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The Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection is the one-stop shop for the Torah inspiration shared by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe in one simple feed. The Jewish Inspiration Podcast, Parsha Review Podcast, Thinking Talmudist Podcast, Living Jewishly Podcast and Unboxing Judaism Podcast all in one convenient place. Enjoy!
0:03 You're listening to Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe of Torch in Houston, Texas. This is the Jewish Inspiration Podcast.
0:11 Good evening, everybody. Welcome back to the Shahr B'Tochon, our study in trust in Hashem. And what we're going to see tonight is that immediately the author, Rebbeinu Bachia, is going to tell us that trust is not the right word. Reliance is more the correct word.
0:29 And we're beginning chapter one. It's a very short chapter for us. And then we're going to go right into chapter two as part of day number 12. So we're on page 46 in the Art Scroll edition of Shahr HaBitochon by the Chavos Al-Vavos.
0:45 Chavos Al-Vavos begins by providing the meaning of Bitochon. As mentioned in our introduction to the Shahr, the English equivalent of Bitochon is trust, or more accurately, reliance. There are many levels of trust one can place in another. Chavos Al-Vavos concisely describes the degree of trust that qualifies as Bitochon, and the basis for having such trust in anyone.
1:13 So I want to just read what the article brings over here. In the first commentary here, if you look on the bottom, he says, in other words,
1:38 best for you. This does not mean that one who has Bitochon will attain the results that he wants. Because sometimes people think Bitochon means, oh, Hashem will do whatever I want because I have faith or trust that He will do such. That's not what it means.
1:56 It means that Hashem will do whatever is best for me and that I have full reliance on Hashem. I don't need to worry because I know He will always take care. Even if I don't understand how this makes sense. I don't understand why it should be this way.
2:12 Okay? And now he continues here. The essence of Bittachon is trusting in someone to the extent that one who trusts has peace of mind.
2:34 And his heart relies on the one in whom he has placed his trust. To do what is good and appropriate for him in any matter. in which he places his trust in him. He trusts that the one he relies on will do so due to that one's ability to do what is good for him and knowledge of what is good for him.
3:11 So here's the thing. See, we have a very, very limited vision. We have a very limited understanding of what is good for us. I think, you know, marrying this person will be a good idea for me.
3:25 But do I really know that? I don't, I see only what my eyes show me. I don't see the full picture. I don't have the full background.
3:32 God says it's not a good idea for you, but I want it. It's not a good idea. I want that job. Hashem sees the full picture.
3:40 And Hashem says, no, no, no. full reliance on Hashem we have nothing to worry because we know He will take care of us 100% and He is able to take care of us Hashem is able to do anything Having defined Bitochon, Chovas Havovas adds a requirement for Bitochon. Even if there is someone with the ability to do what is good for a person and the knowledge of what is good for him, that does not suffice to place absolute trust in him.
4:12 True Bitochon is built on another critical factor.
4:44 This element is that one's heart must be confident that the one in whom he places his trust, because that individual has promised to take care of him,
4:55 carry out that which he pledged to do you know it's an interesting it's an interesting You know, they play these games. They have these games, these YouTubers, influencers. They play these games. You know, you have all these various different things.
5:12 If you do this, you'll get this kind of money. You know, like Mr. Beast type of stuff, you know, promising people things. And people make promises to their team and they build the trust. And then the people say, oh, they're trustworthy because last time they were trustworthy.
5:28 And then when it really comes. down to the wire, we see how they're not as trustworthy as everyone thought. And this is, you know, and they'll just sell out to the highest bidder. And you know who doesn't ever do that?
5:47 Hashem. Hashem is always faithful to you. Always. And if, God forbid, there's a situation in which you don't feel that God is being faithful, that means you don't see the full picture yet.
6:01 Again, we only get a glimpse, a small glimpse in our lifetime of this world. It's a very short glimpse. Hashem has the full picture. Hashem is before all of the world is created.
6:18 He'll be after the world is destroyed. Everything, Hashem, there's no limit of time.
6:33 And will even set his mind to think of other good things that he can do for him. Things that he never guaranteed him or pledged to do. And carry them out for him as a favor and kindness. Who does that?
6:48 Only Hashem does that. Only Hashem is doing things for us that we never got a guarantee that will happen. Now there are guarantees in the Torah. Hashem says do this and I will give you that.
7:01 this reward. There's multiple times in the Torah where Hashem gives a promise. For example, honoring your father and mother. Honoring your father and mother, there is a promise given in the Torah that you will have a long life.
7:16 You want to live a long life? Honor your parents. It's a promise in the Torah. We say this in Shema three times a day.
7:27 This is the command of honoring our father and mother. God will lengthen our lives. We'll have a long life. Now, long life, we think, means to live to 120.
7:38 Not necessarily. Maybe God only had a plan for us to be there 10 years. God says, you know what? I'm going to add 30 years to you.
7:45 Instead, in our mind, it's like, oh, this person had an early ending. Not necessarily true. It wasn't early. God extended it 30 years.
7:56 Okay, now Art Scroll here continues in their magnificent explanation. Thus, the definition of Bitochon is relying on a provider with complete confidence that he will provide whatever is good for the one depending on him. Because he is able to do so and knows what is good for that person. Such reliance is dependent upon the provider being one who can be trusted to honor his commitment to supply one's need and who will go beyond his commitment whenever the situation calls for it.
8:28 If a person has such a provider, He can be at peace with the knowledge that he shall never lack what is good for him, which is the essence of Bittachon. That is the essence of Bittachon. In the next chapter, we will learn that only Hashem possesses the characteristics of the provider described here. And this, my dear friends, is the entire first chapter.
8:53 Now we're going to do a little introduction to chapter 2 and continue with day number 12. In chapter 1, Chobos HaVavos defined Bitochon as absolute reliance on a provider with complete confidence and peace of mind that he will meet all of one's needs and even go beyond what one deserves. In presenting that definition, Chobos HaVavos alluded to the primary qualities a provider must have in order to inspire such confidence. In this chapter, Chobos HaVavos elaborates on those qualities,
9:30 He explains why Bitochon cannot be complete unless one's provider meets all these criteria. Finally, he shows that no human being has the required qualities and only Hashem has them. So it is illogical to place one's trust in human beings and imperative to place trust only in Hashem. Now, if you remember from the introduction, we talked about the alchemist.
10:00 I was reviewing this over Shavuos and I was talking it over with someone. It's like, you see what the author really did. is he put a straw man. The straw man is the alchemist.
10:13 But really, he's referring to each and every one of us. He's referring not to the alchemist. He was referring to us. We put our trust in our money.
10:20 I'm going to invest. I'm going to make money. I'm going to have a career. I'm going to earn a living, a livelihood like this and like that.
10:28 I'm going to put our money away. And we have all of these worries in the back of our mind, just like the alchemist. We can identify, if we look through the end of the introduction, of those things that he said, the one who has trust has benefits over the alchemist, that's us having trust in Hashem over relying on our own abilities.
10:52 And that is, I think, a brilliant move by the author, Abedinu Bachia, to ensure that we don't feel like we're being personally attacked, but rather we're looking at, oh, let's look at it objectively, you know, we're going to look at it as somebody else. But really, he's referring to us. We have so much reliance and so much, oh, I have my 401k. I have my retirement fund.
11:18 I have money put aside. I have my rainy day fund. I have my life insurance policy. I, I, I, I. And we're always dependent.
11:26 But then again, we hear a story that someone had to use up all of their retirement for an illness, God forbid, or for an accident that transpired, God forbid, or something of that sort, we have to be very, very careful not to put our trust in our resources, but rather only our trust in Hashem, which supersedes all of that. So now we begin chapter number two, my dear friends. Page number 50.
11:55 We learned in the previous chapter that Bitochon is defined as the blissful confidence that the provider upon whom one relies will supply whatever one may need. People often think of it as a mother for her baby. If it's a healthy mother and a healthy baby and the mother wants to take care of that child appropriately. Hopefully every mother does.
12:20 Sadly, we're in a crazy world where we hear stories of like wondering like what planet these people, you know, grow up in. People often place their trust in other humans who are wealthier, more skilled and more powerful than they are.
12:41 human being. He begins by examining the qualities a provider must have in order to be worthy of having anyone rely on him absolutely. So this is on us as well. We have to know what are the qualities to be someone who people can rely on.
12:58 What is that? What are those qualities? And here he begins.
13:06 When we consider the criteria that would theoretically provide a basis of placing one's trust in human beings, there are seven such criteria. It is not logical for anyone to have Bitochan in a human being unless that human being possesses these seven specific qualities. Since the topic, and over here this is on the bottom here, number one, commentary number one, since the topic is whether it makes sense to place trust in a person, Chavez Havovus presents the criteria as though they could exist in a human being.
13:43 He will conclude, though, that obviously only Hashem possesses these qualities, these seven criteria. So the first criterion.
13:57 The first of these seven qualities that makes it possible for anyone to be worthy of one's reliance is that the provider be someone who possesses the traits of compassion, pity, and love for the one who will rely on him.
14:26 He will be inclined to trust that fellow and rely on him in any of his affairs with which he troubles him. Thus, the first basis of Bitochon is that the provider should care so deeply about a person that the person is comfortable placing trust in him in any of all and all matters. So think of that for a second. Who is a person that you can trust?
14:54 100% that has compassion, that has pity and love for you. How many people are there on planet Earth that we can say that about? It's got to be someone who we're really, really close to in a bond of almost like flesh and blood. Someone who, you know, our family, either a child, a parent, maybe if you have a really special aunt or uncle, a special relative, but not really so many people outside of that circle of trust.
15:25 There's very few people already. He just listed one virtue and we're already so limited. Number two, the second criterion. The second of the second essential qualities is that one must know about the provider, that in addition to his love for the one placing trust in him, which will arouse him to aid.
15:53 This person, when he is aware of his need, he never diverts his attention from this person due to preoccupation with other affairs.
16:05 And he is not lazy or sluggish in carrying out any of his needs.
16:14 Rather, the one placing trust in the provider knows that he will always exert himself
16:25 need but for if the one placing trust in the other is not sure about all this regarding the provider, then he's not going to have complete trust. He's not going to have reliance on him because he's like, I don't know if he's going to put everything else down and put everything aside so that he can focus on my needs. And here's the thing is that we've all experienced people in our lives in one form or another that we thought, this is someone I can trust.
16:57 And when it came a challenging moment, they weren't there. And we're like, I thought I could trust them. I thought they were reliable. I thought they had integrity.
17:10 I thought they would keep their word. But we see that it's not that necessarily they were doing something to harm us intentionally. They just don't have the ability to do so many things at a time. They're busy worrying about themselves.
17:25 They're busy worrying perhaps about a different child, perhaps worried about their own marriage. So there are other priorities that they have. So we see the only one who puts everything aside to take care of us because he has no limits. He doesn't have to put things aside.
17:44 He makes us a priority is the Almighty. And if the one placing trust is not sure about all this regarding the provider, then he cannot have complete trust in him.
18:00 Because he knows that the provider sometimes has lapses of attention and sometimes is lax in carrying out his need.
18:15 But when the person who is bestowing his trust finds these two qualities that we have mentioned combine in one in whom he is placing his trust as a provider. That is, he knows, number one, that the provider has great compassion for him. And number two,
18:39 fears with complete attention and determination, he will undoubtedly place his trust in him. What's the third criterion? The third of the seven qualities a provider must possess in order for anyone to place unreserved trust in him is he must be exceedingly, supremely, powerful.
19:19 And nothing can impede or prevent him from fulfilling the request that the one who placed trust in him.
19:31 This is surely to be counted among the seven qualities, provider is weak, then the one who trusts him will not be complete. One may place some trust in him, but will not feel entirely secure that the individual will fulfill his needs.
19:56 Even though it is clear that he has the first two qualities, that he is compassionate towards the one placing trust in him, and he pays attention to his needs.
20:09 Because the provider will be prevented from accomplishing these things on his behalf in many situations, will do his best there are surely some things that he will be unable to accomplish because those who are more powerful than him in a particular field will oppose him he's got a board to block him he's got trustees who are going to block him there are there are so many factors that can limit a person from being able to exercise the power that is required to assist another person
20:50 and when these three qualities compassion attentiveness and supreme power come together in a provider then it is more appropriate to place trust in him the combination of these qualities makes it more reasonable to wholeheartedly rely on someone so these three almost impossible to find in a single human being To be able to provide these things is just unbelievable. And yet, again, there is one supreme being that so far is check, check, check in all three of these categories, okay? The fourth criterion.
21:35 The fourth quality necessary for provided to be worthy of one's unreserved trust is that he knows all the ways in which the one who placed his trust in him can benefit. He is not ignorant of what is good for that person, neither in regard to concealed matters, letters.
22:08 And he knows what will make his situation truly good in all respects. For if the provider does not know all this, the person bestowing his trust will not feel secure with him since the provider may unwittingly do things that is not in his best interest.
22:37 But when one finds all four of these qualities combined in a provider, that he is aware of, number one, the provider's knowledge of the things that are truly beneficial to him, and his unlimited ability to attain these things, and number three, his great attentiveness to one's needs,
23:13 Then, one's trust... in that provider will be strengthened without question. So again, they need to have all four of those qualities. What an almost impossible task for someone to attain with trust in another human being.
23:31 This is really unbelievable things that Rabbi Nebachia is teaching us here. This concludes day number 12.
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