The Special Hashgachah for Those Who Live with Hashem
Tzaddikim Merit Special Protection
As a complement to the well-known Ramban at the end of Parashas Bo—which includes numerous foundations of emunah—we learn an incredible Ramban in Iyov that likewise holds numerous emunah fundamentals. One who hasn’t learned and absorbed these principles is lost... he walks around with doubts and confusion... while one who does learn these yesodos is freed from impediments in his life, and he proceeds through life with joy and bliss.
The Ramban focuses on the pasuk, עניו, מצדיק יגרע לא He will not remove from a righteous man His eyes (Iyov 36:7). That is, the Ribbono shel Olam holds His eye upon the righteous one—far more than on anyone who isn’t aware of his Creator.
Why is this? Because the Ribbono shel Olam wants us to live with His Hashgachah and to remember Him always. He wants us to be connected the Source of good, and when a Yid remembers that Hashem Yisbarach runs the entire world and is good to all, he becomes tethered to the Ribbono shel Olam, the Source of Good.
A Reciprocal Eye
Says the Ramban: And for this reason, the Ribbono shel Olam guards the tzaddikim—for just as their hearts and eyes are always with Him, so too is His eye upon them always. The tzaddik believes that everything is done by HaKadosh Baruch Hu, and that everything is for the good; therefore, he indeed merits special Heavenly protection and oversight.
(For this reason, looking at the face of a tzaddik strengthens emunah—for when we see how a tzaddik always lives with the awareness that Hashem runs the world, we become influenced by the tzaddik’s emunah.
Happenings of the World Don’t Affect One Who Is Davuk b’Hashem
Continues the Ramban: For the pious one who is bound to his G-d always... his mind never departs from the Ribbono shel Olam, even as he goes about his daily affairs. He always remembers with crystal clarity that the Ribbono shel Olam conducts all his affairs. He will always be protected from the events of the times, even those things that happen in the regular course of nature.
He will be protected from them through miracles—as if he were one of the Malachim Above who aren’t affected by the occurrences of the times.
A Pious Yid Avoids Worldly Problems
Parenthetically, we can see a great difference between how people process worldly events, even when these events depend on other people. For example, a person sends his child to learn in a mossad, and naturally, people have complaints... this rebbi isn’t good at his job, this principal is incorrect... the transportation department needs to function better....
There’s one group of people who are always upset and filled with complaints... while another category of people will say, “Have you ever found perfection in the world?! This is how it is. We need to live with it. It’s the nature of things....”
In general, we will see that the pious Yid, who lives with emunah, endures these problems, and they don’t bother him. This rebbi happens to like his son... his daughter is liked by her teachers... here he doesn’t use the transportation system at all....
The world is raining down problems, but he manages to sidestep them all! The Ramban is teaching us that this is how the world works. A Yid who is bound to his Creator is shielded from the happenings of the world.
Commensurate Connection
Continues the Ramban: The greater the closeness of his connection with his Creator, the greater his protection will be. The more he lives with closeness to Hashem, the less upset he will become with others: the more he will remember that the irritating event has nothing to do with the other person—it is only from Hashem, Who runs the entire world—the more the tzaddik will be protected by Heavenly protection.
Conversely, says the Ramban: One who is distant from G-d with his mind and with his actions—even if he hasn’t committed terrible offenses for which he deserves to be punished by death—he will become abandoned and forsaken to the happenings of the world. He will immediately feel abandoned... he will experience פנים, הסתר darkness and concealment.
The Believer Is Especially Protected
Often, when a person finds himself experiencing failure after failure, disappointment after disappointment, he looks up and cries out to Hashem: Why me?! Why do I constantly experience all these events?! Why davka my child?!
Says the Ramban to this person: I guarantee you that there’s a precise Heavenly conduct that you can see with crystal clarity. The Ribbono shel Olam ensures that we see the way that a בה' מאמין merits special protection—because Hashem’s aim is the Ultimate Good. Connect to the knowledge that the Ribbono shel Olam runs the world!
Problems Cause Us to Turn Heavenward
When you’re furious at someone in your child’s yeshivah, know that this is a great favor that Hashem is doing for you. It is specially designed so that you will reflect upon your aggravation and have no choice but to turn to Hashem with emunah, which in turn protects a person from the happenings of the world.
It’s true that the world is a dangerous place. There are people all around you who have the free choice and ability to hurt you—so it seems. Why did Hashem design the world in this way? Because He wants you to have good.
If there weren’t danger and the potential for negative events, you would never turn to Hashem. Therefore, He ordained that the only way to be saved from these events is by turning to Him—and in this way merit the ultimate good.
Walking Serenely Among Vicious Animals
It is painful to watch how people become lost, confused, and angry because they feel that someone wronged them. “The system is corrupt,” he intones.... He is preoccupied with all the corruption that he finds in the system and in the world, and he crawls deeper and deeper into a life of complaints and unhappiness and anger.
We must leave that place! The Ribbono shel Olam wants “vicious animals” to exist in the world—because He wants you to have no other way but to serve Him and fulfill the Torah and mitzvos, which will bring you closer to a life of knowledge and deveikus b’Hashem! If you will live with emunah, you will be able to walk among the vicious animals, and nothing will be able to touch you—as we see in illustrations of Makkas Arov... in which the Jewish children were able to walk among the lions and snakes unharmed.
Yes, there’s an Arov...the world will continue to have wild animals and negative events, but you’re not obligated to live in that world! You can be like the child in Mitzrayim who stroked the lion and played with the leopard.... You will have the special protection that Hashem gives to those Yidden whose עמו, תמיד ועיניהם לבם hearts and eyes are always with Him.
The Light of Emunah Saves Us from “Happenings”
The Ramban concludes by alluding to the words of the Navi: רגלי ידמו, בחשך ורשעים ישמור חסידיו He guards the steps of His devout ones, but the wicked are stilled in darkness (Shmuel I 2:9). Those who are close to Hashem are protected, while those who are distant are abandoned to random events of the world—like a person who gropes in the dark and can stumble at any moment.
And it says לחסדו, למיחלים יראיו אל ה' עין the eye of Hashem is on those who fear Him, upon those who await His kindness (Tehillim 33:18). That is, His eye will be upon them commensurate with the measure of their awaiting His kindness.
