Bitachon 280 - The Manna and the Copper Snake

Listening to the 280th edition of the B'tachon podcast. We're in the middle of talking about the concept or the different places, the makorot, the sources in the Torah where we see the idea of B'tachon of trusting in Hashem. And we were talking about the idea of shmita. And then we talked about the idea of the parshas hamon. The manna, the miraculous bread that would fall in the heavens, from the heavens, to the Jewish people in the wilderness for 40 years. And we talked about how a person would collect a certain amount. Sometimes if they would collect a little too much, it would end up being the amount that they were supposed to collect. If they would collect too little, it would end up being the amount that they're that it was supposed to be. Each person gets what they're supposed to get. Which of course of course means that echad hamarbeh v'echad hamamit. Sometimes person thinks that they need to do or often we hear do maximum hishtadlus, put in as much effort as you can. But the secret here is that in a higher spiritual realm, which is the realm that we are seeking in a higher spiritual place which is represented by the 40 years in the wilderness so you don't need to work so hard. And you might work very hard and end up with the same amount. You might work very little and end up with the same amount. So he says like this, the sefer B'tachon Hashem, "Chayav adam l'chayeiv shmita shmita B'tachon Hashem b'chol me'odei me'odei minei hamon." We find additionally that the commandment and the character trait of trusting in Hashem is learned through all generations from the miracle of the manna. K'mo amarim zechuram to rock like our sages tell us. K'shehayu When Jeremiah the prophet wanted to give Tyco car wanted to give rebuke to the Jewish people. Or wanted to prove something to them. But do I need to tell my skin material? He said to them, "Why are you not studying Torah?" Rely. So they responded and said in mono ask him a Tyra. If we're involved in studying Torah, so then how will we have our livelihood? How will we be able to pay our bills? How will we get put food on the table? In that moment By the way, this is from the Al Kashi money and it's quoted in my dress Adam. In that moment so he took out the tin sensor someone. He walked, I guess. He walked into the base of Migdal into the holy temple. And in the holy temple next to the ark or I don't think it was inside the ark. Some some kind of shelf was a a small container. And in that container was a sample of the original man. And by the way, it still exists. Perhaps it's underneath our advice. So he took it out. And he said to them, "How do I tell Raul de Varasham?" You need to I I think it means go back on what you said. You need to retract. See, behold the word of Hashem. Now, the measures points out Shimuli Nemar and who it doesn't say listen to the word of Hashem. It says behold, look at. But then it's fancy of a second cuz he was he wanted to give them a Ham Kasha. He wanted to to show them clearly that they could see it with their own eyes. This is how your great-grandparents received their livelihood. Shema Yisrael midbar Torah. Right? It's called the dor de'ah. The the generation that was in the wilderness was the the generation of knowledge. They had received the Torah directly from Hashem. They were involved in learning, they were provided for. Af al pi ken shkuba Torah, so too you involve yourselves in studying Torah. Kodesh baruch hu may find us miza. Hashem will give you your livelihood from this, from the manna. Shomer shluchim yesh lo ma'am Hashem has many messengers. Lochen mazne ra'av in order to prepare the food for those who fear him. Klei mar the Sefer haChinuch explains that what this means to say is Yirmiyahu amar l'dorai, Jeremiah the prophet said to his generation, tilamdu Torah v'al tidagu learn Torah and don't worry b'met is parnassu what you're going to get your livelihood from. Ela tivtechu b'Hashem rather trust in Hashem. Hinei tzelem ha'mann l'faneichem behold the container of the manna is right in front of you. Right? And by the way it's a pasuk. Kach v'anach Hashem instructs Klal Yisrael to take some of that manna and to set it aside in this container so it would be remembered. K'mo she'hayu mitzanin min ha'mann b'zchut emunatam bilvad just like your forefathers were sustained through the manna and what was the what was the determining factor for that? It was because of their their faith alone, their bitachon. Ken atem so too you bitchu b'Hashem If I'm not mistaken, that pasuk is is Yirmeyahu, King the prophet Jeremiah. That he said, "Trust in Hashem and you will receive your livelihood." Im lo al yedei emunah, al yedei ha'aracha, it might not be literally the man, the mana, but it will be something else. Hashem will provide for you. Sharbi shluchim lelo makom, Hashem has many messengers. He has lots of ways to send you what you need. The same parsha is Nachashim. We also find in the Torah another source, another place where the idea of bitachon applies, and that's in the story of the snakes. Kol yanu al bitachon Hashem. The whole idea is the idea of trusting in Hashem. Ayish Hashem ba'om, es Nachashim as roflai Nachashim al yomam al ram Yisrael. The snakes came and they bit the people. There was There were snake bites going on. And many people died. Vayavo'u am el Moshe vayomru chatanu ki dibarnu al Hashem v'al Moshe. The Jewish people came and they admitted their sin. They had spoken foolishly, negatively of Hashem and of Moshe. Yispalel Moshe al Hashem v'yasir alenu et hanachash. So, they requested of Moshe, "Pray to Hashem and let him remove these snakes from our midst." Yispalel Moshe ba'adam. Moshe prayed on their behalf. Vayas Moshe nachash nechoshet. And what did Moshe do? So, I don't know if you've ever noticed, but in the symbol for healing in the United States of America, there's a stick and there's a snake wrapped around the stick. Moshe created that stick, which is copied in that symbol. And he took he made it out of the which is bronze. He made a he put it on a stick while he him not sure not sure she's ish What happened? tells us in by mid run numbers chapter 21 versus 6 through 9. If a person was bitten by a snake he would look at this uh bronze copper I'm sorry is the right word copper forgive me because this is copper you will look at the copper snake that was on this stick. He was a coy and he would live. So now what's going on in this story? What is this a magical snake? magical copper snake So the story of this matter is as follows the problem with the machine The people of Israel the Jewish people they had something missing in their machine. They spoke against God and they spoke against motion they said soon I was a big fan of mine. They said why did you bring us to die in the wilderness? We have no bread. We have no water. the government cetera So that's impossible K. that same location numbers for us a sham show that I miss him so often Now I would say it this way. You know we we look at the we look at the tire and it can sound like a punishment but actually I think that what happens is when we when we speak negatively we lose our faith in a sham so our spiritual energy is depleted. It's like I was discussing recently with a friend of mine who also doubles for the amulet who leads the prayers on the high holidays on Yom Kippur that it it always seems like we get sick or not I don't know if it seems like it. We we usually get sick around Rosh Hashanah time. And we could explain it simply as a physical reality that occurs because of stress or uh worry. But the bottom line of it is that we open ourselves we we compromise our immune systems on a physical level when we're worried. And on a spiritual level we also compromise our immune systems when we sin, when we speak negatively, when we lack faith in Hashem. So it gives it opens up a space for negative forces to have an impact on us. Okay. And and the we can be attacked. There's room for attack. We think about the golden We think about the lack of unity that was going on 3 years ago around like before October 7th here in Eretz Israel we we needed to work on that. And then the snake bit. This was a hint to them I'll have a midbar I go to my sort of the akrov that they had spoken and lost their faith in Hashem. They spoke against Hashem. The one who led them in the wilderness. The the great and awesome God. Who who protected them from snakes and scorpions. Shall I shall we talk to me until now you trusted in me Hashem says. I locked it on me wasn't a big deal to go to place with snakes and scorpions. And my problem with the road they did not cause you any damage. I started to complain to me many but now that you have removed your faith from me. You complain that there was no bread or no water. I don't know how she could have come. So then the snakes that are there already all of a sudden there's an opening for them to to be able to attack you. Right? So again he's explaining it doesn't mean that Hashem like brought from another place snakes and scorpions to attack them. They were there already. They were protected until now and now they lost their protection. Israel should have killed all of them. Israel recognized they they had a sense a spiritual sense that they had made a spiritual mistake. His father said so their response was a spiritual response. They came and they said we realized we sinned. We sinned against you Moshe Rabbeinu. We sinned against Hashem. Please pray for us. We need a spiritual solution. And Moshe prayed on behalf of the nation. With this request when he when they said davening davening to Hashem so they showed that they realized that they do depend on Hashem. And that they have hope that Hashem will This was a true repentance. This was a true uh reversal of the mistake that they made. Therefore Moshe agreed to pray on their behalf. And Hashem's response was Hashem said make this copper snake put it onto a stick whoever sees it will be saved will live. So what's I'm saying what how is that the solution that sounds like a very strange solution, right? I'm going to show you a mission of the mission says in Russia Shana about this. Does one snake kill a person and another snake a copper snake have the power to cure a person give a person life? So in other words what's going on in this story? And it was munchies from a stocking cabin my little machine is leaving on a mission of the shamayim. I would say there's two aspects here. One is it's a nice the the the the word for the stick is is a word nice which also we have the copper ship for God the sun nice the copper ship is a flag it's something that's raised up. So it wasn't just a stick it was a was a very tall I would say more like a flagpole and they put the snake on this copper snake. So it's something that they would have to look up to and as they looked up they would they would see the heavens and they would be reminded that they need to be my shabby their hearts to to make themselves subservient to God I miss Robin so that would cause them to be cured. I'm love how you need my Kim. If not they would fall deeper into into uh sickness or death. So another thing that I was thinking about is that it was instructed to motion by a sham to create this copper snake so call yourself new that so the just looking at it was a was a symbol to them. It was a symbol of a sham saving them and and them being instructed by a sham how to be cured. Here he explains Kli Yakar Shmuel Yitzchaki. What it means to say is that Hashem's response was She Gedel Khaviv B'khol Hashem. And in order to strengthen their their bitachon, their faith in Hashem, K'ilu D'iga Khet V'avakesh L'hem L'moshel L'tzeit D'arkha Shel Amud. In order to rectify the blemish that they had made in their faith, so Moshe needed to place this copper snake upon a tall stick. Yisomekh D'iga K'laviv M'al Ha'ayin. And it was a tool to help them look up. And they would see Shem Yishita L'somer Ha'ayin Min Ha'khashavah Shel Ha'stram Z'akhur V'hu Y'hei Reminded that what is it that saved them until today? It was Hashem himself. Hashem Yisrael L'vav L'vavim Shevashmaim V'hei Would Make Their Hearts Subservient To God. L'vitoakh B'Yisborakh, to redouble their faith. Shek'shem She'yitzei L'vav Ha'ayin That's just like Hashem saved me until now. We have a little bit of a pause here in the salvation, but I recognize it's my my problem. Hashem saved me until now, why? Because I depended on him. K'nyam She'yitzei L'vav Ha'ayin Tzei L'hem Ha'salekh Im Ha'mayim K'khos Ha'khoson. So too from now on, Hashem will save me, take care of me, provide me with my needs, give me my bread, give me my water. And I would add, I would add that how did the story come about? It came about because there was some kind of pause perhaps in their in the consistency of them being provided with their needs. They needed to step back in that moment and not lose faith. Hashem tests us. Or I would say perhaps when we become complacent, so then it opens up the possibility for us to lose our faith in the in a moment. Hashem wants us or uh I I we could put it that way or we could say that's the cycle of of human nature is to get used to something. Yeah, Hashem's taking care of me. I don't even think about it anymore and I I'm no longer in touch. And so the reality is set up in a way that reminds me, I got to get back in touch. Don't lose faith there. But I saw the precious L'nyonim of Ne'ilah of Yom Kippur of Hashem. So, Rav Dovid Rosen says that besides for these particular sections of the Torah that clearly are built foundationally upon the concept of trusting Hashem. You also have Psukim in the Torah on where my love that teach us that we're to trust in Hashem K'goyim. Mi Yisrael B'nei Adam. You also need to learn Achash B'cheicha Y'varechcha Hashem. When Moshe said, I I can't speak. How can I take the Jewish people out of Egypt? How can I redeem them? I don't talk well. Hashem says to him, who gave you a mouth? Who made a person mute? Who made a person deaf deaf? Who made a person able to see? Who made a person to be blind? It's me, Hashem says. I gave every person their chizronos. I gave every person the things they lack and I gave every person the koichos they have, the strengths that they have. Why nemar another pasuk? Zocher es Hashem Elokecha Ki Hu Hanosen L'cha Koach La'asos Chayil. When a person gets overly enamored in his own abilities, his own prowess in business, military capabilities, etc. Hashem reminds us, you shall remember that it's Hashem who gives you the power to be successful. Maybe I come up soaking. And in this way the Masbic brings a number of other verses. Now that we've said, we've discussed where do we find it in the Torah? Say one more idea. The Chofetz Chaim writes that the foundation of the entire Torah is trusting Hashem. And it is through bitachon that we're able to fulfill the entire Torah. Think about it. Often, why is a person not learn as much? Why is a person uh step away from his faith? It's because they're trying to get life under control on their own terms. When a person doesn't have the full bitachon, doesn't have that full faith in Hashem, so they can end up not keeping the Torah. A person, the Israelites trust in Hashem, he will not run after his livelihood. He won't get stuck on his work. He won't worry about his livelihood. He'll get He'll be won't be overly involved in trying to provide for his own needs. He won't be He won't hold himself back from giving charity and from letting his land lie fallow in the seventh year because he trusts in Hashem. And other types of things like this. If a person lacks faith, he ends up doing everything wrong, Stealing, being dishonest. That's why King David says, "Trust in Hashem and do good." First he exhorts us to have bitachon and then to do good. The prerequisite for being able to do good is having bitachon. In order to fulfill the Torah, I need to have bitachon. Is it's it's It surrounds or it goes around the idea of bitachon. And the way a person can keep the Torah is only through bitachon. Many Many write this. This would seem to be a contradiction The Gra says the reason we've been given the Torah is so that we get to bitachon. Sometimes it sounds like first I have to have bitachon. And that The Gra sounds like first I need the Torah. And then I'll be able to have faith in Hashem. And then I'll be able to have faith in Hashem. And then I'll be able to have faith in Hashem. The truth is this is not a contradiction. Rabbi Many of our sages have written that there are many different levels in trust in Hashem. Sometimes he's talking about the lower level of bitachon. It comes before the Torah. That's just the basic level of believing that everything is from Hashem. Once I believe that, so then I can keep the Torah. The Gra is talking about the higher level. That only comes after a person learns more and more Torah. As a person deepens his spiritual connection, deepens his relationship with Hashem, deepens his spiritual awareness, then he rises level after level in bitachon. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you again next time.