0628 - Bitochon 01

00:01 This is Rabbi Shapiro. In these hard times, what's needed now is the Chizuk in din of Bitachon, the strengthening of the mide of trust in Hashem. It's not so easy, it's not so simple, but that's what's needed now. That's the test now, how much Bitachon we have in Hashem. So I think this is a good time to learn every day a little bit about what the mide of Bitachon is. So what I would like to do is the next few days, and maybe on, hopefully we won't need it, because Bitachon we always need, but we won't need it especially for the situation because the situation will become much better. But I think from the next few days at least, I would every day say over a vort or tell a story, a vort of the Rabbeim, that has to do with the mide of Bitachon, of the mide of having trust in Hashem. Because that's what we are being tested now, to see how much Bitachon we have in Hashem, that Hashem will definitely help us and take us out of this problem. So what I would like to do now is just read a letter of the Friedike Rebbe, that the Rebbe brings it in Likutei Sichos, concerning what the mide of Bitachon really is. How far does Bitachon go? How far does trust in Hashem go? And this is what the Friedike Rebbe writes in the letter. I'm gonna read it in English. I'm looking at the Hebrew, but I'm gonna say it

01:18 in English not to spend too much time reading the Hebrew and translating it to English. The real complete Bitachon in Hashem is when there is no way at all seen and any gashmez dike source that you see how you will be helped. As the world says, an expression of the world is that somebody who drowns, Rachmana Litzlan, holds himself even on a small piece of straw. But the Rebbe says, the Friedike Rebbe says here that if you, there is still a straw there on what to hold, that means there is still some kind of far, far-fetched way that begashmi is you see you could be helped. Even though it's a very small chance it'll work, then it's still not the complete Bitachon in Hashem. When there is still a possibility begashmi is even a far-fetched one that you'll be helped, that's called Tikva. Tikva means hope. That's not Bitachon. And he gives an example where we find the expression Tikva. When the two Meraglim, the two spies that Yeshu sent to Eretz Yisrael, and they stayed in the house of Rochov and she protected them from the K'naanim, she asked them that when they later come to conquer Eretz Yisrael, they should please protect her family as a thanks for what she did to protect them. And they promised. They said, "We will not do anything to your family, but what you should do is hang out a string, a thread outside your window. So when we come, this will be the siman where you

02:52 are." And that thread the posse calls Tikvas Chutasoni. The thread which is a Tikva, a hope that's going to protect them. Now, this is really only a hope. You're not sure because even though it's there, there could be so many things that will make it tear, the wind could take it away or anything else. But still there is a hope it's gonna work, but that's still a hope. It's only a hope, but it's still a hope. That's not what Bitachon is. The real Bitachon is when you don't even see any hope, any far-fetched way that you'll be out of this problem, and nevertheless, you have a Bitachon in Hashem, you trust Hashem, and you trust Him that He will help you. And then the Friedike Rebbe continues, "When you trust Hashem and you have this Bitachon, but you still are worried and you sigh, that's not the real Bitachon according to the Shit of the Baal Shem Tov." Because according to the Shit of the Baal Shem Tov is that when you have Bitachon, so any situation that you have, whether it is not so good or Chas VeShalom bad, and it still bothers you and you have pain from it, you suffer from it, and you worry about it, that is not the real Bitachon. The real Bitachon is you have to do everything first of all Al Pi Torah, everything Al Pi Sechel Hanushi, and trust in Hashem, and not even to have any, any doubt that Hashem will help you. For sure

04:13 He will help you. Because the Deivish there is Mashgiach, the Deivish there, there is pr- divine providence on everything that happens in the world. So everything is by Hashgacha Protis, and Hashgacha Protis is what gives you the strength and makes everything happen. So you have to have the proper Bitachon. This is the letter of the Friedike Rebbe. Now, obviously it's not so easy to have feel that way when you see things different, but we have to work on it. And there are actually stories that show that if you have this proper Bitachon, it really works, which is connected to the vort of that it's a Machzadik said, another Rabbeim, "Tracht gut vet zein gut." If you lo- think properly, if you think good, then it will be good. Now, there are some stories to, to illustrate this, and that'll be Im Yirtzeh Hashem next time.