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Rabbi Yehuda {Leonard} Blank MS, BCC
Vice President of Professional Development and External Affairs
Chair of the Chaplaincy Commission
Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim
917-446-2126  rablenblank@gmail.com,
April 30, 2026, 13, Iyar, 5786
Special conference for Rabbonim, Chaplains
and Mental Health Professionals
(See flyer below)
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I recently had the zchus of being in the presence of the Rosh HaYeshiva of Staten Island, Rav Reuven Feinstein shlita this past Sunday. There is a group of Lower East Siders who have been learning with the Rosh HaYeshiva for many years when he lived on the Lower East Side (of Manhattan). This group continues to learn with him via live interactive zoom and periodically we go to be with him at the Yeshiva in Staten Island. He recently came out with another one of his sefarim of which I chose to share with my readership some excerpts of this sefer including his introduction which can be found below.  At our visit with the Rosh HaYeshiva,he not only learns with us halachos but he shares his tremendous knowledge, his warmth and his genuine persona of humility speaking to us with his love and sincerity. He follows in the tradition of his saintly father Rav Moshe zt’l and his brother, Rav Dovid zt”l being able to blend anivus with hasmada and a relationship with the Ribono shel  Olam. The love for the Ribono shel Olam, for our Torah for Klal Yisrael, emunah, faith and bitachon, trust in H can be seen in his sefarim including Divrei Sholom.( For information about his sefarim and shiurim go to https://www.darcheisholom.com

From: Divrei Sholom “A Torah Guide to a Peaceful Life, Volume Two” by Rabbi Sholom Reuven Feinstein, W. Group Publishing. Author’s Introduction, Pages 8-9.

“In this second volume of Divrei Sholom we discuss Chinuch, our relationship with H and how we must trust in Him. These are not only important hashkafos, they are Ikrim in a person achieving personal happiness. When we realize there is a Greater Power that in reality controls all of life (except our bechira), many of life’s fears and stresses disappear. Even anxiety, something so prevalent nowadays, can be cured. Difficult situations can be accepted. (We discuss this concept in great detail in multiple shiurim throughout this sefer.) Once a person realizes he is in H’s hands, he can concentrate on perfecting himself, and bettering the world by fulfilling his unique tafkid in life. He will experience life’s challenges from a different perspective, looking through different glasses than he did before. He will see and appreciate gam zu latova and kol deavid rachamanah letav avid, which will continue to bring him closer to H, and he will be able to constantly feel H’s love for him. He will know what it means to relate to H both as a child, and as an eved (as we discuss in the shiur on ahavas H). 

As these books continue to come out, I hope my late wife Rebbetzin Shelia a”h is proud, as this was her greatest wish. Even though she is in the Olam Haemes, her interest in this world still exists. It is my hope that she is as proud of these works as I am of the numerous and amazing stories I still hear about her influence over our Benos Yisrael, how she instilled them with pride in their Torah heritage, and influenced them to live proud Torah lives. 

Sholom Reuven Feinstein
Adar 5785”

(cont) “Yiddishkeit is not simply about keeping taryag mitzvos. It involves more than the technical details of halachah and the Torah learning. These are, of course critically important. However, one can fulfill all the technical requirements of halachah and still not be living a true Torah life. H chose us as His Am Segulah, His treasured people. H desires to have a close relationship with us- ahavas H is one of the taryag mitzvos- thus, we must understand what this relationship is intened to be.”
“It is critically important for us to know what H does in this world so that we will also know that H can answer all our prayers. There are those who ask”Why does H need our praises? Why is it important for us to say Pesukei d’Zimrah? We can see the answer. Our recitation of Pesukei d’Zimrah is not for H’s benefit-He does not need our praises. Rather, it is for our benefit. We need to say Pesukei d’Zimrah so that we will recognize what H does, and what He can do for us. When we gain that recognition, it will lead us to appreciate our ability to daven to Him.”

“I often tell yeshiva children who come to me on a class visit that they can and should daven for anything that they feel they need or want. You want a new bike? Daven that H should give your parents the money and the willingness to buy it for you. You are having a hard math test today? Daven that you should do well. These things are not beneath the Ribono shel Olam! And He wants us to daven to Him for all our needs. He wants us to turn to Him whenever we need help. He wants us to have a close loving relationship with Him at all times.
If you learn to think this way, then there is no forgetting H- because you are literally thinking about Him on a constant basis. He is an integral par
t of everything that happens in your life, every minute of every hour of every day.If we think this way, we will never need tzaros to remind us of H’s Divine Presence-we will see Him in all the good that He gives us, day in and day out.”

“How should one react when things don’t go the way he wanted or hoped they would?
Often when this happens, we feel frustrated and upset. We plan, we thought things through, and we are confident we know how things should be. We think we know what is best- and that is why, when we don’t get the results we wanted, we become upset.
Unfortunately, thinking this way is a recipe for a stressful life. How often do things go exactly as planned? Not very often. As an example, let’s look at some things that happen to people all the time. You are waiting for an important phone call. You have waited all day to speak to this person about an important issue. When does the call come? While you are benching and can’t answer the phone. Frustrating, right? You hear the phone ringing, your blood pressure goes up, but there is just nothing you can do. You may be thinking, I can’t believe it, now he calls? Now I missed his call, who knows what will happen? Or another example: Your best friend is making a chasunah. You have been waiting and looking forward to the occasion. You certainly want to be there on time- you really want to be there early. You get ready, you get into the car with plenty of time to spare, and then guess what? There is an accident on the Belt Parkway, and you are stuck in bumper -to-bumper traffic. You try to get off the highway and take the streets, but wouldn’t you know it, everyone else has Waze, so the streets are backed up just like the highway. You finally realize there is just no way around it, you are going to be late. Not only will you miss the chuppah, you are also afraid you will miss half the dinner.
I think everyone reading this can identify with this kind of scenario. We have all been there at one time or another. Now, in the course of life, these examples may not even be of true consequence. These are rather simple issues. However, at times things go wrong when much more is at stake than a dance at a chasunah.
Is there a way to avoid all this stress? Is there a method to handling the ups and downs of everyday life without stressing when things go awry?
Yes, there most certainly is.
After Shacharis, many people recite the Shelosha Asar Ikrim, the Thirteen Principles of Faith codified by Rambam, each of which begins with the famous words Ani mamin, I believe. The very first one reads: I believe with complete faith that the Creator – blessed be His Name- He creates and guides all that were created, and that He alone made, makes, and will make everything that is made.
If a person really believes this, if he truly internalizes that H guides and is the sole Power that makes everything happen, then what room is there for becoming upset?
The phone rang for that all-important call during benching? H certainly knows that you are benching now. And H arranged events so that the call should come in precisely this moment.
Now, you may say, “OK, so H made it so, but it still is a problem for me, so why shouldn’t I be upset?
The answer to that is that we know H is meitiv, all that H does is for our good. As the Chovos HaLevavos writes (Pesicha to Shaar HaBitachon), H cares for our good more than we ourselves do. Indeed, it is only H Who knows what is ultimately for our good. Only He knows what is going to happen in the future. Only He sees the entire picture; from the beginning of time through to the End of Days-so only He knows what is good and what is not.
When one truly accepts this, he will no longer become upset when things don’t go according to plan. He will realize, Plan? What is my plan worth? If H made things happen this way, that is the best way things could possibly be.” 

The above are only excerpts from Divrei Sholom. To read the entire Divrei Sholom volume 1 and 2 or information about Rav Feinstein’s other sefarim and shiurim go to  https://www.darcheisholom.com

May we all be zoche to follow in the ways of the Ribono shel Olam, to love Him as He loves us and have all the midos tovos helping to infuse our love for Klal Yisrael with much care and sincerity as the Rosh HaYeshiva has for one and all. 

Sincerely, Rabbi Yehuda Blank