I’d like to share with you a beautiful Bitachon thought based on a Mishnah in Pirkei Avot. In Perek ג it says,
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, כֹּל שֶׁרוּחַ הַבְּרִיּוֹת נוֹחָה הֵימֶנּוּ, רוּחַ הַמָּקוֹם נוֹחָה הֵימֶנּוּ. וְכֹל שֶׁאֵין רוּחַ הַבְּרִיּוֹת נוֹחָה הֵימֶנּוּ, אֵין רוּחַ הַמָּקוֹם נוֹחָה הֵימֶנּוּ.
He (referring to Rav Chananya Ben Dosa) used to say,
Any person that people like, that’s a sign that G-d is happy with that person.
And anyone that people are not happy with, G-d is not happy with him either.
The commentaries say that this doesn’t apply to someone that is liked because of the perks people get from being his friend, or to someone people are afraid of. Rather, this Mishnah refers to someone who is truly liked by people, in their Ruach, which means the spirit of their hearts. It’s a person that the people really like, naturally.
One way to explain this is that it’s the obvious outcome- if you are working on your Middot and on being a good person, then people like you, and G-d likes that.
But the Yavetz has a different explanation. He says it’s a sign, a siman, that G-d likes you. How so? If people like us (or dislike us)
שהשם ית' תקע אהבתו בלבם
It’s G-d that places the love (or the opposite) in their hearts.
So, if someone likes you, it is G-d that made that happen.
He quotes a pasuk in Mishleh that says,
ברצות ה' דרכי איש גם אויביו ישלים אתו
When Hashem likes a man’s ways, his enemies also get along with him.
And he quotes another pasuk which says,
פלגי מים לב מלך ביד ה' וכ"ש לבות האנשים.
Just like Hashem controls the paths of water, the heart of the king is in the hands of G-d.
Yavetz says that this means not just the king, but even the king, because surely, G-d controls all people. Therefore, if we are liked or disliked, it’s an indicator of how Hashem is feeling towards us. So, when we want to fix a situation, the proper way to fix it is by fixing our relationship with Hashem.
I recently heard a class by Rav Avraham Schorr, where he said that when people are dealing with political challenges, they may feel like the government isn’t treating them fairly. But instead of protesting, honking their horns, cutting chains or whatever else may be done to voice your opinion, you are supposed to declare a fast day, and pray, because Hashem is the One that is making these things happen. If you want those challenges to go away, you have to work on your relationship with Hashem.
The Yavetz proves this, from a story in the Torah with Yitzhak Avinu. Yitzhak Avinu went to Pelishtim, and Avimelech and his people didn’t like Yitzhak, and they got into fights with him. Why? Because Hashem wasn’t happy that Yitzhak went to Pelishtim. And because Hashem wasn’t happy with him, Avimelech caused problems for Yitzhak.
The Yavetz explains that once Yitzhak Avinu was able to fix those problems, Avimelech stopped taunting him, and even came on his hands and knees pleading with Yitzhak, and bowed to him.
The Yavetz says,
כי מעשה ידיו כולם ולא הניחם למקרה,
We are all G-d’s handiwork. There are no coincidences. G-d is watching everything, and anything that happens is a messenger of G-d.
He says that
שבהתבודד ידיד ה' בהשגחת השי"ת עליו
Once Yitzhak began to contemplate the supervision of G-d, and realize that it’s all about G-d, then everything turned around.
Rabbi Schorr quotes the famous Chafetz Chaim, explaining the Gemara,
פני הדור כפני הכלב
in the times of Mashiach, the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog. What does this mean?
He says that if you hit a dog with a long stick, the dog jumps up and bites the end of the stick. But why is he biting the stick when it’s really the person holding the stick that’s responsible.
There’s actually a pasuk that says,
הוי אשור שבט אפי
Woe, Assyria is the staff of My anger
The Bet HaLevi, in his Maamar L’Bitachon explains this to mean that Hashem is saying we should not get caught up with the Assyrian army. They are only the staff in G-d’s Hand, so to speak. We should focus on Hashem, and once we focus on Hashem, they’ll disappear.
That is the lesson for us.
We are in the generation of Mashiach. We should not make the mistake of jumping up at the stick. We have to realize that Hashem is in charge.
This is an important Bitachon “take- away” that applies in all situations, but especially when we feel surrounded by various threats that we want to deal with. We should never forget this rule. And this isn’t just with outside enemies. As the pasuk in Misheli says,
ברצות ה' דרכי איש גם אויביו ישלים אתו
When Hashem likes a man’s ways, his enemies also get along with him.
This refers not only to outsiders, but to relationships within the home as well. Siblings, etc. The secret is always, to go back to Hashem, and that will take care of any problems.
ברצות ה' דרכי איש גם אויביו ישלים אתו
The Midrash says that this even refers to flies, mosquitoes, mice, squirrels and creatures of all types.
If you have a problem with these things, it’s the same answer.
ברצות ה' דרכי איש גם אויביו ישלים אתו
Have a wonderful day.