We are now starting our Winter season. Those of you who have been with us from the beginning, we started with the Bet HaLevi, and then moved on to Hovot Halevavot. We then took a Corona- related break, goingthrough varied topics, and then through the high holiday season.
We are now going to start a new sefer, which is also Bitachon- related, although on a higher level, which is sometimes what people need during challenging times.
We will be working on the Sefer Madregat HaAdam, written by the Elder of Novardok, who started the Yeshiva of Novardok in the early 1900s. He was known for his great, high levels of Bitachon. Being that this sefer is on a high level, it’s something to aspire to. Don’t be afraid of higher levels.
He starts by quoting commentary from the Gaon of Vilna on Mishleh.
Shlomo HaMelech says
בטח אל ה׳ בכל לבך
Rely on Hashem with all your heart
Why does it say, “with all your heart?” Why not just say, “Rely on Hashem with your heart?”
The Gaon of Vilna says that it means with a complete heart.
What does that mean?
The pasuk continues and says,
וְאֶל בִּינָתְךָ אַל תִּשָּׁעֵן
And on your wisdom do not lean
In other words, do not say, “I’ll rely on Hashem but I’ll also lean on my intelligence.”
Don’t do that.
The root of the word תשען/lean is משען, which means cane. When a person walks with a cane, they are primarily walking on their own, and just using a cane for a little help- But no- don’t do that. Don’t even use your intelligence as a cane. Rely on Hashem totally.
Of course, we always have to stress that when we say to rely on Hashem totally, that doesn’t mean we don’t put forth effort. We put our effort in, we go to work, but what is it that we are relying on?
This is the paradox-We go to work, but we aren’t relying on our work. So why do we go? Because Hashem told us to. But we are not to rely on it one little bit. How we did at work does not have any effect at all on our attitude or way of thinking.
The Gaon of Vilna quotes a Gemara that says that the rabbis did not know the meaning of a certain pasuk that says,
הַשְׁלֵ֤ךְ עַל־ה׳ יְהָבְךָ֮ וְה֪וּא יְכַ֫לְכְּלֶ֥ךָ
“Throw your yahav/load on G-d, and He will help you out”
They didn’t know exactly what this meant. What was this word יהב/yahav?
Then, one day, a rabbi was walking on the road with a load on his back. He needed someone to help carry it. He met up with an Arab, who told him
שכל יהבך
Take your Yahav...and throw it on my camel. “
And from the context of the Arab’s statement, offering to carry load, the Rabbis were able to infer that the word יהב /yahav is a load
The Gaon of Vilna thought this was very strange. An Arab knew the meaning of a word that the rabbis didn’t know?
He says that the rabbis had a doubt about what Bitachon means. Does it mean that a person is supposed to use his intellect, and of course, rely on Hashem as well? Should he do his best, and at the end ask Hashem to make it work?
Or does it mean we should not rely on our actions or intelligence at all?
The rabbis tried to figure out what exactly the word yahav meant, and this story showed them:
Since the Arab offered to take the load, before the rabbi even asked him to, the rabbis took that as a sign that you don’t have to do anything. When some is supposed to happen, it will happen. Of course the rabbi walked into the street, to the area where you hire people, but he was shown that ultimately it was the decision of Hashem that makes things happen.
This is an important mindset that we always have to have. It’s the highest level, to realize that Hashem is only One that makes things happen.
Who are we relying on, and counting on and comfortable with? Hashem, and not our connections.
This applies on any day of our lives. We can constantly apply this, to the times we live in today.
Are our children going to school or not going to school? Will the stores be open or not? What about my business?
We all have questions, and of course, we have to do everything we can, but it should be that if you get a phone call from So-and-so, and he says, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” you can then relax. That is not what should cause you to relax. If so, that means you’re leaning on someone other than Hashem. That phone call is not supposed to make a difference at all.
When Yaakov Avinu was dealing with Lavan, he told told Lavan,
לא תתן לי מאומה
Don’t give me anything... I’m not taking anything from you
Of course, Yaakov Avinu did a lot of hishtadlut. He put the sticks with the sheep, etc... but at the end of the day, Yaakov Avinu understood
לא תתן לי מאומה
You׳re not giving me anything.
These are the basic bitachon fundamentals.
We will continue to develop them on this high level, of totally focusing, and totally relying on Hashem, with nothing else.