We're now moving forward to the Sefer Charedim in the section Mitzvos Hateluyos Balev, section 21, where the Sefer Charedim writes that attaining the level of complete bitachon, of complete reliance on Hashem, is a biblical mitzvah based on the Pasuk in Devarim (18:13), where the Torah states “Tamim Tihyeh Im Hashem Elokecha”. And as the Meforishim explain, this Pasuk is referring to living with simple emunah according to the things that Hashem sends in our lives. We are not to look at other avenues such as trying to look into the future to work things out for ourselves, but rather to live with simple faith, accepting and trusting that what Hashem will do for us will certainly only be for our best, because Hashem loves us more than we even love ourselves.   We've mentioned previously a beautiful example where the verse states that the Jewish people are compared to a baby being held by its mother. And as the Meforishim explain, just like a baby never feels worried because he knows that his mother is going to take care of all his needs, and even when he's finished his current meal, he doesn't cry anymore. When the baby's fed, he stops crying. Why? Is he not concerned what's going to be in a few hours time when I'm hungry again? No, because he knows that his mother will always take care of him, and she will do anything to make sure that he's taken care of.   And when we are working on our Bitachon journey, we are to make an effort to aim to get to a place of such reliance on Hashem that is actually much greater than a baby relying on his mother. Because again, as great as the extent that a mother would go to even put her life on the line to make sure that her baby is okay and taken care of, however a mother is still a human being and limited, and sometimes as well-meaning and loving as she might be, her resources might be limited, which could be detrimental for the baby. Whereas Hashem is the all-powerful, the one who created the world, the one whose source of resources can never run out, and whose love for us knows no bounds, way more than a mother has for a child. And again, although there are countless pesukim in the Torah itself as well as throughout Tanach and throughout all of Torah literature that have similar messages to this verse. The Sefer Charedim is teaching us that this particular verse is the source of the command to have Bitachon. We are commanded to walk wholeheartedly with Hashem in everything that we do.   Before we continue B’ezrat Hashem to the next Torah source, which we'll do in the next session, let's just take a few moments, each one of us in our own way. I'm going to use my own words, and the point is just to inspire and give a little bit of direction to those who are looking for an idea of how to apply bitachon practically. But ultimately it's your own personal relationship with Hashem. Hashem desires that you talk to Him in your own way. So take this as an example, as inspiration, but B’ezrat Hashem, the real work and the real point is you in your own way, finding your own time to be with Hashem and take this bitachon journey, not just to be something theoretical, but rather something truly practical that can be with us and walk with us wherever we go in our lives.   “Hashem, my dear Father, thank You so much for teaching me these incredible sources about bitachon. But Abba, it's really, actually, really, really, really difficult in this world that we're living in to apply bitachon truthfully and sincerely. There's just so much distraction all around us. In the Western world philosophy, it seems absurd to live according to the values of bitachon. Everyone's just running around trying to make things happen. And in fact, You have actually given us a mitzvah of hishtadlus, which makes it even more complicated, because I'm also called on to run around and try and make things happen. But at the same time, much more important than any hishtadlus, than any of that, is to truly digest that it's not any of that that makes things happen. Abba, it's only You that calls all the shots, that runs every single detail in my life.   And Abba, if You are commanding me that the source and foundation of the whole Torah is to have bitachon in You, this is the point of the Torah, this is the point of the mitzvah, this is the point of my life, please, Hashem, help me to succeed in this journey, not just to know this information in my head as theoretical information, but rather, Abba, I'm asking You, please help me to truly digest bitachon, me in my own life. Help me to find things that speak to me, to inspire me to have more bitachon and more emunah in my life.” And in this way, B’ezrat Hashem, let me move forward in a deep, sincere way in my journey of bitachon. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together in this incredible journey and transform our bitachon.

Guys, let's continue this amazing Bitachon journey. We were discussing in the previous session how Rabbeinu Yonah teaches us that the source for Bitachon is actually explicit pesukim in the Torah itself, where the Torah commands us that we are not to fear. And Rabbeinu Yonah teaches us that these pesukim are actually commanding us not only not to fear in war, as the pesukim explicitly state, but also with regards to each and every one of us in our particular and specific details in our lives, that we are called on and commanded to have Bitachon in Hashem.   And we discussed that it comes out, according to Rabbeinu Yonah, that the opposite of fear is Bitachon, because again, the reason I fear is because I'm scared of something else or someone else, whereas when I'm choosing to rely on Hashem, in a sense there is nothing to fear anymore. But again, very important to mention, the Steipler that we also discussed in the previous session, where the Steipler states that automatic and natural fear is not something that we should feel bad about. We are human beings, we feel pain and we do feel fear. However we are called on to do whatever we can to move towards a place of living with absolute Bitachon and reliance on Hashem, rather than living in a place where we fear people and circumstances around us.   And how exactly do we get to that place? Well, this is exactly what we're trying to do here, building our Bitachon, working on our Bitachon, learning about Bitachon, and thereafter taking the concepts that we learn throughout our day and doing our best to apply them and meditate on them and live by the values of Bitachon. Again, as we've mentioned many times, Bitachon is our life's journey. It's one step, and a very important step, to learn the information and to do our best to have clarity about what Bitachon is all about. But then the real work starts, after that, to try to take the things that we learn and not only just know the information, but truly try to digest it in our hearts and live by the values of Bitachon through all our encounters in life. And the more we sincerely digest Bitachon, the more B’ezrat Hashem will be able to move to a place of less fear. And as Rabbeinu Yonah is pointing out to us, in this way we'll also be fulfilling the command of the Torah to not fear other people, to not fear other nations, but rather to trust in Hashem exclusively.   Just something practical that every single one of us can do right now, today, is talk to Hashem in our own words and ask Him, “Hashem, my Father, please, I don't want to fear other people, I don't want to fear other circumstances. Please, Hashem, I'm going through something now in my life that can potentially lead me to feelings of anxiety and fear. I don't want to feel those feelings. I know that I'm just feeling them because I'm a human being, but I'm trying my best, Hashem, to move towards a place of real reliance on You. And I know that when I rely on You, I'm in the safest hands in the world, and it's actually ridiculous to fear anything and anyone else, because You are looking after me, and You are only always going to do what's best for me, and You are certainly more powerful than anyone and anything else. So, Hashem, please help me to move forward in my journey of Bitachon and to really rely on You. I'm asking You, Hashem, I don't want to fear other things. I don't want to fear other circumstances.”   So although today most of us will not be able to be in a place of absolute, sincere reliance on Hashem to the point that we don't fear anyone or anything, however, each one of us certainly does have the opportunity and choice to ask Hashem and tell Hashem, “Hashem, this is my desire”. What's actually going to happen - it's a big world; life is complicated. To get to a place where I really don't fear, with my whole makeup, with all my background and everything else that makes up my life, this is not a simple feat. But “Hashem, I'm telling You, this is my desire” - this I do have bechira about. I certainly have free choice to tell Hashem, “Hashem, I desire to choose not to fear anyone and anything else, but rather to have Bitachon in You. Please Hashem, continue to help me in this amazing journey of Bitachon and that not only do I learn the information, but b’ezrat Hashem, I'm able to take the information that I'm trying to learn and truly inculcate it and truly apply it in my life in a sincere and deep way, that I can truly trust You, Abba, and reach a place like the Chovos Halevavos teaches us, that true Bitachon ultimately leads to menuchas Hanefesh, to tranquility, peace and calm. B’ezrat Hashem, in the next session, we're going to move forward exploring the next Torah sources in this section about Bitachon and b’ezrat Hashem, transform our Bitachon.

Guys, let's continue this amazing journey in Emunah and Bitachon. So we're up to part two of the series, Transform Your Bitachon, where we are yet to discuss the ins and outs and nitty-gritty about Bitachon and the many details, but first we need to discuss an introduction to where Bitachon comes from. And in the previous sessions we began discussing what exactly is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon.   It's also important to highlight that as best as we're going to do, Bitachon is a journey in its own right, and maybe one day we can do it on this platform, otherwise I encourage each one of you to further this Bitachon journey of your own, and you can look either online or alternatively there are also English books available, which go through and explore Pesukei Bitachon - the many, many, many Pesukim that we have throughout Tanach, and really if we're paying attention, what we're saying throughout all of our davening, through the benching, through the brachos, we're really stating the Torah's perspective on how Hashem wants us to act - to really rely on Him. Bitachon is literally all over the place, but for our purposes right now, we discuss three Pesukim, which kind of summarize the many Pesukim which discuss Bitachon, and really in these Pesukim, Hashem tells us that we are called on to trust in Hashem forever, we are called on to trust in Hashem through any and all circumstances, and we are also called on to trust in Hashem with all our hearts, with absolute confidence that He will come through for us. Hashem is the only truly reliable thing in the world.   We thereafter discussed a piece from Rabbeinu Yonah in Shaarei Teshuva, where Rabbeinu Yonah spells out for us where exactly the source for Bitachon in the Torah itself comes from, and we learned that there are numerous verses in the Torah that outline to us that when we are to go to war, even if it seems like our enemies are much stronger than us, and according to the laws of nature, we are completely against all odds, we are supposed to reach such a level of Bitachon - of reliance in Hashem, that we are not even to fear. And we discussed again that in many ways, Bitachon is the opposite of fear, because as the Chovos Halevavos taught us right at the beginning of the Shaar Habitachon, when one has Bitachon, this leads to menuchas ha-nefesh - to the tranquility of the soul, and the reason for this is because if I'm relying on myself or someone else, I know many things could potentially go wrong, even with talented and very well-meaning people; whereas with Hashem, who is the Creator of the world, and runs and oversees every single detail, I am in the safest hands possible.   Now sometimes people ask, but there are many things in life that I actually automatically and naturally do fear, and although I am working on this Bitachon journey and I don't want to fear those things, however am I wrong or bad for fearing certain situations when they do arise? And the Holy Steipler in His Sefer, Birkas Peretz, in Parashat Shoftim, addresses this question. He explains that of course we are not accountable for fear that we automatically and naturally experience, however we are accountable to do our absolute utmost to work towards a place that we are completely reliant on Hashem, and that fear of ours slowly dissipates.   As we've discussed many times, Bitachon is not about the end result; it's about the journey. It's not about getting there to a place that suddenly we don't fear anything, but rather it's about doing our utmost to work towards moving closer and closer to a place that we are completely reliant on Hashem. Because the more we rely on Hashem, the more we'll feel completely comfortable and confident that He is looking after us. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward in this amazing Bitachon journey and transform our Bitachon.

We continue our journey of Bitachon and we're discussing now part two of the sections that we're going to be discussing. And the question here is what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? In the previous session we discussed three Pesukim which highlight the importance of Bitachon, where the verse in Yeshayahu states, “trust in Hashem forever”, and the verse in Tehillim states, “trust in Hashem under all circumstances”, and the verse in Mishlei also states and commands, “trust in Hashem with all your heart.”   And as mentioned the pesukim are literally all over Tanach. And these are just three that we're pointing out to highlight the principle. And as we'll see, this is because Bitachon is ultimately the foundation of all Torah and mitzvos. Hashem wants us to build a personal relationship with Him. And not only that, Hashem wants us to realize that on our own we are limited by our human capacity and things are going to be too heavy for us to carry. And like we learned in the previous verse in Tehillim, Hashem desires that we are to throw our needs and wants onto His back so that He can carry our needs for us.   We now move to the next Torah source. We're going to be looking at Rabbeinu Yona in his Sefer Shaarei Teshuva (3:32). Rabbeinu Yona brings the verses (Devarim 7: 17-18) where the verses state, “Perhaps you will say in your heart, these nations are much more numerous than me, how will I overcome them? “These nations that I'm supposed to be going to war against are much greater than me. How in heavens am I going to be able to overcome them?” Says the Torah itself, “do not fear them.”   So again, we are learning here an explicit verse in the Torah. You're going to go to war and the people you are fighting against are going to be much more than you. The odds are against you. And you're going to say a logical, natural question, how am I going to succeed? The Torah says, you are not to fear. Why are you not to fear? Because again, I don't trust on nature or my own abilities, I trust in Hashem. And Hashem is stronger than anyone and everything in the world.   And if I am trusting in Him, I will certainly not fear those people I am going to war against even if the odds are completely against me. And the Torah continues (Devarim 20:1), “when you will go to war against your enemies and you will see an army way greater than you, do not fear them.” Again, illustrating the same principle in another verse in the Chumash itself.   Rabbi Yonah comments on these verses, we have been warned by Hashem in these verses in the Chumash, that if a person sees that difficult times seem to be coming about, we must assume that Hashem will send His salvation and we must rely on Him for that. Rabbi Yonah is teaching us that the source of bitachon is a mitzvah deoraysa - verses in the Torah itself which teach that when we go to war, even if all odds seem to be against us, we are not to fear because we are to remember that Hashem exclusively is running the show and there is absolutely nothing to fear. And Rabbi Yonah learns from these verses that this concept is applicable not only to war but to all areas of our lives that we are not to fear when any adversity might seem to arise in our lives because we are to remember that Hashem is way beyond all natural and human limitations. And Rabbi Yonah is learning from these verses that this is the source for bitachon.   Just as an aside, we've discussed previously how the antithesis of bitachon is removing fear from our hearts and it's worthwhile to highlight how the actual source of bitachon according to Rabbi Yonah is from verses in the Torah which command us not to fear. Just to highlight and realize how important it is to work on minimizing fear in our lives. Again, as we've discussed previously, natural emotional fear which comes automatically and there's nothing we can do about, we don't need to feel guilty about because we're human beings but doing our best to build our bitachon and slowly but surely removing that fear from our heart. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together in our bitachon journey and transform our bitachon.

We are excited to move forward on our Bitachon journey now to part two of the sections we're going to be exploring. In part one we discussed Torah sources that give us an introduction to many of the fundamentals about Bitachon. We now move to part two, where the question that we're going to be discussing is, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon?   So we're going to quote three pesukim now that give us an idea of what exactly Hashem wants for us. Does Hashem desire that we rely on Him? Is it something that He really wants? Or is it just an opportunity that if we need something we can choose to tap into this most powerful weapon of Bitachon? So if we look in Tanach (Yeshayahu 26:4) the verse commands, “trust in Hashem forever”. If we then look at Tehillim (62:9) the verse states, “trust in Hashem under all circumstances.” And we then look at Mishlei (3:5) where the verse states, “trust in Hashem with all your heart.”   These are but three of many, many verses throughout the whole of Tanach where we are shown loud and clear that it is Hashem's desire that we are to rely on Him. It is not just an opportunity that we can tap into, but rather Hashem is teaching us, “I want you to rely on Me.” Now as mentioned many times, Bitachon is literally all over Torah literature, right from the beginning of the Chumash itself throughout Tanach, throughout all the Gemara and Midrashim, all the way down to contemporary Torah literature.   And if you make an effort to consciously pay attention, throughout your davening, benching, brachos, literally everywhere, you will see many, many verses that highlight Hashem's desire for us to place our trust in Him. Now before we move further in discussing these Torah sources about what exactly is the source, I'm trying to highlight that regardless of what type of mitzvah this is, it is very clear throughout all of Tanach that it is Hashem's desire for us to place our trust in Him. We've just quoted three of many verses which are very clearly portraying to us that Hashem is stating, as we read in Yeshayahu, “trust in Me forever”, and David HaMelech teaches us in Tehillim that Hashem is telling us, “trust in Me under all circumstances”, and in Mishlei we learn, “trust in Hashem with all your heart.” And again, these are just three of but many, many, many Torah sources which illustrate this idea.   As we continue to explore these sources, it helps just to motivate us to move forward in our Bitachon journey, as we'll see and explore how this mitzvah is so, so important and the fundamental cornerstone of all of Torah and mitzvos. But even before exploring those Torah passages, if you're interested in trying to find some more immediate inspiration, you're invited to research Psukei Bitachon, where you'll very easily online find a collection of pesukim about Bitachon, and again you will see just how many pesukim there are that exist about Bitachon, that are literally all over Tanach. What we're trying to highlight here is that many mitzvos in the Torah have a source to their obligation, but sometimes by reading the Torah and Tanach itself, even more than the obligation to a mitzvah, you get a feel for what is Hashem really interested in.   And for certain reasons, which B’ezrat Hashem will discuss at a later stage, Hashem does not always give an outright explicit command for certain mitzvos, even if they might be the most important of the mitzvos. However, when you're paying attention and noticing that in so many verses, throughout all of our daily prayers and Tanach and everything that we have and do, Hashem is telling us again and again, “please rely on Me under all circumstances, come to me”, we get an indication of how Hashem wants us to live our Yiddishkeit. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward now and explore some of the Torah sources about exactly what the source is for the mitzvah of Bitachon and gain more clarity in our journey about Bitachon.

Today we're wrapping up the Torah sources we've been exploring from part 1, and B’ezrat Hashem in the next session we move forward to part 2. Let's summarize what we've discussed from this section. We first explored the Chovos Halevavos, right at the beginning of the Shaar habitachon, in Perek Aleph, where he writes that the essence of Bitachon is menuchas ha-nefesh - tranquility of the soul. Bitachon ultimately leads to inner peace, tranquility and calm.   Ultimately, whatever is happening in our personal life or in the world at large, should not make us budge from that place of inner peace, because I know I'm 100% in Hashem's hands and He's always doing what's best for me. And although to get to the highest level of being calm under all circumstances might be the final destination of our Bitachon journey, but our job is not to get there, our job is to just take steps forward, and let's say a certain situation in my life that I might have previously experienced would have provoked a higher level of anxiety than it does now because I'm on my Bitachon journey, that's all that Hashem requires of me, just to make our maximum effort to take steps forward in our Bitachon.   We learned then a passage from Rabbeinu Yonah in Mishlei (3:6), where he taught us that Bitachon is the clear and confident belief that Hashem will send our salvation from challenging circumstances. And as Rabbeinu Yonah said, relying on Hashem to such a degree, that I have absolutely no doubt that Hashem will come through for me - Hashem will send my salvation, again highlighting the fact that Rabbeinu Yonah is expressing what is Bitachon, it's not just acceptance of what Hashem sends - it's all for the best, but rather Bitachon means that I have no doubt that Hashem will send my salvation in the way that I need.   We then explored a verse from Tehillim (55:23), which states that we are to throw our needs, wants and problems onto Hashem and let Him carry them for us, because for us to carry them ourselves it's going to be too heavy. And Hashem is inviting us to throw our problems onto Him. He is much stronger than us, He can carry anything and everything. And He's saying, “my child, it's going to be too heavy for you, let me help you out, please give me your problem and let me carry it for you.”   We then explored the Ramban who taught us the difference between Emunah and Bitachon, where Emunah is always the starting point, and it's impossible to have Bitachon without Emunah, because Emunah is like the tree and Bitachon is like the fruit of the tree. And the practical take-home of Emunah is internalizing that Hashem exclusively orchestrates every single detail in every single one of our lives, down to the finest degree.   And we then discussed a fundamental piece from Rabbeinu Bechayei in the Sefer Kad Hakemach in the section Bitachon, where Rabbeinu Bechaya discusses many of the fundamentals of Bitachon: That we are to know that Hashem is completely beyond all forms of nature, and when adversity strikes, we are to place our hope, trust, and reliance in Hashem that He will send our salvation and no natural statistic or prediction can get in the way. Hashem is way beyond all of that, and we are to have absolutely no doubt in our conviction that Hashem will come through for us in the way that we need.   We are to remember that it is Hashem exclusively who we rely on, and not to rely on any other individual or circumstance whatsoever. Because when we do rely on other individuals or circumstances, and more specifically as Rabbeinu Bechayei taught us, when we fear other individuals or circumstances, we are A) committing a grave sin because this is the antithesis of Bitachon, and B) we actually become under their auspices and attract that item that we are fearing to come about God forbid.   And even someone who is poor, to the extent that they lack the basic necessities such as food and clothing, is called on to rely on Hashem, that Hashem will provide for them exactly what they need. Not to just say, Gam Zu Letovah - this is all for the best and I accept it with love. That's also an approach, and we'll discuss that at a later stage, how to apply that to our situation. But we are learning here that what Bitachon means is to rely on Hashem that He will for sure come through for me in exactly the way that I need. B'ezrat Hashem in the next session we'll move forward to part 2 of our Bitachon journey. And B’ezrat Hashem with Hashem's help, take another step forward in our journey of Bitachon.

We've been discussing how fearing another individual or another situation is actually the antithesis of Bitachon. When we choose to rely on Hashem, that ultimately leads us to inner peace and serenity, which would mean that we don't fear anyone else nor any other situation because I know that I'm exclusively in Hashem's hands. Whereas as the Chovos Halevavos points out, our human nature is always to rely on someone or something.   So if we're not relying on Hashem, we're relying on someone else. If I wake up in the morning not feeling well, my natural human instinct is to rely on something. Either I'm going to rely on the doctor which I'm going to visit, or on the medication I'm going to take, or I'm going to rely on Hashem. I'm always relying on something. And as we learned previously, the Chovos Halevavos writes that whatever we choose to rely on, we become under their control and their auspices. Which means when I visit a doctor and I choose to rely on the doctor, that he's actually helping me out, Hashem made it as part of how things work in the spiritual realms that I actually become under the control of that doctor.   And the same would apply with any other situation of my life. And therefore it is vital to take this information that we're learning, not only to have it as a theoretical concept, but rather as we go about our days to try our best to contemplate on this information, to live by the values of Bitachon, sincerely to know and internalize that I'm not bound by anyone or any situation; I am exclusively reliant on Hashem. And by doing so, we are saved from the very grave sin of fear, which again is the opposite of what Bitachon truly is.   Bitachon is as the Chovos Halevavos taught us, the serenity of the soul, inner peace and tranquility, exactly the antithesis of fear. And as we learned, even more than the actual sin than not having Bitachon, but rather having fear leads to, when one does rely on another individual, I become under their control. Which was one of the highest forms of tragedy that can happen to an individual in this world. God forbid if I choose to rely on someone else, I actually become under their control, as opposed to having Bitachon in Hashem and being exclusively in Hashem's boat where things are going to turn out much better for me because Hashem only wants the best for me and is completely beyond any limitation. And not only that, when I choose to rely on Hashem, I am fulfilling the greatest mitzvah, which is ultimately the foundation of all Torah and mitzvos, whereas when I choose to rely on someone else or another situation, I am committing a grave sin, just to digest a little bit how important it is to work on our Bitachon on a day to day basis.   Rabbeinu Bechayei then goes to say that Bitachon is that a person is to rely on Hashem under all circumstances, whether one is a wealthy individual or one is a poor individual. Because if a person is suffering poverty and does not have food or clothing, this poor individual should trust that Hashem will take care of him, and Hashem will give him his food, and Hashem will give him his clothes, and he will not lack anything. Again, Rabbeinu Bechayei is teaching us here loud and clear, the approach for someone who is lacking food, who is lacking clothing, is not to say, okay, I guess it's all for the best; Hashem has a plan, and I accept it with love.   There may be another aspect to get into that mode of thought, which we'll address as we come to those sections. But we are learning clearly here in Rabbeinu Bechayei that a poor individual, he is lacking finances for sufficient clothing and food - he should nevertheless trust in Hashem, and as Rabbeinu Bechaya said previously, without a shadow of a doubt, that He will for sure provide for me. He will take care of me. He will give me the food that I need. He will give me the clothing that I need. He will take care of my needs. He will come through for me in the way that I need. He will send my salvation.   Bitachon is about relying on Hashem to the point that I truly internalize and understand that Hashem will take care of me in the beautiful, sweet way that I imagined for it to be. Not just in acceptance of everything is for the best and whatever happens is good, but rather I am short of food and clothing, I am trusting Hashem will take care of me and give me the food and clothing that I need. B'ezrat Hashem, let's explore this further together as we move forward in our journey about Bitachon.

Let's continue to explore this beautiful passage in Rabbeinu Bechayei with regards to many of the fundamentals of bitachon. In the previous session we discussed how Rabbeinu Bechayei teaches that the verse in Mishlei which states that a person who fears another individual or another circumstance is actually committing a sin. We are learning here that to fear someone else or to fear something else is considered a sin. Again, it's not just a nice added benefit to our lives but rather to realize that when we fear something else we are committing a sin.   Now when learning this concept people ask, but how can that be? Fear and anxiety much of the time are an emotion which would seem to be against my control. How can Hashem hold me accountable for fearing something or for feeling feelings of anxiety and worry when that's just my natural response to the situation? And as the Steipler writes in his Sefer Birkas Peretz (Parshas Shoftim), Hashem will not hold us accountable for fear that automatically comes to us because of our emotional state; rather we are called on to make an effort to minimize fear in whatever way we can. If by exposing myself to a specific activity or situation that is going to bring on more anxiety, worry and fear, that would be something that we should do our best to stay away from. And if God forbid we intentionally bring that fear on ourselves, that is classified as an outright sin.   And again, if we are doing our best to take steps forward in our bitachon journey, that's all that Hashem requires of us and we are certainly a success story. And if fear still finds its way into our lives, that's okay, because we are human beings. But we are called on to do our best to get rid of those things that are anxiety triggering and can bring more fear into our lives.   The other point that Rabbeinu Bechayei taught us was that when a person fears another situation or another individual, God forbid it becomes like a magnet which actually attracts that fear to materializing into reality. Of course to understand the ins and outs of how this works spiritually and why Hashem made this setup is beyond our capacity of understanding, but we don't need to understand the ins and outs of how it works. For our purposes as human beings in this world, we just need to have the conclusion loud and clear: When we fear someone else, God forbid, that item that we're fearing from coming about becomes much more attracted to us and possible to materialize.   But this discussion is not just limited to fearing someone else. As the Chovos HaLevavos and many others point out, that when one trusts in another individual or another situation, one actually becomes under the control and auspices of that situation and that individual. And this can explain how much of the time it could apparently appear how I am in the hands of my boss or the doctor and the like. Because when I am placing my trust and reliance in this boss of mine that he ultimately provides my salary, actually what happens is I become under his control. And God forbid one can fall into a very bad cycle because the more bitachon I have, the more I realize I am not in the hands of that boss and the more it will become clear to me that I am exclusively dependent on Hashem. But God forbid if a person goes down the other road and relies on other individuals and situations such as the doctor or my boss, then the more I choose to rely on my boss, the more I actually become under his control. And then it actually does appear more and more in my life that I do need him to provide for me because the truth is, if I am relying on him, I now do need him, as the Chovos HaLevavos points out to us.   It's so vital and important to make our maximum effort to do everything we can to internalize what we're learning. Not just to know the information that we're supposed to rely on Hashem and not rely on anything else and no one else, but rather to internalize it. It's not the doctor, it's not the boss, it's no one else. It's Hashem exclusively who takes care of me and Hashem exclusively who I am called on to rely on. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together in discussing and exploring these Torah sources and transforming our bitachon.

Let's move forward together on our bitachon journey. So we've been exploring this beautiful Torah piece from Rabbeinu Bechayei, which many of the concepts of bitachon are brought to light. We discussed so far that Rabbeinu Bechayei taught us that bitachon means to rely on Hashem to such an extent, to make our maximum effort to internalize, that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail of our lives, and there is no statistic or natural limitation beyond Hashem's salvation.   We are called on to rely on Hashem that He will send our salvation from challenging circumstances. And we are to work to getting to a point of such reliance on Hashem that I have absolutely no doubt that He will save me from this situation. And as we discussed, we are to build our reliance on Hashem to such an extent that we rely on Hashem exclusively, realizing that we are not dependent whatsoever on anyone or anything else, but rather exclusively from Hashem, and although we have a mitzvah to explore which we'll get to, of Hishtadlus, where we are called on to make our own efforts, however it is very clear that we are not to rely on our own efforts whatsoever.   And how this will translate practically is if I don't have a practical effort to make, do I suddenly feel anxious that I cannot do anything about it, or do I rather feel relieved that I don't need to do anything about it, but rather can leave it completely up to Hashem? There are many situations that are clearly beyond any form of our control. For example, if there is a war going on and there is absolutely nothing that I can do about it and I have absolutely no idea how this is all going to turn out, do I feel serenity and calm because I know Hashem is in control? Or am I anxious and panicking because I don't know how this is all going to turn out? And there are many other situations that can apply in all of our personal lives.   We now move to the next segment of this beautiful introductory piece about bitachon from Rabbeinu Bechayei. He writes, Bitachon means to not trust and rely on any other individual whatsoever. Notice the emphasis of Rabbeinu Bechaye: that a person should not rely on another individual whatsoever. We ought to know that it is not the doctor who provides my healing. It is not the Shadchan who finds my soulmate. It is not the boss who provides my salary. And it is not my own brain who finds my solutions. It is exclusively Hashem that I rely on to take care of all my needs.   Rabbeinu Bechayei continues: And this is the meaning of the verse in Mishlei which states “The fear of an individual is specifically what leads to their downfall” - and as Rabbeinu Bechayei explains, this means to say, when I fear another individual, that itself is the cause of what will be my stumbling block. Rabbeinu Bechayei is teaching us a fundamental principle about bitachon. In a sense, the opposite of bitachon is fear. Because as we learned right at the beginning from the Chovos HaLevavos, Bitachon leads to serenity and the opposite of that is fear, worry, and anxiety.   Bitachon is to not rely on any individual whatsoever. And when I work towards relying on Hashem exclusively, without placing any reliance whatsoever on another individual, that will lead me to feel no feelings of fear. And as Rabbeinu Bechayei pointed out, when I do feel feelings of fear, not only is that classified as an outright sin, but in fact, spiritually speaking, it gives more of a power to that item or that individual that I am fearing. The less we fear other people and other circumstances, the less we'll be under their control. Let's continue to explore this together, B'ezrat Hashem, and transform our bitachon.

We continue exploring this beautiful passage in Rabbeinu Bechayei. As mentioned, Bitachon is all over the Torah, but this piece is a nice summary to many of the concepts of Bitachon. What we've looked at so far in this piece in Rabbeinu Bechayei is that Bitachon is to know that Hashem is absolutely in control of every single detail of our lives, to the point that He's completely beyond any and all forms of natural limitations. Nothing can stop Hashem from sending our salvation when He desires to. And Rabbeinu Bechayei teaches us that specifically when adversity strikes, that is the time to practice Bitachon and rely on Hashem and say, “Hashem, I know You're going to come through for me.” To the point that Rabbeinu Bechayei taught us, we are supposed to have no doubt whatsoever that Hashem will for sure send our salvation to the adversity we're experiencing.   We left off in the previous session that Bitachon is to rely on Hashem exclusively - to know that it is nothing else whatsoever that provides for us. No individual, no job, no doctor, nothing whatsoever except for Hashem is what we're supposed to place our reliance on. Yes, I may have a mitzvah of Hishtadlus - to go to the doctor when one might be sick, to make an effort for paranasa, and the many other things that encompass our lives, but I am not to rely on any of those ventures, even 1%. I am not to believe that Hashem is 99% in control, and those ventures help me just that 1%. No, as Rabbeinu Bechayei taught us - to rely on Hashem alone, exclusively, that He exclusively runs the show.   Rabbeinu Bechayei then writes that we are to remember Hashem in all the minute details of the activities we are involved in, and to contemplate and internalize that the activity we are involved in is not in our hands but rather exclusively in Hashem's hands. When we learn Torah commentaries such as this passage in Rabbeinu Bechayei, we are gaining the true perspective of how the world runs. Unfortunately, in the Western world, many of the ideas that are portrayed of how the world is run or supposed to run are completely against Torah values. You are your own boss. You can do it if you really want. You can be what you want to be. There are many good messages in those statements, but if the fundamental ingredient is missing, that ultimately you cannot rely on your own abilities nor anyone else's abilities. The only thing that is reliable is Hashem Himself. If one does not have that foundation, one is missing the point of life.   The whole point ultimately of the whole Torah and all the mitzvos is for the sake of Bitachon, and if I'm missing this most fundamental ingredient of Judaism, I'm ultimately missing the whole point of Torah, mitzvos and Judaism itself. And it's not easy to take this information truly to heart. It's one thing to learn the information that yes, Hashem runs things exclusively, but how do I respond now when I go to the doctor and he tells me, I'm sorry, but there is no cure for your situation. Ideally, we should be aiming that if such a thing would God forbid happen, we would feel calm to the exact same extent as before we walked into the doctor's office and heard that information, because again, we are not reliant, not on the doctor, not on any of the statistics of the world, but rather exclusively on Hashem Himself. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together on this journey of trying to not only know the information, but truly digest and internalize the truth that I am reliant exclusively on Hashem. Let's move forward now on this journey together and transform our Bitachon.

Let's continue our bitachon journey. We mentioned previously how Rabbeinu Bechayei states that bitachon is to know that Hashem is beyond all of nature, and there is nothing stopping Hashem from sending our salvation. And really what bitachon means is to know that when adversity strikes, Hashem's salvation is around the corner, to the point that we are supposed to have absolute conviction without any shadow of a doubt, that Hashem will send my salvation. And again, going right back to the beginning, to the chovos halevavos, which we learned, that bitachon ultimately leads to inner peace and tranquility. The more one internalizes that not only can Hashem send my salvation, but Hashem will send my salvation, the more that will lead me to feeling calm and inner peace.   B’ezrat Hashem, as we proceed in our bitachon journey, although we may learn that at the absolute highest levels of bitachon, I may not even need to have a desire of my own to reach that true tranquility and inner peace, because I know Hashem is so taking care of every single detail in my life that I actually don't in a sense care what the outcome will be. However, for most of us, we do have very real desires and needs. And when those desires and needs are not met, usually that leads to anxiety and worry. Again, for most of us, if we're short of money and have no idea where we're going to get food on the table from, that usually will lead to feelings of anxiety and worry. And as Rabbeinu Bechayei is teaching us, our bitachon needs to be with conviction that when adversity strikes and challenge presents itself, I know without a shadow of a doubt that Hashem will for sure send my salvation.   We now continue in this passage from Rabbeinu Bechayeh. “And bitachon means to rely on Hashem exclusively.” The concepts of emunah and bitachon are very, very subtle. They are literally a billion levels. I might rely on Hashem that He will take care of my situation, but I'm actually also relying on my own efforts and my own activities, or perhaps the security I might have from someone else. Do I feel confident that I'm going to have food on the table because I've got a stable job with a secure salary that comes in on a monthly basis? Or do I feel that I'm going to have food on the table because I'm relying on Hashem exclusively? Again, as we'll learn with regards to the topic of Hishtadlus, I still go to my job on a daily basis and fulfill the mitzvah of Hishtadlus, but what is my perspective? Do I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is not my job providing for me even 1% - it is Hashem 100% exclusively providing for me? Or do I think, of course Hashem is running the show, but you know, my job helps Hashem fulfill that plan?   Rabbeinu Bechayei is teaching us that bitachon is to rely on Hashem exclusively - to know that Hashem alone without the need of anyone else or anything else including even my own efforts, Hashem exclusively is running the show. And again, as mentioned, these concepts are actually very subtle. You could have two people going through the exact same actions and motions where one could be an absolute success story in Emunah and Bitachon and the other God forbid not. And they both seem to be pretty similar in the way they are acting. They both go to work, they both fulfill the mitzvos where the one truly believes that Hashem exclusively is providing for them and the other doesn't feel so comfortable with Hashem as his own security, but rather places more trust and reliance on the job.   We're not going to get there in a day. Bitachon is a journey; it's our life's journey; it's the point of our life. And even if at the moment we find ourselves placing quite a heavy reliance on our job or other people and the like, although that is certainly not the ideal and it's certainly not the perspective of Bitachon, but we're not expected to be experts in Bitachon in one day. As long as we're taking this information and doing our best to apply it just a little bit more into our lives on a daily basis, we are absolute success stories in our Emunah and Bitachon journeys. B’ezrat Hashem, let's move forward in our journey together and transform our Bitachon.

We've been looking at this Torah passage from Rabbeinu Bechayei, which is a nice summary, an introduction to what Bitachon is all about. Again, as mentioned, Bitachon is all over the Torah in countless Torah sources and encompasses many concepts. But I'd like to focus on this passage from Rabbeinu Bechayei, which goes through many of the different aspects of what Bitachon leads to, and the ins and outs of what Bitachon is really all about.   So we discussed previously that Rabbeinu Bechayei mentions that Bitachon is about knowing that Hashem is beyond all nature, and there is absolutely nothing stopping Hashem from sending our salvation. Not only that, but when a distressing and challenging situation does arrive, we are to know that Hashem's salvation is imminent. Because again, it is no such thing as nature, Hashem is beyond nature.   And although usually we expect to live under the limitations of nature, we need to know that Hashem is behind all of that, and in truth, I am certainly not limited by nature, but rather I am exclusively dependent on Hashem Himself. Rabbeinu Bechayei then goes on to say, “And what does it mean to have Bitachon? That you should have no doubt whatsoever in your reliance on Hashem.”   What Rabbeinu Bechaye is alluding to here is a very important fundamental of Bitachon. When Hashem says, in the verse in Tehillim, “hashlech al hashem yehavecha vehu yechalkelecha” - Does that mean to say, tell me your problems, and then accept and realize that whatever happens is for the best? Or does it mean to say, throw your problem onto me, and realize I will take care of you and send your salvation - salvation in the language that you understand is a salvation.   So let's give an example. I might be struggling financially. Of course, this can apply on both a large scale as well as on a small scale. If a person has just lost their job and has no alternative, and now their whole future is at stake, that is a major salvation that one needs to reach out to Hashem for and say, “Hashem, I have no idea what I'm going to do. I had this job which seemed to be stable, which out of the blue now disappeared, and I have no backup plan. Where am I going to go? This is not just about tomorrow. This is about my whole future. But Hashem, I know that you are completely beyond any form of natural limitations, and in one second, you can send my salvation. And Hashem, as I'm learning here in Bitachon, I am relying on you to send my salvation with such conviction that I have no doubt that you are going to sort this out for me. This problem is actually a little bit too heavy for me to carry. It's causing me a lot of anxiety and panic, and I actually don't know what to do. I'm throwing this problem into your court. I will, of course, do my part of Hishtadlus, whatever that entails, as we'll discuss further b'ezrat Hashem. But as a whole, Hashem, I am giving the problem over to you. I cannot take care of this problem. It is too big for me, too heavy for me to carry. Please, Hashem, you send my salvation.”   And the more one speaks this way and tries to internalize what one is saying, the more one will feel, as the Chovos Halevavos taught us right at the beginning, “menuchas ha-nefesh” - tranquility of the soul. I might have no idea what my future has in store for me. But that's okay, because it's not in my hands, it's in Hashem's hands, and I'm giving the problem over to Him to such a degree that I am able to feel a complete sense of tranquility and inner peace.   And similarly, let's say my problem is not to that large of an extent, but still certainly a challenge for me. Let's say on a general basis I have quite a stable parnassah, but with gratitude to Hashem, I am making a simcha in my family now, which requires a large expense, and that is causing me quite a bit of stress and anxiety. Or perhaps, let's say this month, financially, I might need something over and above the norm, something even very minor, an extra $50, which usually I wouldn't need to provide for. And although that might not seem like such a problem to bother Hashem with, God forbid we should never think that way. Hashem desires that we should lean on Him and rely on Him through any and every situation. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward together in our Bitachon journey and transform our Bitachon.

In the previous session, we began looking at the words of Rabbeinu Bechayei. Now again, as we've mentioned many times, the Torah is replete with countless passages about Bitachon. I specifically chose this piece of Rabbeinu Bechayei to go through in our introduction to Bitachon because many of the fundamentals about Bitachon are summarized in these few lines that we're going to explore. So let's continue seeing what Rabbeinu Bechayei writes about Bitachon.   In the previous session, we discussed from this passage that Bitachon means to know without a shadow of a doubt that Hashem can even change nature to send our salvation. And there is absolutely nothing in the world that can stop Hashem from sending our salvation if He should so desire. Whether it might be against all odds, against any and every statistic and prediction; and in the words of Rabbeinu Bechayei, whether it's a big salvation or a small minor salvation.   I would like to just focus on these words for a moment to realize thnat Bitachon can have many elements. We might be in need of a major salvation that literally needs Hashem to change nature. And again, even under those circumstances, we certainly should reach out to Hashem and realize that there's nothing that can stop Him from sending our salvation even if it's against all odds, whilst at the same time, what might be much more relevant to most of us is on a constant basis needing the small salvations from Hashem, not necessarily the major illness which doesn't have a cure or the huge problem that I see absolutely no way out of under the laws of nature, but just the day-to-day life struggles that I need Hashem to come through for me.   Hashem desires that as we learned previously, “Hashlech al Hashem y'havacha, v'hu yechalkelecha” - ee are to throw our problems onto Him; we are to lean on Him and rely on Him that He can take care of our problems, both with regards to the big problems as well as with regards to the small problems. Rabbeinu Bechaye then goes on to say, “that even when a challenging and distressing situation is presenting itself in our lives, we are called on to trust that Hashem's salvation is imminent.”   Again, notice the words of Rabbeinu Bechayei - he's not telling us, just accept that sometimes there are challenging situations in your life, and as long as you know it's from Hashem, you're okay. No, he's not telling us that. He's saying that when a challenging situation arises, know that Hashem's salvation is imminent. “Because He is able to do absolutely anything and there is absolutely nothing beyond Hashem's ability.”   Let us remind ourselves as we proceed through the day-to-day activities in our lives, something as trivial as driving into a center not knowing if I'm going to get a parking spot and relying on Hashem, again expressing to Him in my own words, “Hashem, please help me to find a parking spot.” And not only stopping there, making that prayer, but trying to digest that Hashem will help me find a parking spot and therefore I can feel calm. I'm not going to be late for my appointment. I have Bitachon that Hashem is going to help me.   Even though that doesn't seem like a real salvation that I'm in need of because it might be something very small in my life. But nevertheless, as we're learning here, we are called on to trust in Hashem and rely on Him that He will send our salvation. Not just to accept that it will happen in whatever way it happens, and that is also good, but here we are learning that Hashem wants us to rely on Him, to throw the problem on Him, to the extent that I'm expecting to receive my salvation, both with regards to the major events in my life, as well as with regards to the small minor details that transpire in our day-to-day activities. B'ezrat Hashem, let's move forward in our Bitachon journey as we continue to grow together in our Bitachon.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

This is tremendously exciting that we're moving today to wrap up the contents we've been discussing of what we're going to be exploring in the Torah sources. Again, there are many, many, many Torah sources throughout Torah literature about Emunah and Bitachon, and one can almost get lost in the Torah literature without clear direction of what to do. I thank Hashem for the inspiration that He provided for me in my own Bitachon journey to try to clarify in a very orderly way of the different questions that can arise in Bitachon and try to compartmentalize the different questions in an organized way and under each section explore the Torah sources to do with that section so that, B’ezrat Hashem, at the end we can come out with more clarity and feel more confident to move forward in our Bitachon journey.   Up until now, throughout the series, we've been outlining the different sections we're going to be discussing, 15 sections in total. Today we're going to summarize the 15 sections and B’ezrat Hashem, thereafter, we're going to move forward with the Torah sources themselves. So in part one we'll discuss, B’ezrat Hashem, what exactly is Bitachon, a bit of an introduction to Bitachon.   In part two we'll discuss what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon. Is it a Torah mitzvah, a rabbinic mitzvah, what exactly is the source? And now we move to part three, how important exactly is Bitachon? So important to digest the Torah sources we'll learn in this section, to see that this is ultimately the point of our life, Bitachon is the point of our lives. Part four, does Bitachon always work? There's a type of Bittachon that one can be so confident in Hashem that He will come through for me in the way that I desire.   And then we move to part five, if that is the case, why must Hashem come through for me? Are there not many factors to Hashem's calculations? Maybe I don't deserve it, maybe it's not good for me, am I the master of my own destiny? And if that is the case, is that not a dangerous thing to do? Is it not safer to just put it in Hashem's hands and not have a desire of my own? We then move to part six, what is the prerequisite for Bitachon to be effective? And as discussed, there is a form of Bitachon where you can be so confident in Hashem coming through for you that He will come through for you in exactly the way that you desire. But you have to be 100% sincere on your reliance on Hashem exclusively.   Part seven, can a sinner apply Bitachon? Part eight, why were there tzaddikim that were not always saved by Bitachon? Part nine, what is the position of the Chazon Ish about Bittachon? And although that seems like almost a random, not so interesting type of question, we will learn in that section why this is such a fundamental opinion in the way we're going to make a conclusion as to the final halacha, how we are to apply Bitachon.   Part 10, can Bitachon be applied even to mundane endeavors? Is Bitachon only something that I should aim to apply to my spiritual journey, or is it something I should bring into my day-to-day mundane endeavors, and even things that I might get involved in which are not so holy? Part 11, what is my obligation of hishtadlus? At first glance, it can very easily appear that hishtadlus and Bitachon do not work together and contradict one another. But again, of course, we've got to make sense of this great mitzvah that Hashem has given us, where on the one hand, we have an absolute obligation to believe Hashem exclusively runs everything in our lives, and on the other hand, we have to make our own efforts.   Part 12, how do I acquire Bitachon? It's not just the theoretical subject that we're learning. How do I make it practical in my life that I can truly live by the values of Bitachon? Part 13, what exactly is the relationship between tefillah and Bitachon? Part 14, what is the true reward for having Bitachon? As we'll see in the Torah sources, any small effort that we make towards growth in our Bitachon is way greater than any reward we might imagine to receive for ourselves in this world. And part 15, where in Chazal are examples of Bitachon?   “Hashem, please give us tremendous success in the next phase of what we're going to be doing, moving forward to the actual Torah sources in each of these sections, and b’ezrat Hashem each one of us, gaining more clarity in our Bitachon journeys.”

I'm so excited, we're about to wrap up the outline of the sections we're going to be discussing, outlining the Torah sources of the most important topic in our lives, bitachon. We're going to begin today's session with part 14 that we're going to be outlining. And in many ways, this is perhaps the most important section that needs to be highlighted. What is the true reward for having bitachon? Now why this is such an important question to discuss is because as we've alluded to, there are many different forms of bitachon. And one of the types of bitachon that we're going to discover together is that one can rely on Hashem to such an extent that Hashem will come through for you for exactly what you desire in the way that you desire. And if you do it in the right way, that you're 100% reliant on Hashem with full sincerity, He will for sure give it to you in the way that you desire.   But something which is much more important than that is that the true reward for having bitachon is much greater than anything you can achieve or receive in this world. So let me give you an example to illustrate this concept. Let's say I want to have bitachon in Hashem to give me 10 million dollars. Now if I do it correctly, which again is not an easy task because bitachon is the point of our lives, and if it was just as easy as going to a vending machine and putting in a coin, then that would defeat the whole purpose because this is the point of our lives. But let's say I reached such a high level that I have absolute sincere bitachon in Hashem to receive 10 million dollars. Now I might think that the true prize is receiving 10 million dollars, but in truth, much, much, much greater than receiving those 10 million dollars is the reward that I will receive both in this world and especially in the next world for just trying to take a step forward in my bitachon journey.   And the reason it's so important to highlight this is because regardless of what we actually achieve in our bitachon journey, if we are trying to take a step forward, we are achieving way, way greater than receiving 10 million dollars. And of course, we'll discuss it more extensively when we get to B’ezrat Hashem, but for our purposes right now, it's important to internalize that any small step that we take forward in our bitachon journey is achieving for us way greater than anything beyond our imagination. And why it's so important to remember this is because although to reach the highest levels of bitachon, let's say backtracking to our example before, I have bitachon in Hashem that I want those 10 million dollars, something which seems so far-fetched and I work very, very hard on my reliance and everything that entails as we'll discuss B’ezrat Hashem.   And let's say after everything's said and done, I don't get the 10 million dollars. Not, God forbid, because bitachon doesn't work. As we'll learn, bitachon works, period. But the reason it might not work was maybe I was not fully sincere. Maybe I was only 99% sincere in my bitachon endeavor. And as we'll learn, in order for it to be an absolute logarithm that Hashem will for sure come through for you, it has to be 100% reliance on Hashem. Now one might feel, but how am I going to get to 100%? What if I'm only 99%? Now again, this is why this is so, so, so vital to remember that the true reward for bitachon is way greater than receiving whatever you might be trying to receive. Because as we know, this world is temporary. Eventually, we're all going to move to a much greater world for eternity. And eternity is forever.   So as the Sfarim teach, whatever reward we can imagine for ourselves in this world is not even comparable to one moment of the true pleasure we'll receive in the next world. And the efforts that we make in our bitachon journey are one of the greatest things we can do towards achieving for ourselves the greatest places in eternity. And therefore, let us constantly remind ourselves that one of the greatest possible things that we can do is just to make an effort to grow in our emunah, in our bitachon, regardless of what we actually achieve.   Even if we feel like we've been working on bitachon for so long, and we've barely grown in the endeavor, if we've been making an effort to do so, it's as if we've done everything. B’ezrat Hashem, in the next session, we're going to wrap up the introduction of the contents of bitachon. And thereafter, we move forward to the Torah sources themselves, and with Hashem's help, move to more clarity in our bitachon journey.

We are right at the end of our journey of outlining the sections, b’ezrat Hashem, to give us more clarity of where we are heading in this bitachon journey. B’ezrat Hashem, in part 12 we will discuss the question of how do I acquire bitochen. And as mentioned previously, this is so important because as many Torah sources teach, ultimately the purpose of the Torah is to apply it in a practical way. And when it comes to practical mitzvos, it's much easier to relate to - that I can learn the details of a particular mitzvah and thereafter I can actually take those details and apply them in a practical way.   And when it comes to bitachon, yes the daily inspiration is certainly something beneficial to constantly be mindful, to live by the values of bitachon. But much more than that is how do I make it practical? How do I actually take bitachon and live by the values of bitachon? We'll learn and explore that true bitachon removes fear, leads to serenity, calm, happiness and so, so much more. Not to mention the true reward which awaits for us in the next world – in Olam Haba.   But how do I get there? Again, I hope that all of us will realize that bitachon is ultimately the point of everything and we'll be inspired to make it the focal point of our lives because it is our lives. It's about bitachon. It's about removing the false opinions and assumptions of the world around us which teach that you are your own boss; You are the master of your destiny, and try to remove Hashem from the picture. And a life of bitachon brings Hashem into the picture and teaches us that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail of our lives and therefore, of course, our only address should be Him. And yes, we've got many details to discuss such as why then should I do Hishtadlus at all? And of course, we know and we'll learn that we do have to do Hishtadlus. But how do I reconcile that with bitachon? And much more that we'll discuss in those sections.   In part 13, Bezrat Hashem will discuss the question, how do we reconcile tefillah and bitachon? Now, something which is just some food for thought for the meantime. If we really and truly trust Hashem, why do we daven for things to be any different than the way He makes it? Even if something is a challenging situation, we know ultimately that Hashem does everything for our best. And similarly, you could ask, why would I rely on Hashem for something to be different than the way He's made it to be? There is much more to discuss about this, but just a little bit of food for thought for right now: When it comes to tefillah, we've been trained over the years that we're not only allowed to pray and daven for our own needs and wants, but it's commendable in a mitzvah to do so.   But because bitachon is not as well taught of a subject, for numerous reasons, when it comes to relying on Hashem for things to be a certain way that we would like it to be, it's more difficult for us to digest that that should be Hashem's will. But again, when we reconcile that with what we know about tefillah, that Hashem desires that we daven for the things that we would like.   When our many great ancestors listed in the Torah, let's just take one example for now, Rachel Imenu was not able to have children. She very easily could have just accepted the situation and said, “Hashem only does what is best for me. I'm not going to pray for anything. He didn't want to give me children, I'm not going to pray for children.” But that wasn't her approach. Her approach rather was, “I am going to pray for the outcome to come about in the way that I desire.” And similarly, we've got to discuss how this applies to bitachon, to relying on Hashem for our own needs in the way that we desire. B’ezrat Hashem, let's discuss this further and let's move forward together in our journey of bitachon.

We're coming to the end of outlining all the sections, and very soon we're going to be moving to the Torah sources themselves, which is tremendously exciting, again, to appreciate how privileged each one of us are to be on this journey of transforming our bitachon, really the keys to the highest treasures in the world.   We outlined previously what we're going to be exploring in part 12 of the Torah sources, where the question is, how do I acquire bitachon? We've mentioned many times that Torah is replete with countless Torah sources about Emunah and bitachon, and it is very clear from many, many, many Torah sources that the entire purpose of our lives, of the whole Torah, of all the mitzvos, of everything we exist for, is ultimately for the sake of bitachon. And there is much to learn about bitachon, but how do I get it? And B’ezrat Hashem, in part 12, as well as the other sections, will explore this further.   But suffice it to say, for now, something to realize is that if bitachon is the point of my life, then certainly I should make it my life's mission to invest much time and energy into this tremendous holy endeavor. It's not just a nice added benefit to my life that will enhance my life, it is my life. And if we internalize that, we will begin to add more and more time, energy, and effort into our bitachon quest.   It's an amazing privilege, all of us, to be on this journey together, transforming our bitachon, but it is certainly only the beginning, because as we take these concepts, each one of us, into our own personal life, we will find that we're able to apply it in our own personal relationship to Hashem. And the more we internalize how important bitachon is in our life, the more effort, energy, and time we'll invest into it. But in terms of the technical side of the Torah sources, in part 12, we will, B’ezrat Hashem, discuss the question of how do I acquire bitachon.   The next question, part 13, how important is tefillah and personal prayer? There are many important terms that we throw around loosely. Emunah, bitachon, tefillah, personal prayer. How do I practically bring them all together? Throughout our Emunah series, we quoted many times fascinating sources, such as the Mesillas Yesharim in chapter 15, where he writes that more precious to Hashem than anything else is when we seclude ourselves with Hashem and talk to Him in our own words. Hashem desires our personal relationship with Him. And we discussed also many times the well-known words of the Sefer Chareidim and the Shelah Hakadosh, that the effect of secluding ourselves and personal prayer with Hashem has seven times more of a potent effect than even that of Torah learning on our neshama.   And for anybody who is even slightly familiar with Torah literature, this is a fascinatingly powerful statement, because the Torah is replete with the importance about Torah study. Torah study is one of the most powerful things anybody can do in this world. Nevertheless, we are learning here that on some level, talking to Hashem in our own words can even be more powerful than that. Now again, if you'd like to listen to our previous recordings about emunah and personal prayer, you're invited to visit our website at transformyouremunah.com.   But for our purposes right now, as we proceed on this incredible bitachon journey, how do we reconcile personal prayer with bitachon? If I have so much bitachon and reliance on Hashem, do I even need to pray to Him? Why should I daven about anything? Can't I just perhaps rely on Hashem to such an extent that I don't even need to pray? Because if I am so confident that Hashem will help me out, why should I even pray for something to be different? And if I can reach the ultimate form of bitachon, where my will is the same as Hashem's will, and I don't necessarily have a will of my own, why does prayer exist at all? Because ultimately, prayer is saying to Hashem, “Hashem, I would like this to be this way. Please make it happen this way for me.” And there's a lot more to discuss. B’ezrat Hashem, as we move further in our bitachon journey, will discuss this further, and with Hashem's help, bring more clarity to our bitachon.

I'm going to, again, very quickly recap from where we left off. Can bitachon be applied even to mundane endeavors? I want to learn more Torah. I want to give more tzedakah. I want to dress in a more tznius way, or the many mitzvos that we might strive to achieve. We'll discuss further B’ezrat Hashem in this section, how we can rely on Hashem for all those incredibly and holy spiritual achievements that we're making an effort to grow in. But how about, I'd really like a holiday house. I want a new car. Or take it one step further, I've done something wrong and I really don't want anyone to catch me and cause me an embarrassing situation. Is this something I can and should rely on Hashem for? B’ezrat Hashem we’ll discuss this further as we come to this section.   Part 11, what is my obligation of Hishtadlus? And as we discussed, there is so much to explore in this section. Hishtadlus is not a license to ignore bitachon, God forbid. Hishtadlus is a mitzvah like any other, and a great mitzvah that is, to accomplish and achieve. But just like the other mitzvos, if done, God forbid, in the wrong manner, there can be devastating consequences to its results. And especially when it comes to Hishtadlus, which so easily can be confused if done in the wrong manner. We've got to learn how to reconcile it with the basics of Emunah that Hashem exclusively can and does make everything happen in the world. He doesn't need me to make it happen, it certainly can happen without my doing. Why then do I have to make an effort? How much of an effort do I have to make? What should be my perspective when making an effort? And much much more, B’ezrat Hashem will discuss in this section.   Part 12, really making it practical, how do I acquire bitachon? It's inspiring to learn how bitachon is ultimately the purpose of all of our lives, all of Torah, all of mitzvos and everything, as we'll see as we explore further. But how do I get it? How do I achieve bitachon? I want it, I'm inspired to get it. Of course we should understand that it's not going to be something as easy as just being inspired for a moment and now having bitachon for the rest of my life. Because if this is the purpose of my life and the whole Torah and all the mitzvahs, obviously it's something that should take work and effort to achieve. More work and effort than any other endeavor in our lives, but if this is the purpose of our lives it certainly should be worth it.   We now move to part 13, how important is tefillah? We know that one of the main foundations that Judaism is built on is davening to Hashem. Be it the prescribed prayers, Shacharis, Mincha and Maariv, or our personal prayers to Hashem, just the opportunity to talk to HaShem in our own words, we elaborated it on at great length in our daily series, Transform Your Emunah, which again can be found on our website transformyouremunah.com, how throughout the generations has been placed on tefillah to HaShem. So what exactly is the connection between davening to HaShem and having bitachon in HaShem? Are bitachon and tefillah the same thing? And if not, what exactly are the differences? B’ezrat HaShem, let's explore this further together as we move forward on our bitachon journey.

Guys, here's a quick recap of what we've discussed so far outlining the sections we're going to be discussing exploring the most incredible Torah sources about Bitachon. Part one, what is Bitachon? Part two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part three, how important is Bitachon? So important to understand and digest that Bitachon is the point of the whole Torah, of all the mitzvos, as we'll see in that section. Part four, does Bitachon always work? Part five, why must Hashem come through for me? Part six, what is the prerequisite for Bitachon to be effective? Part seven, can a sinner apply Bitachon? Part eight, why would Tzaddikim not always saved by their Bitachon? Part nine, what is the position of the Chazon Ish about Bitachon? Part ten, can Bitachon be applied to mundane endeavors?   Although we might have understood that Bitachon's main purpose should be for our spiritual endeavors and spiritual accomplishments, and that understanding is certainly correct because our main purpose in this world is to strive to succeed spiritually much more than just focus on our physical enjoyment. But at the same time, we all live in a world where we are exposed to physical enjoyment and desires on a constant moment-to-moment basis. And therefore, those desires and needs and wants that we have, how do we go about them? Are we allowed to rely on Hashem for those needs and wants that are physical and mundane? Or is that something Hashem would not want?   Part 11, what is my obligation of Hishtadlus? One of the main hurdles that chases people away from living a life of true Bittachon is the excuse of, but I have a mitzvah of Hishtadlus. Hishtadlus is a big topic which we need to learn about. It is a mitzvah like any other mitzvah and a great mitzvah. But if it's misunderstood, God forbid it can be very close to the great sin of idol worship. Hishtadlus is not a green card to avoid the whole mitzvah of Emunah and Bitachon. Sometimes, unfortunately, when people hear about the concepts of Emunah and Bitachon and relying on Hashem, they say, “well, I need to put food on the table”, or “well, I need to make sure that I look after my health” and the like.   Now, those statements are certainly true. We have a mitzvah of Hishtadlus and we'll explore that. But God forbid, Hishtadlus should never become something that is just an excuse to avoiding living a life of true reliance on Hashem. The Torah perspective is unanimous that Hashem exclusively runs the world. And yes, we might have a mitzvah of Hishtadlus and we'll discuss, B'ezrat Hashem, the levels of Hishtadlus that may apply to us, how far we are to take that. And there's a lot to discuss in this and we'll get there, B'ezrat Hashem.   But suffice it to say for now, our approach should head towards having the question as follows. I have a mitzvah of Bitachon. I need to rely on Hashem exclusively. How then am I supposed to reconcile and relate to the mitzvah of Hishtadlus when I have this absolute mitzvah which underscores the entire Torah and mitzvahs to rely on Hashem exclusively? There is, of course, much more to this which we'll get to, B'ezrat Hashem. But just briefly, that is the way that we should look at things rather than phrasing the question in an opposite way as in, I have a mitzvah of Hishtadlus. I've got to do my part in the world. Therefore, how can it be that I'm supposed to rely on Hashem?   The main point of our lives is to rely on Hashem as illustrated in countless Torah sources literally throughout all of Torah literature. The point of our lives, as we'll learn, is Bitachon. So nobody's saying we therefore just avoid the mitzvah of Hishtadlus. But we certainly have to gain an understanding of how do we reconcile this mitzvah of Hishtadlus which seemingly contradicts the whole mindset of Bitachon.   Part 12, perhaps one of the most important questions: How do I acquire Bittachon? It's incredible to learn all these amazing statements, again, not even having yet explored one Torah source inside itself, but rather first just outlining the concepts. But it should be clear to everyone already that Bitachon is the purpose of the entire Torah, of all the mitzvos, and the most important endeavor that we could really aim at in our lives. But how do I get it? So B'ezrat Hashem, in part 12, we'll begin the discussion about how do I acquire Bitachon.

We discussed previously, in part 10, can Bitachon be applied to mundane endeavors? Again, of course, ultimately to remember that the whole purpose of life is for our spiritual accomplishment. Yes, the neshama and body do live together in this world, but ultimately it is all for the sake of serving Hashem. And therefore, obviously, Bitachon itself is not just meant to be a vending machine, to ask Hashem and rely on Hashem to give me a new car every day or whatever else I might want.   And again, as discussed previously, this is probably one of the reasons why this form of Bitachon, where one relies on Hashem to such a confident degree, that Hashem will give me exactly what I desire, one of the reasons this is probably not so commonly taught is because if one is not guided to learn this in the correct way, it could almost just become a magic trick that all I want is me and my desires, and I don't even care, God forbid, about Hashem anymore. And that's what the whole point of Bitachon can become about, whereas we ultimately know that the whole point of our lives is to serve Hashem, yes, eventually to reap tremendous rewards in the next world, in olam haba, but at the same time, we do live in a physical world, and most of us do have very physical desires, and sometimes a person can leave Hashem out the picture and almost feel, how do we relate to our physical desires?   Should I rely on Hashem for them, or should I just feel like Hashem doesn't really want me to do those things anyway? What if the physical desire I have is something that is not such a Torah value? Or even worse, what if it's an outright sin? What should I do then? Do I just leave Hashem out the picture? These are very important questions that we will delve into Bezrat Hashem as we get to this section in part 10.   We then referred to previously in part 11, what is my obligation of Hishtadlus? Now if you're interested and you haven't yet come across it, you're welcome to visit our website transformyouremunah.com, and under the courses section, one of the courses is titled Hishtadlus, and there briefly we go through the basic obligation of how to reconcile the fact that we have an obligation of Hishtadlus with the fact that Hashem exclusively runs the world.   It is so vital to have a good perspective and understanding of our mitzvah because if we are led to believe, God forbid, that we are the drivers of our engine in our lives, that is very close to the great sin of idol worship where we're relying on something else or someone else or ourselves. We have to be absolutely clear that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail in the world and at the same time He commands us to give charity, to learn Torah, to shake a lulav, to light Shabbos candles, and to fulfill the mitzvah of Hishtadlus, to make our own effort in our endeavors.   Why that is so? Again, if you're eager to get a brief overview, you're welcome to visit our previously cited course, but of course, when we get to the section in part 11, we'll discuss it much more at length in exactly how we're supposed to reconcile Hishtadlus. In the next session, Bezrat Hashem, we're going to move to part 12 - How do I acquire Bitachon?

We left off in the previous session outlining part 10 of the contents of what we're going to be discussing. And the question was, can Bitachon be applied to mundane endeavors? There's no doubt about it that ultimately our main purpose in this world is to strive to succeed spiritually. And of course, the spiritual and physical overlap all the time because we live in a physical world. But ultimately, it boils down to what is our motive? Are we living just for the physical gratification of the enjoyment of this world, or are we using the physical things in this world to serve Hashem, which is ultimately what the neshama's calling is for, as opposed to what the body desires. So there's no question that when it comes to bitachon itself, as we'll see from Torah sources, that the ultimate is certainly to use bitachon for our spiritual attainments.   You see, we've alluded to a type of bitachon which is not so popularly taught. And we've discussed previously some of the reasons why that is so. And of course, we've only just began to touch the tip of the iceberg about this whole topic. But another reason sometimes this form of bitachon is shied away from is because what might happen, God forbid, is a person can become so self-indulged about one's own needs and wants that one can almost forget about Hashem. So I can learn about bitachon, and I can learn that bitachon can help me get what I want, and I can now understand that I have this amazing magic potion that can get me what I want, and almost forget about Hashem in the picture. There is absolutely no question that the ultimate purpose of all of Torah and mitzvos, which includes the whole purpose of bitachon, is for our spiritual achievements. At the same time, we've all got to be real with ourselves, that most of us are not living 100% of the time at that level where we only have spiritual wants and needs.   Although many of us are trying our best to climb the spiritual ladder, at the same time we have many physical needs and wants. So now what do we do? Do we just leave Hashem out of the picture of those physical needs, or do we just live like a two-faced life, that on the one hand we have the life with Hashem, which refers to spiritual things, and then we have the other side, which is my own physical desires, which I kind of leave Hashem out of that picture, because I'm almost embarrassed to include Him in that.   I cannot overemphasize how important it is to gain clarity on this topic, because this literally makes a difference to us on a moment-to-moment basis of our lives, because so many of our decisions and needs and wants all have to do with the mundane world. So do I have a license to reach out to Hashem about those things? Is it commendable? Is it a mitzvah? What do the Torah sources teach when it comes to relying on Hashem about mundane endeavors?   We're now going to move to the next question, part 11. What is my obligation of Hishtadlus? The word Hishtadlus is a famous word and phrase that many of us are familiar with. Simply speaking, Hishtadlus means my making an effort in the picture. If Hashem does everything, and I can rely on Him, and I should rely on Him, and as we've learned that if I want to have the ultimate bitachon, I should rely on Hashem 100%, what space does that leave for any form of Hishtadlus? Now again, there are many Torah sources about this, and B’ezrat Hashem will get to them in part 11. But just for now, some food for thought.   It could happen that you see two people performing and acting the exact same way, and they're literally on two opposite sides of the spectrum, where the one is fulfilling Hashem's will to the ultimate degree, truly fulfilling his mitzvah and obligation of Hishtadlus under the true parameters of bitachon, and the other person could literally, God forbid, be under the umbrella of idol worship. It is so, so, so important to gain clarity of what does it mean that I have a mitzvah to do Hishtadlus? How do I reconcile this with bitachon? Let's discuss this further, B’ezrat Hashem, as we move forward together on our bitachon journey.

I would like us just to take a moment to appreciate what we're doing. This is literally the treasure of the world, worth billions and billions of dollars, what we're discussing. And b'ezrat Hashem, as we delve deeper and deeper into our Bitachon journey, I hope and pray that each one of us can truly transform our lives, not just to know the information as something interesting, but rather to truly take it with us and transform our lives, transform our Bitachon and live in a completely different world that we're now, b’ezrat Hashem, just beginning to explore and b’ezrat Hashem will come out with the keys to these treasures.   I'm going to recap what we've discussed so far, just outlining the headings of the sections that we're going to be discussing. And as mentioned previously, the reason I'm repeatedly going over these questions is firstly to truly internalize them, and not just that it should go in one ear and come out the other, but rather that we should truly remember these concepts and meditate on them. Because it's one thing to learn the information here, but it's another thing when we go through the day and we think about these concepts and we're able to extrapolate one thing from another, that's how true Bitachon will be built in our lives.   And another reason that I feel it's very important to keep going over these questions is because the Torah is replete with passages about Bitachon, but to have it in an organized way is not always so easy, because it's literally everywhere. And therefore when we discuss one question about Bitachon, often what happens is I think about numerous other factors. For example, if we learn that B'tochen can be so powerful that what I rely on Hashem for will come about. But as soon as we learn that, we might ask ourselves, but how come there were many great people who didn't apply this form of Bitachon? And then at the other corner of our mind we'll think, but what about the mitzvah of Hishtadlus? Have we not learned many times that we have a mitzvah to make an effort in the world?   But then we might think, but if I'm making Hihtadlus, and seemingly making my own efforts, how am I supposed to fulfill the requirement to exclusively rely on Hashem for Bitachon to work? And there's many of these factors that all intertwine, and therefore learning it in an orderly way is the objective we're trying to achieve.   Part 1, what is Bitachon? Part 2, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part 3, how important is Bitachon? Part 4, does Bitachon always work? Part 5, why must Hashem come through for me? Part 6, does Bitachon have a prerequisite to be effective? Part 7, can a sinner apply Bitachon? Part 8, why were tzaddikim not always saved by their Bitachon? Part 9, what is the position of the Chazon Ish about Bitachon? And in the previous session we left off with part 10, which B’ezrat Hashem now will explore a little bit further.   The question is, can Bitachon be applied to mundane endeavors? And of course it's easy to understand that our main purpose in this world is to strive towards what the neshama is attracted to, rather than what the body is attracted to. And therefore when we use our Bitachon to help us achieve our spiritual pursuits, it's easier to understand that that would be Hashem's will. So let's say for example I'd really like to learn more Torah, but I currently don't have much time at my disposal. This is something easier to relate to, that I might be able to take steps to rely on Hashem in terms of giving me the opportunity to learn more Torah.   But let's say something as mundane as, I would really like a new car. Is that something that's even appropriate to, so to speak, bother Hashem with? We don't realize just how important it is to get a clear understanding on what the correct approach to this is, because much of our lives are comprised of our mundane needs and wants. Let's explore this further together, B’ezrat Hashem, as we move forward on our Bitachon journey.

Guys, I'm so excited to continue our Bitachon journey. So as emphasized previously, one of our goals that we're trying to achieve is to learn this information about Bitachon because when we don't understand what Bitachon truly is and the abilities and opportunities that we are allowed to have, then obviously we can't truly tap into Bitachon. So certainly one of our goals is to try to get a better understanding of what Bitachon truly is.   But as emphasized previously, another major goal is not just to learn the information, but to truly digest the information. And with the incredibly fast-paced lives that we all live, it's quite difficult to stay mindful about these concepts all the time. So revision is truly of paramount importance. So as emphasized previously, just outlining the topics already gives us a good direction of where we're aiming at in terms of trying to understand Bitachon, and also helps us before we delve more deeply into the Torah sources themselves, just to think of the many questions that arise when we discuss the many concepts of Bitachon. So let's quickly summarize before we move on to the next section, what we've outlined so far.   Part 1, what is Bitachon? Part 2, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part 3, how important exactly is Bitachon? Part 4, does Bitachon always work? Is the correct understanding that Hashem can do anything, but not necessarily will He come through for me in the way that I desire? Or rather, can Bitachon be understood and practiced as what I would like to happen, then I will rely on Hashem for that, and that will for sure transpire? Part 5, if the latter is the case that I may rely on Hashem even for my own needs and desires, why must Hashem come through for me? Who says that's necessarily good for me, who says I deserve it, etc.   Part 6, does Bitachon have a prerequisite to be effective? And as we've already outlined numerous times, one of the most important factors when considering this dynamite kind of Bitachon, where one can rely on Hashem so confidently, that Hashem will come through for me in exactly the way that I desire, an absolute condition to this is that I rely on Hashem with absolute sincerity. Now again, it's important to highlight that one might feel, “okay it's very nice that we have this amazing dynamite opportunity of Bitachon available, but how many of us can get to such a level that we fully and sincerely rely on Hashem 100% without any backup plans whatsoever? Is that even possibly attainable? And therefore, what's the point of even learning about this or even trying to take a step forward? And as we'll discuss in the coming sections, which we'll get to soon, B’ezrat Hashem, we'll allude to the fact that the true reward for Bitachon is not actually receiving what we would like, but much, much, much greater than anything we could possibly receive in this world, is the reward that Hashem will give us, just for making an effort to take steps forward in our Bitachon journey.   We then outlined in Part 7, that we'll discuss the Torah sources, about can somebody who commits sins apply Bitachon? Part 8, if Bitachon is so powerful and so absolute that it always works if I am sincere about it, so although today I might not be able to be absolutely sincere in my Bitachon, but certainly many tzaddikim were able to. And we nevertheless find that many tzaddikim seem to have suffered tremendously throughout their lives. So why did they seemingly not tap into the tremendous power of Bitachon? Part 9, what is the position of the Chazon Ish about Bitachon? And again, although one might not initially understand the importance of delving into the particular opinion of the Chazon Ish about Bitachon, but as we've previously outlined, for numerous reasons, it is super important to gain a better understanding of specifically the Chazon Ish’s opinion about Bitachon, and B’ezrat Hashem will discuss more about that when we get to that section.   We now move to Part 10, the question we're going to explore is can Bitachon be applied to mundane endeavors? Briefly, it is easier for us to relate to the fact that when we rely on Hashem for spiritual endeavors, that He might be willing and happy to help us and come through for us. But if it's just for my own mundane needs and wants, can I rely on Hashem for that? Should I be relying on Hashem for that? Let's discuss this further, B’ezrat Hashem, as we move forward on our Bitachon journey together.

We continue in our Bittachon journey. So let's revise. We need to give a rundown of 15 sections of what we're going to be discussing before we actually begin exploring the Torah sources themselves in these 15 sections. Let's revise what we've stated so far.   Part one, what is Bitachon? Part two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part three, how important exactly is Bitachon? Part four, does Bitachon for sure always work without exception? Part five, why must Hashem come through for me in the way that I desire? Part six, does Bitachon have a prerequisite in order to be effective? As we've discussed, we're going to learn that if one applies this form of Bitachon, absolute 100% sincere reliance on Hashem, Hashem has created it as a rule of nature that He will for sure come through for us in the way that we desire. However, as we will learn, this prerequisite is vital as long as I am 100% sincere in my reliance on Hashem.   Part seven, can someone who commits sins apply Bitachon? Is Bitachon only an opportunity for the righteous, for people who are doing their best to fulfill Hashem's will and building their personal relationship with Him? Or is Bitachon for anybody, even someone who commits sins? Part eight, a most important question, why were there tzaddikim that were not always saved by their Bitachon? Certainly, tzaddikim were much more knowledgeable and righteous than any of us, and we find so many tzaddikim that suffered immensely, and if Bittachon is so powerful that one is able to tap into it and get saved from their troubles, not only is one able to, but as we will learn, it is commendable and it is a tremendous mitzvah to rely on Hashem for our own needs in the way that we desire, and that being the case, why were there many tzaddikim that seemingly did not rely on their Bitachon to be saved from their ordeals?   And part nine, we mentioned, what is the position of the Chazon Ish about Bitachon? Although this seems like an uninteresting question, this is one of the most important fundamentals about Bitachon, because as we will discuss, a very popular sefer in the Torah world is one of the sfarim of the Chazon Ish, and although many people are not so well versed in most of the Torah sources about Bitachon, however, this famous sefer from the Chazon Ish has a passage which seems to imply against what almost everyone teaches about Bittachon, and many who have not learned the topic extensively, by just coming across this passage in the Chazon Ish will draw a very mistaken conclusion that this type of Bitachon that we will discuss, absolute confident reliance on Hashem, is not an option, and is not a type of Bitachon that we are permitted to practice.   Now, we will learn and explore different passages in the Chazon Ish writings himself, where it will be made absolutely clear that the Chazon Ish is certainly on the same page as all the very many Torah sources, as would be expected from one of the greats of our generation. However, there is a very important and specific reason why the Chazon Ish chose to write this passage in the way that he did, as we will explain when we get to this section.   And as we will learn, there are different types of Bitachon. Through our whole series of daily inspiration about Emunah that we gave for about two years, and again, if one would like to refer back to any of that, one can find all of it on transformyouremunah.com, Emunah with an H. Through all of our Emunah discussions, it was not just about a theoretical concept of Emunah, it was made very clear that anybody who believes in Hashem will certainly turn that belief into practical application. In many ways, one of them that we discussed continuously and extensively was building a sincere personal relationship with Hashem and talking to Hashem.   And similarly, as we will learn, there is no question that there are many different levels to what it means to have Bitachon. The more conventional forms of Bitachon that are usually understood and taught will be the type of Bitachon that one can see as an extension of Emunah. Emunah being the concept of trying to build a relationship with Hashem, and Bitachon, the practical application of that, of speaking to Hashem, of following his mitzvos and the many other things that we discussed in our Emunah series.   And there is no question that that is certainly a form of Bitachon, as we will see in this passage of the Chazon Ish, as well as in other passages. However, the mistaken notion that people are often led to make, that this passage is a contradiction to the type of Bitachon that we've been exploring, we will investigate B’ezrat Hashem in the Torah sources in this section, and Bezrat Hashem moved forward to more clarity in our Bitachon.

Let's continue this most incredible journey about Bitachon. Okay, let's summarize. So far, we've said that we're going to break down this discussion about Bitachon to try to get things in an organized way into 15 different parts. Here are the questions that we've discussed so far. Part one, what is Bitachon? Part two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part three, how important exactly is Bitachon? Part four, does Bitachon always work? Part five, why must Hashem come through for me in the way that I desire? Part six, does Bitachon have a prerequisite in order to be effective? Part seven, can a sinner apply Bitachon?   Part eight, why were tzaddikim not always saved by their Bitachon? And as we spoke about, we've alluded to the fact that we're going to learn in many Torah sources that the opportunity to rely on Hashem is an absolute guarantee if one does it properly. If one is able to reach a level of absolute sincere reliance on Hashem, Hashem will for sure come through for them in the way that they desire. And that being the case, why is it that so many of our greats, both from previous generations and contemporary great scholars and tzaddikim, were not saved by their Bitachon? Surely they knew about the opportunity of Bitachon. Does that mean that Bitachon does not always work? Or is there some other reason why we find at times tzaddikim chose not to use the opportunity of Bitachon and the like? We will discuss this and more, b'ezrat Hashem, via the Torah sources in this section when we get there.                      We now move to part number nine. This seems like almost an uninteresting question, but this is probably one of the most foundational questions about the whole topic of Bitachon. The question is, what is the position of the Chazon Ish about Bittachon? Now again, this might seem uninteresting because why do I particularly need to know about the opinion of the Chazon Ish about Bitachon? And the reason this is included in its own section is because this is perhaps one of the reasons that many have not understood the mitzvah of Bitachon correctly.   The Chazon Ish is one of the greatest of the great contemporary tzaddikim and Torah scholars that we have. And as we will study, there is a passage in one of the sefarim of the Chazon Ish which would seem to indicate the opposite of what many Torah sources teach. And if that would be the case, then one might be led to a conclusion that for whatever reason, we don't follow these Torah opinions.   Now it's very important to learn these Torah passages that the Chazon Ish himself would have learned and also passages that the Chazon Ish himself wrote and compare them to one another to truly understand B’ezrat Hashem with absolute clarity what he meant in this famous passage that people usually come across. Again, it should be clear to you by now that we're going to explore a form of Bitachon where one is so confident that Hashem will come through for them - one is a hundred percent sincere in their reliance on Hashem and the guarantee that we will have is that Hashem will for sure come through in the way that I desire.   Again, I may have many questions. Why is that so? How is that so? Who says so? Etc. And B’ezrat Hashem, we will get to all those sections and discuss this and the relevant Torah sources. However, just by way of introduction, in this section, we will discuss a famous passage written by the Chazon Ish where it seems to indicate that one should not have absolute reliance on Hashem. And the relevancy of understanding this passage correctly is important in the way we're going to draw our conclusion about what the halacha is, of what type of Bitachon we're supposed to apply. Are we allowed to, are we supposed to have such absolute reliance on Hashem for the things that we need and that we desire in the way that we need and the way that we desire? Or if the Chazon Ish seemingly wrote the opposite and again, it's not just one opinion that we would simply ignore.   The Chazon Ish is a very important halachic opinion. Then why does it seem to be implied in one of his passages that one should not practice this absolute confident Bitachon in Hashem? B’ezrat Hashem, as we get to this section, we will explore the exact meaning of the Chazon Ish and with Hashem's help, draw more clarity to our Bitachon.

I hope you're beginning to get excited about this incredible topic of Bitachon. We've been discussing a bit of an introduction to the topics we're going to be discussing to get a bit of an indication of where we'll be heading. I'm sure you're beginning to realize that Bitachon is one of the most important foundations of the entire Torah and all the mitzvos that we have. In fact, the foundation of the entire Torah and mitzvos as we'll see in many Torah sources. And that being the case, it's obviously easy to understand that it's not going to be a journey of one day to master this topic. It's going to be our life's work. But our journey right now, B’ezrat Hashem - with the help of Hashem, is to do our best to clarify this topic in an organized way so that hopefully, with Hashem's help, we can come out with more clarity. And once we do so, then we can have the confidence to apply Bitachon in a practical way and be confident about what we are doing.   The reason that I continuously repeat what we've discussed previously is because it's one thing just to hear the information, but it's something else to truly digest it. And in our fast-paced world, it's very easy to forget the information that we've learned. So revision is of paramount importance. So let's revise what we've said so far.   The Torah sources that we're going to discuss in an orderly, section-by-section way, B’ezrat Hashem, relate to the following questions. In part one, we will discuss what is Bitachon. Part two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part three, how important is Bitachon? Part four, does Bitachon always work? That means to say, are there any exceptions? Or if I practice this type of Bitachon - confident Bitachon in Hashem, will it for sure work beyond a shadow of a doubt, without any caveats whatsoever? Part five, if I can rely on Hashem with confident Bitachon for the things I desire and I need, why must Hashem come through for me?   Part six, does Bitachon have a prerequisite to be effective? A few moments ago, we just alluded to the fact that this type of confident Bitachon has no exceptions, as long as one fulfills the prerequisite for this type of Bitachon to be effective. Because again, if one has not fulfilled the prerequisite for this Bitachon to be effective, then it will not be effective in the way that I desire. Although as mentioned, one will certainly get rewarded immensely for any step one takes forward in Bitachon, both in this world and in the next world, but in terms of the Bitachon working without a shadow of a doubt in the way that I desire, although as we will learn, there are no exceptions to that if one does practice Bitachon with absolute sincerity, however, the precondition is that that Bitachon in Hashem has to be with absolute sincerity.   In part seven, we will discuss, B'ezrat Hashem, can a sinner apply Bitachon? Is the opportunity of Bitachon only for the super righteous? Or even somebody who is tainted by sin, not only from previous sins, but even current sin, can that individual apply Bitachon? And part number eight is that as we're going to learn in many Torah sources, if Bitachon is such a powerful absolute that has no exceptions, that if one is sincerely reliant on Hashem, Hashem will for sure come through for them in the way they desire, so many of the tzaddikim who experienced difficult times, be it financially, with their health, relationships and family, or many other things, why did they not get saved by their Bitachon? Surely they knew about Bitachon. And if that is the case, and Bitachon always works, why did they not get saved by their Bittachon?   I hope that B'ezrat Hashem, as we discuss these questions, more and more questions will come across your minds to help open up this most fascinating and incredible discussion about Bitachon, and B'ezrat Hashem, as we break down each of these sections part by part and discuss the Torah sources, with Hashem's help, we'll come to more clarity and see Hashem's true perspective of what the undistorted truth of the Torah is about Bitachon.

I hope you're getting as excited as I am with regards to Bitachon. I know we are yet to discuss Torah sources inside and gain more clarity on the issues, but hopefully just from seeing the questions, you're getting a bit of an indication of the direction we're going to be taking. Let's revise what we've discussed so far in terms of the 15-part outline of the contents we're going to be discussing.   Part one we're going to be dealing with is the Torah sources on the question of what is Bitachon. Part two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part three, how important exactly is Bitachon? Part four, does Bitachon always work? Part five, why must Hashem come through for me in the way I desire? And as we discussed, there's a lot to this question and we'll see more in the Torah sources inside B’ezrat Hashem. Part six, does Bitachon have a prerequisite in order to be effective? Again, as discussed and as we will discuss B’ezrat Hashem, there are different types of Bitachon, but one of the types of Bitachon which we're going to be elaborating on is a confident type of Bitachon where Hashem will for sure come through for me in the way that I desire. But what is the prerequisite in order for that to happen?   Part seven, can a sinner apply Bitachon? Is the opportunity to have Bitachon dependent on our deeds? So a person who's doing well spiritually, it can be argued that maybe they can tap into these amazing opportunities of Bitachon to rely on Hashem for the things that they need in such a confident way that Hashem will come through for them. It would seem that Hashem certainly would want to take care of those that do His will, but those that do not, maybe Bitachon is not available to a sinner.   Now regardless of our conclusion, in terms of Bitachon, nobody's advocating to do Aveiros because it's very clear, independent of the discussion of Bitachon, that there are very severe consequences in the next world, and even in this world for our transgressions, and on the positive side for our mitzvos, to the point that many Torah commentaries teach that one moment of suffering in the next world is way worse than 120 years of constant suffering of the worst form that you can imagine in this world.   And likewise, on the positive side, in the next world, of the reward we have the potential to earn for ourselves, experiencing one moment of that is way greater than 120 years of the greatest pleasure we can imagine in this world. So it's super important to emphasize that regardless of our discussion about Bitachon, there's no question there are very real and severe consequences for our actions in this world. However, in terms of the opportunity of Bitachon, sometimes a person might get led down the path that teaches, don't even think about Bitachon until you correct yourself. Whereas we're going to learn what Torah sources teach about this question. Can a sinner apply Bitachon?   Let's move now to part eight. Why were tzaddikim not always saved by their Bitachon? So let's elaborate on this a little bit. If it's so that Torah sources will teach that one can have such confident Bitachon that Hashem will come through for me for anything and everything that I might need and desire for those who rely on Him sincerely with an absolute 100% guarantee, without exceptions and without failure, that Hashem has built it within the nature of the way the world works, that if somebody does practice this absolute confident type of Bitachon with full sincerity, then without a doubt and without exception, Hashem comes through for them. And that being the case, that leads me to think, were there not many very great tzaddikim – way greater than me in terms of their righteousness, in terms of their Torah knowledge, and how come seemingly and apparently bad things happened to them?   We know of many great tzaddikim throughout the generations, earlier generations and contemporary generations, who suffered tremendously in terms of health, in terms of finances and in many other areas. But if we are going to learn that one has an opportunity to rely on Hashem to such a confident extent, that they will for sure receive what they desire, without exception, if their reliance on Hashem is 100% sincere, and if we're also going to learn that not only can one do this, but this is actually commendable and a huge mitzvah to aim to rely on Hashem to this extent. So if that is the case, why is it that many tzaddikim seemingly did not make use of this type of bitachon? Let's explore this further together and b'ezrat Hashem transform our bitachon.

Let's continue this most exciting journey of Bitachon. So we discussed the breakdown of what we're going to be discussing, 15 sections in total. Let's revise briefly what we've mentioned that we're going to be discussing.   Part number one, what exactly is Bitachon? Part number two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part number three, how important is Bitachon? Again this is so important just to realize how much focus we should be placing on our Emunah, specifically Bitachon journey. If it is the ultimate point of our lives, of all Torah and all mitzvos, as we're going to see B'ezrat Hashem, then certainly we should place a very high emphasis on our Bitachon journey. Part number four, does Bitachon always work? What does Bitachon mean? We're going to see that there's different types of Bitachon and what's usually understood is that Hashem can come through for me if I have any issue or anything in my life, the starting point is reach out to Hashem. He's the only one that can actually help and he's the one fully in control and he wants to help you. But can one be so confident in their reliance on Hashem that they are sure Hashem will come through for them in the way they desire?   Part number five, if that is the case, why must Hashem come through for me? Doesn't Hashem have many considerations? Who says he even owes me this? Why must he come through for me? Part number six, does Bitachon have a prerequisite to be effective? Even if Bitachon is so powerful that Hashem will come through for us in the exact way we desire, but what exactly is a precondition for this to happen? Part number seven, can a sinner apply Bitachon? Somebody who commits sins, we might argue that not only does Hashem not owe them things, but Hashem might actually owe them the opposite. As many Torah passages teach, when we commit sins, much of the time Hashem will respond in turn by sending us suffering. And the reason for that is not because Hashem wants to catch us out. Hashem only created this world to give us good. But the reason that Hashem will at times send a person suffering in response to their sins is in order to give them the opportunity to come back to Him, to do teshuva, because when things are just going smoothly in life, we sometimes just smooth sail through our happenings in life and we don't remember to do teshuva.   And likewise, many Torah passages teach that one moment of suffering in the next world is much greater than an entire lifetime of constant suffering without interruption. And therefore it could very well be that sometimes Hashem sends a person suffering in order to give them the opportunity to either be cleansed in this world as opposed to the next world, or perhaps to be a springboard to do teshuva and to remember Hashem and to build our relationship. So because of this correlation and relationship between Hashem sending suffering as a consequence of sins, one might be led to think that similarly, one who would like to tap into this most incredible and holy avodah of bitachon will not have that opportunity if he is not yet cleansed from his sins. So yes, this amazing opportunity might be available to the very great and righteous people of our generation, but what does that have to do with me? So as we go into the Torah sources, we will discuss, that one of the basic foundations of bitachon is that although countless Torah passages emphasize the tremendous importance that we are to place on trying our real utmost best to do mitzvos and stay away from aveiros, and there are certainly very real consequences for both the positive and the negative, whilst at the same time the opportunity to have bitachon is completely independent of our actions.   We are yet to quote even one Torah source in terms of the journey of bitachon, but at the moment we are just focusing on outlining the concepts to give us a bit of an indication of where we are heading. With the help of Hashem, let's continue our journey in bitachon and as we do so, may Hashem help us to gain more clarity in all of these concepts of bitachon.

Let us continue this most fascinating journey about Bitachon. In the introduction that we've been giving to Bitachon, we've broken up the questions into numerous parts, and again, I'm just making it clear, we have not yet discussed the Torah sources and intricate details of all these questions, but just to get a bit of clarity and direction, it is helpful to go through the questions and explore them briefly just so that we can gain a little bit of clarity before we delve into the Torah sources. So let's revise what we've discussed so far.   Part number one, what is Bitachon? Part number two, what is the source for the mitzvah of Bitachon? Part number three, how important exactly is Bitachon? Is it just an additional mitzvah, a super mitzvah, or is it the foundation of Torah and mitzvos? Part number four, does Bitachon always work for me in the way that I desire, or is it just that Hashem can come through for me, but not necessarily will He in the way that I desire? Part number five, why must Hashem come through for me in the way I desire? And as we discussed, there are many reasons why maybe it won't be good for us if Hashem comes through for us in the way that we desire. And that being the case, this type of Bitachon where one can rely on Hashem to such an extent that Hashem will come through for me, why must He come through for me?   Part number six, does Bitachon have a prerequisite to be effective? And as discussed, although there is infinite reward for any level of Bitachon that one achieves, even a small step forward, even if I only have 1% of reliance on Hashem, that is a tremendous achievement and in fact, the core of the entire Torah as we'll learn. But in order for this type of Bitachon that we're going to explore, where Hashem will for sure come through for me in the way that I need, in the way that I desire, in order for that to work, then one needs to be 100% sincerely reliant on Hashem.   We now move to part seven, can a sinner apply Bitachon? Somebody who performs sins, can he apply Bitachon? The argument might be, Hashem coming through for me in the way that I need, Hashem sending me my desire in exactly the way that I view it - Okay, I can understand if somebody is a big tzaddik and performing Hashem's will exactly as He prescribes and doing everything right, then I can understand why Hashem would come through for them because they're such a devoted servant and child to Hashem, obviously Hashem is going to pay them back, but what does that have to do with me? I'm somebody who not only every second day but every day commits numerous sins, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes intentionally, and what therefore do I have to do with Bitachon?   So does that mean that I can only have the opportunity to tap into Bitachon once I cleanse myself from sins or can I even have the opportunity today to tap into Bitachon? Meaning to say we all understand the tremendous importance that countless Torah passages place on doing our best in this world to do as many mitzvos as we can and to stay away from aveiros and there's no question that regardless of the discussion about Bitachon, there are very definitely very concrete consequences, both for the positive as well as for the negative in terms of our actions, both in this world as well as most importantly in the next world. But is Bitachon an independent factor, completely independent of our actions, meaning to say certainly if somebody committed sins in the past and has not yet done Teshuva, again if somebody has already done Teshuva, then as the Gemara teaches, they don't actually have sins anymore. But we're speaking about somebody who has done sins, does that mean that because this person's slate is not clean, they cannot have the opportunity to have absolute reliance on Hashem?   And even more so, let's ask, if somebody is currently committing a sin, does that mean that okay, when I get clean, then I'll be able to rely on Hashem, but right now while I'm performing a sin, certainly it would seem that I do not have the opportunity to rely on Hashem. So let's discuss this further because again, many of these topics are counterintuitive like many topics in Torah and we do not use our own rationalism and reasoning to try answer these questions because as well-meaning as we might be, we certainly could be wrong. So let's b’ezrat Hashem continue to explore and eventually work our way to discussing the Torah sources themselves and gaining more clarity in our Bitachon.

The Gemara tells us that just like the initial redemption from Egypt took place in the month of Nissan, so too the redemption of the future, the coming of Mashiach, will also take place during the month of Nissan. Out of all the tremendous miracles that took place through our exodus from Egypt, in a sense the climax was the splitting of the sea when we were surrounded by the Egyptians from behind and the sea in front of us, and Hashem miraculously split the sea and allowed us to pass through it. We know that the splitting of the sea took place on the seventh day of Pesach, so in a sense the seventh day of Pesach is the climax of the redemption from the Egyptian slavery.   The Gemara tells us that one day when we are to pass on to the next world, one of the very first things that happens in the heavenly bastion is they ask us the question, “did you hope for Mashiach?” This is such an important question that it's right at the top of the list of questions that we are asked. We can obviously understand the importance that Hashem places on our wanting and hoping for the arrival of Mashiach. Now one may say, “look my life is actually okay, I don't necessarily need Mashiach.” Whether one feels that way or not, we have a mitzvah to want, pray and hope for the coming of Mashiach, and we can see that this is extremely important in Hashem's eyes to the point that this is one of the very first questions that we are asked when we arrive in Shamayim.   It is famously told about the Chofetz Chaim that he would constantly have a bag ready and packed under his bed for the arrival of Mashiach because he so eagerly awaited Mashiach's arrival that it was something real to the point that he had to be ready to go with his things packed in his bag because the Chofetz Chaim was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mashiach at any given moment. Now although we can understand in our heads that hoping and wanting and praying for Mashiach to come is something extremely important, many of us may not feel that eagerness for the coming of Mashiach and that doesn't make us bad in any way, God forbid. In a sense it's very hard to relate to what it's going to be like when Mashiach comes. Although we are taught in Torah sources many things about the coming of Mashiach and many Torah commentaries do offer insight into the Messianic era, nevertheless ultimately we don't know exactly how it's going to be because it's meant to be something hidden and that being the case it makes it more difficult for us to relate to as something so real because it's hidden from us.   But nevertheless, as always, even if a mitzvah is difficult or for that matter if anything is difficult in our lives there is always one solution that is the solution to all problems. We can talk to Hashem, we can say, “Hashem you have commanded me to want Mashiach whether I can relate to it or whether I don't relate to it. Master of the universe, please help me to really want and hope for and pray for the coming of Mashiach.” Be'ezrat Hashem on this holy seventh day of Pesach which is ultimately the climax of our redemption from Egypt when we came to the splitting of the sea, may we all merit the ultimate redemption, the coming of Mashiach, speedily in our days.

We've discussed how following Hashem's mitzvos in this world is one of the potent ways we earn our share in the next world. We also have discussed that one who believes in Hashem and His mitzvos truthfully, will make the maximum effort to perform the mitzvos with their intricate details exactly as Hashem has prescribed, because if this is what He says to do, this is what we ought to do. We have this tremendous opportunity during Chol Moed to fulfill the mitzvos as Hashem has prescribed.   We discussed the Mishnah which mentions that one who does not honour Chol Moed in the right way, they forfeit their portion in the next world. And as the Torah commentaries explained, that refers to one who does forbidden forms of work during Chol Moed, or alternatively, one who does not eat and drink in a similar way to how one would honour Shabbos and Yom Tov with Shabbos and Yom Tov meals. Now again, one may say, “well I haven't yet learnt all of the laws of Chol Moed, so does that mean I don't have a portion in the next world?” God forbid! Hashem does not expect us to do anything beyond our maximum capacity. If we have not yet had the opportunity to learn the laws of Chol Moed, or even if we have, but we make a mistake, remember, Hashem created us only to give to us, He is not there to catch us out. Our job is to make our maximum effort to do our best in learning the laws of Chol Moed, and do our best in fulfilling the mitzvos, doing what we are supposed to do, and not doing what we are not supposed to do. But, if we try our best and still get it wrong, either because we made a mistake, or because we haven't yet had the opportunity to learn all of the intricate details, Hashem sees our efforts, and that's what will count.   In terms of the mitzvah of Chol Moed itself, the Gemara says further that one who disgraces the festivals is comparable to an idol-worshipper, and again, the commentaries explain that this refers to one who performs forbidden forms of work during the days of Chol Moed. They're comparable to an idol-worshipper. Why? What is so bad? I still believe in Hashem, I'm performing many other mitzvos, I'm just maybe not treating Chol Moed as I am supposed to. Why is the Mishna and the Gemara, which is Hashem's voice, seemingly being so strict with us if we don't treat Chol Moed in the right way, to tell us that we may forfeit our portion in the next world, as well as being compared to an idol-worshipper? These are very strong words! And the answer to this question, why the consequences of Chol Moed are so strict, is as the Gemara tells us, that the reason for the days of Chol Moed, ultimately, are to give us the opportunity to celebrate the festival together with Hashem, by having festive meals, by not doing forbidden forms of labor, thereby giving us an opportunity to have more time, to learn Torah, to connect with Hashem, to have more time in our personal relationship with Hashem.   As the Maharal explains, if Hashem's whole intention in giving us the days of Chol Moed is in order to give us an opportunity to forge a close relationship with Him, if God forbid somebody is to ignore this precious time and become busy with other things, instead of focusing on building their relationship with Hashem, that is similar to slapping Hashem in the face and saying, “You're not my God, I don't want a personal relationship with you.” And that is why the Gemara is so strict and says that if one disgraces the days of Chol Moed, they are comparable to an idol worshipper, and the Mishnah teaches us that if one disgraces the days of Chol Moed, not according to its due honor, they forfeit their portion in the world to come. May we all capitalize on the opportunity of these tremendous days to build a closer relationship with Hashem, by having festive meals, by using the extra time that we have to learn Torah, to build our personal relationship with Hashem, by talking to Him, perhaps with the extra time that we have, more than usual. May we all merit a Chag Kasher Sameach.

Let us not forget that the only reason Hashem created us is in order to share His goodness with us. We will ultimately experience that goodness in the next world, and the way to earn that goodness in the next world is by the things we do in this world. We've discussed that the most potent thing we can focus on in this world, as discussed by the Torah commentaries, is to build our emunah and bitachon.   One very potent way of expressing our belief in Hashem, our emunah and bitachon in Hashem, is by following His mitzvos. When we follow Hashem's mitzvos, we're showing that we believe that He exists. We are thereby expressing our emunah, our belief in Hashem, that Hashem exists and Hashem is the one who commanded us to do these things, and that being the case, we will do so. And in the same way, the details, and sometimes very intricate details, that are involved in the performance of each of the mitzvos - if that is the way the Torah authorities have prescribed the mitzvos to be followed, that is ultimately the way Hashem wants us to fulfill the mitzvos, and the more we believe in Him, the more we will be careful to fulfill the mitzvos exactly as Hashem has prescribed us to do in all the intricate details.   We have right now the most incredible opportunity to be celebrating the days of Chol HaMoed. All of the mitzvos are important, and as the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos teaches, one can never know which mitzvah is bigger than another. And therefore, we are to treat all the mitzvos with tremendous importance and do our best to fulfill them all in all the intricate details, thereby expressing our belief - our emunah in Hashem. Although all the mitzvos are of paramount importance, one sometimes gets a feeling of a certain importance that Hashem shines upon certain mitzvot. Let's explore the mitzvah of Chol HaMoed to try and appreciate the tremendous opportunity we have during these days.   The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos says that one who disgraces the festivals, even if he possesses the merit of Torah and good deeds, he does not receive a portion in the world to come. The commentaries explain that this Mishnah refers to somebody who disgraces the days of Chol HaMoed by doing one of two things: either by doing forbidden forms of work during these days, or alternatively, by eating and drinking as if it's a regular weekday as opposed to a more lavish, respectable meal similar to Shabbos and Yom Tov. These are very strong words. All of the mitzvos are important, but when the Torah is teaching us that somebody who does not treat Chol HaMoed in the right way, they forfeit their portion in the next world, that gives us an indication that the days of Chol HaMoed are extremely important in Hashem's eyes.   We will explore, b'zrat Hashem, perhaps some of the reasons why these days may be so important. But again, the bottom line is, if Hashem says that these days are important to the point that if we don't treat them in the right way, we could, God forbid, forfeit our portion in Olam HaBa, if we believe in Hashem, we take those words seriously and make our maximum effort to treat Chol HaMoed in the right way. So based on this Mishnah, step number one is to do our best to learn about the laws of Chol HaMoed and to try to follow them as best as we can. And secondly, to make an effort to eat and drink during these days in a similar way to how we do on Shabbos and Yom Tov, to show that we are celebrating the days of Chol HaMoed together with Hashem.

We've discussed that the message of Pesach is that we are celebrating the fact that Hashem took us out of Egypt. We discussed how we ought to learn about the tremendous atrocities that the Jewish people experienced to help us appreciate what it means to come out of the Egyptian slavery and how we ought to celebrate to the highest degree. We also discussed why is it that Hashem put us into the Egyptian slavery in the first place. And as we spoke about, the answer to that is because Hashem cares about every single one of us. Hashem wants to have a personal relationship with every single one of us. And in order to do that, Hashem requires us to need Him.   The snake, the epitome of what symbolizes evil in the world, Hashem says to the snake, “you, I don't want anything to do with, and therefore your food will be dust. Wherever you go, you will have food to eat.” But when it comes to us, on the other hand, Hashem says, “you, my children, much of the time, maybe you won't have food. Not because I don't love you, but because I love you more. I want you to reach out to me. I don't want you to be like the snake who doesn't need me and never needs to have anything to do with me.”   So, on Pesach, we celebrate two things. Number one, that Hashem put us into the Egyptian slavery in the first place, and that we have that close, intimate relationship that He wants to have with every single one of us. Otherwise, He wouldn't cause us to suffer. And we also celebrate the salvation that Hashem sent us to redeem us from Egypt. This principle applies not only to our enslavement in Egypt, and the redemption and salvation that we received from our slavery. It applies to any form of suffering that we experience. If we were given the option of paving the course to how our lives will play out, many of us would opt for a life free of suffering. However, Hashem knows better. If we were to have everything that we needed, we would have no reason to reach out to Hashem. We would not have the drive to build a personal relationship with Hashem. This is one of the main reasons that Hashem sends every single one of us challenges, as explained by many Torah commentaries.   We know that matzah is called by the Zohar “nehama dimeheimenusa” - which means the bread of emunah. Throughout the year, we're trying to build our emunah - to make efforts to grow in our belief in Hashem, because that is ultimately the only reason we exist. As discussed, numerous times, the only reason Hashem created the world is to give to us, which takes place ultimately in Olam Haba. And the main way to earn Olam Haba in this world is building our emunah and bitachon. Throughout the year, we're making efforts to grow in our emunah and bitachon. But so much of the time, it's difficult. And of course, it's meant to be difficult, because this is the main reason that we're alive. This is our purpose. So of course, it can't be simple and easy. When we have an opportunity such as Pesach, where the time period lends itself to a boost in emunah, to the point that the main food of Pesach, matzah, is called the bread of emunah - if we believe in Hashem and His Torah and His mitzvos, every single bite of matzah is another boost in our emunah. Everything we're doing towards Pesach is going to boost our belief in Hashem. Let us all take the opportunity of Pesach to boost our emunah, that everything Hashem does is always for the best.

We are so privileged to have the opportunity to celebrate Pesach every single year. What exactly are we celebrating? Simply speaking, we're celebrating the fact that we were redeemed from the slavery in Egypt. It is worthwhile learning about what the Jewish people went through and experienced to appreciate what we're celebrating. It's important to highlight that our slavery in Egypt is not a fairy tale that didn't really transpire, God forbid. Just like we can relate to the Holocaust and similar atrocities throughout history, in the same way our enslavement in Egypt was something real that was experienced on a very real level by the Jewish people.   To just give one example of one of the atrocious things amongst many others: We know that the Jewish people were tricked into working for Pharaoh and they were given a certain quota of what they had to complete on a given day. If they had to collect material in order to make bricks to build a wall and they were short just of one brick of their expected quota, which was almost impossible - it was so much, they were forced to bring their own little cute precious child and stuff the child into the wall, thereby killing them, thereafter applying cement on top of the child. So painful even to say such a thing, but it's so important to digest what the people went through, and this is just one of many, many tremendous atrocities that the Egyptians imposed on the Jewish people.   So, on Pesach, we are celebrating that we came out of Egypt. What a tremendous celebration. “Thank you, Hashem, for taking us out of Mitzrayim.” But many of us would ask, “why Hashem did you put us there in the first place? Why did you cause us to suffer all those years? Why did Hashem put us in Egypt in the first place?” And the answer to this question is because Hashem wants to have a personal relationship with every single one of us. Let's explain this a little bit further. The Torah records that during the first few days after the creation of the wrodl, the snake sinned, and part of his punishment was, “your food snake will be the dust of the earth.” And the question that the commentaries ask is, what type of punishment is this? One of the biggest struggles that we all have to deal with throughout our lives is our parnassah - our sustenance. We have to be able to put food on the table. And here, Hashem says to the snake, “your food will be dust”, meaning to say, wherever you go in the world, there's always dust around. So, you, Mr. Snake, you will never ever lack parnassah. The snake is never ever short of food. So where was the curse that Hashem gave to the snake?   And the answer is, Hashem was saying to the snake, “I hate you so much that I never want you to talk to me again. I don't want anything to do with you.” So much so that if you one day would lack food, I know that you will reach out to me and say, “Hashem, I'm hungry. Please help me”, In the snake's own language. Hashem didn't want the snake to talk to him anymore because Hashem is not interested in a personal relationship with the snake, which represents something so evil and disgusting. Therefore, Hashem says, “you, Mr. Snake, you will have your food wherever you go.” When it comes to the Jewish people, however, Hashem says, “you, my children, I want to have a close, intimate, personal relationship with every single one of you.”   And in order to do that, very often He sends us challenges and very often He saves us from those challenges. One who is building their emunah and has their eyes open to bring Hashem into the picture uses both the challenges as well as the salvation from the challenges to build their relationship with Hashem - to build their love for Hashem. “Yes, Hashem, you are the one who put us into Egypt, into the Egyptian slavery in the first place so that eventually you could redeem us with the most phenomenal miracles that showed us how you were there all along. And it was you who placed us in there in the first place. And just like you are the one who redeemed us in the most unnatural, miraculous way, so too you are the one who placed us there in the first place because Hashem wants that personal relationship with every single one of us.” This is the message of Pesach. Hashem is interested in having a personal relationship with every single one of us. And that's why He put us into the Egyptian slavery in the first place and eventually redeemed us from that slavery. So, what we are celebrating on Pesach is that Hashem wants to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us.