Living for Greatness

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here has yet to be a generation of Jews not challenged in their emunah in Hashem. We’ve always experienced fear and struggle, our history punctuated with only brief respites of serenity.

Accompanying us through all of the ups and downs of history is our fervent belief in the long-awaited Mashiach. Our steadfast faith in his imminent arrival is testimony to the tenacity of our people.

Faith cannot be forced, but in his Thirteen Principles, the Rambam reminds us that it’s a crucial element of being a Torah-true Jew. In my role as rebbetzin and teacher, I often find myself challenged to give chizuk to someone in a distressing situation; when I fortify them with my emunah, I find myself needing strength.

Yet we continue, move on, and draw strength from one another. “Ish es rei’ehu ya’azoru u’l’achiv yomar chazak — A man should help his friend and to his brother say, ‘Be strong!’ ” (Yeshayahu 41:6). In an encounter with Rav Yona Weinreb, back in 2008, when our long-awaited child was fighting for his life in the NICU, my husband relates how Rav Weinreb took his hands and said, “I give to you and you give to me.”