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 . The sefer Chanukah B'Tzion writes when the parents light the Chanukah candles, they should make sure that their children are present, because each child is like a candle and when the parent lights, they are also illuminating the neshama of each child as well. There is so much kedusha at the time of hadlakat nerot and we should utilize this great opportunity on all eight nights of Chanukah. Rabbi Menachem Stein told about an episode he had on the first night of Chanukah six years ago. It was Motzaei Shabbat and when he picked up his cellphone, he saw that he had dozens of missed calls from the same number. When Rabbi Stein called back, the anonymous caller answered on the first ring. And without even introducing himself, he asked the Rabbi if he lit the Chanukah candles yet. When the Rabbi answered that he hadn't, the caller released an audible sigh of relief. Then he proceeded to share his story. Turned out he wasn't such a stranger after all. He was a close friend of Rabbi Stein's son Uriah who had passed away following an extended illness, leaving a widow and four orphans. The caller related that Uriah appeared to him in his dream on three different occasions with the same message, which went something like this. "My friend, you know that I left behind four tinokot shel bet rabban , one of whom is just taking his first step in limud haTorah . A Jewish child cannot grow without tefilot , so I am asking you to please approach my mother and implore her, in my name, to pray for her grandson that he should grow and ascend in Torah and yirat Shamayim ." With that, Uriah's image faded from his dream. This man woke up immediately after the first dream and thought to himself, it's just a dream. But then the dream repeated itself just a few days later. But again, he did not act upon it. Until it happened a third time, on lel Shabbat the 24 th of Kislev. This time, Uriah added the following message. "I am going to reveal to you a special Heavenly secret. Ask my mother to seize the et ratzon while my father is lighting Chanukah candles to pray for my children. Ask her to pray with a full and complete heart for my son's success in limud Torah and yirat Shamayim ." "This Motzaei Shabbat , Klal Yisrael will light the first Chanukah candle and, knowing my father, he will certainly light as soon as he can. I am begging you to ensure that we do not lose even one day of this auspicious time. Please call him when Shabbat is over so that my mother will be able to use this special time to pray for my son. It is up to your zerizut on this Motzaei Shabbat ." And with that he faded away. And indeed, right after that, Rav Menachem Stein related this dream to his wife who used that precious time to pray on behalf of her orphaned grandson. We can only imagine how emotional her tefila was during that candle lighting after getting that Heavenly message regarding its importance and how much of an impact it can have on a child's neshama . We as well have the exact same opportunity to pray for our children and our grandchildren to become illuminated with the great light of Torah.

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 when a person willingly chooses to follow the will of another. Therefore, one of the primary functions of the Yetzer Hara is to provide us with the opportunity to honor Hashem. Every time we face resistance and overcome it to do what Hashem wants, we bring Him honor. Sometimes, a person may feel distanced from Hashem due to strong inclinations to do the wrong thing. Others may feel distanced because of negative middot like jealousy, anger, or a desire for honor. These individuals may feel as though they are second-class in terms of their closeness to Hashem. However, the opposite is true. If a person has a strong Yetzer Hara in any area, it is Hashem's way of giving him the opportunity to bring Him even more honor and glory. If they are able to overcome their inclinations, they will bring about the greatest honor to Hashem. Everyone has different tasks and responsibilities in life. Some may appear more glorious than others. For example, if one person is told to serve the King his meals, while another is assigned the task of cleaning the King's garbage, the second person might feel that his job lacks significance. But in truth, if the second person performs his task with a smile, it would bring even greater glory to the King than the first person's service. It gives the King immense pleasure to know that even those with seemingly lowly tasks are happy to serve Him. In Avodat Hashem, no task is too small or insignificant. The less recognition we receive, the more glory it brings to Hashem. Every test in life presents us with an opportunity to bring Him glory, and we should approach each test with that mindset. Rabbi Binyamin Prusansky shared the story of a man whose company sent him to India for a few days. He tried to visit the Chabad on Shabbat but got lost, taking hours to find his way back. The next time he went to India, his wife asked him to stay in his room so she wouldn't have to worry about him getting lost again. He agreed, and this time he ordered food from Chabad to be delivered to his hotel room. An hour before Shabbat, he noticed a leak in the ceiling, which quickly worsened. He called the front desk, and they found him another room on the top floor. By the time he settled into the new room, it was too late to call Chabad and update them with his new room number. All he had was a small bag of chips and a bottle of soda. He began to despair. Far from home, with nothing for Shabbat, he realized he had a unique opportunity to bring honor to Hashem. He told himself that he would keep Shabbat just for Hashem, knowing that no one would witness it except Hashem Himself. He put on his Shabbat suit, laid a white towel over the table as a tablecloth, and began singing Shalom Alechem with only a bottle of soda and a bag of chips on the table. He felt an overwhelming sense of connection to Hashem. Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was the delivery boy, with his Shabbat food. They had found him after all. He felt Hashem's presence strongly, and when he later shared the story, he said that he had never felt more fulfilled than when he had nothing at all, yet was prepared to make the best of it, knowing he was bringing honor to Hashem. A person has many opportunities in life to bring honor to the King. When these moments come, they should pause and recognize the greatness of the moment, and then, with full kavana , do the task at hand.

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 that's not an option, and then we'll need to dig deep down and overcome our hurt feelings to do what Hashem wants. The rewards for that are unimaginable. Sometimes Hashem wants to give a person a present or a salvation, but in their current state it wouldn't be good for them to get. However, if they would overcome an enormous test that Hashem would give them, that would make them fit for the blessing. We should use these thoughts as a motivation to do what's right and overcome the difficult tests that are sent our way. I was recently reminded of a story we told last year about a young man who was learning in yeshiva and had just begun shidduchim. One day his father received a call from a shadchan who proposed an excellent match for him. After doing their research, they gave the go-ahead to proceed. However, a few days later the shadchan called them back saying the girl's family had declined. Although they heard great things, the girl had her heart set on marrying someone who was on a higher level in his learning. When the boy heard that, his pride became shattered. He knew he wasn't the top learner, but he did work very hard to be the best he could be. The feeling of insult was very hard for him to get over and there was really nothing he could do besides work on himself and move on. Less than a week later, he felt better and was able to do something amazing. His chavruta was an outstanding learner and he felt he was the type of boy this girl's family was looking for. So with superhuman strength, he told the shadchan to try to set up his chavruta with the girl that rejected him. Several days later, the shadchan called the boy's family back with a response they would have never imagined. When the girl heard about what he had done, she said, "A boy who was able to overcome insult and try to help me and his chavruta is somebody with incredible midot tovot. That's exactly what I'm looking for." The shidduch was made and Baruch Hashem, they got engaged. Being able to be mevater is an enormous zechut which brings about great blessings. Sometimes a person needs to be mevater kaveyachol to Hashem for the hurt feelings that he feels. People do things in the area of Torah and mitzvot and at times it seems like they lose out from it and they wonder why Hashem would do that to them. They may experience negative feelings towards Hashem or towards the good deeds that they did. Being able to overcome that and understand that a person never loses out from doing what Hashem wants will also earn a person great merits. A man told me one day he was flooded with phone calls from various people who needed his help. While speaking to one individual, he saw the phone lighting up from his investment broker, but he couldn't interrupt this individual who was pouring out his heart to him. That day he got so busy helping all those people he completely forgot to call back the broker. The next day when he went to the bank, the investment broker told him he could have earned him so much money but because he wasn't able to speak to him he missed a golden opportunity. The man immediately replied with unwavering emunah saying he was involved in doing chesed and a person never loses from doing a mitzva. He didn't feel bad at all missing any opportunity. Nine days later he earned an unexpected sum of money and told his investment broker about it. The broker said, "Wow that is definitely more than you would have earned with what I was going to do." Overlooking when we feel that we may have been wronged or treated unfairly is a very precious avodah. Sometimes Hashem gives a person the opportunity to do that just so He can give him the blessing He wants to give.

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 ever lived, yet their lives were filled with extraordinary challenges. Yosef was hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit with snakes and scorpions, sold into slavery in Mitzrayim, falsely accused and imprisoned, and separated from his father for 22 years. Yaakov, too, endured difficulty after difficulty. When he finally sought tranquility, the most devastating trial of all struck—he was made to believe that Yosef had been killed. Worse still, it was he who had sent Yosef out on that fateful day. It was precisely because Yaakov and Yosef endured such immense suffering that they became two of the greatest people who ever lived. This world is a world of toil, and it is our ability to persevere with emunah and to fulfill the ratzon Hashem under duress that elevates us to unimaginable heights. We cannot fathom how much we accomplish by persevering through the challenges Hashem sends us. Because of Yosef's experiences, he became Yosef Hatzaddik, and in his merit, the entire nation was able to cross the Yam Suf—one of the greatest miracles in history. The pasuk says: " יעקב אשר פדה את אברהם ". Rashi, in Masechet Sanhedrin, explains that Avraham was supposed to endure the difficulties in raising children that Yaakov faced. However, Yaakov's neshama accepted the nisayon instead, redeeming Avraham from that challenge. Additionally, Hashem told Avraham that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. In the end, they were enslaved in Mitzrayim for only 210 years because Hashem began the calculation from the birth of Yitzchak. This means that the difficulties endured by Yitzchak and Yaakov spared millions of their descendants from suffering in Mitzrayim. They bore the brunt of the slavery themselves and will be rewarded for all eternity for the salvation they brought to their children. When Yaakov finally settled in Mitzrayim, his hardships ceased because the actual years of slavery had officially begun, and there was no longer a need for him to carry that burden. No hardship is ever in vain. Hashem is always orchestrating events to enable us to achieve the fullest potential of our lives. Yaakov's image was ultimately etched on the Kiseh Hakavod, symbolizing the pinnacle of human achievement in this world. Hashem always has the past, present, and future in front of Him at all times. While Yaakov mourned the loss of his son, Hashem was simultaneously envisioning the joyous reunion they would one day have. While Yosef was languishing in prison, Hashem was already seeing the moment he would be rushed out to become the leader of Mitzrayim. When we face difficult times, we must remember that there are glorious days ahead. Everything is designed to help us become great. Turning away from Hashem is never the answer. Instead, by drawing closer to Hashem and facing our trials with emunah, we elevate ourselves and pave the way to that glory. No one should ever think that their troubles mean Hashem is pushing them away. On the contrary, it is Hashem calling upon them to rise and become among the greatest people who ever lived.

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 Parasha, Vayeshev, and he showed them the pasuk in which Yaakov Avinu told Yosef to go check up and see how his brothers were doing in Shechem. Yosef knew that his brothers had a certain hatred towards him, and it was extremely dangerous for him to go, yet he told his father הנני – I'm ready to go right now. Yosef could have given his father many excuses why he shouldn't listen, but he didn't. His father told him to do something and Yosef was going to listen. (As a side note, the Mefarshim do ask how Yosef went, knowing how dangerous it was, in light of the command ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם – to protect our lives as best we can. The Chida writes in his sefer Rosh David in parsahat Toldot that although it is not forbidden for a child to respectfully refuse a parent's request if the request involves danger, however if the child wants to be strict and listen to his parents no matter what, he has the right to do so. He brings a proof how Yosef knew that, and one can see more about it in Sefer Chassidim , siman 341.) The grandfather then told them a personal story that happened to him when he was younger. He rolled up his sleeve and showed them the numbers that were tattooed on his arm by the Nazis, yimach shimam . He said, "My precious grandchildren, this number on my arm was determined for me to have by Hashem from the six days of Creation. Hashem wanted me to go through the seven levels of Gehenom in this world, for the best reasons, reasons which I cannot fathom. When the Nazis came to our town, they instructed all of the Jews to gather at the train station. We were only allowed to bring a few essentials with us. When we arrived there, they were separating the men from the women and children. I can still hear the bitter crying and screaming that was going on at that time. They put me, my brother and my mother on one train and my father on the other. Right before our train was getting ready to pull away, my mother saw that she had my father's tefillin with her. Immediately, she said to me, 'Berel, what is Daddy going to do without his tefillin ? He has to have them. Quickly, bring them to him on the other train.' It was very scary outside. The Nazis were strolling the area with vicious dogs. But I didn't think twice about it, my mother told me to go and so I went. I managed to get on to my father's train and, the moment I did, the train closed its doors and pulled away. My father and I were taken to a labor camp. I found out later, the other train was taken straight to the gas chambers. I am only alive today because I was ready to listen to my mother. "I want you to take this as a life lesson. When your parents ask you to do something, it's a golden opportunity. You will be fulfilling a mitzvat aseh from the Torah. Don't argue with them. Just say, הנני – I'm here and ready." Shabbat Shalom.

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 of a single mitzva, we would realize that any physical gain pales in comparison. If we really grasped what this world is about, we would gladly take upon ourselves additional mitzvot just to have the zechut that Hashem grants us more opportunities to fulfill more mitzvot. The Sefer Sas B'Imratecha shares a story about two older boys who were still unmarried. They decided to travel to Tzfat to immerse in the mikveh of the Arizal and to pray at kivrei tzaddikim. They also planned to spend Shabbat there. They set out on a Friday morning, but delay after delay and unprecedented traffic left them on a bus near Teveria with only half an hour remaining before Shabbat. Fortunately, they had a friend in Teveria, so they got off the bus, hoping to locate his house and have a place to stay for Shabbat. They hailed a taxi but couldn't provide the driver with a precise address. With just ten minutes left before Shabbat, they decided to get out in a nearby neighborhood. Desperate, they approached the closest building and knocked on the first door they encountered. The ba'al habayit opened the door and saw two young men standing there with suitcases. After they quickly explained their situation, he happily invited them to stay for Shabbat. They changed and set off for shul. During the meal, they shared with their host the challenges they faced that day and how they ended up in Teveria with only minutes to spare before Shabbat. The baal habayit reassured them, saying, "It was all min haShamayim . Do you think it was a coincidence that you were dropped off near my house? Do you think it was random that you knocked on my door? Let me explain what happened today." He continued, "We were in need of a yeshua, so my wife and I traveled to Ukraine to pray at the kever of the Ba'al Shem Tov. We found ourselves there for Shabbat without any food, unsure of what to do. Then we met a group of Jews from America. They were so warm and welcoming, inviting us to join them for Shabbat. We had the most beautiful Shabbat, with an abundance of food for every meal. We thanked our hosts and praised Hashem for sending us such kind individuals to take care of us. "Before we left Ukraine, we returned to the kever of the Ba'al Shem Tov. Inspired by the incredible hachnasat orchim we experienced, we prayed for the zechut to fulfill this mitzvah ourselves. "We returned from our trip this morning. My wife was utterly exhausted, but she quickly prepared food for Shabbat so she could rest. Later in the day, our married children called to invite us to spend Shabbat with them. However, we were already asleep when they called. Instead, they cooked for us and delivered an entire Shabbat meal. Suddenly, we had double the food we needed. "Then, the doorbell rang, and you two were standing there. At that moment, everything fell into place. We prayed for the zechut of hosting guests, and Hashem not only prepared all the food but also sent the guests we longed for right to our doorstep." That Shabbat, the atmosphere was electrifying. They sang zemirot, shared divrei Torah, and experienced a truly uplifting Shabbat. One week later, a shadchan contacted one of the boys and suggested a shidduch with the daughter of the family who hosted them. A month later, they celebrated their engagement. Even if the shidduch had not happened, the story would still be incredible. The couple understood the value of a mitzvah and prayed to Hashem for the opportunity to fulfill it. Hashem orchestrated so many events to grant them that opportunity. The shidduch was a beautiful bonus. But the main purpose of this world is Torah and mitzvot, and whenever we have the zechut to perform any mitzvah, we should recognize it as our greatest gain.

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 environment for them to grow in the way Hashem wants. However, there is only so much that a parent can do. This is why we need immense Heavenly help to ensure that our children remain pure and grow to be true servants of Hashem with good middot. To that end, we must beg Hashem for His help. The power of a parent's tefilla on behalf of their children is enormous. Parents who pray sincerely for their children have a tremendous advantage in raising them. Our children can receive the best of everything if we ask Hashem to provide it. A rabbi from Israel shared a story about a nurse who had no understanding of what it meant to be a religious Jew. One day, everything changed for her, and eventually, she became fully observant. People were curious about how such a transformation happened. She explained that once, she cared for an elderly woman with a very painful illness. The woman required frequent injections, yet she was always holding a siddur and praying happily. While most people with her condition lost the will to live, this woman radiated joy. One day, the nurse asked her about the secret to her happiness. The woman replied that it was all in her siddur. She constantly thanked Hashem for everything He gave her and then prayed for things she had yet to receive. The nurse admitted, "I see how happy you are when you pray. I also want to pray, but that book is far too overwhelming for me. Could you photocopy just a few pages for me?" The woman photocopied the Birkot HaShachar and explained the meaning behind each blessing. Included on the photocopy were the Birkot Hatorah, which the nurse began saying daily. The nurse continued: "My second daughter was very difficult to control. She was outspoken, headstrong, and paid no attention to anything I said. However, over time, I noticed a transformation in her. Her bad traits were disappearing, and she was becoming a kind and respectful person. Eventually, she became religious and asked to attend seminary. She later married a deeply religious young man. Seeing the love and respect they have for each other fills me with so much joy. I wanted to be more like them, and that's how I became religious as well. At first, I couldn't understand how my daughter changed without being exposed to Torah. But now that I am observant, I fully understand it. Every day, when I recited the words ונהיה אנחנו וצאצאינו וצאצאי עמך בית ישראל כולנו יודעי שמך , I was praying for her." The power of tefilla on behalf of our children is truly remarkable. Rabbi Yechiel Michel Stern shared another story about an outstanding student who invited him to his engagement party. When the rabbi arrived, he was surprised to see that the bride's family were very simple people. Rabbi Stern had expected the boy—one of the top students in the yeshiva—to marry into a family of great talmidei chachamim. Someone explained to Rabbi Stern that the bride's grandmother had been a neighbor of the Chazon Ish. Years earlier, when the Chazon Ish's wife was unwell, this grandmother had gone out of her way to help her. On one occasion, the Chazon Ish gave her a beracha, saying that one day her family would merit an outstanding talmid chacham. This beracha enabled her granddaughter to marry such an exceptional boy, something completely out of the ordinary for a family like theirs. Our tefillot for our children can work wonders. We should utilize every opportunity to pray, helping give them the siyata dishmaya they need to become the great people they are capable of becoming.

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 is the best possible situation to be in and is accomplishing more than anything else we feel we could be accomplishing. Only Hashem knows what we need to accomplish in this world to be successful, and it is He who gives us the exact circumstances that we need to be in to fulfill our mission. Some circumstances may last for a month or a year or even longer. It all depends on our mission. If we can internalize the fact that there is purpose for the circumstance or situation and also internalize that serving Hashem under those conditions is the best possible thing for us, then we'll be able to do it with joy rather than stress. A woman told her rabbi that she is suffering because she takes to heart her friends' and relatives' issues as if they are her own. Someone she's very close to is going through such a difficult time and it is paining her to no end. She has tried to go to therapists to see how she can prevent herself from letting other people's problems affect her so much, but nobody has been able to help her. She has a hard time wanting to get up each morning because of all the stress she's feeling. The rabbi told her the pasuk says Moshe Rabbenu became great because he felt the pain of his brothers who were in slavery in Mitzrayim. Moshe Rabbeinu could have just taken it easy in the palace, but instead he chose to empathize with his brothers and became completely distressed over their pain to the point that he used to cry watching them and would go over to each person and tell him, "I wish I could die for you." Hakadosh Baruch Hu saw this and said, "Moshe turned away from his comforts to be in distress with his people. I am going to leave my comforts and appear to him from a thornbush." There he told Moshe that he was choosing him to become the leader to take the Jews out of Mitzrayim. It was this quality of feeling the pain of others that merited Moshe to become the Rabban Shel Kol Yisrael . The rabbi then told the woman that although she looks at this quality as something negative, Hashem views it as a great mitzva. Furthermore, the Sefarim HaKedoshim teach us that when a person is נושא בעול עם חבירו , feeling the pain of others, it actually alleviates some of the pain that the person is experiencing. So this woman's pain is not only considered a mitzva, it is also helping the one she's pained over. Moreover, we know that everybody experiences yisurim in this world. If she is feeling pain over other people's problems, then she is getting her yisurim that way, which means the difficulties that she needs to go through will not have to come in her own life because she's already experiencing them in other people's lives. These are just some of the benefits she's gaining by having these feelings for others. By learning emunah, she didn't need to fight her circumstances but rather accept them with love. Of course, we are always encouraged to make any hishtadlut that we feel would improve the quality of our lives, but we don't have to feel that what we are experiencing is ever in vain. There is always a purpose, and it's always for our benefit.

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 allowed to make additions after Retzeh which have to do with the topic of that beracha , and the Rambam answered yes. Therefore, knowing how great thanking Hashem is and how great the beracha of Modim is, a person is encouraged to add his own thank yous in the same place that we add Al HaNisim on Purim and Chanukah. A person who was given a salvation should add his own words, something like the following: רבונו של עולם אתה ידעת שהייתי במיצר– Master of the Universe, You know how much distress I was in – לא ידעתי איך להסתדר – And I didn't know what to do to get out of it – פניתי לימין ואין מציל – I turned to the right and I did not find anyone to help me – ולשמאל ואין מושיע– and I turned to the left and there was no savior for me – ואתה הושעתני ברוב רחמיך וחסדיך– but You were there to save me, Hashem, in Your abundant kindness and mercy. And then proceed to describe what Hashem did and thank Him for it. This is just one example. We are encouraged to specify all of the blessings for which we feel gratitude for and describe them in detail. There is something very special about thanking Hashem specifically in Modim . The Da'at Zekenim writes, In general, after a person thanks Hashem, he should also make a request to keep the blessing coming. The Chovot HaLevavot , however, warns us not to thank Hashem just with the intention to receive more, but rather we should thank Hashem wholeheartedly for everything He has given us already. Being that we are not allowed to make personal requests in Modim , there we can comfortably thank Hashem without any ulterior motives of asking for more. Rabbi Moshe Shlesinger said he was once praying next to his Rebbe, Rav Yechezkel Abramski, and in the Rabbi's old age, he needed to whisper loudly for his ears to hear what he was saying. After he said Modim with great kavana , before he began ועל כולם , he started thanking Hashem in Yiddish for so many things, one of which was for giving him the zechut of sending money to the young Rav Chaim Kanievsky, to help support him when he was learning in kollel. At that time, he was not well known and he was going through a very difficult time with poverty. Rabbi Abramski saw his greatness and had the zechut to keep him learning, with his support. The beracha of Modim is so powerful. There are opinions who say that if a person did not have kavana during the first beracha of the Amida , he can still make it up if he has kavana in Modim . The Belzer Rebbe said, when a Jew thanks Hashem properly in his tefila , no prosecuting angels can hold back that tefila. The Mabit writes in his sefer Derech Hashem that the main part of the entire Amida is Modim . The Radbaz asks, how can Chazal tell us that the last three berachot of the Amida are all reserved for thanking Hashem? We understand Modim is thanking, but Retzeh is full of requests, as well as Sim Shalom. The Radbaz answered something amazing. He said the last three berachot are all collectively called the beracha of Modim . That is the main beracha, to thank Hashem. The beracha is so powerful, the Rabbis wanted to honor it by putting a beracha before it and after it, similar to Shema where we have berachot before and after it. The beracha of Retzeh is related to Modim because we know when we get back the Beit HaMikdash , we'll be able to thank Hashem there with the ultimate thank yous and with a true recognition of what He does for us. And Sim Shalom as well. When we have peace and blessing, we're in the best frame of mind to thank Hashem properly. Let us utilize every Amida to thank Hashem more and fulfill one of the main purposes that we were put on this earth, like it says, עם זו יצרתי לי תהילתי יספרו

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 great. This does not mean, however, that we shouldn't pray with emunah that Hashem could help us right away. The pasuk says that Hashem is the King who answers us " ביום קראנו ," on the day that we call out. Sometimes a person is in need of an immediate yeshu'ah, and he is encouraged to pray with emunah that this can happen. In this week's parasha , Vayishlach , Yaakov was told that Esav was charging towards him with an army, aiming to kill him. Yaakov needed an immediate salvation, and he called out to Hashem from the depths of his heart. Although he felt unworthy of being helped, as is the way of tzaddikim, who always ask for a divine favor, he did mention that Hashem had promised him to do good for him. Yaakov tried to gain the merit of extra zechuyot to help him in his time of need. And indeed, Hashem saved him in a miraculous way. A man who we will call Shlomo told me the following story. He was learning in a yeshiva in the mountains, and he wanted to go to a wedding that a rabbi of his was making in Brooklyn. He found a ride to the wedding, but didn't have a ride back. He said to himself that it's important to attend this wedding, because he had so much hakarat hatov to this rabbi, and he would somehow figure out a way to get back. So he took the ride and went to the wedding. Towards the end of the wedding, he went outside the hall hoping to find a ride to a place where there were constant minyanim, called Shomer Shabbos. And from there, he hoped to find someone driving to the mountains. He saw a car pull up, and he and a couple of friends asked the driver for a ride. He happily took them. While they were in the car, Shlomo asked the driver if perhaps he would be going to the mountains. Amazingly, he said he needed to go there the next morning early to appear in court over a ticket he got that past summer. Shlomo was so excited and asked if he could come along. The driver said it would be his pleasure. The only problem was, Shlomo didn't have a place to stay overnight, so he hinted to the driver. The man invited Shlomo to sleep at his house and was very hospitable. The next morning they were off. The host asked Shlomo in the car if he heard the phone ringing in the middle of the night. Shlomo said he didn't. The man explained that he had gotten a phone call from the hospital saying his mother-in-law's numbers went down significantly, and they thought she only had a few hours left to live. They told him and his family to come in right away to say goodbye. This was obviously very disheartening news. The host and his family got up and began getting dressed. He then remembered he was supposed to drive Shlomo to the mountains. He turned to Hashem and said, "Please, Hashem, I want to drive this boy so he can go learn Torah in his yeshiva. Please enable me to have the zechut of driving him." A few minutes later, the doctor called back and said they didn't need to come in. The numbers just went back up and she was okay. Here, they needed an immediate yeshu'ah, and baruch Hashem, they got it. In general, we must be patient when it comes to seeing salvations from our deeds and tefillot, but at the same time, we must pray with the emunah that Hashem could always help us on the spot. Shabbat Shalom.

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 to see the fulfillment of that promise, and he never questioned Hashem even once about it. We learn a lot about how much Hashem appreciates our acts of self-sacrifice and how much blessing they bring down. However, because today we live in a generation where everything comes instantly, it has become much harder for us to have patience and to wait to see the blessings come after we perform heroic deeds. This just means that the rewards for us waiting today are astronomically greater. A person who has done a great act to bring honor to Hashem and has not seen the yeshu'ah he was hoping for has an opportunity today to earn infinite merits by staying patient and trusting that Hashem will help him at the proper time and that his deed will bring down a great amount of blessing. It is true that our deeds bring blessing, but it doesn't necessarily come right away. Rachel Imenu performed one of the greatest deeds in all of history by giving over the signs to her sister Leah. She was willing to give up her husband-to-be to her sister to save her from shame. Chazal tell us that Rachel was physically incapable of having children and that it was in the zechut of this act of self-sacrifice which gave her the merit to have children. Yet, she still had to wait 14 years from that time to have her first child. We see from here that, just because she did the deed that merited her salvation, it didn't mean she was going to get it right away. Similarly, Chazal tell us that because of Yosef's ability to resist the temptations of Potiphar's wife, he became the second in command over the entire country of Egypt. It was his being in that position that enabled him to save his family from the hunger and bring them down to Mitzrayim with dignity. Yet, what happened after he heroically overcame his inclination and did the will of Hashem? He was thrown in jail. Not only that, he had to stay there for 12 long years before he finally came out.The act he did was tremendous. It earned him the title of Tzaddik. But he didn't see an immediate salvation from it. The same is true in many situations. People may be told by holy rabbis about different things they can do as a zechut for salvation. They listen to the rabbis and they sacrifice so much to do what the rabbi recommended. But they don't see any results from it. This does not mean that the deed didn't produce a yeshu'ah. It could very well be that because of what they did, they will get the salvation they're looking for. It just may not come right away. It could possibly take even years. Our job is to have patience and trust in Hashem. He will reward everything we do if we maintain our emunah during the waiting period. We will become so great from it, especially today when waiting is so difficult.