Today, after taking a break for Hanukah, we will resume quoting hiddushim from Rav Bloch’s sefer Eggeret Al HaBitachon. And there are no coincidences. We just quoted from Rambam’s Moreh Nevuchim, that Yoshev B’Seter Elyon shows that Hashem's supervision and protection is on a person, based on his levels of Bitachon, and the more bitachon he has, the more individual protection he gets. And that actually is the next piece that Rav Bloch quotes in his Sefer! He quotes another Rishon, Rav Yaakov Sakili, one of the students of Rashba , in his sefer Torat Hamincha, (13th derasha, Parashat Veyetzeh) on the pasuk in Mishleh (18,10)
מִגְדַּל־עֹ֭ז שֵׁ֣ם ה׳ בּֽוֹ־יָר֖וּץ צַדִּ֣יק וְנִשְׂגָּֽב׃
Migdal Oz Shem Hashem
The name of God is a strong, powerful fortress,
Bo Yarutz Sadik V’Nisgav
And there the righteous man can run and be protected.
And he says that one that relies on Hashem is constantly protected with Hashem’s supervision. And Hashem’s supervision is the best possible supervision and protection. Of course, we have to do our hishtadlut, and we like to have guards outside our shuls, but there is nothing better than Hashem protecting us.
He says that Hashem protecting us is like a Migdal Oz, like a powerful fortress. When a person is in a fortress, they're not afraid at all. They're protected in a underground bunker that's protected from everything.
And in this fortress, this Migdal Oz, he says, there are all types of resources- all kinds of food and drink, weapons, everything necessary to stay in this fortress. And he says, there's nothing lacking. There's no fear. You’re in the best place you could possibly want to be. And so too, one that relies on Hashem is protected from everything, as the pasuk in Tehilim 33,18 says,
הִנֵּ֤ה עֵ֣ין ה׳ אֶל־יְרֵאָ֑יו
God has a special eye on those that fear Him,
לַֽמְיַחֲלִ֥ים לְחַסְדּֽוֹ
those that hope to His kindness.
When a person throws everything on Hashem, he's connected to Hashem, and Hashem is connected to Him. He says, Everything is done directly from Hashem, because he's so connected, as the pasuk says Throw your load on Hashem.
Rav Bloch makes a nice diyuk- there’s a famous discussion about whether one can rely on Hashem for luxuries or just for what's necessary. There's a story (There’s a little controversy about whether it actually happened. Some say it didn’t happen, others say it did happen, but you shouldn't tell it over because people might misunderstand it) But the story is that there was a discussion between two Gedolim, about whether one can rely on Hashem to get a gold watch. And one said you could and one said you can't. The one that said you could closed his eyes and there was a knock at a door. In walked a young man who was conscripted into the Russian army. He asked this rabbi to watch his gold watch. He didn't trust anybody with it. But the rabbi didn’t want take the responsibility. So the young man said, “I’m giving it to you as a gift. If I come back, I come back, but I'm giving it to you as a gift.”
I heard this story from a great grandson of the Bet Halevi, who heard it from the Brisker Rav’s son, who heard it from the Brisker Rav.
But regardless, Rav Yaakov Sakili says that Migdal Oz includes everything, well springs and delicious food… So that means Bitachon gives you everything. And Rav Bloch says that actually, it's a Rashi- when the Jewish people say, “Is Hashem with us or not?” Rashi says, “I'm always amongst you and I'm ready for whatever you need.”
Whatever you need.
There’s another example in Masechet Ketubot, 67B: A poor man came to Rava, and Rava asked, What do you eat?
The man answered, “I eat fattened geese and old wine.”
So the rabbi said to him, “You know, when you're asking for handouts you can't be so luxurious.”
And the man replied, “I'm not asking it from you. I'm asking from Hashem.”
And at that moment, there was a knock on the door. Rava’s sister, whom he hadn't seen for many years, came to visit him and she brought along, as a gift, a fattened chicken and old wine. Rava gave it to the poor man and said, “Here, it's yours. You got it with your bitachon.”
So that shows us that Bitachon protects us and can give us our heart’s desires.
Have a wonderful day.