Sometimes thoughts found in a Sefer is really a gift. It’s a complete eye opener in how to view Bitachon, or hoping to Hashem, and what it accomplishes.
As we have mentioned in the past, people are sometimes bothered- they hope to Hashem, but they do not see the desired outcome immediately, and so they feel like their bitachon is wasted. In the past, we have explained that a person gets rewarded for their bitachon- so hoping to Hashem, and relying on Hashem, is like putting on tefilin- it’s an accomplishment in itself. That is one point. But there’s another reason why a person should never feel like their hope to Hashem is wasted.
This thought is based on Sefer Ikarim by Rabbi Elbo, one of the Rishonim.
He quotes a pasuk in Hoshea (12,7)
חֶ֤סֶד וּמִשְׁפָּט֙ שְׁמֹ֔ר וְקַוֵּ֥ה אֶל־אֱלֹקיךָ תָּמִֽיד
One should guard kindness and justice and constantly hope to Hashem.
This is actually the source for a line we say in our prayers -
כי לישועתך קוינו כל היום
we hope to your salvation ( not every day, but) the entire day. Hoping to Hashem should be a constant. We should be hoping to Hashem in any situation, whether global or personal.
And now for the hiddush... The Sefer Ikarim says,
כי התקוה והתוחלת אל ה׳
הוא דבר יותר מעולה מכל התהלות שאפשר שישבח האדם לה
The hope to Hashem is something that is greater that all the praises that someone is possible to praise G-d
That is a tremendous statement. Hoping to Hashem is the greatest praise that you can give Hashem. Why? Because if I hope to you, that means that I am stating, with my hope, that you are the one that can do it.
As we know, the Hovot HaLevavot says that in order to rely on someone, that person has to have a lot of credentials. To be called reliable, the person has to love you, know what’s good for you, keep you constantly on his mind, have a good track record, be all powerful, be unstoppable, he has to be the only one in control of you, and he has to have mercy that never ceases, regardless of whether you’re deserving or not. Those are the many qualities that one needs to have, in order to be considered reliable. And as the Hovot HaLevavot says, there is no one that is reliable but Hashem. So when you hope to Hashem, you are stating to Hashem that He is the only reliable One, and that your are relying only relying on Him. That is the greatest possible praise that we can give Hashem. He says that this is the meaning of the pasuk in tehilim (71,14) when David HaMelech says,
ואני תמיד איחל והוספתי על כל תהלתך
I am constantly hoping to You Hashem, And I added on all of Your praises
It seems that the first half of this statement has nothing to do with the second half.
He asks how David HaMelech possibly says he “added on all Hashem’s praises.” That’s a strange thing to say.
Then, in another pasuk ( 106,2) David HaMelech says,
מי ימלל גבורות ה' ישמיע כל תהלתו
Who is able and capable, to enunciate all the great powers of G-d?
He explains that this pasuk means.
כי בהיותו מיחל להש"י תמיד הוא מוסיף על כל התהלות שאפשר שיהלל
By counting on G-d constantly, he is adding to all the praises that are possible to praise, from man to G-d
That is an eye opener. Every time I hope to Hashem, I am praising Hashem, and it’s the greatest possible praise. Therefore, regarding the person that has been hoping for some thing for years that hasn’t yet happened, does that mean the hope was wasted? Absolutely not! He has been praising G-d all of those years. And he says that hoping to Hashem is like the greatest korban. He brings another pasuk from tehilim (65, 2)
לך דומיה תהלה אלקים בציון ולך ישולם נדר
To You, hope is praise, and it’s considered like I paid off a vow of a korban.
In his words,
היותר נבחר שבקרבנות
it is the best of all sacrifices, because it’s not brought for a sin. It’s a a gift.
And he says that a person who’s hoping, that hope forgives a person of his sins, and then his prayers are heard.
So the hoping process is a cleansing process. It’s praising and it’s atoning. That is a tremendous, tremendous accomplishment that cannot be underestimated. It’s the greatest possible praise! That’s a very big statement.
The greatest possible praise is relying on Hashem. Let us keep up that praise. Have a wonderful day.