There is a powerful phrase in this week's parashah that teaches us bitachon (49:18) 'ה ִיִוִּיתק ְָךָתׁוּעליש: "For your salvation, I hope, Hashem."
Bitachon is so crucial and essential that the theme of bitachon is repeated many times throughout Tanach, especially in Tehillim. For example, it states (Tehillim 32:10) יסובבנו חסד 'בה והבוטח, "As for him who trusts in Hashem, kindness will encompass him." (Tehillim 56:12) אדם יעשה מה אירא לא בטחתי באלקים לי, "In Hashem I trusted, I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Tehillim 62:6-7) ,תקוותי ממנו כי נפשי דומי לאלקים אך אמוט לא משגבי וישועתי צורי הוא אך, "Only to Hashem should you hope, my soul, for my hope is from Him. Only He is my Rock and my salvation; my stronghold, I shall not falter." (Tehillim 86:2) אליך הבוטח אלקי אתה עבדך הושע, "Save Your servant – You, my G-d – who trusts in You."
Dovid HaMelech suffered many tzaros and yesurim, but his bitachon gave him hope. Throughout Tehillim, Dovid HaMelech teaches us that the only way to live through hard times is to have bitachon in Hashem. Hashem can do anything, and He can save us from our tzaros.
One should never lose hope. Even if he has great tzaros, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is greater than his problems, and Hashem can bring light and salvation. The main thing is to be wise and to say, 'ה ִיִוִּיתק ְָךָתׁוּעליש, and to trust and to rely on Hashem.
It states (Yeshayah 26:4) 'ה ה"בי כי עד עדי 'בה בטחו עולמים צור, "Trust in Hashem forever, for ה"י, Hashem, is the Rock of the worlds." Chazal (Menachos 29:) learn from this pasuk that, "Whoever trusts in Hashem, Hashem will protect him in this world and the next world."
When one loses hope, he feels like he is in prison, without a window of light. But when one has bitachon, it is as if a large window opened up in his prison, and the light of hope shines to every corner. The darkness ebbs away as though it was never there.
I gave him my banking information, and soon afterwards, he deposited the funds. This filled the hole in my account." Through emunah and bitachon, he merited salvation.
2. We say the brachah לילה ובין יום בין להבחין בינה לשכוי הנותן, "Who gives the rooster understanding to distinguish between day and night." But behold, all animals know the difference between day and night! The uniqueness of a rooster is that it knows when it is still night that day is approaching. When one goes through dark, hard times, he should remember that day is coming – better and brighter times are arriving. That will give him the strength to endure the darkness of the present and to hope for a better tomorrow.
3. We heard an amazing story from the baal hamaaseh: Every day, the person in our story goes around the batei midrashim collecting money, offering people the merit of giving tzedakah. Every day, he collects somewhere between seven and eight hundred shekels. When Fridays are short, he doesn't go collecting. Last year, erev Shabbos Mikeitz, he planned to daven shacharis with a minyan that begins at 8:15, but since he came late, he decided to wait for the next minyan.
Rebbe Moshe of Kobrin zt'l said that if a person is in a difficult situation, he should say ,'ה קויתי לישועתך. If the problem is more severe, he should say, לישועתך 'ה קויתי. And if the situation is desperate, he should say 'ה קויתי לישועתך. His intention is that one should repeat these ideas of bitachon in Hashem, and he will have his salvation.
Reb Shlomo Kalish zt'l was once with Reb Chaim of Brisk zt'l at shalosh seudos, and he heard Reb Chaim Brisker saying to himself, for around twenty minutes, לישועתך קויתי לישועתך 'ה ,לישועתך 'ה קויתי ,'ה קויתי with concentration and with hislahavus.
The Shaarei Teshuvah (end of siman 118) writes, "The Mahari Tzemech z"l writes, "When I say in Shemonah Esrei קוינו לישועתך כי היום כל, 'For your salvation, we trust all day,' I think that I am awaiting Hashem's salvation because Hashem saves us so many times – every day and every moment. Several times, I found this to be very beneficial when I was in a tzarah."
The Chida (Etzba Ketanah) asks, why do we say these words in Shemonah Esrei: לישועתך כי היום כל קוינו, "For your salvation we trust all day?" If one is worthy of salvation, he will receive it even if he isn't hoping for it. And if he isn't worthy of salvation, how will waiting and hoping for salvation save him?
The Chida answers that awaiting and trusting in Hashem's salvation is a merit, and through this merit, he can become worthy of salvation. The Midrash (Yalkut Tehillim) says, "Even if Yisrael's only merit is that they trust in Him, it is sufficient for them to have the geulah. This is the meaning of לישועתך, to merit a yeshuah, 'ה קויתי, I trust in Hashem.”
In this brachah, we request מהרה דוד צמח את תצמיח, that Hashem bring us the redemption of Moshiach ben Dovid. If we don't deserve it, קוינו לישעותך כי, we trust in Hashem, and in that merit, we request that Hashem bring the geulah.
