We have previously discussed the question of where exactly in the Torah it says to rely on G-d.
Rav Sadok HaKohen explains that there are actually two different sources for bitachon, for two different kinds of people. We will explain:
At the end of many Sephardi siddurim there is something called the עשר זכירות/ The Ten Things to Remember
(Ashkenazim have a shorter version). These are pesukim that come from the Torah, that we are told to remember. For example, Yetziat Mitzrayim, and Shabbat are both listed. Another thing we have to remember is the Manna. We have to remember the manna every single day. Where in the Torah does it say this?
In Devarim, in perek ח, it says,
וְזָכַרְתָּ֣ אֶת־כָּל־הַדֶּ֗רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֹלִֽיכֲךָ֜
Remember the whole road you went through in Egypt; And G-d pained you and you were hungry, and He told you,
לְמַ֣עַן הוֹדִֽעֲךָ֗ כִּ֠י לֹ֣א עַל־הַלֶּ֤חֶם לְבַדּוֹ֙ יִחְיֶ֣ה הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֛י עַל־כָּל־מוֹצָ֥א פִֽי־יְהוָ֖ה יִחְיֶ֥ה הָאָדָֽם׃
In order to teach you that man does not live on bread alone- rather, on what emanates from the mouth of G-d.
The manna which came down, which was not bread, was food that emanated from the mouth of G-d.
So too, G-d can give us what we need in all situations, at all times.
Rav Sadok HaKohen says (Sefer Zichronot, pg 24) that this is a source for bitachon for the poor man. One who is extremely poor, who doesn’t have what to eat, should remember the Jewish people in the desert, who were starving and hungry. He has to rely on Hashem for his sustenance.
This is one source for bitachon, listed in our ten remembrances, for the situations in which there is no source of income- like the desert, which lacks all-natural resources. That’s the lesson of the manna.
The other source he mentions is found later on, where it says
הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֔ פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּ֖ח אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ
Beware, that you should not forget Hashem your G-d .
You’ll eat and become satisfied and may forget Hashem.
וְאָמַרְתָּ בִּלְבָבֶךָ כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי עָשָׂה לִי אֶת הַחַיִל הַזֶּה:
And you may say in your heart,
“My strength and the might of my hand made me all this wealth!”
Rather, don’t forget G-d
וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל...
Then you shall remember Hashem, your G-d:
that it was He Who gave you strength to make wealth…
Rav Sadok HaKohen says that this is a source for the Mitzvah of Bitachon, positive and negative, for the wealthy ones who are successful. They aren’t in a desert lacking resources. They have the responsibility, when they have money and are successful, not to say that they made it- they must realize it was Hashem. They should not forget that He is the cause for all of their success.
There is a famous Targum Onkelus that says that כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל...
He Who gave you strength to amass wealth… means that Hashem gives you the idea, or the advice to amass wealth. When you come up with a great idea to make money, it wasn’t really your idea. It was G-d’s idea. That’s another source for the mitzvah of Bitachon in the Torah.
Beautiful! We have two sources for Bitachon, regardless of the situation, to rely on G-d. Whether you can’t seem to find a way out, or whether it seems like Has V’shalom, you don’t need G-d because you’re doing fine on your own, realize that G-d made it happen.
There is a very beautiful thought in the Abudarham (Sefer of the Rishon). In his commentary, he explains Birkot Hashachar, which were compiled by the Anshe Knesset HaGedolah, The Men of the Great Assembly.
Many of these Berachot were fashioned from pesukim. For example, the berachot Matir Assurim, and Zokef Kefufim come from pesukim with similar wording.
So too, many of these Birchot Hashachar come from existing text.
Regarding the beracha- שעשה לי כל צרכי
That Hashem made for me everything that I need,
the Abudarham asks what pasuk this comes from. He answers that it comes from two pesukim. In Divrei Hayamim, there is a pasuk that says
ואנחנו נכרות עצים מן הלבנון ככל צרכך ועל שם
We will chop the wood in Lebanon for everything that we need.
That takes care of the כל צרכי.
But where does the שעשה לי part come from?
He says it goes back to the pasuk we quoted above. A person might say in his heart that
כֹּחִי וְעֹצֶם יָדִי עָשָׂה לִי אֶת הַחַיִל הַזֶּה:
It was my strength, and the might of my hand that made me all this wealth,
But no- it was Hashem that עָשָׂה לִי -did it for me.
Take the words עשה לי, that I did it, and realize that Hashem did it for me.
This is a beautiful thought.
Most people would say that this beracha is referring to wearing shoes, which is true, because once you have shoes on, that enables you to get up and go.
But it’s not just about the shoes. G-d gave you the shoes, and everything else you need. So, the beracha of שעשה לי כל צרכי, according to the Abudarham, is coming to negate the erroneous thought of the successful man, who thinks, “I made it.”
We make this beracha every morning, to remember that it wasn’t me, it was You G-d, who makes it for me.
This can be a powerful segulah for parnassa, for someone to say and think that It’s not me, it’s Hashem doing it for me.
These are two of the ten remembrances, that, according to Rav Sadok, refer to the two sources of bitachon, both for the man who’s in the situation where he lacks resources, and for the man who thinks he has everything he needs, and doesn’t need G-d.
Rav Matisyahu Salomon tells a cute story about a man, back in England, who used to pray a very long Amidah. This man was a cut-throat businessman. The rabbi once asked the man what he was praying about, as he seemed to be very successful. The man answered that he prays,
“G-d, I know You’re all powerful, and that you could stop me and crush me, and interfere with everything that I’m doing. But G-d, please, I know what I’m doing. Please don’t interfere!”
This man had a certain level of bitachon. But he’s mistaken. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He, and we, can’t take care of anything ourselves.
שעשה לי כל צרכי
He takes care of all my needs, for me.