Hashgachah Is Commensurate with Deveikus
In the Sefer Pri HaAretz by Rebbe Mendele of Vitebsk (Michtav 30), he speaks very strongly about the principle that “According to the deveikus that a person has in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, so is the Hashgachah over him.”
When a person remembers that the Ribbono shel Olam is the Mashgiach, He oversees and supervises the world, he earns a greater shefa of Hashgachah, and he encounters less concealment. If, however, a person forgets his thoughts of emunah, he will have less Hashgachah, and the light will become distant from him.
The Hashgachah Is Ever-Present, Even If Sometimes Less Brightly
The Pri HaAretz continues, stating that chas v’shalom, the Hashgachah will never be completely removed from a person, for the shadow of deveikus and Hashgachah will always abound, albeit in a diminished way.
That is, the Hashgachah Pratis on a person is never removed entirely. However, if a person distances himself, then the shefa of deveikus and Hashgachah will come to him with a צמצום, a restriction, and with less clarity. According to the quality of a person’s forgetting Hashem, and according to its duration, that is how long the duration of the הסתרת פנים, the concealment will last, May Hashem spare us.
Strengthening Emunah Is the Remedy for All Pain
So writes the Beis Yaakov, a student of the Rebbe Rav Bunim of Peshischa: בלבבו, האמונה לחזק יראה רח"ל, צער באיזה הוא כאשר לאדם גדולה עצה a great eitzah for a person when he is in pain, R”l, is for him to strengthen the emunah in his heart.
When a person finds himself in a dilemma, the first thought that comes to his mind should be, “I must have deviated in the clarity of my emunah, for if not, I would have had the Hashgachah Elyonah accompany me! How could such a thing have happened to me? My emunah must have weakened!”
And instead of this person instinctively placing fault and blaming this one and that one, he rather understands that the Ribbono shel Olam is working with him. As the Rambam says, this applies to the individual as well as to Klal Yisrael as a whole. If so, the eitzah must be to strengthen our emunah. Fulfill another mitzvah whose sole purpose is to strengthen our belief in Hashem, and you will see that the Hashgachah will return, because it works commensurately with the attitudes, thoughts, and actions of the person in the realm of his emunah.
Every Mitzvah Is an Angel of Mercy in Times of Need
The more we reiterate this yesod, this principle, the more it will assist us so that our Torah and mitzvos will be carried out with the purpose and the clarity of strengthening our emunah.
With every mitzvah that we do, we remember this emunah; with every mitzvah, we remember that there is a G-d in the world. Later, when the events of this world happen to a person, he will be secure in his knowledge that Hashem orchestrates everything, and he will benefit from the light of Hashem. He will live a pleasant and serene life.
Heavenly Revelations in Accordance with Our Emunah
The holy Sfas Emes (Shelach 5650) explains the pasuk in Parashas Ha’azinu אמונה, קל a G-d of Emunah, to mean that G-dliness is revealed here on This Earth in accordance with how much emunah a person possesses.
The Sfas Emes is teaching us that, of course, the Ribbono shel Olam sustains everything always—but sometimes it is in a restricted manner. But when there is proper emunah, then the Hashgachah rains down without the layers of teva! It all depends on our clarity in emunah!
Nothing Can Unnerve Us Except Ourselves
A Yid must always be honest with himself. If he notices that there are situations that make him nervous or frustrated, it is a sign that this area needs more emunah. For if you had remembered the Ribbono shel Olam in that time and place, and you had recalled that He orchestrates everything, you wouldn’t view this situation as complicated or difficult—and you wouldn’t become saddened or made nervous by it.
We must remember this ironclad rule: No situation in the world has the power to make us nervous; the only thing that can do that is the person’s heart itself! Of course, it’s easier and simpler to lay the blame on outside factors when things go wrong, but the truth is that everything originates in our own hearts. The outside circumstances placed our hearts into this nisayon.
It’s Our Choice to Live with Light
Each of us has the choice not to accept things in the world at face value. Not to look at events with a teva attitude—but rather, to accept the situation באהבה, and remember that there is a G-d in the world, thereby infusing light into the darkness.
Of course, this is not an easy avodah. It’s not always so simple to carry this out. But we must—at the very least—know the truth and slowly graduate from one stage to the next.
Even after a person has lost himself... he became upset...someone got the better of him—he can still utilize this as a learning experience. I forgot that there is a Great Conductor of the world, and this is why I lost my bearings. I will handle it better the next time. This is how a person grows, and he becomes healthy in body and soul.
This is the pshat in the Chazal (Shabbos 105b), עבודה עובד כאילו הכועס כל זרה, one who becomes angry is akin to one who worships idols. If you became angry, this means that you have forgotten that the Ribbono shel Olam runs the world.
Conversely, how wonderful, how pleasant, and how enjoyable is the feeling of a Yid who lives with a clear emunah! This is our very avodah in This World. It is everything.
