I was in Yeshivat Kol Yaakov last Shabbat, and Rabbi Yehuda Ades’ son, Rabbi Avraham Ades, shared beautiful thought. The Chatam Sofer talks about this week’s parasha, Behukotay’s haftara- It discuses the man that places his faith in others..
אָר֤וּר הַגֶּ֙בֶר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִבְטַ֣ח בָּאָדָ֔ם וְשָׂ֥ם בָּשָׂ֖ר זְרֹע֑וֹ וּמִן ה׳ יָס֥וּר לִבּֽוֹ
Cursed is the man who puts his strength in flesh and blood, and removes his heart from God
Simply, this means he removes his heart from God. In other words, Reuven is relying on Shimon, and since he’s relying on Shimon, he removes his own heart from God.
But the Chatam Sofer has an innovative explanation. He says that וּמִן ה׳ יָס֥וּר לִבּֽוֹ
He removes his heart from God means that when Reuven relies on Shimon, he removes Shimon’s heart from the Hands of God; He thinks that Shimon’s heart is in Shimon’s hands. He’s relying and begging Shimon because he thinks Shimon will be able to answer his needs.. No. Shimon’s heart is in the hands of God. And by relying on Shimon, you are removing his heart from the hands of God.
This is an important lesson.. Whenever we need something from somebody, we have to realize that this person has absolutely no impact on us getting what we need. God decides whether He wants to open this person‘s heart to us or not. No one else.
Rabbi Avraham Ades told a beautiful, true story to illustrate this lesson:
“Reuven” was trying to get a mortgage for his house. He went to the bank but as hard as he tried, he couldn’t get the mortgage. Someone named Shimon Cohen was in charge of the mortgage department, and he would not give Reuven a mortgage. Reuven was very upset. He needed the mortgage. One day in shul his friend Levi noticed that he was down, and asked him what was wrong. Reuven explained that he had been trying to get a mortgage, but Shimon Cohen, from the mortgage department at the bank wouldn’t approve it. His friend Levi said, “No problem. I can help you. My father knows Shimon very well, and if He tells him to give you alone, he’ll do it immediately.” Reuven asked if Levi ‘s father would do it, and Levi assured him that He would. Reuven asked him when he would next be speaking to his father. Levi told him that he would see Him in a half hour, and he invited Reuven to come along. Reuven was ecstatic.
Levi took Reuven and walked him into a shul for Mincha. Reuven asked, “I thought you were taking me to your father?” Levi answered, “Yes He is my Father, but He is also your Father. It’s God! He is Avinu Malkenu/ Our Father our King. And if He tells Shimon Cohen to give you a mortgage, Shimon will.“ Reuven realized that the message was, talk to God. He is in charge of Shimon‘s heart, and nobody else. Shimon is not in charge of his heart. Reuven prayed and prayed and prayed. After a certain amount of time, he decided to go back to the bank. Shimon Cohen was there. When he saw Reuven, he asked him to just wait a minute, because he was in a meeting, and offered him a cup of tea. Reuven was very surprised.
When Shimon finished his meeting, he came out to Reuven and said, “I don’t know why, but you found grace in my eyes. I want to help you. What do you need?“ They revisited the mortgage issue and sure enough, he gave him a mortgage.
This is what it means to realize that nobody’s heart is in his own hands. When a person relies on another person, he is removing that other person’s heart from the hands of God, and that brings a lack of blessing (or worse). This is why we read about the blessings and curses, at the end of the year, Parashat Behukotay. The blessings and curses come about from relying on God, and the opposite. It’s connected to Shemitta, which is the fundamental of relying on God, and bitachon, when people shut their fields down for a year, which is what is going on in Israel today. This is the power of Bitachon, to bring blessing. Because a person realizes that nobody’s heart is in their own hands. Our hearts are in the hands of God.