A Thought on Bitachon
A Thought on Bitachon
From the shiurim on Kav Hashgachah
Q #74
Hashgochah Pratis in Sifrei Kodesh
Every Yid with yiras Shamayim learns and knows well the foundations of emunah and bitachon. These foundations are always on his lips and engraved on his heart, from the words of Chazal and from the sifrei kodesh.
However, the real test comes at the time of a nisayon – in moments of pain, or when faced with financial difficulties, or under heavy pressure. Then we see that bitachon can go up in smoke, and a person finds himself doing things that seem to contradict his beliefs.
A similar phenomenon is revealed regarding middos: A person who is calm and relaxed is liable to think that his middos are perfect, until something touches a sensitive nerve, and everything falls apart. A moment like this reveals that although his middos seemed to be perfect, in truth this was only an illusion.
We’re not talking about hypocrisy, but about upright, honest people who want with all their hearts to be people of faith and good middos. Regarding them the question is asked: What will happen in the moment of nisayon?
We can learn the answer from the parshiyos of redemption for Am Yisrael, which speak to each and every generation. The pain, the sorrow, and the inner lack we feel – all encompass a personal exile within the “Egyptian exile” of our times. The process of redemption from Mitzrayim teaches us how to leave our own personal galus.
When we learn the parshiyos of geulah, we see how Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent Moshe Rabbenu simultaneously to both Pharaoh and Am Yisrael. This is because the geulah requires a twofold submission: the submission of the external ruler – Pharaoh, and the submission of the spirit – in Bnei Yisrael themselves, who refused to listen to Moshe Rabbenu “from shortness of breath and hard work.”
Beyond Am Yisrael’s coming out from under the hand of Pharaoh, they had to come out from the internal galus that had become entrenched in their souls. Pharaoh hardened his heart and said, “Who is Hashem?” He considered himself omnipotent. Nowadays, this is manifest in the feeling that “I can do it on my own,” which the yetzer hara ingrains in us. So long as this point of “ani” does not disappear, we will not be able to go out of our personal Mitzrayim.
May we be wise enough to understand that we are in Hashem’s Hands, that He alone will take us out of our pain, and may we each be zocheh to experience our personal geulah and the complete redemption of Klal Yisrael; amen.
Excerpts from the popular shiur by Harav Hatzaddik R’ Beirish Shneebalg shlit”a
