We continue to analyze the pesukim of Yehoshafat as they take on this war with Bitachon alone.
After Yehoshafat asked God what to do, and he got the response from the prophet who said, “This is not the war for you. Stand by and you’ll see God fight.” And Yehoshafat bows to the ground, and everyone else does, which the commentaries explain means he bowed to Hashem in thanks, even though nothing happened yet.
Just the fact that Hashem gave him this guarantee convinced him that everything would be fine. The next morning when they got up, Yehoshafat told them, “Listen to me, people of Yehuda and Yerushalayim, have faith in Hashem your God, and show yourselves loyal. Have faith in His prophets and you'll be successful.”
At the end of the day, even though they had this promise from the prophet, they still needed Emuna.
The Mechilta in Parashat Shelach discusses this. It says about the splitting of the sea that the Midrash asked if they believed in Moshe. Of course they believed in Hashem. So it says, “This teaches you that whoever believes in the loyal shepherds, namely Moshe. it's like you believe in God,” and in the merit of the Emunah they had in Hashem and Moshe, they sang the Shira, and Yetziat Mitzrayim was because of Emuna.
And then he says the following:
“And the same with Yehoshafat. He told the people to believe in Hashem and believe in the prophets.” As we said, it was the prophet that promised that they’d see the salvation. And Mechilta continues and says that the eventual Geula will also come in the merit of that Emuna. From the Midrash, it sounds like this Emuna means you have to believe in Hashem and believe in the prophets- Emunat Hachamim
In the Sefer Ikarim ( first maamar chapter 21) it says that this applies to us as well.
He says, what brings a person, “trust in his prophets, and you'll be successful,” is our Emuna. He says that if someone has Emuna, even if he's not a prophet, God will change nature for him. Because one who who believes in Hashem and His Torah is above nature, so he's not subjugated to nature and to the regular rules; The opposite- nature is subjugated to him. Because through his Emuna, he is lifted up to a higher level. His words are, “You become supernatural through your Emuna,” and that's what it means, “Believe in the prophets and you'll be successful.” Emuna is the source of success.
And this is not just prophets, it's believing in any Ro’eh Ne’eman, in any loyal shepherd of the Jewish people.
You might say, “So big deal, the prophet said so- of course you believe a prophet.” But it’s something to believe in a prophet. God made everything equal. There were prophets, and false prophets. It was a test of their Emuna.
And we too, are tested in our Emuna, and that's what brings Hatzlacha- by showing your Emuna- believing the Hovot Halevavot, believing the classes that you hear. That brings us our success. And that's another important lesson from the story of Yehoshafat.