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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,
May 14, 2026, 27, Iyar, 5786
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The desire to have emunah, bitachon and the kindness of H.
We read many stories of Gedolim and their tremendous relationship with the Ribono shel Olam. There are thousands of musar and chizuk sefarim and books giving advice about inspiration and how to have spiritual and emotional uplifting lives. A person has to have a desire to be willing to improve their lives. The same is true with many things that affect ourselves such as the choice of being sedentary or active, the choice of eating healthy or whatever food comes to mind, the choice of truly wanting shalom bayis with a sincere heart. We all have the G given opportunity of the choices we make in our lives. Rabbis, rebbetzins and chaplains can and do make a difference in one’s spiritual life. Therapists are tremendously helpful for the many challenges a person might be going through. Ultimately, a person must have the yearning to make meaningful and positive changes in one’s life. It is incumbent upon all of us to convey the strength of having a positive relationship with the Ribono shel Olam through our bakashos, tefilos, Tehillim, and our mitzvos. The Ribono shel Olom wants us to be successful in our lives. A person must do his or her hishtadlus. There is a well-known saying, “H helps those who helps themselves.” We have to be empathetic, patient, understanding and of course encouraging to those who we support.
The Bnei Yisrael when they accepted the Torah at Har Sinai said “Na’aseh Venishmah- We will do and we will listen.” What transpired through the decades on how Klal Yisrael fulfilled this famous response is history and continuously transpiring. Even during trying and dire circumstances, Judaism continuous to flourish. This happens for the Jewish people because of their desire to acknowledge and to be present with the love of the Holy One- H Yisbarach who ultimately makes everything possible. There is also another component and that is having hope even during challenging times whether it may be in our own lives, regionally, nationwide or world events. There are many things that can shake our senses, our tranquility, our way of life possibly bringing fear, anxiety and even depression into our lives. Having emunah and bitachon in H can surely make a difference in our lives.
From: The Garden of Gratitude, by Rabbi Shalom Arush, Director of Chut Shel Chessed Institutions, Translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody. Pages 110-111 “First Emunah, Then Understanding” “There will always be a limit to the extent we can understand H’s actions. But where understanding leaves off, emunah must begin. Someone who thinks or hopes to understand H will not attain emunah.
Not even Moses could understand H. When Moses asked H to show him the secret of how He works, H answered him, “You cannot see My face. “In other words, you can never understand how I work on an a priori basis. You’ll only be able to understand what I do in retrospect. This is the intrinsic meaning of what H says, “You can see Me from the back, but my face cannot be seen” (exodus, 33:23).
Never forget that at the time of a test, a person cannot really know or understand that all is for the good! If he understood clearly that it is really good, it would not be a test. Every test of emunah occurs only when a person’s intellect perceives a situation as bad. The level of knowing from the outset that everything is good is one that no human can attain, because understanding the situation with such clarity nullifies free choice.”
From: Shavuos 5780 Torah Companion, Congregation Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion (Baltimore, MA) The Greatest Emunah, by Rabbi Yakov Majeski. “According to the Rambam, emunah is the knowledge, realization and understanding that there is a creator in this world and that his creator is the Ribono Shel Olam. Bitachon, according to the Rambam, is trusting that everything H does is for the best, even the difficult times. It is possible for a person to have emunah, yet at the same time to NOT have bitachon. This person knows that H runs the world but does not trust in H. A classic example of this would be Pharoh.
In the beracha before Krias Shema, we say asher batchu bach-vetalmedeinu chukei chayim: [our fathers] had faith in you, and you taught us chukim, laws of life.
As explained by my father, Avi Mori, this means that the level of doing the will of H even without knowing the reason can only come with bitachon. It is for this very reason that H gave us chukim along with the mitzvos: we need to realize that following H’s will means that we follow Him even if we do not understand why.
At Har Sinai, Bnei Yisrael stood at the mountain and said something that was on the level of angels. Our approach to accepting the Torah was not to be described in human form. We said Na’aseh before Nishma.
This is something that is not rational, logical, nor is it human nature. Who agrees to do something before they know what it is they will be doing?
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz explains that when we said Na’aseh before Nishma we reached a level that only angels can achieve. At Matan Torah, this level of belief became rooted in us and allowed us to succeed in the future with this great level of belief. When did we need this level in the future? He explains that the future we are talking about is the mitzvah of Shmitah. When a person stops everything and doesn’t work his field for an entire year, completely relying on H, this too is a level of angels.
He explains that Matan Torah and saying Na’aseh before Nishma gave us the ability to have such great belief in the Ribono shel Olam- allowing us to totally rely on H for an entire year without working our fields.
Perhaps this can explain Rashi’s famous question in Parshas Behar: Mah inyan shemitah etzel Har Sinai? Why are the laws of Shmitah described in the Torah as given on Har Sinai? Weren’t all the mitzvos given on Har Sinai? Perhaps the answer is that Har Sinai and Shmita have a strong connection: they both bring us to the ultimate level of Emunah and Bitachon in H.
With this in mind, perhaps we can also understand another idea. We say in the Haggadah that if H would have given us the Torah but not brought us to Eretz Yisrael, then Dayeinu- it would have been enough! But how would it have been enough to receive the Torah if we would never have gone into Eretz Yisrael? Perhaps the answer is that the mitzvah of Shmitah can only be done in Eretz Yisrael. As we explained, Shmita represents the highest level of emunah and bitachon. Perhaps it would have been enough even if we had not gone to Eretz Yisrael because we would have a least reached this level of bitachon by saying Na’asseh Venishmah.
Finally, we should note that Moshe Rabeinu and Har Sinai both have something in common: they were both on the highest level of humility. H says , “This is how I want my Torah to be given to my children: with the utmost anivus, humility.” On the other hand, just being humble is not enough, either; one must constantly work on himself and keep climbing. This is why the Torah was given on a mountain. We must always keep yearning for more and continue developing our relationship with HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
May we all relive the Na’aseh Venishmah and fulfill the words of H! And may we all never stop climbing!”
From Faith and Trust, by Rabbi Shemuel Houminer. Published by Quantum Press. Pages 24 – 25. Tie One’s Thoughts to G’s Kindness. “The Maggid of Mezritch explains the verse, “He who trusts in G will be surrounded by kindness” (Tehillim 32:10), to mean that a man’s soul clings to that which occupies his thoughts. Should his thoughts be tied to G’s judgment, his soul will be judged. When a person trusts in G’s attribute of kindness, his soul will cling there, and “kindness will surround him.” Therefore, he should constantly immerse himself in thoughts of G.”
Sincerely, Rabbi Yehuda Blank