You don’t need to believe every lie to be shaped by it.

All it takes is one assumption—one unchallenged narrative—to change the way you see the world.

And these days, we’re not just surrounded by falsehoods.

We’re drowning in them.

From health advice that makes us sick to media headlines designed to keep us afraid… from fake role models to upside-down values… we live in what Chazal call olam hasheker—a world of lies.

But the scariest part?

Most people have no idea what’s real anymore.

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The Brain Is a Filter — Not a Mirror

Your brain is a supercomputer — but not a mirror. It doesn’t reflect reality. It filters it.

At any moment, you’re flooded with thousands of inputs: sights, sounds, thoughts, emotions. To keep you functional, your brain chooses what to notice — and what to ignore.

So what determines what it shows you?

Simple: whatever you’ve trained it to see.

That’s why when you learn a new word or hear about a specific car, you suddenly see it everywhere. It didn’t appear — your awareness did.

If you train your brain to look for problems, you’ll find them. If you train it to see what’s missing, that’s what it will highlight. But if you train it to look for good — it will reveal blessings you never noticed.

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The Original Fake News: Lashon Hara

Let’s go back to Parshat Shelach — not as history, but as a guide to the spiritual media war we’re still fighting today.

The spies came back with a report. And their facts? Mostly accurate. The land was fruitful. The people were strong. The cities were fortified.

So why does the Torah call it lashon hara?

Because reporting facts without faith becomes fake news. Because truth without trust becomes the most dangerous lie.

As Rashi explains, the sin was in the framing — the tone, the fear, the conclusion. They turned a promise into a problem. A mission into a meltdown.

And today’s media does the same. Headlines may be technically true — but they’re weaponized to generate fear, division, and outrage.

That’s what lashon hara does. It’s not just gossip. It’s narrative warfare.

And the scariest part? We do it to ourselves.

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Your Inner Voice Can Speak Lashon Hara

You know that voice?

The one that says:
“This situation is terrible.”
“This will never work.”
“I always mess things up.”
“This is proof I’m not good enough.”

That’s internal lashon hara.

Because it takes what’s real — a challenge, a struggle, a setback — and frames it as a hopeless story. It strips Hashem out of the picture. It ignores the possibility of purpose and growth. It closes the door on Emet – Actual Truth.

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We’re All Living in the Matrix

Everything in olam hasheker is designed to confuse you.

You were told:

• Breakfast is the most important meal (sponsored by cereal companies).
• Celebrity is a sign of wisdom (listen to their political views).
• Comfort is the goal.
• You should do what feels good, not what is good.
• Society should define your values (not the Torah).

We’re sold lies about success, marriage, self-worth, religion, meaning, and more.

So many people are spiritually suffocating… and they don’t even realize they’ve been handed a mask instead of a mirror. We’re trained to hide behind roles, not to reflect who we really are. And today, many who support the world of sheker literally wear masks — silencing truth in the name of fake virtue. We don’t just lose our identity. We forget we ever had one.

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Gratitude Is the First Exit

When I first started noticing how negative I was, I wasn’t looking for a spiritual awakening. I was just tired of feeling bitter all the time. But that moment was part of a much bigger journey — one of waking up to the Emet. Fixing my mindset was one step in a larger process of returning to clarity, truth, and Hashem.

Along my journey of personal growth, I was doing a lot of searching, exploring, learning, and experimenting. I studied how the mind works — what we focus on, we feel. And when I started working on gratitude, it wasn’t just because it felt nice. It was because the Torah (and science caught up later) revealed the same truth: we become what we consistently notice.

So I started saying “Thank You Hashem” more — even for the small stuff. Even for what didn’t make sense. Stubbed toe? Thank You Hashem. Delays? Thank You Hashem.

It felt strange at first.

But something changed.

I started seeing more to be grateful for. And that’s when it clicked: gratitude isn’t just something you do — it’s something you become.

That realization led to 4-Minute Gratitude — a simple tool that helps train your brain to notice blessings. Just a few minutes a day… and you start seeing a different world.

But that was only the beginning.

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Bitachon Is the Real Freedom

Gratitude trains your eyes.

Bitachon trains your soul.

Because even when things look bad, you start to see the hand of Hashem.

You realize the pain is purposeful. The delay is a gift. The test is an invitation.

Bitachon is more than positive thinking. It’s not optimism. It’s reality.

It’s saying: “Hashem is good. Hashem is with me. And I trust Him completely — even when I don’t understand.”

That’s what Habitachon is all about — a daily practice to remind yourself of the truth. A daily battle against the current of confusion.

If you stop fighting for clarity, even for a day,  the world’s lies will drag you under.

Except for Yehoshua, who received a bracha from Moshe, and Calev, who went to daven at Ma’arat HaMachpelah, the other meraglim — despite being leaders — got swept away by the tide of sheker. Even they fell.

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This Is the Real Avodah

When Mashiach comes, Chazal say there will be only one bracha on tidings (Hatov V’Hametiv) — not one for good and one for bad.

Why?

Because we’ll finally see the truth: it was always good. Even the hard things. Especially the hard things.

But we don’t need to wait for Mashiach to live that way.

We can start now.

We can choose to live in the world of Emet — even while surrounded by sheker.

And that choice? That’s the real avodah.

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The Challenge

Every day, you’re training your mind — whether you mean to or not.

So here’s the question:

Are you training yourself to see what’s wrong? Or what’s right?

Are you filtering your life through fear? Or through faith?

Are you speaking lashon hara about your life? Or telling the story with trust?

Start small.

Take 4 minutes. Say thank You for something you usually take for granted — or even complain about. Ask Hashem to help you see clearly. And trust — deeply — that it’s all for your good.

Bitachon is the path out of confusion. Gratitude is the gateway to clarity. And Hashem is waiting for you to open your eyes.

If you’re ready to start, try 4-Minute Gratitude today. Or join the free Habitachon program and strengthen your inner clarity and trust in Hashem.

One small shift. One daily habit. One decision to see truth over noise.

That’s how you change everything.