Daily Bitachon

Welcome to daily. We're now in Tehilim 21,8 כִּֽי־הַ֭מֶּלֶךְ בֹּטֵ֣חַ בַּיהֹוָ֑ה וּבְחֶ֥סֶד עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן בַּל־יִמּֽוֹט׃ For the King trusts in Hashem and the kindness of the Most High, (referring to Hashem) that he will not falter. Rabbenu Bachye in Bamidbar 22, 2 discusses the concept of a Jewish king and says that originally Hashem did not want there to be a Jewish king because the people rely on the king and the king relies on the people. It's reciprocal. The king wants to have a large nation army and he's relying on them and they're ultimately relying on him. But we, the Jewish people are supposed to rely directly on Hashem. The Torah forbade reliance on human beings. Hashem wants each of us to individually rely on Hashem. When we have that, we shouldn't need to have any one man to rely on. Even more than that, every individual will be more guaranteed than the king. Since Hashem knew that in the future the people would become weak, he set up a system for a king, but it's really not ideal and that's why Hashem wasn't happy with it. David Hamelech is different though. As our pasuk says, this King trusts Hashem. This king, says the Radak is different than other kings. He does not rely on the masses of people. He relies on hesed Elyon/ the kindness of the One that's the highest. The system of bitachon is like a pyramid. The guy below relies on the guy above, and above and above and that's why the whole world relies on the king. The king has no one above him, so he has to rely on the people at large, who are above him in a way, because ultimately, they can overthrow the king. But David Hamelech realizes that there's something above him. That's why in this case we call it the Hesed Elyon , the kindness of the Highest One . Because the king has no one above him but David Hamelech looks even higher and sees Hashem, who is the One that can control everything, regardless of his abilities. That's why the pasuk ends off with Bal Yimot. David Hamelech knows he'll never falter because he's relying on the hesed of Hashem, which also never falls. The Chatam Sofer in Bamidbar 9 ,23 says that of course David Hamelech relied on Hashem when he was small, when he was taking on Goliat. The hiddush is that after he became king, he didn’t rely on his armies or his wealth, only on Hashem, unlike some people who only rely on Hashem when they’re down. The sefer Tiferet Shlomo, in his Likutim on Shmuel , adds a further point. He says, as we just mentioned, the poor man has no choice but rely on the wealthy to rely on Hashem and not on his wealth, because he has no wealth. The king that could rely on his wealth and still relies on Hashem is a great Sidkut , and that's David Hamelech, who had all the wealth in the world and yet relied on Hashem. He cites the Zohar, that quotes from Rav Hamnuna Saba who would pray before he ate, even though he had a full table of food. It's brought down that everyone should do that-pray for their food every single day. Now the question is, what do you mean pray for my food? The food's on the table, I'm about to eat the food. There are people who say, Mizmor L’David, Hashem Ro’ee Lo Echsar before they eat because in that we have the pasuk (23,5) תַּעֲרֹ֬ךְ לְפָנַ֨י ׀ שֻׁלְחָ֗ן Hashem sets my table… What does that mean? Don’t I set the table? That's exactly the point here- to realize that even when you have it, it’s Hesed Elyon- in a split second, it can disappear. This is really a big hiddush. When we have our health and our wealth and our happiness and our family and the shidduch, and we're sitting in our houses, the mortgages arepaid off, everything's fine, our family is around us, the Pesach bills have been paid…. And I say, I have to rely on Hashem for what I have this second because, as we say, Hashem is pumping energy into everything every single second. There's nothing that's just here, it's here because it's Hashem's want that we should have it right now. And that's what David Hamelech understands. That's the greatness of David Hamelech. He's the king. And he relies on Hesed Elyon. And that's the only reason why bal yimot/he won't falter . We don’t stress this enough. When I have the food, I have the car, I have the house, I have it all, what guarantees Bal Yimot ? What guarantees it will not falter ? That’s why I need bitachon, even when I have everything. Because I don't really have anything- I need the constant Hesed Elyon. There are so many important pesukim, and that's why we're trying to review them. For those of you that haven't been following us for the past few years, we started with the list of Pesukei Bitachon of Rav Yosef Zundel of Salant, who also lists this pasuk, but stressed a different point- El Elyon, Gomel Hasadim Tovim . If you want a refresher on that, you can take a look at the book Daily Dose of Bitachon of Pesukim of Bitachon. Now we're on the Maharal’s list. He also lists this pasuk , but with the Bal Yimot twist. There are endless beautiful thoughts to appreciate in any pasuk. The Melech, the king is Bote’ach b’Hessed Elyon. He's got it all, but he still knows I need Hesed Elyon. Otherwise I might falter. Finally, the word Elyon means above and the root of the word Yimot is Mat , which is go down. So we can either be above or below . We could be on the top or the bottom of the Ferris wheel, but even if you’re all the way up on the top, you could still hit the bottom. That's the nature of the Ferris wheel. But again, David Hamelech is Bote’ach B’Hashem. Have a wonderful day.

We are now in a famous pasuk , Yermiyah 17,5 כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה אָר֤וּר הַגֶּ֙בֶר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִבְטַ֣ח בָּאָדָ֔ם וְשָׂ֥ם בָּשָׂ֖ר זְרֹע֑וֹ וּמִן־יְהֹוָ֖ה יָס֥וּר לִבּֽוֹ׃ So says God, ‘Cursed is the man who relies on a person, and makes flesh into his strength, and from Hashem, he turns away his heart. This is a scary pasuk- someone who doesn't have bitachon is cursed! In his sefer HaMaspik L’Ovdeh Hashem, the Rambam’s son quotes his father as saying that without these last two words of, “ Yasur Libo / He removes his heart (from Hashem) ,” we would all be included in this curse, has v’shalom , because most, if not all people have some type of partnership- the son relies on his father, the lady relies on her husband, the partner, on his fellow partner etc. Most people don't focus their full bitachon only on Hashem. But this curse only applies if you remove your bitachon from Hashem completely . The term yasur means total involvement . If, in your heart, you rely on Hashem, but you’re helped by other people, that's fine. That's the norm. The sefer Derashot Maharit on Parashat Miketz says the same thing- doing regular hishtadlut through people is the way Hashem works. That's not what is cursed. The curse is on M’Hashem Yasur Libo / completely turning your heart away from Hashem. So these are encouraging words from both the Rambam and the Maharit. The Hovot Halevavot says something slightly different, that might be a bit of a stringency. In Shaar Bitachon (chapter three) he talks about the important prequesites you need to be successful at bitachon. One of them is “You make Hashem solely into the one that you're relying on without any partnerships,’ not rely on Hashem and on somebody else. He didn't say you can't do hishtadlut, but he is saying that your reliance has to be on Hashem. It can't on a partnership. Furthermore, he says, if you're relying on Hashem and somebody else, then that's lacking in bitachon. He references the great king Asa, who, pious as he was, relied on the doctors and was punished for that. He says that is what our pasuk is referring to when it says Cursed is the one who relies on man and takes Hashem away from his heart. He ends off with; “ It's well known that if you ask two or more people to do something, then you're appointing has really lost out. If you tell your three children to clear the table, no one clears the table. He says it’s the same thing with Bitachon. If you rely on Hashem and somebody else, then you're not really relying on Hashem. Relying on Hashem means I'm counting on You. I need You. I can't do it without You. If you say, “You know what, Hashem? I'm counting on you, but my father might bail me out or my uncle or someone else, “ This is the strongest cause (for Hashem) to hold back from him what he’s relying for, and he quotes our pasuk. People often say they had bitachon, but it didn't work. Hold on. Only Hashem knows what's going on in your heart. Can I say I was totally focused on Hashem and I didn't all rely on the doctor, the lawyer, et cetera? This is an important piece of information that the Hovot Halevavot is revealing to us. He says this is the biggest reason that people’s bitachon doesn't work. People always ask, If you have bitachon will you get what you want? Well, Did you really have bitachon? Of course, we know there’s Hashem, we're not questioning that. Of course you're relying on Hashem, but is there a partnership here? Is it 100% Hashem? We're not saying that if it’s not 100%, you won’t get anything. But to be guaranteed and get what you want, you need to have total reliance without any partnership. 100%, no dilutions, and that's easier said than done. It takes a lot of work. B’Ezrat Hashem with thought and focus, we can get there.

We're now in a pasuk in Yeshaya 26,3 יֵ֣צֶר סָמ֔וּךְ תִּצֹּ֖ר שָׁל֣וֹם ׀ שָׁל֑וֹם כִּ֥י בְךָ֖ בָּטֽוּחַ׃ The Yeser/creation that relied on You, You protect him with peace; Peace, for in You he relied. This creature, this person will be protected with peace because he relied on Hashem. That is the simple explanation of Rashi. There are other explanations as well. The Radak, in his sefer HaShorashim , talks about the word Yeser . The term Yeser HaRa is usually translated as evil inclination , as you incline or lean towards evil. But the Radak says the term Yeser HaRa refers to man's desires or pictures, that are created on two different sides. He says the word Yeser is creation because the heart creates these images, positive and negative, that you desire. That's what Yeser HaTov and Yeser HaRa are. He says our pasuk refers to the Yeser HaTov . ‘Yeser Samuch’ means the Sadik relies on his Yeser HaTov ; meaning he listens to and leans on his Yeser HaTov. That protects him from doing evil and God gives him peace Ki Becha Batuach/ because he relied on Hashem . So, this explanation is talking about the man that is using his Yeser HaTov . He's listening to those positive images. The Malbim offers a similar explanation- that somebody who relies on his Emunah, God will protect him. He will have true peace and he will be able to rely on Hashem and not fear evil. That is the approach of the Radak and the Malbim. The Midrash Raba in Bereshit 22,6 has a different explanation and says this Yeser refers to the Yeser Hara. Rav Chanina Bar Papa says, When the Yeser HaRa comes to challenge you, push him away with Divreh Torah. When you do that, I consider it that you are the one that created peace. One might ask, “ How can you control your Yeser HaRa?” Don't worry. You are guaranteed. It says Your Yeser HaRa is out to get you so rely on My guarantee that you can overcome Yeser Hara So the pasuk can be read as: יֵ֣צֶר סָמ֔וּךְ If the Yeser Hara is close to you (if he’s trying to get you) תִּצֹּ֖ר שָׁל֣וֹם Protect yourself with shalom. What does shalom refer to? Divreh Torah שָׁל֑וֹם כִּ֥י בְךָ֖ בָּטֽוּחַ׃ The Chida quotes this midrash in two places. In his sefer Kikar LeAdon, chapter four, he says that this concept is based in the Gemara in Kiddushin , where it says בָּרָאתִי יֵצֶר הָרָע וּבָרָאתִי לוֹ תּוֹרָה תַּבְלִין. / I created the evil inclination (or the source of evil thoughts) and I created the Torah as the antidote, so that you can't claim that you are not in control because the Torah is the antidote . And that's what this pasuk is talking about. In another sefer , Homat Anach on the sefer Yeshaya , he adds that there are certain things that annul or get rid of the Yeser HaRa . Yirat Hashem is one, humility is another. These things anull him. But if you want to turn the Yeser Hara to good; if you want to channel those negative thoughts and forces for the good, for that, you need Torah . That’s what it means, בָּרָאתִי יֵצֶר הָרָע וּבָרָ אתִי לוֹ תּוֹרָה תַּבְלִין. / I created the Yeser HaRa and I created Torah Tavlin . Tavlin means spice . The spice makes it better. So, our pasuk is saying, If you want to save yourself, you need shalom (which refers to the Torah) and that shalom will turn the Yeser HaRa into good. That's what it means that I consider that you created peace, because you made the Yeser HaRa , those negative forces and desires, into good. And you can rely on Hashem because He promised us this. This is important as summertime is when the Yeser HaRa gets us. Someone once approached Rabbi Miller at a parlor meeting and said, “ I have difficulty with the challenges of the summertime. And don't tell me to learn Torah because I'm learning Torah and it's not working.” Rabbi Miller’s response notwithstanding, based on this Chida, we can say that what might have been missing is Ki becha batuach/You have to rely on Hashem and say, Hashem promised me, He guaranteed me that learning Torah will help me, so I'm relying on Hashem that the Torah learning will help me. Based on this pasuk , it seems that Torah Tavlin is not enough. You have to have the added aspect of bitachon . In short, we have two ways to read this pasuk. One is referring to the Yeser HaTov and the other is referring to the Yeser Hara. Both of them end off with Ki becha Batuach/ I feel guaranteed by Hashem to help me- whether I'm following my Yeser HaTov, or to help me when I'm learning Torah to protect me. B’Ezrat Hashem, we will have that shalom , that inner peace , because as long as someone's battling his Yeser Hara , he's not at peace. And that is the guarantee that we have from Hashem. בָּרָאתִי יֵצֶר הָרָע וּבָרָאתִי לוֹ תּוֹרָה תַּבְלִין.

Today we will discuss a pasuk in Tehilim 56,4, י֥וֹם אִירָ֑א אֲ֝נִ֗י אֵלֶ֥יךָ אֶבְטָֽח׃ On the day, I fear I rely on You. The sefer Binah L’Ittim writes, in the second derush on Shabbat HaGadol , “ On the day that I fear, and I realize that I'm not in charge (that’s why I'm afraid), then I can rely on Hashem . Because the fact that I realized that I'm not in charge arouses Hashem’s supervision and His wonders and miracles upon me. This is an important rule that we've discussed in the past- bitachon does not just mean that a person is complacent, that we sit back as if there are no problems in the world. That's not what bitachon is. Bitachon means that I realize the severity of the situation. I realize there are dangers out there, and then I focus on Hashem Who will take care of me, because He is in charge of everything. The Brisker Rav explains that that’s why Rosh Hashanah is a day of fear, and at the same time, a day of reliance on Hashem. Because if we don't arouse fear in ourselves, then it's not real bitachon. Right now, as you read this, no one has bitachon that they won't be in a tidal wave or an earthquake or a mudslide. You're sitting comfortably wherever you are, and you don't even have a concern. It’s only where a concern exists that can we evoke our bitachon in that area. In the sefer Shaarim B’Tefila, by Rabbi Shimshon Pincus, on the topic of calling out to Hashem, he quotes the Brisker Rav, and says that the Brisker Rav would act on this. In times of danger, the Brisker Rav would arouse fear in the people and say, We're in trouble. When there's a potential for war, we shouldn’t brush it off and say, “ Nah, it’s okay.” When there is danger, we can't just walk around serene and peaceful and say it's going to be fine. We're in danger. In his sefer Tiferet Shimshon on Vayikra , he says, “ I heard from the Brisker Rav’s son that when there was danger, he would constantly remind his children of the danger. He would say, ‘They're coming to kill us!’” Because the second you forget the trouble, the second you weaken and say, “ It's gonna be okay ,” you're no longer relying on Hashem. When a person has a challenge in his business, he shouldn’t say, “ Everything will be okay.” No, it’s not going to be okay. It might be terrible! And once I recognize that, I rely on Hashem- that’s Bitachon. During the Gulf War there was fear of Iran sending scud missiles into Israel, and there was no Iron Dome back then. Missiles were shot, and missiles did land. Baruch Hashem , they generally missed their targets and landed in open fields. But before Iran sent their missiles out, there was fear of chemical warfare. I remember certain people said it would be okay, not to worry , but Rav Shach said that was wrong.. He said said that before World War II. ‘ Don't worry. Everything will be okay.’ Well , he said, “ We don't know if it's going to be okay. It might be terrible. Things could happen .” And people got scared. He obviously did it for this reason, because you have to realize that bad things can happen. And then, when you start getting nervous, then it's going be okay. But if you're complacent and you have no fear, that's a problem. Another point from this pasuk is that the pasuk literally says, י֥וֹם אִירָ֑א אֲ֝נִ֗י אֵלֶ֥יךָ אֶבְטָֽח׃ On a day of fear, I to You rely. It should really say, I rely on You. I don't rely to You. Many commentaries explain that it can be translated both ways. But the sefer Semach Sadik, from the first Vizhnitzer Rebbi, Mendel Hager, (1830 to 1884) asks a different question. Why does it say Yom Irah/On the day of fear, Ani/ I rely on You ? He explains that when a person feels afraid, he gets down. But he needs a little bit of what he calls Gadlut / a little bit of greatness . Therefore, it says “ Ani / I .” There's a bit of gaava , a bit of strength and arrogance because there's a concept that you have to be uplifted your heart in the ways of God. You can't just be down and depressed. So, Yom Irah, Ani Elecha Evtach/On the day of fear, I'm going rely to You. Ultimately, in all our successes, we want them in order to serve Hashem properly. Therefore, I go with courage knowing that I'm trying to do the will of God. Therefore, Elecha / to You I rely, because I'm going towards You. I am relying that You're going to help me, and pull me through this. So again, Yom Irah/it's that day of fear . I realize it's dangerous. Whether due to war, health, business, etc… Ani/I , pick myself up . I am a somebody but Elecha/I'm going towards You and that's going to bring my success.

We are now in Pesukei Bitachon, Tehilim 115,11 יִרְאֵ֣י יְ֭הֹוָה בִּטְח֣וּ בַיהֹוָ֑ה עֶזְרָ֖ם וּמָגִנָּ֣ם הֽוּא׃ Those that fear Hashem rely on Hashem. He is their help and their shield. What is the connection between those that fear Hashem and those that rely on Him? Rabbenu Bachye in Bamidbar 25,11 tells us it’s known that Fear of Hashem is a stepping stone to Bitachon. We have to start with fear of Hashem, which is the realization that Hashem is here. Fear of Hashem doesn’t mean that you walk around shivering all day. Fear of Hashem means you realize Hashem is here. Rav Wolbe, as well as others, says that יראה Yirah / fear has the same letters as ראה Ra’ah / to see , which means fear of Hashem means you're aware of Hashem and therefore you don’t want to sin because He's watching me . And ultimately, if I'm aware of Hashem and know He's here, then I rely on Him. That's why יִרְאֵ֣י יְ֭הֹוָה בִּטְח֣וּ בַיהֹוָ֑ה those that fear Hashem rely on Hashem. Rabbenu Yonah, in his Igeret HaTashuva , unit 70, says that the more fear of Hashem you have, the stronger your reliance on Hashem becomes, and he quotes our pasuk: יִרְאֵ֣י יְ֭הֹוָה בִּטְח֣וּ בַיהֹוָ֑ה Rabbenu Yonah, in Mishleh 18,10 asks why we single out that Yireh Hashem rely on Hashem, and he says it’s because the reliance of people that fear Hashem is a different level of reliance. Furthermore, the Chatam Sofer points out that the rule is that we always go up in the levels of holiness. The pesukim start off with Yisrael Betach B’Hashem . Yisrael is the base level. Just the fact that he identifies as a Jew is something, as we previously discussed. Then there's the Bet Aharon Bitchu B’Hashem , those are the Kohanim . That's the next level. But the highest level is Yireh Hashem , those that fear Hashem. One of the greats in our Torah is Pinhas, somebody who put his life on the line, someone that had Yirah and Bitachon . Rabbenu Bachye, in Bamidbar 25,11 says that Pinhas was a God-fearing man and also a Bote’ach B’Hashem and his reward for killing Kozbi and Zimri was (Malachi 2,5) בְּרִיתִ֣י ׀ הָיְתָ֣ה אִתּ֗וֹ הַֽחַיִּים֙ וְהַשָּׁל֔וֹם / My covenant was with him- Life and Shalom He got life. He lived forever, and he got peace. These are really connected. Living forever comes from the fact that your body is at peace with itself. His body and soul never separated. Rabbenu Bachye says he got these two rewards, peace and life, because he had the traits of Yirah and Bitachon . What is a greater reward than life and peace? Of course, we want to live but we know that without peace, what is life? We're learning that these two levels, fear of Hashem and reliance on Hashem, give us the two greatest gifts that we can ask for: HaChaim V’HaShalom. And it builds on itself, as we said. The the more fear of Hashem we have, the more reliance on Hashem we have. The Chatam Sofer says in Shemot 18,23 that Yirat Shamayim comes from learning Torah. This point was a bit of a hiddush to me. We talk a lot about relying on Hashem, but there's a process. You need to work on Yirat Shamayim/ Fear of Hashem in general. We learn this from Yosef HaSadik who controlled himself from sinning with his boss's wife. He had Yirat Hashem . He said, I don't want to sin to God . He is also the role model of bitachon/reliance on Hashem, because you can't just jump to relying on Hashem. You rely on Hashem if you're aware of His presence. And if you're aware of His presence, then you also follow His rules and regulations and don't sin, so Bitachon needs Yirat Shamayim. We shouldn’t fool ourselves. We know that bitachon is elusive, so we really have to say to ourselves, If we have real bitachon, it should come with real Yirat Shamayim as well. Have a wonderful day.

We are now in Tehilim 28,7. יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ עֻזִּ֥י וּמָגִנִּי֮ בּ֤וֹ בָטַ֥ח לִבִּ֗י וְֽנֶ֫עֱזָ֥רְתִּי וַיַּעֲלֹ֥ז לִבִּ֑י וּֽמִשִּׁירִ֥י אֲהוֹדֶֽנּוּ׃ Hashem is my strength and my shield. And in my heart I trusted him and I was helped. And my heart exulted. And with my song I will praise Him. What exactly is David Hamelech telling us? What's the Hiddush ? The Ibn Ezra explains the phrase Bo Betach Libi, in my heart I relied ( in singular) and V’Ne’zarti I was helped. He explains, “ I relied on Him alone , but many people helped me because He commanded them.” This is an extremely important lesson that the Ibn Ezra teaches, with basically four words: Ki Hu Siva LaHem/because He commanded them. We see this phrase two times in connection to Eliyahu HaNavi. Once in Melachim א perek י״ז when Hashem tells him “ Go and hide in Nachal Krit (on the Jordan) drink from there, and the ravens , Siviti/I commanded them to take care of you and give you food. The Radak explains that this wasn’t a prophesy to the ravens but rather that God placed in the heart of the ravens to feed him. A bit later in that same chapter Hashem tells Eliyahu HaNavi, “ Leave that spot. Go to Sorfata (in Sidon) “ Siviti/I commanded a widow to take care of you .” This widow was not a prophetess. He went there and she offered him the last bit of food that she had. Again,we see the phrase Siviti/ I commanded. The Ibn Ezra is teaching us that when we rely on Hashem, Hashem commands the masses to help us. He's not going to appear to them in the middle of the night in a dream, but nonetheless, He's going to make it happen. The Chafetz Chaim quotes this concept in his sefer Shem Olam, section one, chapter three. He says that anytime someone does a favor for you, you have to realize it's all M’Et Hashem. Hashem put in their hearts to help you , and he cites this pasuk of Eliyahu HaNavi, that this widow was not a prophetess, and yet God put into her the desire to feed him. Therefore he says, if you ask someone to do something for you, to buy something, lend you money, give you a job, make a shidduch or benefit you in any way, and he doesn't do it, don't complain, because it just means that Hashem didn't whisper in his ear that he's the man to do it. He adds, “I heard in the name of a certain Gadol that it's comparable to someone who is looking for a certain man named Reuven. He asks people, “ Can you tell me where Reuven is? ” They tell him that Reuven is a certain place so the man goes there and he says, “ Are you Reuven?” “ No, I'm not Reuven, ” says a guy. Would the man start yelling and screaming at this person that he's not Reuven? No, because he's not Reuven! The Chafetz Chaim says it’s the same when you're looking for someone to give you a loan. That man was spoken to by God, so to say, and told to give you the loan. If this man doesn't give you the loan, that just means you found the wrong man, so you can't complain to him. He's the wrong man. Lest you ask, “ What does this have to do with me? I'm not Eliyahu HaNav i,” know that the Chafetz Chaim, who lived a hundred years ago, brought it down. Additionally, the Hovot Halevavot, in the introduction to Shaar Bitachon, when he talks about the advantages of the Baal Bitachon over Alchemist, says that the Alchemist needs to have certain materials and without them, he can't do what he needs to do. (The Alchemist is the man that was able to turn metal into copper, copper into silver, and silver into gold). But the one that relies on Hashem, his sustenance is guaranteed without any intermediaries. His source for this is Eliyahu HaNavi, so he's talking to me and you and using Eliyahu HaNavi as the example, because this concept of Siviti I commanded, is for everybody . That's what the Ibn Ezra is revealing to us in this pasuk. בּ֤וֹ בָטַ֥ח לִבִּ֗י I relied on Hashem וְֽנֶ֫עֱזָ֥רְתִּיּ and I was helped by the masses. Why? Ki Hu Siva LaHem/Because He commanded them. What a wonderful, beautiful thought.

Today's pasuk of bitachon is a famous one from Hallel . יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל בְּטַ֣ח בַּיהֹוָ֑ה עֶזְרָ֖ם וּמָגִנָּ֣ם הֽוּא׃ Jewish people rely on Hashem. He is their Savior, their Help and their Shield. The sefer Maaseh Hashem , on the topic of Maaseh Mitzrayim chapter 24, says that there are two ways that Hashem can save the Jewish people. One way is that He wipes out the enemy. The other wa is that He protects us in what we’ll call an almost miraculous way. He says the greater praise comes when Hashem is their Magen , their Protector , because when Hashem wipes out the enemy, it could be just because the enemy was deserving of punishment, like it says in Devarim 9,5, כִּ֞י בְּרִשְׁעַ֣ת הַגּוֹיִם / Due to the wickedness of these nations. When Hashem doesn’t wipe out the nation, but rather protects us, that publicizes Hashem's love for us, because He is doing it just to save us. That's the expression of love that Hashem had for Avraham Avinu in Bereshit 15,1 אנכי מגן לך I am your shield . That's why we say, every single day, Magen Abraham , because that publicizes God's love, when He saves us through protection. That actually is what happened when those 300 missiles from Iran came our way and Hashem protected us miraculously with His clouds of glory. Of course, it happened in a semi-natural way that could attributed to the Iron Dome or other technological advances. But those are 90% successful, not 99.9% successful. In any case, God was our Magen , and that's something that's supposed to give us tremendous hizuk . Who exactly merits this level of Magen , when Hashem shows His tremendous love for us in that way? The sefer Zekan Aharon , quoted in sefer Yisaschar Yisrael Parashat Yavashev says that quite often, people feel that they're not deserving of Hashem’s love and protection, because they might have sinned. He says that even if someone sinned in a great way and he has almost no holiness left to him, if all he has left to him is the title Yisrael , then He's a Jew . What does it mean that he's a Jew? There’s a pasuk in Yeshayah 44,5 that says that in the future, when Mashiach comes, there will be different levels of Jews, and one of them is וּבְשֵׁ֥ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יְכַנֶּֽה / He's called the Jew . The Bet Halevi writes in a manuscript quoted in the sefer Kovetz Yerushun that this refers to a Jew who didn't put on tefilin , and never said a Kaddish. But you know what he still has going for him? He didn't assimilate. He's recognizable as a Jew. And he says that you can't imagine what the great zechut is, for somebody who did not assimilate, who identifies himself as part of the Jewish people . We can't underestimate what that power is. He's not that Rasha from the Hagaddah that took himself out of the group . He says, If all this fellow has going for him is that he identifies himself as Yisrael, that’s enough for him to rely on Hashem, to merit the level that ‘Hashem will be a Magen, a Protector for you.’ It says ‘ Magen Avraham , God protects Abraham ,’ meaning that every Jew who has that little bit of Avraham inside of him, is still protected like Avraham, as long as he identifies as a continuation of Avraham Avinu. And he says, that's why the pasuk starts in the singular form, because this fellow becomes part of the Jewish people. He identifies himself and unifies himself with the rest of the people. This concept is actually a Rashi in Chumash. When they went out to war ( Devarim 23), the Kohen told them, ‘ Shema Yisrael, Hear, Jewish people, you're going out to war. Don't be afraid, don't be broken .’ Why does it say ShemaYisrael ? Rashi says it’s because Even if all you have is the merit of saying ‘Shema Yisrael,’ that's enough to save you. And Rav Wolbe, in his sefer Alei Shor (volume 2, page 360), makes a beautiful diyuk . He says, “It doesn't say ‘ In the merit of saying Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echad… ’ it’s just the first two words that warrant protection. That means Shema/Hear Yisrael/Listen that you're a Jew. Realize you’re part of the Jewish people , and that itself earns you the protection for you to go out to war and be successful. This is an unbelievable concept for those people that wonder Who am I? What am I? Are you a Yisrael? Do you identify yourself as a Jew? If so, regardless of what you're up to exactly, if the world recognizes you as a Jew, that is the great level of וּבְשֵׁ֥ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יְכַנֶּֽה You have the title Jew , and that's enough to rely on Hashem. All the goyim out there, the Arabs, they don't like Jews. They don't care what they look like, they don't care what they keep. They just don't like that Jew, וּבְשֵׁ֥ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יְכַנֶּֽה and if you have that, that's enough to rely on Hashem. You are part of the Jewish people, and you have that special protection.

We continue with Pesukei Bitachon starting with the letter ט . Weq are in Tehilim perek 118,9 ט֗וֹב לַחֲס֥וֹת בַּיהֹוָ֑ה מִ֝בְּטֹ֗חַ בִּנְדִיבִֽים׃ It's better to seek refuge in Hashem, than to rely on the generous ones. This is very similar to the previous pasuk, which says, ט֗וֹב לַחֲס֥וֹת בַּיהֹוָ֑ה מִ֝בְּטֹ֗חַ בָּאָדָֽם It’s better to seek refuge from Hashem than to rely on man. What is the meaning of this additional point of relying B’Nidivim/on generous ones? The commentaries say that relying on man comes with two basic problems: The first is that he may not necessarily have the resources. The second is that even if he has the resources and he guarantees you, he can change his mind. But what if he’s a Nadiv / generous man? If he has the money, and doesn't change his mind, why should I worry? Rav Giktlia, a Mekubal and Rishon who lived in Spain in 1248 wrote a sefer called Sefer HaMishalim/ Book of Parables . In parable number 69, he says, Relying on a human being is is like relying on a spring that comes from rainwater. He explains that reliance on a person, even if he's generous, will not necessarily come to fruition because it's possible that even though he wants to fulfill it, and even though he has the money right now, it might dry out. There are many stories of people who were very wealthy and successful but overnight something happened, because ultimately, their wealth is not from an independent source. That's why it's compared to a wellspring that comes from rainwater. When the rain stops, the spring that comes from it slows down and eventually stops flowing. It’s the same thing with relying on people- because ultimately, it’s only when Hashem wants them to be successful in their business deals that their springs flow. Once Hashem stops sending it, everything stops. That's what it means. ט֗וֹב לַחֲס֥וֹת בַּיהֹוָ֑ה מִ֝בְּטֹ֗חַ בִּנְדִיבִֽים׃ Better to rely on Hashem than on the generous. This is also a pasuk in Yirmiyah 2,13, which we read during the three weeks. Yirmiyah, in the name of God, bemoans the situation and says, כִּֽי־שְׁתַּ֥יִם רָע֖וֹת עָשָׂ֣ה עַמִּ֑י אֹתִ֨י עָזְב֜וּ מְק֣וֹר ׀ מַ֣יִם חַיִּ֗ים My nation did two things wrong. They left Me, the source of Mayim Chayim/ living waters. Living waters replenish on their own. They're independent wellsprings. Nothing is independent but God. But what did the people do? לַחְצֹ֤ב לָהֶם֙ בֹּאר֔וֹת בֹּארֹת֙ נִשְׁבָּרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יָכִ֖לוּ הַמָּֽיִם׃ They dug for themselves pits, broken pits that don't hold water. That means anyone else but God that you’re relying on is what we call Kli Sheni . He is the second level. He's not the independent source. He filled up his well from somebody else. There’s dealing direct and dealing with a distributor. The mom-and-pop stores don't buy from General Mills, they buy from the distributor, the fellow that has the rights to sell to smaller store chains. That's the way we have to look at all people, says the pasuk in Yirmiyah. They're all what we call jobbers . They don't produce the goods. They are intermediaries because ultimately, God is the real supplier. That's the mistake of relying on Nedivim . What if the supply source is suddenly cut off? You're relying on this fellow to provide for you, but something happens with his supply chain. This is currently a real issue in America. There are broken supply chains. A car needs a certain chip, but they can't get the chip, so now everyone's in trouble. You're relying on your supplier, who gets it from somebody, that somebody has a problem and so on. The Ultimate Source for everything is Hashem. We have to really understand that. In business, we're always looking to get to the real supplier. We don't want to have to deal with intermediaries and middlemen. That is the message here. ט֗וֹב לַחֲס֥וֹת בַּיהֹוָ֑ה מִ֝בְּטֹ֗חַ בִּנְדִיבִֽים Go to the Ultimate Supplier.

We are now in Pesukim of Bitachon that start with the letter Tet . This one, Tehilim 118,8 is found in Hallel , so we can apply it this week. ט֗וֹב לַחֲס֥וֹת בַּיהֹוָ֑ה מִ֝בְּטֹ֗חַ בָּאָדָֽם׃ It's better to seek refuge in Hashem then rely on man . The obvious question is, Of course you're better off relying on God than relying on people! Rav Yosef Trani, in the Derashot Maharit on Parashat Vayishlach (second derush ), makes an important point in the difference between the words Bitachon and Hisayon. He says that bitachon works when you are relying on a person because you're deserving . It could be God that you’re deserving of, because of your great deeds, or it could be a person that you went out of your way for, who therefore owes you one. You think, “ This man is going to help me because he owes me…..How can I rely on Hashem if I don't really deserve it ? I'm better off relying on this person who owes me one. Based on nature, he'll come through, so I’ll rely on him rather than relying on Hashem because Hashem doesn't owe me. I'm actually a little behind in my responsibilities to Hashem .” So what happens when a person realizes, “ I don't have the deeds?” For that, we have this additional concept, which is, in his words, “ If you look up to Above and you subjugate your heart to your Father in heaven, ‘Even though I don't deserve it, He should save me,’ It's good. It will work.” That's what David Hamelech is saying, ט֗וֹב לַחֲס֥וֹת בַּיהֹוָ֑ה מִ֝בְּטֹ֗חַ בָּאָדָֽם It's better to seek refuge in Hashem even though you're not deserving of it, than to rely on a human being that owes you. He says this concept is extremely important because if we rely solely on our deeds, who can possibly say, “I deserve it! Hashem owes me. ” He says Hisayon is when the person doesn’t deserve to get anything. He's seeking refuge under God's wing, that He’ll have mercy on him. In his words, “ He looks above and subjugates his heart to his Father in heaven,” a term that comes from Masechet Rosh Hashana 3,8 where it talks about when the Jews went to fight against Amalek. When Moshe Rabbenu lifted his hands, they would win. The Mishna asks, ‘ Does Moshe’s hand make or break the war? Rather, it’s to tell us that when the Jewish people looked above and subjugated their hearts to their Father in heaven, they'd be successful.’ Similarly, when the snakes were biting us in the desert after we spoke Lashon Hara , we deserved to be bit, but Hashem told Moshe to make a copper snake, and everyone who looked at it would live. Again, the Mishna asks, ‘ Do snakes bring life? Do snakes bring death? Rather, when we look above, and we subjugate our hearts to our Father in heaven,’ they would be healed. In both of these cases, the Jewish people had sinned. We sinned in the case of Amalek, and we sinned in the case of the snakes that came to bite us, and yet the advice that’s given is You're not deserving but look up to your Father in heaven. Subjugate your heart to Him. Focus on Him and Him alone. In Nefesh HaChaim, Shaar 3, perek 12, Rav Chaim Volozhin brings down the famous concept of En Od Milevado /If you focus on God alone, all bad decrees are annulled. He cites this mishna about subjugating your heart to heaven. He asks, why do I have to look at the snake ? And he explains that when you look at the snake and see how evil and powerful it is, you should say to yourself, “ It's nothing ,” and annul it in your heart. Don't pay attention to it. Subjugate your heart to Hashem and realize that only He can do it. That's what makes everything turn around. ט֗וֹב לַחֲס֥וֹת בַּיהֹוָ֑ה מִ֝בְּטֹ֗חַ בָּאָדָֽם . The way the Maharit explains it is fascinating. It means that I have the right to look above, to subjugate my heart to my Father in heaven. I realize there’s nothing else but Him . That's the power of the ultimate bitachon, of going above everything, annulling everything in your heart. It's easier said than done, but that's the power of even if you're not deserving, and that's the secret of Hisayon . Have a wonderful day.

We’re now in Pesukeh Bitachon starting with the letter ח . Today’s pasuk is Mishleh 29,25 חֶרְדַּ֣ת אָ֭דָם יִתֵּ֣ן מוֹקֵ֑שׁ וּבוֹטֵ֖חַ בַּיהֹוָ֣ה יְשֻׂגָּֽב׃ Fear of a man will add a stumbling block, but one who trusts in Hashem will be encouraged. There are two approaches to this pasuk. In our previous work on Pesukeh Bitachon , we quoted from the approach the Bet Halevi and others that when a person is afraid, that fear creates a stumbling block that would not have been there, whereas someone who relies on Hashem will be saved from an existing problem. The Mesudat David gives a more practical explanation, which is that when a person is afraid of something that comes upon him, that causes an additional trap. Why? Because when a person is afraid, his heart is not with him. He's frazzled. He's in a state of panic, and that causes him to stumble on something small and trivial that he may not have stumbled on. We see that when a person is in a state of panic, he makes mistakes. On a practical level, the fear causes a stumbling block because the fear doesn’t let the person think correctly. You need to be calm. On a practical level, the one who relies on Hashem, besides the help that he gets from above, is calmer and therefore his decisions will be more correct. That's how the Mesudat David explains this pasuk , on a more practical level. The Malbim adds that the term חרדה herdah refers to, in his words, a sudden panic that causes a stumbling back. I'd like to just take out a moment to give a little science class on how panic works in our heads and why it shuts down our thinking and causes us to make mistakes. Hashem, in His great mercy, created something in our minds-we'll call it panic. If a person is walking across the street and they hear the noise of a bus screeching toward them, they’d run. We call that flight or fight . That's a state of panic. If you think there's a fire, you run. That's a state of panic. Panic is good for us because if a person, when he hears the screeching bus, starts making mental calculations, ‘ Should I run? Should I stay here? Should I jump,’ by the time he finishes making that decision, it’s too late. So Hashem put the amygdala in our brains. When it senses danger, it releases a chemical called cortisol , which is like an adrenaline of sorts, which suddenly gives us additional energy. That's why you can run and suddenly start breathing deeper and so on. The only caveat is that when this happens, the part of your brain that goes through thought processes, called the frontal cortex, shuts down. That's why you run when you hear the screeching sound of a bus. That's a good thing. If you see a tiger and run, that's a good thing. But what happens when a person is afraid of things that we shouldn't be afraid of- things that are not immediate dangers, which is what anxiety is really about. That state of unnecessary panic is going to cause stumbling blocks. It sometimes happens that people suddenly panic, and they run, slip and hurt themselves. It was an unnecessary fear. On the other hand, וּבוֹטֵ֖חַ בַּיהֹוָ֣ה יְשֻׂגָּֽב , the person that has bitachon has a calmer demeanor because he doesn't get into a state of panic when it's unnecessary. The example the Malbim brings down on this pasuk in Mishleh is the famous Hillel, who hears a scream coming from his house, and says, “ I'm sure it's not from my househol d,” and he quotes the pasuk. Hillel doesn’t panic when there's nothing to do about it. He's not panicking because he's at a loss. That’s what bitachon does for us. Bitachon helps us in situations where, quite often, there is nothing immediate to do. If one has to do CPR, of course do CPR immediately, but we're talking about when there's nothing to do immediately, and your mind is just playing tricks on you. That’s what a panic attack is, lo alenu . During a panic attack all of that adrenaline and cortisol is released, and because the person isn't running or fighting, but has that energy inside of him, his heart starts beating faster and his body is taken over. The panic is the unchanneled energy that would be expended running or fighting, but since there's nothing to run from or fight for, the person's heartbeat goes up and he starts breathing deeply due to all that extra energy inside of him. Sometimes he gets stomach aches because the blood that goes to the stomach is not necessary. That's a panic attack. And again, bitachon is helpful in preventing unnecessary panic which causes us to function improperly. This is a more practical approach to this pasuk of חֶרְדַּ֣ת אָ֭דָם יִתֵּ֣ן מוֹקֵ֑שׁ , aside from what we started off with, from the Bet Halevi and Rabbenu Bachye, that fear creates problems that weren't there and relying on Hashem gets rid of them. Of course, both of these explanations apply on a simple, practical level. On a practical level, the fear will cause a person to make mistakes and the calmness will cause a person to make the right decisions to get out of his problems.

We are now in Pesukeh Bitachon, Zephaniah 2,15 זֹ֞֠את הָעִ֤יר הָעַלִּיזָה֙ הַיּוֹשֶׁ֣בֶת לָבֶ֔טַח This is the joyous city, that sits in security with bitachon reliance There are many words for happiness in Hebrew and one of them is עליז Aliz . The Hebrew name, Aliza comes from this word and means to be happy . What exactly is the nuance of Aliza that connects to bitachon? The Malbim, in Habakuk 3,18 (and in other places) explains that the term עלז Alaz , is a happiness that shows up physically , to the point that one dances. That's his explanation of that nuance. It's a happiness that brings one to dancing, which means that an indication of real bitachon is that a person is actually dancing. He's so thrilled, he can't keep it inside. “ Let's just get up and dance. ” That expression of dancing, the ultimate physical expression of happiness, like you dance at a wedding, that’s the dancing of bitachon that Aliza refers to. The Gemara in the beginning of Masechet Megila tells us that when Rav Yonatan ben Uziel translated the Navi, the earth shook because he was giving out secrets. This is a very early commentary by the Tanaim, and Rav Yonatan ben Uziel gave over this translation. In more than 10 different places in Navi, he translates the word alaz as takif , which means strong, powerful . The word Takif is connected to the term in the Gemara, Matkif , an attack question . In modern Hebrew, an attack is called a hatkafa . So takif means very strong. It’s interesting that many times in Aramaic works, like the Zohar, the word takif is used in connection to bitachon . So, we're learning a new lesson with a new word. There's a level of bitachon where the person is so strong and confident in his bitachon that it brings him to a happiness, and not just a plain old happiness, but a happiness of confidence . That's what the term Aliza refers to. There's actually a pasuk in Yeshaya 3,13 that says, עַלִּיזֵ֖י גַּֽאֲוָתִֽי׃ which means simply means The happiness of my arrogance, but the Targum says it means, My strength and my confidence . So, there's a strength that person has when he's confident. That's what Ga’avah means- Confidence . There's another pasuk in Yeshaya , 23,7 that says, הֲזֹ֥את לָכֶ֖ם עַלִּיזָ֑ה מִֽימֵי־קֶ֤דֶם Is this to you, the Aliza/the happy one from the days of old ? Here the Targum explains it as the strong one, the rock. So he adds another word- it’s not just a strength, but a rock solid strength. Like we say, Tsuri, God is my rock . This person has a real strength, like a rock that doesn't break. The rock of Gibraltar is solid. This is probably the lesson that the Maharal wants us to get from this pasuk- That bitachon brings with it a happy confidence. I'm behind a rock. I'm protected. I'm solid, I'm strong. That is the feeling of bitachon- happy confidence. So one of the indicators of our bitachon is whether we have that happy confidence. Are we whistling in the street with happy confidence in whatever our needs are?

We are now in Pesukei Bitachon starting with a zayin . Tehilim 4,6: זִבְח֥וּ זִבְחֵי־צֶ֑דֶק וּ֝בִטְח֗וּ אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה׃ Slaughter offerings of righteousness, rely on Hashem . What does slaughtering offerings have to do with relying on Hashem? The Alshech says this refers to people who believe in learning Torah, but say, I can't learn Torah right now because I don't have the money. First I'll work, and when I have enough money, then I'll be able to set a time for learning… at whatever level of learning that is. To this, the Tehilim tells us, First make the sacrifice (that’s what the slaughter refers to) and then rely on Hashem and He'll come through. In the words of the Alshech, “ Start learning Torah under duress and trust Me, and I'll take care of you.” First do yours and then I will follow. This is a fundamental rule for everything- not only learning Torah. The Chida learns the pasuk as referring to Sedaka ( sedek and sedaka have the same root) which counts like a korban . And when you give Sedaka, you have to give first, then believe that Hashem will fill in. Towards the end of Shaar Bitachon , the Hovot Halevavot dedicates a full chapter to people that he calls Baalei Mishkonot/ people that want take a collateral from Hashem- like when you give person money on credit, but you don't really trust him, so you take a collateral. So too, this person wants to take a collateral from Hashem. He says, “ First give me and then I'll give You. ” The Hovot Halevavot goes through a few reasons why this doesn't make sense. One reason that you ask someone for a collateral is because you're afraid he won't be able to pay you back. He may lose his money. The second reason is, maybe he'll renege or change his mind He may leave the country, disappear or die. When it comes to Hashem, however, none of these concerns exist. Hashem will never run out of money. He'll never renege, He will never disappear. Like the Navi Hagai says, “ Mine is the silver and mine is the gold , so there's nothing to worry about. You can , so to say, lend God. I can take the risk and Hashem will come through for me. It's interesting that this happens quite often to people collecting money for organizations. They often have to give out the money before they get the money. One such organization is Lev Chana , which I am currently trying to raise money for. I gave out clothing cards to over 250 families before I got all the money. Why does it work that way? Because you start collecting after Purim, when people need to start shopping. You have to put your neck out and hope it happens. My father-in-law Rabbi Nosson Scherman draws a nice analogy from a relative of his; before she went on a diet, she would buy the dress that she wanted to fit into. That way she knew that she had to make it. Similarly, sometimes when a person commits to something, he just has to do it. You force yourself into the situation, because otherwise, you might not do it. I therefore remind everyone out there once again that if you still have any money to give out, Lev Chana is ready and able to receive your donation. You can send an email with your pledge, or a QuickPay to rabbisutton@gmail.com Or mail it to: 1059 East 10th St, Brooklyn NY 11230 The pasuk says, Betach B’Hashem V’Aseh Tov”/Rely on Hashem and do good. Why does it say rely on Hashem first and then do good? The Rambam says it’s because you can't say, “ I'll do good when I have everything set up… then I'll give.” No, you have to first rely on Hashem, and that will help you in doing the Mitzvot. Then you go ahead and do it. There are limitless examples of people who take that step. They don't have the funds; they don't have the money. When Rabbi Moshe Malka a’h from Bnei Brak first opened his yeshiva, he didn't know anything about money. He didn't have enough money to start. He had to buy mattresses and whatever it may be, and he overheard someone say, “check dachui, ” Hebrew for a post-dated check . He asked what that was and the person explained that you write the check for a later date, when you'll have money in the account. He said, “ Wow, that's an unbelievable invention.” And he went and bought everything he needed, all with postdated checks. But now what would happen? That’s where the bitachon comes in. Baruch Hashem, he filled it in. He started his Yeshiva with postdated checks. That's this concept of Betach B’Hashem V’Aseh Tov”/Rely on Hashem and do good and our pasuk, זִבְח֥וּ זִבְחֵי־צֶ֑דֶק וּ֝בִטְח֗וּ אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה׃ First, go ahead and sacrifice the sacrifice and rely on Hashem that He will fill in and the sacrifice. will be repaid. Don't be like those people that ask God for collateral. Have a wonderful day.

We are now in our last pasuk of bitachon that starts with a Vav- Devarim 33,8 וַיִּשְׁכֹּן֩ יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל בֶּ֤טַח בָּדָד֙ עֵ֣ין יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב The Jewish people will dwell alone just like Yaakov When person is safe and secure, he doesn't need to have other people around אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ דָּגָ֣ן וְתִיר֑וֹשׁ אַף־שָׁמָ֖יו יַ֥עַרְפוּ טָֽל׃ to a land of grain and wine, and the dew will come from heaven. This pasuk is describing beautiful tranquil life. How do you get there and what is the secret called BeTach Badad En Yaakov/The bitachon solitude of Yaakov Avinu? I'd like to share a very nice thought from the Bet Aharon, the original Stoliner Rebbe of Karlin, on Parashat Re’eh from his sefer Bet Aharon . He says that on one hand it says, ‘ Eineh Hashem el Sadikim / The eye s of Hashem are to the righteous .’ But then it says, ‘ En Hashem al Yereav/The Eye of Hashem is on those that fear Him .’ Regarding Yaakov it says One eye , and also, Bet Porat Yosef, Ben Porat Aleh Eyin Why one eye here, two eyes there? He answers that this world has good and bad, represented by the two eyes. You can look at it two ways. But really, everything comes from Above- from the good, from the right side, which represents the good. Each of the Avot had a Middah. Avraham Avinu’s is Hessed/kindness, where everything looks good. Then we have the Middat HaDin of justice , strict justice, which is Yitzhak Avinu’s Middah, and seems to look only bad. And then we have Yaakov Avinu who's in the middle. He puts it all together and sees everything in the proper, harmonious way. We can't only have good because only good really isn't good. We need the bad, or we can say, the justice to temper the good. Yaakov Avinu works everything out. That's what the eye of Yaakov means. It’s really like the Eyin Tova , the good way of looking at things . That's what Eineh Hashem Al Sadikim means. God gave us two eyes. He gave us the ability to look at things in two ways. But our goal is to turn everything around and see that everything is really coming from the right side. That's the bitachon outlook- to able to see and understand everything is ultimately for the good. That's what Yaakov Avinu did. That was his greatness. We say, “ The God of Yaakov should save us.” Because Yaakov Avinu was the one that went through the most trouble, and he was the one that saw everything for the good. He was the one that confessed at the end of his life, “ I made one mistake when I said, ‘Why did you do bad to me? Why did you tell Yosef about another brother to bring down to Mitzrayim? Why'd you do bad for me?’” The Midrash says that was the only thing Yaakov Avinu ever said that was out of place, in his life. God says, “ I'm preparing your son to be the leader in Mitzrayim, and you're saying, ‘Why did I do bad to you? Yaakov Avinu was held accountable on that level because he was able to see everything for the good. He understood that everything is good. He understood that when he wants one wife and it turns to four wives, it’s good. It brings him his 12 tribes. Yaakov Avinu is the power to be able to see everything the right way. It's interesting that what is said when you bring the Bikurim is the reading that we say on Pesach. We go back to Yaakov Avinu and say “ Arami Oved Ami, ” Lavan tried to destroy Yaakov, but Yaakov Avinu came out stronger- Four wives…12 children... wealth. We say that at the Bikurim reading because as the man is standing there with his basket, not everyone's so successful. Not everyone had a good year. And yet the Torah commands us, You have to be happy with all the good. That's why we bring in Yaakov Avinu- because he's the one that gave us the ability to look back and see everything was good. Rav Matityahu Salomon says that at the end of Yaakov Avinu’s life, he says, “ Elohim HaRoeh Oti/ God (of judgement) was my Shepherd. And the word רעה Ro’eh is written without a Vav, like רעה /evil, to indicate, “ God, that I thought was being just and evil with me, I see was only being my Shepherd at all times. ” We say Shema Yisrael , not Shema Avraham or Shema Yitzhak , because that ability to see there's only one eye, there's one good, that’s the Ein Yaakov , the one eye of Yaakov, that sees everything for the good, that flips everything around. The Zohar says something very powerful. There are two words that are ultimate opposites but have the same letters. Nega / נגע which is leprosy, the worst possible disease , and Oneg ענג which is the greatest possible delight . They have the same letters. The difference is that נגע Nega has the ע Eyin at the end and ענג has the ע Eyin at the beginning. And when the Torah is describing the, Tzara’at/leporosy, it says (Vayikra 13, 55) וְ֠הִנֵּ֠ה לֹֽא־הָפַ֨ךְ הַנֶּ֤גַע אֶת־עֵינוֹ֙ / The disease did not change the way it looks ,” but the Chiddushei Harim, quoted in his sefer Imre Shamai, reads it as The נגע nega didn't move its ע Eyin. If it would've taken the ע Eyin from the end of נגע Nega and put it the beginning, it would've spelled ענג Oneg . So you have to flip it and put the Eyin in the right place. That's what we're saying here. You could have Oneg and Nega total opposites, but if you have the right Eyin / eye , the right way to look at it, you could took take Nega / Leprosy, the worst disease and turn it into the greatest of pleasures. If you just look at it right. Nachum Ish Gamzu used to say Gam Zu LeTovah/This too is for the best, because he looked at it right . He turned it around. That's the En Yaakov/ the Eye of Yaakov. It’s the Eye of Bitachon. Yaakov symbolizes bitachon. Have a wonderful.

We continue with the Maharal’s alphabetic list of Pesukei Bitachon and we are in letter Vav. Devarim 12,10 says, וְהֵנִ֨יחַ לָכֶ֧ם מִכׇּל־אֹיְבֵיכֶ֛ם מִסָּבִ֖יב וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם־בֶּֽטַח׃ God will put aside all your enemies from around you. And you shall dwell in peace On the simple level, the Tiferet Yonatan is bothered-Isn't it obvious that if you have no enemies, you'll dwell in security? He answers that it's possible to have peace from your surroundings, but internally everyone doesn’t get along. That's why we need an additional blessing that not only will the enemies from around leave you alone, but you'll have internal peace, and achdut / unity amongst each other. This is related to bitachon because, as the Gaon of Vilna tells us, the source of all Sinat Hinam/baseless hatred is jealousy and hatred, which come from a lack of bitachon. If one truly relies on Hashem that He's in charge and controlling his life, he has no complaints against anybody. That’s the reading of the pasuk on a simple level-that the enemy is the physical enemy. However, the sefer Pri Sadik on Re’eh (letter 6) tells us that whenever the term enemy is used in the Torah, it can refer to the Yeser HaRa , as the Midrash in Bereshit Rabah chapter 54 tells us. On the pasuk ‘ His enemies will get along with him,’ the Midrash tells us this is the Yeser HaRa. The Hovot Halevavot tells us this as well, when he talks about the group of people that were coming back from a war (returning from Gaza after six months). They met up with somebody who said, “ You've left the small war, welcome to the big war.” What does that mean? What's the big war and what's the small war ? He says the small war is the war against the physical enemy, and the big war is the war against the Yeser HaRa. He's out to get you. He's out to destroy you worse than any other enemy. Other enemies sleep. He doesn't sleep. If you beat other enemies, they eventually give up, but the Yeser HaRa never gives up. The Yeser HaRa is the worst possible enemy. And that, says the Pri Sadik , is what the Torah referring to here. והֵנִ֨יחַ לָכֶ֧ם מִכׇּל־אֹיְבֵיכֶ֛ם מִסָּבִ֖יב וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם־בֶּֽטַח׃ We must remove from you all of your enemies . What are the main enemies? The three traits that take a man out of this world- Kinna/jealousy , Ta’ava/ desire and Kavod/honor. They take you out of the world. What does that mean? That eventually you're going to die from it. But the Ramban, in his commentary to Pirkeh Avot, says they take you out of the world, means they take you out of your Emunah. They take you out of your bitachon , your faith and reliance on God. This is an important point. The Ramban writes a bit about this in his Igeret HaRamban . He says certain middot/character traits are contrary to our beliefs. That means inherently, jealousy is anti-Emunah. Like the Ibn Ezra tells us when he asked the famous question, How can you tell someone not to covet his friend’s things? He answers that the farm boy does not have any interest in marrying the princess. It's not in his league. I'm not thinking now about going on a deep-sea scuba diving trip in my privately owned submarine. That's not even on my radar. That's for a different league. And it's that way with all the bad middot , namely jealousy, desire and honor. Taavah-desire: I want something. I'm deserving . I need to do….You don't need to do , you don't need to be deserving Hashem will give it to you. You're not deserving of anything. Kavod - I deserve honor . Why? What did you do? These three Middot are anti - Emunah and bitachon. It's not the simple way of reading it, but as we've said in the past from the Bat Eyin וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם־בֶּֽטַח means, not that you'll live securely, but that through this, you will live with bitachon. How? This is a big hiddush in how to read it. וְהֵנִ֨יחַ לָכֶ֧ם מִכׇּל־אֹיְבֵיכֶ֛ם מִסָּבִ֖יב / God will remove all of those enemies . Who are the enemies? Jealousy, desire, and honor. Then, when those are removed from you, וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם־בֶּֽטַח / you'll be able to have Bitachon. Because the biggest interference to bitachon is these Middot, because they take you out of your world. What's your world? Sadik B’Emunato Yihyeh/The Sadik lives in the world of Emunah . Desire, jealousy and honor send you off on a trip to Mars, they take out of this world. You're not in this world anymore. In order to get back into your world, back into your bubble of Emunah and bitachon, you need to remove the enemy- Desire, jealousy and honor. That’s a big hiddush in how to read this pasuk. B’Ezrat Hashem, the first thing we do on the holiday of Pesach is uproot Ga’avah and kavod with the matzah versus hametz . Have a wonderful day.

We are now in Pesukei Bitachon, starting with a Vav , Vayikra 25,18 וַעֲשִׂיתֶם֙ אֶת־חֻקֹּתַ֔י וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֥י תִּשְׁמְר֖וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֣ם אֹתָ֑ם וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לָבֶֽטַח׃ You will keep My statutes. My laws you'll observe and do. And in reward for that, you will dwell in the land with security. Rashi says this is referring to keeping the laws of Shemittah . Keep My statutes and laws refers to the laws of the sabbatical year. Measure for measure, if you keep the laws of the sabbatical years, you’ll stay on the land and have success in the land. But if you don't keep the laws of the sabbatical years, you’ll get sent out. The commentaries ask a question about this: There is a rule that there is no reward in this world for Mitzvot. So how can we say that if you keep the statutes, then you'll end up getting all of these wonderful things, if there's no guaranteed reward in this world? On answer, based on the sefer Bat Ayin on Parashat Behar , says that the secret for success in the land is bitachon . That's why Hashem put us in Eretz Yisrael- so that we would stay there and keep the mitzvot. But it only works if you rely on Him. He has a novel way of reading the pasuk. He says, וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לָבֶֽטַח ׃ Doesn't mean simply You will dwell on the land with security , but rather, ‘ When will you dwell the land? Labetach / when you have the Middah of Bitachon .’ Through the trait of relying on Hashem and having faith in Hashem, you realize that everything comes from His will, and that is what brings us success. He continues with another novel explanation of the well-known pasuk that we say three times a day in Ashrei , “ Pote’ach Et Yadecha U’Masbia L’Kol Chai Ratzon/You open your hands and You satiate every living thing with Your will,” which means His will is what causes us to be satiated. We don't do anything. It's our reliance on Hashem that opens up the gates of bounty, and it's His will, not our worthiness, but His will, that gives it to us. That attitude and approach brings us success in Eretz Yisrael. The sefer Ahavat Shalom on Parashat Behar shares a similar concept and he reads it into this pasuk- וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לָבֶֽטַח׃ You'll dwell in the land with security עלידי הבטחון החזק והאמיתי ישבכוחי נו להמשיך חסד הטוב ממקורוהצפון והגנוז / Through strong, solid bitachon, we have the ability to bring down God's good and kindness from the upper hidden places. We have the ability to bring down God's bounty through our bitachon . That answers our original question. How could it say that if you do something in this world, you'll be guaranteed reward? The answer is, it's the bitachon that brings the reward of the success. As we’ve said in the past, the Hovot Halevavot says that one of the sources for bitachon, is Test Me with this, which talks about keeping the laws of Ma’aser . Test Me, God says. And the question is , I thought we're not allowed to test God . It says, Don’t test God. But one of the answers the rabbis give is that you don't get rewarded for Mitzvot.That's true. But you get rewarded in this world for bitachon because it’s not a payback. Hashem is reliable. If I rely on Him, He’s going to give me what I need, because He is reliable. So, I'm not getting it because I did mitzvot. When you keep Shemitta, for example, and you leave your land fallow for a year and let the poor take and do nothing, that's an expression of bitachon. The reward is not because you kept the Mitzvah of shemittah , but because you exercised your bitachon, and when you exercise your bitachon, all the wonderful things happen. That's what this pasuk is telling us. Keep My laws and keep My statutes - but with bitachon , and the bitachon that you exercise will bring down all of the bounty. This is another important bitachon pasuk to keep in mind always. As we keep Ma’aser or Shemitta or close our stores on Shabbat or do any one of the myriads of things that we are doing and exercising our bitachon on, the merit of the bitachon will open the bounties of Above and bring down all of that wonderful goodness upon us.