Welcome to Daily Bitachon.
Rabbenu Avraham, son of the Rambam, in his sefer HaMaspik L'ovdei Hashem, talks
about different levels of bitachon. Previously, we discussed lackings in
bitachon. Now we will discuss the positive.
The first level he mentions is a person who hopes and yearns for the fulfilling
of his needs from Hashem, because of Hashem's great mercy, although, at the
same time, he's concerned and worried about getting what he wants because he
thinks his sins might prevent Hashem's mercy.
This means he believes in Hashem's mercy, and he
knows he can receive it even though he's sinned, but he's still concerned that
maybe he won't merit that mercy from Hashem.
This, Rabbenu Avraham says, is called meyachel lechesed Hashem—hoping for
the kindness of Hashem—and it's a great thing.
David HaMelech talks about people like this throughout Tehillim and Rabbenu Avraham cites many of these pesukim. He says this type of person is given
a title—he is called a Ba'al ma'alah zo. Someone who is on a certain
level. What's the level? He is a Ba'al yir'ah v'tikvah/He's a person
who is both fearful and hopeful. That might sound like an
oxymoron, but it's not. He's hopeful for
Hashem's mercy, but fearful that maybe he
won't merit His mercy.
There are ways to receive Hashem's
mercy. One of them, the Gemara says, is kol hamerachem al habriyot, merachamim alav
min hashamayim—whoever has mercy on Hashem's creatures, has mercy upon him from
Heaven. So we know Hashem has mercy, and we have to merit that mercy.
It's not a contradiction to the fact that you get things through your bitachon,
because you still need Hashem's mercy. Maybe I won't merit it.
He brings a pasuk in Tehillim 147:11 that we've heard before, but he adds a beautiful
explanation. It says:
רוֹצֶ֣ה יְ֭הֹוָה אֶת־יְרֵאָ֑יו אֶת־הַֽמְיַחֲלִ֥ים לְחַסְדּֽוֹ /Hashem desires those who fear Him, those who hope for His kindness.
The simple explanation (which we must
always start with) is: Hashem is happy with those who fear Him—God-fearing
people. And separately, He also likes people who hope for His kindness. That's
definitely an explanation.
But Rabbenu Avraham comes along and says
no—they're not two different people. They're one person. They are yera'av/they
are fearful. What are they fearful of? They're fearful of His punishment.
And even though they are fearful of His punishment, at the same time, meyachalim
lechasdo/they're hoping for His kindness.
So it's a mixture of feelings, a mixture of emotions. And that's a wonderful
level.
That's level number one.
Level number two is when beside hoping and yearning for Hashem to fulfill his
needs, he also has what Rabbenu Avraham calls bikush penimi shebalev/an
inner request of the heart— and an external one, on his tongue. He
is actually asking. And that, he says, is called Doresh Hashem/He's searching…he
quotes many pesukim like that… mevakesh
panav korei el Hashem, Uvikashtem misham es Hashem Elokecha—you
will search, you will ask for Him.
This is a very interesting concept: He's taking a level of hope alone, where
the person hasn't done anything yet. He didn't even ask. Hope doesn't mean I asked
Hashem. I'm just hoping for the best. Hope is a wonderful thing—kivui, hope.
But it has not yet turned into an actual, what we'll call, dialogue. It's just
a hope.
The next level is when I've taken that hope and turned it into bikush
penimi—an inner request—and bikush chitzoni—an outer request, an expression
of what's going on inside of me.
And on this, he says, David HaMelech says ( and this is the pasuk that I say at the end
of the Amidah, which starts with a ד, ends with a ד—my name is David. So
I'll have an additional understanding tomorrow):
דִּרְשׁ֤וּ יְהֹוָה֙
וְעֻזּ֔וֹ בַּקְּשׁ֥וּ פָנָ֖יו תָּמִֽיד׃/Search for Hashem and His strength,
constantly seek His presence.
Which means: keep on asking, keep on
yearning.
He brings many pesukim for this point—that this is also included in a level of
bitachon, the bitachon of bikush added on top of the hope. It's not
separate. You can ask—just asking, that's a tefillah. That doesn't yet mean you
have hope. You could ask without it coming from hope.
But this is a bikush that's
coming from hope. I'm looking for the connection, I'm looking for Hashem.
Dorshei Hashem—those that are searching for Hashem, they will not be missing
anything.
Bakshu et Hashem, search for Hashem—kol anavei eretz, all those humble people.
And he says there are endless pesukim talking about this level.
So we have two levels:
1. The hope level
2. The prayer that is an expression of that hope.