A person walks along a narrow bridge, holding onto a thick rope that stretches out to either side of him. He knows that if he lets go of the rope for even one moment, he could fall deep into the abyss.
Suddenly, he sees that the rope seems a bit slack. He fears that in another moment the rope will tear, and it’s better not to think about what could happen next. The one and only thing he needs to do now is to repair the rope. That is the most urgent and critical thing now, because without the rope there is no chance that he will survive.
During the days of Elul and Tishrei, we say the twenty-seventh perek of Tehillim: Hashem Ori v’Yishi – “Hashem is my Might and my Salvation; whom shall I fear...”
The Malbim explains that Hashem’s hashgachah comes when a person cleaves to Him. When a person is attached to Hashem, Hashem will safeguard him from all harm, and thus the person’s heart can rely on this, and he will not fear any evil.
He says something amazing: It’s impossible for something bad to happen to someone when he is davuk to Hashem. In his words: “No evil can occur to the tzaddik, except during the moment when he lets go of his dveikus and his avodas Hashem.” Therefore, he continues, among all the requests that a person makes, it is fitting that he focus on one request, through which he will receive all his other requests – he should ask to be close to Hashem at all times.
This principle is brought in sefer Toldos Yaakov Yosef (Parshas Mishpatim) in the name of the holy Baal Shem Tov: When a person has bitachon he cannot be punished from on High, and when they want to bring pain upon a person, they take his bitachon away from him. And the Baal Shem Tov says, “Therefore, it is appropriate to daven to be strong in bitachon.”
The whole world is a narrow bridge, and the rope that we hold onto is emunah and bitachon. When a person feels some sort of weakness in bitachon, he knows that his life is in danger.
These are days of teshuvah and of examining our deeds. It’s frightening to think about the Day of Judgment, which is coming closer, and everything that this day includes, but what is amazing is that the Judge of the entire world is also our Anchor and our Source of strength.
We are like a child who feels that his father is angry at him. He knows that he has nowhere to escape, and so he cries and runs into his father’s outstretched arms. This is the only safe place for him.
Reb Shlomo ibn Gabirol expressed this is his monumental piyut, “Kesser Malchus,” which is recited in Sephardic communities during the night of Yom Kippur.
“I escape from You – to You, and I conceal myself from Your wrath – in Your shade!”
Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us these Days of Judgement, and He calls out to us: Escape to Me! I am always here to accept you with warmth and love.
Gut Shabbat Pinchas Shefer
