Dedicated for the Refuah Shelemah of all those that need it.
As we mentioned yesterday, the Navi Yirmiyah gives us lessons that the rabbis decided we should hear before Shavuot.
( perek 17, pasuk 5)
כֹּה אָמַר יְדֹוָד אָרוּר הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בָּאָדָם וְשָׂם בָּשָׂר זְרֹעוֹ וּמִן יְדֹוָד יָסוּר לִבּוֹ:
So says G-d, cursed is the man who relies on a human being, and puts his strength in his arm, and removes his heart from G-d.
The Rabbis say that this doesn’t refer to someone who simply relies on another human being. You can understand, so to say, that Hashem is in charge, and still rely on someone else to make things happen; You aren’t cursed for that, has v’shalom. That isn’t curse worthy.
But you still don’t get the special blessing that comes from Bitachon in Hashem. Of course, every Bitachon is blessed. But the super blessing, that the Navi is talking about, is:
בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בַּידֹוָד וְהָיָה יְדֹוָד מִבְטַחוֹ:
Blessed is the one who relies on Hashem, and Hashem is his reliance
The phrase, and Hashem is his reliance, seems to be superfluous. If one relies on Hashem, it seems obvious that Hashem is his reliance. So, what exactly does this mean?
The Degel Machaneh Ephraim explains that you can rely on Hashem, but at the same time, still wonder how Hashem will make it happen and what avenue He will use for relief or for salvation. It’s OK to think like that. That is Bitachon, and that will bring with it success. But to earn that special blessing requires more. The special blessing comes to the person who says, “I don’t need to know how Hashem will do it, I just know that I’m relying on Hashem, and that Hashem will take care of it. I will leave it up to Him.”
The Bet HaLevi makes a similar comment on the pasuk from Tehilim (which the Midrash says refers to Yaakov Avinu)
אֶשָּׂ֣א עֵ֭ינַי אֶל־הֶהָרִ֑ים
I lift up my eyes to the mountains;
The word Harim (mountains) can be read as Horim-parents. This is Yaakov Avinu wondering, “How did my father get his shidduch? Eliezer, went loaded with gifts, and brought my mother home to my father Yitzhak Avinu.”
מֵ֝אַ֗יִן יָבֹ֥א עֶזְרִֽי׃
from where will my help come?
Ezri/ my help, can also be understood as “ezer knigdo-shidduch,
Yaakov is asking,
“Where is my shidduch going to come from? I don’t have any money.”
Eliphaz took it all. Yaakov was empty handed. But then Yaakov Avinu realized
עֶ֭זְרִי מֵעִ֣ם ה עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃
My help comes from the Hashem, maker of heaven and earth.
He said,
“I’m going to give Up my reliance on Hashem. I have to figure out how it’s going to happen?” No way.
Initially, he thought, “How am I going to get money?” He was trying to figure out ways to get money. But then he said, “I need money for a shidduch? Hashem can get me a shidduch without any money!”
And Hashem gave him four wives, by him working for Lavan, which is exactly what he needed.
So, he didn’t have to give Hashem ideas to make it happen.
Look at the blessing that the person who thinks that way gets: (Yirmiyah perek 17, pasuk 8)
וְהָיָה כְּעֵץ שָׁתוּל עַל מַיִם
He’s like a tree that was planted on the waters
וְעַל יוּבַל יְשַׁלַּח שָׁרָשָׁיו
And sends out its roots
וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי יָבֹא חֹם
He’s not worried about the heat
וְהָיָה עָלֵהוּ רַעֲנָן
Even when it’s hot outside, his leaves are moist
וּבִשְׁנַת בַּצֹּרֶת לֹא יִדְאָג
In a time of famine, he’s not worried
וְלֹא יָמִישׁ מֵעֲשׂוֹת פֶּרִי:
He continues to give forth fruit.
Why does he continue to give forth fruit?
Because he is connected to the wellspring. The person who has that high level of Bitachon and relies directly on Hashem (especially in a time where everyone is worried and concerned- and he is not) will see success when other people do not.
Today, there are people in various businesses that are doing well even when everything else is. down. They’re in an “essential” business, so their business is still up.
We can’t say that someone who isn’t in an essential business does not have Bitachon, because we don’t know how things work.We don’t judge anyone. But we don’t know what’s going on in anyone’s heart.
The prophet continues and says,
אֲנִי יְדֹוָד חֹקֵר לֵב
I am Hashem, I interrogate the heart
בֹּחֵן כְּלָיוֹת
I test the kidneys.
Bitachon is something very deep in the heart. Therefore, while it might not look like a person has bitachon on the outside, only Hashem knows who has real Bitachon. We don’t.
This is the second unit of our discussion of Yirmiyah’s prophecy on Bitachon. It’s always an important lesson, but now, as we come to concept of “let the year and the curses end...,” we should understand that the source of both the curses and the blessings is Bitachon, and we are taking about two extremes. The person who relies on man will be
כְּעַרְעָר בָּעֲרָבָה
like a cactus in the wilderness.
וְלֹא יִרְאֶה כִּי יָבוֹא טוֹב
He won’t see when the good comes.
There’s a story like that. During a time of famine, the prophet said that there would be such an abundance of wealth, that a bag of flour would cost a dollar, and he made predictions of tremendous turnaround. There was a man who said, “Even if G-d opens up the heavens, it won’t happen.”
The prophet told him, “It will happen, but you won’t see it.”
So, the person who doubts and doesn’t think that Hashem can do it, and just relies on people and מִן יְדֹוָד יָסוּר לִבּוֹ : totally removes his heart from G-d, When things do turnaround, he won’t see it. He won’t see success or abundance.
We want to see that success and abundance, not just in the future but right now. We want to be the kind of people that even when it’s hot outside, and even when there’s a drought, we can continue to see success; which is because,
בָּרוּךְ הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר יִבְטַח בַּידֹוָד
Blessed is the one that relies on Hashem.
He doesn’t just rely on Hashem, but וְהָיָה יְדֹוָד מִבְטַחוֹ
Hashem is his reliance.
There is nothing else; he just thinks about Hashem, and doesn’t have to figure out how it’s going to happen. He doesn’t have to give G-d ideas. He
knows he’s relying on Hashem, that He takes care of me, and He will take care of me. It’s going to happen.
That is the higher level of Emunah and Bitahon, that Yirmiyah says brings with it blessing, and we should all merit to see this.