There are various mystical ways brought in sefarim hakedoshim which explain how to protect oneself from harm. But there is one kind of protection which is higher than all of these ways – and it is through emunah. Sefer Nefesh HaChaim (3:12) writes that there is an amazing segulah one can use, to be protected from harm: When one firmly believes in his heart that Hashem is in control of everything, and that there is nothing besides for Him who can do anything: “Ain Od Milvado” (“There is nothing else besides Him”).
There is actually an even higher level that what is described in sefer Nefesh HaChaim, however. The Sefer Nefesh HaChaim is speaking about someone who wishes to save himself from harm, so he uses the power of “Ain Od Milvado” as a way to protect himself. But there is a higher level, and that is, for a person to nullify his ratzon (will) altogether. It is for a person to accept that “If Hashem wants to me to get hurt, so be it – I’m ready to accept the blow with love.” This is also known as hishtavus, “equilibrium” - to be at peace with a situation. A person is able to come to this when he establishes a deep emunah in his heart, a belief in “Ain Od Milvado” – that only Hashem is in charge, as the Nefesh HaChaim describes. And he can reinforce this belief by thinking: “So what if I get hurt? If I get hurt, that is Hashem’s will, and I do not want to oppose Hashem’s will. Hashem knows what is best for me. If it is good for me to get hurt, then I am accepting it with love.
It’s the same will of Hashem whether I get hurt of whether I don’t get hurt. I am a tool in the hands of my Maker, and He can do with me whatever He pleases.”
Understand this well, because this is a truthful and inner matter. It is the perfected level of emunah one can reach - to nullify oneself to the Creator. However, do not use this power of emunah for anything self-serving, chas v’shalom. Even more so, sefer Nefesh HaChaim writes that since Hashem can do anything and perform any miracle, when you connect yourself to Him with emunah in your heart, Hashem can go against nature for you.
The perfected level of emunah is when a person nullifies his will to Hashem. He has a deep emunah that the will of the Creator is the truth and it is perfect, and he has no will of his own to defy this or a wish to change this. Although it might appear to a person that we can change Hashem’s will, like we see from the concept of how Hashem fulfills the decrees of a tzaddik, or how a tzaddik can nullify Hashem’s decrees, still, the depth of emunah is not to attempt to change the will of Hashem. Deep emunah means to let the Creator do as He sees fit.
Once two tzaddikim met and had the following conversation. One of them said, “If Hashem would let me run the world, I would go and heal all the infertile people in the world, heal all the sick, and bring all the salvations that people need.” The other tzaddik responded, “If I would be allowed to run the world, I would do exactly as Hashem does.”
The second tzaddik had the deeper perspective. Hashem is the Infinite, and our human minds cannot comprehend His ways. Why should we wish that Hashem would listen to how we think? Our daas (comprehension) is limited, while Hashem is unlimited. The deep understanding is the opposite of how we think – we should let our own daas become nullified to the daas of Hashem.
Even more so, we should know that “The advice Hashem stands forever”. There is nothing in the world that can change Hashem’s plans. Although it appears from the words of our Sages that Hashem’s plan can be changed, that is only because we have the limited perspective of human beings. From Hashem’s perspective, any plan that He changed was already built-in to what He would do. Thus, Hashem never “changes” His plans. He knows from the start exactly what He is going to do. We are limited human beings, who do not comprehend the Infinite daas of Hashem, therefore, we have no purpose in involving ourselves with His ways. Hashem has many ways of how He can carry out His will. We really have no comprehension at all in Hashem’s ways. When we nullify our understanding to His, it is then that we truly become nullified to Hashem.
The True Power Of
The Nefesh HaChaim writes that from Hashem’s perspective, there is nothing at all in Creation besides Him. When we recognize that perspective, we are essentially putting a silence upon Creation – that is, from our own perspective, and allowing Hashem’s perspective to take over, telling ourselves that there is nothing besides Him. Yet, this is only the “lower” level of deeply silencing the Creation, for it is ultimately using the silence as a means to a greater end - to silence Creation. Therefore, one is still relating to the existence of Creation with this perspective [so it is not complete Ain Od Milvado]. But there is deeper kind of silence than this, and that is to simply focus your thoughts on the existence of Hashem, and you don’t think of how this will relate to the rest of Creation. This is the absolute level of silence, because in this level, we are not thinking at all of how the meaning of “Ain Od Milvado” affects us and the rest of Creation. That is not the emphasis. It is where you just simply focus on Hashem’s existence alone, and nothing else other than that.
(ספר דע את נשמתך פרק יח)
