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Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear

Rabbi David Ashear

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Parashat Miketz: The Right Mindset

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/27

This week's parashah begins with the words " ויהי מקץ שנתיים ימים - and it was at the end of two years." Twoyears since what? The Midrash explains- because Yosef asked the sarhamashkim to mention his name to Pharaoh and get him out of jail, Hashemadded an extra two years to his sentence. Not only did Yosef not gain by askingfor help. He even lost. The mefarshim are bothered. What did Yosef do wrongby requesting that help? After all, aren't we supposed to make a hishtadlut to try and help ourselves

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Seize the Opportunity

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/26

In general, a parent's tefilot on behalf of their children's success in Torah and mitzvot goes a very long way, but now, specifically on Chanukah, parents have a golden opportunity to utilize these days for extra heartfelt tefilot which count even more. The Yosef Ometz writes, as well as the Peleh Yo'etz , that right after lighting the Chanukah candles, the women should pray for their sons to be illuminated in Torah because during that time it is an et ratzon and the tefilot go straight to Shamayim

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The Greatest Honor

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/25

Honoring talmideh chachamim is a great mitzva, and in certain aspects, it is considered as if one is honoring Hashem Himself. However, there is a way for a person to honor Hashem directly. The Kedushat Levi writes in Parashat Shemot that every time a person chooses to follow the will of Hashem, they are honoring Him. If a person were forced or programmed to follow the will of another, it would not bring that person any sense of honor, because their will was not freely chosen. True honor comes only

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Overcoming and Overlooking

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/24

We have been taught how valuable it is to forgive or overlook when someone wrongs us, but sometimes that is extremely difficult to do, especially when our feelings have been hurt. Our Rabbis have taught us that if we aren't able to get the hurt out of our hearts, we're encouraged to tell the person who hurt us that we feel hurt, and of course we have to do that in a nice way. Just telling the person our feelings will relieve so much of the pain, and that will enable us to forgive. But sometimes

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Pave the Way to Glory

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/23

A man recently shared with me the difficulties he has been experiencing. In his words, "It's just one thing after another. I'm trying to be good, but Hashem keeps pushing me down. I'm losing my will to want to improve." Many people feel that if they are experiencing hardship, it must be Hashem telling them that they aren't good. But this is simply not true. Right now, we are reading the parshiyot about the struggles of Yaakov Avinu and Yosef Hatzaddik. These two were among the greatest people who

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Parashat Vayeshev: I’m Here and Ready

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/20

The sefer Vaveh Amudim brings a story that a man named Yaakov told him, which took place when he was younger. Yaakov said his father once asked him to take out the garbage and he replied, "Why are you asking me? I did it last time. There are many other capable people in this house who could do it." Yaakov's grandfather was in the room at the time and was very disturbed by Yaakov's response. He gathered Yaakov and his siblings together to teach them a life lesson. He opened a Chumash to this week's

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Our Greatest Gain

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/19

When people take upon themselves to do extra mitzvot as a zechut for something they want, they may feel disheartened if they don't receive what they hoped for. Heaven forbid, they might even regret the extra effort they invested in performing that mitzva. We must never lose sight of the real purpose of this world. The true gain is always the mitzva itself. If a situation we are experiencing inspires us to do more mitzvot, we have already achieved the ultimate goal. If we truly understood the value

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Raising Pure Children

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/18

Living Emunah 2686 Raising Pure Children Raising pure children in this generation is a very challenging task. Children are being pulled in many different directions, and as Chazal predicted, in the end of days, there will be a great deal of chutzpa. We are witnessing this with our own eyes. Children are disrespecting parents, talking back to them, and not giving them the respect and honor that previous generations upheld. Of course, we need to do everything in our power to create the proper

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There Is Always a Purpose

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/17

Living Emunah 2685 There Is Always a Purpose Nobody wants to feel that they are toiling in vain. We want to feel accomplished and want to know that there's purpose in everything we experience. People have certain conditions that they feel are causing a big strain on their lives. They feel they could be doing so many more productive things if they didn't have this condition. Learning emunah is crucial because it teaches us that there is purpose in everything we experience. It's not just purpose; it

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The Power of Modim

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/16

The Gemara says in Masechet Berachot that a person is not allowed to make personal requests during the first three berachot of the Amida which are designated for praise, nor during the last three berachot which are designated for thanking. Rabbi Menashe Reizman noted, it is only forbidden to add requests during those sections, but it is not forbidden to make additions that have to do with the beracha being said. In fact the Shut HaRambam discusses an instance in which a questioner asks if he is

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Parashat Vayishlach: On the Spot

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/13

We mentioned that a person has to be patient when it comes to Hashem. He may have prayed the best tefillot, which may have already been answered, but that does not necessarily mean that he is going to get what he asked for right away. He may have done the greatest act of mesirut nefesh, which is going to bring the salvation he wants, but it may not come immediately or even in the near future. And if we are patient and trust that Hashem will give us what we need at the right time, that will make us

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The Waiting Period

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/12

Living Emunah 2683 The Waiting Period One of the great ways the Ba'al Emunah serves Hashem is with his patience. Hashem promised Avraham He would give him Eretz Yisrael. Yet, when it came time to bury his wife there, he had to pay an enormous sum of money for the land. Hashem was so proud of Avraham for not questioning Him, not asking why he had to pay for the land that Hashem had already promised him. Avraham was also promised a child who would take over his legacy. Yet Avraham had to wait 30 years

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His Chosen Messengers

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/11

The Chovot HaLevavot in the Sha'ar HaBitachon describes numerous benefits that a person with bitachon enjoys. One of these is that his parnassa is guaranteed to come, and Hashem will use every means to ensure the person receives what he needs. One example brought is when Achab sinned by engaging in avodah zara , and as a punishment, Eliyahu HaNavi withheld the rain. Hashem then instructed Eliyahu to go into hiding. How was Eliyahu able to eat during that time? The pasuk says that Hashem commanded

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From a Different Angle

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/10

Sometimes a person wants something very badly and sees his peers receiving it, while he remains lacking. Naturally, he feels bad, wondering why everybody but him seems to receive. Yet, this is not necessarily a feeling of jealousy. They just see how easy it is for Hashem to grant it, and that makes them feel worse. No matter how many times we hear a concept in emunah, hearing it again can have a greater impact. Sometimes, reacting the way Hashem wants is very hard. Even though we know it's what

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A Good Tefila

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/09

The Gemara tells us, one of the areas we constantly need chizuk in is tefila . No matter how good a person's tefilot are, over time they tend to become more habitual and therefore could definitely use chizuk . The Meiri writes that a person should always feel confident in the power of a good tefila to break a decree and if someone is going through a tough time, or has a family member that is ill, he should go to a chacham and ask him for advice on how to have a good tefila . What is a good tefila

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Parashat Vayetze: Yaakov’s Bitachon

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/06

When Lavan asked Yaakov what he wanted his wage to be for shepherding the sheep, Yaakov replied, לֹא תִתֶּן לִי מְאוּמָה —"Don't give me anything yet." He then proceeded to remove the spotted, speckled, and brown sheep from the flock and told Lavan to take them all away under the guardianship of his sons, stating that only the future spotted, speckled, and brown sheep would be his. The Seforno writes on the words לֹא תִתֶּן לִי מְאוּמָה that Yaakov was saying, "I don't need you to give me any

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Interested in Only One Thing

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/05

The Ohr Hachayim writes on the pasuk, " וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶל־פַּרְעֹה וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כֵּן כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה '", that the will of Hashem is more precious to the Tzaddikim than anything else in this world. Here the Torah testifies that although Moshe and Aharon had just performed an open miracle in front of Pharaoh by turning a stick into a snake and they could have felt very proud of it, nevertheless they were only interested in one thing: " כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה '", doing it because it's what

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The Key to Life

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/04

Every situation we find ourselves in provides us with unique opportunities to serve Hashem. If a person goes through a period of financial struggle, that is a special opportunity to serve Hashem in a unique way. If a person experiences difficulties with shidduchim, health, or having children, each of those circumstances provides the person with unique opportunities. The key in life is to be able to do the right job in every circumstance that Hashem places us in. Some tests last for months, some for

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Our Deeds

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/03

Living Emunah 2677 Our Deeds Although we may not always perceive the effects of our deeds, we can rest assured that every small action we take is immensely valuable and carries great weight in Shamayim. The way events unfold in the physical world depends on decisions first made in the spiritual realm in Shamayim. Our tefillot and mitzvot make all the difference; they have the power to alter even what has already been decreed. In Parashat Toledot, the Torah uses the word ויעתר , meaning a pitchfork,

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Catapult to Growth

Living Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear ·

2024/12/02

A man we'll call Ralph shared with me that he hadn't been learning much recently. One night, he pushed himself to attend a class, even though it was very difficult for him to get there. Afterward, he was so glad he went. When he returned to his car, he discovered that it was damaged, and no one had left a note. He felt upset and frustrated. The next day, Ralph took the car to a body shop, where the repairs cost him $400. He couldn't help but think that this only happened because he had gone to the

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