We are right at the end of our journey of outlining the sections, b’ezrat Hashem, to give us more clarity of where we are heading in this bitachon journey. B’ezrat Hashem, in part 12 we will discuss the question of how do I acquire bitochen. And as mentioned previously, this is so important because as many Torah sources teach, ultimately the purpose of the Torah is to apply it in a practical way. And when it comes to practical mitzvos, it's much easier to relate to - that I can learn the details of a particular mitzvah and thereafter I can actually take those details and apply them in a practical way.
And when it comes to bitachon, yes the daily inspiration is certainly something beneficial to constantly be mindful, to live by the values of bitachon. But much more than that is how do I make it practical? How do I actually take bitachon and live by the values of bitachon? We'll learn and explore that true bitachon removes fear, leads to serenity, calm, happiness and so, so much more. Not to mention the true reward which awaits for us in the next world – in Olam Haba.
But how do I get there? Again, I hope that all of us will realize that bitachon is ultimately the point of everything and we'll be inspired to make it the focal point of our lives because it is our lives. It's about bitachon. It's about removing the false opinions and assumptions of the world around us which teach that you are your own boss; You are the master of your destiny, and try to remove Hashem from the picture. And a life of bitachon brings Hashem into the picture and teaches us that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail of our lives and therefore, of course, our only address should be Him. And yes, we've got many details to discuss such as why then should I do Hishtadlus at all? And of course, we know and we'll learn that we do have to do Hishtadlus. But how do I reconcile that with bitachon? And much more that we'll discuss in those sections.
In part 13, Bezrat Hashem will discuss the question, how do we reconcile tefillah and bitachon? Now, something which is just some food for thought for the meantime. If we really and truly trust Hashem, why do we daven for things to be any different than the way He makes it? Even if something is a challenging situation, we know ultimately that Hashem does everything for our best. And similarly, you could ask, why would I rely on Hashem for something to be different than the way He's made it to be? There is much more to discuss about this, but just a little bit of food for thought for right now: When it comes to tefillah, we've been trained over the years that we're not only allowed to pray and daven for our own needs and wants, but it's commendable in a mitzvah to do so.
But because bitachon is not as well taught of a subject, for numerous reasons, when it comes to relying on Hashem for things to be a certain way that we would like it to be, it's more difficult for us to digest that that should be Hashem's will. But again, when we reconcile that with what we know about tefillah, that Hashem desires that we daven for the things that we would like.
When our many great ancestors listed in the Torah, let's just take one example for now, Rachel Imenu was not able to have children. She very easily could have just accepted the situation and said, “Hashem only does what is best for me. I'm not going to pray for anything. He didn't want to give me children, I'm not going to pray for children.” But that wasn't her approach. Her approach rather was, “I am going to pray for the outcome to come about in the way that I desire.” And similarly, we've got to discuss how this applies to bitachon, to relying on Hashem for our own needs in the way that we desire. B’ezrat Hashem, let's discuss this further and let's move forward together in our journey of bitachon.
