A bachur asked the Tzemech Tzedek zt'l of Lubavitch, "We don’t see Hashem, so how do we know He is here?"
The Tzemech Tzedek zt'l wrapped his hand in a towel and waved his hand. He asked the boy, "Who is moving the towel?"
"The Rebbe's hand."
"Do you see my hand?"
"I don’t see your hand, but I know that your hand is moving the towel."
The Rebbe replied, "Similarly, we don’t see Hashem, but we see the entire world functioning, the grass growing, animals living, people moving, and we know that Hashem is behind it all. The world and all its activities testify to Hashem, Who is running it."
Another example mentioned by the tzaddikim of Chabad is the neshamah. Everyone knows that they have a neshamah. How else does he move, see, hear, think? The fact that he is alive proves that he has a neshamah. Similarly, says the Tzemech Tzedek, the life we see in the world testifies that there is a Creator. No one saw the Creator, but it is obvious that the Creator is there.
Furthermore, the wonders found in every aspect of creation also testify to the Creator. No one sees Hashem, but everyone looking at the world knows that he is in Hashem's presence.
The same applies to hashgachah pratis. We might not see Hashem, but His presence is unmistakable.
It states (Tehillim 16:8), תמיד לנגדי 'ה שויתי, "I place Hashem before me, always..." According to what we explained, placing Hashem's presence before your eyes is very easy. Just look at the world, and you will see Hashem is before you! Every detail of the world testifies to the Creator! The "life" of the world testifies that there is a Creator!
Reb Gad'l Eisner zt'l, the renowned mashgiach of Yeshivas Gur, endured the horrors of Auschwitz and lost his only daughter in the war, but his emunah remained intact. To demonstrate to the students how difficult it was to have emunah in that era, Reb Gad'l took a bottle cap from the table, hid it in his hands, and asked his student, "If someone would come into this room and search for the cap, would he find it?" "No," the student replied. "He wouldn't think to look in your hand. He will look all over the room and not find it." Reb Gad'l said that this is how it was during the Holocaust. People were searching for Hashem but couldn't find Him. This is the reason so many people fell away. Reb Gad'l asked, "If someone knew I am holding the cap in my hands, would he search for it?" The student replied that he wouldn't search for the bottle cap because he knew where it was. Reb Gad'l explained that his emunah remained firm throughout the Holocaust because he didn't search for Hashem. He knew Hashem was there. Had he searched, he wouldn't have found Him, but he had no doubts that Hashem was with him.
The following is another approach Reb Gad'l shared with his students to describe how he found Hashem even during the Holocaust: "If someone lost a diamond worth millions of dollars in a dark room, would he not search for it because it is dark and difficult to find? Of course not! He would crawl on his hands and knees and feel the floor until he found it. Similarly, when darkness covered the earth during the Holocaust, and it was hard to find Hashem, I knew that Hakadosh Baruch Hu was there. So, I continued searching for Him, despite the difficulties."
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 67:) relates that a certain woman sought to take dust from beneath Reb Chanina's feet for the purpose of performing sorcery against him. Reb Chanina told her, "If you succeed in employing sorcery against me, go ahead and do it. It states, מלבדו עוד אין, there is no strength in the world other than Hashem's strength." Rashi explains that he told her, "If Hashem desires me, you won't be able to harm me. And if you do succeed to harm me, that means that it came from Hashem, and I accept it."
The following pasuk states (Tehillim 16:9) לכן לבטח ישכן בשרי אף כבודי ויגל לבי שמח, "Therefore, my heart rejoiced, and my soul was glad; even my flesh shall dwell in safety." This means that when you know you are always before Hashem, you will always be happy. And it is undoubtedly so. Emunah is a great fountain of joy and tranquility.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef
(Tzafnas Paneiach, Mishpatim אסתר תענית ענין ונבאר ל"י עוד ה"ד) elaborates on one aspect of this joy, based on a lesson and mashal told by baalei mussar:
A person is speaking to the king when someone enters the room and gives him a resounding smack in front of the king! Of course, the one having the audience with the king will not react to the smack he has just received. He would remain silent, thinking, "If the king sent him to hit me, what can I do? And if he hit me with his own will, the king will certainly punish him for hitting me while speaking to the king. There is no reason for me to get involved." This is what a person should think when someone humiliates or harms him in any way. There is no reason to punish him or take revenge. It was sent from Hashem, and it was destined to be. Furthermore, Hashem will certainly punish him, so why must you get involved?
The Toldos explains that avoiding machlokes is a source of great joy because that will save a person from problems and strife. And this is easy to accomplish with the awareness of תמיד לנגדי 'ה שויתי, that you are before Hashem. And therefore, לבי שמח, you can live a joyous and stress-free life.
It states in this week's parashah (Bamidbar 23:23), ל-א פעל מה ולישראל ליעקב יאמר כעת. The Divrei Yisrael zt'l (Modzhitz) teaches that this pasuk hints at the wonderful level of emunah, to know that everything is from Hashem. When you have this emunah, you won't get angry at those who wrong you and won't be upset when things don't go how you want. The pasuk discusses יעקב and ישראל. The Or HaChaim (Bereishis 47:28) says that whenever the Torah states Yisrael, it represents the Jewish nation when they are on a high level, and when it states Yaakov, it hints to the Jewish nation when they are on a lower level. The pasuk says, ליעקב יאמר כעת; this means that when Yidden are at a lower level, they say כעת that things happen according to the times. They attribute everything to chance, to nature, to the era. However, ל-א פעל מה ולישראל, when the Yidden are at a higher level, they say, ל-א פעל מה, everything happens by Hashem's decree. This is as we say in the Shabbos zemiros, פעלו פי על מאוד הרבה שכרו. The Divrei Yisrael explains, מאוד הרבה שכרו, he will receive a great reward for his emunah, פעלו פי על, when he has the belief that everything happens פי על, by Hashem's decree.
