We are now in a pasuk in Yirmiyah, which we have mentioned in the past
ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח והיה׳ ה׳ מבטחו
Blessed is the one who relies on Hashem, and Hashem is his reliance. All of the commentaries ask about the double lashon: If he relies on Hashem, then of course Hashem is his reliance.
One explanation is that there are people that rely on Hashem, but at the same time, they start thinking about how it will happen. That’s one level, but the highest level is that they wonder wonder how. The way it’s going to happen is also Hashem. They may have no idea how. This involves the famous explanation of the Bet HaLevi in the Tehilim, where it says MeAyin Yavoh Ezri
Where is my help going to come from? This was said by Yaakov Avinu, when he was thinking that his father got married with 10 camel loads of money… But where would his help come from? How would he get married? But then Yaakov Avinu caught himself and said, “ I have to start giving God ideas? I have to start thinking about how it will happen? He switched from From where Will my help come to
Ezri Me’im Hashem Oseh Shamayim V’Aretz.
My help will come from Hashem
God created the heavens and earth. He doesn’t need my advice or ideas.
That is the first explanation of ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח והיה׳ ה׳ מבטחו
Blessed is the one who relies on Hashem, and Hashem is his reliance.
Hashem is the only intermediary.
Another explanation for
ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח והיה׳ ה׳ מבטחו
Blessed is the one who relies on Hashem, and Hashem is his reliance is that
All he wants is Hashem. He is relying on Hashem, not to get his money or to get his health, but he ultimately, relies on Hashem to have Hashem in his life. That is his main goal. Another explanation of this pasuk, from the Ahavat Eitan, Rabbi Yonatan Eibeshitz is that there are two levels of bitachon. On one level, you have a problem and you are looking forward to Hashem pulling you out of the problem. You rely on Hashem for that.
A higher level is that Hashem is his reliance. He feels, now, as if he has been saved already. In his words, “he decides in his mind, at all times that he has been saved already.“ That is a higher level. How do you get there? He says that the answer is in the next pasuk
וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל־מַיִם
He will be like a tree planted by water
Last week we explained this to be a blessing for bitachon. But Rav Eibeshitz is saying here that this is the way you get there. The Mayim/water refers to Torah. If you are connected to the Torah, you could reach this level, where you realize that you are already being saved. How so? “You can see this from the Torah, that Jewish people have been saved an ever-lasting salvation. And, as the pasuk says, “they are not embarrassed forever, those that seek refuge in Him.”
As we have said before, they might be temporarily embarrassed, but they are not embarrassed forever. We are always saved, although there might be some bumps in the road.
We say this pasuk in the Zichronot section of our Rosh Hashanah Musaf prayers, when God is judging us on every little thing that happens. And we say, “fortunate is the person that doesn’t forget You. And we end with “ And they are not embarrassed forever, those that seek refuge in Him.”
Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz says, “Just hold old on tight, Because God is not going to let you down. Be resilient, bounce back and It will work out in the end. Hashem will not forsake me forever.”
This line is also brought up in the story of Purim, “ We will not be embarrassed forever.” There might be times when Hashem is hiding His face, but we are not embarrassed forever.
Furthermore, there is an unbelievable explanation, in the sefer Kol Haramaz, by Rabbi Meir Zakuta, on Masechet Pe’ah (8,10):
It says that a person has certain merits to support others. He brings down the Midrash Raba that says, “If you rely on Hashem you will be like Him, as it says,
ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח והיה׳ ה׳ מבטחו
Blessed is the one who relies on Hashem, and Hashem is his reliance.
This means that he will be like God. Just like God supports others, he will support others. It’s unbelievable. If a person has bitachon, he will be like Hashem. When a person relies on Hashem, and he might be on the taking end, but eventually he will be on the giving end.
On Friday, we discussed a beautiful pshat that when a person wants to give $10,000 but can only give $101, then Hashem considers it like he gave the $10,000. Firstly, because the good intent was there, but also because that $101 has extra power, and will end up bringing the blessing of the $10,000.
After I said this over in Bet Knesset, someone approached me and said there’s a third aspect, which is that if you want to give $10,000 and you can only give $101, in the end, Hashem will enable you to give the $10,000.
That’s what we are saying here
ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח והיה׳ ה׳ מבטחו
Blessed is the one who relies on Hashem, and Hashem is his reliance.
Rely on Hashem and be like God and be able to help others.