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Today we discuss the final two sources brought down, from the Rishonim/Achromim, in the area of Bitachon.
Rav Eliezer Azkari, the author of the Sefer Charedim, quotes the pasuk
Tamim Tihyeh im Hashem Elokecha
This source shows up when the Torah tells us not to rely on astrology or sorcerers and not to look into predictions of the future. It means that rather being frightened by the gloomy predictions, place your reliance on Hashem, recognizing that Hashem controls everything.
Now this is interesting because today we don't have such sorcerers, but the Ramban says, in the time when there were such sorcerers, when you hear some negative prediction from the astrologers about your future, your response should be, Hashem is in charge, En Mazal L’Yisrael. He controls everything.
As we said, we don't have these kind of predictors today, but we have other predictors. We have doctors who predict. We have lawyers that predict. We have political analysts that predict. We have war analysts that predict… nonetheless, we don't believe in predictions.
Predictions are just predictions like the weather prediction. We know it was supposed to rain the first night of Succot, but it didn't. Those are all Nevi’eh Sheker/false prophets. They once asked Rav Elyashiv, Can I not sleep in my Succah, as the weather reporter said it's going to start to rain in the middle of the night?
He answered that they're Nevieh Sheker/false prophets. We don't believe in these predictions.
Tamim Tihyeh Im Hashem...We need to be complete with our faith in God and say, “Yes, I heard the prediction, maybe I'll wear my rain coat and be concerned, but at the end of the day, I know that Hashem is above that all.”
And our final source, from a more recent Aharon in the 1900s, Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, well known for his sefer Meshech Hochma, quotes the pasuk in Devarim, U’Bo Tidbak/Cleave to Hashem. He asks, how does a person cleave to Hashem? Is that something reserved for the high and holy, for the great kabbalists that are constantly connected, like a man who's saying Tehilim constantly, and so on? He says, even the most simple of people can become connected to God. How so?
When you have Bitachon, what you are basically saying in your reliance in Hashem, is that Hashem is right here, right now, walking with me, taking care of me, holding my hands at all times.
Rabbenu Yona uses that Lashon in Shaar Teshuva, when he talks about the regret that a person has, and the anguish over sinning that… I didn't realize, I didn't have any feelings of gratitude to God that made me, something from nothing, and is holding my hand at all times.
Like the famous mashal of Rashi, of the Jewish people in the desert. It's not just about the Jewish people in the desert, it’s about the Jewish people throughout history- We're sitting on God's shoulders and we don't realize it. And when we don't realize it, He puts us down and the dog comes to bite.
And this is truer than ever, at this time in our history. Many Rabbis of today, when writing about the current situation in Israel, mentioned this. People say, ‘Where was the army?
The Army did something wrong. How could they let this happen?’
We have to realize this is not about the army. We have a wonderful army. Hashem phas been protecting us. And if He decides not to protect us, then we see what happens. We're supposed to be full of appreciation for the protection that occurred up until now. Like the Gemara says, we are 1 sheep surrounded by 70 wolves. How do we survive? Gadol HaRoeh/the shepherd is great. A person is supposed to be walking around at all times feeling like a sheep amongst wolves.
But our shepherd is a big shepherd, with a big stick-Gadol HaRoeh/The Shepherd is great.
That's the way you cleave to God. In every situation, for every challenge that you have, realize that we have a Big Shepherd with a big stick watching over us. Gadol HaRoeh. God is our shepherd.
David Hamelech says,
מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד יְהֹוָ֥ה רֹ֝עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר׃
בִּנְא֣וֹת דֶּ֭שֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵ֑נִי עַל־מֵ֖י מְנֻח֣וֹת יְנַהֲלֵֽנִי׃
נַפְשִׁ֥י יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב יַֽנְחֵ֥נִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶ֝֗דֶק לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֽוֹ׃
גַּ֤ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֤א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֝מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי
Even when I walk in the valley of death, I'm not afraid of evil because You are with me.
That is the Deveykut that comes about through Bitachon. And therefore, when God commanded us to connect to Him, what He was basically saying was, Rely on Me.
With this, we conclude our discussion of five different sources for Bitachon in the Torah.
Have a wonderful day and a Shabbat Shalom.
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