Welcome, welcome ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of Daily Chizuk with Rabbi Eliezer Zeytouneh. I am Rabbi Eliezer Zeytouneh, and here is today's message. The Ashkenazim, particularly when finishing and completing a sefer (book), particularly a Chumash, say the following three words: “Chazak, Chazak, Venitchazek.” Be strong, be strong, and let us be strong. And it begs explanation. What does it mean: “Be strong, be strong, let us be strong”? It’s very possible that there’s a hidden message there, or maybe it’s revealed.
And that is sometimes you give yourself Chizuk (encouragement), and it doesn’t work. You look at yourself in the mirror and say, “You’re a good guy. You’re going to make it. You’re going to do it. You’re going to wake up for Minyan (prayer quorum). You’re going to wake up for Minyan.” And it doesn’t happen. The next day, you snooze straight through all the beginning of the davening (prayer), and you pray by yourself. And you can look at yourself and say, “It didn’t work. I tried. Chizuk just doesn’t work for me.”
That’s not true. Chazak, Chazak, Venitchazek: strengthen yourself, tell yourself you can do it, you can do it. And guess what? If two times it doesn’t work, do it again, do it again. Until Venitchazek, until we are empowered, until we have that strength, until we have that ability, until we have that confidence that we can get up and traverse any obstacle. And by doing that, you’ll be strong throughout your life, in every facet and area of daily living.
This is Rabbi Eliezer Zeytouneh, Hashem loves you, have a great day.