We have been explaining the fundamental of Bitachon, which means to feel batuach/guaranteed. The Hovot HaLevavot adds that we feel guaranteed even though there’s no guarantor. Though no one has spoken to you, you find refuge in G-d and feel confident, even though He never promised you.
The Gaon of Vilna explains this based on a pasuk from Devarim: צור חסיו בא
“A rock, they found refuge in.”
G-d is called a rock. And David Hamelech uses this term as well.
The Vilna Gaon ask: Why use the term צור/rock?
He answers that it’s because the rock is a shelter from the rain, although you never spoke to the rock. You seek refuge there despite the fact that it wasn’t promised. This word, sur/rock shows up many times in tehilim. Every word in Tehillim has special meaning. So any time you see the word צור- Rock, you can plug in this concept.
Based on this, Rav Bloch explains another pasuk from Tehilim
לְ֭הַגִּיד כִּֽי־יָשָׁ֣ר ה׳ צ֝וּרִ֗י וְֽלֹא־עַוְלָ֥תָה בּֽוֹ׃ David Hamelech is attesting that Hashem is ישר straight/fair (nothing improper, he’s fair)
צוריHe’s my rock, (as we have just explained)
And He doesn’t have עולה/Avla/
This word avla is difficult to translate into English. It can be translated as
Inequity, or improper , an avla is “not nice”
The rabbi asks; if it says Hashem is straight and fair why add “not-nice?”
Rav Bloch presents a mashal based on this concept to explain what an avla is and it’s a fundamental that our Bitachon is based on.
A person may wonder, how can I rely on Hashem to pay my mortgage if He never told me He’d pay it? The Hovot HaLevavot says that it’s fundamental to Bitachon that you feel you can rely on Him even if He never told you. How does that work? We will develop this further as we learn. For now, the following mashal can help us envision in.
Imagine that you have a best friend who loves you and cares about you. You have an important business meeting scheduled out of town and everything is all set up. All you have to do is get to the airport. If you don’t get there, the deal is off.
So you call your best friend, who happens to be the only guy in town with a car. You tell him you need a ride to the airport. Just as you do finish saying “Can you pick me up?” the phone goes dead. You know he heard you, and you know he can do it, he’s your best friend, loves you, he can do whatever he wants, and nothing ever stops him
(As we will learn later on, these are the qualities of Hashem.)
But he never answers you.
If you’re counting on him and he doesn’t come, that’s what we call an avla- he has nothing to do anyway, he was at home doing a sudoku puzzle, and 20 minutes later he has to pick up his son from that same airport, but he didn’t come get you because he never told you he would- that’s an avla.
If you know someone is counting on you, even if you didn’t tell him you would, of course you’d come. If someone relies on you and only you, of course you help them. That’s Hashem and that’s the fundamental of Bitachon.
That’s why David says: צורי G-d is my Rock.
I’m finding refuge in him even though he never spoke to me. And how do I know he’ll come through? Because won’t commit an avla.
If you really count on Him, you need Him, and you aren’t counting on anyone else, not your father, uncle, brother etc, He’ll come through.
Hashem has to come through. Because you’re counting on him.
That’s the fundamental of Bitachon.