Let’s imagine an enticing image of an orange – a large, orange-colored fruit with bumps and dimples on its surface. Near it lies a single segment of the fruit – a moon-shaped creation, sweet and juicy, in a lighter shade of orange. Both are arranged on a sparkling clean plate, which mirrors its contents. Whoever sees this picture is impressed – what a beautiful fruit!
This image magnifies the beauty of an orange. It’s possible that the orange is actually in our home – we see it again and again, yet we aren’t impressed at all. We don’t stop to look at it. We just continue on our way and fail to see the wonders of the Creator.
This is just a small example to explain Rabbenu Bachyai’s words. After speaking all about bitachon and giving clear instructions for maintaining bitachon under all circumstances, Rabbenu Bachyai discusses the things that diminish bitachon. Although we may know what is written in Shaar Habitachon on an intellectual level, in order to live by it in practical ways, we need constant chizuk and protection from those things that could diminish our bitachon.
Toward the conclusion of Shaar Habitachon, Rabbenu Bachyai discusses these things – the “mafsidei habitachon.”
One of them is “disregarding the Creator and His good middos.”
What is meant by disregarding? A person goes through life without thinking about the good middos of the Creator; how He directs His world and provides for us with constant kindness and mercy; how His mercy is upon all His creations; how all seven factors are present in His control of the world with perfection: 1) He knows all of history and all the future; 2) He is more merciful than any merciful creature in the world; 3) He knows everything about me from the first moment of my existence; 4) He knows exactly what is good for me; 5) There is nothing that can prevent Him from acting as He wishes; 6) He exists at all times, and therefore we can call out to Him at any time; and 7) He does everything with justice and only for the good.
It is not enough that all of this is written in Shaar Habitachon. In order for it to be inscribed deeply within our hearts, we need to be proactive! We need to bring the picture closer to us. We can set aside a few moments of thought to tell ourselves the ultimate truth, which is that our Creator does everything in order to do good to us.
Anyone who invests himself in these thoughts will see revealed chassadim and wonders in his life. We aren’t talking about heavenly matters that aren’t connected to us, but rather about life here in this world. For example: A Yid planned something and arranged all the details, but then something was thrown off. One of his children did the opposite of what he wanted, bought what he should not have, lost his money, or spoke precisely when it would have been proper to keep silent. Now this Yid is facing the nisayon of anger.
If he spends some time learning the principles of emunah, if he focuses strongly on this sugya of bitachon, he will hold himself back from getting angry – and not just because his mechutan is sitting nearby and he must make a good impression on him. He doesn’t hold back only because of the people around him and the possibility that they’ll think he’s not normal. He prevents himself from grinding his teeth not only because he doesn’t want to be a laughingstock of his neighbors.
He asks for siyata diShmaya and overcomes his anger and says, aloud or quietly, “Gam zu l’tovah – This too is for the good,” since he knows that the earth is filled with Hashem’s honor. Hashem sees him now and is testing him with this nisayon. Thus he stops, and instead of letting himself be swept up in his angry nature, he says to himself: I believe that only Hashem did this, and this alone is a sign that this problem is the best possible thing that could happen to me; for Chazal say, “nothing bad comes from Above” (Midrash Rabbah, Vayeira).
He occupies his mind with the principle that the Creator of mankind knows all the thoughts of His creations. He believes that he is being “filmed” from on High now – how he’s thinking thoughts of emunah, and strengthening himself in the knowledge that everything happens with hashgachah and that everything the Merciful One does is for the good. He recalls the good middos of the merciful King Who promised to reward those who keep His mitzvos, and then he is filled with great simchah for the fact that he merited to withstand the nisayon.
True, he’s a simple Yid. He can’t guarantee that tomorrow again he won’t get angry. But those precious times that he withstood the nisayon, kept his mouth closed, maintained serenity and acted with yishuv hadaas, through bitachon in Hashem, Who does only good to him, are wondrous lights! You too can experience them in your day-to-day life.
Think about all he good that the Creator yisbarach does with every detail of creation in general, and with your life in particular. Give thanks for all of it, praise Him for all of it. As the Rambam writes in hilchos berachos (10:26), “Whoever thanks and praises Hashem exceedingly – that is indeed praiseworthy.”
