Today’s class has been dedicated in memory of Sarah Sophia Bat Salcha by David Braha & Family.
I was told that today is the yarzheit of the Elder of Novardok, and therefore I would like to quote something in his memory:
At the end of his section on Bitachon, he says that it’s our responsibility to put forth our efforts to work on Bitachon, because it’s the foundation of our entire Torah. And the whole status of a person depends on his Bitachon. Therefore, put your effort into it.
There’s a beautiful thought that shows how fundamental bitachon is: We know that after 120 years; they ask you different questions. The first question is, “Did you deal in your business with honesty?”
But, as Tosafot asks, the Gemara in Sanhedrin says that the first judgement of man is on his learning. So, what is the first question?
The Zechru Torot Moshe answers that of course, the first question is, “Did you learn?”Before mitzvot, -תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם -The study of Torah is equal to them all .
But before they ask if you’ve learned Torah, they have to know if you had Emunah. Because,
אם אין אמונה אין תורה
If there is no Emunah, there is no Torah
The way a person shows that he has Emunah and Bitachon is based on how he deals in business, specifically, if he deals honestly.
Moreover, in order to take off time to learn, a person has to have Bitachon. If he doesn’t have Bitachon, he’ll never be able to take off time to learn. In the words of the Derusheh HaTzlach
אם אין מידת הביטחון לא יספיקו חיי מתושלח
If a person doesn’t have bitachon, living the life of Metushelach (the oldest man recorded in history) would not give him enough time to make money. Only with Bitachon do you realize that Hashem supports you and takes care of you.
Therefore, if Torah learning is the foundation of everything, and you can’t get to Torah learning without Bitachon, then in truth, Bitachon is the fundamental. That’s why the Midrash tells us, The Torah was only given, to properly understand, to the people that ate the manna. The people that ate the manna were in the desert. They had the ultimate bitachon. They lived one day at a time, and never worried about tomorrow. That is what it means when we say in our daily Birchot Keriat Shema, “בעבור אבותינו שבטחו בך
In the merit of our fathers, that had Bitachon on you”
Rabbi Aharon Kotler explains that this doesn’t mean our fathers as in Avraham Yitzhak and Yaakov. This is actually referring to our fathers in the desert. Our fathers in the desert had Bitachon. We also have to have that type of Bitachon, in order to learn. Rav Aharon Kotler adds a nuanced this. He says that it’s not just simply that if we have Bitachon, we have time to learn. It’s more than that. He says that when a person learns and understands Torah, the reason for this is, as the pasuk in Mishleh says,
כי ה׳ יתן חכמה מפיו דעת ותבונה
Because G-d gives wisdom, from Him comes knowledge and understanding.
Therefore, he says, the more connected a person is to Hashem, the better he understands his learning, because the more connected he is, the greater portion of Torah he will get from
G-d. This is a tremendous chiddush: That bitachon is, in itself, a conduit for a person’s understanding of Torah.
So being honest in business has a direct connection to learning. The more you rely on G-d, and the more connected you are to G-d, the more Torah you’re going to get. That is another beautiful chiddush.
We have two aspects-
The logical, simple explanation is that through relying on G-d you will have more time to learn.
We also see that the actual connection that bitachon makes is going to allow the person to have a better understanding in his learning.
Rav Aharon Kotler goes further and says that when a person has Bitachon, he’s calm and serene. He’s not worried. In order for a person to learn, he has to have a calm and clear head. Therefore, this is another way that Bitachon enables a person to have a better understanding of his learning.
This is why we have the famous statement from Habakkuk. The Gemarah says that Habakkuk came and put the whole religion on one thing- Emunah and Bitachon, as it says, צדיק באמונתו יחיה
A Sadik lives by his Emunah.
Let us continue to strengthen our Bitachon, and with that, strengthen our commitment to Torah, and with that, become better people.
Have a wonderful day.