Following the Clouds of Glory
There’s an incredible Ramban in Parashas Beha’aloscha that we must internalize. They’re words from a Rishon which are incredible instructive to us in our daily lives—enjoining us to allow ourselves to be led by the Ribbono shel Olam’s plans.
The Ramban addresses the pesukim that elaborate on the travels of the Yidden in the desert—all of which were directed by the הכבוד ענני the Clouds of Glory which hovered all around them. Sometimes, the Torah says, the clouds tarried above the Mishkan for many days, and then the Bnei Yisrael kept the charge of Hashem and journeyed not. When the cloud hovered for only a few days, the Jewish People likewise followed the guidance of Hashem to uproot after a short time.
Staying Put—Because It’s Hashem’s Will
The Ramban points out that this was the great avodah of the Yidden in the Midbar—to constantly agree and submit to the ratzon Hashem. Not only was their uprooting—which may have been inconvenient—according to the command of Hashem, but also their remaining in place wasn’t due to their own convenience, but purely because this is what Hashem commanded them to do.
Sometimes, remaining in place was difficult, and they really wanted to journey forth from that place. But Klal Yisrael learned to submit themselves completely, and heed the command of Hashem.
Learning to Listen
With this exercise, the Ribbono shel Olam taught the Yidden to listen. As they prepared to enter Eretz Yisrael, they would need to practice bittul to Hashem, because this is how a Yid must live:
Sometimes, a Yid feels that his life is going smoothly, and then it suddenly grinds to a halt. He can’t proceed further. How long will he need to wait in place? No one knows. Perhaps a day or a month, maybe a year or more... one never knows. Now we sit in place, because this is what the Ribbono shel Olam wants. Even if it’s painful, we accept what Hashem has ordained for us.
Sometimes, it’s the opposite. A person has finally settled down. He likes things just the way they are... everything is calm and good—and suddenly, Hashem wants him to uproot himself and start over. For this reason, the Torah repeats three times the phrase יסעו ה' פי ועל יחנו ה' פי על, they rested or journeyed only because this was the command of Hashem. They were completely submitted to His desire. ה' משמרת את ושמרו, this is the charge of Hashem: to go when we’re told to go, and to rest when we’re told to rest.
A Journey to the World of Truth
The same principle applies to our final journey in This World... the one we take on our last day of life. On the final Shabbos of his life (Parashas Beha’aloscha), a day before his ascension to the World of Truth, the Beis Aharon of Karlin explained that every neshamah comes down to This World with a mission to rectify lost sparks. And we journey in this world ה' פי על, according to the command of Hashem. יסעו ובהעלותו, and when a person has completed his mission, and all the sparks have been elevated, we journey one last time, to the World of Truth.
This person was in the midst of so many projects when he was taken away so suddenly. It’s deeply painful for his entire family, but Yiddishe kinder believe that this, too, is a journey from Hashem—and this is the greatest consolation and comfort: That it is a Heavenly journey with a Heavenly calculation.
Bitachon and Deveikus Every Single Day
When a person becomes used to living this way, he will always have a pleasant and enjoyable life, in all circumstances. Every event, large or small, that doesn’t necessarily go the way he would have liked, he nevertheless accepts it with love.
The Ribbono shel Olam expressly designed the world so that we must resolve every day anew not to become saddened or dragged down by things that happen. One may ask, why indeed is it this way—that every single day should be a new battle to push away negative thoughts?
The answer is that a person must strengthen his emunah and bitachon every day. And therefore, every person—even a non-Jew—must draw on life experience and wisdom in order to live life. But an ehrlicher Yid will not be satisfied with this; he will elevate himself with emunah and bitachon. He will thus become davuk in Hashem, and merit Olam HaZeh and Olam HaBa.
Accepting Pain Brings Shefa and Banishes Judgments
Thus writes the sefer Yesh Nochalin, authored by the father of the Shelah HaKadosh: “One shouldn’t become excessively aggravated over negative things that happen, for these come to the tzaddik in This World so that he will merit Olam HaBa... and if one will accept negative things with love, they will soon depart from him.” For when a person accepts his situation, he infuses it with Elokus, and he draws down a new flow of shefa through this.
He continues: If one will not accept the negative things with love, his aggravation and worry will not help alleviate them—to the contrary, one who revolts against his yissurim prolongs them and even adds to them!” This person places himself under the reign of the dinim, R”l, and in addition to his aggravation, he attracts even more judgments...
Bitachon Is the Best Investment
This is a way of life worth investing in—for the more one toils to accept his circumstances with bittul to Hashem, the more pleasant and enjoyable his life will be. The Brisker Rav would say, “The reward for bitachon is bitachon itself”: serenity, calm, and joy.
So, when a person remains only at the level of “life wisdom,” he will mostly be a calm and composed person. He will easy to get along with on most days. But when he encounters a situation that presses the wrong button, he will lose himself completely. All his calm and coolness were only because it was worth it... he calculated that it’s better for his health and well-being to distract from the negative. But when he’s touched in such a way that he feels that he’s about to lose everything, he will lose his composure. There’s a limit to how much it pays to be calm. There’s always a breaking point.
However, if one works on his bitachon to accept his small daily challenges—not because it’s the wise course—but because this is what Hashem wants for him, then he is zocheh to even more bitachon (a feeling of serenity and calm) as a reward for his reliance. Such a Yid will prevail in being calm even when he’s affected to his core, at all his sensitive points! This ability and strength can originate only from the Ribbono shel Olam Himself.
It’s a reward that we earn only if we work to hone our bitachon, our complete and utter reliance on Hashem, as opposed to the mediocrity of “life wisdom.”
