We are now in the second chapter of the Elder of Novardok’s Sefer Madregat HaAdam, where he tells us that the Baal Bitachon’s strength is so strong, that even if he comes to a place where, based on logic, he’s not able to get his sustenance, or he is lacking something, his heart doesn’t fall. He relies on G-d and feels confident that he will get what he needs. He doesn’t reckon with the place, or with the situation at all, because he’s not relying on the place, he is relying on Hashem. Therefore, he is totally confident and feels that he’ll get exactly what he needs. He won’t be lacking a thing.
His proof is from a story in Masechet Ketubot, (67b): A poor man who was a traveling came to Rava. Rava asked him what he would like to eat. The man said that he would like “a fattened chicken and old wine.” “Aren’t you worried about putting a burden on the community,” Rava replied, “Aren’t you overindulging?”
The poor man questioned Rava, “Am I eating from them? I’m eating from G-d!”
Like the pasuk says,
עיני כל אליך ישברו
All eyes hope to You
ואתה נותן להם את אכלם בעתו
And You give them their food in His time
*Notice the grammatical nuance, “their food in his time”
This simply means “their food, in its time” The “it” refers to the food.
But it can also be understood as “his time” and the Gemarah makes this point
כל אחד ואחד, נותן לו ה׳ פרנסתו בעתו
G-d gives everyone his Parnassa in his time, personalized exactly for him.
Just at that moment, Rava’s sister, whom he hadn’t seen in 13 years, came to visit. As is customary, she brought along some gifts of food: A fattened chicken and old wine!
Rava gave it to the poor man, and said, “Eat it, it’s yours.”
The Elder of Novardok uses this story to prove his point: the person who has reliance on Hashem is not bound by time, place or situation. G-d created a hidden miracle for this man, who was relying on G-d, and brought about not just what he needed, but something we’d almost call a luxury.
A person doesn’t have to limit his reliance. As long as it’s within the norm, he can rely on Hashem.
There’s a story told (it’s one of my favorites) about Chacham Ezra Hamway, Av Bet Din/ Chief of the Court in Aleppo, who has a lot of descendants in our community.
One Saturday night his wife asked him what he’d like to eat. He requested Megedrah (rice and lentils) and Leben (yogurt). She replied that she didn’t have that ready for him. He told her he wasn’t expecting her to make it, but was just replying to the question of what he’d like to eat. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. It was a cook who worked for a wealthy neighbor, and she had a halachic question for the rabbi:
She had been cooking for her boss, and used a meat pot to cook megedrah, then put it on a plate with leben. She wanted to know if the megedrah could now be eaten, since it was cooked in a meat pot. The rabbi asked a few more questions and told the cook it was okay to eat.
A few minutes later she was back at the door, but this time she brought a plate of megedrah and leben with her. She explained that her boss was concerned that the rabbi was relying on a leniency in order to protect the cook and avoid her getting in trouble. “My boss won’t eat from it until the Rabbi partakes from it,” she said.
The rabbi gladly took the plate, and ate it, while his wife stood by, smiling. She knew that it was exactly what he had asked for, for his Seudat Revi’it.
That is the power of Bitachon.
The person is not dealing with anyone else but Hashem.
Yes, it’s a high level, but it’s something to aspire to.
These things happen in our community today as well.
There’s a similar story, that I’ve told before, about a man who had been fired from his job, and was walking on the streets. He asked G-d how he would live and support his family. Just then, in front of him on the street, he saw a garbage pail with a fresh loaf of bread sitting on top. He took it, used it, and considered it a sign that G-d would give him his parnassa.
A lady who heard this story called me up in disbelief, questioning who would want to eat a dirty loaf of bread?
Not long after that, one Friday, this lady was running late and didn’t yet have challot for Shabbat (or something to that effect).
Then she went on a Bikur Holim visit, to a woman who happened to be given 2 challot for Shabbat, but didn’t need them.
The woman offered these 2 challot, wrapped in plastic with a bow, to the lady, as a gift for the visit.
The lady commented to me later that this was the way to get bread- wrapped in plastic with a bow!
Hashem does these things all the time. He sends us things, and He gives us parnassa... We just have to believe in it
Have a wonderful day.