Don’t Try to Help Yourself
When we analyze this story, we learn an incredible yesod in the sugya of bitachon. When a person finds himself in a situation in which he relies absolutely and completely on Hashem, he knows that he has nothing in the world, only the embrace of his Creator...and he doesn’t try to fight that fact, rather he embraces and welcomes it...He doesn’t want it any other way, and he doesn’t try to help himself on his own. He thinks only thoughts of dependence on Hashem, as David HaMelech said, אמו, עלי כגמול like a suckling child at his mother’s side (Tehillim 131:2), and as Rashi explains the pasuk לפניך, מוטל כגולם like a golem laying before you..., I can’t help myself, and I won’t even try to help myself.... I am not searching for solutions, and I don’t need to help the Ribbono shel Olam help me.
Many people make the mistake of constantly thinking up solutions to help themselves while they think thoughts of bitachon—thinking, “Look, Hashem helped me by sending me this solution to help myself.” Let go entirely! Don’t think about solutions now. Don’t think about what will occur in the future.
People make the mistake of trying to divine the end of the story... to figure how things will pan out in any given situation in which they find themselves. Perhaps they’re not thinking fifty years down the line, but they feel the need to think about how things will pan out... this way or that way. Let go of the end result... don’t think about what will be in the end. Think about where you find yourself at this moment. “Right now, I find myself solely in the Hands of the Ribbono shel Olam.”
And the moment you let go of all your calculations, you will feel a tremendous connection to HaKadosh Baruch Hu—and that will bring you great pleasure.
