Guys, today we're going to round up the section that we've been dealing with in our Transform Your Bitachon series. And the question was, why must Hashem come through for me? We discussed that according to most opinions, what bitachon means is to rely on Hashem to such an extent that He will for sure come through for me in the way that I need. And the question that we ask is, why must Hashem come through for me? Who says I even deserve it? What is the mechanism that tells me that for sure Hashem must come through for me if I am relying on Him? And we looked at three passages that helped shed some light on this topic of our bitachon journey.   The first one was a midrash in Tehillim where the midrash stated that there was an individual who got arrested in a certain town and because he didn't want to be dealt with harshly by the police, he lied to them and told them, Please do not hurt me because I am part of the family of the king. The police believed the individual and in the morning when they brought this individual to the king, the king said to him, I do not recognize you. And the man said, Listen, I know I am not from your family and I know I behaved incorrectly by telling a lie and telling them that I am from your family.   However, my dear king, the only reason I did so was because I needed a way out of this terrible situation that I'm in and I knew that my only way to salvation was to rely on you and tell them that, Please, because of the king, I am from his family, save me due to the king's merit. Now, my king, I beg you, Please, because I've relied on you, come through for me and don't leave me hanging. And as the midrash ends off, David HaMelech teaches us that anyone who does the same with Hashem and says, Hashem, I am relying on you, Please, therefore, save me, Hashem will save him because of that reason exclusively.   We similarly saw a beautiful passage from the Chofetz Chaim where the Chofetz Chaim explained that when the angels guised as human beings who appeared as guests to Lot in the town of Sedom, when the townspeople came and wanted to harm those guests, Lot pleaded with them, Please, my people, do not do them harm. And his only argument was, Because they have relied on me, it is my responsibility to take care of them. Not because they are good people, not because you are doing something inappropriate, nor because of any other reason, but just because they have relied on me, that itself is enough of a reason and motivator for me to do anything and everything within my resources to make sure that they are taken care of and protected. And the Chofetz Chaim told us that as we see from other Torah passages, that Lot is not seen as an upright individual. And nevertheless, he understood this most basic fundamental idea about accountability to another human being who is relying on you.   And as the Chofetz Chaim continues, certainly when it comes to the Great King of all kings, Hashem Himself, when we choose to rely on Him, for sure He will not let us down, and He will come through for us and send us our salvation. And the words of the Chofetz Chaim are that when a person relies on Hashem, Hashem will for sure save you and send your salvation from all challenging circumstances.   And finally, we explore the most beautiful and fundamental piece from the Leshem, where the Leshem taught us that by the fact that the Torah itself calls on us in so many Torah passages to rely on Hashem when we are in distress, when we are short of money, when we are suffering illness, when we are going through a certain challenging relationship, or whatever it might be, each one of us in our own lives, by the fact that there are so many verses where Hashem calls on us and tells us, Please my child, you have a problem, you must rely on Me that I will take care of your problem. And because of this, the Leshem teaches us that just like Hashem came through for the people in the Torah itself, where He gave them outright commands to do very specific missions and said, Do not worry, when you do that mission, I will come through for you, because Hashem has commanded us to rely on Him throughout any and every situation that we go through, again, be it poverty, illness, or anything else. It is as if Hashem has commanded us to go through that situation and told us, Do not worry, I will come through for you. And it's as if He's told that to us in a direct revelation.   We'll end off with one more beautiful piece, and that is from Rashi to Tehillim (50:15), where Rashi writes, Hashem says, it is My honor that I save those that rely on Me. Again, it is beneath Hashem's, so to speak, dignity and honor to not come through for someone who is choosing to place their hope and reliance on Hashem. What a tremendous privilege we have to be able to tap into this power of bitachon and rely on Hashem to the point that we know that when we rely on Hashem, He will for sure come through for us in the way that we desire and that we need. B'ezrat Hashem, let's continue in this most incredible bitachon journey together and transform our lives.

We are about to begin part four of our Torah sources that we've been exploring. I would just like to mention two more introductory points in this session, and b'zrat Hashem in the next session, we're going to move forward to investigating the Torah sources themselves inside. If the truth is, as we're going to see in these many Torah sources, that true bitachon means relying on Hashem to the point that I am confident He will send my salvation in the way that I desire; Let's use an example for the sake of clarity. So let's say I am short of $1,000. I am working on my reliance on Hashem that He will for sure send me these $1,000 that I need. So the question becomes, we know that Hashem has many deep calculations way beyond our understanding and let's say in His books it actually comes out that it would be very detrimental for me to receive these $1,000 because of considerations way beyond my understanding.   One way to view this is when we introduce the idea of Gilgulim, of reincarnations, and let's say in my existence in a previous reincarnation I committed a certain sin where my real cleansing for that sin in this lifetime would be to suffer and not receive this $1,000 right now. So really according to all logic, it would be correct that Hashem does not send me the $1,000 now. However, as we're going to see by the many Torah sources that we're going to explore, by the fact that Hashem not only allows us but actually commands us in so many verses and passages throughout all Torah literature that we are to place our reliance on Him, as the commentaries explain; if we are doing our best to fulfill the greatest mitzvah of all, the mitzvah of bitachon in Hashem, Hashem is so great that He will find a way to turn around the situation, even in the spiritual worlds, that receiving my salvation will actually be good for me in every sense of the word.   So again, even if in theory, according to calculations beyond my understanding, receiving these $1,000 will be bad for me, but just to realize the tremendous keys we are getting here guys, this is a treasure. When we rely on Hashem for a certain salvation, when Hashem sends me those $1,000, not only am I receiving what I need and what I want, but in terms of the whole picture of how Hashem has designed the world, including this lifetime of mine, any previous reincarnation, as well as any other consideration way beyond my understanding that Hashem might have, by me having bitachon means that the outcome will be the best possible outcome, taking everything into account. I received the $1,000 and I have also now achieved the most perfect cleansing for the sin I committed in a previous lifetime, that without my bitachon, in truth, I would have needed to not receive those $1,000 in order to achieve the ultimate cleansing that I needed. But the power of bitachon allows us to have such confident and sincere reliance on Hashem to the point that if we do so, we will not only receive the salvation that we are requesting and relying on Hashem for, but Hashem will turn the entire situation to be the best for us both physically in this world as well as in terms of all the calculations in the spiritual worlds.   A much more relatable way for many of us to understand this concept is when we apply the idea of tefillah. It is commonly taught and illustrated throughout all of Torah literature that Hashem desires that we are to pray for things, and we are not just to say, listen, this is in Hashem's hands and I'm not even going to daven for it. No, Hashem calls on us to daven for the things that we desire. Again, one might ask, but is that not maybe going to be bad in terms of all the calculations that Hashem has in store for us? Maybe it would have been better if the Imahos (matriarchs) would have remained barren, and that's how they would have achieved the ultimate rectification to their soul, taking all the spiritual considerations way beyond our understanding into account.   But no, that's not the approach. Because why? Because Hashem teaches us in countless passages, when you have a need, you are to daven to Me for that need. In the same way, we are to apply this concept, as we are going to see through countless Torah sources, that we are not only allowed to, but it is a mitzvah to have such confident bitachon in Hashem that not only can He send my salvation in the way that I need and I desire, but He will send my salvation in exactly the way that I need and that I desire. B'ezrat Hashem, let's continue to explore this most fascinating topic of bitachon and transform our lives.

Guys, we discussed previously, the Beis HaLevi taught us, somebody who is lacking in bitachon is committing a great sin. It's not just that the main thing in Yiddishkeit is learning Torah and doing the mitzvos and bitachon is a by-the-way thing. Unfortunately, in many circles, bitachon is not focused on to the correct degree that it is deserving. And while certainly mitzvos and Torah and everything else is of paramount importance and ultimately is an expression of emunah and bitachon, whilst at the same time there's so much of emunah and bitachon that in many ways can be expressed outside of learning of Torah and outside the performance of the mitzvos.   For example, a person might be thriving in the Yiddishkeit and learning Torah and fulfilling mitzvos but when a situation that triggers anxiety appears in one's life, not always is one even educated to know that not doing one's best to remove the fear and remove one's anxiety is actually considered a sin. Not only a sin, but actually the exact opposite of bitachon. There is so much to learn about bitachon, it is a whole world on its own and it is so important to realize that this is the foundation of all Torah and mitzvos and to treat it with highest priority.   We're now moving forward to look at the next passage, B’ezrat Hashem. Rabbein Yonah to Maseches Barachas, towards the beginning (2b) writes “The main expression of fear of Hashem as well as the main expression of emunah in Hashem is bitachon.” Before the Transform Your Bitachon series, Baruch Hashem for about two years we spent a long time going into the many details about emunah and how ultimately really emunah is the source of everything. However, Rabbeinu Yonah is teaching us here that the ultimate expression of emunah is bitachon. So although the point and purpose of all of Torah and mitzvos is ultimately for the sake of emunah, however the true expression of emunah is bitachon.   And as we explained previously, emunah can be summarized that I know and I believe that Hashem can do anything. Hashem is the all-powerful, He created the world. He is certainly not limited by the laws of nature. He can certainly come through for me in any and every area that I might need. Whereas bitachon is taking the next step, not only believing that information, but actually taking practical steps to relying on Hashem. Bezrat Hashem, as we continue in this series, we'll look at more Torah sources and bring more examples in how this can apply practically in each one of our lives.   But just for a moment to refer back to an example we've given previously. Consider a person who's very sick and needs the treatment of a very specific doctor. One is led to believe that this doctor can certainly help me. That would be emunah in the doctor. Whereas bitachon would be now, I'm not just going to know that information and then continue with the rest of my life doing nothing about it, but rather I'm going to take practical steps to actually go and visit this doctor. And if he then tells me to follow certain protocols and procedures, I will follow that advice because I'm not only knowing that he can help me, I'm now placing my reliance on him. Of course if I have questions of how I should act, he will be the one I will ask for help because I'm not just stopping at the point of emunah, of just knowing that he can help me, but I'm actually taking the next step to rely on him practically.   And the other point that Rabbeinu Yonah mentioned was that bitachon is ultimately the main expression of Yirah. Anyone who's even a little bit familiar with Torah literature knows that the concepts of fear of Hashem, yiras shamayim, are literally all over the place. For example, a passage like”Reishis Chacham Yiras Hashem” - The starting point of all wisdom is fear of Hashem. Rabbeinu Yonah here is teaching us that what is the main expression of fear of Hashem is Bitachon. Let us continue this most incredible journey together and b'ezrat Hashem, transform our bitachon.

On the one hand, we are learning the treasure of the world when we're exploring really what bitachon is truly all about. On the other hand, there are certain parts of bitachon which if not understood properly can actually be dangerous to our emunah in Hashem because one might be taught you can have such strong bitachon and reliance on Hashem that if you don't have money you will get exactly what you need or if you are sick you are able to rely on Hashem to the point that you are confident that you will absolutely have a full recovery or if you are looking for a zivug you are able to rely on Hashem that you will find your zivug and the many other situations that we all go through.   And the potential danger to that is that if a person has not learned the topic extensively one might have bitachon in Hashem and actually be quite sincere in their reliance on Hashem but then not have received the salvation that they had relied on Hashem for, and God forbid a person could then start asking many questions like, is this all actually true? Does bitachon actually always work? If that's what Torah sources are teaching me, then why didn't it work for me? So that's why I feel that it's very important and the responsible approach to make it very, very clear before we begin exploring these Torah sources in this exciting section about bitachon that yes, we are going to see that basically according to all Torah sources when the Torah talks about bitachon it is actually speaking about reliance on Hashem to the degree that you are confident Hashem will come for you in the way that you desire. And yes, it is an axiom of creation that if you do so nothing can get in the way and Hashem will for sure come through for you. However, there is a very important precondition and that is that you have to be so sincere in your reliance on Hashem that you are feeling so confident that it's actually like He's already sent your salvation.   So for example, I am currently short of $1,000 and I have no idea where I'm going to get it from. I tap into this type of bitachon and I get to a point that if somebody asks me, how are you going to take care of that $1,000? I'm able to say to them, oh don't worry, I've literally got that taken care of. As if somebody had already called me and told me that they're going to give me that $1,000 in the next few minutes. That's how confident I feel in my reliance on Hashem. If one reaches such a level, there is nothing that can stop your reliance on Hashem from coming to fruition in every sense of the word.   Now one might say, okay that's very nice, but that is a very high level of bitachon. True. However, as we're going to learn again in a coming section, the ultimate reward of bitachon is far greater than anything you can receive in this world. Far greater than $1,000. Far greater than a billion dollars. Because the true reward for bitachon is going to be paid to you in the next world. And therefore, it's not actually about receiving what you are relying on Hashem for, because if we don't get to that level of 100% reliance on Hashem, sometimes I might not then receive exactly what I've relied on Hashem for in the way that I would have liked, because Hashem has many calculations, as normally we relate to this type of relationship with Hashem when it comes to davening to Him, that maybe in the greater picture this is not great for me, etc.   But again, it's so important to remind ourselves that we have to know where to aim. If we know that the ultimate type of bitachon is to get to a level where we are so confident in our reliance on Hashem that we are sure He's going to give it to us, then at least we know where to aim in our journey of bitachon. As we've spoken about many times, the starting point is learning about the information, but the true work of bitachon is trying to internalize it. And if I know that the ultimate place to get to is full reliance on Hashem, to get to a level that I feel so confident that all my needs are completely taken care of, like the Chovos Halevavos taught us right at the beginning, that you have full menuchas hanefesh - full tranquility and peace and serenity, because you know all your needs are taken care of.   So even though I might not be able to get there today, tomorrow, or for a long time, or maybe for most areas of my life, I might not be able to get there, but if we do know the truth about bitachon, we at least know where we're supposed to be aiming in this journey, as well as sometimes in our lives we will see that we will be able to tap into this incredible type of bitachon. The ultimate reward of bitachon is just being on the bitachon journey itself, and if I'm taking steps forward in bitachon, I'm the greatest success story in the world. B’ezrat Hashem guys, let's move forward in this incredible journey together and transform our bitachon.

Just before we begin to explore the many Torah sources that we're going to be looking at in this section, I'd just like to highlight another couple of points that will again help us to understand this type of bitachon which is so important to give a real background before we actually begin trying to clarify the Torah sources themselves. Now for certain reasons, which B'ezrat Hashem will get to soon, this form of bitachon where one is so confident that Hashem will absolutely send me what I am relying on Him for without a shadow of a doubt, is not usually taught in most circles. And this does raise a question mark because the truth of the matter as we're going to see in this section is that the overwhelming majority of Torah sources teach that what bitachon ultimately means is to rely on Hashem to such an extent that I am confident that He will send me what I am asking for, what I am desiring.   And that being the case, why is this type of bitachon sometimes shied away from in being taught in the correct manner, the way most Torah sources teach about it, that one is able to rely on Hashem to such an absolute degree without a shadow of a doubt that He will make me better, that He will send the paranasa that I am asking for, that He will find my zivug and the many other things that we need in life. Not just that He has the power to and can do it, but not necessarily will He because of His many calculations, but rather the approach of I am confident and I am relying on Hashem to the point that He will send me exactly what I desire and what I need.   And as we mentioned in the introduction, many of the topics of bitachon intertwine and when one learns one of the topics, many other questions from other sections that we are going to be looking at are raised and Bezrat Hashem will get there, but again, if we can learn it in an organized way focusing on what we are doing in each section and Bezrat Hashem getting to those sections, then with Hashem's help we can come out with clarity.   So just to give a brief summary of what we will explore in a coming section, bitachon or absolute reliance on Hashem always works, yes, in the way that you desire. What you are relying on Hashem for, that is what will happen with the following very important prerequisite, and that is, if I am 100% sincere in my reliance on Hashem, then it is an axiom of creation that bitachon will work with no exceptions. It is something that Hashem planted in the nature of the way the spiritual worlds work, that if you have absolute bitachon, absolute reliance in Hashem for something, it will absolutely happen in the way that you desire, and it is absolutely going to be good for you in every sense of the word.   But again, there is a prerequisite for this to take place, and that is that I am so absolutely confident and sincere in my reliance on Hashem that it is almost like I know He is going to give it to me that I have no questions, and the reason this type of bitachon is sometimes shied away from is because if one does not learn the topic extensively, but only learns the first half of the sentence, that yes, bitachon always works, but is not properly informed that that is true as long as you are absolutely sincere in your absolute reliance on Hashem. What can happen, God forbid, is people can think that they have been sincere in their reliance on Hashem, and thereafter they do not see a salvation in the way that they relied on Hashem for. And then they, God forbid, can begin to ask questions like, is this all true? I was taught that bitachon always works, and I am seeing here that it did not work for me. Does that mean that this whole topic of bitachon is not true?   So on the one hand, one has to be very careful, as I am trying to be, in teaching this topic, in making sure that it is very clear how all the different elements fit in. But on the other hand, just to ignore the topic and not teach it at all, because one is concerned that people might go in the wrong direction, when this is ultimately the foundation of all of Yiddishkeit, of all Torah and mitzvos, is actually a tragedy, because this is the point of our lives. So B'ezrat Hashem, let's continue to explore and clarify what bitachon is all about and transform our lives.

We continue our amazing Bitachon journey. Guys, we're exploring now part four of this Transform Your Bitachon series, where the question is, does Bitachon always work? So I'm super excited, B’ezrat Hashem, to begin looking at these Torah sources inside, which are quite fascinating. Because again, this type of Bitachon is not as commonly focused on. And for me, personally, in my journey of Bitachon, it opened up a whole new avenue to the world of Bitachon. But again, we do have to understand the different elements of how all this works, and therefore I do feel it is worth giving a bit of an introduction to this section before we actually begin to explore the Torah sources inside, which we'll get to very soon, Bezrat Hashem.   One might ask, with the usual type of Bitachon that is taught, where one relies on Hashem that He certainly can do anything, but not necessarily will He do it in the way that I desire. In a sense, that seems like the more appropriate approach to take, because we certainly know that Hashem is much greater than anything that our brains might be able to comprehend. And Hashem has many calculations, so who am I to know that something is necessarily good for me? Whereas when I take the second approach of Bitachon, and I am so confident I need something and I am relying on Hashem that He will give it to me in the way that I desire, in a sense that might seem like I am putting myself in a position where I know better than Hashem. So as always, whenever we visit any question which has a real bearing on our lives, the way you are going to answer the question will just depend on the perspective you are looking at.   I often like to use the example of two people who are sitting across the table from one another, and the one individual is facing a six, whereas from the other individual's standpoint and perspective, he sees a nine. Who is right? And the answer to this question is they are both right, it just depends from which perspective you are looking at. Now sometimes, to look from one perspective is actually wrong, and although an individual looking from that perspective, within his way of seeing things, he is correct, however the reason he is wrong is because he's got the wrong perspective.   We all know we have very limited brains and we certainly make mistakes through many, many situations in our lives, so when making relatively small decisions, it doesn't make all that difference if I get the vanilla or the chocolate, because it's not going to have such a great bearing on my life, whereas when I am now exploring what is ultimately the right form of bitachon to apply, which as we've learned so many times, bitachon is the point of all Torah and mitzvos and ultimately the point of my life, this is a question with not only a little bit of bearing on my life, but this is the ultimate question that certainly begs clarification and to come to the real perspective, the only truthful perspective. And again, where are we going to find that only truthful perspective that we can be so confident that we've got the right answer, and the only place to look is Hashem's perspective which is portrayed to us in the Torah.   Now regardless of whether we understand or not the question that we asked previously or the many other complications that might arise from the type of bitachon that we are applying, the bottom line is that the first step to clarify is what is the Torah's perspective? What do the many Torah sources teach us about what bitachon truly is? Thereafter, we can try to understand the questions that might beg clarification, but the starting point is what do the many Torah sources teach? And as we're going to see in this section, the overwhelming majority of Torah sources teach that true bitachon means to rely on Hashem to such a confident degree that you are so confident He will come through for you in exactly the way that you desire.   So again, let's explore the questions that that might lead to, of who says that's good for me? How do I know I deserve it? Does this not seem like I'm interfering with Hashem's plans and the many other questions that this might lead to? But the starting point before even exploring the questions is what is the truth? What is the right perspective? B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward in this incredible journey of bitachon together and transform our lives.

Guys, Bezrat Hashem, we're moving forward now to part four, and the question we're going to be exploring in these Torah sources in this section is, does Bitachon always work? And just before we, Bezrat Hashem, begin to explore the Torah sources inside, let's just give a brief introduction to what this section is going to be all about, Bezrat Hashem, which will help us then to understand the Torah sources in a more beneficial way.   So oftentimes when one learns about Bitachon, the way it is usually taught is as follows. Bitachon means to trust in Hashem to the point that He certainly can do absolutely anything. He is certainly not limited by any limitations of nature, nor any other statistics or anything else that runs our physical world, because He created the world and He constantly oversees and controls every single detail. And that being the case, if an individual is sick, or if somebody needs parnassah, or any other situation that one might be going through, when we ask ourselves, is it possible for Hashem to save me from this situation, the answer is absolutely yes, because Hashem can absolutely do everything.   Now although that is probably the most common understanding of what Bitachon is all about, and as we'll learn in a coming section of the Torah sources that we're exploring about that is certainly a type of Bitachon that we are to tap into. However, what's not as commonly taught and explored is the type of Bitachon that we're going to be looking at in this section, and that is, not only do I believe that Hashem can do anything for me, but I become so confident in my reliance on Hashem to the extent that I'm relying on Him that He will do it for me.   Meaning, the first type of Bitachon would say, I know Hashem can absolutely do anything for me, and if I am currently experiencing an illness, that according to all statistics and all laws of nature, it is impossible to find a cure for this. Nevertheless, I absolutely believe Hashem can send me a cure for this illness, even though that would go against all laws of statistics and nature, because again, Hashem is beyond all of that. However, I am not particularly sure and confident that Hashem will definitely send me my cure in the way that I would like, because again, Hashem is much greater than me, and He has many calculations, and who says I necessarily deserve that Hashem should come through for me in the way that I desire? And again, maybe there are other considerations beyond my human understanding why Hashem sending me a cure would be bad for me. So again, this type of Bitachon would dictate, Hashem can certainly come through for me and go against all the laws of nature and everything else that the basics of Emunah teach, but not necessarily that I am absolutely confident that He will come through for me.   And then we have another type of Bitachon. Where not only do I know that Hashem can come through for me, but I am able to get to such a level of reliance on Hashem, of Bitachon in Hashem, where I am actually counting on Him to send me my salvation. Not only to the point that I know that He can send me my salvation, but that He might not necessarily do so in the way that I would like, but rather, I am confident that Hashem will send me my salvation in the way that I desire, and in the way that I am asking Him to send it to me. And in this particular example of someone who is experiencing an illness, even though one might not know of any available cure, according to the laws of nature and statistics, one can reach a level of Bitachon in Hashem that I know Hashem is going to cure me, without any shadow of a doubt, and I am relying on Him to do so.   Now again, as we begin to explore this type of Bitachon, we might have many questions, such as, does Hashem allow me to practice such a form of Bitachon? Is it even what He wants, or would He rather me put it in His boat and say, Hashem knows better. Let me rely on Him to the extent that I know that He can do anything, but not necessarily dictate to Him what He should do. Or would He rather that I rely on Him to such an extent that I am almost telling Him what to do. So B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together on this exciting journey and transform our Bitachon.

We continue on this amazing Bitachon journey. We looked at a most fascinating passage from the Vilna Goan yesterday, where he writes that the entire purpose and motive for Hashem giving us the Torah and the point of all the mitzvahs is ultimately for the sake of Bitachon. We're going to look today at a different passage from the Vilna Goan, which takes the severity and importance of Bitachon to a complete another level.   The Vilna Goan in Evan Shlema (Chapter 3), writes “And the point of everything is Bitachon.” Okay, that's a bit of a summary of what he also writes in Mishlei, “The point of all Torah and mitzvahs is for the sake of Bitachon.” But now he writes “And somebody who is lacking Bitachon, his Torah will not last in his hands.” Again, because the whole purpose of all the Torah and everything is for the sake of Bitachon. So if I'm missing the foundation, even the Torah that I learn will fall and not make its true sincere impact on me, because the point of all the Torah ultimately is for the sake of Bitachon. And he continues “And this concept known as Histapkus”, which he'll define in a moment, “is ultimately the foundation of the whole Torah. And what exactly is Histapkus? This is the confident belief and trust in Hashem and to not worry whatsoever about tomorrow.”   The Vilna Gaon is coming from a Gemara which says that somebody who has provisions for today, but has no idea where he's going to get provisions for tomorrow. If he reaches the correct level of emunah, he will have not a worry in the world. Because I have belief that just like Hashem provided for me to this day, so too He will always provide for me, even if I see no way according to the laws of nature, and it seems to be against all odds, I trust in Hashem that He's always going to look after me. Just imagine for a moment, you're completely penniless. But that means I don't even have an item to sell. I've got nothing to my name. And I'm currently eating dinner this evening. But I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to get any food for tomorrow, for myself, for my family. And there does not seem to be any possible avenue open to give me some sort of promising direction forward.   Now of course we're not discussing the mitzvah of Hishtadlus. We have an obligation to try our best to find opportunities that could create a vessel for Hashem to shower His bracha on, and we'll discuss Hishtadlus when we get there. But even before Hishtadlus, regardless, let's say there is no Hishtadlus to do, I have no options available. Or even if I do, I've done what I can. How worried am I about tomorrow? Our job in this world is to work towards getting to such a confident place of trust and reliance on Hashem that even if I have no idea where my next meal is going to come from, and I have nothing to my name, I feel completely calm, as the Chovos HaLevavos taught us, true bitachon leads to menuchas ha-nefesh. Hashem is the master of the universe. He's always looked after me, and He's always got my back. So what that I don't see a way according to the laws of nature? Ultimately, in truth, He's way beyond that.   And in this passage, the Gra is teaching us that the foundation of the whole Torah is to reach this level of emunah of bitachon, that even if I have no idea where my provisions for tomorrow are going to come from, I am to work towards getting to such a place of reliance on Hashem that I don't worry whatsoever. And continues the Gra, “And if somebody is excelling in the mitzvah of bitachon,e ven though he is committing grave transgressions, he is better than somebody who is lacking bitachon.” We've quoted this passage numerous times in our previous teachings because it is so powerful for anyone who's even a little bit familiar with Torah literature.   We know that committing a transgression is not a small thing. There are very real and sincere consequences. Committing an aveirah chamurah - which is considered a very serious transgression, one certainly has to do anything and everything to stay away from committing this grave sin. But here he's teaching us something so powerful that bitachon is so important that our emphasis on it should be even more than the emphasis we place on staying away from sin. Not to God forbid underplay the importance of staying away from sin because ultimately a very important expression of Imun and bitachon is doing our best to stay away from what Hashem tells us to stay away from. But even more important than that is doing our best to truly succeed in bitachon. B’ezrat Hashem, let's continue this fascinating journey together and transform our bitachon.

Guys, we continue this amazing bitachon journey. We're discussing a really important section in this whole bitachon outline, about what the Meforishim teach us, how important exactly bitachon is. And as we discussed in the last session, the Beis HaLevi teaches us that the obligation to have bitachon, again, notice his words, bitachon is not an added something for the pious to practice, it is an outright obligation for every single one of us.   But again, says the Beis HaLevi, there are so many verses that command us to have bitachon throughout all of Tanach, that I'm not even going to give you a source, it's too many to count. And the Beis HaLevi continues his statement by saying that somebody who is lacking in bitachon is committing a great sin. Now again, it's important to remind ourselves, we're not going to get to the ultimate pinnacle of bitachon in one day. However, our take-home from a passage like this should lead us to understand and internalize that although we might not be able to get to a place of having absolute bitachon today or any time soon, however, seeing as the Beis HaLevi is telling us that if I don't have bitachon it is considered a great sin, I am called on to make my maximum effort to excel in bitachon as best as I can. Because the more I do this, the more I'm fulfilling my purpose in the world, and the more I intentionally neglect to make bitachon a priority in my life, God forbid a person can be in the category of what the Beis HaLevi is calling an aveira gedolah - committing a great sin.   We now move to the next Torah passage that we're going to be looking at. The Chovos Halevavos, right at the beginning of the Shaar HaBitachon, writes “I sought to now discuss what is more necessary than anything else for a servant of HaShem, and that is relying on HaShem in all areas of my life.” Again, let us not rush these most beautiful and powerful words of the Chovos Halevavos. He is writing here, what is the one thing that is more necessary than anything else for someone who desires to be a servant of HaShem? Bitachon.   There are so many areas to Yiddishkeit, Baruch Hashem it's a very vast Torah, with so many beautiful mitzvos, and really the sky is the limit to the whole sea of Torah and mitzvahs and everything else that it encompasses. But ultimately, if you have to boil it down to one thing, the Chovos Halevavos is teaching us the sole most important thing for somebody who is looking to serve HaShem, is bitachon in HaShem bechol devarav - relying on HaShem in any and every area of my life.   As we've discussed previously, and I'm sure it's very easy to realize when we just take a few moments to think about it, there are literally a billion levels to what it means to have bitachon. God forbid at the bottom of the spectrum there could be somebody who really doesn't live with HaShem, and just makes his own efforts in this world thinking that he's calling the shots. And then right at the top there is somebody who has absolute clarity that there is nothing in this world except for HaShem. And there are a billion levels in the middle of to what extent are we relying on HaShem.   And as the Chovos Halevavos taught us previously, when somebody relies on HaShem with absolute sincerity, one lives with complete menuchas hanefesh - with complete tranquility and peace. And that doesn't only mean when things are tranquil and peaceful, but even if I'd be surrounded by bombs falling all around me, or other situations in my life that are really anxiety-triggering and seem to have no solutions, even under those circumstances I can reach a place of absolute bitachon in HaShem, not just in one area of my life, but in all areas of my life, because ultimately the point of my life is bitachon. When the problem is too big for me, putting it on HaShem's back and realizing that not only can I do so, but HaShem desires that I do do so. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward in this incredible journey and transform our bitachon.

Let's continue this amazing journey about Bitachon. A very quick recap of what we've discussed in this section. The Bais HaLevi taught us that the outright obligation that the Torah places on us, that Hashem places on us, to have Bitachon is in so many pesukim, there are too many to count. And somebody who is lacking in Bitachon is committing a grave sin. Again, to remind ourselves, it's not about getting there, it's going to take time. But it's about being on the journey. If we realize it's a super great sin to not have Bitachon, we will do everything in the world to do the best we can to get more and more Bitachon each day.   We also learned the powerful words of the Chovas HaLevavos right at the beginning of the Shaar HaBitachon where he writes that he is going to discuss now Bitachon, which he calls the one item that is the most necessary for somebody who wants to become a servant of Hashem. The most necessary item of all the Torah, of all the mitzvos, is Bittachon. We then looked at a passage from Rabbeinu Yonah where he taught us that Bitachon is the ultimate expression of all Emunah and all Yirah. And as we've learned many times, the Torah is replete with passages about Emunah being our ultimate purpose in this world. But the main expression of Emunah is Bitachon. And in a similar vein, there are so many passages in the Torah that teach us that ultimately everything boils down to fear of Hashem, Yiras Shamayim. And again, Rabbeinu Yonah teaches us that the ultimate expression of Yirash Shamayim is having Bitachon in Hashem.   We're now moving forward to the next passage that we're going to be looking at. The Vilna Gaon in his commentary to Mishle (22:19) writes, “The main purpose that Hashem gave us the Torah, is so that we should place our Bitachon in Hashem.” We have to really digest these words of the Vilna Gaon. He writes for us, black on white, that the whole point of Hashem giving us the Torah is so that we should come to practice Bitachon in Hashem. Period. This is a summary of this whole topic. Bitachon is the point of the whole Torah. The point of everything. So certainly, it's worth our while to make an effort to understand better what Bitachon is truly all about, and thereafter, b’ezrat Hashem be able to incorporate it more and more each day in our lives.   And continues the Gra: “And this is because, again, the foundation of everything is complete Bitachon in Hashem. And this is the foundation of all the mitzvot.” In this short little passage, the Vilna Gaon states loud and clear that the whole motive behind Hashem presenting us with the Torah is so that we will have Bitachon in Him. Just to realize and digest just how important it is to have Bitachon. It's not just another mitzvah. It's the only reason Hashem chose to give us the Torah. And the purpose of all the mitzvos ultimately is to place our Bitachon in Hashem.   The reason it's so important to highlight a passage such as this is because unfortunately in many circles, the whole concept of Bitachon and Emunah falls by the wayside. And it's almost seen as an added benefit. If you have extra time on top of your normal Torah learning, then bring in this subject as an extra subject to explore. However, we are learning here from the Vilna Gaon a very profound idea. The whole point of all of Torah, the whole point of all of the mitzvos is ultimately for the sake of Bitachon.   So, B’ezrat Hashem, let us all just take to heart that the more efforts we're making in our Bitachon journey is ultimately making more of an effort to fulfill the reason that Hashem chose us as His nation for; that Hashem gave us all the mitzvos with all its details. It's all for the sake of Bitachon, so certainly to do our best to understand this mitzvah as best as we can and do our best to grow in this journey is more than worthwhile. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward in this incredible journey together and transform our Bitachon.