Actually… You Have More Emunah Than You Thought

During such turbulent times, we all realize that we need so much Emunah to feel secure. Some might think that Emunah is so fundamental and basic that it doesn’t need much thought or improvement. One might say: “I mean, everyone who is observant believes in Hashem right?!”. However, it may not be so true. If we do not constantly bolster our Emunah, we might “forget” our Emunah and end up having more panic attacks from unexpected life situations. So, Emunah is a great and important thing. So how do we work on it? How do we get more of it?

Firstly, we must remember that we already actually have a lot of Emunah/Faith in many other parts of life. No one in the world doesn’t have Faith in someone or something. Some people have Faith and trust their spouse or their child. Others have Faith in their boss, their government, or their family. In business, we have Faith in the pricing the seller set for the item. When we get paid, we have Faith that the check will go through or that the money is real. We cannot survive without trusting others and having Faith in them. Many times, a child asks his other “why do I have to do this?” And the other answers “Because!”. The child accepts the answer because he has much Faith in his mother and what she is doing. “She knows best” the child tells himself. Rav Nachman of Breslov teaches that it is true that one must try his best to understand whatever his mind can understand, but at the same time when it comes to things that we cannot understand (like why Hashem does certain things) we must rely totally on Faith. Faith is the foundation of everything. “The righteous man shall live by his Faith” (Habakuk 2:4). If we always feel that we must understand everything and every situation fully before making a decision, we might not ever accomplish anything. We would never close a deal. Notice how our ancestors declared “We will do, and we will listen” (Shemot 24:7) at Mount Sinai. They realized that we must have Faith and just do in order to later listen/understand the Mitzvot and Hashem. Rav Nachman of Breslov also points out how the Torah begins with “In the beginning Hashem created” (Bereshit 1:1). The Torah starts with these simple words and does not get into philosophical proofs that Hashem exists. Rather, it just simply tells us to believe in Hashem through simple Faith. We must strive to have the innocent Faith of an ordinary person.

Faith is very deep yet so simple. A 5-year-old can have Faith just like a 30-year-old can have Faith. There are so many levels of Emunah. We must strive to grow in our Emunah. It is a great investment that gives happiness, patience, and emotional stability in return. We may feel like we have no Emunah at times and we get flustered from time to time. At the same time, we must remember that if we have so much Faith in so many things or people in life, why can’t we have more Faith in Hashem as well. May we merit to have simple and pure Faith which will lead to happier lives with the coming of the Geulah very soon in our days. Amen.

By Rabbi Tomer Zino