It's still not working???

Have you ever made challah without salt?

It’s such a small ingredient, you would think it doesn’t make a difference, but trust me from experience 😉 challah without salt, it’s not challah, it doesn’t come out.

Women ask me and they say, “Elana, I’m doing everything right. I follow the books. I know all the techniques. I’m a perfect student. Why, tell me why, doesn’t it come out?”

Now of course there is a reality that nothing is in our control.

But for what is in our control and the effort that we have to put forth I always ask that woman, “Did you say a little prayer before doing it? Because if not, it’s like the challah without the salt, it might look the same, but when you take a bite you’ll see that it’s not.”

It’s really not.

We see in this week’s parsha, Chai Sarah, Avraham asks Eliezer, his trusted servant, to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Eliezer takes all the camels and the jewels, he knows where to go and who to look for, he has all the things that he needs to find a wife.

But Eliezer, the trusted servant of Avraham, the man whose name means “My G-d helps” doesn’t rely on the camels or the jewels. He doesn’t rely on the address or any person in charge, Eliezer doesn’t rely on anyone or anything to do what he wants to get done. Eliezer stops and turns to Hashem and says,

"O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please cause to happen to me today, and perform loving kindness with my master, Abraham (Beresheit 24:12).

One can have all the tools for success, yet it’s not enough. In fact you might be frustrated because you see that it simply isn’t working.

What to do?

Stop. Turn to Hashem and ask Him to help you, from the smallest thing like the salt in the challah, to the biggest things in your life. This is the prerequisite. Try it and you’ll see miracles happen.

“Now he had not yet finished speaking, and behold, Rebecca came out…(ibid 24:15)”

Bezrat Hashem....many blessings!

Shabbat Shalom,

Elana