Bitachon 242 - True Source of Power

You're listening to the 242nd edition of the podcast. We are learning the together in chapter what this is what Hashem says. Cursed is the person who places his trust in a person in a human being. The some buster and makes flesh his arm his strength. and turns his heart away from Hashem says the idea behind that we've been speaking about don't trust in a human being we're going to have this theme it's going to run through what we're going to say say that a person needs to know that any human being is going to help you or help me. The only way that they will have the power to do that is if Hashem decrees it. The power of any person to help me is only Hashem's power. That's what a means. That's what the Pik means when it says cursed is one who trusts a human being. It means alone. means I only trust the person and I think that that person has independent power because this is a really important point in because we struggle right we want to trust in Hashem completely but we also know that our experience has shown that in life Hashem does expect us sometimes or oftentimes to put in efforts and to find somebody to help us sometimes and to to do stuff to be involved in the world to interact with the So what's the right balance on it? And I've shared with you in the past how the alter Novaric wanted us to have no hishadless he wanted us to put in no efforts because there's a great danger in putting in efforts or depending on people. And the danger is that I start to believe that my efforts are doing it. I start to believe that the human being who I've asked for help is helping me on his own. And I forget where the help really comes from. I forget even where my own ability comes from to make a decision that's right. Let's say to make up a good song. Whatever it is, I have to be careful that I don't disconnect from the source of power, from the source of success. He brings here from the Maspe, which is the son of the Rambam. The the Rambam son says as follows. And there's an extensive thing here which I put three stars next to because it's so beautiful and so essential. So listen carefully. The second concept is the opposite of the first concept. We're coming in obviously in the middle of a of a teaching here. But he says like this, we find that people make a mistake. Someone who denies that Hashem has the power. Denies that Hashem is behind everything. So they still have trust, they still have, right? Who do they have in? Not in not in Hashem. They have in a human being or they have a bet in the stock market or their mental prowess. And in their most innermost selves, they don't trust in Hashem. They're not believing that the power of any of the things that they do or any of the people who they are getting help from that that power comes from Hashem. like somebody who trusts only on his own power when it comes to his livelihood. He thinks, okay, I know what to do. I know how to make money. I know how to succeed. Look, this is what's worked in the past. I believe, you know, there's there's rules in the world. If a person is sick and he places his trust in the expert doctor and that doctor has succeeded many times with this particular illness or this particular surgery, whatever it is, that's the mistake. Well, and and by the way, it's a normal human mistake. If it works, then it's going to work again. Why shouldn't I trust it? This is what our which is the speaking and quoting Hashem. This is what Hashem says that curses the person who trusts in a human being and places flesh to be his strength and turns his heart away from Hashem. That last word, those last words are the operative words here, the important words that he turns his heart away from Hashem. Excuse me. Abamari, the son of the rabbot his father, the Rambam. These are his words. If not for the fact that it says at the end of the puzz that he turns his heart away from Hashem, that that's the problem. The problem isn't per se that I trust in a human being. The problem is that I turn away from the recognition that the person who's helping me, their power comes from Hashem. So if not for the fact that it had that at the end. So so it would be impossible not to be included in this curse. All human beings almost all the son trusts in his father right woman trusts in her husband. There's something called imun in Hebrew. We we have uh we have rapport. We have a connection. We have trust between us, right? I have a I have a partner in business, let's say. So, I got to be able to trust him. So, anyone who trusts somebody else is going to be considered cursed because they trusting they are trusting in someone besides Hashem. So we would be in a difficult situation if not for the fact that the real is what the is saying is that yeah I'm going to trust in my parents. Yeah, I'm going to trust in my in my partner in business. Yeah, I'm going to trust in my spouse. my wife brings home a certain amount of money for a for the paycheck. I trust that that's going to happen. But where does it come from? Where does my where do my parents have their power from? Where do they get their sustenance from? Where does my shuto my my business partner where does he get the power from? What makes him successful? What has given him that business acumen that allows him to be successful that I feel like I can trust him? It's it's a it's got to be in my mind. It's got to go back to the fact that it's Hashem who is giving them power. As long as it goes back to that. So then the person is not included in the curse. And therefore doesn't per se only mean that I need to trust only in Hashem and not be involved with people. It means that when I when I'm involved with people and I have a connection and a and a partnership with others and I trust them to do things, it means that I know that their power comes from Hashem. That even as I trust in a human being, I'm really trusting in Hashem and Hashem's power as it manifests through that human being. It's really important. And he brings here in a note on the bottom a a deeper explanation or a or a more clear way that explains this. He explains at at length in another place which we're going to quote about the husband of a woman on her husband and a child on his father. We find many that speak about the fact that creations that all the creations all the creatures all trust in Hashem. Says the eyes of all your creations look to you. They hope to you give them what they need. He says an amazing thing. The Pik is saying that all of reality recognizes that Hashem is the source for all of their sustenance. That is something that is instinctive. It's instinctive within all of Hashem's creations. And when we're in in the proper state, I think I would say that our more natural state is that we all feel that way. We all resonate with that. That that's how it should be. We can explain another shot in this. What does it mean? It doesn't only mean that everyone trusts in Hashem. All of the creations believe that God is going to provide for them. But we can say that all of creation, anything that exists in the world that has power, that power is rooted in Hashem himself. Every single wise person, anyone who has a little bit of intuition knows that you got to lean on something. I'm standing right now on a flat spot, right? I'm in a hilly area and I'm in a flat spot. I got to be able to depend on the floor that it's not going to fall out from underneath me, right? I got to get in my car and depend on the car that it's going to work and my brakes are going to work. I got to come home and I got to depend on my wife that she's going to do what she's supposed to do. We got to be able to depend on others. But what I need to understand is the solid earth that's underneath my feet. Why is it solid? Because Hashem makes it solid. Why is it that my car is working? Well, I got to get it checked to make sure that it's working. But why does it continue to work in the natural scheme of things? Because Hashem gives a certain solidity to the things that are in our existence. I love you salah. So it comes out an amazing thing. This is really this is where I put the three stars that that a person who trusts if I trust it's a human need and a human ability and a human. It's an it's a it's a positive attribute that we trust naturally in the things around us. I believe in stuff that's going on that it's going to continue that way. But really, when I'm trusting in a person, I'm really trusting in Hashem's power that's in that person. That's really what it is. It could be I understand this and it could be I don't really understand. I don't like really contemplate this fact. But either way, that's the fact. Maybe I don't want to admit it because I I don't want to admit that everything is from Hashem because that that uh that implies obligation to do what God wants. Let's say have a person who trusts in his wealth. He has a lot of money in stocks. Stocks are doing well. Or let's say he trusts in his physical abilities. person who's a day worker. He's strong. He trusts in his physicality or somebody who trusts in another human being. Where did he get his wealth? Who gave him the thought to buy those stocks? Who gave him the money, the wherewithal? Hashem gave it to him. Says, excuse me, Hashem is the one who gives a person their wealth. Hashem protects it so that it should stay with that person. If a person has physical strength, Hashem is the one who gave him that strength. So what we see here is that the individual who trusts in the things that are in front of him, we understand that that's not the highest type of trust. But what's really going on in essence is I'm trusting in really I'm trusting in Hashem that Hashem is going to continue to give this person power or this ability within me for it to continue to exist or the the wealth that I have for it to continue to exist. He is the root of all things in the world of all powers and this is true whether the person actually is aware of it or not aware of it still the very fact that I'm trusting means that I believe that things have power and continue to have power but if I if I contemplate a little bit if I think about it back to its root I understand and I can feel it here in my heart. That's where I feel it. That himself is the one that's behind everything. And if I walk outside, it's a beautiful day, which it is here. You can see a little bit behind me. It's a beautiful day. The the grass is green, the sun is shining, the trees are beautiful, the it's just it's just amazing. Where did it come from? How how does that happen in a in a in a universe 13.8 8 billion lighty years across where the earth 1.3 billion earths fit into the star our sun, right? I'm a little speck on this planet and I see this a tremendous order and tremendous beauty. I think a little bit realize who is the source of this, right? Where does it come from? The truth is that somebody who doesn't understand this is like a little child. He doesn't yet have the power in his in his imagination. He trusts. How's he going to get his food? His mother gives him food, right? He wakes up in the morning. His mother pours him a bowl of cereal. He eats it. If the person, if that child had a little bit more of a developed imagination, he would realize, see things a little deeper. Where's the mother get the money for the cornflakes? Cuz his father is working and gives her the money. And if he thought a little bit more, he would realize that where does his father get the money from? It's because his father has a boss who's hired him, who's paying him. If a person takes this a little farther, I mean he's talking about a child, but this is we're all have a child mentality. If we take it a little bit farther, we realize that where does the person who's hiring me, where does my boss get the money from? Where does it come from originally? comes from. Understand this matter and get a depth of of grasping this with your mind. This is a very deep and beautiful understanding for those who can understand it. Y he says in this note he says see a little bit further down in the explanation of the Yakov. So bottom line here what do we have that what we're after is recognizing where when does a person cursed and and really what does cursed means? What does cursed mean? It means that a person is disconnected from Hashem. That's what cursed means, right? When is a person cursed? When is his life a mess? When he's disconnected from the truth, when he's disconnected from the fact that Hashem is in charge of the world, running the world, running his life. When is a person blessed? When he sees that he is connected, that everything is connected. Everything, everything that he holds dear is connected to Hashem's kindness, Hashem's love. The says, He says this explicitly the problem is if he trusts in a human being and that causes him to turn away from Hashem. But if he trusts in a human being and realizes that the power is from Hashem, that's not bad. The proper approach is to believe that only Hashem is really the one who's giving me the power or giving me the help. Hashem does it through people. Sometimes this person is just a manifestation of Hashem is helping me through that person. That's the clarity brings you have a person the says who trusts in a human being and also trusts in Hashem. He believes that this person is going to be the of the messenger that although he's trusting in a human being the main power the main that I have is Hashem is helping me through that person right it matters how we think it matters the words we tell ourselves in our minds I'm But if my trust in human beings is such that I don't I don't think I think that that person has his own power think that that person has power I would say to to defy Hashem in a certain sense I can go against Hashem's will through that person if I want if he only trusts in the power of that human being of the flesh and blood and turns his heart away from Hashem completely. So that person is cursed. [sighs] Uh a short one. So the vinel says something which sounds more like what we quoted from the alter of the verdic that it's going to be causal until now we've been saying that it's okay to trust in a person as long as I make sure to realize who the source of his power really is which is hashem but the barnel says watch out because trusting in a human being can actually cause me eventually to stop trusting in Hashem. It can cause me to to turn my heart away from Hashem. So, it's like we have to be conscious of our thoughts and our beliefs and how we approach life and how we approach the help that we get from others. We need to always remind ourselves that where is the source of this powers from Hashem and I need to be cautious and aware and conscious making sure that if I trust any human being it doesn't cause me eventually heaven forbid to turn away from Hashem. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you again next time.