Haskama
מוסדות אור שמח מרכז טננבאום ע.ר. 58-00-21343-
00
רח' שמעון הצדיק 22-28 ירושלים ת.ד. 18103
טל: 02-581-0315
Michtav Bracha
Av 5784
We live in very challenging times. Assimilation, intermarriage, Covid, Islamic fundamentalism, the evils of Hamas and Hezbollah, religious and secular polarization and sinas chinam leave us confused, bereft, not knowing where to go or where to turn. In truth, our very helplessness can be the catalyst for emunah as we recognize again and again that there is No One and No Thing that can help us but Avinu Shebashamayim . If there is any silver lining in the many dark clouds we face, it is that we are forced to confront our limitations and inadequacies and to declare Ein Od Milevado. But emunah is far more than a mitzva or obligation though it certainly is that as well. Emunah, at least when it is extended to the level of bitachon, is the most precious of gifts. With emunah, one never feels alone or abandoned .With emunah, one has the courage and resilience to face the challenges of life. With emunah, one is secure and serene in that every aspect of their life is governed by Divine providence and has meaning and purpose. Emunah changes one's life for the better; as one grows in emunah, one's life becomes happier and holier as they internalize the message of Shivisi Hashem L'negdi Tamid and Kirvas Elokim Li Tov. A person with emunah is simply a different type of person -you can see the simcha on their face.
But emunah is a quality that may exist in our heads but is sometimes difficult to internalize within our emotions. Thoughts in the head have not necessarily penetrated the heart (This is indeed the function of bitachon!). Mrs. Zehava Ross, an eishes chayil who is a passionate student of emunah and bitachon, is trying to bridge this gap. She has prepared a beautiful and practical workshop for women, helping them to take their emunah to the next step of bitachon. She draws heavily on classical sources like the
Chovos HaLevovos and Mesillas Yesharim as well as contemporary insights of R.Avigdor Miller zt"l, R. Shimshon Pincus zt"l, R. Itamer Schwartz, R. Yechezkel Abramov and R. Dovid Ashear. She ably covers such fundamental topics as hashgacha pratis both b'derech hateva and l'maala min hateva, the role of tefilla and hishtadlus and the centrality of hakaras hatov. Most importantly, she has developed practical exercises and "homework" assignments that, with a minimal investment of time (as little as two minutes a day!), ...can change a person's life for the better.
Overall, this is a workshop that can inspire women to see and feel the imminent loving presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu in every moment of their lives. Needless to say, this will inevitably have a ripple effect on the family as a whole. We owe a great debt of
gratitude to Mrs. Ross for the valuable insight and inspiration she has put together. May this work succeed in bringing many Jews to the sweet joy of bitachon and, in the merit of that bitachon, may Klal Yisrael be zoche to the geula sheleima bimeheira b'yameinu.
Bivracha,
Yitzchak A. Breitowitz
Rav, Kehillas Ohr Somayach