EMUNAH - MIND VS HEART

Dear Family,

Hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov to Binyamin on his upcoming birthday. We love you Binyamin.

As mentioned last week, we are exploring the subject of Emunah based on a series of lectures by Rabbi Yossie Jacobson.

It was again interesting this week especially a practical test which I have attached, showing how the mind works. (I think everyone will find this interesting but especially all the doctors and those interested in biology.) - please print all 3 attached pages.

I would like to divide the lessons I learned into two parts

1. Better understanding of how the MIND AND HEART work in relation to Emunah
2. Not to underestimate ourselves when we assess our own Emunah.

MIND AND HEART

The Maharal defines seichel (mind) as the ability to explain things rationally, to pick up patterns, and to prove things.

The mind can prove that there is a G-d, but it cannot experience this.

It is like going through a detector at the airport - it can see everything, outside, inside, and hidden in ones baggage, but it cant detect how the person is feeling.

The tools one has defines one's reality - the eye can see but it cannot hear, and defines the world by what it sees etc.

Similarly the mind can only reach what the world allows it to reach.

When we reach this maximum point of mind, there is another tool which helps us cross the threshold, ie emunah.

Faith is that dimension of self which, when cultivated, allows us to experience ultimate reality.

The word emunah is also derived from imunim which means training, or exercise

Even if one has a talent, it needs training to be developed and mastered.

If ones mind is honest it will allow one to to use other means when the threshold is reached. (the more one understands, the more one realises how little one understands ( Tanya Chap 18). The Alte Rebbe also said that todays knowing becomes tomorrows belief, and that belief then becomes knowing and so on.

The mind can deceive us (see attached exercise)

The full infinite emunah within each of us can become blocked, but is always there seeing fully with its eyes of certainty.

OUR ASSESSMENT OF OUR OWN EMUNAH

When a person says my emunah is weak, because I have doubts, and I don't feel it, this is not true.

It is really the mind which is bringing up these doubts.

And it is because Hashem created the world in this way ie the Hebrew word for world is olam, and its root is from helem which means hidden. Ie the truth is hidden, and we cannot see clearly what is happening

We need to use our minds to question and try and work through the hiddenness.

Emunah lies pure and untouched, equally in every Jew, and can be experienced fully at any moment.

Gut Shabbos to all.