Opportunities for Emunah from the Siddur

by Mrs. Chana Krasny

In the next section, we are going to be going over morning brachos (blessings), a bit more in detail. But right now, even before we begin, it’s very good to discover the great opportunity which lies inside.
 
When you’re standing on the bus stop, waiting for our children, or even in the car when we’re driving them, when we have a spare moment when we’re waiting them to finish breakfast, these are opportune times to talk about the hashkofos (philosophy) of Hashem.

Transcript continues below the audio player
​

---

When we discuss with the children how important Hashem is, and how we rely on Him and we discuss with them in regular tones of voice, all the many brachos that He gives us every day, we are building a very solid foundation of emunah for the children.
 
Rebbentzen Brog, Rabbi Miller’s daughter, would often say that every mother should tell the children, I’m going to daven for you today, whenever they enter the school bus. In this way they will internalize, at the time, in their heads that emunah that your success in school is dependent upon Hashem’s chessed (kindness) and I’m going to daven for you.

When we have a spare moment, these are times to talk about the hashkofos of Hashem.

Not only do we lay the foundations for solid emunah in our children, but we reinforce those concepts in our own minds. And this is why we are so filled with repetition in the siddur, it is the continual, ongoing statements of the same concepts, that block the emunah in our head, as the actualization of bringing it into the day with our own words is what sets the tone for the mesorah to continue in our next generation.
 
Next time you sit down and eat, make sure to thank Hashem, not only in the bracha, but also with your words. How nice it is, Shloimy, that Hashem gave us such a beautifully, delicious cereal, do you see how much He loves us? And so on.
 
In this way we will solidify our emunah in Hashem.