We left off yesterday discussing the need to know that Bitachon is a mitzvah; that G-d told us to rely on Him. The first source we mentioned, brought by the Rambam’s son, is the manna. The second source, also mentioned by the Rambam’s son, is the mitzvah of Shemitah. The fact that G-d can tell us to take a year off from seeding, harvesting, to make everything ownerless and just rely on G-d— that mitzvah is based on bitachon. As the pasuk says, “If you will say What are we going to eat? G-d says, Don’t worry-I will command My blessing upon you.”
This mitzvah of Shemitah is the source for the concept of Bitachon. We have to rely on Hashem. And we have a microcosm of shemitah every week. Just like we work for six years and take off on the seventh, each week we work for 6 days and don’t work on the seventh day- Shabbat. To remind us of the same message as shemitah. Similarly, the Sefirat Ha’Omer is seven weeks of seven days, and Shavuot is day fifty. This is fashioned after the shemitah cycle.
Shemitah was every 7 years, and it lasted for seven cycles- a total of 49 years. The 50th year was Yovel, which is called the Jubilee year, even in English (the Y and J are interchangeable, like Yoseph/Joseph) Most people on the street don’t realize that the word Jubilee comes from Yovel, which was actually a type of shofar that was blown at the start of the 50th year, when all slaves and field returned to their original status. We want to remember the shemitah cycle every single year, even in non-shemitah years. That’s why we count Sefirat Ha’Omer from the barley season to the wheat season- this is to remind the farmer who’s planing his field that it’s not his hard work that brings the parnassa- but rather that his parnasa comes from G-d. Therefore, the Rambam’s son tells us, the Shemita cycle, the Shabbat cycle and Sefirat HaOmer are all there to remind us constantly of bitachon.
It’s interesting to note that the rabbis tell us that the seventh year of Shemitah was designated for learning. Similarly, the Sefirat Omer cycle ends with Shavuot -Matan Torah. This is to teach us that we should all take off time from our busy schedules to learn. Who gives us our parnassa anyway? That’s why we had the manna- to teach us that man doesn’t live on bread alone.
So, to recap, shemitah is our second source for bitachon in the Torah.
The Rambam’s son gives us a beautiful description of what bitachon is. He has a whole perek dedicated to the essence of bitachon, and he ends with this:
ועיקר הבטהון הוא חיזוק האמונה כי ה׳ יתעלה הוא הבורא והמפרנס,המחייה והממית, המחליא והמרפא, המעשיר והמרושש,
The essence of Bitachon is to strengthen your emunah because G-d is the Creator, the One that supports us, the One who gives us life, the One who brings (after 120) death, the One who is the source of sickness, (has v’shalom), and eventually heals. He gives wealth and brings poverty.
וכל מקרי העולם הכלליים והפרטיים חוזרים אליו, והוא היוצרים וגוזרם ומוציאים לפועל מלבד יראת שמיים שאיננה בידי שמיים ,
Regarding all world events, whether general, global events or minute details, the buck stops here. Everything comes back to G-d. He is their Creator and the One that decreed it. Nothing happens that G-d didn’t create, decree, and bring about, except our fear of G-d. That’s not in the hands of G-d.
That is bitachon. G-d is in charge of everything except us relying on Him.
We see it in the manna and in shemitah.
We have to know that G-d wants us to rely on Him. The Hovot Halevavot says that if you don’t know that, then you’re going to have a problem with your Bitachon.
Hashem tells us-“Take off a year- I want you to rely on Me. Don’t work on Shabbat- I want you to rely on Me.”
It’s a command. It’s a must.
Have a wonderful day.