Yesterday we discussed a Mishnah in Pirke Avot, and we will do the same today; The reason being that I give a daily Pirke Avot shiur and with my Bitachon lenses on, I’ve noticed some interesting Bitachon concepts in Pirke Avot that I never fully appreciated before. Yesterday, we spoke about the man who goes on the road alone and doesn’t have Torah on his mind. That’s a big mistake, because having Torah on the mind would have protected him. Having Torah on your mind connects you to G-d. When you’re connected to G-d, you are more protected.
The Yavetz, one of the commentaries on Pirkei Avot, from 400 years ago, often explains the connections between one Mishnah and the next. The next Mishnah says,
כל המקבל עליו עול תורה
Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah,
מַעֲבִירִין מִמֶּנּוּ עֹל מַלְכוּת וְעֹל דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ
They remove from him the yoke of the kingdoms and the yoke of worldly matters
That means that the more a person dedicates himself to Torah, the less outside interference he will have.
The Yavetz says this is also a Bitachon lesson connected to the previous Mishnah.
In his beautiful words:
כי הדבק במלך מלכי המלכים
Someone who’s connected to the King of Kings
ועובד אותו
And serves Him
How could he be subjugated to something under him?
G-d is the highest of beings. If you’re cleaving to G-d, that means you’re right up there, under G-d’s glorious throne. Therefore, you can’t be subjugated. To be subjugated means someone is on top of you. No one can be on top of you because you’re connected to the King of all Kings- מלך מלכי המלכים
This is a statement of fact. It would be impossible to subjugated in this case. How could you be subjugated?
This is the connection to yesterday’s Bitachon Mishnah, about the man who is connected to G-d, and is protected on the road. When a person is connected to G-d, he has to realize that he is above everything. The Yavetz says, regarding someone who makes Torah and religion the important part of his life, G-d from above will help him. Why? Again, in beautiful words, he says Because it’s a מקום תחנותו
His spot of encampment is up in the heavens. So, G-d, from heaven, will help the man that is connected to the heavens.
Again, this strengthens our Bitachon; to realize that when we connect ourselves to Torah, and Mitzvot, and prayer, and G-d, we are in a higher and more protected place.
This is an important point: it’s not just the Emunah/belief aspect of Bitachon, but there’s a connection that happens through Torah, which is also Bitachon related.
You’re connected to G-d, and when you’re connected to G-d; when Torah is on your mind, you’re in a different spot- a spot with more control. Nature will bend its rules, so to speak, for you.
Of course, we have to stress that we don’t mean to put ourselves in dangerous situations, and we aren’t talking about being lazy. We aren’t being irresponsible.
But, we do what we can do and know that we are connected to G-d. Especially during times when there isn’t much to do, and people might have more time on their hands. When we connect ourselves to G-d, we are in a better, higher spot, a spot of control.
To quote the Hovot HaLevavot Shaar HaBechina (chapter 4)
כי מדרגת הטבע מן התורה
The level of nature vis-a- vie Torah,
כמדרגת העבד מאדוניו
Is like a servant and its Master.
The Torah is the master and nature is the servant.
He says that the forces of nature act according to what’s supposed to happen based on the Torah.
The Torah is the Master. Nature has to subjugate itself to Torah. Nature has to bend to Torah; Torah doesn’t bend to nature.
Therefore, if I’m connected to the Torah, nature will have to bend for me.
That means if I have natural yokes on my neck, even if they are there already, they will be removed.
It doesn’t say that if a person dedicates himself to Torah it will prevent yokes. The Midrash Shemuel makes a point: מעברים ממנו
it removes the existing yokes.
When a person has challenges and dedicates himself to Torah, the yoke will be removed. The forces of government, disease etc, can be removed when one accepts the yoke of Torah on himself, because he connects himself to G-d, thereby putting himself into a higher and loftier place. He’s putting himself in the control tower, because Torah controls nature. Nature doesn’t control Torah.
That’s the Bitachon lesson in this Mishnah- when we are connected to G-d, the world and its rules have to bend for us, and work out for us.
All the people that listen to a daily Torah class, of any kind, are accepting the yoke of Torah. They dedicate and commit themselves. And the more we dedicate and commit ourselves, the more the outside yokes of nature are removed from our necks, and Bezrat Hashem, we are free people. That’s the freedom that the pasuk refers to:
אין לך בני חורין אלא למי שעוסק בתורה
There is no one as free as someone who is connected and learns Torah.
Have a wonderful day.