We are continuing the discussion of the detractors and challenges to Bitachon. If we don’t overcome and stay away from them, we will eventually end up with a hole in our Bitachon barrel and slowly but surely it will all drip away.
The Hovot HaLevavot told us in the previous lesson that if a person doesn’t see Hashem in creation, and constantly realize how much G-d planned and designed the world for him, that can be a reason that he doesn’t rely on Hashem.
Furthermore, in the same vein, if a person does not understand Hashem’s middot, His mercy to His creations, and how much G-d directs, supervises and controls His creatures, then the person can’t rely on Him.
That’s why strengthening our understanding of Yetziat Mitzrayim is definitely the way to go, because it proves how much G-d is involved in, and controlling the world. It proves it to us.
Understanding Hashem’s middot is one of the great pre-requisite’s for Bitachon.
If you don’t have this on your mind, you can’t rely on Him. The Sefer Tomar Devorah is dedicated to telling us how Hashem acts, and discusses the extreme extent of Hashem’s Middot. It’s something we have to study. It’s a whole book that goes through the thirteen attributes that Hashem has, that He revealed to Moshe Rabbenu, and these special attributes are used for the Jewish people. A while back I gave some classes on Tomar Devorah, and
maybe one day we’ll create a Tomar Devorah daily series. But for now, we will share one middah. The first one is
מי אל כמוך- Mi El Kamocha-Who is a G-d like You.
What does that mean?
The Tomar Deborah explains that word “El” means “strength”
We said a similar line at keriat yam suf- the splitting of the sea, when we said
מי כמוך באלים ה׳
“Who is like You amongst the strong ones”
But the Tomar Devorah brings down that word “Elim” can also mean “One who is mute” and doesn’t talk. So it can also mean:
“Who is like you G-d, that controls Himself and doesn’t talk?”
In order for a person to do anything, he needs G-d to constantly pump energy into creation and into himself. Based on the principle of Yesh Me’ayin, something from nothing (which we learn from the lessons of Yetziat Mitzrayim) we know that G-d is not like a carpenter that makes a table and then just walks away from it, and the table is still there. That carpenter created something from something- he took wood and he fashioned it into a table. G-d makes something from nothing, so in order for it to remain in existence, He has to will it. Nothing has its own independent existence. The reason the sun is here now is because G-d is “looking” at the sun, so to say, and saying, “Let there be light.”
That’s a constant emanation from G-d’s “mouth”. Thats why the sun is here. Your heart is beating only because G-d is constantly saying “Beat,beat,beat.” Not because it was beating yesterday or a second ago. We need G-d’s constant Will for creation to continue. Therefore, when a person decides to do something improper- let’s say he’s at an airport and he’s hungry. He hasn’t eaten all day and he smells that unkosher pizza and he wants it. So he justifies eating it in someway. He says its Sakanat Nefesh- self-preservation. He thinks if he doesn’t eat it he’ll die.
When he puts the first bite in his mouth and starts chewing, the first thing G-d should do is say, “You know what? I’m not going to let any enzymes come out of your saliva in order for you to start digesting that unkosher pizza! And secondly, I’m not going to let you have any peristalsis to send it down your esophagus. And why should I make a miracle and allow the food to move along your intestines either? You didn’t listen to Me so why should I do all that?”
But God, in His mercy, says, “I’m going to continue to let you live and eat this, and bestow My benevolence upon you, even though you didn’t listen to Me. And I’ll wait for you to one day do Teshuva. And while I’m giving you these benefits, I’m sitting and watching you do this sin, and yet I’m still letting you benefit.”
That is unbelievable!
That’s why when the Jewish people were crossing the sea, they said, “Who is like G-d who can control Himself.” In other words, they said
“It’s unbelievable! We thought all those years that the Egyptians were oppressing us, it was because G-d couldn’t get involved.”
Like if a bully was on the playground and you think the principal doesn’t get involved because he doesn’t know what’s going on. But then one day you see the principal come out of the office, lassos the bully and pull him up through the window!
You’d say,
“Wow! That principal was watching on the video camera all that time! He had self-control, and he waited till the right time to punish him!”
That’s G-d’s middah -That he continues to benefit humanity, even when they are sinning against Him.
Some might say, “How can I rely on Hashem- who knows if I’m worthy?”
Who knows if you’re worthy? We are never worthy, and Hashem is constantly doing hessed for us. Even that your body will work, that you’re going to swallow your food- maybe even if you didn’t even make a beracha on it, is Hashem’s mercy.
You have to understand Hashem’s good middot in order to rely on Him.
Have a wonderful day.