601 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-38)

602 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-39)

Let's continue our bitachon journey. We mentioned previously how Rabbeinu Bechayei states that bitachon is to know that Hashem is beyond all of nature, and there is nothing stopping Hashem from sending our salvation. And really what bitachon means is to know that when adversity strikes, Hashem's salvation is around the corner, to the point that we are supposed to have absolute conviction without any shadow of a doubt, that Hashem will send my salvation. And again, going right back to the beginning, to the chovos halevavos, which we learned, that bitachon ultimately leads to inner peace and tranquility. The more one internalizes that not only can Hashem send my salvation, but Hashem will send my salvation, the more that will lead me to feeling calm and inner peace.   B’ezrat Hashem, as we proceed in our bitachon journey, although we may learn that at the absolute highest levels of bitachon, I may not even need to have a desire of my own to reach that true tranquility and inner peace, because I know Hashem is so taking care of every single detail in my life that I actually don't in a sense care what the outcome will be. However, for most of us, we do have very real desires and needs. And when those desires and needs are not met, usually that leads to anxiety and worry. Again, for most of us, if we're short of money and have no idea where we're going to get food on the table from, that usually will lead to feelings of anxiety and worry. And as Rabbeinu Bechayei is teaching us, our bitachon needs to be with conviction that when adversity strikes and challenge presents itself, I know without a shadow of a doubt that Hashem will for sure send my salvation.   We now continue in this passage from Rabbeinu Bechayeh. “And bitachon means to rely on Hashem exclusively.” The concepts of emunah and bitachon are very, very subtle. They are literally a billion levels. I might rely on Hashem that He will take care of my situation, but I'm actually also relying on my own efforts and my own activities, or perhaps the security I might have from someone else. Do I feel confident that I'm going to have food on the table because I've got a stable job with a secure salary that comes in on a monthly basis? Or do I feel that I'm going to have food on the table because I'm relying on Hashem exclusively? Again, as we'll learn with regards to the topic of Hishtadlus, I still go to my job on a daily basis and fulfill the mitzvah of Hishtadlus, but what is my perspective? Do I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is not my job providing for me even 1% - it is Hashem 100% exclusively providing for me? Or do I think, of course Hashem is running the show, but you know, my job helps Hashem fulfill that plan?   Rabbeinu Bechayei is teaching us that bitachon is to rely on Hashem exclusively - to know that Hashem alone without the need of anyone else or anything else including even my own efforts, Hashem exclusively is running the show. And again, as mentioned, these concepts are actually very subtle. You could have two people going through the exact same actions and motions where one could be an absolute success story in Emunah and Bitachon and the other God forbid not. And they both seem to be pretty similar in the way they are acting. They both go to work, they both fulfill the mitzvos where the one truly believes that Hashem exclusively is providing for them and the other doesn't feel so comfortable with Hashem as his own security, but rather places more trust and reliance on the job.   We're not going to get there in a day. Bitachon is a journey; it's our life's journey; it's the point of our life. And even if at the moment we find ourselves placing quite a heavy reliance on our job or other people and the like, although that is certainly not the ideal and it's certainly not the perspective of Bitachon, but we're not expected to be experts in Bitachon in one day. As long as we're taking this information and doing our best to apply it just a little bit more into our lives on a daily basis, we are absolute success stories in our Emunah and Bitachon journeys. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward in our journey together and transform our Bitachon.

601 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-38)

We've been looking at this Torah passage from Rabbeinu Bechayei, which is a nice summary, an introduction to what Bitachon is all about. Again, as mentioned, Bitachon is all over the Torah in countless Torah sources and encompasses many concepts. But I'd like to focus on this passage from Rabbeinu Bechayei, which goes through many of the different aspects of what Bitachon leads to, and the ins and outs of what Bitachon is really all about.   So we discussed previously that Rabbeinu Bechayei mentions that Bitachon is about knowing that Hashem is beyond all nature, and there is absolutely nothing stopping Hashem from sending our salvation. Not only that, but when a distressing and challenging situation does arrive, we are to know that Hashem's salvation is imminent. Because again, it is no such thing as nature, Hashem is beyond nature.   And although usually we expect to live under the limitations of nature, we need to know that Hashem is behind all of that, and in truth, I am certainly not limited by nature, but rather I am exclusively dependent on Hashem Himself. Rabbeinu Bechayei then goes on to say, “And what does it mean to have Bitachon? That you should have no doubt whatsoever in your reliance on Hashem.”   What Rabbeinu Bechaye is alluding to here is a very important fundamental of Bitachon. When Hashem says, in the verse in Tehillim, “hashlech al hashem yehavecha vehu yechalkelecha” - Does that mean to say, tell me your problems, and then accept and realize that whatever happens is for the best? Or does it mean to say, throw your problem onto me, and realize I will take care of you and send your salvation - salvation in the language that you understand is a salvation.   So let's give an example. I might be struggling financially. Of course, this can apply on both a large scale as well as on a small scale. If a person has just lost their job and has no alternative, and now their whole future is at stake, that is a major salvation that one needs to reach out to Hashem for and say, “Hashem, I have no idea what I'm going to do. I had this job which seemed to be stable, which out of the blue now disappeared, and I have no backup plan. Where am I going to go? This is not just about tomorrow. This is about my whole future. But Hashem, I know that you are completely beyond any form of natural limitations, and in one second, you can send my salvation. And Hashem, as I'm learning here in Bitachon, I am relying on you to send my salvation with such conviction that I have no doubt that you are going to sort this out for me. This problem is actually a little bit too heavy for me to carry. It's causing me a lot of anxiety and panic, and I actually don't know what to do. I'm throwing this problem into your court. I will, of course, do my part of Hishtadlus, whatever that entails, as we'll discuss further b'ezrat Hashem. But as a whole, Hashem, I am giving the problem over to you. I cannot take care of this problem. It is too big for me, too heavy for me to carry. Please, Hashem, you send my salvation.”   And the more one speaks this way and tries to internalize what one is saying, the more one will feel, as the Chovos Halevavos taught us right at the beginning, “menuchas ha-nefesh” - tranquility of the soul. I might have no idea what my future has in store for me. But that's okay, because it's not in my hands, it's in Hashem's hands, and I'm giving the problem over to Him to such a degree that I am able to feel a complete sense of tranquility and inner peace.   And similarly, let's say my problem is not to that large of an extent, but still certainly a challenge for me. Let's say on a general basis I have quite a stable parnassah, but with gratitude to Hashem, I am making a simcha in my family now, which requires a large expense, and that is causing me quite a bit of stress and anxiety. Or perhaps, let's say this month, financially, I might need something over and above the norm, something even very minor, an extra $50, which usually I wouldn't need to provide for. And although that might not seem like such a problem to bother Hashem with, God forbid we should never think that way. Hashem desires that we should lean on Him and rely on Him through any and every situation. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together in our Bitachon journey and transform our Bitachon.

600 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-37)

In the previous session, we began looking at the words of Rabbeinu Bechayei. Now again, as we've mentioned many times, the Torah is replete with countless passages about Bitachon. I specifically chose this piece of Rabbeinu Bechayei to go through in our introduction to Bitachon because many of the fundamentals about Bitachon are summarized in these few lines that we're going to explore. So let's continue seeing what Rabbeinu Bechayei writes about Bitachon.   In the previous session, we discussed from this passage that Bitachon means to know without a shadow of a doubt that Hashem can even change nature to send our salvation. And there is absolutely nothing in the world that can stop Hashem from sending our salvation if He should so desire. Whether it might be against all odds, against any and every statistic and prediction; and in the words of Rabbeinu Bechayei, whether it's a big salvation or a small minor salvation.   I would like to just focus on these words for a moment to realize thnat Bitachon can have many elements. We might be in need of a major salvation that literally needs Hashem to change nature. And again, even under those circumstances, we certainly should reach out to Hashem and realize that there's nothing that can stop Him from sending our salvation even if it's against all odds, whilst at the same time, what might be much more relevant to most of us is on a constant basis needing the small salvations from Hashem, not necessarily the major illness which doesn't have a cure or the huge problem that I see absolutely no way out of under the laws of nature, but just the day-to-day life struggles that I need Hashem to come through for me.   Hashem desires that as we learned previously, “Hashlech al Hashem y'havacha, v'hu yechalkelecha” - ee are to throw our problems onto Him; we are to lean on Him and rely on Him that He can take care of our problems, both with regards to the big problems as well as with regards to the small problems. Rabbeinu Bechaye then goes on to say, “that even when a challenging and distressing situation is presenting itself in our lives, we are called on to trust that Hashem's salvation is imminent.”   Again, notice the words of Rabbeinu Bechayei - he's not telling us, just accept that sometimes there are challenging situations in your life, and as long as you know it's from Hashem, you're okay. No, he's not telling us that. He's saying that when a challenging situation arises, know that Hashem's salvation is imminent. “Because He is able to do absolutely anything and there is absolutely nothing beyond Hashem's ability.”   Let us remind ourselves as we proceed through the day-to-day activities in our lives, something as trivial as driving into a center not knowing if I'm going to get a parking spot and relying on Hashem, again expressing to Him in my own words, “Hashem, please help me to find a parking spot.” And not only stopping there, making that prayer, but trying to digest that Hashem will help me find a parking spot and therefore I can feel calm. I'm not going to be late for my appointment. I have Bitachon that Hashem is going to help me.   Even though that doesn't seem like a real salvation that I'm in need of because it might be something very small in my life. But nevertheless, as we're learning here, we are called on to trust in Hashem and rely on Him that He will send our salvation. Not just to accept that it will happen in whatever way it happens, and that is also good, but here we are learning that Hashem wants us to rely on Him, to throw the problem on Him, to the extent that I'm expecting to receive my salvation, both with regards to the major events in my life, as well as with regards to the small minor details that transpire in our day-to-day activities. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward in our Bitachon journey as we continue to grow together in our Bitachon.

599 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-36)

Today we're moving forward, B’ezrat Hashem, in our bitachon journey. Just a very quick summary. We learned the Chovos HaLevavos who taught us that the basic litmus test of one's bitachon is menuchas hanefesh - tranquility of the soul. Ultimately, a person with true bitachon is going to have inner peace, tranquility and peace of mind regardless of what's going on around us. And again, as we've discussed many times, bitachon is not about getting to the destination. It is our life's work, and we're not going to get there in one day to be able to have complete tranquility and inner peace regardless of what's going on around us, but as long as we're making an effort to just take another step forward every day, that's all Hashem requires of us.   We also looked at Rabbeinu Yonah who taught us that bitachon means the confident belief that Hashem can save us from any and every situation and specifically in those times when we need a salvation from Hashem are the times that we have an opportunity to practice our bitachon. And in the words of Rabbeinu Yonah, he taught us another very important fact about bitachon which we're going to be exploring as we continue in the Torah sources. As he said, one has no doubt whatsoever that Hashem will send your salvation. You've got a challenging situation. I don't know how I'm going to get out of this predicament. I'm working now towards having absolute bitachon that Hashem will send my salvation without a shadow of a doubt.   We then looked at a very important verse in Tehillim which reads, “Throw your problem onto Hashem and He will provide for you”. So much of the time, many things in our lives, we try to carry but really it's too heavy for us to carry. I don't know how to find a solution for this problem. This very instructive verse, as well as countless others, teach us that Hashem wants us to place our trust in Him. He does not want us to try to carry the load ourselves.   We also looked at the Ramban who taught us that emunah and bitachon are two separate items but very interconnected where emunah is the tree and bitachon is the fruit of the tree and therefore the starting point always needs to be to build the emunah, to build the belief and internalize the realization that Hashem is orchestrating every single detail in every one of our lives down to the last degree and that should certainly lead me to talking to Him on a constant basis. And the more I internalize this emunah, the more I will have the opportunity to move forward in my journey of bitachon.   The next source we're going to be looking at is Rabbeinu Bechayei in his Sefer Kad Hakemach in the section titled, bitachon.   Rabbeinu Bechayei begins, “What does it mean to have bitachin in Hashem? That a person should know in his heart that everything is in the hands of Hashem, and Hashem has the ability to change nature and the ordinary way things are supposed to work according to the laws of nature and the way of the world. And there is nothing that can get in the way of Hashem when He wants to send our salvation, whether it be a huge salvation or even a minor salvation.”   We're just beginning to explore this piece in Rabbeinu Bechayei which B’ezrat Hashem will continue in the next session. But what we've learned so far today from Rabbeinu Bechayei is that on our bitachon journey, when we're working towards having bitachon, bitachon means to know without a shadow of a doubt that everything is exclusively in Hashem's hands and Hashem can change nature without any problem. And nothing whatsoever can get in the way of Hashem sending our salvation if He would like to do so. Even if it would be against all statistics, against all predictions and against the normal way things run. Hashem runs the world and there is no such thing as this is the norm and therefore this is what I should expect. When I'm in Hashem's hands, I'm completely above nature and I need to know that Hashem can send my salvation against all odds. B’ezrat Hashem in the next session, let's move forward in our journey together in bitachon.

598 - Transform Your Bitachon! (Part-35)

In the previous session, we looked at the Ramban, who discusses the difference between Emunah and Bitachon, which again is not only a theoretical concept, but something very practical in how we're going to relate to our Emunah and Bitachon journeys. The Ramban teaches us that Emunah is always the starting point, and it is very possible for an individual to have Emunah, but not have Bitachon, because Emunah is like the tree, and sometimes one can have a tree that doesn't bear any fruit, and similarly one can have Emunah, without moving to the next step of Bitachon. Whereas as the Ramban teaches us, Bitachon is compared to the fruit, and it is impossible to have fruit without first having a tree, so it is so important for every single one of us to seek constant inspiration for more Emunah in every one of our lives.   What does it mean to have Emunah? A basic understanding and realization that there is absolute Hashgacha practice in this world without any exception whatsoever. As the Ramban teaches us in the well-known 13 principles of faith, that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in the world. Now I'd just like to make a little bit of a disclaimer. The bottom line take-home with regards to Hashgacha practice is that Hashem is absolutely personally involved in every single one of our lives, down to the last detail. And if one doesn't have any more questions, or hasn't been unfortunately poisoned by any other bad information, then that is all that one really needs to know with regards to Hashgacha practice, and that is one of the basics of Emunah before one moves to Bitachon.   But if anyone has been taught with regards to Hashgacha practice that it is not absolute, God forbid, that Hashem does not absolutely oversee even the most minute details of every single one of our lives without any exceptions, this is a whole technical topic in its own right, which we're not going to go into in this series, because again, the bottom line, Halacha and take-home, is very clear: Hashem is absolutely personally involved in every single one of our lives, down to the last detail. Hashem is pulling every string without any exception. But again, God forbid, if a person has the wrong perspective about Hashgacha practice, or perhaps a person has come across Torah sources or learnt in a shiur that it is not according to all opinions that there is absolute Hashgacha practice, you're welcome to reach out about this personally to discuss this further.   But again, what we're learning now in this passage from the Ramban is that the steps are as follows: Emunah is the starting point, which ultimately can give us the opportunity to lead to Bitachon, which is the destination, the entire purpose of all Torah and all the mitzvos. And summarizing Emunah into just a few words: The basics of Emunah teach us that Hashem is precisely orchestrating every single detail down to the last degree of every single one of our lives. And again, as we've discussed many times, when I believe that Hashem is truly watching over every single detail of my life and He's listening to me and can help me, it is the most basic equation that I will speak to Him in my own words and I'll be in constant communication with Him. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together in our journey of both Emunah and Bitachon and transform our lives.