hashem will hear His children crying out to Him and give us the Mashiach Tzidkeinu b'karov. Amen

One of the lessons we learn from Yitziat Mitzrayim is never to despair no matter how bad things seem to get. When Moshe Rabbenu first informed the Jewish People that they were going to be redeemed from their torturous slavery, things only got much worse. And even when the makot finally began, the Jewish People still had to wait an entire year to be freed. Sometimes the process of salvation takes time but we must consider the fact that the wheels may already be in motion to salvation and our emunah to keep going and do the best we can in our avodat Hashem will only hasten that process. Sometimes it is precisely our ability to move forward during the hard times that ultimately proves to be our merit to gaining salvation. There was an 8 th grade girl with exceptional middot but had very poor grades. And because her grades were so bad, she had a very hard time getting accepted into a high school. The high school that all her friends were going to rejected her and no matter how hard her parents tried to get the school to change its mind, they were adamant about their decision. When the new school year came around, this girl had nowhere to go. Her parents felt dejected and their spirits were broken, but the girl herself was still in good spirits. On the first day of school, she decided she wanted to be productive and so she volunteered at one of the local hospitals. She spent the day tending to a sick girl, a little younger than her, and was able to lift her spirits a lot. That afternoon when she was about to leave, a woman entered the room and was happily greeted by the patient. The woman was the patient's grandmother. She asked the other girl why she wasn't in school. The girl was a little embarrassed to admit the truth, but she told her it was because she couldn't get into high school. The woman said to her, "As of tomorrow, you will be in school." Turned out, this woman was the principal of the school which all her friends got accepted to. Now, seeing her superlative middot , she changed her decision and she accepted her despite her poor grades. This girl's ability to keep going happily, despite her rejection, was the catalyst to her salvation. On Erev Pesach of 2021, an avrech from Elad, who moved to Israel from France, was given a very large food package as a gift to help him for the holiday. In addition, he was given two pounds of hand made matzot with an excellent hechsher . He was very grateful to the generous donor who gave that to him, but he had already bought all of the matzot that he needed for the holiday and really didn't need these. He asked his friends and neighbors if they needed any and they replied they already had. That afternoon, his wife asked him to pick up something from the store. He was almost sure the store would be closed, being that it was already 1:45 in the afternoon, but he went anyway. When he arrived, he saw the store was closed and got back into his car, but before he pulled away, he noticed another man knocking on the store window, which caught his attention. He got out of his car and asked that man what he needed. The man replied, his boss made him stay at work extra and he didn't get a chance to buy matzot yet for the Seder. He said when he saw the store was closed, he didn't want to give up, he was hoping maybe someone would still be inside and would open the door for him, so he knocked. The avreich told him not to worry, to follow him to his house because he had two pounds of matzot there that he could give him. The avreich was so happy when he gave that man the matzot, he told his Rabbi the story that night in shul. The Rabbi told him, if that man would have just left the store without knocking, you would have never noticed him and you would have left and he wouldn't have gotten matzot. In truth, Hashem had matzot set aside for him in Elad. When he didn't give up, but rather knocked on the door making that extra effort, then he was able to access the gift that Hashem had waiting for him. Our ability to always be hopeful and do our jobs happily, despite going through difficulties will truly make us great. Shabbat Shalom.

When Yosef told his brothers that their descendants would one day be redeemed from Mitzrayim , he added that they should make sure that they take his bones with them when they leave. The sefer Tiferet L'Moshe writes, it seems from the way the pasuk is written that there is a connection between the redemption and Yosef's bones. He brings from the sefer Milo HaOmer who explains the connection as follows: When the Jewish People were almost at the end of that geula, trapped at the Yam Suf with the Mitzrim chasing them, there was a midat hadin upon them, saying that because they were still worshiping idols, they should not merit to be saved miraculously and have the sea split for them. The Midrash says, it was because of the zechut of Yosef's aron that the sea ended us splitting, as it says הים ראה וינוס – the sea saw and then it split. What did it see? Arono shel Yosef . Which means, Yosef had seen in ruach hakodesh that in order to complete the geula , his bones were necessary to be there to split the sea. And that is why he told his brothers to make sure their descendants take his bones with him when they leave Mitzrayim . What was the zechut of Yosef more than the other Shevatim ? After all, all of their aronot were at the Yam Suf as well. The Milo HaOmer explained, as great as a person is, if he has any averah , the midat hadin may prevent blessing or miracles from coming to him due to that averah. However, if a person is מעביר על מידותיו – he forgives others who wronged him, that overrides the midat hadin . Therefore, even if he has a sin, he'll still be helped. Because Yosef overlooked what his brothers did to him and forgave them with a whole heart, his bones were able to be the catalyst to save the entire nation and bring about their geula shelema . This is a lesson not just for what happened at Yam Suf , but it can be applied for any circumstance that a person finds himself in when in need of a yeshua . We don't always remember all of the avonot that we have to be able to make teshuva for them, and we hope eventually we will make teshuva for every avon . But if someone is standing by his own personal Yam Suf , feeling trapped with difficulties, one of the greatest things he can do is to be מעביר על מידותיו and forgive someone who wronged him. That can override any midat hadin that might be upon him. Recently, I related this chiddush to a group of people and shared the story of a man who had a life filled with difficulty. In his words, he always carried around with him a grudge against someone. It consumed his life. When he was finally able to forgive that person, his entire life changed for the better. A man in the crowd told me the following day that he became very inspired and made peace that night with a relative of his who he hadn't been speaking to for over two years. As hard as it was, he called the relative and apologized for not being on speaking terms. And then the relative apologized for what he did to him. The man told me he felt so good about ending that dispute. Another man told me, he became inspired to forgive but he couldn't think of anybody that he needed to forgive. That night in his dream, he recalled someone who wronged him years before and he still felt animosity towards him. He thanked Hashem the next morning for the reminder and was able to forgive that person. Forgiving people is wondrous. If we sincerely want to be at peace with everyone, but we are unsure of who we need to forgive or who we need to ask forgiveness from, we should pray to Hashem and ask for His help to remind us. And if we need the strength to be able to forgive, we should ask Hashem for help with that too.