In previous shiurim, we elaborated upon the yesod of the Chovos Ha-Levavos that in order to serve Hashem properly, one needs menuchas hanefesh, peace of mind—which can be attained only through bitachon. Let us continue along these lines.
Grasping the True Meaning of Menuchas HaNefesh
Ease or Hardship
In Parashas Vayechi, we learn about the berachos Yaakov Avinu bestowed on his children at the end of his life. Shevet Yisasschar is praised with the following words: לסבול, שכמו ויט נעמה כי הארץ ואת טוב כי מנוחה וירא He saw tranquility that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant, yet he bent his shoulder to bear an indentured [forced] laborer (Bereishis 49:15).
The Mefarshim state that this pasuk seems to contradict itself. First, it posits that tranquility is good, and later it states that he bent his shoulder to perform hard labor—the exact opposite of peace and tranquility!
Spiritual Rest Is the Best Thing
The Sforno (ibid.) explains that the tranquility alluded to in the pasuk refers not to rest of the body, but rather to the rest of the nefesh. וירא טוב, כי מנוחה Yisasschar saw that menuchas hanefesh is very good—and the purpose of our existence—he therefore accepted upon himself the yoke of the hard work that will lead to attaining peace of mind.
The Sforno is teaching us a tremendous yesod: When a person recognizes how important and valuable menuchas hanefesh is, he will be willing to work hard to attain this blessed peace.
Our Grasp of Menuchas HaNefesh Is Limited
When we say words such as menuchas hanefesh and serenity, we don’t really have a clear idea of what these words really mean, because we are so far removed from a truly serene existence that we don’t even know what it is.
Every person’s knowledge is built upon the concepts he observes around him. A young child absorbs concepts from the children around him, and he doesn’t understand the ideas and concepts as adults do. The same applies to people residing in hamlets; they don’t understand the concepts as people in the big city do. A poor person doesn’t grasp the worldview of the wealthy man.
Similarly, when the Chovos HaLevavos tells us that bitachon will bring us menuchas hanefesh, we don’t even properly understand the serenity that he is mentioning. We don’t have a concept to explain this tranquility, because it can’t be found around us. We don’t see it in people around us. All we see is a world that is steeped in the opposite of menuchas hanefesh in myriad ways.
Once We Experience Pleasure, We Want It Again
A person can grasp only something that he has already experienced. For example, a Yid who has experienced the joy and the spiritual pleasure of a Yom Tov or the holiness of the Seder night, will certainly want to experience it again, because he has already felt the delight.
When it comes to the concept of menuchas hanefesh to which the Chovos HaLevavos is referring, we will see that most of us have never experienced it. Perhaps we came close to it—halevai—but we went on our way and never truly touched it. The menuchas hanefesh of the Chovos HaLevavos is much deeper and greater than anything we have ever seen or experienced.
Understanding the Goodness of Tranquility
This is what Yaakov Avinu told his son Yisasschar: You, who have grasped the goodness of tranquility, are willing to work hard to attain the middah of bitachon, which brings about serenity.
If we want to attain true menuchas hanefesh, we must learn much from Chovos HaLevavos—but we must first grasp what true serenity is. As long as we don’t appreciate the depths of this serenity, we will never really be willing to do the hard work necessary to attain it.
The Difference of Experience
Sometimes, we find two people conversing, yet they don’t understand each other. Reuven talks to Shimon about bitachon, but Shimon looks at him as if to say, “Nu, I heard all of this already. Do you have something practical to tell me? I’m telling you my problems, and you’re telling me stories and segulos.... Let’s see what you would do in my shoes....”
It’s quite possible that Reuven does understand his friend very well. The difference between the two is that one has experienced the joy of serenity—and therefore, he tries to convince his friend to do the hard work of bitachon. “Understand that bitachon isn’t merely a ‘spice’ that we add to our lives in order to experience success; it’s an entirely new way of life! Leave behind your old ways, and begin a new life on this path of bitachon.”
Shimon, however, has never experienced the joy that comes with true tranquility and serenity... thus, he doesn’t comprehend what is being told to him.
Da’as Helps Us Appreciate True Serenity
There is another source for the yesod that if we want to attain menuchas hanefesh through bitachon, we must first understand the true definition of menuchas hanefesh:
Rabbeinu Yonah (Berachos 23) teaches us: “We make Havdalah [in Maariv of Motza’ei Shabbos] during the berachah of Chonen Ha-Da’as—for, through our da’as, wisdom, we appreciate the goodness of rest, and thus we’re able to differentiate between the holy and the mundane.”
Rabbeinu Yonah illuminates why we need da’as, wisdom, to differentiate between holy and mundane; how, indeed, is the holy different from the mundane?
Explains Rabbeinu Yonah: Shabbos is different from the rest of the week because it is a day of menuchah. Shabbos has many aspects—the special Shabbos davening, the seudos Shabbos, and so forth—but the main uniqueness of Shabbos is the menuchah that we have on this holy day.
A person can live out his years on this earth without appreciating what true tranquility means—because it takes work to truly analyze and experience it. When a Yid delves into this sugya and works to attain peace, he is granted the siyatta diShmaya from Above to experience the sensation of true tranquility.
We Must Daven for the Wisdom to Appreciate True Tranquility
For this reason, Chazal instituted Havdalah —the differentiation between the holy and the mundane—in the berachah of Chonen HaDa’as, for when we daven for wisdom, we acknowledge that only the Ribbono shel Olam can grant us the feeling of true tranquility, through which we will understand the difference between Shabbos and the weekdays. We must ask for da’as so we can appreciate true tranquility.
And how can a person know whether he has tasted true tranquility? Says the pasuk: לסבול; שכמו ויט טוב כי מנוחה וירא that is, if one has tasted the sweetness of serenity, he will be willing to do the hard work of attaining it. So, if we see a person willing to change his ways and take a new path in life, then we know that he has probably tasted the sweetness of serenity.
As long as bitachon remains an abstract concept... a nice vort to repeat... but the person remains on the same path—he hasn’t yet tasted the sweetness of serenity. He doesn’t know what it is... he hasn’t grasped it.
For if he had grasped the true meaning of menuchah, he would do everything he could to fulfill the ...לסבול שכמו ויט to work hard on bitachon in order to attain the blessed peace and tranquility that we achieve through bitachon.
The Tranquility of Bitachon Is Just Like the Tranquility of Shabbos
Spiritual Tranquility Is the Real Tranquility
When we discuss true tranquility, we certainly don’t mean the gashmiyus sort of tranquility. Proof of this is that so often people will invest everything they have in order to amass wealth, which they think will bring them tranquility—and all it brings them are kinah, ta’avah, and the pursuit of kavod... the opposite of tranquility!
Clearly, this can’t be the type of tranquility we discuss here. Thus, we must ascertain what the Torah refers to with the words טוב. כי מנוחה וירא
To Understand Tranquility, We Must Examine Shabbos
Where must we look for the definition of tranquility? Simple. We must look in the Torah where it introduces the concept of tranquility—namely, Shabbos Kodesh. We must learn from Shabbos how to view the tranquility that will come to us through bitachon.
After we grasp and understand the meaning of tranquility—as manifested in Shabbos Kodesh—we will be able to daven for the siyatta diShmaya to experience this type of tranquility, not only on Shabbos but every day, through our journey of bitachon. Because on Shabbos, a person experiences tranquility—which whets his appetite to experience it on an ongoing basis.
The Ba’al Bitachon Always Lives with the Tranquility of Shabbos
Chazal tell us that on Shabbos, one must live with the attitude of כאילו עשויה, מלאכתך כל to feel tranquility as though all his work has already been done. This is the pleasure a Yid merits on Shabbos. It is derived from Hashem telling us, “I forbid you to do anything today. You must feel that everything has been done and all has been taken care of.”
This is the very pleasure and tranquility a Yid can merit every single day through bitachon! The Torah tells us that in even during the week, one can also attain the feeling of עשויה. מלאכתך כל If you toil in bitachon and live more and more with emunah, you will experience the tranquility of Shabbos during the weekdays as well.
Shabbos Whets Our Appetite for Tranquility
The Ribbono shel Olam tells us, “On Shabbos Kodesh, I have commanded you—even if you’re not yet on a high level of bitachon—to close down everything and live with the feeling of all my work has been completed, because I want you to be close to Me.” You should understand how good and sweet tranquility is. To begin to grasp that—instead of pursuing parnasah constantly—you can sit and enjoy menuchas hanefesh. It is a sweetness that you can’t even imagine!
Once you have experienced this feeling of tranquility during Shabbos, you will work to attain it during the weekdays as well. Every time you need something, you will simply raise your eyes Heavenward and ask the Ribbono shel Olam for it—and after you have asked for it, you will move on. Your heart doesn’t beat faster... you don’t need anything. Because you know with certainty, “If this is good for me, Hashem will grant it to me, and if it isn’t good for me, then I don’t need it.” This is the essence of עשויה, מלאכתך כל כאילו as if all your work has been done.
The Incredible Pleasure and Serenity of Bitachon
Once the ba’al bitachon has concluded his prayer, he goes on his way with joy. He is already thanking Hashem and singing. He sees that everything is falling into place as it is meant to... he sees shefah coming from here, he sees success coming to him from there.... This fills him with such tranquility that even when he doesn’t expressly receive what he asked for, he remains serene and satisfied—because he has already seen that when things are meant to be, they pursue him; thus, he knows that if it doesn’t pursue him, it must not be good for him.
This is the feeling that every Yid must develop within himself until it becomes natural to him to feel the טוב, כי מנוחה וירא to feel true tranquility... and when he has tasted it, he will want to further work on his bitachon in order to attain more of this tranquility.
Shabbos Teaches Us Proper Hishtadlus
The Ribbono shel Olam says to us: In truth, you should be living with this level of tranquility during the weekdays as well—but, if you won’t understand the true nature of this tranquility, you will never enter this avodah. You will use the word ‘hishtadlus’ in the wrong direction, doing the wrong type of hishtadlus... not in the way that I intended.
“Therefore,” says the Ribbono shel Olam, “I will give you a gift—the gift of Shabbos. I gave you a day when all businesses are closed and there is nothing for you to do. In this way, you will, hopefully, grow closer to the idea of טוב, כי מנוחה וירא to see the sweetness of tranquility. And when you will come to Maariv on Motza’ei Shabbos, and you will recite Havdalah during Chonen HaDa’as, you will truly be able to make the differentiation between how you feel on Shabbos, with menuchas hanefesh and how you feel during the weekdays, without menuchas hanefesh. And so, through the menuchas hanefesh that we experience on Shabbos, we will slowly begin to become “Shabbos’dig” throughout the entire week—working to attain this special tranquility all the time. This is the ultimate purpose of a Yid: To become a “Shabbos Yid”—always living with the menuchas hanefesh that is unique to Shabbos.
Living All Week with the Proper Attitude Toward Hishtadlus
One may ask: Aren’t we expected to do work all week? Aren’t the weekdays distinct from Shabbos in this very aspect—that we are expected to work?! Aren’t we taught מלאכה, תעשה ימים ששת for six days you shall do work? The answer is—as the great tzaddikim taught us—we must use the proper nekudos when learning this pasuk. When we look at the nekudos, the word תֵ עָ ש ה connotes the fact that the work is being done as if on its own. Yes, we are doing our hishtadlus. But the attitude must be that the results are not being accomplished through us.
The Ribbono shel Olam commands us to work and do our hishtadlus, but we must always know that the outcome does not happen through our actions. One must always feel that the universe is running after him—not that he is running after the universe.
Every day, we must live with the feeling of עשויה, מלאכתך כל my work is being done for me, just as on Shabbos Kodesh.
By analyzing the peace and tranquility of the holy Shabbos, we will truly want to live with this feeling every day of our lives—and experience the serenity and tranquility that will surely come to us as we continue on our journey to become ba’alei bitachon.
