We are now in a pasuk in Mishleh, chapter 14, pasuk 26:
בְּיִרְאַ֣ת יְ֭הֹוָה מִבְטַח־עֹ֑ז וּ֝לְבָנָ֗יו יִהְיֶ֥ה מַחְסֶֽה
In the fear of God, there is a reliance of strength, and for his children it will be a refuge.
This means that fear of God brings with it reliance. Rabbenu Yonah explains in Berachot 6B that this is a source that Yirat Hashem/ Fear of God brings Bitachon. Normally fear brings a feeling of fight or flight, but fear of God brings reliance because you're in front of Him and you know He is in charge, and He can take care of you.
He says something very important: When we start our Amida, we bow down, which means we're afraid of Hashem. But then we stand up straight, to show that we're relying on Him and that He can take care of us. So, fear of Hashem is a source of Bitachon.
Rashi on Mishleh in this pasuk asks who was the first one that had fear of Hashem, that had Bitachon? Avraham Avinu. After the Akeda Hashem said, “Now I know you fear God,” (Bereshit 26) and God gave him a guarantee. “I will bless you.” Abraham relied on Hashem and believed in Hashem. And then it says, “His children afterwards will have a source of refuge.”
As we see, Avraham's children, the Jewish people, continue to be protected in his merit.
The Gaon of Vina points out something that we've mentioned in the past, that there's a difference between the term Bitachon/reliance or guarantee, and Hisayon, which is refuge. Bitachon means you spoke to the person, he guaranteed you, “Don't worry, I will take care of your mortgage. Don't worry about it. I will get you there.” That is Bitachon. Hisayon/refuge is when no one promises anything.
It’s when seeks refuge, even though nobody promised him anything. They just ran to seek refuge. And the people that just rely on Hashem without a promise, they are refuge seekers. So the father who had Yirat Shamayim might get a direct promise and guarantee from God, like Avraham Avinu did. The children don't necessarily have that guarantee, but they can still, on their own, take refuge in God. That's why it says
בְּיִרְאַ֣ת יְ֭הֹוָה מִבְטַח־עֹ֑ז
The one that has fear of Hashem has a solid guarantee.
וּ֝לְבָנָ֗יו יִהְיֶ֥ה מַחְסֶֽה , and his children, they have room to seek refuge.
The Maharal in his sefer Netivot Olam, where he talks about the path of Yirat Hashem (first chapter), brings this pasuk down and says Yirat Hashem means, ‘I'm connected to God as the source. I fear Him, I'm connected.’
And when you're connected, then you're well rooted. He says that the man who has bitachon is like a tree that is well rooted. There’s actually a pasuk that talks about this in Tehilim (and in other places)- that a person who has bitachon is like a tree that's rooted on the waters.
So the man that has Yirat Shamayim is connected and rooted in God, and therefore, he's relying on Him.
His children are like the branches that come out of the tree. Since the father was connected, his children continue to reap the benefits of that connection. They are the branches on the tree. But it all starts from the Yirat Hashem, the fear of Hashem that creates a bitachon. And it's not just any bitachon, it's מבטח עז Mivtach Oz. the word Oz means a certain strength, or a certain brazenness, a certain reliance of Hashem that comes with a strength.
It's interesting that the commentaries say the word Boaz, the one that married Rut, is made up of בא עז Bo Oz. He had inside himself a strength. He was ready to take on the world. People were afraid to marry Rut. She came from Moab. Maybe she'd be distanced. Ploni Almoni didn't want to marry her. But Boaz- Bo Oz. He had a certain strength to him. And that's what Bitachon gives, that confidence, that strength. It starts from Yirat Hashem.
בְּיִרְאַ֣ת יְ֭הֹוָה מִבְטַח־עֹ֑ז וּ֝לְבָנָ֗יו יִהְיֶ֥ה מַחְסֶֽה
In the fear of Hashem, there is a strong, courageous reliance and for his children, there is refuge.