"If we knew that a rare gift was concealed within our difficulties, we could laugh; but with emuna, we start laughing even before we discover the gift." 

Shavua Tov! An old parable about a donkey in trouble gives us a different perspective on life's difficulties. Here's two-and-a-half minutes of encouragement:

Thanks to our wonderful supporters, you can download this mp3 here, free of charge, share it and listen to it on whatever platform you desire.

Here's how a small segment of the cogent "Nishmas" prayer helps us defeat worry and depression while overcoming that nagging acute problem that each of us has. (Text of segment below vid):

"If our mouth was as full of song as the sea, and our tongue as full of rejoiceful singing  as the multitude of waves, and our lips as full of praise as the expanse of the horizon, and our eyes as brilliant as the sun and the moon, and our hands as outspread as the eagles of the sky and our feet as swift as antelopes -- we still could not thank You sufficiently, HaShem our God and God of our forefathers, and to bless Your Name for even one of the many thousands of thousand, thousands times thousands and myriads of favors, miracles and wonders that you performed for our ancestors and for us." (from "Nishmas" prayer, English translation by Rabbi Lazer Brody)

Shavua Tov! Someone you know and care about thinks that he or she is alone in the world - share this 90-second message from King David with them:

Thanks so much to everyone for your warm feedback from yesterday's Emuna Baby post. Despite a dozen-plus miscarriages and indescribable hardship, Esther Nava refused to give up. Where did she learn that from?

Imagine that your life's work went up in smoke and you're already more than a hundred years old; would you have the strength to start all over? Rebbe Akiva did. See this:

Here's an important message for a bullied child or adult, or anyone who feels like an underdog, filmed at the holy gravesite of King David in Jerusalem. Shabbat Shalom!

241. Cornerstone.mp4 from lazerbrody on Vimeo.

It's great to be an optimist, but life is even better for an optimalist; here's the difference:

Shavua Tov! Just because you were beaten with insult, that doesn't mean that you're beat, by no means! Here's first aid to put you back on your feet.

"Seven Falls" is not some vacation spot in Colorado – we're talking about life's inevitable setbacks that knock us down and what to do about them.

Thanks to our generous donors, you can obtain a free mp3 download of this podcast by clicking here on Seven Falls.

If you've ever lost a loved one, nothing could console and comfort you more than the Thirteenth Principle of Emuna, which we learn today on Emuna Hour (40-minute lesson).

Maybe you think that you're not musical but King David says otherwise. Here's how the events of your life come together to create a beautiful melody that's ever so gratifying to Hashem.

Click here for your free mp3 download of the above podcast for listening and sharing on any device, courtesy of Emuna Beams and thanks to our esteemed donors.