Welcome to Daily Bitachon. We continue expounding on thoughts from Rav Bloch’s Sefer Egeret Al HaBitachon. We're now on page 8, where he asks a fundamental question: How does Bitachon work at all? If the person has the merits, his merits will help without Bitachon. If he doesn't have the merits, what is Bitachon going to do?
He explains, based on a pasuk in Tehilim 92, 16
לְ֭הַגִּיד כִּֽי־יָשָׁ֣ר ה׳ צ֝וּרִ֗י וְֽלֹא־[עַוְלָ֥תָה] (עלתה) בּֽוֹ
To tell that Hashem is Yashar/ upright, straight
Suri, my Rock, and there's no iniquity in Him.
The question is that Yashar is a tremendous praise. Upright. The Torah is called Sefer HaYashar, the Avot are called Yesharim. So after you call someone Yashar, why say, “and He doesn't do an
Avla/iniquity?”
It’s like saying, ‘This guy's a straight businessman, he doesn't run Ponzi schemes.’ If you tell me he's a straight businessman, obviously you don't have to tell me he doesn't run Ponzi schemes.
He explains, based on a mashal: A man who lives in a small village has business that is in decline. He's told that if he goes to a certain city, he'll be able to get the antidote for his problem, and get his business back in check. At 2pm the next day, he’s supposed to fly to that place from a large city, which is not far from the little village that he lives in. The only problem is, he doesn't have a car to get there, nor do any of his friends. So he calls a car service the day before his scheduled flight and hires the taxi to pick him up from his house at 1130, giving him enough time.
The taxi picks him up on time, doesn't go in any circles in order to raise the fee, doesn't ask for extra money for his luggage, doesn't make any problems, and gets him there on time. That's called Yashar. He's a straight, upright taxi driver, who deserves praise.
But there's another level: There is no car service. All he has is one fellow that's not his best friend. He's a Jew that has a car. So he says to him, “Tomorrow at 12 o'clock, I have to go the airport. I have no other way to get there. And I'm counting on you. I have no one else to count on but you, and I'm relying on you that you'll be there tomorrow.”
There's no reason that this guy can’t take him, but before he gets a chance to respond, the phone goes dead.
Now the man is standing outside. He has no other hope but this man, and there's no reason why he can't pick him up. But this man just ignores the fellow and stays in his house reading his newspaper. That's called Avla. That's called an inequity. Someone's counting on you and you don't come through. He says that is what we're talking about here. Of course Hashem is Yashar. He does everything straight and upright. That's in the world of reward and punishment.
But God has another, higher approach, which is called Suri:Rock
A rock is somebody that you take refuge in, when to not come through would be an Avla. God doesn't have an Avla.
The pasuk in in Haazinu says,
Sur Hasayu Bo
The Rock that they took refuge in.
What does that mean?
The Gaon of Vilna explains that the word Hisayon/ refuge is not the same as Bitachon. It says, it's better to seek refuge in God than rely on a person. The term refuge, he says, refers to when the person never had a conversation with you, like the rock. You never spoke to the rock. You seek refuge in the rock. That's the rock. Sur Hasayu Bo/ The rock you find refuge in.
Bitachon means the guy actually gave you a guarantee. God is a Rock that we can find refuge in.
And that's why the term Rock is used in this pasuk, where it says, Suri, my Rock. God's a Rock, and therefore I can rely on Him, regardless of Him speaking. And if He doesn't come through, then that's called an Avla. That's the fundamental of bitachon. All the Middot that we find in human beings are really Tzelem Elokim/ fashioned on God. And if a human being would consider it improper and lowly, if he didn’t help a man in need like that, ( and we tell stories about Sadikim that would do so), then of course Hashem is no less than that.
That's what our Bitachon is based on. If we rely on Him and only on Him, He comes through.
Have a wonderful day.