Welcome to Daily Chizuk. It says in Pirkei Avot that we are so loved by Hashem. We’re His children, and He wants us to know it. It says openly in the Torah: We are children of the most powerful being in the world. He loves us more than we can imagine.
One of Hashem’s names is Elohim, which means Hashem is all-powerful, controls everything, and can do whatever He wants at all times. And Rabbi Pincus pointed out that in the morning, when we say the Birkot HaShachar, we start off with the word Elokei. We don’t say Elokeinu, that Hashem is our God, but rather Elokei: He’s my God, He’s my Hashem. Each person’s relationship to Hashem is like that of an only child. Each person has connections with Elohim, who can do anything for you at any time.
What does it mean to have connections? Imagine you’re going to an event at a stadium with 100,000 people, and you’re stuck in gridlock in the parking lot and the lines to get in are enormous. But your father owns the stadium, and he comes out, moves a couple of cones, and you park right in the front. You walk into the stadium through the back, and you’re sitting in the front row in one minute. This is what it means: We all have connections.
The Mishnah in Sanhedrin says, “Chayav kol echad ve'echad lomar, bishvili nivra ha'olam.” Every person is obligated to think: Hashem created the whole world just for me.
One of our listeners just called me the other day with some good news. He said his emunah (faith) has gotten so strong, and he prays to Hashem all the time and asks Hashem for everything. But in particular, over the last two months, he’s been praying to Hashem over and over for two things. He really wanted to take his wife to Israel, and he really needed money to pay off some big bills.
A couple of days ago, a rabbi he knows approached him and said he wanted to get a donation for his shul’s Chinese auction. The man said, “Okay, put me down for $100, any prize you want.” The rabbi said, “Well, we have an Israel trip.” He said, “Okay, put me down for that.” The next night, he got a phone call: “You won the Israel trip with six round-trip tickets and a hotel for a week, or $10,000 cash.” He couldn’t believe it. He said he was going to take the $10,000, buy the two tickets he wanted, go to Israel, and use the rest of the money to pay off his bills. Both of his requests were granted.
The man said he was happy to win the raffle, but he was much happier to see the direct communication between him and Hashem. He asked for something, and Hashem gave it to him. And I told him it goes much deeper. It could be that the shul only thought of the idea of having an Israel raffle just for you, and Hashem was having a raffle, with people all over the community selling tickets and raising money just for your trip. Hashem has many ways. He could give you everything you want. Nothing is too big, and nothing is too small.
So many people have been calling me and emailing me, and they constantly see Hashem involved in their everyday lives, even in the smallest things. One person said he needed a parking spot, but he and 20 other cars were double-parked, all waiting. And he said, “Hashem, please, I need a spot right now.” A minute later, the only car that got out was the one right next to him. He pulled right in and said thank you to Hashem.
Somebody else said they needed a tenth man for minyan (prayer quorum). Everybody was ready to give up. And he said, “Please, Hashem, send a tenth man.” And out of nowhere, someone came in.
All the time, we have to talk to Hashem. We have to feel Hashem is Elokei. He’s my Hashem, and He’s waiting for me to turn to Him. Have a great day.