Good Morning Bitachon of the day ❤️
Life is not always happiness. Sometimes, there are many hard days. But you must remember that you are lucky to be alive – we are all lucky in this way. Every breath is a gift. Life is beautiful if you let it be. Happiness is in your hands.
As we enter the month of Elul, we should do so with simcha (joy). This is our time for reflection, an opportunity to look back on what we have accomplished over the past year and to think about how we can grow and improve in the coming year.
I was reading a book by a Holocaust survivor, and one particular paragraph deeply resonated with me. It said:
"There are always miracles in the world, even when all seems hopeless. And when there are no miracles, you can make them happen. With a simple act of kindness, you can save another person from despair, and that might just save their life. And this is the greatest miracle of all."
Sometimes, what may seem insignificant to us can have a profound impact on someone else. When we first moved into our building, my boys met a woman in the elevator, a new neighbor. They cheerfully introduced themselves, and that small act made a huge impact on her. We became friends, and now, whenever my son travels, he always brings her a small gift to show her she’s in his thoughts.
Today, she is very close to us, and we feel lucky to have her in our lives. A simple, warm hello, exchanged in mere seconds, changed her life and ours.
Interestingly, the word "Elul" spelled backward is "Lule." The Hebrew letters of "Elul" are aleph, lamed, vav, lamed. In Psalm 27, the phrase "If I hadn’t believed" is "Lule" in Hebrew, which is literally "Elul" backward. The psalm invites us to walk through our “ifs” the missed opportunities and longings of our lives and to view them as possibilities for the future, rather than as regrets.
Yesterday, as we returned from our vacation, our neighbor came up to greet us while I was reading my daily Tehilim (Psalms). She asked, "Are you reading Psalm 27? You must read it every day during the month of Elul." This interaction wasn’t a coincidence. Afterward, I was writing my Bitachon and decided to Google the meaning of Elul spelled backward. That’s when I came across the explanation of Psalm 27, and it clicked.
I often tell my kids that with the word "if" we can change the whole world. I, too, dislike the "what ifs," but I’ve come to realize that this month of Elul helps us reflect on what we see as our mistakes and motivates us to change, so we don’t repeat them. It encourages us to draw closer to Hashem. The "ifs" should not lead to regret over what wasn’t accomplished; instead, we should recognize that everything we achieved this year is exactly what Hashem wanted us to.
The choices we make today will impact people we may never meet. It is our responsibility to ensure that impact is positive. We have the power, each day and each moment, to uplift those around us, or, if we are careless, to drag them down. The choice is simple, and it is ours to make.
Alone, we may feel powerless, but together, we are strong. With the help of Hashem, we can triumph during this time. May we succeed together. Amen 🙏
Wishing you a wonderful day ❤️