THE BITACHON-HISHTADLUS CONUNDRUM

By Rabbi Zalman Goldberg

One of the most common questions regarding bitachon is: what is the balance between bitachon in Hashem and performing the necessary Hishtadlus? Where does one end and the other begin?

In the Haftarah of Parshas Balak, which is a prophecy of the time before the Geula, the Navi describes that it will be a time when the remaining Yidden will live among many nations, אשר  לא יקוה לאיש ולא ייחל לבני אדם, and [the Yidden] will not place any hope for salvation to come from people.

The Rebbe explains that even though the Navi is referring to the time period before the Geula, nonetheless the Yidden’s conduct will reflect a bitachon in Hashem that includes no reliance on people at all.

‘Reliance’ here does not refer to a reliance which is prohibited and discouraged by Torah, because the time period under discussion is the beginning of the redemption when the direction of Yidden will be a good and Torah-oriented one. Because the Yidden will be in such a state, they would never trust the nations of the world in a way that is antithetical to Torah. Rather, the Navi is saying that even the reliance which is allowed according to the Torah, i.e., making a worldly vessel through which Hashem’s bracha will be channeled won’t be practiced at that time. When the Geula begins, the quality of our bitachon will be so great such that no effort or Hishtadlus will be necessary. We will view all our needs as if Hashem is bestowing them upon us like dew. Just as dew is totally independent of any moisture ascending from below (as in the cycle of rainfall), for the dew falls every morning regardless of any weather factors, likewise Hashem’s sustenance will reach us without us taking any initiative at all.

The point is not to make the world and all worldly Hishtadlus useless; on the contrary, the goal is to uplift nature so that it is aligned and synchronized with Hashem’s plan. The goal is to see in nature that all that is done is really from Hashem. So the person who practices such bitachon will make a vessel to obtain his parnasa, but the entire context of the vessel will be ‘Hashem’, with no importance whatsoever given to the effort made.

In summary, there are two permissible ways to make a vessel for one’s parnasa. One approach is to see that the material pursuit, the creation of the vessel, is done only because Hashem commanded us to do so. True, the vessel is nothing on its own, but now that Hashem deems it important to make an effort, it must be important. The second perspective to the making of a vessel is that no importance at all is given to it. All along, the only reason gashmius is being pursued is because Hashem said that it should be this way. In the person’s mind Hashem remains the only existence.

The difference between the two approaches to the permissibility of making a vessel, whether it is given its own importance or not, can have major effects down the line on how complete the bitachon will be.

In the midbar, surrounded by the Clouds of Glory and all their attendant miracles, the Yidden lived a life of clear bitachon in Hashem alone. It was obvious that all their sustenance – the מן and water – came from Hashem. Coming into Eretz Yisroel where it was just as clear that their effort would be crucial, there was room for error to think that the life bitachon alone was over. The story of the Pe’or forewarned this. Chassidus explains that the sin of Pe’or was about giving too much attention to material pleasures. The self-sacrifice of Pinchas was the antidote to the sin. His message was, “Not only can’t we give gashmius its own existence per se, it shouldn’t either be given importance on a holy account (because we are commanded to deal with gashmius).”

The mesiras nefesh of Pinchas was even higher than the instructions of Torah, which wouldn’t instruct us to take such a stance. His self-sacrifice stemmed from his total devotion to Hashem in a way that the worldly perspective held no importance at all.

This is a tremendous lesson in bitachon when it comes to deciding how to make a vessel. The more popular understanding is that by viewing the Hishtadlus as a command from Hashem, the gashmius will lose its importance. Although this is true, with time the worldliness can become a threat to bitachon in Hashem. The more reassuring approach is that first there should be no ‘איש’ and no ‘בני אדם’, only Hashem (as in the Haftarah). Then, when Hishtadlus is later incorporated, it will follow the stance of the initiation of the bitachon, where essentially there is no worldliness and it certainly has no power or importance. This revelation can empower us greatly in strengthening our bitachon in Hashem.

Rabbi Zalman Goldberg is a well sought after speaker and lecturer on Chassidic thought. His writings and recordings on the topic of Bitachon can be accessed at http://www.gotbitachon.com. You can also receive his one minute daily Bitachon clip by sending a WhatsApp to 347.546.4402 with the word “Bitachon.”