The Extraordinary Kindness of Heavenly Messages
Four Differences Between Wisdom and Bitachon
Previously, we have discussed the difference between two people—both of whom distract themselves from their problems. Both accept their situation and don’t fight it. But while one person does so out of wisdom and experience—he understands that on a practical level it doesn’t pay to fight reality—the second person does the same thing because of his emunah and bitachon; he truly relies on the Ribbono shel Olam, and he remembers that the Ribbono shel Olam is the One Who placed him into this situation, and it is thus certainly good for him.
We have enumerated four differences between a person who accepts his situation due to wisdom, and one who does so because of his emunah in Hashem:
- Fulfilling the mitzvah of emunah: A Yid who accepts his lot because of his emunah thus fulfills a דאורייתא עשה מצוות of emunah, while the first person, who sees distraction and diversion as the easier and more practical route, may be wise, but he isn’t fulfilling any mitzvah.
- Attaining our tachlis: A person came to This World to “recognize his Creator amid the darkness of This World,” and when a Yid lives with emunah, he is attaining his purpose. One who lives with חיים חכמת will have an easier life, but he isn’t coming closer to his tachlis.
- Reaping the reward of bitachon: The ba’al bitachon will receive his reward in This World, and that reward is that he will merit even more bitachon and serenity. The Brisker Rav said that the reward for bitachon is even more bitachon! That is, this Yid will be granted the vessels and the ability to trust in Hashem even when he encounters difficulties that touch him in the deepest place. However, one who simply distracts himself from wisdom will not merit the reward of bitachon. And thus, when he encounters deeper difficulties, he won’t succeed in remaining calm.
- Meriting new shefa: A Yid who is davuk in Hashem with emunah will merit a new flow of shefa from conduits that didn’t exist previously—as the pasuk assures us, יסובבנו חסד בה' והבוטח, the Ribbono shel Olam gives special השפעות to those who trust in Him and rely upon Him. But this promise doesn’t extend to those who simply distract themselves because that’s what’s easiest.
A System of Reminders
But then there’s a fifth point, which requires a special discussion to really emphasize the difference between the two paths.
The Zohar HaKadosh (Parashas Vayikra) tells us that the Ribbono shel Olam designed the world in such a way that He makes us aware of our transgressions. He has great kindness and compassion for us, as well as a desire for us to succeed in This World and accomplish what we need to here. He doesn’t want us to find out that we went wrong only after we arrive in the Next World.
For this reason, He has designed the Creation so that all happenings that transpire are essentially reminders to a person to conduct himself in the right way. This is hinted at in the words חטא אשר חטאתו אליו הודע או, if the sin that he committed becomes known to him (Vayikra 4:28)—i.e., the sins of a person become known to him through the things that happen to him over his lifetime.
Heaven and Earth Send Messages
The Zohar HaKadosh cites the pasuk לו מתקוממה וארץ עונו שמים יגלו, the heavens will reveal his sin; and the land will rise up against him (Iyov 20:27). Suffering will come to a person in order to awaken him regarding his aveiros. The Middas HaDin will descend from the heavens with a message from the Ribbono shel Olam to notify the person that what he did wasn’t right, so he can rectify it and become closer to the Ribbono shel Olam.
The same applies to לו מתקוממה ארץ, the land rises up against him; he plants in the ground, but he receives no yield, etc. The earth is performing a mission to awaken the person to do teshuvah and return to the proper path.
The Greatest Compassion
This is also essentially the idea of אותו מסעיין ליטהר הבא, one who wishes to purify himself is assisted from Above. One of the ways a person is assisted is when the Ribbono shel Olam prevents him from straying too far. When he fails or strays, he is immediately notified of his mistake.
This is the greatest compassion that Hashem has for us. There is such mercy and love within this that we can’t even fathom it! If not for these reminders, a person could go through his entire life not even knowing that he’s straying and stumbling, and only later will he look back with regret and pain: Why didn’t they alert me to this?
Imagine that a person is driving a car in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and he makes a left instead of a right turn—and someone only tells him two hours later that he made a wrong turn. Now his trip will take him four hours longer than intended! If someone had alerted him right away, he would have spared himself so much time and aggravation. This is a tremendous רחמנות that the Ribbono shel Olam has for us by letting us know when we have strayed.
Getting the Message in Time
According to this, when a person finds himself in a situation where things don’t go as he would have wanted, he should understand that the Ribbono shel Olam is sending him a message, reminding him to turn around.
If a Yid lives with emunah, he takes the message in the spirit in which it was meant. He gets the message, and he learns something from it—thereby avoiding repeat messages that may sometimes be even more painful.
However, if a person simply draws on חיים חכמת, wisdom and experience, he will never introspect. His attitude is: “I won’t destroy my life over a failure or a disappointment. I will abandon the dreams and aspirations that I had... it simply doesn’t pay.” This person will indeed be calmer, but he isn’t getting the message that was sent to him from Above. If so, he may need to receive a stronger message... and so forth.
Don’t Wait for Repeat Messages
The ba’al bitachon submits to Hashem’s will, and he allows himself to be led from Above. He knows that everything that happens is with a precise פרטית השגחה and that it is for his good. At the same time, he introspects: What does Hashem want from me? Why did I get this stern message? Another person who simply distracts himself is just that—distracted. He doesn’t hear any message, because he does everything not to think about the problem.
Chazal tell us in the Midrash that this is the way it worked regarding the נגעים, leprosy. At first, only the home was stricken. If the person didn’t get the message, then the נגע appeared on his clothing. If he still didn’t get the message, he would see it on his own skin.
This is an important fifth difference between the two paths. Someone who only uses wisdom to deal with his problems will never reflect on why they came. Sadly, he will need to receive stronger messages. The ba’al bitachon, however, will live serenely and joyfully with his emunah, even as he internalizes the message that was sent to him with love by the Ribbono shel Olam.
