We are continuing with our new series of pesukei bitachon, based on the Maharal of Prague, whose list goes alphabetical order.
We're now up to,
אַל־תִּבְטְח֥וּ בִנְדִיבִ֑ים בְּבֶן־אָדָ֓ם ׀ שֶׁ֤אֵ֖ין ל֥וֹ תְשׁוּעָֽה׃
(Tehilim 146,3)
Do not rely on the generous ones, in a human being that does not have salvation.
The Chida explains, En Lo Teshuah simply means He doesn't have salvation. He can't help you. But the Chida offers a deeper explanation:He can't even help himself. If he had a problem, he couldn't help himself. And if he can't help himself, how is he going to help others? That's one explanation. Others say,
En Lo Teshuah means that when your needs are fulfilled, it’s not a salvation for him. It was never his problem to begin with.
But it says we are hoping for Your salvation. It’s Hashem's problem. We say, we're hoping for Your salvation, not for You to save me, but for You to be saved, because when we’re in trouble, Hashem is in sorrow. Therefore, don't rely on some outsider to help you, who, so to say couldn't care less. Rely on Hashem, because your problem is his problem.
The pasuk right after this tells us, why shouldn't I rely on those?
תֵּצֵ֣א ר֭וּחוֹ יָשֻׁ֣ב לְאַדְמָת֑וֹ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַ֝ה֗וּא אָבְד֥וּ עֶשְׁתֹּֽנֹתָֽיו
His spirit leaves him, he goes back to his earth. On that day, all his ideas are gone. He's going to die.
The Chida asks, in the sefer Yosef Tehilot in the name of Rabbi Gedalia Hiyun, “But he's not dead. He's alive now. So let me count on him now.” But he says, when it says his spirit will leave him, that doesn't mean his life will leave him. It means the spirit of generosity. He's only doing good because God put a spirit of generosity into him.
At any given moment, the spirit of generosity might leave and then he'll come back to his regular earthliness, his regular physicality that no longer cares about helping you. A spirit of generosity overtook him, but once that leaves, then he's not going to be able to help you.
Therefore, rely on Hashem. As the Radak says, this pasuk is telling us the lesson of Yirmiyah, which is don't rely on people and remove your reliance Hashem. If you're relying on a person, don't rely on him, but rather rely on Hashem that'll put into the person's heart to help you. This is the lesson.
אָדָ֓ם ׀ שֶׁ֤אֵ֖ין ל֥וֹ תְשׁוּעָֽה׃
This man can't help you unless Hashem wants him to help you.
He says, nobody can help you get out of your problem. Only God has salvation. He just uses man as an intermediary.
And he says, this is the rule in everything. Even in the final Geula. Eventually, it says God is going to arouse the spirit of the goyim. There is question of whether there will be miracles. But in the end of the day, it's a Hashem who arouses people's generosity and spirit. Therefore, when you're relying on anybody's mercy, you have to realize that ultimately, you're relying on Hashem, because He's the one that puts things into people's hearts. It's an unbelievable concept. A lot of times you are waiting for someone's answer on an important matter, you need a lone or some help, whatever it may be. But you always have to remember that the man's heart is in the hand of God. The man's generosity is a spirit of generosity from God. And therefore, don't rely on those Nedivim. As nice as he is, as as generous as he is, ultimately that generosity is something that is not in his control. When Rabbi Gustman was escaping from the Nazis, he was underground in a sewer.
He came out of the sewer and a Nazi guard was standing there. What does a Nazi guard do when he sees a Jew come out of hiding? He shoots him. But Rabbi Gustman explained to him what Olam Haba is and they had a whole discussion and the Nazi let him free! That's not a normal normal occurrence, but Hashem rules the hearts, and therefore He changed the Nazi's mind.
There’s an unbelievable story with the Ribnitzer Rebbe, who was also approached by a Nazi and would’ve been killed. But he turned everything around. He gave a bribe to the Nazi and the Nazi gave it back to him,”No, you’re going to need it.”
It was an unbelievable turn of events. His town was saved and the Nazis allowed them to be. Wonder of wonders, how Hashem can play with people's hearts. That's an important principle to remember.