Sukkos Lesson- Bitachon
For Year 3 of Parsha Lesson, I will be focusing on one area of character
growth, to think about in the week ahead and the benefits that a person
would have from becoming better in that area.
Introduction
It says in the Torah that the reason why on Sukkos we make Sukkahs and go out of our houses to live in them for 7 days, is in order to commemorate how Hashem took us through the desert after freeing us from slavery in Egypt. By re-enacting this, and by putting ourselves out in temporary huts, this helps us to re-experience the amazing kindness and care that Hashem did with us. This helps us to refocus and strengthen our bitachon, or trust and reliance on the kindness of Hashem.
As a follow up of my speech at the Pre- Yom Kippur Drasha event that we had at the school (which can be viewed here), I was discussing with someone how important it is to fundamentally shift one’s mindset from: growth being hard and painful, to: growth being good and enjoyable. Negativity does not give more energy and does not encourage growth and change, positivity does. I shared with this person how when life gets tough I try to think about life as being a boot camp which, while it may be hard, people often sign up for boot camp in order to grow- be it in fitness, mental tenacity, as a computer programmer, etc. This world is Hashem's boot camp which he has tailor-made for each and every one of us to become the greatest that we can possibly become.
The person countered- that yes, that would work, but the problem is that when a person chooses to attend a boot camp they are more likely to think positively about it. However when one is thrust into life it is far more difficult, if not impossible to feel good about the difficulties of life.
This very thoughtful response highlights how important it is for us to strengthen our bitachon- trust and reliance in Hashem. If a person can truly feel as if Hashem is the kindest of all, the most giving of all, and so values and cherishes each and every person and only does to us what is best for us- then it would enable a person to truly adopt this ‘life is a bootcamp’ mindset which would bring tremendous happiness and calmness of spirit to a person as they face the challenges and happenings of life.
In short: in order to grow it is very important to shift one’s mindset with regards to life’s difficulties from being hard, painful, and negative to being good, positive, and even enjoyable. A good way to make this fundamental shift is to realize that Hashem orchestrates all of the aspects of our lives and is only good and kind and is doing all of that which he is doing for our best.
So while we can appreciate the benefits of having trust and reliance in Hashem, the question is how can one go about attaining this feeling with regards to Hashem?
Background
In Mishlei (3:6) Shlomo Hamelech, King Solomon, teaches us that we should ‘know Him (Hashem) in all of your paths, and He will straighten your ways’. Rabbeinu Yonah explains that in this passuk, Shlomo Hamelech is teaching us that one should put his hope in Hashem in all of the little things in life, in order that one’s desirous nefesh (animalistic spirit, or physicality) will come to accept reliance and trust in Hashem.
A person should turn to Hashem for success in all of the little areas and accomplishments in life, not just the big ones. Rabbeinu Yonah teaches further, that the way to go about this is to realize how little strength and ability a person has to accomplish anything. A person needs to realize that everything is in Hashem’s hands, success or failure of every little thing that a person would like to accomplish hinges on Hashem.
Question
How would this lead one’s animalistic spirit to accept Hashem’s orchestrating everything in life and to come to rely on and trust Hashem- isn’t life difficult!? Aren’t there many things in life that are painful, difficult and hard! If so, how would recognizing that a person has limited ability to accomplish anything, and realizing that every little thing needs Hashem’s help in order to be successful- lead to the person having trust and reliance in Hashem? If Hashem is orchestrating everything in life and life is so often painful and not pleasant- the desirous, animalistic soul of a person would presumably be angry and rebel from all of the difficulties and challenges!
Answer
When a person, in a real and honest way, looks at what good they have accomplished in life, they will quickly realize that the success they experienced needed a tremendous amount of ‘good luck’ in order to materialize. When one looks honestly at their own experience and that of people around them, the person will realize that they are really and truly incapable of accomplishing things without the help of Hashem.
One need to only look at one’s own life and see how many times the same sequence of actions and behaviors did not lead to the desired result, or other things entered the picture to upset their aims, to realize that actually succeeding needed help from Hashem. One can look around at others and see how they do the same things, with different results. In fact, very often, when someone honestly assesses someone else who is not as successful as they are, they will find the other person to have put in more effort, better effort, etc. but was still unsuccessful. This all leads one to the realization that without Hashem’s help- good will simply not happen. There are just too many things that can, and will, go wrong.
Joy and pleasure are the languages of the ‘desirous nefesh’ of a person. A person’s animalistic spirit or soul is hardwired to decrease pain and increase pleasure at every opportunity. Therefore, when one has this mindset and feeling, one will then want to have bitachon, trust and reliance in Hashem. Recognizing that Hashem runs the world and orchestrates everything in it, would now be a source of comfort and security to the person.
True, life is challenging and often difficult, but when a person realizes how much good Hashem does with them, the challenges and difficulties will be understood with a different perspective. They will be understood in a context whereby Hashem who has done so much good is also doing this challenge and difficulty, which is good- much like a boot camp.
Lesson
The way to attaining true bitachon, trust and reliance in Hashem, is by realizing that Hashem is the source of all of the good in one’s life. If a person takes a hard look at the accomplishments, joy and pleasure that one has experienced in this world, and one looks as well at a person’s inability to accomplish this on their own, one will be filled with a good feeling and and pleasure vis a vis Hashem’s oversight and orchestration of the world.
The key to all of this is- that when one feels good about all of that which Hashem has done for them, the person will then love Hashem and WANT to have trust and reliance in him. When one wants this, it will happen- organically and properly, without struggling, fighting, doubt and regret.
Benefits of this…
Once a person has trust and reliance on Hashem, a person can then approach the challenges of life with a fresh perspective, one which will give one the necessary strength and perseverance necessary to successfully tackle all the challenges that come one’s way. When a person appreciates that Hashem is THE source of all good that was accomplished in one’s own life, and the person then comes to trust and rely on Hashem, the person will then be able to truly feel that this challenging life that Hashem has given me is in order to grow and become better.
Also, the success and accomplishment that a person experiences will just lead to more love and reliance on Hashem. As well as realizing that if Hashem is giving him so much good that there is now a responsibility to act and to do with that which Hashem has granted them.
Wishing you a wonderful Sukkos and
Chag Kosher v'Sameach!
Rabbi Eli Meir Kramer
