What Is the Emunah News Network?

We live in a world trying to convince us that G-d does not exist.

We are programmed from birth to doubt. Western media indoctrinates us into a reality that seemingly operates on its own. There is no accountability to anyone. Bernie Madoff retires to his Park Avenue apartment while hundreds of people who he robbed can barely find a place to sleep for the night. Hamas publically thanks Iran’s president Muhammad Adjeminnidad for providing them with the 10,000 rockets they indiscriminately fired at civilian populated cities while The Hague considers putting Israel on trial for war crimes for trying to defend itself. Hollywood stars commit adultery and have kids out of wedlock and they are rewarded for these abominations with even more fame and fortune.

One would think that any one of these stories would stand out as exceptionally horrid. There once was a time, not too long ago, where they were seen as such.

Not today.

Stories like these are not the exception these days – they are the rule. Bad news sells. Scandal sells. Right and wrong sells – as long as it’s the media who gets to decide who is right and what is wrong.

This is the business model of the modern day media.

Reporting the news is supposed to be about presenting the facts in an impartial and unbiased manner. This is no longer the case. Instead of a summary of the day’s events, things are spun by journalists in an ever so subtle way to present to you their version of the world. Unfortunately for us, we take their version of events at face value.

There are several problems with the media. First, the media are for-profit enterprises. They are income generating companies who have to skew the news in such a way that it is no longer informative, but entertaining (even if you make the claim that most news departments lose money – it is the same concept. Any media company does everything they can to minimize their losses – especially in an economic downturn.) This means pandering to the worst in all of us for higher ratings. Second, the media has an agenda of its own. To make its ratings, the world has to be a place where liberties are so stretched, any interest can abuse them as they see fit. For the media to succeed there cannot be any accountability over any of the choices we make. Since heroes and villains are determined by the public profile the media paints on people, anybody having the ‘audacity’ to object to these principles is automatically branded an enemy of the state. Lastly, there is no enforcement of journalistic ethics. A reporter can defame any individual, ruin any reputation, and destroy any life by claiming an incomplete or uncertain piece of information as the truth. How many accusations have been made against well-known figures turned out to be false? How many times does the reporter or journalist actually get disciplined? Maybe you hear of a case once every two or three years?

What incentive is there for a journalist to do what is right rather than what is profitable?

There is One Force in this world that stands in direct conflict to the business model of today’s media.

Hashem and His supervision in all matters of man’s existence.

In Hashem’s world, there is a set of rules that everyone must follow. In a world of true right and wrong, Arab terrorists would be labeled as murderers and Brad Pitt would be an adulterer, nothing more. Don’t murder and Don’t Commit Adultery are both part of the Ten Commandments.

One of the worst sins we are capable of is despair. Despair is the general feeling that everything in this world is bad and that any attempt to change things is totally futile. One of the side effects of today’s news is the promotion of despair. According to the marketing department, bad news sells best. As long as politicians are corrupt and hypocritical, their words are fir to print. As long as every soldier is a murderer, he can headline the local news. How many times are political leaders seen in a positive light? When was the last time the media reported an act of heroism by anybody in Iraq or Afghanistan? Even our sport’s figures, the ideal candidates for role models, seen for what they lack. We don’t focus on the 500 home runs A-rod hit, we talk about his temperament. All of this creates an emotional and spiritual toxic that is poisoning all of us.

In our lives, for every positive statement we hear, we are bombarded with 20 negative statements!

It’s no wonder why, despite the United States being a relatively secure and prosperous nation, everybody is on anti-depressants, eating obsessions, or substance addictions. We all have this mountain of despair to overcome every time we turn on the TV or open up a newspaper!

Is there any hope that news will one day accentuate the positive? To do this, to operate in a G-dly manner, or even in a moral one, Time Warner and friends will have to make due with less. In the scripture of corporate America, this is a blasphemy to all things considered holy.

What is the net result of the media’s actions?

It drives Hashem away from us. The news presents us with a world ruled by men, and not Him. The news tells you that the strong survive, the wealthy endure, and that because only certain figures are on these channels, anything that you do is pretty much useless. Only the rich and powerful make a difference.

All of this flies in the face of the world Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu wants us to live in.

According to reality, the world is ruled by Hashem. Hashem not only runs the news, HE IS THE NEWS! (How many times do you hear Hashem’s Name mentioned in a broadcast?) The world runs on a series of Divine principles.

According to the Divine model, everybody makes a difference in this world! The Rambam, one of our greatest Torah Sages, states that we are to see the world as equally balanced between good and bad. Every action we perform has the impact of tilting our entire universe towards good or bad. That is how important our actions are in the world. Whether you have a billion in the bank or not, your actions make a difference. You put on Tefillin and an IDF soldier’s life is miraculously saved. You give charity and a friend is suddenly healed of his bout with the flu. You smile at someone for no reason at all, and you make that person happy for the rest of the day!

In Hashem’s version of events there is a clear cut standard for right and wrong. We call it the Torah. Of the thirteen principles of the Jewish faith, documented by the Rambam, the eleventh principle states that Hashem will reward those who perform His mitzvoth, and punish those who don’t. Even if we see (in the media) evil or immoral men prospering, we know that it is a lie. In the real world, the Next World, everybody has to settle up. When all of us enter a place where the simplest joys are greater than anything we could experience here, and suffering is much worse than anything you could possibly imagine, Paris Hilton will NOT be someone you wish you were!

Despite this Truth, how many times is it reported in the news? How many times does a reporter say, “Angelina Jolie just gave birth to her second illegitimate child. Despite having the means and the ability to get married and bring a Holy union into the world, she chooses to commit the worst abominations in public. Boy, I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes on Judgment Day.”

The media never mentions Hashem. They never talk about His justice. They never demand of any public figure that he be accountable to His laws.

Every word the media communicates to us is a complete lie.

The media perspective turns us into tiny particles in a universe of chaos ruled by the powerful few who we can only connect with through them.

Hashem’s perspective empowers us. It makes us matter. It strengthens us. It reminds us that we are our own unique beings with the potential to change the world because we can connect, at every moment, with He who guides and manages every event taking place on the planet.

The numerical gematria for doubt, safek, is equal to the name of the bitter enemy of the Jewish People – Amalek. Amalek’s job is to make us doubt Hashem. His job is to make us question why we should follow His path. The greatest happiness a Jew can obtain in this world is closeness to Our Creator who Created Heaven and Earth so we would serve Him.

How can we live in a world where every act is guided by Hashem and not fill our lives with His presence?

How can we be so arrogant to even exist without so much as thanking Hashem for creating us?

In a world where Hashem’s existence is so obvious, how can we fail to acknowledge this in the choices we make concerning everything in our daily lives?

It all goes back to the Book of Exodus. In Parshat Beshalach, the Jewish People were “bombarded” with miracles every day. As the Egyptian army was pursuing us to return our nation to slavery, Hashem redeemed us. He split the sea, let us pass through on dry land, and then returned the waters right at the moment the Egyptians were in the middle of the water. The Jewish people stood at the other side of the water while they saw the Egyptian corpses wash ashore.

Once we were free from Egypt and safe in the Dessert, we encountered another problem – we had no food. Hashem sent another miracle. That day, and every day after for the next 40 years, food would rain down from Heaven. Another miracle.

While bearing the dessert heat, we needed water to survive. G-d sent us another miracle. He caused a rock to gush waves of water to feed all of Israel. Rocks don’t do anything, let alone flow potable drinking water. After all of these events, each of which defied the laws of nature, we had every reason to put our complete faith in our King in Heaven.

But we didn’t.

Right after the sea split, we complained about a lack of food. Right after Hashem rained down on us Manna from Above, we transgressed His Commandment by attempting to gather it on the Shabbat – right after Hashem blessed us with a double portion on Friday for the sole purpose of not having to look for food during the Holiday.

In the world of our ancestors, Hashem’s guidance was obvious, yet we let uncertainty and fear overcome our faith and trust. Much like we do today.
So what did Hashem do?

He unleashed our worst enemy against us. Even though the world knew Hashem was protecting the Jewish People, Amalek didn’t care. The people of Amalek would rather die en masse if it meant wiping us out. That is Amalek.

Hitler didn’t care about how much resources were being diverted away from the German wart effort. He wasn’t concerned about how much the Axis powers would be exposed as long as badly needed supplies were going to the concentration camps instead of the front. Hitler preferred to continue mass murdering Jews – even if it meant the deaths of his nation.

It doesn’t matter to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad how his warped posture towards the State of Israel hurts his standing in among the nations of the world. It doesn’t matter to him that radical statements like Holocaust denial and pledging to wipe Israel off the face of the earth makes him look like a fanatic and damages his prospects for re-election as leader of his nation. It doesn’t matter to him how many Palestinian’s have to die so he can harass the Jewish state. He would sooner sacrifice all Muslims in order to annihilate the Jewish People.

In the Biblical narrative at the end of the parsha, Amalek lost. They never stood a chance. But they did succeed in killing many Jews. They did succeed in proclaiming to the world the mission statement of the Amalekite nation:

See how we killed the Jews in the dessert. Even when the Jewish People are defended by their G-d, they are still not invincible. They can be killed.
Little did they know that it was the lack of Emunah on our part that led to the death of so many of our brethren, and not their strength.

However their message resonates today. If their version of things is publicized to the world, there is enough supposed facts to make their ideology seem as clear as what we see on TV.

The Parsha ends with Hashem telling His Children that we will face Amalek in every generation. This battle of faith will go on until the End of Days.
Today we face doubt. We face uncertainty. We face despair. If we don’t defeat these spiritual forces of Amalek, Hashem will send us something more tangible to confront.

As Iran puts the finishing touches on its nuclear arsenal, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stands poised to preside over his nation for another four years while Iran becomes a nuclear state. . . .

We know the direct consequences of succumbing to the daily lie of a world without G-d.

We need to start digesting the news in a world where we know Hashem is taking care of everything.

That is what ENN – The Emunah News Network is all about.

Emunah News will report the news as is and in the world we live in - Hashem’s world. We will report all of the miracles that happen every day. We will find the positives in mankind and report it. We will view the tribulations we bring on ourselves, , and try to determine what Hashem wants from us right now.

Most of all, if you don’t like the news, we will report the mitzvoth you can perform to change what happens in the world and alter what will appear on the evening news!

In simply transforming your worldview from one of the human race on the brink, left alone to its barbaric whims to one of a planet that is constantly monitored and guided by Hashem, you are changing things.

Faith in the goodness of Hashem, and the goodness of the souls He implanted into every man, woman, and child is itself an action that makes a wonderful impact on everything in existence!

Why should the news be your ticket to cynicism, helplessness, and despair when it can be an opportunity for action, appreciation, and closeness to a Greater Happiness?

ENN – don’t just watch the news, make it!

David Fink is the Editor-in-Chief of the daily investment newsletter, Real Wealth Recon. In 2008, his Real Wealth portfolio MADE MONEY, outperforming the three major indices by 38%, and the average Hedge Fund by 25%. For $99 a year, you get David’s daily market commentary, instant emails for every trade he makes, total access to David’s portfolio, and a weekly review of the major articles published around the world. Why hand over your hard earned money to someone in a suit saying “trust me.” Keep your money and trust yourself. Join the elite investors who are making money this year, and tell Wall Street: YOU’RE FIRED!