We continue with the theme that everyone has to try and be like Yaakov Avinu, in his level of Bitachon. This principle comes from a Tanna D’Vei Eliyahu, that says,
“A person has a responsibility to say, ‘When am I going to reach the levels of Avraham,Yitzhak and Yaakov?’”
The Midrash says that we actually hint to this in our Keriat shema
וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
Love Hashem with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all that you possess
The Gemarah says בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ with all your heart refers to Avraham Avinu,
As it says, “His heart was complete and steadfast in his
Emunah”
וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖, with all your soul refers to Yitzhak Avinu, who was willing to give up his soul at Akedat Yitzhak.
And the Gemarah says that וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽך which can mean “with all your money” or “with all the situations that G-d brings upon you” refers to Yaakov Avinu.
Yaakov Avinu was tested in his life, and overcame whatever
G-d gave him. This is his trait of Bitachon. We have to love
G-d, like the Avot, to the greatest of our abilities.
But even Yaakov Avinu had to work through his abilities. There are situations where we aren’t initially at the highest levels, and we have to work to go higher.
The Midrash Rabbah, comments on the Mizmor in tehilim (one of our favorites, Perek 121) where it says,
אֶשָּׂ֣א עֵ֭ינַי אֶל־הֶהָרִ֑ים מֵ֝אַ֗יִן יָבֹ֥א עֶזְרִֽי
I lift my eyes to the mountains,
Where will my help come from?
It continues:
עֶ֭זְרִי מֵעִ֣ם ה׳ עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ
My help will come from Hashem, Who makes the heavens and the earth.
What exactly is the depth of this?
The Midrash explains that this was said by Yaakov Avinu. Yaakov said that when Eliezer went to find a wife for Yitzhak his father, he went with ten camels, whereas Yaakov didn’t even have a bracelet or a nose ring. What would be? How would he find his shidduch?
In this case, when he said
מאין ובוא עזרי - from where will my “ezri/help” come, what he meant was his ezri/his wife.
(As it says אעשה לו עזר כנגדו
Make for him an ezer/ a helpmate)
So initially, he wondered where his wife would come from, if he didn’t have any means. But then he questioned, Would he give up hope on his Creator? No! And he realized that his wife would come from Hashem.
The Bet HaLevi, in his commentary on these pesukim, is bothered by this. It seems that at first glance, Yaakov Avinu was losing faith when he questioned what would be and wondered where he would find a wife, before he realized he could count on Hashem.
But the Bet HaLevi clarifies that of course Yaakov Avinu never gave up hope, has v’shalom!
But he says there are two tracks of Bitachon: the lower level and the higher level. The lower level is thinking that you have to deal with your hishtadlut, that you have to start thinking about all the things you can do. Of course, it includes relying on Hashem, but the person feels that he has to think about how it will happen. This is limiting, in a certain sense, as in the case of Yaakov, where, if, in order to get a wife you need money (which is the way his father got married), and he didn’t have money, how would he do it?
It’s like someone today thinking that he needs to have a business. So he thinks about how his parents and grandparents were in retail or wholesale, but those opportunities aren’t available now, so what will be??
This person is trying to think, as we will call it, “within the box.” He’s relying on Hashem, but he’s trying to figure out what the natural means will be. How will be get there? He feels he needs to have intermediaries.
That is the lower level.
The higher level is when a person isn’t thinking about those things. He thinks:
עֶ֭זְרִי מֵעִ֣ם ה׳ עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ
My help will come from Hashem, Who makes the heavens and the earth.
G-d created the heavens and the earth. G-d created something from nothing. He can do anything. I don’t have to start thinking of the means and intermediaries. Of course, when there’s something for me to do, I’ll do it. But my overarching bitachon is that I’ll deal directly.
There’s a pasuk that we quoted not long ago,
ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח
בה׳ והיה ה׳ מבטחו
Fortunate is the one that relies on Hashem,
And Hashem is his reliance.
All the commentaries want to know why the wording seems superfluous. Of course, if you rely on Hashem, He is your reliance.
Last week we said, from the Elder of Novardok, that it means if he relies on Hashem, he has the Bitachon machine; that aside from getting what he wants, the bitachon itself is an accomplishment.
The Sefer Degel Machane Ephraim has a slightly different approach. “Fortunate is the one that relies on Hashem,” means that while relying on Hashem, he is also thinking about how...
“I need to pay my mortgage. How am I going to get the money? Maybe the money will come from a wealthy uncle, or here or there...”This is all good, and still reliant on Hashem, but he wonders, how is it going to happen?
The higher level is והיה ה׳ מבטחו
There is nothing else in his mind except Hashem. We see this with Yaakov Avinu. When he spoke to Lavan, he said
לא תתן לי מאומה
Don’t give me anything
They were making their deal with the sheep, and Yaakov didn’t want anything? ?
The Sforno says that Yaakov meant Lavan wouldn’t give him anything, Hashem would give him. He was saying that what he would take wasn’t coming from Lavan anyway.
That was the approach of Yaakov Avinu. He wasn’t focused on anything but Hashem.
This takes work, it’s a big job. He didn’t get there over night, and even for Yaakov Avinu, there were times that he had challenges.
Later on, Yaakov Avinu looked back and said
קָטֹ֜נְתִּי מִכֹּ֤ל הַחֲסָדִים֙
I am small, G-d did so much kindness,
כי במקלי עברתי את הירדן הזה
with only my staff I crossed the Jordan...
וְעַתָּ֥ה הָיִ֖יתִי לִשְׁנֵ֥י מַחֲנֽוֹת׃
And now I’m two camps!
The rabbis tell us that the word מקל /staff is hinted to in our Modim tefila, in which the last three words are...
מעולם קוינו לך
We always hope to you
מקל
Yaakov Avinu is saying that what got him through all of his situations in life, and got him across all the rivers, was “מקל
מעולם קוינו לך
I am always hoping to You”
I am always counting on you.
Those are the lessons of our father Yaakov Avinu.
Let us take them to heart.
Have a wonderful day.