Beyond Logic

Mashiach’s chief concern will be teaching people how to speak to Hashem and thereby return wholeheartedly to Him. Mashiach will tell each person, “Go speak with Hashem! Ask Him to have compassion on you and to help you do teshuva. Ask Him to free your mind from the follies of this world.” Each person has an evil inclination that tries to fill a person’s brain with nonsense. One must ask Hashem’s help in overcoming the evil inclination, for our sages tell us that a person doesn’t sin unless the spirit of nonsense enters his brain.

The Master of Prayer was the only one that could redeem and purify the world since he was the one who prayed for the whole world. Not only that, but he instructed all his disciples to pray for the whole world. In addition, he traversed the world teaching people how to pray. Mankind attains its goal when each individual recognizes and acknowledges The Creator to the extent that each person prays on his own personal level. This is a much loftier achievement than merely having Mashiach or a few righteous men praying for the world.

In conclusion, in that the Master of Prayer brings the entire world to pray, he hastens the Messianic Age and the full redemption of the world. On an individual level, since prayer uplifts a person from the level of nonsense and the evil inclination’s influence, and brings a person closer to Hashem and to true teshuva , prayer leads to one’s personal redemption. Therefore, prayer and redemption are synonymous.

Hitbodedut is a prime indication of emuna. One who believes in Hashem will speak to Hashem and vice versa.

The simplicity of emuna means connecting with Hashem. Communication is the principal connection. Therefore, one who speaks to Hashem connects with Hashem.

Since Hashem is our loving Father in Heaven, one who fails to establish a connection with Hashem is like a person without a father, in other words, an orphan. Just as an orphan’s life is difficult, living without a connection with our Father in Heaven is virtually unbearable. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev said that one who lives without emuna – the pure and simple belief in Hashem that connects a person to Hashem – has a life that’s not worth living. Conversely, one who lives with emuna lives a life of pleasure and gratification, for he has a merciful Father in Heaven to lean on and depend on for all his needs, big or small, material and spiritual. When one believes that Hashem is always there, he confides in Him, speaks to Him, and asks for His advice in every matter.

Knowing that Hashem is with us constantly – 24 hours a day – and that He listens to us, assists us in whatever we do and rescues us from all peril, we realize that Hashem is much more than a father. The classic book of Jewish ethics “Duties of the Heart” says that one can trust only in Hashem, for only Hashem can fulfill the seven conditions of trust, as follows:

Hashem has compassion on you;

Hashem doesn’t ignore your needs, nor does His constant Divine Providence ever neglect you;

He is strong and invincible, and no one can stop Him from fulfilling your request;

He knows all your needs, even the ones that you are not aware of;

His Divine Providence never leaves you; from your first day on earth through your last day on earth, He is with you.

He alone determines your fate, and no one other than Him can help you or hurt you.

His generosity and loving-kindness know no bounds, both for the deserving and for the undeserving.

This is the simplicity of emuna: You are a creation and the Creator is with you all the time. He listens to you, heeding every word you say. Therefore, a person of emuna must live his emuna, namely, he must know that he can always turn to Hashem. Even if one is so-called “religious”, without a connection to Hashem, one lacks the main element of spirituality.

Talking to Hashem in your own words is a declaration of faith that surpasses all logic, intellectual arguments, proofs, and explanations. When you speak to Hashem, He is surely with you.

To be continued.