“I want to have Nachum-Ish-Gam-Zu-Level faith that the challenge I am going through is nothing less than a gift from Hashem, who always has only my best interest in mind, and even though it seems difficult, it is the best thing that could happen to me.”
“I want to have Bardichever-Rebbe-Level love for every Yid from the depth of my soul, with a love that is not dependent on anything.”
“I want to have Shar-Habitachon-Level trust in Hashem that He will provide me with the parnassah I need. Although I do my hishtadlus, and it may look like I’m the one responsible for my financial success – or failure – I truly believe that every dollar I receive is a gift from Hashem, and that my financial success is dependent only on His Will.”
“I want to have Shar-Habitachon-Level trust to rely completely on Hashem to heal me from my illness. Although I may put in the effort to go to a doctor, I believe in my heart, with complete faith that Hashem, and only Hashem, is the Healer of the sick.”
How do I get there? The reality is that although I may occasionally have a flash of faith, moments here and there where I feel these truths deep in my soul, there are many other times when I don’t. Are there any strategies I can use to proactively work out my “emunah muscles”?
Here’s a strategy Harav Yussie Zakutinsky shlita shared, that we can use to strengthen our ahavas Yisroel:
The aron in the Beis Hamikdash consisted of 3 layers. The very inside was gold, the very outside was gold, and the middle was made out of wood. So what was the aron made out of? For all practical purposes: gold! If the outside is gold and the inside is gold, then even if somewhere in the middle there is some wood, that part becomes nullified and irrelevant.
Says Rav Yussie: the same applies to our ahavas Yisroel. Can we truly say that we love every Yid through and through with every part of our heart and soul? Perhaps not. However, in our innermost part, in the depth of our neshamah, we undoubtedly have authentic, Bardichever-Rebbe-Level Ahavas Yisroel. We’ve got gold on the inside. Now our job is to express our love for our fellow Jew on the outside – through thoughts, words, and actions that express ahavas Yisroel, even if it is only a surface-level expression that you don’t feel through and through. Now we’ve got gold on the outside. If somewhere between the innermost and outermost layers, there is a part of you that does not truly feel this love, that part is now irrelevant and nullified. For all practical purposes, your ahavas Yisroel is gold. On a deeper level, your golden ahavas Yisroel on the inside and outside will ultimately spread and meet in the middle, and over time you will find the external expressions to truly reflect your feelings entirely.
The same strategy can work with any other middah you are trying to work on, such as the examples above about faith and trust in Hashem. In the inner core of your essence, in your neshamah, you certainly have a golden, Nachum-Ish-Gam-Zu-Level faith that everything Hashem does is for the good, and Hashem always guides your life with your best interest in mind. Now your avodah is to coat the outside layer in gold. Proactively engage in thoughts, words, and actions that express this faith on a surface level, even if you don’t feel it through and through.
n the inner core of your essence, in your neshamah, you certainly have a golden, Shar-Habitachon-Level, reliance on Hashem that he will provide you with the parnassah, or the health (or anything else!) that you need. Now the avodah is to coat the outside layer in gold. Proactively engage in thoughts, words, and actions that express this trust on a surface level, even if you don’t feel it through and through.
Engage in this avodah, “The Emunah Sandwich,” and with the help of Hashem, you will see how your innermost and outermost beliefs will meet in the middle until you feel this faith in every part of yourself.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 13.