Back to the Basics of Emunah. The 3 Principles. - Jeremy Gimpel: The Land of Israel Fellowship

that is one of the most beautiful sunrises that we've ever captured here on the farm so I just wanted to share it with everyone because I have written a book about waking up early in the morning and the process of prayer and since coming back to Israel I have not woken up early even once and it is embarrassing and I'm working on it I'm trying and I have a Saturday night I was like that's it it's Sunday it's a new day I'm gonna stand in front of the fellowship what kind of person could I be to write a book about waking up early and taking the time to pray and to meditate and to learn and to journal and to get your life in order and just being unable to do that it's like unbelievable and and Noah my youngest son on Wednesday of last week said hey Emma isn't it funny that ABBA wrote a book about waking up early he actually said those words and I have to like live with that now and like how dangerous it is to sort of like put out an ideal that you're striving for but then you have to live up to that ideal and here I am and I will try to like figure this out like totally crashing and burning on the ideal that I so much believe in and I think that that's really important because just because we are not living out the ideal that we know to be the ideal life doesn't mean that we're failing it just means that we keep on aiming up I'm going to keep on at it and where your wrath zone is where you want to be what your desire is is really where you are and for whatever reason I'm just the evil inclination is so sophisticated that every morning it's somehow beating me but I'm gonna get at it because that's really where my desire is and really that's what the month of elul is about and that's what I wanted to talk about today because Ellen will actually isn't so much about action you know every month there's a certain attribute a part of the body a part of the Mind a part of your heart that is to be fixed uh or to be focused upon or something to be developed and the month of el is all about our thoughts it's the the month of getting our thoughts in order and that's key because we're going into the new year if we have Clarity of thought of who we want to be what we want to do what we want to accomplish how we want to accomplish them what kind of person we want to be what things we don't want to do and the things we do want to do the more clarity we have on that the better our year is going to be and so there was a football coach that I remember that once said the most important thing is to be great at the fundamentals like don't get all fancy schmancy and trying to do amazing plays with the football just get really good at the basics and so what I've been doing recently is last week I had a very challenging day it was Thursday and Ari and I went to go visit a friend of ours and he's a dear friend like a soul brother to me and Ari and his daughter passed away and it was devastating it was so hard it was the worst Shiva house that I've been at and it was just you know he came up to me and he said you know it just feels like my life is over and when he said that to me I just burst out crying because I I didn't I what words could be said to console him I just didn't know what to say and I'm like man I don't you know and I was just that's been with me now for days trying to figure out you know what are the basics here and that is arguably the most extreme example that I've encountered definitely in the last few months but I wanted to go back to the basics in the principles of emuna because going into this year not only do we want to be proactive about what we want to do what we want to accomplish how we want to live who we want to be but I also want to set into motion how I want to respond to the challenges that I know are going to come it's just a matter of time until challenges come and I want to know I want to prepare myself going into the year what are the fundamentals of emuna that I want to have because a lot of times we talk about emuna as action loyalty and action faith in practice and that's true but Rabbi nachlan of breast love really brings principles of emuna that are not action oriented but more mind-oriented faith oriented um psychologically oriented the Paradigm through which we see the world is also another form of emuna and so what does he say he says there are three principles to emuna principle number one I actually made a little slide for it for you principle number one something happens to us in the world everything that happens happens from Hashem nothing here is random nothing here is from a force counter to God everything is one and everything happens from above everything that happens to us happens from Hashem can we get the slide back up there and keep it up there please the second principle is that everything that happens to us happens for a reason something that happens to us it's not just happenstance there is guidance that's happening there there's a spice card that we need to be aware of there's something that's happening and it's not just random it's happening for a reason and the third reason is that everything that happens to us happens for the good that the most challenging situations the hardest things that are that occur to us somehow if we just have the I don't know the strength and the perseverance and the ability to just keep walking with the belief that whatever is happening here ultimately it's for the ultimate good that somehow this is a part of a process and ultimately one door might be shut another door is soon to open one window is closed because another one is going to be open everything that happens happens from Hashem everything that happens happens for a reason and everything that happens is ultimately for the good so I've just been thinking about that over and over and over getting those fundamentals back into place and then this Shabbat table Friday night my son Akiva who's now in the 10th grade said Abba I learned something really beautiful about ellul and it really has to do with emuna also I want to share it at the Shabbat table I'm like yeah absolutely wonderful I would love to share you I would love to hear what you have to say about and Akiva said he's like how do we know what we're supposed to fix in our lives meaning we believe we're sent down with a soul Mission something to fix we we have a tikkun we have a fixing we have a calling that is a specifically perfectly designed calling and a fixing that is for each and every person in the world how do you know what your tikkun is how do you know your personal fixing that you need to do that you need to go through in this world because that would really help us if we really want to align ourselves getting ready for the new year are we supposed to know that and Akiva said that he learned in the writings of hasidud that the thing that you are most struggling with the thing that's hardest for you the thing he was like ah why is this thing in my life right now that's that's the thing that is a constant obstacle that I need to overcome that's a constant thing that's blocking me that's the thing that's always holding me back that's like really the hardest thing for me to deal with in life you should know that's calling you forward that that challenge that's being set before you is indeed a calling in your life from that side and then he said and if you have a gift it says that gift you're used to bring more light to use that gift to plant trees of light in the world so the challenges are our calling to fix and our gifts our colleagues to spread those gifts and so to me just kind of going back to the fundamental principles of how I want how I choose to react to the things that occur to me how I see the challenges in my life how I'm going to approach all of the unknowns you know I I we're still working Ari and I now on a solution for this coming winter and we just now got the proposal for solar panels and I'm not gonna I'm it is a little bit scary for me I I mean I believe that Hashem has a path and he's Paving a path for us to accomplish this Mission but it's freezing cold on the Arrow goat farm in the winter time if they cut us off from electricity I mean I have um a wood burning stove I guess we could all sleep around the stove if we need to but like there's a little bit of like anxiety that's coming but I just keep on thinking everything that's happening the fact that for whatever reason the government is not allotting enough electricity for a community that they know is expanding it's happening for a reason and it's happening for the good and so maybe this is exactly the direction that Hashem is sending us that through this struggle turning our Farm Green becoming energy independent maybe that is a vision that is a Messianic vision of like a beautiful green Eco farm that has its own solar farm I don't know but I just am trying to like approach the challenges this year with those fundamentals of emuna to really just go over them over and over again that when those challenges come um we're prepared mentally physically psychologically spiritually so I just want to bless everyone that this Ella as we really come close to just a Day of Reckoning the day of where it's like cut here we are how's our life going that's really what Rosh Hashanah is according to tequila and maimonides that going forward with all the good and all the bad and all the challenges that we take those principles of them not to give us strength and direction and that should be our Guiding Light in the world that was beautiful Jeremy quick question I don't want to put you on the spot but I do have a question about that there's three principles isn't the third principle inclusive of the second meaning if it says everything is for the good doesn't that imply that everything is for a reason those are from rebbies yeah that's a really good question it's not exactly the same thing meaning they're close to the same thing but one Demands a question one is more like uh an existential posture that I approach every occurrence this is for the good it's not that the devil came in here and did something evil and outsmarted God no no no everything that happens is ultimately from the good but the second one really forces us to look at the second the Divine wisdom that is within everything the second one is saying it's happening for a reason ask the question what is this speaking to me now what am I being called to do now what is the right response to whatever is happening why is this happening is it's for the good but I also want to know the reason and Ruby knockman says that reason is accessible that even if you can't see the ultimate reason you can find enough to take the next steps forward so the first one is that everything is from Hashem there is nothing other than Hashem in this world everything is from him the second thing is everything happens for a reason and if we're open enough to ask why is this happening what is it here to teach me what is it here to guide me that second stage in the third stage is just the posture I don't I haven't found out the reason yet I know that there's a reason but at least I know ultimately it's for the good hi my name is Jeremy gimpel a lot of people want to know exactly what the land of Israel Fellowship is and what members receive when they join so let me explain the land of Israel Fellowship is a global online community with hundreds of members from over 40 countries around the world they're live sessions and Gatherings that create a direct personal connection to the land of Israel and to lovers of Israel from around the world there's no online Gathering that I'm familiar with that is connected to the land of Israel that unites and brings together such a diverse group of people backgrounds and nationalities it feels like prophecy it feels like something we need in these times like a window in to a better future on the horizon there's a Divine Unity we experience every week in our fellowship broadcast we heard these amazing teachings from an authentic Hebrew and Israel perspective in our jaws drop not only because they ring so true and are such a blessing because they are so consistent with what we believe these Sunday morning Gatherings are nothing less than a house of prayer for all nations Cindy Lowe the United States of America the land of Israel Fellowship is an amazing resource for learning Torah the Bible and the prophets unfiltered and uncentered directly from the land of Israel we've been studying Torah for almost 20 years but we feel we are stepping into it more than ever and seeing new depth and dimensions to scripture we're encouraged more and more every week calinardo USA members receive access to all the archives in the library of teachings on every portion of the Torah the biblical Feast Hebrew prayer prophecy sessions on the ancient wisdom of the prophets of Israel to help us navigate through these turbulent times these sessions are so rich I re-listen to each in truly each session is the best one yet tequila is a tremendous asset and the teachings Ari Shares are so rich I've read the Bible so many times and I've known the things you are teaching the Hebrew understanding is what Christians have missed for centuries sister Georgian from Germany the land of Israel Fellowship is truly unique because it's built upon personal relationships with the teachers of the fellowship myself Rabbi Arya bramowitz in tahila gimpel every member has direct access to the staff 24 6 via email or direct WhatsApp to ask questions to comment to connect directly to all the teachers and over the last years we've connected to some of the most beautiful people on the planet so if you want to find out more more and join the land of Israel Fellowship you can click on the link below and if you want to try it out for just a month you can email fellowship at the land of israel.com and we'll hook you up I hope to see you Shalom from the mountains of Judea