When Moshe discovered that people knew he had killed an Egyptian taskmaster, he became fearful for his future. Indeed, Pharaoh learned of the episode shortly thereafter, and sought to have him killed.
With this episode, the Torah hints at the extraordinary power of bitachon—complete trust in G‑d’s goodness and grace.
Having bitachon requires more than mere belief that since G‑d orchestrates every detail of existence at every moment, whatever happens to you will certainly be for the very best. Rather, to have bitachon means to be at ease and trust that G‑d will grant you goodness in the most obvious sense of the word.
How can you be confident that G‑d will indeed bless you with revealed good? Does the Torah not promise that G‑d will reward those who are worthy and punish those who are not?
Based on the verse “He who trusts in G‑d, kindness will encompass him,” the Sefer HaIkkarim explains: “Even if one is not worthy on his own accord, bitachon draws down gratuitous kindness [from Above] upon he who trusts in G‑d.”
In other words, fervent bitachon alone makes a person worthy of G‑d’s blessings. Thus, if a person genuinely trusts that he is in G‑d’s good hands (and therefore not subject to any natural limitations), then he can be certain that G‑d will guard him and provide for him in a revealed way—even if he is not necessarily worthy of this for any other reason. To paraphrase the Tzemach Tzedek’s famous advice, “If you think positively, the future will be positive.”
The Torah alludes to this principle of bitachon by telling us about Moshe’s worries, which preceded the actual threat to his life. Considering the Torah’s usual conciseness, the fact that it makes special note of Moshe’s unease even before Pharaoh sought to execute him suggests that Moshe’s fear actually contributed to the outcome. Had Moshe not been afraid, the threat to his life would never have materialized.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 36, pp. 1–6
