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51 Lessons

Foundations of Faith

Emuna From the Cradle

The main mitzvah upon which all the other mitzvot are structured is emuna, certainty of G-d. The Gemara tells us (Makkot 24) that the Prophet Habakuk "summed up" all the mitzvot into one, saying, "The righteous will live by his faith." Therefore, since we are obligated to teach our children to fulfill the Torah's commandments, it is clear that we must teach them emuna from a very young age – for that is the mitzvah on which everything else stands.

Rabbi Shalom Arush | Shvat 19 5782

Foundations of Faith

45. The “Hassid” (Saintly Person)

The saintly person is a leader. All of his senses and attributes - both spiritual and physical - submit themselves to his command. This is what King Solomon says, “One who rules his spirit is greater than one who captures a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

47. The “Hassid” - The Ideal Jew

A 'Hassid' is the quintessential Jew. His heart is filled with faith in God. He constantly senses God's closeness, as if God were standing before him. He believes that God knows all, hidden thoughts, feelings of the heart - all is revealed to God.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

48. More about the Ideal Jew

A Hassid senses that God accompanies him, protects him, and sustains him at all times. It is as if angels of God were accompanying and protecting him. True, he cannot actually see them, but he senses their presence. He feels protected and cared for.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

49. True Faith Brings Trust in God

True and complete faith in God causes one to believe that whatever He does is for the best. This provides a most sturdy defense against hardships and suffering. One who has faith in God is not broken by hardships, but actually receives them lovingly.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

50. One Hundred Blessings

The Sages ruled that a Jew must pronounce at least one hundred blessings each day. Ostensibly, this obligation is a burden and a nuisance. However, a more penetrating view teaches us that such blessings actually give a person pleasure and enjoyment.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

51. Beginning the Day

Upon waking, one's heart becomes filled with rapture due to the renewed encounter with God's great and bountiful creation. This leads to a desire to give thanks to the Almighty for everything. The first word to come out of one's mouth is “Thanks.”

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

44. The Servant of God

Asceticism is not a virtue but a vice. The servant of God loves this world and long life, because through them he acquires the World to Come. With every good deed that a person does in this world he will acquire a higher level in the World to Come.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

43. Hebrew's Preeminence - Continued

The Holy People has a Holy Tongue which possesses intrinsic value. It is a lofty language which God Himself employed when creating the world and giving His Law to Israel. It is a clean and pure language that befits the spiritual content it expresses.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

42. The Preeminence of the Holy Tongue

The Hebrew language. It is only natural that the nation of Israel, which harbors such great, lofty, and divine ideas, should have a special language, a profound, pure, and rich tongue that allows for complete and accurate expression of its views.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

41. Torah and Secular Disciplines

The Rabbi describes the breadth of wisdom possessed by Israel, particularly the Sages of Israel. The Sages had to be versed in all of the world's sciences, for all of these disciplines are needed for a proper understanding of the Torah's commandments.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

40. Reward and Punishment

The Jewish people are unique. The Divine Presence resides amongst them, and this situation brings both privileges and demands. When the nation as a whole senses God's presence in its midst, it possesses the power to lead a sacred and pure existence.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

39. The Commandments - A Beloved Burden

The precepts are not a burden but a privilege. They are beautiful ornaments, and it is a delight to decorate with them. They fill one's entire life, and this is what is so great about them. All aspects of life are illuminated by the Torah's light.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

38. “Israel, Through Whom I Will Be glorified”

Israel was created with the purpose of proclaiming God's praise in the world: “I have fashioned this nation for Myself, they will relate my praise” (Isaiah 43:21). And we relate God's praise through a life of sanctity, through Torah and commandments.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

37. Torah Commandments: The Ultimate Joy

Human intellect says that the ideal servant is one who worships God through fasting and abstention. This, people believe, is how a righteous person ought to be. The Torah, however, says that the perfect service is that which is carried out joyfully.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

35. The Commandments Depend on Good Character Traits

Positive character traits serve as a foundation for the Torah's commandments. It is inconceivable that a person observe the Torah's commandments if he lacks positive character traits. The Commandments themselves constitute the height of perfection.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

36. Well-balanced Character Traits

Honoring the Sabbath is tantamount to thanking the Almighty. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Hence, observing the Sabbath brings man closer to the Almighty than numerous prayers or acts self-denial and mortification.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

30. The Preeminence of the Holy Land (Continued)

Just as the nation of Israel is God's Chosen People, so too the land of Israel is God's Chosen land. This land was designated as an inheritance for the Jewish people since the time when God established the respective boarders of the world's nations.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

31. Regarding the Holy Temple in Jerusalem

The Sages liken the Holy Temple to the heart: just as the heart is the center of all of the bodily organs, the center of life from which all of the life-forces flow to the rest of the body, so the Temple is the spiritual heart of the entire nation.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

Foundations of Faith

32. Israel's Plight in the Exile

The difference between Israel's faith and that of other nations is like the difference between an actual person and a statue. Nations have sought to imitate the faith of Israel yet have been unable to achieve any more than a superficial resemblance.

Beit Midrash

Emuna From the Cradle

Rabbi Shalom Arush | Shvat 19 5782

45. The “Hassid” (Saintly Person)

The saintly person is a leader. All of his senses and attributes - both spiritual and physical - submit themselves to his command. This is what King Solomon says, “One who rules his spirit is greater than one who captures a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

47. The “Hassid” - The Ideal Jew

A 'Hassid' is the quintessential Jew. His heart is filled with faith in God. He constantly senses God's closeness, as if God were standing before him. He believes that God knows all, hidden thoughts, feelings of the heart - all is revealed to God.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

48. More about the Ideal Jew

A Hassid senses that God accompanies him, protects him, and sustains him at all times. It is as if angels of God were accompanying and protecting him. True, he cannot actually see them, but he senses their presence. He feels protected and cared for.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

49. True Faith Brings Trust in God

True and complete faith in God causes one to believe that whatever He does is for the best. This provides a most sturdy defense against hardships and suffering. One who has faith in God is not broken by hardships, but actually receives them lovingly.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

50. One Hundred Blessings

The Sages ruled that a Jew must pronounce at least one hundred blessings each day. Ostensibly, this obligation is a burden and a nuisance. However, a more penetrating view teaches us that such blessings actually give a person pleasure and enjoyment.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

51. Beginning the Day

Upon waking, one's heart becomes filled with rapture due to the renewed encounter with God's great and bountiful creation. This leads to a desire to give thanks to the Almighty for everything. The first word to come out of one's mouth is “Thanks.”

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

44. The Servant of God

Asceticism is not a virtue but a vice. The servant of God loves this world and long life, because through them he acquires the World to Come. With every good deed that a person does in this world he will acquire a higher level in the World to Come.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

43. Hebrew's Preeminence - Continued

The Holy People has a Holy Tongue which possesses intrinsic value. It is a lofty language which God Himself employed when creating the world and giving His Law to Israel. It is a clean and pure language that befits the spiritual content it expresses.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

42. The Preeminence of the Holy Tongue

The Hebrew language. It is only natural that the nation of Israel, which harbors such great, lofty, and divine ideas, should have a special language, a profound, pure, and rich tongue that allows for complete and accurate expression of its views.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

41. Torah and Secular Disciplines

The Rabbi describes the breadth of wisdom possessed by Israel, particularly the Sages of Israel. The Sages had to be versed in all of the world's sciences, for all of these disciplines are needed for a proper understanding of the Torah's commandments.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

40. Reward and Punishment

The Jewish people are unique. The Divine Presence resides amongst them, and this situation brings both privileges and demands. When the nation as a whole senses God's presence in its midst, it possesses the power to lead a sacred and pure existence.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

39. The Commandments - A Beloved Burden

The precepts are not a burden but a privilege. They are beautiful ornaments, and it is a delight to decorate with them. They fill one's entire life, and this is what is so great about them. All aspects of life are illuminated by the Torah's light.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

38. “Israel, Through Whom I Will Be glorified”

Israel was created with the purpose of proclaiming God's praise in the world: “I have fashioned this nation for Myself, they will relate my praise” (Isaiah 43:21). And we relate God's praise through a life of sanctity, through Torah and commandments.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

37. Torah Commandments: The Ultimate Joy

Human intellect says that the ideal servant is one who worships God through fasting and abstention. This, people believe, is how a righteous person ought to be. The Torah, however, says that the perfect service is that which is carried out joyfully.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

35. The Commandments Depend on Good Character Traits

Positive character traits serve as a foundation for the Torah's commandments. It is inconceivable that a person observe the Torah's commandments if he lacks positive character traits. The Commandments themselves constitute the height of perfection.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

36. Well-balanced Character Traits

Honoring the Sabbath is tantamount to thanking the Almighty. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Hence, observing the Sabbath brings man closer to the Almighty than numerous prayers or acts self-denial and mortification.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

30. The Preeminence of the Holy Land (Continued)

Just as the nation of Israel is God's Chosen People, so too the land of Israel is God's Chosen land. This land was designated as an inheritance for the Jewish people since the time when God established the respective boarders of the world's nations.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

31. Regarding the Holy Temple in Jerusalem

The Sages liken the Holy Temple to the heart: just as the heart is the center of all of the bodily organs, the center of life from which all of the life-forces flow to the rest of the body, so the Temple is the spiritual heart of the entire nation.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762

32. Israel's Plight in the Exile

The difference between Israel's faith and that of other nations is like the difference between an actual person and a statue. Nations have sought to imitate the faith of Israel yet have been unable to achieve any more than a superficial resemblance.

Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed | 5762