This is our last Hanukah class. Tonight, we will light the candles for the last time, ushering in what is called Zot Hanukah, the last day of Hanukah, and the most powerful day. As such, I would like to share a Bitachon thought related to Hallel.
I once heard from Rav Wolbe that Hallel has a theme running through it, that starts with a command from David HaMelech
- ישראל בטח בה׳
Jewish people rely on G-d
עזרם ומגנם הוא
G-d is their help and their shield
Then we say,
בית אהרון
Bet Aharon,
This is not the Jewish people at large, but rather the kohanim or the clergy
בטחו בה׳
Rely on Hashem
This is a different type of reliance because they aren’t working. They are totally reliant on what they get from the people.
עזרם ומגנם הוא
G-d is their help and their shield
יראי ה׳
The G-d- fearing people,
This is a separate group, And they are also being told to rely on Hashem
עזרם ומגנם הוא
G-d is their help and their shield
Each level of people, all different, relies on Hashem.
Then we go to next chapter, where it says
ה׳ זכרנו יברך
When Hashem remembers us, we’ll be blessed.
And the blessing comes, again, with each separate grouping.
To the Jewish people at large, to the House of Aharon, and to those who fear Hashem. Each group gets beracha. Then, when the blessing comes upon them, we say,
הודו לה’ כי טוב
we give thanks to Hashem
כי לעולם חסדו
for he is good.
His kindness endures forever.
Each grouping, based on their level of bitachon, and their level of Beracha, will have their level of כי לעולם חסדו
His kindness endures forever.
יאמר נא ישראל
The Jewish people will say כי לעולם חסדו
His kindness endures forever.
The House of Aharon will say
כי לעולם חסדו
His kindness endures forever.
And finally,
יאמרו נא יראי ה׳
Those who fear Hashem will say
כי לעולם חסדו
His kindness endures forever
This theme of relying on Hashem is based on the level of reliance, the blessing is based on the level of reliance and finally, we are acknowledging and praising G-d for that reliance.
That’s one Bitachon theme in Hallel.
Another theme is based on a pasuk from Hallel, and from Yirmiyah, which contrasts those that believe in idols with those that believe in G-d. There is a powerful pasuk and midrash on it.
It says that the ones that relied on idols, idols are the handiwork of man.
“The have a mouth but can’t speak, they have eyes but they can’t see, they have ears but they can’t hear, they have a nose but can’t smell, they have hands but they can’t feel, they have legs but they can’t walk, and no sounds come out of their throat.
כמוהם יהיו עושיהם
Those who make them should be like them
Whoever relies on the idols will be like the idols.
The idols have no power, and those people have no power. The idols are dead, and those people are dead.
Now comes the contrast:
ישראל בטח בה׳
When Yisrael relies on Hashem….
Just as we say that those that rely on idols shall be like their idols, so too, those that rely on Hashem shall have G-dly powers. This is a big Hiddush.
When you rely on G-d, you have G-dly powers.
The Midrash Rabah says,
א"ר סימון בשם רבי יהושע בן לוי
From Rav Yehoshua, a Tanna, which goes back to Har Sinai,
כל מי שבוטח בהקב"ה זוכה להיות כיוצא בו
Whoever relies on G-d, has the merit of be like Him.
He has G-dly powers. Like it says,
A Sadik makes a decree and G-d fulfills it.
There is a G-dly power that the Baal Bitachon has. He can bring salvation.
What’s the source for this? It’s a pasuk we’ve read many times, but we will read it now in a new way: ( Yirmiyah 17)
ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה' מבטחו והיה ה'
Blessed is the man who relies on Hashem, and Hashem is his reliance.
This is the simple translation. As we’ve said in the past, it seems superfluous, and we’ve given many answers.
But the Midrash says here that
והיה ה׳ מבטחו means The one who relies on Hashem,
והיה ה׳ -He will be like G-d, מבטחו-the one that relies
It’s not that Hashem will be his reliance, but rather, he will like Hashem.
If you rely on G-d you will have G-dly powers.
The Midrash then contrasts this with a pasuk in tehilim where it says that the one that relies on idols,
נתחייב להיות כיוצא בה
He’s also like the idols, as it says
כמוהם יהיו עושיהם
The ones that rely on them them are like them
This Hiddush is showing us the tremendous power of bitachon. A person that relies on Hashem is connecting to Hashem, and is empowered like Hashem.
It’s hard to say these words, but that’s how powerful bitachon is. This is a Midrash talking. We believe in Midrashim.
The power is, והיה ה׳ מבטחו
The one who relies on Hashem.
זוכה להיות כיוצא בו
He merits to be like Him
Those are very powerful words
The Sfat Emet brings this down and says that it works it because the one who relies on Hashem is so connected to Hashem, he’s so plugged in, that he’s like Him. That’s the connection of Bitachon.
B’ezrat Hashem, on our last day or so of Hallel, on Rosh Hodesh, we should appreciate that power of בטח בה׳-Rely on Hashem
G-d is telling us, “Rely on Me”
Yisrael, Bet Aharon, those that fear G-d, rely on Me
Rely on Me and I remember you. I remember you and there is beracha.
Finally,הודו לה’ כי טוב
we give thanks to Hashem
כי לעולם חסדו
for he is good.