The Secret of Bitachon
And so we’re learning now the secret to the famous subject which is known by the name of bitachon. Because the mitzvah of acquiring a confidence that one's affairs are being properly administered by Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not just in a general sense. Bitachon means understanding that whatever happens to you is only from Him; that everything is being directed by the King.
It’s an idea we say in ahavah rabah every day. Avinu– Our Father, av horachamon – the merciful Father; and then we add, hamerachem – the One Who has mercy. It seems to be repetitious: ‘The merciful Father, the One Who has mercy.’
The Only One
But actually each word has a separate meaning; each word when you say it is another chapter of a mussar sefer. Only you have to know what you’re saying; otherwise it’s useless. It’s almost nothing.
Number one, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is av horachamon – He’s our merciful Father; that describes Him. Not only He’s a Father to us, but He’s a merciful Father.
So what does hamerachem , ‘the One Who does merciful things’, mean? It means only He! It’s like this. Suppose you went out rowing in Coney Island and accidentally you let go of the oars and they drifted away. So you're in a little boat on the ocean being buffeted by the waves. You try rowing with your hands. Nothing. You start calling out for help. Nothing. And now you're getting closer and closer to Ireland.
And because you’re desperate you cry out, “Hakadosh Baruch Hu! You are the Av Horachamon; You are the Merciful One! Rachem aleinu! Please save me!”
The Savior
Then, all of a sudden you hear the whirring of a propeller and there's a Coast Guard helicopter coming down. Ah! What a wonderful sound that is! He comes down from the side of the helicopter and he lowers a ladder to you. You seize it and climb up and you hug him; you kiss him.
He says, “Mister! Please let go of me. I have to fly this thing! Let me drive.” But you keep hugging him anyhow; he extricated you from danger! He’s your savior!
At that moment you're in great danger because even though you’re a big tzaddik and you won't forget for a moment that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is merciful, but you're thinking also that there are other merciful causes in the world. Hashem is the Av Horachamon, yes, but it was this Coast Guard man who was the meracheim; he’s the one who had mercy on you. He put his life on the line to lift you up from the water.
Oh, is that a big mistake! It means you haven’t learned bitachon yet. Because not only is Hashem a ‘Merciful Father’ but He is the meracheim. He’s the only One Who is meracheim. Forget about anyone else or anything else. If anybody has mercy on you, it's Hakadosh Baruch Hu Who is doing it!
