But the meaning of bitachon is the serenity of the soul of the ba’al bitachon, and that his heart should be completely reliant on the One in Whom he trusts that He will do what is best and proper for him in whatever matter he trusts Him in, according to His ability and the ba’al bitachon’s knowledge that He does what is good for him.
But the ikkar of bitachon, the element without which one cannot have bitachon, is that one’s heart should be reliant upon the One Whom he relies that He will do what He said He would do, and carry out what He promised to do—and that He will do even what he has not pledged or undertaken to do, because He will do it out of a sense of voluntary kindness.
One Hundred Percent Bitachon Is Possible Only in Hashem
The Chovos HaLevavos teaches us here that for a person to attain the level of bitachon that will infuse him with chiyus, it is necessary for that bitachon to be placed in someone or something that can be relied upon with absolute reliance, 100 percent. Only then will a person derive the true benefits that come from bitachon. If the trust that this entity has the ability and the desire to help him is not absolute, a person cannot be completely serene and reliant; he cannot derive chiyus from his bitachon.
An example of this is the fact that a person is accustomed to breathing effortlessly up to 30,000 breaths a day. He takes it for granted, and he doesn’t remember to thank Hashem for every breath. But what happens when a person is forced to don a mask? Now he needs to exert much effort for oxygen to reach him properly.... (When no one is looking, he takes off his mask. Why? Because he can’t breathe properly under it.... It doesn’t feel good.).
The same, says the Chovos HaLevavos, is when a person relies upon an entity that can’t really help him. His trust in that entity is strained... it isn’t absolute. And for this reason, he can’t derive proper chiyus and vitality from such trust.
A Human Can’t Provide Absolute Trustworthiness
In the second chapter, the Chovos HaLevavos will elaborate on the idea that as long as a someone places his trust in a human of flesh and blood—even if this person is a bulldozer and a steamroller in one, even if he has helped thousands of people, even if he has connections ev- erywhere, and he will “surely” get it done—one can attain only 80-90 percent of trust in such a person. It will never be absolute, because, at the end of the day, he is only human.
It is only when a Yid relies upon the Ribbono shel Olam that he can attain absolute bitachon, and it is only then that he can draw chiyus from that trust, without barriers, with constraints, without “masks,” and without restrictions.
Bitachon in Humans Can’t Give Us Chiyus
Thus, when we place our trust in humans instead of in the Ribbono shel Olam, there’s a twofold issue: One is that we draw chiyus from an improper source, and therefore it will eventually stop—just as if a per- son put diesel into an ordinary car: it will soon come to a halt.
But, in addition to this, the Chovos HaLevavos identifies another nekudah: Even while you do attain chiyus from your trust in that other person, it will never be complete or absolute. A human can never be relied upon absolutely. He constantly must be reminded about it, and you’re constantly going to hear excuses. “Yes, yes, I will take care of it tomorrow... take my word for it.” The next day brings a whole new torrent of excuses. “Don’t ask... a complication happened... I had an emergency.”
A person who doesn’t rely upon the Ribbono shel Olam will never ex- perience the pleasure that comes to us when we’re one hundred percent confident and reliant. He can’t get there, because humans are limited. Since the one he relies upon is limited, it is impossible for him to guar- antee one hundred percent assurance and serenity.
“Taking Shelter” in Hashem Is Better Than “Reliance” on Humans
The sefer Agra d’Pirka (authored by the Rebbe Tzvi Elimelech Shapira, known as the Bnei Yisasschar) explains the pasuk, באדם מבטוח בה' לחסות טוב, it is better to take refuge in Hashem than to rely on man (Tehillim 108:8). “Taking refuge,” he explains, is when we rely on a someone even though he has never assured you in this particular thing, while “reliance” is when we trust in someone to provide something that he has promised to deliver. Even so, it is still preferable to rely on Hashem even for those things He has never assured us than to rely on man for things that he has promised.”
Even if a person feels undeserving of Hashem’s kindness—he may have done an aveirah the day before—it is still better to rely on Hashem for his salvation than to rely on man, even if he has promised it to you! Taking refuge in Hashem is much stronger, and it can bear much more weight from our hearts, because it always works one hundred percent, whereas reliance on a person who is limited and constrained cannot provide absolute serenity.
He Also Has His Own Interest...
In the sefer Pe’er Yaakov, an insightful vort is brought on the pasuk, אל תשועה לו שאין אדם בבן בנדיבים תבטחו, do not rely on nobles, nor on a human being for he holds no salvation (Tehillim 146:3). Usually, when a person is kind toward another, he also has his own interest at heart; he has some- thing to gain; he will be known as a good person; be counted among the נדיבים, etc. There’s very often a personal interest in the mix.
Says the pasuk, do not trust in nobles, or in a human being because לו תשועה, the salvation is for him; he also seeks to benefit from his kind deeds. Of course, this is not to diminish or minimize those who do chessed for others. Their reward is truly great... but it is worthwhile to look at the limitations of humans when it comes to their ability to bring salvation to others, and how it is thus foolhardy to rely on man.
Humans Can’t Bear This Weight
Sometimes, we see a child crawling onto a folding table. We observe that one of the legs is buckling, and we yell out to the child to get off immediately. But he doesn’t see the problem, he doesn’t know what you want from him; and sure enough, the table buckles and falls within seconds, together with the child.
The adults standing there knew what would happen, because this ta- ble isn’t meant to hold such weight. It’s simply not meant to hold people. The Chovos HaLevavos stands to the side and warns us: Bitachon can hold even the heaviest weight. By definition, a person can rely that even his greatest problems and challenges will be resolved—but human be- ings are simply not calibrated to be relied upon for such heavy weight. Humans are limited in their ability, and they’re also filled with personal interest. They simply don’t have the ability to shoulder your burden completely and selflessly.
Humans Can’t Provide Security
This is like someone who’s about to approach a wealthy person to ask for a 10,000 donation. But a smart Yid meets him and tells him, “You need to understand that you’re aiming for something way out of this person’s comfort zone. These aren’t his type of numbers... this maxi- mum you can ask him for is 180.”
The Chovos HaLevavos is telling us: Look into the pesukim and analyze reality. You will see that it’s simply fooling yourself to place your trust in humans. They can’t provide you with absolute security... they sim- ply don’t have the wherewithal. They have neither the ability nor the understanding for it.
Even when it seems to you that there’s no reason this person shouldn’t give something to you... he gives everyone... he is a good person!... This may be true, but you still can’t get one hundred percent security from him, and relying on him will only bring you disappointment and frus- tration—and this is a shame. You’re looking for someone to rely upon? Humanity isn’t the address. They’re incapable of providing this in an absolute and complete way.
When a person recognizes that he has no one to rely upon, he will immediately turn to the Source of chiyus and security—a Source Who can and does provide 100 percent security.
And the Chovos HaLevavos teaches us that there’s never a moment when we can say, “Perhaps now is not the time for bitachon...maybe I’m unworthy...,” because the Ribbono shel Olam is always a וחנון רחום, He is compassionate and benevolent. We also can never think that a problem or challenge is too difficult for us to have bitachon... for the Ribbono shel Olam can do anything, and He can help us out of even the most difficult situations.
The Ribbono shel Olam Will Do What’s Best for You
It is worthwhile to note something that we have mentioned in the past: Sometimes, a person wants something very much, and he tells him- self that the Ribbono shel Olam will surely give it to him, because “if I want it this much, it must be that Hashem wants me to have it....”
This is not the definition of bitachon: This is called trying to get Hashem on board with your plans. The true meaning of bitachon is that a person should know that the Ribbono shel Olam will do what is best for him. He is always serene in the knowledge that there will be revealed good—even if he doesn’t know what kind of good it will be, and in which way it will come.
It’s important to note this, because in the past we have likened the ba’al bitachon to a boss who takes in a manager and relies on him to do everything that the boss wants for the company. With Hashem, it doesn’t work exactly in this way. The Ribbono shel Olam won’t necessarily do everything that you want. Here, the baal bitachon is not the boss. (The analogy to a manager is only in the aspect of complete reliance on a competent and willing entity.)
The definition of bitachon is for a person to know and feel that the Ribbono shel Olam watches over him. He is confident in the love of the Ribbono shel Olam, which he cannot even fathom. I am secure in the knowledge that the Ribbono shel Olam is a ומטיב טוב without limit.
Bitachon Even If One Has Committed Aveiros
The topic of whether one can have bitachon even if he has committed aveiros is a lengthy one, and we will elaborate on this in the future through the lens of the great tzaddikim who have written about it. But in this first perek, the Chovos HaLevavos unequivocally states that a person can and must always have bitachon—because if the outcome is dependent on his deeds, how can anyone ever trust or rely that things will be good?
The same applies to when a person does a foolish move in his business. He was lazy or didn’t think it through sufficiently. This is also like a “sin,” because he didn’t do the necessary hishtadlus required of him. But at every moment, a person can decide that despite the past, he will return; he will have bitachon from now on. In this case, there’s nothing that can stand in the way of him becoming a full-fledged ba’al bitachon!
