It is with great simcha and appreciation that today we begin the Torah sources of this tremendous journey of Bitachon. Today we begin to explore part one of the many sections we're going to be exploring as we've outlined in the previous sessions. So part one, what is Bitachon? Now of course this question really encompasses anything and everything we're ever going to learn about Bitachon because ultimately everything we learn about Bitachon will give us more clarity about what Bitachon truly is.   But this is an introduction to Bitachon to get a bit more clarity about what it means to rely on Hashem. What does Bitachon itself mean? How do we even translate the word Bittachon? So with Hashem's help let's begin our journey in Bitachon. The first source that we're going to explore is the Chovos Halevavos in the Shaar Habitachon, right at the beginning in Perek Aleph where he writes that “The essence of Bitachon is the tranquility of the soul of the person trusting and relying, and that the person's heart should be relying on the one he is trusting in.”   The Chovos Halevavos is teaching us here that the true essence of somebody who has Bitachon is tranquility. That means to say that anything and everything could be happening around me. On a global level or on a personal level there could be a major world war and chaos everywhere with things completely unpredictable and a person with Bitachon will have absolute inner peace and tranquility. And the reason for that is because one with Bitachon is relying on someone else to take care of them. Of course we are referring to Bitachon in Hashem but the Chovoss HaLevavos illustrates this by teaching us what happens when one relies on someone else.   I'd like to share a story that I once came across that helps illustrate this concept from the fantastic sefer Living Emunah from Rav David Ashear. He tells that there was a little girl on an airplane ride and suddenly there was tremendous unusual turbulence on the flight. Many of the passengers were quite scared as to what was going on whereas this girl was completely calm. One of the flight attendants noticed this and came over to the girl and said, “Little girl. The adults on this plane are feeling quite terrified at the moment and you seem to be completely calm as if nothing is going on. Why is that?” And the girl responded, “well my father is the pilot so why should I be anxious about anything? I know that my father will absolutely always do what is best for me.”   And as the Chovos Halevavos goes on to say in this paragraph that a person who has Bitachon in someone else has inner peace because you're relying on that other person and you know that they will always do what is best for you. Now the reason the Chovos HaLevavos teaches us about having Bitachon, reliance on other people is because ultimately that teaches us how to have true Bitachon in Hashem. This little girl understood that her father would only always do what is best for her and therefore even when things seemed like they were not going according to plan and potentially could cause anxiety, she felt calm.   Now the example is not 100% accurate because when it comes to other people we are limited in our abilities as well-meaning as we might be, we might not be able to help another individual under certain circumstances because of our human limitations, whereas when it comes to Hashem, the basics of Emunah teach us that Hashem is completely beyond any limitation and can without a doubt save us from the most unpromising situation that we might encounter.   So again what we're learning in this first passage from the Chovos Halevavos is that the essence of Bitachon is tranquility. Of course we cannot expect to get there in a day where we can have bombs exploding around us and we can remain completely tranquil, but again as we spoke about in the introduction, the point of Bitachon is not necessarily to get there - it is to aim to get there and to take small steps to go as far as we can. B'ezrat Hashem, let's continue further in our journey of Bitachon.

The Chovos Halevavos is one of the classics that we have on Bitachon, and I highly recommend that if you have not yet done so, you should get a copy to slowly work through, and B’ezrat Hashem, over time, master more and more. And if you've already been through it, to go through it again and again and again, because many of the greats have taught that one of the most foundational works that we have when it comes to the topic of Bitachon is the Shaar Habitachon of the Chovos Halevavos.   In this series, we're going to be quoting particular Torah sources that clarify a better picture for ourselves of what Bitachon is and the many questions that arise, but at the same time, there's no question that when you take a sefer like Chovos Halevavos and delve into it yourself, you will gain tremendously in your Bitachon journey. So what exactly is Bitachon? We learned the Chovos Halevavos right at the beginning of the Shaar Habitachon in Perek Aleph, where he writes, “The essence of Bitachon is the tranquility of the soul” and as the Chovos Halevavos explains, this is because when you rely on someone else, that they will do absolutely what is best for you, without exception, you feel tremendously tranquil, because you know you are in great hands.   And as we explained, when it comes to human beings, although another human being can certainly remove anxiety from us, because we do have many abilities, and when we know someone else will use their maximum ability to do the best possible for us, that can remove tremendous anxiety. However, that is certainly limited, because we are limited by our human capacity and even though we might be the most well-meaning person in the world, the situation someone might be relying on us for might be beyond our capacity, whereas when it comes to Hashem, Hashem is unlimited and we can rely on Him for anything. And therefore, as we build our Bittachin, the more we rely on Hashem, the more tranquility of soul, inner peace we will have. Because the more we digest that Hashem only wants the true best for us, but not only that, He can actually do it, beyond any statistic or natural limitation. And the more we build that belief, the more we will internalize the realization that we can live lives with complete calm throughout any and every situation.   So let's say that I'm in need of a certain amount of money, and I've requested from somebody else to help me out with this charity, and they've promised me that they will help me out, and I know as a matter of fact that they want to help me and they have my best interest in mind. There's no question that I'm going to feel much less anxious from this situation, because I'm relying on somebody to help me, I know He can help me, and He wants to help me. Whereas someone who has an illness, and there is no doctor in the world that can provide any treatment for this situation, under these circumstances there's nobody to rely on except for Hashem.   Our job in this world is to make our maximum effort to rely on Hashem exclusively, under all circumstances. Of course it's easier to rely on Hashem when nobody else can help us, but our job is not only to choose to rely on Hashem then, but throughout any and every situation, even when it seems like people can help us, to try to digest more and more that it is not people who help us, it is exclusively Hashem. People are the messengers of Hashem that He has placed in those circumstances to be there to help us out, but in truth it is Hashem exclusively who is helping us.   As we read in the well-known 13 principles of faith of the Rambam, “Hashem alone, Hashem exclusively, takes care of everything in this world with absolute divine providence”. Before delving into anything about Bitachon, the starting point is to digest that Hashem has absolute hashgacha pratis in this world - Hashem is personally looking after every single one of us down to the finest detail, personally managing and orchestrating every single one of our lives. B’ezrat Hashem, together let us take another step forward in our journey of Bitachon.

Let's move forward on our Bitachon journey. Remember this is the treasure of the world, the point of our lives. What a tremendous privilege just to be appreciative to Hashem that we're on this journey together. Thank you Hashem for the incredible opportunity we have to be learning about Bitachon. We're exploring now a bit of an introduction to Bitachon. What exactly is Bitachon? And as we discussed previously, the first Torah source that we visited was the Chovos Halevavos.   And again I cannot highlight enough how important it is to get your own copy of Chovos Halevavos. In today's times, it is so easy for anyone at any and every level to be able to learn so much of Torah literature that was not available previously. There is a fantastic artscroll copy of Chovos Halevavos which really walks a person through all the details with commentary and I highly recommend you get your hands on and slowly work through the fantastic Shaar Habitachon which is really one of the most classic foundational works that we have in Torah literature about Bitachon.   We discussed the Chovos Halevavos who teaches us that the essence of Bitachon is the is the tranquility of the soul, is the inner peace that we achieve when we rely on Hashem. So what we are learning here is that one of the things that Bitachon leads to is inner peace And the true litmus test eventually when we want to know how much Bittachin we truly have is how much inner peace do we have when adversity strikes, when something goes horribly wrong with my business or perhaps illness strikes or a serious family issue and the many other trials that we have in our lives. How do we respond to that situation?   Now again I cannot emphasize enough, it is not about getting there because it could be that we've been working on Bitachon for so long and something happens and we feel tremendous panic and anxiety. That's okay because if we are on the Bitachon journey that is all Hashem expects of us. We are limited by our human limitations and maybe we have a very high level of anxiety to start and maybe we're just dropping that anxiety a little bit by working on our Bitachon. That is all Hashem expects of us.   So what we've learned so far is that what Bitachon really leads to is inner peace regardless of the circumstances around me because I'm relying on Hashem that He's taking care of me and He'll always do the best for me and He is not limited by any human limitations and therefore I'm able to live with absolute inner peace, calm, serenity and happiness. The Chovos Halevavos writes that the reason that a person feels this inner peace is because the person is relying on someone else and that takes the anxiety away.   We are learning here that the real translation of the word Bitachon is reliance. It's not just the knowledge that Hashem can do anything and it's not even just the knowledge that Hashem always wants to do good for me and does good for me. It's not just that knowledge but it's the actual reliance that Hashem is there for me and has my back. Of course as we move forward in this journey and explore all the Torah sources we will see how to practically apply that reliance but just as a start we're seeing now what does Bitachon mean. Bitachon means to rely on Hashem.   Let's use a little analogy just to illustrate to ourselves what exactly it means to rely on something. Let's say I have a rare illness and there is a doctor overseas that is the only doctor in the world that can help me. Now I've researched this extensively and I know as a matter of fact that this is the only doctor in the world that can help me and I know that he certainly can help me. That stage can be translated more as the emunah, the belief that this doctor can help me whereas the reliance on the doctor would be to get up and go and visit him and take all the necessary efforts to make it work that I can be seen by him and he can help me out.   And similarly when it comes to Hashem, simply speaking emunah would translate more as the knowledge and belief that Hashem can do anything for me and has my back whereas Bitachon would be the reliance on Hashem, the taking the leap and throwing my problem on Hashem's back rather than carrying it myself. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward discussing these Torah sources and gaining more clarity in our Bitachon journey.

I'm so excited to move forward in our Bitachon journey, B'ezrat Hashem clarifying these Torah sources that we're going to be exploring, and with Hashem's help transforming our Bitachon. The first Torah source we visited was the Chovos Halevavos, right at the beginning of the Shaar Habitachon, where he says that the essence of Bitachon is inner peace and tranquility of the soul. And the reason for that is because one relies on Hashem to such an extent that we know Hashem will always do what's best for us. And again, to highlight, that is a high level to achieve, with full sincerity. But we're not meant to get there, not in one day and perhaps not ever, but just to take small steps of growth in our Bitachon journey.   We're now going to move to the second Torah source that we're going to be visiting. This is Rabbeinu Yonah in Mishlei, Perek Gimel, Pasuk Chaf Vav. Rabbeinu Yonah writes, “I'm going to tell you what Bitachon is. Bitachon is the absolute clear belief, without any shadow of a doubt, in Hashem's salvation, and relying on Him with absolute sincerity, without any shadow of a doubt.”   So let's break this down a little bit. The main point of this Bitachon journey is that it translates into practical application in our lives. Of course, the starting point is learning about it, to be able to thereafter apply it in our lives. But in this piece in Rabbeinu Yonah, we're learning where is the ultimate opportunity to apply Bitachon. And Rabbeinu Yonah is teaching us that when adversity strikes and things might seem scary, I don't know where the solution is going to come from. I'm stuck. That is the most tremendous opportunity that I now have to fulfill my life's mission. Of course, as human beings, we are not meant to go look for adversity and difficulties. But when they do strike, just to have this perspective, that this is now the most opportune time to practice the reason that I exist.   So Rabbeinu Yonah is teaching us what is Bitachon. Bitachon is belief with absolute conviction, without a shadow of a doubt, that when something is wrong, Hashem is going to make it right. But he says the words, Not just that knowledge, but true reliance on Hashem. I'm relying on Hashem to take care of the problem, to the point that I have no worry in the world anymore. We've previously discussed an example which can help us illustrate and digest this concept. Let's say I have a very wealthy uncle who has come over to me one day and he says, I want you to know my child, you are very dear to my heart. As you know, I am very, very wealthy and it is not a big deal for me to send you a few million dollars. So please, any time in your life that you need help, come over to me. I will most gladly help you.   Now, once in my life, I run short of money and I go over to my good-hearted wealthy uncle and I ask him to help me and he helps me gladly. And he tells me, please, if it happens again, come over right away and I will help you gladly. And after a while, it happens again that I'm short of money. And again, I go over to my uncle, who I am relying on to help me, and he helps me once again. And this repeatedly happens time and time again. When I've been to my uncle 10 different times and each time he has helped me and encouraged me that he wants to continue to help me and to please come back to him any and every time.   When it comes to the next time, I certainly will feel confident and comfortable to the point that if somebody asks me, you're in trouble financially, what are you going to do? I will say, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to my uncle tomorrow and he's going to help me. And I will not feel any sense of anxiety. Rabbeinu Yonah is teaching us that bitachon means reliance on Hashem to the point that if I have a problem in my life, I am throwing the problem on Hashem to the point that I'm not going to need to feel anxiety. B'ezrat Hashem, with the help of Hashem, let us move forward now and explore these most fascinating and incredible Torah sources together. And b'ezrat Hashem, transform our bitachon.

Let's move forward on this incredible Bitachon journey together, the keys to the real treasures of the world. What an incredible opportunity each one of us has. Let's summarize what we've discussed so far and then move forward, B’ezrat Hashem, with the next Torah sources.   We learned in the Chovas HaLevavos that the essence of Bitachon is inner peace and tranquility of the soul - when a person realizes that Hashem is truly taking care of us and chooses to rely on Hashem, the all-powerful, the one who is completely not limited by any human limitations, that thereby leads a person to tremendous inner peace and tranquility of the soul. And in the second source that we explored together, we learned from Rabbeinu Yoina that Bitachon is the confident belief without any shadow of a doubt that Hashem can send us salvation from challenging and trying situations. It doesn't matter what it is, it doesn't matter how dire the situation might be, when we realize, as we learn in the 13 principles of faith, that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in the world and there's no question in the world that Hashem can help us.   And as the Chovas HaLevavos taught us, there's no question in the world that Hashem wants to help us and only wants the best for us. And as we know that Hashem has the ability to help us. When we turn that knowledge into a reliance, that is what brings us to removing the anxiety from our hearts, from the challenging situations that present themselves, and brings us to the inner peace and tranquility of the soul that Bitachon leads to. Now let's read this piece in Rabbeinu Yoina again and focus on the end of the statement. Rabbeinu Yoina is teaching us that Bitachon means to rely on Hashem that He can send our salvation but to such an extent that you have absolutely no doubt that He will send your salvation.   So let's use an example, a person has an illness and there is no one in the world that has a cure to this illness. Rabbeinu Yoina is teaching us that what Bitachon would mean in this situation is to rely on Hashem that He will come through for me without any shadow of a doubt. And if as we're going to learn in the coming sections that one of the highest ways we can have Bitachon is to rely on Hashem in what appears to be good in our eyes. So for someone who is ill, what appears good in our eyes is to get better.   That would mean to say that I am going to have reliance on Hashem, that He is going to make me better, and this reliance on Hashem is beyond a shadow of a doubt. Now let us make it very clear, we're going to learn in the coming sections that Bitachon is an absolute, it always works. If it doesn't work it's not because it doesn't work, it's because I didn't fulfill the conditions for it to work.   But again let us remember the true reward for Bitachon is not about Bitachon working. Let's say a person does not get better because they were not able to have that 100% sincere reliance on Hashem to get better from the illness. That is not the main reward. The main reward is, till the last moment, relying on Hashem and expressing that reliance through prayer and speaking to Hashem, telling Him, Hashem, I know that You can come through for me, and you know what, I am relying on You, that You are going to make me better. And if a person even a little bit has that thought process, that is one of the highest possible things that we can do in this world to achieve our place for eternity in the next world.   Rabbeinu Yona is teaching us that Bitachon means to rely on Hashem to such an extent that we know He is going to come through for us, and He is going to send our salvation, but to such an extent that we have no doubt about it, and the absolute reliance on Hashem, that He is going to help me in my predicament. Let's move forward together, B’ezrat Hashem, and gain a better understanding of what true Bitachon is.

How privileged we are to be moving forward and exploring further Torah sources about the ultimate purpose of our life, bitachon. We learned previously, the Chovoss Halevavos who taught us, that the essence of bitachon is tranquility of the soul, is inner peace. And how bitachon brings a person to that inner peace is because a person works on taking small steps forward, on internalizing that Hashem exclusively controls every detail in the world.   But not only internalizing that knowledge, but thereafter taking the next step and moving the knowledge to a reliance on Hashem, where I'm relying on Him to take care of my problem. And as Rabbeinu Yonah taught us, that bitachon means the absolute belief without a shadow of a doubt; in his words, “that a person has no doubt whatsoever in Hashem's salvation”. A person has a predicament and I am relying Hashem will send my salvation without a shadow of a doubt that He will send my salvation.   We now move forward to the next Torah source that we're going to be exploring, B’ezrat Hashem. This is a verse in Tehillim (55:23) which reads, “throw your needs on Hashem and He will provide for you”. Now before we discuss this further, I'd like to highlight something very, very important. Bitachon is not only something which is literally everywhere in Torah literature. But in fact, as we move forward in this bitachon journey and become much more mindful about what bitachon means and how the ultimate purpose of our lives is bitachon, we will notice that it is literally everywhere throughout all our brachos, throughout bentsching, throughout the davening, throughout all of Tehillim, it's literally everywhere. And as we gain clarity via the many Torah sources we're going to be exploring of what bitachon truly means, we will see how the concepts we are learning are explicit in many, many verses all over the place.   Here we are quoting a verse from Tehillim where the verse teaches us that we are to throw our needs on Hashem and He will provide for us. Period. David HaMelech is teaching us, Hashem desires from us that we throw our problems on Him. What does it mean to throw our problem on Hashem? Again, as we learned previously from Rabbeinu Yona, what does bitachon mean? Bitachon means that when I have a predicament, I'm relying on Hashem to send me my salvation. And similarly here, David HaMelech is teaching us that when we have a predicament, something comparable to a heavy load that we are carrying, that is too heavy for us to carry, we are to throw that load at Hashem and say, “Hashem, I cannot carry this, it is too heavy for me. I am giving it over for you.” And the verse teaches us that when we throw our problem to Hashem, He will come through for you. He will provide for you. He will take care of your needs.   David HaMelech is teaching us, when I have a problem, perhaps I've been spending so many years trying to find my marriage partner, just watching my friends one after the other, finding theirs and moving forward and building their families and lives. And what's with me? It's been so many years. I've done my hishtadlus; I've reached out to many people, I've prayed to Hashem, I've tried different things and it seems like it's never going to happen. This is a heavy problem to carry.   “Hashem, I am giving over my problem to You. I cannot handle this. Hashem, I am begging You, my dear Father, please You take care of me. You find my marriage partner. But You know what I'm saying to You now, Hashem? I am just letting go of this problem now. It is not something which I have to feel that is on my head, that is in my hands. I know that it is beyond me. And the truth is that every single situation in my life is beyond me, Hashem. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that You exclusively run every detail in the world and in one second, even against all odds, You could send me my marriage partner in ways that only You know.”   As we are learning here in Tehillim, not only does Hashem allow us to throw our problem on Him and rely on Him, but He is telling us that this is what He wants us to do. If we have an issue, He wants us to throw the problem on Him and rely on Him and say, “Hashem, I know You will take care of me and therefore I am going to feel completely relaxed with tranquility in my soul, with inner peace, because I know that the problem is not mine. It's Yours and You will take care of me in the best possible way in the world.” Let's move forward, b’ezrat Hashem, together in this most incredible Bitachon journey and transform our Bitachon.

Guys, so excited to be continuing our Bitachon journey. As we've discussed many times, Bitachon is a whole world with Torah sources literally all over the Torah about Bitachon because ultimately, as we can learn, the whole point of the Torah, of all the mitzvos, of everything that we do is for the sake of Bitachon.   We discussed previously the words of the Chovos Halevavos right at the beginning of the Shaar Habitachon where he writes that the essence of Bitachon is the tranquility of the soul of the one having Bitachon and again the reason for that is because when I rely on someone else who I know has the ability to help me and besides having the ability to help me I also know that they want the best for me, that certainly leads me to feeling feelings of tranquility because I know that I'm in good hands and I have somebody to rely on.   But as we pointed out, as well-meaning as any human being might be, there is always a limitation because we are all limited by our human capacity whereas when we have the privilege to build our Bitachon truly in Hashem and rely on Him and as we know, the basics of Emunah teach that Hashem is completely beyond any limitation and if I'm choosing to truly rely on Hashem with utmost sincerity there's no question that that is going to lead me to feeling feelings of Menuchas Hanefesh - of tranquility of the soul regardless of what is going on in the world around me as well as regardless of what is going on in my own personal life; even when things might be chaotic, difficult to understand and many questions in the air, I feel complete tranquility because I know things are not in my hands but rather in the hands of the one I am trusting in, in Hashem.   We also previously looked at the words of Rabbeinu Yonah in Mishlei who taught us very clearly that Bitachon means the absolute belief full of clarity and conviction that Hashem will for sure send my salvation and what's important to point out here is that although throughout our lives we should always be trying to work on Bitachon, however when a difficult situation does present itself we should be mindful that this is now going to be a tremendous opportunity for ourselves to work on Bitachon because again although we should always be trying to step up in our Bitachon in any and all areas of our lives however when our circumstances are such that we are in need of a salvation and we really need Hashem to come through for us now, it almost makes it easier for us to now tap into the power of Bitachon and as we've discussed many times previously this is actually one of the reasons why Hashem would decide to send us challenges and suffering because again as we've discussed many times the only reason Hashem created the world in the first place is to give us pleasure and that being the case why does he send us any form of suffering at all?   But again once we internalize that Bitachon is the main focal point of our lives and because of Hashem's love and care for us he actually wants to give us an opportunity to grow in our Bitachon then when suffering or challenges arise if we have the right perspective the Bitachon perspective, we are able not only to work through the challenges in a healthier and more positive way but we are actually able to use the situation to our advantage to build our Bitachon which may ultimately be Hashem's intention in why he's sending us to suffering. Rabbeinu Yonah also mentioned a very important point that when we are to practice our Bitachon in Hashem we should not have any doubt whatsoever in that Bitachon.   We then went on to discuss a very important and fundamental verse in Tehillim which states that we are to throw our problems onto Hashem and he will take care of them and this is such an important verse to digest, to realize that Hashem's true intention is for us literally to take our problems and throw them onto him. When something is too heavy for me to carry Hashem desires that I give it over to him and again as we're going to discuss, this is one of the fundamentals of Bitachon - that I'm so sincere in my Bitachon that I literally feel like I'm not carrying it anymore myself but rather that Hashem is carrying it for me. B'ezrat Hashem in the next session we're going to move forward to the next Torah source in this section and with Hashem's help move together to more clarity in our Bitachon journey.

Guys, today just before we begin, visiting the next Torah source that we're going to be exploring B’ezrat Hashem, I would just like to share something about the introduction of each of these recordings. As you'll notice, the recordings begin with the words “Besiata Dishmaya”, with the help of Hashem. Thereafter, followed by the famous verse that we read before the davening of the Shmone Esrei, “Hashem Sfasai Siftach” - Hashem, please open my lips, “Ufi Yagid Tehilasecha” - And may my mouth tell your praises.   The truth is that the very first time that I gave a recording, there is a lot of information and to put it all together, one doesn't exactly know what to say and how to say it in the right way. And as I've done many times before giving a lecture, or in many other areas of my life, I ask Hashem to help me, to give me the right words, that it should truly be for His sake and that we should do it for the right reasons. And this is something that can be beneficial for every one of us. Each one of us in our own way, some of us might connect to saying the verse of Tehillim, which asks Hashem to help open up our mouths and help us to say the right things for the right reasons. Or perhaps just asking Hashem in our own words.   But either way, if we truly want success in our endeavors and we truly believe that Hashem is calling all the shots and running the show, it is certainly beneficial to ask Hashem to help us, even in the most basic of things such as trying to say something in the right way. Because when we do it from our own brains and from our own words and our own mouths, we are limited by our own human capacity and who knows if we're going to say the right information, do it for the right reasons, and the many other things that are relevant. Whereas when we put it in Hashem's boat and we say and try to truly internalize that it's really Hashem giving us anything that we have, then we are truly in the best hands ever. So with Hashem's help, today we're moving forward to the next Torah sources.   The Ramban has a sefer called Haemunah V’habitachon. And right at the beginning, in the first chapter, teaches us a fundamental principle about emunah and bitachon and the correlation between the two. The Ramban writes that emunah can be compared to a tree and Bitachon to the fruit of the tree. And says the Ramban, just like some trees do not bear any fruit, similarly one can have the tree, the emunah, but not necessarily have the fruit, the Bitachon. Although the first step in our emunah and Bitachon journey is certainly building our emunah, and certainly we have to place very much emphasis and importance on building our emunah properly because again, it is impossible to come to true Bitachon without having a good foundation in our emunah itself. And again, if you're interested to visit our archives on our emunah series, which was given for about two years, you're invited to visit our website at transformyourhaemunah.com.   But just moving forward for now in the Ramban that we're learning now, this famous idea that many of us might have heard, that emunah and Bitachon are two separate items. Emunah is the tree, and the more we work on building our emunah, the more we then have the opportunity to build our Bitachon. It's not just something technical that we're learning here in the Ramban, that emunah and Bitachon are two separate things, and emunah is step one and Bitachon is step two. But rather just to realize that although, as we're going to learn, B’ezrat Hashem, in many Torah sources, that Bitachon is the ultimate destination of the whole Torah and mitzvos and where we're supposed to aim to land up and get to, however, to get to Bitachon is only possible through a rock solid foundation in our emunah. So which one is more important, emunah or Bitachon? Ultimately the point is to get to Bitachon, but it is impossible to get to Bitachon without truly internalizing as best as we can everything that emunah teaches us. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together in our journey of both emunah and Bitachon and transform our lives.

In the previous session, we looked at the Ramban, who discusses the difference between Emunah and Bitachon, which again is not only a theoretical concept, but something very practical in how we're going to relate to our Emunah and Bitachon journeys. The Ramban teaches us that Emunah is always the starting point, and it is very possible for an individual to have Emunah, but not have Bitachon, because Emunah is like the tree, and sometimes one can have a tree that doesn't bear any fruit, and similarly one can have Emunah, without moving to the next step of Bitachon. Whereas as the Ramban teaches us, Bitachon is compared to the fruit, and it is impossible to have fruit without first having a tree, so it is so important for every single one of us to seek constant inspiration for more Emunah in every one of our lives.   What does it mean to have Emunah? A basic understanding and realization that there is absolute Hashgacha practice in this world without any exception whatsoever. As the Ramban teaches us in the well-known 13 principles of faith, that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in the world. Now I'd just like to make a little bit of a disclaimer. The bottom line take-home with regards to Hashgacha practice is that Hashem is absolutely personally involved in every single one of our lives, down to the last detail. And if one doesn't have any more questions, or hasn't been unfortunately poisoned by any other bad information, then that is all that one really needs to know with regards to Hashgacha practice, and that is one of the basics of Emunah before one moves to Bitachon.   But if anyone has been taught with regards to Hashgacha practice that it is not absolute, God forbid, that Hashem does not absolutely oversee even the most minute details of every single one of our lives without any exceptions, this is a whole technical topic in its own right, which we're not going to go into in this series, because again, the bottom line, Halacha and take-home, is very clear: Hashem is absolutely personally involved in every single one of our lives, down to the last detail. Hashem is pulling every string without any exception. But again, God forbid, if a person has the wrong perspective about Hashgacha practice, or perhaps a person has come across Torah sources or learnt in a shiur that it is not according to all opinions that there is absolute Hashgacha practice, you're welcome to reach out about this personally to discuss this further.   But again, what we're learning now in this passage from the Ramban is that the steps are as follows: Emunah is the starting point, which ultimately can give us the opportunity to lead to Bitachon, which is the destination, the entire purpose of all Torah and all the mitzvos. And summarizing Emunah into just a few words: The basics of Emunah teach us that Hashem is precisely orchestrating every single detail down to the last degree of every single one of our lives. And again, as we've discussed many times, when I believe that Hashem is truly watching over every single detail of my life and He's listening to me and can help me, it is the most basic equation that I will speak to Him in my own words and I'll be in constant communication with Him. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together in our journey of both Emunah and Bitachon and transform our lives.

Today we're moving forward, B’ezrat Hashem, in our bitachon journey. Just a very quick summary. We learned the Chovos HaLevavos who taught us that the basic litmus test of one's bitachon is menuchas hanefesh - tranquility of the soul. Ultimately, a person with true bitachon is going to have inner peace, tranquility and peace of mind regardless of what's going on around us. And again, as we've discussed many times, bitachon is not about getting to the destination. It is our life's work, and we're not going to get there in one day to be able to have complete tranquility and inner peace regardless of what's going on around us, but as long as we're making an effort to just take another step forward every day, that's all Hashem requires of us.   We also looked at Rabbeinu Yonah who taught us that bitachon means the confident belief that Hashem can save us from any and every situation and specifically in those times when we need a salvation from Hashem are the times that we have an opportunity to practice our bitachon. And in the words of Rabbeinu Yonah, he taught us another very important fact about bitachon which we're going to be exploring as we continue in the Torah sources. As he said, one has no doubt whatsoever that Hashem will send your salvation. You've got a challenging situation. I don't know how I'm going to get out of this predicament. I'm working now towards having absolute bitachon that Hashem will send my salvation without a shadow of a doubt.   We then looked at a very important verse in Tehillim which reads, “Throw your problem onto Hashem and He will provide for you”. So much of the time, many things in our lives, we try to carry but really it's too heavy for us to carry. I don't know how to find a solution for this problem. This very instructive verse, as well as countless others, teach us that Hashem wants us to place our trust in Him. He does not want us to try to carry the load ourselves.   We also looked at the Ramban who taught us that emunah and bitachon are two separate items but very interconnected where emunah is the tree and bitachon is the fruit of the tree and therefore the starting point always needs to be to build the emunah, to build the belief and internalize the realization that Hashem is orchestrating every single detail in every one of our lives down to the last degree and that should certainly lead me to talking to Him on a constant basis. And the more I internalize this emunah, the more I will have the opportunity to move forward in my journey of bitachon.   The next source we're going to be looking at is Rabbeinu Bechayei in his Sefer Kad Hakemach in the section titled, bitachon.   Rabbeinu Bechayei begins, “What does it mean to have bitachin in Hashem? That a person should know in his heart that everything is in the hands of Hashem, and Hashem has the ability to change nature and the ordinary way things are supposed to work according to the laws of nature and the way of the world. And there is nothing that can get in the way of Hashem when He wants to send our salvation, whether it be a huge salvation or even a minor salvation.”   We're just beginning to explore this piece in Rabbeinu Bechayei which B’ezrat Hashem will continue in the next session. But what we've learned so far today from Rabbeinu Bechayei is that on our bitachon journey, when we're working towards having bitachon, bitachon means to know without a shadow of a doubt that everything is exclusively in Hashem's hands and Hashem can change nature without any problem. And nothing whatsoever can get in the way of Hashem sending our salvation if He would like to do so. Even if it would be against all statistics, against all predictions and against the normal way things run. Hashem runs the world and there is no such thing as this is the norm and therefore this is what I should expect. When I'm in Hashem's hands, I'm completely above nature and I need to know that Hashem can send my salvation against all odds. B’ezrat Hashem in the next session, let's move forward in our journey together in bitachon.