Yesterday we spoke about the high levels of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai and his appreciation for Gam Zu LeTova.
The Hovot HaLevavot, towards the end of Shaar Bitachon, in his last chapter, discusses 10 levels of Bitachon. His ninth level (which is almost at the pinnacle) is:
תחזק הכרתו יותר
When your recognition gets stronger,
בחמלת הבורא על ברואיו
you are at the point that you totally understand G-d’s compassion.
ירצה במה שיהיה מגזירת
האלקים לו בלבו ובחושיו
So you want, and are happy with, what G-d decreed upon you, in your heart and in your senses.
This is not to be confused with the lower level of bitachon, where a person says, “Whatever it is it is, I can’t help it,” and just throws in the towel. We aren’t talking about that here. We’re talking about a person that knows that G-d is powerful, and has the ability to rely on G-d, and so he has reached the level of, “What opinion do I have?
This is a very high level. He’s so confident, it’s in his heart, and in senses,
ובמראהו ובנסתרו
it’s external and internal,
וישמח בכל אשר עשה לו האלקים ממות וחיים
and he’s happy with everything that G-d does to him, he’s happy even with death.
When I saw those words, I thought that this is probably the source for Rav Shimon Bar Yochai. He’s happy with death.
This is not a simple level.
He’s happy with ריש ועושר
Poverty and wealth,
ובריאות וחלי with health and sickness,
and only desires what G-d chose for him.
He gives himself over to G-d
This is beyond our level. None of us can say that we’re on this level, because we all have a lot of wants. We want a nicer house. We want the situation to change..
But there are people that have reached the level that they are almost in the World to Come, because in the World to Come, there is only good. They have no opinion. They give their soul and body over to G-d’s decree. They have no preferences.
The Hovot HaLevavot then quotes a great man of bitachon, who said,
לא השכמתי מעולם בענין והתאויתי
“I never got up in the morning in a situation, and wanted something different.”
That is a very powerful line.
Whenever we learn this topic, we wonder why we are even learning it, because it’s way beyond our level.
The answer, which I’ve heard from Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman, is that there is a difference between going forward and going backwards.
The great Sadikim, can say, “I only want what G-d wants,” when going forward. They can say this before the fact.
We aren’t on that level. We have wants, desires and preferences, and we are supposed to have them. G-d put us into this world, and He wants us to work on our bitachon, but he also wants us to have our preferences. So while we may not be able to accept before the fact, we can do so after the fact.
We might not be able to wake up in the morning and want things to be this way. But after the fact, when we go to sleep at night, we can look back and say, “This was the perfect day.” We can be on the level that we want exactly what G-d chose for us, after the fact. Even we can be on that level.
Beforehand, we pray and pray, because we want something. But after the fact, we accept. A few months ago, before Corona, I heard a man eulogizing his daughter, at her funeral. He said these words. He said that before she passed away, they prayed and prayed and prayed. But afterwards, they turned around, and took the approach of acceptance.
The level of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai is to accept even before the day starts because whatever G-d gives us, we have no choice. But after the fact, that’s something we should strive for. As we mentioned yesterday, we strive for Rav Shimon Bar Yochai’s level- at least after the fact.
The Hovot Halevavot makes a similar comment in Shaar Heshbon HaNefesh, the Eighth gate, third chapter, 28th Heshbon- He says that when things don’t go way a person likes, he should think of it like this: If man gave his friend a gift of a house or a field, but then the friend decided to change it a little, he gave him the house already, so he can’t start complaining now- it’s not his anymore. The Hovot HaLevavot says we should think this way too. If a person gives himself over to G-d, then he’s supposed to accept His judgement.
Again, we aren’t on the level that we are able to give ourselves over before the fact, but after the fact, we should definitely think this way, “G-d created me, He made me, He does everything for me, and if this is what He chose for me, I accept it.” That’s our way to possibly apply that high level of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai, and the ninth level of the Hovot HaLevavot, to ourselves.