לזכות ידיד נפשי ר' שמואל צבי בן ר' דוד עקיבא ואשתו היקרה ובנותיהם היקרות לברכה והצלחה בכל מעשי ידיהם וכל טוב סלה!!
לזכות ידיד נפשי הרב הירש יונתן בן ר' מרדכי אפרים ואשתו היקרה ובתם החמודה לברכה והצלחה בכל מעשי ידיהם ושפע אלקי אין-סופי!!
לזכות ידיד נפשי הרב משה גבריאל בן יהודית ואשתו היקרה ובנם היקר לברכה והצלחה בכל מעשי ידיהם בנראה ובנגלה!!
לזכות ידידי אהובי ר' אריה בריקנר שליט"א וכל משפחתו שה' ימלא כל משאלות לבם לטובה!!
לזכות ידידי אהובי ר' אריה בריקנר שליט"א וכל משפחתו שה' ימלא כל משאלות לבם לטובה!!
Many people just aren't sure about spiritual truths. They don't actively disbelieve but they don't actively believe so strongly either. This explains a lot. How is it possible for a person to sin? If he REALLY BELIEVED that he would suffer for all times because of this action he wouldn't do it.
If someone is about to speak lashon hara and is told that if he does he will get brain cancer and suffer unbearable headaches for years to come and then die slowly and painfully and he believed what he was told - he wouldn't speak. Well, punishment in the next world is worse than brain cancer and people still speak plenty of lashon hara. If a person really believed in reward for mitzvos he would never be without a sefer because there is no bigger mitzva and greater reward in store for someone who learns Torah and every second counts. So if I am on the LIRR going to Long Island and I have 47 minutes and I can spend those 47 minutes submerged in my iphone or in my gemara there is no question what I will do. Yet, I have been on the train with frum people who ostensibly believe in the importance and reward for Torah study, yet find other things to do on the way. They are not bad people, and some are so exhausted that they just can't learn, but for many the clarity of faith isn't strong enough to compel them to learn. I have been refused many times when I offered people chavrusas [and not because at the suggested time they were learning with someone else] but I have NEVER been refused when I gave someone money. All people value money because it is here, concrete and "real", while the reward for is mitzvos abstract and vague in their minds. If we REALLY BELEIVED that טוב לי תורת פיך מאלפי זהב וכסף and that we are being paid over 18 thousand dollars an hour [חי!!] for our learning OHHHH would we learn and I would never be turned down. Everybody would be constantly seeking out learning partners, live and recorded shiurim, the latest sefer etc. etc.
All that was written until now is the מדריגה תחתונה - the lowest possible common denominator, that can appeal even to the unlearned, unlettered and often ignorant masses. But on a more elevated plane, just the knowledge that mitzvos are the will of Hashem should be enough incentive to do them with alacrity, enthusiasm and constancy.
Let us say that one is REALLY "into" a certain young lady. You guys know what I am talking about? Ahhhh. [Girls can make the moshol gender appropriate]. And her birthday is coming up. How much thought, preparation and trouble a guy will go to in order to make it special for her?!! Li-havdil, HKB"H is not merely an attractive young woman but the source and root of all pleasure, good and existence. Isn't that enough to want to "please" Him. But people's faith in this is weak so we seek out other forms of involvement.
The Kohen Gadol of Lublin says that Emunah must be firm and immovable like a peg stuck in the ground.
"כי האמונה לשום קיום כמו יתד במקום נאמן" דובר צדק לרצ"ה רז
Rav Yosef Albo says that Emunah must be so strong in one's soul that one should not be able to conceive of anything that would contradict it.
"שהרי האמונה היא הצמייר הדבר בנפש ציור חזק עד שלא תשער הנפש בסתירתו בשום פנים [עיקרים מאמר א פ"מ]
Let us see what the "open minded" philosopher, the Rambam writes LI-HALACHA LI-MYSEH [Avoda Zara 2/3]:
The worship of false gods is not the only subject to which we are forbidden to pay attention; rather, we are warned not to consider any thought which will cause us to uproot one of the fundamentals of the Torah. We should not turn our minds to these matters, think about them, or be drawn after the thoughts of our hearts.
In general, people have limited powers of understanding, and not all minds are capable of appreciating the truth in its fullness. [Accordingly,] were a person to follow the thoughts of his heart, it is possible that he would destroy the world because of his limited understanding.
What is implied? There are times when a person will stray after star worship, and times when he will wonder about God's oneness: Perhaps He is one, perhaps He is not? [He might also wonder:] What exists above, [in the heavenly realms]? What exists below [them]? What was before time? What will be after time? Similarly, [one might wonder about] prophecy: Perhaps it is true, perhaps it is not? And [one may also wonder] about the Torah: Perhaps it emanates from God, perhaps it does not?
Since he may not know the guidelines with which to evaluate [ideas that will lead him] to the truth in its fullness, he may come to heresy. The Torah has warned about this matter, saying [Numbers 15:39]: "Do not stray after your hearts and eyes, which have led you to immorality" - i.e., each one of you should not follow his limited powers of understanding and think that he has comprehended the truth.
Our Sages [interpreted this warning]: "After your hearts," this refers to heresy; "after your eyes," this refers to immorality. This prohibition - though [severe,] causing a person to be prevented [from attaining a portion] in the world to come - is not punishable by lashes.
[For commentary on this Rambam see here]
So there can be no doubt in one's mind about the veracity of Torah. This is something that we all have within us but that we have to work to uncover. Emunah is not intellectual or emotional but part and parcel of our very essence. When our Emunah is weak we need the intellect and emotion to remove the obstacle but "proofs" for Torah or inspiring talks are NOT what Emunah IS. Emunah is something in our soul, the foundation of who we are. As a concession to people's weakness and fragility we need to furnish proofs and engage in philisophical "pipulism" to help one reach his soul. But once he gets there then no proofs or inspiration are necessary. The light of prophecy is just an expanded blown up level of Emunah. One is so connected to his G-dly soul that he is able to perceive what is beyond the confines of the physical. Love and fear are also expressions of this Emunah.
For example, someone can try to convince me that I am really female and bring proofs - I am a very emotional person, love little children, talk a lot and even have a girls name [in my Greek past I was "Ally" and according to family and some friends I still am...]. I can bring counter proofs - I have a deep voice, beard and used to spend my Sundays watching football and have pictures from my bris. We can go back and forth [who says that was really me at the bris?] but after all is said and done, I KNOW that I am a male. All of the speculation can't change reality. MORE than you and I know our gender, we know that there is a G-d. It is just that for some people the body and cerebral confusion are barriers to that truth. Once removed, it is the strongest reality possible.
Some people think that in this world they can't be sure but they will find out all of the spiritual truths in the next world. So in the meantime they get busy with this worldly matters such as making money and enjoying it and the "spiritual stuff" will become relevant in the next world after 120 years of physical pleasure with an occasional concession to tradition and religion. The problem is that by then it will be too late... Only to the extent that one believes in this world will he be rewarded with knowledge of G-d in the next [and knowledge of G-d is the pleasure of the next world as the Rambam writes in Hilchos Teshuva and elsewhere]. Other people are going to be in "7th heaven" and he will be in the dark - forever.
ויש לך לדעת ולהבין, כי עיקר האמונה שהוא מאמין בו יתב' שבכחו כל, ולכך הוא מאמין בו ית', ובשביל זה כאשר הגיע הזמן שהוא יתב' יתן הטוב, אז יתן לו כפי מה שהוא היה מאמין בו שכך גדול כחו ויכולתו אבל כאשר אינו מאמין בו כאלו ממעט
כחו ויכולתו ומפני כך לעתיד כאשר יגיע הזמן שיהיה השם יתב' מראה כחו ויכולתו לא יהיה נודע לו רק כפי האמונה שהיה מאמין, והבן זה.
כחו ויכולתו ומפני כך לעתיד כאשר יגיע הזמן שיהיה השם יתב' מראה כחו ויכולתו לא יהיה נודע לו רק כפי האמונה שהיה מאמין, והבן זה.
[מהר"ל נתיב האמונה פ"ב ]
WOW!!!
Indeed, as the pasuk says צדיק באמונתו יחיה - A tzadik lives IN THE NEXT WORLD [Rav Yosef Albo] by virtue of his Emunah.
This means that we must work CONSTANTLY to strengthen our Emunah in this world. If we do then we are guaranteed bliss in both worlds.
So much more to say...... ועוד חזון למועד!
