What does"have emunah" mean during Covid-19?

behappy2

Sun, May 17 2020, 8:45 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I hear what you're saying. I think that while most of the responses here are saying that emunah is believing that hashem is just and fair, and that even when bad things happen. I feel this is a complete u-turn from what we are taught, what shiurim are about, and what emunah books say. They are almost always focused on emunah equaling a positive and desired result.

Rav Ashear is someone who is very well regarded and has inspired many people with his emunah talks and books. Overwhelmingly, there is story after story about people who had big problems, had emunah, and the problems were solved. Chapter 19 in his first book is actually titled "emunah cures illness". The last time I called the emunah hotline the story was of man whose car wouldn't start. he had no money or time to go to the mechanic. He simply said with all his heart and with full emunah that hashem is ultimately the one who fixes things. He then turned the key and the car started. So I feel that it's disingenuous for many to say that emunah is not about the result when so much of what we learned is an attempt to demonstrate that emunah leads to good results.

There is a concept that believing Hashem can do anything opens the channels to get that thing. It's not my derech in avodas Hashem. Someone here correct me if I'm wrong.

Are you referring to the Bitachon hotline? And yes, I have had at least one teacher teach that concept.

PinkFridge

Mon, May 18 2020, 9:16 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Rav Ashear is someone who is very well regarded and has inspired many people with his emunah talks and books. Overwhelmingly, there is story after story about people who had big problems, had emunah, and the problems were solved. Chapter 19 in his first book is actually titled "emunah cures illness". The last time I called the emunah hotline the story was of man whose car wouldn't start. he had no money or time to go to the mechanic. He simply said with all his heart and with full emunah that hashem is ultimately the one who fixes things. He then turned the key and the car started. So I feel that it's disingenuous for many to say that emunah is not about the result when so much of what we learned is an attempt to demonstrate that emunah leads to good results.

I don't listen to him much, but I have heard him say the following in person (and in one of his daily messages): Sometimes the story is that the person missed the plane to the important interview and it didn't crash. This is too is hashgacha pratis. Hashem has put us in this situation and we are to live it.

One thought I'm hearing a LOT these days is about uncertainty. We can't control our lives and we never could.

amother

Seashell

Mon, May 18 2020, 10:24 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Emunah does not equal a positive or desired result. Like you, I find there’s a trend among certain authors and speakers to tell amazing happy ending stories. When you’re living through a sad ending those can actually be painful to listen to. Fairy tales are nice when you’re five or six years old. As an adult, not so helpful.

What emunah does equal is a closer relationship with Hashem. Last week we read through some painful pesukim in the parsha about terrible punishments that would happen to us if we sinned. Those psukim are real, they’re in the Torah. Painful things happen. Emunah means we find our way to stay close to Hashem through deeply painful times.

Sometimes the end result isn’t an unbelievable happy coincidence that will go viral. Maybe when things are rough pick up a Tehillim instead of reading contemporary authors telling stories. David Hamelech lived more than two thousand years ago but you’ll find him crying out in pain right along with you. His strength was that he turned his pain to Hashem, the ultimate source of all joy, all loss, all pain, life, death and everything that happens in between. We might not be able to reach the level of strength in emunah that David Hamelech had, but we can take a little from him when we read the words he left us.