I recently stumbled onto a Hovot HaLevavot that is actually not is Shaar Bitachon, which we have gone through. This was hiding in Shaar HaBechina, the section of Hovot HaLevavot which discusses the things that G-d gave us, that we have to appreciate. One of them is the great lessons of Yetziat Mitzrayim and the miracles that we saw- that is a great gift from G-d. One might wonder-That happened in the past- do we have anything like that today?
He answers with powerful words:
If a person wants to see, in our times, something similar to the miracles that we saw at Yetziat Mitzrayim and Matan Torah,
יביט בעין האמת
Look with a true eye (this is not something that can be easily discerned)
עמדנו בין האומות
At our existence amongst the goyim
מעת הגלות
From the time of exile
This is close to 2,000 years! and we get along with them. Even though it’s clear to them that we don’t agree with them. We have very different attitudes and approaches. Furthermore, he says that our economic status is as good, or better, than that of our host country. Our middle class may be doing better than their middle class.
This is all the fulfillment of a promise in Vayikrah-
ואף גם זאת בהיותם בארץ אויביהם
Even when we are in the land of our enemies,
לא מאסתים ולא געלתים לכלותם להפר בריתי אתם
G-d says He was not disgraced, and He did throw them out, He continued to take care of them even when they were in exile.
The Kuzari makes two points here;
The first is that we physically survived for all these generations, but beside that, we spiritually survived. We didn’t assimilate. What nation, without a land for close to 2,000 years, moving from place place, kept their identity? It’s a wonder of wonders.
But as Rav Chatzkel Levenstein says, we have to use our “eyes of truth.” We have to look and see the hidden hand of G-d, as He is taking care of us throughout these times.
It’s quite obvious why I say this now, (And I am speaking to myself), when we have something that we are comfortable with. We like our President, we had confidence in him and his love for the state of Israel. We felt a lot of good things. The other candidate didn’t necessarily seem to be what was good for us. So we started to get scared. This is a little bit of a Bitachon-tester. Are we relying on G-d, or are we relying on Trump? If we’re relying on G-d, G-d didn’t change. If we are relying on Trump, then we have to start getting nervous. If thinking that Trump was winning made you sigh with relief, you have to wonder whether you were putting yourself in his hands. Of course, we have to look at nature, and we have to do our hishtadlut, but deep down, we have to ask ourselves, Are we cognizant of the miracle of close to 2000 years in Galut? We have to strengthen ourselves in this idea. We have been here, and we will always be here. Hashem is guiding us. This is no different than Yetziat Mitzrayim, where there was a cloud guiding us. It’s still guiding us, we just don’t see it.
This is all from the Hovot HaLevavot.
A rabbi from more recent times, Rav Yaakov Emden, made an even more powerful statement. He said it’s not only similar to Yetziat Mitzrayim, but rather, as he wrote in the introduction to his siddur,
חי ד' בהסתכלי בקיום האומה מעת חורבן הבית גדול בעיני יותר מכל הנסים והמופתים שנעשו במצרים
I swear, I see the fact of the Jewish people’s existence, since the time of the Churban, in my eyes, is greater than all the miracles and wonders that happened in Mitzrayim.
This is an unfathomable miracle. It’s just that it’s a ההנהגה נסתרת -it’s hidden. We don’t see it. But he thinking person realizes this great miracle. With all the trials and tribulations, all the pogroms, and the Crusades, we are still here, intact. Great powerful nations are forgotten. They are in museums. But we are still here.
ומכה מלכים גדולים
Great kings were killed, but we are still here.
That has to be our attitude. We have to look back and remember the past 2,000 years, that G-d took care of us.
He will continue taking care of us. Nothing changes.
Every once in a while, we have to give ourselves a little reality check. We have to remind ourselves of what is really happening. We cannot get caught up in the details. Many people tell me they aren’t sleeping well at night, that they are nervous.... We have to regroup.
We have to strengthen our fundamentals. This is a fundamental: G-d has been taking care of us for all of these years, and it’s from the greatest miracles of all times.
Open your eyes and see the miracle.