Can We Prove Emuna?

Translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody

One need not be a genius to prove the truth of emuna. One only needs the sincere desire to see the truth, thereby shedding any lust for victory and winning arguments. Once that has been accomplished, it’s possible to prove emuna in one of two ways:

The first way is by the process of elimination, or “proving by the negative way”. As in mathematics, sometimes one cannot prove that a given result is the correct answer. But, he can prove that a given answer is definitely not the correct one. So what does one do? He begins a process of elimination, culling out the answers that are definitely incorrect. Result #1 is incorrect; result #2 is incorrect, and so on, until he is left with one possible result that he cannot prove is true or not. Although he cannot prove in a positive way that this result is true, by process of eliminating all other possible answers, he has come to the conclusion that this one answer is true.

We can easily prove that all mundane matters are not the truthful purpose for investing one’s entire life. What would you say? That the most important thing in the world is being the best in your profession? Is this your purpose in life? Maybe you think that your mission in life is to accumulate wealth and possessions. Could that be the ultimate purpose of life? So we see that when we use a process of elimination, we can easily see that no mundane endeavor or goal has any purpose for posterity.

But emuna – it’s impossible to prove that emuna is not truth! By process of elimination, one can certainly come to the conclusion that emuna is truth.

Here is something that every person should ask him/herself:

Do I want the truth? Have I assessed myself lately, what I’m doing and where I’m going? To what am I devoting my time and attention? Are these things the purpose of creation? Am I fulfilling my mission in the world, the very purpose that the Creator created me for?

If you’re honest with yourself, you can easily prove what’s a waste of time and what’s not truth. Go from amenity to amenity and the things people pursue, and you’ll find that none of them are worth a garlic peel in helping you accomplish your mission in life. But, when you get to emuna, you won’t be able to prove that it’s not true! Please – it’s time to try it…

By process of elimination, we are able to come to the conclusion that emuna is true. But that’s not enough. If a person arrives at the conclusion that this whole world is one big mirage of vanity, that might be progress, but he could still be clouded in spiritual darkness. So if the whole world is a mirage of vanity, what’s real and what’s true? One can understand in his brain that emuna must be true. Yet, emuna must penetrate the heart. If a person doesn’t internalize emuna in his heart, no logical proof will help. So now, what?

We now arrive at the second way of proving emuna, the simpler method: turn to the Creator and speak to Him simply and sincerely, and ask Him to show you that He hears you!

Even if someone completely lacks emuna in his heart and he thinks that Hashem doesn’t hear him – and he views himself as a loon who is talking to himself – he should speak anyway, without emuna, as long as he wants to know the truth. Say, “Creator of the World, I’d like to believe in You; I want to get to know You. I know that I can’t see You but I can make requests from You. I want You to show me that You hear me. Please, do me a small favor and show me something that I don’t expect. Maybe at first, I’ll think that it’s a coincidence; maybe the second time too. But if You’re patient with me, and help me believe in You by showing me that You hear me, ultimately I’ll be obliged to acknowledge the truth.”

In the above simple and candid way, a person can ask Hashem to help him in all kinds of ways. One can ask Hashem to help him solve problems that he hasn’t been able to solve until now. By virtue of prayer, salvations come. Speak to the Creator and ask Him to help you believe in Him and to get to know Him.

A person who follows this path will see with his own two eyes – if he only desires – the manifestation of emuna! With your sincere desire to believe in Him and to become acquainted with Him, the Creator will be delighted to oblige, to grant your request, and to help you believe in Him. What are you waiting for – try it right now and see for yourself!