Tune into Emuna – Part 1

The Warning 

Sometimes, it only makes sense in retrospect. 

Last year, in his Shabbat Shuva lesson (if my memory serves me correctly) at the very beginning of 5780 (Sept. 2019), Rabbi Arush made an offhanded remark – that sometimes, fear is good. Fear helps people put their real priorities in order. Fear helps people wake up to spirituality. That’s why we pray on Rosh Hashanah “tein pachdecha – place Your fear.” We pray that Hashem should make us just scared enough to repent, just scared enough to get enough yirat Shamayim (Fear of Heaven) to finally make those changes once and for all – but not be utterly terrified. Harav said, “It’s not Hashem’s honor for us to wake up through terror. We should repent from love, not fear. Just enough fear to wake us up spiritually, but not more. I am praying that there should be fear, but not too much fear.” 

Interesting comment. I put it up high on a shelf in my mind, next to other interesting comments Harav has made. I was soon so swept up in Rabbi Arush’s new Believe in Your Children classes that I couldn’t even find somewhere good to write up this “random” comment… 

Fast forward to Rosh Hashanah this year, 5781. I am praying Amida, and I get to the words, “Tein pachdecha.” I freeze. Rabbi Arush’s comments from last year come flooding back to me.  

I said to my husband at the next meal (my husband had his bags packed literally up until and through Rosh Hashanah for Uman, but was one of the thousands who didn’t get permission to go to in the end, so Rebbe Nachman came to us): “Rabbi Arush knew about the Corona decree and he already told us what it was for, last year! We just didn’t get it. By the time Purim came around, I had long forgotten his comments…” My husband retorted, “Yes, and Corona started in China right about the beginning of 5780 too. By the portion of Bereishit it was already running around China, and by Zot Chanukah when the decree for the new year is sealed with the final seal within a seal, it was already going around the world – we just didn’t know it yet...” 

The Second Warning 

On that note, I share with you with some significant amount of trepidation Harav’s comments (roughly summarized*) from the very end of 5780, discussing the judgment of Rosh Hashanah:  

Everything is for the best. There is no need to be scared of the judgment of Rosh Hashanah. Whatever is decreed, is decreed in order to better direct you towards your spiritual purpose and rectification. Sometimes they see in Heaven, that this person needs a particular wake-up call, in order to get them back onto the path they need to be on. It could be, G-d forbid, a sickness. Or it could be some other trial or tribulation. But nothing is bad. There is nothing to be scared of. Everything is decreed only in order to help you come to your ultimate, spiritual purpose – which is very, very good. 

Granted Rabbi Arush’s comments in 5780 about the good purpose of being scared, such comments – well, made me even more scared! (You see from here just how much I need to continue to work on my emuna, since I am yes, indeed scared, which of course someone with perfect emuna is never scared). 

Prepare Yourselves! 

In any case, I want to share these critical words with you. If last year was any sort of warning, we must prepare ourselves! We must start already now praying about this year – and pray for the emuna to withstand whatever might come, with emuna and happiness. We must strengthen ourselves in the knowledge that everything comes from Hashem, ein od milvado – there is no Other. We are in the best hands possible. We are in the hands of our loving Father in Heaven, on whose constant love for us stands all of creation (read G–d is All Love for more on the topic).  

He is also Avinu Malkenu, Our Father Our King. First off He loves us like a parent loves a child, without strings, without connection to our righteousness – only because He created us. But even more, G-d is also the King of Kings – He makes all the decisions. Everyone, including governments and Corona tzars and whoever, even the most evil – are just His puppets. Our only choice is whether Hashem uses us to be His puppets to bring His good decrees into the world, or G-d forbid His puppets to bring the bad (but hiddenly good) decrees into the world.  

We chose our roles, but the grand performance of history will get played exactly as Hashem wants, without exception.  

And the plans of those who want what is not part of that master play, who want to do real evil for instance – their plans will not come to fruition because they have no real power, they’re only puppets in the hands of The Creator. 

We must prepare ourselves in every way possible – as Rabbi Arush said that one hidden tzaddik recently told him, “Now is the time to eat, sleep, and breathe The Garden of Emuna.”  

If in the last year we saw the critical need for a daily emuna workout, and the great benefit to those who are already emuna bodybuilders in weathering the Corona storm – it seems that we need to double up our efforts and time in the “emuna gym” in order to make it all the way out the other side. 

Read more about the great emuna test currently taking place, and its key role in the Final Redemption, in  Part 2.  

*If you would like a translated audio recording of Rabbi Arush’s exact words, email me at rachel.avrahami@breslev.co.il. 

*** 

Rachel Avrahami grew up in Los Angeles, CA, USA in a far-off valley where she was one of only a handful of Jews in a public high school of thousands. She found Hashem in the urban jungle of university. Rachel was privileged to read one of the first copies of The Garden of Emuna in English, and the rest, as they say, is history. She made Aliyah and immediately began working at Breslev Israel.  
 
Rachel is now the Editor of Breslev Israel's English website. She welcomes questions, comments, articles, and personal stories to her email:   rachel.avrahami@bresrachel.avrahami@breslev.co.illev.co.il.