ON BITACHON

On Bitachon 

BY: MESILA

Bitachon is the most important and most effective tool for achieving financial stability, as bitachon is a direct vehicle for blessing and parnassah. Hashem promises to provide for those who trust in Him, as David Hamelech says in Tehillim, “Cast upon Hashem your burden, and He will sustain you,” (55:23), and “One who trusts in Hashem, kindness surrounds him” (32:10). 

Bitachon differs fundamentally from the rest of our advice on financial stability. So much of what we advise is related to hishtadlus, which is Mesila’s primary focus. But there is no use telling people how to do their hishtadlus correctly if they do not have bitachon. 

Doing hishtadlus without having bitachon is like trying to drive a car without fuel. You can go through all the motions of driving, but the car won’t run. If the other improvements or efforts that lead to financial stability are the car’s engine, steering wheel, accelerator, tires, brakes and gears, then bitachon is the fuel. Fuel alone cannot drive the car, but it is the invisible force that propels all the car’s internal mechanisms. 

Similarly, any hishtadlus we do has to be fueled by bitachon, in order to merit the Heavenly blessing that will propel our efforts to success. And just as a car needs frequent refueling, people also need continual chizuk in bitachon.

As important as bitachon is, however, bitachon alone is not enough. We are also required to put in our effort, our hishtadlus – and we are required to take our hishtadlus seriously. There are certain extraordinarily righteous individuals who are exempt from the requirement of hishtadlus — people of the ilk of Rabi Chanina ben Dosa and Rabi Shimon bar Yochai — but those individuals are the rare exceptions. The rest of us are obligated to do our hishtadlus, and if we don’t, we risk forfeiting our parnassah — not as a natural outcome, but as a penalty. 

Why do we need to put in hishtadlus, if we believe Hashem is the One providing parnassah? Because from the time Adam Harishon sinned, Hashem programmed the world to operate according to a set of principles called nature. And He desires that we follow those principles and go through the motions of obtaining our parnassah through natural means. 

Since Hashem requires us to do our hishtadlus, we cannot use bitachon as an excuse for neglecting our financial obligations. It is ludicrous to think Hashem will provide us with parnassah if we do not follow Hashem’s prescription for parnassah — namely, “By the sweat of your brow will you eat bread.” 

Bitachon without hishtadlus is problematic, but hishtadlus without bitachon is downright dangerous. That is because any form of hishtadlus involves trust in something — be it a job, a business, an investment or a unique talent – and “when a person trusts in something other than Hashem, Hashem removes His providence from that person and leaves him in the hands of that in which he trusted” (Chovos Halevavos, Shaar Habitachon). In other words, if a person relies on his boss, his customers, or Wall Street to bring him parnassah, he will be subject to the whims and vicissitudes of those forces — a frightening prospect indeed. 

Hishtadlus can only succeed when it is accompanied by a clear recognition of where parnassah comes from. To achieve a harmonious balance between bitachon and hishtadlus, we need to act as though our hishtadlus is what brings us parnassah, while knowing that is all just an act.

People who have bitachon never have any reason to be fearful or anxious about their finances, for they have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that Hashem will see to all of their needs.

As we watch the Corona virus epidemic and the resultant economic earthquake rocking the bastions of financial security — banks, investment companies and even governments — we cannot help but be reminded that our sense of security has to come from a different Source entirely. Times of financial crisis should prompt us to strengthen our bitachon and reevaluate what it is that we rely on for our parnassah. At the same time, we daven that Hashem bless us with the fortitude and the resources to weather the current crisis, and that He spare us from further uncertainty and hardship.

On Rosh Hashanah, our livelihood for the year was determined. Now we need to put in enough hishtadlus to ensure that we do not block the channels of parnassah, all the while basking in the security of Hashem’s loving care.