Bitachon Brings Salvations

When someone asked the Vilna Gaon zt'l to explain the trait of bitachon, the Vilna Gaon responded that Dovid HaMelech already described it with the words נפשי עלי כגמל אמו עלי כגמל נפשי ודוממתי שויתי לא אם. It is to trust in Hashem as an infant relies on its mother.

If Moshe made the menorah by himself, it would state תַּֽעֲשֶׂה. It states ָההַמ ְּנוֹר תֵּיעָשֶׂה, which implies it was made on its own.

Bitachon Brings Salvations

It states (25:18-20) והיו ....זהב כרבים שנים ועשית למעלה כנפים פרשי הכרבים, "You shall make two golden keruvim... The keruvim shall have their wings spread upwards..." Chazal tell us that the word כרובים comes from the words כרביא, "like children." This is because the faces on the keruvim appeared like those of two young children. The Divrei Binah says that the young faces on the keruvim were to represent the merit of bitachon. It states (Tehillim 131:2) שויתי לא אם נפשי עלי כגמל אמו עלי כגמל נפשי ודוממתי, "I swear that I stilled and silenced my soul like a suckling child at his mother's side like the suckling child is my soul." Dovid HaMelech says that he stilled and silenced his soul, and remained calm and unworried because he trusted in Hashem like a young, nursing child who relies on his mother to feed him.

The Malbim writes, "A nursing child places his entire trust on his mother to feed him and to take care of him, so do I place my entire trust on Hashem. A nursing child doesn't trust in himself at all because the child knows that he is weak and unable to do anything, so too, do I know that I am weak and unable to do anything on my own. The next pasuk explains whom he trusts: יחל 'ה אל ישראל 'Yisrael trusts in Hashem.' Hashem teaches and leads us like a mother takes care of her children. We aren't like infants who only need their mothers when they are small. Yisrael trusts and relies on Hashem ועד מעתה עולם, 'for this time and forever.'"

The Divrei Yisrael of Modzhitz zt'l says that the menorah teaches us a lesson in bitachon. It states (25:31) הַמ ְּנוֹרָה תֵּיעָשֶׂה. The nekudos on these words indicate that the menorah was made on its own.

Rashi writes, הַמ ְּנוֹרָה תֵּיעָשֶׂה implies that the menorah was made on its own. משה שהיה לפי בה מתקשה, "Moshe was having difficulty [understanding how it should be made]. Hakadosh Baruch Hu told him, 'Throw the kikar [of gold] into the fire, and it will be made on its own." Kikar reminds us of kikar lechem, a loaf of bread, representing parnassah. Using Rashi's words, Moshe was בה מתקשה, "having difficulty with it." This alludes to parnassah that many people are בה מתקשה, have difficulty earning a living. Hashem commanded that they throw the kikar into the fire, and it will be made on its own. Hashem says, "Throw your worries and needs on Me, and I will make your parnassah for you." Trust in Hashem, and you will have parnassah. Hashem told Moshe to throw the kikar into אש, fire. ש"א is roshei teivos for אמונה שלימה, have perfect emunah in Hashem and you will have parnassah.

It states (Orach Chaim 694:3), "We aren't particular when it comes to money for Purim. לו נותנים לטול יד שפושט מי כל, whoever puts out his hand to receive, we give him." We can translate, יד הפושט כל, whoever removes his hand from the situation, and knows that everything is from Hashem, נותנים לו, Heaven gives him.

Many people say that they understand how they manage their minor expenses of day-to-day living, but they don't know how they will handle the more significant expenses that come up from time to time, such as when they have to marry off children. The Shinover Rav zt'l said that for him, the question is the opposite. He understands how people marry off children, but he doesn't understand how they manage the day-to-day expenses. He understands how people marry off children because they have bitachon. They know that they can't manage on their own, so they trust in Hashem, and Hashem helps them. However, people think they can manage the day-to-day living on their own. So, for daily life, they don't trust in Hashem. Therefore, I wonder, how do they manage? Without bitachon, how do they manage receiving their parnassah?

There's a Midrash that discusses the difference between small and large chickens. When a chicken is small, its mother feeds it and cares for it. When the chicken is large, the mother doesn't care for it anymore. She even pecks at her children and banishes them away when there is food so that she can eat alone.

The Vilna Gaon zt'l says that the same occurs with people. When they are young, they trust Hashem, and Hashem takes care of them. When they get older, they think they can support themselves, and then they lose the special hashgachah pratis they once had.

Praising Hashem brings Salvations

The Zera Shimshon (Beshalach 24) points out that when you spell out ס"נ in full like this: ך"סמ ן"נו, the added letters (called מילוי) also spell ס"נ. (There is a second 'נ in ן"נו, and the letters ך"מ in ך"סמ are gematria 60, the same as 'ס. So, within ס"נ, there is another ס"נ.)