I saw a beautiful Hatam Sofer, in his Derashot/lessons, which gives a tremendous outlook on Bitachon. He explains that the Torat Kohanim, (an early Midrash Halacha), tells us that one can not tell his servant to work indefinitely, under a vineyard, until his return, because this is work without an end. You can tell him to work an hour or two, but you can’t give him an open-ended job.
What is the reason for this?
The Hatam Sofer says that simply, it’s because it’s back-breaking work. But he says since it says that Hashem says “the Jewish people are My servants,” it’s not proper that we should work a fellow Jew on a work that is specific to G-d. What does this mean?
He explains that all of our reward comes because we are sitting and waiting for Hashem’s salvation, and we don’t know when He is going to save us. This refers to Hashem taking us out of our current Galut, but it also refers to our waiting for Olam Habah- The World to Come- that is also something we are waiting for in the future.
We don’t get instant gratification. All of our reward comes from waiting. Therefore, we can’t treat a fellow Jew the way G-d treats us. Only G-d has the right to to subjugate us. The ultimate subjugation is working without knowing when the salvation is coming, and this is something that only G-d has the right to do. We don’t have the right to do that to our fellow Jew.
Furthermore, he says that there is a famous Midrash that says when a Hacham sits and he is doresh” (i.e giving a long speech) and the people are listening, Hashem forgives their sins. Why is that the reward for something seemingly simply like listening to a speech?
He also asks why it says that “the people are listening?”
He answers that the foundation of Emunah is that a person has to wait.
The whole conditioning of the Emunah service is in order to be able to sit and wait. That is the key to Bitachon.
I once heard from Hacham Yosef Harari-Raful, shlita, that the key to Bitachon is patience. He says you have to know how to wait.
It says that during the opening week of the Mishkan, Aharon and his sons had to sit by the opening of the Ohel Moed, waiting, and doing nothing. Why? It was training in Emunah. We too, in our lives, have to sit and wait.
He says that when the rabbi gives a long derasha and the people are listening, most people don’t understand. But by sitting and waiting patiently, they are conditioning themselves to Emunah and Bitachon, which require conditioning in waiting.
This is unbelievable. Why is it that we may be more challenged with Bitachon, that we have to work on Bitachon even more?
Because we live in an instant gratification society.
We aren’t used to waiting for anything. We have microwaves, our computers have to be faster and faster….Everything has to be at the click of a button.
We can’t wait for anything. We have Amazon Prime, within 24 hours. Everything has to be now, now, now. Everyone is A.D.D, they claim. All of that inability to wait is the antithesis of Bitachon.
The Hatam Sofer says that the Benei Ephraim, the ones who left Mitzrayim early, didn’t have the patience.
Some people might not know this, but there was a large chunk of the Jewish people that left Mitzrayim early, and they were killed. It’s based on a pasuk in tehilim (78.9)
בְּֽנֵי־אֶפְרַ֗יִם נוֹשְׁקֵ֥י רוֹמֵי־קָ֑שֶׁת הָ֝פְכ֗וּ בְּי֣וֹם קְרָֽב
They didn’t wait , or guard the covenant ( which also means to wait)
And who came from Benei Ephraim? Yeravam ben Nevat- the ultimate Kofer/Heretic
Why? The Hatam sofer says that the cause of the kofer was the lack of the midah of patience.
So when a Hacham gives a long derasha, he’s training people in waiting. This is a tremendous Yesod/ principle.
We need to learn to wait. It’s not easy, especially in our instant gratification society. Bitachon doesn’t mean you will get it this second. You’ll get it, but might take a month or two.
I know people have wondrous Bitachon stories, but they don’t happen immediately.
You have to have a little bit of waiting power.
As we’ve said once before, Hashem is not in a rush. He is not afraid that He will be too late, or miss the party. Therefore He will come exactly when necessary.
Just because it’s delayed, it doesn’t mean it’s not coming
אף על פי שיתמהמה, אם כל זה אחכה לו
Even though it is being drawn out, and Mashiach hasn’t come,
אחכה לו
I will wait for him.
That is the key. This concept of
אחכה לו
I will wait for him,
is not only about the final redemption. It’s about everyone’s individual, personal salvation.
אחכה לו
Wait patiently, because the yeshua/ salvation will come.
Have a wonderful day.