Imitation Emuna

I confess – I love fake stuff. Fake diamonds, fake Louis Vuitton bags, fake Gucci shoes, fake Adidas track suits, fake shrimp… I don’t eat the fake shrimp – or frimp – anymore, but boy, did I love it. Mmm, mmm. I used to fry up that frimp with fake butter and fake lemon juice, then top it off with dried dill. Maybe it was fake dill. I couldn’t tell.

As I’ve written before, I ain’t down wit’ payin’ mo’ money just to say something is real. I don’t see anything wrong with wearing lab-created diamonds or purses that, by coincidence, happen to have the same names as the brand name handbags. I concede that there might be a legal issue with this. But since I’m not a lawyer, I believe that makes me exempt from the law.

Just look around – we live in a fake world. Nearly everything’s fake: fake muscles from steroids, fake money with no gold to back its value,  fake promises from politicians who just want your fake money, fake wealth from people who earn lots less fake money than they spend, courtesy of the credit card companies, fake smiles, fake niceties, fake friends, fake relationships, fake reality stars leading their fake Hollywood lives, fake inner peace courtesy of Xanax and Vicodin, fake fruits and vegetables…

Even many Jews are not real Jews. They’re Erev Rav! Will the real Charedi please stand up, please stand up, please stand up…

I happen to know that there are genuine people still living amongst the seven billion social media zombies. So, yes, real people still exist. I think I may be one of them.

Two more of those real people happen to be Rav Shalom Arush and Rav Lazer Brody. These are real people giving a real message: emuna. But here’s the thing. Many people these days are giving messages of emuna. That’s great. Emuna is what will bring the Redemption.

However. Since emuna has become a household word, at least where I live, I have heard and read many different perspectives. Like I said, they are all great. But, there is something missing.

Everyone wants emuna. Many people are searching for a connection with The Creator. Emuna is that bridge that we need to help us have a deep and meaningful connection with Hashem beyond the standardized Judaism that many of us have become accustomed to. The problem is that while there are different approaches to emuna, such as intellectual, analytical, and even emotional, they are all missing one vital ingredient:

Gratitude.

According to Rav Arush, a person cannot achieve real, genuine emuna without working on his gratitude!

According to Rebbetzin Racheli, emuna without gratitude = imitation emuna.

Why not, you ask? Think about this: how can we believe that everything Hashem does is for our best, if we don’t appreciate what He’s giving us at that moment?

Here’s an example. Joe Shmo gets into a car crash. He’s fuming mad because the other driver ran the red light. He’s trying his best to believe that Hashem gave him this difficult tribulation, while at the same time whining and complaining: “Hashem! I’m so mad that You made me have a car accident! This is terrible! Look at my car, Hashem! It’s all smashed up! Now I have the headache of the police report, insurance, renting another car, and You know, Hashem, that this car will never be the same, even after it’s fixed! My day is totally ruined! I was supposed to meet with my client in 10 minutes! Thanks for messing up my day, Hashem!”

How does that sound? How in the world can Joe Shmo believe that Hashem made him get in a car crash for his ultimate benefit, with such negativity and complaining? But he’s repeating “emuna, emuna, emuna” to himself, like a hypnotic mantra.

Sounds more like imitation emuna to me.

Let’s see what this one-sided conversation would sound like with some gratitude. Joe Shmo gets out of his car to inspect the damage. “Goodness, look at my car! It’s ruined!” He thinks for a moment: “Thank You, Hashem, that I was able to walk out of my car! Thank You that I’m not stuck in the car, waiting for the ambulance to take me to the hospital! Thank You for my legs that still work! Thank You that none of my kids were in the car! Thank You that I’m still alive!” He looks at the right side of the car which has been completely destroyed. “Better that my car was ruined instead of losing my health or my life, God forbid! I’ll let my insurance company straighten everything out, and I’ll do my best not to stress about it.”

Okay, in this scenario Joe Shmo sounds like a tzaddik  gamur (completely righteous.) But it’s not impossible!

Here’s how you can reach the lofty spiritual level of Joe Shmo: spend 30 minutes a day thanking Hashem for everything, including the painful challenges. Especially the painful challenges. Along with that, read the pocket-sized Gems of Gratitude. Keep it with you at all times! If you’re feeling up to the challenge of actually reading a book, read The Garden of Gratitude, or as I like to call it, “The Book that Will Bring Mashiach.”