Bitachon Is Our Weapon
Don’t Fear the Horses and Chariots
We have been discussing the third condition necessary for us to place our trust in someone—and that is that this entity must be all-powerful, so that nothing can stand in his way of accomplishing what he wishes. We have also mentioned the source of bitachon being—according to the Rishonim—the milchemes mitzvah, the wars that Klal Yisrael waged. At the outset of their wars to conquer Eretz Yisrael, they were exhorted that even when they would see hordes of horses and chariots, they should nevertheless be unafraid—for Hashem, Who drew them out of the land of Mitzrayim, is with them.
These verses are applicable to all variations and iterations of “horses and chariots,” and all manner of fearful situations in which a person may find himself. We must strengthen ourselves with the emunah that Hashem will help us, even if it seems impossible.
War Isn’t the Endgame
When we think about the concept of war, we find that war is never an end in and of itself—it is a means to an end, whether to protect existing territory or to conquer yet more land. Even the mightiest armies of the most powerful nations never enter a war voluntarily, just for fun. They enter a war either because they’re left with no choice, or because they want to achieve something.
When a country enters a war and doesn’t come away with its aims achieved, the people will complain loudly about their sons having been sent to war without any results. They will challenge the government about this. “You came back with nothing... what was the purpose of the entire war?”
For this reason, countries invest billions in building up their armies— to deter others from attacking them and to avoid war. This is a way of attaining peace without war, because countries seek to avoid war when- ever possible.
The Battle Against the Seven Nations
If so, what was the purpose of the war against the seven nations that inhabited Eretz Yisrael? If the entire purpose of the war was sim- ply to conquer the land, did Hashem really need to send the Yidden to war? Couldn’t He have given them the land in other ways? What was the point of all the fear and trepidation and danger that comes with war?
The answer, Chazal tell us, is that Eretz Yisrael can be acquired only through suffering. If one wishes to attain the great and lofty levels that come with Eretz Yisrael, he must sacrifice for it. Because Eretz Yisrael is such a lofty place, the Ribbono shel Olam placed the kelipah of the seven nations there, and He said, “If you wish to acquire the holiness of Eretz Yisrael, you must first fight to remove the kelipah surrounding it.” Of course, the Ribbono shel Olam could have removed it Himself, but this wouldn’t be a true acquisition, and Klal Yisrael wouldn’t have attained the proper levels of deveikus that comes with it. Nothing in avodas Hashem comes easily.
Where the True Battle Takes Place
For this reason, the Ribbono shel Olam ordained that the seven na- tions should be stronger and more numerous than the Yidden... they should have more weapons with hordes of horses and chariots—and this will bring the Yidden to ask, “Hashem sent us to war, and He wants us to succeed. But what’s the plan? How can we succeed this way? I am afraid... I’m going home.” But here we find the mitzvah d’Oraisa of לא מהם תירא, do not fear them, rely on the Ribbono shel Olam!
Thus, it turns out that the war wasn’t really about territory—but about the battle for a Jewish heart to be unafraid! The war isn’t against the enemy and his horses—because they can’t be defeated b’derech hateva in any case. The real war is against the fear in our hearts! And one is connected with the other; if we win the first war, i.e., not to be afraid of these nations, then we will win the territorial war as well, attaining the ultimate purpose of kedushas Eretz Yisrael—for the real weapon of a Yid is his bitachon.
Mesirus Nefesh for Bitachon
The Ribbono shel Olam wanted the Yidden to etch this into their hearts—that even when they find themselves in a state where things seem dire, where they don’t stand a chance, they should nevertheless believe that Hashem has a way to help them.
It was by design that the Yidden were made to face an extremely fear- ful situation—and it required superhuman strength to overcome that fear, to believe and trust in Hashem. They entered a war against an enemy far more numerous and more powerful than they were—but they went because Hashem commanded them to be unafraid, and they had mesirus nefesh for this belief!
It’s not like a person who sits comfortably in his chair and pronounc- es, “Hashem will help,” but it costs him nothing to say it. The Yidden paid a dear price of mesirus nefesh.... It took extraordinary courage to believe and trust as they were headed into war.
For this reason, it was announced, הלבב ורך הירא האיש מי, a man who’s afraid and is weak of heart should return home. One who’s afraid shouldn’t go out to the war, because if he has no bitachon, he has no weapons with which to fight. He will only spread his fear to others and remove their weapons as well. The Torah relates such incidents multiple times— because it was through this battle of the heart that the lofty levels of kedushas Eretz Yisrael would be acquired.
