AI Summary
5 min readRabbi Daniel Weinstock once asked a group of yeshiva students a simple question: if you met a non-observant Jew on a plane and he asked what you're about, could you articulate it clearly? Overwhelmingly, they said yes—but they also admitted they wanted more clarity for themselves. That gap between inherited belief and lived, articulate conviction is the problem his new sefer, Understanding Emunah, tries to solve.
The book, published through Machon Lisa and distributed by Feldheim, runs over 400 pages and is structured not as a Q&A but as a sustained exposition. Weinstock explains why that matters: when a book asks questions and then answers them, a reader who doesn't fully grasp the answer is left with a lingering doubt. Instead, the sefer presents the teachings of the Rishonim and Acharonim—the Ramban, the Kuzari, Rav Chaim Volozhiner, Rav Yitzchak Hutner, Rav Eliyahu Dessler—and explains what they mean, so the reader can accept or refine the interpretation without being left with an unresolved problem.
What Emunah actually is
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:02) **Book Overview & The "Autopilot" Problem** - Rabbi Weinstock introduces the book's two-part structure: defining *emunah* and then offering methods to attain it.
- 2 (04:04) **Why Another Book on Emunah?** - Rabbi Weinstock explains how this book differs from the many existing books of inspiration stories.
- 3 (06:12) **Book Structure & Chapter Overview** - A quick tour of the book's major sections and their titles for listener navigation.
- 4 (07:37) **The Author's Personal Motivation** - The book began as personal notes on a subject that is the "backbone and foundation" of his Yiddishkeit.
- 5 (09:41) **Sources and Methodology** - The book is heavily sourced from Rav Wolbe, the *Altifant Kelly*, Rav Yitzchak Miller, and other contemporary works, aiming to present a structured, orderly understanding.
- 6 (10:21) **Target Audience: The *Ben Torah*** - The book is specifically geared toward those who grew up in the Torah community, not just *baalei teshuva*.
- 7 (11:45) **Why the Book Avoids a Q&A Format** - A deliberate structural choice to prevent readers from being left with unanswered questions.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
#513
> To purchase the book: https://feldheim.com/understanding-emunah
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