Ultimate Trust in the One Above

This week in Hachana L’Shabbos, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David take us deeper into the “benching series” with a powerful focus on bitachon—what it really means to trust Hashem, and how that trust changes a person from the inside out.

Starting from the words we sing and say so often—“Baruch HaGever asher yivtach baHashem”—we explore why the pasuk repeats itself, and how Chazal read that repetition as a map of ultimate trust: not just believing in Hashem, but letting Hashem become the only “support beam” you’re leaning on.

Along the way we move through a sweeping set of sources—Midrash, Rav Pinchas of Koretz, the Maggid, Arugas HaBosem, Sfas Emes, and the Modzhitzer Rebbe—until we land on the real test Rav Shlomo keeps returning to:

If your trust is real… does it make you more calm, more alive, and even more joyful—right now?
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Chapters
00:00 Opening Nigun and Chant
05:40 Yizkor and Yahrzeits Introduction
07:09 Benching Depth and the Table of Gold
11:38 Midrash on Trust and Godlikeness
16:52 Rav Biderman on Extreme Bitachon
25:24 Personal encounter with Reb Biderman and unique…
26:38 Observations on others’ perceived laziness and…
28:46 Three differing opinions on bitachon presented
40:53 Sfas Emes perspective on ultimate trust and…
43:52 Addressing Yossi’s question about “ani that doesn’t take”
45:44 Modzhitzer Rebbe’s insight on desperation vs genuine…
47:53 Rav Biderman on the purpose of bitachon
49:06 Trust Amid Despair and Lost Hope
50:20 Harder Than Arugas Habosem: True Trust
51:23 Why This Trust Is the Hardest

What is Hachana L'Shabbos?

What type of rest do we yearn for on Shabbat? How do we frame our mindset during the week to prepare for Shabbat and how can we transform our Shabbat experience? Using the teachings of Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter, a leading Breslov Rabbi, in his sefer Yom Machmadim, we build tools towards enhancing our ability to connect to the day of rest.

Okay. Inspired by Chaim Dovid. I want to sing a Chaim Dovid niggun.

אוי איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו.

איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו. Lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai ya mama lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai yamamamai. Lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai ya mama lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai yamamamai. אוי איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו.

איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו.

Lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai ya mama lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai yamamamai. Lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai ya mama lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai yamamamai. אוי איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו.

איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו. Lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai ya mama lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai yamamamai.

Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. אוי איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו.

איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו. Lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai ya mama lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai yamamamai.

Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai.

Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. אוי איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו.

איה איה איה איה מקום כבודו. Lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai ya mama lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai lai yamamamai yamamamai.

Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai.

Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai yamamamai. Yam ba da dam dam dai lai lai lai lai lai. Yam ba da dam dam a.

Yam ba da dam dam dai lai lai lai lai lai. Yam ba da dam dam a. Yam ba da dam dam dai lai lai lai lai lai. Yam ba da dam dam a.

Yam ba da dam dam dai lai lai lai lai lai. Yam ba da dam dam a. Yam ba da dam dam dai lai lai lai lai lai. Yam ba da dam dam a.

Yam ba da dam dam dai lai lai lai lai lai. Yam ba da dam dam a. Yam ba da dam dam dai lai lai lai lai lai. Yam ba da dam dam a. איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא.

איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא.

איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא.

איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא.

איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא, איי דא לא דא לא לא לא לא.

איי איי איי איי איי, אמ בא רא דם בם בא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי דא לא דא לא, איי. Shkoach.

I love, love that niggun. I love that niggun. Right, l'ilui nishmas Levi ben Yosef in the month of Adar, and l'ilui nishmas Levi ben Yosef, בתיה פייגא בת ישראל, ישעיה שלום בן יצחק Isaac, and also l'ilui nishmas לוי יצחק בן ירוחם חננאל זלמן, and for the shmira for all of the chayalim and the refuah sheleimah of all of the chayalim. It's a refuah sheleimah and the week is sponsored by Saran Yehoshua Amen in memory of חנה בת יעקב משה הלוי, Esther bas Raphael, and טובה זעלדא בת זאב.

Also today is... today's the yahrzeit, today's the second yahrzeit of... someone who was very close to us, today's Moshe's yahrzeit, Moshe Geller. Today's the second yahrzeit of משה פסח בן אביגדור בנימין, תהא נשמתו צרורה בצרור החיים.

It's interesting how there was like one... when I think of him there's like one niggun that I... I go to all the time when I think of him, that's the niggun ואני בחסדך בטחתי יגל לבי בישועתך, which is very much what we're going to be learning today, what we're going to be seeing today. But first, to give us a little chizuk, this is towards the end of the sefer, you can open up on daf תקי"ג.

Are there any extra sefarim for whoever needs? Yes? Moshe you have? You know... oh, he knows it, he knows it by heart. We've been learning, we've been spending so much time on the pnimiyus of benching, davka because on Shabbos we have this harchavas hadaas, we have this expansion of the mind to be able to take in a lot of the words that we say normally during the week, but on Shabbos we have time to actually think about the words in benching. And it's been, as I say every...

every week someone else comes during the week with a he'arah that they had from this shiur that's mashpia on their benching, or even their choice to bench, when they actually had an option not to bench and be... figure out a way to pull off a mezonos or some kind of borei nefashos, but they figured out a way and then they're like, 'Wait, wait, wait a second, it's a zchus for me to bench.' And that's... that's a tremendous chizuk. So this week I learned this week Rabbeinu Bachya's a gevalt thing.

Listen to this. It says about the shulchan, the table, that we're going to be reading about this Shabbos, וציפית אותו זהב טהור, that the shulchan has to be metzupeh, it has to be covered with zahav tahor, it has to be done by zahav tahor, pure gold. So Rabbeinu Bachya says a gevalt thing. What's zahav? How does a person get zahav tahor? Maybe you heard this: zahav, zayin is hazan es hakol, hei is על הארץ ועל המזון, and beis is בונה ברחמיו ירושלים אמן.

Those are the three brachos that we say in benching. Zot omeres, you know how... and it's brought down in halacha as well, benching kehilchasa is a sgula for ashirus, for zahav, it's a sgula for wealth. So if your benching is on, mamash on, that shulchan that you sat at...

that you ate at, that you dined at, became a shulchan zahav, became a shulchan of gold that's ra'uy l'melachim. It says in Sefarim, Rabbeinu Bechaye, zahav, וצפית אתו זהב טהור, it's a gevaldig wort, right?

וצפית אתו זהב טהור. So I feel like our tables are becoming more and more gold because we've been focusing from the beginning of bentsching Shir HaMa'alos, so many different things and today we're going to end off with the last thing, one of the last things that we say in bentsching.

ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה' והיה ה' מבטחו.

This became mostly known because of the dances we would do at bar mitzvahs. Exactly. Dun dun dun dun... Again, same thing as like the other niggunim we- niggunim, the songs we use.

Actually what is the source of that Baruch Hagever niggun? What's the actual- is that the actual niggun? I believe it's Mordechai or something. No, it can't be, right? Yeah, but it's not- I'm saying I hope it's not, meaning you understand my shaylah. It's the Notre Dame fight song. It's not the Notre Dame fight song? That's what I mean.

What is the makor of that- does anyone know? Anyway, it just became like, you move here, you move there, this foot there, that foot there. Or ברוך הגבר והאשה יותר, all these things.

ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה' והיה ה' מבטחו. Now chevre, let's tune in p'nimi right now.

Midas habitachon, can't get enough of it. You heard what Rav Bireman, the chevre that were at the niggun chaburah, what he was saying this week about some rav that contacted- a Chabad rav that contacted him based on Chovos HaLevavos. This mida of bitachon, what Rav Bireman does all the time is pushes us to the core, to really check in and see, do you really have bitachon or not? Because if you really do, it's- it's not like it's a nice thing and it's good, it's a completely different hemisphere, you're in a- you're living in a completely different world. So listen how he develops this.

This is very- it's very fascinating and it's very demanding. It's very demanding. It's actually Jewish according to chat. Oh, because it was written by a yid.

Yeah. Okay, sh'koach.

ידוע להקשות שלכאורה יש כאן כפל לשון. There's a- wait a second, there's a double language going on.

ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה'. Blessed is the person that has trust in Hashem, v'haya Hashem mivtacho, and Hashem is his trust. You could have just said one of them. Why, what's the kefel lashon going on over here? But you all noticed this because you say it every single day, so I'm sure you have answers to explain to yourself why you say things twice, right? Good point.

שהרי הבוטח בה' מבטחו בה'. If you trust Hashem, your mivtach is in Hashem. Do you understand the question? It's very important.

ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה' והיה ה' מבטחו.

Let's wait to see what Rav Bireman says. I stam set you up. Listen.

ומה שחזר הכתוב לומר והיה ה' מבטחו ומצינו כמה וכמה ביאורים בזה מלמדים על מעלת הביטחון ומהותו.

So let's go into the p'nimius of bitachon.

אמנם כבר מצינו במדרש וזה לשונו. Listen to this midrash from Devarim Rabbah.

אמר רב לוי בר חמא ומה מי שעובד עבודת כוכבים הרי הוא כמוהו שנאמר כמוהם יהיו עשיהם כל אשר בוטח בהם מי שעובד להקדוש ברוך הוא לא כל שכן שיהיה כמוהו.

Okay, so this- this midrash of רב לוי בר חמא tzarich iyun. He's saying over here someone that's oved avodas kochavim, he's like him. What is that referring to? Harei hu kemoso. To the one who's doing avodah zarah.

Meaning, you- you become that- that- that type of person, right? So too, whoever serves Hakadosh Baruch Hu, you become- this- this could sound kefirah, so we have to be careful.

לא כן שיהיה כמוהו? So too, shouldn't it be that you also become a shtikel like Hashem? Now we always say stay as far away as we can from these type of language. What mida, what mida about the Ribbono Shel Olam do we become like when we serve the Ribbono Shel Olam? That's the lashon of the midrash, what we're asking on the midrash.

מי שעובד להקדוש ברוך הוא לא כל שכן שיהיה כמוהו.

That if you're serving Hashem, so of course you should also become godly, god-like. But we have to explain what that means. What does it mean to become god-like? In this context, there's a lot of different answers to that question.

ומנין שכך כתיב ברוך הגבר שיבטח בהשם.

And how do we know that person becomes Godlike when you serve the Ribono Shel Olam and they bring the pasuk from Yirmiyah ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בהשם. Vechein amru bemidrash and the Midrash Rabbah, Devarim Rabbah continues, אמר רבי סימון בשם רבי יהודה בן לוי, Yehoshua ben Levi, כל מי שבוטח בהקדוש ברוך הוא זוכה להיות כיוצא בו. It's an interesting lashon. What does it mean when we say something is kayotzei bo? What does that mean, like on a practical, very pshat level? Hey, Aryeh, welcome.

Kayotzei bo is like domeh, like kayotzei bo means like you come out from him because you're like him, like literal and like drush. You come out from him because you're like him. So he says a gvaldyer, whoever trusts in Hakadosh Baruch Hu, you're zocheh to be yotzei bo, to be becoming like you're like Hashem. But again, we have to be very careful what we're talking about, in what context are you like the Ribono Shel Olam?

שנאמר ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בהשם והיה השם מבטחו also brings this pasuk that we have here in benching to show that when you put your real avodas Hashem on strong, bitachon is there, you become יש א שטיקל אלוקות flowing out from you.

In what area?

דהיינו שחזל פירשו שהוסיף הכתוב לומר והיה השם מבטחו. So we added, Chazal added the words vehayah Hashem mivtacho to ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בהשם ללמד על גודל מעלת הביטחון עד שעל ידי זה נעשה כיוצא בו to teach us something very important: that bitachon isn't just a good eitzah as to how to get by in life. Bitachon elevates a person to be operating from the sphere where you're basically mamish kayotzei bo, you're coming out from the Ribono Shel Olam. You're acting godly; godly things are happening to you.

Vedavarim mavhilim, rightfully so, Rav Biderman says, behalah means, right, shocking; this is a shocking statement.

שביד האדם להגיע למדרגה גבוהה עד שנעשה כביכול כיוצא בו. You could reach this place that you're considered yotzei bo, meaning altz elokus, doesn't make any sense. He says no, על ידי שמאמין בכל לבו, you believe with your whole heart and soul, וסמוך ובטוח בכל לבו ונפשו על אביו שבשמים, that you fully trust that and you lean only with all your heart and soul on the Ribono Shel Olam.

So now he's going to explain to us, what does this mean? What does this look like? What does this look like? Rav Biderman really forces us with middah bitachon, as you see every Shabbos, the chevra that are learning the pamphlets, he goes into this place regarding parnassah every single kimat, maybe correct me if I'm wrong, kimat every single week, plugging home the whole concept of do you understand how your parnassah works? Do you understand how shefa works? And he says like this: על פי זה ביאר בתוספות אנשי שם hada'is bemishnah sham, based on the Mishnah in Peah, וכל מי שצריך ליטול מן המעשר ושאר מתנות עניים ואינו נוטל אינו מת מן הזקנה עד שיפרנס אחרים משלו. It's a pretty fascinating Chazal. If you're what were you saying? Powerful? Very powerful statement. Whoever is magiah lo, you're an ani to litol, to take from ma'aser or shaar or the other gifts that belong to aniyim, but you don't take from it.

And why don't you take from it? We'll see in a sec, but the Chazal teach us you're not going to leave this world until you become someone that's a giver. It's like a segulah he's saying that if you have the opportunity to take because it's a gmach or it's matnos la'aniyim, ma'aser, and you choose not to take, and it's not out of ga'avah, it's out of bitachon, and we'll see what kind of bitachon this is, you're not going to leave this world before you become a gevir. That's what he just said. You're not going to leave this world before you become a gevir and you're zan u'mefarnes other people.

If what? You refrain from taking something that you're even it's even muttar for you to take. But you say, and it's not out of ga'avah, I'm not going to take like this. It's just that you believe that things will come to you differently. It's not the story of oh I sent you a boat, I sent you a life jacket, that's not what we're talking about.

We're talking about... talking about a mahalach of the nefesh that inside something pnimiy is happening that your connection to trusting that Hashem is taking care of you operates differently. Because you're already doing that, I mean if there's an amount of money for tzedaka let's say that you could take and you're not taking it, you're giving that tzedaka to... Ah, yafeh meod.

That's beautiful. Meaning at that moment you become mifarnes to someone else that someone else that could take. That's that's beautiful. He doesn't say that here, but that's amazing.

Ve'alav hakasuv omer, fifth line, ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה' והיה ה' מבטחו.

ועדיין לא גילתה המשנה מהיכן נלמד שיזכה לפרנס אחרים משלו. But where's the... the mishna doesn't teach us.

Where do we learn? Me'eifo zeh? Me'heicha teisei? Where you bringing this from? Where do we learn that a person that doesn't take when he could will be zoicheh to mifarnes other people? Where's that vort from? Where did he get this from?

אלא ביאורו על פי דברי המדרש דלעיל, שבוטח בה' נעשה כיוצא בו. But it's based on the midrash that we saw before from Devarim Rabba, trusting in the Ribbono Shel Olam makes you become godly, similar to Hashem in this area. And now he explains.

וזה העני שלא לקח מן התמחוי, היינו אינו מורה בזה על ביטחונו החזק בבוראו שלא יעזבנו.

ואף אם לא יטול מן הצדקה ברור לו שהקדוש ברוך הוא ישלח את מזונו מידו הרחבה והמלאה. So what did Rav Biderman say? The ani that doesn't take from the tamchui, what's tamchui? The soup kitchen. Meaning, that same zach that we mentioned in the beginning over here. An ani that doesn't take from like a soup kitchen, what is he doing? He's showing his bitachon chazak in Hashem.

He's saying you're... you're never going to leave me Hashem. It's not that I'm being kavoy toiv right now. That's not what it is.

I just know that if I even if I don't take from the tzedaka, it's clear to me Hakadosh Baruch Hu, you will send me parnassa in a big way. Yes? Isn't the tamchui or the tzedaka that he can be getting Hashem sending him sustenance? Ah, that's... so that's the shaila we have right now. Is that...

like I said before, is that considered kavoy toiv? Kavoy toiv means ungrateful, yeah. What do you think? It's not ungrateful, it's l'hisalem me'hametzius. Well, well, ah, whose metzius? The ani's metzius. So here Rav Biderman, this is why his...

his... when he speaks about bitachon, I'd almost say it's like it's hardcore bitachon. It's almost like... I don't know if we're meant to try to reach this high a level of bitachon.

Like a malach. On the highest level, like on the highest level. This is not for a pikuach nefesh obviously. No, of course not.

No, so I'm saying... yeah, yeah, of course not, not a pikuach nefesh for sure. No, but Moshe's shaila is bimkoma. Doesn't this seem of a lack of bitachon? Hashem gave...

Hashem created a situation for you as an ani to take something, and all these Chazal are praising the ani that doesn't go and take it? Wait a second, what's... she'ila shelcha bimkoma. The way that Rav Biderman answers this is that when he takes us on a stroll in a second of the level of bitachon that he's referring to, means that... this is considered not bitachon, which is crazy, which is crazy.

Nachon? It's crazy. It's almost like... like you davened for... I can't hear you, I'm sorry.

It's almost like you're... you're praying for something and you receive it, you shouldn't take it? Because it's going to come in a better way? No, it's... the way that you want it to come? No, the way that it's meant to come. Ah, ah, ah.

So that's... so it's very good. If... this happens all the time.

We pray for something, it doesn't come down the way that we want it, and then we have this like no, no, I want it to be the way I want it. That's not what we're talking about, because that's not middas habitachon. That's not how we're speaking about it. He's...

he's going to explain to us, but a she'ila bimkoma, yes? You have a chiyuv of... you have a chiyuv of hishtadlus. Ken. So if the soup kitchen is there, then it could be that you have a chiyuv to go, Hakadosh Baruch Hu sent you through the soup kitchen, now go.

To say I'm... you have a chiyuv to pick up the spoon and you can't, you know, in order to put the food in your mouth, you have a chiyuv to pick up the spoon, you have to use the spoon and put it into the soup and bring it to your mouth. So there's... there's an obligation to participate mitoch habitachon that you're living with the Ribbono Shel Olam.

Rav Biderman always when it comes... the bitachon isn't satisfied with that. He says there's something higher. That's true about on all the sfarim of bitachon.

Here he says something that's of it's very high level that we're going to see in a second.

עוד לא הגענו לזה. But that's true, that's the low... in this language it's like a shlav in bitachon, ויש משהו אפילו מעל זה, which is hard for us to comprehend, but he's going to say it.

Yeah. I just want to say I had the zchus slightly many years to be in my community where Reb Biderman would be walking around, bucherim, I'd see him a lot and I asked some of the mashpiim there about this inyan emuna bitachon and everything we're learning and it's literally a different culture, a different world like you've said. Like the way he speaks, some of these people walking around simcha tzumah, like constant simcha and they have gornisht, nothing. They have absolutely nothing financially and they've got nothing to be besimcha about and they're besimcha.

And I asked these people how are they? I don't get it. It's like another world. I mean there's not so many of them around still, maybe there are that I haven't been around so much recently, but there was a tekufa there's still like a whole generation like the Breslov found... I could list names of people and they're just walking around with it's like radiating out them emuna bitachon, the Ribbono Shel Olam and they're not worried about anything and they always had what they needed lema'aseh, for Shabbos or whatever, whatever it came down to, a sefer or whatever, however they did it, but it was as he's talking just a different madreiga of how they received from Hashem and I couldn't get it even being around it for years, it's just a different...

But some people would look at that and and have a tayna and saying that's a zilzul in in... Hishtadlus? Yeah or in hishtadlus in in recognizing Hashem, nachon. But like you just medayak, it's a his world of bitachon, this is a completely it's a completely different planet. The chevra that that learn Reb Biderman every every week, you know what I'm talking about and you know what he's...

because he speaks about this all the time. He's just bringing it to us in our context of benching over here, but it's true. Feels like Baal Shem Tov maisas, you know? But is that the ideal? What he's describing is that the ideal? We didn't... let's let's let's see how he describes the ideal and then and then ask him.

Or then tell me what you think, 'cause he didn't describe yet what it is yet. We just said it's not this level of Hashem gives you something, you better take it and that's bitachon. That's not that that according to Reb Biderman is not the ideal. Maybe according to the Chovos HaLevavos it is.

According to Reb Biderman it isn't yet. Look what he says. So again, the bottom in the bold print shelo ya'azvenu I have such bitachon I'm not taking, the ani doesn't take, I have such bitachon Hashem won't leave me, and even ואף אם לא יטול מן הצדקה, ברור לו שהקדוש ברוך הוא ישלח לו את מזונו מידו הרחבה והמלאה that Hashem will give me in like in abundance.

על כן יזכה להיות כביכול כיוצא בו.

מה הקדוש ברוך הוא זן ומפרנס לכל, just like Hashem sustains everyone, אף הוא יזכה להיות זן לאחרים. He'll merit to also be someone that sustains other people. Footnote gimmel be'ofan dachuf. Okay? Footnote gimmel be'ofan dachuf.

Emergency. All right? Houston we have a problem here, what's going on? Gimmel. Now it's not going to... he gives three different opinions here.

The second one's going to be very hard for everybody, I'm just warning you.

באופן נוסף ביאר הרב הקדוש רבי פנחס מקוריץ זכותו יגן עלינו בשם הרב הקדוש רבי מענדל המגיד מבר זכותו יגן עלינו. I believe by the way that that is the Maggid of Mezeritch actually, a reference to the Maggid of Mezeritch.

כי כל איש מישראל אכן בוטח בהשם יתברך שיזמין לו פרנסתו.

Everyone has bitachon that Hashem will bring our parnasa that we need, אלא שבמחשבתו סומך שפרנסה זאת תבוא על ידי סיבה. But in your mind, you there needs to be a reason through which the parnasa will come, meaning there has to be a way through which the parnasa will come. What does that mean? Kegon hachayat. Hachayat means tailor.

That's by the way Chait, Rabbi Chait, baruch Hashem, that's the name Chait is hachayat. Tailor.

כגון החייט יחשוב שיזמין לו השם יתברך להרויח על ידי שאדם גדול יזמן אצלו תפירת בגדים נאים. So the tailor thinks oh Hashem will give me parnasa through the fact that some gvir will order will make a big order through me to to sew up and and put together.

Some kovedika clothes.

החנווני ישמח שהקדוש ברוך הוא יזמין לידו קונים טובים שירוויח הרבה בסחורתו וכן כיוצא בזה. And the chenvani, how do you say chenvani? The store... Yeah, shopkeeper, will say, oh Hashem you're going to, parnassah's going to come and how? Because I'm a shopkeeper and therefore it has to come through someone coming in and buying a lot of merchandise.

נמצא שיהודי זה בטחונו על השם יתברך. His bitachon is in Hashem.

אבל המובטח שלו הוא על דבר אחר. Do you understand what that means? Hamuvtach shelo...

It's true, ברוך הגבר שיבטח בהשם. But vehaya Hashem mivtacho or vehaya hasocheir mivtacho? Still kochi ve'otzem yadi. Not kochi, no, the hishtadlus part which is kochi ve'otzem, like that's the muvtach bo part. I hear what you're saying, I don't really see...

I hear what you're saying.

אפשר לקשר זה לכחי ועצם ידי, but it's more saying כחו ועצם ידו עשה לי את החיל הזה, meaning he's not seeing God in the person who walks into the shop? Is that it? He is, he is, but he's already made a seder is saying, well since this is what I do for a parnassah, the only way for the parnassah to come is that someone buys my produce. So and you can even mekasher it to Hashem. But that's a very high level by the way.

But by Rav Biderman, that's not even so geshmak.

והיה הסוחר מבטחו והיה המלך שרוצה בגדים חדשים מבטחו. I don't know if it's limiting, it's just putting, it's just it's more a shayla of perspective more than anything over here. I think I understand it, he's saying like you think this is the way, I mean I don't personally have this like I think this business did that, whatever it's gonna be the way, right? But there might be other ways, like it just Hashem will take care of, like you don't know exactly.

Vehaya Hashem mivtacho. I don't know exactly. I don't know... money's falling from heaven obviously, mann, but I'm not against that but I...

I'm not against that but I... I just can't... what he wants us to get out of the head is like al tzad hashisthadlus I set up the best tzinor through which the parnassah can come through. That's that's the inyan.

And that's where hishtadlus where can be very get very confusing with bitachon. Very confusing with bitachon. I'm mishtadel so much, I set this up for this to be the best tzinor through which the gelt comes down. From Hashem.

But it's still limiting. But it's still limiting. Okay, so let him continue. Again, נמצא שיהודי זה בטחונו על השם יתברך אבל המובטח שלו הוא על דבר אחר כלומר שסמיכתו ומשענתו על הסיבה דלעיל.

What you're relying on is the condition through which you set up shop for it to be able to come down.

לפיכך אמר הכתוב ברוך הגבר שיבטח בהשם אך לא די בזה. It's not enough. You have to add on vehaya Hashem mivtacho.

אלא אף והיה השם מבטחו שיבטחו על השם ולא בסיבה פלונית. That my faith as to how it's going to be is only through Hashem and not because I set up shop. When you read a Torah like this, it messes you up big time. Because what is it saying about your hishtadlus? You think that was hard, chaku shniya, this is just the first answer.

ואף אם הוא אכן משתדל לפרנסתו אך אין מחשבתו נסובה משם תבוא פרנסתו. Meaning you can be mishtadel in your parnassah, but don't limit, don't vision, don't have the visual that it has to be or it's gonna be through the way that you set up shop for the parnassah to come through. So Rabbi Nachman says the hitlotzatzus from the people who thought that the things they do have kesher to the totzah, like the fact that you work this amount of hours. Nachon, nachon.

Nothing. Now kayotze...

בדבר פירש הרב הקדוש ערוגת הבושם שבא לומר שהביטחון האמיתי הוא שיבטח לגמרי בהשם. This is chevre, this is hard.

Look at the next line.

ולא יחשוב שישתדלותו סיבה בדבר. Mic drop. You understand what he just said here? Real bitachon...

he's not saying not to do hishtadlus, he's just saying don't put... he's not saying don't do hishtadlus but... shniya, but the problem and the danger with stopping over there would be, well if that's the emes la'amito... then why do hishtadlus in the first place? You have to.

So that's why, that's why it's very just like we were speaking this week on the chat. I was just about to say that. Mamash the same exact thing.

תכלית הידיעה שלא נדע.

The best to know that we know nothing. And we were talking this week, the whole week on the chat about this that, what's the danger with it? The danger is if תכלית הידיעה שלא נדע, I'm not even going to try to know anything, because I know that at the end the highest is ad d'lo yada. The only thing is you never get to the real ta'am of ad d'lo yada until you know everything. It's a catch-22.

It's a catch-22. We're going to talk a little bit about this inyan at a certain point on Shabbos. It's a catch-22 over here. And that's why the danger is, well, Rav Biderman quotes the Arugas HaBosem.

The highest level is that I have such bitachon in Hashem with the consciousness that my hishtadlus doesn't mashpia at all on the result. So look, אלא יאמין שכל פעולתו חריצותו והשתדלותו תהו והבל. He goes even crazier over here, he's like, he's like how many hours you put in this week? How many hours did you put in this week? You want to tell you what it, you want to tell you should I tell you what it's what really you did this week? It's tohu va'hevel. But it's hard, it's very hard.

והכל נעשה בדבר השם היינו ברוך הגבר שיבטח בהשם ולא זו בלבד אלא והיה השם מבטחו לאפוקי המבוטח בהשם אבל יהיה מבטחו גם בחריצות מפעלו. So this is, this is not the way we usually learn bitachon. This can mess you up big time. It's only one svara out of three though, okay? But the first one is also not so pashut.

What is he be'etzem saying over here? be'etzem l'amito. Is he saying to not do hishtadlus? No. Just don't rely on it. It's not even don't rely on it.

It's all bitachon. The Ba'al HaTurim speaks about how mezonosav k'tuvim from Rosh Hashanah, nachon? B'diyuk! So it's already set in stone already from the beginning. But again, the danger of that could be, well if it's set in stone from the beginning, then why should I do? I could sit back and chill.

הכל צפוי והרשות נתונה, and that's part of the, that's part of the dance.

Nachon. Nachon. The Sfas Emes speaks a lot about, we say tlush maskoret. And he says that lashon of tlush.

Tlush! Gevald. It's, litlosh means to, to disconnect, to rip off. So a tlush maskoret is disconnected from this machshava of hishtadlus. Right, Baruch Hashem I don't have a tlush maskoret, so...

Yeah. You have to run in two parallel tracks which are yes and not connected to each other. You have to run with the bitachon. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is taking care of everything, wherever it comes, however it comes.

Nonetheless, לא עליך המלאכה לגמור ולא אתה בן חורין ליבטל ממנה. You can't not. So you have to do your thing, and you just do your thing and whatever happens. And not let what get into the picture? And then while you're doing your thing, what's the avodah? That's what I want to know.

While you're doing your thing which is called hishtadlus, what, what could shte'er you? That there's a kesher, that there's a totza'ah mei'hishtadlus, which is so, he's saying no, it's my thing, I trust that you're going to do yours. The second peirush is saying that it's not the case at all. The second peirush is b'chlal. He says it's tov.

But I wonder if I had the Arugas HaBosem in front of us. So what, so I just want to understand. Should anyone try to do anything based on the Arugas HaBosem? Definitely, yes. He's saying, well but he's saying, so I want to ask him, but you just told me that my hishtadlus is tohu va'hevel.

Right. Stop. Okay, turn it into learning. Yes, so let's assume for a moment that this is a discussion about learning and not about parnassah.

Right. So all the knowledge that you're going to get or whatever connections you have to the Ribbono Shel Olam in the end is a matanah, okay, whether you understand or not. But you can't just sit all day long and say, okay, Ribbono Shel Olam I want to understand you, and then not put in the hours, the ameilus in order to learn. So that's the same thing, so you must whatever that takes, whether you overdo it or not overdo it.

Whatever that takes. It's different for each person. Nachon. You must do whatever that is, let's say in learning.

And the same thing translates into parnassah. Nachon. You must do. And whatever the Ribbono Shel Olam does, whether you feel it's connected, you think it's connected, not connected, it's...

Listen, you could take it even, let's take it to a place that will definitely push some buttons. With marriage. Marriage, okay? Relationships. You really think that because you did that nice thing for your wife that that's going to give you any...

any brownie points? Like lemaaseh that's going to help you? For five minutes. For two minutes maybe. The emes though is that it's prep for the next thing. But exactly, bidyuk, but you have to do it.

Yeah, Eli, hishtadlus I saw by Reb Brizele for example one of the Brizeles he said that for him to say always that I have kessef, I have money. He would never say I don't have. He would never say I have gornisht even though it looked like he had gornisht because I was in his house and saw like how on earth can he not have gornisht? He had a house I suppose but and he had a few coins on the table but he would never he would davka that like that was his hishtadlus how he looked at money with the right way. That's his hishtadlus, the right hashkafa, the right conversations, the proper tefillos.

That's his hishtadlus. Nachon. Halevai. So now the third, the third thing he's bringing over here is the Sfas Emes.

ואילו הרב הקדוש השפת אמת זכותו יגן עלינו מביא בשם זקנו הרב הקדוש החידושי הרי"ם זכותו יגן עלינו כי כפי ביטחון האדם בו יתברך כן יש לו מובטח באמת. What does that mean? In accordance to how much a person's bitachon, how much bitachon a person has in Hashem, that's how much he really has a muvtach that's really what's really there for him for real that he could rely on.

כלומר שאם יבטח בהשם אזי באמת והיה השם מבטחו then really Hashem will be his mivtacho כי עצם הביטחון מביא ישועה רבה לאדם. He says what creates shefa? What's the Sfas Emes is basically quoting the Chiddushei Harim.

What actually creates the shefa to exist based on this? Bitachon. Bitachon doesn't mean I trust that it will be good, it's that my trust creates the abundance. It's a, it's a little bit of a, it sounds like, no, I know that. We say it all the time.

Think about that for a second. My bitachon itself is the yetzira for hazon umefarnes lakol. It's my bitachon itself. It's not my bitachon everything will be okay and whatever comes will be fine is that kfi habitachon, the way that I'm understanding this, the way the Sfas Emes is saying from his Zaidy, כפי מידת הביטחון כך יהיה מבטחו.

In accordance as to how much I have bitachon, that creates the metzius for me in my life as to what I have. Now this is a gevald because this really to me this is the so I just want to say from the three perushim that he brought over here for me this is the one that I could hold on to, I personally could feel like I could hold on, not just because it's Zaidy, but because עם זה אני יכול לעשות משהו, you understand? I can't, I, us chevra, we, to go to the road of the arugas habosem of of really, really believing that all the hishtadlus is tohu while at the same time knowing that I have to do it and shefa comes the way it does, it's a, this is to me this seems like middas a tzaddik elyon in Reb Nachman's terminology. This is like tzaddik elyon level. It's not even tzaddik tachton, it's like, I don't even know what it is, it's so high.

But over here, just as to plug this in, ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בהשם. Blessed is the person that really trusts in Hakadosh Baruch Hu be'emes. And then that bitachon, vehaya Hashem mivtacho, that bitachon creates for you what exactly what you need, exactly what you need, when you need it, how you need it. So for a second here, go back, go back to the question we had that Yossi had.

Yossi's question was an ani that doesn't take, correct me if I'm wrong, an ani that doesn't take when it's available for him, how did we answer that question yet? Meaning, is that ideal or not? I'm I'm really, that's what I'm, I just want to think about it practically. So according to the Sfas Emes, a guy like this, because his level of bitachon is so high, so this is the manifestation of it in the real world. A guy who's killing himself at the office, that's great, he has bitachon, I don't know that it's as high as as this guy, okay? He might seemingly have a lot more stuff, but I don't know that the bitachon is as high. In an ideal world, this guy seems to hold if he's really legitimately happy, if he's not faking it, you know, he seems to he seems to win the day.

It seems like that. It seems like that. And it's not such a fun life, he has to sell a sefer, he has to do a few things to go ahead, but there's food on the table. and in Simcha.

Right. What else can you ask for? So the way I see it is misplaced trust. Misplaced trust? But he puts his trust in Hashem, but he don't have it, but once he's got it, where's the trust? Right. It goes back to you.

It's like, oh yeah yeah, that's right. Oh yeah, that's right. Now it's the person who gave you... oh that's...

that's actually, look, look at the next, did you read ahead? No. Okay, 'cause look what he says here: אבל עלינו לזכור את ביאורו של הרב הקדוש הדברי ישראל. Now he says, but you have to remember what the Modzhitzer Rebbe says, אבל עלינו לזכור את ביאורו של הרב הקדוש הדברי ישראל. I love how he's bringing from everybody.

I love how he does this. But you have to remember what the Modzhitzer Rebbe says, the Divrei Yisrael.

כי פעמים שהאדם בוטח בהשם לא מחמת כי בטחונו חזק בהשם. You trust in Hashem.

Sometimes people trust in Hashem, not 'cause they're oh I trust Hashem, אלא מחמת שכבר נתייאש ממצבו. No choice, right? I've tried everything else, so what's left? Oh yeah, trusting in Hashem. So he's saying, Yesh poh be'aya.

ורואה כי ממילא אבדה תקוותו מה אכפת לו לסמוך ולבטוח בהשם.

I tried everything, nothing else worked, so this can't hurt.

הרי אם לא יועיל לא יזיק.

ומה סימן הכירא יש למי שבוטח בהשם באמת. What's a sign of someone that doesn't act like this Bitachon as a last resort?

מתוך ידיעה שאין עוד מלבדו והוא יעמידנו על דרך טוב וישר מכל מצוקותיו.

From knowing that there's no one but Hashem and He'll put us on the right path and give us salvation from all of our tzoros. Ah, what Eli said and what Yossi picked up on. What's the siman?

אם הוא שמח וטוב לב. It's real.

It's real. It's real. Im hu same'ach. You know, you should see what everyone's faces look like when we talk about Bitachon, everyone looks like they're sitting Shiva chas v'shalom.

Bemes. It's like everyone's face is so serious. Bitachon. Bitachon.

This stuff is supposed to be Bitachon, right?

אם הוא שמח וטוב לב, the Rebbe says over here, כי זה הבוטח בהשם רק מתוך יאוש שאבדה תקוותו הרי הוא מר וזועף. The person that's Bitachon is taking place because it's a last resort, he looks bitter and tired.

כי אין כוח בביטחון כזה לשמח האדם ולהסיר כל עצב. Rav Biderman saying: what's the purpose of Bitachon in your life? What is it supposed to create in you? You could say Bitachon, no no no, what does Bitachon create in you? Happiness? Tranquility? Trust? Shalvas hanefesh.

Calmness. Shalvas hanefesh. Huh? Naftali's video. Which video? Ah, big plug.

Everyone send it on the chat right now, send it on the chat right now, big plug. Absolutely. This is supposed to bring Bitachon, so meaning the guy that it's a last resort, he's almost toast because things are about to explode in his life. Okay, I'll have Bitachon.

Let me have Bitachon! But the guy who's last resort is going to take from the top crate because he's still like, that's now I have something to give me, so I'm not going to go to that point where I... Ah, because I have Simcha that Hashem can do anything. Right, so the person who is at the last resort, he's going to take from the top crate because give me the food, the food's coming to me, so I don't have to result to the... Nachon.

Very good.

כי זה הבוטח בהשם. Just at the end here, we're just finished this paragraph.

כי זה הבוטח בהשם רק מתוך יאוש שאבדה תקוותו הרי הוא מר וזועף כי אין כוח בביטחון כזה לשמח האדם ולהסיר כל עצב ודאגה מלבו.

You know what's amazing? The Chayalim. The Chayalim, the Simcha the Chayalim have when they go out to krav. This Bitachon of being Shomrei Am Hashem. Shomrei Am Hashem.

With such Bitachon, they look, you could be so tired legitimately, so tired and exhausted, but the Simcha, the inner Simcha they have to go and do what they're privileged to do.

רק הבוטח בשמו הגדול באמת מלא שמחה. It's only this, only one that has real Bitachon in Hashem is filled with Simcha.

לומר והיה ה' מבטחו.

It doesn't say vayihi Hashem mivtacho.

במה ודאי הוא בוטח באמת? How do you know if you really trust the Ribbono Shel Olam? V'haya Hashem mivtacho.

אין והיה אלא לשון שמחה.

והיינו אם הוא שמח אף בתוך מצבו כעת.

I want to say: This last piece is even harder than the Arugas Habosem. It's even harder to chap and to implement than the Arugas Habosem that told us that the emes l'amito, hishtadlus is all tohu. This is harder. This is even harder.

Why? Why is this level even harder? Because for most of us, bitachon is still a resort. It's not yet והיה לשון שמחה השם מבטחו. So he's putting us in our place big time. Do you understand what we just said right now? The end of what we just said? Why is this, what he brought from the Mudzitzer Rebbe, in my opinion, harder than being in this world of, like, psh, my hishtadlus is nothing, מזונותיו קצובים לו מראש השנה, it's all set for me.

Why? No, what I'm saying is, he's saying it's not yet tov, it's kvar tov. He's sameach with the present. Why is that so hard? Why is that the hardest out of everything we learned? Because that's right now. Because that's now.

That's now. That's now. It's not that everything will work out, it's that it already... It's now.

It has to... I have to have a mirror in front of me and saying: Do you believe in God? Yes. Do you trust in God? Yeah. Then why do you look like a sour pickle? Basically.

Not you, I'm saying, chas v'shalom. You have 47 hours? No. It's almost like saying, like the s'chora that we talked about earlier, to rely on, is the bitachon and the simcha. That's what brings...

The real s'chora is the simcha. The real bitachon... nachon. I want to give us a bracha, Hashem should help us see how much hishtadlus we're doing to trust Him and to be close to Him, that the bitachon that we have should produce simcha in our lives, be'ezras Hashem.

ברוך הגבר אשר יבטח בה' והיה ה' מבטחו. Shabbos, Shabbos.