Daily Inspiration
Your Personal Masei – Trusting the Journey
A word from the desk of Keren Vardi, Jerusalem, Israel
The Chatam Sofer teaches that after the sin of the Golden Calf, Moshe Rabbeinu asked Hashem to show him His ways, and Hashem answered, “וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי, וּפָנַי לֹא יֵרָאוּ” — “You will see My back, but My face shall not be seen” — meaning that sometimes understanding comes only in retrospect.
This idea is beautifully reflected in Parshas Masei, which lists all forty-two journeys of the Jewish people in the desert.
Looking back, we can see each stop as part of one continuous path to Eretz Yisrael. But while they were living it, Bnei Yisrael could not know which places would be brief and which would last for years. They simply followed Hashem from one station to the next.
Our lives are often the same. We experience moments of hope, waiting, joy, disappointment, growth, and uncertainty. Only later do we recognize how each “masa” — each journey — shaped us and brought us closer to where we were meant to be.
Your shidduch journey does not define your worth. Delays do not diminish your beauty, your femininity, or your ability to build an extraordinary home. Every experience, every prayer, every tear, and every act of growth is shaping the woman who will one day bring her unique light into the world and into her home.
You do not need to understand every stop along the way. Sometimes faith means continuing forward without seeing the entire map.
One day, with Hashem’s help, you will look back at all your personal “Masei” and realize that even the journeys you would never have chosen were guiding you, with love and precision, toward the destination Hashem had prepared for you all along.
May this happen really soon!
When Silence Speaks
A word from the desk of Menucha Cooper, Melbourne, Australia.
וְחַנָּה הִיא מְדַבֶּרֶת עַל לִבָּהּ, רַק שְׂפָתֶיהָ נָעוֹת, וְקוֹלָהּ לֹא יִשָּׁמֵעַ
“And Chana was speaking upon her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard.” (Shmuel I 1:13)
There are moments when words come easily. And then there are moments when the heart carries so much that words feel too small.
As women, we are gifted precious moments to speak before Hashem. At the Shabbos candles. While separating challah. In the quiet moments in the mikvah. In the spaces between the demands of daily life. We come with our hopes, fears, gratitude, and longing. Yet sometimes, when the moment arrives, no words come.
My son, Mendy, is non-verbal. He cannot express himself through speech, yet he has taught me that silence is not emptiness. Some of the deepest truths in life are communicated without words. Love. Faith. Connection. Presence.
Chana showed us this. Standing
before Hashem in Shiloh, she poured out her heart in silence. To those around her, her prayer could not be heard. But Hashem heard every word that was never spoken. And in time, He blessed her with the son for whom she had yearned so deeply, Shmuel.
Perhaps that is why we do not need perfect words when we stand before our dear Father in Heaven. He hears the prayers hidden within our tears, the longing we cannot put into words, and even the moments when we do not know what to ask for.
The world listens for a voice.
Hashem listens for a soul.
Not every prayer is spoken.
Not every prayer needs to be.
Hashem hears not only the words upon our lips but every hope, every tear, and every whisper of a woman’s heart.
And sometimes, the deepest teffilois are the ones only He can hear.
Sources: Shmuel I, Chapter 1; Berachos 31a
The Alchemy of Opposites
A word from the desk of Goldie Simpson, Johannesburg, South Africa
Salt & sugar.
Oil & water.
Opposites placed
into the same bowl.
Flour & water.
Flour: the foundation of
physical sustenance,
our material needs.
Water: a symbol of Torah,
of all that is spiritual
& alive within us.
And now they come together.
As I mix & knead,
I watch differences unite.
How beautiful it is when
seemingly opposite forces
are brought into harmony.
How much more so
when we learn to hold together
thoughts, feelings & perspectives
that do not naturally align.
Challah reminds me
that growth often begins
in this place of connection.
When I take the time to truly listen
to another person’s view,
to hold space
for different experiences
& to reflect rather than react,
something within me expands.
I begin to rise.
Is this not the essence of relationships?
One person drawn toward chesed:
expansive kindness, giving, flow.
Another grounded in gevurah:
structure, boundaries, steadiness.
When they do not erase each other,
but learn from one another,
a new harmony is formed:
tiferet:
beauty born from balance.
Not the dilution of opposites,
but the elevation of both.
My dough is now fully mixed.
I wait. I step back. I pause.
I trust the unfolding within myself —
and within those I love —
to reflect, to soften & to grow.
Finally, I separate a piece
to give away.
Because true blessing is found
not only in what we keep,
but in what we are willing
to release.
Perhaps this is the deeper recipe
hidden within challah itself:
Mix.
Pause.
Give.
And through that process,
something holy rises.
From Self-Focus to Purpose
A word from the desk of Sorah Shemtov, Bronx, New York, USA
It was 1987. I had been dating for a while without success and decided to write yet another letter to the Rebbe in which I shared my struggles. As I often did, I wrote as if I was speaking to my loving tatte (father), expressing my difficulties and challenges in a very direct way.
The Rebbe’s response to me was (paraphrased): When a Jewish daughter in golus (exile) is only preoccupied with her shidduch, it is not helpful and may even hinder it.
I understood from the Rebbe’s response that I had to stop being so self-focused and begin thinking less about what I needed and more about what I am needed for.
I stepped well beyond my comfort zone and spearheaded and participated in multiple new initiatives for the benefit of the local Jewish community and beyond, and subsequently wrote to the Rebbe with the information (and a more positive slant).
The response was warm and encouraging, thanking me for the good news that I was utilizing my Divinely given talents with success and that this should lead to the good news that I was asking for: to meet my bashert.
Many decades have passed but this message is forever relevant. We have each been given a unique set of gifts, talents and blessings, the purpose of which is to bring more goodness and G-dly light to the world, and when we do, we can open more channels of blessing for ourselves as well.
May everyone’s prayers be answered in the best way possible!
Hashgachah Pratis (Divine Providence) on the Wall
A word from the desk of Risha Deutsch, Bucharest, Romania
During a difficult economic period in Romania, a woman from our community called and asked if I could come to her home to make a donation to Chabad House.
More than the donation itself, I was moved that even during difficult times, women in our community continue to think of others and look for opportunities to give.
As I stood in her doorway, something immediately caught my eye. Hanging on the wall was a dollar from the Rebbe that my husband had given to her husband some fifteen years earlier.
In that instant, I felt as though I had been transported back in time. Seeing that dollar brought me back to a special moment in my own life, when I merited to receive a dollar for tzedakah from the Rebbe shortly after the passing of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka.
Suddenly, I understood why she had insisted that I come to her home. Had we met at Chabad House, I would never have seen that dollar. At that moment, I felt I had been shown a remarkable moment of Hashgachah Pratis — Divine Providence.
Hashem guides our lives at every moment and places opportunities for meaning along our path. We do not always notice them immediately, but sometimes He allows us to see His hand so clearly that we cannot miss it.
The blessings and inspiration we received from the Rebbe and Rebbetzin continue to illuminate our path to this day, reminding us that we are never alone and that every step of our personal shlichus — our unique mission in this world — is part of a greater Divine plan.
Especially in seasons of waiting, we can take comfort in knowing that even when we cannot yet see the full picture, Hashem continues to guide every step with love and precision.
Queen Esther
A word from the desk of Simcha Chaya, Azulay, San Paulo, Brazil
Why do so many little Jewish girls choose to dress up as Queen Esther on Purim?
Perhaps because even from a young age, something within us is drawn to royalty, beauty, dignity, and grace.
As we grow older, it can be easy to associate those qualities with becoming a bride — to imagine that one day, under the chuppah, life will truly begin.
But Queen Esther teaches us something deeper.
Esther did not become royal when the crown was placed upon her head. Her Malchus was already within her. Her dignity, identity, and inner beauty did not depend on circumstances. They accompanied her wherever she went.
The shidduch journey can sometimes make us focus so much on finding the right person that we forget to notice ourselves.
Do I feel respected? Calm? More myself?
And maybe another question to reflect on:
Am I building my future from a place of inner dignity, or waiting for someone else to make me feel complete?
Before that day arrives, remember:
You are already a queen.
Your Malchus is not waiting to begin.
And in the right time, with Hashem’s help, that inner royalty will shine outward in the home you build.
Sources based on the sichos Kodesh of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
A Moment With Hashem
A word from the desk of Esther Sternberg, New York, USA
On one occasion my younger brother, Noson, came into our parents’ kitchen and saw our mother, Rebbetzin Chava Gurary, Oleha hasholom (of blessed memory), with her head bent over the Challah bowl for a sustained period of time. In taking in the scene, he came to the conclusion that something terribly wrong had occurred, perhaps a stroke. In fact, she was in deep contemplation; communicating in great intimacy and intensity with the Aibershter (G-D).
While her formal education was rudimentary at best, her profound relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu (G-D) was unparalleled. As with lighting Shabbos candles and mikvah immersion, she recognized the potency of this occasion.
Let’s harness the power of this mitzvah; of our opportunity and privilege to beseech Hashem for shiduchim (marriage matches) for our daughters, granddaughters, sisters, sisters-in-law, aunts, and friends. Let’s storm the heavens, together, and bring yeshuos (salvations) to the many families who await them.
Establishing new homes and families will surely bring the ultimate yeshuah to Klal Yisrael (the Jewish people)!
Hey you, Despair!
A word from the desk of Rivky Wilansky, Moscow, Russia
You show up at my door all dressed up as a good friend,
as if you only came here to protect me,
to make sure I don’t risk being vulnerable,
to keep me safe from just one more painful disappointment.
But I’m not a fool.
I see right through your facade.
I see your true face.
You are just trying to pull me away from my life purpose,
to drain me of my energy,
to hold me back from giving my all,
to leave me too tired to even try.
You want me to surrender before the battle has even begun.
You are trying to break my trust in Hashem’s love,
in Hashem’s goodness,
in Hashem’s perfect master plan,
which is always revealed as good in the end —
even when I cannot yet see it in the middle.
You are trying with all your might to distract me from the one thing that matters most:
My mission to serve Hashem with joy.
But now,
I am no longer giving you space in my heart.
I am infinitely more resilient than you led me to believe.
My faith in Hashem will protect me far better than you ever could.
My trust in Him will draw down revealed blessings and miracles far faster than you could ever imagine.
I choose trust.
I choose joy.
I choose to thank Him in advance.
I'll keep smiling,
laughing,
singing,
dancing,
hoping,
praying,
yearning,
anticipating,
looking forward to the future,
and envisioning my dreams come true.
I’ll choose Him over you.
Every time.
And one day, really soon,
when I see my Redemption —
both personal and global —
I’ll look back with pride,
because I never stopped trusting
that this day would come.
Women Lighting the Way to Redemption
A word from the desk of Sheina Caytak, Ottawa, Canada.
For thousands of years, Jewish women have carried the Jewish nation through three core mitzvot: lighting Shabbat and Yom Tov candles, keeping kosher, and family purity.
These mitzvot do more than sustain daily life. By illuminating the home, elevating the physical, and nurturing future generations, they prepare the world for Geulah.
Shabbat and Yom Tov candles fill our homes with G-dly light, preparing us for the infinite light of Moshiach. Kosher food sanctifies the physical and draws holiness into the world. Family purity brings spiritual refinement into the home, preparing us for the purity and holiness that Geulah will bring.
With every candle lit, every kosher meal prepared, and every commitment to family purity, Jewish women actively prepare the world for the ultimate redemption.
May we merit the coming of Moshiach now!
Sources:
Likkutei Sichos vol. 13, p. 29; Likkutei Sichos vol. 20, p. 227; TorasMenachem Hisvaduyos 5745, vol. 1, p. 109
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