by Rabbi David Sutton
Daily Bitachon - delivered directly to your computer and/or mobile device
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July 3, 2024
We are in a pasuk in Tehilim 69,7 אַל־יֵ֘בֹ֤שׁוּ בִ֨י ׀ קֹוֶיךָ֮ אֲדֹנָ֥י יֱהֹוִ֗ה צְבָ֫א֥וֹת אַל־יִכָּ֣לְמֽוּ בִ֣י מְבַקְשֶׁ֑יךָ אֱ֝לֹהֵ֗י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ Do not be embarrassed in me, those that hope to You, God who is the Master of the legions, Don't be embarrassed or ashamed of me, by those that seek You out. Firstly, we say in our morning prayers, Lo Nevosh V’Lo Nikalem we should not be embarrassed, ashamed , or stumble forever, because we relied on Your great, powerful, and awesome name… which comes from this pasuk , so we actually invoke this pasuk every day in our prayers. And seemingly, we have a poetic doubling of language - Busha and Klima are two terms of shame, -Those that hope to You , and those that ask You. -God as the God of the hosts and all legions and the God of Israel. What are these double terms? The Malbim says there’s a difference between Busha and Klima . Busha is internal shame . Klima is embarrassment from the outside world. Tikva hope in the heart . So if your hope doesn't come to fruition, then you have inner shame. You hope to Hashem and you feel like you're not worthwhile, that you weren't answered. That’s Busha , inner shame. But Mevakshecha/when you ask , that an external request- you say it out loud, and everyone sees it, so if you're not answered then you get embarrassed in the outside world, so that’s not quite a double Lashon . Furthermore, there are two different ways to refer to God. The Radak and Ibn Ezra say that when we refer to God as God of legions , that's in the heavens. We are saying that God can make the Gezerot/decrees from high above in the heavens. That's the hidden aspect, where no one sees what's going on. It’s behind the scenes. Then there's God as the God of Israel , God's army down here. The Radak says God has hosts above and God has host down here. We're down here in exile, out in the open. It’s not the behind the scenes. We're hoping to God to do things upstairs, behind the scenes. But we're also asking that God remove us from the embarrassment that is going on down here, right now- with the antisemitism, college campuses and the like. We’re embarrassed. David Hamelech is saying, “ Please save me from the inner shame and save me from the outer embarrassment, when I hoped to You and I asked You. And if I'm not answered, it's just too much embarrassment and shame. The question is, what does it mean that They shouldn't be embarrassed, those that hope to You, what does me have to do with them ? Who's the me and who’s the them ? Rashi and the Radak both say that it means If You don't answer me when I'm hoping to You and asking you, all the other people that are hoping and asking will see me and say that if I was not answered, “ What is hoping and praying to God worth? If I'm not answered, if I'm let down, they'll feel let down. When the person counting on Hashem is a known Ba’al Bitachon, if he isn't answered, all the other people will lose hope. There's another explanation of this pasuk, which is said both by Rav Chaim Palaggi, in his sefer Hakatuv L’Chaim, and also by a Rabbi Yekutiel Yehuda Teitelbaum, in his sefer Yitav Lev . He was the grandfather of the well-known Satmar Rebbi that came from Europe. They offer a similar explanation- that sometimes we go to a sadik to pray and we hope to them, that their prayers will be answered. So David Hamelech says, People are hoping and counting on me. The pasuk right before this says, God, You know my foolishness, You know my sins. They're not hidden from You , but the people are coming to me, and they don't know that. And, if You don't answer me, it's going to be embarrassing. Rav Chaim Palaggi says this is similar to Choni HamaAgel,who said, The Jewish people are counting on me. I'm a household member of Yours . We count on our Sadikim to be there to annul decrees. Rav Chaim Pilaggi says this applied is in his generation, and it applies in our generation as well. If Hashem doesn't come through for them, it's going to be embarrassing for that Sadik . This is yet another reason, and another angle for why going to a great Sadik to pray works- Because Hashem wants to protect this sadik from being embarrassed- that he's praying, and he's not being answered. These are two beautiful explanations for why David Hamelech doesn't want to be embarrassed: 1-Because if his own prayers, for his own needs, are not answered, people will give up hope and they won't rely on Hashem. He says, if You don't answer my needs, then people will say What is bitachon worth? 2-David Hemelech is also saying, When I pray for others, let me be answered so I won't be embarrassed that my prayers don't work for them.
June 24, 2024
We're now in a pasuk in Tehilim 31, 7 where David Hamelech says, שָׂנֵ֗אתִי הַשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא וַ֝אֲנִ֗י אֶל־יְהֹוָ֥ה בָּטָֽחְתִּי / I despise those who wait for worthless vanities, And as for me, I rely on Hashem Simply speaking, David Hamelech is saying, I hate those people who are Shomrim Havleh Shav. Rashi says this means people who are hoping for the for the salvation of idolatry or other forces that don't really help us. The word Shomer can mean to look forward, like Yaakov Avinu waiting and looking forward to Yosef’s dreams coming true. The Ibn Ezra says the ‘ Havleh Shav ’ that David Hamelech hates refers to people that use soothsayers and horoscopes etc. to find out the right time or the right thing to do. “I don't do that,” says David , “I rely on Hashem.” The Malbim says this refers to people who rely on human beings, whose promises are in vain because they don't necessarily come through. In all of these simple explanations, it's David Hamelech talking. However, the Midrash Raba on Shemot 7,4 says that this is actually a quote from Gan Eden. It says, in the future, Gan Eden will scream out and say, “ Please, I'm looking for Sadikim. I don't want Resha’im. As it says, ‘ שָׂנֵ֗אתִי הַשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא /I hate those people that are waiting for falsehood. Who am I looking forward to? Those that relied on Your name, as it says V’Ani El Hashem Batachti.’ This is very interesting. Rav Bloch, in his sefer Iggeret Al HaBitachon (page 1), points out that it starts off saying, I want Sadikim and then switches to , I want those that rely on You, not the ones that are looking forward to nonsense. That means the determining factor between the Sadik and Rasha , as we see from this Midrash (and not just Sadik and Rasha for this world, but forever and ever in Gan Eden or the opposite) depends on whether you rely on Hashem or on all the other nonsense, whether it's idol worship, soothsayers or people. The Midrash continues, “ Gehinom is going to say, “I don’t want Sadikim. I want Reshaim. Who are they ? Those people that are looking forward to the Havlei Shav , those people looking forward to the nonsense. This is a fascinating pasuk - it’s not just David Hamelech talking- it's Gan Eden and Gehinom, our eternal life is asking for that. The Rambam’s son, in his sefer HaMaspik L’Ovdei Hashem ( in the chapter on Bitachon) describes something called the Kefira Nisteret / the hidden, underground heretic. He looks like he relies on Hashem externally , and he says ,‘ God is the one that takes care, God is the one that brings life and death, God is the one that heals,’ and the opposite. But in his heart, he's really relying on his actions, on his hishtadlut . When there's a disease, he only cares about the doctors and the medicine. When there's an enemy, he only cares about his strength. In his words, they are counting on things that are transient and for hope that will be dashed . He says , These people are abominable to the prophets and the righteous as David Hamelech says, שָׂנֵ֗אתִי הַשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים הַבְלֵי־שָׁ֑וְא וַ֝אֲנִ֗י אֶל־יְהֹוָ֥ה בָּטָֽחְתִּ I hate those people . It's a heavy term. He says this refers to the undercover heretics. Externally, with their lip service, they look great. But the Torah warns us, he says, Beware Lest you forget your God and you become arrogant, and you say, it was my strength and my force that made brought me the strength. Now of course, the Rambam’s son adds that this curse refers to a person that's solely relying on people. But regardless, there's an important lesson in our pasuk -the lesson we started with: Whatever we're relying on solely is going to decide our status. Are we righteous or the opposite? That will decide our eternal life. That's why this is an important pasuk- it reminds us of the importance and the centrality of bitachon in our religion, because that decides our eternity. Rav Bloch quotes Rabbenu Bachye in Parashat Pinha s that says it's well known that a person is only called a Sadik if he relies on Hashem. There’s a pasuk in Mishleh, 28,1 that says The righteous rely on God like a lion. That’s our message for today. Have a wonderful day.
June 23, 2024
We have been discussing a selection of pesukim that the Maharal refers to as Pesukei Hisayon/Pesukim of refuge. It seems that there's a certain mindset that the Maharal wants us to have, of refuge, as we will explain. אֹמַ֗ר לַ֭יהֹוָה מַחְסִ֣י וּמְצוּדָתִ֑י אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י אֶבְטַח־בּֽוֹ׃ You say to Hashem, you are my refuge. You are my fortress, my God that I rely on The Midrash Yalkut Shemoni says that in this chapter of Tehilim (91,2), David Hamelech says two things. -Number one, whenever a problem comes to me, I run to God's fortress , as it says, Nivla La B’Yad Hashem. It's ,like lo alenu , when there are bombs falling in Israel, and you run to a Miklat/shelter and that's your safe spot. David Hamelech uses this vivid example to teach us that for any problem that you have, there is a shelter. Another explanation of this pasuk is that there is this cell , or area , and whenever I have a problem or an enemy, I can put that problem or challenge in that cell and lock it up. Those are the two graphic explanations. The Rambam’s son, Rabbi Avraham, in his sefer Maspik L’Ovdei Hashem , in his chapter on bitachon, discusses two types of danger- one is health-related disease, and the other is what he calls Sakanot Mikreot/dangerous unexpected occurrences such as strong storms, mudslides, hurricanes, tornadoes earthquakes, war and all of what he calls Etaneh HaTeva / strong forces of nature. Those are the two basic categories of danger: sickness, and all kinds of natural disasters, floods and all the like. Where does bitachon come in? Rabi Avraham ben HaRambam says that you have to realize that everything is controlled by Hashem, of course. And he adds, Remember the guarantees of this pasuk. Remember the words of David Hamelech who says, אֹמַ֗ר לַ֭יהֹוָה מַחְסִ֣י וּמְצוּדָתִ֑י You are my refuge and You are my fortress. Rabbi Avraham says this is a pasuk to have on your mouth. When you're driving and there's a terrible storm and you can't see a foot ahead of you say, אֹמַ֗ר לַ֭יהֹוָה מַחְסִ֣י וּמְצוּדָתִ֑י אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י אֶבְטַח־בּֽוֹ׃ I say to God, You are my shelter. You are my fortress. My God that I rely on But it takes practice. Lehavdil , before the soldiers recently rescued the four hostages in their daring act in the middle of Rafah, they practiced, and went through many different dry runs until they were ready to do it. So too, we have to practice these lines. They aren’t that difficult: Omar L’Hashem/I say to God Machsi Umsudati/You are my refuge and my fortress, Elohai Evtach Bo/ my God that I rely on. The Shelah HaKadosh on Parashat Shekalim explains this chapter and makes a nuance. He says, it starts off saying אֹמַ֗ר לַ֭יהֹוָה מַחְסִ֣י / Omar L’Hashem Machsi using the name of Hashem that symbolizes mercy . So I tell Hashem, that in the name of mercy , Machsi Umsudati/You are my fortress and my refuge. But nothing has happened to me yet. I can still use Hashem's mercy to protect me, so that nothing should happen. That's the first level. But what happens when something does happen? We say Elohai (indicating Middat HaDin, God's judgment), Evtach Bo/ I'll rely on Him- even after the problem. I'm no longer at the level of refuge and protection. The problem is here, but I'll rely on Him to get me out of the problem. Even when it's justice , Elohai , He's my God , I know that He's doing it for me and that it’s what's best for me. And then I'll rely on Him to get me out of it. It might have been what I needed right now, but that doesn't mean it’s what I need in another minute from now. This is an important pasuk from the important chapter (91) of Yoshev B’Seter Elyon. . practice and practice. Practice makes perfect.
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