The following thought comes from Rabbi Yaakov Sakili, a student of the Rashba who lived in the 1400s.
He learned in Spain and eventually moved to the Middle East. Many of his manuscripts were found in Syria, indicating that his works were learned in the Syrian community.
There is a pasuk in Yirmiyah describing the reason for the Churban as a lack of Emunah that Hashem controls the world. Yirmiyah says, (32,19)
גְּדֹל֙ הָֽעֵצָ֔ה וְרַ֖ב הָעֲלִֽילִיָּ֑ה אֲשֶׁר־עֵינֶ֣יךָ פְקֻח֗וֹת עַל־כׇּל־דַּרְכֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָ֔ם לָתֵ֤ת לְאִישׁ֙ כִּדְרָכָ֔יו וְכִפְרִ֖י מַעֲלָלָֽיו
God is Gadol HaEtzah the One with great advice and the One that has many causes for things to happen. His eyes are open, looking wisely at the ways of every individual, to give man according to his ways, and with the fruit of his actions.
This pasuk is the source that God knows what is going on in our lives and rewards us and punishes, as the Rambam lists in his 13 Principles.
What is the point of Gadol HaEtzah/God is great in advice?
The Rabbi explains an unbelievable concept, a Targum Onkelus that he expounds upon.
Targum Onkelus says that the Mitzvah of God gives us His strength to amass wealth (which is one of the 613) refers to the ideas to acquire wealth. When a person has a good idea to acquire something, and becomes wealthy, that was not his idea. It was God’s idea. Believing in this is a positive commandment.
And the concept that God gives us good advice is a pasuk in Tehilim 16,7: David Hamelech says,
אֲבָרֵ֗ךְ אֶת־יְ֭הֹוָה אֲשֶׁ֣ר יְעָצָ֑נִי I bless God, that gave me good advice.
What does this mean? Is David Hamelech the only one that gets advice from God, with Ruach Hakodesh?
Rabbi Sakili explains the rest of the pasuk, אַף־לֵ֝יל֗וֹת יִסְּר֥וּנִי כִלְיוֹתָֽי
In the evening, my kidneys give me mussar.
What does that mean? He says that when a person has thoughts come into his mind, especially at night, while on your bed tossing and turning with ideas, or sometimes with guilt or anguish over what you did during the day, where are these thoughts coming from? These are all advice from God.
Of course, not all thoughts or advice from God. As we once said from Rav Wolbe, רבות מחשבות בלב איש There are many thoughts in man’s heart.
ועצת ה׳ היא תקום and the advice of God comes to the top
You have to listen for the advice of God, and hear through the false advice. But it’s not so simple to do that.
Rabbi Sakilli makes two points.
One is the advice for Teshuva.
Any time a person thinks about going to a class or doing Mitzvah, that is all God giving advice. That’s what it means that God is Gadol HaEtzah
How far does this go?
The Sefer Avudarham (which has a commentary on siddur) says, based on the pasuk of Gadol Etzah, that every night in Arbit, when we say, “Set me up, my king, with a good advice,” ot means that when we go to sleep at night and ideas come to our heads, we are asking Hashem, “Please, give me good advice.” We are praying to Hashem for advice. As it says in Tehilim 33,11,
עֲצַ֣ת ה לְעוֹלָ֣ם תַּעֲמֹ֑ד
The advice of God lasts forever
Therefore, he says that when a person is on his bed, and there is nothing going on, and he starts thinking thoughts, we ask God to give us good advice ( in Arbit).
This is an unbelievable concept. We think that the lightbulb goes off in our brains. But who is turning on that lightbulb? Who gives us those great ideas? They say that most great ideas were by accident. But all ideas are by accident. Only there are no accidents. Accidents are controlled by Hashem. Those accidents are God’s advice. We have to believe that God is constantly advising us, giving us direction, and telling us what to do. It says that Hashem is, “directing the sinners on the road.” The Midrash says that if He directs the sinners, surely He directs the Sadikim. We are constantly getting direction, signs on the road that tell us to turn right or left. We have to believe in that. This is a fundamental that Yirmiyah HaNavi was telling the people at the time of the destruction, when they didn’t believe in that.
We have to believe in Gadol HaEtzah/ God is the ultimate great Advice giver.
Have a wonderful day.