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This Jewish Inspiration Podcast is dedicated to learning, understanding and enhancing our relationship with Hashem by working on improving our G-d given soul traits and aspiring to reflect His holy name each and every day. The goal is for each listener to hear something inspirational with each episode that will enhance their life.
You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of Torch in Houston, Texas. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.
Okay, welcome back everybody. Good evening. Welcome to the Moser Masterclass, to Moser Mondays, to the introduction to Shara Bitochon of the Chobos Halvavos. We, last week, to summarize, we discussed the first spiritual benefit of Bitochon, of reliance on Hashem, is that one attains the serenity of a servant relying on his master
his master. If, however, one relies on another entity Whether it be a false god, a human being, or one's own strength, cunning, or wealth, he is abandoning the source of all good for a broken cistern that cannot hold water. In that case, Hashem withdraws and reduces his providential aid, and the person is liable to meet with failure and misfortune.
Reliance of Hashem means I'm ready to give up my strength and put it in the hands of Hashem. Hashem knows what is best. Hashem knows what is right. Hashem knows what is the best thing for me.
And I don't have to worry about it. They say that... That men should forget their mistakes. Because there's no reason in two people remembering the same thing.
Your wife will remember your mistakes for you. The same thing is reliance on Hashem. Why should you rely on Hashem? You worry and Hashem worry.
Hashem is taking care of it for you. There's no need for you to also worry. So now we begin day number three on page number 11 in the magnificent art scroll edition of the Sha'ar Habitachon.
Another one of the benefits that Bitochan provides regarding spiritual matters is that when one trusts in Hashem, his practice on relying on Hashem will cause him To not be subservient to anyone else. Okay, so that means you get a training, a basic training in what it means to be committed in a relationship with Hashem and with no one else. I'm in a relationship with Hashem and I don't have a reliance on anybody else.
He will not hope for aid from any man nor await assistance from human beings.
And he will not need to serve people in order to curry favor with them. Additionally, he will, since he feels secure in his relationship with Hashem, he will not need to flatter people.
And he will not acquiesce to them when they act in ways that are at odds with the service of Hashem. Public pressure doesn't apply to someone who has reliance on Hashem. I don't need to do anything for anybody. I don't need to kiss up to anybody.
I don't need to ask anybody for favors because I'm totally reliant on Hashem.
For even if they are powerful, their stature will not intimidate him and he will not be afraid of confrontation with them since he knows that Hashem watches over him.
On the contrary, by relying solely on Hashem, he will be able to throw off of himself the heavy garments of other people's favors, that weighs on a person, because now I owe them, I don't need anybody's favors. I'm on my own. What does it mean on my own? I'm in the hands of Hashem.
And will thus rid himself of the burden of excessively thanking them and the obligation to repay them for their favors. So there's a tremendous power, a relief that comes upon a person when they are reliant on Hashem. I don't need anybody's favors. I don't need to beg anybody.
I don't need to ask. I don't need to thank anybody. All I need is my relationship with Hashem. I know He's got me covered.
He's going to take care of everything for me.
Moreover, if they do wrong and he rebukes them, he will not need to be overly cautious with their pride. Why?
And if he should need to... humiliate them for their sins, he will not be ashamed before them. And therefore, he will not varnish their falsehood for them and minimize their evil.
This is as the prophet Isaiah says, For my Lord Hashem helps me. Therefore, I was not humiliated. Therefore, I made my face as hard as flint and knew that I would not be ashamed. So there's a tremendous, tremendous power to a person not caring what other people think, what other people say, because I'm doing the will of Hashem.
rebuke if it is necessary and if it will be beneficial to those recipients, not to just say things that won't be heard. As the Talmud teaches us, it is no mitzvah. In fact, it's a mitzvah not to if they're not going to listen. Just like there's a mitzvah to tell someone rebuke that they will accept, it's a mitzvah not to tell someone rebuke that they won't accept.
But here, what the Chovos of Avos is saying, you want to be a really free man? A person who doesn't care what people think. A person who doesn't need anybody's favors. A person who doesn't need anybody's approvals.
You know who that is? That's a person who has full trust in Hashem. I know I'm doing the will of Hashem. And that's the only thing I care about.
And that's the safest, healthiest, greatest, safest place for a person to be. Chavez Havavos cites additional verses which show the importance of both being fearless before sinners and trusting in Hashem. in Hashem's protection for this purpose.
Similarly, it says by Ezekiel, Fear not them and fear not their words. Meaning, if you know you're doing the will of Hashem, what is there to worry about? If I know that I'm doing the will of Hashem, then other people's words don't matter.
They don't matter one bit.
Further it says, And further it says by Jeremiah, And he further says, that I command you, be not intimidated before them. Do not be intimidated before them.
He said, further Ezekiel says, like a metal stronger than flint have I made your brow. Fear them not and be not intimidated before them. So there is a tremendous calmness that comes upon a person. I have nothing to worry about.
Nothing to worry about. You know, almost if you've ever listened to any of the interviews of the hostages in Gaza, I heard one recently which really hit me hard. How in the world did this guy have the capacity, the ability when his tormentors beating him, telling him to accept Allah?
telling him to betray God
of Israel.
And he says, I'm sorry, you can beat me, you can do anything you want to me. You're not going to take away my faith. With a smile. You can do whatever you want to me.
You will never take me away from my God. To have such an incredible calmness, a resolve, a conviction, is unbelievable. that's because they came to a place of absolute clarity in their relationship with god when someone has that level of clarity nothing nothing in the world can stop them nothing in the world can intimidate them nothing in the world can hurt them Now imagine, we're going to get to this further in the book, but imagine someone like this is worried.
Oh my goodness, what's going to be? Am I going to close that deal? Am I not going to close that deal? Is that contract going to come through?
He
doesn't have such worries.
I know Hashem is going to take care of me. Hashem is going to take care of me. He's got me covered. I'm not worried.
The big worry that people have is like, what's going to be in retirement? Oh my goodness, retirement. Because God only cares about little children. He doesn't care about older people.
What do you mean? Absolutely God cares. He'll take care of you. So you didn't put away your 401k.
You didn't put away your retirement account. It's not the
end of the world. And
if you do, don't rely on it. Many people put all their reliance on it and then it gets lost by whatever. They have an illness. They needed to pull it.
Whatever it may be, they need to help a child. They need to do this. They need to do that. And then what?
Oh, all panic. Pandemonium. What am I going to do? There's no need to worry because you have reliance on Hashem. If you have reliance on Hashem, you don't have worry.
Hashem li lo ira. When Hashem is with me, when I am with Hashem, I have nothing to worry. I have no fears in the world. Nothing to worry about.
Think of a child. Think of a child being held by his mother. Any worry in the world? Not a worry.
Why not? You're not worried if there's going to be a famine in the world? You're not going to be worried what's going to happen, you know, if, if, if, if? Not worried.
I'm in my mother's arms and she'll take care of me. That's the warm embrace we are meant to feel when we have bitachon, when we have reliance on Hashem. I know I'm in the hands of my creator, more powerful than a mother, by the way, more powerful, more powerful than any force, any being on planet Earth. I'm worried about where my next meal is going to come from.
Did you ever see... A cat worried about their exam the next day? Oh my goodness, what's going to be with my exam? If I don't graduate, I'm not going to be able to feed my family?
If I don't get that job? Never. I never saw a cat. I see raccoons on my camera at night. It lets me know that there's raccoons there, happy as can be.
I see the opossums as happy as can be. It's unbelievable. They're not worried. They're walking around freely.
They have not a worry in the world. Oh, back pain. Oh, I have a stressful day at work today. No such thing.
No such thing. Why not? Because they're living in a spiritual realm where they know Hashem is my creator. He's going to feed me.
He's going to take care of me. I have nothing to fear. Nothing to worry about. That's the level.
We want to get to a level of a cat. We want to get to a level of an ant. That's where we want to be. We want to be like a raccoon.
No worries. No fears. They don't have to think about where their next meal is coming from. They don't have to worry about it.
It's an unbelievable thing. Think about every single creation on planet Earth has breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's amazing. They all are taken care of by the Almighty.
And they're not worried. What's going to be? What's going to be if I don't? What's going to be if?
No worries if. No worries. It's a remarkable thing. Only us, we invented social standards that you have to go to this university.
You have to have this kind of income. You have to drive this kind of car. You have to wear these kinds of clothes. You have to go on these kind of vacations.
These like the social pressure that we allow ourselves to be part of. I'll tell you who I believe when I'm speaking these words. I feel like I'm describing my father. May he live and be well.
He's a man who never, ever cared about what anybody said. Not with the neighbors. Not with the friends. He only cares about one thing.
What does God think? Every single day. Every time I talk to my father. His frame of mind is always, what is the will of Hashem?
If you're doing the will of Hashem, who cares? If you're not doing the will of Hashem, you've got other things to worry about. Not what the neighbors say. You understand that this is really grounding us that if we make our relationship, our Emunah, stage one,
vibrant, real, then our Bitochan is much easier. Our Bitochan, relying on Hashem, is natural. The more real we will make our Emunah, the more natural it will come to us. to put our full reliance on Hashem.
Thus, the second benefit of Bitochon is that it spears a person from being subservient to others, freeing him to dedicate himself honestly to Hashem's service and to be fearless in confronting those who sin. Now, why does it bother me if somebody sins? What do I care? Why is it my problem if somebody else sins?
Anybody know? I'll tell you. It's very simple. This is our problem.
Because if I care about God, I care about the disgrace to God's name too. You can't say, you know, I love my parents very much, and if someone curses my mother, if someone curses my father, I'm going to be un... What do you mean? Excuse me?
What did you say about my father? What did you say about my mother? We become defensive because we feel very close to them. If we feel close to God, we want to stand up when people go against the will of God.
That's why confronting sin is even mentioned here. because yeah it's a big deal it's kind of a very big deal when someone goes against god because let's say that's the same god that i'm i love so much so ramchal ramchal actually talks about this in messiah
yesharm he talks about this in chapter 19 towards the end he says what does it mean to be to be cleaving to god being one with god then an affront on god is an affront on me If someone insults my friend, I feel insulted. Excuse me. You don't talk to my friend like that. It's an affront to me.
When you're an affront to my God, it's an affront to me. And that's why we take offense when someone sins against God. A third spiritual benefit of Bittachon, yet another one of the benefits that Bittachon provides regarding spiritual matters is, He says the one who trusts in God, this is so powerful, the one who trusts in God, his Bittachon will bring him a feeling of security, enabling him to clear his mind from worldly matters.
and to focus his attention on matters relating to the service of Hashem. He says, in fact, his Bitochon will make him so content and will relieve him of worry so much that with his serene spirit, relaxed mind, and minimal worry about his worldly affairs, he will be similar to
the alchemist.
Meaning, a person who knows how to convert silver to gold and copper or tin to silver using scientific knowledge and technique. Anyone who has such expertise will presumably be most confident of always having sufficient income, since he can produce money. it. And he will thus live without worries. That is someone who trusts in Hashem.
A person with Bitochon in Hashem can be just as confident, we're on the top of page 14, can be just as confident and just as worry-free for he is assured that his needs will always be met. Because Hashem, does Hashem have a limit of funds? Does Hashem have a limited resource? No. Hashem has no limit in resources.
Hashem has no, you know, you think about, if I have a dollar and I give you a dollar, so now you have the dollar, I don't. You pass it on to the next person, they have the dollar, not you, not me. Hashem has no limit. Which, by the way, our mitzvahs are like that.
Ki ner mitzvah. The mitzvah is like a light, a candle. What happens if you have a candle and I have a candle? I light my candle and now I light your candle.
Did you take away from my light? No, we both have a light. That's what a mitzvah is. If I give someone else a mitzvah, you know who gets reward?
Both of us. You give someone else an opportunity to do a mitzvah, now all three of us. You understand? It's infinite.
Hashem has no limit in resources. We think that there's a limit in resources. We limit ourselves because we are finite. Hashem is infinite.
And therefore, Hashem has the ability to give and give and give and give. And Hashem does. There's no limit. We think like, oh, what happens when they finish pumping all the oil out of the ground?
And there's not going to be any oil left. So like the cars are all going to be obsolete. Really? It's like saying that there's not going to be grain anymore.
It's saying like this, what happens when we eat up all the apples? There's not going to be any more apples in the world. There's no such thing. Because Hashem continues to produce and sustain the world.
There's no limit in resources.
Moreover, the one who trusts in Hashem is better off than the alchemist in ten ways. The alchemist, we said, can create his own money. He knows how to mix all of the different elements and create money. Do you know that someone who has betachen supersedes that alchemist in 10 different ways?
What are those 10 ways? We will see on day number four.
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