Bitachon 274 - Accepting the Challenges

Listening to the 274th edition of the B Talkin podcast. We're going back to the safer B Talkin Basham and we are going to look at the sheet of the Hazon Ish. Try to understand what he says. Understand of course that there are different opinions. What one can have B Talkin about, what one cannot have B Talkin about. He says like this, "Of Kaven Shazo Rock if Shoras Hasola." The Hazon Ish understands that when it comes to B Talkin his sheet is that you can't say that for sure Hashem is going to give me whatever I want. That the that the outcome is going to be the way I would like it to be. Which the Madregas Adam the author of the article says you can. Hazon Ish says you can't. But what he does say is that a person has to believe that it's possible that Hashem will save him. There's no foregone conclusions. At least that. So since it's only a possibility he says the safer B Talkin Basham Yesh Nafshora Sholo Yinaso. There's still a possibility that the person will not be saved. Are you sure that you have to go all the way to Goral Pachad? So now we're stuck in a quandary because if a person doesn't have a guarantee let's say that things are going to be good in the end. Or things are going to be openly good I would say even better. So a person will be afraid. Why have B Talkin Basham? So if it's possible that something negative will happen as the Hazon Ish understands it, so where does B Talkin come in? I can't have B Talkin that it's going to be good. It might end up being bad. Just knowing that there's a possibility of of good things happening is not enough. Lo Ken Kaisa of the Hazon Ish Shitzal. The Hazon Ish therefore writes that in a difficult situation like this one where he doesn't know what's going to be and it looks like there may be a negative outcome the one who trusts in Hashem should behave as follows, this is a quote to make himself bring it bring to his awareness the the truth that he knows that nothing that happens in reality is happenstance. Everything is from Hashem whether it's good or it's negative. This is an important distinction. I know that in the Western world and especially in the Christian world so there are separate worlds, there's separate reshus. There's a belief that anything that's negative comes from the Satan and anything that's good comes from God. But that is not the Jewish belief, that is not our belief. We believe that every single thing that occurs in life whether it's good or it looks like it's bad on the surface everything is from Hashem. Everything is from God. So what's what's the what is the advantage of that understanding? The advantage of that understanding is I know that it's not happenstance, it's not just capriciousness. Hashem is not a capricious God who decides one day that he is going to inflict some difficulties upon somebody. I need to have faith. I need to know that anything that happens in my life whether it's good or whether it's on the surface negative, it's divinely ordained. It's I sham is intimately involved with my life individually. But anyone who believes in divine providence is not necessarily called someone who trusts in I sham. A law and here's a quote again. What this type of amuna, this type of faith affords a person is I don't need to be afraid. I don't have the same level of fear. I can believe that although the the uh the outcome may not be the way I wish it to be, but it could be the way I wish it to be number one. It's not inclined to do bad. It's easy to look out in the world, if you read the news, and think that everything is terrible. That there's only negativity in the world. That death is stronger than life. That that darkness is stronger than light. Amuna I'll be talking to with the Hazon Ish understands it is trusting strongly that there's divine providence. And that removes the fear. That removes the fear. Whatever happens to me is from I sham. And darkness is not stronger than light. Bad is not stronger than than good. So, but the obvious question is How does I get rid of my fear? Because it could be anything, right? I sham could decide today to do good and tomorrow to do Hashem not good. So how does that take away my fear? So in order to understand this, we need to bring a statement from Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz, the Mashgiach of the Mir, who said When a person is fearful, it's hard for a person to trust. Let's say someone's going over a great river. He's on a very narrow bridge. It's very hard to be confident that you're not going to fall off this narrow bridge. to be to be confident that you're not going to fall off this narrow bridge. Now, imagine there's no guardrails. But there's a difference if he decides, "You know what? I It's okay with me if I fall." If that's Hashem's will that I'm going to fall, then it changes the whole equation. That's why you're If that's Hashem's will that I fall, so then I'm not afraid of falling anymore. Then not going to be able to fall. It's much easier. It's almost like a a psychological game, call it. I'm not afraid to fall. If I'm not afraid of the outcome, the negative outcome, so then I have an easier time not ending up in the negative outcome. So Rabbi Yerucham says, If a person honestly says, "You know what? If that's Hashem's will that I experience a downer. If that's Hashem's will that I don't have the money to pay my bills today or tomorrow or the next day. If that's Hashem's will that the the circumstance that wish to happen doesn't happen. If things don't go my way, if that's okay, then that changes everything. K ain kind and this again is a quote. K ain kind in front of Shumperg around me out of Mikra. If I believe that there's no such thing as happenstance, there's no capriciousness, everything is from Hashem, whether for good or for for not so good. So he's not afraid of evil. But besides to that, additionally, when I believed in Ashkaga practice, when I believed that everything is divinely ordained, I come into his park minute time in a minute of He gone and settles my arms and I'm going to show us how to solve a So now I I stepped out of the fear. It's almost like as we described previously, when I was afraid of negative outcomes, so then I draw those outcomes to myself. If I'm always looking at the negative possibility, so then I actually can bring that about. But the moment that I say, "You know what? If that's the way it's going to be, I'm okay with that, too." It's easier for me to now believe I'm not trying to fight the negative outcome, so it's easier for me to believe in a positive outcome. It gives me the strength. It gives me the courage to believe in the possibility of being saved in the goodness of our savior. In the aspect of doing good. So we are to turn away from bad, which means turn away from the the fear of evil, and do good. Believe in good. Believe that that's a possibility. Since everything is from Hashem, and I'm also going to show you there's nothing holding back Hashem from saving the person because of a cousin nation of Israel. In his equal with the minister of talking that this aspect is called the Midas Bitochon. So, Bitochon means letting go of my need for things to be the way I think it should be. That's what comes out. According to the Chazon Ish. When you study this, says Reb Dovid Rosen here, with the same with the Talmud Hasham, as far as I understand, she does all she Chazon Ish it's all This opinion of the Chazon Ish, regarding Bitochon Hasham, my precisely corresponds to the understanding of Rabbeinu Yonah, who was a Rishon. To hell is a tool in the Bitochon. Rabbeinu Yonah, which I believe we learned it together a few years ago. >> [sighs] >> But, uh he says that there's something called Tocheles Atzumeh in the Bitochon, which means there is hope that results that that's a uh that's a offshoot an offshoot of my Bitochon. The original Mishnah Zohar, what does it mean? What is this uh >> [snorts] >> sentence mean? What is the concept of hope that's an offshoot of Bitochon, of faith? The fact that I can hope for a good outcome comes from Bitochon. It's an offshoot. For example, a person is in time of danger. Then, Bitochon means I'm absolutely certain that Hasham can save me. Can save me. So, if he can save me, I can hope that he will. She is the taste of the bottle. That's what's going to be the result. I can hope. Hasham will save him. This is the language of Rabbeinu Yonah. This is the Rabbeinu Yonah's language. The concept of Bitochon of bitachon requires a person to know in his heart that everything is in the hands of heaven. Hashem can change nature. Hashem created nature, so he can do something supernatural. He can change a person's mazel, right? Um, you know, a person sees in their life that they There's certain things that always happen. There's certain cycles, certain times, certain things that happen a lot in a person's person's life. We call that mazel. The The way that a person's life unfolds, the patterns that repeat themselves, maybe are maybe Israelite are character deficiencies that that play out all the time, but a person has a certain mazel, a certain way that things roll in their life. And at a certain point you start to see that. But Hashem can change that. Hashem is above mazel. Hashem is higher than that. Hashem can change nature. Hashem can change a person's mazel. Hashem mazel will be removed. There's nothing that stops Hashem from saving a person with a lot or a little. In other words, it looks like there's a lot of room for salvation or only a very small chance of salvation. Gam kitzar krayvo. And even when the difficulties seem like they're more likely, Hashem's salvation is also close. It's not more distant. There's no lack of plans from Hashem to save the person. A person should trust in Hashem at every difficult point and every dark situation. He should know in truth that Hashem can save a person. Can abundantly save in any situation. His salvation could come in a in a in the blink of an eye. I can listen to therefore trust in Hashem trust that there's a possibility of salvation even in the most difficult situation, even if the sword is on his neck. Like the says in the Hank the Lenny Louie I have a hell. Even if they are going about to kill me to him lie here means is with a vow to him I will hope. He has to learn to be talking. The Rabbi says that is the hope that comes out of the talking. It's an offshoot of the talking. We see that the and the Rabbi seem to be along the same lines. So that we shouldn't make a mistake and think that although hope is an offshoot of the talking. My hope doesn't mean I'm sure. Doesn't mean I'm sure that the good is going to happen. It means I hope that it's I have there's hope. There's there's a chance of something good happening. But don't think he says that uh it's not considered be talking. Or that it would be referred to as false be talking like the first opinion which we quoted 2 weeks ago. I would learn to learn tells us I want to be talking. That this hope this hope which is an offshoot of be talking is also called be talking we say I'll tell you because it is an offshoot right if you have a branch of a tree it's a piece of the tree. Who is attached to all life? They have bitachon perish. There's This means to say that there's always an opportunity for a person to change his ways. So, as we did talk about 2 weeks ago, a person's According to Chazon Ish, the person's merits are that which bring about a positive or negative outcome in their life. So, a person is doing what's right, so then that brings about a positive outcome. So, there's always space for me, let's say, to do teshuvah. Let's say something negative is happening in my life, it's going to be a result of something that I've done wrong, and there's always room for me to do teshuvah and change. I can change in a moment's on a moment's notice. And therefore, I can expect that something good will hap- will happen, that things will change because of me changing. Not only is tikvah hope a subcategory of bitachon, but it's one of the highest levels of bitachon. And the concept which we spoke about in the first opinion of understanding the Chazon Ish, go back to the 2 weeks ago's uh podcast. So, so I need to be able, and this is a a a huge piece that's I would say missing from western western uh thinking. We don't want any problems. We want to fix all the problems. We don't want to We don't want to look at any difficulties, problems. We don't want to look at the the the troubles. We'd rather them be buried or we don't have them. That's how we get it we we get away from them. Pop a pill. But it's possible to have shalva nafshis, which means serenity of spirit. It's possible to be in a place where no matter what happens I'm calm. No matter what happens I'm not knocked over. This is what Rabbeinu Yonah refers to as the second level in bitachon. So, hoping that things will be awesome is is a good thing. It's called bitachon. But also being okay in the context of things not being exactly as I want them that's also called bitachon. The son of the Ram of Avraham, so that which was referred to as false bitachon by the first opinion in the Chazon Ish that's actually the type of bitachon that everybody, all people if we talk about the general populace, the way that the approach to bitachon is supposed to be this is actually the what's referred to as false bitachon is actually the bitachon, the real bitachon that we're all obligated to have. What we just referred to as the level of bitachon which which is where the person sees everything as equal. Whether it's negative or positive. That's in in the Reb Nachman of Breslov's understanding it's referred to as mailus hafkedah. The the advantage or the the positive attribute of hafkedah. What does it mean? Hafkedah means adam mesinyanov. Hafkedah means to give somebody something to watch. I I'm mafkid up a pikadon and I say, "Will you please take care of my item? I'm going out of the country. Take care of this particular thing. I don't want it to get lost. I want it to be under someone's care." She yafkid adam mesinyanov b'yad Hashem. I take whatever circumstances that exist in my life and I put it in a box and I give it to Hashem. And I say, "Hashem, you know what? I'd like you to take care of this. I'd like you to be in charge of this. I don't want to I don't want to engage emotionally with this particular circumstance." Viartel etzmi mikol tzipuyav v'chuka. And the person removes himself empties himself of any kind of expectation or desire. Ash achas ilai im ya'asik davar mish'takeg ilav. He gets to the point where he says, "Hashem, I'm giving this to you. And I don't I don't care if it works out the way I want it to work out or not." Im ya'asik es ha'evek v'lo im ya'asik es ha'evek I would have wanted it to be. V'nimtza mistapek b'ma she'gozer alav Hashem yisborach. And it comes out, Reb Nachman of Breslov says, in this level, that the person is happy with whatever Hashem decides. Hashem, I don't know what's best for me, Hashem. You decide for me. I give this to you. If you decide that it should be a different way than I think it should be, I'm going to accept that. That's a very high level of bitachon. I'm going to mention the If it can be counted amongst the levels of bitachon, cuz it's you know, it's a very high approach. It is not an aspect of bitachon itself. It's beyond bitachon. Shall we hear the school? This is something that people on a very high level were able to do. There's a story with Reb Zundel Mi Salant. And so it was written in the annals of Jerusalem. He was the Rav of Jerusalem, and his daughter passed away. When he received the news, he got up, and he said with simcha, with joy, he said the blessing of Dyan Ha'Emes. Cuz it says that you're supposed to say the blessing of Dyan Ha'Emes the same way as Ha'Tov Ve'Ha'Meitiv, but that's a that's obviously beyond anything that we can imagine. And we'll just wrap up here. Reb Aryeh Leib writes that there are two in the sefer Shemiras Emunim. There are two aspects in bitachon. She Mevakesh. One is that he hopes that Hashem will do what I ask. Hashem will fulfill what I what I the way I wish it to be. A higher level is that whatever Hashem decides for me is best for me. I'm okay with that. So, obviously there's different approaches, different ways of thinking about it, but worth hearing all the different understandings in the concept of B Tokhun. Thank you so much for listening. See you again next time.