הוא מחדש בכל יום תמיד - A Daily Challenge

(Picture by Gilbert Cremese)

The Degel Machaneh Ephraim taught that we must have emuna and believe that Hashem constantly renews the acts of creation in order to be able to daven every day. He further stated that each day we must consider ourselves as if we were born anew, and must daven and give thanks to the One who created everything. Likewise, we must pray for ourselves, for our spouse and children, and for our daily parnossa. If we do not believe with complete emuna that Hashem renews the act of Creation each day, then we will view davening and doing mitzvos as commonplace, and we will scorn the recitation of the same words every day.

After learning this challenging piece in Degel Machaneh Ephraim, I told the Sudilkover Rebbe that I was working hard to continually maintain this perspective. The Rebbe related that the Imrei Yosef of Spinka would learn this very piece from Parshas Ekev every morning before davening as a way to engrain this fundamental belief into his mind.

The Sudilkover Rebbe then explained that a person must work on a daily basis to view the ordinary as extraordinary. Although a person may be saying the same words in davening, he must understand that the circumstances in which he now saying them are entirely new. Each day brings entirely new things for which to thank Hashem.

Whether it is between Maariv and Shachris, between Shachris and Mincha, or between Mincha and Maariv we must seek out Hashem on each occasion as if we were desperately trying to contact another person. And just as we say thank you on each occasion after receiving a gift, we too must say thank you to Hashem for all the gifts He gives us on numerous occasions throughout the day.

We must acknowledge the new and simultaneously renew ourselves.