Bitachon 281 - Faith Alongside Efforts

You're listening to the 281st edition of the Ban podcast. We are continuing in the Sabbashem. We are up to the beerishi the third clarification going to talk about having trust in Hashem and balancing that with our own human efforts. How do we think about means I trust Hashem's going to do do it for me. But what about my efforts? Are they needed? We're now coming to the backbone of the mitzvah, the commandment and the character trait of trusting in Hashem, which is the concept of and efforts. It's without a doubt a very deep and wide idea. Almost every single one of the great sages of the people of Israel have been involved with this. I'll pray to God that he will enlighten my eyes so that I can clarify and get to the get to the get to that full clarity around these matters so that I can come to a true understanding. First we're going to try to understand what are the issues when it comes to and efforts as is stated by the by this is these are his words quote trusting in hem it's one of the highest highest character traits And it's even a foundation of the I'm sorry. Nobody argues on the fact that this is an obligation. Everyone agrees we have an obligation. It's not just like a nice thing. Oh, I can get what I want out of God, so let me let me trust in him, get on his good side. No, this is an obligation. And this is a person has a responsibility, a Torah responsibility, otherwise known as a mitzvah, to to uh to trust in Hashem. End quote. The question is what did the when the Torah says when the prophets say that we're obligated to trust in Hashem and not in human beings, not in ourselves? Does that mean I shouldn't do any kind of efforts? I should just sit in my house and wait for someone to knock on my door and bring me the money when it comes to my livelihood etc. Hashem will sustain me or maybe the intent here is a person lives in this world. There are certain there's a certain natural order. There are certain natural laws. So then a person will need to behave based on these laws. But even as I work in this world with awareness of what the natural laws are, I also need the awareness that there's something called supernatural beyond nature. the creator and all of the natural order is completely subservient to him. So what it means to say is yes there are certain rules. There are certain, let's say, I'll call them Mishbucka magazine rules of how to succeed in business and uh Dale Carnegie rules of how to succeed, how to win friends and influence people. But there's something higher than that as well. And that's Hashem himself. Hashem has the right and ability to play around with his rules. And therefore now according to the second understanding of a person would need to put in efforts natural go with the natural way of things but at the same time look up to the heavens and to be expecting that Hashem who is the the root and the master of all of nature. Right? Hashm created all of nature. Hashem created all of this universe 13.8 billion lighty years across [gasps] from proverbs 4:23 from Hashem are the outcomes of life. Okay. He is a person needs to wait and hope and and expect that Hashem will do good to him that he'll do kindness with him. We find amongst the sages of Israel that there are three main opinions. Alf the first one [cough] the first opinion is that a person should do regular human efforts. He should put in regular human efforts. Regular things that people do in order to succeed. You should do that. and at the same time trust in Hashem. Okay, so that's possibility number one. And by the way, none of these possibilities is do the maximum that you possibly can. Put in the maximum efforts, go to every length, that's not one of them. Regular, it's a regular way of making money. You could do that and at the same time trust in Hashem. That's the first opinion. Number number two, Second opinion is person should really mainly trust in Hashem and minimize his minimize the efforts that a person does. A person should not do any efforts at all which we've discussed that's the madri person should do no efforts and just completely trust in hashem sit in your house learn tyra the money will just arrive at your door so those are the three main opinions and and as I'm reading this I'm just thinking out loud here that uh we fluctuate we fluctuate. It's important to know the shittas because sometimes a person may be holding by a certain level. You might feel like I have to I'm not like in that head space of talking right now. My heart is not in that place. So in that circumstance, a person may need to do more or a person may feel I just have this strong feeling it's going to work out and I don't need to do anything. A person can fluctuate between these levels. He doesn't say that but I'm saying that there are two more opinions that are um two more unique opinions. We will explain them later and we'll try to bring proofs other places where we see whether it's inal or whether it's in we'll bring proofs to each of these different opinions and we're going to go through them one by one and the first opinion we're going to start I don't think we're going to finish here today but we'll get a we'll get a good jab into it. Okay, this is I believe the of the [snorts] to do regular and I I would say that this is probably the most widely accepted and uh propagated shittita [snorts] um that a person should do regular things, regular efforts, put in regular efforts, do the regular things that usually work in the world. That's what you should do. Person should not limit. Person should not do less than whatever is normal in order to receive one's livelihood. [snorts] It's a curse which is on all of mankind that the earth is cursed uh because of you. We we just read this in the para para With sadness you shall eat from it all the days of your life. By the sweat of your face you will eat bread. The indication here is that a human being it was decreed upon him that he has to work. It's the sweat in order to bring home bread. Like the says, he says a great thing. I love it. He says, "I never ever saw in my life a uh a deer that's out in the field cutting down crops or a lion that's carrying that's carrying uh carrying a heavy load or a fox that's a storekeeper. Miss Pardon, all of the animals that created, they all have their livelihood. They all have their whatever food they need without any difficulty, without any pain. They were all created to serve me. All of the animals in the animal kingdom are not the main purpose of creation. The human being is the purpose of creation. We are both animal. We have an animal side to ourselves. We have the human physical side and we have our spiritual side which is higher than an angel. We have a soul and because of that combination so we are able to do great things. Our mitzvah are are important. They affect the highest realms. So what are all the animals here for? They're here to serve me. They're here to for me to bring into the service of God. So they get all all of that which they need quite easily to the shamishes. I'm created to serve my creator. So the animals which are here to serve me they're secondary to the human being but they get their livelihood without any difficulty. I'm created to serve God and then certainly that I should be able to have my livelihood without any difficulties. He says an amazing thing. That's such an important thing. I've done something wrong. I've damaged my relationship with God. When I am in a state of rectification, when I'm serving God properly, so then it's natural that everything that I need is provided for. A person says in Jeria in Jeremiah 5:2, "Your sins twisted things. Your sins prevented the good from coming to you. [snorts] It would have been appropriate in truth." Thank you. It would have been appropriate that the one who was created by God's hands, the human being, the crown of creation, shouldn't have to put in any efforts. It should just, you know, the angels should just fly down, plop, plop in front of us whatever we want to eat. But after the sin of the first man and [snorts] the curse that was the result of that. So the good was prevented from us. So in order to get our livelihood it takes a certain effort takes a certain pain. But the implication here is that uh if we would be in a proper relationship with Hashem it wouldn't be necessary. Interesting. So now in this opinion the fact that we have to be involved in efforts it's not a contradiction to the fact that we're supposed to trust in hem what is the idea of according to this opinion person should not depend on his own actions if not for the fact that I had my job, I'd be dead. If I were the fact that I put in these efforts, I would be I would disappear. Like the story that's told in a quote, one of the righteous individuals said he had a a neighbor who was a scribe and he you know it wasn't like today where there's a printing press. Books were in demand. So he would he was a quick writer. He knew how to write quickly and uh he got money from writing. One time this righteous individual said to his neighbor, "What's going on? How are you?" He said, "Everything's fine as long as my hands are working. It's a pretty extreme story, but this is the story. That evening after the guy said, "As long as my hands are are in proper working condition," that evening, his hand was chopped off and he wasn't able to write for the rest of his life. says this was his punishment for trusting in his hand. But if if I say you know you might know that my parasa involves music and singing. So if a person were to say who's a singer, someone ask him how you doing? Oh, as long as my voice is working, I'm great. That that's that's a lack of that's [sighs] I would say in uh in Kazal's parliament they say they say they refer to as someone who serves idolatry is called someone who has cut off the plantings which means to say there's a tree and you cut off a branch from the tree so The branch no longer has power to to get to get its sustenance from the tree from the roots. person who serves idolatry means instead of seeing Hashem God himself as the root so he sees something else some the maz he's the the stars the constellations or he sees a human being as uh as as a god and that could be your boss or it could be one's hands or it could be one's voice The Israelite man the Israelite person the person should trust in that if let's say I don't have this livelihood can find me another source of livelihood more than this I have to believe that Hashem has all abilities he's completely able Even if I will sit at home and do nothing, Hashem has no there's nothing stopping Hashem from sending me my livelihood. Hashem could do that. But because of the decree which was decreed upon mankind because of the sin of so I can't do that. I can't just sit at home. I can't depend on that. It was decreed that I have to go out and I have to work the land. was. So rather because of it I have to work and I have to um be involved in my own livelihood and then also also to trust in Hashem. Um I'm going to read a few lines longer but we're going to come back to the spot. So who holds this way which I believe is and they're all bug writes on this I have the horses ready for the day of war but it's the salvation belongs to God which I hope I hope that that's what the uh those who are gung-ho about the army here in Israel, I hope that's what they hope, what they hold. You have to be ready for war. But it's Hashem who's doing it. And obviously the world has a different opinion. This is a quote. And I'm going to just literally read one more line and we're going to stop. So he exhorts in this. He is exhorting us that a person needs to do everything that's needed to be done. Put in every effort. does sound like that and leave the rest for God. In order for a miracle to to manifest, there has to be something in the natural world for it to manifest upon. And since the human being lives in a natural world, the human being is obligated to take natural steps according to this opinion. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you again next time.