There’s a pasuk in tehilim ( perek מ, pasuk ה) that says,
אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי הַגֶּ֗בֶר אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣ם ה׳ מִבְטַח֑וֹ וְֽלֹא־פָנָ֥ה אֶל־רְ֝הָבִ֗ים וְשָׂטֵ֥י כָזָֽב
Fortunate is the man that places Hashem as his reliance and doesn’t turn to arrogant people.
The Sefer V’Sivat HaKohen asks;
Why does this pasuk add the word “שם to place” Why can’t it just say “Fortunate is the one who relies on Hashem?” Why does it say he “places” his reliance? It seems to be extra. We do find the term “Hashem is his reliance” elsewhere, as it says in Yirmiyah והיה ה׳ מבטחו-Hashem is his reliance.
He answers that there are two kinds of Bitachon.
One is when a person has no way out, like someone stuck in jail, such as Rabbi Rubashkin, who was in jail for many years, and used his Bitachon to get out. He got out! Wonderful!
This person is in a situation where he is really stuck, and all other avenues have been exhausted. So he has to rely on Hashem.
There are many such cases in life where a person realizes that he is stuck.
It might be a person, lo Alenu, who has a challenge having children. They have no where to turn but Hashem.
It might be a health issue, a financial issue, or a child rearing issue- the person is stuck, and doesn’t see a way out, so they rely on Hashem.
That’s beautiful, but he calls this “Bitachon under duress.”
Of course, it is still a wonderful thing, because the person is relying on Hashem, rather than feeling despair. So, we aren’t putting down this person at all.
But there’s another kind of Bitachon.
It is harder to have bitachon when you do have a way out.
If you need money for your mortgage, and your father, or father-in-law, can pay it, you feel that there is someone to take care of you.
If you have a medical problem, but there is a doctor that will take care of it, or if you have a problem with your child, but you know the perfect specialist to help, you feel you can rely on those people.
And so it is about these time when we say
אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי הַגֶּ֗בֶר אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣ם ה׳ מִבְטַח֑וֹ
Fortunate is the person that places his reliance on Hashem. When he had other options.
That’s how he explains a famous pasuk in tehilim, טוב לחסות בה׳
It’s better to seek refuge in Hashem
מבטח בנדבים
than rely on generous people
What does this mean?
It’s exactly this point: When you seem to have a way out, you might think, “I don’t really need Hashem now.”
I’m sorry to say that we sometimes have that feeling. We think we can handle the little things. Like when you are going to take a test, but you feel you know the material, so you rely on your studying.
A personal example of this is when I have to give a class, and I didn’t prepare.
Everyday, I give a Gemarah class, and every day I have to prepare a halacha. I also give a daily Mishleh class and a daily Bitachon class. I give many classes. And I usually find the time to prepare. But there are times when I just go in and “wing it.”
(Maybe you can tell sometimes)
Then, I mutter under my breath, “Hashem, please help me. I didn’t prepare, and I don’t want to look like a fool. Get me through this Mishleh class.”
There are other times when I’m ready. I put the time in. I prepared the Gemarah, I know the Rashi, I know the Tosafot, I looked at the mefarshim... I’m good. So, I go in with confidence. But that is still lacking. In such cases, a person should stop himself and say,
“I am not going to rely on my preparation. I realize that I need Hashem’s help in this situation too. I will rely on Him even when I have other options.”
That is something that usually doesn’t enter our minds. We (or I) often use Bitachon when under duress.
But we should use our Bitachon when we do have a choice, when we seemingly can rely on other things, or when we think can handle things on our own, because they seem easy.
We have to realize that even when we are prepared, who was it that sent those ideas or messages? I’m sure it has happened to people that they knew something but they just blanked out, slipped up, or forgot what they knew.
This is a different twist on Bitachon, to realize that even when we have everything lined up, and we have what to rely on, we should stop and realize we can’t rely on those things.
שם ה מבטחו
Place your reliance on Hashem.
In a current example, people say they need the vaccine. Some try to get one through their connections… maybe they have brother in law that’s a doctor, and they think they’re okay. Then, there are other people who don’t have any connections, they have no way out, so they decide to rely on Hashem.
But even the man with the connections should be saying,
“I’m going to rely on Hashem.”
Have a wonderful day.