We are going to discuss three pesukim from Mishleh, the first of which was what the Elder of Novardok started with:
בְּטַח אֶל ה' בְּכָל לִבֶּךָ
Rely on Hashem’s with your whole heart
Rabbenu Yonah says that “whole heart” means that it should be without any doubt.
Rely on Hashem with a full heart, without any doubt
וְאֶל בִּינָתְךָ אַל תִּשָּׁעֵן
Don’t use your understanding, even as a something to lean on, like a cane. You should be fully relying on Hashem.
That is the first pasuk.
The next pasuk tells us
בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ דָעֵהוּ
Know G-d in all your ways,
וְהוּא יְיַשֵּׁר אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ
And He will straighten out your path
Rabbenu Yonah explains that it says,
בכל-in all your ways because it’s quite common for people to have G-d on their minds for the big things, like a trip on a boat or a plane, when they may say an extra mizmor tehilim because they’re nervous, but if they have to go to the grocery store, they think they can manage on their own. If I have to class on front of thousands of people, I need a little help, but if I give a short D’Var Torah in shul, I can handle that. That is a mistake. בכל דרכיך means know G-d in All your ways.
And, he says, by doing this constantly, it will condition you to Bitachon. The Bitachon will become natural, because you continue to work on it, and remain cognizant that everything is from Hashem, and you can’t do anything on your own.
Furthermore, he says that there is an advantage of constantly having, and using Bitachon- you get rewarded for it every time. Every time you have Bitachon, you get rewarded in shamayim for that.
That’s tremendous reward!
And beside this advantage,
וְהוּא יְיַשֵּׁר אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ
He will straighten out your path. Which means you’ll see success.
It’s good in the next world, and it’s good in this world. Know Hashem in all your ways, and He will straighten out your path.
That much, I had seen in my past Bitachon research.
The next pasuk, seemingly, is not related.
( pasuk ז, Perek י״ג )
אַל תְּהִי חָכָם בְּעֵינֶיךָ
Don’t be smart in your eyes. In other words, don’t think that you are so smart.
יְרָא אֶת ה' וְסוּר מֵרָע
Fear G-d, and stay away from evil.
What is the connection to this pasuk?
I happen to give a class on Mishleh, and whenever you find pesukim in their context, you have a better grasp of what’s going on. We have quoted this pasuk out of context.
But what does “Don’t be wise in your eyes” have to do with the previous pasuk about Bitachon?
Rabbenu Yonah has a beautiful Hiddush:
He says that that there are people who have Bitachon and see success, whether in business or other areas of life. But then, after the fact, they say,
Wow, what a good deal I made! What a good negotiation that was. What a smart investment that was. What a great class I just gave…
No. Don’t make that mistake. Not only do we have to go into things with Bitachon, but we have to walk out of them with Bitachon as well.
There’s another pasuk in Mishleh that says,
חכם בעיניו איש עשיר
Wealthy people are usually wise in their minds, because they think, “Oh, I make so much money, I must be smart!”
Therefore, Shelomo HaMelech is warning us not to make that mistake. Everything is from Hashem’s decree, and He decides when things should be successful. Actually, Rabbenu Yonah says it is part of a positive commandment in the Torah. There is a pasuk that many people say every day, in the Ten Remembrances:
You should remember,
כי הוא הנותן לך כח לעשות חיל
G-d is the one that gives you strength to accumulate wealth
The Targum says that it’s not strength, but rather, the advice and ideas to make money.
But what is the introduction to that Mitzvah? It says,
“You will eat and be satiated, and you will say that it was with the strength of your own hands.”
So, this is the warning: Don’t eat and be satiated and then fall into the trap of “Ooh look what I did!”
No. You should be constantly hoping to Hashem. Before, and after.
Rav Wolbe says a similar concept. He says that we do Mayim Rishonim before our meal, and Mayim Ahronim afterwards. Why two sets?
He explains that we want to go into the meal with kedusha, so we purify our hands. We go in on a high. Then we sit down to eat, and we might get a little over-indulgent. Therefore, we need to walk away with kedusha, so we do the Mayim Ahronim afterwards as well.
That is the bitachon before, and the bitachon after, because it is a trap you can fall into. The Gemarah says in Masechet Sanhedrin that a great man is one who walks in with his head down, and he walks out with his head down.
Many times, a person walks up to a podium with his head down- meaning he is humble. Will he be successful or won’t he be?
Then he gives a great speech, and he walks away like a million bucks. As he steps down from the podium, his head is held high. That is not perfection. Perfection is,
He walks in, and walks out, with the same humility, because he realizes that just like he needed G-d going into the activity, he realizes he needs him just the same after the activity. We can’t just call in the Bitachon card when we are nervous. We need it afterwards too.
There is a famous joke that is told of a man who is looking for a parking spot. He says, “G-d, please, if I find a parking spot, I will give $100 to Sedaka.” Just then, someone pulls out and he says, “No thanks G-d, I took care of it myself.”
There is before the act, and there is after the act. We are asking for a Bitachon at both. Have a wonderful day.