Episode 1 - Starting The Garden Of Emuna Journey

Ready for a season that trades quick inspiration for deep transformation? We open season two by stepping into The Garden of Emuna and reframing it as a workbook for trust—something to practice, not just admire. From the first page, we focus on why review beats novelty when you want lasting change, and how small, steady repetitions can reshape how you think, choose, and respond every day.

We share stories of giants of Torah who studied foundational texts 101 and even 400 times, not to collect facts but to make wisdom second nature. That same logic guides effective Gemara learning: break ideas into small pieces, repeat across languages, and return before moving ahead. It’s the difference between recognizing words and owning meaning. Along the way, we zoom out to a powerful truth: like the annual Torah cycle that begins again at Bereishit, coming back to familiar pages with new life experience reveals questions and insights that were invisible the year before. You’ve changed—so the text speaks differently.

The Garden of Emuna’s new edition embodies this living quality. Expanded explanations and added sections reflect lessons learned by real readers doing the work. We talk about how to use the book as a personal training plan: open it when challenges hit, review the section that fits the moment, and let repetition build reflex. You’ll hear why athletes, creators, and students all thrive on the same engine of growth—consistent review that turns practice into identity. Expect a season that is clear, grounded, and practical, with honest moments of surprise when something obvious finally clicks.

If this resonates, save the episode, share it with someone who needs a nudge to start again, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. Drop a thought or a quote that hit you and tag us with #TrustFactorPodcast—what insight keeps getting bigger every time you return to it?

Chapters

• 0:17 Season Two Kickoff
• 0:41 Introducing The Garden Of Emuna
• 1:28 A Workbook, Not A Pleasure Read
• 2:58 Why Repetition Builds Inner Change
• 6:08 Torah Cycles And Fresh Insights
• 8:40 Living Texts And New Editions
• 10:36 Personal Excitement And Takeaways
• 11:17 Closing Gratitude And Listener Actions

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:17

Hello and welcome to the Trust Factor Podcast, the only podcast that guarantees your success when you implement its divine age-old teachings. Welcome, my friends, to episode one of season two of the Trust Factor Podcast. This promises to be amazing. I'm getting excited, just beginning to read forward in this book a little bit, to kind of decide where we start with this. And really, the only place to start is in the beginning, into the introduction of what is the fourth edition that I'm reading from right now of the Garden of Amuna. Again, there are different versions of this. There are multiple editions. This is the most recent edition. And this is the Garden of Amuna, the standard version that I'm reading from. They also have a universal version of the very same book to help people along who are just getting started in Judaism or in religion, and they really don't have any concept of any of the terms that we've been describing in season one. So let's jump right in, my friends. It's going to be an amazing, amazing season. Thank you for joining us. And here we go. The introduction to the fourth edition of the Garden of Emuna by Rav Shalom Arush of the Brezlov movement of Judaism. It says the following More than a decade has passed since the first edition of the Garden of Imuna appeared. And with thanks to Hashem, the book has become a multi-million copy bestseller that appears currently in some 12 languages with more in planning. Guys, this is for everybody. I bought my copy probably 15 years ago. And it's been all over the world. When you have a group of people, the Jewish nation comprising 15 million people globally, and this book is selling millions of copies, you know it's going to anyone and everyone who recognizes just how amazing it is. One should know that this is not a mere pleasure book, but a workbook. In other words, the reader should live the lessons of the book and work on internalizing them and applying them to daily life virtually, living and breathing the book. You will see that the table of contents has dozens and dozens and dozens of topics. And that's because it covers off every single event in our lives that all of us are going to encounter at one point or another. That's why he calls it a workbook, because when you hit that point in your life, pick the book up again and read that section, and it will remind you of how you are meant to deal with the situation and put it to bed quickly and easily and in the most effective and productive way possible. The Gaon of Vilna, one of our sages, learned The Path of the Just, an amazing book, but he learnt it a hundred and one times. Even though he knew it by heart, after learning it the first time, Rabbi Nachman of Brezhnev, the beginning, the founder of this movement, of the one that we're learning from, learned the book Raishit Chochma 400 times. We're not talking about average people here. We're talking about giants in Judaism and Torah. These are people who have led entire movements and have changed the face of Judaism in their enormity. They learnt these things 101 times, 400 times. The first time and the second time and the third time I understood it. Why a hundred and one times? Why four hundred times? And the answer is knowledge alone is not sufficient. Even after a person learns a subject thoroughly, he or she must still work hard to internalize it and make that knowledge second nature until they virtually live with what they have learned. This is what I was telling you guys in season one. Repetition is key. When you sit and learn Gemara, Talmud, any competent teacher will tell you the same word over and over and over. What is it? Chazara. When you go home, do chazara. What does that mean? Review what we just did. And most people don't, and that's why they have a hard time learning Gemara. It's difficult for many reasons, but if you want to conquer it, then you have to repeat your learning. You have to review it over and over again. The one time that I had massive levels of success in learning Gemara, which is in a different language, it's in Aramaic. It has no punctuation, so you don't know where it starts and stops. You have no idea where one idea starts and when another idea starts, you just don't know. Because there are so many variables that we're not used to. It's entirely different. And so the most success that I had was in a program called Kenyon Masehta, which is entirely about repetition. Entirely. It's taking it in small chunks and repeating those small chunks five, six, seven times in one sitting. In one hour, you've reviewed the same idea in Aramaic and in Hebrew and in English and in the language that makes sense to you at least five or six times. And then when you come back the next day to pick up and challenge yourself to learn some more, before you move forward, you review yet again the content that you reviewed six, seven, eight times yesterday by the time you were done. That is how you achieve success. They say that practice makes perfect. And there is a lot to that. That if you want to review and you want to become the best that you can become, if you're an Olympian, you don't just hit the gym once a week. You don't just do your routine once a week. When you're an Olympian, you're in there every day, day in and day out, multiple times a day. You are living, breathing, sleeping, doing the same thing. And that is what turns you into an Olympian. What's more, there are fine points that become more and more clarified every time a person learns the material again, and especially with the Muna, one must pray to be able to implement each and every principle and idea. You know, we read the Torah every year from beginning to end. At Simcha Torah, which is the end of the reading of the Torah, we then roll it right back to the beginning and we start Bereishit. We start from Genesis right over again. And I'm sure if you've done this at least a few times, by learning Torah every year, going to synagogue and listening to the rabbi speak, every time you start to focus on the words, you pick up something new, as if it wasn't there last year. Sometimes they're really high-level ideas. Sometimes these ideas are like, wow, they're mystical. They come down from Kabbalah, and you're like, holy cow. I could have never dreamed of that perspective. But sometimes, and this is the kicker, sometimes it's staring at you right in the face. Basic, simple questions. I'll be reminded of one and I'll remind you guys of it later on because it happens to me every year. I'm sitting and I'm learning a simple statement, and then somebody says to me, Did you ever wonder why they asked that question? Do you ever wonder why it was written like that? And I think to myself, oh my God, it's so obvious. It's such an obvious, glaring question or contradiction. How do we address it? How did I miss this? I've spent the last 20 years studying Torah. How did I miss something so basic? And the answer is because every time you learn, every time you come to grow, you are exposed to something different. Not only does Hashem expose you to different things because he sees you're on a growth path, but because you're holding in a different place in your life. You've grown, you've matured, you've faced all kinds of challenges, you've had all kinds of successes. Your perception of the world changes every single year. You're not the same person. And so now you're reading it with fresh eyes all over again, and you pick up something, and oftentimes it's spectacular, it's game-changing, it's not something small, it's very, very significant. And you kick yourself. You literally wonder, how did I miss this? It's shocking. Don't be surprised, he says, when you see that we come out with new, enlarged, and improved editions every few years. The reason is that the contents of this book are dynamic and alive. It's so true. We're growing. Your experiences are changing, society is changing, life continues to move forward. When we learn a better way to learn or to acquire and apply Amuna, we pass this on for everyone's benefit. As such, most of this edition is rewritten and explained with greater detail and clarity. Even though many of the principles are the same, you certainly won't lose from learning this new and expanded edition. And here's why. It says, number one, at any rate, reviewing a Muna is vital, as we just said. The more you review it, the more it becomes ingrained in your psyche and in the fabric of your being. Number two, there are new additions to this edition that are highly important. And number three, many of the principles are much more explained and expanded. As I just finished telling you, we've learned it and learned it, and more people pick up the book and learn it, and they come back and contribute. They contribute new ways, new perspectives to look at the very same idea. And sometimes they're amazingly powerful ways and perspectives. And we don't have them unless people pick up the book, read it, and then provide that feedback, and it gets injected into the new and expanded edition. This book is called The Garden of Amuna because it is surely a flowering garden that gratifies the soul, taking it along exquisite paths to the Creator. We thank the Almighty for the privilege of learning, teaching, and spreading Amuna. We sincerely thank all those who helped us in the publication of the previous editions of the Garden of Amuna, and we pray that this edition will illuminate the hearts of people around the world and hasten the day when all living flesh will call his name. Amen. Guys, this book is going to be killer. It's unbelievable. I'm so excited to read it as part of this podcast. I've read it probably a half dozen times. And every time I read it, it's just like reading the Torah. Every time I read it, it's like, wow, why did I forget that? Or why? Why didn't I think of it that way? This book is a reminder. It shows you the right way to think and the right way to behave, the right perspective to have in every single situation. That wraps up episode one of season two. Thank God for this opportunity. Thank you for tuning in and for listening and for being a part of it, my friends. Thank you for spending time with us on the Trust Factor Podcast. If you've heard something today that moved you, save this episode and share it with someone who might need to hear it. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss upcoming conversations that challenge, empower, and uplift. And if you're on social media, connect with us. Leave your thoughts. Drop a quote that resonated with you. Hashtag the TrustFactor Podcast. Until next time, keep growing in your trust and keep living with purpose. I'm Jesse Revivo, and this has been the trust factory. Thanks for listening.