Oct 30, 2016

Raize Guttman 10-30-16 (26 Tishrei 5777)

Parshat Lech Lecha Chapter 15 - Verses 1 - 6.
Hashem comes to Avram and tells him, don’t be afraid, I will protect you and your reward will be great. Hashem promises Avram as many children as the stars in the sky. The lesson of these 6 Verses is having Emunah. Emunah means not asking for a sign, but total acceptance of what Hashem says. Avram accepts from Hashem with total equanimity & emunah. Avram totally nullifies himself - whatever Kadosh Borahu tells him he accepts and does not say “how could this happen to me?” Hashem saw this as a great righteousness on his part! Keeping in mind we just came from the tremendous loftiness experienced from the Chaggim. Raize suggests that the way to hold onto your lofty levels of spirituality is through Simcha – by being happy with life and with whatever happens to you. Further, the only way to be truly happy is to have Emunah. A person should say, if this is what is happening to me, then this is good. If you get bent out of shape – then you are not living with Emunah – and you are not living with Simcha.

Oct 9, 2016

Raize Guttman 10-09-16 (7 Tishrei 5777)

Yom Kippur 5777 / 2016 is 2 days from now.
Yom Kippur marks the day Hashem forgave us for the sin of the Golden Calf and the day he gave the Torah. In real terms it is the culmination of our 10 days of Teshuva. Raize suggests we look at Yom Kippur not with dread, but as a day of great joy. It is a day of duality. A day to rejoice with trembling (v’gilu birada). Hashem is giving us simcha with the opportunity for atonement, forgiveness, & renewed closeness to Him. Don't look at the trials of life as punishment, but as a tremendous act of chesed from Hashem to purify and cleanse our neshamot.